i smiled today at 11:24 PM


This blog entry is meant in no way to disrespect anyone. I apologize if it is taken the wrong way.

In 1993, well December 11, 1993, to be exact, the Highland Towers collapsed in Selangor. These towers were condominiums, or apartments, or some thing of that sort.

This is what the all-famous wiki says about it:
The Highland Towers collapse was an apartment building collapse that occurred on December 11, 1993 in Taman Hillview, Ulu Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. The collapse of one block caused the deaths of 48 people and led to the complete evacuation of the other two blocks due to safety concerns.

The Highland Towers were three blocks of 12-story apartment, each block was respectively named Block 1, Block 2 and Block 3. Block 1 collapsed when 10 continuous days of rainfall led to a landslide after the retaining wall at the Tower's car park failed.

After the tragedy, The Highland Towers memorial was placed at the site of Block 1.

The Highland Towers still stand today, although they are now almost completely overgrown by the Jungle. In recent years, they have been the site of much vandalism and the buildings are now in almost complete disarray and ruin. Rather eerily, the abandoned towers continue to loom out of the green density of the jungle, looking out over the Taman Hillview area.

I remember watching the news about it, on TV, and reading about it in the newspapers. I was about 11 years old then. Somehow, I still remember clips of the news coverage on this story. I remember watching the reporters standing in front of the ruins; I remember the interviews; I remember the shouting.

Now, after so many years, it is a famous ghost-hunting spot for almost any thrill seeking person.

Actually, for 5 thrill seeking people.

They were... Ellen, Magdalene, Richard, Davidson, and Luke.

And these thrill-seeking idiots decided to find some thrill. You know where they went.

It was actually nearly midnight.


Luke and Richard had their digi cams out, ready to take pictures of "ghosts".

The other 3, stayed in the car. Davidson was too sleepy. Magdalene had her period that day. Ellen was errr, had 201 excuses.

Luke and Richard knew that the other 3 were just cowards and were making excuses for staying in the car.

Luke and Richard went out with their cameras, took loads of pictures, spooky pictures....

The place was creepy. Ghostly. Quiet. Dark. Fun.

Suddenly....
RICHARD: Luke, is that your camera flash??
flashes of blue light on the building ruins
LUKE: No, Richard. It's siren lights!


Suddenly....
Police patrol car stops behind our car.
Two police men walk out.

Police man asks what we were doing there.

Ellen, in her most confident tone, and most beautiful smile, replies
"buat projek sekolah, bang."

Not sure whether it was meant as a joke or not, but anyway....


Police start asking questions.

Richard, underage, pretends he can't speak Malay (copycat tactic), and claims to be from international school.

Magdalene, starts cursing in her mind, and whispers out vulgar words which only can be heard if you stand right next to her.

Davidson does all the talking with police. Ellen flirts (as usual).

They take down our IC numbers just in case any robbery takes place nearby and they have to blame someone for it.

They warn us not to go into the area again.

Ellen asks is it because got ghost.

Police man laughs and says ya be careful, they're ghosts in there.

We all laugh.

Police men stop laughing, and then everyone stops laughing.

And then police men say they are leaving now, and ask us to leave.

Then Davidson asks the police, bang, sudah makan kah belum?

And then everyone laughs. Police told him to don't ask them questions and just leave.

Magdalene is freaking out and gets scared and wishes she didn't join this expedition.

Everyone thought it was fun.

Nothing ever happened after that.




i smiled today at 11:36 PM


I am loving Visit Malaysia 2007...

Only in Malaysia...

Great shopping malls...
Interesting signs and posters...

Bikers of all sorts...



Beautiful natural scenery...
Excellent food...

Shark fins in the sky...

And weird records...

Only in Malaysia... absolutely!


i smiled today at 12:33 PM


There was this US Education Fair at Mid Valley today. I went at 11am. It opened at 10.30am. I thought if I get there early, not only will I have an easy job finding parking, I'd also get to the Education Fair before the crowd starts kicking in.

