Gone for a moment

I've just started 2nd year med in monash malaysia...no internet sadly. Will be back once i get the aforementioned.. Be patient lah!


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New campus, new lecturers, new beginning...same long hours...zzzzzz

If I Had a Million Dollars: Hokkien vs English

I've listened to these two songs before, and I figure they pretty much mean the same thing. Enjoy!


Maybe in 10 years time...Bwhaha!


If I Had a Million Dollars (Barenaked Ladies)




Na Si Gua Ooo Ji Pa Ban (Some Hokkien Singer)

Who's a friend, who's an acquaintance?

Adult Friend Finder: Now that's friendship!?!




I know, It's supposed to be Valentines Day. But like anyone who's still reading this, and not going out with their soul mate/life-partner/other half/fuzzywuzzum babypoo...my heart reaches out to you. But don't go on and masturbate to hentai, monkey porn, or whatever you're into after this. Now that's just plain sad. Instead, stop whining about being single and move on with your life.

I did.


So instead of writing about the usual mushy lovey dovey stuff on Valen-stein Day, I'm gonna talk about friendship.

"to have a single friend is better than having many acquaintances."

I came across this on jamie's blog. It kept me awake thinking about it. Yeah, I'm an insomniac, but it's nice to settle down and do a little soul searching once in a while.



First of all, how do I define a friend? Reminiscing about my friends produced this list:

Someone who...

enjoys long meaningless conversations that lead nowhere
and listens too..
gets into heated arguments, but it dies out eventually
enjoys a nice cold beer sometimes
has annoying habits
compromise, compromise, compromise
treats me to lunch when I'm broke
enjoys a game of pool
goes to church with
does not got to church with
is taken for granted sometimes
someone I'm comfortable with
gets worked up over petty issues
never keeps a grudge
vowed to see each other again after parting ways
shared interests...................and the list goes on




But what differenciates a friend from an acquaintance? Sometimes, we tend to drift apart as friends after a while. It's a normal thing. But we remain friends for a reason. The answer that came to me was plain, straight and simple...But that's the Zen of it.


'SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST'


So, I've somehow figured it out...According to the Theory of Chris, friendship is a form of social contract. The contract is sealed and binded by mutual trust. If trust is broken, the social contract is broken. So, friendship ends. That's how many friendships tragically end. Relationships too.



What are your thoughts about this? I'm interested in hearing your opinion. Perhaps I oversimplified it somewhere.

Ah Beng: Malaysia and Singapore's Pride

In continuation with my post on Ah Lians, let me continue with their trusty male counterparts, the Ah Beng. There are not many Ah Bengs, the sole reason being no one wants to admit being one!


The Ah Beng


Ah Beng is a type of race found in Malaysia and Singapore. They can be divided into two sub-races, the Hokkien Ah Beng and the Canto Ah Beng. The Hokkien Ah Beng is usually found in Singapore and certain parts of Malaysia such as Kuching and Penang. Canto Ah Bengs are usually found around the Klang Valley.




Distribution of Ah Bengs in South East Asia, c. 2007





The Ah Beng are of often mistaken as Chinese gangsters. Although all Chinese "pai kia" are Ah Bengs, not all Ah Bengs like to fight. Nows-aday, most Ah Beng can be found in cybercafes playing DotA or in snookeriums or pubs. Ah Bengs are also known as 'Lala Chai'.



"Kua simi kua, lu lan pa tua? KNNBCCB!"


Ah Bengs are unique because they evolve into another subculture, the ah Pek. But sometimes, they may even turn into the renowned CheeKoPeks(tm)


Identifying an Ah Beng is a simpler task than identifying an Ah Lian. First, look at their hairstlye. Towards the end of the last milennium, Ah Bengs used to sport the 'Golden Monkey' hairstyle. Nows-aday, the Ah Bengs try to match their hairstyle with the Japanese youth or their favourite Taiwanese/Hong Kong/Japanese/Korean boy band. Sadly, most end up looking like the unholy spawn of a drunken night between a rooster and a monkey. Most of them are usually quite skinny too.




Golden Monkey hairstyle, circa 1997




The current Ah Beng hairstyle, circa 2006



Ah Bengs are less fussy about their style of clothing than Ah Lians. The current trend is towards tight-fitting button downs. The first three buttons must always be undone, and a metal chain necklace is preferable. Dragon or punk inspired designs are a plus. Fake designer jeans with a boot cut are fashionable. Basically, anything that can make you look like a Korean/Taiwanese/Japanese pop star will do. The Ang Mohs (westerners) tend to view their fashion as totally gay.



