筆の海 ver.8

Finals in a nutshell

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:02:12 GMT

Finals came and gone. Pretty much drained by today's OSCA. Overall there were their ups and downs. Frankly I didn't feel the examination tension as much as last year, maybe partly because of the location of the exam hall which was just above the library. It's a narrow hall with tables too close to each other. If I had the will, I could have peep over the tables in front or beside me. (<__<) I missed the Basement Hall which was huge and the ambience was just right for a Finals setting. *sighs* Results will be out on Friday. Here's hoping for the best. (@__@)

OSCA migraine

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:50:03 GMT

OSCA...despite sounding like Oscar, ain't as glittering as the latter, *sighs* Having a headache, which is a first after so many papers. (>__<) My Simulation Lab live-stations are a pain and I'm guessing loads of marks have already been deducted with the mistakes I made. (T__T) Technology lab wasn't that bad. Had more fun there. (<__<) Hopefully I fare well in both. *prays*

Natural air-con

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:41:37 GMT

Today was such a breezy day. So cooling that it can induce even the most stubborn person to sleep. (>__<) *sighs* Been dozing off each time I read my notes. Had it been more than 5 times, I'm not too sure for I have lost count. Xp Still pretty windy at the moment. Man, I want to finish studying fast so that I can snuggle under my blanket. XD

Fate/stay night

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:16:21 GMT

Just to start off, I'm one of the very few people who actually shunned Fate/stay night when it came out. Why? Maybe because I tend to avoid over-hyped stuff which may just turn out disappointing to me. Furthermore a plot based on an eroge game? What ran through my mind was harem, ecchi and more harem. But (once again) I was proven wrong and I'm taken back by how engrossing the plot can be.

A detailed plot summary can be found at Wikipedia (my virtual textbook =p) but basically it's a battle royal with magicians/humans as Masters with summoned Epic spirits as their Servants. The protagonist is Emiya Shiro who unwittingly ended up being a Master and forced to participate in the struggle to obtain the Holy Grail which could grant its owner his greatest desire. Pretty much the typical battle storyline but there are few notable things to mention about FSN.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Firstly, Type-Moon intrigued me with its novel idea of using heroic/legendary spirits as Servants. Being one who absolutely adores mythology, this was what mainly drew me into FSN. At each Holy Grail war, 7 servants from different classes would be summoned and for the 5th war in which FSN anime is set:

Archer: Counter Guardian (aka adult Emiya Shirou)
Assassin: Sasaki Kojirou
Berserker: Heracles
Caster: Medea
Lancer: Cu Chulainn
Rider: Medusa
Saber: King Arthur

I was impressed with the wide range of mythology the spirits were based on - ranging from Greek to Sumerian. Type-Moon did their own versions of those legendary characters with each one having their own comprehensive pasts and abilities. I had a lot of fun just reading them. =D

My favourite character in the show has gotta be Gilgamesh. The ultimate bad-ass who is arrogant, selfish and charismatic with bishounen looks to boot - the finest features of an antagonist. *hearts* XD His Noble Phantasms wowed me especially Gate of Babylon, his vault of numerous weapons. Extremely powerful with anti-World destructive force. Truly the King of Heroes. woot!

Next is the seiyuu selection. FSN has a fine cast of seiyuus with Sugiyama Noriaki (Shirou), Kawasumi Ayako (Saber), Ueda Kana (Rin), Nakata Jouji (Kirei), Canna Nobutoshi (Lancer), Suwabe Junichi (Archer - drools), Miki Shinichiro (Assassin) and Seki Tomokazu as Gilgamesh (total fangirl love! (*o*)) to mention a few.

Action are aplenty and thankfully the blood is red instead of some blue or sorts. Studio Deen isn't afraid to provide the gore which is a good thing. With epic characters fighting each other, there is no way censorship would do justice to the battles. =p Music is by Kawai Kenji and quite befitting. Theme songs were okay but not very impressive, but I do love Jyukai though.

