Welcome To Da Club

Dear Ah Ma,

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:07:00 +0000

Why did you have to leave so early? I told you before i leave for Adelaide that i will return to visit you again, but looks like i won't have that chance anymore. When i leave, i remembered clearly our goodbyes. When i was about to leave, you gathered every ounce of strength you had to lift up your arms and waved gently at me. Little did i know that would be your last goodbye to me.

I received a text message from mummy around 10.30am on the 23rd, she told me you passed on. I was shocked, i was stunned. I don't know what to say. I called back and talked for a while with mummy. She said your heart was weak. I then asked her if i need to go back. She told me no need, dad and the kids are not going back as well. She said that you would understand. That's when it hit me hard.

You are always understanding. Even when i know you wanted to talk to me, you would understand when i told you "I need to go eat" or "I need to take a bath". You would smile and nod, and let me do my things until i get another chance to talk to you and spend time with you. Each time i appear in your room and call you, you would smile with the sweetest of smile, a smile that is of pure joy, a smile that will bright up that dim room you have been in for the past 2 years. Now whenever i go back, that room will appear dimmer than ever to me.

I still remember when i was a small kid, a naughty one. Mummy would chase me around the house with a rotan in her hand. I would run and hide behind you, and you would put your arms around me, and asked mummy to stop. That time, you appear as a gateway to safety for me. But now i know it is because of your love to me, and to all of your grandchildren as well. Your love and care have always being a part of my life, from the moment i was born till now. I see you almost every week for the past 18 years before i leave for my studies, and even when i arrive back in Bintulu during the holidays for the past 2 years, the first thing i did once i enter the house is to visit you in your room. It will be very different the next time i go back.

Do you remember the last time i went back in February? That night you can't sleep, and i promised to you that i would accompany you and talk to you. However i had to leave the room as we all need to get some sleep. Yet you can't fall asleep, and continue to look for me, calling my name "Chiang Chiang", over and over again. Jee Ee told you that i was asleep. I hope that you do not think that i abandoned you, because that is far from the truth. I was lying on the sofa outside, dozing off and waking up to each of your call. It hurts me to hear you calling my name yet unable to answer you back. I am sorry for not being there for you when you wanted me to Ah Ma, and i would never abandon you. But i know you would understand, that's your greatest of many virtues.

I know someday, somehow, i will see you again. And at that time, i am sure i will be greeted by that warm smile of yours again, radiant by nature. Until then, i hope you rest in peace Ah Ma, because after all your hard work on Earth, you deserve a place up there with the Lord, filled with joy and prosperity that you fully deserve. I'll miss you.

Love,
Your grandson Chiang Chiang.

One Fine Day,

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:07:00 +0000

a bunch of booklets were passed down the aisles along the seats for the Pharmacy students to read. I got myself a copy. It's the 1st issue of the Mortar and Pestle for the year 2010.

Oh, what's this?

;)

Post??

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:46:00 +0000

Cant believe my last post is like more than a month ago. And from then until now, so much had happened. I spend another few weeks in Doha before flying back to Bintulu. Spend 1 week with Ah Ma and aunts, as well as heaps of gatherings and plans with good old time sec school friends, went back to Adelaide to prepare myself for the new semester, and now here i am, second day going to third in the start of my 3rd year life. What awaits me this year? I know for sure my grocery shopping is made tougher for at least the next few months, the nearest Woolworths supermart to my uni is closed for renovation.

Read back some of my previous post, and it hit me now why i do not post as much. I lost the sense of witty writing. I find that i write in a very "smart", witty way which some may find annoying, while i personally find funny. HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! yeah, funny. I don't feel like i am doing that a lot now, thus lesser fun in blogging.

Now i am just stuck blank starring at the screen. See? thing's just doesn't flow out anymore. I guess that's the cue for "Sayonara!"

One Eventful Day...

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

It was a Monday morning i woke up as usual around 10am, only for my mum to ask me read the day's paper.

"Go read today's paper" she said. Never had she asked me to read the paper first thing in the morning of all things, i obliged. What i read and saw next is eye-opening:

Trust me, you'll never see me any excited just minutes after i woke up. I spend the next few hours trying to search for information in the net from forums, Aspire academy's website, Man Utd club's website and online news sites but to no avail. All i know from the morning paper is that the team are having a 4-day training trip in Doha to get away from the freezing weather of UK, and they will be training at the Aspire Academy, a state-of-the-art training ground. I even send a message to the United's website about any meet-the-fans event scheduled, but was disappointed by the reply. My message to Aspire on the other hand, are still unreplied till this day. So as fast as i get excited over the arrival of the team, i conceded that there is no way for me to see them, let alone meet them.

It is not until Tuesday evening that i start looking around in the net again. I came across a local forum Qatarliving.com and from there, i discovered that some of the locals have went to Aspire that couple of days and managed to see the team from far. One helpful member, only known to me as Saddavi, actually emailed me after seeing my reply in the forum. He told me that the club most probably start training at 10am, and he is helpful enough to tell me exactly where the players will be training. Things started to look brighter now. Last but not least, i asked my mum if she can drive me to the training ground. After her walk with Auntie Vera, she told me that Auntie Vera said she could drive me there and the rest of them (Auntie Vera, Mum and Selene) go shopping at a shopping mall nearby. So as everything looks set, i borrowed my brother's bag and phone, load the bag with marker pen, water bottle, a map of the training ground and a Wayne Rooney autobiography book, and hope for the best.

