die Realpolitik

Is the UN a U-Nuch?

2006-11-01T22:43:00.000+11:00

Why is the UN a U-Nuch?

When North Korea detonated the their nuclear weapon, the world was outraged and the United Nations Security Council only needed 30 minutes to issue a unanimous condemnation. However, within 48 hours, the main parties to the council (US, China, Russia) did nothing to threaten the survival of the Communist regime.

Upon the formation of the UN Security Council, the US and the Soviet Union fell into a half-century of cold war during which the UN was paralysed.

When Bush decided to attack Iraq, it led to a bitter division in the Security Council that it was reduced to a bystander when the second Gulf War broke out.

It had been a bystander to the Balkan wars of the '90s, because Russia's interest in protecting its traditional ally, Serbia, prevented any U.N. action.

It is a bystander today in Darfur, because China has an interest in Sudan's oil and the Arab League protects one of its own.

It has been a bystander on Iran's nuclear program, endlessly postponing the consideration of sanctions, because Russia and China have other more compelling interests: commercial relations with a rising Islamic power and oil supplies for a growing China.

The UN could not endorse war. It could not stop war. It could only watch war. This is why it is a U-Nuch.

The article is a paraphrased version of Charles Krauthammer's viewpoint in TIME titled ...But Not At The U.N..

Neither IE 7 nor FireFox 2!

2006-10-30T12:20:00.000+11:00

I just don't understand why the technology community is so facinated with the newly released Internet Explorer 7 and FireFox 2. Didn't they know that before these two browsers were released, there was already one company producing browsers with these 'new' features? That company is OPERA.

IE 7 boasts of a simple layout that maximises the viewing area and the ability to view multiple websites through tabs. The first released of FireFox already had that advantage. These ideas of simplicity are actually OPERA's, and it had been established centuries before FireFox came to existence! In short, OPERA is the pioneer, FireFox plagiarised it, and IE 7 succumbed to the serious technological peer pressure.

Readers, if you truly believe in originality, use OPERA. Why fall for those commercialised bullshit products that don't even acknowledge the source of their ideas? OPERA is a relatively small Norwegian company that has survived the intimidation of these technological big bullies. However, their ideas are revolutionary and we, as responsible web-surfers, should at least give them the credit by using their product.

After all, it's free. Click here to get OPERA!

Monash MBA

2006-10-13T16:40:00.000+10:00

Monash MBA has been rated #1 in Australia by the Economist. To read more, click here.

My name a Borat......

2006-10-05T20:07:00.000+10:00

Borat
Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO’s hit comedy “Da Ali G Show,” takes his outrageous Kazakstani reporter character Borat to the big screen. In this hilariously offensive movie, Borat travels from his primitive home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations.

Click here to view the trailer.

Serious thought of the day

2006-09-27T18:18:00.000+10:00

There are two points he (Pope Benedict XVI) is especially keen to make. One is that Christians in many Muslim countries do not have the same religious freedom that is enjoyed by most Muslims in the West. The other is that too many Islamic clerics seem to sanction or at least tolerate violence in the name of religion. This was central to his Regensburg lecture in which, as he later said, “I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason go together.”

Taken from Economist.com. Please click the link to read more.

Interesting excerpt

2006-09-16T14:20:00.000+10:00

... a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and a Persian scholar on the truths of Christianity and Islam. "The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the Pope (Pope Benedict XVI) said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'" ...

This is an interesting excerpt from an article in TIME.com.

Great Outcoming Movies!

2006-09-09T15:14:00.000+10:00

I've just seen the trailer for this movie. This is a must-watch!

The Prestige

From the director who brought us Memento and Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan. Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson.

Plot Outline: Rupert and Alfred are rival magicians. When Alfred performs the ultimate magic trick, Rupert tries desperately to find out the secret to the trick. However, he then begins to realize that it may not be a trick at all.

Something you didn't know...

2006-09-08T18:33:00.000+10:00

I was checking the news in Time.com, when I came across the quote of the day:

'It's her (Paris Hilton) first offense and hopefully it will never happen again'

Elliot Mintz
Paris Hilton's publicist, speaking after the star was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol early Thursday.

I thought that was a joke. Her first offense? How can that be, since she has been infamously performing other stupid publicity stunt? The sex show in One night in Paris, the absurd series A Simple Life, and the latest stupid music album Paris. If there was a law against stupidity in the US, she would have a received a life sentence, or even a death penalty!

