Yet another blog for me...

Well, I've started this blog because the Friendster blog is very limited and I cannot change much of the template. I envy my friends' blogs with their very nice templates and colour; so here I am, starting a personal blog on Blogger, in the hopes that my blog will look as nice as theirs some day. Of course, being the narcissist that I am, I also feel sympathetic towards some of my readers of my Friendster blog because they cannot revisit my old posts as there is no archive there. Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh... :P Fret not dear fans, as I will repost some of my better-loved posts here as well.

First things first, I hope there will be readers on this blog. Hehe...

Whatever it is, just want to wish everyone who might have stumbled upon this blog:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Singapore vs Malaysia

I just came back from a one week visit in Singapore last Monday. My eldest sister had just given birth to her second child, Dylan. Yup, I am now an aunt of four. ^O^ Even though I can't stand children, I cannot deny that all my four nephews and niece are all so very adorable, if just a little spoilt and hyperactive!
So anyway, spending a week in Singapore with all the debate in Malaysia raging, I suddenly got "enlightened": I never did understand why many Malaysians (including myself) just love to hate the Singaporeans - claiming that Singaporeans are snobbish and kiasu. The one week there made me realize that we Malaysians are just plain jealous of them. That is the real reason behind all the criticisms - to make us feel better about ourselves!
Truly, what is there not to envy about the Singaporeans? They are a developed country. They have all the public amenities that Malaysians can only dream of having - consistent and trustworthy bus and taxi services, consistent and well-maintained MRT services, community centres that serve as a gathering place and learning centres for residents near them etc. Their road systems are so much better than that of KL's. Their cost of living is half of what Malaysians are facing. Most Singaporeans are well-versed in English and Mandarin. Their crime rate is so low that the daily newspapers report issues such as a wife being scratched by the husband's mistress.
The list is endless. This is not just an issue about seeing the grass is greener on the other side. Many Malaysians prefer to be a permanent resident in Singapore after just a few months of living there. And you know what is ironic about this whole situation? I think half or more than half of the contributors of the success of Singapore might have been Malaysians.
See, Singapore practices meritocracy. They see the benefit of hiring people with the expertise to do the work rather than hiring people just for the sake of fulfilling a quota. And most of these people with the expertise come from foreign countries e.g. Malaysia. I remember someone told me that in the autobiography of Lee Kuan Yew, he mentioned that he personally went to the kampung of a well-known Malaysian to invite him to design the city of Singapore. Therein lies the secret of the beautiful, green city of Singapore.
Crossing the causeway back to Malaysia, I cannot help but see the differences in these two countries. The landscape in Malaysia is that of a more backward country. Heck, even the Sultan what what complex at the second link sucks. What an embarassment. They don't even have a proper scanning machine at the immigration! My mom said that it may be because they think that the Singapore authorities are very strict so they don't have to worry about the travellers from Singapore. (???) But, interestingly, the two lazy officers checked my luggage (because I was smirking at them, thinking that they are an embarassment) while twenty or more people walked past with huge luggage, without a care for the two officers who were checking me. Hmmm...
I don't know. I'm getting tired of the NATO (No Action Talk Only) attitude of the government. I think many are too. All I know is that we have much to learn from our neighbouring country. We have to stop the brain-leak (and stop exporting the best of our country and keep only the second best - as in food stuff and agricultural products etc) and do something to make the country a better place. Stop all the self-pitying about who doesn't get enough of the country's wealth or who got more, because if the situation continues like this, there will be no wealth to be fought over at all. Like so many columnist have said in these past few weeks "It's time to grow up, Malaysia!".
I find this interesting. Take a look:
A moderate Malay's perspective: What is a Malay?
http://dimpledemon.blogspot.com/2006/11/what-is-malay.html

Kuching trip

Dear friends,
Yup, it has been a busy but fulfilling holidays so far. I'm happy. Hehehe...
After a very short visit to Singapore 2 weekends ago, a few friends and I went to Siaw Hui's house in Kuching for a week! Well, there is so much to see in Kuching (Siaw Hui kinda knows her way around town! :D) that I am looking forward to go and teach in Kuching some day.
So, first days first. We bought our AirAsia flight ticket at RM 39.99 (what a steal!) to depart for Kuching at 2110 on the 15th. But AirAsia is AirAsia, and our flight was rescheduled to 1805. This is my first experience of having a flight brought forward instead of delayed. Hehe..so Woon and I very nearly missed the flight because we took public transport to the LCCT and it was raining. The bus I took was kind of scary because the driver stopped in front of MidValley and started to knock at something on the bus with a plier or some sort. It reminded me of the story my Hotel lecturer told us about an aircraft engineer hitting the aeroplane propeller with a tool in front of the passengers, which of course is not a right thing to do in the service industry (ceh...this is the result of one semester learnign about the service industry :P). So anyway, we only checked in at 1745 for a 1805 flight. Good thing the counter was still manned and the flight was delayed for a bit because of the rain. Nothing much happened on the flight except that Woon and I were so hungry and were suckers enough to buy the RM 6 nasi lemak on board each.
We reached Kuching International Airport at approximately 2015. Apparently the Kuching International Airport has been recently renovated and now it looks like a mini KLIA. Siaw Hui, Mei Ju, Sin Yuan and Siaw Hui's mother (Aunt June) were already waiting for us when Woon and I arrived. Important matters have to be dealt with first, so Aunt June brought us to have Kuay Chap or "Mixed Chicken". It looks like kuay teow in bak kut teh....but mm-hmmm...the taste is superb! After a filling dinner, Aunt June took us around Kuching for a view of the city at night. After that, we went to Siaw Hui's house and all of us piled in Aunt June's room to recharge ourselves for the next day.
The next morning, we went to have Laksa Sarawak. Mm-hmmm...I'm salivating as I recall the taste of it! After filling our tummies, we went to Waterfront. We thought of chartering a sampan but the man wanted us to pay RM 5 each when each trip is supposed to be only 30 sen per person. So, we followed the townfolks and boarded the normal sampan for 30 sen each to Astana. The garden/park there has been closed down to build the new Dewan Undangan, so we took another sampan to Fort Margherita. A man told me that the sampan rowers only take in 10% of the commission, that means only 3 sen each person each trip! Poor men! People, if you go to Kuching and decide to take the sampan, do charter a boat! Nothing much in Fort Margherita except for the rather eerie stories that we hear about it a few days later. The place looked abandoned and uncared for. Being the tourists that we were, we happily snapped pictures and happily trekked through the bushes to and fro the fort without noting any peculiarity.

