M & M's

Cancer Research UK Race for Life 2008 Charity event

2008-04-13T16:14:00.005+01:00

To my dearest friends,

Once again, much apologies for not actively updating my blog. The same as all previous times, life has just been busy, filled with an amalgation of work-pertaining commitments as well as personal social outings.

But alas....Here, I am...updating my blog!

This is, however, not for my own pleasure/satisfaction, but for a genuinely charitable cause. I urge all of you reading this entry to spare me a few minutes of your time to hear my plea.

Through the time I have spent researching on breast cancer as well as having relatives suffer from it, I have grown to understand the plight of cancer sufferers and the difficulty of loved ones surrounding them. Additionally, I have observed the productive work of various research endeavours and know that laboratories all around the world studying on cancer are making an impact in combating this disease.

Cancer is non-racist and non-judgmental. Cancer does not choose who it targets. More importantly, there is no way of preventing cancer.

Cancer Research UK, which also funds the research work I'm doing, is a reputable organisation, having helped and supported thousands of cancer sufferers throughout the UK. The organisation continually organizes fundraising events to raise money for cancer treatments and aids, cancer awareness as well as cancer research.

Recently, I have consciously decided to do my part for what is close to my heart.

I will be taking up the challenge of running a 5km course in the RACE FOR LIFE chariy event in June organised by Cancer Research UK.

Those who know me, know that I am a person of small stature, certainly not the most athletic but I have been training for several weeks now (!). I certainly hope to train harder approaching the event to improve my performance...also in order not to be caught on Scottish news headlines as the 'wee Malaysian lassie who fainted after 15 minutes into race'. Nevertheless, fear not, I doubt that will happen *fingers crossed*

With that, I am spreading the word and appealing to your kind & generous selves to support me in my humble endeavour and contribute a little something (whatever the amount) to this noble cause. I have always believed that EVERY contribution is a help, however big or small the amount is.

To make contributions simple and easy, I have registered with Cancer Research UK and set up a fundraising webpage. This avoids handling cash to myself and all proceeds will go directly to the organisation, bypassing me. CLICK HERE to contribute to Jaclyn's humble challenge and do your bit for humankind!

I thank you in advance for your generous support and hope you know I really appreciate it.

Together, we can help beat cancer!

Toothpaste Kisses

2007-12-09T22:50:00.000Z

I'm voting this song as the cutest song of the year!

Listening to this song makes me wanna go around pinching friends' (and strangers') cheeks with both hands, saying, 'Koochee...koochee...koooooooo...!'

'Toothpaste Kisses' by The Maccabees

You'll have to check it out by clicking the link below because I'm lousy at html etc.. and I don't know how to upload a youtube video on blogger.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKJuA3OBZ9s

ONCE

2007-10-24T19:07:00.000+01:00

I think it's about time I update this blogspace of mine...

It's been a while since I've recommended a film to everyone...Incidentally, I've stumbled upon a little gem of a movie. I absolutely love the feeling when you come across an excellent film that is not your usual highly-publicised, Hollywood production and you watch it with little expectations but come out feeling simply great. ONCE is one such movie.

ONCE tells a love story about how the lives of two musically-talented strangers converge in the streets of Dublin, leading to a weekend that significantly changes the path of each other's future.

He is a street busker and she, a flower-seller, both enduring difficult times in their lives. During the brief encounter, they find solace in each other's company and inevitable attraction to each other's musical inclination.

It is a story about the passion for making music, daring to dream, how life-changing moments happening when you least expect them, unspoken love, and making the best of what you have and own at every given moment.

I enjoyed the way the movie was filmed using soft lens - it gave a texture of intended imperfection and sombreness, each suiting the harsh realities of life. Although deemed to be a modern day musical, it is very much a dialogue-filled movie, albeit offerring elaborate music scenes. Its storyline is uncomplicated, alternating between sad and funny moments, and ending (in my humble opinion) very appropriately.

If you're a hopeless romantic and/or a sucker for love songs by singer-songwriters like Damien Rice, this is a movie you definitely do not want to miss!

Check out trailer at :-
http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/

...and listen to some of the soundtrack at :-
http://www.myspace.com/theswellseason

Warhol Philosophy

2007-09-24T00:47:00.000+01:00

Here's a follow-up post to the one before about my interest in Andy Warhol's book. He is, no doubt, quite a bit of a character. Quirky, cocky, but witty and interesting. The book kept me captivated during lunchbreaks, so-much-so I sometimes found it hard to resume work.

Below are some excerpts from the book, which I have selectively chosen and personally found very amusing :-

~~~~

Warhol's take on LOVE

People's fantasies are what give them problems. If you didn't have fantasies you wouldn't have problems because you'd just take whatever was there. But then you wouldn't have romance, because romance is finding your fantasy in people who don't have it. A friend of mine always says, " Woman love me for the man I'm not."

A drag queen I know is waiting for a real man to fall in love with her/him. I always run into strong women who are looking for weak man to dominate them.

You really have to watch what you say to people about their love lives. When people are in love all their problems are in strange proportions and it's hard to know when you're saying the wrong thing.

~~~~

Warhol's take on BEAUTY

If a person isn't generally considered beautiful, they can still be a success if they have a few jokes in their pockets. And a lot of pockets.

(also under BEAUTY although discussing about weight and FOOD

I know good cooks who'll spend days finding fresh garlic and fresh basil and fresh tarragon, etc., and then use canned tomatoes for the sauce, saying it doesn't matter. But I know it does matter.

~~~~

Section on TIME

People say, "time on my hands." Well, I looked at my hands and I saw a lot of lines.

If the lines on your hands are wrinkles, it must mean your hands worry a lot.

They always say that time changes everything, but you actually have to change them yourself.

~~~~

Section on ECONOMICS

I have a fantasy about money: I'm walking down the street and I hear somebody say - in a whisper - "There goes the richest person in the world."

After you PAY SOMEBODY BACK you never run into them anymore. But before that, they're EVERYWHERE.

~~~~

Warhol's slight obsession about SPACE

When I look at things, I always see the space they occupy. I always want the space to reappear, to make a comeback, because it's lost space when there's something in it. If I see a chair in a beautiful space, no matter how beautiful the chair is, it can never be as beautiful to me as the plain space.

I've always had a conflict because I'm shy and yet I like to take up a lot of personal space.

Another way to take up more space is with perfume. I really love wearing perfume.

~~~~

Warhol's take on ART

I like painting on a square because you don't have to decide whether it should be longer-longer or shorter-shorter or longer-shorter: it's just a square.

I think every painting should be the same size and the same color so they're all interchangeable and nobody thinks they have a better painting or a worse painting. And if the one "master painting" is good, they're all good.

I am thankful.....

2007-09-10T23:07:00.000+01:00

There are days when you wake up with an almost aching feeling in your heart and with invisible loads upon your shoulder, simply not wanting to step out of bed to brave the challenges of the upcoming day. Having come across one too many of such days as you emerge in age, you tactfully come up with ways to combat the ill thoughts/feelings as you realise that, as cliche as it sounds, 'the sun will keep rising in the morning and set in the evening' whether or not you're in the crappy mood you're in. On those difficult mornings, I sometimes comfort myself by consciously acknowledging how much better off I am compared to many others in the world. I start running through a mental list of good things/deeds/gestures that I have recently stumbled upon or befallen me. It ultimately helps me launch my day with a positive start.

But today, wasn't one of those days......and today didn't need me to be thankful for all the good things in my life to uplift my spirits to get through a rough day. Today, I felt thankful because of the pure simplicity of contentment. And days like these definitely warrant a blog entry.

