A Divine Serenity

Time: An Oxymoron

2011-08-12T22:13:00.000+08:00

As I sit here typing this post, what little time I have left continues to pass me by.

I curse every little strand of it that unravels before my eyes. Yet, I venerate the imaginary hourglass that stands before me, ticking down to that inevitable moment.

Looking back, nostalgia can do wonders in how one views the world.

20 years of my life in this humble abode, within the blink of an eye, gone.

Time’s running out…….who’s to say it’s something you can’t look forward to?

Dad for A Day

2011-06-11T21:32:00.001+08:00

Meet Shamkumar. He’s just another 8 year old boy like any other. Blessed with an innate childhood curiosity, brimming with life, and possessing a smile that radiates such warmth, with a super sweet personality to boot too.

However, delve beyond his lovable, crooked smile; sift aside the veils of ideality in a picture-perfect photograph, and the harshness of reality makes its presence known.

Shamkumar, or Sham as he prides himself, like 17 other children his age, is an orphan from the Precious Children’s Home orphanage in Petaling Jaya. That’s right, he’s never had one to call a dad or mom throughout his 8 years of life.

Today, the ATUSA Student Council took the liberty of organizing a visit to said orphanage as part of its charitable ventures during the laid-back days of Summer Semester and beyond what words can express, I am infinitely grateful for having been part of it.

Although the day got off to a rough start, no thanks to some mix-up in the transportation, we arrived at the orphanage at approximately 11 am and boy, were we greeted with the throngs of curious faces and excited cries of joy.

Upon entering the compound, the little bundles of joy soon swarmed around us, eager to see what our arrival entailed. New gifts? Toys? A field trip somewhere? Or just mouth-watering delicacies to sink their teeth into? Suffice to say, we brought to them all of the above.

At first, I was a bit hesitant at introducing myself, as all awkward first-time meetings always are. However, the little kids soon warmed up to my crazy and wacky antics and to put in Starcraft terminology, ling-rushed me. Questions bombarded me from every single corner and these kids were so adorably cute in trying to outdo one another in impressing us.

To kick off our visit, we played a little meet and greet session to break the ice and cast aside all formalities. Laughs were had, names were exchanged, and predictably, I found myself belting out to the tunes of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” and was stuck with the labeling Muhammad Bieber.

Blardy hell, are these kids creative or what?

After being assigned our respective ‘kids’ (mine so happened to be the super awesome Sham) and having made a fool of myself, we got onto the next agenda on our list: the making of mouth-watering, nommable sandwiches for lunch!

As a side-note, we discovered never to let little kids wield knives, our very own ATUSA President makes great sandwiches and also, to never stack your sandwiches 5-storeys high.

Behold, our end product (or rather, Sham’s)

At the end of it all, I can safely say that these kids are going to become great chefs one day. Having stuffed our faces full with a smorgasbord of bread and KFC chicken wings, I sat down contented while the kids tried to best each other in their repertoire of lame jokes.

Also noteworthy is the fact that these kids are attracted and addicted to everything that’s a cellphone. It’s like the friggin’ microwaves that the devices emit call out to them like some sort of overlords or something.

But it’s official, like catnip to cats, cellphones were like their fix, although I’m not blaming anyone. After all, who leaves their homes without a cellphone nowadays? Face it, we’re all addicted to our cellphones one way or another, so I’m not gonna be judgmental.

Next up was definitely the day’s highlight, a trip to the National Planetarium to behold the wonders of the cosmos! Or in plain English, to explore Uranus………and other planetary bodies of course.

And that, I believe, has to be most exhausting part of the day yet. I’ve forgotten just how hyper and energized these little toddlers were. Bouncing from one display to the next at speeds of light, their attention never more than held for a good minute, it was like running a constant marathon to keep up with Sham. I thank the half hour reprieves in between when we had to sit still to watch the movies.

I’m only 20, at the peak of physical fitness and yet, I had my work cut out for me when chasing after Sham in pure Tom and Jerry fashion. Therefore, I salute Sean in the picture below, a volunteer at the orphanage, for having to keep up with not just 1, but 18 of these hyper-caffeinated kids.

Alas and alack, the day soon came to an end and we returned the orphanage, totally exhausted. However, the fatigue ebbed away somewhat to be replaced with sheer awe and wonder at the suh-weet moves that these kids busted out for us.

Holee crap. Their breakdancing skills definitely brought the house down and put mine to shame. Word.

With the giving out of our goodie bags to the kids and caretakers of the orphanage, we bid our farewells. It was truly a great and rewarding day for me to be able to spend it with these magnificent kids from the Precious Childrens’ Home.

Despite growing up never knowing their parents, these kids taught me a thing or two on how it is to live life to the fullest; a lesson I will definitely take to heart. Sometimes, all you need to buoy yourself through a life rife with hardships is a smile and to never say never (and yes, I totally ripped that line off.) A unique sense of familial brotherhood that these children share with one another no doubt helps.

Although, they’ve always came across as an heartwarming enigma to me, even till today. Without paternal figures to look up to, they’ve developed a sense of maturity and fierce independence uncommon of their peers.

This was especially evident in how they subtly brush your arms off of themselves when you lean in to put a reassuring arm over their shoulders. Yet, at the very same time, they cherish and long for that gesture of protection that a parental figure will no doubt give to them.

In the end, underneath that tough façade they put up in response to growing up parentless, they’re just vulnerable young kids who drew the shorter straw in life. They just want a shoulder to lean on and for someone to tell them that it’s going to be okay. Which, given the hand that life has dealt them with, isn’t very often.

So, in we come to this picture to give them that reassuring “It’s going to be okay” line and to give them a much needed lift in their spirits to power them onward through life.

All in all, I wouldn’t have traded this day for any other. Special thanks goes out to this wonderful Ivy Bong Pei Pei here for playing my make-believe mom to babysit our little Sham. Lord knows I’d already be dead if it wasn’t for you.

Now to start wondering if I want to have kids. And if so, how many…….

20th Birthday; 2 Decades Later

2011-04-01T10:59:00.001+08:00

Let it be said now that my previous birthdays (the past 19 of them) haven't been much of a big affair, to me at least.

How so?

Well, for you see, all the past birthdays I’ve had the pleasure of having UNDOUBTEDBLY pales in comparison with the birthday celebration (or what bizarrely passes for one) of the year 2011.

So, what say we take a trip down memory line so as to give a context to my exact words.

Seeing as how my birthdays, or the occasions on which they were celebrated, were usually thrown to me by my family every year, it was more of a family affair. As the years went by, and as I progressed from early adolescence into my teenage years, my birthdays were pretty much celebrated the same way, as if in strict adherence to an unwritten tradition of sorts.

Nevertheless, my parents were always the first to instigate plans for my birthday parties. As they secretly schemed, my close friends would also be included in the thick of things. So naturally, they would always be invited to parties courtesy of my parents. As the cycle goes on and on, it became a norm for my friends to always wait for the birthday invitations and go along with the festivities as planned out by my parents.

To sum it all up, I never quite gotten to experience a birthday celebration as thrown to me by my friends in the name of friendship and camaraderie. Sometimes, I feel taken for granted as a friend of theirs, and I understand that it is by no fault of theirs. My parents, the most loving and caring people of whom I cherish most, kind of did spoil my friends where my birthday parties were concerned.

As college came knocking on the front door, as it does with all young adults, I heeded its call and found myself in Shah Alam with a whole new bunch of great people and even greater friends.

New faces, new acquaintances, new environment and practically a brand new life.

I can finally start over. See what it’s like to experience a birthday as thrown to me by the initiative of my friends. A festivity especially for me, not as per the request of my parents, but out of the goodness and kindness of the bonds of camaraderie we share.

Today, I somewhat got that wish. Not just in a small trickle of goodness but a whole friggin’ wave of it crashed all over me. I was inundated with the compassion and kindness shown by these new friends. And the very circumstances surrounding this beautiful day accented it only further.

And boy, was it the best feeling ever. In fact, I literally feel as though I could die now and die a happy man. But heck, then I’d be unable to enjoy the awesome presents.

Oh, did I mention? The final DLC for Mass Effect 2 releases on the date my BIRTHDAY no less. Whee~~

Aptly named Arrival, and arriving hot on the heels of my birthday, that speaks volumes of awesome right there. Must be Bioware’s birthday gift to me. =D =D

Also, 8 am classes for Physics (the Kryptonite to my Superman) on Tuesday was postponed. Another gift to add to my litany of presents!

Speaking of presents, my best bud Bryan Kho has a gift up his sleeves and he's really keeping mum about it.

Wonder what he’s got planning for me this time. The only clue he left was this cryptic message:

“Starts with a ‘p’ and ends with a ‘s’. Start guessing.”

Pies? Playstation…..3s? And oh, I will literally keel him if it involves a phallic-shaped organ of the human anatomy.

Special ‘thanks’ also go out to this sohai here, Howard Chung. I’ve had plenty of unique and sometimes unorthodox birthday presents and wishes in the past, but what he’s given me definitely takes the cake.

FYI: Howard, NO. I don’t need a new birthday suit. Thank you very much.

Also, the chocolate mud cake that I think the entire ATUSA members got for Marie and I meant a lot. I believe it’s the first time my friends took the initiative to get a cake for me to mark this significant milestone.

While I absolutely loved the cake, I’m loving more of the thoughts that came with the gifting of the cake.

As if the day couldn’t have gotten any better, it pleasantly did.

Come dinner time and I was off to the nearby Secret Recipe to catch up with the rest of the MINDS members and committee. Feasting on meals fit for kings, exchanging witty and often times ridiculous banter, and just plain having a good time, it made me realize just how much I missed being in MINDS.

The presence of such awesome guys and girls truly made MINDS an incredible and integral part of my college life, despite the short-lived tenure of President in the club.

Still, I took home with me many wonderful revelations and epiphanies, courtesy of none other than the uber-hip and infallibly hilarious Aysha Khan.

Humpty Dumpty and the Wall Street Crash? A quest for Blue Cheese? The night doesn’t get any more epic than that.

The day was truly more than the sum of its parts. Frankly, I can’t quite recall a day like today whereupon I could just sit back and have everything work out the way I wanted it to. To put in short, I was beyond happiness at this point. A feeling that today was my day and nothing was ever going to go wrong at all.

All in all, a big hearty thank you goes out to all who have, in one way or another, made this already wonderful day, so much more special and endearing. Thanks to all who have proven to me that birthdays are truly indeed a day to call your own, and a day to be celebrated LIKE A BOSS.

It’s officially been 2 decades now that I’ve been brought into this world. And it’s been a long wait for the birthday gift that I’ve always wanted.

Today, on the Tuesday of the 29th of March, 2011, I’ve finally, finally gotten that gift of mine I’ve been forever wishing for. Mind you, it’s one I’m going to be cherishing for the rest of my life.

So, I thank you God for breathing life into me and this world and all that in between, and here’s looking forward to many more awesome birthday bashes to come!

Of Slow Internet Speeds and WAY Too Much Free Time

2011-03-02T00:44:00.001+08:00

Spring 2011. Irony doesn’t even begin to describe it.

For you see, just a year ago, at this very same period of time and age, I would already be buried neck-deep in unfinished assignments, tutorials, lab reports and unwritten essays. Basically, it was a semester filled with last-minute work, sleepless nights, fatigue and stress. I constantly bemoaned the fact that I didn’t have enough free time to just sit back and savor the journey that was college.

Now, I look at the current state of my life. The proverbial phrase of ‘be careful of what you wish for’ has proverbially bitten me in my proverbial ass.

Sure, the usual flood of assignments and tutorials from classes are still present. However, instead of the deluge of workload that inundated me back in the Spring of 2010, the flow has now trickled into the soft, flowing waters of a gentle river.

Taking only four classes this semester: Physics 2, Technical Writing, Literature and Legal Issues, out of which only 2 of them mandated the sitting for of examinations, I’m pretty much a free man. Yes, that’s right, key emphasis on the word ‘free’.

This has been my most carefree and laid-back semester yet! I guess I should be happy, right? But like most other normal human beings, I’ve decided to indulge a little in greed and officially declare myself discontented with the current state of my life so far.

Took me a while to realize this but, I . Am. Not. Satisfied. With. Life. So. Far.

To put my take of ‘free’ into perspective, allow me the use of some examples to better illustrate my point.

1. I’m finally getting to fulfilling several of my New Year’s Resolutions which is about GOSH DARN time. Wait a minute, I’m actually, finally getting around to fulfilling these pie-in-the-sky aspirations? HOLEE CRAP.

2. Gym workout sessions are now a daily routine to me on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. True to America’s Second Amendment, I’d want to exercise my rights to bare my muscular, well-toned and chiseled arms. Wishful thinking? I think not, seeing the amount of free time that I have.

3. While it’s been a creative brainchild floating around in my head for quite some time now, I’ve finally decided to actually take the effort to put onto paper this idea of mine. The initial results are looking promising. It’s been much too long since I last got involved in the creative writing process and boy, does it feel good to be back!

4. All these free time isn’t doing much good for my productivity either. Too much free time tends to dull the workaholic in me and transport several parts of me to the States already. With my university applications done and over with, the prospect of setting foot in the States becomes more and more vivid with each passing day. There I go, digressing again. In short, I just can’t be bothered much with my studies anymore.

5. Lastly, the bane of my very existence and also of Spring 2011.

“SHAH ALAM, WHY YOU NO AWESOME INTERNET CONNECTION?”

Analogically, like how water is the sustenance of life to a fish, so too is how the Internet is like to a gamer like me. Imagine the keyboard-bashing, laptop-smashing, Bieber-killing frustration that is the Internet speeds in Shah Alam and (I speak for all of us in this matter, I believe) in Malaysia.

Gwaahhhhhhh!!

