Community Service 2014 - Felda Air Tawar 3, Kota Tinggi, Johor

Honestly, I really dislike this 'subject' which is compulsory for all UPM students (I am not sure whether it is still compulsory for the following batch). Because of this 'subject', I lost my chance to participate in many events that I was interested in during Saturdays and I completed tasks because I had to, not because I wanted to. Community service is a good cause that encourages students to contribute to the community, but it is not good when students don't get to make their own decisions as in choosing the village that they want to go and activities that they want to carry out there to improve the community's living condition and awareness there. I had been hoping that this semester flew past, so that I can spend quality time doing things I like on weekends, and finally, it did.

Kampung Felda Air Tawar 3 (I didn't manage to see this view though)
(photo taken from Felda Air Tawar 3 blog)

However, there is one thing that I appreciate deeply, even after I left the place - our foster family, I believe all of us feel the same towards them. For two and a half days in Johor, we spent less than half of the time with them but still we could feel their tender loving care towards us. It was already school holidays when we went to Felda Air Tawar 3. There were weddings going on and villagers were busy doing the preparation (they have the rewang tradition where everyone in the village volunteerily participates in the cooking preparation for the wedding) but still they accepted our arrival. As a result, one family was willing to foster up to 11 students so that all 62 of us could joined this 'community service'! My foster family took 6 students, including me, Faa, Kogi, Mary, Idah and Mira who made up of 5 races: Malay, Chinese, India, Iban and Melanau.

At the beginning I was kinda worried. Firstly, I am not close to my foster-mates (we were not even acquaintances). Secondly, I am not really good in speaking daily Malay (writing is not a problem to me). Thirdly, I am shy and this was the first time I got adopted (LOL). My ayah angkat and mak angkat are orang Jawa and they are from the same generation as my grandparents. Ayah angkat is talkative and humourous, I really didn't expect an old man to keep making fun of me with language (ok he was just joking with me hahaha). Mak angkat is just like my grandmother who is always busy in the kitchen to prepare food for us. We felt her caring towards us through three meals that we had there. As soon as we reached our home (Kak Chombi, our foster sister fetched us), we were greeted with chilling ice bars (childhood!), drinks and a traditional Indonesian snack called Tampi which is made of dhal (food is really something that connects people together!). We chatted with ayah angkat to get to know each other more (and also among the foster-mates, hahaha) while munching on the snacks (mak angkat was cooking our lunch at the kitchen).  

Me and my lovely foster-mates!
(from left: Kogi, Faa, me, Mira, Idah and Mary)

After having eaten-with-hand lunch (I know it sounds weird, it feels weird too, to me, hehe), we headed back to the Wisma (the place where we had all the ceremonies and activities) for the preparation of station games for all the villagers especially children. I was surprised by the trust existed among the villagers. We went door to door to ask the children come out and join the station games and they did! They were happy and cheerful, unlike many children living in the city, unlike many of us there. I was somehow taken aback when a 9-year-old girl asked me my name and my age, and told me she had an older brother studying in university just like me. It was easy to feel close with them because of the trust they gave us. For the second day, many mak cik who were supposed to be busying in the kitchen joined the talk we held because they understood our situation and how awkward would it be if there was no audience (not many people attended because there were weddings going on).

They are just so sweet together!

At the night before we went back to UPM, we made currypuffs with mak angkat. We had lots of laughters due to our unskillfulness (except Mira who has such a gift!) and ugly currypuffs. Mak angkat felt just like my grandmother who cooks our meals and makes all the delicacies to feed our tummy. Grandma knows how to make currypuffs too, but I never helped out. I feel really ashamed for not spending quality time with grandma and suddenly I miss her very much. The next morning, we had to leave at noon. There was just not much time for us to mingle around. We walked around the village for awhile (the houses are quite far apart with hills going up and down) and headed back home to 'help out' in making baskets out of old newspapers. Yes we really wanted to help in making those baskets which will be given away as gift during our foster brother's wedding next year but we ended up messing around with the newspapers. The newspapers need to be rolled around thin stick which will be removed and the rolled newspapers will be used to make the basket. The basket will then be painted using lacquer as final touch. Before I managed to learn the waving skills, it's time to pack our luggage.

Us with our mak angkat and ayah angkat. Behind these smiling faces, there was sorrow. We have no idea whether we would ever meet again in future. Kota Tinggi is not really far away, I hope that one day we can gather again in this warm family.

Unsurprisingly, we all cried. It was a super emotional moment to me as well. How could some complete strangers accept you with open arms and treat you just like their children? And what kind of 'service' we had given to them that we deserve such a warm welcome? We have certainly gained something from this 'community service', not experience in organising activities or formal ceremonies, but the giving of unconditional love towards others, even strangers. You won't know how much people will be touched with your kind act. Maybe just a smile, maybe just a helping hand. This could be a happier world to live in.

Mak dan ayah, kami akan sentiasa merindui detik-detik manis sepanjang dua hari setengah tersebut. Jaga diri baik-baik ya, inshaallah kita akan berjumpa lagi!

Dear Fellow University Students, It's Time to Get Up! Bangkitlah!

First and foremost I feel sorry that both of my blogs have been deserted for quite some time. I have to force myself to pick up the keyboard again after putting blogging at a less important priority and it became a habit. Before this, whenever I blog, inspiration kept flowing into my mind that I feel relaxed and confident in writing. But now... I have to slowly recover from the laziness to blog although the final examinations are just around the corner in less than two weeks time!

For this post I just want to update a bit to round up this whole third semester of my life here in UPM. This semester is a great leap for me, not in terms of achievement (I have somehow abandoned Wushu, boohoo...) but my ideology and determination in doing something I really want to do. All these happened after I went to a charity lunch organised by Baramkini which was held to raise fund besides raising public awareness on this issue. The whole issue is about the protest towards the building of mega dam at Baram, a place belongs to native people (orang asli). If the dam is built, villages will be submerged and people there will have nowhere to go. Activists built houses and barrage to block the way getting into Baram to stop the construction progress. I believe that not many people in Peninsular Malaysia have known about this issue which involves human rights and also the environment because we are living comfortably without the risk of getting chased away from our home. There must be someone who are willing to stand up for the people whose voice couldn't be heard. Not many people are willing to do so, risking their life for the welfare of others. But still, this group of people do. They are volunteers from all walks of life who fight for people's right.

