A Measure of One's Nerdiness

I found this interesting test from Willie's Blog. And yeah, he got it from someone else. This is how stuff spreads. Hehe...but it's something pretty interesting so it's okay. Here's my nerdiness score:




I guess I'm slightly more nerdy that average. Awesome....

Thanks Willz.

Recap of the Week Thus Far...

Wow, what a long week. It’s probably because Spring Break is about 12 hours away and I’m getting impatient. Had a midterm, got my midterm results back, had two homework assignments due....some week it was.

The moon was especially large tonight. It was like the size of a quarter when I first noticed it. Then it started getting smaller and smaller as the earth rotated. By the time I got my camera out to take pictures of it, it shrunk so small that it was just like the moon on an ordinary day. It was only a matter of minutes. Kinda scary how fast the earth actually rotates isn’t it?

Tonight I got invited to some party going down on Central Campus. A friend of mine from India called me up and in this thick New Delhi accent requested my attendance. At that time I was working on 401 homework with my group mates, and as expected, productivity was downhill from there. Didn’t get anyone to go with me, so I decided to pass. Don’t want to be like a weirdo going alone and not knowing anyone.

Anyway, there’s just so much to look forward to during Spring Break. It’s going to kick off with a dinner gathering on Friday night, then I’m off to Vegas, baby! Right after that I’m heading off to Mackinac Island and when I get back, I’ll just have a little time to pack my school bag and head for classes the next day.

Big big week ahead of me. Especially this Sunday *wink!

Confessions of an Insomniac

And the snow just keeps on coming…..

I finally got my hands on the lens which I purchased online about 2 weeks ago. Due to postal delays etc, I wasn’t able to get it until today. Sweet lens. A Nikon Nikkor 50mm f1.4D AF. One of the fastest and sharpest Nikon lenses out there. Just look at the shallow depth of field with this baby!



Prayer Request:
For some reason I haven’t been sleeping well for the past few nights. Two nights ago was because of Coke, I know. But last night, my mind was just bouncing off the walls. I just couldn’t get it to shut off. So I woke up and came up with another t-shirt design for the competition (see below). It’s a good thing in the sense that I come up with some really creative stuff….but I’ve missed a lecture and an Office Hour session; and it’s affecting my relationship with my homework group (sorry guys). Thanks.

President's Day

Hmmm….Yahoo’s acting up. Cant seem to log in to check my email.

For those of you who aren’t aware of it, today’s President’s Day. Yes, that’s the reason why a lot of the government agencies aren’t operating at 100% today. I’m pretty bummed because I have a package waiting for me at the post office and I can’t collect it until tomorrow. Patience is a virtue I'm learning to cultivate.

I did a little research and found some information about President’s Day. President’s Day is celebrated on the third Monday of every February. It was created to celebrate the deeds of two American Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Well, we don’t get any days off from class because of this holiday so it really isn’t a big deal to me. It’s probably the reason why I haven’t heard of such a holiday until this year. Imagine that, being here for 4 years already.

Spring break is around the corner. It begins this weekend actually. We get a week off, which is nice. But word has it that my evil man-eating EECS401 lecturer is assigning homework. Warrrgh!

In and Out of Phase...

It’s about 3am in the morning. I made the same old mistake of drinking Coke too late in the evening. Just had to get an extra boost to finish up my EECS334 homework that’s due tomorrow. Now I cant sleep and my creative juices are flowing. So I decided to come up with my contribution for the Malaysian Students Assoc T-shirt design contest (check below).

It’s just too bad that there isn’t some product out there that allows you to control how potent you want the effects of your caffeine intake to be. There should be something like a “Two Hour Kick Coffee” or a “Five Hour Jolt Cola”. I tell you, the person who comes up with something like that will overtake Bill Gates in terms of wealth in a heartbeat.

But of course there would be other variables that one has to take into consideration. More specifically, how sleepy or alert the consumer is before he/she consumes the drink. Also, the way people process caffeine differs from person to person. Some people are immune to it while others bounce off the walls with a single drop. The effects would vary too if the consumer were a child or an adult.

Hmmm…so really I think what we’re talking about here is some kind of time-sensitive prescription drug. Something you would have to walk up to a pharmacist to obtain. But who would really go to such lengths for the sake of experiencing a measured state of alertness? I certainly wouldn’t. So scrap that.

