Life, the Universe and Everything

Is Away till ...

2010-01-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

Firstly, blogger apologises for the long, tectonic plate shifting like pace of an update. And that that it will be a time when another continent forms that another post would appear, for he has decided to go on a trip.

He as smart as the dolphines, has decided to leave earth before it gets destroyed/implode on itself/spawn a godzilla-like monster and would just like to say: So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Indeed now the blogger has taken up a staple diet of canned tuna (yummm) , beans, fruits, and more (well actually not that much more), and embark on an ambitious, not so well thought out and somtimes reckless attempt to travel from the shire of Herts, England to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and to be exact - Taman Melawati, home to the National Zoo of Malaysia. As a legendary footballer in Theirry Henry once said: ¨You´ll always go back to where you come from.¨ And hence the blogger will embark on his pilgrimage back home to cage #34 in the reptiles section.

You may find Chronicles of the Journey: The American, The Malaysian and the Badass Doll at

twothumbsout.wordpress.com

So, if you see an American and a Malaysian with their thumbs out by the side of the road/at the gas station/in the woods/ON A BOAT/at the edge of the world,

Please don´t run them over/rob them/stab, shoot, punch them/throw them off the BOAT/shove them off the edge of the world/hunt them down with pitch forks.

But

Please pull over (yes, you lot who have cars, vans, trucks, planes, boat, Millenium Falcon, Starship Enterprise) and give them a lift! (We don´t stink, unless you consider the smoked bacon smell to be foul)

Till next time folks.

12 Hours, 7 rides, 2 “Geezers” and 1 Experience of a lifetime.

2009-10-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Taken from my journal::

8/8/2009

The morning after a late birthday party for Bell and Andriy, Drew woke me up at 1030am. "How does he sleep so late and get up so energetic!?" was all i could think as i muttered a response to the plans for the day and resumed my horizontal meditation for another 30minutes.

Having packed food for the both of us, we left around noon into the brilliant weather upon us today. As we got along the road heading to St Albans beyond the De Havilland Campus, I felt compelled to submit the fay into God's hands and prayed a silent prayer. Thanking Him for the great day and how circumstances had lead to this, trusting that He would take care of the rest of the day. I set my expectations at "We're not getting out of Hatfield" as Drew didn't get a ride out for 3 hours the day before what more with me tagging aong. Still I was confident that we would have a great day even if it meant staying in Hatfield.

As we walked along the road, annoyed by the existence of bus stops and the efficient coverage of the British public transportation network, we walked past a school field and noticed a car boot sale going on and decided to check it out, perhaps striking a conversation with the people there could get us a ride to St. Albans. Many were packing to go off and Drew tried to ask a couple of people driving off while I tried my very best not to look like an idiot in the background.

One guy pulled up as Drew asked him where he was headed. With a line of cars behind him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he just drove off but he pulled to the side and eventually agreed to give us a lift to St. Albans. Drew looked at me with the “See? What did I tell ya?” look as I stared blankly at him. I wonder how I must have looked to him then. Probably a cross between a donkey that’ve just realised that he’s a stallion all this while and a half-flat rabbit road kill. Or something like that. (Drew insists on the latter when I read it to him)

Tuan has the privilege of being the first ride of my hitchhiking career. (Well, that’s what she said as well...) He is of mix parentage being half Malaysian and from Sri-Lanka. Excited by that fact, we conversed in broken Malay. He managed a sell out as we could see in the empty folded cardboard boxes and the tone of satisfaction in his voice. Sure, I would buy all the T-shirts and polo-Ts off him too at a price of 1-2 pounds each. I felt bad for lyig to him when he asked why we were heading to oxford to which I replied “to see a friend.” Drew shared later as we were dropped off at St Albans railway station that being truthful eventually was better for him when hitching for a ride.

We walked to the edge of St Albans past the park and were welcomed with the sight of the plains and sheep in a distance. We proceeded down the road, stopping to eat some wild blackberries on the road side when another car pulled over. The couple on the way back to Hemel Hempstead from the Saturday markets took us to South of Hemel. Once there, we made our way to a intersection and asked a couple of drivers pulling up at the lights (well not me, I looked like donkey-stallion-rabbit road kill.) A guy in a van pulled up and Drew went over to ask him. Next thing you know we were leaping over the fence, rushing into the van before the lights turned green. Turns out the guy just got off work painting and called his mate shortly into the ride to announce that he was giving two “geezers” a lift to get along the A41 before he turned off.

Having enough of being a donkey-stallion-rabbit-roa

dkill, and the conditions felt right, I decided to push for the lead though I didn’t announce it. We were chatting when I turned to see a SUV coming around the round-a-about. I instinctively gestured without second thought and was surprised when it did pull over, getting onto the curb. Maybe they wanted to run me over but missed, who knows? Drew turned to me and told me to take the lead. “Erm, me and my buddy are heading to Oxford, is it possible for you to give us a lift along the way?” I was nervous, when they replied that they could take us to Aylesbury (to which it sounded like “ayekljfygkkjwej” when I nervous) I just said okay and hopped on without much thought as to where it was and if it was on route to Oxford, I was just glad they actually gave us a lift and that’s all it mattered to me at that moment.

The twins described themselves as limeys and gave a little background as to how the term came about as we chatted about names other different people would be called. Drew was labelled a redneck while there was not much to be said about the Asian dude. What can you say? I suppose we all look alike hence... As we talked about limeys, rednecks and country people they announced that although they were from the country land of the UK, they are in fact not married. We were dropped off at a parking lot in central Aylesbury where we stopped for lunch at the park around the corner. After more blackberries for dessert at the side of the road, we walked a good way out of down upon deciding to take the back roads over the motorway. An hour or two and a couple of fingers at us while we were debating over whether those that gave us the thumbs up were encouraging or mocking us until someone interrupted us with two fingers as to which we had to agree was mockery. We pondered about what went on the minds of those who choose to mock us and what compelled them to do what they did as we made our way further out along the road. I guess the fact they didn’t have to face us or deal with us played a significant factor. Sort of like how some if not many who would be bold enough to start flame wars on the internet knowing they won’t see the other person, so were the people flipping us off knowing that there is little likelihood of meeting us again after those 2 seconds. That is of course unless Drew decides to break their windshield with a rock and they have to stop and deal with us and Drew would simply stab them and rip out their hearts before decapitating them and finally punching them, of which only one is true.

As we chatted at the round-a-bout near a railway station outside Aylesbury, a car went around and did not exit the round-a-about leaving two choices, a U-turn back the way they came from or for us. “a glimmer of hope, come on!!” I yelled as we waited in anticipation. Tim and Michelle didn’t plan on going to Oxford but were willing to take us north of it. They told us about their daughter who is also travelling hence their empathy towards us. The journey was filled with stories of travel and descriptions of our favourite places that we have visited thus far. Tim and Michelle were also kind enough to point us to a few places of interest in Oxford, and they eventually went out of their way to drop us right in front of a pub called “Eagle and Child” in Oxford where Tolkien (Author of Lord of the Rings) used to drink at.

We got around oxford and soaked in the sights and sound, but I can’t help but feel that I’ve enjoyed the journey more than the destination and Oxford just provided an end for the means. (Cambridge we agreed, is a better place- Lukas would be delighted to hear that) It was rumoured that Hitler loved Oxford so much he didn’t bomb it and if he had conquered England, he would have made Oxford the capital city. Well, perhaps there was not as much of an intellectual threat as say Cambridge? (I’m going to stop before I start a war here.) Drew and I made some video recordings and talked about how we could travel on a boat around (very likely induced by the song by The Lonely Island). We walked for quite a bit more after walking in circles towards the edge of town heading east as we were quite far in town to hitch back. Having no luck so far, we headed to the gas station where the second person Drew asked had a smirk on his faced and asked if we were hitchhikers. I decided that telling him we were wanted serial killers on the loose posing as hitchhikers would be an ill-timed joke.

Eric from Slovakia was kind enough to drop us at London where he was headed to meet some friends for BBQ. He lived in Oxford for 8 years and has quite a cool, important but unfortunately underpaid job as a systems technician responsible for regulating the environment in the labs. There was a sense of pride in his worked as he described his role in the significant research in the labs for vaccines and cures for diseases. We really lucked out on this one ride all the way to London.

