tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-218659812024-03-13T12:01:00.071+11:00LIVING LIFE...and LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY...A new chapter of my life began...when I left a small lil' island called HOME to a much bigger island called TASMANIA... but, life is still going to be as blessed or even MORE BLESSED and CRAZY because God is watching out for me. :-) SO here's a testament to that!...danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-70994219495730918042009-11-19T13:50:00.002+11:002009-11-19T13:58:58.125+11:00Revival of a blog.I'm home. <br /><br />Time to revive this dreary and lacklustre blog. <br /><br />Major reno under way.<br /><br />Watch this space.danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-15690524045775744612009-09-02T12:17:00.006+10:002009-09-02T13:29:42.145+10:00Tasmania brought out the Malaysia in me.It's sure been awhile...Not sure if anyone still visits this dusty, cobweb-ridden blog. But, whatever, it's my blog and my rules! :)<br /><br />Anyway, this will just be a short update about the recent Merdeka celebrations we, the mob of Malaysian students here, had in Hobart, Tasmania.<br /><br />I don't know what is it about the 31st of August that ignites the patriotic flames in Malaysians, however fickle and small it is. I mean, Australia Day (26th of January), which is the equivalent of the national day here, is celebrated very differently. The only pomp and ceremony they have here is the march past of all the former soldiers and army men who fought for Australia and some Awards and recognitions panned out to outstanding citizens. And, that's it! To most Aussies here however, Australia Day is just another public holiday when everyone just puts on their bathers, have a day out at the beach, play some cricket in their backyards, chuck some meat on the barbie while downing some goon. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But, coming from a country which celebrates her National Day with colourful parades with tens and thousands of people participating in them, presentations from people of different races and culture, dazzling fireworks displays, jet fighters performing stunts in mid air and what not, you kind of expect something more from Australia Day. <br /><br />But, then again, one might argue that maybe all that pomp and ceremony with Merdeka celebrations is just a huge waste of resources to put on a good show to distract its citizens from underlying problems which plague the country such as racial polarisation and inequality, corruption in government and what not. Or maybe Aussies are more comfortable in their own skin and don't need all that hype to reassure them of their national identity and pride. <br /><br />Whatever your views, they are perfectly valid and justified. <br /><br />But, for me, and as a Malaysian, Merdeka is about peace and the sense of camaraderie and mateship between people. One should look past all the ceremonial pomp and try to appreciate the true meaning of Merdeka. To me, Merdeka, or Freedom in English, is about being free from oppression and threat, and being unfettered to chart out our own course and future. Oppression is not just limited to colonial authority and prowess. There is one form of oppression that is far more detrimental - that is the oppression of the mind. If we live everyday, constantly moaning and complaining about how unfairly we are being treated, or how corrupted we think the government is, how "free" do you think we really are? We are constantly bogged down by all these issues. And, the problem is, we continue to let them bog us down. <br /><br />'Change' cannot be associated with passivity. Change is what we MAKE it to be. And, instead of talking and thinking ABOUT change, start LIVING change and living FREE. Merdeka is not all about the desire to "change", it's about living free - and that includes being free from our own negative perceptions and bias. <br /><br />I read a quote somewhere which reads: "We are not born winners. We are not born losers. We are born CHOOSERS." <br /><br />So, choose to be free, and to love one another for who they are - human beings - and not because of their race or creed. That's Merdeka to me. <br /><br />Group picture<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4pAgCTOt_XuZVLy0T3Dh7qE0f9lzmmJJmq37B_AbPtaAjGrQdkVVtR3L5O9I_FcIeXBhqvW3dCH7tS8eAtcrz92wyHZPoX-ux5TNA36RXXlFIXJQc3x10tOEhlyuOgHVbIuF/s1600-h/5815_144064687616_511717616_2910893_3932874_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4pAgCTOt_XuZVLy0T3Dh7qE0f9lzmmJJmq37B_AbPtaAjGrQdkVVtR3L5O9I_FcIeXBhqvW3dCH7tS8eAtcrz92wyHZPoX-ux5TNA36RXXlFIXJQc3x10tOEhlyuOgHVbIuF/s320/5815_144064687616_511717616_2910893_3932874_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376689563491615442" border="0"></a><br /><br />Economics students unite! How awesome is that supply and demand curve? *Because we're such nerds. *<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJgJ8mpJM7nnI6ZveIRe72GfOWT_Q9KajMp-J12NlwHgd7J5m2Ipj-98I-lCd6OtL9cYL4Ros47APyH_ZfMeNW8UN0gXSWsYvR5T-UB67B3jqKfHuyORQ3jynSG8EwWyDKfgw/s1600-h/5815_144064777616_511717616_2910906_7254471_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJgJ8mpJM7nnI6ZveIRe72GfOWT_Q9KajMp-J12NlwHgd7J5m2Ipj-98I-lCd6OtL9cYL4Ros47APyH_ZfMeNW8UN0gXSWsYvR5T-UB67B3jqKfHuyORQ3jynSG8EwWyDKfgw/s320/5815_144064777616_511717616_2910906_7254471_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376689396472708322" border="0"></a><br /><br />Law students unite! Woot! I get to be in both pics!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_abdyoZQomGaiyGfEsKAUVMkL00FaEwLw-wGjcuyM1P4cLEMim2pcuvkm2nQtlEaazcYKaOVxe-CRk8-CzC6KahjuRoEmpOefq75lJtIdIlWBkExYs7TzJxh_C31129k4UaX/s1600-h/5815_144064727616_511717616_2910898_4081277_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_abdyoZQomGaiyGfEsKAUVMkL00FaEwLw-wGjcuyM1P4cLEMim2pcuvkm2nQtlEaazcYKaOVxe-CRk8-CzC6KahjuRoEmpOefq75lJtIdIlWBkExYs7TzJxh_C31129k4UaX/s320/5815_144064727616_511717616_2910898_4081277_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376689193853623954" border="0"></a><br /><br />Our attempt at re-enacting the Petronas Twin Towers. Can't you tell?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YL3bbfX1FNQgv6SzfM6_EpbLTIKWXyZxuOlRp8sn3RpT2Sz8wPwRiJNA73Emx3aiau2AWwkZLD2MXEMSkL2FgncB-F1edAcLUavEMYQmP2yPU2JVYvB5rThtticR11ehPvsi/s1600-h/5493_119182438353_593748353_2433346_226292_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YL3bbfX1FNQgv6SzfM6_EpbLTIKWXyZxuOlRp8sn3RpT2Sz8wPwRiJNA73Emx3aiau2AWwkZLD2MXEMSkL2FgncB-F1edAcLUavEMYQmP2yPU2JVYvB5rThtticR11ehPvsi/s320/5493_119182438353_593748353_2433346_226292_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376689054662672754" border="0"></a><br /><br />A Malay acapella medley we did for Multicultural Night some time back...<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwWBLd8BA31tHuouHfNTQIZ11T06G9Mn4js-5MELYpGxywtzvG_4aC-5TACuOyDP1a5lXowg0xKjo0' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-47017302112727803742009-07-23T16:11:00.003+10:002009-07-23T19:07:47.561+10:00Opportunity CostsBelow is an excerpt of what 'Opportunity Cost' means:<br /><br />Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative forgone as the result of making a decision.<br /><br />The next best thing that a person can engage in is referred to as the opportunity cost of doing the best thing and ignoring the next best thing to be done.<br /><br />Opportunity cost is a key concept in economics because it implies the choice between desirable, yet mutually exclusive results. It has been described as expressing "the basic relationship between scarcity and choice." The notion of opportunity cost plays a crucial part in ensuring that scarce resources are used efficiently.Thus, opportunity costs are not restricted to monetary or financial costs: the real cost of output forgone, lost time, swag, pleasure or any other benefit that provides utility should also be considered opportunity costs.<br /><br />{sourced from Wikipedia}<br /><br />There's a saying that goes something like "The more you learn about something, the less you know about it".<br /><br />The concept of 'opportunity cost' is not something totally unintelligible to the layperson. Although, I must admit, it may not be a common term that you may be accustomed to, you definitely would have lived it out in practice. <br /><br />Here's my take on 'opportunity cost':<br /><br />Opportunity cost is...<br /><br />Leaving Penang for hopes of a better education and environment but also leaving the comfort of the warm weather, friends and family back home. <br /><br />Living off-campus and forgoing a "wholesome" college life but being able to pay cheaper rental rates and learning how to be my own chef.<br /><br />Taking up the position of Chairman at the OCF here and stretching myself for His Kingdom's sake but that also means that I'll have less leisure and study time. <br /><br />Coming to the Uni of Tasmania, having to pay cheaper tuition fees and being able to own a car here but that also means that I don't get the prestige and sense of achievement of studying at a huge, renowned University with a vibrant student life. But then again, my own academic and financial ability have sort of boxed me in, haven't they? <br /><br />Having to go through 5 years of Law and Economics at uni with the hopes of securing a brighter future for my family and myself but at the same time having to put up with all the, at times, sickeningly torturous study and assignments at Uni. <br /><br />To a lot of people here, I look like a Japanese, Korean or a certain Hongkie movie star (I'm not making this up) but am always asked stereotypical questions by the Whites like: "Which part of China are you from?" and "Wow..you can speak English???" ~ ok...I know this has nothing to do with 'opportunity cost'... but it just peeves me off when I get asked those questions.<br /><br />Leading on from that point, opportunity cost to me is when I have a good command of the English language but at the same time not being as proficient in my own Chinese language, history and culture. <br /> <br />So, does learning about concepts like 'Opportunity cost' or 'the law of diminishing returns' really do help you in real life? Well, some may argue that learning about opportunity costs help you make better, and more informed decisions when faced with 2 mutually exclusive alternatives. <br /><br />My view is that, given the circumstances in which I made a lot of my decisions in life, I did not have a fair go at deciding between the alternatives at hand. More than half of the examples I gave above are proof of that. Then again, one can easily say that there is always a choice. Life is all about making choices. You're where you are today, doing what you're doing because of a choice you made at some point of your life, whether or not you were aware of the fact that you were already making that life-altering choice. <br /><br />I am where I am today - at some obscure uni, short and stubby, not knowing how to play the guitar - all because I decided not to study hard enough when I was in High School, not to do more jumping(does it really make you grow taller?) and exercise as much or put in the extra hours into learning how to play the guitar when I was 14. And, many a times, what's done is done and we cannot make right the wrongs that we've done. <br /><br />So, is 'Opportunity Cost' really that useful a tool in my decision-making process? I will answer that question in the negative. My view is that instead of helping you make better decisions, it just makes you realise the costliness and the gravity of you actions or inactions, for that matter. Instead of guiding you in your decision-making, it leaves you with the greatest sense of rue and regret for not choosing the other alternative. Maybe that's why they call it opportunity "COST", and not "BENEFIT".danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-61288673269792581982009-06-23T10:27:00.002+10:002009-06-24T00:30:08.778+10:00The story thus far.2009 thus far in 29 pictures.<br /><br />First up, the OCF (Overseas Christian Fellowship) Easter Camp 2009. Awesome people. Beautiful location. Good food. All in all, a flippin' great camp. One of the best camps I've been to in a very long time. Who knew a trampoline could be so much fun? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FmrYgDwHR8HDF2h8bBRlDhrVdmtpfyMEIhRsLjtgopOH4gdnpFuyndLiIhRJwu-inNbWlVFgeoi0oHA3Frd53l1Ws-U5AhuohqQCBB1RUp-79XohMN3rrzvcWOeDHBIoOlrU/s1600-h/EC11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FmrYgDwHR8HDF2h8bBRlDhrVdmtpfyMEIhRsLjtgopOH4gdnpFuyndLiIhRJwu-inNbWlVFgeoi0oHA3Frd53l1Ws-U5AhuohqQCBB1RUp-79XohMN3rrzvcWOeDHBIoOlrU/s200/EC11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350515352409899858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU-0-XTTLVkTGF1_a_3YQlDvDxEn7CtMSMCBlN4DH_sCtaj3OzaNpBGDdPzEs4vbJJmiPR1IVHma1adLiDl90wC59DYacX2QgZmkXIlxzOs5Fxqs059erI3Bg-NX0jlhcFtB8/s1600-h/EC10.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU-0-XTTLVkTGF1_a_3YQlDvDxEn7CtMSMCBlN4DH_sCtaj3OzaNpBGDdPzEs4vbJJmiPR1IVHma1adLiDl90wC59DYacX2QgZmkXIlxzOs5Fxqs059erI3Bg-NX0jlhcFtB8/s200/EC10.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350515265964625170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrjvt6KZdkqDLFPsnyHwnNFZYKNKEgsvgnzZ-9NqCdgC9QpBpZpk09feiwrpAwwmPtW6IJqpZgeeo9fQgrexTTMsdP_Golq4UaVMSSLoaFZW42QZEGxwXmczNvuKLnAfgeyOu/s1600-h/EC9.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrjvt6KZdkqDLFPsnyHwnNFZYKNKEgsvgnzZ-9NqCdgC9QpBpZpk09feiwrpAwwmPtW6IJqpZgeeo9fQgrexTTMsdP_Golq4UaVMSSLoaFZW42QZEGxwXmczNvuKLnAfgeyOu/s200/EC9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514649998817298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFNhNDju76FC4CbUSV4q8KgbkC2eJAtw7c0j0L-s92kcrU3b33FzAT4RF4HRGrrUtVhTxkJ18MRDDia_fBU7N43KOCXn3K9qGXHv6x7nJA2BfOVbgQKbcqvqD0uqCRJA114pH/s1600-h/EC7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFNhNDju76FC4CbUSV4q8KgbkC2eJAtw7c0j0L-s92kcrU3b33FzAT4RF4HRGrrUtVhTxkJ18MRDDia_fBU7N43KOCXn3K9qGXHv6x7nJA2BfOVbgQKbcqvqD0uqCRJA114pH/s200/EC7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514552884108482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-99jDucG7XRZjhurI0iDYuKloju85q6kns6pxjEkw0AW_rRx02BQfR3Zgq8ab1cupHU4nInr6fRo9aFZrHVMc8jmqxr7s4XGRmDleAEPwvdx-dujXJ53FR8rR2chzT0XC3Agv/s1600-h/EC6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-99jDucG7XRZjhurI0iDYuKloju85q6kns6pxjEkw0AW_rRx02BQfR3Zgq8ab1cupHU4nInr6fRo9aFZrHVMc8jmqxr7s4XGRmDleAEPwvdx-dujXJ53FR8rR2chzT0XC3Agv/s200/EC6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514462288074722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr_k2dU_H6iKtJEXxmiU-Xh9Ibm68ybx16YYQk_KDUnLkDtFYyc8Lug35Xt9Tp5cxFhREPwbc9mlwBiUvckLD8OAK6a5f4TVVJlKUQwtk_NiKNk56OD60bisSl1VA2kOVN2Rm/s1600-h/EC5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr_k2dU_H6iKtJEXxmiU-Xh9Ibm68ybx16YYQk_KDUnLkDtFYyc8Lug35Xt9Tp5cxFhREPwbc9mlwBiUvckLD8OAK6a5f4TVVJlKUQwtk_NiKNk56OD60bisSl1VA2kOVN2Rm/s200/EC5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514400560034690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpEVR2832VGsS9jw35Q2aVj84-S-3VutMk1NsMKia-hA8egS1phiH998ayXF2SE9jQKyo1F0GNvOxGMHYbLeiG4Hy49lrqZt4deIg_Qn8wjks6AcfhcT3E0atpsDt0mlq6s44/s1600-h/EC4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpEVR2832VGsS9jw35Q2aVj84-S-3VutMk1NsMKia-hA8egS1phiH998ayXF2SE9jQKyo1F0GNvOxGMHYbLeiG4Hy49lrqZt4deIg_Qn8wjks6AcfhcT3E0atpsDt0mlq6s44/s200/EC4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514334269587634" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5meke1XetR22bPA32RoeM6nmtuS29Sk60ej6luThhqNQlMzS0fjUJUfUt6li6afzUwXbNlT-njJQo9JyoCphK9CYk4ZmTpiHG8i4wponxTkJ9bu1G91h_wbRuDBEfUulbcSv/s1600-h/EC3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5meke1XetR22bPA32RoeM6nmtuS29Sk60ej6luThhqNQlMzS0fjUJUfUt6li6afzUwXbNlT-njJQo9JyoCphK9CYk4ZmTpiHG8i4wponxTkJ9bu1G91h_wbRuDBEfUulbcSv/s200/EC3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514257749560898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36S0PiFl5lvwK632VSD_gGmBQa27RYctJ6lIjdwD6VcgsMUlb7zffI_rGOHpY0wD_EPAznj888oAyFKeOCm4TagGDqnHUpIg7-qk8ixE4tdh23hmcH-1mFRjpr9D8apZeys7r/s1600-h/EC2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36S0PiFl5lvwK632VSD_gGmBQa27RYctJ6lIjdwD6VcgsMUlb7zffI_rGOHpY0wD_EPAznj888oAyFKeOCm4TagGDqnHUpIg7-qk8ixE4tdh23hmcH-1mFRjpr9D8apZeys7r/s200/EC2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350514157501486002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Oj2dckvHcRBPIl8geyHKYB59Yv1feu1ANgeCxarkePt1cxiGWBz-ESqteQnNNIYhzqdLdZtU5pJK6TVEUyISFhA8mdDZ35zuM1qq8Ph0ou0OCviKZO8S5qm96B1vFt72gnIA/s1600-h/EC+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Oj2dckvHcRBPIl8geyHKYB59Yv1feu1ANgeCxarkePt1cxiGWBz-ESqteQnNNIYhzqdLdZtU5pJK6TVEUyISFhA8mdDZ35zuM1qq8Ph0ou0OCviKZO8S5qm96B1vFt72gnIA/s200/EC+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350513933582172290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvmTC9fgJWBXFlTjYoNFKBFfEF6FWXEyuYk2KOiitrRvvFOZ0TYx0iFm4VHMfD93NIQrU5iNq2kJMMts_Z25fS-ek2qFTp71LuASJmt9Joe2lGMcgXcIHZ8ThYD5nPgGFJyGo/s1600-h/EC.