The barrages which are rebuilt and rebuilt to protect the homes of indigenous people.
(photo taken from the Facebook page of Baramkini)

What have university students done for the community? Focusing on studies? Nah, everyone knows that is bu*****t! This is not about politics, this is social movement. University students need to have the awareness regarding human rights and do something when we see unrighteous things happening around us instead of isolating ourselves from all these current critical issues because the adults asked us not to do so, it's against the 'rules', 'rules' that restrict us to do the right thing, 'rules' that turn us into a mere working force for the 'ruling' force in the future, 'rules' that scare us from speaking up for our own welfare! Since we were young, an ideology was planted in our head - obey the rules and feel afraid of the rules. Yes, rules that keep the society in order such as the traffic laws need to be followed, however, unrighteous rules that erode our rights must be fought against! We have learnt in the history of Malaysia that all the pahlawan were once a 'traitor' in the eyes of the authority. They sacrifice their reputation or even life to uphold the people's right, to prevent their people from being further bullied by the colonizers! On the other hand, do you see what happen here? Who are the poor victims and who are big bullies?

The reason I wrote this post is not to provoke university students in creating chaos but to remind everyone regarding our dangerous state of ignorance and indifference. We might be young and inexperience, we have no income and power, but there must be something we can do to help the unfortunate ones. It is still not a culture here in Malaysia for students to be proactive in fulfilling social responsibility, however we can initiate it and be the re-pioneer to bring back the past where students are the conscience of the society, the eyes for the era（社会的良知，时代的眼睛）who stand up for justice. We can slowly pick up the pace by starting with something small:

• Make complaints to the authority whenever you encounter a leaking tap, a broken street lamp, damaged road or any facility which is not functioning.
• Report to the authority if you witness or discover any criminal case such as stealing and burglary, especially if it happens on you.
• Keep yourself updated regarding the current issues especially those happening in Malaysia.
• Lending those in need a helping hand. For example, join Community Kitchen (Dapur Komuniti) which distributes food to poor people or be a volunteer to give tuition classes for children from poor families.
• Educate others regarding social awareness like consumer rights through conversations or writing.
• Sign petition to against unrighteous policies and regulations.

Every small deed counts. We are weak and insignificant if we act alone. Together, we stand strong. Let's make a change, a change that can make our lives a better one.

Give me ten young man, I will rock the world.   

                                                 --- Soekarno, former president of Indonesia

suteF

(Image taken from Rotten Tater website)

SPOILER! This is no ordinary platform game...
For a good game (even if it is a platform game), the background story is important because it is something that drive you to overcome the obstacles level by level. However, for this game, I do not quite understand the whole storyline which is quite confusing to me. Even though I tried to understand the story by reading through the blog of suteF after I played the game but I still get no clue. All I want to do was to help Aramas (the name of the main character you are controlling) to get the hell out of the eerie place and back to the reality. And it is obvious that the boss is named 'Fetus' which does not seem to die no matter how many times you pierce it using the laser beam until a spirit-like creature that looks like you gorges its eye out (blood and gore!!!).

You can see heaps of carcasses in that game. A contrast of blue and red.
(Image taken from the Games is Art website)

The escaping screen and a 'I-don't-know-what-is-that' monster.
(Image taken from Volcod website)

The fetus (which will multiply in size each time you kill it).
(Image taken from Rock, Paper, Shotgun website)

Again it is a 2D pixellated game which successfully caught my attention (I swear it is not because of the bloody scenes!) that I cracked my head for hours to finish the whole game. You have to press on switch, move crates and reverse the gravity so that you can get to the screen to proceed to the next level (for the last chapter there is no more screen though, it changes into an upward force as you go after the Fetus). Sometimes you work alone, sometimes you have a backpack that allows you to use clamp, sometimes with some other blue man which looks like you. Actually I am not sure whether I have really completed it because although it showed 'end' at the end of the game, there seems to be one chapter left to be unlocked. Besides, I like the font and the sound effects used which give more bonus to this game.

It is a very old game published back in 2010 and people are still playing it! You can download it here. If you figure out what is going on, please do tell me in the comment! Warning: You might be driven crazy for getting stuck at some levels for a long time, hahaha...

Trailer:

Flash Games Recommendations [from Game Jolt, no download needed]

For almost twenty years I am not able to play 3D games without getting myself a nausea which would last for hours. Tomb Raider, Call of Duty, Counter Strike, Prince of Persia, Bio Shock etc. especially those action ones. And I believe even if I overcome the nausea problem I will still be unable to play the game because those games are simply too tough for me. I get frustrated easily when playing a game so a complicated one is definitely a no no. An awesome game in my opinion is either it has a very nice graphic (nice graphic does not exist in 3D only) or a very good and unexpected storyline. And overall it has to be clean and neat, nothing is overdone.

Platform games can be boring because they look universal. You have to avoid monsters (or kill them), pick up power-up and at the end reach the check point like Mario (legendary!). Here's some platform games from Game Jolt that require no downloading. They are pretty good in their unique ways. Enjoy!

Simple colour and nice soundtrack.
(Screenshot from Game Jolt)

1) Persist
So you are a while spirit-like thing who seeks forgiveness from a cruel goddess who slowly takes away your arms (ability to swim), your legs (ability to jump) and your body (you can barely see your own presence). You have to survive through all the trials handicapped (yeah this should be the right word) and at the end been forgiven as you give up your life for 'her' in the story.

Three of you move parallelly in a not parallel universe. LOL
(Screenshot from Game Jolt)

2) Parallel 2
So you have to control three tiny people at the same time with only one set of control towards the check point in three different surroundings. Multi-functioning of your brain is a must. You must have no bias towards anyone of them. Or I should put it this way, you should set your priority so that all of them can reach the check points at the same time.

