Boxing Day Bonanza

I'd just finshed witnessing Liverpool had their 8th straight win in the premier league, this time against newcastle (2-0). Owen came home to Anfield for the 1st time since he left 1 n a half years ago, but he barely touch the ball in this match, Liverpool is simply too good to Newcastle, hehe... Anyway, he's still worldclass, and i still hope he'll return to liverpool...

Christmas is over... A season of greetings; of giving; of receiving; of christmas tree and snow man; of santa claus; of ginger bread man, cookies and pudings; of peace, love and joy; of silent and holy nights; and of course, more importantly, of the day when Jesus was born... Though dec 25th is not the exact date he was born 2005 years ago, but who cares, as long as he's remembered. Since then, the history changed, the fate of human changed, and the relationship between God and men changed...

I don't know the best way of celebrating christmas... On the eve, we 3 brothers attended the church christmas buffet in MS Garden Hotel. Usually the whole family will go, but this year, my parents went for a wedding instead. I enjoyed the turkey and deserts particularly, hehe.. We exchanged presents during the dinner, and i got a small photo frame, not bad though...That night, i slept with christmas musics on the whole night while enjoying the sound of rain drops and peacefulness... On the next morning, we went for church service, and that night, had a family steamboat in MS Garden Hotel again... Though these sounds simple, but i enjoyed the time of being together with my family and old friends as well... Everyone has their own way of celebrating christmas- some would have a party, some would go out with friends, some would shop, some would rest at home, some would get drunk in the bar, some would have some private romantic dinner with their partner, some would go for vacation, and some would involves themselves in church activities. Whatever it is, as long as you taste the loveliness and joyous and peacefulness of christmas, it would be a good christmas... As for me, i'm just being glad to be home for it, to spend time in the familiar and relaxing house with family members (since i'm still single and available :P)

Well, sadly to say, today is also the day when tsunami hit south east asia exactly a year ago. 200,000 lives were taken, and millions of properties were lost... Even till today, people still grief and feel sad for the day when God shown His wrath. After the disaster, apart from the pain and sorrow, we can see the whole world being united once again, in giving help, in saving lifes, in aiding the rebulid. Once in a while, men get together to be as one, as when life is too comfortable and easy, we took it for granted and live life a bit too selfishly, and we often forget the God above who is in control. Even today, people still think men can win god, but look at what happened, He just raised His hand, and make the land crack a bit, thousands of fragile lifes were taken just like that. I don't know why He did that, but i know behind every tough moments, there're stories where men lives stronger, love more, care more, and believe in Him more. I'm not saying that i rejoice for the lost souls, i do feel deeply grieved, but I'm just trying to clarify that behind every stories, there are 2 ends. No matter how happy and perfect is it on one side, there might be great pain and lost on the other, just that we didn't see it and neglected it. Of course, on the other hand, the vice versa is also true.

I enjoyed my vacation here in Malaysia. I relaxed a lot; got my appendix removed; played computer games; read "Five People You Meet In Heaven"; watch tv; kicked some football; chatted online; went out with friends; watch "King Kong" and "Narnia"; and more significantly, ate all i could. I love every single food in Malaysia, from home-cooked to the stalls beside the streets, yum yum, everything here is heaven-like compared to India. In one more week time, i'll be flying back to the gloomy land and start my second sem of MBBS, but still, i'll enjoy myself to the fullest within this period of time.

First class infrastructure, third class mind set; or vice versa?

There had been no news bout our transfer issue lately, and as for me, my urge to leave this place died off. I don’t know why, maybe throughout these few weeks, I got even better adapted to this place and the people here. (And I also found other ways of entertainments) Well, presently, I would like to take the challenge to stay in this place and graduate successfully after 5 years. “Wouldn’t it be a greater success compared to other medical students who studied under a comfortable and pampered environment?” I thought to my self. There had also been many articles about us being published in the press of Malaysia, and our condition here in Mangalore had been a ‘big’ issue to the government of Malaysia, the administrations of KMC, and of course parents and students.

Recently, our prime minister told the Malaysian citizens that we can’t afford to have the first class infrastructure, but with people of third class mind set. I totally agree with that. Yes, we have the tallest and newest buildings, broadest high ways, latest technologies and infrastructure, but are the people of Malaysia really do have the standard to be at the highest level? There are corruptions, racism, laziness, crimes, and attitude problems, to name a few. In china, they named the next coming generation as the ‘fragile generation’, why? These new-born are the only child in the family, and with the wealth and stability in the sense of economy of the country having now, definitely these children will be pampered like mad. Their last generation fought so hard to achieve all these that we could see in china today, and the next generation just get all these comforts easily without even need to raise their hand to work- for sure, that generation will be too fragile to face any problems in life, not to say taking over the leadership of the country. Look at US, UK, they are having the top facilities and technologies, but are the people really living in ‘good’ life? Terrorism, war, crimes, divorce, premarital sex, shootings… the moral and religious values of the people in these countries had been dropping, in fact is now in a critical state. These people are suffering deep inside even though they have the best infrastructure outside. Why? The answer is simple; this generation works too little and got all they’re having now too easily- without going through hardships. They do not know the meaning of appreciation, gratitude, and took things for granted too often. Let’s get back to Malaysia, the reason why we are having the achievements we see now is because of the generations who went through the independence. Yes. They fought, they suffered, they persevered, they worked, and when they finally got their success, they appreciate, they treasure, and they work even harder to achieve the better, and they appreciate again, they give thanks. There’s not even a thought of going out when they’re too free to do stupid things, to do something that spoil the goodness, or break the harmonious environment they achieved.