I am thankful:-

...for the unconditional and undivided love and understanding from my parents.

...for the company of a loving brother.

...for the joy and laughter of good-natured, friendly, patient and supportive colleagues and friends.

...for employers, who have always treated me with respect.

...for the continuing friendship of a friend even at the most tricky and challenging of times.

...for the considerate and thoughtful yet unexpected gestures of acquaintances and even strangers.

...for the realisation that life is in your hands.

...for the unlimited chances to build and rebuild, improve and refine my character.

...for the ability to discern the trivial from the important.

...for the experience to enjoy the splendour of simple things in life.

...for the life I currently live in.

M.U.S.I.C

2007-09-02T14:29:00.000+01:00

Dearest all,

I have just successfully added-on a music widget to this blog (can't believe I did it! Me being such an HTML/java idiot) . It displays what I'm listening to at any one point in time.....

Yes, it's me rambling on...and on again...about music and songs I like. Just another way to share with everyone my music library.

What else have I been up to lately? Well, I went to explore an Andy Warhol gallery yesterday afternoon at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). Those who have been to Glasgow before will remember it. It's the building with a statue of a man on the horse in front of it. The statue, usually donned with a police traffic cone, is the famous landmark of the city.

For those not familiar with Andy Warhol's work, he is the creator and mastermind of POP ART. Among his very renown pieces are the repetitive portrait prints of Marilyn Monroe, Mao Tze Tung and the Campbell Soup Can in flamboyant rainbow colours.

Not only was Warhol an artist, he was a film producer and an author although all his works were often classified as avant-garde; extremely controversial and pushing the bounderies of the then acceptable culture. Having an eccentric character, his quotes are undoubtedly amusing.

I have just purchased his book from Amazon - ' The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)', where he expresses openly about his views on life, love, fame, art, money etc....

Can't wait to read it!

8 random facts about yours truly

2007-08-18T11:05:00.000+01:00

OK.....

Let's try this new meme thingy out. 8 random facts about moi!

Fact 1

I have short legs and tiny feet.

Fact 2

Music and movies are my passions in life. To me, they bring fantasy to life and life to fantasy. Current favourite band is Camera Obscura, favourite male singer is Roddy Woomble, favourite female singer is Madeleine Peyroux, favourite movie is Transformers, favourite TV series is Heroes.

Fact 3

I am a lefty. Hence, people often say I can't do things right! Very true in a way...haha!

Fact 4

I have developed a great liking for cooking and baking although I'm not necessarily great at it. Latest cooking endeavour is Indian dhal.

Fact 5

I like my tea boiling hot and with lotsa milk.

Fact 6

I have forgotten how to write a 'surat rasmi' in proper BM. The last time I wrote one I had to write it in English and translate it to BM word for word, which in the end sounded very odd. Saddddd.....

Fact 7

I am an appalling driver.

Fact 8

I have recently realised that I am allergic to silver earrings. Damn....there goes my choices.

So voila! That's my meme done!

A wee bit of Scottishness....

2007-08-04T17:07:00.000+01:00

Nothing beats stumbling upon songs, amidst the mishmash of mumbo-jumbo tunes that's out there thrashing the music scene, that strike just the perfect chord for you.

A friend recently burnt me a compilation of music albums from various artistes- some being local Scottish singers/bands. One of them held me captivated for a good hour of music listening, which I strongly believe deserves recognition across the continents. Hence, I'm humbly dedicating this tiny blog entry of mine to his songs, hoping that people from back home can enjoy them just as much as I.

Roddy Woomble is his name. Being the lead singer of a Scottish Rock/Pop band, Idlewild, you would be as surprised as I as to the diversity of this side project of his compared to that of Idlewild's.

The debut album is My Secret Is My Silence. Youtube.com doesn't store many of the songs in this album (which is a good thing 'cause people should go straight to buying the original CD!) but here is one of them:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc8kfwPL-hs

...now....where are my headphones?....

Graduation Day

2007-07-15T00:43:00.000+01:00

~ Mum, dad and myself while queuing for our photoshoot ~

I'm not sure about you guys, but as much as people claim graduation days to be extremely fun and enjoyable, I actually find the day to be a lil' overrated and rather tiring.

No doubt it was fantabulous to finally be able to don the gown and officially graduate, but the fact that ONLY less than 1% of the attendees (comprising mom, dad, bro and 4 other PhD students who were also graduating) in the hall actually KNOW me, made the whole affair far less grand.

Also, all the running around in the morning before the ceremony - i.e. waking up early in the morning to collect the graduation gown, dressing-up, making-up, remembering to bring own camera for the ceremony, remember to bring invitation tickets for family, remember to feed family before graduation, queuing up and posing for the university photoshoot, making sure that both my family and I arrive at the graduation hall in time to get good seats and to register for the ceremony, ...yadda...yadda...was so exhausting it was inevitably hard to fully absorb and enjoy the moment that was to mark my academic achievement.

~ With dad, mum and bro outside Barony hall ~

~ With Fui Goon and Sandy Gray, whose student was also graduating ~

Nonetheless, the day went smoothly and there was nothing more I could ask for. Some wonderful friends/cohorts dropped-by after the ceremony to take photos with me and to share my joy. I was touched beyond words.

~ With the Malaysians ~

~ With the Pynes ~

The short impromptu photo session outside the graduation hall with friends and family was followed by quick dash to the nearby photo studio (in which my brother works in) for yet ANOTHER photoshoot, albeit a professional one, but with a difference. Venture Studios, which bro works as a digital imaging artist, provides a completely different photography experience called lifestyle photography - no conventional sitting-on-chairs-and-posing type of photography but instead more candid-and-in-the-motion-and-moment type of photography. The session was great fun, mum and dad especially enjoyed it. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the photos to upload now. Maybe later on...

Later that night, Fui Goon and I had our graduation dinner at Cafe Andaluz, which serves Spanish cuisine. Both our families, Goon's boyfriend's family as well as our close friends joined in the fun.

~ My family, Goon and Angelov's parents ~

~ The 3 families ~

~ Wee Kiat, myself and Sue Chin trying to control our laughters resulting from one of Wee Kiat's jokes ~

Despite the rushing around and slightly anti-climax ceremony (because I didn't know many of the graduants in the ceremony), the day on itself was still made special by the presence of loving family and good friends.

.....and not forgetting, flower bouquets and a me-to-you graduate bear gift! :D

Trip to Tunisia - Part 3 (and hopefully the last)

2007-07-06T09:12:00.000+01:00

I'm BACKKKK!!....

Dead tired but had great fun during my trips. As mentioned in my previous enry, was away for 10 days in Arizona for conference and a bit of sight-seeing. Then, back to Glasgow for a week for my graduation (which mum and dad attended!). Next, bro and I brought mum and dad to Prague/Vienna/Ljubljana for 8-days. Now, back in Glasgow resting and recuperating from the overdose of jetlag and travelling. Nevertheless......I'm happy!

Have lotsa photos to show but those of you who've followed my blog since the very beginning will know I DO tend to take my own sweet time writing blog entries (busy marrr...). Promise I'll upload the photos in due course.

Alrighty, more about Tunisia (again....)

All in all, the highlight of my Tunisian trip was the 2-day excursion to the Sahara and surrounding areas, where we clocked approximately 1100 kilometres by bus and jeep (not forgetting, a short distance by camel!).

