Begone !!! For a week !!!

Oh yeah, I shall disappear for a week starting 2.50pm, 29 Nov 2005. (which means I'm gonna skip some important things in my life - but I don't really care :P)

So see you guys in a week.

BTW, I can't believe I got this as an result... =.=;;;


Take The Quiz Yourself!

=.=;;;

YES I'M SO HAAAAAAAPPY NOW !!!

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

!!!

I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo HAPPY now !!!

Why ???

Because... I finally got Internet in my place !!! :D

YAY !!!

The Penang Trip

Oh yeah, 3 days out of the Internet world, all dedicated to Penang. And now I'm writing it down now.

1st day, Nov 3rd

Woke up *damn* early in the morning. 7 am we set off (my family and my uncle's, again - in short, 6 adults and 2 kids) and reached Ipoh by 9, had breakfast at the usual coffeeshop (Dad's customer BTW), and another 3 hours before we caught sight of that *unusually long* bridge in the middle of the sea.

The roads in Penang was always a pain to travellers on wheels. Due to seating arrangements, I was elected as the 'navigator' for Dad the driver. I was given a bunch of year-old maps and I had to figure out where the hell we are and where we might end up with.

The first thing that ran through our minds was the Ji Le Si (Kek Lok Si, but I prefer Mandarin - I'm no Hokkien). But as usual and expected, the bloody jam - cars and people - was in our way. We only managed to get our car parked, went for lunch (laksa, but I'm no big fan of it - took chicken rice instead - and ice kacang + cendol), and left - without any attempt to climb the steps.

As our check-in time to the hotel is around 3pm, we still have around 2 hours to spend. Where to go then? Since the hotel was close to the Botanical Gardens (and Gurney Drive too), hmmm, might as well go and take a stroll... with the monkeys.



"So ?" was my sis' reply, while I thought that monkey-killing was the civic duty of the locals.



My bro and lil' cousin with the Cannonball Fruit... now that's huge...

After the stroll and some nice-but-expensive mashed-peanut-topped ice-cream, we went straight to the hotel to check-in. After dropping our stuff, our next destination was - the northern seaside. Found a sandy spot with nice 'fengshui' (well it is, judging from the Chinese cemetery nearby - backed by the mountain and facing the sea).



Ugly posing with the kids...

Well, after that, we returned to the hotel, and walked all the way to Gurney Drive for dinner. After half an hour, we're disappointed to find that the stalls weren't there (we learnt later that they were relocated). So we ended up walking all the way to the Cantonment junction, and had dinner at a seafood restaurant (lousy + expensive, last time we'd be there). And finally, we turned back and took a peek at Gurney Plaza. Then we walked the 30 minutes back to the hotel, and a movie in the TV then Zzz.

2nd day, Nov 4th

It was decided that the early morning of this fine day *to sleep* will be replaced with the 8am visit to Ji Le Si, along with breakfast nearby the place. We have to wake up HELL early, but it was worth it - the breakfast there was nice (I had Hakka noodles) and there weren't too many people at that hour. Our trip upwards was a breeze. The pond, the compound, then some photos - then straight to the Inclining Lift (ain't free) that brings us to the new(?) statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Well, construction wasn't complete there - they're still raising funds to build a Tian Tan (Heaven's Altar) style roof over the statue for more protection - actually to be specific, they're raising funds for the roof tiles.



Oh look it's me again... Zzz...



Zzz... another one...



I think I better stop this self-admiring of mine...*clicks the STOP button*

A round of photos, and we went down, next to the pagoda tower or whatever they call that (ain't free either). Nothing much except a compound filled with flowers, and now come to think about it, I'm starting to regret that I've entered that place for nothing. Damn.

Then it was the time for souvenirs, and finally the trip downwards, which we descended with much difficulty, thanks to the crowd and the stores that made the path narrow. We had lunch at the same place as yesterday (chicken rice again... and again, ice kacang + cendol), then we left for the Ssssssssssss Snake Temple.

I never knew there was more behind the century-old structure - at least until now. The moment I stepped to the rear section of the temple, instantly deja-vu hitted me - I've been here, but not in reality, but in one of my dreams. But who cares if I've deja-vu ? Nobody cares. We had a round of snake-visiting and then, off to the city center.

Georgetown was, to me, a mess - the maps I had were outdated, and most of the roads are one-way streets. We were looking for a particular small lane in Penang Road - in search for the famous Cendol there. It took us around 20 minutes and a couple of rounds of driving before we caught sight of the stall - which was so damn obvious with the crowd gathered around. The car was parked, we squeezed into the crowds, and we went Cendol-crazy with a bowl of it in each of our hands.

After the ice-thrilling treat, our next stop was Khoo Kongsi, or also known as the Clanhouse of the Khoo's. Now converted to a musuem, it only opens for a limited period of time to visitors. Was impressed with the wall carvings that were based on the 24 Filial Acts, and also it was the first time I get to see a REAL Chinese memorial tablet.

