It all dated back in year 2002 and the rain was pouring heavily. You seemed lost and the weather condition was nowhere any pleasant. Mom stumbled upon you just across the street and decided to bring you back home for some much needed shelter. You were trembling, shivering in cold and probably weak due to the lack of food.
That was also the time when I came back from school to see this real beautiful lady sitting in front of the doorstep, still looking a bit traumatized from the dreadful ordeal that you probably got tangled up in for at least a day. It didn’t take you long enough to get real comfy within the compound though, as you started terrorizing the newspapers, chewing on my carpet and what not.
There was this whole debate on whether to keep you or not, considering that you weren’t our pet in the first place. Mom went asking around the neighborhood and nearby vets to check if someone’s looking for their lost pet. The fact that nobody replied to our offer was greeted by mixed feelings. You were already visually impaired when mom found you wandering around helplessly, yet we came to terms with that and eventually treated you as our very own.
The problem of course, was that we didn’t even know what your name was. We have absolutely no idea when your birthday is. Judging from those golden curves and real silky fur looking so flamboyant, we decided to call you GirlGirl since then.
The whole 7 years have been great with the company of GirlGirl, but all good things eventually has to come to an end. I just feel bad as I could have done a whole lot more back in those times when you could still chase after the cockroaches, playing ball fetching with me and climbing up the stairs without support from any of us.
Thank you for those wonderful memories, and more importantly, holding on till I come home and spending the last moments by your side. Your presence will be sorely missed by the Yappies. May you rest in peace, and we all know that you’ll be watching over us from up there. Do remember to say hi to Michael Jackson for us if you see him, ay?
REST IN PEACE GirlGirl, the sixth member of the Yap family. circa 1997 – 2009
It’s 1:19am and I’m physically exhausted after a productive afternoon at the gym. I am dying to retire for the night but the launching of iPhone’s new OS 3.0 is getting me all excited for no apparent reason. A bunch of us were at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to witness the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers showdown between Australia and Japan. Quite an entertaining match, with Australia’s homegrown superstar Tim Cahill scoring both goals to hand the Socceroo’s a convincing 2-1 win against Japan. Pictures and videos will come soon enough.
I’ve been wanting to blog about my rather short trip back home earlier this year but well, they don’t call me a procrastinator for no reason, ay? Probably the most eventful holiday I’ve had in the longest while. It was quality time well spent with the Yappies and friends, albeit a little short. Moreover, the efficiency of Telekom Malaysia was nothing short of appalling, having only managed to connect the Streamyx two months after we moved in to our new home!
Eish, and I had to return to Melbourne only after a month back home due to the expiring contract of my previous accommodation, which basically meant that I came back just to move out and eventually bunked over at Chin’s place for a month before we found this spacious two bedroom apartment!
Then again, it’s been a little more than four months since I got back, therefore it is only natural for me having only feint memories of what I did over the weeks when I was back home. Yes, it didn’t help either especially with the excessive amount of alcohol consumed over the course of eight years since I started drinking. NEED.TO.CUT.DOWN.ON.DRINKS.
One thing for sure though, is the fact that I spent four out of my five weekends at Zouk. No life, I know. I was already whoring Zouk after having only touched down 3 days ago, with the first night being Sister Bliss of Faithless, enjoying my double jugs of Iced Long Island Tea in almost a year. Wasn’t planning to go but William miraculously persuaded me to, and I’m actually glad that I did! Turn out was great and music was no way different.
I didn’t stay till the end of the night though, as I was gearing up for the next big day with much expectations. Ah, yes indeed. It was Armin van Buuren making a comeback after his successful Armin Only world tour (no, I haven’t blogged about Armin Only in Melbourne too) with a sold-out show at.. No prize for guessing where it was.
Right, so that’s two nights in a row already. We were fortunate enough to secure two tables, thus getting in was no hassle. The queue was insane though, as people tried getting in but to no avail as tickets allocated were 100% exhausted. Eugene and the rest had an unfortunate night though due to communication breakdown with another friend of ours, resulting in them spending the night at Terrace Bar instead.
