Chow and Paul's Visit To JB! (Day One)
Just before the A2 final exams, all planning efforts for our supposedly
last class trip came to naught as there were certain issues on certain individuals wanting to come along and different stances adopted by different factions in the class on the aforesaid matter. Furthermore, there was plenty of indecision on our part regarding the class trip - planning was hasty, details were obscure and cooperation among ourselves was nonexistent at best. The problems were most likely excerbated by the fact that I managed to piss off the person doing the bulk of the planning..hahaha... Anyway, the end result was that there wasn't a class trip. Period. However, some of us Middle Earthians came up with a brilliant plan to organize a
replacement class trip of sorts - a trip for those interested all the way down south to our "homeland", Johor Bahru. Actually, we had already been toying with that particular idea for some time - Patrick and Yih Seong in particular had been extolling to all who would listen about life in Johor Bahru and that it was actually a great place to visit since it was, after all, where we ride pigs to school and use cows as cars...haha.. However, Johor Bahru isn't really a happening place as there's not many places to visit or things to do - you could say that it's much more boring in Johor Bahru when you compare it to other places like Subang or Kuala Lumpur. The only thing that
might draw people down to Johor Bahru would be the local food, and of course, not forgetting the pirated stuff sold there. Johor Bahru is practically pirated VCD/DVD/CD heaven! When the idea was pushed forth, it generated quite a lot interest, especially among our clique's close friends (Paul, Tze Chow, Anne, etc). We started with having a lot of people interested in this plan, but one by one they dropped out as they were unable to come along for the trip. And in the end, the class trip involved just two non-Johorians - Paul and Tze Chow. Ah, well... Two or two hundred, it's still a class trip - in essence anyway... Hahaha...
Day One - 20/6/2005Having slept late the night before, I woke up at noon just in time to remember that I had to pick Paul and Tze Chow up from the Larkin Bus Terminal at 3pm as Jeremy couldn't make it - he was replacing his 'P' license with a full driving license. I immediately scarfed down lunch, bathed and called Paul to confirm their arrival time - all while wrangling temporary ownership of the car from my mum. At 2.45pm sharp, I left home to pick up Yih Seong, who was coming along to greet our VIPs arriving from Subang. I reached his house a little late as I was caught up in traffic and thought that Paul and Tze Chow would already be waiting at the terminal for us as it was already way past 3pm. When I reached the bus terminal however, I had a minor misadventure. First, I overshot the entrance to the parking to the bus terminal as I thought I saw a sign that said "Motorcyle Entrance". Yih Seong told me not to sweat it as there was another entrance further on. This time, I didn't miss the entrance and went in. However, after pressing the button to receive the parking ticket, I could just hear the whirring of machinery in the parking ticket dispenser - but no ticket was forthcoming. What the hell?! I don't believe my luck! A car just went in before me and it had to run out of tickets just when it was my turn?! After repeatedly punching the button for about three minutes or so, I decided to hell with it and to go back to the first entrance. However, as I was reversing my way out of the entrance, I
thought I saw a ticket - hallelujah! I promptly drove forward again - but the "ticket" turned out to be the glint of the sun on the parking ticket dispenser and the product of my imagination! Utterly embarrassed, I reversed again - only to be gestured at by a taxi driver who was coming out of the parking lot in the opposite direction! His signal meant
hey boy, this entrance can use one lah! and I signalled back
cannot! cannot! and drove away as quickly as I could. No doubt everybody nearby would be bemused at the sight of a CRV reversing out of a parking lot entrance and driving forward, only to repeat the procedure again before finally driving away. Anyway, I made a round and entered the first entrance that we saw earlier without any problem.
