Filed under: friends
Hai is me, Maya!
Today I will be typing as my owner is out for a drink. He sent me off for shaving and now I am not cute anymore. He did not brush me often and my fur got matted up!
I heard him talking recently about his friend who wont be continuing her studies in HELP anymore. So I am here to post up some pictures of her.
Why does everyone look drunk here except for my owner? I do not know why.
Wow, I think my owner is having a good night. So many handsome pictures!
He is so handsome! When looking through his picture folder, I found this to be so disgusting :
At least my owner is handsome enough to kiss me!
Goodbye Su Qing. I am sure Alvin will keep in touch with you often.
Byebye for now, woof!
Filed under: new experience
Lebanon dan China: Dua buah negara peneraju sukan Tapak Tangkis.
Malaysia, 19 September- Debar. Suspens. Haru. Begitulah suasana di gelanggang Tapak Tangkis pada perlawanan akhir Pertandingan Tapak Tangkis Antarabangsa yang secara ulung kalinya diadakan di Malaysia. Kedua-dua atlit ini telah lama menunggu untuk bertemu kembali, di mana pada pertandingan sebelumnya China telah mengatasi Lebanon dengan kemenangan yang tipis. Setelah berjaya mengalahkan negara-negara lain seperti Jepun, Korea, Malaysia dan Indonesia, masing-masing telah berjaya untuk merealisasikan harapan yang telah lama tersimpan di kalbu.
Perlawanan kali ini menampakkan kedua-dua atlit bertungkus-lumus untuk mempamerkan corak permainan yang lebih baik. Atlit dari negara China, Laik Fu King, di bawah pimpinan ayahnya Laik Kam Ming, telah memulakan permainan dengan menggunakan sepenuh tenaganya untuk memenatkan pihak lawan. Strategi permainan pemain China tertumpu kepada stamina.
China gagah perkasa: Laik Fu King menunggu servis pihak lawan.
Pemain Lebanon, Ahmed Dushbak Al-Buubi pula menampakkan corak permainan yang jauh berbeza berbanding pihak lawannya. Walaupun spektrum permainan yang menyeluruh telah ditunjukkan, suasana gemuruh wujud di kalangan penyokong-penyokong beliau apabila beliau gagal untuk mengatasi pemain China pada set pertama. Gaya permainan Dushbak terserlah pada set kedua apabila Laik Fu King gagal untuk mengatasi ketangkasan beliau.
Berbaloi: Pemain remaja sensasi Dushbak mempamerkan hasil latihan selama 9 tahun.
Klimaks permainan berlaku pada set yang ketiga, apabila Laik Fu King mempunyai jumlah mata yang lebih berbanding Dushbak. Ramai yang beranggapan bahawa Laik Fu King akan menduduki tempat pertama sekali lagi. Walaubagaimanapun, pada saat-saat yang cemas Dushbak telah berjaya menyerikan jumlah mata.
Permainan telah berakhir apabila Dushbak mengalahkan Laik Fu King dengan beza 1 mata. Kemenangan pada kali ini diserahkan kepada remaja Lebanon, Ahmed Dushbak Al-Buubi.
“Walaupun saya telah kalah, tetapi saya tetap berbangga kerana berpeluang sekali lagi bermain dengan pihak lawan yang sama tarafnya,” kata Laik Fu King pada sidang media selepas permainan.
Dushbak pula berkata bahawa beliau ingin sekali lagi bertarung dengan atlit China tersebut pada peringkat akhir pertandingan yang akan datang.
Sukan membentuk persahabatan: kedua-dua atlit ingin sekali lagi bertemu di gelanggang permainan.
-Alvin Tan. South East Asia Post, 2008. Hak Cipta Terpelihara-
Had to cut short my routine of what I would call a perfect awakening(lol)- the drinking of coffee while browsing online news sites after waking up in the afternoon. This was due to the fact that I have to take medication on time; hence lunch on time. My day would normally start after I’ve done the aforementioned (which would be around 4 pm).
I had a dream that really made me wonder. It was the first time I’ve actually dreamed about kissing a classmate of mine. I do not recall having dreams of this nature for the longest time (maybe even never).
Details are sketchy. What I remembered was her quitting her job, while I stayed on, calling it a ‘career suicide’ if I quit along with her. I ended up kissing her, and her leaving the place (which might or might not be my home, as I can’t really remember. I kissed her on my bed though). As she was leaving, a truck selling wood, of all things, stopped in front of the place. She decides to buy me one as a gift >_>. I ended up asking for maple.
I woke up feeling bewildered by the dream because I kissed a girl from my class whom I’ve never thought I’d garner any sort of emotional attachment for, not to mention the fact that this is the first time something like this has ever happened.
So what was really going on in my mind?
Before we delve into the issue, a quick recap of what happened yesterday:
1) Went to class in the morning for Philosophy tutorial and Quantitative Methods class.
2) Met Su Qing, who wouldn’t be continuing her studies in HELP anymore 
3) Got stuck in the car for 1 1/2 hours due to traffic jam.
