a toast to life...

thank you Slim...Cheers...

strings on my feet

And so, off I go…

I had quite a rough journey for the past 3 months, switching uni, delayed visa, sodomy charges… I am not in my best mood, I struggled, and at certain points I got really fed up, miserable, annoyed…

But I had great companies, along the way, in McD’s or with sms-es, playing badminton or blasting our throats off in Red Box…dudes who gave me encouragements,gals whose concerns lifted me up, as tall as I can ever be..

my dear Kuala Perlis primary school mates

Until this chapter of my life, I shall say, I do not have a best friend. I have no one single friend who can say he/she knows me from fat to skinny, young to old…

ILL Divos- Sihan (not as tall as he seems :p) and Joash

Yet I am blessed, with so, so many, good friends… great friends… who companied me at some point of my life, who brought me little (if any) tears, and plenty and plenty of laughter and joy.

Hoe yee and Ah Sang

And shamefully, some of us got different paths and directions, and we parted, we stopped to forward lame sms-es, and we met new companies, but it doesn’t mean you are a less great company...

JingYong, Jing Wen, Madam Ong and Li Ling

* * *

For the past 3 months, besides cramming my time with tv shows, I traveled as much as my wallet allows I could. I was fortunate to meet up with friends who are old and lost long-lost old friends, friends scattered around with their own endeavours, yet still found the time and petrol fuel to bring this kampong boy around many cities.

Siawjing who brought me around Sarawak..

and it is always my fault, "I have to go early", "I have things to do", "I need to go home", "spend time with my parents"…excuses i always use..

oh how I wished our days will never end…

D.O.C juniors

I met some new friends, juniors, whom our paths may not overlap each others, but will no doubt be my great companies one day, if my kamma does allow…

2008 D.o.C. juniors and superjuniors(alamak.. why its always me holding the camera)

I thank you, all of you, for the time spent, crapping, talking, eating, singing, recollecting memories, political discussions…

Hoe Yee and Seng Keat

I believe every of our meetings should never have an end… I believe we can talk from dusk to dark…and I believe we could have so so much great time together…

my archi juniors and Kim

But life doesn’t seem to work out the way we believe,

SuPing,Amelia,Su Fen,Aik Bu and Seng Keat

…we became friends…yet at some point...our path diverged, and we meet other new girl friends…

Archi6-Icam, Muhsin, Az, Aneesah, Kim + Miss Pauline

and there are many others, I promised to meet up with in the last 3 months…

sorry Eric… I didn’t turn up :(

Cheung Boon

Certainly, I can give many excuses…but nothing can take away the regret of not having a great time with each and everyone of you…

archi juniors (aneesah and kim posing at the left)

friends, I may not have your pictures taken with me, I may not have posted on this stupid blog, but that doesn’t mean my time with you are less memorable.. (it simply means I must buy new camera batteries)

Kar Bing and Kay Ewe

JiaJi, my Ipoh voluntary tour guide...thank you.. hehe

2 weeks awaiting my visa, flights cancellations etc, and all of a sudden, I need to go… I had barely any time to bid farewell to each and everyone of you…

I am having the worst departure one can expect (from the world's 'best' airport, KLIA)…

* * *

I may be travelling off to a strange nation, friends, yet I am bounded, with so so many strings tied on my feet…

Su Ping

I cant promise these strings will bound us together…

But I can promise, there will always be knobs around my feet… and I will make sure they are tied as strongly as I could…

Khean Kim, Christine, Jin Hao, the others appeared, so no need mention liao la...

The strings might snap one day..

A reunion early this year- Kevyn, his friend, Alvin, Jer Yenn, Hoe Yee, Irene, Amrita (now in India)

but before that, the further I am pulled away by the wind…

...the more deep and obvious, the scars will be…

p/s: dear friends, pls stop asking me to bring back a blonde girlfriend, you see, I don’t like bringing back ppl who are tumpangs in my dearest country :)

go, going....gone?!?!

