How to be Alone

A friend of mine shared this video over Facebook.. and I think I would like to share it with all my readers..



I urge you to read the poem, HOW TO BE ALONE by Tanya Davis, that is included in the YouTube site. It is written so beautifully.. it is not gloom or depressing, but put across "alone-ness" matter-of-factly..

Here are bits of it...
Society is afraid of alonedom, like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements, like people must have problems if, after a while, nobody is dating them. but lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it.
.....

Perhaps in the interest of loving oneself, perhaps all those sappy slogans from preschool over to high school's groaning were tokens for holding the lonely at bay. Cuz if you're happy in your head than solitude is blessed and alone is okay.

Pangkor Trip.. Pt IV

If you were to google for restaurants in Pangkor Island, it is hard not to come across the name Daddy's Cafe. It is the only on-the-beach restaurant.. so definitely, my sis and I had to go and try it.. :)


We got there around 6:30pm.. and already a couple of tables have been occupied.. and not surprisingly they were all foreigners, aka Caucasians.. we were the only Asian customers there..

The view there was fantastic!


The waiters are very friendly.. they even provide mosquito coils when the evening was approaching.. Based on the waiter's recommendation, we ordered the following:
Satay Salad.
I ordered this.. Trio Master (Prawn and 2 different types of fishes)
My sis had this.. can't remember the name of the dish, but it has 3 different kinds of fishes.

As the sun began to set, the view became even more amazing.. Everyone there took out their cameras and kept on snapping..







Even while busy taking photos of the beautiful sunset, we didn't forget to order ourselves some desserts too.. ;)
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Daddy's Cheese Cake

Overall, the meal was very very enjoyable.. and of course, the bill was very "breath-taking" too.. The bill came up to MYR$105, but considering the nice sunset view and great food, it was an indulgence that was worth its price.. Should try it at least once when you are there..

Defying Gravity

Another one of my favorite songs from Glee.. Again, just love the lyrics.. like they are my thoughts!! they sounded so right, so real.. to me..

And boy, can these Glee fellas sing!! ;)

Here is the audio version..
=================================================
Performed by Lea Michele and Chris Colfer

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I am defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!

I'm through accepting limits
''cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!

I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!

I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!
bring me down!
ohh ohhh ohhhh!

Tarot readings.. IV

Another 3 months has passed.. time for another tarot readings.. :) Using the same application that I did previously to "see" my fortune for the next 3 months. Note that all pictures of tarot cards are from http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth/ and there is no intention of infringing any copyright.

又过了三个月。。又是塔罗占卜时间啦。。我还是利用以往相同的占卜程式为接下来的三个月的运程占卜一下了所有的塔罗图片都采自竹猫星球塔罗馆 （http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth)，本部落并无意侵犯版权。

對 職場發展 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in: Job-hunting:

現狀 Current Situation: 死亡 [Death]

你的專長領域，剛剛好是這個社會正在退流行、或是淘汰中的產業，你如果想要有長期的發展，最好自己另外培養第二專長。
Your area of expertise is losing its relevancy or is currently in the process of being eliminated by market force. If you wish to have any long term prospects, it is better to develop a second skill/proficiency.


問題 Problem : 皇帝 [The Emperor]

雖然你看來戰鬥力很強，但是團隊精神似乎不太夠，而且容易讓別人感覺到你的主觀性很強，重視人和的企業，可能會多加考慮你的適合性。
Although you seemed to be very competitive, you appeared to be lacking in team spirit, and could easily give the impressive of being very subjective, and thus in the corporations that emphasize on harmony, they might be have doubts on your suitability.


建議 Suggestion: 太陽 [The Sun]

展現積極熱情的一面，並且對即將去面試的公司，做一番徹底的調查，好讓自己顯得既有自信又有誠意，會大大提升錄取的可能性。
Show your enthusiasm and passion. Research thoroughly the companies that you are going for interviews to show your confidence and sincerity which will then greatly enhanced your chances of being hired.



對 單身運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Relationships (for Singles)

現狀 Current Situation: 皇帝 [The Emperor]

你的重心目前全都放在事業上，對你來說，自己的未來才是重點。異性緣佳的你常吸引追求者，只是緣份往往都不長久。
Currently, your focus is on your career. Your future is the most important thing right now. You have no lack of suitors, but often these do not last.


問題 Problem: 女皇 [The Empress]

有時脾氣太好、人緣太好，也是個問題，因為你不擅於拒絕別人，反而讓你真正對他有興趣的人，分不清楚他自己跟別人有什麼不同。
Sometimes, being too nice and too popular has its downfalls, as you don't know how to say "No" to people. More often than not, those that you are really interested in are confused and unable to tell where they actually stand in your heart.