After that, we went back to the hotel. I had a nice 2-hour nap (well, gotta admit it's a waste of 2 quality vacation hours), then for tonight, we went to the open-air hawker stalls nearby (they were originally from Gurney Drive, but due to all the upgrading in Gurney Drive they were relocated here - just next to the enourmous Mt. Erskine Chinese cemetery site) for dinner. Food's not as good as expected (with the exception of the "Oh Jian", the oyster omelette), but at least we had our stomachs full. After that, we returned to the hotel, and after 'Puteri Gunung Ledang' we went off to bed.

3rd day, Nov 5th

We decide to leave early in the morning. We checked out, had our breakfast nearby, and we're off to the ferry jetty. And well, my 'Navigator' job ends here as well.

But well, the return trip wasn't directly to KL. We're making stops all around Perak, from Ipoh, then took the old highway to Kg. Tualang, Batu Gajah for lunch, then to Bidor where we retook the PLUS highway again, and re-exited at Tg. Malim because of the highway jam. Reached KL at 8 pm, and after dinner it was already 9 pm. Oh well, how much I missed my PC. :P

One Day Family Trip

Deepavali. To me it's another *yawn* ordinary day.

Except the fact that it's a national holiday. And also except the fact that Dad's factory was closed for today due to all his workers went back to their respective hometowns, which means my family and my uncle's (also my dad's foreman in the factory) were free for the following week. Seems like family plans are overriding my schedule for this following week.

So it was decided yesterday that both our families will be going for an outing together for today. Originally we were going to Frasier's Hill, but the recent rainy weather made it dangerous due to the risk of landslides. So we went to Dong Zen temple in Jenjarom instead. And since I've been there once, naturally I became the guide.

Start out 8 in the morning, fetched my uncle and his family (along with my aunt - who unfortunately have to work for today) and then, 'dim sum' for breakfast in Damansara Uptown (yum-yum). Then, head off to Puchong, and Dad decides to find out the 'alternative' route to Dengkil. But well, thanks to the development of Putrajaya/Cyberjaya, the old signboards with the arrows pointing for 'Dengkil' were useless now. We ended up somewhere near Cyberia, and waaaaaaaaaay out from the road leading to Dengkil (in case you guys are wondering, we exited from the 'Pulau Meranti' exit near the flyovers).

OK. So we have to make a U-turn at the Equine Park Interchange. And we're on our way. The moment we reached Dengkil, it was my turn to keep my eyes on the road. We drove and drove and drove, not without passing by certain places with 'oh' 's and 'ah' 's from my family (due to familiarity of the place). I went kinda lost in the middle but luckily a signboard saying '8 KM to FGS Dong Zen' corrected my pinpointing and we took an important turn that I've actually forgotten about (blimey, I only went to Dong Zen once - and it was dusk). The next 8 kilometers were a breeze - and when the familiar traffic interchange with the petrol kiosk (without a roof, amazing) went into sight, I told my dad to turn left. We reached our destination within the next minute.

Well, it's been a year since I came, and the renovations which took place last year has been completed. Of course, my mind can't stop some of those memories of last year's Dhamma course to pop-up in my mind - happy ones, and frustrating ones (actually, it was someone else who got frustrated but well, I'll leave that to myself).

Of course, I start off with the formal, uh, how to say, ritual (?) of um, 'greeting' my master and teacher, the Buddha. Then off to check the interiors of the redecorated 'Da Xiong Bao Dian' (had been destroyed by a fire some time ago, but can't remember when), then went off to enjoy the scenary. Man, even the butterflies are tame enough. Mum took two close-up pictures of one feeding nectar on some flowers.



Aye yie yie, I'm a little butterfly ~




Ahoy ! Here I come, with my wings spread !



The picture is nice but the guy... =.=;

Anyway, it was pictures, pictures and pictures, next to the lake, the flowers, the temple entrance etc. After that, time for lunch.

Jenjarom -> Banting bypass -> somewhere near Pandamaran -> ah, Klang city suburbs.

It's been a year (or maybe more?) since I set my foot there. But whoa, the whole place has changed a lot. There used to be a huge garbage dump area there (I can remember crows flying around and occasionally, sea birds) but now, it turned into a low-cost housing estate. Anyways...

Dad drove us into a really really 'ulu' (undeveloped) area, which he claimed that the food was good. We ordered noodles and sort, but well... it's cheap, but it wasn't really nice. Dad even admitted that it didn't met up with what he tasted the last time.

But bleah, that's not only that. As expected from suburbs, we ran into a minefield - thanks to the local stray dogs. We have to rub our shoes on the stones before we head home.

And well, that ends our daytrip. But a longer trip awaits us this Thursday - this time, Penang for around 3 days. Damn, that means I'm out of the cyberworld for that 3 days. *sob sniff*

National Attitude On Traffic

A long queue of cars waiting for the lights to go green under the flyover's interchange, and drivers squeezing in from the one and only 'U-Turn only' lane just for the 'fast track' . Cars occupying the center of an interchange, inside the yellow box, while the road ahead is facing a congestion. In the Light Rail Transport stations, the boarding passengers rushing in just to prevent the passengers in the cabin from getting out of that sardine can.

