Season 3, Episode 9: Much ado about October and fest?

" Nobody wins when everyone's losing,
it's like one step forward and two steps back,
no matter what i do
you're always mad. " - Not Meant To Be, Theory of a Dead man

It is Wednesday. Busy as i am, i desire to complete this post of the previous week. Due to the events, my time was schedule-packed and it was a serious juggle between studying for the test and quizzes with the Octoberfest, a major ELC event this semester. Nonetheless, they were successful and i pray for the best is yet to come.

Opening Ceremony on Monday night followed by The Strongest Link competition. I should have joined the competition- the elimination rounds were simple. But as it went on, i saw myself falling short to the more difficult questions.

Octoberfest is actually an event comprising of 3 sub-events: the Strongest Link, the Max-X Chocolate and the Scribes Showcase. This figure consisting of all, greeted guests from the first night on.

An unfinished pyramid of golden balls waiting for completion.

Officiating the event was our beloved Rector who placed the peak of the pyramid.

I was the Assistant Project Manager for the Scribes Showcase and it was held on Wednesday night. All in all, it was a show to remember and the experience in these events were amazing.

Over the weekend, it was Deepavali, the festival of lights! I enjoy looking at the decors for the celebration.

In KDE...

Happy Diwali, everyone!

Deepavali equates to good food too. Oh, i love to eat!

Auntie M makes the best prawn sambal i have ever tasted. Mix them with the rice, my mouth are already salivating.

Thanks to my friends for the gift, this is me and my traditional Indian shirt- currently my wallpaper.

Even the host's pet was up to the celebration. Don't you think it looks adorable?

Visited Nara later and it was nice catching up. And continued to Mr M house for another Deepavali house visiting.

Pre-birthday celebration for my dad. It was great, previously known as Roadhouse Grill to the Marciano's. My main course was scrumptious.

Dad looking unprepared in front of his main course. The decor of the restaurant is amazing- so ranch-feel and the wild wild west!

Since my uni can access to YouTube, try listening to these:


Not Meant To Be


Love Story meets Viva La Vida

Rush rush... wc09 got to go for classes now! Enjoying listening, reading, eating, and living!

Season 3, Episode 8: Foundation DL, DICN & Field Trip to Cameron H

" Help the client to help themselves. " - the Concept of Helping

Back to being in the hectic life of a student. At the moment, i'm very busy with events, assignments, quizzes, projects and test. These, as usual, build up to stress. But what drives me is the knowledge i acquire from these little things, and the weekend i'm looking forward so much. Thus, this post, cliche as it sounds, but i will let the photographs do the talking.

Looking sharp is me, and my graduation certificate from the Foundation year.

While waiting for our turns...

... we took photographs to kill the time.

Graduated with CGPA 4.0. Surprised to see my picture in the front.

More and more photographs.

Taking picture with extra lighting effect.

Deepavali and Indian Cultural Night 09. Second time attending this. Grand!

A and I, after-ceremony.

Don't you think they look stunning in their saree?

Field trip. Listening attentively to Dr C for notes to note.

Got the 'feel'.



Objective was to study rocks. We did and it was interesting.

After the study part in the field trip, it was holidaying in Cameron Highlands that we looked forward to.

I had a lovely steamboat lunch, the best thing to eat up there.

Strolling along the lanes in Brinchang.

Interesting shot.

MARDI is a beautiful place to visit. Greeting us at the entrance is the British Garden!

The landscape is breath-taking.

Rich in colour.

Posing.

Zooming in...

... it is an apple tree. Now, who says that apples can't be grown in Malaysia.

The weather was cooperating too. Chilly, just the way i like.

Just admire the flowers in abundance!

Cool- grapes!

Support One Malaysia? Serene surrounding, it sure was.

A scenic view in the Garden. I'm impressed.

Me and the scenic view.

Mesmerized by the landscape.

Salute to the field trip. It was splendid. Looking forward for more...

... a Cameron trip always goes with strawberries!

What a beautiful lengthy post? wc09 is thrilled over the week and now comes the busy week. No time for sleep!