I was half wrong.

I got good parking. It was almost completely empty.

The crowd, was not what I was expecting. The hall was full of people.

Anyway, I managed to stop by every booth, grab some brochures, and talk to some people.

Most booths were manned by Malaysian students who are either studying at the universities there, or have already graduated from the universities. Some booths also had some of their American students there to talk to anyone. So it was nice, having a personal chat with real people from our country who are studying there, and can share exactly what it is like to study there. It is certainly much better talking to them than talking to the marketing people they sometimes send over to these education fairs.

**

I've been a bit sick lately. The usual - cough, flu sore throat. But I will survive. I always do.

**

Yap Jin Hin, one of the best tenors I have ever gotten to know, will be performing tonight in KL. He was one of the first friends I met in KL from outside of Sedaya College, who helped me a lot in getting started as a voice major in my music course. He is now a world-class tenor, studying in the US. Imagine that. Go to the kakiseni website for info on his concert.

**

Cempaka International School is doing their 'Witches of Oz' musical this and next weekend. It is the prequel of the Wizard of Oz. Sort of like how the witch became green - sort of!

**

I watched 'Die Hard 4.0' - you cannot miss this movie. Must watch.

I also watched 'Dead Silence'. If you like the 'Saw' trilogy as much as I do, you'd sort of enjoy this movie too. If you liked 'Chucky', you'd like this movie too. It's about dolls that kill. Actually they cut out your tongue if you scream.

**

I got an email from my head of school at La Salle. The email was about what to expect for my final year in college before graduating. It was a long email. And the more I read on, the more anxious I got. I got excited, and nervous, and confused, and I re-read the email several times. Things have changed in the college. We're moving to our new campus. Good. Finally.

Now, aural classes will be computerized. That's new. There's this aural software developed by Sibelius. So our aural classes are done through the computer. Not sure how that will be.

Have to start thinking of my thesis. What to write about? What will my seminar talk be about? To get first class, our thesis and seminar has to be something remarkable / surprising / original / very ambitious / visionary. Huh. Any ideas? Same goes to my graduation recital. It has to be remarkable, surprising etc etc etc... to get first class.


Then, they've added a new module. Music Project. We need to come up with a project of our own. Can be a recording of a whole series of any composer's music. Can be a song cycle. Can be a mini concert. Can be a whole composition on some theme. Whatever. And we need to select subjects and courses that will help us in this project. So if we want to do a recording for our project, we might opt to choose subjects like Studio Recording and stuff like that to learn how to make an album. Exciting, but stressful.

**

It's ironic. When the weather gets bad, and the storm comes, and the heavy rains does not let you get out of the house, all you feel like doing is make a nice hot beverage, relax, put your feet up, and watch Astro. Apparently, Astro does the same thing under the same weather conditions. It puts its feet up and gets retarded in such weather conditions. Can't watch anything when the storms come in. Stupid satellites don't you think?

And when the weather is all good, and Astro starts working again, you flip through every channel and can't find anything you like. Oh, maybe except for E!

**

I need to make some business cards. Anyone knows anyone who can design and print, cheap?

**

Starbucks is too cold after drinking an ice-blended drink, especially when I'm sitting under the air-cond. So, going off now.


i smiled today at 2:38 PM


Java Chip.

Scones: Raisin Scones. Azuki Scones.


Java Chip Frappuccino® blended beverage (Blended Coffee)

Starbucks coffee and chocolatey coffee biscuits blended together and topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.

- www.starbucks.com.my


A scone is a small quickbread made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, usually with baking powder as a leavening agent.

- www.en.wikipedia.org

Get the drift? I can't seem to get enough of it. Plus you have free wireless access.


i smiled today at 11:15 PM


Have you watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix yet?

All I can say is, thank goodness I decided to be wise this time, and not read the book first before watching the movie, because that has only brought disappointment so far in all the previous movies.

