a new revelation

last weekend was one of the very few weekends that i do not travel home to kl. and since i've got 2 days to burn with nothing particularly important to do, i decided to drive down to spend a couple of nights with my grandma. in making that trip, i ended up visiting my aunt (mum's sis) and my uncle (dad's bro) as well. oh yeah, and i actually bumped into my god-parents as well (haven't seen them in ages)...

well, this might sound normal to most of you but it's quite out of the ordinary for me. perhaps i should mention that i made all this visits on my own. what makes it weirder was the fact that all this bonding stuff was usually left to my sis. i'm always the cool, quiet kid that nobody notices. but i have to say, spending last weekend visiting my relatives was indeed worthwhile. there's a sense of satisfaction which i could not explain.

anyway, right now, i'm spending my working time blogging as my mood sucks. why? thank my supervisor. i dunno if i should discuss the details here. but anyhow, i guess once we start working, we've gotta have ppl skills as well right? gotta learn on ways to deal with ppl - superior or not - gotta just suck it up and get on with life. yup. it's nothing serious really, just felt as if i was wrongly blamed for some mistakes. =)

i want to cont my ramblings but i gtg cont my work... till next time then...

special moment?

01:02:03 04/05/06 (hour:minute:second dd/mm/yy)

these numbers have made it to the front page of the papers, were said to be special, have been circulated through mails and forwarded in sms'. true, they are special in the sense that these sequence will never happen again for the next thousand years. come to think of it, those of us living in this millennia will be going through many more of these 'special moments'. another one will be coming soon in the form of 06:06:06 06/06/06.

anyway, although i do not believe in any astrology or the stars and moon stuff, i do accept that it is not something we come across everyday. so wat were you doing at that very moment? me? i was on the phone with ly... =)

all about work...

here i am in my third week in penang. so, where to start?
well, work started out to be rather boring, and then i started to be busy (which was way cooler than being bored) and now, i'm back to being bored again. and guess wat? i'm blogging from the office.... =)
so, a little bit on agilent. well, agilent is a spin-off of hewlett-packard company with it's headquarters in palo alto. agilent's number one business is on test and measurement instruments. somehow, agilent, avago, hp, lumileds and philips is connected. but i dunno how. i tried finding out and the sequence is something like agilent (test and measurement) is the child of hp, avago (semicon) is the child of agilent and lumiled (leds) was a part of agilent which was sold to philips. something like that.
anyway, seeing the core business of agilent, i didn't really look forward to having my vacation training here. i mean, wat's a mechanical engineer gotta do in a electronics based factory right? i couldn't be more wrong. knowing that i was in the control test division, i figured i had to troubleshoot some instruments or do some reliability test. instead, i was put in the packaging department where the department is in charge of designing boxes! yes... boxes...
i wasn't too thrilled on my first day either. designing boxes? packaging? come on... but as i learned more about the job, it gets more interesting. we actually use a 3d software - cocreate onespace designer which is my field of interest (i really enjoy 3d design and modeling, no idea why), and we dun just design boxes... we do all sorts of mechanical drawings. the software used is similar to proengineer (the one used in uniten) but a little bit more tricky and not as user friendly. it doesn't really matter though, i've always wanted to know wat it would be like to have a job in designing. although wat i had in mind was on a much bigger scale (cars maybe?) boxes and electronic parts isn't such a bad start.
so the first week in front of the pc was a torture. just sitting in front of the monitor from 8 to 5 everyday learning the software is the sole definition of boredom. but there were moments of fun as well when they had an experiment on one of the boxes which was designed. before i say anything further, let me clarify - wat they design isn't just boxes but also the foams and fillers which is supposed to support and protect the instruments in the box. so, back to the experiment. it's called the drop test where the instrument would be packed as for shipping, placed on a hydraulic arm, raised to a certain height and dropped. an accelerometer would be mounted on the instrument beforehand so that readings could be taken.
the experiment is rather simple but there is something about dropping a package of about 20+kgs from 4 feet which excites me... hehehe...
after that, during my second week, i was really busy with loads of drawings to complete, so during the second week, work was rather interesting... but at the start of this week, there's not much to do... and i am required to write the reports for the drop tests which kinda feels like i'm back in uni... plus, my supervisor is asking me to do a project write-up, some sort of presentation which compares the old packaging method and the new packaging method. i roughly get wat he wants, but there's one prob - i dunno anything bout the old or new method. i've been given the deadline at the end of my 12 weeks, so that gives me some time to scratch my head, looking for an answer.
up till today, i've done several mech drawings, 4 drop tests and reports, started on the outline of my project write-up and some odd jobs (checking stock, going to the warehouse, inspection on foams etc). not as bad as i thought it would be. i just hope it stays that way. well, i've gotta get back to work now... till next time, bye...

