You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2009.
The midnight approaches and I’m still wide awakening. Continuing a chinese tradition, I waited throughout the first few hours of the ox year. The stars clearly visible from the very ground at my kampung made the night even more special. I am quite tired now yet still waiting for the fireworks to make the beast of new year come alive. Coming back to the place that made my forefathers a home and a life, I found myself in the eyes of my grand parents, in the the aroma of the burning joss sticks and in the painful and tight arms of my little cousins. They have been hyper-active lately. Crying, jumping and spitting at me. The midnight stroke but instead of carriages turning into pumpkins or horses transforming into mice, the magics actually begins. A new year in a new place. Too bad, without the awesome firework displays. Chinese new year without fireworks. Super weird. An equalavent to British not speaking english. The sound of the roaring beast goes on as I felt into sleep.
Another morning but seemed to different. A monk’s meal, they say. The morning view from the window tells a story of the native land of my father’s. My paternal grandfather’s sister and her visit was simply a pleasant. What a chance to know a few of our blood ties. Another tradition of mine is visiting my mum’s neighbours and friends. Dinner was served. Steamboat. I guess no one has the idea on how much I dislike steamboat. Trust me, I hate steamboat. The night would be ended casino royale style minus the drug lord, James Bond and gun shots fired.
The drum of the lion dance woke us up. It was just our little cousin playing with his lion kit. It brings me back to the days when I had mine. It’s kinda tradition for the male cousins in our family having a lion dance kit. 2nd day of the ox year promises to much as we pay our visit to our great-grandmother. With a few drinks and cards, we left for the Island. Li’ll mushroom is waiting. The walk around Batu Feringgi was exciting as usual with the serving of home-made burgers.
Wednesday was a very boring day. Nothing much actually. I guess we’re pretty worn out from the previous few days of redness. We all stayed at home enjoying the tube. We sat in for the whole day, in front of the stupid box. Couch potato culture. Gosh.
On thursday, we packed our bags heading home. My extended CNY was to happen with my cousin coming to KL on the same day. We had Madam Kwan for dinner. Pretty much toned down Malaysian food. For the the Mat Salleh maybe. Saw a few angels at that restaurant. The night ended pretty much lame. Serious.
I brought my cousin for shopping at Pavilion. Everyone seemed to be interested by the bull, the golden bull. Millions of people standing in front of the bull and some fake sakura, taking pictures. Plus the girls with football socks. Unimaginable. My cousin bought a lot of stuff. Never mind him. Sadly he has to leave on Saturday, he booked his ticket on the wrong day. We then had ikan bakar at this place full of prostitute. Full of disgusting people. We then watched Bourne series for the night till 3 am. Nuts.
The next day, he left and my family, uncle and his aunt went for lunch. She seemed happy. All her children is far away from her now. Hope all of us had a great Chinese New Year.
The view from my uncle home
The chinese altar
round dumplings in soup
My father's second maternal aunt's grandchildren aka my second cousins (notice his hair?)
(from left) My grandmother, my mother, my great grandmother, my father's younger sister, my grandmother's sister and my father's elder sister
My father's younger brother's son. Damn naughty.
Our very own lion dance
My mum's eldest sister's first grandson
post-script : Happy 15 days of Chinese New Year. Yes, we actually have 15 days to celebrate. 15 days of ang pow, 15 days of feast and 15 days of red happiness.
12 more days,
Hj
This is my official announcement, I just got my visa done yesterday and booked my air ticket the day before. I will going to Adelaide on the 12th of February. Taking off from KLIA at 7.30 pm and reaching Changi Airport, S’pore at 8.25pm by our own Malaysian Airlines. Around 10.15pm, I will leaving with Qantas and arriving at my destination at 7.40am the next morning. Qantas is cheaper plus the fact KL to S’pore is a zero fare flight by MAS. So, all together around MYR 1.9k.
I always wonder what life would be like in Adelaide. I pretty much don’t know anything about Australia. My previous passport only has 3 prints, 2 to S’pore and 1 to Phuket, so nothing interesting about my holiday life. I hope for the best no doubt. I have a lot of plans for now and the future but I don’t really want to have a firm hold. A new year, new life and new place to look forward to next month. Damn, I hope I can get an accommodation before reaching there, if not have to sleep outside the gates.
It was 2 years ago, we were studying electronics and magnetism, we came about this unit used for magnetic field, Tesla. This name got the better of me as I seemed to hear this name before, in this game I used to play as a kid, EA’s command & conquer Red Alert with my cousins, (i am not childish, it was 10 years ago). Tesla coil, I bet you red alert fans sure remember but have you ever wonder where they get this name from. It’s named after one of popular Austrian electrical engineer and inventor, Nikola Tesla. I found it out during my 5 minutes break. Then, Ms. Lee that was tutoring us on physics asked me, why would I checked this people’s bio-data? Actually, I always admire these mathematicians, physicist and inventor because they have a story to tell. I love to find out more about them so I could be like them one day, with a theorem, unit or a idea with my name on it. I find it very cool, maybe from a nerd’s point of view but in real life, who cares?
It dated a few weeks ago, when one of the worst tragedies happened over at Bukit Antarabangsa. I would like to offer my opinion. The thing is, from one of my engineering course mates, Chris, who worked for an architecture firm this holiday, he told me that the problems lies within the land itself. What happens is the government sold this land to some private developer firm. According to Chris, in overseas, there is a profession called landscape engineering and in our country, there is no surveying over lands before they are handed over. Therefore, the developer and indirectly, the consumer has no idea about how good or how bad the property is.
