51 This 31

A quick summary of Malaysia's 51st National Day advertisements today:

• Telekom Malaysia - this Merdeka, let us embrace the digital lifestyle and move forward to a new level of freedom (author's murmur: I'd suggest you strengthen your broadband services first).
• RHB Bank - wishing Malaysians a glorious 51st Merdeka (author's murmur: hasn't the term 'glorious' [gemilang] past its expiry last year? What an outdated ad).
• YTL Cooperation - ...our journey has always been inextricably entwined with our nation...We have come far in our 51 years of independence. Here's to many more years of progress. Happy birthday Malaysia.
• Malaysia Airlines - MH (Malaysian hospitality) - this two letters define us...This is who we are and what we celebrate. After 51 years of Merdeka, let's remember, this is who we'll always be (author's murmur: despite losing out on Best Cabin Crew this year, I hope MAS will be back on par with other 5-star airlines soon and pride the nation like it once had been).
• Astro - If you're planning for a year, sow rice; if you're planning for a decade, plant trees; if you're planning for a lifetime, educate people (author's murmur: and what if it rains when I'm watching Lee Chong Wei in the Olympics finals in 2012?).
• UEM - We must come together to gain strength from our differences to truly celebrate our independence.

After spending 2 months away from Taiwan this summer, I'd be back today. The bittersweet feeling still lingers, but it's been diluted with the excitement of starting anatomy and dissection, as well as preparation works for the exams beforehand.
I purchased my air ticket for Chinese New Year day before yesterday, just as a reassurance that I will be home very soon (5 months). I will definitely miss all the days between my departure today and my returning on January - the political comedies, the great movies at student price, and the joyful days with friends and families.
Alas, all journey must come to an end. And from then on we wait for the new one to start.
Selamat hari kebangsaan, Malaysia. And wish all of us well for the upcoming semester.

Cooked in Penang

Be warned: the following post, including its pictures and words, are extremely capable of inducing feeling of hunger, salivation, yearning for food, and nostalgia. Penangnites or people who lived in Penang regardless of duration or time risk being infected with Penangnitis - the condition which one reminisces about the good o'l Penang days - food, shopping in the old town, a lazy afternoon.

It is said that at any given time, half of Penang is cooking for the other half. Like everywhere else in Malaysia, eating is a stately affair - and sometimes a frequent one too. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, supper - every meal features a Malaysian favorite. The only etiquette in Malaysian dining - eat anything anytime you like, thanks to all the 24-hour chain stores mushrooming around the nation. Dining options are simply exploding - with your hands, with chopsticks, with sporks (spoon and fork); very spicy, normal spicy, not-so spicy, just-nice spicy, no spicy etc. One thing we Malaysians cannot leave behind is our dining legacy and richness of our food. So, eat on Malaysia!

Penang assam laksa - where others name laksa as noodles in a broth of curry, Penang's version of laksa features a thick fish stew served with herbs and spices to create a fusion of sweet, sour and spicy never experienced before

Ee Foo Mee - friend noodles bathed in a smooth gravy with greens, prawns and often, eggs (not pictured)

Sar Hor Fun - the cousin of the former, with a mixture of hor fun and rice vermicelli the Cantonese call yin yong (yin and yang)

Oor Koay - pieces of tapioca embedded in a fragrant, sticky cake eaten with prawn sauce (black) and chili sauce (red)

The king of fruits - the durian comes for only 2 months per year. So time your visit and challenge your nostrils to this heavenly fruit (just for the reference yours truly have abandoned the joy of savoring the durian 3 years ago)

Nasi kandar - the mamaks (Indian muslims) pride themselves of serving authentic Southern Indian fares. To eat, simply pour a little of everything on your plate of rice and enjoy the fusion of spices

Penang Hokkien mee - when others call in har mee (prawn noodles), Penangnites label it in association with the major ethnic Chinese on the island. Noodles served in a prawn-based soup, it comes in several interesting options. Mum like hers served with loh (thick starch gravy). I liked mine in maggie mee (instant noodles)

Koay Teow Th'ng - feeling uncomfortable over all the spices and richness? This koay teow (rice noodles) in light th'ng (plain soup) will sooth the senses and return everything to the basics

Law chicken drumstick - the Chinese cooking method features poultry cooked in a thick gravy of dark soy sauce and garlic, preserving the moisture and hence the suppleness of the meat

World Heritage Site: Malacca

It was just pure coincidence the decision to visit Malacca was made. Dad wanted a KL trip to replenish his art supplies, and between Cameron Highlands and another historic city, we decided the idle, sleepy, vegetative highlands is not suitable for us (no pun intended for Cameron Highlanders).
Our last trip was 10 years ago, with both of my cousins - now one of them is in New Zealand. So, Yan, this post is specially for you.