~Underground Troglodyte house in Matmata, which is surrounded by rocky desert~

The first of our many stops was the town of Matmata, a name that would ring a bell to true fans of the epic Star Wars (Matmata was the home planet to hero Luke Skywalker). In Matmata, we visited the troglodyte houses of the Berbers, the native people of North Africa, who lived in the region long before the arrival of foreign imperialists. These houses were also homes to Skywalker and his family in the film.

~Rocky terraces in Matmata~

~A peek inside a bedroom in the Troglodyte house~

Like any house, these troglodyte houses comprise of bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and a courtyard, built in double-storeys. The unique feature of these dwellings are that they are naturally thermostable. The clay and sandstone walls keep the rooms warm during the cold winters, and cool during the hot summers, hence the reason these troglodyte houses remain used until today. Can't give you the precise thermodynamics explanation but pretty neat, huh?

Next, we drove to the village of Douz, the gateway to the Sahara Desert. In Douz, we mounted camels and rode into the heart of the Sahara to witness the sunset along the horizon. The Sahara landscape is unlike that of Matmata. No rough, rocky terraces, but instead stretches of fine sand dunes with an occasional plot of date palm trees. Was initially anxious about mounting a camel but was comforted by the picturesque sight of the desert during dusk. The beauty of the Sahara is like no other and one can only fully comprehend its splendour by being there and experiencing it in person.

We rode along the Sahara for a good whole hour and was fortunate enough to take with us a bit of the desert, a handful of Saharan sand, before heading off to our stop for the night.

~ My furry friend and me ~

The next day’s itinerary began with the journey to the Atlas Mountains on 4x4 land cruiser jeeps to catch the sunrise. The mountain ranges and canyons were impressive but unfortunately there wasn't enough sunlight to capture any good shots.

We next drove past the salt desert of Chott El Jerid, which again, displayed an entirely different landscape - flat and desolated piece of land stretching as far as the eye could see. Looking across acres and acres of barren land during the very sunny morning, our eyes kept deceiving us as we spotted mirages several times. Very intriguing!

Subsequently, we visited an oasis village, Chebika, a spot of green among the dry and barren flatlands and mountains of the Tunisian desert. The village is built near a charming palmeraie (‘palm grove’), which is sustained by a small stream from mountain springs. Remains of the old village of Chebika, which was destroyed by floods in the late 60’s still stands at the top of a hill. We were told that this was the location for the filming of ‘The English Patient’. This now abandoned old village overlooks the new village that has settled further down the hill.

~ Left: Oasis village Chebika, near the palmeraie

Top: Directly behind me is the old town ruins of Chebika
and further down the hill, the new town ~

~ More shots of Chebika ~

Finally, after lunch, we were driven on coach to Tozeur to visit the local fig and date plantation. We were educated about the running and maintenance of the plantation, from the design of the irrigation system to the harvesting of the fruits. Before we left the plantation to head back to Sousse, we managed to sample some fresh dates and took some photos.

All in all, I had an splendid time in Tunisia. It was a combination of the diverse culture, splendid historical heritage, scenic landscape, brilliant food, great weather and, last but not the least, the warm hospitality of the local Tunisian people that made the trip exceptionally memorable. Having often spend my holidays in Europe, which presented richer and more developed countries, it was a humbling experience visiting Tunisia. The simple and contented lifestyle of her people not only reminded me of how caught-up the world sometimes is with riches, technology and status but also of how much my own country, Malaysia, has progressed through the years. May we all never forget our roots no matter where we journey forth in our lives and be thankful always for the comfortable lives we presently live in.

CATNAP!

~ I thought this photo was so cute, I had to find a space to slot it into my blog. Tunisians love cats...and oranges.... ~

Travels in Tunisia - Part 2

2007-06-09T02:59:00.000+01:00

As promised, the sequel entry to my Tunisian trip, with more photos to share with all.

It's 3.03am now in Glasgow and I'm typing this as I'm waiting for my taxi to arrive at 4.00am to send me off to the airport. In 3 hours, I will be off to Arizona, US, for a scientific conference. Will be extending my stay to visit Vegas and Grand Canyon and believe it or not, the fact still hasn't sunk in. Think I'll be overwhelmed by the grandiosity of both attractions. Shall blog about my trip when I get back.

Anyways, back to Tunisia.....

My brother and I spent stayed mainly in Sousse, one of the major cities of Tunisia.

Sousse offers a bit of everything – from modern-day shopping areas and beach resorts sprouting along the waterfronts, to museums, mosques, bustling bazaars, and the charming medina (the medieval city).

The Sousse medina, thought to be one of the finest in the country, is a labyrinth of winding, cobble-stoned lanes, encircled by magnificent fortified walls. The medina extends approximately 2.5km long and houses a ‘city’ of its own, complete with shops, houses, markets, restaurants, budget hotels, museums and mosques. Indeed, it was a city within a city and it would take an individual a whole day or two to walk through every lane within the medina.

Haggling for the best prices at souvenir shops within the medina was one of the most unforgettable experiences of the trip. Shopkeepers were very persistent and most items were priced 5 - 10 times higher than actual price. An experienced shopkeeper initially wanted to sell a sheeshah (water pipe used for smoking flavoured tabacco) to my brother for 320 TD (Tunisian Dinars) but eventually offered it for 70 TD after we turned away several times. On another occasion, a 10-year old boy tried to rip us off by demanding 1 TD per person for entry to the public toilet, which normally only cost 200 mils (the Tunisian equivalent of cents)! Not wanting to create a scene (coupled by the fact I urgently needed to visit the loo), we finally coaxed the lad to accept 1 TD as entry fee for the both of us.

Nonetheless, we did realise that the Tunisian traders were only trying to make a living. Most of them were actually very nice and friendly, and would hardly show resentment even when we refuse to purchase anything from them after lengths of bargaining. We came across many Tunisians who were very welcoming and eager to chat. A local bus conductor even paid for our bus fares to the city centre, expecting nothing in return but a friendly conversation.

Stationed in Sousse, we made several trips to nearby towns, one of which was Monastir. One of the star attractions in Monastir was the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba which houses the tombs of Tunisia’s first President, Habib Bourguiba, and his family. It's marble courtyard and walkway of green-tiled arches were designed to perfection, looking absolutely immaculate on the day of our visit.

In another nearby town, El Djem, we visited Tunisian’s very own Colosseum, apparently the most complete and well preserved in the world compared to that in Italy (Rome) and France (Nimes). The El Djem Colosseum, built by the Romans sometime early 100 BC, not only served as the location for gladiator fights but also for criminal execution (where criminals were at the mercy of wild lions). The glory of the Roman Empire was evident from the grandeur of this amphitheatre, which comprises 3-tiers of seatings, reaching up to 30 metres of height. While the view of the entire arena from the highest level of seats was truly magnificent, the dark catacoombs underground where condemned criminals awaited their execution, sent chilly tingles up my spine. This World Heritage-listed site was actually the film set for the blockbuster Gladiator, which bagged 12 Oscar awards in 2001.

Unfortunately, I will have to leave you here. Taxi should be arriving in 10 minutes and I certainly don't want to keep him waiting.

I know I promised landscape photos of Tunisian desert in my previous blog entry. Will get to that in entry no. 3, after I get back from my trip. More photos coming, will keep y'all updated soon!

Taste of Tunisia - Part 1

2007-05-29T22:46:00.000+01:00

Lo and behold....

.... Jaclyn's finally squeezed some time to blog about her much-publicised trip to the neighbouring continent of AFRICA.

Six months back, my brother and I decided we needed a break from the European culture and booked ourselves a trip to Tunisia, the northern-most country in Africa. We were more than keen on getting away from the winter woes of Glasgow and, boy, was there sun, sun and more sun in Tunisia!