Yes, welcome to Malaysia. Feel free to enjoy this kind of 'treatment', 24/7 on or off the road.

People here are so 'competitive', they threw their manners into the Recycle Bin (or better still, Shift-Del), no matter where or when they are. Yes, you can see it everywhere, from the roads to the lifts in shopping complexes here. People here win people by playing the sport named 'squeeze-in first, argue later'.

Chances are slim if you expect the next oncoming car to let that old fat lady take the zebra crossing. I bet my (potato) chips on that driver jamming at his accelerator and 'WHOOSH' , let the lady bite dust. Point is, no one would ever want to stop their cars for nothing here. Well, except for stopping at the wrong lane in front of the reds, and parking at the perfect spot to make a traffic 'dam'. And oh WAIT, they'd stop too to have a better look on that accident occured on the opposite side of the road.

Toll plazas are one of my favorite places too - I can't find a moment where my parents will NOT swear on those 'lost' poeple who drove their cars to the wrong lane, and changing their directions in the last second. And not to mention queue cutters, one itself is already enough to create a chain reaction equivalent of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki combo.

So they called themselves 'city people', eh? I think otherwise. They're indeed city people, but they forgot to bring their brains to the road. Either that or they're sitting on it.

Ah, how about places without cars ? Shopping complexes, transport stations, places where people gather - it's almost all the same. Everytime I travel via LRT, I will have more trouble unboarding than when I board, because in the same time, the crowd will struggle for the 10 short seconds to enter/exit the train cabin. One bad thing leads to another - if you think this is already bad enough, wait till you're reminded that this is the perfect timing for pickpockets to take their chances. Expect the same behaviour in lifts of various areas, as well as some other places that involves the congestion of pedestrians.

If you think this kind of attitude runs in real life only, let me tell you that you're wrong. Check the Internet, and see how most Malaysians behaved on the Net. The forums enough is already an eyesore. Recently I'm into an online FPS (first person shooter, something like CS etc.) that's hosted locally, and naturally, majority of the players in the game are kids all around this country. Their behaviours reflect what their parents 'taught' them - which I have no idea how or what they taught to them. Expect lots of spammings, floodings and pointless stuff if you're unfortunate enough to be in the chats. You might say, not only Malaysians do that but other people around the world do that too; but I'd say, MOST of the Malaysians do that.

Sigh... enough of speaking the 'exciting' stuff in the locals. Let's look at somewhere else for some comparison...

I've been to Singapore, and despite their infamous 'kiasu' culture, their drivers will always stop in front of a zebra crossing. OK, their MRT's and buses might be a mess when the boarding/unboarding comes about, but at least they've a system to tone down the problem. You can say it's because their country's small and easier to be governed, but again I think otherwise - it's the mentality of the people that makes the difference.

Why our neighbours can while my fellow countrymen can't ? This is something that puzzles me everytime I compare my country's people with others. Up to now, my conclusion is that these people lack of the awareness to behave courteously. If this 'social disease' is still left unattended, it's likely our next generation will adopt this 'disease' and call it - Malaysian Culture. Dammit.

Let's hope this is right...

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is an incubator for good ideas, it just takes a while for them to develop. But when you think of something, watch out! Your thoughts tend to be huge, and they come on quickly - like an explosion. You tend to be quiet around others, unless you're inspired by your next big idea.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Dedicated to WLR 6737

Tonight I went to the night market with Mum & Pei, my younger sis. Was waiting at the vegetable stall for my Mum who's making a purchase there, when this car WLR 6737 stopped next to the road.

Well, one of the guys in the pirated CD (PCD) stalls nearby walked near to that car, wandering around to test what's that guy in that car's up to. Then the window of the passenger's seat slide down, and PCD seller went to that open window and talked with that guy inside.

Now why did I write this ? It seems like someone was looking for that PCD seller in that night market. But, and lots of buts, that car belonged to our country's Police force. And unless it's my eyes playing tricks, or maybe it's someone who had the guts to make their car looked like a patrol, I see no reason why I shouldn't believe it's not a patrolling officer.

Best part of it is, later on that car went off, and the stall's still there. Hey. Isn't the police supposed to catch pirated CD sellers ? What's going on here? What happened just now, between the PCD seller and that officer, if I assumed it is really an officer ? I can't say what's happening between them, for I didn't have the eyes to see, nor have I the ears to listen what's going there. What I had is my imagination, and I hope that the imagination of you readers are good enough to picture what's going on.

And adding the taste of irony, just this morning I read about Malaysia being the 32nd Least Corrupted Country in the world or something like that, according to some survey results. Heh, I don't really give a damn about survey results.

Can't blame Time for it's Fault

The highway wasn't that busy that afternoon, and I kept my car on the express lane. I looked at the clock, illuminated by the late afternoon sun. Will be reaching that place in an hour or two, I pondered.

