MAPCU Games and a Haircut... Thursday, November 15, 2007
Finally, A Pictureless Update... Friday, November 09, 2007
Finally, an update (and one without all the pictures and snapshots that just slow down the already cranky Internet connection that we all suffer from every now and then)
So, the blog owner, at long last, managed to sit down within the university compound (the only source of the Internet, at the moment) and gather a few quiet moments to type out a blog entry.
This update won't be an Event-Driven Post (or, EDS, a term which describes a weblog entry about a particular event or activity. Don't ask me, I just coined it on the spot) Rather, it will be about my recent thoughts and ponderings about life and all its many mysteries.Before you think to yourself, "Oh no, he's going to start with lame philosophy!", and try to blank out the sight of this blog by smashing your screen, let me give you some reassurance. No, I will not start by spouting philosophy, since I'm not qualified to do anything of the sort.
Its already the 7th week of university, and as Yenli has conveniently counted, there are only 20 -odd weeks to go before it all ends, when we finally sit for our finals, and come out, no longer entitled to be call university students. Yes, some of you may be looking forward to this new experience, and eagerly await that day when you drive out past that lake, and the guardhouse, never to turn back again (alright, only for our graduation ceremony). There may even be some who are just praying for all the studying, the waking up early for classes, and the endless group discussions and assignments meetings to come to and end, and say hello to the working world.
Not me. Not just yet, anyway. What began as a rather subdued and somber first month in university carried on into the 7th week, and, sadly, things haven't really picked up all that much since then. I'm beginning to see too much gray around, and, the consistent rain here (although I'm glad that it does rain.. It really helps with the otherwise scorching heat) is a reflection of the rather glum perspective I see with, these days. From all the stories, and life experiences shared, the final year of university life is meant to be the best period in a person's formative education life. Its meant to be filled with meaningful times spent with good friends, sharing good times, and living significant events.
Its the 7th week. What have I done so far?
20 -odd weeks to go. I personally would love go out with a bang, and make this year a year to remember all my friends, and the good times we spent together. Be it mamak sessions, break times spent talking to each other, kicking a futsal ball around the court, movies during our free time, pasar malam visits, whatever it may be, I want to make it special, (or at least memorable, for good OR bad)
But first, let me shake off these feelings of glumness which tend to hover around of late.
I hope I do it soon.
Posted at 09:25 pm by IsaacCheah
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Saturday, November 03, 2007
When I said I was a bit busy a few weeks back, that was a gross understatement.
Yes, this blog writer did not die (I can almost hear the collective sighs of dissapointment), nor did he decide to take a sabbatical. No, this blog writer has been inundated with tonnes of work, and whatever free time he has, well, is mostly spent resting or catching up on sleep.
It was thus that I realised that I had not written anything for the past two weeks. Well, rest assured, my life has not been any more interesting than it has always been, so, I didn't really have any substantial occurences to report about, anyway.
Nonetheless, again, I managed to take some time out to catch a movie with Joyce in Times Square, after dropping by the newly-opened Pavillion. After dropping Weng Lum off at the Esprit launch, we wandered around for about 15 minutes before heading over to Times Square.
Me and Joyce
Pavillion
Not too long after that, it was a quick trip out to Taman Connaught, Cheras, to visit the famed 'pasar malam' (night market), together with a bunch of my friends.
Surprisingly, it tasted quite good
E-Guy manages to look 'yeng' in a candid shot
That would be Lauren's hand, reaching for the 'lok-lok'
Note what we are holding
The gang sitting around asam laksa bowls
Well, thats about it for now. Back to book-swotting. Stay tuned for more (not very) exciting events!
Posted at 12:29 am by IsaacCheah
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A Trip To Sungai Gabai (with colour photos!) Saturday, October 13, 2007
When Joyce and I first signed up for membership in the ACE Club, it was so that we could take part in the trip to the Sungai Gabai waterfall, the first event organized by the club, as an ice-breaking session. Strangely enough, Lauren and Yenli were equally fast in filling out the forms, which was surprising, since Lauren would usually avoid areas with plenty of trees, and animals.