~Me looking all touristy, munching on some local delicacy (tuna- & egg-stuffed bread)~

Spent 8 days/7 nights in this beautiful country, almost reluctant to return to Scotland. Tunisia is quite a small country, about the size of Peninsular M'sia.

~City view of Sousse, where we stayed for most of our trip. Notice the flat rooftops, typical of Middle-Eastern countries~

The beauty of Tunisia lies not only in its gorgeous landscape/scenery (photos will ensue in the Part 2 entry) but also in the amalgamation of various culture in her people.

The Tunisians were previously colonised by the Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians, Arabs and French.

I found myself intrigued to see Tunisians strolling about with a french baguette under one arm and speaking French.

Spices are abundant and reasonably cheap in Tunisia, the most famous being harissa, a distinct-tasting chilli spice used on the side to complement Tunisian meals.

Saffron is also widely sold, at a much cheaper price as compared to other parts of Europe.

Tunisians also love their dates (right), which are heavenly sweet even when eaten fresh and unprocessed.

Also commonly sold in their souqs (daily market) are assorted nuts and sweets, which are often displayed temptingly in large trays (left).

Briq - a famous tunisian delicacy, although not the healthiest, is basically deep-fried thin pastry filled with tuna, onion, coriander, salad and egg.

The amazing taste of briq stems from the perfectly-cooked egg, with the yolk still runny, thinly soaking the crispy pastry.

Served with a fresh concoction of lemon juice-drizzled salad, this starter was just out of this world.

A hearty Tunisian meal in a local, low-key restaurant-

A basket of baquettes (side)
Grilled fish, chips and aubergine mash (my mains)

Chicken cous-cous cooked in a tajine pot (brother's mains; half-eaten!)
Salad a la tunisie (side)

Oranges (dessert)
and of course, good ol' coca-cola (drinks)

(not in the picture: our spicy tomato soup starter)

Alrighty, let me not leave you guys mouth-watering.

Here ends my Tunisian food post. Views of Tunisian landscape and adventures in the next entry!

Many thanks!

2007-02-21T15:35:00.000Z

Just a short entry this time....

Want to say many thanks to everyone who conveyed their best wishes on my birthday. It's always nice to know that I'm remembered by those who seem so far away. I received all your b'day wishes via text messages (even on my old SIM card, which is currently used by my brother), e-mails, e-cards and blog entries. Cheers and ta much! *smile* I had a lovely birthday celebration and a great time.

Apologies for the rather inactive blog at the moment. Work and social outings have been piling in continuously since Christmas. Hence, the lack of time to blog.

But will definitely keep y'all posted from time to time. Entry on my trip to Tunisia during Christmas will ensue shortly, just bear with me while I get photos edited.

Take care and lotsa love to all. Have a great soon-to-come weekend and hope everyone's enjoying the Lunar New Year celebrations!

Sex, Lies and Videotape

2007-02-06T19:30:00.000Z

Ok, hands up now those who decided to take time off from whatever you're doing to read this blog entry simply because of the interesting title. *smug grin*

Hehee....Gotcha!

Well, sorry to disappoint you but this entry's not exactly what you're expecting.....not that I don't have my own opinions about the topic.

Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Sex, Lies and Videotape is but another one of my fascinating discoveries in the infinite world of films. I was about to switch my TV off to read in bed when Film 4 started airing this movie and, of course, the rest is history. Got hooked to it right till the very end, sadly sacrificing precious beauty sleep.

The story of the movie is literally summed up by the three key words of it's title - Sex, Lies and Videotape.

It revolves around a married couple, of which the man is having an affair with his sister-in-law and his wife is oblivious to all that is happening. The wife is a character of her own - gentle, soft-spoken and reserved (btw, Andie MacDowell from 4 Weddings and A Funeral plays the wife), yet emotionally independent and strong. Things get interesting when an old friend of her husband drops by after 9 years and decides to rent the house next door. She soon discovers that her new neighbour has a dark and obscure hobby - he interviews women, who willingly shares their sexual habits, desires and opinions with him, and records the interviews on his videorecorder. Chemistry soon develops between the two of them. I'll let you guys figure out the rest of the story yourself.

Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't raunchy and suggestive. In fact it had quite some dialogue, smart and tasteful (at least in my humble opinion). I think one of the main theme in the movie is about the search for happiness and reason in life/relationship/sex etc. ..

It's no Titanic or Forrest Gump and may not be everyone's cupa tea but there was something about it that was captivating. So, if you ever find yourself undecided on what DVD to rent/buy, give this 1989 movie a try. Also recommended for fans of Peter Gallagher from The O.C.

I'll leave you with a quote from the movie, which I think is so true... :D

''Men learn to love what they're attracted to, whereas women become more and more attracted to the person they love.''

'Tis the season to be jolly...fa..la..la..la..la..la..la..la

2006-12-21T15:48:00.000Z

Today marks the start of my X'mas holidays. Been waiting for today to come since last week! 12 solid days of holidays, one cannot ask for more.

Have decided to start off my holiday with some shopping down the usual Sauchiehall, Buchanan and Argyle Street route (that's if my legs don't cram-up halfway through). Sales have started! Hope to catch some bargains.

As I won't be able to go online (have yet to install my internet line at home) throughout my holidays, I shall say my season greetings earlier. So.......

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

For those who celebrate Christmas, have a very enjoyable celebration. For those who don't, have a swell holiday anyway!

....and I shall blog again in the new year!

What can be more beautiful....

2006-12-13T10:47:00.000Z

.....than the sweetest of sweetest love songs?

Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan's song '9 Crimes' is one of the loveliest songs (albeit very sad) ever made. The lyrics, although mostly repetitive, runs deep with meaning only Damien himself can fully comprehend. I could almost feel a teardrop forming at the corner of my eye whilst listening to this song. Play it on loud on a rainy night when you're alone at home and you'll grasp the full effect. Simply beautiful...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZeaD1RxLmU

Less known is this up-and-coming artiste, James Morrison, whose song I recently fell in love with - 'The pieces don't fit anymore', another beautiful love song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrrvSHwrR7g

What would the world be without love songs?

Just being L.A.Z.Y....

2006-12-11T18:44:00.000Z

Gawd.....I can't be bothered moving my bum at all. I'm so bl**dy lazy....Monday's more than 3/4 way through, didn't even feel the blues today, yet I'm so lazyyyyyy....

Have the whole night free for my own spending leisure. No need to prepare dinner (have been catering food from a Malaysian lady from Glasgow Uni almost every Monday - today's dish is nasi bryani + ayam kurma manis. Da best!). No work to bring home. No laundry to do (all done yesterday). Nothing interesting on terrestial TV on Mondays.

Have thought of 2 things to fill up my night :-

1) read about Tunisia - Am making a trip to Tunisia for my Christmas holidays. Why Tunisia? No particular reason apart from wanting to be somewhere WARM in this awful cold weather. And also, it's pretty cheap! Have always wanted to see the Sahara desert. Will be there from 24th-31st, back just in time for New Year.

Bought a 'Tunisia' Lonely Planet book yesterday from Borders. Coincidentally, the Christmas sale started so I got 15% discount on the book. Weeeee! Will check out the nice spots to visit and restaurants to eat in.

2) play Guitar! - Have restarted my previously abandoned pastime (what's new?). Bought my cheap guitar some 3 years ago (?? can't even remember), and have probably strummed it less than 30 times. Baddd...