So on Wednesday i woke up, put on my Man Utd jersey and after Auntie Vera's car arrived, make my way to the Aspire Academy. Upon reaching at 9.45am, i walked towards the football fields according to the map. When i reach the area, i looked around and there, in the middle of all the fields available, is one that is fenced up with several security guards on the perimeter. Should i go there to test my luck, i asked myself worrying that i will make a fool of myself after being chased away by the security. I decided to walk and approach one of the securities, and i asked, "Can i watch the training from here?". The security said i can, just don't cross the barriers.

So from there, far away i saw with my own eyes, the presence of club manager Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF) and assistant manager, Mike Phelan. The man who kept the club running for 23 years, and his assistant.

Yes, that far. And that's after i max zoomed my camera. But good enough, at least can see them with my own eyes. Or so i thought.

You see the chairs around the tunnel near the few humans there? i asked the security there who is it for, and can i go there? He told me its for VIP and Qataris, and told me no because i wouldn't want to mess with the Qataris. I concur. At around 10.30am, a few officials in suits walked to my direction and talked a bit with the security guard, then told me "You cannot watch from here". Gosh, i only saw the Manager and assistant, haven't even see the players yet. So much for an eventful day.

"Go up to the chair and have a seat" The officials continued. I can hardly believe it, i double asked the officials and security before thanking them multiple times. Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. The thing is, without me knowing a single detail, that Wednesday is the third and last day of training and they decided to make it into a public training session, which means public is allowed to watch them train. Quickly i walked up the stairs and onto the seats just in time to catch the players coming out of the tunnel.

I was trying my best to alternate between looking at the players with my own eyes, taking pictures of them and calling out their names as they came out one by one. Some just walked pass without paying much attention, some nod and smile and a couple friendlier ones waved back. After they are all out on the field, i chose a good seat to watch them train. Here are the players that i watched on tv and online stream playing football in UK, winning trophies after trophies, crowned English, Europe and World Champions just a year ago, right in front of my eyes. This is every fan's dreams. While i was seated, i looked around and i spotted another famous football figure among the spectators.

That guy in the middle with long hair is Bruno Metsu, manager of the Qatar national football team. Avid football fans will recall that this is the man that brought Senegal to their first ever FIFA World Cup in 2002, and in their first ever match, beat the 1998 World Cup Winners France and is considered as one of the biggest upset of the tournament. But surely even his presence is shadowed by the world renowned team training on the field.

To start of with training, the players jogged to warm up.

Then, they have light passing drills to keep their engine running. It's here that you will see weird but nice partnerships between the players. In the picture below, you can see Ryan Giggs, a veteran Man Utd player since 1991 (1987 if youth team is considered), training with Rafael, aged 19 who just arrived at the club more than a year ago. Their age difference is an amazing 17 years. To put it in perspective, When Ryan Giggs are playing youth matches for Man Utd and are looking to break into the senior squad, Rafael isn't even born yet!

There's also Patrice Evra from France and Park Ji Sung from South Korea training together. Their friendship and ability to joke and fool around even though they are so much different in race, culture and language are well known among United fans.

After the light passing drills now they move on to set piece and tactical training. In this training, they will train scenarios where a couple defenders will defend and a few attackers will pass the ball from the wing, cross the ball in and try to score. They will do this over and over again, partnering different teammates and trying different passes.

Halfway through the training, Saddavi arrived. Prior to the event, Saddavi told me to give him a text if i manage to catch the team, so i did. We introduced ourselves for a bit and talked about Manchester United since he is a fan as well. Due to work commitments though, he is unable to join me any further and had to leave. All thanks to this guy, without his help i would not even plan this trip in the first place.

After everything is done and to end the day's training, the players have a small pitch match practice, where they will play a short match. Training ends at around 12pm, and the players moved towards the bench where they can sit, have a drink and cool down. Thats when i leave my seats and walked towards the barriers. I managed to fit myself next to a fat boy, and wait there for a chance. A chance to get the player's autograph!

As expected, soon the players approached the fans. The first player that came up to us is Paul Scholes, a player that had played for Man Utd his entire career, just like Ryan Giggs and club captain Gary Neville. Soon, others followed suit. When the players approached me, i gave them my marker pen, lifted up my shirt and hold it tight for them to sign. Yeap, as a jersey collector i always make an effort to have my shirt signed by players if i happen to meet them. If you follow my blog you'll surely know of other occasions i have players sign my shirt.

When Wayne Rooney came up, i took out his autobiography and asked him to sign it as well as my shirt. As for pictures with the players, i did have a few although i wished i had taken more. This is because i was busy getting my shirt signed and they are moving fast from one fan to the other anyway. I managed to get a picture with the manager SAF and the Portuguese winger Nani.

Looking back, how i wish i had taken picture with Ryan Giggs or Wayne Rooney, the few players that show such big commitment to the club.