My life so far has been nothing less dramatic than our stupid politcs of protesting, shipjumping and overseas agricultural learning.

After a thrilling one week of last minute university hunting, the plot has now shifted to another cliffhanger:

when will i get my VISA?

i delayed my flight once, and together with hundreds of students and scholars who missed out their flights, we are facing an unprecedented VISA application delay disaster, which could be due to the new biometric and facial identification requirements.

does this face look like a terrorist??

i dont think my family and friends can bear another week of PC's lame jokes. Hoey apparently can't :)

Anyway,my replacement flight is on the 23rd morning. great, now no friends can send off this joker to exile. thankfully, my generous sponsor is willing to pay the few hundred ringgit for delaying our flights, but i am afraid there is also a limit to this generousity.

good riddance, when will PC be kicked out from this country???

stupid politics

these days it seems that everyone is talking about politics.

My dear state Penang especially, which some might call it the politcal capital of this nation. Which is, i think, quite true, as the PM and Opposition leader both came from this small state. And even those who spent most of their political career elsewhere (eg the father and son), cant resist the temptation to acclaim oneselves as Penangites. Anyway, fellow Penangites couldn't care less.

Recently as the nation's focus shifted to one constituency in Penang, it is as if the world's cheapest circus comes to town. Night after nights of circus shows (some folks call it ceramah), hotels fully booked, roads jammed with police trucks, hawkers couldn't be happier, sociopolitical-bloggers become instant celebrities/circus performers.

And everyone is talking: 'do you believe the sumpah?', 'should we change?',' where is the detective?', ' is this country going to get better/worse?', 'is the blogger joking/lying/telling the truth?'
'i don't care about politics but i will certainly vote/not vote for that man.'

i doubt this is some kind of society's revolutionary consciousness movement.

my guess is, it is only that things have changed, a change that this country has never witness before, and the worst of all, no one knows whether its a change for the better or for the worse.

in order words, people just want to see something fun and entertaining.

Well, for me personally, this is just like the worst soupdrama ever.

This drama's budget might not be cheap, but the plot is ridiculous, the screenplay spontaneous and boring, the actors are simply crappy.

And for the past few months, we continue to witness bloggers spreading seditious statements,in the name of politics, plunging this nation into confusion and division.

blogger smearing outright lies against the good name of PC Wan.

One can say that politics play an important part dictating the flow of power and virtually everything is under this power, and one can argue that people should care more and get involved in politics.

But damn it, accusations aren't politics, massive banner war isn't part of politic, funny slogans aren't politics either.

***
Some of my friends kept asking me which side am i in, well, i always say i am neither one.

But now i say, enough is enough.

Politics is stupid. Yet, its time for me to make a stand, to say it loud once and for all, and to avoid more lies smeared against this blog and my good name. This is the time, the time is now!

After much consideration, i have decided to endorse the best person possible to lead our political arena:


Vote for BOY BURGER !

a symbol of Peace, Prosperity and Pasar Ramadhan,

BOY BURGER, a new dawn for MALAYSIA!

thank you dear friends..

your messages, your facebook comments, your prayers and best wishes..

it all worked, wow, unexpectedly..

queen's university, my insurance offer,has given me a place last minute..
and finally after all the last minute fiasco, i will be bidding goodbye to this nation on the 19th sept (if my visa is approved)..

well i cannot be more grateful for my dearest sponsor, for their wonderful sponsorship policy, which truly made me wiser, more careful and i learned so so much in this short one week of madness...

and to my friends, who companied me along the way..and my parents, who believed in me..

Queen's may not be my best option, but it gave me a place in such a crucial period of time, and i am much indebted to her as well..

the joker is back folks...skinnier and wiser..'why so serious???'

joker statement (1)

dear friends,

i have been missing in the blogosphere as well as instant messaging rooms these days. dont worry, i am not yet a fugitive, nor does my disappearance has anything to do with the over-rated by-election.

i got screwed up. big time. my course choice for Sheffield was denied by my sponsor, JPA. Apparently my course is unacceptable due to its double major characteristic. It was my mistake nonetheless, for not making sure what my sponsor's policy is.

