karaoke in Xover, Glen (and some stats for Engineering and postgrads)

A closer option for those not in the city. It had been commented to have too little song choices (which is still true compared to December), but improved a lot since the change of management. The other nearest competitor would be red box - but Iris told me Xover is better (cleaner, better environment?).

Anyway, the system wasn't in sync in the beginning (the lyrics and audio do not match) and we had to reset it twice before it works. Didn't plan to go in the beginning - it started to rain when we finished makan so we thought of spending some time in the lounge and somehow ended up singing k with just 3 of us =p. Was really fun though ^^


The 1st part was when the system wasn't in sync (you can hear me saying "I go go outside" in mandarine =p)

Other than that everything is still ok. The last time we came here with Norishige and Nghia, we sang in the lounge until some noisy lala girls came and disturbed us with their chaimui =_=''


Norishige singing in the lounge


There aren't lots of Japanese new songs according to Norishige. I don't know much bout the songs he sang, except that some are from Mr. Children. (Sorry bout the aprts where you only see dark background)

Also, he didn't want us to record much of his face - so I'm attaching a pic of him in Pancake parlour =p


Some info:
Glen
X-Over
Kingsway (above 'Dai tou har' Vietnamese restaurant)
aud15 in lounge, aud25 for room

Red Box
1/97 Kingsway, Glen Waverley
Ph: 95614727

info from
http://www.ozchinese.com/bbs/archiver/tid-36470.html

By the way, we went to this seminar for Women in Engineering by an african women from the states. She showed us some statistics, including around 55% of women in Engineering haven't had any children (it's quite low for men in Engineering too). And many women in Engineering leave the field at around the age of 35. She also told us that many women she knows in the field had miscarriage before. It's stressful isn't it?

And from the PhDComics seminar I attended last month, there's this statistic that showed
95% of postgraduate research student felt overwhelmed at some point in the grads student life
67% of postgraduate research student felt hopeless or depressed
10% seriously considered suicide
1 in 200 attempted it
- from Jorge Cham's slides http://www.phdcomics.com/

Depression is something that many of us (in this stressful environment) would suffered. In some cases, doing some exercise, hanging out with some friends, reminding yourself of the good things that happened etc. might help. (no, alcohol or non-prescribed drugs will NOT help unfortunately.) However, if there's no sign of recovery, see a counseller or your local GP - seek for help! Serious depression can destroy your career and your life, even chasing your friends and family away.

"Like any serious medical condition, depression needs to be treated."
- http://www.depression.com/

So if you have discovered anyone likely to be in depression, help them to get out of it (bringing them for some sports and recreation activities or chat with them), and encourage them to see a counseller/GP if it's too serious!

busy busy week...

many things happened in this week - gatherings, shopping, gardening, joining a fitness club, 'tennising' =p, writing paper... and it hasn't end, gonna meet wanling this fri before picking mum up from the airport, going to a women in engineering seminar+lunch in the club, seeing johnson next tues after so long blabla...

anyway, i'll let the pictures do the talking =p

Had Szechuan food in Glen with Hugh:



the water-fish (lol) is really spicy but still love it!


haven't had tongbo meat for a long time - absolutely delicious!


some cold tofu with thousand years egg to cool down our burning tongue

Then we went shopping with Iris, Aisha and Frankge:

got them to try Malaysian food for the 1st time. yes!


and Frank think nasi lemak is nice!

And then had dinner in New Royal Garden, Glen with Iris, Jean, Dennis, Allen and Hugh:





The fish tofu is great - must order again

Had hk food in Star East with Jitt (his treat after he got his 1st pay =p)

Porkie rice


Jitt's egg rice


My polo ham bun


Japanese toast

Went to Jiang Peng's house in Glen for hotpot:


and many got drunk in the end...


(naughty us decided to draw something on their faces)

btw he was shocked when he woke up and saw his face in the mirror lol

another victim...