Nonetheless, the Saturday morning came, and I drove over to uni to pick Lauren up. Me, along with 6 9 other people were the designated drivers for the day, so we listened carefully while Kar Yong explained how to get there. Apparently, it wasn't too difficult, since I had already gone to Sungai Tekala before, and Sungai Gabai was only a short distance from there. Nodding enthusiastically, we proceeded to our cars, and with Joyce, Lauren, and Bryan (ACE Committee Member), I started off to meeting point 2: Petronas.
Chi Ming and Eddie were there bright and early
Short briefing
It was about here that Yenli appeared in her trusty Kelisa.
After filling up on petrol and buying the necessary items for survival in hilly areas (snacks and chips), we started off, all 7 10 cars forming a convoy. I was expecting to reach the place in quick order, since it wasn't too far from Sungai Tekala.
Or so Kar Yong said.
Sungai Tekala is approximately 14 k.m. from the turn-off junction in Semenyih. Sungai Gabai, however, is ANOTHER 16 k.m. from Sungai Tekala, making that approximately 30 k.m. Not exactly close. On the way, however, we did pass by Semenyih dam, which has one of the most scenic spots I've seen in Semenyih. After traversing winding roads, and almost running over monkeys, we finally arrived at the place.
Upon arrival, we sniffed the fresh air.. which smelled like monkey poo Distracted by the scent of monkey poo First group photo (Lauren, Me, Yen, Joyce) The climb up the stairs was rather tiring Along the way, we decided to stop for a while to snap shots. I took one of Chi Ming taking one. More tired people.
After finally reaching the rest area, we had several ice-breaking games, designed so as to enable us to know our fellow ACE members better.
Giving instructions
 Me, grinning like an idiot (I can't remember why, though)
People looking at pails. See me demonstrate how to catch a cold, wet cloth.
After the games, we had a free and easy session, where everyone just plunged into the waterfall. It was a fun affair, with most of us trying the natural rock slide, and just wading about, trying not to freeze into a popsicle in the cold water.
Photos become fewer, as I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to bring a camera into a waterfall We still had good 'ol Chi Ming, though, who took pictures first, BEFORE going in.
Nice group photo..
The attraction would have to be the natural rock slide, where (almost) all of us took turns to push ourselves off the ledge and careen down the slope, to end up with a splash at the bottom (I recall Yen pulling my foot as she went down, and since I was sitting perched at the edge of the slope, I went sliding along right behind her). A fun experience, nonetheless. After all the sliding and wading, we had our lunch of chicken rice, and then proceeded to take pictures.
Group Photo Me and half the Committee Members Me and the other half of the Committee Members Since we were wearing towels, we were inspired to become superheroes. Guess what we were supposed to be. (click here for the answer)
Soon, it was all done. Collectively, we decided to stop by the dam, to continue our photo-taking. It was raining however, so I only managed to get a few shots, before I scurried back into the car.
Beautiful landscape (doesn't look like Malaysia, does it?) The row of cars (look closely, and you can see hands all sticking from the cars)
My failed attempt to take a panoramic shot
The convoy took to the winding roads again, and before long, we were back in uni, preparing to go home.
A fun trip, at that. Waterfall, anyone?
Posted at 01:07 am by IsaacCheah
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Another (2) Week(s) In Review.. Thursday, October 11, 2007
Phew. Two weeks without any updates. There goes my 2-Days-Per-Update plan, right out the window. Saying that the first few weeks were hectic would be an understatement; I'm practically swamped with assignments and work, and so is everyone else mugging it out here, in the little town of Semenyih.
Nonetheless, since I'm actually in Subang now, for the Raya break, I managed to sneak in a bit of time to update my dear blog readers about the latest (ok, maybe not really the LATEST) happenings.