After that, we went to survey the prices of souvenir at Waterfront before heading to Semenggoh with Aunt June and Siaw Hui's brother, Ah B. We were lucky enough to see 2 orang utans at their feeding time. Entrance was only RM 1.50 for students and RM 3 for adult. And for the night, we went to eat Ketchup Mee and proceeded to a very cosy cafe called Bla Bla Bla. We also met up with another friend, Sepul. Then, Sepul took us on a drive around Kuching Utara which is for Bumiputras. Then we went to have Ais Jagung! Phew..talk about eating non-stop!

The next day, we went to have Jeng and Kolo Mee near Waterfront - another must-try-dish in Kuching. Then, we went to the Museum. The first floor was under construction so we did not see much at the older Museum. The new museum across the main road was exhibiting the King's souvenir and some ceramic stuff. We spent most of our time at the new museum (and at the gift shop, waiting for Sin Yuan to finish shopping while waiting for the rain to stop). After that, we went to a gelato deli called Scoops! to have ice cream. We met up with Sepul again there. As though we have not eaten for weeks, we proceeded to have cucur a few steps away from Scoops! Then, Sepul had wanted to take us to have ABC Special. Good thing that the store was closed, but it was a pity that we could not have a try before leaving Kuching. Next time, k Sepul? Hehe...
The Civic Centre was also closed for renovation, so we could not have a bird's eye view of the city. But we went to the Friendship Park which was beautiful. It was built in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Malaysia-China alliance. After that, we went back to have seafood. The seafood there is not to be missed! Oh, thanks to Siaw Hui and Aunt June for the treat! ;P Come to Rawang and I'll bring you to have some famous food here! Hehe...

That day was Mei Ju's birthday, so we went to celebrate her birthday in Siaw Hui's friend's (friend's?) shop. Mei Ju owes us all a huge treat! :P

Aunt June brought us all to Damai the next morning. We were supposed to leave early but all of us slept like pigs and only finally left near noon. Hehe...the first thing to do when you go to Damai and the weather is fine is of course to check out the cultural village. Woon and I did not bring our student card so we had to pay RM 45 for the entrance fee (students=RM10) but we did get a green passport as a memento. The Cultural Village is similar to the Mini Malaysia in Melaka. I'm not sure if Mini Malaysia is still the same as I remembered from 15 years ago but the Village basically has authentic houses from different ethnicity. There were 7houses in the Village - Bidayuh, Iban, Penan (it's a hut), Orang Ulu, Melanau, Malays and Chinese. There was also a culutural dance performance at the end of the trip in the village.
Being in Damai, we of course did not miss out the chance of swimming in the swimming pool and the sea! We surfed the wave and it was a wonderful feeling. The sun set too soon for me and we had to get ready to go out for dinner already. We had seafood again that night at a rather isolated place. I wouldn't know that there would be a place to eat at that kind of place. But the food was superb as all the other meals that we had in Kuching. :) After stuffing ourselves with food (yet again), we went back to the hotel to watch TV. Everyone was tired and slept like logs (well, everyone except for Woon who could not sleep because Mei Ju ground her teeth! Ahaks!).
We were reluctant to leave the next morning. It was fun staying at Damai Lagoon. Siaw Hui brought us to Damai Beach Resort some 2 km away and it is a beautiful place too. Reaching Siaw Hui's house in the afternoon, everyone started to laze around. Hehe...watching tv, playing with Coco the Shihtzu, sleeping. Ahh...home sweet home.
The next two days, we spent re-eating the food that we had - Ketchup Mee, Jeng and Kolo Mee (we did not have the chance to eat Laksa Sarawak again because we woke up too late :P), Metahorn (ABC with lime) and Midin (a local vegetable which is really good). We also went splurging at the Waterfront for souvenir. We also bought pepper, bird's nest, pineapples, kek lapis to be brought home.
Too soon the 6 day trip comes to an end. Just as we were preparing to leave Siaw Hui's house for the airport, Ah B got an sms informing us that our 1830 flight had been delayed to 2005. We went to have Ketchup Mee and Metahorn once again and reached the airport at 1905. However, we were told that our flight was delayed once again to 2145. Hmm...AirAsia, AirAsia. So, we got to stay in Kuching for an extra 3 hours. We finally reached LCCT at 2345pm. After a few incidents at LCCT, I finally reached Home Sweet Home at 0300. Phew...that is the main reason for the delay of this post and the lazing about for the past few days! Hehehe.... ;P
Anyway, still want to wish a heartfelt gratitude to Siaw Hui and family for the wonderful time in Kuching. Do come to Rawang for an overnight trip or something! Hehe... Also a great big hug and THANK YOU to Siaw Hui, Mei Ju, Sin Yuan and Woon too for making the trip so enjoyable! You girls are a gem! Laugh until I need to rest my face for a few weeks ady! Hehehe..happy holidays! Next destination: Rawang? :)
For more pictures, please take a look at my photos. For more detailed description of places we went, visit Mei Ju's blog at http://emilychim.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2006/11/kuching_vs_kuci.html.

