In Loving Memory of July (2004 - 2009)

26th July 2004, is the day when July first joined our family. His exact birthday is unknown, but judging by his size then (less than 1 feet long) he should be about 1 month old. He was a cute and active puppy. I still remember throwing him a ball, and he'll fetch it back to me. However, it was also heavily infested by parasites; ticks and worms. So, we took him to the vet, vaccinate him and bath him with chemicals to get rid of his ticks.

After I left my hometown for my degree in UPM in July, 2005, the time I spent with July is only during semester breaks. When I started working in May, 2008, I only go back to my hometown once every month, most of the time, only for a weekend.

Time flies, it has been almost 6 years since July came. Without realizing it, July had aged. He lost weight. He became less active. Barks less. Eats less. Occasionally, he vomits.

On 21st July 2009, July collapsed. He couldn't even drink on his own. Mom sent him to the vet.

When I was told about this, I became worried. The vet is not optimistic about July's condition.

We were told that July may die. The first thing that crossed my mind was; How can this happen? I was expecting July to live for at least 8 years or so. And I realised that I couldn't even remember when was the last time I actually see July.

I prayed. I prayed that July will survive. I prayed that I'll still see him at least one last time. I wanted to rush back to BP. But I can't. The department is seriously short-handed. I couldn't sleep at night. I was worried that July didn't make it through the night. It was miserable.

On 23rd July 2009, July's blood test reveals that his kidneys had failed. It was then, we know that we have to let him go. As much as I wanted to see him for one last time, the thought of him suffering every second made me just want to end his pain. We agreed to put him to sleep. 1 injections. 2 minutes. And he slept. Forever.

Thanks Kevin, for this picture. It meant alot to me.

I guess my mom definately felt more than me. July was her company when everyone else is away from home.

It is 1 of my greatest regrets that I couldn't be there for him during his last moments. I just hope he felt my guilt for neglecting him all these years, that he still remembers me and the moments we shared. July, I'm sorry.

Even so you might not remember me, but you'll always be remembered. July, thanks for the memories.

Sabah'09

We booked our tickets as early as 13th November 2008. And on 24th June 2009, the big day arrived. Our Sabah Trip.

We stayed here at a place called - Singamata - which is a 10- minute boat ride away from the small town of Semporna. Here is also where the cluster of famous islands; Sipadan, Mabul and Kapalai are located.

It is a nice, cosy water chalet - kampung style - perfect for a get away from the busy and hectic urban life.
What's special about Singamata is it's aquarium. It is about the size of a Olympic swimming pool.And is filled with lot's of fishes.

Small fishes. BIG fishes.And even sharks.

One thing about Sabah is that the sea water is crystal clear.

I never had the luck with turtles when I went to Tioman and Redang....Here in the crystal clear water of Sabah, for the first time in my life...I see turtles in their natural habitat. Not just one....But a whole pack of them.

However, the reefs are densely populated by jelly fishes, and they sting.

Speaking about nasty sea creatures, watch out for the sea urchins. I, unfortunately touched 1 with my bear foot and got 1 spike broken off in my foot.

But that's nothing compared to Flora, who accidentally stepped on 1. She got 16 spikes in her left foot. Look at her expression.Imagine how painful it was.


Another thing is Sabah is that it is also one of the best places to produce scenic photographs. The sceneries are spectacular.

And the best part of the trip is.....

....to be the only male participant,....
.....with all the gorgoeous.

Everyone had a great time. All thanks to our organizer, Cafen.

This is my first trip Sabah, and there be many more in time. Can't wait to visit its forest.

What a Proud Moment

It was our graduation day. Looking at my cute and pretty girl friend on the stage, receiving her moment, I must say I felt happy and proud of her.

What a proud moment.

But wait........there's something weird about this picture.Her lips. Okie, let me explain. She was actually on-the-way of saying "Thank you" and it was when she "THA---NK----YU", as she reaches the "U" the camera man snaps. Thats' why the picture portraits the perception of "smooching". But wait again, here's the best part .....