建議 Suggestion: 星星 [The Star]

有時隔著一段距離，才能看到最美好的一面，其實還是保持朋友的狀況會更好，比較不會破壞這份感覺。
Sometimes it is better to keep a distance. Actually, it will be better to just be friends and not destroy these fond feelings.



對 財運 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Money Matters

現狀 Current Situation: 賢者 [The Magus]

你的財運即將有一個新的發展，你正在計劃一個新的生財方式，而且看起來成功率很高，就算不是發大財，也會讓你的收入至少比現在好。
Your fortune will undergo a new development. You are planning a new way of earning money and the chances of success is pretty high. Even if you won't be racking in big bucks, your income will be better than what you have now.


問題 Problem: 星星 [The Star]

你對錢的想法太過不切實際，很愛投資生意，或是購買理財方案，但是獲利總是不多，雖然有那個心，但實在沒有什麼賺錢的天份。
Your financial views are not practical at all. You like to invest in business or buy investment plans, yet you don't seemed to be earning much. Although you are determined, but you don't really have the knack for making money.


建議 Suggestion: 塔 [The Tower]

你越小心翼翼算每一分錢，就越是有狀況要讓你失去；反正也留不住多少，你乾脆認養貧童或是定期捐款，讓錢去到真正該去的地方。
The more careful you are with every dollar that you have, the higher the chances that you will lose it. Since you can't save much, why don't you just adopt a needy kid or donate regularly, let the money go where it can make a big difference.




對 人際運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Human Relationships

現狀 Current Situation: 太陽 [The Sun]

你的朋友很多，而且人脈廣，很容易吸引到人來跟你交朋友，因為你給人一種真誠又很溫暖的感覺。
You have many friends and good social network. You attract friends easily as you exudes a sense of honesty and warmth.



問題 Problem: 永恆 [The Aeon]

你的個性很固執，有一套自己的是非標準，對朋友也很挑，所以讓朋友覺得，跟你相處有一種壓迫感。
You are very stubborn and maintains a strict set of principles. You are very picky with friends, thus making them feel pressurized when they are with you.


建議 Suggestion: 調整 [Adjustment]

你可能對朋友太隨性了，想出現就出現、想消失就消失，但是友誼是需要頻繁互動來維持的，至少表面功夫也要做一下啊！
You are too nonchalant towards friends. You appear or disappear as you like. You need to work on keeping friends by maintaining regular contact, even if it is superficially..

Pangkor Trip.. Pt III

There are very few interesting places to visit in the island.. maybe foreigners might be interested and curious about these places, but for us, we have seen better and nicer ones.. but since we have so much time in hand, and we have already rented ourselves a car, it would seemed a waste not to, at least, go around the island once, exploring..

Fu Lin Temple
Just another Chinese temple..


The supposedly "must-see" mini Great Wall is such a let-down..

Views from some of the pavilion behind the temple were good..

Dutch Fort
Didn't even bothered to come down from the car.. just took this photo from the road side.. from afar, it looked so new that it seemed fake to me..


Hanging Bridge
My sis and I were very excited when we saw a signboard from the road, saying "Jambatan Gantung".. We thought we could go on an adventure.. so we followed the path..


first, it was a paved path.. and we kept walking..
then, the paved path was gone.. yet we continued walking..
finally, we came to this.. a path covered with fallen branches and overgrown bushes...
Seemed like the place has not been upkeep for a pretty long time.. we were pretty disappointed, but not surprised.. cos this is yet another "typical" occurrence in the country..

Next up, one of the few good (but freaking expensive) restaurants in the island..

从前

作词：厉曼婷
作曲：李正帆
演唱: 萬芳


从前 有过一段爱恋
我量不出它的深浅 只觉晕眩
从前 不很久的从前
他曾捧着美丽的誓言 到我面前
是我胆怯 埋头 矇眼
是他伤悲 昂头 就走远
就在那一瞬间 心老了一点点
惆怅让爱的深浅
慢慢浮现 昭然若揭

明明看见你很勇敢往这边走来
我的心却没有打开
不曾回应你的呼唤 反而躲开
我自己都说不明白
想流泪 却又偏偏哭不出来
觉得(是我)不该 是我低估爱的能耐
临别吻 在眉间
直到你已黯然走远
泪才涌现



=========================================
这首歌唱出了对爱情的遗憾。因为胆怯及压抑而错失了一段感情。。因为不敢打开心房接受他人的爱而与爱擦身而过。。厉曼婷的词加上万方的歌声实在是太传神了。。

So you wanna be a doctor? Part V

If you still wanna be a doctor, and you wanna go to Russia to do your medical degree, well, here are some things that you should know..

