Things Are Subject To Changes

Higher Education means Higher Career Prospect or Higher Debt ? Part 1

2011-11-24T00:00:00.001+08:00

As I'm writing my chapter 4 and 5 of my thesis, I have a strong sense of regret that I actually decided to pursue a Bachelors Degree after I completed my Diploma back in 2008.

It has been 3 years I'm at UCSI University, when I enrolled back in September 2008, they were still known as University College Sedaya International. But not long later, the Ministry of Higher Education recognized them as University status. But truth to be told, I don't feel any difference at all weather it's UCSI or UCSI University considering that nothing changed. They were the same old academic staff (our lecturers), with half-ass-ed facilities available. Library is half ass-ed, not to forget the online database for journals itself, is not even worth wasting my time login in. Thank god for a friend who's studying at University Malaya, I get all the awesome journals from their database. Oh wait, I actually forgot there is a difference when I receive my bills, they were more expensive!

Alright, enough about UCSI University already. This whole blog post is about my personal opinion on myself getting a Bachelors Degree.

From what I've calculated, I've spent RM36,000 at UCSI University since September 2008 until today, and these are for tuition fees, facilities and extra curricular activities fees - which are unnecessary extra charges just to suck up our pockets dry and bloat up the share holder's pocket. And additional RM7,000 back in TAR College for a 2 years Diploma course. That's about RM43,000 in total, these not including my petrol money to travel, crappy BUT expensive food in the campus (yeah, if you get my sarcasm), papers and cartridges to print my assignments, caffeinated drinks that I needed to survive the sleepless nights to do our look and sound like very important but useless assignments. Let's just say I spent RM1500 per month for all those necessasity stuffs, that makes up RM18,000 a year. RM18,000 x 5 years = RM90,000.

Holy crap! I've wasted RM133,000 in total to pursue a piece of paper that says "BA (Hons) Psychology", and hopefully that piece of paper could land me an interview, secure a 9am-5pm (but usually that means 8am-8pm or even later) as a fresh graduate with a pay of RM2,500, RM2,800 if I'm lucky. ALL IN THE NAME OF JOB SECURITY !!??

What in the heck !??

In my next post, I'll be sharing my thoughts what I could have done instead.

Get To Know Myself Better ... Two Years Later

2011-11-22T01:24:00.000+08:00

This is what happened two years later ....

Your view on yourself:
You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:
Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.
Your views on education
You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.
The right job for you:
You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you burn off your considerable excess energy.
How do you view success:
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.
Who is your true self:
You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.

I did the same test back in 2009 ... compare the results here http://subject2changes.blogspot.com/2009/03/get-to-know-myself-better.html

2011-06-06T08:59:00.003+08:00

It's funny how things started in 2005, that's 6 years ago.

And a new chapter began on the morning of 6th of May 2011.

It Has Been A Year ...

2009-09-23T21:40:00.006+08:00

since I'm studying at UCSI University ... I've been forcing myself to sleep on the bed that i've made. I would actually prefer studying about Health & Fitness and Sports Science. But, whatever now ...

Every end of a semester, getting to strike off the subjects with red highlighter makes my heart rate goes very high, excited to get all strike off and then graduate with my BA(Hons)Psychology.

Hueahuhea ... 1 year to go baby ... 1 year !!

It's decided ...

2009-09-11T12:12:00.004+08:00

Based on my instinct, I have to quit BJJ for the sake of not exaggerating the condition of my herniated disc.

Passion and interest aside, what is essential comes first, which is my physical health in this context :)

SHAPE Malaysia September 2009 Issue - Ask The Trainer section

2009-08-26T01:11:00.008+08:00

Grab your September 2009 copy from the nearest news stand today!

Some celebrities related work I did

2009-05-15T23:42:00.010+08:00

Last month I shoot with the Creatix team at Cosmopolitan's Pamper Suite during Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian 2008 at Genting Highlands.

You may see some of the shoots from me here. Particularly shoot of Fizo Omar, Mawi + Ekin and Liyana Jasmay + Ainul Aishah are by me. Other photos that are uploaded at Cosmopolitan's blog are taken by teammates.

I Want To Be A .....

2009-05-12T12:34:00.006+08:00

A close friend of mine was hanging out in my room last night - and I told her that I kinda regret studying at UCSI now. It's not because of UCSI, but it's studying itself. She asked me why, I could not answer her. "It's just a shitty feeling" I said.

As I was watching videos of BJJ fights and some other training videos - She asked me " What happen to you BJJ training?"

"Where got time to train - see my schedule so tight. The worst thing is all the training centres are damn far away - Kota Damansara bla bla ... " I asnwered her.

"Perhaps that's why you feel shitty - you missing all your trainings and things you love due to your tight schedule from University."

Bingo! She got the answer right.

Going for the Pull-ups

Updating iPhone's firmware 2.2.1

2009-04-29T00:43:00.005+08:00

The last time I updated my iPhone's firmware to 2.2, all my data was retained. This time however, everything was gone. To make things worst, I can't sync my contacts that are saved on Yahoo address book.