schlumberger update...

Dear Nicholas,

Thank you for attending the interview sessions with Schlumberger. We did not shortlist you for the internship session, however, we are keeping your file for the Field Engineer position next year. For next year, you just have to attend the final interview session with the Operations Manager.

Regards,
Fauziah

is this good or bad? basically it's a rejection. but at least i dun have to go through all 4 interviews again next year. and at least i know the result of the interview now... =(

first post from penang...

i'm back... but my posts will be far and few... right now, i'm typing my blog in a cyber cafe (i feel kinda old and left out... everyone is playing something i've never even seen or heard about before... damn...) this is something i never thought i would do... blogging from a cyber cafe i mean... anyway, here i am and this is the reason why.... my finals ended last week (30/03/2006)and from this week onwards (03/04/2006), for a duration of 12 weeks, i'll be away on industrial training/ vacation training/ internship. as i have posted previously, i was hoping my industrial training will not be in kl. and guess wat? i got my wish! half of it anyway. at first, i was hoping to get a placement with schlumberger. and after going through 4 interviews, i had high hopes on a positive outcome. i really did. however, the fourth interview came a bit too late (24/03/06) i guess. so till now, i'm still waiting for the result of that interview. this leaves me with the only choice i had - agilent technologies. probably i shouldn't put it to sound so bad especially considering agilent technologies is a pretty good company to get attached to for industrial training. or so i've heard. i'll give my point of view at the end of my 12 weeks here.
anyway, right now, i'm renting a place with 3 other frens. it's a pretty small place with only 2 rooms but it only costs 500 bucks and it's fully furnished. with the rates in penang, i guess we can't ask for more. after a couple of days, the house is alright. not too bad. pics will be up soon.
i guess that's all i have to say about my industrial training for now. i've only been here for 2 days so nothing much has happened. all i can say is that i'm looking forward to the coming 12 weeks - this is my first time away from home for so long.
bout my previous sem, i'm glad it's over. i had a huge, huge problem with one of my lecturer. i'm pretty close to hating him. anyway, i'm glad that class is over and done with. i'm planning to write a complain letter bout him though - he tricked us in the final exam by providing the wrong formula in the formula sheet. if u want us to memorize the formula, dun give us the formula sheet! it's that simple... ok, i admit it... i hate him...
other than that, the other subjects were pretty fine... several competitions kept me busy... oh yeah, two competitions left me disappointed (einic 06 and phillips young challenge 06) but another one (indec 06) gave me a silver medal! =) actually i joined all 3 competitions with the same product and the silver medal is nothing major really. coz indec (invention & innovation design competition)is in it's first year and it is organized by uniten for uniten. so it's kinda like einic but solely focused on uniten's students.
and there is one ongoing competition - robocon 06. the actual date is on the 5th of may so the work is being continued by other members. i am planning to return to kl during the weekends to cont working on the competition. but obviously i can't do that every weekend, so i'll just have to wait and see how everything goes.
i guess this will have to end here. it's getting pretty late and i'm still not used to waking up at 7 for work.