So enlighten me, o deities of the Internet connections in Malaysia (read: TMNet and the IT staff of UiTM), how is a soldier supposed to pop off those headshots and draw a bead on a target if said target is moving erratically like a hamster on a friggin’ caffeine high? I’ve got my copy of Black Ops lying patiently in wait on my laptop to be played with! When is it going to be given the attention and love it DESERVES???

Moreover, how is a commander to lead his armies to intergalactic victory if I can’t even go online to log on to the virtual and digital battlefield of which said interstellar wars are being waged?

How? How? HOW?? And no, the very offer of cake alone will no longer be enough to appease me.

Thus, it comes as little surprise that life as a student in Shah Alam is actually, contrary to popular belief, hazardous to one’s health. Rather than spending my prodigious amounts of free time productively, behold the causal reasoning theory of mine that I’ve cooked up which I now present to you readers of my pitiful blog.

Nat’s Causal Order of Free Time and Inevitable Suicide.

Too much free time. And too little fun, enjoyable things to do.

will soon lead to:

Boredom. A copious amount of it.

An over-accumulation of boredom will soon spill out into what I call the Isaac Clarke Effect.

The onset of dementia and schizophrenia about dead, murderous ex-girlfriends.

Soon, these mental illnesses will reach a flashpoint and then:

The inevitable bouts of depression, delusions and suicidal feelings soon follow.

Then, game over, dude. Game Over.

Lol. Readers, please do not take anything I say here too seriously. I’m grumpy and looking for an outlet to just vent and rant my heart out. So why not an update to this blog ey? Doubt if anyone’s going to even care much for what I have to say anyways.

So yeah….

Fates and Destinies

2010-11-13T17:41:00.001+08:00

As a favorite TV character of mine once put; we are all brought here into this life for a reason. So he says; take a leap of faith and live life by that very reason.

Destiny, as John Locke would put it.

A chance meeting, a trivial coincidence, a role which we inevitably settle into in our lifetime, we would logically just brush off as just mere luck and coincidence.

Like say, this opportune encounter with a lost Stormtrooper wandering the streets of KL, making ends meet so as to one day traverse the dimensions and rejoin the Empire.

Or perhaps even this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to plop myself in its posh leather seats and get behind the wheel of an Audi R8?

Whether these events were already set in stone by the powers that be or just plain happenstances alone, there is however, one thing that I absolutely believe with my every single fiber of my being.

There comes a time when revelation just dawns itself upon you; a time when epiphany hits you so hard you shit yourself in your pants; a time when you are so sure that in a world of so many wrongs, doubts and insecurities, you are RIGHT about something.

Today, at approximately 1.50 pm local time, I knew that that time has come.

This. Is. My. Destiny.

There and Back Again

2010-10-22T00:16:00.001+08:00

I do believe that the lack of updates on this blog of mine can be rather frustrating to some of the readers who faithfully return to this blog, only to be disappointed to have the same wall of text and parables staring back at them.

Well, the only thing that I could say in defense to justify the lack of updates on this blog of mine is one that is synonymous with every college student, or human being, for that matter:

PROCRASTINATION!!

Here’s a smiley face to cheer you readers up:

Don’t be mad, and don’t lead a village mob on a witch hunt to my hostel doorsteps, please?

Well, the least I could do is provide you all with a short but sweet recap of college life so far, no?

As we usher in the Fall Semester of 2010, one cannot help but notice an omnipresent void that clings onto our day-to-day activities in Intec UiTM.;a feeling of emptiness that tugs at the back of one’s mind but never making itself known.

No doubt that rift left behind was by our beloved friends who’ve left us for the States to pursue their dreams.

In hindsight, it’s a funny thing to note that these individuals have carved out such a niche in each of our lives within such a short span of only a year.

To think that they leave behind a deeply-ingrained depression in our lives where their presence have taken root is testament to just how much of an impact they’ve left on us.

So, here’s wishing these wonderful guys and girls luck and that may fortune smile upon whatever sheenanigans they get up to in the States.

Now that the teary, somber, morbid and emo bit has been done and away with, what say we address the more entertaining facets of college life?

For starters, this Fall Semester saw me clothing myself in all manners of fashion and accessories (in an absolutely so-not-serious manner of making a bold fashion statement.)

The prevalent themes for each week did wonders in helping me decide what article of clothing to garb myself in.

1Malaysia Week:

Total Badass/Cool Week:

Sexual Ambiguity Week:

Military Week:

Also, Fall Semester saw me progress leaps and bounds in addressing my issue of addiction to video games!

By leaps and bounds, I meant that the progress was done in the reverse manner and not the forward manner that everyone is always referring to nowadays. Pshh, progressing forward in curbing your gaming addiction? Talk about being overrated…

To list several milestones in addressing said issue:

1. I’m currently on my 4th playthrough of Mass Effect 2. (Inter-stellar, inter-species romance with incredibly hot alien chicks that are WAY out of your league? Oh, and the occasional inter-galactic ass kicking. What’s there not to LIKE?)

2. Smashing a zombie’s brain in with a skillet for the umpteenth time never gets old. Especially if there’s four like-minded, questionably sane individuals running around the map bonking the living shit out of every zombie they see.

3. Also, we’ve finally managed to relive the glory days of Call of Duty 4. Although it doesn’t hold a candle to the heydays of Spring Semester, we make do by totally disregarding standard military protocols, and and just plain blow shit up with whatever ordnance our itchy trigger fingers can get their hands on.

Having friends who exude artistic flair in expressing their destructive creativity does wonders in mindlessly leveling building after building.

4. Finally, Starcraft II. The. Single. Biggest. Moment. In. Gaming. History. Ever

I must admit though, playing a strategy game is tough! And I hate playing games I’m not good in(yeah, my ego is THAT inflated). However, Starcraft II has given me reason enough to sit through moments after moments of getting my base orbitally nuked, ling rushed, zealot raped, thor gangbanged or whatever creative ways of ownage the Starcraft community can think of next.

5. The advent of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Fallout: New Vegas, and Dead Rising 2 is SO totally, going to multiply my addiction ten-folds. And that’s just the way I like it.

Oh, did I leave out the part of having to cram for my finals and exams? Hmm, guess I did, didn’t I? Goes to show just how much I prioritize my tasks in college.

Oh well, time to hit the books I guess! Till I master the art of pulling solutions to those parametrically defined surfaces and iterated integrals in Calculus out of my ass, I believe I have much to catch up on!

Till my next post, toodles!

Friggin' lag! Took 3 months to Respawn!

2010-09-07T11:52:00.009+08:00

As I type this post, I sit my tushies down on the familiar family couch that already has its cushions specifically molded to fit my butt.

Ah, home. Nothing beats the wonders of being able to drown yourself in the air of familiarity and the scent of fattening Kuching delicacies wafting through the air. Add to the fact that you have assistants (read: your parents) to tend to all the housework and chores, life is good.

Last I checked, the previous blog update was 3 months ago. So.......

~*awkward silence*~

...let us just put the past aside, and concentrate on the present ey? Hence, a quick recap of life (or the lack of it) for the past 3 months.

One of the biggest highlights was, of course, the new batch of ATU 18 students. Now, I don't mean to sound sadistic, but the stuff these juniors are capable of are just delightfully rib-tickling, laugh-out-loud material.

Sure, we seniors get our share of entertainment from their plight, but I just can't help giggling like a school girl at a Twilight premiere at some of the antics these juniors get up to.

Redefining the rules of grammar? Check.

Declaring your undying love for a particular senior? Check.

Scandalous gossips and rumors flying about? Check.

Giving Mr. Kamal a run for his sanity? Check and check.

Still, while we said hello to new faces, who could forget the moments we bid goodbye to familiar ones?

And so, we stand helplessly by at the airport terminal, wishing some of our dearest friends a tear-streaked goodbye as they depart the terminals to meet destiny in the States.

......and the part about tear-streaked goodbyes was total bs, if you readers knew by now.

Moving on, a short peek at the more academical facet of college life:

Like a hazy, surreal dream, I still can't quite believe I'm already starting my first year of degree at wonderful INTEC UiTM!

As to be expected, subjects became tougher and the workload started piling up. Add to the fact that I was stuck in the one and ONLY class taking Calculus 3 AND an extra subject, we're a pretty disgruntled lot of students.

Nonetheless, that didn't hamper much of my time spent productively (or unproductively) cooped up in my room gaming the hours away. XD XD

Oh, did I mention?

STARCRAFT 2!!!

Also, a big shout-out to my saviour, roommate, possible romantic option Darren Ng for showing me the ropes in Starcraft. Thank God for some of your strategies! I think I'd still be marching them Marines right into orbital nuclear strikes if it wasn't for you. XD XD

I guess this about concludes the post for now. Till then, expect more sporadically updated posts to be uploaded on this poor blog of mine. XD XD

Hitherto, I march off to heed the calls of reinforcements for some poor newbs online!

See ya~~

Status Report

2010-06-08T18:13:00.002+08:00

So, how has life been for me so far, you ask?

Well, college is one heck of a tumultuous roller-coaster ride of ups and downs I guess, and that I can attest to.

So, since my last blog post, life's been somewhat calm and quaint (don't think it'll last long tho), like the placid waters of a lake left undisturbed.

Since then, I've not managed to get either the President or the Vice President's post of ATUSA. But that's okay, I wasn't expecting I could get it in the first place.

So, yeah, no worries about me slitting my wrists any time soon.

Apart from that, I've also had my fair share of an exodus in one form or another. My roomies and I have finally moved from our lodgings in Cendana to the hustle and bustle of Cemara.

Despite a few setbacks at first (having to move a shit-load of crap to the topmost floor and no running water), Cemara is finally starting to offer us the comforts and luxuries otherwise unavailable back in Cendana.

Finally, we are now surrounded by civilization and did I mention, CHEAP, MOUTH-WATERING, DELICIOUS food?

Oh. HELL. YEAH.

Even despite the rooms not being as pretty as those back in Cendana (our new dorms are better-furnished tho), the frequent bus services to Intec, improved locality and cheap food here in Cemara kinda quelled our anxieties over moving here in the first place.

Right now, I'm starting to think that life here in Shah Alam is finally looking up at last.

So yeah, that concludes this mini-update of mine. Only 3 more weeks before I get back to Kuching to wreak some much needed havoc with my my equally-retarded friends.

XD XD

Till then, cheerio~

Nathaniel Sia For President!

2010-05-23T18:51:00.018+08:00

NATHANIEL SIA FOR ATUSA PRESIDENT~~~~~~

It’s that time of the year again! The ATUSA 2010 HiCom Summer Elections!

So, here I am to ask something from you, students of the American Program!

As we all know, our wonderful seniors are leaving Intec for the States to continue their further studies.

I feel really grateful to my seniors for making my life here in Intec, especially in the American Program, such a wonderful, unforgettable and awesome experience. I will miss these very same seniors when they step on that plane to America.

And not only that, when they do leave, there will no longer be anyone left to head the American student council, ATUSA.

So;

I, Nathaniel Sia Shan, will be running for the post of President of ATUSA and I need YOUR help.

How can you help, exactly? Well, do come on down to:

The Old Library Hall

26th May 2009, 2.00pm

and cast your votes for me, Nathaniel Sia as the next President of ATUSA!

I know you are all probably asking, "Why should I vote for him?", "What can he do for us that I can't?", "How is he any better than the other candidates out there?"

Well, here's all that I can say;

Why Vote For Me?

I believe that I have the drive, the capability and the experience of a leader to be able to efficiently guide and lead ATUSA as well as the American Program.

And these experiences of being a leader and taking charge I have acquired from being:

1. The High Commission Committee of SMK Batu Lintang’ Prefects’ Board (2007-2008)

2. The Vice President of SMK Batu Lintang’s Science Club (2007)

3. The President of SMK Batu Lintang’s Science Club (2008)

- Which, during that year, secured a spot in the prestigious Intel Science and Exhibition Fair held in Reno, Nevada, USA on May 2009.

4. The current President of the Intec Debating Society (MINDS) (2009-current)

5. The project manager of many events and functions in high school

To put simply, I believe that I am more than ready and capable of handling the burden and shouldering the responsibilities that accompany being the President of ATUSA.

With past experiences of leading a team, coordinating events and making important decisions, I believe that I am an ideal candidate for this post.

Furthermore;

Should I be elected as President, I promise that I will try to fulfill the President’s duties
to the best of my abilities
. This includes coordinating and organizing all the events and programs related to our American Program, staying connected with the HEP Office as well as the other on-campus student councils.

Moreover, during my term as President, I promise that I will also seek to improve the ways in which ATUSA can better provide for the welfare of the American students. And this is where you, the ADFP/ACTP students play a vital role. I need YOUR suggestions and ideas to help make the program a better (or more tolerable) experience for you and I.

Having some problem with the bus schedules? No problem, we can start a petition and lodge a formal complaint to the Transport Department. Sick of the queues at the cafe? Why not petition to call for a change in their cafe system?

Mind you, these are just some of the agendas I am keeping in view but with enough support from YOU all, these suggestions can, and will come true.

Thus, elect me as President and you can finally get the chance to play a part in making these changes.

Lastly;

We pride ourselves on being a unique program unlike any other here in Intec. We enjoy setting ourselves apart from the other programs. We enjoy the craziness and wackiness that the American Program can be at times.

We enjoy being special.

With that in mind, I dare to dream and go beyond my limits to make the American Program just as interesting, if not a more awesome program for us and our juniors.

I wish to preserve the individuality and the uniqueness of the American Program that sets us apart from the other programs. And I sincerely wish to carry on the spirit of the American Program, just like what the seniors before us have done.

I'm sure the seniors would very much like to leave Intec, ATUSA and the American Program in good hands. And I can think of no better reason to be President than to carry on their legacy and repay the kindness that they have shown to us in the little time that we had with each other.

If you see eye to eye with my plans for President and think that I am suitable enough a candidate to be the President of ATUSA, then please;

VOTE FOR NATHANIEL SIA.....

...........GO BEYOND FRONTIERS

No Pain, No Gain..

