Sunny Says...

My 2 cents on Malaysia 2 - Bahrain 3 (Olympic Qualifiers)

2011-11-28T19:33:00.000+08:00

Hey, wassup? Been awhile. Yeah. Anyway, I saw a news article online bout the game last night and thought I'd commented..turns out my comment went blog-length..hehe.. (I usually microblog. See @sunnymst). So what the heck, here it is:

I am not gonna make excuses for the lads. We lost because late on we lost control in midfield, lost collective concentration to defend, was over-excited to attack when they pulled one back, and totally lost shape when they equalised.

But guys, put things in perspective. This is a very young side and are clearly overstretched by injuries and fatigue. They lost control of midfield when 3 main midfielders went out injured, one key midfielder was only 17 years old! Oh, not to mention another defensive midfielder being forced to stay on the pitch injured as no extra subs allowed?

Besides, Bahrain are clearly the better team that night and our goals came from 1) Individual brilliance of a 17 year old, and 2) Error from the Bahrain keeper. Did I realistically expect our team to win? Not really. I think the nation itself got a little too ahead of itself. I just wanted them to play as good as they can and they've duly done so. A draw would've been a bonus.

It is all part of the learning curve and as a nation, this lesson will only benefit our national team in the long run. They will grow up and be better players because of this experience as long as they & the management remain steadfast on this development path.

And us as fans, I am happy that there are now more fans who are supportive of our team than those who just know how to condemn. Our team is playing better and had given their all - surely that is all we can ask for.

Have faith & keep on supporting so that the good players remain motivated knowing they fight for fans who are worth fighting for.

Damn u AEST! (n time stamp)

2011-04-02T00:24:00.000+08:00

Ah well..worth a try,even if the idea came at 1158pm! Grrrrr!

April Fool!

2011-04-01T23:59:00.000+08:00

What April Fool? Harom! Sama laa jugak dgn Poco2! Wakawkawkaw!

A lesson in credit card insurance & irresponsible marketing

2010-12-04T10:24:00.000+08:00

A few days ago, I got a call from a guy from XYZ bank. He wanted to introduce me to an insurance product that settles my credit card balance in case of death or if im diagnosed with a critical illness. aside from settling my balance, there is also a certain sum to be paid out to me/a nominee if the above happens (about 50K-100K).

he said that if i die, my family would not have to bare the burden of settling my credit card debts. i just had to stop him there.

now when did my family or anyone else aside from me became liable for my credit card debt? a credit card is a 'clean' credit facility - meaning no security is offered in exchange for the facility given. there is no collateral nor did anyone formally promised to XYZ bank "if sunny defaults, i will be responsible".

he then started to mumble out some technical mumbo jumbo about the credit card form that i signed containing such clause and my family is legally obliged to pay off the card debt if i die. he also said the 'mother's maiden name' part that i filled up (which is standard in all credit card forms for security check purpose) is naming that person as liable for my debt. my mother?!

i was just giggling on the other end as he tried so hard to twist the facts. again, fact is, no one is going to be liable for my credit card debts when i die and they have no right to chase after anyone for payments. our country has strict laws protecting guarantors and banks actually have to adhere to strict guidelines before a guarantee is legally enforceable. credit card form?what a joke. there was never even another signature aside mine and only mine!

now, similar products such as mortgage insurance or housing loan insurance is fair as your house is offered to the bank. if you die and no one pays, your loan defaults and your house will be sold off to recover the loan. so there is a real burden on your family to continue servicing the loan. thus, an insurance for mortgage is actually an important thing an almost a necessity.

even so, if no family member gave a personal guarantee on the loan, the liability on them to pay if you cant pay due to disability or death is indirect. bank wont say "you pay because you are his wife, son, etc"..bank will say "if no one pays, bank will have to sell off the house so please pay or you would have to find elsewhere to stay"..

and so, back to the credit card case where there is no security offered and no guarantee given, it is wrong to sell this insurance saying if you die, your family wont be burdened etc because no, they are not legally binded. in practice, card companies usually would end up writing off your debt as a loss to them if you die and dont pay. so when you buy this insurance, you are paying premium to insure them from loss arising from risk of death!

of course, there is the pay out sum payable but that is actually just like a personal accident coverage and you could probably get it cheaper elsewhere. and if that guy marketed the insurance product as an accident/life policy, i would have spared him the lecture on the above. poor guy, he sounded agitated and probably just wanted to end the call at that moment.

well, there are cases where credit card debt could have a real effect on your family. firstly if the amount is large enough for the bank to sue for bankruptcy and exercise claim on your assets to recover the debt. i am not sure about the amount, probably minimum 30-50K. you probably would also have a housing loan that will default and thus the card company will have a claim on the sales proceeds, ie, less of the balance from sales of your asset after settling other loans would be left for your family (even so, im not sure if suing for bankuptcy in case of default due to death is legally possible)..

or if you have other loans, e.g mortgage, at your card issuing bank, you would probably be binded by a 'consolidation clause' whereby all your loans at the bank will be consolidated as one amount for recovery in case of default and thus, your credit card debt, regardless of amount, makes this figure higher.thus less of the balance from proceeds from sale of asset will be given back to your family.

finally, the bigger point in all this is that many times, especially when dealing with insurance products, marketers will try to create a need for a product so that you feel that it is necessary to have it. sometimes the need is real but sometimes, like the example above, it is fictional. fear is another thing that marketers, especially insurance agents, would try to put in customers as people dont like fear and would buy something if it reduces that fear.

i feel that we are very third world when it comes to marketing financial products. we need more people who don't just sell at all cost, but instead advise on product features and needs. people who dare to say "oh, i think my product is not suitable for you" if that's the truth.

p/s: the guy from XYZ bank apologized and claimed that he was taught that way by the training ppl to market the product.tsk tsk tsk...

I Need A Job With More 'Me Time'

2010-07-18T21:38:00.000+08:00

Ok. Went to the gym today and of all the things I could've seen on the announcement board, I saw this poster of JB Arts Festival 2010. (Gym?Arts Festival?)

JB Arts Festival

It had been running since 29th June and I only found out about it today. Bloody missed some good performances. D'oh!
Besides revealing the fact that I haven't visited the gym for at least 3 weeks, it shows that either:

1) The festival had little promo, or
2) I was too busy to notice any promos, or
3) Both

I think it's really (2). Even if promos were there, I no longer have time to go search for it. It seems if I need to know about happenings around me, either I stumble upon it or someone has to inform me about it. I think it's sad, like I'm disabled or something.

Well, to be fair, couldn't really entirely blame the job for this. But I really need to manage my time better. Somehow, it all must fit in the 24/7 that I have. Work, family, ME, etc (not necessarily in that order). And if anypart of all that needs to be sacrificed, it must be 'work' I feel.

P/s: Thank God I'm not a doctor.

Oh, JB ppl, check out the festival yo! They also on Facebook.

I See The Light! ... Now I Don't!

2010-05-04T02:34:00.000+08:00

maybe collecting my random thoughts, those 1-2-3-4-whine liners on my blog is a good thing to do...not so much of reminding everyone else of what i think, but more to remind myself who i am from time to time..

here's a start:

"if we don't stay and improve things slowly from the fundamentals up, and leave simply because we don't like things, things will never progress..once in every blue moon someone decides to stay and will be strong enough to make a difference but more likely than that, collective will for change no matter how small individually will decide the battle.."

i was inspired by my frustration that how certain things at work that i feel can be bettered will just be excused as 'culture' and live on...like unnecessary fear of the bos, or coming back from 1 hour 'lunch break' to continue work just after 15 minutes!

culture might be one reason that might push me away from my current job in the future but it is just not me to run away from being the change i feel necessary and subtly do my best to improve what's around me...i've done it before many times and each time i find no task is too big..i might not be able to change the whole corporate organisation, yet, but at least i am another guy in there which contributes to the number of people with the same mentality..and enough of 'me' who decided to stay would one day become significant enough to change 'culture'..

not just work..for example, i was stuck in a bad jam on my way back from work coz of some accident up front, and it is so tempting to shift into the emergency lane and cruise forward (which some cars are doing)..i was frustrated by this habit in our society..but then i thought, if i wont be big enough to change our driver's attitude, i will contribute to the number of people queing up in the jam like civilised people..

and u know what struck me? i noticed that if this was KL (to the extent of my experience in its gridlocks), the emergency lane would've been swamped..BUT..there were only about 1 car zooming past per 5 seconds just now, which is not bad!so i feel i've contributed to a new driving 'culture' by joining the rest in the line =)

and how i realize little things in life that we face everyday is beautifully connected to bigger things in our world..if u belief in something, the least u can do is live ur beliefs, be counted, and let market forces lead the way..but hey, most things in life is grey..what you believe strongly is right is exactly what someone else equally strongly believe is wrong..so in the process of it all, don't forget to maintain a certain degree of respect to others =)

What I Do At Work

2010-02-24T02:03:00.000+08:00

a lot...sometimes things i consider nonsense...but here's what i am actually employed for...and fundamentally speaking, i like it...

i analyse loan propositions to come up with a credit decision...well, at least 'decision' for me right now is more of a recommendation as i don't have discretionary powers to decide...

i distinguish what we call the 5 C's...Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, Condition...and by that order shall my analysis be structured...

character is your creditworthiness and..erm..character (in credit sense that is..i don't care really if u don't believe in god)

here, i would ask questions like.."what's the guy's credit history like?" .. "how is the credit record of this company's directors?" .. "this guy a habitual defaulter?" .. "why does this guy pays his instalments late?" .. and i have customers personal reports to assist me..these reports are facts of the case..for example,

fact: report shows ur car loan is always overdue by 2-3 months...
story: "oo, this car is loaned under my name..but my brother is using it..he pays the loan"

then unless there is a way to prove beyond reasonable doubt ur story, the facts of the case read: this is UR loan for a car under UR name which U have legal obligation to pay...n U r not paying..meaning U r bad with paying back loans..

i also rely on other sources such as existing background knowledge (existing customer) and opinions given by colleagues or trusted persons, as long as the opinions are substantiated...experienced staff also are good at reading body language, reading between the lines, etc..

character is most important and thats why it is first of the Cs .. i don't really care what a person have to say about anything else but if it is proven that he is not creditworthy, its like showing many many doors but all locked with no keys. so, learn to handle some sort of financial commitment with banks early on..and don't be an ass if banks reject u coz u r no good in paying loans..

capacity is 2nd and almost equally important...it is the ability to service the loan..it can be from adequate to comfortable to non-existent..it is how much you earn vs how much u need to pay..it is about how profitable a company is or how well the cash generating ability...etc... (no, it does not assume u agree to consume instant noodles for the rest of ur loan tenure)

here, i would generally need income supporting documents...official documents that is credible and can substantiate how much you earn, and prove to me that what you claim to earn is true...for individuals, if u earn a fix salary, u'll have payslips, epf, bank accounts ... even if u don't get payslips, ur money must go somewhere, like a bank account..

u can tell me your grandma or grandpa's story about how much u earn and what sort of magic business u r doing that seems to be giving u abnormal returns, but if u can't prove it with acceptable supporting docs..its just not gonna work...

u can also tell me about how much u r going to get in the future when this becomes that, blablabla...but yea, what's the point if there's no evidence? but hey, banks do accept that uni graduates have better earning potential...and, at my bank at least, having a degree helps in some cases ;)

so that's pretty much the 2 most important things u can have in mind when u think about taking up a loan..of course, different loans require different depths of analysis and all cases are different...nonetheless, the above two C's will always be an integral part of the consideration process..

finally, banks (like yourself) are not charities...just use common, unbiased sense, and think..if u have millions of customers asking u for money (assuming u have the money)...what would you do? (hint: employ Sunny with awesomely crazy remuneration package)

aside from me badly needing to sleep soon despite how i can't get my eyes to shut now...the other 3 C's are kinda more technical and is usually a matter of compliance once the first 2 Cs are checked OK, hence, not worth my trouble writing and ur trouble reading unless u want to learn, which u dont need to coz friendly neighbourhood bankers like me exists...

contact me for honest help in credit..i don't promise i'll have the answer, but i promise i'll learn them up for u and assist u further..

The Rubbish That Must Be Taken Out Is Worth The Trouble

2010-02-16T17:33:00.001+08:00

"The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish."
Robert Jackson

Whoever Robert Jackson is, he makes good sense..

I'm taking this swipe at freedom of speech/press by exercising my own rights to freedom of speech..

No,i'm not against it..i'm just saying that a whole lotta ppl talking = a sizeable loada crap...

More dangerously, the pen IS mightier than the sword..put someone with a good ability to talk/write, with a dash of personality & humour, in front of an audience..n he/she will easily sway perceptions n his/her opinions/speculations will easily be taken in as truth..

So always question what u read/hear..doesn't matter how highly u hold the source in regard..which is why freedom of speech/media must exist so we have options..

and yea, unfortunately we'll hafta deal with more crap..not just written n spoken rubbish..but rubbish situations possibly caused by the rubbish written & spoken..

Oh,n physical rubbish in the form of more material to be consumed by more talking/writing.. ;-)

And now...i'ma gonna go google up "Robert Jackson"..

Even my grandma knows that playing with firecrackers will be caught by police!

2010-02-13T11:11:00.000+08:00

credit to Namewee

Enjoy this very good & original song by Namewee!
You have to give it to him, he's spot on with his criticisms...but i think he'll agree that people shouldn't take it too seriously lah...we should all learn to laugh more at ourselves =)

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all FAMILY & FRIENDS...lets prosper together in health & wealth!

Ada Paham?

2010-01-22T00:52:00.000+08:00

personally, i think ability to be understanding is very important...if there's anything i've gained from being of chinese-malay mixed parentage, it is the chance to explore the meaning of 'understanding' from a young age, growing up in typical malay & chinese surroundings, at once...and the more i think about it, the more i feel that in a society as diversed as ours, we have no choice but to understand each other better if we are to settle down as a matured nation...

equilibrium in how different parts of our society would interact and co-exist can be sought by many ways.. we had 'pecah & perintah' which did its job in defining how malaysians 'interacted' by limiting interaction.. then we were forced upon us rules of engagement in inter-race relations: what was ok, what was sensitive, what was taboo...basically, in the above, equilibrium was defined or imposed by someone who obviously was powerful enough to have such abilities..

in economics, we simplify reality into simple equations with few variables, yet, to great effect of usefully predicting real life reactions to changes in variables...to deliver my point, i'll use a simple example of a boy & a girl...

if a boy & a girl go out dating and have their elders show them 'the way' or follow the book, say, 'a dummy's guide to dating'...they'll probably be fine in 'equilibria' as they are controlled and they operate within set limits...but a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl and different creatures they are! if the elder is no more or has no more influence, if they realized the book was actually written by a dummy, how would the relationship go?

i reckon there'd be awkward moments, angry moments, unintended mistakes, and hearts breaking...haywire..
it's like a software with syntax error..football team without a coach...

unless, the couple had already attained this good understanding of each other...they are different individuals yet they can tolerate each other because they understand each other..know where the other's been, see where the other's coming from...then they will not have problems reaching the equilibrium without much intervention.. (or at least 'trading within a steady band' as forex analysts would say which what i believe equilibrium really looks like)

so there, the second way to equilibrium as opposed to authoritarian approach: self discovery, which i believe is where we need to be headed because authority changes with it the belief it carries, and if there was good authority it can never stand forever ... and key to equilibrium via self discovery is the ability to understand..

in my view, to understand is to appreciate the process of how something happened...many people tolerate without first understanding, hence, peace thru such toleration is very much imaginary...because when toleration reaches it's boundary, there is no strong foundation laid by understanding or "appreciation of the underlying mechanics" to keep cool heads and maintain rationality...

in an age where our society is growing up...we will be tested time after time, and even more so now that there is no overwhelmingly strong 'invisible hand' & society achieving more freedom of thought...

group after group of people will react stupidly to a certain matter which they can't comprehend...it takes the rest of society to understand where they come from in order to deal with the situation better...im not saying we tolerate wrong acts, but im saying condemning wrong acts shouldn't just stop there...understanding them should be the immediate next step so that we can remedy the underlying problem...so that we know which path not to take..we treat the illness, not the symptoms..

for example...if we understand that terrorism had arisen from the ashes of oppression and poverty, governments will know that it must treat its citizen right and encourage an environment where everyone can provide for themselves...normal citizens will also know to respect each other and look out for one another...

finally, we must realize how naive our society is when it comes to understanding each other in malaysia... we must know that many malaysians still do not go/prefer not to go beyond their racial roots for friends...misunderstandings are everywhere...and we must not rush things... it takes more than a lifetime and certainly more than a slogan or mass marketing campaign to develope a matured society... experience will be malaysia's great teacher and to learn, we must be ready to understand...so remind ourselves and our kids to understand more...we will do malaysia much good...

The 'New Year' is a huge marketing ploy! But Happy 2010 nonetheless =)

2010-01-01T00:55:00.000+08:00

goodbye 2009, welcome 2010...a new year, a new decade..although, i think celebration of 'a new decade' is pretty pointless as we dont keep track of decades the way we keep track of centuries or years, or months, or days...i mean, hear terms like 'the 202nd decade' often?

well, i will be very frank in my reflection and say that 2009 had not been anywhere near being listed as 'one of my best years'..its been a frustrating year in terms of career, its been downhill in terms of social life, its been stagnant for pretty much everything else..

i miss having time to enjoy life..i miss the feeling of being inspired and passionate about work like how i was during my uni days..i miss being around good friends..i dont know what's wrong with my life, but my gut feeling is its got a lot to do with work..but that's just a wild guess..erm, ok, educated guess..

hmm..not that the past year hadn't had its ups.. it certainly have provided some memorable occasions, some great new friends, a new house worthy of being called home, and a healthier bank balance..but the bigger picture - the macro view of it all is, i havent really been happy...

thus, i am ending 2009 in a low note...i am looking forward to 2010 and i am gonna do something i dont usually do -> have resolutions for the new year...firstly, i think it's lame that we need something like a 'new year' to be setting goals for ourselves...time is continuous and 'years' are but discrete dummy variables, and its funny that so much of our life is shaped around the structure provided by this illusion..at one extreme, i'd even say 'the new year' is a huge marketing ploy!haha!

yea well..but this year would be an exception...once in awhile, i'd welcome a chance to categorically put something behind me (like a bad 'year') and feel like a chance is given to set things straight..like someone just saying to me, "hey sunny, here's a new set of 365 days...screw the last 365 days"...

my new year's resolutions are:

1) to watch all Man Utd games - because they make me feel alive..
2) to save more & and build on my personal investments - because...err, use your imagination..
3) to do something about not being happy about work .. be it a change of job or a change of heart...

wish me luck, especially with the last one...

anyways, thanks to all who have provided my otherwise dull and gloomy 2009 portrait with splashes of colours...may the next 365 days be a generally good one for all =)

Of customers, inspiration & NCG on a cruise

2009-12-22T23:39:00.001+08:00

so i was working late again today coz head office wanted some extra info on a company im recommending..at least the requests sound like the person had a good look at my proposal & i actually feel more knowledgeable after being pointed out on some points i've missed or analysis that was lacking...

sometimes, they refer back cases for stupid things which is merely a process to buy themselves some time to clear up their own pile of back-logs, sometimes they ask for things that are already clearly there...sometimes they just tease u by giving partial approval or rejecting straight away for some dumb reasons, so that you appeal and waste more time..

well, as much as i can, i'll try to channel those frustration into positive thoughts like "i shouldve done this or that better"..or give people the benefit of doubt..but sometimes, u can't help but think that they are also human like u n me who will do mistakes, who will slack, who will be selfish, & who simply won't know (ie stupid)..

so, back to my earlier story..this request was urgent n i only received the requests from HQ about 6 ish...then at the botton there's a line that sounds like this:"pls revert back by 23/12/09 as processing officer will be on leave"..

crap..

but its urgent anyway, so there u go...bank was empty & i was working my socks off again alone..i had to call up the customer at about 8-ish and the lady sounded like she was in cheerful mood..we chat a bit (build rapport mah!) n she said why i worked so late bla bla bla being the caring auntie she was..in my heart, well, "coz we have too many customers like you who want everything urgent.."

sometimes customers are unreasonable..well,too many a times for my own loving actually..

some people are just too rich to care, in their third world mentalities us bankers work for them & thus must do as they say..some are stupid but think they aren't, usually these are educated ones in someother unrelated field than banking/finance & think they read enough to know about what we deal with day in day out..these are the hardest to reason with..

i mean, a lecturer came in and questioned our instalment calculation..he was a lecturer in physics, quite senior it seems..it just wasnt his day as he met me..in his head, all we wanted to do was rip him off...heck, i play with these speadsheets for fun & could even explain to him each formula if he wanted...he sat there quietly as i went on..then rambles some shit about banking, thanked me n left..

at least he thanked me..but it wudve been less embarassing for him if he was more courteous & less berlagak, and asked for a clarification instead of trying to prove something...

customers forget that many actually want to work hard to help them...all they have to do is be nice, courteous, & reasonable..we'll go the extra mile for them instead of going the extra mile while cursing them each second...like that auntie i spoke of earlier, her being nice made me felt better and i felt the extra hours was worth it...

of course, i cant deny that slackers are there & i dont know why they became like that, in my heart i believe these people once was just like that fresh grad who just started working..enthusiastic & hard working...probably the system got the better of them...probably its the lack of inspiration..probably its the dark side yoda's been talking about..

well, thats a lil dip into the pool of situations i encounter week in week out..i guess its part of being in the service sector...sometimes u feel like shit, sometimes u feel great coz you've helped made a difference in someone's life...on a random note, i want to tell all my friends who are teachers that they should be very proud that they have a chance to inspire kids to a better life..i know my teacher inspired me well..and some of yours probably did the same too..

on a side note, i always envision myself being in the customers shoes..being that rich bank customer..what sort of rich guy would i be? everyday i tell myself, "the cool one"..ohyeaaa..i still have that dream of fully sponsoring NCG on a cruise...

difference between celcom & maxis mobile internet

2009-12-20T23:45:00.000+08:00

now, i am not a tech geek nor do i know much about fancy telecommunication mambo jumbo..but, after experiencing both celcom & maxis mobile internet, i do think this much i can say about their big difference on a mobile platform...

i use a htc and have always subscribed to data plans from my mobile provider (used to be celcom, now maxis) to make full use of the wonderful device i have..htc tytn II is capable of HSDPA or 3.5G as some would call it..

there's this little logo on my phone screen that shows whether i'm in GPRS coverage area, or EDGE, or 3G or HSDPA, marked by G, E, 3G, and H. i'm sure most people would also have this little indicator on their phone, where the signal strength is usually shown...

when i was with celcom, that little logo was constantly H whenever im in HSDPA area, which is where i would be most of the time..but with maxis, it will only show 3G..and only when the phone is transferring data over mobile net (ie downloading or uploading), will the symbol change to H..when its done, symbol will go back to 3G..

here's an easy way to see what is happening...imagine i have a ferrari and im on a two lane highway...what celcom allows me to do is use the overtaking lane as long as the lane is there...but maxis restricts me to the left lane while driving, and only allow me to use the right lane when overtaking..

Visual representation of my awesome deduction

meh...so its not too bad...fair enough maxis is probably trying to manage the bandwidth usage due to their inferior resources compared to celcom..but here's the problem i often encounter due to the limiting structure...

if i load a huge page, or if i use a program that donw&uploads data bit by bit, it becomes really frustrating as i have to see the connection move up and down many times, effecting the speed im enjoying..

its like overtaking many cars..maxis wont allow me to overtake too many cars using the right lane for too long..im forced to go back to the left lane, then move back right...if the fast lane is pretty empty, then fine..but shitty thing is when there are many fast cars simultaneously wanting to overtake..i would be forced to wait until it is safe to shift lanes...

so between celcom & maxis (in terms of mobile internet), i'd recommend celcom for dependability .. the only reason im using maxis is that the monthly usage commitment includes international calls & smses..while celcom charges me on top of the usage commitment for international calls & smses..

anyway, this whole explanation is pretty much what i've deduced from my own experience..while i feel that its a fairly accurate account, i am not an expert, so do correct me if im wrong and confirm with me if im right..but i really don't think there's any other way to explain the difference in mobile internet behaviours on my phone..

what happens when you can't sleep...