So not knowing anything that was going to happen this time, I watched it, with a total blank mind.

The conclusion?

Thank God for the comfortable cushioned chairs that allowed me to stretch my legs and lie down in a nice sleeping position, and the nice Cajun Fries, and the soothing air-con.


But seriously, it was a good movie. Could be better, could be worse. Not much story development. Not much character development. Rather, it was like a preview into what to expect for the last two movies.... what we should be preparing for.... like the war against He-Whom-I-Will-Gladly-Name: Lord Voldemort. An interesting insight into the political affairs of those Wizards though. They are not much different from us muggles ;-)

Watch it anyway, because if you don't, you won't have peace of mind.


i smiled today at 7:19 PM














And we thought the guys at the night market aka Pasar Malam have a good life providing us with cheap food and clothes....... looks like they have their own issues too.

Thanks to Elaine for the pictures. I think I was the first person to post pictures on this incident online. ;-)


i smiled today at 6:59 PM


Have you ever seen a burning car?

No, not in the movies. A real burning car.

Maybe you have. You must have a very exciting life, in the weird kind of sense.


I am very sorry for the person/people who lost their car and had it burnt to ashes like that. I have no idea what happened to the people in the car but there were certainly no deaths. It was a bad accident nonetheless, and as for the car, a Honda, well, too bad. At least the people were safe.

The Fire Brigade must have been in a rush to get to the scene though... They really must have been rushing...




i smiled today at 6:16 PM


Yes, it is still Visit Malaysia 2007 - Celebrating 50 Years of Nationhood.



Anyway.

Rather spontaneously, I was Ipoh-bound about a week ago. My friend, David, had to be back in his hometown for about a week to take care of his siblings with his parents were somewhere on top of this very prestigious hill that has a casino and a theme park and hotels and other interesting stuff. And since he was there, I thought to myself, why not just go to Ipoh in the evening, arrive there in time for dinner, and then sleep over at David's place and leave early the next morning. After all, Ipoh is only about 2 hours away from KL.


And I also though it would be a good opportunity to meet up with Eve, who was my housemate for a total of 2 years while I was in Sedaya College, one of my Student Council friends in Sedaya College, and also my course mate in Sedaya College. So, yeah, that was my main agenda. Also, not forgetting the food in Ipoh, who can resist that.

So I packed lightly. Got some bottles of water ready for my short trip. Made sure everything was fine. And then headed off to Ipoh. Just follow the sign boards that say Ipoh. That was all I could think about while I was driving to Ipoh. Oh I was also thinking of the food at the same time.

And so it began.

What was supposed to be a short 2-hour ride to Ipoh, became a 3-hour ride, simply because I just had to stop at Bidor town.

You see, any wll-educated person (*ehem*) will know that if you drive over to Ipoh from KL, you should make the wise decision of stopping by Bidor town. Why? For the food and the little tidbits you can buy there. Why? Because the town is famous for that. Why? Just look at what I bought and what I ate there.....

Bidor is famous for their Wanton noodles. And you should try it. Honestly, there's nothing reaaaallyyy great about it. But somehow it just tastes better than those in KL. Slightly more to the salty side of your tongue, but still, very worth your stop especially if you're hungry.

You can also buy other nice tidbits there, like Chicken Biscuits. They sell good eggs tarts too. And oh... look at what else you can get there!


While at Ipoh, I ate at the 'Stadium'. I've heard about it - a lot - from many of my Ipoh friends. They always tell you that you must go to the 'Stadium' to eat if you go Ipoh. So I did. And that's where you can get this Ais Kacang thing with coconut flesh in it. Unique?




i smiled today at 10:07 PM

TRUE POLICE STORY
- based on a true story -

Based on a true incident that happened more than a year ago.

The scene takes place on the road, the main highway leading towards Cheras Leisure Mall. Luke, the main character, is steadily driving in a brown Waja car, turning left at a roundabout. He is talking on his Nokia mobile phone in his right hand, confirming with his friend Magdalene if the supper that night was still on.

