チャンピオン leeyiung

Updates

2010-08-16T23:21:00.003+08:00

Sorry ppl, here is the long awaited post XP

Been busy with my Honours project. Worked 24/7 for 4 months + finished writing thesis in under 2 weeks --> 1st class Honours. I love you, God(s)! =)

Just came back from Sabah. Climbed Trus Madi with a 8kg bag on my back ~.~ One of the guides and I took about 3 - 4 hours to reach the cabin (about 3.5 km from the starting point). I KO-ed almost immediately after that. i must say, it was a really nice experience for me. The scenery was superb and worth the climb. But I seriously hated the cold and rainy weather ~.~ i would have enjoyed it so much if it had not been that cold =.= people claimed that the mountain was harder to climb than Mt Kinabalu. We climbed the tallest mountain in SEA from Mesilau instead of Kinabalu Park and I hereby declare (tentatively XP) that yes, Mt Kinabalu is much more climber-friendly than Trus Madi. We did not make it to the summit though, because everyone who wants to conquer the mountain, whether you're an experienced climber or not, has to be accompanied by a guide (must be paid!) from Sabah Parks. Usually, I heard, the cost for hiring guide + accommodation + porter will amount to about RM600 ~.~ Staying at mesilau was kinda hellish for me because (1) i gotta eat vege everyday (2) no net, limited reception, no tv (3) limited conversation topic with my friend =.= it's still better than living at Trus Madi because the ambient temperature was slightly higher (though it still rained often), we had a proper house to live in with proper kitchen and shower was not an impossible task to do. The nearest town to Mesilau was known as Kundasang which kinda resembled Cameron Highlands but it was much smaller in area. All the veges there are super cheap. I bought 3 types of vege for just RM5. Where in the world can you buy fresh vege at such price? Anyway, forgot to mention that, I was there to help out my friends with their honours projects. There are a lot of restaurants serving good local foods scattered around Kota Kinabalu. If only I had a car, I would go and try out all the food while I was there. I spent about 90% of my time hibernating at my friend's house =.= But still I managed to eat some of the famous KK dishes e.g. shang yuk min (noodle + assorted pig organs and meat), beef noodle and some hakka food. Oh yea, I bought talap (a jackfruit-lookalike fruit) for just RM1 in KK =.= this city never failed to surprise/amuse me =) anyway, I swear I'll have a food trip in Borneo in the near future XD

During my stay in KK and mesilau (about 3 weeks), I finished reading 6 books!! @.@ Noble House (by James Clavell), Between the Assassinations (by Aravind Adiga), The Gift of Rain (by Tan Twan Eng), The Frog Prince (by Jane Porter), The Lost Symbol (by Dan Brown) and The White Tiger (by Aravind Adiga). Which one do I recommend? Noble House, followed by The Frog Prince, The White Tiger, Between the Assassinations, The Gift of Rain and lastly, The Lost Symbol. I like James Clavell's novels, though I've only read two of his books (the other one is Shogun which is also really nice). The Lost Symbol is - one word - boring =.= One million dollar question: What's the difference between Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol?

Evil Rating

2009-12-09T18:35:00.003+08:00

Everyone... err not everyone actually... ahem... some people have been calling me evil lately. hehehe that actually encouraged me to go take the quiz entitled "how evil are you" yesterday and guess what? the result turned out to be Level A evilness =.=" so, intrinsically and deep down inside, me = evil lol sorry everyone who has been hurt by my actions or speech all this while. I'll try to be more considerate towards your feelings :)

Blab

2009-10-20T16:13:00.004+08:00

I suddenly realized that I have yet to tell you stories of us hobo-ing in LA, San Diego and Tokyo. Well, just to let you know that I'm extremely unmotivated to finish up the stories >.<

一番音乐系列 (本人的STYLE XP) - 范曉萱&100%樂團-主人

2009-10-17T09:05:00.002+08:00

你的世界因你而创造

过去现在未来同时跑

没有什么难以办到

只要清楚就确定目标

有爱的拥抱就是解药

生命的奇妙太多思考让我们不相信神话

成长的路上太多责骂让我们更渴望被原谅

专注欲望你就会得到

无庸置疑只管去想象

别再烦恼什么我不要

抛掉伤痛来迎接美好

持续的绝望就是炸药

生命的碰撞太多火花让我们更期待释放

成长的跌倒太多警告让我们不再像赤子般奔跑

有爱的拥抱就是解药

生命的奇妙太多思考让我们不相信神话

成长的路上太多责骂让我们更渴望被原谅

渴望被原谅

Ichiban Music Series (my favorite! XP) -Brown Eyed Girls ~ How Come (Live)

2009-10-04T10:23:00.002+08:00

Sienz

2009-09-25T10:43:00.003+08:00

I've been playing mahjong and big2 these days.

Sienz.......

But come to think of it, I'm gonna be a busy busy person next month which is only a few days away. So, why not play till I get sick of it now?

I'm supposed to be on a vacation/field trip now but due to some reasons, I've decided to stay back.

argh, I'm regretting it now!!!

When people get bored, you think of many things. I thought of the stupidness of the politicians, the slyness of the people and the problematic economies. I mean, why is everything so fragile? why is everything so dependent on the country's economy and some lame stuff? hey..... I should have taken a degree in philosophy ^^

Sometimes I just wanna escape to some kampungs (like the kind in The Sound of Music ^^), grow some plants, feed some cows till I die. I just wanna have a peaceful life. Oh man, I just hate mah fan stuff. Like, working for the sake of getting money for the sake of spending it for the sake of having a luxurious life for the sake of... bah, whatever. yeap, I sound just like Shikamaru in Naruto xp

hmm, I might hide myself in some bamboo forest and have a life of my own :D

ok, this is my another emo blabbering post. so, kill me. xp

Graduated Finally

2009-09-07T23:02:00.002+08:00

But I'm still studying in the same university. So, not much excitement in there. haha.

dang, I'm so obssessed with video games right now. Can someone please chuck it away?

I seriously need to finish my literature review right now.

I suddenly realize that I don't really have a lot of close friends though I know a lot of people.

"I Know them" as in I know their names and they know my name and I said "Hi" to them a few times and they wave at me whenever we bump into each other.

well, we basically don't know much about each other.

Sometimes I ask myself: What's the point?

Consequently, I didn't have many friends that I could really have a conservation with in uni.

(okay, I'm a jerk. I know that.)

But, I could still survive the past three years in uni with a life like that. So, I guess I got used to being alone most of the time somehow lol

Not bad for someone who might spend the rest of her life in a lab.

Sometimes I wished I could somehow interact better with people.

But, well, what can I say? I just can't be popular among humans, unlike most other Librans. haha. It's my destiny (based on 20 years of experience, yea, harsh but true =.=")

Okay, end of blabbering session, back to work.

one of my fav episodes ^^

2009-08-09T16:56:00.001+08:00

Ichiban Music Series (my favorite! XP) - TV on the Radio ~ Family Tree

2009-08-09T10:52:00.002+08:00

Under my love
Wake up to your window
The day calls in billows
It's echoing moonlight onto the blue nightmare of your heart
In cosy red rainbow
It's shaking off halos
And the memory of our sacred so and so
Oh take my hand sweet
Complete your release, unbury your feet
And married we'll be
Alone in receiving
Ours is a feeling not that they would see
They don't know that we could be
Down where your cradle escaped the sea
And your raven haired mama caught told you so
We're hanging on the shadow of your family tree
Your haunted heart and me
Brought down by an old idea whose time has come
And in the shadow of the gallows of your family tree
There's a hundred hearts soar free
Pumping blood to to the roots of evil to keep it young
Only your mind, is it safe to say that we've waited patiently
Call me on time and recall the tune
That has placed us gracefully all into line
There's a garden grave and a place they've saved for you
I'll fall by your side
Though your silver haired mama throes told you so
We're hanging on the shadow of your family tree
Your haunted heart and me
Brought down by an old idea whose time has come
And in the shadow of the gallows of your family tree
There's a hundred hearts soar free
Pumping blood to to the roots of evil to keep it young
And now we'll gather in the shadow of your family tree
In haunted memory
Brought down by an old idea whose time has come
And in the shadow of the valley of your family tree
There's a hundred hearts soar free
Pumping blood to to the roots of evil to keep us young

funny XD

2009-08-08T17:39:00.004+08:00

San Francisco 14th - 17th April 09

2009-08-03T11:27:00.003+08:00

We arrived in San Francisco after spending about 6 hours on a Jetblue plane. Jetblue is a low-cost airway but it provides more legroom and free meal. we paid about $120 for the flight. a good bargain to me XD we stayed at Green Tortoise Hostel which was a way better place to stay at compared to the one in NYC. San Francisco is the best of all the cities I've been to in the country! XD

slopes everywhere =.="

had dim sum at one of the shops in Chinatown

Chinatown! :D

another street in Chinatown

The Dragon Gate

Grant Avenue (i think xp) at night

be glad. the city's got lots of zero-emission buses XD

adjacent to Chinatown is another tourist spot known as Union Square

The Bay Bridge. It's double storeyed!

