KL Exploration 1.0: Planetarium & KL Central

Saturday was KL Exploration Day! :D The plan was to go to the Planetarium and Muzium Negara with Leila and Hamsa (who has earlier made a guest appearance on this blog, hehe).

We took a Public Cab taxi to the Muzium, then climbed up an endless flight of stairs to get to the Planetarium. OK, now I have to say - the Internet reviews and "official website" descriptions were incredibly misleading! The Visit-Malaysia websites all describe the Planetarium and Muzium as one "pedestrian bridge" away, but in actual fact, the "bridge" is taken to include something like a mini Batu Caves, in terms of the number of stairs. Wooooh. Hahahaha. Not that I've been to Batu Caves, maybe I'll go there someday. :) Leila's been there! She hated the stairs.

ALSO - the websites said "the Planetarium is located beautifully on top of a hill surrounded by beautiful Lake Gardens". What beautiful scenery? There was nothing there but highways and puddles of flattened dog shit on the cement floor every two feet. :/ We didn't see any beautiful sprawling meadows or lakes or gardens. And it was a very, very hot day.

Truthful whining aside - I was cool with the stairs because I was all excited about seeing the Planetarium, but Leila and Hamsa begged to differ. :D They plopped their rear ends down on the first bench we saw.

"We are too old for this," they complained.
"Hey, wait a minute, I'm not sure if we're going the right way," I quipped.
"I will throw you down the stairs," said Leila.

After close to FIFTEEN MINUTES of stairs and bridges, we finally reached the Planetarium. Whee~

The first part we saw was really dark, but the rest of the Planetarium is much brighter - so don't be fooled. :) It was really low-ceilinged. I think it really is meant for small children, not twenty-something-year-olds. Our group was aged 20 to 25, so ... hehehe I think the puny little children were giggling at us.

The queue for the telescope (to see outer space) was too long and we had to go off early, so we didn't get a chance to try it. :( Oh well, next time - Leila said she knows the way now, so she'll take me there again! :D HEHE. I LOVE YOU!

There was also a something-like-zero-gravity room, but it was for UNDER-12 years of age only!! T_T How unfair is that. "For children aged 6 to 12". The security guards were laughing so hard when we finally found the place, because I started chatting with them about the supposedly-zero-gravity room, and we went around looking for the elusive attraction. But they were so nice. :)

The whole planetarium was pretty much mostly about astronauts, especially with our "first Malaysian astronaut" and all that hype around him. A lot of films and videos about his space trip, which we couldn't be bothered to watch. :D

There he is! He's the taller one, the one who looks a little bit like Chow Yun Fatt. ;O I don't know if those cardboard figurines were life-size, but if they are .... then he's like, so short. Hahaha. Still taller than me, but not like 6-feet-tall or anything. Maybe Ryan Seacrest-tall. :P

It really did! I was squealing almost the entire time, and Leila and Hamsa had to drag me through it. I couldn't see ANYTHING! It was pitch-black, there was no light for my eyes to adjust to - and all I could do was take lots of photos with the flash switched on so that I would at least be able to see where to put my feet.

Oh yeah. A real thriller for those of you who like to feel that adrenaline rush of the possibility of falling into an abyss pit of no return. :/

*Of course, it was actually really safe - except for the steps at the end - so, y'know. It could be fun. Heh.

I love it when particular letters get peeled off signs. Hahahahah.

Our least favourite weight = WEIGHT ON EARTH.

It was only RM2 added to our RM1 tickets to see the movie. Only 30 mins, so I'd recommend it to you if you're going to the Planetarium. :) The film we watched was "THREATS FROM SPACE". HAHAHAHA. About meteors and all that stuff. Pretty pictures, big and life-sized.

Apparently our world could end in 2029 because some big rock is flying in our direction. :( I'll only be 41 years old then ... mannnn, that's way too soon! I hope the scientists figure out a way to save the world before then! Hehe.

After the movie, we had to call it a day at the Planetarium because Hamsa needed to meet her friend and classmate at KL Central for lunch. Leila and I were starving anyway, so we braved the stairs again - and while the security guard said KL Central was FIVE MINUTES WALK AWAY, it so freaking was NOT - and Hamsa insisted we take a taxi the rest of the way. It was a FIFTEEN MINUTE DRIVE. Hahahahha. With traffic, of course.

