Watch This

Love is a Losing Game (live)
by Amy Winehouse

...you will be sorely missed. Not only are 3 of your songs in my top 5 most played songs ever, the last song I was playing in my iPod before I heard the unfortunate news happened to be one of yours. It's still paused midway. Requiescat in pace.

Of packing and moving

Sorry for the unannounced hiatus. I didn't intend to leave it at that last post before going off the radar for a while. It's been a hectic three weeks for me. I moved out from the halls in the first week of June. Not only was it physically taxing, but emotionally as well. After having lived with my hall mates for this significant amount of time, they grow on you. Sure, I'll probably still see some of them in campus or in the streets of Oxford, but its just not the same not being able to walk two steps out from your room and find someone to talk to when you're feeling lonely. Anna, Jimmy and Amanda. I will surely miss them to bits.

Moving out has made me realized that I'm a collector of things. Random pieces of junk, sheets of papers and articles and books (apart from all the clothes, of course). Sure, I'd love to have these worldly possessions with me in the following term, but moving them into storage was a feat which gave me backaches and sore muscles for the better part of my vacation. Needless to day, I got rid of quite a few things.

Packing the remaining stuff was no picnic either. I was pretty much required to sort things into 4 categories: for Storage, for Italy, Self-Care Package while I crash over at a friends' before I return to Malaysia and for Malaysia. It was a sorting nightmare. And couple that with storage woes due to my forgetfulness, transport and financial problems, tight schedule and lethargy, makes for one hellaciously brain damaging experience I want to forget. But I thank all my gods that almost everything fell into place at the very last crucial nerve wrecking second. Otherwise I would have been rendered homeless, with boxes of my stuff on the street curb, plane tickets in hand with no way of going to the airport.

But almost as soon as I left for my vacation, everything turned around for the better and my worries started to melt away in the Venetian waters. More on that later. And now, I'm crashing over at a friend's, looking forward to the concert tomorrow and then back to Malaysia in due time. :)

And by the way, these are previously unpublished photos of my room in Crescent Hall. The room I called home for 38 weeks. It too will be missed.

2010 | A Year in Warhol-esque Pictures

It seems this is the third time I'm presenting a picture from every month of the past year. Sort of a review in pictures. I like it. It forces me to sift through files of pictures allowing me to recollect all the good times I've had.

But just to add that smidgen of wonkyness to the collection of pictures this year, I've edited them into slightly Warhol-esque pictures by playing with the colours.

January | We were together after such a long time. We need another meet-up



February | We drank the night away, by the beach.



March | We all wore green that day.



April | We took a group picture but in reverse.



May | We finished our crit! And started to part ways.



June | We took to Redang Island, and had the best time together!



July | We went crazy taking pictures.



August | We gave two people a tart.



September | I went abroad, a change of scenery.



October | We had our first few dinner gatherings.



November | I saw some Warhol



December | It snowed and snowed and snowed.

2010 was an interesting year. I'm not all that sure how I could sum it up. It was a mix of ups and downs. Bits I will keep in my mind forever and events I wish to purge from memory. Certain incidences may have messed me up but fuck it, that's just life. Things won't miraculously change for the better, there's a process that we all have to go through.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that just because the year is ending doesn't mean everything will change for the better. We're still in this continuum which at anytime, anything can happen. But it's the effort and the actions we take that can alter the course of our future. So, take charge of your future. Take a chance. And if it doesn't come out favourable, there's always alcohol.


Happy 2011 everybody,
see you next year!

Disappointment.

Results came out this week. And I'm very VERY displeased with myself. My abysmal performance this past semester can only be attributed to my lack in attention to detail and a terrible progress rate.

Another semester, another disappointment.

But in a couple of weeks, a new semester begins. And my last one in KL.

Some Assembly Required

Today's the day Brother Paul Ho, principal of St. Xaviers and last brother principal of Malaysia, retires. I remember much about him since he was after all the teacher advisor of the society I was chairperson in: The Catering and Hospitality Club. I remember him mostly of his thoughtful leadership, considerate thinking and wry sense of humour.

In the years 2001-2005 and even until lately, I could see and appreciate the work and contribution he puts into the school. Whether it's the Shangri-La toilets, renovation to the canteen or even that awesome double-decker oven for the bakery, it was truly the work of a visionary.

I present to you some of the pictures from Bro. Paul's retirement assembly:

- Bro. Paul, waving to us (ex-students) during the assembly.

- Commemorative tree planting.

- His portrait which would go alongside the pictures of the former principals.

- A group shot with the man himself.

This would have to be the last school assembly I attend with him addressing the crowd. And one of the best assemblies at that, since we (the ex-students) got to sit on chairs!

Now that he's retired I just hope he has a great life ahead of him. And the best of luck in his future endeavours.

Stay tuned for more.

The truth hurts.

It's not like I didn't see it coming,
it was as though I saw it in slow motion.
The bitterness slowly boiling over.
Washing us over with animosity.

It's not like I didn't see it coming,
We instigated things and we let it unfold.
Leaving with each other untreated wounds.
Pained even more when the truth be known.

It's true, the truth hurts.

