April 26, 2009

Don't have to chat perfunctorily

One thing I dislike about chatting on MSN with friends is that people tend to fade out after chatting for a while. But it only applies to some of them, not all.

I'm not the kind who likes to nudge or takes the initiative to start up the conversation, don't blame me when I'm annoyed by some people's attitude. I have my reason for it.

Let's say someone automatically chats with me, and then replies me every 10-15 minutes, I would have expected his/her reply to be something longer, unlike short sentences such as 'ok', ' lol', 'oh I see' etcetera. They all seem to be perfunctory to me if I've waited more than I should. Unless you've some urgent matters to ask or you're on with something else, if not I feel very uncomfortable for you have tested my patience every time, and I did not find trouble for it.

I'm fine if you do it once in a while, but not when it has become so habitual and happens EVERY SINGLE TIME we chat, because very often these people make me fade out and I myself have become perfunctory when it comes to chatting with them.

It's okay if you're not up for a chat, but I feel disparaged if you start up a conversation and end up replying in a perfunctory way.

I think, this is a matter of respect too. Don't make me feel like I've wasted my time chatting with you in exchange for a 'lol', ' hehehe' from you.

April 20, 2009

The naughty dog



He is undoubtedly the one that I miss the most at the moment.

He likes to shake his butt every time we come home. He likes cloth more than bone, so it’s very common to see him carrying a cloth around my house most of the time. He likes to steal the ‘fatt gou’ my mom uses for praying, and then secretly eats it without anyone’s acknowledgement, until we see the pink spots on his mouth.Then, he'll smartly hide his evilness by showing innocent face after getting stares from us on his naughty act. I bet if he knows human language, he'll say:

'NA NA NA NA NA, YOU CANNOT CATCH ME, IT'S TOO LATE!!'

He'll feel sad when he doesn't get our attention, it's sensible because he will just lie on the floor with a 'moody' face expression.But that won’t last long because ...
because....

He easily falls asleep. Just like his dear owner, he'll sleep when he's bored.

I always feel thankful for him because he’s such a loyal company, never miss the time when I play piano, sometimes he’ll even fall asleep after an hour or less of ‘musical hypnosis’. It’s my privilege to be awarded such a silent supporter. He may not mean on what he does, but the human-animal bond simply shows the magic.

Okay, stop dreaming in the midst of studying.

'Pluto Chong, wait for me to come back!'

Perhaps I should say to myself: Yea, just one more week for everything to be over.

April 15, 2009

Do we have the so called ' Malaysian look?'

Malaysians don’t have stereotypes.

Or should I say, Malaysians don’t have a specific type of look that can be easily recognized outside the country.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing our Manglish or slang and all of the moulded cultures we've given our respect to all this while.But there is often a situation that I encounter when I speak to Asians or Westerners; they get very different perceptions on my nationality at first sight.

So this is what usually happens.

The first time I spoke to my Canadian-born Chinese friends, they thought I come from Hong Kong. I didn’t think it matter anyway since our conversations are all English-based, so I just politely slid through it by saying ‘Oh no, I’m a Malaysian.’ I then continued saying that Malaysia is pretty near to Singapore.

Their reply was one of the biggest jokes in my life.

One of my friends said: “I’ve heard of Singapore. I used to think that Singapore was in the States.”

Me:.......

So when I moved on and encountered some Japanese, they spoke Japanese language to me.
Sumimasen, anata was nihon-jin desu ka?
I said I’m not.

That was not the first time. During my Japan trip, when 9 out of 10 people I came across with thought that I was a Japanese ,just like them.There was even once when I went out alone and then an old man approached to me and asked about my nationality. He thought that I’m a Japanese, and because he likes to meet Japanese, so he started sharing his story with me. I stood there and listened for half and hour, almost frozen because of the winter chill which sent shivers down my spine. He even gave me his address before he left for the seabus, inviting me to his house. Strange enough, it was my weirdest encounter in Vancouver so far.

Then one day when I went out for shopping, suddenly a Korean came up to me and started yakking in Korean.I could only smile to him and said goodbye innocently because I don’t know how to speak in Korean.

When I went to Taiwan, people assumed that I was a Taiwanese.

It’s not only happening when I’m in Canada, the same question repeats on everywhere I go, just that the language changes.


However,in Canadian’s eyes, they’ll just think that I’m an Asian (of course, 95% of them haven even heard of Malaysia) .To them, Chinese are Asians, regardless of which part you come from. They’ll be impressed if someone who comes from Southeast Asia can converse in English fluently. I didn’t take it as sarcasm because I came here to polish my English as well, knowing that my English was incompatible to them at that time.