The eye-catcher - upon entering the town center, a splash of red greets the traveler. Christ Church of Malacca is built by the Dutch, and hence the simplistic lines

The British added their touch with Victoria Regina - a fountain commemorating Queen Victoria's jubilee

The Stadthuys, or Red House - now transformed into a series of well-managed museums by the state government

In terms of gourmet, Malacca wouldn't rank close to Penang, but no one beats the Hainan rice balls out of the town

Waiting patiently for the meal to be served

A stroll along Jonker Walk on weekends is the best way to experience the rich and diverse culture of the historic town

Colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese before being handed back to Malaysia, Malacca has every reason to be proud - or sad about its past. During the early days her glorious reign spanned the entire Sumatera, Java and Borneo; during British rule the English attempted to abandon Malacca in favor of Singapore. With the UNESCO listing may all these history be preserved and appreciated by future generations

Traditional Chinese shops lurk in little alleys along the old streets of Malacca; the young, however, mostly left Malacca for Kuala Lumpur or Singapore in search of better living

Qing Yun Ting - the oldest Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) temple in Malaysia

Counting Down

When you review a period of time in terms of the events filled with it, the duration somehow seemed a lot shorter as, face it, not all of our time are filled with exciting events we'd like to remember. Our minds are set to remember mostly the good things, so with time all the bad memories got erased - tripping in front of a gargantuan crowd in Times Square, the day you broke down just because it was a bad day and the nerd beside you is yakking away inconsiderably. Our minds will somehow deny the existence of these incidences least you become depressed over time.
I will start my third year of medicine upon return to Taiwan on September. As you might have known the entire medicine training in Taiwan takes 7 years, of which:
Year 1 & 2: pre-medicinal years - you basically study nothing which contributes to working in a hospital, except maybe English and Chinese.
Year 3, 4 & 5: fundamental medical education - what people study in 5 years you do it in 3.
Year 6 & 7: intern years - being slave in the hierarchy of hospital seniority system.
So, even though I started medicine 2 years ago, I wouldn't be considered a full-fledged medical student until September. The real thing that separates a sophomore from a junior in medicine? Anatomy and dissection.
Third years in TCU will go through a tough semester of anatomy and perform the most thorough dissection in all medical colleges. Some described it 'like preparing for your SPM' but I'd actually have fond memories on SPM preparations so I guess it doesn't fit me. Another senior totted 'it's dark when you wake up (late sunrise due to winter). You study and work all day. It's dark when you go back to retire (around 10 - 11pm). You won't see sunshine least you skip classes.' 'Ok' I said, intimidated.
Tough though it sounded, many seniors regarded their third year as the ceremonial step-over and entry to medical school. Most if not all have bittersweet but fond memories of teachers in the Anatomy Department. And most regarded the education - knowledge and spirit of learning - vital for their future career. In fact, the effort our teachers poured in during the semester will benchmark them from others in school. Anatomy is (the only) one blazing department which is truly outstanding in our school, or so I heard.
I was lucky also in the sense that I got grouped with 4 other cool guys (1 girl actually) for my dissection. All my group mates are dedicated workers as they are sincere friends, I look forward to work and forge friendships with them during the sunless days.
Not everyone is tailored for anatomy - some just find the sheer amount of memorizing murderous while others find its Latin and Greek origin dazzling. I would also equate the semester as a long and arduous marathon (anyone watched 'Run, fatboy run' lately?) - I could not afford to be spent out at the beginning. I will need to spread all my fighting spirit equally and maintain a consistent performance throughout. How then? I'd lower my expectations but put in my best effort in every evaluation. Put my best foot forward I will but no looking at the ranks and how others do (it just kills the joy seeing people finish one point higher). My aim - to have a 70 overall.
While I pray to God for a smooth semester ahead, I try to spend as much quality time with Mum, Dad and my sister to make up for the timeless semester ahead. I am sure by the end of January 2009 when I'm looking at this I'd smile and say 'heh, this is you afraid of anatomy 4 months back,' but I'm sure I'd have learned something more than anatomy then.

