Saint Nigel?

closure of blog

2011-01-26T20:17:00.003+13:00

im closing this blog - just as i close a chapter in my life, as a student.

the new Blog will be here:

http://nigelthesensei.wordpress.com

a little writing for my special one.

2010-08-18T03:47:00.002+12:00

I close my eyes and i dream of other place,
A place when were all alone.
A place where time stops,
so i can hold your hand and never let it go.

I close my eyes and dream like you right beside me,
The smell of your perfume lingers.
Its like reality when i close my eyes,
To see your eyes sparkle with life and joy

I close my eyes when i miss you,
I close my eyes when i want to see you.
Every time i close my eyes, you're right here by my arms,
Every time when i miss you, ill just close my eyes.

~17th August, 2010~

Kuala Lumpur Pipes and Drums medley 2010.

2010-08-07T01:11:00.001+12:00

my first competition in malaysia with KLPD. its a whole different feeling coming into the competition as the unofficial "drum sergeant". finished second behind the hongkies.

how do you handle boys who asks too much, and likes to distrupt the class?

2010-07-27T15:38:00.004+12:00

you ask them heaps of questions, i mean HEAPS. and you asks all of em in quick succession.

here are some examples of what you can ask them:

y r u not listening to me?
what makes you think you can not listen to me?
do you think youre better than me by not listening to me?
if your not listening to me y are you at school?

the more you ask, the more 'putus asa' their face will look like to counter your challenge. then they'll let go of their antics and surrender themselves to your authority.

i love crushing these boys. it hurts them more then just a scolding, or a whack on the ass.

teaching stint in VI

2010-07-14T23:18:00.001+12:00

im currently in a teaching stint in VI for 3 months, so ill reckon ill probably blog quite a lot of teaching stuff.

beginning teachers we are.

2010-07-11T18:13:00.004+12:00

this particular article is taken from schoolmatterstome.com. its as relevant to us as having to shower everyday. do read it if youre a beginning teacher. if youre not, do read it too and gain some insight into the profession.

Hello all, congratulations to those who have started your official 4-year service completing or to most of us, our official lifetime career. For those who are still goyanging kaki, hmmmmm….oh well~

There are a few points I would like to share with you regarding us being a new teacher. I haven’t got to know my posting yet, but I have been thinking about a few possible problems that I may/may not face in school. Actually, all of these ‘problems’ are very well known to all of us, and I am just going to point them out and try to give few suggestions, and I would like to invite you to give some other suggestions.

Insecurities and low self-esteem:

Have you ever feel like lacking in any way about yourself? “I am no better than him”, “I am ugly compared to her”, “They like him/her better because I am not good enough”. If you can find the pattern (…Dr. Lawrence *coughs*), these sentences are all about comparing yourself to someone you think is more ideal in that situation. Insecurities is all about emotions, not self-image, that’s why you found people who has got the ‘package’ – pretty/handsome, smart, rich, popular, etc – still finds themselves wanting more and feeling low at times. As a human being, it’s normal to be kiasu, except that now being a teacher, we must get ourselves to change this mindset, not because we are lying to ourselves saying that we are good, but because we ARE actually that good.

LOL.

We are all well-prepared and there’s no such thing as “I am not good enough to be doing this profession”. What you can do is believe in your core ideas of self-image, look in the mirror: “I am well-prepared; I am not disable in ANY way (looks, personality etc)”. Because your students cling on to you, they think highly of you (some, very discreetly). Walk straight, chin up, and you will already feeling better. Don’t slouch. Portray a good image as a teacher and your secret I-hate-myself-thoughts (false self-image) will fade away as well. If it does not, it’s time to apply for a second intake on B.Ed courses this June.

Feeling unworthy and discriminated for being ‘different’:

You are new; you do all you can to impress the people around you, you gave 120% when you do a task given to you and all you get – Nothing. Sometimes you get this funny look when you turn your back, and you hear a crispy whisper along with a snicker. Well, in the bilik guru there’s always a brotherhood of cikgu, led by a harsh, very opinionated ‘guru darjah’ with a queen bee character, and no matter how nice you are to them, you can never join this fraternity.

continue reading here

The Chinese Dillema

2010-07-01T21:25:00.006+12:00

bought myself a copy of this book while shopping for stuffs to bring back home for the long break. I was initially not too sure about buying the book, due to the fact that the title reminds me heaps about Dr. Mahathir's famous 'The Malay Dillema' - a book whose ideas and thoughts can be quite blunt and offensive. nevertheless, i believe the book will be able to answer some questions i have regarding my understanding of Malaysia, as the reviewer mentioned at the back page:

"What the author has done is to discuss publicly issues which are often discussed privately, and that he has adopted a non-partisan view...This book should be read by the younger generations of Malaysians. It may help unprejudiced mind to see things in a better perspective"

Khoo Kay Kim

Different from Dr. Mahathir, Ye chooses to explore Malay-Chinese relations in a more cautious way - his delicate approach is good enough to even allow those hardcores to continue reading. He also has some points that made me look hard and deeper inside of me as a Malaysian Chinese. He tries to convince his readers that affirmative action is not as bad as portrayed, but understand that crutches must be released some day so one could walk properly on one’s two feet.

He also made a point that the Chinese is not always right. He does not see much sense at crying foul whenever opportunity arises without really understanding why, though he acknowledges that most of it is due to our shared history and to this.

Its a book of balanced view, and is not intended to influence people. its more of a book to present you arguments from both sides, and leave the decision making to you yourself.

My advice:

if youre a Chinese that likes to complain and moan about the problems in the county, read it. youll realize that things are as bad as they look like.

if youre a Malay, this book can help you gain an insight of a Chinese mind, what is he thinking, and why is he thinking in such ways.

* ready to borrow the book shall anybody wants to read it.

KLPD - first visit, and i got stuck.

2010-05-22T02:41:00.004+12:00

as you folks know, ive been playing in a pipe band for 2 years back at NZ. i think it will be a waste if i dont continue here. hence i started my search for a pipe band here in KL.

theres not many options here, i only managed to find a band, the Malaysian Sikh Pipe Band. dropped them a visit, and found out that the band is actually quite successful, winning quite some stuff and have recently played at OZ's ANZAC day parade. however, i do not find their style of play suitable to me, and hence i went around looking for others.(no offence Ajeet, the chemistry just aint there)

a month later i stumbled on a website of KLPD, and i dropped a mail to enquire about their practice and stuff. and a few days later, i found me-self on a car going to their practice.

i love it the first time i hear em playing. the pipes are definitely not cheap as pakistan made ones, and they know their piping stuff, from tuning to reeding and harmonics. everybody is friendly, and the PM (pipe major) Alif has a vision for the band.

the drum corps however, needs quite a bit of help. and thats where i found myself a place to contribute to the band. went to a few more of the practices, and found myself being invited to join the band. i said yes, with no hesitation.

if i managed to stay in KL next year, i can see myself slowly bringing the druming standards to those of the pipes, and play awesome MSRs and medleys, and maybe in a few years time, the band can actually go to compete in OZ, maybe NZ nationals. These goals however, can only be achieved if i managed to get myself posted to KL schools.

however, i try to do as much as i can for the band as for now. ive wrote and practiced with them standard march beatings, and am currently looking at composing drum beats that suit the drum corps ability. i will then lead the drum corps into competing at Malaysian nationals this july at JB, hopefully to retain the championship won last year. aside from that, i will also compete in solo drumming, with my pipe major playing the tune.

i really thank PM Alif for the invitation to join, and i certainly hope to achieve many things with the band!!

heres the link to the band's website: http://www.klpd.com.my/

trying to catch up with months of lack of blogging.

2010-05-18T01:17:00.002+12:00

hi peeps, just realized that i have not blogged for a wee while, 3 months?

so heres a post to keep yall updated with what happened to me over the 3 months.

1. appointed as the project leader for readers theathre workshop with SK bangsar.
2. won the 1st price for battle of the bands IPBA.
3. went back to NZ to compete in NZ pipe band championships.
4. submitted heaps of assignments.
5. taken up a few proofreading jobs, and made a wee bit of money.
6. taught, lead and performed Ka Mate Haka to IPBArians.
7. cut down drastically on alcohol.
8. joined Kuala Lumpur Pipes and Drums as the drum sergeant.

the first chinese new year song.

2010-02-06T12:27:00.002+13:00

the all controversial Namewee is out again!

this time, not with his ISA flirting "negarakuku", but a chinese new year song.

and you know what, its not all those typical "dong dong chiang" kinda chinese new year song, but a mix of that with rap. his lyrics basically poke fun at those hibernating artists that only shows up during CNY, trying to make some quick cash.

not just that, he scolds his own folks for not trying to localizing the lyrics - Malaysia never has 4 seasons, why sing about that?

do check it out. youll love it.

for those who dont understand chinese, ill translate the lyrics when NameWees rappin'

1st verse:

Malaysia's CNY album are full of recycled stuffs,
those who sings for CNY can now even produce their own 'the best of' album,
same old style of singing, and the lyrics are never logical,
and then theres always this group that sings wearing red clothes, as red as old chinese soldiers,
even those teen stars have to be brought in to sing CNY songs,
trying to make the scene more happy and lively, instead its more of a sad thing to see,
i thought your image is supposed to be cool?
but why your record company wants you to come out and sing 'dong dong chiang'?

chorus:
best wishes and hope youll get lucky,
wishing you a good CNY,
wishing you a good encounter with the god of wealth
maybe the god of wealth can even sleep with you.

verse 2:

walaoeh! (a typical hokkien expression denoting feeling flabbergasted)
your lyrics are bothering me so much,
whats with the winter and spring? so you think im kongkam? (stupid)
here, its all about rain, and i have to take the heat everyday,
and now your singing bullshit, i cant take this anymore.
those useless businessman, only knows how to make money,
dont your teacher teaches you that the 4 seasons here in Malaysia are all summer?
im sure youre always late to school, and now youre acting as if you dont know anything,
but theres a big red line called the Equator.

chorus:
best wishes and hope youll get lucky,
wishing you a good CNY,
wishing you a good encounter with the god of wealth
maybe the god of wealth can even eat cakes with you

verse 3:

firecrackers? on your dick!
this lyric sucks,
even my mom knows that its not legal to light firecrackers here!
maybe youre one of those rich man, that can simply give anybody ang pau,
but please, use logic when youre writing your lyric ok?
walao, sucks hearing those crappy artists singing CNY songs.
its CNY songs, but it sure can develop its own flavour,
and you? you just sing whatever that comes from China,
youve live here long enough,
and for your moms sake, dont you know what is called "localized"?

chorus:
best wishes and hope youll get lucky,
wishing you a good CNY,
wishing you a good encounter with the god of wealth
maybe the god of wealth can even light firecrackers with you.

interesting facts about KL - after being away for 2 years.

2010-01-30T22:44:00.002+13:00

there are a lot more foreigners walking around.

internet banking is already a norm.

things have gotten a bit more expensive.

the beer tastes like piss.

theres a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant.

my accommodation has gotten worse.

however,some things never changed:

the college is still as ****** up as ever.

3 days and ive seen enough.

2010-01-10T08:54:00.000+13:00

same old place, same old mentality. never will they change.

things i did over the hols + 2009 review.

2009-12-31T23:15:00.003+13:00

being back home.

what have i been doing over the past 28 days of bein at home?

- beat the good ol' Caesar 3 video game again.
- practiced and learned some new tunes for pipe band drumming.
- ate heaps of malaysian stuff (paying back for what ive missed over the 2 years i was at NZ)
- had considerably less alcohol (quite happy for that, they burn your wallet)
- stayed completely away from tobacco products (really happy at that)
- met some old friends, and realized that our conversation topics have changed a lot as well
- learned how to play mahjong (will need em to bond with my dad)
- watched the re-air of Nur Kasih and ended up looking around for its DVD box set.
- applied my DIY skills at home.
- almost finishing my Ricky Ponting diary.
- found out that my savings have doubled over the 2 years i was overseas (appreciating AUD values + untouched government money at BSN)
- dropped heaps of postcards to my mates overseas.
- wondering how fourth year at IPBA will be like.

______________________________________________________________________________________

how did i lived through my 2009?

in a blast. lots of new things and lots of experiences. i learned, i toiled, i loved, and i lived.

2009 is the year of experiences - from learning to working, RA-ing (how to handle drunk parties), partying, traveling, hunting, sailing, farming, DIY-ing, BBQ-ing, how to select the best steak cuts, worked on my financial management skills, competed in a pipe band championship for the first time, hardened my drinking ability (need em to socialize in NZ), making my own gourmet coffee, fishing, driving a quadbike, riding a horse, bungy jumping from a bridge, and developed appreciation towards cultural diversity.

in fact, these experiences made me found myself changed so much that i can see myself as a kiwi, and starting to look at prospects of possibly settling down at NZ someday. knowing that i have 4-5 years of work to pay off my scholarship, i realized my options are limited. i can try to hook a rich kiwi girl and ask her to pay my scholarship - which is unbelievably impossible (although it doesnt mean i did not try it), or i can build up contacts while im here, hoping that they will assist me once i started seeking chances to return to NZ. so far, im satisfied with what ive got - its just the business of keeping them.

2009 is also the year where i learned about relationships. from simple stuffs such as keeping a conversation flowing to complicated stuff such as managing a romantic relationship. i learned a lot from the RSA pubs - folks from pipe band circles always adjourned there after practices or performance. i went out for a couple of dates, found myself in a sort of relationship that requires a lot of patience and understanding, and discovered my preference for a partner whose cultural background and ethnicity differs from mine. guess i like other cultures so much that i want something different to be close to me.

as 2009 draws to a close, i can see 2009 as a unique, and defining year for what i am going to achieve in years to come - career and relationship wise especially. i look forward to 2010, and i will try my best to make the most out of it.

goodbye 2009, and 2010 here i come!

adjusting to Malaysian life

2009-12-26T20:15:00.002+13:00

i still go around with ASB and national bank's EFTPOS cards, i still walk around in supermarket looking for vegemite and tasty cheese, i blurbled out "dollars" when i order keropok lekor in malay, my desktop widgets still show the weather of auckland and im definitely still getting emails from Smith&Caugheys and 1-day.co.nz.