God save me !

** Update **

I exported my contacts from Yahoo address and imported them into Windows Address Book - Sync them and TADAAA! All my contacts are back!

Randomness

2009-04-02T18:43:00.003+08:00

March just ended 2 days ago, we've enter 1/3 of the year.

March has been an extremely busy month for me due to University assignments - which are mock thesis, and also my first wedding shoot as the main photographer - it turn out great, and I can't wait to deliver the photos to the couple once I do a final round editing after 6th April, after submitting my final project for this semester, which is a headache for almost everyone in Psychology Research Methods 2 class.

Although being heavily occupied, I managed to start training BJJ again, with a very bad physical conditioning now - I puked on my first training session, but I managed to gain momentum classes after classes. 3 weeks later, 4 of my teammates - Aaron Goh, Fang "Sakuraba", Eugene "Kenu" Lee & Raul Tapia were promoted to Blue Belt by Marcos Escobar & Chico Mendes. I am very happy for their promotion and that's what they deserve for their commitment and hard trainings in BJJ. Their promotion to blue belt and some other white belts who had gained stripes motivates me somehow - I don't want to be left too far behind from my teammates. Kiasu :)

Enjoy the video while I continue struggling with my Final Project write up - which is also BJJ related.

Get To Know Myself Better

2009-03-10T17:34:00.005+08:00

Did a Personality Test that sounded like a game, something like RL Stine's Give Yourself Goosebumps, and I find it quite accurate.

Your view on yourself:
You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:
You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?
Your views on education
You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.
The right job for you:
You have many goals and want to achieve as much as you can. The jobs you enjoy are those that let you burn off your considerable excess energy.
How do you view success:
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.
What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.
Who is your true self:
You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.

Gentle wrestle

2009-03-03T17:28:00.009+08:00

This article was published in the Lifestyle Section of the Star newspaper on 23rd February 2009,
so I thought I'd put a copy up here before its lost to the archives.

By S. INDRAMALAR

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one martial art form that advocates defence without violence.

IT’S hard to explain how watching two people wrestle on the ground, each trying to out-manoeuvre the other and applying chokeholds to bring the other into submission, can be so fascinating.

Marcos Escobar: ‘BJJ is an amazing way to work out your body.’

As savage as it may sound, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art form that requires skill and efficiency, not brute strength. BJJ is built on the principle that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend himself against a bigger, stronger assailant using proper leverage and technique.

“The literal meaning of Jiu Jitsu is ‘gentle art’ as it is an art in which you don’t have to apply strength. It’s a smooth art where you use leverage and apply techniques to submit your opponent,” explains Marcos Escobar, a BJJ black belt holder and instructor from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Escobar recently opened a studio in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, where he has about 35 students enrolled in classes.

While BJJ is often compared to judo, there is one major difference between the two: in judo (and most other martial art forms) the goal is to bring your opponent to the ground. In BJJ, the fight really begins once you get down on the ground.

While many may compare BJJ to wrestling rather than any martial art form (such as karate, kung fu and judo which are stand-up sports; being on the ground equals failure), Escobar disagrees. “BJJ is still very much a martial art form,” he asserts.

Down but not out

Before going any further, there are some terms that will inexplicably be used when talking about the martial art form. First, the aim of BJJ is to get your opponent to submit, which is BJJ-speak for surrender.

To achieve this goal, you have to use a variety of manoeuvres such as (now, don’t be alarmed) chokes, strangles and locks while executing other moves (such as mounts and guards) to gain a dominant position to defend yourself.

Weight leverage: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is built on the principle that a smaller,weaker person can successfully defend himself against a bigger, stronger assailant

To concede defeat, the fighter who is overpowered has to tap his opponent.

You can train in BJJ for self-defence or for sport (to enter competitions). You can, of course, also treat the martial art form as a workout. In competitions, there are rules to follow to ensure the safety of players and uphold the integrity of the martial art form.

BJJ practitioners have to wear a standard gi (costume) which is similar to that worn by judo or karate exponents but with tighter cuffs on the pants and jacket so that there is less material for an opponent to manipulate. Escobar, who has participated in dozens of competitions, has won many titles. He was champion at the Brazilian Team Championships (1997, 1998), the Red Nose BJJ Open (1998), the State Championship (Brazil, 1998), Abu Dhabi Championships (2001), the Brazilian Cup (Absolute Division, 2002) and the Brazilian Championship (2007), among others.

“I love competing. The training, the focus, the adrenaline ... it’s the best feeling in the world. Although I like it here in Malaysia, I do miss competing and whenever I go back to Brazil – which is twice a year – I try to take part in competitions,” he says.

Ground fighting

BJJ can be divided into three broad categories: self-defence (where you learn unarmed striking techniques to fight an armed opponent), free fighting competition (now popularly called Mixed Martial Arts competitions), as well as sportive BJJ.

