1st WEEK

Came back home from IMU yesterday to realize that my mum has been quite sick for several days already... She have been resting at home since then, rarely rise up to do anything. She has chills, fever, and also, her urine is very warm. I asked her about the doctor's diagnosis, and she told me it's urinary tract infection or something. Juz check out my Medical Advisor book and try my luck out on Bladder Infection. Yup, the symptoms fits. Seems that the E. coli from her intestine has somehow infected her bladder and urinary tract. How the bacteria got there... use ur imagination! >=)

Well, 1st week of sem 2 has been quite ok... so far. My 1st CSU session was awful, since I dunno wat to expect at all on the interview with the simulated patient... It's really hard not to act when u're so aware that the person u're interviewing is acting himself. But well, I'm hopeful I'll get familiarize with this soon. The 1st PBL session we have on sem 2 was also probably the best I've been thru. I kinda like my new PBL group, since it's much more discussion than the one I have last sem. Having Bryan and Thaven in my PBL group is pretty cool too!

Alright, gotta study now. Not much heavy lectures so far, but I can foresee that next week's patho lectures will be quite heavy... So better finish up this week's lecture notes 1st! Still can't decide whether should I buy the 7th edition of Papa Patho though...

SLANDERS!!!

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exodus 20:16

A few weeks ago, I read a particular article (I think it's in a newspaper) that sort of resembles the forwarded e-mail message below:

Subject: FWD: Tommy Hilfiger hates us...

Did you see the recent Oprah Winfrey show on
which Tommy Hilfiger was a guest? Oprah asked
Hilfiger if his alleged statements about people of
color were true - he's been accused of saying
things such as "If I had known that African-
Americans, Hispanics and Asians would buy my
clothes, I would not have made them so nice,"
and "I wish those people would not buy my
clothes - they were made for upper-class whites."
What did he say when Oprah asked him if he said
these things? He said "Yes." Oprah immediately
asked Hilfiger to leave her show.

Now, let's give Hilfiger what he's asked for - let's
not buy his clothes. Boycott! Please - pass this
message along.

Well, some of u guys probably read about this too, but the rumour is UNTRUE. Here's Tommy Hilfiger's statement:

I am deeply upset that a malicious and completely false rumor continues to
circulate about me. I create my clothing for all different types of people
regardless of their race, religious or cultural background. I want you to know
the facts so that you are not the victim of a classic "urban myth" that
perpetuates untruths and has no basis in reality. Please read further to learn
the truth.

And here's Oprah Winfrey's statement:

So I want to just set the record straight once and for all. The rumor claims
that clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger came on this show and made racist remarks,
and that I then kicked him out. I just want to say that is not true because it
just never happened. Tommy Hilfiger has never appeared on this show. READ MY
LIPS, TOMMY HILFIGER HAS NEVER APPEARED ON THIS SHOW. And all of [the] people who claim that they saw it, they heard it -- it never happened. I've never even met Tommy Hilfiger.

And here's a link to a letter from the Anti-Defamation League to Tommy Hilfiger.

And so my friends, it's very clear that the rumours are completely baseless. If any of u received an e-mail message like the italicized one above, pls delete it at once and don't forward it. It's nothing but a hurtful, outrageous and scandalous lie!

In addition, I want to remind all readers not to believe in all the forwarded e-mail messages without doing a little research about it first. These are few of the false rumours/ stories I've received from e-mails:

• A protest against a movie called "Corpus Christi" which portrays Jesus and his disciples as gays from showing to the public. The truth is, no such movie exists. The movie project was authentic, but never got off the ground.
• The "Bonsai Kitten". I was really shocked when I first received this message, and I stupidly forwarded it before I've done any research on it. It's only a week after I forwarded the bullshit did I realized that it was all a hoax. It's about this company who came up with a new idea for pets: Inserting a kitten into bottles of different shapes in order to let them grow into that particular shape as time passes. They even have a website to strengthen that hoax, but I think the website is down now. Good riddance! It sparked a huge outcry from animal lovers all over the world!
• The "Missing Day", a favourite among Christian churches bulletin. Here's a link to the message. Well, eventhough some may view this article as inspiring, it is not founded in truth, and therefore should not be circulated.

There are probably more false e-mails out there that I've read, but the above mentioned are the ones that I still remembered clearly now. Well, there's also the many variation of pls-forward-this-message-so-that-this-little-girl-can-receive-donations-from-some-big-company-to-help-her-out-in-her-surgery message, but I'm still a bit stupefied by how brainless some people can be by believing all those lies... Then again, they forwarded them out of sympathy, so I can't really blame them right?

But anyway, click here for a funny (but beware of FOUL languages!!!) post on that particular type of forwarded mail... I really love it! Lol...

Remember guys! Do some research before you forwarded e-mails, espeacially those that seems illogical or slanderous! >=)

HOLIDAY'S END

So it finally ends... Yay! Can't wait for sem 2 to begin!!! Man I'm SO excited... Alright now, really need to pack my stuff and leave for vista already... It's 9.30pm already and I still need to take a bath b4 I go back to Bukit Jalil! Lol...

