time, where did you go?

This is so disheartening: to find out that -

Kuching High School was on fire today. Read more here.

photo from michaelkon.com

Though my secondary school days weren't the best/most memorable years of my life (yes, it is true that university years are the best!), I still treasure the memories: ah Bong (now previous school principal) lecturing all of us on getting straight As, telling us we must get the "sekolah harapan" award again, the weekly "perhimpunan(s)" while singing the school anthem, hiding our correction pens during spot checks, etc etc.

According to a few blogs I'd read so far, not the whole school was burnt down. Too bad the admin block was gone with the fire. Imagine all the important documents turning to ashes. Oh well, we can only hope for the rebuilding of a better block in the future. I'm sure they'll come up with various fundraisings to help with the reconstruction soon.

I wonder how badly was the library affected. I'll miss that the most.

And now, I regret not going back for a visit during those times when I went back to Kuching.

***

Janice is back in SG! Though for 2 days only, before leaving for graduation on Thursday.

We met up for dinner despite the rain, had yummy food at Newton. That's when I discovered I do REALLY have a huge appetite. When everyone had declared themselves full (and started to rub their bellies and say how fat they're becoming), I'm still salvaging what's left of dinner and asking if we should order more. It's the hot and humid weather =P

***

I bought my tickets back home for Christmas!!! =D

Which means I'll leave SG on Christmas eve right after work, arrive Kuching a few hours before midnight. Driving up to Sibu for my cousin's wedding (27th), coming back to Kuching before the 1st ever service at the new church location, then going back to SG on night of the 28th.

AirAsia, please don't delay the flights, especially during Christmas. (somehow I'm reminded of how the pancakes spent New Year 08 in the taxi with the taxi driver at Kuching... hehehe)

Congrats to Julianna for finally finishing her exams. Shopping is not too far away =)

The days seem to pass by really sloooooowly. Or is it just me? But then again, next week will mark 1 month of me being in Singapore. 2 more months till this work placement is finally over. Then a few more months before graduation. I'm getting way ahead of myself...

2 more months left to travel around and sightsee. Still on my list of places to visit are cities in West Msia, Sentosa Island (though I've been there before and meh not much to do/see, but I want to take photos through the cable car hehe). A trip to Indonesia this weekend maybe? We'll see, we'll see.

Time, where did you go?

Time has stolen my summer holiday.

2 more days to go in Kuching, 1 day boarding on and off planes (hours wandering in airports), 2 weeks to slack and plan for the parents' arrival, 1 week touring around South Island with the parents, then uni begins. Eeks.

The past 6 weeks back in Malaysia felt seriously SHORT. Sure, I spent long hours (ahem) helping out at the shop, but looking back now it really didn't feel THAT long. In these 6 weeks, I've had some pretty unforgettable experiences including: from drinking snake wine (to be blogged once I get back to Dunedin where broadband is available) to getting an eye infection and had to stop using contact lenses for 2 weeks.

I know. Ouch.

I blame the dusty, humid, and polluted air.
Ok fine, my hands can't seem to stop rubbing my itchy eyes too.

Right now, my right eye is on steroids (anti-inflammatory). I can't believe people still ask me since when I started wearing glasses...

Anyway. Just a few pictures to add some colour to this post.

Julianna & Ching. Looks like a Darlie ad, doesn't it?
2 lovely & very *cough* single *cough* ladies.

Kuching's pride: the special Teh-C peng.
Note: Special is 3 layers.
Between special and super special is 4 layers.
Super special is 5 layers.
(correct me if I'm wrong)

Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
No... it's erm. a UFO...?
Well actually according to my cousin-in-law aka expert pilot: it's a normal phenomena apparently. Cold air results in condensation as the plane flies up into the air. But really lo, it was a spectacular sight: the plane was flying almost 80 degrees up the sky, leaving almost a semi-circle trail of white smoke behind.

Doing promo stuff for Ian here.
If you're free on the 24th of Jan and happen to be at Kuching, do drop by and support this charity fashion show. More info at the official website.
Oops, I also thought that it will be held at tHe Spring, my bad.

PS. Chyi chyi: congrats on your very wise decision on staying back at Otago!!! (I knew it!!! :P)
big hug, big hug. We can hang around at Starbucks and watch out for more macho policeman next time. Oh yeah you'll need to advice me on traveling around South Island since you're the pro now!