Coming off at Hendon railway Station, we walked a fair bit to the first gas station and walked on when we couldn’t get a ride. Upon arriving to another gas station, we asked one guy who declined and was pulling away only to stop and reversed to honk as us while Drew was asking another person. I went over and he motioned us to get in. James “Spike” Milligan is a police officer and wanted to take us downtown because an American and an Asian guy hitchhiking were just too dodgy. Fortunately for us he was off duty and I just made that all up anyway. He was planning to go the States with his mate and travel around in a caravan and looks to trade police hats with the local police forces. He had told us not to walk further down from the gas station when he declined us earlier as we were about to enter the dodgy areas he often patrols. Turns out Drew’s accent were one of the factors that changed his mind. It was really cool to hitch as ride with a police officer and not have to go to a lockup. He even sent us right to the doorsteps of the house, which was really awesome. Spike, thanks very much dude and I hope you have a blast in the States next April with your mate.
This has been an amazing experience for me and I thank God for the circumstances that had lead to this. I hope I will always remember this feeling of boldness, that conquering the world wouldn’t seem impossible now.

12 Hours, 7 rides, 2 “Geezers” and 1 Experience of a lifetime.

Jonathan’s Journal- 11/8/09

conversations with the wall

2009-05-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well it seems like the end of the road for university/college/school life, and now we step into the great unknown called...

adulthood 0__0;;

.....

I'd try to make the post a little more dramatic, more intellectual, more thought inspiring, but i reckon i'd fail miserably..

i don't know what to say,

then again, what do you have to say, to the wall.

I guess the purpose of my post is a shout into the world that i'm still here, still alive, still kickin (okay, mayb not kicking so well) I don't think i'm the type that posts what i feel, what i think here (but saying that had just proves otherwise didn't it ? =/ )

I'd rather share my thoughts in person.

So why not take a walk with me ? =)

one shudders at the thought of dragging the wall around with you for a walk...

For my sis who wants to see my nerd-sih cough you mean intelligent glasses look.

2009-05-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

You can't say "nerd" at the 3 intelligent and good looking young men at Cambridge. Of the 3 only 2 is really intelligent tho, 1 merely "looks" intelligent >__<

but like this wise man said.

"Judge every book not by the cover, but by the sypnosis/summary/description written AT THE BACK of the book. " - Jonathan Ong Chin Yue, 2009

If you think this looks somewhat familiar, maybe you'll have to refer to below: (scroll down)

Remember, behind every great man there is a lazy useless almost lifeless but yet you still love him anyway dog as their best friend.

Maybe Mason was busy pondering about Life, the Universe and Everything... the cosmos in it's entirety, while mocking humankind's inability to comprehend him and mocks them by barking at them at every opportunity, rolling around and spinning on his butt. Or perhaps it could be an elaborate food dance as a ritual to thank the Gods for the providence of his daily meal.

We finite humanbeings can only speculate...

An update of sorts

2009-04-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Heya folks, just taking some time off (actually took alot of time off to play more like it =P ) for a little update.

exams around the corner, finally i'm able to click into gear (1st gear tho but hey it's a start! ^^; )

during the course of the Easter break i have not cooked at all until couple of days back...

Black pepper chicken with chips and stir fried vege and rice and ...*breathes* .... thats it.

Since i have nothing other than the ingredients for what i've cooked the day before, i made virtually the same thing again the next day. Maybe thats the reason i fell ill.. (perhaps i was a bit too overzealous with the extra black pepper i poured into it on top of the black pepper sauce)

Ps: Arsenal lost 0-1 to Man Utd =( , but thats NOT the reason why i fell sick okayyy =P or could it ?

then the Lord provideth, when all hope since lost when i have no medication (i can't remember where all the paracetamol went =/ ) was already in bed when Zil rang me up on the phone because i msged him on msn before i went to bed. Thankfully he had some medication. God had thought of me, even for the little things.. (well mayb not so little if it was swine flu =P )

Today i woke up knackered and missed all my classes, but i was well by midday , alive and kicking! until evening-ish when i felt dizzy and crashed into bed for another short nap. But still managed to make a gym session later =D

Am much better now, but it's the little things in life we take so much for granted that makes me thank God for. Until this:

I never thought i'd see this day.

cut me some slack, i'm no genius =P (this is directed to the very intelligent, very smart ppl, very disicplined ppl. one of which residing in Cambridge and another in Nottingham XD ) So to get something like this is very very surprising and by the looks of it, in very good timing as well as i look to prepare for the exams.

So from the dark lonely sick night God assured me of His presence and provided me what i needed and took me through the night into the dawn of hope and to be able to enjoy His goodness and grace.

To God be the Glory indeed. =)

Spring...

2009-03-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

I apologise for the long gap devoid of jon jon news. Spring is here and finally i've awoken from my slumber. It was a cold harsh winter, and food was scarce, the rabbits had to dig deep into their burrows and engage in other productive, productive activity.

My milo rations were running low, I had no choice but to go into deep slumber to conserve energy.

anyways,

My phone rang.

It was the police.

They found my bag!

Great.

So i went to pick it up only to find:

The bugger bleached it!

Actually... thats not a bad colour... whatever that is...

In other news, in quick summary (i have to dive back into work)

1) I'm getting short-sighted, and getting an eye test tomorrow... Doctor says i should stop starring things such as blank space, the sun, jupiter, pluto, planet X, the bird perched on the top of petronas twin towers, bacteria, atoms, ions, and so on.. Gee that explains alot now.

2) ...

uh...

mayb the fact im forgetting things as i forgot what i was supposed to write for no.2...

mayb next time then...

Gasp

2009-02-13T16:13:00.000-08:00

....

i need a moment to catch my breath.

What a week, assignments, meetings, work, practice, football .. I was trying to juggle it all walking towards the banana peel of deatttthhhhhhhh.

Then I slipped,

then there was chaos.

Then everything fell into place.

Nice.

Football was great on wednesday. We were up against the team we played last season which we after fighting hard to get back at 2-1, managed to throw away the game at 3-7. This time, we knew better.

So we threw away the game 1st.

End of 1st half, 2-0 down, could have been more, could have been embaressing if the header back to the keeper (which ended up lobbing him) went in for own goal. (would have been funny tho) As usual we were all over the place squabbling during the halftime break.

I came in at 2nd half, playing DM sitting in front of the back four. I wonder what you guys would have reckoned about me in DM lol. Well, what they say about the english game.. well.. it's intense all right, i've never played 35mins of football and felt like it was 90mins plus extra time.

Then the other team figured that they'll return the favour from last season and let in 2 easy goals... like EASY... like... freekick.. keeper got to the grounder... fumbled, ball bobbled into the net... 2nd goal... repeat steps 1 and 2 from open play. Then we went for it... a good cross into the box right into the striker's fore head.. headed in down through the midde just under the crossbar. It was like Arsenal v Man Utd 2-1 at Emirates couple of seasons back with henry scoring the header from an eboue cross. What a moment.

Then it was real hard work, the 10 minutes left felt like forever as they threw everything and the kitchen sink at us. Finally the final whistle after a days hard work, my legs were still trembling.

Wow victory never felt sweeter after all the effort. What a comeback, still it shows the amount of work that needs to be done for the team. Despite the win, we were still generally a mess as a unit, lack threat going forward and then get hit by a simple counter attack from a ball over the top. I think most of the time, individual attributes got us points more than anything last season. This season's 1st game would have had us losing the game again but something was different, more people were prepared to work hard and get stuck in, and there was more team effort, sure we're still some way off, but at least it's a good sign of whatever little progress we can find. I'd take it!

Next up... the team that finished 2nd place last season only missing out at the final league game of the season. We lost to them 5-1, lets see what we can do for that game now.. Come on Diamonds!

Oh btw, my team is Rough Diamonds (*cough* don't ask =P). You can check our league table, fixtures etc on fixtureslive.com

click on leagues/cups under football and then click on "University of Hertfordshire Intra Mural Football" under the student section, then click on "2009" then you'll see the table and the last match day results.

Official kits, merchandise out soon!

well not really.

Feels good to have football again. And i'm glad you talked me out of quitting zil, cheers.

Hon Chien the SnowBringer of Deathhhhh

2009-02-05T03:02:00.000-08:00

As soon as i saw him, i saw dark clouds looming over the sky. Thunder and lightning followed before he spoke:

"Bow to me and Hatfield will be spared of this great plague!"

Trembling, i contemplated the consequences of my following actions.

