I have absolutely no idea what I am to do with my blog. I've been trying to figure out what is the best colour theme I should use, so after hours of browsing blog templates turns out into a rather pointless and time-consuming exercise...WHY??
1. Maybe I'm too dumb to choose OR 2. Became rather lost inthe rather confusing choices of blog templates 3. DON'T LIKE IT(u know how some of them look so elaborate, but looks too complicated for my taste....) 4. DON'T LIKE IT AGAIN...( some rather cacat designers, who have absolutely too much time on their hands that they decided to mess with the tools in photoshop) 5. TOO FEW choices ( check out the first link when you google...BLOG TEMPLATES) 6. DUMB BLOGGER (OK, this ain't some sort of dissing exercise. It's either they are too restrictive with people choosing their own templates OR, I just don't know how to change the HTML to allow me to publish. 7. PROBABLY COMPUTER ILLITERATE (which is not true but I'll write it here anyway. 8. I'M TOOOOO PICKKKKKKKKYYYYY..... 9. Finally, deciding to make one on my own
I'm not sure whether I can actually do this on my own. To actually satisfy what I want for my blog design, it would require at least 1 month to figure out what's best and max two months to get the perfect set of menus, pictures css, html, design and probably animation into something I won't moan until the end of my blogging days. The modest looking blue template is just there to replace the old template which I've gotten rather SICK of....
The problem is, I don't have the time now to actually execute such a plan which would involve hours of Photoshop, probably Flash, and some other software programs....PLEASE Frontpage is old school
So well, until then maybe it will change or maybe it will remain as it is and probably I will change it to other template and then the cycle goes around and round and round.......
Today was the first time I have actually met the members of the wicked pitches and boy was I the youngest there? Pretty sure the answer would be indubitably YES....CMON THERE ARE ALL WORKING AND MAKING MONEY AND YOU??... STILL DRAGGING YOU SORRY ASS TO IMU EVERYDAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS, BEFORE GETTING YOUR FIRST PAYCHECK....
Ok for starters, The Wicked Pitches is an acapella singing group which was founded in 2001 by a group of people with different backgrounds but with a common interest and that is music. Some of their performances include public performances at the Actor's Studio Bangsar, with other singing groups. They also sing Christmas Carols for various corporate functions and in selected shopping malls. Their achievements had been rather outstanding considering their different backgrounds and their freshness in the music arena and to date their achievements include nominations for Best Concert - Musical Theatre in the BOH CAMERONIAN ARTS AWARDS in 2003 and 2004.
To think about all their different backgrounds is quite daunting but with one common interest, which is the act of sharing their passion for music and showcasing each other's talents to form an acapella singing group is something to be proud of. So I guess there is something magical about the group and thank the good lord for their loud and humourous character. I would prefer a group to be more relax and enjoy making good music rather than following strict rules and routines. How mechanical.... but I guess different methods work differently for different groups.
So as instructed, I waited for Alex to come and escort me to the mysterious house where these members congregate for their practice sessions. At around 8.30, we left church and drove off into the bungalow area opposite SFX and by then, I was pretty sure it would be a bungalow so after driving for about 5 minutes. I was then welcomed into their "music shack" and I cross my fingers hoping they would constantly replay these in their mind after singing for them. "OOh he's good. Hmmm he should join us" then I would go..."Pick me Pick me" and if it was a unaminous yes. The I would go YEAHAAHHHHH..!!!
Yup, and so they picked me but I wasn't really sure that I could handle the burden of studying for my EOS sem 5 which is scheduled dangerously close to the group's KLPAC performance. I pray to God, hoping that this is what He wants me to do and also He would help me to master the art of TIME MANAGEMENT......I really don't know what to expect from joining this group but what the heck, joining an acapella singing group is already a great achievement for me, so letting go is not an option....NOT EVEN EXAMS as BIG as SEM5 EOS. But what about extracurricular activities in IMU. See that's the problem, the inner voice in my head is always trying to dampened by already heightened emotions about the whole thing.
The problem now is I'm torn between doing something in IMU which may be a contribution to the IMU cup which is not even certain yet, but which I would do and.... also the singing group. Think about the financial incentives when singing for Christmas and also performing live infront of other singing groups and other famous people. I would be on TV...... HAHA( if there is a chance.)Financial rewards are indeed enticing and you don't gain anything from IMU CUP besides some medals and some recognition. People would be saying, hey you...thanks to you, we won the IMU CUP, or maybe something more modest...Hey you got a gold medal for football and carrom but still we can't win the IMU CUP.Read More......