Intermission... of all sorts!

" May be you had to leave in order to really miss a place; may be you had to travel to figure out how beloved your starting point was... "

" Parents aren't the people you come from. They're the people you want to be, when you grow up. "

" The outcome of this recipe is a work of art, if you can make it through the complicated preparation. Above all else, handle everything with care. "

Jodi Picoult, Handle With Care

Weeks of non-stop stress finally have come to a pause, allowing me a breathing space. It's the mid-semester break, which means i can do what i have wanted to do that i had put on hold. This ranges from eating (delicious) food to holidaying to reading! This Intermission will be different, though, as i will be rhapsodizing them in sections.

Mooncake Festival @ JKKK KA
This is the first time i'm attending this celebration in my 'kampung', because i'm not sure if this was even the first. If it was the first, then i hope in the coming years, there will still be one. I've always like attending this cultural celebration, what more i see the deterioration in the modern times. Hopefully, this celebration did spark the interest of the younger kids to continue living this legacy- because the mooncake legacy is a beautiful one, i have chosen. Neutral, i enjoyed the free 'makan' and the lantern design competition.

Arrival of the VIP with the lion dances.

Good response! Well done.

The release of fireworks.

'One Malaysia' lantern. Sadly, this one did not win the prize in the competition.

I knew the Petronas Twin Towers was unique. It won.

Display of lantern contestants. The one with the hearts was in the top too.

Time for Mooncakes now.

Raya & Melaka
It has always been my dream to do a food-logue, just like how you imagine a travelogue to be but it focuses on food instead. Yes, Malaysia is a food haven, no doubt, and it would be an understatement to say that the food is good. Starting with the Ramadan month itself, we have bazaars that stretched long with plenty of murtabaks, roti john, and kuih raya along the way.

In KLCC with Datuk Lat's.

Raya this year was on the 20th September 2009. If you would have noticed, it was 2009-2009. Get it? Like previous years, i visited my father's friend's house. I remember crediting her cakes last time. This year was no different. Apart from her moist chocolate cake, cheese cake, pineapple and apple cakes, we had chicken and mutton rendang with nasi empit and lemang. Oh-so-tasty!

Here onwards will make you salivate; if it don't, i know i will. A makan-makan trip back to Melaka on Raya. This coming years, Melaka has always been jam-packed with tourists during holidays- from KL, Johor and Singapore to name a few. This crowds the whole Melaka City, making it a challenge to drive from one place to another.

My sister having 'Wan Tan Mee' and Fried Oyster. The Fried Oyster, or O-Chian, is a must try food in Melaka. If you wonder what it is, it is actually fried egg with oyster, mixed with starch and some chili to perfection. We waited long for this one in Jalan Bunga Raya.

My brother devouring his 'Puree'. Usually, this will be our breakfast. Since we stay overnight near Merlimau, this shop is not very far away.

Highly recommended is the Fish Ball noodles. We call it Wo-Kiaw. Blend it with some chili sauce and off you go. This particular shop sells 'karipap' too, making it an appetizer, or a dessert after the noodles.

You MUST try this in Melaka- the Chicken Rice Ball! The rice are shaped into balls. I usually eat them clean, without dipping them into chili sauce and it still tastes amazing. This shop, we call 'Bawah Pokok' is hitting big waves as it just got promoted by Ho Chak. Hopefully, publicity and commercialisation does not affect its taste, sooner or later.

These are the places that i have eaten for many many times and that is why i am recommending them to you. There were others that we had, but i don't think it's time to give them a spot here. Still, the best are my aunties Nyonya meals!

September Babies
Amazing, i thought, that my mid-semester break coincides with my family's birthdays. Happy Birthday to Mummy, WH and Grandpa. Not forgetting- my friends who turn a year older, happy birthday to you too!

Introducing a makan spot to you, the Look Out Point. It has been there for a fairly long time and only recently have we discovered the place. It is the point that we could see the entire KL City, from a distance, that illuminates amazingly under the night sky.