Well, out of curiosity, I went to check out her history in Wikipedia. I had quite a surprise. It turned out that Paris Hilton attended Dwight School in her earlier years, but later dropped out and eventually earned a GED. What the hell is a GED?

According to Wikipedia, GED stands for General Education Development certificate. It is a test that certifies the taker has attained American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. To pass the GED, the test taker must perform in at least the 40th percentile of high school seniors nationwide.

The GED is taken by individuals who did not obtain a high school diploma. The GED tests were originally created to help veterans after World War II complete basic high school courses in preparation for returning to civilian life. Common reasons for GED recipients not having received a high school diploma include immigration to the United States or Canada; homeschooling; and leaving high school early due to a lack of interest, the inability to pass required tests, or personal problems!

To conclude, Paris Hilton did not attend university.

My biggest question now is, why is the world still paying attention to her!?

Australian Idol

2006-09-04T20:49:00.000+10:00

This is the fourth Australian Idol we are having for this year. I don't know about the past three competitions, but this year the contestants are superb. Best of all, there is a great variety. Personally, I feel that many Australians music fans are obsessed about the rock, punk rock or metal stuff. I think that is rather pathetic. Thank God the contestants did not reflect this culture. Among the genres we have include country music, R & B, pop, and some really original types of singing styles.

So far, we already have the top 12. Let's take a look at my favourites.

Bobby Flynn
This guy just blows me away. The kind of song he sings are not for the amateurs. He naturally plays with his voice with the intricate melodies and frills that would send most singers off-tune. Best of all, he's not intense as most contestants would be. The songs he chooses are usually soothing but hard to render. When he sings, you would know that all he really thinks about is the music, not the audience, and he is soooo calm and composed. That helps me relax.

Klancie Keough
Kudos to Kountry girl Klancie Keough!

Not many Australian audience like her because of her country girl image and her sweet countenance. Surprisingly, judging from the Australian Idol forum, many audience actually hate contestants like her who cry when overwhelmed by emotions. (To hell with those who dislike her!) Yet, they don't mind the f^#*ing Paris-Hilton-dumb-blonde personality. I guess that's what happens when you watch and listen too much of trash. Duh!

For me, I find her very likable. She indeed has the next-door-girl personality that just steals your heart. Of course, John must also be objective and not be emotional because this is singing contest! Without a doubt, she renders her country song very well, and best of all, she does it so naturally. Having a solid voice, you know she's enjoying herself and not worrying about any pitching issues.

I think I know why many Australian audience do not fancy her the way I do. Country songs are not really the Australian thing, because it originated from the Wild Wild West, which is Uncle Sam's America! Perhaps a number of Australian fans cannot appreciate that genre. Perhaps country music is a little too American and little less Australian. Well, who gives a $%^# about that? We are talking about music, not patriotism. She's good, and she has what it takes. So give her a chance!

PC Speaker Hunt

2006-07-04T23:47:00.000+10:00

Confessional #1:

I am already fed up with my laptop speakers. It's powerful for a laptop, but still it sounds like shit. Now I'm really desperate for a powerful PC speaker system. I remembered Steven's Logitech speakers, to be exact, the Logitech X-230 2.1 Speaker system. Checked it out, exceptionally good comments from all reviewers. Price also reasonable. Maybe I'll buy that.

Hey Steven, if you're reading this, can you please tell me how much you bought your speakers for? Thanks.

The answer is......

2006-05-27T17:02:00.000+10:00

They are all British!!!

Quiz

2006-05-20T11:53:00.000+10:00

What do these famous names have in common?

Coldplay, Dido, The Corrs, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Richard Branson, Craig David, Love Actually, Catherine Zeta Jones, Kate Beckinsale, Paul Bettany, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, Blue

The answer will be revealed in the next post...

Your eyes will turn red...

2006-04-30T20:09:00.000+10:00

Australia's contact lense prices are very stiff and too expensive!(1) There seems to be no supplier who is willing to slash down the prices. Why can't they do something about this? On the other hand, the US has many online stores that offer famous brands for contact lenses at ridiculously low prices.(2) I guess we will be waiting for some Richard Branson type of entrepreneur to abolish this price slavery and emancipate the Australians! I mean, come on.... Why pay more for the everyday basics?(3)

(1) Couldn't be bothered to list down my sources. Just check the Australian contact lenses website and you'll know what I mean.

(2) Check out www.justlenses.com

(3) A cliche from Coles.