Recently dug out my 'guitar for dummies' book (a birthday pressie from a friend 3 years ago!sorry, hope she doesn't read this....) and learnt to pluck a short classical piece 'Romanza' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDVjwLU-w5w&mode=related&search).

------gosh, these days every song you can think of is on you tube----

So, I might just fiddle around with the instrument tonight.

Have a good night everyone! xx

Music to my ears

2006-11-29T17:39:00.000Z

It's incredible how the music industry grows by the day. New songs are generated from artistes all over the world so quickly you can never listen to them all.

Just an update of some new songs that have caught my ears:-

Irreplaceable - by Beyonce (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3URfWTEPmtE)

All Good Things Come To An End - by Nelly Furtado (http://youtube.com/watch?v=k-q4KdJ98WU&mode=related&search)

Before I Fall to Pieces - by Razorlight (http://www.myspace.com/razorlight)

Bones - by The Killers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHUcLreILCw&mode=related&search)

I Don't Feel Like Dancing - by Scissor Sisters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZ1tygRaVw)

Snow (Hey Oh) - by Red Hot Chilli Peppers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E08VtCNj23E)

Whistle for the Choir - by The Fratellis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5fpsln6cUg)

.....and for all the loyal Take That fans, their new single is Patience(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFhkhRZhDas)

Yes, yes...I have to admit that it's all POP music. Probably influenced by the fact that the lab's radio is tuned to Radio 1, which is equivalent of HITz fm back home.

Ohh, and do check out the soundtrack for Zach Braff's latest motion picture THE LAST KISS by various artistes. Specifically adore Hide and Seek (by Imogen Heap), Star Mile (by Joshua Radin), Chocolate (by Snow Patrol), Pain Killer (by Turin Brakes).

http://www.myspace.com/thelastkiss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8az8EiyQeg0&mode=related&search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEGCc13aAVw&mode=related&search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLB7uY-p8WY&mode=related&search

http://www.myspace.com/rachaelyamagata

Craving

2006-11-21T18:14:00.000Z

Was craving for a bowl of 'Lin Chee Kang' one day.

So I decided to make some myself!

Bought some of the basic ingredients from 'Chung Ying'. Not sure whether I got all the ingredients necessary but just decided they would do. Chucked them into the pot and left it to boil at slow fire for an hour.

~~My version of Lin Chee Kang~~

It actually tasted ok, couldn't believe it. But it would have been nicer if I had a boiled quail's egg to go with it (Ipoh style, I think).

Halloween

2006-11-16T11:58:00.000Z

I know this update is 2 weeks late but, oh well, better late than never.

Our department organised a fancy dress Halloween party a couple of weeks ago and this was what we got up too!

I know, I know.... Halloween's supposed to be about dressing up in scary and spooky costumes but there's just such limited scary costumes one can come up with. So we decided it should be a fancy dress event, be it scary or not.

I was attempting to dress up as a dark angel (successful or not, you be the judge). Borrowed a pair of black feathered wings from my brother's colleague. Bought the black fluffy halo from a local Goth shop for £ 1.99. Wore it along with a black dress I had and black tights. The dark purple lipstick was courtesy of Suma.

Notice we decorated the place with faux cobwebs (which had wee spiders strung up to them!).

Apart from drinks and nibbles, folks which turned up without a costume were made (or rather 'punished') to dunk for apples. Check out this picture of Tony.

Yes, the girls were saving the day: Batgirl, Supergirl, Catwoman and one of the Charlie's Angels (check out that wig. haha!)

What can I say, it was great fun :)

Me in Sari

2006-11-03T13:36:00.000Z

I'm uploading this photo in conjunction with the recent Deepavali celebration.

I was over in Suma's apartment one day chatting about India and Sari (and that I've never worn a Sari before) when she came up with the brilliant idea of dressing me up in one! So....TA-DA.....bollywood in the making.... *haha*

The Sari cloth was gorgeous...lovely colour and lovely design. This was her graduation Sari. When looking back at the photos we took of me in her Sari, we both realised later that she should have put a bindi on my forehead to complete the attire. Oh well, maybe the next time ;)

The Importance of Living

2006-11-01T11:35:00.000Z

Having more free time in hand, I have started leisure reading again.

About 3 months back, a friend of mine passed me a Chinese philosophy book to read as I was keen on reading something different. The title of the book was 'The Importance of Living' by Lin Yutang. I managed to read a couple of chapters before putting the book aside as I had to attend to my thesis writing then. Nevertheless, I have started reading it again and it is, indeed, refreshing to the soul and mind.

Here is an excerpt from the book, which I think is food for thought - the author's take on the definition of wisdom within mankind:-

'....I do not think that any civilization can be called complete until it has progressed from sophistication to unsophistication, and made a conscious return to simplicity of thinking and living, and I call no man wise until he has made the progress from the wisdom of knowledge to the wisdom of foolishness, and become a laughing philosopher, feeling first life's tragedy and then life's comedy. For we must weep before we can laugh. Out of sadness comes the awakening and out of the awakening comes the laughter of the philosopher, with kindliness and tolerance to boot.'

The thing that interests me most about Lin Yutang's book is his opinions about Science. This thing he wrote really amused me (...and which I thought was so true):-

'....Science, if anything, has taught us an increased respect for our body, by deepening a sense of the wonder and mystery of its workings........The workings of the internal parts of our body and the wonderful correlation between them compel in us a sense of the extreme difficulty with which these correlations are brought about and the extreme simplicity and finality with which they are nevertheless accomplished. However, instead of simplifying these internal chemical processes by explaining them, science makes them all the more difficult to explain!.....'