Same thing applies to medical students (and of course all students of all courses too). Whenever we trace back who are the best batch that came out of a medical school, or where are those ‘best doctors’ in the hospitals come from, there’s always a trait- they are those who went through the most hardships, but still able to overcome (or to oversee) them, those who always focus on their purpose, who understand what suffering means, who appreciate all that they’re having. These are the doctors who can really understand the patients, who are willing to work extra hard and sacrifice themselves. Yes, this place of which I’m studying now is hard to live at, in case of apparent infrastructure, but what makes the most difference is the mind. The MIND is the most powerful thing God created on our body, and from a medical point of view, the mind (or brain) controls all the adrenaline, the thought, and the feeling that tell the other parts of the body what to response. A different mind set is what separates a happy and a sad person, a cheerful and an angry one, or the appreciative and the grumbling man.

Let us now face the fact, and be positive. The infrastructure and the campus of KMC, Mangalore is not good, but if we persevered though and graduate well, is it not a greater joy and achievement compared to those who study in a much better environment in IMU, UK, Ireland or any place else( pardon me, I mean no offence to those of my friends who are studying there). This place has got a good reputation of producing one of those best doctors in the world, and we must be proud of ourselves (those who studied in a medical school with no reputation and not even recognized had succeed, why can’t we). The food here is terrible, so let’s get out of this place and out of these foods in the minimum of 5 years time, not staying back for another year due to failure. The local people around are empathy and disgusting to be seen, but this is the best chance for us to learn how to value life, how to love them and accept them- they’re the future patients, and if we can’t be at the same level as them, how can we treat them well? And also, being in this place is like going back to the old days of Malaysia when our parents and grandparents once lived, and isn’t it great to be able to experience “Back To The Future”? Yes, the driving on the road here is scary, but isn't it what all the young drivers in Malaysia craved for?- speeding n excitement. Wouldn’t it be a much happier ending for us to have a first class mind set in a third class environment than vice versa?

However, sometimes I find myself hard to accept me being a doctor (and many of my friends thought that too), sounds funny right?! I’m those “let’s-be-cool”; “enjoy-comes-first”; “happy-go-lucky”; “who-cares”; “slow-and-steady” kind of person. I really can’t see myself being a noble, selfless, and patient doctor. Maybe God will slowly change me inside out by putting me in this place, or, maybe, I might just be a ‘different kind’ of doctor in the future.’J

p/s: inspired by dr. nagra, Pro Vice-Chancellor and the Dean of Melaka Manipal Medical College in Malaysia, who purposely flew to Mangalore and visit us- a bunch of monkey ambassador from Malaysia :P

SOS call from the Black Paradise (part 3)

I get depressed every time I see the local people sleeping by the road side; scavenging the rubbish and walking around bare-footed. The roads are full of holes and mud, and the air is so polluted with exhaust smoke and dust. It is so emphatic and disgusting to see all these conditions. Majority of the people here do not have health conscious at all. They don’t value their life, and they simply live and let die. All of us Malaysians feel ‘out-of-the world’ here. It is so depressing to see all these sickening and gloomy conditions everyday. I hardly feel cheered-up, but instead get tenser, stressed up and feel down n moody. I feel that my life is being “down-graded” here, no longer caring about the latest news, latest technologies, latest music, latest movies or latest fashion happening around the world because all these things are not important in this place.

I still feel far lagging behind in classes because I was absent in lectures for a long time due to my health problem. Many of my fellow friends here also share the same difficulty in study. All of us get sick almost every week. Besides, the education system here only requires memorizing. There’s no such thing as problem solving or group discussions. All I need to do to pass my exam is just to listen and study and memorize. It does not stimulate our right brain- our creativity, our artistry, our critical thinking, and our logic. Furthermore, we have no entertainment and sports here. There’s nothing else to be done except to sit down and study. In this kind of environment, i'll die!!! I believe one day, after 5 years here, I will get more dumb n stupid, like most of the local ppl (they quite dumb in doin many things, and their work rate is reallly inefficient..)

Some more, in the 2nd year, i’ll be exposed to the patients in the local hospital. The condition of the local general government hospital is really bad. My seniors told me you’ll vomit when you get there. Besides, I need to learn their local languages-Karnada, in order to communicate with the local patients. Imagine we all practicing in such a bad conditions and talking in an alien language, will it be helpful when we return to Malaysia to practice medicine? Will we be able to talk fluent Malay, mandarin and English with the Malaysian patients at that time? I doubt it.
I came to India with a high n adventurous spirit , determined to do well in my study and excel to be a good doctor, but unfortunately, those dreams are shattered. I no longer enjoy my study here, not having a healthy and happy life, and more importantly, many of my friend got stressed up and potentially having emotional problem.

