New hairstyle

Warning: This is a post about MYSELF, my whole SELF and purely MYSELF and nothing else. If you cannot stand any narcissism, please do not continue to read on. But I strongly encourage you to admire the photos.

Haristyles can make a lot of difference for a person's apperance. I only realised it at the beginning of this year when I changed it. Immediately I look different and feel different. Last year I couldn't care least of how I look:

2005

The usual crew-cut (right) and long hair (left). I think the most photogenic photo of myself is the one in the middle. But as usual, my crown is in a mess.

Early 2006


The hairstyle that changes it all:

Perhaps you can't see it but my hair is actually layered at the back and the whole hair was cut with minimise use of the shaver. Coupled with the modern-styled classic-looking black rimmed specs, it gives me a new look...

But as time goes by and hair starts to get longer...

Yesterday

Looking unkempt again. So I decided to splash out some money and give myself a pre-birthday treat. I went for a AUS$ 25 hair-cut. I kept the back layered but ask the hair designer to sculpture a new front for me. And this is the result:

Today


Voila! A brand new looking me ^_^. Looks just brilliantly handsome rite?

I hate black umbrellas

Well, I returned home today and two black umbrellas greeted me. One said: "How ya doin, mate?"; while the other (the more shiny one) just tilt her head back haughtily as if wanna say "Black... is quality...". My first feeling was "Omigod... who had died?"

I juz don't like black umbrellas, and the worst thing is, they are everywhere. Such sombre colour, black, and I can't help always associating one with funerals. Black umbrellas, like black cats, when seen, gives the forbading impression that I will suffer bad luck very soon. They have the innate ability to suck the happiness out of me.


Contrast that to my umbrella. I juz love my umbrella so much. It had been together with me for more than two years, literally through rain or shine, sacrificing itself to protect me from danger, whether it is the unforgiving sun, the howling wind or the thundering rain. Besides, it juz look ravishing. It is vibrant and full of life, as well as love. Yes, i mean LOVE.

See the pink and purple LoveS on the umbrella? ^_^

Anyway, by the time now you might to wondering how come a boy like me have a umbrella that looks, well, umm.. so girlish?

Well, I have a reason to love this umbrella. But I'm afraid the reason is so absurb that you wouldn't believe it.

My dad brought this umbrella for me.

Surprising huh? No, I didn't nick it from my sis. No, he didn't buy it for her or for my mum and I nicked it. I asked for an umbrella and he bought me this. Till today, I'm still figuring what was he thinking about when he chose this umbrella for me...

Talk about Fatherly love.

The team that will win World Cup 2006

The football hype is back again! Yes, after 4 agonizing years of waiting, the world's greatest showcase of football is here again. It's time to watch some ball!

As usual, I will like to make my usual prediction of who will win the world cup. 4 years ago, I thought Brazil will win and hey pesto! They won! So my prediction is pretty acurate and if you wanna do any betting, heed my advice!

The team that will win World Cup Germany 2006:

AUSTRALIAN MATRICULATION 15 INTEC CHINESE HUNKS FC

I know you are expecting me to name Brazil, Argentina or even England, but before you pull one of your incredulous look with a gaping hole for a mouth and starting to go Aus-what? let me introduce this team to you first and tell you why the team will win the World Cup.

Australian Matriculation 15 Intec Chinese Hunks FC or in the World Cup known as Australia for short (not THE Australia we know) was formed 3 years ago in INTEC. It consists of only the most handsome guys with football talents and skills you never seen before. Now you must be wondering why you never heard of any of these great hunks before? Coz they have to keep a low profile in order to shock the rest of the football world in the showpiece compertition. Heck, they even have the Australian team we know covering them all these while. Those facing Australia in the World Cup will be in for a great surprise. Ooh.. couldn't wait to see Ronadinho's face on June 19.

