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.

Cue the bartender with the spooky glowing eyes.

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. I wonder who/what supplied it. Have to find out one day.

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.

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 a VERY NICE touch I have to say. The attending crowd was in a lack of a better word very nicely dressed and was very pleasing to the eyes. *hint hint* Should have worn my suit though. It felt as if I was working during the event or something.

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.

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!!!!!!

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.

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.

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

It was somewhat agonizing physically to me that is on the journey but it wasn’t as bad as Joann who had her entire luggage lost by the airline company. She had to go through almost a week without new clean clothes. Its something nobody has to go through at all.

Being in the United States didn’t really hit until we landed in St.Louis. The situation in San Francisco felt more like being in Singapore than anything else as there were so many Asians around. Felt a bit like home really.

Once arrived at St.Louis Airport we were picked up by our graduate mentors Onur and Jeniffer who drove us 2 hours south of St.Louis to the small city of Carbondale. After checking into our dorms at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale we heard that the Indonesian group were going to be late as some of them were detained in customs and missed their flight. Racial profiling perhaps? Maybe. Gonna talk about this in a later post.

All the Indonesian group finally arrived at about 2am local time though. The first night was cold and I mean freezing cold. It rained a little that night but I think the major problem was with the very cold air conditioning. Shivered like crazy and had to use an extra towel as a blanket. Found out too late in the morning that there was an “off” switch on the said air conditioner though. Dammit.

From left: Fareeza, Farah, Joann, Faizal, Sabina, Ridwan and me.

It has been quite a tiring journey and I’m still having a bit of a jet lag right now. The people here have been great and very friendly. A big difference from the usual antics we have back home. Gonna stop for now.

Next update: Classes and such.

Arriving at Changi we checked in at a transit hotel but because we checked in our bags earlier we cannot collect them unless we leave the transit area pass immigration. The problem was if we went out to collect our bags we cannot go back in as our boarding passes was only allowed to be collected before the flight itself. Due to that really incredible rule I’m now left with the same T-shirt I’ve been wearing the entire day without a change of clothes or even my long sleeve shirt for the long duration flight.

Seriously, WTF???!!!! and FML!. On the bright side, the airport offers free Wifi and the inside of the duty free area looks like a mini shopping mall. Damn the liquor and cigarettes are cheap. So gonna get a few bottles on the way home after this.

Looks like football fever does not stop even the busiest of travelers. There’s a few spots in the airport organised by the airport authorities itself that gives guest an opportunity to watch the World Cup live. A great idea if I do say so myself if  you’re on the go. Thats actually quite considerate of them.

Looking how I do not have anything/anyone to hug to keep the cold away I hope they would give me a blanket soon. Gonna try to stay awake tonight so I can sleep on the plane. Plane departs at 7am and its gonna be a 20 hour flight to St.Louis’s airport. I predict my butt is gonna die and my entertainment supply will only last me for so long. I think I’m gonna dread this journey…I really think so….

Next stop…Narita Airport.

1. A full formal suit.
2. Playstation 3. <—–I foresee this coming sooner then I expect.
3. A wardrobe upgrade. <—-I so need to get better clothes.
4. A new handphone!!! Preferably an Iphone but not likely.
5. A HD pc monitor with a new 1T hard disk.
6. My internets….

Why 6 you might add? Its because I can.

I’m now having my so called holidays after months of controlled chaos. Its starting more like becoming a driver ferrying people around and doing random task here and there. I need to get some 12 hours sleep and lie down marathoning anime the entire day to call it a holiday. Hopefully its gonna be more relax in the coming weeks. Still have to deal with quite a few backlogged work. Urgh…

In other news, looks like I’ll be heading off to Illinois in a months time. Well, its Southern Illinois University Carbondale to be exact for the Study of the US Institute program in New Media I got selected for not long ago. Looks like I’m gonna be going right smack to the center of the North American Continent. This is gonna be one very interesting 5 weeks of my life and I’m gonna mention it again by saying that I’ll be sharing with you my few readers on what I will be learning about, seeing and experiencing on my blog and also on Twitter(hopefully) as log as i have an internet connection that is.

Speaking of internet connections, I’m upgrading my internet connection which has one very troublesome process of doing to a higher speed so no internet at home for the meantime while the upgrade is being done. This is such a bitch in having go through internet withdrawal every few hours. Urgh…but it does feels nice to post random stuff though. XD

*This is a pre-scheduled post.*

Mobile Observation and Surveillance Robot RX-1

Most of my assignments including my FYP is already done. Only need to do some final editing to my FYP thesis before I print it out into a hardcover copy but other than that its just 4 exam papers and I’m done this semester. Regardless, I had to juggle my academic life with my social life as well otherwise I’ll be missing out on so many things in life.