Hokkien Song - Ai Pia Jia Eh Iah

2009-12-13T16:36:00.005+13:00

Was browsing through youtube and i found this song. its one of those songs that remind me of my teenage days, and some chinese wedding receptions that ive been to, where some chinese uncles just cant stop singing the song.

Ai Pia Jia Eh Iah is a classic hokkien song, and probably the only hokkien song that most non-hokkien Chinese people know and heard of. ive even heard a Malay pak cik sing this in a Chinese wedding before, to my amazement. I still remember my dad turning this song on out loud to motivate himself sometimes, whenever he feels tired working and stuff. Being a Hokkien myself, the motivation factor does work on me, albeit on a lesser extent than on my dad.

I took sometime putting this song up with the lyric in Chinese and Hanyu Pinyin. English translation is taken from another website (should be hokkienlang.blogspot.com), so the english translation is not as accurate. I hope this song will give the motivation for all of us to achieve our dreams, regardless if you are a hokkien, cantonese, hakka, malay, india, ang mor(whites) or even our african brothers.

Ai piah jia eh iah (爱拼才会赢)
You Gotta Fight To Win

jit si shi ji ng mien luang thaan
一时失志不免怨叹
do not lose belief even when you lose hope

Jit si lok piek ng mien tan thaan
一时落魄不免胆寒
do not be scared even if youre dreaded

na tang sit khi hi bang
那怕失去希望
If there’s no hope,

mui jit chui baang baang
每日醉茫茫
Whole day just go get drunk

bo hun uu thae chiin chiing eu chau laang
无魂有体亲像稻草人
No more soul, but got body just like a scarecrow

lang siin kho bee si hai seong eh por luong
人生可比是海上的波浪
Life is just like an ocean’s wave

u si khi u shi lok
有时起有时落
Sometimes up sometimes down

ho un phai un
好运歹运
Good forture bad fortune

chong mai ciao ki kang lai kia
总嘛要照起来行
Just accept and get thru it

sa hun thi jhu tia
三分天注定
3 points it’s destined

chit hun khor pha pia
七分靠打拼
7 points you just gotta fight hard

ai piah jia eh iah
爱拼才会赢
You gotta fight, then you can win

first day in KL

2009-12-05T00:34:00.002+13:00

its weird. KL is suddenly so foreign to me.

Highland Games.

2009-12-02T17:33:00.000+13:00

spot me.

NZ foodstuffs that ill miss dearly

2009-12-01T04:41:00.004+13:00

Snake Jellys

Mother Energy Drink

whitaker's peanut slab

Speights Gold Medal Ale

Big Ben Pie.

yep, im officially 3 days away from going home.

updates.

2009-11-12T12:40:00.002+13:00

november:

12 - drink and sing and pass out with jess
14 - EDUC 348
16 - LINGUIST 307
17 - send Jess home
18 - hunting trip with Ben and James @ Waikato
21 - 26 South Island
27 - Cohort 4 Dinner
28 - Auckland Highland Games (Pipe Band)
29 - Auckland Farmers Parade (Pipe band)
30 - decision time

December

1 - Return uniform
2 - Round Auckland walk
3 - 2.15pm flight home to Kuala Lumpur via MAS

Yuna

2009-11-10T21:53:00.002+13:00

found this Malaysian girl singing on youtube. very good singing too. her EP has just been released.

Yuna - Rocket

Yuna - Deeper Conversation

Yuna - Missing Star

Rate me!

2009-11-07T16:29:00.003+13:00

Dear readers,

please rate me on these aspects. with 1 being the least relevant and 10 being most relevant. if you have the time explain it to me too why.

im not depressed of anything. i just wanna know. hehe.

1:Crazy.
2:I'd Marry You.
3:Talkative.
4:Sarcastic.
5:Lovable.
6:Clubhead.
7:Moody.
8:Dumb.
9: Spoiled.
11:Random.
12:Hot.
13:Funny.
14:Fit.
15:Amazing.
16:Tough.
17:Cute.
18:Bf/Gf Type.
19:Player.
20:The Best.
21:Freak.
22:Quiet.
23:Sexy.
24: Adorable.
25: Annoying.
26: Rude.
27:Boring

Dont Give Up On Me - Jason Aldean

2009-10-30T22:14:00.001+13:00

I don't go to church enough
I curse out loud, I drink too much
I'm more of a sinner than a saint

Got a dusty Bible on my shelf
I just pick it up when I need help
Lord knows there's a lot I need to change
And I want to, baby, you make me want to

You tie the knot
When I'm at the end of my rope
You never stop believin' in me
When I don't know who I am
Or what I'm supposed to be
I don't give you no good reason
But baby, don't give up on me

I've smoke my last cigarette
At least a hundred times I bet
I guess I'll just keep quittin' til' it sticks

But for all the things I've failed to do
I've never failed at lovin' you
We both know I can't grant your every wish
But I want to, baby, you make me want to

You tie the knot
When I'm at the end of my rope
You never stop believin' in me
When I don't know who I am
Or what I'm supposed to be
I don't give you no good reason
But baby, don't give up on me

what a ruckus.

2009-10-30T02:53:00.001+13:00

cant believe this is how state assemblymen - elected by the people are being treated by the police. this is just horrendous, bloody shame too.

37 more days to go.

2009-10-28T18:52:00.002+13:00

i love New Zealand, i can see myself staying, get a high mistress, raise a family and retire here.

too bad i have contracts to fulfill

kiwis and their love for gumboots

2009-10-27T00:38:00.004+13:00

was walking around the Warehouse (supermarket that sells everything excluding food) today when i found these collection of gumboots for sale. small to large, black to yellow, plain to flowerful.

back at msia where i grew up, all i can remember about gumboots is that it was worn by mostly indonesian workers that toiled their days washing dishes behind big Chinese restaurants. and we surely dont call them gumboots - we call em' rubber boots.

but here in New Zealand, farmers wear em. rural folks wear em, its not strange to see a farmer walks into a rural pub and buys himself a beer in the evenings wearing gumbots full of mud! not to mention that handymen too wears them in the city. in a nutshell, they are everywhere.

even i bought myself a pair of gumboots when i was doing farm works at the south island. as local blokes day - it keeps the water out, and the smell in.

in fact, Fred Dagg - a character that portrays the most stereotypical Kiwi even wrote a song that celebrate Kiwis and their affair with gumboots. check this out.

Fred dagg is the guy singing - dressing in a very typical Kiwi bloke - black singlet, jeans, and of course - gumboots.

heres the song in full - with lyrics.

Beach.

2009-10-25T15:44:00.005+13:00

where? Waiheke Island
y? we wanted to go there
with? jess
how? ferry
what you did there? ferry ride, laughing at some 'ah lians', sunbath, reading, lotion lathing, sleeping, beer, bread and dips, strawberry, play with seawater, toss football, photos.

Whats happening.

2009-10-24T23:14:00.002+13:00

October
24 - Waiheke Island with Jess
27 - Langtchng 301 due
31 - full day practice: pipe band

November
2 - road trip: round north Island till 5th
7 - Helensville: pipe band performance
12 - party, get drunk with jess: her birthday
14 - Educ 348 exam
16 - Linguist 307 exam, partay!!
17 - send off Jess
21 - pipe band parade at queen street
27 - Cohort 4 goodbye dinner
28 - Auckland Highland Games: pipe band competition
29 - Auckland Farmers parade.
30 - return uniform

December
3 - flight home.

Northland 2

2009-10-24T22:30:00.003+13:00

we BBQ till late night, and went to bed a contented lot.

as for me, i stayed up for a bit, walking around the beachhead with my iPod playing some Nesian Mistik and Katchafire, under extreme lack of lighting, i cant even see my fingers if i lift my hands up!

met Martijn on my way back, and found out that hes doing the same thing himself. since theres a mat around, i proposed that we have a whisky and drink them along the walk. later that night, i slept looking at the stars.

got up the next morning a happy person. with Jess skippering the wheel, the team drove towards the Tane Mahuta forest - to see some giant Kauri trees.

drove to a small town called kohukohu, and boarded the ferry

reached the forest about 10am. and snapped some photos. heres some of em.

these trees are big as. youre talking about trees that might need 20-30 people to form a circumference around it. here some stats for you folks out there.

After the trees, we drove back to auckland.

我突然间很想写些华语

2009-10-19T22:22:00.001+13:00

很想写华语.

Northland

2009-10-19T19:24:00.015+13:00

the day started well. went down the road to pick the car up with Jess and started loading. the little red car is then christened with the name "little Chilli" - small yet packed with power. now its all about waiting for the other car consisting of martin bas and agnes to start the drive. after some confusion and discussion, it was then decided that we will drive up to Paihia and then spend our friday night there before continuing our drive to Kaitaia.

day 1 - Auckland - Wellsford - Whangarei - Paihia.

its decided that i will drive first, at Jess hasnt really know auckland's motorways and stuff, plus she has never driven on the left side of the road before. she will then take over the steering wheel once we get to Orewa, pass the toll. Tried to get some music on, but guess the stupid Ipod-Radio transmitter crap doesn't seem to work well in the city, since there's too many radio stations around. Jess looked kinda funny when she started driving, continously flipping the windshield when she wants to indicate turning. but shes done well. a pretty good driver too.

managed to snap a bit of photo on the way.

Reached Wellsford about 6pm. spent an hour waiting for them only to know that they took route 16 instead of SH1. played a bit of guitar and managed to get a bit of sing along too in the car while waiting for those folks.

Jess continued to drive while i DJed in the car, playing things from lady gaga (since she likes it) to Bollywood and Banghra. Fueled up at Whangarei and i took over till we reached Paihia. checked in at a backpackers, made dinner (pasta with mince and sundried tomato and garlic gravy), and went to bed.

day 2 Paihia - Kaitaia - Cape Reinga - 90 mile beach - Ahipara.

started the day early, left Paihia at about 6 ish and reached Kaitaia at about 8. had some breakfast at McD, i would personally prefer to have it at some local cafe, some nice hot bacon and eggs + a cup of hot latte will be good. There is nothing like having a breakfast at a local small town cafe. some took pancakes at McD, while i settled for Kiwi Big Breakfast.

its basically 2 sausages + 2 scrambled eggs + 2 bagels + hash brown and a cup of coffee. unlike Malaysia, coffee here is not bottomless. how i miss those days where i can have bottomless coffee while reading papers at KL sentral McD.

We signed up for the Harrisons tour of cape reinga after that. we all hopped on the bus, and off we go.

the tour guide cum bus driver is a proud Maori called Dennis. He gives us good information about the origins of the countless small towns we passed by on the way to Cape Reinga. most of the time its about the meaning of the names: Awanui (awa-big, nui-water), Waipapa-Kauri (Wai-river, papa - flat land, kauri - a type of native NZ tree), i cant remember the rest.

we stopped by at the cape where theres shallow water and nice scenery. so we all hopped doen and snapped some photos. I started asking everybody to strike the asian or 'ah lian' style pose ans heres what i got:

Agnes might be somehow Asian inside of her - quite natural isnt it? she even managed to add in the shrunken shoulder!
i dont think guys do ah lian pose, but Martijn decided to give it a go anyway. he needs more work.

i was asked about how an asian guy will pose. i was at lost trying to think about an 'ah beng' pose. do we have that? anyways, i took some of my own solo photos too.

gambar jiwang gitu kan?

We continued the bus ride. had a jumbo ice cream at Te Kao, and later on was brought to a nice beach. heres some photos taken at the beach:

the beach

Jess, Bas, Tone

Jess and Tone

and of course, me.

a little bit of my art photo.

sat on the bus for another while before we hit the climax ot the tour, Cape Reinga. it turned foggy and it started to rain when we reached the cape. luckily as we ascended the hill to reach the firehouse, the weather cleared up.

the thick fog as we begin our ascend

starting to clear up
Thats the Pacific Ocean

the firehouse + the distance signboard.

now thats what matter to me. i think KL is like 12 degrees north from equator

The whitewashes indicates where the currents of Tasman sea and Pacific Ocean meets.

group photo

one crazy photo

with jess.

After the whole episode on cape reinga, we were then driven to the sand dunes for some sandboarding! these sand dunes can go as high as 100 meters, and they have quite a steep angle. climbing up with the sliding board aint easy, imagine losing half of your every single climbing step as the sand disintegrates under pressure from your feet. but its sure fun!

the steep hill. damn these buggers are a pain to climb onto!

me.

of course what follows next is that we were given a drive around the 90 mile beach. Tour guide Dennis mentioned that the origin of the beach name was that there was a preacher that spent 3 days walking about the beach preaching the Gospel, taking 30 mile each day. We were then sent back to Kaitaia.

we then drove to Ahipara, at the southern end of the 90 mile beach to setup our camp by the beach. the beach is owned by some Maori farmers, who generously only charged us 5 dollars for a night's stay. here are some of the photos around the beach:

up the hills

camp ground with little chilli posing in the background

ventured inland to find some firewood, unfortunately, as it rained for a bit that day, most of the firewood are wet. luckily they burned alright that night. everybody had a barbie with sausages and beer + a good time socializing with each other.

will continue at part 2. its getting a bit too long here.

Jess also had an entry bout the trip. read it here: http://jessicaswing.sustudents.org/2009/10/cape-reinga/

Road trip on a crunch week.

2009-10-14T13:25:00.002+13:00

destination: all over Northland.
with who: my beautiful jessica swing, martijn and bas the dutch duo, agnes the swede, amanda and thea and tone the norwegian.
vehicle: cars..what else? watties?
what to do: drive, sight seeing, photos, fish, barbie, beer, warm sun, fireplace, friends.
budget: hmm... dont wana think about it. ill be allright.

anybody got a foldable chair?
have to look for Con to get a fishing rod.

Pembekuan Posting Guru Selama 2 Tahun bermula 2010

2009-10-08T00:11:00.000+13:00

Extracted as it is from

http://karyabator.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/pembekuan-posting-guru-selama-2-tahun-bermula-2010/

Ps: This issue is not yet officially announced by the ministry of education of Malaysia. But if it happened, what will happened to my juniors? Article credited to upsikini.blogspot.com.