About the contest, the winner of the contest gets some surprise and of course a free T-shirt. So far the designs have been pretty decent. But none of them have really impressed. I guess the sad thing about it is that the submissions are limited to a total of 3 colors. It's more cost effective that way. Gee, I really shouldnt be participating since I'm one of the judges. May the best submission win!

Mobile Offence

Today’s feature article for the Star Online is about motorists using handphones while driving. That article reminded me of the times I’ve been pulled over for that very same offence. Yes, more than once. Two times to be exact. And I was never fined or punished for both instances. No bribes involved. Amazing isn’t it? Testament to my awesome negotiating skills.

1st Offence:
I’m driving from Bukit Jambul, heading home after getting a parking ticket for parking in an illegal spot. Yes, two traffic offences in less than half and hour. A record for me. And my Mom calls. I answer as I zoom by a bunch of policemen at the side of the road. There’s another congregation of policemen a few meters away, and one of them signals me to pull over.

“Shit. I’m so dead.”
“Hello, Encik. U tau apa you buat salah?”
“Errr….ya. Pandu kereta sambil guna handphone.”
“U tau kan itu satu kesalahan”
“Ya, Encik. Sorry la. Mak aku panggil. Ini first time aku kena tangkap untuk ini.”
“Oh, first time eh? U umur berapa? Hmmm…masih “P licence ah! U punya lisen boleh kena gantung tau?”
“Tau Encik. Sorry la. Bagi chan laaa.”
“U bapa kerja apa?”
“Err….dia kerja dengan Koh Tsu Khoon.”
“Oooh. Orang besar aaah.”
(disappears behind my car for a few seconds and reappears soon after)
“Oklah, saya bagi lu chan. Saya kesian you la. P-lisen, masih muda.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Saya janji lain kali saya takkan buat.”
“Mengapa lu nampak masih sedih? Senyum untuk aku laa.”
“Ok.” (flash him the best smile I could muster)

2nd Offence:
I’m driving home after dropping off a friend of mine. It’s at night. I overtake a police outrider. Two minutes later, Huan Lin calls me. I answer thinking that the outrider was long gone. I was so wrong. He flashes his lights at me and pulls me over.

“Hello, Encik. Saya nampak lu pakai handphone semasa pandu kereta.”
“Oh, ya. Kawan saya panggil. Sorry la.”
“U tau berapa saman tak? Harga sudah naik lo. Dulu lagi murah, skarang banyak tinggi lo.”
“Adoi, tolonglah Encik, saya tak sengaja punya. Tolong maafkan la. Saya pelajar luar negara. Minggu depan sudah mau balik belajar.”
“Ooh, belajar kat mana?”
“Amerika.”
“Ooh, jadi lu mesti kaya la. Boleh bayar saman.”
“Tak tak! Saya under biasiswa. Biasiswa Petronas. Bukan duit bapa punya! Tengok kereta saya pun Proton Wira saja. Tolong la. Saya berapa hari saja dah nak balik belajar dah.”
“Hmmm....baiklah. Jangan buat lagi tau.”
“Oh, terima kasih, Encik. Terima kasih banyak-banyak!”

I think it’s interesting how using mobile phones while driving is perfectly legal in the USA, when the number of road accidents appear to be a lot less than in Malaysia (ratio wise of course). In Penang alone, I see fender benders on Scotland Rd almost every three to four days. Here in the US, they are extremely rare. So really, does cell phone use while driving correlate with the number of accidents occurring? Apparently not. Maybe Malaysians just aren’t as skilled at multitasking.

All In a Day's Work

Dear Diary,

I had a pretty eventful day today. Well, one event to speak of really. I got a call from Satchi to pick Brian up from the hospital because he could be discharged today. Brian slipped on some ice and broke his ankle and got admitted about two days before. Obligated to carry out my V.Presidential duties, I set off to liberate our homeboy from his incarceration.

So I went to pick him up. Well, it wasn’t really as simple as that. I had to park my car and go up to his room to let him know that I was there and a whole lot more. I got there and he called the nurse to check him out. Five minutes passed and no one showed up. We paged the nurse again. Fifteen minutes and still no show. Eventually, it took about 4 pages, 2 visits to the receptionist and 40 minutes of waiting before the nurse came.

