A Short Stroll through the Park

Back from my hiatus: Things have changed

2008-12-23T06:17:00.004+11:00

And yes, I know, it's been almost forever. I might have even thought so, looking back at the last post in the blog: the pathetic examination timetable of mine for last semester. In any case, I have come a long way since then, and you may be delighted to know that this involves a mountain of stories to share with everyone :)

All I can say is for now, is to watch this blog. I promise to update the blog over the next few months under the new title. Ah, which brings me to a reason why I decided to dispose of the simple, yet personalised Densterified (along with the pitch black/orange theme) into A Short Stroll through the Park (along with a serene green shade theme). It's all about moving on from who I was in the past, a direct, analytical person who sees things as black or white, who believes in strong visual representation to complement strongly worded content. About establishing a contrast between the theme of the blog, in the background, and occasionally the theme of the message.

I have moved on since then. My latest theme reflects the mellowing of my thoughts, of keeping blogging to a relaxed atmosphere, where experiences shared are ones that makes us smile, reflect, and think back upon moments that bring us delight. About taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of civilisation, and indulging ourselves in purely theoretical (or imaginery, depending on your background) issues and experiences that one no doubt wouldn't be floating around in one's head for fear of a rollicking by others.

In any case though, if you are a new reader, or returning to my blog, allow me to welcome you back. I hope you enjoy your stay *grin*. :)

Denster

Exam Timetable for S1 2008 - Here We Go!

2008-06-03T00:45:00.002+10:00

12th June 2008 : Reactor Engineering

16th June 2008 : Heat and Mass Transport Processes 1

20th June 2008 : Chemical Engineering Management

24th June 2008 : Bioprocess Engineering

I'll be returning on the 2nd of July. :)

What is bloody wrong with saying "No"?

2008-05-28T00:47:00.000+10:00

Sometimes the attitude of people around me leaves very much to be desired. I think we all should come to a consensus in that should people feel that they are threatened by a question, either because it affects their immediate well-being, then they should just say "no". By continuing with status quo, it misleads the other party into making ill-judgments, apart from also making them look manipulative to people. I do not mean this in a relationship way, nor do I mean this in a take advantage of friend way. It has everything to do with simple academics.

Yes, the Kiasu Syndrome has resurfaced, though, it's not like it ever disappeared, based on elementary observation. I am pretty much irritated by the fact that some can (with glee even, wtf) pass on "fake information", or misleading information about what is coming out in the examinations (or even on concepts in lectures) intentionally, when they want to "hide the truth". It sometimes puzzles me - if they want to hide things so much, then why not say "No"? Is it because they want to keep friends, but yet silently poison these very friends they want to keep? Now how ethical is that?

Being a Buddhist, I admit that there are many, of other faiths, or of no faiths, who are even better Buddhists than me. Yes, indeed there are many whose sense of ethics are directed towards a utilitarian approach ("Let's all pass this together guys!"). My advice to these people, in earnest is to look at themselves and think about what they are doing, in the big picture. Not only when exposed it makes them look like bloody dirty scoundrels, but by teaching the wrong concept, they are dooming their friends for long. After all, we as humans operate on a right/wrong basis - so as long as no one points out the mistake that this poor person picked up unwittingly, the person will never ever know. Think about that.

In my opinion, politics does not belong to education. Though if that is how people want to play it, then by all means, they should go ahead. Just don't make it so bloody obvious. Thanks, and have a nice day :-)

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2008-05-23T00:26:00.000+10:00

Yes, before you begin reading this post, kindly note that this will be a rant. And although a comparatively "non-at your face" kinda rant, please be warned :-)

The week ended miserably: on the 22nd, which was on the very day I "future-posted" the earlier post (whoopee, go figure), I ended up late for Bioprocess Engineering. There was a guest speaker coming in - yeah, sure, some of you would be cbf (can't be f**ked) to attend such a lecture, but for me, "why not?" is more the attitude I had in mind. Okay, so I rushed to university, to get a good seat, and upon reaching the lecture theatre (just five minutes late), and preparing for the lecture, I slipped my hand into my jacket pocket. A cold chill shot up my spine. I then fumbled around with all my pockets, hoping to get out the one thing I realised then was not there.

My phone.

WTF!?

I started to panick, but amazingly managed to keep a poker face. For some reason (either because (a) they are amazingly ignorant, (b) they are people who don't give a damn about me, (c) I am such a good poker player), my friends didn't notice the tsunami of feelings going through me. Where the hell is my phone?! Did I leave it at home. A bad feeling went through me - I knew it wasn't at home. I rushed out of the lecture theatre.

Following the trail back to my home, where I hoped - no - I prayed - that it would be in, I ran. Ran knowing that even if a stranger saw my phone, and picked it up, then it would be the end. Memories of people discussing about the honesty of people around us came rushing into my mind - and oh God this was a brand new W910i. I continued rushing all the way back, the familiar sight of the university fast fading and being replaced with Elizabeth St (Royal Parade). I continued the frenzied rush, until I got to this dangerous crossing, which was on Flemington Road. Then I noticed something... on the ground, in the middle of the road.

