Sights, sounds and smells

I spy with my little eye

dogs socializing

old Ah Ma's tending their luscious vegetable gardens

random cats looking lost and forlorn

smiles of friendly neighbours

a friendly little Indian kid who chased away a dog which was going to eat me


I hear with my little ear

dogs barking at me

the chirping of birds

clucking chickens

families gossiping in their porches and gardens

crazy motorbikes


I smell with my little nose

smoke from idiots burning their rubbish

exhaust from crazy motorbikes

fermenting rubber pieces

chicken shit fertilizers


Such are the sights, sounds and smells in this little nieghbourhood of mine =)

Kampar... oh Kampar...

I am back.

I have no classes.

I have crazy friends here.

I have very crazy friends here.

I like it.

=D


puuurrrrrrrr.....

The start of the end

The 3 months break have officially started. While other people are slaving over the new classes in short sem and the horrible timetables that they've got, I'm lazing at home, planted in front of the TV and my lappie.

Not very fruitful eh? =(

Well, to give a bit of credit to myself, I'm still doing a bit of work la, FYP is draining whatever bit of brain juice I have left in my tempurung kepala. It's membabifying I tell you. Everytime I think I've gotten hang of it, I'll come back from Mr. Luke's office knowing that I haven't...

Anyway, the CF Camp is over. Like Shu Ern, I think most, if not all, of us are suffering the withdrawal symptoms now...

Facebook has been mugged with the photos we took at camp, each one saving the bit of memory we had with each other there, the things we did, the words we said. I still choke back a laugh everytime I look at some of them- Christian youth are the craziest people I've ever met =D

On a more serious note, I guess this camp is what some of us needed. The confusion of what some of us have been struggling to understand what God has for us, what to do after finishing our studies, where to go in our next stage in life was addressed. For others, going to camp had new realizations in stored for us, revealing to us things that we did not know before.

And ya, I must say the committee did great. I think everyone pulled their weight well, with Jensen whipping our asses (okla, Jen wasn't that fierce, but he was responsible enough =D) Although there were a little mishaps here and there, things went on as they were supposed to be, if not better =D

For me, I think camp was not exactly what I assumed it to be. God works in His ways where we would not expect. The things He wants us to experience, the things He wants to teach us, He does it in His own unique way. Camp reminded me of certain things that I should have know but forgotten, and taught me that behind the darkest cloud, there is a silver lining.

*sigh*

The year is almost ending, with NC for some of us, Christmas round the corner and the reminder to the year 3s that their time for leaving Utar is drawing to an end =(

Anyway, good ol' Kampar has McD now =D

So cool...

In view of that, I will learn how to balance 3 months of my life between Ayer Tawar and Kampar.

Report

I was banggaishly bragging to my mom the other day about being a good girl this time and staying at home for the 2 weeks plus of hols and not going out.

My mom gave me a scornful look and tembaked my back with: "Before hols you go so many places edi still not enough a?"

*shrinks to 1/4 of my size*

But ya, this hols, I have been cocooning in the house, surrounding myself with music, books, movies and TV series.

*squirms in delight*

And FYP.

*squirms in horror*

Anyway, let me share with you what I have been wasting my not-really-in-existence brain on:

3 books-

1. Kazuo Ishiguro's Nocturnes



I bought this book when I was strolling in Queensbay's Borders. My mom said he's a good writer, so I thought I'd give him a try. Given to the title and the fact that the book is about music and love, I thought I'd pick up a piece of gold. Turns out, it's not really my cup of tea. I guess I'm not artsy enough to appreciate it fully. The stories start off sweetly enough, but then they just flow at the same pace without encountering rocks and waterfalls.

2. Anchee Min's Empress Orchid



Oooh.... I loved this one. I've always liked reading about the Chinese Imperial courts and the lives the people led in there. And if it revolves around the concubines, all the better. This book has both =D Empress Orchid is about the last Empress in China. You get to read about how she schemes and plots her way around to survive in the palace. You actually feel for her as you read about her sacrifices and how she has to harden her heart for the good of the country, her family and herself.

3. Tash Aw's Map Of the Invisible World



I think Tash Aw is cool. There's something about the way he writes which is different from other writers. This is his second book, and I think it's better than the first one, The Harmony Silk Factory. Because he's Malaysian, it is very easy to identify with the people and places which he writes about. Got a sense of proximity. Hehe...

3 movies-

1. The Legend of Chen Zhen



Donnie Yen totally kicks ass. And he's scarily well preserved for his age. But Ip Man was too good edi, I couldn't help comparing this movie to it. The fight scenes were ok, though a bit too exaggerated. Shu Qi was hopelessly annoying. And as usual, she had to die in the end. Verdict? Ip Man: 1, Chen Zhen: 0.

2. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame



The guy has the same awesome name as me... Need I say more? ;)

3. Adam



Florence and Shu Ern asked me to watched this, so watched it I did. It's a movie that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling after watching it... =) Adam is a guy with Aspergers Syndrome, which is a kind of autism disorder. But in his awkwardness, Adam is cute! And you know what's cuter? The two raccoons that appeared in the movie =D

And 4 TV series-

1. How I Met Your Mother



3 words: Waddap! Awesome! Legen.... wait for it.... dary!

2. Criminal Minds (season 5)



I've been hooked on Criminal Minds since dunno when. This series have one of the most best looking cast and script ever. Only thing is, watching it for a long stretch might get you into mild depression. The cases they have to solve involve the most twisted and creepy criminals you can imagine. Hint: Think sadists and serial killers.

