OFF TO KOREA!

Repro exam was ok, though I made too much careless stupid mistake to be happy bout it. I'm going off to KLIA soon. Have a flight at 12.45am to catch... all the way to Korea! Happy holidays to everyone, and merry christmas!!! >=)

BREAK FROM STUDIES

I was so looking forward for the Reproductive System classes to start juz a few months back... Now that the course has ended, I have to conclude that it is the DULLEST system we've EVER learn so far. Even the history taking session on sexual history is totally stripped off of its humours and hilarity bcuz the CSU lecturers juz have to be so stiff and solemn and serious all the time. Most of the physiology lectures ended up as nothing but piles of facts make me regretted coming for the lectures in the 1st place. Blegh...

Also, somehow there's a persistent oppressive feeling everytime I tried to study for this system. Usually I juz ended up detesting what I'm forced to study, not unlike the bygone days when I have to sit thru hours of pointless memorization of facts concerning the Islamic civilization for my SPM papers. I can't believe the lecturers can actually make the reproductive system so incredibly stale, but they truly exceeded themselves in doing so.

Anyway, at the day before the exam, I decided that I have enough of this oppressive atmosphere and (finally) decided to take a trip to KLCC and get me a book which I have wanted to obtain for quite some time already - The Lost Art of Healing, by the renowned cardiologist Dr. Bernard Lown, who happens to be a Nobel Peace Prize winner. I've checked with Borders Times Square and MPH MidValley earlier, but both of these giant bookstores do not have any copies of the book. It is in the ever-reliable Kinokuniya KLCC that I finally got hold of the book. Which is why Kinokuniya will always remain 1 of my favourite place to hang out at! Lol. I juz love the amazing efficient and friendly service they have there!

Since I've already came so far, I figured that I might as well enjoy a nice meal for my lunch... and the consequence of the choice is...



Tada...

Shish Kebab from Tarbush (with lebanese bread) and Chicken Spaghetti from Kyros Kebab (with Ice Lemon Tea)!!! Yup, both dishes contain kebab, which signifies how much I've fell in love with lebanese cuisine lately hehe. Really love the Food Court in KLCC: you can get all the really tasty food in one place! Lol.

More closeups!!!



Ah... The very shish kebab that I went so crazy about the last time I went to Karbush. Too bad it's not as juicy as the last one I have... Nevertheless, it taste juz as good!!! Wrapping the kebab up in the lebanese bread with some sour cream, onions and tomatoes... Yum yum!!! >=)



Chicken spaghetti from Kyros!!! Man I sure miss this dish! I was shocked by the news of the Kyros Kebab branch in Klang Parade, juz directly opposite my house, was shut down a few weeks ago. I've mourn for it ever since, for I really really love the food there, espeacially the aforementioned spaghetti and the ooo-so-delicious Kyros Fries (even better than McD's if u ask me). I finally got the chance to enjoy it again here!!! Yay!!!

The meal was finished in a blink of an eye... That's how much I enjoyed the food! Lol. Now you see it...



... now you don't!

Walked around the place for e few minutes b4 I decided to go back to IMU to attend the 1st lecture of the Renal System (ya, it started b4 the repro exam is over, silly right?). I was really reluctant then really... I really wanna juz have fun here without having to face all those lecture notes again... But I guess I really need to do well in this exam to pull up my average, since I did quite badly for my last paper... Oh well...

Repro exam's tomorrow, and a few hours after that, I'll be leaving Malaysia... to Korea! See you guys again next year! I won't return here to New Year's Eve! I wonder how Christmas would be like in Korea... and man, I can't wait to see snow for the 1st time of my life, and try skiing!!! >=)

SOME PICS WITH MY K750i

A tree that is so majestically beautiful it looks totally out of place in the ugly and mundane surroundings. I doubt all the people in their cars or motorbikes even notice how gorgeous the tree looks, with its perfect shape and moss-covered bark. Oh the pic is taken is Sri Petaling btw, from my table at a coffee shop.




Medical students are a hardworking bunch. Juz look how exhausted 2 of our students are during lectures due to all the hours of studying... or was it DOTA-ing? Hehe... (Their faces are not shown - my first practise of professional confidentiality hehe)




Look closely and u'll see the dead (and probably fried as well) cockroach surrounded by the tomato sause. It is found on Tony's order of Chicken Sandwich in Food Avenue, IMU. I'm unfortunate enough to happen to eat some of the fries WITH the sauce earlier... (yuck) And guess what? This is not the 1st time I heard about cockroaches found in the dishes served here in Food Avenue...




Something seems to be on fire near the Telekom Tower... Viewed from Vista B, B Tower, 24th floor.