Despite the raving, there are some rants. FSN anime isn't as elaborate as the game with some exclusion of details of the servants' identities. I find reading the Wikipedia entry more engaging than the adaptation. (-___-) Studio Deen combined the 3 game scenarios into one but focusing more on Fate. Little is mentioned about Archer's true identity and there were some unexplained situations. The only way to gain true understanding of the whole story would be by playing the game as well as reading the Fate/Zero novels so the anime is kinda advertising for the two. (>__<)

Another let-down was the ending. Not that it was disappointing, it was just depressing to me. The anime remained true to the game's ending and well, it is realistic that those from the past do not end up with the present...but then, I don't like the bittersweet impression. (T__T) It kinda makes me reminiscent other animes that had similar ending - Escaflowne, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, Chrno Crusade etc. Arthuria uttering her final words and Bedivere giving her partings left me dejected. *sighs*

Interesting premise but If only the anime was as extensive as the game, it would have been outstanding. Still noteworthy on its own though.

Some minor side-notes, it took me nearly 2 hours to write this....man, I pretty suck at writing reviews ne? (x__x)

Black Blood Brothers

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:25:55 GMT

Another series that took me by surprise. Black Blood Brothers turned out to be quite entertaining - vampire, blood, gore, action-packed, what is there not to love? I did mentioned VAMPIRES no? hehe.Who wouldn't love those proud creatures of the night? (*o*)

A 2006 production with only 12 episodes...which was too short in my opinion as the storyline is only like an arc of something longer. Can't help it since it's based on an ongoing light novels series but they can make it like Full Metal Panic (another title that is based on light novels) with 3 seasons under its belt (and maybe more to come?). BBB has a strong plot but was not fully exploited in the anime...which is such a pity. (>__<)

The reason to why Cass killed Eve was never explained...actually a lot of things are left unexplained. Oh curses! (@w@) Oh, and I found myself giggling whenever the vampires feed on women - with the sound of ecstasy the victims make. (O__o). Not forgetting to mention that they can be pretty violent to kids (ouch for Koutaro during episode 1) (x__x)

There are various of interesting characters in BBB but unfortunately the anime didn't dwell much into their pasts. I would sooo love to see the lifes of Eve, Jiro and Cass together in the past. We only get to see some bits and pieces at the beginning of each episodes...*sighs* Gah! I wanna see the showdown between Jiro and the Kowloon vampire king. (T__T)

Seiyuu-wise, Sakurai Takahiro voices Jiro. woot! Can't miss his voice. =p However I find his character design a bit weird. Why wear a tall pointy hat when you're already tall and the red jacket can be a bit out of place but then again, this is anime where you need bright colors to stand out. Fukuyama Jun also played a part as Zelman Clock which is my favourite character in the series.

Zelman Clock, the fire-wielding Old Blood with a bloodline from the War God Asura. Seriously cool. (^o^) In episode 10 where he fought against Cass, he released this huge fireball (reminiscent of One Piece's Ace's Dai Enkai Entei) and told Mimiko and Koutaro to get down and pray to God. Kakkoii~! (*o*)

Love the ending theme for the show, Shingiru (蜃気楼 / 신기루) by Loveholic which is a Korean song. I think this is the first time a Japanese anime has ever used a Korean song as its theme song. Songs by Korean singers are aplenty but not actual Korean songs. The song is as melancholy as it sounds and I had been looping it ever since I downloaded it (which btw was waaayyy before I watched this series XD).

Short but enjoyable. Hopefully there'll be a second season but chances are slim since 2 years have gone by. (<__<) Here's to hoping and on to the next series! (^__^)

Hoi, Joso, Ketsu, Metsu!

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:46:28 GMT

Man, I'm hooked to Kekkaishi. Mou LiAnn, how many series are you going to get me addicted to? /(#__#)\ lol. Seem to be adding titles more to my "series to download" list. =p

Kekkaishi didn't catch my eye initially. After reading a few chapters of the manga, what came into my mind was "typical shounen but lack awesome techniques and fights" so I dropped it but now I'm having second thoughts about it. Itching to download the manga for more story material as the anime seems to end at around Volume 13 even though the manga serialization isn't done yet. Currently only half-way through but it's engrossing and the animation quality is quite good (well, it is Sunrise after all). Characters are interesting on their own even with the lack of bishounens in it. =p hehe. Gotta continue marathoning! XD

Nearing home base

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:34:59 GMT

The last theory paper is done!!! WHOOPEE!

