Monday, June 29, 2009

Transformers: AWESOME!

hullo people...

I'm updating so often now since my exams are over.
I wanna try to make it a point that I update this place as often as possible instead of leaving it to rot just like that.

I've been bumming around the entire weekend.
Finished my last paper on thursday and have done nothing productive since.
I think I need a well-deserved break since I've been slogging my ass off for the past month or so.
Other than the fact that on the 1st of June, I was moving from my old place to the one I'm currently at. So that was a whole lotta rush and stress.

Now that the weekend has come and gone, I've gotta start my research proposal tomorrow. Actually since it's past midnight now, guess I'm working on it later on in the day.
The proposal is due on the 6th of July. Which is the following monday!
So I've got exactly a week for that.
hope it all goes well and I don't slack of halfway through the week and have to pull off late nights over the next weekend.

But, the best thing this week is that I went to watch Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen on Saturday night.
and DAMN, WAS IT GOOD!
actually it was GREAT!
Paid an extra dollar each to watch it in the Xtreme screen cinema at Hoyts, Melbourne Central. There are a few different cinemas there.
There's the usual high-class, 'atas' Directors Suite which I think is meant for a luxurious night out mainly because the seats costs a whooping 35 dollars per ticket! That converts back to about almost 90 ringgit for a movie that lasts about 2 hours-ish. Absolutely ridiculous! Haven't had a chance to try that yet but then agan, I think I'd feel my heart shatter if 35 dollars was spent just on a movie.

Then, there's the Half Pipe, which I personally enjoy the most. It's really cool cause there are only very few seats in the small cinema. Actually, they're not seats. They're bean bags! They have deluxe beanbags and tickets are bought in a pair. It's like watching a movie at home, lying down on your couch with your feet up, just that you pay much more, have a bigger screen, way better sound system and cuddle up on a beanbag next to your someone special. Prices for each halfpipe ticket costs 37 dollars per beanbag of two so it's still kinda affordable.

And the screen where they try earning an extra dollar from each ticket is the XtremeScreen. Apparently it's entertainment at its BIGGEST and LOUDEST! They're really smart cause they have all the latest movies at the XtremeScreen cinemas. And they claim "With 10,000 watts driving a state of the art Dolby 8 Channel surround EX sound system and a massive screen, you’ll be blown away!". I don't see anyone coming out blown away also lar. Oh, and tickets are $15.50 for a student. I think its $17 for an adult.

Okay, I'm getting carried away. (zero spoilers)
Transformers was AWESOME!!!! The storyline was quite interesting but what makes the movie great is the scenes and how cute the gadgets are! I mean, you have to admit that they really look cute transforming from a truck to Optimus Prime.
And bumblebee having to use lines from movies to express his feelings. Classic!
My favourite has got to be Bumblebee but the twins are really funny as well.
And transformers wouldn't be the same without Megan Fox and her sex appeal. Somehow (even though I agree she's kinda hawt), they make her character look a little to extreme. How is it that someone looks so perfect with nicely blown hair with natural curls all the time? And then she's always dressed so nicely! How can rite?? But then again, without her, the boys wouldn't go 'oooooooooo' when her character comes up and it'll just be another movie with gadgets and stuff.

The cinema was FULL even though the movie came out on Wednesday.
The movie definitely wayyyyyyy better than what I expected it to be.
I came out from the cinema going "wowwww, that was a good one" and so did a whole lot more happy people.
If you have yet to catch it, you have to. Take two hours-ish off your hectic schedule and make your way to catch it as sooooon as you can. And if you have XtremeScreen or some cinema with extra effects, make sure you get tickets for that one.

I'm waiting for Tuesday (movie nights here in Melb) to watch The Proposal since tickets are only 10 dollars. Wheeeeeee
Oh, and I can't wait for harry potter too!

Till the next one,
have a good week ahead

Saturday, June 27, 2009

King of Pop

although everyone in the world would have blogged about this already AND even though i'm a day late, it's better late than never.

