My Farewell Post

During the fall of 2013, I was revising for my finals while my gaze wandered and set on a postcard from London on my wall. I thought to myself, if I don't make it, my life would be a void as it has always been my dream to set foot in the UK. A whirlwind of events happened over the past year and I am truly excited and blessed to announce that tomorrow is the day I'll be embarking on a new chapter of my life in England.

Dear family and relatives,
I'd like to give my best thanks to my parents and relatives for the angpaus, dinners and supplies, I appreciate them sincerely. *bows
Thank you family for being supportive of my decisions and guiding me whenever I need help. I love you guys with all my heart and I'd always be there if you guys need me.
My dear cousin Yan Ling Chung, may you have a safe flight as well and let us meet someday for some English tea and be all lady-like :P I'd still miss you dearly and I hope you are in good health mentally and physically! I reckon we would take some lovely photos and make sweet memories together. :P

Dear friends,
Life is always more fun when there's company around to share laughter and joy with. I express my gratitude towards my high school mates who organised a farewell gathering on 30.8.14. It was a lovely catch up and I hope we can carry on with our conversations there as well. :)

My best bud, Liew Tzyy Jiun, a genuine bestie you are, who has shown me that long lasting friendships do exist. The times we said goodbye were crushing for me but I am so overjoyed that we will be on the same boat. Let us travel to places that we talked about since young! Have a safe journey to Belfast soon and I'll see you there someday. Hearts <3

The ever awesome TCSH  BS8 2012 never fails to have me in wide smiles and giggles as we have spent 2 years fighting for our futures together but now it is time for some of us to part, to reconcile but never to forget. May all of you thrive amazingly in your respective universities and keep in touch!

O Ben, Yan Ru you made me squeal in awe! It's such a blessing to have a friend like you, smart, pretty and crazy :P I can't wait for our friendship to keep blossoming as you grow to be a fine dentist. Remember, lick it clean!

Dear potato life,
10 months of complete slacking have been nice. It's time for me to work those brains now and do what I came for. *Hugs my bolster (which doesn't exist in the UK)

As for the people who are coming with me on this journey, I am honoured and I hope to get to know you guys more. Let us embrace the impending challenges of a brand new start in the UK. Rejoice! May the ships sail :P

“Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end, but in my heart is the memory and there you will always be.” ― Walt Disney

Thank you, everyone. Farewell!

Malacca Food Trip

It was my last trip to Malacca, my beloved hometown.

My final chance to mess with the dog and stuff my mouth with good food in Malacca.

I also had yoghurt puffs that I left at grandma's place so please, don't let me start on that, it breaks my heart.

PAN KEE CHILLI PAN MEE

I had been dying to try the pan mee and it took me awhile to find the location.

What I like about pan mee shops like this is that you can add condiments like sambal or dried chilli flakes etc.

As you can see, the restaurant only provides dried chilli flakes soy sauce and pepper.

It comes with a bowl of  black bean soup, a chinese delicacy.

Dry chilli pan mee RM6

The pan mee was not bad, a tad too 'wet' as the oil was left at the bottom of the bowl.

Chilli flakes were not as fragrant and spicy as I expected but overall the meal was pleasant.

HAWKER STALLS AT BUKIT BARU

I didn't feel hungry so I opted for some local dishes at a hawker stall near my grandma's shop.

Fried oyster with egg

Another favourite of mine, which I couldn't recall the name.

Gool ol satay.

EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME.

Grilled fish with sambal.

龍記怡保芽菜雞飯 Long Kee Ipoh Chicken Rice

One of the things that Malacca is famous for is mouth-watering chicken rice, especially the rice balls.
This idea was initiated by the Hainanese who made rice balls for religious offerings. My grandma told me this story as she was amused by how rice balls have turned into a commercial food now, a very popular one indeed.

No rice balls but the chicken was very good. RM21, good for 3 person.

 The chicken was tender and had this rich yellow skin colour. Succulent, that was.

I don't eat bean sprouts so.....:/

COCONUT SHAKE AT KLEBANG

A warm welcome by the entrance.

RM2.50 per cup.

Vanilla ice cream on the rocks.

