Spot lights(zzz) on me!

Spotlights on Nokia: My stand on Nokia's first flagship Windows Phone

2011-10-27T16:06:00.008+08:00

To start off with, interestingly enough (if you didn't already know), Nokia was a toilet paper producer in Finland 30 years ago before it became who it is today - a giant and leader in global telecommunication! Back last year in Nokia World 2010, newly elected CEO Stephen Elop announced to the world that Nokia will be ditching their very own homegrown platform - Symbian and MeeGo, in favour of Microsoft's Windows operating system (OS). And with that shocking news, Nokia shares plummeted, fans lost trust and went array to competitor Apple and Android, and sales of further Symbian and MeeGo products went cold and unnoticed.

So, for hopefuls and hardcore Nokia fans like me, we wait and see for Nokia's first Windows phone. Anticipation ran high, excitement was great at the Nokia World 2011, London yesterday. True enough, Nokia announces their first ever Windows phone running on the latest Windows 7.5 code named Mango OS; not just one, but 2 new Nokia Windows phones! Namely the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 dubbed as the first 'true' Windows phones. (Click on the embedded links for specs, pricing and videos of the phones in action).

The high end Nokia Lumia 800

The mid-tier Nokia Lumia 710

I believe most of us wants more choices when choosing a smartphone, rather than just 2 current platforms which, not sure bout you, I'm quite tired of looking at now. Windows 7.5 OS looks really fresh - with live tiles updating your contacts' social activities, deeply integrating social networks, and latest news as well as notifications keep flashing at every interval flip of those metro tiles widgets, the Nokia Lumia homescreen looks very much alive and not.....boring like the other 2 platforms. The Windows UI made the whole using-your-phone-experience now much easier, faster and simply funner! And the US media approves of it too - Windows Phone 7.5: The media loves Mango! :D

While the Lumia design is stunning, specs looked good and Windows OS seems promising [Read: Nokia World - US reaction round-up], I have to admit, it's not superb! As much as I am a fan of Nokia, I was actually hoping for something much much greater! Because we know it, Nokia is the BEST phone manufacturer in the world. These guys KNOWS how to design and make phones and are DAMN GOOD at it compared to any other companies out there.

I was actually hoping their first phone to have specs greater and features more advanced than the current best iOS (iPhone 4S) and Android (Galaxy Nexus) phones. But my expectations was only three quarter met.
Nokia phones finally had a decent and fast processor, the Lumias have a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. But what makes it slightly disappointing is that it only have 512MB RAM (same as iPhone 4s but latest Androids having at least 1GHz); 8GB (for Lumia 710) and 16GB (for Lumia 800) memory size; lower screen resolution; and NO front-facing camera!!!

But then again, I have to be fair to Nokia too. Considering Nokia and Microsoft officially started to work together in March 2011, the fact that they managed to pull these phones off in just 7 months or so, is a job well done feat! And let us ponder if all those missing links really matter? Just like iPhone 4s, the reason why Nokia Lumias are only equipped with 512MB of RAM is because Windows 7.5 OS is light and doesn't require that much of it. The smaller memory size is compensated with free 25GB cloud storage by Microsoft. Nokia's famous ClearBlack AMOLED Display is already producing super vivid and clear screen images. And front-facing cameras....... be honest, how many of us ACTUALLY uses them (often)??? To make things better, Lumia has apps only available for Nokia phones! That is the free turn-by-turn voice navigation Nokia Drive; free music streaming and downloadable Nokia Music as well as ESPN app.
But of course! If only the specs were greater, Nokia Lumias would have won hands-down! But this is not the case...... for now!

Quote winrumors.com : 'Nokia's "Ace" device is still on the horizon and rumors suggest that it will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2012. Nokia's Windows Phone offerings are just the beginning of what is likely to become an important ecosystem for Microsoft and its partners.'

What about Nokia "Ace" you ask? Well, it is said to have 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor; 8MP camera; 4.3" ClearBlack AMOLED display; 1GB of Ram; Near Field Communication (NFC); Bluetooth 4.0; 32GB memory; and 1800mAh battery! And of course, running on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS! Now isn't this exciting? We will just have to wait for it. And if this does comes out, I will DEFINITELY buy one! :D [Read: Nokia 900 (Ace) Specs Revealed]

Now that Nokia had had its first flagship Windows Phones, we as hardcore fans want more! I strongly believe Nokia can and will deliver better in the very near future. My speculations on Nokia's slightly-above-average-product this time is maybe because of the limited time that was available to grab hold of the Christmas shoppers, and they do not want to lose on that. Another thing is maybe, by producing more affordable Windows phones now, they can cater to a lot more lower income customers who are in search of a smartphone; which will attract more developers to build on the Windows ecosystem and then, deliver a better phone with a much more mature and established OS later! Of course, these are just my assumptions. A very optimistic one. :)

Quote mashable.com in its article 'Nokia Lumia 800 Could Be The Best Windows Phone Yet [HANDS ON]' : "The Lumia 800 may be the best thing to happen to Windows Phone, not because it's a great looking phone - but because it has the type of design that might make more users consider Windows Phone as a platform.

That's what the original Droid did for Android. It gave Android a brand name and in the U.S., a flagship device that could go toe-to-toe with the iPhone. It didn't matter if a user ultimately ended up buying an HTC or Samsung Android device, the Motorola Droid was what conceptualized and sold the Android OS experience to millions of users.

Microsoft and Nokia are both betting that the Lumia 800 does the same thing. For Nokia, this is Waterloo and it's time to stand and deliver. At least in my limited time with the device, it's delivered. This is a phone that has the goods and the OS - Windows Phone 7.5 - is worthy of its beauty."

Whatever it is, Windows OS are here to stay. Like it or not, loyal Nokia fans would inevitably need to switch from Symbian to Windows and learn to embrace it! Nokia-Microsoft partnership is still young and fresh, give them a good 6 months for them to better complement and understand each other. I believe, soon, Nokia-Microsoft will be on top, again.

**********

Wil Liam Choo is no professional phone reviewer. This article is solely his opinion and never meant to be judgmental. He always believe that there is so much more in a smartphone platform than just iOS and Android; and hopefully Nokia-Microsoft will create a successful third ecosystem.

**********

Jakarta kata (says)...

2011-08-08T14:37:00.002+08:00

Ever since last year, my faculty has been organizing Student Exchange Program for its dental students, a way to increase its ranking in the World Best University list (I think... :P). The participating universities for this year are Trisakti University, Jakarta, Indonesia; Airlanggar University, Surabaya, Indonesia; University of Chiang Mai, Thailand; Institute of Medical University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and University of Kaoshiung, Taiwan. Since I missed out on last year (due to ignorance), I die die also must apply this year! Thankfully I got it but not to my desired universities. :( I was hoping to get either Chiang Mai or Taiwan. But oh well.... everything happens for a reason. So, comes what may! I was given Trisakti University in Jakarta.

My 1-week exchange started on the 15th of July and lasted till 21st of July, which consists of 5 other members. Reach Jakarta at about 5pm local time and whoa.... is the air hazy or is it just me? LOL! No offence, Jakarta friends. :)

I don't think I wanna go through the exchange program in detailed, so here are just some pictures to summarize:

*Checked in at male kost (student hostel)*

*The ever narrow roads in Jakarta*

*This is how you park your cars in Jakarta! Imagine an emergency happens. LOL!*

*My room. Not bad eh? Air-conditioned, but too bad no fan*

*Picture time at the uni entrance*

*Trisakti University, Faculty of Dentistry - a 7 story building*

*Tutorial commencing! But at the basement? Hmm...*

*Lecture! On law and ethics. Cool!*

*General Dental Practitioner clinic. A bit crammed eh?*

*Oral surgery clinic - extraction in progress. :)*

*Group photos of course with cute and funny Indonesian friends*

*In the year (dunno when), 4 Trisakti Uni students was shot during a reformation. This memorial was to commemorate them. Wow!*

*With the Dean of Trisakti University. She was an ex-Ms Indonesia beauty queen!*

Besides the formal uni stuff, of course there are plenty of fun with our happening and outgoing Indonesian friends!

*At Mount Udjo, Bandung for a spectacular angklung and cultural show*

*Kawah Putih, Bandung - a natural sulphur lake!*

*Strawberry feast at Bandung*

*The iconic Monumen Nasional (Monas) in Jakarta*

*View from top of Monas*

*Just a random statue near Monas. Looks as though they are not wearing any pants. LOL!*

*Seafood dinner at Bandar Djakarta with live singing*

*My favourite! Foot reflexology at only IDR 35,000! And damn classy ok.*

*1 of the MANY huge shopping centers in Jakarta*

*And Indonesian loves karaoke too! ^^,*

Little do I know that Indonesia has SO MUCH food to offer! I ate non-stop when I was there! I swear I've gained 10kg from all those eating! >.< Here are a few of the notable food that I had.

*Pempek submarine - a Palembang delicacy! Simply tasty!*

*A certain ethnic food in Bandung. Simple, healthy and delicious*

*Es durian cendol! Heaven I tell you. :D*

*Awesome hot, spicy, sourish noodle with meatballs - Bakmi Sakaw!*

*Of course, Indon's specialty, Nasi Padang*

*Crispy on the outside, soft buttery in the inside - Martabak chocolat! Very VERY sinful*

So what did Jakarta kata (says)?? "Welcome and have a pleasant stay!" And we totally did! I love the companion of awesome Trisakti Uni students. They are really fun and outgoing people. The food and entertainment in Jakarta is really cheap. I guess (certain places in) Indonesia is not that bad after all. :)

Sweet as gulab jamun & varied as thali!

2011-08-04T21:00:00.006+08:00

I have always wanted to go to India! Having Indian best friends and been loving their food has made me even to consider myself as half Indian (at times)! XP
So from 22nd - 30th July 2011, was a chance not to be missed when World Dental Congress 2011, organized by International Association of Dental Students (IADS) and Young Dentist Worldwide (YDW) was held in New Delhi, India! Because this event was publicized a year ago, I bought my flight tickets way way back then at a price of only RM550 (tax applied) for a KL - New Delhi return ticket (Air Asia lah)! Talk about a good deal! Haha...
The whole conference fee was about RM1600 with food, transport and accommodation provided, quite similar to Asia-Pacific Dental Students Association (APDSA) pricing I would say.

And of course on the 22nd, like everyone would, I was an hour early at the airport waiting for boarding. Checked-in, luggage handed in and ready to fly. My flight was at 5.40pm, so I waited at a cafe for the rest of my coursemates who are flying together to arrive.

At 5pm......they have YET to arrive, the boarding gate closes at 5.10pm and last check in was at 4.50pm! I was like "Shit man! This is not good. Where the hell are they?". Received a few calls saying that they were close, a friend of mine Renette tried to buy time at the check-in counter. Of course, the front desk said it was too late to do anything and knowing we can't persuade him more, all we hope is that those $%&@! get their asses there as fast as God-knows-what-is-the-fastest-thing-he-created! At that point of time, I was feeling.....................nothing at all! Absolutely numb; not anger or panic, as I've never experienced this kind of thing before!

And after less than a minute of cursing under my breathe, they finally arrived. A couple of minutes of denying them entrance (as expected), the management finally let them in as they've checked in online. Everything was going smooth again until one staff from the front desk announced, "Everyone can board the plane except for Chong Wai Sim"! And we were like WHAT THE FARK?!!

Like I was saying earlier, I was feeling numb..... after hearing that, I went double, if not triple numb (if there's ever such a term)! I WAS DUMBFOUNDED man! Imagine someone saying that to you when everyone in your group gets to fly! How would you feel???

So what actually happened? Well apparently, Renette and Wai Sim bought their tickets together. Because Renette checked in without her, the staff assumed Wai Sim is not coming thus cancelled her ticket eventhough she had had went online to check in! Now I won't be arguing who is wrong and right because both parties are at fault here.

We tried arguing for Wai Sim of course. But Air Asia staffs threatened us that if we continue doing so, we will be left behind. Feeling all farked up, we have to leave her alone in hope she can settle her problem on her own. "Keep in touch through phone", we said while dashing to board the plane. We ran like mad holy cows (with respect to Indians :P) from the immigration all the way to the plane! Our names were announced for final call. And to make things even better, they HAVE to park the plane RIGHT AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY! #$%*@

With clothes drenched in sweat and panting, we left Malaysia and Wai Sim, to New Delhi.

*On the plane. I am NOT digging my nose! Nor am I pointing the middle finger. :P*

***

We reached Indira Gandhi International Airport at 7.45pm local time, 40 minutes ahead of schedule. The airport is pretty cool, modern, clean and brightly lit.

*Beautiful art at immigration gate of I.D.I. airport*

Not bad I thought, till I encountered a rude immigration officer who doesn't smile, greet or say thank you. He even slap my passport on the desk when he has done stamping! So much of a first impression to give to foreigners! >:-(

I got myself an Indian phone number after collecting my luggage so I can contact Wai Sim and also the committees of IADS. Second impression of India: s-l-o-w...... It took them almost an hour to get me a new sim card. An American guy said to the staff, "In my country, I can buy a car faster than this." LMAO!!!!!!!!
By the way, a sim card from Airtel costs 400 rupees.

Contacted Wai Sim and she got her ticket replaced by Air Asia free of charge. She will fly down on her own the next day and I arranged transport to pick her up from airport to our hotel. Phew~~~ problems solved.

***

The actual conference starts on the 24th. We came 2 days earlier so that we can visit one of the 7 Wonders of the World - the Taj Mahal on our own. That night, we checked in to a 3 star hotel in the heart of New Delhi city which I've booked through a tour agent in India. The place is called Hotel Pablas International, located at Karol Bagh. Just 5 minutes away from the nearest train station. And man! Is New Delhi hot or what?! The moment I step outside of my room, I start to sweat! The weather is similar to Malaysia, humid but hotter with NO WIND at all!!! My shirt was wet the whole day, like totally!

The room was quite clean and comfortable, air-conditioned and attached bathroom with hot water (which requires you to call the receptionist 15 minutes prior to showering for the water to heat up). F&B was quite reasonable. Food from 50 rupees and a 1L bottle mineral water costs 30 rupees (market price at 15 rupees only). We had 3 person in a room with additional bed, at 800 rupees per person per night.

The next morning we had breakfast at hotel (complimentary) and head off to Agra, where Taj Mahal is, for a day trip at 6 in the morning. The whole journey took approximately 6 hours! Word of advice: try taking the train, it only takes 2.5 hours from Delhi - Agra.

*Travelled from Delhi - Agra on this mini bus*

*The Taj Mahal lah....takkan tak tau? LOL!*

The Taj entrance fee is 750 rupees for foreigners which comes with a goodie bag of bottle water and shoe cover. Because this was booked through a tour agent, we had our own tour guide which explains the Taj and its surroundings in detail. Spent about 2 hours there, then we were brought to a marble handicraft shop, textile shop, lunch and back to Delhi!

*Marble handicraft in process.*

*Bought this mini Taj Mahal made from pure marble at 600 rupees. Somehow we felt cheated! :S*

*Typical North Indian cuisine known as Maharaja Thali or vegetarian thali; with naan, basmati rice, yoghurt, dhaal, palak paneer, vegetables, lentils and lassi! Costs 400 rupees, that's because I had this at a high end restaurant. Normally costs 120 rupees. North Indian cuisine are generally less spicy compared to South and Malaysian Indian food. But they are super healthy! Loads of protein and bifidus bacteria! And their lassi is thick and A-W-E-S-O-M-E! :D*

***

We checked out from Hotel Pablas on the 24th and head on to our congress venue, Hotel Radisson Blu at Dwarka Sector 13, New Delhi. Took a train to that area. The security was quite tight, luggage scanners, metal detectors and body scan was done at every entrance be it for train stations, hotels, malls and historical and attraction sites. Maybe it was due to a bomb attack in Mumbai previously.

*Security at train station*

*Our congress venue*

*Sneak peek of my room*

I don't really wanna talk about the congress in depth, after all it is just a congress. Met with a few exceptionally nice people there and would love to visit their countries should the chance come. Here are some pictures to summarize World Dental Congress 2011.

*Lecture, lecture, lecture*

*Students' paper presentation - with Indian participants Amey and Sameer*

*Namaste - with Taiwanese beauty, Hsuan Han*

*Yes! Disco party every night*

*Hungarian sweetheart - Karolina*

*Malaysian booth during Cultural Exchange Night - siap dengan iPad to show Cuti-Cuti Malaysia videos! LOL!*

*100 delegates from 20 countries*

*Super cool and nice Czech dude - Petr*

All work and no play makes William a dull boy! Haha... we sneaked out from boring agendas and went sight seeing and shopping on our own. Of course, the organizers do have tours for us too. New Delhi is quite a convenient city to travel around. Its railway is quite extensive, linking almost all major tourist sites. If it is not, then you can always opt for auto ricksaw called Tuk Tuk (yes...just like in Thailand and Indonesia which are called bajai). An unlimited day pass on train costs 150 rupees (50 rupees refundable when return card). For Tuk Tuk, price can range from 20 - 30 rupees per person, just bargain for the lowest price! According to locals, it only costs them 5 - 15 rupees. Hmmm... Maklumlah kita ni tourist..... :-/

*Tuk Tuk*

Sight seeing places in New Delhi:

*Red Fort - entrance fee: 250 rupees*

*Qutub Minar - entrance fee: 250 rupees*

*Lotus temple - seen here are Malaysians with Hongkie, Jack and Taiwanese, Erin & Hsuan Han. Entrance fee: free*

*Humayun's tomb. Entrance fee: 250 rupees*

*Indian Gate. Free entry.*

*Akshardam temple - world's largest Hindu temple. Simply amazing! Entrance fee: free*

Places to shop in New Delhi:

*Dilli Haat. Entrance fee: 20 rupees*

*Janpath market. Free entry*

*Palika bazaar. Free entry*

Now, because my birthday was at the end of the congress, my "beloved" coursemates planned a surprise birthday "party" for me. During the Cultural Exchange Night, they suddenly belted out a Happy Birthday song which caught me by surprise. I was like "Oh shit! Not now! Darn!".

