A simple poem

True Friends

I had a true friend,
Who used to stand with me till the end.
Now that he's taller,
I feel that he's further.

He wishes to go his own way,
Yes, I thought he still cared.
But then came the day,
Not even minutes were spared.

A simple lunch
was taken lightly.
With his new bunch,
he sticked with them tightly.

"Yi hei" means friendship.
To help each other through hardship.
Together at good times,
As well as bad times.

My friendship was deeper than the sea.
Was yours as shallow as the beach?
Why couldn't you see
what I was trying to teach?

Give or take,
it's your choice.
For our sake,
Hear my voice.

Yours truly,
A true friend






That's What Friends Are For
By Dionne Warwick & Friends





***Click to listen to the MIDI version of the song***


'A' is a simple letter in the alphabet.
It can mean nothing.
Or it can be part of 'A Great Friendship'.

Enjoy! =)

Blod readability test...

Ever wondered how reader-friendly your blog is? Or maybe the educational level you're writing in? E.g. elementary, junior high, high school, college, genius??

Well, I found this website from another blog that speculates your blog's so-called 'readability'.

Here's the link:
The Blog Readability Test. What level of education is required to understand your blog?

Surprisingly, its homepage, has absolutely nothing to do with blogs or reading it. Therefore I really have doubts of its integrity.

But just for the fun of it, lets see how my friends scored:
P/S: I added a few celebrities =)

Jia Hui
Jiaqi
Yie Hahn




Nicholas Low




Yu Ting




Hui Ling
Jia Xin
Patrick
Yee Lynn
Dawn Yang




Kimberlly Law
Yuhhui
Kenny Sia
SmashpOp




Chong Xian
Guo Zhang
Jeffrey Lee
Jon Ming
Kwee Huey
Pik Yuen
Satchid
Shiau
Shu Lin
Tysern
Wen Yang
Yung Chien
Xia Xue

Guess what level my blog is? =p

I don't really know how they grade your blogs, given the loading time is so short especially for blogs with a lot of posts.

However, the above are only true as of now.

As soon as they update, the level might or might not change.

So, don't take it too personally. =)

Enjoy! =D

Horton hears a Who?

"Hoo-ton-hey-sa-hoo?" That's what I heard when Guo Zhang said it too fast over the phone.

Last Saturday, Guo Zhang and Hui Ling invited me to watch this movie. Actually I was only invited because another friend couldn't make it. *pokes Zhang*

Trailer:


Overall, the movie was pretty okay for an animation. The story revolved around this elephant named Horton (voice of Jim Carey). Horton's life was just like any typical elephant who lives in a jungle. He even teaches other young animals his way of life in the jungle!



However, a kangaroo, wasn't too fond of Horton because she didn't want Horton to corrupt their young minds. The Kangaroo (voice of Carol Burnett) was a self-proclaimed "authority" in the jungle and she always made sure that "her" jungle was always the way she wanted it.



One day, Horton heard a faint cry for help. He didn't notice where it came from the first time, but he finally realises that it originated from a speck! He uses a flower to hold the speck while trying to understand if there is life living in it.



When Horton finally makes contact with the Mayor of Who-ville (voice of Steve Carell), he found out that a whole town was at risk of destruction. While both of them were having a hard time convincing other people about each other, Horton vowed to place the town where it could live on safely.



However, trouble arose when Horton told the young animals about the speck. They started picking up flowers claiming that there is life on it. When the Kangaroo found out, she was furious! She was afraid that her position in the jungle would be questioned if this goes on.



Therefore, the story was mostly about what she did to either destroy the speck or force Horton to admit that there was no one living in a speck!

The movie was funny at some parts, maybe a little emotional at other parts, but it mostly showed Horton's determination to save people, no matter how small they are. At the end of the movie, the song they sang was pretty catchy. Apparently, Zhang and Hui Ling said the song was an oldie but I never heard it before. =P


Here's the song on YouTube:
From the movie:



Original song:
I Can't Fight This Feeling- REO Speedwagon



Okay, time for pictures!