Match Prediction
First Round
vs Japan ( June 12) win 13-0
vs Brazil (June 19) win 3-0
vs Croatia (June 23) win 6-1
Second Round
vs Ghana (June 28) win 4-1
Quaterfinal
vs Spain (July 2) win 2-0
Semifinal
vs England (July 6) win 3-2
Final
vs Argentina (July 10) win 2-1

And here is a glimpe of the Star Player of the AUSMAT team that will set the world alight in Germany:

B.Phiaw? Who's that? Is he better than Ronaldinho? See the number 13 in action starting June 12 and you will get the answer. Here's a picture of him in action:

Not much is known about him, but I've heard he is helluva player. Don't be deceived by his short Rooney-like stature. See how composed and well-aligned his incredible body is while kicking the ball? Notice how nobody dares to go near him when he kicks the ball? That will tell you something...

Well, I wish I could tell you more, but if I do so, then the appearance of the team in the World Cup wouldn't be such a surprise. Since you are all loyal readers of my blog, I let this big secret out so that you can earn big money by betting Australia to win! Remember don't tell your friends about this secret team when they ask you:
"are you so crazy to bet $5000 that Australia will win the World Cup?
Coz you know you aren't crazy and you are definitely laugh all the way to the bank later.

Birthday Dedication:

Today one of my frenz is turning 18. She is this cute gal (pic) who now is in Japan and sports a mushroom head. If you happen to see her on the street, remember to give her some hugs and kisses coz its legal to do so now. =P Happy birthday kimmie-chan!

The Cardinal Rule of Human Relationship

Dale Carnegie once stated this:

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity."

How true.

This is a rule that one should always strive to remember. Or else. Think about it.


P/s: Currrently I'm quite stressed out due to the impending exams. Hence blogging will be kept to a minimum in order to make time for last minute studying. For those in the same boat, good luck and best wishes. =)

Of Mars and Venus

Men are really from Mars and women from Venus..

很多女生都认为男生不了解她们。这点其实我挺赞同的。女生的脾气还比天气变化得快，真的时常令人错手不及。她们的想法简直和男生所猜测的有天地之差。但是，我也觉得女生也并不是很明白男生罢了。她们不懂男生不是很喜欢玩猜谜语这个游戏的。她们不了解男生的想法是很单纯直接的；喜欢异性在有什么不愉快的情况下就直接的说出口。有些女生更不懂事，明知男生的自负是很大的，却很喜欢在鸡蛋里挑骨头，找些无聊的理由薄贬他。

但是，一般最可怕的女生是知道男生的弱点，而从中下毒手的女生。女生第一武器是所谓的 Emotional Blackmail。这包过哭在内，目的是使男生们感到内疚惭愧，自暴自气。接下来的部分我会用英文来写，因为对象是一个不会读华语的女生。

A girl's greatest weapon: Emotional Blackmail

What is Emotional Blackmail? It is a statement or behavior, which uses your fear, guilt, obligation, or confusion to trap you into giving the abuser power over you. It sounds very criminal but actually most people use Emotional Blackmail on each other from time-to-time without realizing it (Sorry to say but it is usually committed by the female species). Likewise, a lot of people are also actually victims of Emotional Blackmail unknowingly. I first came across this term in a book by the world renowned ‘body language’ master Allan Pease.

Usually, a person uses emotional blackmail because he/she needs a favour. To ensure he/she gets the favour, he/she will try to manipulate the target by making him feel guilty. For example, consider this scenario:

A girl wants his boyfriend to buy her an expensive skirt.

Girl: Wow! Look! This skirt looks nice… I’m sure it will look good on me…

BF : (Looks at the price tag = $300, says what the **** to himself) Err… It looks real nice, but don’t you think the price is a little bit on the high end?

Girl: Aw…. but I really felt that it is made for me… (caressing the skirt for maximal effect)..and the colour is purple! You know I like purple very much…. (giving him the biggest smile and looking at him expectantly… )

BF: Look, dear, it is too expensive… why don’t we go to the Night Market to have a look? I’m sure they have nice skirts too.

Girl: (pouting) Obviously you like your money more than you love me. Jill’s boyfriend brought her a $450 blouse last week and he didn’t complain…

BF: (feeling guilty) But Jill’s boyfriend is the son of a business tycoon..

Girl: (angry look) I don’t care! The bottom line is that you don’t love me! I’m leaving you!

BF: (feeling fear of being dumped) Okay okay… I buy for you this time only…

Girl: (180 degree change from angry to pure bliss look) Oh, you are the sweetest guy on earth! I love you so much! Muaks!