And truth be told, I didn’t really enjoy the night that much for I wasn’t feeling too well. My tummy was aching possibly from the overdose of Long Island Tea the night before, thus missing out on the bottles of Black Label which I paid for anyway. Music was as expected from the No.1 DJ himself, thought it got a little too packed to my liking and the SMOKE! OMG… It almost killed me.
While the rest was busy working during the weekdays, I had to cover almost 100km’s of driving back and forth from Subang Jaya to Shah Alam, moving all my belongings to my new home! It was damn tiring cause we were rushing for Chinese New Year, which we just barely made it in time!
U.O.X Play was happening during the weekend itself, and Smalls being a major Lapsap fan, we decided to head down to Zouk! Having not been to a Lapsap event in a long while, I wasn’t sure of what to expect but the music was simply electronically trippy, just the way we like it!
Bumping into friends while having too much of Long Island Tea to drink, the night got a little fuzzy towards the end of the night. Met Jue and Adam after for such a long time, and we had the pleasure of enjoying a little timeout session with the rest at Aristo Bar. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves as the Moet champagnes just kept on flowing. Bottomless champagne glass.. SWEETTTT!
The situation has gotten a little bit dangerous after a while because one who drinks socially would know that mixing your alcohol is just plain suicidal. We were thankful for the opportunity to sip on those exquisite bottled bubblies but thought it would be wasteful especially on such a night we so mentally prepared to go down on something else (*hint* Long Island Tea *hint*).
We went back to the main room only to reunite with a highly intoxicated Smalls and her other friends. We left when the night ended, not remembering how we got home but woke up only to realize what a crazy night it has been! NEED.MORE.LAPSAP.NIGHTS.OUT! Hope they’re doing well @ Europe tour.
There was also the OTHER weekend which I did ended up at Velvet, only forgotten to bring my camera as we were in a rush to get to KL for an occasion. I don’t quite remember anymore but am sure the ones I went with had some pictures taken, though I’ve never seen any of them posted up! It was also a follow-up to the night of mayhem before at Mist. I guess that night deserves a post of its own.
Before that, sis and I dropped by at Zouk (yet again..) to attend the PMS x FM event at Barsonic. Met up with Chin and the rest as they too were invited to the exclusive event. Much thanks to Michelle again for the invites (and drink coupons)! That was also the very same night many got to experience the psychadelic performance by Arabyrd. The night ended with a catwalk showcase of the PMS x FM collaboration items before the local night resumed with T.A.G bringing the roof down.
Then came the inevitable as my summer holiday was coming to an end, with a last night out to Velvet before my next trip back home. The club was packed to the brim, as usual. And how we managed to get a table without any booking was still quite unbelievable. Since it was just a few of us, we decided to get a bottle and chill by the bar but the bottle finished even before the night was getting warmed up!
We had a really hard time getting the cups half filled as everyone seemed to be in the mood to drink. And so we did, like a fish if you must know. Derek and Calvin then came with their friends, who probably got us the table so much thanks to them too! And it would only be a complete night with the consumption of Iced Long Island Tea. We gladly had three jugs before I bought the last one with a little extra tip for the bartender in exchange of extra shot of each liquor.
Let’s just say that the fourth jug was a real killer, though it went perfectly well with the last song of the night, “Don’t Look Back In Anger”. It’s just amazing what the extra RM5 and a little sweet talking can do to your drinks, ay? Bumping into friends from KL and Melbourne, making new ones and reuniting with the smoke in club have never this much fun!
And no, I didn’t board the plane with a massive hangover or whatsoever. Left with a heavy heart though, yearning to go back whenever possible, which is soon. THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY FOR NOW :)
Also, contrary to many beliefs, I DID spent much time with my family besides partying my weekends away back then. Will blog about my family trip to Bangkok soon too!
Am off to bed now… And please stop thinking that I’m a party animal, when I’m actually not! :P
Alrighty, peeps! Am proud to bring you the long overdue second episode of Fractionize show! Quite disappointed with the outcome actually, with a number of errors. Obvious ones too. Nonetheless a decent effort, and since it was my SIXTH attempt on piecing together a compilation of both new and old songs, I decided to just go with it despite the bloopers.