But you've guessed it, everyone there sang along! Haha... talk about the world celebrates with you! XP

And they didn't just stop there! They played a prank on me by giving me a fake present which is a BLOODY 2KG DENTAL STONE!!! And oh... I've entertained them all right until they are finally satisfied and gave me the real present - a T-shirt that is printed DRAMA KING on it! =_="

Haha.... but still... I like that t-shirt. It's cool! :)

*2kg dental stone and birthday "cake" made from Rocky biscuits and dodol*

*Drama King t-shirt worn with pride*

All in all, this trip to ~~India~~ New Delhi is really an adventure with quite a lot of good and bad stuffs. But I had fun and enjoyed myself. Now what I really miss is the people I've met at IADS and the ~~clean~~ food in India! To finish off this post, here are some random pictures! :D

*Famous masala tea by the road side*

*Braving myself to drink it! Costs 5 rupees and taste like tea tarik with ginger*

*Asian room party? Or pajamas party? LOL!*

*No comments :P*

*On the way to airport from New Delhi station via Airport Express. Takes 20 minutes. Costs 80 rupees*

*We love IADS - all the way from Czech Republic*

PS: Some advice for those who plans to go to New Delhi in the future -

1. Do NOT trust anyone who offers to bring you to your desire place especially shopping centers. Because these "good hearted" people who assure you they don't need payment will bring you to shops they work with in order to gain commission! So PLEASE, if you must, ask directions from police, guards or shop keepers. And ladies are generally more trustworthy compared to Indian men.

2. Have LOTS of small change with you (1 / 2 / 5 rupees) to give to beggars that WILL DEFINITELY follow you wherever you go because you being a tourist! And they know you are generous. ;P

3. Drink bottled mineral water! 15 rupees for a liter of water. People said filtered water are safe but I've never tried them. No, not even water from hotel. :)

4. ALWAYS bargain! Food maybe no need lah. But from clothes, taxis, souvenirs and even tuk tuk are overpriced JUST because you are a tourist! Normally they will be set 10 times the normal price. So pandai-pandai lah! ;)

5. Travel in groups. Trust me, for a grown up man like me, it's scary to travel alone. People there WILL STARE AT YOU like you are E.T. or something.

6. Be firm and say no! Ladies, this is especially useful. Little girls WILL come and snatch your hands in order for them to "decorate" them with henna. Once they start drawing, it's always money! ;)

7. LEARN some Hindi for God's sake! Not everyone speaks English yet. Young people in cities are more English educated. But if you are travelling away from city, sorry.... your English will not be useful anymore.

8. If you are thinking of tipping, anything from 20 to 50 rupees is enough. Please don't be like us and pay 100 rupees (it's only RM7 after all) to a hotel staff and realized how much 100 rupees is worth later! LOL! You can have 2 meals on the street for 100 rupees and get a quality shawl at 200 rupees. So you do the maths.

S-O-L-O

2011-06-16T17:41:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday during Wesak International Film Festival at Malaysian Tourism Centre, Kuala Lumpur, I had had my first solo performance with the i.gemz! I belted out my "signature dish" (so said Brother Nee Sern. LOL!) song which is My Beautiful Friend with a twist! I hyped it up by increasing the tempo. Hehe...

i.gemz did 6 songs that day and mine was second in line. When it was my turn, I was so nervous! After the first verse, I was totally BLANK! I forgotten all the lyrics! My brain just can't think! And I started mumbling..... I was like SHIT! And stopped............

*Bro Nee Sern's guitar kept playing*

*But I couldn't continue*

"I'm sorry... can we start again? It's my first time and I'm so nervous" I said and jumped a bit to shake off the nervousness. At that moment, I was SOOOOOO tempted to go backstage and get the lyrics out! Luckily the audience was forgiving and I saw my friends giving me support from afar....

*Bro Nee Sern replay the music on his guitar*

I sang the first verse again.... came the second and........

I managed to calm down and continue singing till the end. I wouldn't say it was perfect. There were a few wrong lyrics and a moment of pitching but luckily the whole song was delivered that day! Haha..... All the while I was focusing on my friends and that managed to calm me down a bit! LOL!

It WAS embarassing! Definitely! But it was also an experience not to forget! From today onwards, I will MAKE sure I will memorise the lyrics inside out before any performances! I guess I took things for granted. :P But yes...... I learn my lesson! Haha..... I did received compliments however. So it some sort of compensated. :P

I sooooooo wanna watch my performance! But too bad, no one took a video of it. :( If not, it would be something to be cherished for good. Oh well! :D

PS: Pictures were also rare. But here are a few:

Taming the Lion (City)

2011-06-16T17:00:00.001+08:00

This week was GREAT fun! Actually it was more than that, it was AWESOME! Went down south to Singapore for 3 days for an annual dental students interaction event called MU-NUS! This is actually a friendly games between Malaya University and National University of Singapore. But then again, the games don't matter, it's the holiday in Singapore that is! Haha...... It was also my second time participating in this event.

Singapore has many great attraction sites. Because I've been there before in year 2009 (read here), this year, I opt to go to different places, other than those I've been to last 2 years. This actually gave the Singaporeans a hard time as there are basically 2 groups: fresh, new comers who never visited Singapore before; and me with a few others, old timers. So, throughout the 3 days, our trips were separated into groups that brought us around to our customized trips!

It was very enjoyable. I covered new places like the Marina Bay Sands casino, Marina Barrage, Geylang, Vivo City Mall, Eco trails and Clarke Quay. It's ~~boring~~ difficult to tell all the awesomeness in words. Let the pictures do the talking shall we? :D

All these may not be possible if not for the ever so friendly and fun NUS dental friends of mine! There are really cool people! They have again gave me a wonderful experience at Singapore! Thanks guys! You all are the best! :D

1st performance as an i.gemer!

2011-06-07T20:58:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday, I went on stage to perform for the very 1st time as a member of the i.gemz at the 2011 Selangor State Wesak Celebration! It was kinda nerve wreaking and I don't know why! I mean.... stage performance was not something I am new to. Maybe it was the expectation of the fellow Buddhist audience on i.gemz freshies on how good are they in singing? I mean.... naturally people would like to know what's in us that makes the cut! What made us got in to the group of the leading English singing Buddhist group! So, maybe that's why I felt kinda nervous when performing that day. Whatever it is, it's done! I am happy for the experience. I can't comment much because I was positioned as the side, so the microphone monitor was unheard of. Hence, I can't hear my own voice! So I don't know how I sang. >.<
However, here's a video recorded by one of our member's wife. Enjoy! :D

To end the post, here's a picture of the i.gemers that perform that day!

PS: Next i.gemz performance will be this Saturday, 11th of June 2011 at 1.30pm at the Wesak International Film Festival. Venue: Malaysia Tourism Center, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur. Catch me there if you are free! I will be singing a song solo! ;)

Animals in my mouth

2011-06-04T15:20:00.000+08:00

INTRODUCING...................

*drum rolls*

*spotlights twirling*

*dum dum.... chaaaaaannnngggggggg*

The animals that stayed in my mouth!!!

First, it was Miss Fox. But she was too loose. She stayed for 1.5 months.

Then came Mr Kangaroo. Sadly, he was too tight. He left after a month.

Finally, Mr Bear! He was just nice. Actually I prefer Mr Kangaroo cause my teeth will achieve the desire results faster, but I've been warned of permanent root resorption by my orthodontist! >.<

Oh, Mr Bear was only needed for 1.5 months too! :)

In case you are wondering what the hell was I saying above. And what the heck are those animals doing there. Well, those are elastic bands that help retract my front teeth to an ideal 2mm gap (technical term called overjet) when measured with teeth clenched together from lower incisors to upper incisors.

Now, the real dilemma of this post is........... what do I do with them, the happy family? I don't wanna throw them away cause it's still a full pack of them remaining! Can I return them? Hmmm...... Anybody wants them?

Oh... and I've got these left too...

They are called interdental brushes! It's to clean those gaps in between your teeth! Very useful to clean in and around your braces! It's RM2.20 per piece. I've got 5 left. That's RM11 worth! Wonder if I can sell it back to my faculty? Hehehe.....

Can someone tell me what I can do with these things??? Any takers? :P

PS: Don't worry bout cleanliness. I am a clean freak myself! :D

Embrace the braces-no-more!

2011-06-02T17:30:00.000+08:00

Last Monday, 30th May 2011, marked a historic moment (in my life calendar)! Ok...it wasn't that important anyway. But here goes.......................................................I TOOK OFF MY BRACES!!! Gigi aku dipagar no more!!!! LOL!!! :D :D :D

I wore that dreaded thing for 14 months and it's finally been taken off! You do NOT know how bad I want that thing off! Not only do I need to brush after every meals. my teeth tend to stain more often too! Luckily I have access to the dental chair almost every day and have a partner who is practicing to be a dentist too. She helps me scale my teeth whenever the need arises. Of course, provided I can curi a few minutes of spare time lah. Hahaha!!!

Even though my braces are off now, I can't help but to continue brushing my teeth after every meal before putting on the retainers! Sememangnya a dentist kan? LOL! The first 2 days of wearing the retainers were HELL! Oh, and I need to wear them for 24 hours a day except when eating. I almost cried!!! Literally cried because the pain was so bad! If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you probably read posts on how I hated and regretted putting on braces! Both during and after treatment! Call me ungrateful. But my advice to others who wanna do this, PLEASE think twice! IF you are happy with your current teeth alignment (which is mild and not too bad), FORGET about braces! Why the pain and extra expenses?! It's not cheap ya know! Having it done in a private clinic can easily cost you RM5000 - RM7000! I'm different case lah..... I am a dental student, so I only need to pay a fraction of the amount which is RM750. Still............ if the need is not there, it is therefore NOT NECESSARY! Yes, my teeth are straight now. Yes, I have a more beautiful smile now. But do you know there is a LOT of complications of an orthodontic treatment (alignment of teeth, for layman)??? High chances of caries, that's one. Permanent root resorption, "gummy" smile, yellowish teeth, gum recession are a few others!

Ok..... I shouldn't have said too much or else orthodontists out there will kill me for breaking the "rice bowl". LOL! Like the saying goes, "No pain, no gain!". Or "Beauty comes with a price"! Damn right, I would say!!!

Well, at least the pain is slowly going away now. Thank God! I am just counting the days to get the green light from my orthodontist to stop using my retainers. That's what I do ever since I put braces on, counting the days.................... counting and counting and counting and counting............................. :P

~My Vacuum Formed Retainers (VFR)~

~The after photo (with retainers on)~

i.Gemz, it's OFFICIAL!

2011-05-26T23:33:00.001+08:00

Went for my first ever i.Gemz practice today at BGF. We will be doing 2 songs for the upcoming Majlis Sambutan Hari Wesak 2011 Peringkat Negeri Selangor which will be held at Bangunan SSAAS Shah Alam on the 5th of June! Of course as new comer, I don't get to do lead (yet). Haha.... so was assigned as supporting singers for the existing lead. :) The songs that we will be doing are i.Gemz's signature songs it seems, which are Dharma Shines In Me and Breathing In, Breathing Out. Everything went A-Oh-Kay just now.... We got the melody and assigned parts pretty well. Except for me, there's one part that I keep on getting confused as I have to hit the low notes. But I'm learning... I'm learning.... :)

Oh! And yes, like the title of this post has mentioned, I am now part of i.Gemz! It's OFFICIAL! *grins* They gave a welcome "speech" right before we left. Haha..... How...erm? Surprising? LOL! :P :P :P

If you are up or near Shah Alam on that day, do come support us! It's free by the way. Event starts at 9pm. See you if I see you! ;)

400 feet above ground

2011-05-22T00:40:00.001+08:00

I did something fun today! *grins* Went with 2 other friends to Pulau Indah, Port Klang for an afternoon of paramotor flight! If you don't know what paramotor is, it's actually similar to parasailing where there'll be a parachute behind you but this doesn't involve any boats. Instead, you are seated on a chair-thingy which is being mounted with a HUGE fan! It relies solely on the force of the fan to push you up to the sky. Can't imagine it? All right here's a pic:

Ran by a company called Air Venture, this flight actually costs RM150. But I bought it at a discounted price from Groupsmore.com at 50% off! To be honest, I wouldn't have went if it wasn't for the half price. Cause the whole thing only lasts approximately 10 to 15 minutes. RM150 for 10 - 15 minutes? You do the math! LOL!! XD

Overall it was not bad, really. I mean, it's not all thrilling and scary. In fact, I find it very relaxing! Luckily it rained before we came and the sun wasn't completely out yet. So it wasn't blazing hot when we are up in the sky. Mild wind, beautiful view of the Malacca straits, ships, fishermen, and mangrove forests make it a really enjoyable ride!

I would rate it as good if it wasn't for the ever-so-confusing-and-very-high-tendency-to-get-lost-route to reach the take off site!!!!!!!!!!!!! We took an HOUR to find that bloody place and asked about 10 people for directions! The worse thing is, when I called up the management to ask for directions, they just asked me to look at the map! I was totally speechless.... I mean, yessssss........ it's difficult to describe it over the phone because the roads are really secluded and confusing! AT LEAST make a better map with more details on it! I am not sure if it was my problem with the map or it's the map that was just too vague? I prefer to think the latter, thank you very much. :P

We road there was a very bumpy one! I felt like I'm in a kangaroo pouch! No joke! And my car was a total mess when we reached. Muddy....... T_T

To (not) make things better, the whole field was full with bull shits! Literally, bull (and cow) shits! =____="""

According to the villagers there, the roads are not completed yet. So getting there IS difficult and yes, my GPS doesn't register the place too. So, if you are thinking of going, please go early and READ THE MAP PROPERLY beforehand! To find out more about this activity, go check out their website at www.airventure.biz

Some pics for your entertainment. Enjoy! :D :

Oh! There's a self recorded video too at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150609200350413&comments

Self updates as on 19/05/2011

2011-05-19T12:49:00.000+08:00

It was a 4 months hiatus this time... >.< Wow! I realized the older you get (in academic years that is), the less time you have for yourself...

As of today, I had had completed Year 3 of my dental course, which brings down to 2 more years to go! I admit, it's not a bed of roses when I was in Year 3. Handling patients was a challenge, bombarded with constant pressure by lecturers, rushing requirements, competency tests, lab works and my typical day ends at 6pm. Not to mention the need to revise and prepare for exams when those dreaded papers are near. Well........ I have to say that I need to get used to this kind of life as the next academic years will be far worse, or so said my seniors! Sigh....

Well, anyway, boring things aside, I had had many things happened during the last semester. I realized I haven't blog about my drama competition this year! Quite unfortunately this time, we didn't win nor we got any placing. The reason? Hmm.... I guess the story line was a little poor this time. And we made a mistake, we left a gap at the back stage and audience had had a good view on what's happening back there and laughed when they are not supposed to be. But I had fun! I played 5 characters this time! LOL! Yeah I know..... but 3 of them are really minor roles. Not to worry, I swear, next year..... we'll be on top of the list again! A wounded tiger, is the fiercest tiger! And I am soooooooooooo gonna act again for ONE LAST TIME! *eyes shining*

*Theater: Naskah Buat Kekasih; Role #1: Saudagar Abas*

I have been very active in religion nowadays. Ok.... very active is an overstatement. Let's just say I am active. Yes.... I am affiliated to Buddhist Gem Fellowship (BGF) ever since I joined INCOVAR Dhamma Camp in 2009. Recently, I went for an audition to be a part of an elite English speaking Buddhist singing group in Malaysia! They are called the i.Gemz which is under BGF. And has had 2 albums produced already. Their songs are fresh, young and modern. Their mission is simple, spreading the Buddha's teaching through inspirations of music and songs. So..... I went for the audition (one day before my final exams! Crap. LOL!) and...... they liked me! They love me voice! :D And I was asked to join their practices now and maybe will do a debut performance during the Selangor state level Wesak Celebration on 5th June 2011! I would like to say that I am part of them now, but according to them, I am just shortlisted wor..... when will they confirm me? I do not know. Hopefully soon! I love singing and having a chance to record singles excites me! :P

Besides that, am pretty active in sports the last semester too. But no.... not during my exam period. Had a lot of fat storage going on *holds spare tire and starts cursing*. I need to lose them A.S.A.P.!!! >.< Cause I've got lots of plan going on the break which requires me to look good! :P :P :P
Joined an inter-college swimming competition held by my university. First time participating.... didn't get myself any medals. But it was good experience! And swimming is a competition is both tiring AND stressful! Haha.. :) Still in the university's Taekwondo team. Got elected as Treasurer (again). I really wanna quit as I have a lot of things in my mind and I know next year will get worse. But....who knows.... hopefully I can find time doing what I enjoy doing and not just facing books all the while. I need a life man! XP

Currently having a 4-months holiday break! I know..... it's damn long right? Usually we will get only 2 months. But apparently, the Malaysian government wants to synchronize Malaysian public universities academic schedule with those overseas, especially the West, in order to attract more foreign students to our local uni. Which means, I will graduate 4 months later! ARGH! Then again..... I think I should enjoy this break and yes! Blog I shall........ :D

Project-κ 21: Dry Bak Kut Teh @ Terminal 2

2011-01-02T11:20:00.000+08:00

Seremban may not be so famous for its Bak Kut Teh as it is, after all, usually associated with Klang! However, this restaurant called "Restoran Bak Kut Teh Fei Chan" at Terminal 2, Seremban offers a new twist to the traditional bak kut teh! They have DRY bak kut teh and other signature dishes! Now, now.... dry bak kut teh isn't something totally new! Klang apparently had this for centuries (exaggeration here)! And so, to find this in Seremban is really my first. Hence, the need to recommend this place not only to tourists but locals alike!

Besides the said traditional bak kut teh (that is meat in soup) and the dry version, they also have a couple of dishes which are worth mentioning and highly recommended by me! One of it, which is my family's favourite, is the Spicy Burning Meat (for bao yok). I wouldn't elaborate the traditional bak kut teh as seen below as I believe everyone would have known how bak kut teh tastes like. Strong and flavourful with herbs which is perfect to be eaten during these cold monsoon seasons at night! It literally warms you up! :D

The dry bak kut teh..... didn't taste as what I would expect it to be! Haha.... when I heard of the word DRY bak kut teh, what I had in mind was meat (and other common bak kut teh ingredients) being stir fried till all the herbal essence being infused into the ingredients, dry or in thick herbal gravy. Try to imagine the traditional bak kut teh being slow boiled till dry so that the meat in it locks in all the herbal goodness! (OMG! My saliva is drooling!) Hahaha..... :P

But Fei Chan's version was somewhat similar to braised fried pork (char cu yok). Stir fried in onions, dried chillies and ladyfingers. The half fatty and skinny pork chunks are tender and flavourful to taste! It was not bad..... like I said, a change to the traditional type. Worth trying!

