News

Finally, the Avril that I've thought lost to the evil known as mainstream.
Actually, I didn't really realize that she was the one singing the first time around, even when I am supposed to be really good with recognizing voices.
Hey, how did you think I learn to play the piano without a teacher?

Confused again? She gets that way sometimes...

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Difference

This is a point of life in which I never want to look back, ever.
I'm just waiting for reality to crash onto my dreams.
Truly, I AM that pessimistic and have EXTREMELY LOW self-confidence.

Anyways, I'm done with my finals and have all the time in the world to enjoy the things that I have resisted for the past few months, which is to play games, read manga and a whole lot of backed-up side projects.

She's trying to make the world a crazier place

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Bone To Pick

Well, it seems that finals tend to get me really edgy; not even 黒崎君 or 和樹会長、宮地君、錫也君 can calm the storm that I feel inside.
Even Matt is clueless to how to deal with me; his hugs and cuddles would usually quell and soothe the rages that I sometimes have.

Find out about her secret boyfriend and who got on her bad side this time
[Warning: She's about to have a long rant. Unless you really want to know, she suggests that you press the red 'X' button on your tab or just click on another link]

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Under Fire

Yeah, I'm feeling the heat, both literally and metaphorically speaking.
My finals are next week and I can't believe that my brain fails to register the panic and stress that I'm supposed to have.
Does that mean that I've lost it?

Since I'm on organic chem, might as well add something I read in the newspaper today.
See how badly she procrastinates

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Hell

You know the term, Hell on Earth?
I think that it simply is what it says: Hell on Earth.
Not a description of chaos, not the experience one feels; it simply means what it is- Hell on Earth.

Right now, I feel disgusted.
Not by the macabre find of corpses hastily buried in the South Philippines, not by the incestuous German man who violated and ruined his daughter and not even the Khmer Rouge nor the Jew Genocide of WWI.
I am disgusted at the beings that caused it- humans.
I feel disgusted by the beings that call themselves human.
I feel disgusted at myself who is human.
And no achievement of the so called human race or mankind will ever make me proud of being one either.

At this moment, I don't think that Hell is the worst place to be.
To me, being human is even worse than being a prisoner in hell.

Humans are never satisfied.
Humans are hypocrites.
Humans do what they teach their kids not to do.
Humans preach what they never abide by.
These are the real definitions of human.

I once questioned the reason to conform with human society's views if it goes against one's principle.
Someone replied that, if something is a social norm, then it is something accepted by human society; thus making it valid and correct.
I then challenged the speaker with the fact that sexual relationships before marriage is a social norm, but that doesn't make it right.
I was then labeled as stubborn and self-destructing.
See my point?
Humans are hypocrites and no longer have claims of being a more intelligent being compared to beasts.

As much as I am disgusted, I won't take away my consciousness and life.
I will simply live by the rules and morales written and preached by the hypocrites, caring not whether human society approves of it.
If they denounce me as human, I shall be glad of it.
I have no wish to be grouped under such vile and vulgar creatures of vice.

Ruins

Despite losing the intimacy of my two famed friends- wit and intelligence, I am still able to express what I desire to say.
Thus ends my unusual way of writing, for the following post is of the modern world.
To be more specific, it's concerning manga.
(Again, those who know manga as an equivalent of the mango fruit will be seen as a blundering ignoramus in my eyes.)

This is in regards to the end note that I gave in this post: Back.
For those of you who are in a state of blur for you have either been living under the rock for the past few months or that you've just been rescued off a deserted and unmapped island, please direct your attention to the following links: Prelude to Disaster, Justifications of Self-Righteousness and Further Reports.
For those who are well-informed about the whole uproar, please direct your attention here: Note of Worth.

I fancy to think myself as a veteran reader, but I pale in comparison to other veterans for this is only my 4th year while they've been in this for almost a decade.
If put to the hierarchy of high school, I'm only but a sophomore.
As for the scanslating community, I only joined recently.
Disregarding my two-year hiatus, I'm in my 3rd year as a translator and first year as a proofreader.
New I am to the community, but the sense of comradeship I have to all my fellow scanslators could stand rival to a friendship of ten years.
And now, the community is in danger of annihilation.

The said annihilation comes in form of a group of people who were once part of the community but has now submitted to the condemned preachings of the Green Book of Greed.
They think themselves influential and now regard themselves as the 'Representatives' of the community.
They speak of change for the better, hold negotiations and make decisions in the name of the community.
Mind you, this community is as vast as the galaxy, just as it is diverse.
Though vast, we never needed a monarch, least said about representatives.

The above are just the prologue of this ramble of mine.
My opinion starts below.
I have formed my judgment based on evidence.

Scanslators are the grey people of the manga industry, also the Underground.
We translate manga, manwha and manhua into other languages than the media's native language, just like publishing companies like Viz, Tokyopop, CMX and etc.
The only thing that differs between us is we don't get paid for it nor expect any payment, that and we do it as a hobby instead of a profession.
Scanslators don't get paid with any form of money, but in form of gratitude and thanks.
Getting paid is blasphemy of the highest degree. Those who do so are considered the lowest of all life forms.
Fueled by passion and the desire to share joy, we spend precious time doing what we do, expecting nothing in return.
Such is the Universal Code of the Scanslators.

These representatives have no idea what they are dealing with, nor are they conscience of the magnitude of repercussion that will soon follow if their plan is set into motion.
The scanslation community will come to the end as we know it.
And the genocide will thus stain their hands with blood of former comrades while they delude themselves with the thought of creating a 'win-win-win' situation.

(Directed to the 'Representatives')
First, who are you to declare yourself our representatives?
It's not universally agreed, literally.

I am also insulted when you referred to us as an 'untapped source'.
I see that you aren't in any way involved with the scanslating process, hence the birth of your stupid proposal.

Money and power have clouded your judgment.
You don't have as much power and influence as you delude yourself into having.
To the corporates, you are nothing but a pawn to destroy the very community you think you're doing good to.
Your proposal will blast open the pathway that was impenetrable for so very long, leading to unneeded bloodshed (figuratively speaking) and finally your own ruin.
Heed the warnings of your friends and comrades; cease the idea of the situation that will only materialize in the perfect world or you will be ostracized by us all.
Your name shall be sullied and be remembered as heretics for the rest of eternity.

(Directed to Imitorar on subject: Comment)
As you said, you have no emotional attachments to the scanslating community, you therefore have no rights to say:

But why is that a bad thing?

I shall put a bullet through your heart, mutilate your corpse to pieces and later curse your soul to the darkest region of hell if I ever chance an encounter of you.

The purpose of scanlation is ultimately to allow people to read manga that they wouldn't get to otherwise, isn't it? If that is the goal of scanlation, then this move would be nothing but a good thing, because it would allow fans to read the manga that they want to read in a timely manner, in good quality AND LEGALLY, which is something that they cannot do as things are now.

