Make that change.

Modelling…

2009-10-07T09:15:00.001+08:00

2009-10-05T00:52:00.001+08:00

is tired of pretending everything is alright.

‘Dits’ & ‘Dahs’

2009-09-20T23:09:00.001+08:00

Hi people of the world wide web.

Really can’t get back into the rhythm of blogging since i returned from the UK. As you can probably tell. =p

I mean, what’s the point seeing that I am already back here with you people? =p

Haha, well, it’s not really that. It’s just that I have been quite busy trying to work out my whole plan for what I wanna do over the next few years (haha, yea a pretty big deal huh) and at the same time doing something about all of it as well. There’s a saying that goes, ‘a person who fails to plan is a person that plans to fail’

And I really believe that. But all this planning stuff has made me feel a mixture of feelings.

- Excited
- Over the moon, sun and any other planet.
- Emo (gosh I hate that term!)
- Depressed
- ~~Suicidal~~

Haha, well the last few aren’t as bad as it sounds. I suppose we all feel that to some extent. My justification for feeling that way is that I simply want to do so much but in specialising in specific arenas I am in a way crushing all hope of doing anything else I may wanna do. But I suppose that’s where relying on a higher Power comes in and just trusting that He will take you to heights you have never been before.

Coz after all, everything is His design. =)

Yea, so that’s what I have been kind of doing since I came back.

Apart from Uni of course, which is heck of a load of work. I am back into Film production again and I am at the helm of yet another short film that is quite ‘big’ so you may probably hear of it soon! So stick around peeps.

- Cheers.

106 Piccadilly

2009-08-29T15:08:00.001+08:00

Hey readers,

Okay, I never really said much about it, but back in London I had the amazing opportunity to produce and direct a short film with an amazing bunch of people. We were really fortunate and privileged to have amazing actors from prestigious film schools in London to take part in our project.

The end result is just one scene (something went wrong with the DV tape!) which you will find at our very own streaming site the link which you will find on the right hand side of this blog.

Do take a look at it if you have the time and let me know what you think! Cheers! =D

2009-08-27T01:53:00.001+08:00

Now that’s something I never thought I would get in this country! Hallelujah! =p

extra! extra!

2009-08-22T14:47:00.001+08:00

So I have finally gotten Streamyx!

We had know idea that for 4 years our apartment actually had Streamyx coverage (we were conned by some lazy after-sales idiot at TM that our area wasn’t covered), and so we suffered with awful wireless providers for nearly 3 years.

But all that’s over and I know have a stable and awesome connection. And that means this blog ‘should’ come alive (once again.) I hope.

Anyway.

So as some of you know, I was downgraded to what I call the baby’s room (my sister’s old room, she now has my old one) once I got back to KL. Did some little redecorating over the past month and made a few purchases for my media console. Quite pleased with everything now though the space issues is still an issue!

Oh, dad’s letting me drive the Beamer as it is possibly gonna be mine sometime soon (or so he says), haha. Would be looking forward to it except his clutch is super super tough to use.

And tonight, sis and me are home alone as parents have gone off to Seremban for their high school reunion. I know, how hip and happening are my mum and dad yea! ? Haha!

I wish…

2009-07-29T01:37:00.001+08:00

there was more hours in a day.

24? That’s way not enough don’t you think? =S

Granted, these past few days I have been sleeping in quite a bit, but I won’t get that luxury anymore beginning next week when uni and the Cyberjaya campus kicks off.

Not really looking forward to starting anew again, that whole unfamiliarity thing.

Been quite busy the last couple of weeks with some reading and writing, doubling up of music classes and meet ups with old friends. Quite alright I would say.

2009-07-21T15:09:00.001+08:00

Beat this! =D

Michael Jackson: 1959 – Forever.

The Greatest Action Story Ever Told!

2009-07-16T14:39:00.001+08:00

The Terminator saving Jesus.

Hilarious!

Langkaweee Part 1

2009-07-13T03:18:00.001+08:00

Just returned about 2 hours ago from an absolutely awesome trip to the island of Langkawi with the guys.

Langkawi is breathtakingly beautiful and when you got the best of mates to go to this awesome destination with, it’s way better.

Upon arrival we hired a rental car, ( a Wira, which later on that night we found out had no working headlights and so had to resort to using the high beam and annoying everyone who passed us on the opposite side of the road!) and headed to our hotel, a place called Mallibest Resort which is no way a real resort at all, but rather a bunch of little dingy houses constructed by the beach but nevertheless served our purpose for the next 4 days as our sleeping place.

The guys. Jon, Me, Senthil, Kush, Edwin & Alph at Telaga Tujuh, some famous waterfall place which we actually climbed the 300 steps to the summit!

The highlight of the event was Jon’s birthday night on Friday evening. We drove up to Andaman Resort to see Jon’s friends, the Solianos’ perform. If you are old enough, you may probably have heard of them. They were extremely well known back in the 80s. Was surprised to find out much later that my dad was actually a fan of them too! So anyway, the band was awesome and the music was really good and we had a wicked time.

Jon performing Little Wing by Hendrix with the Solianos’. A big surprise for him when he got called on stage to perform. =p

Lots more happened of course throughout the 4 days and 3 nights we were there at the island. Saturday found us doing loads of shopping at the duty free shops around Langkawi (the island is well known for it’s cheap booze and chocs), and Sunday found us at Joy’s place for a barbeque with the Solianos’ before heading off the the airport back to Kuala Lumpur. Typically, both the flights we were taking were delayed and we finally reached back around midnight tired but with memories of an awesome trip we’ll not forget too soon!

More photos in Part 2!

A quick one

2009-07-09T00:24:00.001+08:00

Hello!

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have good ‘excuses’ for that okay! =p

Firstly, the Internet here back home is absolutely horrendous with frequent disconnections and often not being to get on at all! Already starting to miss London with it’s blazing Internet speeds.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what I miss about Britian. Not even 2 days into my arrival here in M’sia last week, my skin started flaring up and my eyes are constantly watering and are very very red. Sigh, I am actually allergic to a country. Can’t believe it, but it’s true!

Nevertheless, it is good to be home and the last week has been absolutely brilliant and I am very grateful that I have another 3 weeks to enjoy everything before University kicks off once more.

Oh, and a brilliant little trip has been planned and so we are off to the island of Langkawi tomorrow for 4 fun-filled days in the sun! I am expecting it to be awesome and I am sure it’s gonna be!

Shoban…Out.

2009-06-30T07:00:00.001+08:00

Here’s to the next chapter of my life!

“Maybe I just want to fly
I want to live I don't want to die
Maybe I just want to breath
Maybe I just don't believe
Maybe you're the same as me
We see things they'll never see
You and I are gonna live forever” – Noel G.

MJ: A Tribute. 26th July @ Trafalgar Sq.

2009-06-27T09:46:00.001+08:00

People gathering around the statue of Sir Nelson. I arrived just about 9.30pm. Many took up to singing random bits of hit songs like, Man In The Mirror and Thriller.

A small shrine for members of the public to pay their respects was set up at one end of the Square,

Michael, you’ll always be remembered by us.

Probably the ‘biggest’ person to die since JC. LOL. =)

2009-06-26T10:47:00.001+08:00

How do we live our lives?

The most precious thing in the world is not all the money in the world, but the time you have on this green and blue globe thing we call Earth.

Sometimes I feel that at 20 years of age I have already failed in life.

Not going all out for what I want to achieve.
Not speaking up when a voice like mine needs to be heard.
Not believing,

Make that change.

And it all starts with the man in the mirror.

Transformers : Revenge of the fallen.

2009-06-24T08:31:00.001+08:00

I was so so excited about this film ever since I heard a sequel would be made.

Really wanting to enjoy the experience, we decided to watch it at the biggest screen in Britain – The Imax hall at the British Film Institute.

Sadly, the only good thing about the two and a half hours there last night at the midnight screening, was the gigantic screen itself. Michael Bay destroys what could have been the blockbuster of the year and instead makes it a very excruciating experience.

To me, Transformers 2 was as though I was watching my nephew playing a never ending video game. Sure, the effects are a lot nicer. Especially if you, like me, watched it at Imax where you get a couple of extra special close up shots of Bumble Bee or Prime or NBE 1 aka Megatron, all shot with the very exclusive Imax film camera. But c’mon, a film is not just about special effects is it? Michael Bay doesn’t seem to see it this way at all and all you see and here is Crash, Bang, Boom and other broken washing machine like sounds.

Too much of a good thing is never good, and I really disliked the overplay of humour throughout the show. Just when the audience is about to identify with a character be it human or Autobot or Decepticon scum, Bay cuts to some ridiculous, cheap, badly written and at times, almost vulgar dialogue that renders useless whatever that was just said or done a second before.

In essence, the film is very much a bunch of robot battles all joined together by terribly written dialogue and a little monologue here and there courtesy of our friend Optimus. Revenge of the Fallen has almost no focus or direction at all and the introduction of new (and ridiculous) characters do nothing to substantiate the plot but rather takes our focus off the characters that we have already come to love and know from the previous film.

What gets me is that the film could have easily been so much better by losing around 45 minutes of stupidity – particularly the scenes with Sam’s parents, the pretty pointless introduction to college life and most of all the Afro-American like Autobot fools, Skids and Mudflap - and be a lot better.

Now, to the acting. I am a huge fan of Shia LaBeouf and before this was really looking forward to seeing what he would possibly do this time round. But shockingly, Bay ensures that LaBeouf has as little chance as possible to show whatever potential or charm he might have. Meanwhile, Megan Fox has almost next to nothing to do except pout and leer while looking hot in a tank top and short skirt while running around in slow motion.

To sum up, Bay doesn’t waste any of his precious 2 and a half hours in showing us exactly what $200-million dollars worth of Hollywood film & cinema can offer you – a film that’s way too loud, way too big, way too long and definitely not clever.

-Shoban J Raveendran-

Happy Fathers Day, Dad!

2009-06-21T07:46:00.001+08:00

A little video for you on your special day! =D

Reading the comment section of this video, I saw a really clever and rather cheeky observation of how Darth Vader could have actually ended up being the best of dads:

randomanna1 (1 day ago) said:

step 1: don’t cut off your son's hand
step 2: don’t blow up your daughter's home planet
step 3: don’t kill your kids' mom
step 4: and don’t try to turn your son over to the dark side !

Well said Randomanna!

(Embedding disabled, so please click video to go directly to UTube. Cheers!)

About Drumsticks and Doing The Tourist Thing.

2009-06-18T08:23:00.001+08:00

Last week was an absolute rush.

A last minute major presentation to pull off, a performance for the big end-of-semester University fashion show event, and a friend coming to town, was what happened last week.

Our presentation was so last minute we thought we were doomed. Amish came over to my place Sunday last week to pull an all-nighter and finish up the documentary project we had to present the very next day. But thanks to a small surprise party my cousin and landlord pulled on me, I was down and out, so poor Amish did what he could while I continued to sleep on and on. Eventually, I did wake up around 5ish and and we did what more we could on it and headed off to Uni.

Very surprisingly though, after presenting the whole ‘mess’ to Daniel, I very well think we aced this one too. Haha, ‘amazing’ !

With that aside, it was time for us to concentrate on the big fashion show event the Uni annually holds here at it’s London campus. I was part of a group of students that would be performing as the London wing of the original KL Stompers of Malaysia and so would be doing a small 10 minute percussion performance for the event.

10 minutes. Sure. No problem. Easy. ‘Kacang’ (eew) putih la.

Or so, that’s what we thought.

But being grilled into shape by the ‘master’ and founder of the KL Stompers troupe of Malaysia itself, it wasn’t easy and it was a very tough couple of days leading up to the event.

