Not again...

The World Cup is back. Hoorah...

For the next few weeks it will be another annoying period of trying to explain to people why I don't know who won what or who played who and more importantly, why I don't care. After all, it's only football.

It irks me though why it's so hard to accept that different people like different things. And it's particularly gender bias when it is argued that men must like football although there are some really passionate women fans out there as well. It's human nature I guess to want the justification of others for your interests because I strongly suspect that not every 'fan' out there is really one. Perhaps peer pressure may be involved.

So be nice and don't ask me about football. Otherwise I may very well turn the tables and start discussing the science of Star Trek instead.

Hmm...

Your Personality Profile

You are sexy, powerful, and bold. You're full of passion and energy... Sometimes this passion has a dark side. You feel most alive when you're seducing someone. You never fail to get someone's attention. Quick minded, you're also quick to lose your temper!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

I am bored...

I am bored. Yes... bored.

I've been working at my current place for just over 2 years now and boredom has started to set in. It's quite interesting that I also lasted just 2 years at my previous company. Maybe 2 years is the max that my interest span can last. Hmm...

To be honest though, the job isn't too bad. There are highlights and there are perks. It's just, well, unchallenging, or rather challenging in mundane ways. It's hard to get excited about preparing documents for a regulatory inspection or checking on classes to make sure attendance is a'ok. I'm also bored (or rather fed-up) organising showcases and graduation events that ends up pretty much the same every time.

I need a change. A little disappointed that a scholarship I applied for didn't went through but there's a few more still being processed. Hopefully one works out. I also applied for a job with Google (although that's really a stretch). Then again, can't say I didn't try! :)

I blame Mondays for this.

X-Men 101

This is something you find in a bad horror movie... it is most definitely NOT Jean Grey.



THIS is Jean Grey aka Marvel Girl.

X-Men 3 - Spot your favourite mutant and watch it die a horrible death!

My gawd... Needless to say I've watched X-Men 3 and I feel so annoyed. The movie is such a let down and so terribly corny. Granted some scenes are pretty good but overall, the movie seems to feel like a montage of character clips. It's like the director is having a jolly good time introducing the characters (and then sadistically killing them off, bloody bugger).

(spoilers ahead)

First of all, the tease with the Sentinels is just plain mean. I think the whole movie could do with just the Sentinels. And Grey looks so darn old. And what with the metamorphosis into the Korean horror movie meanie whenever Phoenix (that's DARK Phoenix) takes hold?

I actually don't mind them killing off Cyclops (especially when it's James Marsden) but generally, don't quite see the rationale of the mass killing spree. Also it's quite a shaky X-Men lineup at the final confrontation and it's really quite amazing how 6 or so X-Men (some still seemingly in their underpants) can hold off a force of oh, 50-60 mutants?

Granted, it's a movie, and it's escapist fantasy but these characters form the bedrock for many a childhood's imagination. And you should not 'toy' with them like characters in a carnival shoot-out. Look at Juggernaut for example... a massive force of destruction turned into a bumbling wall wrecker.

I'm not a happy X-Fan.

Unearthed from ancient files of MMU days...

c__k: cool chill

kotakkosong: muahhahaaaa

kotakkosong: @_0

c__k: how goes everything?

c__k: BOB doing well?

kotakkosong: allllmoosssstttt done

c__k: heard a lot bout him

kotakkosong: alive and well

c__k: so how long have u known bob?

c__k: heard bout your problems wif him

c__k: things will work out between u two though

c__k: just wait and see

c__k: :)

kotakkosong: well

kotakkosong: bob is one of a kind

c__k: he sure is

kotakkosong: and one of these days i will kill him

c__k: wah

kotakkosong: NYAHAHAAAA!

c__k: things that bad?

c__k: sigh

c__k: u really need to get that temper in check

c__k: bobs kinda insecure right now and he needs u

kotakkosong: maybe we'll go see counsellor

c__k: i know a very good one

c__k: wait let me give u his number

c__k: 013630xxxx

kotakkosong: ah

kotakkosong: i got that one already

kotakkosong: no good

c__k: haha

c__k: issit?

