Bumming

Quite a couple of weeks it has been.. not too eventful, but I guess I'll take it. I'm still devoid of an affiliation for the summer, and just might be so for the rest of it... I do have a couple of options though... unfortunately they don't seem to scream 'excellent learning opportunities' which is what I'm really looking for. I seriously won't mind just volunteering, as long as I'm able to learn something new every step of the way. Then there's the opportunity to volunteer with an NGO, but I'm still keeping that as a last resort.

My plans for the DSLR - still on hold. For now I gotta be content with the Canon point-and-shoot that I've yet to get a handle on. I'm also on the lookout for a good laptop.. I'm not a gamer so the graphics don't really have to be mind-blasting, but I do want something that's gonna last me for quite a bit. Any good deals around? (No Macs pls.. :p)

Oh, and I just finished watching Federer win his 14th Grand Slam.. his first at the Roland Garros. A remarkable run to the final, capped by a stunning display of tennis that reminded us just why he is already a living legend. Awesome stuff! Goin' back a little, Barcelona were crowned European champions in Rome, but I guess all my excitement over this year's Champions League was done with at the semi-finals stage. Still, I hope both Man U and Barca would continue to be a class above the rest next season.. it wouldn't be too much to ask for Roma to join em' as well, now would it? *grins*

I'm still yet to meet a lot of ya guys in Malaysia. Just hope we don't end up with a repeat of last year where I didn't get to meet up with some of ya.

Au revoir!

Yes Man

Finally I'm home guys.. long trip, but no quarantines etc. as I had feared. Either way, here I am sitting at home without a single thing to do. Just watched the Lakers get beat at home by the Nuggets.. bloody depressing. Damn the refs. :p

I don't wanna be lazing around at home. I don't really have an internship.. but I really wanna commit myself to something over the next 3 months. So, if you got any activities (charity, volunteering, events etc.), juz gimme a call at... WTF! I don't even have my own number now. This sucks. I need a life. Somethin to do. I wanna keep doing stuff, even if it makes the least of differences. Ideas anyone?

P.S: Those of you in KL, let's go yumcha sometime soon, as soon as I can get a few bucks into my coffers.

"Boredom is like a pitiless zooming-in on the epidermis of time. Every instant is dilated and magnified like the pores of the face." Charlotte Whitton

So Much For 'See Ya In 3 Years!'

I've been holding back on blogging for quite a while now. It's not that I haven't had the time, or that I plain forgot all about it. I was just looking to get the Springfield pics up on my next post.. but somehow I haven't got em' with me yet. So yea, photos aside, here are some updates on all that's been going on during the last couple of weeks..

I got a sweet-lookin' tripod for my birthday.. but.. I got no working camera (since I dropped the Olympus in San Fran)! Hence I've been on the prowl for a new camera. After much thought, advice, discussion and whatnot, I finally decided on the Nikon D40, an out-of production model that still ranks pretty high in ratings and reviews. What's more, it's dirt cheap for a DSLR. This is when the 'thrifty' side of me kicked in, and I've pretty much been waiting on a substantial price drop, which doesn't really seem to be happening.

Then comes the even bigger decision - my summer plans. It's happening all over again as I'm stranded here without an internship.. not even a friggin' interview. To be frank I still haven't received the infamous 'letter of rejection' from the companies I've applied to, and judging by what happened last year, I don't think I ever will. The least they could do is reply me, let alone give me a shot at an interview. The funny part  - I made a joke to my friend during the onset of the economic recession last year that at least it gives me an excuse for not being able to land an internship in the US come summer... never thought I'd really have to use that excuse. So yea.. I'm banking on yet another internship back home in Malaysia, which means - YES, I'M COMING HOME.. AGAIN! Lol.

On a positive note, the air ticket prices are pretty low all around, though I'm still yet to purchase one.. again I'm waiting to find that best deal with no regard whatsoever to increases in price with time. Anyway, I should be getting it within the next 24 hours or so. Oh and did I mention.. since I decided on goin' home, (however low the prices may be comparatively), my plans for a new DSLR has gotta' take the back seat for now.