F4: Who the Ah Bengs want to be



The Ah Beng are famous for their colourful language, which can reduce the most fearsome of pirates into nervous wrecks. Most of their language revolves around mothers, genitals and procreation. The most famous of these is KNNCCB. Other than their mother tongue of Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka or Cantonese, they speak a form of english called Benglish.

Eg. "You listen to him karaoke. His voice kana sai lai dat."
Translation: "Listen to his singing. He sounds like sh*t."

Ah Bengs are wannable Japanese boy racers. As some can't afford japanese cars like the Nissan Skyline or Honda Integra, they make do with heavily modified Kancils or Kelisas. Every Ah Beng is a master of zng-ing(pimping) their ride. They usually kit their cars with custom spoilers and side skirts. Not forgetting the most important of them all, the bone rattling, rthymic(hmmm) subwoofer. This serves to announce the Ah beng's royal presence to everyone within a 500 metre radius.




Ah Beng's dream car




Ah Beng's real car




So ends my observation on our proud Ah Beng heritage. A final word of advice:

If you ever get into a fight with an Ah Beng and he challenges you to a one-on-one brawl, never ever trust his word. Chances are, his kakia Ah Beng Ah Seng will be hiding behind dustbins ready to join their brahder if he needs help. And they will hoot you upside down. So, always bring along your own kakia. :P


For your entertainment, here's a video clip of Ah Beng tetno by some Singaporeans:



and this:

Doctors Recommend..

Ahhh, let's go back to those good ol' days, when there was no such thing as lung cancer.



Little surprise there, bacause most doctors back then were literally chimneys.

Valenstein Day

In Malaysia, Valentine's Day is commonly mispronounced as Valen-stein Day. So, here is a card I made, specially to all you 'lomantiks' out there!




Uhh!! Need love....

Uniquely Malaysian: The Ah Lian

In accordance to Visit Malaysia Year 2007, I would like to do my part in promoting Malaysia's rich and vibrant tapestry of cultures and traditions.

In Malaysia, in addition to our different races and religions, we have subcultures that transcend all of these...for example, bananas, mat rocks (endangered species in East Malaysia), the usual Bengs/Lians, trendy Minahs, high-achieving elitists, CheeKoPeks (tm) and the now famous Matt Rem-Pitts (Brad Pitt's adopted children?) to name a few.


Brad: Adoptive father to Matthew Rem-Pitt




Some of you will dismiss all these as stereotypes, and your eyeballs are probably halfway rolled up into their sockets already. Everyone hates being put into a box, right? Haha, cool down..cheer up emo kid and stop cutting yourself...and take all this with a pinch of salt!


Today, let us look at a group of special people that make Malaysia (and SIngapore) such a unique place to be:


AH LIANS

According to legend, Ah Lians can trace their heritage way back to the great matriarch Xiao Gurrl. The honorable Xiao Gurrl was said to have invented neoprint camwhoring. But the accuracy of this statement is widely disputed. The 16 year old Japanese schoolgirls, who also stake claim to this acheivement, beg to differ.



"They stole it from us", testifies angry japanese schoolgirl




Now let us proceed on to identifying them. The physical characteristics of an Ah Lian varies greatly. In layman's terms, got some pretty and some not-so lah! Ah Lians typically have long rebonded straight hair, athough some may choose the more "romantic" wavy style. Ah Lians love to dye their hair into a dirty-blondish colour. But nows-aday, it's fashionable among women to have rebonded hair, so you'll have to look harder!




Ayumi Hamasaki, with Ah Lian hairstyle





Ah Lians also have a dress code they adhere religiously to. The typical Ah Lian wears a revealing tube top or spaghetti strap. Tops should be tight-fitting and small, regardless of body size and shape. They usually match this with tight low-cut jeans or denim miniskirts. The risk for zao geng is notoriously high compared to the general female population (CheeKoPeks rejoice!). Certain brands have become more popular among the Ah Lian crowd, most notably PMK, Giordano and VonDutch (the ones bought at a bargain from pasar malams)


"Good place to find branded stuff, budden hor, donno why so cheap", says Ah Lian


On to the less superficial stuff. Ah Lians are amazingly social people, and they are often seen with their group of Jie Meis ("sisters" in Mandarin, for the uninformed). They tend to prefer their JieMei's to be a bit less chio (pretty) than them. Their favourite haunts include Sungei Wang Plaza (KL) and Wisma Saberkas (Kuching). They tend to frequent boutiques that sell slutty sexy cute outfits, and most importantly, pink ones! Bubble tea bars rely on the Ah Lian/Beng community to survive. They speak a loose mix of mandarin, hokkien, cantonese and broken english. They are exceptionally fluent in "Hokkien chau wa" but reserve this for catfights and so on. The best place to find an Ah Lian is at a Wang Lee Hom or Jay Chou concert. Leng-chais (Handsome Guys) such as them have a huge Ah Lian fanbase. On Valentine's Day, they would expect a ton of plush animals from their Beng "lomeos".




