And The Train Halts... Sealed With A Kiss

Dear Blog,

Over the past 4 years, you have been a great companion to me. Ups and downs, the laughters and the tears, I've shared them all with you. Sometimes, it's just random bullshit from me, and sometimes, it's just things that don't make sense. But you were always there, and you took them all in, without saying a single word.

However, with a heavy heart, I've come to the decision of ending our relationship. You no longer satisfy my needs and reluctantly, I have to let you go. I've been seeing someone else for 2 days now and it's going great. I've found a new companion at Wordpress.

People change, all the time. And when they do, I guess there's no choice but to move on. I believe this relationship can no longer work; that both of us should deal with reality. I'm moving on to a fresher, more vibrant, and in all aspects, better environment. I guess in time, you would do too.

So, with this short letter, I hope you'd understand my actions and my decisions. I know it's painful, I know you hurt inside. But let me tell you, I hurt as much as you do. All our memories together will be left here, untouched; and they will live on for many more generations to see. I'll drop by, occasionally, just to catch up and see how you're doing; talk like the old times. It's a promise sealed with a kiss, from me to you.

With love,

Clarence Choong.

P/S: Do drop by my new place, whenever you're free. Here's the address - wengkiandthebrain.wordpress.com.

Just like every train has a destination, and eventually has to stop, Train of Thoughts has reached hers. I hereby officially announce the closure of this blog and the migration to a new blog as stated above. Till then, goodbye!

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Brian Hyland

Sealed With A Kiss

Though we gotta say goodbye for the summer

Darling, I promise you this

I'll send you all my love

Every day in a letter

Sealed with a kiss

Yes it's gonna be a cold, lonely summer

But I'll fill the emptiness

I'll send you all my dreams

Every day in a letter

Sealed with a kiss

I'll see you in the sunlight

I'll hear your voice everywhere

I'll run to tenderly hold you

But darling you won't be there

I don't wanna say goodbye for the summer

Knowing the love we'll miss

So let us take a pledge to meet in September

And seal it with a kiss

Yes it's gonna be a cold, lonely summer
But I'll fill the emptiness
I'll send you all my dreams
Every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss

Presenting... Chicken Meat.Chicken Meat Five

Undergraduates from the Faculty of Economics & Administration, University of Malaya, present Statistics II.

Good English:

"By using the Z-test, we can conclude that at a 0.05 level of significance, there is sufficient evidence of a difference in mean for the variables selected."

New English:

"By using the jackass, we can conclude that at a jirou point jirou fi level of significant, there is sufficient evident of a different in mean for the variable selected."

Points To Ponder:

1) Presentations ≠ Assignments. They are supposed to be precise and concise. The lecturer doesn't need another copy of your assignment in powerpoint format.

2) Presenting ≠ Reading. The lecturer and your friends (not all though) are intelligent people. They can read.

3) English ≠ Mandarin. Do not speak loudly and fluently in Mandarin before the presentation. You will mess your languages up.

4) Quantity ≠ Quality. Do not put slides filled to the brim with words and numbers in your presentation. Not all your fellow undergraduates are easily fooled.

5) Speed ≠ Fluency. Reading hastily (or scrolling through slides) without any pauses doesn't show that you're fluent in English. Nor does it show your knowledge. Superman would not have caught a word.

Just some food for thought.

P/S: If you don't know by now, jirou = chicken meat in Mandarin.

A Great Flaw

This is the original article (with the title) I wrote and sent to Malaysiakini.

You can read the published one here.

I am a second year student in UM. I am writing this to express my discontent over a prevailing issue in Universiti Malaya. I would narrate a recent experience to emphasise my point. Just yesterday, on a Sunday evening, I was pulled over by the security guard at the KL gate. I was told by the guard rudely that if I wanted to go to PJ, I’d have to take a big round instead of passing through UM; even if I’m a student of Universiti Malaya. Right up to here, everything seems fine and the guard seems perfectly justified. But what I’m puzzled over is how random and inconsistent these security checks are; laced with heavy double standards. I understand perfectly that 1^st and 2^nd year students are not allowed to bring their vehicles into campus in order to reduce the traffic. However, this was never implemented with consistency and most of the time, everyone is allowed to pass through UM without as much as a question. The enactment of this policy was a wrong move to begin with; what more the failed implementation. Administration in UM should understand that they do not have enough places in their residential colleges for everyone to stay in campus. That is why three quarter of 2^nd and 3^rd year students have to live outside. And not all students staying outside of campus have direct access to public transport to get to class. And so, some of these students enjoy the privilege of having their own cars as a mean of transport. However, now we face another problem. If we’re not allowed to bring our cars into the campus, how are we supposed to get to class? What with the high food and lodging costs of staying outside, now we have to take a taxi to the nearest bus or LRT station every single day to get to UM just because we’re not allowed to bring our cars into campus even though we have one?

