New Year update: From appendicitis to new year resolutions

Happy New Year. Thanks to the effect of the Time Vortex (by the way, I am yet to be contacted by the Noble Prize Committee), 2010 sure flew past pretty fast. So hello 2011.

Note: Read my older posts for the details of the Time Vortex theory, which I founded and proven the theory

I have to be brutally honest. When I wish people 'Happy New Year', I do sincerely hope that you (or whoever it is) have an awesome year. But that does not mean I can make you happy, for example, by giving you money etc. Just to be clear.

Most people spend New Year Eve's eating, partying, having fun. I did do that, but not before going to SJMC to check whether I have appendicitis which thankfully (or if you hate me, unfortunately), I didn't. According to the tired-looking doctor, I had some virus in my intestine, thus causing the stomach pain. On a sidenote, I would feel down too if I had to treat bad-tempered, ill patients on New Year Eve's.

New Year, new resolutions? Alright then. Here are my resolutions.

1. Lose more weight. Perhaps be 5kg lighter by the end of the year.

2. Heck, I don't need to change for the better, as I am already an awesome person *ahem*. In fact, the rest of the world is the one that needs to improve.

Ok, alright, who am I kidding. But one thing for sure, I resolve to be a happier person, one that is adaptable to different, even adverse situations. I don't want to be the one that says 'Don't dwell on the past, look to the future'. In fact, I say 'Listen to the past, Think for the future'. History is important. It's crucial not to repeat one's mistakes in the past and more importantly, learn from it. And remember, what is done is done. We can't undo time (maybe not yet), but we can plan for the future. We are in charge of our own destiny.

If you can't read the comic strip above, well, you're getting old mate.

I have an announcement to make. My family and I are migrating to Australia later this month. Yes, we have Australian PR (for some time now actually). Hence, e will be moving out of this my current house, and after days of packing, we still have plenty stuff we don't want. Thus, we will be having a garage sale, in an attempt to get rid of the stuff and earn some cold, hard cash.

Among the items for sale are books (a lot of books), assorted soft toys, old shoes, vases, pots, plants, a variety of bags, cups, key chains, beds etc. Even two dogs up for adoption. It will held this coming weekend, from 8/01/11 to 9/01/11. All who are willing to spend are welcome.

*Insert Title Here*

I am fully aware that the last time I updated this blog was eons ago, well actually it was about a month ago. But the point is, it felt like ages ago right? This brings me right to the heart of the Time Vortex theory. Once again, let me summarize the Time Vortex theory. This groundbreaking, or should I say, time-breaking theory suggests that there exits several 'black holes' all around the globe which not only suck time away from us, but it is able to regurgitate time back to us. In other words, these 'black holes' (or Time Vortex) is responsible for the instances when we felt that time flies, or when time drags on. What I did in my research was to find the location of every Time Vortex and attempted to establish a pattern for which the Time Vortex comes into play. The difficult part of the theory is trying to form a pattern for which when these Time Vortexes suck/regurgitate time. Thanks to my wit & determination (ahem), I'm finally able to answer these questions.

There are billions of Time Vortexes in existence. In fact, every living human being has (at least) one Time Vortex in close proximity. That explains why we can feel the full effects of the vortexes.

There is most certainly a pattern for when the Time Vortexes 'give' or 'receive' time. The vortexes drained precious seconds, minutes, hours away from us when we are enjoying ourselves and when we are rushing for something or meeting a deadline. On the other hand, the vortexes regurgitate time when we despise what we are doing, or when when we are waiting for someone/something.

My comments? Time is precious. Once lost, never recovered. The effects of the Time Vortex cannot be negated. What we mortals can do is to appreciate every day, hour, minute, second we had the privilege to use. In short, use time wisely.

Note: I can be contacted by email, phone and even Skype if the Nobel Prize Committee wishes to award me the Nobel Prize.

Apparently, the picture above is voted the most terrible thing you can see on Earth. Personally, I don't think it's that terrible, but I guess that happens if you don't cut your hair for 5 months.