2009-12-20T05:04:00.000+08:00

so...i've found some time to do something about this place here...no wonder time is so hard to find...it only comes out at about 430am and only when a certain 'football manager' isn't on the agenda...well...better late then never...

what to expect from this blog? well...2 important things came with this update...

1) i found out i can send a simple email to a certain address and it will be posted straight away here. considering 'send a simple email' can be easily done using my htc...u guys can expect more frequent updates..probably from once every 6 months to, say, once every 2 months?

2) i've added the twitter updates gadget at the side of this page...and since i update random thoughts on twitter more frequently.. (i started twitter on 30/06/09, posted 611 tweets..divided by 173 days...about 3-4 times a day)...you can be more updated with my random thoughts..then again, its pointless being updated with random thoughts coz..erm..they're random...ah well, you'll at least know what's recently up in my life then =)

to sum it up, im still at public bank (!) .. still a man utd die hard .. still weigh more than 100kg .. still love the friends that i've made during any part of my life (Q: awww) eventhough not much effort had been made to keep in touch .. still loves karaoke .. still loving youuuuuuuuuuu ~ (Q: scorpion song)

to you reading this, yes you, a friend, a workmate, my bos, a bot..take it easy and keep it real yo!

Twins?

2009-08-02T10:23:00.003+08:00

Chang Chang Changitty Chang She-Bop!

2009-06-21T23:02:00.003+08:00

probably the only 1 thing about public bank that triggers good memories of uni life is the regional annual dinner...its gonna be my 2nd time now as a public bank staff but more importantly, its the first time i will experience the full-force furnace of the madness that accompanies it simply because our tan sri teh is coming to town...

it is a big thing - the annual dinner (when tan sri is attending)...it would be really really grand and each region will always try to do better than the region before it...how extravagant is it? well, i dont know yet coz i havent experienced it...but judging from some pics, videos, & what i saw last year..i'd say its gonna be huge...to the extent of 'lebey' level..

the staff (almost 200 altogether) are putting up a grand performance and are practicing like tirelessly to be perfect for the dinner...its like a circus really...

i've decided to take part in the acapella performance (again????...no...this time its pro!) and also to be elton john impersonator for this dance segment called 'the wax museum'...well, basically i dress up like him, and konon2 performing this cool song 'crocodile rock' with dancers and all...

and then there's acapella! the organizing committee called a few of us to form this group as they thought that last year (when me n some other jbu peepz did acapella for the first time in public bank annual dinner) was a pretty awesome concept! =P well...things didnt go smoothly at first, but after a successfull revamp headed by our taiko nizam, it picked up well...

we had been doing studio recording for the past 2 days and since the few of us from the group were around..we helped record a few other songs to be used for the performances...well u c, with the songs, the lyrics would usually be changed to be talking about public bank and we would have to record the new versions...this studio recording thingy...maaan, first time =P

with a team of really talented staff (i mean, seriously, some could steal your heart (n some probably had!) using just their voices!), together we chilled around the office-cum-recording studio either practising or recording or just lepaking with the cool sound engineer for the past 2 days...and at the end of it all...it was all damn satisfying...for our final recording, we recorded this medley of 'grease is the word', 'grease lightning', & 'we go together'...and how technology made us sound awesome was...erm...awesome...of course...garbage in-garbage out...input mesti qualitas! =P

seriously reminded me of the glory days of anas & the producers (haha!)...faisal, zek, anas...wish u guys were there...it would be awesome! how crazy was practice and 'recording' back then???haha! and =and hey, this circus that is the preparation for the dinner sure brings back memories of my mfest days...still among the happiest moments in my life...

well...this pleasant distraction from work at least helped me forget how stressful work can be nowadays...its a long story if i even start talking about it...reality is...i am still at public bank, but i dont really know why...i keep asking myself why i do this when im pretty sure i can afford to choose not to do so...maybe its the challenge of achieving things here thats keeping me here...maybe its my natural desire to reach that position in this organization when i can tell myself (n be proud) that i've made it, before i could finally decide im going...

but its a dangerous trap that could eventually see me spending my entire life here...hmm, nothing wrong with that...as long as i can find the passion...for now...the reason to spark that passion is pretty much non existent..

the road not usually taken...

2009-03-28T01:10:00.003+08:00

heheheheyyy! (Krusty-like 'hey')

i was juz chilling, waiting for someone..and i was thinking about work and all..and i cant deny that despite the shittyness that comes with it, im one darn lucky employee within the workforce..

one of the things my colleagues just tak boleh tahan about me is that i dont need to put much effort into my daily travelling to work...

consider this...on a normal day, from my house to my desk would take about..erm..15 minutes..and most people i know travel from almost an hour to more than that to reach office!

the only real threat of a traffic jam is this 250 meter stretch road exiting my taman into the tebrau highway...i take this opportunity to curse OMEGA TUITION CENTER for posing this threat of jam to me...when kids finish tuition...that's when the traffic builds up..2 lane rd bcome 1 lane due to stupid parents parking in one lane waiting for their kids...i mean, dude...there's this decent parking lot juz behind the center where they could put some effort turning into to wait for the kids...sigh...

fact- this jam would delay travel time to between 20-30 minutes...

anyway...the coolest fact of the day is...i actually have an option to travel to work...without actually waiting for any traffic lights, and almost no chance of traffic jam...the only reason i would take this route tho, is when that friggin jam happens...this bcoz this trafficlightless route takes about 5 minutes longer to navigate compared the usual route on a normal day...and more turns are involved...

so...i conclude, that i am too spoilt in terms of the above bcoz not many actually enjoy this sorta convenience...and bcoz i took half a blog post to complain about the insignificant traffic jam that i have to endure once in awhile (well, actually no...i escape via the trafficlightless route when signs of jam surface)..

and why do i choose to arrive at office at 845 sharp (start of office hour)...not earlier??i cant figure that part out..

Map1: a cool map

three cheers for the malaysian workforce who make it to work everyday!

the monster 6 feet under ate the rock

2009-02-22T15:07:00.004+08:00

Hello world ^_^

Whoah..look at this place..pretty much dead..hehe..well, i've concluded that this is a side effect of the transition from being a full-time student to your friendly neighbourhood working malaysian...

not only that, life had also changed in terms of the setting it takes place in...very different place & environment the past & the present are...

do i hope that i will be reviving this blog?yes, i hope..but am i confident i will be posting more often?nahh...my next post will probably be in about 2 months time...or maaaaybe...next week?!hehe..i do hope that this post would take the burden of making a first post after many months off myself so that my next post wont look like a daunting task...

but then, why wud writing after so long become daunting?it shudnt be..unless there is some sort of pressure to deliver...pressure to deliver?heck..i write what i feel like writing, whenever i feel like writing it...perasan gila gua kalau rasa ade some sort of expectation out there about my writings! =P

anyway, im currently doing analysis of commercial & consumer credit proposal for public bank...in short, i process loans...yes, i work in a bank...i dont know what's up with some ppl that i've met...when they ask me where i work at..and after i've answered their question...they'd give that ''im surprised,i expected more from someone like you'' look (or most of the times, that short 'oh').

whateverlah..

so, a huge chunk of my life since my last post was work..work..and work...aside from that..i watched almost all man utd matches on weekends...i spend weekends either clearing up work at office and/or spending time with family...then there's the girlfriend time..hehe..before you know it...im almost 11 months in public bank already!(increment! increment! increment! increment!)

dudes, back then in uni, if i focused half as hard as how i do now at work...i'd probably be valedictorian...

every now & then, i think about random ideas that wud b cool if could be tried out...they range from cool restaurant concepts to great agenda for the nation!they are all inspired by the ongoing issues everywhere...from our own laughable political scene, to the economic crisis...to malaysian football..

take this for example, it was inspired during one of those days i cudnt stop cursing malaysian drivers (singaporean drivers included)...

i think we shud start a campaign encouraging people to honk or shout or, if you're driving a hummer, hentam saja those reckless drivers or those ignorant fools who, for example, stop at no stopping zones, troubling everyone else. or just ram into motorcycles who think we care for them soo much & wont dare hit them that they could ride dangerously.

i mean, of course we must be courteous & all...but hey, shit drivers deserve shit...these days, people who do the wrong thing are the ones scolding people who do the right thing on the road..wtf?salah ni beb...orang buat salah mesti ar tau malu...it's time we restore order!

ah well, i guess that is all for now...heck, i dont know why, but i still cant get over sydney & d memories there...to all my mates everywhere...miss u all!

SJKC Foon Yew 5, 6M 1997

2008-02-11T23:07:00.000+08:00

Today was somewhat a hectic day...but it felt sooo good...

I went to the hospital earlier today to get a letter from the doctor...then decided to take the bus from the Sultanah Aminah hospital to the city centre...and just walked around...checking out my new work place (in a bout a month's time)...then boarded the bus back home (most probably my daily routine to-be)...

it was cool...i really am looking forward to starting work...hopefully i'd enjoy it...

chinese new year was awesome...hehehehe...i wont elaborate much on that point =)

so not long after i reached home from the city...i was preparing to receive a bunch of my primary school mates who decided to come to my place 'bai nian' (paying me a visit to celeb cny)...i havent seen some of them in years...it was fun...just talking about the past and the present...goss about other classmates...teachers...catching up...

then i deviated a bit from my original plan and followed them to visit two of my primary school teachers...again...it was just a wonderful time spent...more friends tagged along...and we just sat and talked and talked...

pictures will be posted once ive got them from my friend...

anyway...tomorrow im going to be staying in ward in the kulai hospital...and my procedure will be on the 13th...wednesday...i dont know yet when i will come back home...hopefully not too long staying in the hospital...hehehehe...

if anyone is free...do gimme a call or better, if anyone is in jb...drop by my place...i will be in crutches tho... =)

ciao!

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium!

2008-01-30T12:01:00.000+08:00

so it's been a bit more than 2 weeks since ive returned home...and ive watched the simpsons movie again...twice...hehehe...

at first glance...it might seem that i havent been doing anything....but i dunno...life feels busy...hahaha...maybe im imagining it all to feel good about slacking...but eitherway...i have been running quite a bit of miscellaneous errands...going to pasar on weekends...u know, with chinese new year coming..it gets kinda busy there...

what's the price like u ask??

ikan bawal cepak/tambak (tao tui/dou chang) ranges from 45 ringgit seekor (NOT per kg) for those near half a kg in weight...to about 130 ringgit seekor for those huge ones...ang ka tua he (udang kaki merah)...the super huge ones are 80 ringgit per kg...ikan bawal putih (bai chang) is about 75 ringgit per kg for the huge ones (about 4-5 of em per kg)...

yes yes...they are expensive...u can argue that they used to be so and so..but like what my brother argues back, "dulu polis pun pakai seluar pendek"...

BUT...these are all local stuff from pontian waters...people who eat fish knows these are the best places to get them...sure...u can get cheap ones imported but are they as nice? for chinese new year...for steaming purposes...for the big dinner or any meals...surely, only the best should be served =) it's worth every penny i tell ya...

i have been following my bro to gelang patah to go pick up prawns to be sold at our place...one day we had to wait for a long time for the dealer to arrive..so we decided to go on a lil journey to the end of the kampung (very deep into the kampung)...all the way to where the sea is...since it is a bit too far...ive decided to turn on gps to see if there's a short cut...and THERE IS! so we followed it...and got to our destination much faster than usual...

so ive decided..if i own a gps company...i will use the tagline "Travel Like A Local" ...(hehehe...copyrighted ok)...coz really, only locals would know that short cut...

anyway...i start work at public bank johor bahru head office on the 17th of march...it was supposed to be 18th of feb...but i have to undergo surgery on the 13th of feb to remove the metal plate in my left ankle (which got inserted 3 years ago when i broke my leg)...and i would need 1 month to get off the crutches...meaning...1 month will be spent walking with crutches...crap...

that is all from me then...u all out there take care!

In Malaysia...and loving it

2008-01-17T10:49:00.000+08:00

Hi there....

yup...i havent been posting a lot..well, mainly coz i was lazy...and...erm...yea...busy with stuff before going back to msia =)

so...ive waved goodbye to good ol sydney....and now am in malaysia...in awesome jb...hehehehe...life is great...

i arrived on sunday , 6pm at klia...waited for mel to come pick me up...then we were just driving around looking for a ramly burger stall...wakakakakakakak.,...yeaaa...my first meal is a ramly burger! burger ayam double special cheese.....wakakakaka....

so...chilled with mel for a bit before meeting up wif faisal, nik arif, and sheera...just lepaking n all....n then arrived at lcct around 4ish am...waited till morning to board the plane to jb...

i miss sydney...yup..but i am happy to be here...sydney had been a very meaningful phase of my life...im greatful to have a chance to spend 4 years there...and experiencing everythng life overseas had to offer...

to my mates over there...everyone who have been in my life at any stage of it, thanks for being there...you guys all take care...enjoy LIFE and be kind to each other coz in the end...no fight is worth the friendship between everyone...

thank you to those who attended the beach wave...and to those who were at the airport...

to all...i'm sorry if in the 4 years there, ive hurt anyone's feelings or have angered anyone...again, im really sorry...

this is my contact number in Malaysia: +6019 7277734 .... do keep in touch yea??

take care...n adios!

the promised land

2007-12-20T21:12:00.000+08:00

tuesday...18th december was a day full of good news...it seemed surreal, such that it got me asking "what's the catch?"...there isn't many of such days in one's lifetime

i checked my estudent that day...and i saw there...written...confirmed...that i am all good to graduate....yeay!!!!! no...not really...it wasn't really a 'yeay!' but more of 'alhamdulillah'...and a deep deep sigh of relief...i mean, results was ok...but seeing that confirmation had effectively put all doubts to rest...

then i saw my scheduled graduation ceremony...17th april 2008.....what?! SEVENTEENTH APRIL TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT??!!!!! (i spelt the numbers...meaning it's a HUGE shock..hehe)....that's my birthday!!!!!!!!!! now this time it is a big 'HAHAHAHA!'...wow...what a bonus!

i am really looking forward to that now...i will definitely come back to sydney for it...now the finishing line is in sight...i just cant wait to cross it...phewwww...really, if anyone understands what i've been through, they'd know how big a 'phew' that is....

i remembered a conversation i had with azan waayyyy some time ago...when i was dealing with my problems in uni and looking at people graduating...he reassured me that i will reach the promised land...i will cross the finish line in this race we call uni...it might seem like a simple point to make but being where i was back then, i really needed some serious boost in my self-belief...and those reassuring words couldn't have come at a better time for me...(thanks dude!)

Allah is almighty, he is Ar-rahman and Ar-rahim...all praise to Him for all this...i would never have made it this far (or anywhere near it) without His love...my parents, family and her ... they had been my source of strength...when times are tough and i felt that it is all too much...when the next day was a big exam and i felt i needed an extra boost...somehow...i feel their prayers and somehow that provided much needed source of confidence....

and all my friends who were with me all this while or at any stage of my journey, no matter where you are...whom i find support and happiness in...who believed...who made life here so meaningful....thank you all very very very much...

and...

later during the day i received a phone call from a company in malaysia whom i have been in contact with...and they confirmed an offer for me as finance analyst there..i am very thankful that i have this already...and while this sparked a whole deeper (and sometimes confusing and frustrating) self debate about my future, can i complain? no.

and so i hope everything goes well...the graduation...my career...and my transition to the next stage of my life...i also wish all my mates who are at the same stage here all the best and a safe journey into the new unknown...

p/s- i have watched 'Gone with The Wind' twice in the past 5 days!!!!! (anyone wanna make it thrice?) maaan....the movie is AWESOME....haha! how did i start this madness? RANDOM! yes tasha, randomness is COOL!

Sebuah entri yang padat dengan ucapan =)

2007-12-18T13:37:00.000+08:00

Selamat pengantin baru Firdaus & Azlina~! Moga bahagia sampailaaa ke anak cucu =) Walaupun ko dah kawin, ko la muka paling kanak2 antara kite suma wahai arip...hahahahaha!

Tak sangka, member yang paling 'ABC' (*hint* Ali--Bu--Cro-- HAHA!) rupanya yang paling awal kawin antara kitorang....takpe, itu semua zaman gila-gila remaja, sekarang dah ade bini dah =) so, 1/4 dah settle...siapakah seterusnya? Firdhouskah? Lokmankah? Sunnykah? =P

Kepada member2 TESL cohort 1 yang akan mula bergelar cikgu tak lama lagi...selamat mengharungi pahit manis masam masin kehidupan sebagai pendidik...ajar laa anak orang baik2 ye...bagi je homework banyak2 macam kita semua dapat dulu2 *nada berdendam* haha! =P Kalau boleh, tiap2 minggu bagi spelling & dictation...muaahahahahaha~!

Kepada mereka di TESL cohort 2, bergembiralah semua di samping keluarga tersayang & malaysia yang panas & tanpa berbilik mandi en-suite (hahahahaha!) .... selamat menempuhi tahun akhir pengajian di IPBA dengan jayanya...moga berjumpa lagi =)

dan...

Kepada bandaraya Sydney....belum lagi...belum lagi...masih ada beberapa minggu =)

all will come to an end...slowly, yet surely...

2007-12-03T22:10:00.000+08:00

it is almost the end for me here in sydney...or is it? well, i still have the matter of getting the right final exam results before super confirming that i'm on my way off..but..yea..i have a feeling this is it..dont wanna jinx it tho...Allah help me...

as of now...i am just slowly withdrawing myself from this place i've called home for the past 4 years...it isn't easy...only those who have experienced it would truly understand...indeed, i see everything now through a very different set of eyes...i will miss everyone who have been a part of my life here...and i will miss those who have defined 'life' here...

it can be sentimental...especially because i am the one leaving now...no longer being the one left by people (as was the case last year)...sometimes i feel a bit down when it seems i am the one being emotional about this departure...no..i dont expect others to be emotional as well...but like being in a relationship, once in awhile it is comforting to be shown the love, even when we already know deep down that our partner do love us...

anyways...as i said, right now im slowly phasing myself out...doing things i want to do...hanging with people i care about...i really must say that life has been great for me lately...

here's some of the things i've been up to:

1. chilling at kamal's place...like me, he too is leaving...i just hang around here, and we both do things we enjoy...like playing Pro evo soccer...talking about football...going to Sydney FC vs LA Galaxy a.k.a Beckham (wooohoooooo~!!!!)...Beckham's free kick is among the magical things in soccer...and to witness it live, with another soccer fan...wow....historic!

2. went to a full family karaoke for one last time...enjoyed it very much...i dont know about others, but it was certainly one of my most sentimental moments...the thought that it is the last complete karaoke session just cannot be brushed aside...

3. went to emergency room for labyrinthitis...damn...what a spoiler of a moment...i really want to thank all who have shown utmost kindness in that very short and random spell of sickness...from people at MHall like preveen who gave me soap n toothpaste while i was recuperating there, to the friends from macq who were very concerned like azan and joyce, to those who were there to witness the action (haha!) - zek, kamal, hawa, sheera, may, fini, anas, nik arif, firza, faisal and dewi...all that puking...im sorry guys...and i am deeply touched by the kindness...

4. coffee with faisal and edward till very very late, chatting, talking about things we all love to talk about...msian politics...student politics...mfest...tourism msia...those old guy's coffee shop conversations :p probably the last good long conversation between three of us before faisal leaves for good...i will definitely miss this a lot...

5. more choco san churros...man, i gotta stop...hahahahaha~!

6. enjoying LIFE...hahaha...bbq-ing n dinner by coogee beach...poker n frisbee at night on the sands, spending the night by the beach gazing at the stars..waking up to sunrise...it was cooool....i dont know when else in my life am i doing that again...

ah well...a month or so left...i must make the most of my time =)

Chocolateria San Churros - hebattakbolehbelahmantapgila

2007-11-05T08:09:00.000+08:00

hahahaha...terkejutkah anda dgn pengakuan yang dibuat di atas???

hehehe...im the kinda person who dont care about food....my tastebuds cant really differentiate good or bad tasting food..they all are 'ok'....except for reaaaaaally good and reaaaaally bad...haa...that one i know....and i experienced something reaaaaallly gooood....

now...i dont care/cant see the difference betweeen chocolates...i am equally satisfied with either homebrand chocolates, lindts, max brenner..or even those coin chocolates....either i really cant taste the difference or my brain just shuts out that function coz i dont think it matters...

but!!!! on saturday night....after dissapointing effort by me kamal n dewi to grab dinner, we decided to go lepak at this place i read about in Grab Your Fork...

chocolateria san churros at Glebe...it's a spanish style chocolate cafe that also serves churros....here's the site http://www.sanchurro.com/. (SHEERA!!!! it has a page for recipees...maybe you'd be interested to try some =) ...macquarians, watch out!!! one is coming to chatswood!

maaaaaannnnn....it was awesome...for ONCE i reaaaaallly tasted how great chocolate is! (so boys n girls, it must be really goood!)...dewi said "lagi sedap dari max brenner"...kamal agreed...and we all really like the atmosphere...me n kamal had the 'buddha baci'...this classic thick hot choc with hazelnut...or something like that laaa (bukan tau sgt punn)...mannnn...reaaally satisfying....dewi had 'hot and cold'....classic thick hot choc with ice cream in it....

Buddha Baci

Hot & Cold

dewi ordered strawberries with white chocolate dipping (disclaimer: dewi yg order...nothing to do with me...me???strawberries???)....and we ordered the Tapas - some churros with choc dipping, with samples of different truffles n cakes...

Our Tapas (great selection!)

kamal ordered choco churros - churros with choc poured over it and served with choc ice cream...

Choco Churros

our table

i had learned from channel 10 NOT to hype up things too much so.....all i can say it, go and try it and experience it yourself...

for those who appreciate chocolate, maybe you would find it more rewarding and have a better view - so you must try this one and rate it yourself...but for those plain guys like me who dont wanna care too much about the marketing-driven-overcomplicating-chocolate-culture, just go and ENJOICE!!!

dewi control, kamal high...

dewi control lagi, sunny high..

Chocolateria San Churros
47 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9692 0119

on a totally separate note: this is an item so very high on my wish-list (which i haven't really figured out yet)....who can grant me this wish....man....i will be forever grateful!! =D and my wish is......

(click to enlarge~!)

hehehehe....sankyu!

a very very depressing song

2007-10-23T00:27:00.000+08:00

WARNING....

