Boys Like Girls

Oh, I'm quite a fan of them, even before they hit mainstream. Their music is simply fantastic and seeing them live at MTVWS last 15th August was a dream come true. So, after all the wait, MTVWS is finally airing tonight on MTV Asia at approximately 9 PM Malaysian time. I can't wait! I would love to watch it again, this time on TV. And while browsing through YouTube, guess what I found? Watch the video. It's HILARIOUS! But I gotta say kudos to Martin and Paul for trying. They aren't too bad at it either!



Mood: Happy

Time After Time

That song is timeless. Random thought there. Well, as I sit here in this computer chair, I wonder, why on earth did I spend almost the whole day online? That question remains to be answered. Time sure does fly when you go 'window shopping' or blog surfing. There is this one car blog I like in particular. I can spend hours just reading about what I love, cars (among other things, of course). Today, I did just that.

After quite an unstable week, today proved to be much better. However, my spirit in doing calculus or the physics homework given depleted as soon as I arrived home. After not being able to go online for as far as I can remember (excluding last night's post), I just had to go online. The computer was literally 'calling' for me. And that was when a few minutes turned into hours which later, turned into most of the day today. I feel like I wasted a lot of precious time today. When others are struggling by using their brains attempting the homework and assignments, I just sat here all day doing nothing that would benefit my life whatsoever. And so I have reached a conclusion, I must stay away from the computer during weekdays. I will try this out for the rest of the week and hopefully I will succeed. I need to set my priorities straight here, and going online is perhaps not even on the list.

I have yet again procrastinated on doing any work and so I will be burdened with the absurd amount of calculus work tomorrow plus the other homework I received today. I can't say I am too happy but I realize the only person to blame is myself. But oh well, time cannot go backwards and plus there is no use in regretting the past or thinking too much about it. I also have to think about tomorrow and how I shall spend my 4 hours of break (my psychology class is cancelled for the week) before physics lab. Perhaps I shall do my homework? I don't know. Only time would tell. Oh, and sorry for such a random post.

Mood: Content

Pathetic

Something has been bugging me lately. I can't tell what it is honestly. I can't tell if its calculus or if it's the drama that revolves around my everyday life. Hopefully it is just the calculus. So much has happened this week that I can't seem to grasp it yet. I may be all smiles in public but deep down, not even I can tell how on earth I feel. This whole week has been bland so far. Although feeling 100% better than I did last week (physically), I feel even worse now (mentally). I guess my brain is just shutting down. It does not want to accept anymore drama, or perhaps effing hard calculus questions. The departure of a great friend to the States' makes me that much more sad, although I am utmost happy for him. If you want to tell me "I know how you feel," to make me feel better, save it. Because truth be told YOU HAVE NO IDEA. So save your energy by not typing out all your sympathy comments or how I call it pathetic comments and do make this world a better place to live in. I don't need em'. Makes me feel more pathetic that I already feel.
Thank you.

Mood: Not good.

Calculus Madness

This week has been a week where I had been fed with math work, after math work, after math work. I might as well become a math geek now. Although I am struggling in it a little, I kind of enjoy it. Oh well, the weekend is here. I wonder what I will be doing. Calculus, anyone?

Oh, and tomorrow's Ramadhan! Time to slim down these cheeks (and cheeks only!). Woohoo! Workout till we drop (well, not literally) people! That's the motto of the month. In other normal months it will and always will be shop till we drop people! Haha, just kidding, really.

OK, that's all for now, until next time! Have a great weekend guys!

Splendid Weekend

I have to say, this might have been one of the most epic weekends EVER. It all began on Saturday. MTV World Stage was to be on this day and thanks to Justine, I received my *free* pass. I was over the moon, literally. And so, I left home feeling all hyped (although not feeling really well), and just as I expected I missed the first train to my destination. Great. This is when Touch & Go comes dandy, really. I had to wait for and extra 45 minutes for the train to arrive again (sigh) and when I got there Justine was already waiting (sorry mama and papa Justine!). Although I had to go through all this, it all paid off. As Justine was to go get the extra pass for another friend from her friend (confusing, much?), the band Raygun was seated 5 feet away from us having a before-the-show meeting I suppose. After that, they were kind enough to take photos with fans and I was just frozen there that I didn't even come to me to get a picture with them! I am quite mad at myself for not doing so, but it's OK, there is always a next time. I at least got to meet them. And because of this, I am officially a fan of them. Come to Malaysia again Raygun!