3. Fringe



Ooooohhh.... I can start singing praises of Fringe if you want me to! =D It's the most awesome sci-fi series ever made! And the characters grow on you, like ivy. Do you guys remember Denethor from Lord of the Rings? Hated him right? But if you tell me you watched Fringe and hate him now, I'll knock you on the head. The plot is just too gan jiong to be true and you'll really feel for the actors when they get into any emotional scrapes. One of the best bits of the movie is that it reminds us of what could happen if we mess about too much with science. Not good. Not pretty too....

4. The Mentalist



If you like Simon Baker, this is the show for you. If you don't like him, this is the show for you. I'm not being ambiguous, I'm serious =D His character, Patrick Jane is very charming but very annoying at the same time. It's quite funny actually, to see him annoy his way around solving cases. Hehe... Season 2 looks good. Waiting for it =D

So there you have it, a mini report of what I've been feasting my eyes on during the hols =)

To the Mifen

Mifen!!

Today is your 21st Birthday!!



Wah... 21 edi... Let's see, I met you when we were 13. Means we've been friends for almost 9 years! Cool kan?

I still remember the first time I met you back in secondary school. I was quite worried about not being able to make friends in a Chinese school and you turned out to be one of my first friends. We use to call each other Honey and Bee =D Hehe...







Who would've guessed that we would end up being roomates now! Yes, and because of that, I know all the crazy things that you do and say. Still, I won't change you for anyone. You being my room mate is one of the best things here in Kampar. It's been great having you with me when we eat, sleep, study and ki siao together. And of course talking with you is always fun.









Not to mentioned the number of times we cannot tahan studying edi and start taking photos of each other. We got quite a lot of photos of each other doing stupid things XD





Ah Fun... Ah Fun... I can't say how many times I'm very glad to be your friend.









So ah, this post is to tell you what a good friend you have been to me. I really appreciate all the time we do things together in Kampar and even back in Ayer Tawar. May our friendship grow with our years and one day I expect you to invite me to your wedding and all your kids's birthday! =D

Happy Birthday, Kim Mifen =)



P.S. I hope the message got you to read this post =D

Cruisin'

Baby let's cruise, away from here
Don't be confused, the way is clear
& if you want it you got it forever
This is not a one night stand, baby, yeah so

Let the music take your mind, ooh
Just release & you will find
You're gonna fly away
Glad you're goin' my way
I love it when we're cruisin' together



Ok, as some of you know, I went on a cruise to nowhere recently. It was one of those 2 days 1 night cruise where they bring you out to international waters for you to gamble whole night away at their casino.

Well, as I only had my poor w810 (no money to buy fancy SLR like Shu and Kelvin =="), I am so sorry for the quality of the photos.


When you board,


they would give you this card that acts as your ID and debit card.


Then, the ship starts, and you'll end up going to nowhere.


So, on the ship, you need find your way around la. The trickiest part would be finding your cabin in the cabin-maze. There are nooks and crannies to turn into and every part looks the same.... =="

But the cabins are super cute. They are SO small and cosy. When you go in,


the first thing you see are your bunks,


with one small dressing table,


and a TV =D This was taken from the top bunk.

I forgot to take picture of the toilet. It's really, really small. With a rather low ceiling. Derk, I think if you go in, you'll knock your head... But it's clean la =D

Then, after you put down your things and ohhhed and ahhhed about the interior of the ship, will feel hungry one rite?

So, we went looking for food. They are all served buffet style, so you can stuff yourself as much as you like. And I tell you, the way they keep the food refilled is even better then the hotels buffets =D
I was especially in love with the bread they had there- the baguette and the croissants. It's that type of bread that is so freshly baked, it's crusty on the outside but really soft on the inside. Put a dab of buttery butter into them and you'll cry out of sheer bliss when you bite into it


A glimpse of our dinner table. No other photos of the food, so sorry... Was too busy stuffing them down... =P

After eating, it's time to check out what to do on the ship.


The lifts are really cool, coz they're fully glassed. SS folks can take photos of themselves from every angle.

We went headed to the bar first, where there was supposed to be some stuff going on there. On the way,


we passed by the auditorium, with a cool name. Sounded like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

At the bar,


there was this band from Philippines performing. Gosh, Filipinos can really sing man!


Then, they had this dance by "Miss Universe" contestants. The girls looked really pretty in their traditional costumes and hairstyles.


And this cross dresser dude hosted one of the funniest Bingo game I've ever watched. He looked quite good as a woman, ice-pick heels, makeup and all. Then we saw his again the next day as a man. He looked even better O_o.

After that, I followed my parents into the casino. I didn't have to be above 21 =D Above 18 can edi. Ok, so it's my first time in a casino and I was as jakun as can be. Couldn't make sense at all on how the cards were played or how did the rules of the games go. Anyway, I watched my Dad playing roulette for the first time (I didn't even know he knew how to play it).


I got to hold the chips he won =D

Going into a casino, I finally understand how people lose money in there. The way they change money into chips and the way the chips disappear explains it all. Scary...

The next day:

Going on a cruise ship and not going out onto the deck to enjoy the sun and the breeze, how can right? So this is me ssing


with myself


and with my shadow (ohmigosh! my ass is fat! T_T)

Then, a couple of hours after that, the cruise was over. We were back in Penang =(

Thus ended the cruise we had on Star Pisces. It was great fun actually, lazing around, enjoying the sea breeze, talking to the crew of the ship and observing the gamblers in the casino. Hehe...



I wouldn't mind going on it again =D

The music is played for love,
Cruisin' is made for love
I love it when we're cruisin' together
Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis - Cruisin'