VERY VERY depressing song...but i really like it...it is a nice oldie piece i must say...i heard it first on one of the Futurama episodes (ep: Jurrasic Bark)....one of d most touching cartoon scene in my not-so-broad cartoon-watching life (its the final scene before the ending credits...about a dog waiting for its never returning owner and dies waiting).

enjoy...

artist: connie francis, song: i will wait for you

Raya-raya and MFest AGM

2007-10-22T15:04:00.000+08:00

So i'm back home after another weekend in the city...this time not as long as the past few weeks...but was a good weekend nonetheless...

finished an online test on saturday by noon, left home to newtown to pick up my some stuff at the dry cleaners, had a nice day (refer to previous post)...went to Barker's for the GQs open houses...it was all good...i missed a couple other open houses though...MSA, NAOMIs, UMNO...really sorry galv n co...wat to do...

anyway, in short, raya this year had been spectacular. all the open houses (6 attended in total...5 unfortunately missed...gahhhh~)...all the great food...the wonderful bunch of people whom i enjoyed it all with...

i wont say its the best coz really, how do we measure that? what i could confidently say is...i was really really happy...and its good that such happiness in celebrating raya has not deserted me after all these years.

thank you very much to the gracious hosts of the open houses ive been to in the past few weeks...you've all made my raya memorable...and to those who kindly invited me, thanks for the invitation, im really sorry i couldnt make it...

so...now to the next bit of this post...MFEST AGM

sunday 21st october was mfest agm...it was yet another closing to another chapter of my life story overseas...after 4 years being in mfest...its now officially over for me now...

to recap...i remember days during my first year when i was in d sketch team, and was also one of the MCs for the day...went on to be the entertainment EP during my 2nd year...became marketing EP and joined some performances during my 3rd year...and this year, i was d secretary and also part of the performing team...

ive seen the ups and downs of mfest, felt the emotions straight to the bone...from the ones cheered as the best in history...to possibly the worst mfest day...perhaps the magnitude of my twists and turns in this roller coaster ride was amplified even more with the amount of heart poured into it...yes...a lot...

its been one of my many great memories of being here in australia...it is also fair to say that mfest provided me with one of the best education uni could never provide...

i owe my involvement all these years to the comrades who were part of the whole ride like Zek, Faisal, Jenny, Edward, JX, Alan, Azan, and many more...and ive never forgotten the seniors who helped me became part of it all, and kept me going with their continuous support...especially my bro Wei who inspired me so much and was always there for me...thank you all very much...and i'm sorry if i've fallen short of your expectations - do know that i've done my best.

to the mfest comm of 08...i hope you carry the responsibilities with much heart n pride...do your best, so that it wont end up being a waste of your time, for you only get out what you put in...and in d end...remember to have fun =)

Life~

2007-10-20T12:36:00.000+08:00

I juz picked up my suit from enmore,waiting 4 dewi at newtown..chillin in a cool n cozy cafe..live soothing jazz tunes playing in d background..good ol iced choc in hand..later,goin 2 another raya open house..good food n great company..

Life..mcm ni barula ade life =)

p/s:- yea,i'm mobile blogging =P

Greater Things In Life

2007-10-01T11:11:00.000+08:00

I fell asleep around near 6am this morning...and I had a horrible nightmare...

I can't remember the last time I wept in my sleep...but it happened this morning...

I dreamt, my dad had a freak accident...and something horrible happened to him...he fell from a cliff...into a shallow creek below...and because of the impact at landing, he broke his leg...i saw his leg...exactly like mine when i broke mine...but when the doctors check...they say they cant do anything about it...they had to amputate...

i remembered thinking...shit...my mom x keje...i am still in uni...how???papa dah x boleh kerja...i cried coz i was worried for the future of our family...i cried coz i was sad that such a horrible thing would happen to a strong man like my dad...

well...its not all teary actually...even in my dreams, my randomness prevailled...for example, in my dream, i remembered that my dad had actually taken income protection insurance in case of working disabilities...INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE????gahhh...and actually, in my dream, my dad told me not to worry...and casually reminding us "dont we have a 28million dollar house?? asset ada...28juta tu banyak...kenapa nak risau?"

WTFBBQ!

ok...seriously, i dont have such assets...and if such things were to happen...i guess it would be a really2 big blow coz seriously, my dad's the only one providing for the family...adik beradik semua kecik2 lagi...and...we dont have income protection insurance...

i guess i had that dream because somewhere in my mind is carved the thought that this is my final semester and soon i would be carrying a new responsibility towards the family...financial responsibility...to allow my dad some time to relax more...to allow my bro to do things he wanted to do...

the timing of the dream couldnt have been better...a reminder that there are greater things in life to worry about...and for me to realign my priorities...that i now have to be prepared for greater responsibilities...coz soon its no longer uni, assignmnts, student associations, etc...it will be looking out for my sibblings...my family...

...the greater things in life.

p/s: sunny...wake up...

One Night In Randwick

2007-09-22T08:00:00.000+08:00

i was walking on the quiet streets of randwick last night...
the air was chilly...with just a t-shirt, i looked silly

i saw in a corner, a guy sobbing...
perhaps of broken heart or of shattered dreams...
he was really hurt it seems..

in another corner, a guy angry...
he was furious at everything and cursed it all in his breath...
but in his eyes i saw that he was only mad at himself..

further up on belmore, a mad-man sings...
his tunes so heartfelt, of happiness and sadness...
my guess is he doesn't even know what feelings are coz his head, a mess...

a guy walked pass me, his steps quick - his eyes serious...
he looked determined, he knows what he wants...
he obviously thinks that to be wrong, he can't...

suddenly i heard tears of a girl...
i stopped and searched but i see no one...
the weeping is loud and it feels so near...
yet around me i still see no one...

indeed, the streets of randwick was quiet and deserted...
it was eerie...
i can't help but realize that those people were all me...
yet, the girl i can't see...

To my DEAREST housemates...

2007-09-19T21:28:00.000+08:00

To any of my housemates who download like shit, either being ignorant of the fact that internet in friggin AUSTRALIA has limits....or you are damn stupid hence recklessly download your korean/chinese series/porn/movies...

YOU MORON! IDIOT! MORONIC IDIOT! IDIOTIC MORON!
It's just 19 days into the month and we are already over the limit?????
KNNBCCB to ALL OF YOU!
I HOPE YOUR COMPUTERS' HARD DRIVES OVERHEAT AND BURN IN HELL, EVERY BIT (as in, 8 bit = 1 byte) OF 'EM!

WTHeck AM I GONNA DO WITH A DIAL UP CONNECTION FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH??

why am i so pissed off??????

it's not the first time ok, it's now the THIRD CONSECUTIVE month....YOU GUYS DONT UNDERSTAND WARNINGS WRITTEN IN CHINESE IS IT? EVEN I CAN FRIGGIN READ THEM OK! NIASENG!

....

i hope you enjoy your porn for the rest of the month....while everytime i keep on cursing each and every one of you every second i wait for a website to desperately load...

peace out

ALL IN ~!

2007-09-17T09:46:00.000+08:00

haha! those who know the story, you can guess already...but for those who dont...

i have been hired as the MANAGER OF MANCHESTER UNITED in one of simulated english premier leagues in the realm of online football manager~!

i am living my dream...although in a dream world....but...heh...how many out there could live such wild fantasies even in their dreams?? =D and now..the only logical next step is to win the league...i did it last season using newcastle united (with the help of some superb performance of other teams)...why not with Man U?

anyway... (ya...i know ppl get sick of hearing about OFM) ...

the month of ramadhan has arrived and its the 4th time i am going through the fasting month overseas...so far it's been great...berbuka with some of my best mates around sydney...yes, the crowd is different every year but Allah has blessed me with so many good friends throughout the years. from breaking my fast pretty much by myself watching simpsons during my 1st year, He showed me true friends whom i shared my ramadhans with since then...

yesterday was the day me and a few other mates decided to go 'all in'...check this out...me, faisal, zek, hawa, and dewi - we went for badminton in unsw at 8am, followed by squash at 9am...we finished at 10am...and while everyone was tired (considering we all were fasting), happiness was hugely evident...with hawa repeatedly saying 'happy..happy..' in such cheery mood all the way back to barkers, and us all planning for more of such sporty outings...you know its worth it...

as for me...it was just what i needed...thank you faisal for instilling that 'all in' spirit when we all had doubts about playing sports IN THE MORNING on a fasting day...man, the night before i slept at around 1.30am, woke up at 330am for sahur...can't sleep at all till it was time to go play...can't sleep even after coming back and showered...

my head was indeed in ting tong mode...but when i got phone calls from aizat n buk inviting me to join them for basketball at 3pm..maaaaaaaaannnn...how can i resist??????

ting tong or not...i dragged myself to join them all...and it was great...haven't played basketball for AGES and it felt good to be finally shooting, running, grabbing rebounds...of course...the thirst and fatigue was just like crazy...but hey...worth it man...

breaked my fast together with faisal in the car to a 1.5L mineral water....hahaha...felt so good...then later was at a bbq birthday dinner for galven and shim at macquarie with faisal...good food of course...at the end of the day, i was so tired and pretty much was like a zombie when we finally reached faisal's house at near 12midnite...

that is all from me for now...i really look forward to a happy ramadhan and syawal that follows...i want to be happy....but don't we all? =)

Sunny
Manager
Manchester United in OFM......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....

Anas and The Producers

2007-09-05T15:51:00.000+08:00

Ni la performance kitorang masa MFest 2007, Sydney, Australia.

ANAS and THE PRODUCERS!

starring:

Anas as Anas

Faisal, Sunny and Zek as The Producers

Most of our practices were after midnight, sebab sumanye sibuk2 belaka...and kononnye to keep the project secret =P kononnya la...last2, kantol gak...

dahla sibuk keje2 mfest yg lain...sorang tu superstar, 3 orang lain EP kot...budak2 gila ni nak gak perform...takpe...GLORY WEH!!! wakakakaka....random shit....

Ni video rehearsal day, when the secret was officially no longer a secret:

Personally, I was friggin happy with our performance...and the really random advertisement for 100plus (no, we weren't paid)....altho, im pretty sure deep down inside we all know we were juz ok la...ahhhh...tak kira! hahahahaha....

Thanks Faisal for having this great idea, and Zek and Anas to willingly join in

p/s: terima kasih gadis2 bunga :p and tq bnyk2 idayani for putting this video up!

who am i kidding?

2007-09-02T02:51:00.000+08:00

today (technically yesterday, saturday, all the way to the wee hours of sunday) was a good day and a not so good day at the same time...

in this one day ive managed to experience so much emotions...and they are: happy, sad, excited, down, curious, upbeat, dissapointed, relief, lonely, stress, bored, thrilled, no-feeling, doubts, and much much more...

mgm itself was great...but... (disclaimer, this 'but' has nothing to do with the event at all) well, only zek n faisal now knows why the but...feel free to ask if you wanna know (or care to know)...you might make my day...

to a certain extent, today has seriusly brought up these thoughts in my head...

a) sometimes i feel totally useless...i feel like crap...like what's the point? who am i? it really sucks to feel that way...this whole feeling sucks in the first place, its kinda childish, it might not be warranted....and the worst part is...while i know how exactly to console a person in this situation...i cant do it for myself...i need someone to help me...but...well...ask me if you are interested to fill this void...(sincerity and understanding is most needed...i dont need a smart-ass debate, i already did that between me and me...)

b) i am kidding myself more and more each day...its a make believe land ive been living in lately, and i think the only fool is me myself...i shall try to stop pretending and realize the facts here...avoiding needlessly hurting myself and others...giving unnecessary pressure to myself with expectations that are seriusly unrealistic...in short: a certain something changed, i adjust, my expectations adjust, and as a result, reality hurts even more...

ah well..

p/s : bravo mgm peepz! this mgm will be remembered always....you all did well...salute~!

Online Football Manager 1 - Critics 0.5

2007-09-01T08:24:00.000+08:00

Check out this post from Men's Health:
(yes...i read them...)

__________________________________________________

Be with You in a Sec, Boss ...

... soon as I check Randy Moss's hamstring.

Looks like management is onto us. Some brown-nosing geek with nothing better to do conducted a study that found that fantasy football costs companies nationwide between $275 million and $435 million a week because guys (and some cool girls) spend so much time at work researching their teams.

That adds up, over a 17-week season.

Love this quote from the outfit that did the study:
"There are some people who probably wait until the workday is over to strategize, make trades and manage their teams, but many are probably doing at least some of their team tasks from the office."

Ya think?

But wait—maybe the people who did the study aren't such killjoys. The researchers went onto say that cracking down on this activity could result in bigger problems.

"The potential damage to morale and loyalty resulting from a fantasy football ban could be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 10 to 20 minutes of online team management."

Yeah!

_______________________________________________________

Sunny says....

BOOYAHHHH! ONLINE FOOTBALL MANAGER ROCKS!

Have a go at www.onlinefootballmanager.co.uk

p/s- any 'cool' girls wanna join? i can teach you how to play =P

Happy Merdeka~!

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

To my country,

On your 50th year of independence, i just want to tell you i love u very much.

Some people hate you, some people selectively see and say only bad things about you, some people dont care - i am not them.

All the best in becoming a stronger, more prosperous, and more peaceful country. My prayers are with you...amin...

Sunny

The Poker Game of Relationships

2007-08-29T20:29:00.001+08:00

I am damn bored...my internet is super slow, cant do shit with it really...blardy housemates who dwld like wan kind....im out of my house half of the time each week...which means IT WASNT ME!

Anyway...a few days ago, while walking, stressed, i thought of this theory for relationship, an anology for it... If you read on, you might even learn how to play poker (well, the basics at least) ~!

Firstly, in short, a poker game starts off with each player being dealt a pair of cards. if played till the end, each player uses his/her pair of cards combined with 5 other 'communal' cards, ie cards that are shared with other players too (making a pool of 7 cards) and determine the highest ordered combination of 5 cards (flush, full house, etc) they each have. players compare their combination, and player with best combination wins the round.

When the pair of card is being dealt, each player will assess the possibilities or strengths of the pair. if they think the pair is worth going on, or they just feel like it, the player will place a bet to join the game. else, he will 'fold' (meaning: cabut lari...pass the round).

Once who's in and who's out is confirmed, the dealer will unveil the first 3 communal cards. so now, each player combines their unique pair with the 3 cards to see how things go. is there hope for a good combination at the end? is it worth going on? indeed, with 3 new cards, the picture is clearer - these 3 cards now draw a dottted line separating hope and chance, dream and reality ... what might have been and what would be...

So, if the situation looks good, the player will continue, placing bets if necessary, taking risks. if situation is shit, hopes that came with the initial pare shattered with the 3 communal cards unveiled, the player will fold and not waste more resources chasing a lost cause.

the 4th communal card is then unveiled. players assess their position again. how are the chances? do i have 'something'? indeed, now with 6 cards in the picture, it should be pretty clear what the situation would be after 7 cards. again the process of deliberation - whether to take the gamble on the 7th card, whether to carry on, whether this bluff is worth it, whether this dream is now too costly....

again, a player may continue or fold. once the bettings are done, the 5th and final communal card is shown. now the picture is almost perfectly clear. almost, because you can only now know your best combination. win or lose, it still depends what your oppenents have. that, you can only guess. you still dont know, you will never know unless you go on with the final bettings, gambling what you have, taking more risks, to join the group of last persons standing.

now, at this stage, something interesting occurs to the mind. the player have already gone so far in the game. a lot have already been risked. folding means those resources put in is gone. the more you are in, the harder it is to get out. many would just go on because of this, some would still have the discipline to think losing X doesnt mean i have to lose more by going on...

then after those staying on have finished betting, all cards are unveiled. the winner is determined.

relationships are like poker games. you get into one with limited knowledge, there is only so much one can know about another without being in a relationship. you can hope, you can guess, you can extrapolate....you get into one....you risk time, effort, you feelings...you get into a poker game by just seeing 2 of 7 cards...

the more you get into a relationship, the more you know, the more is unveiled. your mind constantly reassess your position subconciously. is it as worth it as it initially looked? should more of everything be put into the relationship? indeed, the more u know, the more u know where 'your cards' are going...the more you know whether you should continue betting or fold...

but wait, knowing 'your cards' is just part of the game...what the other players have will determine whether u win or not. indeed, there is a huge part in relationship that's just a big black box. and so while you can get out of a game with knowledge of what you have, you can stay in with 2 ways - betting on what you have, or betting on what others have.

isn't that the case with relationships? you can leave because you are not happy. but you can either stay because you are happy or because you are not unhappy enough, you bet on 'the other player' - fate.

of course, in poker you can bluff. you can go on with nothing and hope you scare others, or call other's bluff. but in relationships, you opponents are yourself and fate, you are not playing against anyone...what's the point in bluffing yourself or fate?

so you either stay, and wait for the cards to be unveiled completely and find out whether you are a winner or a loser, whether your gamble has paid off, whether it was all worth it after all or not.....or you can fold, you wait for the next round, and wait for your next pair of cards to continue all over again...eventually, you will run out of chips if you keep folding...and at some stage, the game will have to go till the wire for you....

and so, that is all i have thought of during a walk on one warm night, while stressed.

maan...that was one productive walk...is this worth publishing in a magazine or relationship studies journal or somethin? hahahahaha.....

favourite word of the moment: between.

wakakakakakaka....

It Feels So Good Inside....

2007-08-27T08:28:00.000+08:00

its monday morning...i had a good night's sleep...but adrenaline is still pumping like no one's business...i feel super happy....yesterday has not yet sunk in...its surreal....

yesterday was malaysia fest 2007 - a rainbow of cultures!

rewind a year back...when we all ended our duties as mfest 2006 committee...i chosed to continue on in the committee, alongside with jx, as the secretary...we both aimed at delivering a better mfest in 2007, and also providing experience to the new committee...

i realised some was dissapointed i didnt go for other posts, but what i did was necessary...no one really knew what was in for me in my 4th year here...i have way too much distractions in my head...but i still wanted to help...and so i went for the secretary post...

that was probably the best and worst decision in my life...haha...

in one hand...i hated secretarial work...nuff said bout that...

but in another hand....that was the only post that was ideal to suit my situation...well, maybe treasurer...but...nah...

so that was the gamble taken...after risking it all for one super mfest in 2006, i placed all my chips on this one day in the month of august, in 2007....it was all in....

the journey was long...it sounds cliche, but its very much like a roller coaster ride...at times situation was calm and controlled...at times blood was at boiling point...at times stress was unbearable...at times it was enjoyable...

sometimes, i did feel a bit useless...being 'just' a secretary...everyone had important stuff on their hands...my official job was just secretarial stuff...which i hated...

but when i asked myself why was i there...i knew it wasnt really to do secretarial work...i wanted to help...provide experience in the team...help jx...and so i tried doing all that...pitched in here and there wherever i could, while frustratingly resisted being too tied up to anything....

i dont know if i've done enough...or wether i made any real difference...i always feel i personally am capable of more...but given the restrictions that applied...that was pretty much it...

MFEST DAY ARRIVED!

i arrived around 8am+...straight to action with the VIP reception preparations...and then with the audio requirements for the whole show that day...this and that...maan...it was few hours of stress i tell ya...

the weather was super....a bit too hot, but still was super....while there were lil bit stuff here and there yet to be settled...i had a feeling it was going to be great...

things got off to a nervy start....with some glitches here and there....but moods were good after a funny speech by jx (hahahaha...and its not our 19th year, its our 17th actually) ...and then when the chinese fan dance started...whoah...we really were in business....

salute to the entertainment department for pulling off the best performances in mfest ever...i had the honour of working closely with this department and to all who saw the end product, lets just say, that was product of months of hard work, blood, sweat and tears...everyone who performed were volunteers, they all did it for many reasons...but i guess all in all its because everyone loved malaysia...

special shout out to my macquarie peepz...you guys again showed that you are class...well done...thank you... =)

marketing ppl did so good this year...it really has been a revolution...website aside, everything was great...it really has raised the bar higher, which have already been raised last year =P

the mfest committee was full of people with great enthusiasm and courage...some really amazed me...and i'm sure if you knew these people and how they worked..you would be amazed as well...to JX, i totally respect this guy who was brave enough to take up the hot seat, and has sacrificed a lot for MFest...it doesnt matter that you forgot it was our 17th edition =P

something like mfest...it requires heart to make it work...you cant just do it half heartedly...people who understand the soul of this festival knows why its such a big deal, why all of us are so emotional about it...people who dont bother, its not too difficult to see why they wont understand the emotions surrounding this event...

i'm not saying the whole thing is perfect, coz there will be a lot of issues to be tabled during the post mortem...but in general...it was great...and mfest 2007 definitely is the best in my whole 4 years of involvement....

so, to Ming Yow, Boon, Jenny, Zek, Faisal, Jun Hui, JX, and to the directors, volunteers, performers...the seniors who laid the good foundation we had...to all the unsung heroes...hats off to all of you...

i gambled it all on this one day...and im happy i did...

haaahhhhhhhhhhh (relief)

p/s- project 914 was successfull! hahaha...~*bila mama pakai celana (maaa maaa pakai celanaaa)*~

i miss...

2007-08-15T20:28:00.001+08:00

i miss...

going home to ppl i call friends...or family...or both...home is just where i sleep on weekdays rite now...no, thats not home...thats just a house...

home is...jb...ipoh...cork...home is, all over sydney...randwick...newtown...muv...kingsford...home is where all those that matters are at...where i am happy to say "i'm home"...

home is everywhere except where house is rite now...

i pack my bags with as many things as possible, but my bag can only take me away from house for so long...and its friggin stupid that i have no choice but to go back to my house...

i feel that because house is not home, i am slowly being disconnected from home...from the people at home...the ones that really matters...i hate feeling disconnected...or...loosely connected...especially from people that i wish i was more closer with...

some people go home, their friends are just next room...next door...in the same building...now i understand why i was so happy when that someone was here...coz during that time...my house IS my home...

people who feel that going back to your houses is going back to home...be thankful...you don't know how much better off you are than people like me...

All Time Greats!

2007-08-06T21:52:00.001+08:00

This is just a random post...about a lil something that i did a few days ago...

I have 952 songs in my whole music library...and they are somewhat random in terms of language and genre...there isn't much pattern that can be deduced by analysing them except that:

1- Sorted by artist, i have almost all Jay Chou songs, and quite good collection of Siti Nurhaliza songs too.

2- Sorted by date added, each time i add songs, the songs will have a particular theme. For example, one night i thought of the movie top gun, hence i downloaded some songs, and they all are from top gun. another night i am in the techno mood, and all songs downloaded are hence techno.

Anyway, a long long time ago, i decided to create playlists, and there was this playlist i created called 'All Time Greats', where i planned to put in only the greatests songs by my standards.

For a long long time that list was empty as i was lazy to browse my playlist one by one to evaluate their 'All Time Great'-worthiness.

one day last week, i stood up and said to myself, i'm gonna do it. not that i literally stood up or said anything, but, something like that lah...so i sorted my library via artist, and started listening one by one...evaluating, and then putting them in the list if they are worth it.

it was a long and arduous night...but finally i managed to settle the list once and for all...then i checked the list...419 songs...out of 952...that's FRIGGIN ALMOST HALF of the whole library! might as well just play my whole library rite? i would average about 1 click of the 'next' button per song i play....that's WAYYYYY easier than setting up that list...and plus...kononnye the list would be 'exclusive'...well, if half of my library made it into the list...exclusive lahhh sangat =P

but hey, since i set up the list, and play them regularly, i find that everytime i play em i will feel happy...coz its back to back songs that i like of all times...

for example, just now was 'Ya Zi' by Tarcy Su (this is a hit song during primary school years), then 'End of the road' by Boys 2 Men, then Tui Hou by Jay Chou, then Broken by Seether, then Feng by Jay Chou, then Dance Floor Anthem by Good Charlotte, then Wonderwall by Oasis, and now its Ghetto Superstar by Mya & Wyclef Jean....not bad for a random play aight?well, definitely very good for me =)

i'm happy...for the moment at least =)

the wacky world of rewind!!!!!

2007-08-02T23:34:00.000+08:00

woww....i have been away for some time now...well...i blame the absence on my laziness (and of coz, my busy schedule :p )

so...what's been happening? here's a re-cap of things that happened within the past couple of months....REWIND!*buzzizzziizzzzizzzzz*(kononnye bunyi rewind)

1- a special visit from a special someone....whoaahh...that was way way way way back, about 3 weeks before exams! i remember those couple of weeks...super happy indeed...a very special couple of weeks....

2- study + exams ... sungguh kan-cheong ... cemas ... thrilling ... tapi in the end, it was all good ... alhamdulillah....

3- holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!

4- NCG (national conference and games) 2007!! wuuhuu....i had a great time during NCG...with my kakis - the ultimate NSW cheering squad...hahahaha....(disclaimer: this has no significant correlation with the fact that it was in Melbourne...i wud have been equally happy being around the same company at another place)...

maaaaaan...i just cant explain how it feels to hear NSW being announced as overall champions....i lost my voice cheering...and it was all worth it!

anyway, masca nationals had our agm...and i think it went well...i have to say the masca national team this year had been great...it's a good combo within the nationals and also among all states...

