It's already 27th December 2010 and that means 2010 is going for curtain fall in just few more days. Time really flies! And yes...I hope it is never too late for me to wish all of you a happy and blessed Christmas! 

Unlike the previous year, this year I had the chance to go back to my kampung in Tambunan. Initially, my parents didn't plan to go back as they thought that they will not get few days off and at the same time I had booked my ticket back to UKM on the 27th (which is today!). I think I'm good at persuading people as they finally gave up and decided to go back to kampung even for only two days.

So, on the 24th we left for Tambunan. Little did I know that my aunt and uncle arrived earlier than us. They came all the way from Kimanis. Wow! As soon as I stepped down from my dad's Hilux, I was greeted by tight hugs from both my aunt and uncle. They kissed my cheek! I was like...'you guys really miss me a lot huh?' *wink* Grandma was also there and she gave me a hug as well. I felt appreciated and most importantly...I felt being loved! What a wonderful feeling on the eve of Christmas.

Later that day, I went to attend the Christmas eve's mass at the church in the kampung. Thanks to Georgie for fetching me from home that day. We came a little bit late than the rest of the congregation. We stepped in and looked for place to sit but there were no more empty slot. A lady approached us and invited to sit at the 'hot spot'. The both of us were asked to sit together with the choir team. Front seat! I was blushed in embarrassment as people were staring at the both of us (especially me because I was more outstanding than Georgie! Hahahha...Kidding)! Nevertheless, we went through the night and pretended like nothing had happened. 

On Christmas day, I went to church together with my family. Yes. At the same church. Unlike the previous day, I sat together with the rest of the family. Our own preference of seating and had nothing to worry about people giving 'deadly' stare. ^_^

After the mass, we went to my aunt's place as we planned a family gathering cum open-house on that day. The gathering was awesome! Free flow of food and beverages! I was slightly disappointed as I can't really enjoy the fun as I was having a bad sore throat. I went to see the doc and was told that my larynx was swollen. As a result, my voice became extremely husky and I can't join my cousins karaoke-ing! Dang! What a miss! I ended sitting there, eating, drinking and watching them sing till their heart content. *sigh* Later that day, my sore throat became even worse. By 9pm, I've completely lost my voice! Yup. Thanks to those who forced me to become the emcee. I made myself several glass of warm honey lemon drinks that night.

At last! I have something worth to blog about. *wink*

As a kick start, let me ask you one question. What comes to your mind if you heard the word 'choir'? 

As for me, whenever I heard the word 'choir', the first thing that comes to my mind is the image of a group of people singing in unison and harmony (i.e. division of voice).

What I want to share with you today has something to do with choir. 

Just so you know, I wouldn't be able to watch the extraordinary performance at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Chancellor Hall on the 5th December if a friend (whom regarded himself as Mr. Whimsical and I don't know why...) didn't offer me a free ticket to that show. Mr. Whimsical if you are reading this, thank you kio! Wait a sec. Did they even bother to check the ticket when we entered the hall? Hmm. Whatever.

It's been a while since my last entry. Just so you know I'm currently at my hometown spending my semester break. This is my last semester break as I only have one more remaining semester before I graduate next year. So far, I have yet to experience uber-exciting or interesting things during this holiday but I definitely enjoying my carefree life at the comfort of the home. 

Recent happenings:

1) A good friend of mine (Greg) came to visit KK for the first time. I became his so-called 'tourist guide'. I spent my 1st week of holiday touring KK with him. [Greg, if you're reading this, do come again next time. Partay!!]

2) This is lame. I'm now mum's official chauffeur. Gotta wake up early to drive her to work and pick her up later in the evening. Pfft...

3) Something went wrong with my Blackberry. Damn. 

4) I had several 'yam-cha' sessions with friends. It's good to see them and had so many things to catch up with. 

^^Till my next update. Adios!!^^

Finally, it's the curtain fall for this semester and that means I still have 1 more remaining semester as an undergraduate student here in UKM. 

Yesterday, I sat for my final paper and I can say it's less depressing than the previous paper ^_^. Little did I know the paper was a two-hour paper with 10 questions and I had to answer all! I wasn't aware of the format till the exam day itself. Ignorance...ignorance. Anyway, I did answer all the questions and left the exam hall 30 minutes before the exam ended. Talking about confidence? ;-)

After the exam, my friends and I decided to go to the faculty to see our supervisor as we're about to hand-in our completed thesis. All that I can think of at that moment was to hand-in my thesis and walked away from the office gleefully. I bet my other friends thought the same way too. Well...it didn't go that way. Unexpectedly, we were told to present our project findings in front of her. It's something like what people called VIVA or whatever you called it. Thing is, we were required to present it front of her at that particular moment without having any preparation at all. I was actually frustrated because she should have informed us earlier that we're going to have a presentation.