The last of the players, Rooney and Nani left after spending some time outside. That's when everyone started to leave the area. I walked out towards the mall to catch a cab back home. I swore i am beaming all the way there. To complete my lucky day, The taxi driver that drive me is the same driver that bring me from the airport to my home when i first arrived in December! He still remembers me, know that i am from Malaysia, and my parents are working here. He even remember how to drive about to my house once inside the Nine Pearls Compound.

Here's the things i got the players to sign, items that i will surely cherish for a very long time:

That's one of my life dreams came true, and i truly felt lucky and blessed to have such opportunity. Not only that, from a simple "see the players" turned into a meet and autograph sessions with the players, totally out of my imagination. Hopefully there will be more of such events in my life.

Qatar Exxonmobil Open 2010

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000

I guess this post is a long time coming. Its nearly a week ago since I went for the Qatar Open Tennis tournament. Actually, i've been wanting to go since 2009 but last year we were late in buying the tickets and they sold out pretty fast. After all, for a ticket price of only QR50 (RM50 or so) for the cheapest seat for Semi-final, it is comparatively cheaper than Wimbledon or Australia Open.

This year round, we got the ticket earlier and even then, the better seats were sold out. We managed to get the QR50 ones, but i would have gone for the QR70 ones for a nearer and wider view from the middle tier.

Anyways, come 8th January, all 5 of us head to the venue, Khalifa Tennis Complex Doha. The 5 of us were the 2 Ting sisters, my brother and dad, and of course me. We reached there earlier and we're in line for entrance.

When the gate is opened, we made our way in through the security and finally got our seats as close to the court as possible. There we waited for about an hour or so for the start of the semi final events at 4pm.

Soon the first match starts. It's a game between Viktor Troiki and Rafael Nadal.

Nadal showed why he is the world's no.2 player in tennis, beating Troiki 6-1, 6-3 in only around 1 hour. From the looks of it, nobody can beat him in this form.

Then comes the bladder problem. So my brother and I head to the toilet, and try to make our way back before the start of the second match between Nikolay Davydenko and Roger Federer. Due to the long line though, we just reached the top of the entrance to our seats before the stewards close it because during play, nobody is allowed to move, talk or cheer for anyone. So that means my brother and I were stuck there, waiting for the players to take a break for us to start moving again.

For the second semi finals, Davydenko beat Federer by a score of 6-4, 6-4 in 81 minutes. Throughout the whole match, they were evenly matched although i see Federer struggling a bit with Davydenko's serve. A couple of times Federer looks to be able to make a comeback, but alas Davydenko proved too much of a power for Federer to deal with. So Nadal and Davydenko for the finals.

Last but not least, the finals for the doubles event between Garcia-Lopez/Montanes and Cermak/Mertinak. The former team won by a score of 6-4, 7-5. The match isn't that interesting, with half the full arena left before the match even starts. We stayed for a while before heading back midway through the match.

For the finals, Davydenko beat Nadal 0-6, 7-6, 6-4 in a very exciting match which lasted nearly 3 hours! Nadal had a great start but soon worn himself out, and with persistent yet strong play from Davydenko he's able to win the game back.

As for chance to meet the players or get something from them, it didn't come close enough. A couple of tennis balls that the players like Nadal and Davydenko hit to fans flew just short of us, either at the back or to the side. Not much luck on that day i guess.

It was an exciting event to attend, although from far at least i saw tennis superstars in real life, hear Nadal's grunt when he hits the ball with my own ears and stuff like that.

Starbucks Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:28:00 +0000

I've been in my hometown Bintulu for the past few days and is now on my way to Doha. The forgetful me forgot to bring my laptop charger, so I am stuck in te airport for around 9 hours with nothing to do. Luckily i have my multipurpose iPhone with me. Sitting at starbucks, I had just installed a blogging application and is now testing it out. All I have to do is download, install, configure and I've hooked my iPhone to Blogger. I cab take picture and put it inside the post too. Let me try:

There, pic attached. The couple is not intended though, my point is the pic. I also can attach pics that I have taken earlier in the post.

Ok then, off to play some iPhone games to kill time. Until my lappe charger reached me in Doha, I'll probably not blog that often. Cya!

--Post From My iPhone

New Crib

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:55:00 +0000

Some of you may know that i have finished my exam a few days ago. But why still no post update till now? Well, I'm busy moving place! Finally i'm moving out of Highgate Lodge and prepare a new life in a house rather than just a room. Mel wanted to rent the extra room out but nobody seems to enquire about it although the price is cheap, i wanted to move into a place that is already set up so no hassle in furnishing the whole house, so this seems like a win-win situation. So right after exam, i started packing and moving in the next couple of days.

Also went to IKEA for furnitures to furnish my room, and had the whole yesterday assembling them, knocking and screwing until blister appeared on my right thumb. But all's worth it since my crib is now nearly done! Only left a mirror to set up and some other stuff that requires drilling, which i think will be done when i come back from summer vacation.