I was up in my room yesterday with the radio tuned to the ABC classical music channel. I was trying to give my day a peaceful start; classical music, warmth under the quilt with a book to pass the time. It was almost noon and I refused to get out of bed to face the day, thus the bumming around. Then, it was 12 noon and as usual, it was time for news. Having been in bed since, I knew nothing about whatever was going on in the world. I realised that without the internet, telly or newspapers, we would not have a clue about what goes on just outside our four walls let alone what happens around the world.

The first thing they said that midday news was that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson has recently passed on that morning. I was shocked. I put my book down that second itself and turned up the volume on my radio/clock thingy on my bedside table. They cannot be serious rite? THE michael jackson wor. But they can't make stories on air rite?

Even though the music industry has evolved tremendously ever since the MJ days to Pooooker Face and pop stars kissing girls and liking them, the king of pop will always be remembered for his Grammy award winning songs.

Making as much of a difference just like Elvis Presley (he did marry his daughter, the beautiful Lisa Marie Presley though), Michael Jackson started out just with The Jackson 5 and is now and will forever be known for his popular music like Thriller, Scream, Beat It, You are not alone and my all time favourite, Heal the world. Even though I grew up going crazy about N'sync, 911, the backstreet boys and Britney spears (at one time), Michael Jackson played a huge role when I was much younger. Before I got influenced by the celebrity craze with the new and up-coming stars, there was always a michael jackson song playing at home on a cassette tape or a CD.

What struck me the most when I was young about this all time favourite singer is that he's an African American but he does not look like one at all. With all the changes that he's made to himself, it was hard to relate him to Jackson 5 or Janet Jackson. So when they reported on the radio news that he's the first African American entertainer, it was hard to believe that he came so far from what he was to what he has become.

He's had problems along the way (which celebrity doesn't) and a lot of controversy with children. But the most successful entertainer managed to pull through all this and was going to have a come-back tour in England for his fans. My mom actually went to see one of his concerts way back when his tour stopped by Malaysia. And after that, all she could talk about for days was his moonwalk, his entrance to begin the concert, how he sang all this songs beautifully and what a great entertainer he was. He had such an impact on my mom, imagine what he's brought to the world.

Passing away at the mere age of 50, Michael Jackson's songs will always be in our hearts even in the years to come. I've had my fair share of MJ's influence in my life and I'm sure you had yours too. I even danced to one of his songs in high school for some guides gathering event and made a huge embarrassing mistake by starting my step one count before I should have. Making mattes worse was that that mistake was captured on camera!! Even so, I will always have many memories singing along with his songs at home or in the shower. Or just trying to do the triller dance like Jennifer Garner in '13 going on 30'.

Till the next one,
RIP, King of Pop

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Exams : DONE

I've finally finished all my written exams for the year. whee..
Actually, for good.
Nope, I don't have any final exams for the second semester of this year.
Cause after this, the only thing I've got to worry about is my research proposal, ethics application, shitloads of literature reading, my methodology for my thesis and finally completing my thesis which would mark the end of the honours year.

All of that ends end of October, which means I have about four months for all of that.
Seems like it's alot of time, but trust me, it isn't.
Reading literature could take weeks, probably a few months to get all the information that I'd need to complete the entire thing.

Since exams are over, I can finally watch tv without feeling guilty.
I still lurveeeeee my tv series and everything else just as much as I did years back.
And I still try to keep up with whatever series that they air here on aussie tv.
Like on Thursdays, there's masterchef australia at 7pm, rules of engagement from 7.30-8.30.
Then grey's anatomy at 8.30-9.30 and my all-time favourite, PRIVATE PRACTICE at 9.30

Ahhh... how tv series can make one person so happy!!

ohya, I've finally transfered the pictures I took at Dralion three weeks ago.
We weren't allowed to take any photos in the tent so only managed to get photos around and outside the hugeeeeeeeee tent.