Back to the story. This part is even more awesome. So, incredibly awesome that words cannot explain. As we were leaving the resort, guess who comes walking in. Tyson Ritter of All American Rejects! I was like, 'I must get a picture with him'. Justine was handling the camera and I just told her to snap away. Just as I expected though a whole crowd (might I say community?) of girls mobbed Tyson! Chris (the drummer of AAR) was kind enough to take the photos for the fans, but just as I was going to get the money shot, the pesky security shooed us away (noooooo!). Just my luck right? But it's OK, I got within 1 foot of him. Wish I had a photo though, but life goes on, right? And so, me and Justine were headed to the mall (I needed lunch!) and while walking towards it, look who passes us (pesky security included), Nick, the guitarist of AAR. Completely starstruck, I had one mission left. Meet Boys Like Girls in flesh.

The day continued with the fans crowding the pool area and waiting under the rain for the show to begin. And when it did, a local act officiated the show. Estranged (the name of the band) sang 4 head-banging songs one after another. There was even a time where I was pushed and shoved because the fans had gone wild! The next act was special. Boys Like Girls came on stage! I was overjoyed. I have no idea though what happened to Martin's voice, though. Despite that, I thought it was spectacular. After the countless times spamming their MySpace page for them to come to Malaysia, they finally made it to our shores. How thankful I am to actually see them here before I fly off to the US. Martin even added they may come here again somewhere in October. So, mark your calenders people! The show went on with Pixie Lott, Raygun and Hoobastank. They all performed remarkably. Perhaps most hilarious part of the night was when Doug (front man of Hoobastank) made us sing along to the Ghost Busters theme song. However, I think the prime of the primes of performances was by All American Rejects and Kasabian. Wow did they put on quite a show I tell you. Tyson really can sing live. The whole crowd sang along to their catchy tunes. They performed 7 songs in total and was a mix between slow soothing songs to energy-pumping-jump-around-singalongs. It was remarkable I tell you. Kasabian on the other hand, although I have only heard a handful of their songs, Tom Meighan definitely knows how to put on a show! Wow, I wouldn't think twice about catching them live again. They're awesome! I am officially a fan of them too now! Haha!

When I realised the show was finally over, I felt the agonizing pain my legs were giving me. I had been standing for more than 6 hours from beginning to the end of the show. I also still needed to eat and definitely was in dire-need of a shower. The walk out of the park was truly painful. I even pleaded to Justine to pull me uphill (didn't work though, sigh). When I finally got home, I ate my food. What I had was a KFC Zinger Burger, Cheesy Wedges, 6 pieces of nuggets and a regular Tropicana Twister. I ate like I hadn't eaten in days, no months, perhaps even years.

Moving on to today (Sunday). I was to headed to Sunway Pyramid (yet again) for a friend's farewell party, since next week we will welcome the holy month of Ramadhan, it had to be done today. As I got dressed, I texted a friend and she told me that another friend was going to pick us up around 1pm. As usual, we Malaysians have a tendency of being tardy, so my friend eventually came to pick me up around 2pm. Great. So 5 people were headed to the mall to grab a bite, and do whatever that sounded good. So we got seated in Manhattan's Fish Market, debated on which is the better deal to order for a bit and finalised our order in approximately 15 minutes. While waiting for our order to arrive, we chatted a little, laughed a lot, and also took quite an amount of photos, mainly candid ones though. Ackk!