Here's a few teaser of my room:

For comparison purpose, the first picture shows the entire length of the room, and the bed is a Queen size bed. Yeah, one hell of a big room. I put my table at the end of the bed, and you can also see more space betweem the table and my wardrobe. Combine this two, you can estimate the size of the room which is HUGE! I decided to turn the right side of the room into a mini study area, enclosing my chair and shelf in it so i dun have to travel far to get tto my books. Just glide over ;)

On the left side would be where i display my jerseys, with a chest to store my cloths and random stuff in, while the top would be a display area as seen in the picture as well. Further plans include putting up some posters and my framed jerseys so the wall doesnt look so empty. Need to consult with Mel on how to go about with it when i get back next year, don't wanna ruin the wall.

Last but not least, Thanks Mel for all the driving and carrying! Without your uncle's 4WD and your help in everything i doubt we can finish this shifting in 2 days!

On some side notes, i'll be going back to Bintulu on the 34d/4th of December before heading to Doha for 2 months or so on the 7th. Coming back to Bintulu again on the 16th to celebrate the remaining CNY with friends and relatives before coming back to Adelaide for my 3rd year. Fingers crossed i dont have to alter this plan due to failing an exam :S Chow for now!

The Downfall

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:08:00 +0000

I was at my desk, catching up on Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, slowly sipping a cup of coffee while listening to Natasha bedingfield's songs when suddenly my mind roamed away. One thought led to another and now here i am, writing on my blog.

Come to think of it, i was so active 2 years ago. Ideas would just come to me, activities properly planned and jotted down in this small blog of mine. From a simple project like buying a speaker to a big event like traveling all the way to Sunway Pyramid to meet the casts of Why Why Love, this blog would always be updated every 3 days or so. Visitors also increased to all time high, sometimes hitting 30 a day (not many to some but hey, good enough for me). It got so active to the point that i could easily earn money through my blog, more than 100 US Dollars for that few advert posts on my blog. I even won something from a blog writing competition (albeit consolation), a package that includes a series' OST CD, a bottle of beauty lotion (which i later sold for RM50), a polo shirt and some other small goodies.

I wonder what changed. Busy? Not really, since i still got the time to sleep 10 hours today and watched lots of series. Lack of activities? No way, i think i go out for more gatherings and hang out with friends more than when i was back in KL. Take this 2 weeks break for example, countless birthday dinners attended (and will attend as well), 2 paintball sessions, and lots more random dinners with mates.

I think it goes down to lack of passion. Guess i am not as passionate in writing as before. Used to snap pictures from my good ol' Sony Ericsson W700's 2MP camera wherever i go, thinking of pictures to put in my post. Not anymore, even when i have an Olympus u1040 10MP now at my disposal. Can't even be bothered to check how many people visited my blog, even deleted any advert opportunity from my inbox when the rare occasional offers come in.

Oh well, at least you guys get to dive into my mind this time round, and get to read what i'm thinking at this very moment.

I Am T-Pain

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Ever heard a R&B song and when the singer sings and their voice sounds robotic? like when they change the key u can hear distinct robotic or metallic part in it? Well they did it with a program called Auto-Tune. Auto-Tune is popularized by T-Pain, and now you can hear many singers use it, from Chris Brown to Black Eyed Peas.

Now that i have an iPhone, i managed to get one of these software! Called "I Am T-Pain", it allows you to sing into your phone and the output will be digitally altered to have those metallic sound to it. You can sing in a freestyle mode for songs that you create on your own, or u can download and play one of the few presets available, for example Kiss Kiss by Chris Brown.

Now that i have this software, I am free to make my own digitally altered music. And you followers of Da Club get to hear the very first song by Pyro, titled "Aaaaa..." :

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Neat huh? :D

One Step Forward

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:53:00 +0000

Had my first medicine making session yesterday, and we all have to make 3! We're asked to prepare 3 Child Formulations (CF) based on information found in the guide book, so after and hour and a half of crushing, measuring, weighing, mixing and shaking, Here's the outcome:

Now, i wonder which children is suffering from gastrointestinal reflux disease, hypertension and anemia to take these drugs..

Weekend Comes and Goes..

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:49:00 +0000

Wee, at least something worth posting about. Or maybe an excuse to not study? Hhmm..

Anyway, had a fun weekend this wekk. Friday night is the semester-ly Pubcrawl night, with the theme being Transpharmers.

There are 4 bars to visit, but i only went to the last two, Duke of York and London Tavern. Little drinking (Mum, i said LITTLE) and more time on the dance floor, tiring myself towards the end.

Picture thanks to Allen from Facebook. No, i mean Allen from Pharmacy course, but the picture is from Facebook.

After a good night of resting, head to church for Assumption Day. Then at night, i attended Nostalgia Night 09. It's a function organized by MASCA, to remember about the 50's era of P.Ramlee or something like that. Therefore the dress code is supposed to be either traditional cloths, or the 50's style. Had trouble fitting into a style that is nearly 40 years older than me, i decided to wear my shirt and tuck it in.

Picture courtesy of Jeremy from Facebook. Again, Jeremy from Pharmacy course, but picture from facebook.

Anyway, we were served Italian food at the Italian Centre (duh, if not what, Masala and Tandoori?). But i still find no connection between Malaysia and Italian cuisine. Nevertheless, the food was nice, at least not too cheesy that makes me nauseous if consumed too much.

