Life post XD

Whee! Long time no update! What to do? Life has been so busy, just keeping up with schoolwork is taking most of my energy. So yeah, been crazy with college, but in the storm of assignments and studies and thesis, some good things have happened as well. Overall, still in one piece, physically and mentally. After the 'intensive' training we had from IO last sem, I think this sem is considerably easier. Hello, I had time to think I'm bored, so it's a definite improvement.

I've been given a job offer at by the college, which honestly, is more appealing to me than a bank job. But of course, salary is not comparable, living costs have to bear myself etc...but it's much more relevant to me than a job in a corporate, financial sector. And it gives me more opportunities to prepare for post-grad. So now, in the process of making one of those major life decisions!

Interest-wise, I've gotten addicted to Nico Nico Douga (because of a certain "NeonStall") which is like...the Youtube of Japan. Mainly, I got into a bunch on singers who sing mainly, but not only, Vocaloid songs, and upload them. I really applaud them, because their singing sound like pros, the mixers and the composers are somewhat geniur-level too. It amazes me...them Japanses ppl. Once again, you see my fascination with all things Japanese.

Speaking of which, a friend of mine got the opportunity to study in Japan and will be leaving soon. I had the chance to meet up with her and hung out together with a bunch of friends, and we were chattering away in Jap until one of our friends got annoyed coz she couldn't understand a word. But I'm glad for her. If I have the chance, I would wanna go to Japan too. Either to work...or maybe study. But it's a dream in the future.

Guess right now, my life isn't so bad. It's pretty enjoyable, and despite the crazy assignments I have, I'm trying to apprecate everything about undergrad life, because it's gonna end soon...

Working in Bukit Tinggi

Ah, had a hectic time back up in on Bukit Tinggi helping out with training. But it was fun! Started off with my lecturer asking if I was interested in becoming a facilitator for a training job. I said sure and got some details from him. Turned out the company doing the training was his wife's. Training was supposed to be on Friday, but Christine wanted to leave on Thursday evening to check out the place. So, after asking leave of several lecturers for missing class...up we went to Bukit Tinggi.

Since I've been there several times, I didn't feel as nervous as I would have expected. I know the place we're staying at, and I know the place where training was to be held. At least I won't get lost, right? First thing we did was went up to Colmar, where the training hall was. Peggy and I had been put in charge of the treasure hunt, so we went around the village looking for good spots. After that it was work all the way.

Christine has high expectations from us, and we got a lot of feedback too. It was pretty corporate to me, with all our ideas being questioned for suitability and practicality. But we managed to work out the ideas somehow and spend the rest of the night working on the preps for the treasure hunt, and getting briefed about all the other activities we'll be doing. By the time Peggy and I went to sleep, the birds just woke up. It was what, 6.30 am? And we had to wake up at 7.15 too....

But it was all right...I've had my fair share of pulling close all-nighters and Peggy isn't weak on her knees either. We got the day started setting up the hall, and greeting the clients. Then it was a matter of just going through with our itenary...helping out where we were supposed to. There were 38 participants, so it wasn't too bad. Then it after the breaks and all, it was time for the treasure hunt set-up. Due to some miscommunication, we had to check out of the hotel on that day itself (don't ask me, I have no idea what went on) so while Peggy went with my lecturer to pack up, I was running around the place sticking clues.

When it finally started, I was nervous as hell, hoping things would go well. I had been appointed runner, meaning I had to run all over the place taking pictures of groups while solving puzzles, deciphering clues and at the same time, troubleshooting. I was literally running back and forth Colmar to see what's happening at the stations, snapping pictures of the groups and looked out for the lost teams. Quite a few of them misinterpreted clues and ended up in a completely differnt place, and some even ended up in the wrong stations and missing out certain vital pieces of the puzzle. It took all I had to give them hints without telling them the answer. I think, I spent about 7 hours on my feet, and 3 of those running. I must have ran around the length of the village at least 10 times.

When it was over, they went back for debriefing, we took of the stuff we stuck around town. The clients invited us to their dinner, but since we have no room to stay in, and it would probably end late, we declined and went straight to packing. They sent us home after dinner lol.

This being my first time being part of a training job, I think it was challenging since it was a different environment. The elements of event managament were there, so I wasn't out of place, but all the previous jobs I've done where either for charity or workshops. The agenda was normally decided beforehand and all I did was help out. In this case, it felt a lot more involving since we had to plan as well, which was challenging. But I learnt a lot from the experience and had a lot of fun doing this. Overall, it was a valuable experience. I hope next time, we can do this again with a bigger team.