It's been a while, since I've tasted the fresh air, since the roosters wake me up in the morning, and since, that cold, cruel series of incidents that I couldn't bear to think of. I've never imagined that something bad will happen to my family, yet it has happened - and changed my perspective of how life is. Unpredictable.

How true the phrase is, "Time changes everything". The siblings I've known all these years, have became even more than strangers, all this while we are apart.

We used to be kids that grew up together, running across the paddy fields, catching fighting fish to compete with the other kids. We all worked hard to earn money for our family; our schooling days makes the life of the modern kid's look colorless; and despite our simple lives, we were content of what we have, and it was from that feeling of content that makes us all happy.

But life's not the same now - the more modernized we are, the less the Human heart fills. Greed was what tainted my family, leading into Hatred and Treachery, circulating in a pattern which nothing can stop it. I clenched my fists on the steering, preparing to turn - and to let go my disappointment on the fate that befalled my family.

Exiting the toll plaza, I drove into a two-way single-laned highway. Trees with their falling leaves, clouds of random pattern, wooden shophouses with tarnished zinc rooftops. The marks of Time as It walked by, not without stirring change on everything. I sighed heavily, as I could do nothing but watch the clouds of Life blown by the winds of Destiny.

As I parked my car at the compound in front of my old home, the sun glowed it's red-orange rays onto the wooden structure. I always remembered the sunsets were always beautiful with our smiles on our faces. And right now, in front of my eyes, the sunset still remained there as Time passed by, but our smiles have long faded, replaced by masks that were as cold as ice. And not even the Sun's warmth can melt it.

Time's fault it is, yet I can't blame nor forgive It, for what It has done can't be undone. Silently I walked into the lifeless house, occupied by people what I used to call - family.

La Finale

"We bring you the latest news update. 2 people were killed in a traffic accident that occured at..." - crack -

Finally, he woke up, the squeaking radio disturbing his long slumber. The pain in his head stung like a needle that drives through him mercilessly. Adding to it, the afternoon sun penetrated through the dirty windows with the badly-torn curtains, through the dusty air - and into his eyes. Took him a minute or two before he could see anything clearly.

He didn't know how long he had slept, all he remembered was he kept drinking until he lost his consciousness. He didn't even remember his dreams, but he felt dried tears on his cheeks.

Who cares now anyway ? He walked to the washroom, and through the broken mirror he saw the once-brilliant young man, a young chap who had hope and a bright future, and now, he looked no different than someone who lived in the slums. Unshaven for days, uncombed hair, and weary eyes.

Aye, he was ruined. Jealousy, from the people who disliked what he has achieved, and set him up to destroy him. Ignorance, of his ex-employer, who used to look up upon his talents, but now resembles nothing more than a fool, easily-deceived and settled matters according to his emotions.

WHY ? WHY ?!

What did he do to deserve this, this kind of TREATMENT?

Not only did he lost his career, but also his car, house, all his money, and the one he treasured the most - his fiancee, who left him even though he pleaded to her desperately.

FRAMED !!!

The whole thing was a set-up ! That night, that TREACHEROUS night, his colleagues held a party celebrating his promotion. Never did he knew it was part of the darkest plot that was going to overthrow him. He didn't suspect the presence of his employer's young beautiful wife that night, thinking that she'd like to join the fun. Neither was he aware that the drink he had has been spiked by unseen hands. The next thing he knew, he awoke on the bed, next to the woman that he wasn't supposed to touch...

Words spread quickly like the fire in the dry bushes. That very same day, he lost his job, his fiancee, and almost all the things he owned - no, most of it had been placed under her name a week ago before THAT happened...

There's nothing left for him now. There's nothing else he can do now. He was RUINED. RUINED. RUINED...

This will be the last day in the shabby apartment he had rented, for now that tiny amount of money he had had been spent. He could have stayed on for maybe a month with that amount, but he decided not to. Instead, he bought something else...

Some alcohol to drink out his sorrows, a roll of adhesive tape, a box of matches, some rope, and a knife. But most of the money went to the package of industry-strength trinitrotoluene - enough to take out a small building.

He started to assemble them, using his limited knowledge of making fireworks - when he was young, he adored fireworks and often made them for the fun of it, and of course, was punished most of the time by his late mother.

He had no father - he only knew his mother used to be in love with a wretch who ran away with his mistress. Despite that, she managed to raise her only son, singlehanded, until he graduated from university. But for that, she paid the toll for it - cancer took her life away, the day he was about to tell her that he got his first job.

WHY ? WHY WAS IT UNFAIR ?!

The moment he snapped back to reality, cheeks wet, he had completed his final masterpiece. A beauty. A beauty that robs others for their beauty. And THAT, will be his final vengeance.

He dried his face and strapped the device onto his body, and covering it up with a jacket. Then, he took the last swig from his bottle, and walked out of that shabby place, with the radio playing some heavy metal music.

An hour later, the radio cracked and the music was interrupted.

"We interrupt to bring you the latest news. About half an hour ago, an explosion caused by a suicide bomber occured in the XX Towers... " - crack - " ... it was believed that this is not an organized attack..." - the radio fell dead.