But Malaysians, we always forget about the past. Chris predicts, sales of hillside property is once again rise maybe in a few years time. I feel that some things are avoidable. Instead of finding people to point fingers at, I feel, we should use science and math to solve such issues. We definitely have the technology. For example, from what I learn from engineering, we should apply soil analysis and landscape modeling. Yet, maybe they’ve done that and who knows, maybe corruption is playing a role there. Maybe Jumping Jane can pay off the surveying officers with so much money that they find it pointless to accept any bribe. In Malaysia, anything is possible. I won’t say it’s anyone’s fault. I just hope it won’t happen again.
I hereby would offer my condolence for those family and friends of those who lost their life in that disaster. To them,rest in peace. Justice will be done. God Bless.
As I was flipping through some recent headines over the weekend, I can’t help but noticing one of the worst new year start for people in Palestine. They have been suffering trauma from terror and fear. What a horrible and inhuman way to celebrate new year. Innocent people are dying and somehow the whole world is still at the happiest of mood. Not to force everyone to cancel their parties or fireworks. I’m just simply trying to contrast how we might be on the another side of the world but yet how totally different our scenario is. For me, I might be thinking of where should I celebrate new year, Bukit Bintang, 1 utama or New York City but people in the Gaza Strip might be thinking, where should they be running from air-strikes, below the basement, under the bunker or the military base. Those were the many things that haunts me when read the morning papers. I know a lot of citizens around the world aren’t too happy with all this stuff going on but what are we to do. People protested in front of the American Embassy. I doubt it will work. The Americans sanctioned Sudan but the Darfur crisis carried on. Honestly, I feel nothing is going to stop the evil from massacre, hatred and grief but we changing ourself. What can we do against such reckless hate? What are they to do? What are we to do? What am I as just a small human being to do? I wonder.
post-script : A minute of silence for the brave and innocent souls that were promised peace and harmony.
I’m so sorry about that,
han
First time being tagged, wonder how it feels. Now I am just wondering how to get the questions to my post pulak. Maybe copy and paste.
1. How much do you spend for clothes per month?
I would say I don’t shop that much, especially clothes, I got a new shirt, I think I bought 2 months ago, 30 bucks I think. In fact, I still wear some clothes I had 6 years ago. Can still fit, not bad. Hence, in a month, I would say I spent around 5 bucks buying clothes, average stretching over a few months.
2. Who is more important to you?Friends or boy/girlfriend?
I guess friends because I think a girl might always change their minds about you but friends will stick together. Truthfully, a few of my closest friends, Junjie, Akil, Kathir and E had always been by my side. We’ve known each other at least like 8 years. I just met them like last week. Yeah, I mean, I would spend time with my future imaginary girlfriend too but I must make sure not to abandon my friends too.
3. How often do you think about committing suicide?
Thought of it once, I guess it’s like on the tipping point. Thank God, E was there to talked to me. He said, commiting suicide wouldn’t change anything. True enough.
4. Do you think you have enough confidence?
I think I have, say standing in front of a crowd to talk about something I am really really sure about. I also feel sometimes we need to boost our confidence level with self talk and other crap like that. Like what I tell my kaki bola, confident you can dribble past the defender.
5. How many babies do you want?
12 kids, hopefully I got like 11 boys. We can form a football team.
6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
I thought seeing a rainbow after the rain is a proven scientific fact. I learnt it in standard three.
7. What is your goal for this year?
I really hope I can do well in exams, so I can get a favorable credit transfer. Not forgetting to stay awesome as well.
8. What kept you of being who you are?
I would say, the mistakes and experience that I’ve done or gone through keeps me from being who I am. Many would agree therefore I don’t need much explaination.
9. What’s a perfect girlfriend/boyfriend like to you?(List 10)
I. not taller than me. I used to be so embarass when one of my family friends, this girl, same age, comes to talk to me because she was like a head taller than me. scary.
II. reasonably attactive. I guess I don’t need to explain much.
III. have common interest. So got things to talk about.
IV. have different knowledge about things. We can like teach and learn from each other stuff.
V. knows how to cook. Pizza, waffle, maggie goreng and burgers especially.
VI. funny and easy to mix around. So my friends and family will like her being around.
VII. quite smart. Easier to say, not dumb stupid those kind that doesn’t even know South Africa is. it’s not in Europe.
VIII. honest. Being straight, honest and faithful I think.
IX. doesn’t over-shop as in shopping. I believe woman that does it has already extinct and cannot be found but I always love to believe in mircales.
X. loyal.
10. What are you really afraid of?
rubber bands, blondes, clowns, cold, snakes, iKEA, losing my family and friends.
11. What are your bad habits?
Talk too much and talk too loud. Poor self control.
12. Is there anything you wanna tell the people who hate you?
I don’t give a damn.
13. State a random fact about yourself
My nick name when I was a kid was Ang Mo Kia which means budak mat salleh in Hokkien. Do you want to know why? Drop a comment and I will tell you why.
14. What does flying means to you?
Freedom.
15. What do you crave for most currently?
A cup of cold water, right now.
16. Most unexpected gift you received so far and when?
A football. Really surprised.
17. Describe the person who tagged you.Honestly.
Very intelligent. Believe me. I know.
18. What have you done to yourself that makes yourself happy?
Go to coffee bean and hang out with the Rejects.
19. What will you become in another 10 years to come?
I will be 29 years old. I don’t plan bacause life should be a surprise.
20. What song is your ringtone?
Frederick Chopin’s waltz in G flat.
By the way guys, 12th of February. 7.30 pm taking off. See you one day.
Good bye to you my trusted friend,
T a n h a n j u n.