ps: the cyber cafe rate here is really cheap - 1.50 per hour so i think i'll be doing this often if i'm not too lazy. =)

uncertainty

no time to update right now although plenty has happened in the past month. i'll find the time to bare it out soon and i probably won't be updating my blog from home, hopefully... i'll explain it the next time i blog... till then...

ps: i know i said i dun blog for others to read, but for the sake of entertaining me, can someone leave me a comment or two?

entry no 101

i've past the century mark! i've started writing in this blog for fun... but now, looking back, it has inadvertently became my diary... i've never been able to keep a diary all this while so i guess this is the only space in which i allowed the outpouring of my feelings... to reveal my deepest and darkest secrets... *devilish grin*

but truth be told, i've held back so many things writing this blog... i dun think it portrays who i really am... at times, i've written to portray myself as a jerk - emotionless and sarcastic... the only explanation i have is that i feel safer behind this mask... a mask which will never reveal my weaker side, my emotions...

lately, my writings have become shallow... i'm writing without passion... i'm writing just for the sake of keeping this blog alive... probably as a hope that some things in life will always be there - friendship, love, hope...

sadly, when i started this blog, it actually made me feel closer to a couple of my friends... every comment they left on my blog actually meant something to me... and that was my main purpose in writing this blog as well... now, i feel as though my blog is an abandoned structure... lifeless in all it's purpose... i'm not asking for more publicity or more comments... my readers are a select few anyway... i just felt as though the content of my writing lately defeats the purpose of my blog...

this is actually a mirror image of my take on life right now... everything seems dull, meaningless... everyday a lifeless routine that i drag myself through... no fire within me, no passion... everything that i once was interested in seems pointless these days... what is wrong with me?

i wanted someone to talk to... and there is someone at my side always... but i just can't let it out... i just can't talk... so i've learnt to keep myself occupied with studies, projects... something that i can work with logic and equations... shutting out my emotions completely...

ironically, here i am talking about that problem which i can't seem to be able to talk about... is this a fitting entry for my post no 101? this could be my last... no... i'll be back... but for now, i think i'll just fill this space with more shallow entries...

19th january 2001

i should have posted this post on the 19th of jan but due to my extremely busy schedule i couldn't find the time to (i know, it's a lame excuse) ... and now i hope that this will make up for lost times...

it's been 5 years since i started my relationship with ly... through good times and bad, we have survived the test of time for so long now... looking back at our relationship, i do realize we've had more bad times than good recently... and i know we both look back on our first couple of years together more than we look forward to our future... i dunno if that's good or bad... but i have to admit, the first couple of years we were together gave me some of the sweetest memories i've had... =)

happy anniversary...

good times...

met up with some secondary mates last night... had a good laugh and even had the opportunity to celebrate a fren's birthday... we talked and laughed all night reminiscing the good old times... thinking bout it right now, i've known these guys for almost 10 years now... and this is probably the last time we'll meet up as students...

jason and jacky is graduating after this sem... ang is graduating end of the year... i'm graduating middle of next year... by then, most of my frens will be working adults... i wonder wat will change then?

well... no matter wat changes, the past stays the same. and at times like this, i am grateful for the past... no one can replace these frens...

ps: taking a break after facing the comp for the past i-dunno-how-many hours doing my bloody lab report... =(

...

finally, a week's break. it's been almost one month now since my last post... in the past few weeks, i've had tests, quizzes, assignments, one job (industrial training) interview and i took part in one engineering competition. and all of these took up all my time and more...

well, where do i start? how bout the competition? ok... it's the engineering invention 'n' innovations challenge (einic) 2006. this is the second time i took part in this competition. dun blame me for my less than enthusiastic entry about the comp this time, i can still taste the bitterness of defeat in my mouth.

the first time (last year), we won the best booth competition. not bad considering it was our first try. this year we ended up with nothing. i'm not a sore loser. i dun mind losing to someone admittedly better than us. and the winner... well, i dun wanna condemn their ideas and effort... let's now forget about that and move on shall we?