Puppies update

Dear readers, just to update those of you who were curious to know what happened to my grandbabies, two of them (Rascal and the youngest) have been adopted by Tisha and Sophia --> Sophia even wrote a blog on it! Thanks, girls! God bless you both! Hehe... I know that they will have a great life ahead of them.
For the time being, the white pup and the one that I wanted to keep are still with me. Too many people had booked and unbooked the white pup that mom had actually resigned to keeping both. But she gave a last try and asked her friends and one of them wants one. So, we will be waiting for the Uncle to come and pick the puppy that he wants. I have a feeling that it is going to be the white one because he is so active and beautiful. The other one...well, he sleeps more than I do! That speaks volume!! Hehe...I have been secretly calling them by name for about 2 weeks now. I don't know what I'd do when the Uncle picks either Powder (the white pup) or Trevor (the lazy one). Hmm...but I think it's all for the best. It's just so unfair for my family to take care of all my dogs when I'm not at home.
Having not had a puppy for almost 9 years, they are really rather troublesome. Last week, my dad accidentally very nearly went over Trevor with his car and he felt so bad the whole day. See, the puppies are still very naive. They still do not know the danger of a car and remained sleeping near the tyres eventhough my dad had starte his engine. Hmm..good thing my dad reversed very slowly and the puppy had only been scared and not hurt!
At 7 weeks old, the puppies are now very active and naughty. I tried training them to sit for 15 minutes just now and got bitten so many times that my fingers got numb. Haha..but I'm still glad that Powder learnt how to sit after such a short time. As for Trevor...well, he was more interested in looking for the best spot to sleep than the snacks that I was holding in my hand. Hmmm...
I can't wait for the holidays to spend more time to train the puppy that is left at home. It is certainly not easy to start all over again and to endure all the digging and shoe-biting. I just hope that the puppies would be as obedient and as good a watchdog as Baby. I wonder if they would be dependent on the mother and be scaredy-cats? Or like my mom was afraid of, would they turn into sissies if I get them neutered at 4 months? Coz Charlie had been known to ride my friend's male dog although he did try to get on top of the female dog too (Charlie --> Bi-sexual). Haha...it's cruel but it is for the best for us, humans. We have run out of friends who would take in mongrel puppies.
Anyway, I have to stop be distracted by the puppies and complete my assignments already! 5 more days to go and I'm going to be free! Puppy training, resuming my tailoring classes, going on trips, accompanying my mom...can't wait for the holidays! =)
For those of you who are going to sit for exams soon...best of luck!!

Powder being squeezed by me. He just loves to bite people's toes! Geramnye!

Needless to say, Trevor has found the perfect spot for his afternoon nap.

Colour blind NOT!

Dear Readers,
The recent stressful weekend had allowed me to observe a peculiar behaviour in Baby, my daughter/pet dog/bitch. Baby is a racist. She favours her white pup over the others – hence the reason the white pup is the fattest. I tried to find a logical explanation for this behaviour: could it be because Baby’s eyes have some problems so she could not see her other darker puppies clearly, and hence could not feed them properly? Or could it be because Baby’s partner is white and she likes that white pup more because it resembles her partner? Or maybe it is because the pup is unique in the batch and therefore is more special? Or…maybe, just maybe, Baby is simply being racist? I suppose, being one of God’s imperfect creations, even dogs cannot look past the exterior of another being.
I used to be naïve and idealistic in thinking that we can learn to see past another’s shell. Racism, I believed is something of the past as there are many inter-racial marriages and their products these days. How stupid can I be, right? If I can observe that 30-40 year olds are teaching their young children of segregation based on skin colours, how could I have possibly thought that it has skipped my generation?
I do not deny that I am sometimes mindful of the colours as well. What was that analogy? (9 good people + 1 bad person) + (9 bad people + 1 good person) = 2 groups of 10 bad people? It is just so sickening! Racism…a foul word to me that is worse than Fuck, and worse than the foulest word in Cantonese. It is the mentality of a generation of people more backwards than our ancestors with large skulls and long arms. It is a disease that can only be temporarily contained with a massive natural disaster or the eruption of war. In a “blessed” country where there are no massive natural disasters or war, the fatal disease is spreading fast. Like the fire burning uncontrollably in our neighbouring country, I have seen it coming, wished that it will not happen but am helpless when I finally feel the hateful effects.
At first, I could not believe it. Not those people around me! But, well, it is either I have been blind all these while or that they are truly great actors, deserving awards of higher honours than the Oscars! What is it that made them show their true colours, I wonder? Kiasu-ism? Jealousy? Or maybe they are just tired of hypocrisy? I suppose that they feel that we have been racist and unfair towards them as well, once upon a time. Well, I do not know how to respond to that except that it does not bring any benefit to the oppressed group to be racist or unfair towards the majority group – it will bring more trouble, that’s why you see most oppressed groups just accept the situation until they can take it no more.
*SIGH* When, I wonder, is He/She/It going to rectify His/Her/Its mistakes of creating these two-legged monsters? Or couldn’t He/She/It at least wave His/Her/Its magic wand and make all the two-legged monsters colour blind or better, colourless? His/Her/Its gifts of uniqueness and beauty of each culture and colour have brought nothing but war and hatred. I say, save the effort, just give the earth a knock out of its orbit and start over. And don’t create more of these two-legged monstrosities.
As for those of you who are so colour-mindful (I don’t think they’ll read this), you can do whatever you want to us because we know that we are SUPERIOR to you in spirit, in belief, in faith, in wisdom, in knowledge, physically, mentally and emotionally. In other words, we are superior to you in everyway. I pray hard to whoever He/She/It is that you will live forever. As a human. Never dying. Just full of sickness and disease. In a world where wars rage because of colour-mindfulness and to show whose religion is better (Ahh…that is another topic altogether). You will always be in my prayers!