The transition from Break Away to Ronski Speed’s Are You? was a major letdown, though things got a little better after that before it went haywire again.. Sigh! The first hour was alright but it gets a little mentally exhausting after that. Yes, and that’s when all the errors occured.
1. M6 – Amazon Dawn (Extended Intro Mix)
2. Andrew Bennett – Break Away (Martin Roth Nu-Style Remix)
3. Ronski Speed feat. Mque – Are You? (Extended Mix)
4. Sequentia – Never Tell You (Original Mix)
5. Elevation – Biscayne (Original Mix)
6. Oceanlab – Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix)
7. Gareth Emery – Exposure (Original Mix)
8. Ashley Wallbridge feat. Meighan Nealon – My Blood (Ferry Tayle Remix)
9. Oceanlab – Sky Falls Down (Armin van Buuren Remix)
10. Veracocha, Michael de Kooker vs. Simon Patterson – Carte Smack (F1D0 Mash-up)
11. Adam Stodko vs. Sundriver – Monique (Original Mix)
12. Samara – Verano (Roger Shah Mix)
13. Coldplay – Life In Technicolor (DJ Eco Bootleg)
Download here and do bear in mind that the following set is recorded purely for experimental and fun purposes. Feedback are very much appreciated as well as those who are kind enough to share the knowledge of mixing.
Guess more practice is required, though you have to admire the beauty of a simple mixing software with a working mouse. Am I really cut out for this? We shall see..
Yesterday, I received a really strange SMS from an unidentified number late evening. It really got me giggling like a crazy dude because the message just doesn’t make any sense! I can’t think of anyone I know who would say something like that, and it’s a local number. The message says:
“May u sufficiently suffer until u munch the poo monster”
Could it be a warning? Or possibly worse, a THREAT? Now identify yourself, funny terrorist!
And so Friday unofficially marks the end of my Semester One! Well, that simply because I still have got a paper to sit for on the 25th June so can’t afford to relax too much over the next week. Currently involved in another website design job so Project Bumming will have to wait for now.
It has been a hectic week, with three submissions due past Friday but am glad we’re done and over with! I have also learn the fact that I’m just not cut out for 3D Animation. It’s a real pain in the rear, though I pretty much enjoyed ‘directing’ the 40 second movie sequence. Am now looking forward to Digital Video/Audio Authoring next semester!
That also explains why I havent been updating much here on Fractionize AND the portfolio section of my website. Promise that I’ll work on it over the next few days. Need to keep the momentum going before the bummer in me gets the better of myself. *Wrestles self*
That however, didn’t stop me from having a bit of fun just to maintain the fine balance of life between work and play. Not so much on excessive alcohol, loud banging music and tumbling over staircases but rather a (not-so-)quiet night in with others for a game of Cranium, Taboo and eight-player Buzz Quiz TV at out place! With pizza, garlic bread and not Wa Tan Hor or Nasi Lemak Deluxe to keep our tummies satisfied, nothing sure beats having fun right at the comfort of your own home.
With the usual Backpackers gang, and the pleasure of Pong sisters to make the fun-filled night a memorable one. Will probably have another one last Friday night before I’m off doing what I’ve been wanting to do since I got back here! Hehehehehe *shhhhh* One thing for sure though, is that we’ll never look at Godzilla the same way ever again….!!
So that’s what we’ve been doing over the past few weekends, EXCLUDING the very one Friday which we spent the night at VII. It surely has been a while since we went clubbing and truth be told, the night actually turned out not too bad! The proposed plan out coincided with Kelvin’s birthday so we were grateful to have the table of our own.
Four bottles of Black Label and another three complimentary bottles of champagne, we couldn’t have asked for more. It only took merely 2 hours or so to empty all the bottles, though it was a night of frustration with VII having introduced the drinking card system, where one needs to get his/her car punched in order to claim drinks from the bottle. It was strictly a safety measurement following the supposedly fight weeks ago with someone having his head smashed with a liquor bottle.