Tanjong Malim, 4 Oktober – Profesor Dr. Zakaria Kasa, Timbalan Naib Canselor Akademik & Antarabangsa Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) mengeluarkan kenyataan semua penempatan lepasan UPSI ke sekolah-sekolah terpaksa dibeku bermula 2010.

Kenyataan tersebut dipetik dalam ucapan perasmian yang disampaikan beliau dalam ‘Simposium Halatuju Pendidikan Fizik Di Malaysia’ anjuran Persatuan Mahasiswa Sains (PMS) dengan kerjasama Jabatan Hal Ehwal Pelajar & Alumni (JHEPA) UPSI yang berlangsung di Bilik Seminar Bitarasiswa semalam.

Dalam pada itu katanya, pembekuan semua penempatan ke sekolah-sekolah ini dikeluarkan oleh pihak Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM) melibatkan semua institusi yang mengeluarkan bakal-bakal guru bukan sahaja di UPSI malah di IPTA lain yang menawarkan program pendidikan termasuk Institut Perguruan (IPG) di seluruh negara berikutan masalah kewangan yang dialami pihak Kerajaan Malaysia.

Beliau pada awalnya mengambil langkah untuk tidak mengumumkannya kepada pelajar kerana bimbang menjejaskan motivasi pelajar untuk meneruskan pengajian namun bertukar fikiran dengan mengumumkannya semalam kerana beranggapan perkara tersebut harus diketahui semua pihak sebagai langkah persediaan.

Sementara itu, beliau turut menjelaskan penempatan untuk graduan pada tahun ini tidak mengalami masalah kerana tindakan membekukan penempatan tersebut hanya bermula tahun hadapan.

Beliau walau bagaimanapun tidak mengeluarkan kenyataan bertulis berkenaan perkara tersebut dan hanya diselitkan dalam ucapan perasmiannya semalam.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, seorang mahasiswa UPSI mendakwa menerima mesej melalui Sistem Pesanan Ringkas (SMS) daripada rakannya dari sebuah IPG mengatakan perkara yang sama minggu lalu. Katanya dalam e-mel yang dihantar ke upsikini@gmail.com, pelajar terbabit mengatakan keluaran UPSI dan IPTA lain yang tamat pengajian bermula tahun hadapan, perlu menunggu selama 2 tahun sebelum ditempatkan ke sekolah-sekolah.

Tambahnya, pelajar IPG yang dijadual ditempatkan ke sekolah-sekolah pada tahun hadapan akan diawalkan penghujung tahun ini bersama-sama dengan keluaran UPSI dan IPTA lain yang bergraduat pada tahun ini.

Keadaan ini menurutnya mempunyai kaitan dengan masalah yang berlaku apabila lambakan graduan pendidikan di seluruh negara.

Mengulas tentang perkara tersebut, Exco Akademik & Kerjaya Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar (MPP), Nur Aqilah Hanis berkata pihaknya akan mendapatkan penjelasan lanjut berkenaan perkara tersebut daripada TNC Akademik sendiri supaya tidak berlaku kekeliruan.

“Isu ini boleh menjadi isu nasional, bukan hanya melibatkan UPSI sahaja, jadi lebih baik kalau saya dapatkan dulu penjelasan secara terperinci daripada Prof. Dr. Zakaria dan Bahagian Akademik supaya maklumat sebenar dan tepat diperoleh sebelum saya mengulas lanjut.

“Kita tak mahu isu ini menjadi sebab untuk kita bertelagah, apa yang penting selepas kita mendapatkan maklumat tersebut, kita akan fikirkan penyelesaiannya. Jadi semua pihak diharap dapat bersabar”, jelasnya.

Hmm..whats gonna happen to me?

Bloody Law School

2009-10-06T09:43:00.003+13:00

its 8.45am when i stepped into the law school library, hoping to find a carrel/cubicle to study in.

you know what, theres none left, and youre talking about 50 of em in the library. all filled with students, 8.45am ok...

bloody hell. kiasu macam haram.

I feel like going to a wine tasting event.

2009-10-01T13:57:00.002+13:00

its probably the time to shop a case of wines to bring back home to Malaysia.
will scout around for a session.

"Were flatmates, we shouldnt hook up"

2009-09-27T22:45:00.004+13:00

I finally lived to see why my residence's motto is

Apologies to Jessica Swing @ http://jessicaswing.sustudents.org/

"Were flatmates, we shouldnt hook up"

The reason - 2 of my flatmates are dating each other. awkward as,

John Key at David Letterman's show

2009-09-25T19:23:00.003+12:00

Top 10 reasons you should visit New Zealand - straight from the mouth of the Prime Minister himself! ill bet that youll have a good laugh watching it.

i just rejected a girl today.

2009-09-25T02:35:00.000+12:00

how cruel i was.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

2009-09-20T18:32:00.003+12:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri untuk rakan-rakan saya yang beragama Islam.

semoga Syawal ini membawa keberkatan kepada semua.

English: To My Muslim friends, Have a good Eid-Ul-Fitr.

My Malaysian Dream

2009-09-19T01:20:00.000+12:00

blog entry from my old Friendster account

2009-09-17T01:20:00.002+12:00

was bored and not knowing what to do, and i checked my friendster.

nowadays, its just a freaking ghost town where all you get is postings from some sexy girl from US asking for a webcam session with ya. i was about to close the browser when i thought, "didnt i used to blog of friendster?"

hence i loaded the page and had a read. and one of the writings interested me.

its about me sending my brother to Auckland at KLIA.

"Kinda weird so send this guy off, u feel like wan to get rid
of him,( he seems to be reporting everything I did to my mom, and I am kinds
uneasy with it) , but at the same time, he’s been around u for the past 19
year.. so I guess I will be weird not to see him around….

Saw him for the first time in a full gear, suits with ties,
and 2 label pins, one with “Malaysia Airlines – student” and “Kementerian
pelajaran Malaysia” on it. He looks real smart, and he looks macam those
corporate guy..haha..what ever

Cant wait to participate in all these next year..geram oso,
seeing him and his pals…well I will be kinda lonely there…my university..there
is 7 guys I think, and 3 of them oledy so busy with GF..guess ill end up
hanging up with faris and con there next year..haha..hope con has some time to
entertain me..

Listening to sore- pergi tanpa pesan…soundtrack from berbagi
suami..very jiwang and blue punyer song…so in a sober mode..

Hey..lupa nak cakap…my dad bought a new car..for me mom..
says that the tiara is too old for my mom, nanti rosak plak.. he will drive the
tiara, and leave the kenari to my mom, how sweet is that…"

reading this post reminds me of my own send off, it was fast, and not at emotional as some other folks in my cohort. oh yea, the post was written at 2007. apologies for the bad English. some aspects of the article seem to came out quite true - the pat of hanging out with Faris especially. haha.

well, my NZ experience is coming to an end this 6-12-09. just got it confirmed.

I fell in love with Gold Label.

2009-09-12T01:58:00.005+12:00

Iwent to a pub today and talked to a guy about my toothache. He suggested that i sink my tooth in a bit of whisky, since the alcohol could numb it. he went ahead and ordered me a glass of whisky on ice. upon the whole action of sinking and drinking, i was not impressed by the numbing sensation, but the smoothness of the whisky itself. i asked him whats the whisky he ordered for me....

Meet Johnnie Walker Gold Label.

heres some description of the whisky from some experts:

The Johnnie Walker Gold Label blends several whiskeys that have all been aged at least 18 years. Blended whiskeys, in general, can also contain grain alcohol, however, Johnnie Walker only uses single malts to blend for its Gold. Even though it says 18 years, you will find whiskeys that are at least 2 decades old as 18 years is the bare minimum age of any addition.

THE NOSE
The Gold is strikingly “Scottish” as the peat and heather reach your nostrils a foot away. You will nose different aromas from sip to sip, so I will just be on the safe side and state that there is peat, there are some types of flowery, sweet ingredients, and spices. I do not know a soul that can pinpoint aromas in Scotch as there are upwards of 20-30 aromas in most whiskies, so what do you do with a blend?

THE TASTE
The sweetness the Gold is rumored to have is there, but it quickly is consumed by the darkness of the rest of the blend. The smoky peat, the heather, and some spices I cannot name will overcome your palate and linger long after you swallow. If you have the patience to swirl The Gold around your mouth, you can replay this dance of taste over a couple of times. The Gold is stronger than some younger Scotch not so much in the alcohol percentage, but in its ingredients. This Scotch might actually burn your mouth with all its complexities and that might be taken as unrefined and harsh. Tasting over and over again, the burn is actually from ingredients and can be appreciated.

THE AFTERTASTE
Johnnie Walker’s “Keep on Walking” site recommends freezing your bottle at least 24-hours prior to consumption. I actually pour myself a tumbler and then put that in the freezer to chill. I do not add ice to this blend as I do enjoy its strength straight out of the bottle. The freezing is a reverse of something that Davidmanning once wrote:

“Very generally speaking, the more complex a beer is, the warmer it should be before drinking. Ales (again, very generally) are recommended to be served at around 50 degrees F up to cellar temperature for barleywines and their cousins. Experiments are how you figure out what you like best.“

Johnnie Walker recommends the freeze as it will “release its light fruity flavours and true honey sweetness, as the whisky warms in the mouth.” You will, however, lose your ability to nose the different aromas if the whisky is at a freezing temperature.

I never knew theres actually such a smooth whisky. theres very little 'gush' of alcohol vapour after youve drink it. and the flavour as well, its honeyish and vanilla-ish.

After the session at the pub, i decided to get myself a bottle of this gem. but the price is a bit too far away for me, 100++ for a bottle of 700ml. guess ill need to save up a bit to add a gold label in my collection!

not too shabby.

2009-09-08T16:50:00.003+12:00

got my xray results out - it shows my crazy wisdom tooth pushing my secondary molar hard, at the lower jaw.

The dreaded tooth shall be extracted next week.. luckily the dentist has prescribed me a hell of painkillers to help out.

and the charge is not at much. i was first quoted 700, but being desperate, i pleaded him and said that insurance doesnt cover the charge, and since hes arab, i talked a bit about ramadhan. i told him jokingly about getting more 'pahala' if you do good deeds during ramadhan and blablabla...

i got a final quote of 600.
huh...relieve.

just gotta hang on to the pain and get my assigenments done.

check-ups.

2009-09-07T16:31:00.003+12:00

monday - the day ive been waiting for.

went to the dentist hoping to get some help, only to be told that he needs x-ray scan of my whole mouth, and that the dentist clinic doesnt have one. he asked me to go to this dentist place to get a scan, and he'll come back for me. just for that, he charges me 30. how i should be a dentist.

called over to that place to arrange an appointment for x-ray scan, am told that it will be on weds. and the scan will be 70. that means i wont be treated until at least thursday, and despite surviving on painkillers, lifs is not going to be good. i cant chew properly, when i eat i get a bit of pain on my gums. ill have to hold on with these pain till next week i assume.

worse of all, i believe that the extraction might cost me 1000. 1000 nzd ok, thats 2200 +- ringgit man.... y cant these teeth pop up later so i can do it back at msia and save money?

wisdom tooth.

2009-09-05T01:29:00.002+12:00

its painful.
its painful.
its painful.

ive taken 3 aspirin pills today, just to negotiate the pain.
im not sure if i should even see a dentist, since i cant afford to have extraction here. im sure it will be at the region of 300++, dahlah insurance x cover.

so much pain for "wisdom" tooth. ill rather not have it.

Renaud ft. Axelle Red - Manhattan-Kaboul

2009-09-01T22:31:00.002+12:00

Renaud - Manhattan Kaboul
Uploaded by max0042. - See the latest featured music videos.

Renaud ft. Axelle Red - Manhattan-Kaboul

Petit Portoricain, bien intégré quasiment New-yorkais
Dans mon building tout de verre et d’acier,
Je prends mon job, un rail de coke, un café,

Petite fille Afghane, de l’autre côté de la terre,
Jamais entendu parler de Manhattan,
Mon quotidien c’est la misère et la guerre

Deux étrangers au bout du monde, si différents
Deux inconnus, deux anonymes, mais pourtant,
Pulvérisés, sur l’autel, de la violence éternelle

Un 747, s’est explosé dans mes fenêtres,
Mon ciel si bleu est devenu orage,
Lorsque les bombes ont rasé mon village

Deux étrangers au bout du monde, si différents
Deux inconnus, deux anonymes, mais pourtant,
[ Find more Lyrics on www.mp3lyrics.org/HJIH ]
Pulvérisés, sur l’autel, de la violence éternelle

So long, adieu mon rêve américain,
Moi, plus jamais esclave des chiens
Vite imposé l’islam des tyrans
Ceux là ont-ils jamais lu le coran ?

Suis redev’nu poussière,
Je s’rai pas maître de l’univers,
Ce pays que j’aimais tellement serait-il
Finalement colosse aux pieds d’argile ?

Les dieux, les religions,
Les guerres de civilisation,
Les armes, les drapeaux, les patries, les nations,
Font toujours de nous de la chair à canon

Deux étrangers au bout du monde, si différents
Deux inconnus, deux anonymes, mais pourtant,
Pulvérisés, sur l’autel, de la violence éternelle

Deux étrangers au bout du monde, si différents
Deux inconnus, deux anonymes, mais pourtant,
Pulvérisés, sur l’autel, de la violence éternelle.

In English:

Little Puerto Rican boy
Well integrated, almost New Yorker
In his steel and glass building
He does his job, he drinks a coffee

Little Afghan girl
On the other side of the world
She never heard of Manhattan
Her daily life is poverty and war

Two strangers in different worlds, so different
Two strangers, two anonymous... but
Both are pulverized by eternal violence

A Boeing 747 crashed in his windows
Her blue sky became a storm, when bombs destroyed my village

Farewell the American dream
She won't be the dogs' slave anymore
The quickly imposed tyrants' Islam
Did they ever read the Koran ?

He turned back into dust
He won't be master of the universe
The country he liked so much is
Finally a fragile giant

Gods and religions, civilization wars
Weapons, flags, countries and nations
Always take us for victims of their crimes

I like this.

2009-08-31T16:53:00.004+12:00

"Sembahyang kita, walaupun berlainan caranya, adalah kepada Pencipta yang Sama kerana Tuhan Hanya Satu Dan caranya Indah dan Pelbagai".