So, I was the first one to present my findings and as usual, I tried my best to deliver my presentation despite of having no early preparation. It was an impromptu presentation. During the presentation I was bombarded with questions from my supervisor and that's normal and my job was to convince her with my justifications. There's this one particular thing in my presentation that caught her attention. It's something to do with the term that I used in my research. She claimed it was an inaccurate term. Suddenly the 'question' popped out: "Did you send me your draft?". I was like 'what the?'. FYI, I sent my drafts (yes. plural.) so many times through e-mail and she didn't even bother to respond to it. I was really frustrated. 

Anyway, I've done with that. I just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. That's all I can do now...

Most importantly, I'm coming home today! All packed and I'm ready to leave for KK...

Adieu. Till my next update. ^_^ v

Exam's just around the corner and I ain't gonna talk about it here. I'm just too stressful with everything. It seems like everything comes in a package - a very stressful package! Or maybe it's just me? 

Good thing is...I managed to 'escape' for a while last night to watch the uber-exciting Paramore's concert live in KL! Such an awesome way of unwinding myself and too bad it lasted for only several hours. Nevertheless I sang my lung out! Jumped! Screamed! You name it. Regardless of being surrounded by the huge smelly and sweaty crowd I was having a blast!

The next morning I went to class without having the ability to utter a single word from my mouth. I lost my voice! People asked me about the concert but unfortunately I can only give them the sorry-I-lost-my-voice gesture. I was temporarily mute till lunch time. 

Ok. Back to the topic. I had a marvelous time at the concert. Yes I did but now I'm back to my somber-self, the melancholy side of me. People always see the fun and quirky sides of me and that's all because I try as much as possible not to let other people see me with miserable look. 

I guess sometimes I just can't control the situation. Just like the weather. It was nice and windy in the morning and suddenly became stormy later in the afternoon. I felt so terrible today and all I wanted to do was just sleep and hoped everything would vanish in just split second. 

Nope. It didn't happen that way. I pulled out the courage within me and went to the library alone with the hope of completing the remaining assignments. I sat at the usual place and started to do my thing then suddenly the feeling came by. The kind of feeling that I myself couldn't explain. Somehow, I was stuck there and stared at the computer screen without moving my limbs. Not doing anything. I was somehow lost. I lost my mood. 

I feel like crying but the tears just won't come out. People once told me, it's better to let the tears to roll down on the cheek rather than crying in the heart. I have to agree with that but with the situation I am at right now, I just can't do anything. I'm crying inside. 

I have a feeling that I'm going to be like this for the rest of the remaining weeks in this campus for this semester. However, the other side of me is hoping that everything will be just fine. 

****************

Alright people. I'm going to bed now and I know I will be having difficult time to sleep but I will fall asleep eventually...I really hope for a 'miracle' to happen tomorrow. Crossing my fingers.

SOURCE: http://www.medicinenet.com/hives/article.htm

Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They range in size from a few millimeters to several inches in diameter. Hives can be round, or they can form rings or large patches. Wheals (welts), red lesions with a red "flare" at the borders, are another manifestation of hives. Hives can occur anywhere on the body, such as the trunk, arms, and legs.

It is estimated that 5% of all people will develop urticaria at some point in their lives. Hives are more common in women than in men. Of those with chronic hives (those lasting six weeks or more), some 80% are idiopathic, the medical term which means that no cause, allergic or otherwise, can be found.

One hallmark of hives is their tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours. Individual hives usually last two to 24 hours. An outbreak that looks impressive, even alarming, first thing in the morning can be completely gone by noon, only to be back in full force later in the day. Very few, if any other skin diseases occur and then resolve so rapidly. Therefore, even if you have no evidence of hives to show the doctor when you get to the office for examination, he or she can often establish the diagnosis based upon the history of your symptoms. Because hives fluctuate so much and so fast, it is helpful to bring along a photograph of what the outbreak looked like at its worst.