I fell in love with the rabbit. Cute, right?
(Screenshot from Game Jolt)

3) Tim_
So this is a very cute platform game where you are a rabbit and there are lots of crocodiles. The angry ones are bad (who are overprotective over their eggs) while the smiley ones are good but annoying, haha. As the game progresses, I found out that actually the rabbit is the villain who kills the crocodile king and be the king. As overall, it is a cute game. (Psst. The rabbit can freeze time)

A cute love story like the one from Warm Bodies, haha.
(Screenshot from Game Jolt)

4) I saw her standing there
So you saw her standing there...and? Well you fell in love with a zombie girlfriend and you have to lure her and keep her in a cage when there are other zombies around trying to kill you. At the end...you got bitten by your girlfriend and you two carry on your life happily ever after. LOL. After you complete the game, you will unlock some 'cheats' which can make the game more challenging.

The hot air balloon.
(Image taken form Youtube)

5) Moky SOS
So this is quite a new game and it already got some 5/5 reviews. The concept is very simple. Blow at the hot air balloon so that it reaches some pity fellas on some deserted places and send them to the checkpoint platform. Those fellas cannot board the hot air balloon if the balloon lands on the group, it should be afloat so that they can climb the rope stair. Besides, don't let the balloon hit the obstacles, or else some of the fellas will fall out and die.

Hunter X Hunter: The Chimera Ant - Review

Hunter X Hunter (manga author is Yoshihiro Togashi) is one of my favourite animes which I watched during my childhood time (although it clearly is not suitable for children, hahaha). Like Naruto, it is a still ongoing series so far ended with the Chimera Ant story arc and the 13th Hunter Association Election story arc is following. I didn't watch every single episode and left out some in the previous story arcs but this one, the Chimera Ant story arc is definitely an impressive one after the Yorknew City story arc where the story surrounds Kurapika, the only member in Kurta clan who survived brutal attack from the Phantom Troupe and wants to get back all the scarlet eyes of the died clan members. It may sound complicated for those who have not watch any of the story arcs but you are encouraged to watch starting from the first episode until the last one (anime marathon!).

The Queen Chimera Ant.
(Image taken from Next Generation Filipino website)

Spoiler Alert!

A very deep philosophy is embedded in the Chimera Ant story arc regarding humanity. It started with an injured Queen Chimera Ant being stranded on an island called Neo Green Life, a country which forbids the usage of modern technologies (despite of secret production of weapon by the government). The one characteristic of the Chimera Ants which is special and also deadly in long term is, they reproduce using the method of Phagogenesis, where the Queen will reproduce selectively by combining the genes of the animals eaten with her genes, that a more powerful offspring will be produced. This sounds like a genetic modified organism (GMO) and indeed it is. The disaster of mankind begins when the Queen first tasted human and she started to request her soldier ants to bring her humans only for her food in order for her to produce stronger soldiers and eventually the King as the ruler of the world.

The King Chimera Ant named Meruem. He looks like a character from Dragon Ball though.
(Image take from My Anime List website)

This story arc emphasizes how destructive humanity is. Yeah we have seen in the reality where there are wars, crimes, abuses etc. and certainly we do not need reminder of those kind of things which we have gotten used to as they often show up in news. So the author used another channel to deliver the message. The consequences of animals becoming more clever are being portrayed in many scientific horror movies such as the Deep Blue Sea. Thus having a human intelligence is beyond imagination. Upon obtaining human intelligences, the Chimera Ant colony grows stronger and stronger until they develop the ability to take over human on top of the food chain. Chimera Ant is a species of ants (fictional) which lives in colony just like other species of ants where they show unshaken loyalty towards the Queen or King. They live and die for the Queen (or King if there is any), carrying out any command given. Even before the interruption of human genes, a colony of Chimera Ants is able to wipe out the entire population of other species of organisms on Earth with their military-like system.

Dead original Chimera Ant soldiers.
(Image taken from Lost in America website)

Despite the human intelligence that makes them undefeatable, eventually humanity also causes the corruption of the whole colony. The ants develop human ego-ness that each of them want to have their own unique name which differentiate every individual. This ego-ness even generate thoughts of wanting to take over the throne of the Chimera Ant and be the King instead of merely being a soldier ant for the rest of their life. Selflessness fades among the ants and that is the beginning of the destruction of the colony when the loyalty towards the Queen shatters. Chimera Ant's nature is cruel that they will do anything to assist the King in concurring the world. Humans are only livestock to them, which will be slaughter as food just like what humans do to animals. So there is no empathy towards human lives. However, after the King's encounter with a blind girl named Komugi, he slowly developed a kind heart towards humans that he is willing to spare some humans' lives instead of killing everyone. This is a bad sign towards the Chimera Ant colony because that human personality should not exist in them especially the King.

The Poor Man's Rose.
(Image taken from hunterxhunter.wikia.com/)

The ending of this story arc is expected but yet unexpected. The Chimera Ant will be defeated of course, but how? The King survives the disastrous Poor Man's Rose explosion but he and his royal guards are infected by a poison without realising the explosion is actually a bioweapon which will ensure no survival of the victims. At the last moment of the King's life, he chooses to spend the time with Komugi, the only human that he cares of in the world and dies. Human is the reason of the rise of Chimera Ant, human is also the reason the fall of the colony. I found the ending beautiful, but am disgusted by the idea of bioweapon like what happened in the history.

Human, is human.

Blessing in Disguise!

Sometimes blessings come when you are too upset to be aware of their presence. Being optimistic is difficult for most people, including me. Here is a blessing in disguise that is worth sharing which happens to me since the starting of the semester. I used to look forward to the starting of the semester during last semester break, but this news broke the bubble - all the seniors have to stay in three blocks in the college only, the other two will be reserved for juniors. Why? There is a renovation going on around the college where all the wooden tables and wooden cupboards will be replaced with new ones! So what's the problem? The problem is all the old furnitures were sent away while the new ones have not arrived!

