Agenda

Realised that I haven't been utilising this blog as a journal much. So I thought I'd just update some happenings around me lately.

Saturday, 26th July

For the first time ever, Faiz sayang drove! So there it came, a sporty turquoise Gen 2 roving the quiet, run-down street until its driver noticed a rather 'spherical' shaped Homo sapien looking absolutely unkempt and dilapidated ambling two and fro under the scorching sun.

And so we had an EXTREMELY slow drive over to Mid Valley only to meet up with an exhausted, under-dressed creature we all know as sawo :) That poor fella had been roaming from one retail store to another just to search for a coat of his size-which, mind you, is extraordinarily difficult.

Faiz and I decided to be kind Samaritans and actually accompanied him to search over at some other outlets, only to feel even more crestfallen. Nevertheless, he managed to find it the following day over at Berjaya Times Square-so, enough about him.

Faiz, on the other hand, spent a whopping RM229 on a pair of GAP jeans. A classic incident of conspicuous consumption-a living example of Veblen's theory of consumption. Well, let's just hope its quality shows over time :) I must admit though, that the jeans did look rather attractive.

We strolled over to Gardens as well, and stopped by at a magazine shop soon after. I grabbed the latest New Scientist issue and shockingly found pics dictating ovulation. Boy, did it look like cod liver oil capsules. They stumbled upon this stunning natural process whilst preparing to carry out hysterectomy. Here are the clearest pics ever taken of this ever-occurring, life-sustaining process:

And Sawo's immediate reaction was: "Ewww..it's IN YOU sawo *adds disgusted and condescending intonation*"

And sayang was practically speechless.

Gee, I wonder if they have microscopic pictures snapped during ejaculation. HMPH

To carry on, it was 4 plus and was time for sayang to be all pious and pray :) We were absolutely shocked to discover that Gardens could be THAT ridiculous and religion-insensitive not to have a surau.

Before we actually did confirm that, sayang was making a hypothesis that this probably implied rich people don't pray. And when the guard directed us over to Mid Valley for the surau, we unanimously nodded in agreement and uttered, "Hypothesis accepted"

So, while sayang was praying, sawo and I had that sudden urge to learn some photography and begun behaving like tourists from other LDCs, photographing with my pathetic camera phone.

And the disastrous products are as follows:






We adjourned to Sushi King hoping to satisfy our growling stomachs but ended up only finding a bunch of impertinent, exasperated staff serving us. Oh well, nothing unexpected really. My only regret is the fact that I did not manage to snap a pic of their facial expression for blogging purposes.

Anyway, am worn out entirely. Shall visit slumberland. To be continued..(I just realised that I never actually do continue my post, do I? :P)

I Look To You

I'm enraptured to present: Whitney Houston's newest song (which isn't officially released just yet), sung by R Kelly. One of those rare English songs I fancy :D

As I laid me down,
Heaven hear me now,
I'm lost without a call,
After giving it my all,

Winter storms has come,
And darken my sun,
After all we've been through,
Who on earth can I turn to?

I look to you,
I look to you..
After all my strength is gone,
In you I can move on,

I look to you,
I look to you,
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear the song,

I look to you.

(Intentionally Left Untitled)

So I've been doing a lil bit of thinking. The aftermath of my thoughts and my decision would probably be painful. But I guess I would tolerate this slight, temporary pain better than I would the pain begotten if I stubbornly satisfied my emotional cravings.

My policy is this simple. To me, if the probability is less than that 0f 0.5, no matter how difficult it is, I'd forgo these transient things of life. Everything is impermanent. The difference is its degree of impermanence-some things in life just last longer than others, but ultimately, they cease to exist.

I know my strengths, or perhaps the lack of it, and I certainly am sure of my weaknesses. Say that I have a self-inferiority complex, that's the least of my concerns. What I know is, I don't get myself battling in something that I'd never win.

I have decided. Coming to this conclusion itself is already adequately convoluted. I expect adhering to it to be even more challenging. But I'm up for this. I know I won't regret, as it'd at least yield more happiness than it would otherwise.

After all, to live is to suffer-in more than just one way.

