Friday, March 31, 2006
If it makes you happy - Sheryl Crow
There are some things that makes me happy! Reading a good book is one. Having an excellent meal is another. Buying nice stuffs is definitely (i spelt that right, KC!) on the list. Taking loads of pics is there too. Going to London never fails to cheer me up.
So it was really good when i managed to do all those things above yesterday! :-)
I was really looking forward to me "siew yoke ngap farn" at Wong Kei - yeah, the notoriously famous Hongkie restaurant. Even recommended by Lonely Planet. Still, to be fair to them, i've not encountered any rudeness (yeah, tt's wat they were famous for in the past) in my contless times there this time round. Dun expect them to treat you like their best frens, tho.
Still, it has the cheapest siew yoke ngap farn in town - and it's got quality (i've eaten more expensive and not as good) too as well as quantity! You oso get a free pot of chinese tea - lovely in the cold weather. Oh, if u are travelling on yr own, they have a section just for you - so u dun take up one whole table to yrselves and worry about being kicked out.
As usual, i got so caught up wif me meal that i din take any pics! Yup, it's that good! :-)~
Then for dinner, i decided to try out the famous Misato - just down the road from Wong Kei. Another place famous for its value for money deals. Frens have told me that they all have trouble finishing their meals. So i went there wif another mate.
As warned, there was a long queue outside when we got there at about half six. On a Thursday nite! But the wait was worth it! We both had the salmon bento set - me had the salt-grilled salmon while me mate had the teriyaki sauce salmon.
What can i say - the pic speaks for it self. It was good. Really good - altho mine was a lil dry (i like gravy/sauce wif me rice usually). But it was satisfying. The green tea (which was not green in colour) was nice too. On top of that, we had this really sweet Jap girl as out waitress. Sigh...... :-)
But i din have any problems finishing me food!
Oh, i oso bought meself a new coat - for 15 quid. That's me at the Science Museum wif me new coat - yeah, at first blush, it may look like me old one - but this is shorter - above me knees, and a much nicer fit. It is oso a much darker grey.
I just couldn't believe how good it looked on me when i tried it on! I was tempted to get another jacket which was all velcro!!!! It was like a pullover and instead of buttons or zip at the front top, it was velcro! For the sleeves, you adjust the wrist size using velcro. It had this huge kangaroo-pouch-like pocket on the front - yeah, it's flap is fastened on by velcro too!!!!! But it costs 20 quid!
I'm happy wif me new coat - and will be wearing it to Paris so u'll prolly get to see more of it next week!
Pics - took loads of pics and have updated me "Loitering in London" photoblog. You can view me pics here, here, here, here and here.
Oh, while waiting for me mate and for the train, as well as on the train, i started on a new book - "The Broker" by Grisham!! :-) Man, he's good. I'll be blogging more bout this another time.
So i got home pretty happy - but totally exhausted (partly due to the 4 hour walk i had the day before) and almost sick too! I slept all the way til 4:30 pm today!!!!! That's close to 15 hours of sleep!!!!! Thank God i feel ok now. Would really suck if i fell sick before me trip to Paris nx week!
So it was really good when i managed to do all those things above yesterday! :-)
I was really looking forward to me "siew yoke ngap farn" at Wong Kei - yeah, the notoriously famous Hongkie restaurant. Even recommended by Lonely Planet. Still, to be fair to them, i've not encountered any rudeness (yeah, tt's wat they were famous for in the past) in my contless times there this time round. Dun expect them to treat you like their best frens, tho.
Still, it has the cheapest siew yoke ngap farn in town - and it's got quality (i've eaten more expensive and not as good) too as well as quantity! You oso get a free pot of chinese tea - lovely in the cold weather. Oh, if u are travelling on yr own, they have a section just for you - so u dun take up one whole table to yrselves and worry about being kicked out.
As usual, i got so caught up wif me meal that i din take any pics! Yup, it's that good! :-)~
Then for dinner, i decided to try out the famous Misato - just down the road from Wong Kei. Another place famous for its value for money deals. Frens have told me that they all have trouble finishing their meals. So i went there wif another mate.As warned, there was a long queue outside when we got there at about half six. On a Thursday nite! But the wait was worth it! We both had the salmon bento set - me had the salt-grilled salmon while me mate had the teriyaki sauce salmon.
What can i say - the pic speaks for it self. It was good. Really good - altho mine was a lil dry (i like gravy/sauce wif me rice usually). But it was satisfying. The green tea (which was not green in colour) was nice too. On top of that, we had this really sweet Jap girl as out waitress. Sigh...... :-)
But i din have any problems finishing me food!
Oh, i oso bought meself a new coat - for 15 quid. That's me at the Science Museum wif me new coat - yeah, at first blush, it may look like me old one - but this is shorter - above me knees, and a much nicer fit. It is oso a much darker grey.I just couldn't believe how good it looked on me when i tried it on! I was tempted to get another jacket which was all velcro!!!! It was like a pullover and instead of buttons or zip at the front top, it was velcro! For the sleeves, you adjust the wrist size using velcro. It had this huge kangaroo-pouch-like pocket on the front - yeah, it's flap is fastened on by velcro too!!!!! But it costs 20 quid!
I'm happy wif me new coat - and will be wearing it to Paris so u'll prolly get to see more of it next week!
Pics - took loads of pics and have updated me "Loitering in London" photoblog. You can view me pics here, here, here, here and here.
Oh, while waiting for me mate and for the train, as well as on the train, i started on a new book - "The Broker" by Grisham!! :-) Man, he's good. I'll be blogging more bout this another time.
So i got home pretty happy - but totally exhausted (partly due to the 4 hour walk i had the day before) and almost sick too! I slept all the way til 4:30 pm today!!!!! That's close to 15 hours of sleep!!!!! Thank God i feel ok now. Would really suck if i fell sick before me trip to Paris nx week!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
You're always on my mind - Willie Nelson
I went for a walk today (read bout it and see the pics here) when i came across this bench:-
I think the photos pretty much speak for themselves. Just in case you can't make it out, the relevant portion engraved on the bench reads "...Angela Brown, lost in India 28-11-2003".
Hard to imagine what Rob and family must have went thru...
p/s - it was Mother's Day here in UK last Sunday.
Hard to imagine what Rob and family must have went thru...
p/s - it was Mother's Day here in UK last Sunday.
Telephone - Sheena Easton
OK - i feel a lil like a traitor - after years of using Nokia, i've now got a Sony-Ericsson mobile!!!!! But, but it has MP3 player - sumthing which the Nokia equivalent does not have!!!!
Anyways, since me sis wanna have a view of me new phone, all of u get to see it - go here. You also get to see the dust collected on the phone (din use it for a few weeks cuz too busy wif Research Essay - was using me old phone).
It's around the same size as me Nokia 2100. But of course, it has loads more functions. Still, i dun have Arwen wif me anymore (like i used to wif me Nokia - see here) and no more "So long, farewell" ring tone. I've really been thru a lot wif me old Nokia - sigh, i'm too sentimental!
But i guess it's time to move on! In any event, the deal offered for the phone was too good to pass up!!!! I've read thru the terms and me mate had also done the same - and we dun see any "catch" to it! Still, people can't believe it. Truth be told, neither can we - so we are just waiting for the time to come when finally see how we've been duped and we smack ourselves on our foreheads! Til then, let us believe that we've got a good bargain! :-)
Anyways, i'm beginning to like me new phone - atho i still havent dared to use it to text messages. I'll be keeping me old number for now. If you guys wan me new number, it's 077 5354 114...
...NOT!!!!!!!! :-P
Anyways, since me sis wanna have a view of me new phone, all of u get to see it - go here. You also get to see the dust collected on the phone (din use it for a few weeks cuz too busy wif Research Essay - was using me old phone).It's around the same size as me Nokia 2100. But of course, it has loads more functions. Still, i dun have Arwen wif me anymore (like i used to wif me Nokia - see here) and no more "So long, farewell" ring tone. I've really been thru a lot wif me old Nokia - sigh, i'm too sentimental!
But i guess it's time to move on! In any event, the deal offered for the phone was too good to pass up!!!! I've read thru the terms and me mate had also done the same - and we dun see any "catch" to it! Still, people can't believe it. Truth be told, neither can we - so we are just waiting for the time to come when finally see how we've been duped and we smack ourselves on our foreheads! Til then, let us believe that we've got a good bargain! :-)
Anyways, i'm beginning to like me new phone - atho i still havent dared to use it to text messages. I'll be keeping me old number for now. If you guys wan me new number, it's 077 5354 114...
...NOT!!!!!!!! :-P
Reflection - Christina Aguilera
OK. Am trying to take a break from the serious stuffs (if you are an avid reader of this blog, u'd notice i made some amendments to the previous post to "tone" down some words!!).
