Nostalgia hits...

Me = Homesick
Why? = No damn clue.
I miss = Food. Friends. Atmosphere. Cheap stuff. Yup!
Cant wait = To go home. For exams. To finish high school.

After being here for almost a year, it seems like time has flown by so fast. When I think about it, what have i achieved in this "almost a year"? I've kinda settled in, started taking things for granted as usual, and just lived life from day to day. I've made new friends, but at the same time, I feel almost reluctant to let go of my Malaysian self, and my Malaysian life and friends. It just seems like a big BIG part of me, specially here. Actually, the fact that i still refer to Malaysia as "home", should already give u an idea how much of me it really is. But yeah, in the time that i've been here, i've been hit, for the first time since coming here, with a slight bout of homesickness. Well, I suppose if i wanted to properly tell this story, I must start at the beginning of it all. So, here goes...

Dad came over, with my grandma last friday. He brought with him all the good stuffs we've lived without for ages-mooncakes, muruku and all those assorted snacks that u dont really appreciate enough til it's not easy to obtain. Then, last long weekend i decided to watch a Man U game, which i'm glad to say, we kicked Liverpool's arse, but just staying up to watch was something i hadn't done in AGES. But all that came to a head today. We went out for lunch at Penmure, at this Indian managed shop, with a Penang chef!! Char Kuey Teow was GREAT! Better than heaps i've eaten in a long while, Malaysia or NZ. The layout of the shop, totally like a Kai Fan place, with chickens and char siu hanging for display behind a metal-glass pane, the kitchen exposed but enclosed by light pink-ish tiles, the shop filled with Malaysians-Indians, Chinese, even Malay ppl dribbling in and out, using la-s and ma-s, just like we do.

For that 30-40 mins of lunch, I felt like I was back home..in Malaysia, sitting in some random mamak store, eating mi goreng and being served teh tarik by an old-ish Indian man(which, really did happen..), and it felt great! The power of food, i had not eaten in about 3 months +, not as good anyways, the familiarity of the setting drew me in and transported me back to the place I truly want to be at, hanging out with old friends at mamak stores, yam cha-ing at kopitiams, and at the same time, I'm greedy in the sense that I wish for the best of both worlds. The beautiful scenery of NZ, the good tasting food of Msia, both the open, usually friendly Kiwis, to the noisy but usually more concerned with putting up appearances M'sians, nice NZ weather, but with M'sian predictability, Great NZ bus system, taking u to places with M'sia's busy atmosphere. Haha, they say the grass is always greener on the other side? I reckon the grass is at it's green-EST, when u sit on a low fence and have a foot on either side of the grass!

Exams Start: 20th Nov
Exams End: 7th Dec
Coming Back: 8th, 11th or 14th Dec

Can't freaking WAIT!

U know what I did last long weekend?

Heyas!
Hope u got the intended pun of a title(on I know what u did last summer..i know..cliche, but i couldnt help it!). Anyways, i've been meaning to post this for a while now, but just been really lazy la(plus, dont even have the excuse of assignments and internals to hide behind this time!). So yeah, last long weekend, like 4 days back, i went on a trip south-ish, to Whangamata and ALMOST to Coromandel (We couldnt make it there coz my uncle's brake was starting to screw up..lol). So anyways, I grabbed some pretty nice pics ( i think anyways..) of the scenery, which, if i might add, was AWESOME! So, here goes!

A pic taken at the back of where we stayed, my uncle's friend's batch, or a holiday home sorta thing. As u can see, it's backed by ferns, and a forest way behind that. It was a pretty small place tho, with barely enough room for the 8 of us.

Lol, my sis with the alpacas. They're actually really cute, and they look really fake =p

Some of the awesome scenery on the way back around the Coromandel peninsula. This was taken from the car, so my hand was a lil senget la..

More roadside footage from inside the car. Daym, those 4 lucky ppl! They're out there at high tide too! Walking in the sea is just an awesome feeling!

Ahhh..stupid blogger won't let me upload more than 4 pics. Oh well, these are all ur getting, coz i'm too lazy to post any more. Tho, if i feel hardworking enough, i might post some up on my photobucket, which can be accessed via my sidebar. Hope the pics didn't disappoint! Til next time, peace out!

So Lost in LOST!

First things first, does anyone even watch it anymore? Anyone but me that is..Good news is, Season 3 is OUT! First 2 eps are out, and i've only seen the first, currently downloading the 2nd. However, all i can say is, OMFG..the plot just keeps getting more and more twisted! Ahhhhhhh, once again, i'm caught up in all the suspense and drama, and i just CANT get enough!

Writer's Block..PWNED!

