Leveling UP!

Food Talk: Cosmetics, Obsessions and Magazines

2010-10-13T23:52:00.011+09:00

Recently I've been constantly hungry. I have my ups and downs when it involves my urge to eat, and right now its at a high. Duduk sekejap je, rasa nak makan. (^_^). So it's only appropriate that I blog about food.

Recently, I've come across my latest obsession. I discovered this during an outing with my good friends Imran and Isky. We were planning to eat ice cream, when Imran suggested that we buy Twix and have it with Ice cream. "Sedap siot", "Gila ape makan ice cream dgn Coklat Bar?", "Tak nak sudah, don't expect to get any of this later. Ni aku punya je. It's awesome". Of course I'm para-phrasing but still the manic look he had was convincing enough. So I bought it. And memang sedap gileeee. Now I'm hooked. Not really sure what that means for my weight though. But hell who cares.

The next thing is probably a bit of nit picking, but hey it annoys me. If you've been to Old Town recently, you probably noticed that it has a new menu. That menu pisses me off. Its all glossy and shinny, but it's everything a menu should not be. It's more like a magazine. Fist thing that I said when I got the menu was, "Benda ni takde isi kandungan atau index ke?". Nak carik my favorite drink pun susah. I mean c'moooon, a single item takes up a whole page. A menu is suppose to be compact, clear and attractive. Part attractive tu mmg tercapai, but looking for something is a pain. They have a picture for all the drinks. ALL. And they all look the same. Waste of space. Kesian pokok2 dikorban kan. =(

Anyway, that's it from me. Excuse me while I proceed to drink and devour something.

Blogging off...

A Sweet Addition to the Family

2010-08-15T03:20:00.003+09:00

I've always been fascinated on how cute babies are. I always wonder whether the undeniable thought of babies being irresistibly cute has been somehow hardwired in our brain. Or it could be a simple yet ingenious design devised by mother nature to protect it's young ones. In other words, a self defense mechanism.

You might be thinking, what's with the baby talk? Well the reason is that my family has been blessed with an additional member. A cute toddler with the name of Jazmin. As a proud uncle, I'd say she is pretty impressive for a girl her age. She isn't the fussy type and despite her very limited vocab, a girl who has a akin for chatter. Though most of the conversations degrade in to high pitch screams, I find it amusing nonetheless. Also, her liking for the AFC does somewhat put hopes that she'll someday become a world re-known chef. Scouring the world looking for the latest flavor to introduce commercially to the world.

I do admit she has a long way to go, the path littered with obstacles; the upcoming ones being crawling, walking and a few instances of building coherent sentences. But so far she is off to a wonderful start.

Blogging off....

Things I need to remember!

2010-06-12T03:31:00.001+09:00

Here are a few reminders to myself when buying anything electronic!

1. Always plan your protection plan before actively using any product. Keep all the plastic on, until you get some good protection material.
2. Try avoid anything glossy, matte is better.
3. Remember and accept you are OCD when it involves electronics! Going around without protection is NOT cool.
4. Attempts to restore anything, usually end up making it worse. Fight the urge and let it be...

Fuuuuh.. try to remember that before you make your next 2k purchase. (-_-)

Blogging....

Job Opportunities in Nokia Siemens Network

2010-06-11T11:50:00.002+09:00

Development Engineer

Main Purpose of the Role and Key Responsibilities: To understand the functionality of the existing C software in order to be able to correct software bugs as well as to develop new features.

Requirements: * Deep knowledge in C programming
* Capability and willingness to understand complex existing code
* Understand system behaviors and requirements of the area of responsibility
* Analyze problems/features and provide design proposal for correction/implementation
* Implement the software change/enhancement with high quality
* Test implemented software change This is a role which requires besides a strong technical background the drive to provide high quality code.
Personal Attributes: Essential Skills:
* C Programming
* Previous experience in telecommunications network elements
* Good knowledge of UNIX
* Excellent written and spoken English
Desirable Skills:
* Knowledge of LDAP, X500, GSM, GPRS, IMS
* Knowledge of troubleshooting methodologies
Essential Attributes:
* Ability to comprehend technically complex problems
* Proactive, Methodical, Organized, Enthusiastic, Eager to learn, Proud of own work,
* Ability to communicate with people clearly in a multi-site environment

Testing Engineer

Main Purpose of the Role and Key Responsibilities: To ensure that as part of a team the testing of each software release is to the highest standard within given time scales and to report any problems that may be found. The test coverage is based around functional as well as non-functional areas (incl. performance, robustness, stability) of large systems simulating live system scenarios. A major task is to automate test cases in order to minimize the effort necessary for retesting.

Requirements: * Understand system behaviors and requirements of the area of responsibility
* Write Test Plans to validate the expected system functionality
* Write Test Cases and Test Scripts
* Execution of the Test Cases
* Raise faults when appropriate
* Write Test Reports
* Setup test lab

Personal Attributes: Essential Skills:
* Previous experience testing telecommunications network elements
* Good knowledge of UNIX and Shell Scripting.
* Excellent written and spoken English
Desirable Skills:
* Knowledge of troubleshooting methodologies
* Knowledge of LDAP, X500, GSM, GPRS, IMS and Perl
* Performance testing on TCP/IP based applications and Solaris OS Platforms
Essential Attributes:
* Ability to see and comprehend the big picture
* Proactive, Methodical, Organized, Enthusiastic, Eager to learn, Proud of own work,
* Ability to communicate with people clearly in a multi-site environment

Headache

2010-03-14T23:55:00.000+09:00

Slowly and gently he takes of his glasses, the creases on his forehead begin to ease as though a huge burden has been lifted. Positioning both of his hands close to his head, he starts to massage both temples with his thumbs hoping to subside the pain. As expected, futile. Like waves that come a go, so does the pulsing pain. He snaps his head right, then left. A satisfying crack fills the air with each movement and slowly he whispers...."damn"...

Blogging off....

Another template update!

2010-03-14T04:31:00.002+09:00

OK, nothing to see here people. Just updated my blog template again and testing out my twitter feed.

Blogging off....

Strength...

2010-02-21T04:13:00.002+09:00

Strength can be a difficult thing to measure. It's the hardest to quantify.

Does persistence and perseverance seem to an observer as a virtue, or seen as just plain stubbornness?

Where does the line between bravery and stupidity lie? Is standing up for a complete stranger, an act of courage or an annoying habit of 'busy-body'ness?

If strength is continuous optimism, is pessimism an escape, or a realistic view on life?

And does expressing things on a blog such as this, a sign of openness, or a sad attempt to make a mark in the real world?

No one can be exactly sure, since the world is full of steel like self-justification and unavoidable barrage of criticism from so many different colors of the spectrum.

Do you consider yourself strong? Honestly believe that you have enough willpower to last you a lifetime? If you genuinely do, then you can consider yourself lucky...

Blogging off....

Being Agile

2010-02-18T23:45:00.008+09:00

Recently in my company they've introduced a new software development methodology called "Agile". This is totally the opposite of the traditional waterfall and milestone cycle that is rampantly used by most companies.

