And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
+ been slumping +
+ going through exams +
+ three more papers... +
+ wrote a new story! +
+ joo said she can't believe I wrote gore +
+ it wasn't all that gory! +
My heart aches, my hands quiver, and my voice fails me. What is this feeling inside of me so dull and so huge that I cannot scream, move, or do anything but wait patiently ridiculously frustrated and in pain? Tears that fell so easily immersed in a fairy tale, could not make an appearance to relieve in reality. Probably because, in reality, I understand it all too well that it helps nothing. *In need of an exceptionally sad tear-jerker*
Why do I always push away important things before grabbing hold of it? It's so silly. Knowing how important it is to a person and yet loathing it in a confrontation. If loathing is another way of loving, why does it hurt? If loving hurts why love? Always knowing answers but having no way of understanding how to act it out hurts the most. It is as frustrating as listening to an explanation without a conclusion. The difference between head knowledge, heart felt emotions, wanting to do something, being able to do that something, and doing that something... wait, was there a difference or do they all come together?
I was exceptionally touched by this song. It pulled the strings in my heart in such a way that it resonated so beautifully in harmony. I still cannot believe that I find this song the highlight of Kuro Shitsuji. Does that mean I don't like Kuro Shitsuji?
Nothing I say comes out right,
I can’t love without a fight,
No one ever knows my name,
When I pray for sun, it rains.
I’m so sick of wasting time,
But nothing’s moving in my mind,
Inspiration can’t be found,
I get up and fall but,
I’m Alive, I’m Alive, oh yeah
Between the good and bad is where you’ll find me,
Reaching for heaven.
I will fight, and I’ll sleep when I die,
I’ll live my life, I’m Alive!
Every lover breaks my heart,
And I know it from the start,
Still I end up in a mess,
Every time I second guess.
All my friends just run away,
When I’m having a bad day,
I would rather stay in bed, but I know there’s a reason.
I’m Alive, I’m Alive, oh yeah
Between the good and bad is where you’ll find me,
Reaching for heaven.
I will fight, and I’ll sleep when I die,
I’ll live my life, I’m Alive!
When I’m bored to death at home,
When he won’t pick up the phone,
When I’m stuck in second place,
Those regrets I can’t erase.
Only I can change the end,
Of the movie in my head,
There’s no time for misery,
I won’t feel sorry for me.
I’m Alive, I’m Alive, oh yeah
Between the good and bad is where you’ll find me,
Reaching for heaven.
I will fight, and I’ll sleep when I die,
I’ll live my life, ohhhh!
I’m Alive, I’m Alive, oh yeah
Between the good and bad is where you’ll find me,
Reaching for heaven.
I will fight, and I’ll sleep when I die,
I’ll live my hard life,
I’ll live my life,
I’m Alive!
Taken from: atashi@wordpress through gendou.com/amusic
I've decided.
The best gift anyone can ever give me... is a holiday!
Not just a holiday to spend at home but a holiday to travel somewhere other than my country!
Exam starts tomorrow ;_;
Oh gosh. The muscle aches haven't disappeared. Yours truly lacks too much in the exercise department.
+ currently at work +
+ not planning a big update +
+ will do so in the near future +
+ has pictures to blog about, but will save for later +
+ check out facebook for walkaton 2009 by leo monash +
+ have not blogged about walkaton 2009 at leomusc +
+ wants to download Death Fantasy I and II by Monty Oum +
It never is!
We always get tons of assignment piled up during this time because "there aren't any lectures or labs hindering you"!!!
That sucks!
Still... I guess the no-labs-no-lectures part works.
No, wait, that isn't right. The only reason why we've got this two tests after the mid-sem break and assignments etc. are because of one thing.
Darn clashes with Malaysian public holidays!
Lecture clashes are bad enough =\ I had to sit for a test an hour early this semester because of that. (That meant arranging for the time and having to even think of sorting it out even though it took only an email or two.)
But when public holidays come (and we all know how many Malaysia has... if we can count them...) all official activities cease. Lectures get delayed. Experiments get carried forward. Report due dates get pushed back... until they all pile up at the 13th week of the semester! (That's the last one ever.)
We're supposed to be following an Australian calendar with no Malaysian holidays!
It's no fun when you can't go on a real holiday and see stuff and play when everything's left for this week to do.
Huh? You're saying it's my fault I didn't do it earlier, aren't you!?
I can't blame you for that.
=(
It occurred to me how I actually managed to pull it all off all these years. I actually prepared early. I wrote half my experiments in my reports before they get carried out and then write everything else on the last minute (which only takes a couple of hours because I've finished everything else). This semester was definitely different. I got so laid back I literally did everything the morning I had something due. Ugh.
Lately, I have often felt as though the path I seem to be heading is filled with bright, clear signs telling me that I've gone the wrong way. But in every other direction I turn, I only see one path that is ahead of me... filled with bright, clear signs that says it's the wrong way. Darkness fills the space behind me and on my sides. I turn with wary steps, to see if there's a path, but the darkness pulls at me in every other direction. Confused and lost, my cries for help left unheard.
Or... because no one expected to hear it, they thought it could not be me...