Now, the highlight would be the Spicy Burning Meat! I love this! My family love this! We all love this! LOL!!! Pork slices being stir fried with LOTS of dried chillies, bird's eye chillies (cili padi), dried shrimps and salted fish. Then topped with onion slices and onion leaves! It tastes really really good! This is highly recommended! Seriously! Don't be afraid because of the name of this dish... it won't burn your tongue off! I mean.... it's not THAT hot! But hot enough to keep you perspiring and mucus running from your nose throughout the whole meal till you find yourself an air-cond to cool you down! Hahaha.... But really..... it's good! :P

Of course, like any restaurant in their right mind, they do serve greeny vegetables stir fried to your liking and also yau char guai too. Below is a sample of vegetables (bo lei sang choy) I ordered just to complete the healthy balance diet! :)

Also, this restaurant serves Chicken in Rice Wine, Chicken in Hua Tiao Wine, Braised Trotters in Vinegar, and Sauna Bak Kut Teh (recommended by chef) which I have YET to taste them!

Restoran Bak Kut Teh Fei Chan

31-G, Jalan Era Square 3,

Era Square, Seremban,

70200 Negeri Sembilan.

Tel. no.: 010-2799972

Business hour: 11am - 3pm; 6pm - 10pm

Opens everyday EXCEPT Monday

Embracing the first sunlight of the year...

2011-01-01T18:09:00.002+08:00

It's 2011! It's a new year! *shit*...

Anyway, while almost everyone was out in various locations around Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya for countdown, I was trying to sleep early (at 10pm) on New Year's Eve as today, we woke up at 3.30am to go for a hike at the infamous Broga Hill in Semenyih as we wanted to do "something new" and "different" way to start the New Year!

We start to move out - convoy style! - at 4.15am after picking up everyone, to this alien place. NONE of us knew where the place was! Thank goodness for GPS! Hahaha... Broga hill is situated near University of Nottingham at Semenyih. It's hard to describe the directions, but here are maps from blogs I referred to. (A & B)

We reached at around 5.30am with constant slowing down and waiting for each other at every toll gates. It was pitch dark once we were there! (Note: PLEASE bring torchlights! Each and everyone of you should have one!) We were so lost at the parking area (which is an oil palm estate) initially as there were no signs where the heck should we start hiking Broga hill! So, we waited and followed the crowd! LOL!

Surprisingly, we are not the only one who wanted to start year 2011 in a "new and different way"! Just as we parked our cars, there are 5 to 6 more cars coming to the exact spot! This place IS kinda popular!

Initially the roads were kinda flat and was an easy stroll up ahead. Saw a sign that states "Broga Hill - 1.8km" and "Gunung Tok Wan - 4.2km" and we knew we were on the right track! All hell broke loss once we passed by a run-down, very basic stall with a banner that says "Jalan Murah" (I am pretty sure they meant "JUalan Murah"! Hahaha...) or it DOES literally mean that the paths uphill is cheap! Well, no doubt bout that! It IS! X_X

The paths are mud trails! Uneven surfaces, holes and craters everywhere, some really narrow walk, jungle path and finally a rocky, barren STEEP ascend to the peak! AND I WAS WEARING SKIN-TIGHT JEANS AND SLIPPERS!!! FML! Imagine the difficulty in doing so! There were a few instances that I nearly slipped! (So note: Wear APPROPRIATELY! Shoes DEFINITELY - old ones if possible! Put ALL items in a bag pack, do NOT hand carry! You won't have enough hands to grip for support!)

We reached the peak of Broga hill at around 6.30am ~ roughly about an hour hike! It was STILL pitch dark... :/

And considering there was no sunlight yet, you BET, it was FREEZING cold!!! Imagine your sweat drenched shirts and windy breeze blowing at 60kmph (ok...I'm exaggerating), I can literally feel my bones shaking! NO JOKE!

While waiting for sunrise, (some of us as usual), shiok sendiri lah! Taking out camera and snapping everyone and everything eventhough they know they can't see anything but themselves in a black surrounding! =.="
Oh....and I start munching brought breads to warm up my body! Brrrrrrr~~~ (Note: BRING SWEATER along!)

Mr. Sunrise finally came at around 7am! With a pathetic white streak of lights....

Then at about 7.30am, everything starts to be visible as the day starts to brighten up! Mr. Sunrise can be fully seen by then! *grins* :)

~This was my best photo for the day!~

After MORE shiok sendiri-ness, we finally had enough and descended down at around 7.45am and step down on base at about 8.30am! Almost everyone was tired.... and I had to go pee! Got scolded by the car park attendant because apparently we were parked IN THE MIDDLE of the main road! Hahaha.... didn't know mah~~~ First time ok! Got space mai park lor! LOL! I pretended to be dumb and my coursemate, Mildred settled with her... :P

Dashed to the nearest petrol station, "let go of the water in my tangki (full tank wei~)", found a random restaurant in Kajang, had breakfast and headed back to UM for shower and ZZzzzzZZZzzzzZZzz......

AND THAT is how we do it! HAPPY NEW YEAR guys!!! :D

DermaGenesis: My Experience - Part 3

2010-12-17T09:46:00.000+08:00

Part 3

29 Jan., 09

I was actually looking forward for my 3^rd treatment which is IPL. Cause the doctor promised me a pain free, downtime free and fast session. But he lied….IPL does hurt (a bit). So you see, none of my treatments are actually pain free! It just gets less painful each time but still there’s pain in every session. Sigh…..

Anyway, IPL was fast. It only took like 20 minutes? And you are up and away doing your everyday stuff (like normal). The process include the usual face washing and then my face was being shot with (like said) intense pulse lights which finally was ice gelled. Each shot smells like something burning. I don’t know how to explain it, but at every shot, you will be able to smell as if your skin was being burnt at that very spot it was shot. The pain was there, like I said, pin point….but thank goodness it was brief. Like mili of a second. But enough to make you jump at each shot. Sigh….the price of vanity sure is painful. But what to do? It’s a beauty eat ugly world out there!

-The laser machine- :-O

***********

So, this is basically what I've been through for sake of a more beautiful skin on my face! I hope to say that it takes only 7 treatments to get to the skin I have now...... but the truth is, after this treatment plan, I had had underwent an additional 3 more Fraxal and 1 IPL. The results weren't immediate! I was at first wasn't as satisfied as I thought I would be......

But.....after more than half a year, my skin improves significantly! Apparently, the effect of laser and light therapy doesn't produce immediate effect! You have to wait at least 3 - 6 months to see the real results! Well.... this was actually being said in some articles...so I don't know but I think it's true for me! :)

So, yes.... so I would highly recommend people to go for such treatments and not being conned by expensive, non-scientifically proven, and dangerous beauty centers! Trust me....they do nothing but harm to your skin! Experience speaks for himself!!!

Project-κ 20 : Pork Belly Noodles (Chu Lam Fun)

2010-12-16T14:38:00.000+08:00

Seremban beef noodle is no stranger to anyone now. Come Seremban, the few first things that a local will recommend would be the beef noodle itself, located at Seremban Wet Market. Recently, there's this restaurant made a few adjustment to the famous beef noodle by catering it to the non-beef eater, like me! What they are selling is somewhat similar to Sin Yee Kee's signature dish, only that they replace beef slices with pork belly slices! And beef balls, with pork balls....

The reason why I choose to blog about this place is not because it is exceptionally tasty (it's not bad I would say)...... but I find it to be kinda special... I mean, why in the world it takes people SO LONG to come out with a pork version beef noodle???!!! Padahal, it's just replacing those miserable slices of red meat! >.<

Anyway....... The place is located at Jalan Rahang Kecil, opposite Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Seremban. Right after the traffic lights (if you are coming from Bukit Blossom or Taman SEA) at the flyover, take an immediate left and it's there! The restaurant reads, "Restaurant Hing Hoi", with a big, bright yellow signage.

There are quite a few other dishes being sold there like Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken rice, Chicken Chop, Century egg porridge; but the only things worth mentioning are its Pork Belly Noodles (Chu Lam Fun) and Paper wrapped chickens (Chi Bao Gai).

Priced at RM4.50 per bowl, its Chu Lam Fun is not bad, really. Just like the beef noodle, it has the usual fried preserved vegetables (char choy), sesame seeds, peanuts and thick gravy! Tastewise, I can't compare to the beef noodle because I don't take beef (remember?). Though not very generous with the pork, the tenderness and flavourful slices made up for it. By looking at the picture, it doesn't look appetising right? Yeah I know.... the cook could have spend some time on presentation! LOL! But it tastes better than it look. You should try it... just for the sake of the owner coming up with this idea! Hahaha.....

Paper wrapped chicken (Chi Bao Gai) is sold at RM3 each! I find it rather pricey. But its their signature dish! The chicken is wrapped in a piece of paper (yes! literally!) and deep fried! So, you've got to tear the paper before eating the chicken. The chicken is less oily if cooked this way. The juiciness of the chicken is retained but the only messy part is tearing off the oily piece of paper.... Of course, this is a favourite among lots of children! :)
I didn't order it this time because I don't feel like eating oily stuff then.....

The place was kinda crowded initially when it opens. But yesterday when I went there, it looks rather quiet. I am not sure why..... maybe it's because of the service... I was shocked when a customer shouted at the waiter for showing attitude when he was short changed. I don't know who is right or who is wrong.... but it wasn't a pleasant sight.... lots of tension I tell ya!
Sometimes, good food but bad service would make a horrible experience.

But for me..... it's OK lar~~~

Nokia N8: A Review (not by me) :P

2010-12-15T11:02:00.002+08:00

Now, my friend, Fong Kin Man has been ~~pestering~~ asking me to review on my new phone, the Nokia N8 as he was curious to know more about it; and maybe it's because of my crude honesty that he knows I won't be blowing trumpets or bull shits! Whatever it is, I wanna tell him that "Fong, no matter how crude I am, I just can't review a gizmo!! The technical terms just kills me! I would love to be a tech junkie but somehow it's not my calling and I need time to learn.... :P"

But anyhow, I've found a great review about the Nokia N8 on the web! The blogger, Alvin was at first sceptical and totally hates the N8 if compared to his favourite iPhone 4! Somehow, during the product review period, he changes his mind about the N8 after all. Read on fellow followers! This is to you, Fong! :)

*************

Nokia N8: I want one after all

by Alvin

My #N8Productions entry isn’t near completion yet. Yes, I should probably hurry – the N8 goes back on Thursday and I won’t be able to create any more content. And truth be told, I’m going to be rather sad when I hand the package back to the DHL guy. I know I’ve changed my mind about the N8, and all my gripes about it not feeling fresh and lacking any major improvements in user experience don’t really matter after all, at least out in the real world.

Frankly, the N8 is aimed at a different audience as opposed to the iPhone or the dizzying array of Android devices out there. And that’s perfectly fine. Smartphones don’t all have to cater to the people who’d be likely to choose an iPhone over anything else. To put it simply, I cannot imagine anyone switching from an iPhone to the N8, and neither can I envision the N8 winning over a single iPhone user out there. And the reason for that is simple. While the N8 remains lacking in terms of user interface polish, ease-of-use, pretty apps and cohesive, integrated user experience, the iPhone remains equally lacking in terms of imaging prowess, advanced features, customizability and even versatility as a converged device. In my opinion, the main reason why the N8 has been slammed so much by certain US-based established blogs (cough, cough…) is because the reviewers contributing to those blogs have no understanding of who the N8 is aimed at, or even the reasons why folks continue to buy Symbian devices when there are, in their opinion, much better choices out there. Furthermore, most of those reviewers would be using iPhones to begin with, leading to them declaring that the N8 is a shit phone simply because it has zero similarities when compared with their favourite fruity device.

No device is ever perfect. I admit I haven’t ever met a disappointed iPhone user, but I could find tons of reasons why the iPhone is a shit phone if I really wanted to. I still stand by my statements in my impressions post that the N8 does need a revolution in the form of a fresh new user interface focused on ease-of-use and a less head-scratching, more enjoyable user experience, but it would be wrong to dismiss the N8 merely on those grounds. The N8 has the potential to be one amazing device. It’s completely amazed me over the past few days. You’ve just got to look past the user interface, at least for now. Maybe it won’t be such a big deal when you consider the fact that:

1. Not every smartphone has to emulate the iPhone

2. In the real world, user interface and user experience isn’t such a big deal for most people

3. It is possible to get used to various user interfaces, even the most clunky and quirky examples around

With that in mind, the N8 doesn’t look so bad after all. For starters, its imaging capabilities are beyond praise. It is, without a doubt, the best cameraphone that money can buy today. Image quality in just about every situation is nothing short of superb, and its low-light performance is miles ahead of any other cameraphone. The N8′s camera has stunned me time and again with what it could achieve in the couple of photoshoots I did with it in Melaka and by the Singapore River, and I couldn’t possibly imagine myself ever needing a dedicated compact camera if the N8 served as my everyday phone. I know this paragraph is beginning to sound like an advertisement, but I can’t help it. The N8 is simply amazing in this regard.

So the camera app could do with a complete user interface revamp, but when I was out taking photos the user interface didn’t bother me in the least. I daresay it won’t really bother you either. You’ll be too pleased with your results to really nitpick about how menu options in the camera app still require double-tapping.

Another aspect of the N8 that really struck me was how versatile it is as a smartphone. The built-in USB Host functionality allows for the connection of standard USB peripherals such as flash drives and mice and keyboards through an adapter connected to the microUSB port on the device. What other device, apart from the N8 and its sister Symbian^3 devices, can you think of that comes with this feature? Of course, the fly in the ointment here is that an adapter(included in the N8′s package, by the way) is required for this to work, but it’s undeniably cool and might even have some rather valid real-world applications. Just the other day, I plugged my flash drive into the USB input on my DVD player with the intention of playing a movie off it, but apparently the movie’s file format was not supported by the player. No issue at all – out comes the N8, a TV-out cable and the USB Host adapter, and the N8 played through the full 120-minute long movie successfully and even had 50% battery left at the end of it all. N8 1, DVD Player 0.

It’s not just USB Host that’s worth having around – the N8 also has a built-in FM transmitter that became tremendously useful during the drive up to Melaka. No radio stations? No CD collection in the car? Loads of music in the N8 that you’d like to play wirelessly over the car stereo? No problem – the FM transmitter worked perfectly with the N8 providing hours and hours of aural enjoyment during the drive. Your friend’s iPhone couldn’t possibly do that without an add-on accessory that costs extra.

When you consider these 2 features on the Nokia N8 alongside true multitasking, filesystem access, microSD expansion on top of 16GB of internal memory, support for Bluetooth keyboards and mice, unrestricted sideloading of apps, support for Bluetooth file transfers, built-in 3G videocalling, themes, profiles and support for both HD and SD TV-out through HDMI and the 3.5mm jack respectively, the N8 appears to be almost a computer in your pocket; not just a mere smartphone that excels in just a few specific areas. The N8 is a fine example of a truly versatile, converged device, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it having a slightly greater learning curve when it packs in so much more functionality than more user-friendly but also more limited alternatives. I mean, folks can learn, can’t they?

I mentioned all the other positives of the N8 in my impressions post, so I won’t run through them again here. It’s true that the N8 does have several flaws and foibles, but almost all of them are software-based and might be fixed eventually. New Symbian is supposed to iterate and evolve much faster than before, so I’ve got renewed hope regarding the future relevance of the platform. In many ways, New Symbian on the N8 is a stepping stone to the true revolution; it’s something to keep existing users happy and solve the problems that plagued S60v5. Since it’s a mere starting point towards what’s to come, all the clunkiness of the current, legacy user interface can be forgiven, somewhat. Furthermore, Nokia resuming complete control over Symbian development can only be a positive sign; ditto for the focus around QT as a platform for app development. And the N8 will definitely benefit from all these efforts together with its sister New Symbian devices. Regarding the few hardware flaws, the only one that really stands out is the lack of a lens cover. Nokia has justified this omission numerous times through its PR channels but constantly wiping the N8′s Carl Zeiss lens on my shirt before taking a shot sort of gets old after a while. And of course, many would have loved to see a removable battery. However, the N8′s stamina is definitely commendable – it lasted 2 days with moderate use for me. I just wish the microUSB port weren’t so awkwardly placed.

Would I recommend the N8? Yes, definitely, to anyone who wants the most cutting-edge Symbian smartphone available today, or wants stellar camera performance both for stills and video, or wants a device that isn’t arbitrarily limited in terms of raw functionality and capabilities. Do I want one? Ohh yes. Unfortunately, I have to admit I’m loving the N8 – it isn’t the sleekest or slickest device around but it does everything I could possibly want my smartphone to do and does it without fuss. Now that there is a solution available to allow for the reinstallation of the Ovi Store client after a hard-reset, it isn’t really an issue for me anymore. This issue shouldn’t have occurred in the first place, but as long as there’s a workaround, all is good.

While typing my impressions post, I felt rather sad that my expectations of its user experience hadn’t really been met and I was feeling completely bored with it. As I type the last words of this post, I’m still feeling rather sad. The N8 has to go back to WOMWorld/Nokia this Thursday. Oh boy. I’ll really miss this device.

I want a N8. In orange. Please?

See the results of the Melaka and Singapore River photoshoots over on my Flickr page here and here.

Thanks to WOMWorld/Nokia for hooking me up with a #N8Productions pack and giving me the opportunity to participate in an exciting competition and blog about an excellent phone, all at the same time.

More great reviews on mobile phones are available here at: http://phonecentral.wordpress.com/

DermaGenesis: My Experience - Part 2

2010-12-14T11:00:00.000+08:00

Part 2

11 Jan., 09

I really couldn’t tell how long the subcission’s downtime took. I think it was about 7 days cause I really can’t tell if it was the redness of the needle point made or was it my old scars. All I knew, it was way better now since the horrible 1^st day of subcission made on my face.