Here's sumthing for fun (and KC, i expect u to start the ball rolling). Which pic below is the original and which has been rotated 180 degrees?
p/s - pic taken at the Scottish highlands during last winter
Here's sumthing for fun (and KC, i expect u to start the ball rolling). Which pic below is the original and which has been rotated 180 degrees?
p/s - pic taken at the Scottish highlands during last winter
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Fool again - Westlife
In an earlier post, i praised the Malaysian Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for inter alia speaking out on the importance of upholding human rights. While the M'sian police is far from perfct, i said that wat the IGP did was a small step in the right direction. Read about it here.
Well, i was wrong! Dead wrong. A step forward? More like one step forward and 10 steps back!!!! I should have known better!
After all the talk about human rights (which turns out to be bunkum), the IGP issues a directive requiring all policewomen to wear the tudung during official functions! Read the big fight that took place in the Parliament here.
While some seemingly not-so-bright politicians like Datuk Mohd Alwi Che Ahamad said it was nothing wrong and that non-Muslim politicians in Europe and Australia have worn scarves before, we all in Malaysia kno that the tudung is not just a fashion accessory. The tudung is wat a Muslim woman wears for religious purpose. The hypocr... i mean the IGP is basically infringing the rights of the policewomen - inter alia, their rights to practice their religion and their freedom of expression - both includes the right not to be forced to follow the practices of another religion.
Some brainless chap said there was no such infringement cuz they can choose not to follow the IGP's directive! Yeah, expect a policewoman not to follow the directive of the highest ranking police officer in the land.
A step closer? I was a fool to believe so. If the IGP is like this, we are far away. So very far away.
Well, i was wrong! Dead wrong. A step forward? More like one step forward and 10 steps back!!!! I should have known better!
After all the talk about human rights (which turns out to be bunkum), the IGP issues a directive requiring all policewomen to wear the tudung during official functions! Read the big fight that took place in the Parliament here.
While some seemingly not-so-bright politicians like Datuk Mohd Alwi Che Ahamad said it was nothing wrong and that non-Muslim politicians in Europe and Australia have worn scarves before, we all in Malaysia kno that the tudung is not just a fashion accessory. The tudung is wat a Muslim woman wears for religious purpose. The hypocr... i mean the IGP is basically infringing the rights of the policewomen - inter alia, their rights to practice their religion and their freedom of expression - both includes the right not to be forced to follow the practices of another religion.
Some brainless chap said there was no such infringement cuz they can choose not to follow the IGP's directive! Yeah, expect a policewoman not to follow the directive of the highest ranking police officer in the land.
A step closer? I was a fool to believe so. If the IGP is like this, we are far away. So very far away.
It's over - Lisa Loeb
Yup, winter is over. The clocks went forward last Sunday and the temp has been going up! :-) Spring has sprung - after a few false starts and a long delay. Still, better late than never!
Daffodils - me halls are the high rise in the background
Sea of daffodils - wif Rayleigh Tower in the background again!
Looks quite far-eh? This is just halfway to Tesco - and less than a quarter way to town!
I'm still waiting for the explosion of colours promised by the experts. they claim that due to the lateness of spring, all the flowers which were supposed to be up will all suddenly bloom altogether. :-)
I took a walk to town yesterday - yeah, felt much better! The weather was brilliant - it was cold but not freezing-cold cold. It was nice-cold cold. And the sun did make an occasional appearance once in a while. The wind was unrelenting, tho. It has been like this since last weekend, blowing non-stop all day and all nite (being on the 11th floor, we hear it very clearly!). Me hair was a complete mEsS!!!! Must start wearing cap - hopefully the wind wont blow it away! I almost got blown away meself!
Still, it was really nice - i was singing "I'm alive" by ELO (from the soundtrack of Xanadu - i u went "huh?", dun worry. It's from my generation!!!) all the way. It was nice to see the leaf buds on the trees. I realised that other than church and my weekly-Tuesday-Tesco day, i havent been out of me campus for more than a month! So yeah, it was nice to be out, taking to long route to town, hanging out at the action figure shop, window shopping, went to the public library and got more books(!), jus being out! :-)
Still, i must admit that there was a teensy weeny bit of regret that winter is over:-
1. i never go to see the campus nor colchester covered in snow! The few times it snowed when i was here, it just din stay. the only time it stayed on the ground, i was in snowless scotland!!!!
2. sumhow, the weather here is so different from wat i remembered from UEL. back then, the winter was truly horrible - cold, bitter and we really honestly din see the sun at all during those few months. It rained most of the time - tho being a rain lover, i kinda liked that! So when spring finally came and the sun came out, it was a truly wonderful feeling - words cant begin to describe it. We just felt so alive!
Here? it had been cold at times but there were times - even days - when the sun was around. And it was dry - so no dreary cloudy days. Because of that, seeing the sun again... well, it's nice but not great! Know wat i mean? Sigh.... i ask for too much, dun i?
3. i can't wear my long coat anymore!!!!!!! ;-P I really liked it - but it's packed up now, til next November (if i'm still here!).
The nites can be a lil warm now under the duvet. i dread to think of summer!!!!! For now, lemme just enjoy the moment! :-)
Daffodils - me halls are the high rise in the background
Sea of daffodils - wif Rayleigh Tower in the background again!
Looks quite far-eh? This is just halfway to Tesco - and less than a quarter way to town!
I'm still waiting for the explosion of colours promised by the experts. they claim that due to the lateness of spring, all the flowers which were supposed to be up will all suddenly bloom altogether. :-)
I took a walk to town yesterday - yeah, felt much better! The weather was brilliant - it was cold but not freezing-cold cold. It was nice-cold cold. And the sun did make an occasional appearance once in a while. The wind was unrelenting, tho. It has been like this since last weekend, blowing non-stop all day and all nite (being on the 11th floor, we hear it very clearly!). Me hair was a complete mEsS!!!! Must start wearing cap - hopefully the wind wont blow it away! I almost got blown away meself!
Still, it was really nice - i was singing "I'm alive" by ELO (from the soundtrack of Xanadu - i u went "huh?", dun worry. It's from my generation!!!) all the way. It was nice to see the leaf buds on the trees. I realised that other than church and my weekly-Tuesday-Tesco day, i havent been out of me campus for more than a month! So yeah, it was nice to be out, taking to long route to town, hanging out at the action figure shop, window shopping, went to the public library and got more books(!), jus being out! :-)
Still, i must admit that there was a teensy weeny bit of regret that winter is over:-
1. i never go to see the campus nor colchester covered in snow! The few times it snowed when i was here, it just din stay. the only time it stayed on the ground, i was in snowless scotland!!!!
2. sumhow, the weather here is so different from wat i remembered from UEL. back then, the winter was truly horrible - cold, bitter and we really honestly din see the sun at all during those few months. It rained most of the time - tho being a rain lover, i kinda liked that! So when spring finally came and the sun came out, it was a truly wonderful feeling - words cant begin to describe it. We just felt so alive!
Here? it had been cold at times but there were times - even days - when the sun was around. And it was dry - so no dreary cloudy days. Because of that, seeing the sun again... well, it's nice but not great! Know wat i mean? Sigh.... i ask for too much, dun i?
3. i can't wear my long coat anymore!!!!!!! ;-P I really liked it - but it's packed up now, til next November (if i'm still here!).
The nites can be a lil warm now under the duvet. i dread to think of summer!!!!! For now, lemme just enjoy the moment! :-)
Monday, March 27, 2006
Never say goodbye - Bon Jovi
It happens time and time again - but it never fails to amaze me. Music can bring back wonderful memories.
I was listening to Bon Jovi's "These Days" album - and it was inevitable when i started thinking of Steph. After all, the first time i listened to the album was when i listened to the cassette that she duplicated for me.
Ah... we go back so long. It's funny, really. We were coursemates in UM. She would be the goodie student sitting at the front of the lecture hall while i was one of those sleeping at the back. My seminar class is immediately after hers - so for those brief moments, we'd meet! There were even times when she couldn't make it for hers so she joined ours.
Yeah, i must admit i used to have a crush on her. But i wasnt the only one. So did all the other guys. She was no doubt one of the cutest girls around - if not the cutest!
Then came the Bon Jovi concert in M'sia - and to our surprise, she went oso. Altho we din see each other there, we talked about it back in Uni after the concert.
It was close to the exams when she told me of the "new" album - and then she offered to dub it for me! You should have seen the jealous/impressed looks on the guys' face when i received the cassette along wif a note from her!
I still have that cassette somewhere at home in M'sia! Hey, it was a brilliant album! We talked about it and the day of the exam, she passed the lyrics of all the songs - all handwritten by herself!
Unfortunately, i din "seize the day" and i did not get her contact number. I never saw her again... til months later - when she turned up at me office for an interview!!! She got the position as a student-in-chambers - and she had to share a room with the senior student-in-chambers at that time - me! :-)
It was quite sad - a small tiny room closest to the exit, with only one table to be shared by the 2 of us. So we basically spent the next few months working in the same room, facing each other. She laughed one morning as i put on my tie - she said that she gets to see me tie my tie every day! Yup, that's Steph - doesnt take much to amuse her!