Young Talent

2006-02-09T02:31:00.000+11:00

After watching 'Memoirs of a Geisha', I was more impressed with the acting of Chiyo (portrayed by Suzuka Ohgo) than Sayuri (portrayed by Zhang Ziyi).

I feel that Suzuka Ohgo has that sweetness that is very adorable. Her acting in the movie was moving, and she really acted her part very naturally. In fact, she dominated the screen for half the length of the movie. Even so, she was hardly mentioned in the official site, or even when the film came into publicity.

Zhang Ziyi was like "the" actress of the movie. Yeah, yeah. Her acting was up to standard, but why was the young and lovely lass sidelined?

All the websites pertaining to 'Memoirs of a Geisha' had mostly photos of Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, but almost none of Suzuka Ohgo. Fortunately, I still managed to secure a few...

I really hope to see her acting in more upcoming Hollywood movies in the near future. Kudos to Suzuka!

Beware Beloved!

2006-01-22T19:56:00.000+11:00

I'm sure many of us are aware of the recent cases of Malaysian citizens having wrong religions encoded in their Identification Card (IC). For example, one might be a Buddhist, but his/her religion in the IC could be Islam or Hinduism, etc.

We might think that it's a small trivial problem, but please do not underestimate this error. If you're a non-Muslim, and your IC states your religion as Islam, there can be severe complications, as what happened to the man named Moorthy (Malaysian Everest Climber) who recently passed away.

You see, Mr Moorthy was a Hindu. But, somehow the religion in his IC was Islam. The day he passed away, most of his assets (if not all) were transferred, not to his family, but to an Islamic organization!

Well, just a little misunderstanding right? NOT REALLY.

His devastated wife made it clear that his was all the while a Hindu, but nobody listened to her. She pleaded to the High Court, but her case was dismissed to the Syariah Court. After a long bout with the authorities, and with the intervention of the Prime Minister, the late Mr Moorthy's assets were finally transferred back to his family.

Being a national hero didn't spare him from such a great trouble, what's more to say about common Malaysian citizens like us?

So, the lesson of the story is......

If you don't want that sort of misfortune to befall you, better make sure your religion in the IC is correctly encoded. The problem is that it's not printed on your IC, but encoded in the IC 64K chip. If it's incovenient for you to check it out in the government department, any banks can also do the same job.

Good luck!

What's hot!

2006-01-15T17:49:00.000+11:00

I recently looked through many trailers of the highly anticipated upcoming movies. Looks like this year is gonna be fun......

The most recommended movies so far are...

V for Vendetta

Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving.
A shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally.

Superman Returns

Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey.
After a long visit to the planet Krypton, the Man Of Steel returns to earth to become the peoples savior once again and reclaim the love of Lois Lane.

Oliver Twist

Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark.
An adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.

Munich

Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush.
The world was watching in 1972 as 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Munich Olympics. This is the story of what happened next.

Syriana

George Clooney, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet, Christopher Plummer.
A politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and affected by it.

Mission Impossible III

Tom Cruise, Keri Russell

X3

Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer.
When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Stewart), and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organized under Xavier's former ally, Magneto (McKellen).

Transportation in Melbourne

2005-12-09T04:17:00.000+11:00

These are the train and tram maps for Melbourne. Useful for those who plan to study in Melbourne. To ease your travelling, you can always get a monthly Metcard, the unlimited ride ticket for trains, trams and buses.

Trams

Trains

Ennui

2005-11-23T08:15:00.000+11:00

It's 5 in the morning and I'm still wide awake. Exam's are over. Thank God! But it's queer how bored I can feel having nothing to do.

Another Beauty

2005-11-18T21:09:00.000+11:00

You have seen Natalie Glebova. Now, let me introduce Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005. She's also one real bombshell!

Pretty Woman

2005-11-14T18:23:00.000+11:00

This is Natalie Glebova from Canada, Miss Universe 2005. I think she's really beautiful and elegant.

Diatribe on Malaysian Public Universities

2005-11-13T23:57:00.000+11:00

There has been a recent uproar about the cause of Malaysian public universities' downfall. For those who are unclear, according to THES, University of Malaya's rank fell from #89 to #169. That's like a 100% fall. Ouch! Worse still, Universiti Sains Malaysia was displaced from the top 200 list. That's public disgrace man!