Anyway, today is my 2^nd session – Fraxel laser. Before starting, the assistant washed my face twice with a mild cleanser and gently ~ ~ ~ very….gently dabbed it all away. It was so good I tell you….felt almost like a baby touching my face. Soft and gentle…..aaaaahhhhhh……

Ok…so…as I was saying…got washed, dabbed and in came the doctor. He was in his jolly mood as usual. We shake hands, “how are you? I’m fine” for awhile and then on with the treatment. Now, the word “laser” probably is quite scary to some of you. I don’t know….I personally think that laser sounds cool but after going for it, I beg to differ my opinion. The doctor did a few test shot on the side of my jaw (just to see how I react)…….you know what….I don’t know what’s needles are to my skin cause EVERYTIME (oklah…it’s only the 2^nd time) I go for treatment I keep getting the “needle sensation”, if you know what I mean. The laser felt HOOOOOOOTTTTT!!!! It was as though I was shot by countless burning, red hot needles on my face! Now, I’m not exaggerating. It’s true! Perhaps I had a low pain threshold, I don’t know but the laser hurts! Well…..it’s still bearable though. I didn’t start shouting and crying on the “operation bed” (that’s what I called the bed I’m lying on….just to give a little “advanced” feeling to it). Imagine a tiny machine gun that was fired in a straight line and each shot, probably, 10 – 20 burning needles were sent to your skin. It was exactly how this felt. The doctor did half of my face 1^st, then smeared ice cold gel on the area. It was instant relieve man! You know…it’s like going for a 10km run and the very first thing you were given was ice cold water. It’s bliss at that moment! And so the doctor did the second half of my face, put ice gel over it and done. The whole session took bout half an hour. Then, I was left in the room for like 10 minutes with more ice cold gels to cool down my burning skin and was “discharged” from the “operation theatre”. And oh, I was advised by the doctor to use nothing but just moisturizer, sun-block and mild cleanser for the next 5 days.

Now, comes the climax….looking into the mirror. I closed my eyes, stepped in front of one….take a DEEP breath…slowly, open my eyes and……………………………………

…….

….Ok….it was not that bad. My face was fine. No bleeding, no scars, not distorted…..it was just a little redder than usual. But really….there was no change on my face at all besides the burning sensation that still lingers. So, I made a deep sigh of relieve. Thank God. But I warn myself to not be so happy yet! I was told it will form scabs on my face tomorrow. And now…my heart is beating so fast every time I think on how I will look the next morning. Just hope I will be fine. God! PLEASE…..make me look fine tomorrow. If there are going to be scabs, PLEASE make it look not obvious. PLEASE…….*counting the hours for the next day light* Worse to worse…..I’ll have to skip class tomorrow. And this is the price to pay for beauty. Sigh…..

13 Jan., 09

Take a fine sand paper and feel it. Well, that’s exactly how my skin on my face is right now. Ok, it’s the 2^nd day after my Fraxel. So far, there’s nothing UGLY bout my skin. No obvious raised bumps, no redness, no pimples, no scars. The only thing that concerns me is just the roughness of my skin. I was told by the doctor that I will develop scabs throughout my face and that scared the shit out of me. During the last 2 days, I was so nervous on how I look that I couldn’t even sleep well and the 1^st thing that I do when I woke up was to look into the mirror. Hey…I’m not being vain ok. It’s just that…..try to imagine lah…..how would you feel if there’s something seriously wrong with your face and it doesn’t look natural? My classes were commencing throughout the week! I can’t be looking like…..I don’t know…..ugly, maybe, in front of my whole course mates, lecturers and college mates! It would be very traumatic. SO…..THANK GOD that my face looks fine. Under bright light, there’s nothing wrong with my face. So, the doctor was right…there wasn’t any downtime. But if you notice it very veeeeerrrrryyyyyy closely, you probably can see many tiny-weeny “goosepimples” on my face. I can’t really see it but the friend who knew I went for face treatment said he can see them. Not only when I told him to look very closely and under lighting that contrast my skin tone to my surroundings. So, it’s not noticeable really. Well…..not sure till when will this roughness lingers. All I hope it will turn smooth soon and applying oil (I used “Bio-Oil” instead of moisturizers to give it a little more boost on moisture) on my face doesn’t really look….nice…..cause it’s oily. I even get comments like “why are you sweating?” and I shy away and smiled….”hehe…cause it’s hot! Phew…*takes out handkerchief and dab unseen sweats*”

DermaGenesis: My Experience - Part 1

2010-12-11T13:14:00.001+08:00

Now, I've written this post years ago but never had the courage to publish it until now! It is my experience of a journey to beautify my skin (not that it is super beautiful now! But better lah...) at DermaGenesis (now known as Skin Club @ Menara Hap Seng, Kuala Lumpur). Rather than it being chucked and occupying my laptop's hard disc space, I think it is better for me to share it to all of you..... Enjoy! And please... don't squeal! :P

Disclaimer: "DermaGenesis: My Experience" will be broken up into 3 parts and was written few years back. If you found out any disturbing personalities that may or may not depict the current me, please ignore, as it was written in ignorance. And cherish the present, better me! :D *wink*

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Part 1

27 Dec., 08

I am a person who likes the finer things in life and looking better is not an option, it is a must. And I can tell you that I am fed up with the way my skin looked. It’s oily, red spots all over and numerous scars on it!!!!! Every morning I look into the mirror, I pray to God to grant me a flawless looking skin, 99% if not 100% flawless…..and this prayer had been my routine ever since my 1^st break out when I was form 4, which is 5 years ago. Once in a while I’ll break down and cry and blame God for what skin He gave me! I’ve tried countless products, facials and medications but my problem lingers like a bad smell after you come out from a smoking restaurant. My skin changes like the tide in the sea. It goes from good to bad to worse; then, to slightly better and better and finally became horrible again! I don’t know bout you guys….but for me, there’s 2 things one should never compromise!!! That is 1) Hair. 2) SKIN!

First impression is important…and heck it sure is!!! Come on, the 1^st thing you look when you see somebody is his/her FACE!!! And how can anyone NOT care bout how he/she looks when you bloody know it that face gives such a lasting impression???

Well, today’s blog is about my experience to a well established, quite famous and a little on the high end treatment centre (note that I use treatment NOT facial centre cause it is done by qualified DOCTORS and NOT stupid beauticians) called DermaGenesis. It is located at Desa Sri Hartamas but will be located to a bigger, better, more luxurious building at Menara Hap Seng in Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur. They provide complete skincare solution; total makeover & facial recontouring; facial lines & wrinkle reduction; permanent hair removal; slimming & spot reduction; cellulite reduction; and anti aging & wellness. The programme that I got my enrolled with is Scar reduction programme for my face. DermaGenesis caters for everyone and treatments are customised according to each individual needs. Mine includes 2 Subcision, 3 Fraxal (laser) and 4 Intense Pulse Light (IPL). These are customized to me after a consultation with the doctor as well as the CEO of DermaGenesis, Dr. Morthi. The types of scar I had was quite a few ice-picks, some box scars and mostly rolled-out scars. None of these are hard yet (thank God) so…the treatments mentioned earlier suited me the best.

Subsicion means the doctor will use a very fine needle to break off fibrotic tissue that holds ice-pick scars (reason why scars are depressed, these fibrotic tissues are holding them down). Of course….this will involve pain and bleeding and produce scabs. Which means there is a few days of down time involved. Fraxal is laser….which is used to stimulate collagen synthesis again at the site of scars. While IPL will remove any unsightly pigmentations, marks, minimize pores and shrink sebaceous glands.

Notice there is NO facials involved? As I’ve said, DermaGenesis is NOT a facial centre. In fact, it is an advanced cosmetic procedure centre. Now….I bet some of you are asking bout the price already. Of course, I was waiting for this too when I 1^st went for the consultation. Well…..it may be a little high for those who are on a tight budget but really…..for such advanced treatment, I consider it to be fairly reasonable. Ok ok…..I’ll quit yakking… My programme costs me RM 1760. Hey hey…. don’t go spraying blood on your computer screen now! Listen….. the usual price is at RM 4050! But I was a given a discount (50%!) and a complimentary IPL….so in the end the total amount that I need to pay was RM 1760. I’ve got to admit, it is a huge amount for a student to fork out but then think again….. what I am doing can be considered as part of cosmetic surgery procedure….. and professional doctors are handling your case with state-of-art machines. So, don’t you think it is quite reasonable?

Anyway…I’ve went for my 1^st session today. Subcision….

Went at 1.30pm, started at 1.45pm. The assistant wiped my face with alcohol at 1^st. Then on with local topical anaesthetic. The doctor came in, took pictures of my face (I’ve always wanted to have a before and after picture taken….Hehe…. :P). Wipe my face with antibiotic creams and spirit and on he goes with his needle…

It hurts I tell you…..but it was bearable. Anyone of you been for facials before? It feels like those stupid beauticians picking your pimples all over again. I even let a tear drop. Paiseh….the doctor was like “are you Ok?” and wiped it off for me. Hey…..at least I didn’t scream in pain….I was holding it. During the consultation, he said it will feel like ant bite but heck! It’s nothing like it!!! It just hurts…. But for the name of beauty….I’ve willing to go for it….

Right….so after 20 minutes, he is done with the poking and I was swept again with some alcohol (I think) and more antibiotic creams, in fear of infections due to the open wounds. I thanked the doctor….went out to the restroom. Pee a little….wash my hands and look up into the mirror…………………………………….

*A whole solid minute of silence*

I stare and stared at myself in the mirror…..I LOOK HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! There were so many cuts here and there and blood are still oozing out!!! I could almost scream right there and then! My heart broke a little and start taking hand towels and dap onto the blood. My face was lacerated! Well….it’s not THAT bad lah. But still I look like I’ve involved in an accident and glass shreds cuts into my face! “How am I going to step out from the toilet???” And what make things worse was….I need to take public transport back to Seremban!!!!!!!!!! Haha…..it was hell I tell you! Thankfully I had my friend with me and he drove me right at Pasar Seni and from there, I dashed to get into the bus and just stay away from the stares of others. I looked like a monster.. and this is probably the worst day of my life. But my friend did consoled me to not think bout it….it is the end result that you want….not the mid progress that looks good. “In the end, your skin will look flawless….and so I trust him and hang on to my face until I got back home.

Of course, my mom was shocked to see all those scabs on my face. I can tell it in her eyes. She was quite disappointed. She came and asked me why does it looked like this….but I assured her it is normal. Poking needles into your face will DEFINITELY cause bleeding and form scabs. My grandma, however, was pretty calmed bout it. She sees through all those scabs and looked at my scars….and say she can see the results! My scars were not as deep anymore! Of course, that made me happy (at last….SOMEthing for me to feel good). My dad was unhappy of course…..even more angry when he knew the amount I paid to get my face done. Sigh…..but it is MY money! I hardly spent so…this is the 1^st time I spend more than RM 300.

I hope I did the right choice by choosing DermaGenesis….will update more on my skin’s condition next time. I’ve got to wait 3 more weeks for the next treatment – Fraxal. And hopefully I won’t look horrible again.

1 Jan., 09

It’s been 5 days now. My face had improved. I notice my scars are improved but of course, some deeper ones are still visible but have been shallower. Those red marks are slowly fading away. I’ve been very impatient these few days. Every morning, the 1^st thing I do, is to look into the mirror looking at my skin’s condition. Sigh…still got red marks. But look at the bright side! They ARE fading. But slowly…. Very slowly… Holidays are almost over. Hope by the day before I head back, my skin is 90% clear.

Clean ma' teef for mua pleazzz???

2010-11-18T10:10:00.002+08:00

Now, I take a solid whole 15 minutes to clean my teeth nowadays! Sometimes even more than that if thorough cleaning is needed!!! Oh God! I've never paid so much attention to my 28 teeth before until I had my braces on and stepping in to dental school! After all..... it is our job to grill our patients to take care of their teeth, so ultimately we can get a lil' concious about our own! Hence the tip top oral cleansing!

My grandmother always scold me whenever I refuse to take any food or sweetened drinks after I had brushed my teeth! And to make things worse, I keep telling her I'm hungry but no, no food for me! I am NOT going to clean my teeth anymore! Note that I clean my teeth and NOT brush them?

Cause really..... besides the tilting of brush 45 degrees to the straight axis of my tooth and into my gums (so called Roll technique - serious shit! We have name the different kinds of brushing technique in the world!!!); using an interdental brush to clean each bracket embrasure plus the interproximal area; and IF I really feel like it, add on a superfloss before a thorough tongue scrapping AND a mouthwash!!
Now tell me....... isn't teeth cleaning a hell to me these days??

Not surprising for that 15 minutes period regimen huh? And I have to do it EVERY TIME after meals!!!!!!!!!

The next time my grandma nag me again for not eating after brushing, I'll happily reply....

"Can!! But you have to brush and floss my teeth for me!!!" Hehehe~~~

Toyota Prius now cheaper by RM35,000

2010-10-28T17:20:00.001+08:00

Woot! Woot! Abstracted from today's The Star paper, my dream car (for now) which is the Toyota Prius Hybrid is RM35,000 cheaper effective 1st January 2011!! Woohoo!!!......I hope prices for smart green cars remain reasonable so that we can produce less green gas emission and lend a hand in combating global warming! And not to mention enjoy a luxurious SMART car! :)

Toyota Prius hybrid now cheaper by RM35,000

PETALING JAYA: The price of the Toyota Prius hybrid car has been reduced by RM35,000 to RM139,900.
UMW Toyota Motor Thursday announced the new on-the-road price for the Prius, following a tax incentive for hybrid cars in Budget 2011 from Jan 1 to Dec 31 next year.
The Prius will cost RM141,500 in Sabah and Sarawak due to higher logistic costs, said UMW president Kuah Kock Heng.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in tabling Budget 2011 on Oct 15, announced that hybrid cars were fully exempted from import duties, with a 50% reduction in excise duty.
"UMW Toyota Motor welcomes the recent national budget announcement by the Government on the extension and enhancement of tax incentives for hybrid cars," Kuah said in a statement.
"With this, Malaysians can enjoy our most popular hybrid car at a more affordable price.
"They can also benefit from the high fuel efficiency and contribute to lowering carbon dioxide emissions," Kuah added.
According to Kuah, the Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid car in the world with sales exceeding two million units worldwide.

Nokia N8!!! Finally got my hands on one! :)

2010-10-25T12:12:00.000+08:00

Wow.....who would have thought clinical years can be so busy! Man.... juggling with patients and studies at the same time really drains you out body, mind and soul!!! It feels worse than working! In fact, we ARE working in the day and once we are back in the evening, it's studying!!! Phew.... eventhough we may not have clinics on a particular day, we just wanna lie down on the bed and do nothing! Absolutely NOTHING!!! *takes time to breathe man*
So, hiatus in blogging is expected until semester breaks kick in! Sigh....

Anyway....Nokia launched their new phone recently, 16th October 2010, to be exact and I've bought one!!! A super cool silver colour Nokia N8!! Now, I am NOT going to go on and on and on about how good is my phone because that are the jobs for the critics.... Besides, I had had posted about Nokia N8 previously, here. Priced at RM1690, I think it's pretty reasonable for a new phone. And for early birds who had pre-booked the phone, like me, got a complimentary black spine casing and additional 12 months warranty!! Isn't that just value for money?? :)

Now...I am pretty happy with my phone with my roommate constantly saying it feels exactly like an iPhone but really..... I do NOT wanna compare! Any unintentional similarities of Nokia N8 and Apple iPhone will remain...... unintentional! :P
My only complain is that it is at times quite lagging especially so if you open too many applications at one go! However, Nokia N8 is still a very good feature phone! Hopefully Nokia will come out with a better more stable phone to rival Apple's new found fame! Go Nokia (I read that you are pairing up with Intel now to create a smarter phone operating system)!!! Or else, I'll jump ship, if iPhone has better features than you! :P

Hehe.....may the best phone company wins!

My beloved phone:

Merit-based scholarships not fair??? My @r$e lah.....

2010-09-09T14:38:00.003+08:00

I read something that made me furious few days ago... Didn't thought of blogging bout it till now!
Was scrolling through Maxis fan page in Facebook and saw our little award ceremony being posted there with a few pictures of our Scholars...
Then I happily click on it and look through the comments written by other fans...
Not sure if some people out there are just plain pain-in-the-neck or they are just jealous of us cause one comment that I read really pissed me off! It goes like this (I am not afraid of showing his identity! Berani buat, berani tanggung lah!):

Robin Stanislaus Is there any really really deserving and needy recipient? Or it all went to rich people's children?
Just a thought.
03 September at 19:11

I was like what the hell??? Hello.... that is like a total insult! Now I am NOT being biased towards Maxis, I mean yes...they provided me scholarship but it is solely my opinion as a Malaysian, a normal citizen on merit-based scholarships!! How can he say that?? Maxis Scholarship for Excellence is solely based on merit and they consider your co-curriculum activities and assess your soft skills through 2 to 3 rounds of interviews... NEVER once they asked me about my parents' income because I believe, it is their principle to acknowledge students' achievements regardless of race, religion and family background!

I had had my bad share of scholarships that they think is "fair" because they only award them to the poor or more financially difficult students... I've got interviewer saying that "My family is not poor enough so no matter how good you are, we can't offer you the scholarship"!!! So, is that FAIR??? A student's biggest accomplishment would be recognition of his success! Good students who are "not so poor" are left to fend for themselves but not so good students who are poorer gets the chance to be pampered!!!

I mean yes....poor family needs help! But the majority of the society should not neglect the so-called-better-off-ones!! Besides, I can say more than half of the rest of the "poor" applicants for the previous scholarship don't even look poor!! They were donning branded stuff and just because they managed to prove that they are poor..... it is decided immediately that they are offered the chance! Come on!!! Who in the world doesn't know that businessman can fake their salary slips if they want to??!!! I am not saying all the rest of them have businessman parents but I know a handful of them are! And unfortunately my parents aren't running their own business, so the proof that I got are just plain honesty! Too bad for me lah....

Sigh....and we have people like that blurting out their so-called-inequality in a social website!
Every family has their own problem, including mine. Even though my parents may earn more than average, but little do you know, that they have their own liabilities which the accumulated incomes are barely enough!! E.g. medications due to chronic diseases, personal loans and debts, etc.

So I would say to organizations like Maxis who are providing merit-based scholarships to the people, A JOB WELL DONE!!! Do continue doing so. There are lots of hopefuls out there who just need your help!

Maxis Scholarship for Excellence 2010 Award Ceremony

2010-09-04T22:46:00.003+08:00

Finally!!! The grand finale!! I've been dying to upload all the photos taken in the studio...Hahaha! And now together with the award ceremony....this means MORE photos to be shown!!! Woot! Woot! :P

So yesterday, 3rd September 2010, was the much awaited day for all Maxis Scholars - it's OUR big day!! The ceremony was held in Hilton KL. Official time was 9 am but recipients were required to come at 7 am for a rehearsal before the real thing!!!