The idea is simple, rather than specifying requirements for the final product upfront and having huge milestones that span long periods of time, "Agile" works by providing deliverable products in shorter cycles called sprints (2 to 4 weeks). What this means for customers is that they will have a bare-bone functional product to sample and then have the flexibility to specify more requirements with each additional sprint.

It's an exciting concept in theory since the customer will end up with a product with functions that really matter since the amount of customer hands-on will increase their involvement in development. However, getting use to the idea of people knowing your progress every sprint needs some getting used to.

Management people out there, look it up. It's an excellent way to bolster the potential of your organization! Or that's what they say at least.

Here's to being guinea pigs to experimental management techniques!

Hey boring as this maybe... It is educational... I think.

Blogging off....

Finally, updated my layout

2010-02-18T18:57:00.004+09:00

Wow, after maintaining the same look for the blog for about 6 years, I've finally managed to update the layout. It looks a bit more appealing now. Definitely not my design, but hey it's a start. Looks pretty nice though. :)

Blogging off....

The blog is open again

2009-09-04T15:01:00.003+09:00

My previous attempt was a pile of bull. So, this is my second attempt to get it running again. Facebook as been taking too much of my time that I've been ignoring most of the blogs I maintained.

I allow myself moments of absolute laziness. But each streak has to end. I'm going to dedicate my free time in utilizing my mixer and my Bamboo in these couple of weeks.

Blogging off....

Starting to blog again... An attempt of course...

2009-06-12T01:28:00.003+09:00

Thought of writing and making this my personal blog. More of an online journal of sort. Thus, making it by invitation.

Will write more later. Trying to figure out who to send invitations though? hahaha... oh well. The inner circle first I guess.

Blogging off....

Tears of a true gentlemen

2009-04-16T16:16:00.005+09:00

Almost cried watching this. Tread on soldier, tread on.

Blogging off....

Watch this you toads! SF Glory!

2009-02-13T17:59:00.005+09:00

In the spirit of the new-realeased SF4. I present to you, the coolest SF movie remaking eva!

Blogging off....

A Gentle Cut Throat Reminder for Myself

2009-02-13T15:33:00.004+09:00

1. Never trust salesmen.

2. Never spend on something by impulse. Think and then Buy. When in doubt think some more.

3. Always but something from a authorized seller. "It's cheaper here than in the store" line is a bunch of crap.

4. If there is a time limit on the offer and it translates to"Buy Now! or regret", you better walk away.

5. Buying from recommendation is encouraged. Use the internet.

6. Constantly have a mental check on where your phone, keys and wallet are.

7. Never try to answer the phone when actively playing a sport. Tennis for example.

In nutshell, stop being a gullible piece of meat. This month has been bad. Sigh...

Blogging off....

Wrong Prescription

2009-01-19T19:13:00.034+09:00

Place: A random bathroom in some random building

Time: Some random time at night

It felt like my nostrils were burning. It was excruciating. It wasn't the pleasant campfire warmth, more of a napalm scalding pain that seem to eat away at my flesh. It didn't help that I could feel the burning sensation creep down to my throat and spread through my lungs like raging wild fire. I flinched so hard, I almost bit my tongue off. Good thing I didn't....

It seemed like moments ago when I felt chilled to the bone. My sweat dribbling down my face, cold sweat. Imaginary sweat. No way I could sweat and be so cold in the same time. But somehow I did. My hands were shaking like a Parkinson inflicted madman, I clumsily took out a long green cylinder. Its shape a surface, slick and smooth. Nothing like my state of mind. I struggle to grasp and twist it open. A wisp of my own definition of heaven filled the air in the room....

"You should lay off that thing", Mash's stern voice seemed to echo in my head. "Prolong use will kill you". I've gone through a whole lot of shit, I doubt anything like a shot would kill me. "Yeah, yeah, I'll tone it down alright, just get of my back OK", the usual rebuttal, followed by the turn, and the walk. "Please, just listen to me....". Couldn't really hear her jabbering. I was already half way through the door. "I don't want you to turn in to a.... ". Bam! the slam of the door muffled the last remaining words.

Did I mentioned that it burned? So much that I felt like pulling out my lungs and dipping them in ice water. Not that a bucket of ice water would be easy to come by, nor are a pair of detachable lungs as a matter of fact....

Viktroll was a mans best friend. Easy to come by, strong on effect and cheaper than the other shit you find on the streets. Side effects might vary. Dried throat, oral irritation, double vision, slight spinal discomfort, depression, aggression, irregular heart beat, massive hallucination, hyper-tension, psychotic/suicidal tendencies and of course my favorite, an extreme high like no other. Impatient, I wedge the cylinder up my nose (I thought I heard a 'click' when I did), and inhaled. Like a weak breeze, the effects felt unsatisfactory. I inhaled deeper. Nothing. Deeper. Nothing. Deeper.... then suddenly it came like a gust of wind. A tsunami of pleasure. It was as though all my senses lit up and exploded. And explosions are never good....

Searing. How about we refer it as searing? Let's go with searing. It's a much more suitable word to express the unexplainable pain. Searing of the flesh. I could swear I could smell my own lungs sizzle. I topple, my own body convulses over the pain. My head knocks on the floor. I see blood. But I don't notice the pain. How could you feel pain with so much searing? The blood trickles and pours....

Call somebody. Anybody. Help. I need help. My brain's last call of desperation. My hands scramble for my mobile. It obeying my will was a pleasant surprise. My fingers fiddle the buttons, my vision doing a bad job of assisting, hazy as mist. My head feels fuzzy. No, not the warm kind. The soapy kind with bubbles flowing out of my ears. I press the call button, drag my arm closer to my ear. And hope....

"Geeeee..... I'm so sorry. The Juice isn't here right now. hihihi. Probably doing something like shopping, or chitty chattering or maybe doing my hair or my nails or both. Busy busy busy. Either way, call back ya... chowwww"

I cough out blood while spurting out a gurgling laugh. Just my luck. My sister. Last thing I'll hear is her giggling. Blood and saliva ooze out of the spaces between my teeth and the corners of my smile. The cylinder clasp tightly in my hand. Even in near death, my body does not want to let go. Things start to get dark. I lose all consciousness, all feeling. Except the damn searing. It burns. Mash's word kept ringing in my head over and over again. "Junkie".

Blogging off....

New Year A'hoy!

2009-01-08T11:14:00.009+09:00

Yes, people! 2009 in here. Sorry for the late greetings, but this new year has been exciting, and busy as well. Well here I am, back blogging.

So where do we start... hmm...

Oh yeah, I salute and dedicate a vigorous wave to year 2008. It was one of the most challenging years of my life. It was filled with spit in the face-down in the dirt-c'mon go ahead step on me periods. A lot of bumps, a few ravines, but somehow I made it across. Not unscathed though, but I do feel a sense of pride knowing I managed to pull myself out of one of my low points in my life.

Of course people tend to remember the bad, but 2008 was mix bag of good stuff as well. Partings with friends and loved ones was indeed difficult, but then you discover how valuable friendship is. You learn to keep the ones close, closer.

The biggest lesson for 2008 of course goes to the old favorite, "family responsibilities". Discovering a new role as I came home was a wake up call on how far I've journeyed through life.