Silence.

BLEAH On The Break

Oh, it's always the same everytime I return to PJ.

Mum will nag me about me using the PC too much, and she will start lecturing about the amount of radiation of the PC's monitor is a cancer risk blah blah blah...

Well, I admit I haven't been moving much since I came back. But, heck, everytime I go out it costs me money, and it's not like I'm that rich to go anywhere I like. That's why I stick with my PC (and the Internet) to surf the world for information... and of course, it's kinda unhealthy, but what else can I do ???

And, since I was in high school I've never ever attempt to play any PC games in front of my parents. I played it in cybercafes, I played it when my parents aren't around, I played it alone, just because I don't want my parents to yell at me about wasting time or 'affecting my siblings', as claimed by my parents. Heck, I thought the situation would change when I took on the GD course, but HELL no... Just today I got 'fired on' by my mother because I played in front of her (despite her 'affecting bro's studies' excuse is useless now since his exams are over). Damn. I hate the feeling when I'm forced to do 'good stuff' in front of my parents. DAMMIT !

I imagine my future, where I'll be forced to face the monitor for hours, and my mother will storm the office and pull me away 'from the cancer risk'. Heh. It's kinda annoying when I get 'monitored' by my parents, about what I'm doing etc.

AHHHHHH I don't know. If this situation persists I'm either going to quit my studies or kill myself. Or maybe something worse. BLEAH.

WHOAAAAAAAAAAA YEAH !!!

FINALLY IT'S COMPLETE !!! FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY !!! WHOAAAAAAAAAAA YEAH !!!

Now, I can start my "Fable : The Lost Chapters" in peace... HEHEHE...

What's wrong with smiling ??????

"What are you smiling at ?" Mum asks.

"Huh ?" was my reply, everytime she asked that.

"Your brain got problem isit ? Smiling like that at yourself, only people with mental problems will do that."

What's wrong with smiling when there's a nice and funny thought that's running in your mind ? What's wrong with it ??? I don't get it !!!~~~

[Let's Rock !!!]

<- Start of log. Initializing modes... ->

Mode : Heavy Rock Mode
Song : "Other World" - FFX (you guess !)
Condition : Just recovered from "windy" stomach, but ready for another night
Plans : A couple of stuff to do, still calming down the urge to play games...
Mind : Curious what are the rest of the Hatchlings doing in B2-3A-9...


<- Music switched to - "A Solitude That Asks Nothing In Return" - GGX soundtracks ->

Log :
Just thought of switching my writing style for this post. I'm still waiting for Mum's orders, but she seems to be occupied with her work. Damn, I wished I could have stayed back a little longer in Cyberia...

<- Music switched to - "Wild Rock" - BUZZLIP ->

Log :
I'm thinking of staying back home tomorrow, because I have something to finish up with my PC. I wonder if my parents are taking my suggestion seriously. Plan's a little messed up, and I'm in a little dilemma now. I'm supposed to return to Cyberia for a while to settle something...

<- Music switched to - "Yakitori" - GITS ->

<- Preset Mode switched to - Instrumental-only mode ->

Log :

The world around me is in a mess now. Bombs detonating, the weather's in 'super windy mode', oil prices rising, economy's down while income tax officers popping up like leeches. People everywhere are moaning and groaning - some for their wallets, some for their lives. I wonder what's the next showdown that changes the world - if there's any, I doubt it's a good one - unless you're talking about space colonization...

<- Music switched to - "First Vision" - Yoko Kanno ->

Log :

Ten minutes till midnight. Wonder if I should burn midnight oil again, like what I did for the last 2 days. Hm. Today my stomach went sick because probably my body overheated. I think I'll retire early for tonight for, say, maybe an hour. Mm... maybe, or maybe not.

Heh. Time to go now, the fruits are waiting for me.

<- All modes terminated, music off. End of log. ->

At this point...

... My life is dangling like the wind chime without the wind. In other words, I'm bored and waiting for something to happen, and yes, without from not yawning.

... I'm sending songs to a friend, who's quite stressed because of her upcoming continuous papers. In the same time I'm downloading some other songs.

... I thought back about what my friends about the recent otaku craze for fashion style, 'Gothic Lolita' (I made it short as in 'Goth Loli'). Hmm. Come to think of it, CLAMP was considered among the earliest to take up this style of fashion in their works (referring to Chobits).

... I can't touch any of my games. Dad is at my right side while Mum, left, facing their respective PC's. Mum used to complain that this house is full of radiation because of the amount of PCs and laptops we have in our house.

... I can't find a proper torrent for the Tales of Legendia single by Do As Infinity !!! DAMMIT I NEED ONE PROPER SEED !!!

... Suddenly this house's too quiet.

... I'm running out of stuff to write. Something please happen quickly !!!

... I think I will stop writing at this point, and comment in the other blogs. Ciao.

UPDATES !!! UPDATES !!!

Boy, it's been a while since I've updated myself. Let's see...