This move would fulfill the goals of the scanlation community, something that should be met with praise, not rebuke. What value is the scanlation community in and of itself, and why should its continued existence be prized above fulfilling the goal of allowing fans to read well-produced manga quickly and legally?

Yes, that is the sole purpose of our existence. However, I disagree most vehemently with your views.
FYI: I do buy manga. My dad frowns upon my purchases and excludes it from my reading reimbursements.
When you use the words "timely manner" and "quickly", it made me laugh at your ignorance.
The publishing houses can never compete with the speed of scanslators, that is a known fact.
The time for the scanslators to churn out a complete volume is only a fraction of how long the publishing houses take.
Being amateurs and doing it at our free time, we surpass the 'Professionals' who do it as a job by a long shot in regards to speed of release.
Common knowledge of the language and Photoshop on an outdated computer for the former whilst a degree in linguistics and the most current of hardware and software for the latter, publishing houses still shrivels in comparison with scanslators.

As for quality, I'd vouch for the scanslators.
Even when the publishing houses boasted on their ability of keep to the original, they are still far from it.
For example, Viz excludes all forms of honorifics, replacing them with Miss, and Mister.
And you can bet on the destruction of earth that ALL publishing houses switches the order of names, with given name preceding family or surnames.
As an Asian, this is the biggest insult!
How could they boast on their originality when they go about Westernizing the script?
I can say that I am original when I translate scripts!
I never ignore the honorifics nor do I change the names!
They are the very beauty of Eastern culture, which I'm very sure YOU wouldn't understand!

That said, I think that you are judging the staff of MangaHelpers far too harshly. I don't think that they're as greedy as you make them out to be. I think that they really do want to help the community. If you read through the entire plan, you'll notice that MangaHelpers doesn't really stand to make any money from this. Any money made would be made by Viz and any scanlators that agreed to work for them. I don't think that any comparisons to Tazmo are valid. Tazmo does what he does out of greed. MangaHelpers planned this out of a desire to give the community what it wants.

I believe my judgment to be fair.
I've read the proposal and their justifications on the matter.
Their hidden objectives are unseen to you, but transparent to others, including me.
I advise you to read between the lines, and discard your naive views on the world.

I wholly agree with Edward and Protected, and many others who can foresee the apocalypse that will soon befall the community that I've taken much pleasure in the company of.
Even if it does strike, the scanslation community will rise and flourish as an underground movement again.
There are just too many of us for the publishing companies to deal with.

All hail to the hundreds, nay, thousands of scanslating teams- my comrades in leisure, passion and battle!
May the fire of Scanslators burn vigorously till the ends of time and engulf those who dare do harm to us!

Disappointment

As you all might now know, the Malaysian government has already made its decision to revert the medium of instruction back to Malay.

At first, I had a whole lot to say (and probably even flame) but considering that the government is now screening blogs, I don't want to get in trouble with the ISA.
The irony is, what I wrote in my coursework paper might get me in hot soup instead.
Yes, my coursework paper for Malaysian Studies is the ISA.
Yes, I am a college student.
And yes, I know what sort of unspeakable acts and torture that the detainees endure while being locked up in small, windowless cells in Kamunting Detention Centre.
I done enough research to know that we're being oppressed and suppressed from exercising our freedom of speech, thought and conscience, security and arbitrary arrest.
And no, I do not plan to be a social activist, lawyer or politician.
Heck, I have no interest in politics and its blood-stained world.

Out of all the flame that I was going to blow out, I'll only have one thing to say:

As a former Malaysian public education student, I feel that all students are basically being treated as guinea pigs in the name of Education. Syllabes aren't updated, instead, they are wholly rewritten. I understand that new things are being churned up by educationalists, but this is no way for the government to apply it to the system.

Each time they rewrite the syllables, thousands nay, trillions of books are being destroyed. That also brings to mind the unmentionable number of trees that are cut down to make the books. They're cutting down more trees than they can replant. So how can we promote being a earth-conscience and green country?

Reverting the medium of instruction back to Malay doesn't signify patriotism, it's digging the mass grave for the future generation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning the Malay language; I'm just saying that they are condemning the future generation to a bleak and dark future, so goes for the country's dream of achieving the status of being developed.

Think about it, how much technical and scientific terms can you teach in an English class? Throughout my 11 years in public education, I've not heard more than five scientific terms in my English lessons! How do you expect the students to familiarize themselves with those terms when they step into higher education?
Here's one reality that you have to face, ALL reference books in university and college level are in ENGLISH. How do you expect the students to understand any of them if everything they studied in was in Malay?
No matter how many teachers and lesson hours you add to improve the standard of English, it'll NEVER work with the mentality and mindset that most people have.
Well, what do you care? Your kids are either in international or overseas boarding schools.

Mind you, my English isn't and will never be resulted from the lousy education that I got from public school. Yes, you heard me, LOUSY.
My parents were far-sighted enough to have me sent to English Language classes at the age of 5; even when I was kicking and screaming on the floor, saying that I'll never go.
I'm glad that I went, and am forever thankful to my parents and my teacher (who is now my mentor in every sense).

I'm also glad that I finally got out of the crappy education system.
And since I am in a private institute, I am not subjected to any changes they make to higher education.
In three years, I'll be doing a twinning program elsewhere; and hopefully, remain there.
So what if you call me unpatriotic, I wouldn't care less about your opinion of me.
If I am to get married in future, I don't want my kids to be subjected to crappy education as I have.

Thus, I stand here, ashamed to say that I'm a Malaysian; with reasons of the existence of the ISA and its controversial arrests, and the near-sightedness of educationists who are robbing both the future generation and the country of its bright future.
I'd rather stay that I'm a Singaporean, since that's where I was born.
Like I said before, I couldn't care less about your opinion of me.
This is me, and this is what I think.
I'm exercising my right to freedom of speech and freedom of thought and conscience. And the last time I checked, I didn't overstep my boundaries.
If the ISA comes knocking at my door, it'll just prove my stated point above.
With that, I end my opinion.

I had more to say; but my parents told me if I have nothing nice to say, then I shouldn't say anything at all.
And believe me, this is put in the nicest and least harsh way possible.
________________________________________

The writer is a college-going teen who is sick of the crappy education that she has received for the past 11 years. She is not a pol-sci, philosophy or sociology student; she just happens to have opinions of her own about the world and life. She has no intent to join the political world either.
"I've thrown away the sense of pity and guilt, but I don't want to stain my hands with blood or do anything against my principles," she claims.
She can be found wandering the bookshelves of her college library, lamenting about the small number of books that it has. She's most happy left alone to read or write.