After placing our orders...

Grandparents posing with the Petronas Twin Towers at the far left.

While waiting... I like the ambiance of the place. It was breezy with cottage-style decor.

Try this Baked Escargot there.

Served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, this Special Sizzling Chicken is my main course.

Yummy!

A Second Chance
As i have promised, i have posted my second story in my story-blog. Entitled A Second Chance, have a read. Here are some excerpts of the story, and i bet it is better than the first.

"Have you ever wished that you could turn back the time and make amendments to the wrong things you have done? Or have you ever wondered what if time has been fast-forwarded for you, that you one day wake up a totally different person? My name is Kent Law, and my life had been a failure so far. I had only two things that I was proud of, and they were on the verge of slipping away."

"It was unusual for me to visit Kent in the hospital. The guilt I had carried repelled my desire to see my friend whom I had betrayed. I tried not to see him, especially in the hospital, but I tried my very best to meet with his family members as often as possible. Today was different. It was different because Mary had been the one that called me to come to the hospital. Could she had found out the truth and wanted me to confess it in front of Kent?"

"I now know what it felt like to feel something being stolen away from you, something so important in life that could go missing. What goes around comes around."

Read it, and give my your constructive criticisms.

Handle With Care


After being blown away by Jodi Picoult's Change of Heart, i decided that i should try reading her other books. Never have i regretted this decision. She is my favourite author to date and her latest, Handle With Care, is another true winner! I has the same effect when i read A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks, pulling every of my heart strings, every flipping pages.

I did not read My Sister's Keeper, and there are many claims that this is so closely related to it. Even if it had been, i will like this book nonetheless. It was a page turner, one that i tried to put down but immediately found myself picking it up to continue reading. Yes, i stayed until 2.30 am to read- this is the first time i'm doing so. May be it was her writing style that continues to grapple my attention. This book writes from five point of views: Charlotte, mother; Sean, father; Piper, friend; Amelia, sister; and Marin, lawyer.

This is a story about a girl, Willow, who is born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). In layman's term, it's a brittle bone disease. Any slightest fall could result in a bone broken. Soon, her medical expenses rise and Charlotte resorts to suing Piper, her OB who happens to be her best friend. Amelia is Willow's sister and at times, she compares herself to Willow and soon finds herself falling problematic. Sean, a supportive father, tries to awake Charlotte from the mistake she had started. Marin is the lawyer that Charlotte hires to sue. The characters are very well developed, with conflicts both internal and external being discussed. What if it was you, in Charlotte's shoe? Will you sue the OB even if it costs you to stand up to your best friend and most importantly, to your daughter to say that she is better off not born? Jodi again left me pondering upon the finish.

I could relate to Sean's character the most. This book brings forth the values of family and love too. While he may be supportive as a husband and a father, he could not utter those hurtful words to her daughter and this leads to a divorce on the line. He tries to help Charlotte in anyway he could, because he love them both. He knows he never wanted to get a divorce, and his love toward Charlotte was pure, real and touching. If i had 'Come Home' by One Republic by my side as i read, i would find tears rolling down my eyes. As for the other characters, i'll let you discover them yourself.

G-Force and the Cinderella Man
G-Force was alright. It did not mesmerize me with its stunning effects and at times, i find the movie ridiculous. The storyline was predictable. However, it was an entertaining watch. The story revolves around a group of guinea pigs, better known as G-Force and they are on the edge of saving the world upon a global destruction.

The Cinderella Man was, on the other hand, awesome! You have to watch it! Starring Russel Crowe and Renee Z, this story is dramatic and real at the same time. The way it was told was touching, better than the Million Dolar Baby. A washed up boxer returns again into the ring for the hope to bring a better life to the family. Cliche, you say? But i can assure you that it is one of the best movie i have ever watched! A++ rated!

A compilation o the intermission, i suppose, and it is not over yet (i hope to grow this post). I still have a few more days before returning to the series and i have to... start... doing my... assignments... wc09 is still enjoying the Intermission... of all sorts!