"Our prayers and worship, although differ in practice, is given towards the same Creator, as He is one and his methods are beautiful and vary".

Khalid Samad, MP for Shah Alam Constituency, Malaysian Parliament

p/s, if any of you can come out with a better English translation, please let me know.

Can't Believe this is the country im going back to. Damn it.

2009-08-29T11:05:00.002+12:00

I was shocked to see the story of a group of Malay-Muslim protesters claiming to be residents of Section 23 of Shah Alam carrying the severed head of a cow to the Selangor State Secretariat building. I cant believe There is such far-right wing people in the country, considering that Malaysia has been a multi-racial country for the past 200 years. Their action, although carried out 'in the name of Islam' did not defend Islam but had damaged the religion, as least in my eyes. All i can do is to shake my head in disbelief and shock at Mahyuddin Manaf and the residents there for their action. whats their motives and agenda?

Im vehemently against their action of carrying a severed head of a cow which is a sacred animal to the Hindus. The spokesperson for the group says that the head is for Mr. Xavier Jayakumar, one of the members of state executive council. Judging by his first name, ill assume that hes a Catholic, not a Hindu. this shows how ignorant these people are.

If their action is not considered seditious and a threat to the nation, I don’t know what else qualifies. The government needs to take action.

recent photos

2009-08-29T00:05:00.007+12:00

On the way to a 40 metre drop - Bungy Jump Auckland Harbour Bridge

Bike ride at a snowy morning at Rotorua

Doing sake shots with Kat, Eugene and Nicky

Sailing trip with Jeroen, Henk Jan, Eric, Eugene, Nicky, and Lindsay

Road trip with Bas and Martijn - note the plate number - (B)as (N)igel (M)artin

Some jenga session after dinner

With lovely Cohort 4

Dress up party - Matt as Avril Lavigne, Me as Angus Young AC/DC, and Amanda

Night out at town with Jess and Matt

At a gay bar for a drag show with friends - photo taken with a drag queen

Mini golf on sunday morning

p/s : To my muslim friends, have a blessed Ramadhan. if any of you folks are going out to break your fast, do text me so that i can join.

makan pasta 3 hari berturut-turut

2009-08-23T18:17:00.002+12:00

aku makan pasta 3 hari berturut-turut, masih tak bleh caya lagi.
semakin aku nak menulis dalam bahasa malaysia, semakin pelik rasanya. eloklah aku menulis dalam bahasa cina bukan penyelesaianya, sebab bahasa cina aku mau mampus dah....oklah. aku menulis dalam loghat ganu. baru natural sket.

malang khamih lepas kang, aku masok pasta mangkuk besor. kuoh die kang, aku bubuh stengah kilo daging cincang, 700g sos pasta, bawang besor sutir, ngang sayur-sayur. pasta, aku masok sekilo stengah terus.

hasilnye, aku makang pasta 3 hari teruh. makang malam khamih, 3 kali mase jumaat, ngan 2 kali mase sabtu. giler.

haha.

Rock Kapak urge goes on... Wings - Bernafas Dalam Lumpur

2009-08-15T04:23:00.002+12:00

Lama mana lagi
Hendak ku turutkan
Kata telunjuk yang menuding kepalaku
Sabar apa lagi
Hendak ku turutkan
Hingga aku bernafas bagai dalam lumpur
Kasihan...

Wajah kita sama
Beza pada gaya
Itu pilihan masing-masing yang empunya
Mungkin pada usia
Rasa yang berbeza
Yang penting kita saling hormat menghormati
Panduan...

( korus )
Kita tak dapat bersama
Namun kita juga manusia
Kita punya rasa cinta
Masing-masing punya harga...oh..oh...

Mahu apa lagi
Akan aku korbankan
Selagi ada hayatku di kandung badan
Oh terima kasih
Kerana balasan
Semoga sejahteralah hidup semua
Oh kawan

The Ian Carey Project - Get Shaky

2009-07-28T00:06:00.008+12:00

Tell you like it is with the kiss
Baby when it drips from your lips
Tell you like it is, it’s like this
Don’t be such a slave to your brother

Baby get shaky after school
Ooooooh oh there you oh oh there you
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Ooooooh oh there you oh oh there you go
Go go go go
oh oh there you go
oh oh there you go

Baby get shaky after school
Oh oh there you oh oh there you
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Oh oh there you oh oh there you go
Go Go Go Go

Oh oh there you go
Baby get shaky after school
Oh oh there you oh oh there you
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Oh oh there you oh oh there you go

Baby get shaky after school
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Oh oh there you oh oh there you go

Tell you like it is with the kiss
I can see the swing of your hips
Tell you like it is, it’s like this
Where you involve a trick from your brother

You can say what you want
But you’re so
Get outta here
You can say but you don’t
Such a shame, let it go
Get outta here

Baby get shaky after school
Oh oh there you oh oh there you
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Oh oh there you oh oh there you go

Baby get shaky after school
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Oooooh oh there you ooooh oh there you go
Go Go Go Go

Baby get shaky after school
Oh oh there you oh oh there you
Baby go crazy, break the rules
Oh oh there you oh oh there you go
Go Go Go GO

swine flu.

2009-07-26T21:59:00.001+12:00

im now having a runny nose, sore throat and slight fever - swine flu?

new flatmates - new surprises

2009-07-22T17:51:00.004+12:00

As the title suggested, i got myself 4 new flatmates last week. heres what i got to say about them.

Sophie - the well eaten girl.

shes a french. yup. a french. so harold, dont be jealous with me! shes the first to check in at the flat, and she doesnt speak much english. i helped her to get around auckland, from getting groceries to a new mobile number to even a bank account.

shes a well spoken girl, and boy she makes very nice, sometimes gourmet salad. her salad seasonings are quite exotic to me, things like balsamic vinegar, and french cheese. not to mention things like turmeric powder ( never thought that nasty stuff can go into salads). she also cooks healthily, everytime when she cooks, i cant help but feel that my dietary habit consists of eating trash - burgers, cheap pastas, steaks with a hell lot of smoky sauce.

Jack - the proud irish

yup. after sophie, he came into flat 10. as the description, hes taking his irish culture pretty seriously. he loves his Guiness and of course Kilkenny. and he sure knows how to use his irish background to its full potential, especially when its about flirting with girls. a law student, this guy is not the person to argue about things with, he can come out with brilliant points. im sure he'll make a damn good lawyer.

Jessica - the "loud and happy" Swing

i gave her a pretty weird first impression. when she first move in, i was in my scottish regalia, going to play for my pipe band at a funeral. i guess she finds it funny to see an asian guy in full scottish regalia, with tartan kilt and sporran and glengarry.

never afraid to speak her mind, she provides insights and suggestions on how things should be done, especially things about the flat. she came out with ideas like flat dinner and tries to organize them. thats the kind of flatmate you want, coorperative, responsive and that she communicates. shes loud and very friendly. not to mention her liking to dance, even when shes doing her dishes! i love this girl.

Kristi - the "sweet" girl

ive not have a lot of opportunities to know kristi enough, since shes the last to move in, and that shes been sick for the past week. shes supposed to live at flat 11, but since she finds more chemistry with flat 10, she moved into the spare room. So far, she looks like shes a nice and sweet young lady. she dances quite well too.

Jess and Kristi

Sophie and Jack

hope ill be able to spend my final semester here at Auckland in a blast with these folks!

sudden urge for "rock kapak"

2009-07-16T17:16:00.002+12:00

for no reason, today i listened to my whole collection of "rock kapak", Malaysian rock music of the 80 and 90's.

it reminded me of my times when i was young, and when i was working on horrible minimum wage manning those shoe stores.

as i listened to these tunes, i started remembering more and more of these songs, only to realize that my hard disk doesnt have them. search attempts on youtube proved useless - my internet provider sets a cap on video streaming, it will take hours to stream a 10 minute video.

so this posting is to see if anybody here can help me to find these songs.

Juwita - iklim
airmata jernih - bumiputera rockers
Cinta Bandar Tasik Selatan - Olan
bunga larangan - UG14
Blues tranung kite - Iklim
patahnya sayap malam - Masa
sejati - wings

guess for the moment, i will have to satisfy myself with my Isabella.

Penang Hokkien - the escape route to be myself.

2009-06-21T09:52:00.006+12:00

from http://johnong.com/images/PenangHokkien300x300.jpg

living in new zealand requires me to continuously learn and adapt to social customs and practices, and by doing so, have make me practice things quite different that what i was brought up with, and that includes speaking one hell lot of english, little mandarin, and almost no hokkien.

to be honest, i feel like myself when im speaking hokkien, and i miss speaking it. and here at NZ, how am i suppose to find a hokkien speaker? i do know some, but as they are doing the same thing as i am (learning and adapting), they worry that speaking in hokkine might result in their English going backwards. so where and who did i turned to to fulfill that desire to speak/listen to hokkien?

Penang Hokkien. just as its title suggests, its a weekly podcast in entirely Penang style hokkien. almost im from terengganu and i speak a version of hokkien that might be quite weird to penang folks, but i enjoy listening to it. especially when i work 7am in the morning on mondays. topics discussed could range from social situations, to life experiences (eg. wash clothes, being cheated by bad businessman, your favourite teacher at school).

the host for the show is a Malaysian currently living in US, in the name of John Ong. his guest speakers are mostly penang folks, either still living at Malaysia, or is expats overseas.

the webpage for the podcast is at http://www.penanghokkien.com . if you have any gadgets from Apple, the podcast is downloadable from iTunes for free.

check it out!

A reply to 中华文化(Chinese Culture).

2009-06-17T01:53:00.006+12:00

the following writing is my response from an article titled "中华文化" or Chinese Culture, posted by a friend of mine. I felt that the writing really expressed who i see myself as, and i think should be shared with everybody.

____________________________________________________________________
hey bro, how you're doing?

i agree with the fact that when you are a Chinese, you cant run away from it, no matter where you were born, and how you were brought up. If you're not Chinese culturally, you'll at least be Chinese from the biological standpoint, with the trademark black hair and slanted eyes.

from your writing, you sort of imply that you resent the fact that Chinese people are no longer "Chinese" enough. for me, its just an inevitable process of assimilating with the local culture of the host country, including us at Malaysia.

Don't you think that no matter what race or ethnicity you are from, once you have immigrated to a new place, you should try your best to assimilate or at best adapt to their culture? and not continue to expect things to be the same as your home country? don't you think by continuously championing only your cultural values around a society alien to it will only cause you to rejected by the mainstream society?

just look at actions of Dong Jiao Zong, or those groups such as Suqiu or perhaps, DAP and MCA. despite being at Malaysia for almost 200 years, we are still not fully accepted as Malaysians because were just not trying to be one. We still have students, even parliamentarians who cant speak proper Malay language, we despise those Chinese folks who married Malay woman and have converted to Islam, were not allowing reviews to be done on Chinese schools education in Malaysia, too many examples to be said here - were just not trying hard enough.

the fact that the world is globalizing does not really gives us a space to champion racial ideals as people tend to mix around more, and having contacts with people other than their own racial background. i think that the world is shifting away from racial ideas and are moving towards a nationalistic idea for everybody regardless of their race. Americanism, Pancasila from Indonesia, or even rukun negara should be good examples. anybody can subscribe to the "freedom to pursuit their happiness" ideal rather than "zhong hua jing shen" which is obviously very Chinese, since an Indian or Caucasian will never be able to subscribe to it.

however, that doesn't mean you should get rid of anything Chinese in you. i will personally allocate "Chineseness" to some of my cultural space, but being a Malaysian is more important to me. for example, ill let my child learn Mandarin, but ill make sure that he/she will have an excellent command of Malay (its about being Malaysian) and English (youll need it to survive the world).

just to let you know, i myself am a 4th generation Malaysian Chinese, and i can proudly say that my allegiance is with Malaysia. if China is going to war with Malaysia, il personally take up weapons and fight with Malaysia. What about you? im sure you are at least a 3rd generation yourself.

____________________________________________________________________

*P/S will provide the link to the posting once i received an ok from the writer.

My First iTunes Purchase

2009-05-14T13:41:00.002+12:00

yeap. just paid 1.79 for a copy of Radney Foster - Big Idea.

my first purchase of iTunes.

im not sure if it even deserve a mention,

but im actually feel proud that im supporting the artist that i like.

Godspeed - Radney Foster

2009-05-11T18:07:00.003+12:00

Music and Lyrics by Radney Foster

Dragon tales and the water is wide
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed, little man, Sweet dreams little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed, sweet dreams
The rockets racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight Moon, we'll find the mouse

Godspeed, little man, Sweet dreams little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed, sweet dreams
God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears amen
wherever we are and I love you

Godspeed, little man, Sweet dreams little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed,sweet dreams
Godspeed, Godspeed, sweet dreams

photo shoot with University for #14's brochure.

2009-05-11T17:27:00.004+12:00

Ive recently participated in the photo shoot session with the university for the cover of my residence's brochure for 2010. this is one of the pictures.

Considering the fact that Nigel aint the 'ean tow' guy, i think i look alright in there. hehe.
plus, i get paid as well. haha.

Asian guys & Country Music - Do they match?

2009-05-09T00:41:00.003+12:00

For me, it sure match. y not?

look at me, im so natural with the cowbay hat and guitar (haha)

But a lot of people doesnt think so.

- On a road trip with a multinational-team, this asian guy named nigel suddenly played dixie chicks-sin wagon. all he got in the end blank stares from his mates, saying "dude? what the f**K is that?"
- While cooking in his kitchen, Nigel decided to play a bit of Hayseed Dixie, and all he got from his flatmates were "nige, can you play something else?
-when people are browsing my IPod, ill get responses like
"dude, why do you have so many country music?"
"hillbilly music? gee, thats chronic man"
"damn bro, you IPod is so red-neck"

is it because im asian?

im gonna ask them when i have the chance.

Bracing for winter.