Me and Zhang before the movie.



After the movie, we went to Big Apple Donuts.
Hui Ling and Zhang.



Zhang =O



Me trying to do the (=_=)



Zhang chilling while Hui Ling buys her donuts. =)



Me and Zhang went to Yoshinora to eat dinner. =)


Stay tuned for more!! =D

Sources:
Yahoo! Movies

Ready, aim, shoot!!

I'm sure everyone agrees that technology is moving at such a fast pace that you'd have to be filthy rich to always keep up with it. A newly released handphone (Nokia or Sony Ericcson) would normally cost RM2000 and above, a new digital camera would cost around RM4000 (may vary) and a high-end computer could easily reach RM5000.

Not only that, but even if you say your handphone/camera/computer is of the latest technology, all of it would be a thing of the past within a year or so. So this is not something you wanna spend on annually. However, getting the latest gadgets ain't really that important. Your priority must always be something that suits your needs. Well it wouldn't be worth it to buy the latest gadgets equipped with the latest features but not using those features that often, right?

To me, its called possession obsession. It basically means that you just want to own it because its new and most people won't have it. But when it comes to practicability, you don't always use it!

Here comes my story... After my family bought our first digital camera, Canon Digital Ixus 300, we were all excited about it, yada yada, but only after a few months, a new model was released. Then I said to my father, "if only we waited a while longer". At that time, the camera cost around RM1800. The price was a little too expensive at that time if you ask me.

Soon, we realise that our camera was getting outdated. Focusing requires too much time and picture quality ain't that great anymore compared to the those of my relatives'. Furthermore, the battery operates as if it is leaking. Only a mere 30 shots or so and the batteries would die. Charging it fully also takes approximately 3 hours. What the heck?! 3 hours for just 30 shots?! Even when my father bought an extra battery after procrastinating for 5 years, it didn't really matter already..

This time, after he returned from a meeting in Las Vegas, he bought a spanking new camera!! One of the latest too, if I'm not wrong. Meet the Sony Cybershot DSC-T2!!



This is a picture I took using the camera itself!

Other than a higher resolution, a better lens and a longer-lasting battery, the other features of this camera that my old digicam didn't have is:
- touch screen (less buttons to worry about! =D)
- face recognition (to focus on faces)
- smile trigger (snaps a photo the moment it detects a smile! =D)
- on-the-spot retouching (don't have to transfer to comp!)
- a painter to write/draw/add stuff to the picture
- a scrapbook display arranged by date of picture taken

The thing is, after using the old camera for 6 years, focusing at a snail's pace, requiring extremely perfect conditions and not being user-friendly enough, this camera really brings tears to my joy! The reason my blog lacked of my own photos was because

1. the old digicam software is bugged, i.e. sometimes crashes the comp and
2. the adapter for my handphone memory card went missing together with the card reader thanks to a certain friend!

But the problem wasn't the card reader, it was the adapter. Without it, I couldn't attach it to the newly-bought card reader without spoiling it. (which was what happened to the old one) Now that I'm fully loaded, I'm ready to shoot whenever I can, wherever I go and not to mention whoever I see!
*hints to my friends*

Look who got shot today!



Guo Zhang a.k.a Zack! =P



Hui Ling busy sms-ing away...



My mum trying the smile trigger =D


That's all for now folks! Enjoy! =D

Spread the wisdom

*Credits to pikey for correcting a few careless mistakes =p*

Do you agree that knowledge is meant to be shared?

Remember the time when I said I was learning japanese?
Learning to live is living to learn

Today's post will be about what I've learnt!!

Who knows? You might find it useful... =)


Lets start with simple words:
Ohayou gozaimasu (o-ha-yo go-za-i-mas)
Good morning.