It was red, broken, and there was stuff all around it. I was fking shocked. Without hesitation, I rushed across and scooped it up and made a dash to the other side. Come to think of it if there were cars coming, I might have ended up next to it on the road. Anyway, the damage was done. It was scarred really badly; I don't think I should post the pictures up. I barely had any ... mood to go for the following tutorials, but ah heck, as they were the last ones of the semester, I just went for them.

The next day, I went to the 3 service center on St Kilda Road. Was told that the early estimate of repair would stand around 300 dollars. I was stupefied - 300 is a bloody lot of money! [Added: When I got the accurate quote later, it was reduced to 200, but it's still a bloody lot of money, anyways >_>].

Moral of the story: Fken wear jackets with deep pockets. On that bloody day I wore my jeans (which had super tight pockets that I could barely use, and a jumper with mini pockets as well - I suppose that was a disaster waiting to happen - but why the hell with my phone *ugh*). In any case, perhaps the idea of keeping stuff in my bag (as how some of my friends would keep all their ... stuff, ranging from pocket diaries to perfume), wouldn't be a bad idea too.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't a SERIES of unfortunate events, but hey, I already feel like rolled over by a truck. (Perhaps not a good comparison given what happened)

Give me some space >_>

Denny

What Your Name Means

2008-05-22T01:04:00.006+10:00

Yes, this is technically not a post - however, I'm feeling extremely bored. Upon checking out Mei Ling's new blog (click here to access it), I found a "What Your Name Means" thingy - which was interesting (I used to play a lot with these on Tickle, etc in the past during secondary school when I should have been doing IT work *shhh*).

Anyway, here are my results. Behold! :P

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There are 17 letters in your name.
Those 17 letters total to 90
There are 6 vowels and 11 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:

Shakespearean	Male	'King Henry the Eighth' Sir Anthony Denny.
Norse	Male	From Denmark.
Greek	Male	Variant of Dennis: Follower of Dionysius (Greek god of wine).
English	Male	Variant of Dionysius. Dionysius is the mythological Greek god of wine responsible for growth of the vines and the originator of winemaking: (equivalent to the Roman god Bacchus.).

Your number is: 9

The characteristics of #9 are: Humanitarian, giving nature, selflessness, obligations, creative expression.

The expression or destiny for #9:
The expression that you exhibit is represented bythe number 9. Your talents center in humanistic interests and approaches. You like to help others as you were intended to be the 'big brother or big sister' type. You operate best when you follow your feelings and sense of compassion, and allow yourself to be sensitive to the needs of others. You work well with people, and have the potential to inspire. This suggests that you could successfully teach or counsel. Creative ability, imagination and artistic talent (often latent) of the highest order are present in this expression. It's possible that you're not using or developing all of these capabilities at this time. Some of your talents may have been used at an earlier time in your life, and some may still be latent. Be aware of your capabilities, so that you can make use of them at appropriate times.

If you are able to achieve the potential of your natural expression in this life, you are capable of much human understanding and have a lot to give to others. Your personal ambitions are likely to be maintained in a very positive perspective, never losing sight of an interest in people, and a sympathetic, tolerant, broad-minded and compassionate point of view. You are quite idealistic, and disappointed at the lack of perfection in the world. You have a strong awareness of your own feeling as well as those of others. Friendships, affection, and love are extremely important.

Undeveloped or ignored, the negative side of the 9 expression can be very selfish and self-centered. If you do not actively involve yourself with work that benefits others, you may tend to express just the opposite characteristics. It is your role to be very involved with other people and their needs, but it may be difficult for you achieve this role. Aloofness, lack of involvement, and a lack of sensitivity mark the low road of this expression.

Your Soul Urge number is: 8

A Soul Urge number of 8 means:
With an 8 soul urge, you have a natural flair for big business and the challenges imposed by the commercial world. Power, status and success are very important to you. You have strong urges to supervise, organize and lead. Material desires are also very pronounced. You have good executive abilities, and with these, confidence, energy and ambition.

Your mind is analytical and judgment sound; you're a good judge of material values and also human character. Self-controlled, you rarely let emotions cloud judgment. You are somewhat of an organizer at heart, and you like to keep those beneath you organized and on a proper track. This is a personality that wants to lead, not follow. You want to be known for your planning ability and solid judgment.

The negative aspects of the 8 soul urge are the often dominating and exacting attitude. You may have a tendency to be very rigid, sometimes stubborn.

Your Inner Dream number is: 1

An Inner Dream number of 1 means:
You dream of being a leader and one who is in charge. You want to be known for your courage, daring, and original ideas. You seek unconquered heights. People may get a first impression that you are very aggressive and sure of yourself.

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If you wanna try it, you can do it here.

Happy Wesak Day

2008-05-19T23:25:00.003+10:00

First of all, I'd like to wish a happy Wesak Day to all my fellow Buddhists and friends around. How did the day go? I certainly hope that your day was a day of change for the better, for that was how I thought I should do things today. Wesak strengthened my resolve to help others (which include myself) and practice a more consciously diligent approach to life and its many challenges. Though it may seem like just another day to many, the day had many of its challenges, and what ifs, that on ordinary days would make me hopping mad, but I believe that this approach is not the right one, because there is simply no benefit from jumping around like a mad hatter over every "injustice" suffered. In fact its much better to overlook these and focus on improving.

