A friend just flew back to continue his studies, and we managed to meet up along with a few others old friends. I believe there's something intangible and perhaps entirely magical about old friends. That meeting them after a long time never fails to bring up a smile on your face as you reminisce about the past and talking about the current over drinks at the roadside mamak.

I am 69% Addicted to Coffee

Here it is - my very own coffee addiction rating. 69%... seems quited alright to me. That is from a slightly-biased-personal-opinion of a coffee addict.

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Biology/Chemistry/Geology You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, or related majors (e.g., Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, Genetics, Marine Biology, Zoology). It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it. Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal. Biology/Chemistry/Geology 81% English/Journalism/Comm 75% French/Spanish/OtherLanguage 69% Religion/Theology 63% PoliticalScience/Philosophy 63% History/Anthropology/LiberalArts 56% HR/BusinessManagement 50% Psychology/Sociology 50% Mathematics/Statistics 50% Accounting/Finance/Marketing 44% Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health 44% Education/Counseling 38% Physics/Engineering/Computer 38% Visual&PerformingArts 38%

And yeah, I'm a fickle one.

Ponder

Guess it's that time of year again huh? A year ends, another one begins. Time for one to look back on the previous year; the ups and downs. Wondering if one had been changed by it, for better or worse. I thought I'd do a recap for the previous year, seeing as I've skipped the last one.

The year started off pretty alright. I was in my final semester and busy with my thesis. Towards the month before my thesis, I was surviving on three cups of coffee and less than six hours of sleep daily. Finally did manage to complete my thesis and got an A for it, so my efforts were not for naught.

And how could I forget that thing that cropped up with that stupid (former) friend? That got me all angry and confused the night before my final paper. How could someone be so selfish and silly to end a friendship just because things turned out differently than expected. Three years down the road, and again I got burned by an incident involving individuals who supposedly are people whom you're close to and can trust. Thankfully I did get an A for that paper, despite me getting quite distraught and barely able to grab any sleep that night.

With my stint at university done, it's time to step out into the real world. And honestly, it's a very daunting and terrifying step. Even when I was busy with my thesis, I heard tales of who & who securing for jobs etc. And like most people, I wasn't exactly sure what to do; afraid of taking a wrong step. Sure I had a rough idea what I want to do; but when you're actually at that point and then so many options suddenly opens up, hesitations and doubt begin creeping in.

Just to see how well I could do, I applied for HSBC's Management Development Programme. It was actually rather tough, but it was a good learning albeit nerve-wrecking experience. And when I was actually offered the position, it put me in dilemma. Steady job, good pay and a nice start up the corporate ladder vs the rocky, less-known path of academia and research. In the end, whether out of defiance of conformation, temporary lapse of judgment or plain stubbornness, I turned down the offer for a low-paying temp position as a research assistant in my uni.

Although I've done it twice, I don't think I'll ever get the hang of it - walking away from something and the people whom you practically spent most of your time with for the past few years. Leaving behind people whom I've shared good times with, helped each other with during trying times of lab reports and exams. Or people who I've gotten so close with that I'm at ease to be just be kick back and let loose myself, sarcasm and indignance and all. Individuals who I've spent so much time with through countless debate trainings, tourneys and goofing around; unwittingly a bond develops that is so much more than mere friendship. Through the stress, doubts, misunderstandings, and even tears that ensues; it opens up a side of someone that is rarely seen. And when it's all over and done with, inevitably a whole new level of understanding and trust develops that brings people even closer.

It's hard too, to realise that your time is up and you have to walk away from something you've dedicated so much of energy and time into. To now stand behind the line and watch others do it, only able to offer a small portion of moral support and advice to them. Perhaps out of dedication and love for the people and the sport, or an excuse for a reason to still be around with the people you like, or just a fleeting and futile attempt to capture some of the thrill long gone.

And so 2007 has been a year of big changes of some self-contemplation. Where a period of my life is over and a new phase begins. Can't say I've been looking forward to 2008; it just marks the beginning of another period of the Gregorian calendar. But I do hope that this path I started on would be one that offers what I seek at the end with few regrets.

Happy New Year folks. May you all be blessed with good cheer, love, luck and whatever else you're looking for. And may you all too that climate change is already happening and is here to stay.

My, it's been quite a while since my last post. Just some short scribbles here. Came back from dinner with some old form 6 friends. FREE dinner at Pizza Hut actually, courtesy of a friend who's working there. Yay! It was great meeting up and chatting with them, and then realising how outdated I am with their current lives. My fault actually, me rarely keeping in touch with them. Promised myself that I'll do that more often from now on. And also shocking news that one of my former schoolmate will be getting married soon. Yikes!! That news took everyone on the table by surprise, and mostly not in a good way.

Maybe it's just me, but when you're bored and your social calendar is empty, it really is the pits - no one calls you out and anyone you try asking is somehow unavailable.

And then when it picks up, it really spirals to the top. And suddenly you have to arrange plans to prevent them from clashing, and also turning down the extra invites. This looks set to be a busy weekend.

