It's true

"He may live in my memory as the most amiable man of my acquaintance, but that is all. I have nothing either to hope or fear, and nothing to reproach him with. Thank God! I have not that pain. A little time therefore - I shall certainly try to get the better. I have this comfort immediately, that it has not been more than an error of fancy on my side, and that it has done no harm to anyone but myself."

- Jane Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

Olympiad

Months ago Mr. Elvin signed up four of us from our class for this Mathematics Olympiad. Apparently it's a big-ass competition held simultaneously in every district. The winner gets to go overseas, for the next stage.

I had to go forgo a writing competition on the same day for this crap but I signed up for maths first. So, I chose maths over writing. Me. Going for maths. ME. Ha. Ha. This is what they send to represent our school. Me.

I went with Edbert Lim and Cheong Tzen Ren and this cool girl named Chalystha Lee.We met up in the canteen where Ernest and not Ernest from the F5/6category were practicing add maths questions. 

I didn't study. I felt guilty about it but I've been to a maths quiz like this before in primary school. And I had this niggling feeling it would be the same. I was sure the questions wouldn't be syllabus-based.

Or maybe yesterday I was just too busy playing The Sims 3 the whole day and then watching football.

Mr. Elvin took me, Cha and the bird while En. Khairul took Tzen Ren, Ernest and not Ernest. The two F6 girls were meeting us there. (In case you're wondering, I didn't know what the other F5 Chinese guy's name was, so I shall just call him not Ernest.)

Once we were there at UiTM in Shah Alam, we saw a whole load of capable-looking students (some came in busloads, there is no limit to the amount of teams you submit, but you have to pay a whopping RM50 each). We F4's had been gassing and fooling around the whole journey there (shamelessly aided and abetted by Mr. E - "Messi looks very messy") and started freaking out.

"Tzen Ren, can you please tuck in your shirt? You look embarrassing."

"I should have brought my tie!"

"Ohmigod, they're all studying."

"That girl has an Olympiad book. Like, a book on Olympiads."

"I should've worn my specs."

"Give me a book, give me a book! I need to look like I'm studying."

And then the private Chinese school people started arriving, you know, those geniuses, with no nametags only serial numbers sewn onto their clothes. The Cina ones with specs and shorts and look like sticks. (There was one who was positively two-dimensional.)

"The ones with short pants always win," said Mr. Elvin significantly, making us figure knee exposure must factor into the equation somehow.

The 2.5 hour paper consisted of 9 questions, 3 of which you needed to show working. I answered 4, and two of them are probably wrong. This was the easiest question:

A meeting was held at a round table. Twelve women had men sitting on their right side. Seven women had women sitting on their right side. 75% of the men had women sitting on their right side. How many people were sitting at the table?

The rest had equations and x's and triangles and angles and are so complicated I don't even remember them. I was right, though. They weren't syllabus-based. They were akjdroiuaeriairuaoirueoiuzlsdkjf-based.

Part of my working, for one question. One.

And then I kinda gave up and wrote some crap down instead.

We rode home with En. Khairul, Ernest in the front while Chalystha, Edbert, Tzen Ren and I squeezed at the back. We had a lotta fun singing to songs and squashing the boys a-purpose everytime the car took a left-turn.

Anyway, thanks to the three of them, the day turned out bearable. I've come to depend on my classmates so much, I don't know how to act around other people.

I decide not to post anything about football today.

And then I realise I have nothing else to blog about.

Damn.

Check out this article that's made me heartbroken. First Kaka, now Gourcuff.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2010/0623/1224273110084.html

Nocturnality

Today I went back to school with exactly two hours of sleep behind me.

In the world of Lord of the Rings, death is considered a gift from God to all Men. I've no comment on that, but one thing I know for sure - sleep is a gift from God to all of us.