Japan Wave

Just a short post.

This following statement is confined to those who are staying in the continent of Asia.

When someone says that they're buying imported goods, the origin of the import will always assumed to be from the West.

This is not necessarily true.

You don't need to look far; just see the logo on your computer screen, what does it say?
Mine says Samsung, which is from Korea.
Processor? BenQ from Taiwan.
The only thing that is really foreign is my keyboard and mouse, which is the Swiss Logitech.

You might be surprised that 85% of the stuff you own are Japanese or Korean brands!
Even my electric guitar is from a Japanese brand, Ibanez. Great specs, I might add.

The Japanese and Korean wave have indeed invaded our homes long before anime, manga and dramas did.
They will soon change the definition of globalization. It will no longer be defined as the spread of Western culture; it'll be Eastern instead.
First it was household items, then it's pop culture.
Soon, it will be the world.
Think about it.

Want the list of the brands?
Follow the links:
Consumer Electronics in Japan- Wikipedia
List of South Korean Companies

Think

Yes, I've been doing a lot of that lately.

With my food poisoning slowly subsiding and the frantic run to the toilet becoming more infrequent, I'm beginning to feel much better.
Though, I do have a Math test tomorrow to worry about.
Domain and range will be my new problem to tackle.

Ok, what was I about to write about, hmm...
Right!
Let me ask you, my fellow readers and those who just happened to stumble upon my blog while they were just randomly searching blogs to read, or even those who were lured in by my banner in forums with its misleading tagline"Click to check on my current mischief",

What comes to mind when I say the words 'destiny' and the quote of William Shakespear aka The Bard of Avon, "All the world's a stage and all the men and women are mere players"?

I can only imagine a few responses:
(a) You say that it has nothing to do with each other and think nothing further of it.
(b) You stare at me like I'm some sort of crazy person.
(c) You change the subject and act as if I didn't ask the question.
(d) You think that it was bad timing to have stumbled onto me when I'm asking this question and you're muttering a curse under your breath.
Don't worry, I'm used to the above-mentioned responses.

This thought of mine (which I'll write about later) came to me after watching My Sassy Girl on Sunday night.
Jordan was saying something about destiny, and somehow my weirdly wired brain linked it to a movie called 'Stranger than Fiction' which then linked me to the thought, do we actually exist?
No, I'm not a Philosophy student.

Are we real?
Do we actually exist?
Are the things around us really there?
When we see something, our eyes perceive it as it is; but if we don't, will it no longer exist?

Also, I've also been wondering about this.
Everyone is destined to do something or be someone, but are we actually going on our own paths or that we're actually the work of imagination of a higher force?
Simplified, are we the characters of a fiction and the God that we know of might be the author?
Since we humans do write stories and create characters of our own, might we ourselves be the creation from the imagination from the one we call God?

The more I think about it, the more it seems to be like a never-ending cycle.
We write stories while our stories are being written.
So if all these in some weird way turns out to be true, then can I say that I'm acting and behaving the way I am because my character was built to be like this?
Can I also say that the things happening around me are all the doings of my sadistic author who seem to enjoy to see me suffer and feel miserable?
Sounds like excuses, huh?

There's also the thought about another me in a parallel universe.
Have you ever thought about that?
And there is the time continuum theory, where time is a dimension where one can rip a hole and go back to whenever they want, given that they have enough power to rip that hole.
I see time as a very...what's that word...very...
...I don't even know a word to describe it.
As time flows by in our perspective, we are repeating what we're doing.
Sorta like history repeating itself.

How should I put it...
Let's say you're brushing your teeth at 11 before going to bed on 29/07/2009.
On 15/12/2015, you'd still be brushing your teeth at 11 on 29/07/2009.
And on 29/12/2115, you'd still be brushing your teeth at 11 on 29/07/2009!
I know it sounds confusing or downright illogical, but think about it.
What you did at 11 on 29/07/2009 is carried forth to your future.

Even more confused?
Then let time be a reel of film.
In a movie, you have the beginning, the progression of the story, the climax and the conclusion.
Let's just take the progression part of the film.
Your conclusion is based on the choices by the character during the story progression, yes?
Then substitute time into that equation.
Your outcome is the effect of your choices and it is maintained by the constant replaying of that choice.
The world that we live in right now is a constant replay of events that happened and are happening.
Understand now?

It's quite hard to explain this, unless you see me personally.
Then I might have something to debate about.

And note this, I'm not a Philosophy student, nor do I have any knowledge about Philosophy other than it being the study of fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.
I'm only some 18-year-old college freshman with a weirdly wired brain (as told by some of my teachers and friends) that could link up unrelated things and sometimes think too deep to the point of being extreme.

Keeping Busy

I had a friend of mine ask me this, which made me think:

"You're almost 18 and you're still single; don't you ever feel lonely?"

LoL, my answer would of course be a huge "NO", but that's cause I don't want to admit it.
Honestly speaking, there are times in a month were I feel particularly lonely and I don't know why.
It's like everyone in the whole world has someone to spend time with and I don't.

Hold on a sec, I don't need anyone to pity me 'cause...
I think I found my answer to keeping that feeling away!
It's to keep myself busy, real busy.

Ever wonder why some career women never seem to yearn the company of males?
They keep themselves busy by working on projects and keeping up their career performance.
Which brings me to what I'm about to do, or rather did.

For the past few days, I have been applying for jobs as a translator and a proofreader.
Not to mention doing the test for some of the groups.

I've applied for:

- Shoujo Crusade (CT)
- Tasty-Kiwi Scans (CT)
- J-Sis (PR)
- Fate Scanslations (CT)
- Project Noir (CT)
- Forbidden Garden (CT & PR)
- Rebellious Love (CT)
- Ochibichan (PR)

Last but not least, I'm returning to my first group, En.tro.py to continue on Love Catalog.
I think that's all the groups that I've applied with, unless I did forget about any other groups.

So far Tasty-Kiwi, J-Sis, Project Noir and Forbidden Garden have answered my application and I'm waiting for the scripts and raws to come in.
Decision is still pending for Shoujo Crusade, Fate, Rebellious Love and Ochibichan; I hope that they'll make their decision fast.
Sophe from En.tro.py has also answered my mail and I'll be expecting the raw with her next mail.

So you must be thinking, this girl is mad!
Why the hell pile yourself with so much work? Besides, they don't even pay you! Moreover, your college classes are starting next week; so why bring on more work?-That was what my brother said to me this afternoon.

My answer is, I want to do it.
I want to keep myself busy and not let my mind wander and wonder.
It's bad enough that I see half of the people I know busy with their 'significant other' (in my opinion, we're too young to have a lover, much less a significant other) and I'll be a bother if I asked them out.
The only way I can think of is this- to busy myself with projects and scripts; when college starts next week, it'll be projects, scripts, assignments and quizzes.
So what? I'll take this as a challenge for me to master time management; something that I've been lacking but learned after one and a half month in the camp a.k.a HELLHOLE.
And since my very own laptop is pending from dad, that'll make my work much easier since I can work anywhere.