To the end of 2008, I was greeted with with an excellent new job, a boost of confidence, new colorful people to call friends, and warm seasoned ones. Not forgetting, a wonderful encounter . So I'm spiteful at some things, and grateful for others. No regrets I guess, happy to come out smiling.

What will 2009 bring? Good times or bad? I'm pretty sure a mixture of both. I do enjoy dwelling in pessimism, but I can't help to think that 2009 will be a better 2008. So, I allow myself a bit of idealistic optimism.

Resolutions? Nothings specific I guess. I'll keep on doing what I'm doing and hopefully do it with more effort and enthusiasm. Of course I'll be keeping an eye on my health and continue to remind myself that the number 30 is right around the corner.

That's it chumps. All the best for this year. Hello 2009!

Blogging off....

Bila Besar Nanti Nak Jadik Apa?

2008-12-12T16:01:00.013+09:00

Call me old, but I have this bad habit of asking the same questions when I first interact with children. I like to call it adult-to-kid-small-talk. The questions usually range from the basic "Nama apa?", "Umur berapa?" to the slightly deeper "Sekarang belajar darjah berapa?". Recently however, I've started to add a few sophisticated questions in to my repertoire of adult-to-kid-small-talk. One of them being the infamous "Bila besar nanti nak jadik apa?".

A few months ago I had the opportunity to join a Charity Club to a visit to a special school for blind children in JB. The school which doubled as a dormitory housed probably around 60 students from pre-schoolers to high school students. The program lasted for 2 days and around 40 students from UTM were there to entertain and motivate the children.

During my period there, I was amazed at how these children behaved despite their disability. I would hold my breath every time I saw students run along the narrow corridors, expecting them to bump in to something or fall when they instead maneuvered skillfully around poles and skipped across stairs as though they could see with each confident step. I was equally amazed on how cheerful the students were, how their condition did nothing to pull them back from enjoying life and the experiences that came hand in hand with them. I guess these are the benefits of being children.

Unfortunately though, I am cursed as an adult. I was left pondering and wondering about the children's future. Every time I looked at their cheerful faces, I couldn't help but wonder the adversities they might and would probably face. Excuse my pessimism, but what idealistic future could sustain these special children? A future that would allow them the same opportunities every other children has and provide them with success equaled to their efforts. I realized with a bad taste in mouth, that the world was far from being ideal. And I wasn't the only one. I could see a number of the facilitators break, their heads bowed slightly, hiding the tears filling up in their eyes.

The program ended with smiles and laughter of course. A few teary outbursts occurred due to the separation but was quickly dried up by the anticipation of promises to yet again meet. Hugs and shakes were exchanged with a mixture of both love and respect from both sides. I would like to believe that we somehow made an impact even though slight on these children's lives. Wishful thinking perhaps, but one can hope.

I wish the best for these children and hope that their futures hold a much more easier path than the one my hampered realistic mind could limitly imagine. Call me weak, but I just didn't have the strength to ask them, "Bila besar nanti nak jadik apa?".

Blogging off....

Pak Daud

2008-12-09T14:18:00.014+09:00

Recently I've been trying to routinely have breakfast every morning. Like they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, I'm not graced with breakfast at the house table every morning, so I take the alternative and stop by a local Malay restaurant for my usual roti telur and teh tarik.

While eating, my thoughts drifted (thoughts tend to drift when you're eating alone) on my childhood visits to Pak Daud, known for his delicious roti canai. Or that is how I remember it to be. Those were the times when mamaks didn't dot the entire geographical landscape. It was small shop close to school, where some kids with spare school money would go to hang out and get their roti canai fix. I was one of them. You couldn't really call me a regular since the meager allowance provided by my generous father didn't really allow frequent visits. However, the few visits I had were very pleasant and the memories of how good a simple roti canai could be kinda got cemented in my memory. Until now, I haven't had the opportunity to taste a roti canai to even rival Pak Daud's, but again, probably I did but the whole experience of saving up for roti canai in those days probably made me appreciate those particular visits even more. At that age, it was like a rare peek in to adulthood. Eating at a restaurant of your choice (my parents have never been there) and paying for your own food made me feel like a miniature adult.

These days kids probably prefer and are able to afford stuff like mcDonalds and try to avoid eating roti canai with their precious allowance. Times have changed I guess, and will continue to do so. I continue munching on my roti telur, losing my appetite half way through. Pushing it aside, I started to proceed to the counter to pay for my food when I found myself wondering, "what ever happened to Pak Daud?".

Blogging off....

Raya Adha Wishes

2008-12-07T23:04:00.006+09:00

Happy Raya for those celebrating it. Hopefully you'll be either along side family or friends with enough food stuffed in you to last for weeks.

--Blogging off....

Spoon Boy

2008-12-05T11:47:00.004+09:00

Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

Never thought Spoon boy could be so enlightening... Can't wait to meet Fork girl.

Blogging off....

Cat Conversations (or I would like to think so...)

2008-12-03T18:54:00.012+09:00

I enjoy talking to my cat. My dad thinks I'm crazy, but Comel does respond when I talk to her. While most would deem her responses as generic mixtures of different meow tones, the timing of her responses are amazingly accurate. So, I'd like to believe in my head that she does try her best to communicate. An example of our conversation this morning.

Me : Comel, I'm going off OK.
Comel: Meow. (I'm a Huuungrryy.)
Me : But you just finished a whole tin of tuna!
Comel: Meeow... (Well, I'm a growing cat...)
Me : You know the Dr. told you to watch your diet.
Comel: Meowrrr! (The Dr. can go and suck my paw!)
Me : I'm going to work. Chew on the rug if you're hungry.
Comel: Meurghh. (Whatevaaaa ugly man.)

She's cute like that.

-- Blogging off...

Warm Socks

2008-12-02T11:51:00.012+09:00

You know what kinda sucks in the morning. Not being able to find a clean pair of socks. I was tempted again not to wear socks to work but thought otherwise, since words like discomfort, odor and foot disease kept nudging me in the head.

Out of options and desperate, I did the ultimate taboo and gathered the courage to rummage through my fathers wardrobe cabinet. Usually I wouldn't have the balls to do so, my father being very picky about people disturbing his stuff and all. But since he was away with my mom honeymooning at some distant land, he probably wouldn't even notice (Hell would ensue if he did of course).

Finding a pair of comfy Grey ones, I put them on and was hit with the realization that I haven't worn any of my father's clothes since my days in primary school. I remember every time he'd be off out-stationed, I'd go and rummage through his clothes looking for something to wear. Don't really know why, but I kinda enjoyed the feeling of his big clothes over me, the ends dragging on the floor when I walked around. The fabric felt comfortable and had my father's familiar scent, and was probably why I liked it so much. It wasn't long before my brother would do the same, and we'd end up being a pair of legless torsos skimming across our house parquet floor.

A warm fuzzy feeling enveloped me and made me realized how much we kinda missed our father when he was away. Probing further in to the memory, hoping to rekindle something more, a sudden chill jolted me. I suddenly recalled that my father didn't appreciate the idea of his favorite clothes being dirty, stretched and torn when he got back. The aftermath was usually not pretty. Feeling a lump in my throat, I swallowed and reminded myself to wash and put the socks back nicely as they were before he comes back.

