Tour Eiffel

Focal length: 50mm prime
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 1/250 s
Exposure compensation: +/- 0 EV
Mode: Manual
Date: May 28, 2006
Time: 16:30

Shot along Port de Suffren and Avenue de Suffren, heading towards the steel tower.

Later, decided to jump on the river cruise at 17:00 on Pont d'Lena and returned an hour later to have a crepé along Avenue Gustave V de Suède.

We went all the way to the top of the tower. It was a 30 minutes wait in the line but the queue moved rather swiftly.

The ape that I am

Aping in a souvenir store. I just couldn't help comparing my tummy with this ape, albeit not as large as the ape but it's symbolic!

HF paused when she saw this ape sitting on its photo throne then called for me in excitement. She just had to have a photo of me with "cute ape". I know exactly what that insinuation meant. *wink*

I vowed to myself that I shall not become any where near the size of this ape, especially on the belly's area. 

Are you going to Paris?

The Experience
We have been for a short vacation for some time now and actually got into finalising our plans. We planned to travel in May. That was also the examination month. I wrote my last paper on Friday's morning May 26th and we flew off to Paris, widely knowns as La ville lumière, later that night. I was already on the edge of losing 'it' all as my stress of examinations was mixed with excitement of our Paris retreat. So, yes, we are going to Paris.

The failure of last year's trip to Rome escalated our worries that we might not go to Paris this time because of Schengan visa problems. But thank God everything went well and pictured above are the two of us, HF and I, waiting at our departure gate 7 Manchester International Airport, filled with exciting anticipations and I have reasons to believe that this moment was one of HF's most ecstatic moment.

It was an hour's flight to CDG Internationalè and got on the RER train to the city, which took about 50 minutes. A French gentleman, who looked like he just returned from a business trip, helped us determined which station we should get off when we both looked lost & confused with the train map still held in our hands each.

Our experience in Disney park, a 45 minutes train journey, was exhausting but every minute in the park was so worthwhile filled with childish joy & happiness as we walked back on memory lanes that we were not even aware of time.

That would be my first Disney experience. Everything was déja vu and they were all quite magical, really. Pictured on the right is a photo when we just arrived on the grounds of Paris Disney by train. The weather did not look very promising but after a prayer's request, everything went the way we wanted. Some little magic there.

HF were photo-crazy most of the time and it was not quite uncommon under the circumstances; even I was not an exception.

I have surely realized that when you're happy and and your surrounding never stops that encouragement, the essence of time departs from you. When the sun was setting and the beautiful twilight skies became evident, it struck me that we've been on the park for already the past ten hours and we were still not tired. I have a flat-feet condition and oddly enough both my feet did not complain as regularly as when I'd accompany HF out for shopping, which would otherwise bored me and reduce me to a complaining slop. Thousands of people then congregated before the castle waiting for the fireworks show of Magical Disney. Lo and behold! The experience was awesome!

Displayed here are some of the pictures taken. Do drop by http://www.flickr.com/photos/xenodat/ for the rest of them.

Our Disney experience was over that night and I realized that we were amongst the majority who have been at the park since morning. But it was not quite over for us as the experiences gained lived on.

The following days, we visited:
1. Funiculair de Montmartre
2. Moulin Rouge
3. Arc de Triomphe
4. Champs Elysees
5. Louise Vuitton store
6. Boat cruise on Seine river
7. Eiffel Tower
8. Notre Dame
9. Musée du Louvre

Ever heard that Paris is the most romantic place on earth? I still think that any place (must be tourist's hot spots) can be as romantic as long as you're with the right person and right place. The Funiculaire de Montmarte was one of such place to me at the time.

At the top, there was a harpist playing his melodies, just perfect for the occasion. Every tourists just sat and relaxed at the steps while he plays on the plateau as though it was his little orchestra with amphitheatre seatings. It was just perfect. It was romantic. I believed the tunes have strummed the strings of HF's heart; well, mine too.

The cathedral was awesome. We arrived just in time for the Catholic Mass. One should experience this as part of one's travel.

There is, however, an important note that must not go unnoticed. There are a lot of black people hanging around this place seemingly waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of. BE CAREFUL! They are very convincing to lure you into their/his trap where you will be ripped off. Each of them will have colorful strings/threads in their hands and will approach you to "just try this on" and if you allowed, he will start to weave the strings into a braid either on your finger or around your wrist. He will keep talking to you and when he finished braiding, he will ask you for a small donation of at least 50 EUROS (€50) and you cannot help feeling extorted for money as he will not accept anything less. In this picture (left), the girl in the pink handbag has been victimised. I overheard her conversation to her partner saying "... but I don't want this stupid band. He asked a lot of money for this stupid thing..." after the entire ordeal was over. She threw away the band. There a lot of these bands on the ground, all of them unwanted and thrown as rubbish. Do you want to spoil your holidays over a small colorful 3-4 inches band?

When you arrived at the Abbesses subway station (Green line: Porte de la Chapelle), just go to your destination and ignore any person offering you "try on" some braided rubbish. Thanks to my girlfriend who warned me beforehand.

Moulin Rouge is in Paris?? I thought it existed only on the silver screens! Moulin Rouge is Paris' red light district area (Pigalle station)?? I was dazzled by the fact that HF brought us there just to check out the place. The Can Can dance was popularized here, I guess. HF noticed some very good looking French hotties but only later did she realize they were actually "working" -- prostitutes. We were there to take a shot of the red windmill as seen in the musical film of Moulin Rouge (Nicole Kidman).

There were not many tourist that stopped by here as we did but rather, passed through this area in their tour buses. We went into this Supermache Erotique, which is a stone's throw away from the Can Can girls showroom (Illustrated), to do some contemporary shopping. I was surprised that HF liked the big ones more, I felt a little intimidated. No, I was just pulling some legs here. The surroundings of this area was slightly different from other places we've visited.

To sum it all up, it was all a memorable experience that we have each taken home with. Will we come back again? Definitely, but next time we will dine in a proper French restaurant and I will be able to place orders in French!

