Hari Kebangsaan!! Merdeka Malaysia

Hari ini Hari Kebangsaan Malaysia. Maafkan saya, saya akan berbincang dalam Bahasa Malaysia untuk hari ini sahaja. Malaysia sudah jadi 47! Saya berasa sungguh berbangga apabila boleh memberitahu orang lain saya warganegara Malaysia. Kenapa? Tak payah apa-apa penjelasan lah. Kerana kerana. Sudahlah.

Saya pula baru ingat Hari Guru ialah pada 1hb September. Aiyo!! Tak baik, tak baik!! Sudah terlupa melawat guru-guru lama saya yang berada di Institusi St. Joseph dan Maktab Rendah Kebangsaan. Alamak sekarang mesti pilih satu hari yang saya boleh ponteng kerja "volunteer" supaya saya boleh pergi cari guru-guru tersebut... pun tak terlupa Puan Rosenah, cikgu yang mengajar saya bagaimana guna bahasa ini!

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY, MALAYSIA!!

Keane

Oh, forgot to add, on Fri when I was waiting for the bunch of Leics people, I went to HMV to check out CDs for almost 2 hours. And it seems it was the relaunch of HMV's new-look and some celebrities like FIR were even invited! I listened to Keane "Hopes & Fears" and liked what I heard. Now whoever has the CD, please own up! Also had a listen at Franz Ferdinand's but only Take Me Out is nice.

Today I bought a pair of Brooks shoes. But when I got home I realised that despite my rather intense scrutinisation, I had missed a fault in the shoe manufacture and so I'll have to bring it back tmr to exchange the right one.

Oh, that day Lim Keng Leong was in the news. Today Samantha got into the papers. Wonder when's my turn =p I think I should do something better with my life. And fast. Work hard!!

arcade

Went over on Thurs to Niko's for a last session of badminton b4 he left for US. This time I whacked him decisively, 15-6 and 17-15 (this one's farcical as we switched sides again and again as one side kena the afternoon sun's glare). Heh.

Friday I met up with some Leicester pple here for dinner at Sushi Tei. Well I'll see them pretty much in Leics.

Saturday was spent sticking ard in Suntec at the Comex and Sports Sale. Nothing fantastic. I'm still looking for a pair of sports shoes. And we thought we had lost Derrick but it turned out he'd left his phone at home so he couldn't get in touch with us.

Today met Derrick, Kuan Min and Kevin for lunch and we played arcade. First time I have done so in, like, a year. And we had lots of fun playing the table hockey (my fav!), Daytona, some 4-person Korean shooting game and that Bishi Bashi (haha!). I also got to play some soccer, but Derrick didn't join in. Even Kuan Min tried, though he was unfamiliar with the keys. Beat Kevin 1-0 with a goal off a corner!! Hehehe so much for all your training with ur PS2!!

Today's Big Story~

Well let me come straight to the point.

A mental patient at Sunlove committed suicide today.

I was informed of that the minute I stepped into the office shortly after 10am. The police were already here so I delayed having a look around the area. In the end I just looked into the corridor (the room where she hung herself is at the end) to get a glimpse. She had been taken down onto the bed, but I didn't venture in cos a few policemen were still inside. In any case I'd missed what I wanted to see (due to my laziness to step out of the house earlier every day). Well I am not just curious or whatever, but I'd hoped to see how she looked like after being hung. Nothing perverted here... I'm not a nutcase. Just sth I wanted to see for myself.

Turned out she'd been disturbing the other patients and not very in control of herself. So they put her into a wheelchair in solitary confinement with her breakfast while the other patients were in the canteen. Rather determined and smart too, cos she managed to get up there despite her weakness and made use of the wall fan electric cable to commit her act. If I get a chance to walk in tmr I'll have a look at that room in more detail.

quenstany

Met up with Ai Lee finally. When I was in KL last week she "refused" to come down from Penang earlier to meet me... haha anyway she came over to Sunlove today and had a definitely interesting day with the dementia patients. Gosh, when I count the years, I've known her for like 6 already! The longest female scholar I have known, I think.

Went to Tiong Bahru, then Jurong Point for dinner. Crystal Jade. Still the first time I've eaten there, though it's supposed to be so famous. But I've tried their fatty duck that time when wan yee came over.

