Gone 2009, Welcoming 2010

Having lived through the first decade of 21st century.
Have you seen it all?

Well 1 question: What's the significance of celebrating new year?
Organizers spend millions upon millions, local governments set up celebration parties.
Whilst most of us are enjoying the celebration, some are ignoring the countdown; those with nothing to eat, having spent another day in hunger, or those with no place to spend the chilly night..

What is the significance of the clock moving from 11:59:59pm to 12:00:00am? The process repeats itself every 24 hours, and most of us do not even care, yet what causes us to care so much on the 31st of December every year? I don't see animals jumping around celebrating the coming of a new year.

Time is a common standard set by us human, and only we know its significance. Do you appreciate your time? Please do not appreciate it ONLY on the 31st of December each year.. I've seen too much university students spending time doing nonsense, and not managing their time well.
It's time to change. Hope that by appreciating this 31st of December 2009, you would start to treasure your 2010.. =)

Malcolm

Malaysian System

2 TIME WASTING DUDES


black shirt guy is the lecturer, the white shirt guy being the technician.
The blackie tried to look cool, by using a Macbook. TOo bad the projector could not sync with the Macbook OS, and there was no resonance.
So he called up the technician and too bad, the slept-through-my-uni-year technician didn't know what to do as well.

So half an hour gone (the class is supposed to be an hour), and he finally mentioned the magic phrase and soon everyone was gone. But not before he told us a meaningless story...

lecturer: i guess I have to cancel this class

students: HOORAYYYY

lecturer: not cancel la, jangan say cancel..it's cut off half

students: hehehehe of course we will be bekerjasama la..

lecturer: does anyone know how fast a commercial car can go?

students: err...er.....200? 300? 180?

lecturer: how fast is..er..our...national build...can go? u know...car can go? ( this sentence was so broken I could not remember the exact structure)

lecturer: i think the fastest can go ialah around 345km/hr...right?

students: wah.....

lecturer: but if it is in traffic jam, how fast can it go? so this is the same with our situation here. the technology is good, but it cannot go fast.

Well bro, a piece of advice: your theory sounds great, but hey you should not brag about your Mac indirectly like tat la.. everyone knows u're using Macbook and end up blooping yourself cuz the projector doesnt like your Macbook. So dont blame the other technologies like that...


Anyway there are a few banners around UM, promoting us not to use polystyrene, aka the WHITE COFFIN.
They collected used polystyrene from all cafes in UM and piled it up as in the picture.


This is what we use is 1 day, Imagine 365 days~~


We MUST find an alternative, or else we'll end up in the WHITE COFFIN.
This issue has plagued mankind for ages now. It shouldn't be commercialized in the first place.

Right now when we are proposing new product we always comment on its danger and hazards. For example hydrogen fuel. They claimed that it is highly flammable. (So does kerosene and petrol bro...)
They say other biodegradable plastics are expensive (so are your TVs, Cars and expensive cutlery, and your dog food)
They say the white coffin is easier to carry around ( why not use banana leaves instead? Plant some banana plant near the food stall and you could pluck the leaves whenever you want, it's healthier, biodegradable and easy too, free of charge)

In my opinion, those people are just ignorant, unwilling to move beyond their comfort zone. Ask them to use container other than polystyrene "aiyoh susah lah bang.. ini sinang sinang mau ambik, sinang bau buang"
This type of mentality would upend the commitment of the most enthusiastic of conservationists...


Malcolm =)

Rat the size of house cat discovered in Papua New Guinea

Imagine a rat this size pop up in the middle of the night in your kitchen, having devoured your cat and your 3 lil' puppies.

Our world is such a magnificent place, plenty still to be explored~!

Hometown Christmas

am back in UM. Tired, exhaustion beyond imagination.
Anyway during my stay in my hometown, I did some memorable thing. The food, the places, old school, ex mates, football mates, the field where I got my eyes whacked, the school where I left many hearts broken (teacher's especially).


Michelle, Conelius, Jessie, Betty

The classroom where it all started, the corridor, the walkway, canteen. The blanket of time was taken away, uncovering all the memories. Heartbreaks,cries,happiness,pride. It was all there.






The food of course, cannot be compared. No where in the world can you find another place like Sibu. Its' distinct Kampua, Air LUPA CINTA, Kueh Tiaw Tomato...




The roadsigns, very different from those you see in West Malaysia

There was this Christmas Procession, really grand event where all 20-30 churches in Sibu participated, and everyone walked to spread the Good News.

