My Life As It Is..

I'm back!

2010-05-24T01:18:00.002+08:00

"I promise not to abandon this blog of mine again. However, I shall only go for unannounced hiatus."

There. A promise made. But I have a feeling I'll break it anyhoo.

Anyways it's been months since I've said stuff on this domain of mine. Not too sure where to start.

Life in all has been okay thus far. Great things have happened during this hiatus - I got to meet Dr. M up close, went on the Skybridge of the Petronas Twin Towers, made a whole lot of new friends, established contacts, pulled some strings, ruffled some feathers, and inching closer to that seemingly elusive dream job of mine - a Malaysian diplomat :)

And yet as my undergraduate days are numbered, (finally, it's about time!) I still don't know what's in store for me, or rather what I should do next.

I could:

i. get a job. a good-paying job mind you.

ii. continue studying. (international relations is probably what I wanna focus on)

iii. be a bum.

Ok strike out option (iii).

And I have holidays in mind. Destinations I wanna go. Bali, Siem Reap, Jogjakarta, and Australia for now. But alas, the money factor is not very promising these days. Sighs.

I'm gonna get some sleep now.

And dream.

Not sure where that's gonna get me, but I'll take my chances.

;)

an exodus revisited.

2010-03-03T21:01:00.003+08:00

And so I'm back from a somewhat unintentionally self-imposed stay away from my blog. Don't really know why and what made me do so, although I suspect it was that stupid busy schedule of mine that kept me away from it. Not that I'm not busy these days, but I feel I must start getting back here, or I won't do so at all dah. Sighs.

Let's see, it's been an eventful 3-4 months for me. To put it all in a nutshell ain't gonna be easy, but I'll try :)

Japan-ASEAN Student Conference

* Am very thankful to USM for selecting me to go for this conference, glad to say I've learnt a lot, I made USM and Malaysia proud, and the friends that I've made throughout the conference - it's safe to say that we'll be seeing each other a lot very often for at least years to come. Took place in Tokyo, and Sendai, Japan. Till now, I still can't believe that I've been to the Land of the Rising Sun ;D

Koc Worlds

* World Universities Debating Championship. Never thought I'd be able to go for one, but I did. In Antalya, Turkey of all places. The company was good, En.Nazru was really nice and accommodating, and thoroughly I enjoyed that trip very much. Just go see my photos up in Facebook. You'll know what I mean. Gotta say though - I am really lucky to have gone to so many places with USM :D

MPP Elections

* Was asked to contest, and I did. I lost though, but at least now I know how campus elections work, how things are being done, campaigning, giving public speeches. It ain't easy as it is made out to be. Especially if you have to do your speech in BM. I'm not that good with formal speeches, but I did try my best :) Campus politics isn't that clean as well, but I'll leave it at that la. All the best to the newly-elected MPP members for USM! You guys have a lot to do, and I'll be here if you ever need help.

Joycie~

* My babe left me! Lol literally I mean. Now that she's all done with classes and graduating on March 20th 2010, she has started working in JB, and that means she's back in JB for good. Do I make any sense at all? Somehow got my word priorities mixed up a bit ;D It means that I won't be able to see her that often anymore though. Sighs.. "That's why you go, away I know..." :p

IO (International Office)

* I've been helping out a lot (of sorts) in IO these days. My own cubicle, aircon room, with LAN connection - more than good enough for me ;D

Life has been kind to me I'd say. In fact, just got back from a J-ASEAN Group K reunion in Bangkok a few weeks ago. I miss everyone already, esp Pong, Bean, Shoko, Taka. And not forgetting our trusty guide, Jul :)

That's all for now.

;)

-vince-

of headers, simplicity and a whole lot more.

2009-11-05T16:39:00.002+08:00

note to self: i need to pimp this blog. i need it to look presentable and neat. now it's just a white mess with black writings on it. not that it isn't therapeutic (white, calm, serenity, and all that crap). it's just a bit plain i guess. sighs. can't seem to find the time to do so though.

so not looking forward to exams. my mind's in two halves now. i hate it when i have something so much nicer to look forward to, and the latter's been passed over, even though it's of equal importance.

must.

do.

something.

lols. HBT213 was quite a killer. could've done better. was on the verge of giving up. tummy was growling so loud. hungry somehow. oh well. it's over. i just don't want to repeat or extend. can?

302's next. Sociolinguistics. I like this field. society, community and how language is being used. interesting. but not looking forward to the exam part either. Monday. can't wait for it to be over.

oh. and happy birthday varun! all the best wishes for the year, and please behave. 23 d. 3 more years nie cha :p

just wanted to fill something up, and write something down. oh done it already.

*smiles*

-vince-

exodus. revisited.

2009-11-02T19:08:00.002+08:00

i find an inclination to pen down something every time i'm in some form of stress. don't think it's a good thing, but i guess i still need to do so. lol :D

eventful semester this has been. more ups than downs i believe. got to know so many new friends, rekindled old friendships, a few in particular who've gotten closer to me. grateful as ever :)

gonna be another hectic next few months for me. a play coming up (playing St. John Baptist De La Salle is quite an arduous task), and a Japan conference & Turkey trip. i'm so looking forward to it, but yet the responsibility, expectations that comes with it - something i wish i'm not dreading at the moment.

i'll need all the strength and luck that i can get. but for now, it's exams. 2 papers. my last major papers. i'm hoping that i'll be able go out with a bang :)

Nov 12th - i'm leaving on a jetplane again. after my Singapore trip last month. yays! this time, the land of the rising sun awaits... ;)

Joyce is leaving too! to Shanghai that is. we'll be away during the same period, coincidentally. lol :)

timely post i'd say. oh well. back to books.

till then.

life's good, like LG wtf,

-vince-

it's been a while..

2009-09-06T11:40:00.002+08:00

guilty of abandoning this virtual space of mine. a space i used to turn to in times of happiness and sadness. oh well i'm back now :)

uni hasn't been that kind. lotsa things to do. mid-semester tests. a week off that was spend in Parkroyal running around helping out in Persidangan Penterjemah Antarabangsa. great experience indeed. got to meet so many translation scholars, names i can only imagine of reading thru their articles - i met them during the conference :)

few more things in store in the coming months; just got back from LEAD SMI last weekend, going for LEAD SGI next weekend. fun fun fun again! and a brief respite from everything in uni and in Penang lah. it's always good to be away for a while :D

might be going to Japan for 10 days if my application is approved. for a Japan-ASEAN youth conference. sounds good kan? if i go, i'd be Malaysia's representative :)

things are ending pretty fast this sem. approaching 2nd break, and then it's another few more weeks before exams. damn fast lah. and then my one last sem in campus. let's see how that works out yeah? :)

oh the series are coming back! how i met your mother, gossip girl, heroes among the few that i follow. yays!

being hopeful,

-vince-

:)

2009-08-15T06:47:00.002+08:00

i'm in such a good mood these days. so good that it's not even me :)

this song is stuck in my head - Colbie Caillat's Falling for You. i can't get you out!

so addicted to it. lol :D oh and do i have issues with my heart? The Saturdays would know :p

conference is coming up. lotsa things to do from today onwards.

there goes my mid-sem break lah. sighs.

i can't spend time with friends. i can't lepak much. i can't go out dating.

ahh shucks. but at least i'll be having good hotel food for 4 whole days? that's a consolation la kut.

lol :D

just wanted to rant and be random.

oh and i think i can handle pinches and whacks well now these days. *laughs*

-vince-

the reporter? a piece worth pondering on.

2009-08-02T00:18:00.002+08:00

stumbled upon this piece of writing on Loyarburok, and i tot it was spot on.

I would like to report a death,
An unfortunate suicide I must confess,
The newspaper fell from the 14th floor,
Now it tells the truth no more.

An injury to the head, it seems,
Tongue missing, they heard no screams,
Autopsy shows poison in the ink,
Must explain why some headlines stink,

Stories spun into webs of lies,
For answers then, look to the skies,
Lips blue from chewing bribes,
The hole in integrity never looked this wide.

Yet blood that was found on grey concrete,
Belongs not to him that deservedly sleeps,
But hundreds of those who now lie cold,
Silenced swiftly for being bold.

Time of death, nobody knows,
Perhaps the day he sold his soul.
When your spine isn’t made of bone,
It’s time to carve your own gravestone.

So if you must cry, weep carefully,
It’s not like we lost some deity,
The news we knew was news no more,
Maimed by fear into foul folklore.

And if you must read, read between the lines,
Or thrust your ear to old grape vines,
The pen just died by its own sword,
We can rest in peace now, thank the Lord.

Rationale: The death of the newspaper as we know it. And a lot of us know a lot. It was propaganda that twisted the “news” surrounding the bombing of Palestine (or the Hamas if you like) by the Israelites. So we can believe that what we read isn’t real. All that ink used to write all those lies…you can say it’s the blood of the innocent being spilled onto papyrus. God bless Mr. Teoh and his family.

*credits to loyarburok.com, and Screenshots*

the anti-ISA peaceful march was thwarted this afternoon.
a peaceful march that was deemed too "unruly" and too "provocative" for the public.well, 20,000 odd people weren't afraid to show how they feel.

and many more who chose to stay at home, for fear of their daily jobs and duty be affected by participating in it.
it was just a peaceful march for crying out loud. grow up la wahai politicians di Malaysia. and someone kat Sabah tu dgn lantang bersuara that ISA won't be repealed.
whether it will be or not, we decide. not you. wanna know how? 13th GE la ye. i'll be praying for your downfall then :)

still trying to rationalize what the stupid M'sian cops did this afternoon,

-vince-

kak yasmin, this is me bidding u a fond farewell.

2009-08-01T01:10:00.005+08:00

the late yasmin ahmad, happily explaining about 'muallaf' in the picturehouse, singapore

it's been almost a week already since you left us. sad but true, the best film and creative ads director malaysia can ever have, has left us for good. kak yasmin, you left us too soon. too soon to see your fruits of labour. too soon to see your dream materialize. the colour-blind Malaysia you envisioned, we're not there yet. in fact, when will we ever achieve it? and yet the Almighty one felt He needed you more up there.

sheesh. talk about being selfish kan.

you gave us love and forgiveness. acceptance. respecting one another's culture. religion. interracial love. puppy love, young love, a love that is not colourblind. and not just that, a love that transcends and crosses boundaries, far beyond our comprehension at times. you were someone ahead of our time. you made us believe that it is not impossible to create 1 bangsa Malaysia. 1 bangsa that we can finally be proud of, despite of our different upbringing and religion. after all, it is the uniqueness that binds us together.

kak yasmin, i'm tearing for u inside, for i'm too proud to show it. thanks to you, i'm proud to call myself a Malaysian. i will never forget the day i met you. it's been an honour to have shared a conversation with u, it's been my pleasure getting to know you better. thank you for your ads, and thank you for your movies. you've always said that u created your movies with no messages underlying it, for you like it to be interpreted by the viewers themselves. a personal self-discovery, as u'd like to put it. well done kak yasmin. thanks to you now, 1 bangsa malaysia no longer seems a distinct possibility.

i hope you're resting up there and rocking heaven up every once in a while with your music and creativity, for only God knows how much he needs all that up there :)

you will be missed,
-vince-

thinking aloud :)

2009-07-28T10:19:00.003+08:00

and so i've witnessed a few endings to what i thought were rather beautiful relationships. relationships built on promises, hope. and yet, misplaced priorities, a somewhat misconception that it will last - only for that dream and thought to be swept away so unforgivingly, causing the parties involved not only anguish, pain, betrayal, in fact i can probably go on a while longer with the repercussions.

my question remains; why begin something only to let it fizzle out in the end? why not fight for it, when you know that if both parties did so, a more logical solution would've been conceived? some gave up too easily. some have other priorities. some just don't know how to end things. which is sad, really. the inability to be honest with your partner, it just isn't right.

sighs. experiences like this unfortunately makes us grow up. without a doubt. learning to rationalize and not over-react, is probably the right thing to do. not many are able to do this, especially in such situations, matters of the heart as some put it, but if u manage to do so, i simply applaud you for your maturity. to handle such emotions and feelings - you need to be strong. and if you are, then good for you. there is no need to worry about you, and for that i'm glad.

never discredit whatever that has happened between both parties. treasure it, cherish the good times, do away with the bad ones. we humans are imperfect, in more ways than one. we have the capability to inflict pain, and to receive it too in return. it might be a mutual loss. it might just be. if you really love that person, well my advice would probably be - if it's meant to be, it will be. but also, never close your windows to other suitors. when one window closes, another opens up. be open and receptive to others. who knows, your knight in shining armour might just stroll along, and sweep you off your feet? :)

that's my 2 cents worth again i guess. i think i'm good at this. or am i? ;D

thinking too much maybe,
-vince-

of happiness and being cultured.

2009-07-11T20:28:00.009+08:00

pictures are in no particular order. but it tells of pretty much the same things. things that i hold dear and close to my heart.

a union between two soul-mates.
a celebration of life.
friendships and brotherhood that has stood the test of time thus far.
a fusion of culture - being Malaysian at its very best.
art and culture, in its purest form.
great company, good food - what more can u ask for?

the fact that i'm more Indian than a Chinese does not bother me at all. i call it embracing different cultures life has to offer, and having fun while at it.

what about you? have you got such a story to tell?

i'd be interested to know ;D

p.s. congrats annae and anni!! :)

smiling,
-vince-

exhaustion.

2009-07-09T00:41:00.004+08:00

more like tired. tired of being someone i'm not. tired of being an example to some, an older-like bro to others, only to be somewhat crestfallen by recent events. tired of handling responsibilities when i don't even have time for myself. the point of no return now no longer seem to be a distant possibility.

maybe a change is needed. maybe.

uni has just been on for like 4 days, and i'm complaining already.

this isn't good.

fuck.

silently hoping,

-vince-

defining moments in life.

2009-07-06T23:03:00.003+08:00

day one in uni. everything's alright so far. although, i miss having my batchmates around. beginning my final year in uni without them - it's just downright weird. but still, i'm feeling optimistic about it. i really am.

deep in thought again today. something i've been doing a lot these days. maybe it's the season. or maybe it's just due to the fact that i'm back in uni again. whatever it is, i've been thinking la.

some are just plain-god-damn lucky to find someone who cares for them in return. some will find it eventually. some found it, but then things between them fizzled out along the way. do i consider myself lucky then? i think so. in fact, i know so, for a fact.

but then again, to those who haven't found that particular individual yet, fret not. time will always be on your side. why the rush? why the need? some define moments like this as desperation. a certain urge to be recognized, appreciated, loved to a certain extent. to be splashed and lavished with attention - a dream come true to some, a nightmare to many others. some say it is their time already. time to be cherished and loved, for who they are. well for those who chose to wait for the right individual to come along your way, good for u. to those who rushed things, in essence keeping things open by doing just too much, then probably learning things the hard way is the only way to realize.
the possibilities are just endless. coincidences. chance meeting. a "meet-cute". anything can happen really. so why bother tying yourself down? why bother getting to know ppl better through an unconventional way, when conventions usually work? why, in the search for a person you can rely on, the whole point of doing so loses its meaning slowly but surely?

disappointments are a part and parcel of what life has to offer. the key to it: bouncing back when it matters most.

to those who might have found it but you somehow allowed it to leave, well it's not the end of the world. in fact, it's just the beginning. lots of possibilities, opportunities in store, and the fact that you yourself control your own destiny. sure, u'll meet some jerks, bitches, a-holes along the way, but as long as you know what u want, nothing is impossible.

to those who's just lucky enough to find that person, try to hold on to it. sure, the journey isn't a nicely laid yellow brick road that will eventually lead you back to Kansas. (home, figuratively speaking), but making the most out of it, it's not a mission too impossible to accomplish. being hopeful is one, being optimistic is another.

now i'm not saying my opinion is final. nor is it anywhere near definitive. but i think i'm not wrong to say that life always has a way of making the best out of everything. never question what life has to offer - it has its own way in making sure things will not screw themselves up, unless we ourselves choose to do so.

a general advice - think carefully and take time off to have a solid thinking session by yourself. never be hasty in making a decision. if you think life is superficial, i suggest you think again. if you think life's been unfair to u so far, well then quit complaining, do something about it.

there. just throwing everything out in the open. i guess i can sleep soundly now.
and try to coax myself into attending classes tomorrow. lol :D

thinking aloud,
-vince-

random updates

2009-07-04T01:19:00.002+08:00

uni begins again, come Monday. another hectic sem ahead. i hate making predictions, yet i think i'm gonna be right this time around. a whole lot of responsibilities to shoulder again. and the ever-elusive dean's list spot looks to be slipping away yet again. make or break - this sem will be. feeling hopeful, and i hope it lasts.

just came back from a meet-up with li lean. i missed hanging out with her so much :s
and then the topic of hols came up. places i need to go. or would love to go. a short getaway.
Bali. Phuket. Aussie. Siem Reap. just among the few places in mind. problem is; when?
cheap budget flights - i'm gonna look out for u!

putting life in perspective once more. done bit of thinking during one of those random free times. what i wanna do, where will i be in 5-10 years, will i still be able to spend time with people i care about, and yada yada yada. ongoing process. seemingly no light at d end of the tunnel yet. but i will persevere.

gonna try make a difference during this year's NLLC. i need to prove a point, to myself. it's time to step up.

ok enough pep talk. time to sleep.

randomness strikes,
-vince-

laughing-out-loud & being simple

2009-06-25T06:51:00.004+08:00

so despite all the efforts and surfing all over for proper blogskins, i guess simplicity still works best for me :)

apologies for being away so long. been busy (in a way.)

