What the...

The irony of it...just when I'm 3 ticks away from being able to shamelessly brag "I've visited all 7 wonders of the world"...comes a new list created! (And they've also started a list for new 7 natural wonders at http://www.natural7wonders.com/)

(Number 5 of my list of things to do:)

Visit all seven modern wonders of the world

OLD LIST
· Eiffel Tower (done!)
· Great Wall of China (done!)
· Taj Mahal of India
· Pyramids of Egypt (done!2006)
· The Leaning Tower of Pisa (done!)
· The Statue of Liberty
· Angkor Wat

NEW LIST
· Great Wall of China (done!)
· Petra, Jordan
· The Taj Mahal, India
· The Roman Colosseum, Italy (done!)
· Chichén Itzá, Mexico
· Machu Picchu, Peru
· Christ Redeemer, Brazil

The Great Wall, China	Petra, Jordan	Christ Redeemer, Brazil	Machu Picchu, Peru
Chichén Itzá, Mexico	The Roman Colosseum, Italy	The Taj Mahal, India

Made my day...

This morning waking up, I've got smses greeting "Happy Anniversary". Then it struck that it's been a full year since the roller coaster ride in Paris.

I've still not gathered my feelings and mood to really write about my working life, though close friends are fully aware from the few words that sprouts....like "busy lor"...."surviving"....."same lor"......my only burning question: "IS THIS ALL TO LIFE??"

Nett nett (my company catch phrase for conclusion), there's this stark difference between the high life I've led compared with the past 4 months. Looking at the seniors in my company, I do not see anything I would look forward to.

Thanks Jess, for the reminder again...on what I truly missed in life....

http://dotwrite.blogspot.com/2006/05/hutang-aku-dengan-dotwrite-aka-my-debt.html

p.s.: Jess, you were asking whether the other half of my Monday went well...it definitely ended with a positively warm feeling...:)

Overdued NY post

Figured it's time to put something up, though I'm sure most have already drifted away from expecting new here. Was scrambling through my laptop(did not really touch it for 2 months) and discovered something I wrote for the new year, but did not think was anything interesting to post up. Weird enough, reading back now, it really brought myself walking down memory lane...:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do not write as often as I should, so I figured that at least I should do it when the occasion calls for it. What better excuse than to write a blog to usher the New Year in, topped with the juicy fact that I’m beginning a new phase in life?

Year 2005 went by with most moments zooming past, and some moments dragging on. Here are some examples:

So slow that it feels like eternity:

-Docking at Esna on a Nile cruise for a full day, with the sole entertainment on board was watching double chinned personas on TV, playing backgammon and getting wet in a tiny pool.
-Lying on the bed counting the days when I would finally get my butt out of UTM
-Trudging with a heavy backpack around Europe counting the days I will get back to Malaysia to eat dim sum and bak kut teh.
-The time I got stuck in the middle of the straits between Pangkor Island and Teluk Batik(Lumut). It seemed like a relentless and endless effort trying to canoe over to the tiny beach that seemed to grow bigger sometimes and shrink again in another moment. Yet, I couldn’t believe that we were indeed doing that for a continuous 3+ hours.
-Conquering the Kota Tinggi-Mersing hills on a bicycle under the hot sun.

Too short that you wish you could freeze time:

-Forcing my rusty wheels to turn as I try to complete an interview pre-screening test;
-Spitting out words like a machine gun as I tried to squeeze in a 20 minute presentation into a 10 minute one;
-Strolling along the Cherating beach with good company;
-Dancing with all my heart to those oh so familiar (AIESEC)tunes as if it’ll be my last;
….and mostly, times spent with close friends.

Some nominations for year 2005:

Best “cursing” feat: During international finals of Brandstorm, the moment the Emcee said the word “Malaysia”. I spitted the “shit” word non-stop compulsively and never oh so whole-heartedly.

Stunt of the year: Canoeing from Lumut to Pangkor on a high tide (and failing. See http://emperorngiam.blogspot.com/2005/11/pangkor-i-shall-return.html)

Nervous breakdown of the year: Morning of the Brandstorm National finals, when I puked out my RM45 breakfast.

Best mamak session: The night Own Chai and I shared about our future and dreams and waited for the burger later at 2am

Best shock: Discovering the sunny bears took off my car tire as a birthday present

Worst shock: Waking up in the Venice train station to find my backpack missing

Best lesson learnt: Always hug your backpack to sleep if you choose to sleep in the train station.

