Saturday, October 15, 2005

Sick and Twisted

Has anyone ever watched the movie "Saw"? If you haven't, you should! It's one of the sickest and most twisted movie I have ever seen in my life. I can still feel the chills down my spine as I speak about it. Imagine waking up in a bathroom, chained to a pipe with another stranger chained at the other corner of the pipe, and a dead man who shot himself in between the both of you. Your kidnapper leaves clues for you to escape and that's how the game begins. One of the given tools is that both men are expected to saw their ankles off so that they can escape from the chain. How sick is that? I leave the other sicker and more twisted things for you guys to find out. Saw II is coming out on October 28th 2005. So go watch the first part before you visit the cinemas this Halloween.

On another note, a continuation from the previous blog, the goals are set. All I have to do now is carry them out. I am falling far behind in Real Analysis Challenge problems. I dedicate this week's free time to clearing up some of the challenge problems. Back to work I go. Signing off...

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

On A Mission

Well, I have finally come to my senses. After obtaining a B in my Real Analysis exam, I have finally decided to sit down and get my priorities straight. I have been relaxing too much, and distracting myself, procrastinating and postponing my work, all because I know that I will still get them done when I want to. This overconfidence/cocky-ness has to STOP! I have finally deleted all my computer games, except Warcraft, which is my mental gymnasium, and I have decided to get ahead in my studies, finish all homework at least 2 days before they are due. The most important step I feel in my evolution is that, I have classified my group of friends in my MSN Messenger. It is getting too distracting when I keep seeing people appear online and the temptation is really strong to message them especially when I haven't spoken to them for a long time. I decided to split them into three groups. The first group consists of people whom I need to survive, therefore essential to keep in touch with them, and the second group are the people whom I say hi to from time to time, but not vital to my survival, and of course, the third group are my very special fair-weathered friends. It's the "I don't need you, and have never spoken to you, but you sure as hell know how to find me when you need me" kinda people. So I hide the latter two groups of friends so that I have no idea who is online and hence am not able to message them unnecessarily. Such simple moves create such big differences. With that said, I am off to work. Signing out...

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Storm before the calm...

It's been two months since my last post.

Rule No. 1, never make promises you can't keep.
Rule No. 2, If you have to break promises, try not to do it too often.
Rule No. 3, If you have to break promises often, well, it's like how they say it, "Promises are meant to be broken".

What am I talking about? Well, I promised to update my blog really often and well, I kinda laid off for two months already. Life hasn't been going easy for me. If anyone of you ever consider taking Real Analysis (What the heck is that?), be prepared for a tonne of work, seriously, a tonne! For those of you who are wondering what the heck is Real Analysis, it's a mathematics course, you dumbo! Basically, it's a study of real numbers. We deal with functions and limits and stuff like that in the world of real numbers. "What is this guy talking about? Real numbers? As opposed to fake numbers?" No, once again, you dumbo, the converse is IMAGINARY NUMBERS! Gosh!

Anyways, I just had the worse day of my life this year followed by the best day on the next day. Funny how life works out ain't it? On Sunday (October 2, 2005) I managed to piss 2 people off (OK, maybe not piss, but break their hearts, disappoint, irritate, you name it, I did something bad, that's the bottom line) and one of them is someone who is very dear to me. My best friend, maybe not anymore. Well, that led to a horrible day because I could not concentrate on my homework at all. Being a Sunday, concentration was vital because the next day was a school dat and that means I HAVE to complete my homework. So I decided to take a nap and let my thoughts go to rest, but I still woke up with the same bothering thoughts. So what can I do? The obvious answer is to knock me head on the wall. NO! You silly! You actually thought I knocked my head on the wall.