I woke up at 5.30 am that day and start walking to the LRT station from UM at 6.30 am! Whoa.....it was pitch dark I tell you! But kinda cool lah.....cause there were still stars and the wind was chilling! I didn't even break a sweat! :P I didn't wanna drive cause I don't know the way and besides, Hilton KL is just opposite KL Sentral! And I get to save on parking too.... Read somewhere that it was RM5 per hour!!! *horror*

Thought I can reach there on time....but was 10 minutes late! Darn! >.<

It was great to meet up with the Scholars once again that day!!! Sure missed them a lot since the photo shooting session! And you bet there were much yada yada yada and I TOTALLY LOVE their company!

Had had a few runs and finally a trial group photo shoot (again) and you bet, chaos! Hahaha.... they were trying to squeeze 29 of us into a camera frame..... I felt like sardines honestly! :P But thankfully..... the camera woman is satisfied after almost 15 minutes of arranging us! LOL!

Among the VIPs that were present were Dato' Joseph Salang, Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Culture; Mr. Sandip Das, CEO of Maxis; and 3 other members of the senior management board! I must say Mr. Sandip's speech was really inspiring and funny! I can see that he's very attached to his company and have a close bond with his staffs... It would be incomplete if we, Scholars, were not given a chance to give a speech... but of course lah.... 1 representative from each category. Siti Sarah represented the Postgraduate Scholars while Amelia represented the Undergraduates. Both were really good and Amelia's ALMOST made me cry! *Whoops.....shouldn't have said it out loud!* Hahaha.....

Then it was the individual certificate presentation! The doctors, surgeons and pharmacists of tomorrow went first... then followed by Business peeps and others. After I took my cert, as I was heading back to my seat, a reporter (I think) from don't what media approached me for a short interview.... asking me on how was I feeling that day? Where did I got to know about this scholarship? Why did I choose dentistry? And another bummer.. How does this made me a better Malaysian? (HUH??!!! Why all interviews have bummer questions wan?? Sigh... I just told him that Maxis Scholarship for Excellence being merit-based has made me see Malaysia as a fair and unbiased country giving equal chances to everyone to achieve their dreams!)
After the rehearsed group photo session, we had tea and packed food (cause it was still puasa month....tak baik lah kalau makan depan kawan-kawan Muslim)... Good sandwiches though! And the cheese cake was not bad! ~~But why no buffet?????~~ :P

We had lots and lots of cam-whoring!! Maxis also provided free Polaroid photos to everyone who was present that day! Haha.....and we took advantage of it, every pose we made we asked them to snap 5 to 6 times cause each of us wants one photo for our own! We caused them to change film packets twice and even ran out of batteries once! LOL!!! XD

It was a great ceremony..... but somehow I felt sad cause this means it's the end of everything! All the excitement and great moments have ended... I felt kinda reluctant to leave actually... Cause somehow I know we won't be seeing each other in the near future! And to all Maxis staff and the secretariat you guys are GREAT!! Thanks for all the care and attention you have given us! Special thanks to Wye Yee, Kenny and Shi Ying!! You guys ROCK!!! I hope there'll be more chances like this for us to interact with the scholars, meeting up with you guys (the secretariats) again or even be a talent for Maxis! (~~I'm so thick skin!~~) Hahaha... XD

Then, a few of us went for a gathering at Mid Valley mega mall - had lunch, movie and dinner together! And you bet! I had loooottttssssss of fun!!

Now let the pictures do all the talking:
1. The photo shoot!!! @ TTDI, KL - 18th August 2010

Getting pretty - make-up time!

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Studio being set up

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Various poses during individual shoot

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Group shoot set up

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Group shoot preparation

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The results

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Previously, Scholars were told to write down their dream statement in an A3 manila card. And this was mine - drawn and written by me after getting Maxis approval.

But right before the photo shoot, we were told that hand-drawn posters are not needed anymore cause for fear of being illegible, instead Maxis will superimpose a digital one on the plain boards we were holding as shown in the photo shoot above. Noticed that in the end, Maxis changed my statement to "To use reconstructive dentistry to help people injured in accident"? Which totally deviates from what I wanna say.... Hmm..... :/ *shrugs*

2. Award ceremony @ Hilton KL - 3rd September 2010

Group photo run

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The Ballroom

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Official group photo

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Being interviewed by a reporter

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With mom and dad

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3. Random shoots with AWESOME Maxis Scholars!!! I really REALLY love them - LOADZZZ!!!

With (back) Gurpreet, Eu Jhin; (front) Yong Jian, Darshini, Vims and Ye Han

With Ai Lin

With U Jean

With Yi Koon

Sam Ye Han - the other future dentist from IMU

Maxis ROCKS!!! Maxis Scholars ROCK EVEN MORE!!!

LOL! XD

One-day-model for Maxis!

2010-08-21T14:27:00.002+08:00

SO, it was the much anticipated moment for all Maxis scholarship recipients (award ceremony aside) - the photo shoot!!! We were required to be at Untold Images Studio (link here) @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL 8am sharp on the 18th August. I woke up at 6am that day to prepare myself - (cold water) shower, breakfast, thorough brushing (darn those braces), and light make-up (ok...don't give me that look...I only applied a tinted moisturizer for the foundation to be applied easier later!)

Then after a couple of wrong turns and too-early-exits (which made me U-turned twice!), I reached at the studio 7.50am. Phew....I'm still on time at least! As usual lah... Others, being Malaysians are always late... When I was there, only 5 other recipients had arrived. LOL! I didn't know they serve us breakfast! I wouldn't have eaten my Maggi cup if I knew that earlier! Then again...I wouldn't want to brush my teeth before taking pictures! :P So, I politely declined their offer.....and waited...

Kenny, one of Maxis caretaker, were seen taking video shoots throughout the day.... He asked me to give a few words and I just said, "THANK YOU MAXIS for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime experience and the scholarship! It means a lot to me! THANK YOU!!!"

At almost 9am, more Maxis scholars arrived. And no doubt, all of them speak bloody good English! "Ahh.....I've found my niche", said the banana boy in me! Hehehe~

While some went to take their breakfast, the make-up artists asked the boys to go down to 'let them make us pretty' first. That's because making-up boys are so much easier than girls....at least, we don't need extensive make-ups, or hair curlers or mascaras....whatever! My face was made quite fair...or maybe it is my skin tone that I don't realise all this while...I am the fairest among the other boys! Most of the boys complained how they hated their make-up on! And how feminine they looked! Hahaha....

They were 29 of us there that day! And as usual, girls outnumbered the boys! Imagine how long the make-up artists have to spend their time doing all the girls! Pfftt.....this will be a looooong day!

Once the boys were all ready, we were the ones to start off the photo shooting session... Individual shots were taken then, at the end of the day, group shots! Vims, who will be doing aeronautical engineering at a university in UK, went first! Haha....and he felt so awkward wei~~~ Not to mention the pressure he felt when we are all watching him! LOL! Later, the studio director asked us to stay outside in the waiting room, so that Vims can loosen up! Haha.... Their theme was "Natural", so just be yourself and give them a BIG smile with energy was what we were told...

While in the waiting room, I've had my chance to mingle around with the rest of the Scholars. And each of them are unique in their own way! They were quite a number from local IMU and Monash University. While some will be studying overseas, mostly tops schools in the UK. There is one dude called Adrian who did his undergraduate studies in Harvard University and will now be pursuing his postgraduates in the same uni in Economics with Maxis funding! Smart guy I tell ya...I mean, how often do you get to know someone studying in Harvard?? LOL! And other renown universities include Oxford, Manchester and Bristol University! I feel so out of place being just from University Malaya! Hahaha....

Everyone there was great and extremely friendly!! Few of us clicked almost instantly! Ye Han, another dentist-in-the-making from IMU was one of the few that I was close with! We talked a lot that day, mostly on our course and interest in people's teeth! Haha! One really cool yet cheeky guy called Gurpreet was the clown there! He never fail to make us laugh with his witty, and sometimes lame, jokes! XD
Other cool people I met that day include pretty and sweet Yi Koon, hyperactive U Jean, darling Darshinie, Eu Jihn, Yong Jian, Ai Lin and Natashinie!! I really had fun just talking to them...

Right before 12.30pm, it was my turn!! I was pretty confident to be honest. Well....I mean, at least we don't need to pose for the camera, just be yourself and smile! How difficult could that be? My photo sessions were the fastest!! Hahaha....the photographer seems to be pleased with the results and said I looked really natural! *blush* Ye Han who was next, challenged me that he will do better than me by taking fewer shots than me!! Hahaha....but in the end, I still win! XP
However, his pics had more energy in it! I like them a lot.... Maybe he had much time improvising my poses while waiting! LOL! *joking* Or maybe it just came natural to him! Whatever it is, looking great Ye Han!! :D

The whole photo session lasted about 15 hours!!! The longest time took was by the group photos!! It seems the director had had a tough time trying to get good posing / expression / lighting with all 29 of us! But eventually, we made it.......after a tiring day that is! By the time I went back to uni, it was already 11.20pm! After shower and a difficult time removing make-up on my face, *THUMP*..... terus collapsed on my bed and slept throughout the night....EXHAUSTED!!!

It was indeed a memorable day for me! Not because of all the lights, camera or action but the company that was so undeniably great!!! Now, I can't wait for the award ceremony which will be held at Hilton KL, on the 3rd of September 2010, 9am - cause I can't wait to meet up with my new found friends again! XD

PS: Due to publicity concern, Maxis doesn't allow me to post up any unofficial photos taken on that day. Only after the award ceremony, am I allowed to do so. So sorry guys..... you'll have to wait! :)
No worries.....at least, you'll get to look at which pic Maxis chose to be made as banners and backdrops! I'll be posting them all together then! Toorah!

Maxis Scholarship for Excellence: The Interviews

2010-08-15T11:29:00.003+08:00

If only I had blogged about this immediately after the interviews, then I could have remembered the situations better. But then again, if I didn't get it in the end, malulah..... Haha! No worries....I'll try to recall them as best I could!

First Interview

I remember I received an anonymous call when I was in the midst of dinner at Madam Kwan's with my aunt! Haha....true enough, I almost choked when the caller told me to go for the first interview session on Monday (that day was a Friday)! I was told to bring along my certified documents or all my original certificates and a CV along for it. It was being held at Menara Maxis (next to KLCC), 10am on the 5th July 2010.

I had had a rough start that day... My water bottle cap was loose and it wet my bag and in it was all my documents! I was like WTF and trying to dry them as much as I could while cursing under my breath! :P Thankfully the interview went on smoothly. The interviewer was so friendly and I think it was the most relaxing interview I've ever been to! It turned out to be more like a friendly chat!! And was pretty fun! :D

If my memory serves me correctly, the questions that she asked me was as such:

Tell me about yourself - I honestly hate this question, cause it's so simple that you don't know where to start and where to stop talking! LOL....
What are your hobbies?
Why the dream you have (for me, it's an oral maxillofacial surgeon)?
Do you have any role model in achieving your dream?
Tell me about your leadership qualities
What is the most significant thing that happened in your life?
If you are to change 2 things about Malaysia, what is it and why? - I think I didn't quite nail this one... I realized I can answer much better later, if compared to when I was there in front of her! Haha...but wouldn't all of us too?? One tends to think better in a less stressful situations mah...
What are your 3 major weaknesses?
Why must we choose you for this scholarship?
Any questions for me?

The entire interview lasted about 30 minutes! And according to her, only 10 will be selected out of 40 applicants. If you are successful, they'll contact you for the next round.

Second Interview

The next interview for me was on the 27th July 2010. So you do the maths.... the next notification will be roughly in 3 weeks time.

Time: 2.40 PM

Venue: Conference Room, Level 8, Menara Maxis, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur

Dress code: Formal

This time, instead of one-to-one, it's three-to-one! I was required to bring a copy of my CV and original certificates too for (in case) verification purposes. All the interviewers were professors from various local universities, namely: Professor Dato’ Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, President of the Malaysian Institute of Human Resources Malaysia (MIHRM) and Deputy President of the INTI University College Laureate International Universities; Associate Professor Dr. Stefanie Pillai, Associate Professor for the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics in University Malaya; and Professor Datuk Dr. Roziah bt Omar, Director of Leadership Academy at the Ministry of Higher Education. Trust me, they are really really nice people!! I don't feel intimidated by them at all!

I expect the questions to be tougher this time but surprisingly it wasn't! In fact they only ask me these few questions:

Tell me about yourself (again)! - =.="
Why the course you chose (in my case, dentistry)?
Are you receiving any financial assistance?
You say you are actively involve in (your hobby), do you still participate in them in your university?
Are you planning to set up your own clinic in the future?
What do you think about the Dental Faculty of University Malaya (which is the university I am studying now)?
Which professor do you like in your faculty?
What do you think about dental health in dogs and cats? - this was a real bummer! I was stunned a moment to think about what to answer! Haha.... but I think I did OK for this! :P

As you can see....the questions asked in the 2nd round of interview was something more related to your choice of studies. Compared to the 1st round which have more general questions about yourself! I did consult with previous Maxis scholars for the type of questions they'll ask this time round.... most said that it will be more difficult as there will be more thinking questions thrown to you! Well, I believe it is true for them but for me, it was as relaxing, if not more relaxing, than the previous session! My 2nd session only lasted less than 10 minutes!! I was shocked when they say thank you and allow me to leave! I thought I busted it..... But a Maxis employee who is taking care of us in the quarantine room told me that it is a good news! I was as puzzled the first time I hear it! It seems that the reason why they don't spend so much time with you in the conference room, is that they are sure to offer you a place for the scholarship! Hence, why the need to waste time for something that is assuring! Whereas for those applicants that are not so convincing, they'll spend more time interrogating them! LOL! Or so it seems.....of course I kept my fingers crossed after hearing this and in a way, it made me calm down and thank God, on 11th August 2010, I received this:

Congratulations! You have been selected as one of the 2010 Maxis Scholarship for Excellence - Undergraduate Programme Award recipients.

We will be celebrating this joyous occasion with you in an upcoming award ceremony tentatively planned on the morning of 3 September at Hilton KL, KL Sentral. Both your parents are also invited for this ceremony. (Note: Immediate family members can attend the ceremony should your parents not be available to participate in this ceremony)

There will also be a photoshoot next Wednesday, 18 August. This is great fun as you’ll get to dress up and interact with other recipients. The details for the shoot area as below. We’ll be giving you more details on the requirements for the photoshoot in a separate email.

Next up: Photo shoot and the much awaited award ceremony! *beams*

Maxis Scholarship for Excellence: Application

2010-08-14T20:44:00.004+08:00

Recently I have been awarded a scholarship by Maxis known as Maxis Scholarship for Excellence 2010. I am of course thrilled and on cloud nine when I got to know of such great news!! If you've been following my previous blog posts, I had had bad experiences with other scholarship applications namely Tun Tan Cheng Lock Foundation / Scholarship which I don't wish to elaborate here. But just in case you want to know how to apply for it, read application, here, and interview, here. Now, I am glad to say that I am proud and totally honoured to be a Maxis' Scholar for the year 2010!! Maxis has totally lifted my parents' burden on my tertiary studies expenses! Though it may not be an extravagant amount of money, it, nonetheless, means a lot to me! With this, I am very grateful towards Maxis!

So, this post is intended to inform you guys on how to apply for Maxis Scholarship for Excellence which is a biannual program (usually April and November) and application is done online via Maxis website. Here's this year's application site (which is obviously closed). Maxis "presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embark upon a journey that will lead them to the realisation of their greatest goals" for BOTH undergraduate AND postgraduate students, who will be (or in my case, already) pursuing their course in a recognized (by Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education) in Malaysia OR abroad!

Application requirements include SOFT COPIES of:

Proof of age (Certified Birth Certificate / Certified I.C.),
Relevant academic transcripts including your SPM and foundation course results(STPM Results / A-Level Results / Matriculation Results / Diploma Results / Foundation Study Results),
Letter of admission from the university,
Two letters of recommendation from people who are qualified to provide insight into the applicant’s potential for success and leadership,
Résumé (This MUST be included if the applicant has any prior work experience)
Any other documents that applicants wish to submit to strengthen their application including copies of articles written, reports of volunteer work, extra-curricular certificates etc.

Oh! Before I go on any further, of course you'll need to find out who's eligible for it right?? Haha...sorry, my mistake. Here is the eligibility:

Applicants or their parents must be a Maxis postpaid customer with a minimum of one year tenure with Maxis postpaid services, having a good payment record with Maxis.
must be Malaysian citizens aged below 23 years old
must not be bonded to any body and must have secured an unconditional offer or acceptance letter from a local or foreign university prior to receiving the Maxis Scholarship for Excellence
Applicants currently in their 1st or 2nd year of undergraduate studies may also apply for this scholarship
Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and be active in extra-curricular activities. Applicants must at least pass their SPM examinations and achieve any of the following results in their foundation course of choice :

STPM - minimum 3 As or
Matriculation / Diploma - CGPA 3.5 or above or
A Levels - minimum 3 As or
Australian TER - minimum 90.0 or
Recognized foundation/Pre-university courses – equivalent to CGPA 3.5 or above or
Current 1st or 2nd year university students must have a CGPA of 3.5 or above

Applicants are also required to:

Possess a good command of the English language, both written and oral;
Be a team player;
Excel in extra-curricular activities and sports; and
Possess leadership qualities.

For local universities, there is no restriction to field of studies; for foreign universities, preferred field of studies are those related to the telecommunications industry, ie.:

Business Administration/Management/Marketing/Accounting/Finance/Communications/Human Resources Management;
Engineering – Electronic/Electrical/Power/Computer Communications/Telecommunications/Civil and Mechanical;
Computer Science/Information Technology/Information System/Science Quantitative;
Mathematics/Actuarial Science;
Law.

In case you are wondering how much is the scholarship value and are there any catch?? Well, Maxis Scholarship for Excellence awards RM10,000 per annum for local university students while foreign universities will get up to RM150,000 yearly! ONLY FOREIGN university applicants will be bonded for 3 years. So, yes! Local university students will get the award with NO STRINGS ATTACHED! :D
If you want to know more, here's a link to their terms and conditions.

The flow of the whole application includes: first, an online application; followed by first interview and then a second interview (if you have passed the first one); finally anouncement of successful recipients and an award ceremony!

I'll talk about my experience on both interviews in the next post and FYI, I am required to go for a publicity photo shoot this Wednesday!!! How cool is that!?! Haha....all right guys... keep an eye on the next post then! Bye~~~

Rag and be expelled!

