The Six Faced Blogger

I Hate Chain Retweets

2011-12-30T18:27:00.001+08:00

This is something that’s been on my mind for a while. I’ve been meaning to get it out into the open, but every time I decided I’d blog about it, something else would come up. So now, I guess it’s time to say,

I HATE CHAIN RETWEETS.

I’m a tweetwhore. Heck, everyone on Twitter is a tweetwhore! I understand that everyone is different and thus, they’d have their own different styles of tweeting. Fair enough. But, some things shouldn’t be different. Like, how one retweets another’s tweet.

Twitter is a great place to be. It’s keeps you engaged in the things that are happening around you (and at the same time making you more anti-social at the dinner table). It’s great because there’s a button to do everything you want. A ‘Favourite’ button to favourite tweets that touch your heart. A ‘Reply’ button to reply to tweets that caught your eye. A ‘Delete’ button to erase any incriminating evidence that might possibly ruin your life. And last but not least, a ‘Retweet’ buton.

You can’t see the Retweet button above because it’s my tweet, and Twitter doesn’t allow users to retweet their own tweets, so here’s another screenshot for you, with the retweet button.

The ‘Retweet’ button is unique. When you retweet a tweet, it symbolises your agreement with the person who tweeted that tweet. It’s also another way of saying, “Damn, I wish I had thought of that!” The only time when someone doesn’t have a retweet button is when their profile is private. Hence you’d have to manually retweet the tweet, by copying and pasting, and then adding an ‘RT’ in front.

Now here’s the thing. My profile is as public as a public toilet. My Twitter profile is sooooo public, that if it were a prostitute, it would have contracted all the STD’s out there. Therefore, being a public profile, each and every one of my tweets comes readily equipped with a ‘retweet’ button.

But, some of my followers for some bizarre reason have never heard of the ‘Retweet’ button. Please note the sarcasm. By manually retweeting one of my tweets, it’s almost as if you’re saying, “Damn, that was a good tweet! But I’m not gonna press the ‘retweet’ button. I’m gonna manually retweet your tweet so that people will retweet my tweet and I’ll take all the credit.”

And I just don't get why they'd manually retweet my tweets, because it's just too cumbersome to copy and paste and type. Why would anyone in their right mind do that, when there's already a button to do it!?

Still not getting it? Take a look.

After Chelsea’s unfortunate 3 - 5 loss to Arsenal, I tweeted “CHEL53A”. I got chain retweeted 7 times. To you it might seem like nothing. But to me? It really breaks my heart. This is plagiarism, in its simplest form. The epitome of copying and pasting.

I mean, it’s alright if you wanna add a witty comment by manually retweeting my tweets. But doing it and just putting ‘HAHA’ or ‘LOL’ in front of it? Not cool, bro.

I’m not even gonna think twice about the implications of this blog post. If you think I’ve hurt your feelings by writing this blog post, do tell me. Stop the chain retweeting. Every tweet comes with a ‘retweet’ button. USE IT.

Malaysia Boleh

2011-12-26T13:59:00.001+08:00

You know when you want to watch a video on someone’s VEVO channel, and it says:

This probably means that the artist or uploader doesn’t recognise Malaysia as a country. Okay, we Malaysians can handle that. I mean, no biggie right? Malaysia IS a small country, and isn’t as well known as Singapore or Hong Kong. So it’s understandable why the uploader would do such a thing.

But, it’s only understandable if the uploader has no clue about the existence of Malaysia.

However, today, as I was watching Foster The People’s “Don’t Stop”, the suggestion sidebar suggested that I watch Yuna’s “Someone Out Of Town”

And most of you Malaysians should know Yuna, right? She’s a local artist, who miraculously has her own VEVO channel, and she’s a brand ambassador for Canon and TM.

So being Malaysian, we should be able to watch a Malaysian artist on her VEVO channel, right?

WRONG.

I don’t want to live in this country anymore.

Christmas In Bangsar

2011-12-04T23:23:00.001+08:00

A few nights ago, I was on my way back from somewhere (I honestly cannot recall where) and I happened to catch a glimpse of the Christmas lights around Bangsar Village. I only saw the lights for about 2 seconds, and even then, I only saw them from the corner of my eye. I thought they were magical.

So, I decided to do something adventurous. I would attempt to shoot the lights using only my 50mm lens. I would of course shoot in RAW and process the shots later. Alas, as I drew closer to the lights, I realised that they were far from magical.

Sure, they were better than all the Christmas decorations from previous years, but I was really hoping for something more. There was one year, the management of Bangsar Village got so cheapskate, they decided to wrap the whole building in some cheap looking ribbon. Not cool, at all.

I took a few shots, and I’m not really happy with them, but they’ll have to do. I need to spend more time with my camera and get my mojo back.

I challenged myself to shoot with only my 50mm, and once again, I made the most embarrassing mistake. I shot at the widest aperture, f/1.8

I need to stop doing that. Sharpness is hard to control on this lens once you open the aperture that wide. Better luck next time I guess.

However, one really cool thing about this year’s decorations is that they’re made from recycled tin cans! It’s amazing how they managed to cut slits into so many cans and attach them to ten trees which are 12 feet tall. Okay, one fake tree and nine real trees.

And that my friends, is Christmas in Bangsar. Which reminds me. I have to go set up my Christmas tree!

It's About Time.

2011-12-01T19:18:00.000+08:00

I started blogging in 2009, when I was in Form 3. At that time, I didn't know what my blog was going to be about, who was going to read it (if anyone even had the time to read it) or whether I'd be as famous as all those celebrity bloggers out there.

2009 was the year I discovered what NOT to blog about.

That was a very ‘educational’ year for me.

In 2010, I discovered that with the power of Twitter, I could influence all my followers to read my blog posts by simply posting the permalink (and yes, they did have the time to read it.) Twitter has really opened my eyes, it’s not just another social network. Twitter is a whole new world. A world where you can influence people you don’t even know just by the things you say.

Okay, I might not have had an asthma attack when I was 9, but you get my point, right?

And this year, I discovered that I might never be as famous as all those celebrity bloggers who blog about everything and anything and get paid with big, fat cheques from certain advertising companies. But one thing I did learn this year, was how to blog from my heart. In June, my blogging mojo came back, but then I had to start studying for SPM, and that was really very potong stim for me.

Which is why, over the next few weeks, you my dear readers, can expect several blog posts, and a new section which I like to call 'This Needs To Be Said' which is where I will express my distaste for certain things, people, and places. But don't be hatin'. Hater's gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate.

Today is the 1st of December. I know, I'd make a really good calendar. I'm almost done with SPM, I just have one more paper left, which is EST, in exactly a week's time. It feels good to have most of the subjects done with, but somehow I still don't know what to do with my life anymore. I intend to make this December really productive, as this screenshot of my calendar clearly indicates. Got loads more activities and outings lined up which have yet to be input into my calendar.

So stay tuned for my next post, about why I hate chain retweets!

I Like Shooting In RAW

2011-08-27T18:53:00.001+08:00

This is my dog, Brandy. This is also the second time I’ve shot and processed a RAW shot. And boy am I lovin’ it!

Best Advice I Can Give You

2011-08-26T23:08:00.007+08:00

Before you read this post, make sure you check out Kenny Sia’s latest post: “Don’t Go To University For The Sake Of It”

I trust that you’ve read it. Now let’s get things straight. Malaysia is a really nice country, there’s no doubt about that. Who could find fault with nasi lemak, roti canai or tau foo fah? I truly appreciate the fact that I have friends from so many different walks of life. I really love how I can speak 4 different languages (although my Chinese is a bit off)

But. There is always a “but”. I hate living in Malaysia because I have to follow the extremely stupid Malaysian Education System. It’s so dumb, it shouldn’t even be called an Education System! Allow me to take you on a journey, through the Malaysian Education System, starting with Primary 1. Or as Malaysians call it, Standard 1.

In Standard 1, you learn absolutely nothing. Up until Standard 6, you will still have learnt nothing. Your entire primary school life is completely useless, in Malaysia at least. I can’t remember anything I learnt in primary school, probably because I never needed to put anything I learnt into practice. The only thing I remember doing in primary school? Having crushes on girls.

Then you come to Form 1. At this point, you (or in the case of most Malaysian kids, your parents) have to decide what kind of school you should go to for your secondary education. A government school, a private school or an international one.

This is what the most rational consideration would look like. It’s all about the money.

Government School: Free. Percuma. 免费. இலவச.

Private School: Must pay a little bit lah. Can lah.

International School: “I spend so much, my kid comes out like an American wor!”

In my honest opinion, if you want to be a better person, stop thinking about the money. Remember what Jessie. J said? “Forget about the price tag.” Enough side-tracking, let’s get back to business.

Government schools are rubbish. This may sound very harsh, but it’s the truth. Government school teachers are never in school half the time, because they’re attending courses on how to be better teachers. You won’t learn anything in a government school, because frankly, you get what you pay for. In this case, you paid nothing, so you get nothing!

Private schools. Hmm, I don’t want to sound biased, but private schools are alright. I go to a private school, but honestly, it just feels like a normal school, with a hint of style. But this does depend on which private school you choose. There are some private schools which cost ridiculously high, and some which are really cheap. But in the end, you’re getting the same thing.

International schools. Let’s get one thing clear. Not all International school students are as stuck up as you think. My mum stereotypes everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, and she classifies International school kids as stuck up kids. If you go to an International School, your future is going to be very bright.

At this point in time, you would’ve finished your PMR examination, assuming you went to a government or private school. If you went to an International school, then I’m sorry, but this blog post might no longer be relevant to you. Now the biggest question in your life is: “Which ~~seat~~ stream should I take?”

The answer is simple. Go for Science stream. I’ll tell you why. If you are very sure you want to work in the business/finance/any money related field, then go for Arts Stream. However, if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, then stay in Science. And if you hate Biology or Add Maths, then drop those subjects, and take English Literature, Accounts, Economics or ICT.

Why should you do this, you ask? Because my dear readers, if you study Science subjects in high school, once you’re older and finally realise what you want to do with your life, and it is arts related, then the transition is so much easier! Imagine studying in Arts stream in high school and then taking Chemistry, Biology & Physics in college! And I also have this theory, people who studied Science subjects in high school or college and go on to do Arts degrees end up reaching their first million dollars faster than people who did Science related degrees.

So now you’ve sat for your SPM trials, you’ve gotten your results and you apply for a college. Again the question arises: “Which ~~seat~~ subjects should I take?” Take the subjects that interest you. Don’t be afraid to check out the different colleges’ open days. They can be really informational and helpful, and will assist you in making your subject choices. On which course to take, all I can say is:

“If you still don’t know what you wanna do in life, then do A-levels. If you know you wanna go to Australia for university, then do the South Australian Matriculation or AUSMAT. Set on going to Canada for uni? Canadian Pre-U is your answer. Want to live the American dream? The American Degree Program is all you need. Want to blow RM60,000 in less than a year? International baccalaureate will help you!”

You’re 3 months into your first semester at college, and your official SPM results come back. They’re pretty much what you wanted, but you couldn’t really be bothered because no matter what, your SPM results, like most other Malaysian things, are completely useless.

The time you spend in college depends on which Pre-University course you do. This is where Kenny Sia’s blog post comes in. Most Malaysians parents have planned out their kids’ lives for them, right until the day they die. Malaysian’s have never been independent, because for most of our lives, we’ve been spoon-fed by our teachers, our parents, our friends and our tuition teachers! We just don’t have the ability to make choices for ourselves. Put your foot down, and make up your mind. Don’t go to university for the sake of it.

