Home At Last!

Home sweet home! Yes, I am finally home after 2 months of wandering the streets of Kuala Lumpur... Well, actually, the streets of my college, which is nothing to shout about... Anyway, finished my formative assessment for the module (don't ask how it went, you wouldn't want to know), rushed back to the apartment to pack, and managed to put in a round of DOTA before my parents picked me up. Well, I need to de-stress too, you know? Oh, and Soon Lee, I think I pick Rouge Knight as my regular, though I like Bristleback and Lord of Olympia as well...



Hey, where am I going? Oh yes, coming home. Firstly, went to the MATTA fair in PWTC (it stands for Malaysian Travel something-or-the-other, didn't really catch the last bit) where you can find tour packages and travel flights galore... Well, my mom wanted to go, so we spent the better part of a half-hour looking for the darn parking bays, and off we went. Honestly, the extent of the thing was HUGE! Took up three halls just to fit in all the different booths and what-nots. Especially liked the Yokoso! Japan booth, with the pleasing colours and fake sakuras. They even dressed up in yukatas to make it look authentic... Anyway, after filling 2 bags with travel flyers and brocheurs (which STILL doesn't make up for the RM9 entry fee, even if we sold the whole lot to the old newspaper man...), went to Jalan Ipoh for some bak kut teh (incidently, the same joint I went to right before I went to UKM), which was simply superb! Okay, for the confused/curious, bak kut teh is literally translated as 'meat and bone tea', which means meat broiled in a sort of 'tea' made from certain herbs, absolutely mouth-watering stuff, this... Then, HOME! Oh, how glorious it is to be home, to be among family, among familiar and comforting sights, my dogs and SUPERULTRAFASTWIRELESSSPEEDS!!!! Mwahahahahaha....

Ok, lost myself there for a moment... Sorry, guys. Anyway, headed to the usual place for a lateh session with the remaining two survivors in Batu Pahat, Yeong Tai and Song Lin. Well, not for long... SL is going off Sunday, and YT is leaving Tuesday... Talked a whole load of crap as usual, before heading home... And now it's time to hit the sack, so GOOD NIGHT PEOPLE! And hello, my comfy bed! ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz......

Updates!!!! (Sort Of....)

Hi guys, here again for another update after a long hiatus of sorts... Hey, it isn't my fault that I have absolutely lousy wireless here, you know... Anyway, besides all the problems that I routinely complain about, I have had a pretty good time at the university. Besides the fact that I am getting sick of poor quality Malay food, my apartment stinks and I am feeling oh-so sleepy...... Opps, sorry, starting to rant yet again...

Anyway, I have just finished a module on Cellular Biomolecules, and had a formative assessment done on that module... Guess what? No, I didn't fail, fortunately. Not telling you the results though... =p Anyway, everything's in full swing now, Problem-Based Learning sessions (PBL) that are meant to emulate real-life differential diagnostic procedures, Clinical Skills Learning (CSL) for better history-taking and rapport building between patients and so on and so forth. Well, once you get used to it, life in university is not so bad...

Oh, and a piece of news for you people out there, we have LAN parties over here as well. No kidding. Just because we do not have constant Internet facilities dosen't mean we can't abuse, er, make use of the local networks here right? Installed Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne, so you know what is next... Played DOTA (Defence of the Ancients) till 3 in the morning, so that is that... Wasn't my fault though, my friends wanted round after round... Anyway, lucky for us the guard was nowhere in sight, or else 3 medic students walking around in the middle of the night would be hauled up to the office of Pak Kas (Prof Dr Kas), the principal of Kolej Tun Syed Nasir for interrogation (ouch!). Anyway, still surviving, and making full use out of the Monorail and taxis around to go arounf the city. Watched Perfect Stranger with a friend, and all I can say is.... If you are a Halle Berry or Bruce Willis fan, don't watch this movie, or you'll cry in frustration... 'Nuf said.

Anyway, that is all I can think about for this round... (See, I told you it isn't a good update, really!) So, take care and happy pawning, people! (Sigh, I had better delete that stupid programme soon...)

Not Been Home... =<

Yeap, I haven't been home for a month now... Normal, you might say? Agreed, except that I was SUPPOSED to be home this week, I mean I sort of had my mind made up that I would go back home this week, since after my formative assessment I had the day off, and I did not have HM this week... Hmmm? Formative assessment? Oh, that. It's the equivalent to a test, only that it comes after a module... How did I do? Good question. I came back from the assessment, tuned the radio to Hitz.FM, cranked it to full volume and sang my heart out... Any ideas on how it went then? Coupled with two of my roommates going crazy and starting to splash water at each other? Well, everybody has been saying that they will fail, but me... I think it went OK, though the allocated time was slightly short... Thank God...

Anyway, I digress. Why didn't I get myself back home? Well, it's partially my own fault, I suppose... The college debate team organized an outing... to watch Rush Hour 3! Well, I was 'seduced' by that, I guess. Well, I can always go back on Saturday, right? Wrong... Yes? The movie? Oh, it rocked! I still get a buzz seeing Jackie Chan kick some @$$ in his own, entertaining way. And I gotta admit, Chris Tucker did a great job giving the comic relief, especially in the French cabaret where he pretended to be Mr. Bubbles, the costume designer... *clears throat*

I am getting seriously sidetracked here, right? Sorry bout that... Anyway, prior to the debaters outing, went to Sungei Wang Plaza for karaoke... Unfortunately, it was fully booked till 4 pm, which meant I couldn't get to sing... =<>

Scooted off to KLCC for the movie then, using the monorail, then interchanging at the Kelana Jaya line to get there, instead of following Stella's advice and going all the way back to the faculty and getting a RapidKL bus... Hehehe... See what you can do with a map? Anyway, headed to Kinokuniya for the books (whoop! LOLZ) before meeting Stella and the others... She had a sushi buffet, the lucky girl... grumble, grumble, grumble... So we went for the movie, and I found myself next to Bernard, probably one of the most original people on the planet... Hehehe... Laughed my head off all the way back from KLCC, till I realized I lost my matrics card... Crap.