Hugh treated us (again) with KFC =p thanks boss




Done with the makan, let me show you some spring colours:

purple flowers in bloom - with very nice smell too




unknown wild flower


lemon flower buds


parsley's flower


apple tree's flower - notice the spidey?


our grape vine starts producing leaves finally




daisies




lavender


unknown =p


it's from the trees in front of the house


really pretty isn't it? can you see the bee's bum?


kk last one

oh and i came across a super-delicious biscuit:

We tried other cookies from Kambly and they were all good!

And, we finally finished watching the Prince of Tennis anime - on a lazy evening, we decided to pose with the tennis racket instead kekeke


It's supposed to be Tezuka's Zero Shiki Drop Shot =p


Pose where the players like to do when they are walking (I can't do the vertical one!)


The famous dabian pose lol - Echizen's Drive B!!


Kikkumaru's acrobatic!


all time favourite Atobe's =p

I know I know, none looks like the real one at all =p

last but not least - hope this cheer u up!


hehe at least we laughed like mad =p

=p

pauchan desu - my hair's journey

Popo and me =p

Was searching thru my old picture album and saw this. Though popo has left us for 12 years, I could still remember her like yesterday. It was when I were in sec 1 - she was in bed with cancer. She used to come to KL together with ahkong, they would walk me to primary school and back. I remember one day, we saw a really beautiful rainbow together. And, I remember how she told me she will come to KL again when I last visited her in bed. It's painful. I didn't get to see her before she left us, and I couldn't see ahkong before he left us too.

It's a shock, when I was told to take leave from school, travel to Spore to visit ahkong in bed, when the truth is I was brought to the funeral instead. But, I was told that, in ahkong's mind, I was there before he had his last breathe - he mistaken my cousin as me, and my aunt as my mum, with his blurry vision. They will always be in my mind, with all those colorful memories I had when they were around, especially the days I spent living with them, blowing bubbles and playing hair curling.

Anyway, let's get back to what I have to share today, my hair's journey =p

I used to have long hairs until I got into primary and high school, where long hair is prohibited. I then had 12 years of really short hair (the kind of 2cm below your ears) and decided not to cut my hair for the next 3 years. And this is the result:


And that picture was taken right before I had a hair cut

I then got bored of long hair and long for a short one:





got this from a korean hairdresser


and that happened right before my convo


and I think short hair goes well with bandana

It grew fast, before I knew, it's already shoulder length.
I started to got bored of it, and I wanted a curl real bad - but many people have been telling me how troublesome it is to keep permed hair nice and curly. So the only method I could apply is to braid my hair, but the results are pretty bad:

you can't really see the curls, can you?


a curler version

anyway, they went straight after a day. So for lazy working days, I would be going to uni with this:


And then I got really really bored. I decided a side fringe/bang might do me good, even though some hairdressers strongly disagree side bangs for long hair. Tell me what you think =p

Being a poor postgrad students, I had to cut my own side fringe


See that 'cheras' sign? =p we were excited to see that in Clayton =D

and now I can tie a big bun and being called pauchan:


side view


Short tutorial on the pau-style:

divide/cut your fringe


tie a ponytail


losen it up




divide into two or more parts


folding each parts into a bun


use another hairband to tie the bun in shape




upper view


another side


you can then add whatever nice hair band - put the big deco at the side =p


or something like this


=p

p/s: to cut your own fringe, divide the hair on your forehead into three parts. Start by cutting the middle section - remember to keep it few cm longer than what you want - just in case. Then proceed to the other two sides (I prefer the shorter side), with the middle section as reference.


And using this scissors with gigi is really good for layering - just cut around 2cm under your eyes, then 3cm, 4cm etc. and trim with the normal scissors. *not just for females - guys with side fringe can be cute* =p
eg.