As usual, the university authorities had lots of things to say (mostly excuses, by the way...). In their harangue, they said that much had to be examined. They felt that the selection the vice-chancellors should be based on their academic excellence and leadership qualities. Surprisingly, they even quoted the example of a British university electing an Australian vice-chancellor.

The thing is...... All these blathering is just to fill up the columns of the newspaper. It's quite safe to say that these universities will continue to remain complacent till they reach the pinnacle of their decadence.

"By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, journalism keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community."
Oscar Wilde

Yes, the "uneducated" here needs no introduction, and the "ignorance of the community" continues to be the heartache of the nation.

Well, I've got a solution in mind. First of all, please unveil the whole meritocracy guise. Let's be transparent and admit students to public universities based on their genuine ~~kulitfication~~ qualification. As for the vice-chancellor, fancy giving a "foreign*" candidate a chance to lead the university?

PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF THE FUTURE OF THE NATION, STOP LIVING IN DENIAL OR INDULGE IN SELF-DECEPTION.

*local, yet of foreign descent.

Quotations

2005-11-10T22:34:00.000+11:00

A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic.

A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it; it would be hell on earth.

Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them.

Criminals do not die by the hands of the law. They die by the hands of other men.

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

England and America are two countries separated by a common language.

Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.

Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.

Gambling promises the poor what property performs for the rich--something for nothing.

Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.

I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.

If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.

Lack of money is the root of all evil.

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

Martyrdom is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability.

Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.

Self-sacrifice enables us to sacrifice other people without blushing.

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw

The English Guest

2005-10-09T16:55:00.000+10:00

This weekend was a really great weekend. I had the privilege to meet the wonderful British missionary Norman Meeten. The conversations with him was refreshing and interesting. In fact, a few days ago, another Australian missionary, Max Palmer, was staying for a day or two before heading to somewhere else. The photos below would probably explain everything.

Clockwise from the top-left. Ps Moses, my parents, Ps Max Palmer and Ps Norman Meeten.

Ps Norman with us at dinner time.

Ps Norman and us before going to church.

Ps Norman and I.

Relax......

2005-10-04T18:52:00.000+10:00

Hey people of S2. This week must have been really challenging for most of us. Worse still, the FINALS is just one month away. Driving us to our nuts, isn't it? Well, we still got to relax a bit, so here's a new website I've found.

www.yetisports.org

The games are really fun and entertaining. But don't get to engrossed with it! Happy trying. :)

Promises in times of trials

2005-09-27T20:15:00.000+10:00

"For I know the thoughts I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

"All things work together for good to them who love God, who are the called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28

Pre-Trial Monologue

2005-09-17T05:17:00.000+10:00

Life's getting pretty difficult and precarious recently. Now that trial exams are around the corner, I can't help but feel as though I'm going through a series of trials and tribulation.

There are just too many things to do in such a short time. Odds are just against me I feel. The recent common test had only added to my skepticism on what holds for the coming major examinations. I mean, I really scored like SHIT, despite working like a BULL. It makes me feel like my efforts just went down the drain.

Sometimes I ponder, why aren't my efforts paying off well? I see people who still score consistently. Work hard and smart, that I'm also aware of. But the good results hardly ensue or actualize. Maybe I really need an extra dose of God's mercy and grace, His favour and wisdom to face this ordeal.

I'm sure a lot of students can identify such emotions that I am relating. Hopefully, tomorrow may be even better than today.

Men & Women

2005-08-08T22:10:00.000+10:00

"Like a golden ring in a swine's snout,
so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion."

Proverbs

"The value of an idea has nothing whatsoever to do with the sincerity of the men who expresses it. Indeed, the probabilities are that the more insincere the man is, the more purely intellectual will the idea be, as in that case it will not be coloured by either his wants, his desires, or his prejudices."

Oscar Wilde

Ladies

2005-08-05T20:54:00.000+10:00

Ladies, thy beauty is to me,
Like those Nicean barks of yore,
That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,
The weary, wayworn wanderer bore,
To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam,
Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,
Thy Naiad airs have brought me home,
To the glory that was Greece,
And the grandeur that was Rome.

Edgar Allan Poe

S2 sitcom

2005-07-21T19:28:00.000+10:00

I know, I know. My blog has nothing but words all these while. So, let me give something refreshing today. Photos! A picture speaks a thousand words, and I have more than six of them. Enjoy!

The "illegal" outing that the S2 gang audaciously embarked on. Albert in some kind of oompa loompa?