Now, since the past 2 weeks, JPA officers had been meeting parents, education minister, and even prime minister, discussing bout our condition and what they can do... JPA are under great pressure from many parents who're BIG person, and the main point they're discussing now is- to move us out of this place and place into other places, most likely IMU!!! Many things are being evaluated and done, and there's quite a big possibility that it will happen... I'll definitely wanna leave!!! Some of my frens wanna stay, but majority are leaving... I'll pray hard for this, and may God's way be done... anyway, i'm sick of this place, except my room of course...

Where Is God When There Is Pain

On 20th Sept, Tue, i was admited into KMC Hospital due to severe stomach pain and non-stop vomiting, and after some careful check-ups, the doctor said that i had acute appendicitis.. the next day of hospitalization, i was asked for operation, but i refused (of course i'm scared, feeling alone abroad, and somemore it was my 1st time being admited into hosp in my whole life, and for sure, the 1st time being confronted by operation), but later on, all my frens and my parents asked me to go for it, cz it's only a minor op, and if u dun do it now, sooner or later it'll get more serious...and so the next day(22nd sept), when i finally made up my mind, the doctor suddenly said that the appendix had evolved into a mass, and it is not the right time to have op as it might hurt other parts of the body, and there's a danger... So, conservative treatment is being carried out (by dripping of antibiotics n glucose).. Operation can only be done after at least a month, when the mass subside...i can't eat for the period, and also i kept on vomiting (though ntg came out, but it was really painful and troubling)..like this, i'd not eaten or even , and was really wedrank anything for a week, i'm very weak n lonely n moody during that period... that was the time i started blaming, "y i'm so sick?" , "y i'm being put in this stupid place-india?","y i'm not healed though i'd stayed in hosp for so long and there were so many ppl praying for me?", "y i can't feel God's comfort n healing?" My parents got really really worried, and they decided to fly here to look after me... on 26th sept-my dad, my mum, n my grand-aunt reached... they brought many foods n chinese nutritious herbs for me, though i still cant drink and eat that time(vomiting still).. however, i'm really lightened up to see them, and due to their tender care and their presence by my side, i recovered fast.. Finally, i was able to eat n there's no more pain...I was discharged on Sat, 1st Oct after 10 days of hospitalisation.. I'm planning to do my op in Malaysia when i go back for 3 weeks vacation(cz parents are there n they can look after me n take care of my food)...However, i need to be extremely careful with the food i take in these 2 months time- no spicy, no oily, well-cooked (which is quite impossible to get here in mangalore).. I need to cook myself, and the mess is very helpful in preparing me 'special' food... please pray that nothing bad will happen to my stomach during these period..

One thing that surprised me the most is that my parents' journey was extremely smooth- they came across many problems but all the problems were just solved easily; they met many angels along the way( obviously God is working in a wonderful way)... Besides, almost all of my class mates from Malaysia came n visited me everyday, and there'd been many ppl around the world praying for me and sending me SMS and calling me- frens from UiTM, Kuantan, KL, and even US, UK, Germany, Australia etc.. I'm wondering how the news are able to spread that fast, but I'm really thankful to all my dear frens... I was treated like a VIP in the hospital.. firstly, i'm shifted into Special Ward with tv (i'd watched many many movies on HBO n STAR MOVIES and football in ESPN), and many VIPs visited me- the Dean of KMC, the Head of Student Affairs, Chief Warden of my hostel, doctors, the pastor n local church members and JPA officers(3 of them came to visit India bound students)...almost every staffs in the hospital know me (i'm the only foreigner in the whole hosp, 2gether with my family)... Finally, I'm able see light, God's light, shining on me through other ppl.. i feel important suddenly,i realize that God is in control and He loves me n care for me still... Though He might seems distant sometimes when there's pain, i know He's still out there looking at me, and continue His plan on me... Though i might not feel Him, nor touch Him, see Him, He's nothing but Real, and He's there all the time, everywhere...

I would like here to convey my most heartly thanx to all my friends, church members, family members, and everyone who cared and prayed... Thank you and God bless!!!! :)

Sunday Morning

This is my third Sunday morning spent here in India, and this Sunday is the busiest so far, cz I’m MOVING!!! Moving into a brand new AC single room, for FREE, thanx very much to JPA!!! JPA are very well aware of all our conditions here, they called us to ask our situation, emailed us, and most importantly, they personally asked the admins to provide the best possible “services”!!! And last Fri, they came out with the best ever verdict – All Malaysians will be provided AC room, and JPA is paying for all the extra fees, hurray!!! Thank God!!! Me, and another 5 chinese guys from KTT, moved to Sturrack Road, a more peaceful and clean place compared to my old hostels… Not many ppl stay here, cz it’s expensive – 123,000 rupees per year(bout RM 10,00o).. Well, there’s new bed, new mattress, new chair, new cupboard, new book rack, new table, and nice toilet, just like a hotel!!!! Wow, everything seems so comfortable now in the room – alone, cooling, internet, new loud speakers…. Ahhhh…. But some cons is that it’s actually quite lonely in the room, and we missed all the Malays and locals too, who’re staying in the old hostel (only seniors and rich people stay here in Sturrack)

