Photo October Day 31: Stop

In the spirit of Halloween, I decided to take a ghostly photo. Inadvertently, I ended up spooking myself in the process...

Warning: creepy photo ahead! (if you choose to stare too long at it; or else it might actually look like nothing :P )






Ready?






Did you see the ghostly apparition telling you to STOP?

I didn't quite understand why the photo turned out this way...at first I was wondering why I wasn't in there! (yep, I'm the ghostly apparition) After I noticed the ghostly figure I switched on the light to take a good look at the photo, the light refused to switch on for a few seconds. -_- Good thing I'm a believer in logical explanations.

After thinking it out a bit, I figured out that I had probably moved before the photo was completely shot. So I tried taking it again, staying in position for a longer time, and this time it worked like I wanted.







It's not quite dark enough for my liking... Still, it's a STOP! photo all right... ;P

This is one of the things I like about the photo challenge...it makes me think of strange things to do, that I wouldn't ever have done otherwise. (or maybe I'm just a little kid :P ) So, we'll start the new challenge tomorrow!

Too little, too late

This is for last week's Photo Friday...little.


There's only a little Horlicks left in the jar...

(I had a hard time thinking of what to take a photo of, which is why this post is late!)

Unveiling Photo November!

October is ending, so the next photo challenge is out!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to snap a photo every day according to these themes.

*Please hum Mission Impossible theme here*


This message will self-destruct in 5...4...3...2...1... Um, actually, never. :P

Themes selected by Jamie, Ezy and myself...and jumbled up randomly with an Excel clone (SoftMaker, since my computer only has the Starter version of Microsoft Office 2010 which takes ages to start up...you'd think that starter versions would be good at starting up, but nope -_- )

A trip to Penang Hill

Finally. Haha...

Last Sunday my father was in Penang, so we went up Penang Hill (neither my brother nor I had ever gone up the hill before). Even though we have been coming to Penang every year since forever, it was always during school holidays and we didn't want to join the crowd of tourists...

the train we took up (this is at the top)

a furry plant...who knows its name?

the old train (I think)

There are first and second class seats...I don't know what's the difference though...

There are some tourists who are gonna think that "ABC ice kacang" means "fresh fruit juice"... :P

But you know, I think this is good advertising. Know what your different customers want! lol

a blue and yellow macau

This was in the bird park...but we didn't want to pay to go in :P So I snapped this photo from the entrance, using full use of the zoom feature on my camera. It would have been really simple to take this photo, except that people kept walking past...and blocking my view. -_- And several even stood there to wait for people... Argh...can't they stand somewhere else?! -_-

Segway rides

I'm not quite sure, but I think it was RM10 for 10 minutes... The guy with the helmet is a customer and the girl in the red shirt is a pro (well, I mean she was working there...that's probably why she doesn't need a helmet, she won't fall off! :P )

twin flowers...does anyone know what they are?

I don't really know what this is (I think the name was somewhere but I can't remember it :P )

the mosque

and the garden beside it

the Indian temple

I tried to take photos of the view from the top of the hill, but the photos all came out blurred. Probably because of the mist/haze...

On the way down, we went to the front of the train. Photo time! (I snapped 20 photos here :P )

I'm not sure what this was doing beside the track. Maintenance train?

where the track splits into two

Here comes the other train...

Keep left...

and this is where the track dips...there were gasps all around me at about this time. Aaahhh...we're going to fall into emptiness!!! Like a roller-coaster track, huh... :P

After coming down from the hill we drove around a bit...and found a couple of interesting things.

Even a phone booth needs a number plate for identification purposes :P

I have a shop!

Do you think I could get a discount if I go there? :P

Photo October Day 30: Wires

Lots of wires!


And in different colours too...

Photo October Day 29: Life

This is life...a dog's life. Haha...


The dog was dozing and I wanted to take a photo...then it suddenly lifted its head and looked straight at me. Unfortunately by the time I got out my handphone and was ready to take a picture, it had flopped back to sleep...

Photo October Day 28: Art

Yesterday Jamie shared a link to an eel-creating website. I tried it but wasn't that pleased with my creations...I guess I'm just not artsy enough. :|

Behold, though, the works of art by the others:

The fisherman

I have gotten to know a fisherman. Not the type that fishes for fish, though. He fishes instead for information. An intellectual fisherman, if you like. (that sounds so weird... lol )

He collects scraps and fashions them into bait. With this bait he casts his line...and waits to see whether he gets a bite.

