nichmaninov online

something i found interesting while i went back home

2007-12-01T21:48:00.000+09:00

Blake on "the marriage ring":

"If you trap the moment before it's ripe,
the tears of repentance you'll certainly wipe.
But if once you let the ripe moment go,
you can never wipe off the tears of woe."

W.B. again on "the question answered":
"What is it men in women do require?
The lineaments of Gratified Desire.
What is it women in men require?
The lineaments of Gratified Desire."

just something i d found while strolling the shelves of a local bookstore at home. personally i do believe that there is much more between men and women than mere gratified desire... though that would depend of each of us translate Gratified Desire. on another note, i guess i still havent had to wipe the tears of repentance... hope the day never comes.

cheers,
N

Selamat pulang ke tanah air

2007-11-10T13:46:00.000+09:00

"selamat pulang ke tanah air"...
those were the words of the flight captain as we touched down on the runway of KLIA.

it was a complicated feeling for me hearing those words, for i was filled with excitement i have not felt a long long time. as i boarded a coach for the city centre, taking in the various scenes, busy traffic, road signs in malay, flats labelled "Anggerik, Bawangkali,Cempaka, Dahlia", LRT station Masjit Jamek, everything was so familiar yet so different.
i wonder if such feeling would follow everytime i come back visiting my home town.

visit to Taiping also brought back childhood memories, though gone were the rambutan trees in the courtyard of most houses and the kids that roamed around the area. now its a quiet neighbourhood with elder folks left to take care of their properties.

it had been a short trip back home. but i hope the next one would not be too far a way, especially when i have more than a couple of excuses to return home.

more pics

2007-09-24T15:29:00.000+09:00

MA convocation

2007-09-20T15:09:00.000+09:00

yep.... i did it.
my paper passed with flying result... although just shy of a place on the dean's list according to me old man. even thats a long story anyway...
but i m really glad that its all over & i have sth else to look forward to.

now, just one more *task* & i ve put everything else behind for a whole new experience.

what the shanghainese think as most important in a wedding....

2007-09-11T14:06:00.000+09:00

i know... its pretty embarrassing to have shot this out in public.
& a little peekabo into what i ve up to lately. have fun laughing ur socks off ^@^

it's all me ~

looking forward to my emacipation~!!!

2007-06-22T10:08:00.000+09:00

will it ever arrive this moment i ve been longing for...
oh well... its going to end in 2 weeks whether i like it or not... lets just hope my work ll turn out alrite.

flying to shanghai in august... anyone interested in visiting shanghai during summer & need a free tour guide, feel free to gimme a call or drop me a line.

tho u should b warned shanghai in summer is worst than anything u can imagine in msia, take all the heat and humidity in KL & multiply that by 100... should be how u d feel if u were to be in shanghai during august. & i dont even want to talk bout when it rains & the aftermath.... all the dirt washed up to the roadside, makes me sick just thinking of it.

if u still can live with all that disaster of the elements, like me, then u ll find that shanghai in the summer offers all the eye candy~*guys guys, take note* one can imagine and perhaps wif a lil luck & guts u could even get some TLC for the trip :p

oh but first i ll hav to toil through June and survive July--my defense for the dissertation. god please gimme strength for all these...

N

marriage registration & complications

2007-05-21T23:10:00.000+09:00

hmm... it seems like getting married is no easy task.
not just the wedding and various banquets, one has to mind the governments involved.
orgs including the local municipal, malaysian embassy, even the tokyo tax bureau all seem to want a hand in my marriage. luckily the chinese embassy doesnt require as much hassle, perhaps they have other more pressing issues to deal with?!

then there is also various folks who r worried tht their prized daughter would be married off to a farfar southern land..... hmmm how am i to explain that we r ACTUALLY settlin down here in the heart of the enemy, tokyo. ;p

lets hope all goes well for future Mr & Mrs Leong... fingers crossed folks!!

cheers,

me & zero fighter

2007-05-09T01:40:00.000+09:00

recently at the yasukuni shrine museum, they ve got a skewed interpretation of contempt. history here, ironically its garden and surrounding is one of the best and most popular spot for watching sakura in tokyo.

my boss, the boss lady and the little boss lady

2007-05-09T01:32:00.000+09:00

ladies and gentlemen,
let me introduce you to professor Sonoda Shigeto and his family.
the boss i answer to at waseda, the role model husband and family man.

real japanese beauty

2007-05-09T01:26:00.000+09:00

setsuko san... not only is she beautiful, but she is one of the coolest person i have ever met. my new role model esp during crossroads in life. r@spect~!!

my last orientation session with rotary club tokyo

2007-05-09T00:44:00.000+09:00

just got back from my last orientation session for the rotary club scholarship recipeints.
not only was i surprised by the presence of a couple of fellow waseda mates, but on my way home from ikebukuro i ran into an old friend from APU... seems like he is back to japan for his research on youth policy, will stay for 1 yr before returning to oxford.

seeing people fr the yesteryears was in a way a tour down memory lane... for during the whole chika tetsu trip back home, i kept recalling the days we spent together at good ol Beppu. crawling uphill in our 50cc scooters at turtle pace, the delicious ethnic food served at the only cafeteria on our hill top campus, basketball games that last the whole day, secret LAN parties in the two school dorms, my part time job at the fancy french restaurant (they served some of the best fish dishes & dont ask how i know :p)... ahhh... those were the days :]

i m glad that i had fun back then when i could cos here in tokyo its a whole different kinda life. more city life elements.... wine and dine, meet people at different "functions", they tend to be more acquaintance than anything else... altho ever so occationally one would meet a like minded being. then there is the usual expectation and responsibility of being in grad skool, one must be productive and creative at a break neck pace, lets just say a lot is at stake for a foreign grad student here in tokyo.

my session at the rotary club orientation was also quite interesting as i literally saw many versions of "me", there are again 40 new recipients, some more care free, some anxious about their future after school, some very ambitious, still some looked quite uncertain as a scholarship recipeint, while all are there to help the venerable $$$ donors feel that they have contributed to world peace and development. personally i m glad that my name will be on the payroll the next 6 months at rotary... while at the same time enjoying the company of "me" in various stages, reminding myself how much more i have to accomplish in the future as i share a sumptous meal with my fellow scholarship mates.

now why do i feel i have to write this down? i guess perhaps i need to put down in words, as a reminder, the scenes that i saw just now at the dinner session... reminding myself i need to get things done and really start producing, contribute to whatever field i commit myself to. for now its my dissertation & academic papers after that its "B!@@mb@rg here i come"

wish me luck.

cheers,
N

shine shine shine

2007-04-30T02:33:00.000+09:00

chapel on a hill

2007-04-30T02:31:00.000+09:00

witness of a turbulent era

2007-04-30T02:29:00.000+09:00

greener than life

11 april 2007, my 26th birthday & an unexpected present

2007-04-28T00:19:00.000+09:00

finally, spring is here.
what great changes in the weather outlook... feels like my own life has gone through the ice age of uncertainty & now uncertainty melting away under the warm rays of hope, courtesy of Bl@@mberg L.P.