My sister was in Moscow, studying at MMA (Moscow Medical Academy) from 2003 to 2009.. She did her degree in Russian medium, so she had to do a 6-month language prep course in KL before flying off to Moscow. Other than her summer holidays which she came back to Malaysia, she was there throughout her studies..

The followings are some of the stuff what she told me, but do bear in mind that she might not have told the entire (ugly) truth so as not to alarm my parents or cause them to worry for her..

Racism

• Neo-nazis in Russia run amok, especially around Apr 20 (the birthday of Adolf Hitler) every year, beating and sometimes, killing Asians. The authority is so helpless against these violence that all Asian students are advised to NOT come to school during these period, as the school cannot guarantee their safety.
• It is very common to hear about foreign or Asian students being beaten up when they venture out from their hostel after dark. My sis had a (guy) friend hospitalized for a month after such a beating.
• They were advised to travel in big groups for safety even during day time.

Extortion and Bribery

• Frequent cases of police targeting foreign students to extort money. They will ask these students for their passport as a pretense for security checks and then refused to return it to them unless money is being paid.
• Airport custom officers would detain foreigners for long hours at the airport without giving any reasons, hoping to scare them to pay bribe to be "released". My sis was "detained" a couple of times. She just took out her books and studied, ignoring the officers totally. After an hour or two, the officers let her go when they figured that she won't fall for the scam.

Bureaucratic red-tape

• Government servants do whatever they like, anytime they like. You are at their mercy, literally.
• Immigration officer can just stand up, close the checking counter and went over to the next counter to chat with the officer there, ignoring the long queue of visitors waiting for immigration clearance. Then when he has done chatting, he walked back to his counter and re-opened it for clearance again.
• Civil servants can take breaks anytime they like and for as long as they like, even the University Registrar.
• Even private companies (telecommunication companies and dormitory management) behave the same way. No such thing as customer comes first. It is either you bear with it or leave it.

Cost of living

• Moscow is one of the top cities with the highest cost of living as surveyed in the last 5 years. And, with its deteriorating infrastructure, unwelcoming attitudes towards foreigners and serious lack of Quality of Life, Moscow is NOT the place to go and spend the best, if not most impressionable years of your young adult life.
• Anything you want to get done on time, you need to pay. Else, wait a few days/weeks..
• Since every certificates, official letters or whatever circulars are in Russian, if you need them to be in English, you need to pay (around MYR15 to MYR40) for every single one of them, every year!!

Study issues

• Professors and lecturers don't really care about your studies. If you know how to "make" them like you, you can pass your exams with minimum efforts. If they don't like you, then you might need to re-sit/re-take your papers a few times.
• Since you are a foreigner in Moscow, you are NOT allowed to touch any patients during your practical years (Year 5 & 6). You can only observe by the side. In the end you will not have obtained the necessary practical skills that is going to be very crucial when you come back for your houseman-ship.
• In Russian medium classes, the professors do not have the patience to guide you, which is understandable since these are not Russian language classes. While for English medium classes, some of the professors' English were so bad, that you won't understand what they were saying half the time.

Others

• You need to speak Russian to survive, even if your course is conducted in English. The first 2 years, my sis and her friends were scolded, cursed and swore at by the locals until some of her friends became fluent enough to scold/curse/swear back in Russian that the verbal abuse stopped.
• In Moscow, you can't get fresh green leafy vegetables easily or cheaply. All you can afford is cabbages and lettuces. Of course there is abundance of carrots, onions, tomatoes and other non-green vegetables.
• If you are a fish-lover, then take note: most fish available there are salt water fishes that are frozen. Shrimps are expensive and you can forget about crabs. Of course, if you have the money you can get the best Russian caviar..
• It is cheap to travel to Europe from Moscow. You can either take the train or budget airlines. My sis managed to backpack to quite a few of the European countries/cities (Vienna, Budapest, Stockholm, Helsinki), not to mention St Petersburg and a few Russian cities during her winter holidays.
• Weather in Moscow is always cold, even in summer. The coldest winter my sis ever experienced was -47 degree Celsius. Yes, minus 47 degree. And you would still need to go to school at that kind of temperature.. The warmest summer was around 23 degree Celsius.
• In Moscow, you would need to walk and then take either the subway (train) or the bus. Traveling would take between 1 to 2 hours, depending on your campus and dormitory.
• The only support that you will have is your friends and yourself. Forget about asking the agency who brought you over to Moscow for help. All the agency want is your money. Once you are there, you are on your own. And unless you are on government scholarship, the embassy doesn't have time for you either.
• You will need to be very independent. You need to do everything on your own. Your parents or siblings won't be there to lend you a hand. You would need to do your own laundry, cook your own meals, handle your own financial expenses and many other things. And that is on top of your main responsibility: study for your medical degree. You are responsible for yourself.
• You will need a circle of close friends to get you through these torturous years. If you are the "lone ranger" type of person, well, you won't be able to survive.. at least, your mental health won't.. You need people to talk to, to share. It will not just be a cultural shock, but a total complete shock to your value systems and physical well-being.