I strongly believe that the administration should have thought of this before enacting and implementing ineffective and half the time, inactive policies as such. And because of the inconsistency of the policy’s implementation, students are often confused about the legitimacy of bringing their vehicles into campus. But we still do it anyway out of desperation, and most of the time, we do get away with it. What I suggest here is the eradication of this policy so that students are no longer stopped randomly just because the security guard at the gate feels like it on that particular day or the security guard on shift is a hardworking one who doesn’t slack in upholding the institution’s policies. I believe that UM students, most of the time with the only intent of attending lectures (even for the purpose of bypassing traffic), should be allowed to bring their vehicles into campus and utilise its roads.

With that in light, I also question UM’s policy concerning the public’s use of its gates. Is the public allowed to use the roads in UM or only people who have serious business in UM? I think everyone can agree that every day, a great number of road users utilise the compounds of UM to pass from PJ to KL or vice versa in order to avoid the traffic in Federal Highway. But these people were never stopped; almost all time. Why weren’t these people stopped by the security guard at the gate? Why wasn’t the man driving a Mercedes Benz stopped while I, a student of Universiti Malaya, was stopped and questioned rudely like a criminal? People with nice, collared shirt driving big, expensive cars are allowed to pass from KL to PJ through UM grounds while trendy looking youths driving economical Peroduas have to be questioned and let through with a warning never to use the road again. Isn’t this a display of double standards at its highest?

Therefore, I hope that the administration come up with a clear policy with effective implementation on these two issues: UM students bringing their vehicles into the campus and utilising its roads, and the public use of UM’s roads. ONE, either you stop and question every single person entering UM, allowing students or those with business in UM to pass through, or TWO, you open the roads for public use. I believe the former would be a crazy idea to even be considered as we already have a major traffic jam at both the KL and PJ gates during peak hours in the evening. I hope that this seemingly little but important issue is brought to the attention of people who have the power to do something about it and resolved as soon as possible.

Clarence Choong
2^nd year student of UM

Michael's Death

“It seemed to me that his internal essence was at war with the norms of the world. It’s as if he was trying to defy gravity."

Michael Levine, Hollywood publicist

Looking back, I still vividly remember my first blog post.

It was about Michael Jackson.

Never thought I'd have to write a post on his death 4 years after that first post.

Never thought it would end today.

You shattered the barriers of black and white with your music.

You were above what we foolishly term "race".

King of Pop?

I'd say Man of Passion.

Thank you.

No matter what they say, you'd always be defying gravity.

Rest in peace.

Michael Jackson

August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

The 8-Questions Theory Expounded

SPOILERS AHEAD

As we all know, many Facebook addicts are hyped over the "How Well Do You Know XXX?" quiz. I got sucked into it as well; not of my own free will (in a way) as I never wish to be conformed to the majority. However, I did Chooi Yee's quiz and I scored badly; it can be justified though because her questions don't evaluate how much you really know a person. In the midst of our argument with each other, I challenged her and hey, presto!; a quiz of my own. I devised the quiz in such a way that all questions were scenario-based. For me, asking someone how many siblings I have is not a question that can evaluate how much the person knows about me. And so, I created a pure personality quiz; if Chooi Yee scores badly (which she did), I'd feel less guilty in a way.

Below were the 8 questions I ingeniously made (right answers are in italic and bold). Let's take a stroll through my park of questions and I'll justify the answers to your satisfaction (hey, it rhymes!?).

1) An old man/pregnant woman boards a packed LRT. I will

a) get up and willingly give up my seat.
b) joke and laugh about it with my friends.
c) be ignorant; what happens around me doesnt matter. 
d) avoid any eye contacts; lest i should feel guilty.
e) be ashamed of the selfish people around me.