The Great Equation (From a Marketeers Perspective):
Great plague = Tons of snow + snow fight + snow man + fun + no classes + more fun

So i said:

"No , but i will take your luggage for you instead and you get to bunk in with me for the next couple of days."

He roared , shaking the earth around us raised his arms and said:

"Ok fair enough, take that bag. Make sure you have hot chocolates and broadband internet. I'm still bringing the great plague upon Hatfield though."

*shrugs* "Ok, whatever you say boss."

So despite my best efforts to stop the great evil, my valiant efforts were in vain as immediately snow began to fall, and it came throughout all the day and the night and the day after...

and there was screams of terror, gnashing of teeth, heads were rolling...

... due to snow fights of course! =D

Pictures and videos to be found HERE (As im too laz-*cough* busy to put them all up on the blog, I had to attend to the great SnowBringer of death)

while you were gone...

2009-01-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

So i went out the last couple of days, indulged in alot of good food... so nothing really prepare me for this when i came back...

Seems Mr Snow man was quite busy himself... at this rate, we'll see them breed faster than the rabbits of Hatfield...

Eye of the Storm with a snowman in the middle.

2009-01-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

After a semester.. im pretty fortunate to have a little gap of a little under 2 weeks of no classes before the new semester starts.

And now.. i've finally spring cleaned the room... and did the laundry only to have my maths fail me... laundry closes at 2200 hours.. at a glance i thought it was 11pm.. so now ..all my laundry esp my bed and pillowsheets will be stuck there for the night..

I should be doing certain things too but im just not getting round to it: like reading up more, getting my CV done up, group assignments, gahh..

Instead of doing those... i did this instead:

My fingers almost fell off in the process... and halfway through my friend and i threw ice shavings over ourselves and made snow ball then went to the other room and knocked on the door...

"It's Snowing!! Look!!! " *shows "snow" on hair and shirt and the snowball*

...that didn't work...

Must be pretty sad to end up doing that and all...

maybe it's because suddenly i realise that... for the first time.... like ever... i'm going to miss reunion dinner...

=(

even all "reunion" dinners/lunch here is not going to make up for it... i mean... whats the point of it without the actual "reunion" ?? hmmm... ahh well more excuse to fei-low ship ... gluttony madness tomorrow...

Hello... Goodbye

2009-01-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

This just to say i'm alive and.. not so well..

i've put some things behind me in 2008... some of which literally... they say u lose some and gain some... i've lost 100pounds worth of stuff, gained a virus.. hardly fair trade ... =/

I've been bumming most of my holidays, and now am going to face the oncoming storm of deadlines, books, notes, and... that it i think...

i'll get back once i get to the other side of the storm.

or if i find something amusing to say...

Like how i look like mason each day i don't get a hair cut... actually thats pretty cool... Mason how do you style your hair ?

.. and you know you're crazy when you're talking to your dog... which is thousands of miles away and worse when your hair is starting to look like his...

He looks to the left, looks to the right ..

2008-12-20T14:56:00.001-08:00

=(

feels rather lonely.. isolated for the first time today.. on a saturday which i woke up rather like the game i was playing the night before (great zombie fraggin session andrew and zeal *thumbs up*)... zombified.. then again the zombies in the game ran pretty fast.. faster than i could even run in real life.. hmm how realistic is that.. or im just running too slow now..

Today the official "bum" day that traditionally kicks off my holidays.. feels rather lonely in truth.. except for invitations in indulge in more alchol .. =/ mehh... got to take care of my liver okay.. but thanks for the invitations anyway lads.

stuck in my flat the whooole day... oven cooked fish and chips the meal of the day.. and somehow i managed to make something microwavable melt in the microwave... =/ (sorry fie.. there's a casualty in a form of a plastic bowl..) at this rate.. fie won't have a flat to come back to in 3 weeks time .. 0__0

thoughts.. things i could do..

1) take up the gym membership offer till end of jan.. hmm i do have to have to improve my fitness ie: managed 1 run down the flank without pulling any muscles or collaspe into a heap at the slightest contact lol.

2) shopping.. not such a good idea esp in the point of the finance ministry back home.. i've already broke my budget this month and in danger of breaking next without even being in the next month yet .. uh.. im managing to do things seemingly impossible isn't it ? (bar the the melted microwavable bowl.. was pretty baffling)

things is tho.. i got quite a number of things i could get myself preoccupied to do during the holidays.. even assignments, reading (not.. although it would be ideal.. what a achievement that would be .. to finish textbooks.. wow.. a distant dream.. )

i guess the thing is the fact that... im here...

all the merry folks around me are somewhere else ... far across the oceans ... (this is an attempt to make my "friends" feel guilty for leaving me all alone here... lol ! XD i kid kid... )

plus the creature "seasonal depression" ever waiting in the shadows smacking its lips waiting to pounce on its victim which looks ever more vulnerable now...

BUT NO!

i shall not give in to self-pity !! (is this where the dramatic, touching WW2-equed background music cues right?? RIGHT ??? )

I miss ya folks! (Everyone of course!)

i can't even play regular football esp when everyone is gone for the holidays.. maaan... and futsal does not exist here.. (well it barely is technically, but there is no public futsal venues that i know of) Five a side sucks!!

argh... good thing i have a ticket in my hands now... hmmm... it reads...

"Arsenal vs Liverpool"

Oh well...

=P

Come on ARSENAL!

*leaves the room to put out the fire in the kitchen (sorry fie =P )*

1000 words, 2 weeks, 1 really sore neck, 0 life

2008-11-21T14:14:00.001-08:00

... I've never put that much effort into a thousand word essay before... ever...

now that is out of the way for the next day or two..

Some ads i really liked from what i've seen in the UK so far.. the most memorable one is this::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDQYdU5p0KY

And another...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besDBr0bCWA

Both Ads for Transport for London.

(Had some problems embedding the video on to the page. i gave up =P )

Don't you just wish public service annoucments are like that in Malaysia? Or is there a conspiracy to reduce the mat rempit population? =P ( since we have motorcyclist campaigns instead)

Carling Cup - Arsenal v Wigan 3-0

2008-11-12T03:01:00.000-08:00

The Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Groove

Inside the Stadium at Half-time 1-0 up

* = Video

Walked across the bridge* along with the rest of the Red Army towards the Emirates Stadium*. The atmosphere was picking up with a sense of anticipation. The doom and gloom from last week were all but dispel during weekend. Thanks to Man Utd the stadium was buzzing all over again, a notable difference to last week's Champions League game to Fenerbache though the attendance today was more than a thousand less that last week's midweek game.

As we stepped into the stadium*, the game was about to start the crowd was buzzing. This was the carling cup, hence less pressure and an opportunity to see the young gunners play and boy they did not disappoint.

There were songs, there were cheers, there was brilliant football all around.

Wigan did trouble us with their threats down our left giving Gibbs a handful at times. De Ridder had pace and skill and at one point dribbled past 3 players to get on goal. However the young gunners got their first goal when Jack Wilshere played a pass Cesc would be proud of to Jay Simpson who outpace and outmuscle the Wigan defender on him to toe poke into the net. 1-0 to the Arsenal.

After the break, Wigan began to up the pressure but soon found themselves 2 goals down after a blistering counter attack from a ball cleared from defense played very well to Vela on the left wing who burned his marker with his pace on toward the goal before squaring the ball to Simpson who rocketed it into the net*. The Stadium erupted and choruses began.

The 3rd goal took the whole stadium by surprise when it went in. There was a resounding "ooohh" around the stadium when the replay was screened. What an audacious chip. A goal that made all the time, money and effort to get to the stadium worth it all. You would pay more than that to see a goal like that. What a gem we've got in our hands.

The Stadium was buzzing, the good times are back songs going round the stadium, the atmosphere was great, Mexican waves and stamps shook the stadium. It was immense.

Final Whistle, what a spectacle the young gunners have given us. Makes you proud to be a gooner the joy at the football played at times, just brilliant.

Went by the Armoury and picked up a new jersey too =D

Thought about Carlos Vela at the back but in the end it had to be.. Robin Van Persi =D mayb next time.. =P

The jersey was 25% off but came around the same after adding the name, number and patch. All done at the Emirates made it extra special plus i got an Arsenal hanger XD , you should have seen my eyes light up when the guy asked me if i wanted the hanger... (*gasp* you mean... i can have it ?? the hanger from Emirates!??*cough* oh yeah ok put it in...) Hah! no Arsenal shirt from any Nike store back in Malaysia will even give a hanger let alone have this hehe =P

The Match Day Programme which had the picture of Nasri and Cesc after his (Nasri) brilliant goal against Man Utd while 2-0 up hehehe. And my Arsenal membership card holder.

