MYF... Gotong-Royong =)

Yesterday, we had a gotong-royong to clean up the surrounding area of the church and also A. Peh Lan's shop lot. MYF, usual time was 7:30 p.m. was shifted earlier to 5:30 p.m.

We started with the usual MYF routine, worship. The worship leader was Joyce. After a little worship, we had Uncle Peter to talk about body language for about 30 minutes... It's interesting really, to know the character of a person by reading the person's body language. We should ask him to talk more about it again soon...

Uncle Peter...

After the talk, it was gotong-royong time!

The tools...

We split ourselves into two groups. One group (mostly the younger ones and girls), to help A. Peh Lan to clear her shop lot, and another group (the bigger ones), to cut, dig, chop the sore eyes beside the church. It was real fun! =) The pictures will be out later. =)

At about 7:15 p.m., we gather back at the sanctuary, and celebrated Grace Chew and Elena Foo's birthday! Happy Birthday to those two! You're a year older. Haha... We had some light refreshments after that. After everyone was refreshed by the refreshments, and jamming session.

Currently Watching... Prince Caspian... the movie

Prince Caspian the movie from the series of Chronicles of Narnia is one fantastic movie! But, I think there is something wrong with the plot though. I've read the whole series of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis a few years ago. And I think, the four children got into Narnia by a train crash, but in th movie, it was different.

Here how the story goes. After they left Narnia for a human year, 1,300 Narnian years, the four children get back into Narnia. Narnia that time, was ruled by the Telmarines. There was a prince, Prince Caspian, running away from his uncle, because his uncle wanted his son to be king. Caspian blows the magical horn trying to summon for help.

The four children find back their old treasures and weapons. And saves Trumpkin from two Telmarines. The old Narnians assemble back together, and they plan to attack Miraz, the king of the Telmarines. Lucy suggested to wait for Aslan to reappear, but Peter thinks he has waited for Aslan long enough. The Narnians succeed in raiding Miraz's castle. But Peter, calls for a retreat when he realized that they were overwhelmed by the soldiers.

As Miraz and his army arrive at Aslan's How, Caspian suggests that Peter and Miraz duel one-to-one. Miraz loses, but Sopespian suddenly kills Miraz with one of Susans arrows and accuses of the Narnians of shooting Miraz. They then fight.

Lucy, meanwhile, found Aslan. Aslan commanded the trees and the trees help fight the soldiers off. The soldiers retreats. And the Narnians won the war! Peter and Susan, found out by Aslan, that they will never return to Narnia. Susan and Caspian kiss, knowing that they will never meet again. The four children then return to England. And Caspian becomes the King of Narnia.

Rating: 7/10

Genre: Fighting, Adventure, Fantasy

MYF Caroling Group Photo 2008...

Sigh! It just seemed like yesterday, that it was Christmas. I just wish it was now! I finally scanned the MYF caroling group picture after so long... Hehe.. I kept forgetting...

Christmas!!! Come NOW!

Memories of CNY [Last Day]...

As the saying goes, "All good things come to an end". Ah, indeed. All good things always come to an end, except for the grace of God.

My family and I left Sitiawan after breakfast. How sad... =( Another long and butt pain journey.

Swensens...

I had lunch at Swensens! Sigh! The swensens ice-cream has jatuh quality. Sigh! It used to be as good as Baskin Robins, next best to Haagen Diaz. But, the mega burger still ROCKS!

Mega Burger...

Memories of CNY in Sitiawan [Day 4]...

This Chinese New Year is a little weird. It rained on Chinese New Year's eve and on the second day of Chinese New Year. Usually, it will be very hot and humid.

In the afternoon, me and my father went on a photographing trip around Sitiawan. My mother took the small camera out, so I had nothing to snap with. I missed quite a number of shots. =( Never mind, I took some with my father's big camera. When I have time, I'll get it from him. But before that, I watched National Treasure. Shall blog about that later...

At night, I went to my second cousin's house, located quite near to my grandparents' house. It was rather boring there, because all of my cousins AND second cousins are quite small. =(

More Pictures of Kampung Sitiawan...

As promised earlier, here are more pictures of Kampung Sitiawan. It's surprising really, I thought such scenery cannot be found in Malaysia. But still, there are.

Did you know that there was a resort in Kampung Sitiawan, called the Tanjung Uda River Resort. I doubt even some people living in Sitiawan doesn't even know this resort exists. Kampung Sitiawan is rather secluded.

Tanjung Uda River Resort...

The resort...

When you see this sign, you'll also see...

...this!

Some other pictures of the scenery there...

What do you think of these pictures I took?

More Pictures of Teluk Batik...

As promised, here are more pictures of what I took at Teluk Batik...

Teluk Batik Park...

Isn't this just nice? I wish my house will be built in an environment like this...

Some buildings...

A beautiful flower!

Although I said that it's almost like East Coast Park in Singapore. You'll never find cracks like this in Singapore. HAHA!

Currently Watching... Mamma Mia... the movie...

My first impression of this movie was "Oh, this is going to be like the High School Musical..." And it turned out that I was right. Only that, Mamma Mia, is way better than High School Musical. The ABBA music fits perfectly at each scene. I salute the person that directed Mamma Mia.

The movie starts out with a girl, a to be bride, Sophie, posting three wedding invitations to three different men that might be her father, without telling her mother. She then shares the secret with her two best friends, Ali and Lisa.

Her mother reunites with her former Donna and The Dynamos band-mates. The three men arrive, and Sophie, smuggled them to the goat house. But Donna, discovers that secret.

At Sophie's bachelorette party, Donna and The Dynamos perform a performance. She learns quite a bit from the three men. But Sophie cannot handle the truth, and faints on the dance floor.

With her big plans falling apart and wedding in jeopardy, she tells her boyfriend, Sky, all about it. He reacts angrily to it, and Sophie turns to her mother for support. 

