NS Hiatus

This is it.

KAMPUNG SRI TAMAN
JENGKA 6, MUKIM CHENOR
DAERAH MARAN
26500, MARAN, PAHANG

I'm leaving tomorrow, have to be at the pick-up point at 8.30. I had the most awesome day today, btw. I got to eat a lot of the food on my Most Awesome Food list: mee rebus, pau kaya, putu bambu, ikan bakar, sotong goreng, nasi lemak. Seriously, alhamdulillah, it was one awesome feast.

So, HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone.
Have fun, whatever you're doing: working, studying, going back to school (muahaha!), driving, job-hunting, scholarship recieving ... whatever it is.

And thanks to everyone for all the kind wishes. :) I intend to enjoy myself. I'm as ready as I would be standing 400 feet above ground with a bungee cord tied around my ankles. But the best part is when you take that step, making up your mind as you go. :)

Ps. Hey guys, I'd appreciate it if you left comments while I'm gone on this post? The c-box doesn't record comments the way I'd like. xD Thanks. Will miss you all!

Where's that miniature plastic xmas tree ...

MERRY CHRISTMAS
everyone!

Have fun with all the present-opening, and the ... christmassing. :D
As for those who don't celebrate it, just kick back and relax on this public holiday.

NS countdown: 1 1/2 days
NS packing: 95% complete
Ready?: O_O

Polo shirts

Mira:
[talking about Gossip Girl] ... Chuck, Nate and Eric are playing ... what's that thing called? *makes arm-swinging golf-like motions* Polo?
Me:
No, uh ... cr-cr-cri-croquet. Yeah, croquet.
Mira:
Oh. Then what's polo?
Me:
Well ... water polo is the one in the swimming pools.
Mira:
Real polo?
Me:
Oh, those're the ones with the horses.
Mira:
OOHH. Ralph Lauren! :DDD
Me:
O_o

NS Countdown: 2 days
NS packing: 94% complete
Ready?: D:

ID pls

My new Deviantart ID. I change my IDs every year, so this is the one for 2009.

I know it doesn't look like me, but it was fun to do anyway.
:)
Done entirely on GIMP2.
And yeah, that's my new haircut.
EDIT: Tweaked my 'mouth'. So that it looks a leeeeeeeetle bit more like me than the first one.

Monkey Business

A monkey stole and ate my Kinder Bueno chocolate today.

Climbed in through my window.
S/He tried to take my Toblerone too.
D:
Why must everyone steal my Kinder Bueno?
I've bought five packets in the past week and have only eaten one and a half!!
Credit: Pictures ganked from Mira's blog

Year 2008

Well, since that I won't be around for the New Year, I'm making my NY post now. A list of bests and worsts, along with a summary of how the year treated me. :)

SPM - Meh. I'll just say what I've been telling countless relatives and friends of the family for the past month: "It was OK". I didn't feel like dying, but it wasn't the most awesome thing in the world. What can I say? Glad it's over.

School - Haha ... Ko-ku wise, it was pretty good. I finally got that certificate I've been working for the past 5 years. I got some good posts, good certs to back-up my future education and some good experience. Working in HU for Pn. A was horrendous, but I guess I learned something: Paperwork sucks worse than actually getting people to do things so that I'll have paperwork to begin with. xD

Class-wise, frankly, kinda sucked. xD A lot of little quarrels, and by the end of the year, everyone was tense. Overall, it was bearable. The teachers' nagging was the worst. Drove me around the bend. I'm glad that's over with. But I'll miss you guys. :( Ya'll knew how to have fun.

Social - GAH MY FRIENDS ARE AWESOME. BEAR HUG, EVERYONE! *glomps* And also, to my juniors for being cool; proud of you guys. Keep rocking that school. Carry out the pranks and hijinks that I never had the chance to do. Don't tell Pn. M I put you guys up to it. ;)

World Events - Some good, some bad. Some ridiculous. But this is the world, we're talking about. We're all crazy. Yeah. Persoanlly, I've been pretty sick of some of the stuff that kept popping up in the newspapers this year. xD