I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to expand my circle of friends outside Malaysian nationality - I get to experience such an interesting cultural exchange and eye-opener every time I talk to Leila, Hamsa, etc.. :) And they have the best sense of humour! :D Our table was the noisiest, hands down.

After lunch, Hamsa and Amy had to go to class (they are Masters students at TCPJ School of Hospitality and Tourism) - so Leila and I loitered around KL Central for a little while. Leila said she feels really suspicious about the place because people there have looks that creep her out. HAHAHA. I thought everybody was really interesting there - like the sort of place I would want to sit in and collect inspirations for great novels or something - but nevertheless, after Leila told me that, I gripped my bag a little tighter. Heehee.

The last photos before hopping on to the LRT - I'm always of the opinion that there should be LRTs everywhere - and we were off to KLCC! :)

*Continued in post below*

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One other thing, I have to remember this day - this day is the day I received my offer letter from:

Yay!! :)

So, I'll probably be taking the Bachelor of Arts degree at the Sunway campus, starting July! :D

KL Exploration 2.0 : Petrosains, KLCC

Once we got to KLCC and strolled around looking for "entertainment" - this is our "budaya melepak" at its mildest! HAHA - we remembered Petrosains, the Petrosains that I had been meaning to go to for weeks! :)

Got to the highest floor (in the cramped elevator - where my camera-wielding hand snaked its way to the centre of the lift to get a self-shot of Leila and I, and the old man in front of me was so startled, HAHAHA) and ....... realised that it was a Saturday, and there were so many people there! And NOT just schoolchildren/kindergarteners - families, teenagers, old people, bored adults, university students ...... it truly is "suitable for all ages". :)

But it was full, so we had to get our tickets and wait for the 3.30pm time slot. And Petrosains closes at 6.30pm on Saturdays. :( But anyway! It actually costs RM12 for adults (ie. anyone aged 18 and above), but students are given a 20% discount - with evidence of a student card. I brought mine - but Leila "forgot" hers (even after I specifically told her the day before! haha) - but the dude behind the counter was really nice, and decided to give me both tickets at a discounted rate. :) The usual "bagi chance" niceness la. This is the beauty of Malaysia, after all. :D

Leila's feet were killing her - this can be blamed on the Batu Caves stairwell leading up to the Planetarium - so we looked for a place to sit. All available seats in Kinokuniya was blessedly full, so we went to a cafe next to Petrosains instead. :) I got the Mocha Crunch, which looked 5 stars out of 5 delicious, but only tasted 4 stars out of 5. But I give 6 out of 5 for service. :D

3.30pm arrived, so we went to Petrosains ... and golly, the queue was like one of those Disneyland queues! :/ If I had anything to complain about Petrosains, it would be the queueing. My worst-feared sign throughout the day would definitely have to be "20 minutes waiting time from this point"!

I mean, the Petrosains queue problem was solely because to enter the themepark, you have to take a ride in a little black ball that seats only 5 adults - and it moves at a GLACIAL PACE, honestly. By the end of the day, I literally wanted to climb out of the ball and start walking on the railway track. Anyway, because of the black ball, people can only enter Petrosains 5 at a time. Why not make the black ball (which is officially called "The Dark Ride" or "Perjalanan Sekilas Masa", which isn't even an accurate translation but that's what they call it) one of the attractions INSIDE Petrosains, like the helicopter simulation, earthquake bench, or hurricance simulation?

Anywayy, FORTUNATELY, young girls/women equipped with cameras and friends can never be bored - so we made the most of the situation:

And we also made faces played with the cutest baby in the world! :) He was really friendly too, although at first he looked rather alarmed at our odd behaviour, but I think he warmed up eventually. SO CUTE.