What a night...

Video album HERE:
http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/Arsenal%20v%20Wigan%20CC%203-0%20Videos/

Picture album HERE

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/Arsenal%20v%20Wigan%20CC%203-0%20PICS/

Civet cat home back in Malaysia

2008-11-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

It seems that we've finally confirmed the source of the rumblings in the attic of my house back in Malaysia...
Tada! A Civet Cat family ... cute eh ?

... and to think my sister wants to shoot all of them.

It's also a rare protected species. You'll be starring at a huge fine if you try to kill them.

I agree with my dad about keeping it... after all it's been here for so long ... like years... when we first started to hear noises in the attic then the occasional sighting of the baby civet cat... in the night even the cute little furry thing clutching at the window grill can send panic throughout the household esp my mum... i mean... it's like a cat... but a wilp d cat... still a species of cat... not like it's a tiger or lion, if it tries to bite then just smack it only =P

and it makes a rather good companion to bully mason and get him fit and running again. Or maybe mason doesn't care at all...

we must do our best to conserve the enviroment and the flora and fauna and it means not depriving the civet cats who have called our place home for many years now... =P

I wanna keep a civet cat... it's like some hybrid weasel/mouse/cat thing... still a cool pet to have and to have a family of them too... before you shoot them at least think about their family... in the attic... taking care of the rat problems for us... although they might be the culprits for the burst pipes... thats because they need water ma...

conclusion.. keep the civet cats so i can play with them when i get back =P

Fireworks, Fever-Cough-Sorethroat, and Fantastic Cooking

2008-11-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days i've been wondering.. why there are fireworks just outside my window about 500m away..

.. Then it happened the next day..

and the next..

and the following day..

It wasn't till today till i saw the full show from the comforts of my room - or rather discomfort at being sick.

Videos to be found in the album link below.. 1st one being one of the practice run and the other the actual run of it.. nice although the camera can't really capture the fireworks display to full effect (like the onee that go in the air and spins out fireworks like a cosmic quasar, a sight to behold, and i only started recording like about 2 minutes into the show which also caused ALOT of smoke..)

Album link here for the videos
http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/Uk%20-Random%20stuff%20and%20fireworks/

[Update] Sorry something went bonkers with the video edit (no not like the Beijing olympics where i put in the fake fireworks =P) and the quality isn't that good, i had to edit it as i could not upload too big a file size so i had to cut it down..
----------------------

I'm sick... and i hate it... being bed ridden most of the weekend if not all... not sure if this adds to my previous health worries earlier in the previous week. I'm fighting my way through! with an arsenal of cough mixture, listerine (to replace my throat gargle), panadol, strepsils, multi-vitamins, my inhaler... taking it all in one go might be overdose? I think i got sick from this plague-like-sickness thats going after most of the Hope Fellowship people and then... being in an enclosed room with 1/3 of the population in there coughing away while you're feeling rather weak that day is a recipe for disaster.

And, I'm in a race to:

1) Start on my assignments already =/

2) Get fit for this coming wednesday - The first league game for "Rough Diamonds" (cough cough.. not my idea.. but we had no name up till the point of submitting the forms and a name had to be thought up... ok i'll stop justifying it now. We'll be competing in the University Intra-Mural league ( which means a reject league for those who didn't make the uni team... *cough*
i mean people who want to play football but within the uni enviroment on a casual basis- wait i don't see where casual comes in here... it's going to be tackles flying in and all...) Gah, i feel like my sickness is undoing all the effort i've tried to finally break into the starting line-up albeit at left-back or even stand-in keeper as our keeper did his shoulder.

3) Race to start collecting all the money for the tickets for the Arsenal games-Loan Shark style..

----------

Meanwhile, i have to take cooking lessons from this Thai girl, my word... Tom Yam, Padprik, western food you name it... it looks like it came out from a menu of an expensive restaurant.. I think i'll have to pay her to do catering... Everytime she cooks while we're in the kitchen, Atifi and I cast an envious look across... drooling ... lol!

The Lovely cooking

My fantastic culinary skills are...*cough* i mean hers..

Atifi giving the certified thumbs up of approval-TM

Arsenal Stuff i got in the mail.. all together 10 tickets =D

The Membership Card

The Carling Cup Ticket

The Champions League Ticket

Fuuhh... I know it's a bad time to go watch Arsenal now... but it shows im a TRUE GOONER =P

(Actually i've already bought the tickets wanna coverline)

Of Songs and Cheers and Flying Beers

2008-10-30T04:21:00.000-07:00

The atmosphere was electric... the place was packed to the brim... there were songs and chants...

... and i was not at the stadium...

there i was ... singing and screaming as the goals went in ... chorus of songs were threw at each other as our fierce rival fans verbally sparred through songs and chants...

It was a crazy game... and i almost lost my voice... it would have been a great game at 4-2 ... but no... Arsenal had to threw it away...

At injury time the pub erupted at the injury time equalizer... (be thankful fellow Malaysian gooners back home as there're tons of spuds fans here)

People jumped on tables... everyone went absolutely crazy... and there were flying beers (thankfully not along with the glasses) What a game for the neutrals, what a game for the spuds... as for me... Absolutely GUTTED =(
It was a crazy atmosphere tho... had it not been a student pub there will definitely be a riot.

... And i can only imagine when i get to the stadium a week from now... =D

UPDATE: Pictures of my place the day after the snow can be found in this album:

http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/UK%20%20Cambridge/Snowfall%20at%20Hatfield/

Snow in Oct... 0__0

2008-10-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

I wasn't feeling well... too much juice, football, a pint of beer and no water is VERY BAD for the system... there i was in my room all gloomy and unwell... and then... Atifi called my extension... "IT'S SNOWING!!" I looked out my window and suddenly saw a blanket of white ... it was only hours ago that i came back to the room.

Grabbed, the camera and turned on "jakun-mode" and headed outside the hall. There was already an inter-hall snow fight. Now back in the room... everyone's msn message had the word "snow" or rather "SNOW" in caps in it.

White Christmas i've heard before.... White Halloween ? hmmmm... =/

Wonder if i can build a snowman tomorrow...

UPDATE: Posted videos in the same album as the Cambridge pictures!

UPDATE 2 : What a way to end the night as i pull up the covers and turned off the light... the fire alarm blared away... ARGRHRH ...

I'm either going to die in the fire or freeze to death... so... im not going to rush down. Took my time to get dressed and then made my way down. Thankfully too as i see people in shorts and t-shirt... standing in the snow... I was glad i had my jeans and hoodie on...

Jon goes to Homerton...

2008-10-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Went up to Cambridge for the weekend at Lukas's place.. great fun sight seeing, meeting his friends and CG members, visiting Eden Chapel... and.... *GASP* It's SNOWING! *runs off to take pictures and be all jakun and what not...

Cambridge pictures HERE : http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h169/chronic_blade/UK%20%20Cambridge/

It's a hot day...

2008-10-08T13:25:00.001-07:00

It's actually feeling rather warm today... even feeling pretty hot at times if you're wearing a jacket.. which is rather surprising when its supposed to be mid-autumn... But since it's a hot day... cue...
ICE CREAM!! =D A rather big tub of chocolate, vanilla, fudge brownies, choc chip cookie dough goodness (a rather long name ... i know...) for 2pounds =D Ben and Jerry's for the price half of Baskin's tubs back in Malaysia...
INDULGENCE... =D

Snacks here in UK are such a treat indeed... oh i have to mention i got thai chilli chips too.. last week was lemon lime infused chips... which was great too...

...and yes im writing this to spite my siblings who will get extra portions of snacks from grocceries now that im not around =P

Trip to London...Or Rather Just Oxford Street

2008-10-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well I've arrived to see this... Marble Arch... pretty self explanatory isn't it ? Took about an hour's bus ride from Hatfield to... i-forgot-what-road-but-its-near-Hyde-Park-Road... yeah...
And thats the bu... wait i DID NOT take that bus here... why did i take a picture of it then!? .. oh ... open top double decker... ooooohhhh... soo... facinating... wheels on the bus go round and...

Ice Cream anyone at 10c ? I actually wanted one tho... then again i wanted to prance around in the park too, that didn't happen...