Your parents will spend roughly one million Ringgit on your tertiary education, so you better not mess it up. Don’t just do an Engineering degree so that when you go for a job interview you can show them a piece of paper which says you blew one million Ringgit on something you didn’t really want to do in the first place. No matter what your parents tell you to do in life, they can’t let you choose what you want to do, because it’s your life!

So you see, it all comes down to what you learn in primary school. My advice? Don’t ever study in Malaysia. It’s like a stack of Domino’s, one bad move sets off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. If I were given the option, I would study in Singapore, or Australia, or some other country. Anything beats Malaysia.

Why I Dislike Edited Photos.

2011-05-31T18:44:00.001+08:00

Before I begin this post, please note that if you do edit your photos, THIS BLOG POST WILL PISS YOU OFF.

You have been warned.

Dictionary.com defines photography as:

“Noun: The art or practice of taking and processing photographs.”

Processing, in this context, does not mean photoshopping your pictures. It means developing your photos using a dark room and developing fluid. See, the definition of photography has never changed. It will, and should never change.

The question still stands, why do some “photographers”, as they call themselves, still edit their photos? And they don’t edit their photos with Photoshop CS5 or Lightroom. They edit them with programs like Photoscape and Picnik.

I’m not targeting everyone who edits their photos. I have nothing against edited photos, or people who edit photos. If you edit your photos for personal use or for your blog/Flickr/Tumblr/Instagram, by all means, go ahead. Some edited photos look nice. The rest, are over-edited. They remind me of those ladies who put too much make up on, and tell people they look pretty.

I remember Googling something a while back, and came across this:

"Photography is something really magical to me - capturing a still, perfect moment in time, that would otherwise have passed unnoticed, and preserving it forever. I love taking photographs of people; every face tells a story, and I think there is something profoundly beautiful in old, wise faces."

Besides learning that the person who wrote that likes taking pictures of people's faces, we now know what photography means to him. When you take a picture, you're capturing the moment. You want to show people what you see through the viewfinder. A good photo doesn't need to be edited. A good photo must simply connect with it's viewers.

If you take a great photo, you don't need to edit it. If you really feel something when you're taking photos, and then you see the final image, and it's exactly as how you imagined it in your head, and it connects with you, then that's a good photo. You don't need to modify what you see just to make it physically attractive. The most beautiful things in life are often sparked from emotions.

Do you edit your photos? Even if you do, just remember, I have absolutely nothing against you, or your picture. All that matters is that you like what you did to your picture. But if you over edit your photos, and submit them for competitions? You photo just made it onto my dislike list. Remember, I said the photo did, not you.

*The contents of this blog post are in no way directed at a specific person or group of people. This is just my personal opinion.*

I Dunno La.

2011-02-26T21:26:00.001+08:00

I feel bad. I feel really bad. Embarrassed too. More like ashamed. Why? Because I haven’t updated my blog for almost two months now.

But then again, seeing that Alison hasn’t updated hers for 6 months and Tzi Hua hasn’t done justice to hers for a whole year makes me feel a bit better.

So it got me thinking about…life. Yes, it may sound extremely cliché, everyone thinks about life almost every other second. But this time, I really thought about it. What I’m going to do with my life. And, more importantly, why I wanted to do so

Life is just one big question mark, waiting to be answered. Some people have come close to finding the answer, but alas, no cigar. And the question I hate the most is:

“Ashwin, now that you’re in Form 5, what do you want to do?”

~~Well, to be honest, I’d like to do Megan Fox~~

Frankly speaking, I haven’t got the slightest clue as to what I want to do after SPM. Here’s the problem with parents. They want what’s best for you, but they don’t want you to actually do what you want.

Here’s what my dad wants me to do:

Yeah, he wants me to be a doctor. Seriously? Yeah, the world will be a much safer place once I’m a doctor.

Like, what’s up with parents these days? Okay, my dad didn’t exactly say that he wanted me to be a doctor. We had THE TALK on my 16th birthday, in Bangkok. He said it more subtly, like:

“Hey son, now that you’re 16, I think you should start considering career options. What do you want to do?”

To which I replied: “I’m not really sure dad.”

“Well, what are your best subjects in school?”

Me: “I dunno, Chemistry and Add. Maths I guess.”

“Well then why don’t you become a Chemical Engineer then!? You could do an internship at my company after Form 5 then you’ll have work experience. And if you like it I could even get you a job there.”

He later added: “Have you ever considered being a doctor?”

Dad, I’m sorry, but that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. I’m not saying I don’t want to be a chemical engineer or doctor, all I’m saying is, I don’t want to talk about it right now. Well actually, I don’t want to be a doctor, but we’ll keep Chemical Engineering on the list.

I think for now, I’m pretty happy just being a normal Form 5 student. Who doubles as a Viking at school functions.

So please, please, stop asking me the dreaded question. Because my standard answer for a while will be “I dunno la.”

About Me

2010-12-26T16:25:00.002+08:00

My name is Ashwin Arumugam.

I was born on the 7th of December 1994, which makes me 18 this year, and also a Sagittarius. I suffer from Middle Child Syndrome (at least I think I do).

Currently, I’m a student of the South Australian Matriculation (SAM) Program at Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas. I’ve spent the last 5 years of my adolescent life studying at Wesley Methodist School, and I must say, I’ve led a fun-filled high school life.

I can now safely say, I’ve lived the best high school life that anyone could ever ask for. Doing the craziest things in the world, with the craziest people in the world. Having fun with the people who have known me for 5 years, some of them who will go on to be my best friends in life.

Some of you may know me from the blogosphere, some may know me from the Twitterverse, and some may know me from my irregular articles in the New Straits Times (NST). I’ve been a young journalist with the NST since 2007, and this year, I’m taking it one step further and joining their youth section, U-Phoria.

Two years ago, I got into photography. And again, I can safely say, I don’t regret it one bit. Photography allows me to express what words cannot. It’s a form of escapism, where you paint a picture for others to see, and the rush you get every time you release the shutter button is exhilarating. You can view my portfolio here, here or here.

And no, I’m not just another kid with a fancy camera. Check out my portfolio if you really want proof.

2011 has been one heck of a year. Going to Singapore with 8 other guys and staying in a hostel for 4 days & 3 nights with an unknown Indian man from London. Driving to my friend’s house at 4am in the morning to play FIFA 12 on his PS3. Creating a Twitter account and posting lame jokes and getting followed by famous Malaysian celebrities.

There are loads of other things I’ve done this year, but you guys don’t need to know the extra stuff :P

Within the next 12 months, I’ll have to decide what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. Once my SAM course is over, I’ll have my ATAR score, and I’ll have to start applying to universities. I’ve been pretty lost about this whole thing, because I don’t have a clue as to what I want to do. Whenever people asked me what I wanted to do after Form 5, I was pretty stumped.

Now that Form 5 is over, I’ve got to make up my mind. But maybe, just maybe, I can delay this decision a little bit longer. I closed an important chapter of my life in 2011. Let’s hope that 2012 will be equally as exciting.

For now, I think I’m just going to enjoy the show.

This is my blog. This is my Twitter. This is my Facebook.

And this is me. I am Ashwin Arumugam.

Portfolio

2010-12-26T15:42:00.000+08:00

All images on this website are copyright of © Ashwin Arumugam 2010

Last updated: 26 February 2011

Look What Mum Brought Home!

2010-12-12T18:24:00.003+08:00

Mum just came back, and she was like, "Kids, come down! There's something you should see!"
This was definitely something alright.

One of her artist friend's dogs gave birth to six puppies. She generously decided to gift us with one of them. And we already have one dog at home. But TWO!?

Skyped my elder sister and showed her Whiskey (That's what we called the new puppy since our other dog is called Brandy) and my sister practically melted!

However, there's still a possibility we might give her back, because, to be frank, my dad knows NOTHING about this! If he doesn't agree to keeping Whiskey, then its goodbye.

But who could ever say goodbye to such a cute puppy? :)

Back from Bangkok!

2010-12-11T10:50:00.011+08:00

Just came back from Bangkok slightly over 24 hours ago. I'm dead tired.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is like 10 times bigger than Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Immediately after we landed, I rushed towards the baggage claiming carousel, grabbed my bags, and literally ran to find some free wifi!

By doing so, I had just made my FIRST international check in on Foursquare!

If you ask me, my 16th birthday was pretty awesome. Why? I spent my 16th birthday in another country, Bangkok to be exact. Also on my 16th birthday, I rode an elephant.

Yes, I know that's not me on the elephant, that was the guy who DROVE the elephant. Another thing I did on my 16th birthday: I made a suit!

Does that make it a birthday suit? :P
Later in the night, my dad and I headed on to the Ma Boon Krong Shopping Centre, where incidentally, they have a Muay Thai Fight Night every week from 6pm to 9pm!

I was pretty bummed with my camera because there were NO CLOUDS in Bangkok when I was outdoors, and my camera was overexposing most of the pictures. But my 50mm lens really came through during the Muay Thai fight.

This is one of the temples at the Grand Palace, which is also the King's residence. Coincidentally, his birthday is 2 days before mine!

Before leaving Malaysia, I had a rough idea of what I wanted pictures of, and a monk was one of them. My 50mm lens didn't focus on the monk's head properly, so I converted it to B&W and added a soft focus filter.

Ohh, I almost forgot!

It feels good to be home :)

EF 50mm f/1.8 II & Initial Sound Photoshoot

2010-11-09T18:57:00.004+08:00

I guess I really have to credit this post to Calvin Chew.
Why, you ask? Because he helped me get my first lens!
Well, technically, not my FIRST, my second lens, so to speak.

This is probably the cheapest bundle of joy in the photography world.
Heck, I think it IS! At only RM 350, this lens weighs in at 130g! That's lighter than my phone -.-

After testing out Calvin's own 50mm lens (I only took 2 shots :P), I knew I wanted to buy it.
To be honest, I had always wanted this lens, particularly because it's such a great portrait lens.
The dismal f/3.5 on my kit lens didn't isolate my subjects enough. This one had an aperture of f/1.8...

Which makes my pictures look like this!!
Calvin couldn't go out and buy me a new one in time for Initial Sound's photoshoot so he kindly lent me his instead.

Yeah, that photoshoot is a whole other thing. We didn't have a proper place to do it, so we ended up going to the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) to do it.

Unfortunately, the uptight Indian security guards came to us after about 10 minutes and said we weren't allowed to take pictures. But we kinda ignored him several times and it really pissed him off. More of that later in this post :P

This was the first shot, which was REALLY candid. One thing Wen Chuan noticed was that in all the pictures, no one was actually looking directly at the camera. After I got back, I tried cropping the pictures to Album Cover size, and I realised someone's face would ALWAYS be left out.

Which was quite a bummer since we spent a while a KLPAC and even took shots in the rain.

This was the shot that everyone liked the best. I'm pretty lazy to upload all the pictures from the shoot as there were 411, so I only uploaded 59 onto Facebook. You can check them out here, here or here.

Owh, I almost forgot! Still wanna know why we got halau-ed? It's actually Jia Wen's fault, because he did this!

The security guards started shouting at us from the main entrance which was like 150m away! :O

So if you wanna catch Initial Sound live, head on down to EndGame, to purchase tickets!

Time To Get Productive.

2010-10-16T21:09:00.003+08:00

If you own an iPhone 4, please click here
Or, you could just stay here. The talk of the town has finally hit Malaysian shores. Yes, the iPhone 4. I'm beginning to feel like if you don't have the iPhone 4, you're life isn't complete.

While everybody's getting iPhone's and HTC's and what not, all I got was a Samsung Omnia. And it's not even new. It's a frickin company phone. From my dad.