2010-07-12T15:55:00.001+08:00

Since the death of a boy in Royal Military College due to being ragged by his seniors last month, this ragging issue is being such a big hoo-haa in the whole nation! And yes...even to the extent of our Dean warning us not to get involved in it or we will be expelled if got caught! This is the first time we had ever been issued such warning because after all, our get-to-know-each-other session was a long time tradition being practiced by years and years of previous students. Apparently one anonymous parent called up our Dean and threatened to write to the mass media if there's another complaint (from obvious reason his pampered son or daughter) on ragging!

Now what IS ragging??? According to Wikipedia,

'Ragging' means the doing of any act which causes, or is likely to cause any physical, psychological or physiological harm, apprehension, shame or embarrassment to a student, and includes

Teasing or abusing or playing practical joke on, or causing hurt to any student. or
Asking any student to do any act, or perform any thing, which he/she would not, in the ordinary course, be willing to do or perform

But do we rag?? Well, the above definition is so vague that practically almost everything you do on the freshies are ragging!! So, from now on, seniors would just sit over a coffee table and chat all the way with the juniors to know each other?? But that's nothing special about that! I'll bet that by next year, seniors and juniors would just be merely saying "Hi" and "Bye" to each other with some even not knowing each others names!

What I think is, ragging in the form of physical wise is harsh.... But mentally and emotionally would only make one stronger, in fact, strengthen his/her E.Q. If by scolding and asking them to perform non-sexual acts are considered ragging, then I believe in almost all leadership camps and scouts camps would be termed ragging as well?? I do believe, in the end, it all goes down to the child being so pampered and spoilt by his/her parents that caused them to be unable to withstand minimal stress. What come our future generations of students? A bunch of sissies and cry-babies??? :|

Project-κ 19: Tai Chow @ Medan Selera Permai (Permai Food Court)

2010-07-09T18:17:00.001+08:00

I've blogged about Medan Selera Permai having really good satay before (here), this time... I'll blog about a tai chow (literally translated to "big fry" which loosely mean stir fry) stall situated at the corner of this food court. By day, it sells economy rice while by night, it cooks up a storm with its tai chow dishes.

Of course, just like a typical Chinese restaurant, this stall is able to cook almost any dishes you can find elsewhere but priced at a lower price. I (or rather my dad) had ordered a few of their specialties a.k.a. chef's recommendations. First up is wu tao kow yok (braised pork with yam), this dish has a distinct sweet taste mixed with a hint of salt and spices. The pork slices in between yam pieces are half skinny and half fat. The fat will literally melt in your mouth! This is definite my dad's favourite dish!

Any youngsters or if you have a sweet tooth, you'll definitely enjoy the next dish - marmite chicken! Bite size pieces of chicken are fried to perfection and coated in thick, sweet marmite sauce!! I absolutely love this! Actually....it's the sauce that I love the most! LOL! XP This dish also comes in pork ribs too!

Another heavenly dish would be the assam fish! This is a must-have! Every time we dine here, we'll order this! The fish is really fresh and huge! Served with an array of greens like okra, tomatoes, onions, etc. the sour and spicy sauce makes it really finger licking good. And OH! There's pork crackling in it too!! Yum yum~~

I'm not sure bout the price although it is stated on its sign board cause I can't read Chinese. But I think it's RM6 for greens while RM8 onwards for meat dishes! :)

Project-κ 18: Laksa @ Restoran Asia

2010-07-08T11:30:00.001+08:00

It's rather chilly these few days with the rain, isn't it? Well, I can't think of any better days to eat a fiery, hot and spicy bowl of laksa other than today! Went for food blogging out of the blues and decided to introduce Restoran Asia in Rahang, Seremban, which is no stranger to any Seremban-ians at all! LOL!

To make things clearer, there is actually another restaurant with the same name located at Senawang. I'm not sure which is the main shop and which is the branch, but I think both serve equally good laksa!

The one in Rahang is located right opposite the post office. If you are coming from Bukit Blossom, the shop is the 3rd before the traffic lights. You got to keep your eyes wide open as its sign board is kinda faded, so it ain't attention grabbing at all. Moreover it is sort of being blocked by a stall by the road side.

A typical bowl of laksa is served with half an egg, tofu puffs, fish cakes, and si ham (cockles). Of course, if you prefer, you can opt out the cockles if you don't like them. I know I don't! LOL! Below is the 'normal' bowl of laksa minus the cockles..... They'll give you few pieces of pork to compensate for the lost cockles. :P

I, on the other hand, ordered one with curry chicken in it! 2 pieces were given and it tasted pretty good. But somehow I think it's pretty expensive as my bowl of small laksa with curry chicken costs RM4, which is the same price with a big portion of laksa.

What I like about Restoran Asia's laksa is the hot soup itself! It's rather thick and creamy minus the oily and greasy feeling!! There wasn't much oil in it and I like how the consistency of the soup - some sort like a gravy instead! Taste wise it's HOT!! But not as much as to being unbearable! A very satisfying taste for a chill windy day!

And together with the noodles, oh......before that, of course, like most noodle stalls, you can choose your favourite noodles be it beehoon, yellow mee or kwey teow and can be mixed too......you'll be given a small plate of extra chilli to add to the spiciness and 'omph' you require! I like the chilli too.... it's pretty good and tasty. My aunt once bought their home-made chilli by bottles! Haha... XD

Price are RM3.20 for small; RM3.70 for medium and RM4 for a large portion. Additional of 80 cents will be charged for chicken curry.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch right till 2 or 3pm. Notice how blur the writing on the sign board is? So, open your eyes wide guys! :D

Restoran Asia

Jalan Semarak 2,

Rahang, Seremban.

Nokia N8 is OUT!!!!!

2010-07-03T13:38:00.001+08:00

AARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! The JOY! The EXCITEMENT!! The ANTICIPATION!!! It's OUT!!!! It's OOOUUUUTTTTT!!!!! The lastest Nokia N8-00 is OUT!!!!!!

This impressive gadget will put all other existing camera phones AND even digital cameras to shame!!! With its superb 12 megapixels Carl Zeiss optics, a Xenon flash and a large sensor, the Nokia N8 introduces the ability to make HD-quality videos and edit them with an intuitive built-in editing suite and rest assure that it will capture the best quality pictures of your special moments!!!

Read specifications here from Nokia Malaysia website.

OooOOoooOooo....I can't wait to get my hands on this!!! Hopefully it's not super expensive! :P

Tun Tan Cheng Lock Foundation / Scholarship: The Interview

2010-06-27T16:18:00.002+08:00

On the 12th of June 2010, I've been called for TTCLF interview on the 12th floor of Wisma Tun Sambanthan, KL. Shortlisted candidates were asked to be there at 9am and once there, we were asked to report our attendance and later being sorted out into random groups of 6. There were about 10 groups and I was placed in number 8!

Initially, all 6 members of a group were called into the board room together to be briefed. Then a one-to-one session was being held with the interviewer. Apparently, everyone who were present had had been awarded the scholarship itself, so said by the interviewer herself! Which was good news for everyone, or so I thought. But then again, wouldn't it be easier for her to just announce to everyone that we've got it and not talk to us one by one in order to save time and effort? Fishy isn't it? Well, it turns out that there were some private and confidential matters that need to be discussed with some of the applicants. *heart beats* *gulp*

I didn't know what it was but kept a positive mind, nonetheless. The interview session is fairly slow...each group spent an average of 50 minutes before the next one take its turn! So, you can imagine.....by the time it was my group's turn....it's already 2 pm! That was a 5-hour wait!

The interviewer told us the same thing like we heard from the previous groups. Saying that all of us here are being awarded with TTCLF and told us to cancel off whatever loans or other fundings that one may previously have (e.g. PTPTN). In addition to that, she also told us to continue our efforts to obtain the minimum requirements (which is a pass grade) in order for TTCLF to continue supporting the student. One is not allowed to resit any papers at all. Not even supplementary! He/she MUST pass all subjects at one go. Also, she told us that TTCLF can only be awarded to one child per family. Meaning that, if you are taking this scholarship, then the rest of your siblings are not allowed to apply for it again. One's result must be posted to TTCLF trustees as soon as it is available.

Of course, at that time I was overjoyed to hear all these! And so, I waited for my one-to-one session......

Everything was OK at first with her asking about my latest results, parents' occupation and my sibling's financial support..... I thought I'll be beaming out from the room like most of the applicants but I was dumbfounded when she said "I think you better not cancel your PTPTN lah"!!!!!

I was like "Excuse me??? Can you come again???"

Apparently she said I was not quite eligible for TTCLF and that my application is considered as "borderline case" whereby my parents' salary wasn't "low enough"!! I was so shocked that I didn't know what to say.... I tried convincing her but she told me she will need to discuss with the rest of the Trustees.....

So yeah.....my unfortunate experience during TTCLF interview. I'm blogging this for the sake of future applicants and to show that I am not afraid in accepting failures. No point in hiding this up and no point in crying over spilled milk.....

As to date, I still haven't receive any news from TTCLF while some of my coursemates who had been fortunate enough had already decline their PTPTN loans......I do hope that the trustees will award me with this for it will truly makes my life better off! Oh....and if you are reading this, don't be taken aback on what I said, continue applying for TTCLF and all the best! ;)

For the application know-hows, please refer to my previous blog post here. Thanks! :)

Project-κ 17: Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kawan

2010-06-25T15:56:00.014+08:00

Went "blog walking" one day and saw a blogger blogged about this place serving "the best porridge in Seremban". While I do not fancy porridge that much, I didn't bother trying this place out the first time I read it. Then again, since I am being so idle at home during my holidays I've decided, what the heck! Just go and snap some pictures....besides, Project-κ has not been running for quite a while already! So, I went there yesterday with a friend of mine after a karaoke session at GreenBox! :P

Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kawan is situated at Temiang. From Temiang's KFC, go straight and turn right at the first junction. Then at a second junction, turn right again. You should see a Chinese temple on your right and this restaurant is located on your left just 10 meters away from the Chinese temple. It is a corner lot shop. Next to it is Seremban Kee Mei Siew Pow.

We reached at 6pm but the shop just opened and workers are busy laying out chopsticks. Rupa-rupanya business starts at 6.30pm on weekdays and 6.00pm on weekends. According to the blogger, Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kawan is closed on every Tuesday. So we decided to walk about till it's time.

["The 3 stooges"]....was bored waiting for our order so I snapped this 3 bottles of condiments on our table. We came back at 6.30pm sharp and the shop is already packed! Only 2 tables remained empty!

The "general" look of porridges served. Topped with spring onions and shredded fried noodle-like-thingy.

[My friend's chicken porridge] The texture of this porridge is quite smooth! Served with generous amount of chunky chicken pieces. Taste wise it is flavourful. You don't need "the help from the 3 stooges" at all! LOL! My friend gave a 2 thumbs up for Kawan's porridge!

[My chee cap (pig's offal) porridge] I want to confess, I HATE offals!!! I told me friends, I eat (almost) everything except beef and weird stuff, offals included! I just don't like the taste!! Nonetheless, I brave myself to sample this bowl of offal porridge for the sake of writing this post. Surprisingly it is quite edible! Unlike offals served elsewhere, the offals in this bowl of porridge is (I hate to admit it) quite delicious! There was no smell or weird taste in it! A mixture of tripe, liver, pork and fried intestines are served. I simply LOVE the fried intestine! Simply awesome! Crispy and very very flavourful! My bowl of porridge was even more flavourful than my friend's chicken porridge! Texture wise, it is a little more "rough and rice-y" than its counterpart. And I managed to finish everything! This is amazing considering I don't fancy offals that much! Each bowl of porridge costs RM3.50; accoding to baby_sumo there are fish porridge too. But too bad, on that day, only this 2 are available.

[Our side order of a quarter of pak cham kai (steamed chicken)] In order to have the "complete experience", we don't wanna miss out on the numerous steamed chickens hanging on the stall. I've read that these chicken are so good that they are sold off in an hour's time! And true enough. It is quite tasty! Priced at RM10 for a quarter, the chicken are so smooth....smoother than those found in the porridge! And you bet....rich in taste too! Definitely one good helping of steamed chicken. May even give famous Ipoh Chicken rice a run for their money! LOL!

The only stall in the whole restaurant that operates during dinner time. Do give it a try! :)

Torture for 3 weeks!!!

2010-06-19T11:10:00.000+08:00

Who would have thought having no Internet connection can be so torturous???!!! I am upgrading my home Internet to a faster 4 Mbps connection and since 14th June, the old 1 Mbps has been cut off in order to prepare for the new one! It's only been less than a week and I am getting out of my wits waiting for TM to restore my home connection!!! GOD HELP ME!!!!! I really hope TM can speed up their work so I can enjoy my super fast 4 Mbps connection as soon as possible! Not to mention resume blogging and Facebook-ing!

PS: Currently, I need to go to my uncle's place to go online! Otherwise, I'll be rotting (literally) at home! :/

My TALL Theory

2010-06-03T18:53:00.001+08:00

I have a theory.....!!!

Well, not really a theory.....but rather a hypothesis!
A hypothesis on how to ensure your children to be tall when they grow up!
This is solely based on my observations on tall people and their childhood behaviour. It seems that there are some sort of relationship...!!!
OK lah.....it is also based on my own childhood behaviour! Teehee~~~
My hypothesis is that, in order to grow up tall, you need plenty of food when you were young (ideally before puberty) so yes....it means getting FAT; PLENTY of sleep and, if you must, good genes also play a minor role!

FAT + LOTSSSSSS OF SLEEP +/- good genes = TALL MAN / WOMAN!!!

There, there...every hypothesis needs an explanation. When I was bout 6 years old, I was overweight and when I was 12, my weight went up to almost 90kg (the heaviest I ever weigh)! Also, during those days, I sleep a lot! Like a LOOOOOTTTTT! I used to go to bed at 8.30pm every day and waking up at 7am for school. To top it off, there were afternoon naps when I came back from school. During my secondary school days, my sleep hours was reduced by 2 hours. I slept at 10.30pm. Now? I sleep latest at 12am!

The thing about sleep is that, a certain growth hormone is secreted at its peak during deep sleep by your hypothalamus glands and this is what make children to grow tall ~~and strong~~!

While being fat means you have lots of nutrient! Which is essential for growth! Of course, you cannot deny that at times, good genes play a part too. But I think it's a minor role! Cause I have seen tall children by short parents.

And another evidence is shown by my own brother, he is 15 now and 10cm shorter than me (by the way, I am 183cm tall)! And when he was young, he was overweight too! Not to mention he sleeps a lot as well back then!

So, you tell me! Is my hypothesis worth considering or not???

"ADAM The Musical" review

2010-05-31T22:43:00.009+08:00

Went for a musicale yesterday with 2 friends at The Actors Studio (TAS) @ Lot 10. I've never reviewed a theatrical play before, but would like to just share my opinion on it as an amateur actor and to help out a friend of mine with her "new curriculum report" on theater! So here goes.....

Adam The Musical was a collaboration between TAS and Malaysian AIDS Foundation and will be performing time and again from 12th of May till 20th of June, everyday at 8.30pm except Sundays at 3pm (no shows on Mondays). Synopsis here.

“When it comes to protection, the hardest part is persuasion … if they still say no, I’ll stroke their ego until they rise and say they need a jumbo size.”

“Do you know, the first day he met you; his face was shining like a moon…He laughed at me, hold my hands, look into my eyes, with a smile, and I know, maybe this boy don’t need me anymore?"

"Adam is about the dangerous time we live in, of suspicion and fear of people and things we don’t know. It is about compassion and strength, and how these qualities can turn the bleakest days into one with light, even if it is just a faint one.

Adam is about finding true love, and knowing that we can be very lucky after all."

Adam The Musical is a minimalist theater (not sure if there's such a term), where very little props are used; no extensive backdrops - only projections are flashed to interchange scenes; no extravagant costumes and definitely, no special effects! But then again, theater doesn't need all those to be good! Good acting, excellent singing and energetic dancing (after all, it IS a musical!) are enough to build a strong core for this production.

However, the show is not all that great...

Its female lead, Sylvia (played by Tabitha Kong) acted as good as her singing was, although there was one occasion she went out of tune. But hey! No one says a musical is easy to perform! One needs to act, sing AND dance at the same time....Heck! Imagine how much stamina he or she needs! So I'll consider it a job well done. She is better than the other casts and even overshadowed the male lead, Adam (played by Malik Taufiq) in both singing and acting! Malik was a bit of a let down. Acting wise was O.K., just not that great..... He may need to brush up on his singing a bit too to be equal with the female lead.

Sandra Mannas Wolf who played Sylvia's mother, was perfect in her bitchy and dominant character. Her convincing act was something to look forward to in the whole play. Mark Sobels who played Michael, the angel, was good too! He is, after all, a veteran in acting. So one would expect quality acting from him and singing too was pretty good. No flaws in him.

The set back to this, otherwise, awesome play is probably caused by Auntie Noni (played by Dato' Faridah Merican) and the two transvestites (Mo Dee and Fairuz Tahid) character. Although Dato' Faridah's acting was top-notch, I can't help but to furrow my eyebrows when she sings most of the time. There were obvious out-of-tunes and her voice isn't so strong to create a "dramatic effect" in the songs that she sang. And I swear to God that I heard "breaks" in her voice. (No offence but) I was kinda disappointed.

The transvestites did well in acting and dancing. However, they should really REALLY work on their diction!!! No joke! I couldn't make heads and tails out of their dialogues. Well, not all, but most of them! Yes, I understand it is a Malaysian theater, hence the Manglish. But seriously, if the audience can't catch what you say, you fail to deliver the message of the scene and cause the whole play to be a failure! Dah lah I was having a tough time deciphering their normal conversations, imagine when they broke into songs, it was just..........noise!

However, the star of the show was none other than Tria Aziz who play a crazy lady who was already dead. Awesome acting and singing (though not much dancing)!!! Her solo towards the end was indeed a standing ovation and managed to give a lasting impression! I was indeed impressed by her! Great job and bravo!

Kudos to the rest of the dancers too. And credits to the live mini orchestra band at the side of the stage. Great music and amazing original songs! I totally love them!

All in all, Adam The Musical was a pretty good play. I'll rate is as 3.8 out of 5. Go support it! After all, it is a local production and do your part for charity as all purchases goes straight to Malaysian AIDS Foundation.

Below is my ticket! ;D

Don't underestimate us!