Now, for the stuff I've enjoyed, whether or not it was released this year, or a century ago:
Movie - Dark Knight. Wowee it was awesome.
TV Show - Friends. I crack a rib laughing.
Cartoon/Anime - Avatar: The Legend of Aang. I've never felt this much love for a cartoon before.
Singer - I don't have favourites.
Band - Fall Out Boy. Still love their songs.
Book - Pendragon: Raven Rise. Had to think a lot about this. But yeah, that book was awesome. The ending especially.
Character - Prince Zuko. Please, don't make him Jesse McCartney. He's too badass! D:
Song(s) - The Man Who Can't Be Moved (The Script), Love Story (Taylor Swift), What A Catch, Donnie (Fall Out Boy)

And now, for the worst (or least liked):
Movie - Over Her Dead Body. Seriously. I actually thought of all the books I could be studying while watching it. It was boring.
TV Show - 90210. Blech. They can't act.
Cartoon/Anime - Most of the crap on Cartoon Network.
Singer - Hmm. Soulja Boi. I hate his music with a passion rivalling the ardent love of a thousand Romeos and Juliets.
Band - Hmm. None.
Book - Eh, Darren Shan's books. I just don't feel it.
Character - Heh. Bella. No offence, peoples. I just really don't like her.
Song(s) - That one Soulja Boi song. And anything by Sean Kingston. xP

Special Mention - Goes to the Twilight series. Neither in the worst or best, it gave me the most entertainment this year. What a ride. xD

Here's a special category, What I would dress up as at a costume party after going through the year 2008: Sabriel, from the Old Kingdom trilogy. Makes me wish there really was a costume party going on, so I could dress up for it. xD

Summary - A good year, once all is said and done. I had fun. Learnt some stuff about myself. Learnt some stuff about people around me. I have great friends, and a good end to high school life. I'll miss everyone from school. We'll see each other in March when the results come out. ;) This was also the year that Tarsha talked me into watching anime. Thanks, man. I'm still iffy about most of the styles, but you helped me open my mind a bit.

I had more to say, but I can't remember. xD So. Here's to an even better year, 2009.

Poll Post

Putting all my polls on this post, so it's easier to access in future.

May 2009

April 2009

December 2008

November 2008

August 2008

Find me

Me soon-to-be-abode.
One week!
(Full-view to see properly)

Catspam

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!
ROCK ON. :)

Went to Johnny's for dinner. I got Papa a Boston t-shirt, Mira got him a voucher for a foot massage, Nazim got a speaker for his iPod, Hanna got him a little glass plaque with 'My Papa The Rockstar' on it and Mama got him a new iPod. Overall, it was a cool night. :)

EDIT: Photo credits to Mira. Happy, blob? xD

Gee, who's a little model? Scout really loves the piano. He likes listening to it, walking on it, and ... sleeping on it. xD

I got my ATM card yesterday! Which is awesome. I won't be using it that often, but hey, still feels good to have it anyways.

Random 6 year-old quote:
Mama: Oh, look at the t-shirt ... *reads* Monkey Business.
Hanna: Oh, does that mean the monkey is going to toilet?
Me, Mira and Mama: *choke laughing*

Well, I'm gonna go create my agrobank account tomorrow, what with NS being in less than two weeks (insert panicked gurgle here). Speaking of which, Atuk was talking about how Papa escaped from NS back when he was in Singapore. Apparently the authorities kept coming to the house bothering him for months. O_o But y'know, Singapore NS is 2 and a half years. To which I say, "Malaysia NS 3 months? No problemo senor!"

Time Capsule

I've noticed that every year since Form 3, I've had class quads. As in three people I spend most of my class-time with. In Form 3, it was Nad, Hannah and Iffah. In Form 4, it was Ling Shin, Tarsha and Chan. In Form 5, it was Sophie, Iffah and Nazia. I wish I could get a picture of all of us, together, but that doesn't look like anytime soon. So this is the closest thing; sure, the photo's a little shaky, but these are 4 of the 8 people who have made the biggest impact on my secondary school life. What can I say? I love you guys. <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2haTlqhUvz9Z2NVw2I9oTjte0vlWPh8mUeJIsi9LOpeAX7zaEitGrb8pQGX9P76aB2CAN4vtc1lD2FMwCymRGifwyWgJe1PxV0m7HxMQYKqGuWxGcvH1risl3j1se_6PtC9yxKQiRg/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg">
So. Prom. My first one ever.