I see others walking in the darkness on paths that I could not see. I call out to them but they could not hear me. Yet, when I am silent, they turn to me with happy smiles and expect a mirrored image of their happiness. So I give it to them, and they turn away satisfied.
Is it okay to cry for help when you are expected to be the one hearing the cries of others and helping them?
Is it okay to be lost when others are looking to you for the right way?
It is okay to point them to the right way because they can see it but not go there yourself because you can't see it?
Perhaps there was a voice I hoped to hear but could not just because it had become so soft that it became as silent as my cries...
It's the one and only time in my whole uni life where I would turn up in a nice dress, styled my hair in a salon, wearing make up and nail polish! Seriously! Can you imagine all the trouble we have to go through to attend an event that lasted only 3 hours?!? (Okay, so that's very long... and I'm not counting the after party.)
Still... I'm glad I went. It was great fun with friends I know... going around snapping photos, complaining about how long before it was time for us to eat, looking at and commenting on everyone's costumes...
Speaking of costumes, the girls were very pretty that day! (Most turned up in formal wear as the boys so I shall not comment too much on that.) Yi Voon wore a black halter dress which was very nice. Mei Lin wore and pretty purple/pink dress that fit the colourful theme for mardi gras. Pui Ming was so 'yeng'! She dressed up in nice black slacks, white shirt with frilled collars and a black vest! Mei Lin and Pui Ming had their make up done by professionals and they did look very good. (Photos are all available on facebook... thus will not be posted up here).
Entertainment wise... I would say... I was rather disappointed with the ball. It wasn't formal and it wasn't fun (unless you were on stage...). The highlight of that night was our buffet dinner. Can you imagine? The dances were great and the fashion show was interesting. But the Miss and Mr Monash "event" (don't know what else to call it) was... obscene! I didn't come to a ball to watch a girl try to seduce a guy or a girl give a rose to another guy and french him! They had good events lined up but the way they presented them were awful!
This is an annual ball! It's supposed to be formal! For crying out loud, the vice pro vice chancellor was there! (It's a good think the PVC was not there instead.)
Sigh.
Anyway... I was immensely thankful for my friends who were there. At least they were around to make it fun.
There you have it, my belated post on the Monash Ball... lolz... the excitement probably died down by now so I guess it's not that big a deal anymore. Just had to post it up because of my lack of events post. Haha.
A baseball manga that was completed quite awhile ago (both the ori-Jap one and the scanlations) that I've only recently read. It was good. Just as good as everyone claimed it was. It was especially good for me because I didn't read anything about it before (except that it was about baseball). There wasn't anything cliche about it. The plot, the story, the way it was presented, etc. was all very original. Half the time, the pictures did the telling and that was that was the best part. It didn't need so many words and at the same time, it felt as though it was the manga-ka who was there with you while you read. It felt refreshing, like a good conversation with an old friend.
What really made me realize how good it was though, was in chapter 281 onwards. I won't tell you what happened here because it was completely unexpected the way the story went. The manga-ka had outwitted the readers in every sub plot that, just when you think something's going to happen, something entirely different happens instead! This chapter was especially good because the manga-ka made me think "yea right, that won't happen". I read the next few pages and was still thinking "that can't happen... right? It's impossible." and after the next few pages... I still couldn't accept what happened until the main character did in the end. Really! It was like going through the exact same emotions the main character did! It was a well thought out story.
Thus ends my personal/impersonal thought on a manga I've been following. Heh. I'm supposed to do an assignment due tomorrow. Why am I not doing it? (Sorry dear, I know I promised to too...) Sigh... I'm doing it... it's just that, unless I can figure this part out, I'm not going anywhere. And thinking about it for a full day hasn't brought me anywhere.
Well, here's me going back to reading and hopefully coming up with something.
By the way, I *heart* this summary by One Manga.
Summary:
Hiro has two loves: baseball and porn. But due to an elbow injury he gives up baseball choosing a school with no baseball team. His childhood friend Hikari attends a different school with baseball ace Hideo and the two wish Hiro had not given up baseball. Hiro joins the soccer team but meets Haruka, a very clumsy girl, who is manager of the unofficial baseball club. When the soccer team challenges the baseball club to a game, with hopes of humiliating them, the baseball club nearly loses until Hiro, disgusted by the soccer team's arrogance, switches to the baseball club.
I have always found science interesting and something I could pursue with a passion. So, when I saw the headlines on CNN - "DNA testing uncovers suspect sushi" - you can imagine just how curious I was about it. Firstly, because DNA testing was fun. Secondly, because I love sushi.
Anyway, my concern with this article was not in the main point - which was what fish was used for sushi - but rather on these paragraphs:
He said the process [PCR/DNA sequencing] could become as common as GPS.
"Many people are working on miniaturizing it, bring the cost down and the speed to process up," he said.
"Sequencing is a chemical process. There is no reason why we can't check the food on our plate [and] send the signal out to a database electronically. GPS used to be as big as refrigerators and only used by the government. Now it's a common application in a phone."
The students worked under Jesse H. Asusubel of Rockefeller University, a champion of DNA bar coding.
They say the project wasn't work. "It didn't feel like a chore. It wasn't time-consuming at all," Stoeckle said. "I'm hoping to get more public interest so it can become cheaper and more common."