Ah Lian Sentral, in Kay Elle





Lee Hom: Object of worship



Ah Lians are also prominent on social networking websites, namely Friendster. You can identify them by their screen names, which tend to be super-cute. Some people consider these plain annoying or stupid. But I myself consider them unique in a Malaysian way :)

Eg. MILKster PINKy baobei Pinkalicious missiprincess dolli CoCo LaLa xiaokeaiix. Note that they tend to name their pets similarly.




Typical Ah Lian Profile




In their friendster profiles, they include strange details about themselves, namely their height, weight and pet names. They also tend to add friends indiscriminately, necessitating the creation of several accounts. The more friends they have, the more secure they feel. They have a distinct vocabulary, with liberal use of "wOr" "nEhz" 'kEkEx' "mAhz" and usually TyPE LiKe tHis as they regard this as cute. Ah Lians are notable camwhores, and together with socialites account for more than half of all camwhores in Friendster. They try their best to make their profile photos as cute as possible. Some edit their photos with Microsoft Paint to emulate neoprint stickers. AND the more demure ones tend to use Jay Chou or some other celebrity as their profile pic.




Typical Ah Lian profile




A chio Ah Lian camwhoring







So ends my short observation on our unique and wonderful Ah Lians. Without them, Malaysia will just not be Malaysia. Malaaayyyssiiiaa Trruulllyyy Asssiiiiaaa!





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My Ah Lian Pic, kekexz


DAMN GHEY ONE!

Remembering 2006: Monash Anatomy Museum

Welcome to the Monash University Anatomy Museum, off-limits to anyone else to the uni but medical and science students. Here's a sneak peek.

Not for the easily disturbed.

Good if you're curious..

Click on the pictures for a larger view.




The anat museum hosts a variety of human specimens (couldn't find a better word) ranging from plastinated models to wet specimens preserved in formaldehyde solution. Hence the sweet smell emanating from the museum.





The preserved head and upper torso. I can't seem to determine his/her gender. May be disturbing to some. But gives me a sense of peace, if not dignity.





Upper limbs in various stages of dissection. Students usually gather around here post dissection for a de-briefing and summary by the facilitators. This is when you start asking questions if you have doubts.

Bible quiz?

You know the Bible 93%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

93%?, 93%? Right.

This is utter crap.

But it reminds me what I'm missing out on.

God save me.

That said, it's better to be a doer than claim to be knowledgeable. And that includes me!

Short reflection: 2006, Melbourne

Recycled from my old blog, 16 Dec 2006



It's been a while since I returned from Melbourne. A short year by my standards I suppose, but what a year! A flurry of warm friendships, ridiculous cramming, lecture-skipping, drunken nights, online shopping, jaywalking and other such pursuits. And what have I gotten out of it you say?


you know that already




male-burn city




the usual drunk bastards :D



Plenty.



Throughout this year, I'm aware that I've changed in some aspects. I have all but lost my sense of competitiveness, a legacy of the early years dad hounded me over my results. So, no more Mr. Kiasu, for now. However, I'll keep in mind not to let complacency take over....Rome wasn't built in a day you see..




"narcissism is necessary...don't barf just yet!"



Personal appearance and taste in clothing, something that has taken a back seat in my life for ages, ahhh..that's becoming more important. A taste of something better, courtesy of the likes of armani or versace...has left me quite smitten. And you can bet I'll be back for more.



Just kidding there!...i'm not that into that sort of excess. Very metro. Not forgetting my obvious lack of mullah, or "something-that-rhymes-with-honey". But as you can see, i'm sadly becoming more superficial. and hating myself more for that....the angst! :P




Sad to say, I think I've gotten more cynical over these months..my pal calls it maturity...i'd think otherwise. I'd see the negative side of things...a departure from my usual rose-tinted view of the world. Politics,events, policies, mostly from my home county..leave me flustered and irritated. Same goes for matters closer to heart..friendships, relationships, God..Don't give me that half full half empty crap. I NEED rehabilitation! X-(




And, God, not forgetting God,......who brought me there...watched over me...provided...fed....though I still have unresolved doubts and issues...there's still unmovable faith...ahh, faith, that's what keeps me moving on.