I was so disappointed with this shake. It tasted like plain milk without any hint of coconut and the ice shavings were too coarse. My only hope left- the ice cream was a let down as well. It didn't taste sweet, fuck. I travelled far for this overrated coconut shake......

72 Degrees Cafe and Bistro

We were trying out at this restaurant which replaced Station One Kopitiam. Limited selections on the menu but it was worth a go.

Grilled chicken cheese with corn on the cob, potato wedges, coleslaw and black pepper gravy.

Chicken burger with potato wedges.

I swapped my chips for potato wedges!

HUANG CHANG CHICKEN RICE RESTAURANT AT BATU BERENDAM

AT LAST! I got to fill my belly with those cute tiny rice balls!

One half of a whole chicken and 30 rice balls. RM15 for all. Good deal! 15 cents per ball.

They are good enough to eat on its own.

We thought 30 balls were enough for 3 people but it turned out we went for 40 instead.

I like my balls dipped in soy sauce. HEHE >:)

Some bakery shop you don't care

I thought they looked cute. :3

LOOK AT THAT STAR-SHAPED BUN. THAT IS HEAVEN RIGHT THERE.

It is a potato crust bun I don't know how to name it but it was delicious, it sent me to heaven yeah.

Then, I bought a custard bun, blueberry cheese tart, a scone and a Portuguese cheese tart because why the fuck not.

To end this epic food blog post, I shall admit that

I grew fat...........

Table for Two: OZEN ZANMAI EDITION

Perhaps this is the third addition to the Zanmai family, feast yourself before Ozen Zanmai, the rip-off of Sushi Zanmai.

Similar menus but with lesser options, this Japanese restaurant is a tad disappointing.

Service was mediocre, waiters were polite and friendly but waiting time was pretty long.

Cheesy egg mayo sushi and marinated baby octopus sushi.

A must-have in Zanmai. Cheap and tasty.

sushi rolls with fried shrimp.

Another yummy plate of fats!

Sushi rolls with fried osyter.

 Osyter was disgusting. It was not fresh and had a liquid-y texture. EW.

Sushi rolls with shrimp and  avocado mayo dressing.

This was very good. However, it just couldn't beat the ones at Sushi Zanmai.


Sorry Ozen but this is my first and last!

The Complete Guide to BREAKOUT: The Greatest Murder of Westwood

SPOILERS ALERT. This is a complete guide as you see.

As a first timer and an absolute amateur in investigations (as I don't watch CSI but I do play detective games online), I picked 'The Greatest Murder of Westwood' which is the most difficult of all rooms for some fun.

Here, I will share my entire experience for this is a special memory for me. :)

PREFACE IN THE WEBSITE

Westwood, 3rd Feb 1991 – A burnt body was found in a bath tub earlier this morning. The victim was identified as Robert Mckinsey Atkinson, male, 25. This will be another inclusion to the already alarming body count of the recent serial murder case. The serial killer, dubbed by the public as “the symbol” is still at large, leaving pieces of puzzle for the police at every crime scene as a taunt to their in capabilities. You and your team of detectives are working on this case closely and have arrived on the next crime scene only to be knocked out mysteriously… 

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 5/5

This is the most difficult room out of all the 5 rooms offered by Breakout Avenue K.

*Book your slot online and arrive 15minutes early for briefing and registration.

We arrived 30minutes early but had our 5minutes.

Min 2 ppl, Max 5ppl.

So, there were only two of us, first-timers, no experience and we chose the hardest level.
The staff were amused by this as they know we were probably gonna lose.

So, 5minutes before the game starts, the facilitator briefed us about the rules and regulations ( DO NOT DESTROY ANY ITEM and NO TAKING PHOTOS/VIDEOS ).
Game is timed at 45minutes.

We were given 5 characters to choose from, each comes with a different ability.

TIME BENDER
The person will have an extra 5minutes in the game.
If time is not used, it can be swapped with a hint.

LIGHT BRINGER
The person will get a torchlight.

THE SCHOLAR
Person can ask for an answer.

LOCKMASTER
Person can have one passcode.
It can be swapped for a hint.

THE ORACLE
Person will have an insight of the scenes (clues) via photographs.