I have to admit, I'm not at the top of my game anymore. After my poor performance in the Mid Term exams, my parents practically shut everything out of my life. No Facebook, no Twitter and worst of all, no Blogging. Then came the Final Term exams (which I know I failed really badly)

Yes, in the last 4 months, I've only done 3 posts. THREE!
My table looks like a mess.

To be honest, I have been procrastinating like hell for a long time. I would procrastinate about studying, about blogging, about going somewhere I wanted. I was just plain lazy.

But that's gonna change. Imma make these holidays really productive.

Starting NOW.

Top 10 Things To See and Do In Perth

2010-08-16T18:07:00.010+08:00

Well, Wesley Methodist School's Form 4 entourage for Sacred Heart College leaves in 4 days to Perth, Australia. This time, without me. But I don't really mind because I just went there in March with my family, and I had a really enjoyable time.

But, lemme give you one thing to ponder about. Currently, you're paying RM 3790 for a 5 day homestay trip to Perth, airfare, transport and a few meals included. Ohh, and you're flying Malaysia Airlines.

I on the other hand payed RM 375o for 14 days, stayed in an apartment, rented a car, went all around the coastal areas and had a blast for RM 40 cheaper XD But, I had to fly Air Asia :(
So, to make up for your loss, I've decided to come up with a list of things you guys MUST do when you have any free time.

1. Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA)

This aquarium is actually right opposite the Sacred Heart College, in a place known as Hillary's Boat Harbour. Yeah, on your itenary, they printed it as Hillary's Marina. To be honest, they're both right XD

For an aquarium, its actually quite...BORING.
Okay, I have to admit anything is better than Aquaria KLCC, but unless you get a tour guide, you're losing out on a lot. Damn, those tour guides can give you a whole Biology lesson faster than Ms. Teng!

2. The Perth Mint

The Perth Mint is one of the first few places in the Australian territories where money, or gold, was produced.

This surfer looking dude will give you the lowdown in a slick Aussie accent, and when he asks what country you're from, listen carefully to how he says "Malaysia". You will die of laughter :)

Then they'll show you the entire process of gold pouring which is quite interesting and HOT.
You can literally feel the fire coming out of the furnace. Make sure you get a front row seat when you watch the gold pour!

3. The Eye on Perth

Similar to what we have back home, except this one's bigger and more expensive. If you're lucky enough, the school will take you here after your trip to King's Park.

4. King's Park

King's Park is well, a park. It's really big and green with loads of trees, and you can always see a few Aussie's lying down on the grass with their bikinis. The best time to go there is at night, because then you can take some really awesome sceneries like these. *Hint Hint Naveena and Chen Yang*

5. Busselton Jetty

Busselton Jetty is a really historical place, I don't know why. Its kinda far out from the city, I only managed to go there because my family rented a car and we drove around the entire southern region of Perth for 3 days. You probably won't have time to even go halfway there, but ask your host if there are any interesting places in the outskirts of the city.

6. Climb a Cliff Edge

Yes, I'm shit serious about this. You have about a day, utilise it to the maximum!! Go to any beach or cliff anywhere in the vicinity of your host's home, and don't be afraid to explore. My dad and I had to do a short 15 minute hitchhike to get to this place.

7. Visit a Zoo

If the school's not already taking you, go to the zoo. Or even a pet farm will do. The one thing you have to see there is the sheep shearing. Some places even allow you to shear the sheep and take the wool back with you!

Remider: You are not allowed to bring things into Australia without declaring it to customs, but you can bring anything OUT of Australia.

And make sure you take loads of pictures with the kangaroo's and koala's.
But be careful though, the kangaroo's like to bite.

No joke yo.

8. Milk a Cow

Well, while you're at the farm, you NEED to milk a cow.

9. Explore

Always keep in mind, no matter where you are in Perth, you're always safe. It's not like Malaysia where any second you could be robbed by some Indonesian dude. I can assure you that your trip will be a million times more enjoyable when you discover new things.

10. Visit Fremantle

Fremantle, or Freo, as it's known by the locals is kinda like the Bangsar of Perth. You can find almost everything in Fremantle from chinese supermarkets to buskers on the streets to chili festivals and even prisons.

Word of advice. Fremantle is a must, the beach especially.

Ohh, I forgot to mention, there's absolutely no free Wi-Fi in Perth, so no Facebook :P
But if you have the cash, get a prepaid card, because you will undoubtedly get lost.
The best piece of advice? Just have fun :D

Paul the Octopus

2010-07-07T21:06:00.005+08:00

Project 365: #38

Let me introduce you to a very good friend of mine, Paul the Octopus. Paul has a special power. He's psychic. If you are a frequently on Twitter and Facebook, and you watch the FIFA World Cup while you do any of these two things, you should know who Paul is.

Paul lives in Berlin, Germany, in an underwater aquarium. You might be the skeptical type who says, "He's just an octopus. How can he be the FIFA Oracle?" I beg to differ. This eight-legged sea creature has predicted all of Germany's matches correctly except for one.

Paul's predictions are carried out on live television. Two containers which carry the flags of two teams are placed inside his tank. At the very bottom of each container is a mussel, Paul's food. Whichever container Paul reaches into first will be the winner.

Paul knew that Germany would own England. Paul was sure that Argentina would go home crying and Maradona's clothes were still on XD

BUT.

There's one thing Paul will definitely get wrong. Spain vs Germany. Paul inadvertently picked Spain over Germany. And he will pay. I quote my friend, Kevin.

Kevin Lim: Spain :) sad octopus if germany loses. They're gonna kill it and make sushi bento.

But I have a different kind of torture. Hehe.

I want you to remember the look on his face. Because in the next picture, he'll be gone.

*Flush*

Never Believe an Octopus

2010-07-06T23:52:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #37

It's 11.56pm, and I'm still have to finish two more karangan panjang's. Somebody just kill me now. And Paul the Octopus as well. Germany FTW!!!

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

2010-07-05T22:27:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #36

My sister came back from Australia for two weeks. Middle child syndrome all over again. Ohh, parents-teachers conference for Form 4's is this Thursday. I pity people like Samuel whose birthday is on the same day.

I really need to wash my shoes XD

Lock and Key Hypothesis

2010-07-04T23:42:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #35

School begins again tomorrow. Everyone feels so leceh to go back. Can you imagine how the Argentinian players must feel like to go back? I'm so addicted to Twitter now. I passed my 100th tweet mark after just two days of tweeting :)

Here's one of my favourite tweets so far:

I forgot what it was like to read. Now the only book I read is Facebook

Safety First, Rock On Later \m/

2010-07-03T20:26:00.005+08:00

Project 365: #34

I've never actually tried gig photography before, so this was a new challenge for me. Remember Overdose?

Naveena organised it, and it was awesome!

This time, SMK Sentul Utama organised their very own Battle of the Bands. Can you believe that they managed to get more than 20 school bands to participate? And from SMK Weasley Methodist (That's supposed to be us XD)

Give it up for Safety First!!!

They were really bored before their performance, but they rocked out hard on the stage \m/
And eventhough they didn't win, I'm sure they had loads of fun.

Here's the video. Enjoy!
It's Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day"

Godiva Chocolatier at Pavillion

2010-07-02T22:55:00.006+08:00

Project 365: #33

Today was like living a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Two chocolate giants. One mission. Beryl's Chocolate in Seri Kembangan and Godiva in Pavillion. Most of you should know that Beryl's is an Asian based chocolate factory that makes really cheap and affordable chocolates which tend to leave that sticky, dry taste in your mouth after you eat them.

Yeah, that's what my supervisor at New Straits Times said too XD

Now, Godiva on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Beryl's. Imagine, handmade chocolates imported from Belgium, made from the finest cocoa beans from Ivory Coast, cleverly blended using an 84-year old recipe from Germany.

Meet Yazeed Dato' Kayoom. If you're wondering why he has a "Dato" in his last name, fret not. It's only because his father is a Dato', so legally, he has to adopt the title from his dad. Yazeed is the Brand Manager of Godiva Chocolates.

And lemme tell you something. He has the best job in the world.

The Beryl's interview was as dry as their chocolates. But Godiva? That interview was one I will never forget. Yazeed started off with a brief history of Godiva and introduced us to their various types of chocolates. Here's how the story goes:

Lady Godiva was married to a money minded guy, called Earl of Chester Lord Country. Earl needed funds for his army, and decided to impose heavy taxes on the people to waiver his cost. But Lady Godiva would accept none of this.

And so, Earl challenged Lady Godiva that is she rode around naked on a horse, he would not impose the taxes. Waddya think happened?

Lady Godiva won the challenge, and gained the respect of the people. Lady Godiva symbolised purity and excellence to the people, so to immortalise her efforts, they named her Lady Godiva.

This is one of Godiva's signature items. The Chocolixir. Directly translated, it means "Chocolate concoction" And it definitely is. It's made out of pure dark chocolate, nothing else. There's something so special about Godiva chocolates, it's just so hard to put it into words.

You really have to try it out yourself to believe it. It's like heaven on earth, like sex without having to take your clothes off. The unique blend of dark chocolates is subtle yet distinct at the same time.

I'm a huge fan of dark chocolates. Gimme anything with milk and I will reject it without even looking at it. Almost everything I tried on the menu contained dark chocolate XD

This is their Dark Chocolate Cake, made of nothing else but pure dark chocolate. Sandwiched in the middle is a nutella-like hazelnut spread, except this one costs 5 times more. Did you know that the cheapest thing there is RM 19? Read on to find out what the most expensive item is.

Godiva's is a really posh place. When I sat down there and they served the appetizers, I was debating with myself, "Should I just use my hands and eat, or use a fork? I don't wanna look like a retard in front of these people"

But to tell you the truth, it doesn't really matter. Once you take one bite, just ONE bite, you will forget everything, nothing else matters in this world. You can't think, your mind won't be able to process anything. Everything will just go blank.

Your senses will come alive.

There are three Godiva outlets so far in Malaysia, one in KLIA, the second one in KLCC and the third one is here, in Pavillion. Godiva already has plans to open up a shop in Bangsar Shopping Complex. That's gotta be awesome. Now I can eat premium chocolates without having to go to far out places!

The Godiva concept is ingenious. Instead of a normal chocolate shop, they've done something completely different. Their outlets are like mini factories with cafe's that not only serve chocolates, but cakes and coffee's as well!

And the award for most expensive item goes to.....

The Luxury Box!!

At a staggering RM 645, you too can have your very own 59 piece box of Godiva chocolates. Then when you go to the toilet, you can tell yourself, "I just shat out RM 645 worth of chocolates"

So watcha waiting for? Get out there and make your way to:

Lot P2.15.00
Level 2, Pavillion Kuala Lumpur,
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

I'm telling you, you will not regret it. As Yazeed puts it, "Godiva choclates are about self indulgence. You haven't eaten real chocolates until you eat Godiva chocolates"

Will The Real Obama Please Stand Up?

2010-07-01T21:35:00.003+08:00

It's a known fact of life that the best things are always free. And I stand true to this fact. Free things always come in their most raw form, unedited and just waiting to be digested.

Take the Malay Mail for instance. Even though I write for the New Straits Times, I have to say that if you want the cold, hard and uncensored truth, then the Malay Mail is your best bet. And plus, the Malay Mail is completely free!

Government controlled newspapers (I shall not mention names here, but you should know who they are) have strict censorship rules. Even the slightest slip up can throw an entire newspaper enterprise off balance. They just can't risk losing their money.

Which is why people like you and I who are kepochi, tend to look for the newspaper that actually delivers. (No pun intended XD)

Time for a little celebrity social experiment.
Below is a picture from today's Malay Mail. It's an article about a Barack Obama look-alike.