Lunch at A&W's during the outing. Suet Ning with her antics. Gee, Albert's sure enjoying his meal!

Su Wen, we know you're under age. But don't you think that sitting on the baby chair is a little too much?

Why this constipated look? Something wrong?

Chui San and Su Wen. Man! Su Wen really looks like a little girl. Ha ha!

Mr Yong, in serious mode. Don't play play!

Don't pray pray!

Finally, Ning Ning smiles!

Happy day!

2005-07-20T18:21:00.000+10:00

Today was quite a delightful day for some of the S2 fellas.

During recess, Steven jokingly said that we (the S2 students) could come over to his apartment and watch a movie, since the break lasted for 2 hours. Well, in the end, the joke was on him. The gang actually took his word seriously and decided to have a small gathering at his place. It was really like a party. The movie was on. We were eating and chatting away. Honestly, this is the fun part about being a youth. Freedom and energy abundant!

When classes were over, we decided to try out the free contact lenses. For your info, it was "SOFLENS COMFORT". I initially had some problem putting them on cause my eyelids just won't stop moving when the lenses got near. But, the rejection problem ended after much practice.

(Poor promoters who had to put up with my slowness throughout the time. Luckily no one lost their patience with me. He he.)

It definitely felt great. Suddenly I could see clearly without any burden on my nose bridge. This is the sort of liberation that I seldom enjoyed. Contact lenses, what a feeling and revelation!

I must say that Yi Ping looked the best with the contacts. The glasses must have overshadowed her facial attributes all the while. Now, with the help of contact lenses, she has come out of obscurity into visibilty! Kudos to Yi Ping!

To Yi Ping,
"You remembered that I once said you have hidden eyelids that make you attractively Chinese? Well, contact lenses sure has highlighten that."

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"
The Bible

Trying times

2005-07-19T19:20:00.000+10:00

Times have only been trying and unforgiving lately. A series of unfortunate events befell upon the citizens of S2 in the past few weeks.

First it was the tutorials. Many have actually completed their presentation for the ESL project. To most of their utter dismay, many opine that the teacher's marks were horridly unjust. The most astonishing thing was that the guy I (or S2) overlooked outshone the others despite his casual attitude. THIS IS MOST IRREGULAR!.

Actually, many of them have put in superb efforts so that their presentation will pay off. Unfortunately, things never run as we want them to. All I can say is, to those who felt wronged, stay strong and keep up the good fight. To those who haven't done their's, good luck and God bless.

Then, yesterday was absolutely ominous. I avow that I didn't lock my locker when I placed my bags in it. But which miscreant would be fiendish enough to take both my MATHEMATICAL STUDIES and SPECIALIST MATHEMATICS textbooks right from the locker itself? What audacity! Damn the audacity! Damn the son of the devil! To hell with him!

Forgive me for that sudden rude outburst. I just couldn't contain myself.

Well, when I found that out, I naturally reported my loss to all the possible departments in the college. No luck. Then I realised that there were CCTVs in the locker area. I tried to reason with the authorities so that I would be allowed to view the security tape.

You know what they said? I'm not gonna tell you cause it was all just pure gibberish bullshit. I went to the ICT department. Another 10 minutes of rubbish flung right at my face. I got angry. I gave them a "piss off" my mind. It seems to me that I had to accept this terrible circumstance that has landed upon me.

What will happen in the coming days? I don't know. But come what may, and I shall destroy what comes in my way.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA..... ARGARGARAGARAA "CHOKE" "CHOKE" "COUGH" "COUGH"

Tutorials scenario

2005-07-13T19:26:00.000+10:00

It feels so great to be back in the normal SAM routine again. Suddenly, teachers were fun to listen to, (dirty) humour in the air, silly jokes now and then, etc. It was definitely more eventful.

Today was also the commencement of the ESL tutorials. I actually dreaded to go through the tutorials, but somehow, as the S2 fellows were presenting their investigative report to the "forum audience", I was thoroughly entertained! First it was Jason Cheu giving his summary on the benefits (or "unbenefits") that semi-skilled and unskilled workers bring to the country. He looked nervous (cause he was the first mar!), but nevertheless, I think he did quite a great job. Then came the discussions. I was suggesting that foreign labour in the semi-skilled or unskilled sector might still be a boon rather than a bane in the big picture of national progress. But man! The "handsome boy" was all against foreign labour! It could be he's the Pauline Hansen type, you know, "anti-immigration propagator" fanatic.