And the next day was the day. Cher Linn managed to corner me and 'convince' me to get myself to the debate training in the Bangi campus... Goodbye, home visit...=< It was slightly boring, since they talked about Human Rights! Yikes! I hate political issues... (Yes, Fea, it is! No matter what you say...) Had the talk by Fea and the other seniors before 'cabut-ing' to FGA with Prisca and Huan Ching... Nice service, with the latest songs from Hillsongs (no surprise there) and a message, followed by dinner (yay!) and cell group... not bad, if I say so myself... Lolz...

And after evading the guards again, back home for bed... And today was interesting: nothing doing! Stayed at home the whole day, watching Full Metal Panic! (again, but it's still fun) and sleeping... Speaking of home, maybe I'll have to find some time to take off for home, for real, tis time...

WHY ISN'T THERE ANY WIRELESS!!!!!????

Hi guys, and no, I'm not dead yet, just extremely, severly, horrifyingly starved of Internet access. Can't even use the browser, because my hostel has NO WIRELESS signals at all. Sigh, life as a university student...

Which reminds me, I should recap on what I have done on the last 3-4 weeks of university life. Not much on the photo front, mainly because I do not have a camera. =<>

Week 2: After we settled down in college, had a few rounds of tours conducted by PERSIAP (the Medicine faculty society) and had some games with the lecturers, or more precisely, games among ourselves organized and supervised by the lecturers. Won a LOT of the games, including the musical chair game and the laughing game... Really liked the latter, honest! Anyway, the best overall group:

Not my fault for the picture, as you can see.... And then after 3 days of unpacking, we get packed off to Ulu Kenas, Perak for a PPD Camp! Well, at least this camp is more fun than some I had been to, in some respects... Basically what we did here was 'bonding-time' with our groups that will be in place for the whole semester, and a lot of reflection time by the facilitators.... Add into that a swim in the river and a jungle-trekking segment, it was not THAT bad of a camp... =P Got back Saturday, only to find that trouble was brewing...

Shifting house, that's the trouble! From a slightly small 2-bed room we were forcibly removed to a 12-man apartment with ZERO wireless access (not that we had any in the old room...) and 2 toilets, 2 bathrooms. Well, at least we don't have to contend with 20-30 other residents... And the roommates are fine... More notable among the lot is Qi Long aka Tai Lo, Soon Lee my roommate in Bangi, Chris my roommate in the older new room (=>), Albert and Simon from Sarawak. Merry crew they are, and lots of fun... Even went to see the Eye on Malaysia and the festival they put up here in Lake Titiwangsa...

And now we come to the last two weeks. Still hanging on here, coping with studies... Got involved in the debate society (which is WAY different from highschool debates) and TaeKwon-Do (which I had given up or more precisely 'forced' to give up during Form 1). Concerning the debate, lost out to KUO in the semi-finals of the Vice Chancellor Cup... You were good guys, but I WILL have my revenge.... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA..... *cough, cough* Anyway, just finished an IO conducted by the Chinese seniors here so I'm safe for the meantime... So I guess that is all I have to say... Oh yes! The CF seniors here are VERY nice to us, and I love this band of brothers and sisters here... => Ok, guess that is all I have to say, so catch up with you guys when I have the time... AND the access! Sigh.... =P

Farewell, Batu Pahat...

Hello, dear readers. This particular post is a special one, since it will be the last post I will publish here in Batu Pahat (in a long while). I will be leaving this town which has been my home for the last 17 odd years, and travel up north, to start life anew as a university student. Will leave on Sunday early morning, so please pray for me, guys!

Anyway, this post will feature mostly my friends whom I will no longer be able to see for some time. But of course, priority is family, so this first part is for the people closest to my heart... Will miss all of you while I'm studying away from home.

Dear dad, thank you for being there for me all the time. Even though you are always so busy, you never sacrificed your time with us, and made us feel secure and protected from every angle. You are the rock in my life, dad, and I know that whatever you do, the love, the instructions and the the chastisements, you meant it for my best interest. Through you, I see what my Father in heaven is like, and for that I am truly grateful. Love you lots, Dad.

Mom, you are the perfect mom from heaven that everyone dreams they had, and no matter what, I would never have chose anyone else to be my mom. I know that you would most probably be the most worried among us for me, and I know that you will be praying for me every single moment, without fail. Thank you mom, for all the love mom, for I know that your whole life is one act of sacrifice and abounding love for each and every one of us children. Love you to bits, Mom.

Malcolm, dear brother, you have been the closest companion I ever had, through all the years. All through the videogames, the music, the loads of fun we had, you were the one that put up the most with all my nonsense and playfulness. Love you, bro, and study hard, do well so that you may one day carve your own path with the Lord's grace. Fear not and lament not, and I will always be there to help you if you need me. Love you too, Mal.

Dear Girly, I will miss not being there with you and arguing with you (=>) while I'm studying. But remember, I love you, dear sister, and I would not have any other person in the world to be my sister besides you. Grow up strong, dear sister, and let the Lord be your guide all the way. May you grow to be even more beautiful inside and outside than you already are, and become a patient, loving and caring person, a glowing jewel reflecting His glory. Love you, dear Amanda.

