I'm sure this is the only blog titled 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' online. Ever.

The beginning of the end. I officially have less than 7 days left in this oh-so-beautiful experience we call the Malaysia trip. It is going to be a busy one too due to a little thing we call Chinese New Year. As Keith aptly pointed out, the Sino calendar predates any Anglo or Roman calendar by several millenia (assumedly), so put that in your pipe and smoke it. 

In the week since we've been back from Thailand, people have been busy with work, school and college, so it has been a bit slow in terms of activity and the such. (All except Lauren and Zoe of course, who are hanging around in limbo with us Loos). Unfortunately, while this week is a holiday for most it is still going to be a pain to organise activity due to family commitments as this is the main  point of CNY. 

Likelihoods of movie night, swimming day, badminton, CC outings, ramly burger? Sadly, slim. I'm sure if we put our minds to it, we can achieve something worth remembering. Super Friday perhaps? 

Tomorrow is CNY eve and so the festivities begin! 

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We had steamboat buffet tonight. Holy crap we ate so much they gave us perfume and an umbrella as free gifts for having such a large bill (20 people at 20RM ++ each.) and probably for setting some sort of consumption record. Had conversation with JLim, Keith, PB and adrian (the green tea circle) and I have concluded that I find malaysian politics/sociocultural study very very interesting. I noticed that Jason also has a knack to explain financial matters in an actually interesting manner! Good work Jason!

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I tried uploading photos, but it didn't work, so screw it. Here's my review of the Mogwai gig! Maybe you can see photos another day. Refer to facebook for any info on photos i guess. (:

Will be in Wollongong by Sunday the 1st Feb as far as I can tell.  

Watching TV At 2am Never Felt More Important

It's rare in life that we get the opportunity to experience such an important moment and bask in its historical significance with the awareness that in 40 years time we can look back and say 'I was there'. I can only remember a few thus far in my life: the 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony, hearing about 9/11, watching the official beginning of the Iraq invasion...monumental events all through the television funnily enough. 

Well last night I was more than happy to watch Obama's inauguration (I was way too full to sleep anyway. Char Chen Teng peanut butter french toast. wow. doesn't go too well with pork though...). 

I read once that this generation has grown up knowing only one US government that used fear and ignorance to maintain its power. The invisible war on terror sparked by 9/11 has existed all around for nearly a decade. That generation has had suspicion and xenophobia written on their subconscious. War, or at least the consciousness of war, was prevalent throughout people's entire teenage years. I felt sorry for that generation when i read that article. 

Then i realised that i was part of that generation. 

This kind of makes me want to become an American just to skip out on the sociopolitical apathy of Australian culture. It makes me want to do and be a part of something bigger than myself (in the words of Obama). If the son of an African immigrant can become president, then truly anything is possible.  

Anyway, I never intended to write a political rant. I just relish the promise of progressive leadership on this dawn of a new age. I hope and pray that the hope and promises aren't empty.

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Going to see Mogwai tonight in KL with Adrian, PB and Keith. Bought their new album before leaving for malaysia, but it didn't import on itunes. And i forgot to put Young Team on my ipod so i am unfortunately unable to listen to any!

Of course this means i miss volleyball, but a couple hours of Scottish instrumental post-rock never hurt anyone! 

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A Poem

When a phone has no credit

When an ipod has no battery

Technology is useless plastic

And i get frustrated

'Kow Rai' is Thai for 'How Much?'

My pictures are in the reverse order again. Here are some fans we found at the paper umbrella factory.

Here's the border between Thailand and Burma. Burma is right across that bridge.

 It was a very busy little township.

Didn't ride this through the jungle. This was a 3 year old calf. The ones through the jungle took 2 chairs/people each and were much bigger. [More photos on facebook]

Yes. I know you are all jealous. But I rode an elephant. Bare back. It was pretty darn cool. 

Spent the last 4 days in Chiang Mai. The north of Thailand. Altogether it was a very pleasant trip and much shopping and sightseeing was done, but if you ask me the trip was long enough. There wasn't much to do at night other than the night bazaar and the day trip to Chiang Rai was something of a disappointment to my dad. Admittedly we didn't do much considering the 3.5 hour drive (which was mind and butt-numbing) other than appreciate the novelty of being at the border of Laos, Burma and Thailand all at once- The Golden Triangle, known for its opium and corpse-filled Mekong river (in the 70s anyway). 