Last Sunday I went to church- New Life Fellowship, together with Yuan Hwen, Adriana n Rhema (these are the four non-catholic Christian in this Malaysian group). The church is only bout 5 mins auto ride from my hostel, and the church is not a big church anyway- bout 150 members, n quite expectedly, there’s no AC, but is equipped with a electric guitar, a drum set, a PA system, and loud speakers(not bad though for a church in India, I thought)… The worship is quite spirit-filled, and though the number is small, the outcome of the singing is really loud; they sang with much passion and high spirit, I’m quite impressed!! The songs they sang are very familiar to me – Every Move I Make, Shout to the North, etc... The preaching is not bad too, the pastor talk “normal” English, n his way of giving the message is quite interesting and brought revelation to me.. He was talking that we’re Adam (adam means ‘the man’), and we’re special and unique n made in God’s image n we’re given the authority to RULE; a Ruler is above the situation, not under it; he takes control and empower the situation, not ruled by it; and oso we’re ought to take pride of who we are, as we are, in Christ, sitting at the right side of God, and have the privilege of being called the son of God…As a Christian, we must NOT be a simple and humble follower of Christ, but instead stand up and do great things for the glory of God…A verse struck me suddenly, “be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you are” Joshua 1:9… Also, people kept on reminding me that God must have a wonderful plan ahead, and I knew that too, but so far I had not seen the big picture yet, not even a clue, but I decided to stay strong and persevere through the hardship here; I’ll want to empower this current situation, but not surrender to it; I would like to rise up from my depression, and soar like an eagle; I pray oso that He’ll reveal His plan to me soon… Five n half years is a very very long time, and hopefully, I can get through it; I’ll try to walk by faith all the time, and shine for Jesus, and successfully become a doctor…

There’re so much to study in Medicine, so much to catch up for us who just joined, and the 1st sessional exam is only a month ahead, hopefully I can get through…I’ll go back M’sia on 12th Dec, there’s a 3-week vacation, and I can’t wait for the day to come…I miss my family, ‘doggy’, kuantan frens, INTEC frens, church mates, my bed, char kuey tiao, Hokkien mee, home cooked rice, Bak kut teh, football, Megamall…

Here, I would like to convey a heart of gratitude to those who cared for me n encouraged me and prayed for me--mostly to Mum n dad n my bros; then JPA; my church, CA members like Zhang zhi, Lynn Xuan, Wei sian, Michelle, Ee Ling, Linda, Choon Wei, Brandon, Chaw Kuin, Rebecca; other INTEC frens like Chew Ying, Chuan Teng, Jong, Roy; Kuantan mates like Lip Kuan, Choon Jye, Jocelyne, Wei Ping n many others…Beg me pardon if I’d missed out someone.. Thanx for encouraging me n praying hard for me… Thanx a lot…

"I See Dead People"

We have 8 hours each week to meet the dead people, or more precisely, the cadavers.. There’s a collection of bout 30 bodies, “swimming” in a formalin pool, and during each dissection anatomy class, groups of bout 30 people will sit next to a specific body, and WATCH( we dun have the qualification to dissect yet, only to touch them) the post graduates carefully and artistically peel off the skin, the fasciae, the fats, the muscles, and the tendons layer by layer, bit by bit for us to observe and study each and every part one by one.. The cadavers are black and quite old (they’re preserved for at least few years), some of their body parts are being ripped off or opened up, and some even have only half of the head, yiiakkeezzz!!! They bear faint formalin smell, and the formalin often makes our eye feel tearful and tired… Unbelievably, none of us vomited, though undoubtedly, the scary and disgusting feeling is there sometimes...

Classes had been continue to be blur for many of us, firstly because we missed some classes, and secondly still, due to language problem; many lecturers (they’re all doctors though) are simply hypnotizing; we can hardly make out what are they describing on the slides sometimes… Exam is only a month away, and we’re still struggling hard in our studies, esp in anatomy - there’s just too much things to memorize. Most of the locals seems to be very well prepared, as they always know how to answer the doctors’ questions.. things we’re studying now are very familiar to them cz they’d studied them in their 10+2 foundation…

On the other hand, I would like to admit dat we, the Malaysians actually brought some ‘havoc’ to the administration of Kasturba Medical College.. The Dean of KMC, especially, is being troubled by non-stop pressures from us the students, the parents, and JPA… There were many discomforting complaints; and the involvement of JPA, or can be so called the Malaysian government, simply ‘stimulated’ the admins to act fast and carefully… Extra classes had been postponed-to-dunno-when before this, the bad conditions of the rooms had not been repaired, and the food had been sux ..Yesterday, the dean personally met us and instantly arranged everything for our comfort, including the possibility of offering AC rooms to every one of us (but of coz if only JPA would pay for us), wow… However, I think we can’t blame everything on them… This is India, and India is about an era behind than that of what Malaysia is now… the conditions here is like the 50-years-ago environment in Malaysia… they wouldn’t know that what they’re having normally is considering very old and bad for we Malaysians… We, as students, as the ‘ambassadors’ of Malaysia, are supposed to be strong in other countries, to adapt and accept, to over come and persevere what is being offered here, not only to complain and expect everything to be like the ideal home sweet home, correct?? (Haha, suddenly I feel that my self being a hypocrite… Yea, I do complained a lot anyway, but now I’d accepted the fact, hehe, I know this sounds ironic)