2009-05-03T21:54:00.005+12:00

Its getting colder here at Auckland.
My final cold season before i have to leave Aotearoa New Zealand.

p/s : that temperature is not the lowest it can go.

trip to tonga - pictures (part 1)

2009-05-02T18:50:00.012+12:00

i was at Tonga during the easter break. its a beautiful place, and it has a less developed tourism industry, compared to the nearby islands of Samoa or Fiji. so you can see the real image of Tonga. the place is quite poor as well - roads are mostly not paved, people farm to feed themselves, and there is still some existence of Barter trade. However, people here are very friendly, and approachable. of course, they are very religious too. Every single village that i visited will have at least 2 churches.

ok cut the crap. heres the pics...

my passport and boarding pass - 4.30 am in the morning.

my first image of tonga - the waterfront.

waterfront.

a visit to the market revealed this - that whole pile of eggs are worth 29 dollars. cheap cheap!

tasting the local brew. Ikale Gold lager. better then those shitty big horn, but not good enough to join beers like export or speights. i missed my Tui a lot when i was there.

was having that beer when this fly suddenly dive bombed into my drink, and never got out. i lost the final 2 gulps of my beer as well. bugger.

off for a tour!

the tour around the town leads me to this building. was told that its a mormon temple! cant believe tonga is actually 17% mormon, well on her way to become the first mormon nation!

typical tongan countryside - how can you not think about Malaysia?

the worlds only branched coconut tree. only at Tonga!

as certified by the ministry of tourism, tonga.

staple diet for Tongans are mainly yams or sweet potatos. in this picture the crop is called something like "casava". a very dry yam.

one of the countless beaches i went to. this one is called "good samaritan beach" have no idea why but thats what they call it.

good samaritan beach from the top. look at how clear the water is. holy guacamole!

next, the blowholes - the northern end of the island. the rocks that i stand on are hardened lava.

on a lower ground. they called this place blowholes because the rocks closest to the water is full of little holes - centuries of pounding by the sea. so when the waves come, the water shoots itself through the hole, creating an aerosol spray effect. heres the video.

me. the hat was a godsend- kept me protected from the hot tongan sun!

thats the biggest hole of the whole blowholes!

found this bro when walking around the bush. big as.

the site of the first european landing - the dude who got here first is Abel Tasman, the same guy who sighted NZ.

the trilithon or the "stonehenge of tonga" - was built back at 1200, by one of the kings from ancient Tonga.

here the explanation - i cant be bothered to read it.

______________________________________________

went to a beach the next day.

so this is how the beach looks like. a lot of rocks - cant help it. Tonga is an island made from lava.

there is a rock wall sort of 30 meters away - keeping the rough waves from the sandy beach head. so the water close to the beach are very calm. perfect for a dip + beer.

was approached by 2 local kids and i ended up playing with them. Tongans are very friendly, very approachable kind of people. took a photo with them. the boy is called Sipha/Sifa/Sipa, the girl is called Potesio/Kotesio, not sure.

heres the photo of my flatmate Eugene with the kids. he travelled with me to Tonga.

____________________________________________

third day - we took a 10 minute boat ride to a small island called Pangaimotu, and just chill there.
the island is so small that you can circle it in 20 minutes.

boat ride - 20 tongan dollar for a return trip. about 17 kiwi.

one special thing about this beach resort is that they have a shipwreck nearby that you can go check out while snorkeling.

i cant be bothered checking that out, so i just grab a chair, put it under a tree and chill.

so heres my spot. its a very peaceful place. no noise, no people. all you can hear is the breeze, or occcasional barking of dogs. i basically spent 3 hours sitting here, enjoying the peace, listening to my jazz records and reading a book.

went back to the main island, and checked the market out. bought a papaya for 2 tongan dollar, what a steal!

eugene was offered to buy a whole trunk of bananas (maybe 50-60 piece) for 10 dollars. he ended up buying only that much and paid 4. those greenish bananas reminded me of the good ol' banana fritters (pisang goreng).

will be continued. the stupid blogger just wont upload my picture.

Tongan Pa'anga - Mahal!

2009-04-07T17:04:00.006+12:00

As i prepare myself for my visit to Tonga, ive recently changed some of my Kiwi Dollar to Tongan Pa'anga.

To my surprise, the exchange rate is 1NZD - 1.2TOP.
that means, Pa'anga is actually higher in its value if compared to Ringgit!
considering their economy and their amount of overseas trade, its quite shocking.
to be honest, i was expecting much much more, maybe 20-30 for a kiwi?
niways, im quite geared up for it, and ill try to enjoy myself as much as possible.
will post some pictures as i check the island out!

Lied Vom Scheitern - Die Aertze

2009-03-27T15:40:00.003+13:00

Ich wusste stets, was ich will - doch das wollen viele
I always know what I want - and that is a tough deal

Trotzdem setzte ich mich zwischen alle Stühle
So I settle between all chairs

Und machte es mir bequem - bis hierhin kein Problem
And make myself comfortable - so far it’s been no problem

Ich strengte mich an - gehörte doch nie zu denen
I strive - to belong to neither side

Und schwelgte doch nur in unerreichbaren Plänen
And stay above it all

Und am Ende war der Lohn Frustration
But in the end, all I got was frustration

Ich dachte, ich könnte es erzwingen
I thought I could pull it off

Der Selbstbetrug tat mir nichts bringen, denn …
But self-deception did me no good, because…

Du bist immer dann am besten, wenns dir eigentlich egal ist
You’re always best when you’re actually yourself

Du bist immer dann am besten, wenn du einfach ganz normal bist
You’re always best when you’re simply as usual

Du bist immer dann am besten - du musst das nicht mehr testen jedes Mal
You are the best - no need to stress yourself out every time

Dein Spiegelbild ist anderen egal
The reflection in the mirror doesn’t matter either

Ich war nicht mehr ich selbst - es wurde gefährlich
I was no longer myself - it became dangerous

Tat, was andere verlangten, war zu mir selbst nicht ehrlich
Having to please others all the time didn’t actually sit well with me

Wer Wahrheit simuliert, wird nur kurz akzeptiert
After all, pretense wouldn’t go too far

Ich machte es allen recht - alle sollten mich lieben
I did everything right - everyone should love me

Sah nicht die Dämonen, die mich dazu trieben
I saw naught of the demons that controlled me

War gefangen und nicht mehr frei und ich ging kaputt dabei
I was imprisoned, no longer free, and thereby became kaput

Man kann die Welt nicht ewig blenden
One cannot fool the world forever

Ich muss den Quatsch sofort beenden, denn …
I must put an end to this nonsense right away, because…

Du bist immer dann am besten, wenns dir eigentlich egal ist
You’re always best when you’re actually yourself

Du bist immer dann am besten, weil der Ehrgeiz dich sonst auffrisst
You need to believe it, because otherwise ambition would devour you

Du bist immer dann am besten - du musst das nicht austesten - nicht noch mal
You are the best - you musn’t stress yourself out - not once more

Dein Spiegelbild ist anderen egal
The reflection in the mirror doesn’t matter either

Du kannst für eine Weile dein Umfeld belügen
You can deceive others around you

Doch dein eigenes Herz wirst du nicht betrügen
But you can’t deceive your heart

Man erntet, was man sät - drum wirds dein Herz sein, das dich verrät
You are what you are - your heart will reveal your true self

Ich will deinen Elan doch überhaupt nicht dämpfen
I don’t want to dampen your spirit

Wenn du etwas willst, musst du darum kämpfen
When you want something, you must fight for it

Nur eines versprichst du mir: Bleib immer du selbst und bleib bei dir
Promise me just one thing: Always be yourself and believe in yourself

Ich bin immer dann am besten, wenns mir eigentlich egal ist
I’m always best when I’m simply myself

Ich bin immer dann am besten, wenn mir keiner ins Regal pisst
I’m always best, even when I don’t aim straight

Ich bin immer dann am besten - am zweit-, dritt oder zehntbesten
I am the best - and second-best, third or tenth

Von mir aus auch mal nicht am besten
I don’t care if I’m really not the best

Ich muss das nicht austesten
I musn’t keep pushing it

Nicht noch mal
Not once more

Mein Spiegelbild ist anderen egal
My reflection in the mirror doesn’t matter either

taken from brianlynn.

im going to - Puleʻanga ʻo Tonga

2009-03-24T12:41:00.003+13:00

just booked my ticket for my Easter trip.

destination: Nuku'alofa, Kingdom of Tonga.

duration: 8th to 15th april, 2009
what to do: golf, fish, snorkel, drink kava, eat, sightseeing, sunbathing, cycling, eat nasty stuffs, and repeat.

cant wait!

Sgs

2009-03-14T04:37:00.001+13:00

i was there.

random attempts

2009-03-10T13:38:00.002+13:00

ever tried to search your own name in facebook?

i did that a few days ago. results - stunning.

i can easily say there is at least 10 Ong Jia Weis in Facebook. though mostly from Singapore.

and also, quite a lot of girls...

told ye mom my name is kinda girlish - she just wouldnt believe it.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing - 19.4km of trekking!

2009-03-04T19:19:00.009+13:00

On the way - stopped for a evening sandwich in some small town.

here we go!

first kilometer up

5 k - thats when the climbing and pain starts...

stopped for a break - mount doom here i come!

mount Ngaruhoe - perhaps more known as Mount Doom in the Lord of The Rings Trilogy.

Brought out my kilt and took a fancy shot halfway up the mountain.

rest - and a bottle of crisp fresh beer comes to mind

3 bottle of shining corona - shaken too much due to the walk.

the boyz doing some funny shots.

one of the hell holes around - all they do is excreting smelly fart-like gases. geothermal activity bro!

that pool is full of sulphur, and for christ sake, dun even think about bathing there!

halfway there... stopped by for another break.

tired but still trying hard to smile...

downhill hikes...

the team - me, jess, alicia, fred, joe.

updates.

2009-03-04T18:55:00.002+13:00

1. ive moved house, this time to a student flat called no.14.
this place is cool as. you are practically living in the city center, and yet you feel like you are not. not too much of noise from cars, you got yourself a nice yard, nice BBQ area to have functions, and of course - good mates that are always ready to hang out with you when you want to. in fact, i think they sometimes party too much that i cannot keep up with them. tough lot! better than then dull, sometime racist WSA!

2. ive got myself 2 jobs - as a RA, and also as a mailboy.
please do not say that im a workaholic until you hear the reason. i firstly applied for the RA position at the end of last year with little hopes. i do not see myself good enough to be given such an opportunity to be honest. so to be safe, ive asked a friend of mine to get me a job as a mailroom staff in her office. a few weeks after getting myself confirmed at the position, i was told that i was accepted for a position of RA at 14 flats. i accepted it gladly but im not sure what am i gonna do with it. it will be very bad if i decided to quit the mailroom job cos i will put my friend in a very bad position. she helped me get the job, and i shoudlnt do that to her. and of course i will not let go of my RA offer. its a good job, and it pays well. so for now, im working 2 jobs, and trying hard to keep myself thinking positively about that.

the RA job is really nice. you practically get paid to hang out with people. although certain parts of it are quite daunting, such as having to control and sometimes shut down parties that went out of control. the rest, its easy. just help these residents to change bulbs, get new chairs, and etc. i love it. you get asked to parties, and you make heaps of new friends. you build up characters, and work ethic as well.

3. i am now alone in auckland.

bro, please dun get me wrong on this. its fun having you around in auckland, its just sometimes i would prefer to be alone, and not having my actions told to mom or dad. i would prefer to keep my private life private, just like how i never tell mom or dad what ya doing here in auckland.

i am also away from my IPBA mates now. not to say that they are bad.. its just that i prefer to live a more private life. and not having people going aorund gossiping about me.

4. im enjoying my studies.

for the first time since i started tertiary, i finally take charge of my own learning. for the first time, i managed to study a whole chapter of of textbook before going into lecture. thats because im doing 2 subjects im quite passionate about - computing and astronomy.

Steh Auf! Wenn Du Am Boden Bist! - Die Toten Hosen

2009-02-15T17:52:00.004+13:00

one of the few inspirational songs that inspires me (aside from hold on by good charlotte), its in German by a band called Die Toten Hosen. if you translate that into english directly, it means 'the dead trousers'. but they doesnt sound like it at all. heres the lyrics.

Steh Auf! Wenn Du Am Boden Bist - Die Toten Hosen
Get up! When You Are on the Ground - The Dead Trousers

Wenn du mit dir am Ende bist
Und du einfach nicht weiter willst,
Weil du dich nur noch fragst,
Warum und wozu und was dein Leben noch bringen soll ...
If you are familiar with at the end
And you just do not want to continue,
Because you only ask,
Why and why and what your life will be

Halt durch, auch wenn du allein bist!
Halt durch, schmei� jetzt nicht alles hin!
Halt durch, und irgendwann wirst du verstehen,
Dass es jedem einmal so geht.
Stop by, even if you are alone!
Stop by, do not turn out anything!
Stop by, and someday you will understand
That it does so every single day.

Und wenn ein Sturm dich in die Knie zwingt,
Halt dein Gesicht einfach gegen den Wind.
Egal, wie dunkel die Wolken ber dir sind,
Sie werden irgendwann vorberzieh'n.
And if a storm you in the knee forces
Simply hold your face against the wind.
No matter how dark the clouds are upon you,
You will someday rise up.

Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist!
Steh auf, auch wenn du unten liegst!
Steh auf, es wird schon irgendwie weitergeh'n.
Get up when you're on the ground!
Get up, even when you are lying down!
Stand up, it will somehow be alright.

Es ist schwer, seinen Weg nicht zu verlier'n
Und bei den Regeln und Gesetzen hier
Ohne Verrat ein Leben zu fuhr'n,
Das man selber noch respektiert.
It is hard, his way not to
And with the rules and laws here ,
Without a life of betrayal,
The man himself still respects.

Auch wenn die Zeichen gerade alle gegen dich steh'n
Und niemand auf dich wetten will -
Du brauchst hier keinem irgendeinen Beweis zu bringen.
Es sei denn es ist fur dich selbst!
Even if all the characters straight against you
And nobody wants to bet on you --
You need this not to bring any evidence.
Unless it is for yourself!

Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist!
Steh auf, auch wenn du unten liegst!
Steh auf, es wird schon irgendwie weitergeh'n.
Get up when you're on the ground!
Get up, even when you are lying down!
Stand up, it will somehow be alright.

Nur keine Panik, so schlimm wird es nicht.
Mehr als deinen Kopf rei�t man dir nicht weg.
Komm und sieh nach vorn!
Do not panic, so bad it will not.
Over your head you can not tear away.
Come and see the front!

Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist!
Steh auf, auch wenn du unten liegst!
Steh auf, es wird weitergeh'n.
Get up when you're on the ground!
Get up, even when you are lying down!
Stand up, it will somehow be alright.

Steh auf, wenn du am Boden bist!
Steh auf, auch wenn du unten liegst!
Steh auf, es wird schon irgendwie weitergeh'n.
Get up when you're on the ground!
Get up, even when you are lying down!
Stand up, it will somehow be alright.

I am an asian guy that refuses to limit myself to just asian girls

2009-02-15T16:34:00.001+13:00

thats all. cheers

lets learn Loghat Terengganu!

2009-02-07T00:29:00.003+13:00

if my previous post is incomprehensible for you, you might wanna check this glossary of Loghat Terengganu slangs.

im sure it will quite helpful if you are travelling around terengganu.

SLANG = IN PROPER MALAY = IN ENGLISH

Tubek = keluar = to go out
Sokmo = selalu = always
dok rok = tak larat/lembik = out of breath
gocoh/gomo = gaduh = fight
nawok/lebong = tipu = lie/cheat
gong = sombong = cocky
dok soh beng = jangan = do not
nano = nakal = naughty
derah = cepat = fast
Garik = Maghrib = evening muslim prayer
Kepok = Kerepok = deep fried fish stick ( a type of terengganu traditional food)
Pitih = Duit = money
celleng = Duit syiling = shilling
Kona lepe = kona lipat = to corner your vehicle at an angle above 180 degree
Kehek = muntah = to vomit
Takdok aghoh = habis ikhtiar = out of idea
Gege = bising = noisy
Ketor geggor = terketar-ketar yang melampau = abnormal shivering
Dok dulli mung = tak ambik peduli = to not care
Serabuk = serabut = messy
Apah nyior = hampas kelapa = the fibrous part of coconut
Bahang = belasah = to punch
Dok dang = tak sempat = unable arrive on time (can anybody help me traslate this?)
Kupik = kedekut = stingy
Skekk = sedikit = a little
samoh = 50 sen = 50 cents
Tohok = buang = to throw away
Beso jalo = sudah besar panjang / sudah matang = mature (human
Bapok = besar = big
Lokkk = biarkan = to ignore( usually used on naughty children)

Ganu kite...

taken and edited from: http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t45062-800.html

coretang-coretang diri ambe.

2009-02-05T21:25:00.002+13:00

ambe ari nie rase ok jer.. ade dengor dengor sket dikir barat, hok Cikgu Naim. cicok, itik, skim cepak mati, ngan hok haling yazid. lagu tupa, pesang ibu, ngan diri ambo. tibe tibe rase nok nulih loghat ganu nie...dok tahu nok kabo pasal pende, ambo cite sket-sket pasal keje ah...

bangung lime pagi, wat sarapang lepas tu naik bah gi downtown wat keje.
keje pende? budok surak. hok jalang keliling opis hator surak tu le...
gaji ok. kite budok university yang takdok sebarang kelulusang nie dokleh main milih. kalu jupe keje, wat, dok soh pikir banyok-banyok.
tapi satu jelah.. kena bangung pagi-pagi bute, lepah tu, keje jak je. sapai sembilang stengoh, habih keje. keje 2 jang stengoh.
due tige ari lagi, start keje hok se gi. hok nie keje die payoh sket. jadi RA. keje nie, ade gaye-gaye macang warden asrame. tapi asrame kat sini kalu nok banding ngan asrame kat mesia, bezo die besor. sini, tiap tiap orang dapak bilik sdiri. dok maing kongsi-kongsi fatt chai. peraturang pung dok ketat sngat. tak dok cang mase kene tido, kene nutup lapu. senang. masaloh terbesor kat sini, budaye berparti.
kalu die nok parti, kite dok kisoh. die bleh parti sampai die mapuh. tapi kalu die party sampai orang lain complain, kite hok keje RA nie kene gi wat kacau, kene gi wat parti orang lain g jadi buruk. bak-bak nie ah hok ambe rase dok sedak hati nie.

ha..dah. cite gini, skali mule, dok habih-habih. tibe tibe rindu pulok mesia nie...ke ganu?
rindu kat kepok leko, nasi dagang hok mok cik kapung ladang (dengo cite doh ninggal), sotong goreng ngan air nyior kat batu rakit, aduh...

Great highland bagpipe - here i come!

2009-02-04T00:23:00.004+13:00

after a 1 year delay, ill finally engage with one of my goals in New Zealand - to learn to play Great Highland Bagpipe.

I love almost everything Celtic, from Gaelic language to celtic music. and of course when you talk about Celtic music, nothing springs in peoples mind faster than a kilted man playing highland pipes. For years, ive kept the hope of learning bagpipes, due to me unable to find any instructors in malaysia, and the fact that im too poor to afford a decent bagpipe.

But things changed 2 days ago. my forum posting in a pipe band forum was replied with a man offering to tutor me. instantly i said yes. without realizing that i have to travel quite a distance to get to the practice place. its about 30 minute train ride from Britomart (auckland's KL Sentral).

Its a recently restarted grade 4 pipe band, called Otahuhu pipe band. people there are welcoming and helpful. i also found my ex-band mate who played pipes with me at CAPB. and guess what, he volunteered to tutor me. of course, in exchange of my tutoring him drumming.

i started the session with a practice chanter.

its basically a stripped down version of a bagpipe. instead of blowing into a bag and squeeze the air out, all you do is blow right into the chanter - much like a recorder.

a new player doesnt start right away blowing full bagpipes, due to various reasons.

1. youll need strong lip muscles and lungs to blow into a bagpipe. usually new players doesnt have the power or stamina to do so. using practice chanter helps build up lip muscle and lung power.

2. a bagpipe is actually 4 instruments, 1 chanter (lead) 2 drones (melody) and 1 Bass drone (bass). if you start by trying to play 4 instruments right away, imagine the noise, and how fast those noise can kill off your enthusiasm. practice chanter let you work on the 1st instrument (lead) and as you build up your confidence, you take on those drones.

3. as your mouth is not directly on the reed - you cant stop the bagpipe midway through the playing. you cant play things like staccato either. so once you got the bagpipe ringing, there is no looking back, ya gotta keep on playing. if you have no idea of what you are going to play, imagine the noise youll make when pausing to look at your fingering chart. practice chanter allows you to polish you fingering before trying it out on your pipes.

a lot more to go....

so on my first lesson, i learned the basic common 9 fingerings avaiable on a highland bagpipe. its quite interesting that a highland bagpipe plays on a mixolydian mode scale, which doesnt sound like your typical do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do. its do-re-mi-fa-so-li-ti-do.

its quite hard to blow air into the chanter too. for my case, i have the lung power needed, but i dun have lip muscles strong enough to force the air. so when i play the chanter, you can hear the "pancit" or "lau hong" sound.

ill have quite a lot to work on, from finger position to keeping constant pressure on the chanter, that will take me weeks.

ive set a goal of wanting to be on a bagpipe and play a few tunes before the end of this year. lets see if that will happen!

A McWang Tartan?

2009-01-31T17:03:00.005+13:00

I was doing some reading about Scottish tartans when i browsed into a website that allows you to create and register your tartan with Scottish Tartans Authority.

I started to flirt with the idea that i can design a Tartan and register it as McWang Tartan- and have every Wangs (or its variations - Ong (hokkien), Wong (cantonese), Heng (Teochew)) to own a Scottish kilt with this tartan design. and then these folks will form a pipe band, and then parade as the McWang Clan in some big highland games..... and then when people asked these folks about the history of this tartan, they gonna give credit to a man called "Nigel McWang".

The idea is kinda crazy, put i entertain it anyways, thinking that i have pretty much nothing to do, and that it will make a good entry to my weblog (which hasnt been updated for a while).

So, i first selected the colours, Gold, red, blue and white. The Reasons:

Gold - Wang translates into 'king' in English, so Gold depicts the Royal colour.

Red - Most country that hosted a population of Wangs have red colour on their flags (China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Phillipines, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, UK, maybe France). so the colour pay respects to these countries for nurturing the McWangs, and also to represent that McWangs come from all over the world.

Blue - The thing that connects these McWangs colony is the sea. thus the blue. It depicts the hard work and sacrifice of the previous McWangs that travelled across the sea from China in search of the Dream, to pursuit their own happiness and prosperity.

White - Honesty

After much hard work and tweaking, this is the final work.

Hows that?

Ive sent an email about registering this tartan. i doubt that it will be free of charge, but it its do free, hell yea, ill register this tartan, and even make a kilt out of it!

oh yea, just in case if some of you people asks why the 'Mc' in McWang, the 'Mc' actually means 'Son of'. so its natural for me to be called McWang, since my dad is mr.Wang

Redemption Song - Bob Marley

2009-01-13T22:27:00.003+13:00

http://hpbimg.pepi-apart.com/bob%20marley.jpg

Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I,
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? Ooh!
Some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fulfil de book.

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

TRAVELLING MODE

2009-01-11T12:04:00.001+13:00

cromwell - queenstown - wanaka - gore - invercargill - bluff - Scenic route - Dunedin.

1 month in Jones' Orchard

2008-12-27T18:02:00.004+13:00

huh. work, sleep, work, sleep & 4 pay slips, ive been picking cherries in Cromwell for a month already.

too bad that i think i might still not have enough money to travel. things seem to be ok until i started to think about settling back in auckland. by the end of my travelling i think i should have enough to pay rents for at least 3 weeks before i start my RA job. the problem is paying rental bond. im not too sure about how much i have to pay, so im looking at 700 dollars. coupled with 350 for 2 weeks of rentals back at auckland, i pretty much lost the money i have planned to spend on my travels...

my only solution for now is to work for another week, and shorten my travel from 10 to 6 days. it sucks, but i need a roof on my head when i get back to auckland. i have totally lost my motivation to continue picking, imagine if you are doing the same thing for 8 hours everyday, 7 days a week. not even a weekend break. and you start at 7am, when its maybe 5 celcius in crazy Central Otago weather. at noon time, you might be talking about 30 celcius, and there is no clouds to protect you from the hard, skin piercing sun.

but outside of work, life is good down here. had a good christmas party, been hanging out with quite some numbers of cool people, although most of them are either Czechs or Chileans. learnt how to fish, build a BBQ fire, love dogs, smoke socially, and also met some beautiful girls...

also at here, i started to appreciate the fact that im a Malaysian. ive been blessed with at least 12 years of English education, and it helped me immensely to mix and mingle with other people, and not just stay back with other Mandophone (mandarin) speakers. almost all of asians here in the orchard are doing just that. no wonder why people can get prejudiced about them.

New Zealand rural life is awesome. so far i am not missing auckland, not even one bit. so ill try my best to enjoy my final 2 weeks here in Cromwell, before i jump on a jet to get back to Auckland - the "not so New Zealand place" in Kiwiland.

1st week at Jones' orchard.

2008-11-30T13:49:00.002+13:00

quite good. not to my expectations actually.

i work 6 days a week, from 8am to 4.30 pm, with 15 minutes breaks at1030 and 1500. 30 minutes lunch break at 1pm.

i started with thinning, which is about removing excess fruits from trees so that the tree can focus on growing those who are still there. i got payed about 2 dollars per tree, and on a good day, i can make about 50-60 trees per day.

but there is also some down side. on the 4th and 5th day, i got sent to pick cherries. it sounded good at the start, as i can eat as much cherries as i want. but as i started picking, i realized that the picking is not as easy. there is still not much riped cherries, so picking is hard. they pack 7 dollars per bucket, but i can only manage 10 buckets on a 10 hour shift. thats bloody poor. i asked to be put back to thinning, and i got it.

btw folks, i lsot contacts of everybody because my contacts were all saved up in my old cellphone, not in my sim card. so can you readers out there text me ur numbers to my phone?

its 02102369706 r if u r texting from overseas, +62102369706.

cheers, will update you ppl with pictures next time. brought my camera, but this internet cafe doesnt have spot for memory cards, only USB. im guttted.

A New Life - as a farmer down south

2008-11-23T12:01:00.002+13:00

travelled down to central Otago to start working for a fruit orchard a few days ago. here is what i saw and think along the journey, and also ill write a little about my 'humble abode'.

the fruit orchard im working in currently is called 'Jones' family orchard'. 45km away from Queenstown. The closest town (5km) from this orchard is called Cromwell, with a population of 4000+-. a small town indeed.

upon arrival, i was greeted by Diane, which i think is the orchard owner's wife. she drove me around the town, and show me some important places. forget about big brands like Jeans West, or Starbucks Coffee, or Vodafone. there is none of it here. franchises that i already know (those exsisted in auckland) are BNZ, national bank, Video Ezy, and fortunately, NewWorld. at least i can get myself some groceries here.

i was then ferried to my accomodation. it fell a bit out of my expectation. i expect big dormitory with bunk beds lined up, in a brick-layed house. What i got in the end, is a small wooden house in the size of an typical african hut, with 3 beds in it. the carpet smelled a bit funny, i would say its a combination of cats and dogs smell. the structure is a bit run-down, not insulated properly, and there is not heater or warming. luckily ill be here during the summer, cant imagine it when people are here during the winter. there is a common house right behind it, where shower, toilet, kitchen and tv lounge is located. at least i can watch some tv when im bored. as only 2 "huts" and a few caravan will share the facility, its not too crowded. im glad for that.

living with me in the hut is a Japanese backpacker called Taka, and a German called Henrik. ill write more about them as i get to know them better.

im writing this entry from Queenstown, as my cellphone broke down yesterday. i tried to find a cellphone shop in Cromwell, and to my horror, there was none. my only option is to come to Queenstown and purchase one here. crazy aye?

ill post some pictures about my 'humble abode' some other time, as i didnt bring my camera along. bugger bugger bugger!

