Reminiscences

Study hard I was told;

If not, forever you will work using hoe;

Pen you should choose, air-cond will follow;

If not, you will sweat and burn your toes!

 

Be an engineer, accountant, lawyer or doctor;

Whatever it is as long as not rubbish collector;

Push, ran, jump, hike till you reach the marker,

Crazy as you think, money is always the factor!

 

Graduate with a degree but felt melancholy;

Wanted to be a doctor, ended being a biologist;

Push hard, jump high, whatever it is,

Study more but ended with 'Dolly the Sheep'.

 

PhD = Permanent Head Damage, people says;

Loose you hair the price you pay;

I am happy, I am gay;

Pen I hope in future days!

 

Change my title, Dr they called me;

I love travelling, but always economy;

'Any doctor in the plane? Please come quickly';

I cannot raise my hand but just sit quietly!

Hassle free way of renewing passport

I went to the Immigration Department over in Kajang today but I was there too late and reached about 1130pm and was told the number for the day have finished.

However, the security guard notice that I am renewing my passport and not applying for a new one, he pointed me to a machine behind the office where we can self help to renew the passport and don't need to wait for the queue.

I am surprise with the 'high tech' service they provide now over at the Immigration Department. Just 5 minutes later, I was on my way back home and my passport is ready to collected in 3 hours.

Here I am, waiting to collect my passport but I have to wait for about 30 minutes as my turn is another 50 numbers away! Why they can't have auto collect systems too?

Another note too, the immigration should put up clear sign and notice informing the public of the self help machine and put it in clearly visible area and not some secluded corner! 

Kampar, Perak

   We gathered early last Monday for a day trip to Kampar. Since it's a public holiday, there wasn't much traffic on the road. However, it must rain heavily on that day! Anyway, I would say it's blessing in disguise as the trip was smooth and the weather was just nice and cooling to travel.

First thing first when we reach Kampar, we head for the glorious food! We have beef noodle, curry mee and also sotong with paku-pakis (cuttlefish with fern)! ah...thinking of the cuttlefish and fern makes me salivate again.. yummy! oh...oh...the teh ais (tea with milk, and they pour it from high position from a mug into a cup that its frosts) is so smooth and nice.

 

From there, we proceed to our friend's place and it just so nice.The house is located near a mountain and facing a lake! The Chinese will tell you its good fung shui!

We spend some time touring Kampar, first we visited the east lake and then to the west lake. The UTAR student there is so fortunate to have such a nice atmosphere to study.

 

 

After that, its just simply  more food and food and food again...we have some nice noodles and also bak kut teh but, let just says, Kajang bak kut teh is nicer...but again, the coffee and tea is not a let down.

We make our way back to Kajang at about 4pm and stop at Bidor to buy some local products. It's just simply awesome and I am looking for more trip to Kampar.

Taking it slow and enjoying the smell of the sun!

I have been 'missing' from my blog for a long while. First, I was busy with my thesis and now that's over, I am now busy with the editing and doing new projects and also on my application for a job!

Most would assume that I will slow down on my work here, I am having more to do here. To finished what I can first and what I should do for the next two years, in 6 months.

As usual, I travelled more now, more than previous year. I have returned from a day to trip to Kampar, which I will blog about it later. I will be going back up to Penang end of the month, travel to Taipei, Taiwan in June for two weeks, then, straight to Kuching and Sibu before coming back home for rest or as some says, just to wash my clothes before packing and heading to Beijing, China for another week of conference.

Ah...how paradox this can be when I am hoping for more 'settled' lifestyle this year, I have more trip to go...anyway, I am enjoying every moments of it!

Blogging & Squeeze by Time

I thought I will have more time for myself after I hand up my thesis but the fact is that, I am more hard press for time. I don't have much time to myself now. And I don't remember that I have a blog anymore until, a reminder from a friend came...

Friend: Eh, update your blog la!

So, that reminds me of the blog and I have not been updating it. I would want to try to update it because much have been going on in my life.

However, I won't be able to do for the next one week. I am havhing my PhD thesis viva (oral presentation next week). So, I shall updates in March!

Wish me all the best!

Just blabbing

Chinese New Year...

Jammed all the way no matter where and what time you travel

Noise pollution (adult talking loudly and children shouting with laughter here and there)

Hot Hot Hot

Cook, Clean and Cook again

Eat Eat and Eat more!

Everything must be RED!

Clustering of people online on different notebooks in different rooms

Children playing pc games.