So I got a room at the corner of top floor. Moving from the group floor to the top floor is not a good thing, both mentally and physically. Last semester, I could just walk out of the block without going down the stairs, and walk back to my room without going up the staisr. I could hang my clothes beside the block where there is plenty of sunlight. I could get hot water and drinking water in less than 50m distance. But now I have to brave through flights of stairs to get up or go down, whenever I need to go to classes or meetings or just for a meal. It really felt like a lemon given to my life. However, eventually I found out the tiny blessings embedded in this unlucky life of staying in the room I am currently living in. First of all, my room locates at the corner of the block, where there will be no one passing by my room, giving me privacy and quietness which is a peace in mind. Secondly, I don't have to worry if my clothes hanging out there will get soaked by water dripping from clothes hanging upstairs since I am on the top floor (I might be the culprit who do that to others though). Thirdly, I get to do more exercises which are actually good for my health because I have sinus which needs good immunity to prevent it from happening. I walk the stairs, I cycle to classes and I do Wushu (if possible) to keep myself in good shape (and optimum weight too, hehe).

Here's the end of my first post after survived one month in my second years. There are lots of changes going on and I won't stop praying so that I can face every good things and bad things alike with a joyful heart!

See it at the correct angle. Everything can be beautiful.

Bad Dream: Hospital - Walkthrough [how to get another ending]

(Screenshot)

SPOILERS BELOW
Yeah I skipped the walkthrough of Bad Dream: Graveyard because I don't find it necessary to give any help in finishing the game since there is only one ending and you will have no problem in finishing it. Instead of losing your fingers in Bad Dream: Butcher, your teddy bear will lose its limbs and body and at the end...everyone will be beheaded and you stick your teddy bear's head on a dead body. I don't get what it means either, just enjoy the weirdness, hahaha. So for this episode, the background is a mental hospital (as expected) and you are required to do colouring on a picture. The normal ending people will get is by colouring the picture with poop, urine, blood, vomit etc. *eww* and realise that you will get a box of crayons at the end of the game actually *speechless*. You will be told that you can try to get another ending by colouring with crayons only. It's pretty easy to reach that ending as long as you behave normally. Don't touch the blood, don't touch the vomit, don't stab anyone. 

1) Look at the piece of paper beside the door

2) Go out of your room (it's room 15), go into WC

3) Touch everything EXCEPT the toilet

4) Go back to the corridor, go up the corridor, enter the cafeteria on your left

5) Get the empty bucket, go back to WC

6) Fill the bucket with water at the sink, flush the toilet

7) Pick up the key, go to room 14 (opposite of cafeteria)

8) Pick up the knife and dirty plate, don't do anything else

9) Go to cafeteria, put the knife and plate on the counter

10) Go back to corridor, go up the corridor, enter room 13

11) Take the sticker on the guy's tshirt, don't do anything else

12) Go back to WC, place the sticker over the eye on the wall

13) Fill the bucket at the sink again, go to cafeteria

14) Enter the previously locked door, pick up the rag on the crate

15) Go to room 13, clean up the vomit

16) Dispose of the dirty rag into any dustbin (there is one in the cafeteria, one in WC, you can find it somewhere else)

17) Go back to the corridor in front of room 13 (you will see a nurse there), go up the corridor

18) Enter room 12, pick up the needle on the floor, don't do anything else

19) Go back to corridor, go up the corridor, enter the room on the left

20) Pick up the key, enter the room opposite to room 12

21) Pick up the stethoscope on the table, the thread on top of the shelf, don't do anything else

22) Give the stethoscope to the nurse, go down the corridor until you see a vending machine

23) Get urine sample from the vending machine, flush it down the toilet

24) Go to the room inside cafeteria, fill the container up with poison

25) Go to the room where you get the last key, poison the snake-like monster

26) Get a thermometer from the dead body, go back to the corridor

27) Place the thermometer at the heater below the window, show the thermometer to the nurse

28) Go back to the room where you got the thermometer, give the nurse the needle and thread

29) Go back to the corridor, enter the Day Room

30) Pick up the crayons and go back to your room to finish the colouring

The mad doctor appears as soon as you finish colouring. Got this screenshot just in time.
(Screenshot)

I don't understand this...
(Screenshot)

Bad Dream: Butcher - Walkthrough [how to prevent losing any finger]

(Screenshot)

SPOILERS BELOW
Cheating is bad, but I still do it when playing computer games, hahaha... However for indie games it is quite difficult to get a written walkthrough that we have to go through the forum to see if somebody has posted about it. So after many many times of trying, I manage to note down step by step of how to prevent your finger from being chopped off in Bad Dream: Butcher (and yeah I did refer to forums when I was stuck). You are encouraged to try the whole game at least once on your own. Besides following the instruction below, do not touch anything else on the screen because it might cause you to lose a finger. When the butcher appears, don't panic, escape calmly.

1) Go into the tunnel, then go to the left hand side of the door 73
[Do not touch the shattered glass on the floor]

2) At the graveyard, pick up the twig

3) Go back to the place at the beginning, then go to your right
[Do not touch the monster]

4) Pick up the hammer

5) Search the right bin (the one without the monster sitting on it) for key of door 33

6) Go to the right, search the bin to get maggot

7) Go to the right again, then enter the tunnel*, pick up the cooking glove

8) Go back to the beginning place, pick up the sharp glass on the floor

9) Go back to the place where you got the glove, pierce the eye on the wall

10) Exit the tunnel*, enter the door on the right which is now open

11) Go upstairs, pick up the key on the shelf on your right

12) Cut the rope of the hanging man, get into the hole appears

13) Pick up the coiled wire on your left, pick up the shovel hung on the wall

14) Leave the whole building, click on the left side of the building
[Pick any one out of the four key on the floor then open the door, if fail, try another key]

15) Go to the left, open the door 51

16) Pick up the mouse trap after using the twig

17) Leave the house and go to the graveyard

18) Dig the grave
[go to the right, when you see the door go to the left instead of right (that is a mirror image, you will notice that if you see the inverted door number), then go to the right]