Although he teaches sportive BJJ, Escobar claims that the techniques his students learn leave them more than able to defend themselves in any situation.

“What you learn in sportive BJJ is very effective for self-defence. In the real world, 90% of all fights ends up on the ground. In cases of abduction or rape, they always end up on the ground and the ground is our territory,” says Escobar, adding that BJJ also has techniques that teach you how to fight on your back, commonly perceived as a weak position to be in. It’s not as easy as it sounds though. Learning to move on the ground takes a lot of hard work and practice.

Force of habit: BJJ practitioners must wear the standard gi.

“In BJJ you also learn how to relax your body and fall without hurting yourself,” says Escobar.

The most important thing to master is leverage – it negates the significance of physical strength.

At Escobar’s studio in Kota Damansara, students are made to do gruelling warm-up exercises and conditioning drills at the start of each lesson. From running laps to doing push-ups, performing solo drills that teach you how to fall safely and moving your hips on the ground, you will undoubtedly get a full body workout almost immediately.

Escobar took up BJJ 14. years ago while still in Brazil, and has never looked back since.

“I have always liked fighting. As a kid, I saw myself as Rocky Balboa or Bruce Lee. I learnt kung fu and water polo. Then I took up BJJ and it became a passion. I was hooked and did not stop until I had a motorcycle accident that forced me to take it easy for a while,” says Escobar who came to Malaysia to work as a fitness trainer three years ago.

Early origins

The early origins of Jiu Jitsu can be traced to India among the Buddhist monks who lived in isolation in monastries. The monks often faced threats from robbers who raided them for supplies.

Because of their principle of non-violence, the monks had to find an approach to self-defence that was effective but humane – no arms or violence and something that would not hurt their attackers, just overpower them. So they came up with a form of self-defence that used leverage to overpower.

Over time, this form of self-defence spread to Japan where it was further developed. Japanese Jiu Jitsu prize-fighter Mitsuyo Maeda came to Brazil circa 1915 and met a Brazilian politician named Gastão Gracie who was fascinated by the sport. Gracie wanted his teenage son Carlos to learn Jiu Jitsu from Maeda, and subsequently share what he learnt with his brothers.

Light touch: To concede defeat, the overpowered fighter has to tap his opponent.

Unfortunately, the Gracie boys were not as strong as Maeda, so they had to improvise: they introduced new techniques that hinged on leverage. They refined their techniques further, concentrating on ground fighting and this pretty soon evolved into an independent art form which we now recognise as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

BJJ picked up in Brazil as well as internationally in the early 1990s when expert Royce Gracie won several championships, sometimes against much bigger opponents.

Addicted to BJJ

BJJ student Lim Fang Han says he is hooked on the sport which he took up a couple of years ago.

“Initially, I had reservations about wrestling other guys on the floor, but once you get past the initial discomfort, it’s really challenging.

“I took up BJJ for fitness. I have an interest in martial arts too. I like BJJ because it is very physically demanding; it gives me a great workout and provides stress relief from work.

“It is a sport in which you have to prove yourself before attaining any rank. It takes an average of eight to 10 years for a person to get a black belt,” says Lim, who trains at Escobar’s studio three times a week.

Adds Escobar: “BJJ is an amazing way to work out your body. You are going to work muscles you never knew existed. You will get fit doing BJJ but you also need to be reasonably fit to train for the sport.”

May Tan took up BJJ for self-defence. She has since learnt that it is a great way to keep fit and lose weight.

“It’s tough, but I like it very much,” says Tan who signed up about five months ago.

Being a woman is not an impediment to BJJ, reckons Tan, because the sport is not about physical strength.

“That’s another reason I like BJJ. Most of the guys in my class are double my size but this is not an advantage in BJJ,” says Tan who is undaunted by the physicality of the sport.

Marcos Escobar can be reached at 017-635 6079 or ebjj@live.com

Buddhist ? What Buddhist ?

2009-02-21T02:45:00.007+08:00

I am a volunteer with a Buddhist organization, technically I am a Buddhist, because my IC says so. But let me state this clearly, I am not a Buddhist. So what am I?? I am a truth seeker. I am spiritual but never religious.

Why am I not a Buddhist? "Buddhist" or "Buddhism" never even existed in the first place.
The Buddha did not created Buddhism and called himself and his followers Buddhist.

It is merely conventional labeling and I am never attached to it.

I dislike when people get so attached to Buddhist this and that.
I usually hear people say : "Buddhist should have 'these' qualities", "This is Buddhist values".

What the Buddha taught was Universal Values and Law.
Stop claiming it belongs to the Buddhist and get BIG headed! .
Enough of being ANAL with it.

POOORAH!

Pre-marital sex discussion in class

2009-02-18T22:12:00.003+08:00

It goes like this, we were asked to discuss about so-called taboo issues, from homosexuality, pre-marital sex, abortion and yada yada the list goes on.