Christmas day was also Carolyn's birthday.. turning 21 with 6 days of 2009 remaining, and chances are that someone's gonna turn into 22 on the 1st of January 2010.

Once a year we celebrate
With stupid hats and plastic plates
The fact that you were able to make
An other trip around the sun

And the whole gang gathers round
With gifts and laughter to abound
And we let out a joyful sound
And sing that stupid song

Happy birthday!
Now you're one year older
Happy birthday!
Your life still isn't over
Happy birthday!
You did not accomplished much
But you didn't die this year
I guess that's good enough

So let's drink to your fading health
And hope you don't remind yourself
The chance of finding fame and wealth
Decrease with every year

Does it feel like you're doing laps
And eating food and taking naps
And hoping that someday perhaps
Your life will hold some cheer

Happy birthday!
What have you done that matters?
Happy birthday!
You're starting to get fatter
Happy birthday!
It's downhill from now on
Try not to remind yourself
Your best years are all gone

If cryogenics were all free
Then you could live like Walt Disney
And live for all eternity
Inside a block of ice

But instead your time is set
This is the only life you get
And though it hasn't ended yet
Sometimes you wish it might

Happy birthday!
You wish you had more money
Happy birthday!
Your life's so sad it's funny
Happy birthday!
How much more can you take?
But your friends are hungry
So just cut the stupid cake

Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!

Carolyn Christine Harry, Happy birthday~!~

Football With Ex-Teammates

Tony's Kronos 90- He said he bought it from an ex-Man Utd player..Rm 689.00 =.=
and
Raymond's Nike Tiempo GE


















Martin Lau Ek Ding aka Super Left Footer
and
Tony Mahony Sie ( that name alone sounds cool ady)






































Our Star Striker, Raymond Siaw

The short but meaningful meeting, and a previous futsal meeting where I didn't bring my camera brought 4 of us back together, aiming for the same goal. Some are still the same, some of course, rusted.

The important thing was the reunion, and glad that everyone has grown up! =)

Funny Exam answers 2

Funny Exam answers

Q. Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists

Q. How is dew formed
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire

Q. What causes the tides in the oceans
A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight

Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on
A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed

Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections
A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election

Q. What are steroids
A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs

Q. What happens to your body as you age
A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty
A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery

Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A. Premature death

Q. What is artificial insemination
A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow

Q. How can you delay milk turning sour
A. Keep it in the cow

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorised (e.g. The abdomen)
A. The body is consisted into 3 parts – the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U

Q. What is the fibula?
A. A small lie

Q. What is the most common form of birth control
A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium

Q. Give the meaning of the term ‘Caesarean section’
A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome

Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor.

Q. What is a terminal illness
A. When you are sick at the airport.

Q. What does the word ‘benign’ mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight

Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head

Movies

It's a new day~ 22nd Dec 09'

noticed that some people do not know what are neutrinos. Google it up people, it's good for you since you've heard it from the movie 2012. The big event for neutrino this year happens at CERN~!~
Anyway just want to mention that some elements in the movie are really crappy, you should not believe those.



A friend of mine mentioned about information from movies that could be misleading to youngsters, for example in the movie Transformers. We all know that the cube is said to be powerful enough to transform every machines into robots. You know how crappy that sounds.

Also the movie showcased the alien machine being built within the pyramid, leading people to think that the pyramid were built to cover up that shit. Hey bro you all are so sick. Pyramids are tombs for ancient Egyptian kings, and the pyramids are supposed to be guarded by the Sphinx, and in the movie there was no sign of its existence. Also, the carcasses of the old primes were shut behind a wall, could that be possible at all? Why wouldn't ancient Egyptians though they were some sortta exoskeleton organisms and treated them like bugs, ants? I mean how would some people, who wanted to build a tomb, would based their building upon some unknown corpses coupled with some unknown structure that looked like hell?

Transformers come from the planet Cybertron, and in the 2nd movie Megatron flew back to Cybertron, eclipsing Saturn on his path. Hey...Cybertron is not within our solar system. Moreover, humans shut the machines by using Cryonics. And supposed Cybertron exists, and is located so far away from the Sun, beyond Saturn you see.. The temperature of the planet should hit below -150 Celcius for sure. Since the temperature of Cryogen = -150 C, and the temperature on Saturn averages at -175 C (source:http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/saturn_worldbook.html) Then I guess the planet Cybertron should be cooler. Why are they not frozen in their home planet?