It's not that he can't say anything against foreign labour. It's just that he was too adamant to prove everyone wrong about the goodness of foreign labour, and he right about its evils. What is this man? Kindergarten debate? We are just giving opinions. DUH! Nobody is here to win! Since he wanted to have his final say, what the heck, let him say lor! (After all, he's one year younger than us. The seniors should be mature enough to "give face" to the juniors.) I seem to remember Oscar Wilde saying, "It is only the intellectually lost who ever argue." Does that ring any bell?

Well, next there was Albert (bird bird), Steven, and then Michelle (monitorlizzie). She was talking about subliminal advertising (Some really abstract stuff, really!). It included images, songs, video, etc. I can say that everyone was actually mesmerize by the nature of that topic. BUT. Ms Ting couldn't really accept one fact.

She felt that if we do not consciously notice something we see, then the stimuli that we subconsciously "saw" should not affect us whatsoever. Blah blah blah. I felt the need to intervene. So, by the grace of God, I attained "enlightenment" in a split second, and I gave the analogy of the of a house being intruded and a guest welcomed into the house. Doubts cleared, confusion demystified. Problem solved, mission accomplished!

PLEASE DON'T SAY I "KEMBANG" LAH. I WAS VERY GLAD I COULD HELP HER MAR!

Then, it came to that "handsome boy"'s turn. To sum it all in a nutshell, there was some miscoordination in the powerpoint presentation and things didn't go that well. Issac was actually helping him do the clicking. So "handsome boy" blamed Issac for not making things go smoothly for him. Sigh! Young kids nowadays...... Nobody's perfect, so grow up ler!

Last but the most entertaining was Shi Yuen. That guy exceeded my expectation greatly. He gave some stylish and charming performance. Respect lah!

There are more tutorials to come. Hopefully, we would do well in the future.

Students nowadays...

2005-07-11T20:16:00.000+10:00

Oh my, today's workshop was...... There's only a few words to describe the event:
Uneventful, boring, languorous... You get the picture.

I understand the facilitator was doing his best, but this was not gonna work! He has no ability to attract our attention and worse still, the students in the workshop (actually, some of them) were horribly disrespectful. How insolent? Let me recall...

Just to inform the readers, the workshop was a lot on examination preparation techniques. In other words, the poor guy was trying to tell how to prepare for an exam successfully. So there came this @$$hole who threw a brutal question at the intructor's face.

He said, "Hey Sir, how was your STPM results?"

(STPM is a kind of Pre-U study. He was trying to insinuate against the poor guy. If the guy is teaching us how to be successful in exams, obviously he has to be qualified to some extent, like having scored brilliant results in STPM. But we all know this is not the case.)

Instructor, "..........................."

The "mother effer" was literally spitting on his face.

Where is the respect man?!

Under pressure? Chill out!

2005-07-10T17:23:00.000+10:00

Hey S2 fellows!

If you're really stressed out nowadays, you can always relieve the pressure by playing silly games. Albert (bird bird) recommended this site to me, and I think it's really de-stressing.

www.orisinal.com

Enjoy!

S2's reputation under siege! (Yeah right!)

2005-07-08T03:26:00.000+10:00

This morning was definitely a bad morning. During the chemistry class, the "novice" teacher, out of her impatience (due to the S2 gang's eccentricity), said things that were dreadfully unbecoming. Wanna know what she said? Let me do the honours by telling the whole world. She said.....

ONE OR MORE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN CRITICIZING OUR CLASS. ACCORDING TO THEM, WE ARE TOO NOISY, AND WE AREN'T ACHIEVING OUR BEST, OR AT LEAST NOT DOING AS GOOD AS THEY EXPECT BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING "FULL" ATTENTION DURING CLASSES.

Worst still, she was of the same opinion as them. I was really outraged when I heard her said this. I mean, she is really ridiculous by generalizing things that far. Not everyone is that bad in our class. In fact, our class is considered good and very balanced. Who do they wanna teach? G2 Nerds? Do they like Nerdism? Let me tell you this. 21st century does not permit this sort of sub-culture to prevail! Never!

Honestly, I think it was foolish of her to reveal to us this "shocking" truth. Come on, this is Pre-U. Do they still want to lecture us in the old-school manner? No respect man! We're almost reaching adulthood, teaching straightforward discipline isn't gonna work. They might as well try new methods to convey their displeasure towards us. Perhaps philosophy? Whatever.