I’m not sure how many times I have encountered with situation like this, but I then came out with a conclusion:

People will generally include you as part of them when you’re in their country. Just like they’ll assume that you are a Taiwanese when you go to Taiwan, Hong Kong people in HK, Chinese in China and so on.

This doesn’t happen on me solely, it does happen to some of my girlfriends as well. I’m not sure if my ‘Chinese’ genes weren’t strong enough, or appearance can be so‘universal’ that no one would think of me as a Malaysian on their first guess. Another explanation I can think of is because Chinese can be easily found everywhere;
since the Chinese population is so overwhelming,it becomes a hard task for the others to determine the nationality of a Chinese.

Seriously, I don’t know if I should be happy or sad. But one thing I like is that I can understand most of the languages spoken by them, without their acknowledgement since they can hardly guess my nationality right, at least none of them got it right so far.

Good or bad, I think that’s one of the ways we are ‘globalizing’ parallel with the technology advancement. To me, as long as we shape our characteristics and behaviours in a good manner, we'll gain respect everywhere we go, because accent and steoreotype can be neglected if we don't poke fun at each other for what they've been doing all the while.

April 10, 2009

How I spent the last few days of March

Earth Hour 28.3.09



I headed straight to Downtown to have a glance at the panoramic city view of Vancouver in dark. My curiosity overwhelmed my support towards this campaign because I strongly stick to the point that changing our daily practices to conserve energy and resources is a much more practical way to save the planet. And what I saw was a street party outside the house. So they turned off the lights at home, then all went to the same place with lights striking everywhere to celebrate earth hour with reporters live broadcasting about it when the surrounding was bright.
I find it contradicting to the initial aim of this campaign. It’s either that you do nothing about it at that particular hour, and then save it in daily lives or do it in a proper way to show a significant difference.




Then they managed to save a little bit of energy, with tonnes of party leftover on the floor.
*end of story*

Storm the wall 30.3.09

So I watched the Storm the wall, also known as the not-to-be-missed event according to the UBC REC website. This is how the competition goes, 4 people in a team, each completing a different sport (swim, sprint, bike,run) and then 4 of them reach the destination to climb over the 12-foot wall to complete the whole cycle. It was held for a few days , each day for a different category, and I just stopped by for a while to watch some of the teams climbing over the wall. It’s very entertaining watching them doing this because I find it difficult to climb over it, especially in the rain since the competition will continue regardless of the weather. I enjoy the feeling of anticipating something exciting and lively everytime I walk pass the SUB building.It simply makes life better by hearing cheerful,supportive noises passing around us.Some girlfriends of mine say they’re going to get a taste of this event next year, asking me to join in the fun. I will definitely support them all the way, but turtle like me obviously need some time for training if I were to join, they seriously have no idea how ‘excel’ I am at sports.

I will try it. But it’s just a matter of time to step up.



I've also tried cooking a new dish in March. It was fried eggplant(brinjal) with chicken+seafood sauce.I must admit, I thought it wasn’t going to be difficult until I scanned through the online recipe. I realized that it wasn’t a breeze at all. This was the most time-consuming dish to cook so far, as I spent almost 1.5 hour to cook it, mainly because of the process of frying the eggplant (brinjal) which can take up to 45 minutes on a small frying pan.-_-“ Luckily it wasn’t a failure afterall, I was satisfied with my first trial.Next two dishes to try on will be curry chicken and teriyaki chicken.

‘70% of Malaysian spend time with their friends in the kitchen.’-IKEA

I doubt this but cooking time is definitely a chance for you to see a person’s inner quality. Forget about the taste of the dish, it’s sensible through her/his way of handling the ingredients till cooking it. Watching it could be an art, or a disaster.

April 09, 2009

The pain of packing

Term 2 lectures have officialy tied a knot. I handed in my last report on Wednesday, feeling extremely relieved with all the things that have strecthed me this far.

Although it gives me excuses to slack, I promise myself not to repeat last term’s mistake. ‘Know my playing limits.’ I would say. So, I’ve roughly planned my schedule for both outings and revision times. I have a lot of plans in mind, but uncertain of those which will work out before I leave. The last two activities I’m going to do before I head back will be visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival and biking at Stanley Park. It’s getting sunnier in Vancouver nowadays, I can feel the cool breeze kissing my face everyday, and the warm sun shines on my head, what a blissful feeling that could be!

