Training Guide For the Ian Mind

Chinese New Year

2007-02-17T05:50:00.000+10:30

I'm here in Kuching after spending like a week in KL. Was busy from the moment I landed doing last minute shopping and meeting up with people everynight. Need to make the most of the one month which I have to spend back at home before heading back to Adelaide. It was nice catching up with everyone; some people i hadnt seen in years others id only last seen last year.

One month almost doesnt seem like enough when you think about it so i think i will consider changing my flight so that I may spend abit more time at home and hang out.

Gonna be in Kuching for about a week, doing the usual stuff that i get up to every year, visiting relatives, eating and collecting ang pow. Hopefully since this is my year, the year of the pig, people will be extra generous but I can only hope as im sure the other pigs out there are hopin as well; you feelin me piggies.

One thing i am surprised about though was how easily i adjusted to the climate. The first day i came back it was so freakin humid, i thought i was gonna suffocate. Was like being in a steam room where most of the steam consisted of noxious ( I think thats how you spell it) gases.

Though after getting back the weather didnt seem so bad. Guess the summer heat in adelaide prepared me somewhat for the weather at home, though the weather here is somewhat better as i dont feel like im being scorched everytime the sun hits my skin, not that i go out much during the day here. The traffic is killer, and i dont like dealing with it.

Gonna spend my week in Kuching catchin up with poeple who i can find and meeting up with relatives who i barely know and some i can barely communicate with, though i think i am getting somewhat better as i was able to have a broken hokkien mandarin conversation with my grandma (hell yeah), which aint that bad.

Met up with Cuz and irene tonight, its been a year but alls cool. Nowadays a year doesnt seem that long, and soon when i go back the year will already be a quarter gone, and thats freaky shit. Look for a job, and try and settle in, we'll see where the tide takes me. As it looks at the moment, I think im in for a smooth ride, with some minor turbulence, much like my ride back from Adelaide. That landing was messed up; the freakin plane swerved left and right, i could hear the fuselage screaming for relief.

It is my year after all, and if the year of the pig can't bring me some(more) prosperity... then God help me

Gong Xi Fa Cai, and hopes to a good year ahead, oink oink

New Address

2007-02-17T05:48:00.000+10:30

I finally managed to find a house, so please take note and send all mail here;

26A Stamford Street,
5031 Parkside,
SA, AUSTRALIA.

Number is still the same at +61403247361.

Robot Chicken Episode 3

2007-02-05T02:08:00.000+10:30

Riddle

2007-01-23T04:31:00.000+10:30

In alpha hides Hera's elusive birth,

In hiding some elude its tricks,

If counting is your heritage,

Then Da Vinci holds the crucifix,

The Greek will teach you how to count,

The Queen will glorify the crown,

Mix and match to find the date,

The time will start from Hera's name,

The second part of clues you'll find,

If solve you can the alpha line,

And when Gregory describes the time of birth,

The line of beta, Hera's name unearthed.

Enough of Houses

2007-01-21T02:52:00.000+10:30

I never thought I would be so unbelievably sick of looking for houses. I think in the last 2 weeks I have gone through at least 15 houses and I don't want to look anymore. Next week I'm going to hear from an agent as to whether we will get this townhouse we applied for in the city, and I hope that we do get it because I am ready to kill myself.

I've seen townhouses, cottages, apartments, terrace houses, detach houses, and everything under the sun to name a few and it seems like luck just isn't on our side. For instance, the ones which we like, either don't have enough rooms, have enough rooms but the room isn't in the right place, doesn't accept more than two occupants, doesn't accept more than 2 adults, doesn't have a long enough lease, doesn't have any furniture OR whitegoods whatsoever, is too far from the city, is too expensive, is being vacated too late....this is so screwed up.

Not to mention the places which we do actually meet most of our criteria. It seems that all the places which have enough rooms in all the right places and utilities and occasionally furniture and a good price all look like shit, smell like shit, have cracks in the walls AND ceiling, are termite eaten, have literal messes of vegetation in the front yard or back yard or walls, rooms the colour of piss and for one particular house, a kitchen which my friend is sure is being haunted by a spirit.

As for all the properties we actually do apply for, we have been rejected by all of them thus far, not that I can blame the owners. Two students and two new graduates, all of which are unemployed (less you discount my friend who currently does have a part time job), and have pretty much lousy references. If I was an owner, I wouldn't choose my own application... however as it stands, I am not an owner and I just want a house, so I can move all my shite before our lease expires at the end of the month.

In terms of irritability...I'm fucking irritated.

Just gimme a fucking house...

Graduation Day

2006-12-23T04:31:00.000+10:30

Graduation was yesterday, the same day my parents arrived. Was such a hectic day, I hadn't slept much for the past 2 days due to half messing around and making preparations for parents arrival. This is basically how my graduation day schedule went:

4:30am : Went to bed
7:10am : Woke up and went to the airport to pick up parents
8:15am : Parents arrive at airport
8:30am : Drop parents off at Beata's house
9:30am : Rush down to apartment to shower and get ready
11:15am : Pack Boon Yao's grandmas wheelchair into car and rush Boon Yao and family to uni to collect gowns
11:30am : Finally manage to find parking and rush to collect gown
11:55am : Drive Joshua back to his place to get my friggin shoes!
12:15pm : Get my shoes and drop Joshua at uni
12:30pm : Pick up parents and Beata and drive down to uni
12:50pm : Find parking, go to uni and take some pictures
1:20pm : Gather inside Elder hall for debriefing
1:45pm : Falling asleep in Elder Hall
2:?? : Lose track of time due to drowsiness
2:25pm : Moved to Bonython Hall and seated
2:35pm : Listen to pipe organs and read book on seat
2:45pm : Fall asleep
2:55pm : Listen to speech by Andrew Thomas, Adelaide University Alumni and NASA Astronaut, very inspiring.
3:00pm : People start graduating
3:30pm : Everyone is graduated and everyone flees the hall.