The Lombard Street famously known as the crookedest street in the world

a close-up shot to show how crooked the street is lol

nice view :)

Pier 39

There are lotsa shops and restaurants at Pier 39

a few miles away from Pier 39 is a place called Fisherman's Wharf

the Chestnut Street, located just a few streets from Fisherman's Wharf

i like this place ^.^

another shot

and another one

top of the world!

...and yet another one. we climbed hills this high to get to Lombard Street >.<

this is the last one kaka

ah~ the Golden Gate Bridge. we gave up going all the way to the Golden Gate Park where we could take a close-up shot of the bridge. I guess we got fed up of walking lol

The Alcatraz at a distant. This beach is kinda strategic huh? we could take pictures of two famous attractions at a time

The Palace of Fine Arts. pretty near to the beach where we took pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge

Japantown in San Francisco!

lotsa Japanese restaurants can be found here

it's the largest Japantown in the States

The Peace Pagoda

another shot

another view of the town

had lunch at the Japan Center Kintetsu Mall

ancient cable car. pay about $5 for a ride. we didn't do that of course haha

this is called a streetcar, providing transportation service to certain parts of the city. we got on the car to get to Pier 39

on our final day in San Francisco, we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant which I assumed was quite famous as I saw pictures of famous celebrities on the wall. the food was not bad really

Emo-ing

2009-08-02T14:54:00.003+08:00

I felt that sometimes I just lacked the passion to talk to other people. Sometimes I just don't know what and when to say what to who. I'm tired of having unimportant random conversation with people just so that they won't labeled me as unsociable. I can only say sien to things like this. Ironically, I hate to be alone. Or should I rephrase it - I can't stand to be alone by myself. It's in my blood. I want to be known and acknowledged. But I realise that in order to keep myself in company of another being, I have to socialise. (Damn, this is crazy) I just feel so troublesome to do things like that (Is this a case of dual personality or am I just simply lazy?) Anyway, I hereby sincerely thank those who would take the initiative to talk to me or even care about me. I enjoy having you all around :D

Ah~ I feel better now XD

Yo everyone

2009-07-21T15:57:00.003+08:00

I wanted to continue writing my trip few months ago, but damn, my brain just isn't functioning properly.

I shall just play sudoku online then ^0^

Later.

Ichiban Music Series (so my style XP) - Green Day 21 Guns

2009-07-15T14:29:00.005+08:00

Do you know what's worth fighting for?

When it's not worth dying for?

Does it take your breath away

And you feel yourself suffocating?

Does the pain weight out the pride?

And you look for a place to hide?

Did someone break your heart inside?

You're in ruins

One, 21 guns

Lay down your arms, give up the fight

One, 21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

When you're at the end of the road

And you lost all sense of control

And your thoughts have taken their toll

When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul

Your faith walks on broken glass

And the hangover doesn't pass

Nothing's ever built to last

You're in ruins

One, 21 guns

Lay down your arms, give up the fight

One, 21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

Did you try to live on your own

When you burned down the house and home?

Did you stand too close to the fire

Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?

When it's time to live and let die

And you can't get another try

Something inside this has died

You're in ruins

One, 21 guns

Lay down your arms, give up the fight

One, 21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

One, 21 guns

Lay down your arms, give up the fight

One, 21 guns

Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I

一番音乐系列 (本人的Style XP) - 八三夭崩塌了(我的世界...)

2009-07-15T13:52:00.001+08:00

我的城市被毁灭灰色的天空凋谢

凌晨三点半的房间摇晃的世界

被你撕碎的画面破碎却让人想念

为什么模糊了视线我都没发觉

天空落下了眼泪淹没了梦碎大街

残酷的摧毁了一切我不知不觉

是谁停止了时间我的心跳被冻结

我紧闭失温的双眼眼泪却崩溃

崩塌了我的世界摇晃的一切失去了知觉

睁开我的眼却什么都看不见

崩塌了我的世界一瞬间融化了我都没发觉

我努力挣扎却无法触碰妳的脸

天空落下了眼泪淹没了梦碎大街

残酷的摧毁了一切我不知不觉

是谁停止了时间我的心跳被冻结

我紧闭失温的双眼眼泪却崩溃

崩塌了我的世界摇晃的一切失去了知觉

睁开我的眼却什么都看不见

崩塌了我的世界一瞬间融化了我都没发觉

我努力挣扎却无法触碰妳的脸

我流着眼泪睁不开眼

用力伪装了笑脸我用沉默说出了道别

说出了道别说出了道别

崩塌了我的世界摇晃的一切失去了知觉

睁开我的眼却什么都看不见

崩塌了我的世界一瞬间融化了我都没发觉

我努力挣扎却无法触碰妳的脸

努力挣扎却无法亲吻妳的脸

一番音乐系列 (当然是本人喜欢的 XP) - 张悬喜欢

2009-07-15T11:59:00.003+08:00

片段中有些散落

有些深刻的错

还不懂这一秒钟

怎么举动怎么好好地和谁牵手

那寂寞有些许不同

我挑着留下没说

那生活还过分激动人没什么我已经以为能够把握

而我不再觉得失去是舍不得

有时侯只愿意听你唱完一首歌

在所有人事已非的景色里

我最喜欢你

片段中有些散落

有些深刻的错

就快懂这一秒钟

怎么举动怎么好好和你过

那寂寞有些许不同

我挑着留下没说

那生活还过分激动人没什么我已经以为能够把握

你知道

你曾经让人被爱并且经过

毕竟是有着怯怯但能给的沉没

在所有不被想起的快乐里

我最喜欢你

而我明白觉得失去是舍不得

有时侯只愿意听你唱完一首歌

在所有人事已非的景色里

我最喜欢你

而我不再觉得

NYC + New Jersey + Washington DC (7th - 13th Apr 09)

2009-07-02T11:24:00.011+08:00

I'm gonna have to combine the story of my trip to NYC, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. in this post. I accidentally and stupidly deleted the photos taken in NYC. dang. anyway, i uploaded everything to my fb. you should be able to have a look at it.

we had a rough time in NYC, honestly. we reached JFK six hours after the scheduled time of arrival due to flight delay. we took a train to go to Columbus Circle where the hostel that we had reservation with was located. According to the subway train map, we were supposed to transfer to another line but a lady told us that the hostel was ONLY a few streets away from where we were. we trusted her and thus, we dragged our luggage and walked about ten blocks to go to that freaking place. it was so freaking cold that night and we had only a few thin layers of garments on us T.T What's more? my backpack weighed about 20lb!! I felt like my shoulder was gonna break anytime. the handle on my friend's luggage was broken by a Tunisian taxi driver back in Orlando and thus, she had to walk while bending down in order to drag the mammoth luggage LOL how unlucky could we get? we finally reached the goddamn place less than an hour later and guess what? we could not find the hostel!!!! it didn't even have a signboard!!! what had we done to deserve this? the phone number that I got from the net was not even valid! we thought we were scammed LOL anyway, my fellow comrade finally decided to call her friend in New Jersey to rescue us. and thus, the bad luck day (though not Friday the 13th) ended with us staying over at a luxurious hotel in Wayne, New Jersey (fyi, it's about 23 miles west of Manhattan). we returned to NYC the day after, only to be informed that we had sleep in separate rooms. okay, fine. but one of my friends had to sleep in a all-boy dorm *swt* my friend finally snapped when we were told that one of us had to sleep on the floor the night after we came back from DC. In the end, we came to an agreement that the fee for the mattress was to be waived. after all these incidents, we were really relieved to leave NYC and had sworn not to come back again (to the hostel, i mean).

we sufferred in NYC due to the fact that we naively thought that it would somehow become warmer in mid April and thus, did not bring any warm clothings with us. we didn't get the chance to take a photo with the famous times square at night, though we passed by that place every day. it was too cold for us. and guess what? when we signed up for the Rockefeller Tour, it was raining cats and dogs. so damn cold!!!!! the wind kept blowing without mercy. damn it! I didn't feel like taking a picture during the tour. to tell you the truth, I only had a hoodie on me at that time. I didnt even have my gloves with me *sniff* T.T I'm actually quite amazed that we could get through the days in NYC LOL before entering the territory, we got ourselves a New Year Pass which enabled us to visit museums and some other attractions for free. it's a good bargain! we would not even thought of going to places like Museum of Sex, Museum of Modern Art and New York Skyride (tch, frankly, this didn't amuse us at all after having experienced the Soarin' in Epcot) if we didn't have the card. we got free admission to Madame Tussaud's, Bodies... The Exhibition (this is highly recommended!!!), Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NBC Studio Tour, Top of the Rock and Statue of Liberty too. There were a lot more other attractions that we didn't have the time to visit which would be FOC if the card was flashed. We had also visited Chinatown, Little Italy (where we dropped in at Lombardi's for some delicious New York pizzas) and Flushing (in Queens, rumoured to be the home to a significant number of Malaysians. I only spent a night dining at one of the Taiwanese Restaurants and thus, didn't get to verify the rumour xp). The public transportation in NYC deserves a praise but they really ought to clean the subway stations. We were shocked when we saw the place so different from what we expected. the trains were also not any better than the trains we have here in M'sia. But the train route network in NYC was extensive enough, so getting from one place to another was easy. Attractions like Century 21 Department Store, Wall Street and WTC are all accessible by trains.