-- Blogging off....

Rin', Mesmerizing Shakuhachi

2008-11-28T18:14:00.006+09:00

Rin is a musical group that I came across when looking for modern hybrids of traditional Japanese folk music. The music they produce aren't a lot, but they compensate with extremely enjoyable to listen tracks. The Shakuhachi is a traditional Japanese flute which is very prominent in Rin''s music.

Here is one they are most known for: Sakura S akura
Go ahead have a listen.

I suggest you listen while sipping a cup of hot green tea. Good for those stressful moments at work.

If you want to know more about the group here is a wiki about them in detail.

--Blogging off...

Kicked the sand castle

2008-11-26T10:59:00.008+09:00

Well, I finally did it. Deleted my friendster account. Since making my move to facebook it didn't really make sense to have two different web apps spilling the beans on my life. Call me paranoid, but I try to keep my personal presence and information minimal on the web. Ever try putting your full name in google and seeing what pops out? You should, it'll give an idea how exposed you are on the web.

I've been using friendster since 2002 and so it makes the profile around 6 years old. I will definitely miss the extremely slow servers, incoming spam, clunky interface and constant down times that friendster adequately provided. Did I have any doubts before pressing the "cancel your account" button? Sure, a bit. Just hit by a pang of nostalgia by the people I've been able to stay connected with because of it. Which quickly dissipated upon realization that they are other much more effective alternatives to stay in touch, such as the good ol' phone call or the ever so convenient e-mail... and there is facebook. Haha...

Doesn't it bother you that having a personal profile on the web has somehow turned in to a required necessity? Oh well, here we go again.

Blogging off....

Digital me...

2008-11-21T15:41:00.005+09:00

NXE (New Xbox Experience) update is out! The usual bells and whistles, however there has been a big revamp on the themes and gamer picture department. Now you are able to represent yourself with a digital version of you. Sure it's a bit cheesy, but hey it's fun, especially if you know your online buddies in person. (^_^)

Look mom! it's a digital me!

Blogging off....

Gears of War Party 1: Melaka Durian edition (part 1)

2008-07-17T14:41:00.011+09:00

Date: 12th July 2008
Venue: Maxshinoda's home of residence
Activities: Gears, Bomberman, Durian consumption, Melaka Sightseeing.
Attendees: Maxshinoda (host), Friction, Ospe, Hasukyo

DAY 1
As planned (or more accurately, 5 hours after the planned time of departure... haha), we started to head off to Melaka to visit Maxshi and his promise of a truckload of Durians. The trip was uneventful, with nothing interesting along the way except a single incident where we mistakenly identified Maxshi as a motorcycle ice cream vendor.

After meeting up with Maxshi, he lead us to a nice condominium facing the beautiful ocean, where we would be spending the night. With Maxshi back off to work (and to pick up the durians), the three of us ended up walking 2 km to the nearest mamak for a bite to eat and drinks to quench our thirsts. After receiving peculiar stares from the table across (probably because of our discussion on whether devouring children would be beneficial or not: please refer to 'Bioshock'), we decided to leave the mamak shop and head back to the condo to freshen up.

It was a night of good food, delicious Durian, Gears extreme 4 player hosting matches, split screen headaches and Bomberman fun...

Good food:
Maxshi fiancee was nice to cook us dinner. The food was excellent, and I ended being the last one to finish (and Hasukyo the fastest as usual). It's been awhile since I ate 'sambal petai', I did have my fair share of them, but not to the extent of Ospe, who was feasting delightfully on them... haha... Maxshi also proudly introduce the other inhabitants of his home, which were a family of flying squirrels.

Gears:
After having a dinner, we proceeded to power on both Maxshi's and Ospe's 360. Using a router and split screen accounts, we did the unfair and started a room where all four of us had host advantage... haha... Complaints ran through out the games, with unfortunate visitors discovering that 4 local hosts resulted in more lag and more annoying hosts to cope with. Unfortunately playing in split screen proved to be quite a challenge and four of us ended up paying the price, especially in escalation. Overall, extreme fun, though split screen was slightly undesirable. Maybe one day we can have a LAN game with 8 Xbox 360s connected (Yay! no host advantage).

Delicious Durian:
Our Gears run was interrupted temporarily by the smell of durian, which meant that Maxshi had started cracking them open. The durians tasted great; my first durian in 4 years, it tasted as good as I remembered it to be. Hasukyo and Ospe joined shortly after we had our fill of as much durian as we could eat (as promised!).

Bomberman:
After we were burned out playing gears, Maxshi suggested that we play Bomberman. Surprisingly, Ospe never played Bomberman. At the beginning, most of us ended up on a personal suicide run, falling pray to our own planted mini explosions. Slowly we started to pick up on the gameplay, and honestly in my opinion, Bomberman was as if not more fun than the Gears session we had. Ospe was indeed at a disadvantage, being a newcomer and having no place to hide to chainsaw people, ended up strangely silent through the ordeal... haha... After a few rounds of rounds, everyone agreed that it was time to sleep and we headed back to the condo.

Next day we headed to Melaka (pics too) and a brief stop at PD>> Stay tuned for day 2 of the blog.

Blogging off....

Confrontation, facing it in the face

2008-02-19T18:00:00.006+09:00

Everybody will come to a point in their life, where they consider themselves to have already achieved a certain level of satisfactory wisdom (by personal opinion of course). Symptoms of this disillusion are usually accompanied by familiar statements such as, "I can handle any situation that's thrown at me", or the familiar "I should listen more to myself rather than other people", or the more severe "My opinion is better than yours".

The biggest symptom of course, is when you constantly regard your opinions or thoughts higher than any other person's. Where your words seem to encompass the whole conversation and other people's words are but trivial. Of course to some degree, this is an exaggeration. But as a member of 'disillusion-wisdom-anonymous', I can tell you how warm and cozy it is to be in the 'I am wise' zone, and how much it is a strain and a pain to dip your toes in the cold freezing waters of anything else around it.

The disillusion, like most things that seem good, do not last. Rest assured, slowly, bit by bit, the zone will shrink, until one day you'll look over the edge, peer curiously at your own reflection, accidentally slip and drop face first in to the cold ice-like water. The sub temperature liquid numbing your senses. Your once warm lungs filled with frost. The realization of ignorance blinding your once sound judgment. Gone are the feelings of confidence, gone are the walls of dependability, gone are the mounds and hills of self-esteem. The only thing left is a husk, confused and lost.

Are things forever lost? Will the binds of confusion hold on?... Probably not. Fortunately, it is nature for people to persevere. Slowly you'll learn how to wade in the cold water, slowly will the vast span of water be more a blessing to you than and curse. Sure, you won't be as warm as you were before, but your strides will be long and you will be able to reach far. Farther than you thought you could.

The only regret going through your head being "Wouldn't it be great and a lot less painful if I could have dipped myself in the cold water slowly leg first".

Note:
I am lucky to have so many people around me to learn from (whether you realize it or not)... all I need to do is listen. If you happen to be reading this, thank you.

Blogging off....

Quotes of Character

2007-07-25T13:27:00.001+09:00

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -- Abraham Lincoln.