While waiting for Brian to be checked out, I was nosing around the hospital room. Everything was so cool. Hospitals here are so much better than the ones back home. Each ward had a Dell computer with LCD screen for EACH patient complete with internet access.

The safety features there were pretty mind-blowing too. Emergency door unlockers, security cameras for each bed, and the list goes on. I also learned that they even have a hospital chapel where they actually conduct catholic and protestant services! Oh, and the craziest thing is that they actually have an in-house school with qualified K-12 teachers. Incredible!!

So after the long wait, came another one. Brian was checked out and all they gave him was a pair of crutches to make his way to the elevators which were a couple of corridors away. Fantastic. It was an eternity I tell you. But I could tell that Brian was getting the workout of his life. He could have easily lost about 20-30 pounds that very moment. Oh, and getting 200 pound Brian up about 6 flights of stairs was no joke either. I wont mention what happened here.

I’m usually a really fast walker. Even when shopping with Mom I usually leave her a several feet behind me. *Grin. So I guess this was a very good lesson for me. This event was a test of long suffering, patience and everything in between. What I did tonight was definitely the most selfless thing I’ve done in a very long time. Boy, does it feel good.

Get well soon, Brian.....

All In a Day's Work

Dear Diary,

I had a pretty eventful day today. Well, one event to speak of really. I got a call from Satchi to pick Brian up from the hospital because he could be discharged today. Brian slipped on some ice and broke his ankle and got admitted about two days before. Obligated to carry out my V.Presidential duties, I set off to liberate our homeboy from his incarceration.

So I went to pick him up. Well, it wasn’t really as simple as that. I had to park my car and go up to his room to let him know that I was there and a whole lot more. I got there and he called the nurse to check him out. Five minutes passed and no one showed up. We paged the nurse again. Fifteen minutes and still no show. Eventually, it took about 4 pages, 2 visits to the receptionist and 40 minutes of waiting before the nurse came.

While waiting for Brian to be checked out, I was nosing around the hospital room. Everything was so cool. Hospitals here are so much better than the ones back home. Each ward had a Dell computer with LCD screen for EACH patient complete with internet access.

The safety features there were pretty mind-blowing too. Emergency door unlockers, security cameras for each bed, and the list goes on. I also learned that they even have a hospital chapel where they actually conduct catholic and protestant services! Oh, and the craziest thing is that they actually have an in-house school with qualified K-12 teachers. Incredible!!

So after the long wait, came another one. Brian was checked out and all they gave him was a pair of crutches to make his way to the elevators which were a couple of corridors away. Fantastic. It was an eternity I tell you. But I could tell that Brian was getting the workout of his life. He could have easily lost about 20-30 pounds that very moment. Oh, and getting 200 pound Brian up about 6 flights of stairs was no joke either. I wont mention what happened here.

I’m usually a really fast walker. Even when shopping with Mom I usually leave her a several feet behind me. *Grin. So I guess this was a very good lesson for me. This event was a test of long suffering, patience and everything in between. What I did tonight was definitely the most selfless thing I’ve done in a very long time. Boy, does it feel good.

The Asian Man Syndrome

Simply amazing!

I just received news that my buddy from Penang, Yuen Hann is officially dating a Caucasian girl! Apparently he’s the first Malaysian at OSU to cross the racial barrier and into the Asian man’s last frontier. I tip my hat to you!

Over here at the U of M, the record has yet to be broken. We’re still looking for the first Malaysian-Caucasian Undergraduate couple. Well, there’s one where the girl’s Malaysian, but that doesn’t count. I’ve yet to see a Malaysian guy date a Caucasian girl here in Ann Arbor.

Basically the reason behind all this is what I like to call the Asian Man Syndrome. It goes a little something like this:

In America…..
Asian Man wants Asian Woman (normal);
Asian Man wants Caucasian Woman (double bonus!);

Caucasian Man wants Caucasian Woman (what’s new?);
Caucasian Man wants Asian Woman (exotic mah);

Caucasian Woman wants Caucasian Man (typical);
Caucasian Woman doesn’t want Asian Man (I’m not saying why);

Asian Woman wants Caucasian Man (Looks cool);
Asian Woman doesn’t want Asian Man (In America, so why should I?).