19) Go back to the graveyard, get the key from the skull

20) Use the key to open the door 73, pick up the key on the bed

21) Use the key to open the bakery door, pick up a twine

22) Go back to door 33
[Do not touch the box with question marks]

23) Catch a rat at the hole

24) Bring that rat to the monster

25) Search the bin previously beneath the monster to get a hook

26) Go back to the beginning place, use the wire on the pipe, get the wet rag

27) Go back to door 73, get a fish from the toilet bowl

28) Get the pot on the stove

29) Fill the pot with the water from the pipe

30) Go back to door 51, place the pot on the stove, put in the dead fish

(Screenshot)

Ambition versus Occupation

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, the definition of the word 'ambition' is something that you want to do or achieve very much. I believe that many of us have written an essay entitled 'My Ambition' at least once during our primary school time but instead of writing what we want to do in the future, we ended up writing about the position we want to hold (a.k.a. occupation). Although we were just a child we were still able to choose one particular occupation mainly because we have heard of it or have seen it either in real life or on TV. So, our target after growing up was to get a professional job such as doctor, lawyer, architect, engineer, scientist, teacher, accountant etc. and we were happy about the ambition.

There is a stereotype saying that we must get good results during our school days to secure a place in the university and get a 'good' course so that we can get a promising job after we graduate. However, when we come to the time to choose a course that we want to pursue, we are often guided by people's opinion about that particular course and also our personal instinct that built up since we were young. We had not heard about things like Material Science or Forestry which are not popular, we think that the requirements to get Biotechnology or Environmental Science are quite low and since we got a better results we should aim 'higher', we heard that graduates from Pure Sciences become salesman or even jobless. To be safe, we are willing to compete with thousands of people for the limited seats in popular courses, sometimes not because that it is our dream but because of people's expectation towards us.

An ambition should not be defined as the course you want to study or the job you want to have. It is something you are passionate about and you want to do it to achieve a satisfaction in your life. If you want to teach and unfortunately you didn't get the Education course, you can still be an educator with what you have studied during university time. If you want to reduce people's suffering because of diseases and unfortunately you didn't get the Medicine course, you still can reach the aim by getting into Environmental Health, Biomedicine or even Biotechnology by developing something beneficial to the public. If you want to care for animal's welfare and health and unfortunately you didn't get the Veterinary course, Animal Science and Zoology can lead to the same dream, too! The only difference that you didn't get that particular course but getting something else is, you will not be called a teacher or doctor after you graduate and people may not look up at you with the degree you are holding. However, if you compare the two things, you want to do what you want to do, or do you just want to have the glamour?

It could be weird when people ask you what is your dream and you answer, ''I want to become a chemical engineer.''. And when they ask you for the reason, you couldn't answer it properly because you do not exactly know what a chemical engineer do. Being someone should not be an ambition, it should be what you want to do so that you can benefit yourself and the society in the future. Think wisely before you make the decision. Cheers!



[Disclaimer: This article serves as an advice for students when choosing the path they want to go in the future. I have no intention to offend anyone. Holding on to an ambition as we live is a motivation for us to contribute more to the society. By the way, congratulation for those who are one step closer to their dreams.]

So You Are A Top Scorer?

There is always a stereotype saying ‘Medicine, dentistry and pharmacy are meant for the top scorers in examinations,', I do not deny the statement because you really need to be intelligent and hardworking to be in those so called critical courses or else you will not be able to survive through the tough years. And then, after the UPU results were announced, complaints arises on TV, in newspapers or on social networks with the same issue: 4.0 scorers did not get the offer for medicine, dentistry or pharmacy in so and so university (usually these three).

Before we argue about whether or not you should get it because you are a top scorer, everyone knows that there are very limited places in universities for critical courses. Why? Because our society cannot end up with over-flowing number of doctors or dentists or pharmacist who might not actually be needed. Just imagine half of the total number of university graduates are doctors, will there be enough hospitals and clinics to house them? What about other industries that require fresh graduates to keep going? Graduates from medical or dental schools usually can only work as doctors or dentists, it is quite impossible for them to work in agricultural or petroleum sectors. When a company is hiring someone to work for them, for sure the places are fixed and limited. They cannot hire employees more than they need. If you want to get hired, impress the interviewers. Everyone going for these courses is having the best results in their hand, and only certain number of them is going to grab the place after going through the interview (in University Malaya, for instance). Do not blame anyone if you do not get the place since every competitor is good, maybe you are just not as good as them.

When it comes to 'unfair' university intakes, people start to point out that it is the ''colour's' fault. I really do not want to talk about racism but this is kinda unavoidable. Top scorers do not consist of only one race of people, and skin colour does not influence how our brains work. Thinking ourselves as certain race is superior? You are absolutely wrong. There are a lot of top scorers who speak different languages and have different cultures as us. When you do not know the quality of students successfully enrolled in those courses, I suggest that you should just keep quiet before you see the names of the top scorers in the courses and feel ashamed afterwards.

The thing that really makes me furious is people's attitude towards non-critical courses. If a 4.0 scorer get the offer for some easily-overlooked courses such as pure sciences or forestry or biotechnology instead of medical or dental or pharmacy course that he or she wants, the world seems to collapse as if he or she should worth more than that. Excuse me, with such a flying-colour result you got in your pre-university, does that mean that you are in higher position and should look down on these 'ordinary' courses? So you said it is your dream to be a doctor (or dentist or pharmacist), why do you want to become a doctor? You want to help people? Then what's wrong with the nursing course? Nurses are the ones closest to the patients. They take care of the patients, encourage them and make sure that they are recovering well. To contribute something to the society, there are many ways and I am sure you know it.

Stop being a hypocrite.



[Disclaimer: I have no intention in offending anyone with this post which is quite emotional. The perspective towards this issue is about the stereotype where people worship critical courses thinking that top scorers will usually go for them (and are qualified to do so). I understand that there is an unfairness and lacking of transparency in the selection of students which can be a very important element in this issue but my opinion does not touch on this element. Hope you guys understand. Cheers!]