If life is likened to desperate housewives, it would be a disaster. Try to imagine yourself as one of the leading roles portraying themselves as the wives who seems to have all sorts of crisis appearing all over the place.
Picture another scenario, where all your dreams come true. Everything that you thought you could never have suddenly seems as easy as getting them like a snap. What could it be?? a beautiful wife, a rich husband who could endow you with all the riches in the world, or maybe a superstar as big as the Rod Stewart, Madonna or even, ahem... Simon Cowell not in the literal sense but sort of. Or maybe as simple as getting all the attention that you wanted, whether desired or unwelcomed. Unfortunatley I don't think I have a show where I can make a comparison.
You might think....Where is this going?? K i might just suck at metaphors. But it all leads to the one person who has one of the above most important element, drama. AND who could it possibly be
YOKE SIN.. nop it's not binding sin
So recently, during her GP posting, she came down with sudden acute abdominal pain at the umbilical region whch is colicky in nature and pretty severe ( not sure the scale). Right you guessed it, RENAL STONES. or in the more impressive way of saying it, Nephrolithiasis. Huh?? The news spreaded so fast that everybody wanted to see her. IT was kind of like the superstar status.
Hah??
yes ah??
OMG what happen?? Is she alright??
What did the doctor say?? Is she feeling better??
How's she doing now??
Can i go and see her??
She was then send to the nearest hospital, which was at the time, Pantai Cheras. And boy, talk about drama along the way there, apparently the driver was hitting on her. AND ASKING FOR HER PHONE NUMBER. Please dude, that patient is in pain. When I thought it was over, the driver decided to carry her in. Talking about drama.... anyway, so the knight in shining armor carries the damsel in distress. Driver boy thinks it's not enuf so he decides to bring it to the next level.
Driver boy: You know, we need medical students to help paramedics in the horse racing event coming up in Bukit Jalil.
I dunno whether this guy is on some desperado mission or what. Im not sure about the truth of this dramatic sequence of events found in every recreation of YOKE SIN's experience, but I'm quite sure the guy was hitting on her. NO PEOPLE DON'T GET WRONG IDEAS HERE..
Her parents came, her relatives came and it was a scene of tears, hugs, support and well I wasn't there but I'm pretty sure how the atmosphere is. Of course there was jokes just to lighten up, apparently her aunty is a great joker. Pretty emotional, but quite understandable considering her situation and her fear of losing her kidney. She got better a few days late, then she started joking and the nurses were actually asking her to show some salsa moves.
Then the guys came and visit her. The report was Yoke Sin was in such an energetic mood that it seems like nothing has happened an was immediately ready for discharge though still under the painkillers and the homeopathy medication. When she came home, she even had the time to get HIGH from MTV... I was like wow.... Can you get high from MTV. How bout some Ectasy pills?? Then, she could even think of shopping and eating... ANd so it seems, everything is now fine.. It was yesterday actually. Later on, went with the girls to her house, and what I had imagined her to be turned out differently. The pain came back and then she could hardly move and urinating was also difficult.
After that, the pain persisted until today, but she said the pain wasn't as bad as yesterday. Good for you...Hope you get well and return to your usual drama tendencies which we enjoy so much.
ONE of the most useless obligation for an IMU student to do is to attend the GP posting debriefing session, which sounds like an agent from an intelligence agency going through one of those short meetings which marks the end of a mission.
The difference is, IMU students have to bear with one which sounds more like a discussion and also can get pretty jaded sometimes considering that you have to bear with the monotony of going through every slide and the same points and we will just go...YEAH YEAH YEAH and you can't just wait to get over it. So what's the verdict??
Well, it wasn't so bad. The highlights, was when Ryan mentioned something about MCs and he sort of started his first political speech as if trying to garner support from a familiar group of people, pre-election. Talking about MCs, it was interesting to hear that the patient wasn't the one asking for the MC but the patient's girlfriend needs the MC and then there was the rampant issue of MCs, patients coming in to ask for MCs just to get away from work. Fortunately my doctor had a bit of the ethical code written across his head. OH yaa.... I almost forget about the overall report card for my GP, he isn't actually a GP. He actually had some masters from some Irish University, not sure what is it for though. So, thankfully he wasn't one of those so-called not so fit to handle patients GP as DR. Yong claims for most those working out there. Seriously, I just don;t understand what is so interesting about taking Family Medicine for a course apart from upgrading your status besides improving your skill level in handling the normal ailments seen in the clinic setting.