Alright, many actually chose a) as the answer. Well, thank you for having such good perception of me but I tend to be apathetic to these little things. Call me heartless but hey, that's an honest evaluation of myself. I wouldn't give my seat up for the world especially in a packed LRT. There will always be this kind soul who would do it and that kind soul's just ain't me. I'm essentially selfish by nature, you see.

2) Given a choice, I will

a) be in the Mass Communications line.
b) be a film/movie director or scriptwriter.
c) be a full-time worker/missionary.
d) be in a rock band. 
e) still want to be an economist.

Well, many got this right; nothing much to dispute about. It's a tough call, personally, for me to choose the right answer myself but for those who chose a), yes, you're close. Missed by an inch I would say but music has always been my passion, if you don't know by now. If you chose e), WOAH, just so you know, I didn't exactly CHOOSE to do Economics in UM.  

3) It's my last day on earth. I will

a) approach the girl I like and confess to her.
b) eat all the good food I can.
c) travel around the world.
d) curse and swear because I never had enough fun.
e) love like never before. 

I know I curse alot but isn't d) abit ridiculous? Why, you guys must think I'm a foul-mouthed brat! Dude, if it's really my last day, I'd be repenting instead of doing something idiotic as said in d). I'm hedonistic by nature but if it's Ragnarok, I'd make sure it's well spent; NOT in self-indulgence. 

4) In my world, there are only two choices. I will prefer

a) cold over heat. 
b) solitude over people.
c) games over studies.
d) thirst over hunger.
e) girls over friends.

Again, I drowned myself in a sea of tough choices. Eventually, I concluded a) would most accurately define me. I'd rather die of cold than heat anytime man. Some chose b), some c). But well, as much as I enjoy solitude, people satisfy a different level altogether in my hierarchy of needs (Maslow's Theory). Admit it; we're all social creatures. The same goes for c). As much as I despise studying, it's essential to my future as person and therefore, it's not something I'd give up just because I love fun as much as I hate studying.   

5) I did something terribly wrong. I tend to

a) remain silent and hope no one notices.
b) stubbornly refuse to admit my mistake.
c) swallow my pride and apologise.
d) justify and reason from my perspective. 
e) be apathetic; everyone has differing views.

Now, I must say I feel a little flattered when most chose c) as the answer. Yes, at times I do, but being the egoist that I am, most of the time, I tend to justify and reason from my perspective. I have alot of pride but my pride comes with reason. 

6) I make a promise. Most of the time,

a) I'm a man of my word.
b) I fail to keep it.
c) I forget about it until someone reminds me.
d) I try not to. 
e) janji itu macam tahi. (Shin Chan)

Many believe that I'm a man of my word. Sadly, I failed myself and other people, on countless occassions. Now, I try as much as possible not to make any promises, even if I'm 90% sure that I'll keep it. But when I do, I'm a man of my word. 

7) It's always

a) inner beauty that attracts me first, then outer.
b) outer beauty that attracts me first, then inner. 
c) a combination of inner&outer beauty that matters.
d) the "feel" between two people that matters.
e) better to be single.

Haha, thanks guys. If I ever talked to you about girls before, this question is a bonus. No matter what you say about inner beauty over outer beauty, believe me; every guy goes for the outer beauty first. So what if you have great inner beauty but I can't even bear to look at you? Heck, I wouldn't even want to know you so how would I ever experience that inner beauty of yours? But when the outer beauty's okay, you'd soon find that the inner beauty enhances the outer beauty. An average looking person with inner beauty can be the most beautiful person. But the initial attraction will always be the outward appearance. This can go a long way; maybe we can have a drink over this issue. Members of the opposite sex are most welcomed. =D   

8) Politics (in Malaysia) is

a) a dirty, corrupted game.
b) hopeless.
c) a money game where the rich&powerful wins. 
d) something which doesn't concern me.
e) survival of the fittest.

No doubt politics is dirty and corrupted in Malaysia. Yes, it's even a matter of survival of the fittest. Eat or be eaten. A part of me is dead towards politics; hopeless for that matter. My consistent views though, are always in line with c). You can talk about change, you can start reformed movements, you can even win in elections. But in the end, it's always the rich and powerful who "wins". Justice is not always served the way we want it. Let us not lose heart, for the God of justice said, "Vengeance is mine. I will repay." Anyway, how can you people choose d)?? Yeah, I'm apathethic and ignorant in many respects but this? You must be kidding.

