Merry Christmas!

I could type longer if not for the internet that is about to be cut because of the winter holidays, so I'll just leave you ppl with the pics and some really-really short descriptions!


How 'muah chee' is made in my place....traditional but damn delicious!


Yamato Koriyama, my city, has the most famous 'thing' in the whole Jap....


This temple is built because the monk likes to drink tea...I'm not joking ok!


The minum area....


The tea! Damn bitter la....but the smell is very good! Something like pandan smell!


My trip continues to a traditional Japanese house...owned by a couple aged 80++ but have no kids cos they decided that its too fussy...I'm not lying again!



You can't find these in Japan anymore!


'Sushi King' in my city....look how old-fashioned it is....but according to him, machines makes rice without the 'feel' to it! Compared to the warmth of his hand...It was nicer!


1st course, sashimi(just plain uncooked fished)...I even ate my friends portion cos he came from Mongolia, and anything that has more than 4 legs, or/and with fins is considered as a bug to him(and his fellow countrymens)....lucky me!


2nd course, the sushis! Clockwise from the top: Unagi(Eel), Sake(Salmon), I don't know what it is, Kani(crab). Guess who doesn't eat sushi too?



My New found friends who are aliens too!


From left:
Shia(American born Hispanic) hates the fact that she was born in America? Very short cos she is not really an 'ar mor'.
Howard Leong(ABC, Aussies born Chinese...he is a Taiwanese banana too!) We 'clicked' just after a few seconds of knowing each other!. Yeah! The next time I wanna go over to Sdyney, I can just give him a call n whola! a free place to stay!
Fillipa(Swedish) very friendly and has this habit of taking pctures whenever she can!(She doesn't own 1 though, so its always someone elses camera!) Kinda cute, no?

Well, I'll be out for my holidays and my internet will not be up from today(22nd Dec) till some time 2 weeks from now...for those who have anything you wanna update me, mail me, I might be free to check it once in a while..but till then! Adioz!
=OUT FOR A HOLIDAY=

Friends & Friendship

I haven't been blogging much for the past few days even though my exams was like over almost a week ago....blame it on my laziness, but I din't go anywhere interesting for the past few weeks(exams la!) nor did I do anything stupid enough to blog it up....however after reading Jason & my ex-roomie's blog, I think I have something to write about afterall!

Well, I just wanna talk about friends....my gang, friends in PFS, friends in Penang, friends in PPKTJ, friends over here in Japan etc. I do notice that I don't really have many close friends after all! Friends yes, tons of them, but those who really knows how 'good' my driving skills are, who enjoys listening to my plane talks, stays up all night just for the sake of not sleeping(scout traits) are like what? 10 at most? Let me see....Christopher, Jason, Gary, Daniel, Julian, Sookie, Kak Chee....err, what lau! Not even 8!

Reading Jasons blog that day really pulled out all those long forgotten days of absolute ignorance towards exams and dogged perseverance for an 'outhing'! Well, Jason, the next major general assemble will not be held anytime soon I guess? With me & Ben unable to leave Japan & UK to celebrate Chrismas & New Year with u guys, Gary leaving M'sia 1 month before my scheduled arrival back home, Julian busying himself with studies & societies in NUS, Kak Chee & 'the boy who just refuse to grow' wanting to become doctors so badly, the are memorizing every single word in the medic books!....I don't think it'll be anywhere before 2007? Lets jut hope that our chain mail can go on...its still kinda fun to 'shoot' get 'shot' around once in a while...

Now its bout the old blogs I read from my ex-roomie.....friends here in Japan. I do have to agree with him that friends are hard to get here in Japan. It is the language barrier? The age gap? The difference in countries? Well, all of it is true! After 8 months here, I don't think I had talked to every single person in my class, not to mention no current 'targets' to go after yet! Half the class is kinda ok to me, 1/4 is very close, and the other 1/4 is under the 'Who are you?' category.