Northern Regionals were slightly about 2 weeks ago. had lotsa fun. fun-loving team, and i kinda miss working and having them around again. especially the seemingly irritating yet cute G2 girls. LOL :)

attended Bro.Paul's retirement ceremony and grand send-off dinner. tinge of nostalgia hits. a sense of realism ensued. my alma mater will not longer be headed by a Brother Principal of the Lasallian order. my only hope is that an old Xaverian, or at least an old Lasallian takes over the school. only then, i'm assured that the school will be in good hands.

decided against going for USM's orientation faci programme. reason being; my best buddies are back from all over, and that spending a total of almost 3 weeks, esp 1 week in the jungle being brainwashed and undergoing meaningless physical activities in the name of team-building and fostering relationships and cameraderie - it just ain't right. so, i'm sorry USM, disappointed you i might have. but you know what, seeing the line-up for PPSL (that's wat they're called now), i'm secretly glad i didn't join this year.

Transformers was just god-damn-AWESOME. despite the negative reviews, i thought it was good. witty lines, cekap new robots, quite an interesting storyline, and of course *drumrolls* Megan Fox, how bad could it be? sesiapa yg belum tgk, dipersilakan ke GSCs dan TGV's all over yeah :)

oh and i watched it for only RM6! the wonders of having a student card still.. ;D

that's all for now la. my hols is coming to an end already. sighs...

p.s. my Project 365 is officially stagnant. gosh. i am so bad in photo-taking, not to mention the discipline in order to achieve it. dang.

p.p.s. Siewwei's back from the jungle! welcome back babe!! :D

still-in-awe-with-Transformers,

-vince-

a confession. a celebration.

2009-06-07T09:48:00.003+08:00

ok i confess. i'm pretty much a very good procrastinator. i'm never good in doing anything else but that. in fact, all i needed to do was to upload 'em. but i didn't. sighs. da slacker i am.

so my project 365 tergendala seketika. sucks kan? i dun have tht discipline to continue doing it. but i will try again :)

next up:

CIK JUN!! OI TAN SRI! :P

SELAMAT HARI JADI ke-21!!

21 finally, and yes being who you are and staying the same is far more important than looking around for Mr. Right! yes, those two idiots ain't even close to the capital M of Mr.Right k :p

a ceremonial age you might say, a "coming-of-age" period in an individual's life, but nevertheless it is a huge deal, well at least for me. rmb my b'day celebration last year? and the 3kg choc cake :p

now being 21 has its own perks; freedom, able to make a sane decision, being legally rational and all, and trust me, a lot will be expected from you; responsibilities, maturity, and so on and so forth. but never doubt what life has in store for you. take each day as it comes, and smile while you're at it :D

oh and also, not forgetting, think of all the legal things you can do now wei; get married, get pregnant, get rich (or at least try) via Uncle Lim's casinos kat Genting, and well pretty much anything now! :)

and so i hope, life and all of its wonders will treat you well as time passes by, and even though it's only been a while since you entered my life, it is still the one fact i can't deny.

you've been a wonderful friend to have, and even more than a good friend at times,

thanks for being there, and thanks for showing that you care ;)

have a wonderful birthday! :D

p.s. ok the reason i'm writing such nice things about you is because, i can't find a gift for you yet. but when i do, i have a feeling it'll be useful :p

signing off, xoxo..

-vince-

*winks*

Day 2

2009-05-27T10:50:00.001+08:00

Image010, originally uploaded by vincent_ooi.

A view from my balcony back in Singapore. Was browsing thru old photos, and this view in the evening struck me for a moment. Gosh when will I see Rizal, Yulong and the gang again? T.T

Project 365 - Day 1

2009-05-26T07:49:00.001+08:00

Project 365 - Day 1, originally uploaded by vincent_ooi.

Embarking on something I'm not known to be good at before. But hey, it isn't too late to do so right? :)

a school for all Malaysians?

2009-05-23T19:41:00.003+08:00

is this possible? only time will tell.

1 Malaysia you say? well this would be a good first step.

DPM, if you really care for us Malaysians, this is your chance.

seize it. prove to us you are all worth another term.

cos at the moment, i'm very inclined to not vote for BN come the next general election.

don't ask me why. go read the papers. oh wait. those are Gov propaganda channels of information.

try reading independent news portals. Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, The Nut Graph and etc.

a vision indeed,

-vince-

T.T

2009-05-21T13:13:00.003+08:00

ahhh aku boring.

insomnia? or saja nak drama?

2009-05-15T08:27:00.004+08:00

i seriously hope not.

having problems sleeping was never - a problem at all to begin with.

and yet, the tendencies to do so - it's just urghh.

i may have 1001 excuses not to sleep early, but it remains a fact - i don't sleep unless i feel really sleepy, and the need to do so is there. i mean really, really there. present.

then again, i'm just rambling scrambled thoughts.

back on the diet again. this time, i'm gonna keep eating lotsa fruits. will see how that turn out.

now, a sneaky surprise. rambling on a whole different level. or language per se.

ni ha. lama dah aku nk blog dlm lorat Penang. peluang tu sampai la na akhirnya.

jaya dah pon mai balik Penang. dapat offer keje sementara plak tu. kat campus. yahoo congrats bro! :)

tadi mlm pi tengok Angels & Demons. teja, kema, hanim, jaya, joyce and i. nak ajak ms.chin, tapi, dia ada kat seberang. maka tak sempatlah. dan tak jadilah. tak la rasa evil dan guilty sangat. kahkahkah! haha :p

citar tu nak kata best, taklah best sangat. kalo setakat nak hiburkan hati dan tambahkan suspense melebih je dlm hidupku selama 2 jam tu, bolehlah. tak tepat pun dgn citer dlm buku. byk yg depa buat kona sana, kona sini, tapi semua berteraboq. dah lagu tu depa buat citar tu, nk buat camna kan. tapi awat la producer semua tu nk tukaq?? bukannya takdak hakcipta dari Dan Brown. tapi ntahlah. ape nak buat, dah pihak Vatican tak puai sama depa filmmakers. terpaksalah buat yang dah skewed dari citar original. tu la. pi lagi buat drama psl kod kod da vinci. senget teruih pemikiran Vatican. dah la berahsia giler giler sgt. aduhai...

itu je lah aku nak habaq kat sini. x tidoq lagi sejak kul 2.30pm smlm.

but nevertheless, worth tengok la kat cinema. sekali ja k. tak yah dua kali. buang duit. baik bagi aku beli McD :p

strangely surprised and startled with BM blogging,

-vince-

random thoughts :)

2009-05-13T03:19:00.004+08:00

ok lah. so maybe going on a diet might be a little too drastic. (this is the evil me who is talking.)
i'll try something less drastic.
not too sure what it will be yet, but i'm guessing it will be good anyhow.
for the body at least.

on another note, it was good to see siewwei in Penang finally!
had lotsa fun going around my beloved island with her and her friends, scouring for food.
(total contradiction with my last post, but whatever :p)
and indeed we found food. *winks*
found a new char koay teow spot which i thought wasn't too bad, and i just have to get used to the taste 1st. (which means more future visits ;D)
bangkok lane's mee goreng is still ok, though never was my favourite.
fried oysters at pengkalan kota foodcourt - still DA BOMB.
it was quite a food tour today. although, she couldn't fit in anymore tandoori, naans, nasi dalca, nasi kandar or P.Tikus wantan mee, but i'm sure she'll be back for more :D

dropped by uni today. there isn't much work yet, but i'm guessing it will all pile-up soon.
Wisma Putra to call, letters to prepare, PPA12 stuff, debate matters - gosh and i was actually hoping and looking forward to a break in Singapore. sighs. looks like Singapore will have to wait, at least for a while.

sent erwyn safely to his matriculation college in Pahang 2 days ago. in probably about a year's
time from now, he will probably be on the way to do his med degree already. really am very proud of him, but i don't show it to him well (ain't that good with emotions, especially with him) so we usually tend to end up in fights and arguments. as always. total opposites, the both of us. i'm usually the prodigal son, he's the family favourite. i'm more streetwise, while he's a goody-two-shoes who is usually good at what he's doing. he studied in Penang Free School, i was in St. Xavier's Institution. (note: both are fierce rival schools in Penang.) LOL :D
so in a nutshell, we ain't that similar. in fact, i don't think we are. but all that aside, "he ain't heavy, he's my brother..." ;)

that's all for now. time to hit the sack!

feeling buoyant,
-vince-

perutku lapar.

2009-05-10T00:06:00.002+08:00

whether it's a bane or boon, it's yet to be decided.

suffering at the moment.

going on diet was never on my agenda. NEVER.

yet desperate times calls for desperate measures.

Scarsdale, i hope u'll work :s

going to KL tomorrow.

i seriously hate driving in KL. or even anywhere near that for the record.

tapi tak tau la.

keeping my fingers crossed.

ok i'm starving. sorry.

can't type any longer.

LOL :D

dieting sucks,

-vince-

how to win and vie for the Italian job?

2009-05-06T05:21:00.004+08:00

"please tell me who is better than him at the moment? Messi? not today."

Ferdinand: "ok now this is why Real Madrid wants him!"

Ronnie: "me? leaving? nah, i won't leave for that crappy team!"

how to win, you ask? play like champions. or in this case, play like the defending champions. Manchester United!

good try Arse-anals. try again next season yeah. and, probably the season after that. oh wait. try getting into the competition proper next season. do remember, qualifying rounds can be a niggling pain-in-the-ass. get past that, and then try again. LOL :D

bring on Barca or the Blues! The Italian job will be completed. for better or for worse, I can safely say that we are the best club in the world :)

"glory glory Man Utd..."

sacrificing sleep for an undying love and passion,

-vince-

*pictures courtesy of ESPNSoccernet, who in turn credits Getty Images for it. thanks anyhow!

a brief holiday plan in tatters?

2009-05-05T05:00:00.003+08:00

staring into space; one of those days by the Singapore River...

this was how Stamford Raffles was supposed to have looked like and posed when he landed. poyo! :p

a failed attempt to pose like the ultimate poser of Singapore! LOL :D

right. so why the sudden appearance of these pictures? sighs. in light of recent events, seemingly i mite not be able to leave Penang! at least for this week and the next.
a sudden rush of things to be settled - debate matters and the upcoming islamic summit - enough to give me quite a headache! but being the hopeful me, i'm still keeping my fingers crossed. for i still want to go to Singapore. i sincerely still do. just for a few days please? although, keeping in mind that, you don't usually always get what you want in life, kan?
that sucks.

sighs.

hopeful, yes i am, hopeful for today,
-vince-

memories!

2009-05-03T13:40:00.001+08:00

i miss hanging out with you guys! damn it!
why must geographical distance be a pain-in-the-ass??

just a random shoutout. haha :)

a much-needed change?

2009-05-02T18:14:00.004+08:00

the source of what triggered me to change to something plain - far too many. yet one thing's for sure, it was a long-time-coming. simplicity goes a long way in this new outlook, and it's looking good thus far.

looking forward to a break in Singapore within the next few days. not too sure as to when i'll be going down south yet, but i tink it's soon. i miss the days when i choose to hang out in a coffee joint, sipping down what i believe to be good coffee, and spending time with good friends, instead of wandering aimlessly and doing nothing productive (which is something i'm pretty good at, trust me.)

my life is heading to a crossroads. i can see that happening soon. and when that happens, what will i do? i maybe happily attached now, but in another year or two? i dare not say or even think about it. being wary of the future - some say it's paranoia. i say it's preparing for the worst. life can take an about-turn really fast. and when it does, i want to be ready for it.

to continue studying? or to start working? feel free to let me know, and let your opinions flow freely aite? i'd appreciate 'em :)

time to go. and when i return, i hope to already know what i should do. or at least thought of knowing wat to do.

seems random, this post maybe. oh well. lotsa time to think. it's the holidays already after all ;D

trying to always look on the bright side of life,
-vince-

p.s. mite start a blog soon on m'sian politics. or at least what i think about it :)

self-discovery.

2009-04-25T20:10:00.004+08:00

I need to go on a 'walkabout.' in Aboriginal term, it's the rites of passage, towards adulthood. towards maturity, both physically and mentally. For me though, it holds a different meaning, yet towards a similar end.

A bro of mine recently said that he's pretty much reached the crossroads of his life at this moment. Maybe it's time I continue mine. Or maybe I'm already on it.

I tend to be over-critical, over-impulsive, and might have hurt a few along the way. For that, I am sorry. But know that I only have your best interests at heart, and nothing more. Life is how you make of it, and how you want it to be, ultimately. I can only say and speak my mind.

"Live to love, love to eat. Complete me, won't you?"

Got this line from a blogger. Nice? You tell me :)

A revamp is in order. A time will come where this will no longer be just an outlet of my feelings. But for now, at least till next week, I will be deep in thought. And busy reading up on M'sian government and politics.

I'll start by changing its layout. The blog's layout I mean. It's just too 'happy'. Soon :)

smiling and feeling hopeful of what lies ahead,

-vince-

something to ponder on :)

2009-04-16T05:50:00.002+08:00

"Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink.

But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love.

If you must steal, steal away from bad company.

If you must cheat, cheat death.

And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away."

Don't you think so? The lines were from Hitch btw :)

rejoicing in MU's victory,

-vince-

of meeting old friends, & feeling nostalgic :)

2009-04-11T17:29:00.004+08:00

just got back from my sojourn in UUM :)

gotta say, i still don't like tht place, after all these years. lol.

glad to see my buddies are still around. it's their final sem already.

a god-forsaken place it maybe, yet with them around, i still feel at ease.

*thanks guys! ashwin especially*

though, things mite have changed a bit here & there.

some for the better, some for the worse.

but i guess that's human nature, no?

had lunch with tan sri tadi. before coming back to the island. sushi tastes good. a Jap food craving is off, for now. *thanks babe~*

and then we came to a topic about family.

the story of my life thus far does seem interesting at one point.

the drama that unfolds, constant bickering & all.

and about my consecutive losses that particular year.

i miss my paternal grandma. her cooking, her constant screaming around the house when my siblings and i misbehave. her favorite TVB serials.

most of all, i miss her presence. and the pecks on her cheek that i used to give her before going to bed, till i grew out of it. now i wish i never grew out of doing that.

and my grandpa too, despite his penchant to nag at me all the time for being the ever-playful and irresponsible young boy i was den. it was he who taught me how to take a public bus, and that being independent is the best thing that could happen to me, and it was because of him that i get a RM1 coin everytime we go visit him in his little sundry shop along air itam road. and it was due to him, that i was schooled in st.xavier's primary, a school that was near his shop, and was my dad's alma mater as well.

do treasure your grandparents while u still can. all i have now with me is just sweet and fond memories of 'em :)

gosh i sound so sad and nostalgic right?

just thought it was smth worth sharing.

finals coming up. friends are leaving uni one-by-one. towards the word "graduation".

time to make new friends? rekindle old friendships? expanding my horizons?

i guess time will tell.

*And I go...*

melancholy strikes,

-vince-

random sangat-sangat!

2009-04-01T16:26:00.003+08:00

having a few 'wants' and needing them to be fulfilled immediately is near impossible, yet it won't hurt to dream of it :D

i want to watch Talentime again.

i want to smile infectiously listening to Aizat's Just One Boy and drown myself in Atilia's Angel.

i want my upcoming Tamil test to be easy. [30 mins from this post :p]

i want this week to be over quickly. there's just too much to handle, for my head at least.

i want ppl to stop assuming. for to assume, is to make an ASS out of U & Me. (thanks ah ohh!)

there. done for now.

paavam vincent, paavam!

-vince-

irritated.

2009-03-31T02:22:00.004+08:00

i usually don't get irritated.

ask anyone who is close to me - there was never a reason why i should, rite?

however nice i maybe or may appear, don't try me.

in fact, here's my two cents worth - you should just keep quiet, lessen the nonsense that practically oozes out of your mouth (please learn to speak properly), suck it up and quit complaining, and never assume you know anything about me. my life decisions, and things i do - i don't need your approval. the fact that you think you know something, and then to pass a comment - thanks for nothing.

i don't need another irritating voice in my life to dictate and judge my life, my choices, or even my words.

so don't piss me off anymore please.

note the please. i'm still trying to be as polite as i can be.

never try to be someone you're not. or someone you'll never be.

that just sucks balls.

there. done bitching.

pissed,

-vincent-

p.s. on a lighter note, uni's about to end. 1 last week to go. BATI Nite's approaching. let's rewind to retro everybody! *smiles*

I Love The Whole World!

2009-03-20T05:08:00.004+08:00

random entry. i know. but it's a catchy tune. sounds damn good. i love it!
i hope u will too :)

I Love The Whole World - Discovery Channel

"It never gets old, huh?"
"nope"
"It kinda makes you wanna... break into song?"
"Yupp"
I love the mountains, I love the clear blue sky
I love big bridges, I love when great whites fly
I love the whole world, and all its sights and sounds
Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada
I love the ocean, I love real dirty things
I love to go fast, I love Egyptian kings
I love the whole world and all its craziness
Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada
I love tornadoes, I love arachnids
I love hot magma, I love the giant squids
I love the whole world, it's such a brilliant place
Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada

spread the love!
-vince-

just a bit of sharing.

2009-02-26T08:20:00.002+08:00

there comes a time when one must step out from the bubble he/she is in,and face the world. that said, i think i need to do that too. sighs.

with the current ongoing political turmoil - 1st the uncertainty that lies within the deceit-lies built BN Gov faces strong opposition from the legit Pakatan gov in Perak. this is where the Sultan needs to walk the talk. but alas, who am i to tell and say all these. i'm just a mere political observer, laughing and worried at the same time over the nonsense these politicians had produced in the name of the people. oh and secondly, PPSMI. not wanting the continuity of Science & Maths being taught in English, the Malays had an illegal march to the Istana Negara. stupid move, if u ask me. and they got A.Samad Said to join along. oh well. we'll see the outcome. and of course, the upcoming UMNO General Assembly. politics will be hotter and dirtier this month i predict.

enough said. life in uni's been pretty hectic as well. getting myself involved with BATI club activities, Buddies, debate, and a conference or two coming up. i don't know if i'm able to shoulder all these. on top of that, let's just say i'm being a good friend to anyone who comes to me 4 help. question is; for how long can i still do that?

and my commitment towards the Lasallian movement. will that be compromised for the sake of my life in uni? time shall help me answer that. i hope.

a retrospective is needed. an impending re-evaluation. choices and opportunities might be springing out from nowhere even as i speak. or even the harbouring thought would've been conceived. i guess i'll never know. the question remains; if it does, will i rise to the occasion, and seize the moment?

only time will tell.

if you'd only knew.

retro-fied,

-vince-

Talentime = indescribable!