So, I should actually say this in front of Dr. Yong. Just scrap the entire debriefing session cause it's just some useless session which could have been replaced with something more meaningful, like for example a big group discussion or something more fun where everybody don't get so worked up for trying to squeeze brain matter for some points and some stupid speech. Evaluation forms would be an interesting media to disseminate this information, so hopefully future students would not need to rush back from their hometowns just to brainstorm over this, if it needs to be done do it in the next week or a few days after.
Overall.... I thought that the performance is one of the best though I'm not that sure whether tonight's performance is the best. It's Rod Stewart night and every contestant is required to choose one song out of the immense musical masterpieces crafted by this great artist. Seems like all the great classic artists love to give great opinions on the song choice and the ability of the contestants so delineating "The Outstanding One" from all the contestants is pretty impossible. Based on consistency and style and performance I think I would give credit to Katharine McPhee.
Today, was really her night though, it was just awesome. The way she sang could practically melt anyone's heart and it was so beautiful. Wish I was there. By the way, it's a song for the guys. I actually felt touch by the lyrics. She picked the right song for her, though it's a slow jazz pretty difficult to sing, if you ask me. Expressions was there and man she was the bomb for the night. The best of the rest.
As Simon put it in his own words, "You make the others look like good amateurs. You're on a league of your own." Truly, I do agree with him this time. An Absolutely AMAZING PERFROMANCE.
Who should stay...
Chris
Taylor
Kelly
Paris
Katharine
Elliot
Obviously Ace should go out. Unfortunately, It seems looks matter more. Talent comes second. This mindset sadly applies to the ladies who just can't look beyond physical appearance. So it looks like there is a likelihood that Ace would stay but an unfortunate contestant with better vocals and talents will be booted.
Before that, this are the beautiful lyrics, which I feel deserves a little bit of appreciation. It's by Rod Stewart and this is what Katharine sang recently.
"Someone To Watch Over Me"
There's a somebody I'm longing to see I hope that she turns out to be Someone who'll watch over me I'm a little lamb who's lost in a wood I know I could always be good To one who'll watch over me Although I may not be the man Some girls think of as handsome But to her heart I carry the key Won't you tell her please to put on some speed Follow my lead, oh how I need Someone to watch over me I'm a little lamb who's lost in a wood I know I could always be good To one who'll watch over me Although I may not be the man Some girls think of as handsome But to her heart I carry the key And this world would be like heaven, if she'd Follow my lead, oh how I need Someone to watch over me Someone to watch over me
Just as I thought that i won't be able to find the elusive website of the wicked pitches, I finally got it thanks to Alex, who sms me the details of our meeting and also his email address and his website. I hope that i could be in the group even if it is for a while.
The thought of being in a group like that brought up a few things. Am I gonna be chosen as one of them?? If I was...Am I gonna be as good as them?? And I know that even if I was selected to sing with them, it would only be a short stint and then again it depends on the atrocious IMU schedule. What if I can't make it for their practices sessions.
Going there would not be a problem but finding the right time would be like trying to squeeze and hour or two from my normal life which may perhaps stretch over long hours, consequently robbing me of my sleep and God knows what assignments I have to do. I haven't had much sleep lately thanks to the physical location of my pc being on a table next to my bed which also happens to be on the same table where I study. But the ultimate and most worrisome of all the questions pose would be.... I'm not sure whether I could do it because I HAVE MY SEM 5 EOS this year. With 9 systems and Foundation 2, it promises to be a killer. GOD HELP ME...
Then again..IF I am in...it would be just awesome.. But now I can't help daydreaming on the extra-curricular possibilities of being a member of this singing group. LOL Talking about dreams, I think this is the best quote:
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
Christopher Reeve, From speech at Democratic National Convention, August 1996
On today's edition of the Star newspaper, there was a survey on the most trusted professions conducted in and guess what.... DOCTORS ARE THE MOST TRUSTED. Actually come to think about it, it is quite expected but according to my GP, seems that a lot more effort needs to be done for doctors to actually gain a patient's respect and confidence compared to 20 years ago. Seems like the noble profession has somewhat eroded people's trust after so many years, not because patients don't like doctors but thanks to some bad apples, the entire harvest has gone bad....if you know what I mean.
