"Wait Until I/We Leave/Chao Only They Build This!" Saturday, August 11, 2007
Have you ever gone back to your old school/college/university, after you've graduated, only to find that after you've left, the administration decided to turn the place into a palace? I'll bet if you did, you'll probably have uttered these words (or a variation of them),
"Wait until I/we leave/chao only they build this!"
I was in Eng Teck's car with Han Yang, driving back from futsal in Klang, when, after dropping E-Guy off at home, we decided to pay our ol' SMKSJ a visit. So, after parking at the bus stop, we sauntered into the school, and were rather amazed at what we saw.
It had been 4 years since we said goodbye to our schoolteachers, and walked out of gates for the final times as school students. During those days, we were pretty contented with the (physical) condition of our school, although, yes, we DID grumble about the field which flooded whenever it drizzled, about the canteen which served oh-so limited choices of food, about the classrooms which had potholes (yes, potholes) in the floor, and the toilets which should have been gazetted as national health hazards, but, nonetheless, life was pretty bliss. The basketball players had their basketball courts, the football players had their swimming pool field, and the sleepy students had their classrooms to sleep in. Whenever we had to go home during school hours, the brick wall around the school gave a very handy handhold to vault over (I've only done this once, but thats a different story altogether), and the bees that hung around the classrooms never really injured anyone.
Now, however, it was like a different school had been dropped onto it. In the gaps where, formerly, there was only sand and dirt, now, little chalets had sprung up. There were garden benches with fountains around them, and I've never seen so many plants in a school before. The bathrooms had names, and we could smell the fragance from outside (no sarcasm here, it REALLY was fragrant.. rose or lavender of some sort). The building which always had a newly broken window every other day had become a computer lab. Even the footballl field looked greener.
They didn't have so many flowers back then..
A lot of my Interact events were here..
Alma Mater.. Now with flags everywhere..
Piece de Resistance.. Pipes with flowing water..
"Wait until I/we leave/chao only they build this!"
I remember that I said exactly the same thing when I left Taylors, when the new computer labs were set up. When I go to Asia Cafe these days, I can see that they've torn down the Taylor's walls, and turned the college grounds into one large garden, where there are nice walkways and those garden benches again. It really looks great, and as Han Yang pointed out, it was a far cry from the 'gardens' in front of the SAM block where mosquitos gathered for lunch.
We say 'lucky you' to the students who eventually get to enjoy the brand spanking new fountains and smell the blissfully fragrant urinals, all with a hint of envy (why didn't I get to smell fragrant urinals?).
I bet, however, our seniors said exactly the same thing to us. Our predecessors probably had to do with a lot less than what we have now, as I recall what my brother said years ago, when he visited my school, during a Canteen Day. (yes, he too, studied in SMKSJ.. back then, it was just SMSJ) It was pretty barren last time, and apparently, the field didn't just flood, it was one of the spots considered for the opening of an AquaRia to house sperm whales. The classrooms weren't as cosy, and of course, they didn't have a hall to sleep in during assembly.
I guess its just pure discontentment which leads us to always regret the fact that we left BEFORE the grand things were set up. Sad to say, it will always make us feel that we never got to enjoy the best that the school/college/university had to offer, and leave us wondering what we missed.
The bright side for me, however, is the fact that I enjoyed those places as THEY WERE. My memories of school were of my friends, and the fun we had, not of buildings and trees. Yes, I DO remember the potholes in class which I've fallen into dozens of times, but every little thing, good or bad, formed a mental picture of school. In college, I remember being hounded by mosquitos in the SAM gardens, but I also remember 8 guys who tried to commit suicide by eating 8 large Domino's pizzas...
...and in university, I remember the lake which had murky brown water that we weren't supposed to swim in, but I also remember asking Joyce an important question there, the answer to which made me a very happy guy indeed..
Its important to enjoy what we have now, and honestly, I'm rather satisfied with the facilities and amenities provided in uni. Sure, maybe they'll build an air-conditioned walkway around the campus, or put dolphins in the lake the moment I leave, but for now, I'm happy laughing at the red telephone booth and poking 1 of the 8 ducks they have wandering around.
I guess I'm a simple type of guy.
Posted at 11:43 pm by IsaacCheah
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A Miser's Take on Punjabi Food.. Thursday, August 09, 2007
It was another one of those snap gatherings, when a few of us ended up in Ludhiana's Station, Bangsar, for Punjabi food.
Right from the outset, we knew we were in dire straights. So, we ended up thinking of ways to minimise our spending here, and maximise it in the nearby mamak.
Yes. Cold water (free) by the bucketloads
Kohilan spouting wisdom
Below RM20? Why not?
Still below RM20? Sure!
When the food came, we knew that it definitely wouldn't be enough. After all, we had Kohilan AND Han Yang present. Supper was inevitable.
Posted at 11:30 pm by IsaacCheah
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When Metrovision Was On TV... Tuesday, August 07, 2007
I remember the days when afternoons were spent watching TV. Back then, Metrovision, (otherwise known as Channel 4) had music videos that spun back to back in the hot hours of the day, when people normally felt drowsy. It was during that period of time, that I watched, for the first time, a Malay band called Indigo, that performed a song titled 'Istimewa'.