But don’t get me wrong. As much as it was hard work, it was tons of fun, especially for us who have not done any ‘stomping’ of the sort before. It was really cool to see how a beat can build up from just nothing but ordinary things like, pots, pans, bins, ladders, etc. I played lead dustbin and it was absolutely wicked! =D The crowd on the evening of the show felt very much the same too, and we received strong applause and high praise from all around (and also from guest of honour, Miss Malaysia 07, Debra Priya Henry, who in my opinion and of many many many others who saw her up close, is totally drop dead gorgeous =D) for a truly impressive performance. Awesome! The show was followed by a (rather pathetic, really) student party as a sort of farewell before the summer break. For me, it was more of a really real farewell, and I was busy saying my goodbyes to the admin and academic staff of Limkokwing. Really quite attached to this place after only a year!

Stomping.

KL Stompers with Miss Malaysia of ‘07, Miss Deborah Priya Henry

The blokes.

More photos of the event I will post another time as I don’t really have any decent ones with me at the moment.

Hardly had the dust settled (literally!) after the event, Amanda popped over to London from Liverpool where she will be at for the next 3 months completing her TARC top up program at Liverpool John Moore’s. Was really really great having her over for the weekend and me and the mates took her out and about the city showing her the sights and smells and good tasting Malaysian food London had to offer.

Us at Portobello Road Market @ Notting Hill on a Saturday morning.

An evening at the River Thames was a must.

Again, not being the one behind the camera, I don’t have loads of photos of our sightseeing, but promise to post up everything once I do!

Great week, looking forward to another 2 great weeks, my last here in London this time round!

Credit Crunch?

2009-06-16T03:35:00.007+08:00

from Pearly's.

Busy, busy, busy

2009-06-11T04:03:00.001+08:00

Hiya.

Yes, it’s been quite a while.

Been really busy (kinda obvious =D) with loads of stuff at University.

But it’s all done now, and I can breathe a big sigh of relief!

I havta say that I am extremely pleased with all that’s been done and am looking forward to the Fashion show and Party this Friday where we can all just chill and relax for once!

Will do I proper write-up after this Friday. Promise!

Police hurt as UK Tamil protests turn violent

2009-05-20T05:51:00.001+08:00

(Andy Rain/EPA)
Tamil protests outside Parliament. The flag of the Tamil Tigers, a banned emblem in the UK, flies high above the throng of people.

Emily Gosden

Twenty-five police officers were injured in the early hours of this morning and ten British Tamil protesters arrested as police attempted to break up a demonstration blocking the streets around Westminster.

The violent clashes took place hours after the Sri Lankan government announced victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels and the death of all the main Tiger leadership.

The clashes outside Parliament left three officers requiring hospital treatment, while five protesters were also taken to hospital and more treated at the scene, all for minor injuries.

The protesters were arrested for public order offences after refusing to move from the roads outside Parliament. Up to 5,000 protesters had broken out of the centre of Parliament Square at around 4pm yesterday and brought Westminster to a standstill. They staged a sit-down protest to call for international intervention in Sri Lanka, where thousands of civilians remain in internment camps at the end of the bloody civil war that has claimed 70,000 lives.

This morning around 30 protestors remained in Parliament Square, where they have had a continuous presence since April 6. A peaceful vigil and hunger strikes has now escalated into illegal roadblocks on four occasions.

Rangadesch Palasooriyakumar, 29, from Mitcham, south west London, said he had been at the front-line of the clashes. “Police started pushing us back, and people were falling over each other on the road,” he said. “I saw a couple of heavy words being exchanged between protesters and police. I also saw some sticks and some plastic bottles being thrown at police.”

Mr Palasooriyakumar insisted the protest was supposed to be peaceful. “We don’t want to hurt anyone, that is not what our protest is about. People are very frustrated and emotional, many of us have lost relatives in the war zone,” he said.

Sivendran Madajrajah, 22, a student from Mitcham, south London, said: “People were being hit, kicked and stepped on by police. We had no warning that anything was going to happen until they started pushing us back off the road to Parliament Square. We feel really angry that this is how the British Government is treating us when we are asking them for help.”

“There are loads of people who have lost their loved ones in this conflict. They are here to grieve and it is just ridiculous that the police have behaved in this way towards us.”

The protestors included many women and children.Yesterday Anupama Velautham, protesting alongside toddlers and an elderly couple, told The Times that she feared for her family in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka, having not heard from in three months.

Ms Velautham, 31, said: "There is no food, no medicine, no UN members — no one is there," she said. "We want to know what the UN is doing about this. There is no third-party country there. In Kosovo, when people were dying, all the world were there. But whatever is happening in Vanni, no one is listening."

She said that protests and demands for an independent Tamil state would continue. "The Tamil Tigers are our sole representative. It is not going to be over til we get our own nation that is called Tamil Eelam."

-------

Shoban J Raveendran

All this happened yesterday. The situation indeed looks very very grim for the Sri Lankan Tamils, and I decided to make another trip over to Westminster late last night. Reaching just minutes before midnight, I was very surprised to see the main roads surrounding Westminster and Big Ben all closed off. Tamils were all over the place, some standing around, some in groups shouting pro-Tamil slogans, others beating drums, while others sleeping on blankets on the road.

Midnight came and as Big Ben sounded off 12 loud bells, silence fell all around in respect for those who had died in this terrible war, lasting nearly 35 years.

All of a sudden a huge cry rose from the people. I looked around and saw the police vans, all this time just parked off at the end of the bridge, slowly start moving towards the Tamils in an effort to close in on them and keep them to the Square alone.

This was met by an upsurge of angry and upset Tamils. People started throwing the metal rail blockades onto the road in an effort to stop the oncoming vehicles and armed police, which were extremely strong in numbers, almost double the Tamils that turned up last night.

Not wanting to be involved in a massive and and already violent raucous, I got out of the circle of oncoming police officers only just in time.

-----

With claims that the long time leader of the Tamil Tigers has know been killed, it was quite understandable although rather alarming to see the Tamils all in rage about the seemingly ignorance of the UK and the rest of the world to the plight of the Tamils.

But I have to say, with the Media publishing such different figures and information from what really seems to be going on in Sri Lanka, it is indeed be difficult to convince people that our plight is so serious and so very much in need of some immediate action by the outside powers. I myself sometimes wonder how on earth we can convince the world, when trying to convince my friends and family has already proved so difficult.

One example is the death toll. BBC claims that the civil war over the period of near thirty years has claimed 77’000 lives. And yet, we hear nearly every week over the past month alone, that tens of thousands of people are killed, yesterday 25’000 alone! Why are there such huge discrepancies in the reported figures? How and when will we actually know the true scale of this war if the media is denied entering the conflict zones?

The locals do not seems to be taking things very well at all, what with the Tamils closing major roads all over London in protest of the UK’s inadequate action regarding the situation.

A very grim and desperate situation that can only be solved if foreign powers in power to help put aside the political bureaucracy and place the lives of people first!

I can’t believe I am saying this, but…

2009-05-16T21:11:00.001+08:00

I am starting to like it here.

LOL…I know, it’s like so late and I am already gonna be back soon.

Guess it took some time to settle into the lifestyle of this very intimidating City.

As my second cousin (twice removed) put it, ‘If you can survive in London, you can bloody well survive anywhere in the world’.

And it’s true.

Not blowing my own trumpet or anything, I have gone through some pretty tough times here. Heck, most of us have gone through rough times here. But we all agree that whatever that’s happened to us has made us come out stronger and desiring to be better.

And that’s good right?

Anyway, enough of being all philosophical. =D

University has been really nice and busy with people rushing about tying up loose ends on projects and assignments. I’ve been real busy too what with taking 6 modules plus finishing my film project that we did last semester.

But I always believe busy is good. And it’s true. Felt really good having stuff to do nearly all day for the past one month. And when I am not doing uni stuff, I am either hanging out with the mates all over London or cooking up a storm in the kitchen at my place.

And I have to say, the storms are getting better and better too. =D

Swine flu?

2009-05-15T00:58:00.003+08:00

T-Mobile Sheer Genius.

2009-05-11T00:25:00.002+08:00

Marketing and advertising concepts go a long way in building brand reputation and a good sized & loyal market base.

Some companies do it well, others don't.

T-Mobile, I can say, is definentely NOT one of the latter.

Here is an absolutely awesome youtube and TV ad they did very recently at Trafalgar Square. I heard about it but unfortunately wasn't able to attend. =(

Makes you think of world peace, no? =D

2009-04-30T06:06:00.001+08:00

Okay, most of you know I got mugged of my precious Ipod Nano about 3 weeks ago.

It was indeed a very painful loss.

After mourning it’s demise for a couple of ~~minutes~~ days, I decided to look around for a replacement. Grudgingly, mind you. I thought nothing would compare to the Nano’s sleek design and great music quality and robustness.

But boy, was I wrong. It all began on a day like any other day and I was on Youtube when I suddenly stumbled upon the review of ‘It’. At that moment time, all thought passed out of me and I knew that was ‘It’. I had to have ‘It’.

Desire to push her buttons consumed me. Lust for her curves took over me. For nights I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned.

I had been smitten and there was little I could do about it but go down to the store and get myself the Nano’s bigger, better and a heck of a lot sexier younger ~~brother~~ sister, the Ipod Touch!

So what is the Ipod Touch? And why should you be having one?

A Professor at my University the other day made this ‘profound’ statement:

”In my opinion, people who buy stuff like Apple’s Ipod and what-not are just plain fools, falling for some billionaire’s gimmick that buying a certain product is the answer to their problem” - Professor ? – Limkokwing University, (of course).

He then proceeded to ‘justify’ this by saying that mega brands have merely got good advertising and marketing strategies and nothing more.

Professor ? then took out his Nokia 3310 and proudly said, “I’ve had this for years”. “I am not a victim of marketers, I can’t be swayed”, he scoffed.

Apparently you can Professor, seeing that the 3310 is an improvement of the once massive ‘mobile’ phone that was equivalent to the size of the suitcase.

Try carrying that around.

A gimmick would be something that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, marketed so well that it deceives you into thinking it’s the answer to your problems.

The Ipod Touch, is the exact opposite of that statement. Apple mass produce products. Sure, they are expensive. But keep in mind you are paying for Quality products. And in my 4 year consumer experience with Apple, they are nothing short of Great.

So, why should you be having an Ipod Touch too?

1. It has a colour touchscreen!

Gone are the days of ‘real’ buttons. ‘Fake’ buttons are so the ‘in-thing’, babe. As the name suggests, the iPod Touch is meant to be touched! The whole screen is what is the Ipod Touch and selecting your favourite tune has never been more easier and more fun.

And it works too, with amazing sensitivity.

2. It plays music.

Like Duh! I am happy to say that there is no compromise on the sound quality even with the amount of other features (more on that later) packed into this baby. You should though, get a good set of earphones but even with the package set, the bass is decently deep, and highs are crispy crisp, as they should be. Choosing songs to play is especially easy with the Cover Flow feature. Simply flip your iPod sideways and the album art pops up in 3D! Zip your finger across the screen to select the desired album and you’re a go!

3. It’s wi-fi enabled!

Yes, that’s right! You can surf the web from your iPod, taking the iPod experience to ultra high heights. Yes, I know. I too was sceptical about this at first too. How can I browse the web on that tiny screen and how the heck am I gonna type stuff out with ease?

With the built in Safari website, it’s a breeze. You can view web pages exactly as if you are viewing them from a PC. The on-screen keyboard is awesome too, with good spacing in between the keys so that even if you have big clumsy fingers it wouldn’t be much of an issue.

This is probably the biggest feature (second to the music playing capabilities) that has got millions of people buying the iPod Touch.

4. Applications galore!

This is the bit that really makes the iPod Touch shine and stand out among the rest. It simply is so much more than a music player!

The iPod Touch is fully customizable with tons of applications available to be downloaded for the iTunes store, that can do, well, nearly anything.

By default, the iPod Touch comes with a few built-in apps such as the Safari web browser, a Youtube player (awesome!) , a note-taking app (one of my favourites! it’s easy to jot down notes during class and just send them to your e-mail when you are done!), a calender and lots more.

One absolutely mind blowing app is the default Google maps app. At first I didn’t pay attention to this app much, as I hardly use it at home on my laptop. But think of it’s uses when you are out and about, or on the road!