Konnichiwa (kon-ni-chi-wa)
Hello. (usually during mid-day)

Konbanwa (kon-ban-wa)
Good evening.

Sayonara (sa-yo-na-ra)
Goodbye.

Hajimemashite (Ha-ji-me-mash-te)
How do you do? (First meeting with a person)

Douzo yorushiku (do-zo yo-ru-shi-ku)
Nice to meet you. (to end an introduction)

Arigatou gozaimasu (a-ri-ga-to go-za-i-mas)
Thank you.

('gozaimasu' is for formal reasons. For informal, just remove it)

Sumimasen (su-mi-ma-sen)
Sorry.

Chotto Matte (chot-to mat-te)
Wait/Hold on.

Onaji Desu (o-na-ji des)
It's the same.

ii desu (i-des)
Good / Fine

Dame desu (da-me-des)
Not good / Bad

Mou ichido (mo i-chi-do)
One more time.

1 - ichi
2 - ni
3 - san
4 - yon / shi (formal/informal)
5 - go
6 - roku
7 - nana / shichi (formal/informal)
8 - hachi
9 - kyu / ku (formal/informal)
10 - ju
100 - hyaku

e.g.
13 - ju san (10 +3)
20 - ni-ju (2X10)
38 - san-ju hachi (3X10 +8)
81 - hachi-ju ichi (8X10 +1)
105 - hyaku go (100 +5)
140 - hyaku yon-ju (100 +4X10)
183 - hyaku hachi-ju san (100 +8X10 +3)
256 - ni-hyaku go-ju roku (2X100 +5X10 +6)
999 - kyu-hyaku kyu-ju kyu (9X100 +9X10 +9)

Now, lets move on to sentences:
Q: O namae wa?
Your name is?
A: Watashi wa (name) desu.
My name is (name).

e.g.
Watashi wa Sze Wei desu.

Namae (na-ma-e) = Name
(desu is normally read as 'des' and not 'des-su')

Q: Nan-sai desu ka?
Your age is?
A1: Watashi wa hatachi desu.
A2: Watashi wa ni-jussai desu.
I am 20 years old.

Sai = Age
Nan-sai = How old (used when asking age)
('hatachi' is a special word for 20yrs old)
(ni-ju is 20. But when stating age, 'ju sai' becomes 'jussai')

Q: O shigoto wa?
Your occupation is?
A: Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I'm a student.

Shigoto = occupation
Gakusen (ga-ku-sei) = student
Kekan = police
Kangofu (kang-go-hu) = nurse
Isha = doctor
Shufu (shu-hu) = housewife

Q: Otaku wa dochira desu ka?
Where do you live?
A: Uchi wa TTDI desu.
I live in TTDI.

('ka' is used to end a question)
Otaku = Uchi = Home

Q: O kuni wa dochira desu ka?
Which country are you from?
A: Kuni wa Malaysia desu.
I'm from Malaysia.

Kuni = Country

Q: Inaka wa dochira desu ka?
Where is your hometown?
A: Inaka wa KL desu.
My hometown is in KL.

Inaka = hometown/kampung

Q: Wakarimasu ka?
Do you understand?
A1: Hai, wakarimasu!
Yes, I understand.
A2: Ie, wakarimasen.
No, I don't understand.
A3: Wakata.
Understood (more informal)

Wakarimasu (wa-ka-ri-mas) = understand
Wakarimasen (wa-ka-ri-ma-sen) = don't understand
Ie (i-e) = No
('Ie' is used for many occasions but here it means 'no')

Scenario:
A is a friend of B and C. B and C just met through A.

Conversation:
A to B: B-san, kochira wa C-san. B, this is C.
A to C: C-san, kochira wa B-san. C, this is B.

B to C: Hajimemashite, watashi wa B desu. Dozo yorushiku.
How are you doing? My name is B. Nice to meet you.
C to B: Hajimemashite, watashi wa C desu. Dozo yorushiku.
How are you doing? My name is C. Nice to meet you.