Okay... so they want to check the food on their plate and send the signal out to a database electronically... whatever for? While finding out what I eat may be nice but honestly, would I really want to know everything that goes into my mouth?
I might end up not eating at all.
Learning microbiology and genetics have really made me force myself to eat everything with one eye closed because the knowledge of what I'm eating and might possibly be eating... really isn't very appetizing.
And they want to find out what they eat in their plate and send out the information?
Let's look at it another way... what they're trying to say is that it is possible to put a PCR machine in everyone's homes and have everyone use it to do DNA analysis.
The way PCR works is such that you will need a starting material that is able to bind to your DNA sample in order for that DNA sample to be amplified to an amount that is significant enough to study. And even then, only a short segment of the DNA can be amplified. So, you will be looking for specific marker genes that will tell you what exactly are you amplifying. Then, with that DNA sample, you will want to sequence it in order to find out what it is in the first place. You can most definitely do this with PCR as well. But it still is a very separate process. Not only that, the preparation of the DNA sample is also a different process which may require a number of other reagents (besides those you need to use for the PCR) and possibly a centrifuge.
Right, so they want them to make it common and put it in people's homes just to get it cheaper.
Suppose all that was possible and suppose everyone had a PCR in their homes. What if it was used on a blood sample? It can be done easily, surely. What if that DNA obtained from that sample was purposely placed all over the place? In a crime scene for instance?
Human nature isn't very easy to predict and it's very easy to be skeptical. It's also just as easy to be naive and want to believe in an ideal world where everyone's nice and kind.
Still... if it were to be made common, let it be made common in all health care industries and perhaps food industries and obviously in the scientific communities and academic institutions. At least, let it be made common for people who know what they're doing and are expected to be the most ethical and the most ideal; even if they may not entirely be.
It seems that many have been waiting for my updates and I haven't been able to give any. My apologies.
I didn't get to blog about the birthdays of Yi Voon, Pui Ming, Yi Peng and Yi Mei, and I didn't get to blog about Malacca, and I didn't get to blog about Rami's visit, Famine-30...
Lol!
Looks like I haven't been updating for far too long! (But I am updating at our LEO club's blog... go check it out!) I've actually bloged about Famine 30 and other LEO club related events there (duh... it's LEO club's blog...)
Well, I'll let you in on what I have upcoming for the rest of this month =)
Tomorrow, I will be working for L&CSC for the morning to get extra pocket money. Hehe. (It's actually nice earning money and once you do, taking money from my parents felt weird and disloyal... lol...) Oh! After that, Chian (and maybe Voon) will take me to a salon to finally get a good hair cut! All in preparation for August 30th.
The Monash Ball. It's going to be interesting. The theme is Mardi Gras and there's an after party at Euphoria. We're holding it in Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa's Grand Ballroom this year. My dress arrived today too~! (Of course I won't show it to you now!) =P
I'm leading edification again tomorrow. I really pray that what I say doesn't lead people astray x.x I'm only currently regaining bit by bit the passion I had before and right now, I'm really enjoying doing things for God. I'm still trying very hard to talk to my good friends about my faith in Him who is above all things. (If you think I'm talking about you, hehe... I also don't know what to say...) But... being a Christian is something I'm happy about... and most of the time, I don't know how to truly express my feelings. I think, my friends just pick it up without me having to say much... something I'm actually grateful for. =X
On Sunday, the new worship team recruits are going to meet up at my worship leader's home to finish up our training module. It's been implemented awhile back to ensure that every new recruit knows what we're getting ourselves into. (Our church really takes our ministries seriously... maybe that's why I always find it difficult to accept when I encouter people who doesn't know when to be serious. Because, I get that there are times when jokes are appropriate and when fun and games are important but... if it's put into a serious situation, I really find it difficult to accept.)
I'll be buying nasi lemak for all of them to eat. Hehe.
On Tuesday I have an oral presentation on a specific surgical wound infection that was identified in one of our lab sessions as being caused by Staphylococcus aureus. I'm too lazy to explain what is it but I might put up the presentation on slideshare.com after the presentation for fun. Haha.
There will also be a physiology test on Wednesday... guess at what time? It's at 2pm when I will be in immunology lab. Does that sound familiar? Class clashes are really annoying. They're inconvenient to everyone and inappropriate too. The only thing I could do was to email our lecturer and set up and appointment to fix this. Looks like I'll be studying ahead of everyone (which... isn't entirely a bad thing.)
Hmm... looks like I've made another lengthy wordy post with literally no pictures at all. Should I promise a picture post next? Nah...
Ever wondered what would students do in laboratories? Here's an example of that-which-had-happened when students attend a three hour lab but have 2.5 hours of incubation time...
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| Elephant in Lab! Click to see more! |
August.08.2008:Friday
+ added link to Links Out +
+ slept from 4pm till 8pm +
+ couldn't wake up even when parents called +
+ has so much to do but no will to do it +
+ I need help o.o +
August.07.2008:Thursday
+ returned Rami her envelope +
+ looked out of the Westin from the 13th floor +
+ found out the Pavillion looks like it was half done +
+ was stuck in uni because of rain +
+ realized I haven't updated on a lot of recent events +
+ is busy yet free yet not in the mood to blog +
August.06.2008:Wednesday
+ today's Yi Peng and Yi Mei's birthday! (celebrated Sunday evening) +
+ hung out with Rami at medan and One U +
+ haven't seen Rami in 3 years! +
"I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking."