I dislike detailing what I did to help my friends, or the small gestures in the day, but whatever it is, the afternoon's turn of events left me slightly disappointed. The turn of events in the evening, as I prepared to return, caught me unawares as it started raining. When I finally got back from uni, I was not only wet, but I was tired as well; I only could do a quick change before I slumped in bed. In fact, I might have just forgotten to have dinner, had my housemate not called me for Dota, which I declined, in preference to having a meal. Strangely today I had the appetite for 2 Korean noodle packs (and trust me, they aren't your typical Maggi Mee portions, well, perhaps they are 3 MM portions but that's not the point) - and it made me feel much better.

Even until 2 am today, I still feel energised to read up notes on Heat and Mass (after speaking to Saiful and Chris today I felt even more fired up to work on my weaknesses throughout the semester).

But, enough about my day. Change is not measured in days, it is measured over a much larger timescale. I'll last this change. That I promise myself.

I hope you had a great day today :)

Happy Wesak Day! :D

Denny

Time to get life back on track

2008-05-18T12:55:00.003+10:00

"You can learn more about a guy just by seeing his room, than spending hours and hours out chatting"

A statement that was mentioned to me by a friend of mine from the past, with her trademark warm smile, yet cold, unforgiving tone. If there was a person who could lure you into the safety of a comforting environment, then suddenly twist an ice cold dagger into your back, slowly, and watch you die, well, she probably would be the first person I'll think of who can do that. Perhaps it was a bonus that I was one to be on her good side... but enough about her :P

The weekend was wasted on non-stop Dota, procrastination, and watching the FA Cup final (and the best part was that I was too tired to watch despite the match being broadcasted early - I nearly missed the end as I fell asleep around the 70th minute lol, but woke up for the final 5 minutes). Waking up and going back to my room, I was so shocked at the condition of my room - it looked like a tsunami came, smashed my room up, and left by the back door (so that no one would know, and it would look like a bloody conspiracy if I ever suggested that such a thing happened). It was just shocking. It was then I thought of that quote. And then I nearly fainted.

I'm still cleaning my room. Studies will... have to come after. (v_v)

Denster

Situation in Burma

2008-05-17T15:49:00.002+10:00

I read with great disappointment the recent announcement by the Burmese (or Myanmar, whichever you'd like) junta that aid sent by foreign countries would be under tight scrutiny (or may not even be passed in), amid the natural calamities that have befallen the country. The death toll has been rising over the past few days over conservative sources (i.e. the state channels) and more scarily over foreign news websites. I believe that some aid organizations have been allowed in, although with limited reach, such as the Red Cross, among others. Although from the Burmese junta's point of view, they have to face two evils in the sense that: (1) The 'Westerners' that help will embolden the people to once again attempt to overthrow them (keep in mind last September they already bloodily crushed an uprising led by monk), (2) They face a population of hungry, sick and dead people, and outraged international communities. I suppose they have made their choice, which is sickening in my opinion.

Coming off the back of a lecture on ethics on Friday, I can't say that I am on the same wavelength as these people at all. In fact, I view their actions as severely unethical, as without the people of the country there wouldn't be much left. Then again though, they did crush the Suu Kyi government in the past (elected by the people), so there isn't much for me to say there in that respect.

It makes us think about Malaysia. While politicians like to mention the bad points of our neighbors (e.g. "We are more balanced compared to Indonesia!", "Look, our country is more peaceful compared to Myanmar!", "Our cost of living is cheaper than in Singapore!") and so on, I believe it's about how we live. I don't bloody care if the country is worse than Seychelles, but if the living style gives opportunity to those who work for it, gives a comfortable environment for people to raise their families and live, etc, then that is enough. This reality is slowly being consumed by the rising prices of commodities back home - I wonder how long before either the People, or the Government break. It's always going to be one or the other, in Malaysia at the moment.

Updates on Life! =)

2008-05-15T20:30:00.001+10:00

Hey people! I realise I haven't been blogging much lately. Let's see... what's happened since I last went on hiatus. :P

Management is finally over! What... you already heard that from me? Eh! Not enough - let me say it again... Management is finally over!!! :D - I was so relieved that 'easily the mother of all assignments' this semester has finally been slain. Wahaha *Dota-style*

Denster has pawned [Mgt]Assignment's head for 200 gold.

And we all thought that I was crazy before - I am now averaging 2 games plus per night. It seems to get more to me - to lose stress, as the examinations loom. Naturally I have met a lot of people of fellow students from university who play too, and it's really interesting to chat with them - most of us started playing Dota back in what... 2003/4? Good memories, good memories. :) - what other game can screw up a Standard Two paper, where the opposite of professional (according to the marking scheme the answer was : careless, etetc) became "noob"? Brilliant stuff.

Anyway, moving on, I went to a house party organized by Nicholas, a friend of mine back from the secondary days. I met a lot of people there (some familiar faces, some new ones), most were really friendly people and we all had a great time. I felt I didn't drink much, despite the amount put in (perhaps those which I picked were ... dilute haha), though for one thing the dinner before (which was pot luck) had great garlic prawns. (I think those were sapued before some people even came - that was how good everyone found it!). It was particularly entertaining too, when we were looking through this book of top ten records (sorta like a Guinness Book of Records - though I'm not sure if it was exactly that or not) - and we were scrolling through categories like animals, insects, human feats etc, and then we stopped at names. The most common names was interesting - cause it was sorted by country, and then amazingly there was this list of most common endearments used by men in the US.