Another Random Post

I seem to have difficulties giving titles to my posts. So, oh well, let's just stick to the word 'random'. I just returned home from my medical check-up and also a short survey of lamps for my newly-renovated, humble abode and man am I exhausted! Not only was the medical check-up colossal monetary wise. It caused great agony and unnecessary stress just waiting for two painful injections-one for the basic blood test and the other for my Mantoux test *nods vigorously* Yes I have injection phobia. I think they call it tryanophobia. Am just anticipating microscission to save me from all this trouble.

To be honest, I have begun to adapt to this through gradual exposure. I guess when one has set their expectations to be as such, he or she is psychologically-armed for it. So..GOODBYE TRYANOPHOBIA! Buah kakakaka!

Well, this post was not meant to be dedicated to encountering needles and the fear of it. It's objective is for me to opine on things I have seen and experienced. First in line, my working experience at HONDA.

I've worked there for a bit more than a month now and sad to say, I've actually adapted to their inefficiency and lackluster attitude towards work. To clarify on things, when I say I've adapted, I don't mean part of me has assimilated to these characteristics. What I really mean is that I've learnt to be more tolerant towards different people. I've had Bryan, who graduated in psychology from the University of Nottingham, sharing with me his working experience after having returned from the UK, venting on how different Malaysians were in social interactions and working ethics. I recall him warning me that the start of it would be a complete..hmm..vicissitude as compared to what I would have experienced over in the UK and that I'd feel suffocated. I could see he was speaking based on experience-and this one-month stint at Honda has convinced me that I'm yet to be prepared for such differences.

I used to think that I'd easily maneuver thru these differences and accept people for the way they are. After all, it is a diverse society. But I was wrong. Terribly mistaken as a matter of fact. I realised I wanted them to do things the way I did mine. And I realised in this self-centered world, one gets rewarded for a good job done, with more work and less gratitude. These people exploit laborious characters. In a way, I feel as if I've added no value to HONDA and worse, I feel as if I am to blame for the despicable work attitude of a few people.

Of course I have Chong Han who has worked there for 6 months telling me to be more streetwise. Thinking back, I was silly not to heed his advice. Nevertheless, I still managed to carve a forced smile on my face. You see, I believe that you shouldn't allow others' behaviour to influence how you feel, instead, you should influence their behaviour with how you react to things. Since I can't change the way they work and their morale, I could just stick to being who I am, apparently the ever-smiling-one, and hopefully influence them to be more motivated.

I guess I was wrong to rant and rave about not learning anything. To put things in perspective, no, I didn't gain any academic information. What I did gain however is a better panorama of human behaviour, and possibly patience :P I survived by Bryan's advice to focus on the similarities instead of the differences between people-more specifically those in Honda. It is a brutal fact that we humans, in general, can only practise the theory of self-interest, successfully I mean. We bother too much about the tangible things in life that we forget about the soft-sides, the aspects that truly matter. We're too engaged in the fast track rat-race in life that we've abdicated the values of humanity. Sad but true.

Would saying that indirectly imply nirvana is unattainable? ( I say this because Nirvana means freedom from all worries, troubles, complexes, fabrications and ideas) If we carried on living like this, well perhaps. But one of the four noble truths mentioned that nirvana is indeed achievable. Through nirodha-the unmaking of sensual cravings and conceptual attachments (I think!) is nirvana a feasible goal in life. I'm a terrible Buddhist to be honest. I do not understand these concepts, and even if I did, I have no confidence in being able to practise its believes. I cling on too tightly to transient things in life. I, sadly fail to grasp and implement the concept, 'matter is void, void is matter'.

I dare say that I have understood that life means suffering, and perhaps am beginning to comprehend the causes of suffering. But I'm still light years away from understanding the cessation of suffering and the path leading to it.

At present, I'm just a student who craves for ACADEMIC SUCCESS-which is impermanent. So, technically, I'm not practising the teachings of Buddhism. And I don't think I will be in the next 4 decades.

More to come on my reflection of life...after dinner *stomach growls* Itadakimas!

Just Artistic

So here I am with a terrible headache and still adamant on posting in my blog. The power of music, or art as a whole really. It seems to amplify your pleasures and numbs your senses.

Though many may not share my infatuation for Jay Chou, I still think his piano playing skills are second to none. As proof of my claim, I shall provide you with a grandeur Jay Chou performance, extracted from one of his recent movies, Secret.

