The All American Rejects concert last night was the bomb!

And I am so grateful to the one person in particular.

Loh Leong Hooi!

He's the one who got tickets for me. He's the one who welcomed me to his rombongan that went. And he's the one that got me VIP passes!

I am forever in debt to him.

Anyway, the lot of us went there via our ever lovable Malaysian LRT. From Taman Jaya we stopped at Masjid Jamek to switch lines and board the not-so-nice LRT towards Bukit Jalil. We initially boarded the wrong train, so we stopped at the station before the lines divided. And that was where the joke of Yi Xian Prime was formed =). And good thing too cause we managed to get on the right train after that.

So we arrived at Bukit Jalil to already find a long snake of a line stretching from the concert area all the way to the station. Luckily we had our VIP passes and managed to cut queue the official way =P. And VIPs even get to bring snacks in! When the RELA people searched my bag and found my cookies, they were unsure as to how to proceed, so they beckoned one of the Digi people over.

"Snacks can bring in ah?"

"VIP ah? Can la."

Suh-weet!

Basically with our VIP passes we had access to the raised VIP platform to the right of the stage. Being elevated above the crowd definitely provided a better view, and there weren't that many people around to be squeezed against. We even sat down to rest sometimes when the Malaysian bands were playing. But it was actually pretty scary. The RELA people kept checking everyone for passes non-stop, even during the last song. Anyone who didn't have a pass was told to get off immediately. Those who refused were dragged off, like one Mat Salleh girl who went all "Don't touch me!", or even beaten off the platform with a baton. All the time I was worried a fight would break out but luckily that didn't happen. And then I was also afraid of standing too close to the border of the platform lest I be suddenly dragged down by the common crowd in their attempt to secure a VIP pass.

The local bands were still playing their opening acts for the show. It was ok at first but eventually patience began to wear thin as people wanted AAR to come out already. Natalie and Ian from Hitz.fm tried to pacify the crowd a little by offering free stuff, but that failed too towards the end as people booed Natalie when she wanted to delay a little more. Oh yeah and Ian actually came onto the VIP platform and I was **this** close to him. But then he was flanked by RELA guards so...

At long last all the local bands were done and Natalie and Ian were gone as well. AAR time!

Not yet. The crowd had to endure another hour long delay as they waited for AAR's emergence. Again, crowed pacifiers, this time a collage of music videos by Universal Music failed to please the fans after about the 3rd loop. By then everyone was loudly booing (me included) whenever the next loop began. Chants of "Digi sucks!" soon struck up.

At long last, AAR finally popped out and began the show with the electrifying Move Along.

The rest of the concert was flawless. I had a great view of the stage, plenty of good photo shots and a not-so-boisterous crowd around me.

AAR was great too. They kept the pace going along smoothly with no more further delays, each song melting into the next with sly and witty introductions and fan-bonding in between. I didn't have time to completely research all of their songs, so there were a few which I couldn't sing along to, like Paper Heart and Mona Lisa. Others, like the popular Move Along, It Ends Tonight, the catchy Fallin' Apart and the finale Gives You Hell, I literally belted my lungs out. I think my voice actually broke at some points and went like several octaves higher and turned into a squeal.

After the concert it was so nice to see everyone else who went for the concert as well, like Rachel, Matthew, Jes Cee, Carmen, Hui Li, Chen Lynn, Chan Hon, Dylan, etc. And after some communications difficulty (the cell phones couldn't work. I wonder if Digi was jamming all non-Digi communications?) we boarded a mercifully empty LRT and went home, after a slight detour to Leong Hooi's house for a while.

Again, I cannot emphasize on how absolutely grateful I am to Leong Hooi for giving me the opportunity to not only to go for my first concert in 6 years (the last being Linkin Park back in 2003), but to also go for the first (and probably last) time in my life as a VIP.

I'd also like to thank Rachel and Pei She for planting within me the desire to actually go for the concert. Were it not for them, I probably wouldn't have bothered going, free tickets or not.

So to all the people who made last night possible for me, a big thank you to you all!

My view of the stage

The man of the night, Leong Hooi

The crowd

The All American Rejects (finally)!