I bumped in to this while browsing some sites. It's one of those that are clearly obvious but hit you just as hard. I admit I'm not a fan of US presidents, but a few do deserve to be at the helm at the time.

Blogging off....

Discovering the beauty of Podcast (part 2)...

2007-06-20T11:25:00.001+09:00

Back to the topic of podcast. The best way to describe it is, 'radio with choices' but with different content. Mainstream wave signal radio stations mainly runs the recent popular songs, with a bit of news and commentary on the side. However, Podcast content are rarely songs, but usually shows that involve a group of people discussing a topic. Imagine a talk show with a much more focused listening audience. Interest range from the usual news to the eccentric 'how to make your cats do tricks' topics.

Honestly, this form of material isn't that new on the Internet but what Podcast has done was integrate all this material to one common down loadable format and making it easily accessible without browsing through pages and pages of eye hurting, ad popping, turtle ass slow loading websites.

Which brings us to iTunes. All you need to do is download iTunes from Apples website (you don't need an iPod to use iTunes) and and go through the usual boring process of installing and running it. After that head over (click it!) to the iTunes Store which icon can be distinguished as a green shopping bag (bad choice of colour in my opinion. Never seen a green shopping bag before). Conveniently situated on the top right corner, use the the search field to look for any topics you like. Some are free, some are not, either way choose to download it by clicking subscribe. It's as easy as that. (Tip: click on the price field to lump all the free Podcast together for easy browsing).
It'll download the recent podcast for that show and you can get to the previous shows by clicking on the arrow button beside the title. To browse or listen to your content, just click the Podcast icon on the left bar. Here you can listen, delete and unsubscribe to all your podcast shows. Again, use the arrow button to access all the previous download and down loadable content.
The beauty of the iPod is that I can just sync it up with my iTunes and bring all these Podcast everywhere I go. Listening to what I want to, when I want to, where I want to, as much as I want to. It's excellent. Of course you don't need an iPod to get iTunes, so you can just use your computer to listen to all the downloaded Podcasts.

Try it out. For all those who want to learn Japanese, I suggest subscribing to 'JapanesePod101.com'.

Blogging off....

Discovering the beauty of Podcast (part 1)...

2007-06-12T13:01:00.001+09:00

Honestly, I never liked Apple. Must be the engineering bone that's grown in me. I find no logic in the disgusting conduct of purchasing an overpriced PC for the sake of user-friendly set-up times (and avoid hours of fun struggling with drivers installations?*...where's the fun in that?), seamless user interfaces and overall product design that's suppose to lift you on the altar of unparalleled 'coolness'. And for the same exact reasons, I despise the iPod infestation spreading throughout the world.

Hence pops up a saying "without ability to afford, comes hatred", which I claim as my own.... Shamelessly taking it from another saying I care not to mention (hint: has something to do with lack of knowledge and fear).

Due to some stroke of luck or a faulty internet campaign, I was graced with a free iPod Nano with the registration of my broad band internet service (being a customer in Japan is full of perks). Not that I wanted one, mind you. They just gave it to me, and I had a devious plan of selling it of to one of the second hand electronic shops for a bit of cashola.

I stopped the urge, and decided to give the iPod a try. I mean if half of the mobile music listening community is using it, it has to have some good experience bundled in. Unfortunately, after 2 weeks of music listening I was left unimpressed. The sound quality, though not ear bleeding does leave something to be desired and the iTunes/sync mechanism was a bit too clunky for my liking. Another one of those "I own coz' I'm cool" items.... or so I thought.

I was ready to call it quits, pack and sell it off to salvage what I can, when suddenly I stumbled upon something called Podcasts...... (to be continued - I promised it'll take less than a week, cross fingers >_< )

*asterisks are scattered in my blogs to identify points where I express 'sarcasm'

Blogging off....

Designed Icon

2007-06-05T13:36:00.001+09:00

Icon done by my creative Japanese friends (hats of to Tanechan), who is also the moderator for the upcoming leveling up site (no to be confused with the leveling up blog site). Probably will be used for that site as well. And yes, both (site and blog) are terribly behind schedule and have received less attention than i would care to admit. (T_T)...

Treading the unknown...

2007-06-02T00:27:00.001+09:00

Have a few projects rolling. Might make it work if i put my head in to it, and other distracting elements out.

In any case, this blog has received as much attention as the unwashed rotting shoes on my balcony. I'll have to get this blog up and going as usual. I'll probably start by dumping away those shoes first... hmmm.....

Blogging out....

Degradation of E-mail Convenience

2006-12-13T16:28:00.002+09:00

A few years back, I still remember getting my first e-mail account. Rocket mail... ah the memories. For the first time in my life, I'd be able to send a message with just a touch of a button. Sure in that time we weren't graced with rich formating, hyper links, I'm-gonna-send-you-my-whole-freakin-life story sized attachment, but it did what it was set out to do... Reach.

You send it, it gets there. Nothing more simpler than that. I didn't have to worry whether or not my friend was getting the junk (let's not ask what 'junk' is shall we) I was sending, or whether the girl I had a crush on got my heartfelt words (as convenient as it would have been at that time to blame the technology for the lack of replies (T_T))... Well not anymore, those sweet days are over. Without even knowing it, the words that you took hours to pour your heart in ends up being gobbled away by some cold-hearted spam filter.

The thing is these days, almost 70% of mail that comes to your inbox is SPAM. Earth defiling scum ridden SPAM. Since seeing 300 mails urging you to 'power up' or investing in some Nigerian con fund is hardly an attractive reason to check your inbox regularly, spam filters were created. Sure these things are a miracle, and without it life would be full of deleting-while-cursing episodes, but the thing is spams are getting more elusive and as response spam filters are getting much more aggressive. Too aggressive at some points.

Spam filters function on a basis of setting up blocking algorithms. Certain words, company names, flags, hyper links, not-so-friendly terms, length of mailing list, English only? (true for some japan mail servers), the list goes on and on. So long are the days of sending a mail to a long list of buddies about your recent exploits. There's always a chance one of your mail won't be received or simply pushed over to the abyss of bulk/spam box, where is will lie shivering lost in a stream of crap, doomed not be read till the end of time.

To know it'll definitely reach. It's a convenience I can't live without.

Blogging off....

Overconfident Asimo

2006-12-11T17:46:00.004+09:00

Goes to show that even with 8 different sensors installed, its always a good idea to look where you're going when going up stairs. Pity the poor guy, maybe they should install some handrails instead.

Just in case you can't understand Japanese, it was still saying "see like a human i can balance and walk up stairs!" even after the face first fall. Brave lad, that asimo. Brave lad.

Blogging out....

I'm back!

2006-12-05T11:33:00.001+09:00

Boy this sucks. The reason I ditched this blogger site, was because of the ammount of freakin blog spam you get. It bugged me SO much I had to desperately settle by blogging on my friendster blog account. I know... 'lame', but hey it was convenient and deleting blog spam is definitely not on my 'favorite past time' list.

Well after a tol-taking 15 mintues of comment blog spam deleting triathlon, I'm back (increase chances of calpal tunnel perhaps, but neverless back). I just wished this blogger service provided an option to delete comments in bulk rather than painstakingly doing it one by one.