The night reminds me of the time when i would watch P.Ramlee's movie, or in fact any other olden Malay movies (and not all of them are black and white ok??). Movies like Hang Tuah, Bujang Lapok and Ibu Mertuaku are indeed interesting and Ibu Mertuaku are somewhat touching and sad, revolving around the society's view on high class marriage. And funnily enough, i seem to be the only person from the table who can sing some of the songs played that night. Tsk Tsk table M.

Speaking of table, 2 of the lucky draw prize were won by our table members, namely Siew Mei with her 1GB Pendrive and Sie Ching with her iPod Shuffle. Well, yours truly who never won anything from a lucky draw before continues his streak. But doesn't matter, the stuffs to be won doesn't seem to be able to beat those that i already have...speakers, pendrive, ipod...would probably sell the thing off IF i were to win something.

Still waiting for my mugshot picture to appear. Be nice to me, and maybe i'll show u how i looked like if i were from 1955.

Gasp

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:20:00 +0000

Hhhmm, it's been nearly 3 weeks since my last post, and i barely realized it. I guess there's been quite some activity during the holidays from then till now, from going out with mates to my trip to Sydney, then back to Uni. At this rate, my yearly post will still be less than my monthly post back in 2008!

Anyway, just a short post to tell you that i am still alive. Uni started, and after a barely above par result last semester, i am hoping to step up my effort in studying, but as always it's probably all talk.

Guess i really have been losing the will to blog anymore. Now i am perfectly fine by not blogging, while a few years back i would get restless if my blog is not updated after 5 days. I wonder if i should continue with writing posts, or finally hang up my boots or rather, keyboard.

That, i will leave for next time to think about. As of now, in the process of applying a work permit for a possible future work experience, plus a resolution of at least a light study every night about the lectures. Trying to get the most out of life rather than spend in under my quilt, albeit tempting.

Will try to update more often in the future!

Meeting Ian Rush

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Wow, i think this is a record barren run without a post for this blog so far. No new post at all for the month June.
Anyway, To get back on track, here's something that happened quite a while ago, only feel like blogging about it now.

Remember the time i went to the Masters Tournament to watch a football match and bumped into a couple of football legends?

Well, this time one visited me! Well not exactly Me me, but Adelaide.

Well the thing is Ian Rush head down to Adelaide for his autobiography signings, and thosewho spend over AUD100 in a shopping center called Myers will get free passes to the event. One of my mates are Liverpool fan, so we decided to go together to meet him, being the second time for me.

We arrived at around 9.40am and there is already quite a long queue. After waiting for quite some time, Ian Rush arrived. With a cup of coffee in his hand, he walked up the stage, make himself comfy and start signing stuffs.

After 30 minutes or so, it's my turn to go up the stage. Now, I'm pretty sure u know i'm a Man Utd fan, and must be wondering why the heck would i want a Liverpool's legend to sign my stuff. Well, this is a chance not to let go, not to mention a signature on a jersey would increase it's value by a lot!

I also got him to sign the pass i've got and also a personal message on his autobiography, which costs me AUD30 to buy.

Before i leave the stage, i showed him the picture we took during our first encounter, and he seemed (or pretended) to recall that time.

Now the shirt is nciely framed on my wall:

Back to Life!

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:37:00 +0000

The straight line appears to turn into one with peaks and trophs, and the machine starts to make beeping sound at a constant rate. A few adjustments are made, then it's time. Time to lift the lever. Sparks flying, electricity running through the thick copper wire lying around the room. A monstrous figure rose up, and from within a room, a cackling laughter is heard and then an exclamation "IT IS ALIVE!!!"

Well, good news is i finally managed to log into my Blogger to write something. Bad news is, 4 weeks to my final exam, so expect the same state the blog is in now for the next 1 month or so. Honestly, nowadays i lost the will to blog. Even taking pics out of my camera and put watermarks on it seems so tedious to do. Not to mention studying whenever there's time, and when it's a bit free, i'll take that time to rest so i can concentrate on studying at other times. Blogging seems to be a task now, rather than a hobby i used to indulge in. Maybe it really is time to stop?

Anyway, i'll post something interesting when i rediscover the will to blog, as of now i am going to prepare for the football match against Bradford Lodge in 2 hours time. Wish me luck!

Kangaroo Island Trip Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:08:00 +0000

Darn, 1 week after my return from the Kangaroo Trip, i still have not update my blog about it. I guess i will talk about it now, but i'll make it day per day. 3 days, 3 blog posts aye?

The trip began at 4.30am on Monday 20th of April, that's when we all woke up after a night at Jeremy's place. Washed ourselves, had breakfast, get changed and head out at 5.30am. By 6.00am, we are already in the city.

The coach arrived at around 6.15am to pick us up at King William Street, then head to different hostels to pick up the other member of the tour. There are the 3 of us Malaysians, a Singaporean friend, an Isreali paramedic, two English, a couple of Dutch and a couple of Germans, and also 2 locals. That makes 13 of us.

by 6.30am, everyone is on their way to Cape Jervis, where we had to take the ferry over to the island. We arrived at Cape Jervis just in time to catch the 9am ferry, which will take 45 minutes to cross from Australia mainland to Kangaroo Island.