5- back from NCG...holidays still on...sydney was juz plain quiet...i saw devan a few times before he left for malaysia for good...will miss him...one of my best friend in sydney from the beginning...

6- MFest in full swing....it has been weekly meetings since a few weeks ago now...with deadlines after deadlines, tasks after tasks...and i find that i just hate secretarial work....

7- UNI STARTS!!!!!!!!!!! and guess what...it's my FINAL SEMESTER! woohoo! i just cant wait to say good bye to uni...but not yet, not just yet...for now, all i wish for is to be here to complete this journey and reach the promised land...

Alrite...thats a very pemalas effort on recapping the events...but an effort nonetheless =P

anyway....there's this thingy that i am into for the past one half month....its called Online Football Manager! check it out at www.onlinefootballmanager.co.uk

if u are familiar with any football managerial game such as FM or CM, this is approximately like em, only much simpler (yet still fun), and u play in leagues against teams that are managed by real time players from various places on earth!

everyday at approx 12midnite GMT, a game would be simulated and the outcome pretty much is determined via the process of simulation, given the team settings and tactics from both teams, including some extra variables like luck.

aaaaaanyway....that's that...

now is a very stressful time indeed for me...i can sense the dark force pressing from left right up and down...we might not realise it, but nowadays, keeping sane is already a very difficult task...and for me, it hasn't been harder....

it's too complex for me to explain, but i can say this, the stuff im doing for mfest rite now has kept me going and happy...yes, i am happy doing it all...and they are not the source of my stress...i like the job, i like the company...and i look forward to every weekend...

of coz, i have to thank cik gg for being very thoughtful during these trying times...very supportive and understanding...i have had less time to be online chatting or on d fon, but she is mostly cool...hehe...cool lah cik gg ni! keep cool k? jgn tiba2 emo or mood swing k? hahahaha =)

that's all for now...bye~

Don't burden our kids (in the future)

2007-05-27T19:15:00.001+08:00

I came across this article in today's thestar.com.my, it was talking about how malaysians generally are not well prepared financially for retirement. basicly, while many would agree that sound financial planning to face retirement years is important, not many have actually made that effort. (do read on, as this is no usual emo or what-i-did-today or manchester united blog entry =P)

so, do we expect that our children will take on that financial burden for us? i don't think that is very wise simply because, if you look at children as investments, one that will generate some sort of future income for us (and we certainly are thinking that way if we expect them to provide for us), they are really very insecure investments. how certain are we they will turn alrite, enough to provide for us financially? how certain are we that we are good enough to nurture them well such that they wont ditch us? how certain are we that somewhere between now and 35 years from now, nothing screws up? nope, we cant largely depend on them, its too risky and its not right for us to demand so.

a short sidenote here though, while we cant and shudnt really depend on our children in the future, i believe we as children should always try our best to help our parents financially. u c, this is a responsibility for children (like us now) to realize, but not for parents (like us in the future) to impose on.

now, my dad runs a small business at a fish market in JB, and my younger brother (now 20) helps him. although businesses dont have compulsory EPF (KWSP), every month he will put some money for himself, my brother, and also for my mom (not working). now my dad or mom never went to uni to learn finance or things like that, but i think this whole concept of saving early for the future is easily understood, and it makes sense. hence, its really up to everyone to have a lil effort to put aside whatever we can afford for the future.

here is one simple diagram that demonstrates the power of compounding interest, and in short it sez, saving early is better than saving later, even if you plan to save more later.

(i dont know why the name 'Michael' and 'Terrence')

now, you dont need to understand the maths behind this (although its actually not difficult if you want to) but i can assure you thats the truth. insightful?

then, there is the classic question of - 'will the money be enough?'. now, thats widely discussed in the article on the star and it demonstrates that: depending solely on EPF(KWSP) will not provide enough, given the price inflation expectations and how much we get in return from the savings. how to get about this? well, generally, few suggestions would be - save more (than what's compulsory under EPF) or invest, on top of EPF, in other instruments.

however, it is understandable that sometimes its very difficult, given that wage is not high, and we have other commitments too. but think this way, is it really not enough or are we spending more than we should (like, x ukur baju di badan sendiri). for example, maybe if we buy a car, we should consider, can we really afford this car? and some people say they can afford them because its within their budget, given their income. but did that budget include savings? "oh i'll save later" - behold, the trap.

yes, there are those who are unfortunate, where their wages really cant allow for enough savings for the future. i really do think thats where the government should come in with some sort of a safety net. although, i think thats really not easy to implement - easier said than done.

that is pretty much it from me, do read the whole article here (<--click). beware though, i think the article is slightly biased and a lil too conservative. this is simply because in it, its mainly people from the investment banks or insurance speaking, i mean, of coz they want u to use their products. plus, the part about inflation expectations is definitely a lil overstated and conservative (possibly to scare people)- inflation is unlikely to be 6% every year for the next 40 years.

Not A Good Day...

2007-05-20T14:05:00.000+08:00

hmmm....

i woke up today, not wanting to wake up...sigh...

u can probably guess, typical sunny...it has to be something related to manchester united...well, yea...sorta...that, and some other things...but mainly that...(plus trying out crossword puzzle and confirming that im shit)

man u lost the game last nite...the one i have been looking forward to all week and the one i wanted to do something special for...it was all frustrating...the game, the goal, the aftermath...and when i wake up...i juz felt like shit...and its already 430pm...nothing much has helped making my day better...

ok, maybe some might think its a bit too much that all this is because man utd lost last night to chelsea in the f.a. cup final...but think of something meaningful in your life...and think of something bad happening to it...well, its approximately something like that...

ah wtf...those who dont understand wont understand...

damn i wish i had some ppl who feel me rite now to juz help cheer the day a bit...feel down...and nothing this day had helped much...everyone is either busy, or has plans/company...or is doing something i dont feel like doing...

ah wtf...
who cares...

Salute to the Red Army!

2007-05-07T15:11:00.000+08:00

Glory Glory Man United...
Glory Glory Man United...
Glory Glory Man United...
and the REDS GO MARCHING ON - ON - ON!

Wow...i woke up today, while still in bed, was already thinking of headlines that i would soon read online ... among them... "Drogba Saves Chelsea" , or "Wenger Furious At Referee", or "United Have To Wait" , or (more possibly) "Arsenal Goal-front Blunder"...

For those who have no idea, to cut it short, last night Arsenal was playing against Chelsea in the EPL, and if Chelsea fails to beat Arsenal (ie, draw or lose), then Man Utd will win the English Premier League for season 06/07...

So, i was in bed and ready for the worst...actually, i was dreaming that i read the news and found out that chelsea won...then i woke up...and i tot...'Hah! It was a dream!'.... then i think i read the news for real, and it was bad news again....just then, i woke up again...and i went 'Damn! another dream?!'....so i got up for real...checked the news...and woooohooooo - chelsea drew with arsenal...and MAN UTD are CHAMPIONS!

Growing up, i was never a soccer fan...in fact, i couldnt understand why em losers would watch a game where you sit for 2 hours and on average you just get 3-4 goals...heck, go watch NBA la!

I think i became a man u fan around 2002/2003...and i wasn't really into it yet when they won the premiership that year...unfortunately, when i was more into it, man utd went through some bad spell, and did not win much...

So, this is the first premierleague victory for my team, that i have actually followed them week in week out, day in day out - yes, i check manutd.com every time i have the chance! Hence, i can claim that i am a part of this historic year, and that this really means a lot...

Well, victory is sweet, especially when thats where your passion is...i missed this feeling...Chicago Bulls gave me this feeling sometime ago, then it was Ferrari F1, and now...Man Utd...

I doubt very much anyone from Man Utd would actually read this but guys over there at Old Trafford, congratulations and thank you! and of coz, to those Man U fans out there who root for this team we claim as ours, you rock! Arsenal, thank you ( =P ) , and yes, the non-believers, try again next time.

So now, the future. We sucked against AC Milan, but i damn hope united will be up for it next year for the Champions League. and of coz, we still have one more trophy to go for...the FA Cup! So, to that i sing....

"Wembley~ Wembley~ We're The Famous Man United and We're Going To Wembley~!"

Politics...some ramblings

2007-04-30T21:42:00.000+08:00

So the past saturday was the Ijok by-elections in selangor, malaysia....i have been following this one rather closely (well, not thaaat close, but ok lah)....i dont quite know what to say about it...

1. so many are so childish - this supporter attack that supporter, that supporter attack this supporter....if you are a gov supporter, u probably hear only about opposition party supporter attacking bn ppl, if you are opposition supporter, you would only be hearing about gov supporter attack opposition ppl...everyone wants to play victim, everyone is coward to disclose truth and condemn own ppl...

2. fanatics sucks (and they are the ones that matters? what happened to the more well educated and clear-thinking malaysians?) - i saw some keadilan videos n some bn videos too...both supporters are equally crazy and psycho...shouting n all (oh keadilan ppl, dont juz talk about KJ, you ppl shout like one-kind too)...keadilan would go talk bad about bn ppl, heck, u aint well behaved urselves when i see how you are...same goes for bn...these wild chants really reminded me of high school years when you have kids who arent mentally well developed yet and irrational, rebellious, etc - when shout and fight is how things get settled.

3. opposition ppl likes to play victim - yes, they are victimized in some way, but then some one brilliantly thought, "hey, lets play a bigger victim and gain more sympathy now that we are victims...lets blow the proportion up a bit more...heck, lets play ultimate victim: heroes oppressed from all angle". sheesh...one day when you are not opposition, lets see how 'good' you are, when you can't possibly be the victim anymore... come on guys, in some ways the opposition might have been disadvantaged, but surely, not in ALL WAYS...what are the chances of that? don't read too many novels.

4. someone made a fake recording of alleged vote-buying transaction over the phone:

what a loser. its most probably fake. you clearly hear that the chinese slang guy is a voice over, cunningly edited to flow with another conversation. while cleverly timed, the conversations juz dont match up at times...now if you read the comments on youtube, you would see so many ppl juz blindly falls for it and goes on membabi buta with their rantings and cursings....

why can't people think a bit more to see what a junk this recording is? ok, well maybe i am wrong and the recording is genuine (and im not discarding that possibility), but the least, i think any rational person would listen to it and immediately go, "heyyyy, this sounds fishy" and be a lot more reserved in their judgement...

why cant they? too emotional perhaps. you know, people are a bit emo when it comes to other ppl being victimised (coz apparently victims are always right). fanatics, maybe. or plain ignorant. unfortunately, thats malaysian politics. emotional, ignorant, and fanatics (EIF). just go to any political party's gathering, you'll see, those are the 3 keywords.

sure, we have many clear minded people who are educated enough to make a well weighed judgement, but they dont matter in this malaysian political scene. truth is, unfortunately, EIFs are the ones that count, and as long as they are the ones who run the show, the above is how pathetic malaysian politics will be.

to people out there, here's something to ponder about. politicians have motivations. be it opposition or government, everyone will have their own personal agenda. everyone answers to someone, and everyone has to return favour to someone. you think government have cronies and are corrupt, guess what, if the opposition were to succeed, they too would need serius help from some important supporters. and these supporters dont want anything in return? dream on.

politics is very unlikely to be clean. so dont be fooled by choosing someone who claims they are clean and fair and just and bla bla bla, or appears clean n righteous (probably just good PR), for the reasons i gave above. you most likely won't get it if that's what you are looking for. instead, national and economic policies are clearer and they are more objective. hence, those are more worthy of our time and braincells than trying to determine who is cleaner or blindly following a leader with good PR.

that is all =)

Still breathing the sweet air, still living the good life =)

2007-04-23T21:25:00.000+08:00

So my TWO WEEKS midsem/easter break had ended...and i have managed to accomplish almost everything that was listed in my holiday to-do list in the previous post =) all but organizing "the justice league" and *cough* studying *cough*...hehehe....

anyway, its fair to say that the holidays was quite eventful the way i see it, eventhough i would find trouble explaining just what exactly did i do...but in short: the holidays have been very kind to me...i had a great time doing whatever i was doing...and i was happy being with whoever that was there...

so today i am officially 22 years and 1 week old...last tuesday, 17th april, was my birthday =)

i would like to say gazillions of thank you's to all who made this lil birthday of mine special..the bday wishes and all...nothing is too little a gesture for me -> they all mean a lot to me...

i reserve special dedication to Dato Edward, Kristina, Azan, n Devan for the surprise on Tuesday night...story goes: that night i juz wanted to chill at devan's place coz havent been there for awhile (since his mom was around)...and on that day his mom left, tot that me n azan can chill there for dinner like normal...we could not do take away as we wanted to, hence we decided to cook...

i was lepaking in devan's computer room when suddenly i saw kristina outside...i went...errr...hi...errr...how come you are here? then i saw edward...and then it became clear -D'OH~! SURPRISE SUNNY! hahaha... so we had dinner, and played some poker, and then ate my bday chocolate ice cream cake...daym...it was a great night...thank you edward n kristina for making the journey up to macquarie all the way from the city! seriusly terharu beb...thanks all....(oh ya, azan n devan...you cheeky cheeky busy bees =P )

also special dedication to Nisa, Syada, Ana, n Durra for the bbq + nasi ayam + my 2nd bday cake that you ppl kindly made for me on friday =) usually i cant tell if food is good or not (maafkan tastebuds ku), but that night im pretty sure ive had a really good dinner and ate a really nice cake...saya amat berterima kasih kepada saudari sekalian kerana dengan baik hatinya menjemput saya utk menyambut hari jadi saya =) it was probably your kindness that made the food taste all the better, and the moment all the special.

finally, my special dedication to Zek, Anas, Arif, May, Hawa, Sheera, n Fini for the chill-out poker night and surprise on saturday. Zek insisted that we chill out on saturday night to celebrate my bday...and since i had no plans...why not, kan? So that night we were juz chilling, had delicious dinner prepared by may n hawa...then played rounds of poker...lepaking n joking around...

around midnite fini n sheera arrived after coming back from beyonce's concert...by that time, poker was already show down between me n zek...a few moments after that, arif turned off the lights and i tot probably they wanted to snap cool poker duel pictures of me n zek with lights off...so i was focused on the game - when they started singing happy birthday and i turned around and saw a brightly lit bday cake~! it was so sweet ... and i would have to go for sniffing test coz i didnt even smell the candles being lit behind me~!

and yes of coz, super duper timakasih cik gg for your hand in plotting the 3rd cake with zek...nakal ye? =P dari jauh pun nak surprise2 ye? hehehehehehehe...tunggu laa =P

again, thank you all...kam siah (hokkien thank you), xie xie =)

before i leave, i would like to make something clear here...

some friends ask me why i never organized anything to celebrate my bday and invite them, like a dinner or something...thing is, i dont really know why, but i am juz not the type of person that would organize things to celebrate my own birthday, nor would i kecoh2 about it...like, who am i to mafan you all, 'asking' you all to wish/celebrate my bday? i like celebrating others' bdays by planning surprises n all, but im contented enough celebrating my bday by juz chilling like any normal day...to me, getting simple bday wishes would already be enough to make my day simply coz i know i have people out there who remembers and cares...

so...yeah, i am now older, and i hope i would grow to be more wiser...few weeks ago i said all i wanted was to still be in sydney come this time...and im still here, still breathing the sweet air, still living the good life...i can't thank you enough, Allah, for all the blessings you have given me up to this moment...

p/s - tq alan lau ma man for calling alllll the way from KL! u friggin cool man~! hahaha =P

things i do when i'm angry

2007-04-11T05:09:00.000+08:00

Tasha tagged me for this...and i think its quite interesting, because from high school years till now, my temperament had changed dramatically and hence my ways of dealing with anger.

I used to be very very bad tempered/hot headed. Right now, i've probably mellowed. Old age? hahaha...i call it 'getting matured'. So, here goes....things i do when i'm angry:

1. Shout.

i shout (more in the past) when im angry on certain occasions, and sometimes, the shouting would also include swearing. a recent example: a UTS player needlessly slide-tackled and injured one of my soccer teammates during sports carnival few days ago. they were 3-0 up, and it was a stupid+unnecessary challenge. i was mad coz i know how it feels to suffer such heavy injury like a broken bone, and i made sure that UTS player knew my feelings after the match by shouting at him and his whole team.

i felt bad after that for shouting, went to the whole UTS team, and apologized for my outburst, particularly to that guy - but i made a point that the message i was getting across stands.

2. Walk off or Send off

this is something i do when my anger is related to dissapointment. i would be still for a moment absorbing whatever that is happening around me, and walk off the scene to solitary to further calm myself and re-evaluate everything. i would return to the scene to confront matters, usually more composed and with an apology.

or, i would send off the person who made me angry, probably by asking him/her to do something else away from the scene or just take a break, so that i can cool down, then probably recall the person back when we both are ready to get over it all and move forward. sometimes there would be a verbal apology, but sometimes, apologies come in the form of actions and need not be spoken.

3. Be Funny, with or without sarcasm attached (usually with)

this comes in situation when somehow i could instantly get composed and find some witty remarks about the situation. usually the type of anger associated is not terribly serious.

in a stressful situation, an effective joke could almost immediately change everyone's gear to a more calm and constructive level, instead of staying full of emotions and anger. it's not easy to be funny when angry, but more often than before, ive been able to do it.

when sarcasm is being attached, it usually is aimed at a target that's not present, or source of anger that's elsewhere. this is simply because sarcasm can easily make the joke back-fire and trigger bigger flares of tension.

4. Slam my keyboard/desk + clinch my fist.

so far, no keyboards/desks had been broken, no fists were really thrown at anyone/thing but air. usually this method is used when dealing with computer-related anger. for example, when i play PES and have 15 shots on target but no goals, or a crashing computer (which has the most perfect timing).

sometimes its funny when i think back, coz sometimes, why i played the game in the first place is to relieve my tension - but turned out to have made me more angry. lucky, at least the anger is channeled elsewhere.

tip: buy a 15 dollar pariah keyboard with hard keys - they are as effective as the fancy-mancy ones, but are much much more durable, and they cost less if destined to be destroyed by anger-driven mighty you.

5. keep mum + long breaths + silent istighfars

sometimes when angered, i would just shut up and keep silent, taking long and deep breaths, and saying silent istighfars. i do this to reset my mind to identify clearly, and face the real issue more constructively. this too is something ive learnt in recent years and pretty much is how i deal with anger usually nowadays. definitely is not what i would usually do back in the old days.

over the years, i found out (the hard way) that when anyone speaks or speaks too much when are angry, feelings will be hurt and problems would get worst. why? coz an anger driven person tend to lose grip of the situation, lose hold to rationality, and simply lose it all.

i've hurt some friends before with my big mouth, sometimes these are the ones who really mean a lot to me. i've been lucky to have been forgiven many times, but i realise second chances don't come all the time, and that's why i make it a point to learn to calm down. Terlajak perahu boleh diundur; terlajak kata, binasa.

6. Going to the basketball court, shooting long shots + slamming the board with the ball - hard

this is a classic. i do this once in awhile, more often in the past when i was in mrsm and have easy access to a ball court. i used to go to the court between subuh prayers and breakfast to cool myself down in the chilly and serene environment, while just throwing the ball. i know my temper had gone down when ive started doing lay-ups. this is my version of a physical approach to anger management, and it has never failed me.

cuti sudah bermula...

2007-04-05T17:36:00.000+08:00

yeahaaa.....laptop aku skarang dah virgin semula!!! baru reformat daaa~

dan....

yeahaaa~!!cuti dah start~!! and since aku kat macquarie uni, 2 kali yeahaaa la dari dak2 uni lain sbb cuti budak2 macquarie ni 2 minggu lamanye =P

[bertukar ke nada formal]

di sini saya senaraikan (tanpa mengikut susunan prioriti) beberapa perkara yang ingin saya lakukan di masa cuti ini:

(oleh kerana saya bukan pelajar TESL, maka saya tak akan melayan kawan saya dari NZ/Brisbane...haha...maaf ya, ini adalah stereotaip yang nyata bagi pelajar TESL setiap musim cuti...haha)

--lepak di city, mengeratkan silaturrahim bersama sahabat handai yang sudah lama tak ketemu
--berkaraoke + menyanyikan lagu2 wajib karaoke
--menonton persembahan dramac yang sekian lama tertangguh (maaf nisa!)
--menghadiri majlis graduasi rakan2 saya di macquarie dan di mana-mana jua uni di sydney
--menyertai 'inter uni sports carnival' sebagai pemain dan penyokong...ya, 4 tahun, masih bersemangat!
--*uhuk* belajar *uhuk*
--bermain bola keranjang
--menganjurkan kejohanan playstation 2 'pro evolution soccer' yang juga dikenali sebagai 'Justice League'
--menghubungi semula rakan2 lama di mana jua yang sudah lama tiada khabar/berhubungan.
--memulangkan tupperware tasha =P

saya rasa itulah dia agenda-agenda utama cuti ini...ingin maklumat lanjut? hubungi saya di sini dan sana...sekian =)

p/s-azan, have fun reading...this to practice your malay yo!

p-p/s - Gullible Info: "On any given day, there is a 94 percent chance that you will walk past someone with the same birthday as you."

check these out

2007-04-02T22:53:00.000+08:00

This is the origina scene from Top Gun:

and this i found on youtube:

hahaha...i would so wanna try that stunt...hahaha....(not propose lah, but, u know...pick-up)...ooops....someone's angry!

hahaha....

weeeiirrrdddd sheeeeeeetttt maaannnnn~

2007-03-26T07:09:00.000+08:00

halo boys and girls...

miss fatin tagged me, and i have to list down 6 weird things about me...so here goes...

Enam Perkara Pelik Mengenai Sunny!!

1- I generalize a lot. Most of times, I don't really bother much about the categorization...for example...people can have this coffee that coffee, this tea that tea...heck...they all coffee or tea to me...I think its lebey la all the types or whatever (and this relates to point number 2)...and vegetables...all of the same colour are the same (and i used to work in a salad bar..wtfbbq)...

2- My tastebuds are replication of my generalization nature. ie, they dont really work. I can't tell if the food tastes good or not...to me there are 3 categories...VERY BAD...VERY GOOD...and everything else falls in between...so...most of the time i am happy with whatever presented to me...

e.g...pizza...well, throw me any pizza, they all are ok and taste good...sometimes my friends say the food (e.g. nasi lemak) at restaurant X is good, Y is bad...blabla...but they all taste the same ok maa...so, i'm not too awed when i hear some place have really good food...coz it all tastes good to me (very rare to find very bad or very good)...ambience and company is what matters =)

3- I play Pro Evolution Soccer's (the football game on my laptop) managerial mode from year 2006 - 2028 (and counting).To those who understand the nature of the game, you might go "WTFBBQ"...but here's to those who dont...

managerial mode requires you to play a team in a full season...which is about 40 to 50 games all together per season...then do negotiations/buy-sell players, and move to the next year...and so on and so on...

now, a game is approx 20 minutes...i have played (since last year) 22 seasons (season 2006 - season 2028 currently)...22 x 45 is how many games...and to think ive lasted 22 years using only 1 team (MAN UTD ROCKS!)...and not get bored...hehehe...i dont know many players who play the way i do...

4- I love to page myself at shopping centres in malaysia. you know, those paging calls that go like "paging for mr xxx, paging for mr xxx, please come to the info counter blablabla"

its a fav past-time of mine when i hang out with friends back in the school days...we all would go to the info counter, and with full composure, i would ask for the info ppl to page my name...and then pretend to wait...then lose patience...and say thanks and chow...

its super fun ok...and its a good practice to help maintain composure in any situation...and i guess thats where i practice my bluffing skills (those who know me knows bluffing is my talent) =P

5- I love to give anologies..but azan says the weird shit is that I love to give statistical anologies...or i love to explain things in a statistical perspective...

like, a situation can be a statistical model...which has a distribution...with parameters...and behavior is defined by the distribution....for example...my sleep time is a normally distributed random variable, with mean 12 midnight and standard deviation 1 hour...

i dont know why...maybe i am just practising what i learn...maybe i am a stats freak (but i suck in stats alrite)...ah well...azan sez its weird, hence, this is on my list...