At first glance, which is which? Who is the real deal and who is the fake?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

The answer:

Didn't expect that, didya? They look like brothers!

The guy on the left is Obama and on the right is an Indonesian dude called Ilham Anas. An Indonesian filming company is filming a movie about Obama's childhood day's in Indonesia. The movie is called, "Obama Anak Menteng". And guesss who gets to play Obama?

The Indonesian dude!

Life, Is Like Chicken

2010-06-30T23:43:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #31

Well, I'm back to washing my own clothes, cleaning up after myself after dinner, folding the clothes and on top of this finishing my never ending homework. Civic's class today was the bomb.

Arvind: Nav, do you know Santokh Singh?
Naveena: What? Do I want to sing Toxic?

Then Mr.Balan started explaining the difference between Punjabi's, Bangladeshi's and Pakistani's thanks to Sher XD

Tzer Chyuan: Weih. Weih, Bangla!!

We all laughed so hard until we cried X)

Stop Right There

2010-06-30T16:33:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #30

I've decided to give myself a try at Twitter. Again. The last time I did, I tweeted once, then never tweeted again. I've also decided to try out still life. It's kinda fun to explore all the different things you can do with a DSLR, and this is just one of the many more to come.

What would I do if my dad didn't collect liquor bottles? XD

Top 10: FIFA World Cup 2010 One-Liners

2010-06-28T16:50:00.007+08:00

The FIFA World Cup comes about as often as I pass up my homework. Once every four years. And true to tradition, there will always be the witty fans from the most far-out places in the world with their one-liners and puns.

#10: Football fans on the amount of cards given out at matches this year

The referee's at FIFA matches produces more cards than Wesley Methodist School teacher's produce homework.

#9: English fans on Rooney's rubbish performance at the World Cup

"What's the difference between Rooney and Shrek? Shrek can actually save the day"

#8: Rajveer Singh on Portugal's thrashing of North Korea

#7: American's on their first "win" against England

#6: Me on why France didn't make it into the Top 16

"I think France has remained dizzy ever since Zidane headbutted Materazzi chest at the last World Cup Final "

#5: Nicholas Sia on the referee at the Germany vs England match

#4: English fans on Lampards misjudged goal

"Yesss!!! We scored!!! LOL, joking, FIFA linesmen dislike technology"

#3: The general public on Ghana's 2-1 win over USA

"Obama watched Ghana vs USA only to see his own kind beat his own country 2-1"

#2: What would happen if Nigeria vs Germany?

It would be so awkward because then the scoreboard would say Nig-Ger

And the best FIFA 2010 World Cup One-Liner is...

#1: Joachim Leow's pre-match pep talk before facing England

"Okay guys, here's the plan. When you walk out of that tunnel, you're gonna hit those England fellas so hard they won't even remember what an English accent sounds like!"

Got any more to share? Leave a comment in the cbox. Viva La Deutschland!!

This Was Something Special

2010-06-27T15:43:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #28

I've never been to Tugu Negara in my life. Until yesterday. It's a great place for architectural photography, so I've come to realise. There's just something so captivating about the shapes there. It's a culmination of all things great.

Will post about "How to make your very own Vuvuzela" very soon.

Time Travel

2010-06-26T18:32:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #27

Don't ask me why, but I went to the Tugu Negara today for a photography workshop. I took a lot of great shots, but I'll only upload one, because I have to present the rest tomorrow. I've come to realise that some shots look better in Black and White because it kinda takes you back in time.

A while back, Isaac asked me, "What are you gonna do if you can't use your computer to update your Project 365?"

My answer: "I've got it all covered. If I don't have internet, I'll go to Starbucks. If my parents ban me from the computer, I'll get someone else to do it for me."

The Other Side Of The Wall

2010-06-25T19:45:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #26

Recently, I was asked to meet up with someone from the New Straights Times Photography Deparment. This gentleman's name was Fauzan.

See, the NST has a new focus, so to speak. If you look closely, there is something different about their layout. I know not many of you read the NST, but it wouldn‘t hurt just to try something new once in a blue moon.

The NST has a strong emphasis not just on their content, but also the quality of their pictures. Their photography department is unlike anything I've seen before. Not that I've seen one before, but somehow their's just feels special.

So, back to this Fauzan dude. He's some senior ranked person in the photography department, and somehow, he stumbled upon my pictures. He arranged a rendezvous on Wednesday, and asked for some of my best photos.

I've only had my 500D for 3 months now, and so far I've taken almost 4000 photos. Like one of my fellow Niexter writers, Su Ting says, "It's always so hard to look for the best pictures you've taken"

I spent like half an hour on my computer and only managed to find 60 really good pictures. I put them all in a folder and then made my way down to the NST office. That's where I met Fauzan. He picked the best 5 of my photos out of the 60 and printed them in black and white on a piece of A4 paper.

Now, I don't mean to brag, but heck were my pictures good!!
He saw this picture of a clown fish and asked me, "Did you go snorkeling when you took this picture?"

And I was like, "No, I took it from behind 6 inch thick glass"

Everyone agreed that this one was the best :)
But if you want really good pictures, you should check out Naveena's blog.

Change Is Gonna Come

2010-06-25T18:44:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #25

Denim. It's the only pair of jeans I have. It's so hard for me to find clothes that actually fit me. If I go to the kids section, it's all to small, but if I go to the men's section, all the clothes are too big. So my only option was to go to Rags.

I was so lucky. This was their last pair of size 28 skinny jeans. Right about now you're probably wondering...

SIZE 28????

Like, which guy wears size 28 jeans? Well, I do. See, in Form 2, I drank this super special herbal pork soup, which made me grow really tall. Last time, I used to be so chubby.

Now I'm like a stick XD

Sauteed To Perfection

2010-06-23T22:45:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #24

When's the last time you had satay? Was it tasty? I don't think so. You haven't eaten real satay until you've tried the satay at South Pacific.

Normally, when you order satay, its served with special peanut sauce in a bowl. The South Pacific version marinates the satay's in peanut sauce and then cooks them. Ingenious!

Restoran South Pacific (Behind State Cinema),
#7, Jalan 52/16,
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-79564221

Streamyx: The Real Deal

2010-06-22T19:08:00.006+08:00

Project 365: #23

The ever heated war of the ISP's (Internet Service Provider) is never ending. It all started back around the year 2000, when some Malaysian decided to get rich quick. You see, all the ISP's in our country are living a lie. They promise you the fastest connections and loads of other technical lingo that you and I won't understand, but deliver the bare minimum.

This, is how they earn a living. By cheating you.
Every company is the same, be it P1Wimax, Streamyx, Maxis Broadband or even Digi Broadband. But one thing I have to admit is, Streamyx really is the slowest.

Rewind to the year 2002, when people used dial-up connections like Jaring. Still remember the sound? That funky techno music that played everytime you connected to the Internet. The Internet speeds were really slow back then.

That was the time when websites were made of plain text, coded in HTML, pictures would take hours, or even days to materialise and streaming video over the internet was virtually impossible.

Now, fast forward to 2010. People can download videos directly to their phone wirelessly from anywhere in the world without even using a computer! The getting rich quick scheme began a long time ago. And that's a fact.

Being an over-expecting Streamyx customer myself, I often receive their junk mail and newsletters. Most of the time, I just throw them into the bin without even looking at them.

But this one caught my eye. Forget about the retro colour scheme, it seems too much like an add to get kid's attention.

It says:

"Congratulations! You've been chosen!"

Chosen? For what??

Then I realised that this isn't like their ordinary flyers. This was something special. This was just like dynamite (Just like that Usher song). For once, there were actually more than 5 words on their flyer!

"Experience The New Era Of Digital Lifestyle. High Speed Broadband up to 20Mbps"

At first I couldn't believe my eyes. 20 Mbps?? I myself use a turtles pace Internet connection of 512 kbps, and here they are, advertising 20 Mbps, which is 40 times the speed of mine! Here's where I give you my two cents worth.

Look at the picture above. It says 100.0 Mbps
That is almost impossible. It's supposed to say 1.0 Mbps
But in actual fact, I'm only using a 512 kbps connection.

See, this is where the lying starts.

All the ISP's are only in it for the money. While all of us suffer here with our snail like Internet connection, these pompous CEO's are happily sitting in their air-conditioned office, earning thousands of Ringgits every minute.

If you want the real deal on your ISP's speed claims, go to Speed Test
All you have to do is press the "Begin Test" button and your computer will do the rest. Compare your ISP average and your result, and then make up your mind.

Anyways, back to the orange envelope. Once opened, its contents become crystal clear. Streamyx is trying to make more money by advertising false claims.

The local ISP bullies are trying to turn over a new leaf by offering you three brand new residential packages, VIP 5, VIP 10 and VIP 20. See, they even use the word "VIP" just to make you feel better since your Internet connection is slower than the rate your Physics teacher speaks.

Click to enlarge the picture for more details.
To make things easier for you, I'll simplify everything. There's only one big difference in all the packages, speed, which is indicated by the number next to it, e.g: 5, 10 and 20

And the price lah, of course XD

At the end of the day, it all comes down to price, right? Unless you're a DoTA freak and you need the fastest Internet connection you can get. The cheapest package is RM 149, which will get you...

HyppTv Channels
Download speeds up to 5Mbps
Dynamic IP Address
60GB monthly download quota
Free call to TM fixed lines
10sen/min to mobiles
Free DECT phone
Free WiFi router
2GB e-mail

Now, lets do a quick check. Which of these services do you really need? The first thing you would have said when you saw HyppTV was, "OMG, I can watch TV online now!!"

Think again.

The only channels you can watch are the local news channels, BBC and STAR Chinese Movie channels. Plus a few other channels which I'm sure none of you will watch.

I don't think this guy is watching BBC Knowledge XD

Then comes the paraphernalia. You have to set up the internet connection yourself, no help from Streamyx technicians whatsoever. They give you a cheap China-made phone for free to make up for all the money you'll end up losing once you see your bill.

The bottom line is, Malaysia isn't capable of going the distance. Other countries already have lightning fast internet connections, but us? We're still being held back by the Malaysia Boleh spirit, which over time, has been modified to suit today's local lifestyle, which is, "Malaysia Boleh, tapi kena rilek dulu ahhh..."

Back To The Grind

2010-06-21T18:01:00.003+08:00

Project 365: #22

Holidays have officially finished. And so, like all things in life, we have to move on. I quote my good friend, Kevin Lim:

A lot of people have seen me wearing this black thing around my wrist and think it's one of those rip off Livestrong bands from Petaling Street. I beg to differ.

Upon closer inspection, it says, "minusION". As a Form 4 Chemistry student, common sense would tell you that this wrist band is negatively charged. So this negatively charged strip of rubber bent into the unsuspecting shape of a circle is meant to attract the positively charged ions around it (a.k.a bad chi )

That's the theory. But does it really work?

The only times I wear it are when I play golf or go out of my house. School is too darn strict, so I can't wear it there. Personally, I think it does work to some extent. The first time I wore it, I got a really bad headache.

Now, I can't deny the fact that the best things in life are free XD

I Try To Live My Life In A Way That You'd Approve

2010-06-20T21:03:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #21

With most guys, their relationship with their father can kinda be related to the picture above. Yeah, I know that they're just salt and pepper shakers, but it's supposed to be metaphorical.

Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.

My relationship with my dad is anything but close. Heck, he wasn't even there when I was born!
My dad was kinda like a candle in my life. Sometimes he's in, and sometimes he was out. But what am I to do? He's 52 this year and he's wasted more than half his life on raising three kids.