2009-02-25T01:54:00.007+08:00

"if the moon can shine in the day so bright, why can't the sun do the same at nite?"

"when i speak, you hear silence. when you speak, it is silence."

"can you teach me how to speak in silence?"

how can u not appreciate beautiful lines like this?

slightly over a week ago, i found out from Jaya that Talentime will be shown in DTSP (tht's Dewan Tunku Syed Putra for non USM ppl) on Feb 24th. nth special rite? 1st glance - mmg nth special pun. till i realized tht it'll be released nationwide only on March 26th!

latest film from Kak Yasmin, after the controversial Muallaf. (of which i did a review a few posts ago) fast-fwd to today, i've finally watched Talentime! a month and 2 days ahead than everyone else who wasn't in USM's DTSP tadi.

suffice to say, 1 hr and 57 mins later, i'm glad that i've made the right choice tonite. simply inspirational. breathtaking. and putting her belief in tht one Bangsa Malaysia is not impossible, in fact, a reality that might be too close to us than we could ever imagine.

and kudos to kak Yasmin, who stayed back too to indulge in her fans' requests and ever-willing whims. oh, did i forget to mention that kak Yasmin was in USM a while ago to watch the movie with all of us? :D and i heard that Muallaf will FINALLY be released in Malaysia in July? i will need some confirmation. but if it's true, that's bloody good news! ;D

that's all for now. a happy day it turned out to be, after quite a rough start tis morning.

thanks jun! *hugs*

time to hit the sack.

my review on the movie, when i'm a bit more free nx week i guess.

still in awe,

-vince-

25 random stuffs abt me :)

2009-02-21T13:08:00.004+08:00

ok so i'm kinda proud abt tis particular tagged note. it's just 25 random things abt me. posted this on Fb, but for your viewing pleasure, it's here too! although i don't know how many ppl still follow this blog of mine. haha :)

here goes:

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you!

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1. It took me quite a while to actually reply to these tagged notes of randomness, however interesting it is. (or was, now tht i'm responding to it already.)

2. My favorite game during pre-school was "make-believe." I always thought I was a superhero of some sort. Guess I got a rude awakening huh?

3. Alcohol has never been a good friend to me, though it's suffice to say that i've suffered its wrath only ONCE. thus far.

4. I once tried an orange juice diet for 3 days. At the end of the 3rd day, i finally decided it was ridiculous. And this is probably where u start laughing. T.T

5. I've never been thin before, at all, in all of my bloody 22 years of existence.

6. I once thought cursing & showing the middle finger to someone actually deserves a good beating.

7. I think of myself as quite an optimist, but i do not discount myself from being a pessimist and a realist at the same time.

8. A sucker for romantic comedies, chick-flicks, and i get freaked out watching horror movies. There. I said it.

9. I used to think about death and losing loved ones a lot when I was small, but I guess I grew up fast enuf to realize it is all a part of life.

10. I'm in the mood for another road-trip! Any takers? :)

11. Favorite movies, ones that I can always relate to - Forrest Gump, Love Actually. Don't ask me how or why, but I can never get bored watching 'em.

12. Every girl's best friend - they call me. If you need some proof, well ask my friends. The girls esp :p

13. I live for food. Ok as if that's not clear enough and I have to clarify it. Sheesh.

14. I live and breathe for Manchester United as well. But I don't earn enough to buy an original jersey YET. So for now, imitations will do! :p

15. I hope to speak English like how Hugh Grant speaks.

16. This is going to be a cliche soon, believe me, but Barney Stinson rocks!

17. I do the penguin walk really well. Or so it seems.

18. I care a lot abt the important people in my life. They are the ones I'd give my life for, and trust my life with. The 25 people I'm abt to tag, i can count on u guys, right?

19. I can never be photogenic, no matter how hard i try?

20. I love collecting flip-flops, even though my feet doesn't really look nice in 'em.

21. Into oldies, and wishes to experience the 70's & the 80's. Gosh I wish I had Doc Brown's flying, time-travelling DeLorean! Sighs.

22. Extrovert, yet introvert at times. If I seem arrogant, i'm just being defensive?

23. I used to have low-self esteem. But then life's too short to dwell over things like that. So screw it.

24. I have a knack for being the good boy among the bad boys? My repo with teachers, lecturers, friends' parents or girlfriends/boyfriends have always been impeccable and clean, no matter how mischievous I can be. :D

25. I'm still the walking, talking jukebox from high school. And i'm damn proud abt it!

and i tag anyone who reads or stumbles upon this!
*winks*

thinking and re-evaluating options in life,
-vince-

busy busy!

2009-02-17T19:49:00.003+08:00

gosh i wish i hadn't been procrastinating and slacking much. at all. damn. but i did. so here i am suffering some of its consequences. report due tmr. recording session at 2. i can't wait for the weekend! just trying to steal bit of time b4 i have to go back to my report. dang!

hmmm. oh and i'll be watching Talentime tis coming Tuesday!! a month ahead of its scheduled release, all thx to Desasiswa Bakti Permai's charity-like screening :) i hope i'll enjoy it, as much as i enjoyed watching Muallaf :D

gtg now. oh weekend how i long for you!!

still procrastinating, as u can see frm tis hurried post,
-vince-

of frogs, Thaipusam & being steadfast to my Chinese roots.

2009-02-07T20:46:00.004+08:00

the fiasco in Perak is an embarassing episode in the history of Malaysia, as a sovereign nation since 1963. here we have a Pakatan Rakyat-led (PR) government - in my opinion, unconstitutionally removed from their posts due to what i believe is a thinly-veiled coup performed by BN slightly a few days ago. defections are being likened to jumping frogs. and rightly, they have been. a deputy speaker - defecting for not feeling important enough and not getting all the 'perks' like the other state assemblymen does, acc to the PR, and 2 other bribery-accused assemblymen - "apparently seeing no future in a PR-led gov." then why run under a PKR ticket in the 1st place? why wait 11 months before defecting?

how long till another coup like this happens again? unless an anti-hopping law is enacted, this drama will continue on. people's trusts will be betrayed. we are on the losing end, if this continues to happen.

i've been a little agitated over the drama in Perak. civilised people do not resort to defections to take over the reins of running a state. PR got the mandate from the people - albeit thru a simple majority - but they still have the mandate. every new Gov has had its fair share of hiccups. if so PR began talks of defecting - hence Sept 16th deadline by DSAI - but ultimately, has it been done? NO. so again, why did BN take the first step? by making this move, i see the weakness in the federal government and its judgement. but wat can i say. this is just my humble opinion.

harping on the fact that YAB Mohd Nizar refuses to step down even afta the decree from the Sultan of Perak - making it as a form of 'derhaka' - is a little too childish for the rakyat already. some say the ultra-Malays are the ones being the 'batu api' of the whole issue. but as i see it, politics in M'sia has begun its evolution process since March 8th, and it will continue evolving. soon enuf, people will see past the racial debacle and when that happens, PR won't be on the losing side, by the looks of it. dissolving the state assembly would be the right thing to do - even if it spends the rakyat's money - as long as it ensures stability, i can assure you, it's worth it.

ok enough on my political opinion. Thaipusam is just around the corner. in fact, it's tomorrow. don't really know y, but i seem to be losing interest in celebrating it this year. not that excited at all about it. i pulled out last-min from the kollatam team - something i wouldn't have done a few years back, even up till last year? aside from being busy and occupied in uni, i just couldn't find time, even though i know with much persuasion, i mite have made it? i dunno. really. but i guess i'll leave that aside for now la.

went to my lecturer's house to bai nian today. truthfully, i was really excited. a gathering with my other Chinese coursemates - 1 last time b4 everyone leaves to pursue their own agendas and goals in life. pretty fruitful visit - gained quite a few insights and opinions on how 2 chart out our future. and even as bleak as it may seem, in light of the current economic downturn, i'm sure all of us will be able to weather it thru. as for me, i'm leaning toward pursuing a master's degree. this is pretty much where my problem begins. i'm quite torn in two - either continue on with translation, or to study international relations. anyone has any suggestions? feel free to throw in some advice yeah. even though i'm still 1.5 years away from my graduation, hey it won't hurt to start planning already rite? :)

that's all for now la. Happy Thaipusam and Chap Goh Meh to all who's celebrating it yah. hopefully this year will be fruitful for all of u ;D

expecting the worst, but nevertheless hoping for the best,

-vince-

reflecting. once more.

2009-01-29T02:31:00.002+08:00

hello. i'm back.

time to reflect. yet again. on life mainly. maklumlah, hidup as manusias x pernah sunyi frm problems.

1st of all, i should stop eating a lot. so, eating moderately shall be my new year's resolution! (didn't do any, but i guess it's time to do one? :D) also, because i had my 1st encounter with diarrhoea, and no i don't like it at all. wouldn't have happened if i controlled my food intake, and proper consideration before whacking like a glutton. almost screwed up my 1st day of CNY. suffice to say la, perut yg sakit, ditambah with temperature yg 'mendidih' = me rejecting lotsa food! sighs. such a crime to reject food, and i had to do it.

i slowly find that i'm losing out and losing touch with lives of ppl i care about. except for a select few, i dun pay attention tht much anymore in the lives of others. maybe it's time to move on. or is it?
but then, true friendships are not things u can move on from!
from being close friends, to some, i'm just reduced to being hi-bye friends. boy tht sucks kan? maybe it's just me. or what i've become. highly critical and sometimes unforgiving, not as approachable as i was then, conceited, arrogant? maybe i am.
when i don't take interest in your life, when i don't drop u a line every now and then, it doesn't mean i've forgotten about you. i have no excuse to explain why or how, but the only plausible explanation i can think of is - it's part and parcel of growing up? i dunno, u tell me.

for lost friendships, it's has been my greatest pleasure to have known you, and to have shared your life, even though it was just for a while.
for friendships i'm about to lose, know that i nv intended for anything to happen, and if there's anything i can do to save it, pls tell me.
for friendships who have stood by me all these years, i salute you for being wonderful, influential and inspiring people, who have made a difference in my life, in more ways than one.
for friendships recently kindled, i look forward to being a friend u can always rely and count on, at any moment in your life, wherever you may be.

i try to please everyone. i really do. but i guess sometimes, it's just not enough?
maybe i'm just thinking too much. maybe.
time to sleep. getting late.

trying to overcome life's obstacles - one at a time,
-vince-

yoohoo!

2009-01-24T02:55:00.004+08:00

to the oblivious, Muallaf will not be shown in Malaysia. it didn't get thru a "censorship board" called Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia. if u ask me, it's idiocracy. screw u idiots. and guess what? due to popular requests, Muallaf will be shown in Singapore, AGAIN. Feb 26th! make the journey down-South to catch the movie if u want. i'd say it's worth it :)

and her next movie, Talentime!

thr's a charity screening tonite, but only for corporate companies.

in aid of the Gaza fund.

may the atrocities stop. may the ceasefire stay permanent.

Mr.Barack, it's time to take action.

before i stray off lagi jauh, poster from Talentime!

p.s. CNY is here. but above all, i appreciate the 1 week break more. and the long-awaited angpows. time to replenish funds. hahaha :D

kena balik Kelantan soon,

-vince-

long overdued pic.

2009-01-08T01:00:00.002+08:00

yours truly, the very-approachable-and-bubbly Sharifah Amani & Sharifah Aleysha, and a stunned-looking Brian :)

took me ages to put this picture up. long overdued.
had my share of brushes with celebrities not too long ago.
Yasmin Ahmad, Mr.Clinton, Anwar Ibrahim among others. wat can i say?
i'm a lucky guy ;D

life in uni, setakat ni :)

2009-01-07T23:33:00.003+08:00

in Singapore, i was a slacker. turns out, i've always been one. random-kan? *laughs* nevertheless, it's always good to be home again. home is where the heart is. or smth like that :) joycie's back from Canada, and thanks to her, i'm a proud new owner of a black fedora! cekap siut!! *whistles*

busy sem ahead. 20 units in total. taking a political science paper in USM for the 1st time - malaysian government and politics. was expecting to enter and engage in lively debates [half-expected it to be conducted in English, but still in Malay la] over the structure and concepts in the government, only to be greeted with stories of Malayan Union and Malay nationalism. for now. and its relevance and importance, adding on to the lecturer's continuous mentions of the concept of Malay supremacy, suffice to say, saya agak kecewa dgn course ini, up till 11.42pm, Jan 7th 2009.

taking Tamil 1 too tis semester. Mr.Balan - informative. he knows of a lot of things, and often strays off his topic, but i guess tht's a good thing? re-living all my Tamil stuffs once again. thx to aiya back in NUS, i will ace tis paper over here :)

lotsa responsibilities to assume again tis sem - being BATI's YDP ain't easy. trips, movie screenings, t-shirts (looks good btw :D) and of course, BATI Nite, i mite need ideas for themes tho. ah so many things to do and manage, but seems like too little time? urghh! assignments, projects, they're all coming in 1 by 1. mite step into panic mode sooner than i expected. but tht will all fall into place later.

brand-concious. am i turning into one soon? err. some ppl say i am already. takpe la. constructive criticism? or a praise? aih i x faham la. anyways, kena pi check out gym rates dah. tmr. or this weekend? ASAP la kut. haven't done gym in 1 month. exactly 1 month. dah gemuk (mmg pun gemuk dah dari dulu, tp skrg bertambah 'comel' dah :p)

ok tamat ranting-ku. till nx time (or whenever i can sneak in some time la. org penting la katakan. busy siut :D)

p.s. din noe la pulak, yg Muallaf won't be shown here in Malaysia. sighs. a shame really. macam mana la industri filem tempatan nk berkembang, kalo citer citer revolutionary and off-mainstream x dpt ditayangkan? mcm mana minda dan mentaliti Malaysians nk berkembang, selaras dgn matlamat 2020? only time will tell.

tgh perasan x tentu pasal and in need of expensive coffee,

-vince-

Merry Christmas :)

2008-12-24T23:10:00.002+08:00

guess what? it's Christmas Eve! and i'm still at home. haha. miraculous, as a girl-friend put it. surprising, some may say. oh well. it's all 'cos i fell asleep. what can i say, i had quite a busy day. did bit of thinking throughout the course of the day. but i shall not bore you with that.

have a merry little Christmas, and a good holiday ahead :D

bored, and snubbed out of reality,

-vince-

of potential unfulfilled. of trying times. of seizing the moment.

2008-12-17T12:59:00.004+08:00

the 18th National Lasallian Leaders' Convention went by in a flash. can't quite believe it still, that 9 days just flew by so fast! well ppl do say that time flies when you're having fun, and this was just it exactly :)

in a nutshell, it's been quite a bittersweet experience for me this time around. being called back again for the 2nd time to help organize the convention is an honour really, but to think back, i guess the choices and decisions i made this past few months has been questionable, to say the least.

to cut a long story short, i think i under-performed this time around. i'm downright disappointed with myself, i know i have a lot more to offer LSC, and i know i need to buck up. i'll elaborate more when i'm in the mood.

uni begins again tomorrow. or rather in a few hours later. for my coursemates, it's their last semester in uni. for me, my 4th. technically still a 2nd year student :) mixed feelings all over this time around - back to reality (5 mths in Singapore was like a dream), new responsibilities to resume and to shoulder, and i hope i won't disappoint. it's time i step up to the plate, and assume responsibilities. time is on my side, and hopefully, my friends too.

time to sign off. a bit of a mixture here & there in this post - melancholy, worries, optimism among others. so random huh? :D

-vince-

a close brush with death.

2008-12-08T22:36:00.004+08:00

there was this accident early Sunday morning, in Tangkak. a Grassland bus express, leaving Perak (it went past Ipoh as well) skidded off the highway and rammed into a tree, killing 10 ppl. the bastard of a driver and assistant unfortunately escaped with injuries. but because of tht mangkuk's inability in controlling a bus properly and negligence, 10 lives were lost. my prayers and condolences to the family of the deceased and to God, i thank you for prolonging my life. perhaps, i still have a purpose to serve here.

my bus left Ipoh last nite at 9pm, and was headed to JB/Singapore as well you see. i am soooooooo THANKFUL. thanks to siew wei, i kinda owe her my life now. luckily she managed to get a ticket for 7th nite. 8th was full. if it wasn't for her, and her decision (or rather coincidence) to buy my tic later den she was supposed to, my life is spared. any later, i mite hv been on tht bus. i wud've been forced to leave on the 6th nite instead. my life is spared, at least for now. to think that there was every possibility that i wud hv been on that fateful bus that morning - i'm rendered speechless!

sighs. after that close brush, i've come to realize that life is indeed fragile after all. cherish every moment, for we'll never know when we'll leave this place we call Earth. and if i do, any time soon, later, or much much later, i want all the people i care about to know that i appreciate having you guys in my life, and to my family, i cudn't ask for a better family than you all :)

sorry la ya. emo post after a short sabbatical away from this blog. otherwise, everything has been fun. and hectic. convention is full-steam ahead tomorrow, and am bit bummed cos i'll be missing the 1st day and i missed out on my roles in the heritage play (2nd year running). can't wait to be back in Ipoh. but for now, i'll have to go thru Singapore tmr, and to pray for a safe journey back to Penang tmr nite :D

-vince-

Muallaf - a review.

2008-12-03T00:47:00.001+08:00

Muallaf. "Convert".

A story of two siblings, and the power of forgiveness.

A young man, confused in between religious obligations and a hidden past.