(1) My sem break starts. Well, not without a disastrous ending. Best not mentioned...

(2) I've got a new housemate ! Aaron's from Brunei, and studying in LKW. More housemates to come, hope they come in quick...

(3) Mum starts to take the trend of surfing the Net. Mmm... should I call it a treat or a threat?

(4) Well, there's already a 'threat'... apparently Mum assigned me to convert all her office work, all into Excel... for the rest of the sem break. Nooooo...

(5) I have a "Ah Sou" (sis-in-law) already... no la, he's not my blood-related brother, but a close friend of mine, who got himself a girlfriend... congrats... UPDATE: I forgot actually there's 2 of them...

(6) Commentator: " More exciting action coming up, LIVE, in the next episode of 'J[Alt]K's Real Life Scenarios !!!' "

13th September 2005

I have been reluctant to post this up, but I knew that in the end I have to...

To the memories of a fellow creature that have survived for a few days, despite what the others say it couldn't stand a day...



13th September 2005

11am

I was already late for my Games Application I class, and as I sneaked through the usual illegal shortcut to campus, a familiar whining sound caught my ears. As again, I'm the nosy type who can't get my business off animals in need. So I set off to investigate where the kitten is.

To my shock, I found it exposed, next to a wooden gate of someone's lawn, still unable to walk and see properly. Normally cats will place their young in a safe place wit sufficient cover, but leaving a baby kitten in the open is too outrageous. Since the mother was nowhere to be seen, I carried the baby kitten into the shade provided by a pot of plants. Before I left, I prayed that the mother will return soon, but I will return later to check whether it's brought to somewhere safe or not.

3pm

Returned from Dengkil with lunch. I remembered what I was supposed to do, and returned to the same spot to see whether the kitten's fine or not. I had a greater shock when I found it lying on the cement walkpath, not moving, and a troop of ants were marching pass it's body. I touched it to see whether it's still alive or not, and to my relief it responded, but it appeared much more weaker compared to the time when I met it in the morning. Quickly, I brought it to La Tumis, the restaurant in Cyberia where cats normally hang around. I brought it to the couple of cats with the same colour as the kitten, but they just stared at the kitten... and left !!! I was pissed, but I expected that to happen too, since those cats normally slack around and they don't pretty much look like the type where they will take care of their young, espacially when it's not theirs.

Anyway, I went off to buy some milk, and started to feed it with the aid of a straw. This, of course, failed, since kittens only feed directly through the milk glands. Later on I tried another tactic - pouring the milk directly on my hand, and let the kitten lick it. Well it sort of worked, but it's not enough to fill the hunger of the kitten.

Anyway, this fuss attracted a lot of attention, wanted or unwanted. The security guards and one of the waitress in the shop which I knew, came and gave me a lot of advice on what I should do, and providing some tissues for me to clean the kitty up (there was some, uh, crap stuck between it's exit and tail, anyway...), even though some of them figured that the kitten might not live for long. But thankfully they were there, because they saved me from being panic (To be honest, I was afraid it might die in my hands...)

Of course, unwanted attention was around the spot too. Murmurs were around, going like 'Hey, it's a baby kitten' or 'Wow, it's so little'. There was even once when I overheard the conversation of 3 girls passing by, arguing that it wasn't a kitten, but a mouse instead ! Sigh...

4pm

I fell into conversation with a girl (smoking...), and suddenly I spotted someone familiar in shades... wait a minute ! Wasn't that Bunny Aznan supposed to be in the States until the next semester ?! Anyway he spotted me, and he told me he just came back, and he returned early because he was homesick. He saw the kitten too, and I told him everything that happened.

Later on I called down Slade (Aznan was unable to contact him for some odd reason), and Slade came down together with Paul to meet up with the Bunny. Then we started chatting about the Bunny's life in the States for the whole month, but of course we didn't forget about the kitten (who was trying hard to sleep, but it fel cold). Bunny advised me to place it on my own lap, and well, it worked well and the kitten slept like it was in it's mother's warmth.

And well, I couldn't escape without comments from them, such as 'The Kitten's Mother','Animal Companion',and such... but well, at least they were there when I need someone for advice. Thanks guys, if you're reading this, but well, I think it's impossible for me to take that advice of you guys for adopting it myself, since my parents are strongly against it. And Aznan, tell your sister I really appreciate her offer to help, even though she's busy and barely have time to take care of it. Should I 'belanja' next time or something?

6pm

Finally, I brought it back to my penthouse. I placed it in a small plastic tub, with the base of it covered with tissue, and I let it sleep under the warmth of my hand (and it smells a bit like cheese, since a bit of the milk was accidently spilled on it's fur). But, like what them guys said, it really needs a lot of warmth and food in it's infancy, and everytime I leave it for a few minutes, it will surely wake up to the lack of warmth and started whining again. Well, it really took me awhile before I got the hang of it...

