Season 2, Episode 12: Yeeeee Haaaaar !

" Freedom is the right to live as we wish " - Epictetus

Finally, the final exams are over! This week has been stressful- although some claimed the exam 'feel' wasn't as overwhelming as the first semester. A review of the exam week.

Monday was Engineering Maths. Calculating non-stop!
Tuesday was a rest day. No exams, but the fever gets higher.
Wednesday was Chemystery. Yes, you read right. Chemystery- short for Chem-is-a-mystery. It has always been throughout this semester. No matter how many times you flip the lecture notes, you can never find the real thing!
Thursday was English, and i like English. It should be alright.
Friday was a double dose of ICIS- memory occupying, and Physics.

Basking in the momentary freedom is amazing. As soon as the Physics paper was collected, i was all eager to celebrate my freedom- the freedom of not only finishing the exams but the completion of my Foundation studies! It's a surprise to see how time flies, because this season really progressed in warp speed and at times, i was like, " Oh, we're finishing Foundation already ". Indeed, the Foundation year has truly been an awesome time altogether, with many unforgettable memories down the lane.

The holidays have just started and i already have plans for the break- surely, a no-study break! Coming up are my 'makan-makan' trip to Sg Petani, Petronas STE in Agrotek and a highly-anticipated vacation with my friends in Langkawi! Apart from the places, i have lots of things to do within this break. If anyone knows when the Transformers 2 tickets are available, please inform me and i'll be the first in line- the wait can't take any longer!

Here i am, the last episode of this season. I'm officially announcing that Season 2 has ended, with much joy! Until then, patiently wait for the Season 3: Undergraduate Year 1 to unfold. wc09 has to leave to start packing his stuff and clear the room... all over again.

Kris Allen takes the crown!

" Seconds hours so many days
You know what you want but how long can you wait
Every moment last forever if you feel you’ve lost your way
What if your chances are already gone
Started believing that I could be wrong
But you give me one good reason
to fight and never walk away"

The world takes on the new American Idol. He is the one and only Kris Allen- the dark horse of the competition. It was tense before Ryan announced the winner because to me, they are both very talented singers.

" Coz hear I am — still holding on!

Every step you climb another mountain
Every breathe its harder to believe

You’ll make it through the pain (or through all your aches and pains)
Weather the hurricane
To get to that one thing

When you think the road is going nowhere
Just when you’ve almost gave up on your dreams
Then take it by the hand and show you that you can"

With his 'Ain't No Sunshine' sung during the final showdown, and favourites like 'Falling Slowly' and 'Heartless' throughout the season, he deserves to win! He surely has come a long way.

" You can go higher
You can go deeper
There are no boundaries
Above and beneath you
Break every rule coz there’s nothing between you
and your dream "

Winning the title, he sings the winning song, 'No Boundaries' and he definitely sang it more than Adam. The judges were right, the song was more suitable for Kris- it's a story in the song.

Adam was really good too. Throughout the competition, his performances were stellar and surprisingly great. He chose 'Mad World' for the finals and i liked the effect- may be because it was theatrical. Anyhow, he was top-notch!



And so be told, we will have to wait until January next year for the new season to come in. And the adrenaline rush too. wc09 wows American Idol 8 for yet another awesome season!

" Every step you climb another mountain
Every breathe its harder to believe "

Can't wait for the Kris-Adam Showdown in Malaysian-time!

The finale is just about to come- and i can't wait to watch. Like the previous season 7, this season 8 is going to be amazing and unpredictable. I have just Googled and the winning song is called 'No Boundaries'. I heard the beginning of the song and kept the remaining for later- i don't wanna spoil the suspense. But i know they'll both do great. Can't wait...

I thought Kris Allen would be singing 'Falling Slowly' but he didn't. Anyway, he did great with the other song, also i knew from Googling it because it is only showing Live in Malaysia at 6- don't forget to catch it, and it's only 2 now. Can't wait...

As i have posted, my money is on Adam to win, but personally, i think Kris would be a better Idol-holder! They both have come a long way, just like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and the recent David Cook. wc09, can't wait. -No Boundaries-

Season 2, Episode 11: Flashing back to Week 16...