Don't get me wrong though, friends, though hard to come by, is not entire impossible!(for those of my juniors who might freak out bout all this!) Japs are not as warms as we M'sian are. Even a person like me who could go on non-stop bout planes & comps still get my tongue tied when talking! However, friends, like lottery tickets(for me la!) comes by chance. I have a bunch of good friends in Jap who I'm sorta close with, going out with me to catch some movies, chat about life & difference bout me as a M'sian, gals & their 'anatomies'(hey! They are still 17 only k!) and stuffs like that. If you wonder why I din go out shopping with them is cos they get only about RM80 a month(even less than me when I was in M'sia!).

The bunch of Japs I'm with now, if its not that I got a seat near them, this might not have happened. Same thing bout my current gang, if we went to different classes during form 4, do you think we still be as close as today? If I din go to PPKTJ, or left early on(did went through my mind once!), would I be even chatting with Randy, Boon, Chin Wooi, Chee Wei and all those close friends of mine for the past 2 years? Would I be even quarreling with one of my juniors for god knows what devilish things I have done? I still think that I'm lucky enough to have close friends now in Jap. My ex-roomate is having some bad experiences with friends maybe because he didn't hit any '4D numbers' till now....but it will change, trust me, as friends come & go in our life, renewed and fostered through time.....I know this blog is long, but my true friends will read till the end, and know what I'm crapping about!

Here You Are....

OSAKA MOTOR SHOW!
Well, here it is guys! Another day where I look that I'm so god damn free and using the M'sian tax payers' money to enjoy my life here in Jap huh? Ok! Let me get this straight, my exams is just next week(better yet, 4 days away!) I'm kinda busy with my preparations now so this blog is typed in a haste, lack of concentration power(after a tiring revision day) & not so great mood (Exams doesn't make you feel good when you have to keep up the reputation of being a 'fully scholared' student from Mars!) & Sorry to those I see on the net but could say "Hi" like I usually do during my 'not so busy' times! Especially to Chee Mei...Sorry!


I don't wanna waste too much time for this so here it'll be mostly photos (suites you ppl who doesn't like reading)...ok, this is the 4th Osaka Motor Show, the only place outside Tokyo where you can find autonishing cars(not to mention models) assemble in a single not so small hall inside the Osaka World Trade Centre.


We were 1st greated by the motorbikes from Suzuki...


From Harley-Davidson type of 'mucho' superbikes....


To the not so 'mucho' type but will still kick any M'sian motorcyclist's ass...


& the 260km/h, 750cc medium(yes, its only considered medium!) class sports bike...


My choice, as this picture clearly dictates....a white Suzuki Hayabusha 1300 LARGE class superbike. Its like 1300cc so its exactly 2 times more powerfull than the Kancil!


Then we proceded to the automobiles sections, a Suzuki prototype family car with a lost model standing there while pointing to the ski instead to the car...why? Ask her!


A prototype of the Suzuki 'Kancil' car...talking bout which, we don't find any Suzuki cars in M'sia cos I think its not allowed cos it'll make Perodua go bunkers?


Nissan GTR....won't be long will I'll see this on the roads I guess? Hope it won't be too long before I can get 1 too!


To Daniel Goh: Yo! This is how a 'real' modified car should look like ok! 'Ah-bengness' 0%!


A futuristic car for those 'P' drivers who have problem doing reverse driving &/or parking...here is a car which body could rotate 360 degrees....just make sure your stick the 'P' sticker properly!]


A car from Lexus, I just so happen to like it. Looks tough!


Remember my Aichi trip from my previous blogs? IF you could remember it, well this 1 shows both of the vehicles transformation stage...The 1 behind is for parks, shopping malls, blabla...while the front sportier version is for the normal roads n stuffs....remember that its a same thing...it 'transforms'. I would say that it is a great invention except that it will make 99% of the world population turn obese since even the word "a stroll in the park" doesn't mean anything anymore...a no no to me!


Opps, I forgot the car's company...


For those who prefers a transparent body....


Heard before of the name "Hummer"? Well, its this car(more like a HUGE jeep) & its used by the U.S military and the military version is called HMMWV(pronounced hum-vee) and this Hummer was actually made thanx to Mr. Terminator(Arnold Schwarzenegger) who demanded that the U.S military release a civilian version of the 'hum-vee'....I bet no Japs are stupid enough to buy this petrol swallowing machines with all this high oil prices!