From left: Fang, Leong Hooi, Jes Cee, Rachel and E-Lynn

PS: I managed to get some "real" nice shots of people's hands =)

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Today was the third time in three years that I've gone for paintball.

And boy is it still as fun as it was then.

This year though, there were only 5 of us. Wai Leem, Ryan, Yi Xian, Desmond and I. Daenavan was supposed to come too, but the bugger overslept.

So anyway we split into two teams, Ryan and I against the rest of them. And man did I enjoy this year's paintball.

For the first time ever I played aggressively. No more just standing at one spot taking potshots. No. This time it was all out running and gunning ala Gears of War, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter or Rainbow Six Vegas style (although it was more reminescent of Gears of War). The adrenaline felt good as I ran and slid and crouched in the dirt, getting into the feel of the game as Ryan and I attempted to outflank the other team. And that IS the way you enjoy paintball. By getting down and dirty.

Of course, getting down and dirty has its cons. For the first time in 3 years I got shot up pretty badly. Most of the shots occured when I was outflanked myself, although some happened when I was moving between cover. Like the one where Yi Xian shot me in the head. That one hurt bad.

And here are the scars to prove they hurt.

My (most obvious) wound

Ryan's wound

Not a wound but still pretty cool. Wai Leem got shot in the mask.

So after paintball, Wai Leem and I headed over to KLCC for the Popular Bookfest at the Exhibition Centre.

The Exhibition Hall has a very different feel when it's not PC Fair.

They stick these green stickers on you after they've checked your temperature to prove you're H1N1 free. Personally I think they stick this on everyone regardless.

Bookfest was pretty ok, but kinda below my expectations. I think there was just too much other crap around (e.g 2 halls for Chinese books). Plus, the discounts and offers weren't really that great either, just a 20% knock off most prices. Can't really complain about that though. But still...

Well, after walking around with an increasingly aching body, I finally just snagged three books (so little ...) and went off, also to get out in time before the puasa rush hour began.

Hopefully I can go back again some time this week before it ends. Or maybe I'm better off at the Times sale at Hartamas Shopping Centre.

Unfortuantely brings Mr Wong. HUMOUR

What I bought in the end. So little time, so little money, too much body pain to browse for more

Oh my gosh! The Lost Symbol is coming out in September! I soooooo want it!!!!

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This is the 101th post. I forgot to commemorate the 100th.

Moving on.

I did not know the debating talent that lay dormant in my class. These people even managed to trump school debaters.

Allow me to elucidate.

It was English period with Ms Koh. We were about to write an argumentative essay. The topic was:

The school PTA wants to demolish the school lake garden to make room for a new block to accomodate the increased intake of students for 2010. Are you for it or against it?

Ms Koh proceeded to divide our class in half, with my side taking the stance of "FOR".POIs were not allowed.

I was a little bit apprehensive at the start. Both Azah and Tevaryan, school debators, were on the other team. But never mind. Let's see what happens.

Ms Koh asked us to start. She asked us who we pick to begin. We picked...Yong Yee Jan! But that fella wasn't even paying attention, so he got to pick another person to answer instead. Next was Lim Yi Xian. We began with "The lake is a breeding ground for mosquitoes".

Ok then. So the opposition went next. They began with "The noise pollution caused during construction".

Then they got to pick which one of us was next. Teh Kai Yik replied "Education is more important".

Back to the opposition. They replied with "A place for relaxation and destressing".

Back to us. This is where it gets interesting.

Lee Ching Yeap was called out next by the opposition. He came up with "The students will be distracted because they go fishing".

At this point, the class bursts into laughther.

Moving on to the opposition, they answered with "Avoid global warming".

And then the coup de grace. Wong Wei Wen finished for the government side with "The lake got fish. Then the fish will attract alot of birds lo. And then when there's a lot of birds, got a lot of bird shit lo".

The class doubles over with lung-stopping laughing. And the opposition ends meakly with "The lake serves beauty and educational purposes".

In the end, Ms Koh asked the opinion of the class on which side they chose. When she began with "Who sides with "FOR"?". Hands shot up. Among them, Azah, Tevaryan, Wai Leem and more than a few from the opposition.