Swelling deeper in the skin that may accompany hives is called angioedema. This may be seen on the hands and feet as well as on mucous membranes (with swelling of the lips or eyes that can be as dramatic as it is brief.)

Hives are produced by histamine and other compounds released from cells called mast cells, which are a normal part of skin. Histamine causes fluid to leak from the local blood vessels, leading to swelling in the skin.

Hives are very common. Although they can be annoying, they usually resolve on their own over a period of weeks, and are rarely medically serious. Some hives are caused by allergies to such things as foods, medications, and insect stings, but the large majority of cases are not allergic, and no specific cause for them is ever found. Although patients may find it frustrating not to know what has caused their hives, maneuvers like changing diet, soap, detergent, and makeup are hardly ever helpful in preventing hives and for the most part are not necessary.

Having hives may cause stress, but stress by itself does not cause hives.

In rare cases (some hereditary, others caused by bee stings or drug allergy), urticaria and angioedema are accompanied by shock and difficulty breathing. This is called anaphylaxis. Ordinary hives may be widespread and disturbing to look at, but the vast majority of cases of hives do not lead to life-threatening complications.

 **********************************

The reason why I posted the above information is because I suffered from Urticaria as soon as I got back from conducting a program in a secondary school here in Selangor. I had extremely difficult time to sleep because of the itchiness. I wasn't able to stop myself from scratching my body as the itchiness was unbearable. 

On the next day (which was yesterday) I went to a specialist hospital in Kajang and consulted the medical officer there. Initially, I didn't know the itchiness was an allergy reaction. It's been 23 years of existence and little did I know I had an allergy. The doc also told me that I have sensitive skin. 

The doc told me that the itchiness was caused by the environment factors such as degrading water quality as well as air pollution. 

For treatment, the doc gave me a jab on the left cheek of my butt! Yup. On my butt! Apart from that the doc also prescribed me with two types of drugs: Prednisolone (5mg) and Cetirizine 2HCL (10mg).

I'm recovering now. The itchiness has lessen and I can sleep well now without having to scratch all over my body.

I don't like the situation that I'm currently in now. There are so many tasks to be completed and deadlines are approaching. Yep. Talking about student's life - the struggle of a final year student. Stressful indeed. I'm pretty much sure that later in my life when I read this post again I would be laughing because there's going to be a lot more stress moments in the future especially in the working environment. 

Thing is, I don't like stress. Period. Regardless of the stress types. I simply hate it. At this moment, I would rather sit down and study for the coming exam. I know studying for the exam could be stressful but not as much as completing all the assignments plus few major projects. 

I have a number of tasks that need my attention: discourse analysis, life science project, literature folio and not forgetting my prerequisite "ticket" for graduation - final year project. 

Let me break this down. 

For discourse analysis, I'm collaborating with my other two colleagues and we're required to analyze a radio interview transcription according to a discourse analysis model. It's not just a mere assignment but it also serves as a mini project. Meaning, we have to come out with a comprehensive and analytical report. Definitely not an easy task to do as everything must be analyzed in details.

Next one is the life science project. I guess this is the second major project for me for this semester after my final year project. This one requires my group members and I to work on a combined project. What I mean is, this major project actually consists of three projects all together. Two projects are related to the theme of sustaining the environment while the other one is dealing with the preserving of local heritage/culture. Our group will be leaving for Terengganu for the implementation of this project. Sounds fun but it comes with an amount of workloads! *sigh*

In addition to that, I've another assignment and I think this is the last one for the literature course for this semester. It's a group work and the task is about producing a folio that is related to the teaching of literature in school. Boring stuff but I've no choice but to complete it...

To 'cherryize' everything, I have the most stressful project for the whole entire course. That is none other than my final year project. Some of you might call it thesis but bottom line is, this one is prerequisite for me to graduate. This project serves as a ticket for me to go on the stage and hold the scroll. Failure to complete my FYP would definitely jeopardize my entire 4 years of bachelors degree studies and not to forget my prior 2 years of foundation course. Yes. Six years of studying for my bachelors degree! This project is really a pain in the ass but I've to go through it anyway. 

We are so blessed today with the advancement of the technology and it covers almost everything. Technology and computer/internet come hand in hand. Agree? Aight. Ain't gonna elaborate more on that.

What I want to share with you today is how technology (i.e. the Internet) has helped me with my music collection. Almost everything can be assessed through the Internet and the best part is, with few clicks of button or links I get to download my favourite music. Easy right? I bet you do the same too!