only a few weeks ago i was fretting bout the bleak future, facing an insurmountable pressure of finding a job + graduate + marriage & a fiancee who is much more worried than i am.
well folks, i can safely announce today that the worries are all unnecessary.... at least for now.
lulu and i have both found a job, i was trying to pick between 2 very different but equally prominent firms & decided to join bloomberg. lulu on the other hand will be working for ANA... yes the japanese airline... the one with a better service and a cheaper rate than the other japanese carrier J@L.
both of us were offered a job right before lulu's folks arrive in tokyo last week. so it was all praises and toasts again... however i was most relieved when i broke the news to my folks.... mom unexpectedly broke into tears... exalting the blessings of our ancestors & promising (more) unfailing daily prayers with joysticks. guess i hav been quite the burden to many parties.... my apologies for all the inconvenience caused & thank you for the support.

my offer fr bl@@mberg was actually quite an unexpected event as well. it all started on the 3rd April, when i attended an open event organized by the HR.... i was also made to go through a group discussion which served as the initial interview. things proceeded pretty quick after that & after 4 more interviews i was offered a position with the Glob@l C@stomer S@pport on my 26th birthday.
since all of my own prefered options were met with dead ends, i m naturally delighted to be given such an opportunity. btw my tentative first day of work should be in early november.

well, one down, two more to go. now if i can just get my act together for the master dissertation, & organize my marriage ceremony after my convocation. hmm... wonder what challenges i ll b facing ahead... but no matter what happens, i m more determined to see through this rough ride and arrive at a new chapter in life starting this november.

cheers,
N

farewell xiao ting... good luck in shanghai

2007-03-03T00:10:00.000+09:00

tokyo kaikan

2007-03-03T00:07:00.000+09:00

at odaiba

2007-03-03T00:00:00.000+09:00

my meeting with giants

2007-02-05T18:09:00.000+09:00

last week i met 2 people who left me very impressed.
Edmund Terence Gomez and Phar Kim Beng.
they have showed me what it is to be a man, a human being. its been a long time since i last felt the warm tingle of genuine encouragement.
for a long while, i thought i had lost the ability to feel excited again, too scared to seek any adventures anymore, too busy being framed in my own little world.
that brief meeting had re ignited that passion for the unknown. though my path hence forth would be threaded in much more care, & with a partner in life. i could suddenly see how one suffering from depression would feel. all that responsibility from promises made or self expectations, like the snow of Shiga highland-- a staple beauty in the winter season one moment, and a killer avalanche in the next. i only hope that wont end up in such a situation and pray that those who do may find their way out safely and swiftly.

perhaps fate has made this my opportunity to strive and reach high. never have i felt more pressured in various facets of life... spousal duty, filial obligation, need for self advancement etc etc, all i need to do is pick up the courage, stay focused and act quick.

problem is though courage i now gained, but directions are too many i dont know how to proceed. direct advancement to further postgrad is out of the discussion, though i personally would want to stay close to the academia with the hopes of returning in the short future. yet founding a family at this juncture of life doesnt seem to allow such indulgent options, hence would i go into a field of finance, trade, commerce becoming a sure provider? or find a compromise between them, a post in marketing, research, etc others i do not know... how should i proceed from now on? that is the question.

hmm... much past bedtime now. good nite & sweet dreams.

N

merry christmas and happy new year

2006-12-25T20:24:00.000+09:00

to all those who visiting this blog,

merry christmas and happy new year~!!!

may all of you have a prosperous and exciting year ahead.

********************

the end of another year. the project that i took part in ended in the form of an international symposium. we were all able to publish our findings in various presentation sesssions, all in all, the whole event ended with a satisfactory note.

all looked as if we were to leave shanghai in a joyous mood when i decided to crash the party. literally, i broke off berating the whole group for incompetence in the aid of a few drinks. by the end of my brute and uncivilised outburst, i was so full of anger that i stormed out of the party and ended up in a massage parlour, with a few of me mates that came to keep me from any trouble.

after the fiasco, all the embarassment asided, i find that i do not know myself well enough, & most of all, i have let the old man down. perhaps i have hurt him the most when he has invested all in me, but to see me go amok. boy, i have never been sorrier. now if i can be man enough to tell him this.....

looking forward to a better year 2007.

a taste of being a researcher.

2006-11-18T13:35:00.000+09:00

dear all,

been busy the last few months, mostly at scheming a never-been-done research, flying to and fro meeting the would-be research partners, a family trip to shanghai that got me betrothed, planning my own paper for said research which i hope would eventually end up as my dissertation, and lots of classes and readings in between them.

can't remember a period in life that was busier. alas i am condoled by the fact that all effort led to a fruitful ending, for waseda and fudan both have produced the desired result; now if yonsei can perform their part then our triangle would be perfect. suffice it to say that i am in debt of all parties involved who selflessly contributed to the project.

for waseda's part, we produced quite decent number of data. i am especially in debt to all my group members who selflessly invested everything in this project. to the old man, thank you for believing in us, we owe u everything.

shortly after obtaining our folks' mandate

2006-11-09T15:41:00.000+09:00

hail future Mr & Mrs. Leong....

ladies & gentlemen, i m getting married.

2006-09-25T23:14:00.000+09:00

after being together for nearly 5 years, lulu and i are getting married.

its a decision reached at lightning speed, think it didnt take more than 30mins for both our parents to agree on our marriage. i am personally happy that things turned out the way it is, although i would have liked to kneel down in the traditional way and propose to my angel holding a ring with both my hands.

on 10th of September 06 noon, i accompanied my parents to lulu's. it was to be the first for both families, yet this first meeting proved to be a historic one with both parents speaking in a "similar channel". i could remember how my dad threw me this look, signaling his cue to break the ice on "the topic". i then proceed to tell lulu's dad about my plans for our future, meaning i wanted more time--to settle down and find a job, which to everyone's surprise, his dad objected.

he said, "one can never actually settle down, for we all live with uncertainty one way or another," but his following words that really struck my heart, "if you are serious about creating a future with my daughter, go ahead and ask for her hand... and i shall give you both my hearty blessing!!" thus, our marriage was decided, lulu and i were left basking in the euphoria of the whole turn out of events.

we have tentatively decide to hold a ceremony next fall, after graduation. until then, we have lots to do, & boy i cant wait to face the hurdles....

my newly acquired toy!!