Fake/authentic? You decide

I'm pretty sure many would have heard of the image of Virgin Mary appearing on garage doors and lemon slices.

But are you prepared for this?

Virgin Mary appearing on a pebble.

It was supposedly found by a Christchurch woman (Lisa-Marie Corlet) on a beach (New Brighton or Sumner maybe?). I wonder what she was hunting for when she "stumbled" upon this 1cm in diameter pebble.

Personally, I think it looks like a walrus-man dressed up for a charity event (hence the tie).

She's selling it on Trademe now, here's the link to the auction. At 1.44pm right now, the leading bid is $31,600.50, with hundreds of comments, and 290 unanswered questions for the lady to answer.

This is what she wrote on the auction:

Pebble found on South Island beach with image of the Virgin Mary. Its genuine and I will be contacting the university geology department in the very near future to have authenticity proved. Check out The Press Newspaper, Tuesday 23rd of Wednesday 24th October to view more photos and find out more about this tiny pebble.

The debate going on is FIERCE. What I don't get is what's the big deal over a stone? Maybe before it was found, a little naughty boy decided to take out his crayon and sketch a picture of his toy walrus, left it on the beach, and the ink became permanent over the years.

Ok, so maybe it is the REAL thing. I just don't understand why would God want this pebble to be made/discovered. Besides it being a collector's item, I don't see how owning this pebble can bring someone good luck or helping him/her get closer to God.

Which made me wonder: The man above must be laughing away at the sight of us going ga-ga over a pebble, regardless of its authenticity.

Which leads to this: an item cannot even be proven "authentic" unless there is a similar item that has already been proven so, and a comparison can be made. Make sense? For example, it's possible to tell apart an authentic LV bag from one that's fake by careful inspection. So what are the geologists (supposedly) comparing this "authentic" pebble with?

Either way, good for Lisa-Marie for donating the sales to charity. Whether or not she donates any of it away or keep it to herself, she's entitled to it. Why? She found it, finder's keepers. And even if it's fake, the buyer should know better there are risks in buying this pebble. I see this as her being blessed, very abundantly might I add.

Kiwis are a bunch of funny folks. This guy here is selling a Virgin Mary on a surfboard set. See description below.

Thought to be fake at first when found on my desk this morning-but look at second photo taken with a photon gamma mapping camera- the energy coming off is incredible!
Looks remarkably like the Virgin Mary on a surfboard?
If you can help me with how this came to be in existance I would appreciate any feedback.
Free postage within NZ.
** buyer will need a small piece of blue-tac to keep Mary on the board.
***UPDATE!!

RANGE EXPANDED AT NO EXTRA COST!

New Virgin Mary Surfboard set now includes:
NEW! Donkey Poster!
NEW! 3 Wise men!
NEW! Baby Jesus! ( looks a little like a penguin )
NEW! Glow in the dark Star of Bethlehem! (doesn't actually glow in the dark....)

If you think this is funny, scroll down to the comments of this auction and the original one. Even this fake auction has a lead bidding of $147 as I'm typing this. haha. More of these fake authentic stones are appearing on Trademe by the hour, it's worth reading the comments and have a good laugh.

Quake

Blog Action Day - the day (hopefully) that people start realising that the resources mother nature provides will eventually run out on day in the near future. 10am is not a good time for me to blog (slept at close to 4am last night), but there's one thing I feel like stressing: Sustainability.

***

So there was an earthquake early this morning after all!

*woohoo!!!* My first real experience... (not that it's anything to be proud of).

I thought I was hallucinating or really groggy when the furnitures shook a little. It wasn't like what I thought it would be- nothing fell off the table thank God- but I certainly didn't expect the dizziness that follows. It was as if someone took my head and wriggled it around. Weird I know, but that was how it felt.

Here's the news this morning. It was supposedly 6.7 on the Richter scale, unconfirmed yet. There was another smaller one reported around 3am, but I didn't feel it.

