McD Free Burger

It was a few many days back when we went to McD for lunch after feeling rather bored with food in Parit Buntar. When you have someone who says she doesnt eat much yet could finish both yours and her own portion, you MUST order extra.

And following our norm, we ordered 3 sets. Each will have a set of their own liking and a set of nugget for sharing,

This time it was different.

Hmmm, 3 french fries so there should be 3 meal sets rite? What's up with the 3rd burger?

Thank you McD for showing that you appreciate our patronage. I will definitely keep coming back if you keep doing this. =)

That meal was all the more satisfying for this particular reason. 

Eating Alone

 I was in Penang Island over the weekend for SUKAD - Sukan Antara Desasiswa. I was one of the players for  Lembaran which in the words of the coach, a pelapis team for Jaya which has won the tourney for 7-8 times in a row?

It's not like we were total rubbish and being the only chinese guy who was willing to play for Lembaran, it was a good experience. In Jaya's team, there were at least 4 maksum players.

Group stages were played on Saturday with semis and finals on Sunday. I opted to stay in main camp and since i was there alone, i figured i might as well treat myself to a meal.

 I went alone to Agua in straits quay, which is one of my favourite places now. I had spicy Tomato Soup and Roast Beef with York Pudding, 

Pudding did not taste like what I would expect from a pudding. One slice of the roast beef was a bit too rare , but it was good overall. Tomato soup was zesty and savouring as usual. 

Cost me RM 61 for this. I used to hate even the idea of eating alone but this experience exposed me to the realities that no one actually gives a fuck if you're eating alone. I could observe people at will or just chill out and read some articles. It wasnt as terrible as how I imagined it to be.

But those scene where you see a lonely guy eating and suddenly a beautiful girl comes along and shares a table? Never happened. DAMN YOU FAIRY TALES.

Chris has an explanation for that but i'm keeping mum. 

All in all, a good meal. Agua Straits Quay, Penang. Try it!

QPR What?

Queen's Park Rangers -owned by Tony Fernandes owner of the World's No.1 budget carrier, Airasia- sponsored by Malaysia Airlines -Malaysia's national carrier-.

DAFUQ IS THIS?????

Erykah Badu

I didnt know who Erykah Badu was or wether it was a he or a she if i just read the name. It is rather vague no? But with all things non-sensical, you can be sure that the gov will propel these no-namers to stardom with their theatrics.

Reading The Star the other day, I belatedly found out on and the eve of her concert that Erykah Badu was a grammy award winner and was due to perform in a concert Today. Hmmm, i guess the other day was yesterday?

Anyway, the hum-drum is that her concert was banned and even though she's already in KL, all she can do is oogle at our twin-towers(non-local built btw). She had tattoo's sporting arabic and hebrew words which means "Allah".

Yes, very sensitive it is........... here(only?).

The culture and Home supported their decision to ban the concert due to concern for national security. Wait...what? Concert = national security threat? I guess Al-Qaeda really got to all of us.

The said anger towards her direct insult and insensitivity to the local culture was soooo widespread that in the village next to my campus next to my state next to my country is currently burning effigies of her staking that she's the mother of satan and a prada wearing devil.

Okay wait... that would be either indonesia or thailand and they didn't really do that.

Also penalised was The Star for posting the picture of her with those exposed tattoo's. SO, my question is:

        a) If The Star didnt publish the picture, the concert would still go on?
        b) If she flew in to KL, she probably had prior approval and consent from the government to hold the concert rite?
         c) SO WHAT WERE OUR CULTURE AND HOME DOING before THEY GAVE HER APPROVAL????????????????

Funny isnt it?

TO continue, I would've expected more threats to national security with flags burning of the USA and maybe Obama due to the Quran burning incident in Afghanistan a couple of weeks back.

But there was none was it?

So why all this hubris over a singer with her own body art which she is subjected to according to her rights of being an American Citizen?

Suka sangat main kepoh, buat kerja baik-baik sebelum sampuk hal orang lain.

CoolUniPack 4mb In Your Face

So my speed dropped to real slow for the past week. After writing a complain to TM and they fixing my problem in a week, it's all back to normal now.

Good job to TM for addressing my problem so quickly. Very much appreciated.

KFC Y U SO VIOLENT?

Speechless.

That's why I'm your fan

Writing 101

After a day in library, this is what that can be read  be seen.



I will pity those who will be marking my papers. XDD

-.- my marks are fucked 

What a Sunday

It was 12 noon on a sunday and as usual I was still on my bed. Waking but not quiet cept for the urgency to pee. I got up when Sue called to say she packed breakfast for me hence I went out took the pack in and continue to lie on my bed.

Went to the washroom to brush my teeth and relieve myself. I just started up my laptop when a knock came. Still blur, I went to open the door to find kit hock standing in front.

he : David, you car kena bang!

I was taken aback. I thought he was joking. Then i saw he wasn't. I ran out and saw...

Apparently the guy reached behind to put his bottle, lost control of his car and it crashed into mine. Kit hock told me that he was asleep when he heard a loud BANG, woke up and saw my car sliding backwards.

