Happiness (VI)

This is something I'm still learning to do...

...and will keep reminding myself to chill at times...


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (V)

This is what I hope to create in my home in Malaysia....

but first I need to ship all the books I currently have in Taiwan back first... >.<



Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (IV)

This is what I hope to do more...

and the one huge reason why I like to do couch-surfing, like I did in 2014.. Looking forward to more CS experience in the future!!

Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (III)

This is what I would like to do.. as I've seen, hear and experienced so much..

Though not many like listening to me as they think I'm boasting, but those who do listen often like to come back for more...  :)


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright.. 

Happiness (II)

Today's much simpler...

It's what I like to say: I can live anywhere as long as there's a clean bed and good internet connection..  :)

Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright.. 

Happiness (I)

I want to share my take of happiness with drawings from Last Lemon.. I'll share one everyday till end of the year..

The first one is what I'm doing right now.. or kinda...

so in a way, I'm moving in the right direction.. :)

These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright.. 

Birthmas 2016

Writing this on Christmas Day... the third day of my annual 'do-anything-I-like' holidays.. for those uninformed, I usually have a (self-imposed) 4-day holidays in Dec, namely winter solstice, my BD, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.. since this year's winter solstice happened a day earlier than usual, it's just a 3-day celebration for me this time round.

Had a (somewhat) fun BD this year.. I kinda broke my 'tradition' of staying in during my big day.. instead, I went out for a walk around the neighborhood and along the Tamsui River in the morning.. Bought a few lottery scratch-cards and won some money for a change, which is definitely a good sign, since I usually have zero luck in any gambling activities..

Anyway, couldn't really remember when was the last time I felt as good on my BD.. maybe it was a spillover celebratory effect from my sis's wedding... maybe it's my new colored hair making me feel young.. maybe it's the video chat, over FB, I had with my dearest friend in Australia whom I've not seen for years (although we do keep in contact via social media).. I've not heard anyone singing 'Happy BD' to me for such a long time that when the three of them (including her boys) sang I almost cried.. it felt good to be remembered... all in all, we chatted for more than 3 hours.. :) Can't believe how big the boys are right now...

Somehow I feel good about the coming year(s), even though I have tons to do, most importantly write that paper (and have it published) and graduate.. I've procrastinate long enough.. time to get things done and move on to the next phrase of my life, whatever and wherever it may lead me..

Here's a toast to my 42th year on this Earth!

Olympics

Have always been a sports fan, and there's no greater sporting event than the Olympics.. been glued to my TV since the Rio Olympics started more than a week ago.. watching any and every live (or repeat) broadcast of any events.. alas, there's whole lot of interesting (team) sports that weren't shown..

Since the next Olympics is going to be in Tokyo, Japan, and I have free lodging (kinda) there, I'm definitely not going to be absent from this world class sporting event in 2020! Watching the Olympics in person is one of my bucket list, so I'm definitely going to fulfill this wish list of mine.

Referencing the official website,  I'm already planning what sports to watch.. :)  most probably, I will try to catch women's football, handball, hockey, karate, rugby and volleyball games. Yes, I chose mostly team sports because firstly, these sports are seldom shown on TV as women's team sports are not popular in Asia, except karate maybe. Secondly, I used to play most of these sports, except football and rugby, so it will be great to watch world-class players in action. Finally, it's more fun cheering for teams than individuals.. And no, I won't want to watch the usual favorites live, like swimming, basketball, athletics and diving, since I know tickets for those events will be selling like hotcakes and there will be no lack of fans cheering the athletes on. Also, I may also stay and watch the Paralympics too, since I've never watch any events from this "parallel Olympics".

Am gonna start saving... so that I may fully immersed in that awesome Olympic sporting spirit as a spectator!!

if something's strange in the neighborhood....

Just went to the cinema here to see this latest 're-invention' of one of my favorite movies.. Ghostbusters!!

I REALLY like it  A LOT!! I had a great time and really good laughs... It's both nostalgic and new.. the bond and camaraderie between the ladies are very strong. And with three out of the four leads coming from SNL (that's Saturday Night Live for the uninitiated), these ladies are simply hilarious! Both Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones can really hold their own against more seasoned Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. It was really fun watching them have fun. Also, I liked the way how the original cast of Ghostbusters cameo-ed in the movie. 

Maybe some might think, "Meh.. what's there to watch about 4 girls doing what real men were supposed to?" That's so sexist and condescending!  Heck, some of the world's most influential countries are now headed by FEMALE leaders. According to this website, there are a total of 22 female leaders in the world as of Jan 2015!! And with the inaugurations of President Tsai Ing-wen (Republic of China - Taiwan) and Theresa May (the UK) this year, that number may be higher!!

I think everyone should just leave their misogynistic views and sexist feelings aside, and just go in and enjoy this fun-filled summer (movie) treat. Would totally watch its sequel(s) !!

If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
(Ghostbusters!)