Oh Sheau "Loudspeaker" Yann joined us there too. Been a long time since I last saw her. 2 years. Still as short *oops!* Too bad I couldn't roam around in NUS hostels tonight with whoever they'll be looking for cos I'm not too free these days myself!

weekend~

Well, just an update.
Last Saturday I was out with Joanne and again went to the Orchard area. I was well "interrogated" by her and we had the japanese noodles fr Taka basement 2 for dinner (oiishi!). Took 700 back and ended up walking all the way to Bkt Panjang Plaza after that really spontaneous decision to get off the bus and "anyhow whack" our way back.
Am contemplating getting the sleeveless tee and long-sleeved one at John Little.
Also trying to get to meet my OG (the juniors.... I was OGL) from NJ soon...
Sunday: badminton with Kuan Min, Kevin and Firman at Bkt Gombak CC. Only problem was I made a slight mistake (been a year since I last played there!) and got my friends to go to what turned out to be the Hong Kah North CC. Had to foot the taxi bill to get us to that ulu run-down place. I soooo have to brush up on my backhand and footwork!

What Iraq Was All About

This is a letter from a University of Leicester academic printed in Daily Telegraph. I share his views..
SIR - Before we lose ourselves in boredom or outrage at the report on the September 11 attacks (News, July 23) and the Butler report, consider, for a moment, what the Iraq intervention was all about.
Toppling Saddam was not a matter of the wrong intelligence. The point of the war was to state boldly - as only wars can - that America, and the allies it could muster, were prepared to wage war on the basis of flimsy evidence.
Since Iraq became his focus, the subtext of all George W Bush has done is: "Hey, look what we can do without a copper-bottomed case. Tremble - Iran, Syria, North Korea, et al - at what we will do when we really are sure you have the intent and the capability to do us harm.''
Overwhelming action on the basis of over-egged evidence is a remarkable statement of resolve on the part of the Bush Administration: "We will act on mere suspicion. Don't push us.''
All the official, sanctimonious reports that continue to punctuate the post-Saddam landscape miss this one obvious point: that the war was deliberately the product of weak intelligence, rather than the unfortunate by-product of it. (You can believe Tony Blair was suckered by or complicit in this logic, as you wish.)
Fighting Saddam means Bush and Blair avoid a far trickier foe. If invading Baghdad is infinitely more appealing than invading Teheran or Pyongyang, then you invade Baghdad.
No amount of car bombs will dissuade the American administration otherwise. Better also that the front line of the war on terror is on the Tigris, not the Chesapeake. This is why Iraq will not cost Bush the November election.
We can't be sure why the Libyan government seems to have come on-side in recent months. It is unlikely to have done so, however, because of cautious diplomacy on the West's part. Colonel Gaddafi seeks rehabilitation because he fears an America unencumbered by doubt, of the kind the Liberal Democrats - and seemingly now even Michael Howard - would make the operating principle of Western inaction. America's foes fear not its rationality, but its irrationality. They fear, in short, that it can be like them. That is the trick of the war on terror.
And of course, such a campaign will have little time for international law or the UN. The wonder is that America invested so much diplomatic capital in this route initially. Blair's influence seems the only explanation.
From: Dr Timothy Lynch, Department of Politics, University of Leicester

RAM, BAM, damn!

When I was away in KL, I got my dad to lug my laptop to the distributor to install extra 256MB RAM. That makes it 384MB I've got and it's much smoother now.