***

Haven't been blogging regularly as I've been a frequent visitor of the library these few days. First paper on Thursday (Genetics)!!! All the best to those sitting their finals =)

Riots in Dunedin

Drunken and destructive student rampage shocks Dunedin

11:02AM Sunday August 26, 2007

Last night's student violence in Dunedin was far worse than last weekend's carnage.
Photo / Otago Daily Times

Dunedin's mayor has been talking about his shock and disappointment at last night's destructive rampage in the city's student area.

Fifty-two people will face the courts this week after drunken crowds set fire to cars, couches and mattresses.

Mayor Peter Chin has been taking a first-hand look at the mess in Castle Street. He says there are burned-out hulks of cars on the street and a lot of broken glass.

Peter Chin says he is hugely disappointed the Undie 500 event, from Christchurch to Dunedin, turned out the way it did. He says it is clearly not sustainable if this is the kind of outcome the city can expect.

Mr Chin says a lot of work had gone into building a rapport with students, and trying to ensure the event was run responsibly.

Peter Chin says he hopes those who go to court this week will not be able to get away with diversion. He says the people of Dunedin will not want to hear drunkenness being used as an excuse.

Embarrassed students plan to back any calls for a ban on future Undie 500 celebrations. It follows similar trouble on a smaller scale last year. Renee Heal of the Otago University Students Association expects there will be calls for an end to the event and she will not be disappointed.

She says the offending students are in the minority at the University and hopes better behaved students do not have their reputations tarnished.

Ambulance services say the situation was so intense they could not even get to the scene. St John says staff were forced to hold back until police had dealt with the rioting. A spokeswoman says two people needed treatment after an assault, although neither was taken to hospital.

Street cleaners have a massive job ahead of them. Some streets are a sea of smashed glass and burned furniture. Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken says the burning cars, couches and mattress and flying bottles resembled a war zone at times.

Meanwhile Dunedin firefighters were also targeted with bottles during the disorder, which lasted from around 6 o'clock last evening until around 3 o'clock this morning.

Dunedin Fire Station Officer Ian Anderson says he cannot recall such carnage occurring before. He says thousands of people were involved in the disorder.

Fire officers had to wait for riot police to clear the scene before they could douse fires. Mr Anderson says there has been some damage to fire engines as well after bottles were hurled at the engines and firefighters.

Canterbury University says it does not condone such behaviour. A spokesman says the University will not attempt to protect its students from the law.

- NEWSTALK ZB

***

Actually I was not all shocked. Same thing happened last year, same thing will happen again this year.

More than 70 car, rubbish, and couch fires were reported this year, and aren't we all glad hearing that those people will be judged at court. How I wish those drunkards involved will get banned from studying at any university in this country ever again.

I wasn't that sure of what Undie500 was except the fact that students from Christchurch travel down for a weekend with wildly renovated/decorated cars. Maybe some sort of competition involved?

I wikipedia-ed undie 500, and came out with this:

The Undie 500 is an annual car rally between Christchurch and Dunedin, New Zealand, held on the last Friday of the third term. Student members of the Engineering Society purchase used vehicles, spend weeks decorating themselves and their cars and drive the five hour journey south. The vehicles are individually themed and occupants pub crawl over the entire day of driving. The event is characterised by the high level of work performed on entrants cars transforming them from normal motor vehicles into something special.

Cars are understood to meet at least the following:

• Have a cost of under NZ$500 (hence the name Undie [under] 500)
• Stop at nominated pubs and bars on the drive south
• Have a current Warrant of Fitness and Vehicle Registration
• Be driven by a sober driver

The New Zealand Police accompany the convoy throughout the trip to ensure both the safety of participants and other road users.

Since 2003 the number of vehicles have been limited to 150 in number due to the pubs enroute being unable to handle the burgeoning number of patrons. The annual event continues to attract more than 1,000 participants and thousands of spectators. It is widely reported, attracting national TV news coverage, newspaper, radio and has even featured in Ralph magazine.

Before embarking for Dunedin prizes are awarded for outstanding entries. These include:

• Best Car
• Best Dressed Team
• Most Un-Politically Correct
• Best Overall

Prizes go some way to recovering the cost of the vehicle and keeping participants throat's wetted enroute.

I highly doubt they were sober driving those cars. They certainly need alcohol to do what normal people consider to be a total waste of time, energy, and dignity.

I wonder if these people will ever learn. Next year, I'll be looking out for the same old story.