2010-05-02T11:12:00.017+08:00

Spring Semester....

So much to say, so much to do, so where do I start?

Well, I would think that the cliche title did a good job in summarizing Spring Sem. The whole 4-month long semester was a whirlwind of assignments, sleepless nights and gratuitous awesomeness.

To go into further detail regarding Spring Semester, I can safely say that it basically entails all the usual academic fare one would come to expect of in college.

You have your usual lectures in the lecture theaters...

....near-fatal lab sessions in the chemistry lab...

...and amusing presentations for our Speech Communication classes.

Hobart ties the knot with a tie (pun intended)

Not forgetting those countless books that one needs to pore through for one's assignments and exams....

....and of course, the mental exhaustion and fatigue that soon follows from pulling all-nighters.

However, don't let the pictures fool you into thinking that college life revolves around a mundane and repetitive timetable (although it sometimes does) when it is in fact, quite the opposite!

For starters, college, especially Spring Sem, was packed with uber awesome, orgasmic food-fests! (P.S: The food in Shah Alam didn't help matters much)

Pictures above do not accurately depict Shah Alam's wonderful delicacies

Pictures above are courtesy of those ivy-league-universities-bound students who so generously chia us intellectually-inferior mortals to all these fine foods.

Kudos to this particular guy and others (but particularly this guy) who's bounded for friggin' Yale for the free food:

Hobart the Great~~~

Furthermore, as the old saying goes, the more the merrier no? This was definitely the case with my nights out to town.

Seriously, you guys rocked my socks off and made life here in Intec so much bearable on a day-to-day basis.

Whoever said that JPA scholars were incapable of partying hard, you people are sorely mistaken. Hur hur.

Just ask the nearby clubs of the Intec college kids and the crazy antics they get up to.

With all the rambunctiously good times in Intec aside, I have to admit that there was more to Spring Sem than just endless waves of unfinished assignments and exams.

Spring Semester was, for lack of better words, a journey of self-discovery and personal growth for me. As cliche as it might sound, I somewhat discovered traits I never knew I possessed amidst the chaos of Spring Sem.

Despite all the lack of free time to finish up assignments, I still found myself participating and trying out new things that I never thought I could do.

For instance, who knew I'd ended up in a leadership camp ala National Service style.

Safe to say, my inner Macguyver was unleashed and we macguyver-ed up a friggin' raft to escape from prison in style (which was so totally cooler than that of in Prison Break)

I also found myself singing and dancing to the tunes of Iyaz and N'sync in our very own talent show (in a so totally not William Hung way).

Producing and choreographing a Peter Pan performance for the class parades during the American Indulgence Fiesta .

Directing (in a so totally James Cameron way) a video-shoot for our engineering class.

Kicking zombie ass and taking names during Halloween Night (Bill from L4D would be so proud of me, god rest his poor soul).

The wonderful costumes worn by the others also made the night a memorable experience.

And who could forget literally grabbing life by the balls during Dodgeball. Balls were grabbed and balls were hurled. Also;

Balls. Were. Bruised. XD

Other highlights of my sheer awesomeness which manifested itself in Spring Sem were pretty self-explanatory:

I hereby endorse the prison system we practice here in Malaysia~~

Alleycats is all the rage here....

Speaking of cats....

College, like that of ritzy Hollywood, also had its fair shares of scandals, controversies and scandals.

Hur hur...

HUR HUR HUR.....

And I am proud to declare that, after 4 months of drifting between heaven and hell; which are two sides of the same coin to this semester, I have survived the ordeal that is Spring Semester!

Defibrillating~

2010-04-24T20:47:00.002+08:00

I have not been updating my blog for what seems like ages now, huh? It's been 4 months now, hasn't it?

(In all due fairness, status updates on Facebook is sooo much easier~~~)

Promised content were never updated or uploaded, all thanks to a little something I would like to call:

"College"

But since everyone's using the very same excuse to explain their lack of updates on the blog, I'll use another:

"American Program Spring Semester 2010"

It was seriously the Busiest. Freaking. Time. Of. My. Entire. Life.

And yet, I do not find myself regretting those times in Spring Semester. To find out more about my thoughts on Spring Semester, keep following this blog, yea?

I Should Be Sued

2009-12-24T14:41:00.005+08:00

I should be sued for multiple counts of:

1. Laziness and Procrastination.

What kind of blogger promises updates when he is MOST FREE during the LEAST BUSIEST time of the year and yet never delivers them?

What kind of blogger gives his faithful readers false hope only to have those hopes crushed when the readers least expect it?

Oh my, I believe I should be the witch of an angry village mob's witch hunt to be burned at the stake for my heinous deeds.

2. Child abuse

Contrary to popular beliefs, I do indeed, treat this blog of mine as I would my child. The only problem is, if this blog is indeed my child, my child would have already been carted away by Child Services on account of my ignoring his basic civil rights.

With the metaphorical expressions aside, I've been neglecting this blog for WAYY too long, long enough to brand me a child/blog abuser.

AND..........

3. Plagiarism

As keen eyes might notice, this little section here is a passage stolen completely from Bryan K's latest blog post and used WITHOUT his permission. *Evil laughs*

This BLOG is not DEAD yet.

Sorry about the slow posts lately. Want to use time in KUCHING to the utmost fullest, or rather I've been busy with gaming/lepaking lately.

I reassure you I will continue updating as soon as patience and ideas come. Well, that’s all for now, I’ll just leave a little something to tell you gu

ys what I was and will be SO busy about =)

Epic Awesomeness to the EXTREME!!! Worth every single penny of its RM 200 price tag

Tougher foes + plentiful more infected + bigger guns = BETTER zombie apocalypse

Oh yeah, not forgetting the myriads of movies I've watched as well. So far, James Cameron's Avatar clearly outshone the rest and I'd give anything to go watch it over and over again.

So awesome is this movie, that it deserves a brand new adjective to describe it: "Avatar-gasm" or "Arrr-gasm"

Good Times. Greater Times.

2009-11-11T23:11:00.007+08:00

I'm finally back here, slouching off in the humble abode of my domicile, in Kuching. What better way to spend the free time I have now if not a long-overdue update on this pitiful blog of mine.

Well, here goes...

~*~

It's been a great run, y'all.

4 months at Intec and it was already the end of the Fall semester.

~Time flies but where does it go?~

Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my great friends and lecturers who have made life in Intec here so much more bearable on a daily basis.

Lord knows if it wasn't for you guys and gals out there, I doubt Intec would be like what it is today.

Taking a trip down memory lane, I found that I've really been up to a lot of things here in college.

And I think it's only right I share them all with my readers out there..

To begin, I finally visited the National Zoo.

"les' tre maximus glutinus": mammals that fall under the 'frat boy' kingdom

A place that defined my childhood dreams; a place I forgotten 10 years ago; a place I left behind with my passing into adulthood. It was good to be back (although William's constant oogling at the animals' superior reproductive organs did ruin the magical moment somewhat)

Another trip worth mentioning was my little day out to Ampang to feast on what is perhaps the most scrumptious and orgasmic delicacies that West Malaysia has to offer:

Ampang Chicken Rice........

.....and Ampang Yong Tou Foo

So, what was my verdict on these two dishes?

Both dishes were mouthfuls after mouthfuls of pure awesome, endless tastebuds orgasms, and quite frankly, the best I've eaten in my whole entire LIFE! Seriously.

Even Singaporeans (yes, the mighty Singaporeans) flock down to Ampang to sample these two god-sent dishes from heaven. If that isn't telling you all of how delicious those two dishes are, you seriously need to come down to Ampang to taste these dishes firsthand!

Kudos to Chi Liang and his family for letting me stay over and sample such awesome delicacies!

However, Ampang dishes were just some of the many other Peninsula delicacies that my tastebuds had the privilege to savour.

Orgasmic, I tell ya! Thanks to Mr. Kamal for inviting us over for his Hari Raya celebrations!

With my food escapades aside, college also saw witness to many personal milestones that marked my never-ending intellectual pursuits.

Being the only winner in 2 categories in the Language Awareness Night was also a first for me; safe to say, it was an achievement that I was real proud of. The fact that I managed to beat a handful of talented individuals from all over Malaysia vying for the same prize made this victory all the more sweet.

Of course, the one event that really trumped all others in college was the DigiMusic All-American Rejects Concert FTW!

Being a first-timer to a concert of any sorts, I was a total newb/noob at concert-going. Thank goodness my friends were there to help me survive the mosh-pit.

Arriving late for the concert, rowdy crowds and standing in line for an agonizing 2 hours do not make for a memorable experience.

However, when the All American Rejects graced the stage, it made the whole entire night all that worth the free ticket and 6 hours of non-stop standing.

Sorry for the pic quality. I was standing rather far from the stage.

Performing hits after hits from their albums past and present, the atmosphere was electric, crowds screamed out their approval and everyone was having a hella' good time with their songs.

Even I found myself out of breath and out of voice after the night was done and through. Note to self: Don't ever, EVER sing along with the crowd for 2 friggin' hours straight.

Screw that. I'm a slow learner~~~

Best part of the concert was, we got stranded in KL Central after the concert. With no where else to go, we toughed it out like real MEN and crashed for the night in McDonalds where the smell of Big Macs and Apple Pies flitted in and out of my dreams.

Truth be told, I felt so college-like, pulling off crazy stunts like that.

...............

...........

With all those happenings and life-changing experiences, I almost forgot to include in the most important moments that highlighted my stay in college!

One could call it my retard moments(read: camwhore instincts kicking in). Hence, the face.

Hmm....

Looking back, why was I even there at Intec? Seemed to me that college was only reducing what little amount of functioning brain cells I had left.

Lulz. I'll apologise later, Diane and Lyanna~~

At least I'm not alone.

No Place Like Home

2009-11-05T23:10:00.002+08:00

Well, there's not much to say.

I'M BACK!!!!

Back in Kuching, that is. Wow, I didn't realize just how much I missed home until I actually set foot in the airport.

It's good to be back.

Warm showers, comfortable beds, free laundry service, home-cooked meals, authentic Kuching hawker fare......

Sigh, nothing beats good ol' Kuching

So, guys and girls, if you're looking for a fun night in town, call me alright?? My cell no. is still the same.

I still haven't eaten kolo mee and laksa yet! First one to chia me eat gets a free cookie!!

All-American. Rejects. EPIC WIN

2009-10-31T14:08:00.003+08:00

I am very sure that everyone's well acquainted with who the All American Rejects are, right?

We know that they're a great band that produces great music that fans would love nothing more than to dance and sing along to.

With their unique twist on the alternative rock/ power pop genre of music, it's little surprise that they've managed to build such a strong fan base.

Spawning hit singles like Dirty Little Secret, Move Along, Gives You Hell to name a few, the All American Rejects are a joy to listen to.

However, what has that got to do with me?

Well, today is a very special day for me and a few others here in Cendana. Why, you ask?

Need I say more?

*Fangirl squeals*

Dead To The World....

2009-10-28T00:36:00.004+08:00

Seriously, I really need to start updating my blog again. College life has really kept me occupied.

Even without assignments to turn in on time and tests to cram for, I find it hard to update.......

.......................

................

No thanks to those cherubic pleas of my roommates that go:

"Please Nat, please kick our asses in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare PLEASE! We would love for you to pwn our butts in Cod4~~~"

...................

............

......

How can I refuse right?

Childhood Education (Campaign Project)

2009-10-10T23:15:00.003+08:00

DISCLAIMER: The following blog post is merely intended as a credit fulfillment of our campaign project for our Oral Communications subject in Intec UiTM.

Therefore, this post will implement in no way the proposed solutions, nor should it be viewed upon as a medium to participate in the worldwide efforts to alleviate poverty and improve upon childhood education.

Again, this is simply as credit fulfillment for our Oral Communication subject but that does not lessen the gravity of the lack of childhood education in developing countries nor does it change the writers' sympathetic disposition towards this issue.

CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Education is a basic human right that all people, regardless of age, ethnicities or race, should deserve to have.

This right has been set in stone since 1948 in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Moreover, on an international basis, the United Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 guarantees this right under its Article 13.

In particular, children are entitled to this right as education not only provides a brighter future for them but also shapes them to be future leaders of the world.

However, this is not the case in many parts of the world. According to figures obtained by UNESCO in 2005-2006:

75 MILLION children are not in school even when they ought to be
90 MILLION MORE do not even have basic access to education in the places they reside

Therefore, it can be clearly seen that something must be done about these numbers to allow children access to the education that they are so rightly entitled to.

Why?

Well, did you know that:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child states that 'education' is a RIGHT for a child?
Nearly A BILLION PEOPLE entered the 21st century UNABLE TO READ A BOOK or SIGN THEIR NAMES as they were deprived of education as a child?
In the United States alone, 50% OF THE UNEMPLOYED between the ages 16 to 21 cannot read well enough TO BE CONSIDERED FUNCTIONALLY LITERATE thanks to their deprivation of education as a child?
A SINGLE YEAR OF PRIMARY SCHOOL can increase the wages people earn later in life by 5-15% for boys and girls?
A child born to a literate mother is 50% MORE LIKELY to survive past the age of 5 years old?
SEVEN MILLION cases of HIV/AIDS can be PREVENTED in the next decade if every child in the world received education?
Education is the MOST EFFECTIVE steps to ERADICATE POVERTY?

Hence, it is of vital importance that education be made available to all children for the mutual benefit of both the children and the communities that they reside in.

This would mean:

Improvements in the standards of living, both socially and economically
A longer life expectancy for the children
The eradication of poverty in afflicted countries
Overall improvements in the quality of life in developing countries.

As we are only college-level students, there is not much that we can do to aid these afore-mentioned children. Even the best that we can do is to just raise awareness concerning this issue of child education and propose ways as well as suggestions for the general public to pitch in and help alleviate these children's plight.