The next day, however, proved to be the best day yet this academic year. I cannot say it's the best day this year in terms of a Gregorian year (Why doesn't this idiot speak proper English? What the heck is a Gregorian year? A Gregorian year is a calendar year, i.e. from January to December) because on many occasions during the summer (prior to the academic year) I had a number of great days with my beloved girlfriend, but that's another story. Anyways, why is Monday so good? Well, for starters, I got this surprise letter in the mail. No, my girlfriend did not write me, hmm... my day would have been better if she did, but I digress. What actually happened was I received a letter from the Office of Provost (What the heck is Provost? Sounds like a kind of cheese... NO! Dumbo! That's Provolone!). Well, they said I am the recipient of The Professor George Morris Phillips Prize for the student with highest standing in mathematics during the first year. The weird part about this letter was that it sounds so weird! Hahaha... Lemme explain. The sentence after they congratulated me reads "You can be very proud of your fine accomplishments, and I hope you will enjoy the good feeling that comes from knowing you have accomplished much". What the heck does that mean? It sounds as if, "Oh you CAN be proud, but I recommend you not to be, and I HOPE you enjoy the good feeling, because it won't last long... gosh... Doesn't even sound like a letter from the Provost. Haha...

Anyways, the second piece of good news is that the Intercollegiate chess tournament is back after being off for a few years because some universities cheated by offering "temporary scholarships" to Grandmasters. It will be held in Miami, Florida and I will definitely try my best to form a team to play in such a huge event. This is just so exciting!

Well, that's pretty much the good news for now. Rule No. 1, never make promises you can't keep. I promise to post again, soon.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

What makes Malaysia, Malaysia

1. Price of Proton in Malaysia is about the price of a Hyundai Sonata in the US

The price of a proton Gen-2 is about RM 53 000 (USD 14000) while the price of a Honda Sonata in Malaysia is RM 113 000 (USD 30 000). The price of a Hyundai Sonata in the US is just about USD 14 000, less than half of that of the price in Malaysia. I remember the reason (or excuse) given by the government was that our automobile industry was an infant industry and needed goverment protection. It has been 20 years (since 1985) since we assembled our own car (Proton Saga). I believe that by now, we should have become more efficient and manage to lower the costs of production. This will definitely allow Malaysians to enjoy lower-priced cars.

2. Shortening of passport live period during renewal (NO EXCEPTIONS... I think)

Just yesterday, I tried to renew my passport which had the expiry date of 27 July 2006. I was doing this because I might decide not to comeback to Malaysia next year. If this was the case, I would have an expired passport the next time I try to come back. This was precisely the reason I gave to the Immigration Department when I tried to renew my passport. They had refused to issue a new passport for me starting from my expiry date but only agreed to add six months to the date I renew my passport, which was yesterday, 25 July 2005. So my new expiry date is 25 January 2011 when it could have been 27 July 2011 (a six month difference which is worth RM 50). What is the reason for this?

These are the two things that just passed through my mind. If you have any "Malaysian" experiences you'd like to share, feel free to post comments or email me.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Life is a game... Chess is serious

The annual Penang Chess League has recently been completed with my team, the Old Frees ++ (Plus Plus, not double check) winning by a margin of three points. This is by no means an amazing feat. But during the third week of the tournament, we had a scared as we only managed a "meagre" 3.5 point haul in round five and six. This was a horrendous result, watching our 2.5 point lead being cut to only 0.5 by the Mind Chess Enterprise Tutors who blew away OFA Balls2U and PACL A. Both Heng Meng and Cheng Teik could have performed better and we would have a secure final day of the tournament but it was not meant to be. Heng Meng drew both his games against Eoh Thean Keat (OFA Balls2U) and Tan Eng Seong (PACL B) while Cheng Teik drew with Chan Kim Chai (OFA Balls2U) and squandered a completely winning game to the eventual reserve board prize winner, Lim Chin Teng (PACL B).

Despite being only half a point ahead going into the final day, we still pushed on with full confidence, knowing that the Tutors now had to face two tough rivals while we will have a relatively easier time. We swept the last two games 3-0 against OFA D and Renesas A. I managed to score a perfect 8/8 as a bonus and hopefully a morale booster to continue playing chess. I have said time and again that I have quit playing chess for fun and will only play for money. Greedy as it may seem, I still believe that there are more productive things I can do with my time: like playing Warcraft III and talking to Baby.