Since the cost to transport a car over is expensive, the tour company had a couple of coach over at the island, so we took all our stuffs and meals for 3 days into the ferry with us, leaving the coach behind. Then we enjoy 45 minutes of blue sea water, birds gliding over them with cool breeze bathing our face with occasional splash of water. From afar we can see the island, which is 7 times larger than Singapore.

When we reach the island, we bring all our stuff from the ferry into the awaiting coach, and then head to a nearby store to stock up on more food and to have our toilet breaks. We were instructed to buy anything we might have forgotten to bring there (toothbrush, shampoo, beers etc) because once we leave the small town, it's all wilderness. Heck, there isnt even phone coverage on the whole island except the town area.

After everything's settled, Whales the tour guide drove a fair distance to our first sight seeing location, which is one of the viewpoints that look out at the ocean. The view is simply amazing, i have never seen any water body that sparkle as much, any sound made by waves as clear.

After a few minutes of picture taking, we head to our next destination, the Eucalyptus Oil Distillery. This is where they produce eucalyptus oil, which is said to be good for health and other usage. Many type of products were produced from them, including shampoo, perfume, balms or just the pure eucalyptus oil itself. Besides eucalyptus oil, the distillery also rear a few emus, and products like emu egg shells, feet skins and feathers were sold there too.

After that, lunch! we were brought to a beach which name i forgot, but it is said to be the top 10 beach in Australia. Too bad that time it's high tide, so we dun get to see much sand. But the beach is still beautiful nonetheless.

I mean, how many beach can u see having water as clear as this?

After visiting the beach while Whales is preparing lunch of bread, ham, chicken and other dressings, we went to Little Sahara. Basically, Little Sahara is a big pile of sand in the middle of the jumgle area, where people can run up and down them, and do stuff like sandboarding or quad biking. Unfortunately for us, the session did not go so well as the board provided by the tour company is lousy, so we did not get much of action. So Whales decided to take some money of the tour payment to rent a better sand board and sleigh the next day. So pics of Little Sahara will be on the next post ;)

After the trip to Little Sahara, we made our way to our cottage where we stayed for the first night for dinner.

For that night, we had kangaroo meat for dinner with pita bread, and they were cook to perfection! Normally people will say kangaroo meat is tough, but I learnt that the reason it became tough is because people always overcook it.

After dinner, we all head out to watch penguins! too bad i did not have any pics of them, because camera flash would cause the penguins to get stunned for a few minutes, which is enough time for predators to strike. But witnessed how penguins swim back from the sea, climb up the cliffs, cross the road to get to the other side (Why does the penguin cross the road?), climb another set of cliffs, then enter their burrow to feed their youngs. They did it so cautiously that it took them about 3 minutes to cross a road that we humans can cross in 5 seconds.

Then we all head back to get ready for bedtime, while some of us stay out for a bit more while to sit around the campfire and talk about some random subjects.

After all that, bedtime! The story of Day 2 should be the next post, so stay tuned!

Of Blender and Protein

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:58:00 +0000

Milkshake making with my new bought blender:

Just add ice cream and milk, blend it and pour into your glass to enjoy:

Damn, my blogging skill is deteriorating, what's with the 1 line blogging?

Anyway, why did i get the blender anyway? surely not to just make milkshake. No, not to make belacan either. Well, i got it to mix my protein powder. Protein powder will get all lumpy and hard to dissolve in water. So i got this blender to mix it with milk whenever i'm done working out in the gym.

That's right, i'm now visiting the gym on a regular basis, like 3 times a week. After each workout, it would be best to have some proteins to build up and repair muscle cells.

Loaded with nothing much but proteins and some vitamins and minerals, it actually tasted pretty good. Look at the protein content of this thing:

And no, i am not gonna build up to be a wrestler, in fact the one i get has less protein, but it also has L-Carnitine that will metabolize excess fat. We'll see how well i do in the next few months ;)

Something to Tell You..

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:30:00 +0000

Okay, i can't hide my feelings anymore. i think that it's about time for me to tell you what i wanted to tell you for such a long time. First of all, i apologize if what i'm about to tell you will make you mad, or make u stay away from me. i wouldnt blame you, i know the consequences that MAY happen. Before you start wondering "who is you?", you is YOU. yes, YOU. You who is reading this. U know who you are.

I have always wanted to tell you this for a very long time, since the first time i met you. All your actions, all your talks, all your thoughts...makes this feeling i have for you stronger and stronger each day..there is no simpler way for me to tell you, because it's hard enough to think of you this way. I don't go around telling people about my feelings, but i think it's about time to tell you..

I've been planning to tell you this a long time ago, so much so that i actually made it into a short song, and you can listen to it HERE. Hope you will understand what i tell you, and yea....do let me know what you think of it. Thanks.

20 Years Since....

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:42:00 +0000

the birth of Siew Mei Sim is today!

Ok, i can easily said SMS' 20th birthday, i just want to make it sounded more historical.

This teehee queen will always make lectures hard to concentrate in, especially the constant hehehe if you sit near her in lectures. When you turn to give her an annoyed look, she will look at you back with a "what? what did i do?" look. Then it will change to "mind your own business" look.