Amongst the ways that we can help are:

Helping to raise awareness concerning this issue in order to grab the attention of a much larger audience
Charitable donations to well-established organizations that advocate this cause such as EFA (Education For All) and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development)
Carry out activities during the World Day (charity sales, concerts) with the proceeds going to the World Education Funds.
Asking for donations from the general public in the form of old books, stationery, etc.
Asking the general public to sign a memorandum and send it to the UN as a sign of Malaysians' undying support of free and compulsory education to push the UN into taking actions.
Encouraging more people to join a special group of dedicated supporters (World Education's Global Support Network) who invest monthly in the education of the underprivileged.

It is only right that we, the more fortunate, help and provide aid to these underprivileged children.

Hope. Educate. Love. Protect

The Idiot's Guide to Surviving College Life

2009-08-24T14:03:00.010+08:00

Well, with the holidays finally here, coupled with the fact that I and a few others are left 4 dead here in Kolej Cendana to face off the unrelenting hordes of zombehs trying to chew our brains out, I finally have the TIME to BLOG!

Oh, joy is me! =D

Finally, a time to schedule meaningful and not-so-random blog posts for my readers to read and enjoy!

Well, I think that this post would detail the particulars of what most of the readers here are anxiously waiting for: ~~Nat's evil plan to dominate and rule the wor~~ I mean, his getting through life in college.

For starters, I think it's best to acquaint my readers to the place which I call home for the following year or so.

So, this is Cendana College. An all-boys only college dormitories. Yeah, only god knows how I'm going to get through the year without turning gay.

Anyhoo, the college is located in Section 6 of Shah Alam and it has quite a decent locality (as in, not being in the middle of a jungle or anything, durh)

There are convenience stores nearby, a laundromat and varied enough a place to get food (so that you don't eat the same damn thing day after day).

Further down the main street of Section 6 will be an 4-way junction. Here you can find a Petronas, a 7-Eleven and the rows of convenience shop on each quadrant of the junction.

Things here are a wee bit expensive. But the Big Gulps are so totally worth it...

Ah, the row of shops which houses the convenience stores, the laundromat and the ever-infamous Dawood

A place to withdraw cash. 'Nuff said

At said junction, if you take a left down to where 7-Eleven is and walk further behind it, you will soon come to a row of mamak stalls* (or Mak Indon/RM 3.50/RM2.70 stores as we call it)

Not too hygienic, but at least they cook hot food...

They normally serve nasi campur or prepare hot cooked foods depending on the time of the day. Usually it's nasi campur during lunch and hot cooked meals during dinner.

The first night I ate here, I was puking my stomach all over the place in 5 mins. Don't get me wrong though, I couldn't stomach the masak merah and kangkong belacan.

XD XD

*But during Ramadhan (fasting month) they only open for dinner, so we poor students of Cendana can only resort to Maggi mee or the nearby (as in, 15 mins walk away) KFC and McDonalds for lunch.

Oh yeah, there's usually a pasar malam held at the local marketplace on Tuesdays and Fridays. But to call it a pasar malam is an overstatement. It opens at 5 and closes by 8. Some pasar MALAM, aye?

However, it's usually a god-sent salvation for us college kids. There's a lot of things to see, eat and buy at the pasar malam.

There's fried mee hoon, murtabak, nasi percik, lok-lok, kuih, kebabs, sandwiches, satays, you name it!

(And of course the ape cum stall as William so aptly describes it. Don't think dirty la. It's the stall selling those syrup drinks nia)

Okay, so that's enough about the locality of the place. Let's delve into the survival skills I employ to get me through a day in college alive, shall we?

Morning

So, my day usually begins at 6-6.30 in the every morning. (classes start at 8 am everyday, unlike some others...) While my fogged-up brain tries to orient itself to the waking world, I drag my sorry derriere out of bed.

While the rest of my roommates are rushing for the use of the bathrooms, I sit back and slowly enjoy my breakfast.

I usually get business done in the toilet beforehand and when I exit, everyone's already done with the bathroom so I take my time to bathe.

By the time I get down to the road outside to join in the queue for the buses, it's already 7.20 am. So I take my time to get onto the bus and doze off during the 15 minutes journey it takes to get from Cendana, Section 6 to the Intec campus at Section 17.

Since I'm the class representative (read: scape goat) of Boston, I head on down to the Office of Student Services and Placement (OSSP) to collect the attendance book before making my way up to class.

Boston-ians. "You can't touch this"

Once in class, I set my mind to auto-pilot, pay attention to lecturers*, take down notes and basically just cruise through lessons, eagerly awaiting lunch-time.

*Lecturers in the American Program are well, let's say, out-of-the-ordinary. Keep an open mind, and I mean a really open mind, and one will find that the American Program is one heck of a crazy place.

Afternoon

At lunch, I have the choice of heading off to one of three cafeterias dotting the campus:

1.AUSMAT cafe (which serves expensive, average tasting nasi campur but the cafe's air-conditioned)

2. A-Levels cafe (which has tons of people queuing up for the fantastic and reasonable nasi campur but the place's HOT HOT HOT)

3. ADFP/ACTP cafe (which is newly opened and serving only a small variety of nasi campur. At least the price is reasonable and it is so much closer to our classrooms)

I usually boycott the AUSMAT cafe.

Don't know why. Don't ask. =P

So, I usually have lunch at the remaining two cafes on alternative days. But then, they still serve practically the same thing at differing prices.

If I don't have classes in the afternoon or am not required to sit for the god-forsaken, 4-hour long SAT exams, I would usually go to the library to look up information for my assignments, make use of the uber awesome Wi-fi there and develop frostbite later on.

I would take the next bus out of Intec to go back to either Cemara/Akasia colleges -for grocery shopping and the occasional ogling at girls- or Cendana for a well-deserved afternoon nap*.

*One can only resort to this recreational activity if one is sure there are no assignments to be completed. Or else, you're screwed.

Evening

After a good game of basketball, it's already dinner time! I would almost always head on down to Mak Indon for the nasi campur or Dawood (nasi pattaya and the teh tarik are a must try!) if I craved for some freshly-cooked food.

If it's Tuesday or Fridays, I would head on down to the pasar malam for nasi percik, satay and of course, the uber-delicious ape cum!!

Oh yeah, there's also a food van that opens daily from 6 pm to 9 pm serving dinner. Usually for those who are too lazy to walk out to get their dinner. Prices there are reasonable, I guess.

After stuffing my face full with dinner, I head back to my dorms and in the time before I prepare for bed-time, I spend it completing assignments or having late-night gaming sprees with William and the rest.

If I'm not gaming, you would see me busy doing laundry. It's during laundry that I decide to revert back to the olden ways.

Washing machines?

Hell naw........

Laundry services?

Puh-lease.....

Nothing beats the wonders of hand-washed laundry!

After getting down and dirty with the clothes, I finally take an evening bath and retire to bed. Only to face the same routine all over again tomorrow.

Sigh....

Weekends

I believe the chronicling of the sheenanigans I get up to on the weekends deserves another blog post on its own, no?

Till then, expect more updates soon.

Relief and a Respite

2009-08-22T16:38:00.002+08:00

Holidays are here at last. Finally!

Nat is happy, in nirvana even. No more classes. No more going to campus. No more stress.

I hope.

Anyways, time to give this baby blog of mine a little attention. Don't wanna be getting my ass sued for child neglect and abuse.

Got back from Ampang just now. Touched by Chi Liang's family's hospitality when it comes to treating their guest. Sob sob

Ampang chicken rice. Ampang Yong tou foo. Delicious. Tastebuds agree that it's a god-sent miracle from heaven.

Damn, I'm being random. Must be playing Prototype soon. To keep my sanity in check.

Awesome holidays are awesome......

=D

Dissecting the Manifesto!

2009-08-13T23:42:00.005+08:00

As promised, here is a more in-depth look at the direction that my campaign is heading. First off, let's start off with the motto that I have so painstakingly thought of to base my campaign on.

"No. 1 in Academics, Discipline, Fun and Play-time"

Those with observant minds will immediately notice that the motto is another take on the ADFP acronym which my seniors playfully dub "All Day Fun and Play". As much as I would like to agree with them, college life doesn't quite work that way anymore.

So, instead of branding ourselves as an "All play and no work" kind of students, I've opted for a more accurate portrayal of the American Program students. After giving it much thought, I finally settled for this motto.

Basically what it means is that we American Program students can study our butts off when need be through sheer willpower and DISCIPLINE, but at the end of the day when work is done and finished with, we show the students of other programs how we PARTY and PLAY like a pro.

To put simply, why must studying be a dull and boring process? Whoever said that we can't have fun while we pore through our books? And that is basically what I intend to do if elected as Vice President of ATUSA.

I wish for people to think of a conducive environment which strikes a balance between both play and work. Sure, I think most seniors can attest to the fact that we have more than enough work than play in the American Program, so why not we inject a little bit more fun while we're here in Intec, right?

Remember the redundant and cliche idiom? "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Yeah, you get the general idea.

Events I plan for ATUSA to carry out:

Ah, before I begin, I would like to thank all those who have implicitly or explicitly commented on the flaws of my manifesto as well as those who have forwarded suggestions for my consideration.

Public input is really vital to helping me pinpoint the areas of which students -both seniors and juniors- think could still have room for improvement. Furthermore, I now have a better idea on the types of activities students would like to see ATUSA carry out.

So, thank you all for your suggestions, criticism and comments. They really mean a lot to me.

Academic Activities

From most suggestions, it seems as though most academic activities I have in mind are somewhat redundant. Most of them seem to already be implemented in the American Program on way or another. Anyway, as promised, a brief overview on the events I plan for ATUSA to carry out.

1. Field trips to the US embassy
Having heard from a lecturer that field trips to the embassy is somewhat unlikely as there are strict rules and regulations imposed, I have instead thought of an alternative. If a field trip to the embassy is impossible, perhaps a field trip to another place of interest might be appropriate and do-able.

2. Cultural Learnings of all things America
Thankfully, the seniors have pointed out to me that these lessons are somewhat redundant as American Cultural Lessons are already implemented in the American Program. Therefore, rather than focusing my effort into organizing such lessons, I figured my time and effort would be better off hosting other activities and events. Kudos to the seniors for pointing this out to me!

3. American Classroom Ethics Lesson
Again, same as activity number 2 above. Nuff' said.

4. Better Facilitation/Announcement of University Talks
I think that ATUSA can better provide for the students in regards of such talks. I was thinking of perhaps devising a better way to inform students of the American Program of such talks.

According to several students, they find it rather troublesome that they were only informed of such talks at the last minute. Even then, they were not sure of the details of the talks. Therefore, perhaps a better way to pass the information around could be devised.

Recreational Activities

1. More activities during American Indulgence Week
Just to clarify things, I am still planning on keeping tradition alive with American Indulgence Week. Staple activities such as parades, Halloween Night, dodgeball and Luau Parties are still going to be part of American Indulgence Week.

However, what I do intend to change is to add more fun activities into the mix, if budget and time limitations allow. Still, I will try to push for ATUSA to have more activities during Indulgence Week.

2. Spring Break!
Yes, we all know that it means holidays to us American Program kids. But to look at it in a broader perspective, Spring Break is actually an annual festivity that is synonymous with all American college kids. In short, Spring Break involves sand, sea, surf and a lot of suntan lotion.

I intend for ATUSA to organize an outing to the beach where the students can just sit back, chill out and have fun in particular in conjunction with our Spring Semester Break.

3. Wacky American Gameshows
I bet we are all familiar with all those crazy reality game shows that the Americans are capable of cooking up. Some may wish for more of these to be organized by ATUSA so that they may be able to take part and a few others may just wish for the American Program to break with conventions and organize other new gameshow-type events instead.

In the previous years, it was America's Got Talent. Perhaps, this year we could organize something else instead like Wheel of Fortune, The Amazing Race, Smarter than a Fifth Grader, just to name a few.

4. Competitive video games tournaments
We (guys in particular) know what this activity should be all about. DOTA and Counter-Strike and all those other video games in the USA that is being played profesionally which pits players against players in the ultimate quest to crown a champion in their respective games.

I realize the very high possibility that the HEP may not approve of this activity being carried out by ATUSA. Nonetheless, I will try my best to push for this activity to be given the green light. After all, one cannot deny that video games are the very thing that's been keeping us sane throughout college life, no?

5. Keeping Old Traditions Alive
As it name implies, that's what I exactly plan to do should I be elected as Vice President of ATUSA. Activities that students are fond of or have been implemented in the American Program for quite some time shall be carried out as usual but with better management and implementation.

I end this in-depth review of my manifesto here. (I'm sure some are already bleeding out of their eyes after reading walls after walls of text)

So, should you find me worthy of your votes, please, do vote for Nathaniel Sia.

Vote for Nathaniel Sia! Vote for a better ATUSA!

Elections will be held at:
Cemara Hall
8.30 pm to 10.3o pm
17th August 2009 (Monday)

*Buses will depart from Cendana to Cemara at 8.00 pm

Nathaniel for Vice President!!

2009-08-10T19:32:00.008+08:00

No. 1 in Academics, Discipline, Fun and Playtime!

At ADFP/ACTP, we’re no. 1 in Academics, Discipline, Fun and Play-time!

As of such, ATUSA (American Top Universities Student Association) is in need of a new Vice President to see this vision through.

Do you:

Wish for the American Degree Foundation Program (ADFP) or the American Credit Transfer Program (ACTP) to yield more academic benefits?

Wish for a little bit more zing in your time here in Intec?

Think that you are learning all but the things that you so desperately need to help you prepare for life in the States?

Wish to further indulge in the culture of all things American?

No problem!

Should you be one of the many who share this view, then you’re in luck! Cuz’ good, ol’ Nathaniel is here for you! Let me first get it straight with you; I’m no miracle worker. However, what I do lack in the ability to make miracles happen, I can make up for by making your voices heard in ATUSA!

So, whatever your demands or suggestions might be so that ATUSA can better provide for its students, feel free to lay it down on the table as I will always try to lend a listening ear before forwarding them to ATUSA for consideration. That is, provided I get elected as Vice President for ATUSA, of course.