PARTY AT MATT'S PLACE

Man... The last 12 hours at Matt's place (11am to 11pm) is awesome! The food is excellent (thx a lot to Matt's parents and uncle!), and we're having fun whole day long! It does get a bit tiring by the end of the day, but it was cool! Too bad not all SOS members were there though... that would have been so much fun! But I'm really glad that Iona did make it in the end... So my optimism yesterday wasn't unfounded at all!

Tried to introduce the people there to the Cluedo boardgame... Wasn't very successful though, due to a blunder by Boon Hui and an all-too-impossible lucky guess by me in the 2nd game: I got all 3 murderer, murder weapon and scene of murder at my very 1st suggestion! I mean, wat are the odds man?! Tim, Boon Hui and Lilian are fed up with the game... Man... Nvm, I'll try it again another time!

Also, imagine my surprise when I actually receive a present during my friend's birthday! Seems that the guys have bought the gift a long time ago but have yet to pass it to me until now! I was really thrilled when I opened the present after I returned home. The 1st item that I've taken out was Akira!!! Man I've longed to watch that anime! Many ppl called it the best anime ever made! But there's more! There's another dvd in the present paper, and after much struggle, I finally succeeded in removing it... Ghost in the Shell!

It was then that I go... "ooops..." I called Matt up right away, thanking him (along with Iona, King and Lilian) for the present, and asked him when they bought it. They told me it was b4 my birthday, which makes sense... Bcuz I've told Matt and Iona that I've downloaded Ghost in the Shell a couple of weeks ago! Hahahaha... They should have told me or hint me or something la... But since the downloaded version is dubbed, I guess I can now watch the subbed version, which is good too! Lol. Thanks Iona, Lilian, King and Matt!!! This is one of the best birthday presents I've ever received! >=)

After I came home, got some pretty good news along with the sad ones... Well, some of my batchmates have passed their resits, while others didn't... Sigh, really dunno wat to feel... Well, all the best to them in deciding wat to do next! And for those that passed, congrats!!! Will be seeing u guys next Monday!

SMILE!

^___^ you're the only one who's really made me smile so far

thank you ^___^

Yay! I've made a person smile! Woohoo!!! These kinda things happen so rarely in my life that I really enjoy every single one of them!

Now let's juz hope things turn out as smoothly as I hope it will... Gotta pray hard tonight! >=)

Oh and check out Azzedin's blog! The layout is really cool man! Well, at least for a Xanga blog! Lol... I wonder if he made the layout by himself or edited it from a template... Hmmmm...

花樣年華 IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

Having read lots of movie reviews on Zhang Yimou's Hero lately, I can't help but noticed that a lot of the critics mentioned Christopher Doyle and Wong Kar-wai in their reviews (along with Roshamon by the late Akira Kurosawa): Christopher Doyle is in charged of the photography of both movies, and Wong Kar-wai always showcases Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung in his movies (both stars are couples in Hero). Curious, I started checking out the reviews on In the Mood For Love by Leong Kar-wai, since I really like the on-screen chemistry of Tony and Maggie, and many critics have acclaimed In The Mood For Love to be one of Wong's best movie to date. Caught up with all the rave reviews by the critics (click here), I finally decided to bought the DVD at RM 19.90.

At first, I was really not used to the director's filming technic... The movie begins with fragments and pieces of scenes with the lead characters doing seemingly trivial things, like moving into their new home, buying noodles late at night at a dark dilapidated stall, going to work and talking to their boss etc. Nothing much seemed to happen in the 1st 30 minutes, and the soundtrack Yumeji's Theme kept on repeating throughout the movie gets a bit tiresome and annoying to me after awhile...

But after the 30 minutes mark, things begin to make sense. Both lead characters are new neighbours whose spouse have an affair with each other. In the wake of their discovery, both lead characters sought comfort among one another, when gradually their feelings for each other begin to blossom. But here's the twist. Both lead characters are ppl with a high moral standard, and both vowed that they won't be like their cheating spouses. And thus as much as they both feel for one another, they both restrained themselves so much that u can almost feel the electric sparked between them whenever they meet...

I love the movie for its concept of restrained love and the "could-have-beens"... The movie is really sad and tragic, and it's wonderful to see how much emotions can be conveyed eventhough there's so much restaints from both characters. However, many ppl will have probably been turned off by the movie for it slow pacing. Also, to different people, it may seemed that nothing happen much during the entire length of the movie, or so much has happened that one can't help but feel smoldered by the loneliness and longing of the lead characters for one another. The lead characters also role-played each others cheating spouses as well, and it's really interesting (albeit slighly confusing) to watch how they "rehearse" the scenes where they confronted their own spouse of having an affair. Of cuz, both are too bottled up to do so in real life!

Another thing worth mentioning is the look of the whole movie, which really brings out the mood of being lonely and the longing to be love at a 60's Hong Kong. I'll let the gorgeous movie stills do the talking for this part. Pay attention to the colours and textures! Not to mention the elegant cheongsams!