The day went on with us 'lying' to the said friend (who is leaving next week! Bye!) so 2 other friends and I could sneak around and find a decent pair of jeans, as a present for him. We found the jeans (4 stores later), bought it and sat at a coffee shop. I am pretty sure the waiters were a tad furious. All we ordered was 3 bottles of water. Oh well, that still contributes to the profit they get right? Anyway, after a debate between bowling, ice skating and archery, we settled for archery. My focus was definitely off because a friend could not stop laughing as she was pretty much aim-less (sorry!). I got 4 bulls eyes out of all the drama happening at the archery range (is that what we call it?). Also, I almost got penetrated by one arrow which flew a few centimeters in front of me. This is the result of an arrow a friend launched to the target that decided to come back and haunt me. Thank goodness no one was injured. Today was another epic day. On the way home, 7 people squeezed in a 4 seat car, a friend was given a well-deserved farewell, I had fun, but most importantly my friends had fun.

Back home though was a different story. As my mom brought the house keys and went out, I couldn't enter my house. I had to wait 35 minutes until the door finally opened (my brother was inside doing who-knows-what). I was a tad bit furious but the fun and excitement I had today just canceled that off. And so I am left with sweet memories this weekend. I had perhaps the most wonderful time ever. I am so glad I changed my mind at the last minute to go to MTVWS. If not, this weekend would perhaps be another snooze-fest.

Moments That Mattered

"Eh, mahalnya!" Wow, that made my day last Monday. It is not a usual thing any Malaysian would say to a 'mamak' waiter and this coming out from a German, I couldn't help but laugh. The whole restaurant was shocked as he said this. I am guessing they have never met a Malay-speaking Caucasian before. But hey, this friend of mine studied Malay and he's a pro now. Clear evidence is that I (a Malay from Malaysia) speaks English to this German and he replies to me in what else? Malay. Heh. No good. Meeting him after 2 years was truly memorable. He's still the joker I may say. Still has the jokes up his sleeve. Ahh, it's nice to have friends who can just make you smile and laugh all the time. Life has clearly changed a little. During this chapter of his road trip, he brought along his girlfriend. Both of em' make a good couple I must say. I brought along one of my best friend ever and she clearly did not regret accompanying me. Well, back to the story. After taking 30 minutes or so figuring out what to pick from the menu (there are 50 types of roti literally) we sat and chatted till the sun came down. During the meet, we met ex-school teacher. We asked him to join. He did. Chatted for a few, and he had to rush home. Then we all were done and so I dropped him home and couldn't do anything else after. Was dead tired. I must say the meet was superb. Oh yeah, another interesting thing that happened on Monday was the start of a new semester. 'Awesome'.

Moving on to Tuesday. I got lost in calculus (literally). I had no idea how to integrate no more (but now I do though, thank goodness!). Also had Psychology. Was interesting enough to hear what the course was about. Am planning to also major in Psychology some day. Not now though. That will have to wait. But honestly, Psychology fascinates me.

Wednesday was movie day. Was going to be quite a day really. After only recently changing my mind from no to yes on MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia from a no to yes, I was desperate to find a pass! Oh yes I was. I so texted everyone I knew, thinking they would have an extra. No luck there. Well, I contained myself for the day. We were to watch G.I Joe in the afternoon. That was the only thing I was looking forward to. This was because I wasn't allowed to go out for the late movie Justine invited me to at The Curve later on in the day. Also happening was the Boys Like Girls meet at where else, The Curve. I was begging and pleading to my parents to allow me to go. I wanted to see Boys Like Girls, get an autograph, poster, their new CD, and a photograph with them (how cool!) and not to forget, watch the movie. They gave me an ultimatum. NO. Sigh. Now back to G.I Joe, It was a great movie. Can't really complain about anything. It just was a good movie I tell you. So, when Justine and others (Andre and Ikhsan) were bound for The Curve, I sort of had wanted to jump into the car anyway and go. But unfortunately I didn't. I went home feeling sad, sad, and more sad. All hope was not lost though. I received a call. Perhaps one of the most important ones this year. It was Justine. Great news she said. I have the pass for you to MTV's event. Boy did I scream in the phone (sorry Justine!). I told her thanks and goodbye and screamed, jumped and ran around the house for 5 full minutes. Was feeling like a lunatic but oh well. I was on cloud nine and I had to enjoy the moment. Still jealous of her though as she saw Boys Like Girls up close! Its OK, as long as I'm going now, I don't even care about Wednesday anymore. When night came, I realised I had tons to do. Calculus work. 10 questions. Only managed 3 at first. When David Archuleta's 'Touch My Hand' song was playing on my play list, I got inspiration for another questions. 4/10 questions answered. HELP!