The "Dark Ride" was pretty cool - especially the twirling and tilting, and sometimes I even got the impression that it was going to tip over and we would fall out. Hahahaha! No photos were allowed, and the whole black ball was plastered with surveillance equipment to keep shutterbugs like me in line. :P

It was a slow but short ride, and we were in Petrosains! I felt like Harry Potter walking into Diagon Alley for the first time, there were just SO MANY THINGS to see and play with! Hahahah! The volunteers are also really helpful - I guess they must have been trained to work with children ;) - and one of them helped us take a photo. She didn't get a picture when the full wayang kulit was on the screen - the original picture was like a tiny eagle in the background only, which doesn't at all tell you what a "wayang kulit" is, if you don't know (Leila didn't know either) - so I've photoshopped in the scene from another photo I took. :) Sorry for the bad graphics though, but you get an idea now of the "Wayang Kulit", right? :D It's like a manipulation of light and shadows to make a film.

Below are some of the highlights of our time at Petrosains! :)

One of the most exhilarating parts of Petrosains was the chute. Oh my goodness, if you go there, you have to try this! OKOK I know this must be like "kacang putih" for those of you who go on rollercoasters, bungee-jumping, etc - but for people like me who do none of those things, this was already a huge thrill! We slip our legs into potato sacks, and propel ourselves down the chute.

I didn't MEAN to, but the screaming just escaped my lips when I found myself whoooooshing down and round!! HAHAHAHA it felt like a very, very long ride down - and when I finally emerged at the end, Leila was laughing and asking me why in the world I was screaming like that. But it was so funnyyy!! :)

Another popular attraction was the "Helicopter Ride". Petrosains was cool in that they tried to make it feel as real as possible, what with having to get your "boarding passes" and "check in", etc. Hahaha. But it was just like watching a movie with surround sound and gusts of wind, and a shaking, jolting room. And half of my seat-belt was missing! So Leila was like "Haha, you are going to die" - and I was frantically grappling for it, squealing at the volunteer that I can't find my seat-belt - and he tried to look for it, couldn't find it either - and just said, "Actually you don't wear also never mind" - so everyone in the helicopter took theirs off! HAHAHA.

Anyway - I survived. :)

One of the coolest attractions was definitely, hands-down the electricity conductor. I thought I'd feel something, anything - a buzz, a jolt - but I felt nothing, even though my body was working as a conductor from the "lightning bolts" to the fluorescent lamp - which I lit up, with a single touch! HAHAHAHA. I felt like one of the X-Men. I also asked if they have one of those things where you put both hands on it and your hair stands up, but Petrosains doesn't have it yet. :(

Another fun attraction was the Hurricane simulation. Leila and I got into a booth that resembled one of London's famous red telephone booths, and the volunteer closed the door behind us. It was totally see-through, so a gaggle of people were watching in amusement. Then the "hurricane" begun. Rising from 0kmph to nearly 200kmph, at first it was "oh, this is nothing" to "OH MY GAWD LOOK AT OUR HAIR!" and after a few minutes, we came out looking distinctly disshevelled, feeling very giddy, and laughing very hard. And a whole queue of people had formed to try it too, probably because of the noise we had made. Hahahah!

Leila liked the mirrors thing, it was supposed to be an illusion of some sort - like count your reflections or something. I didn't get it. Hahahaha. But I liked the photos. :D

Leila and I both adored this one! It's a body-heat thing, so the picture shows which parts are hotter and which parts cooler - white/red is obviously the hottest, blue/black the coldest. Leila and I were laughing so much at her glasses. You can click on the photo above to get a close-up and the information. :)

This was like Standard 4 Science class all over again! You know ... the bigger the beads, the faster the oil flows down ... And I like the "chicken pox" shot I took of Leila - I asked her to stand behind the display, and laughed, "Hey it looks like you have chicken pox HAHAHA" - and we laughed even harder when a couple of small children around us echoed, "Chicken pox ... chicken pox ... chicken pox ..."

Petrosains was making their effort in educating us about the importance of wearing a seat belt. :) I think everyone knows the dangers involved in taking that risk, but they just think nothing will ever happen to them. Tsk tsk. You know who you are! ;P

And the photo of me on the right - I was doing a rainbow hands thing. There were a lot of games in Petrosains that involved light. :) I think we played them all.

This wasn't much. The picture of me on the left was when we went into Petronas' employees "fake-quarters" at a pretend-oil bunker. They truly live the simple life, man. Hehe. And the picture of Leila is quite cool, with the big-ass racing car behind her. :D

Loook! We were Princess Jasmine for 30 seconds each, waiting for Aladdin to come flying up on his magic carpet! :D The clouds were so, so, SO beautiful.

