Especial Thoughts

I'm listening but now it's my turn to speak

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:05:00 +0000

Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen!

(I literally copied and pasted it 10 times, anyways jokes aside.....)

It's my turn to voice out my PERSONAL opinion about the recent viral issue regarding a forum by Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia.....as a journalism student I am always taught to be on a neutral ground, to look at both sides of the story and seek the truth. I am not sure how often that is practiced in the industry these days but I should and I will share my opinions by analyzing and understanding both sides of the story.

Background - Bawani KS and President of Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen

If you have not been following the news, there was a recent forum called, 'Mahasiswa dan Politik' organized in University Utara Malaysia (UUM) by Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia, a Non-Governmental Organization. What happened during the forum was, the president, which was the speaker, humiliated a fellow student from the University in front of more than 2000 students.

Bawani KS was voicing her opinions on free education in Malaysia. Before Bawani could finish her speech, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen took away her microphone and requested for her turn to speak. However, the word request in this context is a bit unfair for Bawani KS.

Respect and demand

Bawani KS vs Sharifah Zohra Jabeen in terms of respect, who was at fault?

In my opinion, there were fault in both parties. Firstly, Bawani KS was a bit too passionate in voicing out her opinion that she forgot about the intonation of her speech, her voice was raised slightly higher than normal and can be categorized as provocative and perhaps slightly emotional as well. In addition to that, she also used body languages that were in some context, harsh.

Alright, that was Bawani's side. However, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen is not any good as well. Before Bawani could finish her sentence, Sharifah Zohra Jabeen cut her short with one word, that was repeated many times (that felt like a million). Was that respectful towards Bawani? I do not think so. Perhaps, just perhaps she was trying to calm things down as Bawani was a bit too heated up in her speech. However, that does not justify what Sharifah had to say after that.

Sharifah, as the president of the NGO and as an honorable speaker for the forum had all the rights to defend her own opinions about the matter. All in all, it was an open forum that was suppose to be a platform for intellectuals to share their opinions on important matters. However, the only thing that caught my attention as well as sparked my dissatisfaction was Sharifah's personal attack on Bawani KS.

Even as the president of Suara Wanita 1 Malaysia, Sharifah was in no position to humiliate and condemn Bawani KS in front of so many people present. Claims made of Bawani such as being disrespectful was already injustice to her. Moreover, calling her the least educated individual in the hall was unacceptable.

Respect does not come with age, status or power. Respect comes with wisdom, it is earned not demanded.

Young and foolish

Yes, Sharifah was absolutely right, Bawani was younger than her in age. She was young but she was definitely not foolish. She stated her opinions with facts, figures and good comparisons as illustrations. Sharifah as well, had some truth regarding respecting the elderly. However, Sharifah should have stopped speaking before she went on about animal rights.

Cats, dogs and jaws has problems. I agree with you, Sharifah. Animals do have problems, there are stray animals living in the streets, some die of starvation and some of diseases. However, a rebuttal must make sense and must be relevant to the context. Bawani spoke of free education, she spoke of the truth in regards to Bersih 3.0. On the other hand, Sharifah spoke of illegal gatherings of 3 people or more and animal rights in regards to the topic addressed.

Alright, so up until now, both sides had their valid opinions. Perhaps Bawani was wrong in the way she expressed herself and perhaps Sharifah had solid points but was irrelevant and rude in her rebuttal. So both parties were foolish but wait, there is another and that is the people in the hall.

When I clicked on the video I was already ready to watch the two people addressed in a heated conversation. However, the disappointment only came in when the people in the hall was cheering and clapping with no absolute reason. More than 2000 people cheered and clapped for Bawani KS when she spoke. However, the same amount of people cheered and clapped for Sharifah when she humiliated their own friend in front of them.

Why, my dear Malaysians, why?

Do you hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men?

From here on, it is all my own opinion. Just like Bawani KS, I am an undergraduate student from Monash University studying Arts and Social Sciences. I am young, yes, sometimes foolish, yes but I know what is black and white, right and wrong, ethical and unethical and most of all, I know my rights.

Humiliating another individual in front of so many people, is wrong and unethical. Expressing yourself in a provocative manner is wrong and foolish. However, not respecting the people's opinion in regards to creating a better future is not acceptable. We may be young but we are taught, at a very young age of making a difference, of change, of improvements to a better future for all generations to come and humanity.

I have kept quiet for this long. When a guideline was published and approved by our Ministry last year in regards to identifying Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals and Transexuals, I was enraged. During then, I was studying a subject on Sex, Gender and Women knowledge. We spoke of equality among genders and people with different sexual orientations in class. We debated and discussed about change in human rights. Even in a small and humble classroom of 30 people, we could see change and we spoke of change. Yes, these people who saw change and spoke of change were people my age.

We are young, yes but just remember this, we are the future as well.

Do you want all of us to memorize text books in class and be a slave to idiocy?

Do you want us to have pre-programmed mind sets of a certain truth that was sculpted and established by society, influenced by what was clouded with misconceptions and corruption by generations from generations?

Do you NOT want us to change, for our sakes and for the future generation's sake?

I love my country, I was born here but my country is not the only developing nation in the world. There are many great nations out there. Some struggling for change, some improving on change and some not wanting to change. We are capable of change, each of us, no matter how old, rich or wise is capable of change but what is preventing us, exactly?

Now to share with you my current favourite song;

Les Miserables- Do you hear the people sing

Do yo hear the people sing?

Singing the song of angry men?

It is the music of the people

Who will not be slaves again!

Will you join in our crusade?

Who will be strong and stand with me?

Beyond the barricade

Is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight

That will give you the right to be free!

Welcome back?