c__k: u sure?

kotakkosong: he has all these wierd ideas

kotakkosong: and he always telss us his very weird dreams

c__k: thats y he's so good... he's unconventional

kotakkosong: hehhe

c__k: well, if u wan an old school doc

c__k: i have the number here... 013363xxxx

kotakkosong: ah

c__k: u can try calling.. but she's a little slow so speak clearly

kotakkosong: aah

kotakkosong: i...

kotakkosong: see....

c__k: uh huh... and she has rheumatoids and arthritis and haerrmorhoids... so well,... u get the idea

kotakkosong: maybe........

kotakkosong: not..........

kotakkosong: i heard she can do triple somersaults pretty well

kotakkosong: :)

c__k: but that was in her younger days

kotakkosong: ahah

kotakkosong: but u dont know her like i do

c__k: she's pretty much in the wheelchair now... with those baywatch hunks as her assistants

kotakkosong: she has a secret double life

c__k: sigh, u should hear the gossip

c__k: double life? u mean she has even 1?

kotakkosong: yeah

kotakkosong: and one of them she calls affectionately 'abang hensem'

kotakkosong: hehehe

c__k: ouch

c__k: touche

kotakkosong: hahahh

kotakkosong: eh.. i wanna keep this conversation

kotakkosong: save it!!

c__k: haha

kotakkosong: really

c__k: weird conversation of the week

kotakkosong: i closed the window

c__k: i havent

kotakkosong: send to me u hear

kotakkosong: :)

Erm...

Well, thanks to Saw, I feel compelled to do my bid to ensure the continuity of the 'tag' so here goes!

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Dan
2. Teacher Daniel
3. Sir

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My voice (helps command attention)
2. My height (I like towering over most people, hehe)
3. My eternally serious expression

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My receding hairline (woe!)
2. My weight (I need less of it)
3. My eyes (it's too tiny)

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Chinese
2. Peranakan
3. Malaysian

THREE THINGS YOU CAN'T STAND:
1. People who like to complain but don't do anything about it
2. Racism
3. People who cannot seem to be on time

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Going blind.
2. Seeing a ghost
3. Losing my family

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS:
1. Star Trek
2. Simpsons
3. Charmed

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE JAPANESE ANIMES:
1. Gatekeepers
2. Digimon
3. Pokemon

THREE OF YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE SONGS:
1. Think of Me (Phantom of the Opera) - Sarah Brightman
2. Breathless - The Corrs
3. Walking After You - Foo Fighters

THREE MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN:
1. Digimon The Movie
2. Bring It On
3. Finding Nemo

THREE MOVIES YOU WOULD LIKE TO WATCH:
1. X Men 3
2. Da Vinci Code
3. Harry Potter

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Torchlight
2. Cellphone
3. Credit Cards

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. Shorts
2. T-Shirt
3. Spectacles

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Trust
2. Great sex
3. Someone who's happy to drive (I hate driving)

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE GENDER THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. Great body (I'm shallow)
2. Spiky hair
3. Nice lips

THREE BAD HABITS:
1. Am a control freak
2. I'm always right
3. Always playing Devil's advocate

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Reading
2. Watching TV
3. Eating out

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Buy a house
2. Fire some colleagues
3. Jump in bed

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING OR CURRENTLY PURSUING:
1. Educator
2. Educator
3. Educator

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Australia
2. Holland
3. New Zealand

THREE KIDS' NAMES YOU LIKE:
1. I don't want children...
2. really...
3. never ever.

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Get a PhD
2. Earn enough so my parents can quit working and live with me
3. Get a job in another country

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GUY
1. Am always thinking about sex
2. Electronic gadgets fascinate me
3. I don't clean very well

INITIALS OF THREE CRUSHES:
1. S
2. E
3. R

THREE PEOPLE YOU TAG TO DO THE SURVEY:
1. MENG!
2. Zeke!
3. Aimo!