We chose THE SCHOLAR and TIME BENDER.

Do not worry about your bags as you will be given a locker to store your stuffs and you shall hold the key.

We were asked to form a straight line and put our hands on the back of the person in front of you. Then, we shut our eyes and walked to a room.

My heart was pounding fast.

We came to a halt. The Game Master narrated a brief story about the murder and where we were.
We were at the house of Sally, the 6th victim of the murderer who had information about the killer, only to be knocked out and gained consciousness (that's when we opened our eyes and the timer started). We were locked in this room, with one phone that was for texting the Game Master for hints/answer and a 45 minute timer.

The GM also emphasised that in each scene, there would be a symbol block and a lock to be solved. Find the hints.

We needed to search for clues and find a way out.

GAME STARTS.

SCENE 1

My eyes flew open. It was very dark.

I tried to search for the lights. The lights did not work.

We had to use the phone as a source of light.

I vaguely could see it now.

I was in a small room. There was a TV, a cabinet, some clothes on top of the TV rack and some were hanging on a line, a sink, a broom and a mannequin. It gave me such a shock to find that. First thing first, I searched for the body. Her name was labelled as Sally. She was decapitated. She wore a loose pants and a tank top. I found a phone in her trousers pocket. It needed a pattern passcode.

There were some items scattered on top of the cabinet, useless items. I turned to see a calender on the wall with a particular date circled in bold. 13 October 1991.

We found a box that was marked INFINITY 2. This must be the second hint. It was locked with something in it. It had a rotating lock, the nastiest lock of all locks. We spent a lot of time figuring out the lock.

We switched on the TV and it revealed that it had no disc. TV was a good source of light.

After 20minutes of no luck, we found a small note stuck to the back of the box with instructions on them. Turn 3times right from first number, Left full spin for 2nd number and Right to 3rd number. But what were these numbers?! We took so long to figure that out.

To my dismay, I flung the clothes on the TV rack to the ground only to find a cube with a 7 on it. I had a jump and shrieked excitedly to my partner that this was the pattern for the phone. My partner unlocked it and we checked every single part of the phone. Contacts were of a name and 'Serial Killer'. Tried to call them but there was no SIM card so it was to no avail. There were messages in the phone contacting the Serial Killer.

Apparently, Sally was blackmailing the Serial Killer for ransom as she knew some important details about the killer's crimes. They agreed to meet at an address and Sally did not send out her draft message.

We found a picture in the phone, a recipe but with weird numbers... Those were the numbers needed for the lock! Swiftly, we made a few attempts and finally, it worked! We found a string with a small magnet attached at its end. We also found a disc that we played on the CD player. It was a video of some officers in a police office. Three of them seemed to be occupied by their work and when they left, a mysterious man entered

Now, what does it do and how can we get out?

There was a square opening and I stuck my head out to get a better look. An oval lid was on the floor, a perfect match to the tin on the cabinet. We tried to swing the string towards the lid but we failed horribly. Broomstick to the rescue! We tied the string onto the broom and yes! The lid was attracted and revealed a key underneath. After many tries, we got hold of that precious key and unlocked the door, moving on to the next room. 30minutes was gone.

SCENE 2

Again, a dark room but I could see that this was the police office. We began to search around. We pulled open every drawer and found a locked box again and a locked cabinet. This was the part I got blurry.............

There was so much to process at once. Time was running out and evidences are plenty to search for. FUCK.

There was a computer and on the desk, instructions were taped on how to turn on the computer, There were several accounts, all of them were locked with password needed. Laminated papers with suspects on them were scattered on the desk. It seemed like Officer Mandy was in charge of the case. So, we clicked enter in Mandy's account and it showed a password hint, "favourite animal'. My brain clicked! There was a picture of frogs on her table so the passoword was, 'frog'. We found files of cases, 33 of them and a password file that contained the combination to the box. We unlocked it and boom!

My mind was in a whirlwind now, there were bags of evidences that were useless.

According to the dates of murders marked on the calendars, it was a sequence, where the dates were prime numbers and the months were of 31days.

The 7th victim was killed on 17th of December.

Using the evidences and clues, we had to map out the location of the 7th victim using the directions given and the address stated in the message.