Well, that’s only an example to illustrate how emotional blackmail works. Emotional blackmailers are usually people who are too pampered by their parents or boyfriends and are too used to get what they want. They are not accustomed to people not obeying their wishes or succumbing to their desires and will resort to emotional blackmail to achieve their intention. In a sense, they are not bad, but just too pampered, and will never realised that what they did is wrong. They always think that they are correct, which of course means that you will never succeed if you try to reason with them.

Anyway, in a nutshell, preying on people fallacies such as guilt and fear to achieve your means is WRONG. Emotional blackmail IS blackmail. Just something for you all to ponder this weekend...

Teachers' Day

A day for reflection...

May 16 is the date which I think all of us should all pause for a moment to reflect the sacrifices of our teachers. Throughout our formative years, I'm sure we had met a myriad of teachers: some are good, some are bad; but nevertheless they all left their footprints in our hearts. Forever.

"Many can teach, but only the special few can reach."

Besides our parents and friends, teachers has the most powerful influnce on a child. They have the ability to motivate a child to reach his or her full potential or fill him or her with self-doubt. Good teachers teach more than maths, reading and writing skills; they teach about life, virtues and love. They care and reach out to the students. I felt those who are granted the privilege to teach should justified the trust put upon them and teach with the aim of producing bright and well mannered students instead of teaching for the sake of money.

"Teachers nurture the seed of today so that they might bloom into the flowers of tomorrow."

Nowadays, there are just too many people who became teachers because they cannot get a better job elsewhere. It is indeed a bad move by the government to let them teach because I don't feel that they have the motivation and desire. Perhaps these band-aids used to curb the shortage of teachers may solve the problem for now, but I believe the long-term repecussions will be too great.

"Teaching is the profession that creates all others"

I had always wanted to be a teacher. I felt that it is the most prestigious and important job in the world. They are the ones who would mould the future stars of the country. Prime Ministers, Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants are all taught by teachers before they secure their profession. Since primary one while writing essays about my ambition, I will inevitably write "when i grow up I wanted to be a teacher..." Even though now what I'm studying deviate from my ambition, I still believe that one day, I will make my ambition a reality.

"Teaching is the work of the heart."

Today, I had reflected on all the teachers that had taught me before. Some left memorable moments that I will always cherish, but some leave much to be desired. However, I would wish to thank them for what the have done or tried to do. My wish for teachers' day this year is that someday, those not-so-good teachers will realise the consequence of their mistakes and begin to really teach...

"HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY!" to those who deserves it for all their sacrifices. =)

Acknowledgement: All quotations are from the website http://www.classwebsite.org/ inspirationalpoems.htm. If you have time pls visit that meaningful website and read the story about little Teddy Stoddard.

A dream realised

Dream and Dancing

梦想成真

In one of my earliest posts, I mentioned that one of the reasons I started this blog is to 'chronicle my evolution into a better person'. I wrote about taking the first step in everything is always difficult and it is inevitably the hurdle where most people falter. A few posts later, I mused about my desire to learn dancing.

Now I am proud to announce to the world that I had in fact, accomplished something that I always yearned to do but did not do: learning how to dance. I had recently finished a 4-week course on Hip-hop dancing. Even though I exited the course with only marginal improvement in my non-existent dancing skills; the whole process was very enjoyable and I really had fun.

I'm proud of myself becoz I had climbed the difficult first step. In the past, I always have grand dreams about learning new things but did not actually try to realise them. Now everything is very different. In half a year since I had written all those posts in October, I had now learnt how to dance, play the guitar and swim. Besides, I had also improved my stamina, now being able to jog for 4-5 km without feeling tired. I'm now living my dream, and it felt wonderful.

Martin Luther King was infamous for his "I have a dream..." speech. However, his dream, till today remained unrealised. I dare say I had gone one step further than him, even though the magnitude of our dreams are different. I had a dream, but at least I had achieved it.

I leave you with a quote by Oscar Wilde (poet, author, novelist, dramatist)
"The supreme object of life is to live. Few people live. It is true life only to realize one's own prefection, to make one's every dream a reality."