Pangkor Trip.. Pt II

As usual, I went online to search for a good place to stay.. we wanted somewhere that is quiet and away from the crowd.. this was going to be a relaxing trip, not one for shopping or exciting night life, or we would have just gone over to Penang Island instead.. and while searching, I read too many reviews about rowdy crowds and noisy karaoke sessions in the island that I wanna be sure about the hotel that we were going to stay..

And I was glad that I choose Anjungan Beach Resort & Spa.. It was one of the few new hotel in the Nipah Bay area and quite reasonably priced too.. Here are some of the photos I've taken..
The main building where the reception and dining is, seen from the main road..

Nice swimming pool with jacuzzi and some beach chairs..

Nice spacey room.. cleanliness was okay.. 8/10


Nice view of the swimming pool from our room's balcony.. we were on the 2nd floor..

A small fridge and TV with only HBO and StarWorld.. :)

The hotel was at the end of the Nipay Bay, so it was quiet and away from all the other hostels, backpackers' inns and knick knacks stalls.. and as most of the occupants (I noticed) are foreigners, the overall "standard" is good.. maybe that was the reason they only serve Western breakfast..

Too bad that the whole stretch of Nipay Bay is under-construction.. You can still walk along the beach, but all the construction machinery and the digging/piling/etc is very unsightly.. Knowing how construction project work in this country, it is hard to say when all these eyesore will be gone..


There is only 22km of roads in Pangkor Island, but with many hills and steep slopes, it is advisable to rent a car or a motorbike to go exploring.. At first, we planned to cycle around the island but later changed our minds as it has been raining the past few days around the area and we didn't want to get sick... So in the end, we rented a manual Kancil for 2 days at MYR$60 a day. And boy, were we glad that we made that decision.. While driving ourselves to the hotel, we found the slopes to be crazily steep and road treacherous, and even by car, it can get pretty dangerous at certain stretches of the road..

Didn't get any photos of those steep slopes cos I was holding tight to my seats.. :p But here are some other photos of the island..
A small air field at the northern part of the island.. didn't see any plane and the air field looked deserted..

Packs of stray dogs chasing after the car.. can't imagine what could have happened if we were on bikes.. :S

The biggest piles of rubbish I ever seen.. where the stray dogs fed, no doubt..

Nicer view..

Fishing villages and fish processing factories just next to the sea..

Next up, some of the "interesting" places in the island..

Smile II

I must admit that I first heard the song in one of the episodes of Glee.. It is called Smile (Charlie Chaplin song).. I like it instantly when I heard it.. and went searching for it.. and here it is..

Can't find the video from Glee (due to copyright) in YouTube, but got a Westlife audio only version.. Enjoy! :)
===========================================

Smile
Smile though your heart is aching,
Smile even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by.

If you Smile through your pain and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through
For you.

Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness,
Although a tear may be ever so near,
That's the time (that's the time) you must keep on trying,
Smile, what's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
if you just smile.

Ohhh Oooh Yeah

That's the time (that's the time) you must keep on trying,
Smile, what's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile.

Smile though your heart is aching,
Smile even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by,

That's the time (thats the time) you must keep on trying,
Smile, what's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just
You'll find that life is still worthwhile,
If you just smile

Stronger = good ?

So our currency is at its highest against the US dollar eh? Is that a good news? Personally I don't think so.. cos it is just a prelude to more price hikes in the (near) future.. Why, you might asked? Well, here are some of my not-economics-centric views..

If our currency is high against the US dollar, that means

• Other countries would need to PAY MORE if they want to buy our exports. Is that a good thing for a country that depends on the exports of its agricultural and oil produce, and low-technology products? With so many other countries able to supply these same products at a lower price (due to weaker currency), will any country want to buy from us?? One huge reason why China has kept its RMB low...