Hyde Park, a place for all your prancing, forlicking, dance-around-trees, roll-down-the-hills goodness. Along with some football seen here..

Another view of the arch made from marble... me thinks...

"Meh! Marbles, Smarbles... " - Least thats what I look like when this photo was taken of me...

The Magic Marble Arch didn't take too kindly to what I said and promptly summoned the dark clouds and rain to fall upon us... =(

Argh! Rain!! Crap !! *Pause*... Hey look at those buildings!! ... Argh... Rain!!!

Hehehe NIKETOWN... *Rubs hands in anticipation*

This is the BEST VIEW OF ALL OF NIKETOWN =D THE BEST BOOTS ON DISPLAY!! (I took the other side but couldn't get past the beeper...)
Ronaldo and his pink boots... underneath all those carbon fibre are ballet shoes...

Mannequins came alive!! Debenhams converted their shop display and put on a musical i think to "Dream Girls" clever marketing... but clearly annoyed many brits walking on the already crowded street plus a rainy day... BAD COMBINATION...

Encounted with a very stunned squirrel who just sat there at my feet lost at what to do in my presence... SQUIRREL: should i roll over and play dead or what ?

Well that was Saturday... The next day i tried to cook on my own while Atifi was on her way back from London after spending the weekend with her friend.

Stir fried chicken with vegetables....

Well actually Atifi said it was ok... i have a thing for eating my own food so... ugh... when in doubt tho.. use lots of pepper! Sure did the trick..
HAH! I can make rice after all... and in a pot too!

Comfort food after my failure =P Atifi still think's they were ok... i don't know... she may have stomach of steel... This large Biopot yogurt thingy is so tasty tho... *yum yum* Lots of nice snacks here in UK hehe... i mean... they're good for you right ?

Gah... time to read up my materials to prepare for tomorrow's class... Still have to decide on what to do for my dissertation...

Btw, the word DISSERTATION alone...

The fact that is similar to a THESIS does not help either...

I'm terrified.

Alas... all good things must come to an end..

2008-10-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

The weather that is... after all the nice sunshine, i finally experienced my first UK rain... or rather drizzle... all is good until the 24-30km/h wind kicks in...

It's getting colder now.. well actually the colder weather is way overdue as I'm told we're supposed to have autumn since September but we're still getting sunshine and good weather.

Then i stumbled on to this:

UH even exists in Second Life! I've got to get use to all this hi-tech stuff.. Lectures can be downloaded as podcasts, tracking assignments and handing it up no longer needs staff as it all can be done online or via the barcode scanning-then-submitting-it-system.. I've still to get use to all the features of STUDYNET, which is essential to my course and the progress. With news, updates, assignments all dealt with online.. i guess i won't be seeing anyone from the admin face to face for sometime.. I'm sure a lot of you have experience this studying overseas like in Australia, NZ etc etc.. so pardon me for my "just came out of a cave" syndrome. The worrying thing is now that im not as adaptive to technology as i use to be.. *cough cough* (old already..=P ) This is very overwhelming, getting worried about if i missed anything by not checking the STUDYNET or missed anything.. i guess i'll spend the whole afternoon today checking it out..

..After a couple of rounds of Team Fortress 2 that is =D

Still finding my feet playing football here too, (hey i get the 6 months adaptive period for all foreign players coming to England to play too right?) Been playing like crap the past couple of sessions.. must... push... on...

Oh btw, i met a player that looks like adebayor, plays like adebayor.. misses open goals like ade.. (lol) but boy he is GOOD .. i got nutmeg-ed by him like couple of times -___- crap.. and really makes a good target man. At this rate, i don't stand a chance at all to make even the 3rd team lol! Oh well, there's always inter-mural and social leagues outside =P Will just give it a shot and embaress myself anyways =P

Pictures... again... because im just laz.. COUGH BUSY..

2008-09-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Pictures tell a thousand words, therefore a couple of pictures should be enough for this post. Besides, people only scan around and not read thoroughly anyway so picture would be more effective...

Plus...

I've ran out of excuses.. =P

Outside my room on the corridor. My room is at the end, facing outwards. which is great because every night there's like some mini-drinking party going on outside at the entrance of my hall. Poor Atifi had to contend with the noise, a complaint should be filed soon i think should it go on..

And then there is the kitchen, with pretty much everything you need except perhaps.. food..

Oh someone brought food.. good. Breakfast served by Atifi, gobbled up by me =P

If you notice, students are expected to multi-task on a regular basis which include ironing while doing your work on the desk while cooking and reading the notes on the notice board.

And then we head out for the garden BBQ party...

Another nice sunny day which is beginning to feel odd as it supposed to be 1/3 through autumn already. I'm not complaning though.

Looks nice isn't it? Thats because 80% of the students have not turn up yet, then it got rather crowded...

All fun and games then..

More fun and games ... and more importantly... FREE FOOD =P

Friends from the Hope International Fellowship - Hope Church Hatfield. Thanks to Malaysian style corruption, i had extra coupons to get more free food and drinks =D (each person entitled to 1 drink and a choice of hot dogs, vege burger and beef burger) How was i to try all of them!? Here we're basking in the sun.. should have brought me shades... oh well, autumn around the corner... oh wait.. it IS supposed to be autumn since sept...

It seems most of the trees and plants in the campus and around the area have berries and what not... more of the fairy tale land stuff...

Back at the halls the next day.. there was a mini-concert in the park, or rather just outside the halls.. it's really stuff you see in the brochure.. people sitting on the grass having a bite or a chat... and you always thought they were all fake and staged photoshoots for the nice brochures to sell the uni.. well here it's for real apparetly.. or i have to ask them how much the uni pays them to sit there.. i wouldn't mind coming up on some brochures as well... but then the uni would likely freefall down the Times ranking then.

Hope to be playing some proper football soon... trials are coming up and i want to sign up to see where i stand. More info after i check out the Sports Fair and atheletic clubs on the 1st of Oct. Meanwhile... classes are somewhat confusing as i never have had to choose the slots for me tutorials.. feeling a little lost.. need... Malaysian...style... spoon...feeding.... =P

There's also lots of football social leagues i think from what i gathered so far.. from 11-a-side football leagues to 5-a-side and even 3-a-side.. from casual, intermural to university and social leagues.. lots of choices.. can i play all? =D

The football here is more street soccer ish.. there is not futsal.. the goals are short and wide like street soccer.. but somehow the Africans have no problem heading the ball into the net.. oh and the indoor balls are still soccer balls instead of futsal balls .. so ball control is essential.. well its great for people like me whose shot power is an equivalant of... nil ... so having a soccer..*sorry* i mean a size5 FOOTBALL would be easier to strike. Nice weather to run in provided it's not 10c and below.. but running and pushing myself competitively would yeild difficulty in taking in air due to it being so cold and dry.. a little getting use to... i hope i don't become a Reyes =P maybe i should have studied in Spain.. BUT NO, i will soldier on despite the difficulties i face.. and will use ... Jeremy's hat-trick and man of the match performance in last week's competitive league game as an inspiration...

Fairy Tale Land...Pictures..

2008-09-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures to prove that the RABBITS ARE REAL!!

... and to show you guys around as well.

(finally getting internet connection in my room meant unloading all the things i want to do all at 1 shot.. should be sleeping soon.. although its 1142pm now. I usually sleep now by 11 latest.. usually around 1030 or 10 in fact.. and get up on my own around 8 or 730am.. healthy lifestyle ?? =P )

SEE THE RABBITS ARE REAL!! (These are roaming around on campus, it was rumoured that the population dwindled down abit at one point because the Chinese students started to catch them for dinner... well food is expensive in UK...tho i don't understand how rabbit population can dwindle with their known mating habits.)

How nice, shall we have a little garden party then ?

Oh yes.. my room..

The Galleria (The nearby Mall)

There's a nearby oriental shop.. guess what i found.. amongst other Malaysian stuff as well..

It's really fairy tale stuff for some areas, my accomodation is rather sterile tho like putrajaya lol. the other campus (College Lane) has more character.. granted my side has top notch facilities, college lane feels homely, and has rabbits =P and a field which is free to play in.. (the field on my side is rented due to its high quality-ness =P )

Oh.. and i found out London Colney (where Arsenal's training complex is) isn't far away, and that Arsenal Ladies Team train at my Uni.. must go.. to Emirates.. soon....