Phew. I beg your pardon for the length but I thought it best to expound on the reasons behind my seemingly inaccurate answers to the 8 questions I made. It's an honest evaluation of myself; I actually put myself in the particular situation and thought hard before deciding the right answer for each question. I hope I put you in a better light now, of the person that I am.

An Uninspired Blogger Writes

It's been two long weeks, but it's finally over!

Just some updates. I was actually in Malacca for about two weeks, preparing and practicing for my drama performance which was on the 28th. It was a stage drama entitled "Wish Upon A Crane" by Centre Stage Productions, in aid of the National Kidney Foundation's Children Dialysis Fund. Practice was boring as I've got nothing much to do. Most of my parts were already sorta perfected before this, so the intense practice was mostly focused on the synchronization of the overture and dance, which Macho Me was not involved in. Nevertheless, I had a fairly nice time sleeping till lunch everyday, waking up to find food, lazing on the couch watching tv, and playing mahjong, while everyone slugged to practice.

On the 24th-27th, I went for the PKV camp in Camerons. In case you don't know, PKV is Persaudaraan Kristian Varsiti for my university. It was a really great experience for me, as I was the leader of a group. Besides the fun, Mr. Lian gave some really good insights during his sessions. Thoroughly enjoyed the camp, though I was soaked to my toes during the treasure hunt. Never have I been in a colder state than that. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering.

So, two weeks were alright, excluding all the travelling I had to do. My entire journey could be summed up by this.

Ipoh > KL > Malacca > KL > Camerons > KL > Malacca > Ipoh.

Long bus rides can kill.

Well, that's all for now. December will be a duper fun month, because I love my mom, I love my friends, I love the food, I love the fun, and they are all here, in dear Ipoh! Gonna enjoy my month here before it's back to the grindstone for me.

A simple post by a boring blogger.

Self-Love : The Economics Perspective

Alright, this is 90% cut and paste work, but it's worth a read.

“Man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren, and it is vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. He will be more likely to prevail if he can interest their self-love in his favor, and show them that it is for their own advantage to do for him what he requires of them.

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.

Every individual neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it.

He intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.”

Adam Smith - Passages from The Wealth of Nations.

Main reason why I'm studying Economics. It justifies all kinds of evil in a logical way.

Why Am I Only Able To Write Blog Posts When It's In The Odd Hours Of The Beautiful Morning.

There are two reasons why I can only blog when it's 4.00 a.m. in the morning.

a) I am nocturnal. I am inspired by the morning air.

b) Due to the extremely advanced WIFI technology of my beloved UM, the connection is only stable during this hour of the day.

Well, there is no clear objective or motive to this post. I am just floating about. So, if half-way down this post, you feel that it is not making sense, or worth reading, stop reading, and blame it on the morning air.

First of all, one of the urgent issues I would like to address would be the "Wadefish" issue. Around April this year, I gave birth to a monster named "Wadefish". From that moment onwards, "Wadefish" was seen everywhere, from Garena to MSN. What really was the problem was this. Nobody could understand nor pronounce the name properly without asking me an explanation. And so, what I get is people calling me wade ( the act of walking through water or mud ) -fish. Also, I have a friend who calls me waterfish, which, literally translated to Cantonese, would be sui yue, which would mean "scapegoat" in English. Confusing, yes, but the point is this. I need to clarify this so people would stop asking the same question so many times that it plots an exponential graph.

Before I proceed, there are 3 options you can choose to go from here.

a) If you're an overly free person, read this. If you're not mentally challenged in any way, and you're able to read and think like a normal human being, I believe this post would clear the air on the etymology of "Wadefish" and the right pronounciation that comes with it. Then, after reading, you can resume playing Who Has The Biggest Brains in Facebook, or resume nudging people in MSN, and need not continue reading this post, which by now, you would have found it to be rather stupid.

b) If you're an overly busy person, but so happened to be here because you love me alot and you're concern with what's latest in my blog, but you just don't have the time to read an old post which after reading you will find that it doesn't make sense, scroll down and you will find a summary which obviously functions to sum everything up, from the etymology of "Wadefish" to the right pronounciation of it.

c) If you're crazy and you know it, do all the above. *ClapClap*


Wadefish - The Etymology
The origins of the word came during enlightenment which I achieved when I spent my time meditating on how to make the world a better place for you and me to live in, and how to promote a cause in the world and improve the moral standards of humans at the same time. The moment of revelation created this urge to lessen the usage of words considered foul, rude, rough, uncouth, discriminating and denigrating in nature and at the same time, promote the noble cause of conserving animals, working with WWF ( World Wide Fund for Nature ) in achieving this purpose.