Now for all my friends here in my old class, thanks for all the wonderful memories during my time in Form 6. Looking back, I thank God that I stayed back, so I could meet all of you. To my brother Rafi, miss you bro, keep in touch, and remember this crazy fella when you become a big time politician... Hehehehe... To the crazy fellas there, WK, SY, YK, PT, KR, SZ and of course AM, best of luck to all of ya, all the best, and live life to the max! SK, may you accomplish what you desire in that field... The four girls in the second row, CS, LL, SC, and SS: best of luck! XY: hope you enjoy yourself in Sabah, and don't you dare forget me! SQ, good luck! and KN, best of luck and don't be a stranger! The crazy four Malay guys there, don't go too nuts okay! Especially Affandi, Zainal and Lebai, thanks for the memories, old and new!

Now to the people among my old friends and my brothers: Yeong Tai, Kwan Wen and Tai Seng. YT, may good fortune and luck be with you bro, and may your life be filled with joy. KW, be cheerful always bro, and study hard. TS, enjoy life in your new/old environment, and remember to 'jio' me 'lateh' when I come back... And Song Lin, my bestest bro, Y NOW ONLI I REALISE U DIN TAKE PHOTO WIT US? Celakatoi betul. Anyway, to you bro, thanks for everything, for listening when I needed to talk, for cannoning during the fun times and supporting me throughout school life. Will miss you, bro. And for all those whom I have not mentioned, be you from HS, tuition classes or just in passing: thanks for the memories and don't stay far away. Without all of you, my life would never be this complete.

And of course, dear Lord, thank You for all I've experienced, all I have learnt, and most importantly, Your love, mercy and grace you have showered upon me all the time. Looking back now Father, I see Your Hand at work and I praise You, for You love me beyond my imagination, and have my best interests at heart. Without You Lord, I am but dust. Please Lord, continue to smile upon me and hold me close to Your side, even as I walk this path You have set before me. Let me reflect Your light to the world, that I may glorify Your name.

Goodbye, and good night all!

Varsity's Beckoning...

Hi all, been a long time since I updated my site, like some people have been telling me... =< Well, been busy lately (as you will see in a while) and besides my quite considerable store of anime is being 'updated'. In other words, I am hurrying to read and watch as much anime before I depart to a place where Streamyx is not available... University, that is... Hehehe.... Well, shall I start with what some of you may already know, my placement in the Malaysian public universities? This period of time is one of the uplifting periods of my life, and also one of the most draining...

Well, it began on last Monday, when I got up as usual (12-ish, mind you...=>) and checked the online site of the MOHE (Ministry of Higher Education) website for changes... Nope, nothing there... And not an hour later, Yeong Tai called me with an urgent question... (editedfor flavour, LOLZ)

"Hoi, wat did u get?"

"Huh?"

"IPTA (Malay acronym for public universities) lar!"

"WAT? Just checked wat! Nothing mar..."

"Go n check again lar! Got dy!"

Hurried again to the website, whereupon I discovered a new link to the website where you find out what course you got, and where. Huh, angka giliran? Oh that... Where is my STPM cert again (!)... Oh ok...

Then I saw it, in bold letters:

TAHNIAH! Anda telah berjaya ditawarkan program seperti berikut :

PERUBATAN (DOKTOR PERUBATAN)

UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

And my mind went..... what? Anyway, not funny, I know. What WAS funny was the fee structure... I also applied for Medicine in IMU, and the total fee due to that prestigious university was a whopping total of RM 333,000.00 . *jaw drops* And here, my father and I burst out laughing when we saw the total fee due for UKM : RM14,000.00 (or something around that). That was a difference of, what, 300,000 ringgit? Looks like my dad will be able to afford a new Mercedes with the money saved.... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....

Anyway, the website for UKM was slightly strange as well. When accessed, they will ask you for their answer to the offer, online. The problem was, if you accepted the offer using the fields there (didn't try rejecting it, I won't cut off my head unneccessarily, alright!?) and you refreshed the page, you will STILL see the same fields there, asking the exact same thing... Hopefully it dosen't matter THAT much....

And today was the tiring day. Now, the background. Yesterday I was in JB, seeing my granddad for what was going to be the last time in a very, very LONG while (don't ask about it, I won't be seeing freedom in the form of holidays anytime soon). Then Yeong Tai messaged me, telling me that tonight Vincent Ki was calling for a 'la teh' session (little did I know that the occassion was his birthday... Happy birthday, Vincent... Again...) at 9 pm. Made it back at 10.30, and rushed there to chat and swap stories around. Then, of all people, Chee Kim appeared. Nothing against him, but sessions with him around, in my experience, turn out to be all-nighters as we laugh and laugh and laugh at his cannonades at all manner of subjects, mostly off-colour. As expected, we went home at about 2 in the morning, when the proprietor started looking, no glaring at us... Did I mention that the 8 of us drank a total of RM 9 in tea and such (all paid for by the birthday boy, of course. Thanks Vincent). I think our faces will be on the blacklist of the shop very soon...

And the next day, business as usual... Or maybe not. At 6 - sends siblings to school. Around 7 - reaches home and plonks on the bed again. 7.30 - wakes up to wash-up and head to the outpatient clinic along Jalan Kluang for the clinical check-up required by the university. Get the picture? Not to mention that when I got there the place was packed, and I had 2 and a half hours of running to one counter, running to the opposite counter to pay for the urine and X-ray tests, running back to the urine counter, and a whole lot of waiting around doing absolutely nothing. Actually, the latter accounted for 80% of the time I spent there. And after getting a light breakfst and dozing for a few minutes in my dad's office, sped to the other side of town to get the X-ray done. Yet another bout of waiting here, though here the lines moved noticably faster due to the speed of the X-ray machine, though the snag was the girls requiring an extra 3 minutes each to remove clothing that matter (my guess is even an X-ray can't go through so many layers of cloth) and get their rays done. No offense, just an observation. Sorry girls. =p

Anyway, after getting the X-ray, sped back to the outpatient clinic to get inspected by the doctor, FINALLY! yeap, good question. But don't ask me why, I have no idea... Well, finished EVERYTHING at 4.15 pm (my mom helped with the payment of the initial fees), 7 hours of waiting (almost!) with only 3 hours of sleep and a light breakfast in between. Came back in time to send Malcolm off to tuition and to crash for 2 hours of peaceful sleep on the couch... Ah, bliss.... Finally.... ZZZZzzzZZZZzzZZZZZ...