Guess what won? :P Hehehe... all I can say is that I'm impressed that "Pumpkin" was sixth. "Aww my dearrrr pumpkines" :P Ahahaha...

Recently there has been a spate of guest lecturers for Management - and I found some interesting. In fact, I found doing HAZOP (Hazard and Operatability Studies) really interesting - cause the whole thing was basically to troubleshoot any potential problems that may come out from a piece of equipment, how they can happen, and how to prevent. It was really fun spending time in my tutorial thinking about these, I only wish the tutorial was longer in many senses. I enjoy the discussion part of engineering - because in engineering it is all too common to see only calculations here and there, up and down, round and round (i.e. iterative). The argument / discussion element is lost to us... and I find that to be pretty sad because we can only start justifying stuff when we consider money in the equation. Money again?!

There is this Indo food that I really love, and that is this soya bean delicacy known as tempe. While I have been hearing that frequently used online in bloggers to slam Khir Toyo, ex-Menteri Besar of Selangor, I have been enjoying the taste of tempe with sambal. Good stuff! :D - I always found Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia to have the best foods ever - I mean, most flavors you will taste, will come from either a combination or specifically one of the many cuisines that have evolved in those lands. It does come pretty close to trumping sotong with Thai Chilli Sauce (squid calamari deep fried with garlic served with sweet chilli sauce). That owns! :D

Either way, I am coming back at the end of June! That's right :P Block out your Julys, because I am returning back to Malaysia. This would probably mean yum chas, shopping, and perhaps I'll even learn how to drive (because inactiveness makes you noob). :P

I shall update more soon.

Take care! :D

Always

2008-05-13T20:32:00.007+10:00

Click here for the Youtube music vid!

Always - Bon Jovi

This romeo is bleeding
But you can't see his blood
It's nothing but some feelings
That this old dog kicked up

It's been raining since you left me
Now I'm drowning in the flood
You see I've always been a fighter
But without you I give up

Now I can't sing a love song
Like the way it's meant to be
Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore
But baby, that's just me

And I will love you, baby - Always
And I'll be there forever and a day - Always
I'll be there till the stars don't shine
Till the heavens burst and
The words don't rhyme
And I know when I die, you'll be on my mind
And I'll love you - Always

Now your pictures that you left behind
Are just memories of a different life
Some that made us laugh, some that made us cry
One that made you have to say goodbye
What I'd give to run my fingers through your hair
To touch your lips, to hold you near
When you say your prayers try to understand
I've made mistakes, I'm just a man

When he holds you close, when he pulls you near
When he says the words you've been needing to hear
I'll wish I was him 'cause those words are mine
To say to you till the end of time

Yeah, I will love you baby - Always
And I'll be there forever and a day - Always

If you told me to cry for you
I could
If you told me to die for you
I would
Take a look at my face
There's no price I won't pay
To say these words to you

Well, there ain't no luck
In these loaded dice
But baby if you give me just one more try
We can pack up our old dreams
And our old lives
We'll find a place where the sun still shines

And I will love you, baby - Always
And I'll be there forever and a day - Always
I'll be there till the stars don't shine
Till the heavens burst and
The words don't rhyme
And I know when I die, you'll be on my mind
And I'll love you - Always

[ www.azlyrics.com ]

Always :)

Really Tired

2008-05-10T20:36:00.001+10:00

"I dunno why this happened. Maybe it's my weakness in due part, maybe it's just me expressing my human part, or maybe I might just be in one of my vulnerable times. Either way, I feel rotten, like a decaying plant being eaten alive by parasitic complexes, while I watched as you blossomed among the beautiful rays of sunlight in an everlasting spring. It was admittedly tough to bear, for like a man stranded in a desert for days, longing for water, I longed for you.

Perhaps words don't justify how I feel right now, perhaps I am seeing this situation in the wrong light, but I feel that just maybe, that it might ultimately be not worth it to continue with the way things are going. I loathe being defeatist, but to move on I do realise that we all have to cut our losses and make way for a better future ahead of us.

Good luck with life. And have fun."

I read this letter only a few weeks ago, on an unnamed forum, and boy did that feel strange. I sure hope that one day I wouldn't have to write such a letter, but then again, I do realise that the time will come when things don't work out, or don't work out better than they should. Still though, in my opinion we should do our best for what we believe in, and while I believe in what I fight for I will stay positive and dispel the negative elements. It will be more about what can be done, rather than 'who failed?'.

We will see. We will definitely see...

It Goes Down the Wire

2008-05-08T02:11:00.003+10:00

Probably the second worst scenario possible has occurred - our group will have to finish the Management assignment tomorrow. Given that the due time is 2pm tomorrow, that would mean that a lot of clean up, checks, confirming stuff etc will have to be done within the time constraints set. Tough luck, but I suppose that's what we have to do... I'm really pleased with the project though, we have incorporated most of the stuff that we wanted to incorporate - it's now a matter of a familiar thing to most of us (at least while doing subjects like History and Moral Studies back home) - bullshitting! :D

I apologise to those looking for me online - I've got your emails - will get back to you guys as soon as humanly possible. :/

(I just got home btw, from University. Probably the longest amount of time ever spent in university by yours truly - from 9am to 2pm, then 330pm to 1am. Insane!!)