A Mitsuoka Orochi Nude-Top Roadster....I'm not playing around the name, its just it! If you ask why you haven't heard of the brand before, well, cos its a Japanese car company catering only to the filthy rich ppl here....now, no wonder we don't know bout it...we are 'clean' ppl!


Fastest production car in the world....the Mclaren Mercedes! Damn Gaya! Sis! I want 1 for my b'day present!


The Ferrari Spiders! Do you ppl know how hard had I squeeze to pass the thousands of ppl trying to catch a glimpse of this 'Rich & Famous' car?


To Jason: You heard before of the Evo 8, You heard before bout the Evo 9, but I bet you haven't seen an Evo 10 rite? Well, its still called Evo Concept X for now.


The back view..

MODELS!
From now on to the end, its all about models...just in case there are some who couldn't differentiate Motor Shows from Models...

Mazda


Opps! Mistake! It shouldn't be here...this thing is an inspirational thing if u want your 1~3 year old kid to drive like Micheal Schumacher, get these baby seat for them while stock last!


Mitsubishi


This model was lost....and don't ask me where was the no.1 or 2 winner?


Superbike section model


Honda Bikes


She stood in front of Fook Hee & me for the entire 20 minute presentation...well, our noise didn't bleed, comforming that we are not some 'maniac' of some sort!

Ok, thats all! I know some who had been to Tokyo Motor Show will like "Whatla! So little things only...not even close to Tokyo's!" Well, I've spent 18 years of my life in Penang & I do know how it feels to be in a state 2nd to everything....and know what, if I get to choose again...PENANG RULEZ!

23rd November

Well, what so great bout this day you ask? It is one of those happy days in my life because a few small events added up to form an exellent 24 hours....1st of all, its my best friend, Chris' birthday(sorry for those Novemberians that I forgot to wish! very sorry!), 2ndly, today is a public holiday in Japan! Don't ask me what special holiday it is cos I don't really know (more like don't care!) As long as I do not have to wake up at 7.21am on that day, its considered a good day & worth celebrating. Finally! Today is the day BoA releases her latest Japanese single(I bought it dee!) entitled 抱きしめる...or 'Embrace' in English. Even though there are only 4 songs inside, for me, its still worth my every single sweat (cycling for 10 minutes to the supermarket that sells it) & money(1050yen)!

Okla, this blog is just a stupid blog to keep something new on it since I'm kinda bz during the last weekend(visited Kyoto for the autumn maple sighseing event) & will be too this coming weekend(hostel sports day & Osaka motorshow)...promise pictures in the next blog(btw, lets give it a vote, Osaka motorshow pics or Kyoto's scenaries? You ppl choose..) Chowz!

Reasons Why I have Been Refusing To Teach My Tutor English...

Malaysian English (MyE) or formally known as Malaysian Standard English (MSE) is a form of English used in Malaysia and is the linqua franca in Malaysia. However, Malaysian English should never be confused with Malaysia Colloquial English which is famously known as Manglish or Street English.

Interestingly, many people here in Malaysia are fluent in two different forms of English – Malaysian Standard English (close to the English spoken by native speakers worldwide) and Malaysian Colloquial English or Manglish (not understood by foreigners) – and are able to switch between them depending on the social situation.

Words only used in British English
To a large extent, standard Malaysian English is descended from British English, largely due to the country's colonisation by Britain beginning from the 18th century. But because of influence from American mass media, particularly in the form of television programmes and movies, Malaysians are also usually familiar with many American English words. For instance, both lift/elevator and lorry/truck are understood, although the British form is preferred. Only in some very limited cases is the American English form more widespread, e.g. chips instead of crisps, fries instead of chips.

In Malaysian English, the last syllable of a word is sometimes not pronounced with the strength that it would be in British English. Also, p and f are sometimes pronounced somewhat similarly among speakers of Malay descent. For example, the two Malay names 'Fazlin' and 'Pazlin' may sound almost identical when spoken by Malays, whereas this confusion would not arise when spoken by a British Speaker.

