May 17th, 2012
After the Johnny Walker event last year I would never have thought that I would have the opportunity to attend another this year. Albeit sudden and without the company of madmen this time around. Held at MAEPS which is ironically located inside the grounds of UPM it was smaller in size in terms of attendees and venue. Though the air conditioner was working rather well it was made even more exclusive as invitations was rediculously hard to come by.
Being a mostly beer person, I took up the opportunity to attend as my sister had an extra invite at the very last moment to try some new concoctions created for the event. It was fairly interesting to say the least. There was a bartender who created a coconut with Jony Walker mixed with dry ice. It was quite a show I might quite add as the bubbling mixture looked as if we were going to drink some sort of magical potion. On a side note: Anything with alchohol is a magical potion. I prefer the my drink on the rocks pure just the way it was meant to be. Thank you very much.
The FREAKING AWESOME AMAZING chocolates were back. I can’t put it into words how this balls of chocolatey goodness can ever be made. I would love to know where they get it from. I could write a poetry and compose a song on how good it was but it won’t be today unfortunately.
Met a few of my sister’s friends and although I was getting really bored I bummped into my old friend Tony Eusoff. It’s been years since we had worked together and he still remembers me and my sis. Amazing how time flies. Tony will be performing in a new stage production in Singapore in July called _____.
Well, coming back to the event. The music was okay. The atmosphere was good. The gold label drank when I was invited into the VIP area was VERY NICE! The crowd was in a lack of a better word very nicely dressed and was pleasing to the eyes. *hint hint*
Overall, it was very well organised and totally exclusive as per stated. I just hoped that I would at least gotten a few invites to bring my buddies in though. We would have brought the house down. Well, maybe. Its nice to try new ways of drinking Johnny Walker but all in all as I had said I still prefer mine neat on the rocks as that how I prefer to keep walking.
P/s: Yes. I’m bloody hell back into blogging. For permanent this time I bloody hope.
After the Johnny Walker event last year I would never have thought that I would have the opportunity to attend another this year. Albeit sudden and without the company of madmen this time around. Held at MAEPS which is ironically located inside the grounds of UPM it was smaller in size in terms of attendees and venue. Though the air conditioner was working rather well it was made even more exclusive as invitations was rediculously hard to come by.
![IMG_0497[1]](http://clowonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IMG_04971.JPG "IMG_0497[1]")
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January 4th, 2011
Its now the start of 2011 and I know I have not been blogging lately. Its sad to see my writing L33T writing skillz degrade from minuscule to nothingless. See! Even nothingless is not even a real word. I should really not write anything while having a headache otherwise I’ll create even more Bushisms than even George.W.Bush himself. But enough of this shenanigans, lets take a look at my 2010 shall we? If you prefer you can always go here instead.
2010 was a really REALLY weird year for me. It was a years of change, joy and also sadness. All mixed up in a giant blender top off with some disappointment.
1. FINAL YEAR PROJECT
Pretty hard to miss this one here. Its my Final year pursuing my degree in electronics engineering in Multimedia University. It was tiring, kinda fun, painfully sad and satisfying when this was all over. It was a solo project. Not a very smart thing to do mind you. It didn’t really work out in the end and although I wanted to do this in a team I was unfortunately to receive the short end of the straw…again. As usual, I could sum up my entire university life in just two words really. Lonely and disappointment. Yes I did meet some really great people and had some wonderfully crazy times but the times I had IN class with people just didn’t really work out.
The yellow block of cheese robot didn’t move in the end after building it up due to very bad board fabrication. Would have done a better job if I had a partner to do it with. Anyways, whats done is done. No use crying over spilled milk.
2. USA SUSI TRIP
The land of liberty and freedom. I had one heck of a shocker when I found out that I was selected as one of the 7 Malaysians to participate in the year’s summer Study of the US Institute program. I had loads of fun there. Meeting the people. Seeing the sights and listening to the sounds of a country I have admire from behind a TV screen all my life. The Americans and their lifestyle may not be perfect or great but no ever country ever is. They might have their problems but their ideals ingrained in every citizen is really something to admire about.
Its hard to describe something as an experience into words. Only that it was EPIC. Although, there was a certain incident that made the rest of the SUSI participants hate me. I blame it on the huge age differences and on how I view things differently. I will return to the US of A that I guarantee but without the extra baggage.
3. END OF STUDIES
About two months after the SUSI program ended, I finally completed my extra semester for an additional subject and also partly due to the US trip. I was actually pretty weird going to class without seeing most of the people I knew throughout the years. Almost all of them had graduated by the time I came back since the convocation was held during my entire flight duration back to Malaysia. Finishing up my degree should feel satisfying but again…I’m not really feeling it that much. Maybe because I have a freaking study loan the cost of a brand sparkling new Toyota Vios with automatic transmission to boot literally up my ass. That was really a punch to the balls especially since they decided to start the payment counter in May and NOT in October when Ive actually finished my course.
4.WORK WORK….CARRY ON NOW…
A couple of weeks after my final FINAL paper I started working with an engineering firm nearby as a project engineer. They were supposed to be dealing in building control systems as part of a green building kinda program. I though ‘Hey, this should be interesting as by joining the project team I will be learning so much and benefiting from it too. HAHAHAHAHA.’ I was wrong…I became a site supervisor instead. After over a month of not delivering what they hired me for I quit and a week later with recommendation from my sister, I’m now at my new job doing sales and marketing in an events company that specializes in trade shows. I do not know whether I feel lucky or not because I really hate conducting sales. But I’m now trying to stay positive….really…really hard. Hehehe. ;;>__> On the plus side, I’m now at least involved in the events field. Although, it is not what I expected it to be. This company may be small, old school and very obsolete but at least I’m being given opportunities to learn and grow.