That's what I live for.

Happy Vesak Day

A Moment of Contemplation

To all Buddhist out there, Happy Vesak Day. I know this is a religious festival and not a festive occasion, but let us rejoice and contemplate on the deeds and teaching of Gautama Buddha.

For the benefit of those who are in the dark, Vesak Day is celebrated once a year to commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment and the Passing Away of Gautama Buddha. Usually on this day, Buddhists will partake vegetarian food, release birds and animals, as well as going to the temple to pray and meditate.

Like last year, this year I will celebrate Vesak Day in Melbourne. It is definately a low-key event as surprisingly there is a lack of acknowledgement concerning Vesak Day here. Nevertheless, I will try my best to radiate loving kindness today in honor of Gautama Buddha. By the way, it is not that I seldom radiate loving kindness, its just that I'll radiate more today. =)

Contemplating on Vesak Day, I couldn't help but feeling how great Buddhism is as a religion. Buddhism is one of the most misunderstood religion nowadays, with some people associating it with the pagan acts of worshipping a myriad of Gods and leaving food for the departed ones. In fact, there is no God in Buddhism. The Buddha is just a normal being like you and me but who had attained enlightenment. The Buddha's teachings are relevant to the current world; as the basic of Buddhism is a philosophy of morality and ethics. The whole teaching can be simplified in three sentences: Avoid all evil. Do good. Purify One's Mind.

One things I like about Buddhism is that Gautama Buddha teaches his diciples not to take his word as the truth; but rather let them discover the truth themselves. This encapsulate what I believe about religion; it is there to guide us on our lives, but not there for us to accept it as the truth. Buddha encourages us to question about everything, and not just accepting and believing things blindly. Besides, he did not force others to convert into the religion; in fact he usually invites those who are interested to understand the religion first before converting.

For someone who would like to learn more about buddhism, I recommend this book The Naked Buddha by Adrienne Howley, or you can just drop in to visit my friend See Hua's blog. Happy Vesak Day! May you be well and happy always.

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

An Unexpected Letter

This just came through the mail...

Wow! It never crossed my mind that I will get the highest marks in a subject during last year's final exam. Just the thought of being the best amongst nearly 200 students is enough to make me feel very proud of myself.. haha.. It's a nice surprise anyway, and came at just the right time too. I was starting to slack off and lose interest in this year's study and suddenly this comes and gives me the much needed adrenaline push. Now I'm studying with renewed vigour with the aim to get another one of this cert. ^_^

Well, I actually had nothing else to write, as I just wanna spread my joy =). Cheers and happy studying everyone!

By the way, the cert came with a congratulatory letter by the dean:

29 April 2006

Dear Boon Phiaw,

Each year the Victorian College of Pharmacy recognizes students who have excelled in their academic studies. Students who receive the highest mark in each individual unit are acknowledged via a certificate and letter of congratulations.

I am proud to inform you that you are the 2005 recipient of the highest individual mark in VCP1O92 Mathematics, statistics. Please find the related certificate enclosed.

Students who receive prizes for academic merit are excellent ambassadors for Monash University, congratulations on your outstanding achievement.

Professor Colin Chapman

P/s: For those of you read this and think "Yeah rite, so proud of himself now" or "What a big show-off", I'll like to clear your misconception. This post does not intend to showcase my achievement (well, er maybe 2% of my intention) , rather it is to share my joy of getting this with all of you and hopefully can spur all of you to study hard for your coming exams (98%).. good luck and happy studying!

P/s 2: By the way, this is the only paper which I scored highly, the rest of my results are pretty mediocre.

What my Birthdate means...

This is interesting...