Excuse Me, Can you photo us?
In this era of digital photography, the question above is a question that you will not have NOT heard of. Even I have defied that trend by boldly going up to a french couple and say "Do you want me take picture for you?" accompanied with some Italiano sign languages. Hereafter I have learnt my lesson and that is to mind my own business and not intervene because they both said no. I guess they were happy with the pictures. *laughs at myself*

HF and I were the only couple with a big & heavy tripod and I was the only person with a SLR camera; and everybody else thought I was some sort of photographer maniac (more like an expert as I would prefer). I even overheard someone exclaimed, "Tripod! A tripod. I should have (&*^%$&@$(* brought mine...!" after walking past us. In a tiny place with not much space up on the top of the Eiffel tower, I bet some tourists have already recognized us as we have circled the top for more than 10 rounds.

Many have came to me asking for a little favor. Some approached the amicable and pretty HF for the same favor but she kindly passed the favor to me. One person, probably a Lebanese, just turned to me and spoke, "Uhh, do you know why I cannot take picture of there", pointing out to the scenic city view of Paris in the night. "Everything black!", he continued. After much explanation about how flash photography is a bad idea for night photography, he tried it without flash and still didn't work. When asked him how much he got his camera for, he said £49. I was like "No! Seriously?! No wonder!"

Even though I brought my own tripod, when we left Eiffel tower's park and headed back to our hotel, I actually thought I have been a walking tripod for most people. Bring your own tripod next time!

Parlez-vous Anglais?
I was exicted and was looking forward to practise my French but little did I know that I did not even have the confidence of a mustard seed to speak out because I did not understand what was spoken. I could speak the language and understand some parts but not entirely but I was confident enough that I did not make myself a fool.

Are the French too arrogant to speak English? I would like to believe this widespread of French arrogance rumor is not quite true. The answer to "Parlez-vous Anglais?" would usually be a "Non" followed by a silence so uncomfortable that one would just walk away cursing him/her as arrogant. Firstly, not everybody knows the English language. Secondly, the French are not as arrogant as people think (language per se) but the tourists themselves are ignorant of the language.

If one goes to China, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, or Indonesia, one would naturally assume the locals either do not speak English well, or do not speak English at all. It is not their language.

Arrogance in behavior in the French people? Maybe. I'm not too sure about that, so this will not be discussed.

You might be interested to know that, generally, we got around Paris with English... of course, with some difficulties. I stepped into a French restaurant wanting to ask for their menu. A french waitress walked towards me and said,
"Je peux vous aider?"
"Bien sur", I replied. "Parlez-vous anglais?"
"Non.", she turned her head and walked away immediately and muffled something under her breath. Nobody came to us in the next couple of minutes so we decided to help ourselves to the menu and looked. We left the restaurant anyway.

Vivian stopped by a pastry store and was enticed by them. I took her in and we were greeted in French, thereupon I asked "Parlez-vous anglais?"
"Non.", she replied and kept silent.
I was confused as I did not know what else to say in order to ask what was the pastry called and its contents.
"Yes? How can I help you?", the lady who said no to us decided to speak to us again in her French accent.

Bottom line is, as a tourist, try to look as innocent and modest as possible by admitting that you do not speak French well. Ask politely if you can communicate in English with him/her. You will get turned off a few times but not all the time. They all know Paris is a tourist hotspot and over the years they have learned a few basic conversation in English. However, there was a little incident on our arrival where I actually felt I was being bullied just because I couldn't speak French. Ironically, the snob was not French-French, but an Arabic French bloke who was just showing off he spoke French so well as a foreigner with the intention of putting me to shame.

The weather
Through out the days of our visit, the weather was quite favorable but was not perfect on the last day. It was mostly cloudy and strong breezes but thankfully there was not even a drop of rain.

Debates
When couples go out traveling, they often run into little arguments and would normally engage in little debates over the final decisions. I like to keep it simple. Anything to do with directions should always be left to the man, whereas, planning travel routes and where to go next (travel iteneries) to the woman.

HF was trying to read the tube map!! And she was dictating to me where we should get off and switch stations to continue our journey! I was like, "No, honey, we're now on this line, we should get off here to switch to that line, then get off here to switch to this line and we arrived!". And she was like, "Hey, why don't we try... umm, okay, you said we're on this line, so why not take this line at this station, then take that line... uh, Danny, where are we now??". By this time, I was already confused because we would be going in cricles had we decided to go with her suggestions.

Before we left for Paris, she told me once that we have to stop by Louis Vuitton store in Champs Elysees, to which I agreed. We were at the store and she totally, totally lost grip of herself, which reminded me of a scene in Ice Age: The Meltdown when Scrat entered the gates of the Heaven of Nuts. The million dollar (or Euros) question for her I bet was "Should I buy?? Or Should I really, really buy now?". I do enjoy watching her fashioning up herself with those leather bags and seeing a different kind of smiles and emotions flashed out knowing that she was in her dreams. Spent an hour in the store. I enjoy my experience too, watching at people spending hundreds or thousands just to get a leather bag or other apparels with the LV insignias imprinted all over on the exterior, especially HF. However, I felt a little regret that I had to bring reality back to her and she understood and it took another 30 minutes before we arrived the exit.

Another warning worth knowing: There will be some people around this area coming up to seemly innocent tourists with a request to help them buy any leather products from the store. They will give you a credit card or something making it looks like you're not losing anything. I was told that your passport information will be noted down whenever you purchase from the store for either security reasons or for certificate of authencity or tax reclaimation purposes. DO NOT help! You will get into trouble with either the local law enforcers or the immigration department when you leave the country. To stay safe, just mind your own business. Being nice is being gullible to those people.

Yet another debate was over the exchange of English pounds to euro currency in desperate time. We were running out of time as we have to catch our train from Louvre Rivoli (station) to CDG and HF was still running about looking to buy a souvenir for her parents. We both ran out of euros for any more souvenirs and just the right amount for train tickets to the airport. She wants to get the little Eiffel tower that cost €3.00 but they would not accept English pounds. I found a Bureau d'Exchange and HF only wanted to change £1.00 coins to the equivalent of €3.00 but the person at the bureau said he doesn't take coins. HF has a £5 bill and I told her to change it for the euros she needed to get the souvenir but she was reluctant and refused and said "What am I going to do with the remaining euros?? I don't want to have the extra euros! It's a waste!". We were on very tight budget so I understand what she meant.