Pharmacology ain't as bad as expected. The worst part was studying for it. Nearly had a nervous breakdown last night when I realised I could not recall what I had read earlier. Man, that was stressful. After a few self-reassuring words only did I get my calm back. (>__<)

So currently I have a week to spare till OSCA. Will be lazing away watching the series my friends lent me. =p

To hell with flies and bugs

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:46:43 GMT

Flies here, flies there,
Flies God Damn everywhere;
'Tis the season to dire,
For the most annoying pest ever.

Just was in the mood to write "poetry" that has no artistic value. Yup, I'm just bored. As said by Sue Lyn (my roomie), dedicated to all flies everywhere. Seriously, the fly problem here is nerve-grating.

Another one with help of Sue Lyn,

Bugs here, bugs there,
Bugging us oh so freaking everyday;
Why bother bugging us...For all I care,
just bug the deserving people to make my day.

Stepped on a landmine

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:18:29 GMT

KABOOM!

Microbiology was a hidden land mine and I'm pretty much blown into pieces... (x___x) Isk. Today was the windiest day I had ever experienced in SP. Such a beautiful day ruined by the damn paper. Most of the questions weren't in the notes and I feel stupid for studying till late at night. (>__>) Damn. I'm so screwed. Crossing my fingers and hope that Pharmacology would not share the same fate.

Halfway through the battlefield

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:33:10 GMT

3 papers down, another 3 core subjects to go and 2 miscellaneous subjects. So far...I guess I'm still surviving? Sure there were "Oh shit what was it?" moments but questions weren't too mind-boggling.

Dental Biosciences - Oral Anatomy and Biochemistry were okay. There was a Materials question that I had difficulty as that topic was NOT supposed to come out. Our Prof really screwed us all. (x__x)

Dentistry - man, I salute my brain for actually condensing a whole 3" file worth of notes in 2 days. I didn't know it had the potential to do so. lol. There were some bits and pieces which I forgot....so hopefully I can still manage to score. (*__*)

Pathology - Thank god Dr.Bharathi was kind enough to give tips (however I felt it was a must for her since we had only less than 20 hours to study 50 sets of notes >__>). Questions were direct and most of her tips came out. =D

This exam period is the FIRST time I had ever stayed up till 2.30am to study. Never before in my student life had I poured so much brain power into my studies. (>__<) Even though it's a piece of cake for me to stay till 4am onlining or watching series but staying up for exams requires a lot of willpower. (@__@)

Microbiology is on Thursday. Gotta study....after I recuperate. hehe. =p

Exam blues?

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:51:22 GMT

D-month starts on Friday and my head is as simplistic as it can be. I can't seem to get anything in---or out. (x__x) It's a bit worrying to me because the anxiety's building up. However I do know myself best that the only time I can literally cramp everything in my brain is the day before the paper but yet I can't shake off the uneasiness. Is that the "kiasu-ness" in me speaking? (>__<)

Anyway, I also can't keep myself off my laptop. One has to play hard too, no? But then again...did I ever work hard? Oh, the agony! In the end I'm just mind-fucking myself. Bleh.

[Single] Mitsuki - 大切なもの

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:02:26 GMT

Coz I can. Another single uploaded.

Artist: Mitsuki

曲目リスト
1. 大切なもの (Taisetsu na Mono)
2. ひとつだけ (Hitotsu Dake) - Theme song to drama Sexy Voice and Robo
3. 青い風 (Aoi Kaze)
4. 大切なもの(Instrumental)
5. ひとつだけ(Instrumental)
6. 青い風(Instrumental)

NO HOTLINKING PLS!

Thanks would be appreciated if you download.

DOWNLOAD

Password=kawaii_blue

[MP3] TRICERATOPS - No Surprises

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:39:07 GMT

Just feel like uploading something.

Artist: TRICERATOPS
Title: No Surprises

Cover of Radiohead's song and ED to Shinigami no Ballad drama. There is no single release for this song. Enjoy~!

http://www.box.net/shared/swvya7v0oo

NO HOTLINKING PLS!

Thanks would be appreciated if you download. Peace~!

Crap.

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:48:56 GMT

Okay. My layout's crappy. GAH! Got duped by LJ. Thought I could actually edit the layout but I'm stuck with only the basics. Can't even edit the size. Will have to stick to this till I fix it...or something. Presenting to you ver.8. (@__@)

Previous versions can be found here

Changing

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:12:17 GMT

Changed my mood theme to Gintoki. Took me quite awhile to accomplish it....hey, it's my first time...(x__x) Since I'm in the mood for change, next would be the layout? woot!