Busy busy busy!

Which explains why I haven't been updating. I think assignments can kill...

Been kept on the very tips of my toes by 302...thanks to that assignment, I've only had an average of 5 hours of sleep for 3 days. On top of that, had to prepare for 308 assessment. 309 needed planning, but that wasn't a bad as the others. I officially hate 110B. I find it utterly meaningless. Submit a resume and cover letter as assignment? Really a waste of time. They treat us as though we can't write resumes...if we ever wrote crappy ones, it wouldn't be because we don't know how to, but it's because we're too lazy to go and do it properly. The only thing that hasn't killed me yet is 215.

Then on top of the five subjects...there's the issue about thesis. Gotta do a lot more work to prepare for it. And then of course, the new personal project I'm launching is taking up some time to plan too. Ah well, life is best spent being productive I guess.

But really, this week has been back-to-back. Mon was only 3 hours of sleep...then it was lecture, meetings, PAL and more meetings all the way. My day ended well thanks to a certain person though. XD Then the next day was the same...PAL, assessment, dept promo work, meetings, and meetings...then today was again, similar...So much work that my brain doesn't seem to shut down. It's like...every minute I'm thinking about some work. I fall asleep thinking about what needs to be done the next day, and wake up thinking what I need to finish up that day. Brain is like...taxed to the max.

BUT! Today was finally finished with 302 assessment, so all's well that ends well. I think I can finally sleep properly now. I wanna dream of Gackt...or someone. XD

21st Birthday

Had a fairly interesting day today. Started off with the pest control coming to spray the house. So since it smells, decided to go out! Wanted to drop by TAF, but it was too early, so I followed housemates to Midvalley. Just walked around a bit, then headed off to Taylor's.

Hmmm....the event is a small-scaled event, with a number of competitions. When I arrived, I think they just finished the cosplay competition. Found my friend waiting for finalist list. Then just walked around looking at the goods and games going on. Nothing much really, but there was a singing competition. Met a few friends there...all of them asked me how come I didn't cosplay lol. Now, if only I have the time and money... Didn't buy anything since nothing caught my eye. Wished I brought a camera though...mine's lousy and broken -_-;; (Oh, my friend won 2nd place in the cosplay comp btw...)

Anyway, hung around until it was time to go to church...before that, I ate at this place called The Street Cafe. I was surprised to see it's Korean! Ordered deokbokki, but it was too spicy and hot so couldn't finish T_T. It tasted good though, and not expensive. Students get 20% discount! And even after I told them I'm not from around there! Must visit again..maybe bring friends next time. Haha, they were playing MVs from Big Bang, Suju and 2NE1. I was singing 'Fire' while eating that spicy deokbokki...how ironic.

Service with Ps Joakim was amazing! He barely preached, instead, he shared many personal stories and testimonies of the young people of Sweden, and how they brought revival to their schools and unis. I was so touched and inspired by their stories. During altar call, the presence of God was surely strong and moving the hearts of the congregation! I pray too that the person in my mind is able to be saved soon.

After service, went to Sushi Zanmai for dinner. Whee~~ XD For a Jap foodie like me, there's no better choice for dinner! 18 of us went! The staff at Zanmai couldn't find enough places for us lol! Food was great, of course. But nothing beats being in the company of friends to celebrate your 21st, yeah? Oh, and it was advance for Samuel. I was just surprised so many went! Even saw some college friends who came for service. Had a nice chat with them too.

Anyway, I had a blast! And coming home to check my FB, I had another surprise of seeing many birthday wishes. Felt really loved and blessed. Thank you Lord for the people around me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go put up the Jae wallie Jas just made. XD

Gamers, go watch Gamer

SERIOUSLY.

**SPOILER ALERT**
In the future, gaming has revolutionized into a form of virtual reality in reality. Developed by a man named Ken Castle, it started off with a life-simulation game called Society. It pretty much mirrors Second Life and the Sims. Here, a player can control another human being, much like how we control Sims, using them to interact and do whatever in Society...and I really do mean whatever. There are also people who 'work' in Society, people who get paid for being controlled.

A new game, featuring this same model of control, called 'Slayers' was then developed. In Slayers, players control real-life convicts, all who have a death sentence on their heads. I haven't played any war games before, but Slayers is your typical shoot-and-survive game. Convicts are given the chance to go free...if they can survive 30 sessions. And in Slayers, the man closest to being the first to reach that is Kable (real name Tillman). A big part of the movie shows him running around, blowing the brains out of other players in the game, but there's a hint of conspiracy and rebellion through it. On top of it, he's got a wife who is a controlled character in Society and a daughter adopted by someone else. Tillman escapes the system and exacts revenge....or justice, however you wanna see it.