Onwards - Lots of picture taking

5:00pm : Head home to rest
7:20pm : Go to chinatown with dad to do some shopping and buy dinner
9:00pm : Finally get home, and start preparing dinner

9:30pm : Sit down and eat dinner
11:00pm : Have a shower, and KO.

The 80's

2006-12-17T06:00:00.000+10:30

How I miss the 80's, and the days I spent watching cartoons.

"He never gives up, he'll stay till the fight's won, _ _ _ _ _ is there!"

The Dreamstone

Snorks

Smurfs

Gummi Bears

Charlie Brown

Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Original OnE)

Ghostbusters

He-man

GI Joe

Thundercats

MASK

BraveStarr

Jayce and the wheeled warriors

Dino Riders

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light

Galaxy Rangers

Mighty Orbots

Bionic Six

Regina Spektor - Fidelity

2006-12-08T04:32:00.000+10:30

I'm a Bear

2006-12-03T21:54:00.000+10:30

I'm a bear bear bear bear

I'm not a car, bear bear bear

I can't walk but I can dance

I can't talk but I can sing

I'm a bear bear bear bear

I don't like fighting, bear bear bear

My rival is fried shrimpIn a previous life I was probably chocolate

I'm a bear bear bear bear

Hello! My name is KumaHow are you?

I'm a bear bear bear bear

Winter is cold, bear bear bear

At night I say "Goodnight Pillow-san"

In the morning I say "Good morning Pillow-san"

I'm a bear bear bear bear

At night I say "Goodnight Pillow-san"

In the morning I say "Good morning Pillow-san"

I'm a bear 9 9** bear

mama bear bear

Sick Again

2006-08-30T04:28:00.000+09:30

Dammit, this sucks, first, not only am I sick again, I'm seriously sick, with all the joint aches and coughing and fever, the whole shindig. Don't know whats going on with me this year, i mean, this is like the forth time i've been sick i think.... read the comments! i think at least 4 out of 5 of every post has a 'get well soon' somewhere there, or maybe its just some strange coincidence that feeling sick makes you blog....

Anyway, in my state of being unable to think clearly and thus perform no useful actions whatsoever, I have turned my attention to Youtube. For those of you who dont know it, it's a wonderful site where people can upload just about any sort of video they like, showcasing themselves, or their work, as well as shows, tv series, homemovies and in most cases, senseless videos which have no meaning whatsoever.

Here, I would like to draw your attention to a series which is based in the world of HALO called "Red Vs. Blue". If you played the game, I can honestly say that you would enjoy this series more, but even if you haven't, its all good, cos it makes no close references to the game anyway.

Have you ever watched a movie you couldnt hear and then tried to mime the characters with your own words just to make it funny, i know I have (Thumbs up, deep wink and offshot grin) (GO STAR WARS!!). Anyway, just imagine the same thing, but in the world of a CG First Person Shooter world. First time i saw an episode i was back in college, but then I only thought it was a one off thing. Lo and behold, they have 4 Friggin seasons!! Which was good for me, cos i had time to kill, and no functional braincells. The satire and cynicism are uncanny, and extremely stupid, but red vs blue is the best thing thats happened to me since I got sick.

Here's a red vs blue xmas special, it was made sometime into the series so its a good preview of what you would expect from the show in general.

The Silent Tree

2006-07-27T01:40:00.000+09:30

The holidays ended just 3 days ago and now its back to uni for the final run till graduation. Since the year started and even before, the thought about where my life will be heading after graduation began to enter my mind. Alot of people I know already seem to know what they want to do with no difficulty, its all black and white. I mean, asking most people the response is predictable, as though it had been ingrained in their brains while they were still developing in their mothers womb.

Me:- "So what you gonna do after you graduate?"
Whoever:-"Get job, earn money, travel (and the optional) get married, (further options) have kids."

... and then you die

... and come back as a dog or a squirrel

and the process is repeated in no particular order.

Through careful thought and observation , I have come to the conclusion that people eventually fall into one of the following 4 categories : -

People who don't care much about their future, have no ambition and feel that everything in the world is utterly pointless as you die in the end anyway. These people feel life should be spent having fun and not caring about anything and seeking the highest physical pleasures possible (sex, drugs, booze, rollercoasters). (Fire)
People who dont really know what they want to do and simply follow what they believe is what they ought to do. These people are usually conditioned from when they are young to behave in a certain way, for instance, that they are to grow up, study hard, get a job which pays alot, earn money and have a family. These people tend to be superstitious and very impressionable. (Earth)
People who've always known what they've wanted to do and shape their lives around achieving their dreams. These people are usually very focused and confident in their actions as they know what they are doing and why. (Wind)
People who don't know what they want and live each day or year as it comes. These would be the most flexible of people as they live with no fixed plan, no specific direction but manage to find their way and are usually very open minded. (Water)

At this point, I'm pretty sure that I am not a 3 and not quite a 1 or a 2 or a 4, which either means that my hypothesis is wrong or that I am a sadly confused person. I can say with some certainty that I am not cynical (most of the time) and certainly not superstitious or impressionable which therefore leaves the chance that I could be a 4.