The night started out with me completely losing my cool with my make-up and hair. As most people know, I'm not a make-up sorta gal, and my hair at its best is held in place with a fancy hairband. Mira did my hair, and everyone worked on my makeup. It's official that I am a very bad make-up reciever. xD

Reached Sime Darby Convention Centre a little before 8. It was mind-numbingly cold. Matches the 'Frozen In Time' theme I guess. ;) Ean and Azura were our hosts for the evening, something I had not expected. They were cool. I toyed with the idea of saying hi to Azura, y'know ... telling her how I'd always watch Disney Buzz on Sunday mornings ... in my pjs. xD Or just say hi. But never got the chance. Maybe one day.

Anyhoo, the performances were great. They gave me good enough reasons to say, love thy local artists. So that was good. Helps that quite a few of them were quite cute. What can I say, there were a lot of good-looking chaps in that hall. Pity majority of them are taken. LOL. The Reza Salleh dude was particularly good. Strong voice, nice music, sweet lyrics. I'mma look his myspace up in a mo. See if I can find his other songs.

When people started slow-dancing, I tried to drag some of the girls up to just sway, y'know, since that we were all date-less. I mean, there was a boy-couple dancing up there together, since that they didn't have dates. Cute.

There also games. Or, uh, a game. The 'scavenger hunt' didn't really work (although I was pretty interested in seeing the results of the 'find a guy with a six pack' prompt) but we continued with the celebrity lookalike contest. The male winner was a Datuk K lookalike. I KID YOU NOT. Azura called him up, and actually made a surprised squeak when he made his way to the front. He turned to the audience and everyone burst into cheers and laughter. It was so cool.

The real dancing didn't start until 11 when everyone took over the dance floor and Atlas (a band) started playing. That was the best part. The lead singer had the wackiest dance moves. xD His expression kept reminding me of Brendan Urie, but other than that, doesn't look like him. But he was amusing. All of us - me, Nad, Hannah, Sophie, Huda, Aidil, Iffah - were dancing in a sort of little circle, doing crazy dance moves. Then someone started a conga line which snaked through the hall.

In the end, we were all exhausted and sweaty. Hannah and I sang A Night To Remember (yes, from the HSM3 movie. So sue me. xD) as we made our way to the front door. And sure, it was a night to remember. Had a real blast. Met some people I haven't seen in a while (shout out to Priscilla and Nisa! *waves*) and ... well, felt like a girl. But mostly, had a rocking good time with people I hold dear. :)

Klaklakakalatu

Bought Creature In The Case by Garth Nix. A sort of short book (for World Book Day) about how Nick Sayre ends up going back to the Old Kingdom after the events in Abhorsen. SPOILERS onwards. Just for the next paragraph.

Anyway, he meets Lirael in the very last few pages of the book, and she saves his life. And well ... who else thinks that they would make a great couple together? Nick seems to really care for her, and the way he kept re-reading her letter to him in the book made me ... well, get inclinations, so to speak. I mean, I toyed with the idea back when I started reading the Lirael book, when we first meet Sam and Nick. And the way she keeps tumbling over her words at the end of the Creature etc. book while talking to him made me want more. Dang it, Garth Nix! You write endings like beginnings! And you don't tell us what happens next! GRARR. But then again, maybe that's why your books are so good in the first place.

I hope he's writing a sequel. I hopehopehopehope. Other Old Kingdom readers out there, what do you think?

In other news, spent past few days having fun outside home. Slept at Nad's house on Friday, which was awesome. Watched a couple movies, slept at 3.30 in the morning then went swimming. Watched The Day The Earth Stood Still (which was pretty boring) with Acu and Mira. Then slept over at Ara, my grandparents' house.

Watched My Sassy Girl for the 2nd time (first at Nad's) which is this really cute romance that made me cry. Seriously. It's sweet. A little sad. Based on a Korean movie, but due to my complete obliviousness to all things Korean and Japanese, I know nothing about it. IMDb seems to hate it because of it being yet another Hollywood adaptation, but personally, I found it very sweet. I could watch it forever, I wouldn't mind. :)

Also watched Pride and Prejudice for like, the 5th time. The Keira Knightley one. I never get tired of it.