At that point, I was determine to grab her £5 bill and just hand it over to the bureau for some euros and I did. We went back to the souvenir store. She, on the other hand, was still sulking at the fact that I took that £5 bill and wasted the remaining euros. We got that souvenir and rushed to the subway station and was IN TIME for our flight. Had I not grabbed her £5 bill, we would have been late; we would still be arguing and debating whether or not that little Eiffel tower should be purchased. I asked her, "Look, what do you want? A souvenir for your parents? OR, to save your £5 bill and no souvenir for your parents?"

The answer under that circumstances was not very difficult to answer. Identify which is the bigger regret if you did not do, and avoid; choose another alternative. Woman, wake up!
Later, on the train, she admit she did not make the right choices given the situation. Everything was sorted out and we were pleased. We learned more of each other in this trip and I'm glad of the outcome too.

That's that.

Goofing Goofies

Goofing Goofies,
originally uploaded by davte.

I miss Goofy! I miss goofing around like this too. Much regrets now as I did not bring back my goofing Goofy's hat.

First and Last

First and Last,
originally uploaded by davte.

This is the first building we saw upon entrance, and the last upon exit.

Even after all the magical experiences Disney had to offer to everyone, the place and atmosphere still remained as magical.

I was really happy to be a part of Vivian's actualization of her childhood dream. It will NOT, however, be the last.

A last look

DSC03488,
originally uploaded by davte.

Just before leaving a whole days' of amusements and joy of walking down childhood's memory lane. In front of me and a few more steps will be the exit. It was really magical at Disney park.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

A normal day

It is the sixth day of the sixth month in the year two thousand and six. That could be simply written 6/6/06...
Besides the movie "The Omen" premiere's release today, nothing cataclysmic on the spiritual level affecting our carnal world really happened; OR if it did it wasn't a big deal to be deserved a special report on news channels.

My dillema

I'm in a simple yet complicated dillema. First of all, I find Vivian's undying loyalty to me belittles me in a very flattering way and she does everything for me that I think I am running out of ideas to reciprocate. However, I think we all can see that the only way for me to reciprocate whatever she's done and is doing for me now is by way of marriage, which is not what I want at the moment. I have already pledge my loyalty to her but it seems that that is never good enough.

Recently, Cardiff University responded to my application for a transfer of credits and the application went through. That would mean that I will be continuing my third and final year there should I choose to accept and make every necessary preparations. Secondly, I must stress that there would be no other reasons for me to make such a big move if it wasn't for my career (I hope to have a good start). And my career will eventually have an effect on the lives of Vivian and I. Agree? So, maybe you want to know why not LMU? I have confirmed that the LL.B degree issued by LMU is not recognised by the Malaysian Bar Council. Every law students who wishes to practise law in Malaysia must have pass CLP examination, and there are only a few law degrees from UK universities that the CLP recognises as prerequisite. Unfortunately, LMU is not recognised. To name a few, Leeds Uni, Oxford, Nottingham Trent Uni, Cardiff Uni. Leeds Uni has rejected my application, so has Nottingham. I did not have much hope for CU anyway until I got their letter on Friday. I need to have a contingency plan for what I am doing here and CU can give me that, not LMU. So, this briefly explains my preferences to moving.

Vivian is holding me back with threats and blackmail as usual. I totally feel for and understand her feelings. She makes me believe that I am a selfish bastard by doing this; that i have not even for one second considered her feelings when I made my choices. I'm torn between career-orientated goals and love life. She's making it as though it's a "choose me OR that".

I just don't get it. Why does it have to be that? I know she has a lot of other issues worth worrying, i.e. visa, work permit,... mostly immigration issues. Marriage seems to be, as she is convinced, the ticket out. But it's not what I want now. Her prime age for marriage doesn't mean it's mine, but in time I will be ready. Just not now.

Letter to HF
Dearest HF,
I do love you.
I'm not going to start with a lecture about how love should be setting one free and not being imprisoned with a short tight leash. I believe your wisdom would have already taught you that.

You were quite persistent in giving me examples of failures in a love relationship of other people because of long distance relationship (LDR). It is enough to say that you do not believe in LDR. While I am NOT advocating for LDR, I am also not saying that LDR will not work.

It is painful for me too to face a crossroad such as now, a choice whereby I have to choose BETWEEN a better career path from a better education in the long run and to be apart of you in the short run AND to not part with you in the short run and forgo an attractive offer with huge potential career opportunities in long run.

If I could be offered a good paying job in Shanghai just by being able to speak in English, why would I have even bothered spending much time, efforts, and valuable resources in legal studies? Please read my Essay to Cardiff University below. You will discover that I not just want to be a lawyer, but one with proper credentials so that, eventually, I may one day build a business empire of my own hopefully in the legal area.

We have been to Paris, and EuroDisney or perhaps a western based Disney land/park was the dream you were determined to fulfill -- meeting Disney characters in person. And you have. I'm extremely glad that you have, and I was overwhelmed to experience and be part of your most euphoric moment! I'm proud to say that we have a share of that moments of your dream. Travelling around Europe is the bigger part of your dream, and you have completed 1% of it. I'm determined to discover the remaining 99% with you. I want to!

On the issue of marriage, it is not that I am afraid of long term committment. I am not. I am just not ready this year. As I have said above, your prime age for marriage does not mean the same for me OR does not mean I have to either. It just does not work out that way. Marriage, as far as I know, is the willingness of two persons wanting to be committed to each other to a life time in love, trusts, and responsibilities; to care for one another in health, etc. Willingness is the keypoint here. It then should not appear surprising to you that "the question" is usually and universally known as "Will you marry me, [name]?"

Please, I beg you to stop your insinuations.
I, too, want to realize my dreams with your genuine encouragement, and right attitudes. You too have a part in this. Sacrifices are all part of love and life relationships.

Attractive offer?

I had to find a way out of LMU's law school and I did. A few months back I submitted applications to two universities namely Nottingham University and Cardiff University (Wales), both of which I had to write an essay to the question "Why do you choose Cardiff University as your choice?" (See below).

NU replied shortly expressing their regrets that I have not been selected for a placement. I wasn't very optimistic about CU either. So I did not give it much thought and have decided to continue with the LLB which I am already enrolled in with LMU.

Just a few days ago, I received news from CU announcing that I have been offered a place in their law school. I was delighted to hear, but I was not too sure that if I would be continuing my legal studies there as a final year student -- I did two years already at LMU law school.