So anyway, the 1st prize of this tournament was RM 1500 but we have to split it among four people and the way in which we decided to split the money is of course not pulicly disclosed. But I can assure you guys that I can now afford an MP3 player and perhaps buy something nice for my baby. As you can clearly see, chess has been my only source of income this summer. Four Sundays of leisure led to a net revenue of 300 bucks or so. Not too bad for a lazy bum like me.

Thursday, July 7, 2005

Life... Oh Life...

Things have been going on amazingly well for me this summer break. I have a wonderful girlfriend and I am working on a very relaxed schedule. This allows me to spend maximum time with Baby and also gives me a sufficient amount of stipend to survive over the summer. The remainder of the money I earn, I get to bring to the US, which will only mean my money will become quartered by the exchange rate. How horrible!

Anyways, I have been practicing a tiny bit of Warcraft, just to maintain my skills a little. It doesn't really help when I can't play on Battle.net. So all we do is play against pathetic AIs. However, I must say I was surprised when we (Kok and I) beat 3 Insane computers the other day. For those of you who wonder how computers can be insane, do not worry. These is geekspeak.

Another major event of my summer holidays is the Penang Chess League. It's an annual chess league held in KDU Penang and about 40 teams take part every year. The team event consists of 3 playing boards and 1 reserve. My team comprises veteran national player Chuah Heng Meng, former MSSM Champion Lim Cheng Teik, former state player Chan Kean Sheung and myself. We are once again, the top seeds of the tournament.

So far, after 4 rounds of play, we have lived up to our top billing by scoring 11.5 points out of a possible 12. This is an amazing feat as we managed to beat the Mind Chess Enterprise Tutors who had the likes of Khai Boon, Swee Leong and Ing Kiat, by a score of 3-0. Furthermore, in the next round, we also managed to beat PACL A in a convincing fashion by a score of 2.5-0.5. Hong Ghee, the unbeatable player from PACL drew with our first board, Heng Meng, while Cheng Teik and I managed to beat our opponents: Wong Kam Loong and Choong Yit Chuan respectively. Wong Kam Loong was a state player while Choong Yit Chuan was once a National Champion.

With 11.5 points after 4 rounds, the Old Frees ++ are leading by 2.5 points, a huge margin considering we are only halfway through the tournament. This Sunday, we are paired against PACL B, who are probably out to avenge the defeat of their A team. Hopefully, we don't get too cocky and I hope we can at least maintain our lead but ideally, we would like to win 3-0 to show our domination. *I am getting cocky ain't I?*

Oh well, this is pretty much it for now. I will update you people on how the tournament goes and tell you more about my job in the future.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Price of all things...

Boy Meets Girl... $ 500
Boy Meets World... $ 1 000 000
Boy Gets Girl... Priceless

Boriii.... Yawnz......iing....

I swore to myself I wasn't going to have such an idiotic holiday last year. What do I mean idiotic? Last year, after the A Levels, I did practically nothing for nine months until I went to the US. It was so boring and absolutely unproductive.

The cycle is repeating itself. It has been a month ever since I got back and I am glad to announce that I have been almost equally unproductive. The only productivity I have contributed to society ever since I got back was coaching
Baby's sister in chess. That's a new challenge to me as I have neither coached a girl nor an under-12 kid (no offense to kids). Anyways, I feel that she is making good progress but just like all other forms of training, it must be incorporated with self-practice.

Well, other than that, I will be playing chess again this Sunday. As I have told people time and again, I have retired from playing chess for leisure. I only play for money now. It's the only way to make it worthwhile. Also, I have an ulterior motive. Haha... scheming bastard...
Baby is also playing in the Chess League and we are just there to see each other. Sounds pathetic, but hey, we take what we can get.