It has been a tiring but not entirely not great year for me. I just hope and wish that this year in 2011, would be a better life changing year ahead. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY AND GOD BLESS!!!!!!
November 7th, 2010
Life is like a book with many different chapters and one of those chapters just ended for me. After 5 years of being in a university to complete my degree, I’m done. Done with all the studying and lectures and assignments and most importantly exams. But with all that said and done it is never over to stop learning. Although it might seem fun and less stressful at times, the working life has its ups and downs. Its just shifting one worry for another.
To me, my life as a university students was a dump. I didn’t socialized with my classmates much, was a mess emotionally, met assholes who I thought could be considered as friends who ultimately backstab me and honestly, it was quite a bitch really. Although as a consolation, I did meet a few good people and also my certain someone at the end of the day.
Studying in Multimedia University or any local university for short is just the same as one is studying back in secondary school. Pathetically dull, boring and having the ability to kill off any sort of creative thinking that one might have. I’m not saying that all my lecturers suck. Most of them were pretty good and helpful mind you but the method that most of they themselves employed is just an extension on how ineffective the Malaysian education environment is. I started out studying engineering to do something that is beneficial to society, but now I’m seriously regretting it as the job scopes here in the country is so limited its sad. Sad to the point that no matter where I look its all the same.
After being in a classroom and seeing how the classes were handled while on the US summer program, I can clearly see how sad the state of our education system is. I have never felt more alive being in the classroom in the US than I’ve ever been the whole of my student life. I would love to try applying for their masters program but seeing how I can’t afford that I’m just hoping that I might get one of their assistantship programs in the future. Although, the chances for that is as slim as bulimic warthog.
So as I sit here at my work site typing this out of sheer boredom, I’m also trying to look for another more meaningful and productive occupation. By the way, I got trolled into joining this sad state of a company and I can’t believe I got suckered into this. I hope the next job would be better.
August 1st, 2010
As I’m sitting here in the hotel lobby at the Marriot Washington DC trying to savor what is left of my time here in the United Stated, it means that the SUSI program is coming to an end. So far, I’ve seen small towns to big buildings in the cities. I’ve experience a taste of what some may call as the the American dream and I have tasted the food. It has been an amazing experience to say the least but other than the material things, I believe that the most important (which will also make me sad the most) is the people. I’m so gonna miss everyone.
What makes this experience here in the United States so special is the locals and I believe that in traveling it is the local people that will make the trip a more fulfilling one. Those that I have met should it be either our graduate mentors, our lecturers, our host family or even the local towns people, they have really gave me the opportunity to learn so much about them.
After all that is said and done, I have only one conclusion and it is that the American people are one of the nicest, most honest and strong people I have ever met.
Thank you Dr.Foster, Dr.Jackson, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Jackson, Drew, Cary, Onur, Joel, Jennifer, Dr.Brown, Emily, Selin, the Wagners and to all those who had work so ahrd to made our experience an unforgettable one.
To the people of the United States, I say this to you for I shall return…one day.
July 31st, 2010
This may be a late update on my part. Been really busy with the program so it is pretty difficult to find time to sit down, edit pictures and write my post. In anycase, on the second weekend in the US, as a part of the program we were then be staying for a night with a local family in Chester, Illinois as part of a homestay activity.
I had the proud pleasure to be staying with the Wagners with Billy from the Phillippines as two participants will be staying with each family. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect before I met them. What would they think of me? Would I mess things up? Would I embarrass myself?
In the end of the day, the answer was no. The Wagners they were great!!!
The Wagners are decended from German immigrants during the 1800s and had settled on the very same land for way over 150 years. Spending most of their life in Chester, our host father Ronnie or Ron Wagner works as a trucker for a local food manufacturing company and travels the entire continental United States distributing food items while Cindy Wagner our host mother works at the courthouse in Chester together with Barb Brown our host for some parts of the program.
The Wagners are what they would call a typical working class American family living in a small town in the heart of the United States. Living with them gave an interesting insight on how a family in live and operate together here.
Individualism is ingrained in the American culture and can be seen as family members usually live far from each other due to work or other reasons. But as a family, they are very close and tight knit. They would always sit together for meal or had intellectual discussions about current events.
Ron Wagner had prepared a few catfish for dinner for us by catching it from his fish pond he had dug a few years ago. It was a wonderful meal eating with them. It was simple but very healthy. In fact, I have now changed my opinion on the American diet. There would always be vegetable at every meal.
It is interesting to also notice on how informed that most Americans are on current issues and world events. They are very opinionated and also very vocal to the happenings around them even though as normal citizens they are mostly powerless to governmental decision making. Apparently, most Americans have no idea on how ex-President Bush could have won another term in office but then…meh…so did everyone else around the world.
Overall, although we did not do anything overly exciting or dramatic, it was relaxing and by talking and interacting with them we both shared our views and got to know each others culture a little better. It was really an unforgetable experience that I would never forget and I would continue to keep in contact with them for as best as I can.
Thank you Wagners.
P/s: That dear head you see in the first picture is REAL. It was shot on a hunting trip earlier this spring. Trying to sleep while having it look at you is not very does not make it any better mind you. XP