Disappointing dim sum

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:58:21 GMT

Had breakfast at a new Hong Kong restaurant Cheung Ching located at Jln Hussein. It's a branch of the original in Hong Kong. With a eye-catching exterior, you'll be expecting something good ne? Unfortunately the choices of dim sum available were limited and I had to say that our local ones taste MUCH better. However I don't remember eating such bland food in Hong Kong itself...fault of the cook's?

Anyway, was impressed by the restaurant layout and I saw the most MASSIVE lobster I've EVER SEEN! Totally droolicious!! lol. Yup, I was already mind-eating the poor fella. =p Oddly for RM23.50 per 100g, it's cheaper compared to the Boston Lobster and the smaller version of itself. Weird coz it just kinda screams, "EAT ME!!". Hahaha. XD The geoducks were also huge...those amazing mollusks.

The spider crab...*drools* Pretty big and yet still cheaper that the said lobster. Pretty baffled that the shrimp is still there. I wonder if it'll still be available till my upcoming birthday. Hehe. >D

And an announcement to make... I'm going to Japan!!! BANZAI!! \(^o^)/

Not too soon though. Going in September...yeah, had to skip some classes but hey, Japan dude! XD Finally! My dream destination come true!! It just makes me forget the fact that my finals are coming and my Dentistry subject is nowhere done. (>__<)

Sis's birthday

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:11:54 GMT

Had dinner at Kizuna to celebrate my lil' sis's 19th (still delusional that she's still 15 (<__<)) birthday....yup, the same Japanese restaurant again. (>__>) but at least the food is good. =p Being the SS-er she is, got a bunch of photos to share. (^__^)

Later on we had Baskin Robbins at Jusco as well as coffee at Coffee Bean. Don't know how the cashier keyed all our orders in large size.

Americano, Fruit Tea & Ice-Blended Mocha

Ordered Classic Ice-Blended Mocha. Lookie at the Americano Large! Seems more like Guiness Stout...lol.

At 12am, Dad opened a bottle of sparkling juice and toast

http://www.GlitterMaker.com/ - Glitter Graphics

Twiddle diddle

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:49:52 GMT

Went for a "hair maintenance cut". Still keeping my tail and my bob is currently layered. Today was "Free Pretzel Day" so me and mum had one each though the choice was limited to cinnamon or original. MNG was having its sale and I bought a blue top for 40% off. hehe. Only half-way through Dentistry...man, I wonder when I'm actually going to finish reading it. (>__<)

Dentures, home and shopping!

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:20:51 GMT

Denture making is part of the Dental Technology course and it was way so much fun! With the helping hands of Mr. Mansur and Mr. Abdullah, the entire process is made easy. It was an enjoyable experience but there is no doubt that this can be tough work if you're doing this for life. (>__<) I give my due respects to dental technicians for their hard work. (*o*)\

The workstation. It has...I guess...all the things a technician would ever dreamed of! lol. Well, according to Mr. Mansur the workstation is worldclass...even beating those overseas. (@o@) Woah! now I have great admiration towards the School of Dentistry for providing us such high-end equipments.

Special highlights of the workstation: It has a knee-control micromotor with auto suction at the extension. There's also a magnifier for fine details and a glass slab to prevent dust from blowing onto the face. Neat. (^__^)

My hand-made dentures which took lots of precious time as I had to redo my lower one due to inadequate acrylic packing. *sighs* But now I have an extra as a souvenir. =p The shine is done by polishing with pumice and whitening powder which was quite amusing coz you get to have your hands dirty. hehe.

Random pic of the Simulation Lab. I sit next to the window (note furtherest left). Each table has its own monitor and dummy unit. Taxing by the end of every session but gratifying when you see your restoration done. XD

Anyway that was all last week's pics. currently back in Ipoh to *coughs* "study". (x__x) Haven't done any serious studying since I came back. OMG REPENT, MY DEAR SELF!! /(>__<)\

Did some shopping (I don't think there won't be a month when I don't do any >__>) and had spent about RM300 at my uncle's shop. Eck. Thankfully the sum is shared with my mom and sis or I'll feel guilty for spending so much on myself. (@__@) Bought 3 pairs of shoes (purple, white and black), 3 tops and 2 pairs of skinny jeans (yellow and violet).

