A thousand miles* - Vanessa Carlton

'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles if I could just see you tonight...

Actually it's slightly more than 5,000 miles (which explains why i'm not walking), but who's counting?! ;-P

p/s - for me, Terry Crews (and not Cedric the Entertainer as someone alleges) stole the show in White Chicks! Especially in the scene above! LOL!

*Excellent song by Vanessa Carlton wif nice piano parts. Will prolly enter me list of me all time fav songs.

Old before I die* - Robbie Williams

Pinochet dies - at the age of 91. He was surrounded by his family members in a nice hospital.

I'm definately out of line here - but the first thing which came to me mind when i read that is "Why do all these evil dictators get to live to a ripe old age????"

If you don't know who he is, he was the President of Chile from 1974 to 1990. He came into power after a CIA-sponsored coup which toppled the democratically elected Marxist government. Some say he is the saviour of Chille. Others, a remorseless murderer. Democracy and civil rights were thrown out of the window when he was in power. His regime is believed to be responsible for over 3,000 deaths and disapperances as well as claims of torture by over 30,000 people. Mass graves are still being found til today. (source from BBC News Online here)

Yet, he lives for more than 9 decades. (Oh, is it just me or does anyone else think it's ironic that he dies on 10th December i.e. Human Rights Day?!!! )

The Bible tells us that "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established" (Romans 13v1). So God established Pinochet's regime????

I don't know. I dun have the answers at this point of time.

What i do know is that God is a God of love. And he is sovereign as well as all-powerful. And at the same time, he gave men the free-will. Some choose to abuse such freedom. Others fold their hands and choose to do nothing while some just point an accusatory finger at God blaming him for all evil. Yet others uses that free will to help those in need.

The choice is ours to make.

*Taken from his first solo album Life thru a lens which also has the brilliant Angels.

Thank you* - Dido

It seems I had it all wrong. It turns out, you go somewhere new and meet people who help you feel worthwhile again...

Iris (Kate Winslet) in The Holiday (Watch the trailer here)

This post is dedicated to those new people who has made me feel worthwhile again when i'm far away from me family and mates - some of whom are far away now themselves.

Miss you all!

* The song which was made famous thanks to Eminem's Stan - but Dido is a star on her own account and she has since made it based on the strength of her songs and her good voice.

Fat boy* - Jewel

In light of the moody previous post - and the fact that i'm sure no one wants to hear me rant about giving-up-hope-but-hope-returns-again nor talk about an incredibly depressing - but absolutely brilliant - movie i just watched earlier (Nobody Knows), here's something light-hearted which i drafted weeks ago but never got to publish it.

Yeah, if I’m not careful, I could end up being Jewel’s abovecaptioned song!!! For those of you who are protesting “but… but you are a fat boy…”, lemme tell ya that that was a thing of the past! ;-P

Just a couple of weeks ago, I weighed meself again – and I found out that since leaving home last October, I’ve lost 16 kgs!!!!! I was telling me mate the other day that the last time I was in the UK, I lost 10 kg – and when me mom saw me, she broke out into tears! Me mate told me that I better stop losing weight – esp since me dad has a heart condition now!!!

Well, I’m not too worried – the last time I was in the UK, I started out at 64 kilos. So losing 10 was really a lot! This time round, I was 80 kilos before I came!!!!! So I now weigh the same as I weighed when I first came over here!

So what’s up wif me then? Me ex-flatmates – esp the female ones – wants to know how and why it happens!

Well, unlike normal people, I notice that I lose weight when I’m happy!!! Really! It’s times when I’m stressed and unhappy that I gain weight. I guess for me, food – or rather, eating – is another form of escapism for me, a source of comfort. When things are not going too well, I eat! Yes, I love food, I love eating. So I guess I overdo it when things are down.

Cuisines from all over the world - Indian in London, British in Scotland, Italian in Paris, Japanese in London, Turkish in Caen, Chinese in Amsterdam ;-P

But when things are brilliant – for instance, last summer – I just feel so full of life and joy that I dun overeat. Dun get me wrong – I still love eating and I dun starve meself. It’s just that I eat to live and not live to eat.

However, since being here in London, I realise I’m eating a lot more than usual. Maybe it’s the cold. Maybe it’s being away from me mates. I dun know. I dun even jog anymore – been 6 weeks since I last did that!!! Me jogging shoes are in Colchester! I sleep so much more too – yup, a regular pig. And I vegetate (or shall I say “potato-tate”?) in front of the TV most of the time too!

Well, at least me mom won’t break out into tears when she sees me again! And I can say that Jewel sang a song about me!

* Interesting song from my fav Jewel's album. Did you know that it was originally titled "Fragile Flame"?

I'll be home for Christmas* - Vanessa Williams

It's funny the kind of thoughts of that run thru your mind when you are stuck doing dish-washing for 8 hours - like what the heck am i doing here? Not unlike the prodigal son, i wanted to pack it up and just go home.