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:31:00 +0000

Hey,

If there are still people visiting this blog. I would like to extend my gratitude for coming here despite a year hiatus. Ever since college life started, life went on and I left some of myself behind. Basically, I stopped writing articles that meant something. Instead, I migrated to amylimsuyen.com (which is no longer available due to DNS complications). Over there, I wrote personal stories and shared my own life changing experiences (technically it's all about me coping with changes and tasting reality while I am aging)

However, I am back!

I'll continue to write articles here :)

So, if you still want to read what I write, stay tuned.

www.amylimsuyen.com

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 05:13:00 +0000

It's official!

http://www.amylimsuyen.com/

Relay for life Malaysia 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sat, 14 May 2011 02:32:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

A better world shall emerge based on faith and understanding. [Douglas Macarthur]

Faith is a significant word. It is a word easier to be said than to believe in. Sometimes in life, we go through the toughest of the toughest times and those are the times when we start to question every single thing in life. The definition of faith at Wikipedia is this,

Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof.[1][2] Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true,[3] belief in and assent to the truth of what is declared by another, based on his or her supposed authority and truthfulness.

In my opinion, it is easy and hard to have faith. We can either choose to have faith or not. I choose to have faith. Last year, I remember writing a blog post about my heroine. My grandmother [mother's side]. She is my heroine because I watched her fight cervical cancer, stage 2. I fought with her. It was one of the toughest time for my family and I. How glad am I to have gone through that because it made me more optimistic towards life.

Things happen for a reason. God made plans for us. Sometimes I do question. Why? Why us? Why me? Why twice? Again? The truth is, it fell hard on me. The news was hard to digest. Friday, May the 13th 2011. I will remember this date. First thing I heard in the morning, "Did daddy tell you about grandma?" No, he did not tell me. My mother did. Fridays are usually very long and slow for me but yesterday was just too much.

Cancer is a word, not a sentence. [John Diamond]

However, life goes on. We have to keep moving forward. Just like the quote says, "Cancer is a word, not a sentence". My faith is strong.

So let me deliver my main objective of this blog post across.

Relay for life Malaysia 2011.

What Is Relay?

It is a 16-Hour Event that You’ll Never Forget!

Relay For Life is an over-night event, celebrating the lives of cancer survivors as well as to remember the lives of loved ones who have lost the battle. It is a high-spirited event where everyone in the community can join in the fight against cancer. It is a day filled with fun, comradeship and festivities. A time when people you know and people you don’t know team up to raise public awareness about cancer in the community.

Throughout the duration of the event, individuals, survivors, teams, companies, schools will take turns to walk the track to relay the message of cancer. Non-stop. From dusk till dawn.

How Will the Money Collected be used?

To EDUCATE our society about early detection and prevention.

To CARE for cancer patients by providing access to treatment and detection facilities.

To SUPPORT cancer patients & their caregivers by organizing events to empower them and increase quality of life.

I cannot describe to you how much this event means to me because if you have never experience going through it, you will never understand it. Do take some time, just 16 hours to participate in Relay for life Malaysia 2011. Hope to see you all there!

Relay for life Malaysia 2011;

Website

Facebook Page

Youth Nation Summit 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Wed, 04 May 2011 06:42:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

Do you know how much power youth has in contributing towards the excellence in society?

The Power of Y

The Power of Y is an over arching program encompassing collaboration with youth movements that will have a nationwide effect by myHarapan.It incorporates the best of youth leadership and activism with practical industry knowledge and experience over a series of events and programs, beginning with Youth Nation Summit and Youth Action Forum in May 2011.

Do you know which platform enables youth to develop their full leadership potential?

About AIESEC

AIESEC is the world's largest youth-run organization with over 60 years of experience in developing high-potential youths into global-minded responsible leaders. Focused on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC enables its members the opportunity to participate in international internships, experience leadership and interact with global network to support their development.

Do you know which foundation support youth and youth projects in Malaysia?

About myHarapan

myHarapan ["my hope" or "harapan ku"] is a Youth Trust Foundation that supports youth and youth projects that contribute to the social economy of Malaysia by providing platforms and opportunities. Much has been said about nurturing the youth as future leaders, but these 'future leaders' are very often not given the opportunity to voice out their views, to develop their social initiative projects, for the betterment of our country. This is where myHarapan steps in.

Why should you attend Youth Nation Summit 2011?

For more information please visit:

www.aiesec.my/YNSummit

YNS Facebook event page

Night/ event photography; KL Towers concert

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:16:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

This is the blog post for the KL Towers concert that I never got myself to write until now because today I finally have the time to sit in front of my laptop patiently to write this post. Actually, it is more of revising for Moral Education final exam while writing my blog posts and spending time on stumbleupon.com.

Last weekend, Saturday, on the 9 of April I went to the KL Towers concert under The Star BRATs to do a coverage. Went there with AIESECers but met up with my fellow BRATs as well. It was nice seeing them again after the last outing in December. Met Tristan for the first time and he is younger than me. I feel so old.

Alright, I found this picture while going through 3K of pictures that night. I have always played with the quick zoom twist effect but on random and never really thought of what kind of pictures I can produce with it. This shot gave me an idea on what kind of pictures I can take with this effect in the future.

So are you ready for the artist who gave a wonderful performance on that night? To be honest. Standing in front there taking pictures was nerve wrecking because I felt as though my heart was going to come out from my chest. I was standing directly next to the speakers and I could not hear my own heart beat. Anyway, I am liking night photography and concert event coverage. The colours to play with, the lighting to catch is exhilarating. It was an awesome shoot!

Like I said I have 3K worth of pictures from that night and I do not know what to do with them. It feels so wasted not to do anything with it. Anyway, that night was an awesome night. I love the concert lights and effects and what it does to my pictures.