Well since today is Sunday and there's no lecture, you are allowed to teehee all you want with Bruce and Deuce. Too bad Truce won't be able to make it today.

Even though i dunno whether u are still my regular visitor or not, but since you blogged about my birthday once, I'll repay it with an exclusive though short slot in Da Club. A pint of beer on the house to everyone, wishing Sim Siew Mei a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Luxury Business

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:03:00 +0000

During my holiday time back to home, i had the privilege of enjoying the business class section of the flight. Reason? the money provided by dad's company is sufficient, and if i don't use it, it will be gone by this year.

Besides the spacious seats, there's of course the food. Damn, looks like few of the best food in the world is actually in the sky! Take this satay during the MAS flight for example, one of the best i ever had.

Following meals include some rice cake with wine and also rice with chicken.

Business class passengers also enjoy the privilege of the Golden Club lounge in KLIA.

It's big with many seats and sockets around, ideal place to use your laptops. Free food and drinks included. I can even shower there to refresh myself! just ask the guy outside the toilet for towels and he would gladly hand you the shower pack.

Next would be my flight from KL to Doha, let's see what Qatar Airways can offer. Although not as luxurious, their food also have the class of it's own. I mean, how often can you enjoy caviar, a type of expensive fish egg you spread over bread to eat? My friend Arik told me that these black caviar is the most expensive amongst the caviars. Well, he is right: The caviar of the sturgeon is the most expensive. I did some research and found out that a normal sturgeon caviar costs USD30 per pound. that would make it to be around RM200+ for a little more of 1kg. GOSH!! And that's not even the most expensive! It looks weird, slimy and all but then it actually tasted pretty good, no fishy smell or yucky taste. tasted like salty tiny jelly spread.

Not only that, i get to eat ice cream on flight:

There's also wantan noodle for Qatar Airways' flight, but the picture i took was too blur. Basically it's the oriental noodle with wantan soup.

Then it's the returning flight from KL to Australia using MAS again. Again there are satay, as well as some cooler beverages. I ordered a glass of Bloody Mary:

Also served are otak-otak, and lamb shank.

Of course there are other meals, but those others aren't that nice or special compared to these few.

Hey, this is not meant to brag, but just to share about what a business class flight would look like. Indeed an amazing experience, hope i will be provided enough money this year for another turn end of this year. After all, i'll be returning once only :P

Back in Adelaide

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:09:00 +0000

After nearly 3 months of holiday which seems so short, i am back in Adelaide, ready for another term of pharma-related subjects. It feels so weird when i opened my room's door, because it is exactly how it looks like when i left. As though i have never been anywhere, as if these 3 months never happen.

Anyways, i dun feel much when i returned. Probably because i already said my goodbyes to family when i left Doha, so flying from Bintulu to Adelaide doesn't seem that heavy. Of course goodbyes to my grandma and aunts, but that's all to it.

Now that i am back, stuffs that i need to do:

- Clean up my room a bit...when i left, it isnt exactly in a good condition.
- Stock up some food. when i left, i cleaned up my fridge so that no food is in it. Not to mention my maggi kari was confiscated by customs official due to it having "mixed spices".
- Get ready for uni. like duh...
- Plug my com to my speaker which i already did. Ooh~

Lodge is pretty empty, many are not back yet, and familiar faces have either left Adelaide or moved out. Seems like i will be one of the seniors now, and probably will be given the job of a duty officer, where for one night or two in a week, i will hold the master key and a walkie talkie so that if anything happens, people can contact me to solve the problem or if necessary, call the manager. the job cuts $20 off weekly rent, which is a good deal. Maybe i should apply soon...

Looking forward to meet friends again in these coming weeks!

Indomie Mi Goreng

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:50:00 +0000

Who could say they have not heard of this instant noodle? favourite snack to some, life savers to others. Though unhealhty, people still munch into these noodle be it at home, at work or a nigh out at the mamak.

This is by far the cheapest food i can think of back in Aussie. 3 packets of these only costs AUD0.75, plus egg and some meat, total cost for a meal would only be around AUD2. it is also fast, cooking time takes only 15 minutes preparing everything. Not to mention extremely nice and addictive. If it's not because of the fact that instant noodles are generally bad for health, i would have this as my major source of food!

I'm not doing any promotion here, i just joined Facebook's Mi Goreng fan and realized how many people from all over the world actually loved this food, including Europeans and Americans. And the biggest fan of all would of course, be this person:

Update!

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:40:00 +0000

It's been almost a week since i arrive in Bintulu. And as expected, i really have nothing to do here.

If you think my routine of wake up - lunch - com - gym - dinner - com - sleep with occasional things to do in between in Doha is boring, it's even worse here. it's wake up - breakfast - com - lunch - com - nap - dinner - com - sleep. Huh....

I met my friends on Tuesday night. we went for a few games of pool at 9pm, then chit chat a bit and by 11pm, we asked each other "where to go next?". Nobody has any idea, so we went home.