Yuu Shirota from prince of tennis

kawai desu ne?

updates: I just permed my hair - see how I look like just after the digital perm: here
and 1 month later: here

Batch watermark - any recommendation? oh and an encounter with a cutie birdie

I'm looking for batch watermark software. I've only tried 'Batch watermark creator' and found it useful... but it's not free - so can someone recommend me a free (or dirt cheap) batch watermark software? Otherwise I would have to write a program to do that myself =p

Saw this cute baby bird which still can't fly on the ground in campus:

it was sleeping on the ground - isn't it cute?


we were trying to figure out where did it dropped from


it was really cute!


this is my 3rd encounter with a baby bird in Melbourne =p and it reminded me of the cute ducklings in the lake near halls of residence

and before I go, this is a special picture taken for Iris

... who hasn't tried char koay teow before =p

A day in Nagoya Port - of Aquarium, Fuji Antartic Musuem and Village Italia

We spent a day in Nagoya port when lasi visited me in Nagoya months ago, when it was still winter. It's great fun seeing dolphins, penguins, antartic ice breaker and 'Italians'.

*very long entry ahead* =p

Before going, we filled our stomach with food in Motoyama, 15min walk from my apartment:


Katsudon!


Nagoya port


lining up for ticket - it surely is a popular attraction!


must note this performance timetable down in order to ensure the highlights were not missed!


we went straight to the dolphin and willy whale's performance. And we were really lucky to get a front seat in the 'safe region' even though we were late (ok some kids gave us the seats while they sit on their parents' lap =p)

Oh and when I say safe region, I mean seats that are not that close to the stage, where getting wet is almost certain to happen - think big splash =p


cute kids - i like the idea of having this big screen that occasionally focus on the audience =p


3 lil dolphins


gotcha!


the japanese loves explaining math and physic laws






I wonder how long can the dolphin be on ground...



Now, it's Willy's turn!



see how small the dolphin is...


even though I'm of gigantic size, I can still jump!


... while creating


really BIG splash




the victim of the splash =p


random kawai japanese lil gal

Tsugi wa (Next), Pink dolphin desu!



I actually think they are somehow, like a dog... and can be very manja!

video on how it was reluctant for the trainer to leave:

kawai desune?

Some other sea creatures on display:

jelly jelly


tasty sardines


creepy crabby


pointy pointy

ok i'll stop talking like a kiddo.

and we have:
penguin-chan! (I can't stop thinking of the ones in madagascar: 'smile and wave, smile and wave' lol)



somehow they looks like fake ones...


swimming penguins









a vid of how the penguins swim...



and this funny penguin =p

Had takoyaki and KFC as lunch



KFC's rice ball


saw another penguin lamp

Next stop, Fuji Ice breaker!





The ship is used by Japan to explore the Antarctic Ocean from the 1960s to the 1980s


and they went passed Aussieland

to here:


Do you know that the ice in Antartic and Japan are different?

apparently, the ice in antartic has got more air in it, which causes the blurness... but i still don't get why the higher amount of air in a colder place... hmmm...



Next stop, Village Italia:





It's quite a lovely place - and the japanese really loves angmoh's food!


I just thought the cactus is lonely...




gondola!


hehe


walking back to the subway station


very cool pool








=_= saw this in a souvenir shop

Back in Nagoya city, Sakae:

the tv tower


auto car parking system you see in fast and furious 3





ABC mart =p


Oasis21


On top of that cool looking Oasis 21


kirei desu ne

And before we head back to Motoyama, can't miss the Omeletto rice!

Oishi!! If it were not for the series 'lunch time queen', I wouldn't be so crazy bout the demiglace sauce =p

Some info for you: (Free entrance for the Italia village)

How to get there:

Nagoya Port is best accessed by the Meiko Subway Line. The various attractions are within walking distance of Nagoyako Station, the subway line's terminal station.

From Nagoya Station, take the JR Chuo or JR Tokaido Line to Kanayama Station (3 minutes, 160 Yen) and transfer to the Meiko Subway Line to Nagoyako Station (10 minutes, 230 Yen).

From Sakae Station, take the Meijo/Meiko Line Subway Line to Nagoyako Station (15 minutes, 260 Yen). Roughly every second train on the Meijo Line operates on the Meiko Line from Kanayama to Nagoyako Stations instead of continuing on the loop of the Meijo Line.

Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium
Admission: 2000 Yen
Open: 9:30 to 17:30 (until 20:00 from 7/21 to 8/31, until 17:00 from 12/1 to 3/31). Closed on Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday) and between December 29 and January 1.

Fuji Antarctic Museum
Admission: 300 Yen
Open: 9:30 to 17:00. Closed on Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday) and between December 29 and January 1.

info from japan guide

August Malaysian Top 50 Blogger, Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

was very bohliao surfing net and found this:

http://www.theblogrevenue.com/2007/08/08/august-malaysian-top-50-blogger/

which brighten up my day =p

kk the list wasn't really correct since many of popular msian blogs are missing (not putting 'malaysia' as one of the technorati tag). Anyway, I'm on the list! I'm on #30 lalala ^_^ (just let me believe in that, don't wake me up lol)

*continue to soak in happiness*

Anyway, would like to share a vid - I believe many have watched/read the speech before, but if you haven't, it's a good one!



I think willingness to take risk and his courage is one of the key to his success. However, among asians, especially the chinese, dropping out of the college is not something your parents will be happy about - given the traditional mindset and how the relatives/friends will respond.

It is certainly difficult to find an education plan that suits every different individuals. Therefore, it is highly likely for someone who think 'no, this is not what I want'. However, gaining enough courage to find an alternate path is not easy. Unlike angmoh who struggle to gain independent since young age by staying out of home, the asians, especially the japanese often prefer to stay with parents, in order to take care of them. We obey to the rules, sometimes too much, that we lost our creativity.

Most try to achieve what the parents want, in order to make parents happy, and because they have more experience, as per chinese saying "not listening to the old folks, you will very soon regret about it". This goes on, and we are seeing people who are confused - and not being able to like what they do, they just can't stay dedicated, with that, it is almost impossible to feel creative to come out with new ideas.

Some might change their job eventually, some might fell in love after being in the area long enough, some might force themselves and stay depressed. What many have forgotten is, after all, all parents really want are the same - to have their children live happily. It's that simple.

No, Negaraku's tune is not adapted from Mamula Moon, they are both adapted from a French tune!

Didn't know bout this until reading kenny sia's entry today, about how similar mamula moon and Malaysia's national anthem - Negaraku is.

being curious, I looked up wiki and youtube to do a bit of searching on our national anthem which I actually enjoyed singing every friday morning back in school.

1940's mamula moon:


which turned out to be a really relaxing lovely song

1963's terang bulan


adapted into a hippier pop version in indonesia
- but this is not the perak's state anthem, can't find that on utube... anyone came across that before?

1957's Malaysia national anthem - Negaraku


which started with a short drum roll, said to be drum roll "which beckons the audience to attention, and heralds a stately pace, where the nation sings its pledges of loyalty to King and country. It continues serenely to express the unity of our multi-ethnic population and our gratitude to God for His blessings. And as the music repeats the coda section, praying for the safety of our enthroned King, there comes a stirring crescendo of drum rolls and cymbals, which culminates in a poignantly dignified ending" from wiki.


Gathering all these info and timeline:

The very 1st 'negaraku' melody is composed by the French lyricist Pierre Jean de Beranger who lived from 1780 to 1857.

It is then adapted to Perak state anthem - Terang Bulan, when the Perak Sultan was asked what is the state song in an Europe reception, he discovered there isn't one, and he hummed out that melody (interesting isn't?)

Around that time, the tune is also adapted by indonesian (possibly the older version of the 2nd 1963's video i posted), these occurred in 1920's to 1930's.

In 1940's it is adapted into Mamula Moon.

In 1957, we gained our independence, this beautiful melody then replaced the British national anthem, God Save the Queen, namely 'Negaraku'.

(all facts from wiki)

So in short, this melody is written by a French, and travel around the world, winning many's heart. I guess this is a good thing, isn't it?