Hmmmmmmmm... I've really got mixed feelings about going home this time. I really want this summer to be a really productive one, and that ain't gonna be easy with a part of me wanting to spend tons of time with friends and relatives. Heck I miss everyone home already. Oh well, I figure it's all about time management.. Who knows? Perhaps this will turn out even better than last summer. Time shall tell.

Oh and before I go, Happy Birthday Pa! :)

The HOME stretch

Guys and gals.................. I'M COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesh yesh.. I finally booked my flight tickets, and should be touching down in Malaysia on the 19th of May. So, it's slightly over a month, and counting down. Can't wait!

Regarding the doorguard interview, I think it went ok. Just waiting for the results now which should be out this coming Friday. Regardless if I get the job or not, the interview was a good experience nonetheless. The Organic Chemistry II exam I was studying for last week is over.. and amazingly the results were out 2 days after the exam! (There are like more than 60 students in class, and it wasn't that simple a paper.. so I think it really was a pretty cool feat for a professor.) I did pretty well, and am glad to have sorta bounced back after my relatively miserable 1st exam for the subject.

Bleach anime is back after a 2-week hiatus and that's even more reason to celebrate.. not to mention the latest episode being the best so far in many ways. On the sports end - Manchester United are through to the semis and will be facing my La Liga pick Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. On the other half of the draw, it's goodbye Fenerbache (sadly..) and that has translated into 3 English teams out of the 4 remaining in the contest. Should be good. Oh and by the way, Man U just defeated Arsenal 2-1 this morning! Woohoo! I've began following Formula 1 again and it was nice to see a Ferrari 1-2 last weekend. The season, at least for now seems to promise a 3-horse race between McLaren, BMW-Sauber and Ferrari. Should be interesting.. and I wonder what Schumi's up to now.. hmmm. To round off the sports updates, the NBA regular season will come to an end very soon and it'll be time for the playoffs. My all-time favorites - the Los Angeles Lakers are sitting pretty at the top of the Western Conference as i speak (uhh.. i mean blog) with 2 games to go. It's still extremely close though as 4 teams are still in with a real chance of topping the West. Good stuff.

Oh well.. that's about it for now. I gotta get back to my assignments. Busy days indeed. Adios!

Updates, Photos and My Newfound Hobby

Hey again!

Got quite a few interesting updates.. Firstly, my CHA application failed me (Haihzz.. after all that effort I actually put into it..). So, it has become almost a certainty that I'll be heading home this summer. Still haven't booked the flight tickets though, for dad has called me to hold on. Anyway, twas' his birthday yesterday and everyone back home planned a surprise party for him. I was to join in the fun virtually (through web-conferencing), yet things got twisted. I don't have a mic, and the one I borrowed off my friend was apparently not working. Anyway, that didn't really matter for the connection at my campus was surprisingly bad at that very moment. So yea, I missed the action and my parents decided to just call me on my phone after that.

I've got an Organic Chemistry II exam coming up this Wednesday. Kinda messed up the first one, so I'm hoping to do much better this time around. I did get called up for a doorguard interview, which is tomorrow.. (I know, lame job.. but I'm that desperate! Lolz). I received comments that I need some pics in the blog from quite a few of you.. and so I oblige. Just a few random picks though.. hehe.

Right after catching a magnificent sunrise by Lake Michigan.. guess which one's me?

Me before my summer 2007 community college, Kennedy King College!

RHA Boat Cruise 2007 (Pic with Kwong Hann & Bing on the boat)... I was a roulette-dealer! Hehe.. Too bad no photos of me in action.

A collection of my gifts for my 21st Birthday.. (Thank you all...)

I'm looking to start using Flickr and create a more personalized slideshow of photos on my sidebar.. Now then, let's get to the essence of today's post, shall we? (This is as far as it goes for those of you who have no interest whatsoever in Bleach.. heh).