I couldn't sleep again yesterday, which pretty much sucked since I'd resisted ordering the best caffe latte in the world when we went out for our sixth Father's Day event of the day. So at 2.30a.m. what the heck, if I'm going to be deprived of restorative unconsciousness I might as well go and watch Kaka Brazil trash Ivory Coast rather than keep tossing and turning. Even half an hour after the match ended sleep still hadn't kicked in, and I was left to fume over the injustice of Kaka being sent off during the last five minutes for no apparent reason whatsoever. Well, there was a reason. Some idiot supposedly got elbowed in the chest by Kaka and rolled over the pitch clutching his face in agony until the stupid ref gave Kaka his second yellow card.

Ah yes, school.

Pigs like me, need sleep to function. The whole day my hands kept shaking of their own accord, I felt nervous and lightheaded, my face kept breaking out in sweat and I moaned of sleep until everyone around me probably felt like killing me. I got exam papers back (oh joy) and got betrayed by one of my own girls to Pn. Manjeet. I had to jam scalding roti planta down my throat because I was too hungry to wait 'til after recess when I would have more time. Pn. Sarala rebuked me for what she calls "not so good" marks while I had "you passed" scrawled on my 85/120 Physics paper while someone else who had just 5 marks higher than me had a "Good!" written on it. The cacti I gave my friends as souvenirs from Cameron Highlands "somehow" got their little cactusy-pricks lodged into my skin at the hands, arms, neck (and if you ask me face, legs and feet too). And now, I am at the computer fighting tooth and nail against the sleep that is beckoning to me because I want to be able to get a decent night's sleep for once.

But no, don't think of this as a rant, just recording down my day. I am... happy. It's what I've used to describe myself these past few weeks and today, it's not changed. I've no regrets watching the game because now I have a newfound liking for Brazil and I got a chance to see Kaka play that I'd miss in the upcoming matches. It was great getting back with ma girls, and I felt real glad that they liked their cacti. Although Nicole got a bit too enthusiastic - she killed hers. It's as good as dead now. And I got a uniquely lovely souvenir too, from Aqeemul's homenation, from Chaly. There was no maths today (!) and the weather was cooling. I got to listen to the guys discuss footie and talk boys with Pirevan.

Tomorrow is another issue altogether. But we take the days as they come - one at a time.

Good night

If you read this blog you probably gather I have had problems sleeping lately.

Now, I am going to go to bed.

(Which basically means begin the two-hour process of falling asleep.)

But it's so... sweet.

Chatting on msn with Philip, Gan and Chalystha and then having all three of them usher me to bed.

Or at least wish me good night.

It's just...

I like having friends like them.

They make me feel loved.

Yay, watched Prince of Persia again in the cinemas with PhilipTay.

This time not in "Digital 2D", and now I can tell what's the difference, because when I went for that 2D thing I didn't know what the hell it meant.

Can't they just say Hi-Definition instead?

Because that's what it is.

I really enjoyed re-watching the movie. I didn't fall asleep, even though I'd stayed up to watch the 2.30am game again that morning without the help of caffeine.

Thanks for taking me out Philip! :D Now I know you read my blog! I hate it when people do that, read my blog and not let me know. Awesome way to spend some of my second-last day of freedom.

One day I'll blog on what makes rewatching movies so enjoyable to me.

Not today. Going to makan now.

Mocha match

Yesterday night, smart-ass me decided to go out for drinks with the family just before midnight. I was even smarter when I ordered a mocha, when I know it to be a caffeinated chocolate drink. Caffeinated. C'mon, Jacie. COFFEE. Sigh.

I ended up watching the France-Mexico game. I couldn't sleep obviously, so I crept into my parents bedroom (where the TV is) and watched the 2.30 a.m. game all by myself. Because obviously mam and dad were sleeping. Like normal people would be.

I've never really watched a whole match supporting a particular team before. And now I have. I didn't even realise I was supporting France until I noticed I was aching for France to score a goal. And I nearly died of embarrassment when Mexico scored. And felt doomed when Mexico scored again. Why was I supporting France? I see now the answer is simple.

Yeah, remember him? The ooberly hot French player. Yoann Gourcuff.

But he wasn't even effin' playing yesterday. (WHY WASN'T HE? THAT'S WHY THEY LOST!) So maybe it was more of the fact that Mexico played freakin' dirty the whole time.