Today, I found out I did not get in the section I wanted for my microeconomics class. Was frustrated for 5 minutes (perhaps 3) as it was technically not my fault. Apparently the schedules they gave out during the start of the new semester differed from the ones in their records. I was baffled. How could it be different. That was the timetable I took on the front desk last Monday and now the office lady is like "oh, you have to make sure you have the updated one". Updated my ass. I took the class timetables last Monday and sent in my add/drop on the day itself to ensure higher probability of me getting into the class. But apparently it changed on Tuesday and so I was, of course assigned a different schedule. Awesome. Well, now that's off my chest, I took a while to think and rethink of different courses I could sign up for but eventually, I decided to take only 3 courses this semester. Realising how tough this semester will be, I felt I was making the right decision.

I am really looking forward for Saturday. It would definitely be a blast. Can't wait!

Reflection

It has been a little over a year since I returned. The sweet memories of my stay are still fresh in my mind. Come on, how can I forget. It was perhaps the best time of my life. Indeed I had a lot of fun there. New friends and a host family who were by my side every step of the way, what more can I ask? Boy, do I miss them alright. The 6 months stay in the ‘land of the stars’ has broadened my perspective of life. Before, I used to want things done a certain way, my way and my way only (a perfectionist I may be). It did get me far academic-wise, but I wasn’t ‘living’ life. Now, I have loosened up a little, and perhaps I am enjoying life more than I ever had. Don’t worry though; I am still me, but perhaps a little better.

The most incredible thing I ‘discovered’ about myself was that I could do more than I could ever imagine. All it takes is a little self-belief. Believe me people, with this, you could work wonders! Come on, I survived 6 months away from my beloved family and friends. It was as if I had to start new, a new chapter of my life. It was quite difficult at first I must say, but I got through it. I made wonderful new friends who until now I keep in touch with and also an awesome second family that I can rely on. So if I can do this, couldn’t you?

I also realised that whatever it is, just be yourself wherever in the world you are. I know quite a few people who has changed (for the worse) upon returning home. They have become people that are strangers to me, as if I had just met them. Come on people, who are you trying to impress? Why on earth do you have to be someone you are not, just to be accepted? There are over 6 billion people on earth. It is impossible that no one would like you for being who you are. It is fine if you absorb admirable qualities, but why do you want to be depicted as someone who is so-called a ‘bad-ass’ so you can impress? It is a wonder you know. I was in the states for the same period of time. I kept myself grounded and I thank God for that. Without His guidance I may not be the person who I am today. OK, I did let go a little here and there but you wouldn’t see me flat-out drunk, face flat on the ground in my own vomit (gross!). You see, alcohol is prohibited in the religion I am practicing. Whenever I am asked the “do you drink?” question, I always reply back by saying “for sure I do, just non-alcoholic ones though.” If they laugh, be it. I don’t care. But thankfully most people accepted me for who I am, and I am happy for that.

The journey of my life until now has been wonderful. Bittersweet I must say but hey, that is life. If all things were to go my way, it wouldn’t be called life, but a fairytale. And since life isn’t a fairytale, there must be ups and downs. Thank goodness I have extraordinary parents, and indescribable friends. Without these wonderful people in my life, I would not have been the person I am today.

Out With The Old, In With The New

College is going to start in a few days and I have yet started on my 'Summer To Do List'. I remember having written it down on a nice A4 sized sheet of paper and even signing it (yes, lame) to ensure I actually get to the tasks. However, the sheet now is just history as I can't seem to find it. Perhaps Mr. Recycling-man took it already. Who knows? Anyway, I decided to change a little in conjunction with this final week of summer. I decided to be a little more useful.