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvmTC9fgJWBXFlTjYoNFKBFfEF6FWXEyuYk2KOiitrRvvFOZ0TYx0iFm4VHMfD93NIQrU5iNq2kJMMts_Z25fS-ek2qFTp71LuASJmt9Joe2lGMcgXcIHZ8ThYD5nPgGFJyGo/s200/EC.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350513785806883026" /></a><br /><br />And then came the season of browning and shedding of leaves. The days got shorter as it gave way to longer and colder nights.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gER8NZ4tjbXB8i1HhHfhVBhwPTCUqS_h1ShlugHqZxL91Wn5iExYPBEmjoMrln3B3TPDiFoIlULOfWUrQVGN_htnM0pIIVHfl3QY3cx5ShcSFAT-GXkv7JCUnr3mrl8vSwcI/s1600-h/Autumn4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gER8NZ4tjbXB8i1HhHfhVBhwPTCUqS_h1ShlugHqZxL91Wn5iExYPBEmjoMrln3B3TPDiFoIlULOfWUrQVGN_htnM0pIIVHfl3QY3cx5ShcSFAT-GXkv7JCUnr3mrl8vSwcI/s200/Autumn4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350518617607904098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicflWbRj520gRXpfCLQAofDlSm1g65q9IvQvx28FXwDSb-VqhK-viqSIYk5N80UCH9WNi5Bb2gSjowRebjToeAC3LXNRgz4x78oS1JeYF5j8gPJf1BjQIXEeHmfz0SoYL-Ra4i/s1600-h/Autumn+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicflWbRj520gRXpfCLQAofDlSm1g65q9IvQvx28FXwDSb-VqhK-viqSIYk5N80UCH9WNi5Bb2gSjowRebjToeAC3LXNRgz4x78oS1JeYF5j8gPJf1BjQIXEeHmfz0SoYL-Ra4i/s200/Autumn+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350518484980978162" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QNOffTFpUDbrWgr6iayceBUvzJWZJi_ajWBR4-r3qLUhxeXQFGHmE1bN6ViB9IQ5m0t4yJQ8g1kg1Ak_-jINX1MaIV9cmQ0VxMQ5S3Ey3VMO7MGL6VANc-XSFkZntrKAtl_6/s1600-h/Autumn+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3QNOffTFpUDbrWgr6iayceBUvzJWZJi_ajWBR4-r3qLUhxeXQFGHmE1bN6ViB9IQ5m0t4yJQ8g1kg1Ak_-jINX1MaIV9cmQ0VxMQ5S3Ey3VMO7MGL6VANc-XSFkZntrKAtl_6/s200/Autumn+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350518383327122050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfoNCoTJePlSaR3pSECWh2LYk-q0XFFkdEVyXp2vFrfz6bTWxqWs2Ije6VTqTlt57vgxq055zx-aG_BvPj_-vom3bO7i8d2GQT7Gv1uP0PktNPpvzlhujQZBaVGSKqSAgk-Hc/s1600-h/Autumn.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfoNCoTJePlSaR3pSECWh2LYk-q0XFFkdEVyXp2vFrfz6bTWxqWs2Ije6VTqTlt57vgxq055zx-aG_BvPj_-vom3bO7i8d2GQT7Gv1uP0PktNPpvzlhujQZBaVGSKqSAgk-Hc/s200/Autumn.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350518165955421090" /></a><br /><br />Tutoring first year Economics students at Uni. Enjoyed every moment of it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxXauGHkiirdDs5cLq8KrRemx-NId6uc_t2bVXI8gTFz7IBUeJswmQA2mX_jXGP5vQ_HFJ51XHCVWF8Ad8XkL5EuQX3zsYbLpByX4zcQG15eYW3GVWPI9I2tqqtvXmJiIOZ1j/s1600-h/PASS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxXauGHkiirdDs5cLq8KrRemx-NId6uc_t2bVXI8gTFz7IBUeJswmQA2mX_jXGP5vQ_HFJ51XHCVWF8Ad8XkL5EuQX3zsYbLpByX4zcQG15eYW3GVWPI9I2tqqtvXmJiIOZ1j/s200/PASS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350520268920147698" /></a><br /><br />In the OCF worship team leading worship at a local church.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRRHLNewiDmYsKFnTE3swWO4SgDu6TvpTzle4ukdS7FnkGrUCUNU6QofC5XIYeH6u6mZeVUPMc48wSpca3KA_7ajmr8duTxkIknR8HuKiC6fRp9jQmoD-7dbuu_X-lj_8xEva/s1600-h/ELC1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRRHLNewiDmYsKFnTE3swWO4SgDu6TvpTzle4ukdS7FnkGrUCUNU6QofC5XIYeH6u6mZeVUPMc48wSpca3KA_7ajmr8duTxkIknR8HuKiC6fRp9jQmoD-7dbuu_X-lj_8xEva/s200/ELC1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350520051430669650" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZswXmsQXj3DkHrEph4m30rV8B1io8rBmhzpEQf13OoQYa1HGnkLthACltN6QdZ1MnKLR3j0Y924CXd9c3tMEo3DVoabMRsTboul9504lUtBUU7reDIDvfWJn7NDe1W1GC1_c/s1600-h/ELC.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ZswXmsQXj3DkHrEph4m30rV8B1io8rBmhzpEQf13OoQYa1HGnkLthACltN6QdZ1MnKLR3j0Y924CXd9c3tMEo3DVoabMRsTboul9504lUtBUU7reDIDvfWJn7NDe1W1GC1_c/s200/ELC.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350519757258368466" /></a><br /><br />Benjamin Leigh Atkinson & Dyan Lai Yu Fern's Big Day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92Zyn0jPcK2MESklK5bd2MtB8z_cCdP0-QXJA4MH14_y_RyEzdzbLK0N6yFy3pKgDWfTh5m5P6eHokcFaCpaV9oXSwoONKB8BFJhEDHfBskXmpMOyG9T9gInsuY6G6YKKAYdN/s1600-h/Wedding5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92Zyn0jPcK2MESklK5bd2MtB8z_cCdP0-QXJA4MH14_y_RyEzdzbLK0N6yFy3pKgDWfTh5m5P6eHokcFaCpaV9oXSwoONKB8BFJhEDHfBskXmpMOyG9T9gInsuY6G6YKKAYdN/s200/Wedding5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350523687338130514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiali4B3Fk2N1WrBZ6dS2E6dzHhz-jC3b3Pi2Dge6zDWyZvqXskOyPV2DzvJ__zv_0LPaYbX9_pm8iYETOARzAewtL_DFjxLXn30Yn59SM5DObvP3fxpgHshBFLbQ3Sk47bVxIa/s1600-h/Wedding4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiali4B3Fk2N1WrBZ6dS2E6dzHhz-jC3b3Pi2Dge6zDWyZvqXskOyPV2DzvJ__zv_0LPaYbX9_pm8iYETOARzAewtL_DFjxLXn30Yn59SM5DObvP3fxpgHshBFLbQ3Sk47bVxIa/s200/Wedding4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350523419997077026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpVNaxIyUqRDXfJEaCE8dMMCOQ5E4jtPbr9sjACZJ7pAEWXRRaQjstGneOu_A9gH5IqD0RrDDVw7VIJvFMOUSclpurSkl8ewxC5wnPUfaVySwiF6Ztrlb7po-xIV8XNMRsx8C/s1600-h/Wedding3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpVNaxIyUqRDXfJEaCE8dMMCOQ5E4jtPbr9sjACZJ7pAEWXRRaQjstGneOu_A9gH5IqD0RrDDVw7VIJvFMOUSclpurSkl8ewxC5wnPUfaVySwiF6Ztrlb7po-xIV8XNMRsx8C/s200/Wedding3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350523292948052738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rFr9A1M_qSFpAl8uNjOp45ZxEM8zMHc8bUUxDMohpuhyzQif29mlAIdBNXScucQ285sLMxAdwWAVYH_EjIZS5KHqzOVyLhL1i4EJDk0IsTLm27cmsgcXiP_URmhy4T2jYc8q/s1600-h/Wedding2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rFr9A1M_qSFpAl8uNjOp45ZxEM8zMHc8bUUxDMohpuhyzQif29mlAIdBNXScucQ285sLMxAdwWAVYH_EjIZS5KHqzOVyLhL1i4EJDk0IsTLm27cmsgcXiP_URmhy4T2jYc8q/s200/Wedding2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350523117444522530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir67uEWhpMsC2unk0pnDVL14RDpf3SJ1XOaXqt4iiIUy6fyg8yvBepnpmqpeD9HvLlUZGALyu47OIbfewo2AiZ6nif25b_NOfAq8M_sQg22gQS504f5wM532gfDyZfmM8cF_UD/s1600-h/Wedding1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir67uEWhpMsC2unk0pnDVL14RDpf3SJ1XOaXqt4iiIUy6fyg8yvBepnpmqpeD9HvLlUZGALyu47OIbfewo2AiZ6nif25b_NOfAq8M_sQg22gQS504f5wM532gfDyZfmM8cF_UD/s200/Wedding1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350523035727492178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRC0kGiBnCC8ArAqL3vJrA4dm9uAHcjvBZ4ZSEzA_x4lT_kb7qDQmyhU7AbQKR24JPVADd8yLCElOqeJCcNLgrwwuc-xxlgDx1woRs5WF9GFjJvi55AROhQpeMtMIriCLyOVh/s1600-h/Wedding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRC0kGiBnCC8ArAqL3vJrA4dm9uAHcjvBZ4ZSEzA_x4lT_kb7qDQmyhU7AbQKR24JPVADd8yLCElOqeJCcNLgrwwuc-xxlgDx1woRs5WF9GFjJvi55AROhQpeMtMIriCLyOVh/s200/Wedding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350522286914770754" /></a><br /><br />Shaun's 22nd birthday bash.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5R_fA0-vyn_JmdhA7AhwjLRqAW7d0XLfjItnIvs9a8No9ZN-h1VlBg1Z-kwYArWH31XLQVsnVj5W_S06KWSHXX_DeBjDeVGQ0NreCFUzxVoSg5F7Ulkgk21KpqdfcjhZXIXB/s1600-h/Shaun3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5R_fA0-vyn_JmdhA7AhwjLRqAW7d0XLfjItnIvs9a8No9ZN-h1VlBg1Z-kwYArWH31XLQVsnVj5W_S06KWSHXX_DeBjDeVGQ0NreCFUzxVoSg5F7Ulkgk21KpqdfcjhZXIXB/s200/Shaun3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350525638359418690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-WzRRjy4oiO0YwQa-EcdwoNEj8BmxCTWobn2t_JZyHXPtjT5oXpnBQb2zHCTyMmCxE3cZ7it9hdQjbv9mUuFzoq7M3cu3x-57jdpuK-L1ohRLLQgKzQVs0lCQVmiwsKnAsMb/s1600-h/Shaun2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-WzRRjy4oiO0YwQa-EcdwoNEj8BmxCTWobn2t_JZyHXPtjT5oXpnBQb2zHCTyMmCxE3cZ7it9hdQjbv9mUuFzoq7M3cu3x-57jdpuK-L1ohRLLQgKzQVs0lCQVmiwsKnAsMb/s200/Shaun2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350525332791611474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbVgxORdUrCdSZgR27owIa3Pz0xPP17TcjLkoL39SDvIR9FkK6pZUXiOVMM0cNDg4mwQEWLtzAt3QpAASknOKHCA_eSABqIeKudAIr-3h4wude2YyfD8rjQHJ3rtKGWk0RvyJ/s1600-h/Shaun1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbVgxORdUrCdSZgR27owIa3Pz0xPP17TcjLkoL39SDvIR9FkK6pZUXiOVMM0cNDg4mwQEWLtzAt3QpAASknOKHCA_eSABqIeKudAIr-3h4wude2YyfD8rjQHJ3rtKGWk0RvyJ/s200/Shaun1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350525157153024962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn8aO0mELKmzfgQwU6H8R4csJnkVa9A68ACrpWcyUdlVAvIODMux121gYhv_PjUHDE2L2_25LETSWaSOUg-jA3CdQf4ALCMS7wFqvG6aC6oYR1EMaD2tcd0hDcvkHXhbOIkOu/s1600-h/Shaun.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnn8aO0mELKmzfgQwU6H8R4csJnkVa9A68ACrpWcyUdlVAvIODMux121gYhv_PjUHDE2L2_25LETSWaSOUg-jA3CdQf4ALCMS7wFqvG6aC6oYR1EMaD2tcd0hDcvkHXhbOIkOu/s200/Shaun.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350524964978939346" /></a>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-9957190288717386962009-06-09T17:19:00.002+10:002009-06-09T19:30:16.779+10:00Too much wisdom to handle...Ten or so years ago, when I was still a wee little boy in primary school, I submitted an essay into a Chinese children's magazine, called 'da hong hua' or something, entitled 'ba ya ji' - which literally means "A visit to the dentist". That essay eventually got published in the magazine and I got a few prizes. But, the thing was...it was neither REAL nor ORIGINAL. But, what I'm about to share with you below is the real deal. Warning: Graphic and amusing illustrations ahead. <br /><br />9'30am: Me: "Hello...Sandy Bay Dental Centre? I would like to make an appointment to have my wisdom tooth checked up." Receptionist: "Yup, I can put you in at 2pm." Me: "Yup! That'd be good." R: "So, who would you like? Dr Gordon Henry or Dr Sherina Parmar?" Me: (Thinks to myself...maybe a lady doctor would be more gentle with it..) Uhm..Dr Parmar?" R:"Yup, sure. See you later then." Me: "See ya."<br /><br />1'45pm: Happily nibbling away at some cut apples... Trying to calm the qualm in me. Tells housemate to inform my parents that 'I love them' if I don't make it. <br /><br />2pm: Arrives at clinic. Fills in registration form and waits for name to be called out. And soon enough, "Daniel? We'll see you now."<br /><br />I walk into the room seeing 3 ladies all dressed in uniform. Nice, I thought. I proceed to tell the doctor what is it that's bothering me and that I thought it could be an infection around my wisdom tooth at my top right corner of my upper jaw. She proceeds to check all of my teeth..."no. 23, 24..18...19's got amalgamation.." Apparently, that's how they refer to teeth. They have a specific number to everyone of them. Then, she proceeds to tell me that the particular area is infected pretty badly and advices that I have it extracted. I was like "Wha??? Extraction? Can't you just clean that area and make the infection go away?" D:" I can...but it's pretty bad.. and it will be recurring if you don't get it out, because the area is quite deep inside and it'd be hard to keep that area clean." Me: " Ok.... if you think it fit..." She then proceeds to do what every fast food retailer does, upSIZE! "So, would you like us to clean your teeth as well or just the extraction?" I'm already shitting in my pants from the thought of having my tooth extracted and you think I'm that concerned about having my teeth look all sparkly and white? "Uhm..no thanks. I'll just have the "burger", no "fries or drinks", thank you very much."<br /><br />She brings out a cool-looking machine... I thought she was gonna get it out by just zapping it..Nope. That was just the x-ray. Darn. <br /><br />"I'm gonna inject some anesthetic into that area to numb it. Just take deep breathes in and out and relax." Here we go, I thought to myself. <br /><br />There was alot of pushing, pulling, bleeding, rinsing, spitting... pushing, pulling, rinsing and spitting. After what felt like 15 minutes of all that, I suddenly heard a "crack!" "Phew...it's over! That was painless and easy!" or so I thought to myself. As I was just about to get up, I heard her say to one of her nurses, "Can you please get the "......" (I forgot what she called it, but it sounded something like a PLIER or something..) The nurse replies, "Should I get the BIG one or the normal one?" Doc says "Nah..just the normal one will do." <br /><br />Oh...that's comforting. Not. It's like saying "Shall I bring out the bazooka to deal with that big arse teeth of his?"<br /><br />So, for the next 20 minutes or so, the doctor continued to pull, push and, with her new gadget, TWIST! Being the He-man that I am, I closed my eyes through most of the whole thing. But, I could feel like the doctor, who was initially sitting down, was in a half standing, half sitting position now as she continued to go through what almost felt like an Olympic tug-of-war event. In my mind, I kept praying "Oh God, either make my tooth just slide out now..or PLEASE grant this doctor superhuman strength right this moment!" Seriously, it felt like she took forever to get it out. Half way through, she looked up to one of the nurses, who was sucking all the saliva and blood out of my mouth, and SMIRKED...no no..it was more like a small GIGGLE! I'm pretty sure one other nurse was filming all this hilarity with the intention of posting it up on Facebook or Youtube. Because she was taking so long, I started feeling pain again. So, the doctor had to inject another dose of anesthetic into the affected area. <br /><br />Finally, after another 5 minutes or so, I heard a sigh of relief from the doctor. The teeth was out! *the Hallelujah chorus sounding behind me* I went to the toilet after that to wipe the blood and saliva stains off my face after which I bit on a piece of cotton. While I was waiting to pay the bill, I saw a small notice with namecards of my doctor on the desk. And, just to add to the hilarity of it all, it wrote "Dr Parmar will see new patients now." Now, what on earth does that mean!?!? No wonder I thought she looked quite young to be a doctor. <br /><br />And, the bill? $300! That's just $40 shy of how much I earn from giving Economics tuition for a month! Anyhow, someone told me that I should expect that sort of price tag as extracting a wisdom tooth in Malaysia would cost about RM1000? <br /><br />Anyway, to cut the long story short, I had to go through head-throbbing and body-shaking pain for the next 2 hours or so as I lie on the beanbag on the floor. I also took 2 panadols to help ease the pain. I guess for the next few days, I'll have to survive on porridge and liquids. Yumm.. Now, to prepare for the two exams that's coming up. God, I need You. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTzgAefNEGxSJQe2hx1H9Iy4kQm7RzGQgsI01Ynv1SF-BjL_H22t0tl2G93KlMYFV9i-EiKFTxEMUguH4O0ZBYx1FrsSLhp1RJpTiz0rQsbtT3HjYQuRHjluJ0Be12HELf_-B/s1600-h/Picture+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTzgAefNEGxSJQe2hx1H9Iy4kQm7RzGQgsI01Ynv1SF-BjL_H22t0tl2G93KlMYFV9i-EiKFTxEMUguH4O0ZBYx1FrsSLhp1RJpTiz0rQsbtT3HjYQuRHjluJ0Be12HELf_-B/s320/Picture+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345257609427875250" /></a>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-74628017069694769952009-06-07T16:21:00.002+10:002009-06-07T16:27:23.324+10:00Psalm 23 (Students' version)The Lord is my Teacher, I shall not worry<br />He makes me settle down in strange libraries<br />He leads me to books and reference materials<br />He restores my concentration in class<br />Though I walk though classrooms and boring lecturers<br />I will fear no failure, for You are with me<br />Notes and formulae before me in the preparation of my examinations<br />You anoint my mind with oil, my preparation overflow<br />Surely goodness and merciful results shall follow me<br />All the days of my examinations<br />And I will serve in fellowship<br />Of the Lord in school and forevermore. <br /><br />Exam fever strikes (again)...danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-62939395073874398922009-05-05T17:04:00.006+10:002009-05-05T17:43:42.262+10:00Of Black Mambas and Banking tests.