Well I'm back on working on this blog. Wish I had one of those 'protect me from spam' amulets. Spam = Pure evil.

Anyway, just a link to my friendster blog. Nothing much. No spam at least.

Anyway, if you have any tips to share on how to handle spam let me know. I currently moderate my comments for the time being (which actually means blog spam -> mail spam), but at least I can delete it easier.

Blogging off....

Web of Confusion (>_<)

2005-04-14T15:25:00.001+09:00

Have you ever been caught in a situation where everything you touch, see and hear suddenly becomes incomprehensible. At first you calm yourself, positively thinking that if you focus hard enough, things might start to gradually become understandable. Suddenly, the collection of stapled papers feel strangely coarse between your fingers. After a few minutes you discover 2 things; one, that things are still confusing; two, that your palms can sweat. Still you collect yourself and concentrate harder, focusing every neuron to finally start working for its daily supply of nutrients. Finally, you reach a point where you suddenly feel light, a sort of feeling of relief, frustration suddenly drained from every inch of your body. You think you`ve reached the peak of enlightenment... but surprisingly only find out that you were only given a taste of false intellectual acknowledgement. Your brain collapse and your thrown in the bottomless spiral of pitch darkness, fainting and falling face first snoring (to your embarrassment later) until the end of class...

Yes.... there are only a few perils as terrible as....

Lectures in Japanese! (sigh.....)

Blogging off...

It`s lazy season!

2005-04-11T14:08:00.001+09:00

It`s the sakura season! Yes people! The most beautiful season in Japan. Best way to explain sakura`s are their like live concerts, there`s no way any picture, film or any existing form of media that would be able to express how beautiful sakura`s are. You`d have to be there under a sakura tree; reading a book, kicking a ball around, sipping juice with friends or just plain snoring to really understand how wonderful it is. Only bad thing about it is that it drains your drive (if any in the first place :P) to do any work. You just feel like running out under the sun and lying down under the first sakura tree you set your eyes on. In a nutshell, it does hell to your work proficiency... hahaha...
I`ll post some pics as soon as a find my long lost thumbdrive... until then...

Blogging off...

Blog Bugs

2005-04-06T14:58:00.001+09:00

Crap, I was reading through my blog and I just realized that it`s plagued with so many gaps between blogs that I`m starting to get sick of it... In numerous cases I`ve promised to fill-in on some stuff, but ended up chucking it down the "I don`t freaking care" abyss of no return... So here`s the list of stuff I missed and will definitely update albeit briefly...
1. Some info on Malaysian Student Activities and such.
2. Snowboarding Action.
3. My next drawing scan.
4. My next engineering-like article.
5. And my recent, my trip back to Sunny Malaysia.

Nobody bothered to tell me how difficult writing a blog is... sigh...
Then again, nobody bothered to tell me that they put pork in Ramens in Japan too... (that of course is a another story for another day.... ;P)

Blogging off...

LEVELED UP!

2005-04-04T14:04:00.001+09:00

I`m a M1 student now. Greater challenges await me. Will I succumb to the perils of the Japanese Language, and end up suffocating, smoothered in a pool of unreadable kanji`s or will I end up victorious in the end?..... The hell with it! Here goes nothing!!!.... muahahahahha...... (a tint of insanity there my friends...)

Japanese Driving... Read on you Initial D wannabe`s!

2005-01-22T19:47:00.001+09:00

Japanese drivers are among the best in the world... Believe me... they are...
The mangled streets of George Town or the seemingly complex roads of Kuala Lumpur would not even be a near challenge for these elites...

My host father here in Japan, is one of those people that always in his own nature to be kind, gentle and collected. I mean, this is a guy who I have never seen angry or even lifted the tone of voice since I`ve known him even in situations when he should. I`ve always assumed that he was one of those drivers that were overly cautious and took his time on the road.

Today I was wrong.

Today I went to Awaji Shima, with my host family. Me and their son Koji in the back, and my host parents in the front. Well in case your wondering, Awaji Shima is an Island on the south banks of Kobe which is accessable by one of the longest extended brigdes in the world (a good piece of information there. I guess My blog can have some decent stuff once in awhile.. hahaha). Mainly, the they have highways here but unfortunately most parts of the island are covered by amazingly narrow, intricate maze of roads that can`t barely even fit a car well and suprsingly, damn well 2 way street!

And here he was, my host father, zooming the streets like it was some highway. Taking the narrow, near to zero visibility corners like a pro, fast, tight and close, without beading a sweat (Initial D style). Don`t mind the deathly steep ravine on my right I constantly reminded my self. And don`t even remind me how the he handled incoming traffic. The cars were so close that I swear I could feel the incoming driver`s breathing on my face, and my host father didn`t even flinch. Man... my heart lost a few beats that day. That kinda driving lasted for like 30 minutes. I was SO glad when it was over. The only comment I could give to my host brother was `wow, your father can REALLY drive` and he`s like, `yeah, and not even ONE accident`.... wow...

I keep on reminding myself, when I feel like bragging about my driving skillz in Japan.... DON`T

A Solemn New Year...

2005-01-02T15:41:00.001+09:00

I`ve never been the type to appreciate nature... but I do admit that there has been moments that nature can be beautiful and mesmerizing... and unfortunately... in some cases destructive and devastating... The quake and tsunami that shook half of Asia is a grim reminder of such destructive power... 124,000 people estimated dead, many times more injured, millions homeless... Just in a few hours life for so many people changed in so many ways... whole villages gone, family members and relatives dead, government stuctures temporarily powerless, the post effect epidemics threaten more deaths... its unthinkable... truly unthinkable...

What makes this disaster special is that I truly now understand the meaning of empathy... or lack of it... This is not the first time nature displayed its wrath... dozens of disasters have happened before, some even more distructive then this one... Those times I shamefully admit that I felt more awe then sympathy... more engulfed in the startling realization of how powerful nature can be rather then the understanding of the suffering that the people felt during the disasters and years after... blame it on ignorance...

But now it hits Malaysia... Sure, the deaths of 74 Malaysians is not comparable to the ones in Acheh, India and Sri Lanka. But believe me, the impact as big... long have Malaysians been in the dillusion that it was a safe heaven from earths natural disasters... the recent hits in Kedah and Penang, and the shaking of tall buildings around KL is a frightening reminder that Gods hand can indeed reach far... For me, never has life seemed so fragile, so temporary... I can`t even start to imagine how the victim`s close family and friends are feeling right now...

We start the New Year in Malaysia this year not with fireworks and screams of joy, but silence and prayers... It brings a small sense of regret, that only through a disaster of this proportion will the people of the world unite... but it warms my heart to see how many hands are stretched to provide aid... and may you be one of them... find ways to donate... find ways to help... spread the word...
May this year bring less suffering to those who had......

Bloggging off...

The Wonders of Winter

2004-12-27T01:35:00.001+09:00

Yup, winter is coming near... And with winter comes one of my biggest challenges in japan... the cold... and don`t start giving me those wimpy looks... sure, Osaka isn`t actually Vlodivostok, but still coming from a country that`s smack in the middle of the equator does make you a bit reliant on heat from the o-so-kind sun... I admit, there has been times where the sun came short of frying me in my pants or threaten to turn me into a puddle of mucky sweat, but I`ve always prefered hotness rather then coldness... I`m warmblooded... what`d you expect...