Oh yea, let me also announce a vacancy for a personal back scratcher. The humid weather has left me itchy...very itchy. Scratch my back and i'll scratch mine!

Dissection Revisited

This excerpt was taken from my old blog, dated 22 Sep 2006.


There has always been a morbid fascination among people (including yours truly) concerning death. As a medical student, death is something I have to come to terms with, and most physical experiences I have dealing with this would be in the dissection hall. In small groups around a cadaver, we would learn a lot about human anatomy through observation of dissection by the demonstrators. Following that, we would be the ones dissecting, but not rarely without disasterous results :P


To be honest, I was initially rather disturbed by the place in general, even a touch disgusted by it. The place seems to have a rather peculiar aura emanating from it, not least from its distinctive smell. The sickly sweet aroma of formaldehyde barely masks the underlying stench of decay and faeces, especially when approaching the cadavers. Buckets below the dissection trays serve to collect bodily fluids and excess formaldehyde solution. Rows upon rows of body bags serve as a grim reminder of how ephemeral life is.



Months pass by, with the dissection hall losing its initial shock factor and mystery. The smell is something I got used to, as with "carving" skin, fat and fascia with the scalpel and prying them apart with my fingers. The often confusing task of identifying muscles, nerves, and blood vessels provides me with a sense of detachment from what, or more appropriately who im working on.


The cadavers are devoid of much dignity, with intimate members fully exposed and some with split or missing heads. Body details such as manicured fingernails and tattoos are eerie relics of a life once lived. The only thing that seperates them from us is time.



Contrary to the perceptions of most people, you do not often lose your appetite after dissections. As dissection times are placed before, say, luchtime or dinner...you tend to get hungrier during and after dissections. In fact, some medical students go on to say that "the smell of formaldehyde makes people hungry!" 0-o

In retrospect, this ongoing experience makes me think twice about donating my body to science. While I really look up to those who have made the decision, I doubt that they will be pleased with what they see...but I guess they wont be living by then anyway. It brings a new meaning to the saying "ignorance is bliss".

I truly hope this brings some insight into what goes on here in the dissection hall.

Canto song by African Brit

This dude is good. For a Brit of african descent. Puts Honkies and other Chinese to shame.



Here's his myspace site.

Lazy Ass Gourmet Sandwich

So it was 3 a.m.

I'm a nocturnal creature. Well, until semester starts. And I got really hungry. I remember watching those "heavenly Chilli Philly" commercials on Aussie telly, so I got this idea. I know it's really bo liao to post this. But trust me, it really is heavenly!

Here's how to create the "chilli philly" sandwich:

What you need:

1.White bread


2. Cream cheese. (philly cheese)


3. Life Chilli Padi Sauce. (any sweet chilli sauce will do)


4. Tabasco Sauce. (optional)



Now, just spread cream cheese on a slice of bread. Shake out a few drops of chilli sauce, then slap together two pieces to form a sandwich.




Voila! ITADA-KIMAS!!

Download Youtube Videos

Have you ever seen a video on Youtube that you really liked? Pretty sure you did.






The fact is every movie on youtube can be downloaded onto your hard disk for future use. Here's how:

1. Copy the html address of the youtube

2. Go to keepvid

3. Paste the address and select "youtube" from the drop down menu

4. Download the linked file.

The main problem here is that the downloaded video will be in .flv format. You can convert them into other formats (avi, mpeg, wmv) with the right software.

Here's one such.


Alternatively, you can download a flv player to play the .flv files.

Racial Stereotyping Enforced!

Advertisers ordered to drop models with non-Malaysian looking faces

The Malaysian modelling and advertising industries are in shock after the government announced it was reviving a ban on the multiracial Asian faces that dominate billboards and magazines.

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said yesterday that models with so-called "pan-Asian" features were not representative of Malaysian demographics.

"Using pan-Asian faces means downgrading local faces," he said. "We have to give priority to models with local looks."

Okay, so why are Pan-Asian faces banned? According to Bolehland's Information Minister, they aren't Malaysian.

So youre saying they should look distinctly Indian, Chinese or Malay? SO what about the native East Malaysians, of whom some naturally look Pan-Asian. What about Malaysians of mixed ancestry? What about the Babas,the kaum Serani?