First of all, the maps look amazing when on the Touch’s little ultra-sharp screen. Second, the Google maps actually work proper! Yes, in Malaysia too!

I tried looking up some directions. ‘Okay, hmm…Start route at: Bukit OUG. End route at: Wangsa Maju. And seconds after i hit Enter, a beautiful purple line appeared that traced its way through the Old Klang Road, pass Midvalley, onto the Mahameru Highway all the way to good old Taman Bunga Raya! Absolutely amazing. It was too good to be true. So I tried again. Bukit OUG to USJ 2. And walah! Another bright purple line appeared, tracing its way across the Kesas highway.

It even has a little GPS ‘really killer–spy-like’ button, that when you hit, immediately hones into the actual area you are at right at that very moment. Specially for those of you who get knocked unconscious often by high-speed floorballs and wake up wondering where you are.

Thinking this application could do almost anything, I entered; Start route at: Current location. End route at: USJ 2. Up pops, “Driving directions could not be found between these locations, idiot.”

You can expand this collection of applications by downloading others from iTunes such as games, social networking utilites such as Facebook and so much more. For some apps you may need to pay a small fee, but this is pretty worth it for some of the functions they offer.

So, conclusion:

The Ipod Touch is probably the best ‘thing’ out there at the moment. I say ‘thing’ because it’s so hard to actually say what the iPod Touch as a whole really is.

‘A music player?’ Well, yea, but not really.

’A mobile internet device?’ Well, it’s a little more than that.

‘An electronic organizer?’ You mean like a PDA? Hmm….

- “The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, and Wi-Fi mobile platform that feature a multi-touch graphical user interface designed and marketed by Apple Inc.” -

Thank you Wikipedia! =D

So, have you been touched, today? I have, and it feels great.

p.s.This painstaking post ( =D ) goes out to Ben Soo and Jon Woo. Hope this helps you guys in making the second best decision of your lives! =p

‘Shellfish’ness

2009-04-29T04:40:00.001+08:00

Okay, so we can all be selfish at times.

But how selfish can you actually be?

Tell you a story. I have this flatmate yea (yes! you got it, it’s Milk Stealer all over again!), who was pregnant and had a baby just 2 days ago.

‘Awww, a baby, that’s so sweet!’

Yea right, I say.

I mean, it’s totally fine to have a kid. Have 10 kids for all I care. But not at the expense of other peoples lifestyle.

You see, this flatmate was supposed to have moved out months before. Landlord furnished her with a notice to leave but this woman decided to sue him for all she’s worth just because she was pregnant, and now the Council tells the landlord he can’t get rid of her simply because she is pregnant.

And now, we have a real awful woman living upstairs with her kid AND her boyfriend all in one room, hogging the only one bathroom, the kitchen and making a mess of the place.

Like, i said, it’s fine to have a baby, but for heavens sake, have a plan to get out of other people’s way when you do.

This house was meant for single, professionals only.

This is pretty much ranting isn’t it?

Albums, baby!

2009-04-21T20:40:00.001+08:00

Thought I would do reviews of 2 absolutely awesome albums in my growing collection!

*Drum roll, please* =D

Waking Up The Neighbours – Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams ain’t no stranger to the rock music industry. Having released his self-titled debut album in 1980, Adams has gone on to become one of the biggest rock legends of today. Fans (like me!), would have no doubt have heard much of his 1991 award winning album, Waking Up The Neighbours.

If you are into ‘rock’ with a very strong guitar drive and powerful vocals to go, this is the album for you.

Although Reckless (1984) would soon turn out to be Adam’s best selling album to date, in my opinion, Waking up the Neighbours is by far Adam’s best effort and a much better piece of work. The whole album is simply filled with raw rock power, with superb guitar riffs (and long solos) and up tempo style.

Another thing that should be noted is the ‘energy’ of the whole album. You can practically wind down your car window, speakers blaring and scream along with him (Verse, chorus & bridge!). (And yes, to nearly every single track!)

Hit singles include ‘Can’t Stop This Thing We’ve Started’ and ‘Everything I Do (I Do It For You)

Check out the video below for a preview of what you are in for!

*Everything I Do is one of the very few ‘slower’ songs in the album*

Okay, and album #2

Viva La Vida (or Death and All His Friends) – Coldplay

Coldplay needs no introduction. In 2000, they made headlines all over the world with their single, Yellow. Since then, this British band has gone on to produce 3 other major albums, the latest being Viva La Vida.

I wouldn’t say Viva La Vida is a cut above the rest, but it certainly is different. And, a good different of that. The most notable thing you will noticed compared to the previous works is the more defined instrumental parts of the songs as Johnny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bassist) and Will Champion (drums) ‘start taking back the glory’ and Chris (vocals) takes a backseat and providing some awesome vocals to compliment this totally mind blowing album. My personal favourite track is Life In Technicolor !

Coldplay has often been termed as 'alternative rock’, being compared to the likes of U2 and Oasis. Chris Martin has acknowledged in interviews than Bono and the band are actually a major influence on them and their music and both bands share the same ideals and values in terms of outlook on life and passion in their work, which is a great influence on their music and probably why these guys are two of the best bands of our time.

Hit singles include ‘Viva La Vida’(of course!), ‘Violet Hill’ and ‘Lovers in Japan’.

Oh, and did I mention it won Best Rock Album at the Grammys this year? =D

Shoban vs. The Night

2009-04-19T06:25:00.001+08:00

Exactly a week to this very hour, I was dialing 999.

Operator: ‘Hello, what’s your emergency?’
Me: ‘ Hello, yea, we’ve just been mugged!
Operator: ‘Do any of you need fire or ambulance services?’
Me: ‘No we’re good,thanks, but we need the police!’
Operator: ‘07804688###, requesting police services.
On route, standby please.’

==Okay, so rewind about 5 minutes==

‘Zweep zweep zweep’ (That’s how the ‘rewind’ sound goes right?)

It was dark and it was raining. We were walking back to the tube station of Holloway Road (that’s in East London, near Arsenal Stadium) after having a very nice cookout at a friend’s place near here. We, were 2 young guys.

Although we didn’t realise it, all went suddenly quiet. Everything went cold and a feeling as though the very happiness in us was sucked right out enveloped us immediately. Despair fell upon us and we quailed (edited for ‘dramatic depth’ winks). In seconds, we were surrounded by 6 to 7 young punks. No one else was on that main street at that point of time, albeit this was the main road of this little burrough of London.

At first, they tried hustling us for drugs.

Punk 1: ‘Hey man, you need some Crystal-meth?’
Me:’Nah mate, I don’t do Crystal-meth’
Punk 2: ‘Hey man, don’t say no. Who do you think you are?

Similar situation was happening with my friend, a few steps from me. But it suddenly turned much more violent when they grabbed us and pulled us to the side. Mind racing, I knew it would go bad if they got us into a dark alley on the side street. Pulling my captors I moved a little bit more to the edge of the road, however this was noticed by the guy on my left, who, with one hand lifted me and slammed me against a railing (yea, that was a big Ouch)

Confusion ensued with them asking us what we had on us. I was almost completely blinded as one of the punk kids had taken the liberty of pulling of my glasses so as to deflate the fight out of me. I have to admit, it worked very well. Deciding it was definitely not worth getting stabbed or worse, I decided to tell them I had an iPod. They found it, and also my wallet, and took a couple of pounds from it. I felt a little weight in my back jeans bum pocket that was my Sony Ericsson phone. I was like, no way they were gonna get that if I could help it. So I pushed myself further into the railing that was behind me, hoping against hope they wouldn’t check that pocket.

Suddenly, they were gone. Groping around about the ground, I found my specs, and put them back on. My friend came running up to me. He, had lost his phone and nearly a 100 quid to those hooligans.

==Fast forward to the present==

The police turned up in less than 1 minute. And although we drove around for about half an hour, there was no sign of those kids anywhere on the streets.

It is a really awful feeling when something is taken from you against your will, and you are around but can’t do anything to stop it.

This country is going to the dogs, and it’s your fault. Stop blaming the freaking EU or the Asians for the crap that’s happening. It’s you Brits who are messing things up here, and all I can say is it’s a crying shame.

Roxette – Spending My Time

2009-04-15T02:10:00.001+08:00

2.30pm – 2.45pm : Walk down Kings road to Rayners Lane High Street
2.45pm – 3.00pm : Buy meat at butchers, by vegetables and misc items at Tesco.
3.00pm – 3.15pm : Walk back down Kings Road to my house
3.15pm – 3.30pm: Clean kitchen after messy housemate
3.30pm – 4.00pm: Cut onions, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes (yes, I take a very long long time on this!)
4.00pm – 4.45pm: Cook everything in pot. On the side, boil rice and make a nice simple cucumber and tomato salad.
4.45pm – 5.00pm: Cleanup

This is how long it take (for me) to make a curry for lunch. Granted, I woke up late.

My life at the moment revolves around feeding myself to stay alive.

A Tribute

2009-04-14T20:45:00.001+08:00

Easter Break

2009-04-09T19:12:00.001+08:00

Easter holidays for Limkokwing begins today for me.

Holidays, how I loathe them.

Another reason to get stuck for a week plus in Zone 5 again.

Thank God tomorrow I am going into Central with the guys. Rather lose my sanity tomorrow rather than today!

2009-04-07T06:54:00.001+08:00

Champagne Supernova - Oasis

How many special people change?
How many lives are living strange?
Where were you while we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannonball
Where were you while we were getting high?

Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky

Wake up the dawn and ask her why
A dreamer dreams, she never dies
Wipe that tear away now from your eye
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannonball
Where were you while we were getting high?

Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova

'Cuz we don't believe
That they're gonna get away from the summer
But you and I will never die
The world's still spinning around we don't know why
Why-why-why-why-i-i

How many special people change?
How many lives are living strange?
Where were you while we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannonball
Where were you while we were getting high?

Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Someday you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova

'Cuz we don't believe
That they're gonna get away from the summer
But you and I will never die
The world's still spinning around we don't know why
Why-why-why-why-i-i

How many special people change?
How many lives are living strange?
Where were you while we were getting high?

The Cheek!

2009-04-02T22:14:00.007+08:00

I woke up today after having a nice (& much too long) sleep. Today is Thursday, and that's the day my weekend starts in London! No school, no nothing. Just work at the Cafe and little trips here and there.

I know, not as happening as you think is it? =D

Anyway, I dressed, started up my laptop and headed out into the Conservatory to prepare breakfast. As I opened up the fridge, I immediately realised something was wrong. My unopened small blue carton of milk was not where it should be!

Explanation: I always always make sure I have a supply of at least 1 carton of milk at home coz I use milk loads especially during breakfast.

Head spinning, I whirled into the kitchen. Sure enough, she was there. That Jamaican woman who lives upstairs. She is untidy, unfriendly, dirty, smelly and we all dislike her very much.
And there she was, making a cup of very milky tea! I tried hard to peer around her fat body to see if she was using MY milk, but cleverly enough she was blocking most of my view with very little difficulty.

I retreated back to my room deciding that I may be a little too conspicous, loittering about the kitchen. As I shut my room door I heard the quiet thud of the other refridgerator closing softly. We have 2 fridges in the house. One for me, my cousin and the Uncle who lives on the ground floor with me and another for the rest of the icky housemates.

The sound was definitely that of her fridge. I opened my door a fraction of an inch and listened intently. Seconds later, I heard her monstrous feet plodding up the stairs and heard the creaking of the floorboards on the upper floor and the thud of her room door closing.

I made my way to the kitchen. I looked around. What a mess. Can't believe one person can make that kind of a mess just making a cup of tea. Wait. Focus. Today I am here on another matter. I opened the other fridge and looked in. The smell of expired eggs and fruit nearly made me gag. But lo and behold!, there it was! A small blue carton of milk hidden behind a bowl of nutmeg. But wait! Not only was it opened but there was less than a quarter of its contents left in it!