I also planned to take on some language courses and some other recreational classes, like yoga.
And since I'm taking my driver's license in two weeks, I'll be able to get my lil monkey (sis) and I to the yoga center in the township nearby.

There, how can I think about bothersome relationships when my schedule is packed with things that I want to do?
Singlehood offers more freedom, albeit the occasional lonely feeling.
At least I'm able to do the things that I want.
I mean, life is short and I don't want to live it being chained down by a person; I'll gladly settle down when I feel like I'm ready.
For now, the sky star's the limit and I'm doing whatever I want!

Edit: Will start on a project on Forbidden Garden as soon as I wake up tomorrow.

Wake Up

I just watched a video that Fookix posted in Facebook.
It was a wake up call; not only about the environment and the hypocrisy of all adults, but something about myself.

Severn Suzuki spoke about the problems of the environment, poverty and also hinted on the hypocrisy of adults.
It reminded me of the times when I actually did care and fought for that cause.
It was five years ago that I was really against animal poaching and human trafficking.
I could remember crying over the picture of the baby seal being beaten to death just to be fitted into the hood of an overcoat.
I even thought that it was barbaric for Laika to die in space, even in the name of Science.

My determination was worn down as the years went by, with no one listening or caring about what I had to say.
Perhaps it was my own flaw of being under-confident and was too timid to speak up.
The years went by with more destruction and more lives lost while I lived and did nothing about it; until today.

My bro asked for my opinion on his topic for a Public Speaking competition.
I had my chances last year but didn't take it for two reasons: preparation for SPM and the lack of an inspirational piece.
Well, I think I can draw up a speech and let bro be my messenger.
His topic was 'Lost'.

A very Good Morning to the Chairperson, the honorable adjudicators, the meticulous timekeeper, teachers, fellow speakers and members of the floor. I stand here today to give a speech inspired by Severn Suzuki who gave a speech that moved the hearts of delegates, politicians and leaders of the world during the Plenary Session at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio Central, Brazil almost 17 years ago. She was 12 when she made that speech.

You might ask, how does the theme of 'Lost' suit my speech; well then, let me enlighten you. Frankly speaking, all of us are lost. Not in terms of faith in God, not in terms of direction, not in terms of train of thought; but in terms of being human.
We have lost the very thing that differentiates us from animals.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
As humans, we have the ability to learn, to comprehend, and most importantly, to differentiate between right and wrong- that's the one thing that we have lost.
As kids, we are taught:

- to share
- to respect one another
- not to fight
- to kiss and make up when we do fight
- to forgive and forget
- to be kind to all living things
- not to be greedy
- to watch what we say
- to think before we act
- not to discriminate between race and religion

Throughout the course of 18 years of my life, I've watch each and every one adult who taught me what I should and should not do turn into hypocrites. I admit, at times I am a hypocrite myself. Nobody is perfect, and I hope that all adults don't expect us to be either.

Members of the floor,
In recent years, I've seen reports of environmental issues, wars and nuclear weapons development splashed upon the front pages of the newspapers. It pains me the most when I see another report of suicide bombings, war and pictures of the bloody scene. This shouldn't be happening at all! What happened to forgiving and forgetting? Are these the kind of examples that you are setting for us kids?
I did voice out my opinion about this to someone, only to have them tell me that I'm too naive and the problem is much more complicated than I can comprehend.
Why should it be? Why? Is it really that hard to shake hands and forgive each other? The problems that you have are just the adult version of kids fighting for a toy. And what's the solution for that, pray tell?

Fellow participants,
The world is slowly being killed by the very creatures that it gave life and a home to. Every second, there are cars releasing carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and other poisonous exhaust fumes into the air; factories releasing harmful gases that are produced by their assembly line; dump trucks dumping our garbage into the landfill; people illegally dumping toxic wastes into the streams; forests being cut down do make furniture, paper and other goods and some poachers are killing an innocent and unsuspecting animal for their fur, ivory or skin.

The streams are no longer as clean and clear they were 20 or 30 years ago.
The air is no longer as refreshing as 40 or 50 years ago.
The forests are no longer as lush and green as they were 60 or 70 years ago.
The land is no longer as fertile as they were 80 or 90 years ago.
The number of animals are no longer as large as they were 100 years ago.
The ozone layer is no longer hole-free as it was 1000 years go.

Teachers and members of the floor,
These are real numbers and they reflect on how much damage we have done to Earth. If you adults continue your quest for development without taking care of the environment, we the future generation, will have to suffer the consequences of your actions.
Might I ask, have you ever seen a quagga?
The dodo bird?
The Steller's sea cow?
The Tasmanian wolf, not devil.
The passenger pigeon?
I'm sure even the adults themselves have not heard of them, lest seen them.
The last quagga was shot down in 1883 by the hunters of South Africa. It's a cross between a horse and a zebra.
Ever heard of the famous expression 'Dead as a dodo'? Guess where that came from.
In less than 30 years of their discovery, the Steller's sea cows joined the list of extinct animals; so did the Tasmanian wolf and passenger pigeon.
We will never see them ever again, other than in pictures or models in the Natural History museums.
Just because of our ancestor's actions, we have to forever wonder how does the extinct animals look and sound like.
Do you want YOUR grandchildren to ask you what a tiger looks like? Or what does the elephant's trumpet sound like?
Do you really want your grandchildren to wonder like we do?
I daren't think if it is safe for my grandchildren to walk under the sun like we do now or if there are anymore green fields and lush forests for my grandchildren to run, play and camp in.

To all adults,
YOU have to stop the hypocrisy now. We need you to get back onto the track that you have strayed so far from; we need you to guide the world back onto the right path.
We, the millennium babies, need YOU to guide us; the future generation needs YOU to make the world a better and safe place for them to live in.
Each and everyone of you adults are someone's child, parent and sibling; hence responsible for everyone's well being.
You might think me naive and say that it isn't as simple as I think but let me ask you, why shouldn't it be?
Race, religion and culture should not be the barrier of the fact that we need to work together to make the world a better place.
Discrimination of the above three is the worst.
WE ARE HUMAN. We are not any different from one another.

Members of the floor,
It's time for us to step up to do our part in making this world a better place. All of us have responsibilities to carry out in this world, and that is one of it.
And to all the adults, please don't go back on your words. We need you, the future generation needs you.
Severn Suzuki gave her piece of mind 17 years ago at the conference and little has been done since then. Now I stand here to give you a piece of my mind, hoping that the voice of two people can break down the stubborn wall.
Don't just give us lip service, give us action.