There is not internet access around the orchard, and there is only 1 internet cafe in Cromwell, and they only have 4 computers. but ill try to keep you readers updated as frequent as i can.

ciao!

one small surprise of the day = 1 small problem for the day

2008-11-15T22:19:00.002+13:00

the surprise.

tried to buy a can of energy drink from a vendor machine. paid 3 dollars, and the machine pops 2 out. yahhoie!!

the problem.

i finished both of it within 1 hour. was checking out the design of the can (the brand is 'Relentless' btw), only to find out that it recommends a person to not consume more than 1 can per day.

worried, i went online to read about caffeine overdose. it says:

"An acute overdose of caffeine, usually in excess of about 300 milligrams, dependent on body weight and level of caffeine tolerance, can result in a state of central nervous system over-stimulation called caffeine intoxication"

"The symptoms may include restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushing of the face, increased urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, a rambling flow of thought and speech, irritability, irregular or rapid heart beat, and psychomotor agitation. In cases of much larger overdoses mania, depression, lapses in judgment, disorientation, disinhibition, delusions, hallucinations, psychosis, rhabdomyolysis, and death may occur"

i just consumed 282mg of caffeine. judging the fact that i seldom drink this kind of stuff, i certainly will have a lower tolerance towards caffeine.

For the moment, Im flushing, i cant control my lips well (its shaking),i can feel my heartbeat going faster than usual, and im trying hard to maintain concentration (and finger coordination) as i type this blog entry.

i think im now intoxicated with excess caffeine.

(photos) desperate students trying to answer things that they just cant.

2008-11-04T17:17:00.002+13:00

Just a pictorial collections of desperate students trying to answer things that they just cant.

enjoy!

people, dun get drunk ok?

2008-10-21T13:06:00.002+13:00

really, i mean it.
its not cool to get drunk at all.
im saying this after my first real piss-drunk experience.
it all started when i went to my friend's party.
went for some beers, and i had some fun.
then mixed spirits came. i downed vodka with orange juice, or coke.
i thought i was in control.
guess i cant measure how much ive drank since i mixed the spirits up.
i remembered playing guitar and singing with people, watching Bundesliga games with some friends.
then, i felt like im about to puke. i ran to the washroom, heading towards the toilet.
only then, i realized how drunk i was.
i cant even walk properly, not alone stand!
i pushed myself, and before i reached the toilet, i puked.
luckily i managed to turn towards the basin, and released all of em there.
thats all i can remember.

i woke up the next day, in my friend's room.
i felt all dried up, and headache was all over me.
i thanked my friend for getting me sorted that night,
and i went home.

when i was showering, i started to think, what if i said, or done some things that im not supposed to do? and i didnt even remember if i did any of that.

i certainly hope i didnt.

in movies, or folklores, getting drunk is portrayed as something ok, something funny, something acceptable. thats what i believe until that fateful day.

trust me, it felt much more terrible than getting robbed.

so please, dun get drunk.

im sure i wont let myself to get that drunk anymore.

coolest election advertising.

2008-10-10T15:47:00.002+13:00

I was reading things about the new zealand election this coming november, and i found this ad.

Its an ad from the Family Party of New Zealand, small but i like what they are fighting for, to preserve the family values in a fragmenting society. hope they can win a seat or two this nov!

laser strike/tags experience

2008-10-07T20:40:00.003+13:00

went for a laser strike game last week,from 11pm till 6 am. it was a weird time to do such strenuous activities, but since i can save heaps (im paying 25 for 7 hours), i gave it a go. Its pretty cool, all my fantasies of playing counter strike became reality. u gotta start watching for invaders, hold your lines, and also try to score some kill. what made this even better, is that u will be donning a space trooper-like suit, with sensors around ur stomach, shoulder and back. thats the place where u wana shoot ur laser guns to.

i started off being the chicken, being killed again and again. Thanks to my inpatience of constantly trying to be the hero. all i do at the earlier part is to blitz, or rush, trying to outflank opposing teams shooting line. as the game progressed i started to learn from those vets, and i got better and better. here are some tips i found useful on myself, and i think might be useful to you too.

1. when moving, keep your gun aimed. that means move around with your eye placed close and parallel to the gun. it saves you your aiming time, and gives u a higher accuracy if u got into sudden encounter with the enemy.

2. shoot with your chest facing your gun, and your shoulder parallel to the direction u r shooting at. it gives u better protection from being killed by your enemy (its harder to shoot at the smaller shoulder sensor than the big apple-sized tummy sensor).

3. find cover all the time as u move and shoot. use walls, barrels, or even dead team-mate. keep your body parts behind cover as much as possible. i usually only expose my head, half of my shoulder and my gun of course when im shooting, leaving the opponent with only 1 sensor to aim at.

4. if there is no chance to hide and u found yourself being shot at, turn your chest away from the person who is trying to gut you. same principle, keep the apple tummy sensor away from him.

5. duck when going across walls waist high, or if trying to run across crossfire. general survival tips

6.for those who got sick being pawned because u r just too bad, hide. look for a nice spot, and wait. pawn any unsuspecting passerby. of course, dun sit there the whole time, they will be ready for ya the next time.

7. defend or move in teams. especially when holding on a position eg base. its always good if u or ur teammate dies, somebody is still around to help out. its also good to have somebody to watch ur blind spot when u move.

i will certainly play the game again, its so much fun!

photos.

2008-10-05T14:25:00.005+13:00

With Ghislain the Gila at 18+ youth group retreat

At nearby Kaitaia, Northland

St Cuthbert's College.

In Scottish regalia before the Pipe Band's parade.

i think this is nice, so i tagged myself to answer this! taken from Eujeen's weblog.

2008-09-16T09:01:00.005+12:00

First Name: jia wei, nigel,
Nickname: nige, ong kecik, ah ong.
Birthday: july 29th 1987
Birthplace: Dungun, Malaysia
Time of Birth: 9.30am
Zodiac Sign: rabbit. (haha. im sure girls will laugh at me when they see this)
Star Sign: Leo

MY APPEARANCE
I dun think i have that Urban Uber look, nor the kampung-village look - maybe i can say i look like normal young lads out there, perhaps with some uberness and villageness on my appearance.
Height: 183cm.
Eye Colour: dark brown (checked my eye on the mirror for this)
Natural Hair Colour: black dark brownish - thanks to swadaya (too much sun)
Current Hair Colour: same la..dun see the reason to dye my hair.
Hair Length: GI cut. cheap, and easy, and need little shampoo!
Ever Dyed A Bizzare Hair Colour: never even dyed before
Curly/Straight/Wavy: straight
Last time you did something dramatic with your hair: can i can shaved it till 3mm short, even shorter than GI's 6mm?
Glasses or contacts: Glasses: all the time nowadays - except when i feel like wearing shades
Do you wear make-up: no
Ever had hair extensions: no
Paint your nails: yup. some of the girls here bought new paint, and they experimented it on me.

In The Opposite Gender
Eye Colour: i prefer non-black. it doesnt matter about the colour.
Hair Colour: everything is beautiful.
Shy/Outgoing: a little bit of both but the shy must never overwhelm the outgoing by a factor of 7:3 (i wont change that eujeen, thats good enough for me as well)
Looks/Personality: i think looks does will attract me first, but whats beauty outside without a good personality to go with it?
Sexy/Cute: please, not too sexy or cute. ill have a tough time handling guys around her.
Serious/Fun:ill need both, but she better have more seriousness than funniness - need hers to balance up my over funniness and lack of seriousness.
Older/Younger: doesn’t matter to me

This or That
Flowers/Chocolate: ive given paperfold flowers to girls, and chocalate too. i think chocalate works faster, since they can smile all day while eating it. flowers? smell once, smile once, no liao.
Pepsi/Coke: Coke! pepsi in Aotearoa suck!
Rap/Rock: who cares? music is music
Relationship/One Night Stand: relationship
School/Work: work
Love/Money: love. but whats love with no money? i would say 6:4
Movies/Music: music
Country/City: country but not too far from the city. who wants that rushing like mad dog life?
Sunny/Rainy Day: i used to love rainy days but i prefer sunny days now
Friends/Family: family

Have you ever..

Lied: yes
Stole something: quite a lot aye? but thats the past....when i was young and ignorant.
Smoked: a few puffs. its cool, but smoking is not for me.
Hurt someone close to you: yes.
Had a broken heart: yes. (not easy aye?)
Wished you were a princess: hmm..well, its not bad to be a princess...
Liked someone who was taken: yes
Shaved your head: yes
Been in love: i think so
Used chopsticks: yes
Sang to yourself in the mirror: yes. i rap to it too.

Favourites

Flower: daffodils.
Candy: chocettes?
Colour: blue, yellow, silver. (bright colours i likee...)
Musical Instrument: drums, drums, drums. + trumpet, bagpipes! (if a piper plays a popular tune and if u have dozens of people singing it...wonderful. "oh flowers of scotland, when we will see...."
Movie: i think i like war movies, perhaps some old historic stuff as well.
Singer: nobody in particular
Actor/Actress: nobody in particular
Word: sh*t, f*ck & b*tch ( love to hear b*tch come out from one of my girl-friend's mouth)
Junk food: chips, chips, chips! (aotearoa has some nice chips)
Website: malaysia-today?
Location: a house with big yard, where i can play with my kids one day.
Food: i boost every chef's self confidence when they serve me food. hows that?
Animal: homo sapiens?
Ever cried over someone: yes
Is there anything you wish you could change about yourself: be more social, laziness, lack of emotion.
Do you think you’re attractive: i might be one, but in general, im just a normal bloke that u can see everyday on the streets. it might take something very special for me to be seen (wearing a scottish kilt for example)
If you had to choose a fairytale as your life, what would you choose: greek gods?
Do you play any sports: yes. rugby union, rugby league, american football (god that hurts).

List 8 random facts about yourself:
1. i eat a lot. 3 people's portion = 1 of mine.
2. im quite big for an asian guy - 183cm, 83 kg. some of my girl-friends say im too big to be their boyfriend - one of them said "we wont look nice on pictures, unless i got a platform to stand on."
3. at times, people thought im a japanese in new zealand. some even popped out japanese words at me, and i felt like being stunned by some DOTA character.
4. i never reject any chance to go out got a drink or 2 of beer at pubs. espacially if theres a rugby game going on TV.
5. i dun really read story books. mostly "how-to" guides, and biography.but i love Steinbeck's novel.
6. would like to go to US and have a working holiday there one day. (ideal destination - Wyoming, Oklahoma, Idaho, Montana)
7. is a TESOL (teaching of english to second language learners) student, i still cant believe that im actually studying this!
8. im actually supposed to be in a lecture now, but i ditched it to write this thing!

happenings - september

2008-09-14T03:25:00.002+12:00

8-10 trip to northland
19-21 Pipe band camp (never expected that pipe band also got band camp)
27-29 18+ group retreat (looking forward to that)

4 assignments to pass up in between. not good...

drumming issues

2008-09-07T20:14:00.002+12:00

i fingers felt really itchy today, cant explain why (drummer always have an itchy fingers, so the tendency to drum all the time is always there, its just how itchy it gets). i pulled out my pair of old sticks, a pair of Zildjian Field Series 3000, and proceeded with some Swiss Army Triplets exercise.

guess what, my finger got tired so fast after playing it for a while. I felt my ring finger's muscle being pulled hard. I stopped, thinking it might be the weight of the sticks that is killing my fingers.

After a while, i tried the exercises again, this time with my pipe band sticks, which are much more lighter. it felt like a breeze.

guess, im almost completed my transition towards becoming a pipe band drummer now. so far, ive achieved all this:

- I count 6/8 diferently them American drummers do
- I hold my sticks different than them American drummers (thumb position)
- I use sticks lighter then American drummer do
- I play on snares with 1 wire sets extra than them american drummers,
- And most notably, i wear kilt when i perform on stage! not pants!

haha!

Random shots from my Crib.

2008-08-30T23:59:00.002+12:00

being chinese and being chinese.

2008-08-30T22:12:00.003+12:00

i was chatting out at the lobby of my apartment, last thursday night after attending my usual pipe band practice. thought of wanna get some air while meeting new people. i was talking to this Kiwi guy, when the topic switches to his past employer - A chinaman.

talking about chinaman boss, we ended up talking about the stereotype characters of a chinaman employer - stingy, and they squeeze every bit out from the employee before paying them. from there onwards, he talked about his experiences working under a Chinese Chinese and a Malaysian Chinese. he said " that Chinaman is a bloody son of a b*tch aye? F*cking work me like a dog, But u guys malaysians are better than them man".

as we proceeded to some trash talk about Chinese Chinaman, another Malaysian Chinese joined the talk. but instead of agreeing with us, she trashed talk me.

"you are chinese, and u talk about your own people? come on, dont be such a jerk".

such a statement made me think about this question " does this person understand that being ethnically chinese and having a chinese nationality is a 2 different thing? "

for me, it sure does. if i dont, i wont be trash talking about a Chinese Chinaman. i tried to explain to her, it seems that she just wont listen. she even accused me of trying to shed my "chinese"ity, or ppl say born a chinese, but dun wan "mengaku" a chinese.

why cant she make sense of it? must a person's cultural identity be equated to nationality? then , if its so? what am i?

im malaysian, but im chinese ethnically. how?

i hope im making sense here.

*to the girl that trashed talked me, if u r reading this, please do it with an open mind, and think about it aye?

Ki Te Kainga - Boh Runga

2008-08-17T20:00:00.002+12:00

its a song featured in the recent air new zealand advertisement. the lyrics are in Te Reo Maori.

Maku e ringiringi
Kiaku roimata
Ara e ahu ana
Ki te kainga
(I will water with my tears the trails that lead to home)

Kai te manatu au
Mo te whenua
O oku tipuna
Ki te kainga
(I am homesick for the land of
my forebearers)

Ka tawhiti atu
te kaiwhakamarie
I toku wairua
Aue hoki mai
(The comforter of my soul is
far from me -
come back)

Kaore e taaea
Te huna I aku
Manako mo te
Kainga aue
(I could not hide my longing
for home)

E awhi reinga
E awhi taua
(We embrace)

u can download the song from air new zealand's website:
http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/aboutus/mediacentre/air-new-zealand-soundtracks.htm

beautiful lyrics in a beautiful song sung in a beautiful land of Aoteraroa new zealand!