SOS call from the "Black Paradise" (part2)

Class started, it's really hard to make up wat some of the lecturers are saying, and the lecturer hall in non-AC, hot n stuffy, 200 student in the hall, and electricity always break down (this happens to all part of india, shit) Guys need to wear formal everytime in school, n gals need to wear their 'formal' indian dress, eg Sari, sux rite...We guys need to walk to the school everyday, 15mins walk, passing through the dirt, dust, exhaust smoke, rubbish n cow dunks :( We all are already late for 1 month, and the school's only giving us once extra class per week, rubbish lar, it'll be no use at all cz we're still keeping up with other normal classes, and during these other classes, we're totally blur, esp Anatomy n Physiology (btw, we're taking 3 subjects- Physiology, Anatomy, and Biochemistry) We had seen some corpses yday, definitely will get to disect them in the coming days... We have 6-days class each week, which is killing, and everyday from 9am to 4.30 pm... break from 1.00-2.30pm, of which we need to walk back to our men's hostel again to have lunch, and to-from takes 3- mins, they say we can't join the gals to eat at school, crap lar..

Bout food here, 1 word- sux!!! Dining hall always serve exctly the same food -Chapati, white rice, and curry vege... dat's all!!! for extra order, of which u need to pay more, is only either a fish- chicken, and an egg, plus fruit juice... Every meal, every day, not even a diff roti!!! Food at dining hall is a must-pay for all hostel students, even if u do not eat , u still pay, shit!! And ya, the voltage here is only 220v, compared to M'sian's 240v, so, i can't even boil water in my room cz it'll over load, n power will break down, shit, can't cook myself oso, gonna get a power stabilizer... and oso, the electricity in India always break down, can up to 10 times a day, and this really hurts the lap top.. some of my fren cant charge their lap top, and 1 of them the lap top spoilt, shitty rite..

i'm now trying to get wireless phone for my room,n eventually will have internet access hopefully...i had a new local mobile number (+919886215008), feel free to msg or call :) i miss malaysia, truly!!! Life here SUX to MAX, hopefully i'll get used to it, but currently i'm still can't accept the fact that i'm gonna be here for 5.5 yrs (trying hard to accept that)... Thanx for the comments oso, wonder why suddenly so many ppl put there read me and support me, i'm really thankful for that...

SOS call from the "Black Paradise"

I stepped foot at Bangalore International Airport at bout 11.45pm (india time; 2 hours later than that of M'sia), and the 1st thing which shocked me was a stray dog lingering around the air port, and the air port is old n dusty( 1st impression n the starting of dissapointment).. However, i really thank God that my whole hourney was very fluent, thanx for all the prayers (some of my frens' luggage delayed and they can only get them few days later)..We stayed a night at a 4-star hotel (a major boost instead), and the next morning flew to Mangalore, and there's where nightmare started!!!!

Let me 1st lead you for some visual imagination of India:
COLOR - brown (every corner of the streets, the walls of buildings, and the air, are yellowish, damn!!!!
SIZE - small (the taxis, buses, local cars, roads,shops, and houses are very compact, and of course, very uncomfortable!!!
SCENT - "indian-plus-dust-smell" (it's very uncomfortable for me, from the clean and clear air of M'sia, sux man!!!
SKIN - black, thoroughly, even the campus has less than 1% international student, oh my God!!!
SOUND - "honk, honk!!!" - every single driver horn like crazy, the frequency is bout 5 horns per min each driver, crazy!!!

Ok, let me start to describe my personal experiences... The main office of the college, foremostly, is situated at the centre of the hustle-bustle town, n wat i mean husle here is really really noisy with horns, and dusty... the whole campus is seperated around the town, and the main office( the only 1 building i'd been since) is extremely small; super old; all local student; and not even a sport facility!! The campus bus is the size of 'BAS-MINI' in M'sia - open-windowed, no AC; i wonder how dirty will our shirts get for each trip..those 4 seaters buses like the UiTM bus is very rare, and 3 seaters VIP bus is out-of-the-world here..
Now to the hostel... For the 1st year student's, it is situated half way inside a jungle, have to pass by those 'kampung-like-boulevard' and it's damn damn damn old, like those flats of the 80's...The furniture is ancient (but thank God mine are all well conditioned), and the whole block has only locals, exept us..There's no Internet point at all in our hostel...But the weather in Mangalore is not as hot, heard that this is the coolest place in the whole of south india, the climate are similar to M'sia.. When we reached the hostel, everyone was looking at us from above, eyeing our lap-tops and stuffs, damn scary!!! We have a dining room which serve only indian food, which is so much diff from M'sian, every single thing is red and orange in color...And oso, this is the 1st time we, m'sian, experienced the feeling of being stared at, like aliens, but they are very friendly to us, though there's always a very very hard problem in communicating, their indian accent is too strong, so as our M'sian slang...Luckily there's a tv room which serves bout 40 channels including ESPN, HBO, CARTOON NETWORK, National Geographic, AXN...The shops here closes at 9pm, and there's no night life here..Everything is cheap here, except electronic stuffs and papers, (Harry Potter is only RM80)...The girls' hostel is even worse, there're many corpse lying just there around the stair-case, super scary...I dunno how about Manipal, but from wat i heard, township wise, we win; facility wise, them (they even have Starbucks in the campus!!!, and we have nothing)