" Two ways to learn: by observation and by experience. Be like an eagle and focus. " - Mr Bala, English 2 Tutor

The first and the final week of lectures share close similarities, yet when being scrutinized at, they are not so same after all. No more lab and tutorial sessions, and not many lecture times as some lecturers have completed the syllabus and decided to not have classes anymore. The major difference is that, the first week, we come in fresh, ready to start the semester and combat the feeling of post-holidays whereas in the final week, we go out beaten by the stress of the coursework marks and we have to combat the feel of freedom so soon we could smell. Nonetheless, time is, and will be, a factor as the final exam is ticking in and the study week is to come.

In a way, i am glad the Season 2 is coming to an end- and soon i will be in my Undergraduate years! Throughout this season, the courses that i undertake got tougher- as predicted. But no matter how tough it could be, we have to get through it. It is now left with the final exams and i can hereby say that i am almost done through.

Wednesday was the last day for English 2 Tutorial and as the class representative, we organized a get-together for the last time. It was fun, with all the pizza- rush, KFC- grab, cake-devouring and Coke- bottom-ups. It was really a time to remember with my tutor throughout this semester.

Written: End of semester... Get-together.

Tutorial Group 1 mates. Fun time together.

Mr Bala and i officiating the get-together. Soon after the cutting, we headed for the food!

The test of all tests is the Physics 2 Lab Test on Thursday. Given enough time, i hope i did well in the lab test as it may help ease the coursework marks too. And the last lecture is the Physics lecture. Ending the class with Nuclear Physics and putting a stop with a review of all the 16 weeks of lectures.

Dr John is a good Physics lecturer, and may be the best among my other lecturers. I will miss his lectures, that's for sure.

On the telly, it is down to the wire for the American Idol 8: Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. I wanted these two to be in the finals and great, they made it and America has the same taste as me! Who should be crowned? Personally, Adam to me is very theatrical and artistic. A very unique singer that can go to the notes many fail to reach. Week after week, his performance is top-notch. Kris has a nice tone in his voice and plays many instruments. He has many magical moments on stage, with songs that captures the heart and warms the soul. Kris, the dark horse, is surely riding high. So, who will win? I don't know. My heart tells me that Kris Allen will be crowned the title, but my mind tells me that Adam Lambert will walk away with it. If i have to choose, my vote goes to Adam Lambert, but i like Kris. Definitely, a must-watch final to really know who wins it that night!

Week 16 is the last week, and soon comes the study week. It is best i make full use of the week. wc09 is glad he made it through the 16 weeks of lectures (stress) and in no time, the final exams will come and go. And go!

3-claws...

" Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs, since the payment is pure love. " - Mildred B Vermont

There is nothing better than to be home after a busy, stressful week. Yes, i have made it through the toughest week of this season, the 3 killer papers! I left my uni early Friday morning, and arrived at Ampang near noon. What i had in mind was minimal studies during the weekend- i was barely sleeping well with all the tests on my mind and i needed time to rejuvenate. Oh yes, i'm glad i had my time; well, in a way, as the weekend itself was a busy one!

Wesak Day was on Saturday and the temple near my house, like always, organizes a prayer ceremony. On Friday night, we joined in the 'walk' as we do so almost every year, prior to Wesak Day.

When we reached the temple, we bought candles before joining the crowd.

The candle and the cup.

WH with his candle.

The crowd was like an avalanche- as we walked, more and more people joined in. However, in my opinion, the crowd was less in number than last year's. Why?

Leading the way were the lions and dragon. I could only capture photos of them at the end of the walk. They were about to stop when i took this blurry photo.

The next morning, we went to the temple again. Like previous years, we bathed the Buddha, made our prayers, and we were given a yellow 'string' and a bag of blessing water to bathe with. First claw!

Mother's Day was on the weekend. We headed to Petaling Jaya on Saturday for my grandma, and on Sunday night, we celebrated for my mother at Shikiya. About Shikiya, it was our first and we did not know what or how to order. It is actually a fusion between Japanese and Thai cuisines. After a long time being indecisive, i settled for the Fried Set. The promotion they were offering was quite alluring- buy one set and get another set for free*. To be honest, the quantity of the set is large, enough for two indeed! However, being a big-eater, i found it not a problem to complete it myself.