With the welfare of the students in mind, here are some of the activities I already have playing around in my head.

Academic Activities:

1. A field-trip to the US embassy

2. Cultural Learnings of all things America

3. American Classroom Ethics Lessons

4. Better facilitation/announcement of university talks by American universities for ADFP/ACTP students

Recreational Activities:

1. Myriads more of activities during American Indulgence Week

2. Spring Break! (outing to a beach resort during Spring Semester Break)

3. Wacky American game shows (Wheel of Fortune, Smarter than a Fifth Grader, Etc etc...)

4. Competitive video gaming tournaments (Counter-Strike, D.O.T.A, etc etc....)

5. Keeping old traditions alive like America’s Got Talent, American Indulgence Week, ADFP speech night and more!

None of these activities interest you? Not too big a fan of some of these suggestions? Or perhaps your idea of fun is not stated here on the list?

Fear not, for I am more than willing to entertain almost any and every suggestion you may have. However, I cannot assure you that all these proposed activities will come to fruition. As of now, they are merely suggestions.

So, if you dream for new life to be breathed into the American program, something to spice up the time you have here in Intec, or simply to just make college life all the more bearable on a daily basis, look no further!

I can assure you that I am the man for the job to shape and mould the American program into a model of perfection that other programs will envy (or admire with awe).

Please, do come down to Cemara Hall on the 17th of August, 8.00 pm to cast your ballots!

Buses from Cendana departs at 8.00 pm.

Vote for Nathaniel Sia as Vice President!

Vote for a better ATUSA!

Misery Loves Company

2009-08-03T21:28:00.003+08:00

So picture this scenario: what once used to be an empty and rather lifeless common room in my apartment unit is now a battlefield of some sort.

Gunfire can be heard ringing out loud and clear amidst the frenzied shouting of orders and commands. Throw in a generous helping of profanities spewed forth by none other than our resident William Chai and yeah, you get the picture......

Coupled with the fact that he had recently brought his laptop all the way to Shah Alam with Counter Strike: Source already booted up and running, and you have a recipe for disaster. The fact that another roommate of mine, Kevin had recently acquired his new laptop is not helping matters much.

Caught in the crossfire of their wrath whilst they frag Counter Strike bots to kingdom come is none other than poor old me.

Every night while I lay in bed, the sounds of their ensuing firefights as well as their mandatory battle cries and jubilant victory chants drift over into the sanctity of the bedroom, disrupting what could be a good night's sleep.

And this goes on well into the wee hours of the morning. I knew I asked for roommates who game as well as I do, but in retrospect, I guess you should be afraid of what you wish for.

Sigh...........

Most. Tiring. Week. Ever

2009-07-30T18:35:00.013+08:00

Author's Note: I knew I said that a post about life in college was to follow suite like, weeks ago when I was in college (which could be why daily readership has plunged so much), but I'm such a horrible liar and I epic-failed so badly to adhere to my promise. I know, it's one of those traits of mine which I need to seriously work on in college.

So, I'M SO, SO SORRY for the super late delay in updates. XD XD

Anyhoo........

After days-which soon turned to weeks-of patient wait, the blog post of which my readers are so eagerly expecting is here at last.

After much procrastination from yours truly coupled with several other lame excuses in which time did not permit moi to write meaningful blog posts, this blog is updated at last with a post that covers what is perhaps the most pivotal moment in a teenager's life.

College.

It's a journey mandatory to every teenager today; a pilgrimage for education, you may call it. It's a whole new chapter in our lives, far removed from the comforts of primary and secondary school life as we have known it for the past 18 years.

I touched down in Shah Alam with conflicted emotions. Part of me was reluctant to leave the life I once had in Kuching and another part of me was itching to greet head-on the challenges college life had in store.

I arrived at Kolej Cendana -the dormitories for us first year male students all the way out in Section 6- bright and early to report myself and be allocated an apartment unit. The place was jam-packed with students and parents wishing their final farewells to their children whom they might not see again for a long time.

Ties and long-collared T-shirts were the order of the day and safe to say, my sweat alone could fill buckets and replenish dried up oceans. Anyways, I met Ernest and William amongst the throng of people registering themselves according to their programs (ie: American Degree Foundation Program, A-Levels, Ausmat, to name a few)

One event led to another and lo and behold, William and I got the same apartment! (same program mar. Both of us were in the American program) We rejoiced at first and hurriedly clambered up the steps to our apartment unit (we got apartment 3/312) with our luggage and parents in tow.

Once inside, I let my eyes wander about and I thought the apartment was a rather decent place to live in. Albeit lacking the comforts of home, it was furnished with basic amenities like tables, beds, lockers and individual toilet and bathrooms. All in all, it was a pretty cosy and decent place to live in.

In the apartment was a common room, two bedrooms and the washroom (separated toilets and shower room). One bedroom could only be shared by 2 people and the other could comfortably accommodate 4.

Bedroom B: The larger of the two rooms

William and I took the smaller of the two bedrooms; the room had only two beds but was properly ventilated and shielded from the glare of the sun.

Bedroom A: A cozy place to bunker in and take a sojourn into la-la land
Bedroom A WITH William: Your worst nightmare come true. Think Michael Jackson. *shudders*

Soon, we got to unpacking and cleaning up our room. Then, tragedy struck! Oh, the HORROR! Apparently, one of the door locks malfunctioned, locking us and the rest of our roommates (whom arrived a wee bit later. More on them in another post. XD) inside.

The Curse of the Faulty Lock!! In cinemas near you this summer....

Having resolved the issue with much brute force, several kicks to the door and power tools, I had lunch and finally gathered the courage to bid my family goodbye. And so, that marked the beginning of a long, gruelsome week known to all as Orientation.

At the crack of dawn the next morning -having been woken up by the azan prayers- at 5.30, I got ready for the day ahead. We boarded the Intec UiTM bus and were soon whisked off to the Intec (abbreviation for International Education Centre; a subsidiary of UiTM to prepare overseas-bound students) UiTM campus in section 17.

Feel free to be envious of our college. Hur hur =P

Orientation can be summed up as follow, as the pictures below would give you an inkling of what to expect.

We had to sit through several long, sometimes unnecesarilly redundant speeches and briefings. Thank goodness the hall we were in was air-conditioned, chairs were provided and the droning speechs provided us guys with the perfect opportunity to cuci mata at all the gals that were there. Hur hur (What? A whole year in a guy's only dorm? It's bound to turn somebody GAY)

If that was not bad enough (the turning gay thing, I mean), a day's program can drag on to 11 at night or even later. By the time we arrive back in our dorms, it was already midnight and we have to drag our sleep-driven asses out of bed at 5 in the morning. So, excuse us if we're not all high-spirited to start the day.

Once, the Curse of the Faulty Lock kept us LOCKED out of our dorm until a good 2 o'clock in the morning! Oh, what joy!

However, interspersed amongst all those briefings and welcoming speeches were time slots in which we were split into groups and a facilitator would then be put in charge of the group and show us the ropes of college life (read: getting through college ALIVE).

Meet Cedric. He's probably one of the nicest, most helpful and easiest-to-bully facilitator that any junior could wish for. He also happens to be the facilitator of our group. Poor dude...

Meet Cedric. He's a guy. Did I also mention that he's a dude?

Cedric performed his job as our facilitator exceptionally well. He took us on a tour around the campus, acquainting us with several facilities we were going to be using often and pointing out to us where classes, cafeterias and administration offices were.

Apart from that, we also engaged in a lot of other activities like charades, group debates and presentations; courtesy of none other than our wacky facilitators of course. Sometimes, our groups were even joined together for one big game of The Mafia.

Please note the evil smirk on facilitator's face. If that's any foreshadowing of the lecturers we were gonna get.

But one activity which stood out so vividly in my memory was The Mafia game. That game was brutal, not in the sense of the word itself, rather in terms of psychology. A group member is appointed a mafia, unknown to the rest and he/she begins eliminating us off one by one until we find out the true identity of the mafia. Get it wrong, and you've got a dead innocent bystander in your hands.

Lol, good times, good times.

The Mafia. It could be any one of us. Beware.....

On the eve before the official closing ceremony that would mark the end of orientation week, the seniors had one final, diabolical plan up their sleeves. Each program (the A-Levels, Ausmat, and us American Degree Foundation Program; ADFP for short) were to present a performance for Performance Night.

Ironically, we were only given several hours to decide, rehearse and present our performance because Performance Night was on the same day itself!!! Gwahhh!!!

To make matters worse, I was elected as leader of my whole program *gasp*. So there I was, a shepherd to my herd of lost, little lambs. The honcho of my entire program, responsible for pulling out of our asses; a performance that would blow the crowd away.

OMGWTFBBQ! A hundred people under my command!!

But how can one -a gentlemen like me, no less- say no to these pleading and cute faces?

"Puh-weasee???"

Hence, I am left with no choice but to accept the burden shouldered upon me and forge valiantly onwards! I had big shoes to fill partially because the seniors set the bar high for last year's parody of "Romeo and Juliet". That, and also because we ADFP students were infamous for pulling out the craziest and wackiest shit we can think of out of thin air.

Instantly, I knew my sick, twisted and demented mind was immediately at home with the prospect of things. Surely, my mind would have no trouble cooking up a performance that fitted the bill.

Come performance night and the stage was set for a spectacle that none could ever best in a long, long time. And melt the audiences' brain into mush too, of course, out of sheer stupidity rather than the magnificence of the perfomance itself.

Alas, it was our turn to showcase our performance and thus, we graced the stage with Titanic with a very generous helping of Scary Movie. The end result? 10 minutes of pure, unadulterated butchering of the famed "I jump, you jump" line, cliches and plot devices from the movie about the greatest capsizing ship ever.

Meh. You get the picture.

Performances from the other programs soon followed and I must say, I was particularly impressed with the A-Levels rendition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

"You know it's thriller! Thriller night~~~"

When the night drew to a close, I was overwhelmed by euphoria and a sense of accomplishments. Luckily, I managed to live up to the seniors' expectations and more of whom I quote, "ADFP is in real good hands".

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, the end usually arrives too abruptly. and in this case, it was in the form of the orientation week's closing ceremony.

The seniors were a blast to hang out with and I've managed to learn a lot from them. To that, I owe them my gratitude and thanks for their taking the time to teach us the skills we needed to make it through college with flying colours.

One more thing, the seniors; especially those from the American Degree Foundation Program were somewhat like duplicates of me. Whenever I lay eyes on them, I could see a little bit of me within them. May it be my randomness, my inability to stop talking or my sense of perverted humor (hur hur), I finally found people that I could relate so well to.

I guess all the quirky traits -extroverts, randomness, open-mindedness and wackiness- that distinguish these students as those from the ADFP was the product of Americanisation that our program is so rife with.

Maybe, during the JPA interviews, the interviewers themselves had already pinpointed our distinct characteristics and mannerisms, that when further refined, could help us fit seamlessly into the American culture and life.

All in all, I'm thankful to the Lord for placing me in the very program in which people could relate to me and I to them. For the first time in a long time, I finally found comfort and security amongst my peers. Peers whom I do not need pretend as something I am not to get along with, peers whom do not require me to live my life under a false pretense so as to avoid conflicts and confrontations.

In a nutshell, (redundant line, I know) college life ROCKS!! So far, that is.

Culture Shock

2009-07-28T20:55:00.002+08:00

This is by far, perhaps, the greatest epitome of culture shock ever.

And maybe we're all hakka supremacist deep down inside.

(Sorry for the lack of update but I promise a post about college life is in the works. And it should be published somewhere within a week/year maybe?)

Mind Explosion! (Also an interlude)

2009-07-22T20:54:00.002+08:00

I do humbly apologise for the lack of updates on this obsolescent blog of mine even though updates were due by last week. I really should admonish myself for cooking up such pretentious lies.

Hey, I'm no paragon alright? Compared to the erudite crowd that I hang out with here in college, even a savant like William is considered pedestrian here by college standards.

However, fear not my dear readers for this blog of mine is still paramount in my priorities. Sometimes, when I try to draft out a comprehensible post, the things that I type out is sometimes so saporific that I just can't help but to feel somnolent and take a little sojourn into la-la land.

Now now, I'm not going to embellish on the life here in college in my next blog post, I promise and I also promise not to exarcebate your already negative view on college life.

However, I must make it a point though that I've been branded a class clown ever since I got here and people find me a very affable and amenable person. Even several of my more hard-to-understand seniors have thought of so many appellations for me.

I shall conclude my interlude here for I really should get back to studying for my Pre-Calculus quiz tomorrow. Damn it, my attempts to do something intellectual and beneficial to me has been so abortive because of this stupid laptop. Till then, CHEERIO!

(If you find yourself dumb-founded by the presence of so many of these bombastic words, you should be! It's all part of a good student's lexicon should they wish to further their studies abroad to the United States.)

(So don't make a conjecture now about how mentally demanding college life is going to be for if you do now, you'll be deeply perturbed and your brainpower shall atrophy right before your very eyes which, to say the least, is going to be deleterious to those sitting for SPM this year!)

Off I go to perambulate around my quarters for a well-deserved breath of fresh air!

Toodles!

Happy Sorry Birthday lor...

2009-07-14T17:57:00.004+08:00

Haiz. I'm not even sure why I'm doing this but I'm doing it anyway (even though every fibre of my being is screaming out to me, "DONTTTTTTT!!!")

Some may know this guy. Some may not. Either way, it doesn't matter.

Meet Jeffrey. The biggest kia-su loser in badminton since Lin Dan to grace the courts with his supposedly super awesome smashes, drops and what not.

Happy 18th Birthday, JEFF!!!!!!!

Sorry lor, ah pui that I forgot your birthday. You think it's easy to remember something so insignificant as your birthday (eheh, no la, just kidding nia) when all around me I have more urgent things to settle??