Graduation Showcase 2006

Sands of time

I'm getting older and the fact of it is really dawning on me in a big way.

I'm going to be 27 this year and although by many standards, that's still young, but there's a certain ominous feeling about age and how the years seem to be really zooming by.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've never had a problem with going old. Am dealing with a receding hairline and a growing paunch in good stead but there's just no helping the feeling that things will change, and in a big way.

Firstly, students now are really 'kids', not slightly younger peers. I am not as glued to the TV as much and current news affect me! I have to pay tax for the first time ever and worse still, there is a growing realisation that people around me will eventually not be around. It's an upsetting thought.

Age is definitely a concept that needs adjusting to. Too bad there isn't all that much time!

Malaysia is finally noticed... groan...

Noticed in Wired:

The World Record-Breaking Capital
The strongest hair! The youngest sumo wrestler! The longest pencil! In Malaysia, making your mark - any mark - is a matter of national pride.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/capital.html

National pride? Err... yeah... ok...

I have graduated!

Sunday was my graduation for my Masters degree and finally, there's closure after 2 years of incredibly exhausting studying. It's a great feeling to be finish something and finish it well, moreso when you can share it with family and friends.

I was also honoured in being asked to give a speech on behalf of the 100 or so graduates. It was nerve wrecking, considering that most of the post-graduate degree recipients were quite senior but it went well and I'm pleased.

I'm going to enjoy the rest of the year but I do plan to continue studying again before 2007. The itch is hard to resist :)

M! The Opera

I went to watch a special screening of M! The Opera last night, courtesy of CIMB. RM120 tickets were going for only RM15 so it's a great bargain!

Anyways, M! The Opera is definitely, for the lack of a better word, interesting. It didn't leave me breathless nor was I wow'ed over but I was pleasantly entertained and there were some really great scenes.

Overall, I really wished the songs were easier to understand. Most times the vocals were quite muffled or lacked good intonation so trying to figure out what they were singing about can be challenging. And the story, my gosh... convulated and probably over-dramatic? Though then again, it's an opera.

For Malaysia's 'first' opera... not too bad. I wished it had a signature song though. Left the place with no tune to hum.

Just sooooo funny!

Children are the best medicine

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't eat children. What happened was that I was feeling really under the weather yesterday, with a scratchy throat and throbbing headache but after a 2 hour class with the CreativeKids kids, I felt immensely better. It's amazing really.

Though it could be an exceptional situation. I had a great class, great here meaning a well prepared well timed class with wonderful kids. The Tuesday bunch are highly intelligent and so naively funny that it makes you want to have kids. Then Thursday comes along and I'm reminded why I don't want kids. But I digress, being with children is theraupeutic, at least in keeping your mind off yourself and giving a more sensible perspective to life.

It's not always that you sing the Barney song, chant lines like "Leonard the table destroyer!" and run around in circles. I honestly wonder at times what these kids go home and tell their parents. And I wonder what the parents must think of me. If I were a parent, I think I'd worry when my kids teacher is insinuating ideas about how exams are stupid.

It's a great feeling being with them, and in some ways (I'm being hopeful), teaching them. So next time you're sick, don't waste time with the doctor. Drop by my place for two hours of drug free remedy to whatever ails you :) Just leave your adult sensibilities at the door.

The Itch

It's that time again... I'm restless, itching for something but can't quite place what it is that I'm itching for. There's a persistent gnawing thought that leads to restless sleep and fluctuating energy levels but can't quite place my finger on what is it that's bothering me, although there are many candidates. It's an incredibly annoying feeling, especially when it really shouldn't be there in the first place.