I feel like crying in the first night here, and i really feel like flying back to the heaven-like Malaysia immediately, where there everything seems just so fine... Prayers are much needed...I'm now staying with another crisitan from Sereman, which is very good...This is my 1st post from india, at the college library, and i'll definitely update constantly bout my current situation... :(

A sigh of relief and a taste of grace...

My A-level results came out today-Physics B, Chemistry A, Biology B;13 overall points out of 15... It does not seems to be a very good result, not even a good result anyway compared to other chinese here, as MOST of them get the full 15 :( ...Anyway, i really thanked God for it coz i expected lower grades, and i really worried about my future before the result came out... Well, i'll be flying to India on 30th Aug, 2215 flight to Bangalore, then the next day take 1040 india local flight to Mangalore, where i'll be studying... At last, everything is settled, and i just feel a BIG relief and peacefulness in me:) At least i do not need to doubt on preparing all my essentials to be brought there, and i do not need to face my friends in a unassured sense when asked bout my future... I did quite of my best in this exam, and i can only put all my worries on God after i did the papers, and by God's mercy and grace, i passed the cut-off point of 12 to pursue my future in India, to study medicine, and to become a doctor (wow)... I witnessed some of my friends who didn't make it to fly, and i really can't imagine if i was one of them... I'm not a serious 'studier', i played a lot, enjoyed too much, and took exams quite lightly, but luckily God gave me a wake-up call during my AS, and it helped me to stand up again stronger (though it's not dat strong in the end, but it's more than enough getting me to fly :) I'm really happy and relief now, which makes me come out at 11.30pm now to write this :) I promised to myself that i will 'really' study hard over there, coz medic is no simple thing at all.. i would not want to put myself into such a worry again next time, and hopefully, i'll keep myself up all the time and not be slack... May God make the path straight ahead of me, amen...

John Hancock advertisement??

My college life...

It'd been for some times since i'd been studying in 'college', to be precise 2 years and 8 months, n it's ended.. I'm now stepping into the 'university' level .. Well, there'd been lots of ups n downs throughout that time.. Getting out of the comfort zone to somewhere far far away (though it might not seems that far for some); beginning a new life; getting new friends; experiencing personal breakthroughs; finding your true self; breaking school rules; trying to be fashionably oustanding; attending prom nites; having crushes*wink* ; getting now a much wider point of view; realising the danger and cunningness of the society; having unforgetable mishaps; etc... Many would had experienced the same experiences i listed, i suppose; and this is the 'college' life it's ought to be, i presume :) I would like to share them now, but here i would like to focus mainly on "people"...

I'd been in INTI College, Nilai for 8 months, took 2 sems of SAM(south australian matriculation), but witdrawn as i got JPA scholarship to study in INTEC, Shah Alam, which i'll tell in detail later...I went there with 3 other local frens- Wei Ping(my roomie), Yoong Wearn, and Chiaw Ling... I do not struggle much to adapt to people, first of all i have few close frens with me, and secondly, new people came into my life just like dat, very easy n naturally, i dunno why, coz i'm not dat kind of ppl who would step up n say "Hi, I'm chee chung, can we be frens?", i am quite passive in this kind of thing, maybe people get comfortable with me all the time and they just come to me themselves :P I experienced my major spiritual breakthrough there... I mingled well in Inti Christian Fellowship; attended Ps. Chris Long's church in Banting( Grace Family Sanctuary), and more importantly, i get to know Jonathan Jong, my class mate n 2 months rommie... He's from Kuching, and he changed me quite much, from christian faith to musics, to movies, to knowledge, to attitude, and to thinking... I thank God for putting him into my life and made me a much more matured person.. I also got to know 4 other frens younger than me- Boo, Joseph, Bjorn and Kau Ren from JB, and they'd brought much happiness and 'insights' to me...They had been my companions for almost every dinner.. And another close friend there, Kok Chuan,but particularly wat we had in common is that we really really had a lot of 'fun' in computer games, haha...