Our group choose pre-marital sex because we think it's fun. Why fun? try it and you'll know. HAHAHA! one girl group member actually said that to me lah ok...

One group member said, " Damn! Pre-marital sex is soooo taboo lah for me "
"Ok then, let's discuss about Post-marital sex then " I replied.
Everyone laughed, although I never thought it was funny.

After 20 minutes discussion, we were asked to present our point to the class, and the last point made the whole class went " huh ?? " for a second before breaking into laughter. The lecturer was kinda stunned too ..

" Pre-marital sex is like test driving before buying ".

Make sense? in a way also lah, girls won't want to marry some impotent guy right?
and same goes to guy, who wants to marry a girl who can't fuck or ok lah, fuck properly. lol

Yes, that is a point that I actually mentioned. But then it's all the girl's fault also lah.

Got one girl actually told me "I don't wanna marry and only know that my husband can't fuck me on the special night". Another one told me " I don't wanna be the one teaching him how to fuck"

Coming from girls, I'm loving it ! hahaha!

An Internal Letter for ISSA staff from Dr. Arria - RE: www.ISSAonline.edu domain

2009-02-07T14:10:00.002+08:00

Good afternoon!
It's OFFICIAL!!! www.ISSAonline.edu
I'm very proud to announce that the ISSA has been granted the restricted privilege of using a .EDU domain name. The ISSA has again led the industry by becoming the first and only fitness organization to be granted this privilege.
As you'll see below, there are mandatory federal regulations for schools, organizations and colleges to use a .EDU domain. No other fitness organization can use a .edu domain because they’re accreditation is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All ISSA members can be proud that our institution has met the most rigorous accreditation standards established by the DETC. Because of this prestigious accreditation, we have bee granted the privilege to use a .edu domain, just like other truly nationally accredited organizations, schools, colleges and universities.
To remain at the forefront of an industry, a company must truly lead...and for 20 years we have!
I'd like to thank each of you for your dedication and commitment to our fine organization as we remain, "The World Leader In Fitness Education & Certification."
Congratulations!
Sal -- Dr. Sal Arria CEO, Co-Founder ISSA International Sports Sciences Association www.FitnessEducation.com

****

What is the .EDU domain?
The .edu domain is one of the seven original top-level subdivisions of the Internet Domain Name System (DNS). The .edu domain is intended for accredited post-secondary educational U.S. institutions. It is managed under the authority of the United States Department of Commerce.
What are the eligibility requirements for obtaining a name in the .EDU domain?
Only postsecondary institutions that are institutionally accredited by an agency on the U.S. Department of Education's list of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies (see recognized accrediting bodies) may obtain an Internet name in the .edu domain. These include both "Regional Institutional Accrediting Agencies" and "National Institutional and Specialized Accrediting Bodies" recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Note that institutional accreditation is required for .edu eligibility; program accreditation is not sufficient. Not all agencies accredit institutions. Some accredit only institutions, some accredit only programs, and others accredit both institutions and programs.
The U.S. Department of Education's list of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies and State Agencies are the only official comprehensive lists of agencies.

CNY 2009

2009-01-30T00:47:00.003+08:00

Some photos during Chinese New Year at Penang :)

Short Reflection

2009-01-23T01:17:00.002+08:00

I've arrived safely in Penang about 2 hours ago, only to be kept awake by the caffeine that I consumed to keep me alert while driving back here, my father took over later on for the remaining 70++km before arriving to Butterworth.

As I was sitting and relaxing, I did a short reflection;

I will be turning 21 this year. I used to think that "I am still young and I have plenty of time". But this few days a feeling in me that somehow made me uneasy was " I am young, but not too young in a few years time ". I used to live with the excuse that I am still young, therefore it's fine to be ignorant when I don't know about something, but soon that excuse will come into expiry as my age grows. Responsibilities are getting heavier as well.

Personally, I think there is no reason for me to be procrastinating and thinking I still have plenty of time anymore. Things that are needed to be done, should be done as soon as possible. Opportunities that arises should be appreciated and made use of.

If I were to look back what I've allowed in the past 5 years, since 2004, I am indeed glad and never look back to my journey of my growth that made me what I am today. Nothing great, nothing big, I only did small things with love, and still allowing it.

Internal Letter sent from Dr. Sal Arria to the ISSA staff - RE: DETC Accreditation

2009-01-20T10:23:00.015+08:00

Today marks a monumental event for the entire fitness profession. This time, the ISSA truly raised the bar for the fitness industry by becoming the first fitness organization in the United States to have earned accreditation through the distinguished Accreditation Commission of the DETC.

The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency, and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

For the ISSA to earn this prestigious national accreditation, unlike any fitness organization in the United States, the ISSA passed rigorous onsite evaluations by DETC examiners. In addition to passing an institutional evaluation, ISSA's educational programs were subjected to the scrutiny of peer review by independent, third party examiners and passed with stellar grades.