Street Photography; Photo Walk with The Star R.A.G.E

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 07:15:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

On Saturday, which was just yesterday I went for a photo walk organized by The Star R.A.G.E. I was not suppose to go actually because I felt awfully unwell but it was something I looked forward to the whole week. Not to mention my dad was so angry about my sense of direction the night before because I got lost on the way home and he lectured about me not going to be driving for a long time to come. So I will not be driving anytime soon, good for me, nobody ask me to be so blur that night.

Anyway this topic about me and my sense of direction shall be on my personal blog. Let me tell you about the photo walk. One word, it was; awesome! This photo walk was organized by The Star R.A.G.E which can be found in The Star newspaper every Wednesday. Our mentors on that day was Jason Lioh; http://jasonmumbles.com/, Jason Goh; http://www.smashpop.net/, Huey Yoong; http://hueyyoong.com/ and Robin Wong; http://robinwong.blogspot.com/. Ivy Soon and Sharmila Nair from R.A.G.E was there as well.

Everyone gathered at the Pudu LRT station at 9a.m. I was surprised to meet an AIESECer there! Well to be honest, I did not recognize her, she recognized me. It was Jamin and I am really embarrassed because only that night I was sitting in Old Town with her and yesterday morning I could not even recognize her. Maybe my head was really not functioning properly. Jamin was there and I also met Phyllis, my BRATs junior from Charlie's batch. She is a very nice person!

We were separated into three groups, my mentor was Jason Goh, the founder of smashpop.net. He has an amazing personality and super friendly. The weather was really generous to us that morning, it started to drizzle right when we were heading to the Pudu market. We started to fire our shutters away even before we reach the market.

However, do not take the road sign from such a distance that nobody is able to see what that road sign is about. Make it a macro shot and allow something to be read from the road sign.

Here is a funny thing about street photography, it is like a risk game you have to play along with. If you find someone sitting down at the road side just take a picture. If that person look harmless, take the picture and pretend nothing happened. If that person look like you are going to be beaten up by, take a picture and run. No wonder they asked us to wear comfortable shoes and all of use came in sport shoes. Now I understand. Anyway, this uncle was sitting at the road pavement.

We sat down one by one next to him pretending we were just sitting down next to him but we were taking pictures. We were laughing among ourselves and he was giving us the stare occasionally. He left, we left, no one ran. So we finally made our way to the Pudu market and the weather was being extra nice to us so it started to rain. Rain or sunshine, the photo walk is on so off we went to take more pictures. Rule number one, if you want to take picture at Pudu market, be careful because you will certainly have to run if you take pictures of the wrong people.

In my opinion, compact cameras also known as digital cameras are equipped with wonderful functions now a days. It can take pictures as good as any DSLR cameras. Trust me, I am not kidding. For example, a DSLR camera like my Nikon with basic lens kit cannot zoom as far as a compact camera unless I switch to a lens that can go up to 300mm. Point proven, do not argue. It is the skill that matter most. Believe in your own skills.

Alright this post is getting a bit too long. If you want to hear more about our photo walk with The Star R.A.G.E do look out for it in the newspaper on Wednesday. Pictures will be published. I am not sure if any of mine would be published though. First of all, I did not do really well that day. I was really disappointed with my performance. My shutter speed, aperture, focus point and ISO speed was all messed up.

Going through my pictures was painful this time compared to the KL Tower concert night which I have not blogged about yet. I will do that soon after this post. Anyway, I have a few pictures I will send in which I have not uploaded it here yet which I might if it does not appear on Wednesday. So for now, just a few more random pictures I took that day.

Okay, last picture.

So this the amazing photo walk I was looking forward to. It was awesome but could have been better if I could have just got myself together and take better pictures. Next photo walk anyone? I am planning to go to the Bird Park in Putrajaya one weekend. Who is up for that?

How to survive college life

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Three months has just passed by in a blink of an eye. This is no joke, it does feel like it passed by in a blink of an eye. I mean, you wake up every morning. Go for lectures. Have extra curricular at night or if not study in the library until the jam reside and the cycle continues again and again. So how have I been coping with it?

First of all, I present to you the most important thing you need in college; FRIENDS. That is absolutely right, you will need supportive friends to motivate you everyday. With your friends around, you will always move on about your hectic schedule because they will be there for you and cheer you on. I feel so blessed to have great friends who care so much about me.

The next thing you need to survive in college is (my own opinion) an after class activity to look forward to so you will always feel pumped up and motivated. Did no one tell you your mind will think of funny things when you are most likely not doing anything and have so much time to think about all sorts of nonsensical things? Yes it does work that way.

Anyway, if you so happen to not know what to join in college let me recommend to you an organization that will appeal to you. Ever heard of AIESEC?

AIESEC is an international youth organization; a platform for youth like me and you to bring out the most potential in ourselves to be excellent leaders in the future. AIESEC International has more than 50 000 members worldwide with more than 100 local committees around the globe. In AIESEC, we focus on the three core subjects;
1) Leadership
2) International exchange
3) Global conferences

For more information do visit; www.aiesec.org

Last but not least, to survive in college you need to remind yourselves how much your parents have to sacrifice to send you there. Your main reason in entering college is to get that certified piece of paper; your education recognition so just keep that in mind. Good luck and hope you enjoy college life as much as I do.

Taylors University, three months passed and still hanging in there. :)

Foundation in Communication; January intake; 2011

AIESEC in Taylors University

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

Not an article; but well; just have to write something; lomography

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 11:42:00 +0000

Photography, videography and now presenting to you lomography.
I do not believe I did not discover lomography earlier.
It is photography with a tinge of uniqueness.

Due to time constraints because of assignments, exams, AIESEC and well, facebook I have not been writing any posts in this blog let alone write articles for it.
I do feel a bit ashamed that I am so actively caught up in the facebook revolution.
There is no doubt I love social media for instance, twitter, tumblr and so on but since when did I like to post comments and update status in facebook?
Well, the influence of social networking has affected me now.