Washington, DC, a place where we felt was infinite times better than NYC, obviously, after all the mishaps that happenned to us in NYC. But more importantly, the place was definitely cleaner and all the buidlings over there were so my type. we bought the I Love DC instead of I Love NY shirt. Can you now feel our grudge towards NYC? LOL we (or rather I) booked a room at a guesthouse in the suburb of DC (not really far away from downtown. a few blocks away from the nearest subway station and there were bus stations every few meters along the main road). The 19 museums of Smithsonian are probably the most famous attractions in DC. why? because we don't have to pay a cent to get into any of the museums. but due to time constraints, we had only visited the Natural History Museum and Smithsonian Castle while we were there. National Mall, where famous attractions like Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, National WWII Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial was only less than 1km away from the Smithsonian Museums. I could not believe that we had only allocated a day to visit all these places. We obviously needed much more time than that. poor planning *sobs* While you are there, you might wanna stop by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park which can be reached by subway train. and again, there is no admission fee for this :) this part of the States is just superb LOL Not to forget the landmarks of DC which are the White House, US Capitol etc are conveniently located near subway stations, so don't hesitate to visit all these places.

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

panda sun-bathing at the National Zoo

a red bear hiding in its cave. cute.

the giant panda was transported from China to this zoo with this crate

Orang X-ing LOL

orang utans emo-ing

a tiger

one of the subway stations in DC

Natural History Museum

ancient petrified wood

mummified elephant (looks like it) at the Natural History Museum

giant squid!

the Smithsonian Castle

FBI building

a random street in DC

me and some unknown buildings

the Treasury Department

had a dinner at La Tasca in Downtown DC. each dish here at least cost $8 =.="

but we didn't mind because they were simply delicious.

and also, we were supposed to share the food XP

White House

Washington Monument

National WWII Memorial. I thought they would put the names of the countries involved in WWII. But I was wrong. All the names on the pillars were of the States in USA. swt

Lincoln Memorial

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Chinatown

phew, that basically wraps up my adventure in the world's famous cities. Next up: San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas and Tokyo trips.

p/s: anyway, I feel that I must tell you this. Claymore is a very good manga. Must read it! xp

p/p/s: again, some of the pics above were taken by my fellow comrades! X)

one of my favs

2009-06-18T11:44:00.002+08:00

Live version of the song :D

Mum mum mum mah

I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas Plays

Fold 'em let 'em hit 'em raise it baby stay with me, I love it

Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start

And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart

Oh, oh, oh,

I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Oh, oh, oh,

I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be

A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it

Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun

And baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun, fun

Oh, oh, oh,

I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Oh, oh, oh,

I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

I won't tell you that I love you

Kiss or hug you

Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin

I'm not lying I'm just stunning with my love-glue-gunning

Just like a chick in a casino

Take you bank before I pay you out

I promise this, promise this

Check this hand cause I'm marlevous

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

Can't read my, can't read my

No he can't read my poker face

(She's got to love nobody)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face

(Mum mum mum mah)

great song :)

2009-06-17T16:49:00.004+08:00

No woman no cry

Said - said - said: I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown,
Oba - obaserving the 'ypocrites
As they would mingle with the good people we meet.
Good friends we have, oh, good friends we've lost
Along the way.
In this great future, you can't forget your past;
So dry your tears, I seh.

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
'Ere, little darlin', don't shed no tears:
No, woman, no cry.

Said - said - said: I remember when-a we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown.
And then Georgie would make the fire lights,
As it was logwood burnin' through the nights.
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge,
Of which I'll share with you;
My feet is my only carriage,
So I've got to push on through.
But while I'm gone, I mean:
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right!
I said, everything's gonna be all right-a!
Everything's gonna be all right!
Everything's gonna be all right, now!
Everything's gonna be all right!

So, woman, no cry;
No - no, woman - woman, no cry.
Woman, little sister, don't shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry.
---
[Guitar solo]
---
I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Trenchtown.
And then Georgie would make the fire lights,
As it was logwood burnin' through the nights.
Then we would cook cornmeal porridge,
Of which I'll share with you;
My feet is my only carriage,
So I've got to push on through.
But while I'm gone:

No, woman, no cry;
No, woman, no cry.
Woman, little darlin', say don't shed no tears;
No, woman, no cry.

Eh! (Little darlin', don't shed no tears!
No, woman, no cry.
Little sister, don't shed no tears!
No, woman, no cry.)

Orlando (2nd - 6th April 09)

2009-06-15T17:06:00.022+08:00

After spending three nights in Miami, we headed to Orlando where Walt Disney World was located. This part of the world is kind of fascinating as it is the home not only of Walt Disney World but also of Universal Studios, Busch Garden, Seaworld, Kennedy Space Center and many more. The Floridians are blessed. But our sole purpose of going there was to have fun in all four theme parks of Walt Disney World. The daily admission fee was about $80 but we bought four-day park ticket which only cost us about $50 per day on average. We saved quite a lot of money here :D We decided to go to Hollywood Studios first, followed by Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

Hollywood Studios is really suited for people of all ages. Even adults could have a lot of fun playing games meant for children. We had watched and experienced Muppet*Vision 3-D, The American Idol Experience, The Great Movie Ride, Fantasmic!, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, Toy Story Mania!, Block Party Bash and Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. It's a pity that we didn't get to take some other rides at the park but the aforementioned were enough to satisfy us on our first day in Orlando. It was possible for us to visit all the mentioned attractions in a day as we could skip queue with the FASTPASS we got from some of the attractions. Disney World really did a good job with their guest services. Excellente! :D The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Toy Story Mania! and Fantasmic! are highly recommended!

the entrance

going in

the iconic giant Mickey's wizard hat at the far end

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

an interesting place to go to

The American Idol Experience Beauty and the Beast - Live on StageRock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

The Great Movie Ride

Statues of Jim Henson's characters right outside of Muppet*Vision 3-D theatre

Block Party Bash with Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and A Bug's Life characters

Sheriff Woody and Jessie

James P. Sullivan

Charlie (I think that's the name of the green monster) and "Boo"

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

A huge crowd waiting for Fantasmic! to start

Epcot is somewhat different from the other theme parks - it's got areas/buildings representing several countries, various international cuisines, a big lake in the middle of the park, few rides and lengthy firework shows every night. We'd tried Soarin', Mission: SPACE, Test Track, Maelstrom and also visited all the 11 pavilions (China, Mexico, Norway, Japan, Germany, Italy, America, United Kingdom, Morocco, Canada and France) in the park. Oh, we'd also watched Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (at Imagination! Pavilion), Matsuriza, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, Dragon Legend Acrobats and Mariachi Cobre while we were there. Pretty good shows, I must say.

Spaceship Earth

the stuff we collected from the Kidcot Fun Stops at each pavilion

boo!

Mexico

Norway

China

Germany

We had German food for lunch.

Bread, Bratwurst, Sauerkraut (tasted like dong choi/not-so-salty-ham choi) & Leberwurst (I think, is the name of the dark wurst/sausage on the right and is equivalent to liverwurst, according to the information I found from several web sites). They tasted good actually :D

Canada

Morocco

Japan

Italy

France

United Kingdom

funnel cake. must try!

Magic Kingdom is almost like a giant playground for kids. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, Walt Disney World Railroad, Tom Sawyer Island, Tomorrowland Speedway, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan's Flight, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey's Philharmagic, Minnie's Country House, Mickey's Country House, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Space Mountain, Dream-Along With Mickey, Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade and Judge's Tent were the attractions and entertainment that kept us busy the whole day (Phew!). I'm sure you won't miss the Cinderella Castle the moment you step into the magical land. There are actually some other shows and attractions that are not mentioned here. Amazing huh? Imagine the space and land occupied by the park. I had a lot of fun with Space Mountain (for me this is one of the best among the theme parks), Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, Mickey's Philharmagic, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And also, make sure you do not miss the "SpectroMagic" Parade and Wishes Nighttime Spectacular which take place during the night.

Cinderella Castle

a FASTPASS

Dream-Along With Mickey

Minnie's kitchen

Mickey's bedroom

Tomorrowland Speedway

Judge's Tent

SpectroMagic Parade

Wishes Nighttime Spectacular

Animal Kingdom is the place where you can take the most thrilling roller coaster ride called Expedition Everest in Disney World. We had also took picture with The Tree of Life, erected at the centre of the park. Kilimanjaro Safaris, DINOSAUR and Finding Nemo - The Musical are not to be missed. Other attractions that we'd also bothered to try are Kali River Rapids (major disappointment! but then again, Disney's main objective is to entertain kids. so, don't grump) and Primeval Whirl. Festival of the Lion King was kinda interesting but I fell asleep in the middle of the show (paiseh!). Animal Kingdom, as its name implies, is more or less like a zoological park, therefore, jungle trekking is undoubtedly one of the major attractions at the park.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

touring the safari park.....