So Asian Man gets no loving....

Tis the Season to be Leavin

It’s really sad when a bunch of people you know have to leave. When their expiration date rolls over and their glorious years of university life have come to an abrupt halt. I’m looking ahead of time and I do see a bunch of really cool seniors leaving after this semester. It’s just too bad that we didn’t get to hang out more.

Kong Hong left about 2-3 weeks ago. I will miss that Apek Chinaman dearly. Although his kiamsiap-ness is unmatched, he still made great company (of course when money isn’t involved). Everybody needs a chinaman around to remind them of what they would have turned out to be like if they were placed in a hardcore Chinese school. Just someone to poke fun and laugh at be it for bad grammar or simply an apek’s dress sense. Here’s to you, my dear Cinabeng. May you prosper back home in Malaysia. It was a pleasure.

Another two buddies of mine will be leaving Ann Arbor in the next two weeks. Jun will be leaving for an internship at Intel sometime during Spring break. Jon on the other hand will be leaving for home at about the same time. Though I haven’t had the opportunity to hang out with those two much, the times when we did were memorable. You rock, Dayak!

It makes me wonder how I would be feeling about a year from now. It would be during my final semester and in two months I would probably never set foot in Ann Arbor ever again. Yes, part of me says “what a relief”, but then again this place is filled with some pretty darn good memories. I’d probably be so worried about working or not working for the “Jolly Green Giant” that I wouldn’t be thinking too much about my missing AA. Oh well, only time will tell.

Ps.
Ong Bak his the US this weekend! Haha….I saw this awesome Thai action flick a year ago. This Jaa guy doesn’t speak a word of English, but he’s here in the US promoting his film. Yep, he’s set to be the next big thing after Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Watch this space!

Mike's Single's Top Valentines Day Single

At number one and still going strong.....

JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW - songwriter unknown

Sing it while hugging yourself. Works miracles....

=)

Ooohooo....it's Valentines Day

Ah well, it’s that day of the year again. It’s another day that’s been blown out of proportion by corporate America to capitalize on making some cash. While people should really be loving each other as much as possible every single day, this is the one special day where the big cards are played out. Why?

I believe, like Father’s Day or Mother’s Day, Valentines Day should be celebrated every day. Why do we have to wait for a designated day, not by our own choice, to go the extra mile in showing how much we love and appreciate a person? Shouldn’t that be done every single day regardless of the occasion? It’s because boyfriends are busy loving their girlfriends their socks off, that they do tend to forget Vday. Yeah, I’m covering for them. As for the real lousy ones….they’re just forgetful.

But think about it, go ahead and celebrate your wedding anniversary, or your anniversary of getting together. That makes perfect sense, because every single year is a milestone in a relationship, and it should be celebrated. But why V-day? When guys have to pay extra money for something that would have been cheaper any other day of the year, or when the whole world is being romantic at the same time. Feel special? Why should you when everyone’s doing it on the same day?

Basically, we’re being romantic just because all the other couples are doing it. We’re really conforming to social conditioning. Just because some genius comes up with a day where we be the most diabetically sweet, doesn’t mean that we have to follow suit? Then again no one wants to be left stuttering when someone asks, “So what did you do for Valentines Day?”

Well, for those of you in a relationship, I can totally understand why you’re caught up in the V-day frenzy. I for one, haven’t really celebrated Valentines Day so what do I know. But step back for a moment and look at it in a different light. Do you see how really silly and ridiculous this is? Take your time to laugh a little, and then step back in and have yourself a very romantic Valentines Day.

I guess I’m in the position to say stuff like that because I’m not attached in any way. But the sad fact is, I do see myself being suckered into this whole blown out of proportion thingy called Vday when I get attached. Love makes you do crazy things.

Try maintaining a relationship with someone without observing V-day at all. If you’re still together, it’s love. Really.

Happy Birthday, Gabe.

Week of Chameleonism....

What a crazy CNY week. For me, this week has been a week of being out of character. There were two situations where I acted unlike my usual self, to the amusement of others. I guess it’s cool to surprise people sometimes, however they do have to accept the fact that my actions at the time did not reflect on my convictions.