Anyway, i havent been sleeping and eating well for the past few days. i have to start my applications all over again which means i am pulling myself and my family into a really big hassle. and the waiting is just killing me.

time is running up. options arent that much, and i deserved it for my foolishness. i guess i will be disappearing for a longer time. take care my friends, and do wish me luck.


yours
pc

TARcollege convo

Being invited to Tunku Abdul Rahman College’s Convocation recently, spent the morning being my friends’ photographer.

And for once, I felt the pressure of taking down one of the most precious moment in someone’s life. It can never be easy as all the pictures taken must be as flawless as possible. Chances seldom come twice, and those folks usually lose their natural candid smile after the first shot. And it was tiring standing under the sun in the midst of such a big crowd of graduates.

Hundreds of graduates with their thousands of personal photographers.

But the rewarding part of holding a camera that day loitering that day, is when everyone gives you their best smile ever.

No matter how slow I make my metering adjustment (which is seriously slow), they neither shout nor show their impatience to me, and those poor folks didn’t even for one moment relax their widely stretched lips.


girls smile sweeter towards SLRs than towards my kind of compact cameras

It was those beautiful glimmering smile, it was those candid element, and it was their rushing adrenaline of joy and pride, which just kept me going under the hot glaring sun.

Though the lightings that day aren’t anywhere perfect, I have nothing to complain, the willing models and the eventual great pics are simply satisfying.

Congratulations to Hoe Yee, Kar Bing and Ah Sang. A bright future awaits you guys...


(and not this big mouth guy who haven’t even started his first year degree)

Cheers!

One Malaysia One Dream

It was 1996. I was in Singapore staying in an apartment, and I was wondering why my father was shouting in front of the 14” TV set. In fact, the whole apartment, which residents are mostly Malaysian government servants, was shouting.

As I see on the screen, four persons are holding some kind of mosquito bat, two of them, one tall one bald, are wearing white shirts bearing the word MALAYSIA at the back. I knew that time I came from Malaysia. Still, the word seems unfamiliar to me.

But anyway, some kind of a child’s instinct urged me to shout along.

I did.

***

12 years later, we are in an Olympics final again. And today, after a fascinating Battle of the LEEs in the semi final, we are back, stronger than ever. This time around, our chances may not be high, our opponent has his home ground superiority, and frankly, we may not win.

Yet our one Dream remains apparent and lucid, we want our first gold medal, more than anything else!

A decade ago, we all sighed when Soon Kit missed a net curled shuttle, and we all cheered for every cross court killer smack the Sideks made. Every apartment, every ‘taman’, every household. Yes, we all did! And so, there is no reason why we couldn’t this time around.

Lets make these clear.

Chong Wei is never a Chinese. He is never a Malay, nor an Indian. Chong Wei is never a Penangite nor is he a johorean. Chong Wei was born in Malaysia, raised in Malaysia, fed by Malaysia, studied in Malaysia, trained in Malaysia and he spent most part of his life in Malaysia. He never sees other country as his homeland, he is never an IMMIGRANT, he is never a foreigner and he is never a ‘Bangsa Lain’, he never is and he never will !

HE IS A MALAYSIAN!

Oh fellow Malaysians, can we please put all the differences we have aside. Can we please cut the pauh-pauh crap, lets stop the lawyers’ fiasco, lets put an end at that university madness and lets halt the muzakarah and jump ship nonsense.




Lets rally TOGETHER behind this man, Lee Chong Wei,
and for once please, let us all be Malaysians, proud Malaysians, same and equal, for once.



The stage is set. Chong Wei is ready, so should we!

One Malaysia, One Dream. Go Malaysia go!