I reckon I was a pretty good goalkeeper. :D More saves than goals whaat. This was so fun!! You can see me on the left and Leila on the right, keeping the balls away. :D Hahaha! Can audition for national football team already.

Petrosains was really an incredible experience - I highly recommend it! :)

*Note: Will post up entry for KL Exploration 1.0: Planetarium another time. :D

my idol and my city

DAVID ROLAND COOK!!!

I love youuu! :D

My living room was literally filled with screams of surprise and delight when the new American Idol was crowned at a little past 10am this morning. Tears were literally streaming down my cheeks as they rolled down DC's, because he just looked SO HAPPY - and happiness, like laughter, is infectious! :D

Don't get me wrong - I adore David Archuleta, but David Cook is just so much more exciting and interesting and versatile. It also helps that Cook is sexy as hell, with the Daughtry-ish appeal to him.

AH! Such a wonderful AI Season 7. Here's to hoping that Season 8 will be even better!! :)

On other news, Leila and I went to KLCC today -whee! I toyed with the idea of going to check out Petrosains, but then as the day progressed, I decided to pursue greener pastures - literally. :D Leila, Chrishandra, and I spent the day skipping around the gorgeous scenery, taking endless photos on 2 cameras and laughing our bottoms off. We went to The Apartment for a business meeting Leila had, Chilli's for lunch with Chris and Leila, "The Sprawling Meadows", Kinokuniya, and Dome with Chris, Leila and Chris' sister, Chris. :)

IT WAS FUN!! We laughed so much until I got a toothache and Leila got a headache and Chris' sister (the litigator hehee) was dragged back into a second childhood witnessing our hysterical antics in Dome.

Got back at about 8pm tonight, and now I'm emailing photos from my camera to Leila and Chris. :) It's taking aeons, and I have to upload them one by one 'cause for some horrid reason the zipped folder I tried to send kept failing. :( Hahaha. But I'm free now, so no problem la. :)

When I got back, Vanessa and her very interesting friend Jimmy dropped by my place to borrow DVDs. :D They borrowed Hot Chicks and - err - I don't remember what was the other one. :) Hehe they didn't know I took a photo of them, so I'm guessing Vanessa will be hollering in the tagboard (see left side of webpage) when she sees this. :D I think it's a cute pic though!!

So this weekend Leila, Hamsa and I are going to go to the Planetarium, National Museum, and the pretty gardens near those places! :D :D :D

How I love being a tourist in my own country!

Note: I got to go to the book warehouse today for like 10 minutes, and purchased what may be my last book from there before the whole thing closes in July (T_T) - Dorling-Kindersley Travel Guides' German Phrase Book! Woohoo! :D I've always wanted to get it (already got the French one) but have been telling myself "no" for weeks - but then I was seized with the sudden realisation that the warehouse is CLOSING, and I'll never get a book like that for RM10 any where else. Definitely bringing the little book to Zurich with me. :)

super sized!

I can literally smell the french fries.

But I don't want to eat it anymore! :D

Woooooooh! That's it, I hereby pledge to no longer consume any of the following food items:
1) French fries (biiiiig sacrifice!!)
2) Soda (Coke, Pepsi, etc) (not a big sacrifice, don't really like them anyway)
3) Fast food burgers (this does not include the KFC Zinger Burger.. hehe, not yet anyway)
4) Ice-cream

*And as a tribute to the documentary below, not to order "Large" portions of anything when there's "Small" or "Regular".
*So as not to send myself into panic mode (hahaha) I won't altogether ban KFC "Cheezy Wedges", but maybe I'll limit it to like .... once a month? I wonder what thin people do with tasty treats like them! ;P

I feel so inspired by the movie/documentary "Super Size Me" that I've just watched.
It's about how America has rapidly become a "fast food nation", and the story (non-fiction) is about this guy (Morgan Spurlock) who takes on an experiment: to eat nothing but McDonald's for 1 month! It's incredible... it's inspiring ... and it will pretty much scare the poop out of fast-food eaters.