Anger welled up inside me. How dare someone be so selfish and ignorant? This was a very serious crime indeed. It's one thing to borrow a little milk. But to take nearly all of it AND hide it in another place as though it was theirs to hide was totally way too much. There was no doubt this was mine. My photographic memory was brilliant enough to recall that i bought a carton last night that had a display date till 07 Apr and had an expiry date of 09 Apr. This had the same number stamped on it's side!

Without milk there was no way I could make my frothy milky Coco Pops cereal breakfast. And when I fail to get my daily dose of Snap, Crackle and Pop, I get ANGRY! Very ANGRY!

Explanation: I should point our here that my anger is extremely justifiable. My new place is a good 25 minutes walk to any shops and so I usually do all my shopping in one go so as to not make unnessary trips out. Plus, I just woke up! okay?

I threw caution to the wind. I decided this was the last straw. I had it with this woman and her constant nuisances to my peaceful hobbit-like lifestyle. I made my way up the stairs and pounded on the thick wood that was her bedroom door. After about 30 seconds, she opened it a fraction of an inch.

Me: 'You took some milk from a blue carton in the fridge at the back?' (I tried to make it seem like a question rather than an accusation, but I don't think that worked very well)
Milk stealer: 'No, I didn't. (Puts on this fake tired and glazed look as though being pregnant is such a burden)
Me: 'Are you sure? From the fridge at the back?'
Milk stealer: 'No, it wasn't me. Sorry' (Closes door)

And that was it really. Better judgment and lack of substantial evidence told me it was wise not to accuse her to her face, pick up my magic feather duster from the planet Bog and zap her into purple jelly.

But if as little as a drop of my milk goes a miss again, I won't be so forgiving. Oh, no.

This whole story is based on true events that occured less that 4 hours ago. Emotions displayed may have been slightly exagerrated. Slightly.

Windsor

2009-03-30T09:18:00.002+08:00

Okay, so today I woke up thinking it was 7 am. Plenty of time. Plenty of time to take a long shower, eat breakfast, put on my makeup and get out of the house.

Or so I thought…

Just as I was ready and about to leave I got a call from Avneesh asking where the heck I was.

Me: ‘I am at home la!’ (forgetting that he’s Mauritian NOT Malaysian! I tend to do that all the time)
Avi: ‘Don’t joke, where are you?’
Me: At home! I told you we are meeting at 9!
Avi: Hey, it’s 9 already, idiot! The clock went forward yesterday night!
Me: ‘What???’

Cut the long story short, I ended up at Victoria really really really late thanks to the typical ‘planned engineering works’ that the London Underground does each weekend. They totally ruin my weekends most of the time.

We were all supposed to go to Thorpe Park, one of the UK’s most popular theme parks. However we didn’t book ahead and unfortunately the place was totally sold out (or so we thought). So after much deliberation and many phone calls, we decided to take the rail OUT of London and head to a little place called Windsor.

(Photos by Me!) =P

Windsor Castle, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation. This is the view from the outside road that runs around it and the city streets below.

The group that went to Windsor. The other 2 guys were adamant about going to Thorpe, and as it turns out they were able to get in and had a blast too.

One of the many entrances to the castle. Windsor is a sprawling area of beautiful architecture and beautifully manicured gardens. The size of the place is amazing.

We paid the entrance fee (£14-student rate) and so were able to go into the castle grounds and into part of the castle itself! This is the view from the main driveway.

St.George’s Gate

The dried up moat and the Round Tower.

Absolutely beautiful shot of the two towers that are the Governor’s official residence.

The Queen walks her dog here. We think.
We were blessed with a really beautiful blue sky which was really very surprising since it was raining most of the week. Sky tones are most important when shooting any kind of landscape work.

I’m good, I know. And this is just a point and shoot! I need an SLR!!!

On 20 November 1992, a fire which began in the Queen's private chapel quickly spread. The fire raged for 15 hours until it had destroyed nine of the principal state rooms, and severely damaged over 100 more—in all the larger part of the upper ward.

A massive restoration work took place over the next five years and in 1997 was complete. The restoration work is deemed so good that it is difficult to tell it apart from the original surviving elements of the castle.

We were able to go into these parts of the castle and all I can say is that it was Amazing. No photography allowed unfortunately but we went through Queen Mary’s doll house, numerous state rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and grand staircases and massive royal halls.

By far, I felt the most amazing room was St George's Hall. The ceiling is decorated with hundred upon hundred of shields, each bearing the coat of arms of a respective Knight of the Garter. It was really very very captivating. A number of shields are just plain white. These correspond to Knights who have desecrated the honour given to them and this is to remind others of their shame. Wow, heavy betul la.

The last bit of the tour took us past the Chapel. Unfortunately we couldn’t go in since it was a Sunday and preparation was underway for the evening service of which the Queen herself would attend.

Loads more photos on the other 2 SLR’s we brought along.

Really nice day, it was really great to get out of London and into the country and have a nice look about.

The Big Protest

2009-03-24T05:20:00.001+08:00

I mentioned last week that we had the opportunity of shooting a protest that was going on at Piccadilly Circus. Finally got the photos to show you all. (Photos by Ammar)

The protesters

Police presence

Team A getting prepped

The protest took place outside the Japanese Embassy.

An exclusive with the PR person of the event.

Amish was our correspondent of the day.

Team Bravo at work.

Prisana, behind the camera. Awesome photo.

Daniel (Professor Vidal) was present too.

Passionate protester

kG at work.

Ammar.

The debriefing

And it’s back to Lab 2 for the rest of the class! =P

Happy Birthday Mummy! =)

2009-03-17T03:44:00.001+08:00

2009-03-14T18:53:00.001+08:00

I’ve got 4 new awesome albums to enjoy!

Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Viva La Vida by Coldplay

This is Our God by Hillsong

The Best of The Corrs by The Corrs la!

Very pleased indeed with these additions to my growing music collection. Speaking of music, I am back to using my iPod again! I totally refused to use it for quite a while simply because of the absolutely tiresome bundle software that must be used with it – iTunes!
Most of my music is in .WMA and the thing says it will convert but it doesn’t! It lies! Not to mention how absolutely annoying it is when transferring mp3 files too.
But upon loads of research one night, I found an amazing piece of software that does exactly what it should do when you have an iPod!
Floola is an ingeniously created open source software that does 2 simple things: transfers music to your portable; and organizes your music in it. Awesomely user friendly and because of it I am back to carrying the little thing on the tubes, buses and long walks to my new place (darn!) again.

Youtube vdo of the week (or month, or year, really depending on whether I remember to keep posting one up periodically ! ) :

The long overdue update

2009-03-13T06:05:00.001+08:00

Okay, scrap my last statement. Totally no time for that yet. =p

Really losing touch with the blogging thing. Sorta lost heart after returning to London. Miss KL so much still !

Okay, updates!

1.#

I bought a brand new laptop last week. A Dell Studio 15. There was a thousand-and-one issues with the 1st unit I received (hence my mini msg’s Dell Go To Hell !) and I had to ask them for another unit. Thankfully the 2nd one is totally almost perfect and I am extremely pleased with it. Valued at MYR 3.2k, I’d say it’s a pretty decent buy even for those of you hungry for some juice to power apps like 3d max etc.

Thought I would leave some spec details:
Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0 GHz
3 GB Ram
ATi Radeon 4500 graphics (mid range but very decent)
250GB Hdd
Slot loading DVD drive (similar to the Mac’s and my new Savvy CD player =p )
Dual headphones jack! Plug in 2 subs like I did! Same signal strength from each.
HDMi port, 4 USB ports, etc etc

2.#

I still have 6 modules squashed into just 2 days a week of uni. Totally crazy days but I still feel a 4 day straight weekend is too long even with the Cafe.

Oh, and yesterday we had the most awesome practical class ever. There was a protest by the Sri Lankan people in front of the Japanese embassy, which is just next door to Limkokwing, and Daniel (Professor Vidal, though we don’t call him that of course) told us we were going to shoot it! I was super thrilled, more so that it was for a cause that I am so very passionate about (Tamil Eelam!). There was easily about 500 people screaming and shouting on the streets and police were all over the place. And we were like the Media with 2 very very very expensive film cameras in the middle of it all interviewing and shooting al that was going on. I had to also do a bit of translating for the crew with the very very very little Tamil I knew. Lol, yes, I was terrible at it okay!

Awesome day. Unfortunately the pics aren’t with me but will indeed post em up soon along with the edited videos to be put up on Youtube.

3.#

Am proud to say I have inherited my grandma’s and mum’s excellent cooking skills! =p
Really! I have so far produced 3 excellently yummy curries(though once I forgot Salt, once I forgot Chilli's and once I forgot ginger!) and even a nice Italian dish (okay, it was pasta, but I had minced meat in it ok?)

Cooking is really fun, but I need a clean kitchen and thankfully at least 2 of my housemates keep it that way. It is also a good way to keep your spending way low while enjoying great home food!

New season

2009-03-06T00:38:00.001+08:00

This blog is going to undergo a revamp.

I have decided to do a lot more writing and ‘try’ to go commercial with it.
Woah, you say. Haha, just an experiment ‘la’.

Will take a couple of weeks to get started so do check in once in a while!

2009-02-26T10:42:00.001+08:00

Okay, here’s my timetable for this semester @ uni.

Monday          – Classes
Tuesday         – Free aka in ’exile’ at Harrow-on-the-Hill
Wednesday    – Classes
Thursday        - Free
Friday            - Free
Saturday        - Free
Sunday          - Free

That’s 6 major modules squashed and squeezed into just 2 days!
’Insanity’ – only at Limkokwing.

Random shots of the 1st 2 weeks back in 'Landan'

2009-02-21T08:28:00.009+08:00

The usual big Film Premiers with all the big stars we walk pass on the way to dinner after a long day at uni. Yawns...boooring! =p

My brANd new living space! Quite nice I must say. Very comfortable and the space is something I needed very much seeing that I brought tons of stuff with me. Oh, and it's wi-fi ready as well. =)

An omellete I made with online instructions from Shakira.

But most importantly, my very own 1st attempt at Chicken Yummy Curry! And what a success it was! Yahooooo!

Bloopers! MAD 08

2009-02-10T21:04:00.004+08:00

A compilation of stuff shot last year for our Youth Camp promos that'll make your sides ache with laughter!

Produced by: Elliot K, Jo C,

Nice one, people! =p

There and back again.

2009-02-06T22:24:00.002+08:00

So, haven't really done a proper update on my 3 week-and-a-few-days-plus trip back to Kuala Lumpur.

It was so much harder leaving for London this time, knowing what I was coming back to and after having such an AWESOME time!

So, landed at KLIA, parents picked me up, went for a nice 'banana leaf' meal in Taman Desa. Wasn't the best but can't complain, hello! it's 'banana leaf' after months and months of not having that!

The next few days consisted of loads of get togethers with bunches of good old mates from TARC and church and highschool too! Sweet.

We even had time to make a little trip to Genting one late night. Thanks to Song though, half of us took a 'short cut' by heading miles out of the way towards Kuantan before thankfully finding a U-turn back up to the Highlands a couple of hours after the 1st car. Really good time up there and probably one of the more memorable bits of my KL trip. =)

Not so memorable were the countless trips I made to the Acer service centre to get my laptop issues fixed. They did a 'fantastic' job and I had to end up leaving it in KL coz they wern't done by the time I had to fly back to London. So, going to get one here, tomorrow hopefully, if all goes well. Conclusion: Don't buy Acer!

Had a couple of family gatherings too, including one big one at my Uncle's new place in Bukit Jelutong where all the cousins were gathered together in full force for the 1st time ever! Again, very awesome.

All the visiting and meeting with family and friends was really what the whole trip was all about and it was most definently the best part (yes, the food came 2nd!).

Those 3 weeks went by in such a quick rush and I am surprised it's been 1 month to the day I left here for KL!

This blog needs to be revived, it's been quite dead for a bit.

Ppl, please leave your mark! =p

2009-02-05T01:55:00.004+08:00

First time I have laughed in 3 days.

Taken from Jon Woo's blog where he's taken it from someplace too I guess.