I have been following the Olympic Games, especially badminton. And Malaysian badminton has gone down the drain this time. Not exactly helped by a difficult draw, everyone had crashed out by the third round. And Singapore's Susilo almost had a great chance to earn a medal as most of the top players had been knocked out. But luckily Thai ace Boonsak Ponsana gave an excellent account of himself and floored the poor Indonesian import 15-10, 15-1. I was watching for most of the match, and what Boonsak did in the second set was absolutely unbelievable. He returned everything Susilo threw at him, and made 3 out of 3 difficult returns.. what I call the skill shots. The first one was that around-the-body forehand return, and then the second one was a backhand overhead smash. That one is really impressive. I have only seen one other player do it, and that's the great Dane Peter Gade Christensen. The third was more usual fare, a quick but complete dive to his right to retrieve a steep smash and then getting back to his feet to defend the serve. Absolutely fabulous. But Susilo can take heart that he is finally among the top tier of world badminton.
Our Roslin Hashim, and later Wong Choon Hann, lost to the finalist, Taufik Hidayat, whose smashes from the back are so powerful even Peter Gade had no answer for them in the quarters, losing 12-15, 12-15. Lee Chong Wei stretched Chen Hong to 3 games, but alas Chen lost next to the other finalist, unheralded South Korean Shon Seung Mo. This time the results have been really out of the form books. And World No.1 pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah lost to Lee Dong Soo-Yoo Yung Sung again. Now this Korean pair will be playing another old-timers, compatriots Ha Tae Kwon-Kim Dong Moon in the final.

FYI, BAM stands for Badminton Association of Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur Chronicles 2

Day 3

Met up with my super good friend Paul today. He wasn’t that free actually, but still found time to meet me… that’s a good move. That’s what a good friend should be.. hahaha. Unlike Yee Pei who, despite staying some floors above where I was putting up, couldn’t make it for mamak or even just me visiting her for a chat just because she wanted to sleep.

We were at Kota Raya again, and walked Petaling Street where Paul took me to a “famous” wantan mee stall. Not bad, but I think the standard is quite the same as the stall I distinctively call the “ngo tei yau wai” wan tan meen* stall. I will go to that stall when/if I return next year.

Paul had to leave at 2pm, so I took the Putra LRT to KLCC** and walked outside. I went around, and even to the KLCC park to take some photos. There, I met up with Eileen. Haha I recall how I surprised her by using Ken Rhee’s phone to call her that night when I arrived. Cos she only knows him sparingly and didn’t imagine the world could be “so small”. Too bad Li Fang couldn’t make it… must be because she dun want me to tumpang her car later =p Well it was a great time I had walking Parkson, Isetan and some other shops/boutiques looking for the elusive t-shirt/garment that sweeps me off my feet. I found that it was odd this Parkson outlet didn’t have a sports department (which is where they sell t-shirts + other garments of “sports brands” eg Schwarzenbach, Adidas, Muller etc too).. anyway, we went to Auntie Anne’s and that’s the first time I tried their pretzel. Not too bad; I choose the cinnamon one. I just had to. But the lemonade was irritating my throat. Eileen asked me, “So how do you find the lemonade?” (cos it was her suggestion) I replied, “Erm, same as that in UK? The one that I add to my vodka or Malibu?”

I managed to capture that real sweet smile of hers… hahaha.. and she thought I was checking my messages or sth on my phone.. hehe… nice. Later on, we walked out to KLCC park again and I finally managed to capture some shots of the Twin Towers as it had been too bright earlier on. This young lady (kekeke) had to be home for dinner, so I was left wandering the vast complex again. Maybe we’ll meet at KLCC next year again. If.

This time, I found the “missing area” of Parkson. The sports section was hidden inside the floor with all the upholstery and pots and pans and kids’ clothes etc etc, and I finally found something I wanted. Not a t-shirt though. It was this sling bag. Diadora. Not a bad design, quite cheap too at RM36. So I didn’t have to return “empty-handed” with only the mushroom sweets I bought at Marks & Spencer.

Returned on the Putra then the STAR LRT and after some KFC we went to mamak at Sri Petaling. I had some substandard Maggi mee goreng while watching Arsenal beat the crap out of Everton live onscreen.

Day 4

I left rather early in the morning, but not before going to the Komanwel park and taking some pictures there and around the Bukit Jalil area, the main sporting arena of the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Met Victor again (too bad good ol’ Jason couldn’t make it) and this time it was to whack the entire Bukit Bintang area. No time to lose, we took the Monorail to Bkt Bintang. Sungei Wang Plaza was first, followed by a hurried look-see at the up-market Lot 10 and then the even posh-ier Starhill Centre. All that was left was the newly-opened Berjaya Times Square, a massive shopping centre worthy of being mentioned within the same breath as Megamall, Pyramid and 1 Utama. People have told me there’s nothing to see there, but I beg to differ. Probably the shops are still springing up so there will be even more to see once everything’s in order.