That, is what my relationship with my dad looks like. But I can't blame him. He started climbing the corporate ladder at a very young age. He wasn't your average Joe who works 9 to 5 hours on minimum wage and then goes to the local bar for a drink.

He worked 7 to 10 at maximum wage and then came back, had dinner, and then took off to the local pub scene. He even owned his own pub once!

So I guess Dad, all I have to say is, Thanks for being such a great dad. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for you. You gave me everything I wanted, and sacrificed your time and money, just for me. I know that I will never ever be able to give you back what you have given to me.

Happy Father's Day, DAD :D

When In Rome...

2010-06-19T19:11:00.003+08:00

Project 365: #20

Over the past few years, I've rarely enjoyed going anywhere with my family, be it a movie, a dinner or even shopping. I never knew why I disliked it so much, maybe it was just the fact that they never paid much attention to me.

But then, I spent two days on my dad's best friend's farm in Ipoh. And it was life changing. Okay, maybe not life changing, but you get my point, right?

You know what was really cool about this place? It's under a highway. Yes, you heard me, a HIGHWAY. 1 acre of fresh, green plants, nestled under the pilons of Exit 138 of the North-South Expressway.

When my dad first said we were going to Ipoh, I thought of only one thing.
TAUGE CHICKEN.

If you ever have the chance to go to Ipoh, I suggest you make your way to the center of town, where all their most famous food shops are. Now, I'm no food blogger, but if you want the real deal, this is where you get it.

The two things you have to eat when you go to Ipoh are:

1. Salted Chicken

The name says it all. Take a whole chicken, steam it, add in some rock salt, wrap it in paper and keep it in a pink box and there you have it, Salted Chicken! They have two chicken sizes, small and large, which go for RM 16 and RM 24 respectively.

The best part about salted chicken is that you can freeze it for as long as you want and then eat it, because its salted. What this means for the average chicken-eater like you and I is, salted chicken anytime!

2. Tauge Chicken

Like most dishes in Ipoh, the name describes exactly what it on the dish. Warm sliced chicken on one plate topped with some weird tasting green leaves, and on the other plate, freshly cooked tauge in soya sauce and peppered with the tastiest pepper ever.

Since I was so engrossed with my food, I didn't manage to take any photos. Credits to friedchilies.com for the picture

I had a really enjoyable time in Ipoh. You know what else I like about Ipoh? The pictures I can take there. No matter where you are in Ipoh, be sure that you're pictures will always turn out great.

P.S: This black and white picture is for today's Project 365 :)

No Turning Back

2010-06-18T23:56:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #19

With such short notice, would you, the reader, go on a two day crusade to a farm in Ipoh to have fun with your father's high school friends who no longer look like they're in high school?

Well, I wouldn't. But after it's all over, I don't regret it one bit. Will post about my Ipoh trip tomorrow :D

Just For Laughs

2010-06-17T17:45:00.005+08:00

Project 365: #18

Wanna hear a joke? I'll take that as a yes.
You gotta follow my steps, okay?

1. Look at your keyboard.

2. Look at the letters "U" and "I"

Now, the grand finale :)

3. Look underneath "U" and "I". It says JK

ROFLMAO XD

You're Wasted

2010-06-16T21:48:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #17

Mid Term holidays was actually quite boring this year. Most of the stuff we planned to do ended up getting cancelled because... Ahh, nevermind la.

But one thing I don't regret doing was going to Dylan's house. Just came back 4 hours ago. I still can't believe I managed to do yesterday's Project 365 at 11.59pm

Lunch was a bit of a problem that day because frankly speaking, we didn't have enough money. Thankfully, Jia Jun was feeling very generous and pulled out two RM100 notes from his wallet.

I'll let the pictures do the talking, aye?

Tick Tock On The Clock

2010-06-15T23:59:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #16

Just in the nick of time ;)

I Think You're High

2010-06-14T22:51:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #15

This is by far the best pencil box I've had in ages. I bought it on my recent trip to Perth, Australia for will you believe it, RM 4.50!! For that price here, I can probably only buy the zipper XD

To be completely honest, I don't think it's even a pencil box. I mean, which schoolkid goes to school with their stationery in a pencil box shaped like a liquor bottle? I think its probably some old bottle carrier. But when you really think about it....

Absolut Vodka??

Collecting Dust

2010-06-13T22:25:00.014+08:00

Project 365: #14

I still remember when my mum bought my PlayStation 2 back in 2003. I was so excited about playing with it, the minute she opened the front door, I ran out and grabbed the bag without even looking at her. That was me 6 years ago.

Now, thanks to Wesley Methodist School's intensive study regime, my beloved Sony has been neglected. The last time I played with her was when.... Ohh crap, I can't even remember XD

Behold, the worlds dustiest PlayStation 2.

Makes you wanna puke and then buy a PlayStation 3, no?
Arvind's been there and done that.

Oh Africa

2010-06-12T23:06:00.004+08:00

Project 365: #13

If you know me well enough, you should know that I don't follow football. At all.
Yeah, okay, maybe a few EPL matches wouldn't hurt me. But I guess I just never had a thing for football.

Until now.

I got this bug. It gave me a fever. World Cup Fever.

My dad, who like me, never watches football, has suddenly decided to jump ship.
He follows every match diligently, constantly asking me who's playing next, and I'll be like, "Dad, I don't watch football."

I spent the weekend Mac-educating my uncle. He still seems a bit lost because he can't seem to use his Mighty Mouse properly XD

My mum picked up the 1300 photos we had printed. Ohh wait, correction. 1500 photos.
I forgot to give the photo shop people my 200 photos from Bali

This is what 1500 photos looks like from a profile view.
My dad still doesn't know we spent like RM 517+ printing these XD

Flush

2010-06-11T14:44:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #12

This is a toilet. You do stuff in a toilet. I'm currently in my uncle's house, blogging from his Mac.
There are absolutely no PC's in his entire house. He's got a 24-inch Mac and a 15-inch MacBook Pro.

The best part?

He's asking me to teach him how to use it XD

The King Is Here

2010-06-10T19:40:00.005+08:00

Project 365: #11

What you are seeing is no ordinary sandwich. Ordinary would be an understatement, a disgrace. If you call this sandwich just plain ordinary, you would be insulting the God of Sandwich's, the King of Chocolate and most of all, me.

This, my friends, is a Nutella Sandwich. Bow down, to the King.

Stuffed with German-made hazelnut cocoa spread.
Yup, the same stuff they use to make Ferrero Rocher

I've eaten so much Nutella in the last month, I even put on 6kg.
Every day, one sandwich, packed for school, and shared with my closest friends.
Mariko would pre-order a sandwich if she was feeling chocolatey. Pui Teng would just grab the sandwich from under my table is she was hungry. That's the price you gotta pay if you sit next to Pui Teng :)

Too Many

2010-06-09T20:09:00.003+08:00

Project 365: #10

Over the years, I've taken millions of photos. Okay, maybe not a million, but, you get my point, right?There's just so many photos in my computer, even my hard drive is running out of space.
So today, I dragged my mum down to Bangsar Village, to print all the photos.

All this while, I thought that I would only have to print 500 photos. Guess what? I was wrong.
We started off with 1800 photos. And then, the tiresome deleting process began. We stayed in the photo shop until 8.00pm, and we only managed to delete 502 photos.

Two pretzel dogs later, it was time to pay the bill. RM 517.40 for 1298 photos.
Ohh, and they charged 3% tax if you pay by credit card. Do the math :)

Stop

2010-06-08T16:56:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #9

My neighbourhood is filled with old people. Super duper old.
Until today. My primary school classmate, Ong Shu Weng, just moved in. And he lives opposite me.

Wow. That's just great. Now I can't do all the things I used to do in private. It's gonna be like the male teen version of Desperate Housewives XD

My Water Moments

2010-06-07T20:57:00.017+08:00

One question I get asked a lot now as a blogger, is unfortunately not, "Are you taken?"

Instead, it is, "Ehh, now what camera you are using har?"

Ever since I began blogging, The Six Faced Blogger has relied heavily on photos to depict a story. Personally, I like it that way.

The saying "A picture's worth a thousand words" goes a long way in the blogosphere.
Pictures do paint a better story than words, and contrary to popular belief, I for one am not very good with words.

When I logged in to my Nuffnang account, I was greeted with something, different.
Very, very, different.

The good people at Nuffnang had an underwater debate going strong. So, I felt compelled to give them my dua puluh sen.

Even before I was born, my parents had gone through many cameras. The photography genes just ran in my blood. My grandfather was an avid Canon Photographer.
My mum, was his model.
His pictures were so darn good, they were even featured in the 1987 edition of Canon's annual photography contest.

Throughout this past year that I have been blogging, I have tried and tested many different digital cameras. It all began with this ancient 5.0 megapixel fatty I bought with my mum 4 years ago. And now, it has evolved to the super big-ass fatty pro DSLR I use now, the Canon EOS 500D

I've used so many different cameras, but the one thing that never changes is my love-hate relationship with them.

Over the years, I kept getting fed up with what I had and would go camera hopping. If you asked me which one was my favourite, I really can't tell because each one has their own pros and cons

These days, depending on the occasion, I have a choice of up to three different cameras.

No wait, lemme rephrase that. I only have one choice. My DSLR. I gave my compact to my sister in Australia XD

I can't use my phone camera because the quality just sucks. Stupid phone I tell you. You know something funny? Everytime I go shopping for technological equipment, I go with my dad. He always knows how to get the best price. And the worst products :P

If I'm travelling or going places, I have no choice but to lug around my 1.5kg hideously pro DSLR with me.

I have no choice because my pro cam takes far better quality pictures than my slim camera anytime.

Lemme show you an example using a photo taken with a DSLR.

See? No matter where I go, I know I will regret it if I don't bring old fatty.
As much as I admit that DSLR take awesome pictures, there is something I must confess.

I HATE USING A DSLR CAMERA.

Yes, they take great pictures. And yes, now, you CAN shoot HD video with one. And yes, now, you don't have to look through the "hole" anymore to take a picture. You can just use Live View.

BUT.

1. DSLR cameras are really cumbersome to use. Especially if you're the waiter serving me at a fancy restaurant.

Half the time they fumble with their fingers trying to figure out which button to press. The other half of the time, the stare blankly at the LCD screen waiting like a jackass for the picture to appear.

2. Have you ever seen anyone camwhore with a DSLR?

It's downright stupid I tell you.
And that's why I much prefer to go out with my slim camera in my pants. If only I had one.

3. The outright reason why I prefer compacts. You can't bring a DSLR underwater.

This is probably the closest I've ever brought my DSLR to water. And even then, it was behind 6 inch thick glass.

Even if I did, I would probably have to pay an extra RM 1499 for an underwater housing unit.
For that price, I might as well buy a Sony DSC-TX5. And now, ladies and gentlemen, the essence of this entire blog post.

Nuffnang is giving away three of these drop dead gorgeous cameras. And I want one.
Who wouldn't?

It's the "World’s Slimmest Water-proof Camera". People like Chen Yang would die to look like this camera. For me? I own a DSLR but I look like a compact ;)

Unlike most camera's, the TX5 is obviously waterproof (up to 3m) . But, it's also....

Dust-proof. No more dust getting stuck in your lens :)

Shock-proof. Time to test Mr. Chin's Physics concepts. Does Force really equal mass times acceleration?

Temperature-proof. Don't have to worry about your auto focus jamming when you step into the Ice Bar in Sanctuary@Curve

The TX5's Exmor R CMOS sensor and BIONZ Image Processor combined with its immaculate 25mm wide angle Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar lens make it the perfect companion for any budding photograper, anytime, anywhere.