6 - cik gg sez i drink vigorously...err...i only realized it today...as i was voice-chatting online...and tried to quietly drink something...then she said "minum ekk??" ... then she explained that she had always noticed that i drink rather vigorously, much like what im drinking is not liquid, but solid...then i tried drinking slowly...but still the sound...

she said i make very loud sound when the drink goes down my esophagus...like 'kruk krak'...or something like that...ah welll...she sez its weird...at least i dont touch my food to my chin before putting them into my mouth (robert from everybody loves raymond)...

ahhh...so i guess those are the 6 weird things about me...i have no idea if they really are weird...but...what the heck =P

I tag: Zek, Gedik Queens, Faisal, Dirah....and Azan (this is better than answering helicopter questions yo!)...

pick-up lines? oh puh-leez...

2007-03-25T19:11:00.000+08:00

yo wassap wassap?

who needs clever, witty, pick up lines ... when u can do this:

the message reads:

"Asian Indian attractive lady friend wanted. I am polite, friendly, and $ money supportive $. I wan eazy no problem secret casual friendship, only when u are free.

eazy transport"

yeaa, me and azan saw that poster after we watched bra boys at macquarie centre a few days ago, and was on our way back to my place...totally random dude...it's like any normal 'room for rent' notices posted on the lamp post at the side of the street...

i went like..."what the..."

anyway...girls, *wink2*, go for it lah =P (you know you want to)

hehehe...

oh ya, fatin tagged me again...and this time its 6 weird things about me...hehehe...coming soon =)

OK..FINE!!!!!

2007-03-24T21:36:00.000+08:00

haha...don't get me wrong...i'm not mad or angry or whatever...im just fed up with this song that's stuck in my head...

yes...i like the song very much...but i've been humming to it since...err...last week i guess...

and its not like a new song or what...in fact, its AGES old...its actually a song from the movie Top Gun...you know, from the scene when Tom Cruise pics up that lady in the bar...remember?

anywa...

thank you to Azan, whom a few days ago opened up a topic about how we must watch some old school movies...which reminded me of Top Gun, which triggered me to dwld all the top gun songs...one of which i am hooked on to now...

dan kini untuk menghentikan lagu ini daripada dimainkan di kepala senantiasa...amik ni lirik lagunya!!!!!

Tittle: You've Lost That Loving Feeling
Artist: Righteous Brothers

You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.
And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips.
You're trying hard not to show it, (baby).
But baby, baby I know it...

You've lost that lovin' feeling,Whoa, that lovin' feeling,
You've lost that lovin' feeling,
Now it's gone...gone...gone...wooooooh.

Now there's no welcome look in your eyes when I reach for you.
And now your're starting to critisize little things I do.
It makes me just feel like crying, (baby).
'Cause baby, something in you is dying.

You lost that lovin' feeling,Whoa, that lovin' feeling,
You've lost that lovin' feeling,
Now it's gone...gone...gone...woooooah

Baby, baby, I get down on my knees for you.
If you would only love me like you used to do, yeah.
We had a love...a love...a love you don't find everyday.
So don't...don't...don't...don't let it slip away.

Baby (baby), baby (baby),I beg of you please...
please,I need your love (I need your love), I need your love (I need your love),
So bring it on back (So bring it on back),
Bring it on back (so bring it on back).

Bring back that lovin' feeling,Whoa, that lovin' feeling
Bring back that lovin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...gone,and I can't go on,noooo...

Bring back that lovin' feeling,Whoa, that lovin' feeling
Bring back that lovin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...

note: it felt good singing this song at karaoke earlier today actually =)

alamak...tagged~!

2007-03-19T09:06:00.000+08:00

i've been tagged by cik fatin ... and so here's ...

10 things i've eaten today

Its juz 12 pm, i cudnt possibly have eaten 10 things rite? =P so this will include yesterday =)

1. Ais kosong

2. Prescribed tablets

3. Oven baked crumbed fish

4. French toast

5. Pasta goreng tomyam

6. Smiths chips

7. Viva corn chips

8. Maggi kari pekat

9. Kopi - O

10. Roti + Tuna

Kesimpulan:

Saya tak lah makan banyak sangat sebenarnya (mengagumkan!)... dan saya juga dah beberapa hari x makan nasi! (sungguh malas...tsk3..)

DAN KINI...SAYA MENGE-TAG:

1- Zek : i dont know if u are going to update ur blog at all =P

2. Nisa: kecoh ar suro orang update je..amik ni...

3. Faisal: working man...i dont care dude...

4. Syada: Kini dah xde game arsenal (yg penting)...bolehla buat ye..

5. Tasha: sila sila...kalau x cukup makan (mungkin kerana diet), 3 hari pun boleh...

Akhir kata...
"untuk perjalanan yang lebih lancar, gunakanlah 'Smart Tag' "

Sekian...

Happy 5th Anniversary =)

2007-03-18T08:43:00.000+08:00

To me and cik gg...
Happy 5th anniversary~! 17th March 2007

and here's something for u cik...

staying strong...

2007-03-14T13:40:00.000+08:00

i'm feeling kinda down rite now...

i look around me...and i think back on my life in sydney for the past 3 years...i can't help but feel sad...all of this might be all over soon...possibly much sooner than anyone might expect...

when i walked along the streets of sydney cbd a few days ago...this was exactly what i felt...those streets that i have walked down so many times now...they are witness to my life here in sydney...the friends i met...the good times i've had...and not to forget, the sorrow moments in life i've experienced...

to think that what will happen to me next, whether i have to say goodbye rather prematurely or not, is just a simple yes/no verdict away, i really find it difficult to handle that kind of pressure...i simply dont know how i am to cope with the unfavourable outcome...how my feet would dare step back into my own house...how my eyes would dare look at the sad faces of those who love me...

there is only so much pressure that a person can handle...and is it not normal that once in awhile, the pressure mounts to a point that one simply cracks?

i try to be strong...but i don't pretend i'm not weak...some moments, moments like these, i just can't keep being strong for myself...

Highlights of my holiday in Malaysia

2007-02-23T21:27:00.000+08:00

It has been awhile since I've arrived back in Sydney...things hasnt been great...and not near good at all...i have had really supportive friends to help me face all these problems and i thank you all...

This blog needs an update, yea? well, yea, sorry coz in Malaysia i only had dial up and rarely go to CCs....and with what im facing since arrival, updating blog juz aint the thing i feel like doing...

anyhuu...today i feel like updating this...and here's my recap of a month-long holiday in Malaysia....

note: list not in particular order

1. Makan

How can going back to Malaysia not be related to makan,makan, and more makan??

in sydney, well, i eat kinda like, twice a day...but in malaysia...damn...pagi makan, before lunch makan, lunch makan, ptg makan...malam makan...jumpa kawan makan...perghhhh....

Man Utd and food, well, they go along well...2 hours lepak at mamak...how many can you eat?hehehe...i ate a lot...

3 man utd fans

2. Road crossing

I conclude that my road-crossing skills have deteriorated SIGNIFICANTLY.

I live approximately across one of JB's most well known landmark - Holiday Plaza (the 'pirate ship')...and since small i have been crossing the big road to go to that place...i used to be able to even stop cars to cross the road...now...sigh...malu orang JB je...

holiday plaza,very near my house

3. I am not fit to drive in JB or any major cities in Malaysia

Driving only 2 months over the past 2 years since i've got my P license is not a great achievement...and does not constitute enough skill/experience to drive on the roads of JB...damn...my bro insists he drives all the time coz he thinks im gonna crash the car...well, fair enough, im only back for 1 month...not risking an accident...not worth it...

Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim, JB...took this picture while Ary is driving

4. I like playing soccer...

...with kids =)

sureeee, i am no soccer player...sureeee, i am nowhere in terms of skills, but heyyy...lawan budak2 form 3 and skolah rendah...alaaa....kacang je =P

Danny and Jerry..the defensive midfielder and striker..

padang dekat dgn umah...damn syok...

almost every afternoon where i have the opportunity, i would go to the field not far from home to play with my twin lil bros and their friends....my bro jeffery and mate firdaus joins in sometimes too...

5. the fulfillment of a 4-year dream

for 4 years...i've kept a dream that one day i would buy the 'Murtabak Jumbo' i saw in this one shop 4 years ago...

rewind back to that time, me and firdhous were eating at Larkin Perdana, and this one stall specializes at murtabak only...hohoho...i ate there and then saw this murtabak jumbo on the menu...damn syok...and i thought, xpe, lain kali beli....4 years...FINALLY bought it...hoho...worth the wait, man...thick like 2 murtabak...length of 2 murtabaks...multiple layers of flour,beef+stuff,egg...

murtabak jumbo...nampak kecik sbb tangan besar...tp mmg besar woo murtabak..

6. a pleasant Chinese New Year

it was great i guess...saw my relatives after 1 year...the uncles and aunties sing karaoke at night....seeing a-ma (what i call my grandma on dad's side) happy...then going back to kampung (mom's side) which is juz about 10km away...and since its school holidays...met up with my relatives from mom's side too...lepak at nenek's house too...and FINALLY took picture of my kampung (mom's side)...

The whole family + A-Ma...wana ckp dia nmpk mcm bdk indo..sape suro bnyk sgt ngk citer indo?

Papa karaoke-ing...relatives around...

rumah nenek kat Sungai Ayam

sungai kat dpn umah ke arah Gunung Banang

ke arah laut pulak...about 3-4km to sea...

7. fell sick for a week

why? is it coz of the weather??? or maybe its me eating continuously??i have no idea but my tonsil was swollen till i swear i dont have to reach deep into my mouth to feel it...sigh...

and when i see the doctor...first thing he said...sunny...haa...abit obese eh?....WTFBBQ!@! my tonsil is swollen hell and im having high fever...nice diagnosis doc...

8. the stock market is bullish

malaysia's stock market hit record high...blabla...who cares =P

9. home is streamyx-enabled, finally! =)

i got my house PC fixed, and installed streamyx...yeay!! tho it took almost 3 weeks after i left malaysia to finally work (due to technical glitch)...rite now, my family is 'connected' =)

10. ohhh...kenapa gadis-gadis kat malaysia suma cun2/cute2??

has anything happened in the past year in malaysia??or have i simply been ignorant? i definitely noticed so many beautiful/hot/cute girls during my 1 month stay in JB...fewwitttt =P (no pics here *wink*)

So thats it..a lil bit of sumthin about my trip back to malaysia...

I must say...after 3 years here overseas...i have found what i have lost quite some time ago...love for my country...

and i never missed my family more than now...

Good Morning, Tourism Malaysia, Sunny Speaking, How Can I Help You?

2007-01-17T21:46:00.000+08:00

I won't be saying that phrase up there (tittle) for at least the foreseable future now... today (wednesday) was my last day working at the Tourism Malaysia Sydney office...

For the past month, I've been doing so many new things and have gained very useful experiences...working as an 'office boy' - to simply put it, had provided me many many meaningful things: something to spend my holiday time on, knowledge i wont get from uni, money i need to buy my plane ticket back to msia and some other essentials ...

How's a working day for me?

Wake up early - iron clothes - take the bus before 8a.m. down to the city - arrive at QVB - buy sushi for quick snack/breakfast - get into office (near Grace Hotel) at 9a.m. - talk to kak wati about things to be done - set the tasks i want/have to achieve for the day - work work work with intervals of breaks (make coffee, grab some snacks from the office pantry, chat online) - lunch n break for 1 hour - work work work - finish work at 5p.m. - either lepak a bit or straight to QVB to catch the bus back to macquarie - reach home by near 7p.m. - rest rest rest rest rest - sleep early... zzzz....

The after office hour rush

So....what kinda work have i done this past month?

Well, I issue cheques for payments and handle all the necessary documentations for each single transaction. Believe me, the process of making a payment is reaaaaaaly tedious (especially for government agencies)....

So is this considered as promotion or advertising?

you have an invoice with all necessary attachments, then you have to fill a voucher form for that invoice with information that can be very tricky and time consuming, write the cheque, stamp various official stamps on the invoice and voucher, get them signed by the bosses, make a letter for each receipient, copy the letter and cheque for record, and mail the cheque plus ori letter to receipient (which involves preparing envelope)...

at the end of the month, i made a summary of all those invoices paid, counter checked it with the bank statement to identify cleared and unpresented cheques....and made a bank reconciliation to ensure the summary money balance reconciles to the balance as per bank statement...

My month long work and desk

plus, the ever so leceh process of making a whole copy set of all the vouchers, invoices, attachments, for the office's record, while the original set is sent to HQ at KL. phew...as leceh as all this may seem, now i look back at it, it was really an interesting process to experience...

Sungguh tekun posing nampaknya...

hmm...i also attend the front desk, meaning: i answer phone calls and direct them or attend to the caller's request, and i entertain the customers that come in for information on various things, from cost of taxi from batu feringghi to georgetown, to what's there to do in selangor (this is reaaaaaaaaaly difficult for me to answer...conflict of interest u c...like, selangor?nahhh)

"yes...yes...no no...we don't sell DVD 9s here.."

it really is a great practice for communication skills...and it gives me great satisfaction when i am able to solve an enquiry and help the tourists with their trip...another important thing is that its also great to practice the high level of customer service that's expected in a country like australia...its the kind of culture malaysian service sector has to embrace...

"well, in Selangor...you can go...err...sight seeing.."

aside from my main jobs as described above, i do letter typings, photocopyings, help out staffs with what they need, update website, install printers, analyse datas, bank in money...you know, all those kinda things...

Well.....Thank you very the very much to kak wati who helped me with the many things that i didnt know and for helping me adapt....thanks to uncle nanang n cik rosnah who really look after me and always ask me to take a break or grab some snacks or coffee from the pantry, thanks guys - i've taken my break...hehe...thanks zek for the company during working and off working hours...thank you to anne, wendy, and balljid for the belanja, the advices, the assistance in handling customers...thank you mr shahrin for giving me the opportunity to work at tourism and the many things i learnt from you...korang suma mantap ah!

Hence, i close yet another exciting chapter of my life...I leave for Malaysia on Saturday 20th January, 4pm flight to KLIA from Sydney...this has been a meaning ful summer holiday - one that i'm glad of how i spent it...

Uncle Nanang and Me

Kak Wati and Me

Anne and Me

Wendy and Me

Cik Rosnah and Me

En. Shahrin and Me

Let's get this straight...

2007-01-11T19:13:00.000+08:00

Is Chinese New Year a cultural celebration or religious celebration?

If you are still unsure, let someone who actually celebrates it suggest an answer now: Its plain cultural.

I read something one thestar.com.my today, about an issue that shouldn't be an issue to begin with....it was something about Pesta Ang Pows organized in some uni in malaysia to celebrate chinese new year being (i quote) misconstrued as 'religious' festivals...

Anyway, lets see...chinese new year is just a celebration to usher in the new year of the chinese lunar calendar...its to celebrate another 'safe year'...people gather and celebrate when, as legend has it, a man-eating beast called 'Nian' that comes out every new year's eve is scared and driven away by the sounds of firecrackers people light and the red colour everywhere (it fears red)...

so...thats just some background info on d origins of the celebration...but, how is it usually celebrated?

for any simple normal chinese family...chinese new year is about gathering...meeting up for the grand dinner on new year's eve...visiting relatives and friends...then its the firecrackers to spice up the nights and let the younger ones have some fun...ang pows given by the married to the unmarried ones as a gesture to wish good luck (the angpows are actually important for the colour - red, and not the money...money inside is just as a lil something to add happiness)...

maybe chinese new year involves prayers in many chinese families, but its just thanking God for a blessed year and praying for a good year ahead...its nothing about chinese new year being a religious celebration, its just like how muslims have end of year doa and beginning of year doa...and praying on chinese new year can really be suited to your belief...

like the article on the star online said, chinese people of different faith celebrates it without qualms (lets keep in mind that chinese people don't by default belief in any single religion just because they are chinese)...and muslim chinese is one HUGE community, which celebrates it too...

so, if you are not chinese but your chinese friends invite you to join in and care enough to make available halal food etc, if you could, do join in...if you are muslim, please dont let religion be a reason why you can't join...join to foster better friendship and greater understanding...

but then i sense that sometimes, its not that people dont know that it's okay...its probably people just couldnt be bothered or dont care...and in the process of subconcious denial, subconciously makes excuses for themselves saying its not okay...what a pity...

Hate to say I told you so =P

2007-01-10T20:47:00.000+08:00

I remember commenting about the websites of some English Premier League clubs...and I mentioned that manutd.com was the best...and chelsea sucks...and I implied that arsenal's ain't bad too...

Well...i read on manchester united's website that manutd.com has received an award for the best website among premiership clubs...and i unbiasedly think they deserved it =)

this was awarded by an internet research panel that 'rated the 20 Premiership club websites on criteria including content, performance, ease of use and traffic'. 'They also studied how the sites sell tickets, merchandise, mobile content and video clips'.

Phil Buxton, editor of digital marketing magazine Revolution, said: "United's site is packed with great content and is by far the easiest to use of any of the sites we looked at."

I have to agree on that...hehe...here's the top 5 list :

(note: chelsea who thinks they are cool didnt even make it...probably they failed badly on ease of use)

1. Manchester United
2. Arsenal
3. Aston Villa
4. West Ham
5. Liverpool / Newcastle

tell the truth, i'm surprised Liverpool made it...but...hey, don't just listen to what i say and accept it as truth (you should never listen to ANYONE and straight away accept what that person says as TOTAL TRUTH just because it sounds good, believable, or holy)....

anyway, as i was saying...judge for yourself! here's where you can find links to all premiership club's website ---> click here

I feel the need...the need for speed!

2007-01-07T08:45:00.000+08:00

hahaha...isn't that line just corny? ahahaha...well, you probably can tell that i have just watched Top Gun (again) and it was fun... =)

On friday, a few days ago, me and zek decided to go catch a movie at the "nissan moonlight cinema" (yes, i must include the sponsor name 'nissan'....they friggin put money in it ma)...its an open air cinema that runs a couple of months is summer...we thought it would be a cool experience and hey, its Top Gun - classic!

I was kinda weird for me actually, coz i went there wearing my work clothes (coz i forgot to bring extra clothes that morning to work)....gosh....but it doesnt matter laa...

I had the assumption that we would be sitting on d grass blablabla...but when we got there...we found out that they provide BEAN BAGS for hire! and considering almost everyone in the whole park had one, and looks like we would be lying down...me and zek decided to grab one each...6 dollars + 10 dollars deposit for each...but its a fair price to pay for the comfort - i guess =P

pandai gila ar supply bean bag...they really exploit all possible room to cash in...how clever...

so our spot is relatively near the center-back side...just next to the place where they put the projector, under a huge tree ( that i tot would be cool if i could climb)...when it was dark...we could see bats flying over us all...and some were hanging at the tree above us...hohoho...freaky!

but bats are nice creatures....very misunderstood...they all didnt kacau us at all...except that maybe they were responsible for the things that once in awhile dropped on us from the tree...taik kelawar? tapi dia kering...mungkin taik kelawar kering? tapi mungkin wood chips...well...who knows...we'll never find out...

we didnt have food or drinks...coz we both forgot...yes, they were sold on the spot....but err...mahal ar...maleh la....everyone else was having picnic...eating...drinking....ah well...

the movie was great...hehehe...oh so 80's with the lines and corny scenes...and the songs...ahh...classic....what's fun about it all is the atmosphere...how people go 'uuuuu' or 'aaa'...or 'kiss!kiss!kiss!kiss!...yeaay!!' (during the scene when maverick first kisses charlie)...and then when they said that famous line "i feel the need..." everyone at the park joined in and said "...the need for speed!"...hahaha...and in the end...when they were singing the songs in the movie...the crowd sang along ( i didnt know the lyrics)...

all in all, it was a great experience...we noticed that there weren't many asians there, in fact, the only asians were those that was with their non-asian friends...we couldnt really give a reason to that...mayb its not an asian thingy...mayb its just the L word...maybe sbb waktu maghrib? (movie starts when it's dark...thats wayyy after maghrib)...

check out the website for the list of movies on at the moonlight cinema this summer -> http://www.moonlight.com.au

i have been having too many dreams lately

2006-12-26T07:10:00.000+08:00

this morning i woke up...i straight away recall that i was in a dream...and its just so real that because of the dream, im all in a down/confused mode...

i couldnt remember exactly how the dream went, but as i remembered it, me n my whole family except my dad was at malacca, we wanted to juz take a plane back to JB (WTH???)...and at first take off, i took out my mobile fon to turn it off, and suddenly, there was some electrical failure in the plane...they blamed my phone...but HEY, i was juz turning it off! we had to abort take off...and we all went back inside the airport....

thats not the whole story...

in the plane...i was sitting next to a friend of mine...a good friend of mine...i didnt recall her in the previous scenes before we boarded the plane...but she was just there when i was in my seat...i haven't talked to her for awhile now...last we met, or 'almost' met, i was angry at her...well, in the dream...between me and her was just...(now that i think about it) awkward...

yup, its a weird and stupid dream (take a plane from malacca to JB?) - but dreams are always like that anyway...they rarely make sense...having said that, dreams can be really powerful... they can affect you like its real...the thing between me and that friend of mine...gosh...im so confused now...

i think i also had a couple of dreams before that, one i remembered had my dad in it...but i couldnt remember how the dream went...

dreams... *sigh*

have you woke up from a dream crying? or smiling? or angry or frustrated?

when i was small, i remember i had this nightmare one night...it was the end of the world...flames and chaos everywhere...there was this evil 'thing' flying over the whole area...throwing flames and killing people while laughing...i remember i lost my whole family...i woke up crying...

a few days ago...i dreamt i was killed...

i was in a bus, and sensed that someone was trying to kill me...that someone made a series of efforts to kill me in the bus without being noticed, one of his attempts, he tried to wire up my seat to electrocute me, with a very lame excuse given by the electrician to put some wires on my seat, but i sensed the plot, and moved to another seat...then he asked this mad man with a pair of chopping knife...but i fought him off...

then i shouted, "who is it who has been trying to kill me?show yourself" ... a man stood up, took out a gun...and shot me...i remembered saying after that, "isn't that easier if you want to kill me?"

-i have been having too many dreams lately-

p/s - when am i going to dream that i am a manchester united winger? =P

Visit Malaysia Cyber Campaign

2006-12-20T14:18:00.000+08:00

I was resting awhile from work juz now and i found out about the Visit Malaysia Cyber Campaign.... (check out the site at www.vmcc.com.my )

So, i decided to be one of their link partners by putting up the banner that you can see up here =)

From my point of view, this is a very good idea in spreading the news of 'Visit Malaysia Year 2007'... generally, this tactic is called viral marketing (click on the term if you wanna know more about viral marketing)...and it can create a very huge hype if executed effectively....

Don't we (you readers who are malaysian) love our country? Don't we think others shud experience it too? Good stuff is to share =) Do join in this wonderful campaign and do our part to make VMY 2007 a success (ahaha...poyo sungguh)...hahaha...no, serius =

Go to this link to learn about being a partner! --> http://vmcc.com.my/be_a_link_partner.php

=)

Err...How bout some space? ... thank you ...