The ISSA is also very proud to announce that we are the only fitness organization in the U.S. that has earned the right to register and utilize a .EDU domain. No other fitness organization has earned this respected honor.

Eligibility for a .edu domain name is limited to U.S. postsecondary institutions that are institutionally accredited, i.e., the entire institution and not just particular programs, by agencies on the U.S. Department of Education's list of Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies. These include both "Regional Institutional Accrediting Agencies" and "National Institutional and Specialized Accrediting Bodies" recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The only accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education are listed below.

http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html

You won't find NCCA on this list. They aren't authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to grant accreditation.

The ISSA chose to pursue and meet the DETC's difficult standards for accreditation because the Commission is dedicated to fostering quality assurance, protection of the rights of the students and institutional self-improvement through voluntary accreditation via peer evaluation. DETC accreditation aims to instill public confidence in DETC institutions' missions, goals, performances, and resources through rigorous application and peer-developed accreditation standards.

I'm very proud to celebrate with each of you today and from here out, as we continue to provide high quality education, excellent student service and constantly strive to help each of our students and professional members succeed.

This is a monumental occasion for the fitness industry, for the fitness profession, for all ISSA Professional members. I thank you, the incredible staff and professors of the ISSA, for helping us prove yet AGAIN, that the ISSA is truly the World Leader In Fitness Education and Certification!!

Very sincerely,
Sal

Short Reflection

2009-01-11T13:21:00.005+08:00

A close friend of mine asked me out for lunch a while ago, I had to turn her down as I've taken mine earlier and as I am also preparing for a Management Course later at 3pm. She was taken to surprise that I am even attending course on Sunday.
She reminded me about trips that we've planned together with our close friends, but failed to materialize.

I paused for a moment after reading her reminder.

Something to reflect on .... That I have been so busy attending courses here and there, volunteering my services and life with University.

Updating iPhone's Firmware

2009-01-11T00:34:00.004+08:00

Somehow I just decided to update my iPhone's firmware, after realizing most of the Applications on Installer has no updates for iPhone running on firmware 1.1.4, and I was getting bored.

Although I was a little worried that I might screw up and lose all my data, at the same time being lazy, I did not back up any of my data and just went ahead with the instructions on QuickPwn

With help from DevTeam's QuickPwn Jailbreak 2.2, it just made all my work easier.

After upgrading, I felt that my iPhone has some stability issue and lagging at certain times.
Stability issue could be solved by Rebooting, no big deal. Looking at the bright side, features has been improved.

Subjects To Be Completed Before Graduating

2009-01-08T22:30:00.007+08:00

I decided to make this a post as it might serve as a helpful
read up to those who are planning to study/transfer to UCSI University in the future.

People has been asking me, how many more years before I complete my Degree?

The thing is, it doesn't work that way at UCSI University as we have the freedom to choose how many and what subjects every semester.

Therefore, the more subject you choose every semester, the faster you complete your studies. But of course, there are only certain maximum credit hours the University allows you to fill up every semester, meaning you can choose lesser subjects, but not more than the allowed maximum credit hours.

As for my case, I've been exempted from 10 subjects that I've completed in TARC. However, year 3 subjects are not given any exemptions, although I've done them in TARC. Abnormal Psychology for instance. Besides, exemptions are only given up to 30 credit hours, roughly 9-10 subjects. So don't expect to be given more than 12 subjects although you might have studied and pass with flying colours in your previous institution.

Year 1
Compulsory

Study Skills & Employability
Expository Writing
Introduction to Public Speaking
~~Introduction to Psychology I~~
~~Introduction to Psychology II~~
~~Introduction to Sociology~~
Statistics for Psychology
~~Lifespan Development~~
Co-Operative Placement I

~~Elective A (Choose One)~~

~~Introduction to Management & Organisational Theory~~
Business Economics
Fundamental of Marketing

~~Elective B (Choose One)~~

Introduction to Advertising
Introduction to Public Relations
~~English for SP: Business Communications~~

Year 2

Compulsory

~~Psychological Research Method I~~
Cognitive Psychology
Psychological Research Method II
~~Personality Theories~~
~~Social Psychology~~
Physiological Psychology
~~Industrial & Organizational Psychology~~
~~Psychological Testing & Assessment~~
Research Design & Analysis
Co-Operative Placement II

Elective A (Choose One)

Human Sexuality
Sociology of the Family
Sociology of Juvenile Delinquency

Elective B (Choose One)

Educational Psychology
Health Psychology
Skills & Human Factors

Year 3
Compulsory

Abnormal Psychology
Counseling Psychology
Philosophical Issues in Psychology
Ethics & Professional Issues in Psychology
Independent Project A
Independent Project B
Professional Development
Co-Operative Placement III

Elective A (Choose One)

Cross-cultural Psychology
Training Skills for Psychologists

Strike off subjects are subjects that I've been exempted or completed.