**SPOILER ALERT END**

At first glance, Gamer might look like your run-of-the-mill action movie, complete with fast-paced gun action and pretty gross carnage. It looks brainless, but there is an underlined issue of gaming violence and what it does to people. If you're a psych student like me, you know desensitization and dehumanization.

You can watch it for the bloody galore of it all, but you can also think of the implications the movie has about media violence. Gamer gives us a look at how it's like for the person playing the convict and the convict playing the game. For Tillman, the pain, deaths and violence are very, very real. He carries a psychological burden of having to go into the battlefield...not knowing how many people he would have to kill, not knowing when he would be killed. Yet, his player (a 17-year-old rich brat, Simon) treated the game exactly as it was...a game.

The truth is, no one cared who dies in the game. Blood, gore, violence....the adrenaline rush, that's what drives the population wild every time they watch a live session of Slayers. And to them, Kable is like a shipped hero of that game. So real people died on the other side of the screen...so what, they were criminals waiting to die anyway. That's what's being portrayed in the movie...and it reminds me how human beings remain the cruellest creatures on earth.

Gamer is not a movie for you if you can't stand seeing body parts flying off, or blood spattered all over the place. It's also not for you if you have issues with sexual scenes, since a few players of Society look like their sole purpose in the game is to order their avvies (for the lack of better words) to get laid and watch. Granted, they never did get there, but personally, I found the controller of Tillman's wife really gross.

That aside, it makes for a pretty thoughtful watch...for an action movie anyway.

Pleasant surprise??

I is shocked...but not unpleasantly. XD Nuff said.

Start of new sem

It's just the starting of the sem, but I can see the work piling ahead already. And I decided to be crazy and took 5 subs on top of it. Don't know whether I'm nuts or what, but there's no choice but to do it! Ganbaru! ><

And Karyn's leg isn't getting better...a bit worried about that too. Poor girl's getting depressed just from being so cooped up...but I can sympthasize....since I hate being cooped up with nothing to do either. On another note, Ai Rene's persuasion has finally paid off...and I got back on LJ.

As an aside, just came off PAL today. Met an absolutely interesting tutee....the dude said studying is pointless proudly. But looking at the way he conducted himself...and the way he talked, it looks like he has an interesting character. Talked to him a bit...wondered if I got through... Oh well, he's not exactly under me, but I'm interested in checking out his development. I hope his tutor can handle him...he's a bit tricky to read. And I walked 2 Law freshies back to Main block today, LOL. It's been a good day.

Short update

Yeah yeah...I know...I can hear the "You haven't been updating vibes" coming from several directions. Haha, I know it's been a trend. The moment I go back home, I'll MIA for as long as it takes for the holiday to be over.

Anyhow, been cutting down on the drive-outs due to the H1N1 threat. Watched GI Joe, and wanting to watch it again, but yeah...now the advice is don't go to places with big crowds so yeah...no movies for a while.

No plans as of yet, so I've been checking out the K-entertainment world...hearing about how JaeChunSu filing the lawsuit makes me feel a little sad. It's true that Korea is perhaps one of the few rare countries which have artistes bonded with long contracts. In Japan, most artistes have to renew their contracts often, but that's because they're not that many companies but lots of artistes. It's really sad for the boys...having to work hard always, and yet not being able to have a breather. These "slave contracts" are really tough deals. And to think that it's one of the biggest groups in Asia to make us aware of these contracts.... I know it's a business for these talent management companies, but really...unlike products, these idols are people. They have needs of their own too. It's not like you can just squeeze all the profit you can out of them while they can still wring out the juices. I think it's big time the K-entertainment industry see some changes in the way they can make better contracts which can benefit both parties.

Swell week...

I just came back for less than a week and it's been so "happening"...haih...

Shortly after I arrived home, there was a blackout in my area. Apparently it's been happening pretty often lately. I think the electricity was out for maybe about almost 2 hours?

