ninja cat

Lol! Cute! But quite scary lor when the cat suddenly got so near!

watchout Chelsea!

I thought Berbatov was excellent this weekend! Finally, we see glimpses of what he can do. I thought his partnership with Rooney was awesome although the latter was a late sub. But I have no doubts in my mind that if he continues playing the way he played against Bolton, he will soon open his ManU account. We are now being compared as to how symmetrical our start is this season and last season. 8 points from 5 games. Exactly the same as last season. So, meaning we will do the double again this year! =D

And that admin guy from my uni must be so ecstatic that Hull beat Arsenal 2-1 away! And they weren't just lucky. They played superbly, with lots of guts to comeback from a goal down and plenty of discipline to shut out the Gunner's attack. He must be overjoyed I bet. No one expected this result. Some say it's definitely shock result of the season.

week 1

It has been a fresh first week in Nottingham notwithstanding that it was actually my 'second' week studying here. Lectures began this week after our induction last week. It was still pretty simple; nothing too hard yet. But at the same time a little excited, anxious, overwhelmed with all the rules; that we would have to abide by to be professional pharmacists.

On Tuesday, we went to the lab. There were so many instructions and rules that we must obey that I got a little pening (headache). One which I remembered is that we can't bring our handphones to the lab for fear that there would be interferences with the lab machinery. If that ought to happen, we could create sparks somewhere and the whole lab could explode! And another thing, if in any case chemicals spill on ourselves, they will strip us and bring us to this decontamination room where we would be dumped with buckets of cold water (I think from the water tank above)! I still shudder with apprehensiveness. I used to be really clumsy in the lab back in high school. So anyway, we got our lab coats and goggles/safety spectacles. I had my friend write my initials on the back of my collar. And I can't help but draw Nike signs on my goggles to stamp my 'trademark'.

The next day, classes only started at 3.00pm. However, I decided to go early to attend this Library Tour - to explain how to borrow books; how to use the pc to look up for journals; etc. Then, I went to the gym for the next 90 minutes. I was all alone! Just the way I like it. I did meet Ali from Pakistan there though. He gave me a few pointers on how to build my shoulders.

I wanted to do a mini triathlon. But the treadmill wasn't working.

So, I went on the thing on the right. Jogged about 3.5km; better than the day before when I could only managed a pathetic 1km! Then, I went on the bike; cycled for 2.5km.

Lifted some weights here although it was a lil stuffy as there wasn't any air-cond.

After all that, I jumped into the pool; of course after cooling down and showering my perspiration away. I could only swim so far continuously. Lactose was building up in my arms even before I got into the pool. I couldn't even make 1 lap without feeling so drained. I was again the only one there till I met Mike from London. He is a Chelsea fan. Then, we talked a bit about the game last weekend. I thought ManU started well. And Mike added that Chelsea finished the better team. He thought there would be a winner in the game. I was actually quite disappointed with how Berbatov played. He looked like he was too lazy to even chase down loose balls let alone pressure the opponents. Anyway, it was a fair 1-1 draw. Mike added that he was enjoying studying in Malaysia albeit the heat. I also asked him how far is London from Nottingham. He said about 2 hours; which he explained isn't that far.

I excused myself and showered quickly so that I could go for lunch before classes started.

A shot of one of the classes in a lecture hall.

Thursday was quite slow-moving. But I remembered Professor Doughty asking us this question. He asked, "If we got ourselves a brand new IPod, what would we do first? Use it immediately without hesitations or read the manual and perhaps look up on the internet for extra instructions first?" Then, he asked us to raise our hands which category we belong to. He said if we chose the former, we prefer to work hands on. And if we chose the latter, we prefer the theory side of things. I chose the former.

On Friday, PharmNotts (Pharmacy Society of Nottingham) had an AGM. After starting off with a speech, the president asked us 1st year undergrads to nominate each other for some of the posts on the EXCO board. Like an auction, she announced assistant secretary. Suddenly, some of the seniors shouted for my name. I was like, "What the...!". And so I got nominated and had to give an impromptu speech. All the candidates had to leave momentarily while the votes were being counted. I lost... to the class rep! Ish! But actually I wasn't too frust. So I went back to my seat. But then, a senior told me to just stand. He wanted to nominate me for assistant treasurer this time. I was actually flattered I got the seniors' backing. However, once again, I lost... to this girl who had a perfect resume to even be the treasurer of a major corporate company.

This time my friends told me they will make sure I get the next one - Assistant Event Manager. Something which I don't have a lot of experience in. So, I felt like it wasn't my comfort zone. But I still gave a speech to convince everyone that I was up to the task; honouring my other fellow candidates at the same time. I also told everyone that I don't intend to get any sympathy votes for being an assistant secretary and assistant treasurer reject. Anyway, I got it; third time lucky. Haha! I will do my best; looking forward to the challenges; and gather experiences at the same time.

paleontology

I had no idea prehistoric creatures still roam the streets of KL. I thought the Minicus Basasourus were long extinct. I wonder whether Prehistoric Museums around the world will pay me for this shot. Hmm..