2006-09-03T01:37:00.000+09:00

brand new macbook, just got it yesterday, & can't take my hands off it ever since. really a charm to use this mac os... very human friendly, better effiency function for function compared to XP but there's still quite a bit of incompatibility issues. all in all, i think its still a perfect machine merging both function and style. just the way i like it... whats more, i even have a desktop version too :-]

recent life in tokyo

2006-08-14T11:17:00.000+09:00

i am now in my 2nd week of summer break... so far my deeds have been attending local festivals (3 of them already), watched a fireworks competition, working out at a local gym. been trying to do what i cant afford to do usually when skool kicks in.

cant wait for september to come, & D-day is on the 7th-12th. thats when me folks ll be seeing my other half's. anxious about how the whole kaboosh will unfold.... but on the bright side of it, i suppose this means progress. its been quite a while now that we r on a steady note, not to say this is not good, but i sometimes do fancy a little excitement to spice things up. hence this might just be the lacking ingredient, giving the final touches to our slowly becoming relationship.

in another note, lulu & i will also embark on another trip of negotiation in Shanghai to finalize our previous proposals will a local uni & another korean uni. hence by the end of september, i would hope to have accomplished two major advancement in life. now if i can only make out what to do in the farther future.......

cheers,
nic

recent me... tight in cash and a promising quater ahead.

2006-07-24T01:25:00.000+09:00

life seems to find its way back to normal for me now, normal as in more worries about the future works and deadlines closing in like kamikaze zero fighters, threatening to crash and burn, taking u down along the way.

last sunday, after having compiled and sent the 1st-draft of a project i m involved in, my dear ol-trusty toshiba notebook decided to call it quits... realigning all icons and unable to display any kind of fonts, leaving me with tonnes of files & folders without any descriptions.
this display of amok couldnt come at a better timing, as i have one last term report left to complete.... still, the skool does open fr 9 to 9 daily... its not the end of the world although it would be if i cant get it ready by thursday.

this leaves me no choice but to shop for another workhorse to replace it for the next few years. currently my top choice seems to be the macbook, macbook pro, and macbook. its just such a cleaner and simpler beast to run. in the meantime i hope this borrowed laptop dont crash on me too soon.
speaking of shopping, a close friend of mine recently showed me what *aggressive shopping* meant. he basically left no room for the honda car dealer to reap profit wut so ever fr his deal, yes that good he was, very proud i am of him. his heroic act actually spurred me to emulate his negotiation success with the mac dealers... wish me luck KS, now is a time of patience, and more patience + bold negotiation tactics. gotta allocate the limited resource wisely now...

another strand of event, or more like an announcement, my folks ll b meeting lulu's!!! yes u heard me rite bros & sis, things might get cozier fr now on here.... or at least lulu & i hope so. this historical meeting shall take place in september, during lulu's birthday. i m beginning to feel the butterflies in me tummy now that D-day is drawing closer.... only less than 7 weeks to go. just cant imagine wut ll happen when they meet, will they embrace each other or will they be engaged in a cold war??? hmmmmm need lots of prep to make this meeting trouble free... just the thought of it makes me feel weak in the knee.

thats all for today, gotta let this troubled mind rest a little.

cheerio,
nic

idle me... or am i?

2006-07-19T00:09:00.000+09:00

after leaving this site to rot for about a semester, i finally pluck up enough time and effort to replace my last entry with this.

the long inactivity is due to many objective and personal reasons... too busy with work, too lazy to tell everyone how i ve been struggling with work and most of relevant of all, too busy cocooned in my own little universe of blissful ignorance. its a scary business this world of the academia.... one must keep on producing and find ways to let others know ur result or else u ll fall out of the *circle*... one cannot help but recall the scene of Mr. Anderson taking the blue pill & that 3 episode long tumble down the rabbit hole.

i spent the past few months trying out many things but study... or should i say, productive study. the first month was packed with events and toil that came and went with every new semester i suppose. after the gradual lift of euphoria, reality took over and kept me busy for quite a while. by the end of may, i had completed the course work for one of the only 3 subjects i enrolled this semester.... yes yes... i m took it easy this time "round, but hey who's to say skool life is mere class related?

the end of the month i had found a way to keep me busy the rest of the year, i volunteered to represent our seminar class, applied for a joint research with shanghai & seoul, finally and surprisingly we were selected without much of a debate. this was an amazing coordination of personel at various department to which i cannot take credit... owing to the fact that i had only managed to submit a proposal to a foundation which we r still pending for reply. however, a decision *did* evolve after much crossing of opinion.

then came the time consuming, brain exhausting, nerve testing process of contacting prospective partners... its mainly a business of people: locating them, convince or even seduce them with original ideas, negotiate solutions, sometimes even leaning close to the business of espionage--well captured in Sunzi's words "know thy self & enemy...& thou shalt win 100 wars & more."

still there is goodness much of it in the recent past, one of them being a free trip to shanghai in june, yes yet again, my 3rd in a yr, to meet our research partner. the few weeks before the trip and after were nothing short of an unhumane strain of nerve. such was the stress and pressure that i had trouble going about my usual daily life... slumber never came, food lost its flavor=(for those who know me, i m not kidding...really.), entertainment failed its bidding... yet all those seem horribly acceptable now.

the sudden change of wind is due to, seemingly, our success in attracting our partners to stay and join us... both shanghai and seoul... hurray~!!! all this good news brought me out of that gloomy state of despair upon stressed out nerve. & hence in a tipsy state of mind i ve decided to celebrate this wonderful moment by removing the cobweb from this humble site.

*********************************

clearly there is much to be done and that feeling of underachievment still lingers in me. like a scar unhealed that stings, reminding the owner to attend due care; & that stenches, reflecting how rotten it has got for lack of regard. still i hobble along, fearing competition might catch up and that the momentum gained might be lost, fearing the present might be erst memory forever lost...

'tis indeed precious to find moments of leisure, even the thought of it reflects leisure in a way. why one should be so chased by time and opportunity i do not know, indeed all that i m made to believe is that there is much to be gained & nothing to lose. welcome to the rat race.

yours
idly N

moving on...

2006-04-19T23:40:00.001+09:00

just had another tiring day fr skool. we r now 2 weeks into the semester, already i hav got more than a handful of work awaiting my attention. but as usual, the show must go on, therefore i must move on too. yet all is good, actually better than i had expected. only just now, i was appointed as one of the two reps. to prepare for the next overseas program. looking forward to another exciting adventure... cant say much now but from where i am now, i m looking westward for a solution. lets hope everything can turn out as i planned.

really glad that i m now in tokyo, able to learn from such a diverse community. its had to say which is a better skool, APU or Waseda, but here in tokyo i do get to participate in projects. & at last i m beginning to find out my true value, or to say i can now attach a price tag on myself. still there is much to do and the going is still tough, one must face the stereotype of being a junior member and learn one's position within the hierarchy. the former i can anticipate; the latter i m still grappling with even to this day.

the first meeting after my election is scheduled on friday late noon, until then i shall need to polish my presentation, my tool to seal the deal :]

till then,
cheers,

to my sister

2006-04-19T23:36:00.000+09:00

hey,

wuts wrong wif the telephone line at home? cant seem to get through... might want telekom to thoroughly check the connection.

cheers,

more pics from tsukuba

2006-04-19T00:41:00.000+09:00

なんと美しいオハナだ :]

spring in japan

2006-04-16T23:02:00.000+09:00

taken on my birthday @ tsukuba.

Dr M. receives PhD @ Waseda.