If he gets a bite he can deduce that his bait was effective. But if he doesn't get a bite...does he know whether his bait was not effective, or whether the fish just aren't hungry?

The unfortunate thing is that he sometimes draws the wrong conclusion. (like this)

You see, sometimes when his assumptions aren't refuted (though they're not verified either), he takes them to be true...though I think he has realised by now that he can't conclude that way! :P

But he has made at least one spot-on assumption that I remember... (and which was probably his first assumption too!) and sometimes he doesn't fall too far off the mark. So I guess he can still "cari makan" (catch his food, so to speak)...hahaha

(If you haven't got it by now, the "scraps" are pieces of information, the "bait" is the assumption (or more like guesses) he makes, his "line" is the conversation that he uses to "fish" for more information, and the "bites" (or none) that he gets are the replies to what he says. How's that for analogy? :P )

First a philosopher, now a fisherman...what next?

Photo October Day 27: Imagination

While racking my brains for a photo idea, I thought of the finger shadows we played with when we were small. This isn't exactly a shadow (because I'm rather bad at that :P ), but if you use your imagination you will be able to see a snake rearing up at you!

Ready? Scroll down...












Haha...like it?

(This photo is rather blurred, so I took a second one with macro setting. Though that one came out clear, I found the first one nicer...because somehow, when things are clear you don't have to use your imagination any more ;) )

Photo October Day 26: Exaggerate

This theme isn't easy... but I was lucky enough to notice this a few days ago near the admin office of my apartment.


What does it say? "A lakeside home in the country..."

And "Lake Side Resort" at the bottom. Resort? What resort? -_-

In reality, the lake is this:

One end of the lake...the other end might be slightly bigger, but not that much, really.

And you haven't even seen the entrance of my apartment block...resort your head! lol

That sign board is really exaggerating!

Photo October Day 25: My wallet

My wallet...a little dirty, because of all the dirty money - oops, I meant soiled coins - I received... hahaha

Next time I won't get a beige wallet, I'll get a darker one so that the dirt doesn't show! (or maybe I won't...I like lighter colours and I'm hard to cure :P )

Of avoiding English

Today at work, a vendor called. He had principally been communicating with my senior before this, and I think I have only spoken to him once when my senior wasn't around. The conversation went something like this (irrelevant parts omitted):

Vendor: (speaks Mandarin) Can you speak Mandarin?
Me: (in Mandarin) No [I remember laughing then, because it is rather funny saying you cannot speak a language in the language you are saying you cannot speak :P ]
V: So you can only speak English and...German, no, French? [I guess my senior told him...he likes to "report" to everyone that I can speak French -_- Like it's any use... ]
M: Er...yes.
V: Not even Hokkien?
M: Hokkien, yes...
V: Then let's speak Hokkien, more friendly
M: Okay...
V: ... (sounds like he's having difficulty finding words)
M: English also can
V: (speaks in English)

Hi hi ha ha ho ho..... I guess Hokkien isn't really good for a formal setting.

And...how is Hokkien more friendly?? I guess it's more friendly when the other party doesn't like speaking English...

Photo October Day 24: A letter

No one wanted to write me a letter...so I guess this will have to do! lol

The letter K...for kiwi!

Gervais is a yoghurt brand in France...I don't think I got this myself though, I think a friend gave it to me when she moved out or something.

Just be careful...

On the radio this morning they were talking about sending sms-es to the wrong person. A caller said that he had sent a message which was supposed to be for his girlfriend, to his ex-girlfriend instead.

Now I don't quite know how people send sms-es to the wrong person. I mean, you DO choose the recipient, don't you? How do you make a mistake?

The only way I can think of is by having two almost identical names in your contacts. And what are the odds of having your new girlfriend's name so close to you ex-girlfriend's?

And say that with a big coincidence, their names are almost identical. Are you so dense that you don't recheck the name each time you send an sms to one of them? Especially when you are sending a romantic message, which is what he said he was sending? (the DJ asked that, so maybe he just answered "yes" because it was easier...I don't know)

Okay I just thought of another reason why people could choose the wrong recipient for an sms...touchscreens! When your finger is big and the touchscreen pads are tiny...but then, you should still check the recipient you just chose, methinks.