Exam Timetable

2008-05-05T07:45:00.002+10:00

I'm really happy with this semester's timetable. I have... never seen anything like it - the spacings between exams are good, and the start date is good as well. I hope this is a good omen when it comes to the inevitable examinations. The first thing I thought of when I saw the timetable was "stock market increase!" :P

It came to me...

2008-05-03T20:44:00.003+10:00

This idea... like a panacea to all diseases. Finally, I have newfound confidence in my management assignment. Hell yeah!

:D

Showers of sorrow

2008-05-02T21:56:00.004+10:00

Showers of sorrow. An extremely random comment that jumped out of my mouth, like a frog jumping out of a pot of hot, steaming boiling water - it was neither controlled, nor provoked. Well, perhaps it was also because of late, it has been pretty gloomy in Melbourne - a lot of rain, and the sky is always dark. Sorta reminds me of how Wan Yung used to describe London to me, back a while ago (winding back the clock, not by hours, but more like months and years).

Anyway, today, due to some plan drawn up (that I foresaw, so it's no one's fault really), I was left sangkuted (stuck) at home for dinner. Perhaps it was my fault for being unprepared, but admittedly I was only informed that my housemate would be joining some of our friends for a CTG play tonight - peculiar thing was that they purchased a ticket for him in advance, but only told him yesterday, which is a little funny, come to think of it, should he be busy on that day. :P (They have been pretty understanding though, because of my pretty basic understanding of Cantonese and Mandarin, it would make it rather difficult for me to understand something like creative material [read: plays, musicals.]).

Either way, dialed a number of friends to call for dinner. Seemed like it was my lucky day again, (I recall my mom would use this phrase whenever a couple of screwed up things occured within a short period of time - talk about learning sarcasm from the home, eh? Hahah...) as it seemed that everyone was busy, or didn't reply. Kinda felt... ugh. Dunno, sometimes when you feel like you absolutely just have to BLAST your day out, or discuss something to keep yourself from going crazy.

Perhaps it's just my overactive imagination / mind, that needs a regular burn of energy in the form of story telling / discussing / etc. It's sorta like some breeds of dogs (imagine this, me comparing my mind to a dog!) - they need to be exercised regularly, due to their neverending supply of energy (otherwise they will be rascals around the house, heh). Guess I'm like that, and I do understand, that it's tough for many people to understand this. (Perhaps this is my difference compared to some of my more independent minded peers, who can survive being sole islands in the vast ocean of life).

Certainly provides a time of reflection, this time of being alone, doesn't it? (What the hell man, I almost sound like one of my friends blogging about her PMS period.)

I always look forward to the day I won't implode in a similar way, under similar circumstances. "Next time", I reassure myself.

"Next time..."

Winter's Coming!

2008-05-01T00:37:00.002+10:00

It's gotten extremely cold (relatively) over the last few days. Suddenly the unwanted heat in the afternoon (ugh, especially with the sweeping, dust-carrying wind) really seems like something of the past, and depending on who you are, you may miss it, ... or not. ;) - anyway, I have found myself having to now wear jeans (more on this later), and also a long sleeve tshirt under whatever I wear just to stay warm.

I also got myself an electric blanket, though I'm contemplating on what ceramic heater to buy - I am not sure which one to buy, any recommendations? The price of heaters can really be expensive, I wonder why. Okay, so I don't have to use heaters in Malaysia, and airconditioners are not exactly cheap, but are heaters really that expensive? (I see an average of 60 AUD for table top ones, that are ceramic - think the heating filaments ones are much cheaper, but I believe filament ones are easily gone, according to hearsay).

Anyway, about the topic of jeans. I happen to dislike wearing jeans a lot. In fact, I have barely any pairs of jeans in my wardrobe (if that word is appropriate for what I have in my room!), perhaps because I love my khakis so much more :P - I dunno, it's just this thing I have with jeans and the flatty pockets that come with them. The lack of pocket real estate (read: space) is a real downer for me. Still though, the "tightness" (relatively, compared to a cloth-made pair of pants) is really good for "insulation" from the cold outside, so... I'll let myself go for this. (YES!)

In addition, in light of not having Heat and Mass Transport Processes 1 lecture tomorrow at 9am, meaning my first class is 11am, I have vowed to clean up my room! Yes, folks, my super messy room is about to be cleaned up (then finally I can invite guests over to my room, subject to my housemate's approval though ahahahha). Yipeeeee! :D (now that was a tough thing to say.)

So, to all of you who love cold, good on ya :P
For the rest of the hotttt people (such as myself, no pun intended hehe), we will be minding our thumbs waiting for the next change in season.

Until next time!
Denster

Another Week of Reckoning?

2008-04-28T01:22:00.004+10:00

Perhaps one of the most exciting (in a work sense) times of the semester will unfold over the next week. With two tutorials to cram for Heat and Mass, one of which (a distillation one) which I have absolutely no idea how to do, and two assignments due really soon, it's going to be yet another crunch week. Management will be one of the most challenging to handle - I hope to get my teammates for a discussion tomorrow, for I believe we are close to actually coming to terms with the monster of an assignment.