It was those days together together when i realised how we always just seem to "miss" each other. She was born prematurely on the 1st of December. If she had been born when she was due - in January the following year - she would have been the same age as i was.
The significance? Well, we both studied at Stamford college, we both obtained our degree from the university of East London, we both did a twinning programme. As such, when i started my first year at Stamford, she finished hers and went to UEL for her 2nd and 3rd year. I only went to UEL on my 3rd year - the year after she graduated!!!
But we did meet finally in UM.
After our exams in UM, she worked for a while at an insurance company - met a guy and was going out wif him when she came over to my office. We got close and it was "safe" then to tell her that i used to have a crush on her back in the UM days. Guess wat? She said she felt the same too back then!!!!!
Aaaaaarrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!
But we ended up as really good frens! And we had such a wonderful time working together. Of course, being the same room day in and day out under stressful conditions of a litigation lawyer's life did put some strain on our frenship - altho on hindsight, it prolly made it stronger.
I was just recalling some of the wonderful memories we had. There was once when i had a hearing at Muar and she was back home in M'cca - so we arranged that i would spend the nite at her place and then we'd go for the hearing together. I slept on her bed - wif her soft toys!!!! She slept wif her mom! After the hearing, we went back to her place, chatted wif her mom and looked at her wedding photos - she was getting married in a couple of months time.
Her wedding was another wonderful time for us. I remember as we walked out of the church, everyone was shaking hands wif her mom extending their congratulations. When i came up to her mom wif an outstretched hand, she greeted me wif open arms, hugged me, saying "You are family"!! I was so touched by that!
Sadly, her marriage oso meant that she had to leave us. She started her new life back in M'cca and i went on wif mine in KL. It came to a point when we'd only receive text messages from each other 5 times a year - Christmas, New Year, Easter, her birthday and mine. Oops - make that 4 times! ;-P
The last time i spoke to her was when i went down to M'cca in 2004 - altho she wasnt free to meet up, we had a wonderful chat over the phone. I told her that i'll go back down to see her before i leave for UK.
I did not keep my word. :-(
Back to the cassette she dubbed for me - one thing special was the addition of one song not in the album. It was her favourite Bon Jovi song and she included it in the cassette. The song is "Never say goodbye". I always think of her when i listen to that song.
We may be worlds apart now but come Christmas, New year, Easter and the 1st of December, we'd hear from each other. And i know that no matter how far we have drifted away from each other, we'll never say goodbye.
Thanks for your frenship, Steph! :-)
I was listening to Bon Jovi's "These Days" album - and it was inevitable when i started thinking of Steph. After all, the first time i listened to the album was when i listened to the cassette that she duplicated for me.
Ah... we go back so long. It's funny, really. We were coursemates in UM. She would be the goodie student sitting at the front of the lecture hall while i was one of those sleeping at the back. My seminar class is immediately after hers - so for those brief moments, we'd meet! There were even times when she couldn't make it for hers so she joined ours.
Yeah, i must admit i used to have a crush on her. But i wasnt the only one. So did all the other guys. She was no doubt one of the cutest girls around - if not the cutest!
Then came the Bon Jovi concert in M'sia - and to our surprise, she went oso. Altho we din see each other there, we talked about it back in Uni after the concert.
It was close to the exams when she told me of the "new" album - and then she offered to dub it for me! You should have seen the jealous/impressed looks on the guys' face when i received the cassette along wif a note from her!
I still have that cassette somewhere at home in M'sia! Hey, it was a brilliant album! We talked about it and the day of the exam, she passed the lyrics of all the songs - all handwritten by herself!
Unfortunately, i din "seize the day" and i did not get her contact number. I never saw her again... til months later - when she turned up at me office for an interview!!! She got the position as a student-in-chambers - and she had to share a room with the senior student-in-chambers at that time - me! :-)
It was quite sad - a small tiny room closest to the exit, with only one table to be shared by the 2 of us. So we basically spent the next few months working in the same room, facing each other. She laughed one morning as i put on my tie - she said that she gets to see me tie my tie every day! Yup, that's Steph - doesnt take much to amuse her!
It was those days together together when i realised how we always just seem to "miss" each other. She was born prematurely on the 1st of December. If she had been born when she was due - in January the following year - she would have been the same age as i was.
The significance? Well, we both studied at Stamford college, we both obtained our degree from the university of East London, we both did a twinning programme. As such, when i started my first year at Stamford, she finished hers and went to UEL for her 2nd and 3rd year. I only went to UEL on my 3rd year - the year after she graduated!!!
But we did meet finally in UM.
After our exams in UM, she worked for a while at an insurance company - met a guy and was going out wif him when she came over to my office. We got close and it was "safe" then to tell her that i used to have a crush on her back in the UM days. Guess wat? She said she felt the same too back then!!!!!
Aaaaaarrrggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!
But we ended up as really good frens! And we had such a wonderful time working together. Of course, being the same room day in and day out under stressful conditions of a litigation lawyer's life did put some strain on our frenship - altho on hindsight, it prolly made it stronger.
I was just recalling some of the wonderful memories we had. There was once when i had a hearing at Muar and she was back home in M'cca - so we arranged that i would spend the nite at her place and then we'd go for the hearing together. I slept on her bed - wif her soft toys!!!! She slept wif her mom! After the hearing, we went back to her place, chatted wif her mom and looked at her wedding photos - she was getting married in a couple of months time.
Her wedding was another wonderful time for us. I remember as we walked out of the church, everyone was shaking hands wif her mom extending their congratulations. When i came up to her mom wif an outstretched hand, she greeted me wif open arms, hugged me, saying "You are family"!! I was so touched by that!
Sadly, her marriage oso meant that she had to leave us. She started her new life back in M'cca and i went on wif mine in KL. It came to a point when we'd only receive text messages from each other 5 times a year - Christmas, New Year, Easter, her birthday and mine. Oops - make that 4 times! ;-P
The last time i spoke to her was when i went down to M'cca in 2004 - altho she wasnt free to meet up, we had a wonderful chat over the phone. I told her that i'll go back down to see her before i leave for UK.
I did not keep my word. :-(
Back to the cassette she dubbed for me - one thing special was the addition of one song not in the album. It was her favourite Bon Jovi song and she included it in the cassette. The song is "Never say goodbye". I always think of her when i listen to that song.
We may be worlds apart now but come Christmas, New year, Easter and the 1st of December, we'd hear from each other. And i know that no matter how far we have drifted away from each other, we'll never say goodbye.
Thanks for your frenship, Steph! :-)
You are not alone - Michael Jackson
What can I say? Great minds think alike??? ;-P
Sori - to those who dun understand this post, you're not meant to!
Sori - to those who dun understand this post, you're not meant to!
(You drive me) Crazy - Britney Spears
So after all the drama, the whole thing hinges on whether he is crazy or not. I'm referring to Abdul Rahman, the Christian who was on trial in Afghanistan for the religious crime of apostasy. (Read the latest here).
I've been following the case with great interest as a Christian and as a human rights student. On top of that, a big portion of my research in the essay which i just handed in on Friday dealt with the issue of apostasy in relation to freedom of religion in Muslim States.
There is a Muslim commentator and advocate of the death penalty for apostasy was of the view that a person born in Islam who deserts after coming of age must be killed since he is "deseased... gangrenous, incurable, fit only for amputation". Some have stated that the exceptions will be when the person was forced to apostate or that the person was of unsound mind.
I'll not bore u wif the details (altho i'll gladly e-mail you my 8,000 word essay for your reading pleasure) but suffice to say for now that not all Muslims are of the same mind on this issue and there is a trend lately of moving away from such views.
What i would like to bring up is something interesting which happenned in Iran not too long ago. The people of the Bahai faith were being persecuted in Iran simply because the Bahais were in fact descendants of apostates - people of the Muslim faith who converted out of Islam.
Here's an excerpt from me essay:-
Mayer [an Associate Professor of the School of Legal Studies in the University of Pennsylvania] noted... the attacks on [the Bahais] were justified by official attempts to hide any religious motives. Instead, it had been alleged that those who were persecuted were guilty of inter alia crimes of spying, treason and drug trafficking. Mayer questions whether this is a “lack of confidence that criminalising religious belief can be justified in today’s world”.
I was intrigued by that observation. So basically, while they have such law, they just dun have the guts to carry it out because they are afraid of what the world might think of them!!!! It's all bunkum!
In light of Mayer's observations, it comes to no surprise to me that the Court in Abdul Rahman's case suddenly had doubts over his mental fitness to stand trial and set him free (the case was handed back to the Attorney General and he is to undergo some mental test thingy).
It appears that the courts are perhaps tring to wash its hands of the matter? They know they cannot release him for fear of the Muslim sentiments but due to pressure from the international scene, they are afraid to sentence him. So how? "Let's make him crazy!"
Is this another example of the “lack of confidence that criminalising religious belief can be justified in today’s world”???
Having said that, i'm glad for Abdul. However, this is not the end of the matter as the Muslims have staged a protest over the release of Abdul (see here). The mob wants blood, basically.