It all began during the second half of my winter break in Iowa.. One fine evening, Julian showed Kwong Hann and me some anime clips and manga excerpts in a blatant effort to 'Bleach' us! Don't think it worked on KH, but I was certainly sucked into a whole new dimension. The storyline intrigued me.. I was able to relate to a number of the sentiments raised in the series.. and the sword-fighting is just awesome. Once I came back to Chicago, my transformation into a Bleach-maniac was well and truly underway. I began watching the past anime episodes on Youtube, and with some help from Wikipedia, I was able to catch up and understand the whole story. I admire Ichigo's (the main character) personality, yet I also developed a liking for Ulquiorra.. yes yes, he's an antagonist in the story, but I just find his calm composure and cool demeanor incredible. A story of friends and family.. of reminiscence and anticipation; of pride and humility.. and what more, the author throws in a dash of humor to lighten things up from time to time.. There are also a whole lot of unforgettable one-liners throughout the series..

So yea.. I'm following both the anime and manga on a weekly basis these days.. My American roommate's a fellow fan too! On another note.. I've gotta say this guy is really a gem of a roommate. I'll probably throw in a post on him some time, and let you guys be the judge. Anyway, I gotta get back to Organic Chemistry now.. Bye for now!

Mistakes Are But Stepping Stones..

It still keeps ringing in my mind.. Those few words. Few they may be, yet so powerful; So powerfully appealing to the mind. No, I do not ponder over them at every second.. yet they never fail to keep me going at the toughest of times..
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Okay, I guess I'm in the mood for some random rambling! Plus, since it's a new blog, I might as well reminisce over some stuff. Prior to leaving Malaysia, the most memorable advice given to me was to 'stay the same.' Now, I really do feel (more like hope really.. lol) that I have stuck to this advice. Yet, I guess it'll only be put to the test upon my return home. Now then.. speaking of returning home.. It is becoming more and more likely that I will be returning HOME THIS SUMMER!!! Now now.. don't let your hopes skyrocket yet (LOL).. There are a couple of things standing in my path back to Malaysia this summer. Firstly, there are the few internships I applied for. I still have not heard from ANY of the companies yet, and am beginning to lose hope that I ever will (so much for optimism eh?). That aside, there's the Conference Housing Assistant job that I have applied for. It is basically an on-campus job over the summer, which I can perform while taking a couple of classes. If my application makes its way through the stack, then I should be expecting an interview next week. If this fails as well, then I really do want to go home, because I don't want to spend an entire summer here doing nothing. So, fingers-crossed! (Actually, I've come to a point where I've decided it doesn't matter which road I take anymore.. there are pros and cons to everything, so yeah).

Back to the reminiscing.. heh..
An odd first semester here which started off amazingly and ended in tatters was followed by a rather forgettable summer. Ties were forged, ties were scorched.. The massive repercussions shadowed the next semester, but truth and clarity finally prevailed this semester. But the fact of the matter is... it has all happened, and there's no going back and changing the course of events.

I've been a vegetarian for almost 11 months now. I made it a point to do it for a year, and am almost there.. with God and Grandpa's grace (",).. I haven't been all that active in extra-curricular activities as I would have liked to be since I came here. There is the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) which I have been a part for some time now, but there's nothing much I have really done as a member. I'm hoping to shave off the rust and become more involved on campus from here on. I also feel I have often put too much pressure on myself, so much so it makes me snap during the worst of moments. I have decided to take it a little easier.. a good dose of Bleach never fails to help.. hahahaha (I am becoming a fanatic... no kidding! I'll speak more of my fanaticism with Bleach in an upcoming post). I have also accepted an invitation to join the engineering honors society, Tau Beta Pi this semester. I have no idea if it really helps beaing a member, but I just decided on joining anyway. I have made a few attempts to land on-campus jobs to make myself a few bucks, yet somehow it has only ended in failure. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough, so I'm going to keep trying harder. All subjects went really well last semester, yet once again (as it happened in SPM), Biology stood between me and straight A's.. On this note, I am glad the class is over, and NEVER want to study the subject EVER again!

Getting late.. fatigue is setting upon me rather early today (Oh have I mentioned, I've been living nocturnally for quite some time now, as some of you may already know.. 4-5 am is my general sleeping time). Tomorrow we're celebrating Holi (a week late.. lol).. there's going to be some colorful celebrations organized by the Indian Students Association of my campus. Certainly looking forward to it. Before I leave, I shall leave you with some food for thought..

Mistakes are but stepping stones; The bigger they are, the more difficult they are to get over. However, the bigger they are... the higher one would be upon getting over it..

Adieu