In the beginning of the movie, I was practically salivating at the McD's he was guzzling down - but by Morgan's Day 3, I was feeling so sick just looking at the food. Hahahahaha. Isn't that just brill! And then I felt so inspired to work out, I remembered what it was like when I spent those 3 (long... hard .... longer-than-eternity) months in 2006 losing 10 kgs - just that this time, I can't think why I would subject myself to eating until I feel sick!

Only thing is that I went a bit too far on the stairs and wound up panting like I had just run a mara-frigging-thon. Also didn't help that I was carrying the 2kg weights... sometimes the weights give you a REALLY good idea of what every extra kilogram feels like!

I think I'll do an experiment of my own, see what life WITHOUT McD's for 1 month is like. :)

OH AND YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE MOVIE FOR FREE (AND it's perfectly legal) :D
http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=98

On a final note - American Idol finalists are "THE DAVIDS", like I had hoped for! :D
Who will win?

Will it be David Cook, the talented, sexy rocker?

Or will it be the high school sweetheart with the predictable but predictably pleasant voice, David Archuleta?

the iron(y) of man

I adore Robert Downey Jr., a.k.a Tony Stark the "Iron Man".

Hohoho! Caught the movie last night with one of my best friends, munching loudly on caramel popcorn (which is, come on, one of the main reasons for going to the cinema!) and enjoying the GSC atmosphere. The old dude sitting next to me was laughing so hard at all the right times, which was really fun because laughter is infectious. :D I can't stand it when nobody laughs at the funny bits!!

During the day (before going to 1U), An came over and hung out at my place (and Atria). :D We did the usual - movies, chitchat, played with the family dog and rabbit, she proudly showed me a computer programme she made for her schoolwork - it's the computer software version of "Mastermind" - and then I dug out my "Mastermind" game from the cupboard, and we started playing it. :D Then that led to us digging up more of my old board games and playing all of them (except Monopoly, haha). Hahahahha it was like reliving a second childhood. Luckily I couldn't find my barbie dolls.

Kidding. Kidding!

Then we went shopping ....... at Atria. Hahaha. The best places to go are the places you can walk to, after all!

PS: Sorry folks, Blogger seems to be having some technical problems and I can't upload pictures right now. :( Ah, well, save it for later, shall we! Have a good week and Wesak Day, everbody!! :)

The Final Three

Eurgh. The previous post ended with such a bummer, I couldn't bear to leave my happy-sunny-blog finishing that way. ;P

The following is the best, most-unworrisome way possible I could think of to lighten the mood:

WHO WILL WIN AMERICAN IDOL 2008?

[Picture from http://www.deseretnews.com/photos/midres/5357975.jpg]

Top, L-R: Michael Johns, Brooke White, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson.

Bottom, L-R: Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, David Cook.

At the very beginning of the season, I named in this blog my 3 favourites: Michael Johns, Brooke White, and David Archuleta. While all 3 of them made it into the top 8, unfortunately, Michael and Brooke have been given the boot. The season is now drawing excitedly close to its finale, with the top 3 already lined up: David Archuleta, David Cook, and Syesha Mercado.

If you're a fan of the show, who are you rooting for? :) I'm rooting for the Davids. Syesha's a good singer and performer, but she's not my favourite to win. I used to like Archuleta a lot and was dead set on wanting him to win (after Michael Johns got kicked out *sniffs sadly*), but then I started to see how incredibly talented David Cook was!

So now I'm just hoping for "the Davids" to get into the Final Two, and then it'll be a bleedin' nice show to watch! :D

The sun rises in the East, baby animals are cute, and life's a ball.

I actually have nothing to blog about, but I've come online to check my e-mail - so I'll just spend fifteen minutes here. :) Yup, this is what the terminologists of the modern world call "no-life". I, however, would prefer you to see this as "an exercise in time management skills".

Hahahaha. But anyway -

Today, let's talk about the facts of life.

Babies have high foreheads and large eyes that take up an extraordinary proportion of the face, because they have to be extra-appealing and adorable to grown-ups. Why? Because they're actually pretty much helpless. Very vulnerable. They need adults to help them.

How do you say "No" to a face like this one?