Wahahahahaa! As it says in the title..I SHOWED THAT WRITER'S BLOCK WHO'S BOSS! And, i finished my assignment, so Woooottt!!*throws party*

I...feel.....no..it can't be..Nooooo!!!!...WRITER'S BLOCK!!

and I have an English assignment due in tomorrow as well...Curse my luck!

As is expected, I can totally think of nothing to write about right now. The words just won't form in complete, coherent sentences in my head! I mean, it's like..I have the ideas, just that they won't be expressed through the words that they need to be. Ahh, i feel like a drama queen complaining like this, but this is MY blog, and I need to vent, so I reserve the right to do so!

Honestly? I feel like a musician without his instrument, an artist without painting tools, or a swordsman without a sword. (Sheesh, i couldn't even get thru this sentence without having to stop to think of what to write..) Maybe it's all the stress of this being an actual internal that counts. Maybe it's just sitting in front of the computer too long. Maybe it's 'coz my muscles are aching from the badminton yesterday. All the buts and maybes..Sigh

*END OF RANT*

"That day, the world saw evil, but it also saw the good side of the human spirit. People helping other people for no other reason than it was the right thing to do"

Just got back from watching World Trade Center, and i must say, it's a good movie, despite the mixed reviews it's gotten. It was, really emotionally charged, with images and soundtrack blended to jerk emotions out of us. I'm willing to bet that at least 90% of the people in the cinema with us had tears in their eyes, and there were even girls who were sobbing(really loudly actually).

As for me, it brought tears to my eyes. Surprisingly tho, it wasn't during the parts where they were in pain, it wasnt during the parts when they were about to die, nor even at the parts where they lost their friend who was trying to help them. I felt it the most the times when i saw hundreds of people working their asses off to save the 2 policemen trapped under the rubble. I very nearly bawled my eyes off watching their wives and children worry about them. It nearly broke my heart watching the little girl ask her pregnant mom "Mommy, is daddy coming home?"

Imo, one of the most touching scenes of the movie was when John sees his wife talking to him in his mind's eye, telling him to come home. It just felt so sad, knowing that he could lose all that, knowing that he tried his hardest, and was in that situation because he wanted to help. Of course, like any movie's true heroes, the two policemen survived and made it thru that incident. What struck me most however, was the amount of people cheering and working together to help look for survivors in the wreck of the Twin Towers, and how the presence and involvement of a few more people could make a huge difference.

There was the civilian turned paramedic who said "I've finally figured out what I do best, helping people" or something to that effect, and voluntarily stayed on to try and help the injured victims and police and firemen, knowing fully that the wreckage could collapse and kill them all at any time. Also, there was the retired Marine who came to help, and finally located the two policemen, ultimately saving their lives. Imagine if he decided not to come. That would be two less lives saved, and God only knows what else he did to help. A police team came all the way from Wisconsin to help, saying only that "When we heard the news, we had to come help."

What i'm getting at is, it's only in the face of a disaster that we really stick together. There's nothing like death to bring humans together, to help each other, for no other reason than because it's the right thing to do. Lives were saved that day, and so much achieved because of the dedication of the individuals involved, giving up so much so that they may serve their country and their fellow men. It makes me wonder why we dont do it more often. Why, when we see people in trouble we dont always go to their aid, but think, "it's not my problem." ?

I know, it's often been preached, and not many of us practice it. However, this is my pledge. I'll never leave someone in trouble if it is within my power to help.

Gladiator-Russell Crowe shines!

So yesterday, I finally watched Gladiator the movie, though it was released in 2000. 6 years later, a bored Ian watched Russell Crowe's first major film, and i must say, i can see why it propelled his career to the heights that he is at now.
Yes Jeremy (Tee), you were right, it's an awesome film which i have no doubt i could watch a second time. The fight scenes were good, and memorable, with Crowe's character, General Maximus, being the dominant gladiator, but not overly so. We see him struggle to defeat some opponents, we see the odds stacked against him, but in the end, though he wins, those wins are more believable than other, more manufactured movies.
Crowe plays Maximus superbly, with his charisma and presence on the screen. It's really not hard to believe that men would follow someone like that-to the death. "Strength and Honor" he says to his men before battles, and he embodies these qualities throughout the film, once again, full credit to Crowe's acting.
Also, i really liked the soundtrack on the film, with the sopranos here and there, and the kind of spiritual yet eerie music a la Enya's songs for LOTR really fits the moods and kinda even makes ur hair stand on end. I've also watched the HBO series ROME, but honestly, it doesnt really match up to Gladiator in terms of sheer cinematography as well as plot.
So if you're like me and you havent seen it, it's definitely worth a watch.
My final verdict: 4.5 stars