Anyway, here are a few things I currently have on my shoulders.
Assignments, exams, AIESEC, marathon training and The Star Public Speaking competition.
My usual hectic and busy life is back and I cannot tell you how much I miss being occupied.
I know, I know, I love stress and I am crazy but hey, this is me.
With all the things I am preoccupied with I even lost 1kg this week alone.
And lost a lot of sleep too but all is good, life is good.

Essence of Life Girls 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:16:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

I have been really busy lately which will explain why this blog has not been updated with articles and short stories written by me. Life in college has been really hectic but I am growing to enjoy it more by the day. Recently, Herbal Essence came to our Lakeside campus to promote Essence of Life Girls 2011 and my friends decided to join so I did as well.

Top three finalist gets to win an iPad. I do hope you can help me out by voting if you think I deserve it. Do help vote for my friends from Taylors University as well. Thank you so much.

How to vote?

1) Sign in to your Facebook account

2) Click on this link

Essence of Life Girls 2011

3) Cast your vote.

I'm Amy Lim Su Yen from Taylors College. :)

Passion, not defined by your gears

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:52:00 +0000

Our passion is not defined by our gears. Which passion am I referring to? I am referring to my passion in photography. There are a lot of times whereby you will have that certain uneasy feeling when another person doubts you for your gear. I had that feeling quite often but I have realized now to just believe in your own capabilities and strive for the best.

Do not get me wrong. I am not saying my photography skills is beyond amazing which in fact, is not even close to good. I love photography. I love the feeling of going through pictures that were taken by myself. I love to smile when a story is being told through my pictures. The idea of going out for photo walks is mind blowing.

That is what I call passion. In my opinion, passion is the key to motivation and determination. I will continue to improve on my photography skills. I believe we can never stop learning so I will definitely continue to learn everyday. Learn to be a better photographer. Learn to take better pictures. Learn to learn.

This is just a random post I felt like writing because I am truly inspired by a few amazing people. First off, Jason (http://jasonmumbles.com/) made me realize that the camera we use does not define our photography. His words were motivating and I appreciate it very much. It is true that the camera we use do matter but not entirely the most important thing. What is important is passion.

A perfect example of someone I know who has a lot of passion in photography and does not let his gears set his limitations will be Andrian (http://andrian-tam-photography.blogspot.com/) Andrian promotes compact camera photography. The pictures he can take with a compact camera is better than some people who owns a DSLR camera for fun.

I guess I have made my point. Everything is a learning process. We all make mistakes, we all fail at times. The important thing is to keep on learning and improving.

Time management

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:00:00 +0000

It is only the end of the second month of the year but it felt like I had been in my course for a very long time now. Guess it is because the assignments and studies has already got the better of me. Most of us will tend to feel too stressed up at this stage and I am not denying that I am not because I am. However, the stress present right now for me is the usual everyday stress and not stress that can be categorized as pressure. I guess time management for me this year has not been a problem yet.

Time management~if you manage time well, time will not be at stake.

Good Luck :)

The Star BRATs search 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:33:00 +0000

Have you start planning for your school holidays in March, June or September? If you have not plan anything for the holidays then I highly recommend you to join The Star BRATs search 2011. BRATs is a young journalist program by The Star Newspaper since the year 1993. It does not matter if you are interested in journalism or not. Just join the program and it would be a decision you will never regret making.

Entry details

My The Star BRATs 2010 experience

I am pretty sure everyone knows The Star newspaper. It was actually my younger sister who urged me to join the BRATs program in year 2010 which was the year before this. I wrote in a thousand word essay with the theme, about myself. Originally, I stated in my essay to participate in the Kuching workshop but due to some constraints I went for the Kuantan workshop in September.

It was a good thing though that I had not attend the workshop in Kuching and instead participated in the Kuantan workshop because from there I met the most wonderful friends. BRATs is a four day workshop in which you will be separated into groups and given tasks such as writing a feature article, video and photo essay. The facilitators of the workshop who are usually The Star R.A.G.E team will be teaching us what the real world has in store for us.

They will arrange for us places and people to be interviewed while we, as the participants must conduct the necessary interviews, take pictures and film the video footage needed to complete our assigned tasks. My group went to a Keropok Lekor factory and also did an interview with Malaysia's number one surfer. Although it was working on our assignments until midnight everyday but we still squeezed in lots of fun whenever possible.

Each group also did a performance of their choice to entertain our facilitators which are non other than Ivy Soon, Sharmila Nair, Ian Yee, Jessica Tan, Jason Lioh, Andrea and Leon. My group did short sketches and I was the person killing herself with a kitchen fork. It was a night of laughters accompanied with a few rounds of games.

Basically, the best part of BRATs program is the experience and friends gained. You are basically in one big family, the BRATs family after joining this young journalist program with The Star. I have met BRATs from other workshops after that. Whenever you find out someone is also a BRATs both of you are automatically friends. Just recently, I found out my vice president of AIESEC Taylors, NCR department is also a senior BRATs.

It does not matter if you have no intention to be a journalist, just join BRATs for a wonderful experience and meet new people. This year is my turn to ask my sister to take part. Go on and just send in an essay, photo essay or video about yourself and I will be looking forward to meeting you in future BRATs gatherings.

A Pencil Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:24:00 +0000

I read this from http://www.dawnyang.com/

A pencil maker told his pencils five important lessons in life
1st: Everything you do will always leave a mark
2nd: You can always correct the mistakes you did
3rd: What is important is what is inside of you
4th: In life, you will undergo painful sharpenings that will make you a better pencil
5th: The most important is to be the best pencil you can be. By allowing yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

http://yvaine2010.deviantart.com

I am a colour pencil. How about you?

