The Present

This is me, the present me.

I have indeed gained several pounds over the last 2 years but I have also toned up a few inches of muscles around the chest and arms.

I recalled the times when I was so thin during my teen years. Chopsticks, was one of the names I was known as those days.

I have only 2 sweat shirts and this is my favorite one from University of Saskatchewan's Huskies sports team. I planned to get another set for HF when we go to Canada next year and make all our pictures boring for every places we go -- we're going to be wearing the same clothings everytime. Now, that's ambitious! 

In my arms, always!

 

Among the giants

Giant sunflowers around The Village Hotel's parkade.

HF is always attracted to sunflowers, not the other way round. My sunshine... just as the sunshine is to the sunflower.

Lovely pic!

ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/640 seconds
Aperture: F /8
Focal length: 40 mm
Exposure Program: Manual 

Complimentary fruits by The Village Hotel, Cardiff.

Shot using my newly acquired Canon 350D with its original lens.

ISO: 200
Shutter speed: 1/15 seconds
Aperture: F /5
Focal length: 40mm
Exposure program: Manual
Lighting: Incandescent/bulb lighting 

Cardiff Town Hall

With much regret to even mention this, Cardiff was supposed to be the city where I should have come 2 years ago. A visit to the beautiful and lively city had made me face my sorrows and regrets with positive attributes. Thanks to HF!

I would not have met such a wonderful person as HF had I gone to Cardiff. I'm contended. 

Rock of my heart

My love is steadfast for you, my love, just as the rocks of the Stonehenge, which have stood for over 5,000 years and still going strong (albeit through numerous preservation and restoration processes).

Relaxing on the grounds of the Stonehenge under an amazing weather! When we arrived, those gloomy clouds were already leaving. Unexplanable phenomenon. Lucky, I guess! 

Silhouette of time

An attempt to create a silhouette of the rocks of the Stonehenge, England. The only issue I have with this picture is the numerous clouds in which otherwise would have been a better picture, I supposed. 

Rhossili Bay

Arrived at Rhosilli Bay, Swansea, and was welcomed with such an amazing weather-- bright sunny with clear blue skies and not too many clouds. We parked next to a church with burial grounds (some dated way back to 1885) but thankfully, our vehicle was not spooked.

The bay, recommended by the landlord of The Rock Villa Bed & Breakfast, was indeed an amazing and spectacular. It has deep shore lines probably due to low tides and it looks as though the waters had retreated further out. It was almost half a kilometre walk to the water from the beach. It was not crowded and best of all, it is not comercialized as those of Scarborough's beach.

There are trails and tracks up along steep hills and mounts overlooking the bay. The view was breath-taking. It was very windy and I could not recall a moment without breeze.

Upon arrival, we planned to stay for only 45 minutes but because everything exceeded our expectations, we remained there for 3 hours. It was so beautiful.

Bank robber of sort

Frank Caliendo's Bush Impersonation

A very funny imitation of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton! One of the best impersonation of GWB I've ever heard.

Giant Anaconda's Complex Engineering Bite

My Brother

Happy Birthday to you, Brother!

Nothing could have been better to know you are always there
There are times when I hated you for your annoyances
but that's only because I failed to recognise our differences
and that we are each an individual bonded by love and family
and surely too we share also a lot of similarities since our growing ups.

Nothing could and should tear us apart
although sometimes your stillness and quietness aggravates me much
for I would often cry out for you to look out for me as my elder.
You may have your reasons for doing the things you do
but know that I have much respect for you and I do look up to you.

Happy Birthday, my brother!

Decided

It has come to the time when I have to make one decision for my future. It would involve a biggest sacrifice.

Coming to Leeds Metropolitan University Law School was an unstudied decision and I only realised this after 2 months of attendance. The LL.B degree that will be issued by LMU will not be recognised by the Malaysian government. I had to change university but all universities were reluctant to consider my application into their second year program (see email below). A year past and earlier this year I tried to be admitted into Cardiff University's final year in which I was given an offer. It was declined but they offered me an unconditional offer to do their second year.

The email I received yesterday:
Dear Danny,

Thank you for your recent email. I can confirm that the Director of Overseas
Recruitment have now reviewed your case and I am pleased to confirm that he has
agreed for you to enter Cardiff Law School into year 2.

I have forwarded Academic Registry the details and they will inform UCAS
shortly.

Kind regards


Emma Williams
Admissions Secretary
Cardiff Law School

I have just finished my second year and I am reluctant to do second year again even though Cardiff University's LL.B is recognised by the Malaysian government.

I have recently been employed to work in a food franchise here in Leeds after months of searching. If anything at all, I should consider myself lucky to be employed. To have employment would mean the gain of work experiences. To leave for Cardiff would mean sacrificing 2 things: work experience that was hard to come by, and 1 year's time. The latter is a huge sacrifice in which I do not want to lose at all. A lot can be done and achieved within a year's period.

Instead of doing another year of second year, I could have finished a postgrad study in the Master's level right after I finished LL.B from the crappy substandard LMU's law school.

A mistake of the past is but a mistake of the past. If there should be a remedial action that warrants a bigger sacrifice, then perhaps the mistake should just be left as it is and take it as a lesson learnt so as not to be repeated.

Been wonderful

A couple of weeks ago, I was almost on the verge of giving up staying on in Leeds and thought of heading home for a short vacation if I still could not find any sort of employment. HF could not have been a better blessing -- she informed me about a poster advertising to recruit people to work at a Bagel Nash store that was due to open some time soon. I did what I had to do and two hours later I got an interview and got the job and was to start on Monday, July 31st.