Another reason not to like touchscreens, I guess :P

Photo October Day 23: A memorable gift

I've been saving this up for this theme! Because it is just so suitable...


He says it's candy...what a sweet gift ;)

(taken the day after his farewell...when he came back for something)

Photo October Day 22: Cash

Cash in an envelope...received from my company for what I advanced to buy some stuff.

Oh, sakitnya perutku...

I was driving WW home. Suddenly there was a sort of clanking sound from somewhere behind the car. I said, "What was that?" He said, "maybe that Ninja Turtles thing".

Okay, so I understood what he meant... Then he asked me, what is that called? After I had finished laughing, I told him, it's a manhole. Then he says, but a manhole is the open one, this one has a cover. His source: Kee's World. Where the comics have "Look out! Manhole!", with someone about to step into an open manhole. That sent me into another fit of laughter as I explained to him that a manhole supposed to be covered, and the cover was a manhole cover.

Goodness, what am I supposed to do with this kid?!?! He learns stuff through the most unreputable sources!

Oh, it's Friday?

Oh yeah, it's Friday...so here's my baby:

It's a baby...and it's mine! Well, kinda... :P

Sorry, I've run out of ideas for MiniStories... :s

Photo October Day 21: A box

Some time ago my thermoflask cover broke. Since I couldn't find a replacement cover, I had to buy a new thermoflask instead.


That was weeks ago... but I'm still keeping the box because it's such a good strong one and I have the feeling that it might come in useful...one day. Someday. Goodness knows when... *pack rat syndrome*

Let the music heal your soul

I wrote about getting The Feeling's albums in my previous post. These few days I have been listening to their songs...and today I added three new songs to my playlist. (all three by Coeur de Pirate; I've shared them here)

When I listen to music with Winamp, I sometimes use the shuffling feature, but sometimes I listen to the songs all through to the last one (shuffle disabled, repeat disabled) And then, if I want to hear the songs again, but not all of them, I move those I no longer want to listen to to the top of the list, and start the playback from the first song I want to hear (so Winamp will play all the following songs on the playlist).

From this morning I have had the exact same songs on my playlist...and at the end of the day this is what I was listening to (I was starting the playback from the first song you see)


So I guess I have discovered my favourites from The Feeling! :D

As of now, I want a helicopter~~ Hehe...

I got the feeling...

Or more like, I got The Feeling! :D

Their albums, I mean. Thanks to Alfred! :D

I've shared their songs many times, just refer to this recent post.

And after listening to two of their albums this past two days, I found even more gems! Here's a list of the songs in their albums, with the ones I already knew and loved in red, and the newly discovered ones in purple-pink. (I copied the song names from Wikipedia, which is why they're in such a strange format (and also why you have the durations :P ) )

Their debut album: Twelve Stops and Home

"I Want You Now" – 3:47
"Never Be Lonely" – 3:31
"Fill My Little World" – 4:07
"Kettle's On" – 4:07
"Sewn" – 5:55
"Anyone" – 4:10
"Strange" – 4:21
"Love It When You Call" – 3:35
"Rosé" – 4:16
"Same Old Stuff" – 5:10
"Helicopter" – 3:18
"Blue Piccadilly" – 9:55
"Miss You" (hidden track)

Their second album: Join With Us

"I Thought It Was Over" – 4:00
"Without You" – 4:49
"Join with Us" – 4:40
"Spare Me" – 4:27
"Turn It Up" – 3:52
"I Did It for Everyone" – 4:25
"Won't Go Away" – 3:48
"Loneliness" – 3:25
"Connor" – 3:41
"This Time" – 3:20
"Don't Make Me Sad" – 5:00
"The Greatest Show on Earth" – 8:40
"We Can Dance" (hidden track) – 3:20

Liking 10 out of 13 songs in an album? That is really, really, good...probably only beaten by 911, 'cos I liked all their songs :P Of course, after listening to them more, I'll have more preferences...the thing is, they've got a good mix of upbeat and slow melancholic songs, so the order of songs in the album makes for good listening.