I've been following the case with great interest as a Christian and as a human rights student. On top of that, a big portion of my research in the essay which i just handed in on Friday dealt with the issue of apostasy in relation to freedom of religion in Muslim States.
There is a Muslim commentator and advocate of the death penalty for apostasy was of the view that a person born in Islam who deserts after coming of age must be killed since he is "deseased... gangrenous, incurable, fit only for amputation". Some have stated that the exceptions will be when the person was forced to apostate or that the person was of unsound mind.
I'll not bore u wif the details (altho i'll gladly e-mail you my 8,000 word essay for your reading pleasure) but suffice to say for now that not all Muslims are of the same mind on this issue and there is a trend lately of moving away from such views.
What i would like to bring up is something interesting which happenned in Iran not too long ago. The people of the Bahai faith were being persecuted in Iran simply because the Bahais were in fact descendants of apostates - people of the Muslim faith who converted out of Islam.
Here's an excerpt from me essay:-
Mayer [an Associate Professor of the School of Legal Studies in the University of Pennsylvania] noted... the attacks on [the Bahais] were justified by official attempts to hide any religious motives. Instead, it had been alleged that those who were persecuted were guilty of inter alia crimes of spying, treason and drug trafficking. Mayer questions whether this is a “lack of confidence that criminalising religious belief can be justified in today’s world”.
I was intrigued by that observation. So basically, while they have such law, they just dun have the guts to carry it out because they are afraid of what the world might think of them!!!! It's all bunkum!
In light of Mayer's observations, it comes to no surprise to me that the Court in Abdul Rahman's case suddenly had doubts over his mental fitness to stand trial and set him free (the case was handed back to the Attorney General and he is to undergo some mental test thingy).
It appears that the courts are perhaps tring to wash its hands of the matter? They know they cannot release him for fear of the Muslim sentiments but due to pressure from the international scene, they are afraid to sentence him. So how? "Let's make him crazy!"
Is this another example of the “lack of confidence that criminalising religious belief can be justified in today’s world”???
Having said that, i'm glad for Abdul. However, this is not the end of the matter as the Muslims have staged a protest over the release of Abdul (see here). The mob wants blood, basically.
“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error” Quran 2:256
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Miracle - Whitney Houston
The sleepless nites are beginning to take its toll on me.
No more lonely nights (of doing my research essay!)
I feel like i was on the verge of falling sick. Body feeling really weak.
Still, after a long sleep last nite, i feel a lil better.
This only reminded me of how blessed i've been. It has been 6 months since i've been here - and other than the occasional migraine attacks and some near misses (like last nite), i've not fallen sick at all!!!!
Going 1/2 a year without falling sick is really quite a feat if you know me well - and coupled wif the fact that since autumn, people around me - coursemates and flatmates - have all been falling sick, it is no less than a miracle!
I truly thank God for preserving me physically. I dun deserve it but this is just a measure of his grace.
p/s - to those who have been remembering me in yr prayers, i truly appreciate it. Be rest assured, God has answered them all! :-)
No more lonely nights (of doing my research essay!)
I feel like i was on the verge of falling sick. Body feeling really weak.
Still, after a long sleep last nite, i feel a lil better.
This only reminded me of how blessed i've been. It has been 6 months since i've been here - and other than the occasional migraine attacks and some near misses (like last nite), i've not fallen sick at all!!!!
Going 1/2 a year without falling sick is really quite a feat if you know me well - and coupled wif the fact that since autumn, people around me - coursemates and flatmates - have all been falling sick, it is no less than a miracle!
I truly thank God for preserving me physically. I dun deserve it but this is just a measure of his grace.
p/s - to those who have been remembering me in yr prayers, i truly appreciate it. Be rest assured, God has answered them all! :-)
Waiting for the day - George Michael
We were in the kitchen just now - Michael, Aliz and meself - talking and laughing away, as usual. We finally saw how Aliz peeled her banana from bottom up!!!! Yeah, one of the quirky things that we do. We'd talked about it b4 but now i've finally seen her do it - live telecast! I told her that now she can finally leave!
I had been waiting for this day for so long - the day after i hand in me research essay, the day which marks the beginning of the Easter break. It is a lovely day, no doubt. Altho cloudy, but since yesterday when i handed up me essay, the weather has turned warmer. The long cold winter is finally over (reports said it was the coldest March in 20 years!!) and spring has finally sprung!
The dawn of a new day from me window!
Still, this day does not live up to the anticipation. Just like the weather outside, altho i feel warm, it is "cloudy".
The sleepless nites are also taking its toll on me. Body feeling weak and was at the point of falling sick yesterday. Had palns to go to town, to Clacton, to London - but all i'll prolly do is stay in and watch movies. Or sleep. Most prolly the latter than the former. Have quite a bit of debt to pay!
The beginning of the Easter hols only mark the start of 2 take-home exams - 6,000 words each - which are due at the end of the hols! And then, it'll be the final exams.
Alberto gone. Aliz is leaving tomorrow. It's beginning to sink in.
I'm gonna so miss her laugh...
I'm not trying to sound ungrateful but today is not living up to wat it was meant to be...
I had been waiting for this day for so long - the day after i hand in me research essay, the day which marks the beginning of the Easter break. It is a lovely day, no doubt. Altho cloudy, but since yesterday when i handed up me essay, the weather has turned warmer. The long cold winter is finally over (reports said it was the coldest March in 20 years!!) and spring has finally sprung!
The dawn of a new day from me window!
Still, this day does not live up to the anticipation. Just like the weather outside, altho i feel warm, it is "cloudy".
The sleepless nites are also taking its toll on me. Body feeling weak and was at the point of falling sick yesterday. Had palns to go to town, to Clacton, to London - but all i'll prolly do is stay in and watch movies. Or sleep. Most prolly the latter than the former. Have quite a bit of debt to pay!
The beginning of the Easter hols only mark the start of 2 take-home exams - 6,000 words each - which are due at the end of the hols! And then, it'll be the final exams.
Alberto gone. Aliz is leaving tomorrow. It's beginning to sink in.
I'm gonna so miss her laugh...
I'm not trying to sound ungrateful but today is not living up to wat it was meant to be...
End of the road - Boyz II Men
We just finished watching Return of the King. As usual, watching it brings back memories and evoke nostalgia.
Unlike most people, i really liked the "many endings" of ROTK. I guess its becuz i knew that when the words "The End" come out, it'll really be the end of the trilogy - and i just din wan it to end.
Still, things end. That's life. And i really gotta learn how to deal wif it.
Me sleepless nites of doing me research essay ended. It oso marked the end of the Spring term. The biggest significance of that is the departure of 2 of me flatmates. Alberto left on Thursday morn and Aliz will be leaving tomorrow.
I'm handling it alrite, actually - the reason being that i'll be meeting up wif both of them in Paris next month. So the goodbyes have not had the element of finality - not yet.
I was thinking about it and i know it's gonna be difficult. Saying goodbye to them will in all probality mean that i'll never see them again!!!!! I'll never hear Aliz's wonderful laugh again. I won't be entertained by Alberto's hands gestures as he talks.
Gone - but not forgotten! Man, that sounds like he passed away or sumthing...
I've never been really good at goodbyes - whether it is with regards to people or places.
I'll never forget the when the time came for me in UEL to pack my stuffs and take down the posters and pictures from the walls - each piece of item that i took down from the walls had a memory of someone attached to it. Taking it down meant closing a chapter in my life and wishing goodbye to me mates - i've never seen some of them again, and will never ever get to see them again.
And before i know it, i'll be going thru the same thing again - time just flies...
I was reading a mate's blog where he said that from the mission team he was in a couple of years ago, i was the only team member whom he still keeps in touch with.
It's sad and i really hate goodbyes. I used to have this fren where we'll never say goodbye to each other - it'll be so long or see you but never goodbye. We did eventually said goodbye - for real.
But as much as we try, there'll come a time when we have to go our separate ways - and i guess when i go thru that, instead of just focussing on the time that we'll never spend again anymore , i shud be thankful of the time that we had together. The experiences and memories will remain as long as we keep them close. Such experiences usually leave us a different person - and i would like to believe, a better one. And usually, the end of something marks the beginning of another thing.
And who knows - if God wills it, our paths may cross again, even in unlikely circumstances!!! Like i never thought i'd meet up wif another member from another mission team ever again - but he ends up living in the tower next to mine here at Essex!
Who knows...
Unlike most people, i really liked the "many endings" of ROTK. I guess its becuz i knew that when the words "The End" come out, it'll really be the end of the trilogy - and i just din wan it to end.
Still, things end. That's life. And i really gotta learn how to deal wif it.
Me sleepless nites of doing me research essay ended. It oso marked the end of the Spring term. The biggest significance of that is the departure of 2 of me flatmates. Alberto left on Thursday morn and Aliz will be leaving tomorrow.
I'm handling it alrite, actually - the reason being that i'll be meeting up wif both of them in Paris next month. So the goodbyes have not had the element of finality - not yet.