took this during the 20 minute interval. It was freezing cold outside with really strong winds.
It blew down my popcorn which i left on the chair, leaving me with only half left :(
the huge poster, which i blocked.ugh. the photographer didn't even ask me to budge a little so i they could get the entire banner too

just a few more pictures which we managed to take before the intermission ended
found an old group photo of my mini-family while transfering the pictures.from the left, there's gluey the giraffe, miri the monkey and kori the koala. the turtle looking one was a friends' which came to visit!

till the next one,
my love to all the soft-toys around the world!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Almost there....

Three down and two more to go.

I finished my Leadership in Organisations paper just a few hours back and it was a real relief!
I'm finally done with all my essay-writing final papers.
Phew!

But I'm not entirely done with everything yet.
I've still got an SPSS analysis test on Thursday morning.
It's this program that I need to use to analyse the data that I collect from my surveys for my thesis.
And it has loads to do with complicating bla-berish stuff like factor analysis, R squared, significance value and all of that stuff.
Very complicating. I've been through abit of this when I did my intermediate statistics back in Nilai two years ago but then I've totally forgot everything.
So, it's like learning it all anew again.

I've been having difficulty sleeping for the past few nights.
Only managed to get about 11 hours of sleep since Saturday.
And that my friends, is not enough sleep for me.
I need like 8 hours of sleep on a daily basis and I'm starting to worry if I've got insomnia.
I feel really tired but when I head to bed, I just can't fall asleep. I just lie there and before I know it, it's been three to four hours that I've been wasting and not being able to get proper rest.
It's really irritating; not getting sufficient sleep and all.
Especially when its the exam season and I need all the sleep that I can get to concentrate on my readings during day.

Other that, hun lin's friends, Joseph and Sylvia from Tassie came down to Melbourne to visit us.
We stayed at their place when we visited tassie last winter holidays and we went around to visit places and such.
They came down on Saturday evening and will be here untill Thursday morning (the day I finish my papers) :(
I haven't really been a good host to them thanks to the exam stress and lack of sleep. All I've been doing is just studying and studying. Thankfully, hunlin's done with his exams and is able to bring them around. I promise I'll be a better host the next time you guys are around!

Am gonna try to get a little sleep if I can...

Till the next one,
have a good night's rest and sweet dreams!!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

A fresh start

hello everybody..

i'm trying to give this blog a new life again.
the last time I was here, it was years ago.
and now, a few of my friends are blogging too.
and they're using blogger as well.
so thought i might as well come back and see what this place has to offer.

surprisingly, its rather good.
it's quite easy to set it up and posting entries are simple as well.

I had a paper on wednesday afternoon at 2pm and it was my Relationship Marketing paper.
Lasted for two hours which went by like a flash.
But at least that's over.
Now, I've gotta worry about my next paper which is next tuesday. Leadership in Organisations is what it's called.
Sounds simple but there's quite abit to read for that. Journal articles as usual.
But hopefully it'll be a smooth paper.

I took a break yesterday and today.
it was actually supposed to only be one day but I slept all afternoon today.
Didn't do anything much.
Didn't do any studying whatsoever.
Was in the city walking around and such yesterday, came back home, had a nice nap and then a movie.

Watched Terminator: Salvation.
I don't recall watching the first few ones but oh well, I've gotta start somewhere rite?
It was a really good movie.
It's funny how they keep making movies where the computers/machines/devices take over the world. Where humans no longer have any control over them and that we've gotta fight for our life to survive.
It makes me wonder if that would ever happen to us one day.
We rely so much on technology nowadays, without it for a day is like without water or food.
oh well, until that day comes, we might as well make full use of the available technology to play restaurant city, update our blogs and keep in contact with our friends and family halfway around the world.
I can't wait to watch transformers though. I reckon that would be a good one as well!

Till the next one,
keep the blogs updated and have a great weekend