Gone are the days when I had to tune in to the radio and wait for my favourite songs to be played by the DJ. I used to have a small radio (i.e. cassette player cum recorder) and I had few blank/empty cassettes with me at that time. I would put the cassette in the radio and pressed the play, record and pause button at the same time. I pressed the pause button because I wanted to wait for the songs of my choice to be played on the radio before I start recording it. 

Usually the DJ would give a hint of what song will be played next and I would get myself ready to release the pause button as soon as the song being played. I had to set the correct sound volume because it would eventually affect the playback. It was all about trial and error. 

Last time, I had a big box to keep all the cassettes - my music collection at that time! Everything was labeled neatly. I didn't know what had happened to all those collections after my family moved into new house. Somehow all the tapes were "vanished"! *sigh* 

That was also the time when almost every house equipped with CD player that comes together with the Hi-Fi set. Mind you, only CD player not VCD/DVD player.

Now, there's no need to do all the hassle of buying blank tapes and recording. Everything can be downloaded and burnt into CD/DVD. Better still, everything can be copied into a flash drive/hard disk and can be assessed anywhere and anytime.

Today's Monday and officially all lectures (in UKM) start on this particular day after a long Hari Raya (Eid) break. This morning I literally dragged myself up from the bed to get myself ready for that one-hour lecture. Talking about Monday blues eh? *Smile*

As you might already know, I didn't go back to my hometown during the recent break and I decided to stay in the campus accompanied by other fellow friends who were also not going back. My residential college (my block to be exact) was literally like an abandoned building. I was the only one there. Actually, another friend of mine in the college also stayed back but he was seldom to be seen in the college because he was working part-time at a fast-food restaurant. 

To avoid boredom, I stayed at my friend's room for that whole week! Mind you, he was also alone as his room-mate went back for the break. Max's room was more like a hotel room for me during the break. My other friends also came to the room and we did organize a small-scale "social-gathering". It was fun to spend time with them rather than confining myself between the for walls of my own room. We had impromptu plan. Since all cafeteria were closed during the break we had no other choice than to go out to eat or worse comes to worse, just cook! 

Cooking and eating together with friends were more enjoyable as oppose to just go out and have meal with friends at restaurants. Agree? That was when the idea of having BBQ plus steamboat came in. Bought the necessary stuff and ta-da!! Everything was ready on the table. The preparation process was fun and often filled with laughter as everybody seemed to mock each others' cooking skill!  

The fun part was the eating part! Despite of lacking some cooking skills, we managed to prepare  satisfactory meals. BBQ-ed chicken wings, sausages and fish were all "vanished" within few minutes! Not to forget the steamboat. Everybody went back to their respective colleges with protruding tummy!

The "social-gathering" didn't just stop there. Accompanied by some of the leftovers, the guys decided to extend the 'happy-hours' in the room. Turned on the lappy. Browsed the YouTube site and searched for karaoke songs! Thanks to the uber-fast internet connection. We transformed the room into a karaoke room! 

And of course, a "social-gathering" wouldn't be complete without booze! *Grin* We've got ourselves "sufficient amount" of booze just enough to make everybody "happy"...Lol

Well, that's basically how I spent my Eid break in the campus and I'm looking forward for the next "social'gathering". *Smile*

At this point, I can only hear the sound of the spinning fan on the ceiling, the tapping of the keyboard, and soft music playing in my computer. I'm pretty much sure that I'm alone in this place: Block K16A, Room 311. The rest of the tenants are still enjoying the holidays at their respective hometowns. This time around, I decided not to go back. Wait a sec. I didn't get the chance to go back because the flight tickets were far way too expensive. Blamed myself for not booking the ticket earlier. I wouldn't want to fork RM700+ from my account just for a one-way trip from KL to KK. Nope! 

So, here I am confined between these four walls and enjoying the privilege of the 'temporary' high-speed Internet connection. I'm enjoying myself watching online streaming without having to wait for the long buffering time. Everything is fast and smooth. How I wish the Internet connection will permanently have such speed during the entire semester...*sigh*

I should be completing my assignments now but I'm too lazy at this moment. Oh! I'm so good in procrastinating my work!

*Yawning* Ok. Enough for now. I'm going to count the sheep...

ZZZzzzz....