(-san is used after a person's name for Mr./Ms.)


Well so far so good, I don't want to confuse you guys with the more complicated scenarios...

So, that's all for today folks! Sayonara! =D

P/S: I did not refer to any book/paper when I typed this. I only put whatever I truely understand. That means that I didn't put anything which I do not fully understand.

Edit: The time reads 5.55pm!! My favourite number is 5 (^_^)

Didn't I tell you? =p

Okay... A lot of people would ask me what I'm doing now and I tell them I'm already studying at Monash University, Sunway Campus. Then they would go: "Oh really?! I thought you were working/chilling." Then I would've said (for the million-th time),
"didn't I tell you?" =P

The thing is, I'm tired of repeating myself so many times that I could puke so I'm blogging about it now =)

I started the orientation at Monash on the 18th of February. It lasted for 1 week and during that week, I got to know more than a dozen new friends. (not to mention the leng lui's =P) It was just like any orientation with talks, tours and refreshments.

My first week of university life then started the following week on the 25th of February. At that time, my timetable was still very messed up since I was late in allocating my classes. I had to make several trips to the engineering office and write in to allocate to certain classes which were full if allocated online.

After going through all the trouble adjusting my timetable to suit my carpool-mate's timetable, I found out that there wasn't any slot for Malaysian Studies!! Since this subject is not under the electives, it didn't show up in the Allocate+ system!!
*Insert bad word here*!!

So I had to go through the whole process of writing in again!! Lucky for me, certain tutorials didn't start until the second week. So I still had time to finalise my timetable. But thanks to Malaysian Studies, my timetable no longer matches with Lit Rong, my afore-mentioned carpool-mate!! (@#$%&*)

To make matters even worse, Malaysian Studies is actually the history subject which I learnt in Form 5 and it is taught by this old man who talks so slow that I thought the "movie" was in slow-motion!

On the other hand, Monash University just shifted into its new campus on September last year. So all the facilities there are better equipped compared to the old campus which was shared with Sunway University.

In addition, they have a very active student body named Monash University Student Association (MUSA). The people in their council are also very sporting, outgoing, active and not to mention very capable individuals.

For example, they organised an Orientation Bash for the fresh batch of students and it turned out to be a big success!!

Firstly, it was completely free-of-charge!! To be able to join interesting activities and enjoy the rest of the day at Sunway Lagoon (all-park ticket) for absolutely no fee at all was great!!

Secondly, we get to make new friends as well as bond with them through team-building activities. In fact, the throughout the day, we had to do everything in a group. So I made a few friends and got pretty close to them. =D

Furthermore, not only was it completely free, but there was a prize money for the winner as well!! And the winner was...

*drumrolls*


My group!! =D
That's RM500 in cash!! XD

However, I had so much fun and made so many friends, that the prize money didn't really matter. On the other hand, since we won, I don't mind keeping it either! =p
(it was split among 11 group members so I don't really get much)

My university life started with a blast at the Orientation Bash, but it didn't end there!! I started meeting, not only new friends, but also friends that I previously knew too!! Most of them were from my secondary school, SMDU. But I did met a few from my previous tuitions, friends of relatives, and even those I met online!! =D

This week is my 3rd week and the homework are kicking in. So I don't really have much time to do other stuff such as chatting online, blogging, watching tv, etc. I have assignments and projects which are due next week and I haven't even started! yet!!

So, I'm sorry to say that I won't be updating as often as before. But who knows? I just might surprise you...

SURPRISE!! XD


Sidenote: STPM results are out tomorrow!! Have to skip important lectures! >.<

(P.S. I used the new Windows Live Writer to write this post, it added so many unnecessary scripts that I had to re-edit it. Sorry if this post looks disoriented)

Which body part runs but doesn't move?

Have you figured it out? If you said the nose, you're right!

My nose was especially hard working today, since it was running all the way from morning till night. Thanks to you (my nose), my day was absolutely awful. How awful?