Suddenly. a police man on his motorbike flashes his small little tiny blue siren, and waves his hands as though Osama bin Laden was driving through.

Luke understood what it meant, and stopped at the side, waiting calmly in his car for the police officer to walk over.

Luke smiles, then opens his window. But deep inside his well-built muscular torso, his heart paces as though Osama bin Laden were hiding in his car boot.

The car window is fully opened. Police officer stands next to the window and bends down.


POLICE:
Bagi IC dengan lesen.

LUKE:
Oh, ok. (smiles and hands over the 2 documents requested)

POLICE:
Hmmm, dari Sabah ni. Mana hemfree? Kenapa tidak pakai?

LUKE:
Huh? What's that? (giving a look as though he is very uncertain what the police officer is saying)

POLICE:
Hemfree di mana? Kamu cakap talipon tadi kan?

LUKE:
Errr, what? Sorry I don't understand. (acting innocent)

POLICE:
Tidak faham Bahasa Melayu ke? Pandai speaking sajer?

LUKE:
(keeps quiet, but thinks in his mind 'no, i not only know how to speaking. I also know how to jumping, laughing, crying, shitting, and dancing too)

POLICE:
Hemfree where?

LUKE:
Hemfree?? Ohhhhh... you mean hands-free? (laughs and smiles)

POLICE:
Ya, hemfree. Why no hemfree?

LUKE:
Not hemfree, hands-free. Got 's'. Handsssss-free. (smiling but heart is pounding like 50 basketballs at once)

POLICE:
Ya, hemsfree where?

LUKE:
(smiles innocently). I don't have my hands-free, sorry.

POLICE:
Kenapa?

LUKE:
What? (raises eyebrows and looks blur)

POLICE:
Why no hemsfree?

LUKE:
I don't have it. I don't have a hemsfree. But my hands-free is at home.

POLICE:
Apa? Errr, Cannot speaking phone when you on driving, tau?

LUKE:
Oh, ok. Sorry.

POLICE:
So? How?

LUKE:
Ya, so how?

POLICE:
This must give saman. I give you saman. (takes out a notebook looking thing from his pocket)

LUKE:
Ok.

POLICE:
You want saman?

LUKE:
Errr, no choice right?

POLICE:
You want saman? You don't use hemsfree driving tadi.

LUKE:
Ok.

POLICE:
How? I give you saman.

LUKE:
Ok. (already reading the police officer's mind. He wants some money to buy his pirated DVDs later after duty)

POLICE:
You want I give you saman?

LUKE:
If not? You said I didn't use hemsfree so must give me saman. No choice.

POLICE:
Why don't use the hemfree?

LUKE:
No, no. Handssss-free.

POLICE:
Ya, why no hemsfree?

LUKE:
Don't have.

POLICE:
So saman lah.

LUKE:
Ok.

POLICE:
Next time you driving mesti use the hemfree, cannot talking talipon.

LUKE:
Ok I will look for a hemfree.

POLICE:
I give you amaran pertama.

LUKE:
You give what?

POLICE:
I give you first amaran.

LUKE:
Errrmmm, first what?

POLICE:
This first warning. Next time use hemfree.

LUKE:
No it's han...... Oh ok first warning. Sure. (trying very hard not to burst out laughing)

POLICE:
Careful ya. Jangan buat lagi ya.

LUKE:
Huh? (acting all innocent)

POLICE:
Janga..... tak ape lah, You go. I give warning.

LUKE:
Thanks. I'll go look for a hemfree. (closes window, smiles, and tries not to laugh).

The police officer walks back to his motorbike. Luke winds up the window. Luke smiles, drives off, and doesn't look back. Luke's heart still beats like crazy but it was fun for him.

And this is how a poor police officer failed to get some extra pocket money, and how a smart Eurasian boy used his looks to practice the art of deception.