• Foreign companies would need to INVEST MORE if they want to build their factories or set-up branches in the country. Is that a good thing for a country which has been consistently "chasing away" its talents, losing its competitiveness to neighboring countries? Is that a good thing for a country that is obsessed about setting a minimum wage but never thought about ways to raise its productivity?


• Citizens will be tempted to SPEND MORE especially traveling overseas since MYR$1 can buy so much more now. There is no denying that, but is it healthy? The same MYR$1 can't get you a decent meal in the country, but in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia or India, you might be spoiled for choices. But that is MYR$1 going OUT of the country! Conversely, tourists from other countries might not consider coming here to spend their tourist dollars based on the same logic!


• Corrupted officials will be GETTING MORE for the same amount when they siphon money out of the country... Imagine, one year ago, MYR$1 million would only get them USD$280,000, but now, the same amount would get them USD$320,000!! USD$40,000 more!! Almost 15% increase!! So who won't want to fleece MORE money out of the country??!


• We should be PAYING LESS for our imports since our currency is strong. That will only encourage irresponsible spending that we cannot afford. Even when we are paying less for our imports (theoretically), the government is still cutting subsidies and asking the people to pay more.. so where are all the money?? There should be some savings since we don't have to pay so much for our imports!


• Government should be SPENDING LESS on infrastructure projects since raw materials and manpower should be cheaper. Yet, it is throwing a couple of hundred millions here, a few billions there.. There is no review in project tender prices since suppliers should be able to pass these savings back to the government. The government will only GIVE MORE money to the supplier if the budget overruns, but never GET ANY money back when there are savings. Who is the government answering to??? The citizens or those huge conglomerates???

There is NO BASIS for our currency to be so strong against the US dollar. Whatever we produce or export, other countries can produce or export at a cheaper price. Ours might be of better quality but countries will be willing to give a chance to these cheaper alternatives.. Do we have any world renown high-tech industries? or any high-value exports? We were one of the 4 Asian Tigers in the 1980s, but where are we now?? GDP (PPP) per capita for Singapore in 2009 is $50,523, Hong Kong $42,748 and Taiwan $31,834. And Malaysia? $13,769, lower than Gabon and Libya!!

Our FDI is shrinking when our neighbors are all having very healthy FDI figures. The senior politician who said that our FDI suffered cos of the economy crisis should just kept his mouth shut or admit that he IS indeed senile. MORE Money is flowing OUT of the country than it is flowing IN. It doesn't take a genius to see that the country is going to be "empty" in no time!!

So mark my words, the government will cut more subsidies after next month's Hari Raya Puasa.. After all the rosy economic picture the government has painted, when it comes to cutting subsidies, they will try to scare the people into submitting to the "inevitable". Yet the inevitable is that this country is going down to the dogs as they have plundered the country clean.. So better start stocking up on cooking oil/rice/whatever that has yet to have its price risen the last time.. This government is trying to get as much $$$ as possible from the people before the next election cos they might not have the chance after that...

Pangkor Trip.. Pt I

This year, I've yet to go anywhere for holidays.. well, I am practically "on holidays" everyday since I am still without a job.. :p so this 3D2N trip to Pulau Pangkor (Pangkor Island) was more for my sis than for me.. she just had to get away from her job for a while..

One of the reason for choosing Pangkor was that it is near (2 hr drive away), it is quiet (not known for its nightlife or shopping) and it is an island (my sis haven't been to a beach 'resort' for holidays).. and I became the holiday planner.. securing accommodations, getting directions and planning itinerary for the trip... no complains from me.. :)

As I was the one doing "research" on this trip, I knew what to expect.. which was not have ANY expectation.. my sis has been to many cities in Europe, Russia, Japan and Singapore, so she was pretty disappointed, especially with regards to the lack of makan (Malay word for eating) places and lack of maintenance for some of the few "touristy places" on the island... (Almost) every building there looked either run-down or neglected, except for a few newly built ones.. Thus one thing is certain, none of us will be going back there any time soon..

Okay, enough of words.. it is time for some photos! :)

Wide open road.. we took the old trunk road and not the highway..

The Lumut Jetty

Since we went there mid week, not much crowd and most of the shops around the Jetty were closed.

3 companies operating ferry services to Pangkor Island..We took Mesra (the one with the red signboard on the right)

MYR$10 for round trip to the island..

The ferry that we took.. and surprisingly it was packed full with passengers when it left Lumut..

The Lumut Jetty from the ferry..

Some photos of the Pangkor Town...





Next entry, the hotel that we stayed in and the views around the island..