I was thinking about it and i know it's gonna be difficult. Saying goodbye to them will in all probality mean that i'll never see them again!!!!! I'll never hear Aliz's wonderful laugh again. I won't be entertained by Alberto's hands gestures as he talks.
Gone - but not forgotten! Man, that sounds like he passed away or sumthing...
I've never been really good at goodbyes - whether it is with regards to people or places.
I'll never forget the when the time came for me in UEL to pack my stuffs and take down the posters and pictures from the walls - each piece of item that i took down from the walls had a memory of someone attached to it. Taking it down meant closing a chapter in my life and wishing goodbye to me mates - i've never seen some of them again, and will never ever get to see them again.
And before i know it, i'll be going thru the same thing again - time just flies...
I was reading a mate's blog where he said that from the mission team he was in a couple of years ago, i was the only team member whom he still keeps in touch with.
It's sad and i really hate goodbyes. I used to have this fren where we'll never say goodbye to each other - it'll be so long or see you but never goodbye. We did eventually said goodbye - for real.
But as much as we try, there'll come a time when we have to go our separate ways - and i guess when i go thru that, instead of just focussing on the time that we'll never spend again anymore , i shud be thankful of the time that we had together. The experiences and memories will remain as long as we keep them close. Such experiences usually leave us a different person - and i would like to believe, a better one. And usually, the end of something marks the beginning of another thing.
And who knows - if God wills it, our paths may cross again, even in unlikely circumstances!!! Like i never thought i'd meet up wif another member from another mission team ever again - but he ends up living in the tower next to mine here at Essex!
Who knows...
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
True to your heart - 98 Degrees
Truth be told, i'm not one who's proud of me own birth country. ive got a long list of gripes and unhappiness about it - the people, the mentality, the attitude, the weather(!).
But no matter where i go or how i feel, i cannot deny that deep down inside, i'm a Malaysian thru and thru! My actions today reminded me so!
OK - it was the M'sian Society seminar and while i had successfully dodged any involvement (the art of "tai chi" - Malaysian style!!! Another piece of evidence of who i truly am!) in the planning stages, i decided its time to give sum support to me poor M'sian colleagues who have been slogging tirelessly for it. I volunteered to help and was asked to do the registration of participants.
Simple - just tick off the names when they come, collect outstanding payments, if any, and hand them their folders. They oso get some freebies - a pen, a "Malaysia" lapel pin, a Malaysian postcard, and.... get this - a pack of playing cards courtesy of the Uni!!!!! Yeah, a pack of Uni of Essex brand playing cards!!!!!!
There was oso this bag of "freebies" which was passed to me - stuffs that were given out free during the past M'sian Soc activities, some which were "leftovers" of freebies given out 2 years ago.
As the seminar started and i prepared to pack-up the registration table, i started oso - in typical M'sian style - to help meself wif the freebies!!!! :-)
So let's see. Wat did i get - 2 pack of playing cards (one to use and another to keep in mint condition!!! Would be worth sumthing in the future - another M'sian attitude? or just a Chinese mentality?), one "Uniquely Singapore" mousepad, one pen, 3 lapel pins (2 for me flatmates - must promote Malaysia mah...), 2 postcards (one wif pics of FOOD, GLORIOUS MALAYSIAN FOOD - sate, seafood, spicy food, kueh-kueh... :-P~~ and the other of the Niah Caves in Sarawak. Or was it the Mulu???) to remind me of home and a pair of nice green "Surprising Singapore" chopsticks!
Hey, conscience clear - i was asked to take the stuffs or else some of it will stay in the bag for another 2 more years!!!!
Yeah, when it comes to freebies, Malaysians will be there helping themselves - whether they will actually use it or not is besides the point! I used to look at these people in disgust. Now i know i'm one of "these people"!!!!
Don't even get started on the free food!!!! Prawn sandwiches!! :-P~~
Another Malaysian trait - i din realise that much until i was pestering a flatmate to reveal some "stuffs" to me and he was like "Enough of your Malaysian curiosity"! It was in a good humoured way, of course but wat he said rang home some truths. After all, when a car mysteriously caught fire on campus next to the lake at about 6 am one cold winter morning, only the security personel and one Malaysian (yours truly) was there to watch it go up in flames!!!!
See the fire-engine next to the lake? Unfortunately, the library building is obscuring the view of the burning car.
But having said that, when i was woken up from me slumber not too long ago and was invited to help finish off the food, i actually turned - them - down!!!!! Of course I was hungry! But some things in life are more important - like sleep! :-)
But no matter where i go or how i feel, i cannot deny that deep down inside, i'm a Malaysian thru and thru! My actions today reminded me so!
OK - it was the M'sian Society seminar and while i had successfully dodged any involvement (the art of "tai chi" - Malaysian style!!! Another piece of evidence of who i truly am!) in the planning stages, i decided its time to give sum support to me poor M'sian colleagues who have been slogging tirelessly for it. I volunteered to help and was asked to do the registration of participants.
Simple - just tick off the names when they come, collect outstanding payments, if any, and hand them their folders. They oso get some freebies - a pen, a "Malaysia" lapel pin, a Malaysian postcard, and.... get this - a pack of playing cards courtesy of the Uni!!!!! Yeah, a pack of Uni of Essex brand playing cards!!!!!!
There was oso this bag of "freebies" which was passed to me - stuffs that were given out free during the past M'sian Soc activities, some which were "leftovers" of freebies given out 2 years ago.
As the seminar started and i prepared to pack-up the registration table, i started oso - in typical M'sian style - to help meself wif the freebies!!!! :-)
So let's see. Wat did i get - 2 pack of playing cards (one to use and another to keep in mint condition!!! Would be worth sumthing in the future - another M'sian attitude? or just a Chinese mentality?), one "Uniquely Singapore" mousepad, one pen, 3 lapel pins (2 for me flatmates - must promote Malaysia mah...), 2 postcards (one wif pics of FOOD, GLORIOUS MALAYSIAN FOOD - sate, seafood, spicy food, kueh-kueh... :-P~~ and the other of the Niah Caves in Sarawak. Or was it the Mulu???) to remind me of home and a pair of nice green "Surprising Singapore" chopsticks!
Hey, conscience clear - i was asked to take the stuffs or else some of it will stay in the bag for another 2 more years!!!!
Yeah, when it comes to freebies, Malaysians will be there helping themselves - whether they will actually use it or not is besides the point! I used to look at these people in disgust. Now i know i'm one of "these people"!!!!
Don't even get started on the free food!!!! Prawn sandwiches!! :-P~~
Another Malaysian trait - i din realise that much until i was pestering a flatmate to reveal some "stuffs" to me and he was like "Enough of your Malaysian curiosity"! It was in a good humoured way, of course but wat he said rang home some truths. After all, when a car mysteriously caught fire on campus next to the lake at about 6 am one cold winter morning, only the security personel and one Malaysian (yours truly) was there to watch it go up in flames!!!!
See the fire-engine next to the lake? Unfortunately, the library building is obscuring the view of the burning car.
But having said that, when i was woken up from me slumber not too long ago and was invited to help finish off the food, i actually turned - them - down!!!!! Of course I was hungry! But some things in life are more important - like sleep! :-)
Nightshift - The Commodores
It's 30 mins pass midnite. Should be continuing wif me essay but am playing to stay up even longer tonite - so allowing meself the luxury to relax a lil longer.
View out of me window - with the reflection of me study table!
Been sleeping at round 7 sumthing each morning. Truth be told, it has been a lil difficult to sleep!!!! I mean, when i start doing me work like now, i do feel tired and sleepy and all at times. But come like 6 am or so (it gets brighter even much earlier now - 5 sumthing!!!), my mind is so active that it doesnt feel like sleeping - altho the body feels otherwise!
Am actually enjoying meself - in some perverse way, i guess. The essay is moving along alrite, altho there has been quite a number of hiccups. Been rearranging my outline so many times - even considered changing the title!!!
Then, there's the problem wif Word. Sigh... the cross-referencing feature is not working for me!!!!!
I've gone pass the 4,000 word mark - the trouble is that i'm still on the same general point!!!!!! OK - i only have 2 MAIN general points. But the first was meant to take up at the most, one third of me essay. And the amount of notes i prepared for the first point is like a quarter or less than the amount i prepared for me second point!!!!! Looks like i've enuf material to prepare a dissertation - mind you, i did not manage to complete the research and there are books and articles left unread!
Fun-eh? ;-P
Me mate was surprised when i told him that i sleep at around 7 in the morning. He asked if i could really work all nite.
Well, i do stay up all nite. It's pretty normal for me. I'm the nocturnal type - will blog about this more when all the essay stuffs are over and done wif.
But staying up all nite does not mean i work all nite!!!! I do find some stuffs to do to keep me sane! And since it's just too cold to go out for walks, i amuse meself indoors - watch some reruns of "Whose Line Is It Anyway" (and really struggle to keep my laughter down so as not to wake up me neighbours), play lots of bridge on me PDA (hence my perfect score the other day!!), surf, take photos(!), etc. Somehow, i really like being up during the nite - more bout this nx time!