More pics

No wonder some people don't watch news, especially world news.

It's sad to see so many bad things happening, be it caused by man or nature. Watching reports of the innocent getting killed is sure not pleasant.

Floods.

Hurricanes.

School shootings.

What is our world becoming to? It's saddening, really. And even more depressing if you follow these kind of news 24/7.

Then again, some things in this world bring a smile to our faces.

Falling in love, spending time with friends and family, making music, enjoying a day at the beach, traveling to foreign places backpacker style, seeing the first blooms of spring, laughing until your sides hurt, basically just doing all the things that excite you.

Also, knowing that women are finally fighting for their rights in creating a no man beach. ;P

A curious male walks past signs announcing "No Men" at the entrance to Italy's first women-only beach at the Adriatic resort of Riccione.

All pictures taken from POTW (Time).

DF Day 8: NZ, boring?

Warning: Long post ahead.

The English Premier League has begun a brand new season, a bad start for MU though. A goalless draw against Reading (who got promoted from 1st div 2 seasons ago)?! *flabbergasted* Poor Rooney suffers a bad injury too. Oh well, at least Scholes is still going strong at 3o something.

***

I'm amused at the number of people falling for the scam that's been going on (internationally, might I add). And when I thought only Malaysians are the only people silly enough to believe you have to deposit an amount of money to get an even bigger amount of money won at some lottery or lucky draw... I heard on the radio that some listeners received calls about them winning 10,000 bucks, and have to deposit 99 dollars into a bank account first. -__-

The DJ cleared that up and urged people to not believe whoever's ripping them off, which made me think: who would be stupid enough to impersonate a radio station when calls can be easily made back to the station to confirm validity? But then again, there won't be geniuses if it wasn't for fools the academically challenged.

***

From NZ Herald:

Two reports released this week found Asian students think New Zealand is boring, unfriendly and old-fashioned, but also cheap and safe.

Only two-thirds of the students in one study were satisfied with the internet access.

However, 86 per cent felt safe and 70 per cent would recommend the country as a study destination.

(view whole story here.)

Ah, yet another reason for the locals to look at us and think: There goes one of THEM. Coming here as they wish, trying to take over the university, economy, then country. -___- X1000. Just great.

"Asian students" can be categorised into the general 4 types:

1. Those are smart enough to be offered scholarships to do a professional course here. I envy and pity them at the same time.
   
2. Those have are loaded enough (or lucky to be sponsored) to CHOOSE to study here, and genuinely think that NZ is an awesome place to get a degree, love NZ culture, and wouldn't mind staying permanently.
3. Those that are loaded, but come here as they fail to get into local universities, mostly from the Northern east Asia. They come here and say "boring, gah can't stand this UNFRIENDLY place and sucky culture, can't wait to get home". They get a degree, go back home, use that degree to enter a local uni. Most probably driving posh cars, some without a NZ license.
4. Those that are technically NZers, have PR, yet retain their thick accents. Their numbers are increasing day by day.

To comment on the so-called report, how many students had their views taken? And most importantly, HOW? Somehow I suspect that most of the interviewees fall into the third category, and therefore mess up the final results.

Take my flat for example. There's 6 of us, all asians, 4 as PRs, 2 as internationals. Guess what? We all chose to come here, be it because NZ universities offer quality education and that NZ is a unique, beautiful country, or because of some underlying reason.

Boring? NZ boasts beautiful beaches, wonderful sunrise and sunset views I have yet to see elsewhere, clean air (yeah cheesy but true), work experience (minimum wage btw is 20 times more of that in Msia), uni life and culture, 4 seasons, and so much more. Those that claim NZ is boring are probably pointing out the fact that the malls close at 5pm, and not much of a nightlife going on. Well, too bad for them.

I've mentioned this before, but I'll just touch on it again. Here there is a sense of freedom in the air; the freedom you get from jogging in the botanical gardens early in the morning (all you breathe in is polluted air back home), standing on the pier overlooking the vast ocean (you have to drive 45 mins to get to a beach at Kch) and watch seals chase people, the ability to dress in pajamas out in the streets and not get stared at (you'll probably be put to jail for indecent exposure in Kelantan), see snooooow (fake snow is all you can get at Mines Wonderland), sip coffee and chat away at a local cafe (the cafe culture in Kch is overrated and lacks the ambient atmosphere I love), and of course, wonderful firework displays during GuyFawkes weeked.

