White Water Rafting Weekend

I'm still alive! I didn't drown in the raging waters or get eaten by malaysian crocodiles!
Instead, i returned tired, wet and covered in bat poop wearing a naueseating helmet that has been coated in hair and sweat. It really doesnt sound that bad.




The reaping rewards? I paddled my way across a 7km grade1-3 river (sungai kampar). I trekked across the expansive malaysian jungle and crawled by way out of a 2km series of cave tunnels.
The cons? I might has ingested too much river water which had high traces of tin floating in it. But i think i'll be fine. Also i'm 150ringgit poorer.


In the end, it was all worth it anyway. I do have my battle scars (paddle oar scratches) and the memories.

Labels: Events, Updates

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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 1:46 PM

Dog saves owner with modified Heimlich
Retriever jumps on woman’s chest, dislodges apple she was choking on NBC VIDEO

Updated: 9:42 a.m. ET March 28, 2007

CALVERT, Md. - Toby, a 2-year-old golden retriever, saw his owner choking on a piece of fruit and began jumping up and down on the woman's chest. The dog's owner believes the dog was trying to perform the Heimlich maneuver and saved her life.

Debbie Parkhurst, 45, of Calvert told the Cecil Whig newspaper she was eating an apple at her home Friday when a piece lodged in her throat. She attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver on herself but it didn't work. After she began beating on her chest, she said Toby noticed and got involved.

"The next think I know, Toby's up on his hind feet and he's got his front paws on my shoulders," she recalled. "He pushed me to the ground, and once I was on my back, he began jumping up and down on my chest."

That's when the apple dislodged and Toby started licking her face to keep her from passing out, she said.

"I literally have paw print-shaped bruises on my chest. I'm still a little hoarse, but otherwise, I'm OK," Parkhurst said.

"The doctor said I probably wouldn't be here without Toby," said Parkhurst, a jewelry artist. "I keep looking at him and saying, 'You’re amazing.

What does your dog do?
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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 10:30 AM

Updates

Okie maybe its not that bad... but this semester has been a real ball-buster
With the academic pressures of several high level courses and MALAY.... a language that conveys little or no meaning to me, grades and studies have never posed such significant importance to me before. Plus, i've got bitchy professors to deal with....
Then theres my job duties. Tiresome, tedious, often pointless with minimal rewards (3.5rm per hour aint sounding Bling Bling Royale to me). The additional stress imposed isn't helping and i;ve gotten sick more times this semester than the previous year combined. Sniffle
In addition, theres my host duties. Rewarding and cultural enriching but nevetheless has dwindled by spare time to a naught of empty rolling hair balls. However ain't got much to complain.
Theres my duties as a friend, which i happily obligged to.... of course. Not playing dota has been a financial ease on the leather wallet and subsequently has increased the thickness of it.
To top it all off... i haf those pesky and long winded University applications... oh the stressful, heart wrenching period that causes people to wake up at 8am to check their gmail frantically in hopes of recieving a positive reply. Okie so maybe i did get what i'd hope for... 1 rejetion and 1 acceptance..which will help with the selection process. But it turns out what i wanted wasn't excatly what i wanted. Sigh

Okie heres wat's happened. Jan 12th 2007... my application packet was recieved by Wisconsin-Madison... hozzaah... just 4-6 weeks of waiting. Meanwhile... after a long delay in waiting for eka to complete is OSU app so we can split the measly 45rm UPS courier charge... i sent it myself (PAID IN FULL) and OSU recieved it february 2nd (gosh i remeber it so well). February was highlighted with brief email checks per day and nuisance questions fowarded to the admission counsellers (gosh i must have been such a pain). By march, it's been 6 weeks for UWM... i email 3 times, in much vain... recieving blatant replies that essentially told me to be less impatient and to stop buggin them. March 15th... i wake up with a wierd feeling ... gmail... as usual... AHAHA congrats on your application. I WAS ACCEPTED TO OSU BABY. Hurray.. relief. relief. relief
I mean i had somewhere to go... and this was after i was starting to consider applying to Indiana-Bloomington and Purdue since they were taking so long.
No news from UWM yet. So i wait. March 23. Today, i wake up with another feeling. Gmail... as usual.... internet down.... cursed at extreme broadband for a while. On with the day
So i finally got internet at 2... checked UWM app status....
"After careful and thorough (or something of that sort) review of your application, we regret that we are unable to provide admission"
Oh this totally sucks now.. I really really wanted to go to UWM... it had a great cmapus.. not too big not too small... great party scenes...great academics... great college town ! (not to say OSU doesnt have that too)
However, i guess this isnt the end. I'd prob try again for masters. Hopefully
Its a new found motivation i guess.

But hey hey. Fall semester 2007, i am going to OSU!
so things i;m looknig forward to? RPAC... tennis club... fraternities.... south dorm parties... parties..... OSU football and basketball games.... academic and lectures.... research.... cincinatti... and maybe..just maybe i;ll join the malaysian student association.
Hahha

Oh the bundles of joy that comes with twigs of crap

update: Went water-rafting yesterday with joe. fun fun. Generally....haha

Labels: Updates

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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 2:28 PM

Tagged!

I have been tagged and to continue the honor of this game, I have tagged six people which can be found at the bottom of my list. The rules are as follows: Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 idiosyncrasies (abnormal behaviour, habits etc.) as well as clearly stating this rule. After you state your 6 weirdness you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their multiply id / blog names / nicknames at the bottom of your blog. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says "You’re tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means."

