Season 4, Episode 7: EDX-O in C&P...

" We'll get higher and higher,
straight up we'll climb,
We'll get higher and higher,
Leave it all behind. " - Dreams, Van Halen

Had been caught in the stress-web lately due to the closing of this semester in two weeks time. By the time i'm writing this post, i have only one week of lecture remaining and after that, it's the study week, a pre-honeymoon, as I quote from my Vector Calculus lecturer. I usually call this time the 'second' wave. Whenever i wish to plan for an event, never choose either of these periods: a week before mid-sem break and a week before the study break. I just had three tests and one more coming up real soon. And not to forget, assignments and quizzes!

The tests were really difficult. No joke! It just is so disappointing to know that you have studied so hard for the test and when the paper comes, the questions blind you and your mind. Hopefully what i have done will equal the input i have given in for the tests and pray for the best in return.

Putting all those aside, the final event of this semester is over! Engineering Design Exhibition 25, in short, EDX 25. I have been wanting to be part of this event and i could not have chosen a better time to join. This edition of EDX, we had Tun Dr Mahathir. That alone is one of the reason why i became an EDX Officer.

EDX 25 family, taken here with Tun Dr Mahathir and the rest of the VVIPs. Can you spot me?

He was invited to give a public lecture entitled 'Beyond Vision 2020'. It was an interesting topic, as if he has a portal to see the future of the might-be. I was busy on that day so i couldn't listen much about it. Becoming the human barrier for Tun later, i took the best spot. I stood right in front of him and the photo above is taken by me. What an experience!

Other VVIPs surrounding Tun, including my beloved Rector. Photographers were also squeezing their way in to witness the signing of Tun onto the book.

His signature took one page!

Another close encounter of him. While we were waiting outside our pathway to the Green Room, we chatted amongst our committees as the doors were closed and guarded by the security. All of a sudden, the doors flung open and Tun stepped out with the VVIPs. We immediately hurried to make a way for him to walk through and as i nodded to him, he nodded back! Wow, what an experience! It happened too fast for me to even take out my camera.

I was recruited in the Ceremony and Protocol Department, dealing mostly with opening and closing ceremonies. It was not difficult, just time-consuming as we had to rehearse over and over again to make sure things run smoothly. Nevertheless, i had a bunch of fun people to work with.

Celebrating our success after the opening ceremony was conducted successfully. The banners do make beautiful backdrop. The theme was 'space' and the shinny, hemisphere-shaped object bearing the name of this event is a UFO spaceship. It took us tremendous amount of time to finalize and beautify that thing!

As for the closing gimmick, i was appointed to play the role of an astronaut. Do i look like one here? Astronaut? I thought someday i might be one. Standing beside me is Rani, another committee of my department.

Done with EDX, done with all the events this semester. Exhausting but surely rewarding, this is another exciting ride. However, i'm still tied to other commitments.

And yes, because of this EDX, i managed to watch Clash of the Titans. It wasn't as bad as people have said about it. In fact, in my opinion, it's amazing. Comparing to the other recent Greek god movie, Percy Jackson, which to me is amateurish and no mind-blowing sound effects, Titans has intensity and superb acting. Those who have watched the original will tend to favour Titans too, although it is rather similar to the original, it has with brilliant CGI effects. A good choice of movie to watch.

Time to put my mind on books and focus on my ultimate goal. Final exams are in two weeks time. wc10 reads and writes?

Season 4, Episode 6: Flamin Lips meets The Chronicler!

" Try to put an end to all our doubt. " - Someday, Rob Thomas

The final major event i am involved in the organization is The Chronicler: Pen-a-LOL. This time, i was the Project Director and truly, this event has thought me a lot about organizing and also about dealing with stress!

It is not easy handling an event. As long as it is an event, whether or not if it's big or small, you will have complications. Sometimes things don't go the way you have wanted it to be. But i realized that these challenges are tests, and through these tests i can gauge my capability and work on my weakness.

This is a creative writing competition event and on the Award Night, there was the prize giving ceremony to the winners of all categories. It is a dinner-cum-event night and truly, it has been an amazing time for all. The theme of the night is Humour, and as we have expected it to be, it was a fun-filled night with lots and lots of laughter!

With part of the organizing committee at the end of the night...

... doing the Gaga pose. We're going gaga over Gaga!

Putting behind all the complications earlier before the day, i enjoyed the night tremendously! Having a piece of a cake here in appreciation of the hard work.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of The Chronicler.
See you in the next installment!

And...

Not forgetting...

The debut performance of...

Flamin Lips!

Guess what we performed? Heavily inspired by...

GLEE! We performed 'Don't Stop Believin'' with a bit of the Malaysian touch!

Flamin' Lips, this is just the beginning...

The Chronicler is an event that is very dear to me and definitely, it is a memory that i will forever cherish. And when can we sing again? wc10 in jubilation of The Chronicler!