When the wedding ceremony starts, Donna, her mother confesses that her father is present at the wedding. The three men concur that they would be quite happy to be one-third of a father of Sophie. She then tells Sky that they should postpone the wedding and travel around the world first. Sam, one of the men, proposes to Donna and she accepts, and they go through an impromptu ceremony.

The story conclude as Sophie and Sky bid farewell to Skopelos island and sail away to a new life, together.

Rating: 9.5/10

Genre: Romance

Memories of Chinese New Year @ Sitiawan... [Day 3]...

It's Chinese New Year! Ang Pows! Haha... =)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Today was a little better than the previous days here at Sitiawan. Haha. I got to sleep a little later today. Today was rather uneventful, I did not go anywhere in particular today. I spent my whole morning and afternoon at my grandparents' house. I watched two movies there though, Mamma Mia and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Both movies are quite good. I shall blog about them later.
Lunch was fantastic! There were home-made sausages, and POPIAH!!! The sausages are better anytime then those pre-packed ones. The sausages eaten with popiah tastes even better! You should try it! =)

In the evening, I went to Kampung Sitiawan, I took a few pictures of the scenery there.

More pictures taken up soon. =) I just love taking pictures. Haha...

I spent the night following my parents to an open house. They wanted to meet u with their old friends. I was pretty bored. Haih. Standing there like an idiot. Haha...

Fireworks at the Strike of 12...

When the clock strikes 12 a.m., the skies in Sitiawan were filled with the sounds and lights made by fireworks. The sound can be quite deafening. This is one of the rare times, you'll get to see the sky filled with fireworks 360 degrees all around you, for FREE!

I managed to take a few photos and videos of the fireworks. But most of the pictures didn't turn out well. It's not easy taking the pictures of the fireworks in the sky. Because mainly, the camera cannot capture the picture fast enough, and also because your hand has to be steady when you take the pictures. If not, it'll be not nice.
What do you think of the pictures I took? Ok? Rate?

Memories in Sitiawan Celebrating CNY... [Day 2]...

I celebrate Chinese New Year every year in Sitiawan. This year, it happened to be on a Sunday in Sitiawan. So, I went to the church, Sitiawan Wesley Church. I think the last time I was attended the Sunday Service there was, I think 2 or 3 years ago, also during Chinese New Year. I vaguely remember it.

Sunday service in Sitiawan, starts at 8:30 a.m. This means being shaken out of bed EARLY... AGAIN! Sigh! Can't a guy get some rest around here? Haha...

Sitiawan Wesley Methodist Church...

After the service, we went for breakfast with a friend of my father. I had curry mee. The curry mee was quite pekat. It was okay. Haha... But Alor Star's curry mee at Timuran is anytime better. Haha...

Curry Mee...

The place where I had breakfast was a little dirty though.

Up...

Down...

I had lunch at my grandparents' house. My grandmother sure knows how to make popiah! Her popiah is the best I've tasted, compared to those sold anywhere. Haha. I always look forward eating popiah each time I go back to Sitiawan. I had a quick nap after lunch, and after that, off to Teluk Batik for a stroll. Teluk Batik is like East Coast Park in Singapore. Just that, in Singapore, the park is cleaner, more modern, and bigger. Some parts of the beach at Teluk Batik stinks. Haih. Why can't people keep the place clean?

Rubbish...

Just look how irresponsible people can be. Leaving bits and pieces of rubbish here and there. Can't people be more responsible and keep the place clean?

Teluk Batik beach...

More pictures of Teluk Batik beach out soon. =)

Dinner was at my grandparents' place again. We had fish and prawns! The fish was fantastic! We had a delicious "tau te"! =)

Chinese New Year @ Sitiawan... [Day 1]

Sigh! How do I start? Well, frankly, I was shaken out of bed at about 9 something in the morning. I was sleeping so peacefully. Sigh. There goes my sleep. After that, I had to endure another 3 hours in the car, because the journey to Sitiawan was quite far and long. Haiz. 3 hours without moving, with my muscles aching everywhere from the squash competition I recently attended on Thursday. Sigh!

I reached Sitiawan at about 1 something, and I must say the weather in Sitiawan is much worse than in Alor Star. It's freaking HOT and HUMID in Sitiawan. I had lunch at this restaurant called "Restoran Mei Hock"...

...@ Lorong Bakti 1...

The food is quite okay, but the food is a little pricey though. Four dishes costed a total of RM 70 +. I think normally, it would cost about RM 40 to about RM 50.

The rest of the day was spent at my grandmother's house, watching my cousins play. Sigh! I wish my cousins were all a little older. The oldest cousin is only 9 years old, and I'm 16! Sigh! I'm so old! =(

George's Marvellous Medicine... the novel...

I borrowed this book from the library a few days ago, entitled "Goerge's Marvellous Medicine" by Roald Dahl. This is one short book, only 104 pages, and the words are pretty big. I think it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to finish this book. I took about 20 minutes to finish it. I encourage all those out there who are out for a laugh, read Roald Dahl's books! It's indeed very funny!

George Kranky, a small boy who lives with his mother, father and grandmother. His grandmother is not like any normal grandmother. Usually grandmothers are kind and helpful but not his. His grandmother is grumpy and a grizzly old grouch. George seeks to cure her by brewing a special medicine to cure her, but in the end making his Grandma as tall as a house. This made her happier. George's father Mr. Killy tested the medicine George made on a hen and it becomes a giant hen. George's father hits on the idea of making more of George's marvelous medicine to make his animals bigger and fatter so they can be sold for larger prices and for marketing it. Unfortunately, George cannot remember the recipe. After four failed attempts, involving some oddly deformed chickens, they create a formula which makes things shrink. The nasty Grandma, feeling ignored, thinks that the medicine is her tea and drinks it, shrinking into nothingness. The mother is sad, while the father is gleeful and happy and says all is well. George then realizes that in a mere two days, he has single-handedly changed the world. Yet everyone else has already forgotten about it.