*Warning: This post is and will be a total waste of the reader's time. Further reading is at the reader's own risk. All liability on the writer's part for the waste of the reader's time is hereinafter excluded.*<br /><br />I was taking a power nap this arvo. What started out as a 45-min long nap became a 2-hour sleeping extravaganza. Does anyone else notice that afternoon naps are LETHAL!? And, I will almost definitely dream strange dreams in the afternoon naps I take. Anyone else share this predicament? <br /><br />Anyway, this nap wasn't much different. Towards the end of my TWO HOUR nap, I dreamt about walking home from somewhere, and suddenly I got attacked by snakes. Not, just any snake, but BLACK MAMBAS - one of the most poisonous snakes on earth! Well, it's not like I really know how a black mamba looks like. But, my brain told my dreaming self that they were black mambas. So, black mamba it is then! <br /><br />But, why black mambas, you may ask? Well, just a few days ago, a bunch of us happily decided that we would buy some cheap wine, have a drink and just hang out at someone's house. 5 minutes into the drinking and talking, we decided to turn on the TV. And, there it was, a documentary about black mambas on Animal Planet. So, that's what we did for the most part of the night - drinking wine and munching on some chips while watching a documentary on black mambas. I guess that's how we were planning on getting drunk - the INFORMATIONAL way. (Just joking. We weren't really planing on getting anywhere near drunk.)<br /><br />Again, I digress.<br /><br />Back to my dream. my dreaming self was running all over and screaming like a little girl in its dreams (cause that's what the people were doing in that documentary). But, there were too many! There were black mambas EVERYWHERE! My dreaming self got bitten, got up, and started running and screaming again. I must have got bitten like 10 or so times before my dreaming self started to think "Ok....I should be long dead by now if all this were real. This is probably a dream and I should probably wake up from it as I've probably went over my 45-min napping time limit." But, my dreaming self also remembered that it has a Banking class test coming up real soon. <br /><br />So, it was faced with a huge dilemma. Should it continue to sleep and dream about getting killed by black mambas, or should it wake up to study all about the wonderful world of banking, government bonds and securities for this test?<br /><br />Yup, you've guessed it! For, the next one hour or so, my dreaming self continued to run, scream and get bitten by those black mambas. <br /><br />I know this is crap, but it's 100% true! Thanks for squandering time with me. :-)danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-888073510883350652009-04-05T17:19:00.002+10:002009-04-05T17:56:30.151+10:00Birthday Bliss.I'm finally TWENTY ONE, and loving it. I'm officially not underaged for almost anything and everything under the sky. Now, time to unveil my evil plan of world domination......right after I finish drinking my cup of hot Milo. :)<br /><br />Anyway, do you know how some people will throw huge parties to celebrate their birthdays and all? Well, I wish I had that too. I mean, this is the one, the biggie, the birthday of all birthdays!!! Besides, you only get one whole day in a year to yourself, one day devoted to you, one day which is all about Y-O-U - so people say. <br /><br />But, as nice as birthdays are, I can't help thinking that it's <span style="font-weight:bold;">not</span> all about me. Yes, I do enjoy and appreciate all the birthday wishes, the blowing of the candles, the nice meals that you get treated you etc. But, life still goes on as usual everywhere else. The world keeps on revolving - just not around you. It <span style="font-style:italic;">never has</span> and it <span style="font-style:italic;">never will</span>. <br /><br />This birthday, I got news that a good friend of mine lost her dearest mother. It was sudden and heartbreaking. <br /><br />This birthday, my best friend got his car knocked into by his girlfriend (I know, right?! ). <br /><br />This birthday, there was a handover of power to a new Prime Minister in Malaysia. <br /><br />This birthday, I have tons assignments to do and tests to study for.<br /><br />All around the world, things are happening. Wars and conflicts are raging on. People are losing jobs in the worsening economic crisis. There are the passing away of loved ones and the births of some. <br /><br />So, this birthday, I would just like to say that it's not really about the huge parties, the presents or whatever. But rather, it's about the people around you. Go ahead, spend quality time with friends and family around you. Cherish the love and friendships that you have. Make them feel appreciated all day, everyday. <br /><br />Besides, what's a birthday if you don't have people around you to celebrate it with?danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-82061653052212418132009-03-23T15:38:00.003+11:002009-03-23T16:48:44.986+11:00Simple-minded gobbledygook.Many people think, just because you're an Economics and Law student, that you are always filled with deep and profound thoughts. <br /><br />"What is the rule of law? What is law? Does the presumption of mens rea apply? What's 'truth'? How do you define 'truth'? What do you think of the political situation in this place and that? What do you think of the credit crunch? What is a credit crunch? What are we to do to avert this crisis???...."<br /><br />Well, at this very moment, I'm just thinking whether or not I should take a quick nap and what I should cook for dinner later tonight. Mmmm...... Seafood marinara pasta sounds good... <br /><br />Oh! Anyway, as I was saying... I don't think we should be so uptight and proper all the time - using archaic English jargon and superfluity to express one's ideas, pondering on what Socrates or some philosopher said back when Dinosaurs roamed the Earth(yes, that's how old I think those people really are...Dinosaurs probably went extinct just listening to them talk...Sorry, but I digress). <br /><br />And, why are we so worried about which political party is going to win, how much the stock market has crumbled and whether interest rates will go up again? <br /><br />What happened to the simple pleasures of life? <br /><br />For example, buying a RM10.95 bottle of Kaya in England at the spur of the moment and laughing at yourself afterwards (see http://debbiemuses.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/420/#comments); or squabbling over what you should eat while sending off someone to National Service (see http://sarahkhoo-memorylane.blogspot.com/); or just having a good warm chat with your closest buddies over a nice meal.<br /><br />Wow, I just realised that there is 'food' in all of my examples. I guess you can take the boy out of Malaysia, but not the Malaysia out of the boy.<br /><br />What I'm trying to say is... Yes, life will get you down sometimes and we're all expected to take on more responsibilities as we grow older. It's about finding your calm in all the madness. Whatever it is, life was meant to be simple - like a long piece of string laid out nicely. Just be careful that it does not get tangled up.<br /><br />"I've got the world on a string"<br /><br />I've got the world on a string<br />I'm sitting on a rainbow<br />Got that string around my finger<br />What a world, what a life - I'm in love<br /><br />I've got a song that I sing<br />And I can make the rain go<br />Any time I move my finger<br />Lucky me, can't you see - I'm in love<br /><br />Life's a wonderful thing<br />As long as I've got that string<br />I'd be a silly so-and-so<br />If I should ever let you go<br /><br />I've got the world on a string<br />I'm sitting on the rainbow<br />I've got that string around my finger<br />Oh, What a world, what a life - I'm in love<br /><br />Here's a video of that song:-<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_VSqDzkphtw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_VSqDzkphtw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-62516448640369057632009-02-21T00:28:00.008+11:002009-02-21T01:53:13.866+11:00Home is where the heart is.Where is home?<br /><br />It's now 3 weeks since I said goodbye to that little turtle-shaped island, called Penang. The first night I spent in my room here in Hobart after the two and a half months back in Penang was one filled with an overwhelming sense of loneliness and despondency. <br /><br />Imagine two months of not having to worry about cooking your own food, to deal with the hassle of paying your bills, or not having to clean up after yourself, and just spending all that time with your close family and friends. I will forever miss all the times I walk around shopping malls with my hands tightly clenched to my mum's arms. I will miss playing tennis with my dad, although sometimes I don't feel like it. I will miss spending time with my bestest bud just talking over a cuppa teh tarik and some roti. I will miss just hanging out with all my other friends. Surely, I miss being able to do all that. But, as good as the two months back in Penang was, time just thrusts you forward into the foray of life's uncertainties. As good as it was, it's just different now. Penang is now only something I associate with the word 'holiday', and not 'home', per se. <br /><br />And, who can blame me for feeling this way? Seeing that I spend more than 75% of a year not being in Penang. I now see my apartment unit and my room here in Hobart as my physical home. I actually miss my room here than the one in Penang (what can I say? I'm a sucker for spacious rooms). So, the word 'home' has taken on a much more deeper meaning than the physical structure or space of a building. <br /><br />Some people say that 'Home is where the heart is'. <br /><br />But, where does my heart lie anyway? Can you actually separate your heart from what you do and from who you are? I, for one, cannot. I can't be like Tony Bennet, who so famously sang about leaving his heart in San Francisco. <br /><br />And then, there are couples who are always dreading each moment spent away from each other. So, these people will almost always say that home and comfort is where their significant other is. So, the above mentioned phrase stands strong with these people. <br /><br />But, what if you're like me? I always try to put my heart into what I do, here and now. I always try to extend my heart to people I meet in my everyday life. So, in order for me to do all that I do, I'll need my heart with me 24/7, no? <br /><br />So, again, if home really is where the heart is, I guess my home is where I am, right here and right now. <br /><br />Where is <span style="font-style:italic;">your</span> home? <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc7D-E3jiOCCPorVSaoyYMz-0avcDynVQ8WEYRDkx5t6IQI-ySMcVghjhj3JeHqcemH-BTAooFVuG48_t0AkEWpAJ__MEW6vLy__U98M8_PDd3VCV-Q4VKyX-VPFzMgn-5K9D/s1600-h/IMG_4054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFc7D-E3jiOCCPorVSaoyYMz-0avcDynVQ8WEYRDkx5t6IQI-ySMcVghjhj3JeHqcemH-BTAooFVuG48_t0AkEWpAJ__MEW6vLy__U98M8_PDd3VCV-Q4VKyX-VPFzMgn-5K9D/s320/IMG_4054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304892476107593746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXwlyD1ac49_E9o54FXxc3bZg4JI71KCrsejK2pEObkSLPSz-aelnKxugdYoHAlJbCA9Uc6R0ar0wtOEWrrM-R2cAf77RD_I_nI12JCwGN_k_7PyG0DsT7TyxpBylBI54dpDv/s1600-h/IMG_6843.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXwlyD1ac49_E9o54FXxc3bZg4JI71KCrsejK2pEObkSLPSz-aelnKxugdYoHAlJbCA9Uc6R0ar0wtOEWrrM-R2cAf77RD_I_nI12JCwGN_k_7PyG0DsT7TyxpBylBI54dpDv/s320/IMG_6843.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304891728454849954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS64z1kyKmJce9G-RMrabQ2D3BMV0BgihiwWY0zXvFo3GvKl3G4eVhyphenhyphenEbY_hhoNzbnt_TZrBA7YvF8JDXY-B8RqWlziFj61_QG5CWws7Z0IHBnkppt8RYjraj2oIgPT_NdM02Z/s1600-h/IMG_6764.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS64z1kyKmJce9G-RMrabQ2D3BMV0BgihiwWY0zXvFo3GvKl3G4eVhyphenhyphenEbY_hhoNzbnt_TZrBA7YvF8JDXY-B8RqWlziFj61_QG5CWws7Z0IHBnkppt8RYjraj2oIgPT_NdM02Z/s320/IMG_6764.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304891207800700866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHVqGCUT8T0cQF-9q2sKSeLuOZr9a7Y3XWGF2kZ6ZVUaN2dfZHvjlgo5vpl1d8fETWQXjUOm4miVdawyrhPx-gdejJnEOuta5cHvUe6_p2W3GywcixwJlufn4yq2J-SVpalAl/s1600-h/IMG_0813.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHVqGCUT8T0cQF-9q2sKSeLuOZr9a7Y3XWGF2kZ6ZVUaN2dfZHvjlgo5vpl1d8fETWQXjUOm4miVdawyrhPx-gdejJnEOuta5cHvUe6_p2W3GywcixwJlufn4yq2J-SVpalAl/s320/IMG_0813.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304890724980545906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYle01ZFVCVmZL0HLMsnuAva3hkbYbPZ8mpKuzp3ak-o1gfbHgJTUVSCwfjMM0h1TkRdFNyf5UO8BkW1p_bJbmVbcdvDhyIZk2Fj_AooKPHIbVljdcabVhiqj4qDj63MsqBQ5_/s1600-h/05012009(002_5).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYle01ZFVCVmZL0HLMsnuAva3hkbYbPZ8mpKuzp3ak-o1gfbHgJTUVSCwfjMM0h1TkRdFNyf5UO8BkW1p_bJbmVbcdvDhyIZk2Fj_AooKPHIbVljdcabVhiqj4qDj63MsqBQ5_/s320/05012009(002_5).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304890232779904354" /></a>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-39780665979889201552009-01-12T03:10:00.003+11:002009-01-12T05:11:00.576+11:00Life's a bore.As evident from my obvious lack of enthusiasm to update my blog, I've been taking a hiatus. And, it's not so much from updating my blog, per se, but rather from the platitudes of life. <br /><br />At first, I thought that my holiday back home could be exactly what the doctor ordered to save me from my routine-ish life in Hobart. I mean, isn't this what all overseas uni students in Hobart would wish for? Two months away from the cold weather and almost-lifeless city to spending quality time with family and friends under the warmth of the tropical sun and sipping on your favourite drink underneath swaying palm trees. Who could ask for more, right?<br /><br />WRONG.<br /><br />Allow me to put forward the postulate that life is one big bore, dotted with morsels of excitement.<br /><br />Some say that life's a rollercoaster ride. But, what comes to mind when you mention 'rollercoasters'? I think of fast-moving coaches, racing against the wind and adrenaline-pumped people screaming their heads off in excitement. So, would you say that life's a constant stream of excitement? No, I don't think so.<br /><br />I am of the opinion that familiarity leads to boredom. Anything which is familiar, no matter how exciting, can be a bore. Think about it. Try to recall the most exciting thing that happened to you. Take that, and imagine that it happens to you again, and again and again... Not as exciting anymore, is it? <br /><br />But then again, who's complaining anyway? Who am I, a 20 year old guy who has an entire lifetime ahead of him, to complain? There are those people who have been working the same job, in the same company, in the same place for the past 40 years and you don't see them blogging about their discontent. Just ask the old Char Koay Teow or Mee Goreng hawker at the corner of a busy intersection in George Town. <br /><br />I'm not suggesting that every moment of life SHOULD be exciting to keep us at the edge of our seats. Staying on a rollercoaster ride for too long can sure make one vomit. My point is this. We should cherish every moment of our lives to the best that we can - not so much latching on to that ONE moment in life, but, instead enjoying it to the fullest and then moving on from there before you get so engrossed in it that you can't let go because that's when routine, familiarity and boredom kicks in. <br /><br />Besides, having ONE exciting event happen in life is better than not having any at all. Life's like Love, in a way. It's better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all.danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-48755564383715679282008-11-27T03:32:00.002+11:002008-11-27T06:32:58.665+11:00Can you "race" with a blindfold on?As some of you may know, I've taken up a part-time job at Nando's restaurant in Queensbay Mall, Penang. And, like all formal job application processes in Malaysia, you will not be spared from the "famed" Malaysian bureaucracy of having to plod through the inundant formalities and what not. I reckon I must have filled up 5 or 6 forms (each about 2 or 3 pages long) in total in applying for this one job. I had to get a bank account with Maybank, an immunisation jab from the City Council, an account with the Employees' Provident Fund organisation(EPF) and, of course, fill up a job application form with Nando's. <br /><br />And, it was through that cumbersome process which I realised how important a factor "race" can be here in Malaysia. In Australia, whenever and if ever I had to fill up a form, the only thing that came closest to the "race" column was that I had to declare my citizenship (whether I am an Australian citizen or not). And, that was it!