Then the stray cat we've been feeding (who got pregnant) gave birth behind my house. Technically, inside the compound...and left the kitten there, umbilical cord and all. We were literally running around the house wondering what to do with the kitten, till my mum had the sense to call Luffy's vet and asked him for advice. Turns out that if the kitten was meowing loudly and scrabbling around (which it did) it's probably healthy. So yeah, one sigh of relief. But we have to help it cut the umbilical cord...*gulps*

It was...mystifying, if anything. I wouldn't say I was totally disgusted, but it wasn't the kind of experience you wanna go through again. So I put on the only pair of surgical gloves we have left and struggled with the kitten, trying to get a hold of the cord. It's so feisty, I thought, "Ah, this one is going to live for sure!" So yeah, got a hold of the umbilical cord...obviously, with my hands full of kitten and cord, I didn't do the cutting. My sister grabbed a pair of scissors (which we disposed of later) and cut away...

Done and away with all that, we tried to feed it with some pet formula milk. Future note...straws are lousy, get a dropper. Anyhoo...my mum said if the cat doesn't turn up, I'm gonna have to care for the kitten. Cute as it is, I'm not sure I'm so keen about feeding it and helping it poop. But thankfully, its mum turned up a couple of hours later and carried it off. I think it gave birth to a few more. So there we were, cheering for the reunion, when my sister said, "Ah, we should have taken photos." But yeah..

Then I found out my PS2 is out of commission. AV wouldn't display...argh!! I've checked it through, and it's nothing to do with the TV, nothing to do with the AV cable, which leaves the machine itself...*beep*! My brother's theory was that it short-circuited during the blackout. Which kinda makes sense. So now I'm on a long holiday with no PS...great...

But all is not lost. My sister has somehow gotten hold of FF7, PS1 version. Although, regrettably, my grandfather broke my PS1 when he played with it the last time he came back, Sam downloaded the emulator. So right now, I'm hijacking the desktop until my PS2 gets ported off to repair...or doom be spelled when it's too old to fix. I just got my hands on Abyss and Star Ocean, so I don't care how, but I'm gonna play it.

Time to kick some Shinra ass, so if you please, I'll be off.

Updatezzzz...

Because someone said I never update my blog....here I am, lol. I know, really lame reason to update, but really, my life isn't so exciting that there's anything I wanna say.

Basically it's been nothing but study nowadays. That worries me, because it's a sign that I have no life, hahaha... But some interesting things have happened over the weekend. We'll start with the boring one. I'll be leading a team in organising an educational game exhibition under the department. When I say team, I mean 5 of us, but hey...everything starts small yeah? Looking at the expectations a good sir is having, I know I'm in for a lot of work. But I'm glad, coz it's a real opportunity to expand my horizon. Like my dear friend said, be an opportunist!

Done with the drab and on with the drama. My sister gave all of us a mighty shock when she became unreachable for a day. My parents have been trying to contact her, and she didn't reply any of the messages nor answered any calls. That was in the morning. Towards the evening, my brother and I started calling and indeed, she wasn't picking up! My parents were up in KL for an event, and by the time it has ended, it was 10+ at night and still no replies. *cue imminent panic*

In a fervent effort to reach her, I called up a friend in Ipoh to ask her to check online. Lo and behold, she wasn't online!! FYI, my sister is always online, unless she is physically parted from her darling laptop. And so mayhem ensued, eliciting (in my case) calls to friends, vague acquaintances, even total strangers, (in my mum's case) friends with kids studying at Kampar, friends who lived somewhere near Kampar while my brother tried time and time again to call her phone. It wasn't that the call didn't get through, but she wasn't picking up. At that point, any well-meaning mum will start imagining things, and really...it's not pleasant. It was a public holiday the next day, so many of her friends had gone back to their hometowns. My mum was contemplating driving back to Kampar to check on her, and my dad was so distracted he ran a red light and got the police on our tail (no, seriously).

At last, upon reaching my place (it was already 12+, btw) mum's friend has managed to get hold of someone who can help us go check on my sister. Only thing is, he lives 30 mins away, and the relationship between that friend and this person is....not at its best. And so, the person drove there, arrived at my sister's place and called for her. And guess what? My genius sister was at home! Turned out she forgot to turn the silent mode off, and her phone does not vibrate when silent. On top of lousy connections and the fact the phone was on the floor, she was playing online games and so did not go online on MSN or whatever.

.............What could I say? We were mighty relieved, but we were royally pissed too. She probably took several years off our lives (God forbid), had half the Ipoh and Kampar population wondering and worrying for her, and probably a quarter of KL too. No surprise, of course, the moment she got online, we bombarded her. Well, I think it's partly her fault, and partly her phone's fault. It needs to retire soon. But she was sorry, so I guess one has to just accept that....sisters after all.