next up, my industrial training. this is much better news. first, i've already confirmed a placement with ae automotion in johor. the only downside is that they only provide rm300 allowance and i've got to find a place to stay on my own. so 300 ain't gonna take me through a month. second, i've been called for an interview with virtual tech in kelana jaya. i haven't had the reply yet but this is much more promising. they are a software company (engineering related - design and analysis), the kind that i'm interested in. and i can stay at home and drive there everyday so money won't be a problem.

about all my tests, quizzes and assignments, well... i'm kinda used to all that these days. i mean... it's been 3 years now. and this sem, i think i can handle the subjects. all except one. and it's due to the lecturer not the subject. that bloody lecturer... he's getting onto my nerves every single class... it's tough to concentrate on the subject when i've got so much ill-feeling towards the lecturer. i dunno how to explain it here but he's just damn bloody irritating.

let me give you one example. for his second quiz, i got a 2/10 coz i was totally unprepared. he ended up talking about my score for 30 minutes the next class. not only that, he helped me spread the news to the other sections that he's teaching. give me a break will you? and before the midterm tests, he asked if we have any questions to ask. but when we asked him questions, he replied with sarcastic answers (none of which answered our questions)! if you do not want to answer us, why bother to ask us in the first place?

i think that's enough complains for one entry. hopefully my next post will sound more optimistic and cheerful... it's gonna be the chinese new year! bye bye lil chicken... make way for the puppy... hehehe....

good news, weird news

really busy to elaborate so i'll go straight to the point...

good news: my nose is not fractured and it still looks normal

weird news: my nose is crooked (the bone is somehow bent in a weird way, although it's not noticeable from the outside...)

and i dun feel any discomfort at all... the wonders of the human body...

off to a bad start...

i dun know if it's bad luck or it's just an omen to stop me from playing futsal. the first game on the first day of the year and i fractured (maybe) my bloody nose...

i went to a clinic and the doctor says it's most probably fractured... he can't be sure without an x-ray though... so i'll go get one soon and i'll keep my fingers crossed...

why is it always me? i'm seriously thinking maybe i should just stop playing futsal... first my ankle and now my nose? damn...

merry xmas and a happy new year

good bye 2005... thank you for all the memories that you've given me... for all the good times and bad times, i will always remember you...

and...

hi 2006... i hope we'll get acquainted well enough... i look forward to a wonderful relationship with you... =)

F@&*ing busy...

the title says it all... damn...

birthday in genting

although i'm blogging bout it pretty late, but the memory is still as fresh as though it was just yest... on the 3rd of dec, ly and i went to genting to catch the michael bolton concert. actually, she bought the tickets and booked the room for the night as a surprise birthday gift for me... =) thank you!

i was just as excited as she was coz this is the first time we'll be spending the night together, just the both of us... furthermore, i've never been to any concert before and michael bolton is a pretty good concert for my first experience...

anyway, we left kl at about 3pm and we reached the genting first world hotel at about 5. once checked in, i saw a spectacular view where we could actually see the whole amusement park from our room...

this is the only clear pic that i could manage where the view is not covered in fog... genting is still by far the best amusement park in malaysia...

after a quick dinner that night, we made it to the arena of stars and waited in anticipation. michael bolton did not disappoint with his 2 hour performance and sang most of my favorites like go the distance, when a man loves a woman, how am i suppose to live without you and etc... till today i'm still in the concert mood - my mp3 player is still filled with his songs...

anyway, if you notice the pic above, you'll see two shots of a lady... man... you've gotta see her to know wat i mean... the way she danced, the way she moved... just so damn sexy! =)

during the second half of the concert, they actually allowed us to approach the stage and it is pretty obvious if you look at the crowd - the gals mainly couldn't take their eyes off michael bolton and the guys? they were surrounding this dancer to take a photo of her... and obviously, i'm guilty of that too... =)

well, enough of the sexy lady... =) the pic above is taken in our room (left) and also in the cable car ride on the way down from genting (right)...