If it's somethin' weird an' it don't look good
Who ya gonna call?
(Ghostbusters!)

dumbest reason to do a PhD

Would you enrolled in a PhD program just out of spite?

Background: X is a Masters student under the guidance of Prof Y. Prof Y stopped X from getting his Masters by giving X a failed grade for his Masters thesis while all other members in the thesis panel gave him high marks. In the end, X had to find a new advisor last minute, but managed to graduate. X is a well-established professional in his own field and is rich. The Masters degree was just another feather in his cap.

Now: X has enrolled in the PhD program within the same department as an attempt to 'spite' Prof Y and has chosen another prof, Prof Z, as his PhD advisor. Also, X 'purposely' took Prof Y's classes so that he can rub 'it' in Prof Y's face.

When I first heard about this, my first reaction is "what a stupid thing to do!" and "what's the point?" In my opinion, to do something just to spite someone is the dumbest and most childish thing to do. If he likes to do research or he wants to get a foothold in the academia, then by all means, go get a PhD. But to do a PhD just so he can 'rub it' in his ex-advisor's face is probably the most moronic act of self-sabotage.

What can X hope to gain from such shortsighted action? Prof Y is an experienced researcher and noted scholar in his field. Although he is quite controversial and sort of a loner, he is still a senior faculty member of the dept. Will Prof Y even care that X is back as a PhD student? Or care that X went to Prof Z instead of him for guidance? If X does well in his PhD, Prof Y can still claim credit to X's success since he did guide X for almost 2 years. If X doesn't do well, Prof Y can declare that he had foreseen what a failure X is and that's why he failed X's Masters thesis. It's a NO-WIN situation for X.

Everyone who knew about this backstory was egging X on and is sharing this story around like some juicy gossip. Frankly I just don't get it. Maybe some people just need some excitement in their lives. Me? I think I'll skip.

saw

Finally went to see a movie last week..  And I think I will go and watch it again this week.. this is just the second movie that I (will) watch twice in the cinema.. heck, I might even watch it more than twice if I have the time next week..  yes, that's how much I like it.. It premiered in the US last year, took it long enough to reach TW.. but at least it is being shown here.. it wasn't allowed in many countries cos of the story. Read the book a couple of years ago when I asked my library to get it. Just checked and found that the book is now reserved by 3 person, while the Chinese translated version is reserved by more than 7.. Think I will get a (paper) copy for myself one of these days..

...flung out of space...

librocubicularist

finally found the word that describes who I am... especially at night or on a rainy day..

binge

I love to binge... on TV shows, that is.. ^.^

I like to keep several episodes and watch them all at one go.. I will allocate a day, most often the weekends, to do that. I will cook myself a simple lunch/dinner/supper and start watching from morning till whatever time.. although I know I should binge on books, especially my research-related books, instead of TV shows, I can't help myself..

Can't wait for some shows to start in March (House of Cards, Quantico and Deadliest Catch), April (Orphan Black and Game of Thrones) and May (Penny Dreadful), just to name a few...

so many shows.. so little time...

sometimes

Indeed...

Sunday Serenade: ghost town

Like this song by Adam Lambert... cos it describes aptly my current situation.. "My heart is a ghost town"..


Ghost Town
performed by Adam Lambert

Died last night in my dreams
Walking the streets
Of some old ghost town
I tried to believe
In God and James Dean
But Hollywood sold out
 
Saw all of the saints
Lock up the gates
I could not enter
Walked into the flames
Called out your name
But there was no answer
 
And now I know my heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town
 
Died last night in my dreams
All the machines
Had been disconnected
Time was thrown at the wind
And all of my friends
Had been disaffected
 
Now, I'm searching for trust
In a city of rust
A city of vampires
Tonight, Elvis is dead
And everyone's spread
And love is a satire
 
And now I know my heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town
 
There's no one left in the world
I'm gunslingin'
Don't give a damn if I go
Down, down, down
I got a voice in my head that keeps singing
Oh, my heart is a ghost town
 
My heart is a ghost town
Oh, my heart is a ghost town
(Said, my heart)
My heart is a ghost town
My heart is a ghost town









Have a great week ahead!

one long year

Can't believe I've not update this blog for almost a year... time flies... kinda cliche but it's true nonetheless..

Didn't visit any (new) country last year.. stayed in my room most of the time.. didn't even go to the university/library/department as often as I liked..

2015 was an uneventful year.. nothing much happened, personally and professionally.. still struggling to write and produce research papers... after that trip to the Netherlands and Belgium, my productivity dropped drastically to almost non-existent..  

2015 was a fairly busy year, but with other people's research.. was assisting 2 professors in their paper translations and is the journal assistant for my department.. been reading a lot, but unable to put my thoughts onto paper...

Hopefully I will be more productive in 2016.. promised my adviser that I'll have a paper for him by end of April, so that's a dateline I intend to keep.. I foresee lots of things happening this year.. so let's hope I'm ready to handle them..