I shall end my speech with my favorite part of her speech, and I quote:

You are deciding what kind of world we grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their child by saying ''Everything's gonna be alright'', "We're doing the best that we can" and "It's not the end of the world".

But I don't think you can say it to us anymore. Are we even on the list of your priorities? My father always says, "You are what you do, not what you say."

Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown ups say that you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect on your words. I thank you for listening.

Well, I timed the speech and it's 8 minutes and 42 seconds. Gosh...I dunno what to cut.
Oh well, let's see if the school will allow me to give a speech as an ex-student.

Barbie Dolls

I'm reverting back to my old way of writing, but only for this post.

One interesting topic has caught my eye, which of course relates to the title, Barbie dolls.
This post is in referral to the article 'Barbie: to love or to loathe' on page 16 of StarTwo; under lifestyle. Two journalist / writers have written about their views about Barbie; Moira Redmond on the Government while Julie Bindel on the Opposition. A debate, it is.

Barbie dolls...I have several of them. Yes, several.
I was a girl, once; but that was a long, long time ago.
I used to love dressing her up and going on 'vacation' with her, telling her my dreams and ambitions...Sounds pathetic, huh? Well, I was only seven.
I also used to nag my parents to get me the house set. They didn't, until my younger sister came along. Then, I used her to get them. Whenever I needed something, she'd be my tool.
At the age of ten, I was able to manipulate a kid; she was wrapped all around my finger.
See, I told you I was evil and devious but nobody believed me.

I did continue to play with Barbie up until the age of twelve, or maybe eleven. As to why the lost of interest? I don't know. Perhaps I just outgrew it.
My thirteen-year-old would be an age my parents would call as the 'emo' age; I was miserable and only wore black. I hated everyone and everything and loathed the thought of wearing a skirt.
So, what does this exactly have to do with Barbie?
Even though I hated wearing a skirt, I made her wear them. And instead of wearing the clothes in that were apiece, I jumbled them up.
My point- She taught me my sense of dressing.
And even though I'll probably never wear a skirt again, at least I could offer my suggestions to my mom whenever she asks.

Perhaps Julie never experienced this point.
She was hell bent on hating Barbie just because it was a sex symbol for perverted guys; that it symbolized that women were objects to play with; the development of the 'Barbie Syndrome' and the jealousy of girls turned to the destruction of their dolls, making their personality warped- my interpretation of her words.
Even though I'm not so happy with my body, I never did take it out on Barbie.
Geez, she's a doll and she's made in a factory. Besides, it would be a waste of money to destroy a doll; Barbie dolls ain't exactly really cheap where I come from.

The points she presented were good points, but foundations were shaky nonetheless. It is the people themselves are striving for perfection, even though they know that perfection is unachievable.
As a female, I know that I'm not an object to be played with and am not any weaker to the male counterpart. Heck, I can even beat some of my guy friends in games that they deem 'only fit for guys'. Through decades, we've made a point to men that we're just as good as they are; and on occasions, even better.
As for those perverted freaks; you could get a really sick response from them even if you put a picture of a fully clothed person in front of them.
The bottom line is, it's all in the state of mind.

I don't love Barbie, nor do I hate her. I'm Switzerland in this topic.
And I have two of them on display on my keyboard note stand. I change their clothes whever I feel like it.

Home, not-so-sweet, home and some other moronic person

Well, I'm back at home and it's damn freaking hot! Woooh~
That's the price I pay for going somewhere cold.

I don't feel like giving anything detailed; just that it was fun and pretty amazing, and there was a bit of cultural shock. Hey, at least I know what to expect the next time I visit Korea again. Overall, the food was nice, the accommodations are okay and the people there are rather polite. I've bought a few things which can't be found here and ate stuff that tastes a whole lot better than what we've got.
Visit Korea if you have the chance to, it's pretty fun.
Yes, I AM promoting to visit a foreign country. What we have here is meh...

Right, I've stumbled upon a really interesting but maddening article in Baka Manga Updates as I was heading to the releases section to check if my daily fixes was available.
This article was about a guy in Iowa, USA being charged for allegedly obscene manga, particularly for yaoi or BL (boy love, homo, gay...whatever else you might call it). He faces up to 20 years in prison.

The full article and story and be found at the following sources:
Click here and Click here too.
while a personal opinion of a manga fan can be found here.

Here's where I'll start my own opinion:

I think that the lawmakers and enforcers should spend more time thinking about more laws to save our dying planet than to go through people's parcel and posts or go around arresting people for reading comics.

Yes, that's exactly what I think. And yeah, it might probably be a really naive opinion; what do you expect out of a 17-year-old, huh? It's true that I might not understand the magnitude of the situation and am just a bystander or onlooker; a rather far onlooker that lives all the way across the world at that. But this affects me in a way, like it affects all the manga fans in the world.

How? Let's take this article for example: Click me
This article is complaining about Peach Girl, which I have previewed two years ago, around the age of 15. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I can understand why the parents are complaining; but don't you think that ignorance (in context of the child) is actually bad?
And to answer the question that was posed by the mother of the child, MY parents DO know what I'm reading and they TRUST my judgment on what's right and wrong.

I have to admit, this topic is a double-edged sword. In one way, the child may grow up and mimic the scene that he/she had once saw or read about. In another, the child is aware that there is a kind of possibility of that scene happening to him/herself and will take precaution when out alone or that this kind of situation does happen in the world; rare as it is but it does happen.
Unfortunately, parents never seem to comprehend the latter fact; only thinking about the supposed 'pollution' that the graphic novel/ manga will do to the child. Come on people, YOU CAN'T SHIELD ALL THE BAD THINGS IN THE WORLD!
If they don't find out now, they'll find out eventually; perhaps in a harder, more painful and scarring way.

Nudity, present in some of the graphic novels that I've come across. Sometimes, the underwear is slightly seen and the undergarment is slightly revealed, so what? Compared to the cultural shock I experienced at the spa in Korea, these things are like grass at the side of the highway. Perhaps that experience has made me a lil more mature than others, and I know that it IS a NORM in certain communities in the world.

Besides, most of the graphic novels have labels clearly written on them, like +13, +15, +16 or for older teens or they give warnings like slight language and stuff. I qualify most of the manga that I read, being as old as I am. My sister, who is six years younger than I am, is barred and banned from touching and even coming near to the books in the first rack of my bookshelf, where all my manga are kept.
My point is, it's NOT the publisher's fault; rather, it's the fault of the reader's curiosity (or age). Humans have a brain; the brain has a section called the cerebrum which carries out mental processes such as learning and making judgment. The child SHOULD be able to make the right decision or judgment when it comes to picking up that novel. If taught correctly by the parents, the child should know that he/she is not at the right age to pick it up. So, the fault also lies at the parents.
Therefore people, don't blame the publishers; blame yourself that you've not taught your kid on making the right decisions. Yes, YOU.