Well, that's all for updates. Maybe I'll come again soon, if anything interesting happens.

PS: To the someone who wonders why I don't update, I did, just not on this blog.

Bleh...

Sleepy....

Tired....

Bleh, it's midnight and I'm reading *beep* journals....

But at least, earlier just now I went for Ps Kong's service...it was great! Great, funny, sometimes right in your face, but the message never fails to be heartmoving and inspiring. I think I laughed my way through the service, but I still left the hall with his words ringing in my head.

So I guess this was a case of humour successfully retaining memory. But seriously, there's a lot of talk about relationships nowadays. And what with just having attended my godbrother's wedding the other day, I don't really wanna talk about the relatives la...

Haih...to all the many questions asked...here's what I have to say. It's not as easy as whether I want to or not, but if I don't know what I want, then what do you want me to do? It's not really in my hands!

><

Sleeeeeeppppyyyyy....

Tiireeeeeeeeedddddd....

*Interesting* V-day...

V-day...the day where people (esp guys) open up their wallets and drain their life savings on goodness-knows-what in the name of love. Isn't if overrated, how we choose this one day to show our affection for loved ones by being extravagant? I mean, we can show affection in many ways, and certainly not just on this one day. But no, I told myself not to be judgemental. Those who have those significant others to spend it with, I'm sure you enjoyed each other's company. Those who are like me would probably have either spent the day enjoying one's own company, or went out with your friends ala singles' night out.

But alas! My plan of having a fairly uneventful V-day was disrupted by a fairly bizarre and shocking incident! I was much disoriented after that...but being me, decided not to let it bother me...till after my evening out anyway. Service was funny, actually, since Ps made some really hillarious allusions to us female species, and gave advice to the guys that they all paid close attention to while the girls laughed knowingly. After that, it was 'makan' time, then I headed home...my plans for the night drawing to an end. Of course, there was that issue to deal with still...but some advice and sleep sorted it, and it has been taken care of since.

What about you? Anything interesting?

PS: I really kinda wish I had a camera phone...or a decent camera with me nowadays. It's when you hang out with your friends like this that you wanna take a snap and realise that, "Drats! No camera!"

PPS: I soooo want to play Dissidia Final Fantasy. Now I wanna get a PSP just to play this game, dang it! It's literally a fangirl's dream come true, to see your fav FF characters ditch it out cross-universe. Personally, the fact that I can finally see Zidane and Kuja rendered in 3D reminiscent of Advent Children is icing on the cake. If you haven't seen the intro video, I recommend you Youtube it...the visuals are breathlessly beautiful.

Some DFF wallies; top one is the hero wallie, bottom villians.

Unbelievable stories

This is unbelievable. I've only been in this house for...32 hours...but just now, the roof came down. To be exact, a panel fell from the roof. Now water is dripping onto the second floor...outside our rooms...aigoo~ I haven't even been here long enough to do the laundry, and I'm already regretting picking this house. But for the sake of distance and price....I'll endure till I find somewhere more decent. I thought as long as I stay in my room, my own corner I'll be fine, but it looks like certain things can't be avoided. Aish...

The hole in the roof...you can see...something...

The bucket we're using to collect the dripping water...next to it, you can see the fallen panel.

Then the night before I moved in, my mum came down to KL to help me move my stuff. So we ended staying one night at the Sri Puchong Hotel...opposite side of the road to Dae Jang Gum. And close to 1 something 2 am, there was a huge row downstairs. I was already asleep but the noise woke me up. Guess what made the noise? It was a woman screaming angrily. I was like, waking up and "Who's making that racket? I want to sleep..." My mum and bro were also up at that point, then we heard something like glass breaking. So my mum got curious and opened the window to see what's happening. I couldn't hear nuts...I only hear some lady screaming at someone else, and doors slamming. I was like, "Ugh, a Hong Kong drama at 2 am in the morning..." I don't care, I want to go back to sleep...and I did. Next morning, my mum asked the receptionist what happened last night. She tried to deny anything happened, but of course, no one digs out the truth like ol' mum. Apparently, the lady who was screaming yesterday caught her husband having an affair. The husband brought the woman to the hotel, and the wife found out. So lo and behold, a melodrama in the middle of the night...breaking glass, slamming doors and yelling. Plus, it seems my mum managed to comprehend some of the words the lady was screaming. I won't repeat it here due to its inappropriateness. But it sure is interesting to know that melodramas happen in real life too.

Lastly, before I shoot off to sleep, just a lil' glimpse of my corner~