It all started last Monday when it hit me, I only have 1 week of summer left. It was quite shocking to me. I wondered for the longest time where the other 3 weeks of Summer went. I remember doing awesome things with awesome people, but 3 weeks past ALREADY? (Sigh). And so I scavenger hunted for my to-do-list but it was deemed fruitless (double sigh).

It was only until today though that I actually started to do anything (yes Monday and Tueday was spent being a couch potato, no good). I remembered the bookshelf my dad bought from IKEA err, 4 months ago still nicely (not really) wrapped in its box. Imagine 4 cats clawing through the box and 7 other people (perhaps 9) trampling and walking all over it. You could only imagine what the packaging has gone through to protect the contents inside. Don't worry though, the bookshelf was indeed safe (kudos to the IKEA packaging).

The first thing I did was search for the instruction manual and checked the contents. Note that this was bought 4 months ago and so if there was a shortage of contents, I was doomed. The exchange policy has ended and so we would probably have to live through the faulty (great). Thankfully, everything was accounted for. And so I got started. The first few steps were a breeze, honest. When I got to number 11 or so, I needed help. The entire bookshelf weighs almost 40kg and so I needed help when the need to turn it over came. Plus, sometimes it needed to be held in place while screwing into it. This was not a one man job. So, mom came to the rescue and we worked on the project together.

After a few hours working on the shelf, it was completed. It looked pretty nice I guess. It seemed to be a compact version of the previous one we had (which had run its course) and so that was good. I was dead tired after I finished the shelf that I literally dropped to the floor and took a really long nap (yes, on the floor). When I woke up a few hours later, I was surprised that the books were already in place. Mom has, yet again helped me complete my work. Really appreciate it. Thanks mom!

I remain clueless on the whereabouts of my to-do-list but I have already gotten over it. Perhaps I don't need a to do list. I just have to do tasks and go with the flow of nature (yeah right). Like a wise friend of mine once said "just do, don't plan," (ackk!). So, when the next semester break comes, I shall be ready. Would I be wasting as much time then? That question remains to be answered.

Barbecue Chicken, Anyone?

As I sit here on this not-so-comfortable chair, I can't help but wonder, 'why on earth am I up so early?'. After being awoken by the rude shock of my alarm clock, I just could not get settled back in for the extra minutes (or hours) of sleep. Therefore, this may be the earliest post I will ever do as I have nothing better to do this early in the day. 'Great'.

Yesterday was seemingly a lazy Sunday. I was still recovering from the shopping trip the day before. The muscles in my legs were sore due to all the walking done, but for a good cause of course. Heh. So, after lunch, I decided to make a collage, which you now see as my header. Those are 3 of my 4 (yes, FOUR!) adorable cats living in the comfort of my home. Their names are Lucky (Kiki), Comot (Momot), Kenya and Amber, Kenya being the only cat my dad bought (she's the black Persian). Ahh, I love them so much. Anyway, after making some finishing touches on my profile, I decided to call it a day from editing. I still have no idea for the title of this blog though, but I guess I'll get one soon.

Later on in the evening, I found out that my sister was having a barbecue with her fiancee. Yay! Another barbecue. The main course was barbecue chicken (if you hadn't found that out yet). They were perhaps the most juicy barbecue chicken pieces I have ever tasted. The marinade was pretty good resulting in me eating a bunch of em. In fact I ate so much that after the meal it was seemingly the toughest thing to do (at that time) to actually get up from the chair I was sitting on (sigh).