- Taken from Defending Contending on Quotes.
It's been awhile since I put up photos. It may be time to put up somemore pictures soon. Yi Voon's and Pui Ming's birthday had just passed (Voon's was a month ago and Pui Ming's was just yesterday). For Yi Voon's b'day, the only reason why there was no photos was because the waiter didn't let me take photos of food in shogun =( Made me lose interest in taking any more. (Sounded like a good excuse at that time...)
My phone is currently getting overcharged on top of my dear brother's CPU. Sigh. Forgot about it after rushing out of my room to switch off the very loud alarm at 6 AM. It was a good thing everyone else continued (or pretended to continue) sleeping. (Oh, and at that time, I was pleased to see my character leveled up and not dead in WLO. This is the only game you can play sleeping, that is, if you just want to get a high leveled character without effort and enjoying the other parts of the game.)
Okay, now that that was over, I have a nice video to share with you. It's called "Lifehouse's Everything Skit". It was a skit I saw some of my teenage youth members practice for a sunday school event a while ago and it was a skit my shepherd in Aussie said she was going to do.
It was also a skit that made me cry...
Now don't you think that was an awesome story? We were first friends with God who showed us everything in this world and even though the pleasures (or pains) of this world drew us away further, and further from Him, He has never forsaken us. Even when we're at the lowest points of our lives or when we feel confused and lost to the point where we don't know what is what anymore, He is still there, calling out to us and saving us when we're overpowered by what we cannot handle. Our only saving grace and our only salvation.
Is it not great to know a God who is our friend and father?
Okay... I thought the white was good... after being told it's difficult to read... I started finding it difficult to read too...
Since when did I become easily influenced!?
Anyway =P
I'm trying out different font colours for the time being to see if it's nice. I even made the font larger for easier reading since smaller means more squinting. Yours truly squints too much as is. Especially in dark lecture halls...
Enjoy for the time being =)
<.<
There are times when I don't feel very proud of myself to the point of frustration and disbelief. In those times, I often believe that things turned out that way because it was my own fault. I should listen to that other voice that tells me "to be prepared and careful" instead of the other voice that says "saving time and effort is always better".
I got into a car accident last Friday evening. Until now I didn't feel like talking about it. It happened at the flyover in Klang town where traffic was extremely slow moving. (It doesn't matter that it was so slow I got bored.) Upon reaching that place, I was overcome by sleepiness that crept up from goodness knows where. (Sleepy drivers are on my list of 'people who should not drive'. I should not drive when sleepy.)
I took into consideration that I had a long day. I had been awake since 5.40AM that day and had to wait for classes to start at 11AM after arriving in uni at 7.30AM. (It's the same everyday, I arrive in uni at around 7.30AM because my brother starts at 8 each day and I have no other choice but to follow.) But in spite of all that, I still couldn't forgive myself for falling asleep that day. (It was a rather minor accident considering the fact that only bumpers [of the other car] and kangaroo bars [my car] were damaged.) The other driver was, well (after a long period of negotiations and considerations and phone calls and thanking God for friends who can help), extremely considerate (and I'm not trying to be sarcastic).
Until Sunday came.
I had to be there early on Sunday since it was my praise and worship team's duty that day. I was also supposed to play the hymns for the first service since someone else always play for the second service only.
At that time, especially because it was Sunday and I was in church, I get to hear my peers pray or encourage each other in preparation for worship; listen to the songs and really meditating on it; listen to the sermon about persecuted Christians in other countries that really made me realize how self-centered I was. Even later during the training for P&W probationers, learning again and reminding myself what worship means really helped me get over my frustrations. (As to how... eheh... like I said in my previous post: things that should be kept in the heart, should stay in the heart. Haha... Some of my thoughts are just too personal.)
The main thing was, remembering again that there is a bigger picture and that God would never forsake me. He is my God, my Father, my Friend, my Comforter, my Shepherd, my Healer, my Light, and my Guide. In times of trouble and in times of need, He will always be there.
Heh. I changed my layout.
This is actually much more manageable. I was actually trying out a different one but it had too many extra elements to deal with (top nav bar, search box, super big cute fonts that I liked). I settled for this one since format-wise, I actually like it.
Hmm... come to think of it, it has been many years since I've started blogging (since 2005?) At first, it had been for the sake of learning html. I used geocities back then since it's very basic and would require me to type in the html codes etc. It led me to start a song request site where any songs I had acquired through my own requests and hunting in non-English websites. (That is, Japanese songs from Japanese websites; or OSTs from anime =3) It was fun.
Then I decided to make a personal blog.
It led me to blogspot where my posts became more personal instead of short snippets of what has been happening to the site. I even included what happened to me. (Haha.)
Anywho... today was my first P&W session with my new P&W team. Although I'm still on probation (meaning I don't perform on stage) it still felt good knowing that soon I can serve God again with more than just living each day. I lost my passion awhile back but I'm slowly gaining it back; slowly realizing that it had never been lost from the start.
insensate
"lacking sensation or awareness"
Randomness that did not deserve its own post =3
Someone once asked if what I've shared on this blog is share-a-ble with other people. I remembered answering "Yea, since whatever I put up here is no secret. Things that should be kept in the heart should be kept in the heart." Said person paused before saying, "you are very brave."