2006-12-18T18:08:00.000+08:00

Today is the first day of working for me! =)

I started work at the Tourism Malaysia office here in Sydney...my work consists of some book-keeping, answering phone calls when they come in (my comp is at the front desk), and pretty much helping out kak wati or anyone with anything that i can...

i was very very lucky to get the job...and i hope all goes well in the lead up to me going back to malaysia later in january...there still currently are many clouds of uncertainties hovering around...and i'm not sure if its gonna drizzle, rain cats n dogs, or shine...

i work 9-5, monday to friday...and as far as i can recall, i have never worked like this before...sure, near chinese new year at the pasar was a hectic period with eaaarly start to the day and late late breakfast with non-stop work...but that's helping out my dad...and it only goes berzerk on weekends...

the day started very early for me...before i went back to sleep again, and woke up, still very early for me...but it wasnt long till i was on the bus and on my way to work...

845 am ... i arrived at the office to be greeted by kak wati...and soon i was on the go...learning what i have to do...doing it...lunch time came all too soon (time flies) ... and after that...i resumed working...and hey presto...its 530 pm already! All in all, work was good...everyone was nice...and i hope i did well for my first day (i handed all employees their december salary!) =)

i took the 292 bus back...and reached home by about 645pm... i was sleeping all the way on the bus...and was extremely lucky to wake up when the driver stops at macquarie center...it was kinda tiring...maybe coz im not used to it yet...and the peaceful sight of herring rd apartments greated me...ah.....home sweet home...

as i approached my front door...i noticed the stove ventilator was on... "adoiiii..." it must be 'them'....and when i opened the door... "sigh" ... it is 'them'...

my hongkie housemates (2 of them) were cooking, and as usual...they were cooking for a whole batalion of army...ok, it was juz 6 person (them included), but it looked like they were cooking for the whole army batalion! but its no surprise...i have had many hongkie/mainlanders as housemates before...and when u put 2 of them together...juz 2, u ALWAYS get chaos in the kitchen...

so i went in, said hi...they asked me if i was at work or something...blablabla...i was kinda annoyed already to be frank...come on...the house is for 6 person...there is only enough space for that amount of person...when 2 housemates take up the whole space for ALL 6 housemates who pay rent and call that place 'home'...isnt that bollocks??

perhaps sensing my frustration...the more thoughtful of the 2 hongkie asked me, do you want to cook? i said yes, trying hard to be nice, since he is nice enough to ask...and he asked me.. " oh, what do you need?" (while looking around the packed and messy kitchen).... so i replied, "err, how bout some space?"....

so i managed to get some space and went on with my chopping and cooking...not much really...cooked instant noodles only....and iron-chefly, i finished my signature instant noodles+pasta in about 15 minutes =P it wasnt pleasant cooking though when you need to rush...so many things in the kitchen, in the dining room, and people at the living room hogging the TV (which is provided by the uni) playing the PS 2 <--as usual...the whole place so, noisy....so....chaotic....sigh...

so i brought my dinner and a mug of hot tea into my room...turned on my laptop...opened a movie...and watched it while eating....didnt finish the movie....showered n all...and hey presto, its already 9pm!

wudn't it be nice to come back from work to your home, your own home - which for me is a quiet and tidy place, not so energized surrounding so i can chill out...all this made me wonder...i think that's exactly how my dad feels...he works really hard all morning till noon...and when he comes back, finds a messy and noisy place (courtesy of yours truly - me n gang) ...

gosh...

i guess i learnt a few lessons for myself...be considerate if next time i 'am' the crowd...and housemates comes first, then guests - coz each housemates shares the right, equal right, to call a house their 'home'...

all over again...

2006-12-13T21:34:00.000+08:00

The past week is all about building towards this friday...i would be farewelling some of my best of buddies in my whole stay in sydney so far...

1st year...i remembered being alone when i arrived...i remembered it was the time to get out there from my comfort zone and change my situation...i made some great friends...

2nd year...i remembered that life was more exciting...the 1st TESL cohort arrived at macquarie uni...some of them went on to be among my all time best mates...

now they are leaving...it's just so difficult to express how i feel inside...i dont know how life will turn to be...hmm...i think i've rambled about this enough two posts ago...so tonight, i've decided to go check out some quotes about goodbye...

...'enjoy'...

Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

We only part to meet again. ~John Gay

Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye? ~Author Unknown

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes. ~Henry David Thoreau

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. ~Ivy Baker Priest

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. ~Robert Southey

Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love. ~George Eliot

But fate ordains that dearest friends must part. ~Edward Young

A man never knows how to say goodbye; a woman never knows when to say it. ~Helen Rowland

How Cool Is This??

2006-12-08T06:05:00.000+08:00

I was browsing through some EPL club's website when I found a few interesting things:

1- chelseafc.com thinks they are cool - the site is crap... okay, im biased.

2- liverpoolfc.tv is messy... okay, im also biased.

3- arsenal.com has this REALLLY cool feature...check this out...they actually simulate their next match against chelsea using Football Manager 2007 (FM)!

What is FM? It's a game played on pc and game consoles....it's a manager simulation game, where u manage a team and guide it to success...FM is regarded as the best soccer team-manager-simulation game ever. Find out more by clicking here.

Here's what arsenal.com got from their simulation:

Pre Match Set Up - Click on image for the enlarged version

Report

Emmanuel Adebayor got Arsenal off to the perfect start with a goal after just four minutes. Former Gunner Ashley Cole conceded a free kick on the left, Robin van Persie curled a perfect delivery towards the near post and Adebayor beat his marker to head powerfully past Carlo Cudicini. 1-0 to Arsenal!

That silenced the home fans and there was more woe for Chelsea when Andrei Shevchenko limped off with an ankle injury after 18 minutes. The Ukrainian had started brightly and looked dangerous.

Chelsea pressed forward after the break, but they were hit by a sucker-punch just after the hour mark. Freddie Ljungberg's clever pass released Van Persie down the left and the Dutchman's precise cross was nodded in by Adebayor. Two for the Togolese striker - and two for Arsenal.

Frank Lampard went agonisingly close to reducing the deficit with 14 minutes left but his fiercely-struck free kick rebounded off the far post with Jens Lehmann well beaten. A goal then would have set up a grandstand finish but Arsenal held out to record a fine 2-0 victory.

(click on image for the enlarged version)

Sunny says:

now, that is a cool idea...you would expect to see these kinda fun feature on some random ppl's site or blog blablabla...but on the official arsenal website....hoho....someone there must really have a good sense of humour =P kudos arsenal.com!

hehehe...i guess united supporters would like to see a draw, or at least, arsenal beating chelsea. anyway....i also have a simulation of my own......hehehe....

Pro Evolution Soccer 5 ! After using the Master League feature in PES5...'simulating' from 2006 to 2024 (Yes, i've played the master league from year 2006 to 2024!), I conclude that Manchester United win the treble (league, f.a cup, and champions league) each and every year!

Muahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!

Conclusion of conclusions: Man Utd is the best! The website, the team, blablabla...hahahaha!

- okay, i'm biased (you've got to be highly biased if you've stuck by your team for so long unconditionally =P ) -

Goodbyes and Farewells

2006-12-01T12:19:00.000+08:00

it's that time of the year again, when everyone sez goodbye to everyone...but this year, its different for me...i'm saying goodbye to some of my very best friends around...and i am starting to feel d emptiness already...

today i farewelled Mel...and its just sad...she is a friend who really cares, she doesn't call only when she needs anything or any favour or have some hidden manipulative agenda...

dont get me wrong , im happy to help anyone anytime if i can...but if the times i hear from you are only when you need favours...chances are: you're probably juz another person i know...

mel...no...she is the kind of friend who calls and reminds me about classes, about uni, who checks on how life is going on for me...a friend who's concerned of how i am doing...a friend in good times, and bad ones...

how many of such friends exists in your life? i certainly haven't found many...

i am sad that she has to leave, but at the same time, i am happy she is already graduating and entering the next phase of life (sigh, i was supposed to be leaving this shit too) ... to mel: all the best in whatever journey you embark on next - may our paths cross again =)

hmm...

azan is also leaving...tomorrow...now that's another friend i can't imagine not having around...he is definitely a great friend and while he will be back in sydney working...life's just gonna be different...

in the near future...more of the people i cherish having around are going to leave...it's not the happiest of times for me...i guess i just have to move on...not all's lost...i still have some good friends in sydney...and i intend to be a great friend to them, and hopefully to others as well...

think about it again...

its really deja vu...i have a bunch of 'yi sheng yi si' (translated: live together, die together) friends back in malaysia...and we had to say farewell to each other when we all chosed different paths in lives after school...things did change...

i would look back and miss those times...but when i look at the present, change have brought great things, more friends...and now im at that threshold again...i guess its only fair to be excited at the prospects...

Man On Mission

2006-11-17T01:16:00.000+08:00

U might notice that I havent been posting lately....

well, coz i'm currently a man on a mission....mission to save my future from the unthinkable consequences of a bad final exam outcome!!

My exams schedule are:

November
23rd - Stat 271 - Statistics I -3 hour
24th - ACST 211 - Combinatorial Probabilities - 3 hour
27th - ACST 305 - Quantitative Methods for Asset Liability Management - 3 hour

considering i study best around ppl who are studying...i've been hopping around places where ppl are studying...to chill n study together...thank you all for accepting me to lepak together and study =)

currently, i'm at randwick studying at zek's place...probably till sunday....maybe will chill with ida n zek for awhile during this weekend coz ida finished her xms...and going back 2 msia for practical this sunday....

lately when im in MUV studying, i'd love to play some soccer in d afternoon with the usual kakis...seng, shim, zaini, syada 'henry', and durra 'rooney' =) with some other players joining occasionally...its juz fun...and its amazing to see how durra n syada can play reaaaaaaally reaaaaaally well! if u analyze them, u can tell they have the soccer brains - an idea of what shud b done in d game...and durra is quite accurate in her shooting! damn frustrated if she scores against me - which she does regularly....and syada's passing...hoho...mabeles! it wont be long till we can play with no worries of xm n studies now!

and yes, terima kasih to cik gg who've been reaaaaaally tolerating my house-hopping n study gila mode...it makes things for me much much much easier - thanks!

man on a mission - mohd sunny tan!

Gerak Gempur Exam 2006!!! muahahahahahhahahaha.....

do you understand??

2006-11-09T15:27:00.000+08:00

i am frustrated...
i am sad...
and i am worried...

its too complicated a matter to express here...
but...
if u think you know what's troubling me...

...

by all means, talk to me...

family...

2006-11-03T09:09:00.000+08:00

i woke up and i tot i wanted to change my desktop background...so i did some editing work on my msa photos....

click on image for full size

i realized...i miss it all...

-my name is jeffery-

2006-11-02T21:26:00.000+08:00

err...i dunno wat i was doing when i suddenly tot..hm...i like my brothers' name...hmm...a totally random thought...why didnt i get any of their names??hmm...i wonder...

5 sibblings

1- mohd sunny tan (me!)
2- mohd jeffery tan (cool bro of mine)
3- intan shahwana tan (the only girl)
4- mohd danny tan (jerry's twin)
5- mohd jerry tan (danny's twin)

...end all names above with bin (or binti) mohd saiful tan...

you get what i mean by their names sound better? mak told me that i was named sunny so that i could be like the sun...shine on the world, brighten the dark...wow, boleh tahan harapan untuk anak ye encik saiful dan puan siti?? well, i still think others' names are cool...of coz number 3 doesnt count - thats my sister, so i wouldnt naturally want her name...how would it be like if i was, say, jerry? haha..

ah, this reminds me...

when i was in mrsm jasin...one day i had really high fever while playing bball in a competition...and after half-time, i couldnt remember clearly what happened...it was very bad that going to the toilet later in the dorm was a struggle...and the warden sent me to jasin hospital that night...and after some quick treatment, i was sent to malacca general hospital...i was unconcious while all this happened...

after one day...i was puzzled why none from my school came to check on me...no teachers and warden at all...and the nurses keep calling me jeffery..."err, my name is sunny", i would correct them..."yes, sure", they would say...and yet they still called me jeffery...

and the i found out why.....

in jasin hospital, when the nurses asked for my details, the warden did not know coz he was very new there...and i allegedly said, my name is jeffery...so when the other wardens went to the general hospital looking for 'Sunny', they couldnt find me..and it took awhile to figure out 'who is sunny'...

i was at 38-40 degrees for a couple of days...and probably the nurses thot that i wasnt in my right mind...and ignored me when i corrected my name... note: the nurses were cute...juz after spm, studying at the nurses' college next to the hospital...and hey guess what, i had twin nurses looking after me ok =P *but i was too young to understand the value of all this...* =P

anyway...i must really love my brother...or i must reallly love his name...to be calling myself him when i was unconcious...haha...what the...

note: syada..u remember the incident above?malu giler bila balik maktab wei...warden ar hebah cerita kat surau...tsk3.. (cik gg confirm la ingt this incident =P)

supercalifragilisticexpialidociously FRUSTRATED

2006-10-29T22:36:00.000+08:00

i was at the arias on sunday...it was a totally superb experience...performances, red carpet, awards....

and it would have been a spectacular day, had the day ended peacefully...

to begin d story...let me explain the complicated transportation path i had to take... (and yes, this is another long entry by sunny)

from sydney olympic park (where arias was), i had to take the train to lidcombe, then from lidcombe, take a train to strathfield, then from strathfield, take a train to epping, and finally from epping, take a bus to my house....

it was about 10pm when it all ended...and i wasnt sure whether i should go to epping and take the last bus, or go to the city and take the bus to macquarie... i was unsure what time is the last train from strathfield to epping (its a sunday)....what time was the last bus from epping to my house...its all so complicated...

so i had to choose, go to epping, or go to city...considering the last bus from epping is 11.06pm, and roughly i would be able to make it to epping in an hour from olympic park...i decided to go buy the epping ticket...

zek went off first...the cue for the ticket was long...and some dumb blondes way up front cant seem to figure the ticket machine and are taking forever...as every second passed, i got more worried...should i change my plan? can i still make it for the last bus from epping???

well, by the time i reached the machine, my timing got tighter, but i think it was still ok...so i bought the epping ticket and ran and waited for the train to lidcombe...

damn....waited 10 minutes juz for the train to depart from olympic park...but no turning back...since i bought the ticket already...and besides, lidcombe is juz 1 station away from olympic park....

i found out that the train from strathfield to epping was at 1040, and 1110 next...i will b juzzz on time for the 1040 train if nothing goes wrong at lidcombe, hence, on time to catch the last bus...but if anything happens in lidcombe, eg train 2 strathfield is late, i stand no chance at all to catch the last bus...oh god...tension tension...

on the train from olympic park, everyone was so happy coz the arias was great...but i juz sat there quietly...cemas...and when i reached lidcombe...i was running over to the other platforms far far away...it was times like that when it seems everyone is blocking ur path, terhegeh-hegeh...well, luckily i cought the train to strathfield straight away when i reached the platform....no probs at lidcombe...greatttt....juzz nice to reach strathfield for the epping train...

maybe luck is on my side now...well, how wrong was i...

...10.40pm...

i reached strathfield, about juz on time for the train to epping...if i miss that train, i wont reach epping in time for the last bus...so, i was running...as i ran up the platform for the train to epping...i heard sound of a train...i sprinted faster (note: i was already sprinting) ... and when i reached the platform...i saw the train moving away from the station...the cruelest sight every...

now, if i took that 1040 train, i would reach epping by 11, and on time for the last bus at 1106 to reach home...but to my utmost frustration, i missed it by a fraction of a second...and the next train was at 11.10....

how? i cant go to the city...i would miss the last bus from d city anyway, and i would need to spend d night in d city n use more money..not good...but then, i dont have enough cash to take a cab from epping station to home...

1045pm...tensed...

i decided to call a friend, see if she could pick me up at epping...and she said she would pick me up at 1130 when i arrive at epping...i was relieved...altho inside i was in rage, feeling like i wanna punch the walls...suddenly, when the train almost arrived, zek called...he apologized for leaving first, but i said its ok...wouldnt make a difference anyway if he waited for me at olympic park...well, yup, thats true...tho while at the instant of emergency and tension i did actually feel dissapointed that he left me to face all this myself...it really isnt his fault and not that he could change anything anyway...

11.08 pm ... emotionless

zek: oh ya, how u getting in your house?
sunny: hm? what dya mean?
zek: err, your house keys are in my bag
sunny: arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

omg...my house n room keys in zek's bag...aaarghhhhh....wthhh...why oh why....huhu...what to do....i had to juz calm myself down...there is nothing i could do anyway...better not add to my stress level...besides, the Resident Assistant could help... ok...chill...

so, the train arrived at strathfield 1110pm...and d ride was juz ok...quiet, not many people on train...and i was pretty much calmed down...i looked at my watch...well, plus minus...i would reach home at about near midnite...so, what might have been was juz about half an hour better...so, i didnt lose much...chill...

i reached epping on time at 1130pm...and when i reached the platform...i made a call to my friend saying that i am there and will be waiting at the bus stop for her...she said she is already making a move and would be there soon...i ended the call...and i tot, "not long now...hmm, what should i fix for my supper? so hungry..."...tut tut tut...i looked at my fon 'low battery'...hungry, cold...

1155pm...still hungry, even more cold, bored...

where is she? it would take only 5 minutes to drive up here to epping considering no traffic...hmm..maybe she went to the toilet or sumthin...ah well...so i waited a bit more...staring at each passing car wondering if she's here...at first it was ok...but after awhile, it got frustrating...

its already 12.10pm...and still no sign of my friend...my frustration had turned to worry...i figured it was time to give a call...and so i did...but no one answered...i got more worried...shit...what happened...tut tut tut...my fon died...great...

i made a silent prayer, and turned the fon back on...phew...it remained on...i called shim telling him about this and asking him to check out if that friend of mine was at home...a few phone calls till about 1230 with no progress or info...then suddenly shim called me back...he said that the girl was stopped by police and she didnt bring her driver's license...and the police escorted her back home...shim told me to find some other way to get home...and i said ok...and d conversation was over..

wth...how? no cash...not enough in bank...and i dont think i would make it walking back home...argh...so i took d cab....and asked it to wait while i go into my house to borrow some cash from my housemate...oh wait...remember - keys, zek's bag? arghhhhhhhhhhhhh....so i asked the cabbie to wait awhile, i go ting tong the RA and luckily she wasnt asleep...she opened my house and room door...and after i paid the cabbie...i was finally home...

well, not really...a deep sense of guilt struck me when shim told me my friend was stopped by police...i found out, her license was suspended untill she paid up the 1000 dollar fine (or 500 if she appeals)....omg....i cant help blaming myself...enough with the frustration...now the guilt???

...i am sorry...

1am...i felt like really screaming...but i didnt...i couldnt...that's so 2001 sunny...

thanx to cik gg for calming me down...sigh...ARIAS was really really great, dont get me wrong...its just that...all that's happened that night afterwards had taken all the excitement away from me...as superb as the experience of being at the arias, i think i equally wished that day had not happened at all...

regardless...thank you zek for the invite...that was an experience of a lifetime...maybe when i get all the arias pics, and i regain back some of that excitement...i would make the entry that might have been - arias 2006.

raya in malaysia ... memories ...

2006-10-18T10:38:00.000+08:00

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is juzzzz around d corner =) Since zek started it all with his raya songs dwld spree and the emo msg at the side bar chatbox, i felt like sharing how raya is for me...

In Malaysia

NEVER EVER have i spent the first day of raya at my own place in JB (unless i was too young to remember..ehehe)...and NEVER EVER have i spent the first day of raya not at my grandparents' place (Mom's side) at Sungai Ayam, Batu Pahat, Johor...unless, of course, i was too young to remember =P why mom's side? coz my dad is chinese mar...so there is no dilemma in where to celeb raya every year, same goes for chinese new year =)

I really like it there...traditional malay house, elevated from d ground, all made of wood...with frontyard of gravel about the width of a basketball court, but almost double in length...coconut trees lining up the sides, some other flowers, pokok ciku, some banana trees...and at the end of the frontyard, a lil wooden bridge that allows only one car to cross at a time, across a river where i used to swim in when i was younger with my bro n cuzins, connecting the house to the small, main kampung road where about a bus and a car can go side by side slowly...looking at one direction, there's a mountain - Gunung Banang...and about 1km down the road in another direction, there is the watergate where the lil river meets its taikor, where the 'kuala' part starts...with fishing boats around...and not far further, the sea....

ahhh...this post almost sounded like one about my kampung =) anyway, raya time, my grandma would wake me up very early, and i would thot that we are having sahur...haha...terbiasa puasa ma =P i would go find any available water taps to wudhu' and then perform subuh prayers...then we all would have to take turns to use the only bathroom there, and there are so many ppl..uncles and aunts...cousins in the dozens...the girls would take longer baths, naturally =P

i would go to the kitchen to see what's already prepared...knowing my granda didnt sleep all nite to cook the ketupats and all the raya delicacies...i would steal some fried potatoes and tofu that my grandma and the women in d kitchen are gonna use to make my fav sambal goreng...after i finally got to use the bathroom, i will wear my baju raya...and you see around the house filled with excitement...."mana butang baju??" "alaaa, baju x iron lagi" "mak, taknak warna ni laaa" ... the kids are noisy and a handful for their parents - parents dress up last...

when everyone is done...comes the most touching moment in the whole raya celeb...we all gather in the living room...my grandma start...she would hold n kiss the hands of my grandpa, asking for forgiveness in that special day...and my grandpa would tell her, he forgives her, and that he makes halal all the things he gave her, and he also asks for forgiveness...and then its my parents and uncs and aunts' turn to ask forgiveness from my grandma n grandpa....and among themselves...and then its our turn - the grandkids of the family...

then grandpa would go to his old honda kapcai, wanting to go to the mosque early for the raya prayers...and not so long after that, all the guys will make a move to go to the mosque...and the women will be preparing for the big breakfast...sometimes i would go with my grandpa so that he doesnt need to be driving (i like riding that ol bike)...sometimes i would go with one of the many cars parked in the frontyard...along the way, i would see many people on their bikes or in their cars headed d same way...i wave to everyone...it doesnt matter if i know them or not, everyone is friendly and would wave or nod back...

back from the raya prayer...its time for the big breakfast...ketupat (traditional in-the-coconut-leaf-sarung, not instant), all the rendangs, kuah kacang, sambal goreng, kueh, err...cant remember exactly what else, but definitely all d raya goodies...and we would eat together, everyone...and then we would get kids from around the kampung visiting the house...most i dont even know who they are...but my grandma would always know, "ooo, ni cucu si semah ye?" something like that...and they would chill at the living room enjoying the raya kueh in jars and after hinting for 'duit raya' (green packets with money inside), and getting them, they would soon be on their way to the next house...sometimes i wonder, these kids walk around the whole kampung??gila tabah!

i would soon go with my family to relative's and friend's houses around the area...visiting them all, catching up...enjoying the various kueh that they prepared...and go 'JACKPOT!' when i found the ones i crave for (and naturally having lots of em)...hehe...in the process of all this visiting, i also pocket some duit raya myself =) as i grow up, duit raya collection had declined dramatically, but its not all bad, coz from chinese new year, the angpow gets bigger with age =)

well...if im not going out, i will be at home watching tv or playing with my cousins and all, while finishing the jars of kueh lined up in the living room...not one set, but 2 sets of em...and my mom would always go...aiyoo, these are for guests, go grab from the kitchen if you want, leceh la always need to refill them...hehe, something like that la translation...me and my bro would also sometimes ride on my grandpa's ol bike around the kampung....go to the seaside...or juz go wandering around...go to the shop n buy ice cream or sumthin...hehe... (but we do this all the time we are at batu pahat anyway =P )

then there would be the 'bara-an' as they call it, or 'marhaban' as some would know it...its a large group of locals, about 30-50 ppl, moving from house to house...covering the whole kampung...there are the group of young guys...group of older men...the group of women...all either on motorbikes or bicycles, often that reflects on their age...they would go to one house...visiting the family...spreading some happiness and praise for Allah and the prophet...and then they would move on to the next house...of coz, these groups dont all come in one day, you will probably have the guys in one day, and the women in some other day...