The barbecue yesterday brought back all the sweet memories of the barbecue I had with a bunch of friends not so long ago. Twas the first time that we were going to do a barbecue as a group and we all didn't know what to expect. In fact we all didn't even know the basics of barbecuing in the first place (great. BBQ101, anyone?). And so we decided to go with the flow. I remember being labeled the 'Ultimate Vlogger' (I think) as I was going around with Justine's video cam doing all the necessary recordings. I also remember the girls forgetting to wash the vegetables (ack!) the first time around, resulting in it being untouched. I also remember Ikhsan irritating Sam on being so lazy. However, the moment of the evening was when Dre's 'mugshot' was taken by (of course) me. The hilarious part of it was because he was caught with a chicken drumstick in his mouth with an unforgettable look on his face. The barbecue was a summer epic for me. We all had a blast, despite all the 'madness' going on. Most importantly, the food was scrumptious and we filled our tummy's pretty good that night! Good times I tell ya, good times.

Avid Shopper

Yes, that's me, an avid shopper alright. Lets not get me wrong here and label me as something I am not. Simply, I enjoy shopping. I do realise that I have to stop spending so much on clothes, but, what's the fun of saving money and not being able to taste the satisfaction that comes from buying things I just adore?

Since the Malaysia Mega Sale 2009 is going on, I decided to do a little (more) shopping yesterday. I brought along amazing people I have in my life, mom and younger siblings (dad had to run some other errands so he decided on not going), and were were bound for OneUtama, perhaps Malaysia largest mall. There were 10 million (well, not really) people there already when we arrived and I was keen on finding the best deal on clothes.

First stop was a store where mom was to find new jeans. That was the only item on her shopping list and so we decided to get that first. After almost an hour of searching for jeans, mom found the jeans. After trying it on, she was in love with it, as it was a perfect fit! Great. So now we can move on and start searching for my things. Yay!

So, off we were. Everywhere I turned to there was some sort of 'SALE' sign hanging in store fronts. No wonder people from all over the world come to Malaysia to get bargains on clothing, furniture, and electrical appliances, especially during the sales period. Anyway, I 'attacked' one of my favorite stores first as a gigantic banner with 'FINAL CLEARANCE' written on it was hanging from the front of the store. I literally 'dug' through clothing (honest) in my quest for the perfect shirt with my size. After spending almost an hour digging through (and even bending on my knees), I surrendered. There was no way I was going to find anything in this mountain of clothes. Just as I was about to leave the store, I saw it. There, hanging on the racks was a beautiful shirt. It was there, all lonely. As if it was calling my name, I walked across the room, and it was my size (yay!). So, I tried it on, was a perfect fit and the rest was history.

My tummy started grumbling after the first purchase and so we were off to grab a bite. We settled on sandwiches as it has been a while since we last had them. Then, we resumed the shopping experience. I 'charged' into other favorite stores of mine but the search for clothes I liked ended up fruitless. I felt a little down at first but I did not give up. I searched for clothes at different stores and came up with 2 more garments (which made me happy of course). I then decided to search for the perfect shoes. I went in 4 different stores until I found the most beautiful (well, to me) pair of kicks. I just had to have it. I tried it on and I looked good wearing it (me being self-indulgent). The shoes were lightweight and I always had wanted shoes from this particular brand. After asking (nicely) from mom, she approved and I purchased the shoes. I was on cloud nine by then, as if my life was complete.

At this point of time, we all were exhausted. So, mom called that it was time for ice-cream. I ordered my usual and enjoyed it. Mom was being generous today. Shoes and ice-cream? I love you mom! We sat down waiting for our feet to 'recharge' so we could actually walk again. After being all shopped-out (for the day), I got a haircut and after, we decided to just relax at a book store, where I went through this awesome dinosaur book with my younger sister. I felt like a kid for a bit though.

Dad came to pick us up for dinner after we decided to call it a day. We ended up going to this unpleasant looking place, but dad said they serve the 'best' Tandoori and Naan in town. Oh, well, when you're hungry, everything looks delicious, even eel (well, no, not really), regardless the place giving out bad vibes. Despite almost falling asleep in my food and spelling weird as 'weired' (due to brain shutting down OK!) while texting to Justine, it was definitely a great Saturday and spending it with mom made it memorable. However, next time I should consider going to sleep earlier the night before as limited sleep + an eventful day do not go hand in hand.