Kul - Doh - Lon

2009-02-02T01:10:00.002+08:00

Can't believe that I am once again in London.

Back to the the cold and gloom.

Back to the stress and depression.

Back to the quiet and loneliness.

The 3 weeks of bliss back home seems like only a dream.

I miss KL!!!

Serious things like good mummy-cooked food like chicken curry and kari puffs.

Silly things like my little Savvy with it's now awesomely done up sound system.

But most importantly Friends and Family.

Miss u all.

Transmissions from KL

2009-01-22T02:04:00.001+08:00

Lo's birthday celebration at 2 am in the morning sometime last week.

Dave C and me

Rachel & Razel

Vi Ling & Chris

Wai Yee @ the mamak

Kuala Lumpur: Day 1 and Day 2 !

2009-01-08T03:08:00.005+08:00

I am back! Back where I belong!

Yesterday, flight Q102 landed at KLIA at abt 1.20 pm. Family was there to greet and welcome me home and once I had stowed all my stuff into the Savvy, we went for a 'so so' banana leaf meal. Unfortunately, I could hardly enjoy since I was sick on the flight again (I can't fly, it's a nightmare for me!).

Then it back to the apartment to shower and rest. At night we visited the cousins and it was good.

Okay, so the next day in the morning, I headed of to Subang to hand in the Aspire laptop for repairs. The thing was giving problems for a good 6 months in London! Had breakfast there with Jon before we headed off to TBR!

Will just put up photos of the KL trip, not much time to write up on all that will be happening I think.

Jon @ the new Mamak at TBR.

Kush has grown some hair. On his head.

Some hot chick walking to Agape.

Dinner found us at Talipon just off Pandan Jaya, Cheras for a buffet/barbeque/steamboat.

Chen Lee in her usual all 'excitedish' self. =p

Amanda!

Jovial

us. From left: Chen Lee, me, Rowen , Song.

Food was superb. Basically a meat fest if you, like us, forget to eat the vegetables that were actually plentiful. Jon shot this picture of the 'boat' with my semi pro! Nice one dude.

And that was only after two pints of Chinese tea!!! =p

Bye bye No. 361 Alexandra Avenue

2009-01-05T06:15:00.001+08:00

After about 6 odd months, I am moving out of my nice cheerful little room in the apartment.

It's been a real love hate relationship with this place over my stay in London. Nice cozy room with some home comforts, some not so great roommates, great location, bill problems, and finally being asked to leave all of a sudden!

It was tough, having to pack for my trip back AND my permanent move out. All my stuff are now at my Uncle's place down the road. Hopefully when I come back in February, a suitable room will be waiting for me, yeah.

Anton the awesome flatmate I had. He hails from Sri Lanka.

Good times, bad times, that's life. Now, Here's to KL ! I am coming home !

Enter Post Title Here

2009-01-02T06:05:00.001+08:00

1988 - 2008

20 solid years.

20 years that will go down in history for good and bad.

East & West Germany reunited, The death of the Princess of Wales, The creation of Matchbox 20, The Sri Lankan Tsunami that killed thousands, The election of the first Black President of America.

Just to name a few.

20 solid years.

At the beginning, a child was born in a little town in a tropical country.

We read books, we watch films. Sometimes what we see and hear Inspire us.

What's Inspire?

— ORIGIN Latin inspirare ‘breathe or blow into’.

Inspired is when we feel emotionally different in comparison to the circumstances around us.

We are inspired because we are 'not There yet', but want to be There.

But then, when the moment fades, we turn and look at what our life is really like. And it's Depressing.

20 years.

That's a heck of a lot of time.

Enough time to change the System to make it work for the People and not the politicians. Time to make lasting relationships that hold for a lifetime. Time to read the Bible cover to cover a couple of times. Time enough to learn to be a skilled piano player.

How do we move on? How do we push ourselves to be Better?

It's the 'Ourselves'.

We are the ones holding Us back.

I am the one holding myself back.

From being all I can be.

Coz if I can overcome the biggest obstacle in my path, myself, then, I can overcome anything.

Two thousand and nine.

I had hoped that when I return home I would be a different person.

But no, I'm not. There's no escaping who I am and always will be.

I return the same way as I was.

But perhaps, Inspired to be Better.

2009-01-01T09:24:00.001+08:00

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!
I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

--W. Arthur Ward

Happy new year my peeps & people in London, Cardiff, and back HOME (SE, TARC & Home!)

Luv ya

Christmas in London

2008-12-27T04:54:00.001+08:00

Pretty quiet actually.

No tube service on Christmas Day so spent the day in Harrow.

On Boxing Day I went over to Northwood for lunch with the family.

This is my Uncle's family here in London. All his kids (my cousins), and their kids (my nephews and nieces?)

The gurls in the family. 3 of 4 are technically my nieces! Okay, technically is not the right word. I know, very strange, hmm?

The 2 year old, the youngest in the family and my favorite niece of all !

Tak ada 'mood' la

2008-12-19T01:27:00.001+08:00

Haven't felt like doing much writing for quite a while.

Things have gone semi-crazy with me being forced to move out of my flat 2 weeks before my break! I am surprised I haven't lost it completely.

Oh, London is quiet. Too quiet.

It's Christmas next week???

Post count: 99

2008-12-07T23:49:00.000+08:00

I woke up today to a new me.
Haha, now that's a very cheesy line.

So today i turned 20. Twenty people!!! Boy, I feel soooo old.
Woke up to a couple of surprises.

Firstly, it snowed! Snowed on my birthday! Woohoo!

And second, despite of that, the weather was fantastically good.

Sunrise on the seventh

We decided we will go over to Liverpool St. and take a walk about Brick Lane and then have a lunch somewhere.

Brick Lane, somewhere about East London.

Brick Lane is famous for its Sunday morning markets. Loads of odds and ends and knicketty knacks to buy. And as you can see, lots of sweet stuff too!

Me, Nadeen and kG at Brick Lane.

The church where victims of Jack the Ripper were buried. Cooool !

There's loads to see @ Brick Lane. There was even a huge protest by activists against the fur trade, and a couple of people were arrested and literally dragged off by the police (coz they refused to walk) into the squad car, all right in front of us!

Then it was off to lunch at a small Bangladeshi restaurant just off Liverpool St.

The so called 'spicy' tandoori which was waaaay far from spicy for the Malaysians.

Thanks guys! Was awesome!

2008-12-06T22:04:00.007+08:00

Last December, we brought you:

Now, once again, we bring you another spectacular night!

TARC CF Christmas Night 2008: "Second Chance"

If you are in KL that night, do feel free to go over to KL campus. For more info on how to get there you can contact me or for more 'detailed' details contact Jon, Andy or the rest of the gang!

December celebrations: kG's

2008-12-05T23:18:00.012+08:00

On Wednesday we celebrated birthday number 1 for this month, kG's.

We met up at his place 1st which is in Walthamstow, East London.

We had to take the Victoria line to get his place and let me say this, there are HuGe differences to the 'feel' of each tube line in London.

My line, the Metro, is warm and sunny and feels cheerful. Nice big purple seats and the commuters are well dressed and 'quite' well mannered.

This is the total opposite of the Victoria line where the trains look like they have been through World War II and the passengers look like they have already died and come back as the undead !

This is NOT an exaggeration.

Thankfully we did come out the other end of the Victoria line in one piece.

kG in the kitchen with the cake.

CU of Cake.

After that, we headed into central London to have some pub food. Unfortunately the place was packed so we ended up having kebabs which were very good actually.

Us at the Kebab shop in Holborn.

It's holidays and as holidays get, it's rather boring. Took a walk to Harrow on the Hill today to do some shopping and get a hair cut.

Before and after.
As you can tell, I really needed one!

A Film Review Special: Wall.E

2008-12-03T07:24:00.001+08:00

Never judge a garbage compactor by its rusty appearance.
Didn't expect much from this film, but Disney and Pixar have done once again !

5 out of 5, I gotta say.

An animated film with hardly any dialogue? (Probably the only two words in this feature you will hear are 'Waaaall Eeeee' and 'Eeeeeevaaaa' )
I have to admit I was skeptical at first, but barely minutes into the film and I was won over.

Most original and most imaginative film in the Pixar canon yet? Yes!

A Sci-Fi movie with a good dose of romance? Who knew!
Yet this film has captured the heart and soul of romance, reminding you of some of the best silent films ever made.

Coupled with stunning visuals and an amazing soundtrack, you've every reason to get hold of the DVD !

It's the holidays! Bring out the surf boards!

2008-11-29T23:51:00.001+08:00

The semester has flown by and beginning today, school is officially closed for the winter! That means a 2 month break, the 1st bit being in gloomy London and the 2nd half in sunny Kuala Lumpur !

Still nice and busy with the Short about to go into post production and extra hours at the cafe. Eric is in London a couple of times a week nowadays so Zone 5 ain't as boring as it usually gets.

At home it's pretty quiet as loads of people ain't around. One guy is in Sri Lanka, another holidaying in France and another in a jail somewhere in South England (oops, my bad).

Will upload loads of photos of our short break here once I get a good Internet connection.

Cheerio!

An oyster card, an arrest, and a possible deportation?

2008-11-28T04:30:00.002+08:00

This whole week turned into a complete mess from Tuesday. Mountains of assignments came pouring in due to miss communication and unexplained phenomenons occurring at the London campus. We tried doing a study group together over the weekend but as study groups tend to go, very little work was done.

Tuesday came along with a letter addressed to me from the police stating that my oyster card had been used by someone other than me. A housemate went missing about the same time and we put 2 and 2 together and guessed an arrest had been made. It's Thursday night and no word has been heard from him at all (maybe he's been deported we think) and investigations into my card fraud case is ongoing. Thankfully I don't need it much for a couple of weeks if not I would be clocking up pounds like crazy.

We shot Scene 2 of Episode 3 but little heart was in it this week with a lot of stuff going bad for everyone.

Thank you London.

Just one of those days

2008-11-22T03:13:00.003+08:00

It's a Friday night. One week till the university closes for winter and loads of us (naturally), are busy rushing last minute projects and assignments.

Surprisingly, in the middle of that night, we were able to come up with this short video, which was initially supposed to be rather informational but turned out to be utter 'entertaining' rubbish (you have to see it till the end!)

Good fun guys! ;)

When I am upset,

2008-11-20T05:20:00.007+08:00

I clean!

Totally cleaned the whole room today.

Moved every bit of furniture, stacks of papers, guitar case, stuff and everything else out, then wiped everthing with a damp cloth (excluding the floor la) then vacummed the whole place up! =p

Then brought everything back in again and did some redecorating, basically placing the coffee table in another part of the room and placing the sub in another corner. That made a monumental difference and now Roxette and Rascal Flatts play even sweeter!

Felt a whole lot better after all that and am looking forward to tomorrow. Busy day, we are shooting Scene 4 of the Short!

And Christmas Night is coming up! Man, wish I was with you people! I loved every bit of last years event, all the prep, all the rehearsals (and all the drama!).

I still have one of our massive promo posters from last year completely covering one side of my wall back in KL (Well, it was there when I left la, hopefully my sister, in her triumph of conquering my lovely room hasn't burnt it or something!). Seeing this vid very nearly made me cry (nearly la, okay?), upon seeing your familiar faces again. =)

The promo vdo for Christmas Night '08

Ricky, stop lying, you're still an addict! =p

Love the concept, love the event and love you people! Can't wait to see you all next year!

Day 1 - Rolling, 3 2 1, Action!

2008-11-14T15:19:00.015+08:00

Yesterday was unimaginably hectic. Day 1 of shooting of Episode3 - The Episode with No Name commenced.

And the day could not have started off worse. A lead actor backing out of the film, our location & set, although booked prior to the shooting, was still being used by staff and student, making it impossible to shoot a few seconds without some unwanted person dashing in or out of the scene, an incomplete shot list and an inept sound person.