Work is work, and though it in many ways could be better, there really is little to complain. CreativeKids is doing good, and I have much to look forward to this year including my graduation coming up soon in which I have been honoured to give a speech on behalf of the graduates. So I suspect the gnawing irritation is something deeper and perhaps sinister. What I do know is that I really really want to get it out of my system!

Perhaps it's the thought that news of my scholarship application will be out soon. Though soon is a good 3 months away. I'm really torn about it, part of me wants it badly yet the other part is quite content to stay where I'm at.

There's also the possibility of wanderlust. I really would like to travel again though my family is keeping me quite anchored down. Don't know whether I could leave them for too long.

Or could it be something as simple as my car. I want a new one. It's as simple as that :)

Whatever it is, I hope the itching stops cause it really is getting to me! Maybe I need to learn to meditate. Hmm...

They're back!

The first three baby bunnies that were adopted are back! Adopted family couldn't cope so they asked if I would take them back and of course I would. They are after all, family.

So Biscotto, Biscotti, and Fudge are back in the backyard but this time in a cage. Am not going to risk death by exposure to the elements again. So playtime will be limited but at least they will be safe.

Here's a picture of Biscotti, the most glamorous of the lot!

Moving on

Colby has died, in my hands actually. It was quick and sudden and ends the bunny legacy in my backyard. Won't be finding new company anytime soon as I'm not quite sure available I will be throughout the year but I definitely will miss my rabbit company... Wallaby Wallace the Fourth, King Wombat, Biscuit, Dominose, Mocha, Caramel, Colby and the babies...

.................................................................................................................................

I attended my first ever formal Western dinner in Shangri La over the weekend. It was the Queen's University's alumni and college sponsored a table. It was a somewhat interesting though uncomfortable event (for me anyways). Eating with such formal etiquette can be unnerving for someone who likes finger foods. Luckily, I learned that one should use cutlery from the outside coming in from Princess Diaries (yes, I watched it). There was a slight argument among older colleagues regarding which water glass is yours to use. Googled and it's the right one, which makes perfect sense.

New experiences are always invigorating.

Hope lost...

It has been a tragic week in my backyard. Mocha, my beautiful she-bunny has passed away in her burrow, likely due to birthing complications leaving behind not just woeful Caramel but three babies, now sadly undernourished and unkept. I've brought the babies in for some tlc and hopefully, they will be able to start eating solids and build some strength. Caramel however is taking it real badly.

He has been refusing to eat, choosing to sit in the rain and tragically seeming to choose to die. And he will likely pass on by morning, as he now lies in the throes of final minutes. It is sad watching him go, eyes all teary and body limp with lost. But Mocha was his one true friend and in the bunny backyard, good friends are but one.

I will be sad for him and I hope that through the night, when he breathes his final breath, he will be all good. At least I got to say goodbye. Never had the same opportunity with Mocha, who just disappeared to the earth.

At least I have the babies to live on their memories. God bless Mocha, Caramel, and may the three new lives find strength amidst absence.

Accept or Except? Hmm...

Try it out, an English word quiz:

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=14457200288064322170

My score:

English Genius
You scored 92% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 80% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Post CNY Blues

Chinese New Year 2006 was great! It was a tad rushed to go back only a day before the eve but everything worked out beautifully. And the celebrations are more pronounced and festive when the extended family are united in full force. This time round, the roll call included:

Grandmothers: 2
Aunties: 9
Uncles: 9
First Cousins: 35
Cousin's kids: 10

Plus my immediate family, for the first 2 days there were about 70 people in my grandmother's house. The noise, chaos, and the whole communal experience is something I always miss and long for. And the best part, this is not even the whole family. Missing from the group will be about a few aunties and uncles and about 20 more cousins. It's a great feeling to be part of a huge family!



Didn't find much time to visit friends (too occupied with family and when push comes to shove, family comes first anyways). Did manage to visit Meng and HL a bit more though and of course their dogs! Temperamental but beautifully golden Bobbie is shown above and below, my favourite, Bandit the patch-eyed mongrel.



I so love Chinese New Year!