The first situation was shooting a video for a Valentines Day special with my cell group. My boy-band aficionado cell group guys wanted to do a MTV for Savage Garden’s Truly Madly Deeply *Gag!. I didn’t want to be a wet blanket so I was dragged into acting in the video......like a total sellout. Some of you know how much I despise boy-bands. Before I knew it, almost the whole church saw the music video.

The second situation involved playing a party game late at night. I learned about how far one would go to relieve himself. I guess part of it involved the people-pleaser side of me, which comes up from time to time. However, I still shiver at the thought of both situations.

But it’s alright to know that you’re being silly among friends. Of course you have to trust that your friends will be mature about it and sensitive with handling any form of documentation. That's why it's always important to be nice to everybody. You never know when you'll need them on your side.

It’s just weird walking into church on Sunday and having someone point to you and say, "Hey, nice guitar scene on the toilet seat, bro!"

Good times....

The Snapfish Exploit

I managed to pull this off, and I'm sure anyone can too. Here's the way to get 80 free prints from Snapfish and only pay for shipping...

1) Click on this site.

2) Click on the green button that says "Go to Snapfish Site". It will take you to the snapfish site with the promotion of having 30 free prints on signup.

3) Sign up with Snapfish for the 30 free prints.

4) Upload 80 digital pictures and got to checkout.

5) Fill in the particulars and enter coupon code: EXPEDIA50.
This will qualify you for an additional 50 free prints.

6) You will only be charged about $4.46 for shipping.

Apparently you can keep creating new accounts with different email addresses, pay with the same credit card and ship to the same address with no problems. So those free Gmail invites actually may come in really handy! Enjoy!

Happy Lunar New Year

I really wish I took my Mandarin classes more seriously. Haha.

Anyway, it was a pretty good Chinese New Year. My fourth one away from home. Do I miss celebrating it back home? Well, I don’t really know because most of the time, before I learnt to appreciate the social aspect of CNY, I was only thinking about the ang pows. Then came the driver’s license along with the independence to visit my own friends and the monetary importance of CNY took a back seat.

I would usually dread the first day of new years as I would have to spend the night at my grandparents place. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I have issues with them, but every trip to their place is plain boring. Firstly, there’s the language barrier. I cant speak hokkien for the life of me. Then there’s absolutely nothing to do there except watch TV. And what shows are on? Chinese ones. And I can never get a restful sleep at their place so I’ll usually wake up really groggy.

My Chinese New year here is a lot more different. More self-indulgent I believe. I organized a dinner for a bunch of seniors and juniors last night. They’re supposed to be part of my “family away from home”. How touching. The dinner was an 8-10 course meal and boy, it was good. We decided that it should become some sort of a tradition, but how can it be a tradition if it can only be done once? Everyone would have graduated by next year. So sad.

Then on Friday, there will be a UofM Malaysian Students Assoc CNY potluck. It should be a pretty grand occasion. Just hope everything works out well.

Happy New Year everyone....

Stovemaster

My oven stopped working a couple of days ago. I discovered about it when I was trying to roast a couple of marinated chicken drumsticks. After half an hour of waiting, the chicken looked exactly the same as before.

Today, I finally remembered to call the university’s home maintenance hotline and they sent a guy over to check it out. They sent this really old guy, who looked like he popped out of a Christmas story to come take a look at my problem.

He was really helpful as he took apart my stove and told me about how the whole thing functioned. It was really cool to see how my stove, looking pretty primitive on the exterior was really a very technologically advanced piece of machinery. Oh, and I also found out what the bottom tray of my oven was for…. Sear-cooking meat. Cool.

The guy was so helpful and informative that I was tempted to tip him. But I don’t think it is university policy to tip its employees. I was more afraid of him being offended with my measly tip than anything. Things ironed out as he made his way to the door on his own, no awkward cues for me to tip him or anything like that. Problem solved. Stove fixed.

Telemarketer Kryptonite

Ever been awaken from your slumber by someone on the phone trying to sell you his/her credit cards? I have, and I tell you they’re a total pain in the behind.

Thankfully, not too long ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) came up with a way for us to avoid those pesky telemarketers. US residents can now sign up for the national Do-Not-Call List. The list basically is a collection of phone numbers nationwide that telemarketers cannot use for their business. If they do, they could get into big trouble. Yes, one can report violating telemarketers if they are already signed up on the list but still receive calls.

The link to the website is: https://www.donotcall.gov/ .