* First Runner-Up for the Poem Category, 'His World'.

Everyone lives in their own little world

And I’d like to welcome you into mine

The world that I grew fond of

And that I would never leave

I see the grass in shades of green

I see the sea in shades of blue

I see the Sun smiling

The moon winking

And the clouds shaping

I tried to fly and defy gravity

But I stumbled upon every attempt

A bird beside me whispered

‘This is how you do it’

And it spread its wings and flew

I learned how to swim

From a fish

He told me it was simple

He will never drown

I’m through accepting limits

They are nothing but a wall

That separates me from who I am

And who I want to be

In my world

The only limit is myself

And if I don’t tear it down

I will never be able to live

The way I have vowed myself to live

The world is a funny place

And if you see it just like I do

Smile at it

And the world smiles with you

Season 4, Episode 5: HOT RSF...

" Anything that's worth having, is sure enough worth fighting for,
Quitting's out of the question, when it gets tough gotta fight some more,
We gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for this love,
If it's worth having, it's worth fighting for. " - Fight for this love, Cheryl Cole

It seems that, these days, my quotes are always from songs. Some songs simply have too good lyrics, that if i don't quote them, i feel that it'll be just left to waste as just a song. It has meaning, it has life and it is sometimes through these songs you gain inspirations and they evoke a sense of passion that nothing other than music can bring!

Resuming uni life after the break wasn't as difficult as the previous ones. Immediately after the rest of slightly more than a week, i had to get busy with events. This simply means that i have not much time to linger on my holiday mood but instead, instantly slipped into my high-speed shoes and get the events to roll.

First of is the Red Sonata Fiesta, RSF. It is actually a sequel to last year's Melodious Rendezvous, organized by my uni's Orchestra Chinese Musical. Having seen the success of the MR, i had thought this time around, i should be a part of it and go behind-the-scene. RSF is an event held to promote cultural exchange, particularly the Chinese culture to the public. As a member of the Games and Activities Department, we had to organize and run an entire night, Battles of the Maestros, that highlights Chinese cultural games such as calligraphy, opera, and chess among others.

Together with my other colleagues, trying to rush for the event night of ours.

I was a man-of-all-sorts during the peak of the event, One Night in Beijing. Here, i was the usher for VIPs as well as guests.

RSF is truly an experience that i will never forget!

Moving on are my other commitments. And for this sem something new hit the pages of my uni, the newsletter Heart of Tronoh, in short, call it HOT; and call us HOTties!

Interesting name for a newsletter, don't you think? And we have just managed to publish our first ever in the mid of March. Second edition is coming out real soon and i can't wait to see the end product of it. As a reporter and being part of this new adventure, the best prize you can certainly get is when your news comes out in the newsletter. Nothing beats the joy of seeing your own piece of writing on a paper that everyone will read. Even the higher authorities are reading and to me, that's an accomplishment for all HOTties.

Jubilant group of people! Fun and laughter blended together as we had lunch in Pizza Hut and a short meeting following the amazing treat! We're all holding a copy of the first edition of the HOT!

HOT is new and there is still so much room for it to continue to grow! I'm glad i have become a member of this exciting ride.

Becoming a member of HOT, particularly a reporter, i have actually gotten the chance to get up close and personal to performers of which i was intended to cover the news for. The most recent of all is FESCO. While the show was on-going, i was by the side of the hall, interviewing and having little chats with some of the performers. I was also given Facebook names and e-mail address to be added so that we can continue to keep in touch.

With performers from Walailak U, Thailand, after the show.

Another event that i attended, this time as an audience only, was the Child-Provision night. It was a fund-raiser cum event night, with on-going donations during the show. We were entertained by Vick, Liyana and Danell as guest stars alongside touching performances of the handicapped playing the harmonica and the disabled dancing to tunes.

In a picture here taken with Danell Lee.

And yeah, not to forget, i celebrated Earth Hour this time in uni together with other ELCians in conjunction with our Mass Gathering. It was lots of fun!

Just before 8.30pm, we prepared candles inside cups to be used when the lights go off. By 8.30pm, we switched off the lights and readied ourselves to join in and support this noble effort. Standing aimlessly, we wondered what we should do for the next hour. So, we decided to take a stroll in the dark to the Chancellor Complex. It's amazing to see that our uni also actually do support this effort too- the lights were off.

We reached the place and found a perfect spot for us to sit and wait. While waiting, we had our toasts to Mother Nature around the circle. Then, we started talking ghost stories- not the best thing to do in uni, but somehow, it kept us occupied and we enjoyed the night until after an hour, the lights went back on. Just in time when my candle finishes!

Cheers to Mother Nature!

These events are definitely worth experiencing and all i can say is that i have learned a lot. You get to meet new people, you get to handle situations that really tests your true capabilities. I have to admit, we are all still learning and from the mistakes that we made, it is what we have to correct and that will make us come back again, stronger!