What about the so called "pure blood" Malay, Chinese, Indians, Dayaks, Kadazan etc who look distinct from the others? Are you going to ban them from the media because of their looks?

To be frank, this makes no sense at all. So the gov only recognises people of homogenous(pureblood) heritage as Malaysian. Or is this perpetrated by those who are envious of the Pan-Asian look? The Chinese should have "sepet" eyes? The Indians should have dark skin and curly hair? Malays should look...well...Malay?






"No one should be more sexay than me!"


















Maybe the answer is simpler. The bigwigs up there simply using the "divide and conquer" method to segregate the different races. They simply don't accept the possibility of different races mixing. They want racially distinct races. There is no such thing as a Malaysian race. Which also makes no sense. Bolehland promotes racist stereotypes. Face the hard facts. The gov policy is face-ist.

There is an entry in wikipedia that describes this prejudice: Lookism




But the biggest irony of it all is that I'm supporting the beautiful people over the average masses. Think about it.

XXX Screenshot

Title caught your eye ay?



I came across this review of a game titled Prey. Its due out this year probably on the PS3 or Xbox 360

This screenshot caught my eye:










What does it look like? C'mon, please be honest here.

IMHO, it looks like a VA-GI-NA. A yeast infected evil-looking one at that. Someone call the gynaecologist! I wont ever do gynae

Not forgetting that the gun looks strangely phallic. (It looks like a man-stick)

hahahaha...vaginal doors and penile guns!


Makes me wonder what the game designers were thinking at the moment. Or something for the poor depraved teenagers living in their parents' basements.


Well, if you ask me, if you don't repeatedly enter and exit this door while playing the game, no one's gonna suspect anything! :P

Average Asian rules!

Love these skits. Makes fun of racism and ignorance.



He's an average asian
Just a normal guy with asian persuasion
He's an average asian
Not good at differential equation
He's not dumb he's not smart
Just an asian guy with art
He's an average asian


The song's getting to me...

My Tribute to the Nice Guys

Haha, girls, dont feel offended!

This audioblog tribute was inspired by Charmaine's and Robin's posts about nice guys finishing last.



Do feel free to flame me. I'm ready :P

I am a Malaysian

I feel strangely patriotic/malaysian today. This is based on the "I am a Canadian" commercial for Molson Beer. Enjoy!

DIY Recording Studio

Only 2 weeks till uni semester begins again. I can't wait!

What to do if you have:


A) A bored geezer




B) An old acoustic guitar




C) A pair of drumsticks (not of the edible variety preferably)




D) A mac with Garageband software




E) An hour to spare




Create some sound, ya'll!! Rough around the edges...my first sample. Nothing more than a simple riff, repeated. Em, C, G, D



Aptly named "crap". Coudn't think of anything else to name it. Enjoy!

MOH is nuts. Welcome to Bolehland.

I am not going to be eloquent in this post. Forgive me for being biased due to my chosen course in uni.But damn, was I appalled when I came across this piece of news. This was what grated greeted my eyes when I logged on to MMR:




It may not seem like much at first glance. Then the magnitude of the situation came into focus. What frustrated me was the fact that the MOH had just doubled the starting salary of medical specialists...to....wait for it....LURE them back!! What about recent medical graduates? The poor, overworked interns and MOs..



That coupled with the fact that Bolehland's Health Minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek was once a medical practitioner. He, of all people, does not seem to understand the plight of his (former) fellow practitioners. Perhaps he was wise enough to enter politics instead.




This was confirmed in a report by the Star:




"The Chinese have 5,000 years of history". That's your main reason for implementing this? Pathethic is an understatement.


How did it come to this? First, they say we need more qualified medical practitioners. Now, they are encouraged allowed to go to China to study for a up to five years. Who needs doctors you say? Lets just turn them into sinsehs instead.


I have absolutely nothing against traditional medicine. I'm personally interested in acupuncture and may even take it up to complement my practise. But you see, Complementary Medicine should stay complementary. Not alternative, as what this situation implies. This bowel motion by the cabinet isn't helping much either.


But "its about the job, not the pay", you say. I'm sorry to ruin your ideals. Medicine is one of those careers where you truly earn your pay. It does not help that doctors working under the government are mostly overworked and underpaid. Just getting into the course is hard enough. I haven't even begun to mention the high tuition fees and long study hours. To add salt to the wound, any tom, dick and harry can take a course in China and earn more than a medical specialist with more than ten years of experience under his/her belt.


There you go, another masterpiece courtesy of Bolehland's administration. So that's what we pay them for.