I'm off to bed.. sulking over the fact that the absence of internet has made me miss the wonderful display of Arsenal trashing Sheffield Utd in the Carling cup 6-0 with an average age of 19(Nvm, lucky i managed to download the game with uber highspeed broadband hehehe people still using streamyx- suckers... hehehehe XD). And with couple of english lads too. The futures bright, the future's red and white =D

[More pics to come when im not too lazy to post them again.. meanwhile.. just let me know what you like to see.. shud post up the map of my campus too hmm.. till next time then..]

Fairy Tale Land...

2008-09-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Flight from KL to Abu Dabi was ... really long indeed, pretty impressed with the facilities and service offered by Etihad Airways which left a good impression with me. Managed to squeeze in an hour of sleep in the end before the plane landed at Abu Dabi.

Meet up with 2 students from TOA (The One Academy) who were also going to UH(Hertfordshire). We had met during the pre-departure briefing. The four of us had a drink at the Cafe, then proceeded to board for the flight to London.
When i finally reached the campus.. after lugging around the baggage tossing it into the room, i proceeded to explode its contents before sorting it out and putting it in place. Then i went on a walk first to the Galeria for lunch, then to college lane.. then around college lane.. then back.. i think we would have clocked 3KM easily. Weather was great, clear skies, bright sunny day. This was what i had observed..

Ahh the fresh cool air...
Oh look a squirrel.
Look, a rabbit. (NO SERIOUSLY in the campus, it was running around)
Look, ducks swimming in the pond
Wild flowers and dandelions everywhere, with cosy cottage like houses how quaint and English. It was as if it were all pulled out from a fairy tale..
I had to check if the houses were cardboard cut outs.

At the pedestrian crossing traffic lights...
I pushed the button.
The sign with the words “Wait” lit up.
Within a minute the light went green and the cars slowed down.
THEY WORK!

More Jakun-ness to come..

Geek Talk

2008-09-08T00:28:00.000-07:00

Well the laptop is finally here, so i guess perhaps some of you would be curious about the model i've got in my hands now..

Well, im sure someone would be interested? Anyone ?

...

*sound of crickets in a distance...*

...Right, some photos will do then.

It's a DV4t - 1039Tx

It's a 14.1" laptop

It's a ..

..I'm too lazy to go into the details.

If anyone is interested in this model or would like to know more i can post a user review. Or maybe i won't, but i will still tell you how it went for me anyways..

.. and no, i don't work for HP.

T-minus 38 days

2008-08-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

With Sept 19th a month a couple of days away, i find that..

There are more and more things that i want to do here.

Time is going the other direction.

And there lies our problem.

RATS..

I still can't find the laptop i really want.. well in truth i did find several that was too my liking, only to be put off by several hardware issues that plague those laptops. It's been months since the search began and its frustrating although its now down to a particular model I'm currently looking at. Lets see how that goes..

I want to go on a trip to Redang/Perhentian/THE ISLAND(Lost)/whatever that has a nice beach, crystal clear waters and lots of fun in the sun. But i don't know if things will work out. It would be great to to enjoy some sun and the sea before heading for the "I'm-going-to-get-seasonal-depression-land".

For those who don't know, I'm headed to the UK on a 1 year-loan to Arsenal FC to provide additional cover as ball boy for the upcoming season (yes the squad depth is THAT thin now) I pledge to throw the ball back in Ronaldo's face when we're leading 1-0 up at the Emirates with minutes left on the clock...

Unfortunately none of what i just said is true. (except the duration, and the score)

I'll be studying for a degree in Marketing and Advertising @ the University of Hertfordshire, and i thank God and those whom have all made it possible. =D

Time to bring some "Ong" to the Emirates which the Gunners lack in crucial periods last season =P

... i hope

and the cow rolled across the street hence..

2008-07-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

The door creeks open as i stepped into the room. Abandoned and neglected, it was left in a corner amongst the cobwebs. I brushed off the layer of dust on it, and fired it up..

it coughed, and died.

i fired it up once more..

it coughed again and then sputtered to life..

I smiled as it looked at me.

Then it smacked me.

"About time ya lazy scumbag!"

It kicked me.

And i kicked it back.

How fun.

*Better late than never..*

"...Welcome back."

I could not resist, so i kicked it once more XD

it's fun to abuse your blog sometimes, and besides, it could use a little kick or two to get it started again..

maybe three..

or four..

Football Stuff for the Lads

2007-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sigh.
As much as i hate Chelsea and their money throwing mafia boss. (not as much as spurs XD) i liked his antics and ego. Clearly a loss of a character from the EPL and a great loss for Chelsea.

Now stuff that amused me today::

Originally a radio sketch in Ireland's Today.FM now on YouTube.
Love it!

Jose Song "Jose and his amazing Technicolor overcoat"

Jose on Skysports "I Sign a player or 2"

Jose "Holding up the 2nd Half"

Jose "Don't Stop Me Now"

Jose Showdown with Roman Abramovich in "Shaddup your face"

Managers in Class

Keano calls Beckham after England defeat to france in group B Euro 2004

And finally, something that is NOT a parody but quite funny as well:
Jose On Which Manager He Least Would Like to Get into a Fight With

The Curse of Sri Rampai Station - Chapter 2

2007-10-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

Leong stares into space. Sitting in the last train along with few other passengers, he flips through his books he had just borrowed from the library for the coming exams. Night classes are just so tedious and not to mention draining as well when you spend the whole day at college.

'stesyen berikutnya... wangsa maju.'

'next station... wangsa maju.'

Great, finally... can't wait to get back to the apartment and get on to the books after a nice bath and supper. Just one more paper to go and I'll be free!

He peered out the window as he noticed trails of raindrops form as it started to drizzle. Flashes of lightning illuminated the tracks and he saw- a face staring back at him. He reeled back in shock as the thunder boomed causing the other passengers in the train to jump for that moment. As he summoned enough courage to look out and confirm what he had saw, the train entered the tunnel, soon to pass the abandoned Sri Rampai station.

As he turned back away from the window a sudden jolt shook the train causing some to fall off their seats. Leong tried to grab his bag but failed as it flew out of his grasp landing on the floor of the train at the doorway. The train then slowly grinded to a halt leaving the passengers puzzled and dazed as they try to make sense of the events that had occurred.

'Perhaps it was the lightning.' A lady remarked.

Leong picked up the books that fell out of his bag when it landed on the floor. Then the doorway opened to a dark platform. Illuminated only by the streetlights on the road at a distance, Leong tried to make of the surroundings. He picked up the last book and closed his sling bag. The passengers were curiously looking out to the platform but none tried to step out of the train.

'Where are we? This is not Wangsa Maju.'

'I think.. this is the Sri Rampai Station, but it is not in use. See here on the train line map, it is marked out.'

The passengers started to murmur amongst themselves while some took out their hand phones and began to make calls and send text messages. Leong stuck his head out to look around from the doorway. The air was getting stuffy in the train and the breeze of the coming storm was inviting. Stepping out for some air, he took a few steps and tripped on something. He could not see it in the dark and it sent him to the ground.

'ding dong, ding dong'

And the doors of the trained closed as it came to live with Leong trying to pick himself up in panic and the passengers staring at him in surprise. The train moved away from the track as he tried to open the doors with his hands but to no avail.

'Rats! I guess I'll have to wait for the next train.'

The storm began to pick up as the rain and wind grew stronger. Leong stepped away from the edge of the track and sat on the bench as rain carried by the wind began to reach him. The strong winds began to make howling sounds along the corridor.

'It's 15 minutes already, where is that next train? Wait, crap! that WAS the last train.'

Leong got up and started to look for an exit

'I'll just have to get out of here and walk till i see a taxi. This is really not my day..'

He walked toward the stairs and started to jog up looking at his bag to make sure his strap is fastened so that the books won't fall out again. As he glanced toward to top of the stairs he saw a figure. A girl. That face..

Leong jumped and tumbled back down the stairs. The figure began to move, the face fixated on him. Leong began to panic. He got on his feet and began to turn and run around the stairs looking for the stairs on the other side of the station. He tripped, his feet caught by something.

His bag landed on the floor and slid away. Leong turned around to see- a hand, clutching firmly around his ankles. The floor felt cold and wet like mud and then, he realized. Fresh cement. A face began to break the surface and the face staring at him as the hand began to pull him down towards her. Leong screamed as the lightning flashed and he saw. He sank deeper into the floor as the girl began to climb further closer to his face. Leong screamed in terror but within seconds his screams were drowned as he disappeared beneath the surface of the floor.