The missing letters were N, E
N=12, written on the back of the box.
North pointing to 12 o clock.
Anyway the combination was 15XX. I forgot.

We retrieved a book.We logged into Charlie (?) 's account (PW is sevensins) and it revealed that he was the killer and the chief detective. WHAT A TWIST, CLICHE.
Why is he a killer?
From the book, the 7th sin was curiosity and that was the answer.
It led us to find a key right before the door where we missed.

GAME OVER.


What a good experience.

We missed out a lot of things in the second room and I couldn't remember much either. Note, find the lights in the 2nd room and the hidden box beside Charlie's desk. Pull up the blindfold and look for the map that was taped to the wall. Also, manage your time wisely as we certainly did not have enough time and needed a lot of help to solve it.


BUT IT WAS GREAT.
I AM HAPPY!

BTN CAMP EXPERIENCE 10/2/14 - 14/2/14 @KEM KLIA

PROGRAM MAHASISWA KE LUAR NEGARA is a programme carried out by the Public Service Department of Malaysia for scholars who will be studying overseas. They are required to attend a 5D4N camp at selected camp locations and pass a test to secure the scholarship.

Here begins my journey of a future.

Before joining this camp, I had to do a lot of searching on the net so that I can get an idea of what this camp is about and I’m also freaking out because I’m not a sports person so hiking is really not my thing.

So on the first day, we got onto the bus and went to kem KLIA. An exclusive JPA bus, how cool.

SWEG.

Here we set off on a 2hour journey to a 5D4N camp.

 Wow, the camp was fairly new and the environment was pretty good,I must say. New buildings, trees, flowers etc. 

The dorm. This is the girls' dorm.

The centre of all buildings. Girls and boys dorms are separated. Of course, it is against the rule to trespass opposite gender's dorm.

The little lane towards the field.

We registered and picked our rooms, 2ppl or 3 ppl per room. The room was another wow factor because it had a wet kitchen, a dry kitchen(pretty small), a bathroom, 3single beds, plenty of cupboards but they r so filthy u ain’t wanna use them. Overall,the room was pretty nice, we could see a field through our window where we had our physical activities. 

Quite a comfy bed. No mosquitoes but there were two cockroaches. FUCK.

Through our window.

We joined the beds together to make more space, genius!

three beds per room

To start off the day, we had a briefing about my activities such as wacana minda which are talks given by several ppl and this routine continued for two days. 

Everyone had to be in formal attire.

Fast asleep when there were talks going on. 6am - 1am yo. OF COURSE I WAS SLEEP DEPRIVED. Besides, I had trouble sleeping. So I guess I only slept for 2hours per day.

Every morning we had some warm up activities in our track bottoms and did some marching. In the evening,back to our sportswear again for a new BTN activity called war dance which we had to perform in a competition on the 4th day.

Sang the national anthem here everyday.

Did I mention we also had a friendly match of Hula Hoop (for girls only)? Basically, you score when the hula is caught by the goalkeeper. It wasn't much fun as I was a potato.

On the 3rd to 4th day, we were divided into groups of 11 and were handled by a facilitator. We discussed about politics,economy,social stuffs, had debates, discussions, mind maps,presentations etc u get the drill, it was like college again except it was mainly about history,thinking skills and everything had to be communicated in BM. I embarrassed myself too much here....

Had to memorize this song for the War Dance performance.

On the 4th day, we had a competition about patriotic songs and my group got the song tanggal 31, yes thank god! However, our dance routine sucked badly lol. 

On the last day,we had a test and that test wasn’t that easy as the internet suggested. The questions were given based on the wacana minda so u gotta pay attention but I was too tired that time (6am to 12pm class wtf) but I think I passed it. It was an open book test but there were only a few questions that were in the book. Also that only contributed 40% of the marks , the remaining 60 was based on your performance during group activities and everyone passed it woohoo! We did have some quizzes about the current issues and politics and about Malaysia. 

A game we played in which those who broke the rule were punished as such, haha.

As for meals, we had 6meals per day and it was quite good, had a lot of spicy food and everyone was just too shy to eat lol. 

You can definitely ask for refills.