Cute Puppies

As I've mentioned in a previous post, my Baby gave birth to four babies on September 12th. Well, they are ready to be weaned from their mother and up for adoption. So, please, if anyone's interested, let me know. This batch is the cutest of all the four batches from Baby. Probably because Baby changed her partner. The batch's father is part Spitz, so they all have fluffy fur. And having only four puppies, Baby made sure that all of them are well-fed.
Truth is, if I could I'd keep all of them. They are just SO SO cute!! Too bad, my parents only allow me to keep one, that also being reluctant as we had actually wanted to keep a female pup (did I forget to mention that all four pups are male?). I am most probably keeping the laziest of the lot - an all-black pup. There is only one white pup, while the other two are black with a patch of white fur on their chest and lower lip! Cute, huh?
I'll just let you all see how cute they are yourselves and stop with all the descriptions. Please, do ask around to see if anyone is interested in having a dog for a companion? Thanks and enjoy the cuteness! I'll upload more photos of them later in my photo album. Hehe...my last batch of grandbabies before the mother is spayed! ;)

Baby and her 5-day old babies

The 5-week old pups playing

The fattest and only white pup in the batch.

Sleeping again - the laziest of the lot and the one I'm going to keep.

Rascal - trying to bite my hand. Hehe...one of the pups with a white chest and a patch of white fur on the lower lip. Cute!!

The smallest of the lot and the other pup with the patches of white fur on the chest and lower lip. Probably the smartest as he could sit on command after an hour of butt pressing. Hehe...

Not up for adoption. Just wanted to put Charlie's ugly picture up coz my other babies are up. Haha...this is how he looked like after being infected with scabies from another dog. I don't know what's up with his tongue though! ^O^

Cute, aren't they? Anyway, if you are not interested or know anyone who's interested, would you suggest a cute name for me? I was thinking of something that begins with an A or a D...coz I have Baby and Charlie. Hehe...so excited! Going to take mor ephotos of the little darlings. Til then, take care!!

New roomie

I finally got a new roommate. Good thing? Bad thing? Well, it depends on how you see it. It's rather nice to have the whole room to yourself but it's also kind of scary when there are weird noises in the middle of the night. Heehee...not that my room is haunted or anything. It was rather creepy the first few nights alone because the air-conditioning switches off by itself anytime it likes and the toilet door would start making creaking noises when the wind blows outside. And it was the seventh lunar month when my ex-roomie moved out! Hehe...
So anyway, my new roommate has just moved in yesterday, the both of us are kind of shy with each other. I guess it happens. Two total strangers put together in a small space to live with each other for don't know how long. I do wonder how I used to cope so easily with my roommates when I was in KDU and when I just recently moved to MPIK. But then, I used to sleep a lot that time. And as I remembered, my Shanghainese roommate back in KDU used to go out a lot and sleep when she was in. My MPIK experience? Ok, I used to sleep A LOT MORE. Haha...my friends would normally ask my roomie and then answer the question themselves when they don't see my face at around 8 p.m. onwards. Hehe...man, those were the days!
I can't sleep much these days and it is rather awkward when we have to be so polite with each other, not knowing whether the other person would rather be left alone or talk with the other so that we can learn more about each other. So far, I think we have had enough of small talk: I know her name, her origin, her course, her age and she knows mine. I think for a second day meeting, it's good progress! Oh I also know one thing, her classes doesn't start until next month, but she is already studying behind me!! Creepy!

*SIGH* I don't know la...this human relation thing, I still don't get. Still prefer to have more contacts with dogs. Oh by the way, my dog gave birth to puppies again yesterday. I'm still not home yet, so I don't know the genders and colours and how many (would you believe it, my mom was reluctant to tell me because she was afraid that I would rush home to see my dog, but I just had that feeling the whole day and called home instead!), but if any of you readers would like to have a cute puppy to be your company, let me know. She's of no pedigree but we shouldn't be "racist" now. They deserve love and care as much as any pedigree.
Talking about races, a friend and I were talking over lunch just now about my post about Merdeka. It's such a sad situation but one that we cannot deny is happening. What's sadder is that each and everyone of us is guilty of contributing to the situation that is happening. Ask yourself, don't you occasionally also make a sweeping statement based on other the skin colour? Or don't you also take a second look when there is a inter-racial couple? Or aren't you also guilty of speaking in your mother tongue in the presence of people of another race? And linking back to my roomie again, a few of my friends were envious ? curious ? happy ? that my new roomie is a Japanese. The best part, my ex-roomie, asked in general why am I so "lucky" to have a Japanese as a roomie when she never had one for the 2 years that she stayed here. Hmm..she did have a Shanghainese as a roomie before I came in, so what's the difference? Both are foreigners and maybe should be treated with more hospitality than the usual Malaysian - to give them a false impression of our country!
Haha...no, I mean, seriously, shouldn't we treat everyone the same and ok, maybe treat the foreign students slighty better because they contribute to the country's economy when they come here to study? I wonder, would my friends be impressed too if I had told them that I had a (sorry, don't mean to be offensive, just trying to give an example) Nigerian or a Laotian as a roommate?
Hmm... don't you think it's unfair? Perhaps we are in awe of a Japanese, but how would you feel if they feel that they are disgusted by the fact that they have to stay with you? Not that my roommate is like that (at least I don't think so), but what if? Try people, try to NOT contribute to the growth of RACISM anymore. We are all the same underneath that layer of skin: remember that. Peace.