Anyhow, I shall not bore you with anymore excerpts from my new-found joy. ;p
May you all have a good week ahead!!

~~~The cover of the book ~~~
(sorry for the minute image, couldn't find a larger image on the web)

Still sinking in!

2006-10-23T15:49:00.000+01:00

Hi to all again!

Yes, as I had promised earlier on to update you about the outcome of 'D dreaded Day'.....

I PASSED!!

The night before my viva

It has been such a long time since I had sat for an exam. The fact that it was an oral examination made it twice as bad.

I read through all I could, tried to summarise all 200 journals into a logical story in my head. Thought of potential questions the examiners might ask and how to answer them tactfully if I didn't really know the answers to them. Practised a 10-minute introduction/summary to my entire PhD project in front of the mirror. I figured that if I could impress the examiners with an exciting summary of my findings, it would hopefully give a good start to the viva session and cover up any lack of knowledge that may potentially arise.

Did manage to get some sleep although I found myself waking up trying to answer a question about 'Why PKC inhibitor, Ro318220, only partially inhibited p42/p44 MAPK activation?'.........

D-Day

Woke up at 8am, not feeling like waking up at all to be honest. Remember wishing that I didn't have to wait till 2pm to take the exam. Had overnight rice+dishes for lunch eventhough I wasn't hungry. I didn't want to go into the exam room with an empty stomach with the risk of it growling loudly in the midst of my viva. Would have been totally embarrassing! hehe...

Went to Uni at 1pm. Went straight to my supervisor's office to say hi and that I was about. Then realised that my external examiner was having coffee with him so I took the opportunity to introduce myself. He seemed like a nice person so I felt slightly better.

During the viva session - I think I was pretty lucky to have examiners (two examiners conducted the session - an internal examiner from Strathclyde Uni and an external examiner from Glasgow Uni) who were really nice and reassuring. I've heard nightmare stories about examiners interrogating students about their results and all but there was none of that during my viva. Most of the session was more discussion-based than direct Q&A. Nonetheless there was still a lot of probing and feedback for answers about potential future experiments to perform and suggesting potential techniques to examine them. There even came a point where I was debating with the examiners, who didn't quite agree with a particular idea of mine. Thankfully, they respected my view and didn't give me too hard a time.

My viva lasted for 2 hours and 45 minutes. At some points it went through quite quickly but at times it felt like forever (especially during the debate). At the end of the viva, I was told to leave the room for 3 minutes to allow the examiners to grade me. When I was asked to re-enter the room 3 minutes later, the external examiner announce that they had agreed to award me with the award of.....(actually pausing awhile to imaginary drumrolls) Doctorate of Philosophy! It was quite a amusing affair (the end of the viva) seeing how cute my examiners were reacting. They actually came up and gave me hugs and pecks on my cheek. So as I said earlier, yes, I believe I had been blessed with very kind and gracious examiners.

Post-viva

After the viva, I rushed to tell the good news to my supervisors and colleagues, who greeted me with hugs. We had some champagne at the 4th floor social area of the university to celebrate (which I thought was so sweet of them to arrange). After that, went out for dinner and more drinks with some people in the department (it was really more of an excuse for most of them to drink and party then celebrate my success! hahaa...).

So all ends well and I'm quite chuffed about how things have turned out. Did all my corrections during the weekend (examiners wanted me to add some details to my methods and materials chapter as well as correct some spelling errors) and have just gotten my internal examiner to OK my corrections. So will print the corrected copy out tomorrow and get it bound for final submission to the university registry.

I have yet to feel the full excitement of completing my PhD (I'm still recuperating from revision exhaustion, really) but the feeling is slowly sinking in. I believe I can FINALLY let my hair down.....

Razorlight

2006-10-10T00:45:00.000+01:00

Have recently been rather fanatic over this Brit-pop group called Razorlight.

Can't get past the day without listening to their latest single America at least once (Yes, am helplessly addicted to it, I hope it's just a phase). Some of their other works are also pretty good, e.g. In the morning, Golden Touch.

America is top of the UK charts now and played over Virgin Radio at least 76 times a day. Not surprised if they have hit the charts over in US and Asia as well but I might be wrong. For a teaser of some of their songs, check out:-

http://www.razorlight.co.uk/
or
http://www.myspace.com/razorlight

D-Day!

2006-10-02T10:56:00.000+01:00

It's finally confirmed. The long awaited day has been set for Friday, the 20th of October 2006. And on that day, it'll finally be over. The outcome of 3 years of hardwork will be decided within 3 terrifying hours.

I'm having a mix of feelings now - anxious about the examination (they can ask so much from so many aspects but one can only know so much) and eager to get it done and over with and to finally let my hair down.

Wish me luck!

.....in Glasgow????!!.....

2006-09-22T17:44:00.000+01:00

I was over a friend's place for dinner last night. Wanting to have an early night's rest, I took leave at 10pm. As I was walking back to mine from hers, my eye caught sight of an animal walking on top of the brick fence of a nearby student accommodation. At first, I thought it was a cat (you know how the felines are with walking on top of fences and all that jazz)....but then I noticed it had really sharp pointy ears, narrow snout and an elaborate, bushy tail.

So it struck me! It was a FOX! Can you believe it?? A fox in the middle of Glasgow city centre!

The fox was a size of a small dog, larger than an average cat but wasn't too big. It was rather dark so I couldn't really make out the colour of its fur. Imagine how great it would have been if it was a red fox and if i had spotted it during the day. But then again, I guess foxes wouldn't come out during the day when its busy and bustling.

Anyway, I was staring at it for a good 10 seconds (all amused and excited) before it caught my stare and decided to make a dash through some nearby bushes.

Wonder where it came from? Hope it's not starving and searching for food. Poor fox.

~~just a random picture of a red fox that I got from my yahoo search~~

My new home in Glasgow

2006-09-20T13:19:00.000+01:00

Hi there!

A few photos, like I promised, of my new apartment in Glasgow.

KITCHEN

- When I first saw the kitchen, I was like," Now.....this is a kitchen I'll cook an 8-course meal in."

MY ROOM!

- on a sunny Sunday morning

THE CORRIDOR

- just a small walkway to all the rooms in the apartment

MY BROTHER'S ROOM

- yet to be tidied-up. He's still back in M'sia.

........and finally, the.....

BATHROOM

- simply white and clean!

So there you go....

My second home....

Little Miss Sunshine

2006-09-15T20:19:00.000+01:00

It had been a while since I went to the movies. Have just been very pre-occupied with my writing (which thank God, is almost done!). But it had been a long week and I was yearning to take a break, so I took up the invite from Laura to go watch 'Little Miss Sunshine' in Cineworld.

....and I'm so glad I did!

The movie was just perfect. I dunno, maybe it was the correct mood for the correct movie at the correct time. I came out feeling warm and fuzzy, nice and happy. hehe...

'Little Miss Sunshine' is a comedy-drama, about a family's long road trip to California (if I remember correctly) to attend their young (6-7 years) daughter's beauty pageant. The movie starts off a bit slow and for the first 15 minutes, you are introduced to the quirky and distinct characters of all the 6 members of the family -

the over-confident Dad, who is trying to sell his marketing pitch
the rebellious Son, who hasn't spoken for 9 months and communicates with a pen & notebook
the live-life-to-the-fullest Grandpa, who happens to be a drug addict
the suicidal, gay Uncle
the Mom, who holds the family together
and the adorable specky Daughter, who is selected for the beauty pageant

The journey to California is filled with misadventures and unforeseen happenings, relating to each and every character of the movie. As the movie progresses, you begin to appreciate that the family, although problematic, is still a family enveloped with love and relations. The story touches so many aspects about life without you even realising when you're watching it. And it ends with a bang, which I thought couldn't be any better.

This is the type of movie that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. Great performances from Greg Kinnear (who acted as the gay neighbour of Jack Nicholson in 'As Good As It Gets') as the Dad, and Toni Collette (from 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'In Her Shoes') as the Mom. Good soundtrack as well, and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't already seen it!

My favourite parts of the movie include everytime the family pushes the minivan while taking turns to hop into the van as it catches up to speed. Watch it and you'll know what I mean. ;)

It feels like home

2006-08-26T22:57:00.000+01:00

The occasion

It was such a hectic occasion but it's finally done.

Have shifted majority of my (and my brother's) stuff to our new flat!

The people

The movers were great help and such kind souls....it didn't cost that much either.