Ah Malaysia. The land with great & cheap food, and unlimited internet (I am an optimist). No doubt after my university break, I will be fatter due to eating and red-eyed after hours of gaming.

To heck with exams

To heck with exams, okay not really, but I just felt like writing loads of rubbish, so why not update this blog at the same time. As they say, 'Kill two birds with one stone', wait, for this case, it would be 'kill three birds with one stone' as I am writing gibberish, updating my blog, and not studying at the same time. Awesome init?

So today I just had my first paper: macroeconomics. The questions were tricky, but overall the paper was alright, although I threw away a couple of marks for miscalculating an equation by forgetting to multiply that equation by ten. And here I am trying to major in Actuarial Studies. Here's a tip: If you ever hire me to do some actuarial work, or even some counting work for you in the future, do make sure to check that I remember to multiply whatever I am suppose to count by ten. So yes, I am very frustrated because of that.

So now comes the double whammy, with ATA (accounting) on 16 Nov followed straight by Linear Algebra (maths) on 17 Nov. Two of my most important subjects of the semester. Awesome init?

If you have been a loyal follower of my blog, you would probably remembered falling asleep trying to read my posts about my Time Vortex theory. WAIT! Before you hit X to close the window/tab whatever, I am not going ramble on about the Vortex this time. But I want just want to say this, I have a breakthrough in my theory that will revolutionize mankind's very grasp of time, space and dimension. It will blow your mind away, just like a mind grenade. Right now, I am temporarily putting my research on halt for my exams, but after my exams, I promise to publish the results of my research. I expect the Noble prize for this. Yes, it's that awesome.

Just like anyone else, I can't wait for my exams to end. At the back of my head, there's one thing I must do during my after-exams break. No, it's not studying, but

Mastering Microsoft Excel

I need to know how to use Excel, because really my knowledge of Excel is almost non-existent. I had a couple of assignments using Excel this year, and it was a nightmare.

Alright folks, thanks for reading. I probably procrastinated long enough. Have to try to study now.

Rambles

As I am typing this sentence, I have no idea what to write. *stares at screen* *light bulb lights* I guess I will start with my Time Vortex theory.

In my last 2 posts, I introduced my Time Vortex theory. According to the theory, there are several inter-dimensional black holes in existence around the world that suck time away from our present dimension into an alternate unknown dimension. Since August this year, I have been gathering data, trying to find proof to validate my claim. From my research, I conclude that many people agree that time flies. Sometimes 1 hour feels like 25 minutes etc. This is the strongest indication yet that my theory is correct.

However, sometimes time moves slowly. For example, studying for what feels to be 30 minutes may in fact be only 10 minutes. My research results are inconclusive, but I deduce that the Time Vortex not only suck time away from us, but also regurgitate time back to us. In other words, time can sometimes move 'slower' or 'faster'. So right now I will try to establish a pattern which in when the Time Vortex chooses to steal time and release time. So yes, (rather predictably) I will use the Time Vortex as an excuse of not updating my blog more regularly.

So Adam Lambert performed in Malaysia. Somehow, I am not surprised that certain parties (you know who I mean) objected Lambert's presence here. Alright, we know that he has a rather eccentric taste for fashion, and is a self-declared homosexual. But ignoring that, he is a singer (a good one too, if I may say so), and he came to Malaysia to perform, nothing more, nothing less. As long as he doesn't do something outrageous, which he didn't, then I say let him do what he does best: perform. It should be noted that this same group of people objected to planned performances from Rihanna and Beyonce too. Apparently they are worried that these artistes will influence young people. If that's the case, they might want to lobby for the ban of Internet use among young people too.

Omigodd!

It's Week 11 this week, and that means exams are around the corner and (everybody says this) I am not studying as much as I like. And yet here I am typing away. So there, I have done my part, and you do yours by reading this post.

The Time Vortex

Blousers!! (Isn't that what Goofy always says ?)