<br /><br />So, for someone who never filled in a form like that before, I felt heaps weird when I had to write what "race" I belong to. <br /><br />I always knew that race, albeit deemed by society as a sensitive issue, has always been and still is <span style="font-style:italic;">the</span> factor in the Malaysian societal and political fabric. I just did not know that it was THAT explicit. I'm not saying that racism is totally non-existent in other countries, like Australia or Singapore. It's just that in those countries, racial polarisation or discrimination, if there is any, is really subtle and implicit. Some may argue that it's even more damaging if it's in a subtle form. But, I, for one think that requiring someone to declare what race he/she belongs to when applying for a job, or anything for that matter, is going one step further than what is necessary to enquire about someone's personal details and particulars. My dad tried expounding this whole conundrum to me, citing historical reasons as an answer. He said that in the past, during the British colonial days in Malaya, it was pertinent for the British officers to know what race a particular person belonged to, just so they could better facilitate their "divide and conquer" regime. But, then again, how can one justify that rationale now - now that we're 51 years independent of colonial British rule.<br /><br />With that said, can Malaysians truly ever be "race-blind"? Can anyone, for that matter, be completely race-blind? I'm inclined to answer that question in the negative. Now, some people may argue that with the recent win of American President elect Barack Obama, we're beginning to see the dawn of a racially-blind and equitable political and societal revolution. However, in the US, blacks take different medication for heart disease than whites. There is evidence that Chinese and whites do not have the same ideal body mass indexes. How about the fact that in competitive sports such as tennis and weightlifting, you will almost never see an Asian win it. So, this could suggest that being racist is something entrenched in us, as nature intended it to be. <br /><br />Besides that, race could be an important factor in policy formulation and implementation. When one community lags dramatically behind another in some measurable manner, this information can be incredibly helpful. This, of course, is best exemplified in the copious (almost predictable) news articles, concerning the NEP and other affirmative policies, which flood Malaysian news scene every once in awhile. <br /><br />So, the question is, can we truly call ourselves "Malaysian", without having to add the suffix 'Chinese', 'Malay' or 'Indian' to it? Then again, does it really matter? Knowing whether you're Chinese or Indian does nothing more than to tell you where your ancestors came from. It is to enable you to trace back your roots, heritage and culture. Besides, being able to trace back your roots is the very thing that defines Malaysia. This should be the thing that makes <span style="font-style:italic;">Malaysia</span> as a whole special, not just any one particular race. If America is the 'melting pot of cultures', then Malaysia would be the 'centuries-old broth of cultures'. <br /><br />Being Malaysian simply means that you have chosen, or had it chosen for you, to call Malaysia home. <br /><br />To quote an article I read online, "There are differences between a Malaysian of Malay descent and a Malaysian of Indian descent, and to deny these differences is foolishness. But rather than dwelling on these differences, as the label of "race" might have us do, let's celebrate how regardless of who our ancestors were, we all have one homeland, one tanah tumpahnya darahku."danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-64586469548373108282008-11-09T05:41:00.003+11:002008-11-09T08:03:13.955+11:00Full CircleI went to bed at 2am.<br /><br />After tossing and turning in my bed for a while, I turned to look at the clock. "Shit, it's 5'45 am already?!" And, you know what they say about the early bird getting the worm and all? Well, I hope they never find those worms and die of starvation! Those birds kept chirping outside my window and would not let me sleep. They were mocking me, I tell you. I don't know about you, but whenever I'm tossing and turning around in my bed, every sound is just magnified by 10 times and you can hear everything - the leaking faucet outside, the rustling trees, the beeping sound of the traffic lights 30 meters away...<br /><br />I tried coercing myself to sleep. I tried counting sheeps, dogs, cats - you name it - but I just couldn't drift off into dreamland. My mind is phasing out right now, but my body just refuses to go to sleep. Arghh.. WHY!!!???<br /><br />Was it the can of Pepsi I had at 11pm? <br /><br />Was it the Macroeconomics I stuffed my brain with today and also for the past few days? Who agrees with me that when you have too much information in your head, you'll find it hard to sleep. <br /><br />Or, is it just my mind and body coming to a full circle - a circle of sleepless nights for the past few weeks and months. Maybe my body and mind's thinking, "Hey...Monday's your final exam! So, <span style="font-style:italic;">just</span> before you pull through the past month and a half of relentless studying and preparations(and second year of uni), you're gonna have one final sleepless night this year just to mark the occasion." <br /><br />Seriously, is there such a thing? <br /><br />But, it does make one think. <br /><br />As I look back, in hindsight and in contemplation, I feel like I've indeed come to a full circle. *I know, I know...It's not even New Year's eve yet and I'm already doing the whole "in hindsight and contemplation thing" *<br /><br />I wanted to do a "5 facts that you may not know about Daniel" post somewhere. But, I think I'll do a "5 facts I dislike about myself" and "5 facts I like about myself" post instead and that will sort of tie in with everything else.<br /><br />5 facts I like about myself:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1) I can sing in tune. </span><br />Yes, I do enjoy the fact that I can carry a tune without having to worry that the person standing next to me secretly wishes to kill me for singing out of tune. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2) I can speak and write good English (when I want to).</span><br />That pretty much speaketh for itself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3) I love the outdoors.</span><br />I'll prefer running and playing outside over staying in the house anyday! I am totally not the video/computer game kind of person. Some people can and will enjoy handling a joystick(wait, do people even use joysticks anymore?) and playing some animated game for the whole day. I respect those people who can kill a hundred people on Counterstrike or win a racing game. But, I'd much rather put on a pair of exercise wear, get my heart pumping and sweat my arse off on a tennis/badminton court or just by jogging. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />4) I can speak and write Mandarin (although maybe not as good as I want to). </span><br />I thank my parents for sending me to a school where I could learn Mandarin. I think, at this day and age, it's pertinent to know Mandarin. Not merely because of the whole "China is gonna be the next world superpower" thing. But, plainly because I cherish my roots and culture. 10 or 20 years down the road, I want to be able raise my children without having to worry that they will know nothing of the Chinese culture. That being said, I do not advocate occultic fervency for that one culture. Coming from a country like Malaysia and having the opportunity to study in Australia makes me a strong proponent of multiculturalism. I relish in the opportunity to expose my mind to new cultures. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5) I can lead.</span><br />Again, this is something I thank my parents for. My growing-up years spent in church and in the Youth group have been nothing but a blessing to me. To quote what many "pastors" and "aunties" say, "The church and the youth group is a great breeding ground of leaders" (Or something to that effect). I totally agree. I believe that, if not for the opportunity to lead worship sessions, cell groups and working in the Youth Committee for all those years, I would not have been as good a leader as I am today. I'm not saying that I will be the next Obama or anything. But, yes, I am proud of the fact that I can speak up in group when others would just cringe at the thought of it. <br /><br />5 facts I dislike about myself:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1) </span><span style="font-weight:bold;">I am short, prone to acne breakouts, have to wear spectacles, and have really straight hair (like "moptop" straight).</span><br />Other than that, I'm like a Greek God statue. No, not really. :P <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />2) I am competitive.</span><br />I know this is supposed to be a desirable quality. But, somehow I have a love-hate (more towards 'hate') relationship with this. As I mentioned earlier, I am thankful that my parents sent me to a Chinese school. But, notice that I did not specifically mention "Chung Ling High School". I mean, I liked the good facilities, teachers(uhm.. some of them), and the reputation that came with the school. But, I do not necessarily enjoy the culture entrenched in that school. I think that 5 years in that school has made me OVERLY competitive. It has come to a point where I constantly have to beat everyone at everything I do, all the time. I can get depressed just thinking of all the people who did or are doing better than me. It's as if I cannot rest until I am at the top of my game. I just can't make due with getting a mere 'pass' in my exams when that's what most students at uni are trying to do. That is why I get really disappointed and depressed when I do not achieve what I want to. <br /><br />I don't think it's just the school that made me this way. My parents have contributed to this in some way too. Ever since I could remember, my mum would always push(more like 'force') me to participate in all sorts of competitions. Other than a beauty contest(because of the physical qualities I complained of above), I think I have participated in every competition imaginable(drawing and colouring, story-telling, singing, writing, mathematics, ping pong and etc). I mean, c'mon, I don't even play ping pong! And, my dad would enter me into every tennis tournament possible just to see me slog it out under the searing Malaysian noon sun and losing (that explains my dark skin colour). <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3) I am sensitive.</span><br />Everything is desirable as long as it's not in excess. When someone says something to/about me, even when it's not a huge deal, my mind will just extrapolate from the things they said, and come to a negative implication about myself.<br /><br />Also, I'm a wimp when it comes to conflicts and confrontations. Whenever and if ever I get into a little squabble with someone, I will almost always concede "defeat" and allow the other person to take the high road. Living off my parents and having to deal with people (classmates, housemates, and mates in general) has exemplified this. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4) I am selfish.</span><br />If being selfless is totally abandoning your own interests and placing everyone else above you, then I reckon everyone is selfish, to some extent. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />5) I am totally random. </span>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-58598359102175037332008-10-09T18:41:00.007+11:002008-10-09T22:20:22.323+11:00You do not play bloody pranks on a bloody law student.Definition of a prank:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">prank<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> - a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement.<br />And, a few words which are related to the word 'prank' are:<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">foolery, tomfoolery, lunacy, craziness, folly, indulgence </span><br /><br />From: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/prank<br /><br />Guess what??? I've been bloody pranked on today. <br /><br />I woke up this morning and was about to drive my car to uni. But, lo and behold, I found that my car was MOVED. You know how in apartments and all, you're allocated a lot of your own to park your car. Well, I parked my car at my spot last night and I was shocked to find that my car was parked one lot beside my lot. <br /><br />Now, before you go off thinking that I might have been sleep walking and thought "hmm...maybe I'll just go down and shift my car to the lot next to me just for kicks", well, I wasn't. And yes, I did lock my car doors. And, no, I didn't put up a HUGE sign which said "HEY THERE! FEELING BORED? WHY NOT TRY STEALING MY CAR?".<br /><br />So, anyway, as I approached the car, I was shocked even more to find out that my car doors were locked. So, obviously, this guy has somehow got hold of some sorta key to open my car door. And, he left an Adidas cap in my car. <br /><br />So, at that moment I thought, "Hmm..how thoughtful of the car thief to have broken into my car, used it for some joyride or whatever, and returned it with a nice little souvenir for my safekeeping."