Seemingly unbelievable as I headed home, I kept thanking God and HF for such a wonderful blessing. I would rather be working 12 hours a day than to stay at home doing nothing; and now the most hours I have worked was 10 hours. I have been trained over the past week by extremely warm-hearted and patient people and as a result, I just couldn't help but to benefit from their mentorship.

Besides, the other interesting subject I think is worth mentioning is the best or ideal method for making espresso. James Hoffman, who came fifth place in the World Barista Championship (first place in UK), visited our store to lecture on how to make the best espresso. He has, well, of course, revealed his secrets of coffee brewing and we have all benefited from his lecture. It's not that I will one day become a brewster but it was something I have never thought of knowing or even learned in my lifetime and I do now. "It's so good to know" is all I can say.

I have made a lot of mistakes but that is gradually going down. The start of something is always slow and difficult but with time they will all be overcome. And I'm getting there. It has been an enjoyable experience so far.

Last Wednesday was also my first time to have tried SCUBA diving. Scuba diving and its equipments has long been my curiousity for a very, very long time. It was really fun and a different experience to have put on all diving gears and carrying an air tank on my back in the water; breathing through the air regulator; etc. The frightening part was when we were told that our lungs will 'pop!!' if we had not exhaled (breath out) in the water as we surface because of the difference in air pressure taken in from the air tank. I thought, "This can be fatal?! I don't want to burst like an over-blown balloon IN or OUT of the water!" Soon, after a few practises it all came naturally. Breathing was so natural via the regulator from the tank. The only thing I remembered that I had to manage quite a bit was balancing as I peddle forward in the water.

When all the demonstration was over, I convinced myself to scuba dive again in Malaysia with HF when we go back home. There are simply just so many beautiful things to see underwater -- corals, marine life, etc. -- that I think it would be a shame to miss in life. She is a great person, a person who is not afraid to take up on any challenges... outside of water. IF only I could.

Holographic TV

The future of TV could be nearer than you thought.

Russell Peters Stand Up Comedy -- China Man

Orthodontic retainers

It should not be surprising for those of you who had undergone orthodontic treatments in the past to know what a retainer is; otherwise, it is an appliance used to hold teeth in its new position after orthodontic treatments.

The retainer only needs to be worn a night once a week depending on the person's condition. The teeth is always shifting back to its default, unmoved, and prior to treatment position and the retainer helps to prevent that likelihood. This can be proven whenever it is time to put back on the retainers as you will feel a tightness of misfitting as if like your index fingers to your pinky fingers invertly coming together (see illustration below).

I have always felt this and I still wonder when will the time come when I will be liberated from putting on retainers week after week. Once I asked, "Was the orthodontic treatments effective at all? I mean, if so, why did the orthodontist advised to apply retainers for the rest of my life?" I freaked a little at his last few words. Well, then I told myself that will not happen because then I could have just lost all of my precious teeth and already had a set of detachable fake teeth (like those of old people's) as I approach my golden years.

Over the years, I realised something which I think is significant -- that the body remembers what has been moved and what has NOT be moved; OR what has been different. This body memory has been giving me nightmares about my teeth! I know it sounds very odd but I believe this condition can be related to The Invisible Cripple Syndrome. Often when I do get nightmares about my teeth, I will almost always be in a situation when I will feel a virtual lost or impartial lost of my oral assets OR that horrible feeling of a loosened teeth that is due to come off in all of my teeth and the only thing that is holding them back is its nerve and vein endings still attached inside the gums.

Already in that condition in my dream, to make matters worse, the dream follows a desire to eat; i.e. invited to a party, just stepped into a restaurant, offered some sort of food etc. However, I know (consciously and subconsciously) that that "loosened teeth" condition (teeth falling out) will soon subside and I can do whatever I want with my mouth.

This is the only nightmarish dream that I remember and may seem to be common among teenagers but I attribute this to the fact that the body remembers what it was like before and wants it to be in default its position but it can't because it is being controlled and maintained by this appliance called retainer.

After all, agonies such as the above was for the sake of a good and confident smile. Worth it? In the long run, yes, it is worth it.

Defeat Darth Vader the Japanese way

Intersexual Chimerism

Life at the moment

One year has past since living in the city centre and thankfully I need not move, maybe not just yet and hopefully I don't have to. I recalled the many times I have been moving lugging all new and old things to the new place at least twice a year throughout university time in Canada. It did look like that initially when I moved in and settled in Leeds but I'm praying for peacefulness, at least for the moment.

It was Canada Day yesterday. I sent a postcard of Leeds University featuring the Parkinson Building on a clear sky to my host family who is in Saskatoon. They have a white huskie with blue eyes and I think that was the reason they named it Blèu. The last time I saw Benjamin he was much taller and have grown lots. I am sure he'll be as tall as Jerôme, if not taller. They are all great musicians. They used to bring me to their Mennonite church whenever there was an event going on. We would find ourselves playing boardgames after. That was how I rediscovered my likings to boardgames; e.g. Cranium, Balderdash, Settlers of Catan, Seafarers, etc.

At the moment, life seems to be stalled with no jobs and I'm living out my days at the gym and outside of home. The broadband service at home has ceased due to some miscommunications over BT's end. When broadband is on, we (as in all of us generally) would spend most of our time doing nothing productive. When there's no access, we feel something's missing. So, in short, I guess we're just loving to do nothing. Life without broadband seems empty and HF has just related that she felt empty too.

Been thinking of getting on the road again. I need a job to pay off some bills that comes with the maintenance of the car. That way, HF and I can go just anywhere without relying on others, i.e. public transportations.

I guess that will be all the rantings I have for today.