So, to kill of some time, i decided to play around with my jerseys. How to play with a shirt, you ask me? well...not exactly playing, but more like customizing. That is to mean to apply name and numbers on my empty shirts. For example, here's how a normal jersey looks in most of the shops:

Tools used are a ruler and an iron. Ruler to arrange where to apply the name and number set, and iron to....well, iron it down. The result:

Now my shirt has an identity! Applying name and number sets on a shirt ain't an easy thing. First of all, i must make sure the set are correct for that particular shirt. it varies according to teams, manufacturer of the shirt, year the shirt is used in or competition the shirt is used in, or a combination of any of those. You wouldn't want to have a BECKHAM 7 on a Malaysia jersey, it looks weird.

Positioning is also important, where to place the names and numbers, the gap between each letters, is it dimensionally straight and not crooked. That's not all, i'm playing around with iron, so a worst case scenario would be me burning my house down. Or i might just ruin the name and number set by melting it, or even burning a hole on my shirt. But it's fun customizing my own shirt, you may say it's some kind of a craft (and i know someone LOVES crafts) ;)

But i only spend 30 minutes for this shirt....back to boringness again.

In A Blink of An Eye...

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:43:00 +0000

I'm now sitting in the lounge in Doha Airport, surrounded by men with suits. Would have preferred sitting at Costa, can have a cup of coffee while writing this post, seems more "professional" ;)

Anyway, it seems like it's just a few days ago i reached Doha. 2 months just past like that, it's 1/6 of a year for crying out loud! Now i'm on my way back to Bintulu for a little more than 2 weeks, then off back to Adelaide, back to studying, back to routinized life.

From now on, no more sitting in the living room from morning till night, no more playing around in the playground at night, no more basketball session at the basketball stand that belongs to someone else, no more going out in the morning to shopping malls ~~looking at girl's stuff~~, no more random cakes and titbits from mum or other aunties, no more movie nights or game sessions, no more gim rummy session as well. I guess i can still do those in 10 months time when i return end of this year, but 10 months is definitely a long wait.

Special thanks to mum and dad who either cook food or bring me out for dinner, so i have 2 months off from cooking. Thanks to my siblings as well, spending time with me whenever possible. Also thanks to Jas, Sherp and Ivy who will organize or join stuffs to do or else it will be a boring holidays, and also thanks to Auntie Vera for all the wonderful food, especially the Peking duck.

On the bright side, going back to Bintulu means i will get to visit grandma and aunts, as well as friends who are still not back to their respective places of study. Other than that....i guess there's nothing much to do either.

Till next time, logging off from Doha, marking an end to this chapter of my journey.

Chinese New Year Post

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:46:00 +0000

This is the very first time i celebrated new year without my other relatives. Since my family will still be in Doha for the next few years, i guess for the years to come it will be the same too, celebrating Chinese New Year just like any other day.

A few nights before the new year itself, my family organized a dinner at our place. Rare i tell you, i never really remember any time in my life when family friends are invited over for dinner, usually it's us who were invited. At least we had that experience, and i must say it sure is a tiring thing to do, especially for my mum. So hard to imagine family like Sherp's who always invite people for lunches and dinners.

On the eve of CNY, we're invited by dad's friend for dinner together. that's three families, including Jas' and mine. Eating is the thing to do, but the finale of the night would be the contest between 2 sisters to see who can finish a piece of large currypuff-like dim sum the fastest. They took almost 4 minutes to finish something that i can finish in 1 minute...without trying.

And finally, the big day itself. Woke up at 9, wear my usual jersey and a short pants as my casual wear, and walked to Villa 14. Played cards, eat, play cards again, basketball, dinner, played those small sparkling thingy when you light it and swing it around (whatever you call it), played more cards, go home and sleep.

After that, its usual routine again till today. Unsatisfied with not having the most of CNY, i decided to buy this:

England away kit 2008-2010! Retail price: RM259. Bought it for QR80 = RM80. It's new, and it's red, what better CNY shirt can i hope for? ;)

Nonetheless, CNY wishes still must be wished. May the year of ox provide us with more food like beef soup noodle or beef steak. Oh, and a more prosperous year ahead after the rat churned all the food it ate and the shit came out in the form of global economy crisis.

年年有鱼, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Randomness

noreply@blogger.com (pyroboy1911) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:33:00 +0000

Bleh...nothing to blog now....

Life here in the second month of my 2 month stay is not as lively as the first, all thanks to the kids going to school. So life's pretty much a routine, wake up, do stuff until evening, then go gym, come back and eat, then do something until bedtime, repeat.

I've also enrolled in 2nd year's courses a week ago, so uni related stuff should be settled by now, all i need to do now is to pay my fees when i get back to Adelaide. Not to mention this year i only have 3 subjects, so less contact hours, means more free time!

I've also been playing football with a bunch of kids. I admit, playing football with boys 5-7 years younger than me seems.....sad. But that's the only time i can play football, plus it may be good in improving my confidence ;) . So there's this kid who asked me what's my name, so i told him i dont have a name, and in class, teacher calls me "boy number 12". So from then on, whenever i try to nick the ball away from that boy, he would shout "Boy number 12, please don't take my ball!" or something like that.

Seems like recently, SOMEBODY had Krispy Kreme...been wanting to have KK since i came, but always forgotten...then they reminded me about my intentions :P. So hopefully by this weekend or so, i'll get myself some...