i used to follow my grandpa with the old ppl's group (coz kids usually follow the old ppl)...and it can get tiring...but its a lot of fun...you get to know people from your own kampung, you make friends, you joke around, you try some specialties that the hosts would prepare for you...and if you're lucky, you get duit raya too =)

and at night, oil lamps will line up along the frontyard...there will be those colourful lights decoration...i will play with sparklers and firecrackers...and thunderclaps and airbomb and all those things...trying to beat whatever noise heard from anyone that's playing firecrackers too...trying to be the loudest...and i remember a long long long time ago...my uncles and my grandpa made this cannon out of an old coconut tree trunk...whoaahhhh...its juz all boom boom boom...

of coz, when i go back to JB from my holiday in BP, the raya mood is still on...i would be visiting my neighbours and friends and open houses and all...i would also have guests at my place...

thats how raya usually is for me when i was in malaysia...it's all different now that im not in malaysia...but its still good enuff for me...i will talk about how raya is here some other time...

juz a note, while being excited about raya, lets not forget that the curtains are slowly falling for ramadhan...lets not waste this opportunity and may this ramadhan is meaningful - only then that raya will be as glorious =)

Mid Ramadhan's notes...and my hearing is IMPAIRED =(

2006-10-09T19:28:00.000+08:00

lately i have been hearing lotsa birds chirping in the morning...hehe...no, not that im waking up too early, but ive been sleeping late =P usually during ramadhan, i try to sleep early, so i can wake up for sahur, and not sleep again...but many times, i go over that sleep time, and reach point of no return, where i must stay awake till sahur, and sleep after subuh..hehe...slack...

yes, its once again ramadhan...as many wouldve already known since its already been...err, the 15th day or so of fasting...it's my 3rd time fasting overseas now...and i must say, i've learnt a lot from fasting overseas over these years...

while in malaysia, a huge deal of fasting is about the breaking of it...about what im gonna have for breaking the fast, and for sahur...sometimes not feeling content with what wudave been an ok meal on normal days...feeling the need of must having someting special...

now, partly coz of me being constantly broke...i find myself not making too much fuss of what to eat for breaking the fast in the evening...if i do complain, its no different than the usual -> bored of eating the same ol maggi or fried rice..

how shud i put it in words? hmm, now, i dont really care what i eat for buka or sahur...i mean, all my life here, i am ok with having what i have alwas had...why wud i wanna complain about it in ramadhan? why would there be need for more special food in ramadhan?

and as consequence of this, i no longer care what i eat...no, really...i discovered when i was back in malaysia for my holidays...i didnt care what my mom wud prepare...what type of vege...what type of fish...ikan bawal putih ke ikan kembung...i used to complain when i was younger "kenapa tiap2 hari mesti kena ade ikan??" (DOHHH! of coz la, papa jual ikan!)...

i'm juz thankful i have food...doesnt matter what is given to me, im thankful i have someone preparing it for me....here, doesnt matter what i come up with by mix n matching what i have in the kitchen, in my all-brokeness...i can still have a proper meal...it doesnt matter what others wanna belanja me (you???yess!!) - im thankful i have ppl that wanna treat me dinner =)

i guess, with less attention being paid at ramadhan's less important meaning (food), more resources can be spent at embracing the bigger picture of ramadhan...ibadah, patience, moderation, being thankful...after all, ramadhan is a month to train oneself in improving those aspects...well, i am learning and hopefully improving...hopefully i come out of this ramadhan, a better person than i was before i enter it...

hmmm, 2 nights ago, i was having a crazy headache...i dunno why...my gf suggested high blood pressure, coz maybe my body couldnt tolerate the saltyness of a dish i had for dinner...err, really???noooo...im too young...hey wait, cant be high BP la...i am ok in handling stress...and i eat maggi like a normal uni student...x pening pun biasanye?? (ok cik gg, sila pegi blaja lg nak jadi doktor tu yer...diagnosis salah tu =P *differential diagnosis ppl - house*)

ok, maybe my dizzyness and ketidakseimbangan badan is caused by sometin else...too much sleep? nahhh...ahah! blocked ears? (why dont i just see a doctor??)...i did a test on my ears, by turning up my headphones to loudest..and i do feel my right ear isnt hearing as loud as my left...argh...noooo...cacat....

oh ya, msa had announced its new committee =D visit here for details--> mqmsa.org

congratulations to shim and co...you all do your best for all malaysians here k? what we do in life, echoes in eternity *wink*

post-retirement life is good...i get more time to catch up with friends...been lepaking with some friends...lepaking in my room (yes room, i missed you too)...more time spent with family and ehem...and of coz, i have now more time to study =)

Imogen Heap - Speeding Cars

2006-09-30T11:33:00.000+08:00

This is one of those posts about certain songs and lyrics....I download songs from the OC a lot...well, one has to agree that they have a really good selection of songs featured in every episode...

Here's a song for those who feel really down...who are fed up with life maybe...who are frustrated with how things are going...I wish I can brighten up everyone's life...but I'm just one human being...if you dont know me, or aren't really close to me....here's my lil part in making your day...hopefully =)

you can listen to it via mytunes at this blog's sidebar - if you dont see it at the side, it might be wayy down the page (coz of some coding inconsistency...i guess)...have a listen, really nice..

Speeding Cars by Imogen Heap (heard on The OC 3rd season finale)

Here's the day you hoped would never come
Don’t feed me violence, just run with me
Through rows of speeding cars
The paper cuts, the cheating lovers
The coffee’s never strong enough
I know you think it’s more than just bad luck

There, there, baby
It’s just text book stuff
It’s in the ABC of growing up
Now, now, darlin’
Oh don’t lose your head
'Cause none of us were angels
And you know I'll love you, yeh

Sleeping pills, no sleeping dogs lie never
Far enough away
Glistening in the cold sweat of guilt
I’ve watched you slowly winding down for years
You can’t keep on like this
Now is as bad of time as any

There, there, baby
It’s just text book stuff
It’s in the ABC of growing up
Now, now, darlin’
Oh don’t kill yourself
'Cause none of us were angels
And you know I'll love you, yeh

It’s okay by me
It’s okay by me
It’s okay by me
It was a long time ago
It’s okay by me
It’s okay by me
It’s okay by me
It was a - long - time - ago

There, there, baby
It’s just text book stuff
It’s in the ABC of growing up
Now, now, darlin’
Oh don’t lose your head
'Cause none of us were angels
And you know I'll love you, yeh

There, there, baby
It’s just text book stuff
It’s in the ABC of growing up
Now, now, darlin’
Oh don’t kill yourself'
Cause none of us were angels
And you know I'll love you, yeh

It's just textbook stuff...it's in the ABC of growing up =)
Thats pretty much my fav part of the song...hehe...anyway, also updated on mytunes is one more song from imogen heap, also heard on the oc - finale of 2nd season.

smile!

the seeds of racism

2006-09-21T22:01:00.000+08:00

this happen quite a few days ago...exactly the day when i said i wanted to go catch the man utd vs arsenal game that night....errr..i guess =P

i was walking to macquarie center, u know the shopping center thats just a stone's throw away from my house (literally), ehehehe....okay, i was wearing my red Manchester United shirt aite....

near the entrance of the shopping center, just after the pedestrian crossing...two boys were sitting at the side step...i think they are about 8-9ish years old?well, i'd give a max of 12....they asked me as i was walking past them, "u supporting man utd?"

err...so i answered "yea"...and straight away they say..."you suck"

thats like....whoahhhhh....i didnt really stop walking to be having that conversation, so....i just continued walking la...in my head was just, "kids nowadays...tsk3"

so i got my stuff...a phone card that i was supposed to buy ages ago =P hehe...i walked back to my house (to the annoyance of some ppl i would say, "the house thats just 'sepelaung' away from the shopping center"..hehe)...

the kids were still there...and when i approached them, they asked again, "u support man utd?"....this time i stopped coz i wanted to cross the road u c, and the light was red....and so i answered "yea"...and yes, they once again tell me, "you suck"...

no, this time it didnt stop there...sensing lousy arsenal fan, i asked them, "which team you supporting?"...you know, maybe they one of those gooners =P

they didnt answer...instead, they asked me..."which country you from?choina?"....i said, "malaysia"...and then they said, "go back to where you came from"....

...b.l.u.r.r...

the pedestrian crossing light turns green, with that oh so OZ tutututututututtutut sound...i didnt layan them further...i just crossed the road... (come on, pick a fight and bertikam lidah with kids who probably dont know where china is on the world map?i got class k...)

i didnt expect that from those kids...come on, maybe they are die hard arsenal fans who just wanna have fun teasing man u fans....i dont mind that...but whooaahhh...now thats what i call the seeds of racism...

made me think...hmm, how bout malaysians in malaysia?kids in malaysia also not any better actually...sometimes we think they just joking around but, what if they dont grow out of that joke? sad...pls do not teach our children racism wehh...and pls avoid prejudice between races, and hence avoid transferring those prejudice to the children...prejudice is a product of lack of knowledge, lack of understanding, and fear. so learn, understand, and make friends.

to those who share the same sentiment as these kids....unless u are aboriginese, u can also go back to where u came from...hehehe...

i wish i had utilized my fon and took their picture...so i can put here...*girls would probably say they are cute* hehe...chucky is kinda cute too....but he a deadly killer doll weyyyyyyy .. hahaa ... what the heck...

p/s - im feeling much better now after being down for the past few days...thanks to you, you know who =)

sigh...

2006-09-20T08:58:00.000+08:00

Woke up to a frustrating day...but...who cares?

Gonna play Pro Evo Soccer...at least there i feel much better...

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....bollocks!

random day yeay yeayy...with heaps of nice theme songs for it =)

2006-09-17T13:46:00.000+08:00

yesterday was a day of randomness - i would say....a generally pleasant day =)

ooops...IKLAN! mytunes at the side is updated with one of Jay Chou's new song "wu yao ke jiu" - with a catchy tune that makes me wanna dance, a nice ballad by Lee Hom...and this really nice song from The Be-Sharps from the cartoon series The Simpsons - Baby On Board! ok...back to the story...

i woke up really really early....went online for my usual routine...emails, news, soccer, blogs...blablabla...

then i noticed, its still early! hmm...i was hungry...but too lazy to get out of bed to fix sumthin to eat...so i was chatting...i guess...err...cant remember laa...i think i was chatting wif sumone...about random stuff....and then i went to look for interesting things online..totally random search...hehe...

about near noon...i finally got out of bed...made brunch...and after praying...went back to bed to continue facing that silver machine-friend of mine...btw, my laptop is at one end of my bed, and i lie down with my keyboard n mouse on my bed...hehehe... note:belum mandi lagi..kehkeh...

quite randomly...i suddenly felt like listening to oldies...and out of random...this tune was playing in my head...it goes..."~tell me when will you be mine....tell me quando quando quannnndooooo~"...hehe...so i was on a dwlding spree - in hunt of good oldies!

hah...my problem: everytime i wanna dwld songs, i cant remember the songs i wanted to dwld...

so i consulted google...doing searches like 'top oldies'...hehe...it was good...at least it helped me refresh my memory about those songs....

here are the songs that i dwlded:

1. Quando Quando by Engelbert Humperdink note: the micheal buble version is just crap
2. The End of The World by Skeeter Davis
3. Top of The World by The Carpenters
4. Killing Me Softly by The Carpenters
5. Yesterday Once More by The Carpenters
6. Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley
7. It Never Rains in Southern California by Albert Hammond
8. Stand By Me by Ben E.King
9. Light My Fire by The Doors
10. All Out of Love by Air Supply
11. Your Song by Elton John
12. There's A Kind of Hush by The Carpenters

niceeeee songs.....anyone wanna recommend any other songs? zek, i know u went thru this phase last week...sureeeeeely sumone with far more superior music knowledge than me, like u, can recommend summore good oldies? =)

after the downloadings and all...i was chatting, i guess...but i fell asleep...and when i woke up...i went to pray... (note: blom mandi lagi)....and i called seng chee...sensing that i need to leave this room of mine...GILA BuHSAN DAH!!hehe...i asked if he wanted to play soccer outside....he said, yea, ok... so i showered (finally!) and went to Seng Chee's..

well, i didnt play soccer....a lil change of plans saw me learning how to play mahjong - random! yes sunny..its time to get back at your roots! haha...im gonna learn it and hey, maybe can join my uncles and aunties in a few games during chinese new year =)

the rest of the night was total randomness, really....hehehe....was nice to be around good company....post retirement - chillin!

tonight: Go to Epping Hotel to watch soccer!!! Liverpool vs Chelsea, followed by Manchester United vs Arsenal....wah lau wehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Manchester United and the MSA AGM and Election, scribblings of the x-prez...

2006-09-14T07:53:00.000+08:00

i woke up early around 5am to catch Manchester United vs Celtic on SBS channel...in OZ, where soccer on free tv is almost non-existent and you dont have mamaks to supply free screenings of matches...i definitely can't miss it - seng chee rightfully pointed out that this is the first man utd goals i've seen live, and not from youtube.com. thank you SBS for showing the champions league on tv!

well, Man Utd won a sumwhat thrilling 'battle of britain' by 3 goals to 2. goals by Louis Saha (2) and Ole Solskjaer. Made me feel like gathering ppl n go play soccer as morning exercise =P so, eventho i slept for approx near 4 hours, i dont think im goin back to snoozyland...sleep less, pumped up, wake up early - soccer isnt bad when it helps you do all this rite?

i have been thinking about the Macquarie Uni Malaysian Students Assoc Annual General Meeting and Elections for the past few days...it was a chaotic day really, with unexpected problems arrising at the last minute, and rain to amplify them to a certain degree...hence, it was a lot improvisation to make sure it goes on the way we planned it as closely as possible...

Since a few weeks ago, i kept reminding myself - sunny, prepare your speech properly...this is a very very important occasion to think that you could get away with the usual impromptu yada yada....well....i didnt prepare early, and when things didnt go as smooth as i expected (hence, no time to prepare speech)...i had only about few minutes before the AGM to scribble out some points - nervously.

why nervous?

i pointed out that this was 'the day' that i have been waiting for since i first took over last year as president...not coz of i want it to end quickly, but coz this would be the reflection of how the members think of the work this MSA team had done....all this while this IS my motivation to do work to the best possible level...my agm would reflect on my work...and i dont ever want to have to end my term on a low note...

so questions were rushing thru my mind....will people come?do they care?did i slack?what if members didnt come?what if...

yes i was nervous...and so i didnt actually get to deliver all that i wanted to convey to everyone that attended the event...the biggest thing that i dont think i mentioned (or more suitable, 'praised') enough, is some members' volunteering and participation in sydney-wide events...not just normal volunteering, but volunteering with sheer class and quality...you don't get that too often - i must be the darndest luckiest prez to have you all in MSA...

about attendance...i cant really hide my dissapointment...turnout number from MSA members is nothing to be proud of...only about one-fifth of the whole MSA population...the situation i had wished didnt came did become reality.i could go on and blame the rain or that its just normal malaysian mentality....but really - i view that as my failure as a president to deliver a year that's worth the members coming to the AGM...

while i can take blame for that...i dont think what happened was fair to my other comm members...a lot of em worked hard, and deserved a better farewell...sigh..

i also think many members dont care enough to attend the election...many ppl think that what they have from this society will always be there...many dont care who will continue to steer MSA's growth...too comfortable...well, newsflash, it takes members' votes to determine how strong or how weak, how dedicated the leaders are...you dont show interest, they dont have motivation, if things go wrong - dont go around bitching about it...i thought you didnt care?

i must also say that i am very dissapointed with particular groups for some reasons...i wont go into details..you can ask me personally if you wish to know...

enough of the negatives...im taking the positives to move on...

some members DID come, and i thank you all from the bottom of my heart...it is really people like you all that keeps the organization alive...as you all can see, not everyone is as responsible, or as brave as you are - you are a class above the rest...i'm sure the future committee will strive to deliver their best, for members like you all...thank you..

i also had many colleagues from other associations, and seniors, that came to the AGM...and i thank all of you for being there to show support for MSA and myself all these times, to give me guidance and advice...its been an honour working with everyone...it was really nice to see you all there...

it has been a wonderful experience working with my mates on MSA...i feel like we all are family...its kinda sad that this part of my life has ended...and i didnt choose 'if only i could turn back time' for no reason...we all learn stuff...much or little, that depends on how much we put in...but definitely, we've learnt...myself, i have learnt about living a busy life having to juggle many things, i've learnt to deal with so many people, to control my emotions, i've learnt politics, i've learnt to improvise...too many things that i've learnt - altho many of them i havent mastered, MSA had definitely kick-started it all...

thank you dear committee members for your hard work, your support, and the opportunity to be your friend that you gave me...

thank you msa for the wonderful experience..for being my family here, and for giving a boy - once lonely - a life...

this is not goodbye...but rather, an end to one chapter of my life, and a beginning to a new one...

p/s - yes, happy belated birthday to huixieng - whose bday fell on the day of the agm... and you travelled so far up to attend msa's agm...i feel really really bad for not mentioning this during the AGM...eventho i actually reminded myself many2 times to give special mention to you =( don't get me wrong when i say 'wa bo lui'...i didnt mean it...sorry...i will make it up to you...promis...

p/s - happy belated bday to shim and devan - who wud've tot...our president candidates both share the same birthdate!

Define: Mohd Sunny Tan

2006-09-10T08:18:00.000+08:00

Mohd Sunny Tan (n.)

-- a muslim...of mixed racial background - malay and chinese...
-- a guy...straight...
-- fashion sense lies within the interval bounded by 'acceptable' and 'bad'...
-- speaks, reads, and writes in malay, english, and mandarin (maybe not written)...
-- loves winning eleven and pro evo soccer games, played on any platform except handheld.
-- very confused when it comes to music taste...do not have a fav genre...
-- same case when it comes to movies...no specific favourites...
-- very very bad at celebrity names or faces...(maybe coz he doesn't think its important)
-- tries his best to be righteous...learnt the word 'righteous' after watching Young and Dangerous...
-- prefers to just shut up. but sometimes can be loud and noisy...
-- loves to be in spotlight at times, but doesn't care if he is or not...
-- sometimes funny, sometimes lame, sometimes serious. (no idea which state is default)...
-- shy with girls and unfamiliar crowd, and can be mistaken as 'sombong'...
-- confused with self - lazy or workaholic?
-- can be trusted...
-- is somewhere between boring and so-so...
-- does not like to be lectured on things he already know...
-- ego ranges from non-existence to high...it's not a fixed parameter...
-- loves to (hence, tries to) look at the 'bigger picture'...instead of bitching about little things...
-- being on-time is of very very high priority...feels greatly ashamed when self is late for any reason...and disgusted when others are late for unreasonable reasons...
-- flexible and tolerant...would try his best to see and feel things from others' perspective...
-- hates racists and prejudice between races...maybe because self is brought up in typical malay and chinese surroundings - simultaneously...
-- hates people who talk like they know all and accuse strongly without solid proof...
-- does not fancy people with high confidence, such that they do not believe (by default) that they could be wrong...
-- does not fancy 'gedik'ness, and people who are too pampered, 'leceh', bitch about the slightest difficulties, too materialistic, and worships brands...
-- is generous when is able to be generous...
-- loyal untill proven betrayed...
-- girlfriend says he is charming - but which girlfriend won't say his boyfriend is charming, rite?

err...this started out as an exercise to define me, Mohd Sunny Tan bin Mohd Saiful Tan (yes, my name is spelt as s-u-n-n-y =P ) at this current point of time...why 'at this current point of time'? well, coz people change, and i might be a different me tomorrow...

defining me is almost impossible, i guess...i could really think of many many more things to add to the list above...regardless, the list so far is true and from the heart...

why do this in the first place? well...i just wanna see what i think of me, and you all could also compare what you think of me and what i think of myself...maybe my actions defer from my words...that's definitely possible, since we all are hypocrites - one way or the other...

what's certain - when i list it all...i begin to actually realize what i think of me...coz all this while, its kinda blurr ya see - i know me, but i cant really say who i am...at least now i have sumwhat a checklist =)

who am i? ask yourself - who is mohd sunny tan? =P

Malaysia Fest 2006...a day i'll remember forever...

2006-09-05T11:14:00.000+08:00

The day started quite early...but not as early as how it was for the past 2 mfest...this year, i am there as a marketing EP, and as a performer...not as an MC, nor as an Entertainment EP...this was the year i experience things from a different perspective..

It was bright and sunny...but patches of clouds here and there, teasing with the emotions of us MFest committee...is it going to rain?what happens if it rains?God...please hold the rain....even the slightest thought of a wet day is unbareable...all this is too much to just go down the drain with pouring rain water...too precious..one whole year of hard work of many many people...thousands of dollars...its just too much...

Besides that, the day started well...pretty much everything went as planned...i had to handle a few things before the event, but they were all ok...not much anyway...and then i was focusing on my part in dikir barat and sketch...changing outfit from my full set baju melayu to my all black and kain pelekat for dikir barat...and back to baju melayu..

as i walked in and out, i was checking on the crowd...maybe what i did for marketing was helping, maybe its just the nice weather... i dont care, doesnt matter how it happened, i just want to see a huge crowd...and about 11am...there they were...flooding in to tumbalong park...as much as i was happy, i cant really show it on my face..."God, please dont let it rain"...i dont wanna jinx it...no, ok, crowd is good...ok...good...dont talk about it yet...dont jinx it... i can also tell that my colleagues were avoiding the topic of weather...

dikir barat was great...maybe others have different opinions, and i definitely cannot say that it was perfect...but i am happy with the whole thingy coz its the best from us all...i am proud to be a macquarie uni student...i am proud that my mates are brave and courageous to take on the challenge of performing for mfest...as i know for sure, not everyone has that sort of courage and determination, to practice almost everyday for the final week, and regurlarly for the weeks before that...thank you macquarians...you are a great bunch of people...for dikir barat, ulek mayang, volunteering, for everything...i thank you all...

other performances were also well performed...the sketch was probably our one and only good run...the asmarada and ulek mayang - me and zek was right to choose the word 'enthralling'...the brissie's masca idol were entertaining...everything was great lah..juz so happy...

the rest of the day...it threatened to rain...sometimes it was dark and i swear i feel rain drops (probably a product of my imagination)...but just then, the sun came back...and the day was back to being great...this entry would have been different if it rained...

to talk about the whole day...its just too much to be written about here...all i remember is, walking here there, chatting with friends...and checking out if the stalls are doing ok, checking out ppms' selera sejati and 'the' tarik kiosk...to see if zek and faisal were doing great or not....checking out on ming yow to see if the marketing crew was doing ok (thanx ming yow!)...and worrying...that a nightmare would repeat itself...a wet mfest...

at the end of the day, i am happy it all went well...a packed crowd from beginning till end, with people actually lepaking from start to end, oh gosh....i am just satisfied...long ques at stalls - satisfied...smooth performances - satisfied...friends opening stalls that are happy - satisfied...and all of it combined...thank Allah...i felt relieved...really really relieved...

I have to thank the peepz working in my department....the 2006 MFest Marketing Department...start of with my precious techy, talented, and creative directors - Zek and Hui Xieng...i am blessed to have you two in my department...without you two, marketing department is just ideas...it wont be real, not much could happen...both of you are really talented people...may you both achieve more greatness in the future...

thanx also to the rest of the department...jenny, faiz, edwin, azy...you all were the best supporters i could wish for...i am sorry if you didnt have much to do, or if i havent coordinated everyone as good as you would wish...the truth is, there was not much work for everyone in the first place =) to my colleagues in the organizing committee...alan, danny, kristy, azan, sean, edward, jx, edwin...congratulations to all of you...i hope now everyone can sleep soundly at night =) to everyone else who helped...faisal, erin, cam, the volunteers, the performers...is there even such thing as 'enough' thanks?

to all, i'm very sorry if sometimes i say the wrong things, put too much pressure on you guys, or was being 'leceh' with changes to this and that...again, my sincerest apologies..

there is just too much that's going on in my mind...and a single topic could take forever to elaborate...but i guess those who understands mfest and all it means would already get my point...and understand what this posting is all about...those who do not know about even the festival and what it means...this is a really long post that doesnt really make sense...

it would take awhile for it all to sink in my head...hmm..i would like to say for one last time here....