After parking the car, we made our way to the platforms when we suddenly received a call from Jeremy. Apparently, he had done replacing his old driving license with a new one and he was coming to the bus terminal as well. After receiving the call from Jeremy, Yih Seong called Paul to ask them of their whereabouts and to our dismay, they were still some distance from Johor Bahru - and they were at least thirty to fourty-five minutes away from arrival! At that point, Yih Seong decided to wait at Dunkin' Donuts for them to arrive. Jeremy joined us there not long after, and we killed time by planning the places to bring them to for their lunch and dinner (Paul and Tze Chow only had breakfast prior to the bus ride down to Johor Bahru). After a rather shorter wait than what we anticipated, we received a call from Paul who said that they had arrived at the bus terminal - and off we went to greet our VIPs from the land of Subang. At first, we couldn't really recognize Paul since he wore his sunglasses and looked much more
thuggish than usual - BUT...we could recognize Tze Chow from his bright orange shoes! They seemed none the worse for the wear after a five hour bus journey, and their only complaint was that the bus driver drove way too slow - taking a serious toll on their behinds. Hahaha... After that, we drove them to lunch (and all the way, Yih Seong and yours truly were acting as tour guides and showing them the few sights JB has to offer), but somehow I forgot that a particular intersection was blocked and we ended up driving a huge circle before we finally reached our destination - AK Noodle House! This is undoubtedly the most famous noodle-serving restaurant in Johor Bahru, with even people from Singapore coming all the way just to eat the noodles - and judging from what Paul said, the noodles were good (actually, I can't really remember what he said but he said that the noodles tasted good or something to that effect)! AK Noodle House has the Sarawakian's vote! Hahaha... After their very late lunch, Jeremy drove them to Leisure Mall since Paul wanted to change his money to the Singaporean Dollar whereas I headed home to park the car since my mum needed it later on. After their financial affairs were settled, Jeremy picked me up from my place and drove everyone to his house where we awaited the arrival of the others before we headed off to dinner.
At Jeremy's place, we had nothing to do and hence, we finally resorted to watching Discovery Channel for nearly two hours. Hahaha... A very interesting "class trip", eh? After waiting for what seemed an eternity, the others finally arrived and we headed off for dinner. Dinner was at the Tebrau Hawker Centre, and we ordered
ikan bakar, a sort of thick noodles in black sauce, fried rice, fried prawns and a plate of fried vegetables. When it came to ordering the drinks, everyone ordered a medium-sized glass of sugarcane juice, but Tze Chow, curious as to how large the "large" would be, asked the waitress taking our orders the question he had in mind. To this question the waitress didn't bother answering in words. In reply, she took the "large" glass and plunked it on our table for one and all to see - and yeah, it was
large, all right. He seemed rather daunted by the huge glass and stuck to his order of a medium-sized glass of sugarcane juice. Surprisingly, Jeremy ordered what everyone else at the table ordered - a medium-sized glass of sugarcane juice! I thought he would have asked for a "large" and then maybe even upsize it some more since he's the only guy I know who can down an entire can of Coke in twenty - read this -
twenty seconds! Maximum respect! However, he managed to finish his entire glass of sugarcane juice before the food arrived at our table, so perhaps "large" would have been just nice for him... Haha.. After dinner, we went to Leisure Mall and played at the arcade for a while before proceeding to Johor Bahru's most prolific cybercafe, "KingSurf", for a quick round of DotA before everyone went their separate ways. It seems that DotA is almost always on the itinary whenever we gather together, isn't it? It's inevitable, I guess... Hahaha..
The next day - The trip to Singapore! (next entry)
My Preciousssss....
Forgive me for sounding like Gollum. Yes, I know. It sounds so corny. But the above title is an apt reflection of the words that are probably running around in my mind right now.
Why, you ask? It's because, as of the 18th of June 2005 Anto Domini, yours truly is finally the proud owner of an iPod mini! Wahahaha... Again, forgive me for being over-excited. I just can't help it since I've been wanting one since...um...since Wen Ying showed her "Lene" to us. But, that time being the dark and gloomy days prior to our A2 final exams, I decided to keep my desire buried in my heart for a while. Anyway, an attempt at asking my parents to sponsor my ownership of an iPod mini before the A2 exams would probably reward me with them berating me to keep focused on the exams and my revision. And so I waited. And waited. And waited. And when the A2 exams were finally over, I finally broached the topic with my parents. Surprisingly, my parents agreed rather readily - that is, they just asked
why do you need it? and
how much does it cost?. Usually they would bombard me with a plethora of questions ranging from quantum physics regarding the desired item to ethical issues regarding the ownership of the item, by which I would usually just give up and wonder why on Earth did I even bother asking them in the first place. Perhaps it's a parent's trick to evade tricky questions from their pesky offsprings. I wouldn't know, but I digress. It doesn't really matter anyway - I'll find out when I'm meant to find out.