The Doodle Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Doodles are always nice. I always consider doodles a form of art. Here is a doodle I liked very much taken from The Doodle Blog

Do check out The Doodle Blog if you want to just take yourself away from assignments or such for a while.

Many thanks to David for giving me the link to this blog.

Advertisements that does not sell

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 08:14:00 +0000

Advertisements is something everyone will turn a blind eye on because it usually tries to convince you to buy a certain product or service. Just how many advertisements do not serve that purpose? There is not a particular number that I can state down but I do know PETRONAS has one of the most eye tearing Chinese New Year greetings on screen.

Video credits PETRONASOfficial

It is still Chinese New Year until 17th of February 2011. If you have yet to accompany your loved ones in celebrating this joyous moment than I suggest you do it as soon as possible before the last day of Chinese New Year. Just like the saying goes, better late than never.

Super Show 3 Tour live in Malaysia 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:41:00 +0000

Do you know how many korean boy bands exist in todays ever changing music industry? Since Korean music has taken the world by storm there is not one out of ten people who is not a hardcore fan of at least one Korean artist. Super Junior is not just any ordinary Korean boy band. Consisting of thirteen members with impressive vocals and dancing skills, these boys is bringing a night to remember to Malaysia fans in March.

Event details

Date: 19 March 2011

Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil

Ticket sales info

Walk in purchase;

Venue: Sungei Wang Mall

Starting: 19 February 2011

Time: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Online purchase;

Website: http://www.airasiaredtix.com/

Duration: 20 February 2011 to 19 March 2011

Show Luo Zhi Xiang 3D World Tour live in Malaysia 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:21:00 +0000

Show Luo, top celebrity earner in Taiwan beating out outstanding names such as Jay Chou, S.H.E and Jolin Tsai is bringing his 3D concert experience to fans in Malaysia this April.

Event details
Date: 16 April 2011
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil
For ticket purchase information: Galaxy.com.my

Desire Tour Raymond Lam Live in Malaysia 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:03:00 +0000

Hong Kong Artiste, Raymond Lam Fung is coming to Malaysia next week. A singer and TVB actor, Raymond Lam has more than just good looks but a pocketful of talent.

Event details

Date: 19 February 2011, Saturday

Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach

Ticket online: http://www.jazzygroup.com/ and http://www.ticketpro.com.my/

Hotline: +603 7880 7999 (Ticket PRO) and +603 5622 1600 (Jazzy Group)

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:51:00 +0000

The most popular KL marathon organized by Standard Chartered is back in 2011. As usual, the categories, requirements, registration fees are still the same. If you do not fancy night marathons than do sign up for this one.

Event details
Date: 26 June 2011

For more information: http://www.kl-marathon.com/

I suggest you register as soon as possible to get the early bird discount. Trust me, you will not regret running for this marathon as it is one of the most well organized marathon in KL. You have my word.

My Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010 experience

Not quite sure if I had blog about my experience last year or not but anyhow I will share a bit of my experience running the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010. Last year, it was held on the 27 June 2010. There are bus services from several pick-up points that will bring us to the venue which was at Dataran Merdeka. The bus my dad and I took was from One Utama Shopping Centre.

If you are a runner that will participate in the marathon I suggest getting up from bed at 3 a.m. to do necessary warm up exercises and to allow your body to freshen up from a good night sleep. That was the time I woke up last year whilst everyone else was still sleeping in bed. If you are just going to accompany someone else than I suggest waking up an hour later at around 4 a.m. which was the time my dad got up from bed.

Another reason to wake up earlier is to allow your light breakfast to digest. Usually a piece of fruit like banana or an energy bar. I had an energy bar in the bus and most runners were eating bananas as well. Basically, getting there early is always better, imagine trying to withstand the excitement you have at home. I do not recommend driving your car all the way to the venue because there will be several load closure and parking space is very limited. The bus and train services can be obtained from Standard Chartered's website or you can always ask for assistance during the running kit collection day.

If you are going there alone I suggest bringing minimal things with you because the line at the save keeping service is extremely long. I was lucky my dad accompanied me so I managed to avoid the massive queue. You do not have to worry about your partners having to wait for you because there are places allocated for them to rest and have something to eat.

After the run, there will be performances and a price giving ceremony. You can choose to stay until the whole event finishes or leave early. I went home before the prize giving ceremony for the other categories ended and took the LRT home with my dad. The experience was a good one and definitely one of the best. A certificate will be addressed to you few months later with you finishing place and record time. Medals were given to us on that day itself.

So anyone wants to join me for this year's run?

Enjoy your run, enjoy your life.

Energizer Night Race 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:06:00 +0000

The words to describe marathons are undefined. The process of getting that physical body to withstand a marathon run is fun but tiring. The moment you run on the road during the marathon is filled with excitement. The second you cross the finish line is out of this world. Most marathons are held in the early morning before the sun rises to avoid runners being caught up in the afternoon sun. However, there are also marathons organized at night which gives the running experience a whole new twist.

An upcoming night marathon will be the Energizer Night Race 2011.

Event details
Date: 16 April 2011
Venue: Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
Starting time: 7:40 p.m.
Registration closing time: 1 March 2011, Tuesday or upon reaching 10 000 runners

For more information: http://www.energizernightrace.com.my/

So is anyone interested to be my running partner?

It's a technical problem

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:59:00 +0000

Hey blog,

It is a technical problem I assume which will explain why all the pictures in all my post has been broken and cannot be viewed. As it is really depressing to delete all the post I have written I decided to just leave it be with all the broken pictures in it. Time is so limited and precious that I feel as though every single moment of it has to be used to do something beneficial such as reading a text book or researching for an assignment. Even to update this blog made me think twice as it is precious time wasted.