that night, after the concert, we went out for a drink and spent the night talking... it's been a while since we really talked, you know? i've always been so busy with my uni and time is always so limited...

time actually flew by that night and before we know it, it's morning and time to leave... =(

but it's not all gloomy! we actually had 2 coupons for a buffet lunch and we decided to use them before we return home... and you should see the look on her face when we saw all the food waiting for us! hahaha... like a kid opening her present on christmas morning (she's gonna kill me for this)... =)

we filled our appetite till we couldn't eat a bite more and this time, it's really time to leave... although there was a pang of sadness but i was still happy as this is one of the best birthday presents i've ever received... =)

bye bye genting... till next time... =)

personalized night lamp

remember i mentioned working on some small projects during the holidays? well this is one of my mini project which i managed to complete... nothing really special, just a simple home made night lamp... =)

these are the tools and materials used for my own personalized night lamp...

a simple square lashing to hold the frame together... no nails!

after about a week, this is the finished product. didn't turn out as nice as i thought it would be, but what the heck... it's my own work... btw, this project cost me a mere + rm 30 and if i'm not mistaken, a lamp like this (aesthetics value notwithstanding) costs about rm 100 in ikea... so there you have it... =)

back to school

blogging from my uni, today's just my second day back in uni and i'm already feeling tired. i know i say this everytime we start a new semester but the fact is that it is getting worse with each passing semester - i've lost the zest to continue studying.
somehow, studying here doesn't seem as interesting as it used to be during my first semester. maybe because that's all i've been doing for the past 3 years - studying. although the subjects get tougher with each passing year, the surrounding gets more cramped as well.
someone told me it's because of the lack of recognition here. it doesn't matter if u score an A or a D, no one gives a damn. personally, i dun care bout that although i have to admit sometimes it disappoints me. all this while i use this speech instead, "you should be studying for yourself, your future. getting an A should give you all the satisfaction any reward will give... blablabla...", ok... i admit it sounds crappy but that's the best i can come up with.
my main prob - i still dun feel at home here. especially when i'm alone. ah... such a simple word but yet so, so very cold. alone. after 3 years in this uni, sometimes i still find myself sitting alone, waiting for time to flash by but as it always is, the seconds ticked by ever so slowly. it's just frustrating.
i dun think of the past anymore. not as much as i used to anyway. but not thinking of the past doesn't make the present any better as well... damn...
anyway, i guess i'll stop here...i just needed to let some steam out. i'm not complaining bout my life and i definitely do appreciate my life as it is. and i'm sure i'll start enjoying my studies again... i just dunno when...

ps: i expected to be bombarded for my thoughts on the previous blog but i guess i was wrong...

nude lady doing ear-squats

i'm sure everyone knows bout this incident by now. it has been widely spread and criticized since the day the video was captured. my personal opinion? it has been blown out of proportion and i think all opinions heard on the media is ill-judged. in simpler language - never listen to just one side of the story. i mean, this incident was reported by an mp and not even by the lady involved.
i have seen the video and certain things have caught my attention. it has been said that this lady is abused and her rights were violated. so before i watched the clip, i assumed the lady would look frightened, ashamed, lost and etc. but i was surprised to see that she was calm and composed.
i'm not writing this blog to judge anyone. i'm not here to say that what the police did was wrong/right. all i'm saying is that there is always two sides to a story. and we haven't even heard one side of it yet. who is that lady? what crimes have she committed? no one knows. as for the police, i'm sure they could come up with a pretty good explanation of the incident although i'm not sure if it will be accepted by the public.
this reminds me of the days when i was in vi. in the scout group that i was involved in, there is this orientation that all members had to go through at the end of form 3 - from boy scouts to seniors. for us, that orientation is a necessity. a tradition that must be upheld. although some seniors have misused their authority and turned the orientation into their own sick means to torture others, this orientation is nevertheless an important essence in the tradition of our scout troop. i can understand that because i was part of the troop. but good luck explaining it to others. outsiders would never understand the need for such a tradition.
i'm getting a little bit off-tracked here. anyway, all i wanna say is that the manner in which the police handle criminals should be left to the police to decide. that's why we shouldn't turn to crime right? as long as you don't do anything wrong, you wouldn't be in custody and your rights wouldn't be violated. you expect to be a criminal and still have your rights defended/ protected? no. the police should have the upper hand in this.