Theories aside, I'm still not sure what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I'm sure being an engineer will be interesting, but trying to imagine myself 10, 20, 30 years from now, a third of my life spent earning money, having meetings, conducting myself 'professionally' with tight fisted hand shakes, insincere smiles, faked laughter and forced enthusiasm.

The thought of being a 'professional' per my visualisation of what it means to be one gives me the willies, however i know it is a path I will eventually have to trod and it probably isn't as bad as I imagine it to be, it usually never is.

Maybe I'm not a 4 after all, and am simply a 2 who dreams of being a 4 but is actually a 1 that tried to be a 3.

Didn't catch it the first time? Don't worry about it, its nonsense.

Kiddy Thought

2006-06-12T06:02:00.000+09:30

Some of the oldest memories I have was when I was 3 years old, living in Karori New Zealand. My dad had been sent there by Shell to work when I was only 2, which is perhaps the reason why my memories start there. Plus, the fact that I left when I was only 5 makes them even easier to distinguish. Some of the more distinct memories I have are the times I spent with my friends and when I went exploring with my brother who was much more active back then than he is now. Fear had no meaning and pain was curable with the right amount of sweets.

I remember leaving my house once to go to David's place to play, like I did every other day and suddenly hearing my mom screaming from the kitchen window. Later only did I realize that her freaking out was due to her seeing her youngest son (me) running down the road away from the house. I guess at the time, I had little or no comprehension of the need to let your parents know where you are going, less they worry about you, which tends to be worse when you're 3.

Some of my fonder memories are the times my mom would stop at this candy store and I would buy these sweets I like to call money sweets because, they were shaped like money. I used to go to mcdonalds as well to eat nuggets so I could get free toys. I was a happy eater, something I hope to never grow out of.

My parents taught me since I was a kid to want few things and to be happy with what I had, which I feel was good for me, as it forced me to go out and seek my own forms of entertainment. We weren't poor, but I think my parents didn't want us to get spoiled ( or they were saving up to buy a car, i dunno). By the time I was 4, I had learned to ride a bike, fall off, and get stuck in a tree numerous times, all performed in no particular order.

I used to dream of being spider-man, and once during halloween I got to dress up as my icon and then proceeded to display my powers by climbing the underside of the stairs in my home. I still dream of being spider-man, the only difference is now, I know it ain't gonna happen.

I remember coming downstairs early in the morning to watch cartoons like smurfs and charlie brown, which were key in my early development. All I ever knew were happy thoughts and simplicity.

Looking at life from then up to now, you realize how jaded you become with every passing year. Some people more jaded than most and some still living in happy oblivion.

I tell myself constantly not to ponder too much on life, cos it gives me a headache. It's like an equation that you think you've worked out only to find more of the equation on the other side of the board. Instead, I like to dream I have lots of money so I can travel instead, which is entirely feasible.

Autumn Cold

2006-04-21T17:56:00.000+09:30

Its interesting to note that my next entry after such a long time should be done in ill health as well. For the last 3 days I've been down with a light fever and flu, yet i continue to eat spicy food and sweets and walk around in the cold. I refuse to let illness deprave me from the joys of everyday living. On the other hand, you could always see it as simply being stupid, but anyway.

Its another month before the finals start and will probably be looking for a new house to move into by the end of june. A not so polite conversation with my agent a couple of weeks ago has convinced me that she is out to get us. Further proof would be that she hasn't sent anyone to fix our dryer.

impoliteness + no fixed dryer = corrupt agent

The math speaks for itself

In all fairness to the agent, she's not the real reason I wanna move. A change of scene from where i am now would be nice and having my own room again with actual walls wouldn't be so bad either.

Yesterday went to watch MI3 again with sifu, Xu jiang and some other guys. Training was off since it was mothers day so we decided to take sifu to watch a movie which he could understand more easily. Watching the movie a second time, though it did not make me appreciate the movie more i did notice something i hadn't noticed before which was; Tom Cruise's two front teeth are not entirely in line with his nose. I couldn't help but smile.

After the movie I decided to join Xu jiang for some training outside uni. I figured if i wasn't getting any better sitting around, I could probably drive out the sickness my convincing it my body was not the place it wanted to be by manhandling my body out in the cold. The ensuing headache I experienced later convinced me that i had made an impression on the germs in my body, and that they weren't happy.

Made a stop at Giorgio's with Xu and Shal che to get some food and say hi to Beata before heading home. Bumped into Katia, was surprised when she called out my name, hadn't seen her in awhile so it was nice catching up.

Early morning rantings

2006-03-21T06:13:00.000+10:30

Been having this god awful cough for the last few days. My housemates seem to have caught it as well, hopefully not from me. It's 6:20 am and I havent been able to sleep. I've got 2 classes later in the morning from 9am till 1pm and will probably fall asleep during at least one of em. The sucky thing is, i've been trying to make it a point to get back to regular sleeping hours.

Looks to me like that plan needs some re-examining.