In those shadows of hurt, we show our true selves.
We apologise and we forgive.
We learn our lesson and move on.
Hard it maybe, we try to forget.

When all is said and done,
hopefully we grow stronger and closer.
We've dealt with it and that's a start.
Deep inside we're still friends at heart.
.
.
.
.
.
Here's to us, we've made it this far.

Stick Figures

I think I was in Standard 3. A teacher came into the class as a substitute for an absent teacher. I vaguely remember her name but I reckon she's called Mrs. Dharma. All I remember is that she has tan skin, she's not very tall and is a bit on the plump side. Apparently, she is quite notorious for being very strict and condescending.

After the class greeted her 'Good Morning', she starts to hand out empty pieces of paper. She told us that since we had nothing scheduled for the next two periods, we are to occupy our time by producing a drawing of our loved ones. Just a simple drawing of our family.

I freaked.

I suck at drawing, let alone drawing human figures. I pearched my pencil on the empty piece of paper and hesitated. I knew I suck at drawing. I lifted my head up and gazed around the classroom through my glasses, staring blankly at all my friends who were already sketching feverishly. They just seemed so enthused while I on the other hand was absolutely and blatantly indifferent about the whole task.

I attempted. I recall doodling on the piece of paper. I drew four stick figures to represent my family. They were all holding hands. It's the type of drawing you'd expect to see from a 4 year old kid. Stick people, disporportionate body parts, disfigured faces.

Then, SHE walked past. Mrs. Dharma. With a perplexed face, she peered down on my drawing.

"That's NOT how you draw people! Does your family look like this?" she remarked.

"No", I stammered.

She continued to lament on how pathetic my sketch was while the rest of the class tuned in to every ridicule and stark comment made. It was one of the most embarassing moments I encountered as a kid. That incident affected me. I was no longer looking forward to Art lessons and of course I had an immediate dislike for Mrs. Dharma.

That was that.



My new Studio assignment has been handed out. And you guessed it...it has something to do with drawing. We're supposed to draw/sketch/render by hand or computer, a comic strip measuring 2 f*cking meters. 2 WHOLE METERS. The lecturers are clearly sadists.

It must feature a Superhero of our choice with a befitting storyline and the background to the scene is none other than Kg. Baru. I may have gotten over my primary incident, but I am praying hard for me to get through this formidable task and produce good work. I hope I don't end up with stick figures again.


Stay tuned for more.

A terrible price to pay

So today was not the ordinary typical day at work. Instead of AutoCAD-ing endlessly on the computer, I was assigned to help out in taking measurements of a building they are thinking of demolising which is situated at Gurney Drive. If I could describe it, I would say it's an old, dilapidated anglo-malay styled bungalow. It may have been a nice house to live in way back when bicycles dominated the streets of Penang. It faces Gurney Drive and occupies the chunk of land all the way to the back street. And the sea breeze was great too, except for the fact that it's run-down, abandoned, dirty and with an appropriate touch of creepy. Oh, and it has a basement too! Here's how it looks like:

- the bungalow.


- As I was driving to get to the place, it hit me that I really never take advantage of living so near to Gurney Drive. I should start going there for walks or people watching more often.

Speaking of driving, by now everyone knows that the petrol prices in Malaysia have spiked by a horrifying amount. I think it's utterly crazy and many people would agree with me. I mean 78 cents?! 78 freakin' cents?! That a 40% increase! It's madness, I tell you MADNESS!!! Couldn't they have slowly raised the rates little by little over a longer period of time instead of implementing such a drastic and shocking change so damn fast. Why don't they just charge us for every step we take or push us off a cliff 'coz that's just slightly worse than what they have done. They could probably also raise electricity rates...oh wait...that's happening too. Hike up food prices? Check! Chop off our legs? Double check that!

And it was quoted somewhere that petrol prices may rocket up to 3 or 4 ringgit by August when they COMPLETELY saw our heads off remove the subsidy. Why doesn't the government just squeeze every living breath out of us. They've already pushed up the gas prices, next comes raising electricity tariffs and this will unavoidably cause an increase in the prices of food, retail, transport and every sector imaginable. And our income on the other hand...oh right...that stays the same f*ckin' amount.

Now if you'll excuse me, i've got to switch off the light in my room, go hog some petrol before the next price hike and cut out discount coupons for groceries and other ridiculously priced things.

Goodbye My Friends

Today's my last day here in Penang. As of tomorrow, i'll embark on the next phase of my student life. I'll be heading down to Kuala Lumpur in the morning and will get registered in Taylor's School of Architecture. Wish me luck! I guess this will probably be my last post from Penang for now. I will resume posting again as soon as I get settled down there. I still have lotsa packing to do. So, I would like to say goodbye to my friends in Penang, but don't worry, i'll still return during the holidays and breaks and we can hang out then!

I originally wanted to put up some of my favourite photos of my friends in Penang, but there were too many to upload...so I thought why not try a video?

Enjoy!



I hope you like the video. It was something I whipped up at the last minute.

Goodbye Guys!

PS: Packing is harder than I thought. I think i'm gonna go into an insanity streak soon. Save me!