The soundtrack is good too, although many may not like its repetitiveness. I started off getting annoyed by Yumeji's Theme, but by the end of the movie, I fell in love with it. The song brings out all the unsaid feelings of both lead characters, and Nat King Cole's songs really works in bringing about the atmosphere too. I really really like the ending, although it is definitely not ur typical romance film ending. It's almost... philosophical.

It's sad that although Wong Kar-wai is famous in the international arena, he's not very well known among Asians... The same goes for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon by Ang Lee. I'm a big fan of the movie, and the Westerners are crazy about it... And here? Many ppl actually sez it's boring and awful... I'm really perplexed by it... That said, In The Mood For Love is the most beautiful film I've ever seen. I'm going to look for the other films by Wong Kar-wai, and also looking forward to his much-talked-about new sci-fi movie, 2046!

And guys, check out Yumeji's Theme! A lovely sad piece!

FRANK THOUGHTS

Juz posted a LONG comment on Yee Pei's blog on the overall impression of Orientation M2/04. Since I've spend so much time writing down the comment, I figured I might as well post it in my blog as well. Here goes:

I dun think Treasure Hunt is "moderately" messed up. Eventhough I'm not an OO or SM, I was always with Group 9 when they go from station to station. The group was unhappy and frustrated over all the mistakes that forced us to run around the same places over and over again. Thaven's group was also very frustrated over the unfairness of the go-back-to-IMU-bcuz-it's-raining thing. Some of the groups continue on, and that gave them an unfair advantage.

Also, on Variety Night, the IMCCs ARE perverted man. IMHO, I think it's actually MORE perverted than the ones in our batch. I'm most disappointed at the questions for the IMCC. They're so explicit that the only answers they can give have to be sexual ones, and not to mention all the "show-us-how" stuff after they answered the questions... Damn sick. One of the juniors in group 9 sez it an eyesore and avoided watching the performances altogether!

Oh and another thing, I really really HATED that flying newspaper thing. Although some of their performances really suck, but do u guys think of their feelings when they've done their best preparing so much juz to get boo by the crowd? And I will personally like to strangle the one who shout to group 9 about walking faster in their South Park sketch. I can see that the idiot has no idea at all wat South Park is, and so do most of the crowd. Oh and someone pls shut that idiot LT up! He's an embarassment to us all!

And for Telematch, it's a good thing that u guys have made a trip back to IMU to check if all the juniors have arrived. But still, I think it's a big mistake to not have at least a committee member at IMU to direct or guide the juniors to reach the field, since most of them are a bit lost there, waiting. In the end, it was Chik Ian and another guy that helped us out!

As for Ice Breaker and BBQ Nite, I can't say much bcuz I'm not present then. The dresscode was quite impressive, and I really like the crativity of the new batch. But I really think the guys in cheongsams are cool la... Seriously, and that's not juz from me... Eerily, some guys actually look right in cheongsams! >=)

Whoa, soree for the long comment ya. Oh soree if I sound critical, but these are my honest thoughts about the orientation. Hope u dun get offended!

CATAN 1ST VICTORY!

I finally got my 1st victory of Catan after about 30 or so games of it! Well, wasn't really satisfied with my 1st victory yesterday, since I actually continue playing 2 rounds AFTER I've won, eventhough Matt has been trying to hint me by constantly reminding me how super BLUR I am... So, instead of:

And for my last move, I'll trade 3 ore and 2 grain for an upgrade of my settlement to a city. I'll now reveal my D-cards, and I got 2 victory points for having the largest army. Ladies and gentleman, I win this game!

This is how I won the game:

Hold on a second, let me count my victory points. Let's see: I have the largest army, which is 2 points, 3 cities, which is 2 points each, and 2 settlements... Huh?! I got 10 victory points already! Guys, I've won the game since 2 rounds ago!!! (Matt's endless hurling of insults continues in the background)

Man that was embarassing... So I vow to make my next victory an impressive 1... And guess wat? I win again today! Yay! Finally I know how I can stand a better chance of winning - try not to listen to Matt's "expert advice"!!! He kinda despices me for my lack of logic when I make my moves, but in my opinion, he's too blinded by his logic thinking to see the other equally important factor in the game: Chance. Granted, the probability of getting a 6 with two dices is theoretically higher than getting a 2, but in reality, things dun juz work as perfectly as the theory dictates. I actually seen much more 2's thrown than 6's in one of the games!

I'm not saying that the rules of probability makes no sense at all, juz that it is impossible to predict a pattern when randomness is involved. Therefore, Matt's strategy of productivity 1st, diversity 2nd is not the ONLY right and logical strategy for the game. I go for diversity 1st and productivity 2nd, so that I can control as many different numbers as possible, instead of getting the numbers with the highest probabilities. Which explains why I got tons of resources in my 2nd game, since no matter wat number is rolled by the dices, I almost always get something!

Matt did get something right though... I am really BLUR at times!!! Well, make that most of the time... Lol!