From this post on if I am writing a blog entry of little significance the pictures I upload will be from my tumblr. I have made up my mind to keep blogging at minimum unless necessary which is obviously not for now because I have assignments that will keep me burning the midnight oil. How are you managing your time?

Hebe Tian Fu Zhen live in Malaysia 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:19:00 +0000

S.H.E's Hebe Tian Fu Zhen released her first solo album entitled To Hebe a few months back. Soon after that she held her own solo LOVE! To Hebe concert at Taipei, Legacy. With the success of her own solo concert in Taiwan Hebe is going to Shanghai, Malaysia, Singapore etc.

The good news is, Hebe will be coming to Malaysia during Christmas and will be celebrating Christmas for three days with us Malaysia fans.

Details:
Date: 24/12, 25/12 and 26/12
Venue: Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru
Website: http://www.himmusic.com/
Ticket order details: S.H.E Malaysia Facebook

In addition, LOVE!To Hebe live concert DVD is going to be released this 9/12. Pre-order is available at CD-Rama, Victoria Music Centre at RM42.90. Normal price at RM46.90. However, that is the Malaysia version. For the Taiwan version pre-order at Yesasia.com at RM66.90.

For more updates in the future visit: http://selinahebeellafanclub.blogspot.com

Winter Jokes by, Amy Lim Su Yen

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:26:00 +0000

Section B: Continuous Writing

[50 marks]

Write a composition of about 350 words on one of the following topics.

4. Write a story ending with:

“…….we looked at each other and burst into laughter”

Winter jokes

By, Amy Lim Su Yen

“Hey Mary, hurry up” yelled Alice and Bob across the street. I waved to them and smiled. Alice, Bob and Mary, the three musketeers that is what everyone refer us as. Sometimes people do ask if we ever get tired of seeing each other all the time and our answer will also be the same, no. “Hey, Mary day dreaming again?” asked Bob while Alice is just right behind him.

I yanked him on the shoulder and he pinched my cheeks. That is how we always greet each other. “Look at the both of you, never changed” said Alice. “When will my friends ever grow up” she continued. Both Bob and I then pinched her as well. “Your turn, Alice” we laughed out loud. Something was rather odd because Alice looked more annoyed than usual and she changed the topic right away. “Do you guys want to go to school or not? Its starting to snow heavily so we better get going” she said in annoyance. We dare not say anything else and off we went to school.

School passed by rather fast during the winter maybe because everything is so cool. Even the most boring and dull subjects felt cool. I giggled at my own lame joke. “So what is the joke?” asked Bob distracted by me. “Nothing, just an inside joke of mine which will sound rather lame to you and it would be better not to tell you” I said as a matter of fact because Bob always laughed at my jokes and claims that they are lame. Alright, maybe he is slightly right, they are kind of lame but I would not say all the time.

He looked at me with an eyebrow tilted up. “Spill it” he said. Just then, Alice came and joined in

our conversation while Mrs. Potter is still teaching the history behind World War II in front not realizing the three of us are being distracted. “So what is going on with you two chatter box?” she asked, interested to know what was going on behind here. “Alright, here is the joke. You know how all the subjects we have especially World History is so utterly boring and dull? Well, I was just telling myself everything is so cool during winter including History. You get it? Cool?” I said followed by a slight laughter.

Both of them looked at each other and they just shook their heads as though to say there is nothing they can do about this friend of theirs already. “Alright, it is lame. I know” I said rather embarrassed at myself too. “Anyway, let us ignore our good friend’s lame joke and talk about something interesting. There is a new café down the road, about three blocks from here. You girls want to go there this evening to chill out? It will be cool. Get it? Chill out, cool?” said Bob in a funny tone which did sound funny. I laughed.

It is always easy to make me laugh but I have no idea why I cannot do the same. On the other hand, Alice remained silent and deep in her own thoughts. I observed her for a while. Something is particular wrong with Alice these few days. She lost her usual bubbly personality. It was easier to make her laugh instead of me but both Bob and I have not heard any of her laughter for the longest time. Well, a few days are awfully long for us. “Alice, is anything the matter?” Bob asked before I did. So he noticed too. “No, I am fine. I cannot make it tonight so the both of you just go on without me” she said and we saw that she tried to force a smile.

The wind was blowing and it was ice cold on our face. Our jokes will now go from cool to freezing. “So it is just the both of us this evening. What do you feel like doing?” Bob asked after I managed to get myself out from my coat. I immediately ordered a cup of hot chocolate before answering him. “Actually, Bob I was thinking of something and it has been bugging me like an annoying bug or something” I told him frankly. He raised an eyebrow. Bob is always raising an eyebrow.

“You mean about Alice?” he asked suddenly being very serious. Alright, so he is not just good at jokes but good at guessing as well or maybe it was so obvious that Alice has been behaving so weird lately that any five year old kid would have guessed it as well. I nodded. “Me too, she has been behaving very odd lately. Something is going on and she is not telling us about it” said Bob while the waitress placed two cup of hot chocolate in front of us.

We took a sip at the rich and hot liquid and I felt my entire body being filled with warmth and happiness. I smiled and told Bob, “I can feel happiness entering my intestine”. He looked at me with his face painted red. I think he was preventing himself from bursting out in laughter. He swallowed it into his stomach and said calmly, “That is by far the lamest thing I have ever heard from you in this ten years”. I ignored his statement and reverted back to our original topic. “About Alice, what do you think is going on with her? I am worried, Bob” I said and it was the truth.

I am awfully worried for Alice. Bob looked at me for a while and then he whispered to me slowly and carefully, “I think she is dating the principal’s son and both of them have been spending the entire winter together every evening”. I was taken aback by what he has just said. “Alice has been doing what? How did you find out?” I asked him, puzzled and confused. He adjusted his sitting position and leaned back slightly. “Well, I heard the principal has a son and I have been seeing her walking to the principal’s house quite often” Bob explained but I had a feeling he was spying on her.