After lunch at Kenny Roger’s Roasters (spent 20 bucks!!) I took the Monorail one stop to Hang Tuah. I should have just walked! But with my bag. I realized that train transport costs are quite high in KL… or maybe it’s just me. The clothes do seem to be retailing at rather high prices as well, not unlike Singapore. I walked to Petaling Street from Hang Tuah and went to Ocean to grab the cookies that I’d be bringing back to Sunlove for my colleagues, then upstairs Kota Raya to pick up a t-shirt that I had seen earlier, and then to Mydin to buy that sleek and unique pair of Panasonic ear-clip-phones. But when I got out of Mydin it was raining very heavily again. I had a bus to catch! I did a recce of the area and decided I’d go around the building and take in some rain to cross the road to hide under the STAR LRT line. Luckily the road was rather clear and I did not have to stay in the rain for long. I then followed under the line all the way towards Plaza Rakyat station, which is just behind Puduraya. So I got myself to Puduraya without being too wet. But at the counter, the seller cited the rain as an excuse and sold me the 5 o’clock ticket (I had been hoping to get onto the 4.30 bus… it was 4.20 by then.) As I expected, the bus did not leave until 5.30pm. And the driver took such a bloody long time, stopping at Seremban and then Yong Peng b4 reaching Ayer Hitam for our dinner at 9.45pm! Yikes!! I reached home at 12.45am. Cutting it closer every time, but not the last 170 bus yet.

* “我们有位” That’s because when I was there in Dec 2002 that stallholder is always shouting, “ngo tei yau wai” to tell potential customers that they could always find a seat there. Well they actually squeeze you in on some partially-occupied tables. Efficient.

** where the Petronas Twin Towers are

Kuala Lumpur Chronicles 1

Day 1

The day started off well as I was able to catch the 10.30am bus at Larkin despite leaving my house only at 9.25.

I was speaking to an “instant” ticket-seller… the ones who go “KL KL KL!!” and rush for the SBS170 buses that arrive to catch the passengers (travellers) alighting at Larkin.
I asked, “KL berapa?”
“Dua puluh lima.”
“Dua puluh mana-mana pun boleh dapat.”
After a short pause, he motioned for me to follow him.
20 bucks for the bus ride.

Arrived in KL at 3.30, where I promptly walked into Kota Raya for a look-around. I also ventured to Ocean and S&M Shopping Centre, but stopped short of entering Petaling Street as I was carrying my traveling bag and din want to struggle with the crowd. Sat down at an Indian stall and ordered a Maggi mee goreng, but he misheard me and fried me a mee goring instead. Not too nice, too oily (probably using ghee) and rather spicy… not good for me who’d just recovered from flu and cough.

Took the LRT to Sri Petaling where I was met by my gracious host and good friend Ken Rhee, and off we went to the pasar malam for some much-needed food. Settled for 板面; lousy noodles. But I found chiku*s!! Bought one ready-peeled packet of that. Oh, I also managed to meet Yee Pei when I arrived at Vista Komanwel. Haven’t seen her for.. almost 4 years.

Day 2

I was out early in the morning and first thing was to go Endah Parade to look for some sample contact lenses. The first shop did not provide any, but I obtained them at Focus Point. Then I went back to the first shop to get the All-in-1 lens solution for RM8. But when I reached Sunway Pyramid, there was a booth outside Starbucks too, but for that I had to wear the contacts on the spot. No problems for me. Too bad for me, they were offering the solution for only 5 ringgit! Bausch & Lomb’s own brand some more! Then it had started raining heavily and we had to take another taxi to Mid-Valley Megamall. That’s where I met up with Victor. Turned out he was quite a shopper so it was great cos I was looking to shop. I managed to obtain a pair of Suave jeans at Jusco for 39 ringgit (heyhey I like the name!) , and was sooo nearly tempted to buy the Gosen or Impact racket at half price! They were even selling Talbot! Wow!!** Superb range they carried. If I ever get into the Uni team I will come back next year (and that’s if I come back) and check out their offers again.

Had dinner at Esquire Kitchen, on my friend’s suggestion: pork rib with preserved vegetable (zha choi) noodles. Good.

* A very sweet local fruit, brown in colour, looking much like a kiwi fruit, but shaved. I mean, minus the hair.