Is it Sept 26 already? Time really flies. This certainly adds weight to my Time Vortex theory I highlighted in my last post dated August. Basically the Time Vortex is some sort of invisible hole that exists in Melbourne. Precious seconds, or 'time' as we know it, leaks into that hole, giving us mortals the feeling that time really flies. I agree, time does flies, but in reality it 'flies' into the Vortex. I estimate that every year we lose an average of 33.5 minutes per year. This translates into 335 minutes lost in a decade, and indeed, time is something we must hold dear. Previous 'Time Vortex' advocates have failed to pinpoint the exact location of the Vortex. I believe I am the first to have prove that there is a Vortex right here in Melbourne, although I also strongly believe there are at least a couple more somewhere in the world for the Vortex effect to be felt worldwide.

Anyway, it is the end of the first week of my two week mid semester break. I would like to emphasize that I did absolutely nothing that bears resemblance to any uni work (such as assignments, revision etc). Today, the first sentence that comes into my mind when I look at the pile of work (not literal pile) that needs to be done is 'SH*T! That's a lot of work.' Yes, I guess I need to be starting sorting out my work tomorrow. I can hear people screaming at me: 'Procrastinator!!'

So what did I do so far in the break? I will tell you what I have not done, which is going for the $50 buffet somewhere in Docklands. Yes, I do not know the exact restaurant, but I will be following some of my floormates there. According to them, the buffet is fantastic. Let's see how the buffet will hold up in the eyes (or should I say in the stomach) of Jeric Lam, the well-known food worshiper.

I will let the pictures d the talking. Here are some photos from what I did over the break.

1. Attended the Tesselaar Tulip Festival

2. Visited the Great Ocean Road (more pictures in my Facebook album, 117 more photos in my personal album in fact)

3. Went to South Melbourne beach. Actually wanted to go to Albert Park, but got lost after we reached Andrew's Burgers. By the way, many people consider Andrew's as the best place to get your burger fix in Melbourne. I admit, the burger tastes great. No picture for this one, all in Facebook.

4. Even celebrated Mooncake Festival here in Melbourne. Not surprisingly, only Asian groceries and bakeries sell mooncakes.

5. What esle? Of course I eat. The first picture below is my roasted beef chop with salad, hard-boiled egg and boiled potato (not in picture).

This second picture is my salmon pasta with tomato sauce.

P.S. I actually wanted to prepare more of what I consider 'elaborate' food, but I gotten lazy and just stuck with my standard cooking.

Of course that is not all I did, but most probably the more notable ones. With the Time Vortex lying around, I wager that my next post will be not anytime soon. Cheers.

A Post About Something

In accordance with Malaysia’s 53^rd Independence Day on 31 August, I have decided to stray from my usual path of blogging, and write about issues that this country is facing.

In the light of the recent events that threaten to stir resent among Malaysians, I feel that these events occurred at a time so close to Merdeka Day as a reminder to us all that a wide racial divide in still exits after 53 years of independence. This suggests something somewhere has failed.

The 1Malaysia concept is laudable, but it fails to address the root of the problem. The concept promotes ‘oneness’, meaning unity of Malaysians regardless of race and religion. But how can we expect complete and sincere unity among Malaysians when our political and education systems are out-of-date. Our political system is suitable to the pre-independence era, where political parties exist to protect the interests of each race. But now, it is irrelevant and needs a revamp. Where on earth can you find a government that is made up of a coalition of race-based parties, other than Malaysia? If our leaders cannot co-exist in a single uniform party for the interests of the whole nation, how can they expect the people to do the same? What I am suggesting is a formation of a multi-ethnic party, much like PKR, but in a greater scale in the sense that it is able to stand on its own without relying on alliances with other parties. Our leaders need to show that they can work together regardless of their background to move the nation forward.