<br /><br />Uhm......Yeh..that'd work in a comedy show or whatever. But,not here, not now. <br /><br />I was freaking out. I checked if all the stuff in my car were still intact. I checked if the car thief tried to jack my door open or scratched my car in the process. I was relieved that find out that everything was still there. I was also planning on going around and asking my neighbours whether or not they've seen anyone suspicious. I decided that I was going to make a police report about this since I had the "souvenir" to prove it. But first, I thought, I should probably go get a state-of-the-art steering wheel lock, just in case he strikes again tonight. I even got all CSI-ish and checked out the cap for possible strands of hair to determine if it was an Aussie or an Asian bloke because that would narrow down some prospective suspects living around me (not that I'm being racist in anyway!). But, right before I was about to go out and buy that lock, I got a phone call from the friend of mine in Singapore from whom I bought the car. I had told her earlier about how scared I was. She was just as worried as I was but she suspected that it was a prank that some people were trying to pull on me. And, so she decided to contact a few people and sure enough there were a couple of my "close" friends who was trying to pull this prank on me. <br /><br />You must be wondering how they did it. Well, the thing is Adeline, the seller of the car was supposed to pass me her second pair of keys before she left Hobart for Adelaide en route to Singapore, couldn't find it in time to give it to me. Later, she realised that it was with her all that time and so she passed it to this girl in Adelaide who was supposed to bring it to me when she came down to Hobart. But, this person forgot about it. So, she agreed to post the keys back to me ASAP. So, I gave my address to this other person to have him pass it her through a text message or something because I did not have her number. So, yep, you've guessed it. They must have plotted some sorta plan to pull this prank on me by having her send the keys to their place and so on. <br /><br />I eventually got a hold of the Adelaide girl and asked her whether or not she has sent the key to me. She then tells me that she sent it in the post 3 weeks ago. So, I thought, "oh no...maybe the post got delivered to the wrong address. Or, maybe the postman was drunk or something and was negligent in delivering the letter. Oh well.. I guess all that doesn't matter anymore. <br /><br />I have no idea why they did it. Maybe, they were trying to teach me a lesson on giving out such private information or whatever. Or maybe they were trying to teach me a biblical lesson on forgiving and forgetting. Well, tough luck. <br /><br />Whatever it is, it was clearly a wrong thing to do, both by law and by any friendship standards. Any second year law student can tell you that that act has very clearly amounted to a tort of trespass, in which they have PHYSICALLY TOUCHED and MOVED my property without any express or implied consent. In doing so, they have caused me a lot of distress and anxiety. And they did nothing to mitigate their actions. Instead, they prolonged my distress and pain by trying to keep it a secret. And, in their defence, they can't just say that it was a practical joke and that they didn't mean it (Wilkinson v Downton). Am I just overly sensitive? But, even if I am, they should have and ought to have known that about me. And, that would've worked against them in a court of law. <br /><br />Forget about the law. What about simple "unwritten" rules about friendships. The last thing you would want to do is to cause your close friends distress and anxiety over a stupid joke. They should've thought about whether it was worth it to shake up someone over something so serious before they decided to do something like that. These are the people from the OCF...uhm..more like LEADERS of the OCF...leaders who I associate with and in whom I place my trust and have faith in. <br /><br />I'll tell you what pranks are. Pranks are for e.g. Bursting a water balloon over somebody, giving them a rubber toy which looks like a cockroach, or putting a whoopie cushion on someone's seat. Those are pranks. Pranks do not include cars which you paid over $11,000 in purchase price and insurance. <br /><br />I was disgusted to see that they reacted by laughing it off as another joke when I later approached them to get my keys. Was it too much of me to expect a simple apology from them? <br /><br />Arghh...stuff it. I've got my keys. That's all that matters. <br /><br />Here's the "souvenir" for your viewing pleasure.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI5AhNZh7APWQ7ixKxQNQndvRsXA9FpYmEEiJU-lTTGWO4mA3VitUmzHwG9wSMuHpBY6VLWwdzYZP2AzR07sJF7iaCmf49pfpjTG7AyTkRPZb4OO_8ErxmnvBYBjyu-N_qeao/s1600-h/Picture+12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSI5AhNZh7APWQ7ixKxQNQndvRsXA9FpYmEEiJU-lTTGWO4mA3VitUmzHwG9wSMuHpBY6VLWwdzYZP2AzR07sJF7iaCmf49pfpjTG7AyTkRPZb4OO_8ErxmnvBYBjyu-N_qeao/s320/Picture+12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255058953744263266" /></a>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-25880730806909035662008-09-20T00:01:00.007+10:002008-09-20T02:00:23.419+10:00More.Do You see me as anything more than just a servant in Your house?<br />Do You hear me only through the praises I lavish You with?<br />Do You touch me only when my emotions are running wild and high?<br />And, do You feel me when I'm not feeling You?<br /><br />I see myself in a desert, when all that's within me feels dry.<br />I hear myself screaming in silence, as I play along with life's charade.<br />I reach out my hands to grasp hold of something which so easily slips away.<br />And, I want to have faith and not just the feeling of it. <br /><br />Where are You when the music and hype is stripped away?<br />Are You more than what those celebrity pastors preach about?<br />Where are You when no one's there looking out for me?<br />Are You more <br />than the sights I see, <br />the noises I hear, <br />the feelings I feel, <br />the songs I sing,<br />the sermons on Sundays,<br />and the friends around me?<br /><br />Help me to believe again,<br />with child-like faith,<br />not with a childish one.danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-85234912642379426782008-08-26T23:59:00.003+10:002008-08-27T00:08:17.970+10:00An inside joke.Don't we all just love inside jokes? Provided you're "inside" of it, that is. ;-)<br /><br />I stumbled across this picture when I was going through one of my many old posts. It just brought back so many memories. The picture below is just an example of "an inside joke". That's right. JOKE, NOT prophecy. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg5aKrvv6qRcTL9B5lT3ZB6-ZQGvsqIho5TL5j4kYc8wtOhOJub7T1Y8htso0kKZuz4N4k1RsIEyl_6AJyIeOwmbt9Mh3xkwtMwkHIhD6Bjogb0o7YUy3kjDQAZjUplqyidyq/s1600-h/me,+roy+n+dia+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcg5aKrvv6qRcTL9B5lT3ZB6-ZQGvsqIho5TL5j4kYc8wtOhOJub7T1Y8htso0kKZuz4N4k1RsIEyl_6AJyIeOwmbt9Mh3xkwtMwkHIhD6Bjogb0o7YUy3kjDQAZjUplqyidyq/s400/me,+roy+n+dia+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238827299812859122" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To all those who have no idea what that picture is about, ask me about it. :)danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-2818670456502120462008-08-23T12:47:00.004+10:002008-08-23T13:23:43.211+10:00Memoirs of a Chung Ling boy...I just read this piece of news online...<br /><br />"THREE debaters from SMJK(C) Chung Ling, Penang, made their school proud when they outwitted their opponents from SMK Penang Free School, another premier school, in the final of the Parliamentary Style English Language debate to emerge the Penang champion.<br /><br />They were Daniel Law, Koay Keat Yang and Hobart Lim. "<br /><br />Hold up...hold up...DANIEL Law...HOBART Lim??? Haha...Now, I'm not one who's all supersticious or anything. But, what a coincidence, right? "Hi, I'm Daniel and I'm doing Law and Hobart." :P <br /><br />And, imagine naming your children after names of places... Melbourne Mah? Penang Pang? Bangkok Beng? LOL... Sorry sorry... the name Hobart is funny to me simply because I'm in a place called Hobart. Haha...Maybe the parents were studying in Hobart or something. Who knows, really? <br /><br />Ok, continuing with the news...<br /><br />"The competition, organised by the Ministry of Education, was held at the Methodist Boys School recently. It was open to all students from Form One to Form Five in government- aided secondary schools in Malaysia.<br /><br />As Penang champion, Chung Ling will represent Penang in the national competition, details of which have yet to be announced."<br /><br />First off, you know that I am an avid fan of debating myself. I was in the debating team that represented Chung Ling in that very same competition in 2005. Ahh...It feels like just yesterday that I was in the dark marine blue blazer, sweating like a pig as I was debating against St George's Girl School in the State finals. It was definitely an experience worth all the weeks of hard work. I can still vividly remember the team staying back after classes just to bounce ideas off each other and starving ourselves at the same time. Ahh..good times, good times. But, at the end of it all, we LOST to St George's. Now, I'm not a sore loser or anything. But, there were 3 Malay judges, one Chinese judge and one Indian judge. And, the final decision was split 3-2 in favour of St George's. Even the 2 NON-MALAY judges came up to us after the competition to congratulate us for a job well done. Apparently, we were MADE to lose because they couldn't allow a team with no BUMIPUTRAS in it to represent the State to go on to the Nationals. *Don't get me started on this whole issue of Bumiputra thingy...grr..* <br /><br />Anyway, it's been almost 3 years since then. So, I'm just gonna be the bigger man and let by-gones be by-gones. In my heart, I know that we were the real winners and we deserved to go all the way. But yeah, I'm personally elated that my school did well in that competition. And, I'm happy that there's no such RESTRAINT (notice I chose not to use the word RULING) anymore and they can represent the State of Penang. Make Penang proud. More importantly, make Chung Ling and every debating team that went before you (and got struck down because of some stupid restraint) flippin' proud!<br /><br />This post just shows how much a "school boy" I still am. I guess what they say is correct..."Once a Chung Ling boy, always a Chung Ling boy."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h854fXYahfe8NeZIJydCD_JyKrz4w7W9AlpJQIGV4MqjQARhS8HgRxsBbKoF2hOwPt_xVWjtx3cL62xvsJRB1lrQUW55MiFqSVxPTQjWBitZUBcRvURYZhZd8-CpL_mppGIm/s1600-h/logo.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h854fXYahfe8NeZIJydCD_JyKrz4w7W9AlpJQIGV4MqjQARhS8HgRxsBbKoF2hOwPt_xVWjtx3cL62xvsJRB1lrQUW55MiFqSVxPTQjWBitZUBcRvURYZhZd8-CpL_mppGIm/s320/logo.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237547161427444530" /></a>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-10007614410490828572008-08-23T12:09:00.002+10:002008-08-23T12:20:27.150+10:00Performance at the UTas Singapore Night.A few weeks ago, I went for my uni's Singapore Students Society's Singapore Night (Whoa..that was a mouthful). And, yes, as you guessed it, I performed. I somehow come across to people as the walking jukebox. At least jukeboxes get money! *hint hint* ;P But nah, I was performing as part of the OCF (Overseas Christian Fellowship) band. Anyway, here are the videos. <br /><br />The first song was Howie Day's 'Collide' sung by Darren Liew. Can you spot me? *hint: I'm the only one WITHOUT a guitar in hand and only singing the 'doo doo' parts. It was funny as! :) *<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZalEAXsoU7A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZalEAXsoU7A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The second song was Graham Colton's 'Best Days' sung by yours truly. You might have heard this song played on American Idol earlier this year. Anyway, I hope you like it. :)<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uscJHL37GQQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uscJHL37GQQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-25945259667807261962008-08-18T18:41:00.014+10:002008-08-19T00:57:21.465+10:00Of Wisdom, Home and Wheels...I am officially wise...painfully wise. :-/ <br /><br />Two days ago, the gums around my bottom right jaw started to ache. At first, I thought it was because there was something stuck there and the area got infected (which happens a lot to me). So, I just cleaned that area and made sure that there was nothing stuck there. But, the very next day, my jaw started to hurt. And, the next day(today), I could barely open my mouth because my jaw hurt everytime I tried to. I was practically SUCKING in my oats this morning. It didn't just stop at the jaw pains and toothache. It gave me really annoying headaches(apparently they can cause you fever too). And, to make matters worse, I had my Tort Law presentation today! I've been preparing for this day for the past week! Crappity-crap-crap! <br /><br />Have you ever wondered why we have wisdom teeth? They're 2 pairs of teeth that grow at the very end of your set of teeth (2 at the bottom jaw and 2 at the top). They serve no purpose at all. It's not like you need them to chew stuff. Instead, they cause you all sorts of problems. Arghh.. I wanted to have it checked up here. But, according to my friends. just the consultation alone can cost me up to $100! That's right... 100 Australian dollars! And, to extract one wisdom tooth might cost me up to 1000 buckaroos! Whoohooooooo... :-S So, for now, I guess it's just gonna be pain killers and porridge till I get home and have it checked up. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPo52toNCYG4hIaY5FKRAIdq3dsh3sSqXVCSRz2LEyPCof_4amGbzMnXU-bc7xG_KTxREI16p8i_N_ThfkyTsQgwHMBcDbudDHbo0riZgj5BKEu12IQANVKoPSgpyfpF7IimsV/s1600-h/wisdomTooth.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPo52toNCYG4hIaY5FKRAIdq3dsh3sSqXVCSRz2LEyPCof_4amGbzMnXU-bc7xG_KTxREI16p8i_N_ThfkyTsQgwHMBcDbudDHbo0riZgj5BKEu12IQANVKoPSgpyfpF7IimsV/s320/wisdomTooth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235846594803065698" /></a><br /><br />But, it's now that I thank God for the Aussie accent. Because, Aussies tend to use the back of their mouths to pronounce their words(because they're just too lazy to shape their mouths properly). So, I think I managed to pull off a pseudo-toothache-aussie-accent while I was presenting. Don't you just love the Aussie accent. :P <br /><br />Speaking of home, I'm not ashamed to say it... "I FLIPPIN' MISS HOME!!!" I'm not like those people who constantly whine about home. I just get these spurts of homesickness. And, when I do, it can get really bad. Now that I'm on my own, I can't just run to my mum and dad whenever something goes wrong anymore. Gone were the days when I could just leave my cares and burdens at the door when I get home. I can be sure that my parents will be there and I'll know that everything will be alright. There's just this overwhelming sense of security when you're with your parents. Besides that, it gets harder when your best friend, who you can always confide in or when you just need somebody to talk to, is not with you. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcT67okeckBil7hfXivuPnFrCxRDMJ-24vlBIRamqs1Tv07C4dL88ZCqsN6juM0PAFExyHWc7dK7cR-JoWjdgajUhajBo8eqXC0yAYG2zjRvLhPk6e0rAOr5HlX1Y6ezfHw3E/s1600-h/IMG_4761.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcT67okeckBil7hfXivuPnFrCxRDMJ-24vlBIRamqs1Tv07C4dL88ZCqsN6juM0PAFExyHWc7dK7cR-JoWjdgajUhajBo8eqXC0yAYG2zjRvLhPk6e0rAOr5HlX1Y6ezfHw3E/s320/IMG_4761.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235858960196922290" /></a><br /><br />I'm such a wimp. <br /><br />Anyway, here's the big news! *and, no...I don't have a girlfriend yet... -_- So, stop asking me! :P *<br /><br />I got a new pair wheels! Yay me! A friend of mine recently left Hobart for Singapore and she wanted to sell off her car. It's a 1.3L Toyota Echo. My Malaysia friends will go, "Oh...that looks like a Myvi!" I think it should be better than a Myvi.She bought it in mid 2005. So, the car is about 3 years old and has 2 more years of warranty left. And, I bought it for $10500. I think it's a pretty good deal. My other friends seem to think so too. But, still, it's a pretty big sum of money to spend. I'm just so so grateful that my big brother in Singapore was able and willing to buy the car for me. Now, I'm forever indebted to him. :-/ But, anyway, here's some pics of the car. It's a great drive and my best car to date (considering my past 2 cars were a Tiara and a 15 year old Saga)! Thanks again, BIG KEKE (that's what I call him)! Maybe you could send Titus to Australia for his studies next time and I can look after him for you. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIK1Ec5gCY1Ze-lvPlgWHRd5Zh8sQzpTVc_g5Xy2QZuIjStscnMqbwIoPKeXDyq6Mq9yCgOa3-iO0GBbT3le9cWgYOuW0upPHJBQCb-UGgWIJfoJCaSxW0FT42F711JOUBkiN/s1600-h/IMG_6402.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIK1Ec5gCY1Ze-lvPlgWHRd5Zh8sQzpTVc_g5Xy2QZuIjStscnMqbwIoPKeXDyq6Mq9yCgOa3-iO0GBbT3le9cWgYOuW0upPHJBQCb-UGgWIJfoJCaSxW0FT42F711JOUBkiN/s320/IMG_6402.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235784444456366706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5KVigHaRoV_8CjdpBuCW9zH25zESZ8kqn0bbtTMJ0Kn5fsKsERay3vE2BlLIOj7Bh_9KVAqce0NBZoLkCgdCWRydfHZ4gw1sGUxo21sZsv1Gh5ObnDUgksf7AzQwDroF6JWd/s1600-h/IMG_6401.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5KVigHaRoV_8CjdpBuCW9zH25zESZ8kqn0bbtTMJ0Kn5fsKsERay3vE2BlLIOj7Bh_9KVAqce0NBZoLkCgdCWRydfHZ4gw1sGUxo21sZsv1Gh5ObnDUgksf7AzQwDroF6JWd/s320/IMG_6401.