Sorry guys, I'm currently very busy doing catch-ups in my studies. Been lying dormant too long. Anyway my finals is only 33 days away, and I haven't started revising... the scenario sounds familiar? Actually wanted to blog something meaningful, but guess that has to wait till this weekend. In the meantime, have to regale you with this. In my opinion, it is quite relevant to me. =) but there is another reason I wanted to post this. Guessed the reason? Haha... ^_^

Your Birthdate: May 31

You're a pretty traditional person. If it's lasted, it's probably good. You seek stability - both in your career and your romantic relationship. In return, you're very loyal and predictable. Which is usually a good thing. Without a partner, you feel lost. Being with someone is very important to you. Your strength: Your dependability Your weakness: You hate being alone Your power color: Midnight blue Your power symbol: Shell Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Patriotism and the scholarship holder

A love for Malaysia

With interest I read about the recent plead by the new Higher Education minister for Malaysian overseas to come home and seve the nation, especially those on Government schorlarship. As a M'sian studying overseas and on Govt scholarship, I felt obliged to give my two cents' worth on the issue.

For myself, I will definately go back to serve the nation, as I felt it is my responsible to do so. I definately felt scornful and looked down towards those who took the scholarship with the intention to break the bond in the future after graduating. Even now while studying, I deeply felt that we who study under govt scholarship or tax-payer funded scholarship should do our best to repay the faith shown by the govt in us. Even though I must admit a future in the govt sector doesn't look rosy at all at the moment, with low pay, low morale, supposed racial discrimination and back-water technologies, unfulfilled vision (the stagnant Biovalley) etc., we are obliged to go home and serve the nation, as the nation needs us. It may be an act of patriotism or responsibility, but it is morally right to do so.

However, for those under FAMA schorlarship, the grass is always greener on the other side of the field, which I tend to agree. I will not blame them for not going back to M'sia, but I will encourage them to do so. Money may be a big factor, but I believe the lack of chances of personal fulfillment and promotion may be the main cause. Whatever the matter, I do not think that it is a lack of patriotism that restained M'sia best brains for returning home.

Patriotism: how should it be defined? In overseas, there is no barrier for us being patriotic: during Merdeka celebration, Malaysian of all races were there together at Malaysian Hall to meet, interact and have fun together. During the commonwealth games, especially the badminton tournament that i attended, M'sian of all races, even those whom I suspect are Australian raised were there to lend their support to tme M'sian team; eventhough as Chang Yang noted, all of the players are Chinese. They cheered voraciously and waved the M'sian flags energitically throughout the match. During both occasion, the feeling of patriotism hung thickly in the air and I felt really proud to be a Malaysian. What about in M'sia? As a Sarawakian, I felt that racial polarisation does not really exists, but penisular m'sia blew a different air. During my one and half year study in KL, I felt that the racial tension there is far higher than in Swak. Why it is so? I have no idea. Perhaps someone can enlighten me on this.

It is unfair and near-sighted to say those who chose to remain overseas to work are unpatriotic. In fact, I felt that they are essential in uplifting the 'M'sian brand'. They can promote M'sia by excelling in their field of expertise, for example, Jimmy Choo, Michelle Yeoh and Michael Wong. I always felt that a yardstick for patriotism is your interest in Malaysian history and current affairs, even when you are overseas. As a Chinese adage pointed out: 风声雨声读书声,声声入耳;家事国事天下事,事事关心。A truly patriotic M'sian will keep in touch with his/her grassroots wherever he/she is. Sadly, I felt that this is lacking in a lot of my scholar friends. They had no idea who Noordin Top is, nor Ghafar Baba. They pay no heed to the Scenic bridge, nor the increase in oil price. We may show patriotism in diffrent ways, but a patriotic M'sian must at least show some care towards the country, irrespective of his or her location. A M'sian living in the bottom of the well somewhere in KL is not more patriotic than a person who lives in UK but kept abreast of all the M'sian current affairs. In fact, I think that the latter is more patriotic.

My post today may be seen as a narrow view of patriotism, as I don't deny patriotism is a multi-facetted outlook . It is hard to define patriotism, or gauge who is patriotic; for example someone may think that serving in the army or instigating a terrorist attack against the USA is a patriotic act. However, I believe as long as you care for your country and feel a burning pride for being born and raised in your country, you can be classified as a patriotic Malaysian.