Rating: 7/10
Genre: Kids, Adventure

Squash Competition...

Today I went for my MSSD squash competition with 3 others from my school. I met some of my other friends from other schools there, from Keat Hwa 1 and some from Kolej. Loh came and picked me up in the morning and also Joseph Foo on the way, because he was going also, and his mother had offered us a ride there. I woke up rather early today by MY OWN! Haha... One of the rare times. Most probably because I was very nervous.

My school team registered, each of us had to pay RM 3, but we'll be claiming that money back from the PK Koko. That'll be RM 12 in all. After that, the draw of the game was out. After looking at it, I knew that I could only last up to the quarter-finals. I was to meet a guy from Kolej, a good player. And sure enough, I lasted till the quarter-finals.

Here are the results of my school team... =)

First Round
Tan Yi Jing 11-9, 11-7, 11-2
Ng Zhean Wei 11-9, 11-8, 13-15, 11-9
Joseph Foo Bye
Daniel Ting Bye
I can say that me and Joseph Foo were quite lucky to not have opponents at the first round. And both from my school team won! Haha... But the next round was going to be a problem. Yi Jing and Zhean Wei were going to meet the top seeds in their respective groups.

Zhean Wei playing against a guy from Kolej...

Second Round
Tan Yi Jing 3-11, 0-11, 0-11
Ng Zhean Wei 4-11, 4-11, 2-11
Joseph Foo 6-11, 7-11, 4-11
Daniel Ting 11-13, 11-9. 11-8, 11-9
I was up against this guy from Keat Hwa 1. He was quite a powerful player. But, I think I got lucky. Haha... It was sad that the rest of my school team had been knocked out. Yi Jing had it really tough against the top seed. And so did Zhean Wei. But at least, they still scored some points against them.

Third Round
Tan Yi Jing 9-11, 6-11, 3-11
Ng Zhean Wei 7-11, 7-11, 5-11
Joseph Foo 11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 4-11, 3-11
Daniel Ting 9-11, 7-11. 11-13
The third round was a major let down for me. I lost. Sigh! I was hoping to win a medal this year. Sigh. Never mind, I have another year next year. I will train hard! My other team mates, were now just playing the fool, because if they win, also cannot get into the top 8. Joseph Foo won the first two sets, but he then lost steam, he was out of energy, and lost the following three.

Haha... But the most important is... WE HAD FUN! =)

School Time... [Day 14]...

What's the best way to start your day in school? With the first two periods Chemistry and the following two was two Biology periods? Sigh! What a day it was!

Today, the morning assembly was extra long. Mr. Sang talked about quite a number of things of personal safety and thefts that occurred recently in school. Even in school, there is a crime rate! Can you believe it? What's becoming of school these days? Some more my school got CCTV. Last Tuesday, during extra activities time, there was a student that let of a firecracker. Luckily, that student who did it was caught. Sigh! Schools isn't a safe place anymore. LOL!

And also, during assembly time, a prefect came and asked for donations for a form 3 student. That form 3 students' father had just passed away. This is one bad month. This month alone, I have heard 4 people that passed away. Life is cruel.

After Chemistry, me, Zhean Wei and Sze Sing, went to the library to update the notice boards in the library. That took some time to finish.

Tomorrow I shall not be going school. So Day 15 of school is not going to come out. Got squash competition. =) 4 of us are going to compete! Wish us luck!

School... Sigh! [Day 13]...

What a day! Phew! I HATE Tuesdays... Because Tuesday is the day I have extra school activities.

I had double PJ today. I didn't go down, because I forgot to bring my full sports attire. In my school, if you are not wearing full sports attire, you are not allowed to go for PJ. Strict eh?

After that, I had Chinese, Maths and BM. My Chinese teacher asked us to do the Chinese workbook. Sigh. Why is Chinese so hard? Sometimes, I don't understand what the teacher is teaching. Maths teacher has taught finished Chapter 2, he is going to move on to Additional Mathematics tomorrow.

After recess, we had a taklimat on how to answer the history paper by my ex-school teacher. That is Mr. Khor Joo Kee. He was transferred out. He taught me history when I was form 2. He is one good teacher. That year, when he taught us history, almost all of us could score in history. He has a good and interesting way of teaching. The taklimat took all of the time after recess.

After the lessons, extra school activities time. Sigh. I joined this society called the photography society. I hope they will really carry out activities. I wish there was a Christian society in school. Sigh!

This was my day at school today. Pretty boring, huh?

Hey... PAS WON!

The opposition candidate won the Kuala Terengganu by-election by a whooping 2631 majority, beating BM's Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and Independent Azharuddin Mamat.

The people have voted. The people have chosen. I think if the main election is held now, BM will surely lose. The people in Malaysia wants a change. If BN can't give that change, the people have no choice but to turn to the opposition, PKR. This also shows that the opposition won those 80 seats in the election was not a fluke.

With the addition of another opposition MP to the parliament, out of the 222 parliament seats, the opposition now holds 82 seats, while BN is currently holding 137 seats. The three remaining seats are held by independent MPs.
GO PKR!

School... AGAIN... [Day 12]...

What can I say going back to school? Sien. After an extra long weekend, I am reluctant to go back to school. Yesterday was a public holiday as it was the Sultan's birthday of Kedah.

Today, as usual, we had our daily assembly. We had a little change of class timetable again, but it's still roughly the same as the old one. After assembly, we had this tutor period, which is basically a period to rest or sleep. Haha...

After tutor period, I had double Maths with Mr. Lim. He was still teaching Chapter 2. We're still sketching graphs in school on functions. Guess which teacher didn't show up again? My Moral teacher. He is one busy man. LOL!