And I just can't thank my friends enough for coming over to lend a helping hand. There were loads to move and it was no joke. My brother's new room is filled up with boxes but i'm sure we'll sort it out in due course.

and finally....The place

It is gorgeous and most of all, it already feels like home.

I know I would look forward to coming home to this place after work everyday of the next few years.

Will definitely post the pics up when I've unpack all my stuffs properly.

It will be the beginning of a great chapter of my life! Can't wait! *beam*

Somethings are better left alone

2006-08-20T00:53:00.000+01:00

It hurts when you hear something bad is said about you when it's actually untrue.

And it hurts even more that you are incapable of defending yourself simply because they choose to believe the other or not take sides.

To be downright frank, after all the experiences I've encountered, I no longer give a damn what she thinks. The issue is such a meagre part of life and such a waste of my time. How can she expect to salvage the situation when she f***s it all up again herself?

This is such a primary school scenario and I can't believe it's happening to me at this age. That is WHY I'm finally leaving. Not taking no more s*** from her.

This is WHY one should never just stick to his/her own clique. There're more people out there who'll appreciate you for who you really are. And there are those who will see the bad in you but still stick by you and guide you to be better.

Anyway, enough of this silliness. I'm going to bed.

Spam in Blogs??!!

2006-08-19T01:49:00.000+01:00

I'm digusted.

I checked my blog and found 2 spam comments in my most recent blog entry. %*&#!!!! Repugnant pigs.

Deleted them quickly.

I hope I won't have to check my blog everyday for spam like I do in Yahoo.

Gimme a break!!

The world would be a better place.......

2006-08-03T01:24:00.000+01:00

..........if people could just learn to let go.

My friends and I were making our way back to Glasgow from our trip to the Isle of Arran, last Saturday evening. We were alighting the ferry that was bringing us back from Arran to the mainland jetty, Ardrossan, where we were to catch a train back to the city centre. There were easily more than 100 passengers disembarking the ferry when all of a sudden, a man struck another with a bottle on his head! The bottle cracked in the most awful of sounds....both men, victim and culprit, were right beside my friends and I when the whole incident took place....I was dumbstruck, shell-shocked, momentarily traumatised, in utter disbelief of what had just happened...!

The attacker shouted some abuse right after bottling the man, accusing the victim of extreme injustice, which we later found out was the act of throwing chips at the attacker's nephew. It's tempting to say that the victim brought it upon himself for provoking the wrong person but no one deserves to be bottled deliberately on the head on such meager grounds. It's pathetic and absolutely distasteful, if you ask me.

...which leads me to the thought that life would be much easier (and safer!) if people learnt to let go of grudges and resentment, and simply learn to take a breather, forgive and forget. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't most crimes, arguments, fallouts stem from the inability of people to make peace with their loss and to refuse revenge and retaliation. Most of the time, the outcome is never worth the fight in the first place.

The attacker's group soon left the scene, no doubt thinking he was the king of all kings. On the contrary, the friend of the bleeding man started harrassing the public by pacing up and down the train terminal shouting, 'Who dares bottle my friend? Why not take on me instead?'. Clearly, he wanted his piece of revenge and was willing to let it out on anyone, whether or not he was involved in the first place.

Thank God, the train came soon after. We were more than glad to leave the site.

* Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock *

2006-07-20T00:41:00.000+01:00

If you were given an opportunity to choose ONE thing in this world (absolutely anything, dead or alive, solid or abstract) to SELL to the entire human race..... what would YOU choose?

What would not only rake enormous profit but also play an impact on people's everyday lives?

I would choose to sell TIME ......!!

Show me someone who doesn't wish he/she had 72 hours in a day and I'll show you someone who doesn't like Haagen-Dazs ice-cream. EVERYONE craves for more hours in a day, be it to accomplish the to-do tasks listed out in their organizers, to take a nap between hectic schedules, to shop, to spend time with their loved ones, to complete the novel that's been collecting dust on the shelf, to try out that new egg tart recipe, to have lunch in the park and enjoy the sun....etc...the list just never ends. Sometimes one wonders whether there's really not enough time in a day or are humans just coming up with more things to do within a short time frame?

It might be both.

We often take for granted how fortunate we are to be in this era. The next town is often just a bus/train ride away. A friend is only a phonecall away. E-mailing is instantaneous and so is online chatting. Masterminds have even come up with the idea of an internet phone i.e. Skype. Takeaways are quick and easy, food deliveries come straight to your door and a microwaveable dinner is merely a press of a button and 8 minutes away. Homemade popcorn even come in microwaveable packs. Shopping can now be done in front of your computer - eBay, Amazon, Tesco, Argos, RyanAir, Ticketmaster, Dorothy Perkins... whatever you want, you'll find it online. Who needs to go to the cinemas when you can rent DVDs online and have them sent to your door? Or cheaper still, download it! Remote-controlled TV, DVD player, camera, video camera...even fans! The fact is...technology has advanced so much for the sake of helping us safe time and effort in doing errands that would conventionally take double the amount of time. Yet, we still find ourselves rushing to get things done!

Last 2 weeks were killer weeks for me. There was just so much to do but so little time, which crazily lead me to the idea of 'we could rake great profit if only we discover a way to sell time'. No doubt, all my tasks were eventually ticked off the to-do-list with some accomplished in time, at the expense of others (with no harm done, if I may add).

Personally, I think the secret to time management is knowing how to prioritize. Time and again I'm brought to face the truth of working SMART, not hard. It does, as they all say, save a lot of time. Pay most attention to what really needs to be done first. Divide the remaining time proportionately for the other less significant chores. Also, it helps not to worry about your workload, which just adds on to the burden that's already there. Nonetheless, some might rebut that it's easier said than done.

I think one of man's greatest weaknesses is the wanting to see, try, do and experience as much as possible within a given time. It has taken me a few hectic cycles of work & play to finally realise that one can not venture it all. You need to know the limit. You need to be flexible.

~Are you flexible with time?~

I think the chaotic period has mellowed down for the moment. For now, I have only one important task to work on, the one aim I have gradually pursued for the past 3 years, to be finally accomplished.....and I'm getting there. It's all good... *smile*

Nevertheless, I'm still finding the idea of 'selling time' very amusing...

Trust me on the sunscreen....

2006-07-15T01:31:00.000+01:00

While at work one day (very recently), BBC Radio 1 was playing this song (which is really more of a rendition than anything else) on air. I have never heard it on air the past 2 1/2 years of working in the very same lab. Yet that day, Colin & Edith decided to put it on amidst the usual contemporary pop music routine. I wonder why...?

The song sure brings back fond memories of the good ol' school days. Have always found the lyrics to be amusingly rational and smart.

So for those who share my enthusiasm, this song is dedicated to you:-

(by Baz Luhrmann)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 97...Wear sunscreen

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...You're not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind...the race is long, and in the end its only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life...the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still dont.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...whatever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody elses.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you'll never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths, price will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time its 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

An A-moo-sing affair

2006-07-06T23:15:00.000+01:00

I was over in Edinburgh one weekend to visit the so-it-seems biggest public art exhibition, CowParade. As its amusing name suggests, CowParade is an exhibition of life-size cows made of fibreglass, meticulously designed and decorated by various artists. The event first took place in Zurich in 1998 but due to its encouraging success, went on to travel round the globe to places as far as Chicago, Auckland, Tokyo and Moscow. Last year itself, the parade was hosted at nine separate locations throughout Europe. Fascinatingly, I came across this event 4 years ago while making a short stop in Brussels and again last year (in Monaco), while I was touring through Southern France.