I forgot to bring back the milk I've bought, and as it was thrown, I asked Slade to go down and buy some milk for it (Thanks again... I owe you twice...). As he left, I sat there on the chair, with the tub holding the kitten on my lap, eyes closed, but my mind was thinking: "Well, being a Mum isn't an easy thing." I imagined mothers going through the 9 months of carrying and caring, and the next few years of efforts in educating the child. And now here what I have here is nothing compared to the task of any mother in the world, but this gives an idea on normally what mothers face.

7pm

I'm sitting down in front of my PC, typing out this whole story now. The kitten's still sleeping on my lap, occasionally waking up whining, and I have to massage it with my right hand while typing with my left. Less than three hours before Aznan's sister arrives, and I started thinking again.

I could have leave it there in that lawn like that, as if it's none of my business. Why should I bring this fuss to myself, even though I knew that I can't even take care of myself properly ? I must be crazy enough to drive myself into this situation.

I thought in another perspective again. It was Karma. It was that force that drove me to meet up with this abandoned kitten. The timing was right, the person was right, and the kitten happened to be in need. It wasn't destiny - it's just (I don't know how to explain it) plain old Karma.

Then I realized - soon, I might not be able to see it again. In fact, it might not remember me in the future, when it gets older. That's why, for the next two hours, I will put in all my efforts into taking good care of this little life here. It has been very strong, because I sensed it has a very strong will to live, despite the harsh conditions it has gone through. Without a mother, without someone to take good care of it until now. I must be strong too, even though I suck in taking care of animals, but I must, because I have chose (and maybe chosen) to take care of it, until proper care for it arrives.

9pm

I gave it a bath, not quite a proper one. And naturally, it started whining. After I dried it up, I tried to feed it but it seems like it dislike the smell. Eventually I cleaned up my hand and let it lick on it.

Then, I massaged it until it sleep. It seemed to like it, and I hummed the tune I've made earlier to let it sleep. All of a sudden, my heart felt empty. It's going to be fine, and soon Bunny's sister is going to fetch it to place it under the care of her cats. But why am I feeling this, this sad feeling?

I started to play Freecell, but my tears betrayed me while I massaged the kitten with my left hand, humming the tune. It's going to a safer place, it will be fine, I told myself. Yeah, I can't keep it, and I don't know how to take good care of it,, so I have to send it somewhere good for it. It's going to be fine.

Please excuse me, I really have to calm myself for a while.

10pm

I finally calmed myself down, at least.

But well, the kitten has accustomised itself to the warmth of my hands. Now I have to carry it on my left while I typed with my right. Gah, I need to take a pee, but it won't let me go for it !!!

Aznzn hasn't call me yet. I'm starting to get a little frustrated. But well, can't force it if I asked for it, right?

Ah damn it, I guess I have to do it the hard way... I mean, I really need to use the toilet now !!!

11pm

Kak Aina was a very kind lady. Though it was already late, she still came for the sake of the kitten. I felt pretty sorry for Aznan too, because he was starting to get sleepy, and yet he has to come down to let me meet his sister.

I placed the kitten in a shoebox, and it starts to whine again due to the uncomfortableness. I tried to give it some warmth by placing my hand on it, but well, it wasn't satisfied. So it whined the whole way from my place to the mini round-a-bout in Cyberia. Kak Aina really has a way with cats - the instance I gave her the kitten, she managed to calm it down.

Before I left, Kak Aina asked me whether I want to keep it if it's old enough. Well, frankly, I don't know, and my parents probably won't allow a cat in the apartment. But well, I'd see how things turn out 1st.



September 24th, exactly one week later...

I contacted Kak Aina, through Aznan, and she informed me that it managed to go on for another 5 days before passing away peacefully that Sunday.

I managed to hold back my own feelings when I received the news, and started to stop blaming myself for being too late and unable to provide the help it needed. But I have to go over it, through it, and letting it go.

Well, I've made a wish, wishing that the kitten can enter a realm better than it's current state. Wishing that it will do better in it's next life, if there's any for it.

Ahh finally I've got it done (I'm so ashamed of myself...)

Assignment Title : Level Design of the Stars and Stars Formation

= Stars =




- boxes, huge and brown in colour
- floats in "midair", mobile
- can be used for softlanding, firecover, and helps in blocking the enemy's view
- three-dimensional positioning i.e. consists of position x, y & z

= Formation =

- the number of stars are deployed in random, but there were occasions where no stars were deployed
- deployment of the stars are generated randomly, however any army can change the positions of the stars to their favor if they have sufficient time
- since it's null-G in the Battleroom, the stars can be placed in fixed positions, and can be sticked together without the aid of any adhesive-natured material, thus building "walls" are possible

= References of star formations deployed in certain battle scenes in Ender's Game =

Legend :
- Red/Blue Lines - Army Gates
- Brown Boxes - Stars

1st battle, Salamander (Blue) vs. Leopard (Red)



- deployment and quantity generated randomly
Quote : "Huge brown boxes were suspended in midair, partially obstructing the view. So these were the obstacles that the soldiers called stars."



2nd battle, Rat (Blue) vs. Centipede (Red)



- deployment and quantity generated randomly
Quote : "...under cover of stars quickly..."