I spent my recess time today with Joseph Foo in the library. Navine was suppose to meet me there too, to return me my BM tuition things, but he didn't show up. Grrrr.... Got BM homework haven't do yet!

After recess, I had double Chemistry with Puan Low. She did revision on Chapter 8 Salts. I wonder when she'll start on the Form 5 syllabus. I then had the three languages. English, Chinese and Malay. All very sien. Haha....

English teacher is still teaching the same old thing "Looking for a Rain God", and my Chinese teacher is still doing Chinese idioms and my Malay teacher is doing literature also. Every time their period, they will surely teach either literature or idioms. Very sien. Sigh! Why can't classes be more interesting?

Emotions...

What do you do when you are happy?
What do you do when you are mad?
What do you do when you are just so sad?
I don't know.

In this world of emotions,
it's so hard to control,
oh...
I don't want THEM!

Oh...

What do you do when you are angry?
What do you do when you are down?
What do you do when you are just so confused?
I don't know...

In this world of emotions,
It's so hard to control,
oh...

Taking all my courage,
Taking all my strength,
Let's face them up! oh....
AND WIN THE FIGHT!

Random Ramblings on Biology... The Human Heart...

What actually is our heart? It is said to be a dark cone-shaped muscular organ found in the thoracic cavity protected by our ribs. It is also said that the heart is about the size of our fist, but I don't know if that's true.

Our human heart is one superb design! It has four chambers. They are the left and right atrium, and the left and right ventricle. It's pretty much the same as in what was taught in form 3. There are valves in the heart too, to prevent the black flow of blood.

Our heart, is pretty similar to a car engine. It's the most important and vital part of all. WIthout it, we're useless, quite similar to a car if the engine's gone. There are two nodes in the heart.

At the right atrium wall, near the entrance of the vena cave, there are a group of specialized cells called the sino-atrial node, short form SA node. This is the first node found in the heart.This node acts like a pacemaker, which initiates the heart beat. This SA node generates a wave of excitatory impluses to the two atria, causing them to contract simultaneously. Blood is then forced from the atria to the ventricles.

The second node, found in our heart, is the atrio-ventricular node, short form AV node. This node is located at the base of the right atrium. The impulses created by the AV node are conducted by specialized muscle fibres, called the Purkinje fibres, to the ventricular walls. What an odd name, hor? This causes the both ventricles to pump the blood out of the heart.

The whole process of the contraction, or also known as systole, and relaxation, also known as diastole, of the heart all occurs in a single heartbeat. The heart beats pretty fast, eh? This whole process can be called as a cardiac cycle. An average human heart pumps at about 72 heartbeats per minute. That's 1.2 beats per second.

Our heart is a really magnificent masterpiece created in the image of God. God has planned every single detail perfectly. He pictured the heart without a single flaw. Thank You GOD!

Danny the Champion of the World... the novel...

I borrowed this book from the library. I thought I had finished all of Roald Dahl's books. But I was clearly mistaken. Well, Roald Dahl's books are always so funny!

Danny's mother died suddenly when he was only four months old and from then on he lived with his father in a caravan, behind the filling station. By the time Danny was seven years old, he was able to take apart and put back together a motor. Danny's father owned the filling station, and it was the only piece of land for miles around that was not owned by a wealthy but unpleasant man called Mr. Victor Hazell. When Danny was nine years old he woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't find his father. His father had gone to poach pheasants from Hazell's Wood. Danny's father then let Danny in on a secret of poaching: pheasants love raisins and it’s a perfect trap in which to catch a pheasants. Another trick that Danny's dad taught him was the technique called, Horse-Hair Stopper. You have to stick in a horse's tail hair with a raisin and when the pheasant tries to swallow it, it cannot go down its throat. As a result, the raisin will stick to the inside of its throat and will not be able to fly off. One evening, Danny's father went poaching and promised to be back by 10:30 p.m. Danny, waking later that night, discovers his father's absence. Fearing the worst, he sets out into the woods to find him. He found him trapped down a hole with a broken ankle, and rescued him.

While Danny's father is recovering from his injury, they hear that Mr. Hazell's pheasant-shooting party is approaching. They decide to humiliate him by luring all the pheasants away from the forest. Danny suggests that they should put the contents of sleeping tablets inside raisins and make the pleasant groggy, and when this is done they hide the sleeping pheasants in a local woman's house by taking a taxi. The woman then brings all the sleeping pheasants in a baby cradle. As she is walking toward them, the pheasants began to wake up and fly, but they fall back down. An angry Hazell arrives at the filling station just as the pheasants are waking up, causing an argument.

All the pheasants flew away because the sleeping pill had worn off. But Doc Spencer shows them six pheasants still asleep from eating too many raisins inside the caravan. So, in the end, they had pleasants to eat!

Rating: 8/10
Genre: Adventure

Squash Competition...

I'm going to enter the upcoming squash MSSD again! Later going for practice! Woopee! So EXCITED! I can barely wait! LOL! Got bitten by the squash bug already. Haha... I've been entering this squash competition 2years in a row. This shall be my 3rd year. This year, the squash competition is held a little earlier then usual. Usually, it will be held around February, but this year, it will be held on 22nd and 23rd or January. Although the competition is stated two days in the official letter, the competition is usually done by the first day.

My school will be sending four representatives this year, me, Joesph, Zhean Wei and Yi Jing. I don't know whether a teacher will be accompanying us a not... Because when we entered this competition in 2007, no teacher accompanied us. But last year, Cikgu Zahir came...

This year, there will be a change in the point tallying system too. Instead of the total point of 9 per set, there will be 11 points instead. To win the game, you will need to get the best of 5 sets. That means, to win, you have to win the minimum of 3 sets.