Racial integration, powerful and thoughtful quotations from both the Bible and the Quran.

“Warning. Minor spoilers ahead.”

All of these elements caught my attention while I was watching Muallaf just now. To the oblivious public, Muallaf is the 5th movie effort by Yasmin Ahmad, a humble, down-to-earth lady whom I've had the pleasure of meeting just a few days ago, and a talented movie director from a place I call my home, Malaysia.

Starring Sharifah Amani and her real-life sister, Sharifah Aleysha, and a newcomer to the filming scene, Brian Yap, Muallaf is a thoughtful, provocative movie, carefully weaved upon the fabric of the Malaysian society, and therefore may I say, one of the best Malaysian-made movies I've ever watched. Now I'm not that much of a movie critique (I'm only 21, inexperienced, just a humble opinion at most), but for a movie like Muallaf to have such an impact on so many people [the cinema theatre I was in was almost full-house], and a distinct way of portraying a story of forgiveness, of love, of self-discovery, is truly a refreshing intake on life, and Muallaf has certainly captured all of that essence, which made it a wholesome movie, especially for someone like me, seemingly always deep in thought, yet still clueless somewhere along the way.

Contextually produced and based in Malaysia, everything was so Malaysian in the movie. From our distinct way of speaking English – aptly named Manglish, the various races in Malaysia coming together in a community, to the trials and tribulations a school student faces, Kak Yasmin was able to capture the very essence of what makes us Malaysians in the first place, something evidently clear, similar to her numerous commercials for Petronas, one I anticipate for every time a major festive celebration approaches J

After a moving story of Orked (in 3 movies, namely Sepet, Gubra and Mukhsin) and the challenges she faced in her life, one would naturally think Kak Yasmin is satisfied and contented with her unexpected success.

After all, Sepet and Gubra won international recognition and praise, and Mukhsin touching the lives of many Malaysians, while raking in rave reviews from all walks of life along the way.

Lucky for us, Kak Yasmin came out with Muallaf, yet another provoking story, this time on two Malay sisters who ran away from home, specifically from an abusive and eccentric father, a role played to perfection by Dato' Rahim Razali, yet another esteemed and respected actor in the Malaysian movie scene. Brian, a newcomer spotted by Yasmin in HELP UC, assumed the role of a quiet, strong silent-type school teacher, while masking a hidden past and a reluctance to conform to a religion, something one would normally associate with as a somewhat 'necessity' in life, especially in the modern-day Malaysian society.

Rohani and Rohana (played brilliantly by Sharifah Amani and her real-life sister, Sharifah Aleysha) landed themselves in a small town (Ipoh to be exact), after escaping their abusive father, of which then Brian came along into their lives.

Here we see the culmination and a story of 3 unique individuals whose lives became intertwined by their grief and troubles, and in the end discovering and understanding the true meaning of forgiveness.

The issues and sentiments exuding from the movie was simply refreshing; here you see a young Chinese boy with a Malay girl, with a tinge of liking and attraction towards each other, bordering on the teen-puppy-love fence, yet it wasn't clearly so, even till the end of the movie? In this, Kak Yasmin did what she does best; leaving just-enough room for interpretation and self-evaluation, while maintaining the flow of the movie, evoking feelings and thoughts along the way.

A confluence of religion and beliefs; a young girl, Rohana, able to quote inspiring and often-accurate verses from the Koran to counter challenges she faced, while staying steadfast and true to her Islamic beliefs and practices, in face of adversity. Logically speaking, even in a multi-racial and multi-cultural country like Malaysia, one would not even dare to play with religious issues, lest putting it in a movie. It is still a taboo subject, one which clearly Kak Yasmin wasn’t afraid of touching, which was evident in the movie.

Comparative religion, was the term they used to describe their openness and their interest in religion. This is not a sight we normally see in Malaysia, or anywhere else even. Religion should never be abused, mis-used for personal and selfish gains. In light of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, where Islam was apparently represented by the Indian militants, Muallaf couldn't have come at a better time.

The suffering Brian has gone thru in the name of ‘religion’ was disturbing. Excruciating. I couldn’t imagine myself recovering from such a humiliation. At such a age. It is no wonder he refused to attend church – for it gives his a negative stigma, something he finally felt relieved to let go when he met and got close to Rohani.

The humiliation Rohani was forced to endure when she defied her dad’s orders was equally disturbing – hence the controversial ‘bald’ scene that became the talking point of the ever-irritating M’sian media and tabloids for quite a while, and more recently – a scene the M’sian MPA is contemplating on cutting off from the movie, in order for it to be shown to the Malaysian public. Kak Yasmin is hoping that will not happen. The challenge here is for the MPA to approve the uncut, uncensored version of the movie. Malaysia is evolving, and so are Malaysians. I believe we are ready to embrace change. This is one small step towards it.

In more ways than one, Muallaf has redefined the way I perceive of people, and if I may add, provided a much-needed reflection on my inner self – how life is seen thru different people, and that things don’t always go our way, the challenges we encounter, the various characters and personalities we bump into in this thing we call ‘life’. I think I speak for others as well by saying that Muallaf, as hard as Kak Yasmin tried to make it a ‘message-less’ movie, it is certainly a movie that’s bound to keep you thinking, even after the movie is over. I’m a living testament of that statement I’ve just made J

a sneak peek of what's to come.

2008-11-30T02:05:00.006+08:00

Muallaf movie poster

Screenshot from the movie; the sisters

Yasmin Ahmad, Brian Yap & Sharifah Amani. I'm starstruck! ;D

yours truly, Brian & Aleysha :)

don't hate me cos u ain't me :)

this was how i spent my afternoon today ;D
just a sneak-peek; proper post coming up soon.
as soon as i finished packing. i hate packing.
home is approaching. oh yes it is.

of a beautiful day today has been,

-vince-

random. of a blunder and a happy ending..

2008-11-28T00:36:00.003+08:00

ok maybe i'm getting too random these days. moody, unpredictable. oh well. blame it all on my blunder this afternoon. quite a fiasco i'd say. another of those "been there, done that" type of blunder. shell-shocked. but i guess that's life. filled with trials and tribulations. and i'm glad i survived through it :)

they say when you're sad or rather disappointed, think happy thoughts. and guess what, i did. literally, a door closes on me, but a window opens up. or something like tht. haha. about slightly a week ago, out of random actually, i submitted an application to attend Bill Clinton's inaugural lecture in KL, on Dec 6th. read all about it here.

i think you'd probably know why i mentioned it here, on my blog. yep. i got an invite! seems there are 8000 over applicants for 500 allocated seats. the organizers had to look for a new venue to accomodate more people; and it is the KL Convention Centre. been there once. filled with awe :) and yes, i got it. sheer dumb luck i'd say. but nevertheless, it made my day. turned my somewhat gloomy day into a happy ending.

Bought my ticket to come home already. Sunday night, i leave JB. yays!

btw, totally not connected to my blunder, or my happy ending today; here's a song i'm starting to like ;D

looking forward to the end of my NUS stay,

-vince-

sudden. random.

2008-11-26T20:32:00.003+08:00

ATTENTION. SERIOUS-TONED POST AHEAD.

gotta say, i don't really know what got me to scribble this down. i mean, i have a paper to sit for in abt slightly 16 hours, and it is not an easy one. SSA2211 - codename for "evolution of a global city-state." sounds catchy right? it's Singapore history! you see, one of the modules i wanted to take over here in NUS was a module that would totally redefine my mindset on that fateful incident - the seperation of Singapore from the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. suffice to say, i've succeeded in gaining a deeper understanding, and a clearer insight on the significance of that event, the issues that led up to the seperation, and the individuals involved. and i shall stop blabbering abt the module here for fear of boring everyone out. haha :)

living away from home made me realize one thing; i miss familiarity. i miss being around in an environment that i'm familiar with. i know i sound like a guy who's so pampered, can't even stand living away from home and all, but i'm not. i used to like to leave home a lot. be it for camps, conventions, meet-ups, stay-overs, or even deliberately try my very best not be at home when i was young. mind u this was just a few years back. but now, i'm changed. i think i am.

people used tell me that to grow up holistically, you need to be away from familiarity. you need to learn to live for yourself, and to take on challenges in life, one at a time. then again, maybe i just made that up. haha :)

but still, being away for these past few months (and A FEW short visits back home just to keep my sanity at check) taught me to be independent. i'm responsible for my own actions. and that i need to make any decision wisely, for my family won't be there to back me up if i screw up. and that i've learnt to think abt others and not just for myself. i'm 21 now, time to grow up. it's now or never. maybe now, now that i'm older, (and certainly not that wise yet) i know that i have to cherish my time at home as much as i can now. done a lot of thinking these past few months, esp during my free time. (well actually, almost everyday seeing i've been slacking all the time here :p)

in a few years time, i will be out venturing into the unknown, i will be away from home (i forsee that :D) and most importantly, i will be away from familiarity once again. how will i deal with that? and at the same time, stay strong to face the challenges in life that awaits? i wish i have the answer right now, but i don't think i do.

maybe that's just how life works. you won't know what to do, until it is thrusted upon you. life changes people. in fact, at times, it changes the very principles, the very ideals you believe in. do you think so? for me, i do, and i don't.

okay i'm getting a bit too deep for myself even. haha :)

love. laugh. live. that's what life is all about. it is something i hold dearly to, and i intend to hold on to it as long as i live.

if you think you're alone, think again.

if you think you're suffering, think again.

there are people out there who don't have a home to live, those who don't even have basic amenities, those their basic human rights violated, those who were once child soldiers, due to civil unrest and war in their country for instance - families torn apart and a destroyed childhood, all at once. ask yourself, what is your 'suffering' compared to theirs?

NOTHING.

to me, life is so much bigger, life is so much more than, let's say, having a special someone by your side, or, having flunked your exams and the notion of not doing well in exams. so what if you're not good in studies? so what if you're alone, and nobody seems to pay attention to you, despite your best efforts? focus on the people you care about the most, and they in return you know care about you a lot. focus on your strengths, and not dwell and harp on your weaknesses. impossible is nothing, to quote from Adidas. make a difference in the lives of others. we only have a lifetime to do so. i know it's always easier to say than to do it, yet it won't hurt to at least try, right? maybe i'll just leave it at this. probably it's the fear in me, itching to come out after laying low for so long. time and time again, i put up a brave front, just to not let others worry about me. i mean why should they right?

i know this blog has been a very useful output for me; it stores my joys, my worries, my advice, and more often than not, my random scribbles. perhaps, after this post, it will be redefined... or not. you tell me.

deep in thought,
-vince-

oldies-struck

2008-11-25T01:18:00.003+08:00

i'm currently occupied with oldies. re-sung by modern-day artistes. the two albums i've been looking for ages, both in one day. all thanks to the brilliance of Torrent-ing ;D

Albums I'm currently listening to :

Westlife's Allow Us To Be Frank (2004)

Robbie Williams' Swing When You're Winning (2000)

if any of you want 'em, jz PM me aite? i'll send 'em to you, by any means necessary and possible. i'm no pirate, unlike some friends of mine who post links on their blogs for others to access and d/l these albums. i'm more of a closet pirate actually - d/l-ing for personal use ONLY :)

i know that doesn't make me any more different than them, but at least i own up to it, right? :D

ok enuf of my crap. back to me oldies..

"you dream maker, you heartbreaker, wherever you're going, i'm going your way..."

tgh layan oldies like thr's no tomorrow,

-vince-

"You can take a Penangite out of Penang, but never the Penang out of a Penangite."

2008-11-22T21:40:00.003+08:00

yes. i am proud to be a Penangite. that's a fact that will never change. and Mr.Soo, i respect u kao kao for your timely advice. the previous Gov is completed history, as noted by Jeff Ooi. it's time we make our own :)

to all Penangites who are proud of their island, the bit-part of the mainland, and Georgetown's newly-attained Unesco World Heritage Site status, for your viewing pleasure ;D

"Penang should think small to grow big."

-vince-

of my Tamil exam and the rest...

2008-11-22T12:46:00.002+08:00

ok i'm no expert in Tamil. today's test clearly proved it. although i managed to finish the important parts, i had to let go a few minor easy ones. why? BECAUSE I FORGOT WHAT THEY MEANT. my excuse is that simple. damn it. sighs. emo-nya aku skrg...

SSA2211, PS1101E, you're next! time to buck up and get decent grades from NUS!

(although i'm secretly hoping these grades will be upgraded when i go back to USM :p)

-vince-

bo mood.

2008-11-20T22:10:00.005+08:00

currently listening to: Michael Buble - Dream a Little Dream of Me

ok i'm back in Singapore. i'm back in NUS. it's time to mug.

mcb stress bo mood siens wtf ccb knn betul. shit. 24 hours in a day is never enough. especially when u spend 3/4 of it procrastinating & not do what u're s'pposed to do.

itulah. rantingku (rant, not some twig) harus tamat sekarang. NEED. TO. STUDY. NOW.

i wanna go back Penang. i wanna watch GG. i wanna go gym. but that will have to wait. wish me luck peeps. you know i'm gonna need lots of it. after all the slacking i did. practically whole semester gone, just like tht. tension sial...

emo-ness,

-vince-

inexplicable.

2008-11-19T01:42:00.002+08:00

did something i'm not that proud of. survived through it. a bit bodoh, but i tot it was necessary. a lesson on life & the wonderful things in store for u that sorta thing. "been there, done that." that's all i can say ;D

i need to go back to Singapore ASAP. i need to start mugging. i'm no kiasu, but i'd still like to get a decent grade during my sole semester in NUS. haha. that said, i tink i ace'd my Tamil oral test d other day. proud sia. the phrase "nan Tamil patitten" needs to be done ASAP, or i won't be able to replicate my fine form this coming Saturday. arghh. these past few days in KL made me start missing Penang and home once again. although food is relatively not too bad over here, the price is quite a turn-off. unlike food paradise a.k.a. Penang. u'll nv ever be disappointed there. sighs. 1 more mth to go then. yays. haha sedih siut huh.

ah hong! can't wait to see u on Dec 27th! (just a random shoutout, i know. haha)

wish me luck in d upcoming finals k. i only have 3 papers, but still, i'm gonna need all the luck i can get. pressure sial.

oh & i need to catch up on GG, Heroes and HIMYM as well. not to worry, they're all in a day's work. haha :)

-vince-

in the midst of procrastinating - my 2 cents

2008-11-10T01:16:00.003+08:00

i find it really irritating. this bad habit of mine. i love to procrastinate. at first i thought it's just occasional. these days, i do it more frequently. stress giler. i have an Tamil oral test comin' up this Thursday, and even though my vocabulary's not too bad already, i jz can't seem to bring myself to start studying and revising for the test. sighs. someone help me pls?

on an another note, something struck me during my last volunteer visits yesterday. the impact is still really clear, on me, and i'm thankful for it. ok here goes: I'M PROUD TO BE A MALAYSIAN! :D

the reason being, i feel so blessed to be born in a multi-racial, multi-faceted society, where Chinese, Indians & Malays can live together in one country, having one national identity we can all identify with.

ok it all seems so surreal even as i speak of it, but i believe it is possible. some say it might sound like a Malaysian Malaysia agenda, something a certain MM Lee of Singapore propagated years ago. but then, let us all not lose hope in achieving a Bangsa Malaysia.

now having said that, i can't help but to feel sorry for Singaporeans generally, especially those in my age generation. a majority of them don't even speak their own local dialect for crying out loud! so, what more the Malay language, or even Tamil for the local Indians? i think it is their language policy that has to be blamed. while i acknowledge that Mandarin & English is essential, esp in modern-day Singapore, i find it amusing & disturbing that young boys & girls converse to each other in Mandarin & English, even of different ethnicities (Malays, Indians included) and only that 2 languages! while among the older generation, they converse to each other in their own variety of dialects and languages - Cantonese, Hakka, and of cos Hokkien, Malay and Tamil, just to name a few. it is as though it's the "be all and end all" for all Singaporeans to know English & Mandarin, while their own local dialects are being pushed aside, almost to the brink of extinction.

imagine this scenario, something which i find as disturbing: a Malay boy, conversing with his friend in English, when they have their own unique Malay language to use. it may not seem awkward to them, but to me, a Malaysian, brought up in the richness of the fusion between Malay & Chinese culture, and not to mention my strong Indian influence in my teens, I FIND IT WEIRD, I FELT SO OUT OF PLACE, & SOMEWHAT CONFUSED. questions like "what's wrong with them?" and "why are they acting like a bunch of posers?" kept rushing thru my mind everytime i see a scene like that. it's not right to feel or think that way, but it can't be helped. and i feel sad for them somehow. this was how they were brought up, this was how they were taught in school. now i'm not disregarding the fact that English & Mandarin is held very highly in this metropolitan society, or putting the blame on the Gov for emphasizing English and Mandarin in schools while "setting aside" other languages like Malay and Tamil as "mother tongue" languages, ["Mother tongue" in tis sense means students studying here in Singapore are given a choice to either take them in school or not take 'em. correct me if i'm wrong abt this k.] and that's why i firmly believe that one must never forget their roots, even during times like this.

i've experienced this first hand, during my short but meaningful stint here in Singapore. to those select few who had the privilege of learning your own dialect, preserve them. teach your sons & daughters how to speak it. it gives a sense of identity, a belonging, some sense of pride even, for the speakers. the distinctiveness of a dialect varies from everyone, and it is something that should be preserved for the future. but then again, who am i to tell the Singaporean Government that these are aspects that should be upheld to create a true Singaporean? coming from a Malaysian, haha tis post of mine will not even be looked upon. haha :D

i'm thankful for being able to grow up and immerse myself in different cultures and able to be friends with people of different ethnicities, regardless of who they are, their status, or even religious beliefs. joyce calls me a 'muhibbah' person, a "MALHINDIAN", and for once, i'm proud to be one! :D

ok i'm bored.