2006-04-04T13:26:00.000+09:00

his speech like always was both amusing & thought provoking at the same time :] proud to be a Malaysian... if only we could hav more leaders like him :p

long long day

2006-04-04T00:27:00.000+09:00

spent the whole day outside... went to skool, had lunch with friends, went for a walk along the magnificent Kanda river where sakura petals painted the river pink, turned in my next application for financial assistance, & finally went to see my ol'man for new advice for my next project.

all in all, it was a busy day. yet for some reason, there is sth amiss amongst the long list... for i wasnt satisfied by this achievement. every moment i d remind myself that all is still at stake, no room for that *common ground* as its a winner take all game.

yet i fear this intense way of living might not be enough to carry me to my goals. to realize them require much more... much more than i now possess. if only God can hear this loud cry....

sth i forgot to upload... a memorable moment with mayor ma

2006-04-04T00:14:00.000+09:00

never thought i b able to see him in person :]

Shanghai & Suzhou, 2006 Spring

2006-04-02T18:24:00.000+09:00

more to come but this is wut i can find on my camera for now.

the ugly me.

2006-04-01T00:42:00.000+09:00

dear all,

as usual, lots happened in the last fews months. since my last message, i helped publised an article on a japanese academic journal, finished my first semester at waseda's GSAPS with pretty good result, went to shanghai & beijing--internship@tv station, help produced an episode of a japanese tv program, visited ancient China @ beijing, met most of the family of my significant other, translated heaps of stuff including medical prodecure docs, had lots of fun & etc etc ;p--, & finally granted a scholarship (still havent got my $$ yet tho.). still lots to be done. as the chinese communist saying goes, "revolution isn't done yet, let's charge ahead my comrades!" such a saying best reflects my current state of mind.

today i also saw an undesirable side of my conscience. it was as if i saw in flesh and blood the shadow of an older self--me, one i thought i had long got ridden yet had unknowingly lingered on, reincarnate and manifests itself in the most unlikely way. but what man can do to rid his stereotype--unhealthy biases? the very nature of our conscience are made up of sets of biases, all working simultaneously to induce the mind into a particular thought. such tendency i have found to be very severe in me, & had not realized such until i saw this clone of an ugly, older version of me. i dare not claim to have finally realized and patched this imperfection, yet at least i see better now the flaw of my design. with sweating palms & a fainting heart, i am ashamed of myself.

none to cheer about,
faulty nic

one sunny winter afternoon @ Tokyo Tower, Minato ward, Tokyo

2006-01-25T16:21:00.000+09:00

after the rotary club interview, i decided to explore the neighbourhood. this place has some mind soothing spots. parks, temples, tokyo tower...
btw, all photos taken wif me trusty little keitai (handphone) ;]

Rotary club interview yesterday

2006-01-25T14:58:00.000+09:00

so it was a sunny tuesday morning, just like any other good business day, i attended the long awaited interview for my application of the rotary yoneyama scholarship here in Japan.

having only slept not more than a couple hours, i went to skool first to submit a term paper, hav a few light moments wif classmates & present my suggestion for another international joint research trip to the sensei. at about 11am, me and my well loosened up mind head for the business district the Minato ward.

the interview was scheduled to be held at the japanese Red Cross Assoc. building. the interior was very business like, typically clean muffling carpet, dimly lit lobby, and well crafted wooden armrest lining the winding staircase. arriving more than 2 hrs early, i seated myself in the waiting room, watching many potential scholarship receivers, my competition, led out of the room.

not to say that i wasnt anxious or excited, but i didnt worry about the interview until it became a memory wedged deeply in my head. i felt good at the interview, & did quite well at leading the conversation, or at least thats how i remembered it. one of them on the panel happened to be an Old Boy of my present skool, another whose daughter graduated already, but this did not ease things a bit. in fact, i realized later that i was thrown some pretty agressive punches by em ol'folks.

that being said, i should count my blessings as i think their impression of me is a positive one. now the only glitch bugging me after giving the whole session a run down in my head is this one thing the OB said--"there are lots of students fr ur skool thats on our payroll, so if u happen to find urself not on the list, i hope u understand", before the buzzer sounded signalling the end of our talk. i promptly left with a bow.

all i can do now is pray and keep em digits crossed, the result ll be out in early march. hopefully by then i b too busy indulging myself in the the company of lulu & shanghai, that all foul news could be swallowed down like a gulp of chinese HongKaoLiang spirit minus the fire-spitting throat-vexxing sting.

cheers,

happy new year~!!

2006-01-06T00:58:00.000+09:00

dear all,

been gone for a while now, i mean literally i was not at home for a long time. went to taiwan during early december, met lots of interesting and not to mention powerful ppl there including the current KMT chairman Ma Ying 9. then there were also the DPP reps and the Taiwan Thinktank, asahi newspaper's taipei bureau chief, & i was especially on good terms wif a few of the students at taiwan's soochow university :]

yet as i step back to reality, i was met with a midterm essay, which explains how i spent my christmas eve. & there is 2 more coming. plus other homeworks i missed while i was in taiwan. oh... wut a sweet dream it was just days ago.

apart fr the endless pile of work, the weather is also not helping me coping wif work at all, this winter proves to be the coldest for japan since the last 25 yrs. i m glad its doesnt snow in tokyo, at least not yet. it gets dark early too, these days its light out at 5pm here in tokyo. i m still trying to get used to this short daytime, but i guess i should count my bless as this winter is pretty dry hence tolerable compared to the previous ones.

wonder how everyone is doing these days. wish everyone a happy and prosperous year ahead.

cheers,
nicholas

every moment is learning

2005-11-04T23:59:00.000+09:00

dear all,

i m now splitting my time between my study, which is picking up pace, TA duties as a professor wanted me to help hime out in a class, my new found part time job at a legal firm.

on top of all that, i ll b leaving for Taiwan for a study trip & i ll b able to meet the Taipei Mayor cum chairman of the KMT party--mr Ma Ying 9. hahaha~~always wanted to write his name like that.

noticed its been 2 weeks since i last logged on... not that its been that busy... but sometimes i m just so tired i dont feel like doing anything that involves the slightest cerebral activity.
still, i thank everyone i ve met in my 24 yrs of life for making me who i am now. most of all to those i was the closest--my family, my girlfriend, all the friends. the biggest thank you & my warmest regards to all of u.

suffice to say, i am quite happy wif life now, & life is good as usual. yet for some reason, i m not satisfied, its like once u ve tasted caviar, there is no turning back. now i long for more chances to see the glittering fancy world. & i shall make tokyo yet another stepping stone, just like beppu was 4 yrs back.

looking forward to wut lies ahead.

cheer,

life back to normal

2005-10-22T11:42:00.000+09:00

dear all,

now that i ve got used to tokyo & her surrounding, normal life has returned somewhat. yesterday i went to play ball, explored the neighbourhood around skool, met a bunch of new friends. ahh... the goodness of such a feeling. i m beggining to get the flow of things around me, blending into the fabric of society so to say. i actually quite welcome this change... the environment, the people, a new start.

now i m really excited and looking forward to living here in tokyo.

cheers,

2005-10-18T00:49:00.000+09:00

HK pop culture festival. Cecilia Cheung is HOT.