.....on a safari truck

A Baobab tree, one of my favourites

Rhino spotted!

this is Africa xp

one of the many jungle trails at the park

meerkat

gorilla

Expedition Everest - people are crazy over it

Mount Everest

The Tree of Life on background and yea, that's me :D

We were kinda obssessed with Disney World, so much so that we didn't allocate extra time to go to Busch Garden, Seaworld and Downtown Disney :( you need to stay there for at least two weeks to fully experience Orlando LOL superb!

remember to shop at the Premium Outlets before you leave the city xp

p/s: some of the pictures published were taken by my fellow comrades ^^ my primary duty was to take video LOL

Miami South Beach (30th March - 1st April 09)

2009-06-10T15:09:00.014+08:00

Miami South Beach was the first stop of our one-month journey in the States which started on 30th March 2009. We thought that taking public transportation instead of Greyhound could save us quite a lot of money. Thus, we took a bus (American Coach) to Walmart, Homestead (about $2.50 per trip) where we got on another bus (busway max 38; $2 per trip) to Dadeland South Station. From there, we took the subway train to Government Center station where we took bus K (you can also take buses M, C, S and 246) to the South Beach. We estimated the trip from Marathon to Miami South Beach to take less than 3 hours but it turned out that we had spent about 8 hours to get to our destinations *swt* Don't ever rely on google map. The aforementioned itinerary is more accurate, trust me.

Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive are where most of the restaurants and shopping centres in South Beach are located. While you are there, you should also spend a day at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Fort Lauderdale where you can buy branded goods at much cheaper price. And be sure to visit the art galleries on Lincoln Road. David Zalben's artworks (his office is at the Art Center on Lincoln Road) are my favourite :D Espanola Way, Spanish Village (14th & 15th Streets; Washington & Jefferson Avenues) in South Beach is a direct contrast to Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive. It's a good place to spend the night in Miami a relaxing way.

I've only tried Pizza Rustica (Washington Avenue), 11th Street Diner (11th Street & Washington Avenue) and Manolo (Collins Avenue) in Miami South Beach and Pollo Tropical (cuban food!!) in Downtown Miami. Rest assured that they all offer affordable and delicious meals ^^

Downtown Miami

the reason why we headed to Downtown Miami XP

while waiting for the bus to come

a metromover - only operates within Downtown Miami and is FOC

Miami South Beach

Lincoln Road

The Britto Art Gallery on Lincoln Road

David Zalben's wireworks at Art Center

Lincoln Theatre

Pizza Rustica

yummy......

Manolo Restaurant

trust me, this is good

the Spanish Village in South Beach

The Florida Keys

2009-06-09T11:35:00.014+08:00

ok this post comes a bit late but I was busy reading manga for the past few weeks >.<

I am actually writing this to share with you my experience of my trip to the States and Tokyo which ended last month. Me and my two other friends had joined the WAT USA program which allowed us to work for 4 months in USA. The visa was kinda different from the other types of visa as this enabled us to work there temporarily as exchange students. This type of visa, which is called J1, only permits us to stay there for 5 months at maximum (to be exact, the maximum allowable working period is 4 months and the gray period is one month.)

I spent about 4 months in Marathon, Florida. During this period, I was able to visit Key West a number of times as it was very near to Marathon. For only $5 per trip, you can reach the downtown of Key West from Marathon in less than 2 hours. From Marathon, I could also go to Islamorada, Homestead and even Miami in just 2-3 hours. The bus fare was only about $2.50 per trip to Homestead. In Marathon, there were only Publix (where I worked as a Deli Clerk), Winn Dixie, Home Depot, Office Depot, Walgreens and K Mart to serve the tourists and local residents. But we could always go to Homestead and Key West where Wal-Mart, Prime Outlet, Best Buy, Sears etc were located. A pretty good place to go for shopping during the weekend. I find that I enjoyed living in Marathon as Cuban food was readily available and cheap, people there were friendly and also the town was peaceful. I think the most common crime in Marathon was bicycle theft LOL Even walking on the streets during the night did not bother me at all. In fact, I walked home alone from my working place for about a week and I'm still here safe and sound hohoho voila, this is the town of Marathon. Some good places to dine in on the island would be Quiznos's Sub (wahhaha, this was the place where I worked as a temp), Stout's Restaurant (for a cheap and satisfying meal), Leigh Anne's Coffee House (for premium grade coffees and cakes), Panda House (for cheap lunch buffet) and Island Fish Co. (for beautiful seaview while dining. well, I've never been to this restaurant but it was quite famous). Frankly, I have never been to any Cuban restaurants, though I might have said that it was my favourite. Thanks to my boss who always bought the food for us whenever he went to get some for himself. wahahha I had free Cuban food for a few times and free Cuban coffee every morning while I worked there. I personally favour the black bean rice, mojo pork, yuca, ropa vieja and Cuban sandwich yum yum

house in Marathon

taking a break at Sombrero beach

Sombrero beach in Marathon

an uplifted coral reef

another shot

Sombrero Beach

The Deli Department at Publix, Marathon

When our work period had finally come to an end, we stayed at my colleague's house in Big Pine Key (another island linked to Marathon by the famous 7-mile bridge) for a week. Many associates at Publix lived in Big Pine Key due to its cheaper housing cost. To tell you the truth, living in Marathon was like heaven to tourists, hell to residents. The living costs in Marathon were too high to be true. The island of Big Pine Key was mostly gazetted as State Park. You might have heard of Bahia Honda State Park which was located in Big Pine Key. A quite famous place for camping, swimming, fishing, picniking and other water activities. Another interesting feature in Big Pine Key were the presence of key deers and alligators on the island. The Key deers were common visitors in my friend's backyard. There weren't many shopping places in the Big Pine Key. I think the Boondocks was the most entertaining place on the island. Here you could play minigolf for $9 per person. No Name Pub and Rob's were also famous places to go to in Big Pine Key.

Bahia Honda State Park

Bahia Honda Beach

common signage in Big Pine Key

No Name Key

A Key Deer in No Name Key

Key West was probably the most famous island in the Lower Keys. The city was preserved so well that the old-fashioned houses were seen everywhere. This city is definitely worth visiting. Again, water activities were the main reason for most visitors to come here. But for me, the cultural & art heritages and the food attracted me the most. Duval Street is the most popular tourist spot in Key West. You can find Hard Rock Cafe, Coach Outlet, numerous shops and restaurants along the street. While you are there, you might wanna spend the night at Sloppy Joe's (a very popular bar founded in 1933) where live bands entertain the crowd till late at night. If you wanna dine in at some high end restaurant, Benihana would be a good choice. Other than that, I would recommend Key West Thai and Sushi Bar which serves better than average Thai food. Also, do not forget to take a picture at the Southernmost point in the United States before you leave the island.

a church in Key West

some ancient looking houses in Key West

Flagler Station

Oldtown

Sloppy Joe's Bar

Key West Thai and Sushi Bar

The southernmost point in the USA

Duval Street

Walgreens on Duval Street

another street in Key West

And be sure to drop in at Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina in Islamorada for an affordable $25 seafood buffet. While you are there, you should also visit the Bass Pro Shop where Ernest Hemingway's ship was exhibited.

The Whale Harbor Restaurant & Marina

Pelicans

more pelicans

Stork

school of tarpons at Robbie's in Islamorada

quite a famous attraction

showing off the catches of the day, i think

poor fish

close-up shot of a pelican

applause

2009-05-29T16:12:00.001+08:00

this is so o.m.g

2009-05-25T22:44:00.002+08:00

Maybe I should...

2009-05-21T16:24:00.004+08:00

I've been living a life as an otaku since I got back from overseas.

I'm now trying to finish reading Death Note by this week.

Geez, I'm bored with this life.

I don't feel like living in this country anymore. Do you believe it?

I seriously wanna live in Japan someday. It's got such a beautiful, clean and neat environment.

And the people there are nice and polite. Most importantly, the food there is awesome.

Especially, those matcha flavoured stuff.

Love it.

I've been thinking whether I should further my studies or help my dad out with his business or look for a job in Australia and stay there for a year.

I wanna live a life that is full of excitement!! sheesh, maybe I should quickly deal with the enrolment and stuff.

I'm downright bored at home.

Ohh yeah, maybe I should start researching on the upcoming Malacca trip.

Maybe I should abort the Penang trip plan. sorry guys..... teehee

Maybe I should read Hana Kimi after this. hee..

this is funny

2009-05-21T16:16:00.001+08:00

Got nothing to prove, I'm not your whore
You're gonna lose, coz I got more
Not sure you can endure
I'm not your little, I'm not your little, I'm not your little
Whore...

Von Iva: Whore whore whore...
Zooey: Not your late night booty call
Von Iva: Whore no more...
Zooey: Don't call me past 11pm, it won't happen again
2x

Like a scab that won't heal, just another sore
Lost face in the crowd such a lonely bore

Don't call me past 11pm, it won't happen again
Happened once, it happened twice it happened three times, maybe four times, maybe five times, maybe, maybe it happened six
times but it won't happen seven times
No no no no no no...