To quote from my doctor, he said
"It is very hard to gain respect from patients but also very easy to lose it"
This are the results
Apparently the British trust their doctors more than us, Malaysians. And of course politicians got the best from the bottom in the survey both in Malaysia and UK. Still I wander how the survey was actually conducted, whether or not it was done randomly or was it restricted to certain groups of people who happen to be so-called pro-doctors. Then again, I think the results is quite justified from the top 3 rankings. I think it sounds pretty reasonable to have those professions up there. Surprisingly, the priests and the ulamas are not the highest considering they are representatives of their respective faiths. Perhaps, religion is taking a back seat in our rather secular and high-tech society
The mass begins... The lights turn off.... The celebration has begun. Not even the torrential rain could stop it
The chanting begins The choir responds The music resonates across the church walls as if the church itself was responding
The choir sings Their voices like angels from above Celebrating the victory of Christ over death and Satan ultimately defeated.
As you can see, the quality of the poem is not the most impressive and yess......it was done in a matter of five minutes. AND SO DON'T RANT OVER IT!!! And of course the choir does not sound like angels because if we did, God would have invited us to His presence(haha as if) and we will still be singing and of course I won't be sitting in front of my 17in LCD monitor blogging....That being said, choir was pretty impressive though this should apply more to the 2nd service and fortunately our voices didn't have a tinge of tiredness, from the long hours which stretched all the way up to 1.30am today....!!! And some compliments from the congregation reaffirm that conclusion.
Verdict:
The good Regina Coeli awesome Fast song rocks(kept us awake, haha) Cantoring pretty good The jokes
The bad Cheng May making mistakes on timing( considering her perfectionist attitude on strict timing.) Church Organ failing her..WHY??..Some weird techical problem..wander whether it's her
Speaking about Cheng May, manage to dig some information regarding her incidentally while searching for "Wicked Pitches". NO, she's not in Wicked Pitches but in another group by the name of "Voices of the women", hmmm sounds abit chauvinist, huh?? Pretty sure that singing group rocks thanks to her rather perfectionist and quite uncompromising approach.
And here she is with her characteristic style and pose. Notice her fingers, be warned, her finger movements are like a language on it's own..Her eagle eye stare sends a message that she is pretty darn serious with what she is doing. You'll know what I mean if you are under her. Her hair style's a bit different from this and fortunately she has a bit of sense of humour. LOLZ
The weather wasn't all that good, as usual the rain kept pouring over the past few days and it wasn't any different even on Good Friday and history tells that bad weather usually becomes worse over Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Seems like the Lord is actually mourning over Christ death on the cross. Ok that's just a thought. To my surprise, traffic was pretty good from the moment I started my journey until I came right up to 300 m from church and that's when the great big jam started.
So even when I'm 45 minutes earlier, I still have to bear with the jams. Actually this is due to parishioners driving out of the church and coupled with the rain, it got pretty bad. Coming in at the slope of the entrance required me to endure an agonising 15 minute wait even when I'm actually agonisingly close to finding a place to park. Thankfully, the good Lord send a warden to remove some cones and this created sort of a small car park with a capacity of 6 cars. With the rain and time running out, had to find a place to park and kiss the jams goodbye...
Thankfully, upon reaching Bilik Jenkins, wasn't really late. Turned out that traffic had prevented about half the full force to turn up on time. And Pauline also wasn't there.
Fast Forward.....30 minutes.
Started singing the psalm and then later the Gospel Acclamation. Dunno how it turned out... but feedback from people shows promise for a future assignment. HAHA... Later after the first mass, Patrick praised me for my singing. He said it was good. I feel good...
YOU'RE SO FULL OF YOURSELF...STOP IT!!
Homily was particularly interesting also. It goes something like this:
"You might not like what I am about to say...I'm talking particularly about two groups of people.... In fact there should leave right now....The first group of people, the people who feel that they have not sinned...The second group of people, the people who could not forgive themselves..."
The opening lines draw quite a bit of attention but later on it's quite the usual homily. If Jesus were to die on the cross for our forgiveness than It's most likely the 1st group should not be in church. Forgiveness is important, though hard but it liberates us. Therefore if we forgive ourselves. God can forgive us. So that explains it also. Therefore dying on the cross is just "a waste of time." as father said it.