Even opposition members and school debaters can be swayed to our argument through the efforts of Lee Ching Yeap and Wong Wei Wen. I salute them.

This goes to show that if you can't win a debate with matter, you win it with stupidity.

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A parody of the Command and Conquer Generals introduction cinematic

**Cue dramatic music**

In the modern world, great Scrabble players win their games with words. Words like....

Teeniest....Qi....Redeins.....Za

**End dramatic music*

Scrabble. The ultimate proof that the English lexicon is completely and absolutely over-saturated with nonsensical words like Cwm, Gork, Unco, Ibex and many, many, many more in addition to the ones mentioned above.

As it is, I still went for the National Scrabble Tournament organised by the Malaysian Scrabble Association. Normally they would hold the State level first, but I guess the economy has made them fiscal.

The tournament was held in Berjaya Times Square. And in a food court to boot. The format was one-on-one. As a result of that I played against my fellow "teammates" Soo Dik Sheng and Thong Yi Kun, whom I lost against and beat respectively.

Scrabble is frak. The key to victory is being able to spew out 2 and 3 letter words to put right adjacent to an existing line and then add those scores along with whatever multiplyer tiles you used. Plus, it also helps if you can use all 7 tiles to get a "bingo" word and get 50 points more. Having a good poker face is also extremely useful. Assuming your opponent is not strong grammatically, you could just place a word you're not even sure exists and manage to pass it off with a straight face. Not to mention that luck is also a vital factor in victory. I lost a couple of games because I kept getting only vowels non stop, and one game where my opponent had all the power letters (J, K, Q, Z, W, G etc).

Still, Scrabble is a blast to play. Especially when you're the one putting down "Q" and "I" on another "I" with a Double Word Score in the mix to get an easy 44 points. So, gotta start training for next year. It'll be my last year in Scrabble, and I gotta make it my best. Plus I also have to improve my skills abit la. I was number 70 out of about 90.

Cheerio to my teammates, Wong Hong Jian, Thong Yi Kun and Soo Dik Sheng. And stop being emo Hong Jian. We'll get them next year.

Too fast....

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Today was the first time in 3 years that I've attended a public speaking competition, this time at Sunway University College.

It was pretty interesting to be involved in this again. I had tried out for last year, but dropped out during the school auditions.

Ray Aun and I didn't really plan on going, so we didn't really do that well either.

Some of the are contestants friggin awesome. The semi finalists can come up with a complete and fluent speech in just 3 minutes.

But heck. It was  a learning experience again after a 3 year hiatus.I think I want to go for next year's too. Or whatever else this year.

Ray Aun and yours truly

The main auditorium. Look at how many participants there are.

Fellow competitors Zen Yang and Nirmal. Sat beside us in the auditorium. Nirmal became a semi finalist.

Hun Shen and Adervaj. Sat in front of us

The classroom I was assigned to. This was during the impromptu session.

Snack time!

The 13 semi finalists.

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October 28th, 2008. Red Alert 3 made its official launch here in Malaysia. And I was the second guy to get a copy.

It all began on the night of the 27th. Tim and I went over to Wai Leem's place for the night so that we could be within easy reach of the venue, Leo's Cafe in SS2, in the morning.

Come 28th morning, Tim and I headed out to Leo's Cafe at 9.45 a.m. The launch event was actually only slated to start at 4, but we decided to camp. Hell, PMR's over. What else is there to do but camp outside a cafe for half a day to be the first to get Red Alert 3 right? The cafe was pretty cool. During the wait, we watched the organisers put up RA3 banners and stands and stuff. Food wasn't too bad either. The fried spagetthi was the best mee goreng I have ever tasted.

After spending 6 grueling hours waiting, during which we had lunch on the house, courtesy of one of the organizer fellas, watched Mamma Mia on Tim's iPhone, and chatted with fellow gamers, the lauch event began with all the speeches and presentations and what not for the press, and it took half an hour before we were allowed to claim our games. And our patience was rewarded, as we were the first 2 in line to get Red Alert 3. Even luckier for me, the guy filling the goody bags was kinda confused, so he gave me a Microsoft Sidewinder X6 keyboard for free, thinking I had bought the Commander Pack, which cost RM499, when I had only bought the Officer's Pack (RM269). Thank you so much kind mister!