Whore whore whore
Not your late night booty call
Whore no more
Don't call me past 11pm it won't happen again
2x
You could call me at 10.59 but don't call me at 11 coz that's my rule now

Hey people

2009-05-04T05:52:00.002+08:00

boohoo i miss my life as a homeless person lol
I will be back in town 2 hours later. cheers.
Waiting at Changi Airport overnight is a pain, especially when there are no McDonald's and comfy couch here lol
omg, I'm totally loving Tokyo. The place is clean, the people are nice - err well most of them are - and most importantly, the food there is awesome :)
American food is so not for me. Most of the restaurants sell burgers, fries, grilled/fried meat and - yes - beer. eww After this trip, I can confidently declare that my stomach is 100% Asian!!
Ok, more updates next time. Adios.

long time no see

2009-02-27T22:25:00.002+08:00

The days without computer were finally over when my laptop arrived two days ago. yay!

I'm now working at two places - quiznos and publix. I have to work for about 10 hours everyday except for Sunday. aiks, every single part of my body is aching.

Thank god there is something called cuban coffee/colada here which sort of keep me awake whole day long. A small cup of it cost about usd1.50. I love it. I can drink a whole cup of it and still can sleep at the end of the day. Imagine how hard I have to work everyday >.<

Have I ever mentioned to you that people staying in this part of the United States speak Spanish more than they speak English? Everytime people talk to me in Spanish, I say no entiendo, which means "I don't understand" xp

aiks, more updates next time. I gotta go to work T.T

weeee.....

2009-01-03T11:12:00.002+08:00

guess what?
i'm a babysitter now....... swt kaka i hate kids cuz they are fussy and stuff. taking care of my friend's kids turned out to be easier than expected cuz they went to bed so early lol anyway, i love the internet connection speed here. i'm able to upload my photos so quickly onto facebook :D

a little update

2008-12-16T03:31:00.003+08:00

i'm temporarily staying over at Marathon, FL till next year. it's a great place. it - together with key largo, key west etc - are known as the (Florida) Keys. a newly acquired friend (he sold me an ancient bike for usd25) said that Cuba is just 60 miles away from here. and he knows where Malaysia is kaka before i got the bike, i had to walk for 40 mins, at least, to go to my workplace =.=" i'm now basically living on one of the islands that are connected by surprisingly straight highways. i love simple. ahh, no pictures for today, i forgot to bring my cables along to this one and only internet cafe in town. i've got so many beautiful photos to show you all. the house that i'm staying in is just right beside the sea. it's the type of house that people call the oceanfront house, i think. me and my friend are staying with 2 Brazilian girls who are also here on the WAT program. the houses here are so cool. they have docks at the side and most of them own a boat - the one normally owned by the rich people. i'm working as a Deli Clerk at Publix. my job requires me to cut hams, turkeys, salami, bologna, cheeses for customers. omg, i was totally dumbfounded when i saw so many varieties of meats in the fridge. and the worst part is that they all look just the same =.=" but now i can differentiate bout 70% of them now :) i have to use meat cutter - you might have seen this in movies - to cut the meats, duh. i accidentally cut two of my fingers. shhh, don't tell my dad bout this. i've also learnt how to make subs xp the people here are so nice - they say hi or smile at you on the road, even if they don't know who you are.

Rest in Peace

2008-12-04T11:22:00.004+08:00

In loving memory of my grandpa who had left us for heaven on Nov 27, the day I was supposed to leave for Marathon. I was in the airport when my dad called me up and said I should stay behind because my grandpa was already in ICU. When we got home, we immediately booked flight tickets and chucked Rocky and Siew Kam and Siew Chin at my aunt's house. At 10.41 pm, my brother text me and said my grandpa passed away. My grandpa was very health conscious and had given up smoking very long long time ago. Anyway, the real reason behind his death shall not be disclosed here for his honour.

I did not cry till I saw his face. He looked so different, so pale, lifeless. I cried for the first time in many years.

My grandpa was a devoted Christian, just like his father. So no incense stick, no monks involved here. We prayed and sing songs every night (we kept singing the song amazing grace in Chinese! cool) and before we sent him to his new home. Seriously, I didn't mean to be rude but the pastors were really like walking sleeping pills. And they kept asking us to convert to Christian. Omg, could they just stop doing that, especially during my grandpa's funeral? no offence to Christians out there, yea? I was really just frustrated and, of course, sleepy......

On the day we escort his body to the memorial park, we had to walk without our shoes on (we were not allowed to wear shoes for the duration of the event). And you know what? the day before that was so freaking hot! imagine walking on tar roads without your shoes on with the sun high up in the sky. and out of our expectation, it rained during the prayer session and stopped right before we set off. days after that, not a single drop of liquid came down from the sky. weird huh? my grandpa had saved us from misery.

yesterday was the 7th day after my grandpa's death. we had prayer session again and I'm sure you know what the pastor gonna say. anyways, after that, a bat came into the house! if you're a Chinese, you will surely know that on the 7th day, the dead person's soul may come back in forms other than human being. how would a bat come into my grandpa's house when only human settlements and plantations are located within, perhaps, 2-3 km radius of the house? what do you think of this? weird weird weird but cool

Now that everything is done and over with, I'm leaving for Marathon on Dec 8. Bye everyone, again.

My name came up on the local newspaper, Sin Chew Daily, 2 days ago i think. It's just a small notice to thank everyone that had shown their concern these few days. again, thanks!

sigh sigh sigh

2008-11-27T20:36:00.003+08:00

yeap, I'm still here. Li Wei and Celeste must be happily sitting on the plane right now. cis!

something bad happened...... not gonna tell you what but it's bad enough for me to stay behind. sigh sigh sigh why why why why x10000

Coldplay - See You Soon

2008-11-15T22:17:00.003+08:00

I wanted to put this up one day before I leave this piece of land lol but I just can't wait to share with you this amazing song, although it's pretty old. i just love Coldplay's songs. amazing :)

So you lost your trust
And you never should have
No,you never should have
But don't break your back
If you ever hear this
But don't answer that
In a bullet proof vest
With the windows all closed
I'll be doing my best
I'll see you soon
In a telescope lens
And when all you want is friends
I'll see you soon

So they came for you
They come snapping at your heels
They come snapping at your heels
But don't break your back
If you ever hear this
But don't answer that

In a bullet proof vest
With the windows all closed
I'll be doing my best
I'll see you soon

In a telescope lens
And when all you want is friends
I'll see you soon
And oh,

And oh, you lost your trust
And oh, you lost your trust
No, don't lose your trust
No, you lost your trust

Filter - Take A Picture

2008-11-15T21:37:00.006+08:00

Awake on my airplane
Awake on my airplane
My skin is bare
My skin is theirs
Awake on my airplane
Awake on my airplane
My skin is bare
My skin is theirs

I feel like newborn
And I feel like a newborn
Awake on my airplane
Awake on my airplane
I feel so real

Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remmeber
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember - yeah

I don't believe in
I don't believe in your sanctity your prophecy
I don't believe inI don't believe in sanctity or hipocrisy
Can everyone agree that no one should be left alone
Can everyone agree that they should not be left alone
And I feel like a newborn
And I feel like a newborn (kicking and screaming)

Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remmeber
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember - yeah

Hey dad what do you think about your son now?
Hey dad what do you think about your son now?

Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remmeber
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remember
Could you take my picture
Cause I won't remmeber - yeah

I loveeeeeeeeee..............

2008-11-14T12:31:00.006+08:00

www.freshtrend.com

www.pinataworld.net

grim fact

2008-11-08T10:48:00.008+08:00

You all should read this article featured in the latest NatGeo Magazine.

Especially, the you-know-whos.

Borneo

Borneo's Moment of Truth

The majestic forests are vanishing in smoke and sawdust, but there's still hope for the island's fabled biodiversity—if the palm oil rush can be slowed.

By Mel White

Photograph by Mattias Klum

First, I will tell you about the Borneo of your dreams. The day starts well before dawn with the lunatic hooting of gibbons, the rain forest's alarm clock, lovers and rivals wooing and warning each other from the treetops in an urgent ape language that I, their terrestrial relative, can only guess at.

From my camp a creekside trail leads into forest past trees whose massive trunks rise a hundred feet to the lowest branches. As sunlight makes its feeble way through the dense green canopy, another primate, a long-tailed macaque, walks along the stream below, hoping for a breakfast of fish or frog. Whether it's successful or not, its expression of perpetual irritation will never change. No sooner has the monkey disappeared upstream than a pair of short-tailed mongooses bound down to the bank, seemingly more intent on fun than food.