Then this morning, I woke up with rashes. D: Which is really weird. My whole body is covered with them. Itches like crazy, so Acu gave me some cream for it. It's sort of similar to something I had back in Form 1. It'll go away in a few days, but for the meantime, it's really annoying. Mama thinks its a bug-bite. Some sort of small mite creature.

Prom's tomorrow. Hope it doesn't itch so bad then.

Also went to Taylor's College open day, for their PJ campus. I really really like their course structure for Mass Comm. I can't think of anywhere else (not many diploma courses ... lots of foundation mostly) and I can only think of UiTM. But Atuk rathers that I not go there 'cause ... well, he's got reasons.

I'm pretty set on Taylor's at the mo though. But I'll be sending in my application after NS, so I have some time to think.

Work in Progress

This is a construction site!
Revamp in progress!
Sea-monkeys at work!
etc.

Just for the time being. Maybe in a day, or half a week, depending on my mood.
Felt that the blog needed a revamp, what with new years coming and stuff like that.

EDIT: Done! That was fun to do. :)

Check up

My health check up for NS was good, except for my ankle. I can't even remember if I blogged about that incident ... basically, I stepped into a longkang hole and twisted my right ankle. I could walk and stuff, so it wasn't a big deal. Problem is, that incident happened before SPM, and it's still hurting whenever I move my foot the wrong way.

We went to see Uncle Amir (Mama's cousin) since that he's a doctor at UM. Turns out it's a tendon problem. I just need to wear an ankle guard while wearing boots during NS, and he wrote out a letter in case I get pains and need to rest.

So I'm still slotted for the 27th Dec intake. :)

Now all I need to do is get my agro bank account done and do some more university researching. I know that I want to do Mass Comm, but as always, I've got a straightforward mind and can't seem to focus on more than one university. So I'm moving slowly. Wish I could go to an education fair and ask questions and stuff, but I missed the last one when I went to Bandung. So we'll see first.

Reset, reset!

Avatar Casting - First Look

All I can say is, are you kidding me???
Jesse McCartney???
Dear God.
If this is true and not some rumour-twisted joke, he better be a bloody good actor.
Or else I don't think I could enjoy this.
Zuko's one of my favourite characters, you CAN'T SPOIL IT FOR MEEEE.
D:

*hopes it's not true*

Ps. I'm OK with the other people. Although I really was wishing they'd get ... y'know ... non-white people.

Does the walker choose the path, or the path choose the walker?

Since that SPM is over, I've started on the delightfully huge pile of books that I bought at the MPH warehouse sale two months ago. I couldn't read them then, what with exams and all, so it was really nice to get cracking. I've forgotten how much I love immersing myself in books that aren't trying to remind me that SPM wants to suck my brains out.

The first book I started on was Sabriel by Garth Nix. It was published in 1995, people. I can't believe that it eluded me for so long. I love love love this series. Trilogy, really. The first book is definitely my favourite, even though I wasn't too fond of how Nix left the ending.

Basically, the story is set in a fictional realm where there is basic technology (sort of circa 1900s, I think) and magic. The Old Kingdom would be the place where magic is strongest, because of the presence of Charter Stones. There are three bloodlines that are most powerful, descendants of the original Charters. They are the Clayr, Abhorsens and the Royal bloodline. The Clayr are a huge group of women, all related, who can see the future. Abhorsens are entasked with making sure the Dead remain dead, if you know what I mean. The Royals are ... well, the reigning Kings and Queens.

In the first book, we meet Sabriel, who is a schoolgirl in Ancelstierre, the country south of the Old Kingdom. Her father is the Abhorsen. One day, she recieves her father's bells (tools with which they use to battle the Dead) and his sword. She concludes that her father is trapped within Death (which has nine precincts, but you'll have to read through the series to understand that better) so she sets out to save him. The Old Kingdom at the moment is without any ruler, King Queen or regent because of a tragedy that occured more than 200 years ago.

SPOILERS from this point on, btw.

Later on, Sabriel reaches her father's house which is pretty much the house of every Abhorsen that has ever lived. She meets Mogget, a small white cat who is a bound servant to the Abhorsen. He isn't really a cat, but after a millenia of being in that form, he's pretty much as cattish as they come. Taking off his collar is a really bad idea, unless you're suicidal. Anyway, they end up in a place called Holehallow at some point where they find a wooden statue of a young man. Sabriel finds something amiss, and thinks that the statue may be someone trapped within Death. She sets him free, and now we have Touchstone (we don't find out his real name till the last book) who was there when the last Queen was murdered by her eldest son, who is now one of the Greater Dead (i.e. bad guy villain man).