Words or phrases only used in Malaysian English
Malaysian English is gradually forming its own vocabulary, these words come from a variety of influences. Typically, for words or phrases that are based on other English words, the Malaysian English speaker may be unaware that the word or phrase is not present in British or American English.

Malaysian British / American
Handphone (often abbreviated to HP) Mobile phone or Cell phone
KIV (keep in view) Kept on file, held for further consideration
Outstation Means both 'out of town' and/or 'overseas/abroad'
MC (medical certificate) Often used in this context, e.g. 'He is on MC today' Sick note
Can Yes/Alright
Photostat Photocopy, Xerox
Cannot No
One hundred over, one thousand over etc. Over one hundred, over one thousand etc
Malaysian Chinese / Malaysian Indian (despite (Chinese Malaysian /
being grammatically incorrect, these terms Indian Malaysian)
are considered correct in Malaysian English)

Meh/Ke
An optional suffix usually used to donate a question mark to yes, as in "yeah meh?" or "ye ke?" i.e. "Are you sure?", with the former being more commonly used amongst those of Chinese descent and the latter by Malays.

Mar
Mostly used as a suffix. Derived from Chinese languages, where "ma" is gramatically correct. For instance, (mandarin) "ni zhi dao ma?" would literally mean "Did you know?", except that there is an extra word behind: ma. Another example, a person would say "I didn't know mar"; which somewhat has the same meaning as "I didn't know la" but is softer than "la". When the person says "I didn't know mar", it indirectly states that the person is being apologetic about not knowing something.

Ar
An optional suffix usually used to donate a question mark, as in "Sure ar?" or "Are you sure ar?", i.e. "Are you sure?"
No equivalent.

Lah/La/Lor
A popular suffix to phrases and sentences. Originates from Chinese language (and its dialects) where its usage is grammatically correct, for instance, (cantonese) "M hou gam yeung la" would literally mean "Don't be like that", except that there is an extra word at the end, "la". Another example: "cannot, lah", i.e."Sorry that's not possible." and "Rest some more-lah.", i.e. "Please rest for a while longer,"; It is important to note that the tone of which the prefx s spoken greatly affects the context of the statement. Example, saying "Okay -lah" while squinting one eye and hesitating the -lah, would be to give a mediocre opinion about something (as in "The food was okay-lah"). Meanwhile, to say a short increasing pitched -lah as in "Okay -lah. We'll all go to Ipoh later", would be to agree about something. "Lah" is also generally used to soften an otherwise angry/stern tone, such as: "Stop it lah" as opposed to just an abrupt "Stop it!", or "Don't be like that la" as opposed to "Don't be like that". It is usually perceived as less insulting when a "lah" is added in sentences such as those, and typically means that the person uttering the sentence is not angry, unless of course, it is said in a harsh tone.

Gostan
To reverse, especially in the context of driving motor vehicles. A contraction of the term "go astern".

Much of Manglish grammatical structure is taken from Chinese dialects. Many also claim the structures have also been borrowed from the Malay Language, but the amount of borrowing from Malay dwarves in comparison to the borrowing from Chinese. For example, the phrase "Why you so like that one?" means "Why are you behaving in that way" in normal English. In Cantonese, a similar phrase would be rendered as "Dímgáai néih gám ge?" or literally "Why you like that?" The "one" in the sample phrase does not literally mean the numeral one, instead it is used more as a suffix device. It is also sometimes rendered as "wan."

Other common characteristics are anastrophe and omission of certain prepositions and articles. For example "I haven't seen you in a long time" becomes "Long time never seen you already." Or, in Singlish (used in Singapore), natives will usually say "Long time no see".

Source from Wikipedia.com(Just type the word Manglish)

高専際

Busy! Busy! Busy! Yesterday & today was 高専際 day....its something like my PFS fun fair during my form 2(or 3? can't rememer dee) except that my college puts out more effort and money to make it a success. Pity those who are assigned to to train stations as early as 5.30am to pass pamphlets to passer-bys about this day. Well, this is how my college's main gate look today....simple huh? I don't think so k! My school ended early on Friday just to allow everyone to prepare for this 'once in a year event'...the biggest for my college!