Fathers...

I am biased, I know, but this is the World's Greatest Dad!

Father - Amazing Love, Hillsongs Australia

Amazing love has won my heart

I am in awe of all You've done

You gave us Jesus, and with Him

You freely gave us everything

Amazing love sets me free

From all that would weigh down on me

You are my strength, my help, my friend

And my hope, life without end

Father, my Father

I'm so secure in You

Your perfect love

Drives away all my tears

Father, I love You

For You have loved me first

And I am grateful

For amazing love


This is a belated post in honour of Father's Day. A big shoutout to my dad: the family man, the diligent bread-winner, and the one who gives without wanting to receive. He has brought all of us three children up in discipline and love, always giving us the best, often witholding his portion for us (especially when it comes to food =>). He is different than some parents (and most Asian parents) because he displays his love in tangible means: hugging and kissing us. And he puts family ahead of everything else like money, work or pleasure. He is always fair and just, never blindly siding with any faction when we siblings get into an argument. (and that is often enough =p) In times when discipline is needed, he is suitably strict and would not brook any nonsense from anyone. This post is in honour of him, my father, and I say that I am truly blessed to be his son.


And that again, another Father is also there, this time unseen, but every bit as loving and protective as my earthly dad. Heavenly Father, this post is also about You. In times when I needed help, and no one could understand me, You were there, crying with me. In times when I thought my heart would break, You were there holding me. In times when I was frustrated, lost, and unfairly blamed You for everything, You never turned away, but You gently guided me, saying that it would be alright in the end. When through Your power I succeeded, You were there celebrating with me. But most of all, Father, You gave me something no one else could: life as a son in Your Kingdom, and eternal life. Though it took Your Son, and broke Your heart, You did it, because of love. Oh Lord, Your love is unimaginable, and I love You, because You first loved me.

To all fathers out there, Happy Father's Day.

Full Metal PANIC!

Okay guys, I know I've not been very recent with my updates, so bear with me... Sort of blogger's block, of sorts... Okay, same excuse again, I know... Anyway, this is an anime I really, REALLY enjoyed, so let us get down to da review!

Okay, ever met some of those so-called 'freaks' that go on and on about a certain subject nobody wants to hear? Yeah like this one right here *points at self*, the anime freak, can't stop spouting nonsense bout anime... Meet any war-freaks? People who can name each and every gun on tv, and give running commentaries on war techniques and facts when a military-themed movie is on? Well then, met anyone who actually acts like a born-on-the-battlefield soldier? Well, if these musings are remotely striking a chord somewhere (or if you actually understand what the heck I'm saying), imagine a real-life, teenage dyed-in-the-wool specialist soldier pushed into school after spending all his years on a battlefield. Real messy, no?

Welcome to the world of Full Metal PANIC! then, boys and girls! Yeap, I meant exactly what I've been rumbling about up there.

Sergeant Sagara Sousuke, codename URUZ-7, is a soldier of Mithril, a top secret NGO that operates in secret around the world, protecting world peace via covert military operations. An Arm Slave (AS, giant machines armed with heavy artillery and armour, used as an extension of the pilot's body... Just think of it as a very low-tech GUNDAM) specialist, he was born and bred on the battlefields of Afghanistan, therefore his life was that of constant war and survival. An excellent soldier, he has served in many missions for Mithril, and was recently attached to the submarine Tuatha de Danaan, under the command of yet another teenage prodigy, Teletha Testarossa. In one of the early episodes, in a battlezone while covering for civilians, he recovers and pilots one of Mithril's top secret AS, a prototype model known as the Arbalest unit, equipped with the mysterious Lambda Driver, a mode that apparently synchronizes the actions of the Arbalest with the brain-waves of the pilot, allowing for feats impossible for ordinary AS. As the original technician died in a raid, he is the only one currently capable of piloting the said Arbalest. Then he is sent, for reasons of age, to Japan, where he is to go undercover as a high school student to protect a girl known as Kaname Chidori. (the gal with the blue hair above... Don't ask me why anime characters have all these funny hair colours...) Well, with juggling two jobs, protecting Kaname AND piloting Arbalest to save the world, that must relly be the limit, isn't it? Well guess what. As he has and always been a soldier, HE HAS NO IDEA HOW TO ACT THE PART OF A NORMAL HIGH SCHOOL KID. Get the picture? No? Ok then, let me spell it out for ya... Kaname, from the very get go, guessed that Sousuke was trailing and watching her, what with all the FBI-style gunpoint interrogation techniques on people who just wanna talk with her... When asked for a diversion to steal term papers by Kaname, he threw a smoke grenade into the room... Blowing up the locker room because he was suspicious of a love letter in his locker... The list goes on...