Merciless

Year after year
Departures; arrivals; holidays; peak exam periods;
the changing of tides
the replacement of out-fashioned
the feeling of being phased out.

People
bound by one similar origin
having different visions
different futures in mind.
Separated by knowledge and destiny
yet feeling closer with each reunion;
sharing; soliciting; interacting.

Life
set to soar during the
golden moments of a lad.
Adventure. Challenge.
Great people with great minds
limited by a nation's protective iron curtain.
Saddening.

The future
bleak, hopeless, declining.
With knowledge we could change
fate and reshape destiny.
Ambition and dreams
often crashed by
limited practical actions
empty talk
and my motherland's blinded leaders.
Opportune us! Before we belong to
others.

World Heritage Site: Penang

I'm a little slow on the uptake, but Penang has been officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 32nd session of UNESCO summit on 8 July. This status ranks Penang on par with other heritage of historical and cultural value / human civilization with world monuments such as the Egyptian pyramids and the Taj Mahal. It is indeed an honor for Penang and its citizens to be recognized as a historical city of the Straits Settlements, a contribution to the foundation of the unique Baba Nyonya culture.

Celebration banners everywhere in Georgetown - in Malay

Tamil, in front of he Indo-China Trading Company, one of the earliest and most prominent trade merchants of Penang

in English, in front of the Liu, Guan, Zhang and Zhao family temple - a symbolic union of the surnames forged when Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun swore to the moon "to die on the same day" as brothers

and not forgetting Chinese - just opposite the Eu Yan Sang medical hall

Malacca and Georgetown - historical cities of the Straits Settlements

Endangered trades - a songkok maker, insisting on only hand-made songkoks, in King Street

A signboard engraver and his trade for over 60 years

Trivial Nothings

Trivial Nothings will feature posts that are too boring to be expanded into an entire entry - which would certainly leave the readers snoring at the end of the first paragraph. Trivial Nothings will be a showcase for daily nothings, literally, that hopefully might color some of the readers' lives through abnormal insights into the mundane life of a medical student and the stupidity around him.
So, for a start:

• Though excess food and overeating is targeted as a global sin, food in Penang is still relatively blame-free. In Penang, just eat to your heart's content, and don't worry about a term called cholesterol on the plateful of nasi kandar - there's no such thing in Penang.
  
• From 'gathering' we usually use in Form 5, we have slowly moved on to 'have a drink' recently. The reason behind - 'gathering' is no more because not more than 5 will turn up, so that don't qualify for a gathering. 'A drink' derives from all of us are of legal age to consume alcohol now, though all of us would not be able to afford it in Malaysia.
• Mum says during one of our Sim family gatherings, to which I find less and less interesting aside the food, "when you interact with people of different thinking patterns, you just have to tune yourself into their mindsets. You cannot expect all people to have the same point of view as you," to which I find reasonable to accept. But tell me, how do you interact with people who have absolutely no plans for even tomorrow and just spend time tracking your attention when all you need for this one month of holidays is to be untroubled and undisturbed?
• And for the record, a person is yakking away heavily Australian-accented English just beside me ("that's not reeaal heealthy", "raaelly", "waaeting")
  
• My sister, currently in Form 4, is expressing interest to further her tertiary education in Taiwan, to which I find delightful since I'll have an extra excuse to bang for an apartment in one of the bigger cities of Taiwan (no city can be more rural than the east coast), which fuels my passion of graduating and leaving TCU as soon as possible (still 5 years to go ladies and gentlemen).
  
• "Watching Malaysian news is like watching a drama nowadays," I said after one of the Anwar Ibrahim reports on TV. "Where got?" my sister interjected "it's more like watching a comedy."