“You were spying on Alice were you not?” I questioned. He immediately had guilt plastered across his face. “Fine, I was spying on her but would you not spy on your best friend who has been acting like she lost her soul or something? Alright, here is the thing. I followed her that day while she was walking home from school and guess where she went? Yes, that is right she went all the way to the principal’s house, rang the doorbell and she went in. So how odd is that?” Bob said everything in such an instant, asked a question that I did not even answer and left me agog.

I gathered everything he just said and recalled all the pieces of information I just gathered in my head. “You are rather slow, Mary” Bob teased. I threw him a glare. “Wait a minute, Bob. So are you trying to say our dear Alice is ditching us after she started dating the principal’s son which I never knew existed? Oh my goodness” I said. I finally understood what he just told me. He slammed his hand on his head. “You are by far the slowest person I have ever met” he said. “Fine, Bob you can laugh at me later but can we please go and check on Alice now? What if something goes wrong while the both of them is at home? What if they are at home alone?” I said, nervous.

Bob stared at me wide eyed. “You thought what?” he asked in amazement. I blushed, “You can laugh at me again later but it is a possibility you know. An innocent young and absolutely gorgeous girl with a guy in his house is dangerous. It spells danger, Bob. Danger” I emphasized on the word danger. Bob looked at me for a while but I can read it in his expression that he is now worried as well so we agreed to be spies tonight and we are going to spy on our friend, Alice.

It must be at least three degrees out here and I cannot help but to worry about my ear falling off. Bob and I stood behind a pine tree big enough to hide us from Alice’s sight. Here she is. She walked straight to the principal’s front door. I tried to see who opened the door for her to enter but this pine tree did more than it was supposed to do. “Bob, did you see who let her in the house?” I asked Bob, hoping he had seen this mysterious guy. “Nope, this pine tree is way too big” he said truthfully. “Well, it was your idea to find refugee behind this pine tree was it not?” I retorted, annoyed that neither of us saw that guy.

“Come on” Bob said. “Do what?” I asked him. “Ring the bell, see who she is with and get some questions answered and if the guy annoys us then give him two black rings on each eye” Bob said pulling me with him. I tried to resist him and prevent us from doing anything rash but it was too late, we were already at the front door. The door bell sounds very weird. The door swung open immediately after Bob released his finger from the door bell. A middle aged woman was standing right in front of us. “Good evening children, may I help you?” she greeted us politely.

We were puzzled but I managed to speak up. “Good evening, madam. Is Alice here?” I asked her politely. Bob remained silent, coward. The lady smiled and told us to wait for a while. Alice came running and her eyes were almost popping out when she saw the both of us standing at the front door. “Bob? Mary? What are you doing here?” she asked. I pointed to Bob and he pointed back to me. Bob then said, “Well, I was spying on you and saw you coming here every evening and I told Mary about it and Mary was afraid you are being tricked by the principal’s son and she was afraid that something dangerous could have happened to you and so we decided to come here tonight and find some answers to this whole puzzle of ours” he finished everything in one single breath and I do not know how he managed it.

Alice remained silent for a while. Bob and I just stood there, still puzzled and confused. “My dear Mary and Bob the principal has a son but he is five years old. I am their baby sitter and that is why I cannot spend my evening the past few weeks with the both of you” she said. Wait a minute. What did I just hear from her? “How about the change in behavior, you have not been laughing like you always did for the past few weeks” asked Bob. “That is right. You behaved very weirdly” I chipped in. Alice hesitated for a while then she opened her mouth opened as wide as possible, baring her teeth to us which was the answer to all our questions, bright pink braces. I cannot believe my eyes and I turned to Bob. We looked at each other and burst into laughter.

1953 words

1 hour and 15 minutes

[Exceeded time limit but I cannot cut this story short so I just continued writing]

Not letting you go by, Amy Lim Su Yen

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Lim Su Yen) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:01:00 +0000

Section B: Continuous Writing

[50 marks]

Write a composition of about 350 words on one of the following topics.

2. Write a story beginning with:

“I was lucky to be alive”

Not letting you go

By, Amy Lim Su Yen

“I was lucky to be alive” I told my mother although in my heart I know perfectly well that it has nothing to do with luck. My mother adjusted the pillow and she placed the blanket over me. “Yes, Laura. Luck and blessing was on your side” she agreed to my statement. I forced a smile at her because my heart was carrying a lot of guilt. I stared out the window for a while and watched the leaves falling from the huge tree outside.

Suddenly, I can hear Dr. Crawford’s voice coming from outside. He was saying something to the nurse before he entered the room. “Hello, Laura. How are you feeling today?” he greeted me warmly as soon as he entered the room. I forced another smile at him, “Great, doctor”. Ever since I woke up and answered questions such as how are you feeling today a thousand white lies has already been told. Every single time I answered great, fine, alright or similar I was in fact lying through the gap of my teeth.

“If you are feeling fine then that is absolutely swell. What do you think of going home, Laura?” the doctor asked me. I looked at him, excited a little. “You mean I can be discharged?” I asked him back. He nodded and that is by far the best thing I have heard from anyone so far. The doctor smiled, knowing that it is exactly the thing I was longing to hear from him. “You can go home this evening my dear but if you were to feel unwell anytime at anywhere you will have to come back immediately. Do you understand?” he said firmly.

I nodded and smiled, this time it was genuine. “Before I forget, Mrs. Brickfield may I have a little talk with you outside?” Dr. Crawford asked my mother.

Both of them left the room, leaving me all alone. I can finally stop pretending for now since they are not around. I can stop pretending that I am happy to be alive. I can stop pretending that everything is fine. I can stop faking my smiles. I can just be myself now.