WYD - day 2

2008-08-02T12:40:00.006+12:00

Ok. birthday is over, its time to blog back about WYD, before i forget about it.

well, the whole ICP woke up fresh from their warm bed, (thanks for our host family), had a breakfast, and off we go to catechism class.

catechism class is something like a sunday school, where u listen to teachings of the church, being presented by usually religious laity, or priest. however, today we have archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, the papal nuncio to Egypt, and also delegate of Vatican City to the Arab League. He was once the head of the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue as well.

He shared his working experiences at africawith us. He also shared about him learning Arabic and Islam, and teaching muslims back about it! all of those things were done with him as a Catholic priest! amazing ey? thats what i call a good example of religious liberalism. He does what he preaches.

We had a mass after the program, and head down to the city to participate in the Kiwi pilgrim gathering. while on the train, some of us prayed the divine mercy. its pretty cool to see people praying loudly in the train. thats what i call the spirit of World Youth Day!

arriving at the hall, somewhere near the rugby stadium, we found masses of human being. Most of them were wearing the official Kiwi WYD hoodie, some were waving flags with 4 red star forming a cross on it, and everybody speakes English with an extra burst of 'mate' and 'ey' in it.
Thats it. fellow kiwis!

there was about 5000 Kiwi pilgrim at WYD, bloody big ey?

we did some P&W, cheered & celebrated our bishops, took part in Haka dances, had a laugh of two, and took a lot of pictures!

last but not least, we sang the national anthem of NZ - God Defend New Zealand, in both Maori and English.

we visited St. Mary's cathedral after the gathering. i joined a bunch of Italians, and an aussie to form a tour group, as we need to form a 10 person group to visit the place. its a massive place, at least 3 times the size of st. John's KL. ill let the picture do the talking here.

as usual, before we go home, i took pictures with lots of people too. this time, its with

a brazillian dude, and

the Italians and an Aussie lad.

my 21st birthday.

2008-07-29T00:36:00.002+12:00

its my 21st birthday today.

people used to say when its ur 21st birthday, you party and really enjoy it. you will have a bunch of friends around you to throw a birthday bash or something...

some will say its a passport to full adulthood, where u get blessings from your parents to really start living your own life - not having parents to mess it up again.

for me, as i started receiving all the birthday wishes, i started to look back into my first quarter of my life, which equals to 21 years of life.

i still remember how i used to create problems at my playschool, brawling with other students, create chaos in classrooms, guess i was the pain in the ass to my pre-school teacher back then.

i still remember how i used to not pass up my homework back at primary school days, how i got through 1 whole year of physical and emotional torture during my days in primary three. i got into a brawl with him, and threw my shoe at him. that shot my name into fame in the school. in fact, some of my primary teacher remembered me for that.

i still remembered how i used to play in marching band, and the passion for it remains with me till today. my finger itches for a pair of drumsticks all the time. how i used to be yelled at by seniors during training, and as i became a senior, i yell back at the kids.

i still remembered how i scraped through my PMR and SPM, and god i regretted not working harder for my SPM...

i still remembered my first step into my teaching college, and how i changed the way i looked into life. how i messed up my first week and had some good lessons from seniors. and also how to adjust myself to the city life - sleeping late and waking up early.

i still remembered my first encounter with Jesus, how i have changed my way of looking into life when i invited him into my heart...thanks to my mates in the college, and of course, to Angie that invited me to a church for the first time at the end of 2004. God bless you all.

i still remembered as i take my jet plane to new zealand to pursue my studies, my heart was heavy yet excited, as i thought about the prospect of freedom and yet uncertainty about my ability to adapt to culture and lifestyle here.

and here i am today, celebrating my 21st birthday.

i would like to say thanks to mom, for you endured the intense pain to bring this kid into the world, and still fed and raise him up despite him messing you life all the time. thank you dad for working hard to fed this food processing machine that just cant stop eating. i know its hard for you two to say 'i love you' but i know that you 2 does, and i love both of you too.

thanks to my brother, to be on my side when i need help, and to share my joy and sorrows, and of course, to assist me along the way as i made my journey to Christ's arms. god bless you.

thanks to God, for his grace alone kept me living for 21 years. i could have died anytime if he wanted me to. im sorry for all my sins, and im forever grateful for your forgiveness and promises..

and finally, to all my friends, teachers who supported me all the way throughout my first 21 years of life. i have no idea how i would thank you lots. all the help, support, guidance and advice are so meaningful to me, god bless you all.

signing off.

cheers,
nigel

WYD 2008 day 1

2008-07-25T23:34:00.007+12:00

There it goes, after i finished packing back, and catch some sleep, i can finally start writing things about WYD, since i was asked by 3 people to blog my experiences.

I still can’t believe that WYD is over, just like that. After years of preparation, in which I still remember knowing about it exactly 1 year before the opening mass, because I attended the countdown celebration at SFX. Well, ive attended it, and I think I should share my experiences with people that I know, because I know some of them are much more enthusiastic than I do to attended WYD, yet can’t make it. It’s a 5 day affair, which will take a long time to finish, so ill write 1 part by 1 part.

Day 1 – Opening mass at Barangaroo

After spending 5 days with my mates from Macquarie Uni, its time to join my contingent members for WYD. Took a 1 hour train ride from Sydney city center to a small coastal suburb called Cronulla, which made their name from their sweet beach and the racial riots a few years ago.

Registered, done with the paperwork, and found out that I will be put in a Homestay, instead of sleeping in schools, or churches. Sweet.

Next, the whole lot of us, (ICP – Inner city parish of Auckland) rode down to Barangaroo for the opening mass with Cardinal George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney.

That’s ICP. Sweet ey?

The Mass started at 4:30pm but we walked over together to Barangaroo around 2 pm from Central station, with thousands of other pilgrims waving flags of all nations, singing songs, strumming guitars, and joining in cheers to keep our spirits up. The distance from the Opera House to the mass site is only a couple of kilometers but it took our group several hours to inch our way to Barangaroo through the winding cobblestone streets of Sydney's neighborhoods which were jam packed with WYD pilgrims. I will forever remember the spirited pilgrims from Croatia, Scotland and the Pacific Islands who kept our minds distracted and spirits buoyed by their songs, dancing and music.

135,000 attended the opening mass. There are people from all tribes and nations, differed in skin color, and speaking different languages, yet share the peace and joy of the Lord. They waved their flags, telling people where they are from. I cant really describe this, so Ill just post in some pictures, as they tell…

…a thousand words.

the structure at the back of the picture, is the stage where the altar is located.

Newspapers mentioned that pilgrims for WYD 2008 came from 170 countries, which was a shocker to me. I never thought that the Catholic faith has its footprints all over the world. There are even pilgrims from the war torn Iraq.

The outdoor opening Mass was celebrated at Barangaroo, a large dockside wharf in Sydney harbor. We were led in prayer, song and worship by Cardinal Pell, a large host of talented musicians and singers, countless priests and religious, and fellow youth from around the globe who contributed their talents to creating a moving, multi-lingual and vivid liturgy. It was really awesome.

The Mass celebration comes in many languages, styles of music and dance, and also rich symbolism. The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, welcomed the pilgrims and then the Mass began. Cardinal Pell made a point to welcome everyone--including all Catholics at all stages in their faith journey. I though this was unique because it made the liturgy personally relevant to me, as im not a full Catholic (not baptized yet). In his sermon, the Cardinal mentioned that it is good for us to make commitments in life--whether to Christ, the Church, our families and friends, or to accomplishing goals that may be larger than what we can achieve individually.

I still remember kneeling beside an American guy who actually cried after receiving communion during the mass. Honestly, I almost too. The communion hymns really spoke to me, as it tells me how much the Lord is willing to forgive and accept me as his children, no matter how much ive sinned in my life. The part where everybody sings Pater Noster (Our Father) is an eye-opening experience to me too. It’s incredible when people from various nations and languages unite in prayer, singing their hearts out, in the same language, Latin.

After Mass, there was a music festival highlighting local and international Catholic singers and musicians. This capped off the evening, as the ICP people sat on the dock sharing hot stews with bread with hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims--energized and eagerly anticipating the next first full day of World Youth Day 2008.

Before I call it a day, I snapped some pictures….with some sweet girls from…

Germany.

Chile.

OK. End of day 1. end of part 1 too.

World Youth Day - its getting closer...

2008-07-07T02:25:00.003+12:00

Yes, World youth day is 1 week away.

I can feel the excitement around the parish. As i helped out the youth group packing the goodie bags for overseas pilgrims that will stop by Auckland as they journey to Sydney for WYD, i can see everybody's face, glowing with excitement and joy. Well, me too.

The feeling just got pushed to another level, after i attended the special send-off mass for the WYD pilgrims of the Inner City Parish of Auckland right after helping the 18+ group out. the hymms, the readings, the homily sends the same message - that life is a pilgrimage to God, that a life's journey should be towards being closer with Him, and not away from him. That struck me. Honestly, my spiritual being had backtracked a lot. Im not praying Rosary as frequent as i used to. I hope that WYD will be the new gas that fills into my spiritual tank, and keep the fire of faith burning!

as i write this, ill be flying off to Sydney in 3 days time, to spend some time with my friends before embarking into my biggest spiritual journey. May everything runs well...

i never thought ill be a part of this, honestly. WYD will be the once in a lifetime experience that i will cherish forever!

my name is in the Straits Times!

2008-07-05T14:56:00.004+12:00

my pipe band snare

2008-07-04T09:48:00.004+12:00

As the concert approaches, my tutor believes that i should start getting on the drums, to get the feeling and be comfortable with it as i will be playing on it during the concert(duh..) so he managed to get me to strap on one, and also to bring it home and to keep it with me.

so this is how it looks like, with the drum bag still keeping the drum warm.

its a Premier brand hi-tension snare, with design suited for pipe band playing.

i initially thought pipe band snares will just be the same as the one i used to play in high school,. but once i played on it, it sounded too different to be the same as the Yamaha snare i used to play.

it sounded much more crisp, and that the sound generated from each beating is shorter than conventional hi-tension snare. the drumhead provide less bounce support as compared to the Yahama ive played before. The woven kevlar head might be the answer, as there is no coating applied on the woven kevlar heads, as compared to my old snare. that should explain the lack of bounce.

the lack of bounce also explains the reason for pipe band drum sticks to be extremely light. there is not much of bounce they can use to support the stick weights as drummers play. if they use general american drum corps sticks to play, pipe band drummers will sure have inflammation on their fingers.

However, it doesnt explain the crisp sound the drum genarates. Curiously, i turned the drum over and had a look.

ahh, found the answer. the drum uses steel wires instead of nylon, and that there is 2 separate groups of wires, one on the bottom and one on the top of the head. that explains the sounds..

there is one thing that is still the same, the weight. it sure will take a toll on my back....

i shaved my hair.

2008-07-04T09:34:00.004+12:00

i shaved my hair. its a weird decision actually, as until today, i still cant figure out the reason why i do so. most of my mates here actually thought that it was for some religious reasons. am i that religious in front of them? gosh...

the only way i can explain this, exam pressure has taken my head to a spin, causing it to think in an unconventional way. sounds good ey?

b4:

during:

as i was shaving alone without anybody's help, i have to constantly take pictures of the back of my head to see if there is any part of the hair that i had misssed.

after

this picture, bloody honestly, is the first picture of my own, taken by myself. (typical friendster photos...) yup.

so you guys like it?

aku rase nok menulih paka loghat t'ganu..

2008-06-24T22:59:00.001+12:00

mule gi aku gile nok menulih...

karang nie, hati aku tengoh berak pasal ujiang, doh nok habih musing pengajiang. tengok contoh soalang, dok pahang sikit pung. mapuh doh...nok wat guane? cube gok blajo, tapi budok bawoh umoh tu bising bango macang cine nok karang,

karang nie, doh masuk musing sejuk. hari nie baru nok mule.

Saint Nigel?

closure of blog

a little writing for my special one.

Kuala Lumpur Pipes and Drums medley 2010.

how do you handle boys who asks too much, and likes to distrupt the class?

teaching stint in VI

beginning teachers we are.

The Chinese Dillema

KLPD - first visit, and i got stuck.

trying to catch up with months of lack of blogging.

the first chinese new year song.

interesting facts about KL - after being away for 2 years.

3 days and ive seen enough.

things i did over the hols + 2009 review.

adjusting to Malaysian life

Hokkien Song - Ai Pia Jia Eh Iah

first day in KL

Highland Games.

NZ foodstuffs that ill miss dearly

updates.

Yuna

Rate me!

Dont Give Up On Me - Jason Aldean

what a ruckus.

37 more days to go.

kiwis and their love for gumboots

Beach.

Whats happening.

Northland 2

我突然间很想写些华语

Northland

Road trip on a crunch week.

Pembekuan Posting Guru Selama 2 Tahun bermula 2010

Bloody Law School

I feel like going to a wine tasting event.

"Were flatmates, we shouldnt hook up"

John Key at David Letterman's show

i just rejected a girl today.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

My Malaysian Dream

blog entry from my old Friendster account

I fell in love with Gold Label.

not too shabby.

check-ups.

wisdom tooth.

Renaud ft. Axelle Red - Manhattan-Kaboul

I like this.

Can't Believe this is the country im going back to. Damn it.

recent photos

makan pasta 3 hari berturut-turut

Rock Kapak urge goes on... Wings - Bernafas Dalam Lumpur

The Ian Carey Project - Get Shaky

swine flu.

new flatmates - new surprises

sudden urge for "rock kapak"

Penang Hokkien - the escape route to be myself.

A reply to 中华文化(Chinese Culture).

My First iTunes Purchase

Godspeed - Radney Foster

photo shoot with University for #14's brochure.

Asian guys & Country Music - Do they match?

Bracing for winter.

trip to tonga - pictures (part 1)

Tongan Pa'anga - Mahal!

Lied Vom Scheitern - Die Aertze

im going to - Puleʻanga ʻo Tonga

S***g***s

random attempts

Tongariro Alpine Crossing - 19.4km of trekking!

updates.

Steh Auf! Wenn Du Am Boden Bist! - Die Toten Hosen

I am an asian guy that refuses to limit myself to just asian girls

lets learn Loghat Terengganu!

coretang-coretang diri ambe.

Great highland bagpipe - here i come!

A McWang Tartan?

Redemption Song - Bob Marley

TRAVELLING MODE

1 month in Jones' Orchard

1st week at Jones' orchard.

Sgs