As much as I know alcohol is more than just for drinking, I'd never think of using it for all these purposes. Do you drink vodka? Or have someone given you vodka and you didn't know what to do with it? =P
This is a very interesting read. I'm even putting a copy of it here. It's authored by Dahlia Rideout.
The Many Uses of Vodka
By: Dahlia Rideout
Aside from being a fantastic drink, vodka has many uses which you may not have known about. Since vodka is one of the world's most popular drinks, many of us have a bottle handy in the home. And since its typically filtered and pure, it makes a handy liquid to have around.
Here are a few uses:
Article source: Miss Charming.com. Photo courtesy of Kaishin on Flickr (via Creative Commons).
First published March 2008
Huh, it was taken from somewhere too. Lol.
"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
That quote is pretty cool. Lol. To think of laughter as a weapon is not entirely what I would do but to think of laughter as something everyone should genuinely have is.
Random Thoughts
There are some points in life where things may result in great frustration or depression and many times it's difficult to get over. But you know, you'll just have to look at it in a different perspective and simply choose to get over it. Many of us do not have the strength or will to overcome our own weaknesses or trauma but there is one who knows us more than we do ourselves, one who will take control if we would let him, the one who can give us the strength.
They couldn't do anything about it. Nothing at all. My clashes stay.
Sigh.
Looks like it's more self discipline for me and listening to online lectures from Down Under. Hopefully, I'll find out if there are others who will be doing the same subject and hopefully, I can get them to take down notes or at least record the lectures for me... Or at least tell me of any announcements I need to listen to.
Otherwise.
It's a whole new semester beginning today! Most of my friends will be doing different subjects. Our breaks aren't exactly on the same days either. So not fun. But it's okay. It means new friends. (If I'm friendly enough. Haha.)
How could they?!
For all my 5 semesters with Monash, of course I would have encountered lecture clashes in at least one out of those semesters (it was a total of 3 semesters with clashes). They were always minimal. One lecture with another lecture. I understood it can't be helped. And I was okay with it, even for some subjects that did not provide online lectures. (If Monash Malaysia was consistent with Monash Australia in terms of lectures, then it wouldn't have been a problem at all.)
But this semester is truly a first. Not one, not two, but THREE freaking slots clashed! And it's not just 3 lectures. Oh no, it wasn't all that bad. It's ONLY two lectures and ONE LAB. How can I not complain?!
I typed out an email in an instant and have gotten two replies at present. The first was a forward to another staff. The second was asking me to reply not using my gmail. Well, excuse me if I used my monash account through gmail and excuse me if the webmail is "actually so easy to use". Well, it is easy. Except it holds no more than 40MB and is a pain to maintain with all the extra redundant steps and pop ups.
Not happy and I'm being stubborn about it >(
I once told a friend that I often feel as though I'm being carried away by the strong currents of a river. There was nothing to hold on to but a rope and that rope was the only thing keeping me from drowning or being swept away.
I did not have the strength to pull myself to shore nor did I want to try. The sense of security given by that rope was just enough for me to hang on to dear life. It did not matter that the river was splashing water into my face or threatening to keep me below its surface because the rope was there. It was enough.
When I closed my eyes thinking I was alright, I opened them and found myself strangely on the riverbank. The sounds of rushing water caught my ears and all I could do was stare into the water and hug my knees for I was cold. So very cold and very alone. The dark forest was behind me and there was not a sound of anything else. Just the sound of water flowing right before me. I was alone and afraid, more so than I was in the river.
I almost wanted to jump right back in just so I could feel safe hanging on to something. But I knew that if I did, I will just be swept away and be lost forever.
So I would stand up and start walking.
At least then, I might find a path.
Yes, another MMORPG. I've gotten myself a lvl 20 chara there. A magical based fire character. (Oh, and a lvl 10 wind chara I'm not using atm.)
This game is another free for life mass multiplayer online RP game from IGG.com (http://wl.igg.com). It's where Tales of Pirates came from too.
The first thing that got me playing this game was... the fact that I missed playing the Sims. (Lol! Well, not exactly... but...) This game lets you build your own house! The idea is very interesting... I'll relate what I remember from the first point of the game.
Based on the story, you get to choose a number of characters that are passengers of a cruise ship (there are even secret characters you can switch to on the ship). Each of the characters can be of either fire, water, wind or earth element. This influences the type of attacks you will get. Then, you get to choose your main stat (either str, con, int, wis or agi). At first, I thought you add the stats based on the skills you want to get, but, having con for def is a lot of help...
Anyway, the cruise ship you were on is shipwrecked and you're stranded on an island. A man named Robinson (thanks tas >.>) saves you and tells you that he has been trying to get out of this place for 28 years and failed! You then begin your journey of trying to survive in that island. You get a tent (that can be moved wherever you go... haha...) and you meet villagers, complete quests, hunt or collect materials to make your house or equipments. You get to compound weapons, armours and other materials even! Very versatile compared to most MMORPG games. It's enjoyable definitely.