At a clearing, a pair of rhinoceros hornbills fly to a fruiting tree on loud-whooshing wings and begin to feed. Mostly black, nearly the size of turkeys, they have huge red-and-yellow casques on their bills that gleam in the sun like polished lacquer. The birds outshine everything else in the forest until a hand-size shape flits erratically past at waist level, deep velvety black, but also crimson and electric green, screaming neon green, a color as gaudy as the name of this creature: Rajah Brooke's birdwing. At almost seven inches across, it's one of the largest butterflies in the world. If the rhinoceros hornbill doesn't take your breath away—if the Rajah Brooke's birdwing doesn't—have someone hold your wrist and check for a pulse.

Later I take a small boat down a broad river called the Kinabatangan, then up a side channel as narrow as an alleyway. A troop of proboscis monkeys climb through the branches overhead, where they will spend the night in tall trees beside the water. The potbellied male, ridiculously outsize nose hanging from his face like a ripe fruit, is so ugly he's endearing, in a kind of bibulous-old-uncle way. Most of the pointy-nosed females under his watch cradle young at their breasts. Silvered leaf monkeys look down from above, and a bearded pig stands just inside the forest to watch us pass. As the boat drifts below an overhanging branch, a four-foot-long water monitor lizard drops into the water.

A Borneo pygmy elephant enters the river and swims in front of the boat, blowing like a whale. "Pygmy" it may be in comparison to other elephants, but when it emerges dark and shining on the opposite bank, it's as if an island is rising from the sea. I see where it's going: A herd of around 30 animals—a long-tusked bull, many adult females, and various young—munch tangled vines beside the main river, expressionless as statues and only marginally more animated.

This is the mythic Borneo, the island of the world's imagination, and it's all as wondrous as it sounds. But if you want to see the real Borneo, the Borneo of the first decade of the 21st century, it would be good to be the crested serpent-eagle perched in a tree across the river. Then you could soar high above the Kinabatangan and see how quickly the unruly forest gives way to neatly planted rows of oil palm trees, stretching for mile after mile in all directions. The palm plantation is lush and green, and the arching fronds of the trees give it an exotic beauty, and for the incomparable biodiversity of Borneo it is inexorable death.

Set between the South China and Java Seas, bisected by the Equator, the island of Borneo has served throughout human history mostly to have its natural resources exploited—many would say plundered—by a succession of peoples from around the world.

Chinese traders came for rhinoceros horn, the aromatic wood called gaharu, and birds' nests for soup. Later, Muslim and Portuguese traders joined them to export pepper and gold. Britain and the Netherlands controlled the island during the colonial period of the 19th and early 20th centuries, when loggers began cutting the tropical hardwood forest covering the island. The current political division of Borneo—the southern three-quarters belongs to Indonesia, most of the rest to Malaysia, with slivers that make up Brunei—reflects alliances of the British and Dutch colonial era, which ended with independence after World War II.

In recent decades, companies from Europe, the United States, and Australia have drilled for abundant oil and natural gas and strip-mined coal. There are mansions from Amsterdam to Melbourne, from Singapore to Houston, that were built with wealth from Borneo. Mansions built with Borneo wealth stand in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, too, because Indonesia and Malaysia, or at least the political and economic elite, have been the biggest plunderers of all.

A different kind of richness has attracted others, including the great naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who spent time here in the mid-1850s while he developed theories important to modern understanding of evolution and biogeography. Wallace collected more than a thousand species new to science, including Rajah Brooke's birdwing. Scientists have continued making discoveries ever since, demonstrating that the rain forest of Borneo ranks with the most biologically diverse places on Earth.

Borneo has more than 15,000 known species of plants, including more than 2,500 species of orchids. Southeast Asia's lowland forests, including Borneo's, are the tallest tropical rain forests in the world, and may have as many as 240 species of trees on a single four-acre site. Borneo is home to the world's largest flower, the world's largest orchid, the world's largest carnivorous plants, and the world's largest moth. In the multilevel structure of Borneo's rain forest lives the world's largest collection of gliding animals: Apart from several species of flying squirrels there are flying lizards, flying colugos, flying frogs, and—the stuff of nightmares for some—flying snakes.

Sun bears and clouded leopards roam Borneo's forests, while two species of gibbons and eight species of monkeys climb in the trees. Around a thousand elephants have survived in one corner of the island—mostly in the Malaysian state of Sabah, where the Kinabatangan River runs to the Sulu Sea. Rhinoceroses barely hang on to existence, with fewer than four dozen remaining. But it's an even more charismatic animal—the orangutan—that has become the symbol of Borneo. Its expressive eyes stare out from the newsletters and funding appeals of conservation groups around the world. Considering the island's unsurpassed biodiversity—from orangutans and rhinoceroses to tiny mosses and beetles not yet discovered—and the rate at which its forests are being lost, Borneo's future may well be the most critical conservation issue on our planet.

From a satellite perspective, the threat of Borneo's imminent deforestation might seem overstated. The island, slightly larger than Texas, is still half covered with trees, and in the interior highlands stand hundreds of square miles of virgin forests where almost no one goes save indigenous hunters, wildlife poachers, and gaharu gatherers. Reaching some areas requires a boat trip of several days or strenuous hikes through pathless wilderness.

But it's an entirely different story, and an increasingly desperate one, for lowland forests, the prime habitat for most of Borneo's wealth of biodiversity, including orangutans and elephants. During the past two decades, an estimated two million acres were cleared annually, an area more than half the size of Connecticut. A paper in Science magazine in 2001—ominously titled "The End for Indonesia's Lowland Forests?"—warned of the "dire consequences" of "the current state of resource anarchy" and cited a study predicting that lowland forests in Indonesian Borneo could be totally destroyed by 2010. While government crackdowns have slowed illegal logging and exports, the result has simply been to delay the forecast doomsday.

Other factors could speed it up again. In the past 20 years vast, single-crop plantations of oil palm have spread across Borneo to meet the demand for the versatile (and vastly profitable) oil derived from its fruit. Palm oil is used for cooking, and in cosmetics, soap, desserts, and a seemingly endless list of other products, including biofuel. Indonesia and Malaysia provide 86 percent of the world's supply; growing conditions are perfect on Borneo for this green gold. Even as conservationists spread the news about palm oil's contribution to global deforestation—some calling for boycotting of palm oil products—Indonesia has become the world's number one producing country, with 15 million acres under cultivation, a figure that may double by 2020.

As if the oil palm monoculture weren't enough, Borneo possesses another resource that combines economic blessing and environmental danger: The 300-million-year-old plant material that once grew on what is now Borneo lies underground, transformed into coal. Surface mines—for gold as well as coal—spread across southern and eastern Borneo like pockmarks, displacing forest and polluting rivers with waste.

And in a world newly awakened to the dangers of climate change, Borneo has gained global attention for yet another reason: A specialized ecosystem called peat swamp forest covers around 11 percent of the island. Here, trees grow on highly organic soil built of centuries' accumulation of waterlogged plant material. Sometimes reaching a depth of 60 feet, peat soil represents a massive store of the world's carbon. Stripped of its trees and drained, tropical peat decays and releases its carbon into the atmosphere, and as it dries it becomes extremely susceptible to burning, intentional or accidental. Massive annual fires set deliberately to clear previously forested land for new oil palm plantations—and exacerbated by frequent drought—have burned out of control and filled Borneo's skies with smoke, closing airports and causing respiratory problems for millions of people as far away as mainland Asia. Carbon released by decaying peat soil, fires, and deforestation has pushed Indonesia into third place among nations as a source of greenhouse gases, behind only heavily industrialized China and the United States.

Time is running out for Borneo's rain forests. Conventional models offer little hope. Setting aside large areas as parks or reserves, standard practice in the U.S. and other countries, has been largely ineffective, at least on the Indonesian part of Borneo, undermined by inadequate funding, lack of support from local residents, and government corruption. But many conservationists say that logging, often regarded as anathema to wildlife, may, if practiced sustainably, in fact help to protect a significant portion of the island's biodiversity.

"Virgin rain forest is a dead concept now in Borneo," says Glen Reynolds, chief scientist at the Danum Valley Field Center in Sabah. "All of the big areas of primary lowland forest that can be conserved already have been. It's difficult, but now what you've got to do is convince people that what we think of as degraded forest can sustain biodiversity.

The message is complex but ultimately clear. To protect Borneo's forests and wildlife will require rethinking old ideas, accepting new truths, and adopting new models of conservation. And in the end, the fate of Borneo may be decided far from the forests, in government offices and corporate boardrooms from New York to Geneva. Because of the vast amounts of carbon tied up in the plants and soils, the last best hope for Borneo's future may rest not on the emotional appeal of an orangutan's face, but on the hard facts of climate change—and our own determination and ability to protect ourselves from disaster.

On the opposite side of Borneo from Sabah, in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, a narrow paved road leads away from Pontianak, a city near the South China Sea. Crowded with trucks and buzzing motorbikes, the road passes wooden shops and houses in small villages separated by rice fields. The harvest has just begun, and here and there people beat sheaves against wooden lattices or toss grains into the air to let the wind carry away the hulls. There's little trace of the forests that once stood here.

I'm traveling with Dessy Ratnasari, a scientist from a local research organization, whose animated face is encircled by a light blue head scarf. Our driver, Harun—who, like many Indonesians, uses only one name—speaks up as we pass a large building fringed with weeds.