Bad bod days

So anyway, today is my third day of holiday. What have I done so far? Well, let's see: I've been comatose (or close to) for the past 2 days and a half. If not for this morning's coffee and light exercise (from bathing stinking Charlie), I would probably still be sleeping on my bed now. Hehe...as I said, I think it's the fengshui at home that is lulling me to sleep and sleep and sleep some more.
*sigh* Its not that I do not want to start on my assignments and read the stacks of notes on the table, it is just SO... sickening. Holidays are supposed to be relaxing and fun!! But apparently, an undergraduates' holidays is for completing assignments and updating their work so that they can still keep up. Bummer! =( Sorry, people, I need to complain about this miserable university life or I'd go bonkers!!
Well, stress from not doing my work aside, I think my whole family is sabotaging my diet efforts. Yeah yeah yeah, I have wanted to diet since form 4 but it never worked but the past 4 months had been a killer! Some people have been stuffing me with food (countless meals at Chili's, TGI's, Oasis, Asian Heritage Row, Bangkok Jazz, Rendezvous, Kaki Corner etc etc) that I've put on tremendous weight! *You know who you are! Grrr...* =P I know, most would be so envious that I have someone to take me to those kind of places but it makes me FAT!
On top of that, when I tell my family that I'm going on a diet, my mom asks the maid to prepare all my favourite dishes! And after my dinner, she tells me that I am a tad overweight and that I shouldn't have eaten rice. Hmm...then there's my sister who is always reminding me that I am fat. Oh yeah, and there is the fact that the maid is going on a diet, so she piles my bowl with all the food (which I would end up walloping. Hey, I don't like to waste food!) Geez..talk about supportive family members.
Between Jan and August, I have put on the weight of an extra fully grown male miniature poodle! Yay, I am lugging an extra Charlie in the form of blubbler! Whoopie!
I'm depressed, people. It's not that I long for a body like Calista Flockhart's *shudder* but it would be nice if I could look like how I used to back in Form 3! haha...fat chance. At least let me get back to my normal weight??!! I'm going to jinx all those who are stuffing me with food. May all the fat go to you! Har har har! *evil grin*

Merdeka Celebration

It's the country's 49th birthday tomorrow, yet all I can think of is "I can't wait for the holidays". When friends asked what are my plans for the night, I answered without hesitation - SLEEP! Then, they'd look at me and say "But it's Merdeka Day!" Erm...uh-huh?
I don't know if it's just me...but Merdeka has lost its enthralling power on me. I am not saying that I am not patriotic - I stand up straight whenever I hear Negaraku being played and I frown at people who mistreat the national flag. But, lately, the Merdeka celebration is just another holiday for me. To me, being patriotic is an all-year round, whole life affair, not just the once a year thing that most people think is sufficient. I suppose it's because many have forgotten the whole reason we celebrate Merdeka. My belief is that we celebrate Merdeka because it is the day when our forefathers, disregarding the skin colours and different religions and culture have worked together to free our country from people who exploit us. We celebrate because throughout the years, we have remained united, peaceful and harmonious despite the differences.
Yet, look around you now. Take a good look around. Do you see people of all races mingling together or do you see people of all races being together but separated from each other because of their skin colours? The former is a scene that is getting more rare nowadays. I hate to put it so clearly but we have to realise that there is something very wrong in the situation here.
We pride ourselves as a multi-racial, tolerant and friendly country. Yet, the reality does not reflect the pride and joy of the country. On top of that, our poor country has the occasional political party and pea-brained politicians who would try (intentinally or otherwise) to spark off another May 13th tragedy with their thoughtless and insensitive remarks. And what is worse is that we are allowing a lot of the foreigners to be "naturalised citizens" (BTW, I think this is bullshit, Indonesians enjoying Bumiputra status while Chinese and Indians who have lived here for generations are still non-Bumis!). ANd our country's citizenship is supposedly very precious and difficult to get; yet we allow these illegal immigrants to be Bumis and stopping experts in various fields to even get a permanent residency. Ha Ha Ha. Hilarious.
And then there is the fact that we allow maniacs who blatantly try to segregrate the community and funnily, are looking towards Indonesia as an inspiration to become politicians? Come on! You don't like the peace and harmony, go and live in Palestine, Iraq, Indonesia etc! What burns me up is that the society is becoming irrational. Take a look at the recent cases involving the Penang state government. Doesn't anyone care about meritocracy or earning your keep anymore? Do they expect the government to give them all the privileges eventhough they don't deserve it just because it was in the Constitution? Wake up, Malaysia! How much do you think the country can progress if all of us just sit on our asses and wait for the government to provide for us (because it's our right??) ?
I once had a 7 year old student who came to me and said that her mother told her that Malays and Chinese cannot be friends! What the f*ck! If this is what the 30 year olds and 40year olds are teaching their children, what is going to befall our beloved Malaysia? And, don't expect to say that as a teacher we can change the thinking, because family still holds the biggest influence over their children. Teachers may influence but it's the family who shapes.
There is of course much more to complain, but I still love Malaysia. It's just that there are some things that Malaysian do and how some Malaysian thinks that irritates me to no end. I am thankful that I am born in Malaysia. The only place that I can call home, but celebrate Merdeka? I'll watch all the excitement and parade on TV and listen to all the stories of violence at the celebration from my friends after that. Happy 49th Birthday Malaysia!