Or not.

So that was my first experience of supporting a team throughout a match. Because my team lost, it was agonising, humiliating and just downright painful. Immediately after the match ended at 4.30a.m. (!) I hauled my disgruntled self to bed.

I wonder how you guys do it all the time.

Anyway, I'm going to re-watch Prince of Persia tomorrow with Philip. 

Yay!

Prince of Persia

Today I watched Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

This movie lived up to my sisters' and everyone else's commendations. Critics also say it is the only movie originating from a video game that actually, well, lived up to the game. (FYI, I played the game when I was younger. I used to fall a lot when building-jumping.)

The movie is GOOD. The CGI was really cool, but it wasn't a movie that hides its crude plot, script and acting behind the special effects (hear that, Avatar?!). I liked everything about this movie, especially the acting. It came across me as very good. The action was awesome yet believable, with the prince getting caught a lot but not in a manner that gets you annoyed. The fights were so cool, and I take my hat off to both the people who choreographed them and Jake Gyllenhaal. They went all out in this movie to stay true to the game and I just can't over the fact there were so many fights and they were all so good!

Now I got all the stuffy part straightened out, let's get on to why Jake Gyllenhaal looks hell good in the movie compared to in pictures, totally stunning me when I saw him on screen.

The biggie number one... It's his hair, darlings! It's more important than anything else. Jake's hair. It's so... hot. Like hot hot. Reminds me of Aragorn's hair in FOTR. It's just, no matter what scene, his hair looks great. Even when it's wet. But mostly when it's dry. Either way it looks hot. It makes him look hot, do you understand? I just really, really, really love his hair. And it doesn't look that good in pics, because then you can't see the way it moves and flips into his eyes and looks damn sexy when he fights or talks or breathes. 'kay, moving on. Next are his eyes. As an actor he uses his eyes really well. And they're amazing eyes to begin with. Third, his smile. Jake Gyllenhaal has this really naughty boy face actually, and when he smiles you can see it, because he has a really hot smile. Fourth, his clothes. It's just the way he looks in his Prince Dastan-y clothing, and not many people can look good with a cloth wrapped around your head to cover your face, let me tell you. Fifth, then only we get to his body. And I don't need to say anything about that, because if you go to Google and type in "Jake Gyllenhaal" the prediction will follow-up with "workout".

Remember, pics are nothing. You know what? I think it's Prince Dastan I like, not Jake Gyllenhaal.

Day out with Robin Hood

Yesterday I watched Robin Hood.

Had a good day out with Gan, NicoleLow, Low Ian Kit and Aqeeemul in MidV.

Planned by Gan, we were to watch Karate Kid. But we ended up watching Robin Hood instead - nicole couldn't book and KarateKid ran out by the time monkay and me reached the ticket counter.

Went to Sushi Zianmai's for lunch with the monkey and the potato. The monkey was being extremely rude by refusing to eat anything because 1) he's on a diet and 2) sushi zianmai isn't high class enough for someone with that much money. 

Truth is, I was the one who'd picked Robin Hood at the spur of the moment. Neither Gan nor Nic were there and all monkay wanted to watch was A-team, which neither of the two absentees had heard of. I'd found out that nic's bro had joined us just to watch Karate Kid plus they were flashing Karate Kid trailers at us before we entered our hall, and I was worrying whether Robin Hood would be the type of movie the others would like.

But! The movie was awesome. We all agreed it was nice. This Robin Hood movie, directed by Ridley Scott starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, is probably the most historically and geographically accurate rendering of the movie you'll ever find on the big screen. I liked it 'cause it shows how Robin the common archer started out and became Robin Hood the outlaw. Everything was human and down-to-earth, very gritty. It was nice in its own way, with a really good shore battle at the end. I wasn't dumb enough to go to the toilet just as the big war was about to start.I loved Little John and Friar Tuck. I walked out of the cinema liking it and by the end of the day I loved it and moved it to my list of rewatchable movies. It was so my type of movie la. Archery, swords, war, nobles, commoners, horses, the crown (all of which I read in my Tamora Pierce books) and not to mention, Robin Hood.