2005-10-18T00:48:00.000+09:00

yokohama Yamashita park, near chinatown, Sedan chair race.

meeting people

2005-10-18T00:31:00.000+09:00

dear all,

i ve been busy lately. mostly with school work. but the last 2 days has been great as i was able to meet lots of people, even 2 famous pop stars fr HK. haha, that was really a bonus.

tokyo is really a place full of opportunity. will utilize this to my advantage :]

how r the rest of u doing out there?

cheers,
nic

new life at waseda

2005-10-09T00:59:00.000+09:00

dear all,

ok. skool just started.
i m now living in tokyo... metropolitan life. not really.
but luv it here cos the skool is good, library is a gem... just hope i hav enough time to go tru wut i hav. lots of really interesting ppl here.

havnt got time to really get to know the city yet. mainly cos i m busy & a little broke.... havnt got any income now that i dont hav a scholarship anymore. but i m working on it, dont suppose i ll survive for long without a scholarship here.

yet its not as gloomy as it seems, i m learning lots everyday. & i know that i ll hav much to improve fr now on. :] havent felt like this for a long time...
like a yatch on full sail...

just had a long chat wif me oldman... think it was my 1st. not that we re not on good terms, just that i ve never disclose this much bout me to him ever. & i think he sees me as a man now... quite the change of wind, think i m heading downwind for an easy sail... just hope he can last till i sail home in a few more years. reminds me of an chinese idiom by OuYang Siu "树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不在". worst thing that could happen to a son. may i not see this day...not anytime soon.

my study, contrary to every other thing else, does not seem to be sailing on a smooth course. now that i m here in waseda, i shall hav to change the course of my ship just a few degrees to the East. fr now on, i shall pay more attention to the chinese in Japan. i think this is still a relatively new land, unlike the much exploited study of Chinese in SEA...although i still think there is much to be done on them. tentatively i ve set my eyes on the chinese voluntary associations in Japan and their role to a chinese living in japan.

oh so much to ponder about, worry about. how much time hav i got left? not much for sure. will need to speed things up a bit.

how r u folks doing out there? miss my old pals now that i m really all alone. asaka, hows it going there back home? fei chai, how r u getting along wif weiling? gugu, u need a break fr work. ohh... and the lot of u guys fr APU. dav, co, kunlung... hows skool in london?? finally, my sis MQ when do i get to see his pic?? send it to me quickly larrrr!!!!

take care all.

cheers,

my 6-day long summer holiday

2005-09-24T21:47:00.000+09:00

ahh~~~

feel lighter now. but dont expect to be able to relax too long.

i ve settle down in tokyo.

now officially a citizen of the tokyo metropolitan area. that being said, where i live now is just 10mins away fr disneyland... pretty much @ the outskirt of the tokyo city border.

my room is as usual, small, or teenyweeny, XXS sized, a rabbit cage, pigeon hole, anyway u get the picture. but life here isnt that bad, i get 2 meals everyday except on sundays & holidays courtesy of the obasans here. not exactly the best food in the world but at least i dont have to worry bout wuts cheap today in the market, or where's the best place to shop for grocery.

just had me orientation on the 21st sep 2005. already lots to be done, as i was told. my supervisor wants to start our seminar early, so 26th would b the 1st day of skool for me... a week earlier than the Waseda calendar. oh well... at least i dont hav to rot in my Kancil of a room.

the month of september has been a very very busy but fruitful month.

first, i moved to tokyo 1st. that means no more waiting for weeks for ordered study materials to arrive, public transport after 8pm (including Sundays+holidays, hahaha hooray!!), better prospect of finding a good job, & above all a big change fr the last 4 yrs.

b4 i could settle down, i was at kyoto university 3rd~7th, attending a seminar on overseas chinese & made the biggest fool out of myself. it was quite the scene... sitting there not fully prepared, not to mention being so nervous i couldnt focus properly when commenting on the lectures. hence more comments were thrown at me & i was there helpless being cut alive.note to myself: improve japanese & english proficiency. be well prepared & try not to chat too much with the leng lui associate professor sitting next to me the day b4. additional comment: i must agree wif DA-- jap women speaking kyoto accent are the sexiest being on earth.

the day i got back fr kyoto was lulu's Bday 8th. due to insufficient fund, we spent the day at home, simple meal, a small bouquet of roses, & more lament on being 2#yrs old.

coming back fr kyoto, all dishearted & worth less than cow dung, Aunty & lulu dragged me to the Aichi Expo at Nagoya 12th. there i was able to regain bits of my old self... i was able to roam around the hood wif a partial VIP pass (Aunty's friend's husband's subordinate...aka Connection within) and free to snap about wif my trusty canon. visited the mitsubishi pavilion (skipped the 4hr queue :p), both japanese pavilions, the China pavilion, all with personal guide & the accompaniment of their Directors. it really feels great to b a VIP... think i could like it :] then there was the Malaysia pavilion, African pavilions, Spain & France, a few other asian pavilions as well. all in all, it was a fun day and refreshing one too. a BIG BIG thank you to Aunty :]

right after Nagoya, there was our graduation ceremony 15~16th. we went back a day earlier to get all the paperwork done, made sure we could get our certs rite after the long & crowded event & off we went to Yufuin a famous hotspring town rite next to our humble Beppu. the graduation ceremony was a blurrrrr. one moment we were collecting our gowns, taking photos, next thing i know square hats were thrown & some stuck on the ceiling happens every time haha. minutes after the ceremony, we rushed to airport & by dinner, we were back at lulu's in tokyo. talk about a tight schedule.

although summer holiday started months ago, i felt like it started the moment i was handed my cert of graduation by ol'man Fellizar. *finally it feels like holiday* i remember telling this to Aunty later.

so here it is, a summary of the last moments of my summer holiday. next up, life in Waseda...

cheers,

raped... a fool's lament

2005-08-15T15:36:00.000+09:00

my frantic heart pounding,
the desperate need to convey to the face,
the burning throat, the aching throat, the
swelled throat didnt help the matter.

watered to the brimmed, i turned them
to look at the face as speech failed me.
alas he understood
with my notion he brought writing tools.

*couldnt speak, no sound* coarsely
written in their language,
to which he replied
*i understand, but this is work
& we must all adhere to the work ethic*
little did he know that
the wages for the last few days
would be delivered to the hospital,
pharmacy that provided my treatment.

was the work ethic worth more than the employees?
coming to that, where do i stand as a part timer?
but that was soon answered
as he again spoke, *take tomorrow off,
i shall call u tomorrow for the shift the day after*
& that plastic japanese grin i m all so familiar with.

with that i sped off to retrieve my ride home.
all the way, feeling used & raped
off my last thread of pride as i replayed that scene,
so desperate to appeal my case but couldnt,
so crystal clear of my practical worth,
& a growing detest for this establishment
with all the being in it.

but all this is bygone
i hope.
&
i shall not return.

so farewell Beppu Wan Royal Hotel,
goodbye. &
may we never have to cross paths ever again.

down & out... & raped good

2005-08-15T14:44:00.000+09:00

dear all,

life is a bed of roses, they have thorns... never fully understood this saying till last few days, when i was forced to work nite shifts despite my ailing body.

all me colleagues knew that i was *not feeling well*... gezz how bold can i put it any further (Jap is my 5 or 6 language, so spare me the lecture if u think i should ve done better)... so as it was, i laboured at work wif the most sour face i could contort, the best smile i could put up was barely a smirk.