It tears me apart to decide as my girlfriend now works in Manchester. I do love her much and words are all I have to give her my promise that we will be fine. Those words which I keep so closely to my heart and are so dear as she is to me. I remain true to myself and my words and with these I hope they can comfort her much.

However, nothing has been decided as of this moment as I am still waiting for further confirmation(s) from CU. Things are just in a mess right now.

A copy of the essay I wrote to Cardiff University is as follows:

Like everybody, there was a time when I had to make that decision of what I shall study in my
pursuit of higher education that will land me a dream job. I grew up in a society where the
only practical and respectable jobs were those of doctors, lawyers, and engineers. These were
the three major professions that were literally pounded into the minds of most children. I
was not an exception.

I believed I would grow up to be a medical doctor or a lawyer some day, but when I had to
make that decision while looking at my high school grades, I didn't think one school of
medicine or of law would take me in. I was poor in my mathematics as well then to consider
School of Engineering. My father popped the most dreadful question that required an answer to
that decision, What do you want to do? I was very much interested in reading law as I have
drafted and edited several legal documents including sales and purchase agreements for a
property development firm in Malaysia. I was unconfident in myself to achieve in anything at
this point. I chose Economics believing that it has nothing to do with arithmetic, calculus,
or mathematics. I was caught by surprise in what I have chosen by its level of difficulty but
I told myself that I couldn't just quit and run away from my fears. I took it as a personal
challenge and soon enough, I have proven myself to be valuable. After graduation, my level of
confidence was up and I believed I can achieve anything in life as long as I want them.
I now read law at Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and I am in my second year. The main
reason as to why I am passionate about reading law and wishing to practice some day soon is
because of the intriguing fact of power and authority that is vested upon the law itself. I
am fascinated at how the law have an active role that affects the lives of everybody in a
particular jurisdiction, and in a different way in another jurisdiction. At the same time, I
am also enthralled at how the law is punishing, and how it is protecting and serving justice
simultaneously. Perhaps it is true that we are interdependent of justiceJustice depends on
us, We depend on Justice as much.

I am particularly attracted to Lord Denning's and Lord Hailsham's (of Marylebone)
autobiography. These are two of the many renowned law lord that I admire, especially the
literatures and wisdom, in particular, they have contributed in the past and their presence
is still very much alive even today!

Recently, I had been assessed for a mooting session where the comments of the moot judges
were extremely pleasing and welcoming. "You did extremely well! We are very impressed at the
way you quote your cases; they were spot on! Nobody has ever done anything like you did
there! You portray a level of confidence I wouldn't have thought to expect for a first timer
in mootingYou may have good potential in advocacy skills"

As I progress gradually to completion of a law degree, I very much desire to obtain a more
internationally recognised law degree from this university, the Cardiff University, than from
my current university and my alma mater. Honestly speaking, this will be a career move for me
as there is a chance that I may return to my home country, Malaysia, to practice law.
Unfortunately, the Bar Council of Malaysia does not recognize the law degree issued by LMU,
thus a career move. When applied to read law in England, it was, admittedly, a rushed and
unstudied decision.

Cardiff University has a long history of excellent reputation and testimonies of exceptional
quality of delivered education that has benefited people of all walks of life and of all over
the world. I, certainly, do not want to be left behind! I have proven to myself once, I only
ask Cardiff University to allow me to do it once again. I want to be able to contribute to
the good society my service I acquired from Cardiff University. I want!

I wish I have the best wishes from everybody, especially ones closest to my heart IF it is so an attractive offer.

Phi-eel it everywhere

They all say that the number Phi, which is 1.6180339887, could be just an coincident as it appears in almost everything and everywhere in not only our world, but also the universe. No matter how massive the object is such as the milky way galaxy to the rings of Saturn, to the minute angstroms of life's building block-- the DNA -- Phi is evident.

If its occurences were such coincidence, then one must think that such degree of coincidence must diminish with the number of such coincidences, which will bring about zero coincidences because of the mere fact that phi occurs everywhere.

I was a little skeptical after reading a chapter from Dan Brown's Da Vinci's Code on this topic. I did a little search and even did some calculations on myself and I was convinced that the author did not just made an empty claim, but have actually done his research and verified his claims to be qualified as a standing evidence.

All lifeforms of all shapes and forms all points to the number phi. Seemingly hard to believe, even the Bible has in certain contexts employ the use of this phi number; e.g. when God instructed Moses how the Ark of the Covenant is to be made; when God told Noah how the Ark is to be constructed; etc.

I was even more surprised at the result when I took the Sine of the number 666, which is -0.80901699435, which is half of what phi is... and it's expressed in the negative, which could denote anti-phi , thus, anti-Christ because of the correlations of the number 666 as described in Revelations 13.

I then have a question. Will the anti-Christ be born when the world's population actually turned out to be 6,666,666,666? Currently, it's at 6.6 billion... and it won't be another 2 or 5 years before it hits that number. OR could the anti-Christ manifests itself when the world population hits that number? The big question is WHEN. Nobody knows when the world population will hit all sixes, but only God, and that was exactly what God told us in the Bible.

It's rather interesting to note in the Bible when God created the universe and life on earth as described in Genesis and relate it to the Fibonacci series: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144...n
"In the beginning, the earth was void and without form" That's the first number in the Fibonacci series, and the phi is 1 divide by zero = infinity, as is the universe -- nothingness. The following succession of phi is equal to one...

It is a thought, for some, worth considering; while others may not even bother perhaps because it's not even worth the time as nothing will be gained out of this ponderance. I rest my case

DMZ

Went down to London with HF to visit my cousins from April 19th to 23rd. Daryl, who was also visiting London from Bad Mergentheim, Germany, as grown up a lot to my surprise. The last I saw/met him was on grandpa's funeral 10 or 11 years ago. He's now 21 yrs old.

His side of family has the longest name in our entire family; bearing a middle name. Athough the many number of years of absence, we all were quick to break the ice and got along well and quickly. I would attribute this outcome to, perhaps, our family name in which we all share--Teoh (Zhang).

Such a gentleman that he is, I'm sure he has what it takes to face the challenges imposed by life itself. Learnt that later this year he will be serving in the Singapore's national service.

He will be in London or around England till this Sunday. I hope he finds what he's looking for. It has been a good time together, at long last!