Well, I certainly hope Jay will be around long enough for the next century to appreciate his music! Then again, time and tide wait for no men, teens of the next generation would probably fancy other music genres. That's what my parents say anyway..My dad would always go, "Imagine your children saying exactly the same thing to you!" whenever my bro and I rant and rave about him dancing to the 60's and 70's rock and roll.

I still remember the English SPM essay question I chose to answer was on music. I was elated when I saw that..and as usual I, being my garrulous self just meandered my way through :P Music is possibly one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.

There were so many occasions in which music was my only companion-I would find myself locking myself in my room, crouching at a corner and just sobbing my lungs out if I were sad. On more joyous days, I would be hopping to the music with my bro. It really doesn't matter what the lyrics are like, neither does the language of the song play so pivotal a role. Music itself is a universal language already! Well, of course, the justified true belief is that the periodic table and maths are the ecumenical languages. I recall my aunt saying, "If you pointed K (in the periodic table) to an alien, they'd know exactly what to get you" :) Yes, she has rather vivid imagination.

Anyway, back to music! hehe..It's just always comforting to know that there is someone out there that comprehends your predicaments. Someone with empathy, and someone that expresses this understanding in a way so ambiguous for your personal interpretation. In a nutshell, with music, one would never be in solitude.

Oh dear me, I'd better get going! Have to practise for my singing class tomorrow..Don't forget to bring your umbrellas before leaving home! :D I shall attempt to sing *drumrolls* Whitney Houston's Run To You tomorrow, so am keeping my fingers crossed. For those who have never heard the song, enjoy the video attached

Mind Your Language

Do not be deterred from proceeding just right after you've read ye olde conventional, pap-talk title :) I really am just blogging about an old British comedy-and possibly one of its best

The title of the series is that of this particular post's-Mind Your Language. To just give you a rough indication of how well I rate this series, let's just say, I wouldn't mind paying for the TV licence over at the UK just for shows of this quality. Unfortunately, I doubt any production in this modern epoch would even match the magnificence of this one's.

If my memory does not fail me, I believe this series was aired between 1977 and 1979 over at the UK and sometime in the 80s over at Malaysia. Starring one character from each of the following countries; France, Germany, China, Hungary, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Greece, Japan, India and Pakistan, this show demonstrated the English stereotype towards these foreign immigrants. These common perceptions (and perhaps eventually discovered to be misconceptions) were brilliantly translated into one of England's best comedies in history.

I mean, you have the German interchanging her 'v' and 'w' pronunciations, the French focusing entirely on matters related to love and intimacy, the Chinese with impeccable grammar but just horrendous pronunciation for example,

English Teacher (Mr. Brown): "Su Lee, what do you call a female lion?"
Su Lee (Chinese National): "Rioness"
Brown: "You mean, LIONESS."
Su Lee: *tries enunciating again* "LRRIONESS"
Brown: "Su Lee, say..RIONESS"
Su Lee: "LIONESS"

The Spanish could only say "Por Favore" almost the entire season, and the Greek suffering from over-emphasis on his aspirates. You had acerbic names thrown all the time such as..hmmm..

(i) You INDIAN chapatti
(ii) You ITALIAN spaghetti
(iii) You SPANISH omelette

*sighs* This show kept me ALIVE during my final International Baccalaureate examinations. It's a pity Barry Evans died so tragically..for a comedian, he sure died in a very ironic manner. I'm sure some of us out there still mourn the loss of this established comedian.

Mummy's lame joke of the day

It all started when my mum brought Malaysia's renowned jackfruit for my bro, and asked whether or not I'd like some.

It goes something like this:

Mum: "Ah lui, would you like some nangka?"
Kor: "But mum, baby does not like jackfruit!"
Mum: "Oh so you don't like jackfruit, you like JILLfruit lar"

Kor and I burst into laughter, while mummy carries on singing "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water"

This reminds me of an incident over at Tasik Kenyir 3 years back during CNY. The history of it is as such:

The entire family decided to go on a budget trip over to Tasik Kenyir and so my mum cooked some food to be brought over there. Naturally, we would have brought an ICE BOX along in attempt to preserve the food.

After lunch over at Tasik Kenyir, Kor and I were lazing around and lying back on the sofa watching some TV programme when my mum exclaimed,

"Children! Look! This is NOT an ICE BOX! *holds up medium-sized ice box with a SMILEY label* It's a HAPPY BOX!"