Woke up around 1pm yesterday and decided that I would skip lunch and have a cup of tea, pretending that it was actually breakfast. Our agent was suppose to come to our unit today for inspection so I waited around as long as I could till about 2:45pm. By then she still hadn't come and I was still coughing. Xu Jiang had left some cough medicine lying around so I decided to take some. It said that I should take 5ml every 8 to 10 hours. How much is 5ml anyway? I estimated it to be about a tea spoon so I gulped that down, finished my tea and ran off to class.

Halfway to uni I felt like throwing up. Figured the cough medicine wasn't agreeing with the tea, or my stomach wasn't happy that I skipped out on lunch. This cough has been lasting way too long, will probably go see a doctor some time this week if i can squeeze in the time. Not too worried, seeing as how i haven't exactly been taking steps to get it cured and everyone seems to be getting bugged down as well.

Don't play with your food

2006-03-17T18:23:00.000+10:30

I learned to 'juggle' from a friend when i was back in primary school. He was good, i wasn't but he taught me the basics to one handed and 2 handed juggling. I think it depends on what i'm juggling. Like, juggling cue balls is alot harder than juggling say, bean bags. Anyway, this was back when i was in Miri over the summer and we were over at Elizabeth's house. Surfice it to say, she had no tv, no computer and maybe one deck of cards, so entertainment was sparse. Shim came by later with a bag full of little pamelo's. Some kind of hibrid between oranges and pamelo's, I forget the name.

Well, it was decided that I would be the entertainer for the evening, and with all eyes on me i had to muster what few skills i had, with one of them being juggling. Apparently, speaking broken and not quite right sounding chinese into a camera is considered entertainment as well, but i seem to have misplaced the footage of that of that skit. When all that was done, i picked up my guitar and we all started singing songs.

Would I have called it a good evening? Well, seeing as how they actually enjoyed my playing, i would have to say yes. It was different from what I normally do in my free time, but it was good fun. Back to the little pamelo things, I dropped one or two thus damaging them, and when orange like fruits get squishy, you gotta eat'em quickly.

So don't play with your food ;).

Surfing Trip

2006-03-16T13:42:00.000+10:30

Ah, it's only been 3 weeks since i got back but it's been pretty eventful. Last Saturday I went surfing with Beata and her friends Lydia and Tim at this place near Victor Harbour. It's about a one and a half hour drive from the city and i had to wake up at 9am to cycle to her place to get picked up. Surfice it to say, i wasn't sure if i was going to be able to wake up. The night before was my friends birthday and was already pretty tired when we went to Soul. Soul is what i would call the Adelaide Asian club, cos its chock full of em.

Anyway, didn't drink much cos was tired and needed to get up early, so back to surfing. When we got there didn't really know what to expect. I used to body board alot when i was younger and back in KL so i thought it might be similar, though you find the ocean is alot saltier and sometimes you have to deal with seaweed.

For the uninitiated, to surf you must first :-

1) If you can get a wet suit, cos the water is cold!
2)Get a surf board

Now to the basic steps:-

1) Stand next to your board and wait for the wave
2) When its coming push the board forward and jump on chest against the board and feet at the tail.
3)Paddle like there's no tmrw, I find paddling with both hands at the same time more effective for catching a wave.
4)Hold on

Alright, now if you manage to catch a wave, the next thing to do is to try n balance on the board, which is harder than it looks. You see those people on tv rippin' up the waves. Haha, i'll rip my rainbow colored boxers before that happens, but im a newb. I was told that i should try balancing on my knees first before trying to stand on the board but i was stubborn and wiped out tons of times.

Finally i decided to try the knee thing, and pretty soon i managed to somewhat stand on the board though kinda wobbly. Looking around there were lots of other surfers, and watching them i realized that its not the same as in the movies where everyones great. Basically everyone sucked about as much as me, minus 2 or 3 here or there, but not judging, it is pretty hard to balance, though it is fun to try.

Summer is coming to an end, so the ocean is gonna be chillier than usual. Would like to go again if i ever get the chance. Even if you keep falling off the board, its great when you eventually get it right, plus, wading out into the ocean with a board is a good work out.

Despite popular belief, i didn't see any sharks, plus, i doubt they'd wanna eat us. Not much of a challenge to eat a crappy surfer.

Was exhausted by the end of the day, which might have been due to the fact that i was sleep deprived and i only had a yoghurt in the morning, though i knew if i didn't try this surfing thing i'd be kicking myself for at least the rest of the week.

All in all was good fun, and i'd recommend it to anyway who enjoys getting sore tits and a belly full of salt water.

You know who you are .

Capoeira at the Fringe

2006-03-16T04:12:00.000+10:30

Last monday there was a capoeira workshop down at the east parklands where the fringe festival was being held. It was a public holiday, so everyone was out and about enjoying the sun and the shows. The fringe festival is basically this cultural and arts festival and there are alot of performances and shows etc. Anyway, I woke up late that day and rushed down to the parklands with both my camera's. Decided not to perform that day. 3 months of not really training and sitting on my butt told me that i might hurt something if i got into it, and i tend to enjoy just jumping around, not much of a skilled capoeirista. Xu jiang and Ryota were there by the time I arrived along with alot of other people from Soul Capoeira. Sandy and Regina came along later to watch. Alot of kids came wanted to join the workshop which was pretty cute. Some just gave up on the whole capoeira thing and started playing leap frog, others cried and some looked completely lost. Though, there were still alot of them who managed to follow Chan's instructions and all in all was pretty fun.