So, here's what I can at least do to make it up for you (and no, screw you. I'm not getting an original copy of Left 4 Dead 2 for you XD)

Haiz, kolien me abit la. To remember your birthday when my brain's memory storage system is all being overwritten by all these people's names and faces to remember.

Spot me~~~~~~

SORRY LOR........

Broadbanddddddddddd~~~~~~~~

2009-07-13T20:47:00.003+08:00

Well, don't be expecting too much of this update. I'm hastily scribbling this post and making words up as I go along. William and the rest of my roomies who have fallen prey to his propaganda and mind-control aren't helping much either. More to come on the afore-mentioned statement. XD XD

Yep, you guessed it. The title of the post says it all.

I'm just here to announce the black magic that I practice to obtain Internet access in this god-forsaken place where Internet access is scarce.

Maxis, I LOVE YOU. For you, I shall drop to my knees and forever worship you and even perform auto-fellatio upon request for you are my SAVIOR!!

And now, to show to the whole world the vessel I use to channel the essence of my black magic. Fear me, for all humankind shall bow down to the awesomeness that is my Dell Studio 1555!!!!!

Uber L337 no? If you're not understanding this, get out of here you Luddite!!

I call her.....Delilah

That's about it for now. Do expect more updates soon perhaps during the weekends. College has really made me cut back on the time in which I can write longer, better-scripted and more meaningful blog posts.

Not to mention the weird noises that William (read: the dirty-minded bastard) makes when he's asleep. Oh dear Gawd, that guy is gonna be the end of me.

Till then, toodles!

College!!

2009-07-03T13:12:00.003+08:00

Well, I'm finally here in college. Life's good, except for the Malay food here which I still need to get used to. XD XD

Ehem, I know, you're now all wondering, "Nat, how come u no study ar?? Still got time to go play computer and blogging again ar!!"

Well, I've just finished orientation week and I'm finally starting to settle down into college life and my new dormitory. With William as my roommate, things are gonna get a lot fun! But once I get my hands on my new laptop, all hell's gonna break loose.

Late night Left 4 dead, killing floor, Call of Duty and YES, even DOTA with all my roommates! Oh yes, Imma revolutinize my college room mates from DOTA nerds to Left 4 Dead pros!

As of now, please bear with me and this shitty update. I'm in a cyber cafe so far away from my dorms and computers here aren't of the best qualities yea?

So expect lots of pictures to be coming soon and also a faithful retelling of my entire college experience so far.

Till then, cheerio! XD XD

(Although, I really shouldn't be using british slangs cuz imma going to AMERICA!) XD XD

Wheeee~~~~~~~~~

Reality Check

2009-06-26T21:12:00.002+08:00

The reality of the situation has really dawned on me. Till now, I was excited and enthusiastic about heading to college, to start life anew away from the ever watchful eyes of my parents.

In hindsight, those were just shallow fantasies; shallow and immature at the same time. Perhaps it was just a front I put up to quell the feeling of uneasiness within me. Day after day, I put on a smile on my face, lying to everyone, even myself that was SO ready for college life.

Truth is, I'm not. This, being my final day in Kuching; a place in which most of my 18 year old life has centered so much on, I realize at last the gravity of the whole college ordeal.

I'm scared. I don't think I'm ready yet to take that plunge. Not knowing what to expect once I step foot into Shah Alam and then to America; the great beyond, is kinda nerve-wracking.

I've been experiencing and living basically the same routine that I have for the past 18 years, under the never-relenting gaze of my parents. Back here in Kuching, I have a home to come back to, loving parents that I can turn to in times of need, a social circle of close friends in which I've shared so many good times with.

However, in Shah Alam, I've no idea what to expect. I'll have to fend for myself, take care of myself when I fall ill and I have to expect myself to study at the same time amidst all these chores.

True, nobody is ever actually ready to take that plunge. Growing up in a community in which there are many familiar faces makes it tough for one to part with it. But it's a life-changing decision we all have to make one day. A decision that will be for the better.

Suitcases are packed and ready. Vital paperwork and documents have all been sorted out. All that's left for me to do is to just take a deep breath and take a leap of faith into the abyss of uncertainties.

Hopefully, I'll find my way out. And I pray to God for his guidance, to bless me with the strength, courage and wisdom as a beacon of light so that I may make my way through the darkness of life and emerge a victorious.

Thank you, dear Lord God for this wonderful opportunity of a life-time.

College! Here I come!

Full Metal Otaku-mist?

2009-06-20T22:08:00.007+08:00

The world of animes (read: Ay-nee-mei) or animu-as what my sister loves to call it- is one that I rarely tread into.

By all accounts, I'm just a casual anime fan; catching snippets of an anime here and there but never actually committed to following the entire season from beginning to end.

However, once in every few years or so, an anime comes along which is so revolutionary and engaging to mainstream audiences that it creates an impact felt in the anime communities throughout the whole world. Sad to say, I was swept up in the hype of the afore-mentioned anime too.

Back in the 90's it was SlamDunk.

But then, I was still 7 and would bite toe-nails rather than even trying to pronounce 'anime' right.

As I aged into the young man (read: Awesome, sexy specimen of buffness) that I am today, I started to take anime much more seriously.

It all started 4 years ago with an anime called Full Metal Alchemist. An anime recommended by my best bud, Bryan "Gay Wannabe" Kho.

That was when my perspective of anime at the time (read: Japanese fag cartoons. LOL) took a complete 180 turn.

Full Metal Alchemist was as revolutionary as animes got, providing an intricate yet highly successful blend of narrative and Japanese animation set against an alternate universe during the Industrial Revolution where alchemy prevailed.

The anime chronicles the tale of two alchemist brothers, the Elrics; who seek the legendary Philosopher's Stone; a fabled artifact rumored to hold a great power. Their quest is made all the more compelling as they try to redeem themselves of their sins of resurrecting their deceased mother as well as trying to restore things to the way they were before the ill-fated deed.

To the Japanese, anime was more than mere Saturday morning cartoons for toddlers and children. With the occasional slapstick and comic reliefs, anime was Japan's equivalent to Hollywood's live action adaptations of literary masterpieces (manga in Japan).

Think Peter Jackson's adaptation of Lord of the Rings presented to you in animation format and you would have something resembling that of anime.

Thus, I had a new-found respect for anime took a deeper appreciation of it from then on.

4 years later, a reboot of the series that opened doors wide open to the anime world for my eyes to see still had me hooked and I fell madly, deeply in love with it once more.

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

I'm still not exactly sure to this day what sets this anime so far apart from the handfuls of other generic yet still critically-lauded animes out there.

What was it about this anime that outshined so many other animes back then and still today? What was its secrets to success? Regardless of what it is, it still possessed the charms and the feel of the original albeit a complete overhaul of its plot-line to adhere more faithfully to its manga counterpart.

With a passion for anime, one would also ultimately succumb to the awesomeness of J-pop music that accompanies an anime's opening and ending credits.

I certainly did.

YUI - again (1st Opening Theme)

SID - Lie (1st Ending Theme)

Hmm....

Judging from the length of the post and my ramblings about how incredibly uber-Awesome the anime is, I seriously am starting to question my statement above. Meh

I still am a casual anime fan, alright?

Better than being a fan of Japanese guys dressing up as slutty, trampy tranvestites.

XP

Buh-buh-bye!

2009-06-14T22:21:00.012+08:00

As the day before I finally leave for college creeps ever so closer, I just realized the many things that I have to leave behind.

That and also the many things that I have to say goodbye to:

First and foremost, my very first car. Sigh, I'm really gonna miss the purr of those engines, its sleek, sexy, aerodynamic design and the many times I've picked hot chicks up in that ride of mine.

Ehem, I mean, my first car.

It's also high time I bid adieu to long, messy, unkept hair. 6 months of growing it out have all but gone to waste (arrghhhh! COLLEGE)

In its stead; a crew-cut which would have me jailed by the fashion police and decorate American tabloids, effectively knocking Adam Lambert's gay confession out of the spotlight.

My trusty desktop. Words cannot describe the thing that we had going on with each other. Oh yes, all those late nights of gaming, screaming and ~~watching porn~~ I mean, surfing INTELLECTUAL websites will always hold a special place in my heart.

Alas and alack, you have grown obsolete with your 1 year old (centuries old - in computer years) graphics card and specifications that I am left with no choice but to replace you! (Woohooo! A Dell Studio 1555 notebook!!!)

And the recently-added poolside terrace to my house is also one of the many luxuries that I was going to leave behind.

Sigh.

Fine dining, too, I must make do without when in college. Without my very own personal gourmet chef (read: my mother) to cook all these delectable cuisines to tantalize my tastebuds, the world seems a much bleaker place.

Those were among the many other material things that I was going leave behind. But rest assure, they will always be there waiting ever so patiently for my return.

I hope.

Last but not least, perhaps the most valuable thing that I was going to leave behind is definitely the company of the many friends that I've known ever since setting foot into primary school.

The memories that we share; the good.....

..and also the bad.

Concentration camps. A better way to describe government schools. XD

But one thing's for sure.

I definitely wasn't going to be missing the inner geek that I left behind.

I Am The Go To There

2009-06-05T19:19:00.006+08:00

Ahem.

Most heroes don't always have the best of starts nor the best of lodgings/accomodation especially as he prepares to embark on a long perilous journey into the lands of the unknown.

He may have to camp out in the wilderness, under constant threat from foul beasts, or perhaps in a deep, dark, dank cave where darkness consumed all. Or maybe even in swampy, god-forsaken marshlands where its bogs swallowed all who tread on it.

Today, my journey starts with the simple click of the mouse and the tip tappity tap of the keyboard keys.

America~~~~~~~~ (Thank you so much, JPA!)

Days later, the related documents and all other necessary paperwork soon came in the mail.

Oooh. Intec College, aye?

After much leafing through the SHITLOAD of documents that came in the mail, I finally deduced 2 things:

1. I'm not going to be studying college in Kuching
2. Imma going to America!!

Cue my father walking in. And so he said, "So, where ya gonna stay when your in KL? I mean, the preparatory college is like there and there blahblahblahblahyaddayaddayadda and hostel flats are not gonna be like home blahblahblahblah comfortable and all that. "

Total. Buzzkill.

Kolej Cendana, Seksyen 6, Shah Alam, Selangor was to be my home for the next 2 years of attending preparatory classes in KL. I could only pray that its facilities weren't stuck back in the 80's like Bhalludin's haircut.

As I skimmed the pages for even a brief mention of how the hostels were going to be like, I already had this image dancing in my mind:

Lush, tropical greenery would adorn my 5-star hostel apartments~~~~

Woah. Scale it back. You're in rich bratty kid mode now. What would common peasants live in whilst studying abroad? The sane voice in my mind spoke to me.

And so I closed my eyes once more and envisioned this:

Hmph. Fair enough. At least it would be livable for the next 2 years, right?

Thank goodness I don't have to live in pig-stys (read: I hope) like those poor, imporvished people in the world right?

After much more googling about for my supposed hostel. I came across this site.

Holeee. Sheeeetttttttttt.

A happy, nerdy Nat is a happy, nerdy Nat.

=3

Roadtrip!

2009-05-29T23:16:00.002+08:00

It's been a while....

On the eve of my departure on a long and hopefully eventful road-trip to Sibu, I type this post.

Hmm. I feel so darn philosophical today, no idea why. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I finally know where I'm headed in the coming years.

The United States of America, bay-beh! Oh yea! (Oh JPA, how I love you so!)

Back to the topic at hand, I'm heading off on a well-deserved roadtrip to Sibu with nothing more than the clothes on my back, 3 days worth of travel necessities and the company of my family.

Call it a coming of age ceremony, a family tradition or whatever; I'm really looking forward to this trip!

Expect me to be back within a few days or so just in time for Gawai!

Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai! (Wait, did I spell that right?)

XD XD XD

Un-American Idol

2009-05-21T13:21:00.004+08:00

*Warning. The following pictures may not be work safe. Beware! You have been WARNED*

As I painstakingly struggled to get my ass up at 8 in the morning to catch the finale of American Idol Season 8, a sense of foreboding loomed over me.

A little voice spoke from the deep recesses of my mind where painful and disturbing memories were locked away, never to be remembered of again. It said:

"Adam Lambert, the sexay hot dude you constantly salivate over is going to lose American Idol! Spare yourself the horror of watching him wallow in horror and shame as his ultimate plan to win Idol, consequently promoting and legalising gay marriage shatter to pieces."

But I shrugged it off for there was no way Adam Lambert could ever lose to the likes of Kris (shouldn't it be CHRIS?) Allen, as homosexual as Adam might be.

With hopes held up high, knowing full well that Adam will emerge victorious as he did for so many weeks on the show, I switched on the boob tube (television la) and watched.

For 2 hours, I endured through performances by the Top 13 and other big names in the music industry, all the while anxiously waiting for that announcement that will SURELY crown Adam Lambert this year's American Idol.

I'll have to admit, the antics of Norman Gentle, the square off between Bikini girl and Kara DioGuardi as well as Tatiana Del Toro's sudden barging onto stage to receive her Golden Idol Award were entertaining in its own right but DAMMIT where was ~~Adam Lambert's super hawt, supposedly nude pictures on American Idol.~~

Ehem, I mean when is the results going to be announced. Argh. The wait is killing me!

Anyhoo, the moment of truth slowly ticked closer with each and every passing second. As Ryan Seacrest stood on the stage of the Nokia Theater with both Adam and Kris, I sat on the edge of my seat, with white-knuckled grip on its armrest.

"Out of 100 million votes, this year's winner is............."

KRIS ALLEN!!!!!

Total WTF moment there, I tell ya.

I stood silent, speechless and dumbstruck. This can't be. Kris Allen friggin' won! That can't be happening. It's like multiplying 1 by 1 to get a 2. No friggin' way.