All this forced us to postpone shooting a couple of hours and go to work on some of the areas we could fix. KC was recruited as my assistant producer to help out on set while my producer took to playing the part of the lead actor that backed out earlier. Migi and me got to work on the shot list, which is probably the most vital piece of paper during the shoot. Thank God our lead actress was such a star and was so patient throughout all of these major setbacks and delays.

5.30 pm came and we started shooting from the top. With a proper shot list and proper blocking of actors and camera, things went great, No, not great, amazingly great! and we were a very very happy bunch of people when we finished at 9 pm! Phew, 3 and a half hours of shooting for a 1 minute scene! We had absolutely NO idea how difficult this task would be like till last night.

We were so tired out that a bunch of us just crashed at uni. Haven't been able to sleep a wink though, hence this late night blog post.

The few shots I was able to snap in between all the running around.

Nadine working on Minna's makeup.

KG calibrating the Canon XL H1. Awesome to have actual industry equipment!

Migi-man working on some of the effects equipment. Okay, I know, we're on a tight budget okay?!

Awesome job guys! Next week let's do it better! Thank you Daniel, & Thank you Minna!

And our publicity website has been launched! Check out cast and crew photos and day by day updates as shooting progresses!

Visit http://www.106piccadilly.blogspot.com/ !

I Heart the iMac

2008-11-12T21:26:00.004+08:00

Sitting in front of a PC and an iMac.

The power, the power! - "Gigabyte from the episode Gigabyte"

2008-11-12T02:57:00.001+08:00

We live in a superficial world with superficial people in it.

And sometimes, it's really depressing.

Note to self...

2008-11-10T23:05:00.003+08:00

Note to self, dead guys have way much more to offer.

In comparison:

Tunku Abdul Rahman - Dead guy, pretty decent college
Limkokwing - Living idiot, lousy instituition

**Probably have to get rid of this post soon, seeing that they can fire or kick out who the heck they want!**

2008-11-09T21:34:00.001+08:00

Our flat had no water supply for 3 days! That means no water to drink, no showers and and worst of all not being able to use the toilets for 72 hours!!!

The 1st day, my flatmate and I dragged pails of water from a relative's home nearby up the staircase to fill the bath tub. Don't really know why we did that, rather pointless.

I decided to evacuate for those days and 'tumpanged' at a relative's house for the 1st night then at a friend's in central London for the next couple of days.

Anyway, yesterday the water came back on and now life is back to normal.
At uni, life is getting rather hectic as the term comes to an end. A film to shoot, presentations to er..present, an event to organize. Busy, busy, busy

Totally awesome design work by Amar.

Looks pretty big, yes? Less than a month away yet the other departments involved are moving at a snail's pace. It will be a big surprise if this takes off without a hitch.

Time After Time - M'box 20

2008-11-06T17:37:00.001+08:00

By far, the best rendition of this beautiful song to date !

Victory!!!

2008-11-05T17:02:00.006+08:00

'All things are possible!'

Halloween @ LOOP

2008-11-02T06:19:00.002+08:00

All photos taken with a Nikon D40 and the awesome Caplio GX. Photos touched up by Shoban.

First October snow for London in over 70 years ! and other stories.

2008-10-30T07:27:00.001+08:00

Yep, you read it right. Snow fell last night as temperatures dropped to a whopping 0 degrees.

Was really cool to see snow fall so unexpectedly. Wasn't much, maximum an inch high in certain places and by morning most had melted away.

It was a bright sunny day today but chilly Arctic winds made this one of the coldest days ever. Usually Wednesdays I get to stay home but today we had casting for my film at Uni so I was forced to brave the weather and make my way into Central London.

Casting - - Day 1

Truly really awesome session! Today we had actors from 2 prestigious drama and acting schools in London.

Minna. She's from The Central School of Speech of Drama. She performed brilliantly and we were really pleased.

Avneesh having a blast filming the auditions.

Refreshments for the actors. The least we could do for these awesome guys who braved the weather to come see us.

Harshini and Migs looking super professional with laptops out & ready.

Josh from Warwick University. He came all dressed up for the part !

Migs couldn't contain himself and did a spot of acting himself !

Huge thanks to all of you who came today. Had a blast.

Ice Age

2008-10-29T03:19:00.001+08:00

Tonight's outside temperature is 2 degrees Celsius ! Phew...forget Youth Church, I'm going home ! Haha, only because I didn't bring enough layers for this type of weather, don't wanna get a chill during this season.

Internet still isn't back up yet, getting a bit impatient with my landlord.

Tomorrow for the film, we are having a casting session with a bunch of actors from acting schools all over London ! We posted an advert on GumTree.com for student actors and the response was truly really awesome.

Not going out tonight for anything, just gonna stay snug up in my room, heaters up max!

An evolution video - From girl model to billboard. Pretty cool but makes you go, 'Oh, man!'

Back to the Future

2008-10-26T04:50:00.001+08:00

Again, I am stuck with no Internet at home. That's made this week a lot more difficult and I've been spending a lot of time in the cafe at uni using the wi-fi.

So, the top stories. Yesterday the UK officially went into economic recession as share prices plummeted and the pound fell to an all time 5 year low. Serious stuff indeed.

At uni, the shooting of my film has been postponed due to crew problems and will most likely be shot in about 3 weeks time.

And yesterday we had the Princess of Saudi Arabia herself at the university for some sort of political visit. But as a friend of mine pointed out, she may not be 'the' Princess of Saudi Arabia seeing that the guy probably has about 20 to 30 wives. Haha, okay, maybe a slight exaggeration.

Oh, and tonight (Sunday morning), we have to turn our watches back one hour as Daylight Savings officially ends. It gets dark at about 6 pm everyday nowadays.

Gloom & Doom

2008-10-21T01:22:00.001+08:00

It's been really overcast weather the last couple of days. Wind is chilly and it's been raining most of the time. Makes you want to stay snug up at home. Unfortunately for me that's not the case. Had a couple of errands to run this morning and tomorrow I've got classes.

On another dull note, the papers have been spelling doom for the UK with nearly 1 million people currently unemployed, the worst area being London.

Great, I am 1 in a million.

Micro-blogging?

2008-10-19T22:16:00.001+08:00

A rather interesting concept, I may actually start doing this as the weeks get busier and busier. I have trouble writing when I don't have pictures to go with my posts you see, so maybe just short updates here and there may work out.

So, updates! Uni life is going great. Beginning next week we will be shooting the first episode of 106 Piccadilly, my episode! So yea, it's gonna be a real busy week I am sure.

I had no Internet connection for about 3 days (Landlord didn't pay his bill, what the heck?) and it was hours at the computer labs at uni, researching for assignments and trying to get the web messenger programs to run on them! Felt so disconnected from the world (and you guys too!) without Internet on my laptop in my lil' room.

Still job hunting. But things look hopeful as Christmas is drawing near and everywhere temporary staff are wanted. Probably won't try for F&B again, but maybe something really customer service oriented this time perhaps.

Feeling rather hungry right now. Housemates are cooking up a storm in the kitchen. I smell mutton curry!

4 Days of Awesomeness!

2008-10-12T06:09:00.001+08:00

I am so blessed! Yesterday till Saturday there was this event held in London that I really wanted to go for. Registration began months ago but I never signed up because I knew I simply wouldn't be free to attend. University and work.

But amazing things happened beginning as early as last week. As you know, I got fired. Haha, okay, that's not amazing if it's just left like that. But my weekend was suddenly clear. Then a few days later, my lecturer told me he's flying of to Finland for the week and there would be no classes this week! Haha, this never happens, trust me. So now I had four days clear and free !

So I took all this as a 'Sign' and headed off for:

(Drum roll please!)

The Hillsong Conference 2008! The whole of Europe down in East London for 4 whole days! Phew.

And I had the awesomest people to go to it with !

Yep.

We figure we're the only people representing Malaysia! Bex, Jiaps and Me.

The 1st night kicked off with a blast with an awesome performance by Grammy award winners Israel Houghton and New Breed. No shots sadly as I didn't calibrate my camera properly at that time.

Praise and Worship with Hillsong London.

Brian Houston speaking at the conference. Brian & Bobbie preached their heart out along with guest speakers Joseph Prince and Casey Treat.

The Night Rally's featured special performances, and the second Night we had another pair of Grammy winners, gospel duo Mary Mary.

The event was held at The Excel in London. The place is really isolated and what food that is offered their is freaking expensive. So we did the smart thing and decided to buy stuff to prepare or cook.

We went through all this in just 2 days!

Rebecca

Jiaps and her Bagel.

A can of baked beans. Yum.

Joseph Prince.

There was loads of Praise and Worship throughout the conference.

Reuben

Joel with Hillsong London. A couple of their new tracks are brilliant.

I can't put down the right words to express the phenomenon that was the Hillsong Conference Europe 2008. It's an event I will never forget, that's for sure.

And it goes into production!

2008-10-08T07:51:00.001+08:00

My screenplay went through a screening process today and not only did it get selected for production & filming, but it came out No.1 among all the other entries. God is good!

My assigned genre was a farcical take on fantasy. It's a short film (5 minutes only) but even so, it was difficult to come up with something which required an exposition, development, complication, climax, and resolution with each under a minute! Phew.

This means though that pre production for my episode begins next week, and with all the other assignments piling in one after another, it's gonna be real tough to keep production on track.

After class I made my way to Knightsbridge for STUDENTS. Had a great time. We're currently studying the book of Romans.

Also, next week we're having:

If you’re interested in exploring the big questions, and you're a student in London, then come check out the Central London Student Alpha course taking place right in the heart of the City at Sugar Reef (just off Piccadilly Circus guys!).

It all kicks off with a LAUNCH PARTY at Sugar Reef on Monday 13th October with a short talk, live music, entertainment and a DJ.

Doors open at 7pm. Free food served at 7pm.

If you are interested feel free to text or email me about it !

Getting fired has its perks

2008-10-06T08:26:00.001+08:00

Yes, you read it right. I no longer work at the nice little French cafe at Piccadilly Circus. Suffice to say it wasn't my fault and yet it may seem that life dealt me an unfair hand. That's what I felt for a couple of hours after the incident. I was chatting and relating the whole story to Sharon and Vivian later on. To sum up what they told me is that I should take this as a sign that I am probably meant for bigger and better things. Haha, I knew that was what the tiny voice in my head was trying to tell me, but sometimes in these situations it's so hard to believe and say, 'Yes, that's it, there's something better in store for me!' and simply close that awkward chapter in your life and move on. It takes guts. Guts and a lot of faith.

So anyway, the perks of unemployment. Firstly, I could really sleep! And I mean really really sleep! Woke up Saturday morning with a good 11 hours worth of sleep and it felt great after 3 weeks of an average of 6 hours sleep per day.

Secondly, I was able to spend more time on the huge amount of work we have for uni. I'm busy producing a film poster and at the same time, finishing up a screenplay for my very own comedy series. Hopefully if all goes well you'll here much more about that soon!

Thirdly, I had loads of time to myself over the weekend (after assignments of course) and I was able to do a couple of things. Friday night was a guys night out, and a bunch of us from uni went for a little trip around central London. It was great aside from the weather that was simply horrible. Freeeezing.

The guys @ Trafalgar Square. KC's not in the shot as he took the picture.

We had dinner at this place in Chinatown. Authentic Chinese food? No guys, this wasn't at all like decent Chinese food at all. Quite a rip off actually.

The Odeon Theatre of Leicester Square. This is the cinema where all the big premieres are held and Hollywood superstars often grace this place.

Then on Sat & Sun I went out for the filming sessions for the American short film over the weekend. A couple of us are helping out the Americans from Syracuse University as cast and crew in their making of an American comedy shot entirely in London. They're great fun and it's a blast working with them.

Us filming a scene on the Underground. We had a tough time with the authorities even though we had all the proper permits.

The Room mate scene that was filmed on Sunday evening.

On another note (ding!), got a couple of interviews set for next week already. One at a superstore and another (if all goes well), is at a PC shop. God is good!

Me miss mamak!