(I will now refer "you" as my nose)

Well first of all, everytime you leaked, I had to find some way to either stop it or be rid of it. Everytime I swallow your "saliva", my stomach yells: "Can you stop it already? Its disgusting and I'm full here!!" Yet, you continue to leak at his (my stomach) expense.

(I will now refer "him" as my stomach)

To ease him, I had to constantly visit the toilet so you could leak all you want. But just when I thought you were done, but you coughed and leaked again!! I feel so sorry to deposit your saliva to him again. But I promise I will feed him good food later during break time.

I feel like scolding you, beating you, or even chopping you into half!! But I know all of those wouldn't change the fact that I need you.

I knew I couldn't always visit the lavatory just for you, so everytime I visited the toilet, I took a few pieces of tissue paper and kept it in my bag. Then, whenever you leaked, I would use them to wipe your saliva away.

Unfortunately, you leaked so much, that I had used up all the tissue paper that I had stored previously. Curse you!! On the other hand, luck was on my side since my maths lecturer always takes a 5-minutes break during his lecture. I seized the opportunity and went straight to the toilet. This time, I stored more tissue paper.

After the lecture, I moved on to the next lecture but the lecturer wasn't there yet. Again, I took a quick visit to the toilet, deposited all your saliva, and took even more tissue for the hour-long lecture.

During the lecture, I had to sit at least 2 metres away from the nearest person to prevent the bacteria in your saliva from spreading. In addition, I had to hold back when you attempted to cough, which caused your saliva to yet again flow to him. To ease him temporarily, I constantly drank the warm water I filled from the water dispenser.

Surely enough, I dashed to the cafeteria right after the lecture to get some good food for him. The first thing that came to mind was the fresh hot noodle soup. I wanted the the noodles to be 100% bihun. But I only saw either 100% yellow noodle or 50/50.

However, due to a misunderstanding between the caterer and the person before me, I got the 100% bihun soup!! At that moment, I felt as if God had gave me his blessing! He said: "Thanks God!!" (or Whoever out there)

After lunch, my eyes were complaining for some rest. "They" even took some drastic actions such as trying to close shop during lecture!! I told them that they will have the chance later. "But for now", I plead, "please don't do this to me..." Luckily, they were quite understanding and stayed open for the rest of the lecture.

(I will now refer "them" as my eyes)

*Lecture ended*

Of course, I don't make empty promises. I set out to find a strategic place to rest. What do I mean by strategic? Other than being away from people, it had to be near a toilet as you could leak anytime. Furthermore, it had to be near my next lab session so I could maximise resting time and not be late for lab.

Sounds complicated? Not really...


The lab was just above where I slept.

I wanted to make sure that your saliva wouldn't leak out when I napped so I took out a piece of tissue paper from my stash and stuffed it into both your nostrils.

To my surprise, you soaked the whole tissue with your saliva within 10minutes!! I had no choice but to change the tissue every 10minutes. On the other hand, the location was so strategic that I could visit the toilet and fill my bottle before arriving at the lab.

As the lab session commences, while everyone was quietly doing the diagnostics test, you just couldn't resist breaking the silence, can you?? You had to leak and cough during the pin-drop silence, huh?! If I had a replacement, I would've thrown you away ages ago!! Unfortunately, I don't. So I'll have to bear all these torments that you present to me.

*after lab ended and reached home*

Because of you, my body was weak and vulnerable. Therefore, I couldn't attend the musical that my mum had planned weeks ago. As a result, she throws all her nagging, complaining and not forgetting, scolding at me. Furthermore, it happened to be quite a spectacular musical from what I've heard.

After they had left the house, I found a cozy spot on the sofa and slept. After I woke up, it was only 8pm. So I watched the cantonese drama which my sister had recorded preciously.

Eventually, I came across a few touching scenes. Remember them? (my eyes) Their shop suddenly flooded and leaked all over my face!! Ever heard of 'monkey see, monkey do'? You saw them leaking and you started leaking yourself!!