My mind drifted off to another place. I was thinking of that night. A night that I would rather forget but I do not think it will be possible to forget what has happened that night. Suddenly, my heart aches knowing that I am alive while he is still lying in bed at the emergency ward. Tears started to stream down at the side of my cheeks. I clenched both my fist together. I shut my eyes and life images of the incident flashed before me.

Everything is so clear, as though it is all happening again.

“Are you ready to leave, Laura?” he asked me, peeping into the room. I turned to face him and smiled widely. “How do I look?” I asked him. His sea green eyes were just staring at me. “Tom? Earth calling to Tom, are you here?” I waved my hands in front of him. He swallowed something, most probably his saliva and smiled sheepishly. “I am just speechless” he answered me. “Is that supposed to be good or bad?” I asked. He laughed, “Well, does it matter anyway? Nobody is going to care how you look like, right?” he teased.

I played along with him and pretended to be cross. “Fine then let us see if a silent treatment will change your mind” I said out loud. “Come on, Laura. Be a sport” Tom said but I just walked out the door silently. Both of us walked silently down the street, well that is because I am giving him the silent treatment. Tom whistled while we stopped in front of the pedestrian walk. The road was clear but it was not our turn to cross the road

so we waited patiently.

My lips were sealed and I remained silent. “So what time do you think the party will finish tonight, Laura?” Tom asked, trying to get me to talk to him again. I pretended not to hear him. “Come on, Laura. You have ignored me as far as two blocks down this road already. Fine, you look stunning alright” he finally could not stand the silent treatment I was giving him. I smiled, “We finish at ten o’ clock tonight. Well, at least that is what the rest of the drama club informed me”.

He looked at me in the eyes and pinched my cheeks, “So you finally want to talk to me”. “Hey, it hurts” I protested. Just then, the lights turned green. I was going to cross the road. Suddenly, “Laura watch out” Tom shouted and he quickly wrapped me around his body at the speed of light. Then both of us were hit by something because we were being thrown forward. Everything else is nothing but a pitch black picture.

My bed is wet from my tears. It was my fault. I know it is and because of me he is lying in critical condition right now. I need to see him. My knees were injured slightly and insufficient to disable my walking abilities. No other part of me was injured, not even a scratch and no it has nothing to do with luck. It was Tom. Without Tom my parents will most probably be mourning over their dead daughter at a Christian cemetery now.

I walked to the Intensive Care Unit ward. My heart is beating as fast as the time that is ticking every second of our lives. His lower body was covered in gauze and both his legs in a cast. My hands covered my mouth, preventing me from crying out loud. I was about to enter then I realized his parents are inside. Their eyes were very red, most probably due to excessive crying. I stood silently at the side of the door.

“Tom, my baby” weep Mrs. Anderson. I watched her from outside. She is crying while sitting by Tom’s side.

Mr. Anderson placed his hands on her shoulder and comforted her. “He will be alright, Susan. Our Tom is a strong and brave young lad” he assured her but his voice was breaking and I can see the fear he has in his eyes. “It is all her fault. If it was not for Laura” said Mrs. Anderson. My knees weakened as tough losing its energy. “There, there Susan let us not blame anyone for what has happened. Everything will be alright, Tom will be alright. We do not want him to hear this. You know Tom likes Laura a lot and he will not blame her for it” Mr. Anderson told her.

“Yes but I blame her and I will not allow my son to see her ever again” those words she said was like a dagger piercing through my heart. I walked away from the ward as fast as I could. She is right, absolutely right. It was my fault that all this has happened to him and even if he does recover nothing will be the same again. I will avoid him if it makes things better for the both of us. I promise not to see him again nor talk to him again. I am just a bad omen for Tom. I know I am.

It has been three years since that incident happened. Three years I have tried my best to avoid seeing Tom. I avoided studying the same subjects as he does. I gave up all my favourite subjects because they are the same as his. I stopped attending drama club activities so that Tom could continue after he came back to school. I tried my best to give back to him even though I know I will not be able to repay him the leg he lost. I will never be able to take his place and live my life with a piece metal as my left leg.

“Look at me Laura. Look at me and tell me you do not want to see me again” Tom said and I came back to reality. I stare at him in the eyes and tears were streaming down my face. “Why, Tom? Why are you here? Why must you enter History class? You know you hate History and why are you in here with me?” I asked him while both of us are sitting on the school’s sick bay, facing each other. “I am here because I want to know you hate me and that is the reason why you have been avoiding me for the past three years ever since that incident happened. Tell me the truth, Laura. Do you hate me? Is it because of my leg?” he asked me.

“No Tom, I do not hate you but it is best for us not to talk or see each other. I am the cause of what happened to you and I do not want anything else to happen again” I said, my voice shaking. Tom wiped the tears away from my eyes and whispered to me, “I want to be with you Laura. Please, stop avoiding me. It hurts my heart to see you suffer like this”. “I am not suffering. I am fine” I lied. “You are a bad liar, Laura. Do you think every time you were looking at me secretly at the hall way I was not aware of it? You think I do not know that you stop studying all your favourite subjects because of me? Not to mention the drama club activities that you are missing. You wanted to become the best theater arts performer did you not? You promised me that the both of us would be the best performers in history. What happened to that promise?” Tom said and his voice was shaking as well.

“I am sorry, Tom but……”Tom interrupted me before I finished my sentence. “No more excuses, Laura. Please, I will not let go off you again. That day I held on to you is because I do not want to lose you and I was not letting you go and neither would I now because I am lucky to be alive” he whispered into my ears. I hugged him tightly not letting go of him either. Those words he just said has filled the emptiness of my heart all this while. Tom is right we should appreciate the luck we have with each other. We are both lucky. “Lucky to be alive”

1789 words

One hour