And yes, I’ve also started packing my stuff and separated those to be put into summer storage and those to bring back. It’s a long long process to be honest, I hate packing things because I spend so much time putting them into luggage or box neatly, and it only takes half of the packing time to unpack it. The only thought I have everyday is to ‘CLEAN CLEAN THROW’ which reminds me very much of the ‘ELIMINATE,ELIMINATE,ELIMINATE’ scene in Death Note when Mikami has gone mad. Seriously, I’ve to get rid of the unnecessary stuff to get sufficient space to pack other things.



Conspicuously,I'm going to have big time packing.

Ohhh, Pui Mun, good luck packing !

April 05, 2009

Shrek in real




Maurice Tillet ( 1903 - August 4, 1954 ) was a professional wrestler in the early years of the entertainment-sport. Born in France, he was highly intelligent and could speak 14 languages. He was also a keen poet and was hoping to get into the acting business.

In his twenties, he developed acromegaly, a rare disease that causes bones to grow wildly and uncontrollably. Soon his whole body was disfigured as a result. This led to much pain for Tillet as this gentle man was being called names, berated and forced to flee the place he loved so much.



Seeking a new identity to fit his chronic disfigurement, Tillet fled to America where he made a living on his appearance by becoming a professional wrestler, and was dubbed as the "freak ogre of the ring". His villain persona ("the French Angel") was an instant success with the crowds. Perhaps the highlight of his career was on August 1, 1944, when The French Angel defeated Steve "Crusher" Casey for the American Wrestling Association World championship.

He soon became a recluse, although a few people did manage to befriend Tillet, including the businessman Patrick Kelly, whose home in Braintree, Massachusetts Tillet would often visit. There the pair would often play chess together.



Tillet died in 1954 from heart disease at age 51. Bobby Managain, who as Bobby Managoff was a wrestling champ, asked Tillet on his death bed if he could make a plaster cast of his face. Tillet agreed, and Bobby made three masks of his face. Once of which was given to Milo Steinborn, while two ended up with Patrick Kelly. Steinborn donated this mask to the York Barbell Museum years ago. One of the masks sat on Kelly's office desks for years, the other he donated to the International Wrestling Museum in Iowa.



Paranormal Anecdote
A story exists that, in 1980, 25 years after Tillet's death, Patrick Kelly installed a computerized chess machine which he frequently played against, next to Tillet's mask. One morning, Kelly played against the computer. That morning, the computer deviated from its set program and used a different style of play, including the French 18th Century Opening chess move. On further inspection, Kelly observed that the computer wasn't even plugged in. This supposedly happened on numerous occasions, but only as long as Tillet's mask was nearby. Kelly claims that he had engineers X-ray and check both the mask and the computer, but that nothing unusual was found.

One 'Death Mask' of Maurice Tillet currently resides at the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame inside the York Barbell Building in York, Pennsylvania. It is on display in the strongman/wrestling section that serves to provide a glimpse into the origins of modern competitive weightlifting and powerlifting.

Credit to :http://www.fundistraction.com/2007/04/maurice-tillet-real-life-shrek.html

O_O" Seriously, I didn't know that Shrek has a real counterpart.

April 04, 2009

11颗心的关心



这两颗心的由来,是因为一位小学死党。

有一天当我们在一起补习时,她将要还我的2块钱折成了2颗心的形状,笑说是自己无聊没事干。
可是我觉得,很多惊喜都来自于日常生活中的小细节,只在于我们能否察觉与感应得到。
从那天起,我就把这2颗心放在我的钱包里,一直到现在也没改变过。因为我觉得,那不仅仅是纸钞的价值,而是一份友谊的象徵。

那是我第一次觉得,钱也可以变得很有感情,只要我们愿意去寻找它当中的意义。

很久以前就察觉得到你在心境上的转变,对这世界的冷嘲热讽感到恐惧与难过,杀死了很多以前所有的搞笑细胞。我尝试去了解你深藏不露的心事,毕竟大家认识了快9年,无法明白你更深的过去是我的亏欠。我会愿意为你去做我所能够努力的事,因为我希望你能从我,甚至是我们身上找得到力量与信心。就算是崩溃的时候,也会有很多双手及耳朵在扶持着你,只要你愿意说,我们一定会听。

别贬低自己来看待这世界的变幻无测,别人在改变的同时,你也一样会往这个方向在循环着。你也一样可以掌握自己的人生,得到更多的快乐,而不允许别人在操控着你的愤怒与伤悲。以前的一切会走,只要你愿意原谅。我相信,每一个人都有走出过去的力量,看见生活每个角落所绽放出来的小光芒。挫折与难过是必然的,那才会让我们珍惜雨过天晴的不易。