** Talbot is a European brand of badminton rackets. Not at all popular here.

Back~

Hello!! I've been having a super great time back in Kuala Lumpur. What a good feeling to be back in my "kampung". Too bad 4 days was way too short a time. Will be writing all about my trip...

Off to KL!!!

I'm taking 4 days off this little patch of grass in the middle of the sea to explore the vast masses of shopping and food in my very own humble hometown. Tomorrow.

Goodbye, you self-centred, kiasu minions! For now...

Of cabinets and outside influences

Singapore PM-to-be Lee Hsien Loong has unveiled his new Cabinet line-up. Outgoing PM Goh Chok Tong is gonna move up to be the Senior Minister, with the current SM having another new post created for him: Minister Mentor. Lemme guess.. another fat paycheck? He just refuses to go away. And it's taxpayers' money, thank you very much. And someone wrote in the Forum page of the Straits Times that it was a good gesture for LHL to invite Goh to be the next SM. Whaddayamean LKY could have stayed? No way! Even if he created that post he had to leave. Natural succession ensures it. Until last week many had thought he'd finally get off the "lime"light but it seems that's gonna take a while longer now. What next: Senior Minister Mentor?
And DPM Tony Tan is gonna have an expiry date hanging over his head. He's due to retire next June. Well too bad for him, he can't change his mind now, can he? And he's not gonna get anything close to what SM Lee was drawing: a lasser-faire $1million to stay in the Cabinet. Not with a post of Deputy Senior Minister! (like it will ever happen...)

And in a shrewd political move, Temasek Holdings had propped up the market by announcing an (unattractive) offer for Neptune Orient Lines after buying into it. That created interest in many government-linked stocks and some connected companies, pushing the market higher, in time for Lee's ascention to PM. So much for his wife being the chief of Temasek. Also, we have heard morale-boosting announcements regarding the economy's growth going to hit 8 or even 8.5% this year. So now there's a rosy picture for the incoming PM. Sly.

Market-watchers keen on speculating Temasek's next move, perhaps a renewed foray into the shipping and logistics industry, may be left high and dry. Cos Mdm Ho Ching has probably not written the next chapter for Temasek. There probably is not going to be a next move! She's already achieved her aim!

New spectacles!

Collected my new pair of spectacles today. Quite satisfied with the frame that I settled on after looking through the range of over 12 shops. And managed to squeeze a pair of sample contacts too. Acuvue Dailies costs $45 a box.. Bausch&Lomb's SofLens and Biomedic's costs $40... then CIBA's Focus Dailies costs $35!! But I heard Focus isn't very great... anyone with info please let me know. Will be looking ard for more sample contacts. =)

Read sth on Amelia's blog. Very funny. She mentioned that she hated being called a freshie. I quote her:
dun u dare call me freshie!! humph.. it's like advertising for sanitary pad "whister ultrathin, keep u fresh all day long... "
BTW that's whisper, not whister.

Also met up with Louisa for dinner. Caught her b4 she leaves for Germany... We went to Oodles (noodle shop... duh!) and I had some pork chop ramen. I picked up the tab. Gracious host?? =)

Contacts

I tried on contact lens on Sunday in Tampines. Acuvue (daily) and Bausch&Lomb's 38 and Comfort varieties. Interesting, I must say... my world "widened" after so long in the "wilderness". Ok, more like my vision, not world. I am contemplating getting a box or two of Dailies so that I can choose to switch to contacts on occasion. Maybe for football etc as well.

My new spectacles should be ready as well. Collecting them tomorrow.

Got a haircut as well. Keeping it short now. Pun intended. Ciao~

NO??

This is to reply Shiyun whose blog doesn't even have a reply feature!

Well Kinki Kids are not exactly "beng". They are just typical Japanese male fashionistas with so many accessories stuck to their bodies and clothes that maybe the girls have an easier time! But Koichi can be rather cool-looking.. I remember his solo performance on Music Station. Or was that Tsuyoshi??

Piisu.