A pic of me camera - by me camera! :-)
Anyways, it'll be just for another couple of nites. Friday is D-Day! And to top it up, we've oredi made plans to watch Return of the King on Friday nite! Woohoo! Now, that's sumthing to look forward to! Even the fact that me lecturer had oredi e-mailed us our Easter assignments yesterday (he was so casual - "Here are the questions for those who may be interested..."!!!!!) will not dampen my spirits! Easter hols - London, Paris, Clacton (seaside)!!!!!
OK - back to me essay! Meeting a mate later at 8 am - so sleep will only take place at half 10? Hopefully...
p/s - Liverpool hit Birmingham for 7 last nite. The icing was the fact that Sisoko was back wif his superhero-looking goggles! 15 goals in 3 games. When it rains, it pours!!!!!
View out of me window - with the reflection of me study table!
Been sleeping at round 7 sumthing each morning. Truth be told, it has been a lil difficult to sleep!!!! I mean, when i start doing me work like now, i do feel tired and sleepy and all at times. But come like 6 am or so (it gets brighter even much earlier now - 5 sumthing!!!), my mind is so active that it doesnt feel like sleeping - altho the body feels otherwise!
Am actually enjoying meself - in some perverse way, i guess. The essay is moving along alrite, altho there has been quite a number of hiccups. Been rearranging my outline so many times - even considered changing the title!!!
Then, there's the problem wif Word. Sigh... the cross-referencing feature is not working for me!!!!!
I've gone pass the 4,000 word mark - the trouble is that i'm still on the same general point!!!!!! OK - i only have 2 MAIN general points. But the first was meant to take up at the most, one third of me essay. And the amount of notes i prepared for the first point is like a quarter or less than the amount i prepared for me second point!!!!! Looks like i've enuf material to prepare a dissertation - mind you, i did not manage to complete the research and there are books and articles left unread!
Fun-eh? ;-P
Me mate was surprised when i told him that i sleep at around 7 in the morning. He asked if i could really work all nite.
Well, i do stay up all nite. It's pretty normal for me. I'm the nocturnal type - will blog about this more when all the essay stuffs are over and done wif.
But staying up all nite does not mean i work all nite!!!! I do find some stuffs to do to keep me sane! And since it's just too cold to go out for walks, i amuse meself indoors - watch some reruns of "Whose Line Is It Anyway" (and really struggle to keep my laughter down so as not to wake up me neighbours), play lots of bridge on me PDA (hence my perfect score the other day!!), surf, take photos(!), etc. Somehow, i really like being up during the nite - more bout this nx time!
A pic of me camera - by me camera! :-)
Anyways, it'll be just for another couple of nites. Friday is D-Day! And to top it up, we've oredi made plans to watch Return of the King on Friday nite! Woohoo! Now, that's sumthing to look forward to! Even the fact that me lecturer had oredi e-mailed us our Easter assignments yesterday (he was so casual - "Here are the questions for those who may be interested..."!!!!!) will not dampen my spirits! Easter hols - London, Paris, Clacton (seaside)!!!!!
OK - back to me essay! Meeting a mate later at 8 am - so sleep will only take place at half 10? Hopefully...
p/s - Liverpool hit Birmingham for 7 last nite. The icing was the fact that Sisoko was back wif his superhero-looking goggles! 15 goals in 3 games. When it rains, it pours!!!!!
Sunday, March 19, 2006
My guitar lies bleeding in my arms - Bon Jovi
Yeah, I have to admit that this post is partly inspired by one of Jon's latest posts - except that instead of a pic of me fingers, here's a pic of me!
Finally, my new profile pic!
Was contemplating if i shud post it in B&W or sepia - but decided to go for the original colours!
I finally got up close to 3 pm - and for some reason, the first thing i did was to reach out and grab me - i must say very neglected these days - guitar! I started strumming and it felt real good. Had a "mini worship session" too. Ended up just jamming like mad. Fingers hurt even as i type on the keyboard now!
Playing the songs brings back wonderful memories! :-)
I recalled the good old days in school when after SU (the Christian fellowship in our school), we'd just hang around and jam wif the few kapok guitars, exchanging tricks and licks.
Of course there were those jamming sessions at the "Jam Studio" and "Black Widow"! There was the other time when we had a spontaneuos singing session at Marley Hall - it was difficult finding a song that me flatmates know and that i can play!!! But we had great fun!
Then, there were the times when i had to be the guitarist whenever we go into the Orang Asli villages - and as they were not familiar singing along wif music accompaniment, they could never start on the right key - and i had to play "catch-up" trying to figure which chord they are singing in. Yeah, at times, they'd be singing "in-between" keys and that would sound weird!
My guitar was oso the thing which endeared me to the kids initially at the Good News Club at Barking. The hyper active kids would actually sit down and watch me play the guitar - and would actually sing along too! Love those kids!
I could go on and on wif the memories - the camp jam sessions, the carolling fun, the time when i played till me fingers bled, the complaints i receive from me flatmates for palying the guitar at 3 am, the performances...
Markus was telling me excitedly the other day about how he had a wonderful time jamming during a weekend training thingy with the CF. He said he really missed that and it felt really good playing in a band.
Yeah, i really miss that. Playing the guitar alone in me room is great. But to jam wif people, in a band - how i miss that. When i attended me mates' church in Sheffield, i had to admit that i was a little envious that they have a full band every Sunday and one of them have an opportunity to play with them!
Just the other nite, i was listening to songs in me room and playing "air drums". Been more than 5 months since i touched any drumsticks...
Finally, my new profile pic!
Was contemplating if i shud post it in B&W or sepia - but decided to go for the original colours!
I finally got up close to 3 pm - and for some reason, the first thing i did was to reach out and grab me - i must say very neglected these days - guitar! I started strumming and it felt real good. Had a "mini worship session" too. Ended up just jamming like mad. Fingers hurt even as i type on the keyboard now!
Playing the songs brings back wonderful memories! :-)
I recalled the good old days in school when after SU (the Christian fellowship in our school), we'd just hang around and jam wif the few kapok guitars, exchanging tricks and licks.
Of course there were those jamming sessions at the "Jam Studio" and "Black Widow"! There was the other time when we had a spontaneuos singing session at Marley Hall - it was difficult finding a song that me flatmates know and that i can play!!! But we had great fun!
Then, there were the times when i had to be the guitarist whenever we go into the Orang Asli villages - and as they were not familiar singing along wif music accompaniment, they could never start on the right key - and i had to play "catch-up" trying to figure which chord they are singing in. Yeah, at times, they'd be singing "in-between" keys and that would sound weird!
My guitar was oso the thing which endeared me to the kids initially at the Good News Club at Barking. The hyper active kids would actually sit down and watch me play the guitar - and would actually sing along too! Love those kids!
I could go on and on wif the memories - the camp jam sessions, the carolling fun, the time when i played till me fingers bled, the complaints i receive from me flatmates for palying the guitar at 3 am, the performances...
Markus was telling me excitedly the other day about how he had a wonderful time jamming during a weekend training thingy with the CF. He said he really missed that and it felt really good playing in a band.
Yeah, i really miss that. Playing the guitar alone in me room is great. But to jam wif people, in a band - how i miss that. When i attended me mates' church in Sheffield, i had to admit that i was a little envious that they have a full band every Sunday and one of them have an opportunity to play with them!
Just the other nite, i was listening to songs in me room and playing "air drums". Been more than 5 months since i touched any drumsticks...
Get the party started - Pink
It’s almost 7 am now and it’s all bright outside. Spring is really near – not here yet, but near – despite of the cold as the day starts to get bright really early now.
I’m goin to sleep soon. Blogger is facing some problems so I’m doing this on Word now and transfer it to me blog later.
I’ve finally started on me Research Essay. Yeah, had to stop meself from doing anymore research but instead to start typing out me essay. I think that I’ve done enuf notes to cover the number of words required for me essay! But yet, there’s still so much research that could have been done. I always face this problem – but I guess in law, the research will never end.
Anyways, am glad that I started. I was a little amused by the reaction I got from me coursemates when I told them last week that I have not started typing out me essay yet! The look of shock of on some of their faces is priceless! ;-)
It’s not that difficult, is it? I mean the essay is due on Friday. It has to be 6,000 – 8,000 words long (I’m targeting 6,000 cuz I always go over the limit and have to do some frantic editing at the last minute). So I figured that if I do around 1,000 words a day, I’ll be finish on time!
The final count for me first nite is 1,175. If I keep it up, by Friday, I would have gone above 7,000 words. There, it’s not that tough, is it? ;-P
This post itself should be around 300 words!!!
Still, it’s gonna be a loooong week ahead! And I'll be glad when it's over. In some strange and perverse way, I got quite excited about the task ahead – I was looking forward to the long cold nites, cups and cups of coffee, and hours sitting in front of the laptop trying to make sense of the pages and pages of notes I have compiled. No worries, no stress, no sense of dread. Not yet, anyway.