2008-10-04T18:38:00.001+08:00

People, Friends and Family in KL,

Do appreciate you local (and many times not local, since we travel to the corners of the earth to find decent ones!) Mamak shops. Once you get to a place like London, you won't find anything to match such a place.

Mamaks are awesome, a place to find a snack or a meal, a place to hang out, a place to just have a good time. I remember in college days we traveled far and wide for food and many a time we ended up at a mamak. Setapak (okay, that's not so far!), OUG (yea that was far for the TBR guys!), Subang (further) and even up to Damansara sometimes.

Photos of one of my last mamak sessions in Danau Kota.

The awesome and greatly to be praised, Teh Tarik!

Amanda

A very common early morning mamak look. Jon & Kush

Edwin with the Exploding Bread (Roti Bom)

Loren, get your Internet connection!

And you get free CDs too!

Haha, just kidding!

Late for class

2008-10-03T23:10:00.002+08:00

Avneesh, Jack, KC and me went out for lunch but got held up on the way back to class because of this ridiculous bus that held up the whole road from Piccadilly Circus right up to Green Park! Haha, we shot this as proof to show Daniel, our lecturer who is very strict on rules about being on time.

When we came in:

Daniel: 'You're all late'

Jack: ' There was a big bus accident'

Shoban: ' Yea'

Avneesh: ' It's true'

Daniel: ' Were any of you injured?'

Shoban: ' Err..nope'

Daniel: 'Then you shouldn't have been late'

Haha, but we showed him this shot later. He thought we photoshoped it though. Man.

A day of 'nothingness'

2008-09-29T08:19:00.001+08:00

It's so great to have a day off after 3 weeks straight of either the cafe or uni everyday! Phew.

So I actually managed to sleep more than 8 hours today, 10 to be exact. Woke up, did some finishing touches to my London Fiction research report, went to church at 5, came back and just relaxed for the remainder of the evening.

And I thought I would do some catching up on:

Season 1 is an absolute blast. A spy show + comic timing + drama + that X factor sorta emotional complexity thingy that I can't really explain = an absolutely AWESOME package!

Midnight @ The Thames

2008-09-23T08:47:00.001+08:00

The group that came down today. Bex, Raani and gang.

I waited for the double decker to pass by! Knew I would get this awesome effect.

Took them to the typical places, I met up with them at Piccadilly Circus after closing up the cafe.

This picture has an interesting story. I was waiting for a clear shot of the river, without any ships or obstructions, so once I had a clear angle, I snapped a shot from the bridge. But look! There's a ship in this frame that wasn't there in real life at all. 2 seconds after I shot and discovered this, we looked across the river. Not a ship like this in sight. We looked back on the other side of the bridge too, and it was simply not there at all. Really spooky. Really really spooky!

2008-09-18T03:26:00.000+08:00

Finally, something bigger and better to shift the air in my room. Not as good as back home, but it's something. A bargain too!

Dear mummy & daddy,

2008-09-16T06:01:00.001+08:00

Happy Anniversary! Have a great day.

Lots of love,

It's big when TBR comes to London

2008-09-15T07:26:00.001+08:00

Had an awesome weekend when Gavin, Ting Ting and friends came down on Friday for a weekend in London. It was such a busy three days, what with the Pantomime project at Uni, taking the guys around the sights, and work too.

Gavin and Ting Ting at my place. We had a good breakfast and a long chat about the horrible turn of events in KL, before heading out early on Saturday to do some 'touristy' things.

Gavin working out the complex tube routes in London.

1st stop, Wembley International Stadium.

Stadium gates are usually open to the public, but this time they were shut due to clean up after Madonna's concert here the night before.

After Wembley, we headed into the city centre. The weather was good to us and I took them to Green Park, where we all had an awesome picnic style lunch.

Walkers Salt & Vinegar. My favorite since I can remember. You ain't had a real crisp till you've had one of these!

Then I left the whole bunch of them to do some touring by themselves while I headed of for a 7-hour-shift at the cafe.

My new workplace! , Brioche Doree. It's a French 'starbucks' style cafe. There are pretty big in Europe with 300 outlets and growing. This one, is right smack in Piccadilly Circus. The people here are awesome (French, Hungarians, and now an Indian!) and I love working here especially when I get to play with the coffee maker, making cappuccinos, espressos, mochas and the rest of it.

After work, I met up with Gavin and friends to check out the London night scene.

Piccadilly Circus with the huge brightly lighted displays and billboards.

Ben Besar.

It was really tough to capture the beauty of the Thames at night. It was breathtaking, and this picture doesn't do it justice.

The London Eye. It was nearly midnight, but there were huge crowds all over the place, everyone taking in the sight and sounds London had to offer on a clear night.

Yup, it's big alright.

That, was Saturday night. On Sunday morning we decided to meet at Victoria Station for a last meal together before sending Ting Ting off. But due to poor communication and the fact that we decided to meet at Burger King and that there were actually 2 Burger King's in the station (we were unaware of this) and Gavin and me were at one, and Ting Ting at another, we never met her, and we parted without proper goodbyes.

My version of Milo Ais that I concocted at Victoria.

So it was just Gavin and me and his friends having a quick breakfast at McDs before I left them and headed of to church for the 1130 service. Nicky Gumble was speaking today, and it was a great service at HTB.

Then it was back to the cafe for work all the way to 9pm, then back down the 2 tube lines to Home.

Man, I'm tired out.

Doing the tourist thing. pt 2

2008-09-12T05:09:00.001+08:00

Just some shots taken today when I showed Sethu the sights. He came down from Hatfield with Eric and we met up at Piccadilly Circus.

A real postcard type shot!

Sethu doing the tourist thing.

Big Ben, shot from Westminster Bridge.

The London Eye. Well, a quarter of it. Really fascinated with the perspective I got with this shot.

More of Big Ben from across the Thames.

The London Eye again. It's really cool, it has oval capsule like carriages that are completely glassed up and offer an amazing 360 degree view of central London.

He may be blue, but he plays the classical guitar amazingly well!

Ah, this is just my size.

Really Headless Nick.

The way Home.

Doing the tourist thing

2008-09-09T02:17:00.002+08:00

The weekend was absolutely exhausting. 16 hours of really hard work that ain't half worth it. Thank God this is a temporary thing. And it's great to have a day off on Monday too! No uni or work to go to. I could have slept in today, really needed the rest, but I figured why waste the rare good weather? Today's forecast was sunny sun sun! That's rare nowadays, most of the time it's just heavy rain all across England and that has already claimed the lives of 8 people over the weekend.

And now since I have my student oyster travelcard, I just pay about 30 pounds for unlimited travel within a week. So without the need to worry about the extra expenditure, I decided to do a bit of proper sightseeing. Last week's Buckingham Palace thing doesn't count, seeing that all I did was just cross the road from Limkokwing.

So...here we go! Our tale begins in a real special part of London...

My kitchen! Well, I said start didn't I? My 2nd favourite room in my apartment (1st is my room duh!). We hang out here, eat breakfast here and do an occasional BBQ whenever we have people around.

Okay, then out the back door, and onto the streets!

My apartment building in Middlesex. Perwell Court. Mine's the top most, 361 b. Drop by if you ever come round here!

Now we really get onto the streets, 1st bit of the journey is to walk to the tube station about 5 minutes away from the flat.

The Tesco's just opposite my place. I buy everything from here, from milk to salt & vinegar crisps.

I feel like investing in a bicycle. It would be so easy to travel round my Borough with it. My area is pretty posh too, with cycling tracks and stuff.

KFC meals here aren't as great as KL's. For one thing, you don't get potato whip or coleslaw or chili sauce! And the chicken just doesn't taste succulent and juicy at all.

Subway. Never tried them here in London before.

Okay, fast forward a little bit before we get side-tracked from the actual tourist thingy part of this blog post.

So I was on the way down to south of the River, when I suddenly passed through a tube station there that forced me to jump off.

Waterloo Station. Ring a bell? This is the very same station, the very same spot! where they shot one of the opening sequences of the Bourne Ultimatum, one of my favorites film scenes of all time!

I watched that scene over and over again on DVD last year, awesome stuff!

Once my excitement had subsided along with the Jason Bourne theme soundtrack playing from my Ipod (the battery died, always happens at the wrong moment!), I continued with my journey for the real, real, real part of the sight-seeing trip.

First actual stop:

I alighted here, my first time south of the River Thames.

The Thames.

After walking from there for about 15 minutes, I reached my first London landmark.

Tower Bridge. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London. Love the water reflection and the sky tone in this shot, haha!

Me at the Bridge.

Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream, which honestly, in my opinion, isn't much to look at.

The Tower Bridge is undergoing a facelift (costing 4 mil pounds!) that will take four years to complete. There are restoring it to it's original colour of blue and white. You can see this clearly in the picture above.

Once I had photographed enough of this building, I made my way to the 2nd London landmark of the day.

The Tower of London. The Tower is back on the other side of the Thames, so you have to take the train across (it's complicated, you have to change twice), unless you want to swim.

The Tower of London. I didn't shoot this, but it shows clearly exactly where it's situated and how grand it is.

The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison. It's currently the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

The entrance fee was pretty steep, so I just took some shots from the outside, A shame, I was looking forward to going in.

A couple of Robin Hood impersonators along the outer wall of the Tower.

Me at the Tower.

The Traitor's Gate of the Tower.

After having a bit of lunch at the docks overlooking the river, I took the tube over to Charing Cross, then walked over to Trafalgar Square, the 3rd and final landmark of the day.

Trafalgar Square. With its position in the heart of London, it is a popular tourist attraction.

The Nelson Column in the centre of the square.

One of the four lions guarding Nelson's Column.

Other folks doing the tourist thing.

After looking around for a bit, I made my way back North, back home. Had a great time looking around London. There's plenty more to see of course, and I will post up loads more pictures and stuff as I make my way through London over the next couple of months!

Gosh, that was a long post.

Got milk?

2008-09-05T21:31:00.001+08:00

It's raining cats and dogs outside. Just got back in from uni, out from the cold, then only realised that I forgot to buy milk at Tesco's on the way back. I really need my cup of tea!

Today I had my second class of the week, the Universal Project class. We are doing a pantomime on Cinderella. The show involves the entire University and my faculty (Cre8tive Multimedia & Broadcasting), is fully involved from start to end. Sounds great and I foresee that it's going to be a heck of a lot of work but really enjoyable at the same time! Classes here are really interesting and different from my KL college work. Here, almost everything is project-based work.

I figure I am the only one doing the BA in Digital Film & TV here. Haha, that doesn't mean I am sitting in classes by myself. All the modules (subjects, basically) are attended by everyone who takes them in their respective degree programs. So I am mainly with the people taking the Professional Communication (the one I very nearly did, and am glad I didn't) and Broadcast & Journalism courses.

Great, the rain has stopped, I'm off to the shops!

**And in my hurry to get milk, I locked myself out of the house!**

University life kicks off and other stories

2008-09-03T01:40:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was my first day of my academic semester in London. And as usual the first week is full of orientation programs. Took me around 45 minutes to reach college. It was my first time traveling at rush hour, trains are really really packed.

My academic life will take place at this building for the next year and a half: The Limkokwing Academy of London.

Really, it's going to take me quite a while to get used to the size of this place. It's tiny! Well, compared to TAR College which was acres and acres of buildings, car parks, trees and much more, where I spent my previous 2 years. Of course, TAR had 20'000 students. Limkokwing I figure has maybe 100 to 200 or so. 106 Piccadilly is a 4 storey building overlooking the famous Green Park.

The really green Green Park. It's massive and really beautiful, this picture I took just doesn't do it justice.

The cafeteria in the basement.

Vending machines, people! Just realised we never had these in TAR.

Orientation and registration took up most part of the day. Once it was all over and done with, I crossed the road from the academy to visit William and Harry and their grandma's home.

The Buckingham Palace.

The very intimidating main gates of the Palace.

Very majestic statues cover the courtyard expanse in front of the Palace.

The royal coat of arms.