I came across this piece of writing or rather a note posted by one of my favourite local writers - Mdm. Tina Kisil. She's a local Sabahan and has written a wonderful book entitled "Footprints in the paddy fields". I love reading the book as it was written in such a way that actually triggered my childhood memories. Not totally the same as hers but at least some of it. 

Just to prove that I bought the book and read it! *wink*

However, this post is not about the book but I just want to share with you an interesting fact or rather a note written by her (Tina Kisil) in her Facebook page. 

I went online after the 'panic-attack' incident (refer to previous post). I logged on to my Facebook account and I noticed I had one message in my inbox. I opened and read it. It was actually a forwarded message sent by my former school-mate. 

The message...

As a start, I just want to tell you that I had a terrible panic attack few moments ago. My laptop was not able to get started. I was panicking because I was thinking about my final year project's file in the hard disk. What would happen if I lost all the files? I would have to start all over again and that really sucks to the core isn't? Something miracle happened. I truly believe it was a miracle. Want to know why? As I was worrying about my laptop, Julian (a good friend of mine) came into my room and checked my laptop. He rebooted it for two consecutive times. Mind you, I did the same thing before he came in as well and nothing's changed. However, after Julian's second attempt, my laptop started normally. It was a relieved. Thank God! Thanks to Julian as well for his 'magical touch'. 

So, this is the 2nd part...*drum rolls*

There was nothing special being planned yesterday (27th) apart from going out for lunch with some friends. I was actually asked to join by the girlfriend the night before through SMS. Like I said, I had no plan or whatsoever on Friday so I replied 'Yes' to her. She told me that we're going to leave at 11 in the morning and I agreed. 

Friday morning was a bit gloomy. I was pretty much sure it was going to rain later that day. I got myself ready and off I went to the bus stand. After few minutes waiting, a bus came and I hopped on the bus. I managed to get a seat in front. As the bus stop at the next stop there were lots of people getting into the bus. Friday was declared as a public holiday - Nuzul Al-Quran. So, those who lived within the vicinity went back to their respective home. How I wish I could go home just like them...

 The bus was terribly crowded and everybody was sardined! It was such a relief upon arriving at the train station. We hopped off the bus and walked to the Chinese eatery located just nearby the KTM station. Upon arrival, we took a long table under hanging fan on the ceiling, It was gloomy but the heat was almost unbearable. Talking about Malaysian weather eh? Anyway, everybody took their food and enjoyed it to their heart's content. 

After lunch we walked back to the bus stand to wait for the next bus back to campus. We waited for almost an hour and no bus came in. Damn. All of us forgot that it was Friday and it was the time for the Muslims to perform their Friday prayer. That clearly explained why there was no bus on that particular time. So, all of us walked to the golf driving range nearby and I was actually puzzled on why the place was chosen at the first place. Some even suggested to have few strokes there but I was not keen to join. I left them there and walked back to my residential college. I was lucky because the college was not too far. 

I arrived at my room sweaty. Told you about the heat. I took a short rest and went online. Suddenly, my BlackBerry beeped. One message received. I opened it and read. Another friend of mine asked me to accompany him to KL. I was not sure how but one thing for sure I agreed and went to take my shower. It was approximately around 2.30 p.m. that I left for KL with my good friend, Greg. 

We went to Bukit Bintang or what people called the "Golden Triangle". Our first destination was Lot 10 shopping mall. There was nothing much the both of us can do there so we decided to go to Pavilion. The two mall contrasted each other. More people were going to Pavilion as opposed to Lot 10. Pavilion offers more variety I guess.

We entered the mall and patronised Padini Concept Store. There were having sale! So, we went to check out several of the items and took it to the fitting room. Greg tried four or five shirts at the same time whereas I only tried to put on the cardigan. 

I tried it and guess what. Bought it! Woohoo!!

Greg also didn't want to lose. He's the devil actually. I wasn't planning to buy anything but this dude was really the devil....a few intimidations along the way and ta-da! The cardigan was already on the counter waiting for the credit debit card to swiped by the cute cashier *wink*.  

After shopping we went down to Carl's Jr to grab something to munch. It was a perfect place for people who were not on diet. If you do, then screw your diet! "Screw your diet" was exactly the tagline we saw outside the restaurant. Lol...

