That time of the year again.

Where food, joy and laughter are the languages of the family.

(especially the food. and some wine for good measure =D)

Hmm. But this time round, it seems just a tad bit more pale. If only because I have more homework and assignments than usual.

Or maybe my ties to traditionalistic chinese roots is weakening, knowing I'm not as bonded (or at all) to "traditional" beliefs and what not, compared to most of my brethren. A modernist through and through, as I've always been.







Or perhaps, I'm yearning for more firecrackers weeee it just doesn't feel so critical at this stage of life. But in future, such reunions will be a thing to cherish and endear. Of that, I'm pretty certain.

Your feet so firm on the pavement,
your eyes so clear for what is fallen --
can you climb into the air,

& leap like a kite unstrung?

Don't mess with it.

Happy Chinese Year to all Chinese people, whether "pure" or "not-so-pure". heh.

Change?

As I'm typing this now, its 1.18am and Barack Hussein Obama is giving his introductory speech, acknowledging the daunting task that the US face right in their face, in the midst of economic turmoil as well as political and diplomatic strains with certain parties. And calls for Americans to rise up to the challenge. At any rate, the American Dream is realised at this moment. The desire for a free America. One in which men will be judged "not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character". Culminating with his ascension to the post of Commander-In-Chief. The "I have a dream" speech, originally crafted and expressed by Martin Luther King Jr., has finally become reality. Will all the hype around the theme of "Change" finally materialise? Or will it be mere talk?

Only time will tell.


But, in the meantime.......

Obama spends some time imitating his pose in the office.
Actually, thats an Obama look-alike, an Indonesian, Ilham,
who hit fame overnight due to his uncanny resemblance. heh,

1.32am. I'm dead tired. nights. zzz.

Fibonacci.

Yes. I'm talking bout this man called Fibonacci


No. Actually, I'm gonna write bout what I came across in my applicable maths homework.

Question 11. d)
like, wtf is THAT, man?

checked the answer behind, and lo and behold, it was none other than.....














Fibonacci....



Fibonacci?!?!??!


what on earth is THAT?
Never before in my pathetic, existence have I ever, saw that word. Ever.


Fuelled by the desire to satiate my quivery curiosity, I continued with a simple click on google and into wikipedia....


Fibonacci's number




Its a sequence. Damn. A simple one no less.

I'm really in for a joyride this year.

slowpoke.

Pokedex entry of slowpoke in Pokemon yellow

Incredibly slow and sluggish. It is quite content to loll about without worrying about the time.

Slowpokes entry in pokemon red/blue

Incredibly slow and dopey. It takes 5 seconds for it to feel pain when under attack.

well, I'm actually pretty worry-free, too. Most of the times anyway





No, I'm not gonna be writing an exhaustive fan-boy post of slowpoke. (uh, though it's adorable, in a way.harhar ) Instead, I'm gonna break a startling revelation for everyone whom I've known, know, and about to know (thats, if anyone ever reads this at all. Which, to the best of my knowledge, carries with it a probability of 0.0534 per person...probably.)


In everything I do, I'm about as fast as that fella up there. just pretty darn slow in (almost) everything I do. From getting up, to brushing teeth, to eating, to reading, to driving (yes, I AM slow while driving, contrary to what you MAY think) to gaming (not as high on reflex, again, contrary to what you MAY think)...


when running, (I can say it this time) I'm about as fast as THAT fella. Up there.


utterly slow in forming ideas and plans, in visualising concepts and....you get the point.


snail-like in forming impromptu (and equally barbed) responses to any sudden, stinging, scathing verbal attacks/challenges on me...whatever the reason




even my various neurones are apparently high on morphine low on ATP or maybe they just go in a longer route in coils as I take longer than a split second delay to react reflexively (which may cause a few...usually avoidable mishaps. hmm) be it from pain receptors or......neurones for carrying data brought in by light (wow, light!) through the eyes and to the brain...



sadly its the same case even in understanding and absorbing the oh-so-important knowledge, be it in class. or whatever. Even my dad thinks I should have done A-levels instead of AUSMAT cos he thinks 10 months in a course is too short for this slow brain....sigh.




On a slightly brighter note, my saving grace would be...

1) I write pretty fast. Cos' if I don't, I probably wouldn't be able to complete most of the incessantly morbid essay papers in SPM (be it English, lovely Malay, History, the Sciences or...moral.) and I wouldn't be a ble to jot down notes sufficiently quick, too.

2) I type just as fast too. Maybe a bit faster. Or a lot more. Otherwise, handling more than 2-3 conversation windows on messenger isn't exactly gonna be something enjoyable. (what with all the complaints of me "neglecting" the others. Still happens when I have 5 or more to handle, though)

3) slowpokes can confuse people (via the Confusion move), so can I. (albeit in a different manner)
















...still not good enough to balance out the slowness, eh...

New beginnings

At 9.00 am tomorrow, I'll begin what would be my 1st foray into college life. Sunway College, in JB. Not exactly the most glamorous, or the most established in the eyes of the general public. But yeah, it IS in JB. Within 20 minutes driving distance (barring jams, and what not). Australian Matriculation it is. 50% internal and 50% external assessment respectively, meaning it takes a load off the end-year exam pressure. Starting with orientation tomorrow.

Hope it works out in the year.