Watson had a clearance sale of earrings and big necklaces. Everything was priced either at RM1.77, 2.77 or 5.77. Super cheap!! So got myself 7 pairs of earrings and one necklace.

Today the 3 of us watched Kung Fu Panda and true to its rave reviews, it was quite entertaining. There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and the animation is very fluid though they tend to a bit excessive in their slow motion moves. They incorporated Cantonese words to names like Master Shifu , Chaw Kam Prison (lol), Master Ooqway (haha). Jackie Chan only did a bit of dialogue (mostly were Angelina, Dustin and Jack) which kinda underrated him but heck he must have been paid lots.

Stay back after the credits for a short tender scene of Shifu and Po.

The cinema also showed trailers that I am now looking forward to watch - Wall.E (the robot is sooooo cute! kya~), The Journey to the Centre of the Earth 3D, The Mummy 3 (wow 2 Brendan Fraser movies back-to-back..and yeah for more Jet Li! =p) and Get Smart (idiotic movies can be fun).

Idle diddle

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:56:09 GMT

I'm pretty much screwed. Been online since 9am and still am. Procrastinating is going to be my new ability. (x__x) maybe it only applies to serious work for I had time to browse through icons and even make one. (>__<) Still got homework to do...but BAH. (>__>)

Changed my icons and the default one was made by me! whee~! Haven't made one in awhile. Hehe. Still amateurish but at least I made an effort. =p

Icons by me!

Most recent one. Got the pic from Sankaku Complex at its Headphone Moe gallery. Headphones are moe. Hehe. =p Worked with ACDSee, Word and Faststone Capture.

Screencaptured from the FFXIII Agito trailer. Man, the lead character is hot! (*o*) Done with ACDSee. Didn't install PSP on my new laptop since I rarely use it but then again...it would be quite useful for icons. Hmmm.

First icon!! Screencaptured from the Ouran series. Fiddled around with PSP in my old laptop and voila! the final result! Kyomaki glomp!! (>o<)/

...Gotta study!! /(@__@)\

Feeling lost

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:45:56 GMT

Here I am at the hostel for the weekend and for the first time after so long, I have the whole room to MYSELF!! woot! (^o^)

Many things happened... fuel price soaring, electricity bill will go up soon and so will the price of many other things to come. *sighs* I am soooo going to curse if the taxi fare to-and-fro the bus station is going to rise. RM15 is already fricking expensive..they are literally charging by the minute! Gah!! It will be even worse if the bus fares also increase...the HORROR! /(#o#)\

Finals on the way. I'm feeling restless and lost.....sadly my mind's pretty blank too. (T___T) How I wish the exams would be done in a blink of an eye without me worrying too much about it. Been idling away since the morning and I'm only half-way through...Gotta keep the pace up! Ganbatte!! \(@-o-@)/

A!M$T got on my nerves by restricting the types of files to download. Now I can't download any zip, rar even exe files!! WTF??!! Damn you!! Curses!! They took away the my only entertainment of the net. ARGH!! (>w<) There goes another item to add to my "Oh-how-much-I-hate-my-uni's-adminstration" list. Seriously our world-class education here is seriously downgraded by the poor admin system. *sighs*

Still doing my dentures. Hopefully I can finish them early so I got Friday afternoon to myself. How I envy those already finished theirs. Now they don't need to attend Technology labs. Isk.

My lil' sis changed her blog layout which turns out to be pretty...cute. Man, it makes me wanna change mine too...but too busy and lazy so I guess it will be postponed till....someday? Lol. XD Maybe I'll just play around with my icons. Been longing to use some of these coz it befits my current situation =p:

Credits: domlandbubbles

VC's Challenge Trophy - Public Speaking Talent Quest

Sun, 25 May 2008 02:40:35 GMT

Last Thursday was the fore-mentioned subject finals. Went there to support ChzeChze, my classmate and "hubby". lol. (^o^) It's a wife's duty to attend no? Hahaha. The theme was "Who are we and where are we going?" for the Prepared speech while the Impromptu one was "Convince the audience to vote you as the Student Council President" (which I felt was quite easy given that you can crap your way out but things may be different on stage...)

The event was held in Lecture Hall 1 in the Medical faculty which I felt kinda down-sized the so-called "major event of the year". They have a Great Hall to utilise for God's sake!