A brand new year

2006-03-15T02:10:00.000+10:30

I guess it's about time i started updating this thing. It's been quite a few months and alot has happened. My procrastinating nature aside i have decided that i will try and update this thing at least once a week. In a nutshell, from November i'd spent 3 months back in my hometown for industrial training, got to meet alot of my old friends and made some new ones. It was a refreshing break to go back to the place i knew the best. I'm now back in Adelaide and its a brand new year. A year of new choices and new opportunities and hopefully better grades. It's the last year and thus what i accomplish this year will most probably determine the course for the rest of my life (how dramatic, and unlikely). Anyway, in the picture you can see me and my friend Siu, the guy i'd been staying with for 3 months in Miri and one of my closest friends. We'd just finished climbing Canada Hill. If you look closely you'll see he has no shoes as they were lost in the effort. From the top of the hill you can see just about all of the main part of the city and the coast. Miri is pretty much a quiet town, but it's natural beauty is what i like about it. There's always a place to go when you need to be outside and just being there helps me to slow down. The chance to go back to Miri gave me the chance to break a few bad habits, pick up a few new ones and also to remember things which i had forgotten. There really is no place like home, at least for me anyway.

Michelle and Johnny

2005-08-17T00:07:00.000+09:30

I actually wrote a really long post a few days ago, and then my com hung. Was so irritated i couldnt get myself to write again for a few days, go figure. Anyway, its been a pretty interesting couple of days, made a few new friends from melbourne and now they're off on their road trip to the middle of the desert and elsewhere. They are michelle and johnny, 2 really cool people. michelle is this really gypsy looking aussie girl with red hair, and johnny is this blue haired, tatoo'd south african from durban who happens to do capoeira as well; so cool.

I'd only known them for barely a week, but hanging around them felt like we'd known them alot longer. Johnny only came on Sunday, so that was like barely 2 days, but he is a really cool guy. You couldn't tell from his appearance that he was a really down to earth guy. Blue hair, tatoos on each arm, he looked like some trance dj out of germany and slightly resembled jean claude vandam. Michelle on the other hand had read hair and these really intense eyes when she stared at you, dressed like a gypsy, plays a guitar with a book full of songs which her sister wrote.

Right now, they're probably still on the road half way to the middle of the desert in her old red volvo station wagon. The day before they left, we made a trip to harbour town to do a little shopping. Sandy picked out some clothes for me cos apparently i look boring ( do I?), but it was pretty good. Got myself a denim jacket and a scruffy blazer, 2 new shirts and 2 new caps, pretty sweet, and all for only 70 oz (cool).

The sun was still up by the time we were done, and johnny wanted to go see the beach. He used to surf when he stayed in durban, so guess he missed the sea side. I insisted on going to the beach as well, cos i just wanted to have a game of capoeira with johnny before he left; not everyday you meet new people who know capoeira, and it was pretty cool. After walking to the jetty and taking a few pictures, he and i were on the grass in front of this hotel having a short game of capoeira. I've got it on video, so cool.

My fingers are still kind of blue from trying to help johnny redye his hair that night. He had this white patch on the back of his head which he couldnt reach, and apparently there was still some bleach on there cos the blue dye started turning purple when i brushed it. We had to do it a second time after he washed it out and finish off the rest of the smurf blood.

The morning they had to leave we had bacon and eggs outside in the sun with michelle giving us a mini performance. She has this really nice song called the spoken word, wish i could have recorded it, but i guess i'll just have to make do with what i can remember. I only met them for a short while, but it'll be hard to forget them. They were fun and easy people to be around and its usually quite hard to find people who didnt really care who you were or what you did and just liked you because you were you. Though, i don't think anything i've done can really compare to the lives they've led; good times.

Well, the week is over, and now reality has to set in again. Back to work, uni and assignments, how dull and soul sucking (if you don't like it of course) , but that's the life of a student. There's alot more stuff to tell, but we'll leave that for another day, and i'm sleepy.

Adeu

Afternoon

2005-07-23T12:56:00.000+09:30

Holiday is almost over, so sad. For those of you with summer and winter courses, i'd like to emphasize, the holiday is ALMOST over.... so sorry, couldn't help myself. Anyway, my adsl modem just got in yesterday so that means i should be able to get online again by as soon as next week.

Woot.

Was suppose to go to some mountain place today but unfortunately central market only sells cheap stuff on saturday so we need to do the shopping for the week. One of the downsides of living outside, we actually have to feed ourselves. Friend hasn't been feeling well also, down with come kind of virus so we need to take care of him as well, despite his unwillingness to go to sleep.

Next week his mom will be going home, which means we have to start cooking for ourselves again. It's been so nice the last 2 weeks, felt like being at home again and having a mom in the house, and dinner has always been good. All vegetarian though, but thats alright with us, specially my friend who after all is a vegetarian.

One downside though, can feel that we're getting kinda lazy, but that's no big issue. Once aunty has gone home, we'll have to be taking care of the place again. One good thing about eating veges is that its cheap and it keeps us healthy ( well, some of us anyway).

Kind of strained my lower back the other day going to the gym. Didn't feel anything until sometime in the middle of the next day. Was just walking around uni and suddenly realized i couldnt bend over, kind of dumb, but its happened before so just need to be abit more careful.