We all then went yum cha at Little Penang and we had a lot of fun, including an incident involving lowyenyi at the table. All I can say is thank God I was sitting where I was sitting.

Lunch was great fun - I love those boys lar - and seeing nicole made me realise how much I'd missed her during the hols. Oh, and I can't wait to rewatch Robin Hood!

I...

I like Drew Seeley.

KIDDING!


Oh by the way?
@Chalystha @Joey, I don't like him anymore. :D

Robert Green

Oh dear, I hope that this ain't gonna turn out to be a FIFA update blog for the next few weeks or so.

But.

DID YOU SEE IT?

THE GOAL?

THE US GOAL?

THE SAVE THAT THE ENGLAND GOALKEEPER TOTALLY BUNGLED?

Picture by: Michael Sohn/AP, taken from here.

Because by God, you need to see it.

It is a moment not be to be missed, not in all history.

I don't know how Mr. Green is going to return to England without being lynch mobbed, if England doesn't make it through this round.

My daddy was walking in 1U today when he heard this man say to his wife,

"Liddat goal also can leak wan ah! Surely makan money wan la!"

Go watch it, on youtube, HERE, before FIFA bans it.

Oh, and, I told you to watch out for Steven Gerrard.

Because who scored that goal this morning?

:D

FIFA!

   FIFA World Cup 2010

South Africa!

:D

Ooh, I love FIFAs. The first one I remember watching was the 2002 one. I was so crushed when I found out they only come around once every four years. Sigh, I think the 2002 cup was the best. Those were the days of David Beckham and Michael Owen, before arrogant idiots like Rooney and Ronaldo came and crashed the party. I was just mentioning this to Satyan yesterday, actually. "Gone were the days when Michael Owen was treated like a gem and only brought out last-minute like a secret weapon." Argh! And I miss catching David Beckham's banana kick!

There, I feel better after that rant. We move with the times. I'm not supporting any team in particular (though my heart, if you ask me, might still be with England. Though I don't believe they'll breakthrough this year, actually.) But anyway, here are some players JacieTanChengHwee is going to look out for. Not Messi. Okay maybe. Lionel Messi seems to me to be a real star to look out for, but, he is, er, kinda ugly.

Lionel Messi, Argentina

Next, Kaka. Liked Kaka all along. I mean, he's always been good, right? And he's cute. He's good, AND cute!

Kaka, Brazil

Steven Gerrard? Maybe. Ala, I know he's okay only la, but he's the only decent-looking England player right?

Steven Gerrard, England

Saving the best for last! Okay, I admit I haven't seen this guy play, but I've SEEN this guy, in pictures, and he is cute cute cute cute cute! Argh, cutest player ever! He is sooooo cute! So cute, he gets three pictures instead of one!

Yoann Gourcuff, France

And he's hot.

For the record, I am not just into football to look at hot guys, okay. Despite what Edbert tells you. And I may not know that much about the game, but Han Wey, you huge head, I do know a little. More than you know about F1 racing, anyway. :P

P.S. I feel sorry for the players this year, what with those vuvuzuelas or whatever sounding like a hive of angry hornets times 5390432948 and the new ball, which I hear sucks. "For sure the guy who designed this ball never played football", haha.

A trip to Cameron Highlands

Hello dears! For these June hols, I went off for a 2D1N trip to good ol' Cameron Highlands. You might say it was extremely short and only to pfft! Cameron Highlands, but I did love it very much - it was a very enjoyable, relaxing trip. I chose to go to CH because, well, I've never been there before. No, never. And I wanted to go. I went with my parents only as this was a very last-minute thing and my sister couldn't take leave. 

We went up Cameron Highlands via the new road, which is wider and not so windy as the old road. My mommy, from whom Jamie Tan inherited her motion sickness, drove us up so she wouldn't have the time to think about feeling sick. Driving up I got so excited about the beautiful mountainous view that I got my parents to stop at the side of the road so I could take pictures. 