Summer of 2008

Have just recently completed editing the video clips of my France trip. The editing part was easy because MovieMaker is quite easy to use for an amateur like me. The uploading part was painstakingly risky because of the titanic streamyx.
So I chose to upload them from a McDonald's outlet with free WiFi. Kudos to McD and all the cool stuff they come up with - including the idea that dining there is healthy, which isn't because they still have a whole array of deep-fried food.
So, here's my clip featuring Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, St-Emilion and Paris. I fell for Celine Dion's 'Taking Chances' and the French national anthem 'La Marseillaise'. I bet on my reader's knowledge to know the reasons behind without having to explain word by word.

So with this entry I shall close my France 2008 adventures - guess that 'Paris 3' is not needed anymore since I'll have htis clip to rewind a thousand times when I'm 80 and looking back at my life.
For separate clips on Bordeaux and Paris, it's just another click away in my YouTube account.

Kitsch

Mum took leave to pick me up at the airport, not knowing her sister's (my aunt's) appointment with the Penang General Hospital psychiatric department is two days later. Just for the reference my aunt has rather serious mental disabilities after a fever when she was on her eve of taking her SPM - two factors: my grandpa's unexpected sudden passing and the pressure of the exams.
So after much negotiation the family agreed to send me on her behalf to chauffeur my grandma and my aunt to the GH. Having relatively nothing in Hokkien, I'm freaked out because, one, the GH is no happy place to be especially when you're in a hurry, and two, taking care of a mentally challenged person is no easy task either.
I was shaken awake by Mum at 6.45am. This is the pain and shame of a family of 4 having only 2 cars - I'll have to drive Mum to school first before go picking up grandma. After that, I have to send the car to my Mum so that she can drive me back to my Dad's office and I can follow him back home. Penangnites are sinful people for not fully utilizing the public transport system. But hey, after 20 tormenting years of rattling buses and crazy waiting times, Penangnites are not so easily convinced anymore.
We arrived at the GH at 7.55. Finding a parking space was not difficult - just slip into any empty spaces available, don't mind about the yellow boxes. I got my aunt, who was unwilling to come (typical behavior of mentally challenged individuals) registered, and my grandma and I sat waiting. You don't need reminding being in the psychiatric department - there were people of every race, some normal, some not. It's sad that even though most of us know those mentally challenged had their disease not by their own accord, but we still dislike being with them. Most will automatically relate a mentally challenged patient with aggressive, hard-to-deal-with, and even dangerous to the entire family. In most cases they are as harmless as 5-year olds.
Penang GH impresses me. By 8.30 we were called in. The clinic, typically GH, was small and jam-packed with 3 doctors. But the Indian doctor we had was very accommodating. I explained my aunt was unwilling to come, and she reassured me it's ok since this is typical behavior. She reinstated that she MUST take her drugs in order not to become aggressive (yes, my aunt is aggressive at times). All in all it was a good session not unlike any other consultation in a private hospital.
Next, the pharmacy, where I had nightmares since I waited for my eye-drops 10 years ago. The wait stretched to the entire afternoon and I was rotting in one of their plastic chairs.
We got a number with a queue of 14. I was mildly surprised it wasn't 50 or even 100. Nevertheless, I planned to go to the washrooms for a moment since 14 is rather long by my standards.
I had to drop my plans after seeing how fast the number-calling was. They call numbers by twos and threes, and have several people explaining the drugs to patients at the same time so to speed up the process. I'm impressed.
By 9am we were out in the car park with me explaining to grandma "(Hokkien) these drugs, important. Must give her eat everyday. If not, dangerous."
I must say I'm very happy with GH services from my experience yesterday. The doctors may be very young and lacking in experience, but the facilities are not less than any private or overseas hospital now. A very good improvement!

Paris 2

I would let the pictures do all the talking this time, shall I?