Went out yesterday with an old friend who came back for holidays. Had quite a good time just catching up, with the dash of usual silliness and lameness. Then went back to his place, basically just chilling with surfing the net, watching tv, and playing PS.

After that went out for dinner again at SS2 Murni. Haven't been there in ages, like in bout 2-3 years? Food there has always been great, the few times I've been there. Tried out a friend's recommendation of their claypot lou shu fan, which turned out to be really good.

It's really great to just spend a big part of a day with someone who you've known for a large part of your life, and just kick back and practically do nothing. All in all it was a good weekend.

Often when we get too close and comfortable with someone, we take each other for granted. Like they said, familiarity breeds contempt.

And when it reaches a tipping point, a resolution is needed and everyone has to swallow the bitter pill - being frank. And if the initial bond was strong enough, a new level of understanding and closeness is reached. Everyone moves on, contented and satisfied.

And sometimes when you're unexpectedly appreciated by the very people whom you care deeply for, it means so much more than an expensive gift. The profound sense of being needed and belonged. And that your existence mattered.

And then everything in life seems so much better.

Whirlpools

I've just finished saving up all my old blog entries over at Blog-city. In case you didn't know, Blog-city had decided to terminate its free hosting of blogs and will only be available to paid bloggers, and all free blogs will be terminated by end of this year. So then I upped and moved over here to Blogspot.

Anyway, I was skimming through those entries as I saved them up, and a whole lot of emotions just washed up over me. I can't believe that it's been almost 4 years that I've started this blog. How my writing has changed over the years, and even how myself has changed over the years. Things I went through, good times and bad; my thought over certain issues and so on.

With my very first post around the time I just finished Form 6, I think I might have came across as rather idealistic. That time I was thinking of going on adventurous treks to study animals. And then once I entered UKM, things changed. My passion for the environment, I think, has decreased slightly. I still plan to help the environment, though my approach now would be studying and understanding it through a different approach.

At that time too, I was just still fresh off from certain issues. I had a lot of anger, and confusion. And being dumped into a new environment of entering into uni probably didn't help much in thawing my slightly cool and bitter self. Then there was the whole thing of me definitively drifting further away from my Form 5 friends, a term I've come to accept now.

And I kinda laughed a little at myself, reading bout when I just embarked on this whole new world of 'debating'. How excited I was when I went for my first Royals in UMS and the subsequent victory. The incredibly good times I had, the the amazing bond and friendship that developed with a bunch of the zaniest people I know. People who would become some of the few friends I'm can claim to be totally comfortable with.

The ironic part would be that today the UKM debate team has just left for this year's Royals at UiTM Shah Alam. It feels a bit strange, and nostalgic, I think. I'm not sure of the exact words to describe what I'm feeling now. Seeing some of my closest friends, whom I've spent a lot of time debating and had fun with. Not to mention who were my teammates for last year's Royals, now attempting the whole thing again. This time without me. And mostly with a sense of relunctance and obligation, as compared to the drive and camaraderie we formerly shared. The whole thing just feels a little, surreal? Sad maybe? To see them go at something that I was once a part of. The kind of feeling you get when you see the juniors take over your post and duties. The feeling of an ...outsider, peering inside through a window of the house you walked out of.

And of course, blogging too allowed me to meet a few incredible people; no mention of names needed. Among them is a person who's come to be someone I've gotten really close with. But overall, I guess that personally for me, a blog is like my own diary of sorts - photos that make me smile fondly, entries that trigger long-forgotten memories and emotions. This blog is a story of my journey.

Short ramble at work

Yesterday was the longest I've stayed in my lab working late. Initially was going to be kinda a busy day till evening, expecting to finish around 5 pm. Unfortunately there was a workshop in the afternoon (which wasn't as boring and quite interesting actually) so around 6 pm went to tapau dinner and went up my lab. Did my work and had dinner and finally left around 9 pm. It was kinda surreal actually, it was pitch black outside the window of my lab. Kinda scary too. The road leading up my lab resembles more to jungle trail and it was really dark, even with the fog lights on.

So with yesterday's sudden burst of dedicatedness on my part, I thought I'd go up to lab a little later today. Unfortunately my lecturer called in the morning just bout 10 minutes before I arrived, thus giving off a bad impression of me as a slacker, never-early dude to office. Which is also quite unfair as my colleague who usually comes much later to me always happen to come early on the days my lecturer calls or just suddenly waltzes in.

Anyway, I'm kinda getting along with my applications and whatnots to for overseas postgrad, thanks to some wonderful tips and support from a few friends. And right now, on a sudden whim, I've decided to go catch a movie and maybe get myself a new pair of shoes to replace my slightly torn ones. So I'm hurrying up my work now and hopefully I can make it in time. 

And oh, just remembered this little bit. According to one of my friends, for all my almost constant expressionless state, the one expression I do best is one of indignance. In fact, she added, I practically ooze indignance almost all the time. I'd appreciate if anyone out there would let me know how true is this.