Jo asked if i'm turning vegetarian. Well, not really, i just eat lots of veges cos there just happen to be alot available. I can still eat meat, so no worries. Ina, if you're reading this i saw winnie at the mall the other day. I just saw her sitting there on the bench by herself. She's got red streaks in her hair,.... ooooo. Was nice catching up with her, had been awhile.

It's only 1:13, still got another hour to go before we need to go to central market. Me and Justyn are here in the union house using the pc's. This is so sad. Deprivation of internet is no way to live. Least i have my mp3's to keep me happy and a bunch of movies courtesy of stephanie for the time being. I'd watch anime, but unfortunately the holiday is a l m o s t over, and need to start going for class again.....bummer.

Gonna start training again when my back gets better, which ought to be in a few days, haven't been doing much capoeira lately, unless you count the headstands and catwheels we've been doing all over the house. Ive found that with a carpeted stairway, its really fun to fall downstairs. Then we had a short game during our friends birthday at our old dorm. It's not a good idea to drink and play capoeira, especially in small places. Almost spilt the food on the table when was playing with ryota and the room was spinning after that.

We had another game over at sandy's place on sunday, and this time it was next to the swimming ( oo, the possibilities for catastrophe). We were expecting at least one of us to end up falling into the pool ( did i mention the water was green), but instead it ended up with xu jiang breaking the table with his shin, which would have been cool had it not hurt so much. Note, headspinning on other than smooth surfaces will make you bald. We ended up going back inside and taking really gay pictures. Kyoko has this cool black trenchcoat, which surprisingly i could wear, and could probably button up with much effort from my gut. There's a picture of me wearing it and doing a split, which looks really gay (the coat was cool). Viewing by request, redistribution is optional.

Ok, time for lunch before shopping, hope to be online in the next few days, ta ta.

Holidays

2005-07-11T17:23:00.000+09:30

Ah, sweet holidays, a time for rest, relaxation and reflection. Anyway, i still got 2 more weeks to go, and so far its been pretty good. Just checked my results and managed to pass everything so that's one less thing to worry about. I think we can say we've just about settled into our new place, really cozy and tomorrow our final housemate is gonna be arriving in adelaide along with my current roommates mommy.

In Uni again, and still no internet conenction. We went looking for an internet service provider but right now we're comparing prices to see which we can get for a good price. Should take 2 weeks.... great, this is like last year all over again. In the mean time, no internet means abit of peace and quiet i guess, with housemates sitting down like decent people and interacting, instead of having their face stuck in front of the pc all day.

Been spending the last few days trying to learn how to cook without meat, onions or garlic, which basically eliminates all main producers of flavour. Can't even use oyster sauce, so gonna try experimenting with vegemite as a replacement (vegemite is yeast extract which tastes like bovril). I've got a shelf of herbs and spices and the shelf so basically i've been tossing stuff in to see if it makes any difference. So far managed to make vegetarian sheppards pie, lots of omellettes and some kind of rice pasta with cheese. The pasta sauce almost tastes like salsa, so might not be too far off.

We managed to explode a pyrex glass baking dish the other day. My bad. I ran it under cold water right after taking it out of the oven, which though i knew was probably was a bad idea, i did anyway ( seriously, it exploded, not just cracked, explodeeed, i kid you not). Watched Eternal sunmind for the spotless shine yesterday night, not a bad movie, and the nachos we made were yummy. Probably gonna be watching movies again tonight, nothing else to do.

Important info

2005-07-07T16:22:00.000+09:30

Eh, everyone, exams finally over and i'm out of the loop and i've just moved to my new house, penthouse apartment, real sweet. Have no internet connection for the time being, so it sucks, im in uni now using the uni computer (duh). Anyway, peeps can reach me at 0403247361, new address will update later, aint real relevant right now. Gotta go shopping, making pie

mmm..... pie

Reflection

2005-06-15T03:15:00.000+09:30

Its study week and my first paper is this saturday. Been trying to keep up with my studying, so far so good however still have abit more to go,... seriously do not like finals. Anyway, the last week has been interesting, been thinking about alot of things, things i've done, things i haven't done and things i should be doing.

One thing i've actually started doing is running. Doesn't sound like much but i used to seriously hate running, simply because i couldn't really do it well. My back would get tired, i'd get out of breath easily, for me it was just difficult so i never used to do it. For lack of a better reference, i realize this is just one of the many challenges i face in my life and that it's because of my lack of effort to face these challenges i'm stunting my growth as a person ( not height wise mind u, i'm short enough as it is).

It's a mental barrier i feel many people have which keeps them from achieving their full potential. People always believe that they can't do something, and so they never try and trick themselves into thinking they can never achieve anything. I can remember times when i would deliberately sabotage myself so that i would fail to affirm that i could not achieve something. For instance when i first decided i would cycle to uni everyday i would put it on the highest gear and cycle as fast as i could to convince myself it was just too tiring to do it. Or when i was studying i would purposely set unrealistic goals so at the end of the day i could convince myself that its just too difficult.

I didn't do it conciously, but sub-conciously i was sabotaging myself. I find people tend to do this because its easier to expect failure than to hope for success then fail. For most, failure is very very dissapointing; to the point where some people never recover from it, which is kind of sad. In this life which we live in, we will always be faced with challenges. Challenges which push us to exceed our human potential, whether they be emotional, spiritual, physical or mental.