Grr... I really couldn't bear you anymore!! I didn't want to do this, but I have no choice.

I searched high and low, up and down, inside and even outside!! Yet, I couldn't find "it". With "it", I can put an end to you and your miserable marathon!!

When my family came back at around 12am, my father pointed out the location of "it". I quickly grabbed "it" and used "it" immediately!!

Finally, I felt as if a heavy rain had stopped and the sun had come out marking the start of a new, healthy day!! =D



I know you've been wondering... What is "it"?

"It" is a pill that says 'The finish line'.

In case anyone was wondering, it is called Clarityne.

Learning to live is living to learn.

All living creatures were born with a survival instinct and humans are no different. Ever since we were born, we were taught by our parents how to stay alive.

So we've learnt how to live. But what is our purpose of living? To me, it is to learn.

And so, my journey of self-discovery continues with my latest mission:

*Drumrolls*

To learn Japanese!!

Many of you would wonder, why on earth would I take, of all languages, Japanese?!

Well, through all these years of reading and watching japanese anime/manga, I've taken interest to knowing what I was hearing or listening rather than just looking at the pictures or reading the subtitles.

Not just that, but one of the Japanese writing system, kanji, actually originated from China's han writing. That's why its easier for me to learn because some characters look and mean the same.



I've registered myself at the ICLS Damansara School yesterday (Monday) and at that time, it was about to rain when I left my house. I cycled as fast as my bicycle could take me, but at some point, I had to carry my bicycle to cross the pedestrian bridge. (to and fro!!)

After registering, it started to drizzle!! So I pushed my "adrenaline button" for turbo mode and reached home just in the nick of time!!



Boy, wasn't that a tiring day?

So that was why I slept in 2 out of 3 of my morning lectures today. =p

Its like chicken pox!

Do you still remember the first and last time you had chicken pox?
Well I was so little that time that I don't remember =/

But the thing is, chicken pox only comes once in a lifetime. So you better hope you had them when you were little coz it sucks to have chicken pox now or when you're older. However, once you've had chicken pox before, you won't get it again for this lifetime.

On the other hand, I would consider this event similar to chicken pox!
If it hits you early, it won't happen ever again in the future.
But what is it?

Road accidents!

Yes, if you're thinking I had a road accident, you're right! =)

It was after tiring day of fun and leisure at the Orientation Bash held in Monash University and continued at Sunway Lagoon. After dinner at Sunway Pyramid, I was on my way to One Utama to fetch Ken Chong and Chung Kent to my house.

Just like every Saturday night, the traffic conditions towards One Utama from the LDP is always congested. Consequently, I got caught in the jam too. While moving at a snail's pace towards OU, I felt a little thirsty. While my car was still moving, I just took my eye off the road for one second to get water and BANG! BIG mistake!!

My car My mum's car just hit a Myvi from the rear!!

The fella came out of his car and... No, he didn't scold/curse/kick me. Instead, he asked me to stop on the left side of the road. When both cars were there, though still on the highway, he came out to check the damage. I did the same.

It turns out that my mum's car was more damaged compared to his!!

On his car, from what I can see, There were small dents on the bumper and a small bent on the boot.

On the other hand, my mum's car's right headlight was broken, the bumper completely dented inwards and the hood was bent upwards as well.

After a more thorough speculation and estimation by the Perodua representative, my car's repairs would cost doubled of his! In the end, my father came and agreed to pay for all his repairs without lodging a police report. The police would only make things more troublesome. Luckily, he also wanted to make things simple and go on with his life.

During my Form 5 years, I've heard numerous stories of friends having accidents during their probationary driving period. Yet, they never seem to get anymore after they've gotten their competent driver's license. That is why I relate this event to chicken pox.

After this accident during my probationary period, I hope that accidents would stay far, far away from me once I pass my competent license. =D