'Daddy, where are we?'

'I think we are at the Sri Rampai Station Zara.'

What happened? why did the train stop here?

Several passengers began to make calls and type out text messages.

'Hey i can't make calls. Whats going on!?'

'I've got no signal on my phone, how about you?'

Passengers on the train began to stir and some stepped out onto the platform trying to get a signal on their hand phones. I stepped out cautiously, holding Zara close to me as i took out my cellphone and dialed home.

'Hey! whats that on the floor!?' A man pointed at a distance.

I turned to look. In the dark it was hard identify what it was but at the distance, it looked like... A bag.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The curse of Sri Rampai Station (the first chapter) can be found at The Cambridge Debate Best Speaker's Blog

Look forward to seeing what you will write next Lukas. I've already did you a favor by editing out the raunchy sex scene on the train which would have instantly made it a Hollywood blockbuster. =P Try to resist the urge to insert musicals and dance scenes especially along the likes of dancing around trees and rolling down hills sort. Oh, you can ask me if you would like to know what Leong saw when he screamed in terror. Or perhaps you've already guessed it lol.

When the Dust Settles

2007-10-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ahh doesn't feel great to have a holiday finally? ... that is until you realize that once again it's only going to be a moment ... a short moment in fact. damn.

Kick started celebrations to the holiday by finally going to the class semester end bbq poolside party that i've all missed since the start of the course. Had quite a blast especially into the pool though... WHERE ARE THE BIKINI GIRLS!? Where's the BEER!? THE WEED !? The.. ahh ran out of vices to think of for the moment. Instead we've got a scantily clad and awfully sexy Kah Heng who also took the effort to also hire a clown which made the party more uh.. (no offense mr uh.. japanese guy/clown?)

Who's that guy on my chatbox constantly harassing me to put up new posts on my blog? Seems like the stalker-ish type. I know I'm brilliant and I know you lot love me to bits, but this has to stop. Stop calling me late at night to tell me how great I am, leaving tons of fan mail in my inbox and such. Guys please, just stop WORSHIPING ME! Ahh.. wait i just woke up... damn.

Then there were conversations (Yes, contrary to popular belief, I do have FRIENDS) of the type that makes you feel really inadequate. Spending alot of time trying to make sense of things.. feeling hopelessly lost a couple of times. But i think i get it, or least i think i do. Still it's great food for thought and it's always a humbling experience and certainly an exciting one as well to know that there is just so much more that i want to learn. Crap, I got pwned.

Rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant
Rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant
Rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant
Rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant rant
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Sleep is sooo goood...

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Yes I'm going to be kickin balls again!

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Off to Xtion play with the squirrels and the birds this weekend with Gary and Allan (psst bring your fan club Allan!)

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*Scratch bottom*

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I so want a gadget...

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Arghh why International Break now!? Hope Rooney breaks another metatarsal (how many does he have left? ps: come on nike! make a new boot for him already!), Terry to smash his face again soon (Looks better that way too)

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WOW WHAT AN AWESOMELY BRILLIANTLY LONG POST! BEERS FOR ALL!

New Toy And The Independence Cup

2007-09-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, while people were preparing for the 50th Independence Day the week before, i found myself in another battlefield, fighting for the country. Well not really.. Thanks Desmond for the photos. (I look sooo cool in the picture, that is until i got hit..)

Winning the first couple games of prelims till our team captain had to leave, we managed to win another before it all went downhill losing consecutive games. We had it so bad by now i forgot how many games we lost consecutively .. i think 3 or 4.. it's all a bad memory..try.. to .. forget.. From day 2 we managed into quarters after winning 2 out of 3 from round 2, but didn't make it to semi's losing the final crucial game. Not much to remember although lessons were well learnt. Consolations include finding ourselves in MPOC standings 5th place in the leg and maintaining 5th in season standings with 1 more leg to go.

This tournament also a first for my new toy: A Black/Silver Proto Matrix Rail SE

So far so good, been really impressed by everything so far and almost in all aspects way surpassing my previous marker. Definitely a great buy. Get one now!! (Ask me =P) A more in depth review to come after i put the marker through more abuse (yes, of the whipping and canning sort)

Ahh.. exhaustion and stress and a couple of annoying people.. must focus on happy things and good times and funny moments.. like .. Kah Heng's face.. and..
Well if you can't wait for the next post at least theres a picture above for you to stare at. I will be recovering at the nearby hospital after Kah Heng discovers this. So wish me a speedy recovery when this happens. See how much i go through to just to keep a handful of people who read my blog happy..

Guess who's back...

2007-09-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

After a month of using my trusty pentium MMX 200Mhz (yes, pentium- without any number behind it.) I'm finally back on my pc again although the only thing that looks different on the outside is a new DVD-R Rom, looks can be deceiving.

Brand spanking new internals to replace my fried motherboard and pentium4 2.8HT processor, my hard drives are what's left along with my wireless card. A new Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and a new PCI graphics card (forgive me , my computer knowledge has also gone obsolete along with my previous computers) now sits in my CPU and my did i enjoy the silence for once. For those who don't know, my CPU previously cranks out a sound that much reassembles an F1 engine rather than a computer. Fact is that with the PC running downstairs then, i could hear it even in my room through the doors. Ah the joy of silence, and not to mention the reduction in heat, i had often feel like the CPU was going to melt down even when i had the casing opened both ways. How nice..

Special thanks to Exkay (prawn genocide man in the earlier post) for the hours, kilometers, kilojoules, and more spent setting up this system. You are the Smeagol(Gollum) that brought the Ring back to Sauron and once again the dark lord of unending annoyance and utter nonsense will rule all of middle earth once again.

Although i enjoyed playing paperboy and cannon fodder (ahh the memories.. and i wished i could have been able to get my hands on monkey island), and there was peace in the land with people singing joyful songs, birds were chirping in the air and such in my absence, good things must come to an end. For the blogger is back to the gnashing of teeth, sharpening of swords and swinging fists... Ahh... it is good to be back.

*Cue LOTR Soundtrack* The day will come when everything will make sense. The day when utter nonsense and annoyance will cease to exist.. but it is not this day !!The time will come when people sigh with relief, sing with joy and clap their hands.. but it is not this day !! For today the blogger returns !!

PS: Those who nudged me on MSN Messenger causing my pentium1 to crash will pay!!

Take A Look Into The Blogger's Mind Now, And You Will Find...

2007-08-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

(0__0);;

Here's to Every Little Good Thing In Life, And the Lessons We Learn From The Bad.

2007-08-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a long while since i last took a dip in the pool. Really took my mind off things which i had been badly wanting to get away to take a breather. To a take a step back and reflect, ponder and day dream about things that don't make sense as well as how that strawberry sundae really tastes great in your mouth, especially when the strawberry bits are.. uh..

Well i wasn't alone, for the 2 "people you should really avoid getting into a debate with" were there with me. There was other another person, a rather peculiar little creature that was suppose to come with us but already he was in the water albeit on a big cruise ship sailing the world and conquering new continents in search of spice, and Yugoslavian egg tarts. A nostalgic time of reminiscing ensued as we reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly that has happened in our lives. The tales rolled out in a fashion of great drama, comedy, action, romance, all packed into one which could be best describe as... A Bollywood Blockbuster Movie.

Moments like these are special, least to the blogger as he is a really hopeless sentimental bloke who happens to think that today's prawn mee was pretty good. (credits to exkay) Can't get enough of times like this. I still do miss the "good old days" although thats not to say i don't like it now either. It's just a way of saying i appreciate those moments that come by and i guess memories are something that is very special and important, good or bad in our lifes. People, pictures, objects, scars that all tell their own stories and as our life goes on, these things will remind us what we are, what we have become and what made us who we are today. These are bookmarks in our story. Let there be lessons learnt, and let there be good times cherished be it the little things in life.

To cap off that feel good moment (Video), here's to the little good things in life, take a moment to remember the little good things that has happened to you today and in so doing perhaps, life today isn't so bad after all. If you still can't think that, just be happy that I'm not around to annoy you at this very moment.

disclaimer: Blogger is not responsible for the rise in drinking habits amongst readers of the blog as a result of viewing the video.