However, you are wrong if you think that this anime is all about laughter and fun. A secret organization, the anti-thesis of Mithril, Amalgam, is on the lookout for Kaname. To the point, they are after her secrets... No, not those Secrets! Kaname, as it turns out, is a Whispered. Okay, for the lost... Whispered are exceptional individuals that possess secret technological knowledge that are either buried within their subconciousness or are present in their active conciousness. Kaname is one of the former types, while Tessa (the captain of the de Danaan, Teletha Testarossa) is the latter. In order to obtain this so called Black Technology (which actually gave birth to the Lambda Driver technology), Amalgam seeks these individuals out for ends only they know. So you still get that war and battle fix, fans of military battles... However, like all anime, what's an anime without some good old love angles (or rather triangle in this case), especially when it is punctuated by a lot of laughter and slamming on the part of the poor hero... Haih... *grin*

Alright, review time! This anime stretches over 2 seasons, Full Metal PANIC! and the sequel, Full Metal PANIC!: The Second Raid, so it is quite a long one, with an added spin-off called Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu. (some maintain that Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu IS the second season, but I'll leave the debate there...) Both Full Metal PANIC! and The Second Raid focus on war and the development of the angle between Sousuke and Kaname, his growing frustrations with the Arbalest and the hounding of his footsteps by Gauron, an old adversary while he was still in Afghanistan. Fumoffu, however, is a spin-off with ENTIRELY 100% laugh-till-you-drop scenes. So if you want the anime itself, with the character advancement, love triangles and haunting war scenes and the sort, take the two proper seasons. IF you have a bad day and wanna laugh till you drop dead, take Fumoffu. Honest. This is now my recipe for laughter online, with Hardo Gae coming in a close second. Hehehehe... All in all, a great anime, lovely artwork (though some scenes may not be suitable for young kids, you know, slight nudity, gore, violence, yadda yadda yadda...), real military operations and fleshed out characters. Definitely a 5 star rating from me, anytime.

Gundam SEED : Destiny

Sorry guys! Slightly busy these past few days, as some of you can attest to, not being online on MSN... Anyway, lets start on yet another part of the Gundam SEED series, Gundam SEED : Destiny. Oh yes, before I forget, to those who are new to the Gundam scene, there are actually a few series of Gundam running currently, like Gundam Z, Gundam Wing and the like... I personally have not seen them all, so I really won't know about them...

Anyway, Gundam SEED : Destiny is the continuation of Gundam SEED, taking place a few short years after what happened during the end of the Bloody Valentine War.

WARNING!! SPOILER PARAGRAPH!! It has been a few years since the Bloody Valentine War, where the country of ORB was destroyed, or more accurately, blown up by its leaders to deny the advancement of the forces of the Earth Alliance under the influence of Blue Cosmos, a group of miliants with powerful members committed to eliminating the Coordinators at all costs. With the murder of the father of Athrun, Patrick Zala by his own subordinate, the destruction of GENESIS, a giant beam cannon in space, and the death of the mad ZAFT commander Rau Le Creuset, the war between Coordinators and Naturals was brought to a halt by a treaty mediated by ORB, now under the control of Cagalli Zula Athha, the twin sister of Kira Yamato. The war now seems like a memory, but somehow in that uneasy peace, a sinister force lurks...

The beginning of the series shows Cagalli travelling as an ambassador to the ZAFT colony to meet the new leader of the ZAFT forces, Chairman Durandal in the care of her bodyguard, none other than her lover, Athrun. There, the couple meet with an attempt to steal three special Gundam prototypes from ZAFT by Extended pilots from Blue Cosmos of the Earth Alliance. As Athrun protects Cagalli, they meet the young pilot, Shinn Asuka, piloting yet another new Gundam, the ZGMF-X56S Impulse, a Gundam said to be the most advanced and efficient one yet, made up of three different parts fired from its mothership. This enables the Impulse to change ammunation and recharge its power at any time to suit the flow of combat. However, all these fail to catch the thieves, who escape with help from their captan, the enigmatic Neo Roanoke. Deciding to travel with the Minerva, the mothership of the Impulse, they find out that Shinn is actually an ORB citizen whose parents and sister were wiped out during the attack on ORB by Blue Cosmos. Shinn still bears a deep seated resentment and anger towards ORB for failing to protect his family from being killed. The situation worsens when a group of rogue ZAFT pilots, acting on revenge towards Naturals decide to plunge the floating destroyed colony 7, now remade as a shrine towards Earth. Despite the efforts of ZAFT and Athrun, the colony hits Earth, causing the survivors of the accident to incite war against Coordinators again. At roughly the same time, a failed assassination attempt on Lacus Clyne forces Kira Yamato to once again climb on board the ZGMF-X10A Freedom which he has sealed up in order to find those responsible and to save the universe from tearing itself apart from war again...

Well, reviews! As the sequel to the Gundam SEED series, I find that if you liked the original series' conspiracies and twists, you would love ths series. And again, there are machines aplenty here, for the mecha fan. The development of characters here is full and well-thought out again, and the artwork certainly has not deteoirated since the last series. All in all, another good anime to absorb yourself in, and who knows, it might even get you thinking... a lot!

Camping at Singapore!!! Or not...

Okay! Right back from Kuala Lumpur and on to Singapore! The plan was to spend a few nights there under canvas, going fishing, blah blah blah... So took off on Saturday morning and headed to the Second Link. Stopped by at the R&R there for some breakfast. Really nice setup there, with nice garden chairs and everything. Had a not-too-bad breakfast before we sped off into Singapore...


Once in Singapore, we headed directly to our aunt's place, jumped into the car and went on a 'trip'. The plan was to go on some obscure package for Malaysians (apparently you pay the same amount as Singaporeans, but in Ringgit! So, 5 ringgit for a 5 Singapore dollar trip...) but ended up in Vivo City, a nice shopping centre located near the harbour front. After that, sped off to Sentosa to.... look at the beach and to let the small kiddos go up into the famous merlion. At this point, No of 'Tourisy' Trips Went On: 0. Well, it is alright, not really interested, anyway...