Best laugh: Gosh…too many

Best cry: 1) Convocation 2) The night I moved back to KL and went over to say farewell to two of my closest friends 3) Last day of NLDS 2005

Euphoric moment of the year: The night standing at the hostel balcony in Verona, listening to a troupe rehearsing Opera, trying to lock away every single feeling.

Songs of 2005:

Ray of light (Madonna): The beginning phase of Brandstorm

Let’s get it started (Black Eyed Peas): The ending phase of Brandstorm

Don’t stop me now (Queen): Natco China 2005. I totally felt the lyrics; I wanted the moment to go on forever.

Xi shua shua & Hollaback girl & Kung Fu Hustle: NLDS 2005

To where you are (Josh Groban): Him

You’re beautiful (James Blunt): The day Ngiam, Chee Sheng and I went fishing. I was driving my kancil and Chee Sheng asked to turn the radio up, “Good song, good song”. I agreed with him then.

Any song with the word “Habibi”: Egypt

Yellow (Coldplay): The Midsummer Eve in Paris with the Asian teams (sigh, it still brings a sad smile)



Yes, Year 2005 was a good one. A year I could look back and sigh with contentment. A year where I shall dig some of my grandmama stories to tell ;)

Looking forward to...

1. My new work desk (pray that I'll have one!) and how I'm gonna decorate and organize it.
2. My new laptop!!
3. My first paycheck (who doesn't?)
4. Planning what to wear for work (at least for the first week)
5. Know what's my first assignment...aaah!!
6. Crazy adventurous weekends with friends and the list is building: rock climbing, cycling, trekking, go kart, paint balls...
7. Meeting more like minded people
8. Regular gatherings with old friends
9. Picking up the clarinet
10. Artistic indulgence, watching concerts, musicals, plays, movies...
11. Afford the books I want!
12. Picking up new skills and hobbies (dance, martial arts)
13. Taking a long holiday and not do some of the things above :)

Watch out world, here I come!

In another less than 12 hours time will mark the beginning of a new journey. A journey where I will be challenged even more greatly on every aspect.

I've been mentally prepared for this phase of life almost one year ago, ever since I was back from Beijing. Not hard to put together if you already knew how I dreaded the monotony of my
academic training.

One year ago. That’s how stretched my reservoir of excitement is. It's a wonder I still have some left.

And as always, at the beginning on a new venture, I’m asking myself the same questions: will I live up to my expectations? Was it just luck and the right time cum place the last time? Will hard work prevail again this time?

We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

Life on two wheels

It’s going to be a full year since the crazy ride across the East Coast and only now do I find the mood or motivation to start penning down the journey in black and white. When I try to recall back about the trip, it’s more like bits of a jigsaw puzzle and I would dwell furtively on the missing pieces. That day, I was just trying to recall what’s the name of the beach in Pahang we so magically owned…Penawar?

I digged out the two journals I kept quite faithfully throughout the 13 days. The hitz fm one evidently looks like rotten cabbage, having survived through heavy rain. The bigger one was purchased at a small kedai runcit for RM2, bigger cause I figured I needed a bigger canvas to paint my words (and some doodling along the way).

Well, here goes: http://huiwoontcycling.blogspot.com/

Current progress: Day 1

Pillow talk

"Aye...you've thought about where you'll be at 30?"
"Mm...in SG lo...be the best and youngest SG...."
"How about the shop?"
"Mm...dad still working in shop, mum also, sister helping, brother also help"
"Other business?"
"Bookstore? Dunno...."
"Erm....how is your house like?"
"Got dogs, cats..."
"Erm....married?"
"Mm...."
"Erm....what if your wife not at home, come home once a month, how?"
"Like that...no choice lo....."
"You don't mind?"
"No choice lo...as long wife happy"
"................."
"........................."
"35?"
"Huhhh?"
"35 years old leh?"
"Mm...mmm....maybe MP lo....or maybe continue in SG....."
"Family?"
"You mean my family? Dad more free, travel, go gambling...mum stay home, play mahjong with friends....."
"How about your own family?"
"Mmmm....?"
"Kids leh?"
"Mm....One son or daughter lo..."
"........"
"Teach everything I know to him/her....read lots of books, teach how to play chess, bowling...."
"...................."
"Zzzz...."
"The house?"
"Zzzzz...."
"*pushes gently* how about the house?"
"Mmm....got all kinds of animals...dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, ducks, chicken...lots of books"
"Where is it wor..."
"Hmm?Dunno wor....If MP then KL lor"
"At 40 leh?"
"Die already lo..."
"Ha? Die?!"
"Too good and popular....people assasinate me..."
"*giggle*.....Wah, how can die so early....*hits with booster*, then wife how?"
"*giggle* She ar.....marry again lo...."
"Aiyo...marry you die so fast one.................then if don't die leh?"
"Mmm.....retire from politics lo....start teaching..."
"What if you're offered to be M?"
"Then I make gao gao the dept the best lo...."
"Mmmm...Kids leh..."
"Zzzz..."
"*nudges with booster*....kids leh?"
"Huh?....maybe got one more lo...."
"The house?"
"Same lo..."
"Wife leh?"
"Still busy traveling here and there..."
"You don't mind meh?"
"Zzzz...."
"......................."

