New, Port.

Having started work in a slightly rugged city not known for glamour and well-mannered youths, I must say that this week has gone by (well, almost) with little aplomb. Not least due to me still wandering around and not knowing a thing about what I should be laying my hands on in the future.... but I did find a Rileys where I can take my snooker cue for an exercise. Unless there are yobs there too...

My place is nice enough, adequate would be a better word actually, and I await the arrival of my new Ikea wardrobe with increasing dismay (thanks to the lethargy of my landlady). Last week she said this Monday, this week she says next week. So if by the start of next week it does not come, I shall need to take some serious action. Same goes for the dryer which I will need to continually prod her. I have more or less given up hope on her getting a vacuum cleaner in, cos I know I can get my hands on a cheap and handy one, albeit smaller in size (hey, portability incres ok!). The stove is kinda crap; I have to figure out which ones work, and they are electric plates which really hinder my cooking. I am currently working on a solution... and probably keeping my eyes open for any properties around. Unfortunately the only source of internet I can find is in the office, which really limits my cybernautic movements. How claustrophobic.

Otherwise things are looking up I believe!

A few good weeks

Seems to have neglected this blog for some time... but anyway things have been going quite well for me I guess. Went to Wales to sort out my future accommodation and had a walk around the entire place. I decided on a place and paid a deposit so I could move in this weekend, in time for me start.

Autumn again takes on a melancholic feel as those who have defied the odds and stayed the summer are finally leaving. And taking with them some of the greatest memories deposited in Leicester. And the electric pump for the air bed ><

I won't say much here, except that I will be working in an electronics firm, the pay isn't great but still very decent, and the town a bit small, but hey, it's in Wales! I hopefully get to travel around soon and take in some historic sights.

taxi touts in KL....

Passengers Still Taken for a Ride

I like such reporting... more of that please?? And also what Watchdog does on BBC... We need more proper media highlighting issues, not politicians quibbling or making all sorts of statements. And perhaps amend the constitution to make it really equal.

Johor Customs getting a facelift!

Was reading about the Malaysian National Day festivities and looking at some associated pictures on The Star, a few days late. But here I would like to highlight an article not exactly connected to this event.... just that the Johor customs have been in a poor state for years. And it took them so long to see it. Plus an estimated 10 days to finish "upgrading"??? My foot!

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/31/nation/15281316&sec=nation
Basically our Deputy Tourism Minister has indicated that the customs complex needs some urgent special attention.... And the Tourism Ministry may need to pick up the tab for speeding work on the slip road by PLUS: quote the Customs senior assistant director: " The maintenance of the roads are actually supposed to be done by PLUS, but I will take over the task and bill either PLUS or the Tourism Ministry" What the heck???? The government (i.e. taxpayers) may need to take the rap for slow work by PLUS?

this is quite cool, so i thought...

I'd do it. Thanks to Cyn meimei who I don't remember doing the one I tagged her for earlier...........

10 years ago...
1996. Golden year, PSLE results, time to go into Secondary School.... that year, I
1. felt I did not perform well enough in the final exams and felt I had let down myself, and some of the others around me who had supported me. But I was getting lazy already...
2. got the ASEAN Scholarship, a bit fortuitous maybe cos I didn't think I did very well at the interview. But that Miss Violet Loo was quite a good interviewer. And I still hate the guy who laughed when they asked me to predict what score I would get in the exams. In fact I was very close! Idiot....
3. (copying cyn about prefects) I seemed to be late very often when I do prefect duty. As in, I always end up arriving one minute after the time at which I was supposed to arrive. Not that it really mattered, since we used to book lots of people for lateness and rudeness and whatnot.
4. I stopped my organ lessons when I decided that primary six was more hectic, and when I realised I wasn't exactly prepared to take music up full-time. But I still can play and did very well as theory.... contemplating getting a keyboard when I get my first paycheque...
5. I went to meet the RI principal, and it appears they lost out in the end. Muahaha.

5 years ago...
2001.... JC1. Most hectic period of my life.
1. I always had a clash between Student Council and Western Dance, making it difficult to go for both, and incurring the wrath of some people on both sides. But at the end of the day I would have chosen Western Dance because they needed me more. Not that SC was useless, but our council had its fair share of problems.... and Mark Lo the teacher-in-charge wasn't all that fantastic as a people-manager. Talk about motivation, man!
2. I went to the USA for a creative competition, but the competition was fierce and we were mere minnows..... but we did have a good time before the Sept 11 incident...
3. I left Oldham Hall after 5 glorious years (maybe my parents won't exactly agree with this) but man it feels a bit different in the hostel, and the way it used to be. People would sneak out after hours to tah pau dessert (aka dinner) from Newton Hawker Centre. And there used to be thuggish people in the hall... and I used to stay in a dormitory with like 12 people. Perhaps that's where I learnt to put my theory into practice.
4. Did my best ever in GP (General Paper aka English), preparatory year for the AO Levels examination. Scored A and got into the best class... but, alas...........
Oh and since I am on the subject, I copied the most homework ever! Special thanks to Sock Yong and Shiyun hahaha. But to those reading, make sure you know how to copy smart!
5. I ran 9'47" for 2.4km, which is my competitive record...

1 year ago..
2005
1. I did a bad year at university... didn't score all that well, and CCA didn't go very well too. Badminton Club did not seem to go forward properly, but I did spend time socialising with friends at the famous Nixon Court Block C401-406 corridor. Those were glorious days, and we (Ho Fung and I?) made Geraldine into a night owl. Teehee.
2. I played a trick on Ho Fung and locked him in his room...
3. I rented my first car in the UK and drove to the seaside.
4. I learnt some lessons in life and people...
5. I went to Germany, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, China, Hong Kong. Someone still owes me some photos because HIS HARD DISK DIED!!!!

5 songs i know all the words to
Same as cyn, I go for the tune more than the words. But, with some prompting,
1. Ordinary World, Duran Duran.
2. 半岛铁盒，周杰伦 (translated: half island metal box...[hahahaha], Jay Chou)
3. Eyelash, Juliet the Orange
4. 你在我心中，王非 (you are in my heart, Faye Wong)
5. Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis, Yoko Takahashi (Cruel Angel's Thesis [didn't know they did PhD too]) from Neon Genesis Evangelion

5 snacks i love and wish i could eat
1. long yuk (Barbecued sliced pork!! Yum!!!!!!)
2. chan pei mui (橙皮梅, preserved plum with liquorice)
3. sanzha peen (山楂片, hawthorn slices)
4. Pineapple tarts
5. Kuih-muih (Malay sticky cakes/confectionery)

5 places I'd run away to
1. KL, Chinatown (Petaling Street) and associated areas.
2. Dorset
3. Egypt
4. Some parts of china I the "古代人" haven't visited. And Patagonia. And Africa.
5. A river where it is legal to catch fish. Preferably with some waterfall-y features too. But then again it wouldn't be so easy to catch fish...

5 things I'd never wear
Too many I guess....
1. High heels.
2. Cross-dress?
3. Scottish kilt?
4. Earrings.
5. Two left shoes.

5 favorite tv shows
1. Crossing Jordan
2. The Practice/Ally McBeal
3. Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. 食字路口
5. I used to watch Moe Alkaff's Gotcha!....... ><