Let's hope all of us get medals and make our school proud! ^^ Suddenly so enthusiastic to mengharumkan nama sekolah... LOL!

After School... and Physic Tuition...

Yesterday, was not a normal day for me. LOL! Usually after school, I will take the bus home. But yesterday was different. I stayed back in school, because I wanted to attend the community church tuition later afterwards.

Joseph stayed back together with me, because he wanted to go for that tuition too. But there was a problem. How to get to church. We only had one choice. WALK. But on the way out of school, we met Grace Chew. We talked awhile and her father offered to drop us at church, because it was on their way home. The problem was, he was already sending another 3 back including his own daughter. Adding another 2 buffaloes like us would overload the car. In the end, four crammed at the back. I got to sit in front, because I was the biggest in size. LOL!

A funny thing happened though on the way to church. Mr. Chew noticed that Puan Low, my form teacher was behind us. He stopped the car and asked whether it was okay with her to drop us off instead, cause the car was crammed up, in the middle of the road. She said it was okay. So we swapped cars. It was a little embarrassing though, because there were a few cars behind us looking.

We had lunch at this restaurant called "Ho Chiak" located near the church. The food there is indeed "Ho Chiak". Haha... In case you don't know what "Ho Chiak" means, it means tasty. Puan Low recommended this restaurant to us. I'm glad we tried that restaurant out. Next time, we know where to eat. And, the food is CHEAPER than the food sold in my canteen.

When we finished lunch, we still had about an hour to spare. I called my mother to ask someone to open the church for us so that we could jam upstairs. There was a drum and a keyboard upstairs. Aunt. Daisy opened up for us in the end. She was just beside the church. She is opening a nursery there, I think.

Uncle Koay taught us about heat. Form 4 syllabus, chapter 4. There were quite a number of us that attended. 16 of us to be exact. Out of the 16, there were only 3 girls. Haha...

What a DAY!

My Day, Today in School... [Day 11]...

It's already the 15th of January! It's already the middle of the month! How time flies. CNY is coming! Prepare to get ang pow! =) CNY is in 11 days time.

How was school today? Perfectly normal and uneventful. Nothing unusual happened today. The only thing I dread was attending two tuitions after school. I was going to attend the community church tuition and accounts tuition in my taman. It's sure was tiring.

Anyway, back to the subject of school. Boring. The first period of the day was a free period. I wonder why this period is even in the timetable. Wouldn't it be better if the free period is changed to the last period so that we can go back 40 minutes earlier? Haizzz...

Before recess, other than the free period, I had all the three languages periods, Chinese, Malay and double English period. My Chinese teacher taught Chinese idioms today. My Malay teacher did a poem based on the book "Kerusi".

After recess, I had double Bio, double Maths and moral. Guess which teacher didn't how up today? Moral? Nope. He showed up today. It was my Bio teacher who did not show up, or rather we thought he didn't. My class monitor went to check whether he was at the lab, but he wasn't. So, in the end, we had two periods FREE!

It has been a tiring day in school. Some more I went for two tuitions today. I'm going to conk out soon...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows... the novel...

The last and most exciting book of all the Harry Potter series. This is one book you have got to read! Here is how the story goes...

Members of the Order of the Phoenix are ambushed by Death Eaters when they attempt to escort Harry from the Dursleys' by broomstick using decoys. Hedwig and Mad-Eye Moody were killed in the attempt, and George loses an ear.

The trio go to The Burrow where Minister of Magic arrives to give Harry, Ron, and Hermonie bequests from Albus Dumbledore's will.

At Bill and Fleur's wedding reception, a Patronus arrives, announcing that the Ministry of Magic has fallen under Voldemort's control, and Death Eaters are on their way to The Burrow at that moment. Death Eaters approach. Harry, Ron, and Hermione disapparate in time to Grimmauld Place.

At Grimmauld Place, Hermione recalls seeing a locket whilst cleaning the house, and they discover that the Kreacher had stolen the locket from the items to be thrown out. With the help of Kreacher and Mundungus Fletcher they learn that the locket is now in Umbridge’s's possession. The trio successfully infiltrates the Ministry of Magic and recovers the locket.

The trio begin to travel the country, looking for Horcruxes and the means to destroy them. Ron and Harry argue over Harry's lack of a plan, after which Ron abandons the group. Harry and Hermione search for the sword in Godric’s Hollow. While looking at the house, Harry and Hermione are beckoned by Bathilda Bagshot into her home. Knowing something is not right, Harry follows her upstairs, where she transforms into Nagini. Voldemort himself appears almost immediately after. Hermione and Harry managed to escape, but Harry's wand was damaged beyond repair.

Hermione and Harry then go to the Forest of Dean. While he is on watch, a silver doe Patronus leads Harry to an icy pond containing the real Sword of Gryffindor. As Harry dives into the freezing water to retrieve it, the locket Horcrux starts strangling him. Ron, who was guided back to the pair by the Deluminator that Dumbledore gave him, saves him. Ron recovers the sword and destroys the locket with it.

Harry accidentally uses the name of Voldemort, and the trio are captured by a gang of Snatchers, led by one of Voldemort's followers and taken to Malfoy Manor, where they join the imprisoned Luna, Dean, Ollivander, and Griphook. Finding Gryffindor's Sword among the trio's possessions, Bellatrix Lestrange fears they have broken into her Gringotts vault, and tortures Hermione for information. Dobby arrives and rescued them but Dobby died in the attempt.

In Hogsmeade, Aberforth Dumbledore is able to smuggle the trio out of Hogsmeade and into Hogwarts. Harry alerts everyone in Hogwarts of Voldemort's imminent arrival. Luna Lovegood suggests that the fifth Horcrux could be Ravenclaw's lost diadem. Harry recalls seeing the diadem in the Room of Requirement when he hid his Potions book there the previous year. Meanwhile, Hermione destroys the Cup Horcrux with a basilisk fang. Various allies of Harry gather in the school, where the battle begins. In the Room of Requirement, Ron mentions that the house elves are still in the kitchens and in danger, whereupon Hermione runs over to Ron and kisses him.