4th week in UM

Phew...this is my fourth week in UM. Still blur but there seemed to be a hundred and one things to do everyday. I haven't had a migraine for months, and it has returned with a vengeance. Of the 7 subjects that I am taking this semester, I have 5 assignments and countless tasks to be handed in within these two weeks. Crazy! On top of that, lending my computer to a friend has given me a computer virus which is impeding me from doing my work. ARGH!! I'm craving for KFC, McDonald's, junk food etc. again. The action of munching on fried, crunchy food always makes my mind calmer. Hehe...
So anyway, tensed (eventhough still clueless about what's happening in Uni) weeks aside, my roomie in MC has moved out on Monday. Well, sort of. She still has some things lying around on the bed and desk. But since all her things on the floor and bathroom has been cleared, I am finally able to clean the room thoroughly.
As I was scrubbing the yellow tiles of the bathroom floor, I can't help but be amazed that a girl can be so FILTHY! Messiness, I can take because I am messy myself. Ask anyone of my ex-housemates, friends or family and they will tell you that I am one of the most cluttered person they have ever known. I can't seem to find my things if they are organized and neat. I also think that messy = cosy. :P Good thing though that I am messy but clean. Well, at least, I know I am cleaner than a lot of people who are neat. But this ex-roomie of mine is messy + dirty! Sheesh...I think she might have tried to clean up because she has all the cleaning tools but had not really kept it up. She must have stopped cleaning the toilet since at least a few months ago. Imagine, I poured detergent on the wall and floor, left it for fifteen minutes and then I scrubbed it for at least another fifteen minutes and they are still yellow. Nope, it's definitely not the original colour of the tiles. Eww...
I do wonder how these people can live like that. I admit that I hate to do household chores but I do have a certain limit of patience/tolerance for filth. I know of people who couldn't be bothered to clean up after themselves, people who could live in a room with an-inch thick of dust, people who would rather leave the garbage to rot in the house than to throw it out. I think many of the people of my generation do this. We have been too pampered by our parents and by the presence of a maid at home.
OK!I'VE HAD IT!! TO HELL WITH THE ASSIGNMENTS WITH THIS STUPID POPOUT ABOUT DETECTING THE VIRUS EVERYTIME I TYPE 2 LETTERS! aM GOING TO BED!

Feeling blue

Yay...survived another week in UM without a car...so far, so good. Got another ride to and from the Islamic Studies faculty the other day. Hehe...I was too lazy to go get a bus pass. Actually, I was too lazy to get anything done in UM. The place is quite big and confusing. Good thing a friend pushed me to go get my ID card and the internet access application done last Wednesday and Thursday or I would have been drifting in UM again without gaining much! I'll have to remember to get my bus pass next Monday or I would have to eat my words and cling to someone with a car for the whole semester! Hmm...just realised that I am a big hypocrite who use other people as much as I hate other people using me...hmm... =P
But then, I guess it's quite normal for humans to have this simbiotic relationship...you use me, I use you: sometimes win-win, most times win-lose and others lose-lose situations. I can say that I hate these kinds of things all I like, yet I myself can't break away from this human nature. When I think about it, I am sort of using this "new-found" friend of mine. She doesn't have many friends because of the way she talks and acts, I do things with her now because she shows me around the place and I sometimes need the company. Hmm..still can't figure out why she wants to hang out with me besides the fact that she doesn't have many friends but she hasn't had many friends for the past 4 years, so why hang out with me now? Hmm...
I don't know. Maybe it's because I have too much idle time in UM, I seem to be very thoughtful these days. Haha...I don't mean to say that what I think about is always worth thinking about, but it has reminded me the reason I used to hate human beings. My observation of myself and those around me these past two weeks, adding on to the need to adjust to a strange place have left me feeling slightly depressed. =(
Observation 1: Things happening around the world - killings, robberies, rape and the sad incident which happened to my friend's brother.
Observation 2: Well, as mentioned above, me using people and vice versa.
Observation 3: Most children are very ungrateful towards their parents. As the chinese say, "better to have given birth to a piece of meat than to have given birth to a child; at least the piece of meat fills the stomach".
Observation 4: My elder sister lost her handphone. Culprit: 2 "human beings"/ "creatures of the lowest level" who prey on the human compassion.
How can anyone possibly be happy, living in this world as a human? It's so much better to be an animal, or a plant or an insect. Speaking of which, Charlie was sent to a friend's house for 2 weeks because the "Queen" from Singapore is here for the weekend and he totally forgot about me and is very happy making new friends. See? He doesn't even think or feel sad...whereas if my mother had left me (at a young age, not now!) in her friend's house for 2 weeks because of another person's whims, I would have felt so sad...
*sigh* humans...don't you wish that Bush would just push that "button" and destroy the whole world? They say that apocalypse is going to happen soon, I can't stop thinking "when?". Getting sick/bored of this life...can't wait to retire and become senile! Haha...I wonder if I can volunteer to donate and exchange my brain to another person? Let another person think of all these stupid thoughts...I only want to be a dog! Haha...woof!