My bro and I were speechless for at least a minute before we realised that my mum was trying hard to make a joke.

Mum does make our day at times :D hehe!


I LOVE MY FAMILY..what will I ever do without them :)

Random Thoughts

The political situation in Malaysia really is saddening. On one hand, Kevin Rudd claims democracy is blooming in Malaysia (boy, that guy certainly does not understand Malaysia well), and on the other, Malaysians think otherwise. People get caught for reasons not known to themselves just under the ISA apparently threatening national security! Tell me then, with their lives at stake, how many would be like RPK-daring enough to stand up for what he believes in?

Seriously, every political agenda in Malaysia is a conspiracy. Minister A has his line of defence, Minister B has his supporters and Minister C, his believers-so, it's all about self-interest and the benefits to a small community. Now, the question is, will corruption ever be eradicated? Oh puh-lease lar..this really is just a rhetorical question-we all know the answer don't we? I mean, how can the ACA be under the PM's department in the first place?


We Malaysians really don't ask for much-all we need is a clean and fair government, ensured social security and a stable economical condition. I personally do not think we Malaysians should throw vituperations at the government for raising the fuel prices. We have been fortunate that fuel prices were previously heavily subsidised. And just because we have been provided with crutches all this while, and we suddenly have been denied of this benefit, we complain. That's human behaviour.

People just don't like change I guess. It's a paradigm shift that we Malaysians must have. A change of lifestyles. Oil prices are not something within our control-so why not just learn to cope with it? It certainly is a drastic change, but ultimately we should give credit to the government for their effort to lighten the burden of the impoverished.

Back to the political situation, here we have our dear former VP propagating from one state to another. And also, we have an interesting sodomy case to follow. Not to mention the recent debate on racism in the Parliament. These events are not going to help us with our current situation. This hunger for power and epic battle between three men are only going to bring Malaysia in one direction-'apoptosis' Hehe..

Winds of change in the recent election isn't too bad really. Well, at least it does tell the federal government that the people aren't too satisfied with certain policies etc that have been implemented. But, from another point of view, it seems to bring about petty arguments in the parliament.

There's a good and bad to everything. As we all know, the opposition won not because they had concrete manifestos (or maybe Anwar and Kit Siang did) but because the people have lost faith in the government. It's sad but true, that no matter what Pak Lah does, no matter how people-oriented it is, it'd never be enough to regain public confidence. I guess Malaysians are too tired of his elegant silence. To them, this deafening silence is no longer an epitome of patience and wisdom, but instead a symbol of incompetency.

I actually have so much more to say really, but..*sighs* we all know freedom of expression in Malaysia is limited. I don't want to be the next RPK plus I still need to preserve this government scholarship supporting my education. In a nutshell, we Malaysians will just have to remain patient and endure this testing period striking us at the moment. I believe that good things come to those who wait. :)

Once again, I apologise for the disordered thoughts. Hehe

I'll be boarding the A330

Yes yes, I know I'm outdated but I've never boarded an airbus really! So this will be my first time! It's much more comforting to know that it's an airbus since I'm flying alone..Just like the more spacious side seats I guess :D WOOHOO!! *leaps with joy*

Oh yes, the airfare was a whopping 2537! *sighs* I shall now vow to eat economical rice for lunch everyday..ONLY FOR LUNCH

I want to watch The Dark Knight

Shermie wants to watch The Dark Knight..Silly GSC keeps saying, "Sorry, this movie has been fully booked etc etc" *sighs*

Anyway, she's waiting to watch it with a certain someone..who forced her to give him the link to this blog..So, that certain someone had better book the tickets soon.

Yes, I'm bored stiff. *sighs* *continues reading Princess Masako*

Sherm-o Want-o Go Korea-o..Lame-o

Yes, the title's lame..but hey, I just got started man, am still learning the techniques of entertaining writing :( *sniff sniff*

Anyway, after 3 consecutive years of applying for the International Youth Camp organised by the South Korean UNESCO, I've finally been selected! Woohoo! Sad, I know..the first time I applied, I was apparently too young *pouts* and the second time I applied..well, I just wasn't qualified enough. Hehe..I tell you, these Koreans discriminate against Malaysian education institutions. You see, the second time I applied, I put MARA College Banting as my college/university. And this time when I applied, that was replaced by the University of Cambridge. What difference does it make? Sometimes, Ivy Leagues and Oxbridge are overrated. I personally think it runs down to the individual to determine how successful he or she wants to be in the near future. Then again, *sighs* public opinion and without a doubt, Malaysian mentality does have bearing on this.