Reflections of 2008

2008-12-30T21:56:00.002+08:00

Hmm .... some reflections of things that has taken place this year ...
I won't be reviewing too much of my thoughts here, somehow it's too messy for me that I don't know where to start.

1. Did my internship at UKM Medical Centre, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Unit as a Trainee Counsellor.
( I have to thank Dr Phang Cheng Kar who helped me with the application procedures etc. )

2. Diagnosed with a herniated disc on L5/S1.

3. Joined a blind date organized by The Star Education Section, which was something I never thought I will be doing in my life.

4. Got myself to become a certified Emergency First Responder to fulfill ISSA's requirement.

5. Kicked my smoking habits.

6. Started a relationship with my blind date unexpectedly, and only to end it 6 months later.

7. Getting Aunty Nancy to buy and bring me an iPhone from Hawaii.

8. Getting my batch of honor as a grappler, cauliflower ear.

9. Joined True Fitness as a Fitness Instructor and left within a month after deciding to pursue my Degree instead of switching course. But of course, partly because it was an unexpected conditional offer from UCSI for me to be enrolled into their programme.

10. Getting myself certified with ISSA after months of delaying my examination submission.

11. Graduated one semester later from TAR College with Diploma in Social Science ( Counselling )

12. Wanting to start training with Escobar BJJ team after Brutal BJJ team dissolved after Quico left for Bali. But only managed to train there twice ( once with Quico taking over Marcos's class when he was away for competition, once open mat ) due to various reasons.

13. Started to enjoy working out at the parks, terminating my 1 1/2 years old membership with Fitness First.

14. Started to shoot in weddings as an assistant photographer and enjoying it to the fullest in the process of learning and improving my skills.

15. Being suspected as a homosexual.

I'm looking forward to challenges in 2009 ^_^

Something to ponder about ... Pt 2

2008-12-18T19:19:00.003+08:00

I never thought that I'll be getting weird reactions through my instant messenger not long after making the earlier post. And getting such attention wasn't my intention at all.

Trust me, I'm still straight despite the post I made earlier.

So, to all my male friends, no worries, none of you stand a chance anyway even if I'm not walking the straight line. Unless you look like ..... well I got no idea who?

Anyway, the bottom line is that I'm only interested to date girl(s) :)

Cheers !

Something to ponder about ...

2008-12-12T01:02:00.005+08:00

After a wedding dinner shoot with the team, while heading to the nearest cafe for supper, I took a bunch of leftover flowers. Our only girl photographer, Lea started a conversation with me;

Lea: Taking for your gf ah??
Me: Huh? gf? I got no gf.
Lea: hmm ...
Me: But I got bf la ..

Lea Stares at me for a momment, silently.

Lea: Huh?
Me: What huh? yeah you heard it right, I got a bf.
Lea: *Tone goes up* I've suspected from the beginning !!! ( in a serious manner)

Teammates laughed ! While I stare at the mirror, pondering which part of me actually looks that I'm into boy-boy relationship ?

After sitting getting ourselves a table, Lea asked me;

Lea: Really ah?
Me: What really?
Lea: Really ah?

Another teammate, Vin joins in;

Vin: Aiya, really or not also doesn't matter la .. don't have your share.

HAHA! I'll stop about our conversation here.

That was after the dinner. On the same day, same morning, my boss actually said to me I looked gay, so it's better for me to be shooting the ji muis more than the heng tais, just in case I might scare them off. And that night, such conversation happened.

Well ... what can I say? Am I really turning into one of them after going through what i've gone through ? Especially the most and very recent one.

You'll never know, things are subject to changes after all :)

Because so many people asked ...

2008-12-11T00:02:00.002+08:00

Why did transfer to UCSI University instead of UTAR or continue Advanced Diploma in TARC and subsequently to LJMU for a Degree.

I've decided to make this a post, to make things easy for me :)

Firstly, I never liked the study environment in TARC. They have very good campus facilities, very impressive on first sight when I was at their open day. However, only to realized that their classroom was worst than my secondary school classrooms, it was too late to regret. Then, it made me realize that the campus is overcrowded, therefore facilities are considered lacking. Student:Facilities ratio cannot balance lah! And of course, the main language used in campus is English, but majority of the students doesn't. I seriously felt and know that my English was dropping.

And most importantly, the reason I did not choose to remain under TAR's umbrella was because of internship opportunities.

If I were to remain at TARC, the only internship is during Diploma level where we had a 7 weeks attachment, and only to be posted once a week. Meaning 7weeks x once a week, with a total of 7 times/days. How much can we benefit from that? And I got feedbacks from my coursemates that during their posting, they did things that are not related to our field; cleaning up centre, data entry etc. Luckier ones get to do survey, which is indirectly preparing them for thesis writing to a certain extend. And I was the luckiest to think about it, I managed to get myself posted to the Psychiatry Ward of UKM Medical Centre and experienced many things first hand.

As for UTAR, internship is only done once, which is the last semester if I'm not mistaken.