During the battle, several of the Weasley brothers are duelling members of the Ministry of Magic. Percy and Fred are duelling the corrupted Minister Pius Thicknesse, when an explosion rocks the corridor, shattering one wall and killing Fred instantly. Harry leaves to go to Voldemort's camp in the Forbidden Forest, and meets Neville Longbottom, whom he asks to kill Nagini if he gets the chance. Along the way, he realises that the Snitch holds the Resurrection Stone inside it, and is able to retrieve it, whereupon he summons the spirits of his parents, Sirius Black and the recently killed Remus Lupin, who accompany him to Voldemort's camp. Voldemort then casts the Avada Kedavra curse at Harry. Harry revives, but feigns death. Voldemort orders Narcissa Malfoy to check Harry. Doing so, she realizes that Harry is alive, and she asks him very quietly if her son Draco is still alive, to which Harry whispers yes. Narcissa, no longer caring about anything but her son, lies to Voldemort, telling him that Harry is dead.

Grawp, the centaurs, and the giants add to a sudden disturbance caused by reinforcements from Hogsmeade residents and students' families yelling war cries as they spill over the walls of the school. Neville then pulls off the Sorting Hat, draws Gryffindor's Sword from it, and decapitates Nagini with a single stroke, destroying the final Horcrux. Harry moves around under his Invisibility Cloak and lends aid throughout the ensuing battle, as his supporters rally to defy Voldemort and the Death Eaters one last time. Eventually, the battle pares down into duels. Voldemort then casts a killing curse at Harry, but the Elder Wand's allegiance prevents it from harming its Master, and the spell rebounds off Harry's disarming spell, killing Voldemort, and leaving Harry victorious.

Among the dead of the battle were Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, and fifty other people who died fighting the Death Eaters, as well as Voldemort and
Bellatrix.

Rating: 9/10
Genre: Fantasy

Memories in Keat Hwa II... [Day 10]...

School has been on for 10 days already. Soon, the second week of school will be over. How time flies. And drags. I go to school everyday with different feelings, sometimes dreading, and also sometimes with longing and excitement. Everyday is a different day. There is one thing I dread the most though, that is going back to school by bus. It takes close to an hour to get home from school. I have to endure another 200 + days of school, means 200 + hours wasted traveling home by bus.

Today, in school, my classmates did some decorating in the class. We were told to tidy up the notice boards. My classmates decorated the it with Chinese writings, articles and CNY decorations. We are now officially in the CNY mood.

However, there were some classes on. The first two periods, were Chemistry. Puan Low gave us time to decorate the class as she was the form teacher. But still, she gave us homework to do. The following two periods after that, was Biology. He taught us about the heart. Our heart functions like a pump. I shall write more about the heart another time, if I have time...

My Moral teacher, did NOT enter class again. I wonder he knows whether it's his period a not. Sometimes, I wonder if he doesn't enter class on purpose. After recess, I had two periods of Mathematics. The teacher, let us work on our class project. He did not teach at all today, for a change. I would rather not to participate in the class project though, because my hand would be covered in paint. In the end, I participated. Hehe... On the way down to wash my hands, with Zhean Wei, we saw Mr. Tan catching students who went out without pass-cards. We were without ours too, because one of my other classmates had taken it out, and also we were in a hurry to get the paint off our hands. Luckily, he let us off, cause we had a valid reason, although he did drop off a few harsh words...

School today, was rather relaxing. It was one of the rare school days where there are not so much school work to do. Usually, it would be listen to the teacher teach, copy notes, and homework for every lesson. It's nice to have a change sometimes... =)

Skulduggery Pleasant... the novel...

I borrowed this book from my school's library on Sunday. My friend was searching for scary stories, but could not find one. I thought this book would be pretty scary, looking at the cover, but was not. Some parts were rather funny though. It took me a day to finish it.

Here is roughly how to story goes...

Stephanie's novelist uncle dies. At the reading of the will, a strange man in a tan overcoat, an oversized hat, sunglasses and a scarf is present. Stephanie's aunt and uncle are to be given something as well, a seemingly useless brooch, which turned out to be a key later on. Stephanie inherited the uncle’s mansion. Spending a night alone in the mansion, Stephanie is attacked by a strange man, demanding she gives him a "key". As the man attacks Stephanie, a mysterious man, Skulduggery Pleasant, arrives and saves her, throwing fireballs at her attacker. Skulduggery's disguise fall off to reveal that he is an undead wizard, made up of only a skeleton held together by magic.

Upon the revelation that her uncle was murdered, Stephanie helps Skulduggery investigate his uncle’s death. Stephanie's uncle had discovered an ancient weapon used by the Ancients, to defeat their gods. He sealed this deadly weapon, the Sceptre of the Ancients, in a maze beneath the house Stephanie inherited. The "key" is the brooch left by her uncle to his other brother's wife.

Stephanie and Skulduggery, aided by Ghastly, Tanith Low and the world's physically strongest man, Mr Bliss, attempt to prevent Nefarian Serpine, from obtaining the Sceptre. Serpine was trying to take over the world.

Skulduggery defeats Serpine with Stephanie’s help, destroying him with the Sceptre to protect Stephanie, breaking the Sceptre's power in the process. Stephanie discovered her family are descendants of the Ancients and she herself has magic abilities.

This book is so EXPENSIVE! This book alone cost RM 59.90.

"Magic," he said.

Taken from Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Rating: 7/10

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

School Memories... [Day 9]...