Anyway, my iPod mini is silver in colour (they didn't come in polka dots...damn!) and is named "Yong Chen". Now, before you split your sides guffawing the fact that I named my iPod mini after yours truly (or thinking that I must be lacking something in the mental capabilities department for needing something to remind me of my own name), let me explain to you why that happened. When you first register your iPod, you'll have to give it a name. And although there are various names associated to me like
killa kat, slimy shitt, woohoohoo, uno catalysto, etc etc etc, I decided that those...nicknames perhaps?...are more of my gaming personas, as I only use them when I play LAN games with my friends and that naming my iPod mini after them would somehow extend my
game persona into my real life. I pride myself on the fact that I separate the
me when I play games from the real me. In the games I play, I have a bloodlust, a thirst to win at any cost, a burning hatred of losing and absolutely zero humility. Yup, you might say I'm something of an asshole when it comes to playing games. And that's exactly the reason why I want to have to separate "me"s - although I know there are people who would say that I'm something like that in real life too. I probably am, although I'm not too proud of it. Anyway, what better way to establish your ownership of an item by having your own name stamped on it? I may be discrimintating, but I think this is a testosterone-related behaviour...hahahaha... A Guy Thing.
You know, I've always found it funny whenever I've seen people shower so much tender loving care on an inanimate object. I've never understood the reason as to why those very people treat an object better than they do another human being. But now, I think I've finally begun to understand them. How can you not love a small, sleek and oh-so-pretty device that lets you carry your entire music collection wherever you go? But no "Oooh my baby iPod mini you'll get scratched" kind of displays of affection from me though. There's a limit on how idiotic one can act. And that was it. I'll just reserve my affection in the way of silent appreciation and gentler handling of it - my other personal belongings suffer a rough and tempestous life as I'm not the most gentle or careful person when it comes to handling my possessions, although I try my best. Naming the iPod mini after myself may not have been the best thing to do either, as I discovered approximately six hours after its purchase, for it seems to be as temperemental as its owner. The iPod mini kept displaying the "Do Not Disconnect" sign even though I had done transferring all the songs over to it, but after a brief assertation of
Who's Boss, the matter was peacefully resolved (it wasn't ripped apart in anger).
The verdict? Get it if you have a large collection of songs in your computer and you travel often or do not have your computer with you where you stay. The sound quality's excellent and transferring files is as easy as pie. My only gripe with it is that you can't transfer entire folders from your computer over to your iPod mini and organize your songs as such. However, there might be a way to do exactly that, but unfortunately for me, I have not discovered it yet. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's definitely worth every single penny you paid for it!
My preciousssss.... We mussssn't hurt Precioussss...mussst we? Yessss...
Next - Chow and Paul's trip down to JB! (I've been too lazy to upload the pictures..will get them done ASAP!)
The End Of College Life...
As I'm too lazy to write in-depth about what happened during my last few days of life in Subang, I think I'll do a photolog instead. After all, aren't pictures worth a thousand words? Or maybe it's just me not able to drag myself to type after such a long sojourn from typing entries for this blog. Haha.. But don't worry, normal posts are definitely forthcoming, although they might need some time to materialise. I need to refresh my memory on the alien topics of Typing Blog Entries and Not Making Readers Sleep in order to maintain the quality of the entries on this blog. I think I probably sound like a perfectionist by saying that. But I'm not. Really. Ah, what the heck, I'm babbling. Get out of my head, Transition Elements equations!! ARGH! Interference from the residual knowledge of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics (a little) and Physics are disrupting my cognitive processes. Double ARGH!! I'm babbling again! Anyway, back to the topic - what was it? Ah, yes. Photolog of the end of college life. Here goes:
Pre Chemistry Paper 6
A few days before Chemistry Paper 6, as I was walking home, I noticed something interesting. A monkey (one of the two monkeys that reside outside My Place Apartments) was grooming a kitten! At least, that was what I thought it was doing anyway. Patrick thought that the monkey was preparing the kitten for dinner. I'll leave it to you to choose the version of events that you prefer - but we never saw the kitten again after that. A happy ending, or a sad one? Hmm...