Proof that I was there. Hehe. =p So I was bored as I was one of the earliest audience to arrive. It took quite awhile to fill up the hall...Malaysian time isk. (>__>) And I purposely went down to cafe early for a quick dinner. (x__x) Anyway, got a pretty good seat though - centre seating in the middle row.

My "hubby" on stage. She was Contestant No.7 and spoke on prostitution and women rights. The only feminist of the night. Go girl!
Her impromptu speech was pretty direct - stating out the obvious "sufferings" of the students. Applaudable but maybe not quite the right thing to do when one of the admin staff is judging you. Hmm. Other than that, she was cute especially when she tried to cover up her blunders. (^__^)

Joanna was Contestant No.10. Didn't know she was in the event till I saw her there. /(~__^)

Inderpreet Kaur, a Foundation student was the most outstanding participant of the night. She got her points through with her stern looks and commanding voice. Would have been better if she had smiled though for she reminds me of an authoritarian? lol. But seriously she was good. Being the only one to insert quotes into her speeches, she wowed us all the way. (@__@)

Drama...how can one event be interesting without it? Christine (from BioTech) backed out from the challenge after fumbling her speech twice which was such a pity for she was the only participant with a British accent.

Classmates YenTing, Adrian and TeeLuun performing during the 2nd interval before the announcement of the results. (The 1st interval was occupied by a guy from Pharmacy who sang karaoke oldies - smooth voice but seriously outdated. (>__<))
They played lounge songs although I felt they should have just rocked the hall. =p Pretty soothing even though some songs were a bit out of tune (sorry guys) The duet were not synchronised maybe due to the fact that they rarely practised together. However they looked the part - laidback cool. Hehe.

The winner of the night was as expected - Inderpreet Kaur won with great ovation and I'm proud to say that she was an Main Convent girl from Ipoh! woot!! Ipoh rocks!! \(^O^)/ The most touching scene was that her family shared the stage with her and they were there throughout the event. Her dad gave her the "I'm proud of you" hug. Awwww.

2nd place went to Hemalatha (also a Foundation student) and 3rd place went to our junior Wilander who was very Malaysian in his speech but the most entertaining one of all. Lol. ChzeChze and Joanna won the consolation prizes. Congrats on your winnings! =D

Our batchmates took some post-awards photos but alas I don't have them with me. D= Maybe I'll update this post IF I get them. (8__8)
Thanks to Kelvin for thhe pic! =D Batch 2 & 3 support force.

Was bored last night so I fiddled around with my webcam.

I have no shame...XD

Samantha's birthday party

Sat, 17 May 2008 15:35:49 GMT

Coursemate Samantha celebrated her 21st on the 11th of May with a surprise party at her house in BLM. I was part of the surprise squad. hehe. =p She thought she knew but yet she didn't. lol.

The birthday girl, champagne (courtesy of the guys) and jelly cake made by Sue Lyn, our master baker. XD We had a pot luck and I shared my part by teaming up with Amelia, Alice and Sue Lyn to make sushi. Enjoyed the snacking-while-you-make process. =p

Snaphots. ^ behind shot of me and my ex-room-mates. XD

Gave Sam a Sponge Bob Squarepants pillow which I chipped in with Shin Yin. Amelia's gang gave a matching booster. hehe. =)

Water balloons and fight! Drenched wet by the end. (^__^)

One casualty - poor Sue Lyn cracked her toenail and had to be sent to the clinic. Much blood and drama ensured. (o__o) Sue Lyn's still limping around and she needs to get her remaining intact toenail removed. Hopefully she'll recover soon...stay strong Sue Lyn!!

Alor Star trip

Sat, 17 May 2008 15:09:41 GMT

Just had to put these in. How often do you spot a cat that lies parallel to a wall? lol. I did not participate in its unique position in anyways. It was sleeping pretty soundly as I clicked away. =p

On to the journey!

Stayed overnight at Alice's house last weekend. Alice was such a darling for letting me sleep on her bed...and snack on her tidbits. (>__<) Left SP at 12.35pm on Saturday.

SS-ing in Kelvin's car. The AS gang consists of Kelvin (driver), Adrian (sunglasses guy), me, Alice (middle) and Charis. =) We encountered a traffic jam at the AS toll and was stuck like sardines for half an hour. Kelvin is da man for reaching AS in about 25 minutes at 140kmph. =p

Had lunch at a branch of Wah Tua Guan Tea House. Apparently there's 3 branches in AS town itself. Recommended by our tour guide, Shin Yin who most graciously took time to take us around town.