Then again, no country is perfect. For good, oily, and cheap food, I always look forward to going home. Watching movies is freaking cheap, overcrowding puts me off though. The weather is a constant 30 to 40 degree heat 365 days a year, the only "season" you get is more rain at the end of the year. Shopping malls are bigger and better, etc etc.

It's not about comparing. It's about appreciating the wonders (be it man made or natural) of each country. As for those that don't appreciate what is found here, nobody has the right to chase them away (intl students still pay part of locals' uni fees). It's probably bad enough that they're wasting their youth in a place they find boring, right?

Unfriendly? I have had countless conversations with strangers, be it the check out lady at Countdown, friendly old man at the bus stop, bus driver who offered to stop right in front of the beach for me to get down, or people asking if I'm warm enough when I was dressed in a bunny costume not too long ago. But one thing I appreciate most in general is the courtesy of everyone (young and old) in holding out doors for you to prevent them from smacking right back in your face, and the basic greetings and thanks every time you walk in/out of a shop, even if you didn't buy anything.

THAT, is what I call manners. Yes, there are the occasional drunkards who yell out racist comments, and they account for what- 0.001% of the population? I've gotten over that long time ago. In Msia, don't expect anyone to smile at you at the bus stop (if you smile, people will look away and think that you're a freak). Don't expect a "thanks" walking out of a shop empty handed, the shopkeepers might even glare at you as if you owe them 100 ringgit. Traffic is BAD back home, the accident rate is so much higher. And need I mention the rate of robberies, corruption, rape, and piracy?!

Good ole NZ. This is where I chose to come study, to experience a foreign culture, to indulge in what this country has to offer. My hope is that those who criticize would pause for a moment and look at the big picture, to not take little things for granted.

Negarakuku

Seems like this video has become quite popular.

I have to admit, I admire this guy for having the guts to post that video. He must have no fear of ISA capturing him or something since he's not even in Malaysia to begin with. I laughed from the first second of the video to the last; heck, even the title is dodgy/funny. :P

July most miserable month for Kiwis

11:44AM Monday July 16, 2007

If you're feeling down in the dumps at the moment you're not alone.

Kiwis are more miserable in winter and July is the worst month for suffering the winter blues, a nationwide study has found.

According to the latest independent research commissioned by Neutrogena, July is the month in which 20 per cent of Kiwis are struck by the winter blues, followed by August on 13 per cent.

The researchers also found that Monday-itis affects the nation, with 41 per cent of Kiwis saying that the first day of the working week is also the day they are most likely to feel blue.

"If you leave and return home from work in the dark, don't get enough light while working, have high stress, rarely socialise and eat stodgy food, the blues are likely to creep up on you," says mental health therapist Leanne French.

Creature comforts reign supreme during the cold season, so it comes as no surprise that 30 per cent of Kiwi women say their favourite way to alleviate the winter blues is to spend time with friends, followed by 29 per cent who prefer a night in on the couch with a hot chocolate and their favourite movie.

A further 20 per cent relieve the winter blues with a warm bath, facial or massage.

The shortening of daylight hours and lack of sunlight in winter triggers symptoms such as sleep problems, lethargy, overeating and mood swings, says French.

The study - conducted by Consumer Link - also looked at women's skincare habits during the winter months and found that women who were feeling depressed were less likely to follow their usual beauty regimes.

The majority of Kiwi women interviewed in the survey confirmed that during winter they break two of skincare's cardinal rules - not using a sunscreen and failing to remove their makeup before bed.Seventy-two per cent of women surveyed said they used sunscreen less than once a week or never between June and August and nearly a third said they never removed their makeup before bed. Only one in every four women surveyed said they applied sunscreen on a daily basis during the winter months.

Dr Kevin McKerrow, President of the New Zealand Dermatological Society says those results are worrying: "People just seem to forget that during winter the sun doesn't go away and neither does skin cancer."

- NZ HERALD STAFF

***

They should add another reason to why July is miserable: second semester of uni has just started, and it's worse when you have a sucky lab partner who doesn't talk much stuck to you for the next 4 months.