My advice? Do not see the speck that is in your brother's eye, while you do not see the log that's in your eye. That was philosophy, truth in fact. In simpler words, those teachers who dislike us might need to do some checking on themselves. Maybe it's their method of teaching that bores people to death. Maybe they gave the wrong impression to the students at the beginning of the semester, which caused some of us to treat them too casually. Lecturers can always be kind yet stern, amiable yet transparent.

I personally do not appreciate people talking behind our backs. It's just not cultured. But hey, what the heck! Oscar Wilde once said, "For there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

What that means, it's for you to figure out.

One of the spectacularly ordinary days

2005-07-07T03:25:00.000+10:00

A few days ago, on a Friday (2/7/2005), Nai Chen, Michelle, Steven and I had something quite unusual (maybe usual for many but definitely not for me). We had supper at about 11pm at RAFI, and that was after going out the whole day for the film War of the Worlds.

The last time we went to RAFI, it was an unforgettable experience. Some freaky waiter pushed us to order MILO SHAKE instead of the regular MILO ICE. We thought it didn't matter, so we relented. DAMN we were wrong. That MILO he served really SHOOK the hell out of us. Diabetic formula drink! Sweet like hell! We all got SYOK SENDIRI! Called for extra ice and it was still killing us slowly! (Maybe that guy used some banned sweetening agent, you know.... some SACARIN or ASPARTAME shit.)

Well, this time we took no chances. Strictly no SHAKES. Thank God it wasn't the same fella who took orders. Otherwise I would have force him to check if I had diabetes. There's only one way to find out, of course. Urine test with the simplest device, his tongue. Ha ha. OK. That was gross. Really.

Then, we started with poker cards. Played a long time.

Geez! We played silly games. Ended having all sorts of nicknames. First, we weren't satisfied with our own names. So we began to exchange. Nai Chen became John. Michelle became Steven. Steven became Nai Chen. John became Michelle. What the heck! We were totally nuts. It went on....

Nai Chen = Omega & Zimbabwe

Michelle = Rolex & Nigeria

Steven = Tissot & Tanzania

John = Tag Heuer & Senegal

Honestly, I enjoyed it tremendously and I think all of them did. Kinda helps my memory power to improve a lot. So guess what? If you are gonna sit for a major exam soon, you might wanna play this game everytime before you start studying. OK, that was BAD advice. Don't blame me if you still can't do well. I'm innocent!

After the game, we went back to Michelle's place at Pangsapuri. Sat around the pool, talked about everything. It was really enjoyable cause we seldom have the chance to really have such a long period of time chatting away. Time passed quietly..... 1am...... 2am...... 3am......

Began to feel a little sleepy. Decided to dip my legs into the pool. The rest followed me except for Steven. The next moment, afreshed again! Talk and talk and talk.

People say that you would only know someone very well after getting acquainted for, say 5 - 6 years. But in Survivor, I remembered one of the contestants saying that though just for 39 days, he really got to know the other people in the game like his own siblings. We talked for at least 6 hours man! I felt that was really a superb experience cause I probably won't be able to know Nai Chen, Michelle and Steven that well if this whole night watch thingy didn't take place. Honestly, if there's a chance to do this again, I won't even think twice about joining the group for a chat. I really hope to have this outing again.....

I LOVED IT

I ENJOYED IT

I CHERISHED IT

I HAVE NEVER FELT THAT HAPPY AND FULFILLED IN MY YOUTHHOOD!

But of course, this sort of insane nocturnal stunt has its consequences. We went to hunt for breakfast at 6am. Ended up in MEE YOKE. Queer, we actually had breakfast before falling asleep. The sun began to rise as we went back. I was totally exhausted when I went to bed. My whole bio-clock already went haywired.

Anyway, the bottomline is, I truly enjoyed the experience. I know, I know. I've said that too many times. I'll shut up now. For the S2 guys who happened to read this, maybe we can arrange some crazy outing of this sort next time. Who know?

War of the Worlds

2005-07-06T03:23:00.000+10:00

The War of the Worlds was quite a typical action movie, with quite a few drama scenes and exciting surprises. Nevertheless, I think it wasn't good enough to be listed in the top 250 movie list in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Don't get me wrong. The show was really exciting at first. But it got kinda mundane as the show went on. The effects were terrific, especially when the aliens shot the humans with the "special, god knows what" kinda weapon. But the script, DAMN! The script and the storyline was "effing" boring and predictable. My friends and I were actually fidgeting around our seats in middle of the movie, not knowing what to do.