2008-11-06T14:15:00.002+08:00

just a random thought that came through my mind. anyone out there who wants to get a new phone, but it's just too expensive in Malaysia? maybe i can help. relatively, electronical goods in Singapore are a bit cheaper than in M'sia. oh well, i'll just cut to the chase. anyone who wishes to get a brand new handphone from Singapore [even an Apple iPhone 3G], you can just let me know aite? i'll help u buy 'em, provided the price is right :)

lovebug?

2008-11-02T23:59:00.005+08:00

current craze. vidclip looks damn retro. and i'm dedicating it to u yi hui! :D

"Lovebug"

Called you for the first time yesterday
Finally found the missing part of me
Felt so close but you were far away
Left me without anything to say

Now I'm speechless
Over the edge, I'm just breathless
I never thought that I'd catch this lovebug again
Hopeless, head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I'd get hit by this lovebug again

I can't get your smile out of my mind
(I can't get you out of my mind)
I think about your eyes all the time
You're beautiful but you don't even try
(You don't even, don't even try)
Modesty is just so hard to find

Now I'm speechless
Over the edge, I'm just breathless
I never thought that I'd catch this lovebug again
Hopeless, head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I'd get hit by this lovebug again

I kissed her for the first time yesterday
Everything I wished that it would be
Suddenly I forgot how to speak
Hopeless, breathless
Baby can't you see?

Now I'm...
Yeah oh
Now I'm speechless
Over the edge, I'm just breathless
I never thought that I'd catch this lovebug again
Now I'm hopeless, head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I'd get hit by this lovebug again
Ohhh
Lovebug again...

-vince-

bored as hell.

2008-11-02T23:33:00.006+08:00

ok i'm officially bored. boring. bosan sial. haha. while every single one of my coursemates, kawans in USM are prepping for exams, i tgh goyang kaki as if i just couldn't care less about wat's happening around the world. +.+ maybe that's a bit too much of a comparison. plus i'm in NUS tis sem. haha. but anyways peeps, all the best k for finals. mine's coming up at the end of Nov (when everyone else is done with theirs already T.T)

even tho i'm in NUS kan, err gotta say, i'm still pretty much a slacker. except for my Tamil (which i kena brush up kao kao soon, cos i'm lagging behind) i pretty much DON'T DO MUCH studying for the other 2 modules as well. haha :D let's hope it won't return to haunt me la during the exams. aiyo i will study for them la, no worries k? it's just, not now. :)

kinda excited about tomorrow though, mainly cos 3 of us (TF-NUS LEaRN Singapore posers a.k.a. rizal, yulong & i) will be heading to the Night Safari tomorrow nite. saja la kan, nak pi tgk haiwan dlm kegelapan. as if i have nth else better to do. hahaha :) but it should be a diff. experience tho, seeing that i won't be able to travel to Africa & experience the real savannah & safari anytime soon, Singapore's Night Safari pun jadi la. since our very own Zoo Negara is in a deplorable state, or should i say a 'shambles', let's see what Singapore has to offer eh? entrance fee kinda mahal tho, S$22?! just to go masuk tgk haiwan & binatang. DALAM KEGELAPAN. hahaha :D (planning to get the package tho; S$30 for a pass to enter Night Safari & Singapore Zoo as well. but that's for another day la. Sentosa is in the frame too, and also a few more historical places la.

and i'm still reading this book: Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman. nutjobs for deciding to ride all the way down from the UK to Cape Town, but nevertheless, respect them kao kao sia. inspirational indeed. and i hope to make a difference like what they did too, in the future la.

ok rambling tamat. i gtg find smth else to do now. ish..

p.s. i miss blogging in rojak language. haha~

i miss you!

2008-10-30T01:38:00.003+08:00

hey babe, we're in a book! or rather we're a book. well literally i guess. marge was so excited that she took a pic with my Nokia 6500 w'out me realizing it till just a while ago :)

very random. haha. and i miss you so.
come back soon! *hugs*

pre-deepavali celebrations in Singapore :)

2008-10-30T00:12:00.006+08:00

and yes i had a pre-Deepavali celebration in Singapore, even before i decided, or rather we hastily decided to go back just 2 days before Sat. omg i'm more Indian already than i think i am. i'm so culturally imbalanced at the moment - too much Indian in me. not tht i dun like it tho. haha ok enuf said :D

last Monday, as part of our immersion and cultural programme, our 'aiya', Dr.Subramaniam Thinappan organized a tour around Little India for us all (Tamil class LAL1201) in conjunction with Deepavali. beautiful lights along Serangoon Rd, which is the heart of Little India in Singapore. much bigger than the Little India in Pg, and bustling with locals, tourists & last-min shoppers hunting for bargains just before Deepavali. in short, Little India wasn't that little that day. hahaha :)

he took us ard a few places, & we kinda suspect he's sum kinda superstar in Little India. he practically knows almost everyone, and people will stop to greet him & such. gosh he even wore like "Samy Vellu on the day he supports Hindraf for instance". really old-school. of cos, the interesting part of the tour has got to be the food. Komala Vilas was our destination. by far the most established Indian restaurant in Singapore, specifically along Serangoon Rd. with numerous branches all over Little India itself. famous for its vegetarian food, in no time 'aiya' told us all to go in and try out indian food. from idli, tosai, chapati, veg briyani, 'mampalam' lassi as well. hearty meal. little did we know though that he was gonna pay for us! oh well, it's not always your lecturer gives u a treat eh? :)
enuf said. pictures, take over! :D

*pics courtesy of tommy. he took quite a while to upload it tho. hehe.*
p.s. u mite wanna know what happened not too long after the hearty dinner. u'll probably notice which one is it easily!! hahaha :D

aiya interacting with one of his ex-students: a Tamil teacher.

our aiya the superstar - in action.

veg briyani. or caiva briyani in Tamil :)

Komala Vilas take 1.

take 2. take notice: aiya's expression kinda stoned, didn't change at all frm 1st pic. haha :)

group pic before we left.

this is what happens when: you're just too bored even though you have an assignment to complete, (susan), & you've had too much of a hearty meal, thus sleeping like a stuffed pig (me)

a few days after that, yulong, rizal & i decided to go to Little India. rizal & yulong had never been there b4, so it was my job as an unofficial Little India tourist guide to show 'em & bring 'em around. & oh gosh, the pics we took - it's just us being the posers we are :D

took 'em to Blue Diamond for sum cekap briyani - hence a pic of me eating with my hands - oh btw the best way to enjoy Indian food is by eating with your bare hands :)

they enjoyed their trip thoroughly, esp the briyani (Pg wan still tastes better, haha!) and we even visited Mustafa - the huge, big-ass, sells-everything-hypermarket in Little India.

pics coming up again :)

three of us, at the beginning of Serangoon Rd :)

the urge to pose was just too overwhelming :D

yulong & i - in the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore :)

beautiful shot, courtesy of Rizal's superb camera. Little India - simply illuminating! ;)

they made me pose. "Vanakam."

caught in the act, red-handed: koli briyani-to-mouth movement, in Blue Diamond ;D

on our way back, rizal suggested that we take pics of Sentosa from Vivocity's seafront view. err. as u can see from the pics below, our initial intentions kinda got swayed. i tink we're close to being called the 3 TF-NUS LEaRN'ers posers of Singapore. lol :)

trying to look macho in the process of posing. clearly failed. both. :)

rizal sits as if he's meditating, i stare into space as if i'm a great thinker of man, and yulong, well he just merely stares into the camera while trying to look intelligent :D

ok so why and what did i do? *laughs* poser attempts at looking blur.

to all my Hindu friends, "Deepavali valttukal!!"

p.s. drafting a list of great importance. retail therapy-influenced. hahaha :D

exhausted-after-two-long-posts,
-vince-

of an eventful weekend, deepavali, happy people and good food...

2008-10-28T20:03:00.007+08:00

i was back home last weekend. i know. i've totally redefined the "unwritten" rules & laws of a student-exchange programme. you don't actually go home like 3 (or was it 4?) times during your exchange period, the reason being that that you're ACTUALLY ABROAD, off in another country, supposedly immersing with the locals, enjoying life as a student-cum-tourist. right?

well. i did all that. haha. and technically, i just can't help not going home during my exchange period. Singapore and Malaysia is ONLY seperated by a bloody causeway bridge. 2 actually, if u consider the 2nd link as well. & then you're just... HOME. *humming Here in My Home* Malaysia a.k.a. Johor Bahru. 8 hours on via a bus, i'm actually stepping on the grounds of my island, Penang again. the irony of going for an exchange programme, fully sponsored, in Singapore, or in Thailand even per se.

so yea, i was back home during the weekend. this time with tommy, who has not been home for almost 1/2 year. [considering the fact that i've went back so many times within these 3 months, it's just mind-boggling wei that he has not been home since May! :p] however, our trip back this time was not short of drama la. in fact, it began even before we boarded our "bus".

a few days before our departure, i went over to JB to get ourselves tickets to go home. with engkee's help (thanks bro!), managed to get 2. paid RM85 each for it. sakit sial. but we wanted to go home, so the price-hike was secondary. little did i know that when it's a festive season in M'sia, bus terminals are a no-go. it was the weekend before deepavali, so naturally it was packed. we learnt our lesson the hard way tho. bodoh sial, stupid effin' company Durian Burung (i knew the name cudn't be trusted) decided that their buses are apparently 'spoilt', therefore we'll have to sit on a 40-seater bus pesiaran! wtf rite.. bought RM85, forced to sit in a bus pesiaran. only when u thought things can't get any more worse than tis, the bus decided to show up late. 1.5 hrs late. talk abt M'sian timing la.. Malaysia Truly Asia sial my @$$! what a brilliant 'show' to tourists & locals alike la. stupid time management, sucky bus companies, rude operators - i guess it was all in a day's work for these buffoons. anyways, a 9.30pm bus came only at abt 11.15pm. told jun it was gonna be one hell of a ride. it surely was it.

cudn't sleep properly at all throughout the whole journey. all i had in mind was "maleh, when will da bus reach Pg la? kanneh legs numb like wat, so uncomfortable, FUCK y did i pay RM85 for such a sucky seat?" and the profanities just kept going and going, and going... after what seemed like an eternity, Penang we finally reached. or rather only Butterworth to be exact. the stupid bus driver refused to go across to the island, and mocked us even more by giving us both RM5 to take da ferry across! omfg can u believe that? bloody rip-offs. sighs. "si lang dulian chiao, rip-offs! i shall report you stupid company soon. just u wait..."

on a happier note though, the thought of touching down on my island again was inexplainable. home is where the heart is. i've nv felt sooooo emo abt Penang b4. ( kanneh no choice but to emo k, stupid bus ride ruined whatever happier thoughts i had in me b4 the journey.) dad picked us up, sent tommy home, and in no time, within an hour or so, we were on our way & on course to our exciting-yet-meticulously-planned food escapade in Penang!

you see, tommy and i came up with a list of food we both love to eat, and it is so comprehensive & bound to keep the follower so occupied with food that we've decided to make it our own food tour for our friends or tourist friends who are in Penang for a visit, and to taste REAL food. hello Jln Alor's standard oso nowhere near us k? 1 street in KL vs the whole of Penang, & i dun tink i have to disclose the CLEAR winner rite :) anyways, the food we had in order: Island Park char koay teow + tok tok mee, P.Tikus wantan mee, biko moi & gandum off Adventist Hospital, Wen Chang chicken rice @ Cintra Street. all that within the space of 3 hours. not bad for a start huh? pics will be uploaded below after i'm done with my post k? :)

den tommy dropped a bomb. he had to rest, too tired to continue. oh well, escapade ditangguhkan sebentar. not tht long for me tho. i had zhoo char near USM, tis small restaurant called "xiao mu wu". fave dinner spot for my whole family, and needless to say, it was good food all the way :) curry fish, sotong goreng, belacan chicken, fried veg. simple, yet filling sia. dinner was done by 8pm. but, knowing me, it wasn't much of a surprise when i was tucking into Pos Burger again by 11-ish. tommy & i both agreed that this is by far one of the best burgers ever produced in Penang. distinctive, unique, filling. kah hoong joined us too here. trust me, it'll put McD burgers to shame. hahaha best of all, for 1/2 the price. Pos Burger rocks!!

Deepavali the next day it was. decided against going to the temple with Varun n family, takut cudn't wake up. spent whole morning copying movies frm Jay's fantastic collection of DVDs, (thanks a bunch jay, u're d best!) and then did a bit of window shopping in Queensbay :) took note of everything i need to buy, and i decided to get my pair of Everlast shoes when i'm back in Pg for good. seems cheaper back home, but of cos, i mite change my mind if the Singapore year-end sale makes Everlast shoes cheaper :D headed to Paddingtons House of Pancakes for tea. really scrumptious, and sorry i didn't take any pics of the pancakes i had (was halfway digging into the pancakes d when i realized i x take a pic of it. T.T)
and, the night tommy & i looked forward to - Diwali makan @ Varun's place. amma's mutton was delicious that day, impeccable, brilliant. i shall stop here, for if i mention anymore of it, it'll make me crave 4 it even more now :s good gathering, albeit missing key characters. too bad we had to leave early tho, as our bus was at 10.30pm that nite itself. lighter note: bus to Sg was comfy. yays!

eventful weekend huh? pics will help me explain more now. tired of typing~ hahaha :D

island park char koay teow - my family favourite

P.Tikus wantan mee. heavenly~

old apek's biko moi & gandum - off Adventist Hospital

two bowls down, two satisfied good-food-deprived Penangites :)

Pos Burger opp. Jelutong post office - best burger tasted in Pg thus far :D

happy ppl. ok maybe thomas was a wee-bit too excited :p

deepavali gathering - before dinner. camwhores alike :)

during dinner. had to sit like illegal pendatangs. i betul-betul menjiwai tht pendatang watak, hence the expression :p

not even close to half the posse - eilyn, bee, tkc, lean, ahlan, kok, ek, and others, u guys were missed :) pay special attention on howell's pose. hahaha :D

paying homage to the 'god' - mahaguru in kuning, padawan in white. his holiness thomas in the middle.

entry getting too long. will continue in the next one ASAP :)

*submitted my 1st and last political science essay this afternoon. i hope i didn't screw it up :s

exams looming,
-vince-

love this song!

2008-10-24T08:52:00.002+08:00

i've been crazy over this song ever since God-knows-when. videoclip looks bit too corny though, but the song is da bomb, nevertheless. pay attention to the plane in the videoclip, and the headpiece he has on his head. saw smth like tht in Zara's the other day. should i? hmmm :D anyways, enough with my indulgences. enjoy!!

update gambar posers yg seterusnya :D

2008-10-23T11:23:00.007+08:00

among the few pictures Rizal has just uploaded. ya kami berdua memang tak ada benda berfaedah utk dilakukan pada hari itu, being the poser we both are. i miss using the Malay language in my blog. hahaha ;D

staring into the camera. looking for answers. hahaha :)

"yes my friend, unlike vincent, i think i can help. by trying to look at u while u're doing it :)"

Raffles-inspired

cam effects + beautiful view of the Singapore River + posing skills = gambar cantik :D

"ok u show three, and you four, so i guess i'm five then. :D"

"yes i would love to help. but i think it's better if i just sit & watch." :)

cavenagh bridge, and its preserved notice. nice?

cam effects - staring into space. or rather, trying very hard to maintain pose :)

i'm just bored in class. Dr.Erik Mobrand [or emobrand = his initials, not joking! :D] is talking. sighs.

i-need-to-find-something-productive-to-do-than-to-blog-in-class,

-vince-

posernya aku.

2008-10-23T01:33:00.004+08:00

takku sangka semasa Raffles landing di Temasek, dia pose sampai camtu. poser jgk la, macam aku. and I just had to la :)

reminiscing pasal apa ntah, by the banks of Sungai Singapura [Singapore River]. *poser jgk la actually.* :D

antara perkara yg saya suka lakukan masa waktu lapang saya di negara Singapura-pura. *laughs*
more to come, after i get the remaining pics from Rizal, my Indon fren. dia pun poser jgk :)

killing boredom,
-vince-

swing.

2008-10-22T12:16:00.002+08:00

i need to find a swing-genre album soon. into old classics these days. re-sung ones will do also. one of my favourite songs from Robbie Williams. enjoy :)

"Beyond The Sea"

Somewhere beyond the sea,
Somewhere waiting for me,
My lover stands on golden sands
And watches the ships that go sailing.

Somewhere beyond the sea
She's there watching for me.
If I could fly like birds on high
Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing

It's far beyond the star,
It's near beyond the moon.
I know beyond a doubt
My heart will lead me there soon

We'll meet beyond the shore
We'll kiss just as before
And happy we'll be beyond the sea
And never again I'll go sailing

I know beyond a doubt
My heart will lead me there soon
We'll meet, I know, we'll meet beyond the shore
We'll kiss just as before
And happy we will be beyond the sea
And never again I'll go sailing

No more sailing
So long, sailing, sailing, no more sailing

Good-bye, farewell my friend, no more sailing

So long sailing, no more sailing

No more, farewell...

No more sailing...

modification in motion. layout done. fedoras. shopping. exciting!

2008-10-22T01:07:00.004+08:00

oh. first and foremost, a new layout :D whaddya think? I thought it looks nice. with the teacups and all. unique. don't u think so? :)

oh and I've been itching to blog for quite some time now. but couldn't find time la. it's been quite an eventful past few weeks. in between, I even managed to sneak a trip back to Pg, and of course in the process, introduced my new friends to my isla paradiso, Penang. food in Penang has always been brilliant, and it sure didn't disappoint me & my friends this time around. thumbs-up for almost every type of food-joint my parents and I took them to. feels damn proud to be a Penangite. KL-lites, or ppl from other parts of Malaysia, jgn marah ya. hahaha :)

unfortunately, been thinking quite a bit these past 2 weeks. sad thing is, my stint in Singapore is coming to an end soon. less than 2 more months, last i counted. sighs.

ok emo part aside, it's been an open secret (i think) that i'm always hunting for caps to wear. be it Adidas, Nike, or even normal streetwear cap, i'm always in search of nice ones, to add to my collection. my latest craze however, are fedora hats. a definition from Wikipedia would probably sound like this: "A fedora is a soft felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides."
It would also probably look something like these below:

it is too expensive over here in Singapore though. any suggestions on where to find cheap ones here? or in Malaysia? :D
*hints*

that's all for now. doesn't seem like i have the 'inspirasi' to write anything more. maybe soon la. for now though, i shall focus on hunting for these fedora hats, a pair of Converse/Everlast shoes, and maybe some tees, formals too? omg shopping mood is back. i like :)

evidently, change is in me, and i choose to embrace it!
-vince-

could this be me? you decide.