Bad Dream: Series - Review

(Image taken from gamejolt.com)

A ten-week semester break honestly is a little bit too long for me. I was determined to make this assignment-free holidays useful and beneficial but almost half of the time I am just wasting my life away doing things that I don't even remember what I have done. Slacking around makes me feel guilty because I have better things to do but I am willing to spend some time on a good game so that the time 'wasted' is not actually wasted, haha. However, the game I am going to share this time is just weird. Plain weird. Maybe I am not weird enough to understand what's going on for the whole series except the last one which makes some senses to me (like everyone else I think the last one is the best). Since it is named Bad Dream, so I guess there is no need to make any sense. Sometimes you don't remember nightmares that you had after you wake up.

The developer of indie game. I couldn't find his website, so maybe he does not have one.
(Image taken from gamejolt.com)

Spoiler Alert!!!!!!! Just kidding, haha...

If you are looking for something to do to kill your time and you like arts (there is a wide variety of arts you know, I consider this as one of the arts), this series of game made by Desert Fox that I found on Game Jolt might be suitable for you. What you have to do in the game is just clicking around (if you are simply too lazy to figure out what is what) until you get the endings. Each episode is very short and you can finish all of the episodes within one hour. The game looks like very simple hand drawn sketches with yellow background (I love yellow!) and its soundtrack is clean. There is no spoiler in this post as it is not needed (or should I say I am too lazy to figure out what I have played). You can play it in a relaxing way although there is blood and gore. You don't even have to think of which tool to use because as long as you picked up the tool, it will be used automatically at places it should be used. Something might appear to creep you out but it is not a big deal for me (so I believe you won't freak out too).

Bad Dream episodes:
Butcher
Graveyard
Hospital
Cyclops
Memories

By the way, I saw an update on its facebook page that there will be a Prologue in Bad Dream: Coma coming out. Actually I am wondering what makes this indie game getting quite a lot of good reviews. Just. Weird.



P/S: I would like to know if you guys have any thought on this game because I am just curious. Walkthroughs coming up! Stay tuned!

My Sister's Keeper - Review

(Image taken from Amazon.co.uk)

Every time when I step into a book store or a book fair, I don't used to go to the fiction section which is usually stuffed with vampires, werewolves, romance or puppy love (ok this is only a stereotype). After scanning through the book shelves, I used to shrug and walk away because there are too many books there and I don't want to try my luck to see whether I can luckily land my finger on a good one. It had been a long period of time I last read a novel. As far as I know, I had finished the Harry Potter series, Eragon series, Twilight series (don't judge, I think that the storylines are good and I enjoy all four books) and some others that I do not quite remember during my high school time. Compared to my other friends, I feel quite ashamed for claiming that I love reading...

I just found that there was a TV series based on this novel in 2009 and there will be a movie in 2015! It was such a coincidence that I found out about this book at the right time before things get hot (it might be as hot as The Fault in Our Stars!) and I didn't get to know about it in a book store. Three days ago me and my family visited my granduncle's family. Instead of sitting mundanely watching my attention-seeking cousins messing around the house, I saw this novel lying on the sofa. So I picked it up and started to read the first page then immediately plunged into addiction. The novel revolves around Anna, a perfectly healthy teenage. But one of the main elements in the story line is Leukemia, a white blood cell cancer. When I tell someone that I feel like crying when reading the novel, people will assume that it is about a child dying from cancer. Actually it's not.

Spoiler Alert! Highly advisable that you guys to read the novel first!

So Anna is suing her parents for not giving her choices to decide whether she is willing to donate a kidney to her elder sister, Kate who was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a rare type of blood cancer when she was very young. The fact is, the reason of Anna's existence in this world at the very beginning was to save her sister, using the umbilical cord blood because Anna was a genetically programmed embryo so that her DNA matches her sister's, in order to supply something that might keep her sister alive. Up to this point, I was already furious about what her parents did to her as if the sole purpose of her birth is to ensure the survival of the other. The only thing that her mother concerns is Kate, even her brother, Jesse is quite being left aside that he causes lots of troubles. The novel is written in first persons' points of view of different characters. Anna, Jesse, Sara (mother), Brian (father), Campbell (lawyer), Julia (guardian ad litem) and finally Kate. So it is fair. We can see the whole situation in all perspectives (this makes me hate Sara even more, ugh).

Apart from the main storyline, we have this relationship issue between Campbell and Julia which re-sparks after many years of separation. Campbell is just so gorgeous because of his humour (now guys you know that it is very important to be humorous because it makes girls fall in love without having to see your face before that, hahaha) and his efforts in fighting for Anna's case although Anna does not have the ability to pay even for his consultancy. Ah and his service dog who alarms him of his Grand Mal Seizure, a very unpleasant medical condition. When it comes to relationship, he is such an asshole who leaves Julia behind after having sex with her, twice in fifteen years although deep down he loves her. On the other hand, Julia did not recover from the scar Campbell left in her heart during high school time, too. And I am happy for this bitter sweet sub-storyline of this novel that they get together in the end.

Ok back to the main thing. I see there are lots of struggles going on in the head of a thirteen-year-old girl. If I were her, I would be torn apart too if I have to make such decision. To save my sister (by going through painful procedures of drawing blood and marrow that you don't have to undergo if you do not have the obligation to save your sister) or to save my own ass and have a normal life any teenage girl would have. However, the truth revealed in the end turns out to be it was Kate's opinion that she does not want Anna's kidney, that she does not want to continue living in such condition, that she wants Anna to have the life she wants. This makes my heart softened towards Kate (I still dislike Sara, though). The ending of this novel was unexpected. I thought Kate would die and Anna lives happily ever after. But Campbell and Anna are involved in a road accident which snatches Anna's life after she wins the lawsuit. Although Campbell survives with his dog, Anna dies from brain death. Thus her kidney is given to Kate. The roller coaster finally came to a halt, at the very bottom of the track (after lots of ups).