But how can this be done? As everyone knows, the act of killing two birds with one stone is logically impossible. And English came up with this illogical metaphor just to sound impressive, but then again, it illustrates the point to the point ( no pun intended ). And so, together with the board of directors, we brain-stormed for, well, quite some time I would say ( I don't want to exaggerate it so that this would sound real ) before we eventually came up with a brilliant idea on how to pull this off. The idea was to have people around the world to participate in a conscious effort to distort words deemed "unholy" by replacing them with names of animals facing the dangers of extinction.

I chose to distort the classic, most notorious, and the mother of all "unholy" words. Now, I can barely remember what "What The F*ck" is, for "What The Fish" has completely dominated the war I wage against the terrorism of words. And so, after a little adaptation, some adjustment, and a few touch-ups, "What The Fish" evolved into the now famous but often misconstrued and mispronounced "Wadefish".


There. That's a little too long for a summary, but I guess I'll have it. Why did I start the post with "First of all" when there is no "Secondly" following? Why did I say "one of the urgent issues" when there are no other issues I wish to address in this post? And why did I even mention that there is "no clear objective or motive to this post" when obviously I made a contradicting statement in saying that I wish to clarify the "Wadefish" issue in this post? Lastly, "I am nocturnal. I am inspired by the morning air" is a paradox, I just noticed. Now, that's what we call TRIVIA, baby!

And, voila! Another masterpiece creates herself in the wee hours of the day.

I never could have written this any other time of the day.

In social animals, the alpha male is the individual in the community to whom the others follow and defer. In some groups, the alpha males are overrepresented in the genetics of a population if they are the only ones who breed successfully.

Chimpanzees show deference to the alpha of the community by ritualised gestures such as bowing, allowing the alpha to walk first in a procession, or standing aside when the alpha challenges. Canines also show deference to the alpha in their pack, by allowing them to be the first to eat.

The status of the alpha is generally achieved by means of superior physical prowess; however, in certain highly social species such as the bonobo and humans, a contender can use more indirect methods, such as political alliances, to oust the ruling alpha and take his place.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Michael's Acquittal

King Of Pop : Michael Jackson

It's been ages since i last wrote but something struck me to get this blog going on again. I'm not interested in writing stuff about myself here (e.g. my personal things or diary-like entries). Instead, I'm much more into things that concerns Christianity, current affairs, or just plainly my thoughts/opinions on some things (e.g. movie, book, song). What struck me to get this going on again (as you can read from the title) was the acquittal of the infamous King of Pop - Michael Jackson - from all counts. I've always been on his side for no particular reason and I believe he's innocent. I did not know of his acquittal till I heard from one my dumb friends (who calls him a child molester 24/7 in front of me). On hearing the news, I became overjoyed for words, again for no particular reason. I neither like Jackson's looks nor adore his style of dressing but yet i supported him all the time. Funny guy you may say but then again not that funny after all.

After some thought about this matter, I finally came to a conclusion that I was on Jackson's side due to how the defense presented their case. The way they rejected every single charge with indisputal logic and irrefutable evidence was the winning point in this case. On the other hand, Jackson's accuser had a rather weak credibility as she was portrayed by the defense as a welfare cheat who brought a trumped-up lawsuit against J.C. Penney, accusing store guards of roughing her and her family up. With just that, it's already a sure-win case for Jackson even from the very beginning.

Jackson is not my idol or what but I really hope that people will learn to respect him in the future and not simply labelling him a child molester. Every human is a sinner and even if Jackson was guilty, it is not right for us to look at him as a sick freak and pass rude comments about him. In the Bible, Jesus saved a woman who was about to be stoned by saying let him who has never sinned cast the first stone. Jesus also taught us in the book of Luke not to simply pass judgement or condemnation. Let us not judge people by the way the look (just because Jackson had surgery who turned him from a nigger into a white guy with pointy nose, it doesn't mean he's a monster) and if we could practice this, I'm sure the world will be a whole lot better place for us to live in.