2008-10-08T00:03:00.006+08:00

ok truth be told, i've never believed in reading your own horoscope, tht it tells your personality, who you are & how u're like, & yada yada yada. this one however, got me thinking. can my personality be told, just by reading some random yet interesting article like this, or thru the conventional way - getting to know that person better? you tell me. i may not agree with some of the parts in the article, but i think it's fair to say that maybe it's just human nature that we don't admit our faults & weaknesses, for fear of various reasons. do read this on thought, & feel free to leave any comments for me k. *thanks jun!! :D*

LIBRA MAN

A man who has no balance, unlike his Zodiac symbol. He is not the gentle, cool, calm and charming guy like what you see. He has another dark side of aggression, stubborn and he likes to start an argument the most. Sometime he can be so depressed and unstable. Up and down like he is trying to balance himself most of the time.

To many, he is a friendly guy and always smiles even when he is mad or up set. His voice is always gentle and calm. He always sets and comb his hair as if he just came out from a shampoo advertisement. Mostly Libra men are good looking, even the ugly ones are charming. When he smiles, it is so bright that the whole world is smiling with him too.

When he is in a balanced mood, he is the type of person you want to be with. In other unbalancing mood, he likes to make people argue about something and watching it with fascination and fun. He will wait to be the one who compromises and clear things up. He likes to be in a conflicting conversation.

Libra man is lazy by nature. After his tired day at work, he likes to sit still and just look out of the window or read quietly. He likes to be in his own world. After recharging his battery, he will be very energetic again and may even take you out that night.

Libra man normally will not do any shocking or abnormal things to be noticed. He likes to be conformed with his crowd, but if you watch him carefully, you will see the different. If he wears a shirt, it will have to be a zipper front instead of buttons, or a special tie bar. There is always something in him that he will not allow totally conformity to take him over.

A straight forward, no-nonsense guy. He is careful and delicate in details. He will spent extra time to doing it right, than comes back to correct them later. He hates people who boost, or exaggerate. He does not like over-dressed woman or ones that makes themselves the center of attention.

He loves to read. He loves poems and loves art. When he works he can work like crazy, but after work he can turn on romantic jazzy music and treat you so gently. He loves to give people advice and normally give a good advice. If you fall for him, you will stay as though you're being trapped in a spider web. If you want to break up with him, he will persuade you a zillion ways to stay and you can not stop him anyway. After he persuade you to stay, or after a big fight, he will be so sweet to you as if he has never hurt your feeling before ever.

He will has his own way to win a girl love and affection. Once she says yes, he will lay back and wonder if he should go on or if he should back out. In his teens, he changed many girl friends because he can not clearly separate loving a friend and loving a girl friend. He will check and re-cheek if his match is suitable and compatible with him.

Even if he is a romantic man, he can hardly understand the emotion of the one he loves. He is a generous guy, setting his life so systematically. He never knows when he made you unhappy. He never knows how he upsetted you. He will never know what he said was wrong. If he is your lover, then be prepared for this.

A not so pretty girl with no brain is not his type of a woman. If you are not pretty enough, he will not mind talking to you but he does not care to get to know you. Any girls, pretty or ugly can ask for his help, he will be happy to help. He hates to argue by yelling at each other, so you tend to see him argue with his girlfriend seriously, but try at best to be very quiet.

He likes to have a girlfriend by getting to know each other like a friend first. If you want him, you have to like the same thing he does. He prefers a pretty and gentle woman than a smart and ugly woman. You have to understand his mood especially he can has many different moods. He is a private person, so when he needs to be alone better let him be.

and oh gosh the girl in me is rapidly surfacing, taking over the usual, more laidback side of me. hahaha :D but seriously though. look at this disturbing trend: i've been visiting & lepaking at malls these past few days, ever since i got back here. eating @ restaurants [instead of the usual hawker centres or food courts], lattes, fraps, tea, Starbucks [instead of teh ais, milo peng & all] buying shoes [never bought an original pair of shoes before, till a few days ago], shopping for clothes [shirts, eyeing at vests & casual pants], books & novels never thrilled me so much more than now [Borders @ Wheelock Place rocks my socks!]

all these years of being suppressed. not being able to buy whatever i want. is it all emerging, trying to break free now? i'm slowly losing my self-control. and at this rate, i need help.

enjoying & worrying, all at the same time,
-vince-

post number 69. a milestone.

2008-10-05T00:47:00.008+08:00

in post 69 of this blog, [auspicious number to those who, ok i correct myself, EVERYONE who knows what this number means. :D] as promised, my 1st post with a lot of pictures innit! i don't even know where to start. haha ;D

ok. maybe...

my bread-bowl! mexican chicken tortilla - chef's special @ The Soup Spoon.
Pic taken: 1/10/2008

Predictable, I am? 1st pic = food! :D

I've been visiting this particular restaurant frequently, ever since Thomas intro'ed me to it during my 1st few weeks in Singapore. Took marge (joyce's sister) & yen sun (my coursemate in USM) here already, & they both loved it. What's not to love? Their concept is interesting & appealing.
You see, their specialty is SOUP! soup is their main course! It's a bit hard to believe, in fact I couldn't believe it myself, at first, but then reality sank in, at about the same time I tasted the soup. *winks* It's really delicious!! And, for an added $1.50, u'll get to enjoy it with naan too! It has this Indian feel to it, but then again, it looks quite classy too. Ambience is perfect. :D

My recommendations: mexican chicken tortilla, boston clam chowder, velvety mushroom stroganoff (marge & tommy had this) & basil tomato smth (yen sun had this).

Not too sure if there are any other outlets in Singapore, but I've been going to the one particular outlet in Raffles City, just off City Hall MRT station :)

Next up...
MORE FOOD! *laughs*

a bit of photo-taking before the meal.

thomas's meal - can't rmb the jap name @ Waruku Jap Restaurant, Marina Square

being the natural poser he is...

my meal. delicious!

after all is said & done!

Here's some explanation: Thomas, apologetic for not being able to make it back for my birthday celebration, suggests we go try this cekap Jap food restaurant, in Marina Square. This being the same day I met up with Yen Sun & had the bread-bowl above for lunch. Lucky day indeed huh? 2 great, brilliant, hearty meals in 1 day? I love Hari Raya! for all the reasons above thus far, which is UNRELATED to the festival & celebration at all ;) No wonder I'm gaining weight. [more on tht later :D] So I ordered this curry soba set with beef, & a katsu-don. It was so good, & the beef tasted so fresh!! Thomas's meal was even cooler. It came with raw beef, & a small fire-lit platform, where he can cook his beef anyway he wants. Throw in an uncooked egg into the equation, a bowl of rice, miso soup & his meal was underway. Needless to say, we had a really, really good meal. All that for $38, inclusive of GST & drinks. Better still, it's his treat! Cekap right? Oh, 1 thing though, don't ever convert into our own RM when eating or spending in a foreign country. It's just too disheartening.. *laughs*

And then, the both of us, being filled to the brim already, decided to take a walk along the Esplanade & Merlion Park, which was nearby Marina Square. Of course, only to chill at Starbucks for cekap iced latte about 30 minutes after that. :D Pictures, pls do the honours!!

view from the Esplanade. notice the amount of couples sitting down. an apparent hotspot 4 lovers! :D

Esplanade, open-air auditorium, & the nightlights of Singapore City.

The Esplanade, or more affectionately known as "The Durian" :)

camera effects. unintentional. but I love the lights, illuminating ;D

Singapore Flyer in the horizon!

A Starbucks, under a bridge? Who would've thought of that? Brilliant ain't it? :)

the famous symbol of Singapore : the Merlion

Of course, all good things must come to an end. However, this is not the end of my post yet :)
The next night, Thomas suggested we go for supper. An Indian cuisine restaurant nearby campus. It's quite a distance away from where I'm staying, & him as well. But he came up with a brilliant idea. A friend of his owns a particular old-fashioned motorcycle, known as VESPA :) As much as I've heard abt it, or seen it a few times I have, it never actually crossed my mind at all, that I'll be able to ride on it ever, in this lifetime. (Vespas are almost extinct back home.) Well guess what, we rode on that Vespa that very night, to the Indian cuisine restaurant. It was closed though, & we had to settle for a mediocre mamak place. [mamak culture in Singapore sucks!] The highlight of that outing, was of course the Vespa ride! Enjoyable, cool breeze in the night, & of course the company! Oh & do pay attention to my helmet. I promise you, it's cekap sia :)

ok i looked stoned. *laughs*

tommy tending to the Vespa.

my old-school helmet. with goggles s'more. told ya it was cekap :D

i just had to take this shot. in the middle of the ride. haha :)

no prizes for guessing what he does best rite? [hint: it's not smoking.] hahaha :) thanks for the ride bro!

This post is getting too long. I think. By far the longest I've ever wrote so far. Haha. A few more pics to go...

Oh. Gotta backtrack a bit. Time to show something off. MY NEW HANDPHONE!!!

Nokia 6500 slide. Black edition. Nice? I think so.

Oh and it's a sliderphone :D

After such a long consideration & the insatiable urge to buy a mobilephone, I finally did so a day after I came bac frm Penang. Far East Plaza, in a shop called Mobile Square. Phone condition perfect, 1-year warranty from Nokia Singapore, & it's a SingTel set. Added features, needless to say. A good phone indeed. Paid $380 for it. Worth every cent thus far. Yays!

Ok everyone who knows me for quite a while knows this problem of mine. I'm putting on more weight than I lose them. I've been saying for years that I'm gonna lose weight, it's now or never, yada yada and yada. Well this could just be another lame attempt to lose weight, but even if it's lame, at least I'd like to think I 'lamed' it in style :D

In order to do that, I bought myself a new pair of cross-trainers! As much as I wanted to resist Nike's temptation, (being an avid supporter of Nike ever since I could remember) the other brands just didn't catch my attention. A pair of Nike shoes in the end. And I'm very contented.

Oh & there this place in Singapore, called Queensway Shopping Centre. It's more like a sporting goods mall! Shoes of any kind, you name it, they have it. Soccer boots, casual shoes, flip-flops, Converse, they have it all. & they boast to be the cheapest place to get shoes in Singapore. At the moment, I'd love to take their word for it, & believe them 100%! Spent almost 3 hrs looking and deciding, and then I decided on the pair below.

casual & crosstrainers in one. looks good rite?

After all the dilemma in my head, I decided on this pair. It would've cost $76. The SAD thing was, there was no size!!! I needed a size 10, but the biggest the whole of Queensway had, was a size 9.5!! Wth rite. How can you not have a bigger size? Ridiculous sia. At that very moment, I was losing hope in Queensway. So much for your reputation la. You don't even have a simple, basic pair of Nike. Chehh..

the other side of the shoe I almost owned.

All hope seemed lost. Till I stumbled upon this pair below. Lightweight. White. Both cross-trainers & a casual shoe in one. Fits all my requirements. Asked for a size 10. Better yet, they have a size 10.5! I was rejoicing. I was delirious. I was sooooo excited, my heart racing & pounding as I took every step to the cashier. I finally get to own a Nike shoe, bought with my own money. [well technically Temasek Foundation's giving me this amount to spend, but that's another matter altogether :D]

Nike Studio Low Leather. White. Mine. ;p

notice the blue padding? love every bit of it! $69, courtesy of a 30% discount ;)

So this is the end of post 69. eventful, tummy-filling, excitement, satisfaction, all rolled & included in one entry. In one word: YAYS!!! :D

p.s. I hope it was worth the wait. Do get the comments rolling in yea! I want feedback! (",)

exhausted, yet satisfied over the end of this post,
-vince-

excitement ahead.

2008-10-03T03:17:00.002+08:00

ok maybe i'm being a bit too overdramatic. but the next post, it's gonna be filled with pictures. an exciting past few days it has been, & i can't wait to share it with everyone! :D

so till my next post den. xoxo

GG-influenced, drama induced,

-vince-

itching for a change.

2008-09-30T18:34:00.004+08:00

i'm in the mood for some tweaking. my music playlist seems outdated already [time to update! lovely new songs comin' right up :D], itching to explore my somewhat suppressed creativity when it comes to modifying blog skins.

favourite music at this moment: Mamma Mia The Movie OST!

i'm feeling nostalgic suddenly. i miss the good old days. i love reminiscing about happy times, sad & "dark ages" of my life ;D life @ 21 has begun. a new chapter in life. choices to be made, life-changing decisions, it begins now. [backlogged feelings, skrg baru nak emo sikit, due to over-rejoicing on reaching the big number 21] :D

and i'm planning to make this bloggie BILINGUAL. at least i'll try to. in the not-so-distant-future, MULTILINGUAL maybe? *laughs*

very random post. yet i'm sparked. a change is in motion. good or bad, new or old, relevant or irrelevant, you tell me.

back in Singapore, & trying to create a difference,
-vince-

of life. of being alone. of my interesting week back home. an insight.

2008-09-29T01:23:00.002+08:00

my eventful one week break back home is about to end. honestly speaking, i don't want it to end. all good things however, always comes to an end. that sucks. Penang is a good place to live in. it gets even better once you're away from it, for a substantial amount of time. having said that, i dread to think the day i would actually leave Penang. be it to further my studies elsewhere, or in search of a greener pastures overseas, my time in Penang seems to be numbered. then again, it's still too soon for me to worry about this. after-effects of thinking too much, especially when you're alone & you have absolutely nothing to do, aside from academical stuffs. *laughs*

managed to do so many things when i'm back here. my 21st birthday celebration was BRILLIANT. dad & mum really made a huge deal out of it, & i'm kinda glad they did. the only bummer was that joyce wasn't able to be here & celebrate with me, since she's just too far away in Canada. but nevertheless, the webcam helped soften that blow a great deal. thanks sayang! *hugs* it became like a mini-reunion, & a place to get to know new ppl, something of that extent. my ex-classmates, my coursemates, my 'heng-tais & chi-muis', close buddies, neighbourhood friends. all in all, i loved every minute of it. turning 21 is an achievement. although, it comes with a huge responsibility. older, & hopefully wiser i guess? also, legally an adult already. a young adult :D

Mamma-Mia was excellent. always loved musicals, and this one was no different. Meryl Streep was brilliant, stellar performance. Pierce Brosnan looks good, but sounds really bad. enuf said. go watch it to understand what i mean. overall, i enjoyed it. the musical was a reputable tribute to ABBA's evergreen songs, & they came out really well in specific & important moments of the movie. the musical of the year, thus far.

next up: travelling back to Singapore tomorrow, or to be exact, later tonite. 9 hrs. duduk sampai punggung pun boleh berbunga. but putting that aside, i'd probably gotta do some last-min shopping, short meet-ups maybe? but nevertheless, it's always hard to say goodbye to your comfort zone. guess i'll just have to think of a way to make it simpler.

bye for now. till i'm back in Singapore, toodles..

trying to inject excitement into the norm,
-vince-

H.O.M.E.

2008-09-23T01:23:00.002+08:00

ooh. home is where the heart is. right on! :D

so my impending birthday is coming right up. 21st birthday, mind you. huge responsibility, huge expectations. this is the day when i actually am expected to be a MAN. [told ya, huge expectations :p] oh well, there are its perks too as well. quoting frm lydia, L.E.G.A.L.

will fill u in more when i'm free :D

21 beckons,
-vince-

puzzled. astonished.

2008-09-16T18:52:00.004+08:00

it's weird. i realized something that's been happening very often ever since i came over. you see, the name of the state i came from, it's Penang. or, Pulau Pinang in Malay. ok so that sounds fine. most Malaysians have no problem with pronouncing that, be it in English or Malay.

HOWEVER, i realized that Singaporeans can't pronounce it properly!!! they keep calling Penang : Pee-nang. yeah, they have to stress on the P, drag the Es along, b4 finishing it off with -nang, instead of neng. [as much as i would love to flaunt my English phonetics skills, i can't seem to recall any now :D].

just a random post. yet Singaporeans puzzles me. Penang & Singapore are islands. IDENTICAL, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. [stop reclaiming land, & give us 10-20 odd years to catch up on the size :p] yet we never had a problem pronouncing Singapore, or Singapura in Malay. so why do u lot of ppl have problems pronouncing Penang properly? for goodness sake you named a road after our island! C'MON la!! it's Penang. not Pee-nang.

there i'm done defending my island. again. *laughs*

bored, in a Singaporean history lecture [SSA2211],

-vince-

lack of creativity?