The set with tempura and udon is rather worth-for-value. There was a lot of tempura on the plate!

My set comes with rice, and another plate of chicken, fish, prawns and some vegetables. Burp, i was bloated with tasty food. Second claw on the food!

The third claw this weekend is the three-clawed Wolverine. Yes, you're right, i watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine on Sunday.

I'm an avid fan of X-Men, and i find this movie great. The effects are superb- you know, the ones that make you go 'wow' and you wish you could actually have the ability to do that. I'm talking about how Gambit used his stick, Wolverine-Sabretooth-Deadpool's combat, Cyclops' optic laser, just to name a few. The critics commented on the storyline. I beg to differ and i found it rather interesting though i know what will happen in the end. It is not the 'what' that is good but the 'how'.

Fantastically-casted! Hugh Jackman is Wolverine, and no one could play Wolverine better than him. I liked Ryan Reynold- may be he could take over the place of Keanu Reeves and be my favourite male movie actor. I wished he was given a more important role so that i could see him appearing in other X-Men movies. Younger Cyclops. Suave Gambit. All in all, this movie gets my star and i would recommend this to anyone. If you're an X-Men fan, don't miss this!

3-claws! I just came back from supper at a 'mamak' stall near my uni with my friends. Weekend was great, and wc09 wishes he could lash 3 claws and leave his marks as did Wolverine.

Season 2, Episode 10: Busy, stressful week next!

" There's always gonna be another mountain,

I'm always wanna gonna make it move,
always gonna be an uphill battle,
sometimes i'm gonna have to lose...
Ain't about how fast i get there,
ain't about what's waiting on the other side,
it's the climb. " - The Climb, Miley Cirus

I have to admit- i don't like Miley Cirus, but her latest single, The Climb has been really good. Somehow, i feel that the song is connected to what i am undergoing. There will always be an obstacle that i have to face in life, and each time i have to overcome it. Sometimes i may not always be right. But, that's life!

I read an article in NST last Sunday(26th April 09) and i find the article interesting. It is about what makes us happy, and continuous happiness. Some people might go for shopping, buying unnecessary goods to please themselves. Some would watch comedies in cinema or listen to their favourite songs. Or some would go out for a drink with friends. These give us an instant happy fix, an immediate therapy. But today, most of us need to work on a longer-lasting happy fix. This requires effort and we are sometimes forced to choose and make decisions that can change our lives. Like the writer suggested, "To do that, it may involve going to unhappy places first- facing those demons that drive us to look for an instant fix in the first place- but it's worth it." So now, think of what gives, or can give, us long lasting happiness and not a momentarily joy.

This season is coming to an end real soon, with two weeks remaining- two weeks of busy, stressful times. Well, as usual, when the end comes, things get pushy and there is not much time left as they need to compile our coursework marks. I'll be having 3 tests next week- Chemistry 2 Organic Test, ICIS Test 2 and Physics 2 Test 2. Well -prepared?

Seriously, i cannot believe that it is already May! Looking back, i have only wrote 3 posts in April. Sorry, i have been really busy and the Internet connection at my uni is extremely bad. May started with me in KL. And dinner at Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur was, rather, disappointing. The price per person is high and we were expecting some expensive food- you know what i mean. Having said that though, the decor was awesome and amazing. What more, after we had our buffet dinner, we took a stroll to the lobby and again were amazed at it's decor. Simply great!

Near the dessert bar. Just by looking at the variety of desserts, you have to stop to really choose.

Class. A bit dark though.

Tummy's getting full. Real full.

Photo taken at the lobby. It's a class on its own.

Buffet time was until 10.30pm. As usual, we would stay at the place until the very last minute- it's not a common chance to be there.

Argh... Now i need to go back to uni, Week 15! The thought of the 3 tests itself is, i would label as, scary. Going to be real busy, real stressful. And then, it's left with the final. wc09 says yummy- to the food!