There wasn't much to do though. All we did during the whole time was sit as we were waiting for the grand lucky draw. But there were things to keep us occupied. Demo PCs, a TV that was brain-washing everyone with EA trailers that kept looping, some videos and quizzes. We were also treated to a "special" report of Battlecast Primetime, where David Silverman and Raj Joshi thanked the Malaysian fans for their loyalty. But as Tim puts it, they probably left a space on their script that read "insert name of country to thank fans here". There were also some people who were dressed up in Red Alert 3 theme costumes, including "Natasha" for people to take pictures with.

By the time evening arrived, everyone was extremely eager to get the grand lucky draw over and go home to play RA3. This is only because the grand prize at stake is a new PC. But alas, we did not get a single thing. Not even an RA3 mug.

Well, all that matters is RA3 right? Plus I get an early Christmas. I didn't bring my camera, (dang), but Tim took the necessary photos with his phone. For now, I am posting public photos. Exclusive ones will be available as soon as possible.

Brought to you by,
Nicholas
Alas, no time for playing. Yet.

First 2 in a long line that would get longer as the day dragged on.

The Dicota bagpack that came with Officer's and Commander's Pack

The Sidewinder keyboard which I now own.

Banners at the cafe

Press event by the guy who belanja us.

Tim with some of the costumed people

One of the 2 special Mini Coopers

The other car that came with the women

These women, in case you were wondering

Soviet power!

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Well, 'twas my first time attending the annual function, of which I only knew existed during a casual conversation with Lie Kiet and Jia Yee.

To start off, everyone looked very different from their usual school selves. The girls were all very pretty and all, with their hair down and their dresses and in some cases, make up. The guys, well...not much difference, since all guys can do is change their shirt and pants. But the guys looked pretty smart too. It was a good thing I decided to wear what I wore that night. I had actually considered something a wee bit too casual. In the end I added a tie, albeit tied in a loose manner, because this is one of those few occasions I can wear my tie scruffily and have no one reprimand me by saying "Nicholas! Straight your tie."

Alot of people complained about the pricing of the dinner, RM60. To me, this is no problem, so long as the food is worth it. And it sure didn't disappoint. Nothing luxurious, mind you, like Alaskan King Crab or anything like that. But whatever that was served was decent enough, and was not the stereotypical buffet stuff usually encountered. Although the pasta sauce was so overwhelming it flooded your taste buds with tomato. Worth noting was the lamb and the dessert. Cream puffs!

I didn't really subcribe to the events of the night. For one thing, a giant pillar was in the way of me and the screen when the video and photo presentations were being done, so I missed 99% of it. For another, the final Olympic badminton men's single event featuring Lee Chong Wei was on the same night, so halfway during the performances, and with lacking a live telecast of the match, I decided to just go over to a restaurant at the Curve (Heaven)that was airing the match. (My apologies to the people performing who I skipped out on. I know you guys praticed alot for the night.) It was pretty weird, sitting at a restaurant wathcing the match live with a couple of other people (names will remain confidential), and being joined by other prefects once in a while throughout the match. I watched until Lin Dang dropped spread eagled on the floor in victory before returning to the dinner hall in disappointment, only to see it end the moment I got there. Afterwards I lingered around for a while because I had to go back with Hong Ken. Took some photos and stuff and did the usual thing i.e putting a flower in my hair, before returning home with Hong Ken.

And so ended the 2008 Prefect's Annual Dinner. If next year is like this, I don't mind going again.

Here're some of the photos of the night. Sorry I couldn't take more. But I ain't the photographer type.

Ray Aun and Aaron absent-mindedly clapping

Among the VIPs present were several ambassadors from the great country of Turklamabad.