Besides, the lyrics are really good as well... My new favourite is Helicopter...and the lyrics are really crazy! :P

Thank you for reading through this ravingly lunatic post. Haha...

Edit (the next day):
I've suddenly acquired a taste for Sewn and Rosé after looking through their lyrics. I had heard these two songs before getting the albums, but they paled in comparison to the other songs...

And I just put my favourites in bold in this post (for the full story, refer to this newly written post)

A romantic proposal

How romantic is that??

Sadly, it didn't lead to anything...

(Note: It's a joke. And it's from an anonymous source...no revealing please! Same principle as in the rabbit-killer post...any potentially dangerous comments will be deleted!)

Wait, there's more. J (a guy) wanted to join the girls shopping.

(click to enlarge)

So that's his trick...he wants to share changing rooms!!

Soooo busted! Hahaha... (he said that himself by the way...after we said "Aha! That's why...")

Photo October Day 20: Buttons

I wonder...are these exclusively Asian? Hmm...

The "abang angkat" syndrome

Previously

B: Your brother not here ah? (referring to J)


Today

(as I walked in)
F: J's little sister is here...

(later)
B: Your brother not here yet?
Me: Huh? This one? (referring to J)
B: No la...this one not here already...that one la. (referring to P)


Tidak pernah pun aku "mengangkat" sesiapa sebagai abangku...tetapi orang lain telah pun melakukan proses "angkat-mengangkat" ini untukku...

Or maybe I just have too many brothers, I can't keep track any more...

Photo October Day 19: Click

Click~ click~ click~

The day I received a warning from admin

This morning as I was hard at work, a message suddenly popped up on my screen.


*Gasp* How did they know that I was just looking at something else?

Seconds later a second message arrived: "Office hour don't Skype so much~!!!"

Oh, no! Don't block my Skype!! *horrified*

Then a third... "Hahaha~!!!"

Okay, it was my friend fooling with me...talk about playing at work! >:D

(unfortunately I didn't take screenshots of all the messages...I initially wanted to, but then I thought it would be a bother...and now I wish I had :P )

Photo October Day 18: Name

The name of the hotel where I went to a seminar yesterday!


The car park attendant told me that I should get my parking ticket stamped inside. So when I got to the registration table, I asked them for the stamp. They pointed me to a table in the middle of the floor (there were two or three meeting/conference rooms on the same floor) where there was a stamp and inking pad, for a 5-ringgit flat rate.

I was thinking, if they charge RM5 for a whole day, how much do they charge per hour?? But later the seminar people gave us parking coupons for free parking. ^_^

So then I thought...if I ever have to park somewhere around here for the whole day, I could come upstairs and get the stamp myself...right? :P

Photo October Day 17: Call

Who do you call? (Ghostbusters! lol)

Well, not in this case.


Nope, I don't make a lot of calls. :P Face-to-face is better!

The journey: Year 5

November 2007: Grenoble


Grenoble is really close to Lyon...but somehow it took me more than two years before I finally went there for a visit! There's a cable car going up to the fortress (at least I think it was a fortress...it's called Bastille)

December 2007: Prague (Czech Republic)

I managed to plan a trip to Prague with a senior, a batchmate and some juniors.


I loved Prague. Maybe because we went there during Christmas. (but it was really cold there!) I still can't get the lovely pastry put of my head... :s

February 2008: Metz


The town for mechanical engineering. :P For years, there were no girls from our scholarship programme there...

February 2008: Luxembourg


This is frankly the lousiest country/city I've ever visited. There is nothing there! lol Thankfully it was nearby...just a short train ride from Metz.

April 2008: Amsterdam (Holland)

Finally, in 2008, I managed to go to Amsterdam with Hidayah. We had wanted to go there since 2005, when some of our batchmates went (and we didn't, for our own reasons). We absolutely wanted to see the tulips, so we had to go in April, and for two years, our time just didn't suit each other...

windmills in Zaanse Schans

Recap:
Nov 2007: Grenoble
Dec 2007: Prague
Feb 2008: Metz
Feb 2008: Luxembourg
April 2008: Amsterdam

Banana mania 2

Which is, by the way, totally unrelated to the first instalment.