 I ordered Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger (medium-sized). It was medium but I can confidently say it's super huge! I was struggling to finish the whole burger and left my fries untouched. By the way, speaking of the fries, Carl's Jr's fries were special because it was totally different from the fries of other famous fast food eateries. The size was huge and thick. You can tell the potatoes were freshly peeled and sliced into long pieces. Some of the potato skins were still visible on the fries! Nice! Another thing that I liked about Carl's Jr. is that you can always refill your drinks regardless of the flavours from the drinks dispenser located next to the counter. 

I'm loving this place. Seriously.

Remember the Ad? Brilliant!

The burger that I ordered looked something like this. I love the bacon slices. 

Everybody was giving us a fiery stare at the restaurant. I just noticed that everybody was waiting for the time for breaking the fast. So, we were there gobbling our burgers amidst all the stares. Sorry peeps! We left the place while everybody else were about to enjoy the meal. Lol...

 Both of us were extremely full and we decided to visit Dorothy Perkins to check out the ladies handbags. Nope! Again, don't get us wrong. Greg wanted to check out the handbags upon the girlfriend's request. I was just accompanying him. While I was there, I thought I could get one of those handbags for my mum but I wasn't sure my mom's taste. We went out empty-handed (apart from the shopping bags from Padini) as Greg couldn't find the exact handbags his girlfriend wanted.

The both of us went outside Pavilion where all the fancy restaurants/bistros/bars were located. Our attention was caught upon this particular place. It's called Weissbrau German Bistro & Bar. It's a non-halal place by the way, as they serve alcoholic beverages and pork. 

Looking at menu, we told ourselves, "We should've taken our dinner here instead". Everything in the menu looked so tantalizing. *Drooling* 

Since the both of us were still full we decided to just having a drink. It's been a while since the both of us sit down together, have a drink or two, and share buddy talks. 

I am a happy man! Lol...

When I was in Germany...Hohohohoho!

And the both of us went back with contented heart....

Hello there! 

Sorry for this late update. Nothing interesting lately. It's just that I'm currently preoccupied with lots of projects and that include my FYP (final year project). Stressful!

Actually, there's one incident happened in campus. It's a suicide case according to some people. I'm confused because there are many 'versions' of the story and I didn't know which was true. So, I decided to not give it a damn. God bless the soul of the deceased. 

Enough with the horrifying story. If you want to know more about it, just google it. Let's move on to the interesting part. Here we go...

Last Thursday (26th August), I went out with my coursemate cum roomie to KL. It was a long and tiring journey using the KTM train. The plan was to accompany him to shop for his family back in Sibu. At the same time, I was planning to buy a pair of jeans and shoes. So, we decided to go out after the meeting session with our project's supervisor at the faculty. It was quite a stressful day. We made the consensus to go out to unwind ourselves as well as to get the so-called therapy - shopping!

We arrived at Bank Negara KTM station after several stops at various stations. The sky was dark and few crystal drops of rain started to fall down. Luckily, there was no heavy downpour. Both of us walked into Sogo to find place to fill our 'tank'. We went to the top level where the food court was located. There were only few people there as it's fasting month. While I was deciding on the food, I saw a lady rubbing her daughter's back. The little girl was vomiting. Poor girl. I started to lose my appetite the moment I saw the gooey thing but I ordered the food anyway. 

After having our meal, we went to Jalan TAR as my roomie wanted to buy few stuff for his family. It was not really packed with people as it was working day plus it was going to rain. We walked into several outlets and finally he managed to get what he wanted. It was quick as he already made prior survey on those items. Then, we returned to Sogo again to accompany him to shop. 

Our next stop was Sushi King. The one located next to Low Yatt Plaza. We stopped there for while to indulge ourselves with some sushis. Interestingly, most of the staff in that particular outlet were of Sabah origin. The accent was too distinctive. I was actually surprise upon noticing that. I felt like I was having sushi in an outlet somewhere in KK. Seriously. I felt like I was back home for a moment. Bangga Kita!! (a tagline I learnt during a function organised by the Momogun Society at Wisma PKPS recently) Lol....

Next, we walked into Sungei Wang Plaza. It was crowded as it was already the time for breaking the fast. Everybody was busy looking for a place to break their fast. Luckily, we stopped for a while at Sushi King prior entering Sg. Wang. Otherwise, we would be having problem finding place to eat. So, I found my pair of jeans there. My room mate got one pair for himself too. Later after that, we went to several shoes shops to find shoes for myself. There were ample choices and I couldn't make up my mind. I found one nice pair of shoes but unfortunately, the size for my feet was unavailable. Damn. 

