Home* - Michael Bublé

This is my country. This is my home. Happy 54th year of independance!!!!

This is really really brilliant!

*One of his best known songs.

Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday* - Boney M

The long holidays have started! I made the big mistake in deciding to go into a Malay area on the beginning of the holidays - last Saturday.

It was jammed packed!!!!

People and cars alike, it was almost like Boxing Day sale madness all over again (see here) - there were human traffic controllers inside the shopping mall!!!

People were taking advantage of the weekend before the Eid celebrations to do their shopping - i had to go there for a final fitting before my big day!

Still, despite the madness of it all, spirits were not dampened - it was after all the start of a long holiday! And for me, it's really really long!!!! =) (altho i'll be back in office some time this week to sort out some stuffs before a much deserved break!).

*Their hit in the late 70s - yes, i still remember singing to it back then! The tune is adapted from a nursery rhyme - Polly Wolly Doodle!!!

Anything but ordinary* - Avril Lavigne

London, Reading, Avillion PD, Rajes, Ho Chi Minh City, Dining, field trips, Joseph, moot, judge, Sunitha, appearing on newspaper, LawAsia, Palace of Justice, Programme Director, Human Rights, Taj Mahal, Law Ball, KLIA, TV appearance, Lakeside Campus, Thaatch, Jessup, Champion, Runners-Up, Kajang Prison, Family Law, Markus, carpark problems, ducks, Moot Administrator, banner...

It has been a very happening and most unforgettable 4 years! Praise God for bringing me thru.

*Taken from her brilliant debut album, Let Go.

Drive* - R.E.M.

I got me license to drive!!!! All over the world! =)

Din take me that long to get - altho i almost decided to procrastinate doing it. Thank God i listened to tGiF's advice and waited.

*Lead single and first track of their 8th album. Did not do too well in the US but was a big hit in the UK!

A better man* - Robbie Williams

As we shared prayer items, i was glad when someone said that they he is not asking for a stress-free week!!!

After all, stress is good - dun u think so? Of course too much of stress can be bad - and it can break a person as well as families. But a stress-free life IMHO may not be a good thing.

If we get too comfortable, we tend to become complacent. We were talking about the DUMC incident and a fren was sharing that the members there are all getting close together and praying more. I jokingly said that perhaps what we need is some persecution so that our members would all "wake-up"!

At the end of the day, we will be forced to improve when "stress" comes in - looking back, stressful times has really molded me and helped me develope patience, humility, strength and taught me dependance on God. People can share also that in difficult times, families draw closer together. It is only when times are dark that light can shine the brightest!

In the book of James, it is written:-

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

*One of my favourite songs of his!

If I ever lose my faith in you* - Sting

I was out jogging when this 'auntie' (older lady) was jogging in the opposite direction and heading towards me. I did not give much though about her until she came close. As she passed me, she said "Good morning"!

=)

After being frustrated with those who work in the same place as me, who see me almost everyday but yet do not bother to acknowledge me but instead look away (see here), this total stranger renewed my faith in people here! It reminded me of those days back in London when strangers used to greet me in the parks.

*One of his classics which has been remade by many people.

For the first time* - Kenny Loggins

This post commemorates LFC's first win of this season!!!

The night started with some pizzas.

Then the match! Together with tGiF, my brother and my nephew. As usual, watching LFC play is a frustrating process - and tGiF was feeling it. My nephew too. Welcome to the real world of LFC.

We all had the wonderful experience of watching LFC play live locally here last month. There were 9 goals altogether! It was a great match to watch and the atmosphere was simple awesome!!! On top of that, as LFC were playing Malaysia, all the spectators were winners - whichever team scored, we celebrated like crazy!!!!

But i had warned tGiF that in the real world of the EPL, it will not be as entertaining to her as the live match was. Sure enuf, the first match against Sunderland on the 13th was a frustrating experience.

Thankfully, last weekend's match was not as bad.

To me, the signs were good - especially seeing Kenny Dalglish put on his rain coat at the start of the 2nd half. All of us were wondering why he was doing that as it was summer and surely it wasn't that cold. Shortly after that, we realised why - it started to rain. Only after that did Dalglish's counterpart, Arsene Wenger put on his rain coat.

This simple observation which was prolly missed by most people showed me on thing - Dalglish was one who looks ahead and prepares himself. Wenger reacts. Harsh conclusion? You would think so if you're an Arsenal fan.

Anyways, Dalglish finally put in Suarez who was involved in both LFC's goal - scoring the 2nd one. The celebrations in my house was rapturous!!! =)

But eventually, both my nephew and tGiF will have to experience the pain of losing - but tt's part and parcel of being a LFC fan!

*This version was used in the movie One fine day.

Story of my life* - Bon Jovi

A student wrote this on the fb wall of another:-

"planet of the apes" soon ok! or "horribble bosses"..i heard its also good...

For a moment, i thought she was referring to my life at work!!!!

*Taken from their Have a nice day album.

Look away* - Chicago

I'm just so mad!!!!

It may seem to be a small thing but perhaps this is the straw that breaks the camel back!

The staff room i'm in is not that big. We've all been here, some for almost 20 months! We all know each other here - even if you just joined recently.

The corridors are not that wide - there is hardly a gap of 6 inches when we walk pass each other.

What irks me is that these people (no, not the Law School lecturers, of course) can just walk pass me and look away!

Is it so hard to say "hi", or "good morning"? Fine, even if you dun want to say anything, will it cost you so much to just smile? Or even look at me and give a formal nod???

I feel like an idiot, looking at them with a wide smile and they just look away and pretend i'm not here.

Sure, i'm not a white guy - but that just shows how shallow certain lecturers can be - they'll be so frenly with my expat fren but totally ignore me cuz i am a Malaysian!

Is it any surprise that their students are some of the worst mannered ones on campus?

Pathetic!

But i'm not gonna let them win - i'm gonna be even more proactive, perhaps even standing in their just to stop them so that i can greet them. But is this gonna be worth the effort? Sigh...

ADDENDUM

I checked with my expat colleague and i stand corrected. He tells me he experiences the same too, people just looking away. Sad-eh?

*Quite different from their other hits - lead vovals was Champlin, not Cetera, and it did not feature much horns. Still, one of my fav Chicago songs as it was a hit during my form 6 days.

Nothing lasts forever* - Maroon 5

Further from my previous post earlier (see here), i read a verse this morning which echoes some of the sentiments voiced there - and it came from the wisest man ever lived.

I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

So i may have the best team in the competition but that does not mean i'll win. Similarly, winning the competition does not necessarily mean that we were the best team!

But what was Solomon trying to say? Well, i submit that he is basically telling us that the things we achieve in this world are not important. After all, they are all temporal in nature - nothing this world offers lasts forever. What is important are the things that we do which will last for eternity.

And he confirms this in his penultimate verse from this book:-

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments.

*Track 6 from their 2nd studio album.