I've wanted to write this for a long time (years, actually, when I look back at my drafts). But it was quite hard to fit all the different arguments into one continuous post. But recent events made me think that I really shouldn't put it off any longer...

So this post will be divided into three parts. Because there are different ways the "banana" word is used...

Part 1: The insult

For those not in the know, "banana" is (or used to be; see part two) a derogatory term used to refer to Chinese Malaysians who do not speak or read/write Chinese. By the way, the term "Chinese" here is vague...some take it to mean "not a single Chinese dialect", and some to mean exclusively Mandarin.

(There is a similar derogatory term for Indian Malaysians in the same situation: coconuts. And what I say here applies the same way to them!)

From what I have heard all these years (well, the term has been around since before my childhood, so what do you expect?), the term "banana" was originally used for those who refused to use their mother tongue, instead favouring English. I expect that was when the British were here, and some people detested those who tried to, in their eyes, "suck up" to the British. (or maybe they were just jealous that they couldn't. Sour grapes, anyone?) But maybe there were other reasons...I wouldn't know.

Nowadays the meaning has changed...taking on the one explained above.

But I still don't understand why people feel the need to insult those who do not speak Chinese. So these people (the insulters) can speak (and write) Chinese. Does that make them any better than people who can't? Most of these people can only speak it because of an "accident" in their upbringing. (they used the language at home, or they were sent to a Chinese-medium school) So if someone wasn't "lucky" enough to get to learn it, should you make fun of them?

Though that doesn't mean that people who made the extra effort to learn the language should lord it over others. Good for you if you took the initiative, but leave it to others to decide what they want to do. After all, who are you to decide what language others should know?

Part 2: The self-confessed bananas

This one makes me want to tear my hair out. (Luckily I manage to stop myself, otherwise I wouldn't have much hair left) I can't count the times I have wanted to scream: What's this with self-confessed bananas?

Lately a lot of people are referring to themselves as bananas. I've had lots of friends who have done that...and once when a friend mentioned on Facebook that she was a banana (I've forgotten her exact words), I replied to her, "Just because you don't speak a language, you shouldn't call yourself a fruit! You are still a human being!"

And she replied to me, "But do you know what they call those who don't speak Chinese..." (something along those lines), thinking that I did not know the term. -_-

Yes, I know what they call them! But that doesn't mean that you should embrace an insult that people use on you! Laugh it off by all means, but do not use it on yourself, do not apologise for something that mundane, that wasn't even your fault and that does not hurt anyone in any way!

But then, the worst was still what I encountered in Penang...where the term "banana" actually seems to encompass all those who were not Chinese-educated (even if they are able to speak Mandarin really well). And these same people call themselves bananas without any prompting. -_-

For goodness' sake, have some self-respect!!!

Part 3: The draft

I drafted this some time back, but preferred not to post it until I was sure that it wouldn't lead to some sort of volcanic eruption. I believe that I have mentioned my senior several times on this blog, but never about this. So here's the story of Sifu Jon and his banana mania. Unfortunately, over the months after I wrote the draft, I have realised that the banana mania extends further, much further than to just my senior.

As you can probably see after reading so far into this post, I am strongly against the usage of bananas (or coconuts) to refer to people who do not speak or read/write in a certain language. And the very first day at work, barely an hour into meeting him, Sifu Jon called me a banana. -_-

I could have told him off...but somehow that isn't the way to treat someone you've just met. So I didn't. Also, he was calling us bananas, including himself. (referring to those who were not Chinese-educated) So I could tell that he didn't mean it as an insult...

And another day, he again used the term banana, referring to another girl to say that she wasn't Chinese-ed. But at that time she was actually reading some Chinese words for us... *bangs head on wall*

Then, in the months that followed...the word "banana" cropped up very often. (with everyone, not just my senior) But unfortunately, very seldom does it refer to a fruit...

I will leave my hair alone. I will leave my hair alone. I will leave my hair alone... *bangs head on wall instead*

Photo October Day 16: Hate

I hate you! I hate you!

Take that!

Ow! Ow! Let me go!



Don't worry...they're actually good friends. That was just a little play-acting! :P


Really...hate? What do you expect me to take a photo of? Let's not hate...it just turns back on you anyway. You spoil your own life more than the life of the person you're hating!

(unless if it's a cockroach)