Well, apparently the system is no longer in use as it proved disastrous. Can’t confirm though since we haven’t been to VII since that night itself. And the fact that everyone’s now busy with preparation for their exams, I guess my next trip to VII would probably be end of July.
Shamelessly asking drinks from two girls sitting beside our table, we started taking pictures together and then dancing awkwardly at the side room with a sweaty crowd. Surely missed times like these back then when Brother Jit and cocktalking Eugene were still around.
Was also a big surprise to see Xiang and Pearly at VII during the night itself! Both of them came over for a short period of time to attend Xiang’s graduation ceremony. That also includes Calvin himself, who I only bump into along Swanston street every once a while. Not forgetting Tze Han, my classmate back in Sri KL!
The night lasted till 4am, something we haven’t really managed to pull off lately but it was the one night we didn’t want to end. So much fun, so much emotion… all that something we don’t quite remember the next day upon waking up except a smile, knowing that it surely was Friday well spent with the bunch!
Okay back to recording my second radio show for the 5th attempt… Fail.com!
Just the sort of inspiration I need most right now. Impossible IS nothing.
Let me introduce to you, Nick Pitera. Do check out his other videos. My newly found hero!
While there are so much to be excited about this coming winter break, I’m dreading the next seven days because of submission deadlines. So much happening with so little time! I wish I could say more about my upcoming plans but wouldn’t wanna spoil the fun too soon, ay? Hehehehehe!
Times aren’t so good, with all these political turmoils and economy crisis happening at the same time. It’s difficult to survive unless you’re earning big bucks and also probably the ones who would benefit most from all the stimulus packages available. No, seriously.
I have been hardworking enough (and perhaps a big slice of luck, might I add) to have secured a couple of projects over the weeks. Being only a part-time student, I am aware of my undervalued market price for my services (DESIGN!) but they eventually paid off well. Am happy with the progress as I have new additions to my portfolio. Enough to make ends meet :) If you’re looking for someone to deal with your design solutions, I am one to look for! Would really appreciate any offer or whatsoever!
And because of that, I managed to save up a bit and decided to pamper ourselves with some authentic Japanese cuisine. Here are some photos taken during a romantic night-out with my one and only at Shoya.
Spotting a traditional zen interior, Shoya was peculiarly located at one of the many small alleys the Melbourne city is famous for. While not exactly hard to find, the entrance of the restaurant contradicts with what they have got to offer. I felt like I was dining in one of Kill Bill’s stage set, for some reasons..
What better ways to start your meal with than a serve of salmon sashimi entree and california maki. Being such a glutton, it would be injustice for me to say that the portion is not generous because both of us had a fair share of slices. Nothing much to shout about for the california maki though.
THIS, is undoubtedly one of the highlights during the 6 course meal. Specially picked from the degustation menu, this unagi canape is the silver lining of every other self-proclaimed Japanese finest who fails miserably when it comes to preparing a masterpiece. With a slice of eel topped with crabmeat and truffle, the simplicity itself is the complexity of a scrumptious delicacy. Well, then of course, it would only be fair especially when you’re paying AUD12.00 for such a small piece.
Came next was the tempura Taraba crab leg, and boy was it juicily delicious! With a whole leg each to ourselves, the dish comes served together with the salt and green tea powder and also a slice of lemon to give it a flavourful and succulent bite.
The octopus ami-yaki was nothing impressive, though I personally think it’d go perfectly well with beer. The octopus is finely grilled to its perfection, as not to become chewy and goes well with the red chili. Beautiful presentation indeed.
Wagyu beef steak. So good it melts in your mouth, not…..elsewhere?
I get so hungry whenever I look at those pictures, but this has gone far to another level by describing them as well. OH, I’m so going to spam Tattersall in hopes of hitting the jackpot so I can dine at Shoya every alternate days or simply go there for dessert and rinse my mouth with fine quality sakes!
Oh, and before I forget, here’s to 783 days of tears and joy, my dear :) And counting..