Rhythmic jazz of “Sunday Morning”,
A deep voice singing to me,

Tears from laughter,
Tears you flow with close ones,

First whiff of air in a foreign land,
The familar smell of home,

Heart thumping from infatuation,
The lullaby of his heart beat,

The adrenaline of the new,
The peacefulness of contemplation,

The beauty of both worlds.

A part of my soul...

(Written in front of PSZ library after the two previous blog and after being awake more than 24 hour)

Without specific order, pouring out of my mind:

The climax of an orchestral piece, the mystical inspirational tune of a new age music that you feel your heart will burst(Adiemus, Now We Are Free from Gladiator etc etc), the haunting piece from The Piano and the double ending, the majesty of nature during a sunrise or a sunset no matter viewed from the mountain top or by the beach, the assuring and soothing rhythm of late night or early morning rain, the melody from Forrest Gump that inspires innocent but sad hope (and how we almost shed tears listening to it being played by Mr Joost on the oboe), the first sight of the pure blue and white sand beach when cycling in Terengganu, the opening big bang of (most)musicals, the feeling of totally connecting in thoughts with another person…ok, I’m a bit stuck for now…might continue next time....

Things I hope will be a part of it..

A field of sunflower in Tuscany, the majestic Grand Canyons, the beauty of the aurora, the hopeful and eager faces of children...

Farmers and hunters

The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels by Paulo Coelho

"Some people feel that they are alive only when they are facing challenges. They are the hunters, and for them it is the only way to achieve their power. For others it is the way of the farmer, and it is on that path that they find their power."

I’m almost definitely a hunter. I guess everyone who knows me will say so too without blinking an eye. Challenges and the prize of the game keep the spark in me glowing. Above all challenges, I seek to prove my ideals right. So there you go, the romantic hunter…the poet in me. How long will this romantic last in the jungle of life full of other hunters?

The Art of Living

Living is an art, because art is about knowing what mistakes we need to learn from and move on, and what mistakes to keep.

I guess when they say this, they are talking about the artistic process of a painter, when he (well, most famous ones are male) dabs a little too much of that awfully bright pink paint on those….clouds and presto! We have given birth to a some new neo-classical chapter in the “Art Appreciation for Beginners”. Perhaps that’s also how Gaudi came to have all those wavy patterns on his balconies and marzapine-like houses. My own version would of course be in a more musical sense, so it would involve a flat sounding C note on the sax, which stumbled on to a series of chromatic scales downwards, missing a few notes here and there.

Enough on romantics…

Mistakes. Here is my two major ones in the last 5 years which I am keeping:

Mistake number one: Being totally blur about my future at the age of eighteen and submitting it to whatever that comes. This is a mistake I intend (and am forced) to keep. I was capricious, moving from genetic engineering (because it was a really new thing and sounded cool), medicine(because I liked my Biology teacher and the sweep of inspiration to make a change by serving as a overworked underpaid civil servant….yeah well, Hui Woon was like that since then), actuarial science, management, business administration(the last ones came because I knew I have a tact and interest for management and actuarial science was deemed to make more use of my toils in the science stream). Above all, I knew very strongly that I wanted to study abroad. But since I was like a fallen leave getting swept down by the river flow, I found myself staring at the gates of UTM in no time. Entering those gates, I remember vividly how I made a pact with myself. I was going to learn as much as possible, make the best out of everything no matter what. So as a mistake I kept, I am who I am today.

Mistake number two: Next mistake is like a Jengga block of mistakes. How the final blow was built slowly on one circumstance on top of another, and eventually if you took out a piece of it recklessly, it would just topple mercilessly. I took Orchestra as Ko-Q without registering. I dropped a subject or two. I went on lucrative adventures in the management faculty. I took the word of someone too easily. This is how I broke perhaps another record….one of the few Chinese students who are taking a sixth year in Chemical Engineering. This eleventh semester however gave me a lot of time to think, to contemplate, to question myself, to plan and execute my next move. I’ve found what I needed, and it is indeed a very blissful feeling to have the conviction of knowing the “what” and “how” of your life.