Now, about the 2 year A-level life in INTEC, UiTM...Foremost, i would like to state that every student here are 'smart', yes, they're all SPM top scorers from the whole of M'sia, specially chosen by JPA; and by grace, i'm one of them too(including the 4 close frens from kuantan i mentioned above)... The name 'UiTM' makes ppl think about Malays, and yea, it's true, UiTM is only for Malays; but this is only partly true in the school of INTEC, coz we non-Malay carried 30% of the number of students in my year... Things are really uncomfortable in the beginning- strict rules like u can't wear shorts even in the compound of the hostel; ONLY Malay n Indian food around; loud Muslim prayers everyday... It's really hard for me,(and many ppl too) who came from a chinese-based Inti college to the malay-based UiTM... In the first sem i stayed with 3 other malay( there's only 4 of us in a house), and i had my second spiritual breakthrough when i'm questioned by one of my Muslim house mate, and that time i really struggled to defend christian faith n find fault of Islam, got depressed and had some kind of down period in my faith...However, i managed to get through it after much prayers and researches on the net... I got through it and am now much strongera and comfortable in my faith, but i wont tell the 'process'..Btw, i'm not 'finding fault' of Islam now cause i think there's too much similarity between Christianity and Islam, and i think there's oso a lot of truth in it; but ONE 'thing' seperates them is-- Jesus!!! And He make all the differences...(of which i'm not goin to describe in details)... I get to know a dearly brother, Zhang Zhi, from Sg. Petani... He's my roomie for 1 year; both of us attended Damansara Utama Methodist Church; served in Campus Alive together; watched and talked football; played games; and he's the one God put into my life to keep up my faith in INTEC... And also to add a tribute of fun to all my ex-house mates in the House 16-508( including Zhang Zhi)--Boon Yung, Chuan Teng, Jong, and Sky...It'd been real fun for us staying together, playing football and computer games, yam cha, travelled around M'sia, and did crazy things together... And ya, also my roomy for the last sem and my class mate-Adam Lim from Batu Mertajam... We had heart to heart sharings a lot, encouraged each other everytime we're down, and together experienced many ups and downs in life... Besides, a pretty and lovely good-friend of mine -Chew Ying, who'd been one of my closest frens to share my ups and down.. Also to 3 of my juniors who brought so much more into my life there- Lynn Xuan, Wei Sian, Michelle Lee... They are the active commitee of CA, the key-players of Superb-Six, and the sources of fun and craziness in CA, haha... They'd been caring 'sisters' of mine, buying me chocolates, giving their hands of help and prayers in time of need, making me Ginseng tea (this is particularly of LynnX), and lastly for all their companionships...

Actually, it is the heart of gratitude which suddenly moved me to write this, mostly about those who made an impact in my college life... I wish all the best to them...

Boring at home...

I'd been home sweet home for bout, ermm, 1 month... Things are simple and convenient back home, cause of my mum :P, hehe... I finished my A- level on 27th july, straight away went to Redang island for a 3 days trip with my classmates, back home again, then attended Psychology camp on 20th n 21st, back in hostel (thanx Zhang Zhi n Boon Yung, Chuan Teng n Sky for their rooms n beds), went for annual ALM grand dinner on 25th in Sunway Resort Hotel, and finally, back home again...

Home was fun and peaceful at first, but get more n more boring, coz most of my frens left their home town for studies abroad, and the main course- yam cha, is no longer existing for me here in Kuantan... Basically what i did so far at home was playing computer games, finished Hitman 3, now playing FIFA 05 for fun just to spend my time; online everyday till i've nearly run out of things to surf; read books, finished The Hobbit, now reading The Four Loves by CS Lewis; watch tv, not really following any series though, just to spend time, again; help parents do some chores, though most of the time reluctantly, hehe, but wat to do, they're still my dad n mum...

Actually i'd been having bit of emotional struggle deep inside, keep on thinking of the outcome of my result... A level results out in mid-august, worrying that i can't get the bench-mark of 3B's (though it sounds easy to many)... Worrying bout my physics, scared i really did badly... I'm scared of having back the feeling when i experienced when i get my AS result, it was bad... Whole of my future relies on the result, n if i 'flung', i can't fly to India, n consequently cant become a doctor, and JPA shcolarship will be taken away... However, i put all these worries n burdens to God, to Christ, coz He's in control of everything- my future, my career, everything.... I'd been praying non-stop this holiday, and through the times, i've learnt quite a lot, learnt to really have faith in God that He'll give me the best; to rely on Him alone; to believe miracles do happen in Him... It was hard when being confronted by my parents frens, "When are u flying?", Hey doctor Liu!!" ,ouch, i'm still worrying of my results and they assumed everything for me...

Anyway, i really believe i can fly, and i'm ready to fly (bought a big luggage bag, daily-used-stuffs, suit, n laptop).. I believe God will make me fly to India to pursue my future, coz otherwise he'll not put me under JPA... I trust Him!!! Hopefully He answers my prayer :)

It's 2.30 am now, i'm waiting for Liverpool match live on tv, vs Kaunas, champion's league qualifying 2nd round... There'll be a gathering of my Form5 class tmr, lunch in House of India restaurant... Oh, the match just kicked off..........

Romantic Liverpool !!!!