Standing at the northernmost tip of Thailand did strike me with a kind of awe. I didn't realise how far north we actually were until I saw the mountains and people of Burma just across the bridge. 

Another awe but more whimsical in nature was in riding the elephant! I love elephants. They're quite intelligent and you can't help but empathise with them. The elephant tamers- called mahouts- forge a genuine relationship with their elephant and made me reconsider my career choice in physics. Ha. 

Riding an elephant fulfilled a childhood dream I never realised I actually had. It was hardly a smooth ride but there is a certain peace you can only experience by riding an elephant through the jungle. Unforgettable.

There were admittedly less memorable events the rest of the trip- mostly consisting of walking, eating and shopping but it was great to experience Thai culture firsthand. Chiang Mai is quite different to Bangkok. More laid back and less of a big city. We hardly encountered a beggar (except further north. Children beggars are a depressing sight, but they smile eventually with their unique child's resilience and your heart lifts) and the air was quite cooling. 

Did a lot of thinking during travel. It hurt my brain but it was essential. My ipod died on the plane anyway and this left me quite distraught. Hence the thinking. 

A little udpate that has pictures on it

People of some interest in KL last night. L to R, Mark Huang (minus fluffy hair), Matt Huang (Zeal bro), monkey, Lauren Lim (who shouldn't be wearing that tag), some noob who hearts NY (I'm pretty sure that's not even his shirt!), Steph Lim (minus being in melbourne), Joanne Yooooooooo (also minus being in melbourne), and phye beng (bassists...who needs 'em?) 

Entertainment between bands. Cute Asian chick drummers. What more could you ask for lolz? Kade...the search is over. (I doubt he even knows this blog exists haha Someone tell him!)

I'm going to join a ska band and/or a drumming group, like these guys from singapore. woooo

Me and Dan Tan the Man just chilling with a roll of wrapping paper. MILOOOO.

And this is where we had supper for new year's. A random shop with tables on the roadside and cops waiting to pounce...bribed with food or money we'll never know...commonplace in malaysia! 

Ah so the photos uploaded in reverse order than what they were supposed to. Read captions at your discretion. 

Last night we watched A Mantle The Sea do their thing at The Pavilion in KL. Outdoor main street gig nokia phone launch. Man, i would love an opportunity like that for my band. Haha. Stupid jack going to england. :) 

One thing i learnt was that Malaysian crowds are somewhat unresponsive to stage banter. Tough crowd. Even when the ska band came on, it was only me and 3 malay guys doing the only skanking (fyi, thats the weird kick dance we were doing. The 2-step!)...*sigh* you guys gotta learn to loosen up! I guess it was just the general public, slightly older and it is kind of not very asian to do things wild in public like that...Oh well! the catchcry of the moment does seem to be carpe diem, coram deo. (what 'coram deo' is there involved in skanking? i'll leave that for you to decide). Only in Malaysia will a ska band have trouble getting the public rowdy. We left a bit early and i hope that things got livelier afterwards... (?) 

Only in Malaysia will we go out for noodles at 11:30pm and then get stuck in a traffic jam at 12- freaking-30 in the am!! It was amazing and inexplicable. We got stuck on the way in as well. A 40 minute trip (geographically-speaking) turned into a 2 hour car drive unfortunately. No Malaysia trip is complete without the traffic jam experience!! 

But I do hate getting stuck in traffic with a ratio of 9 ads to one song on the radio. That's my idea of hell. Haha.

(:

So anyway, going travelling to places without the internet for a week. Going to visit Penang tomorrow after church. 5 hour drive. back to KL briefly on tuesday and then straight to Chiang Mai (that's in thailand in case you were wondering) the next morning. So i get to miss both Malaysian and Aussie mates at the same time! A rare opportunity i know.  

toodles! 

xxox

Christmas Playlist 2 Of 2

Another day, another playlist. Hmm. 