The standard lunch/dinner.

Btw thank god because we did not have any extreme activities because this camp did not have the right facilities and thank god we did not have to hike in the palm oil field lol. 

Camp was great. I was skeptical at first but I learned so much from this camp, about patriotism, about love for unity.. I do feel thankful and blessed to receive this scholarship and I promise not to let my country down. I shall set a great example representing the ppl of Malaysia and display good virtues and culture. 

Thanks for the memories. 

My groupmates :)

One of the most beautiful photo I have taken in my life. It stands for 1Malaysia.

*Pictures are taken from web, facebook. Here's the credit.

This is one of the best things that happened in my life.

Sleepless nights did pay off. If you see this, hi :3

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: Plot Twists, Sick Fancies and Money Woes.

I have finally finished 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens in a week.
Needless to say, that is probably the last classic book I'd read in 3years.

Dear lord, it was torture. I struggled to read every word and at some point, I gave up on referring to the dictionary and just guessed the meaning as the story went on. I managed to grasp the plot, surprisingly. I knew 16 year-old me back then, wouldn't. So, I am pretty proud that I was able to pick this up after 3 years of neglect for books as I have lost interest in fiction or books, to be honest.

I selected this book as my read thanks to South Park's 'Pip' episode. It seemed interesting as it focuses on the unorthodox love story between Pip and Estella (her name is beautiful, I want my kids to have hipster Victorian names) but hoala! The story is actually much more than that. Of course, South Park twisted the whole ending... But it was good. It caught my eye and I was determined to read on no matter how much pain and bore it put me in.

I wouldn't narrate the story here but here is a brief summary composed by yours truly.

Pip was poor orphan boy raised by a lunatic sister and her husband, Joe Gargery. The story kicked off with Pip finding a convict who was on the loose and was intimidated to help the escapee to obtain food and some appliances (a file). Officers eventually found the convict and another man mauling each other and arested them. The convict did not accuse Pip for being part of the scheme.

You see, Pip and his family lived a common, coarse life in rural parts of England. He was given the chance to play at the Satis House, occupied by the rich and famous Miss Havisham. In hopes of getting a fortune, he went but to his dismay, he was treated cruelly and coldly. Miss Havisham was sad old lady, clad in yellow-stained wedding dress and sat in a room of rotten feast with all the clocks stopped at 20minutes to nine. He met the love of his life, Estella, adopted by Miss Havisham. Estella was raised to break men's heart with her cold indifference towards feelings and wickedly beautiful looks. Miss Havisham was left at the altar by a man named Compeyson.

HOLD THE FUCK UP. THIS IS TOO LONG. I AM NARRATING 520PAGES WHAT THE FUCK!

Anyway,
Pip was sent to London to learn the ways to become a gentleman by a secret benefactor who was actually the convict whom he helped. The convict named Magwitch turned out to be Estella's father and due to some scandal, he lost custody of Estella and she was presented to Miss Havisham when she was just 2 years old. Estella admitted that she had treated Pip differently as she tried not to lure him into a heartbreak but alas, she married a wicked man named Drummle who studied with Pip.

Pip was grown to be unsuccessful and content as he met some, not very great expectations. He owed a lot of debt, fell sick, discovered the history of Estella, went overseas for business with his dear companion and best friend, Herbertl etc.

In the last chapter,
Estella, now widowed, met Pip in the remains of Satis House. It was fate that brought them together as they set foot in the compound for the first time in decades. They left, hand-in-hand, never to be parted again.

I MISSED OUT A LOT OF THE KEY PLOT HERE BUT FUCK IT. IT'S TOO LONG.

For a more detailed insight, I find this website very helpful. I compared with my own understanding and the plot given after reading the book and found that yeah, it made sense.

Great Expectations Plot


Here comes the main thing. My thoughts to it.

I would say there are three themes to the story.

LOVE
Stupid love. I don't know why Pip feeds on pain for love. Estella is a bitch and he knows that.

MONEY
It's all about the fucking money. Because if you have money, you can treat people like peasants. (in the old England times)

PRIDE
Scoundrel, fools. To think that you are one level above the rest is haughty and despicable.
Fucking Pip just looks down on his village because he is a gentleman, MOTHAFUCKA

I highlighted 4 parts of the book. They meant something to me.