Promising direction

I acknowledge the long absent from writing down my thoughts. A lot has happened to this day. What I have to say today is a terrific one. It about my first mooting experience on Thursday, March 23rd.

A lot of efforts have been put into the preparation for that 15 minutes on that day. Days and weeks of researches made me, at one point, almost break down. I must be aware of using proper mooting etiquettes, the rules and regulations of it all. Long story short, I managed through effortlessly, even though I had to read from my script I partially memorized. This way was good because then I had time to make eye contact with the moot judges.

Finally, the moot judges were very pleased with my performance and gave me proper credits where they belong. Perhaps the path to advocacy is a promising direction I must consider?

--------------------------------------------
Now that I am certain that I want to practice law, I want to be able to graduate with a degree that is recognised in my home country, as well as internationally, and the one from Leeds Metropolitan University is certainly not one of such. Because of this, I am in the process of enquiring and applying for a transfer to another university, possibly either Cardiff University or Nottingham Trent University. If at all possible without having to start year 1 or 2, then best choice, without the hassles of moving into another city with all the load of junks I have, would be Leeds University.

I cannot afford to gamble with my future prospect in which will, under most circumstances, support my life and the life of partner. Our arguments may be of equal sides -- that we may not understand each other's circumstances pertaining to the decisions we have to make right now -- but I'm doing all I can right now to make both ends meet. We'll have to see to it.

On the other hand, I really want to get out of England for a short period of holidays in the Europe. Time is of the essence here. I really do want to go with Vivian to actualize her dreams with her -- travel around the European nations (or at least part of it).

F.E.A.R

An acronym for First Encounter Assault Recon, rated #2 top games in Gamespot.com. I got the title and played it thinking it wouldn't be all that scary and gruesome, but, boy was I wrong.

The background musics were welcoming to start with but as soon as I entered a building where I had to carry out a recon mission, the musics begin to blend in a change to a rythmic tones, which was OKAY and sounded calm. It was when I walked through a 'thing' that looks like a floating black smoke or cloud in a varandahs that an image of a person without skin on his/her face with both its eyeballs gorging out and screaming in pain flashed in the front of my screen for a quick second... then I noticed the music changed to heartbeats pounding rythmically. That was also when this eerie feeling of walking around in the corridor alone gives me goosebumps and it creeps on all over my skin, afraid to walk further... with the sounds turned on!

I tried turning down the sounds, and eventually, shut everything off and played without sounds. The creepiness seemed to diminished. My girlfriend said, "What's the point of you spending twenty-over-quids just to scare yourself like that. And you're not making your money's worth by turning off the sounds!"

F.E.A.R is actually quite creepy. It's much more creepy and scary than Half-Life 2's Ravensholm... I think simply because Gordon Freeman is much better equipped. In FEAR, there are ghosts around that appears when you most least expected. The musics just elevates that fear sensation.

The game is good, but rather short, but then again, if the game is made to scare the freak out of you, it's worth it. Otherwise, I think you're better off playing Civilisation IV, Age of Empires III, Halflife 2, or the likes.

Goodbye my love

I received news today that my beloved dog, Whisky, had passed away because of age. I am convinced that he (yes, Whisky's a male dog) has lived his life satisfactorily and exceedingly happy. We had him since he was a month's old puppy. My dad fell in love with Whisky on first sight and decided to get it for my mother as a family pet.

Whisky is generally dark brown overall with obvious light brown spots above his hypnotic and convincing eyes, and lightly brown-greyish colored running from under his chin all the back to his base (where he'd sit upright), and partial beige paws. He's got a slightly long mouth that give him ample of space to stuff food in and swallowing them impatiently when the food's still half masticated. In all ways, he's a very cute and handsome, & undeniably intelligent dog with wits and IQ that never cease to startle us.

He's been living with us since 1990/1. That's 16 human years. It is a common belief that 1 human year is equal to 10.5 dog years for the first 2 years, since dogs reach adulthood within the first couple of [human] years, and 1 human year = 4 dog years thereafter. Based on this common belief, that makes Whisky 73-75 years old.

He has been a very faithful, loyal, and brave canine filled of enegy, charisma, and charm. Whisky has been blessed and he has given us his blessing. Our days with Whisky take us a long way back, and reminiscing those memories will only bring more joy and laughters, however, more tears and sorrows now that he's gone.

In fact, I find it quite unfair towards Whisky to say that he's left us. It was my brother and I who have left him first leaving him waiting, and waiting for over 3 years before I first return from Canada. That's at least 25 doggie years! A quarter of his lifespan. I personally feel very sorry to him and it hurts so much!

My father personally buried Whisky in our backyard, and my brother and I wasn't there. We're very sure one of his last thoughts before he breathed his last was, among other things, wondering where could my brother and I be.

Nevertheless, I believe my family and I are in agreement that Whisky is now in a better place where he doesn't need to chase rats any more, or cats/kittens around the compound of our house, or even catch birds, or more significantly, he doesn't need to kill iguana's for us anymore. He kept peace in our household. And he left in peace. We know he's in dog heaven at this moment, where he can rest in peace.

May God of the Heaven bless Whisky forever & ever. Amen.

Spectacular pyrotechnics show

The fireworks show did not start until the leap second completed. I was at the Millenium Square right in the city centre when they pulled the fireworks trigger and staged an extraordinary show. Fireworks came from 4 corners and the thundering booms in the sky were like never ending. The trails of light with colourful pattern, shapes and sizes were the only source of light and indeed, lighted up the night skies brightly.

There were many revellers already out there, some couples already planting kisses to their partners (including gays), some popped a champagne bottle and shared it among friends... I was there looking out for my girlfriend, who ran away after argument. I was at the Millenium Square looking out for her because this time last year that's the place where we had our first kiss and watched the fireworks show together. I waited for her to show up... hoping she'd put the past behind her, but no one was with me. I thought it was very rash of her...

I headed back home after 30 minutes of waiting. It was a 30 minutes of watching smiles, happiness, cheerfullness and what not in other people but myself. It was all my fault. We ate out that yesterday evening at a Japanese restaurant called Little Tokyo and I bought her a little stalk of rose. After dinner, she wanted to get some cash from a cash machine when a passerby man asked, "Excuse me, where did you get that flower?"
Without much thought, I responded, "Oh, you can have it" with my arms already extending out to him.
Vivian interrupted before he could say anything, "But that's my flower."
I looked at both of them and told the stranger, "Oh, she's just kidding. You can have it seriously"
"For how much?"
"Two pounds"
"Okay", then he digged his pockets for some coins and handed me two pounds.
Then Vivian said, "Yeah, you will probably need it more than I do."