Oh! I even have a cool guild: The WWarriors(or The Wonderland Warriors)! Haha... See you there if you feel like playing!
Have you ever heard of such a game? It is one that applies the rules of football with a little twist.
Players have to walk like crabs.
It's really simple actually. You sit yourself on the floor, lean back, and use arms and legs to walk. Then, you use your foot to play football. Of course the "field" is much smaller. Each game lasts 15 minutes. (Honestly, who can walk like a crab for any longer and play football at the same time?)
Our cell group (well, both cell groups) decided to play this game instead of the usual captainball for this month's inter-CG activity. It was really fun. That is, it was a game full of laughs. You have no idea how competitive we can all be until you put us all in a team sports game. Crawling around on your bum and all fours was interesting. Especially since you can't move very fast. It was funny when we had to chase after the rolling ball that was about to get out of bounds. But hey, they all gave up halfway when they realized no one's going to catch up. Haha.
As short and non-informative this post may be, I have to stop typing. It hurts too much. Why? Aha... if you must know...
We all went home with blistered hands.
"An intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex."
A quote from work. Lol. Read this while browsing through my emails. (Gmail is fun!)
Oh yea! Immediately after exams ended I started work again at SyUC. Hehe. Gonna work until the next semester starts and then go back to working once a week. =)
You should watch this. Really! You don't want to miss this.
Got it from the kylelandry forums. (Yes, I'm supposed to be studying...)
Last day tomorrow!!!!
Two papers down and two more to go! It's so nice to be halfway through but the really tough subjects start now. At least I have enough time to prepare.
What am I doing here blogging?
Well, my cousins visited. And took us out for dinner at a chinese restaurant. (Yes, in Eastin Hotel!) I just had to blog about it!
Chinese Restaurant @ Eastin Hotel (Album link)
Overall, I really enjoyed this meal in terms of food. We had this "chawanmushi" sort of dish made in a tall glass but it has shark fins lining the surface and mushrooms cooked inside. There was a dish with dry noodles covered in sauce and really huge prawns. We had soup, chicken and vegie, that I really liked. We also had green jelly for dessert and ginger tong yuen (the tong yuen was huge with black sesame filling I think. I liked it.). A lot of the dishes were served by the waiter so we didn't have to get up and get them ourselves. Some, like the pork and the noodles were left to ourselves to get them. We had dishes after dishes for 2 hours. Not sure how many altogether because I just ate and ate. Haha. Oh, we didn't have rice.
There was one more but I think I won't put them up here. (Sorry!) I was there with 10 other people. My immediate and extended family. My cousins just came back after being away for close to 6 years. So it was a happy occassion. I stayed with them when I was in Aussie so it's good to see them again. They're going back tomorrow after being here for a week.
Sigh... why must they come when I have exams~! (;___;)
In case most of you haven't noticed... =P
I've added new links to the "anime, manga, songs" section. They're links to more song sites where I have been downloading piano sheets again recently (was hooked to this guy's playing on youtube: kylelandry).
I've been practicing Eternal Harvest ever since and am now studying very hard for tomorrow's exam!
T_____T
EDIT: It sounded like I didn't study at all last week. Well... I did! So there. =P
I'm often reminded everyday why it is so important to know who God is and what following him means.
This may be a little irrevelant to what I just said but while studying, I came accross several slides on ethics in science. Everytime they asked the question "is this ethical?" or "is this immoral?" or "is this right?" They would refer to the vaticans, the muslims, the protestants, the jewish, etc. Or should I just sum it up and say 'the religious'?
Science if often thought of as a body of knowledge or a society that is apart from religion. Simply because science is not governed by doctrine but by discovery (in a very loose sense). Yet, every time they need to make a decision on "is this right or wrong?" they refer to religious views.
Shouldn't we, as Christians, always be ready to give them answers as God says in the Bible? Shouldn't we always be prepared such that God's views are always at the tip of our tongues? Shouldn't we always be able to say what the Bible says?
It's already June!
Exam starts on the 10th!
I'm panicking!
My brother found a private Maple Story server and it's pretty distracting!
I started and stopped Tales of Pirates again too!
Why am I shouting?!
Remember that event I mentioned where I found out about my "health problems"? Well, I've finally remembered to post the pictures! Hehe.
It was an event I organized on behalf of the Omega Leo Club of Monash University on April the 21st and 22nd. We invited the National Blood Bank over for two days and we also got the National Kidney Foundation to drop by with their health screening bus (it's a huge long bus set up like a clinic).
Anyway, here are the pics. The photos were taken with my 2.0MP Sony Ericsson k530i. Didn't bring my better camera with me since my mom was using it. (All photos in my blog will, from now on, be clickable thumbnails. The previous food post reminded me of why I've always put up clickable thumbnails.)
Blood Donation, 21 - 22 April 2008
Registration first. Here's where leo members are stationed to explain to blood donors as to what are they supposed to do. There are certain forms to fill for first timers and certain criteria to be made clear as not everyone can donate (like me).
Here, they check for blood type and weight. If you can make out the table just to the left of the one in front, that's where they check your blood pressure and finalize whether you're truly fit to donate blood. Here, I found out I had low blood pressure and that I am not fit to donate blood. Boo!
9-10 AM when they were first setting up.