Worse still, I hate Dakota Fanning's acting. She's still young and rather immature. She seems like an over-protected kid in the whole movie. Screams a lot and almost got me deaf. I think she's damn be-fugly. (Only the S2 guys will know what I mean by that.) Then comes the stupid son. Defiant, pigheaded, idiotic. Those are the words I come out with to describe him. I feel his youthlike rebellion against his father is too unreal. I mean, come on! Which @$$hole would leave his father and sister behind to experience the war in the midst of the chaos?

Clearly the scriptwriter is terribly unqualified for such a mega project. Such a disappointment! Hopefully Mr Spielberg would choose someone better next time to do the story when commencing on his upcoming films.

Subang Jaya's really Third World

2005-05-10T03:18:00.000+10:00

I'm very sad to say that though Subang Jaya is a very densely populated area, with seemingly good infrastructure and facilities, this place is by no means developed in terms of hygiene. Recently, more than 20 people in Taylor's College had been attacked by dengue fever. Most of them are students living in the apartments in the vicinity of SS15 location. What's more to say? Many other students from other colleges have also been reported to be infected with the dengue virus.

This is a perfect example of the poor hygiene standards in the Subang areas. What a shame it is! A short talk with the local people here revealed that such cases of dengue are considered to be normal. Is that acceptable? Definitely not! What the hell is wrong with the Selangor State Government man? Dengue is no common flu. It's serious business. Until now, there is still no cure for it, only symptomic treatment. Late detection can even be fatal! Even so, nobody's still really bothered about it. What the hell is going on?

Yeah, yeah. The authorities have already sent people to give the affected areas a "double dose" of fogging, but that's just a quick fix. This still won't solve the damning problem. The mosquitoes might die now, but they can still breed really fast. The root of the problem lies in the dirty condition of Subang Jaya. There are lot's of potential breeding spots for the aedes mosquitoes, especially at the wet market near the Asia Cafe and the hawker stalls around the corner.

Why can't the authorities stop sleeping and get serious about this matter? We've got enough of bad news spreading overseas already about the country, and dengue is only gonna be another reputational suicide! Two of my apartment mates have already got dengue and recovered. I don't want to be the next victim. Maybe one of the big shots have to taste dengue him/herself to know how much they have overlooked this plague!

Da Vinci's Poison

2005-04-12T03:22:00.000+10:00

I have something to say about Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code". I personally think that the book, though an intellectual and elegantly written fiction, is nevertheless one of the most offensive books I have ever seen. The whole content of the story is only to weaken the foundation of Christianity, tarnishing its image, and worse still, creating suspense, unfounded suspicion and sheer amusement on the origins of Christianity.

I would say that this book is just like one of those Harry Potter series. It seems harmless and interesting to explore, but it's just one more Pandora's Box waiting for a curious one to open. Poison never tastes bitter or bad. It's sometimes sweeter than honey. But it's still POISON!

If there's still any respect for religion and beliefs, please do not support this book or anything that is affiliated with it.

American Idol? You've got to be JOKING!

2005-03-26T05:20:00.000+11:00

I recently watched the American Idol 4. I must say that I was terribly disappointed. The singers were okay only. As for Paula Abdul, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with her. I mean she is always contradicting with Simon and when Simon is about to unleash his “ruthless” but honest comments, she is always trying to drown his words with her loud voice. What is she up to?

Simon Cowell is equally as disappointing. Come on, how can he praise Carrie Underwood and Jessica Sierra? They are just so normal! They just can’t match up with the previous famous idols such as Fantasia Barrino and Guy Sebastian. I mean, those singers are phenomenal! These contestants, so so.

To be very honest, I think there’s no more quality in the final contestants in American Idol 4. I saw better singers in the preliminary rounds. One of the rejected contestants exclaimed, “What are they really looking for?”.

Well, I don’t even have a clue! What are they REALLY looking for?

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

2005-03-18T05:16:00.000+11:00

I have just watched the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I was really intrigue and facinated by the whole movie. The film really gave a nostalgic feeling. The surrealism was terrific. It is the best children-themed movie I have ever seen so far. To be honest, I believe this film is a much better substitute for the Harry Potter series. So, for those who are really eager to watch something light and entertaining, this movie is a MUST-SEE. Trust me, you won't regret watching it!