It was on a Saturday when Matthew's girlfriend asked Zhao Heng to bring all his friends over to Shah Alam for a surprise party.
I wish I could say that this is a picture of my car. I can't, though. Not without lying. Shah Alam Peak?
When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Matthew's mum, who directed us to the pile of raw food waiting to be cooked, on the table. Heaping piles of chicken and lamb (and one fish, requested by E-Guy), we soon started sweating over the BBQ pit.
Kwo Kuang looks very happy here, for some reason Yes, I cooked too. So did the others.
When Matthew arrived, he didn't seem all too surprised. He wasn't entirely surprised either when we threw him into the pool (after he handed over all the contents of his pockets to his girlfriend).
Pre-Swimming
Unperturbed, he managed to coax Zhao Heng into the pool as well. Or, more accurately, managed to push him in.
After taking a swim, Zhao becomes The Thinker. Reminder: The swimming pool in university is restricted to ladies only, on Thursdays, 5.00pm. Not long after that, our nice neighbours in Semenyih invited the house occupants over to their place for a BBQ session.
Pin and Qian Hui Pin's slippers; "..you won't want to wear any other shoe anymore.." The BBQ group
Coming up soon: Trip To Sungai Gabai (with colour photos!)
Posted at 11:55 pm by IsaacCheah
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Why I Want To Eat At Fridays? Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The rain had only started to peter into a light drizzle, when I stepped into Fridays (sopping wet, as it was). Chilled to the bone, I was warmly greeted by the staff, as I gingerly stepped around tables and chairs, mindful of the patrons, so as not to spatter them with cold rain water that was dripping off my hair in bucketloads.
 The cheerful ambience of the restaurant immediately picked me up somewhat, (not to mention the smells wafting from the kitchen), and when I finally found a seat among my group of friends already congregated there, I actually began to feel a bit dryer, and that life was worth living again. One of the waiters quickly whisked over to me, and handed me a menu,through which I just cast a glance, and ordered a black coffee (my usual). After some deliberation, I settled for the burger, and focused my attention back on the buzzing conversationalists in front of me.
The ladies were busy chattering away about some new store that had opened in the 1 Utama, ("Oh, you just HAVE to go over there! I hear they have the latest...") while the guys kept up the usual grunting and snorting about recent sports developments. Seated as I was, at the chair furthest away from the animated din, I managed to catch snippets of a conversation that wafted over in my direction.
".. eh, how come we always come here for our gatherings wan ah? No other place mer?"
".. I dunno ler, you ask our host over there and see la..."
".. yes, yes, Heroes Season 2 came out already.. You want ah? I got download.."
Sipping away at my coffee, I couldn't help but ponder regarding the part about coming to Friday's often (the other half of my mind was busy thinking about who to get the Heroes series from). It was an invariable fact that almost all our gatherings, be it comprised of high-school, college, or university friends, were staged in Friday's, more specifically, TGIF, at The Curve. It ranked almost as high as the sun coming up in the morning in terms of predictability; All Gatherings Are To Be In TGIF (in uppercase).
What is it about this place that makes us keep coming back?
Maybe its delightfully cosy setting that the place provides, perfect for those who want a little comfort, and a long overdue break from the corner mamak stall with its bawling television set and grimy fly-killer.
Or perhaps its the friendly staff that never fails to bring a smile, along with menu, to the table. (and yes, their service is pretty fast too)
Undoubtedly, the food plays a major part.
I guess the funky decorations on the wall help as well.
As I continued to look around however, I heard the gails of laughter coming from all around me, and I realised, with a grin, what it was that pulled us all back.
Good Friends + Great Food = Grand Times
Why do I want to eat at Fridays?
The better question would be; Why wouldn't I want to eat at Fridays?
And thats a question that probably won't be answered anytime soon.
Posted at 10:40 pm by IsaacCheah
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