As a starting point, i like to use running, because its so easy to do, and basically all i need to do is keep going. I'm sure everyone has been in a situation where they reach a point where they believe they just cant go on, and somehow they find the strength to push themselves past that limit. It's at times like this when we experience spiritual growth, and without these challenges to constantly push us we stagnate as human beings.

It doesnt have to be something difficult like climbing a mountain or anything extreme ( not that climbing mountains are difficult or anything ) , but it could be anything. Like maybe getting over the fear of going up in front of people to give a speech, or opening your heart again to someone who has hurt you in the past; its challenges like these which force us into the position where we have the choice to face or fears head on or to give in, and its what we decide at these times which shape the kind of people we grow into.

Anyway, back to running, i keep getting side tracked =O. When i run, as of now i can usually run for a certain distance quite comfortably before i start to tire and my mind starts telling me i cant possibly go on. I like to run until i reach this point and its at this time i reach a turning point in my mind where i can either decide to give up and give in to my mental weakness or force myself to keep going until my mind changes its mind ( confused yet? ) .

Basically, the thoughts of being unable to achieve something are illusions which we set up in our minds, and we don't realize that these illusions aren't real until we have the resolve to face them head on. Its kind of like when harry potter had to run straight through the wall to get to train station. You just need some faith, then take steps to pass through the illusion.

The potential of the human spirit is limitless, if only people had the courage to look past their short comings and past mistakes and move on. I think the problem with most people is that they're constantly hoping that there is going to be someone to help pull them out of their rut, and that until someone does, they're stuck. Though, it does help to have someone there when ur at your lowest. Sometimes all u really do need is someone to believe in you to get u going again.

If you've ever seen that show 'Pay it Forward', the idea was to do something good for someone, and then have that someone pass on that good deed by doing something good for someone else.

At the last part of the show, this drug addict actually saves a woman from committing suicide by convincing her that she mattered in the world ( well i think thats what he did, but fact is he convinced her not to commit suicide). As human beings, we need to expand beyond ourselves, beyond our mental limitations and realize that while we exist, we can and do make a difference in this world and the people around us, in our actions, and in our inactions.

As one very enlightened man once said, "You are the light of the world", and as the sun shines on all of us whether we like it or not, so is our presence noticed by those around us. For many people in this world, their light is dimmed or has died out and is in need of rekindling. So as human beings with the potential to touch another persons heart, whether it be with a smile, a word or an action.... understand that you do make a difference.

I know i've left impressions on people, some good, some bad ( i use the word 'some' very loosely). Some people adore me, others absolutely hate me, and this is all due to the actions i've taken in the past and actions i am taking now. I do not claim to be a perfect human being, and neither do i claim to be the nicest guy at times, but far be it for me to say that the people who've passed through my life have meant nothing to me or have not left an impression on me.

For some i'm a Godsend, others i'm a mistake, but for most, I'm just who i am, a simple guy with a simple mind, who seriously knows how to procrastinate when he needs to be studying for his finals. My friends may think i take them for granted, but as all of them are reading this i can assure them that, they have made a difference in my life, and i am grateful for each and every soul which has passed within my sight, and come to touch my heart.

I have hurt many people before, some of which i am aware of, many of which i am not, and as i try to avoid it, sometimes i am just unable to or unwilling to, which is why i continue to try and grow as a human being, to which my spirit may be strong enough that i will no longer hurt other people by my own actions. Sometimes a simple word is enough to devastate a person and vice-versa, that is the power we hold in the palm of our hands.

I know the pain of losing friends, of failure and disappointment, of not being able to have the ones i love around me, and of not being loved in return. But for me, these are also trials which challenge my spirit to grow, and also opportunities for me to show the greatest love that i know i have the potential to give. I may not be perfect in my efforts, but i am human as well, however as a person whose managed to look deeply into himself through the worst and best of times, heres what i can sum up about how one should deal with life.

Be who you are and live,
And as you live,
Be more than what you are,
And love with all your heart.

And as far as life goes, its time for me to mark the end of my life for today and prepare for the life i intend to live tomorrow.

Sweet dreams everybody.

2005-06-08T03:34:00.000+09:30

Went out for a walk at the fied next to our dorm tonight. The weather was kind of warm so it was refreshing, wont be able to do this once we move to the city. Usually when i need to think i go off to walk somewhere, helps clear my head. Fresh air is good for the heart, and solitude for quieting the mind. Well unfortunately, by the time i got to the end of the field my mind began to wander to those kinds of thoughts you don't want to have when you're in a big, empty, dark, quiet field. It never used to happen before, must've been my friends influence. She freaks out easily and now its corrupted my mind. At least when i'm cycling back in the middle of the night from uni i have my bike and can easily outpace and ghost,ghoul,goblin,drunk or opossum which might decide it has nothing better to do than to chase me. Eventually i managed to calmly cross the field back towards my dorm ( though i swear something ran past me while i was walking back and it wasn't no cat =O ). Reminds me of the time back in Miri when we had to stay overnight in this field to guard equipment for a marathon the next day. Took my camera out incase i might come across one of the nocturnal creatures which habitualy wanders this area. Sometimes i manage to spot a opossum, but no appearances of any tonight. Just so i didn't go home empty handed, and also to give u guys a glimpse of the field, i took a picture of me instead. Though the way i've been sleeping lately, i think i qualify as a nocturnal creature... need to do something about that.
Ian_MartialMind