4) Took dinner with Maya as company.
5) Initially planned to finish my half bottle of tequila with Clement. Went over to his place, and proceeded to Shawn’s (his friend) place to borrow shot glasses. Coincidentally, he came back. Ended up with 6 of us having tequila pops (?). I have not met Shawn and Andy before. Others who came were Fangki and Ding.
6) Shared stories which involved girls lol.
Now, to the dream. Science has given me several explanations as to why my dream happened:
1) Continuity theory- extensions of waking life. What I dreamt was just a continuation of what happened during the day. Which would be relevant, since I was talking about girls before I slept, and I do see her during classes. The part of the dream about her quitting her job and me not doing the same could be because of the recent political developments in our country. It could also be related to my friend leaving college and me staying on, albeit a different girl. The truck of wood could not be explained by this.
2) Activation-synthesis theory- result of random neural activity in the brain. Meaning that different parts of the brain makes the whole dream. This is always possible, since dreams tend to be unorganized and sometimes out of place. Though my money is on :
3) Psychoanalytical theory- The idea of the unconcious and hidden desires. I might have a desire for her which I am unaware of. Not willing to quit the job (which was an unpleasant one, if i remembered correctly) might be due to a lot of things, which I could relate to college. Me wanting maple wood could be because of my desire of owning a stratocaster (which I can’t due to impracticality and financial ineptness lol).
It is not that I don’t find her physically attractive. It is just impractical since me and her have school of thoughts on opposite sides of the spectrum. This might be the reason why it is being suppressed to my unconcious though.
Freud seem to have explained my dream the best.
Chinky here, herro herro.
I might be losing my concentration as I type this as I just took a combination of anti-hestamin and cough syrup. Have been feeling sick for the past couple of days.
I have been reading up on insomnia, as it’s the topic of the group project for my quantitative methods class. Apparently, I have insomnia. Don’t need an expert to assess this though. I have been having sleeping problems since the beginning of humanity.
It’s interesting that when I read about something, it tends to get rehearsed in my mind and I begin to analyze things according to what I’ve read. For example, when I read about Freud’s psychoanalysis, or when I read about the formation of dreams. At an unconscious level, I would start thinking about how it would apply to my life. It’s not that I would sit down and think about it, it just happens.
It starts to get annoying when I cant stop my brain from rehearsing fragments of what I’ve read/watched/experienced etc. I can’t have moments when I’m not thinking about anything.
Anyway.
What I find most interesting in studying the unseen components of us are our feelings. Feelings are such a strong mechanism to have. From love to hate, these feelings defines us and gives meaning to what we do.
Listening to crap songs on youtube gave me a sudden reminisce of my past. It’s wonderful how we can walk through certain places, see certain objects and just get the feelings that we used to have. Even when it has already died, for that moment you get it back.
Ah, memories.
Filed under: new experience
I was surprised not at the amount of people, but the synergy of the people present at the Kelana Jaya stadium just now. People of different races and age gathered to wave the Jalur Gemilang and to usher in Malaysia Day. That was not just a politically correct statement, it was reality. Young adults in office clothing, college students, the elderly, etc. Malays, Chinese, Indians in equal proportion. They were all there.
Political leaders from Pakatan Rakyat gathered to deliver their speeches. The crux of their speeches: unity. At that point in time, I could feel it. The unity among people of various etchnic backgrounds as well as age groups.
The young are participating in the development of the country. The young are worried about the direction this country is heading to. We are no longer naive.
It’s time for true democracy.
Happy Malaysia Day.
Filed under: new experience
The past week has been interesting. With the federal government losing its grip on power, a series of events unfolded that certainly invoked the ‘wtf’ factor in every Malaysian, BN component parties (and a certain minister) alike.
What happened?
1) RPK detained under ISA.
2) Sin Chew reporter and Seputeh MP detained under ISA.
3) Sin Chew reporter released the next day.
I (and many others, I’m sure) was very angered about the whole situation. With the most stupid excuse a person could give for detaining somebody under the ISA, who wouldn’t? It’s just a mockery of justice.
Either way, the powers that be are just treading on troubled waters.
Hopefully, everything will be played out right and oppression would only be a talk of the past.
Join me in celebration of Malaysia day as well as to show solidarity for RPK at the Kelana Jaya stadium tomorrow (Monday) at 8:00 pm. I would like to see the lovely men in uniform. Bersih, cekap, amanah!
Filed under: new experience
It seems that chaos is their answer.
The powers that be are getting desperate. Inciting emotions of the people by playing the racial card, provoking fear by enforcing practices of what seems to be a police state ideology while managing blatant lies in the mainstream media.
Do I look that stupid? Do they think we are that stupid?
They have run out of moves. It wont be long before it’s checkmate.
Filed under: And Socrates laughed in his grave
Hello, it’s me! *pout* *peace!* ni hao ni hao.
I would like to relate to you about what has been bothering me for the last couple of days. Nothing new really, but irritability about certain issues happens to me at random and bothers my inner peace until I finally am able to let it out.