It was starting from here when I became inseparable from my camera - the only time I didn't have it with me from that moment on was at night, when we were in bed. I took 193 photos in those two days, and only about 35 of them have people in the pictures. Yes, I was hanging out of car windows and dashing across streets to take pics of the view and of flowers and ferns. All with my four-year-old plain old digital camera. Oh, I would kill for a DSLR, I would. (Btw, I'm not gonna post all the pics here, and prob not on fb, 'cause like I said, they're all of plants and mountains and if you wanna see them you can just ask me.)

We wanted to stay at a nice cottage-y, English-y place, but some were too run-down and the ones like The Lakehouse (I want to go there with my soulmate one day if I ever find him) are crazy ex. So we ended up staying at the Equatorial, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The hotel was right at Kea Farm road, where the stalls where everyone buys vege and all are, and right next to a strawberry farm where they sell killer strawberry milkshakes. The room was nice (we paid extra for a balcony and fan) and on the second highest floor. Absolutely killing view, and how nice it was to stand on the balcony and snap pictures while a cold wind whips at your face, and early in the morning you can see all the mountains shrouded in mist. Another reason why I loved the place was because of the flowers there! On the evening of our first day I dragged the parents on a photo op mission.

Can you believe that this is a hibiscus?

Ooberly huge beetle. My dad picked it up. Ew.

Lazy to rotate... The path going down to nowhere.

This is me balancing precariously off the path going down to nowhere. Another step, I'd fall.

Pods!

Looks like I'm trying to suck it up my nostril, eh?

Yes, as you can see, I was wearing shorts and a tank top. This doesn't mean it wasn't cold. It was, deliciously. But how can you enjoy delightfully cold weather if you cover yourself up? I'd rather freeze.

We had tea and scones at the Cameronian Inn, where they claim to have the best in town. The scones, which I had with jam and butter and clotted cream, certainly were the best I'd ever tasted.

I wanted to go jungle trekking at this relatively-safe-if-you-go-without-a-guide half-hour trail, but it rained. 'parently it does that a lot up there. So basically on the first day we went to have a look at Kea Farm, had tea and scones, frolicked around Equatorial's compounds, went to Bandar Tanah Rata, took a walk in the wonderful cold breeze, and watched TV. :D Night.

 

I wasn't cold during the night even though we left the balcony door open to let the freezing cold air drift in, but boy was I chilly at 7.30 a.m. the next morning. Wasn't so brave today. Put on jeans and a shirt to go see Boh Tea Plantation.

The plantation, or the drive there, took my breath away. The whole plantation is mountainous and hilly and valley like. It was... gorgeous. I love mountains. I love hillery. I love it all. Now I understand Bilbo Baggins when he said, "I want to see mountains again." It was breathtaking. Pictures won't do to describe it, but they're better than words.

The teahouse of the Boh plantation. The tea there was so good, I had it without sugar.

Can't get away from flowers in CH

All of this, remember, is tea.

Look at the sky, friends!

We took more pics, actually. This is just one.

Glory.

After that, we had to get back and checkout already. After becoming hotel-less, we went and bought all the stuff we wanted at the Kea stalls. Then, I took one last picture at Eq Hotel and we took off.

Oh, but wait! I forgot the Jeeps! The LandRovers! My dad loves them. He likes these kinda guy stuffs. He says these machines were left over from the British times. Anyway, it's safe to say we saw about forty of them during our stay. No exaggeration, Cameron Highlands is full of them. And we only went around the town areas. There must be at least a hundred all together in the place! And almost all of them are branded with the letters CH. Like this one.

 For Cameron Highlands, of course. But... dad, me.

See those letters CH?

Uh-huh?

You know what are they for?

(plays along) What?

It's to show they all belong to my daughter. Cheng Hwee.

-__________-

My dad has a lot in common with Mr. Elvin, didn't you know?

All in all, a lovely trip. I would love, love, love to retire in a place with mountains and scenery like this. And that's all I'm going to say.