Or it'll be RM 16k-odd (not potentially including scholarships) down the drain...

A year of ambition, pain, false hopes, and change, to be left behind for an uncertain future...

*longest title ever. period*


2008. We've seen many things happening. Some with a feel-good factor, some filled with sadness and agony, some exuding with hope and confidence. I won't go through the pain and boredom of digging up all of the past events, save a few notable ones. Or whatever I can currently dig up from my archives.

In March, good ol' Malaysia had its 12th general elections, where the loosely assembled Pakatan Rakyat, consisting of PAS, DAP and PKR (each with rather distinct ideologies and agendas) gave Barisan Nasional a good run for their money (quite literally, in a way) by capturing/ retaining 5 states and gave new hope despite failing to acquire enough seats to topple current federal government. However, as some recent events have shown, it looks like the up and coming coalition might be showing some really obvious chinks in its proverbial armor. And PAS' persistence in implementing Hudud laws (corporal punishment) has done nothing to ease tensions between its coalition partners.

Simple question for 2009:
How will Pakatan Rakyat hold up? Will they last to continue keeping BN on its toes? Or will it crumble into nothingness, due to massive differences in opinions and agendas?




Then on 12th May , the immensely tragic Sichuan earthquake, the 19th deadliest earthquake in history, clocked in at 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred, causing 69,227 lives to be lost, 374,643 more injured, 17,923 missing, and approximately 4 million displaced and homeless . A sad day on the calendar for the Chinese people, where the virtues of endurance, perseverance and resilience had to be exhibited by these people to carry themselves through the dark hours in their history.

Simple hope for 2009:
That the affected regions will recover from this traumatic experience, and with God's grace, these people will be able to rebuild and live normal lives again, though never forgetting this fateful incident.





On 08/08/08 at 8.00pm, the Beijing Olympics began, in the aftermath of the deadly Sichuan earthquake, and merely shown the strength and perseverance of the Chinese people to keep the show going in spite of the emotional duress endured by the Chinese people in general. A strong show by the Chinese team led them bagging the most number of Gold medals overall, although the athletes that stole the limelight were none other than Michael Phelps, bagging 8 Golds in the swimming events, 7 of them world record-breaking, and Usain Bolt, 3 Golds, all world record-breaking feats. It was a treat for fans of such events.
admittedly, I never watched a single Olympic event. *shrug*

Simple message for 2009, and the years beyond:
Even if shit gets thrown in your face, and you slip and fall due to its horrible stench, never give in, pick yourself up and move on forward to achieve your goals....thats, if you have any.



September 16. Anwar had much earlier made a bold and immensely hopeful statement of a crossover of BN MP's (members of parliament) to PR (pakatan rakyat) on the 16th of September in hopes of getting the simple majority of MP's to topple the federal government and form the NEW federal government. But, as we all found out, it appeared to be empty talk....or is it? Stay tuned indefinitely for more Anwar tunes.

Simple theory for 2009:
Anwar could be holed up in some underground fortress a.l.a Hitler, planning a totally unprecedented strike on the bastion that is the BN federal government, getting the numbers he needs and sending the whole nation into vile anarchy overnight.




More continuation on Anwar. Accusation of sodomising Saiful Bukhari thrown at Anwar. And Saiful even sweared on the Quran. Though some leaked medical reports seem to indicate otherwise...

Simple, unresolved verdict for 2009:
Guilty, or not guilty?



November 4. Probably THE election of the year. Senator Barack Obama vs. Senator John McCain. An African American versus the White American. Young charismatic hotshot versus seasoned war veteran. One surged a message of change. Another carrying the credibility of stability and experience. One wished to end the war in Iraq. The other refused to pull back after an immensely costly war effort. One showed determination and detailed plans to counteract the weakening economy, the other lacked that same initiative, and may have paid the price. After a long , bloody and costly campaign, the people of the United States of America voted for change. The American Dream was realised. An African American at the helm of the most difficult seat in the world.


Simple expectation for 2009:
Will Obama live up to the hype? Will he, bring about the change that has been the crux of his campaign and his ascension?




The vicious Mumbai attacks from the 26th to the 29th of November, striking 8 key locales, most notably the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, and the Oberoi Trident, in an apparent attempt by a Pakistan-based militant organisation, Lashkar-e-Toiba (considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, US and several other nations) to re-enact September 11 2001. 173 people died (some foreign tourists) and 308 injured from the massacre. A few fortunate souls happaned to be at Mumbai, but at some other place at the time of the attack. Bless them. And those who have lost loved ones in that (somewhat) unprecedented and vicious attack. Appears that the Indian intelligence agencies have actually detected some activity regarding a possible attack in Mumbai, and did something to shore up security...but not enough, it seemed, as they may have failed to properly gauge the possible severity or the threat posed.

Simple lesson for 2009, and the years beyond:
You get a death threat, take it seriously. Very seriously.




There are many many more events, but either I'm too lazy, or I just don't remember it at this moment. But that was 2008.








au revoir 2008, vous avez été une épine aigre-douce dans mon bout.

and now,

...hello 2009. Its a time for turning over new leaves. And a time for change.












Happy 2009 people. Hopefully it'll be a brighter year for all of you. God bless.



Source of any information or statistic above:
Wikipedia, the answer to life's questions....indeed.