This camera isn't just there to look pretty; it comes pre-loaded with awesome features like Sweep Panorama and Handheld Twilight.

Now, I don't have to use my stupid Picture Stitch software that came bundled with my DSLR. I can do it all in one single sweep with the TX5.

And with the Handheld Twilight, even you can take captivating photos, like this!

So there you go, my good friends at Nuffnang. Life would be so much easier if I had a super sexy slim Sony DSC-TX5 which I could bring underwater, into an ice box, drop on purpose and throw dust into the lens, just for fun :)

His Name Was Bootstrap Bill

2010-06-07T16:52:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #8

Just finished 5 hours of tuition. I honestly don't know how I slogged through 5 hours of Physics and Add Maths.
Blog hopping is quite an interesting thing to do when you're bored. FYI :)

Read Between The Lines

2010-06-06T16:39:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #7

Reading between the lines isn't as easy as it looks, because, well, first you gotta find the lines.
What you see at first doesn't tell the whole story, but once you delve deeper, it all becomes clear.
Like, in High Definiton.

I guess my neighbour's lawn needs mowing.

Lost In Translation

2010-06-05T22:49:00.003+08:00

Project 365: #6

When's the last time you bought a bottle of Pepsi? Everytime I buy Pepsi, I can still taste the leftover lime from the Pepsi Lime remnants. So anyways, back to the blog post. Lost in translation.

Loosely translated, the words on the bottle in English are:

Rev-up your ball action

LOL XD

Is That The Sky?

2010-06-04T19:16:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #5

If I didn't have tuition, the world would be a much better place.
Honestly.

Define Freedom

2010-06-03T20:48:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #4

The Oxford Dictionary defines freedom as the state of being free, not being imprisoned or enslaved.
But, does this definition apply to all of us? For Wesleyans, and I know this sounds very cliche, but freedom, is when you finish your exams. See, I told you it would be cliche :)

But to Freddie Yong Jin Hou, life, is like chicken. Think about it. It'll make sense after you eat some fried chicken. You gotta embrace your inner chicken to find out what your outer chicken is like. Okay, now I sound really high.

I Beg Your Pardon?

2010-06-02T17:01:00.001+08:00

Project 365: #3

I actually thought that to start a Project 365, you have to start on the 1st of January.
Well, I guess not.

Today's Sejarah exam was the best sleep I've ever had in school.
The paper finished at 3.00pm, I was still asleep at 3.05pm.

Sometimes Blur Is Good.

2010-06-01T20:32:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #2

Yes, it's true. Blur can be a bit of a blessing at times.
Like, in Biology class. If you don't know the answer, just act blur, and look at the whiteboard.
Not that I'm blur myself, I just happen to know a few blur people ;)

Have You Met Larry Yet?

2010-05-31T18:51:00.002+08:00

Project 365: #1

This, is Larry. He's a nuts about work student. Unlike me.

Now, so many people have changed their Facebook names to some stupid shit.
Like Chen Yang for example. Kevin Larry Lambert. When I first saw it, I thought it was Adam Lambert's gay partner's name. The display picture really sold it.

And then there's Justin Kong. Well, now he's Justin Garrett Kong.
Its like, who the crap is Garrett?

And the worst of all, you ask? Lee Eu Jin. Who is now known as Lee DeWise
No offence lah guys, but, couldn't you be at least a teensy weensy bit more original?

Imma Try Something New.

2010-05-30T12:20:00.003+08:00

I read a lot of blogs. And when I say "a lot", I mean "A LOT" of blogs.
But there's one blog I visit everyday. Nav's.
Don't ask me why. I just do.

I think it's the fact that her pictures turn out super great.
And maybe the fact that she does lomography.
Ohh, and that Project 365 thing seems uber cool.

So I thought that I'd give it a shot.
Yeah, I know it might be a little overdue, but here is Project 365 Number 149

There's really nothing else I can blog about now. Mid-Term exams is the worst writer's block anyone could have. After exams, I should update my blog more often.

Neglection leads to Closure.

2010-05-16T13:17:00.002+08:00

Everytime I turn on my computer, I go through my usual routine.
Gmail, Facebook, Hotmail, and a bunch of other things which should not be disclosed.

When I open my Facebook, I can almost hear Mdm. Haslina shouting. "Ashwin Muthu Arumugam, go and study!!!!"
Yeah, she's the only teacher in the history of WMS to use my middle name.

The thing is, there's just so much to study, but so little time.
Everyday, I go to sleep at 1am because I'm busy studying for Mid-Term which is in less than a week.

So for the next two weeks,
Six Faces Blog is officially...
CLOSED.

HTC HD Mini. Truly YOU. Quietly Brilliant.

2010-05-03T17:16:00.007+08:00

Ever since my Dopod died, I've been looking high and low for a new phone.
It was my very first Windows Mobile Phone, and eventhough it ran the slowest version,
I still had fun going to YouTube using the school office's WiFi every morning.

But now, thanks to Xia Xue, I just might be getting a new HTC HD Mini.
Emphasise on the might and new.
Might, because it's a competition.
New, because well......

It isn't exactly new.
But, who the hell cares right? It's still the most awesomest HTC phone in the world!

So basically, all I'm supposed to do is blog about why I need this phone and all it's cool features.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy right?
Think again.

Many many years ago, HTC used to be called Dopod.
Yes, HTC was originally a Chinese company.

Anyways, back to the HTC HD Mini.

Obviously, that's not my hand.
And neither is the phone. Yet.
Back to the phone.

Its a full touchscreen phone. Duh.

My Dopod was also a touchscreen, but compared to the HD Mini, it's like trying to cut a brick.
I am currently using my sister's phone, and always mix it up with a touchscreen.
Touching the HD Mini is like touching a baby. It's so smooth and intuitive.

Next, the homescreen. You know the iPhone interface? Multiply it by a million and you get....
A masterpiece.
Its a fully customiseable home screen for YOU to put all your most commonly used applications which can be accessed with the touch of a finger.

It's so cool, it even has an animated weather wallpaper. It would be even cooler if it had a wallpaper that changed according to your Facebook status :D

Let's talk numbers. In grams.
In the left corner, weighing a staggering 170g, the Dopod D810!
And in the right corner, the HD Mini, undefeated champion for the Featherweight Mobile Championship, weighing in at 110g!

Clearly, it's lightweight, and as the name suggests, TINY!!

The HD Mini is a powerhouse. It packs 3G, bluetooth, WiFi and best of all, FM Radio!
Yes, now you too can listen to your favourite Hitz.fm chart shows anytime, anywhere!

And now, the best part of this post. The camera section.

My Dopod had 2.0 megapixels. Sucky right?
HD Mini is the complete all in one solution.
5.0 megapixels of autofocus Widescreen Photo Capture technology.

The photos taken turn out crisp and clear.
Better than my bloody Sony Ericsson W200i

So there you go Xia Xue and friends. This is why I need a HTC HD Mini.
Because I have a bloody crappy phone right now and I need something that's truly brilliant :D

Facebook Notifications Are Off The Charts

2010-04-29T23:14:00.003+08:00

Within the first week of Form 4, the people in my class did something very stupid.
Pui Teng, Freddie, Me, Tzer Chyuan, Mariko, Naveena and Sher. PFATMANS
We even have our own rock.

And ever since PFATMANS, my Facebook notifications have been off the charts.
Like, after I went to Australia for 10 days, I had 50 notifications.
All from PFATMANS.

This shot was from today.
I got one notification every minute.
And it gets so pissing off because there's just so many.

Just look at the time difference between each one.

And the worst part is, we talk about the most random crap in the whole world.
Especially Sher and I ;)

To be honest, there is actually a solution. Skype.
Ahh, but with every great solution, there are hundreds more problems.
It would be so weird if I Skyped 7 people from my class in the middle of my living room.

Downgraded

2010-04-07T12:07:00.002+08:00

I've come to realise the hard way why Malaysia doesn't encourage products of China.
You see, a normal HTC battery is supposed to look like a rectangle.

Does this look like a rectangle to you?

When I was buying this battery with my dad in Low Yat of all places, we bargained for the lowest price we could get.
"Ehh, come on lah boss, RM 75 lah. I pay cash for you!"

In the end, we paid RM 80. And it only lasted three months.
If I had charged this battery one more time, it would have exploded.
Don't believe me? Go to Youtube and search for "China battery exploding"

So since I can't turn my phone on.....
I had to get a new one.

Wait, did I say new? I meant old. No sorry, let me rephrase that. Ancient.
I went from the epitome of mobile computing to the foothill of Pakistani mobile.
How am I going to survive another minute with this damn phone?

Don't tell me to go play "Snake"
It's the most retarded game in the world. Seriously

Stuck in Starbucks

2010-04-02T13:00:00.002+08:00

The title explains everything.
My DELL computer died. So did the network adapter.
So no internet at the Six Faces household.

At least I have a laptop. And Starbucks.
I didn't even buy anything and I get free Wi-Fi.
:D

2010-03-22T19:20:00.003+08:00

Small Talk:

My grandfather is a stamp collector, and he has access to the stamp printing facilities in Pos Malaysia. He printed my family our very own personalised set of stamps.

Back From Down Under

2010-03-22T18:13:00.005+08:00

Missed me? I think not.
Yeah, I'm back from Australia. Whopeeee, big surprise!
Again, no.

The Air Asia flight was so retarded. Tony Fernandes has the same cheapskate Malaysian mentality that every Malaysian has.
The only thing Air Asia is good for is the price. And its not even value for money!
You pay RM 1200 for only 7kg of hand carry and no check-in baggage. You don't even get food on the plane!

Imagine spending 6 hours flying to Perth at 2.30 am and not having anything to eat.
Anyways, enough of my rants. Perth was good. I mean really good.

It's the warmest state in Australia and also the most expensive. Mind you, the exchange rate is now 3.1
The smallest house there costs about AUD$ 500,000. That's like RM 1.5 million! And that's just for a single storey house! The bungalows cost like 5 or 6 million Aussie!

The Land Down Under is actually a really nice place. The minute you set foot there, it's like real culture shock. Everyone is really nice to you, the say "hi" and smile, they even say excuse me.

This should be a lesson for all Malaysians, even the Prime Minister. I challenge you to spend one week in Australia and after that one week, comeback to Malaysia and change the way you do things. It's life changing :D

There isn't really much difference between Perth and Malaysia. Okay, maybe climate and culture are pretty big, but at the end of the day, the people's attitudes is the biggest difference.

They even have pasar malams there. With authentic Chinaman behind the counter.

I managed to take some really great pictures there with my 500D. Did you know, Canon has already come out with a 550D? 18 MP for Rm 3113 and 18-55mm IS lens.
Perth City at night.

One of six beaches off the coast of Perth. The sunsets there are really breathtaking. Seriously.

I told you so. Sunset. Beautiful.

I even saw a surfing competition. But since I don't have a super long telephoto lens, I tried taking a few with my current one. Unfortunately, they didn't turn out.

So I went to another beach. This one up there was really dangerous because there were so many rocks.

Nemo! At the Aquarium Of Western Australia, AQWA.

Another version of the Malaysian Eye. Except this one is 6000 miles away, in Perth.

The only thing I think Perth should adopt from Malaysia is...

FREE Wi-Fi !!!
There is absolutely no wi-fi in the entire of Australia that is free. Even in McDonalds.
10 days of no Internet. By the time I came back, I had 50 Facebook notifications, 3 messages and 10 friend requests.

XD.

How to Win USD$333,330 on a Golf Course

2010-03-07T22:29:00.005+08:00

Well, if you follow ESPN at ungodly hours, you would have known that the Maybank Malaysian Open 2010 finals was last Sunday at my home club, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
But let me guess, you don't.