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235783705118617810" /></a><br /><br />Ok, back to work...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_7bb_zq650lFBhoLw_q8972qqT7RcQrCwlKUJdZvcn7dlk2sh_UHHa7LAV1icymGdWDuDFIfoS7O3nw6G0AqiwiBZSVqHNDG2KP3qMI6GKlTEx_dQaI7FlhFSjmgLsCHHMg_/s1600-h/IMG_5178.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_7bb_zq650lFBhoLw_q8972qqT7RcQrCwlKUJdZvcn7dlk2sh_UHHa7LAV1icymGdWDuDFIfoS7O3nw6G0AqiwiBZSVqHNDG2KP3qMI6GKlTEx_dQaI7FlhFSjmgLsCHHMg_/s320/IMG_5178.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235867039452951298" /></a><br /><br />I know this is not exactly the most interesting post I've done. Oh wellz... Blame the homesickness... :(danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-81646509241620800462008-07-15T15:51:00.010+10:002008-07-15T19:35:49.158+10:00The Winter that was not bitter - Part 2And just when you think that my holidays could not have gone any better, I'm here to disappoint you. :P <br /><br />Ok, enough bollocks about all the countryside and natural stuff that is Tassie. On to the big city! <br /><br />I went to Sydney for the Hillsong Conference from the 7th-11th of July. The conference? Ugh-ma-zing! Imagine 20000 people crammed into a stadium all singing in one voice with awesome worship leaders like Darlene Czech, Michael Grungor and Israel Houghton. It was hair-raising! Imagine the best speakers in the world coming together and sharing the Word. You'd be crazy not to catch a new revelation after listening to people like Joyce Meyer, Mike Pilavachi, Judah Smith, Joseph Prince and etc. It is everything you could have imagined about Hillsong, and more!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAwq_Hl8OT0M0hLNXdHT6oQBUk31e67xs0ecLfusPixEPreTgPBBmgu_x0o7qfVcj8lXIt-NfOfEBG2epsT3HyDrtFoT-RZHmcn_R64IbIVRWRps2vUuyLY0JBrK2XYPLpN7l/s1600-h/IMG_6289.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAwq_Hl8OT0M0hLNXdHT6oQBUk31e67xs0ecLfusPixEPreTgPBBmgu_x0o7qfVcj8lXIt-NfOfEBG2epsT3HyDrtFoT-RZHmcn_R64IbIVRWRps2vUuyLY0JBrK2XYPLpN7l/s320/IMG_6289.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223130808163046018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGde6NLX_SXJ2Y1xAmN9h4zwCp6Yq2vgkoqFrP9PM7hwiGmTfIBv1uCYeYylDfqLT8AaomX1DXeoNLbb5S7E1dOJl2jgqDEvQ38WEgiLuByyyOzF1ehy8hyphenhyphenQgJCXoFo4VgMYFT/s1600-h/IMG_6291.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGde6NLX_SXJ2Y1xAmN9h4zwCp6Yq2vgkoqFrP9PM7hwiGmTfIBv1uCYeYylDfqLT8AaomX1DXeoNLbb5S7E1dOJl2jgqDEvQ38WEgiLuByyyOzF1ehy8hyphenhyphenQgJCXoFo4VgMYFT/s320/IMG_6291.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223130813158996082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAriLn0d77TeMNts3FjWJC35g4aXht-zHWIV8x1t4tUPOKNaBbXFI81z4Anq7G9MeChRpCbgagVAA1czCnTTddbw9Y7IAl0ph-KedqNut-xcG8crExS9_fY3UHrSe6iE-p19Hi/s1600-h/IMG_1252.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAriLn0d77TeMNts3FjWJC35g4aXht-zHWIV8x1t4tUPOKNaBbXFI81z4Anq7G9MeChRpCbgagVAA1czCnTTddbw9Y7IAl0ph-KedqNut-xcG8crExS9_fY3UHrSe6iE-p19Hi/s320/IMG_1252.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223130820109465826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-yzW_I-Z-LD_ihC83YmYlYnpdxDawlRMVtphA8lcRg0mz5NhBBnYBbMod50pmkjLcnxevDAYkU9HtO-3XjALn2V_g9sfCaECdxEmPT27l45l4PMjHiQzox9X-cWgWzlEJWxT/s1600-h/IMG_1277.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-yzW_I-Z-LD_ihC83YmYlYnpdxDawlRMVtphA8lcRg0mz5NhBBnYBbMod50pmkjLcnxevDAYkU9HtO-3XjALn2V_g9sfCaECdxEmPT27l45l4PMjHiQzox9X-cWgWzlEJWxT/s320/IMG_1277.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223130832432966738" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdBBIm9tdoFJOIcxzhrPfcwXORjO_zGwQH2mON54KoEjwydyvcXoLCS-E0OqTYtRHse6WIJB4Fh5OB8Xx25DJioxfuN41z99x1IDeN6w4ZVO1_g6aHHNDeptsOL4iuE0KiRMR/s1600-h/IMG_1270.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdBBIm9tdoFJOIcxzhrPfcwXORjO_zGwQH2mON54KoEjwydyvcXoLCS-E0OqTYtRHse6WIJB4Fh5OB8Xx25DJioxfuN41z99x1IDeN6w4ZVO1_g6aHHNDeptsOL4iuE0KiRMR/s320/IMG_1270.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223130840326943650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflUieWTIRswoPEngDGS1lE0ZQ8vRQzm9qJT6l5hVx-r7fgHZe83k0ki-2Fw6ZpavTHxxhQ_s0SMAfHHTp-Nse6nCsOrnqUTX_HxFXCO3xUimE_zswceAJcfgz9hC3GmGtHv-I/s1600-h/IMG_1284.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiflUieWTIRswoPEngDGS1lE0ZQ8vRQzm9qJT6l5hVx-r7fgHZe83k0ki-2Fw6ZpavTHxxhQ_s0SMAfHHTp-Nse6nCsOrnqUTX_HxFXCO3xUimE_zswceAJcfgz9hC3GmGtHv-I/s320/IMG_1284.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223135776969524002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb06zkNDkkxsiuCZJCqW9P9z8Gc46RFjPC9BKwHYWqxvI8Db9Aj8IFVqO-xiEJreweKOjsWW39mupCsDtwDPGsS1oXhrmLD-QYQQp0PhUYzi9mm2fiSBkMmO2WKMRmJ-bhYiB/s1600-h/IMG_1334.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvb06zkNDkkxsiuCZJCqW9P9z8Gc46RFjPC9BKwHYWqxvI8Db9Aj8IFVqO-xiEJreweKOjsWW39mupCsDtwDPGsS1oXhrmLD-QYQQp0PhUYzi9mm2fiSBkMmO2WKMRmJ-bhYiB/s320/IMG_1334.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223135778881895154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfXgXfpXDncmBPMRHZ0hJBjuDmnlbrTg7pp5ugDvgb9VxNK36gfiSEXCYujQiRr4bCKxNeAa9zhBsoe3RObkSKmgrlV5HQMOxzjNfIthVnvLTSAE6mzWrLBy43knEVj4wY7Cu/s1600-h/IMG_1386.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfXgXfpXDncmBPMRHZ0hJBjuDmnlbrTg7pp5ugDvgb9VxNK36gfiSEXCYujQiRr4bCKxNeAa9zhBsoe3RObkSKmgrlV5HQMOxzjNfIthVnvLTSAE6mzWrLBy43knEVj4wY7Cu/s320/IMG_1386.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223135785658108930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHHISBGukzVW4lOpwGnH-Hjscob2p1AqgSQhvHdIfm3s-pBOkC8C7Eocnfb68CTl-9jJC_2XV1yvQ4nfSYvWoUudTrlOyzSXQ_YgFzsTsWeZk_91qR81FfUcpMLZ1gp9P9v_s/s1600-h/IMG_1405.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHHISBGukzVW4lOpwGnH-Hjscob2p1AqgSQhvHdIfm3s-pBOkC8C7Eocnfb68CTl-9jJC_2XV1yvQ4nfSYvWoUudTrlOyzSXQ_YgFzsTsWeZk_91qR81FfUcpMLZ1gp9P9v_s/s320/IMG_1405.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223135794072458434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex1IM4Jpp3S5Sf1xuwpKckLirN2T_UOTXcT4BoumiMRBXNt8Uy7w80FWCZMouvR3IGo2NagWI_sRWMEf400gcOEZrRsfDl1Pkls27eBR6sZtWr_2lzT-rKmp5pv9e2qIgV-53/s1600-h/IMG_1411.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex1IM4Jpp3S5Sf1xuwpKckLirN2T_UOTXcT4BoumiMRBXNt8Uy7w80FWCZMouvR3IGo2NagWI_sRWMEf400gcOEZrRsfDl1Pkls27eBR6sZtWr_2lzT-rKmp5pv9e2qIgV-53/s320/IMG_1411.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223135796225880866" /></a><br /><br />As full on as the conference was, we managed to escape the hectic schedule and get some sight-seeing and A WHOLE LOT of eating done. :P <br /><br />Hmm...How would I describe Sydney (oh, and it's my first time there. I have a feeling it won't be my last. :D )? Sydney is...uhm...crowded enough to make you realise that it's a big city and yet organised enough to not come across as being too congested. It's old majestic sandstone buildings and gleaming new skyscrapers. It's polluted air, dirty and grafitti-filled and yet lovely enough to make people forget about all that(You'd have to admit, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge is just stunning pieces of architecture). I find that people aren't as friendly or courteous in Sydney. I guess that's the common trend in all big cities. I guess people in big cities are just too busy to be nice and I highly am opposed against this idea. This deserves a whole blog entry on its own but that's for another day. Oh, just in case you don't know the people in those pics, there was Kah Wei, Ian Chee, Aaron Tan, Alice Tee and myself. Anyway, here's Sydney(well, at least according to my pictures)! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQ9v2xjZrHOv2mcl6qPPilDqV1o4p5eMgTKtUnzTRj6BqG5Jl4rdKN_pXAAzClmmWQ8hwx415gK_cN-iyGOEt6Ou_Gl387zkYm6yu7WtKmYwzmgDy9La8hVYJ8y6OJrLV_RJq/s1600-h/IMG_6341.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQ9v2xjZrHOv2mcl6qPPilDqV1o4p5eMgTKtUnzTRj6BqG5Jl4rdKN_pXAAzClmmWQ8hwx415gK_cN-iyGOEt6Ou_Gl387zkYm6yu7WtKmYwzmgDy9La8hVYJ8y6OJrLV_RJq/s320/IMG_6341.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223168771733555410" /></a><br />The new Apple centre in Sydney - the 2nd biggest in the world.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3gpGgDMshAKUOl6z8kf75YKWqQP5WjgccE7WU1b4vuS3crpfaqm185TPQQThC0N6NzuGPxsH7N5bAx2R0dVP2HlUCaUcba5g3WJimn-QaSylcP3_7DEL8hywVbrrS1BfpmF8/s1600-h/IMG_6045.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3gpGgDMshAKUOl6z8kf75YKWqQP5WjgccE7WU1b4vuS3crpfaqm185TPQQThC0N6NzuGPxsH7N5bAx2R0dVP2HlUCaUcba5g3WJimn-QaSylcP3_7DEL8hywVbrrS1BfpmF8/s320/IMG_6045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223168776464081730" /></a><br />I've heard about Jesus and 'doughnuts'...but this is new... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uzU8VtKnU6cxHryVIXt3K2uLVYNBY61j2CLi8pmRBnS9GGiz494BpXDvphOa6pxsV2Jezhs3GxXkUiGrJwhTFQ12R80vLVhNfP04nwllNHKYbwU3kzPN2Fjaedjq66PfOLZ2/s1600-h/IMG_5943.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uzU8VtKnU6cxHryVIXt3K2uLVYNBY61j2CLi8pmRBnS9GGiz494BpXDvphOa6pxsV2Jezhs3GxXkUiGrJwhTFQ12R80vLVhNfP04nwllNHKYbwU3kzPN2Fjaedjq66PfOLZ2/s320/IMG_5943.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223168788637141170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbe9qch-yaln-lHdCwJxXsZPKVQd8OEpgrmD5nB-B2PFM9TAU1iPrsv21cc2u2xrT63K0zey5W0Y62PET4WhzJ6Hx1_7XPIUum0_1EwhAHfhONtbdjmNbFthJnuH9VqL9i0kb/s1600-h/IMG_6085.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbe9qch-yaln-lHdCwJxXsZPKVQd8OEpgrmD5nB-B2PFM9TAU1iPrsv21cc2u2xrT63K0zey5W0Y62PET4WhzJ6Hx1_7XPIUum0_1EwhAHfhONtbdjmNbFthJnuH9VqL9i0kb/s320/IMG_6085.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223166824070574802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Lo_QzgF6KQgwa_qOTiV6UwnPumRPCdworyhLjO8ZprnyZ25NtHRrJBlitWPYI49SQ4-tSa4mS2lBs5sjp-zu0HbXUZhNwvhMVqebxRKcYGplw2V9xaeUxpSqmK6ESgGOX6Ii/s1600-h/IMG_6145.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Lo_QzgF6KQgwa_qOTiV6UwnPumRPCdworyhLjO8ZprnyZ25NtHRrJBlitWPYI49SQ4-tSa4mS2lBs5sjp-zu0HbXUZhNwvhMVqebxRKcYGplw2V9xaeUxpSqmK6ESgGOX6Ii/s320/IMG_6145.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223166834904657410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYhDuEpwdF6w1VPUrByyyu3ot-6WQBPaKodn-HVEXqeaUw4Xq9avJlEarttu2iVDTW_69qL9TmgEVtG1Uw5LrZf3dmx-UQvNvrKWNpc5seUClbqlYJBQP-GXHmdxXoBdCsoyR/s1600-h/IMG_6237.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYhDuEpwdF6w1VPUrByyyu3ot-6WQBPaKodn-HVEXqeaUw4Xq9avJlEarttu2iVDTW_69qL9TmgEVtG1Uw5LrZf3dmx-UQvNvrKWNpc5seUClbqlYJBQP-GXHmdxXoBdCsoyR/s320/IMG_6237.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223166841720661730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcp1CBZ7kw7_kxf5l85Zvu9fR58eTHiQrGrw-eeCAtgWvdQb5o8grT8ar49McWVDoP9XOymPzlaCNPH-28mqerahSsiud2tGNFKd41oivhUXAyRw2DX1C6cHoq_Klqb78wYmAN/s1600-h/IMG_6257.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcp1CBZ7kw7_kxf5l85Zvu9fR58eTHiQrGrw-eeCAtgWvdQb5o8grT8ar49McWVDoP9XOymPzlaCNPH-28mqerahSsiud2tGNFKd41oivhUXAyRw2DX1C6cHoq_Klqb78wYmAN/s320/IMG_6257.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223166843239549746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWHWh5yspmm9EZdzDkHtocojRQIfpIG3NvCZNuJXiX4CbPxdeE8T4grJED73LuIVjjkFS1VLZHntyWmujPMReQlEXDjl5T_e8Rx3Q2IWuB-ucVdBZKT4OqjQaTbEhp6Q_Fov8/s1600-h/IMG_6110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggWHWh5yspmm9EZdzDkHtocojRQIfpIG3NvCZNuJXiX4CbPxdeE8T4grJED73LuIVjjkFS1VLZHntyWmujPMReQlEXDjl5T_e8Rx3Q2IWuB-ucVdBZKT4OqjQaTbEhp6Q_Fov8/s320/IMG_6110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223166850001942306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S4xK-gTAXAaTQ2RvE3DMplyKEnDFctNyIF4x8hwnicGECt0I2D_YlreYl0j-Rl_6c3-Ki4jlJYiWODy6hINucdH5tb0DPVRA7zdmNvNR4QeBLu0QBT85R9aeEUdCHAgFxibF/s1600-h/IMG_5955.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S4xK-gTAXAaTQ2RvE3DMplyKEnDFctNyIF4x8hwnicGECt0I2D_YlreYl0j-Rl_6c3-Ki4jlJYiWODy6hINucdH5tb0DPVRA7zdmNvNR4QeBLu0QBT85R9aeEUdCHAgFxibF/s200/IMG_5955.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223164112736536082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrKTLDCdkBmauuu6MXnCQwOuXGUbq_jnUSbMt4ym8uGJl2Wb9siPdnj0UfHKVQ7Z1AOjFow5Wh-qDl7iPZFdJetTKAARJNqadUmM5hyS-C-W7jJbhC_wg_4TMk5ezMivt3VW9/s1600-h/IMG_6014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrKTLDCdkBmauuu6MXnCQwOuXGUbq_jnUSbMt4ym8uGJl2Wb9siPdnj0UfHKVQ7Z1AOjFow5Wh-qDl7iPZFdJetTKAARJNqadUmM5hyS-C-W7jJbhC_wg_4TMk5ezMivt3VW9/s200/IMG_6014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223164119770244226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73G0JGXjyJH7XIzACmUnwKVBJEk1bQwVkHgFcgbJTEGgVs6v_s-r7fvtFGC6Xg8ERM4gv-ASsIP-GqluhDjmBR46FJTL1hm0HCPh7_Wl7MUhXB8KQA_3mLb4Y4188Y3_rlGPP/s1600-h/IMG_6023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73G0JGXjyJH7XIzACmUnwKVBJEk1bQwVkHgFcgbJTEGgVs6v_s-r7fvtFGC6Xg8ERM4gv-ASsIP-GqluhDjmBR46FJTL1hm0HCPh7_Wl7MUhXB8KQA_3mLb4Y4188Y3_rlGPP/s200/IMG_6023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223164124395837778" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IvvrJgg7yj32UjIwJFPz33qu66oKImwOV4Pffyrlg-WQRz4irJu-kMMZ6q69bHZaB23DP7wJVA0fx6fIi9PoYWVBS3bu-_HFjw1u0eso_uibXZnwzKl9zzKlLzfvj4KxAeu_/s1600-h/IMG_6032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IvvrJgg7yj32UjIwJFPz33qu66oKImwOV4Pffyrlg-WQRz4irJu-kMMZ6q69bHZaB23DP7wJVA0fx6fIi9PoYWVBS3bu-_HFjw1u0eso_uibXZnwzKl9zzKlLzfvj4KxAeu_/s200/IMG_6032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223164124652841282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqK8i7j3PmqK_li14JKSZZGfWk1b3FatlePM0GR8gDVARVK_TJIXshZF1Jrbfz1n_P48KpxxycRKWkLZwXhd2vjCR1i45SXyzY488VcujyR7aCIaY09v7CqAxxUuDhmM29I8t/s1600-h/IMG_6041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqK8i7j3PmqK_li14JKSZZGfWk1b3FatlePM0GR8gDVARVK_TJIXshZF1Jrbfz1n_P48KpxxycRKWkLZwXhd2vjCR1i45SXyzY488VcujyR7aCIaY09v7CqAxxUuDhmM29I8t/s200/IMG_6041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223164136872198322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0ygzJXZtScn1CV2QymuYbGbzezAShHjIe6tRfPkJu60Vmv_HLRmiWNnB6MBNB2ciHflC8Q5L81ds52XFxvRTFtqA-IWEUDqu7shIbaNAmfXYiW5J6vgg6dAcpCgkuaelMPZj/s1600-h/IMG_0997.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0ygzJXZtScn1CV2QymuYbGbzezAShHjIe6tRfPkJu60Vmv_HLRmiWNnB6MBNB2ciHflC8Q5L81ds52XFxvRTFtqA-IWEUDqu7shIbaNAmfXYiW5J6vgg6dAcpCgkuaelMPZj/s320/IMG_0997.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223154301539733218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRO1z0dg2ZUSYtnQSuuvCLoaQ_uad-aVvR_-a7znzfau-5v_QfA_m2gsue7N4b5_rxqunFPKEUlHzspUB_maYpvKGpjxpSRjiM9DLWfrAPk4aPMykxfSNE2fVf1Tx8uwu8hEaW/s1600-h/IMG_1175.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRO1z0dg2ZUSYtnQSuuvCLoaQ_uad-aVvR_-a7znzfau-5v_QfA_m2gsue7N4b5_rxqunFPKEUlHzspUB_maYpvKGpjxpSRjiM9DLWfrAPk4aPMykxfSNE2fVf1Tx8uwu8hEaW/s320/IMG_1175.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223154308631241730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBOXfnUlj-nJOWQ024HIpjP5yYTbuhnaalaGSmhzyJNIVnTviSpLABW6YKIl9Gf6hIVYAWREpS_1jhRAFHXshnz2oQWRk8bhv5JTG-0Q0Q2jNRchQBJYi2NW8f3xKsZkr27JR/s1600-h/IMG_1203.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBOXfnUlj-nJOWQ024HIpjP5yYTbuhnaalaGSmhzyJNIVnTviSpLABW6YKIl9Gf6hIVYAWREpS_1jhRAFHXshnz2oQWRk8bhv5JTG-0Q0Q2jNRchQBJYi2NW8f3xKsZkr27JR/s320/IMG_1203.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223154311412577346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchkEculK8662ZvWA7iYCf8YycJFZThcJIZFBafZzphhwtxQjt9NkvOZZ9dJmn854TPAkoqm1cMR5L4yRKhdRlPXSd3JdGSDFJNn6V-Nm6Of-mJl75uyvMGoX4SRGEVA6TalY2/s1600-h/IMG_1145.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchkEculK8662ZvWA7iYCf8YycJFZThcJIZFBafZzphhwtxQjt9NkvOZZ9dJmn854TPAkoqm1cMR5L4yRKhdRlPXSd3JdGSDFJNn6V-Nm6Of-mJl75uyvMGoX4SRGEVA6TalY2/s320/IMG_1145.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223154320089379426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbDhq8ctgNAnMaNU4UWjGeulVmLmoZHLT7x35gJmWUFyPYKdSxQmJWDf039YQo7hZiyEx2wW1Bn31ytxp4WVOKLF352uLZsWL2clmiLzb_0C4fsdKqC5tCgJKHj-_cACY3-CT/s1600-h/IMG_0923.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbDhq8ctgNAnMaNU4UWjGeulVmLmoZHLT7x35gJmWUFyPYKdSxQmJWDf039YQo7hZiyEx2wW1Bn31ytxp4WVOKLF352uLZsWL2clmiLzb_0C4fsdKqC5tCgJKHj-_cACY3-CT/s320/IMG_0923.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223149924354917842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG26DohRLXrXwKn0UC3H-2WXOMJVi4U81NyozxCd8hy08tnuhThiSlx2O9r693MFx0UJTGcd18nU4Q9Rd9iRTH8hdd4vnC6722qFPABlYvBParIBAGK8oBrAK_nbfalba60lq/s1600-h/IMG_0926.