In the application form, you can sign in up to three numbers for the program and include an email address. The email address is for confirmation purposes. Within about 30 days your phone lines should be clear of the vultures for a good 5 years. I'll get back to you in a month to see if this really works.... that's if I remember to.

SunOfaGunDay

What a stressful day....

11.30am –1.30pm ------------> Sunday Celebration
1.30am – 2.00pm -------------> Lunch
2.00pm – 3.45pm -------------> Membership Class
4.00pm – 5.30pm -------------> SEA Night Committee Meeting
5.30pm – 6.30pm -------------> Cook and makan dinner
6.30pm – 8.50pm -------------> Hibernate
9.00pm – 12.00am-------------> Homework at the MU

Sacrifices:
1) Superbowl Party at Roses'
2) Shooting a MTV for my CG's Valentine's Day Special
3) Half of my General Tsao's Chicken lunch

Life is good....

I received an invitation to the Singapore Students Assoc CNY dinner. They are charging $28 per head for a steamboat dinner. They tried to entice me by offering a discounted ticket price of $18.00. Give me a break. Steamboat dinner for $15.00 also I'll pass man, thank you very much.

The Hill Experience

Finally, after being here in the U of M for three years, I got to experience the Hill Auditorium for myself. I missed out on the first two years mostly because the auditorium was closed due to renovations. But it was worth the wait. The place is magnificent.

I was there to see the New York Philharmonic Orchestra perform. Well, I really couldn’t care less about who was performing. I just wanted to get into the auditorium. The orchestra was really good. They were playing some symphonies I don’t remember the names of. Something like a 25th Symphony? I remember one was from Mozart. The other was written by a guy who was terminally ill or something.

Overall a really wonderful experience. The last time I went to see a live orchestra was when I was in Boston to see the Boston Pops. That was more enjoyable for me because they played more contemporary songs like movie themes.

While listening to the NYPO I couldn’t help but reminisce about my past failures in the world of classical music. My short-lived stint with classical guitar, my bittersweet memories as a trumpeter in the PFS marching band and my horrid experience with the PYSO Director, Mr. Woon all came back to me in a flash.

For me the grass is greener on the other side......the side where you just pay to sit back and listen to a guy who spent his lifetime romancing his instrument entertain you. Sweet....

Keeping Fingers and Toes Crossed

Spending 3 hours straight on your feet, 90% of the time waiting in line is no joke man. It really takes the juice out of you. But it was a great experience. Haha. I even had the audacity to speak to a rep from Shell. He didn’t mind that I was affiliated with Petronas at all. In fact he didn’t even consider Petronas a competitor. Lol.

Most of the people I met told me to go to their website and submit my resume there. I guess it’s another way of saying “we cant help you here”. That’s kind of the sad thing about being an international student without the proper paperwork. It’s just too cumbersome for companies to get through all the red tape to hire you that they just prefer to look for locals.

Another thing I noticed is just how difficult it is to stand out of the crowd. Of the hundreds of potentials out there, sticking out is a pretty hard. I feel a lot of my qualities don’t relate to my career at all. Things like my passion for photography, my musical ability or my penchant for soccer. How do traits like these translate into desirables for prospective employers?

I admit that I do not have a burning passion for my field. I don’t take the trouble to read up on the latest innovations in optics or laser technology. I don’t seek out sources for research opportunities. I don’t dog my professors for an opportunity to work with them. Which brings me back to the question I posed a few months ago when I first started this blog……Am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path?

Oh well, the Internship Fair was a wake up call for me. It’s time to market myself, or get thrown into the pile like every other regular fresh graduate. The world out there is harsh and competitive. That’s why we have awesome parents with awesome connections, just in case things don’t work out the way we want them to.

Would You Hire This Man?

The Co-op and Internship Fair 2005 is just about 8 hours away. I only had the last few hours of my day to prepare for it and boy did I have some fun.

I was pretty bummed today when I received news that my application for an internship at Intel Penang was rejected just because I was a Petronas Scholar. According to them, chances of me continuing my career at Intel is rather slim since I am required to work for my sponsors for a good 8 years. But hey, I can always choose to break my bond and pay them back. What the heck man?