Second stop at Alor Star Tower. Pretty impressive view at the top though the entrance fee of RM6 is quite taxing for a 15(?)-minute walk around the observation platform. (>__>) You can glance through the whole town of AS and we spotted Chze Chze housing area.

Next stop at Bukit Kerian where you can get local crystals.

Later on, had tea-time at the road opposite the place where we had lunch. The fried oyster was delicious! Tasted better than Penang's soggy style. XP

Stopped by the former house of Tun Mahathir but it was already closed and pretty dark. SS-ed anyway. =p

Had dinner at Bali Bali Hai Cafe. It has a nice atmosphere for people to gather and there are various room "themes" for your liking. Ate lemon chicken chop and had Bali lavender juice which was very....lavendery? lol. Charis said it was like having aromatherapy for a drink. They have live bands every night at 10pm so we stayed back but unfortunately it was a solo act singing Mandarin oldies. (=__=) We pitited the guy and stayed for two songs before heading back to SP. Many thanks to Kelvin for sending me back to the hostel at 11pm. *hugs*

Total expenditure =

Petrol and toll   - RM7
Food               - RM26.45
Alor Star tower - RM6
-----------------------------------
                          RM39.45
------------------------------------

Not bad for a day trip. AS is a pretty big town and we didn't fully explored the place yet...maybe a second trip? lol. Up to the travel gang. ^^

Of donuts and movies

Wed, 07 May 2008 07:17:06 GMT

Last weekend went by like a breeze....*sighs* many things happened in a day, starting from:

The opening of Big Apple donuts at Jusco. Last Saturday was its opening day so they handed out a box of free donuts to the first 100 customers that brought their newspaper cut-out. Luckily sis saw the promo and coincidently we were going to Jusco anyhow to watch Ironman.

We went there around 10am (which was when Jusco opens) and lol-and-behold, we were already 88 persons behind. (o__O) The power of FOC items!

Queue no.89

Lookie at the line.

Mom decided to patiently wait while we go catch the movie and she had queued an hour for her turn! So at home we had 9 donuts to test on and well, they're quite sweet to my liking. J.C.'s tasted better with softer texture IMHO.

On to the movie, Ironman ROCKS!! I was so anticipating this ever since I saw the trailer! (^o^) Robert Downey Jr. AKA Tony Stark is a "likeable jackass" (quote from director) who is so freaking cool! OMG I was drooling at his extremely high-tech "toys". It was fun watching him throughout the movie and it left me wanting more and thankfully, this is part one of a trilogy. However the next movie would only be out in 2010...like WTH? Noooo~ the wait is torturing! (>__<) And I had missed another after-the-credits scene AGAIN!! WTF?!!! I'm so freaking pissed! (>w<) *takes deep breath* Okay, putting that aside, besides Stark, the other characters are bland in comparision. Heck, they're just there for the sake of it. Like how Pirates of the Caribbean was a Johnny Depp movie, similarly Ironman is Downey's. I can even guarantee you that you'll be a Downey fan once you leave the cinema hall. lol. =p

Later on did some shopping and bought 4 DVDs at Friendly - Mushishi L.A., Gegege no Kitaro L.A. (Wentz Eiji! ^^), Proposal Daisakusen SP and Attention Please! SP Australia. Only managed to watch the ProDai SP and Mushishi L.A. (Mushishi's impression can be found here). Also bought a gold Eiffel Tower necklace at MaggieT. It also had came in silver but gold stands out more. =p

Had dinner at Kizuna to celebrate an early birthday and Mother's Day for Mom. Dad ordered cold sake and it tasted quite soothing... like water. Sake tastes better IMHO than Soju (Korean rice wine) and Choya (Japanese plum wine), both which are quite dry and bitter. (=__=) After 2 glasses my face had already turned red. lol. =p Dad has a liking for shake sashimi now after avoiding raw food for so long. Hehe. After that we headed over to Coffee Bean and the new ice-blended peach drink is delicious! Very peachy flavour. I had Ginseng Peppermint tea which was pretty refreshing though it had more peppermint savor to it.

By the next day I had to head back to SP again. *sighs*