"This is a sawmill where he worked," Ratnasari translates. "It went bankrupt because there are no more trees for timber. It had 1,300 workers and a payroll of 800 million rupiah a month"—about $90,000. Within a couple of miles we pass two more mills, gates locked, windows broken, parking lots empty.

"There were several big companies and some smaller mills around Pontianak," Harun says. "Now there's only one big company still operating."

How did nearly a third of the rain forest that stood on Borneo in 1985 disappear by 2005? An easy, and only slightly oversimplified, answer can be found in the initials that Indonesians use as an explanation for many of their country's troubles: KKN, for korupsi, kolusi, nepotisme (corruption, collusion, nepotism). During the 32-year presidency of Suharto, until he was forced from office in 1998, Indonesian forests were among the many resources treated as personal wealth by him, his family, and military officials who helped keep him in office. Since Suharto, political power has been decentralized, and decision-making about natural resources has become more localized. Unfortunately, too often the result has been what one conservationist calls "the democratization of corruption."

ok, click on the link to read the rest of the post.

"Raw scribblings of access roads and terraced fields erase the lush diversity of Sarawaks rolling lowlands in favour of a single tree: the oil palm. The profitability of palm oil has sent the crop sprawling across some eight acres of Borneo - an area roughly the size of Switzerland."

"To make way for an oil palm plantation, land in Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo,

is stripped of trees, then burned. Palm oil is a prime export for Malaysia and

Indonesia, and global demand is growing"

the time has come

2008-11-03T10:00:00.003+08:00

tomorrow is the day!!

cheers everyone!

oh yea, tripadvisor is gonna donate $1 million to one of these orgs:

Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children.

you can cast your vote here (valid till 9/11/08) and get a free travel guide.

ahem, the important point is that you can save 1000s lives or (if you're like me....) plant & animal species out there with just one click of your mouse (err maybe two clicks, whatever)

Save the Children

The Nature Conservancy

National Geographic Society

Doctors Without Borders

Conservation International

say incredible

2008-10-20T22:15:00.002+08:00

I've finished 4 assignments - SCM3022 field trip report, CHM3920 field trip report and assignment, ENV3011 assignment - in one week! but I still have one more 8000-word report to finish by the end of this week. and my final exam gonna start next week! swt =_="

Good news

2008-10-15T22:06:00.003+08:00

I've got the visa! I'm really going to the States next month hahaha now I gotta get Japan visa and buy all the flight tickets and I'm ready for my long break :) cheers

4 more assignments to deal with before my exam starts >.<

Legal

2008-10-13T10:32:00.000+08:00

I'm officially 21!

confession

2008-10-07T10:42:00.002+08:00

it's a shame. i'd only taken some super boring photos at Pasoh and none at Kuala Selangor xp

I'm kinda like waiting for other people to upload the photos. I regret not taking more pictures with the Aussies T.T

i'm back!

2008-10-06T11:00:00.001+08:00

It was fun meeting and working with new people xp

bye folks

2008-09-26T23:27:00.001+08:00

I'm going to Pasoh this Sunday T.T gonna be away from civilization for five days

friends

2008-09-16T21:12:00.004+08:00

Macaque in Jigokudani (地獄谷) National Park

So cute haha

(Source: BBC)

boom!

2008-09-16T19:01:00.004+08:00

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse.

These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.

Tagged by stupid Lee Tien

1. If you were the last person on Earth, what would you do?

kill myself

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?

I wanna become rich xp

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
Lee Tien!

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
I will buy lots of properties and invest in people's companies and become even richer after that!

5. Where do you want to spend the rest of your life after you retire?

I want to retreat to a bamboo forest and refine my calligraphy skills ahaha kidding! I wanna buy a farm after I retire and live there till I die.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Being loved by someone!

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
I don't mind, I can wait till I die haha!

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
Look for someone else ahhaha

9. If you like to act with someone, who will it be? your gf/bf or an actress/actor?
Hugh Jackman or Shido Nakamura! xp

10. Will you invite your Ex bf/gf to your wedding dinner?
why not?

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?
I'll probably be a workaholic and staying somewhere in Japan haha and still single xp

12. What's your fear?
kiasu and kiabolui xp

13. What kind of person do you think is the person who tagged you?
Nerd! Lazy!

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?
Single and rich ahahah!

15. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
sleep back again

16. Would you give it all in a relationship?

noooo.............

17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
I'll give priority to the one who is richer ahha

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing someone has done?
noooo...............

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
at the moment, single! i despise being controlled, seriously!

20. List 6 people to tag
Felicia, Loo Yee, Chean Voon, Feli, Loo, Voon (haha, lame, i know)

think before you put this in your mouth

2008-09-14T18:39:00.010+08:00

This article is published in the latest National Geographic magazine. In the near future, you can choose your food according to the Overall Nutritional Quality Index a.k.a onqi developed by Yale University's Griffin Prevention Research Center. The researchers assign a number (from 1 to 100) to the food product based on its nutritional properties.

Some of the food that have scored full marks - broccoli, spinach, orange, green beans and blueberries

Food that are still very nutritious but have lost to the ones above by one mark - radish, pineapple

Food that have scored 96 marks - apple, green cabbage

Food with 91 to 94 marks (in descending order) - watermelon, mango, nonfat milk, grapes, banana

The rest include plain oatmeal (88), Atlantic salmon (87), tilapia (82), brown rice (82), milk with 1% fat (81), shrimp (75), cooked barley (63), instant oatmeal (61), scallops (51), pasta (50), vanilla yogurt (43), orange juice (39), tomato juice (32), whole chicken with skin (28), hamburger (25), peanut butter (23), fried egg (18), diet soda (15), white bread (9), hot dog (5), apple pie (2), regular soda (1), popsicle (1)

AND some of the not so nutritious food are my favourites T.T

surprisingly, coffee is not found on the list.

Amazing Videos

2008-09-02T22:12:00.002+08:00

there is another one by David Attenborough. I couldn't copy the embed though. You have to go to Youtube to watch the video broadcasted by BBC. Cheers to Nepenthes! wahhaha

Shh...

2008-09-01T13:53:00.006+08:00

...I'm gonna tell you a secret.

My house is a feng shui place to get pregnant wahahha nah, actually the animals came while they were pregnant. Just moments ago, my stupid dog, Rocky found a cat with her litter at the front of my house. I was not aware that the cat had gave birth to her babies amongst the bush. If not, I would not scare her away. Anyway, my stupid dog tried to drag the kittens out, you know. I saved them wahaha well actually, I asked my bro to hold back the stupid dog before he killed the innocent kittens. Since the mother cat ran away, we decided to send the kittens to Paws. But the person-in-charge said the kittens were too young (yea, they could not even open their eyes yet, let alone squeal), he would have to put them to sleep if we were to deposit the kittens at the place. Of course, being a really kind person, I could not bear to see them die just like that ok? We brought them back and put them in front of my house and see if the mother cat returned. And yes thank god, she did came back and brought them to somewhere safer. Amen to that!

Before this, there were birds giving birth on the ceiling of our house. Fish, cockroaches and ants (and possibly rats) also did (or still doing) the same thing, although at different locations of our house. And hey, I'm telling the truth! O.O

Tuskism 兔斯基主义 lol

2008-08-28T20:57:00.012+08:00

王卯卯 or Wang Momo invented this character which she named 兔斯基 (pronounced as tu-si-ji or a.k.a. Tuzki and yes, I can finally write with han yu pinyin！).

i hope no one will sue me over this lol

What the World Needs Now

2008-08-18T11:33:00.004+08:00

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last till the end of time.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need another meadow
There are cornfields and wheat fields enough to grow
There are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine
Oh listen Lord, if you want to know.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some
Oh, but just for everyone.

Music Composed by Burt Bacharach
Lyrics by Hal David

big plan

2008-08-08T19:15:00.002+08:00

I suddenly had the urge to join Work and Travel USA end of this year. There are many jobs offered, like housekeeper, dishwasher, waitress and fastfood crew persons. My friend and I decided to work as restaurant servers at a resort which is located about an hour away from the nearest town. The place is famous for snowskiing, snowshoeing etc during winter. Sounds exciting, huh? Anyway, I'm not even sure if I can pass the interviews haha

I think this is a good way to travel around the States. I plan to backpack around San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas (and New York, if I have some cash left) after the working period. Fingers crossed!

A Secret Expedition

2008-07-29T19:57:00.003+08:00

pitcher plants

mini pitcher plantsYes, you can still find this kind of places at Genting

Note: The dates are wrong. It should be "2008" and not "2007" lol

War!

2008-07-23T11:49:00.003+08:00

Nothing can stop me from getting to Genting this Saturday!!

try to beat my high score wahaha

2008-07-17T10:27:00.001+08:00

take a look

2008-07-15T15:45:00.004+08:00

This was taken when we were on our way to the Phuket International Airport.

can you spot anything interesting in this picture?

b'day party!