I am not saying that we shouldn't save our sibling whose life is in danger and you are the only one who can save her. But life on Anna is harsh, isn't it? It becomes an obligation to sacrifice yourself for someone else because he or she is your family that you are expected to react in the way family should react. And when you don't, people will be like 'what the hell??? you let him/her die just because you don't want to do it anymore???'. Tragedy sucks, being part of the tragedy is not any better, either. Ah I am just so emotional after finished reading the novel. I was cheering for Anna and Campbell throughout the storyline, hahaha. It is a worth-read to me, hope that I can find other heart-catching novels to read before the new semester starts in one month time.




P/S: I guess I won't watch the movie because usually the movie will not be as good as the novel. Just like what happened to The Fault in Our Stars, according to my friends.

One Shot - Review

I am feeling complicated after finishing this game. This is the game that you should play it on your own instead of watching someone else playing it! Download the game here now and play it before continue reading this post or else you will regret! What I can say without giving spoilers is this game gave me surprises that I never thought I can feel so bonded with a virtual character in a mere 2D pixellated computer game. I thought that only horror games can really trigger your inner feelings (in this case, fear), but this one changes my view towards 2D RPG games (the first one that changed my view towards computer games was The Witch's House). Getting a good game (and free one) to play is becoming difficult, but I am glad that I came across this game on rmn website. This game got lots of excellent reviews and a very high rating from people. So I gave it a try and now I am left amazed, writing this review right away!

Warning!!! Your scrolling should stop here!!! Play the game!!! Spoiler ahead!!!

The main character named Niko, a boy with cat eyes (cats are always mysterious, right?). Wait, you are not the main character, but you are you, the nerd (probably you are one, hahaha) sitting in front of the screen! So you play as 'god' to guide Niko, the 'messiah' in saving the world which is at the edge of getting destroyed as the sun is gone (relax, it's nothing religious). You have to solve puzzles (I tried to get some hints on internet when I stuck but couldn't find anything. So I got a little bit of help from my brother at the beginning and lots of lucks near the end of the game) which might make you feel dumb (at least it did that to me, hahaha) and at the end you have to decide Niko's and the world's fate: to save Niko or to save the world. Niko will get a light bulb (which is the sun of the world) and try to put it back to where it belongs to so that the dim world can be lit up again. But you can choose to shatter the bulb into pieces so that Niko can go home again.

The story line of the game sounds pretty common like hero-rescues-the-world type. What makes it so special is that you can only play the once (that's why the name of this game is 'oneshot'), which means you cannot quit the game in the middle of progress (which will lead to Niko's death) or replay the game at all means (you can replay it on other computers or reformat your computer though). It is a life or death decision, once you make the choice, there is no way you are going to undo it or load the game like other games you played. Maybe this gives you a little bit of stress to take the game more seriously. Another point that causes the decision making even difficult is that you can interact with the game. The game knows your name and will mess around with your computer and IT IS JUST SO REAL. As if the game is alive, Niko is alive, and the shits are getting real (so imagine if they use this concept in a horror game, woooo). Yeah you will have simple interactions with Niko which is quite sweet but this leads to your reluctance in final decision-making at the end of the game. Besides, the puzzles are cleverly designed that you need to work your rusted brain a bit harder or you will end up feeling frustrated. Look out of the box (this is an important hint *wink*) and get the clue.

Despite being a 2D computer game, the graphic is beautiful. Niko looks just so adorable and lovable. The soundtrack receives compliments from others but I find it somehow disturbing to me that I feel nausea when listening to it for too long (so I took off my earpieces sometimes). The whole concept of this game is new to me but I am not sure whether you will be impressed (hopefully it does!). The developer of this game should really get the credits!

Archery - Aim for the Best

The moment when the arrow leaves the string, brushes pass the bow and cuts through the air before landing on the target board with a thud. The feeling is seriously amazing (but it won't complete without the thud, if you know what I mean, hehe). I was lucky enough last semester to grab one of the limited places in the archery class on Saturday morning (to fulfil one of the requirement to graduate, we have to take two credit hours of co-curriculum activities, so why not we choose something interesting)! Archery is not as common as bowling, so the chance to lay a finger on a real bow is quite precious to me *evil smile*. The class consisted of only thirty students (out of thousands of students in the university) instructed by Mr. Ashraf, a cool facilitator from Sports Science (having a cool facilitator means less stress, more fun, hahaha, I am truly grateful).

Kikyo. (image taken from wiki Inuyasha)

Due to the influence by anime (my favourite Kikyo from Inuyasha), I fell in love with archery like looooooog time ago, just that I didn't have the chance to do so. We were always reminded by Mr. Ashraf that that weapon can kill, and we did believe in that (as proven in the anime, too, haha). For safety purpose there are a few safety gears we have to put on during the shooting section: chest guard, arm guard and finger tab. You can choose not to wear those things though, just be ready to suffer some pain which can bring bruises and swollen skin, as a result of fast-vibrating string after releasing it. A pair of enclosed shoes is a must so that you won't accidentally spear your feet by arrows embedded under the grass, accidentally. Last but not least don't walk over to the target board when someone else is shooting! That's the most dangerous thing to do (and the silliest one). Of course don't crowd around someone who is shooting, too. There are some other precautions too such as don't use an arrow without the bullet (the head, fast moving air travelling into the hollow arrow will cause explosion) and don't pull the string when there is no arrow on the bow (the vibration of the string might hurt you as there is nothing that ease the vibrating force, and that sound might freak people out as people might think that you are trying to shoot when it is not shooting section).

It looks cool in ready position holding bow and arrow, right?

The quite accurate posture while drawing the arrow (that's Mr. Ashraf standing behind). 

After learning about all the equipments, knowing how to install a bow from pieces (the putting on the string part is so hard that I still fail to do so now, not enough strength maybe?) and practising using a tyre strip (to get used to the stretching while drawing the arrow) for a few classes, we finally got to start shooting. The equipments we used were the basic one like what you see on the photo above. The bow we were using was a wooden recurve bow (if not mistaken? according to some information on internet) and arrows with fallen fletchers (the 'feathers' at the end of the arrow) due to low maintenance. The fletchers are very important to make sure your arrow travel in straight line without much diversion. If you shoot using an arrow without fletcher, your arrow might end up at other's target board. It technically changes direction with a jerk. We started off at a distance of less than ten meters (i think?) which is super lame seriously. But even with distance that near sometimes we failed to simply hit the target board (stupid arrow without fletcher!). I could successfully pull the string for the first few shots but after that it started to get unstable as my energy drained.