First Week in UM

Yup, one week has passed since I started my class in UM. How does it feel like? Well, I am still quite lost and not used to the place and how things work over there...all this makes me miss MPIK so much. Not that I'm thrown all alone in the abyss of UM life, but I miss the lecturers and the small, lousy yet cosy college. *sigh* I remember that I couldn't wait to leave all these MPIK-ians behind me, yet I stick to them now as though my life depended on them, which in a way, it does...
Anyway, as most would have known, I'm staying at MIllenium Court which is only a 10 minutes walk away from my faculty. So far, so good. My new roomie is a Sarawakian Chinese girl who has been living there for 2 years but is moving away. Apparently, the place is no longer as safe as it used to be coz there are many foreigners who disturb the girls there. Well, thank goodness I have yet to encounter that. The only person who spoke to me at random was the guard. Haha..big joker, thought I was a foreigner! =P But crossing my fingers that my new-new roomie will be as nice as the one I'm staying with right now.
I have been trying to be independent in my new life in UM. No car! Yay...going to resist the temptation for at least another week or hopefully, another month. Seriously, I don't have to have a car...I walk to my faculty and when I have a class at this freaking far faculty, I get a free ride from my friend! Ahaha...nah..gonna try taking the in-campus bus next week. Not bringing a car doesn't mean I'm going to stick like a leech to my friends who do bring their cars! Though I don't fancy the idea of walking to that faculty for that one class, I know the way and can spend my time for a leisure walk 2 hours before and after the class! =P (My poor friends had to walk 40 minutes on the first day and not even ten minutes after arriving, the lecturer dismissed the class! Sheesh!)
I took the bus the other day to go home and I quite enjoyed the experience. Thank goodness for Melwin or I think I wouldn't know where to stop. =) And then I was on the train to go home to Rawang, the people were pushing and shoving their way in as usual. It took a teenage girl in her school uniform to get the working adults in order! She was so agitated that she "shouted" at her friend, for the benefit of all those barbarians around her, to be more courteous and allow people to disembark first before alighting the train. =) I truly respect this girl! I wouldn't have had the courage to ask these barbarians in suit to act in a civilized manner. Imagine! People were even shoving this pregnant lady, and when I tried to give my seat to this lady, people were just standing there, looking and blocking the way! And the only other person who willingly stood up when this pregnant lady came in was an old lady! What happened to chivalry or heck! can't those youngsters stand for a bit?? *sigh* Courtesy campaign? I think we can't only focus on the youngsters but have to focus on those in their 20s, 30s and 40s as well. Courtesy died long ago in our country.
Hmm...my blog this time around is kind of jumbled up. Well, too many things have happened since the last blog. Trying to remember everything and type them down is rather tricky with this memory of mine. Haha...gotta go read some stuff on the computer now. Hmm..still not used to the idea of getting notes online. Well, gotta learn to change and move forward sooner or later, right?
Ooh...does anyone know of any part time clerical job available? That is my next move towards more independence! ;P Let me know. Til the next post, take care!

If you have nothing nice to say...

"Is he really your son ar? Really, really your son? Waaa...what happened to him? What did you feed him with?" Those were the blunt statements made to my brother and my parents last night when we were at my parents' school reunion dinner. So, yeah...my brother looks a bit old and has put on some weight since his school days but couldn't those old folks just keep their bloody mouth shut?? It makes me hurt to hear those statements, what more my brother. Sure, he laughs it off, my parents laugh it off, but can you imagine the humiliation of hearing those words?
I remember a stupid statement made at me too when I was in Standard 4 and I still don't like the so-called auntie of mine. It was Gongxi Raya, so I was wearing my baju kurung to visit relatives and she kept insisting that I am not my parents' child. Imagine...it happened 12 years ago and I can still vividly remember the anger and hurt that I felt. My brother got so many blows yesterday and many other times that I feel so sorry for him.
I guess these people are just a shallow lot. I have many friends who does that too. "Wah...you've put on so much weight! What happened to you?" This seemed to be the standard opening sentence whenever I meet up with my old friends. Heck, I know I've put on weight! I've got a mirror! What could possibly make people grow fat? If you don't know, then you are so darn dumb. Want me to borrow a primary school science text book from my pupil and let you read it? You poor, poor dumbo! Can you even read?
Like, hello?? If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. Didn't your parents or teachers teach you that? It always hurts when you hear criticisms or remarks that highlight your weakness/flaws. People don't get used to it. Sure, they may laugh it off, but put yourselves in their shoes: do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Yeah, you may feel good about yourself coz you are "better-off" than the person being critisized in some areas, but there are other qualities that the person may possess that you lack. Just some of the qualities that you definitely lack are finesse, politeness and what we Chinese call "xiu yang" which roughly translated means good manners. Yes, compliment people's looks if you sincerely think that the person looks good but silence is always preferred to a blatant lie or an honest opinion.
Truth is, there are so many more other interesting topics to talk about than one's looks. Talk about books, music, movies, world events...the topic you choose reflects the knowledge that you possess. But if you still choose the ways of the shallow people, stay away from me. Or don't blame me if I smile sweetly at you and say "Oh yes, I have put on weight. You on the other hand have grown uglier/ dumber..what happened to you?"