Now that you all know how crappy it is(anyway I just like to be an asshole and spoil all your movie fun-tasy). There are also other scenes from other movies. For example 2012. Really gobsmacked by the way they fail form 4 physics~... there was this particular scene where a giant tsunami devoured that pitiful commercial liner in the middle of the ocean...Brother...you cant feel tsunami in the middle of the ocean ok..the ocean is too deep, not shallow enough to generate high wave..and since its a MEGA TSUNAMI with high velocity, it could only be felt or seen when approaching the coastline..

As I mentioned, for some illiterate these could be real. For kids, they could be led to think that transformer is everywhere. They talk to cars hoping for a response, and they jump off cliffs hoping for that moment of magic when Optimus Prime transforms from their old junk to save them. Sorry la bro, you'll probably die in vain.

This all could be fun, movies spark imagination, like the Lord of the Bing,












Hairy Pothead













Police of the Caribbean.. but right here I just want to be an asshole, as I said, and spoil all your fun ~~:-P

Malaysia won its first gold medal in SEA games football

Everyone who watches BPL week after week would agree with me; both teams suck~! Well, no offence bro.. we maybe the champion of this region, but bear in mind that it's only SEA games. It's not even the Asian games, nor Asian Champions League(club level), nor Asian Football Championship, nor World Cup qualifying..I aint no football pundits but hey, you guys are representing 26 million people, and we expect the best from you all.

At one glance, I noticed that players from both teams seemed exhausted. They didn't chase the ball hard enough, nor did they kick the ball far enough. The only goal of the game came from a Vietnamese player, deflecting a cross from a Malaysian player, who at first mis-kicked a potential winner. The strikers were awful, wasting chances and doing excessive moves.

The midfield, however was good. They created chances only to be wasted. The throughballs were good, passing, movement, but their touch is something to be looked into. The same goes for the defence. Cross-wise, they handled professionally,otherwise, it was cool. No real danger really from the Vietnamese players so I guess the defence could sit through the match, and thing would be different if the opponent were to be other team.

One thing really upset me during the match; the Vietnamese goalkeeper got injured, but he refused to be substituted, and thus generated long waiting time. Moreover, he stopped the match several times because of his refusal to get off. Officials had to be considerate la, and we as the opponent have to be considerate also, but in my opinion, that indirectly stopped our momentum and we had to pick up our attack from ground up. Psychologically I dont feel good about that.

Anyway, now that we got the medal. It is the best Christmas gift for football fans around Malaysia, also perhaps Awal Muharram gift. One Question:How long can we last as the Champion of Football in South East Asia?

Malcolm :-)

Lee Hom and Jay Chou

Listening to Lee Hom‘S 落叶归根 now
Really like the song. It's very dimensional, the violin echoes the great sadness with its deep+high pitches. The ensemble does a great job to create a solemn and sad environment for the violin tone, and the piano cushions everything. Good fill-in by the ensemble and piano, intertwining and filling in every pockets...

As for Jay Chou, he normally uses his Cello. And that's an extra point because Cello's range is somewhat close to that of human (alto). That deep, thick sound of cello brings up a somewhat serious and yet convivial mood (using cello for Rock Around The Clock would resemble the usage of trombone), at the same time capable of doing seriously solemn and sad tone.

These two artists are currently the top two Asian artists in the market. They have solid background in music, both play a variety of different instrument, with solid foundation in piano.
They create what other people cannot~ revolutionary music, and utilizing their talent to the fullest. These are the real genius, what are we to stand alongside them? we can be their fan, but not friend. Because in order to be friend, you got to have something in common. They are so high up above the pinnacle of fame, who are we to even criticize their product?

Somehow, they are just human, extraordinary ones.

Relationship sucks

Just to put this straight, no metaphor, no shits. I'm jus kinda sick cuz I have to bear everything; from getting shame in front of other people to holding up responsibilities which I do not have to bear.

People could see that, and we know it. But I am still stuck in this shit, unable to free myself. Relationship, at times, sucks~ probably I know I aint those social typa guy~ I don't need much frens cuz I, being me, doesn't really like company. So maybe it's time to put it straight. I hate the way people control my life, and I dislike what is going on in my life. Perhaps I should just shut myself in some caves and let go of all my concern; be a jungle man. Be a Hadza~ live without time, and when I'm dead, no one cares~ let me contribute to the nature, cuz I, being a part of nature, have never really done anything to compensate what I've eaten, and all that I wasted; water, electricity.