别把自己藏起来,因为我会怕,怕找不到你没办法支持你的决定。也许我不明白你的痛,真的,我不明白。我能扮演最好的角色就是安静的聆听者, 听听你的声音。我也不太会言语上的安慰,只能给予你文字上的启发。我不坚强,只是我不再选择等待,我相信自己也能改变自己,只要我愿意踏出第一步,我就可以。每一次都会这样地鼓励你,希望能洗刷你的悲哀,不再为自己不愉快的以前而妥协,因为那并不是你的错。至少,我们都曾在你的以前出现过,一起走过很多傻傻但又无法磨灭的道路。


也许,我能为你做的不多。到最后,还是得依靠你自己的决定才能断定以后的路该怎么走。人会徘徊,我也曾经徘徊过,曾经挣扎过。后来,我开始明白前面有很多的通道,但只有一个方向,就是往前。我已走不回以前曾走过的路,但往前我才能摸索新的经验,新的生活。别人无法反省的过错就任由他们自作孽,你无需为他们的污点一起陪葬,关闭起自己的心。没办法重新开始的却能改变以后,请相信以后的你会过得很好,不压抑,不躲起,勇敢地为以后而努力。

你也许不知道,你的一举一动也能轻而易举地影响着别人的看法与心情。就好象这2颗心,如果不是因为你的一时无聊,我就少了每一次打开钱包时那微笑的理由。你也很重要,绝对不是注定被人欺负一辈子的一群,你也一样可以得到世界上很多的美好,

最近都没听见你的消息了,希望你一样会过得很好。

别忘记你说的:
人要有美好的希望,才有力量启发美好的理想 :)


加油! =) 这是我吃了11粒巧克力的成果,加上你之前给我的2颗爱心,希望你能体会友情的珍贵。

大家都需要彼此的鼓励与扶持才能继续努力。所以,一起加油吧!!

期待重新看见8个月后的你,我保持相信。

April 03, 2009

プロポーズ大作戦

This is my favourite soundtrack from a Japanese drama called 'プロポーズ大作戦' (Puropozu Daisakusen).

I haven't listened to this soundtrack for almost a year and I'm now back to it again.



1. Rising Road ~メインテーマ~
2. ハニーチーズ
3. 夢追いランナー
4. Rainy Man
5. ささやかな願い
6. ハレルヤフラッシュ
7. 彷徨う心
8. それもまた青春
9. Sugar
10. 希望
11. ゴリ押しMy Way
12. セピアの教室
13. エビフライ
14. ダ·ダ·ダブルチャンス!
15. 素直な気持ち
16. 恋の大作戦
17. 雨あがり
18. 明日晴れるかな(Piano & Strings Version)

Most of the tracks follow a soothing melody and have a tranquilizing effect on me.I must say,Japanese are really good at composing sentimental songs which are a bliss to listen at all times. These songs touch my heart and make me feel better after listening to them. To me, music is really important to heal souls and trigger inspirations.Besides that,it relates me back to some of the scenes in the drama whenever I'm listening to the soundtrack.



I watched this drama a few years back and quite like the concept of the entire series. It's about a guy who gets to travel back in time with the aid of a fairy and try to get a girl's heart.He travels to a significant time in which he and the girl both exist at that time in every episode and then slowly changes the history. I find it interesting, although the ending was not satisfying, the special episode filled my stomach satisfyingly. Also, I realize that some things are meant to be and can't be changed in reality. Don't learn to regret, but do something before you regret. Even if it does not end the way we want it to be, at least we have tried our best to put effort in it, therefore we can walk off proudly with empty hands, but a heart that consists of a bunch of memories.




I had a heart-to-heart talk with my sister last night, just good when I needed someone to talk to.I just continued with my story I told her last time and she gave me some advices.I'm just glad that you're always there regardless of the time and place.

I've been relying too much on friends for the past few months, that I feel something is missing when I don't hear from them, miss out their calls or messages, skype and MSN,neglecting the fact that they have their lives going on as well. So so, it's just a self-confession time where I should learn to swallow up my problems sometimes. Yeap, I will get to listen from you guys when the time comes, which is just a month later. On the other hand, I'm losing touch with some people, that I have no idea how to warm up our friendships. Maybe it's just going through a transition state like what my friend used to tell me

'True friends are not those who can crap with you all the time,
but you won't feel embarrassed when both of you don't talk.'

It's the heart that matters, I believe. But only those who believe it will trust me the same.