While walking outside college one day, we received a few free Bibles courtesy of a few guys who were trying to convert people to Christianity. These books were the subject of much interest in the apartment for all of about five minutes before they lay forgotten on the dining table. After that, Chye Hing was trying to light a lighter with them whereas I tried using them to build Trump Tower II. Hahaha...very appreciative of us, eh? Anyway, to show that the books weren't
exactly wasted, here's a picture of me and Patrick reading the Bibles. Note - posed photograph.
Our humble abode for the past eighteen months. This photograph was taken when our apartment was relatively neat. Clean...let's just say that
clean is a condition unattainable in this apartment. It's been just two days but I already almost miss this apartment. Almost. At least now I can lie down on the floor and sleep without worrying about waking up coated with a layer of dust.
My Place Apartments most productive cat. Ever pregnant (except when this picture was taken), this cat, nicknamed 'Garfield' due to her rather large girth, has endeared herself to some of us by following some of us up the stairs whenever we're on our way home. However, she also drew wrath from us whenever she left 'offerings' outside our apartment. An extremely friendly cat, but one word of advice - do not stroke her. If you have to stroke her, use your feet instead. Her favourite hangout place is at the dumpster area . I assume you get the point.
Post Chemistry Paper 6 (a.k.a. END OF A2 EXAMS!)8/6/2005 (Class Outing)
After Chemistry Paper 6, everyone met at our apartment to rendesvous before going off on our class after-exams celebratory outing consisting of a movie and dinner. Our apartment has been the assembly point for many class outings as it's conveniently close to college.
Me and Tze Chow posing for the camera.
From left - Tze Chow, Chye Hing, myself and Patrick. This photograph was taken at the main atrium of One Utama's new wing. We were supposed to pose for a picture ala 'boyband' or something like that, but the message didn't really get through - the picture is proof enough...hahaha...
We watched "The Interpreter" before dinner, and the movie was pretty good for one that had so much talking and so little action. I'm not really a great fan of 'intellectual' movies, the types that focus on plot and dialouge - but this movie made a convert out of me. I think I'll be watching more of this kind of movies from now on. Here we are just outside the cinema. Anne's slippers broke, and while Patrick and Wen Ying dashed off to buy a replacement, we waited for them. After a while, Tze Chow led Paul, Chye Hing and myself to buy some "pau"s to eat. And they were really good - so good that I forgot to take a picture of the"pau" that I bought.
Bored to death while waiting for Patrick and Wen Ying, Shan kills time by killing Ashok. Not long after this picture was taken, Patrick and Wen Ying returns with a pair of slippers for Anne. Hurray! Off to dinner we go!
Dinner was at Chilli's, a Tex-Mex restaurant that Anne recommended. And as usual, Anne's recommendations were spot-on. The food was good, and the drinks were free-flow. The only bad thing about Chilli's? The drink-refilling service is a little on the slow side. All in all, a great restaurant to have a class dinner. We just sat there talking and drinking even though we had already finished eating ages ago...hahaha... I've never had this much fun this entire year. And yes, that somehow includes DotA, although I'm loath to admit it.
Jeremy doing his best
babi impersonation. I'd never thought that I'd actually hear Jeremy say that he was stuffed, but somehow, by a travesty of the laws of the Universe, I did! The portions must be incredibly large to make Jeremy say that he's stuffed. And believe me, they were. But I finished mine anyway since the food was delicious!
Me and Ashok posing for the camera. Everyone says that Ashok doesn't look like Ashok, so to speak. I agree, he does look very different from how he actually looks. Hahaha...but not in a bad way, just
different. Note the lady rolling her eyes at us in the background.
Wen Ying and Anne enjoying the food. It took several tries to get the picture right, and by that time, the fries they were holding we severely shortened by the time I took the picture! Even then the picture is a little blurry - I'm not a very good photographer! Haha..
12/6/2005 (Class Party)
Today's the day of the class barbeque. And coincidentally, today is also the day my parents come up to collect my personal belongings from the apartment. To me, this is the point that I finally begin to realise that my life in Subang is coming to an end. College life is over, for better or for worse - but I'll miss each and every day that I spent in Subang anyway. I know that I'll probably never spend hours talking about everything and yet nothing with my friends at the table, nor go for late night
mamak sessions at Rafi or Melur, nor even go for late-night cybercafe sessions anymore. But the things that will leave the deepest impressions are the friends that I'll probably never see again when I leave Subang. I should learn to live in the present and cherish every moment with my friends - before it's too late and I'm plagued with regrets and
what ifs for the rest of my life.