Firecrackers (animated) and ANG POW! :(

Collage (n)

I have forgotten the meaning of portability and mobility for some time until I am in the Putrajaya International Convention Centre this morning and trying to get some of my work done. However, the broadband connection here can be term as 'narrowband' with, accessible only if you have waistline size 20"

Such a nice and grand place, located in the administrative capital, you can find a lot of wireless hotspots here (last count to be 4), but most of it is inaccessible...is this sensible to you? And to have such a nice and neat building, you cannot find a single port to plug your notebook in! Now I am sitting behind a counter, trying to do some work!

Oh...I am here to accompany my wife for her National Science Fellowship interview. This is a prestigious scholarship awarded by the Malaysian government to science students from the tertiary education.

 

And yours truly am a recipient of  the scholarship before.

On another note, time is up and I have to move on. We have a comfortable life, not well off, but at least, we are able to pass every month without having to starve and there always food on the table, complacency start to set in. Maybe, God is doing something in our life and bringing us to a new height and new place, for some new and to glorify His wonderful name! 

Of war and hope!

Millions of people are happy the President Barack Obama took over as President of America on 20 January.

I hope he get to work soon and end the war over in Gaza strip and also to fulfills his during the campaign to bring the troop out of Iraq too.

Let's pray that the blessing of God will continue to flow and each and everyone of us will be bless in the manner He determine for us, for His glory! 

I am in a happy mood too, as tomorrow, I will be heading back up north to Penang, the land of glorious food, for Chinese New Year and meeting with my family!

By the way, I am not kidding about 'land of glorious food' as Penang was recently voted as world top destination for their food!

I am proud to be Penangnite!

Dilemma

Have you ever dream of something and hope that you can achieve it but yet, when it's at your doorstep, you are thinking over it again?

Now you are thinking, is this what you really want?

Anyway, Chinese New Year is around the corner. Let's have a great year of OX!

Let this be a bullish year for you and me!

Of Economy Meltdown and Work

Economic meltdown is sweeping across the globe and not a single country is spared from the effects of it. The degree of the meltdown differ from nations to nations. The worst since The Great Depression, one can't be help but anxious of what is to be faced in 2009.

As a consumer, I am not shielded from economy meltdown personally. However, I know, He is in control. He said, let tomorrow worries for itself and today, have its own problems. And after all, I am nothing but His child. And if He clothed the savannah and the grassland with lily and tulips and many more wonderful flowers, won't He not take care of His child and feed Him?

But, as I sit at the sidewalk cafe and look at the people, I can see it in people's face and life.

1. The usual lunch time rush, is no longer pack. Well, at least not at the fancy restaurant but now at the office pantry to heat up food!

2. Pack lunch is more popular. Wife's and mum's cooking is the best, that's what they say!

3. Recycling is the in-thing. Mend you broken heals, re-sew the open seam on the bag, and even, the newspapers are to be sold at the recycling centre.

4. Car-pooling is a popular even though the petrol price is at all time low for the last 3 years.

5. Bus stops, commuter trains, LRT stations are all pack with people. However, one can argue, is this because of economy meltdown or because of lack of efficiency of the public transport operators and systems? After all, when are these places not pack?

6. Chill out or having a drink after work is no longer in Starbucks and Coffee Bean but at the Ali Roti Canai Stall or Line-Clear mamak stalls at the alley which served equally good coffee if not better. Who says they are lack of standards? Try sitting at by the stall which is set up beside big drains and they offer nothing lacks of 'aromas'. In fact, more! Standard are what you think it should be.

7. Overtime means 'complete-it-tomorrow'. Suddenly, nothing is urgent or important by employer. It can wait!

8. Creativity takes on new meaning. If you can cut down cost; you are creative. Doesn't matter the outlook, CHEAP is good!

9. You want to take a loan and never could do so, now is the time. Oh, no need to go to the bank, call them, and ask them to come to you! FedEx is slower than the bank officer delivering money to you!

10. Movie in cineplex? Didn't you know you can download that movie one month ago?

Now, get back to work! Didn't you know that you are only allowed to use the Internet only for 15 minutes a day to save cost on IP fees. And we are boycotting the US products. Windows and Apples software are products of USA.

Boss...I can't work. We cannot use the PC as we are boycotting US products. And we have to save cost during this harsh time!

Windows Live Writer

I have been blogging on and off for the past 2 years. One of the main reason I don't really update my blog is because I find it a hassle to online and upload my pics on blogger.

I have tried writing my post offline and then uploading it, yet its not so fast and easy. I have even tried to watermark my pics and this is the most hassle thing to do. It takes up a lot of time. This is until I found out about Windows Live Writer, that makes blogging a breeze!

Everything now is so easy. It just a few clicks away. Now I can write everything through this writer and when I online, I will just publish it.