The iconic furry headgear of the royal guards at Buckingham Palace

Stone ornament in front of Palace gates. Captured with my Caplio GX! Jon, what do you think? Haha!

There's plenty to shoot at the Palace, even though you may never get a chance to step past those wrought iron gates!

Life in the rat race

2008-09-01T16:14:00.003+08:00

Forgot what time the Orientation programme for my uni was supposed to begin. I am a couple of hours ealy, so right now am in the computer lab on campus, killing an hour or so. Figured I'd update you guys on my new but hopefully really short term job. I'll explain why short term.

So I started work over the weekend. I got a job at an Indian takeaway shop called Sambal Express.It's just a 5 minute bus ride from my place so travel is easy.
I work 16 hours there, 8 on Saturday and 8 the next day.

My jobs over those 2 days were basically running from the kitchen to the house counter, refilling curries and other Indian foods that ran out as the day went on. And they run out quick! In KL, we all love our Indian food, and in London the people here have the same love (or probably even more, i think) than we do for the yummy hot and spicy stuff. Hardly 4 hours into the shift my feet were killing me eventhough I took Rowen's advice and bought more expensive but supposedly more comfortable shoes.

Then I also had to whip up different types of chutneys and sambals to go with the different types of rice we sell. That was pretty easy but you have to get the consistency of the mixture right, and that can be a bit tricky. Then there's the cleaning which is really a lot of work. But the part where you exert most energy is when delivery comes in from the warehouse. You have to work quick and restock as quickly as possible in a kitchen which I think is a tad too small for this setup. In my 1st 8 hour shift, the delivery van came back 3 times, with curries and stuff that was running out so quickly!

By 12 am, the end of my 1st shift, I was totally tired out. It would have been worth it if the pay was good, but it ain't. It's way below minimum wage in this country which is £5.85 an hour. It's so bad that it's literally slavery I tell you. So this is definently temporary till I find something better this month.

I will, won't I?

i Spy

2008-08-27T21:51:00.001+08:00

Crossed the main road that's just off my flat earlier today, and guess what I saw?

A Proton!

A Savvy! Haha!

A very very rare sight on UK roads indeed.

Beijing Olympics: Faking scandal over girl who 'sang' in opening ceremony

2008-08-24T06:07:00.001+08:00

Chinese officials have admitted deceiving the public over another highlight of the Olympic opening ceremony: the picture-perfect schoolgirl who sang as the Chinese flag entered the stadium was performing to another girl's voice.

Olympic organizers refused to let a seven-year-old sing at the opening ceremony because she was too chubby, it has been revealed.

Lin Miako, the little girl who stole the show on Friday, did not actually sing a note and was miming throughout.

Instead, the voice heard by millions around the world was that of seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was ditched from the ceremony because of her chubby face and uneven teeth.

Chen Qigang, the general music designer of the ceremony, said: 'The reason why little Yang was not chosen to appear was because we wanted to project the right image, we were thinking about what was best for the nation.

'The reason was for the national interest. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression.

'Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects. But in terms of voice, Yang Peiyi is perfect, each member of our team agreed.'

This is the most disgusting act I have heard of in a long time. I am shocked that organizers of an event that should be promoting the spirit of love and unity actually can even think of doing such a thing.

"The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression" ???
Yea, she wasn't that flawless was she, she couldn't sing a note! Nothing against the girl, China's organizers should be blamed.

A shocking story, a black mark on what seemed to be a spectacular and moving event.

High-fidelity!

2008-08-22T03:33:00.001+08:00

Back in KL I had a decent sound system for my computer and my CD system. A 2.1 speaker system coupled to a 20 year old 25 watt Sony hi-fi system. Superb sound. Crisp and clear, just the way I like it.

Unfortunately, upon moving to the UK, I just couldn't fit all those hi-fi separates into my suitcase. In the end I have resorted to using a really cheap (no offense yea Shaun!) headset I got as a gift the day I flew off, to make sure I use my Skype application.

I am a total audiophile, been one ever since I can remember, and being in London without being able to listen to music the way it should be, is complete torture.

So the 1st 'luxury' I shall buy when I get a job and have a bit extra to spend is to get at least a decent set of speakers for my laptop.

Anyway, though I would try my hand at a little article writing. Here's my recommendation of a great component system for you guys thinking of building your own system for all those awesome CDs or vinyl's you have. Mind you, although I am focusing on a decent budget system, this is still gonna be expensive! Haha, worth the money though if you have a lifetime worth of music.

Okay, first of all: Amplifier

The core component of any hi-fi system is the amplifier. It drives your speakers, giving you the perfect balance of highs and lows.

I recommend the:

Cambridge Audio Azur 540A

Cambridge have been dealing with hi-fi equipment for years. My dad has a Cambridge amp himself, and I can tell you from personal experience that they are brilliant. They sound great with anything from rock to country to classical.

Read the review from WHAT HI FI here.

Cost: 250 pounds. That's about RM1500.

Secondly: Speakers

These are the babies that will actually do the physical shifting of the air around you. Always, always select with care, as the final outcome of the mix depends heavily on them.

I recommend the:

Mission m31i

Another strong player in the market, Mission have been producing speakers for years. The m31i will give you a great sound, with ample bass without coming over too strong.

Cost: 140 pounds.

We'll just concentrate single input system, a CD system alright.

So, CD Player

Here, I honestly find little difference in music quality between different brands. However as you go up the price range, you will hear a clear difference in tone quality. Thus it is always good to get a decent mid ranged priced one, and this will also make sure components don't overheat or spoil over time, automatically impairing the sound.

I recommend the:

Sony CDP-XE370

No personal experience with this model, but Sony players very rarely fail to disappoint.

Cost: 100 pounds.

And finally, Cables

This is an item that many overlook. Although the cheapest component in the whole system, they play a vital role, delivering audio signals to every component in the system. I have listened to great systems with cheap wiring and great systems along with a decent investment in wiring. And I can tell you, the difference is BIG.

Local markets offer many different brands. If your in KL, I say go with Sommer Cables. And it wouldn't hurt to go for gold connectors (No, it's not for show, the expensive ones do make a difference as they are better conductors)

Cost varies depending on length and the quality of the wire you select.

This review was created out of love, passion and also because I had nothing else better to do this evening. =). However please do leave a comment or two regarding the writing style of this article, as I have a future project in mind and would love your input! Thanks very much.

Way to go, Malaysia

2008-08-19T22:28:00.001+08:00

The Malaysian government has canceled the upcoming Avril concert that was to be held at Stadium Merdeka about a week from today.

"The Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry said it was unsuitable for Malaysian culture and could not be held on August 29, two days ahead of the country's independence day."

Is it that big a deal, 2 days before independence? I doubt anyone's gonna go gothic and paint our flag with black stripes or something...Ridiculous statement. Our country is turning 51 years old. By now, I believe we shouldn't be as backward thinking as that. This is just some lame excuse by some fools really.

I'm not a huge fan of her, but it's such a shame when this sort of narrow mindedness stops creative expression. Makes me mad.

2008-08-19T06:13:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Raani's continuous bugging me over the past few months, I have finally signed up for:

I know, don't say it. You've all probably had it for years.

The view from my bedroom window

2008-08-17T19:29:00.001+08:00

It was as though I lost a limb

2008-08-16T07:41:00.001+08:00

My Internet connection was disrupted for 48 hours. And man...it was the worst 48 hours of my life in London so far. Although when it's on for most of the day I do nothing much with it, but the knowing that it's there, alive, a touch of a button away, pulsating with....zeroes and ones, is an unconscious security.

So glad it's up and running now

My arm is complete again!

So what's in your iPod?

2008-08-13T06:37:00.001+08:00

My sis lent me her iPod for me to use while here in London. So once I got it charged up, I was busy loading it with tons of tunes for my long trips on the tube, job hunting and all that stuff.

But then I realised you can put much more than music into your iPod. Of course, you are supposed to put music in it , but there are other more 'useful' stuff you can load into them.

Podcasts are digital files (mp3's) which you can download free from hundreds of sites online. They can cover endless topics from Harry Potter book discussions right up to gardening.

So you just browse about for a bit, find a podcast topic you like and hit download. Simple and really a good and informational way to pass time.

Anyway, I will be placing links to podcasts I find useful so you guys can download them too if you think the topic interests you. =) If you see the headphones graphic below, you'll know it's a podcast post.

So, Podcast #1

This is from one of my favourite sites, Geniustypes.com

Career Strategies for Creative Types

1. The Starving Artist
2. Artist with Responsibilities

A very insightful one from Brian Lee, a filmmaker by trade, who explains what kind of career options you can take so you can focus more of your time and energy on your creative passion. This podcast will appeal more to those fresh out of high school or college.

Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus. A lot of "yeuseus."

2008-08-11T05:06:00.001+08:00

It's been a busy week for me, lots of job hunting all over the place with no positive results yet. Can't say I am not worried, but I am sure something will come up soon. =)

I get back late and usually I am too tired to do anything but just eat and brush my teeth.

However, there are the occasional late night movies on my 'heaven sent' laptop.

Last night, I watched this:

It's really interesting to watch these stuff when you are (ahem) an adult after seeing it years ago when you were a lil' sprite. You really appreciate the way Disney movies are made in such a way that they really are suitable for all ages. The complexities aren't in the story's plot, (which of course can't really be that complex as the films are after all mainly for the kids) but rather in the subtleties of the characters dialogues (the script).

I shall draw some examples from the above movie, okay? It's best if you can recall how the scene goes, but if you can't, this still makes an interesting and entertaining read anyway.

Burnt Man: Hey, isn't that the goat-man who trained Achilles?
Phil: Watch it, pal.
Tall Thebian: Yeah, you're right. Hey, uh, nice job on those heels. Ya missed a spot.
Phil: You... I got your heel right here.
[Phil head-butts the Tall Thebian]

Referring to Achilles' heel !

Pain, Panic: [disguised as kids trapped in a rockslide] " Somebody call IX-I-I "

911, get it? Haha

Meg: Megara. My friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends. So did they give you a name along with all those rippling pectorals?

Pretty obvious one, referring to Herc's abs, but still, very nicely done.

Hades: [shouting] What!!! The Fates were here and you didn't tell me?
Pain, Panic: Ohh... We are worms.
[as they grovel, they turn into worms]
Pain, Panic: Worthless worms.
Hades: Memo to me... Memo to me: Maim you after my meeting.

Haha, that's a real good one.

Hades: Ladies. Hah. I am so sorry that I'm...
The Fates, The Fates, The Fates: Late.
The Fates: We knew you would be.
The Fates: We know everything.
The Fates: Past.
The Fates: Present.
The Fates: And future.
The Fates: [aside, to Pain] Indoor plumbing. It's gonna be big.

Great example of the subtle humor in the scripting. Awesome.

[getting off of Pegasus after riding, she's afraid of heights and is on the verge of puking]
Meg: I'll be fine. Just get me down before I ruin the upholstery.

And then there's this. The obvious in-your-face humor that these films are so good at.

Pure entertainment, really enjoyed this movie very much. Go on, dig out your old video collection and start cleaning that old VHS player!

2008-08-07T00:29:00.001+08:00

The successful, when down, aren't those who wallow in self pity;

The successful, when down, are those who look up to the sky and say, ' Bring it on, my God is bigger! '

- Author's note to self -

Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

My new pad

2008-08-05T19:35:00.001+08:00

Realised I didn't post any shots of my room yet. So, err...ta da!

One nice single bed and a large brown coffee table for all my stuff. The room's a pretty decent size and there is a huge wardrobe at the back.

Jon, beat this! Haha, better yet, I actually own this one! =)

Random memories

2008-08-03T07:02:00.001+08:00

The Road trip

The Road trip again. Chen Lee. This girl makes me laugh. =)

The visions we had from God during the road trip

The Randoms; Kush, Gerard and Deswyn

Christmas Night in all its glory

Christmas Nite '07. Raani & Jiaps

Missing you all eva so much and wishing you guys all the best in your undertakings !

My 2nd attempt!

2008-07-31T21:37:00.001+08:00