What right to I have to even say that statement?
I don't touch yaoi, yuri, shotacon, lolicon and the worst, hentai; I don't even go near them. Sure, I am curious by nature but I DO know where to draw the line. I sure don't need my parents, teachers or even people who have nothing to do with my life to interfere at all.
To those people interfering with other's lives, BUTT OUT! It's none of your business. If that person doesn't pose as a threat, leave them alone! What's your problem? You got nothing better to do isit, huh? You go worry about your financial crisis lah! Bother about what people reading about for what?
(Sorry about the Manglish; kinda lost it there)
What about those romance novels, huh? The best example, Barbara Cartland; all the heaving bosoms and what nots. Just be happy that your kid is not reading about those!

Bottom line is (I'm getting sleepy now) just leave us alone. Everything has been so peaceful (I can't say for the economy though) and suddenly, they dropped this bomb on us. We've never done anything wrong, unless now you call reading as wrong. I like reading these graphic novels because it occasionally makes me feel fuzzy inside with their warm love story and to fill and brighten up my boring and mundane life; I'm sure there are a whole lot of other people who feels the same too.

Caffeine is bad for you; but yet millions of people drink coffee everyday (which includes me, for I did the past few days).
Smoking is bad for your health; but the tobacco business is one of the most profitable ones in the world. Not to mention that 6 out of 10 people in the world smokes.
So, don't take away our hobby; if we take away caffeine and cigarettes from you, you wouldn't like it, would you?

Criticism in Reviews

Books, manga, movies, songs, albums, clothes, cars, food, people.
What do they all have in common?
They're all stuff that can be praised, scrutinized, criticized and destroyed by mere words.

I've seen many reviews in the past 17 years of my life and have found them to be somewhat...cruel. It pains me to see how people react to a bad review, especially when much effort is taken to produce such objects.
It only takes a bad apple to spoil the whole barrel; it only takes one bad review to spoil the image of something, but even a thousand words cannot seem to convince people of its beauty nor perfection.

Perhaps it's a common nature for humans to vituperate, or even be captious. I can't say I've never done it. Usually, I bite my tongue before spitting the words; sometimes, I spit it out and then regret over the pain I'd cause.

Take books and manga for instance. People usually read the reviews before buying the book; they'll rush for the bookstore if it's highly recommended, ignore the book and deem it the author's worst creation ever if it isn't.

It all boils down to what the critics says, huh? If they say it's good, means it's good?
I beg to differ.

People never seem to comprehend that it's their own opinion that matters most. They won't even give it a chance if the critics says that it's bad. Don't they ever think that maybe, just maybe the object under criticism will be something they (the consumer) will come to like or even like from the very beginning?

Critics are people who, well...criticize. And I quote from the animated movie, Ratatouille. It's the scene where Anton Ego was wondering what sort of review he should write for Gusteau's.

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.

It does change the view of a critic, huh? Or shall I say, criticizing a critic. That's only when I post nothing else but the sentence in red.
It isn't fair I just quote that sentence to convince others that critics are mean people; but there are some who don't admit that something is good when it comes smacking them right in the face.

I've seen a dozen of reviews telling me that a certain product or book/ manga title isn't good, but found myself liking it instead of hating it when I try it out.
Just because someone says it's bad, doesn't mean you have to hate it without even trying it out yourself.
Also, my taste for things might not be the same for the person writing the review, kinda like the the tomato (tuh-may-toe) and the tomato (tuh-mah-toe) argument.

I'll stress again that reviews are just what the person thinks when they observed the object, not what everyone in the whole wide world thinks of the object in question. A critic might represent some of us, but not all of us.

So the next time you are interested in something, try it out before dismissing it. The reviewer/ critic might not enjoy it, but that doesn't mean you won't.

Breaking Dawn/ Tech Savvy

I'm still reading Breaking Dawn which I borrowed from Cass. It's not as bad as others put it, but that's just my opinion.
I'll still buy the book when I can, just for the novelty of it.


Anyways, it's Malaysia's Independence Day today!
Ah...I don't really care. Actually, I'm feeling pretty indifferent now.


As you can see in my blog, I've added something new. Yes, the links to the outside world.
Yes, the pictures are clickable and they'll bring you to whereever I want the link to go.
I figured out how to do it in just five minutes.


If you have seen my other blog- Her Life- My Fiction, you would have noticed that I put a F.A.Q link there. Yes, it'll bring you to a F.A.Q page! Why did I do that? Well, go read to find out!

Honestly speaking, I was never tech savvy.
Believe me, I've come a long way to get to this level and I've got further to go. I'm still trying to figure out how to have a background music playing in my blog without a visible player. I've seen websites do it and am still working on it.

I guess it was in Facebook that I started to learn HTML. I wanted my notes to be fun to look at, with all the big, bold and small words.
It's not that hard, actually. But I can't say it's the same for a professional compared to an amateur like me.
At first, I learnt how to bold words.
Then, how to make them italic.
Then, how to strikethrough.
Then, to hyperlink to a site. (Try clicking on the word hyperlink and see what happens.)
I was then off to numbering, bulleting , enlarging and minimizing words, underlining, blockquoting, encoding, hiding and a whole lot more.
I don't use encoding or hiding in my blog, but I do in forums. That's to get people to post something in the forums to be able to see what I've got hidden inside, usually links to download. Want an example? Head on over to Shoujo Manga Downloads (just follow the link at my links section) and see for yourself. At the forums, just click on the New Releases section and see the hidden message first hand!

I'm sure when you wanted to bold something, you'd press the 'b' on your compose post toolbar using your mouse and when you want to underline something, you couldn't.
I can do all that without my fingers leaving the keyboard or reaching for the mouse.
Kinda sound like I'm bragging right now, eh? Haha...


One thing though, I still have to move my mouse to color my text as I'm not sure of the RBG number of colours nor can I align my text yet. I will soon enough.


Of course, my blog didn't look like this at first. It started out in minima black. I wanted to put a background picture like the one I have now but I couldn't. So, I sought out help from Crystal, a friend of my brother's; she's in APIIT now and her blog is left to collect cyber dust. She told me to revert the whole thing back to classic template so that I can insert a blogskin found in Blogskin (yes, another clickable link).

I did messed around with the CSS code of the template, adding and subtracting digits and words to see how it turned out. At one point, my whole blog was deformed and I was lucky to have a back-up template saved up.
No matter how much I messed, I was still unsatisfied with how my blog was. I still wanted to have my own picture for header and background. So, I researched on how to do it.