You'll also notice that grown-ups who have that classic "baby face" tend to get people to help them easily, too. Studies have also shown that society favours the stereotypical "good" physical characteristics: fair skin as opposed to dark skin, tall as opposed to short, thin as opposed to fat, slim as opposed to skinny, athletic as opposed to couch potato, clear complexion as opposed to un-clear skin ...

I think the list is not exhaustive. We're a bunch of stereotypical hypocrites, and we know it. :D

The same favour goes for baby animals.

Ohmaigawd. So cute la.

Every time I look at Troy, I see a puppy when in fact, he's like Dumbledore-old in dog years.

Oh, and I really want to go to Zoo Negara la ... I haven't been there since I was in the single-digit ages! And the Planetarium ... and Petrosains or something ... But I don't think any of my friends would want to go, I can already hear their answers: "Aiyo so hot la, want to go zoo somemore ..." and "Can we go to 1-Utama instead?"

:/

I Googled and found 72 locations on the Petrosains website (http://visit-to-kl.com/visit/petrosains.html - see center-right of page, under "Kuala Lumpur Attractions"), a lot of which I would love to visit! Nearly 20 years I've lived in this country and I've only ever been to, like, less than 5 of those places. Shame on me.

I hope to go with Leila, Vanessa, An Nie, Tse Mun, Denise, Carmen, Cheryl, or another one of my best mates! But I think De, Carmeny, Tse Munny won't be inclined to go, if I know them as well as I think I do. :P

Let's make an experiment of this, hehe. See who will respond to this blog entry.

I know, I know. "No life", you just laughed.

This is the point when I wish I had that "baby face" that my friends cannot say "No" to! :(

* * *

*Edit (11.59pm) : Hmm ... I saw an old friend's blog just now, and she was also close to quitting the programme she is doing - but she didn't. A lot of people (especially university students) come to face a stumbling block that makes them want to give up, but very rarely do they surrender to the path of just giving up. But see ... that's what I did. I gave up. I've come to accept the fact that I did not complete law school, but it's difficult to accept that I just gave up. I can't remember ever giving up on anything before this. It's difficult to accept the build-up of little things that led to my withdrawal from the programme, because it's just seems so incredibly stupid. And yet, I still don't wish to continue law school. Maybe one day I will again pursure that Bachelor of Laws, but right now, I'm looking forward to a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Mass Communication. Is it wrong to think that way? Is it foolish, is it utterly irresponsible and incomprehensible? :(

At times I feel relieved and thankful to be out of the hellhole that is law school. At other times I feel terrified that I'm jumping from the frying pan into the fire. And in the times that did not fall neatly into either two aforementioned categories, I feel angry that I had to overcomplicate everything. The path was such a simple, straightforward one. Finish SPM, take SAM, get into law school, finish it and get that degree. Then do whatever you want - take another degree in journalism, pursue a Masters, take the BVC/CLP, or get a job. I was halfway into the law school bit, and then I fumbled and the whole freaking path flew right out of my hands.

Why am I doing this? Why am I still continuing to stray from that blessed path, when I know law school is the best way to achieve whatever hopes and dreams I may have? Whether I want to be a broadcast journalist, newsreader, editor, etc - a law degree would have helped me achieve that. Unfortunately, no-one can answer that wretched "Why" question but me - and I don't know the answer. Or maybe deep down inside I do, but just can't bring myself to face the idiocy of it.

But maybe, with a bit of luck, things will pan out okay. I think I'd better just take this one step at a time. Take a break from law school, get a BoA or B. of Mass Comm - then think about the next step.

I wonder if there are other people out there who are going through the same thing. If there are, we should form a support group, and call it LSDA: Law School Dropouts Anonymous. Hahaha.

So, define steamy.

Ho-hum.

Uncomfortably warm days, largely thanks to the wretched phenomena we call global warming (see movie: "An Inconvenient Truth") makes for lousy moods. :( I don't know the English word for the Cantonese word "sien" - but this kind of weather makes everybody feel very "sien".

I had lunch with several members of my extended family today at Yuen's Restaurant for steamboat. Ok-ok lah. The food was so-so - I'm not a big steamboat fan, but for those of you who like steamboat, you'll probably like it there. :) It was quite nice to see my relatives from Japan - the one non-Chinese-Malaysian bit in the family tree! I guess today's lunch was a family gathering to welcome them to Malaysia and also to celebrate Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day, mothers. :P Hahaha. Although I highly doubt any mothers read my blog.