8.8.2008

Dear China,

It is an auspicious day today, 8 August 2008, a day we shall witness the majestic opening of the 2008 Beijing Games. And thus it is hereby my humble intention also to start my new weblog on this promising day, attached with a sincere wish of love and peace here and beyond.

One world, One dream. What a beautiful slogan.

But that’s should be just it. Wake up from your dreams, China!

Look at what hell of a mess you have done.



No, it is not my intention to politicize the Olympics on this blog. Certainly, the Olympics is not a UN general assembly, and I am not calling anyone to boycott anything.

Yet, stop being ignorant China !

Olympic is not merely a sporting event, nor that the five rings merely as a decorative motive on Coca Cola cans. Nor is it about mascots for you to counterfeit. Nor is it a rally torch for your violent guards to protect.

No China, the Olympics is far more than that.

Its about equality, competing fairly and losing proudly…
It aims to bring out the best of men and women, both physically and mentally.
It bonds friendship, it transcends religion, skin colours and nations…

China, you were given the mandate to uphold the spirit

And as cliché as it might sound, ‘with great powers come great responsibilities.’

However, you simply ignored your responsibilities.

You were given chances after chances, to help save, or at least alleviate the sufferings, of the people of Sudan and Burma, you could have become a savior, but no, you choose to be a weapon supplier. You could have used the Olympics as a platform to build conversations with the Tibetans, but no, you decide to demonize Dalai Lama. When the Olympics brought in opportunities to upgrade Beijing into a world class metropolitan, you took it up as an excuse to throw thousands of families out of their homes to make way for hotels and stadiums. When asked to clean up your air, you simply tell your factories to take a summer vacation and come back after the Olympics.

Of course, it’s your country, you do whatever you like, and you answer to no one.
But wait, you cannot ask the world to shut up! You cannot expect everyone who buys your product to listen to your crap and kiss your Olympic ass. And you cannot stop people from extinguishing the Olympic flame, because in its true sense, you don’t even deserve to bear the torch.

China, there is no conspiracy against you. Believe me, no one is jealous of your economic success, especially when it comes at such a huge cost on the lives of millions of your poor peasants who work 120 hours a week in McDonald’s toy factories for $5.

things are way too cheap it China, f**k !

Rest assured this is nothing personal. If British is the organizer this year, I would have condemn her as harshly as ever. But one thing, at least she won’t ask people to shut up. She listens (and dumbly ignores)

Of course, with your economic power, you simply hear nothing. You couldn’t care less for labor laws, human rights and environment conservation, and your poor countrymen are either deaf or blind thanks to five decades of Mao worshipping.

I am not asking you China to undo your mistakes of your ugly past, let bygones be bygones. But at least, recognise the mistakes, rectify it, and show that you learned, you became civilized, and you are mature enough to put down all that big fat ego and get things done, in the right way!

Dear China, don’t get me wrong, you have certainly worked hard over the years…bravo to that!

you have filled your cities with skyscrapers, you have filled your wallet with cash, you have filled your villages with fragile school buildings, and you have filled your mines with dead bodies…

now it’s your time to fill your empty brain with some wisdom....

* * *

Nevertheless, I shall dedicate my first ‘bloggersRjokers.blogspot.com’ post, to the millions of Chinese who act as human shields during the Korean War, purged during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, to the hundreds slaughtered on TianAnMen Square, to the countless protestors, Falungong practitioners, journalists, bloggers, jokers, Tibetans, Muslims, Christians, ordinary folks who were arrested, jailed or simply gone missing over the years.

Dalai Lama himself urged everyone NOT to boycott the Olympics, so do I.
But as Malaysia-born-Chinese, as a so-called 'descendent of the Dragon', tonight, I shall witness the fireworks flashing out gloriously from the smoggy Bird Nest ...

with disgust and shame..

‘Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.’
Khalil Gibran, The Garden of the Prophet (1934)

Wake up China!

p/s: Oops..I am afraid i kicked off this blog with a rather grim, offensive and seriously unfunny post. Your forgiveness please..