Indeed, he will probably need it more than she needs it but that's not the point. To her, she really minds the fact that I sold the sentimental value that was already associated with the rose. I thought every girls would have got mad for my unreasonable conduct and figured it to be true. I mean, what was I thinking?!

I apologized. But she's going to take a while to get past it even though she's allergic to plants that have pollens.

Happy New Year to myself. No, that's not right. Happy New Year to us!


End of soliloque.

Christmas Cold

I've been anticipating for Christmas day, a day for joy and celebration for the past few days. My voice turned out to be muffled out a little on the Eve of Christmas. I didn't think it would hit me the worse and it did on Christmas day when I came down hard with fever and cold.

Aw, these joint-aches, headaches, and feeling light headed was driving up the walls; and I was coughing up phelgms profusely. It had to be throat infection. Despite all, HF and I tried our very best to put up a very merry little Christmas for ourselves.

I bought us a little Christmas tree and had it in the living room where I placed her present under it. She hasn't done so and I presumed she's going to make a surprise about it 'coz we've been ranting about Santa Clause for the whole night. So I made a joke claiming that I saw 'something' that is not suppose to be there and I know that's my present. Obvious enough, she was playing the denial game with me on that, but I could already see that she's already uncomfortable but still trying to put up a good show. So I'll just wait till Christmas morning.

We roasted duck instead of turkey just to be different from traditions. Both are of the bird species; and it's easier to roast a duck.

On Christmas morning, sure enough there was my present under the tree. I couldn't express how happy I was mainly because my senses have been slightly numbed due to high fever and cold. We stayed indoor for the entire Christmas day. She took care of me and I to her (I tried).

The streets were very quiet and seemed deserted. I suppose many have gone back to be with their families. It has and it is truly a blessing to have both of us for each other. I love her dearly.

Over the Christmas and New Year

It is not uncommon to get asked for your plans over the Christmas as it is holiday season over here. Most people will be going away either back to where their family/relatives are or for a short vacation. All sounds like a perfect plan to find peace and ease away.

I do not have that liberty to enjoy good times like that even if it is Christmas and New Year's holidays. There is much to do. Univ's assignment is piled up on my desk and the deadline is January 10th 2006. Right after, we'll be sitting for our exams.

Come to think of it, there really isn't much time to play around until exams are over. Time to get back to work.

On the line live

Yesterday (Wednesday) was officially the day when I started dialing out to Arcadia Stores' customers promoting them a product of GE Money. It went on for 40 minutes as a teaser trial for most of our batch are still new and fresh from training and very much still afraid to "go live".

It wasn't really so bad for the first time, however, we got a taste of what we'll be expecting to face as we go along. There were some red-neck customers of whom we classified them as irate customers. Not very welcoming, though. Surprisingly, I managed to pull off one successful sale. My first and only for that evening. Overall sales for the evening totalled three (3).

Today, I made two sales and I'm very happy with it. Our trainer awarded me a bottle of Sainsbury's white wine as recognition. We got a total of eight (8) sales today. Not too bad a figure for beginners and dialing for 2 hours.

As for Vivian, she's been working so hard and her extra hours been wearing her out. It's big sales day for Debenhams yesterday, today, and tomorrow; and she was awarded with 2 bottles of wine for opening the most store card accounts of the day. There's no doubt that she's good at this.

Yesterday's morning, I got a wake up call from Vivian that surprises me as it was not a normal call. She told me to check outside to see for myself a bomb threat that's happened and and around where I live. Found out later that, according to an employee working in Halifax building which is adjacent to Aspect 14 flats, there is a suspicious looking package in the building and just before 10am, the building security called for an emergency evacuation and the bomb squad arrived at the scene by 10:45am. If you see the inset picture, you'll notice police tape lines already set up their perimeter. No one was allowed to go in or out of the perimeter, and I was still in my flat taking this picture on my balcony. I was still quite oblivious as to what was happenning when she called as I just woke up. I therefore did not know how to appreciate the dangers of a bomb threat, which was why I was still able to grab a camera and shoot a scene outside.

It was a false alarm. Nothing happened that day and both building, Halifax and Aspect 14 flats, are still intact. Thank god.

Coffee doesn't raise risk of high blood pressure

Soda might, however...

Relax ladies and, possibly, gentlemen. Have that second cup of coffee. The largest study to date concludes that the caffeine won't raise your risk of high blood pressure.

However, too much soda pop, sugared or diet, might.

Harvard researchers set out to test the idea that a lot of coffee isn't good for your circulation. They followed 155,000 female nurses for 12 years, questioning them regularly about their caffeine-drinking habits and their blood pressure. No connection was found between their coffee intake and a risky rise in blood pressure.

In fact, results went the other way. Women who drank the most coffee seemed to develop some protection against the problem. The investigators continue to look into this possibility.

"A new study concludes that lots of coffee drinking doesn't cause high blood pressure, but soda drinking might. The study was done on women. (Staff photo Rose Lincoln/Harvard News Office)"

Caffeine may not be the reason, however. The researchers found that things went the other way when women drank copious amount of caffeine-containing colas. Sugared or diet, the soft drinks increased their risk of high blood pressure by as much as 44 percent, compared with those who drank very little soda.

Tea drinking produced mixed results. That beverage increased hypertension risk in younger but not older women. The study did not collect information on that warming winter favorite - hot chocolate.

"Given that coffee and other caffeinated beverages are among the most widely consumed in the world, any detrimental effects of caffeine on health could have enormous public health implications," notes Wolfgang Winkelmayer, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "High blood pressure is a silent, but extremely dangerous disease that impacts at least 50 million people in the United States alone."

And the numbers are increasing. That's the bad news because high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and lethal kidney disease. The good news, says Winkelmayer, is that "we can dispel the myth that habitual coffee drinking leads to hypertension in women."

What about men?

Can men also enjoy their daily coffee rituals without fear of upping their risk of heart disease?

"We currently do not know whether these findings also pertain to men," Winkelmayer answers. "The only long-term evidence comes from a recent study of about a thousand men, which found no suggestive association between caffeine intake and an increased risk of hypertension. We are currently investigating this issue. It's a work in progress."