Last night I watched "Along Pty Ltd", the movie that An Nie transferred to my comp. :) Thanks, An. It was hilarious! Hahaha. My parents liked it very much. I won't spoil the story for those of you who haven't watched it yet - but I recommend it! :D Especially if you liked other Jack Neo movies like "I Not Stupid" and "I Not Stupid 2". Genius lah that guy! Haha.

Other movies which are pretty enjoyable - since a lot of you will have summer holidays coming up! :) - would be Vantage Point and National Treasure 2. Ya haha I know they've been out for a while now, but I only just managed to watch 'em. National Treasure 2 was really, really superb. :D When I was younger, I liked Nicholas Cage a lot - I think he looked younger then, too, ahahaha - and then when I got older (as did he), I didn't so much - but now I do again, because he was just SO GOOD in that movie! :D

Same goes for Bruce Willis. He was pretty good in Lucky Number Slevin also. But my favourite Bruce Willis movie is definitely, hands-down, no-doubt ... Hudson Hawk! Woohoo! :D It's quite an old movie, but if you haven't already watched it - you absolutely must! :)

Now I feel so annoyed that Blogger is still having problems - I can't upload photos, can't even change the sodding font size. >:(

Maybe the website is also feeling "sien" from this hot weather.

Are you Swissing me?

Do bear with the title - I do love puns and cliches. :P

As a matter of fact - the very first "public" criticism I received upon publication of a couple of articles, when I was about 15, was that my articles were based too much on cliches. It was excellent criticism, and I learnt from that to go all out in being "original" i.e. come up with your own, previously unpublished, cliches. Hahahaha. Only joking.

But anyway, this trip to Switzerland couldn't have come at a better time. Now my mind's rather more open - well, at least, I'm trying to make it more open - and I'm all gung-ho in immersing myself in as much of the way of the Swiss as I possibly can. :D

For starters, I want to communicate with the locals better. Imagine my disappointment in discovering that Switzerland isn't technically an English-speaking country! :( And knowing full well that I can't expect to "communicate with the locals" in the beloved Bahasa Melayu or my poorly-formed, angmoh-accented Cantonese ... I turned to the power of Google.

Did you know that Switzerland has FOUR national languages? Yeah - not one, not two, not three - FOUR! German, French, Italian, and Rumantsch - I don't know any bits of the first three except "Paris", "pizza", and as for the fourth - what is "Rumantsch"?? If you're interested to know a little bit more, click here:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Switzerland/Languages-in-Switzerland/223.

That particular website also states that German is the main language, so I guess I should just pick one and try my luck. :) I've always loved language - whether familiar or foreign - so the Mandarin DIY-lessons and now Swiss-German can't be too bad.

I'm headed to Zurich, which - again according to the site - is the largest city in Switzerland, with a population of 360,000. Man, I'm such an ignorant ditz - I used to think Zurich was in New Zealand or the Netherlands! Ah, well - what good is life if I knew everything already, right? :)

Whoops hey I gotta go - I'm seeing double vision from playing Space Strike for 2 hours, hahaha. Will continue the lessons another time!! Bye!:)

darlings of equity

What an interesting day. :)

So today I went to TCSJ - had an appointment with my Personal Tutor, he wanted to write me a testimonial - and got to see some of my friends from law school. Their - previously "our" - Equity & Trusts Law exam was today, so understandably some people were panicking and whimpering and sweating in trying to do some last-minute cramming information digestion - while others were cool and calm.

L-R: C and FJ. My law school BFFs. *sniffs tearfully* Oh, and that's my Judicature Acts essay that FJ photostatted last year. :)

Then after the exam, I received news that ironically, there was no Maxims of Equity question this year! You see, that particular area is tested every year - without fail - and if I were to have sat for the exam, I would have been banking on that part for 25% of the marks. But it didn't sodding come out! It can only be a divine sign that I wasn't meant to have sat for that exam. :)

My friend Shaun says it's no excuse ... but maybe he's just not a "believer". :P

Another subject of interest to note is the amount of speculation I seem to have caused in my tiny law class. Hahaha. I guess it's a fun way for my classmates to take their mind off the exams.