Star player!! =))

Played football at Katong again today. Not really advisable as I had only recovered from fever 2 days ago. Bloody hot... I took off my t-shirt halfway through it. And I coughed all the way throughout the game. Couldn't even muster very strong running for more than one burst down the field. And we were 3. On 4. But well I did play! Even Marcus described my performance today as of a "star player". I didn't feel that way as I couldn't even run properly, but he pointed out that my passes always found the man. Hmm.. nice observation. Quite true, even when I failed to hit the ball nicely when I slid to cross, the ball rolled directly to him... And the turning point came when I cleared a shot by Jon Lim. He struck it low, and I slid to the right to flick the ball over the goal. Excellent, even by my standards!! Cos he has a mean strike, and good accuracy too! Anyway I am just glad I marshalled the defence well today since I couldn't mount too many forays up front.

Went to Plaza Sing with Qiying, and did a complete recce of the place. Even went into Gilbert Lee*'s shop! (Info thanks to her) Then we shunned the thronging crowd and went down Orchard Road. Actually it was near Handy Rd... that old Long John Silver's, where we had our dinner. Also met Huang Chee Huat, my St John Ambulance Bridage ex-CSM (Company Sergeant Major). One year my senior. Found out he's also doing Engineering. But in NTU. Then we continued our walk. I asked her, "left or straight?" She said, "Left." So we ended up walking all the way to Little India aka SecretSociety (黑色会!!) And I set foot in Mustafa Centre after a lapse of... ... ... 6, 7 years?? Bought a LARGE canister of Planters Cheez Balls for $3.90. Shiok!!! And then we walked all the way back to Bugis mrt. Next time I must go up Fort Canning Hill.

* He's that economics teacher from NJ.. bet u didn't know he had a shop there!

cough cough~

Oh, I forgot to mention, the posting of my first pic here is thanks to Shiyun and Photobucket.

Got cough mixture from the Centre today. All thanks to good ol' Charles. I might need flu tablets too hehe. But the nose has started to show deference to the original regime (now that it's sane again) and so I think it is no longer renegade.

Playing football tomorrow. You only have one life.

Live it.

Me and my mudpie at "Big O"

Sick!!!

Wah lau. Kena flu. And fever which comes on and off.
On Monday I first encountered the irritating nose which keeps on trying to outrun Tim Montgomery's 9.78s. And I even went to watch 'The Return' at night with Jon Fok, Jenny, Shihui and Aaron. It's a Russian movie, about a father who returns to his children after 12 years. Poignant and with strong characterisation, the reviewer in Life! gave it a full 5 stars. So I kinda had to watch it for myself what the fuss is about. A real pity that Jonathan is unable to appreciate the artsy side of films that have become so mainstream and commercial in recent years. And knowing him, I wouldn't even bother to try to knock some sense into his unyielding mind. Not worth my time, especially when I am sick. And I think I'll be watching the all-male ballet performance (Les Ballets Trockadero) when they arrive from Sept 7-11.

Yesterday had to go to the Centre cos I had to collect the script for today's National Day Celebrations since I am the mandarin MC. Left after half day cos I had to translate it, and I was already having a fever. This morning I "dragged" myself to Sunlove, but got better during the day. If not for the Celebrations I would not have got out of bed! The event was held at Pasir Ris, and I think I acquitted myself quite well, in spite of my condition. Good experience being an emcee, but never did I imagine that I'd be speaking in Chinese since the last time I spoke publicly (which was the Student Council election speech in JC). Now I am taking the day off tomorrow.

Ciao for now.

oh, sweet rain ''''"

Went to Marina/Suntec again. Met my fantastic junior Qiying after I don't know how long. I think it's one year plus. Haha... not that long. We had a meal at some French/Spanish restaurant(called Marion Basque??) where I had pasta again. But this time it was with tuna and tomatoes, which I haven't had before, not even in England. The closest I got to such a dish was when Tracy had it in Glasgow. Talked about so many things, and we walked Marina Sq and Millenia Walk and Suntec too, but there were still things to talk about. Great to see such an interesting person again. One who refuses to follow trends and believes in herself. Who else would drop NUS Law to do Accoutancy in NTU? =) I wish her well.. She'll go far!

On the way back it started raining very very heavily and I had to call for reinforcements (my dad with the umbrella!). But the mobilisation took quite long as the thunderstorm was simply too heavy for him to even want to walk out. Hope Qiying brought along her shampoo on the way back to NTU.