Meanwhile, without any good evidence that they would react differently, men probably shouldn't worry about it.

Winkelmayer worked with colleagues from both Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health on the study. For these researchers, the big surprise was finding a link between consumption of soda and high blood pressure risk.

As they report in the Nov. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, older women, ages 43 to 71 at the start of the study, had the biggest risk of developing high blood pressure. Those who gulped four or more cans or glasses of caffeinated sugared cola each day had a 44 percent greater risk of hypertension compared with those who drank less than one a day.

Things were better for younger women, 26 to 46 years old. Those who sipped four or more cans of sugared colas increased their risk 28 percent compared with those who drank less than a can a day.

Things went even better for diet-soda drinkers. The risk for younger women rose 19 percent. The risk for older women increased 16 percent with four or more cans of diet colas.

Since the researchers found no increased risk of danger with either regular or decaffeinated coffee, they speculate that "it is not caffeine but perhaps some other compound contained in soda-type soft drinks that may be responsible for the increased risk of high blood pressure."

"At present, no biological explanation exists for the association between soda and hypertension," Winkelmayer admits, "therefore, no recommendations about soda drinking can be made."

Women concerned about the effects of drinking soda on their health may want to cut back on the fizzy stuff, but those who believe that life would not be as pleasant without several cups of coffee a day can relax and enjoy the popular beverage.

Article Extracted from: http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2005/11/08-coffee.html

Sore

I'm down with sore throat again. Yeah, again but compared to the first one last year, this time's not so bad. I looked up at Wikipedia for an article on Bird Flu (a.k.a Avian Influenza) and to my horror, I thought I caught the flu because it's symptoms fits what I had and still having.

Commom flu has the same symptoms and I couldn't get bird flu unless I am a bird. I thought why else would it be called as such. But then the H5N1 strain could infect people and have infected people. I should rule this out. Perhaps I'm just going through a normal phase of the body's immune cycle and should be fine in the next few days.

Halloween Night

We brought back a lot of memories, knowledge and information pertaining to AIESEC, made quite a number of people/friends, and most importantly grown in confidence and self-esteem, at least to me.

I have had some time to reflect on what I actually gained from the conference and contrasted the outcome to a potential situation where I did not attend. I must say I was surprised to see there was really a dramatic positive difference. I owe it big time to the people who ran the entire conference as they have duly inspired me in a lot of ways, especially one of our guest speakers named Marcus Orlovsky... and also because it is AIESEC.

There will be pictures of the Walsall AXIS 2005 in Birmingham as well as last night's Halloween party, where I creatively decorated myself as Darth Maul wannabe (who is a pod racer)

While waiting for the pictures of the conference to be available to me, I'll put up the pictures from last night. It was my first 'dressed up' Halloween party (at Carolyn's place) and thanks to a gentleman who made it possible. He brought with him a complete set of face painting and I had the privilege to them. When asked to guess what I am, most answered Spiderman. It was fun.

I had trouble getting the paint off my face later when I arrived home. The red paint smeared to my hands and the colors still stubborn and for a moment I thought I couldn't face any of my classmates tomorrow. At least, I will be getting stares and glares a lot... perhaps I'll just tell them I got a terrible sun burn in Birmingham! It was really hillarious getting it off... it took me about 45 minutes and felt like ripping my face off like 'The V' (TV series of the 80's).



Vivian dressed up as a cute pinkish bunny sporting a furry bunny tail ball and a bow tie. Since witches carry broomsticks, devils wield trident, fairies magic wand, so I thought I should complete the cute bunny with a piece of huge bright carrot. Creative, huh?

I'm missing my double-sided spear and a black trench coat. I will be better prepared for Halloween next year.

What was missing

It took a while to remember and eventually realize that my life here in the UK compared to the life in Canada was actually different not because of the environment, but because of one very important person that made it all different--my brother.

Andrew came 2 weeks later and we stayed in the same room for one academic year at the University of Saskatchewan's Qu'appelle Hall, Voyager Place. He is also a very good roommate. I missd being with him. After a year at Qu'appelle Hall, we lived separately and I still know that he's in town and I can look him up whenever I want to.

However, ever since I moved to live in Leeds, England, I didn't know until a few weeks back that he was actually the 'factor' that made me feel something was missing and I didn't feel complete. Perhaps I am used to being with him or having him, my big brother, around. The size of the city has to be irrelevant. When you actually know someone in a foreign city, it's going to make a lot of significant difference living in that city.

My cousins are in London and I knew I could look them up some times whenver I would go down. This, as oppose to nobody at all. I thought about it and concluded that I was once very fortunate, but not this time. I have to make it on my own... but now luckily enough, with my lady HF.

I have found both of them.
Can't help recalling the song "You light up my life"

Pictured here is myself and Kannan, the supervisor of Georgetown restaurant in Leeds. Kannan gave the most tremendous and brilliant night to both Vivian and I and it was unforgetable. I had him invited over to my place after his work to enjoy my birthday cake together. Kannan is from India on a working holiday visit. 

Vivian and I.

Just love this photo. 

You won't believe I actually blushed in this photo, which is why I look so, uhh, good? I know I look and feel happy and indeed, I was. 

Seated in a very elegant and beautiful Malaysian restaurant -- Georgetown -- with piano music in the background, toasting to my birthday with Vivian. That Singapore Sling is a compliment of Kannan, the supervisor of this restaurant who is extermely a brilliant and kind person. 

I'm the star of the evening! Check me out, it's me birthday! 

Vivian's platter who begged for a taste of Malaysian's food, I recommended her this savoury fish, a Malay's locale dish. Quite tasty but she couldn't prefer to sink her knife into my beef rendang. ;) 

My birthday dinner platter, my country's food -- beef rendang -- generousity of Vivian who made the evening ever more beautiful. 

Wine glasses and a free shot of Singapore Sling cocktail compliments from the supervisor of Georgetown restaurant who made it all possible. 

My birthday cake, a gift from Louise who runs a successful Chinese restaurant Maxi's. Very delicious! 

Here are all me friends including my beautiful Vivian beside me. Dorothy shot this photo, so, from left to right: Paul, Alfred, Torstein, myself, and Vivian. 

Torstein (pronounced as 'toousch-tainn') and myself on my double settee. 