Metrovision eventually closed shop, and I've never heard the song since then. I WAS however, actively searching for the song, since it was one of my first inspirations to take up guitar (yes, I thought it might even out my chances with the ladies... It didn't..) I Googled, I Limewired, all to no avail. After some time searching, I gave up.
Recently, however, I just decided to try my luck, and typed in the song title in Limewire, as well as Youtube, to see what I could find.
Woohoo!
Its times like these that make me sigh in pleasant contentment, as I think of simpler times when all I had to do was sit and watch TV in the warm afternoon sun..
p.s. Yenli, the other Malay music fan, what do you think of the song? And I haven't got the song you were trying to send..
Posted at 08:45 pm by IsaacCheah
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Long Overdue Trip To Seremban... Sunday, August 05, 2007
After a rather long time, I managed to cram in a quick lunch with Joyce in Seremban. This time, it was the (famous) dim sum place, near the New Era Square. After a rather nice meal, we went for a quick walk around the New Era Square.
The Dim Sum It looks like Joyce is biting her chopstick Us again.. =)
At the New Era Square, we spotted this cool shop.
It looks like the name of the place is "Karaoke is Now On"... ...and, how many bars/pubs/clubs have Spiderman hanging over the banner? ...and, best of all... ...Ladies Night from MONDAY to FRIDAY! And Saturday got Sexy Dance. Who says Seremban isn't happening?
After the meal, I dropped by Chui San's place to pass her something.
The maid probably thought I was one of those rapists you read about in the papers
And, finally, after a short time in Jusco, I bade Joyce goodbye, and trundled back home.
I even managed to get coffee at Jusco
It was wonderful to see you again, dear. =) Hope you enjoyed yourself during lunch, short as it was.
Posted at 01:08 am by IsaacCheah
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Kwo Kuang's Birthday @ Souled Out Thursday, August 02, 2007
Chui San had already said a few days back, "Be there BEFORE 7.30 p.m., if you want to surprise Kwo Kuang.."
There, was SOULed OUT, in Desa Sri Hartamas, where Chui San was planning Kwo Kuang's surprise birthday party. I was really uncertain if I could even make it, but after ploughing through work, I made a dash for the monorail station in KL, which took me KL Sentral, where I boarded a RapidKL bus that trundled to Plaza Damas in Sri Hartamas, where I finally hailed a taxi which left me at SOULed OUT.
I actually managed to reach at a not-too-ridiculously late time of 7.45p.m.
To my surprise, guess who I saw there, sitting and waiting? Yes, it was Li-Lynn and YENLI. They were the only ones who were (apparently) there, the rest having come (apparently) late. So, there were the 2 of them, sitting and waiting at a table set for 25. As they waved me over, Yenli proudly exclaimed, "I came before you wei..You have to blog about this..", happy with the fact that they were the first to arrive, before (apparently) everyone else.
The 'Early Bird', Yenli The other 'Early Bird', Li-Lynn
After waiting for about 1/2 hour, Lynn got a call from Su Yin, Kwo Kuang's sister, asking where she was. After some discussion, Su Yin said, "We're upstairs already la."
Sheepishly, the three of us made our way upstairs, only to find that most of the people were already there, eating, and we were in fact, NOT the earliest. We quickly ordered our food and got down to eating.
The Birthday Boy - Live At Souled Out
Here are some photos to ogle at.
Lynn is happily talking about food
This is the only photo I took with Lynn where my eyes were open
Nottingham-ers like peace signs.. (with Stoney as an exception)
 If you look closely, you can see that Melody is happy With Chui San.. I had some difficulty keeping my eyes open, that night
I think it was because I was sleepy..and started squinting at bright lights..
 The Subang Utama gang.. Nottingham People
It was just before I left when I went over to chitchat with the Subang Utama gang, some of whom I had known for a long time.
With the Subang Utama people.. Jolene! Didn't really get to talk to you much, but we have to meet up sometime, ya? (while you're still in Subang) And, a final snap with the Nottingham Bunch
I took my leave, and went home with Su Yin, Kwo Kuang's sister, where we had a really interesting conversation all the way back. Thanks for the lift!
Happy 21st, Kwo Kuang!
p.s. The spaghetti carbonara is quite nice, but its not exactly the same as Nero Teca.
Posted at 11:05 pm by IsaacCheah
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Wednesday, August 01, 2007
To my few (but dearly treasured) readers, you may have noticed that I have not updated my blog for the past few days.
This is not because I'm dead.
Its been a rather hectic week, with little happening besides work. (just goes to show how uninteresting my life can be)
But, don't worry, there should be new things coming up, and for those who have been faithfully visiting this site, thank you, and keep those visits coming!
For now, here's the people who went to watch Simpsons last week.
Everyone minus me
Imagine a half-hour episode of The Simpsons, three hours as long, and you've pretty much got the gist of it.
And I still haven't watched Transformers!!
Posted at 07:58 pm by IsaacCheah
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