A Gooner Eagerly Waits... With A Yugoslavian Egg Tart

2007-07-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

With the preseason underway i can't wait to see the gunners back in action again. The new signings will be no doubt be proven a coup or a flop as the season progress. Looking at the squad i find the team quite complete to mount a decent title challenge. No doubt many cry for out and out wingers and more so on the left, and i hope Arsene Wenger brings back Mexican wonder kid Carlos Vela back from loan sooner than later. I believe then the squad depth will be sufficient. The fact that there is no longer a super star player mentality lingering around the dressing room and on the pitch brings a bit of comfort. It should be well balanced now, and it certainly helps that the fact that most of the players are young would mean that they can be more patient when they are rotated and that is what is needed to challenge on all fronts. The example could be seen at Man United where Heinze's frustrations is leading him to the exit of Old Trafford.

The lads are a year older now and the year spent together can only do good. In a season where many would see them as in "transition" they managed to reach the Carling Cup Finals, whipping Liverpool and Tottenham and out playing a multi-million dollar pound squad of Chelsea in the Finals before succumbing to the eventual experience and class of Chelsea.

Although last season ended in disappointment by our own standards, there were many happy moments as a gooner and i hope there will be more this season especially with silverware a part of it. I would relish seeing more of this :

Man Utd players trying not to lose their heads

Ah yes, a double over Man United in the league, that was nice, and among the other top 3 teams we only lost to Liverpool in the league once and drew twice to Chelsea which was not bad too although we should have won both games which made it really frustrating to watch. We lost to many points to the teams we should not however and that is something we also need to look at this season.

Going into the new season being already written off is a nice change however as that is how the gunners always worked best and managed to spring numerous surprises as the youngsters did last season. I really hope all the signs pointing to the Gunners winning some silverware this season will be proven true. The beginning is always filled with so much excitement, hope and enthusiasm. Lets just hope that this would be the season that the Gunners start to reap the benefit of the youth policy.

Ah yes, another Wenger classic after the Barnet friendly game with the reporters when asked about Reyes and his imminent departure from Arsenal. Telling Sky Sports News Reporters that he thinks Reyes will go as there is no way He can keep an unhappy player at Arsenal, he then cheekily added :

"Despite the global warming England is still not warm enough for him."

He took another cheeky shot at the reporters when pressed with the question about his future at the club. After stating that he has always shown his commitment to his contract and to the club he added:

"I will come out at the right moment...maybe when you don't ask me the question."

Brilliant , nothing like some French humor to annoy some journalists. They should try some of this Yugoslavian Tart.

Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) 07 Season - 3rd Leg : Penang Cup

2007-07-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

So like i was saying earlier, with our current group of players the Gunners can spring some surprises this season. In a good way i hope. Signing Eduardo Da Silva will... wait. im suppose to be talking about paintball...

Right, the Penang Cup was my 2nd paintball tournament, playing for team Monkey Bone Misfits. The first (07 Season 2nd Leg) was held in Xtion Paintball at Bukit Jalil where we finished at 10th place bringing it 8th place in overall ranking in the season. 1st Leg ended in disappointment as MBM got knocked out in 2nd round. Despite winning 8 out of 10, drawing 1 and losing the other in the prelims in decent form, we could not maintain the momentum and consistency on the 2nd day and crashed out.

The Amateur/Novice Division (or Division 3) in the Penang Cup starts with 10 games in the preliminary rounds out of which the top 12 teams will qualify into the quarter finals in 3 Groups of 4 teams. The teams that top each group (3 teams) and the best 2nd team in all groups (1 team) will then compete in the semi-finals where games are played best of 3 leading to the finals where it is also played best of 3.

Coming off the 2nd Leg i had a better idea of what to expect physically and mentally and came better prepared to anticipate anything that was thrown at me namely paintballs, heat, prawns and so on. The day before the tournament (friday) we walked the field and pretended to formulate brilliant strategies that will send the shivers down the competition. This would include hugging the bunkers (the inflated thing that shields you from the onslaught of pellets) like this:

"We'll win by diplomacy and show
our peaceful intentions by hugging
the bunker like this"

Yes, We Monkey Bone Misfits employ the most fearsomely confusing tactics ever imagined by our competition. Ask paintballer what they make of this picture. They'll never find out what we're planning to do. Neither will they understand our complex codes yelled across the field during the game. Lets see what you make of "Lok Lok" and "Ham Chim Peng". They'll never know what hit em before it's too late.

Part of our fearsomely confusing tactics is our preparation before the day of the tournament. Yes, we do have more up our sleeve besides hugging bunkers and pretending to take pictures of the bunker positions when we are taking pictures of the grass. (Ha! bet you didn't figure out that one either) That night before the tournament, we retreated to our secret spot where we stuff ourselves with what will fuel us for the tournament the next day- Prawns, and 3 kilos of it.

3 Kilos of Prawny Goodness
Needless to say, on the first day of the tournament we blew away our competition winning all 7 games for that day with 3 more to go on the next day for the preliminary round. Our fearsomely confusing tactics proved way too confusing for our opponents to bother putting up a fight against us.

Day 2 of the competition however was where we had a point to prove. It did not start as well as we'd hope for with a defeat in a game we should won. Perhaps we did not eat enough prawns to last the 2nd day. We were determined to break the jinx of not doing well in the 2nd day and came out firing on all fronts taking the final 2 games of the preliminary round by the scruff of the neck and twisting it, pulling the skin out like you would to the prawn and chew! chew! and... uh...

So we made it into the quarter finals where we were pitted against the current ranked #2 team in the rankings on their home ground. We played them in the preliminary round and managed to win against the odds and once again we proved that it was not by fluke. We lost the 2nd game of the quarter finals against another team in the group but came back to win convincingly against the 3rd team in a game where defeat would have sent us packing. We've made semi-finals, a goal set by our captain for this tournament. At the end of the game for quarter finals when we knew we qualified for semis we went crazy. Such is the passion displayed by the members of MBM most noticeably Adam who beat his chest and screamed in a language of his home planet which displays the utter most joy at our achievement. (ok, he did not beat his chest but he did scream for joy)

We were pitted in the semis against a team of fellow friends, members of the consortium which is made up of 3 teams with MBM included. Both teams gave their all and it was a close match, the first going to PMB (team Pink Mini Bus), we came back to take the 2nd game and the last was the longest of the 3 games with lots of intensity and in the end, PMB prevailed and made finals while we had to settle for 3rd/4th placing. MBM played and gave all they could. Surprisingly the 3rd/4th placing game pitted us against another team of friends from the consortium as well. It was a close match too and we managed to win clinching 3rd place in the tournament. So for the first time in my life this was how i got my hands on my first medal in paintball, a first podium finish and hopefully the first of the many that will come.

Team Monkey Bone Misfits 2007 From left:

Adam(Player-Back), Jon(Player-Front), Atifi(Player-Back), Simon(Player-Front), Cavin(Player-Mid), Brian (Technical Crew), Amir (Player-Mid/Front), Paul (MPOC director), Mark (MBM Captain-Back)

Some pictures :

Xing Kai "Exkay/Prawn King" showing how it's done. Check out the mountain load of prawn heads. It's genocide i tell you.

"Band of brothers" from left- Jon, Adam, Mark, Amir(At the back), Xing Kai (Exkay), Simon.

Team Monkey Bone Misfits
From left-Amir, Atifi, Cavin, Simon (Still biting the banner from the podium till now), Mark, Jon, Adam.

4th Leg (There are 5 legs in a season) will be held in Xtion Paintball, Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 25th and 26th of August. Come support us! Or support the blogger by giving him sugar and lots of it on that day. Or ~~money~~ funds, funds will be good too.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Prawns

2007-07-15T02:50:00.000-07:00

So began a journey into blogging or rather now a horrendous task of typing out words onto the screen which i usually only reserve for assignments. Yikes, what have i gotten myself into now? I think i have quite a fair bit to put into writing, i guess i will put them in reserve and then later field them in Carling Cup, and perhaps some may provide decent cover for the coming season in the League. Then i will sell my best player to Barcelona and go on to win a Quadruple. Sounds like a plan. Expect players like reflections, randomness, paintball and football to feature here.

Coverage of my 2nd Paintball tournament coming up from the state of ~~Prawnang~~ Penang about 2 weeks back. Meanwhile, any complaints or flaming feel free to take a number from the complaint box as pictured below. Enjoy!

Disclaimer : Blogger will not be responsible for any injuries/deaths result of the immediate and efficient response to service by the Complaint Department. However do feel free to send the blogger boxes of candies and snacks that the blogger can munch on to inspire him to come out with more utter nonsense.