& this is not the end, because my body had been giving me trouble since the 1st day of august, with a series of headaches, fever, i had been a very grumpy & spiteful person. last nite though my body decided this wasnt enough misery and capped it off with an additional dose of mumps and the OHHH so painful sore throat.

with all these, i brought myself to work, & miraculously lasted 4 hrs till i was completely robbed of speech, literally whatever came forth sounded worse than a bleating goat, robbed of my last thread of pride, for what was i worth more to them than a disposable part timer that *had to* earn that meek 750yen/hr (1 USD=109.6yen) & an undeserving critter who d asked for sick leaves when there's the slightest bodily discomfort.

while i intended to see to end of my shift & then get home for some rest, my body just wouldnt have that kind of talk. so it reacted. the darned sore throat felt so hot that i couldnt speak, as mentioned, when i went to the P in-charge all i could make was uhhhh- uhh-, unintelligible even to a wookie.

in a wify, i left the establishment. im sure i got a few shocked faces seeing me leave like that, but i couldnt care less, all i wanted was to go home. that sole thought kept me going, flying through traffic & evading traps & stops...

till i reach home and tumbled...

dog tired...

2005-08-09T00:52:00.000+09:00

weehh~~

wut a rush. final exam right after the trip to shanghai, then there is the kyoto seminar to worry about, plus there is more than necessary part time job in the already packed schedule.

just got of 2 five-hour-shifts... been awake for more than 20hrs... hell, wish i wasnt hypertension during my rest time or i d have gotten some rest. :[

so here it is... i m getting ready for tokyo. all is fine except that i m debating whether i should attend my own convocation... which will cost more than 1 month's rent just to travel between where i am now & tokyo. mmm.... to be or not to be... i need booze.

speaking about booze... i recently got smashed in a party, so bad that i was rushed into ER. hahahahaha.... too much whiskey + Oita's famous shochu. :] the graduation party was absolutely cr@p!! but we had soooo much booze & smoking going on none of us could leave walking straight. though i must say i enjoyed being smashed hard that nite. guess its a once in a lifetime opportunity to try sth crazy. might as well do it in your own graduation party. hehe~~~

after that, it was part time job all day long, most of the time it runs late into the nite too... wut can i say, cant be begging for more monay fr me folks can i...:p i m on me own now.

but life aint that bad though, waseda seem to offer a good prospect for research and i hope i can go somewhere through waseda :]

enuf of me, why dont u tell me wuts happening lately??

cheers,

to a friend in need

2005-07-28T02:21:00.000+09:00

like the flower, u r elegant and beautiful the solitude pink amongst the common leafy green.
towering tall above the rest, such nonchalant yet possesive quality.
delicate and exposed to the elements' will.
alas! of late such beauty succumb to a tempest's wrath,
stormy nights sleepless nights a bucketfull of tears,
pray leave o'devil this soul wounded by cupid's bow,
brace yourself oh elegance, oh beauty, fall not to this weakness within,
for soon this nightmarish storm be no more but fair sunny weather awaits.

stand fast, steadfast for u r elegance and beauty.
bow not, not at this jester's trick, for real love invites not sorrow.

if u r reading this Durian,
to luv,
cheers,

XinTianDi, Shanghai

2005-07-23T12:48:00.000+09:00

xin tian di... yep, thats rite, the new downtown in Shanghai.

2005-07-23T12:47:00.000+09:00

a picture of the new Shanghai

2005-07-23T12:46:00.000+09:00

'the big red lantern hanging high'-- watch it if u havent, its a good movie.

2005-07-23T12:45:00.000+09:00

always run into one of these joints, shanghai, tokyo, KL... they're everywhere... the terrorist is taking over~~

2005-07-23T12:41:00.001+09:00

sealed window

2005-07-23T12:41:00.000+09:00

the road to a free market

2005-07-23T12:39:00.000+09:00

wouldnt want the view fr that window

2005-07-23T12:38:00.000+09:00

the urban calvary

watch them charge through the city during rush hour, wut a sight to behold!!

a trip to Xihu, HangZhou. Summer 2005. pt. 2

2005-07-23T12:34:00.000+09:00

more lotus fr Xihu

2005-07-23T12:33:00.001+09:00

so green

2005-07-23T12:33:00.000+09:00

lotus leaf

2005-07-23T12:32:00.000+09:00

spring 2005...

2005-07-22T02:19:00.001+09:00

"no need to envy, one day u ll become just as beautiful..."

a trip to Xihu, HangZhou. Summer 2005.

2005-07-22T02:19:00.000+09:00

the 3 sisters... Que bella~

this photo has been dedicated to a friend. hope she feels better now.

my regards to her,

2005-07-22T02:18:00.000+09:00

"i m all alone, there's no one here besides me~~~ "...

2005-07-22T02:16:00.000+09:00

no frog on it?

2005-07-22T02:15:00.000+09:00

YueFei's pond in his temple

2005-07-22T02:14:00.000+09:00

dragons over the rising sun

awaken to a long long journey.

2005-07-21T16:16:00.000+09:00

having been away for a week at the pearl of the orient, i find myself landing back to reality. how heavenly 'twas the past week...

nothing comes close to zhejiang food, perhaps with the exception of the cantonese counterpart, and god bless the poet for his DongPo marinated pork and the WangPu river for the yummy shrimps. aside from good food, the service also gets a face lift... waitresses doning dinner gowns, personal dinning space with soft leather sofas and a toilet just for you... how good can it get.

getting to places was never easy in this hot, sticky summer day. but i didnt hav to sweat too much, taxis were everywhere and they were cheap, so cheap i use them just to get to the end of a block... :] life can be too good sometimes.

but all things good do have an end i suppose, this morning i find myself awaken by the searing morning sun through the window. the fan didnot help a bit i find myself longing sorely for the comfort i had left behind.

back in beppu much has to be done.
to break a little good news, my application for lodging at tokyo has been granted, a decent dorm for 30,000yen including 2 meals (roughly RM1,000 or USD300). it will be quite a big sum now that i m stripped off a scholarship. but alas, a place i can call my own in the busy metropolitan tokyo.

another news is that i shall attend the Southeast asia seminar in Kyoto university in 5-7th September, hooray for an opportunity to visit my favourite city in Japan. i ll b there for 3 days to listen to papers presented and hopefully discuss about my research in Japan.