2008-09-15T00:28:00.003+08:00

Penang Rd wei! :D

it's like a must-do for every Penangite who steps into Singapore, as a tourist. haha :D or maybe it's just me. oh well. i mean, we have our very own Penang Road already. looks way better & busier than its namesake over here. but anyhow, thanks a lot Singaporeans, for immortalizing the name of my beloved state in your own land. free publicity for us. unless u're an ignorant Singaporean & u dunno where Penang is. what a shame. and i'd say, lack of creativity on the name though, but no matter. :p

2nd disbursement is in already!! thank God... evil thoughts are filling me fast. help me!!!

loaded with assignments suddenly, a few days before i leave for Pg. oh well, should be able to finish it like ASAP la :) nth's gonna dampen my spirit to go back home!

oh, even though i'd like to blog abt my frustration over the recent ISA-crapshit the BN Gov just conjured, i rather choose to put my faith in a New Malaysia. hidup Pakatan! *clenches fist up in the air*

sensing swift winds of change,
-vince-

updates~

2008-09-08T17:16:00.004+08:00

it's here! it's finally here! (i wish i was talking about my scholarship disbursement, but no. :s) the return of two much-awaited series; Prison Break & Gossip Girl!! 2 totally diff. genres; one can't seem to get on the good side of the law, while the other is quite a drama-queen personified show a.k.a. lives of the rich & famous, if i may say so, BRATS. *laughs*

but while these series (Heroes S3 as well, coming up really soon) begins to unfold itself every week, i've been keeping myself occupied with an American sitcom. How I Met Your Mother. it's hilarious, & Neil Patrick Harris nails down one of his finest performances; Barney Stinson. typical muthafucka, suit man, filthy rich, seemingly vulnerable & thoughtful but it all normally goes away in a flash, but nevertheless, my favorite character of the show. it's really about a dad telling his kids how he met their mother. & of cos, the ensuing tales of happiness, sadness, hilarity that follows.

i'd recommend this show to anyone who's bored & needs a good laugh. it's quite a series to catch :D

moving on. i'm going back to Penang real soon! tht's like, next weekend? :D ok it does sound soon, but before i even think of going back, i have an assignment due nx Tuesday. if evrything goes well, i'm off Kiasu-land by Thurs nite. wish me luck peeps. i miss u guys a lot. can't wait to terrorize the tomyam stalls with bee! P2P downloadings, Torrent-ing, DVDs frm B.Ferringhi, ahh life in Pg's a bliss :)

short post, but nevertheless, i hope it's informative. hahaha :D

silently wishing Sept 16th will be an momentous & life-changing date for M'sia,
-vince-

of an apex university & being broke...

2008-09-05T13:32:00.003+08:00

the cat's out of the bag. the meeting with HEP (which my rep, melati attended) was to discuss the breaking fast event in USM, in conjunction with the coming of the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Khaled Nordin. why is that so? this is because Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been accorded with the 'apex university' status! and even Universiti Malaya (UM), the oldest uni in M'sia, was rejected (in yo' face!!) :p

ok. this is my understanding of the 'apex university' status:

i. a local M'sian university with the most potential to break into the top 100 universities, according to THES rankings.

ii. tonnes & tonnes of money (we're talking abt hundreds of millions, of RM) pumped in the university to facilitate the growth.

iii. 5 years to climb up the rankings. it is near impossible, if i may say so. if 5 years gone, still not much progress, where do we go to next? this has to be MOHE's foolproof plan. i hope it is.

iv. greater autonomy to the university boards in making decisions; ranging from selection of VCs thru an independent committee

v. a change in pay scheme for lecturers too, to attract better people.

so there you go. 5 lay-man principles everyone should know abt the 'apex university' status. and i'm thankful, USM is the first in M'sia! we mite claim that USM is top in M'sia already, but let's not rest on our laurels just yet. we shall wait for the year-end rankings, & then a continuous improvement on the education system, and sustainable development.

"Universiti Sains Malaysia, Menara Ilmu Tercinta..."

right. back to reality. haha :D i'm goin' broke soon. real soon. it's an open secret that i do not spend my money on anything else, except food. yes. it has somewhat became lesser tho, ever since i stepped foot into NUS. the prices, although reasonable, it's still painful to a certain extent. food over here ain't that good, seperti yg dipompangkan oleh Singaporeans sekalian. Penang food is still the best. there, i've said it. AGAIN. tak puas? sue me ler.. :p

so, IRO, NUS, Temasek Foundation, can u pls put in my cash into my POSB account already? sudah hampir papa-kedana..

oh, stumbled upon my coursemates' blogsites last nite. some can actually blog! some created it cos Dr. Radiah required them to. blogging should never be an obligation, or smth forced upon you. it should be done out of love for it, & most importantly, have fun! oh well, having said that, this is the end of this post. i'm hungry. time for food. lol :D

USM rocks! for now :)

-vince-

what happened on the transfer deadline day.

2008-09-02T09:23:00.005+08:00

Berbatov; flanked by the two top officials of MU, who almost failed to get him over.

Berbatov in an MU shirt, FINALLY! Word has it, he'll be wearing no. 9 :)

i am relieved, to say the least. after all, the Berbatov-saga between Manchester United & Tottenham has finally came to an end, minutes before the deadline was enforced. 30.75 million pounds. that's how much he costs. furthermore, Fraizer Campbell, promising young MU star has gone over to Tottenham on a year-long loan, as part of the deal. let's hope we don't lose him as well, in the end. Berbatov is believed to be the solution for MU's woes in front of goal this season. it's still very early, but clearly evident that Rooney is not doing what he is supposed to do, and Tevez has been pressured far too much, thus not able to enjoy his free-flowing football. with show-pony a.k.a. Cristiano Ronaldo still on the sidelines, Berbatov's arrival couldn't have come at a better time.

but the news that caught my eye was, Robinho, subject of a Chelsea-Real Madrid standoff saga, has been sold to, get this, Manchester.... CITY!! 32.5 million pounds, sold within the last few minutes before the transfer window closes. sorry Scolari, but your Chelsea officials suck at brokering this deal. serves you right Kenyon! haha :)

[the rants & explanation up there are merely football jargon. to those of you who are buta bola, i'm sorry :p]

short update: it's time to begin on my assignments. 2 already thus far, but i have one due in 2 weeks time. doing assignments here is far too different than back home. thus, this is a defining point. am i able to write a critique, argumentative form of essay, it'll depend on these 2 assignments. wish me luck peeps!

i miss home. can't wait to go back. problem is, 2nd disbursement is not out yet. i'm close to being broke. shyts. NUS, hurry up with our money already! :s

[both pictures are courtesy of ManUtd.com, the official Manchester United web site :)]

Glory Glory Man Utd,
-vince-

beautiful quote, no?

2008-08-30T17:45:00.003+08:00

"Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away."

i thought it was a very witty line. Impressive, impeccable, yet subtle. This was from the movie "Hitch" btw, one of my favorite movies, starring Will Smith :)

so i've kinda finished revamping my blog. positive responses so far, thankful for that. anymore suggestions, feel free to spam my Cbox aite.

oh well, it's just another lazy Saturday afternoon in a unpredictable Singapore. why do i say so? it has to be the weather of course. contrasting weather, all happening in a span of few hours. (sounds familiar? haha.) there was this angmoh chick just nw, trying to take advantage of the sun by bringing her mat out, & lie down wit her bikini on, hoping desperately if i may say so, to get a nice tan. no offence, but i had quite a good laugh at the whole incident. i mean, nice try love, but the unpredictability of weathers in SEA (Southeast Asia in short) is just too mind-boggling, & i'd rather advise u, it's not that wise to take chances like this. *laughs*

gotta run. time to catch up on my readings. been on holiday mode for far tooooooo long now. time to wake up, vincent. you're in NUS. it's about time.

p.s. joyce has arrived in UBC, Vancouver safely. time difference: GMT -7 hrs i tink?

wondering what else to do besides reading at the moment,
-vince-

new look. same ol' me. random thoughts. missing someone hurts.

2008-08-30T02:00:00.006+08:00

yeah. quite a shocker i hope? been mulling over the idea of changing my blogskin for a while now. after all, seems that my previous blogskin has been used "far too many" times by others. i thought to myself then, i need something different. and different this is. plain as it may seem, i just love the simplicity of it. nothing too fancy, but i'll probably add a music player to this blog soon. now if only i know which blogsite player works well & has good songs... hmmm... any suggestions?

it's been officially 2 days now since joyce left for Canada. a part of me felt so envious of her when she left, for she is going to be in a foreign land, far away from home. [i'm in Singapore you see, hence the jealousy. nth to be proud of when you're only 9 hours away from home, by bus. haha :)] she'll be able to enjoy snow soon, in a few months time. the closest i've been to that point was when i was in UK for 3 weeks, years ago. back then, i left before snow managed to, you know, start snowing? sighs. it has been a childhood dream, but i guess that'll have to wait.

i wish i studied harder, for i would've got a better place for exchange. being in Singapore so far, has taught me to be systematic, studious (rather more of trying to teach me to be studious), competitive (it's rather natural, over here), but i mean, it's just an exchange programme! most ppl would love to enjoy theirs, travel around places you can only dream of, meet locals who are not Chinese :p, and etc etc etc. *laughs*

nevertheless, i'm still thankful. after all, from being in a local uni, nestled all the way among the wilderness of Sintok, to a local soon-to-be apex university in my beloved island i'm proud to call HOME, and now, for the next 5 months, in a truly world-class university just across the causeway. life truly has been kind to me thus far.

ahh these are all just random thoughts. i just miss joyce so much, and Vancouver seems too far away for me this time. 4 months is nothing really, but the agonizing pain of waiting for the days to pass by, it's quite a test already huh? and i see myself flunking it real soon. ; )

anyhow, i hope you have lotsa fun over there, make new friends, travel all over Canada if possible, take tonnes of pics & show me, and do take care ya! don't be absent minded (says marge), and please, please do go online, read this post, & get a number soon? i'm literally dying here. miss you!

p.s. an explanatory-turned-personal vendetta-turned emo-filled post. an achievement indeed! *winks*
p.p.s. DSAI is back! Budget is out! what's next? a new Gov perhaps? that'd be good.
p.p.p.s. first time having so many p.s'es in a post. another achievement! [spamming my own site, out of boredom. haha :)]

thinking of you always,
-vince-

brilliance, humility, truth. at its best.

2008-08-19T15:09:00.007+08:00

dare we say it. a new dawn for Malaysia? up till now, only one can wonder. it is not impossible, yet it seems unreachable at one point.
i was really moved & touched with these few articles. i've chosen to link 'em to this post.
if you believe in what they say, rest assured, time will tell.

In the words of the de-facto Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,

"Anak Melayu, anak kita, anak Cina anak kita, anak India, pun anak kita. Mengapa harus kita bezakan?"

"Dear Anwar.."

"G.Krishnan reflections.."

believing and showing my unwavering support for a new Malaysia,
-vince-

ahoy! brief recap.

2008-08-18T01:52:00.005+08:00

ok so i've finally found some time to do some 'coretan' a.k.a. posting something on my blog [excuses really, been spending these past few days lepaking around Singapore :p] now my recent posts says that i have quite a post comin' right up. i like to think so too.

how abt, i start with what happened 2 weeks ago when i went back to Penang, much to everyone's surprise? [yup, even my parents didn't know :)]

after some last-min planning [with mel & jun], i took a bus from JB to Kl 1st, and then Kl back to Pg! quite an enjoyable ride, snoozer seats, RM40. and i'm seriously getting the hang of sitting on very comfy buses at an additional few ringgits. lol. to cut things short, i was back in Pg, gave joycie quite a shock @ d bus terminal!
[imagine this: calling her with my Maxis number just abt 5 mins b4 she reaches, telling her tht i'm abt to cross the Johor Causeway, & then voila, jun drove her car & stopped right in front of me! pleasant surprise, no?]
wat was even better, is tht i got home, conveniently left the lights & TV on, & slept on da sofa. gave my mum quite a shock tht morning, but needless to say, everyone was happy to see me :)

enough abt my surprise trip back home. the real highlight of my trip back to Pg 2 weeks ago, was this bloody incident i'll never, ever forget for da rest of my entire life. u see, 1 morning, i was really sleepy, & i had to send joyce to uni. [sighs, a bad omen already. sleepy & driving. bad combo]. on my way home, i decided to drop by the petrol station near my place, a Shell station. there i went, pumping petrol, using the credit card, & then slid it in my wallet. now here's the depressing part:
I LEFT MY WALLET ON TOP OF MY KANCIL, RIGHT AFTER I GASSED UP, & THEN I DROVE OFF!!!

brilliant isn't it? how stupid can i be? in fact, what was i even thinking???? omfg i tell u, it was a nightmare. needless to say, the wallet dropped off on my way home, & i never saw it again. not even, up till today. i hope the bastard / bitch who found it enjoyed spending my cash, & vainly thought that my credit & debit cards could be used to do anything at all.
sad part of all: I LOST MY NUS MATRICULATION CARD AS WELL!

the amount of replacement fees i had to pay [IC, driver's license, ATM card, ez-link card, debit card, credit card] = IT WAS PAINFUL! ARGHHH...

some lesson learnt a very hard way huh? omg. i was so depressed, moodless in fact for da nx few days left in Pg. so much 4 coming back & enjoy the bits of Sg dollars i brought back to Pg to spend. aduhai.. sakit hati betul.. luckily joycie was with me throughout the whole depressing ordeal. or else, i would've seriously gone BONKERS.

note to everyone who reads this blog: ALWAYS CHECK FOR YOUR BELONGINGS ESP AFTER GASSING UP YOUR CAR. OR EVEN ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER.

there. quite a story already huh? well i tink there's more comin' up. but on a very much more pleasant note. i've finally moved into my PGP room! [thanks bro for allowing me to bunk in yr room. much appreciated :)] here are some pictorial explanations:

view as you enter thru front door

thanks to ms.cheah for my 'sporty-kiddy' bedsheet

work-table, from side view

tht's all for now. i'm probably starting my 1st travelogue of Singapore soon. [been around a few places in Sg d, but not much pics taken yet. ooops :p] oh and dad is down in Sg for an educational trip - bringing his sch teachers for a visit to Victoria School & marvel over da things schools in M'sia will prob not have yet anytime soon *laughs* met up with him for lunch @ little india, & den dinner - indian food as well. what can i say, i'm a muhibbah person. lol.

signing off now! ciao!

p.s. congrats to all BATI seniors on yr graduation!!

travel check : clarke quay (during the day), suntec city, raffles place, little india, bugis (junction & street), national library [pics up soon :)]

irony & reality revisited,
-vince-

thousand apologies

2008-08-14T14:42:00.002+08:00

haven't been able to find time to blog. things are starting to get pretty busy over here. at the moment, taking Political Science papers, Tamil 1 (cool rite?) & a Singapore Studies module (curious at how Singapore interpret their history, esp the ones involving Boleh-land. oops i meant Malaysia. lol)

will update soon. long one comin' right up!
Singapore is fun thus far. & i've gotta say, NUS students are very privileged & pampered. seriously. will fill u in more when i manage to find time.

tht's all for now. ciao folks!

experiencing simplicity & sophistication all at once,
-vince-

omg!

2008-08-11T17:26:00.001+08:00

i have 1000+ visitors already? *yays*

more updates will be up soon. sorry for the delay :)

singapore and malaysia.

2008-08-01T15:51:00.006+08:00

this is exactly WHY MALAYSIA CAN NEVER BE LIKE SINGAPORE. pisses me off really, yet wat to do? the contents in the article are spot on. don't believe me? read on!

"At 84, the fire still burns!"
By Ahmad Mustapha.
Taken frm : blog.limkitsiang.com

wondering what Malaysia will become,
-vince-

still blogging frm Raffles..

2008-07-31T13:39:00.003+08:00

it's already been a week since i left Penang. (wow! tht fast huh? time flies..) haven't been doin' anything productive (still) thus far. but oh i've got my student pass already, opened up a bank account (finally) and still to come later, move bit by bit of my luggage to PGP! as u can see frm my title, i'm still bunking wit my buddy, Thomas over in Raffles. somehow feeling a bit pressurized and guilty for staying in his room, n not helping out much in his pet project - Raffles Float. if i get tht right.

sighs. i miss home. ok. strike tht. i miss being in Malaysia. even though Singapore's like just a causeway/2nd link away, it's feels weird. it's like i'm in a strange land. hard to explain. ahh don't mind me. i'll get used to things in Singapore in no time.

i hope everything is well back home. keep me updated k ppl? i would luv to know wat's happening and all (being the CNN tht i am). *laughs*

here's my student pass & NUS matriculation card :)

missing home & good food,
-vince-

just needed to do something beneficial.

2008-07-30T01:01:00.003+08:00

day 3-4 in singapore. the claims are true, thus far. superb public transportation system (public bus & MRTs alike), beautiful girls to admire at in abundance, and having 3 fast-food joints within the campus itself. how cool can it be stil? tht remains to be seen.

a full day ahead tmr. University Hall 1st, to sign a form. den International Relations Office to collect 1st disbursement. off to Clementi to open a bank account, and then back to IRO again to submit a copy of my bank account slip, and lastly, collect my student pass. means i have to get up early tomorrow morning. dang!

oh and these past few days over here has been relatively boring. i mean, the freshies are being 'ragged', tommy's busy with his float (helping him out whenever i can), watching movies, eat at weird times, and stuffs lydat. nth productive. oh but i did walk around. a lot. tht counts for smth i tink? haha :) haven't gone to PGP to get a glimpse of my room yet. will do so soon. in da meantime, can i just say, I'M MISSING PENANG ALREADY?

i mean i miss the food, the ppl, and of course ppl i care about. food over here are reasonably priced, but they're not as good as Pg's. truthfully speaking. tht's y i love my island a lot. ppl say Penangites are hard to please when it comes to food. it's as if our tongues were fitted with a food-taste sensor chip from young. bad food = REJECTED!! haha :)

and to be frank, NUS is like a mini-Malaysia in it. the Malaysian community over here is HUGE! talk abt the brain drain we're suffering at the moment. NUS is brilliant. our gov is stupid. UM and their ego too. sighs. enuf said.

exploring Singapore will have to wait, for now. i need to reorganize my priorities.

trying hard not to miss Pg & the cheapness of M'sian Ringgit,
-vince-

arrived :)

2008-07-27T10:17:00.003+08:00

ok so i took a bit longer to arrive in Sg. but i finally did. after 2 days spent in PJ, specifically jung's place, i've finally arrived in NUS.

it was a good journey down south, Aeroline was really comfortable, esp when it's the double-deck bus. really really comfortable. not to mention, i'm in luv with the lower deck. more leg-space, plug points, working table. only thing missing - Wi Fi. but hey i ain't complaining.

oh something happened while i was going into Singapore. u see, i've never travelled out of Malaysia for quite a while (the jakun and cheapo i am), and i didn't know that i had to fill in some stupid white immigration card at the Sg checkpoint. so there i was, standing by the side of the check-in counter, filling up the stupid card. embarassing siut.. a bad lesson, but a lesson learnt the hard way nevertheless.

anyway once i'm in Sg, it was smooth-sailing all the way. i think. haha :) jit-vern waited for me @ the harbour-front center, then we took a bus (no.10, luckily not 11) which brought us rite smack into NUS! and yes, i'm about to really praise their public transportation system already, but shall tahan 1st, til i experience more awesomeness :p

anyways, after arriving, we went for a drink at a local-mamak joint. nth much to expect or praise about, ok the price was a bit steep. dollar-4-dollar, it's expensive. and i din bother converting. menyakitkan hati je. hahaha.

to cut a long story short, jit-vern fetched me with his hall van to thomas's place, raffles hall. met daphne too on my way in, and she looks.. erm different. no longer that innocent already i guess. lol.

and so here i am, finally in NUS. it's still a bit weird tho to be here on exchange, considering the fact that there are tonnes of M'sians here already, esp in the residence halls! oh well, will try to make the most out of my stay here :)

tht's all for now. a new morning beckons!

p.s. miss ya joycie! :)

impression elevated,
-vince-

time to go!