Windows of the soul

Of Korean dramas and actresses

Well, since you two (Loony n DeadFlower) insists so much.. i will delve a little bit into the korean dramas i like. Ever since watching Autumn in My Heart a few years ago..i had been hooked by the korean dramas, or more truthfully, the leading beauties in the drama or movie, specifically their eyes. I love the eyes of korean gals very much. There are big, rounded, watery, sparkery, alive, similar to shining black pearls or anything you like to describe beautiful eyes... In one word: their eyes are just magical. Okay, maybe not every koreans, but the korean actresses. I love their eyes so much that i had change the 'requirement' of my future wife or girlfriend: she need not be pretty, slim, have long hair etc. The only prerequisite is that she has beautiful eyes that are big, playful and alive. I don't care if her eyes are 'belladonna' induced or she suffer from near vision., as long as her eyes sparkle all the time.... =) I really believe eyes are windows of the soul.

Currently I'm watching a Korean series named Love in Harvard. It starred the everly lovely Kim Tae Hee... she was just heavenly. Eventhough the plot in Korean dramas are roughly the same, I still watched them anyway..becoz of the actresses. Besides, its about life in Harvard, and since I did not have a chance to study in the US, might as well have a look at the famous Harvard school. (But heard it was not filmed in Harvard)

The top five Korean actresses (ranked by looks and eyes) in my all time favs list according to order are:

1. Song Hae Gyo 2. Kim Tae Hee 3. Jeon Ji-Hyun 4. Kim Hee Sun 5. Jang Na Ra


Clockwise: Jeon Ji-Hyun, Kim Hee Sun, Jang Na Ra, Song Hae Gyo, Kim Tae Hee)







Well, enough of Korean gals.. now talk about myself.

Current mood: Quite down, coz I'm sick, and M'sia just lost in the Thomas Cup semis to Denmark. But somewhat happy coz juz beat my freinds in Counter Strike. Its the weekend too..meaning I have 2 full days to recuperate... Hopefully will be well by Monday.

Think thats all for today.. yeah and juz if you are curious, i didn't celebrate the historical 010203040506 moment. I was asleep by then. =) Anyway, ciao!

Of Kindness

天下有乞丐,是因为人们允许他猖獗。

I believe there are beggars in the world because people allow them to live that kind of life. There are perhaps no misplaced kindness greater then giving coins to the road-side beggars. Even though I felt a twinge of guilt sometimes by not donating some money to them, I stood resolute by my belief. I concurred that kindness somehow will impede our innate ability to find a way out of every difficulties, and hence make us weak.

However, it is not that I am totally against showing kindness to people; it depends on the circumstances of the situation. A little kindness is good, it is what make us human, but too much will only spoil the person at the receiving end. In the end, we will be the guilty party in causing the downfall of that person, stunting his/her inner growth to be an independent, resourceful person. Thus, our effort have a paradoxical effect that is the direct opposite of our intention.

Sometimes we live under the kindness of others without really knowing it. We took them and their kind-heartedness for granted until it became a habit. We let them help us, and seek them for help when we faced the same problems. We never venture to solve the problems ourselves and became almost despondent on their charity. So my beloved reader, I bide you to sit back and ponder for a while.. had you been so accustomed to someone always being at you side and helping you that you had became complacent? If yes, it is time to wake up from your deep slumber...

P/S: this blog is not intended to be a surreptitious swipe towards anyone, it is purely my opinion and my opinion only. I am not sure what spurred me to write this post, perhaps an overworked brain, but I write this off the cuff. If you are 'stinged' by this post, I would like to apologize but I would also hope that you do a little bit of reflection...

Myself

I'm seriously very busy now... but to keep a promise to myself, I'll try to update this blog. I had no idea what to write. So I will write about something I know really well: ME! ^_^

This is a current picture of me: at 0020 hrs Aussie time 2 May 2006. I just snapped it using my webcam as my digital camera broke down. I'm having 4 lectures and 2 meetings tomorrow, so it is kinda hectic day for me. Weekend had been good, spent lazing around during nothing. Currently is watching the Korean serial Love In Harvard starring the very enchanting Kim Tae Hee. Maybe I will talk about it tomoro =)

By the way, been very active in the gym recently, running on the treadmill for a minimal of 2km per session. Been very happy with my progress coz now can running for more than 4km without feeling tired. And also was practising on my guitar too.. but till now can only play a song well.. try to guess which song is tat ^~^

I guess that's all for this post now.. will try to cough out something more substantial tomoro.