I found my solution after five hours of non-stop searching. And when I found out how to do it, it was a relief. Though, frustration should be the mood, as I only needed to type a few words to get it up. But it was worth it. Now I can put any background I want.


I still wasn't satisfied. I didn't like the words blocking the header. Then, I saw Jess's and Lily's blog. They used Photoshop.
I borrowed the disc from Jess the very next day and was playing around with the tools inside. I didn't know how to use it properly, so I looked for guides.
Thank you igotangsinmypants for your wonderful step-by-step tutorial.
With his/her tutorial, I created two signatures, one banner, one avatar and three Polaroids.
The header above was my 8th creation.
The header in my fiction blog was my 15th while the background 16th.
If I could, I hope to learn how to create blogskins. It'll be so awesome to be able to do that!
Then, the next step would be animated siggys (signatures) , animated avatars (or GIFs) , how to make the title bar disappear like Ryan Chong's blog and last, how to make your links blink, strike through (and unstrike through) as your cursor rolls over.

By then, I'd ask my dad to help with the funding of a server and create my very own website!


Well, what is my whole point of talking about this?
It's to say, tech savvy-ness isn't a gift. You have to spend time and energy on it; and even if you can't get it the first time, do it again, till you get it.
I wish I could say the same for my school subjects; I usually cave in the first time I stall.


I'd best get to sleep now. A new day awaits me!

MP3/ Religion

My MP3 is playing Warped Path of Time found in MapleStory's BGM. I have most of the BGM. To how I found it, it's a secret and no one shall ever pry out of me.


Yes, I've not gone to school today because of reasons that no one needs to know. I don't even mind missing the class party that they're having today.

Ah, religion, one of the most sensitive topics in the world. One misunderstanding could result in another Holy War or worst, World War IV. Yes, WW III has already been resolved, but that's beside the point.

First thing's first, I'm giving a few warnings before writing any further.

1. This is a long post, so if you have anything to do first, please do it before reading. I do not want to be blamed for wasting your time.
   
2. This is post is about my opinion/views/ ideas on this particular topic. DO NOT SPAM my CBOX with your comments on HOW WRONG I am for the things I'm about to say/ write. You have every right to think to your way, I have all the same to mine. So, don't go threatening to bring others to gang up and use violence. It does nothing but tarnishes your reputation, not mine.
   
3. If you feel that you don't like what I'm about to say, you're always welcomed to press that 'X' button at the top of your tab/ screen.
4. I apologize if I have insulted anyone in any way, to any degree in advance. I have the utmost respect for any of the religions that I'm about to speak on.
5. Lastly, I'm not asking you to approve of my opinions, nor am I out to change yours. You stand by what you believe in, I stand by mine.

Since that's settled, I'll get started. *clears throat*

My dad is not a pious man, neither do our family practice extremism. We are Taoists (if anyone's wondering...). I'm not a Christian, as most of the people whom I just met would assume that I am.
It's not a branch a Buddhisms, as many believe it to be so. I spent plenty of my childhood trying to correct the misconception.
My dad has never practiced any rituals to the extreme; moderation is my dad's motto.
"Do you have food that we can't eat"? My dad would most definitely answer,

I eat everything that has wings except planes, everything that has legs except furniture.

Sure enough, this statement has generated a lot of negative feedback, but my dad ignores them. He lives on the philosophies that enables him to survive, to do what's right and to protect the family.
These are some of the examples:

1. Do everything in moderation, never stray to the extreme right nor left. Life's about keeping a balance. Once the balance is tilted either way, chaos and despair is ensured.
2. Never let anyone change your opinion (also said to me by my maternal grandma). If your guts tell you that it's the right way, don't let other comments influence you. Stand firm and never give in, regardless of what negative comments and pressure they might throw at you.
   
3. You don't need do good nor prove to anyone's eyes. Only the opinion of your immediate family matters.
4. Live life to the fullest, never go by one day with regret.
5. The bond between siblings is important. If one is in trouble, do not hesitate to give your fullest support. United we stand, divided we fall.
6. Have an open mindset, it makes accepting easier.
   

Now, you know how my family functions.

We don't really immerse ourselves with our religion.
Perhaps that's why some think that I'm a Christian (probably by the way I speak) while others think that I'm an atheist. Personally, I don't care.

Though, I met someone who has insulted me at the greatest degree. He disrespected my family's practice.


It was two years ago that I meet him at a game. We hit off well and started talking more often. Conversations with him was not only intellectual, but fun too. It was three months after when everything started.

[I shan't reveal which religion he's in; just so long as you know that these people do exist]
We were talking through MSN one night. He suddenly brought up the subject of religion, asking what I believed in. I told him mine and him his. Then, he started to give a lecture about his religion, telling me how good it was. Being polite, I listened.
After the lecture, he tried to persuade me to join; I declined. He then returned to praising the religion and again, tried to persuade, but to no avail. My patience was already running thin.
Again, he tried; my patience snapped.
What I said, I shall repeat now and it's without any editing. Whether it was rude or not, it's up to you to decide.

I respect what you believe in, but could you for one moment, stop to think?
I already said 'No, thank you', which putting it nicely means- I'm not interested! Please respect what I believe in, as I do respect yours.

Then, he started saying baseless things about my belief, like I was worshiping the devil! I've had it! I just blocked him off in mid-sentence. Even now, the anger builds up whenever I think about it.


What's my point, then?
My point is, RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE'S RELIGION!
I've had it with this kind of people! I've met plenty more of these people after this incident!
Yes, I appreciate the trouble you've taken to tell me about your religion, but to the point of persuading me to convert? Puh-leez!

Yeah, I'm not as fanatic as a hell lot of people when it comes to religion. I don't go around singing praises about how good it is or to persuade people to join me!
And I sure do not make friends according to their religion either! I prefer people from different walks of life and religion.

No doubt that I'm interested in the topic of religion, but it's only to gain knowledge and better insights!

I do read about the Bible, even if I'm not a Christian. I'm also interested in the stories in the Gospel of Mark and Gospel of Luke.
I also read about the Koran/ Qur'an. Bet you didn't know that Abu Lahab has injured by Ummi Fadl (Abbas's wife) and his injury didn't heal. It turned septic and the poison spread, making his body erupt with pustuls and he died within a week. His corpse was left to decompose for a few nights as nobody wanted to touch his body due to his plague-like symptoms. The burial wasn't pretty either, for his sons threw stones at his corpse until it was completely covered outside the walls of Mecca.
I even read about ancient Gods and Goddess for the fun of it.
And just yesterday, I read about Hesidic Judaisim.

*sigh*


There is no doubt that anyone might feel very proud of what they believe in. But people seem to have forgotten the most important lesson that every religion has, modesty and humility.
Didn't they ever teach you to be modest and never place yourself higher than others? Didn't they teach you the most basic of all things, to respect others?
So why the heck do those people exist, hmm?