"In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie..."

The smoke from the burning building (I assume) hovers above KL city... Looks like it's a victory for Sauron there lol.




Experimenting around with some features in my handphone. I really like the "cartoon" effect on my portrait! =D

DINNER AT TARBUSH

Went to a Middle-Eastern restaurant to celebrate Bryan's birthday last Monday, Dec 12. Well, actually, we were supposed to go for a Sri Lankan buffet instead... But poor Thommy (that's me) have to disappoint everyone bcuz he juz simply can't take any spicy food!!! >=D So ya, Sidd suggested Tarbush at Bukit Bintang instead, and off we go! ...Actually, it wasn't that easy... There's also this blasted heavy rain that kinda hinders our journey (to the LRT station nearby hehe), but sufficient to say we survive the ordeal la lol.



The place is situated juz opposite KL Plaza, and my, it really has some nice middle-eastern deco inside! It somehow reminded me of Morocco more specifically.



This being the 1st time I'm trying out "Lebanese delicacies" (that's how they put it in the signboard!), I'm kinda lost with all the jargons they used in the menu. Shish Tawook, Fetush, Baklawa, Grilled Arayes etc etc. Thank God we have Sidd there, our ever dependable guide when it comes to foreign food! (he's not very good on Japanese food though lol) All of us different variety of food there, and here are a couple of pics of them!





It was there at Tarbush where I discover one of the best tasting dish I've ever had in my life: shish (lamb) kebab! Man, the rich and complex taste of it juz explode in your mouth! Lol. I highly recommended that! I really enjoy the rest of the dishes too. All the lamb chops are really well seasoned, and I'm totally addicted to eating all the dishes with sour cream and wrapping them up with Lebanese bread!

The eating out/birthday celebration at Tarbush has been really memorable, and I sure wanna return there again! Apparently there's 2 other branch restaurants too, one of it in KLCC which Sidd claims to be much cheaper than the one we went... Guess I have to investigate myself to confirm if that's true... I guess I'll juz bring my parents along... They might come in handy... or at least, their money does! Hehe... >=)

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

This book gives me the best reading experience ever!!! I nv so consistently enjoy reading a novel as this one! And ironically, it isn't even a fiction work! It's categorized under a rather obscure genre, which I guess can be called non-fiction novel. The entire structure of the book has a feel of a novel, though there is a little resemblance to a continuous chain of short stories as well, but all the characters and the events mentioned in the book are based on real facts and observation of a journalist (except for a few minor points of the story).

The novel is basically about what a newspaper columnist, John Berendt (the author), encounter, observed and interviewed on a group of interestingly bizarre eccentrics in the town of Savannah, Georgia, US, as well as the mystery and court-case of a murder crime. And gosh, Savannah really do have lots of fascinating eccentrics, ranged from the self-made antique seller Jim Williams, the ever-charming and hospitable real estate shark Joe Odom, the weird inventor Luther Driggins who happens to possess a bottle of poison strong enough to kill the entire townspeople if he ever decided to poison their source of water, the vulgar but captivating transvestite Lady Chablis, the voodoo priestess Minerva, who uses graveyard dirt to put curses on people as well as conduction voodoo rituals in the graveyard 30 minutes before and after midnight (the 30 minutes b4 midnight is for doing good, the 30 minutes after for doing evil, thus the title)... etc etc.

All the characters are so remarkably bizarre that it's almost impossible to believe that they're all real-life people. One reason why so many eccentrics exist in Savannah is bcuz the town have always have an unusual high tolerance towards unconventional people, and in fact, they become like some sort of minor celebrity in their charming, secluded town. Some of the aura of the Old South still lives in Savannah, and people who have watched or read Gone With the Wind will know what I mean immediately: the elitist party that they have all the time, the upper class etiquette, and the charming hospitability most of the townspeople have with them all the time. Savannah truly seemed to be disconnected from the world around them, and the town stubbornly refuse to give in to any foreign influences, espeacially from the Yankees (North). It almost seems as if the Confederates nv lose the American Civil War after all!

The murder trials at the 2nd part of the book is also a great read. For a guy who has nv read any books on court cases (ya i know it's about time I expose myself to John Grisham), I enjoy reading about the proceedings of the trials. The best thing about the 2nd part is that eventhough there is a grim murder trial going on in town, the people there still are as charming as ever, and the writer's good story-telling skills really makes reading the book a pure joy!