Because I was so busy studying, I couldn't go until the last day.
Normally, when I go for tournaments like these, I don't take a camera. Well this time, since I had my EOS 500D handy, I did!

Step 1: Get in touch with Malaysia's No.1 Junior Golfer. Paul San. Current handicap. 3
I spent almost the entire day walking around with him and a few of my other golfing friends.

Step 2: Whack the ball like nobody's business. Imagine your hitting someone's nuts. I promise you, you'll get an extra 50 metres.

Step 3: How do you tell if you're really good?
Well, if the crowd looks like this...

And they have lenses like this....
Then, you're really good.

"Bang! I shoot you."

This is the dude who came in Third place.
Looks like there's still hope for fat people. And thin people. *Cough*

That's like RM200,000 worth of lenses. I need a telephoto lens. At least a medium one.
But before I do get one, I was thinking of getting a prime lens.

Step 4: If you think you're gonna win, practice your trophy holding pose at home before you come.

And obviously, this is the winner. Noh Seong Yul. He's only 19 wei. You know what his winnig song should have been? "I'm a Korean." Because he is a Korean. Duh.

He's so Korean, he doesn't even know how to speak English. His translator had to tell him how to pose.

The funny thing is, this is his dad. And his dad speaks perfect English. Weird. Korean people ahh...

The great thing about having a DSLR is when you take photos of Carlsberg Girls, they look at you without thinking you're some horny Indian dude.
If I went up to one of them with my digital camera, they would probably have slapped me.

Step 5: And now, how to celebrate your victory. With Carlsberg.
Yum yum.

Step 6: After your ice cold beer, go have a swim with a bunch of your closest golfing buddies and then call it a day.

And that is how you win USD$ 333,330 on a golf course.

What? St. What's Day?

2010-02-14T17:50:00.000+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Chai :D
Or as Kris Allen says, "Gong Xi Fei Chai"
Is it mere coincidence that Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's day this year?

The year of the Tiger. Hmpph, maybe Tiger Woods will have a better love life this year.
I wonder how many bouquets he sent out this year.

I'm sure St Valentine would have something to say about that.

Let's ask Saint Six Faces
I hate that pose now.

Valentine's day was named after that guy up there.
Not me. The Jesus looking guy.
He makes things like this happen. Love Stories.

"Oh Romeo. Where fort art thou?"

"I'm right here. And you're strangling me"
Just goes to show, love can't be forced. Trust me, I should know.

Maybe Someday.

2010-02-07T13:24:00.002+08:00

Facebook Status Updates have failed me.For once, I couldn't find words to describe how I felt.
For a while, I actually thought Facebook was overrated.

Don't get me wrong, but I did have a bad day.
It's not everyday you get into the Semifinals of an International contest only to find out 2 hours later on your Opera Mobile browser that you didn't get into the Finals.

I thought this was gonna be a lucky number.
It was, until the Semifinals.

At least I had something to look forward to the next day.
The LEO Charity Night Dinner. Or so I thought.
Hmmphhh. Presumptuous me.

RM 100. Expensive. But for a good cause.
I guess the saying "Be content with what you have" really showed through last night.
I don't know why, but all the phrases and proverbs just kept popping into my mind.
And that only happened after I ate the Shark Fin Soup.

I was really sad last night. It just made me want to curl up in a ball.
Bryan as well. I hate people who judge other people on what they wear.

But then, you're given an opportunity to straighten things out.
Iron out the creases and bumps. That's what I'm gonna do.

Its like they say, "Always look on the bright side of life"
Kind of hard to do when you're Indian :D

Maybe someday, I'll be Dato' Ashwin.
Maybe. Who knows.

I just hope I don't end up in the trash.
And then work for Alam Flora.

4P United Nations Day 2010

2010-02-03T21:01:00.003+08:00

UN Day is this Friday!
Ohh crap, I can't come :(

Because I'm going for the ISKL SEA Forensics.
The what?
International School of Kumkuats and Lazy Stupid Eurasian Aunties Forensics.

Its actually,
International School of Kuala Lumpur South East Asian Forensics
Rich kids school.

Some competition lah...
If I get into the Finals on Saturday, I don't have to come for the Jogathon.
Yeah, that's my goal :D

Anyways, come to my class's UN Day!!
At the netball court, okay?
United Kingdom is the country.

Like the flyer?
Yeah, I did it.

In-House Leadership Camp 2010

2010-01-23T20:52:00.000+08:00

WOW. One word describes it all.
By far, the best camp organised by the Wesley Methodist students and teachers.
I really pity you if you didn't get chosen to attend.

Right now, I don't have any pictures.
Too lazy to take photos.
One thing I did get was a sore throat.

I was shouting our warcry all the time.
Me: Who's gonna win, gonna win, gonna win?
Group 2: Bas-ket-ball!!
Me: Who's gonna win, gonna win, gonna win?
Group 2: Bas-ket-ball!!
Me: I can't hear you!!
Group 2: Bas-ket-ball!!
Me: What?
Group 2: *Silent*

My throat is so painful, I can't even talk.
I came home, showered and immediatley had a hot lemon tea.
Indian Style.

Indian style means, gay cup.
With Winnie and Piglet.
Not Chuck Winnie. Winnie the Pooh.
Emphasise on the pooh

Doesn't look like hot lemon tea right?
Look more like the water from the boys toilet in school.

Now I know where it comes from.
Reverse Poohmosis.

In the end, it was all worth it, because my group became the Champions.
Go Basketball!!!
Yeah, with Bow, Kim and Zach in my team, how not to win?

But, one thing we all learnt during the camp.
Mun Keat for sure will beocme a prefect this year.
He's Mr. Naresh's best friend what?

You Look Different - In A Good Way

2010-01-15T19:25:00.002+08:00

I went to pick you up today, at our usual spot - the canteen.
But my lady, I can't help but to, notice you, noticing me (Just like that Akon song)

Somehow, you looked a little bit different.
First of all, what the hell happened to your paint job?

My dearest Pepsi, you look prettier now.
And one thing I'm glad of is, that after so many face lifts, you still taste the same.

But the normal Pepsi still has that slight hint of lemon in it.
Some things just weren't meant to change.

Gardenia - If only you were cheaper on your own...

2010-01-09T19:00:00.004+08:00

The Government announced a few days ago that the price of sugar had increased.
Whoopee, big deal.
Hell yeah it was.

Its sugar only right?
Surely nothing else could get more expensive?
WRONG!

Bread. Gardenia bread to be exact.
We take it for granted, yet we use it everyday.
Not just as food, but to wipe our butts clean, or deliver babies if you're not in a hospital.

Yeah, did you know, bread is one of the most sterile things in the world next to tissue paper?
Only problem is, you might get yeast infection.

RM 3.20 for bread?
It used to be RM 2.90!

They also said that school canteen's were not allowed to increase the price of food.
So, Wesley Methodist School very smart.
They went and increased the price of Milo.
From RM 1.50 to Rm 1.60

Anyway, on a less financially unsecure note, the Form 4's have gotten their lockers.
I got number 3. In between Arjun and Ming Xiang. Haha, what a joke :D

What I suggest you do is make a copy of the real key, and keep the original key at home, somewhere safe.
Or you could just be like Tzer Chyuan and swallow it.

But only swallow it after you make a copy.
Otherwise you have to excrete the key everytime you want to open your locker.

Key, meet Carbon Copy.

I'm 9 going on 10

2009-12-31T00:34:00.003+08:00

2009 has gone by really fast.
It seems like only yesterday we were shitting in our pants wondering if we would get 7A's.

A lot happened this year for me.
My sister's 21st birthday.

I went clubbing with my cousins eventhough I was 15.
Haha, stupid bouncers :D

Celebrated my grandfathers 80th birthday with my entire family.

And went to Bali and came back with all my body parts.

But, somewhere inside, I feel that somethings missing.
And I can't find it. No matter how deep I dig.

Ahh well, somethings are better left untouched.
2009, it was fun while it lasted.
Hopefully 2010 will be kinder to me...

By the way, my iPod is selling for only RM 400

iPod Nano 4th Gen For Sale RM 400

2009-12-14T14:42:00.004+08:00

Remember my trusty iPod Nano?
The one I've had for a few months?

It's for sale.
RM 400 is all I'm asking for.

This is the 4th Generation iPod Nano
But it still comes with Cover Flow

8GB of fulltime pleasure
It's like brand new.
No scratches at all.
Original colour. Lime Green

You can also watch HD quality episodes of your favourite TV Series
i.e: Chuck

The whole set comes with the USB cable, iPod Nano, headphones and the box.
The box and headphones are optional.

Remember, RM 400 only.
Tell all your friends.
And ask them to tell all of their friends.

If you have any questions, call me, 012-2423000
The iPod serial number is YM908EFQ3QX

3P "Farewell" @ The Curve

2009-12-10T22:41:00.004+08:00

On the last day of school, some idiot decided to have a farewell for Rachel, Alison and Fiona.
Well, it wasn't much of a farewell since Fiona left without having dinner.

Nevertheless, the show must go on!
We started with karaoke. Not bad for RM 20 an hour.

Rachel decided to camwhore with me while I was singing.
Damn funny weih...

After that, we went to have dinner at TGIF.
We went at like 5.30 pm
TGIF was full, so we went to Italianese.

Justin was damn scared that Rachel would bite his head off.
Hahahahaha!

Yeah, I know my eyes are closed, but I don't know why we were all laughing so hard.

This is only half of the 3P gang.
When we were taking this photo, Phin Yuan's gang was "shopping"

The bill was the best part.
RM 666. That's like the Devil's phone number.
Jia En said his bill was better.

He was right!
Mc Chicken Shit
LMAO!!

More 701's...

2009-12-09T21:46:00.005+08:00

Remember that 701 Panduan Contest?
Yeah, more submissions...

Just bear with me.
I really want that new iPhone 3Gs

Just so you know, there is no such thing as W701.
That's just my W200i
Yeah, I used paint.net

Its normally 700 MB.
701 MB is way better...

701Panduan is Malaysia Online Directory

701Panduan is Malaysia Online Directory

2009-12-07T17:11:00.007+08:00

If there's one thing in this world that's changed me, it's gotta be 701 Panduan.
Malaysia's best online directory.

If I'm in need of something, I just look it up in 701.
The only thing they don't have is Kenny Sia's phone number.

And since 701 is so great, they decided to have a blog contest.
I really wanna win that iPhone 3Gs.

The idea is to take photos of 701's
Please don't copy my ideas.
Seriously.

701 on Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 Beta

Christmas Vs Wedding Receptions

2009-12-06T12:53:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was my cousin's wedding reception in PGRM.
In this really big hall. This is just one half of the hall.

I got there at 2.30 pm to help out with the table decor and sound system.
I left there a t 2.30 am today.

Arvind thought is was a fancy dress party and came dressed as Elvis.

Arvind actually danced to all the Bhangra music.
Yes, he can dance. Ask him at Naomi's party.

Nice, no?

Christmas is near. Santa lost an arm and a leg.
My birthday is nearer.
Yup, tomorrow, I officially turn 15.

One final question. Between Christmas and Wedding Receptions, which one would I choose?
Wedding receptions lah.
Coz it's more entertaining to see Arvind dance than receive presents.

Jingle All The Way...

2009-12-04T15:39:00.003+08:00

Christmas time is near.
And so is my birthday.

Hopefully this year, Santa will give me a present for being a good boy.
To make the chances of that happening even higher, I decided to set up my Christmas tree!

I give you, Christmas in a box!
Hey, for a one time payment of RM 65, this tree has lasted the Arumugam family 10 years of joyful Christmas!