Tagged by GJ

1. I always smell socks even when i know they're gonna smell bad

2. Whenever i send out SMSes... i always wonder if i really sent it and subsequently have to recheck it

3. I can't take a dump when theres other ppl in the toilet

4. I've got a habit of plucking out my hair strand by strand

5.  I'm a compulsive guilt-tripper/people pleaser

6.  I often bitch about other people when i talk to myself



Here, you are TAGGED!! :)


1. April
2. Tiny
3. Gj
4. Dan
5. Amir
6. Joel

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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 9:00 PM

Music's the life

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.
7. When you're finished tag some other people to do it!

Mine:

Opening Credits: Sleeping Lessons (The Shins) --- Guy wakes up from sleeping session?

Waking Up: Silence is Golden (Garbage) --- Figures since the morning is quiet and everyone's still grumpy

Falling In Love: California (Phantom Planet) --- in love with california.....

Fight Song: Girl Sailor (The Shins) --- Fighting for a girl sailor or fighting a girl sailor?

Breaking Up: Special K (Placebo) --- Just the snack for a break up

Prom: Jerk It Out (The Caesers) --- actually i'm pretty sure this played in my prom.

Life: Chances (Athlete) --- Life's about taking chances

Making babies: Black Math (The White Stripes) --- making babies is like math... complicated and repetitive

Mental Breakdown: The New Year (Death Cab For a Cutie) --- why yes i have a mental breakdown every new year.

Driving: The Good Times are Killing Me (Modest Mouse) --- erm...

Flashback: Polaris (Jimmy Eat World) --- reminds me of marvel....

Getting back together: If I Fall (Aqualung) --- If i fall... please catch me....awww... =P

Wedding: Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (The Killers) --- this would be a bad one for wedding... "Honey i told you, jenny was just a friend, our one steamy night meant nothing!"

Birth of Child: Shut Your Mouth (Garbage) --- Yes stop crying...

Final Battle: Kissing The Lipless (The Shins) --- eew?

Death Scene: We Are All On Drugs (Weezer) --- guess that's how i'm gonna die.. next to druggies

Funeral Song: Ocean of Noise (The Arcade Fire) --- creepy.... kinda sad

End Credits: St. Augustine (Band of Horses) --- yay? |

Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 8:56 PM

Unfamiliar

Face to face, reunion of senses.
The familiar stranger's presense
of memorie's past forgotten and lost
of events that were paid and cost.
Absence, the revolutionary meeting
of recognition but not of a silent greeting.
Small, insignificant, forgotten crimes
talks of illusion of life of times.
Absence, silence weaved in space
minds blurred in mist and haze.
Searching looks goes unfollowed
Gazes unmet, eyes are hollowed.
Comfort lost in the sweat and leather
reflective thoughts of greyish weather.
Works no doubt of the devil's minions,
O, the questions, the questions, the questions
Finality nears, threatened by danger
for once so familair, is now but a stranger.

Labels: A Touch of literature

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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 12:00 AM

Accepted!

I GOT INTO OHIO STATE!!!!!!!

WOOOT!!!!!

Labels: University Life, Updates

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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 9:31 AM

The Eye of the Beholder

Have you ever wondered what your life looks like in the eyes of another? Sure we might think we know ourselves pretty well, (pretty darn well in fact) but isnt there some aspects of our personality that mite differ in from the perspective of an outsider? Could it be possible that we are really jerks or snobs because thats what the crowd thinks.

Everyone talks. Everyone gossips and rips other people. Everyone disclaims their opinions about one another.
So are we truly the person we think we know ourselves to be or the person society sees us as?
If so, would that mean your truly a god-aweful person if you've got lots of enemies or are you just merely outspoken and blunt but still loved because of your close friends?
Are we what society thinks? Or are we who we think we are?

Sometimes, we opinionate about someone, (usually focusing on the negative aspects) yet somethinks we never realise in doing so, we're acting just as negatively. For example, if i were to comment that those people were such assholes and i'd treat them as one would treat assholes.... wouldn't i be an asshole? They would certainly think so.

The implications are confusing. And its not as simple as to say...'oh you are who you are, you shouldn't care about what other people think of you'
However, a huge part of everyone IS trying to make people change their view of you. Theres an inner stuggle to make everyone view yourself as perfect with all those cream covered positive aspects.  Despite this, i guess it's always best to act without regarding this.

In the words of the great Bob Dylan: 'All i can do is be me, whoever that is.'

Labels: Philosophical Rantings

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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 6:51 PM

Forever Black-Eyed

Forever blackeyed, the product of a broken home
Bordeline, bipolar, sociopathic, schizo? Don't really know
Forever laying, through the tears darkness looms
Suffacation, heart ache, chest pains are mere symptoms
Forever reflecting, the vented fustration of the imperfect
Objective past, present and future now hold little
For once again, I have cheated death. |

Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 1:12 AM

Momentum

The rush has long died. The excitement has dwindled to anxiety and displeasure.
I now feel like the subject of mockery.... no matter who it is.
I've now realised how disturbingly bad the game is, how self-deteriorating it is when your at the bottom.
And being at the bottom has just eliminated all thats left of my enjoyment. and i no longer have the desire to improve anyway. Its not about fun with friends anymore, its become an addictive profession.
I don't want to be part of that
So today, i quit.
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Exclamation_popcorn reflected on life at 1:18 AM