The Paris Notre Dame - Quasimodo stayed here with many church bells and gargoyles in Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris

Side door of the cathedral featuring its magnificent stained glass windows

The Eiffel tower was criticized as a 'metal asparagus' when it was built in 1899 for the World Fair. Today it was a symbol of Paris and France, just like the pyramids with Egypt and great wall with China
The tower from Place de Trocadero

As France holds the presidency for the EU this year, the tower was decorated in the EU colors and twelve stars to celebrate the event

I went to Versailles on Sunday - the heat, the crowd of tourists and the queues didn't really leave a good impression

Hall of Mirrors - royal dinners were held here; the King of France walk through here every day; the revolutionaries stormed through here in 1789 in search of the monarch and revenge

Hall of Triumph in the castle commemorating every victory of France since the 8th century

The castle, being the residency of the King of France, is elaborately decorated, the ceilings included

And of course the gardens, typically French
The garden is HUGE, and of course, filled with tourists. A dozen fountains of every design is built amidst the bushes and paths

Later in the evening, take a stroll along the Seine to see how Parisians spend their Sundays

Aside dining on a boat docked along the river, groups of students also picnic along the banks (not in picture)...
Sailors spending a short time on land singing the evening away on the Pont d'Art (Art Bridge)

Getting away from the journalistic flair once in a while and being the tourist - sorry for the shorts, it was very warm that Sunday
We tried to promote the Free Hugs movement in our school once upon a time, but without good looking people and a spontaneous crowd it's doomed to fail. Now, I wonder if it'll have a different fate if it was me being the hug guy in TCU?

Going home on the Parisian metro

Happy Monday guys! Last sequel of Paris soon!

Paris 1

The 'M' as in TM (Telekom Malaysia) would pose less of a national disgrace if it was an abbreviation for 'Malawi' or 'Madagascar'. Heck, we might not know even if these countries have better broadband connections than Malaysia - since I was back Streamyx had been torturing me with its unstable connection. Right now I'm struggling to upload just a few humble pictures for my faithful readers and they keep capsizing in the midst of the process. Good job TM!
Anyway, back to my promise, here's Paris in pictures (if the pictures really got through).

Stayed at the Jules Ferry Youth Hostel during my 5 days in the city of light - fundamental place with happy people and cool facilities

The hostel is located in Republique - a relatively poor area of Paris with quite a number of immigrants

The Louvre offers free entrance to under-26s on Friday evenings. That explains the huge crowd of youngsters in the plaza. The glass pyramid was designed by American Chinese architect I.M. Pei

Under the glass pyramids - ticket booth and atrium of the world's largest museum

Halls of the Louvre - the museum spans 2000 years of French history, starting out as a fortress, it was then transformed into a palace and then an exhibition hall of Louis XVI after being refurbished into a museum by Napoleon

The craze with Lisa. The painting is actually quite small, probably not bigger than a 29-inch TV screen - yet adorned by millions and worthing more than the world

It would take you 9 months if you were to scrutinize every piece of art in the Louvre, making it one of the most avoided places by Parisians - the sheer crowd and the feeling of disappointment because you just can't help but skip through works of art on display

Jardin Tuileries on a crisp Saturday morning

Something supposed to be famous, but I just can't recall the name, located in front of the garden facing the Arc de Triomphe

Somebody enjoying the weekend in the garden

Champs-Elysees runs directly from the garden to Arc de Triomphe, packed by embassies, designers boutiques and airline offices along the way

Nike Paris with Run of the Human Race poster - looks gorgeous isn't it?

'You will return beneath triumphal arches,' Napoleon Bonaparte promised his soldiers on one of his battles. 30 years later this was commissioned, and with every French victory and world war something was added. An eternal flame burning for the memories of all unidentified soldiers for the two world wars was lighted since 1920. The body of The Unknown Soldier was buried in 1921 with an engraving 'here lies a French soldier who died for his fatherland 1914 - 1918'. Lots of history happened here, including Germany marching into France, the French and Allies victory in WWII, President Kennedy paying respect and French General Charles de Gaulle attempted assassination

Lost but not forgotten - names of sacrificed soldiers engraved

View of La Defense during sunset from top of Arc de Triomphe

Center Pompidou houses modern art from all over the globe - the museum was established by French President Pompidou in his effort to promote Paris as an art and culture capitol of Europe

Most artists of modern art and their works can be found here - Pollock is one of my favorites

A Slovak photographer commenting on photography

Balcony exhibition hall of Pompidou promises breathtaking views of Paris

Banks of River Seine is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site - so many things happened here, fiction as well as historical. Remy running away from the young chef Linguini in Ratatouille is one of many

Stay tuned for more, and happy weekend folks!