Our education system needs a serious re-look too. We cannot expect integration among our schoolchildren with the vernacular school system. Traditionalists will argue with me by saying that any student, regardless of race, can enter any of the vernacular schools, but the truth is (for example), how many schoolchildren of Malay heritage studies in a Chinese vernacular school? Not many unfortunately. I am a product of a Chinese primary school, and when I entered a national secondary school, I was shocked to know that Muslims actually fast for a month and Hindus traditionally don’t eat beef. Prior to entering secondary school, I only mingled with Chinese students and am blissfully ignorant of the other races. How can this situation help narrow the racial gap in this country? A single uniform national school system is possibly what Malaysia needs.

The National Service programme is an attempt by the government to promote interaction and integration between youths of various backgrounds. Speaking from personal experience, it does, but only to a certain extent. Youths of the same race still tend to stick together, even while in the National Service.

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Once again, I apologized for the lack of updates. But this post you are reading, it’s actually my third or fourth draft since like 2 weeks ago. Before you go ‘OMG! You spend way too much time on your blog! And your blog isn’t especially popular too’, I just like to put in some effort in the things I do. I want this blog to be different from a typical young person’s online space.

I admit the article above have some loopholes in it, but it’s the best I can produce at the moment. I am not saying these are only problems and solutions, I am just highlighting the points I feel strongly about. I may not be patriotic, but I don't want Malaysia to remain stagnant too.

I am into Week 6 of my second semester here, and the amount of procrastination I have indulged in blows my mind away. After this post (and my lunch!), I am going to have to rolled up my sleeves and hit the books. Step 1 of my transformation process is already completed, since I already un-installed Starcraft 2 (The end of the world?!). Is there a way I can purposely block Youtube? Sadly, I am an all-too-frequent user of this website. (I just remembered, my parents know about of my blog!)

I would also like to expand on my theory of the time vortex in Melbourne. I am still gathering evidence and data, but me and a handful of other Malaysian students feel that time passes really fast here Down Under. My theory is that there is a time vortex somewhere in Melbourne, where this vortex sucks precious seconds away from our lives. I believe that the time vortex always shifts its location, but it tends to hang around in the University of Melbourne area.

Of writing and articulating

I admit, it's almost impossible to articulate my thoughts. Right now, I am thinking (or should be) about hundreds of different things, and yet here I am struggling to write something. It could be because my brain stem is not properly connected to my hands or some other medical condition (I am a commerce student after all), but for me, it's difficult to put my thoughts into exact words. But it is my sacred duty to update this blog periodically, so here I am duly fulfilling this obligation.

First and foremost, I would like to say how glad I am with the Premier League season starting soon. World Cup was a disappointment (come on, you gotta to agree with the lack of goals and easy-on-the-eye football), and I can't wait when the domestic season finally swings into action. First match is the Community Shield between Manchester United and Chelsea. It's kind of obvious which team I support if you actually found the URL to my blog.

It is at this moment I find myself staring at my laptop screen longer than necessary. Yes, I am experiencing a 'I don't know what to write' moment. Speaking of writing, I was told a couple of times that I could write well, and my blog is evidence of it. My mum actually wanted me to do a creative writing course in addition to my actuarial science course to further enhance my writing skills. Honestly, it's very flattering to hear compliments being lavished on me, but I think I would just stick to casual writing. I can't really imagine myself being a professional/full-time writer or journalist. Come to think of it, I think the media (be it electronic or what not) needs an overhaul. Issues that deserves attention are not getting enough attention. Instead, we get news like 'Lindsay Lohan going to jail' or 'Paris Hilton don't know how to spell hamburger'. You get my drift. On a side-note, I vow never to stay at a Hilton hotel if I can help it. I don't like the idea of my money eventually going to a certain Paris.

On my last post, I promised to put up a photo of my room just after I got back from Malaysia last month. Well, here it is.

By golly, it's August already! 2010 sure feels short. Before we know it, it's Christmas. Ah well, time flies. I may choose not to take writing seriously, but at least I shall leave my writing legacy (if any) here for my loyal readers.