ps: however, i have to add that getting caught like that - allowing someone the opportunity to record the whole incident on video is just plain stupid. at least have the brains to do it somewhere no eyes can see.

emily rose

i watched emily rose the other day with ly and i think it's a show worth mentioning. especially now that it's 3 am... hehehe... those who have watched it should know wat i mean...
i dun find the show really scary like those old freddy kruger (21st elm street and etc) horror films but the images in the movie is somehow really disturbing. it scared ly enough all right... =)
comparing it with all the horror flicks shown lately, this definitely stands out. the acting is pretty outstanding and the story does make you wonder. are you a true believer and strong to your faith? and if you do not believe in gods, well, watch the movie and decide...
to those who have watched it - "one two three four five SIX!"
muahahahaha...

good and bad...

plenty has happened since i last posted.
sat (19/11) - man utd says goodbye to one of the best players to have ever played for the club. roy keane, the epitome of everything man utd stands for. he is the old school midfielder which is a rare species these days. hard tackling, no-nonsense is his game. at his prime, he was a box-to-box player who feared no one and even at his age now, he does not shirk from a tackle. a true leader and a fighter. he will be missed. and let us remember him for all that he has done for the club.
sun (20/11) - on a positive note, i went to watch the A1 GP in the afternoon and it was a hell lot of fun! it is no match for F1 for sure but the race is more exciting in A1 and with the right kinda publicity, it will surely be one of the best race series to come. i mention publicity because sadly, the turnout was dismal. i dun think the grandstand was even filled to 30% of its capacity.
as for alex yoong's performance, he came in 5th and that's not a bad try considering team malaysia beat team usa, japan and great britain - teams from countries that are technologically more advanced compared to malaysia. but you know wat's the best part of it all? the support! oh yeah, we got behind alex and we were loud and clear about it! when he came into the pits after the race, the cheers of “malaysia boleh!” rang out as though he has just won the race... and the feeling of unity among fellow malaysians was overwhelming... =)
on the other hand, after returning home from sepang, i went for a game of futsal with my friends. after a really long break from the game, this would be only my 2nd game after last weekend. and after playing for bout 30 minutes, i had a collision and as i fell on my sprained ankle, i heard 3 loud "cracks". i dunno how to explain that noise but it was definitely followed by pain! damn, it's been a while since i felt that amount of pain. i retired from the game and i had difficulty walking after that.
mon(21/11) - when i woke up, there was a sudden rush of pain in my leg which almost brought tears. so i decided to pay a visit to the chinese doctor. after 2 hours of waiting, it was finally my turn but the moment he touched my ankle, i had no idea why i even bothered waiting. it hurts like hell! according to him, my ankle was out of position. dislocated i guess. and after massaging for bout 20 minutes and assuring me that the pain was all over, he pulled a stunt which i will not forget for some time. i dunno wat he did but he twisted and pulled my ankle to get it back into position. i thought i was gonna pass out. damn. although at the moment, my ankle actually does feel much better, i still dun feel thankful yet. maybe i'll thank him later when i can forget the pain.
and things just go from bad to worse. when i checked my e-mail later that night, i realized that the philips young inventor's challenge result was out. yup. you guessed it. i wasn't in. but wat pissed me out was the fact that out of the 15 semi-finalists, 12 came from the same uni. i dun wanna mention names here but something doesn't feel right. i dunno. after so many tries in all the engineering comp, all this failure is starting to make me feel kinda small. am i no good at all? damn once more.

ps: i actually got my result for last semester during the past couple of days too but i forgot when. it's better than i expected but recent events have dampened my mood to celebrate.