Institutions that I shortlisted to top up for my Degree such as HELP University College and UCSI University, are compulsory to have 3 internships done before graduating. Although it's only 2 months per-internship, but the opportunity to have it done in 3 different places/companies strucked my mind, and this is one of the main reasons.

So now, you know why? :)

Fruitful Semester Break

2008-11-14T21:42:00.004+08:00

I'm currently having a fruitful semester break.
Learning and experiencing new things.

p/s: Some of my photos has been used for Nalanda Buddhist Society's publication lately.
Have a look at them at www.nalanda.org.my. Check out Nalanda Bulletin, Community and Nalanda's Post Event Photos.

I'm also looking forward to my 1st wedding photo shooting soon. Hope everything goes well ^_^

Upgraded - UCSI University

2008-10-23T23:31:00.007+08:00

I enrolled into University College Sedaya International, but now, I'm studying at UCSI University.
Yes, the University College has gained and upgraded to full fledge University status.
Weird name though .. UCSI University, what does UCSI stands for now?

Something to shout about? Not really.

Our school fees has been upgraded as well. And I believe the school fees will not only be upgraded, but in fact upgrading till no ending.

I hope the University facilities will be upgraded as well to be on par with it's University status.
Else, UCSI University will be better known to me as "U" "C" Shit Inside University.
Wait a second, I'm not saying UCSI's facilities are not good, just that it can be better.

Exams ended today, just 1 paper this semester. Till then for the new semester at 2nd January 2009.

Oh, Finally lahh ...

2008-10-18T10:57:00.009+08:00

My resit paper result were released an hour ago.

Result

AHLA3154

METHODS OF RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY & COUNSELLING

B+

So I finally managed to obtain my Diploma in Social Science, 1 semester later than expected.

If only the result above were to appear on the transcript back in May 2008, I would probably be a student of this course right now.

From C- , became B+ , not bad right, a bit more become A-
Aiyah!! terlepas one A !

Continuing Education - Professional Responsibility.

2008-10-10T20:56:00.003+08:00

As a Certified Fitness Professional, keeping up our education is probably the single most important aspect of ensuring success in the business next to providing the best care possible for our clients. Virtually every profession requires continuing education, and the Personal Training profession should be no exception. As a fitness professional, our clients and their families entrust their bodies and lives to us, and turn to us for questions and advice. We must be able to provide them with accurate, current information, and the only way to do that is to continue our education.

I am glad to have completed this continuing education course. I certainly have a better understanding now on various lower back pain(LBP) conditions in terms of it's major anatomical, physiological, skeletal and risk factors of LBP, therefore would be able to design safe and appropriate exercise programmes for people with Lower Back Pain conditions.

Clay Aiken - Invisible

2008-10-06T18:43:00.000+08:00

The Click Five - Jenny

2008-10-04T10:47:00.001+08:00

Motivation Got Me Started, BUT The Habit NEVER Keeps Me Going....

2008-10-01T13:09:00.005+08:00

with Fitness First.

Yes, after months of contemplating, I've signed and agreed to terminate my membership with Fitness First today.
No doubt it's the best deal that I'll ever get for a commercial fitness centre, paying RM105 initially and just 3 months ago, increased to RM111. Still, it's a steal for a passport membership.

I've not been going to the gym as frequent as I used to for various reasons. No point paying RM111 if the most I am only going 5 times per ~~week~~ month.

Crosstraining at the park has been fun lately, for myself and my clients.
There's no need to drive, paying tolls, facing the jam, looking for parking etc. No resistance machine or free weights available at the park though, but with understanding of anatomy, biomechanical concepts and kinesiology of exercises, we can always work out/train creatively with what is available around us.

I am sure I will miss RPM classes.

The All-American Rejects - It Ends Tonight

2008-09-22T14:27:00.004+08:00

Dream Analysis

2008-09-18T18:16:00.004+08:00

Lately I've been having dreams with similar continuous pattern.

Not only during night sleep, but even during afternoon nap.

It's not pleasant, and I'm expecting some shits to happen soon.

Since I'm studying Personality Theories ...

2008-09-17T12:09:00.007+08:00

this semester ... under Mr James,

Read more on INTP personality type ... INTP - The Engineer

Read more on Kinesthetic , Intrapersonal and Interpersonal intelligences.

Some characteristics might overlap each other, but there is a dominant one usually.
To me, there's no one fixed personality, because they changes depending on environment/situation.
This where non-self kicks in, so I don't usually say " I'm a (insert characteristics) person ".

:)

Don't understand what I'm trying to say? take your time to digest it.

I'm now a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer under International Sport Sciences Association

2008-08-31T03:23:00.017+08:00

I signed up with International Sport Sciences Association last year in July in pursue to be a internationally certified personal fitness trainer. Initially I thought this exam was going to be easy and it's an open book examination after all. However I was wrong as the scope of the examination wasn't just limited to what was available on the textbook. Research, extra read-ups, hands on experience and even discussion with medical professionals was needed to complete the examination.