Cheng Chu Sian, our national archery player demonstrating a super consistent shooting skill during one of our classes when he coincidently practising on the field. It is surprising how a person can get all the arrows on the same spot on the target board.

The equipment he used. Looks awesome!!!

Ready! An archery tournament in our university. Archers stood side by side quite close with one another.

Target boards lined up at the stadium. I wonder whether the archers will accidentally shoot the arrow on others' board.

Besides weekly practices, we were compulsory to take part in the Co-curriculum Mega Carnival where all other co-curriculum sports classes (tennis, basketball, badminton etc.) worked together to organise this event. We were free to choose what form of activities we wanted to carry out during the carnival, so we decided to so something like an archery class open to limited number of university students (we called it 'clinic'). It was not something difficult to do as we just taught the participants about things we learnt before, but it rained that morning! The wooden bow should not be exposed to water to avoid damage. So we had to halt the activities and just stayed around, looking at the rain mundanely and observing some primary school kids having football match in the rain.

Target boards under the overcast sky on the hill. That's where the clinic was held.

The crew in red (my classmates, hahaha) searching for missed arrows among the grass. The efforts gone into the drain after rain as some of the arrows got underground deeply due to the wet and soft soil. 

Posing around after the activity. Ah I should look cooler than this, hahaha...

Kai Tian, a super cool girl especially when she is riding a motorbike, hehe...

I should have written this post long time ago before the semester ended but it is still good to stir up some memories in this time, right? Hahaha. I am glad to know some awesome friends in the class and also our facilitator. Thank you everyone for the great experience I had for the last semester. Thank you Mr. Ashraf, hope that we might meet in the future. =)

Bonus photo! Mr. Ashraf showing off his skill! =P

Photoblog - Trip to Cameron Highlands with Family

It is the third week of my semester break (already??) and I just came back from a Cameron Highlands trip with my family last evening. Vacation is a really good rest for people like me because I survived without using the laptop for more than twenty four hours (hahaha such an achievement)! I would rate this trip as a nice one (despite the fact that I caught a cold as soon as I reached the destination) because it has been such a long time since I last went for a vacation and I decided to post a photoblog of Cameron Highlands.

Me with my bro's new pet, hahaha...

First stop: Restoran Foh San, Ipoh 

(When I was a child I went to Ipoh about twice per year to visit my grandparents in Gopeng. The journey there was always awful because I would get dizzy and vomit and very tired of doing nothing on the car. Now I realised that the journey to Ipoh on highway is just merely one hour plus plus. Why would I make it looking like a big deal ten years ago?)

Destination: Cameron Highlands

(The weather was colder than I expected. Too bad I am not really in a good shape that the first cold breeze caught me as soon as I left the car. So I was accompanied by a cold along the whole two-day trip. This photoblog should have been more creative and interesting and rich in information but I just couldn't do it in my current condition)

FLOWERS, one of the attractions on Cameron Highlands where flowers are displayed and sold to tourists (and they can hardly live or flower in much warmer climate  down here).

LEAFY PLANTS & CACTI, which are the safest plants to buy (with the greatest chance to survive, hahaha). Without the flowers they really thrive well out of Cameron Highlands except some species of colourful cacti which technically rot after some time. Cactus is really cheap there and those tiny ones are really cute! I fell in love with some of them and we ended up bringing home a dozen of them. We are really determined in bringing them up. Hope they enjoy their stay here, hehe (and live a little more longer).

VEGETABLES, everywhere. You can see white tents set up all over a large area of slopes or vegetables farms scattered all over Cameron Highlands (some claims to be hydroponic but I still saw that they use soils, did I misinterpret the meaning of hydroponic?)

STRAWBERRIES & GRAPES, children simply love these pink colour fruits. They are quite tasteless and expensive to me but they are really popular on Cameron Highlands that you can see many strawberry farms there. So far I have not tried to self-pick the fruits due to the price. For grapes, I only saw a little of them, others seemed wilted. Maybe it was not the season for grapes, yet?

(this was really expensive that I can't help to caption it!!!)

PITCHER PLANTS & FERN-LIKE PLANTS which cannot be found in warmer parts of Malaysia (I think this was the first time I noticed these tree-like ferns). Don't buy any pitcher plants there, they never survive the weather here.

TEA PLANTATION, which we often see on tv during the tea commercials. I love milk tea very much (no matter it's the English style, or teh tarik, or the one with gula Melaka, just not the taiwan style) but I was quite disappointed with my experience of having tea on two tea plantations there. The tea was tasteless and one of the plantations did not seem to be maintained well.

BEES. We did not visit the bee farms this time, just looked around in one of the small bee museums. The buzzing sound was really threatening to me, haha. It never fails to send shudder down my spine. However, bees do play an important role in pollination which contributes to our agriculture.

MOTHS, the unexpected visitors! I did not expect to see so many different species of moths in our apartment in this cold climate! ID please!

I was kinda excited at the beginning of the trip and took quite a lot of photos but the running nose was wearing me out and I kinda gave up at the end to just enjoy the trip. We didn't visit any farms which require entrance fees (they are not expensive though, an average of RM5 for adults) but still manage to enjoy this trip. I hope that next time when I visit Cameron Highlands again I have a stronger body that I can brave through the cold (freezing tap water!!!). The butterfly farm got my attention, hahaha... Well, although this trip was not a very pleasant one *sneeze*, at least I got some rest and now it's time to work!

A little extras:

Balcony of the apartment.

Good morning, Cameron! 

You can see hungry koi fish at most of the man made pond at tourism sites. Poor fishy...

A super big tree which looked like a huge marimo, hahahahahaha...