I gave up finding shoes at Sg. Wang and we moved to Times Square. I entered this one particular shop (I forgot the name of it) and my attention was caught to this particular shoes. It is simple, nice and comfy. Tried it and felt satisfied. I took it to the counter and paid for it. It cost me RM69.90 but I liked it so much and wouldn't mind paying for it. Ka-ching! There goes the money. Seriously, I spent a lot recently *sigh*. 

Remember the jeans that I bought at Sg. Wang? The size of the waist was fine but unfortunately a little alteration needed to be done at the bottom to cater the need of a vertically-challenged person like me! Don't get me wrong. I'm not a midget. Lol...So, both of us sent our jeans to this one tiny alteration shop located at the far-end corner of the 3rd level (if I'm not mistaken). The tailor told us that it will take approximately 30 minutes for her to finish altering both jeans. Therefore, we decided to go for window shopping to kill the time.

 While walking, we stumbled upon this one humble-looking spa cum massage parlour in the mall. We tried the fish spa. It was my first time, mind you. As I sat on the wooden seats and dangled both of my legs into the tank, a large school of silver-ish, anchovies-looking fish swarmed my legs. For a moment, the small room was filled with laughter from the both of us. It was ticklish and we tried so hard to calm ourselves! Within seconds, the feast began. I even lifted my legs out of the water several times and my room mate was doing the same amidst squeals of laughter and controlled giggles! 

We were told that the fish only eat dead skin and therefore will only leave the healthy skin alone. The toothless (I think) fish will only nibble the away the scaly skin leaving the skin smooth and glowing! Guess what? We didn't have to fork out our money as it only cost us a mere RM5 (for 30 minutes)! Very cheap indeed. After 'feeding' the fish with our dead skin, we spent another extra 10 minutes for a head-and-shoulder massage. It was so refreshing. I actually wanted to extend the time but unfortunately it was already late and we needed to catch up with the train. Next time perhaps. 

We went back to the alteration shop to take our jeans. The alteration cost me RM7/pair. The price was still reasonable. Not too expensive for an alteration. Back in KK, I would send my jeans/trousers for alteration at the tailors along the shops at the Filipino market. They will sit behind their sewing machine outside the souvenir shops waiting for people to send their clothes to be altered. I'm not sure about the exact price for the alteration but usually I only have to pay RM5 to RM7. More or less the same like the one in Times Square (KL).  

After we got our jeans altered, we walked back to the KTM station to catch the next train to UKM. Along the way, we couldn't stop from talking about how beautiful, healthy, clean and smooth our legs are! Lol...

That was pretty much how I spent the day with my room mate in KL on the 26th August.

This morning, I attended a mass lecture for a subject called Life Science. Basically, it's just one of the prerequisite subjects that I should take for my course. 

We shall go to the 'embarrassing' part...

The lecturer was giving her lecture in front and she's the type of lecturer that prefers interactive class. She would read the notes on the slides, provides some explanation and points to random student and ask for his/her opinion on the particular topic. Today, I was one of the random students being picked by her. Not once but twice!

So, what is so embarrassing about today's lecture? 

As I said earlier, I was chosen by the lecturer to give my personal opinion on a topic. It was something about the economic disparity between the urban and rural areas (if I'm not mistaken). The lecture was conducted in Bahasa and the question that was posed to me was also in Bahasa. So, presumably, I suppose to respond to the question in Bahasa. 

So, I stood up in front of the other students. I was pretty much sure that there were more than 100 students in that lecture hall. I think it's more than that. Anyhow, I stood up and started to give my respond to her question in Bahasa which I somehow find extremely difficult as I could not express it by using proper Bahasa. I'm not saying that being enrolled in the TESL program has made me lost my ability to speak in Bahasa. No! This is actually a problem I've been facing since my schooling years. I've no problem communicating in Bahasa but the type of Bahasa that I'm using is only applicable for informal situation. I also use the other variety of Bahasa - the Sabahan dialect. 

I had a very difficult time in using formal BM and I ended up getting laughed by my friends. I think the rest of the students in the hall were also had a hard time to comprehend my response. Blame me for my terrible usage of formal BM. So, along the way, I decided to explain by using both Bahasa and English. 

After the lecture I could not stop myself from feeling too embarrassed by the experience. Really need to polish up my Bahasa. Seriously.

I was at the open area for a mere couple of hours for the convocation and never even crossed my mind that I would get myself a heat-stroke. A mild one. 

Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia, an abnormally elevated body temperature with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated. (Taken from: medicinenet.com)

I felt something was amiss when I was outside in an open area waiting for our graduate friends to come out from the hall. I decided to ignore the feeling as I thought it was normal. I was wearing my contact lense but somehow my vision was kinda blurry. "It must be the bright sun ray", I told myself. So, I put on my shade and stayed there till they came out.

After spending time congratulating, photoshooting and tossing them up in the air, I together with some of my friends walked to Pusanika to attend a meeting. The walk to the meeting place was somehow unbearable to me but I walked anyway. I felt a little bit difficult to breathe (mind you, I'm not asthmatic). Again, I thought it's normal because of the long walk from the hall. 

I sat for the meeting and it was a short meeting. Less than an hour to be exact. In the middle of the meeting, I felt very uneasy due to the fact that my body temperature was increasing. I could feel the heat even through my eyes. You know, just like the fever. Then the nausea, dizziness and fatigue came kicking in. What a combination! I felt so damn terrible. 

I walked back to my hostel after the meeting. Yes. I walked. It was like walking on a never-ending road. Everything seems so slow and so far away. I'm not exaggerating. I felt that literally. Accompanied by my two good friends, I walked back in a very slow pace. Just when I thought I couldn't continue the walk, I finally reached my hostel. 

I took a tablet of Paracetamol and drank lots and I mean lots of water! I felt my stomach protruding because of the huge amount of water I drank. 

Now, I feel slightly better. I'm still feeling feverish now but I hope it'll be over soon. 

Moral of the story: Drink lots of water, bring umbrella/cap and don't forget the shades as well *wink*...

To whom it may concern...

SINCE I FOUND YOU 

(by Christian Bautista)

I'm not really a literature person but when it comes to poetry, I really admire the poems written by Maya Angelou. Simply mesmerizing. This particular poem that I want to share with is one of my favourites. It's called "I am a Christian".

After reading it once, I said to myself, "This is so true. What more can I say?". I was amazed by the poem, the choice of words and most importantly, the message that Maya herself wanted to convey. A marvelous piece of writing I would say.

 

I didn't know that today is Friendship Day until few friends of mine text-ed me. As far as I can recall, the last time I had the chance to so-called celebrate this day was during my schooling years. Those were the times when everybody in the school prepared tiny "greeting cards" to be distributed to their (closest) friends. Mind you, the cards were all damn gorgeous especially those prepared by the girls. Some even got the cards laminated! Very the semangat. 

Here are some facts about Friendship Day that I found online.

 However, what is remarkably same is the idea behind the celebration of the day. Everywhere, people express love for their friends and cherish their presence in life.

Source: http://www.friendshipday.org/when-is-friendship-day.html

So, peeps. Happy Friendship Day and God bless!

 Pic credit: Google image.

Dear Friends, Campaigners,

Warm greetings from Sabah, Malaysia. 

I am seeking your support on behalf of the Action Committee Against Kaiduan Dam which was set up by communities potentially affected directly by the Kaiduan dam.  A number of NGOs are also helping us in our campaign and I hope you/your organisation could support by writing a letter to the Sabah government to reconsider the building of this dam.

In short, the dam will be built in an one of Sabah's most beautiful area, preserved because there was no road access to our villages until recently and because of our ways of life that maintain a healthy respect for the environment.  The 150 metres proposed dam will mean about 350 square kilometers of our traditional lands will be taken as a water catchment reserve, including the flooded area of 12 square kilometres where 9 villages are currently located.  There are confusing information from the government that the dam project has not been approved yet even though the contractor already started to enter the affected villages to conduct an EIA.  Interviews with the community were far from satisfactory. We will keep you updated on activities that the Action Committee has done so far.  

The next few weeks are crucial as the government considers what to do next after complaints from the communities that the Environmental Impact Assessment has not followed procedures prescribed by the State.  This period will also coincide with heightened campaigns locally against the dam. 

We therefore hope that you/your organisation will join other groups/individuals all over the world to take a few minutes to sign-on to this petition.

We also respectfully ask your continued support to press for the cancellation of the Kaiduan dam and instead request the government to take several other measures including improving the management of its water supply, doing a public campaign to save water and exploring other cheaper and safer options for water supply.

Thank you for your time and support.


Yours sincerely,


Nousi Giun
Chairperson,
Action Committee Against Kaiduan Dam