Name me a really good main character in fantasy or sci-fi who is female. My favourite right now is Sabriel. Can't help it. Love her guts. And it's difficult for me to like female characters, because most of the time they come across as whiny little ... well, you know. So this was a nice change. Mogget, however, is one of my favourites. He's so cute. I just wanna pick him up and cuddle him till he complains his tail off. And Touchstone's just the sweetest guy. Scary when he loses his cool and goes into berserker/rampage/incredible hulk mode, but he only does that once in the entire book, so it just made it awesome.

If you're looking for a fantasy series with a difference, pick it up. Then tell me about it, because as always, I'm the only one who's gushing about them. ;) It's going to be a movie in a few years, if all goes well. Garth Nix is co-writing, so even though I'm worried, I've got faith in the guy.

In other news, I'm going to Maran, Pahang for NS. My parents wanted me to go to Beranang, where my uncle is, but it's too much hassle so Maran it is. I get to go with Nahjan, Hamizah and Amira (y'know, Pn. Sharifah's daughter), that is if they're OK with the health checks. AWESOME, in my opinion. :D

Do I Dazzle Thee? Yeth? Noth?

So, the post-SPM outing was awesome. Super duper awesome. 11 of us. We nearly took up the entire row.

So. Twilight. The movie.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being "watch if you're intent on going through a few brainwashing therapy sessions" and 10 being "SO AWESOME, WATCH IT EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE", I rate it a 4.

SPOILERS, btw.

Because really, I'll be honest and say that I had a lot more faith in the movie than the book series (all faith in them flew out the window when I reached Bella's emo session in New Moon) so yeah ... Not that great. xD Before I continue, I remind everyone that this is my opinion. You can all have yours. IMDb, for example, has reviews ranging from the 1 to 10 I was talking about in the previous paragraph. :)

Anyway. Here's the score:

Plot: Actually, a remarkable lot better than the book, which made me want to die, with all the bombastic words. Listen, I take forever to get through Jane Austen. Anything like it, or trying to be like it? My system can't take it. xD So, 7/10.

Characters: Eh. What can I say? Bella's loads nicer here than in the book. The schoolboys are adorable, makes me want to run in there and high five all of them. Carlisle was just how I imagined him. And Charlie? Best damn character in the entire movie. And I found Jasper cute. I liked the whole "... the one who looks like he's in pain is Jasper. [pan to Jasper's semi-constipated face]" Now, the ... person everyone has been waiting for. Bring out Mr. Eddy Currents please!
Oh wait, that's Physics. My bad. SPM still leaving traces. So yeah. Edward is ... Edward. The look of constant constipation on his face was amusing though. And when he sucked on Bella's arm ... reminded me of Scout when he's trying to gnaw my toes off in one of his hyper kitten moods. xD 5/10.

Soundtrack: AWESOMESAUCE. Ridiculously lovely. Loved Edward's lullaby. Need to download arisiiinnggg ... 9/10

Story Flow: Blegh. Felt like dying whenever Bella and Edward started getting romantic. So slow. I actually had time to have a full conversation with Tarsha beside me during one of their intense stare into each other's eyes fests. 4/10.

Special Effects: Not bad. Pretty obvious how they did it, but still cool. Loved the climax scene with the ballet studio. I was flinching in pain with every kick, crunch of bone and howl of pain. Fuuun. But the sparkly bit? Quite ... strange. In my imagination, every time Edward sparkled in the book, all I saw was a great, shining white blob emitting disco lights. So you understand how seeing it for real kinda confused my brain. D: But he looked like he was dipped in glitter. 5/10.

Lines: Some funny, some neutral, some ridiculously cheesy. But I really liked the whole
Bella: I want answers.
Edward: Yes. No. To get to the other side.
Please, other people who were with me ... why was I the only one laughing? That was the best line in the entire film. I loved it. I was giddy with glee. xD

So, there you go. There were more nice parts to balance out the boring ones though. So that was alright. And the setting was gorgeous. Bloody cold-looking, but gorgeous.

That's it for now. Going to Bandung tomorrow. See ya'll in half a week. :)