Malaysia Fest 2006 - One Festival, Many Faces, A World of Excitement!

From Left: Majapahit's Gusti Lohes, Choina's Emperor Wei, and Malacca's Bendahara Sunny and Sultan Ve

The Macquarie Uni MSA Dikir Group

The Cast for Puteri Gunung Ledang: The Mfest Sketch

A crazy and random morning at Channel 7's Sunrise

The MFest 06 EPs - From Left: Danny Tan, Edwin Low, Azan Azlan, JX Yeow, Alan Lau, Mohd Sunny Tan (me) , Kristy Tan, Edward Low, and Sean Tan

The crowd building up in the morning..

That's it for now, i will be putting up more pics once i grabbed em other ppl =)

Happy Birthday Cik GG - 3rd September 06

2006-09-04T07:56:00.000+08:00

I am no poet or writer or whatever romantic or fancy...this is sumthin for you...

really sorry this weekend had to be my busiest...hope you understand...happy birthday, and may Allah bless you always...

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

2006-08-31T14:31:00.000+08:00

Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians out there! I've felt this strong 'Merdeka' sensation since the beginning of August...being overseas just makes that feeling stronger...to realize the real meaning of merdeka (no,not the direct translation which means 'independence'), and be thankful that i am enjoying the sort of freedom that not all human being enjoy...

I have been 'youtube'ing merdeka ads from the past...you know, those tv ads from petronas...they are all really cool...and i enjoy looking at them, guessing and calculating my age when i first seen them on tv...remembering how i did not understand much about the real thing behind merdeka....well...its great...the ads are very touching...and while the script might be a bit too corny and the story in them may be an exagerration of the real thing (hence, not really happening), the message is what's more important...

if you learn economics, you would know that for a model to be useful, it does not necessarily have to contain logical assumptions...some models with completely unreal assumptions are the most useful ones =) *snort snort*nerd alert*snort*

here's this year's Proton merdeka ad, enjoy! (i personally think this ad is better than this year's petronas ad)
want more? go to youtube.com and just search 'merdeka' =)

For the past few weeks, I have been busy juggling Malaysia Fest with Uni with MSA...the activities happening...the meetings...the practices...the appointments here and there...the weekend stays in d city...well..tiring, stressful at times (now i am botak...kononnye sbb stress r =P ) ... but it's also thrilling and exiting at the same time...

last night was the Malam Gema Merdeka dinner...a lot of new faces...and they did all in their might in such a short time to organize that dinner...while it might not be perfect and bits and pieces of imperfections appear here and there...lets not be clouded by these lil things, instead, look at the bigger picture :: friends got together...took pictures, joked around, singing along happily with semangat...enjoyed a good dinner...all dressed up nicely (and some proudly all the way on a 2 hour bus ride)...it was really a night of celebration and having fun...and to be fair, it was a night for malaysia, not exactly for us...

to my friends involved in mgm, hope you all had gained invaluable experience in organizing the event...i'll keep in me all the positives, and i wont talk about the downsides, coz thats for you all to realize and discuss in the post mortem...(dont be too satisfied with yourself easily aite? =P).. and thank you for the night =) to those who think they can do better, why not give it a go? your words are only worth your actions =)

and this weekend, its d-day for us all in the Malaysia Fest committee...its Malaysia Fest 2006 - 16th edition of this annual affair...the committee had been working hard since last year october...the finance department met the high expectations of raising enough funds for the occasion...the entertainment department are working hard to provide a good show...the co-events department had persuaded 12 stalls to be opened selling various food...the human resource department had provided the volunteers...and hopefully my department, marketing department, delivered in promoting the event at the best attainable level...and all these done with assistance and support by the secretary, treasurer, and our chief executive producer.

mfest is not the end of things...straight after that i would need to prepare for MSA's AGM - thats happening on the 11th of september insyaallah...and the weekend before 11th sep, i have a 2 day course to attend...and so on and so on...oh, did i mention the assignments in between all this?hehehe...ah well...its really great fun, and while most will think the price im paying is too high...really, im getting a bargain for what i get in return - superb experience...

- malaysia fest is happening this sunday, 3rd of september 2006, from 10am-6pm, at tumbalong park, darling harbour. visit www.malaysiafest.com for details and how to win 2 plane tickets and other great prizes -

i am on dial up internet!

2006-08-23T11:10:00.000+08:00

My internet had been down for nearly a week now...i dont know what the problem is...i spent a whole day yesterday talking to the tech assistant from my ISP, and then from my modem company (coz modem not supported by my ISP), then back to ISP...and conclusion - they lodge a faulty report to Telstra for my adsl line...so telstra la yang slack ek?

Suddenly i remembered..i have back up dial up from my ISP! oh, dial up internet had never been so meaningful in my life....i almost forgot how it felt like being on a dial up connection...even when i go back to malaysia (where my house uses a dial up connection), i dont go online at all....

Last weekend had been crazy: a not-so-secret project that is not yet finished....malaysia fest meeting and practices...EKLIPSE dance party...masca meeting...oh gosh...i spent friday to monday at zek's place...gila...might as well move to d city rite?

oh by the way, about dance parties...i would like to make a statement, so that if anyone is actually unsure, here are the facts to get it all straight (not that i worry about what people say, but at least i stated my case, and people have a choice of what to believe)...

i go to dance parties coz its my responsibility being in the uni clubs committee...while i dont fancy it, i have nothing against it, and i shall (as i have proven) carry out my responsibility... i have been to absolutely none before i am part of the uni club committee, and i dont see myself going to any after my days are over, except for giving face to good friends and the msa ... i never ever had alcoholic drink even if i stay at parties from beginning to the end ... and i have lots of people as witness to what i claim.

and that is the truth

MOVING OUT NOTICE =)

next year...if the allowance from mara changes (according to the very very strong rumours that allowance would increase to 1000+ p/m)...i think i would be staying in the city...sumwhere in d CBD or maybe sumwhere near d beach...aihhhh....

dont get me wrong...i really like it here at macquarie..i've loved it since i first arrive and i never regret coming here...but after 3 years, i just feel like having a change...but dunno la...maybe i will just stay here...its really just a thought rite now...

sumtimes i dont know where i belong...

i am up here at macquarie with a bunch of great people...some i call my brothers and sisters.but i hate myself for not spending as much time as i would like to...work takes me to the city almost every weekend...and i sumtimes feel disconnected...frustrated when being around and not understanding some jokes and not knowing what the topic is...when being with a whole group who have been together for so long and sumtimes have to sit through some inside jokes and stories and go, "oo...like that..err, who is so and so?"...

its frustrating to be that disconnected....

and at the same time...i spend almost a third of my week down in the city with some other group of friends that i really fancy...most of the times at randwick with zek...other times with my friends from unisyd...my own MARA batch mates...and after spending some time with some of my friends here, i think...hmm, damn, do i know these people anymore? names keep coming up...new names of new faces in sydney...and i go, "oh, who?" and they go, "ala, ko x kenal kot"...sumtimes i dont need to be with a whole group...just with 2 people is enough to make me feel like so shit when so much had happened that both knows, and i go.."errr, what?"...

and there are also friends from my clubs and socs work...well, sometimes its really fun hanging out....but sumtimes...you know where u stand when, for example, u thought so and so are close to you...but u r not even invited to so and so's birthday party...it really tells a lot..

it is indeed the case of N+1 ... how i wish it would just be N ... but the truth is... i feel like that +1 all the time ... sometimes its my fault ... i am in the situation where i cant be with the N i would like to be with as much as i wished...sumtimes i was part of the N ... but after long disconnected...i turn into the +1....

in the past few years, it has been N+1, X+1, Y+1 for me... N's X's and Y's are spend a lot of time together...all share a lot of things together...all 'talked in their own languages'....it is sumtimes frustrating being me... the +1 ...

some thoughts of the early bird...

2006-08-15T08:42:00.000+08:00

i got a call from a tshirt supplier for mfest yesterday...wanting to meet up with me today at epping train station...since my class is from 12-4pm, i suggested 10.30am...and he agreed..

so i was up early today...way earlier than my normal first-class-is-at-12pm wake up time...

i checked my emails, i read d news, i checked out manutd.com...u know, the usual routine...i took a shower and got ready...it was 10am...it would only take 10 minutes to reach epping station...so, i am still early...

suddenly the ol guy called (the tshirt supplier is an old guy)...he said he cant make it at 1030am...errr, "my classes are untill 4pm.."...and we both agreed to meet up at 4.30pm....hmm, so here i am, all set for class but still plenty of time before it actually starts...

instead of doing what a good student does and go pick up a book or some tut works, here i am blogging...hehe...i haven't put in much in here lately, so i guess its ok =P (alasan je tu sunny....isk3...mim-alif-las, malas)

by the way, here is the unofficial release of the mfest tshirt design =) credit to my director hui-xieng who had been working on it since before winter hols, and had done changes after changes coz mr. sunny tan always kacau asking for this and that to be changed...kesian =P

I was reading the news just now, and found this interesting bit at www.utusan.com.my . Sharifah Amani from the movie Gubra had won the Best Actress award at the 19th Malaysian Film Festival...at the beginning of her speach, she said, "I sound like stupid if I speak in Malay.."

Err, as we all would expect, many were stunned by that statement, Utusan Online in its report wrote, "Sharifah Amani mengejutkan hadirin apabila memperlekehkan bahasa Melayu semasa berucap selepas menerima anugerah itu, malam tadi." The Minister for Art, Culture and Heritage (i think thats the tittle in english) was also dissapointed.

As Sharifah explained, all she meant was that she would sound like stupid if she were to speak in Malay...meaning, she cant speak malay well and would not want to humiliate herself and thus asking permission to speak in english....the problem is, when people directly translate that statement into malay language...of coz in malay that is very rude...but in the language that its been spoken, i think its a fair statement...

this is not the first time i've encountered such situation...i was involved in an email discussion a few months back, and this person who is more well versed in english was commenting on something in english and made a statement, perceived by some as very rude when they process that statement in their mind in malay direct translation...actually, what the person said, in its written language, english, what was very very polite.

While Sharifah could have been more diplomatic in choosing her phrase, i dont think its that serious that Utusan should call it 'memperlekehkan bahasa melayu' or belittle the malay language...come on la people... sigh...

mmm...i should end this entry soon...the next few weeks are the busiest of the whole year...there are mfest meetings to attend, practices of dikir barat and sketch to go to, plus the final weeks of my MSA term, the Malam Gema Merdeka, MFest itself...and much much more... i wont be updating that often...dont miss me! ( as if! haha..)

ciao!

Malaysia Fest 2006 gets into TOP GEAR!

2006-08-07T23:01:00.000+08:00

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!....

Dengar sini orang-orang kampuuuuuuunnngggggg....sini ada satu khabar beritaaaaaaaaa~!.....

Its less than 4 weeks now to Malaysia Fest 2006 - and the whole MFest committee and students involved are pretty much cruising on top gear, determined to deliver to Sydneysiders the 16th edition of this festival. MFest is part of the Sydney Malaysian students' celebration of Malaysia's Independence Day and I quote from Azan, "let's just keep the flag flyin' high" ... other celabrations include the Malam Gema Merdeka dinner etc.

and now....

...Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

I proudly present the official poster for Malaysia Fest 2006 - One Festival, Many Faces, A World of Excitement!

(Click on image to view the full sized poster and download it if you wish)

Of course, I have the authority to officially release this poster here at my blog since I am the Marketing Executive Producer..hahaha =P To everyone, if you would like to use this poster to help promote MFest, no problemo, I'd be very happy if you do so =) just make sure you drop by a comment to notify me and whatever you do is being done responsibly =)

Oh ya....Credit goes to Zek for the poster design...really cool huh? This is one very talented guy... thanks dude! The countless (well, countable really) hours have paid dividend =)

I would also like to thank the sponsors (tho I doubt any would be actually reading, but I think deserves a mentioning =P ) for supporting this year's MFest, and making the poster and tshirt a whole lot more colourful! =)

By the way, the Official Malaysia Fest Website (not that there would be an unofficial one) had been updated with some stuff....most notable update is at the 'what's on' page...where details of a special MERDEKA Raffles Draw had been put up!

Just a sneak preview, join in this MFest fundraiser MERDEKA Raffles Draw to stand a chance to win return air ticketS (yes...2 prizes) to Malaysia, hotel stays, restaurant vouchers...and much more! How much would a ticket cost?? AU$1.00 only! So...check out the details and grab the tickets =)

Malaysia Fest 2006 - One Festival, Many Faces, A World of Excitement!

3rd September 2006

Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour

That's it now...chow!

'what if's and 'maybe's

2006-08-06T18:45:00.000+08:00

many things have been bugging my mind lately...some random, some have been in that lil cobweb for quite awhile...some...rather new...well, while sharing would be a blessing for me, i dont think im that blessed to be able to do so...

here are things i can share...

[after an hour]

erm...i have been typing and deleting and typing and deleting...*sigghh* frustrated...

sayonara~

MSA Presents, A "Makan Free Lagi" Production, SATAY RETURNS!

2006-08-01T21:21:00.000+08:00

colour printing is not fun at all when you dont have your own printer...

2006-07-31T20:27:00.000+08:00

how difficult is it to do colour printing in Randwick?

the past saturday morning, i was looking for a place to do colour printing for mfest tshirt design...i had a meeting with a tshirt supplier about 1030am...there are 3 cyber cafe's in the lil town of randwick...so, yea, sureeeeeeeeely colour printing is not a prob.

the first CC i went into, looks nice inside and out. all the promo about printing, faxing, scanning, email.... [[pause]]

"is it even worth mentioning that you can use EMAIL in an 'INTERNET cafe'?INTERNETTT..i mean, what shit internet cafe would not allow email?....sheeshhhh"

[[continue]]..well, i asked the lady that looked after the CC if they had colour printing, and to my dissapointment, she said no. "so much for the fancy promo". but, i would still need to do black and white printing...so, i wanted to hand her my thumb drive to open d file and print, and she asked me to use one the comps there...

but, i just want to print. she said, 'yea, juz use one of the com'...well, im worried coz they would charge for comp usage...but i guessed maybe its ok since i will be opening a file and printing straight away, wont even take 60 seconds. and it took less than that, i disconnected from d server...and went to d counter to pick up my printed documents...

2 pages...AUD1.50..."erm, ok, lemme see...what?!a dollar 50?"
lady: yea, 1 dollar for computer usage, 25 cents for each page printed....
me: WTF? (not actually said)...gave a big sigh, and paid...and off i go...

first, i just wanted to open my bloody file to print, and i was forced to use the comp and be charged according to the block????
25 cents each page??i tot uni was rip off...sorry uni...i misjudged u...u r still a rip off, but other people are worst...
sigh...why weren't there anyone with printer WITH ink around at that time (i looked around the night before for printer actually)

argh...bengong......................................

but my task is not yet completed, i still need to do colour printing of mfest tshirt design...so, i went to the 2nd internet cafe. the outside was full of those promo stuff...discount la, printing la, ni la, tu la, EMAIL la (again?)...yea yea...go fool the kids, mofo...

i went in, and this time its a guy, about juz abit older than me...and what i freaking hated was that he is so damn "kerek"... arrogant (yea dude, u run a CC, tell that to bill gates)..

i asked if they had colour printer, in all kerekness, he said 'yes'...and he asked me to use a one of the computers....

me: which one?
him: anyone
me: yes, i cant see any USB ports. so which one CAN i connect my thumbdrive to?
he reluctantly stands up and went searching one by one, and pointed to a comp with a USB outlet...
me: thank you.

well, i had no choice but to use the comp, even tho i know i am gonna b charged for comp usage just to open a file to print...

first thing i noticed about the comp...WINDOWS 98????and...GREEN coloured SCREEN??? so much for the fancy marketing...then..i noticed that it took forever to read my usb drive...and, here's the most frustrating shit...i opened my design file...the comp terus hang! argh...bodoh nye!!!!!!!!!!!!! so i called the guy, and he came, and he reconnected my usb....and hehehe...the same thing happened...

me: are there anymore computers with usb?

he looked around, and searched high and low for those hiding USB extension socket...and found one other comp, the 2nd of only 2 comps that had USB connectability in the whole CC!! sigh...i switched to that comp, hoping for better outcome...and was offered some hope when i saw that the screen is not green in colour... (altho the system is still kuno)

BUT....again, it failed to open my simple file...i tried using all sorta programs, non can open it, they all cause the whole comp to hang...and i disconnected and reconnectd my usb drive, trying with all the softwares... (normally, a simple windows fax and picture viewer would do the trick)

i give up...this place sucks, and i am gonna be late for my meeting...i went to the counter and said i couldnt do anything at all...he said: "sorry man.erm, that would be 2 dollars" WHAT??!!!i had no mood to argue...i spent most of my time getting the comp to work, and i still pay all that??i just wanted to go quickly coz i hated every second being in that lousy, sleezy, internet cafe...so i paid and left...vowing to write about this cc in my blog...

i called that person i was supposed to meet and said that i have some problems finding a printer, and would like to postpone. since i gave kinda ample notice, i managed to get the meeting postponed, and since d 3rd cc didnt have colour printer, i decided to check out the city to print the document...off i went...

all the way on d bus i was so bloody angry with that 2nd internet cafe...wishing i'd took the pic of it so i could post it up on my blog...and then i got off the bus, and walked towards my destination....it was quite after sumtime when i realized, ADOIIII...i got off the bus at the wrong stop....arghhhhhhh....but its ok, since i pretty much know where i was, and where i want to go to, i continued walking...

it wasnt as short a walk as i tot...i was beginning to perspire (tak guna punye sydney 'winter')..and it added to my uneasy feeling...and then i looked at my phone time...OMG!! im gonna be late!!! and still, i havent printed out that colour document!!

so i walked faster, perspired more and more, and looking around me to see if there are any shops where i can print colour...i was on foveaux st, near central, when i saw this place that prints posters, banners, bla bla bla...those meant for big companies...and its opened!

i told the guy inside that it was an emergency, and asked him whether he could help me print. now, this guy was very friendly and helpful, he helped print the file, and we chatted a bit about the malaysian festival (whom the tshirt design is for)...and when its all done, i ran to the meeting place, and was just on time to meet up with the tshirt supplier...

phew.....

Kanak-kanak zaman dulu yang skarang dah besar...

2006-07-28T23:41:00.000+08:00

sometimes...we look back at our childhood...and it hits us in the head like a pump-gun from point blank...*BAM*..."i shudn't have done that..."

it was just a normal email discussion for MFest 06...then sumhow, the word 'imagine' popped up...and the king of imagining, the father of make belief and pretend (who is an imagination himself), suddenly came to my mind...

BARNEY THE DINOSAUR!

"Hey boys and girls! I am Barney!"

well...i must confess, i watched that show when i was small - Barney and Friends...thats where i first heard the song "i love u, u love me, lalalala~" (the only other time i heard that song was in this 80s malay movie which i can't recall the tittle...i think AR Badul was the main actor)..

but now i look back...OMG...why sunny why....why did u have to go watch that stupid blardy cacat show??...huhuhu...if there is a list of tv characters i'd like to kill, maybe he is sumwhere very high up mine...huhuhu...cacat...

this is the very cacat intro of the show...i tried singing before the video loaded (after i dont know how many years), and i actually got the whole front part correct! gila...i'm brain damaged...

and i must salute this guy who actually did this next video...super hilarious Barney lipsyncing to Tupac...zek laughed like crazy (im at zek's place in randwick)...

chicks sing! "hey barney~hey barney~"

hehehe...well...and now we are at the end of the show...let us all sing the trademark Barney sign-off song....(kids beware...this video is rated M...its suitable for mature audience...it contains V-frequent violence, C-cacatness)

Awwww~ erk...don't worry...i'm ok...its the augustiaitis disease...in some parts of the world, medical textbook would refer to it as MFest disease....

-disabled. childhood traumatic permanent brain injury-

My Tunes is up and running!

2006-07-26T21:59:00.000+08:00

Ahhhh...

A few hours of reading tutorials bla bla bla...i finally have got this music player up and running...yup...look to my sidebar, you will find a section called 'My Tunes'...it's a flash based music player i managed to put courtesy of http://musicplayer.sourceforge.net/ <-- Thanks!!

What did i learn in this process? Hmm...i guess the more important lesson is creating a .xspf playlist file....phew..glad that's over =)

So, what songs have i put on my tunes? Here are some details:

1- california dreaming ( by mamas and papas) - its a hippie song...i first heard of it in this funky techno song featuring the global deejays...then during NCG 2006, the Idols from Queensland sang this song...which was a reaally cool performance...and they modified the song to 'Kuala Lumpur Dreaming'...hehehe...

2-playlist courtesy of Webjay...visit www.webjay.org

3- Wisemen (by James Blunt) - another nice song by James Blunt...needs no intro

4- Manchester United classic song - whoaahh...i found this one night as i was browsing for soccer supporter songs (and of coz i start with Man Utd =P ), to give inspiration to create NSW supporter song for NCG...hehe...i think its from the 50's or 60's...really cacat, but funny =P

5- White Daisy Passing (by Rocky Votolato) - now, i dont know this singer...let alone his songs...how did i find this song? well, after watching an episode of the OC...as usual, i went searching for some nice songs featured, and this one is featured on that particular episode...really nice song...

6- Feng (by Jay Chou) - this is one of my all time fav masterpiece from Jay Chou...call it jiwang..but it certainly is nice to layan on a cold and lonely night, when there's nothing to do...hehe...

7- For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti (by Sufjan Stevens) - welll....hehe...this is the same case as 'white daisy passing' above...OC really picks nice songs...hehe... (note to Shim - dont comment about me and OC)

8- Wo Men Yi Jia Dou Shi Ren (by Ah Niu) - aaa...Ah Niu...a Malaysian chinese singer...he sings really nice and funny songs...this is one of it. Direct translation of the tittle means 'All us in the family are human'...its a jumble of 'Wo Men Dou Shi Yi Jia Ren' - meaning, we are all family... it sez that we malaysians can be from different races and religious belief, but in the end, we shud all realize that we are all part of a big family =)

Stay tuned for more spins from Dj Sunny =P

Sunny's NEW Blog

2006-07-25T11:05:00.000+08:00

Welcome welcome~~
Selamat Datang~~
Huan Ying Guang Lin~~

This is my new blog. My old blog is still there for the viewing at http://mohdsunnytan.spaces.msn.com . I have up there all my old posts and a picture gallery.

So, why change?

Well, I blog not only to write things down. In fact, I don't write down everything all the time coz I believe freedom of speech and expression is not (and should not be) total.

Besides writing, I blog because I want to learn more about all the web building codes, designings, and the stuff we can add to a simple blog. While I acknowledge that all I would learn is but a mere drop of water from the sea of knowledge that an IT personnel would have, I do think it is essential that I master this little bit.

I feel that my old MSN Space is very restrictive of this goal I wish to achieve. For example, a lot of the html tags can't go to my posts, and the music player is only available for certain browsers. Hence, I have switched to Blogspot.

I am currently going to start the busiest 2 months of my year, and so I won't be doing much updating on the technical side. The new semester of my uni will start soon, my MSA term is nearing it's end, and MFest is looming ever so closely. Probably I'll still do some postings of those random thoughts I usually have, or issues that I feel necessary.

Do link this blog to yours, and drop by a comment with your link. I shall visit when I do my blog reading rounds, and link them to this blog if you permit.

To mark the beginning of this new phase of my blogging life, I present a video of Merrick and Rosso from Nova 969 Fm ...