Oh...the dreaded exams that we have to endure thanks to the ridiculous Malaysian education system and up until now when I am in IMU...Right, with dat being said I've just finished my endocrine exams and it was ok and do-able. Right now I can
Scream..........YAHOOOOOOAWWWWWWWAAAAAEEEEEEIIIOOOO!!!!!. That's not fake cause I actually did it following every single syllable there.
And tonight is Good Friday, main events
Me: Cantoring
Me again: Gospel Acclamation( for 2 masses)
and of course choir la....
Have to make sure my voice is good enough and thank goodness the flu bug departed from my sinuses and larynx a good 1 week ago but thanks to me I've started an outbreak at home...MUAHAHA
NOW FOR THE PUBLISHING OF BALL PHOTOS(which I've been trying to do for the past 1 week but thanks to endo, have to be shelved for the moment)
In memory of Pope John Paul II Well loved and accepted by the church as well as the world And will be dearly missed on his contributions to bringing the message of Christ to Catholics as well as people of other faiths.
“The quality of life is not interpreted as economic success, beauty and physical pleasure, but consists in the supreme dignity of the creature made in the image and likeness of God.” ~ Pope John Paul II.
Ball juz over last Saturday and though It could have been better I liked it though especially the photo taking sessions which can amount to hundreds and it seems that every single soul attending the ball is sucked into this frenzy of photo shooting which seems to border on the insanity. Never would I imagine any other occasion in my life if there were to be so many photos taken except maybe my wedding or if somehow I were to stray into the entertainment industry which would of course send ripples of shock and disbelieve amongst my peers and also not forgetting my kin.
"OK, spare me the review....Where are the pics dude??"
Right.. Pics are coming soon but not now cause my digital camera happens to have the video as the only functioning feature... thanks to the frequent drops including the rollover on the highest point in South East Asia
"Awww.....Nop...still not going to give the consoling speech....WHERE IZZZZ IT??"
Man, the inner voice is a real pusher rite??........ The pics are coming from and external source from my friends and they will be uploaded in this blog, ok some nice ones and the rest will be uploaded elsewhere. BUT it will take some time because some pictures need to be sorted out and some need modification...but those pre-mods will be uploaded into my blog so if u want to judge the quality don't say it has been photoshoped!!
Right now, enjoy this ballad from Fort Minor...which has been stuck in my head recently and incidentally this song happens to be one of the soundtrack on the first video for the ball. Anywhere kudos for the effort, Chern Huay!!!
Where'd you go?
I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone.
She said "Some days I feel like shit, Some days I wanna quit, and just be normal for a bit," I don't understand why you have to always be gone, I get along but the trips always feel so long, And, I find myself trying to stay by the phone, 'Cause your voice always helps me to not feel so alone, But I feel like an idiot, workin' my day around the call, But when I pick up I don't have much to say, So, I want you to know it's a little ****** up, That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin', Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career, Me and the rest of the family here singing "Where'd you go?"
I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone. Where'd you go? I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone, Please come back home...
You know the place where you used to live, Used to barbecue up burgers and ribs, Used to have a little party every Halloween with candy by the pile, But now, you only stop by every once and a while, Shit, I find myself just fillin' my time, With anything to keep the thought of you from my mind, I'm doin' fine, I plan to keep it that way, You can call me if you find that you have something to say, And I'll tell you, I want you to know it's a little ******up, That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin', Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career, Me and the rest of the family here singing "Where'd you go?"
I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone. Where'd you go? I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone, Please come back home...
I want you to know it's a little ******up, That I'm stuck here waitin', no longer debatin', Tired of sittin' and hatin' and makin' these excuses, For why you're not around, and feeling so useless, It seems one thing has been true all along, You don't really know what you've got 'til it's gone, I guess I've had it with you and your career, When you come back I won't be here and you can sing it...
Where'd you go? I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone. Where'd you go? I miss you so, Seems like it's been forever, That you've been gone, Please come back home... Please come back home... Please come back home... Please come back home... Please come back home...
Wants a good life and a stable career. Very interested in other ways to supplement his income. Into internet marketing, a whole new area to him. To him there is much to learn from this area with huge potential. Wants to here what others think about this area too..