Dear me, I'm rambling again. Yes, so mummy is worried of the 3 additional days I'll be spending over at Korea alone. So is daddy, and so is kor-kor (my bro)..Doesn't really pay to be a girl at times. hehe! Anyway, in this post, I shall share with you guys my tentative itinerary for the additional 3 days after the camp.

I'll most probably pay a visit to Gyeongju, which is down south of Seoul. Reachable by bus or train in 4 hours and 30 minutes. Don't even mention the transportation cost though. It's 30 US dollars just for that torturous journey-ONE WAY. That's another reason for me to tolerate the disastrous working environment over at Honda. Nevertheless, I believe the long journey will be worthwhile.

Next, a brief history of Gyeongju. It's known as the open air museum of South Korea, which basically translates to it being an entire historical town. Apparently, every nick and corner of it has its own history and would have its individual monument. Oh well, that remains to be proven-seeing is believing after all :) If you're interested to read on its detailed history, (which I doubt you'd be) feel free to browse through this link: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=255885

My ENTIRE family refuses to allow me to stay over at a motel which costs 50 US Dollars..and would instead prefer forking a large amount of cash just so that I would get a decent hotel to stay in *sighs*. I have no complaints really besides the fact that I'd have LESS money to SHOP! Those who studied economics would label this as a distinct case of opportunity cost. I mean, the motel doesn't look too bad! Here, have a look!

Does look rather comfortable, doesn't it? But, why leave myself open to security risks kan? I still want to realise my dream of being a successful oncologist afterall. So, my plan now is to actually search online for suitable and reasonably priced hotels just to satisfy the behest of my parents.

My first day over at Gyeongju will be dedicated to visiting places located further away from my temporary residence, just so that I'd have enough time to cover these tourist sites. So, it's Seokguram Gutto and Bulguksa Temple first. Also, I'll probably be dropping by at the recommended Underwater Tomb of King Munmu and will subsequently head off to Gameunsa Temple and Golgusa Temple. Gee, why am I portraying myself as a staunch Buddhist all of a sudden? :P The sights at these places are absolutely SCENIC! That's the impression I got from the pictures at least. Then again, contrary to the popular axiom, pictures actually DO lie, and I've been a victim of this several times. Nevertheless, I shall share with you some of these pictures I managed to find:

Seokguram Gutto is the representative stone temple of Korea, believed to be
built along with Bulguksa Temple

Bulguksa Temple, on the other hand is famous for its three-level pagoda. I
doubt it'd be as magnificent as the tour de france, 'Borobudur' though
This islet found amidst the beautiful, vast sea is as a matter of fact the
Tomb of King Munmu, the calibred King that united the three Korean kingdoms
to establish the renowned Shilla Kingdom of Korea

I just realised that this post is getting too lengthy. I'd better stop right here and shall continue the second day in the next post before I bore you guys to death (or perhaps I already have) *sighs* Sorry, will try to kick away this proclivity of elaborate postings *sniff sniff*

Till the next post people! Hasta Luego!

Tatterdemalion

Such a degrading title to label my blog with huh? Probably indicates my confidence level of making this blog a success. Yes, so I lack the dedication to frequently update blogs. My previous blog was an absolute failure (possibly because I blocked almost half of the people on my MSN list from viewing it) and I expect this to be no better than the previous one

Hmm..the title of this blog is basically inspired by the way I dress. :D As its literal meaning implies a shabby person, dilapidated etc, I thought it as the perfect word to describe my fashion sense these days. The KMBians would obviously agree to this considering the fact that they have seen me for 2 years dressed up in rubbish and rags seemingly found from dump sites.

Yet if taken figuratively, and on a more personal note, tatterdemalion seems to carry along with it a certain degree of simplicity. And that is what I hope this blog will yield-the sincerest of postings; unadulterated opinions etc. You guys know what I mean

This blog will serve for two purposes then:-
(i) A tirade outlet for mua
(ii) A way for us to keep in touch? (I don't know! That's only if you guys BOTHER reading this
boring page!)