Everything from the stage, deco, floor planning, music equipment, etc, was planned by students only! It seems that teachers didn't even 'touch' a single this in this event(except for health care) which, for me, was an excellent opportunity for us to assume responsibilities as adults..not to mention that we can avoid those 'disagreements' which usually accur when teachers & students does thing together!

It was raining today so the performers can't actually use the entire stage in order to protect the eq.... I was bz so I didn't actually have the 'privilege' to enjoy it..too bad! I heard that it was good! Ppl actually got drenched cos they stood under the rain just to watch it le.....really wasted for me(even though I might not understand all of it)


Well, there were 36 stalls selling a wide variety of Jap food(no sushi on naked girl, mind 'U'!) & some were games stalls. I don't know how I did it, but I think I tried about 70% of all those stalls...some bought by my own money, some I got for free, some I just shared with my friends.


Look at the drenched floor! This rain almost killed our business! Fortunately, it stoped kinda early so we don't have to suffer from any financial losses....those ttrees behind indicates that it is now autumn here in Japan & it is as cold as Genting everyday....but what shocked my the most was that there were girls who were able to wear 'minis' without actually freezing....whats their secret huh? Guys all wear long pants, jacket, while gals not feeling this chill at all....for the sake of beauty?



This place looked like a pasar malam(except that theres a sun still shining) for the past 2 days, with every stall placed beside the road, & there were even stores selling those 'cheap-cheap' looking clothes....I think those clothes sellers can't earn much kua? Given the fact that Japs are so fashion conscious & very pantang ppl wear the same thing or style 1.....ya, its like a pasar malam except 1 thing....its SUPA damn clean! Cos ppl here are just not M'sians. Its just as simple as that!


Another reason why it looked like a pasar malam? Well, tell me which pasar malam doesn't have at least 1 stall selling satays?



And how different is this picture from the 1 you normally find in typical pasar malam? Well, I can say that its damn clean la...those strict rules imposed....don't even try to think to break it! A check every 2 hours by our school nurse carrying the "NO LONGER SELLING" board waiting to catch those who even dare to think 'dirty'! Everything went well till the end for us & everyone else la...lucky!


Gloves, face mask, apron, head scarf....shit test....all this just to sell satay! Well, with a clean earning of RM1000 in 2 days, not bad huh? I don't wanna say this, but me & Shi Han actually did the most work to make this satay a success...try marinating 800 sticks of satay in 1 night with such stringent rules. If my gloves 'ter' touched the outer box of the satay, then its taking out the gloves, throw it away, spray alcohol on my hands, then wear it again...well, because of all this rules, we were quite stressed on the 1st day. However, the 2nd day was clearly 'fun n easy' through out the whole day, got time to take pic also....we actually had fun while breathing CO2 for 5 hours straight! Kena poisoning dee I guess?




Prove that business was not bad...not bad at all...most ppl got attracted to the shouting of "SATE! SATE!" Fook Hee & me actually shouted "PUKI! CIBAI!" a few times for the fun of it....cos we won't be beaten after that! Can't do it in M'sia....hahaha


My classmates sold waffles....I bought all 3 flavour just to show my 'patriotism'....I really kena gas poisoning dee!


MY SCHOOL NURSE! HOW?? Joking only....If she is my school nurse, I think I might fall sick more often...but nah! She just wore this clothes to attract more ppl to her stall selling cakes...we might think that its wierd, but it is something usual here, called cosplay...they use whatever 'uniform' they possess to attract customers. In this case, to pretend to be a nurse (I got a feeling that a 'snipe' by my chain mail pals is gonna come soon!) Hey! I'm just telling the truth! Check the pic b4 the satay's pic...notice a gal wearing a french maid dress standing near the clothes stall....what can I say?


Well, thats all....we had 3 minutes worth of fireworks display as a closing ceremony. Something like what we can see in M'sia(hey! my college isn't so rich ok!)....tired...damn tired now! Chowz!