Looking at it now, I wonder how fast the fella was going on campus to cause such severe damage to my old faithful. She was leaking too.

FML, Now to see through the insurance claim without a hitch.

This might be

It's rather disheartening to hear "Oh, this might be rather tough for you." Yes it is, but you don't have to keep saying it. Say it once, fine. Say it 3-4 times and I begin to think you think I'm dumb which I think that you're thinking that I think you think I'm dumb.

Doesn't bode well does it?

Other than that, I've have no complains bout you chap, you were helpful and willing to explain. But it's just too bad I have zero experience or even learnt on finite elements and bridge designs. Hmmm, maybe you should say that phrase that more?

All in all it was a good meeting. It was signed, sealed and confirmed that I'm in a shit hole and it's a rather deep one. The only way to get out is to climb as hard as possible and as fast as possible.

With a deadline of less than one month from now, I think I have to really step up to another gear. Or else it's designing houses for sparrow. FML

Battle scars and bruises. Owh these are just the dew drops in the morning. Hehehe. Bring down the rain!

Plan

I think i'm about to come to a crossroad. A crossroad between where I want to go and what I want to do. Do I want to stay here? Not really, I want to go overseas and work where with the exchange rate i'll earn in 2 years what people need to work here for 5.

It all works out very well in my mind, but does it really happen as how I think  hope it would? How often has life turned out the way we wanted to? Not very often for me but no matter how lousy or how detrimental the situation seems to be, it'll somehow work out fine. And thats what i'm hoping for, that somehow my plans will work out fine.

Now all i have to do is to get a concrete plan. God Speed.

Manglish

From TheStar:

p/s : PLEASE listen to the experts and stop being so arrogant or just plain stupid?

Don: English standard of undergrads still not up to par

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on par with or ahead of some of the regional countries in terms of investment in education.

However, the quality of its undergraduates’ command of English still remains an issue.

Dr Marie Aimee Tourres, a senior research fellow at the Department of Development Studies, Universiti Malaya (UM), said it was crucial for graduates to have a good command of English to ensure they would be able to compete effectively in the global job market.

Nevertheless, “in terms of education spending, Malaysia is comparable to some countries in the region based on the percentage spent over its gross domestic product (GDP) growth”, she said.

She said Malaysia was actually spending more than other countries.

In Budget 2012, RM13.6bil was allocated to the social sector, including education and training, health, welfare, housing and community development.

Dr Tourres said there was also a lot of focus given to training and re-training of graduates, which was important to continuously upgrade skilled and knowledge workers in the country.

However, the quality of undergraduates remains an issue.

“Language is definitely an issue,” she said, citing a recent publication by the World Bank, The Road to Academic Excellence, which is a study on what contributes to a world-class research university.

The study compared UM and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in a chapter titled “The National University of Singapore and the University of Malaya: Common Roots and Different Paths”.

In the report, it was stated that as NUS kept pace with the demands of a growing economy that sought to become competitive internationally, with English continuing as the language of instruction and research, UM began to focus inward as proficiency in English declined in favour of the national language.

“This generation will have to face international standards and competition in terms of job market, as part of globalisation,” said Dr Tourres.

She cited Pakistan, where she gives lectures, as an example.

“In Pakistan, although the people speak different dialects next to the Urdu language, their English is better than our graduates,” she noted.

She said it made them more marketable in the global environment.

Dr Tourres believed that even if Malaysia gave more focus to English, the national language and culture could still prosper, provided that teaching was made interesting. — Bernama

Time

I have all the time in the world yet why do i still feel so hard pressed for time? It's not that I get less time compared to anyone else but why are people able to accomplish things which I can only oogle at?

I know I'm idling most of the time but idling is better than working no? Working is better than studying is it not? Did I not enjoy going to work everyday savouring my RM1 nasi lemak whilst drinking coffee in the morning that would power me through the day?

Then how come I'm not striving to secure a better job? But I've got all the time in the world. I have plenty of time to decide where I want to be and what I want to do.

Having said that, this week is gonna wheez by so fast I'll be back in KL before I can rant about staying on campus. If time seems to be passing so quickly, can I still affirm that I have plenty of time? Or am I just ignorant like the rest?

Malaysia and growing

ARE YOU SURE THERE'S ONLY 2 IMMIGRANTS/hr ?

;)

RIP Steve Jobs

RIP Steve Jobs, though I don't use your overly priced iphone and regard it as phoney sometimes but I will always thank you for giving me your greatest invention.

The Ipod

May you rest in peace and God be with you.

The big bang theory

The star on top of the christmas tree. LOL.

Why can’t we assess our teachers?’ (The Star)

Probably the only reason the ministry does not allow High school students to evaluate teachers is that they do not trust them to be logical enough to evaluate fairly.

Which is true. Kids will definitely vote with their emotions and if reviews are as important as people make them to be, a few teacher's life would be very poor indeed.