because of this, i shall hav to double my effort in perfecting my paper for the seminar. still much to read and write. read i must for the 2 year ahead and write well i must if i should get funding in tokyo. ahh... such is uncertainty in life. but as they all say... ce la vie

coming soon, photos of shanghai and xihu of hangzhou.

cheers,

shanghai, there and back again

2005-07-20T23:31:00.000+09:00

dear all,

just got back tis evening...

wut a trip,

full of excitement for visiting the city again,
anticipation at the prospect of meeting the people,
gratitude for the hospitality shown,
touching moments knowing how well received i was,
sense of completeness and satisfaction having gained a most respectable contract- human trust---- something i find most difficult to attain.

yet for now this short statement will but have to suffice, a full story will hav to wait till i replenish enough, being utterly spent in the gruelling week long trip...

until then,

sweet dreams,

PS: sorry for the unkept promise, HJ. just couldnt make time for a cuppa in shanghai after that brief meeting.
my deepest regards and gratitude to ur folks... & keep ur head up, PPPPPP... :]

wut a roller coaster ride 29th-31st May 2005

2005-05-31T20:53:00.000+09:00

dear all,

on the very same day, i experienced both infinite joy and disappointment together.
on the very morning of 29th, t'was a journey from the Top of the world to the deepest pit in hopelessness.

rite after completing--- thats probably too mild a word, the synonym should be *ACE-ing*--- the crappy english (ones we did in CH highskool were prolly harder) & japanese proficiency test (the 1 kyu was not an 1 kyu proper), i went up to the person in charge to discuss my case, how i may be enrolled in Waseda in Fall but not pay until the scholarship money in next April comes by.

to my surprise and later dispair, i was told "aiyo, why u nlevertiell me earlier wan, ur case horr shouldnt be applying from the embassy in Malaysia" errr.... rite, now u tell me... "u should go to the skool directly larr"

the more i listen the more i fall, slip, "i need a sit, Now."

so for the next 2 days, i spent all the time pondering wut to do next, emailing for help and phone calls to the embassy for a follow up. and all that leads us to now, i finally got an answer. Mr Takahashi told me to come back for the interview, "if u make it that is *smirk*"... let me assure u this, among the first few notice-for-interview u will send in the next 2 weeks, my name will be among the very firsts.
but not all hope is lost, and not all coming from him is the end, "take it as a kind of insurance, a 50-50% chance of striking a jackpot, mind u the probability is much higher than any Jackpot on the market..."

after that, i left wif a heavy head full of questions... now fast developing into a migrain... !ouch! me duele mi cabesa~

in the meantime i m now trying to get a postponed admission by playing my Monkasho cards.... hope the skool and the professor will buy into it... or i m left wif a big debt and no way to survive in stone cold Tokyo for the next 700 days....

aaaaiiyhhh, ain't life fun?

cheers,
nic

heavenly ringtone @ 11am, 26th May 2005

2005-05-26T11:49:00.000+09:00

dear all,

i finally made it. the announcement came through this morning & i m on the A-OK-Kawabunga list. yea~~haw!!!! ~Waseda here i come~

i ll be doing me MA prog in Tokyo starting this september once i pay up.... wonder how much a scholarship i ll get fr waseda.

well, that solved... up next would be the jap gov Monbusho scholarship. oh well.... keep on praying.... keep me head up now, never know when Luck's gonna strike again.

thank you all who have been supportive and may u all too achieve that dream of yours.

cheers,
nic

praying WASEDA WASEDA WASEDA

2005-05-25T13:13:00.000+09:00

dear all,

i m now back home in KL... still pretty dazzed by the waseda interview.

come to think of it, the interview went on pretty smooth. a little too smooth perhaps. wonder if that is a positive sign.... keep my fingers crossed here.

if there is any fallout i could think of, it would be my failing to mention that i was invited to the Monbusho scholarship 2nd screening. i should ve at least boast a little bout that. then there is also two names that i forgot to mention..... arhh~!! i panicked at the interview~

oh well, thats all over now. i ll hav to start preparing for the monbusho one rite now. so wish me luck y'all, i ll keep ye posted. & if i dont, then u know why.

**PS** Wes, Koji, Rio, the waseda letter should arrive on the 26th noon or 27th morning. rip it open and inform me the result asap, please~

going home soon

2005-05-14T17:21:00.000+09:00

i ll be leaving for Tokyo on the 21st of may and then leave for Kuala Lumpur on the 24th.

quite a tight schedule i have here... and to top all that off i have to finish my graduating thesis in 3 weeks. looks like more sleepless nite for mua.

absolutely not looking forward towards the next couple of weeks.

to a crappy life,

cheers,

GOT it... pass the first screening :]

2005-05-13T10:34:00.000+09:00

dear all,

amidst a gloomy prospect and close to stagnant in churning up a thesis, there might finally be a glimmer of hope, a single ray of light shooting through the surrounding hopelessness as i was informed to have made it through the 1st screening for both institutions i m aiming for.

the japanese Monbusho dropped a letter at home and its a invitation for the English and Japanese proficiency exam....

the Waseda notice just arrived less than 30mins ago, was and still very dazzed at receiving a positive note. thought i heard the door bell when i was awaken groggy headead. as i dragged me heavy feet to the door, an envelope was stuck into me hand by me roommate *luv u dearly koji~!!* and it wasnt a big one too.

and boy was i glad when the letter inside turned out to be an invitation to a 2nd screening :] so far todo esta bien~ super bien :p

now, lets start working on the preparation :[

cheers,

Photos fr our little day trip on 7th May _Pt. 1_

2005-05-10T02:53:00.000+09:00

My personal model... tot i d venture into shooting potraits as well ^_^

we ll b seeing more of her in the future on this blog. ^_^

the weather was just perfect~!!

wut u dont like the camera?? :o?? haha... luvly shot eh ^_^

i ll post more when i m done post processing them :] stay tuned for part2 ^^

母亲节快乐Happy Mother's Day

2005-05-08T00:16:00.000+09:00

阿妈：

谢谢你！！
没有你的牺牲，没有今日的我。

不孝子，
玮松

happy birthday mom

2005-05-06T23:11:00.000+09:00

dear mom,

sorry for not calling in person. actually i forgot bout ur birthday, too busy these days trying to handle both work and studies... but those are not excuse for forgetting ur birthday.

i m really sorry for that.

wish u ll hav a wonderful year ahead and enjoy life to the fullest.

there's a japanese saying i always wanted to say to u: "otsukaresama desu!!". explain it to u when i see u next time :] cheers and take care~

unfilial son,
Thung

earthquake alert~!!!