These are the nicest people I've known during my stay in Kirkstall Brewery on Broad Lane -- a student's accomodation. They were invited by Vivian to surprise me, as it has been a long time since I last saw all of them since I moved into this new premise (background) 

Enjoyed many good times

I've been thinking if I should blog as often as before and I gathered that my blogs will, in a way, make more sense if they're recorded down once every short period of absence. This way I get to highlight significant events during the times when I'm not blogging.

To begin with, I recall the most extraordinarily moment I had with HF on my 26th birthday. Months ago when I returned from Canada for a 2.5 weeks visit, HF and I spotted a Malaysian restaurant just in the heart of city centre when we were worming our ways on the streets looking for the office where National Insurance Number can be applied. Georgetown restaurant is adjacent to the office we were looking for. I scrutinizing the menu at the threshold of their entrance, I insisted for a curry puff and that would cost me £3.50 each. I didn't get any as it was too costly. HF promised to bring me here for my birthday.

And the experience on that night was posilutely and absotively a wonderful magical experience for me. The atmosphere inside is one of which that I should never forget to give credit for. To have my home country's food on such an occasion in such a wonderful and perhaps posh place could never ever get any better. Our experience was further enhanced by a mutual friend of ours, Kannan, who works at the restaurant as the supervisor. He gave us a couple of Singapore Sling on his tab, had the chef made a special order for me (made my main course extra spicy/delicious), made special arrangement with the pianist, who perfectly blended in a birthday rhythm for me from 'When I fall in love' when Kannan served us our 'Ice Kacang'. Customers who have already been seated at this time cheered and congratulated me and wished well for me; some clapping their hands. The best of the best of all at that very particular time was the fact that HF was there to commemorate that very day with me. Her calm and peaceful smile emmanating her radiance of happiness during all those very wonderful people, musics, ambience, and warmth. There's a lot of love in the air and that is what I sensed. Desptie all and most importantly, I was able to share my happiness with HF. Without her, that day would be as good as the mysterious voidness in the dark that's full of everything except positive & constructive feelings/emotions.
At the end of the evening, Kannan showed how much he desired to share my moment with me (he can't because he was on duty) with an over generous 15% discount.

We walked back to enjoy a cake specially made for me from an extremely kind friend, Louise, who runs Maxi's Chinese restaurant at "The Light". I helped her to understand some legal issues pertaining to one of her restaurant business in town a couple of weeks ago. I was still with her when she called on to her baker to bake a birthday cake for me. Out of embarrasment I refused but I guess she was already determined to make one as a gift for me. The cake was made up of fruits and it was very delicious. In fact, that cake is my first birthday cake after a very, very long time... say, 18 years? I'm not too sure, but I know my family doesn't really believe in celebrating birthdays. The Georgetown restaurant and the birthday cake has been a complete birthday experience for me.

_________________
I've sold "grandpa" (our car) just this morning for £142.00 to a family from Northants. It's good to know that grandpa is now in good care of another owner.

Our friends came over for an evening of fun. Torstein and Ling, and Asa were here. My finally found classmate Saravanan and his lady friend Jane who are both from Malaysia (one from Kuala Lumpur and the other from Johor Bharu) are a wonderful addition to us all. I just got Settlers of Catan in and managed to convinced all of them that it is a fun game. I'm sure I've got two, if not one, persons addicted to the game on their first try to the game. It's hilarious! It's also a very good game!

Until many good times ahead, I will write again soon. Take care and thanks for finding this site an interesting read.

A year of everything

Yesterday (or to be exact, 14 September) would mark my stay here in the UK for exactly 365 days. That's a year long. What do I think of it so far? Life is beautiful here with HF.

I haven't been blogging recently and it feels like it's going to take me a year now to blog as frequently as before. HF parents were here a month ago for a 25 days stay and we've been busy doing stuffs together and enjoyed every day every moment. After that, I've been doing a little self study on Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 so that I could video edit the videos we shot when we were in Scotland. It's quite a bit of a learning curve there but I didn't take too long to master it as the the book I got was an easy read and pretty straight forward.

Just got to know that I will be proceeding to Year 2 of LL.B (Hons) Law in the newly relocated Law department--city centre. Clouth Hall. I'm looking forward to it... most likely because there is pretty nothing much to do these few days. I start training with GE Capital for 3 weeks from the beginning of October before I start working for them. Classes will commence at the end of September. So, in the meantime, I'm just waiting for sales of duplicated softwares on eBay, of which I am earning £35.00 for every piece sold inclusive of shipping/handling costs. I've sold about 9 already and still counting. I thought back for a while thinking how upsetting it is for [common] people who just wanted to use professional softwares like Premiere Pro and have to burn a hole in their pocket to pay £599 for a retail version that works exactly just like the one I'm selling.

I am being such a good criminal here. But of course, if I continue to do this for a year, I would have probably end up behind bars with my pockets emptied for more than a year. Truly speaking, greed is every human beings weakness.

Meanwhile, on another matter, HF got time extension on her dissertation from her SPV till early next month. She's been at it day and night trying to write up to the finish line. My hopes and prayers are on her... hoping that every efforts put in there counts and is and will be something useful for some, if not every, academically and commercially sound people out there. I personally believe she's got a wonderful idea on her dissertation.

Until next year. ;)
j/k

The exhaust pipe was completely detached from the muffler (I believe that's what you call it) as the result of years of rusts and corrosion. Even steel have their weaknesses. Driving with a detached exhaust pipe like that is not that fun all the time especially I'd occasionally hear sudden loud explosion "BLAMM!! BOOMM!" or a "BANNG!!" whenever I ease off the acceleration/gas pedal.

Well, I had to replace the entire rotting exhaust system for �69.00. Not worth the money, as there are other parts under and around the car that needs to be fixed up and would total up to �400. We've decided to sell 'Grandpa' (as we'd like to call it) soon for all it's worth. *sob!* 

To my horror, I finally knew what turned my little old Clio into a sports car. It began to sound very loud from the inside, and even from the outside... which was the reason a patrol car doing their night duties the other night pulled me over along A65 heading west into city centre. It was a long night for me. 

Going under the Renault Clio 1.2 we bought to actually realize what it is meant or what it is like to be driving a 13 years old car. I'm the 8th person to own this Clio since 1992. There are rusts and corrosions all over.