Then, I slipped into a moment of blind rage and fury, cursing all those voters who should have instead voted for Adam but unfaithfully defected over Kris. I SWEAR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND HURT YOUR LITTLE PUPPIES. IF YOU DON"T HAVE PUPPIES, I WILL EAT ALL THE CAKE IN YOUR HOUSE! How's that huh, biznatch?? AHAHAHA

As my rage subsided and rational thought descended upon me, I googled up "Adam Lambert" to find others who were also in the same pickle as I was as well as pictures to put on this blog post of mine.

Worst. Idea. Ever.

Now I know why all those Adam voters defected to Kris.

That's Adam, btw.

EW. DO NOT WANT.

Gratitude

2009-05-13T21:42:00.002+08:00

Thank you so much mom and dad. Not forgetting you too, lil sis. Thanks for standing beside me, always. Thanks for being there for me when I needed it most. And thanks for being the awesome mom and dad you always were.

Thank you to all my teachers who tolerated my antics in class for 11 years. Those lessons and values you taught me; I shall hold dear to my heart for as long as I live.

Thank you to all my friends in whom I confide in and found the true meaning of friendship.

Thank you to the Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam for considering my application for the scholarship and offering me an interview for the scholarship.

Thank you to all those I've befriended, met and had fun with for the past 18 years of my life. You all are integral, irreplacable pieces that complete me and make this world the best place to live in.

Above all, thank you to You, Dear Lord God for blessing me with such a wonderful life, such wonderful people to be around with, and for the opportunity of a lifetime.

Thank you for the JPA scholarship. Words can do me no justice to express my gratitude.

Hopefully, I can fulfill what my parents have always dreamt about but through their selflessness, have never asked of me.

A better life for them, me and all of us.

Thank you.

Deja Vu

2009-05-11T22:19:00.003+08:00

Why, oh why am I suddenly updating this blog of mine all the way from the United States? You readers may ask, "Shouldn't he be better spending his time preparing for the judges during the science fair itself?"

Fear not, fellow faithful readers of mine, for I am not in the US as some may think, but rather, safely at home.

OMGWTFBBQ???!!!!????

What the friggin' hell happened?

You know, I believed this incident had already occured to me once. I believe this post here would about sum things up.

Talk about deja vu.

So, here's just a brief run-down of the whole ordeal.

You've spent the past 4 months preparing for this very trip. American visas, travelling passports, project papers and other related items are painstakingly prepared and paid for.

Hotel arrangements and travel tickets to America have all been arranged prior to your departure for the Land of Democracy.

On the eve of the day that you would depart for America, instead of a sending off ceremony, a meeting is called in advance by the Ministry of Education with the sole purpose of TELLING you that you CAN'T GO!

OMGWTFBBQ???!!!!!!

After all that planning and forking out of money? Why should we NOT go?

The answer? Simple.

Better not to take risks with the H1N1 influenza.

Oh well, that was a fair enough decision. (That is, after a heated 2 hours of debate between the Ministry official and the parents on why they shouldn't go. Sigh)

Therefore, the only American thing I saw so far into this doomed trip to America was this hot guy here:

Let me clarify, I'm straight (I think?) but I still think he's hot. XD XD

Mmmmm, ain't he a stud-muffin?

Off to the Land of Freedom, Democracy, and Probably Swine Flu

2009-05-07T20:27:00.003+08:00

Well, as I sit here typing this post, I'm slowly counting down the seconds before I leave the comfortable confines of Kuching and dive head-first into what is literally called the Land of Dreams; The United States of America.

Oh gee, it's like leaving a small puddle of water we call Malaysia and venturing out into the open seas (America) where fishes (American gals) are aplenty. Hurr hurr.

On a more serious note, I find it rather surreal that I'm heading off to America to represent Malaysia at one of the most prestigious annual science fair (Geek Alert!).

Back in the day, when I was just a wee toddler stepping foot into SMK Batu Lintang, I've always admired seniors like Larry, Esther and Kelvin whenever it was announced that they would be flying off to the USA to the very same competition.

I've always fantasised about putting myself in their shoes and reliving the glory of the moment when they would come back home, a trophy in their hands and be greeted by the public as heroes who did their country proud.

It was always a far-fetched dream for me and it was something I thought was impossible for someone like me.

Yet, today, here I am. Awaiting the very seconds before I would be whisked off into foreign lands where their cultures are so vastly different than ours. Where its people are that of a First World Country. Where video gaming is an integral part of society.

Where its people were once governed by George W. Bush.

Oh. Crap.

Me? Popular? Puh-lease.....

2009-04-27T16:30:00.003+08:00

It was just another ordinary day like any other. I reluctantly dragged my butt out of bed and got ready for my morning rituals to start off the day.

It, being a Sunday was reason enough for me to enjoy a good, morning bath and a hearty breakfast while I worried about my upcoming trip to the U.S and how to further beat the living crap out of that video game boss I've been losing to for the umpteenth time.

There were several more newspapers laid out on the table than there usually were. Well, that was because my family would only buy the Borneo Post and the News Straits Time. However, there were even Malay papers to be found in the pile. Thinking nothing of it, I just picked up the newspapers on the top of the pile.

After leafing through several pages of the Borneo Post whilst eating my breakfast, I came upon this article:

Holeee pink cupcakes!!

I'm on a newspaper article? As in, a NEWSPAPER ARTICLE?

No. Friggin'. Way.

Normally, one would be jumping around the house, butt-naked out of sheer happiness, but not me though. I'm way too cool for that kinda stuff.

Instead, I was busy trying to dislodge that piece of bread I choked on earlier out of surprise.

Several Heimlich maneuvers later, I've finally calmed myself down enough to read the entire article. Oh, that's right, I was interviewed by a reporter the day before. No wonder I ended up being in the newspaper.

After that, I randomly browsed through several other papers out of boredom and to kill time before chancing upon this next article in the Utusan Malaysia:

They had to rush me to the hospital that morning because I accidentally swallowed and choked on a butter knife.

Ah, woe is me.

(I appeared in several other newspapers too like the Eastern Times and a mandarin newspaper which I couldn't be bothered to put up a picture here. Why? Since when was I the eldest GIRL in the family? And secondly, them chinese characters look like gibberish to a banana like me. XD)

Hypocrisy, anyone?

2009-04-19T23:07:00.002+08:00

Ehem.

Referring to my previous post, one can tell that I absolutely loathe Facebook with the rage of a thousand Greek gods.

But people are noticing a certain Nathaniel Sia on Facebook. Surely it cannot be an impostor impersonating dear old me.

So, the question begs to be asked. "Why Nat? Why do you hate Facebook so and then sign up to it? Doesn't that contradict every living fibre in your body and ultimately, your existence?" (whoops. Too much science fictiony novels for me)

I answer, "You know hypocrisy? It's in the dictionary under the letter 'h'. Read the meaning of the word. Alright, done?"

Dramatic pause. VERY dramatic.

Then, I would continue on, "I coined the friggin' term. I am the living epitome of that very word. There ain't no hypocrisy if I ain't in it! How's that sound to ya all, eh?"

Booya.

*If I sounded ghetto in this post, do forgive me. I'm going through an identity crisis right now. I can't tell if I'd rather be black or white. Or both. XD XD

Randomness. And Facebook

2009-04-15T19:39:00.003+08:00

WARNING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

It was a pretty day and all; a normal day just like any other. Birds were chirping in their happy homes above in the trees, stray rays of sunlight sneaked past the cloudy skies whenever they could and here I was, stuck in the domains of my home.

A rather peculiar urge took hold of me and thus, I wandered off for a casual stroll in the nearby park.

A very unorthodox thing to do, I must say for I have not been to the park in ages. Perhaps, the overwhelming need to go outdoors rather than heed the demands of the computer finally gotten the better of me.

And so, I walked the steps that circle the park, once, twice and finally thrice.

Upon my fourth lap around, I was confronted by this good friend of mine who I've not met in the longest of times.

As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. In this case of mine, indeed it did for I longed to hear about the life he led ever since our last meeting.

Before long, he tattled and rattled all about his exploits spanning the globe and finally the subject came to rest before Facebook.

"Do you use Facebook too, Nat? Hey, perhaps we can keep in touch with one another!" he said.

Silence.

Caught up in the moment, I PULLED MY F**KING SHOTGUN OUT OF MY @SS AND BLEW A KA-F**KING LOAD RIGHT IN HIS F**KING FACE.

EJECTED THE SPENT SHELL, THEN BLUDGEONED THE POOR *@%^&!%^&@%#^& TO DEATH WITH THE BUTT OF MAHH F**KING BOOMSTIX!!!!!

BRAIN MATTER AND BLOOD FLEW EVERYWHERE, SPARKLING THE SKIES BRIGHTER THAN THE 5TH OF JULY IN FRIGGIN AMERICA!!!!

"Quite frankly, I don't" I then replied.

(And no, violent video games don't do this to you. Blame American Idol)

Farewell, Pretty Boy!

2009-04-09T19:29:00.008+08:00

Some of you might know this guy:

Watashiwa Bryan Kho desu~~~~

He goes by lots of names, none of them are compliments, but they describe him well enough.

Pretty boy, leng-chai, gay boy....you name it.

He also has some very unique traits, namely:

An obsession over guy's asses.

An unnatural talent to stay beautiful.

An uncanny skill to totally obliterate mouses every single time he watches porn.

It's his 8th mouse to date when he discovered THAT website.

And a several others to name a few.

But, he will sorely be missed as he heads off to the land down under; Australia to hopefully stay out of trouble and not end up on the wrong side of the Australian law.

With every departure of a best friend that you knew and grew up with for so long, it was only likely that we threw a farewell party for him; girls, booze and drug inclusive of course.

And that was exactly what we did last night. A farewell party for Bryan Kho at Chef at Home in Hui Sing garden.

It was a pretty standard guy get-together. Testosterone were flying everywhere, dirty talks littered the once clean, pure air and we guys bonded.

Can't quite remember when I had that much fun talking to the rest of the 3G-ians that were there at the party. It was all good fun and games (by guy standards of course)

Being the best friend I was, I bought him a farewell gift while in KL as though I was the only one who cared about him going away. (Maybe I did XD)

A heavy duty, hopefully BK-proof gaming mouse that can withstand the harshest of his late night porn watching escapades.

Bk being Bk, went like, "Oh my gosh!!! Thankkk yuuuuuu ^.^" in typical weaboo fashion. Typical.

But, all in all, we had a pretty swell night! The food was good, I had a great company of friends to mingle around with and most of all, we get to make fun of Bk!

Man, I sure am going to miss those late night sessions of Left 4 Dead. No, I won't miss you. Only the times when the Hunter has surprise buttsecks with you.

Good times. Good times.

Damai Puri Memoirs Finale (What Really Happened)

2009-04-03T23:27:00.007+08:00

So sorry it took so long to put this post up but I've really been busy lately flying off to KL and back for my visa application.

Plus, a slew of new games are out there on the market and gearing up for JPA interviews have really taken much of my free time away. Rawrrrr.....

As promised, here's the last installment to our Damai Puri escapade, told through my ever-so trusted perspective of course.

The final and last day of our trip:

Day 3 kicked off to a rather slow start. Again, those two who wanted to see the sunrise at 5 am which, after sleeping through said time, got up late again.

Unsurprisingly for the umpteenth time, I being the responsible one (honestly, I feel like their dads liaw arr) kicked their lazy asses out of bed and marched them to breakfast.

Luckily, the cafe was SOOO empty compared to yesterday we didn't even have to queue for the food! It was only us and a couple handfuls of foreigners dining in the cafe.

And so we ate to our hearts content, bellies so bloated that we make pregnant ladies look thin and anorexic.

Jeff: Food is like a sexual stimulator. And feeling full is the next best thing to an orgasm.
Bryan: I sooooo totally agree!
Nat:.....................OMGBBQWTF? O.O | | |

Patting our full bellies, the two headed back to the hotel room whilst I decided to do big business in the public restrooms. Think I'm disgusting? How about being considerate 'cuz I didn't want to defile the room with farts. (Jeff eventually did though. The bastard)

With it being our last day here and all, we decided to head on down to the beach after breakfast (in hopes of picking up hot chicks in bikinis) and just bathe in the wonders of mother nature (mother nature made hot bikini chicks for us guys to oogle at, no?)

Sad to say, there were no bikinis abound as every hot swimsuit models in a 5 mile radius returned to Hollywood to film the reunion episode of Baywatch.

Oh well, we had to make do with camwhoring. And how I lurrrveeee camwhoring~~~

Not too sure what gotten into Bk here but, meh......

Soon after, male ego kicked in and testosterone boiled to a frenzy. Eventually, it resulted in this unfortunate photograph. Oh mys, the wonders of the male ego.

If ego were a source of energy, these two would power up the world for centuries

Me, competing for "Idiot of the Year" award

Of course, camwhoring wasn't all just about defying laws of stupidity and inventing new ones. No siree, I say. I did manage to snap some rather nice pics of nature in all its glory.

Love those spirally clouds in the background

We did much frolicking around on the beach and wrote on the sandy beaches our messages of undying love for our girlfriends (Bk's idea, no less) to pass the time, as you can see from the pics below.

Since I belum 'berpunya" lagi, I had to confess my love to myself, right?

The sun came out from under the blankets of the clouds just an hour or so later and then it got too hot for us to remain on the beach. Having nothing much else to do, we retired back to our room.

And that was when Jeff had the brightest yet dumbest idea of the whole entire trip yet. "Let's go swimming!" he said.

Hmm, let us assess the situation here:

1. Scorching hot sun at 12 noon. Check.
2. Forgotten to bring our sun tan lotion. Check
3. Swimming with almost no article of clothing on us. Check.
4. Recipe for a bad case of sunburn? You betcha!

In hindsight, not a good idea, at all. I still ask myself today, "What the hell's wrong with you Nat? What? Left your common sense at home? You know, the part of your brain that actually thinks?"