After resting up, went for a HUMONGOUS Japanese Buffet at Suntec City. It was Heavenly! LOLZ... The tempura was nice, the sashimi was good, the crab was supreme, the teppanyaki beef was.... Okay, better stop before I start drooling all over again. Hahahahaha... Now I really am pissed that I can't show you the pics... Celaka...


Anyway, spent the night INSIDE the house, no fishing, unless you count fishing the koi inside my aunt's pond... Woke up the next morning to eat breakfast and do what I do best on Sunday afternoons: sleep. LOLZ. Went to Marine Cove on the East Coast Park for cycling, tandem style! A note to those in front when cycling a tandem: try your hardest to control the bike and don't let the fella at the back determine your speed, and the fella at the back: STOP MOVING YOUR NODY FROM SIDE TO SIDE!!! Anyway, had McDonalds there, played some arcade games at one of the sorriest arcades I have been to, really bare... It was the kiddies' idea, you see...

And now! Finally! Pictures! Saw these beauties at the park while waiting for the transports to arrive: Now everybody say: WOW!
Especially love the Harley here... The male side of my family has a fascination for bikes, but barred from having any by Mom... Anyway, had a late dinner/supper at this resturant: Different Taste... Some sort of soup, with crab and mushrooms, and whatever...
Curry fish head! With lots of bendi! (Lady's finger)
Chicken in sweet and sour sauce...
Kangkung! Or at least I think that's it...
And fried chicken... Not bad...

Anyway, went back to the house to pack up and get ready to go home. After blowing out the cake for one of the kids, we went back to Batu Pahat, somehow satisfied with the trip, even without the camping and fishing... Largely due to the scrumptious Japanese buffet, hehehehe... Okay, last picture before it ends: a family photo.

The birthday kid is the one in pink, Joyce. Below her, Jayn (the youngest) and Faith (with Flurry the dog). Uncle Woon is there beside Faith, and my aunt is between my bro and mom. Okay? Good. Gotta go now, so see all of you soon!

I'm Still Alive!!!

Dear readers, sorry for the wait, but I AM BACK!!! *Applause please...* Actually I have been slightly busy the past week, running here, there and everywhere... *runs away from readers booing and throwing things at him* Ok, ok! Bad excuse, I know! Sorry, alright!

Anyway, in the tradition of my mentor, Dr Symeon Chiam, now currently working his butt off in Alor Setar Hospital and unavailable to do his usual act of blogging, I will now present you with a few juicy parts of my last trips... However, even though I was pretty pumped up (yeah right) to tantalize your taste buds in that manner, it looks like an internal glitch (I'm not saying anything) has somehow denied me that pleasure, because I no longer have the photos... Alright, whatever...

My KL trip was part of a last minute decision to apply to IMU, as a safety net of some sort in case my other applications did not go through. So, went there to hand in the documents and wait a day for my interview at the same venue, and also to satisfy a craving of some sort.... At Coliseum!!! Yes, a wonderful and historical cafe/restaurant where you can get one of the world's best Mixed Grills, at phenomenal prices! LOLZ... What a pity that the photos are not around... Anyway, stayed over at my aunt's house, full with dogs and cats, beautiful ones... There's a total of 3 dogs and 8 cats in the household. ('yikes!' do I hear you say?) However I only saw Cadbury, Patches, Pebbles (the 3 dogs), Mickey and Coco there... All the rest of the cats have apparently been er, scouting out the neighbourhood... Spent an afternoon with my cousins when my return home was pushed back, (due to unavailability of tickets to Batu Pahat, hahaha) whereupon I played an extremely violent game...

Get the picture? It more or less chronicles the story of the 'new' Greek God of War, Kratos, the Shadow of Sparta. It is VERY bloody, so please don't pick this game up if you are squeamish or are under 18... Played this really interesting game as well:This is a really nice one, with nice graphics and such. Okay, lets say that the hero is the size of a pea. Then, the colossus is.... a coconut. Something like that. Now to save the damsel in distress, you have to kill off a certain number of colossi (I think that's the plural, oh well). So you have to climb the gigantic colossus using their fur and girdles (wonder who does their tailoring) with only your bare hands, a bow and a magical sword. Cool, huh?

Got back on Friday, and that is that... And right after that, went over to the island of the Merlion, Kiasu Land, Singa(ber)pura... But that is a story for another time....

Gundam SEED

Ok, now I have reviewed the tame, the funny, and the slightly risque anime, so now its time to go on... Now this anime is meant to put to rest the notion that some scoffers have, that is, all anime are for kids. True, not as vicious as those who claim that all anime are sexually explicit, but almost as annoying. Let me tell you, scoffers, if you can feel the same way after you finish watching this anime, I take my hat off to you. Well then, let me begin. Oh, a word of warning, the next paragraph is the background story of the anime, explained piecemeal throughout the anime. So if you are interested in watching the anime as it is, without all these extra information, please skip the next paragraph.

In this mecha anime (mecha is short for mechanical, this term refers to anime where the usage of robots or mechanical devices are a main theme), in the near future, or Cosmic Era, genetic manipulation has advanced to such a stage that the populance has been divided into two: 'pure humans' and genetically modified humans, called 'Coordinators'. Mutters against genetic modification and the envy of pure humans towards the more agile, more talented Coordinators have caused strained relations between the two groups, finally erupts into war when the humans begin killing the 'non-human' Coordinators. The war finally came to a head when the human military, the Earth Forces send a nuclear onslaught to the space colonies of the Zodiac Alliance for Peace Treaty, ZAFT (the military protecting the Coordinators), causing complete destruction of a heavily populated space colony. This tragedy is given the name Bloody Valentine, and the war that followed, the Bloody Valentine War. The highly technologically advanced ZAFT (perhaps due to their genetic advantage) retaliated by sending MS (mobile suits, a machine-cum-body armour piloted by the Coordinators) with Nuclear Jammers to the Earth, thus negating the Earth Forces' significant nuclear arsenal. The war then went into full throttle, with battles taking place on land, sea and outer space.