Anyways, I have started writing a short horror story. I am going to make it so creepy it will make Stephen King cringe in his seat when he reads it. Haha... counting the chickens before they are hatched. Oh well... I shall take my time and see how things go.

Right now, I am going to clean my desk and make myself look like an efficient person. Yes, appearance is the first thing to achieve before we become who we want to be. If we want to be a businessman, we have to look like a businessman. If we want to become a lawyer, we have to look like a lawyer. That's life... Cest La Vie...

Monday, June 20, 2005

Sweet 21

No, there is no pattern. I am not intentionally posting on even numbered dates only. I was dead tired yesterday. One of the happiest days of my life, and definitely the best birthday I have ever had. I went out in the morning to help Baby complete her folio and we went out for lunch at Saint's Alp. Had the best chicken bolognaise in my life while Baby had some pasta with virgin olive oil which left a serious olive oil taste in her mouth even hours after we had lunch:P

Well, we then watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith, in Gurney. It was an average movie I'd say, filled with snippets of humor and definitely does not warrant an 18-SG rating. One wonders who rates these movies. Well, this is the second time Baby has eluded the ticket collectors for an above 18 movie. Must have been my old look:(

After the movie, we went shopping for Baby's white shirt for her choir performance. Heck, one cannot imagine how hard it is to find a decent white shirt for a girl. Well, we had to deliberate for over 40 minutes in the fitting room over the shirt that she eventually bought. Yes... you heard me, we were deliberating.

Dinner was superb at Fish n Co. We ordered a Portuguese Chilli Crab each and I must say, dinner was delumptious. Aside from Baby splattering the chilli on her birthday present for me, I'd say everything was great... until Baby insisted on paying the for the food.

Here is a question for you. Should you, as a guy, pay for dinner on your own birthday or should you allow your girlfriend to pay for you? I mean, my manhood is being questioned here. Well, beside the fact that I have treated her to lunch and dinner and the movies the past few times, but isn't giving a girl a good life a man's job? Well, I'd like to know what you think about this.

We went to shop even more after dinner. I don't understand why guys hate shopping that much. Haha... I am not a pussy but seriously, there are fun things about shopping. Anyways, I drove her back to her housing area at about 9.30 p.m. and dropped her back at her house at about 10.20. At the end of the day, I can assure you, it never felt better to be 21:)

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Livin' La Vida Loca

Living Good Life. Living Crazy Life. Today was perhaps one of the happiest of my life. I was treated to perhaps one of the most expensive lunches of my life by my girlfriend's mom, and I got a really nice red Nike t-shirt from my Baby and her sister. Lunch was a semi buffet. I ordered the main course of spicy chicken with mushroom sauce and that was super:) But it was perhaps one of the few times in my life that I got the opportunity to taste fresh salmon.

You must understand that I am from a modest upbringing. Luxurious food has never been my staple diet. I cannot help but feel touched by Baby's mom's kind gesture. This is beyond my wildest imaginations. I also had insane dessert. 3 pieces of cake. I got this mousse that Baby told me to get and it sucked so I didn't finish it. Yuck! Haha...

Oh well, in short, it was a great day. Except for the fact that I have to finish off Baby's PJK Folio just so that she has time to go out with me tomorrow. Cruel life. Oh well, if today was great, I can't wait for tomorrow. I am gonna be freaking 21!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

A New New Beginning

New Blogs. Every new blog brings new promises. This is my latest blog and it seemed so much easier to update compared to my previous one just because I created everything myself in the previous one. So I had to manually add the links to my previous posts and they were becoming a real pain.

As I was saying, new blogs bring new promises. I am more or less an organized person and I like to keep track of my life. The last blog was a mess. However, I have decided to keep a few of the links that I am really proud of in this page. Those include pictures and my ever magnificent map of Bucknell. That was one heck of a project. Those of you who don't know what I am talking about, check the link out.

A lot has been going on with my life. Some things happen that can't even be described in words. Hence' I will not try. But I will add more gibberish in the future. Til then...