Music for the more 'discerning listener'

• Icelandic gibberish that makes you very happy on the inside: Sigur Ros with Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur 
• If it sounds like American indie, it's The Shins' Australia
• A song with a lot of snare drum 'Who do you carry the torch for my young man? Do you believe in anything?' is Brand New's Archers
• Same Gyroscope song as below. 'Take 22 of 3 and we'll see how well she takes a hit, if she makes it'
• Two girls singing at once 'I listened in yes i'm guilty of this you should know this' is Canadian indie sweethearts Tegan & Sara with hit single The Con
• 1 2 3 4 by Feist. You should be able to figure this one out
• A girl who goes 'whoaa whoaa whoaa' a lot- Marvellous Things by Eisley. Named after the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars. A very well-dressed group of Americans. Christian too i think.
• I may or may not have put Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight Tonight on here
• 'Maybe maybe nothing could prepare you...' Aussie group Something For Kate with single from 2006 (?) Cigarettes & Suitcases
• 'You used to get it in your fishnets, now you only get it in your nightdress' Arctic Monkeys' Fluorescent Adolescent. Listen to the lyrics for a cheeky story. hehe.
• Bloc Party Sunday starts with drum tom rolls and goes 'heavy night, it was a heavy night'
• Electric guitar intro with female singing 'what's my Hlife but some hell?' - Aussie indie pop siren Kate Miller-Heidke with one of my friend's 'couple songs' with her ex-bf (sorry lau)- Space They Cannot Touch
• 'You know what they say about getting older. It's only a doorway away'. Here We Go Again by Angus & Julia Stone.  See below
• 'I think I'm in love with the girl next door. It's driving me crazy i can't take it any more. I hear her playingthe drums late at night. The neighbours complain but that's the kind of girl i like' love those lyrics. haha. Mystery Jets Two Doors Down. These guys are playing in singapore on sunday. Wish i could go since i missed them in sydney. :)
• Chorus: 'my heart is a cold acre. nothing grows in a cold acre' Aussie balladeers Augie March  with The Cold Acre
• Might be another Augie March song on here called One Crowded Hour
• 'Come and rescue me, in the water deep...' classic song from the 90s. Powderfinger Up & Down & Back Again
• 'Across the niiiiight, i watch the moon as it stole my slumber' classic album Doirama 2002 from a grown up Silverchair Across The Night

So that's what i had written down in my ipod. Hmm...not as much aussie stuff as i initially thought. It may or may not vary accordingly. Please shoot any questions my way asap. Eugene- track 8 was smashing pumpkins? Doesn't sound right...help me out here guys.  

Cheers big ears.  

Christmas Playlists 1 Of 2

Due to popular demand here are the tracklists for the Christmas mixtapes you may or may not have received from me (if you didn't...it just means I don't love you that much...jkz haha). I made two main CDs- one with happier, more poppy tracks and another CD for the 'more discerning listener'. I didn't give out tracklists 'cos i didn't have a printer handy. I may have mixed the tracks up a little bit between discs so here's what I have left. I'll give some lyrics so you can figure it out yourself. 

i aimed to introduce a good mix of Aussie music to you guys. Plus some non-aussie ones too.

'Fun Disc'

• 'Breathing from a hole in my lung, waiting for someone...' Aussie rock royalty turned pop whackjobs Silverchair with their biggest single yet Straight Lines
• 'You're keeping secrets, there's only one I need to find...' older Aussie rock Motor Ace with Keeping Secrets. These guys are no longer a band
• 'If I've learnt anything from this, it'll all be gone, all be gone...' new Aussie punk darlings The Getaway Plan with Where The City Meets The Sea. I do quite enjoy this single even if their album is a bit boring.
• 'Give me 20 good reasons to let you go/i need to know' Aussie pub pop rock faves Thirsty Merc with the song called 20 Good Reasons funnily enough
• 'Do you belong to a song, does it drag you along by the tongue at the top of your lungs?...'American punk weirdos The Matches with Salty Eyes
• 'Did I say I'm just a boy?...' Aussie acoustic folk bro-sis duo Angus & Julia Stone with Just A Boy
• 'From the brightest side of this star, i'll forget just who you are...' 22 Of 3 is one my favourite songs from another Aussie group Gyroscope
• There's a song called Funky Tonight by The John Butler Trio (Aussie) which you should be able to figure out yourself
• 'Sugarcane in the easy morning, weathervanes my side to cross to...' or something like that. Panic At The Disco (minus the !) with Northern Downpour
• 'She wants to go to the seaside, but it doesn't mean that everybody wants to go...' British indie heartthrobs The Kooks with Seaside
• Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine is a deadset classic and you should recognise it yourself
• 'Taking everything I know, and put in into action...' Aussie acoustic duo Playjerise with Safe To Say. Not on commercial radio. Christian too.
• 'We all have a weakness, some of us are easy to identify, look me in the eye...' it's Incubus baby!! Dig from their new album
• I'm pretty sure this song has an msn sound in it somewhere. Or maybe that was another song. Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn from American hipsters Hellogoodbye
• 'I got the way, the way has got me...' Aussie indie-pop siren Kate Miller-Heidke with I Got The Way. She's a looker.
• Speaking of lookers, Hayley Williams owns my heart forever...ha. Tasteful Foo Fighters cover My Hero by Paramore
• 'I see your shadow on the street now, i hear you push through the grass to get...' real Aussie rock royalty Powderfinger with classic My Happiness from the 90s.