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG26DohRLXrXwKn0UC3H-2WXOMJVi4U81NyozxCd8hy08tnuhThiSlx2O9r693MFx0UJTGcd18nU4Q9Rd9iRTH8hdd4vnC6722qFPABlYvBParIBAGK8oBrAK_nbfalba60lq/s320/IMG_0926.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223149928107631106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzD3v6EdtipPP3-vFHRjCVmGJufArLucZGoQONROwoWp2Y4cAhH1O39M7HHW6HlEgeXAKJFygT7z4k5qO7ZP0BZ6yPxRRGmzHOnXh9ESegUC5Jbx4g3-qQE1K2Be2GpjNLnhV/s1600-h/IMG_0933.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzD3v6EdtipPP3-vFHRjCVmGJufArLucZGoQONROwoWp2Y4cAhH1O39M7HHW6HlEgeXAKJFygT7z4k5qO7ZP0BZ6yPxRRGmzHOnXh9ESegUC5Jbx4g3-qQE1K2Be2GpjNLnhV/s320/IMG_0933.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223149930881806546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb5G-rT0ZoZxZHn-tNrdqloM0CBl939K9sY9XKjD96MAhLEhecs6ducK4iZnxv1DLo7TN5c9qescBLvLbBpaMRahK_mNm15DaNO4LN7bMVBBd3ncRV1ybgq7sh0oc7SG3gK4p/s1600-h/IMG_0982.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb5G-rT0ZoZxZHn-tNrdqloM0CBl939K9sY9XKjD96MAhLEhecs6ducK4iZnxv1DLo7TN5c9qescBLvLbBpaMRahK_mNm15DaNO4LN7bMVBBd3ncRV1ybgq7sh0oc7SG3gK4p/s320/IMG_0982.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223149938380347346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDukbH7s0WGuOoRuq3B-EEHZO5Nz0Oe_h9c3F7pi95JApgC13T4vGkNuBkB8GfhkRol2hNqFY-e91YFEwmf7kKzCW8op2u4gSbJxbOLkPUkjF9t6HCUQzDu9tgmqmSdXJBy7DI/s1600-h/IMG_0956.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDukbH7s0WGuOoRuq3B-EEHZO5Nz0Oe_h9c3F7pi95JApgC13T4vGkNuBkB8GfhkRol2hNqFY-e91YFEwmf7kKzCW8op2u4gSbJxbOLkPUkjF9t6HCUQzDu9tgmqmSdXJBy7DI/s320/IMG_0956.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223149945223992434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOn_oDOzhWwkB3P2m6nLt4Fz4jQ8DhJysIjDkBaGNxLX8dTVcGfHtMc6WTEa-pmvLmGtDd7dTPtxG5Q2rb5ReFG9hEp5AqOFgXyLFcfLxGll2t9Rsx49fWciK8URlTWD-fBNFO/s1600-h/IMG_0789.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOn_oDOzhWwkB3P2m6nLt4Fz4jQ8DhJysIjDkBaGNxLX8dTVcGfHtMc6WTEa-pmvLmGtDd7dTPtxG5Q2rb5ReFG9hEp5AqOFgXyLFcfLxGll2t9Rsx49fWciK8URlTWD-fBNFO/s200/IMG_0789.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223145220674937826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigemA6bJdq-IyQKzFKOsmlj9cxv2Rfo9taLtYIqhVHMsWSEU9ytAVfrcx6vfQnWasq7Kvt5bsudoVc_l4uQtjiLKCjKI6viPQbEB7oJjb3vr41hVKvqDrP6gVKGE6hLuXNGu6Y/s1600-h/IMG_0816.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigemA6bJdq-IyQKzFKOsmlj9cxv2Rfo9taLtYIqhVHMsWSEU9ytAVfrcx6vfQnWasq7Kvt5bsudoVc_l4uQtjiLKCjKI6viPQbEB7oJjb3vr41hVKvqDrP6gVKGE6hLuXNGu6Y/s200/IMG_0816.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223145225825428546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvmZaw6tQIQTLrRzzzMU-OsJbwHODxSn_eYf3Vk9yIr2Fuxq7uyNir85mMx0i1HNUR_khmDLvLzrT7_1do6fOimRsfdkh1VD6UsvqTlDg3Zw2SF5dOgYRwRs_LUwkDGzmNDP8/s1600-h/IMG_0831.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvmZaw6tQIQTLrRzzzMU-OsJbwHODxSn_eYf3Vk9yIr2Fuxq7uyNir85mMx0i1HNUR_khmDLvLzrT7_1do6fOimRsfdkh1VD6UsvqTlDg3Zw2SF5dOgYRwRs_LUwkDGzmNDP8/s200/IMG_0831.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223145234612361826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSWE7dHCCzkjlYnM4dDQ47Y-bVWoIB5D83vFM_8kmnZouXVkpUS2uYP9Ienu2c6ONYkSSa3x4vWHruUWRI7qpWgMZtMzBxqjQSgaLqTYhKvAvF7fZ8Zn9t8vkGqEY-DgSw0fN/s1600-h/IMG_0878.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSWE7dHCCzkjlYnM4dDQ47Y-bVWoIB5D83vFM_8kmnZouXVkpUS2uYP9Ienu2c6ONYkSSa3x4vWHruUWRI7qpWgMZtMzBxqjQSgaLqTYhKvAvF7fZ8Zn9t8vkGqEY-DgSw0fN/s200/IMG_0878.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223145238777161826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgYFWYR7UsafYeaQv911hLVEmYYQYnN_kPXf6m4g9s-IqowPm0AysnFXaUwJd0eT-Uuy46HVJ57LJ83OhTBQ4T6B3zoTykdSkGE1f-9HcS288iBlkMpJILi2HsZsI_eMK3vtZ/s1600-h/IMG_0884.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgYFWYR7UsafYeaQv911hLVEmYYQYnN_kPXf6m4g9s-IqowPm0AysnFXaUwJd0eT-Uuy46HVJ57LJ83OhTBQ4T6B3zoTykdSkGE1f-9HcS288iBlkMpJILi2HsZsI_eMK3vtZ/s200/IMG_0884.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223145244141410962" /></a><br /><br />Ian and Kah Wei, thanks heaps for letting us stay at your place. :) So, yea, that's my winter break summed up in pictures for you. One week of Tassie and one week of Sydney("Ouch!", screams my wallet). I couldn't have asked for a better break. :) Now, onward mighty man of valor to your second semester of your second year of Uni!danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-38875144269247011782008-07-15T01:24:00.018+10:002008-07-15T03:32:48.821+10:00The Winter that was not bitter - Part 1Chuck away your short pants and put on a pair of thermals instead. Throw away those thongs (called slippers in Malaysia) and put on a pair of warm shoes. Put away your hairstyling wax and put on a beanie instead. Mate, it's winter! And, whoever said winter is no fun cannot be more wrong! <br /><br />Just a brief "F.Y.I." moment before I inundate this blog with pictures (which is what most of you guys are here for anyway). So, yeah, Sarah Khor and Jia Ren came down to Tassie for a short holiday from the 1st-5th July. I did not think I would enjoy going around Tassie in winter. But, boy, was I wrong. It just goes to show that in be-a-u-ti-fuuul Tassie, anytime is a good time. Yeah, it is a little cold and chilly during this time of the year. But, heck, who really gives a stuff when you are continually awestruck by nature's beauty. Besides, Sarah and Jia Ren were fun to hang around with. :) <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc5AnbZAwGF46_GmMVILC7TwxIuH8_ukes_kD4jJLFvMAVSpACDqZs-aR_wwpJLSu-pIYLWlUtX-fyQOA_N2Ns6jTdOPz9AAEI4r_y-7NQGlRo3U4lDvljTLlAkr5FvrYW88h/s1600-h/IMG_5782.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc5AnbZAwGF46_GmMVILC7TwxIuH8_ukes_kD4jJLFvMAVSpACDqZs-aR_wwpJLSu-pIYLWlUtX-fyQOA_N2Ns6jTdOPz9AAEI4r_y-7NQGlRo3U4lDvljTLlAkr5FvrYW88h/s320/IMG_5782.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222914563429833618" /></a><br />Port Arthur convict site - This place is pretty cool! Imagine a whole town which was built hundreds of years ago by the British to cater to the containment of convicts from Britain. The history there is just mind blowing. After the jails were shut down, the early government were thinking of just letting the whole township fade into oblivion because most Australians at that time were embarrassed to recognise their convict history. This place is a must-see if you love history.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPSCmAzO0QXiMmEOWd6VumgqLXt01SX7Rgif_wrRMvJfSVZxjCZfKph62QiMG5BGoiBvFtMXFZvy_DFGiZmgNBEX0eaSEi6nGOQn1WEa7tVaCdsC23tVsagqM-aOtkA1dxnk7/s1600-h/IMG_5866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdPSCmAzO0QXiMmEOWd6VumgqLXt01SX7Rgif_wrRMvJfSVZxjCZfKph62QiMG5BGoiBvFtMXFZvy_DFGiZmgNBEX0eaSEi6nGOQn1WEa7tVaCdsC23tVsagqM-aOtkA1dxnk7/s320/IMG_5866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222919121019951138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbOUmd1kytFLzypaBPx3qCj62SVGLyD6BT0UTL_7WQFHgGhgTOOoEdNP0w_730Exj6nJVT9XuRpDK8IZy54c8zjuDyNgSeHtf9VzK8oRsqpnLiGGhCvxRaP3arjAdnguQhStR/s1600-h/IMG_5874.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbOUmd1kytFLzypaBPx3qCj62SVGLyD6BT0UTL_7WQFHgGhgTOOoEdNP0w_730Exj6nJVT9XuRpDK8IZy54c8zjuDyNgSeHtf9VzK8oRsqpnLiGGhCvxRaP3arjAdnguQhStR/s320/IMG_5874.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222919130114241506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrhDPqZsc308fNkv6eKmifkBswaK8fd5MgErZmY2XF1A32JJ5ge6GPH5g_lqXozWk37kLBIg75Jf4OfG6ZSNr-Kq09Z7rFEVV11K7q2dZ_EFgBQbN5qRt5xBRvRL0Xj1hH8se/s1600-h/IMG_5876.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrhDPqZsc308fNkv6eKmifkBswaK8fd5MgErZmY2XF1A32JJ5ge6GPH5g_lqXozWk37kLBIg75Jf4OfG6ZSNr-Kq09Z7rFEVV11K7q2dZ_EFgBQbN5qRt5xBRvRL0Xj1hH8se/s320/IMG_5876.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222919133498254914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg3hvURkQf-BNW2pEdY5GARRaRRw18SaVNVcJewmTIi0mEhBqb_lb57LiQP8HMebCgigTrvRlz_ELCUWIdkBh0N9tRTQPkn25HeJN1hEHd0WCnX1-ujRR-h4op10GURe9P-lb/s1600-h/IMG_5877.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg3hvURkQf-BNW2pEdY5GARRaRRw18SaVNVcJewmTIi0mEhBqb_lb57LiQP8HMebCgigTrvRlz_ELCUWIdkBh0N9tRTQPkn25HeJN1hEHd0WCnX1-ujRR-h4op10GURe9P-lb/s320/IMG_5877.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222919137093486530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTaqU-EY0qupsjvNEDv-8Z1ZwOPKjqUiMid1rxTJCENnjf-_b6TlYpPRzrjE_5Fe0aDNyNCHNRDkLbayttRX_Sm6Rz07dDYU-BC4iVOj6VA8aYhWX4q62fSOB67Se5nUgAFNN/s1600-h/IMG_5879.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTaqU-EY0qupsjvNEDv-8Z1ZwOPKjqUiMid1rxTJCENnjf-_b6TlYpPRzrjE_5Fe0aDNyNCHNRDkLbayttRX_Sm6Rz07dDYU-BC4iVOj6VA8aYhWX4q62fSOB67Se5nUgAFNN/s320/IMG_5879.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222919146272950562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCouaAM048CzlfJiQb5sTJ-OQNY8hsQ1lY3qNS-IfUUvbxQPuIG7kRR4pYol1IrLVuRFKpY-B8IUdLvItXijRP7V9B_w0F3LBuUXHCftzAuObjvg2fgiOVAclzI5Vp0kvjBllw/s1600-h/IMG_5747.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCouaAM048CzlfJiQb5sTJ-OQNY8hsQ1lY3qNS-IfUUvbxQPuIG7kRR4pYol1IrLVuRFKpY-B8IUdLvItXijRP7V9B_w0F3LBuUXHCftzAuObjvg2fgiOVAclzI5Vp0kvjBllw/s320/IMG_5747.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222914532093003490" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3rCDFBzGEqsOhpHGWp4uW7zqUN0SZUOOq6XGmkYaFwVWYaP_U4SiilsnRgG4_j89OXeb6NdAnk4hrq4zCqy8WHc0PRcNbyUSgB9D0y1QCrAiGzUFj-Rl-owN1MHhSc08GgL4/s1600-h/IMG_5776.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3rCDFBzGEqsOhpHGWp4uW7zqUN0SZUOOq6XGmkYaFwVWYaP_U4SiilsnRgG4_j89OXeb6NdAnk4hrq4zCqy8WHc0PRcNbyUSgB9D0y1QCrAiGzUFj-Rl-owN1MHhSc08GgL4/s320/IMG_5776.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222914543155067442" /></a><br />The fare-free alternative to take a picture with a Tasmanian Devil. The admission fee was a friggin AUD24, just to see them Devils and some other wildlife. Bugger!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF_SFI6wW0-iJ5iKjBrDrFTyZr7oejlKuJyD_wlox7lX85EPe-gO03fiilyD4w9s7UV3hbsWIyMhDNDfTJgoAjS9HW1suF53MZ0dCk1p1lhv5jT02Lqvr7D-r-uzbztkQgqtx/s1600-h/IMG_5777.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF_SFI6wW0-iJ5iKjBrDrFTyZr7oejlKuJyD_wlox7lX85EPe-gO03fiilyD4w9s7UV3hbsWIyMhDNDfTJgoAjS9HW1suF53MZ0dCk1p1lhv5jT02Lqvr7D-r-uzbztkQgqtx/s320/IMG_5777.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222914549799239362" /></a><br />Knowing me, you know I couldn't resist doing this. It was right there! :P<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAMErvre2YJgiPTUbvAEX8IZ3q5eyxbCkB5foV7ldm_FGs4adTjU5ezR0Ve4FHw-c8XoYidnP_r8rdWLPq-B3DasfYk1V9DW8Y283_-vOUnb5YX_0Um_G9-AWtcAZ73pZ17cw/s1600-h/IMG_5687.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAMErvre2YJgiPTUbvAEX8IZ3q5eyxbCkB5foV7ldm_FGs4adTjU5ezR0Ve4FHw-c8XoYidnP_r8rdWLPq-B3DasfYk1V9DW8Y283_-vOUnb5YX_0Um_G9-AWtcAZ73pZ17cw/s320/IMG_5687.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222912305775491922" /></a><br />Tessellated pavement.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8IHrI2GNsI0bThOFVVuBpLIcHaq25G7E7iZ61BSQV0HB38Y0oWno-TOvoMvsjKdDvY_g2LxrbsMY4aah_UYW3vYbZrWn8KCjCox3iLTo-DBLvmwBi8ef6xkfqau4pW3XDbg-/s1600-h/IMG_5695.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8IHrI2GNsI0bThOFVVuBpLIcHaq25G7E7iZ61BSQV0HB38Y0oWno-TOvoMvsjKdDvY_g2LxrbsMY4aah_UYW3vYbZrWn8KCjCox3iLTo-DBLvmwBi8ef6xkfqau4pW3XDbg-/s320/IMG_5695.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222912309648632658" /></a><br />Tasman blowhole.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNmGJlz2yS9VcLDBH2Moy3l-sGBy06IRRsxsSq9yLNRe67w3NI25N6OAMmZW6hNz8KkbGaCOM2rSOidsr7h5bTnB6gagtD__wwcZ3xzquYxPJVw87a8Nxg-02Yi981LZWKEpW/s1600-h/IMG_5717.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNmGJlz2yS9VcLDBH2Moy3l-sGBy06IRRsxsSq9yLNRe67w3NI25N6OAMmZW6hNz8KkbGaCOM2rSOidsr7h5bTnB6gagtD__wwcZ3xzquYxPJVw87a8Nxg-02Yi981LZWKEpW/s320/IMG_5717.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222912318210235602" /></a><br />Devil's Kitchen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DL0ul72gQ8F3-Rp7dkv2OVmLlLEg_6pge4lppNi4zfQ6gPWOlIjp7wbdY6RtiCm0A3gwmXzLTaQ9rJRm7PJTu1DA0-rRxM3tUkRb9vVA0XP4_vv979wCWE-bkzPxScFuV4gv/s1600-h/IMG_5732.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DL0ul72gQ8F3-Rp7dkv2OVmLlLEg_6pge4lppNi4zfQ6gPWOlIjp7wbdY6RtiCm0A3gwmXzLTaQ9rJRm7PJTu1DA0-rRxM3tUkRb9vVA0XP4_vv979wCWE-bkzPxScFuV4gv/s320/IMG_5732.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222912324712604946" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvPx7uz35kVD-NaFCwMpqEFRbfcBCyS7RwUYjmWcrjVEyfYgnMFtg6v0ByKc9LU31PIuUdNRCIUSzxWKYvVCl1FnQCpFTUPq7YAtodTmn_QX1iWcq5RBmC_80P5uOx3bnKmZT/s1600-h/IMG_5741.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvPx7uz35kVD-NaFCwMpqEFRbfcBCyS7RwUYjmWcrjVEyfYgnMFtg6v0ByKc9LU31PIuUdNRCIUSzxWKYvVCl1FnQCpFTUPq7YAtodTmn_QX1iWcq5RBmC_80P5uOx3bnKmZT/s320/IMG_5741.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222912329289109442" /></a><br />Tasman Arch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElkVc_nomlFoxkSF56WuFdxoPbt7oCxz5CT-gKEAAAexA7ERM7yjFMPcB3fiylCYaY78qQ_Caj1JRvYw6IxnlzDzLwjJiOXNs5XVDhD61_q3D78JQ9snEzPNWjBkajF_fGTrO/s1600-h/IMG_5547.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElkVc_nomlFoxkSF56WuFdxoPbt7oCxz5CT-gKEAAAexA7ERM7yjFMPcB3fiylCYaY78qQ_Caj1JRvYw6IxnlzDzLwjJiOXNs5XVDhD61_q3D78JQ9snEzPNWjBkajF_fGTrO/s320/IMG_5547.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222904930486143042" /></a><br />Out and about around Hobart city. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOFAZY6zeYvoY6ibVIetdfS0pF4rt2vrEpx3yTAeF08HLiQBSYuwyJn2CuqTk512jNSdvmGwuTAOtyQlKEhwBjdmK0ojO32_zqK_zQDMAANw9GIGGnLnxeDHG0sGI-lWcLu8U/s1600-h/IMG_5557.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOFAZY6zeYvoY6ibVIetdfS0pF4rt2vrEpx3yTAeF08HLiQBSYuwyJn2CuqTk512jNSdvmGwuTAOtyQlKEhwBjdmK0ojO32_zqK_zQDMAANw9GIGGnLnxeDHG0sGI-lWcLu8U/s320/IMG_5557.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222904936490889170" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2KS0RdUA44pNJDCrv3pe51br2mLfrbXBEvBHUeDUcZr61ujAdsJRSkuFZ4IBXSNR0SMyQdHxsu6XTh5qcnpHFOREbu7bwVHN-k2x8XV7bQvQyo4UZao0ZBZjON5VHAnhKhpp/s1600-h/IMG_5578.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2KS0RdUA44pNJDCrv3pe51br2mLfrbXBEvBHUeDUcZr61ujAdsJRSkuFZ4IBXSNR0SMyQdHxsu6XTh5qcnpHFOREbu7bwVHN-k2x8XV7bQvQyo4UZao0ZBZjON5VHAnhKhpp/s320/IMG_5578.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222904944573651234" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8ADsrIHXlg7xGifIonBsJJ4M8cHOWd1Cauznqh09yv-D7auDuHZhIFuCc7j3TWQLlkHcZMWDchSFn-BrMIbUm0qwiEv9y3BRbVrznOhlRbUJ4f56iX99hzVhDHJjNuERKgmZ/s1600-h/IMG_5604.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW8ADsrIHXlg7xGifIonBsJJ4M8cHOWd1Cauznqh09yv-D7auDuHZhIFuCc7j3TWQLlkHcZMWDchSFn-BrMIbUm0qwiEv9y3BRbVrznOhlRbUJ4f56iX99hzVhDHJjNuERKgmZ/s320/IMG_5604.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222904947905843458" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZEOdRawf3C8SBzDLQ44mJh_rCYAs5-3M5-hv18g4Nn1EhK87sYfkq2yMknax8Oxb0Bo3stOFF1UEOYlebHpdw9DaZw5pJgOZSjH78_KuEuXRIzId4UCiJk6is2q5ttxw4MZ0/s1600-h/IMG_5608.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZEOdRawf3C8SBzDLQ44mJh_rCYAs5-3M5-hv18g4Nn1EhK87sYfkq2yMknax8Oxb0Bo3stOFF1UEOYlebHpdw9DaZw5pJgOZSjH78_KuEuXRIzId4UCiJk6is2q5ttxw4MZ0/s320/IMG_5608.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222904953820311218" /></a><br />Snow angel-ling on top of Mt Wellington! Always wanted to do this. Oh, despite the oh-so-happy pics you see here, there's a memorable(almost traumatising) story about the trip up there. The winds were soooooo strong when we were up there. Couple that with the cold weather, and you get Arctic-like conditions. Anyway, after we went out to trod in the thick snow, touch the snow and also EAT the snow, we decided to head back down. But, lo and behold, we couldn't get our car started. I tried to phone for roadside assistance but the signal up there was really bad. So, imagine being trapped up a 1200 something mountain with wintery wind blasts and with no way to get your car started while the sun is setting fast. It can get a LITTLE daunting. But, God bless this Aussie bloke who happened to have hiked up there(how on earth he managed in those conditions I still can't fully understand) and was soooo helpful. To cut the long story short, we managed to get our car started after pushing the car a little. Apparently, it had something to do with something called an immobiliser and a giant radio tower on top of the mountain. >.