The only problem is, you have to do it yourself.

After hours of pondering how to go about this conundrum, I got an idea!
I'd make it my Christmas wish!
Then Santa can do all the work for me.

Looks like I had to do it the hard way...

It's A Party In Ashwin's House!!

2009-11-29T20:08:00.002+08:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who came to my party!
This is not the entire group...
There were like 31 people or something like that....

My party was so cool, I even had a Facebook page!!

Theresh was there, so don't mistake him for me.
For some unspeakable reason, we were wearing almost the same shirt...

Victor...

And Li Yang...
Were all over my mum and sister.
Especially Victor...

Me and Shanice...
Ehhh, don't ever watch New Moon with Shanice.

During the movie

Me: I paid RM 12 for this freaking gay shit!!
Shanice: Wow, he's so hot!! Look at his abs !!

Don't ask why these photos are so blur.
Jeremy Sze took them...

Really sorry I haven't blogged in quite a while.
I was just so damn busy...

How To Survive A Stupid Early Morning Flight To Bali

2009-11-11T19:32:00.002+08:00

Going to Bali tomorrow morning.

Stupid early morning flight.....
I'll sleep on the plane and when I wake up I'll be awake on the hotel bed.

Like this guy...

The Grand Hyatt bed to be exact.
That's where I'm staying...

Until next Monday...
Bali got internet ahh?

Madness in Melaka

2009-11-10T21:05:00.003+08:00

I'm really sorry I haven't blogged for so long.

To tell you the truth, I felt really lazy to blog.

Like there was no purpose in life at all....

So, lets's start with the awesome Melaka Trip.

Really good...

We went to some butterfly park which had more reptiles than butterflies.

Just so you know, I am freaked out by butterflies.

To be frank, I hate anything that flies.

In Facebook, I tagged these gay lizards as Bow, Shern, Bryan and Yang.

It looks so funny.

I have a picture of the orang utan's testicles, but I'll spare you this time.

Some of the pictures I took were damn nice.

Like this one...

Or maybe this one.

Daun paling berbulu di dunia.

After that we went to Jonkers Street.

Bought a white Jason Mraz looking hat.

So did Bryan...

In front of the Royal Regina fountain.

Bryan calls it the Royal vagina...

Ahhhhhhhh!!!

Bees are taking over the world!!!!

The bus ride home was the best.

M class bus was awesome.

With Chen Yang, Daniel and Bryan, the fun never stops.

There Comes A Time...

2009-10-26T17:43:00.001+08:00

Let's start with a simple question.
Did you think the iFun carnival was actually fun?
My answer, it should have been called iBoring.

No offence Interacters, you did a great job...
But you could have had more activities...

You always do.

Anyways, at 1 o'clock, we had this briefing for Form 4 in the Hall.
So we sat down patiently and waited.
Then Mrs. Matthews came in.

She was like, "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am Mrs. Matthews."
The whole form started laughing.
The way she said it was so damn funny.

Then the torture began.
One by one, the teachers lavishly explained their teaching methods.
Lets start with physics, shall we?

This is the crap we'll be doing for two damn years.
Ahhhh...

Then was biology.
Ms. Teng.

"Study Biology doesn't mean you have to become doctor. You can become doctor, nutritionist, pharmacist and many more"
Basically they are all derived from the root word "doctor"

Chemistry.
For dummies like us

Sounds like "heaven" don't you think?

Mdm. Sara Tan's speech was the best.
Seriously.
"Everytime students say they have never failed a subject before. I tell you ahh, Add Maths you will surely fail!"

That was the bomb.
The entire hall was laughing like shit.
Even the parents.

But, I tell you one thing lar...
Don't study too much.
Or else you will become like her...

Beyonce - Cancelled?

2009-10-25T21:32:00.003+08:00

Do you remember what your first concert was like?
Well, I do.

As a matter of fact, mine was so weird, I ended up going with my mum.
Don't ask how. Or even why.
The worst part is, it was a Pussy Cat Dolls Concert.

It was like 2 months before UPSR.
I begged my parents to let me go.
Again, don't ask why.

Don't even judge me.

The ticket looks so cool.
I still have it.

But I'm not here to talk about Cats or Dolls or even (not to be stated here)
I'm here to talk about Beyonce.
Rumours say that they postponed the concert.
But we're in Malaysia, and Malaysia Boleh!

The one question that really dumbfounds me is why is a minority political party deciding who can sing and who cannot sing?

Another stupid thing is, if they say Beyonce doesn't wear enough, why the hell did they even let PCD come here?

Hypocritical right?
Okay, in a way lar...
Just compare for yourself!
Who has more on their figure?

Malaysia wants to get on the world map.
The freakin world map is coming to you jackasses!!

You're so damn dumb, you don't even understand.
You know, there's a saying, "I was born intelligent, but Malaysian education ruined me."

So true.

When Life Gives You Lemons, You Squeeze So Hard Until All The Juice Comes Out...

2009-10-15T22:40:00.004+08:00

Last day of exams for the year is always funny with Mr. Moore.
Bryan and I sit in the first row, right in front of the microphone stand thingy.

We were planning to do the wave, then Mr. Moore said...
"These two boys are planning something. Don't follow them."

Bryan looked up, and Mr. Moore was like, "Bryan, I'll kick you out of my car!"

My essay was 542 words long.
Word limit, 350-500 words.

The question went something like this...

"I only have six months left to live" announced the old gentleman. And then some crap I can't really remember.
Basically, my essay was about this old man who gave me a sandwich and taught me the meaning of life.

Like I say, when life gives you lemons, you squeeze them so hard until all the juice comes out.
Opportunities are endless.
All you have to do is pick the right one.

My story was supposed to be in London.
But here's what it would sound like in Malaysia.

The Time Has Come...

2009-10-14T19:33:00.007+08:00

Over the past few years, I've gained a profound interest in photography.
Don't get me wrong, but I have a craving for "animated" photos.

Photos that arouse the senses.
If you're turned on by that, don't blame me.

Like this one.
Shot in Pangkor Island with my trusty Digital Ixus 75

What would I do without it?
It felt so robust in my hands, so strong and steady.
Ready for action anytime, anyplace.

It had a large and sensuous 3.0" LCD screen.
Face detection, AiAF, and a bunch of crap even I couldn't understand.

The only mode I used was Auto.
I was too afraid to choose manual.
The camera was just too overwhelming.

But, unfortunately my dear Ixus, I have met someone new.
I have been seeing her for the past nine months, and now its time.
It's finally here. This Friday, Low Yat Plaza

I'm getting an EOS 500D.
Ixus, it hurts me to part, but I have to.

I'm sure you'll have fun in my mum's handbag.

Don't bother asking what she was doing there.
Ohh, by the way, her last camera, the Olympus F-150 died and couldn't retract its lens.
Have fun Ixus!

Maybe someday I'll be a world famous photographer.
Who takes photos in a really horny pose.
Right up my alley, if you get my drift..

I also have an obsession for all things Mac.
Always wanted one, but can't have one.

Solution #1

Patch up my system with spyware, freeware, corrupt-your-computer-ware, and macware.
It'll end up like this.

Not bad for 24 hours of downloads.
It actually looked like a real Mac.
Click to enlarge.

But then I rediscovered Windows 7
Still waiting to buy one, but I'm dealing with Vista for now.

My Windows 7 makeover only consists of one program, ViGlance.
The taskbar. It iconises the icons.

It's way easier if you have Vista pre-installed.
Less work to do.

Slurpeeeeeeeelicious!

2009-10-13T20:17:00.003+08:00

So, after a long battle, the Form 3's can finally rest in peace.

Not literally, but, you get my drift. Problem is, how to destress??

Thankfully, 7-Eleven has come up with a solution!
Slurpeeee!!!

Eager to try out their bogus claim, I headed down to my local 7-Eleven.
Wah, you go there wan ahh, for sure you see a rosak sign!
But not this time!!

I was greeted with so many options, I didn't know what to pick.
But then, I heard them talking to me!!

Hell yeah, you damn right!
It was freaking cold.
I didn't just get brain freeze.
I got frost bite!!

5 minutes later...

10 minutes later...

15 minutes later....

Slurpee makes my eyes pop out...

And it gets me high...

Leheim!!
To life..

Only in 7-Eleven.

The Million Dollar Question?

2009-10-07T19:54:00.007+08:00

The end is near.
I still can't believe I got 100% for Geography.
This year was like stealing candy from a baby that hasn't even been born yet!
That's how easy it was...

So, now, everyone's asking the same question.
"Where are you going for holiday?", stuff like that.
Last, year I didn't have a solid answer.

This year, I do!!
I'm going to BALI!!!!

Just imagine, the Six Faced Blogger in Bali...
I promise I won't do that stupid tree hugging pose.
Ever.

Otherwise it will turn out something like this...

Wouldn't want that to happen would we?

And, I don't want to come back like how I did in Form 1, when I went back to my grass roots.
India...

And saw some of my relatives.

Did I mention that I left a part of me behind?
Literally.
I honestly don't know why I went botak.
From experience, I now know that the girls don't like it.

Hopefully when I come back from Bali, I don't leave anything behind...

So far, I have 4A dalam tangan...

Bahasa Melayu,
English,
Science and
Geography.

3 more subjects to go.
Sejarah, Maths and Kemahiran Hidup.

Therefore, 3+4=7
or, 3A+4A=7A

Whatever suits you.
As long as I get what I want.

The Deadly Hour

2009-10-02T21:39:00.003+08:00

We didn't expect it to be this close.
It's breathing down our necks.
There is no escape.

A few tips though.
Don't eat too much or you will become like my friend Chen Yang.
Then you can't answer the questions.

Chen Yang grapes.
Made in Guangzhou.

I'm too lazy to upload my own photos.
I took all of these from Chen Yang's blog.

PMR is 107 hours away.
Good luck to all my Form Three friends.

BM....Sejarah
Gone case....
Hopefully can get A...

5% chance...
The Six Faced Blogger sudah tutup sementara.

What's In The Mail?

2009-09-26T22:48:00.006+08:00

Hmmm...
I wonder what this could be?
Joy is a journey of Discovery?
Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Adressed to:

My dad.
From BMW.
Burnt My Wallet.
Black Man's Wife.

Their tagline is always so horny.
Less ... More ... pleasure.

But, if your product comes with a Passport to Joy,
Why not buy it?

I have this thing for all the letters that are sent from BMW.
I love unpacking them.

They take so much time to print each one because
They know that each BMW owner is special.

Someday.
We will be married!
I mean the car lah...

The 1 Series looks like a Proton Waja crashed into the back of an Audi.
And all 8 doors miraculously fused into 2.
Note to self: Never ever buy a 1 Series

It's Out To Get You...

2009-09-25T19:09:00.004+08:00

Just a few more days.
Until It's out to get you...

Not the Afro haired Blogger...
I mean PMR...
By the way, that photo was taken at the Prefect's Farewell this year.

So, in the midst of all the studying, I realised I was short of workbooks.
So I went to CzipLee and bought some.

Instead I saw this.
Not the bike, or the taxi.
Look closer...
Behind the Indian guys freakishly big-ass head...

Ahaa!!
Italian pleasure on wheels.
Ferrari.

So, while I was doing one of my recently purchased workbooks, I came across this.
Berpengetahuan dalam ilmu Ninja??
Stupid Japanese people...

I got so bored of doing work, I did this.
To watch you...

It looks damn nice on my calculator.
Did you notice the eye is Indian?

Another thing you might not have noticed is the Blogger logo has mysteriously changed.
To me climbing a tree.

I leave you to ponder over how I did it...