Well that's enough playlisting for one post. I'll get the other one together at a later date. This might be the actual order some of you might've received the CD. I didn't mix it up that much tbh. Let me know if this helps at all.

Comprende? 

(:

The Created Void

It's all in my head,

if you want you can look inside.

There's nothing but red,

and all the mess I've been.

It's all in the way

I say what I don't mean 

and

mean what I don't...

I need to speak 

of 

You.

I friggoin love Underoath. Here, have a photo of us that is totally and completely irrelevant to the above. We are playing Transformers Monopoly. Clockwise from bottom left: Joanna, Me, Marie, cousin Eugene (newly bankrupted i do believe), Steph, cousin Adrian (birthday lunch event), Transformers display case, Anderson, Benjamin's hands I think. Courtesy of phye beng and others not featured in the photo.

Carpe Diem Coram Deo

We all know what carpe diem means. It's the coram deo that has stuck to my mind this past week. It means in the presence of God and is no small task by any means. To live every moment and seize every opportunity is a popular notion, but to constantly do so with the awareness of God's presence is something else altogether. 

The 27th to 30th of Dec. were spent in a small property 2 hours north of KL with 60 other youths from the church we're involved with here. It was a jampacked schedule and an incredible amount of fun was had. While there was little time to actually sit down and hold one of my much-loved dnm conversations (as seems to be all too common these days) I felt a strong sense of joy pervaded the entire camp and we were all enriched by the passion sessions.  

I guess this is something of the presence of God. 

Some of the many many highlights:

• Using the 'Just-Whack-Only' philosophy to full effect in our Zeal group to win most if not all the challenges. Somehow we didn't win the whole camp though.
• Rachel Tan's killer line in talent time: 'Now your training is a success, go out and kick some ass!' followed by David Ho's not-so-killer-line 'What do we have here, a little boy do we have here'. His vocab ain't so big i guess... 
• Making JV laugh and finding PJ's secret talents which made us laugh a lot harder than Jason did. Also included: KQuah's toybox routine and Matt's snake dance
• World War YF which made less sense than Eugene's morning exercises sometimes but was fun nonetheless
• Caving yet again
• Getting to know many new people; especially seeing the younger ones and helping them come into their own

The point of the matter is that the camp was an incredibly enjoyable and meaningful time and only confirmed itself as a highlight of our Almost-Annual Malaysia vacation. Too bad there wasn't more time to it. i.e., forever perhaps? Wishful thinking. :)

So with this we welcome 2009. Seems fitting to renew our zeal for life with such a camp. New year's was spent at church watchnight service (refer to last year's blog on my facebook if you're interested haha) and a quick mamak after. A slightly sobering start to the 2nd decade of my life. 

Just the way I like it. 

I was going to upload some more  photos but it was taking too long (this also explains why i may be quite slow in replying to things if i can bother at all. The net is a lot slower than i remember it to be). So check out my facebook for photos or my sister's yeah? 

not much of a blog but just letting you all know that all is very much well and we are still eating a heck of a lot. happy new year all! And many grats to Erin and Jarryd. May the loving continue on far into the future! 

:)