Singapore adventure

Yup...I've been missing for a couple of weeks and now I'm back again. Phew..it has been a rather busy holiday for me. One week more and we are going to University Malaya to start another phase of our lives. Hmm...definitely not looking forward to it.
Anyway, so where have I been for the past two weeks? I was in Singapore "visiting" my eldest sister and her family for the first week and then went sightseeing in Taiwan in the second week.
Let me tell you what happened in the first week. It all started badly. It was a Tuesday morning and it had rained heavily in the morning. Rain = terrible, snail-paced traffic congestion everywhere in KL. My mom and I began our "adventure" to Singapore at 10:45 a.m. We only reached KL at 12 p.m. A quick brunch in Petaling Street and we walked to Puduraya. Our 1:30 p.m. bus came a bit late and when we got on our "VIP bus", we found out that we'd been conned and we were given a 44 seater! Not only that, but tickets with the same seats were printed twice!! My cousin and I had the same seats as two Swedish guys! Sheesh! Talk about Malaysian efficiency! Lucky thing they still know how to count, so only 44 tickets were issued and there were empty seats in the middle, so my cousin and I sat there! One hour into our journey, the bus stopped by the road and said that because the air-cond was not working, we had to wait for a replacement bus. We finally continued the journey at almost 3 p.m. in another 44 seater. But alas! another 1 hour's jam in the Seremban exit and we finally reached Johor at about 5:30 p.m. (If we had taken the more expensive Nice bus, we would have reached Singapore at 5:30 p.m. or 6:30 at the latest). So anyway, the bus stopped at its terminal in Machang for half an hour, then stopped again at another bus terminal, I forget which place. Then, the bus took the First Cosway which is terribly crowded on any day, any time. Everything went well til we reached the Singapore checkpoint. The line that we were standing in was manned by a plump lady who was taking her own sweet time asking questions, humming a little tune and then stamping our passports! Our line was at first the shortest and we ended up lining for more than half an hour. When we finally cleared the customs, our bus had left us! Hahaha...so, to those who want to save the fare and take the more economical buses, take note: the drivers only wait for half and hour, their duty of sending you to Singapore is completed once your feet touch Singapore soil, even though it's at the tip of Singapore. So, anyway, my cousin and i went and asked another driver if we could go to the bus terminal in their bus, and the driver wanted S$2 per person. By then, our mothers were nowhere to be seen, so we told the driver to hold the offer while we went and asked our mothers. When we turned around to look for the bus driver, he was nowhere to be found! Grrr...so we went to another bus driver, and he told us to get on his Delima bus, which by the way, is so much more comfortable and spacious compared to our Transnational bus, without charge. That's what I like about Malaysians, some Malaysians anyway...they help fellow Malaysians if the said Malaysian uses Bahasa Melayu to politely ask for help. :) So, anyway, we reached the bus terminal in Kallang Baru safely and my brother-in-law and sister came to pick us up. We were hungry so we went for dinner near their place so that my brother-in-law could go and pick up his son. Not even an hour into the "reunion" with my sister, my sister blurted out some very hurtful statements which made the whole situation awkward and unhappy. I, for one, felt the unwelcome vibes the moment I heard her voice on the phone, but after she had blurted out the statements, everyone felt it. My poor mom! (I'll blog about it some other time) It made all our adventure so NOT worthwhile. If my mom hadn't wanted to go and see her, I wouldn't have cared less if I don't see her for years! True, she must have been hurt by my mom years ago. I actually don't blame her for feeling neglected and hurt by my mom, but couldn't she have made those statements later? Heck! She should have stayed home more and then she'd understand that that is how our mom is like. She would know that our family is weird and its members even weirder. Haha...the episodes in our family could be made into a soap opera and we would have a wide following! ;P
Hmm...4 days in Singapore and we only made truce on the 3rd day- my sister and I, I mean. I guess my mom just took the blows coz she is still her daughter no matter what, which makes me realise that my whole family has been taking everyone for granted. Do you realise that whatever your family does for you is deemed as what they "SHOULD" do, but when someone who's not related to you does the same thing, you'd appreciate their effort? Is it just my family or is that just human nature? Isn't that just so unfair? No one chooses to be related to you or not, except for parents. If you could have a choice, would you choose to be related to your family members now? If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to be born or may be just related to my second sister, and am a far relative of my parents and brother! Hahaha...where does my eldest sister stand? Erm..maybe a friend - she's great with her friends! =P
All said, I'm glad that the visit ended well...for now, dear eldest sister, you are still SO you...but I guess if you had changed, we wouldn't know you anymore. Haha...as Joey McIntyre sang...Stay the Same, eventhough it makes me go bonkers whenever I'm with/around/thinking about you. Haha...cheerios!

Thoughts

Yay! The holiday is finally here! Some of my plans for the holidays have been going as planned while others have been "interrupted". But I'm as happy as anyone could be.
I just returned from a 6-days trip to my good friend's hometown in Terengganu. Now, I finally understand how a person feels when he/she meets his/her partner's family for the first time! Haha...nerve-wrecking and awkward! Not that I was meeting my partner's parents, though that thought did cross our minds! *cheeky smile* Well, I'm sure if she had introduced me as her partner, her parents would gladly accept her 8-year relationship with her boyfriend! Hehe..or could they possibly accept me as her new partner? After all, my criteria are good! =P
No, people...I'm not a lesbian. I still don't understand why people thought I was one. It went to the extent that they confused me. You know, when almost everyone you know keeps telling you that the Earth is flat, you'd start to believe it too. Even two friends who are inclined towards people of the same gender were convinced that I had the same inclination. And one of them went around spreading that piece of news, I think. When I asked the other what made her think that I'm a lesbian, she said it was just her instinct. Which makes me wonder...hmmm...
If I had had the inclination towards girls, would my parents object if I begin a relationship with a girl like my good friend from Terengganu? After all, she possesses everything one would want in a future son/ daughter-in- law. =P (dun worry, girl, I'm not interested in you!) Haha..just a thought...surely, things can be so much worse than it is now, right? The situation now shouldn't even be considered bad, I think. Ok, so I know I defied the family's basic principles of dating, but it could be so much worse, couldn't it? Hmm...
I think it's something to ponder upon! Haha...

Til I can come up with a conclusion with my pondering, cheerios!