I had a good time preparing for the fair. After Frankenstein-ing my resume, I went to my closet to decide what to wear. Finally, the shirt that I bought in the summer will see its first formal occasion. More interesting is how my iron, after almost 2 years of collecting dust was given a new lease of life. Yes, I don’t usually iron my clothes. Oh, and my bed makes a great substitute for an ironing board.

I am prepared for the worst really. Being an international student, my options are limited. Very limited. To make matters worse, I’m specializing in Electromagnetics, which narrows down my choices even further. But it doesn’t hurt to try.

BTW, it's Engineering. Not Entertainment.....

Criminals Among Us

I just read in the Michigan Daily that three students were robbed at gunpoint. The incident happened yesterday down on Central Campus. Apparently the robbers got into their backdoor which was unlocked. They escaped with laptops, cell phones and a wallet. I wonder why a wallet when there were three victims. Hmmm…

Anyway, it got me thinking about what if I was robbed at gunpoint, say if I were walking around somewhere. I think I’d make a very disappointing victim because my wallet is empty half the time I go out. Once in a while I carry some one dollar bills here and there, but since I use my debit card most of the time, I don’t see the need to carry cash on me. Gee, that’ll mean I’ll get stabbed out of frustration or maybe even worse. I should think about carrying a little more cash next time.

Going to hang out with some church members at some really spontaneous potluck tonight. Just a bunch of guys bringing their bent offerings (sad attempts at cooking) over and chillin.


View from my living room at 6.00pm

Rocky Lives!!

Came across this really cool clip. Time to get out those 8 Rocky movies and get into the spirit!

Rocky's Back!

Are you a Red Devil?

Wow, Man U 4-2 Arsenal. What a classic. That sort of result makes me real proud to be a supporter of arguably the most successful football club ever. I just gave Elsie, a hardcore Arsenal fan, a big douse of ice cold water. Now she’s vowed not to support the club ever again. I think she mentioned something about switching to basketball instead.


I’ve questioned myself a number of times why I chose to support Manchester United, instead of all the other clubs in the Premier League. Was it because of conformity, fear of disappointment (*koff koff) or was it because the local channels only showed ManU games? I haven’t really found my answer yet, but I am proud of being a ManU fan though there are times when it’s really hard to admit that I’m one.

There’s just such a rich history behind the club that makes it a really great club to support. There are of course the other fans who I feel are just picking the other clubs out of non-conformity. Well, you know what you get for your rebellion? Amongst others, lack of news coverage, a plethora of losses, non-existent local fan clubs, unattainable club merchandise and fear of relegation. So come on. Support Manchester United and you’ll never have to fear for such matters. :P

I have to say that the animosity amongst football fans is really amusing, quite frankly. Some fans will go through rounds and rounds of verbal jousting just to defend the pride of their beloved football club. To them I ask, why the defensiveness? What in the world gives you the right to get in the face of another supporter? It’s not like you contributed to the club’s success being 30,000 miles away in another country. It’s not like your family member is directly involved in the team’s win. I really wonder if the most cantankerous and belligerent fan ever takes that fact into consideration. Of course I would excuse the locals, family members of team members and the shareholders of the respective football clubs.

Maybe it’s because of their investment put into supporting their beloved club. Could it be the time spent catching each second of every match on the television, the small fortune spent on club jerseys or the large supporter stickers audaciously plastered against their car windshield? I guess it does make sense then.

Even for a nominal supporter like me, who doesn’t go out to buy every jersey from every season, a certain amount of investment goes into supporting the club. Take for example, subscribing to Astro to watch the LIVE games. I pay the subscription fees, which Astro uses to pay Star Sports, who pays Sky Sports, who contributes to Manchester United’s pot. So in a very very very indirect way, I am supporting the club financially. Actually my dad is.

Even if you don’t subscribe to cable/satellite TV and follow news from the newspaper, the newspaper pays for the rights to use photos, names and emblems all involved in that news report. So when you buy your newspaper, part of that fee funnels down to the club too. The very same fact applies for getting results of websites like Soccernet or UEFA.com. Every click you make on that site dictates how much sponsorship that site gets, and with that money, they get rights from the clubs to use club related copyright material.

So the next time you get upset about an overzealous supporter, do forgive him, because he does have the right to “rub it in”.

MAN U 4 – 2 ARSENAL!!

Look out Chelsea! Yeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!