The only good that comes outta winter is snow!... and of course pleasures that come with it, such as snowboarding, skiing, snowmans, pelting people with snowballs and the way it floats down flake by flake (hint.. girl with you at this time would give you an extra 66% successs rate ^-^). Avalanches are NOT in the list due to fact that considering that watching tons of snow slide down bulldozing anything is its path might sound fun in a sick way, death and destruction is not something I find humourous (especially if I`m somehow in the middle of it)...

Why do you wonder all this talk about the snow and cold... I`m going snowboarding!!!
Will of course fill you on that after I come back... (^-^)...

Bloging off...

Digitally Paranoid

2004-12-13T15:06:00.001+09:00

I have always enjoyed technology... and how it makes life easy for human kind... its applications vast, its limits boundless... but from experience working in the electronics industry and my own personal experience, technology is anything but reliable... from a simple calculator to a high end laptop...

I blame it on the complexity of the system... a rule of thumb, more components/parts a thing is made from the higher the probability of failure... doesn't it make you feel better knowing that for example a motherboard depends on all of its 600 discrete components behaving 'normally' for it to function properly?... consider that when you buy something next time...

Even in terms of design, sytems are getting drasticly smaller and increasingly complex. Complex systems, (e.g - microprocessors) have reached the point where even a fracture of miscalculation, a sliver of unaccuracy, a tad of unsufficient calibration can cause bugs and in worst cases failure. Sometimes, the system can be so complex that debugging it is seemingly more trial and error `black magic' then proper calculated analysis (which of course I admit works too if your lucky! ^^).

It brings a chill down my spine when I know the more money a jack in to buy something electronic, the more complex it is, hence the higher probability it is to fail... and for you digital camera freaks out there.. you think your memorable pics are safe on harddisk and CD's?... HAH.. i laugh at your face... hahahahaha.... well, again I might be wrong, I am of course `digitally paranoid'....

(This article is a lame attempt to actually realize the authors `engineering-self' and is not in reference to any material or source whatsoever. People don't usually take me seriously, why should you start now?...^^)

Blogging off...

Intermission

2004-12-07T22:46:00.001+09:00

Sometimes the wrecking ball of life hits you so hard.....

Blogging off....

Scan a Sketch

2004-12-03T01:29:00.001+09:00

My first scan... Notice my brown sweater?

Well finally i managed to scan this pic.. took me 1 hour to set-up the scanners TWAIN to my photoshop... but still the quality is real bad... have to ask help from the adobe-guru, Tanechan later...
In anycase, this is suppose to be an outline sketch of what one of the main characters will look like... It was of course modeled from yours truly, but I admit somehow how he looks much cooler in the manga version...lolz... I`ll post any new pics as soon as I finish with them... hopefully this time with better scans...

He does kinda look like me eh? (refer to picture the below).... (^-^)

Blogging off...

Gamer in me

2004-11-29T11:34:00.001+09:00

Tennis pro in the making...

These are my attempts to put pictures in the blog... excuse the random pics but I`m experimenting... I`m gonna post some of my art for my upcoming online manga script and hopefully it`ll be a habit and I`ll be able to get one of my biggest dreams running!

Anyway, this picture was taken during one of the most grueling tennis matches in topspin (Xbox) (me and aca <-- his returns are deadly!).... in normal mode... of course it was womens tennis, but who cares... It`s been awhile since a game pumped some adrenaline in me... love that feeling.... reminds me of Quake... and how I used to OWN everybody in that game... Anyway, will resurrect my gaming career by buying Virtua Figher 4 - Evolution and of course the oh so arcady joystick (childhood dream this one!)...

Aoi-chan, ohisashiburi desu.... Blogging off....

Countdown

2004-11-24T10:29:00.001+09:00

Countdown... less then 2 weeks from my test.... god help me.... I hope things turn alright....

Worries aside... I just had the first raya overseas... Yup, first time without my family.... you miss your family the most during the holidays... hahaha... can`t believe i even miss the usual raya bickering... hahaha..... well, goes to show you miss things the most when your far far away from them, and that humans have this natural talent of taking things for granted.....

Anyway i had a malaysia raya thing anyway, thanks to the fact that the raya fell on a Sunday. Went to the Kobe Mosque, which was one and half hour away, and went to a open house with the Malay gang.... Yup quite fun.... its amazing how many people you can fit into like 15 square feet of space.... lolz.... the closer the merrier eh?...

We also had another raya thing in the Kaikan, courtesy of Zarif, Aca and Me.... of course, i was doing supporting duties... (should not be confused with slacking off....^^)and we had another one in Nadir, Eb and Kumin`s house.... That was excellent.... especially the FOOD!... Eb`s ayam masak merah, Nadir`s Kari, Kumin`s bergedils and of course the hands down winner Cz`s kuah kacang... yup, i ate so much that day.... hahhaa... yup, a good example of raya spirit.... ^^

Another raya celebration coming up this weekend in Kobe and I have to be a judge for an English speech contest... ^^... will fill you on that later....

Back to the notes... Blogging off......

-- Gotta work hard to Level UP! --

Diligence is not me

2004-11-09T01:17:00.001+09:00

First before I start i`d like to express my admiration for you people out there who can actually update your blogs everyday!... it amazes me on how diligent people can be! (or maybe how LAZY I can be... hahahaha)....

Well, bigget event this year looming down the corner... yup the entrance exam, in japanese... subjects you ask? Circuit Theory, Electromagnet Theory and Digital Electronics... Oh yeah, sure i`ve studied them before, but the minds ability to forget is uncomprehensible.... to put it simple... i remember... zilch...

Well, i have a good people on my side though... Onoye Sensei is being supportive on the exam preparation... I`ve got great friends that are helping me out, Tanechan and Yoshida!... (Thanks guys! if your reading this!).... And i`ve got this new plan of 3 questions per day going.... I might just pull this off....

I`m starting to love my life in japan.... I`d like to spend at least another 3-4 years here before i go back ^^.... have to do my best...

Ok... blogging off... back to the books...

Summer Holidays

2004-08-23T14:31:00.001+09:00

I'm currently in the Lab... Taking a good hard look at my Digital Fundamentals book... Worth mentioning of course is that `looking' should never be confused with `reading', which at this point is really to hard to do... Looking is soooo easy...... It's amazing how many words they can cram in one page.....

So anyway, the reason being of course is that i just finished 2 weeks of what I could salvage from my Summer Holidays (which is Natsu Yasumi in Jap).... It was kinda fun.... I think i watched a total of around 15 DVDs in that whole 2 weeks and slept at around 6am everyday.... Did miracles for my biological clock.... lol.... Also, ate tabehodai (buffets; which are a popular thing in japan) almost everyday, since I only ate once in a day.

In terms of activities, didnt do anything exciting but did go to Yodogawa River for a Dragon Boat festival, and guess what? As a contestant!... yup our team was the glorious `Yodogawa International Students Team' (ok I admit the name was far from being creative >_<)... and despite being last in both heats, we went down with a bang! (actually, a splash would be more accurate)...