Went to GACC 2010 for a visit. It was going to be the last GACC due to circumstances of the times. I was there at the creation of GACC as one of the working committee so I felt it was fitting to be there as it slowly lays to rest one last time. The trip was kinda a rush for me as I had to multitask with my assignments and all during the trip. But it was a yummy trip to say the least. Didn’t took much pictures though. I miss photography. I really do. T__T

If you recall, I had posted about a run earlier this year that I would be joining. The Energizer Night Run. It was life changing for me. Ran 10km non-stop after so long with limited training and I broke my own personal best at 1:16:41.77 which is about 1 hour and 16 minutes. Surprised myself and I was feeling fine at the end of the run. No panting like mad or felt like dying. Incredible experience running around Cyberjaya at night with some of my closest friends not to mention the thousands of people. Maybe I’ll try a 21km route next time after more training that is.

Went to the Video Games Live concert, had one hell of a memorable time there, got my event booklet and VGL CD signed by the crew. It was nostalgic, surreal and fun like hell. The sound system could have been vastly improved and the organisers suck to say the least but the performers were GREAT. Only regret is that I should have bought a more expensive ticket as the music was quite soft from where I was seating.

Spoils of war. Lol.

Some might say that I’m mad for juggling so many things at the same time, that might be true. But all I can say in response is that I have no regrets whatsoever. It was a busy start to a new year but its a year of change for me in more ways than one. Oh, by the way. I got accepted to this Study of the U.S. Institute on New Media program organised by the U.S. Government. Which means I’ll be going for a shopping holiday study trip for 5 weeks in June and I’m bring Clowonline on a roadtrip with me as I explore the land of Freedom whenever chance I get.

I’ll be updating again in a couple of weeks after I’m done with my final exams. Till then. ZZZzzzz…..

Woke up at an ungodly hour of 4.30 am to be picked up by Sean at 5-ish. We overshot the Broga Hill makeshift parking lot and got lost at the Broga Village. Almost hit a couple of dogs in the process too. Finally got our directions right after referring to the Broga police station who’s police officer on duty was nice enough to kindly paused his facebook session to direct us to our destination. No, I did not add  him on FB after that morning thank you very much.

The track up the hill was dark. Very dark to be exact as there was not even a single hint of light except from our torchlight. I recommend anyone going up there to bring at least one torchlight per person cause the route is quite rocky and slippery due to loose sand. Not to mention sudden gaps in the ground or rocks randomly positioned so you might trip, fall, break a bone and die. Okay so you won’t actually die but its still a bummer if you get hurt. A good pair of shoes are very VERY recommended as well. You’ll be needing the grip on the way down.

It takes about 30 minutes to reach the first peak at the initial climb but since it was our first time it took us less than 45 minutes I think. We realized that morning that we really need to work on our workout routine. Anyways, Once you’ve reach the first peak you will be rewarded with a nice cool morning breeze and an amazing view to behold.

The additional peaks are not hard to get to once you reach peak one as they are all nearby. The further up you go the better the view is of course. Perfect for outdoor photography it is something I’m grateful I brought my camera all the way up the hill that morning.

Having a cup of coffee at the top waiting for the sun to rise is such a refreshing feeling. Initially I was wondering on what the hell was I getting myself into committing myself to such a ridiculous thing so early in the morning. But as we both sat there we realized that life is short and if we do not do this now that we might never have the chance to. I felt like an old uncle and I had no regrets.

We continue our climb up to the final peak when the crowd dwindled down and we had almost literally the whole peak to ourselves. The peaceful quiet serenity was something that made me feel humbled by nature’s beauty. I was in awe with the type of scenery that I thought I could only see in other places but my own.

The highest point is about 400meters above sea level and if one should tend to be a little bit more adventurous the track continues 3.1 kilometers inward towards Gunung Tok Wan.

The journey downhill was faster but we had to take it slow and steady as the ground is soft and steep and that’s where you good shoes come into play. The last peak is only accessible by rope as you can see above. Its especially difficult when you are carrying your camera gear in your bag, tripod sling across your chest with your DSLR hanging around your neck. I felt like a commando going for a hike.

We ended the morning by stopping at Restoran Malaysia on the way back in Kajang for some EPICALLY AWESOME SUPER DELICIOUS MOUTH WATERING satay. Open since 1971 apparently, the shop is run by chinese and the satay cook by an old chinese uncle but no pork satay is served so I guess the place is Halal. You get you standard choices of chicken, beef, mutton, duck and fish of satay with original leaf wrapped ketupat. The meat is so juicy and tender and so infused with the satay spices I was stunned for a while after my first bite. It was that good. My favorite was the mutton satay. Its a simple corner shop located along the main road near the police station it is a must try and I believe this the where the term satay kajang came from.

In the end of that day, all I could say is that it was all worth it. Although tired and bruised all over with sore muscles and aching joints victory when reaching the top is simply…priceless. Cheers.

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