1. Degree receiver.
2. Dean.
3. Vice-Chansellor.
4. Pro-Chansellor.
5. Girl who passes the "thing".

If you realized, NOBODY in this picture had their eyes open. There could only be 2 possibilities,

• the ceremony is so boring, that every fell asleep.
• everyone blinked at the same time.

So, which one is more likely to be the cause of this phenomena?

Nevertheless, the credit goes to the unknown photographer, who manages to capture such a moment. Salute~!

Size 3 Feet

Both me and Jyeying have small feet.Mine, one the right is no.5 (male) and her's on the left no.3 (female).

I always feel that a girl having small feet is cute, adorable and should be something to be proud of. We went shopping for a pair of no.3 covered shoes, and it was then, I realized how agonizing being an out-lier can be.

You see, the average shoe-size for a female Malaysian ranges from 5 - 7. 4 is already considered smaller than usual, whereas 3 is rarely-small.

So, we comb the whole Mid-Valley City (including The Gardens) for a pair of no.3 covered shoes.

The smallest size most shop has is no.5, some do have no.4, and none has no.3. Can you believe it? Such a discrimination for people with small feet.

By 7 p.m, we gave up and head back to Serdang, but not without trying our luck at The Mines first. We went into a shop, and the kind sales-lady brought out all the no.3 size covered shoes they have in the store. You can't imagine how touched we were.

Even at size 3, it was still to loose for Jyeying.

So, we requested the boss to add 2 paddings.
2 paddings added.

At least, we got it by the end of the day. Anyone knows where we can get size 3 shoes easily in Malaysia?

Bon Odori 2008

"The Bon Festival is a Japanese Buddhist custom which is held annually to honour the deceased spirits of one's ancestors. It is meant to be a joyful celebration, bringing families together, and celebrating rather than mourning the lives of the dearly departed.The Bon Odori Festival has been a fixture here in Malaysia for the last 30 odd years, and is more a festival of Japanese culture, with Japanese dances - including the traditional Bon Odori, danced specially for this occassion - music, food and lots more, presented throughout the evening."

Venue :
Matsushita Stadium, Shah AlamPanasonic Sports Complex (formerly Matsushita Centre)Lot 4, Persiaran Perkilangan, Seksyen 21Shah Alam,Selangor

Date & Time :
Sat 12 Jul 2008 (7pm onwards)

Tickets :
Free Admission

Have a taste of Japanese Culture;

• Music & Dancing
• Food & Delicacies
• Taiko Drum Performance
• Traditional Costumes & Dressing

-Source:undisclosed

Alright, that's some information about this annual event for publisity purpose. This year, I joined this event with my coursemates.It was still early when we reached there..

It was very thoughtful of the organizing committee as they prepared sufficient number of toilets to avoid long queqes.

Not only that, you'll get to choose whether you want to ...

Sit, or...

...squat when you do your business. I absolutely love this part of the event. Hehe..

And for smokers, even a smoking area was allocated. Havent seen this in any other events before.

So, "Food and Delicacies" huh? You bet. You'll see stalls selling Japanese food here. The problem is, they are all obviously catered from Sushi King, Isetan and Jusco. I don't see any point why I should come here to experience Japanese food and delicacies. Sushi King, Isetan and Jusco can be seen all over Selangor.

Luckily, there are still some freebies and cheap snacks.

About "Traditional Costumes and Dressings", - Yes. Little children like these will be the celebrities of the night. People will be hording around them to snap photos of them in their cute traditional outfits.

And at 7.05pm, (5 minutes behind the schedule time), the event started with the less than 2 minute "Taiko Drum Performance". Only 5 minutes late - consider very punctual already in Malaysia.As for "Music and Dancing" it was really traditional, easy-to-follow, simple and slow dance steps. Very effective for de-stressing.Apparently, it was much better last year. We left Bon O-Boring before 9p.m. Not a bad experience, but once is enough.