2010-05-29T19:55:00.001+08:00

I HATE it when others comment, "You are just a dentist! How difficult it is to study 32 teeth in the human mouth? And why are you guys busier than the medical students since they study the whole human body (mouth not included)?"

It feels as though the majority of my friends, in fact the society, undervalue us, the dentists! Do you know that our schedule is from 8am to 5pm every day with just 1 hour lunch break (except Friday due to prayers)?? Occasionally till 6pm as we may have extra lab work. Do you know that...............Oh forget it! I am NOT going to go on and on about how difficult and strenuous our course is because, I believe EVERYONE thinks that their own course is difficult.

Then, based on that statement, why are we so underestimated compared to our counterparts??? I soooooo feel like doing this to the next person who perli us!

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Spoilt for choice

2010-05-27T11:17:00.002+08:00

I long and am craving for a new hand phone!!!!! My first ever bought phone (bought here means, brand new and not passed down from mother or father to child) was a Motorola L6 back when I was in Form 4, which is year 2004!

And I am STILL using it now as a back up when my current Nokia 3110 classic gets coo-koo! And mind you, it IS getting coo-koo from time to time now.

If you were thinking, "Why change to this when L6 still works fine?". Well, apparently my L6 had had dark history before! It......it........it.........fell into the toilet bowl before!

Yes! It did....and yes, I did put my hand into the "glory hole" to reach my phone! OH GOD!!! It feels terrible! It happened when I brought my phone into the showers so that I can listen to songs.....but a slipped of hands has caused it to fall into the toilet. Thank God there weren't shit in it...... ERGH....still, putting your hands in there is icky! X_X

As a result, my L6 became "sot-sot" (malfunctioned) since then and the thing that irks me the most is that there were no signal when others have! Can you imagine how difficult it is for me to call especially when there's an emergency??? And others can't reach me all for the same reason!

To make things worse, my Nokia 3110 classic has been possessed by ghost recently! At times it on and off all by itself! Sigh~~~

And so I had enough and it's time for me to get a new phone now! I-phones? Who wouldn't want them? But I don't have that much money lah, cik abang dan adik..... I am thinking of getting my dream phone, the Nokia N86 8mp (specifications here) as it being the best camera phone by Nokia till date. My personal favourites are Nokia phones. Maybe I've been using them for ages and got used to their functions and features. Never really like Sony Ericsson anyway, so their phones are out from my list.

The reason why I choose this model is because of its 8 megapixels camera. Yeah, I know camera phones aren't as good as an actual camera. Why don't I just get a new camera instead right? Or better a DSLR! If you would check out the reviews bout this phone, pictures taken by it is comparatively good and of high quality. For me, I am pretty satisfied with the final product. I wouldn't want to carry a bulky camera or put an extra weight in my luggage knowing that my camera can do all the tricks! Camera is the main thing I look for when buying a phone....next would be its audio quality....I don't really mind it being non-touch screen and a sophisticated business phone would be a waste as I use it for entertainment purposes only.

Just yesterday, my former employer offered me a second hand Nokia E71 with warranty still available at just RM400! I've seen the phone and it is still in a good condition and I dare say the price is REALLY tempting! But if I get this....I would have to let go of my dream phone and it's camera is ONLY 3.2 megapixels!!! T_T

While being stuck in a dilemma, I searched the Web just now to make sure my dream phone is the best camera phone by Nokia and not regretting once I get my hands on it and guess what? Nokia is freaking coming up with a much better phone with 12 megapixels camera called the Nokia N8 (specifications here)!!!!!

DAMN!!! Now I am sooooooooooooooooooo spoilt for choice!! So, is it my dream phone Nokia N86 8mp? Or the cheap second-hand but still in good condition Nokia E71?? Or should I wait for the unreleased which God knows when and God knows how expensive the price of the phone will be Nokia N8??? I AM IN SUCH A DILEMMA NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Of Hakka Chinese and our cuisine

2010-05-17T12:09:00.001+08:00

I don't know why, as I sit here doing nothing, there was a sudden urge for me to search the web and get down with a lil' history of my people, the Hakka Chinese, and of course, my interest - its food! Hakka are less known to many people, well at least that's what I think in Malaysia. So, I'll like to ~~bore~~ introduce you guys with a lil' something about my people!

"The Hakkas are a practical lot and have a long tradition of making the best of a bad situation. They have no qualms in moving on to another place in search of a better life and hence earned their name – Hak, which means ''guest'' and ga, ''family''."

Kuali.com; Tuesday, June 03, 2003

"The Hakka people also known as Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and based in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian in China. Their ancestors were often said to have arrived from what is today's central China centuries ago. It is said that in a series of migrations, the Hakkas moved, settled in their present locations in southern China, and then migrated overseas to various countries throughout the world. They have had a significant influence on the course of Chinese and overseas Chinese history: in particular, they have been a source of revolutionary, political, and military leaders."

Wikipedia; Hakka people

Famous Hakka people include Sun Yat-sen, Lee Kuan Yew, Fann Wong, Yap Ah Loy, Eric Tsang and Chow Yun-fat just to name a few.

All right, enough about our people, now a lil' something bout our Hakka cuisine which are well described by Kuali.com, so I thought to use its description for this post about food.

"Hakka cuisine may be described as outwardly simple but tasty."

"Hakka cuisine in Hong Kong is less dominated by expensive meats, instead emphasis is placed on an abundance of vegetables. Pragmatic and simple, Hakka cuisine is garnished lightly with sparse or little flavouring."

Wikipedia; Hakka people

1. Yong Tau Foo

~ Traditionally, making the yong tau foo meant stuffing small pieces of bean curd with ground meat, lightly browning them in hot oil before steaming or braising them in a pot. The yong tau foo as it is known in Malaysia today are more likely to be stuffed with fish rather than meat paste. The commercial varieties that we know so well are really a far cry from the Hakka original.

2. Hakka noodle

~ This bowl of noodle needs no introduction! Commonly found in almost everywhere in Seremban. Simple yet tasty plain noodle with only shredded pork as toppings. Seremban's most famous Hakka noodle can be found here.

3. Salt-baked chicken

~ Another of their notoriously salty dishes is salt-baked chicken in which chicken, often marinated with wine, is wrapped in paper and baked in hot salt in a covered wok till cooked

4. Rice wine chicken

~ A more salubrious dish that the Hakkas are famous for is chicken cooked in a sweet homemade rice wine. It is a simple dish that uses little seasoning – often just ginger and a dash of salt – to bring out the taste of chicken and the quality of the brew so the winemaker’s skill plays a very important part in this dish. The dish is also served to new mothers during their period of confinement.

5. Braised fried pork

~ fried pork marinated overnight in 5-spices-powder and wine, then braised with black fungus for hours.

6. Pork belly (Kiu nyuk)

~ There are two versions of Kiu Nyuk, the most common consists of sliced pork with preserved mustard greens - thick slices of pork belly, with a layer of preserved mustard greens between each slice, are cooked and served in a dark sauce made up of soy sauce and sugar. The other version is cooked with yam or taro. Usually pork belly are used, for its layers of fat and meat. The yam and pork are shallow fried until browned before being steamed with five spice.

7. Lui cha (pounded tea) Rice

~ Yet another dish that demands elaborate preparation is the oddly named Thunder Tea Rice (lui cha funin Hakka); the ''thunder'' possibly is the din created during the cutting, pounding and grinding of tea leaves, vegetables and nuts that go into the making of this extraordinary dish.

8. Sohn Pan Tzai (Abacus beads)

~ The daintiest of Hakka dishes is perhaps the suan pan ji (abacus beads), so called because the button-shaped taro snack resembles the beads on the Chinese abacus. A dough made of mashed yam is boiled and then stir-fried with minced meat and chopped vegetables to make a tasty snack.

9. Pig trotter vinegar

~ Trotters are often served whole with the skin fried to a crisp or chopped into big chunks and stewed in sweet black vinegar. The Hakkas also waste no parts of the pig and are known for their skills in turning offal into delectable nibbles.

10. Poon Choy (Big Bowl feast)

~Poon Choi includes ingredients such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, abalone, ginseng, shark fin, fish maw, prawn, crab, dried mushroom, fishballs, squid, dried eel, dried shrimp, pigskin, beancurd and Chinese radish. Poon Choi is special in that it is composed of many layers of different ingredients. It is also eaten layer by layer instead of "stirring everything up". Traditional Village Poon Choi is served in large metal washing bowls with a perforated metal plate at the bottom to keep food from burning, as it is kept warm on a portable stove as it is being served.

11. Black Tortoise Kueh (Cake)

~ The 'Orh' (Black) Ku Kueh or Black Tortoise Cake which I have here could have been a Hakka snack. I am just guessing as these black ku kueh gets it black hue from the leaves of the Rami, Choy Yip or Mugworts plant. These leaves are favored by the Hakkas and widely used in their traditional cakes to give them their distinctive black and I believe, for their medicinal properties too!

So........these are but a few of Hakka dishes which are more famous..... There are some desserts and home-cooked food that are worth mentioning but I just can't find pictures to show. Hmm.....I guess this will do and hope you get an insight of the Hakka peeps! ;)

Project-κ 16: Pizza Italia @ Oakland Commercial Square

2010-05-16T12:14:00.001+08:00

Just realized I was suppose to blog about this when I was rummaging my picture folders. These pictures had been stored in there since last CNY. LOL! And if you would realize, the pictures for this post is of much better quality cause I used my friend's DSLR that time! All rightee.... It was lunch during a CNY outing and someone recommended we go to Pizza Italia for some away-from-the-ordinary-lunch! Haha.... This place is situated at Oakland Commercial Square, very near to Columbia Asia Hospital.

The restaurant has an actual Italian cook! So you know that you are enjoying some authentic Italian food.... well, from the taste and hands of an Italian at least! :P

We ordered a couple of pizzas...and I'm so sorry...I couldn't remember the names as it was last January trip and my memory isn't that good! LOL! But these has no beef in them as most of you may have know already, that I can't take beef. :)

Regular pizzas were priced at RM 16 while large ones are RM 21. I usually order pizzas from either Pizza Hut or Domino's, so I can only compare Pizza Italia's pizzas to them. I find them to be fresh...like duh....they knead the dough only when orders were taken. The base was soft and not over-burnt. Just cheese pizzas tasted kinda plain to me....I don't know....maybe I'm used to getting chunky pieces of meats on my pizza that I don't fancy cheese-only-loaded pizzas. *shrugs* However, those with meat on them tasted pretty decent. Not great....but above average!

Pizza don't-know-what's-its-name-1 with seafood was pretty good.

Pizza don't-know-what's-its-name-2 just cheese tasted plain to me. :/

Chicken Lasagna was pretty good too! Nicely layered of cheese and meat makes this an enjoyable dish. :)

The restaurant's interior

Apparently Pizza Italia doesn't have a signboard. So, you'll need to look out for the red canopy or this cute little sign on its glass door.

Address: 480, Jalan Haruan 4/4,

Oakland Commercial Center,

Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

Check out other bloggers' review: Here and here

Trade Trash for IPods, PSP, digital cameras and home theater system???

2010-05-05T09:14:00.000+08:00

Fancy trading your rubbish for cool gadgets and electronic devices like a XBox, Sony Playstation 3, IPod Nano, Canon or Sony digital cameras, a personal home theater system or something more down-toned, shopping vouchers?!!! Well apparently some ingenious person came up with this idea of "Recycle and Reward" which literally rewards its Green members points for every item they recycle so that they can redeem prizes in the future! Click here for the website to learn more!

They also provide free pick-ups for your trash too!! Not sure if its around whole Malaysia, but in the Klang Valley, they certainly do! A lifetime membership fee of RM10 is all it takes to enroll yourself into this program and contribute to Mother Earth! It's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone! You got to get rid of your trash AND be rewarded at the same time! How COOL is that?????!!!!!! :D

Of Exams and Body Fat

2010-04-30T22:53:00.001+08:00

Woot! Exams are over baby!!! End of year 2!! And *slash slash* still got 3 more years to gooooooooooo~~~ (I'm getting used to the fact that my course is a bloody 5 years one....like it or not....most, if not all, of my friends had graduated before me!) Sigh....

Anyway, I can sleep without having nightmares now and my heart is beating normally again! Phew!!Hoping I can get a few distinctions again this time! *fingers crossed* :)

Went for a self-treat post-exam lunch with a few of my (closer) coursemates immediately after our last paper... Arcade first (yes...I'm 20-ish and I still go to arcade! Apparently it's been YEARS since the last time I stepped into one. Believe me, those games I used to play when I was young(er) are extinct! Arcade games these days are super chun and FUN! LOL!).....lunch and jalan-jalan kat Carrefour.

Stopped by a stall promoting health products on how to lose weight....we got interested and since all we have now is time (and not money)....we decided to entertain them (not that any of us was fat, well......at least not me! Hehehe.....).... Got myself measured for body fat content and actual body age and results weren't that good after all! GASP!

I have a total subcutaneous fat of 21.7%; visceral fat of 6; and my body age was 32 years old! Holy shit! Ideal range for subcutaneous fat is less than 19.0%; 1-4 for visceral fat and of course, the younger body age the better!!! NooOOOoOooOoooooOOOooooo............................................!!!!

I guess I got to start changing my lifestyle and diet from now on! Not to mention exercise more! Or simpler....pay money to join them in their programme.... looks real promising really....got lots of successful testimonials from their customers! *Looks at pictures of guys with 6-pack abs* *Looks at self tummy* Hmmm........it's tempting though. :P

Confer city status to Seremban

2010-04-22T08:57:00.002+08:00

Today's The Star Metro excerpt! Totally agree with this!! :) Seremban should attain city status BUT minus the traffic jam PLEASE! LOL!

SEREMBAN should be accorded city status soonest so that it could attract more people to relocate here, said State Opposition head Anthony Loke (DAP-Lobak).

This will also allow the people to have better access to services and to live in a more conducive environment.

Loke said that although Seremban was part of the Klang Valley, it lagged far behind in comparison with Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam and other towns.

He said the “Work in KL, live in Seremban” concept would remain a slogan if no effort is taken to turn Seremban into a city.

“What we are lacking is a strategy to achieve this. Has the state government carried out a study on the number of people who work in KL and live in Seremban?,” he asked.

He said this when debating the motion of thanks on the royal address during the state assembly sitting yesterday.

Loke said the state government should also ask the federal authorities to review the “bullet train” project linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

He said if the project was implemented, it would take only 20 minutes to get from the federal capital to Seremban.

“Previously, there was a proposal from the private sector to have this service. If this is implemented, I am sure more people will relocate to Seremban as it would take a much shorter time to travel between both points,” he said.

Loke said the state authorities, in collaboration with the private sector, should also hold property exhibitions in the federal capital so that more people would know what types of properties were available here.

“This should not be left to the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association alone. We must be able to offer them modern homes with contemporary designs, security features and green living concepts to attract them to move here,” he said.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/4/22/central/6087969&sec=central

Tun Tan Cheng Lock Foundation / Scholarship: Application

2010-03-30T19:08:00.001+08:00

There seems not to be much info on Tun Tan Cheng Lock Foundation (Scholarship) on the net......so I'll try to post as much stuff I know about its application here. Just to help out the (many) clueless out there! :)

TTCLF seems to be very low profile as you can't find it being advertised in any newspapers or does it has its own website. I got to know that in order to get the application form, you'll need to WRITE to them with an enclosed self-addressed envelope to this address:

THE TRUSTEES

TUN TAN CHENG LOCK FOUNDATION (Company No. 41001 A)

P.O. BOX 13615

50816 KUALA LUMPUR

Once you've got it, fill it up and send them back before the closing date. Some of you may ask, "Since they don't publish any notice anywhere, then how the hell would I know the closing date??? When should I send the letter asking for the form???" I don't know too....but I suggest that you do so immediately after STPM results are out! I believe the offer is open concurrently with pre-U results.

Here are the conditions and procedure for application:

CONDITIONS

1. Applicants should be Malaysian citizens.

2. Applicants should possess good academic qualification.

3. Tun Tan Cheng Lock Foundation Undergraduate Awards are for needy students only.

4. Only undergraduates / prospective undergraduates reading for a first degree are eligible to apply.

5. Applicants' course of study and University must be recognised by the Malaysian Government. This should be certified by a letter from the Public Services Department (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam), Malaysia.

PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION

I) All applications must be made on the official application forms of the Foundation. Completed forms should be returned to: (the above address)

II) Applicants should enclose certified copies of the following documents:

1. STPM certificates

2. School testimonials and school leaving certificates

3. Birth certificate

4. Parents' / Guardian's Income Tax Notice of Assessment. If parents' / guardian's income is not taxable, please submit other proofs of income such as EA Form (Form J)

5. Undergraduates should submit all results obtained in University / College including their latest results as soon as available.

6. Applicant's and siblings' NRIC. (as of year 2010)

III) Incomplete applications will be disqualified.

IV) All applications must be submitted before the closing date stipulated on the application forms. Late applications will not be considered.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified for interview.

As of year 2010, TTCLF provides scholarship of RM 7000 per annum to students of various field (Yes....include Medicine and Dentistry). So, good luck to everyone who plans or had applied!! :)

PS: TTCLF may change the required documents in the future.....so, make sure you get the latest info on it before applying! :)

Oh....and the dateline for year 2010 application is 31st March 2010. (yeah I know....it's tomorrow)

PPS: TTCLF Trustees' office is at Wisma Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur. It is possible for you to go there straight away and apply on the spot with all your supporting documents. Once again, good luck!!!! XD

Buddy Outing @ Lookout Point

2010-03-30T18:34:00.001+08:00

All these while I've only heard about how beautiful is this place and a perfect spot for couples or a bunch of friends to hang out. The night scene is beautiful.....overlooking the whole KL nightlife...cooling...relaxing....and many more comments by others who had been there before. Last Sunday, I finally had my chance! It was the last buddy outing for the year before everyone gets REAL busy for their year end professional examination! And it was a truly enjoyable and memorable one!

~Dinner at foot of Lookout Point....a private pond-cum-restaurant serving Thai food.

~ Pre-dinner photo! My lovely buddy line! :)

~ Food we ordered

~Went uphill to Lookout Point for dessert and drinks! Another buddy line pic with KL night view as background.