2005-06-06T05:55:00.000+09:30

As you can see there's a starbucks logo on the side of my cup. No there are no starbucks outlets in adelaide, this picture was taken last december when I went back for the hols. Nothing is happening right now so figured i may as well move backwards for abit.... its so nice to reminisce. Anyway, why this pic? well um lets see. I was drinking hot chocolate.... and basically i feel like drinking hot chocolate now that's all. Pretty simple minded =/ . I was at sunway pyramid with Li Chen and Eddie, my ex room mate. We hadn't met up with her in ages so thought we may as well make a trip up to meet her. Well, more like eddie made the trip up from nilai whereas i just sorta picked him up somewhere near my house ( though i did send him all the way home after that, all the way back to friggin nilai!!). Anyway, we hung out, talked, looked back on the good old days when life was easy and drank hot chocolate. Conclusion? Life is good as long as you have chocolate (and friends to share it with of course).
Ian_MartialMind

The dreaded days

2005-06-02T04:16:00.000+09:30

Sigh, less than 3 more weeks till my finals and i still got a microcontroller programming assignment which i need to hand in next Friday, and a mock exam on Thursday!!. Gah, finals finals, all this talk of finals is getting on my nerves. Anyway, today we went to sign the lease for the new apartment we're gonna be moving into, gotta make a payment by the end of the week for 2 weeks rent which is 1000 oz! well, 333.3333333oz between the 3 of us, but whose counting.

Probably will move in early july when our exams are over and done with, thats like a month away from now. Goodbye to Gosse, the dorm we're currently staying in, been here for the last year and the place has been good to us. Good people, good manager, good ( well kinda) food. No more 2o minute bike rides to uni and back in the freezing cold, no more going to the field to train whenever i feel like it. At least now we'll finally be within the city and everything will be near and convenient, can't wait till next semester, have a feeling its going to be interesting.

Just sorta finished planning my study schedule, it looks so packed, hope i actually have the discipline to stick to it. If i don't, i fear impending doom death and depression await me at the finals. Still trying to keep fit in the mean time. I mean, cycling to uni and back everyday on high gear and full speed have got my legs in top form so now just doing push ups and twirling my chopped up broom stick to keep my upperbody strength up. Dammit, its 430 in the morning, what am i doing, i should be in bed.

Bought some cinnamon donuts for 2 bucks, they're so good,..... mmm, donuts....

2005-05-25T03:04:00.000+09:30

Went to look at some new housing possibilities, planning on moving out next semester. We found this really nice apartment, would fit 4 people quite nicely and we can use all the facilities. More importantly, its like a 2 minute bike ride from uni so finally wont have to travel 20 minutes everyday from Highgate, though it is good exercise. Legs are super strong now but with winter coming, ish, cold weather, hands and ears get frozen when i cycle back late. This place looks good, see what we decide by the end of the week.
Ian_MartialMind

2005-05-25T02:36:00.000+09:30

Took this last Friday when we all went to watch Star Wars episode 3. Was such a looong day. Woke up early in the morning and rushed to uni to finish my project prototype at the uni workshop and worked on it until about 3 oclock then rushed to a meeting with our project sponsors which lasted until 5pm. We managed to send in our project prelim report 10 minutes before the deadline, then had to rush down to marion to catch Star Wars at 7pm. We started lining up around 6pm + and everyone was sitting in the corridor. Lucky thing my friends got in early so we just sorta tumpang with them haha. But then the theater wasn't that full in the end. Show was good, and it was a good end to a really busy few weeks. Now just gotta prepare for finals, gah. Well, 3 weeks, gotta get focused.
Ian_MartialMind

2005-05-19T03:45:00.000+09:30

I need to be up in four hours, and here i am playing with my webcam. Dressed in my orange jacket and toastmasters t-shirt, here i sit staring into the oblivion which is my laptop screen. This is my tired and my brain is about to shut down look. Came back from uni and finished my dinner around 2 hours ago, hands were frozen but the air was fresh. Cycling back at one in the morning is refreshing, plus their isn't anyone around to bother you, so its just 20 minutes of being alone with your thoughts and the frigid cold. Reminds me of the long drives i used to take at the wee hours of the morning from nilai back to sunway, though those were alot warmer in comparison.
Ian_MartialMind

2005-05-19T03:31:00.000+09:30

The remnants of my carboard and paper prototyping, my room is junkyard, and i don't have a pillow case for my pillow. Left my linen out to be changed, but it didn't come back. Ee bee gee bees, whats wrong with the world! By friday i'll finally be able to clear everything up, and then its off to watch star wars!! hahahahaha, finally, some r&r to mark the end of a hectic week.
Ian_MartialMind

2005-05-19T03:14:00.000+09:30

This was during our trip to aldinga beach on the last day of the mid term break, almost didn't go that day cos i was feeling lazy. Then i saw what a beautiful day it was and changed my mind, really glad that i did, cos it was a great day and made a new friend. Sometimes things don't always turn out as you think they will, and sometimes in order for things to change, all you need to do is get out of bed and step into the sunshine, woot!
Ian_MartialMind

Another Long week

2005-05-19T02:14:00.000+09:30

I've got another day to go before my preliminary report is due and we haven't even completed our prototype yet. Hope the sponsors won't be too upset, but sometimes u just run out of options. Been meaning to work on content for my other 2 blogs but haven't had the time, all this mucky stuff with uni, and its just another month before my first final paper, really got to get down with studying and soon.

2000-12-17T01:26:00.000+10:30