In the midst of war, Kira Yamato, a brilliant student was living a quiet life in a neutral colony run by ORB, the powerful nation that maintained a strict neutrality, welcoming both humans and Coordinators to its doors. However, his life was turned upside down when he and his friends were attacked by ZAFT forces in his professor's lab. In the confusion, Kira meets a strange girl, and while attempting to rescue her, comes across five MS in a military base belonging to ORB. He is separated from the girl and finds himself with an Earth Forces officer, who is desperately protecting the MS from the onslaught. As the injured officer and Kira make their way across the MS, Kira comes to terms with what he learns: that the military base was actually used by the Earth Forces with permission from the ORB government to develop a new model of MS, based on technology used by ZAFT. Then he meets someone he did not expect to see: an old friend, working on the side of ZAFT, Athrun Zala. As the two friends respond to meeting the other with shock, the factory starts falling apart. Athrun immediately jumps into the nearest MS and flees with it. Kira and the officer then jump into the only remaining MS, as the others have already been stolen by ZAFT soldiers. In a fit of pique, some ZAFT units started attacking the colony itself, endangering the lives of Kira's friends. Seeing this, Kira takes over the controls of the MS, easily defeating several ZAFT MS. As the invaders flee, the officer, impressed with Kira's skills, swears him and his friends into the service of the Earth Forces, inside the Archangel, a massive space battleship originally meant to house the five MS. As it turns out, Kira is actually a Coordinator, an 'enemy' to the Earth Forces. Though reluctant to fight on any side, he is the only one possesing the skills and reflexes to pilot the MS. He learns that these MS are a prototype of a new version of MS, one that would render all other MS ineffective and clunky comparatively. All the five MS were developed for various areas of combat, such as close range melee attacks, far range artillery, stealth and speed, but his MS, the GAT-X105 Strike, was developed for all-round combat, able to adapt itself into whichever way battles turned. As he somewhat reluctantly pilots Strike to protect his friends aboard the Archangel, he faces the guilt of killing, betrayal, opposing loyalties, manipulation, friendship and love, as he quests to protect his friends, and to return peace to the universe.

Now that was complex, right? You bet! If you are a machine-lover, you will go mad over the many types of MS and battleships represented in this anime. Sometimes I wonder where the mangaka gets his ideas... Battle strategies and tactics are also used unreservedly here, for those interested in military strategy. And the various emotions and actions of the highly complex characters fleshed out in this anime will appeal to those more in touch with their emotions. It is an anime that has something for almost everybody. Notice the almost? DO NOT watch this if you do not like war nor the sight of someone of killing someone. That theme is prevalent in this anime. And to those who have preconcieved ideas (like me during the first few episodes), the matter of who is right and who is wrong is not in black and white, but is a very greyish shade of grey in this anime. All in all, good artwork (especially those GUNDAMs, very well drawn) and storyline, if you do not mind the complexities. The characters are well fleshed out and are seldom not what they are... If war and machines are your cup of tea, this is the anime for you.

P.S. - GUNDAM is the name given by Kira to all MS developed during and after Strike's development. It is actually an acronym for what appears on the main screen in the pilot's cabin when the MS is started up. If I am not wrong, it stands for General Unilateral Neural Defensive Autonomic Manuever.... Hahahaha.... SEED refers to a state of mind for some humans (though more prevalent in Coordinators) where they lose control over their emotions, making them brutal and efficent killing machines, also known as a beserker rage. Familiar to some gamers out there, I am sure...

Love Hina

Alright! It seems that I have not been doing reviews on anime for some time now, so looks like it is time to start on a new series. Yes, the series' name is Love Hina. I have personally seen both the anime and the manga, so looks like I will have more to talk about this time. Oh, for the record, the anime is mildly 'tame' while the manga is slightly more... Well, I will get there soon enough. Let's just say that underaged children should be supervised when watching the anime, and should not really be reading the manga...

Okay! From centre and then clockwise: Naru, Keitarou, Shinobu, Motoko, Kaolla, Kit.

Okay then! What do you think of the artwork? Nice huh? This is the creation of Ken Akamatsu, a mangaka famous for his, errrrr, 'creativity' in capturing the human body on paper... Well, hope that wasn't too subtle... Errrr, right! On to the story! The opening episode shows a solitary figure by the name of Urashima Keitaro arriving at his grandmother's inn, called Hinata-sou, or translated as Hinata Inn. (hence the 'Hina' in the name...) A two-time ronin (exam retaker) aiming to enter Tokyo University (or nicknamed Todai), he was pratically thrown out of home for persisting to try to enter said university, even though he clearly wasn't scholar material. Now, the reason for this is a childhood promise between him and a girl from 15 years ago, at the very same inn, where they promised to enter Todai together, and find happiness. (This is apparently a myth they have, which is central in this story) Because of that, he has been trying his best to enter Todai, and failing, not to mention being avoided by the girls (for reasons obvious later). Entering the inn, he finds it 'empty' and proceeds to take a bath in the famous hot springs located in the inn's premises. Then he is shocked as someone walks him on him, who is none other than: Narusegawa Naru! This pretty girl walks in naked (well, I did try to explain), sits in the bath, assuming the person in the bath with her was a friend, until she realises her mistake. This signals a general scream for help, and the getaway of our hapless hero as he runs for his life, and bangs into four more other girls in only his bath-towel.... Guess you know what will happen next... No, fortunately for him, he bumps into his aunt, Aunt Haruka who mans the tea-shop just next door. After some frantic explainations and some protests on the girls' part, he ends up being allowed to stay in Hinata-sou (which was actually remade into an all-girls dorm in Keitarou's grandmother's absence, which accounts for the general lack of acceptance to him staying). However, he accomplished that by capitalising on a mistaken assumption of Haruka, who thought him a Todai student already. In short order, he had lied outrageously to cover the initial lie, and was exposed before his guilty feelings could make him confess. Expelled from the dorm, he was later found by Naru at his favourite joint: a sticker-photo booth (.......any wonder for the lack of girlfriends?) He is allowed to return to the inn, since his absent grandmother has named him the owner of Hinata-sou and the land surrounding it, provided he becomes the kanrinin (manager) of the place. That starts his life in adapting to living with the inhabitants of the inn, all of them with their own quirks and personality traits, and their habit of literally kicking him around whenever he crashes in by pure accident while the girls are in... ummmmm... compromising positions. Well, for starters, there is, of course, the hot-headed Narusegawa, whom you have met, the master of sending poor Keitarou packs of pain everytime, like in this picture:

Surprisingly, (or not) she is also the top scholar in Japan, also aiming for Todai because of a promise (It isn't... But yet, it is!) and whos obsession of studying has ruined her eyesight (that's why she mistook Keitarou for someone else...) and giving her a love life of zero. Moderation, friends, moderation... However, since she is the heroine, and Keitarou is the hero.... You get the idea. Then there is Maehara Shinobu, a shy and introverted girl who at first hates Keitarou for his lies and 'accidents' involving her, but later develops a strong crush on him... The ideal housewife, as she is the best cook among them and enjoys doing chores around the house, and also the most prone to crying... Then there is Aoyama Motoko, a child of the Shinmeiryu discipline of sword mastery, who spends her time sharpening her sword skills upon the balcony, and upon poor Keitarou... A tomboy, she can't stand Keitarou's so-called 'sissy' attitude and antics. And then there is Kaolla Su, a foreigner who is obsessed with electronics, mechas, guns, cannons, and kicking Keitarou as a form of greeting. The one with a smile carved on her face, she also has a mysterious side... And of course, we have Monno Kitsune, or Kit, the money-faced schemer and chain-drinker who enjoys 'tempting' Keitarou just for kicks.

Let me be frank, this is a romance-themed manga, though heavily tempered with 'violence' (hahaha, upon Keitarou, mostly!). At one point along the way, almost half of the residents fall for the blur Keitarou, with a few others joining the fray later, thus setting up a highly complex and confused love triangle (or more specifically, a hexagon of sorts...) that sorts of endears the story, though I really went through all that because of the sheer amounts of laugh factor induced. All in all, something girls would like and guys could learn to appreciate, though for varying reasons. Eye candy all the way, and humour slapped on without restraint. Truly something that readers and watchers (of a proper age!) can enjoy. =>

Genting Highlands Part 4

Alright, as promised, the last and final chapter of my trip to Genting Highlands! Well, remember that we left off at the Outdoor Amusement Park? Well then, it was time for dinner then! Had a buffet dinner at the Genting International Convention Centre, right beside the hotel. (Forgive me for the lack of photos, most of my photos were taken on-the-run, so they are either too blurry to be put up, or not there at all. =<) The lamb curry was good, but that was about it. Left as soon as they started putting singers on-stage, partly because the group decided to take off, and partly because those dimwits at the sound system pushed the volume and treble to the max, nearly breaking my eardrums in the process. Then it was time for some walks around the area. Luckily for us, Kwan Wen and Jeanette (one of the girls) had a friend from National Service days who happened to work in the area, and who graciously gave us a tour. (By the way, this was the same friend who held up our group earlier, but it wasn't actually her fault, it was "somebody's" lousy sense of giving directions...) So we went to the front of the Hotel to a very nice garden, where the next shots were taken...


Yeah, I still have a lot to learn, I know...=<>

Slept at 4.00, and woke up at 10.00, to start the second leg, the Indoor Theme Park! However, we did not buy tickets for the rides, as we considered them 'boring' compared to the ones outside... Anyway, scenery shots:


Yeah, slightly blur, I know... Anyway, a few points of interest: notice that there are a few landmarks here that look awfully familiar? Like the Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower? Apparently you are supposed to be able to spot a total of 9 international landmarks inside the mall, namely the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Australia's Sydney Opera House, our very own Petronas Twin Towers, the Singapore Merlion, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China, Japan's Mount Fuji and the Taj Mahal. I personally think that it is a scam, and I back it up with photographic evidence:

I rest my case. Anyway, lucky Yeong Tai was given three free arrows to spend at the archery range, so off we went.... He even had basic instruction!
Nice photos for the missus, YT, maybe I'll pass them along to you... And as for his archery... Let's just say he could do better. Then it over to the more sophisticated side: the rifle range. Each of us did 20 shots, and I didn't do too bad. Yeong Tai, on the other hand... As I said, he could do better... After all that, it was back on the bus and back to BP, and my nice warm bed... Okay, before we end, some more points of interest in the mall... The much-acclaimed SkyVenture skydiving simulation centre, which we gawked at but did not try out because of monetary problems and the reticience of the girls...
And this... odd device which is part of a 'raree' show... You are supposed to sit in the benches, peer into the box courtesy of the red peek-holes, and see whatever is in there, accompanied by the sound of gongs and chimes produced by the puppet-master (or whatever he is called...). Again, financial matters and the language barrier prevented me from giving a better description...

Phew! Finally done! Thank you to all the bored (and the not-so-bored) readers out there who actually took the time to go through all my rubbish... Much appreciated. Oh, and to those wanting to go there for a holiday, DO NOT think that 30 bucks will get you through two days there. Trust me, it won't. My wallet is half-empty as of now, for obvious reasons. =<>