I don't need people to help me, and because of some people I realized that I'm becoming more resourceful. Being resourceful is not necessarily bad, u know~ sometimes eating your own shit, like a rabbit, is part of what makes me a selfish person.

Selfish I may be~ with Pride rooting deep inside me~ perhaps the appropriate place for me~ is Hell itself. I guess not even the Devil himself could outdo me in terms of pride. for now~ I would say, relationship sucks. Friendship sucks. Team Spirit sucks. I don like to say this, but some times we do hate our parents. and most of the times we hate our boy/girl friend.

I don't want to drag on further. I have stated this long time ago. Putting this in my heart for so long. The burden is becoming overwhelming. Maybe, the best friend for me, are my football boots, my music instruments and my computer. they, for one, never vent their anger at me, and respect me, and yea... they provide comfort and joy and... they make me proud~!

The Decade from Hell

Read the latest issue of TIME and it talked about 10 major events that happened in the first decade of the 21st century America.. It talked about mistakes done by the great nation (FBI ignoring the threats from Islamic Extremists), bloopers ( the appointment of Bush, for example), catastrophic events (Hurricane Katrina), economic meltdown and fraud (The falling of Enron and GM).

All these events had done America and the world no good. During the beginning of the 21st century when people were still worried about Y2K, which did not happen, America was still the sunniest and most optimist of nations. By 2009, we have heard it all; 911, war in Afghanistan, Invasion of Iraq, Wall Street fraud, the failure of Bush administration, etc.

There was a documentary that talked about the inefficiency of the American government in helping hurricane Katrina victims back in 2005. Majority of the population in New Orleans then were black American, and perhaps that is the reason why help has been delayed. The levees broke and the reason? TIME quoted that ingorant engineers were not heeding the warning. In fact, a 2005 report card on American infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated that the U.S needed to spend $1.6 trillion ($1600000000000) to bring all the roads, dams, bridges into good shape.. well bet the politicians wont spend money to fix all these..why should they spend money to fix something that wont collapse until tomorrow? Especially if they could get re-elected by cutting taxes instead.
well I think this quote applies to all politicians around the globe.

If you are a politician and you are reading this, do something for your community !

Giant Redwood

This is the largest tree in the world. Should I say largest plant species..~? At least 1500 years old, this 300-foot (roughly 100 meters) titan stands tall in California's Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Can see people climbing up the tree? Marked by red circles :-)

This tree outlived you and me (I was born 1987) , outlived Sibu (Foochow civilisation~roughly 1901), outlived the Malacca Empire (established 1402). And now it's at the mercy of chainsaws and human civilization.



Anyway how did they photographed this tree? They built a rig that contained three high-end (Canon) cameras, attached the rig to a vertical dolly, and came up with a total of 83 individual photos that were stitched together in a mosaic to make one ginormous portrait.

It's in one of the recent Nat Geo Magazine..
If left undisturbed, this tree could well live into the next millennia.
Picture courtesy of Michael Nichols & National Geographic Magazine.

Dinner

Just came back from wedding dinner at Paramount Hotel Sibu. Had a quick thought; the older generation were talking about living in villages and all. And I heard about them catching eagles, selling baby crocs for RM 30.00 each, killing snakes for their bladder.. and that night I did the very first of many deed that I should have done many many years back; refusing to consume shark fin soup.

Well.. you know sharks are killed for their fins, and the killing is ...simply put it, massacre, inhumane, am disheartened really when I saw the video of workers stripping those sharks off their fins while they're still alive, then kicked the helpless, fin-less fish back into the water, and they were still alive! They tried to swim but without their fin they were just as vulnerable as any of their prey. Moreover, the smell of blood drew more and more sharks onto the scene, and they relentlessly devoured their pitiful fin-less comrades without hesitation.

Almost 90% of the shark species poses no threat to human. Only certain sharks; great white, bull, oceanic white tip, hammerhead poses threat to human. Other sharks such as whale shark, megamouth shark, blue shark, reef shark, nurse shark, and basking shark are actually gentle enough for us to handle without fear. Shark attack rarely occur nowadays, although it is still an issue at beaches in South Africa, beaches in California and Australia. But consider the ratio, a shark attacks a human, and in return we kill 10,000 sharks a year. In less than 100 years, only 25-30 fatalities worldwide, compared to 30-100 million sharks killed by fishermen each year. (stat: courtesy of http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sharkattack/tidbits.html)

Apart from sharks, other animals that I mentioned above are endangered as well. The crocodiles, for example, are driven off their rivers by hunters hunting for their skin. The eagles are kept as pet, and in North America, snakes are becoming exotic pets along with lions and tigers.
C'on people.. lions and tigers do not belong to North America. You have trouble keeping cougars away from your fences, and yet you still let your child keep a tiger as pet ?! Statistic shows that there are more tigers and lions in America than their mother land~India and Africa.