So much for the 'Saya Anti Rasuah' badge on the police officer's shirt.

i smiled today at 1:25 AM




It has been an interesting week for me, sort of.

It would seem like holidays are when we get to relax and have fun. Yes, I did have fun and did get time to relax. Actually, I still am doing exactly that.

JJ Pianoforte Music Centre, which in my humblest-est opinion in THE best music centre you can find around KL and Selangor, will be having its annual concert on 18th August. I am quite excited to see how it goes, and I would encourage anyone who can, go make time to watch it. You see, I have been put in charge of the 'Pop Showcase'. Basically, the concert has been divded into several showcases: 'Classical', 'Disney', 'Songs from Movies', 'Jazz', 'Malay Music', 'Chinese Music', 'Korean Music' and some others I think. And finally, it'll end with the teachers all performing. The teachers will be performing music from the Baroque to Modern eras. And yours sincerely has been assigned to sing "You Raise Me Up" and also to play the saxophone. Which in other words means..... preparing students for the Pop Showcase which I am in charge of, preparing my own vocal students for their items, and preparing for the teachers' item.

My vocal students will be doing some interesting items. They'll be singing Jac's Gemilang, Somewhere Out There (choir), some soloists singing pop and classical songs, and err, ya that's about it I think. And oh ya, did I mention I was also assigned emcee for the night?

Well, all that aside, I have also been teaching singing in several locations around KL and Selangor. But the more I teach, the more I realise some things:
1. I enjoy teaching, and it is really my passion.
2. Teaching has helped me, in return, improve on my own singing. Because I tell my students to do certain things, then I go back and realize... I think I don't really do that too! And so I am forced to recall my basics yet again and improve myself.
3. I get to study different personalities more. You can never, in any way, treat all students the same. Actually that's logical, but still, it is amazing to celebrate the variety of life ;-)
4. The progress your students make, is the satisfaction of it all. When you sit back and listen to your students and hear how much they have improved, you just can't help but think to yourself... ahh, I have not failed them, and they have not failed me. Haha.
5. You realize that patience is really a virtue. You see, I am blessed to have several tone deaf students who can never ever catch a pitch correctly. And the challenge is to help them appreciate the sounds that enter their ears. Wow, I sound so good!
6. Some students get on your nerves, and yet, they are also your salary-providers. So don't complain, just smile and teach.


I have also been part of the team that has been conducting free workshops for members of this certain church located at Subang Jaya. It has been a blessing getting involved in this. I have gotten to know more music enthusiasts who cannot wait to teach other people about music. It has been fun doing these workshops and trying to help them understand what it is like to sing in a choir and to know more about music theory and that sort of stuff. Anyway, thanks for reading thus far :)


I was walking around Leisure Mall leisurely on Saturday for a while before going off to teach choir again. And there was this 2nd hand book sale. Check it out if you can, they do have quite a good collection. And the weird thing was, one book caught my attention. The reason was because I had been planning on reading this book for about a month already, and wasn't sure where to get it. But there was this itch in my soul telling me to just read this book for no apparent reason. So I was slowly browsing through all the books, and in between bumped into Meg and chatted for about 10 minutes, and then... WOW! The book was there, for only RM19.90..... I couldn't believe it. And so I bought it, The Diary of Anne Frank. And immediately I found a bench in the mall and started reading it until I had to leave. I am not sure why I felt like I should be reading this book, but I am sure there is a reason for it. I guess I will only know when I complete the book. So far, all I can say is that it is really a good book.

And I have been reading other books too, like Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. It's a really good book, about punctuation, and how nowadays with the internet and SMS'ing, punctuation is no longer very important, and most of us use it so incorrectly. The title of the book comes from the joke about the panda bear who goes into a restaurant, eat, shoots everyone, and leaves. Simply because in the dictionary, a panda is defined as an animal that 'eats shoots and leaves' :) And yeah you get it, by just adding punctuation, the meaning can be totally different.

Like the most common example:
A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.


And so my dear friends, life goes on....