I’m truly thankful to God that I find this challenging and fun! And I’m thankful for the good health I’ve had since I’ve been here. God has been so very good – and I know that he’ll see me thru this week!
Last recount – this post has exceeded 380 words! :-P
The sun trying the break into the day - signalling the time for me to sleep...!
I’m goin to sleep soon. Blogger is facing some problems so I’m doing this on Word now and transfer it to me blog later.
I’ve finally started on me Research Essay. Yeah, had to stop meself from doing anymore research but instead to start typing out me essay. I think that I’ve done enuf notes to cover the number of words required for me essay! But yet, there’s still so much research that could have been done. I always face this problem – but I guess in law, the research will never end.
Anyways, am glad that I started. I was a little amused by the reaction I got from me coursemates when I told them last week that I have not started typing out me essay yet! The look of shock of on some of their faces is priceless! ;-)
It’s not that difficult, is it? I mean the essay is due on Friday. It has to be 6,000 – 8,000 words long (I’m targeting 6,000 cuz I always go over the limit and have to do some frantic editing at the last minute). So I figured that if I do around 1,000 words a day, I’ll be finish on time!
The final count for me first nite is 1,175. If I keep it up, by Friday, I would have gone above 7,000 words. There, it’s not that tough, is it? ;-P
This post itself should be around 300 words!!!
Still, it’s gonna be a loooong week ahead! And I'll be glad when it's over. In some strange and perverse way, I got quite excited about the task ahead – I was looking forward to the long cold nites, cups and cups of coffee, and hours sitting in front of the laptop trying to make sense of the pages and pages of notes I have compiled. No worries, no stress, no sense of dread. Not yet, anyway.
I’m truly thankful to God that I find this challenging and fun! And I’m thankful for the good health I’ve had since I’ve been here. God has been so very good – and I know that he’ll see me thru this week!
Last recount – this post has exceeded 380 words! :-P
The sun trying the break into the day - signalling the time for me to sleep...!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Goodbye - Spice Girls
Sigh... time really flies. Come next friday, we'd be starting our Easter hols - and that would oso mark the end of 6 months (give or take a week or so) of us here. It would oso mark the end of the studies of 2 of our flatmates, Alberto and Aliz, who'll be returning to Italy and Hungary respectively.
We had a farewell dinner for them last nite.
A word of advice - Bengal Spice was a major disappointment! The food was bland (where's the spice????) and the portions were tiny (yeah, we had to go back and eat more) - and it was expensive!!!!! I was truly disappointed. After me last outing at Soho Spice in London, my expectations were high. Soho Spice's food was excellent and the portions were big - so the expensive price was paid without much complaints.
Anyways, that din stop us from having a fabulous time. Would love to blog about it but the dinner meant that i din do any work last nite on me research essay!!!
Will miss the 2 - but it still hasn't sunk in yet cuz Alberto will only leave on Tuesday while Aliz leaves next Sunday. On top of that, i'll be meeting up wif them for a mini reunion at Paris during the Easter hols! Now, that's sumthing to really look forward to!
Check out the pics i took at me photoblog here!
We had a farewell dinner for them last nite.
I walked there and back - and on both times, i arrived earlier than the rest! And saved 2.20! :-)
A word of advice - Bengal Spice was a major disappointment! The food was bland (where's the spice????) and the portions were tiny (yeah, we had to go back and eat more) - and it was expensive!!!!! I was truly disappointed. After me last outing at Soho Spice in London, my expectations were high. Soho Spice's food was excellent and the portions were big - so the expensive price was paid without much complaints.
Anyways, that din stop us from having a fabulous time. Would love to blog about it but the dinner meant that i din do any work last nite on me research essay!!!
Will miss the 2 - but it still hasn't sunk in yet cuz Alberto will only leave on Tuesday while Aliz leaves next Sunday. On top of that, i'll be meeting up wif them for a mini reunion at Paris during the Easter hols! Now, that's sumthing to really look forward to!
Check out the pics i took at me photoblog here!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
How can this be? - Debbie Gibson
This is a pic taken during Easter presentation practice 2 years ago:-
Me and my fellow Bass-ers
OK. You'll notice a few things of me from the pic:-
1. I'm not wearing the yellow band!!! (This was 2 years ago, ok?)
2. I'm not holding a book - see, i've memorised the words and parts, unlike my other *ahem* bass-ers!
3. I'm wearing one of me favourite t-shirts - which i din bring over wif me. It was the t-shirt i bought when i was in Austria.
I really like the t-shirt - it was comfy and it was cute! In the background you can see the Austrian alps. On the foreground, there's a lost-looking kangaroo holding an edelweiss.
The words on the bottom of the t-shirt reads as follows:-
"In Austria there are no kangaroos"!!!!
Here's a closer look of me t-shirt:-
Sori - quality of pic not so good. Lighting was bad - and i wasn't the cameraman (obviously!)
Well, guess wat? It's proven WRONG!!!!!!!!!!
Yup, a kangaroo was sighted in Austria. See pic below:-
Pic by AP taken from BBC Online
Apparently, the kangaroo escaped from its enclosure and went for a stroll in St. Veit, Austria! Cops were called in but they were not trained to catch kangaroos!!!!! In the end, the poor fella was caught using a stun gun!!!!!
You dun have to take my word for it - read about it here!
What the newspaper report did not say is that - What in the world is a kangaroo doing in Austria??????????
Does this mean i can't wear me t-shirt again without being accused of misleading the public? ;-P
p/s - looking at the pic (the former, not the latter) makes me miss the good old choir days and the crazy fun time i had wif me fellow bass-ers! incidentally, all 4 of us have 'retired' oredi. So sad.
Me and my fellow Bass-ers
OK. You'll notice a few things of me from the pic:-
1. I'm not wearing the yellow band!!! (This was 2 years ago, ok?)
2. I'm not holding a book - see, i've memorised the words and parts, unlike my other *ahem* bass-ers!
3. I'm wearing one of me favourite t-shirts - which i din bring over wif me. It was the t-shirt i bought when i was in Austria.
I really like the t-shirt - it was comfy and it was cute! In the background you can see the Austrian alps. On the foreground, there's a lost-looking kangaroo holding an edelweiss.
The words on the bottom of the t-shirt reads as follows:-
"In Austria there are no kangaroos"!!!!
Here's a closer look of me t-shirt:-
Sori - quality of pic not so good. Lighting was bad - and i wasn't the cameraman (obviously!)
Well, guess wat? It's proven WRONG!!!!!!!!!!
Yup, a kangaroo was sighted in Austria. See pic below:-
Pic by AP taken from BBC Online
Apparently, the kangaroo escaped from its enclosure and went for a stroll in St. Veit, Austria! Cops were called in but they were not trained to catch kangaroos!!!!! In the end, the poor fella was caught using a stun gun!!!!!
You dun have to take my word for it - read about it here!
What the newspaper report did not say is that - What in the world is a kangaroo doing in Austria??????????
Does this mean i can't wear me t-shirt again without being accused of misleading the public? ;-P
p/s - looking at the pic (the former, not the latter) makes me miss the good old choir days and the crazy fun time i had wif me fellow bass-ers! incidentally, all 4 of us have 'retired' oredi. So sad.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Under pressure - Queen
I was telling a mate that i work well under pressure. That's true - really! Well... almost.
Let me explain. How shall i put this?
In actual fact, i only work under pressure! No pressure, no work. My procrastination motto has been "Why do it now when you can it off til later?"
It used to drive me parents up the wall - wif me not studying til it was too late. And wif me boss/partner - not drafting the pleadings/cause papers til the time is running out!
On another note, i met wif me supervisor today - finally!!!! And that too reluctantly. She din even bother to set a time and place - and i had to hunt her down. Not that i really wanted to see her but more so that i dun antagonise her since she'll be marking my essay... wait a minute. Will she?
Anyways, do you wanna know when it is time to worry? Well, it's time to worry when everyone who met her b4 me was told by her that 1 week (essay due next week) is more than enuf - but she told me that she's concern that i may not have enuf time!!!!!!!
OK, all together now, after 3:-
1...
2...
3 - Worry!
Well, i guess that's sufficient pressure for me to start working on me essay, dun u think? No sleep, no food, no movies... ok, cut out the last one. Let's not take too drastic an action, shall we? ;-P
Let me explain. How shall i put this?
In actual fact, i only work under pressure! No pressure, no work. My procrastination motto has been "Why do it now when you can it off til later?"
It used to drive me parents up the wall - wif me not studying til it was too late. And wif me boss/partner - not drafting the pleadings/cause papers til the time is running out!
On another note, i met wif me supervisor today - finally!!!! And that too reluctantly. She din even bother to set a time and place - and i had to hunt her down. Not that i really wanted to see her but more so that i dun antagonise her since she'll be marking my essay... wait a minute. Will she?