Another thing, I've seen people desperately praying for a divine intervention, hoping that God shall somehow help him/ her to overcome the problem. Let me share a lil advise my mom got from her father, and me from her when I was 9:

God helps those who help themselves.

I told my mom that if that's so, why not I just think of a way to solve the problem myself. Mom smiled when I said that.

Well then, I've had my say. I'm also glad for my parents to raise us to have an open mindset.
To those who aren't satisfied with what I said, go rant anywhere but my CBox.

Scissors/ Of Manglish and Chinglish

I'm not done wrapping my books yet.

I've been to the mall twice this week, once was at Ikea/Ikano/ The Curve yesterday and 1U today.
And in these two days, I've spent 70% of my allowance (plus dad's subsidies) on books, or rather, manga.

I've gotten the first two volumes of Ouran, 1st and 8th volume of Tsuki no Shippo, 5th and 6th of Skip Beat! and 1st volume of I Wish.
And I don't mind being close to broke either.


Today's topic will be short, since I'm just killing time till Reaper to start at 10. I've got 6 minutes.

Manglish and Chinglish, ever heard of it?

Manglish or Mangled English is the English spoken in Malaysia.
It's hilarious when someone speaks Manglish.
For example:

You see, so damn chunted lah wei!

In proper English, it would be:

Did you see that? It was so cool!

I'm not saying that I have the rights to correct others nor that I'm well versed in English; that's for you to decide. Mind you, I too speak that way when I'm among friends. Well, only among friends who speak like that; as they say: When in Rome, do what the Romans do.

Terms like: (Manglish will be in mint green while The proper English is in ice blue)

What lah, kacau me now for wat?
What? Why are you bothering me?

Don't bother me can or not? I'm busy now lah
Can't you not bother me? I'm busy now!

Walao eh, damn chunted!
Wow, so cool!

This phone cacated one, where can use?
This phone is faulty. I can't use this.

And then there's Chinglish or Chinese English,like: (same as above, Chinglish in mint green, English in ice blue)

Eh, you don't so sampat can or not?
Can you not be such a busybody?

Wait for a while, I coming now.
Hold on, I'm coming.

Aiyah, pain a little bit can die meh?
It's just a little pain, you don't need to make a fuss out of it.

Eh chinapek, you diam abit can or not?
Hey (well, chinapek means old Chinese guy, but it's used to diss people, particularly guys), can you be quiet?

Most famous quote from a primary friend in front of a bunch of guys, referring to me:

This girl ah, very geng one. She can scold like a lion mother and beat you until kau kau. So don't qi fu her, you know?
This girl is very fierce and can beat you up, so don't bully her; understand?

I LoL'ed at each and every one of the examples above.

Well, this is how the Malaysian people speak, so does the Singaporeans. Gurmit Singh has done his job of teaching people how to speak Singlish while portraying the famous Phua Chu Kang.

So the next time you meet a Malaysian, you might want to learn a lil bit of Manglish; 'cause chances are, you might not understand half of what they're saying, especially teenagers!

Night Sky/ Platonic

I have around 8 minutes till the Physics tutor arrives.

Well, I'm sorry for not updating about my escape to Hong Kong. I've been busy since coming home with the unpacking and then the replacements for the classes I missed.


I won't give a detailed post about it. Only things I'd like to note are

- NEVER take AirAsia ever again. I knew it sucked, but never knew it was so much!
Not only was it free seating, it was cramped and horrible. I had neck aches and back aches
when I arrived.
- Mom had us walk for TWO DAYS just to look for her mooncake mold! My feet were sore for days. They aren't anymore, of course.
- The hotel rooms in Hong Kong are extremely small! Bro had to sleep on the ledge.
- Food in Hong Kong is abundant, so you don't need to worry about getting hungry.
- The public transportation is so convenient! They have this Octopus card that can be used at
the MRT, bus, payphones and even in 7-11!
- Like the 7-11 in Taiwan, they're well-stocked.
- The immigration officers are really mean! I was told to fill the form again for no reason but my
bro and dad didn't (they were in another lane)!
- It's only a door that's left of, my ancestor's house. My extremely distant relatives smokes and
I hope never to have any meals with them, ever.

If you want any pictures, I've uploaded them into facebook. I'm just too lazy to upload them here.


Hmm, I still have time...Today's post would be about platonic relationships!

Who says we can't have them?

I dunno. There's always someone telling me that girls and guys can't just be friends. They always have to be more than that.

THAT'S SO NOT TRUE!

Why do some people always assume that if a guy and girl are friends with each other, it's either one of them is a homosexual?!? (example taken from various romance novels)
And there's even some who advise people not to have a platonic relationship!
HEY! It's not like the girl's gonna steal the guy from his girlfriend!

Of course it happened to me! Who'd you think I was going to write about? This is my blog.
But I'm not going to tell who said what and who is the relationship is with.

Generally, I don't really mind which gender the person is when it comes to friendship. As long as we have something in common or share similar interests, it's good enough.
I don't see the point to only mix with your gender.

There are 2 incidents I'd like to point out. They'll sound like scenarios instead but it's the only way. Heck, it might even sound like something picked out from a shoujo manga but these things really did happen.

Incident 1:
Guy is feeling down with life, no longer sees hope. Girl meets guy. Guy talks to girl about problems in life, girl offers advice and encouragement. Guy feels happy and starts addressing girl with terms of endearment. Girl politely tells him off. Guy doesn't give up and starts pursuing girl. Girl gets tired of it and totally cuts off contact with guy.

Incident 2:
(In this incident, both the guy and girl already knew each other, just barely)
Guy gets dumped and asks for advice. Girl gives advice and encouragement, along with other friends. Guy constantly talks to girl. Girl answers. Guy starts declaring to girl. Girl declines. Contact becomes more strained. Total cut after 3 months.

It seems like I'm a magnet for trouble.
It happens every time I offer a lil help. Come on, don't you understand the term:

I just want to be friends, nothing else.

or

I only like you as a friend, nothing more.

It's not wrong for a girl to have a guy as a best friend and vice versa!
And it turns out my Physics tutor isn't coming!

Where was I...Oh yes!
Not all guys are like the ones I pointed out above, some are really cool and nice to talk to.
We just talk about school life, music, video games, anime...and a whole lot more things that other girl friends of mine aren't interested in. Sometimes, they even offer better advice than girls do. What's better is, guys don't gossip like girls to.
Sure, they sometimes diss each other at their faces but it's rare to see them plot for revenge like girls do.
As the saying goes:

A woman's wrath is worst than a thousand earthquakes.

I'm not looking for anyone at the moment and if I meet another guy who does the same as the two above incidents, I'll personally beat him up.