I'm saying this because i get to evaluate my lecturers in uni. Suck it up kids, don't be in such a hurry to grow up, and don't think you can think maturely all the time.

Eight is Always Great!

Read bout Airplanes!

I just pulled the following article off one of the links in The Economist. It details a real first hand experience due  the idiocy of some members of the society. I pity this guy and i feel for him.

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Vance Gilbert.

I live in Arlington, MA.

I am a homeowner, having been here 10+ years, I have a partner, and we have two 52lb Standard Poodles.

I am a 6 foot tall, bespectacled, slightly greying, 52 year old, 230 lb African-American male with a close hair cut.

On August 14, 2011, I boarded United Airlines Flight UA #3483 from Boston to Dulles on time and was seated in an isle seat #9C on an Embraer 170. I was dressed in shorts, baseball hat, t-shirt, hiking boots, and unbuttoned Jimmy Buffett Hawaiian shirt (covered with airplanes). As the door was being closed, we were told it was a full flight, meaning 70 - 80 people. I had my backpack under the seat in front of me, and my fanny pack/wallet behind my heels.

After the doors were closed the flight attendant came down the isle checking security buckling, bag clearance etc., and asked if she could put my fanny pack above me in the overhead bin. I replied to her that I'd be fine just stuffing it next to my back-pack under seat in front of me as it contained my wallet etc and that I'd rather have it near. She seemed fine with that resolution. All that was done without consternation or belligerence, and I thought nothing of it.

Now, I am a musician by trade and an amateur aviation historian, studying mostly European transport aircraft between WW1 and WW2, and some after. I was on my way to two different music festivals. When I travel I delve into reading about this era of aviation. I had taken out and was reading a book of Polish Aircraft circa 1946 and I was also looking at views of an Italian aircraft from 1921.

I think you see where this is going...

The plane went all the way out to the take-off point, in the queue for take-off. All the while I noticed a lot of phone pinging back and forth between the flight attendants. The young woman flight attendant was also crouched next to and conversing seriously to a dead-heading pilot about 4 seats up on the other side. The plane then proceeded to turn around and head all the way back to the gate. Once at the gate, the jet bridge was positioned. The Captain announced, "We have a minor issue, and we will continue our departure once it's resolved." He left the aircraft.

After about 5 - 10 minutes, 2 Mass State Policemen, 1 or 2 TSA Agents, and the bursar for the flight come down the isle and motion me to get off of the plane. I do not remember if they called me by name. We stepped out into the breezeway where one of the State policemen asked how I was doing that day.

I replied, "Sir, I think you're going to tell me I could be doing much better..."

Policeman: "Did you have a problem with your bag earlier?"

Me: "No sir, not at all. The flight attendant wanted it secured elsewhere other than behind my feet, and I opted to put it under the seat in front of me. It's my wallet, even though there's only 30 bucks in it…And all that was done without belligerence, or words for that matter…it was all good.

A few beats...

Policeman: "Sir, were you looking at a book of airplanes?"

Me: "Yes sir I was. I am a musician for money, but for fun I study old aircraft and build models of them, and the book I was reading was of Polish Aircraft from 1946."

Policeman: "Would you please go get that book so that i can see it?"

I go back onto the plane - all eyes are on me like I was a common criminal. Total humiliation part 2.

After a couple of minutes he says, "Why, this is all Snoopy Red Baron stuff..."

Me: "Yes sir, actually the triplane you see is Italian, from 1921 a little after World War 1..."

Policeman: "No problem here then, you can go on back on to the plane, sorry to inconvenience you...and have a nice flight".

We were now at least, after re-queuing, over an hour late. No one looked me in the eye, flight attendants, passengers. I missed my next connection, and had to cancel that portion of the flight (fair $ value equaling ??) and rent a car ($270) plus fuel ($30) to my work (lost 1/2 wages = $100), and I was afraid to read for the next two flights.

I silently wept the whole flight to DC. I've never been so frightened or humiliated. I'm shaking even writing this.

How much money was lost between the airline, the other travelers? - I couldn't begin to calculate.

How damaged am I from this experience? I'm not feeling particularly American. I'm angry, dumbfounded, frightened.

Would this have happened to the 30-ish Caucasian woman sitting across the aisle from me (who left her seat, water bottle, and book, never to be seen for the rest of the "completely full" flight)? Is it now against the law to be dark and read a book about historic aircraft?

What's my take-away from this experience as a taxpayer, United Airlines patron, Black Man, teacher, mentor, American? I was broken hearted and speechless as I overheard my friend's wife try to explain to her kids what happened and what he and I were talking about over dinner. They never did get why.

What do I tell your children?

Enough.

What do I do now - please advise?

Please contact me at the email above

Thanks in advance,

Vance Gilbert
Arlington, MA

AKA

Flying While Black & Reading Antique Aviation Books

Just because a black man was reading a book about airplanes, don't go blow things out of proportions thinking he's reading his manual on how to blow up planes. Some discretion and thought is what was needed to avoid such an embarrassing scenario, Sighhh.....