I just can't hide my excitation on the dramatic come back of Liverpool, the football club i'd supported n persevered with since 2001, to win Italian giant AC Milan in the 2005 UEFA Champion's League Final in Istanbul... i woke up in the middle of night to watch it live though i'm having my a-level chemistry practical exam that morning at 8, and the sacrifice is well worth it :)

Before i even reached the tv room, loud cheers could already be heard from far, and it was the very 1st min that Milan captain, Paolo Maldini, scored from a Pirlo's free kick.. Shit, wat a big hit to Liverpool, i thought quietly... And in the whole 1st half, Milan's skill n precise passing totally outclassed liv, and there came the heart breaking 2nd and 3rd goals form Crespo, being set up brilliantly by Kaka.. It was juz total silence, the Kopz had came thus far against all odds after beating Juventus and Chelsea, and finally got outclassed by Milan...

I was about to stop watching after 1st half, i couldn't imagine Liv player's reaction in the changing room, but then i thought i'll watch the other maybe 15 mins, something might change, miracle might happen, n if Liv dun score within dat time, i'll sleep... There came in Hamann for Finnan, and Liv swithed to juz 3 defenders.. i was like, wat the fuck is Benitez doing?! They'll get thrashed 5 or 6 nil like this..

Anyway, miracle does happened... Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard headed past Dida in the 54th min, and the 40,000 liv fans started to show the world wat they were there in Ataurk stadium for... Within blink of eyes, in the 56th min, veteran midfielder Smicer hammered home a long shot to the left corner of the net, and it's now 3-2... Already unbelievable. Finally, in the 60th min, Gerrard won a penalty!!!! Alonso steped up, got saved (shit), but he was the first to reach the ball again n slotted in to the roof of the net.. WALAU!!! Wat a historic come back of all time.. The match stretched through extra time, and in last 3 min, European Player of the Year 2005, Andry Shevchenko, headed a close range ball, but Liv's Dudek saved it superbly, but the ball fall back to Shevy's leg and he powered it again, but it was a save again!!! Another golden double-save of all time, this time performed by Liverpool's outgoing keeper, Jerzy Dudek!!!

And another add-on of brilliance in extra time: cramped on both legs in the extra time period, someone made some important last second key tackles which held the Milan attackers... Player of the Seaaon, Jamie Carragher, a Liverpool central defender whose carrier was revived in Rafa's revolution, performed many unflinching, unpretentious, n unstoppable character this season... There's no way in England will find another player so committed as he is... John Terry? No way..

At last in the heart-thumping penalty kick out-- Bruce Grobellar, a Reds legendary keeper in the 1984 European Cup final win against Roma, inspired Dudek for the "wobbly legs", which made the 1st Serginho kick fly high up; saved Pirlo's 2nd; and at last Shevy's spot kick!!! Wat is that? Dudek saved the 3 most reliable spot kick taker of Milan!?! Liverpool won in penalty 3-2...
The Reds is again the European Champion for the fifth time!!!! Five stars!!! 3rd most winner after Real Madrid(9) and Milan(6)!!!!

Steven Gerrard is here to stay!!! What a touching moment when he lifted the most valuable trophy in club stage... Hey Chelsea, money isn't everything!!! The skipper earned a Man of the Match display in this final, 3 roles he had took, and his never say die spirit n the impact on the team is just uncomparable... Lampard? Henry? Nah!!!

Last but not least, Rafael Benitez, the Spanish maestro in his first season here, lifted the biggest cup in just 9 months in charge... No big money, no big star players; never being arogant; does not hate the FA rules; cool, gentleman, and cheerful, and a master tactician, is unarguably the Manager of the Season... Fought back and killed Milan from 3-0 down in just 6 min!!.... Mourinho the special one? Haha, sau pei lar..

This is a miracle indeed, and they TRULY never walked alone that night, there was obviously some kind of divine intervention on the game.. God was working, and Liverpool is His favourite at that moment, haha... "You'll never walk alone... Walk on, walk on through the rains..."

During ALM dinner 04

Life's like a dream?

These words are penned by a Columbine High School student ahortly after the mass murder:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.

We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

Those words are as insightful as they are scary. Why do we then live on since life is so cruel, so unfair, so insecure? Is that all life is, or does it mean other else? What's the purpose of us living here on this earth? Is life just about growing up, attending schools, playing games, getting frens, scoring exams, entering universities, getting a job, earning money, marrying, starting a family, having children, growing older, having grandchildren and finally--die?

What matter most when you die? It is not about how much possesions can you hold, how many certificates you own, or how grand ur funeral are... What matter most is that how many people actually attend your funeral and mourn for you, and more importantly, remember you for good...

Is there no hope in life? If the Bible can be believed and what Jesus said is true, then there is!! Jesus said:"I have COME that they may have LIFE, (not only that) AND that they may have it more ABUNDANTLY." Ponder bout this line which He'd said... Y not?? What if it's true?!

me

I'm a blogger now!!!

I've a blog, yeah!! I've a blog now... At least i'm not "out-of-this-generation", and get to click with "BLOG--WORD OF THE YEAR 04"...I, as a student, do not think i'll have much time n ideas to write, or comment..but i'll try, hoping of becoming a part-time-journalist, hehe!! Well, at least this is a good start... Everyone is welcomed to view(thou quality is not assured... :P)