Our first few donors. It seems that people take to blood donation very readily. A lot wanted to donate and most were extremely disappointed when they found out they couldn't. A total of 191 registered and 149 were eligible to donate. The rest found out they couldn't donate before they could register.
Donors were given bread, milo, cookies and even zinc pills. These are especially for those who might become anemic after losing blood.
As you can see, we were in open space. The concourse area to be exact. This is where almost all students had to pass through in the uni so it was pretty strategic.
Lots of people came and the NBB team were almost always busy. They told me on the second day that they'd prefered it if I invited them over for longer as it would lessen their work and they could get more response.
Health Screening, 21 April 2008
Actually, not only students were interested in donating blood but staff members too! I couldn't tell them apart at the registration counter at first but I recognized some of them here at the health screening bus. They're all waiting for their turn to board the bus and beginning their check up. (It's priced at RM2 per health check. But I found out later that there were others who gave more.)
Waiting in between stations. They have seats inside the bus as well. There are about 6 stations altogether. You get your initial blood pressure checked at the first, BMI at the second, waist circumference at the third, urine analysis at the fourth, blood glucose and cholesterol at the fifth, and counseling at the sixth. Yes, you get counselled.
The first, third and fourth stations. The second station was behind me and the picture didn't turn out well at all. (Not that the pictures here are perfect...) But as you can see, they're really just small tables where you sit across the health screening team and they tell you your results on the spot.
The blood test station... how can my cholesterol level be high when my blood pressure is low???!!
The counselling station... I was told NOT to eat loads of stuff. Others were told to cut down on everything I was forbidden to eat! Then again, they didn't have high cholesterol like me...
Outside again, the waiting area. That guy standing there made sure that everyone had a registration form and that they entered the bus in turn.
The bus was pretty long so they took awhile to actually park where they parked. It's at the foyer, a stone's throw away from the blood donation area.
That's it for the event post. I haven't planned an event like this since... high school! Lol! And this was a dual event too. So many people to communicate. I had forgotten about that part. The part where you have to talk to people and make sure everyone's happy with what you have decided. The making sure they were happy part was... tough. I'm glad I had the help I had.
Today marks the day when I have to really start studying. It's not only the time when I have to study but the time when I really have to study.
(That did not make sense.)
Exams begin on June the 10th and ends on the second last day of the final examinations, June 24th. I'm thankful for having only four papers to worry about rather than six or so like last year.
That's why I have to start studying!
Before that, a funny story from last saturday. Haha. My brother and I were blessed with a good friend who would fetch us for dinner with the rest of the cell group (we usually drive ourselves). So, my brother went out first with the friend (they have lots to talk about) and I followed after getting all my things and making sure the lights were all off etc. After locking the doors, and getting into the car, my brother turned around, "did you take the house keys?"
We were locked out of the house! And mom wasn't going to come back until much later that night! Our dinner was set at 6.30pm and we finished by about 8pm (at a very nice chinese restaurant). Very early. We were stranded for almost two hours with nowhere to go. At least our friend was kind enough to let us hang out at his place. Even though he had to study for his exams! (So sorry! And thank you lots!)
Noble Restaurant, Klang (Town area)
This was the place where we had our chinese dinner. I must apologize for the lack of photos. We only had time to take pictures of the first dish. The rest came in a blur because, not only were we too busy eating, we ate so fast and the dishes came twice as fast! Having 12 persons at a table is certainly something else. Haha. It was good though. I have nothing to complain of in terms of taste and service. They cleaned up our plates after the second dish as our plates were already full of bits and pieces that couldn't be eaten. Like prawn skin and the such. It was a very good and pleasant experience.
The first dish was really amazing. I took a lot of photos of this dish. The fish that we see is actually made of yam. You know the usual yam basket we get as a first dish for chinese dinners especially? That's what it is. It's filled with the usual yam basket contents and it's entirely made up of yam. Then we have the tofu pouch, fried balls with prawns in them (ate it and got allergies), cold slices of meat, and a selection of scallops and vegetables.
When this dish came out, I thought to myself, I have to snap a photo of this. Well, I wasn't the only one who thought so because everyone else started snapping with their camera phones. Haha. One of our elder members mentioned that kids these days all use camera phones while we still carry digital cameras around (our age difference is about 3 years so... they're not like uncles or aunties).
At first all we could do was stare and wait for everyone to snap photos. But finally we decided we had to eat.
They finally turned the lazy-susan around to serve the individual portions.
This presentation was meant for ten persons. We had 12. So the extra ones get special plates with all the extra bits. Haha. There's only one fish though.
Those who didn't get the extra plates had to, of course, arrange our portions nicely on our plates and bowls. Hehe. This was my plate.