It all started with my quarter yearly visit to HELP’s interpretation of a library. With bright yellow study desks, old rotting books and retired personnel who were hired because they were bored at home, it just gives you that extra zest to spend the day doing revolutionary research, isn’t it?
Though I have better luck finding Sang Arnab dan kura-kura than one of the many book titles which are in the online archive but not in the library itself, I thought I would sit around and feel what is it like to be in a library of a prestigious University College with students who are achievers (who am I to argue that fact, it’s The University of Achievers, it’s got to be true!) before my friend joins me for lunch.
I grabbed a book and started looking for a place to sit. There weren’t any mainly because most of the study desks are vacant but with bags/books on top of it. HELP students spiritually remain in the library to study while their physical bodies searches for other forms of gratification i.e lunch, ciggarette.
HELP students are too busy looking down at the books instead of reading the sign.
I sat down, opened my book, looked around… and there it was. The Eureka moment. The cosmos aligned perfectly and revealed to me absolute truth :
Online research is crucial in the development of the 21st century Renaissance.
That the 21st century Renaissance started with The Paris Effect.
One would argue that there is no 21st century Renaissance. I beg to differ. The Paris Effect has become a household name. Every young bright mind knows that celebrities and Hollywood are the future commodities of the world. Cutting edge research and scientific analysis are being done via paparazis, the internet, television and other forms of media to further improve our quality of life.
After all, what are we to do with our lives if we do not know what is the colour of Brad Pitt’s underwear on Thursdays? Life without knowing these truths is equivalent to eternal damnation.
The Paris Effect: The world's population shifts to a celebrity-centred mentality for the betterment of humanity.
Science and the arts are no longer relevant in our lives. The Paris Effect did not lead to a devolution of knowledge. The spirit of inquiry is still the same. Everybody is an intellect. It is just that their mental capacity is geared up towards knowing how celebrities dress like to movie premieres and which country will the next foreign child of Angelina Jolie is going to be from.
A rather lengthy discourse of some sort, but my premise would be:
Knowledge is no longer taken seriously.
Have we lost the meaning of gaining knowledge?
Knowledge is not about getting good grades or to gain permission to start living in a working environment. Whatever happened to the pursuit of meaning and the advancement of us as the human race?
I have never viewed flipping through my psychology book or to read interesting articles and research as ’studying’. What I mean here is studying by the definition of the general Malaysian student population (slog through assignments and before exams) and not in the literal sense.
When I chose to take up social (behavioural, some might add) science as my first degree, I was anticipating a great deal of enthusiasm and hunger for knowledge. I was anticipating students who are learning for the sake of knowledge and not for a degree.
I was disappointed.
Some people think that I score considerably well (this is arguable) because I’m smart. I certainly do not think so. Every student is smart. Every student should be able to go through this with breeze. It is just the mentality of Malaysian students that sees knowledge as a source of torment and anguish which makes it hard.
Isn’t celebrity news knowledge as well? Yes it is. It is rubbish, but it is still knowledge. What makes it different from gaining knowledge which makes us understand ourselves better is that people dread gaining knowledge of the academic kind.
Why study psychology if we’re not interested in studying psychology?
Why study at all if we’re not interested in studying?
Some might argue that we need a degree to start working, be successful and ultimately rich in material possessions. If we have a mindset of achieving material success and have a drive for it, wouldn’t studying (especially in the course I’m in) a waste of time? Aren’t many successful corporate leaders/filthy rich individuals today have not a proper degree?
Humans are creatures with the thirst for ideas. Without ideas, we would be stuck in a meaningless cycle of material acquisitions.
As for myself, I am still seeking to discover myself, the society and the world. I’m sure that a little self reflection of our meaning would ultimately drive us to gain knowledge, and not merely grades.
Education had and would give me plenty of wow factors. It would certainly not only stop in university.
As I wrap this up and grumble over the fact that I paid RM 7.00 for chee cheong fun, I just wish that people would take knowledge at its most holistic sense, and not a mere facade for the evils of consumerism to flourish.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Amidst the backward architecture, medical apparatus and bad handwriting was a feeling of uneasiness. My vivid imagination churned out forward flashes of what I would have to endure as a sick person in the distant future.
Hospital visits are never pleasant.
My only hope right now is for him to be well again.
Filed under: narcissism
Earlier today I thought of putting up pictures of myself as I recalled that there are many from the Langkawi trip that I’ve forgotten about. At the same time, Clement had put up pictures of himself on his blog. Coincidence, or separated-at-birth-brother telepathy? =O
So here goes:
Philosophical Alvin.
Monkey God Alvin.
Edison Chen Alvin.
Extra happy Alvin.
Opening condom Alvin.
Waiting for food Alvin.
Lying by the beach Alvin.
Wtf a Malay drinking Chinese tea Alvin.
Rabbit teeth Alvin.
National unity Alv… you get the drift.
Minding my own business.
Which includes cleavage staring.
This is tiring. Will upload more pictures when I feel like it. Goodnight people.