2005-05-02T01:31:00.000+09:00

jeesshh~~

just had another slight shake here, barely seconds ago. didnt think it would register a R4 magnitude bad boy on the scale. :O :O :O

wonder wuts wrong wif the faultline near Fukuoka... hav had more quakes in the last 30 days than my total of 4 yrs stay in japan. very weird.... cos the Fukuoka faultline was never known to b active. hope we dont get a real big boy anytime soon.

at least let us graduate peacefully. please dear Almighty up there...

amen,
nic

wut a week. tiring 'GORUDEN Ui~KU translate literally as Golden week'

2005-05-02T00:29:00.000+09:00

wohh...

its the 3rd day of the week... and many more days to go. i m still trying to work on my thesis.

the most tiring part of life currently would b my part time job. i ve been working at this French restaurant for some time now and a couple of days ago, one of the more experienced employee just quit. because of that, i was to replace her as the one to coordinate the flow of food.

and boy its one tough job alrite~ not only do i make sure my waiters serve guests on time but i hav to make sure the kitchen keep up wif the pace and produce enough for the mass of guests pouring in at dinner time.

whew~~!! gone r the days when i could turn my back and snip from the plates o delicacies. now i m suppose to make sure those who serve food dont steal. hahaha~~ such irony such life.

but i ll try to make more time for study. got to prepare for my grad skool interview and exam, then there s a big thesis to keep me occupied.

god, please do make sure i pull this off.

cheers to all,
nic

will the real residents of Shinsei plz stand up :]

2005-04-24T21:09:00.000+09:00

the Shinesei trio.... & they're kind of shy people :p

For those who dont know, Wes is 6ft tall, 200lbs...

2005-04-24T20:55:00.000+09:00

this is how it looks like when u r at least 4500m or more than 10,000ft above sealevel.

photo by Shin san.

how strange human mind is~

2005-04-24T20:34:00.000+09:00

some would think she is so cute, others might as why is she bandaged, still others might question the real motif of this photo for capturing the moment too realistically and relating it to some ugly pedophilic middle aged maniac.

for wutever reason, i strongly believe wut this shot remarkable. the expression on her little face cannot be describe by words. notice the ring she is blowing into, nothing will come out of it but she doesnt know that. how simple a children's mind could be ~

cheers,

sea of cloud... marvelous :]

2005-04-23T15:17:00.000+09:00

august 4th, approx 4am, Mt Fuji. forgot to mention this was 2004.

photo by Shin san.

rise and shine darlin'...

2005-04-23T15:16:00.000+09:00

august 4th, approx 4am. Mt Fuji.

photo by Shin san.

last summer during tenku festival

2005-04-23T14:40:00.000+09:00

*Shhhh* ~just look ~

i m fine. just down and out.

2005-04-23T14:31:00.000+09:00

could b monthly blue that got me.... not in the best mood now. and the weather today sure didnt help either... wut more i cant seem to get a decent nite's sleep cos ma' mates hav a booming voice and a heavy foot :p

wonder hows life out there wif y'all. anyone else wants to hav a go at the misery of life? here's a chance to spill em all out...

smooochh & aint this a lovely day... :]

2005-04-23T00:54:00.000+09:00

& since its my birthday, i get a little *bonus* :p hahaha, somebody wipe that smug off nic's f@ce~

Beppu Park, Spring.

2005-04-23T00:51:00.000+09:00

under the sea~ wrong Sebastian, the trees... :]

24th spring, spent wif buddies.

2005-04-23T00:46:00.000+09:00

my birthday party. this is kind of dated but tot i d still share it wif u guys. thanx a million. frens missing: asaka, david.

babe when u r gone, .......

2005-04-23T00:44:00.000+09:00

gone for 3 weeks. i ll miss u. dont give tokyo too hard a time. :] be good now...

just me here.

2005-04-22T23:53:00.000+09:00

i m all alone, there's no one here around me~ Donkey in Shrek.

lulu's gone for 3 weeks. leaving me here to rot while i push myself to read and compile the tonnes of material i have for me thesis. and there s also the waseda skool to worry about, need to prepare for that interview and write an essay as well, on demand.

very busy x 100000 and take that to infinity= the present me.

and as i set myself in motion now, time really slips by. suddenly i dont even want to wear a watch.... for fear of thinking how much i hav lost. scary thought.

ohh... ticking ticking...

2005-04-22T23:44:00.000+09:00

what i see almost everyday... wish these moments can last longer. wish i hav another year. wish i.....

i m back.

2005-04-09T15:30:00.000+09:00

guess its time to get back to work now.

had a long long vacation. lots happened. dunnno if i will fare better this spring.
winter's finally gone.... spring is officially here.

to a great semester, cheers~

graduation thesis + grad skool application + new semester = one hell of a life

2005-02-01T23:34:00.000+09:00

wheeuuhh~~ boy hav i been busier~~

been trying to juggle many pressing tasks now, and i can really really feel and understand the saying "time is short"... indeed 24hrs a day should hav been made at least 36.
at least then i can hav some time for a break... hate it when i hav to rush to get things done. cant wait till next sem, then i ll hav more things to do b4 i get my Bachelor's.

but then again, life is also good here. get to eat all the good food at home... trying to eat the two years worth back in less than 60 days ;p pray that i wont get a bad tummy soon.

havnt seen many of my frens due to the reason that they are all working and busy person too. well, CNY is close and hopefully then they ll get a few days off and we can have a little gathering. cant wait to catch up the ol'times wif the guys... wonder how they all turn out after all these time....

please... time~ gimme more~

cheers,

To avery.... is that u there?? averized@gmail.com

2005-01-25T22:19:00.000+09:00

hey,

i must say, never thought i d see u drop a line here. hahaha.... do come by & drop me messages, feels good to know that i havent lost the people i know...

^^^^
i m hooked on PS2 soccer game -- winning eleven 8-- these days.
never thought i d b so indulged in a video game but this soccer game is great. just cant stop playing here.

i ll hav to do sth quick to quench this lust for WE8.... my thesis is still going nowhere & i m leaving for home this saturday. got to get sth done soon.

HELP~~~~!!!!

feels like holiday.... or more like a calm moment before the storm

2005-01-10T23:58:00.000+09:00

life goes on... after the horrific quake and waves, things are starting to be organized and some are trying to start all over again. good luck... and i respect ye all who are still able to continue with life over there.

back here, now that things are almost at its end, all seems to be calm again. the semester will end in a couple of weeks, all exams are over for me. all left are just boring classes and TA duties.

yet for some reason, this semester left a very unfulfilled me behind. for some reason, i think i still hav much to do, and i m very very very worried.

the main issue being my graduation thesis, which is sad to say, not going anywhere.

books & articles i hav read, but i cant seem to gather them all and conclude them in a refined way. and without a good thesis, i can basically kiss my well-thought-out-future goodbye.....

if only there is a reset button that i can press, and all things in life can go back to its default mode. why is more troublesome... lack of choice or too much of it???

hope tomoro will bring me some better news.

cheers,

2005-01-06T01:52:00.000+09:00

!!~EXCLAIMATION~!! this is not me girlfriend...!! she is seiko, a model i luckily got hold of through a friend. these are photos fr a session we took. i would like to hear comments fr all who ve seen her here. tell me how i can improve these photos :]

2005-01-06T01:50:00.000+09:00

this is just for reference. had to try it out for just in case... but i guess not this time :p

2005-01-06T01:49:00.001+09:00

seiko in a cooler tone.