Anyways, do you wanna know when it is time to worry? Well, it's time to worry when everyone who met her b4 me was told by her that 1 week (essay due next week) is more than enuf - but she told me that she's concern that i may not have enuf time!!!!!!!
OK, all together now, after 3:-
1...
2...
3 - Worry!
Well, i guess that's sufficient pressure for me to start working on me essay, dun u think? No sleep, no food, no movies... ok, cut out the last one. Let's not take too drastic an action, shall we? ;-P
I will survive - Cake
News, hot and fresh from the Courts just came in. Baby MB will live!!!! For now.
For context, read my previous posts here and here.
I was elated when i read the news! You can read it here.
No doubt here'll be appeals filed by those bent to make sure that Baby MB will suffocate to death because he's not whole enough for life to mean anything.
But for now, Baby MB will continue to hear his brothers and sister sing nursery rhymes, he will be able to watch Toy Story 2 for the 28th time (tho he'll have to try harder to beat me nephew's record - or mine! ;-P), and he'll be kissed goodnite by his parents knowing that tomorrow is a new day.
For context, read my previous posts here and here.
I was elated when i read the news! You can read it here.
No doubt here'll be appeals filed by those bent to make sure that Baby MB will suffocate to death because he's not whole enough for life to mean anything.
But for now, Baby MB will continue to hear his brothers and sister sing nursery rhymes, he will be able to watch Toy Story 2 for the 28th time (tho he'll have to try harder to beat me nephew's record - or mine! ;-P), and he'll be kissed goodnite by his parents knowing that tomorrow is a new day.
Let me be there - Olivia Newton-John
If you knew me well, you'd know that i'm a man of contradiction! I blogged bout it before once - quite a long while ago.
Well, to add to the list, i have to say that i'm not a "beach" kind of person - but i love being by the sea!!!!
Just the other day, i suddenly had the longing to go to the seaside - just to be there, to see the sea, to walk along the beach, to feel the breeze (messing up me long hair)!!! Actually the sea is just a 30 min bus ride away! But wif the research essay due next Friday, i can't make time to go. It'll have to wait til the Easter hols.
But the longing has been growing day by day. Yesterday, while taking a break from studies, i started day-dreaming, remembering all the wonderful memories i have by the seaside! Back home, there's this mate of mine - well, whenever we feel down in the past, we'd just take a drive to Port Klang and hang out by the Esplanade. There's sumthing therapeutic in listening to the waves crash onto the rocks there, feeling the light breeze and smelling the salty water... and feeding the mozzies!!!!
Anyways, me started digging up me seaside pics and here they are (there're many more from where these came from!!!!!):-
Left: Sunset at Malacca; Right: Sunset at Langkawi
These 2 are the earliest pics i have in me collection now. Both pics were taken using me ancient Nikon film camera and scanned using me Canon printer. The dates are still on the pics. I've never ever seen another sunset as "purple" as the one i saw in M'cca that fateful day in 1998!
Ah, one of the classic wonderful memories. The above pic - taken by me Pentax film camera - was taken at this place which used to be called "The Beach of Passionate Love" (Pantai Cinta Berahi) in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. After the Islamic Party took over control of Kelantan, they renamed it "The Moonlight Beach" (Pantai Cahaya Bulan - thus retaining its abbrevietion, "PCB").
It was the last day of our mission trip there and we woke up early to watch the sunrise. We drove in the dark and right onto the beach, where we sat and slept on the beach in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise. It did but in the most unspectacular manner - still, it din stop us from having a great time!
"Even if the clouds cover the sun, we can still play in the waves" :-)
Camping on the beach at Tg Bidara, Malacca (31.1.04 - 2.1.04)
The last time i went camping! The beach always remind me of camps - the camps at PD that i went wif the 5th PJ Scouts Troup and oso wif my church's Bible School. Having only a tent as shelter, we'd spend most of the time sitting on the beach in the shade and just watch the waves and enjoy the wind! :-)
White sand beaches of Tioman Island (June '04)
The sand was really white - and on one of the small island we stop by, it was really soft! And the water was just soooooo clear!
Sunset near the tip of Borneo at Kudat, Sabah (1.8.04)
The tip of Borneo is really something very special - it's the spot where the South China Sea meets the Sulawesi Sea - and the wind there works overtime!
Ariel view of the seastack at Bako National Park, Sarawak (July 2005)
Sunset near the park HQ at Bako
Bako National Park was brilliant - you have the jungles and all to explore - but you can never get far away from the sea!
Sunset at Brunei
I loved the evenings spent by the seaside stalls, eating me dinner, reading me book til it gets too dark and watching the speedboats whiz around!
Sunset at KK - I wasn't the only one who hung around by the sea, enjoying the sunset
If you're not a sea-lover, go to KK - and be converted!!! :-) Wherever you are in town, you just can't forget 2 things - the mountains are on one side and the sea on the other!
Fishing at Port Klang
This pic was taken on my failed trip to see the USS Nimitz! But just being by the sea made up for the disappointment!
Footprints along the beach at Pangkor Island (August '05)
Sunset at Pangkor
Pangkor! Not as beautiful as it used to be - but will always have a special place in me heart! 2 family trips there, the last one being - wif me nephew and neice - just 2 months before i came here.
The last time i was ever by the sea! Lumut town wif 2 of me mates
10 more days til Easter hols - and then Clacton, here i come! And hopefully, there'll be more pics to show here! :-)
Well, to add to the list, i have to say that i'm not a "beach" kind of person - but i love being by the sea!!!!
Just the other day, i suddenly had the longing to go to the seaside - just to be there, to see the sea, to walk along the beach, to feel the breeze (messing up me long hair)!!! Actually the sea is just a 30 min bus ride away! But wif the research essay due next Friday, i can't make time to go. It'll have to wait til the Easter hols.
But the longing has been growing day by day. Yesterday, while taking a break from studies, i started day-dreaming, remembering all the wonderful memories i have by the seaside! Back home, there's this mate of mine - well, whenever we feel down in the past, we'd just take a drive to Port Klang and hang out by the Esplanade. There's sumthing therapeutic in listening to the waves crash onto the rocks there, feeling the light breeze and smelling the salty water... and feeding the mozzies!!!!
Anyways, me started digging up me seaside pics and here they are (there're many more from where these came from!!!!!):-
Left: Sunset at Malacca; Right: Sunset at Langkawi
These 2 are the earliest pics i have in me collection now. Both pics were taken using me ancient Nikon film camera and scanned using me Canon printer. The dates are still on the pics. I've never ever seen another sunset as "purple" as the one i saw in M'cca that fateful day in 1998!
Playing in the waves at PCB, Kelantan
Ah, one of the classic wonderful memories. The above pic - taken by me Pentax film camera - was taken at this place which used to be called "The Beach of Passionate Love" (Pantai Cinta Berahi) in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia. After the Islamic Party took over control of Kelantan, they renamed it "The Moonlight Beach" (Pantai Cahaya Bulan - thus retaining its abbrevietion, "PCB").
It was the last day of our mission trip there and we woke up early to watch the sunrise. We drove in the dark and right onto the beach, where we sat and slept on the beach in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise. It did but in the most unspectacular manner - still, it din stop us from having a great time!
"Even if the clouds cover the sun, we can still play in the waves" :-)
Camping on the beach at Tg Bidara, Malacca (31.1.04 - 2.1.04)
The last time i went camping! The beach always remind me of camps - the camps at PD that i went wif the 5th PJ Scouts Troup and oso wif my church's Bible School. Having only a tent as shelter, we'd spend most of the time sitting on the beach in the shade and just watch the waves and enjoy the wind! :-)
White sand beaches of Tioman Island (June '04)
The sand was really white - and on one of the small island we stop by, it was really soft! And the water was just soooooo clear!
Sunset near the tip of Borneo at Kudat, Sabah (1.8.04)
The tip of Borneo is really something very special - it's the spot where the South China Sea meets the Sulawesi Sea - and the wind there works overtime!
Ariel view of the seastack at Bako National Park, Sarawak (July 2005)
Sunset near the park HQ at Bako
Bako National Park was brilliant - you have the jungles and all to explore - but you can never get far away from the sea!
Sunset at Brunei
I loved the evenings spent by the seaside stalls, eating me dinner, reading me book til it gets too dark and watching the speedboats whiz around!
Sunset at KK - I wasn't the only one who hung around by the sea, enjoying the sunset
If you're not a sea-lover, go to KK - and be converted!!! :-) Wherever you are in town, you just can't forget 2 things - the mountains are on one side and the sea on the other!
Fishing at Port Klang
This pic was taken on my failed trip to see the USS Nimitz! But just being by the sea made up for the disappointment!
Footprints along the beach at Pangkor Island (August '05)
Sunset at Pangkor
Pangkor! Not as beautiful as it used to be - but will always have a special place in me heart! 2 family trips there, the last one being - wif me nephew and neice - just 2 months before i came here.
The last time i was ever by the sea! Lumut town wif 2 of me mates
10 more days til Easter hols - and then Clacton, here i come! And hopefully, there'll be more pics to show here! :-)