Anyway, the bus really look like pieces of metal hanging on together with duck tape. The bumper looked like it was about to fall off. The roof looked like it could peel back like a can of sardine at any moment. And the driver has to carefully drive this antique as though the road is covered with a layer of eggs.

Nice to see this Mercedes Bus still doing its age old business picking up and dropping off passengers though.

Good Saturday!

Ok... going to make this quick. Going to have my dinner already. "Wait!!" Ok here goes...

DHL called me this morning to make sure I'm home.

Huge box couriered all the way from Singapore arrives less than 2 hours later.

Stuffs that were inside. Neatly arranged.

The invoice.

I'm wearing the T-shirt now. I will probably get a picture of it later. Makes me look gay. It reads - I *heart* Dave! Omg! Ok... that's all for now. Bye bye! Yes! 8 minutes! Record time!

family affairs

Last weekend, we celebrated Mooncake Festival/Lantern Festival.

It's also known as the mid-autumn festival; which falls on the 15th day of the 8th month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Sometimes, we take these festivals for granted till we lose sight of its significance. It's not all about...

... eating plenty of mooncakes to be merry...

... or playing with lanterns to be happy.

The adults quizzed us to delve on how much we know about it. It's actually a historical festival rather than a religious one. According to Uncle Khing, it marks the successful rebellion against the Mongol ruler dating back to the 14th Century (not sure in which Chinese Dynasty). The Chinese would secretly plot against the Mongolians by furtively hiding messages inside the mooncakes which were distributed widely. Lanterns were used as signals at night. Li Xia and I agreed that there is another story... something to do with romance... but we lupa (forgot).

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The past week, Aunt Fook See and Swee Jin have been busily furnishing their new apartment as it was to be rented out by the weekend to a Japanese family. I took some pics. They did an awesome job in 5 days alone! However, I should have taken some pics of the outside, because they had an awesome view. Unfortunately it was already dark that time. Anyway...

The dining table. I loved the lamp above!

The kitchen. Swee Jin and my Aunt were bickering about the size of the microwave. Haha!

This is the drying area. Very windy! I love the thingemajig at the top of the pic.

We are supposed to unwind this thing to get the two hanging lines with hangers down. How cool can??

Mom and Aunt. The couch damn nice!

Japanese need good high definition TV!

And according to Swee Jin, the added curtains and mosquito netting also. He said the mosquito netting is really cool; as in it's magnetic and can neatly be folded to the side; even at the sliding door to the balcony.

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Yesterday, we went to visit Uncle Sain and Trina, his fiance. Uncle Sain invited us to his house.

Mom: Is the house clean?? We don't want to faint there!

Uncle: It's very much different. Haha! Don't worry.

Little did we know, Uncle Sain played with his words! Apparently, he moved into a new house since the beginning of the year! He surprised us all! Even our dear Ah Ma was oblivious. Lol! Can't imagine that during CNY, he and Trina had to suppress their urge to reveal this secret even after being bombarded with loads of comments.

But anyway, the rest of the adults then shot lots of question at him. Like when he got it, why weren't we told earlier, how much is the house, what happened to the old apartment, etc.

The place looks fine. It will look a whole lot homier when the boxes are cleared out. Sorry no pics! But will be back there again in two months ;) Wedding beckons!

CERN: Damage to new collider forces 2-month halt

Read my previous article - We will live... right?

4 killed in SC plane crash; drummer, DJ injured

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Hours after performing for thousands of South Carolina college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people, authorities said Saturday.

OMG... I really hope they are alright... not just a cover-up :'(

In this Sept. 7, 2008 file photo, DJ AM, left, and musician Travis Barker pose backstage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards held at Paramount Pictures Studio Lot in Los Angeles. A hospital spokeswoman in Columbia, S.C. says former Blink-182 drummer Barker and DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein (dating Mandy Moore), have been critically injured in a Learjet crash that occurred shortly before midnight on Friday, Sept. 19, 2008 in South Carolina. Federal officials say two crew members and two passengers have been killed (Barker's assistant and security guard). (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)

I loved Travis Barker in his remix of Soulja Boy's Crank That.

induction

Firstly, I have to apologise to my dear readers for my mini hiatus. Sorry people! I think I will probably be posting about three times a week from now on; depending on my timetable. I currently just started my undergraduate course at Nottingham University at Semenyih. And well, things are going ok so far. We just finished our induction on Friday.

Last I heard, 89 are studying Pharmacy; including myself. On the first day (Thursday), you could say I was disorientated. At the Kajang KTM station in the morning, I just realised I didn't know where the feeder bus was supposed to pick us up. So, I ranged Chai. He dutifully told me just to wait opposite the station; just in front of the Kajang primary school. Not long after, I got on the bus. It was just a regular school bus -_-" I thought Nottingham could afford to buy at least a Nottingham Bus! I wasn't expecting a bona fide red double decker lar. But I thought a bus, proudly donning the colours of Nottingham would be our bus; just like the one we had at VI :D Anyway, that was the least of my concerns. I was late! On my first day! OMG! And I wasn't sure where to gather at! However... I wasn't too worried. It wasn't class I was missing. Just a few welcoming speeches. But, got to be more punctual next time! Oh yeah... thank goodness for the signs. Otherwise I would be much later. However, I just realised the signs made me go in circles! There is a much shorter way! Bleh.