Urgh! It's Tuesday. Two Chinese periods after recess and extra school activities. Luckily, my mother agreed to pick me up today and saved me the torture of the extra uniform curriculum activities. This year, the school started the extra curriculum activities early. Usually, these activities will start on the second or third week of school. But never mind, the form 5s will be excused after mid-term, i hope. =)

Today, was pure torture. Haha... My English teacher has taught "Looking for the Rain God", continued from yesterday. This story was actually written by an African. Can't you believe that? Her father was an African, but her mother was an European. This story tells of a family struggling through hard times and how the family succumbs to desperation and resorts to an old tradition, that is to please the Rain God by sacrificing their children. But, in the end, the rain still did not fall. And the children's father and grandfather are sentenced to death for ritual murder. It's scary that what man will do when he is desperate. Man will do anything to get what he needs.

I've trouble in Maths now. I don't understand one of the concepts. Sigh. I need to get it solved soon. This chapter is a sure question in SPM, and this question alone is 12 marks. My history teacher has taught finished the before and after effects of imperialism by the west.

I'm getting all stressed up! School, friends, homework, tuition... I seriously need a way to CALM DOWN!!!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince... the novel...

Another one of J.K. Rowling's best books! I wish I could write like that. Did you know that J.K. Rowling is worth more than the Queen of England?

During the summer, Albus Dumbledore enlists Harry’s help to persuade retired professor Horace to return to Hogwarts to teach. Harry is also told that he has inherited all of Siriuss possessions. Harry then spends the remaining holiday at with the Weasleys and Hermonie. Harry, Ron, and Hermione receive their O.W.L. results. Hermione receives top "Outstanding" marks in all her subjects with the exception of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry is very pleased to discover that he was the only one out of the three of them to get an "Outstanding" in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

As school begins, Snape is announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts while Slughorn replaces him as the Potions teacher. Slughorn lends them old Potions textbooks until they buy their own. On the first Hogsmeade visit, Katie Bell is seriously injured while carrying a cursed necklace through Hogsmeade under the Imperius Curse. In another incident, Ron accidentally drinks poisoned mead intended for Dumbledore. Harry reacts by administering the Bezoar he had submitted previously as an assignment to Slughorn. When Harry finds Malfoy sobbing in a boys bathroom on the sixth floor, they hurl curses at each other. Snape arrives and saves Malfoy. He attempts to re-possess the Half-Blood Prince's Potions book, but Harry hands him "Roonil Wazlib's" copy. Harry receives detention, causing him to miss the Quidditch finals. Nonetheless, Gryffindor wins the Cup, and during the victory celebration, Harry's suppressed feelings for Ginny are revealed when he spontaneously kisses her, and she and Harry begin dating.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, has located another Horcrux and asks Harry to accompany him in retrieving it. Harry and Dumbledore apparate to a secret cave. Dumbledore was greatly weakened due to the mysterious liquid he had to drink in order to acquire the locket. Returning to Hogsmeade, Harry and Dumbledore see Lord Voldemort's Dark Mark. They fly to the Astronomy Tower on borrowed broomsticks and are ambushed by Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore paralyses Harry, who is under his Invisibility Cloak, just before Draco disarms Dumbledore. Draco admits he was behind the school attacks and has helped Death Eaters secretly enter Hogwarts via the pair of Vanishing Cabinets.

As members of the Order and the few from Dumbledore's Army battle Voldemort's followers in the castle below, Death Eaters appear in the tower and urge Draco to fulfil his mission, killing Dumbledore, but Draco hesitates. Snape arrives and killed Dumbledore. Malfoy escapes as Snape duels Harry. During the duel, Snape reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince.

The school year ends abruptly with Dumbledore's funeral. Professor Slughorn replaces Snape as the head of Slytherin House. Hogwarts is rumoured to close down due to the murder of Dumbledore. Harry decides to leave school in search for the remaining Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione vow to accompany him, while Harry ends his relationship with Ginny to protect her from Voldemort.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them - I, the Half Blood Prince!"

Taken from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Rating: 8/10

Genre: Fantasy

Memories in School... [Day 8]...

Today I got my school timetable. I'm so gonna hate Tuesdays! There are two Chinese periods! Well, today school went on as usual, except for the sudden urgent meeting of the teachers after recess. Other than that, normal. And also, our assembly will be on Mondays from now on. Don't know why they change from Sunday to Monday.

Classes went on as usual today. Chemistry teacher had 10 minutes to teach only, because today;s assembly was rather long. There was some sort of prize giving ceremony today. My English teacher has moved ON! She is now teaching "The Rain God". Haha...

Nothing unusual happened to school. I'm getting kinda sien going to school everyday. I miss school holidays! And it's been only a week plus since school started. Sigh!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix... the novel...

This is one good book. I read it many many times for my own enjoyment. Hehe... One of J.K. Rowling's best books! =)

Several weeks into the summer, Harry Potter has heard nothing from his. One night, walking down a street his cousin, they were attacked by Dementors. Harry did a Patronous Charm and learns that Arabella Figg is a Squib, has been keeping an eye on him on Dumbedore’s orders. He receives a notice of expulsion from Hogwarts for using magic outside school. Someone from the Order of Phoenix then takes him to the headquarters.

A few days later, Arthur escorts Harry to his hearing, which Fudge has done everything in his power to slant against him. But testimony from Dumbledore and Mrs. Figg confirms the presence of the Dementors, and Harry is found to have acted in self-defense.

Ron and Hermione are made prefects, but not him. At the welcome feast, the learn that their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts is Dolores Umbridge. A short time later, she is appointed as High Inquisitor, with the power to evaluate and dismiss other teachers, and impose strict rules and regulations on students.