Something that absolutely irritates me though, is that the assignment itself, which is huge in itself, has gone through many corrections, mostly figure-wise. I suppose it's for the greater good, but when one starts to draw up spreadsheets, going back to modify and think of the big picture once again is a bit tedious. To make things work out, I will be waking up early tomorrow for tutorials (so that I can meet with teammates and discuss - I really do think this is crucial).

This week will also be the first week of Parliament, where many new Member of Parliaments (MP) will take their oaths and their places in the Malaysian Parliament. I'm already very excited to see what new changes (balances, more likely) are in store for us Malaysian citizens - certainly the prospect of a fair and more represented view in the Parliament will be welcome to all. It will be pretty exciting to see a couple of bloggers, recently elected via the General Elections, in the midst of our nation's lawmakers too.

I recently saw a video of Altantuya's (for those not informed of what happened, she is the Mongolian lady who mysteriously was killed in Malaysia, and whose murder was linked to several top key Government figures) father making a press statement on Youtube. In fact, a lot of new videos have surfaced on Youtube, some of which are press conferences by senior politicians on the changes done in Malaysia (which include calls for support, under-the-belt attacks, etc). I advise those of you who want to know more to take a look around.

Here is that Youtube of Altantuya's dad:

(I really do hope the case will be settled soon, and justice will be done - it's actually quite sad to see a father visiting Malaysia so many times in the hope that his daughter's death will be managed well by the courts of Malaysia)

Back to stuff in Australia, I have been watching AFL for a while now. Actually I started watching AFL back in last year, supporting the Kangaroos (after all, I stay in North Melbourne, so why not? *grin*). This year they seem to be doing so-so, but it's all good nevertheless. The play style is pretty interesting, I have to say, though it seems to lack the flexibility in terms of formations of football (soccer, to the Americans and Aussies), in my opinion. I'll blog more about this new interest soon.

I hope you all have a lovely (♥) week ahead.

Enjoy!

(I certainly will be enjoying my week!)

Choice Empowerment

2008-04-27T10:00:00.000+10:00

WARNING: The following post might sound incredibly awe-inspiring, or horribly alike the bullshitter-extraordinare in me.

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"I have lived life to the fullest"

"Come on, life is meant to be lived"

"Carpe diem!"

These many quotes are about doing what we really want, making best use of opportunities that present themselves to us over the course of our existence on this planet; in a very detached sense they are about doing something, be it for the betterment of ourselves, or to our ultimate detriment.

It sometimes puzzles me too, that when people talk about faith, about a God, about the extraordinary, that we take this very detached element and use it to discuss. In my opinion, this should not be the case, it should relate to what we do in life. Our choices, basically. For example, if you see a person drowning, would you save the person? Some of us won't, because we run the risk of drowning. Some of us would, because we put ourselves in that person's shoes (what would happen if it was me? My life would end there and then), or even in that person's loved ones shoes (how would I feel if I found out that someone was there, but didn't save my loved one?). Then we make a conscious decision.

I find it pretty tragic, that although many people occasionally bring up the notion of a heaven and hell, and that we will all be judged on what we do over the course of our lives, that more often than not these people are also ignorant about the many deaths that happen around us. One of the most common, I'm afraid, are those of children, be it in infant stage, or even up to toddler stage, especially in places where they are more vulnerable (such as in poorer, third world countries). Being people who have had not understood the notion of right or wrong, good or bad, etc, are they to be bound to the very same rules of heaven and hell? What about the life that was meant to be lived?

It is exactly this reason why we should, indeed, do what we can with our lives, while we still have empowerment over our choices.

Handicapped people in many ways deserve our pity, yet some of them try so much harder to succeed, to break through the seemingly insurmountable barriers that get in their way than us that it's really humbling to witness such feats. There was once a test that was done, on what sense would we rather lose, if we had to lose one. The testers purposely fixed either sight or hearing, for those were the two most common senses voted as "the ones that people would fear to lose over the course of their lives", and a strong majority went to sight. Personally, the only reason why I would be sad if such an occurrence happened *touch wood* would be that falling into a disability would hamper my efforts to actually take care of myself, or my family (in the future) as it adds extra burden to the ones already there. In many ways this actually does show how much harder life is for handicapped people.

There are many others things that go through my mind on what suffering many have gone through, and I strongly believe it should be something to contemplate about, when reflecting on what we have gone through, and will be going through in life.

While we still have the choice, while we still have the power in our hands, we should do what we think is right.

Will you?

I Feel Like...

2008-04-25T11:31:00.007+10:00

RAWR!

Full of energy, can't wait to do something interesting! Funnily enough the activities in mind are not exactly taxing from the point of view of most people - they include finishing lab reports (writing : about 70 calories per hour - no joke), going to the movies (an even worse one, because you just sit there transfixed onto the seat, ... unless... *heh* never mind), shopping (this one may be super taxing or super relaxing, depending on whether you carry the stuff, or have the mullah to get the stuff in the first place), and ... maybe snoozing the alarm and continuing to sleep (but this cannot be done for I feel like RAWR, which means there is excess energy to burn!)