The CowParade combines both art and charity, with corporate organisations and business companies commisioning artists to design the cows they sponsor for the event. The cow designs usually take on a theme, which are either painted on directly or presented as collage or metal work (some ornamented with various accessories, e.g. hats, chains and clothes). The beauty of the event not only lies in the sparkling creativity delivered by each cow design(I know it doesn't sound too impressive at the moment but wait till you see the photos below!), accompanied by witty names adapted from world renown references.

94 cows were erected all over Edinburgh city centre with some located slightly out of the city. I was told that each CowParade adopts the art and culture of the host city, displaying designs created by local/foreign artists. Unfortunately, time and weather did not permit me to explore all 94 statues but here are some of my favourites...

Thistle Be the Cow in Edinburgh - showing designs of the thistle, the prickly-leaved purple national flower of Scotland.

Nightmoo at Blair Street - guess the reference, anybody?

Festival Cow - stood on stilts in front of the Edinburgh City Chambers, a symbol of the annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Top 3 favourite cow designs:-

1) Robocow - I just love the fiesty red eyes, horns and hoofs!

2) Jones Lang LaFriesian - I'm a huge fan of the original painter of this cow design (The Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano, who incidentally is a fellow Scot!)

3) Brave Moo - if there was ever a competition for the best cow design, this will definitely be the top of my list of nominations. What could be more Scottish than a bovine version of William Wallace? How utterly impressive!

Apparently, there was also Cowzan, the cow version of Tarzan, and Moo-ball, painted like a football in conjunction with the World Cup fever.

The story doesn't end here. It seems, at the end of each exhibition, a number of cows are auctioned and the proceeds are channeled to various charitable organisations. It has been reported that, till date, CowParade from around the globe have raised over £9 million.

I thoroughly enjoyed the art display, though I wished it was held in Glasgow instead. It would have been great lunching or shopping alongside a cow every other day till the end of the exhibition. For those who are keen on finding out more about this unique display of art, visit the official websites http://www.cowparade-edinburgh.co.uk/ or http://www.cowparade-eu.com/.

....hmmmm....will the event ever set foot in Malaysia? I'd sure love to see a cow in batik sarong.

Write, write, write, write and...write!

2006-07-04T00:38:00.000+01:00

After disappearing for absolutely ages, I felt a sense of duty to reincarnate my blog. Although I won't even attempt to promise my enthusiasm will last (for obvious reasons, i.e. previous experience...), I will at least give it a try.

So why the sudden urge to re-blog? some of you may ask...

Simply because at the moment, I'm tired and bored of the scientific writing I have been composing day-in-day-out for the past two months. There.....I have successfully completed the last section of discussion for one of my results chapters for my thesis draft. If anyone is even interested in what I have written, that is.

"...The current study has been the first to demonstrate that LPPs are able to exist as homodimers and heterodimers. Additionally, dimerisation may serve as a means of regulating LPP activity since only the multimeric form was catalytically active whereas the monomeric form exhibited no activity. It is speculated that LPP may adopt two or more dimeric arrangements of different conformations (domain swapped and non-domain swapped dimers), in accordance to previous data demonstrating LPP to exhibit both cooperative and non-cooperative kinetics. The different conformational states of the LPP dimers are probably constitutively in equilibrium with one another and the tendency for either conformation to predominate depends on factors such as substrate type and concentration. Indeed, findings from the present study have clearly disclosed the complexity of the molecular arrangements of LPP although the functional significance of the heterologous nature of LPP dimerisation (ability to form homodimers and various combinations of heterodimers) and the factors contolling its dynamics remain to be understood. "

Can you believe it took me an hour and a bit to write that paragraph down? Well, never thought I was much of a fast writer anyway... Anyhow, it's all still good. I can slowly feel my excitement surmounting as I gradually complete my thesis. Only keeping my fingers crossed that all will turn out well without too many bumps along the way.

Right-o, time to grab some beauty sleep to rejuvenate my dry eyes. Good night--ey!

Auld Lang Syne

2005-12-31T13:36:00.000Z

New Year's Eve -
'Tis the time of the year again when we all take a moment or two (or even more, for some..) to ponder on all our undertakings as well as happenings throughout the year. Even the busiest of people (or so I think) will find themselves lost in thoughts, reminiscing past experiences/events be it happy, sad, embarrassing or even insignificant. For some, it is the day to assess whether the year had been a wholesome or particularly exemplary one, to rate the year out of a score of 10; also to run through one's mental diary of the year's happenings and evaluate which ones you'd happily do all over time & again, and which ones you'd seriously think twice before doing.

Interestingly enough, the night of 31st of December is just like any other ordinary nights- no pause in the universe's parade of time or even a milisecond of macrocosmic intermission to properly officiate the succession of the old year with a new block of 12 months.... yet no one can quite overlook or disregard it . As indifferent as the night may seem, we never fail to treat it with a lil' more respect and humility, to bow and acknowledge the departure of an old year and to anticipate the birth of a brand new one.

Along with the symbolic ending of a year and beginning of another comes a rightful role for New Year's resolutions. Like any other beginnings, e.g. beginning of a new job, a new relationship, a new academic year etc., we pledge to make amends to previous faults and hope to improve in what we lack, given the new opportunity. Some vow to quit old habits (e.g. smoking, binge-drinking, over-spending), others aim to adopt new or improve current ways (e.g. learn a new skill, be more productive with work, to make more effort keeping in touch with friends and relatives). For the inspirited and hopeful lot, the New Year signifies a fresh start, a second chance, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start anew, or whatever way one wishes to put it in words. Although there's no denying that for some, New Year's day is merely an emblematic entity to start the year off and that resolutions are not to be taken seriously.

For me, my 2005 consists of a truck-full repertoire of rush-of-blood-to-the-head as well as inconspicuous, slothful days; achievements and failures; meetings and partings; and joy and glum. Alike every other year before, 2005 offerred many lessons to learn from and even more memories to look back on. Proud to say I have no regrets eventhough the year was far from perfect. Afterall, there's always a New Year to look forward too!

For those who have been disheartened by the outcome of 2005 but still remain hopeful for the soon-to-come blessings of 2006, I quote you Emily Miller, "Then sing, young hearts that are full of cheer, with never a thought of sorrow; the old goes out, but the glad young year comes merrily in tomorrow."

For those who fell short or missed out on something or another and pledge to rectify things in the New Year, I quote you Oprah Winfrey, "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!'

A wonderful and blessed New Year to all and au revoir to 2005!

First-timer

2005-12-25T15:25:00.000Z

Omigosh...I think I've just started myself a public blog... *big-eyed*

There was an absolute need to feed my curiousity of the current cyber trend- BLOGGING!
With friends, who are light-years ahead of me in the blogworld, encouraging me to start one, how could one resist?

First things first.....a humble explanation of the chosen blog theme 'M & M's' - has nothing whatsoever to do with colourful sugar-coated milk/peanut butter chocolates that melt in your mouths and not in your hands. 'M & M's' is simply my reference to the 2 things in life that serve as loyal, non-living companions of mine during bad-weathered Glasgow times - Music & Movies. It doesn't, however, mean that this will be a music/movie reviewing blog as writing is not quite my forte despite the fact that it is a fairly pivotal skill to possess for my current pursuit.

Nevertheless, we shall see what the blog fanatism is all about in time to come...being a blog virgin, let's just hope that the emerging pinch of pessimism in me doesn't surmount the survival of this blog. As we typical Malaysians quote, "Hangat-hangat tahi ayam"....

M & M's

Cancer Research UK Race for Life 2008 Charity event

Toothpaste Kisses

*ONCE*

Warhol Philosophy

I am thankful.....

M.U.S.I.C

8 random facts about yours truly

A wee bit of Scottishness....

Graduation Day

Trip to Tunisia - Part 3 (and hopefully the last)

Travels in Tunisia - Part 2

Taste of Tunisia - Part 1

Many thanks!

Sex, Lies and Videotape

'Tis the season to be jolly...fa..la..la..la..la..la..la..la

What can be more beautiful....

Just being L.A.Z.Y....

Music to my ears

Craving

Halloween

Me in Sari

The Importance of Living

Still sinking in!

Razorlight

D-Day!

.....in Glasgow????!!.....

My new home in Glasgow

~~ Little Miss Sunshine ~~

It feels like home

Somethings are better left alone

Spam in Blogs??!!

The world would be a better place.......

* Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock *

Trust me on the sunscreen....

An A-moo-sing affair

Write, write, write, write and...write!

Auld Lang Syne

First-timer

ONCE

Little Miss Sunshine