Tongue-in-cheek statement - Two Very Good Looking People II. Hahaha... Anne and myself, just before the class barbeque at Tze Chow's house.
The barbeque started nearly an hour late as Tze Chow was unavoidably delayed by
someone. As a result, Shan, Ashok, Chye Hing, Anne and myself were stuck in Shan's car for nearly 45 minutes before Tze Chow finally arrived at this house, having lost his way along the way to his house. From left - Afree, Denise, Ian Zing and Wen Ying.
I wanted to take another picture of Jeremy eating, but when I pressed the button, Tze Chow walked by, munching on cherry tomatoes stuck on a
satay stick. I ended up with a far more interesting photo than I intended. Haha..
Two lecturers came to the class barbeque as well. Ms Chan (our Chemistry lecturer), Ms Ho (our Biology lecturer) and Ms Ho's brother (no relation whatsoever to PM1) came to the class barbeque a while after it started.
Jeremy, shrouded with smoke from the barbeque pit. Tze Chow's family prepared enough food to feed a battalion - it was that much. We couldn't even finish eating everything despite everyone saying how hungry they were prior to the barbeque. Anne's potato salad and her garlic bread, Wen Ying's jelly and the unique
kebab style of the barbeque deserve special mention and praise. Very delicious! Hahaha...
Attack Of The Tongs - the Wong family jewels are threatened by a rabid pair of tongs. Yih Seong seems oblivious to the impending danger to his family's bloodline...maybe it's the squid kebab sizzling on the barbeque set.
Me and Wen Ying - I think that this is the only photo I've taken with her (with exception to class photos). Hahaha.. Ah, well. There's a first for everything, right?
From left - Yih Seong, Paul, Patrick, Anne and Wen Ying. Giving their best pose for the camera! Paul seems rather bemused by the "hip-hopper-wannabe" poses adopted by Yih Seong and Patrick. I also noticed that Anne's slouching, as if she's trying to hide the fact that she's tall, as tall as Patrick.
Re-enactment of three
ah bengs making the "kissing" sound preferred by
ah bengs as their primary courtship call, in their preferred state of repose - squatting. Hahaha... Even though I don't really like to discriminate, this scene is undeniably funny. However, Patrick and Yih Seong chided me for spoiling the picture by "being too polite". How was I supposed to know?! Haha..
The next Shah Rukh Khans.
After we were done eating, everyone sort of cloistered around the tables and began talking. Seen here in this picture is Ms Chan, Ms Ho, Tze Chow, Ashok and Shan.
Ms Chan and me. She was the lecturer who stayed at the party for the longest. Everyone tried to find out more about her personal life - and she evaded the questions pretty easily. Patrick, our chief interrogator has failed to get the scoop for the first time in his illustrious career! She also said that our class was her worst class - I hope she didn't mean that...hahaha..
Paul looks pretty bored in this picture. I wonder why?
Unarguably the funniest picture I have of Anne! I think I'm going to develop this and whenever I feel down, I'll just look at this and I think I'll definitely burst out laughing! Hahaha.. Anne seems to be chomping down on a squid kebab prepared by our kebab-master Yih Seong. Anyway, the kebabs made by Yih Seong were delicious!
The interrogated and the interrogator.
What?! No more jelly? The jelly made by Wen Ying disappeared approximately a minute after it was set on the table. The jellies were rather unique, with yellow-green colouration and they were delicious! I think I'll learn how to make jellies during the holiday so that I can have them anytime I want! Muhahaha..
There's a reason why Chye Hing is called the Master of Sleep. You're looking at it.
The way Shan is holding that golf club, it seems that he's more likely to tee off using someone's head instead of a golf ball.
That's all for this photolog, I guess. As mentioned earlier, a proper written entry shall be up in a couple of days' time. That's all for this entry, I'll see you around! Ciao!
P.S. - The date on my camera is a day slow as I forgot to set it after receiving it from my dad, who brought it up with him to Kuala Lumpur. Hence, the date on the pictures aren't accurate.