Anyway, I also chopped off my locks in the afternoon. Haha. I got a haircut la. At my favourite little 15-ringgit shop in Atria. It was also an opportunity to scrounge around for rarities in the book warehouse - carpe diem, eh? But I didn't buy anything today - "The Eight" and "Livestrong" were my latest purchases from almost 2 weeks ago.

The barber hairstylist got a little scissors-happy, I think, and next thing I knew, there was way too much of my hair on the floor. I don't think my hair has ever been as short as it is now! At one point I asked her: "Er... how long is there some more at the back?" But now I'm thrilled at the end result, my head's so much lighter from the layering - this is probably the best time to experiment with my hair, after all - and I'm not too worried, because hair grows back. :)

Oh and the hair was rather in my eyes, so Mum pulled a hairband thingamajig over my head! Golly, I haven't worn those things since I was six - whadya think? :)

Save the laughter for the comedy clubs k.

a matter of construction

The poet, Thomas Macaulay, said these words - which I believe ring true - "Perhaps no person can be a poet, or even enjoy poetry, without a certain unsoundness of mind".

The thing about language is that language is made up of words. You can't actually hold words in your hand and toss it around to weigh each one. Words are alive - living, breathing creatures that change and grow to encompass the great expansion of life and civilization as we understand it. So, the language we speak - the words we use - is it really anything more than a matter of construction?

If you're familiar with the old British comedy series "Yes Prime Minister", you'll have heard of the term "irregular verb". For example, "I am eccentric, you are an individual, and he is around the twist." I think they're hilarious! It just goes to prove my point that words are a matter of construction.

Ah. Well, anyway - to stray away from the potpouri of relatively abstract musings in my head, I attended my very first neighbourhood committee meeting on Saturday. It was at a neighbour's house, and lasted from late afternoon until night had fallen - it took longer than anyone expected, I think. And mostly because there was just so much to debate about, and so much to discuss.

Safety was really the topic of discussion. With the rising crime rate, especially in our own backyards, how can we isolate ourselves from this any longer? The "It-Won't-Happen-To-Me" mentality is just another form of living in denial. It could happen to anyone! And it has happened - to neighbours, family members, friends, colleagues, schoolmates - it has been growing so rampant, and the police can only do so much.

We have to take action. We have to keep an eye out for suspicious characters and look out for our neighbours. We have to stop being so selfish and cowardly and for goodness' sake, REPORT suspicious behaviour to the police, or your local security.

So many issues came up at the meeting - among those present, besides concerned residents, were the President and Vice President of our neighbourhood resident owners' association. One of the most disappointing stories he shared with us was that there were literally people who saw break-ins or robberies happening, saw the criminals - but did nothing, simply stayed in their houses and came outside only after the criminals left, loudly proclaiming that they saw everything.

The question was - why didn't they CALL the police or the security guards?

It is understandable that one may think if you ignore something, it will just go away. But your house could be next, or the house of your loved ones - call the police/security, the criminals will get caught, and they'll be put away!

Grr. Some people are just so incredibly frustrating!

Anyway, now that I've got a bit of spare time on my hands, I'm definitely going to take up an active role in the neighbourhood safety measures. It turns out there's a huge lack of manpower from the youth - the committees are always made up of retirees and housewives. They need people who know how to use computers and have the energy to get stuff done quicker.

I deeply hope that the state government will implement the Rukun Tetangga system again, but even if they don't, you - we - can still do whatever we can to help!

what are BFFs for?

What are your best friends for, if not to cheer you up when there's a dark cloud over your head... if not to stand by you, even when you may be going down the wrong road?

Quick update: An Nie came over on Tuesday, and I hung out with Tse Mun on Wednesday. :)

I don't have pictures of An at the mo, she hasn't emailed them yet.

I think I look reasonably happy. :)

Thanks, you two.

And thank you, to the countless people who keep calling/smsing/Facebook-messaging me. I truly appreciate your concern! And to my friends from law school, I hope we'll keep in touch - and good luck for your exams! I heard Land Law was a murderous paper, but don't let it get to you! :) Take care, everyone.