Well, truth be told, it wasn't the first time in recent times that i toyed with the idea of going home for Christmas. A couple of not-so-pleasant incidents contributed to that. Coupled with Mastercard's latest tear-inducing commercial (ripped off the opening scene of Love, Actually, no doubt! The scene is the arrival hall at the airport when people come and meet their loved ones. In typical Mastercard fashion, the words "Ticket from Toronto, Canada, so-much pounds; ticket from Sydney Australia, so-much pounds"; etc.; and ends off with "Spending Christmas at home - priceless!").

But no. In all probability, God-willing, i'll be spending Christmas away from home - for the 3rd time in me life!

In any event, going on-line after a long day work yesterday helped make my decision easier. A quick visit to The Star Online and i read about the Muslim religious officers fighting over yet again another body to bury - they seem more concerned with the dead than with the living dun they? After all, where were they when Rayappan converted out of Islam, signed a Statutory Declaration and even got his Identity Card to reflect the fact that he's no longer a believer of the Muslim faith???

Then there's the hoo-hah in the East coast State again about imposing fines on certain kind of dressing by the women-folk.

This is home? If it is, why would i wanna go back there?

I then read this comment in an Aussie newspaper which din sound too far away from the truth - some parts more than others! (I've always griped about the fact that Malaysia spent millions to build an F-1 circuit but some hospitals dun even have enuf incubators for new-born babies so much so that me mate who's a doctor told me of incidents when they had to send pregnant mothers away to other hospitals if they can "hold-on"!!!!!)

This is home?

One thing we realised when we are here in the UK - the British-born Indian will consider himself a Brit first and then an Indian. The Australian-born Chinese considers himself an Aussie first before he may maybe say he's a Chinese. But in Malaysia, we are usually Chinese, Indian, Malay etc. Why is that?

One of the reasons - i believe - is that these Brits, or Aussies, or Americans have the same status as the other citizens in thier country. A Chinese guy who is an American citizen enjoys and shares all the benefits of a white guy who is born an American.

But not in M'sia. After nearly half a century of independence, i as a Malaysian-Chinese still do not enjoy all the benefits as a Malay does. What do the politicians have to say about it? If you dun like it, you can leave the country!!!!

This is home?

What about the church i worshipped in? Well, none of the leaders have even contacted me or kept in touch with me to see if i'm doing fine or not. The last e-mail i received from the YAf was a forwarded mail about taking leave in 2007 (What the...??? Make mental note: tell them to leave me out of their mailing list!).

This is home?

*sigh*

Sorry. Needed to let out some steam...

So what is home? Well, home is where my family is. Home is where me mates are. And because of them, i will miss spending Christmas at home.

So - you may ask - then why dun you go home for Christmas? Well, as the lyrics of above-titled song say, "I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams"! ;-)

p/s - on a much lighter note - and totally unrelated - i came across this post which you car-enthusiasts and people interested in advertisements will appreciate! Be warned - contain elements which some may consider vulgur!

*This song was the reason why i bought (i bought as a joke for a fren - dun ask - but she refused to take it) Ms. Williams' Christmas album, Star-bright - and it's one of the best i've listened to. Her rendition of the Christmas songs with a jazzy feel is absolutely brilliant!

Christmas is all around* - Bill Nighy

So how many Englishmen does it take to set up an X'mas tree? A 3-storey-high tree?

Not a trick question, nor is it a joke. I just thought of it as i sat outside (i was the only one while the rest preferred the warmth inside) of the cafe, having me lunch break last week.

It was the 1st of December then so time to set the tree up - and FYI, there were 7 men setting it up. One on the ladder putting up the lights, another holding the ladder, one more making sure the lights are not getting tangled up, another getting the decorative bows, and 3 others whom i honestly dun know wat they were supposed to do!!!!!!

It's not just on campus - everywhere, the place is getting ready for Christmas. The other day, i couldn't stop smiling when i heard Christmas songs being sung in Mandarin at my favourite supermarket in Chinatown! The X'mas lights have been up in London for a while. You see road-side vendors selling chestnuts roasted over an open fire.

Christmas lights along Regent Street, London (bottom left is the famous Hamley's Toy Store)

That's one thing i like about this time of the year here - while Chinese New Year can be so so depressing cuz there's no air of festivity except in Chinatown, they make up for it during X'mas time.

I've got me tiny litle tree up oredi! Here's hoping for some snow while eluded me last year (i went all the way up north to look for it but it came down south to mock me!) altho at the way things are going, a white Christmas is not gonna happen!!!!

Oh well... no matter what, it doens't change the true meaning of Christmas! :-)

*Yes, this is the corny remake of Love is all around in the movie, Love, Actually. It's time to bring out all me X'mas movies and watch them again!