As for snakes, the Ibans in Sarawak like the taste of snakes( that's what I heard from the elders' conversation). Chinese consume snakes too, their magical "snake oil" provides instant relieve for ailments. Yesterday I read an article in National Geographic website about a species of quail long thought to be extinct, yet was found in local market. It was sold and never seen again. Perhaps, it was the last of its species...
Also there was an article about an ugly monster, a frilled shark. It lives kilometers below sea level, on the seabed. It is so rare that a specimen swim to the surface, and unfortunately it was caught by fishermen. And there was this megamouth shark which is ultraaaa rare.. being dubbed as the RAREST SHARK SPECIES IN THE WORLD...there was one caught by fishermen in the Philippines, and it was the 41st megamouth shark ever found ! see how rare it is...

Ok... Now people, I dont know who on Earth would come and read my blog as I am not really that enchanting, so no one actually bothers about me. But if you were unlucky, googling up something else but ended up coming into my blog and read about this, it is time for you to do something for mother nature. Stop exotic animal trading, Stop the killing of snakes and crocs, and Stop wasting food, paper, Stop consuming shark fin soup. We can make a difference. Just lie to your dad and mom about strange taste in the soup or whatsoever. Let that soup disappear from your menu, you still have plenty of stuff to eat... moreover, most young people nowadays are plagued by weight problem eh? :-)

Yao Dao Chai Zi Dao

this song got no. 2 in UM chinese song composition competition.
The band was great- as in.. I was part of it HAHAHa
Song Title: Yao Dao Chai Zi Dao ( Nak sampai baru nak tau..)

Tuna

Tuna, the fish that we all love.
One way or another, tuna has a part to play in our lives. Maguro is the Japanese name for tuna. Maguro Toro, means Tuna belly, is priced at RM 88.00 for 4 pieces (each about the size of your thumb) at one of the fine Japanese restaurant in PJ, well I worked there as a part time waiter so I know the price hehe~.

Well, there are some facts you have to know about tuna. There are several species of tuna. The fine one, ie top class tuna are the bluefins and the yellowfins. Bluefin Tuna is the largest, weighing up to 1000 pounds. Second comes the yellowfin. These two species are the sashimis on the dining table. Skipjack and Albacore are two smaller species, which usually end up in cans. Baby tuna is very small, weighing about 50 grams, and the route from 50 grams to 1000 pounds is a challenging one.

Alright, enough facts, I would like to highlight the problem here with consumers, especially the Japanese. Well, we certainly have a lot to thank the Japanese for, for example Japanese cars; Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki... Japanese food; sushi and sashimi... Japanese porn; you know who they are :P....Japanese technology;Sony, Toshiba... Japanese culture...etc etc.

BUT one thing that really annoys me about the Japanese is their love for seafood, and their ruthlessness in disobeying international protocols and campaigns. Whaling is now internationally banned, but the Japanese are still hunting whales. Hunting whales for what? Well according to one of my Japanese friend, they hunt whales for sashimi(again). They even have horse Sashimi!

Japan consumes some 80% of the 60,000 tons of bluefin caught on average worldwide each year. The number of bluefins is dropping. That is a fact. You dont have to attend biology class to logically know that the spawning of tuna cannot catch up with the rate of fishing. Overfishing is pushing every species towards extinction. Imagine we being the hunted, and some lions hunt 60,000 tons of human each year, imagine how long would it take to completely wipe out the human population in Malaysia? we have 26million people in Malaysia. Take the weight of an average man=60 kg. 60,000tons= 1,000,000 men. So the lions will take 26 years to wipe out all of us in Malaysia. What takes evolution 4.4 millions years to perfect is demolished in 26 years.

Friends, the ocean is crying. Sharks and tunas and squids and sea lions are crying. Do we hear their cries? Restaurants are still serving shark fin soup, and the Japanese are still hunting whales and tunas and salmons. Are we doing something for planet Earth?