~ Spectacular view!!! XD

So? You wish to go there too but don't know the way? Fret not! Here's a map drawn by my roommate, Shim Chung Nam! Credits to him for this wonderful lil' thing! LOL! But there's another way to it....using Federal Highway which I'm not really good in describing now for I have just been there once! Just FYI, there are alternative roads leading to this lil' gem of a place! :)

My orthodontic care companions...:)

2010-03-25T23:53:00.000+08:00

Ever since I had put on braces, I brush my teeth 5 times a day (out of bed once, after every meal another time and before bed too) and have been taking care of my teeth extra vigilantly by using these care set! Which of course.......costs me more money to buy them! T_T

My beloved care set includes: Colgate Ortho toothbrush; Colgate Phos Flur Anti-cavity Flouride Rinse; and an interdental brush! ^^,

I wonder how long can I keep this up.....brushing and rinsing so many times each day.....Oh well.....wish me luck! ;)

2010 Annual Dinners

2010-03-23T13:47:00.002+08:00

Yup! I've mentioned these before.....was frustrated with them in the first place as I couldn't get anything to wear! LOL! So I've went to loan a blazer and bought a vest....hopefully I look good in them. Here are some pictures from both dinner. You be the judge! :) Oh! And as usual lah.....all the food sucks in both the dinners! LOL! =P

Malam Penganugerahan ASTAR Phase 2

~ Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Putrajaya (duh!)

1. Pre-dinner pic....nice view right?

2. Lovely chandelier

3. Me and my roommate (the blazer was from him)! I like this pic the most! :D

Dental Night Dinner (DND)

~ Hillton hotel, Petaling Jaya

1. Reluctancy to smile as I've just put on braces.....:(

2. But after a few shots.....oh what the heck! Still.....I look good with them right? LOL! XD

3. DND hall setting

4. Yup!!! I was up on stage performing!! Hahaha.....hope it managed to capture the hearts of many! =P

5. My incomplete buddy line!! :(

Project-κ On Hold......:(

2010-03-13T10:03:00.001+08:00

Darn! After putting on braces, I can barely chew properly! So, how can I enjoy my food now? Let alone taste them! Sigh.....looks like Project-κ gotta be put on hold guys.....*sob* I really REALLY miss eating like the good old days....... Just hope everything will be sorted out soon......I do literally mean my teeth! LOL!

*thinks of all the good food*
*stomach growls*
*hungry*
*sad*
:'(

Braced myself for braces

2010-03-09T20:14:00.000+08:00

At 10.00pm yesterday, I received a call from a postgraduate Orthodontic student, Dr. Suryati, asking me to come for my first orthodontic treatment today! The call was so sudden that I was totally NOT prepared for it! Both mentally and financially! Though it only costs RM750 for the whole treatment (cause I'm a dental student and we get special discounts as well as to cut queue! =P), considering it's only a few weeks past CNY, my parents mana ada anymore allocation for my beauty treatment???

But she told me I can pay in installment....."for how long also can and pay how much everytime you come, also can". My treatment will be for a year and a half. I didn't really wanted to go for it at first....but I thought to myself.....if not now, when??? My main concerns wasn't aesthetics.....cause my upper teeth is fine, almost perfect allignment! I dare say I have a beautiful smile! My problem lies on my lower teeth....it's crowded and misalligned....it's difficult for me to keep them clean and inaccessibility to my interproximal area of my teeth will cause caries in the future! So, I can say that the main reason I opt for this is for a better oral hygiene....
Future dentist mah.......must have perfect set of teeth! Or so to say........

Dr. Suryati placed brackets on my teeth today - from 2nd premolar to 2nd premolar....both upper and lower jaw. How is it? Pardon me if I'm being too honest......but I F*#KING HATE it!!! It makes my lips look swollen.....and there's this constant, lingering uneasiness feeling like something-got-stuck-in-between-and-on-my-teeth-but-can't-do-anything-cause-if-I-do-the-whole-bloody-brackets-and-wire-will-drop-off! And I can't chew my food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She put 2 restorations on both my lower molar to raise my occlusion, so that I won't bite on my brackets! And I F*#KING HATE that feeling!!!!! I can't chew....which will lead to can't eat well and much.......which leads to won't feel full......which leads to a grumpy and unhappy me!!!!!!

*sob* I really feel like I wanna cry now.........I do regret doing this.......Just wish I had said NO and live with my original set of teeth.....at least I will be happy and enjoying life as the old William does....... :'(

I've FAILED!!!

2010-03-05T17:03:00.000+08:00

During my secondary school days, I remember I failed once before.....during Form 4......for Pendidikan Moral. I was deeply saddened by it eventhough it wasn't considered as a core subject or in other words a very important subject then. But the actual fact of failing and finding a bright, red, D on your report card is really disheartening! Maybe it was a culture shock....I don't know....maybe I was still adapting to the transition from Form 3 to Form 4. Whatever it is, I've told myself then, that this will be the first and last time for me failing a subject!

And I've worked hard for the rest of the years till I came out of secondary school and into Form 6 and finally got a place in Dentistry in University Malaya. Of course, being a professional course, this ain't easy as well..... Stress was undoubtly present, lingering on everyone as time goes by. And I work even harder for my first professional exam....and scored pretty well (1 A+, 2 A's, and a B). This time I am in my second year.....had had my semester mid-term test just before CNY, and results were out today....

As the title suggested, I've failed......I've failed yet again!.......this time, for a subject called Dental Material and Technology. Yes...as you would have guessed it, it is a core subject of Dentistry.... I don't know what happened.......I mean, I could answer those questions......well, at least I thought I could....

And result shows I've obtained an E! Man....that is such a HUGE blow to my face! But I was not alone.....99% of the class failed too..... Only 1 out of 83 students passed.....and that also was with a grade C. Of course, I can't take this as a consolation........ Others fail, doesn't mean I have to fail too.....only a loser will take that into account! And I know I am not one! Why do you wanna be among the 'average' in a Distribution curve?? Opt to be the extreme.....at the better end of course! That's what I always wanted to...

Eventhough I've failed, I know I can't give up now......instead, I've got to etch this FAILURE to my skin and into my heart, if it's possible, as a constant reminder for me to work even even harder!!! Maybe this is a blessing in disguise......God wants me to be more hardworking, and making me fail this time serves as a booster shot to raise my fighting spirit, as in a booster shot in vacinnation for a higher immune response....

My second professional exam is nearing.....less than 2 months to go..... William, I know you can do it again this time.....you will study at your best and hardest....you will get all A's for your exam this time. I know you can! I know I can!!! *fire burning*

Fashion wants!!!

2010-03-01T09:00:00.011+08:00

I've been surfing online for men's fashion and am hooked on beautiful, really cool looking and according to fashionistas, these are must haves for a decent men's wardrobe. Of course.....these doesn't come in cheap! Sigh...........looks like I need to ikat perut and save up much much more money in order to get these.... :'(

1. A customised blazer

2. Cardigan

3. Vest

4. Leather jacket

5. Skinny ties

6. Boots

7. New pair of shoes

Great.....now I've got so much more needs! Looks like finally becoming a man is not easy! Fashion wise that is! ;P

Annual dinner dilemma

2010-02-26T20:37:00.001+08:00

(Most, if not all) Students have 2 major dilemmas in their academic years, or so to say. First, the constant pressure in getting good grades; and second, to look great in annual dinners or proms! OK.....since the former is a constant, pain-in-the-ass kind of situation with no guaranteed ways to overcome....let's talk about the latter, which is the kind of problem I am facing now!!!

Dental Night Dinner is in 3 weeks time and a week from now, comes my annual residential college's dinner called Malam Penganugerahan ASTAR! The thing is.....I HAVEN'T GET ANYTHING TO WEAR YET!!!!! ARGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And exorbitant pricing for men's wear isn't helping at all! Not to mention limited choices......this is the time where most (fashionable) men will hate and start asking why is men's fashion soooooooooooooooo unfair??? Sedangkan our counterparts have TONNES of choices and some are priced CHEAPER THAN OUR TIES!!!!!!! Damn it!!

And to top it off, gaining weight during CNY makes matter worse! Sigh......I think I've got to work out more in order to look my best during those dinners.....Not to mention, I'll be on stage performing for one of them... I HAVE to look good!!! *stress* Call me vain.......call me dandy......cause the fact is...... I AM! ;P

Project-κ 15: Thosai @ Lingam's Curry House

2010-02-19T08:00:00.001+08:00

Many people, Indians aside, especially Chinese, doesn't like thosai very much due to the sourish taste. But that's because they do not know what to order! Being a Malaysian, with abundant of Indian food around, thosai can be considered as one of my favourite breakfast. And in Seremban, we have just the place to get very good thosai! Located at Jalan Yam Tuan, very near to the Perodua showroom in town, Lingam's Curry House serves one of the best thosai in Seremban! An Indian friend told me of this place once when I was still in secondary school but never got to try it until this year. And you bet, once I've been there, I am totally hooked on it and make it a must-eat-place everytime I come back to Seremban and in time for breakfast! Lol!

I couldn't stand the hunger made by the delicious aroma emitted from the thosai's being prepared, so decided to get a few of vadai and munch on it first. =P
These vadai's are not bad, and if you get it freshly made, you'll be enjoying it hot and crunchy especially with some chutney dip!

One of the food I ordered - Thosai Rawa. Thin, crunchy and absolutely delicious! There were generous amount of onions, red and green condiments (peppers I think) in it! Eaten either with the spicy or white chutney is simply great! I totally recommend this to those of you who doesn't like thosai due to the sourish taste. Believe me, this is not at all sour! You'll like it.....guaranteed! RM1.20 per piece.

Another wonderful thosai - Thosai Ghee. Thin and crunchy just like thosai rawa, but minus the onions and pepper and with a distinct ghee (butter) smell and taste! This is a MUST order if you don't mind the calories (it is butter after all)! But mind you, this thosai isn't at all oily! I simply love this but I have to keep the fat in mind everytime I eat it! Haha.....but guilt aside, this is one heck of a thosai! A piece of this is priced at RM1.50.

There are of course many other food available like nasi lemak, the different kinds of roti's, more types of thosai's and rice in the afternoon. Though I didn't manage to try all of them, I'll definitely make a second, third and most probably more visit here again! XD

Below is the menu board

The restaurant signage from the side

The restaurant from the front

Captured Moments of Scotland: Album 3

2010-02-15T09:33:00.002+08:00

Guys, this will be the last album of Captured Moments of Scotland. Shown here is the city of Aberdeen and town of Stonehaven. Aberdeen was were I stayed during the bout-5-months-stay and Stonehaven was the last place I visited before flying back to Malaysia. Enjoy! :)

It was Veteran's Day in Aberdeen!

Men / boys in kilts! ^^,

The peaceful lil' town of Stonehaven - it's a fishing village, which explains all these yatches and boats.

A medieval-looking-thingy at the top of a hill in Stonehaven, which reminds me of Merlin! Hahahaha.....

Castles are EVERYWHERE in Scotland.....including here, in Stonehaven.

Beautiful isn't it? This is one of my favourite picture for this album. Those white spots are seagulls! Whole lots of them.

A picture with my caretaker, my cousin - Chelsea

Scottish National flower

These are NOT closed-up photos.....these ARE the actual size of the flowers there. Bloody humongous!

Final picture in one of the restaurant I worked in - Ban Thai Restaurant. Seen here is my cousin's boyfriend, Dennis; and my colleague at another workplace (Greggs Bakery), Margaritta. She's a really nice lady - miss her! :) And I leave for home the following morning with tears and a heavy heart....... *sob*

Hero of the Century!

2010-02-14T14:51:00.000+08:00

Hey guys! Check this out! Our latest hero! Hehehehe......enjoy~

Captured Moments of Scotland: Album 2

2010-02-12T10:00:00.001+08:00

This album shows one of the most beautiful city of Scotland: Inverness - the perfect place for retirement where fresh air, green sceneries and chill weather are in abundant! I am in love with Inverness the moment I stepped into the city..... <3

The infamous Loch Ness!

Ruins of a castle along Loch Ness

Photo with the cruise guide AFTER the cruise of course! Haha....a very animated man! The photo shows of the Loch Ness monster sighting....if you believe it lah~

The Loch Ness 3D Museum

Inverness Battlefield of Culloden and Museum - one of the most interactive museum I've ever been to!

Castle of Inverness - believe it or not, this is the city's council now!

Inverness river with a park

20 km walk to Inverfarigaig! I can't believe it either! Haha.....but the tiredness are well worth due to these beautiful sceneries. No wonder people always say, 'the grass is greener on the other side'. LOL!

Aeriel view of the loch......how I wish I have a home here overlooking this spectacular view!

Another 5 km walk to the Foyers!

In total I've walked almost 30km! Phew.....never been fitter in my entire life! Haha.....at the end of the day, you bet it, my legs were DAMN sore! XD

Bored of Studying + Camera + Staying on the Most Top Floor

2010-02-10T08:05:00.000+08:00

I know I should be studying now but I couldn't help being bored in my hostel room........My roommate wasn't around........and he left his camera here........And so, with the combination of all these, (and Photoshop too!) you get this:

~View from my room, C405~

Beautiful isn't it? Haha....hope you can't see the not-so-perfect-Photoshop-editting. :P

Seremban's FIRST Carrefour!

2010-02-09T08:18:00.001+08:00

Another interesting news in today's Star Metro! Our very own Carrefour chain! Haha...Anyone know where exactly in Rahang is it situated?? Haven't been back to Seremban for quite awhile....need some updates. =P
But what attracted my attention more wasn't Carrefour but our MB saying that there'll be a Komuter station nearby that area!!! Wooooaaaahhhhh........so is that huge tunnel like thingy and humongous flyover near Seremban Garden meant to be a Komuter track? We'll have to wait and see! =)

Chain Carrefour opens first outlet in Negeri Sembilan

By CHITRA S. NATHAN

THE opening of French hypermarket chain Carrefour’s first outlet in Negri Sembilan in Rahang recently had customers lining up outside its doors from as early as 8am.

The early birds, however, were rewarded as they were treated to refreshments and also received goodie bags courtesy of the hypermarket chain.

The outlet, the chain’s 21st store in the country, was opened by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan who marked the event by planting a tree near the store’s main entrance.

“I believe Carrefour has made the right choice in investing here.

“This is the ideal location for their first store here as it is easily accessible to consumers with the inner ring road and, in future, a Komuter station will also be located nearby.

“The presence of hypermarkets like Carrefour are welcome in the state as they make it possible for consumers to buy a wide range of household goods at affordable prices in addition to providing jobs for locals,” he said.

He added that the store’s location on the outskirts of town meant it would not adversely affect the business of small traders operating in town.

Mohamad hoped that the hypermarket chain would support local entrepreneurs by also providing shelf space for homegrown products.

He, however, stressed that local business operators who were interested in marketing their products to Carrefour had to ensure their products were of good quality and met the store’s stringent standards.

“Carrefour is among the most successful hypermarket chains in the world. To be on Carrefour’s list of suppliers and satisfy customer needs will be a great achievement as it would mean success for the small business entrepreneur,” he said.

Located just 10 minutes away from the town centre, the latest Carrefour outlet occupies 4,077 sq metres with more than 60,000 products in its store.

The outlet stocks household goods ranging from groceries to electrical appliances, clothes, stationery and other necessities.

Carrefour Malaysia-Singapore chief executive officer Guillaume de Colonges said he was confident the store would be able to meet the expectations of local consumers.

“After almost two decades in Malaysia, it is our aim to satisfy our customers’ needs and demands which are becoming more sophisticated.

“We go to great lengths to continuously upgrade our services and offer the best discounts and attractive promotions to our customers,” he said, adding that Carrefour was committed to providing consumers a pleasurable shopping experience in a conducive environment.

As one of the major retailers in the country, de Colonges said Carrefour was proud that more than 95% of the company’s goods were locally produced.

“We encourage local entrepreneurs to come up with their own products and will be happy to support their business if the products meet our standards and are in demand by consumers. It has to be a win-win situation.

“Some of the local products, especially in the halal product sector, can even be exported to our other stores as we have a global presence. We will definitely look at exporting it if the product is of good quality,” he said.

Also present at the opening were Carrefour Malaysia chairman Datuk Abdul Aziz Samsuddin and Carrefour Malaysia-Singapore marketing and communications director Low Ngai Yuen.

Project-κ 14: Prawn Noodles @ Sam Kok Tei

2010-02-07T12:00:00.004+08:00

Another must-try when you go to Sam Kok Tei (triangle square) at Jalan Yam Tuan in the evening, is the prawn noodle sold near the main junction, right opposite Domino's pizza and almost next to the silky, smooth Tau Foo Fa at the bus stop.

Sold at RM 4.00 per bowl, this, I swear, is probably the best prawn noodle in......*let's be modest*.....Seremban, will do. LOL! Famous blogger VKeong recommended his best prawn noodle in the Klang valley but I would say, our local prawn noodle beats his F-L-A-T!!!

One can choose from the different types of noodles available and each is served with fishballs, fu chok, kangkung, beansprouts and of course, the superb, spicy-sweet, lip-smacking, big-sized prawns!

The prawns are worth your every penny and highly recommended by me! Try it! It is so good that I ate the whole thing including its head AND shell! LOL! Also, do sample their homemade chilli paste for the ultimate taste of the noodle. I scooped spoonful after spoonful of it onto every bite of my noodles. It's soooooooooooo good! Yes, it's spicy, but there's a hint of sweetness in it too. I think it's the same marinate that they use for their fabulous prawns.

The stall is managed by an old couple. They told me that they had been in this business for more than 30 years already! Due to their old age, they confessed that they can't cope with too many customers at once. So, please be patient if you were to wait long after ordering. Haha....

Closed on every Wednesday and Thursday

Opens at 6pm - finish (usually 11pm)

Note: Also closed for the whole stretch of Chinese New Year (15 days)

Life's like that

2010-02-06T09:35:00.000+08:00

Why????? WHy???????? WHY?????????????????
Why must all the good stuff happens on the time I wanna sit for an examination????? When I am bored to death and spending my free time calculating the rate of rotation of my room's ceiling fan from speed 1 to 5, there are NONE such interesting events ever occuring!!!

Damn it lah.....I still haven't watch Avatar and what makes it worse is that I think it will soon be out of the cinema listing! And then there's a blood donation campaign that I really wanna go............ Today i saw a poster about an annual musical event by University Malaya Buddhist Association (PBUM) called Malam Irama Bodhi that I sooooooooooooooo wanted to watch.....................BUT I CAN'T!!! Cause on monday is my bloody exam! And it'll stretch down till Friday! God damn it! Why is life so unfair?????????? SIGH~~~ *cries* :'(