Incoming abrupt cut... Sorry to cut it short, but labwork is beckoning..... Summer Holidays... Luv em!

Blogging off......

Mixed feelings

2004-08-08T23:10:00.001+09:00

Whoa... in the rate I`m updating this blog, it`ll take forever for it to be a decent site...
Well, i can try can`t I?

Hmm.... so where do I start.... OK my life...
So far the biggest revelation is that that my jap course is over... Mixed feelings on that... A bit sad, not being able to meet the teachers and classmates.... I loved those 5 months.... OK.. OK... I admit that I slept a few times, but hey who doesn`t....

The final presentation was great... I missed a few words, but it was fairly fine... And believe it or not.... I kinda enjoyed it.... And i got to wear my suite... yup... neat and spify that day....

And of course being the sentimental fool I`ve always been, I got caught up in actually getting the final BBQ up! (again!)... It`s so DejaVu... hahaha... but it just doesn`t feel right saying goodbye just like that... It has to go with a bang... or a lot of BBQ smoke at least... (^_^)
But, it ended up quite well, despite the rain... And in the end, all the troops rallied and things kinda fell in place... as they usually do.... it was great... kinda sad though...

Now my life in the Lab will begin... A lab friend is going unfortunately.... Randy, american, great guy... One more Ryugakusei gone.... But I`m sure things will turn out fine in the end...... I hope....

Blogging off......

5 minute recap... and guess what i`m 24!!!

2004-07-21T02:04:00.001+09:00

Well fast recap... My language course is almost done... tommorrow`s the big grammar test, and I`m getting insane over it. Not also mentioning the fact i got a freakin presentation on my research (which i have no idea about) in sweet sweet freakin JAPANESE.... oh god.... oh god... let me get my anti-hyperventilation shots...

And guess what approx. 1 hour ago I turned 24! great huh? I`m a wiser man... To bad nobody noticed it.... well my presents count is currently.... Zero!!!

Well at least I got my health....

And ironically guess what... the gunbound server is down!!!

blogging off.....

The Wonders of Japan...

2004-06-29T16:30:00.001+09:00

Yup, currently today it`s approx 4.30pm 29th of Jun 2004 here at the land of the rising sun (Yup, Japan). (Of course technically, Japan is not the land of the rising son, which is Fiji, ealier buy 3 hours).

The reason this blog is getting any attention in the first place is that -
1. I`m sick, I have a fever and so no class! This effectively puts me with a lot of free time.
2. Gunbound server is down (freaking hell!!!), which of course has increased my idle time by a whooping 50%.
3. Too much filing on my 1/8 scale resin Ai model is gonna snuff me out, if I`m not careful! (they say it`s as bad as asbestos!).
4. I`m running out of pretzals..... damn....

OK, so intro settled, let me start with my blog.....

Before that happens of course, I`d like to give a background on my situation here in Japan. It was on the fateful 1st of April that I kinda decided to jumped over the other side of the fence to see whether the grass was greener. I decided to leave my job in Intel , and go off to venture to Japan to further my studies. And so far... I love Japan!... It`s great... I miss my family and friends a lot at home though... a lot....
Oh yeah... is the grass greener?... give me a few months to figure that out.. ;)

My life is a routine 9-4 japanese class, Mondays to Fridays. Which I really don`t mind, since I enjoy learning the Japanese language and the teachers are great! My classmates are pretty nice bunch as well. I`ll give some more details on that later....

My lab is great as well, got 2 B4 jap students that are really nice and fun to be with (Tanechan and Yoshida). They help me a lot! ^^ And the lab is great, it`s SO high tech. And they even gave me this nifty X22 (which exactly looks like my old X20 in Intel...SWEET!!!) to write this nifty blog, my research stuff and surf (and also sometimes to play gunbound... ;P)....

OK gotta blog off... time to get moving...

Bakuretsu Tenshi... 33.2%

Prelude to the second war: Ramblings of a crazy ghoul.....

2004-02-18T07:40:00.001+09:00

And so it has come to pass. The once long and mighty battle leave little scars in the earth. A ghoul’s skull here. A sword there. A bow here. A tauren totem there. Once green, grass is beginning to grow again. The streams are clean of undead blood. But there is a familiar breeze blowing across the plains, a familiar rumble in the ice. The wind brings news, news which are unwelcome, but then again not unexpected. Far up north, there is talk of undead armies moving across the icy snowcaps. Westwards there are the not-soon-forgotten sounds of enormous drums. Eastwards there are sightings of woodland areas flush with activity. And from the forts of Men in the south, there are the tell-tale signs of smithies at work. There is no escape. The lands will once again be littered with the dead, their blood draining into the ground to nourish the trampled grass. The skies will crackle and burst with death and destruction. It is inevitable… all denizens of the land, natural or not will come together once again to proclaim their individual rights. There are even rumours of armies from forgotten lands eager to do battle with the best. A shaman from the lost temple has decreed, “Skies shall darken, land be stained with blood, forests burned to the ground, dust be made from rock. 2nd moon. 27th passing of the sun”

Report... Warcraft 2 LAN party #1

2004-02-11T07:41:00.001+09:00

Battleground - Huzeins house, Tmn Senangin
Time - 4th Feb 2004; 8pm - 6am
Players -
Psycho, Orcs
Megamonkey, The Undead
Yehaa, Humans
Ghost, Night Elves

Even though playing against computer is fun but the best is still playing against human opponent.. the thrill and fun of outsmart and crushing your opponent is what make multiplayer gaming the best!! And it also prove to be the best for picking up new skill… after our one vs one (ghost vs psycho), I bet Nadrul is thinking hard now on how to counter my Orc's Ultimate Bloodlusted, Endurance Aura-ed and Berserked grunt+troll attack force… ; ) Nadzrul, any counter yet? I have just learnt a new N-Elves strategy that I couldn't wait to try on u… hehe… let the Treant shows it's POWER!!!

2 vs 2 session is pretty fun too.. With the 1st winning goes to psycho+yeha after successfull attack by the horde with help from yeha's Mountain King's led army and 2nd winning goes to ghost+david after an unsuccessfull tower rush attempt by psycho.. The game is pretty well over after the failed tower rush attempt which has taxed psycho too much resources to pump enuf Grunts to help yeha when being under-run by undead+elves combine force.. Miscommunication is also contribute to the lost of the 2nd match.. When 'canon' is being interprete wrongly by yeha ; ).. Yet the team still manage to create some fun by running over ghost's town with hordes of raiders..

Vs computer session is the best during 2 vs 3 computer (normal).. With Nadzrul using ton's of roaring Bear+ psycho's giant lembu Tauren's combo army, the team manage to turn the tide of war from the blink of losing to the glory of winning… !! Bloodlusted Tauren and Roaring Bear proved to be too much to handle even to the combine forces of 3 computer armies.. The team ripe thru their great armies and lay down a pool of blood to the barren land.. If only yeha and david is around to see the intensity and the glory of this battle… hehe…

Overall it was a good W3 party… the only complain is the venue really needs to be clean up… : )