3rd battle, Dragon (Blue) vs. Rabbit (Red)



- 7-8 stars, scattered
Quote : "... with the seven or eight stars scattered through the grid."



4th battle, Dragon (Blue) vs. Badger (Red)



- deployment and quantity generated randomly
Quote : "...with the battleroom so filled with a labyrinth of stars..."



5th battle, Dragon (Blue) vs. Griffin & Tiger (Red)



- four stacked to form a wall in front of the Dragon gate to block their vision (assuming they are placed to stick together, since Dragon has to route from the side to take a peek on the enemy positions), and eight on Griffin & Tiger to form a fortress-like defence outside their gates.
Quote : "Only three meters out there were four stars together, completely blocking the view from the door." "They've got eight stars making a square around their door."

Feeling Dead

Nothing worse than feeling dead, yet still breathing. Yeah I'm feeling it right now, and it's not my first time feeling like that.

No direction. No motivation. No purpose. Just plain dead, like a corpse that turned cold on one of the freezing Antartica icebergs. It sucks to think that things in this material world aren't that appealing to me now. Even stuff I like to do seems pointless to me to continue doing now.

Then, I remembered what Aylwin, a friend of mine, wrote in his blog. From the story, anyone could become dull if they stress themselves too much, and also if they confined themselves in an environment, willingly or not.

Hmm. Maybe I should break something. Argh. I will just go and take a short nap for now, maybe for a few minutes. I think if my conscience permits, I will put up another post to update my pathetic conditions now. Adios.

Dang Dang Dilly Ding Dong

That's the sound of my mind creaking. It's like a mechancal time bomb ticking with it's countdown, but the explosive material is instead composed of wet gunpowder. In other words, I felt like exploding but in the end I won't, and that really sucks.

This world is NUTS. I'm referring to what happened to the US when Katrina hit New Orleans with a WHOOSH. I've been reading a lot of crap that happened to their government, about politicians praising the minority of heroes when people out there are dying, the mess that's going on the Internet when people there are desperate for help, and WORSE is people are trying to take advantage through this incident - the traditional "Robbing a house in fire" style.

Where should I start ? Oh yeah, first from SomethingAwful.com. It's a site which I constantly visit for my daily dose of comedy, pranks and sarcasm, and now it's down due to the breakdown of the server in New Orleans (in other words, it's now swimming...). Currently the guys in SA is hosting their temporary site using the same domain name, but now they are reporting and updating people about how crap is going in that place, ala SA style.

I'm not pissed about the way SA do things with their sarcastic ways - I'm more pissed about how their readers respond when SA is REALLY trying to get help from people to assist the Katrina victims, and also about Paypal, because it's automated system barred SA's Paypal account which was used for collecting donations for the Katrina victims, without questioning the reason properly.

There are a lot of people who hate SA - hating them for rendering politicians ugly, hating them for making a joke out of people around the globe, and some hating them for no apparent reason (well, kinda makes sense, since there are a lot of people who lived without any apparent reason).

And until now, there are readers who think that SA was actually making a prank out of the Katrina incident (the site creator Lowtax posted out some flames he received from these trolling readers), saying that the unfortunate incidents that hitted on SA served them right or whatsoever. To me, those trolling readers deserve a heavy spank for not opening their eyes properly to judge what's right or wrong and also making up conclusions just with their pathetic views. SUCKERS.

Next comes the humanity within during the visit of Katrina's - it's FREAKING horrible. The chaos within is even worse than any war in the world, because this time, no one knows who's the good guy or the bad one. And also there are people who tried to take advantage from the aftermath - Rapists preying on victims, thieves stealing goods that were left behind by victims, robbing the dead and sorts and sorts of outrageous things. But that's considered minor, because there's something bigger than those petty crimes.

Bureaucracy. Sectors that exist coherently to share out the burden of governing the country, yet there are loopholes in the system. And to make it worse, people (the villians) abusing the loopholes for their own benefit. These people, these VILLIANS, have hearts that are rotting in their own material world.

I felt angst and grave in the same time - that's why I'm writing this post to express my very own view. If you disagree at any of the points that I shared out, feel free to post it in the comments, but NO AD SPAMMING please. Thank you.

More Quiz Results...

I'm a REAL sucker when it comes to these things... But well whatever...

(NOTE: Ignore what the picture tells you !!! The words are much much much much much more important !!!)


- You Are The Wayward Heart

"Feel Better."


You are best described as 'Emotional Support'.
Anytime an emotional issue comes up or
something stresses people out, you are there to
help them feel better about it. Whether you are
the prankster of the bunch, the funny one, the
wild one, or just the shoulder to cry on - your
traits favor what it takes to keep people
going. You like large groups of people and have
many friends. When something hits home for you,
however, you have a hard time with it. You also
have difficulty paying attention or focusing on
one thing. Above all, though, if people are
happy, you are happy.


Which Classic Story Role Do You Play?
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Sad...


Who exactly ARE you? (AnImE PiCs)
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