May.20.05:Tuesday
+ lab test ended at 10.43am today +
+ had to demonstrate gel loading technique +
+ laptop crashed last week +
+ was without laptop since... last Monday +
+ I think I did not install the drivers correctly when reinstalling windows +
+ now... blue screen appears spontaneously +
May.19.05:Monday
+ InterCG Life Monopoly with cell group members +
+ set up a life size monopoly board at church +
+ board version had to do with 'offering' +
+ was interesting and fun +
+ had lunch at McD +
May.17.05:Saturday
+ reformatted laptop +
+ reinstalling drivers is a pain +
+ lost my corel painter CD +
May.16.05:Friday
+ dad's blood test came out +
+ Praise God! He's cleared of infection +
+ doctors want to continue the full treatment to be 100% sure he is bacteria-free +
+ open heart surgery to correct damaged valve still required +
May.15.05:Thursday
+ finished first project: web-design +
+ will probably have to fix it through +
May.08.05:Thursday
+ started part-time job at SyUC +
+ working as a student helper +
+ given four projects to complete +
+ dad got a haircut +
Everytime I think about food, Ice Age 2's OST comes to mind. I'm still not sure if I should be happy about that or worried.
Anyway, last week, I've been visiting Dad everyday. Weekends have been reserved for visitors so I've decided not to tire Dad out.
Also, last week had been pretty eventful. I found out I had high cholesterol and that I have low blood pressure (from an event I organized, but I'll blog about that in another post). Instead of worrying about it, I pretty much started food-hunting! In this post, I'll show you the food places I've been to just last week.
Yogur Berry @ Sunway Pyramid
First of all, here are some photos of the place itself. Yogur Berry is found in the lowest floor in Sunway Pyramid 2. They've offered a 30% discount to students in Monash Sunway who picked up this certain free MYC magazine so, my friends and I have taken a magazine each and we're all set for good yoghurt until June. Heh. (I'm including pictures from two occassions since I've been there twice thus far.)
They had a nice heart made of roses hanging on one wall. Mirrors were well employed to make the place seem bigger. The shop's theme was pretty much red, pink, white, and... sparkles o.o
A little table for kids.
Yogur Berry balloons.
Yvonne, Mei Lin, and Pui Ming. It's very rare for Mei Lin to join us so it's worth remarking her presence. =P
The food itself. They have two types of yoghurt base: snowy and frozen. The snowy yoghurt base is smoother. You get to choose 56 different toppings and a selection of syrups to place over your yoghurt. Fruit toppings taste better with the yoghurt, I might add. They have nice cakes with red bean pastes as well.
Pumpkin cake. Didn't dare taste it but Mei Lin ordered it on both occassions, so it should be good.
Pui Ming had hers with loads of fruits. Red bean seems to be a good choice too.
This is why I have high cholesterol. There wasn't a single fruit in my yoghurt. =X
More yoghurts. I was smarter this second round. My choccie yoghurt did not taste good at all! Fruits definitely tasted better with the yoghurt.
An attraction of yogur berry. They offer games of all sorts to play. This was us playing Jenga while waiting for our order. Mei Lin was pointing to the spoon saying that's her face in the pic. (Everyone else was hiding!)
For every RM10 extra you spend, you get a chance to shoot at that board and get free food!
They only serve a handful of cakes and two types of coffee: Kacip Fatimah and Tongkat Ali coffee. Hmm. The chocolate cake wasn't too appetizing. I was quite sick of it by the last bite.
My chocolate cake and coffee.
Yi Mei and Yi Peng were also with us on both trips. They're twins =P
Uno.
The Anpan that took so long to appear but did not have any red bean in them! They made another one for us immediately and gave us a complementary yoghurt.
Playing memory, for the lack of games to think of.
Yong Tau Foo / Cheong Fan @ SS17, PJ
I'm still craving for more!
Pui Ming waiting for our order.
Testing the sweet sauce.
Cheong Fan.
I just thought this picture was cool so I added it here.
Wendy's @ Sunway Pyramid
It was okay. I don't know much about the food her but it's pretty much like a fast food store with a great variety of burgers.
My grilled chicken set.
The chicken was so juicy!
J-Co @ Sunway Pyramid
Myself did not have any doughnuts but Pui Ming and Yvonne shared half a dozen themselves. I had coffee.
The place.
My cappucino.
Chow Yang Market @ SS2, PJ
We came here after our yong tau fu at SS17. Walking around did good for digestion. I had to park so far too. The stalls were literally set up around the block.
Latest Recipe @ KL Hilton (Le Meridian)
Uncle came to visit from Aussie. We were therefore invited for a nice free buffet dinner at KL Hilton where he was staying. (Edit: you know... there were little stirrers on the table that said Le Meridian as well but I was super confused when I got to the lobby and saw KL Hilton... and now I came across the Le Meridian website and the address was right but it's still just Le Meridian. So, I may be wrong about where Latest Recipe was.)
I didn't get to take good photos since, I was too busy eating! I only remembered I wanted photos after my tastebuds were satisfied. Hah. This dish has a funny story. My brother followed me to the Jap stall, next to the teppanyaki, to get lovely sashimi. We took lots of salmon and tuna; and my brother got himself tako as well. Well, he got slightly confused when I walked straight back to my table with all those raw fish. His words: "Jie (older sis), aren't we going to cook the fish?" I just took one good look at him and ate my salmon whole. He promptly gave me his plate and walked off to get cooked food. (Score!)
Dessert.
More dessert! =D I love bread, cake, pastries... well, any type of dessert!
My brother getting fondue.
How can anyone resist fondue =X (The dark chocolate sucks by the way. Milk choccie and white tasted glorious though.)
Marshmellows and cakes for the fondue.
Such a long post. Lol. Maybe I should've split them up... nah...