It's probably the Korean BBQ - my body has received a huge dose of meat, not something I would consume in such.... odd amounts. I was always more of a vege eater, though, with my fussiness about food, I suppose there isn't much left out there to eat. Which brings me to a peculiar observation about yesterday - there was chicken gizzard being served, and it seemed that everyone hated it. I tried one, and it didn't seem bad at all, just that it was a little rubbery (as in when your teeth sink into the juicy, steamy morsel it feels like a match made in heaven, "MMM, Teeth, meet Meat" - then suddenly the whole experience dies down - the music, the image, whatever - when suddenly the meat is bouncy and 'bounces' your teeth away). But I digress. It was certainly a new experience, and I have to thank my friends for bringing me to such a place.

A side point I want to get out - for some reason I seem to be intimidated by extremelyyyyy soft-spoken manja girls. Hm. I dunno, the iron ladies and "stare at you, then your pants drop" kind also not so intimidating (you know me, I'm very... apathetic towards threats). Wonder how will I ever ever cope with a girlfriend. (But then songs like this comfort me - hahaha)

For some reason,

I dreamt of this joke (actually I saw it before somewhere, but it was recalled!). Anyway, it went like this:

Two Ah Bengs were walking along a street, when suddenly they encountered this pile of cowdung, complete with flies and a stinky aroma.

The first Ah Beng shouted "WOI! Don't step wei - looks like shit le!".

The other one replied "Confirm shit meh?"

Then Ah Beng 1 said "Eh, I dunno wor, come see closer a bit lah".

So they went closer to the pile....

Ah Beng 1 dipped his index finger into the cowdung and then said profoundly "Fuyoh! Feels like shit!".

Then Ah Beng 2, feeling fired up that his friend had touched the cowdung, then picked up a bit of the brown stuff and smelled it "WAHLIAO, smells like shit man!"

Then Ah Beng 1, now, feeling even more fired up, picked up a bit and took a taste and said "Fucker, taste like shit also"...

They both then looked at each other...

And then stood up and started laughing...

"Hahahhaha - damn lucky never step on it right?"

I'm Back!

2008-04-24T23:23:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone! I know, it's been a bloody long time since I last posted - in fact it has been almost two weeks since the notebook went down due to the power adapter failing. It's weird, I expected a really long "fixing" time from the notebook shop, but then it only took about 15 minutes tops before I was given a brand new laptop adapter to use (the old one experienced the wonders of an electrical surge).

What's happened since then?

Two mid-semester examinations, a long evening pondering through Microsoft Excel, several lab sessions, and more mind boggling engineering concepts going in all at once. I was particularly disappointed at my Heat and Mass Transfer Processes 1 mid-semester test, simply because I felt I could have done a much better job. I made a huge mistake though, with a certain question, which came out unexpectedly, and the results were shocking. It was a minor salvage though, that I got off with minor damage - it won't exactly hurt the efforts to secure a good grade, but it certainly puts me on the wrong foot, given that the class average was a cool 80something, if I'm not wrong.

Today was the Reactor Engineering test, and it was held at 8am. Wow. It has been a really long time since I woke up at about 6am just to get ready for a test. It felt really tiring, but it was surprisingly refreshing, waking up at such an early time and getting a breath of fresh air in the morning. I won't be too optimistic about the test; I found one of the questions particularly difficult - and although I managed to work out a way to solve it, I overlooked one key step that might unravel all of the work that was done. It's kinda sad, when you think about it - all the hard work built up over time, in general, all washed away because of one silly incident. Just like how a person may regret actually breaking into someone's house and then getting caught, but it's too late, no?

Anyway, I had a long day, went to do Excel on the management assignment later at about 4, after management tutorial with my group mates. It was really fun discussing the thing out, in my opinion, only that when work had to be done, to be shown, then it got... a weeee bit hairy. =( - I rushed home and then got ready to go out with my friends for Korean barbecue. It was really, really good - and I felt that it was a "just" reward for just simply surviving the day. I'm really pleased with the way things turned out, as my computer got fixed too today, so everything has gone right it seems. You don't have these kind of days often nowadays, do you?

The week before, I had a Bioprocess Lab, and it was just horrible for me. Sketching cells is not such a big deal, but when the whole lab was done by partners (2 a team), and my group ended up with 9 people, I was "forced" to do it solo. This posed a really big challenge for me, because although I am technically sound with my hands in lab (except the infamous explosion in First Year), time was an issue. Essentially doing the work of two people did not benefit me at all, and I lament all the "what should have happened?" scenarios. Sometimes working solo and in a team has it's advantages and disadvantages, but I'm generally a team player (or a leader that unifies the team), so it's much tougher for me to solo out a job.

Anyway, over the last two weeks...

I got to know some of my friends better - it's rather surprising what you don't know about different people in your class. We tend to take our friends for granted at times, which is perhaps one of my biggest weaknesses. On that point, I don't mean to brag, but I felt that ever since I lost the ability to actually MSN or over rely on internet to communicate, I have become more sociable and more ... motivated to give a good image of myself. I know I know, the inner beauty thing argument and all ("It's not what matters on the outside, it's what matters on the inside"), but we must start somewhere, I guess *shrug*.

Perhaps after today, I will finally have the chance to finally chat with friends that I may have lost contact with over the last few weeks, and probably the chance to Dota as well! :D

Funfun!