Hagrid was absent for half the year, because of a diplomatic mission to the giants on Dumbledore’s orders, to try to dissuade them from joining Voldemort. His mission was a failure. Because Umbridge’s lessons are useless both for passing their O.W.L.s and for preparing for the very real threat of Voldemort, Hermione decides that the students need to learn the subject themselves. Harry is surprised when she proposes him as a teacher. Several other students from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff likewise sign up to the clandestine group, named "Dumbledore's Army". Under Harry's tutoring, the group learns defensive magic.

Midway through the year, the school is alarmed to hear news of a mass prison break from Azkaban, when ten of Voldemort’s most powerful Death Eaters escape. Many wizards are not satisfied with the Ministry’s official explanation, and begin to come around to Dumbledore and Harry’s claims.

Slytherin students, uncover the D.A. meetings, helped by a member of the D.A. named Marietta, who told Umbridge about the meetings. To protect Harry and other students from reprisals, Dumbledore claims that he organized the group to counter Voldemort.

In the middle of his last O.W.L. exam, Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured at the Department of Mysteries, although Hermione suspects it may be a trap. Harry, with help from various members of Dumbledore's Army, attempts to contact Sirius, but he is caught.

They then went to the Ministry of Magic to seek Sirius. They meet up with the Death Eaters, and Harry and his friends heroically defend themselves, putting up a far tougher fight than the dark wizards expected, but are outmatched. As they are nearly defeated, members of the Order arrive, including Sirius. During the ensuing battle, the glass sphere that Voldemort was seeking is accidentally dropped and shatters, and the record is lost. Sirius is died in the fight. The Death Eaters were captured except for Bellatrix.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...

Taken from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Rating: 9/10
Genre: Fantasy

Memories in School... [Day 7]...

Yesterday, there was school to replace for Chinese New Year, so that during the CNY break, we'll get a one week break. I didn't attend school yesterday... ^^ I was party tired and party lazy... Hehe... One thing I don't understand about school is, why have replacement classes? Why don't they submit it to the PPD that they want one week breaks so that they can plan? Instead or replacing? Attending 5 days of school a week is tiring enough. Adding another day makes it worse! They have weekends for a reason. Students need REST!!!

Today, our Chemistry teacher did some revision on what she taught about for the past week. And she gave some A LOT of homework! My Moral teacher did not appear again today. But, during my recess, when I went to the teacher's office to find one of the teachers, I saw him relaxing there. I wonder what he is so busy about till cannot enter class?

My English teacher is still teaching Si Tenggang's Homecoming. She has been teaching that since last week. I wonder when only she will teach something else. My Maths teacher has moved on to Chapter 2, Graph Of Functions II. And my history teacher is now teaching birokrasi in Philippines after being imperialized by the West. It's pretty interesting, or rather the teacher makes it interesting.

Sigh! School. School. School. So much homework to do. :-(

Missing...

The days creep by. Life moves on. Time will not wait, for anyone. Everything in the future, would be soon be the past. Time is ticking even as I write this out. Sigh! Why is life sometimes so unfair?

Something is missing...
But I can't find it...
Something is hurting...
But I don't know what....

I know...

You won't cry for my absence... cause...
You forgot me so long... long ago....
You won't long for my presence... cause...
You hardly knew... knew me...

Am I that unimportant?
Or that insignificant?
Is something wrong with me?
Or something I'm missing?

I know...

If I cry out... If I bleed...
Knowing you just don't care...
When I sleep... I dream of you...
And wake up without you there...

Am I that unimportant?
Or that insignificant?
Is something wrong with me?
Or something I'm missing?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire... the novel...

I read this book finished last week I think. I had no time to blog about it cause I was so busy with all my school stuff, studying and preparing for MYF.

The fourth book starts with Harry's dream, where he sees Voldermort and Petter Pettigrew plotting to kill him. He then goes to the Quidditch World Cup with the Wesley Family and Hermonie. After the match, the Dark Mark appeared. The one caught at the scene was Winky, the Mr. Crouch's house elf.

When they return to Hogwarts, they found out that Hogwards will host the Triwizard Tournament. The Goblet of Fire chooses one student from each competing school. Students must be at least seventeen years old to enter this contest. Cedric Diggory is Hogwarts' champion, Fleur Delacour is Beauxbatons' and Viktor Krum represents Durmstrang. The Goblet unexpectedly selects a fourth champion, Harry Potter.

Harry is guided through the tournament by Moody. In the first task, the champions must retrieve a golden egg from a dragon. As part of the Triwizard Tournament's tradition, the students of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons remain at school to attend the Yule Ball.

The second task requires retrieving something important to each champion that is hidden in Hogwarts' lake. Harry uses gillyweed given by Dobby so he can breathe underwater. As the remainder of the school year passes, Harry regularly contacts his godfather, Sirius. One night, Harry and Krum are startled when Mr. Crouch emerges from the forest, demanding to see Dumbledore. Harry runs for help, but when he returns with Dumbledore, they find Krum unconscious and Crouch missing.

The third and final task involves navigating a large maze located on the Quidditch Pitch which is filled with magical obstacles. Harry and Cedric successfully navigate the maze, helping each other on the way. They reach the centre together, and grasp the prize to tie.The Cup, a portkey transports them to an old cemetery in Little Hangleton. Peter Pettigrew awaits them and kills Cedric.

Voldemort summons his Death Eaters by touching Pettigrew's Dark Mark. Voldemort challenges Harry to a duel. Harry manage to escape with Diggory's body and leaving Voldemort behind in a raging anger.

Moody then attempts to kill Harry himself, but Dumbledore arrived on time. Dumbledore had realized that something was wrong when he saw Moody whisk Harry away from the maze so quickly, and followed them. Dumbledore feeds Moody three drops of Veritaserum, a truth potion, and they discover that "Moody" is actually Barty Crouch Jr. Harry is taken to Dumbledore's office where he reunites with Sirius and he relives his story of his night.

"Oh, did I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

Taken from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Rating: 8/10

Genre: Fantasy