It is amazing I nv took any notice of this book until I accidentally stumbled upon it after a long, complicated links search using Amazon.com (ya, reading reviews is one of my hobby). There is no book I enjoyed reading more, for even books that I love so dearly (e.g. 1984, The Lord of the Rings) somehow always contains small parts that I find it a chore to read thru. But there is none of that in John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I heartily recommend it to all book lovers!!!

Oh ya, in case u have already watched Clint Eastwood's movie adaptation of the book, know that the critics find the book much more superior than the movie. So even if u dislike the movie, juz go give the book a try! I'm sure u'll be as eager to travel to Savannah as I am now after reading it!!! =D

HARRY POTTER 4

Juz watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my sis and her frens. And the verdict? It's really really good. Not many 2-hours-plus-movies can hold my full attention throughout the entire length of the movie, but this one did, and that's one helluva praise. Funny how many of many of my frens disliked it though.

The only people I can think of who dislike the movie would be the purists, i.e. ppl who are so in love with the book that the resent every single eliminated/ changed/ simplified details made on the movie. A fren of mine cursed about how the entire Quidditch World Cup tournament is totally left out in the movie, and others on how Hermione is supposed to only look pretty when she dressed up to the ball, not from the very beginning of the series (wait that has nothing much to do with plot changes... nvm).

Personally, I'm GRATEFUL that the director has push out all those redundant side-stories that contribute absolutely nothing to the main plot. Honestly, I'm really tired of the whole Quidditch thing already. There's a reason why all sports are played in a 2-dimensional field: it's pretty hard to follow a game where ppl fly all over in a 3-dimensional game field playing some pseudo-soccer game. It's amusing in the 1st movie, but if they gonna show more of it in the future movies, I'll refuse to watch it in the cinemas. Lol.

Speaking bout abandoning stale elements, I love how Mike Newell, the director, focus more on the antics and personalities of the characters to inject life into the movies instead of over-relying on special effects or some magical elements in the school. A few supporting characters, such as Neville Longbottom and the Weasley twins, are given more screen time and leave a much stronger impression than they ever did with the last 3 movies combined. Seeing how the main characters react as they entered their puberty stage is fascinating too: I nv feel much for the characters b4, but seeing how Hermione break down at the stairs after the ball is one real angsty scene! Lol.

The movies also have a wide range of moods: the comedic scenes are amusing, the action scenes intense, the characters' interaction scenes are full of teenage angst, and the darker elements of the movie are truly sinister. I guess that is the main reason why HP4 is a good movie: the director did a marvelous job balancing all the different elements in the movie without bogging down the pace with some stupid Quidditch match. =P

(MINOR SPOILER WARNING!!!)

That being said, if there's one flaw that I find in the movie, it would be the lack of emotional impact following a character's death. I think that more time should be spent to flesh out the character earlier in the movie, so that his sudden unexpected death would leave an impact on the audience. It's weird to watch how the whole school mourn for a single kid when the audience juz take it as yet another plot point and are completely not bothered by it. They should add more drama to his death scene! Lol.

(SPOILER ENDS)

Overall, HP4 is one of the best movie I've watch this year, and it is consistently engaging throughout the entire 2 hours and 20 minutes of its screen time. Definitely worth a watch in the cinema!

* * * * * *

Now, I wanna say something that has nothing to do with the review of the movie. In one of the scene in the movie, Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe) has to immerse a golden egg into a hot bath in order to get the next clue for the next trial that is coming ahead. Throughout the entire scene, only one alarming thought keeps on drifting around in my head: "Shit this Radcliffe kid has been working out hard!!!"

And I was really bothered and annoyed for the next 15 minutes or so. Here we have this bratty British kid (i assume he's bratty bcuz he's so filthy rich now) who is currently the richest teen in the UK and all... yet he has the time and determination to train his physique to wat it is now in the movie!!! And here I am, with time to kill, and wat did I do about my weight? Next to nothing! Argh... It really bugs me that a kid could do so much better than a guy like me! Eeeesh... I really have to do something BIG now!!!! >=@

...

Yes I'm juz plain JEALOUS!!! @#*&^%!

MALIGNANT DREAMS

Lately my dreams have ceased to be episodic... They have started to become some sort of a long TV series with recurring qualities! Seriously. Certain individuals and events that I dreamt about earlier will appear a few nights later. It's almost as if my dreams have assume a world and life of its own, with their peculiar sets of rules...

I guess some ppl will be thrilled to have dreams like these (i.e. Christabel) =P, but I for one prefer it to stop. The consistency of the recurrence of the "dream events" is making it hard for me to differentiate between reality and imagination, and that really disturbs my sleep pattern, for I can't stop waking up throughout my sleep...

Wonder wat causes this hyperactive subconscious imagination of mine...