< But, in all seriousness, you do NOT want to get stuck up on a mountain with no way to get down. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkeIcnZjBrkEGdvZ9GcziUVA39SRbRXWqK30t_FaFkNbRX6hhdrlva8tqv-YINHkC0bAvqjSh9gAU7JzBHdPauQsn2EHIWnr6CzFnYyvxfQfmKftPRs4BnbReLK81jVIovk7v/s1600-h/IMG_5497.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkeIcnZjBrkEGdvZ9GcziUVA39SRbRXWqK30t_FaFkNbRX6hhdrlva8tqv-YINHkC0bAvqjSh9gAU7JzBHdPauQsn2EHIWnr6CzFnYyvxfQfmKftPRs4BnbReLK81jVIovk7v/s320/IMG_5497.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222903317599268386" /></a><br />Somewhere on Bruny Island. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_A6wd5mW7iYhhMot34WCfXq0m462jz7Xo7dJj8yN2TZBP0l8Gpf-YJktouIYjst6iVxM_6spIHmfdQtBmPGJpNWalIEzJV63b5VenuOj7-GagRdNUWZrhPz8swNM24NVaFPDH/s1600-h/IMG_5504.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_A6wd5mW7iYhhMot34WCfXq0m462jz7Xo7dJj8yN2TZBP0l8Gpf-YJktouIYjst6iVxM_6spIHmfdQtBmPGJpNWalIEzJV63b5VenuOj7-GagRdNUWZrhPz8swNM24NVaFPDH/s320/IMG_5504.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222903322512306050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ4B7duDyTkZ4icnQnLpFeg8uuLHjT8r6_nqBNXB6jPif3vghTbShQk7rwEcVEDDF7zVsbVRv4dISVdV5wrl_dG_UAXUCkNOJKbg0Ia7U0SjCdQRKIUt1t3xxlXJwwlrjkN1N/s1600-h/IMG_5518.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZ4B7duDyTkZ4icnQnLpFeg8uuLHjT8r6_nqBNXB6jPif3vghTbShQk7rwEcVEDDF7zVsbVRv4dISVdV5wrl_dG_UAXUCkNOJKbg0Ia7U0SjCdQRKIUt1t3xxlXJwwlrjkN1N/s320/IMG_5518.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222903325739982242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdZtcEzn1BqP6nMhr-6UDPVLXxMKE_2tdhUEfClLZnudlncDcztueokd5jCUlHswGF2DoOLkXLkShEpUDh5BLLL05GsCxGTnpsRPifs0K0lNGtizhVnJLIkKNXKftydWGoao-/s1600-h/IMG_5533.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdZtcEzn1BqP6nMhr-6UDPVLXxMKE_2tdhUEfClLZnudlncDcztueokd5jCUlHswGF2DoOLkXLkShEpUDh5BLLL05GsCxGTnpsRPifs0K0lNGtizhVnJLIkKNXKftydWGoao-/s320/IMG_5533.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222903334387789266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7lMnOYnCO2tZasBV25whU4ocIT9VNhSj_WymGJS9LDZDPGJ005DVLeDdKUXU2-72XGooOlVhrJVbvIRpAC5LTEV7gBiLzupBVzAFWDhvXXG_aBhxCe-DIVJs9j_Udahh9Nej/s1600-h/IMG_5540.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7lMnOYnCO2tZasBV25whU4ocIT9VNhSj_WymGJS9LDZDPGJ005DVLeDdKUXU2-72XGooOlVhrJVbvIRpAC5LTEV7gBiLzupBVzAFWDhvXXG_aBhxCe-DIVJs9j_Udahh9Nej/s320/IMG_5540.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222903345757485426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrb3FsTRM6qoTBpRioxtRB6Vr8bzknGOBD6lqhSsPd7FlufK7lGaAQfyyjTaBPxwNNKiOxjdqKGps7pIFq6xETj-FtUOPUZCEo0KjYnCYGdQNZmvUqJAqT2yKDItvUs1Pbo37/s1600-h/IMG_5439.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrb3FsTRM6qoTBpRioxtRB6Vr8bzknGOBD6lqhSsPd7FlufK7lGaAQfyyjTaBPxwNNKiOxjdqKGps7pIFq6xETj-FtUOPUZCEo0KjYnCYGdQNZmvUqJAqT2yKDItvUs1Pbo37/s320/IMG_5439.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222900809690052066" /></a><br />Jia Ren, Sarah and I on the ferry en route to Bruny Island.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LYkeZkSDlReV1yjWhMEhjiwxPYVHGkssGqP_Rrn0z5LIOxvfXbgV8kasvCP-g_OmvjIN9AK8eParxAabumxYdeFeauQFBwqHoWPgAAgwVz7ZWSVvU07is1JfIKquj0X-ObTO/s1600-h/IMG_5463.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8LYkeZkSDlReV1yjWhMEhjiwxPYVHGkssGqP_Rrn0z5LIOxvfXbgV8kasvCP-g_OmvjIN9AK8eParxAabumxYdeFeauQFBwqHoWPgAAgwVz7ZWSVvU07is1JfIKquj0X-ObTO/s320/IMG_5463.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222900813964794274" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8AWfx5JGOhBCXS5sO9FusAoWwUhhDiCo6ABTV5ipIm35UdkCZmggMQkzAwv3HQNt1t7wSJhjh2PBEobQ32Efhizp2PyYxHk020isf-tYgwn1ycaE7kS7WoVPIsdWzoFL6sHx/s1600-h/IMG_5461.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8AWfx5JGOhBCXS5sO9FusAoWwUhhDiCo6ABTV5ipIm35UdkCZmggMQkzAwv3HQNt1t7wSJhjh2PBEobQ32Efhizp2PyYxHk020isf-tYgwn1ycaE7kS7WoVPIsdWzoFL6sHx/s320/IMG_5461.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222900825084098898" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLF5bH3JFQTWe3DDZ5hXQ5cE77Plylkf5fGnI1xHS85vYcngJmCg1Y286MSbUaOAoG4D57vPYJ5ej5vzuN1WEF9T5V61e8jEyXa7Ac3XXQblq9lSUAQxrVdO-WgkaKMIzyVwI/s1600-h/IMG_5472.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLF5bH3JFQTWe3DDZ5hXQ5cE77Plylkf5fGnI1xHS85vYcngJmCg1Y286MSbUaOAoG4D57vPYJ5ej5vzuN1WEF9T5V61e8jEyXa7Ac3XXQblq9lSUAQxrVdO-WgkaKMIzyVwI/s320/IMG_5472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222900832451655858" /></a><br />The Neck - a narrow strip of land separating North Bruny and South Bruny. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJ0TJgQ4arHIpovp6_fdQfMHjf0_zPTlNsGEMbZpGJju4Hhij3cD1LfK3vgOf4BraOMSpz0DqG_NM-dCZglVW5yDQ7t6hNRn0A2DdSA5bBsZtUlj01emzjiBo-aA84PWc0WS6/s1600-h/IMG_5490.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJ0TJgQ4arHIpovp6_fdQfMHjf0_zPTlNsGEMbZpGJju4Hhij3cD1LfK3vgOf4BraOMSpz0DqG_NM-dCZglVW5yDQ7t6hNRn0A2DdSA5bBsZtUlj01emzjiBo-aA84PWc0WS6/s320/IMG_5490.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222900841792145666" /></a><br />An artsy fartsy shot dedicated to Judson Lim.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheF8IA_Ej2Lu7TGrXjOKJSE_xX4eVhHk2039N4pYG-b6U-xlSJl_BEjSRrkfnvmk2vIi91dnaHYSg4SMS4VMlPBV7k7R26iXJKiHrkOZq113VDlph3o-lLoW9Tex2g_f-NJ84G/s1600-h/IMG_5386.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheF8IA_Ej2Lu7TGrXjOKJSE_xX4eVhHk2039N4pYG-b6U-xlSJl_BEjSRrkfnvmk2vIi91dnaHYSg4SMS4VMlPBV7k7R26iXJKiHrkOZq113VDlph3o-lLoW9Tex2g_f-NJ84G/s200/IMG_5386.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222898821316178610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrrj1Qf-CdYtRNUlunOxAmHWsxMX9pUb76eg9A04JLy0rwFjdjEhKHBoP2xJVulB2RVFB6FwvfMeT_tYfmSx96q1jrCPV0eP7Jvkc0c80YtFW4GcRHn94JPCEiI9MpviUxTTr/s1600-h/IMG_5406.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrrj1Qf-CdYtRNUlunOxAmHWsxMX9pUb76eg9A04JLy0rwFjdjEhKHBoP2xJVulB2RVFB6FwvfMeT_tYfmSx96q1jrCPV0eP7Jvkc0c80YtFW4GcRHn94JPCEiI9MpviUxTTr/s200/IMG_5406.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222898829164815138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxEC07CtXdwjvWVOWpkYmO9LEb51OAcoA_LBEPBFQPmAss3-DlynFRYQQ95EOVAHL80iWLLv17oHMrICsFF_U0718LMXxCT3wCU3LV8vIO7wiPB0hb-5-netgYtZWg-CsnURR/s1600-h/IMG_5387.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxEC07CtXdwjvWVOWpkYmO9LEb51OAcoA_LBEPBFQPmAss3-DlynFRYQQ95EOVAHL80iWLLv17oHMrICsFF_U0718LMXxCT3wCU3LV8vIO7wiPB0hb-5-netgYtZWg-CsnURR/s320/IMG_5387.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222897597795249362" /></a><br />The St John Catholic Cathedral - Australia's oldest existing Catholic church. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfLHa3dG3oeIRUOVGtMMA60vC_4PGwo2p2irFBoQrUHjoyIUF9_7SBTLAb4MIfsWoRAi5igRWpnsufJpLZJWl-CVJi6mZ5ABXN0dDObdQhoKMYqhjLkADskVI34_echve8b_g/s1600-h/IMG_5363.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfLHa3dG3oeIRUOVGtMMA60vC_4PGwo2p2irFBoQrUHjoyIUF9_7SBTLAb4MIfsWoRAi5igRWpnsufJpLZJWl-CVJi6mZ5ABXN0dDObdQhoKMYqhjLkADskVI34_echve8b_g/s200/IMG_5363.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222896631962922514" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYD3Fsf4ZEbBUe24WCRXHCbgGufRwGqeOwOx21oTPpYr0mOrgkEiFFBCFD1_ZMC_JZL9oEyrmsQo0kXc5wJsxvkm4uv5XGtcWdIy7jppd6Di7zWLr4vecNKgBnu2wnXWhX-4N/s1600-h/IMG_5349.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYD3Fsf4ZEbBUe24WCRXHCbgGufRwGqeOwOx21oTPpYr0mOrgkEiFFBCFD1_ZMC_JZL9oEyrmsQo0kXc5wJsxvkm4uv5XGtcWdIy7jppd6Di7zWLr4vecNKgBnu2wnXWhX-4N/s320/IMG_5349.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222897107579640722" /></a><br />Richmond Bridge - built in 1823, it is the oldest bridge in Australia which is still in use.<br /><br />Watch this space for Part 2 to this entry. :)<br /><br />p.s.: If you're wondering, my second semester has just started. So, I'm trying to get all this mucking around (viz blogging) out of the way a.s.a.p before Uni starts to get insane - again. <br /><br />p.s.s: If you're really <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span> interested in my life, I got Credit for all three units I took last semester - Intro to Econometrics, Intermediate Microeconomics and Tort Law. Contract Law results to be made known SOON. :S <br /><br />p.s.s.s: I've gotta stop saying 'p.s.'.danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-69598261570515059662008-06-21T00:07:00.003+10:002008-06-21T02:18:29.346+10:00G'day, mate!LeRoy: "I hear a bit of an accent going on there..."<br />Dan: "What accent!!!??? I'm not speaking with an Aussie accent or whatever. I'm just neutralising my accent..."<br />LeRoy: "Well, it sounds accent-ish to me..."<br /><br />That was an excerpt from a telephone conversation I had with me best mate, LeRoy. <br /><br />But, seriously, I can't do accents for nuts! <br /><br />I respect those who can. But, try as I might, I can't put on a convincing accent even if someone strapped me to a chair and made it a life or death situation for me! Ask any Aussie friend of mine, they will clear things up! ;) Furthermore, the Aussie accent is not exactly the easiest one in the world to pick up. Sure, if you were born here, or if you went to school here for several years, or if you happen to have an Aussie housemate or whatever, you would be speaking with that accent. But, other than that, there is no way you can just go "G'day, mate! How's it goin'?" in the typical lazy Aussie way of saying things. Sometimes, they can get so overly lazy that you won't be able to catch what they just said (maybe it is just me... :P ). Again, if you ask me to demonstrate what it is that I'm talking about, I can't. :P <br /><br />I, for one am really interested in languages and accents. If it were an elective(say Accents 101 or something) that I could do in Uni, I would take it up in no time at all. You want to know which accent I absolutely adore? Yup, that's right! The mother of all English accents - the English accent itself(in particular the accent spoken in and around the London area). <br /><br />Which accent do you like the most? :) <br /><br />Anyway, yes, if you haven't already figured it out yourself, I'm done with my first semester exams. That's the only reason why I can blog about something as senseless as that. But, yea, semester one has been CRAZY. It was worlds apart from my first year. First off, Contract Law and Tort Law was not exactly easy to stomach. I mean, it was not that difficult to understand. But, it was just that there was so much to do in so little time. On one hand, I was inundated with cases to read and summarise and on the other I had to keep up with the principles and etc that was being taught. All these things required time, and a lot of it if I might add. And, my other two Economics subjects (Microeconomics and Econometrics) did not make it any easier. Such is the life of a Uni student who's doing a Law/Economics degree. I keep telling myself that it'll pay off some day and all this heavy-duty slogging is not for nothing! *breathes in and out* Arghh..stuff it. I'm just glad it's over (for now). Carpe Diem, no? :) <br /><br />So, that's for the retrospective part of my entry. Lets see what's to come in the life of Dan in the next few weeks? <br /><br />1) I'm gonna cook, bake and cook some more! Watch out, you curious tastebuds out there!<br /><br />2) Sarah Khor and Jia Ren will be giving up the relative warmth of Perth and Melbourne to spend 5 days down in wintery Tassie. So, that should be picturetastic opportunity to go around Tassie. <br /><br />3) I'll be going to Sydney for a week for the Hillsong Conference that's happening from the 7th-11th of July. Sydney baby, here I come! <br /><br />4) And, of course, no short holiday is complete without the little movie night-outs, catching up with friends over sips of coffee and reading a good book. <br /><br />Till then, cheers guys!danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-20233574190886309602008-06-02T00:18:00.003+10:002008-06-02T00:49:59.177+10:00Sick of eating chicken, fish or beef everyday? Why not try HUMAN?I came across this really interesting case in my course of studying Torts Law and I was just so irked out when I read it. I should have recorded my expression when I read it. I'm sure you would feel the same. So, here goes... <br /><br />*Warning: this is not for the faint-hearted.*<br /><br />This is the case of 'R v Dudley and Stephens', which is a leading English criminal case that established a precedent, throughout the common law world, that necessity is no defence against a charge of murder. <br /><br />Basically, what had happened was an English yacht which set sail for Sydney from Southampton on May 19, 1884 with a crew of four: Tom Dudley, the captain; Edwin Stephens; Edmund Brooks; and Richard Parker, the cabin boy. Parker was aged 17 and an inexperienced seaman. The yacht was struck by a wave around the Cape of Good Hope and sank almost instantly. They 4 of them managed to get on to a lifeboat. They managed to salvage a few instruments and 2 tins of turnips and no fresh water. The turnips were quickly eaten up and they later ate other things like sea turtles(they even ate its bones). They refrained from drinking its blood because it had been contaminated with seawater. The crew consistently failed to catch any rainwater. And, with no external source of fluid, they had begun to drink their own urine. Parker soon became ill through drinking seawater. <br /><br />Drawing lots in order to nominate a sacrificial victim who would die to feed the others was discussed among them but to no resolution. Parker soon fell into a coma, Dudley told the others that it was better that one of them die so that the others could survive. This happened to be instituted in the Custom of the Seas. That night, Dudley again raised the matter with Stephens pointing out that Parker was probably dying and that he and Stephens had wives and families. <br /><br />The following day, with no prospect of rescue in sight, Dudley and Stephens silently signalled to each other that Parker would be killed. Killing Parker before his natural death would better preserve his blood to drink. Brooks, who had not been party to the earlier discussion claimed to have signalled neither assent nor protest. Dudley always insisted that Brooks had assented. Dudley said a prayer and, with Stephens standing by to hold the youth's legs if he struggled, pushed his penknife into Parker's jugular vein, killing him. <br /><br />In some of the varying and confused later accounts of the killing, Parker murmured "what me?" as he was slain. <br /><br />The three fed on Parker's body, with Dudley and Brooks consuming most and Stephens very little. The crew even finally managed to catch some rainwater and were rescued about a week later. <br /><br />When the case went to the courts, the judge found the 3 men to be guilty of murder. The judges, keeping in mind of the dire circumstance and all the precedents that said it was necessary for that to happen, instead had Dudley and Stephens sentenced to the statutory death penalty. <br /><br />[Excerpt above referenced from Wikipedia]<br /><br />Were they guilty or not? What say you?danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-54154739280558667452008-05-30T01:30:00.001+10:002008-05-30T01:34:23.421+10:00Real men of law school :PI'm in Law school ! Bow down to me! hehe...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tfbh9oU9fH4&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tfbh9oU9fH4&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21865981.post-51163187161127750852008-05-27T11:22:00.002+10:002008-05-27T11:25:43.286+10:00A spurt of patriotism.Here's a video of a song called 'Here In My Home' by the Malaysian Artistes For Unity. I kinda like it. :P<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/z8Wl3firJQk&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/z8Wl3firJQk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>danteohhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927911406301823704noreply@blogger.com2