Returning to hitting the books- these events really do buy time! wc10 smiles in exhaustion!

* Next episode: The Chronicler comes along with Flamin' Lips for a night flooded with humour!

Intermission: Enter the wonderland?

" Do I turn you on at all when I kiss you baby,
does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy. " - Do I, Luke Bryan

On the night of my Birthday- which was also the start of the mid-sem break, we drove up to Penang's Autocity to have dinner with my family for the celebration. I was fed-up eating uni food and given the first time being in Autocity, i was really spoilt for choice. There simply was so much to offer. In the end, we ended up eating in a Western restaurant. The food was delicious and it was my first time eating in such cafe.

The place really comes to life at night. If we have such places in KL, i bet it'll be crowded almost everyday. If it's during a festive season, i can't imagine the pool of people. Certainly, an ideal hang-out place for people to meet up or have reunions.

We didn't stay overnight in Penang and instead, left to Sg Petani. The next day, we visited the Penang Island. And the first place we visited was the Kek Lok Si temple. We skipped the lower part because we have been there before and straight went up to the higher peak of the temple and laid eyes on the new bronze Goddess statue. It was really amazing!

Dad and i in front of the statue. It is big. There was some on-going repair work so we could not go any further inside.

There were statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac, and mine was the ram or goat or sheep. The garden is beautiful, although i felt that there is a need to maintain and repair some statues. With that, i would place my money on making Kek Lok Si one of the best attraction for tourists to the island, whether you're worshipping or on a visiting tour.

After the Kek Lok Si, i visited my friend who was doing her intern training in Hard Rock Hotel. Might as well take this opportunity to visit the place. Two words, jaw-dropping amazing!

Stepping foot onto the hotel instantly teleports you into another part of the world. You will not feel like you're in Malaysia. There was great entertainment, great deco, great ambiance.

I loved the whole concept of the hotel. Just sheer relaxation and entertainment to keep us all occupied. There was music playing by the poolside, pulling people to dance along. There are cafes inside the hotel and near the beach, serving pizzas. Swimming pool right in front of your doors for the first floor occupants! Wow, i'm overwhelmed in admiration.

I have set my target and raised my mark. I will spend one night in this hotel in the near future! It is expensive and exclusive, yet, with the facilities there are, i'm sure it's worth a one night stay in the Hard Rock Hotel Penang. The next time i return to the hotel, it would be for a stay and not just a visit!

Alice in Wonderland opened in the cinema on Thursday and for the first time, i watched it in the Grand Cineplex in Sg Petani. It is a newly opened cinema but the entrance was impressive. As for the interior, nothing much better to the one in MBO Ampang. Onto the show, it simply has too much Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's signatures, all over the movie. Yet, i thought that given the duo's success in the past, they could have deliver this movie better. Depp's role in the movie didn't differ much from Jack Sparrow, observing the way he walks and speaks. Anna H don't look as pretty as she is in the movie, given her the make-up. I thought they should have promoted and advertised more of Alice instead of the Mad Hatter, with all due respect to Depp, as this movie centres on Alice.

Nonetheless, this movie also has it's moments. Which movie can you hear someone shouting 'Pig!' or watch the cute pair of fat boys? It has a battle scene in the end but it was rather mild. May be it caters more to the less action-packed movie-goers. It has very colourful graphic, although green screen, but i liked the richness in colour of the movie. As for the story-line, not much variation to the original especially the eating of cakes to minimize Alice or drinking the potion to enlarge Alice. All in all, the movie isn't mind-blowing or fantastic, it was just alright, known it's Tim Burton, and it fits more into a mild adventure genre and good humour.

Finally, i completed The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. As many people would claim this book to be his best, i have, no doubt, that it is and it has the best concept or purpose in this romantic tale of two people. But my favourite still remains to be The Wedding.

The Notebook is written in flashback style, from the day he met the girl during a summer break and began to fall in love. They both come from entirely different background and social status. For the summer, they spent most of their time together eventhough the girl's parents were disapproving their relationship. And when the summer ends, they departed to separate ways.

Yet, they still thought of one another and he began to write letters to her almost everyday for years. But what he doesn't know is that the letters were not received by her and she did not read what he had written. Slowly he decided to stop writing. For the next thirteen years, the ghost of her started to appear again, showing up once again in his life. He was determined to have her back but she was then being engaged to a man whom she had also loved. The final choice came one day to her.

The love story in their past wasn't very interesting or nothing much spectacular. However, what i like in this book is how he dealt with her Alzheimer, trying everytime to defy science and believe in miracles. It simply shows his eternal and unconditional love to her. It shows that if we love someone so much, it comes naturally for us to simply do the right thing even if it means sacrificing other things. A beautiful love story.

I shall end here for this intermission and get back on track with my work. If you have noticed, once again, i was caught up and entangled with much other obligations. Now, they are finally over and i promise to go on with my series of uni life. Until then, wait for me, wc10, for time waits for no man!