Another Turklamabad ambassador, Muhammad Wai Leem

It is common tradition for Turklamabad people to make puppet out of hat

One of the tastiest dishes of the night. Wai Leem's camera! The plastic wasn't salty enough =(

Ray Aun trying to talk through a mouthful of cream puff.

Chong Sheng and Jia Yee going through last minute rehearsels

Secret survailence footage of the teachers.

Woon Khai and I, your Casanovas of the evening.

Some of the lovely ladies of the evening.

The lovely Shu Min and I.

Some of the Form 2 guys.

Wilson, the stoic jaga of the night. No la. He just happened to sit there.

The lovely Zhi Ying and I.

Shin Yee and Hong Ken getting acquainted.

The star couple of the night. =P

Me, my flower, and Jia Yee

Wai Leem and Zhi Cheng

Back then we didn't have no flying cars, sonny boy. Our cars had wheels. And we used to go shopping at malls, not buy everything on eBay.

Hopefully next year's one is better.

Brought to you by,
Nicholas
Time is running out.

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" It is day of judgment " ~ Apocalypse Tank of Red Alert 2

March the 8th. Voting day. Today (almost) all Malaysians will get out of their houses, go to their nearest polling station, and vote. To cast their individually worthless ballot, but collectively, might be able to topple Barisan. Its a long shot, but with Malaysia disintegrating into what it's becoming, the tides of change threaten to erode the bastion of Barisan rule.

When I take a look around the country, I can't help but feel that its a complete **** hole. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that we're peaceful enough that we don't have racial or ethnic pogroms every once in a while. And we get to enjoy living in a fairly modernized and civilised world, complete with enough essential necessities to run and support an entire African country. Maybe two. Yet we're still so hell-bent in the pursuit of material wealth and prestige.

Anyway. Beneath the general layer of Malaysian life lies the ugly side of it. I don't even need to elaborate, because every Malaysian knows the issues which plague our daily lives. But it is one particular case of the biased BN-led government which really cemented my support for anything anti-BN.

Here's how it goes. During the Chinese New Year period, my cousin's family and mine went to visit this old family friend whose known my uncle and my dad since, like, university days. After lunch we went to his comfy fancy home, where we all just sat down and talked. Then he told us about the events that preceded his retirement.

Now, as this guy neared his retirement, he was hoping to get a raise, since he was a government worker. And after he retires the government will give him a penchant until he dies, which is half the amount of his last paycheck. So naturally, the promotion would earn him a little more greenbacks to spend in his golden days. And he was pretty well qualified too. With years and years of working experience and such. Yet when the time came, the company gave the promotion to some Malay guy 20 years his junior. And he reason, he stated, was "Because he could say 'assalamualaikum' and all that other Malay stuff. Plus the fact that he was Malay. So the family friend just retired there and then, a couple of years early and with a slightly diminished penchant.

After hearing this, there was no way I am ever going to support BN. Their stubbornness in maintaining the superiority of the Malays, as it has been for centuries, is seriously breaking the country apart. Personally I have nothing against the Malays, and I respect their position as the original inhabitants of Malaysia (still subject to debate though). But their favoritism policies that have always ensured that they maintain an iron grip on everything regarding the country is getting unbearable, among other things. Besides, the MCA and the MIC are just mere puppets of UMNO, trying to feed us the **** that Chinese and Indians get equal treatment, when its so blindingly obvious that they do not.

Alas, one can only complain so much yet do so little. Only tomorrow will we know what kind of fate the people of Malaysia have chosen. However, if one goes to MalaysiaKini right now, as in really right now at 10.20 p.m of the 8th of March, one would see that in many areas, the Opposition is winning or has won, thus showing the resolve of the Malaysian people. And according to it, in my crucial area of Lembah Pantai, Nurul Izzah of PKR, daughter of Anwar, has just ousted BNs Shahrizat. However, these reports may either prove false, or BN may do something tonight to change things, but as of now, the Opposition is gaining ground.

Whatever the situation is, or will be, let us pray that the results of this election will not spur any violent riots or protest, whether it be ethnic or not.

Lord, please watch over this country and ensure that we all don't start killing each other over the results of an election. Amen.

Brought to you by,
Nicholas
God safeguard Malaysia.

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