What's up* - Four Non-Blondes

What's up? Well, the leaves of the tress still are! Some, at least!

Look at the pic on the right - would you believe it if i told ya that the pic was taken on campus in December??? It looks like October or early November, deosn't it?

I read in the papers the other day - with some measure of amusement - that the trees are confused!!!! Although it is time for winter, the weather is not cold enuf. So shud they drop their leaves or not???

Poor trees...

The weather has been pretty mild lately - unlike at the beginning of November when temperatures plunged suddenly to 6 or 7 degrees in the day and freezing point at some nites. Now, some nites it stays at 13 degrees in London!!!!

I'm the only hero who sits outside Food-on-3 to eat me lunch - in a short sleeve t-shirt, mind you!

*sigh* Signs of global warming? We broke records during the hot summer and they said that the autumn has been one of the warmest in a long long time. So are we gonna be heading for a mild winter? Looks like chances of a white Christmas for me is pretty bleak.

Sunny days in London... during winter!

* Most people think this song is "What's going on?" but in actual fact, it's "What's up". Yes, another song on the charts during me first stay in London. And who remembers Ching who sang this song during her audition for M'sia's TV programme One in a Million? Go to me previous blog here to check it out.

Without you* - Mariah Carey

I've not been really good at corresponding over e-mails in recent times - but it has become worse in the past month or so. I guess some explanation is needed, esp to those who've mailed me and are wondering why i never bothered to reply.

I’m internet-less in London. Heck, there was a point of time when I was even laptop-less! But as me mate would say, it’s better to be laptopless in London than to be topless in London!!!

Sure, there are at least 3 internet cafés in the town i'm in – but as I’m not only internet-less but also job-less, I’m trying to keep expenses low. I’ve tried to check for wire-less connection but can’t find any near me place. Applying for an internet connection would mean signing a 12 months contract. Oh well…

It’s good to know that I can live without broadband internet at my fingertips.

It is difficult, tho. Job hunting is severely impaired. No more Saturday meeting and “Hearts” session wif me mates. Can’t chat on MSN. No idea how the weather is gonna be. Unable to “google” something when I come across sumthing I need to know or dun understand. Out of touch with the news of the world...

So wat do i do for internet? I go to the local library for the free internet facilities they have there.

So there I’ll be, as early as I can. I have to take a number and sometimes wait for up to 30 mins before being allocated a PC. It’s alrite cuz I use the time to read newspapers – something I haven’t done for so long. Why bother reading newspapers when you can read the same – and even more – on-line?

After 1 hour, the librarian would come up to me and tell me to finish up. As they take my details each time I’m allocated a PC, I will not be allowed to take a number again for that day – only once a day, 1 hour a day.

It has taken some getting used to. For the 12 months in Colchester, the first thing I’d do when I wake up in the morning is to get online – and the last thing I do is to close the internet connection and turn off me laptop.

Mind you - an hour on-line flies quickly. So that explains why my delay in replying e-mails have become worse!!!!

And for those who may be waiting for my Europe trip pics, I guess you have to wait for a while longer. :-(

But things are changing now... more on this in the next couple of days!

* Her remake of Air Supply's soppy song (was theirs a remake too?) which hit the charts during me first stay in London years ago!

Crazy* - Gnarls Barkley

It's nice to have mates that accept you for who you are, no matter how crazy you can be. It's nicer to have mates that also can go crazy with you!!!! :-)

We had such a blast last nite! :-)

* To me, this is Kevin's song! Each time i hear it, i'd always think of him!!! Whenever the song came on while we were working during the summer, he'd sing it, falsetto and all! Ah... i actually miss him... and me other workmates too.

I will always love you* - Whitney Houston

That’s how one of me mates feel about her ex-boyfriend. He’s the first guy she ever loved – and he’ll be the one she loves for the rest of her life, even if they won’t end up together.

It sure doesn’t seem that way – separated by 2 continents, scarred by a messy break-up. Yet, I believe there’s still hope for them. After all, they are frens now. Just frens. But how important it is for couples to be friends first before anything else.

I had to smile when she told me that ever since that guy, all her subsequent boyfriends – serious or otherwise – were chosen because of one or more things about them which reminded her of her first – and true – love! Sometimes, it may be the physical appearance, while others the reminders may not be so obvious to the eye.

I smiled cuz know exactly what she meant. I am sure that a lot of people are guilty - albeit sub-consciously - of always measuring everyone with the standard set by one particular person.

I believe that many has someone just like me mate has her ex-boyfren – someone whom they truly loved, and will always love for the rest of their lives. And if that someone is not the one they end up with, dun feel sorry for them – for so few in this world can honestly say that they truly – and will always – love a person.

* Lovely song from the soundtrack the movie, The Bodyguard. Hard to believe it's a remake of a country western song by Dolly Parton!!!!