At those times I would get up and look out at the door; for our kitchen door opened at once upon the night, and stood open on summer evenings to air the room. The very stars to which I then raised my eyes, I am afraid I took to be but poor and humble stars for glittering on the rustic objects among which I had passed my life.

That's how I felt as I am about to depart this country.

Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.

Hey, crying is one of the best forms of expression!

Life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man's a blacksmith, and one's a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come.

Another parting quote.

I stole her heart away, and put ice in its place. Better to have left her a natural heart, even to be bruised or broken.

Wound me because I rather feel something than nothing at all.


Quite a good read. Something that occupied my mind and drifts me off to fantasy.


Who else thought watching someone's heartbreak is a sick fancy? HAHAHAA

Samsung S5 Review for Everyday Users

I am not a tech expert. I just want my phone to DO THE JOB.

After much deliberation about buying a S5 or a Note 3, I bought a white Samsung Galaxy S5 in the month of July 2014 when it was newly released.
Priced at RM2399 at Samsung Malaysia stores.

DEISGN : 4/5

PROS:
Screen is big.
White option available.
Speaker is on the top of the phone.
Flash and sensor( at the back of the phone) do not touch surface.
It's pretty okay to grip firmly with small hands.


CONS:
Camera touches surface.
Pretty hard to adjust volume.
It is troublesome to remove the charging cap. FUCK THAT CAP.

FUNCTION: 5/5

There are PEDOMETER, HEART RATE SENSOR, STRESS RATE SENSOR goddammit.
Even though they are not the most accurate, they are fun to use.

Settings are very organised.

Fingerprint sensor, check.

Waterproof? Not sure. Ain't trying.


SPEED: 4/5

Pretty fast in general.
Smooth slide in home screen and app screen.
Varies according to apps.
Gallery is slow.

**Searching/connecting to new WIFI is VERY VERY SLOW.


WIFI: 2/5

As I mentioned, searching/connecting to new WIFI is VERY VERY SLOW.

I don't like this feature: You are using Google app but it will direct you to use Internet/Chrome for search results. Then why the fuck do I use Google for?

Observe that I am using Google app but this fucking thing came up. ALL THE TIME.

Wifi switches off automatically when I shut off the screen. (Might due to my battery defender app)


BATTERY: 2/5

Dies out FAST.
Dies at 1% per 2minutes of continuing usage.
The Ultra Power Saving Mode is not impressive.

BUT!!! It charges pretty fast as well. In fact, it's so fast that it is worth it.
I use 4 power saving apps to minimize battery usage but I don't think they are making a huge difference.
(Juice Defender, Easy Battery Saver, Battery Defender, Clean Master)

Ultra Power Saving Mode

STORAGE: 3/5

So the options available are 16GB and 32GB but the availability depends on countries.
Malaysia has 16GB version only.

16GB is not enough as I tuse lots of memory for photos and files.
Bigger storage can increase phone speed too.
Note: **** 16GB is allocated for everything in your phone (apps etc) but extra memory (I bought 64GB) is only for photos.


CAMERA: 2/5

WTF CAMERA. MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT.

Back Camera

The 16.1 MP is not bad though. Quality is pretty okay in computer.
Here come the cons...

The selective focus is WTF. It does not work on many backgrounds, including people...

Selective focus that actually worked for the first time.

The modes available are impressive especially the virtual tour but you need to dowload them from the app store unlike the previous model a.k.a S4 which already have the modes but not all of them.

Some of the modes.

JERKY CAMERA. You just can't fucking take a clear shot no matter how still you are.

Without Flash.

With Flash.

FRONT CAMERA IS SO DISAPPOINTING PLEASE PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD. The 2MP camera sucks as usual, with no fucking change despite previous models all have the same problem.

Fucking bad selfie with no fucking filters.

AUDIO: 4/5

No comment. It's loud enough with earphones but not very without.




VERDICT: 4/5
Pretty impressive for Samsung. I would choose iphone but widgets are life to me.

Is it worth my money? Yes, I guess. It does do the job for me.