Bk, being the smarter one said he'd rather hole up in the room playing his guitar and laptop. So, I thought, "Ok, he's afraid of a little sun-burn. What pretty boy isn't, right?"

That was when he said, "Dowan get my hair in chlorine water. Mess up my beautiful hair nia!"

DOUBLE U. TEE. F

After our short swim and the sun-burn of the century, we finally had no choice but to pack up and check out.

We were not happy.

Alas and alack, all good things must come to an end and so must this wonderful trip of ours too. Then again, it was a memorable occasion for us all indeed. A parting memory for when we all head our separate ways, you could say.

Throughout this trip, I was reminded again why these two guys, despite all their bad habits and quirky behavior were my bestest of all best friends. We just clicked together, ever since we were toddlers in primary school.

We just can't help but feel happy around each other; we could talk, laugh and enjoy ourselves so effortlessly when in each other's company. Truly, I hope this bond between us three would last even after we've been apart for a long, long time.

Damai Puri, you had just offered me a whole new perspective of friendship.

*~* The End *~*

The Calm Before the Storm

2009-04-01T20:47:00.002+08:00

It's almost 9 pm as I type this and I really really should be getting some sleep before heading off to the momentous occasion in my 18 year old life tomorrow morning.

That's right, the JPA interviews.

Oh. My. God. I'm super nervous and I know it's not all that formal and stuff but STILL, this is a really big deal to me.

This one pivotal moment of my life determines where I go and who I will be when I grow up.

So, here are the possible outcomes:

1. Go to interview. Breeze through it with flying colours. Get scholarship. Go abroad and graduate from my preferred course. Work for the government and earn big bucks. Get married and live happily ever after!

2. Go to interview. Did ok ok niaa. Didn't get the scholarship. Confined to study locally and graduate only to work a mediocre job and get stuck with this routine, average-joe life and die a contented man.

3. Go to interview. EPIC-FAILED at the interview (e.g. mistakenly flirt with one of the married lady interviewers) Get booted out of the interview. Get so devastated by the outcome. Proceed to watch 90210 and The Hills and Gossip Girls 24 hour straight before eyes bleed out and die........................But still got the scholarship in the end. Irony to the EXTREME

4. Wake up late and completely missed the friggin' interview. EPIC FAIL. Bo pien. Trash collector nowadays can make big money also, u know!!

So, there you have it. Personally, I want choice number 1, duh.

The last day of our Damai Puri Resort Memories will be posted up soon because I'm so friggin' busy nowadays, flying to and fro to KL for my US visa and all that shit (which includes late night Left 4 Dead games).

So.........wish me luck, yar! Hee =D

Silent Hill: Homecoming

2009-03-20T23:43:00.007+08:00

Be advised: This post is meant for the general audience and not just for hardcore video gamers to enjoy. Past video gaming experience not required to fully understand this blog post. Blog post is spoiler free.

Now, I'm not one to review or shamelessly recommend video games on this blog of mine, but I'll make an exception to this one little game.

Silent Hill: Homecoming

Finally got it after days of searching

Just by looking at the game cover itself, one can already tell that it's going to be one heck of a scary game. And the game definitely lives up to the series' reputation, making it a worthy sixth installment to the critically-acclaimed Silent Hill series.

Rather than playing it to enjoy the game superficially like most other casual gamers, the Silent Hill series is known to be one of the few unique games with story-lines so captivating to the point you will cry once you discover the ultimate conclusion to both the story and protagonist's fate.

In short, I'm playing it to appreciate the story as one would a good storybook. So, the game's basically like an interactive storybook with moving pictures!

In this latest installment to the series, you play as Alex Shephard; a war veteran who returns home to Shepherd's Glen after being discharged from duty for injuries.

Upon arrival, in typical Silent Hill fashion, things are not right as the town of Shepherd's Glen is blanketed in a thick layer of fog and the town's streets are deserted and empty. To top it all off, many of the town's residents are missing.

So, Alex heads back to the Shepherd residence only to find out that his father and brother are missing. Even his mom is of no help as she lays there in a catatonic state. The only thing that Alex now knows is that his brother, Joshua is missing and his father has went looking for him.

And this serves as the platform where the game kicks off as you explore the titular town of Silent Hill and unravel its secrets steeped in evil and mystery as well as Alex's long forgotten past.

Like its predecessor's, it continues on the tried-and-true formula of the protagonist's search for his loved one only for it to end in a tragic twist.

Being the third game in the series to use that formula, it never gets old as the game itself has a worthy and slightly less solid story (compared to previous games) to justify the player's actions and breathe new life into the otherwise over-used plot device.

A colourful cast of characters join the fray and their superb animations and better-than-average voice acting skillfully move the story along and further help players to delve deeper into the shoes of Alex and richly enhances the story-telling experience.

Graphical advancements allow awesome shadow-lighting effects to really add to the unsettling nature of the game and the clever use of audio cues as well as ambient sound effects successfully delivers the creepy, fog-shrouded town we all know and fear.

Akira Yamaoka once again returns to score the game's soundtracks with masterpieces that fit right into the world of Silent Hill. From simple, sorrowful piano pieces to orchestral melancholies, there is a background music for almost every type of occasion in the game and cleverly sets the mood for the god-forsaken town.

Plus, the art direction in which the game takes (especially in the Otherworld; a more sinister parallel reality of Silent Hill) works in its favor as it serves to further complement the dark tragedy that the game centres upon.

Like in a typical Silent Hill game, you traverse various locales and do battle with the monsters roaming the accursed town. Even the monsters themselves have a personal connection to the story and Alex. These aren't just run-of-the-mill monsters that are there simply because they are for gameplay elements but rather, they too, have a story to tell.

Such elements are what makes Silent Hill plotlines stand out amongst so many others because everything feels so connected to Alex.

As you defeat boss monsters and come to grasp the story ever more, one can't help but notice striking details, no matter how small, that fit in so snugly into Homecoming's giant puzzle piece. It will shed more light on the strange happenings in the town as well as fill in on the character's backstory. Ultimately, these minute details bring life into the town and its residents.

Enemies such as these are manifestation of one's inner demons or vile acts

All in all, despite the game's poor pacing which was clearly intended to develop conflicts and build up the story for a final, unexpected and heart-wrenching climax, the game itself is a fun romp once again through the streets of Silent Hill. Moreover, players will breathe a sigh of disbelief and whimper in shock at the game's canon conclusion.

Story-wise, it isn't as solid or as strong as compared to Silent Hill 2's critically acclaimed storyline due to the poor pacing but halfway through the game, the story takes a dramatic turn for the better. Soon, players will find themselves questioning Alex's very own sanity as well as his part in all this disaster.

Silent Hill: Homecoming is probably not the best entry in the series but it certainly is a worthy one which hardcore fans of the series will enjoy.

Damai Puri Memoirs 2 (What Really Happened)

2009-03-17T12:27:00.014+08:00

Apparently, Bryan Kho has done it once again! Oh, joy! The wonders of his deceitful mind.

This blog post of his has once again been manipulated and twisted by him to tell a story so preposterous that it cannot be true!

As a result, I present to you my take on the whole trip which tells nothing BUT the truth. Truthful or not, I shall let you readers decide on who upholds truth to the greatest of degrees.

Anyhoo.........

Day 2 of our fateful escapade to Damai Puri kicked off on a rather well note.

Jeff and Bk thought that it would be a romantic idea to wake up a 5 in the morning to watch the sunrise. Pshh, if I didn't know them any better, it was given thing that both those two would sleep their asses off in bed well past 10 am.

Sure enough, I was right again. Being the responsible one in the group, I had to crawl my ass out of bed at 7 am and almost resorted to KICK both their asses to get up for the breakfast buffet.

Once both of them were awake enough, we trudged off to Elements cafe for our daily morning breakfast buffet!

By the time we arrived at the cafe, it was already 8.30 and boy, was the place jam-packed with holiday go-ers. Then again, it was a complementary (free barrr) breakfast for 2 guests per room, so I kinda would have expected it to be crowded. After all, we ARE Malaysians mar. We just can't give up free stuff, no?

In fact, it was so crowded to the point where no one attended to us and we could just hop in, stuff our faces full, fart and run out within a matter of seconds without having to pay for the extra guest. Says Bk and Jeff of course. But, nay I said! We ended up paying and the two cheapskates weren't too happy about it.

So, after much hassle finding a nice proper seat to make our asses comfortable in amidst the clitter clatter of cutlery and silverware, the usual kopi-tiam conversations that filled the air, we finally charged for the buffet tables.

The variety of dishes offered in the buffet were pretty decent in a 4 star hotel and well worth the RM 46 that we paid for the extra guest. From nasi lemak to pastries and croissants, there was a moderately large variety of food to choose from.

Bad case of om-nom-nom-noms

Oh my goodness, I really ate and so did Jeffrey. As for Bk, the poor boy couldn't even stomach down his 2nd serving of food already. Really wasting the complementary breakfast nia. Shouldn't have brought him at all. No wonder why he got so perfect abs.

Service on the other hand was horrible by a 5 star hotel standards. Tables weren't cleaned fast enough, food wasn''t refilled as often and above all, no one was even offering to pour us tea and COFFEE! Plus, we didn't even have that mini tray where all the sachets of sugar and creamer were stored. Oh, the HORROR!!!!

Stuffing our stomachs so full that we could feed 10 African children, guilt kicked in and we decided to burn some food off at the so-called Activity Centre.

I wanted to go back to our room and give Soni the care she deserved but nooooo, Bk's vanity complex kicked in and said we should do some physical activity to preserve our.......his perfect figure. Right.....

Then, when I returned from cam-whoring around, I saw this:

Bk's idea of physical exercise

Again, being the sensible one, I finally decided to get those 2 nerds off their asses and really do some physical activity. So, I said, "Ping-pong, guys?" and they looked at me like I was some kinda retard.

Bashing both of them over the heads with the paddles, I finally persuaded the two to play a little bit of ping pong though in hindsight, going to the gym was a better workout.

A pro in action.......

.....like I said, action action nia

With the crazy sea breeze blowing our ping pong ball all over the place, there was no chance in hell we were going to get a good game going. So, after an hour or so of trying, we finally decided to just give up. Stupid wind. Messing with our balls nia.

And so, on with the cam-whoring to settle our testosterone-charged itchy camera finger triggers!!

By the time we were done, I again, being the responsible one decided that it was time for lunch. Starving ourselves to death was not in my travel itinerary. But starving Jeff and Bk to death was. Then again, no fun spending time in Damai alone. And soon, we were off on our merry way to the quaint, sea-side town of Buntal.

Several horribly sung-to radio songs and random headbangings later, we finally arrived at Buntal. Originally, we planned to dine at one of the biggest seafood restaurant in Buntal. However, arriving for lunch at only 3 o'clock (no thanks to those 2 down there XD XD), it was closed.

So, we had no choice but to just eat at another nearby restaurant, unhygienic as it was. The tauke was definitely amusing enough (think The Godfathers meet Ah Long Pvt. Limited XD)

We @r3 t3h \/ery hungr333zz.......

But damn.....the food was so mind-blowingly, orgasmicly delicious!! Who would have thought that a simple plate of fried rice like this:

Could explode in your mouth in such a colourful concoction of tastes that words fail to describe. Bk and I both had the fried rice and Jeff tried the fried mee. My goodness, the food was a taste of heaven at its best.

After committing one of the deadly sins; gluttony (which we won't mind commiting again 'cause the food was so damn good) we patted our satisfied stomachs and planned on where to head next.

In the end, we went to Santubong Resort to fool around and pretend as guests. As we arrived, lo and behold! The hotel was practically empty, as if we scared away all the guests. Well, Jeff probably did.

So quiet it was almost spooky

Having nothing much else to do there, we resorted to (sadly) another game of pool. Pulling off the disguise of hotel guests with success (yeah, I'm that good), we got our quarters and proceeded to knock some balls into holes with our very long sticks. Man, that sounded weird.

Jeff doing what he does best; hitting on cute, underaged girls XD

Winning several sets continuously, we headed back to the hotel for a good swim in the pool. Upon arriving, the pool was practically empty, save for the few ang mo tourists there.

Being the idiots we were.......well not really 'cause we applied the uber awesome physics concept of buoyant force into our game of underwater wrestling, we did some pretty awesome Brock Lesnar F-5s and John Cena F-Us while the life guards more or less cheered us on (or were they shoo-ing us out? Nah, who cares)

Bk's perfect abs in all its glory

Having returned to our room after the swim, we broke out all the unhealthy, cancer-causing junk food and were about to gobble them all up when Jeff had the the greatest but probably only bright idea the whole time we were here.

I estimate my life to be cut short by 5 years.....

Room service.

After much debating, we finally settled for the 2 best dishes we could afford.

Chicken Teriyaki and Beef Bolaignase Pasta.

Looks delicious, no?

For RM 50, the food wasn't all that bad but the main highlight of the course was the Chicken Teriyaki's garlic rice. Mmmmm, it was appetizing. But then again, compared to what we ate afterwards, RM 50 was still the best way to go for room service dinner.

After dinner, we headed out for a walk around the resort only to discover how deserted and empty it was. It was so weird in a very eerie yet mystical, magical way.

We once again visited Gecko bar for (no points in guessing here) yet another game of pool. God, you'd think we be sick of it by now, but you thought wrong. XD XD

Below is the better looking picture of us as compared to the shitty one Bk posted up on his blog where he was already half asleep and thinking of a certain somebody.

Once we've finished our game of pool, we took a stroll around the kiddies pool for several photo opportunities. Since nobody was out there on the swimming pool grounds, you know we were bound to do stupid things like this:

I quote Bk, "Suku people will stay suku forever."

But not me though. I actually ended up looking cool doing this.

Heavens bestowed upon me the gift to WALK on WATER or at least try to...

Jeff HATES garbage. Dunno why. Don't ask

All in all, it was yet another crazy night to end a very crazy day on. I love those 2 guys. Platonically. Though I doubt you'd even know what that means. XD