Anywho... malas to talk about the welcoming. Only that this guy from the admin (I forgot his name) was quite a funny guy! He's a Hull supporter! XD 5 years ago, he said they were in the 3rd division; the lowest league in England and I quote "Hull were rubbish and full of disappointments. They bring more agony than joy". His wish, as well as that of other Hull supporters, was to see Hull in the Premiership before they died. They really take their football seriously. I mean they could have a genie grant any of the wishes of the world! Ans they wanted that. So, he concluded, before this weekend, they were 5th in the Premiership. It was a darn inspiring talk, man!

Oh. And I better lookout for a Hull jersey if I want to get an extra 5% in my next exam :D

"Roar like The Tigers," he said.

So anyway, our orientation began in the evening at 4pm. I barely remember anything on the first day. Not much impressions were made. It felt a little bit too slow-moving. I did see some familiar faces in Sen Loong and Sangeetha. We met during the interview in May. The day was supposed to end at 11pm; but I left early; at 7pm, after realising there won't be any bus that late. It was quite a tiring first day; so I immediately fell asleep after flipping through the day's papers.

The next day was a little more livelier. We had the 'amazing race' in the morning at 10. We knew we would get wet; but I guess I thought better of the seniors. Anyway, we got splashed with bucket and buckets of water at each station. We even received a bucket-full from the seniors on the second floor while we were lying down on the pavement below! We could have drowned! But what got me so cranky was when a senior dragged me into the pool; with my shoes still on! Bugger! I could have withstand his strength but he ended up using his body weight to finally get me drenched. However, after that, swimming in the pool did wake me up a little. I was pretty sleepy actually. And most of us got in the pool after that; including the seniors.

Lucky I brought an extra pair of clothings (but no shoes). Sen Loong was great to invite me back to Edu Square (his err... room) and we each took a quick shower before heading back to campus for lunch. During lunch, we (group members of Vitamin V (Viagra)) also talked about our sketch (topic: weather forecast) we were to do after our break. We made plenty of last minute props and changed the plot as many times as Rafa Benitez changes his Liverpool team selection. And even finally while waiting for our turns to present our sketch, last minute changes to the casts and the plot were made! We inculcated a 'Romeo and Juliet' element into the sketch. I was Romeo, and another guy, Juliet. Oh yea... and all of us had to use balloons to get extra marks. So, 'Juliet' agreed to boobs augmentation that any girl or guy would be envy of.

We killed the crowd with our sketch! We were so surprised we managed to pull of an impromptu and spontaneous piece of acting. We had zero preparations, we didn't even plan what to say; nothing was scripted. We made them smile, we made them cry, and we especially made them laugh till they cry! My hats off to the narrators, Chia Yee and Kai Yee. Without them, our acting wouldn't make sense! Apparently it was so good enough (even though we got the lowest marks in the other games) to see us as the winning team overall! Haha! We won a huge box of candy. Good to satisfy my sweet tooth ;)

Oh and before the day ended we evaluated each other (within our groups). I got commented as sporting, active, outgoing, friendly 2X, kind, nice to talk to, my Romeo I *heart* u, easy-going, very funny! I dunno how much are those true :P But that's how they judged me. Haha!

lego

When we are facing the harshest of life's moments i.e. losing a friend, break ups, failures, divorce, job loss or career termination, grief, or even losing to Liverpool (sighs)..., we go through a series of emotional stages while dealing with the trauma.

1. Denial
First, we deny everyone's accusations and remarks including that of our own. We claim everybody is wrong and curse ourselves for believing what they may say. We will hide from the world; shut our ears; cringe at our weakness; but this only means we became more stubborn. Remember, denial is just a river in Africa.

2. Anger
This is the point when we start blaming everyone; including those who stood by our side. Worst is when we start blaming ourselves no matter how ridiculous it may be or sound. We must learn to overcome this resentment, lest hatred may consume our soul.

3. Bargaining
I say this is the hardest stage to escape. During this stage, we begin to wonder all the what ifs and what could haves. We begin to pray or seek divine intervention; to make promises for that ONE more time to undo what was already done. This negative energy could instead be used for more proactive stuffs.

4. Depression
We begin to realise that perhaps nothing left could be done. We swell up inside; emotions gravitate to our very core of our soul. We begin to crave attention; to be comforted; but we end up storing all the feelings and thoughts inside till all our visceras feel as though they may crumble or implode from the inward pressure.

5. Acceptance
Finally but not without a fight, we succumb. It's the most energy-sapping stage. We realise that fate is no more in our hands. It was probably meant to be so; written in the stars; planned by God... but still without a good reason why it happened at all. This is letting go; moving on. It will all get better in time...