2008-07-24T16:50:00.001+08:00

i'm off to Singapore! via KL tht is, and 2 buses. a hassle, i know. economical :)

will keep u guys updated ASAP la. till then, wish me luck!

bracing for awesomeness,
-vince-

list of things to do while i'm in Singapore.

2008-07-19T15:58:00.002+08:00

1. get thinner.
2. walk more.
3. marvel @ its wonderful & efficient public transportation.
4. pay a visit to St.Joseph's Institution.
5. if possible, i wanna go Singfest!
6. The Carrot Cake Conversation. can't wait to watch it.
7. shop for a pair of Nike sneakers. and a portable music player, preferably an iPod [just one of my planned indulgences] :p
8. trying out all good food joints, which are not available in Malaysia.
9. grow a bit thinner. [think i mentioned tht already?] :)
10. have lots and lots of fun while i'm there!
11. will list out more once i've sorted out my priorities. smth tells me i forgot to include NUS in the list..

hmmm..

6 mths personal discovery beckons!
-vince-

caught red-handed!

2008-07-17T09:22:00.003+08:00

caught in action yet again, tis time enjoying Oldtown's sinfully delicious French toast.
or like kean jung pronounces it, "fa-lan-sai torsi"

latest update from me: i've dropped all my courses. now all i need to do, is get approval of courses taken in NUS. tht's all. & then i'm free, for the next 1 week. so ppl, siapa-siapa yg nk meet up, let me noe k! [sounding like a big-time superstar pulak, smth oni my bradder kh is capable of :p]

excited and afraid at the same time abt my prospect in NUS. i'm gonna be in a world-class university, and it is a defining moment in my life for me. let's hope i'm able to distinguish myself, and finally fulfill the 'so-called' untapped potential that i have.

aite tht's enuf for now. The Dark Knight is released today. can't wait to see the late Heath Ledger in his best performance, some say worthy of a posthumous Oscar. way to go!

two of my closest buddies in campus, dev & jaya will be leaving for Bosnia tmr morning. safe journey aite guys, see ya when i see ya again..

ok tht's enuf of goodbyes for now. gotta save it up for nx week :(

packing his bags, but not quite ready to go,
-vince-

flashnews!

2008-07-06T22:36:00.004+08:00

1st pic EVER on this blog, with me being caught in the act :p

was taken in Italiannies, The Curve. wasn't tht good seperti yg DIPOMPANGKAN oleh KL-lites. haha. i hope there's more to come. i mean pics like tis. this pic has generated quite a few comments on Facebook. oh well, thanks to lean, i've gotta admit, it's a good pic :) [bangga giler.. :)]

moving on to even better news. i'm off to NUS in 18 days! with a scholarship to go along with it! yeps tht's right. 5 mths away from USM, from home, Joycie, & friends. OKAY.. so it is SLOWLY sounding like not-so-very good news already. shucks. i'm gonna miss a lot of stuffs. things i've grown really fond of. for instance, MY CAR. LOL :p

tht's all for now. gtg. will blog again soon! *winks*

Singapore-bound,
-vince-

logic.

2008-06-26T05:25:00.002+08:00

u see. i've been thinking. this blogsite's URL was named vincentlivesforfood. add a few spaces between tht long sentence, it's supposed to look like "vincent lives for food." the main gist of tht line is, FOOD. but so far, i've never had a post featuring food. any type at all. seriously. oh well, i think it's high time i start taking photos of good food for featuring purposes, before i actually finish 'em.

actually hor, just finding an excuse to eat le. haha :)

-vince-

gossip anyone?

2008-06-24T02:40:00.004+08:00

WARNING: typical chick impersonation ahead. read with caution.

omg. i've just started watching Gossip Girl. it rocks. seriously. for all you OC fans out there, they're back. albeit in the form of 2 much hotter foxes 2 drool at, and of course, irritatingly rich poster boys spending away their parents' inheritance, all in the name of LIFE. they're people you'd love to hate. it's all drama. it surely is.

you know you love me.
xoxo :*

p.s i warned you. told ya i was gonna sound like a chick. haha :)

p.p.s of course, if u wanna noe who could be as bitchy as them, it's only him. HE even blogs like her too! hahaha :) ahkhua @ alvin tan

looking fwd to more drama,
-vince-

an insight. a piece of advice. i hope it helps. or not.

2008-06-22T04:01:00.002+08:00

currently sitting in front of my TV, watching Netherlands trail Russia 1-0 at the moment. gotta say, the Dutch really cudn't do much abt Pavyluchenko's goal, beautifully worked, and a poacher's effort. haha :)

so wat actually got me blogging in the mid of tis game, well it probably is somewhat a reaction, an insight of a problem a friend of mine mite be facing now. (hey, even though you didn't really tell me the story, but i think i can guess what it may be.)

it has been a while since it happened i think. u see, this friend of mine, she is gorgeous. she's pretty. a beauty with brains, as some might put it. basically single & still available. sounds too surreal, too good to be true huh? & i dun simply compliment gals for their looks. and looks only. hey, a compliment is given when it's due, no? u've gotta agree with me. well. moving on. surprisingly enuf, she has never been in a proper relationship before.

tht's where what i perceive to be a problem started. she started flirting. yeah. FLIRTING. not only with a guy, but with a few guys at once. 1st glance, no harm rite? after all, she's single. well, flirting & getting emotionally attached is a different thing altogether. tht's when what was perceived as FUN gets serious. having a preference for 1 guy doesn't make it any easier.

sigh. now i'm not trying to be BigBro on The Star or some Aunt Agony for a column (though, i have a penchant for being a very good listener) but having been in predicaments pertaining relationships, & of cos, my fair share of the drama & heartache in it, my advice to her is: don't go looking for love, for it'll appear to u when the time is right. dun ask me when, for God works in His very own mysterious ways.

i mean, what's the rush? we're still studying. who knows what the world holds for you? who knows how their future will turn out like? being single is not a crime. sure, you'll feel lonely. you'll feel depressed. wat more, if almost all your frens have their other halves with them, and you have no one. YET. the YET is there b'cos time will decide. it's no harm getting to know more ppl seriously, but get to know them for friendship's sake. not go into a friendship with an ulterior motive.

this is where having good & close friends comes in handy. spend more time with them. hang out. do things together. even though it's not a heartache yet, but it's better to be safe than sorry. it is never wise to jump into a relationship, or looking around for love. as Lou Bega once sang, flirting is just like a sport. if you're good at it, congratulations. but does it get you anywhere? and are u sure flirting with numerous guys at once, helps saves you the heartache?

you decide. you tell me.

praying for a Dutch miracle,
-vince-

an update nonetheless.

2008-06-21T06:35:00.003+08:00

it's been a lil' over a week now since i left KL. gotta say, i don't really miss tht place. but i miss cha chiang mien (minced meat noodles). it seriously is one of the highlights of my 1.5 mths stay in KL. haha. thanks to tht stint in KL, i missed out on being one of USM's PPMS (pembimbing pelajar minggu suaikenal, i tink). all b'cos i bought a ticket to balik 1 FREAKING DAY after the programme started. sighs.. a waste of wat could've been a good experience. a 1st-hand account on how the Gov tries to "bina the boleh-land mentality" within you. damn wud've loved experiencing tht. oh well, takde rezeki la nampaknya tis time..

oh well. moving on. some good news. i've just received my NUS offer letter. 5 mths in Singapore doesn't sound too bad at all. & the promise of a scholarship tht comes along with it, it is some good news after all. hahaha :) looking fwd to spending the cash *laughs*

EURO '08 has been THE cause of me sleeping at irregular hours these days. a bit disappointed as one of the pre-tournament favorites, Portugal was bundled out by perennial knock-out stage experts, Germany. to think tht they played like crap during the group stages. lucky 'em. but hey, Netherlands & Spain are still in contention. my top two picks for the title this time around. let's hope for the best aite.

haven't been doin' anything productive these days. i like the term 'catching up with sleep & food.' being the essential factors tht keeps me alive, & factors i was deprived of when i was in KL, it's good to be able to use tht again. long story short, i'm pretty much back to being a slacker.

LI report format has jz arrived via Dr.Hasuria's email. due July 11th. still a long time to go. but then again, gotta start doing it already. soon. i hope.

tht's all for now. will update more frequently & soon.
ciao~

rooting for the Spaniards & the Dutch to steamroll their opponents,
-vince-

woots!

2008-06-09T08:32:00.002+08:00

*thx minny for d reminder. hope u had a blast in bangkok :)

40th post on this blog. quite an achievement i'd say. i've actually managed to keep a blogsite running, & it has 40 posts already! yays :) oh, and even better news, I'LL BE BACK IN PENANG NEXT WEEK! yeps, we (joyce & i) finally found a way to leave ITNM. (like i said before, it's not a bad place to intern at, esp for translation students, it's just plain boring, tht's all :p) all thanks to our impending exchange programme. on tht note, i hope everything turns out well for the both of us. Singapore doesn't look tht bad after all ;)

except for the fact tht petrol prices have been raised, (78 cents is just too steep of a price-hike) which is a low-point of my impending return back to my isla paradiso (ain't feeling the pain yet, till i'm back in Pg of cos) bee's coming back soon. yays! late nite excursions, tomyam eat-outs exploration, it's looking all good & rosy in Penang. just the rite time to be back, won't u say so? hahaha.

and i went to a superb banana leaf makan place over at Bangsar Village during the weekend. gotta say, it's one of the best i've ever had, even better then Ananda's in Tg.Bungah! seriously dei. kevin's seriously good at introducing good food [like the ones in Pg :)] made available over here in KL. & it's cheap. omfg! where summore can find cheap & good food in KL? if anyone knows, do tell me k? hehehe. oh, and i went to Italiannies too! good food, but the reputation's a lil' overrated. pics coming soon! (lean, i want pics ya!)

tht's all for now. LOOKING FWD TO BE BACK! :)

rejoicing & worried at the same time over the rumoured bus ticket price-hike,
-vince-

you've gotta read this.

2008-06-03T09:26:00.003+08:00

oh and i 4got. once u've read this, u'll never feel the same way about your car again. or not.

EK's blog

-vince-

random. boredom. go figure.

2008-06-03T09:01:00.003+08:00

i mite be a procrastinator. a good one in fact. i normally finish up work given to me within a reasonable amount of time. however, if i finish it fast, i'll get bored soon. i don't want to get bored tht soon. [spoken like a true professional procrastinator :p]

one thing's for sure, i bet u can't be as bored as i am, especially in the office these days. for instance: i am able to watch movies during work. i am even able to take naps BEFORE or AFTER lunch. i am able to d/l songs & albums via direct downloads. and i even manage to finish up my work (well most of the time, albeit one, which is the stupid 'clean text' work). most ppl are envious at what i'm doing, or the situation i'm in at the moment. well i'm not. jokes aside, this has been quite a wasteful & expensive experience in KL.

i mean, i've managed to experience life in KL. a life away from home. a life away from my cars, good food & convenience. but at what cost? i chose & was chosen to be an intern at ITNM, which is a prestigious translation institute in Malaysia aka Bolehland. as nice as it may sound, i've learnt NOTHING much so far. besides the 2 international conferences i went to during the 1st week, it has been boring office-boy stuffs for me. not to mention being in formals & having to sit in the office. makes me realize that i'm not too comfortable with a sit-in-the-office work kinda crap. i'm just not cut-out 4 tht. hahaha..

anyways, i'm trying to find a way to go back home sooner. no disrespect, living with kevin has been fun. life in KL has been satisfactory, to say the least. but dun get me started on the food, expenditure & transportation. tht aside, it has been an eventful 4 weeks in KL thus far. but i'm ready to go home now. or soon. hopefully a 'saviour', in the form of a letter will come from USM soon. in the meantime, i'll just bask in the 'glory' of being an intern in an office where i clearly have nothing much to do. which kinda explains how i manage to blog this post now :)

oh well. so much for this post then. oh, & i did not manage to get LHP 459 this semester. puzzles me really. my core paper, i'm in my 2nd year, & i didn't get a place. wat's wrong with Pusat Bahasa? irritating to say the least, but i'll have to sort it out wit Pusat Bahasa soon. but of course, if my NUS application is approved, screw u LHP 459! :p

setting his sights on going home soon,
-vince-

of results & expectations unfulfilled.

2008-05-27T08:24:00.003+08:00

so, the moment of truth has arrived. my finals results were released y'tday afternoon i think, and both joyce and i stumbled upon it by accident. still, it was a nerve-wrecking few minutes of my boring time at work (what more can i ask for: an adrenaline rush on a lazy, unproductive Mon afternoon) and with all the Monday blues, the shock i was about to get was a lil' too much i'd say.

so i din really fare too badly this time. it was unfortunately worse than last sem's results (a brief recap: i was only 0.1 point away from dean's list), but i still managed to maintain a 3 pointer (tht's wat all BATI students should aim for, esp if you're a mediocre. sub-standard undergrad like me :p) but anyways, seems everyone's results dropped too. even joyce (tho she still managed to maintain her dean's list position; 4th time in a row k..) what was shocking was, i did not manage to get any As for any of my English papers this sem! seriously wei.. such a dent, a crushing dent to my ego when it comes to English. i have always been proud of it, but seems USM's Pusat Bhs & Dr.Azimah found a way to push my ego off me, once & for all. yes, tht's right, by not giving me an A. wat's worse, i got a C! omfgwtfh? i'm not too sure. seriously. and my pronunciation paper, i only got a B+? this is getting a lil' out of hand i'd say. the two papers i was quietly confident of scoring, turned out to be my flaws & disappointing news this sem. sighs.. proves tht i still have a long way to go, & tht i'm still young & naive, underestimating the power of lecturers & complacency.

all tht aside, i'm relieved to have still managed to maintain a 3 pointer. & i still have prob 3-4 more sems to go, still lotsa opportunities to aim for the dean's list. rite? (what a way of encouraging myself. perasan :p)

so, no dean's list for me this sem. but then again, so what? it's not the end of the world. plus, this working stint in KL has taught me, tht life as a student is so much more nicer, & it's up to me to enjoy this time of my life. for it'll probably won't ever come again. :)

p.s i didn't fail Aniswal's Perkamusan paper! so so happy n relieved :)

expecting the unexpected still,
-vince-

My Life As It Is..

I'm back!

an exodus revisited.

of headers, simplicity and a whole lot more.

exodus. revisited.

it's been a while..

:)

the reporter? a piece worth pondering on.

kak yasmin, this is me bidding u a fond farewell.

thinking aloud :)

of happiness and being cultured.

exhaustion.

defining moments in life.

random updates

laughing-out-loud & being simple

a confession. a celebration.

Day 2

Project 365 - Day 1

a school for all Malaysians?

T.T

insomnia? or saja nak drama?

random thoughts :)

perutku lapar.

how to win and vie for the Italian job?

a brief holiday plan in tatters?

memories!

a much-needed change?

self-discovery.

something to ponder on :)

of meeting old friends, & feeling nostalgic :)

random sangat-sangat!

irritated.

I Love The Whole World!

just a bit of sharing.

Talentime = indescribable!

25 random stuffs abt me :)

busy busy!

of frogs, Thaipusam & being steadfast to my Chinese roots.

reflecting. once more.

yoohoo!

long overdued pic.

life in uni, setakat ni :)

Merry Christmas :)

of potential unfulfilled. of trying times. of seizing the moment.

a close brush with death.

Muallaf - a review.

a sneak peek of what's to come.

random. of a blunder and a happy ending..

sudden. random.

oldies-struck

"You can take a Penangite out of Penang, but never the Penang out of a Penangite."

of my Tamil exam and the rest...

bo mood.

inexplicable.

in the midst of procrastinating - my 2 cents

ok i'm bored.

lovebug?

bored as hell.

i miss you!

pre-deepavali celebrations in Singapore :)

of an eventful weekend, deepavali, happy people and good food...

love this song!

*update* gambar posers yg seterusnya :D

posernya aku.

swing.

modification in motion. layout done. fedoras. shopping. exciting!

could this be me? you decide.

post number 69. a milestone.

excitement ahead.

itching for a change.

of life. of being alone. of my interesting week back home. an insight.

H.O.M.E.

puzzled. astonished.

lack of creativity?

updates~

of an apex university & being broke...

what happened on the transfer deadline day.

beautiful quote, no?

new look. same ol' me. random thoughts. missing someone hurts.

brilliance, humility, truth. at its best.

update gambar posers yg seterusnya :D