Tomorrow is a holiday, so I suppose it's time for Bioprocess Lab Report + More Dota! :D

Temporary Hiatus

2008-04-14T09:56:00.000+10:00

For some weird reason, recently my notebook's power adapter was spoilt over the weekend. Actually it was just before the night market, but let's not go into the nitty gritty. Now, when powered up, all it does is beepbeepbeep, which is no goodgoodgood at all. >_>

This also means that Heat and Mass will be on top of the list during the new week.

I apologise to everyone who has tried to contact me over the past few days, but we're unable to. I suppose, for now, email would... suffice? (Or sms/call, if you'd prefer that)

Take care!

(Oh, and I'll probably be back by.... Thursday earliest)

Dens

Period of Reckoning Begins

2008-04-10T21:30:00.002+10:00

Over the next few weeks we will be having a real battle on our hands - we will not only be having two practicals over the next two Mondays, but we will be having mid-semester tests as well, throughout. Not to mention a Management assignment as well, to boot. It will be a really tough period, where scores at the end of the semester are probably made or broken, I hope that whatever happens, that I have given my best in the tests. I say I hope, because I am admittedly a procrastinator, so any period to study has to be treated more than it's weight in gold.

Yes, the pressure is here. And it's here to stay.

Hero or zero will come over the next two to three weeks.

Melbourne Comedy Fest

2008-04-06T14:58:00.002+10:00

I went to catch a show at the Melbourne Comedy Fest yesterday with friends. It was pretty fun - we went to a stand up comedy by Kent Valentine, called "A Fist Full of Rainbows". Thinking back, the title did sound a little gay, but we certainly wanted to check it out. The ticket buying process was thankfully not as busy and hectic as we thought, though we have already resolved to see Amos the next time he comes to Melbourne.

So, in between a dinner at Desert House (and tons of their infamous "rush you out" and "squeeze people into every cubic metre possible" policy) and gelati at Fredos (which happens to be the first time I have had Fredos since coming back this semester), we dropped by Portland Hotel to watch Kent Valentine's stand up. I have to say, the man is pretty good - the jokes he told were lasting, and perhaps the great part about the whole experience was that it was told in a very story-like way.

I might catch one more soon. Though, with exams coming fast around the corner, that might have to wait for next year. Hmm, come to think of it, I haven't been to Box Hill *hinthint* yet! :P

I have a new phone! excited

2008-04-03T23:06:00.002+11:00

Recently I got a new phone, as I have signed up for a cap with 3, a mobile provider in Australia (and other countries throughout the world, I am told). With my cap plan, came the phone, which is none other than the W910i! :D

Image sourced from : http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/index.html

And yes, it is red as well, in case you are wondering.

I am ecstatic at being able to own such a beautiful phone. Given that my previous workhorse has been struggling over the past month or so (her exterior has begun to crack *sniff*), I have decided to delegate my W800i to a MP3 player. After all, it is 4GBs. True, why not use the W910i?

I have stored some songs in the W910i, but personally I don't feel like using it as a dedicated MP3 player as of yet. I'd like to experiment with it's battery life first, because the last thing that should happen is that you end up in the middle of nowhere with a dead phone (due to a flat battery), all because of MP3 playing.

The beauty of the phone is simply... luscious though - I can't stop using it. While it may lack certain features that the W800i has, like a light, not to mention auto-focus, it makes up with a variety of new features like a rotating screen (according to gravity, much like the iPhone), multiple alarms (this has already saved me twice thus far), and a bigger screen so that I do not have to squint my eyes when reading messages from friends.

Yep, I know that by making this purchase I have essentially made a double back, in other words a flip-flop. But I resolve to use this phone, and will keep it for the two years (and possibly beyond), as per the W800i, which should not be considered obsolete just because it's now a MP3 player (2+ years to date, as it came with me to Melbourne). In case you were wondering, it was a toss between the 5MP Cybershot SE, and this (yep, there was an extra charge for the 5MP phone), but I ultimately chose the W910i.

I heard a friend of mine is getting the 8GB Nokia phone. If he does get it, then I suppose I'll be in for some mouthfuls of bragging. Hmm. No matter though, I love my phone :)

Peace out, and have a great day!

XIII - A fantastic read!

2008-04-01T22:46:00.000+11:00

Some of you may be familiar with a cel-shaded FPS released a few years ago called XIII.

Here is a picture, in case you're curious:

I have recently gotten hold of some XIII comics, and my goodness, the story is addictive! There is a real sense of tension as you go through the story, it has a very similar feel to the Bourne series, with a few differences here and there. It makes for a really good read. I am not sure whether the comic series is still continuing though, but I have recommend it :P (only 13 episodes I could find).

The game may be "violent" to some, but it can be argued that as it's cel-shaded, it doesn't have that bloody gory feeling that most FPS nowadays have. The story though, is no roll-over, it's a meat grinder as characters after characters fall - sometimes I feel like it's watching 24, where, what the heck, you hardly know who the protagonist can trust, or will live to the next episode. Exciting stuff. :D

In other news, I have finally been reunited with some friends from Blueserver in Aussie (though only in online games). Met up with Rojpiece (I'm quite sure many people from BS would remember him), along with a number of new friends in Bored Aussie. :-)

Yes, I am very aware that there are tests coming up, which is why I am now... playing only one game per day. A big cut, considering in Easter I would play at least five a day. :P