2008-07-13T12:23:00.012+08:00

Yesterday, Jasmine and Alvin had their own birthday party at two different places - one at One U Italiannie's and the other at his grandma's house. Imagine us going from one party to another in one night. Fun!! haha

Happy 21st Birthday to Jas and Alvin!!

and thanks for the meal! =P

taking a shot with the birthday girl (from left: voon, jas, feli)
a very loooooooong table
from left: loo, sharon, voon
me and feli
candid photo of me and feli lol
random
food......
before..... (meng li and feli)
.......and after (meng li and feli)from left: meng li, daniel, feli and me
from left: loo, sharon, daniel and voon
feli, jas and me
feli, sam and me
jason, su yuen and feli
loo, sam, sharon, jas, su yuen and voon
haha
si yi, feli and me
caught in the act! tsk tsk sam and me
su yuen and me (sam at the back examining su yuen's super pro camera)
lovely couple (jas and daniel)
me and jas (and some parts of daniel)
cake with 21 candles
waiting to blow the candles
still waiting....make a wishyea!
still eating at Alvin's party haha (from left: voon, feli, loo and meng li)
loo and me (note: i was - forever - not looking at the camera lol)
bong chan-ing ais kacang stall
loo showing what she ate
while the people had gone crazy out there,
throwing cakes all over the place, we were hiding in this room.
So scary, right people?
yes!!
loo, me, voon and feliloo, voon, me and feli
trust me, she wasn't drunk lol (loo, voon, me and feli)
loo, voon, me and feli
alvin and loo

let's end this post with words by Herodotus:
"Of all possessions a friend is the most precious"

yea, absolutely!

p/s: click on this link to download the photos

good news

2008-07-10T21:49:00.002+08:00

i'm so happy right now!! I got 3 HDs and 1 D for my first sem exam!!

YAY!!!!

Phuket trip updated

2008-07-09T14:10:00.020+08:00

Yes, I'm back from Phuket!! Well, since I was enjoying myself most of the time, I hereby rate the trip 8.95/10.

We went for water rafting, thai massage, parasailing and jet skiing. We also watched Simon Carbaret and Phuket Fantasea. I like the magic show in Phuket Fantasea and the acrobatics but they didn't seem to fit in the story. I nearly fell asleep while watching the rest of the show. Of course - we went out drinking at the famous Bangla street. I got drunk on the first night there (haha I'm a lousy drinker). I puked at my friends (pity, it was a near miss though haha) and for the rest of the night, and had contracted fever but was energetic again the next day. A sincere thanks to my sis who took care of me that night. And, trust me, San Miguel sucks.

'nuff said. Enjoy looking through the pictures.

many people heading to Phuketlooking out from my hotel roomPatong beach at the far end
The Royal Paradise Hotel
going out for a walk
A busy street near the hotelSimon Carbaret while waiting for the Simon Carbaret show to start...the famous Bangla Street
Hanging out at a bar on Bangla Streetsara, angeline, me and lee tien
Chang is the bestcheers!
my sis and I before we had Thai massage
many monkeys hanging around near a temple
monkeys...
baby monkey clinging onto his/her mum
monkey king snatched the entire plastic bag from a caucasian
none of the other monkeys dared to approach the monkey king
monkeys waiting for food
come on, gimme food!!!
i like this photo haha
a monkey with a broken/mutated limb

trying to get food from above
monkeys going back home
monkeys going back home
going into the temple
bats
Sleeping Buddhapeace!
went to Patong beach on the 4th day
Patong beach
nice...
preparing for parasailing
yea!
wooh!
high up in the air
woohoo!perfect landing
Patong beach
going jet skiing
fun!

we dried our clothes at the balcony
Phuket Fantasea
some of the structures at the Carnival Villagethe buffet restaurant
the Palace of Elephants where we watched the show
the Paul Frank (or monkey) group
doing the classic moves
went out drinking again
ewk
i think it means calm in Japanese
peace!
taken group photo before we left the place
king size on leftthe so-called value mealsno idea what she was trying to do (me and Natalie)
bye!

note: the newly added photos are contributed by Natalie

Pseudo-researcher

2008-06-30T14:07:00.006+08:00

This morning, we examined the samples that we'd collected on last Friday under the stereomicroscope. The samples were still alive. I saw many mosquito larvae (and pupa) and maggots wriggling around on the petri dish. I even saw midges having a feast on an insect head capsule. omg, I felt like vomiting at the sight of it, especially when the supposedly joyous event was magnified several times.

You may think that pitcher fluid is inhabitable but there are in fact insect larvae living in it. Note that pitcher fluid is very acidic - some can go as low as pH 1.9. It's really amazing to know that there are life forms even in such extreme environment. One of my previous assignments was to write about extremophiles (i.e. living organisms that only survive in extreme environment). We could choose whatever organisms that we wanted to write about. And I'd decided to write something on a bacterial species that live in the sea ice. Sea ice is not 100% solid - it has many tiny tunnels that only microbes can fit in. The microbes generally live in the brine within the tiny tunnels which is high in salt content (i.e. high salinity), low temperature etc. Anyway, there are many famous stories about extremophiles such as those that live 1000s of km below sea level where geothermal vents are found. I'm sure you've heard of at least some of them.

Well, back to the story, from today onwards, I have to collect the samples, do some observations and statistical analyses and finally, write a 8000-word report and give 15-minute presentation at the end of the semester. Sounds fun? Yea, haha.

argh

2008-06-30T09:22:00.004+08:00

I have to meet up with my lecturer later this morning but I can't get into the research labs. The labs are secured with magnetic door system =.=" Well, the Unit Coordinator said I'm not supposed to start my research this early. Whatever. Now I have to wait for somebody to open up the door for me. Such boredom! Seems like blogging is the best way to kill time off.

sampling spree

2008-06-29T06:36:00.001+08:00

I went over to Cameron Highlands to collect samples for my research project yesterday. My job is to write something about the pitcher plants. Jo went together to gather his samples at the pristine streams for his project. Tse Yuen also joined the expedition group to look for his samples and to help us out. Both my lecturers-cum-supervisors were there to assist us. haha I have two supervisors ('-').

Pitcher plants occur where the nutrient availability in the environment is low, which is expected as this must be the primary reason why these plants have evolved to become carnivorous. Contrary to the other carnivorous plants, pitcher plants do not close up the lid or whatsoever to trap the prey. They instead have slippery walls and peristome (a.k.a rim) to do the job. Another interesting fact about pitcher plants is that they produce two types of pitchers - aerial and terrestrial. Aerial pitchers, as you would have guessed, trap flying insects.

terrestrial pitcher of Nepenthes macfarlanei

aerial pitcher (the white colour stuff) of Nepenthes macfarlanei

You would be surprised to know that these pitcher plants are actually growing on the steep slopes along the road. I would not have noticed if i hadn't known about it. There used to be a lot of them but not anymore. We had to go deep into the bushes and forest to look for them. We found a few huge ones - about 6-10 cm. But still, we had to look hard to locate them. Reasons behind their disappearance are - sadly - unknown.

mossy forest where we found lots of pitcher plant

entangled branches

looking for pitcher plants...... (from left: Dr Cathy, Dr Charles)

looking down from the mossy forest

Gunung Brinchang (from left: Tse Yuen and Jo)

チャンピオン leeyiung

Updates

Evil Rating

Blab

一番音乐系列 (本人的STYLE XP) - 范曉萱&100%樂團-主人

Ichiban Music Series (my favorite! XP) -Brown Eyed Girls ~ How Come (Live)

Sienz

Graduated Finally

one of my fav episodes ^^

Ichiban Music Series (my favorite! XP) - TV on the Radio ~ Family Tree

funny XD

San Francisco 14th - 17th April 09

Emo-ing

Yo everyone

Ichiban Music Series (so my style XP) - Green Day 21 Guns

一番音乐系列 (本人的Style XP) - 八三夭 崩塌了(我的世界...)

一番音乐系列 (当然是本人喜欢的 XP) - 张悬 喜欢

NYC + New Jersey + Washington DC (7th - 13th Apr 09)

one of my favs

great song :)

Orlando (2nd - 6th April 09)

Miami South Beach (30th March - 1st April 09)

The Florida Keys

applause

this is so o.m.g

Maybe I should...

this is funny

Hey people

long time no see

weeee.....

a little update

Rest in Peace

sigh sigh sigh

Coldplay - See You Soon

Filter - Take A Picture

I loveeeeeeeeee..............

grim fact

the time has come

say incredible

Good news

Legal

confession

i'm back!

bye folks

friends

boom!

think before you put this in your mouth

Amazing Videos

Shh...

Tuskism 兔斯基主义 lol

What the World Needs Now

big plan

A Secret Expedition

War!

try to beat my high score wahaha

take a look

b'day party!

good news

Phuket trip *updated*

Pseudo-researcher

argh

sampling spree

一番音乐系列 (本人的Style XP) - 八三夭崩塌了(我的世界...)

一番音乐系列 (当然是本人喜欢的 XP) - 张悬喜欢

Phuket trip updated