I went through a tough process of studying, researching, doing extra read-ups, had a few person to be my test subjects, all together it took up 1 year and 2 months before I finally pressed the "Submit" button.

Before submitting my exam

After submitting

Few hours ago ISSA emailed me my results, and I'm proud to say I've passed my CFT exam with a score of 92.5% out of 100%.

I'm now a ISSA Certified Personal Fitness Trainer :)

My fitness trainings and certifications up to date:

ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer - 2008
Emergency First Responce ( CPR & Choking ) - 2008
GET FIT - Muscle Up workshop - 2008
Reebok Resolution 2007
TARC Gym Workout Level 1 & 2 - 2006

What I've been up to?

2008-08-30T11:31:00.009+08:00

I've been very busy for the past one month after resigning from my last job with True Fitness;

Traveling to Sabah on 15th August for an education workshop organized by Aloka Education Group on 16th and 17th August, where I was asked to do a presentation under Dr Tan Ho Soon's slot as a former student of Nalanda Vidyalaya. Public speaking has never been my comfort zone, but I took up the challenge as a training ground for me to speak in front of crowd. And due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to change my presentation into a Q&A session instead. And yes, I did not do well in this presentation, I was so nervous to the extent of shivering because I was presenting in front of teachers, lecturers and senior lecturers. However it was a good experience. There's a saying, from experience I gain, from below I rise.

After 2 days of Education workshop, we headed to Kundasang and stayed for 4 days and 3 nights at Celyn Resort. Coming back to KL on 21st August late night, the next day itself I had to attend a 1 day course and on 23rd covering the 4th Inter Dharma School Hymn Singing Competition 2008 as one of the official photographer.

Preparing for a new study environment. I've enrolled into UCSI's BA (Hons) in Psychology programme, and orientation was on 28th August, 2 days ago. I see a challenging course ahead with such huge different teaching system to be adapted, compared to TAR College.

And finally...

Sitting for my ISSA CFT exams.

Those were the days

2008-08-08T14:41:00.004+08:00

SK Open 2003 medalist

While I was clearing some files from my hard disk, I found one of my old photos back in the days when I was competing in Taekwondo. I think this photo is the only photo I have from 2000-2005 before damaging my ACL. Even this is a cut out from my school's monthly bulletin.

My Decision

2008-08-02T17:48:00.013+08:00

1 1/2 months ago, I was contemplating on some issues in regards to my decision on tertiary education.

My initial plan was to work until the next Sport Science intake in TAR College but after 14 days to be exact, on 24th July I tendered my 1 week notice resignation letter. 31st July 2008 was my last day at True Fitness Jaya33 branch.

Reason(s) for leaving?
I decided to pursue a Psychology degree, continuing what I've started in TAR College back in 2006. I will be studying in another private institution soon and remain as a freelance personal fitness trainer.

Many more other reasons that made me decided to leave the company as well, which I will not publish here. Till then.

Getting My Ear Drained

2008-06-20T09:26:00.007+08:00

Update: 21/6/2008, 6:15pm
Bloody hell, I realize it's swollen again after waking up from bed. I think rolling around my bed and squashing it is the cause.

My cauliflower ear keep swelling bigger and bigger after every BJJ training.

This morning, 7:45am

I decided, that's it, I'm getting it drained. Medicine that was given to me wasn't working at all.

When it comes to dealing with needles, I always have trust in Dr Fong. He can somehow work some magic to make the whole process with little pain. Every blood test and vaccination, he's the doctor i'll go to. Same goes to this draining process.

True enough. I was expecting it to be very pain after watching the video. Even tough fighters like Michael Bisping was showing signs of having pain while getting it drained. But all i felt was like red ants biting.

Ahh, my ear back to normal.

Let's roll, one more round !

Hmm .... Where to ?

2008-06-18T15:45:00.003+08:00

Remarks
You are required to resit AHLA3154.

Results were released on 29th May, I wasn't too surprised with my results.

So, I am required to resit one subject in order to obtain my Diploma. TAR College do not practice offering supplementary paper to their students, therefore I'll have to wait until this coming September to resit the only paper that is holding back my Diploma.

Initially I was thinking of transferring to HELP University College to complete my Degree in Psychology, but for the past few days I've been contemplating should I continue my studies in the current field or switching to Sports Science which was my second choice after Social Science (on papers). Deep inside me I know I have the desire to pursue Sport Science back then, but I think the reason I choose Social Science as my first choice was due to my parent's discouragement to pursue Sport Science.

Even my two years in College, I hardly did any extra read ups in regards to Social Science. My library book borrowing record shows that I've borrowed 80% of books in regards to Sport Science. I have a deeper interest to understand and know more about Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics, Kinesiology etc.

Hmm ... pretty much in a dilemma.

Brutal BJJ Team Malaysia is Ending Soon

2008-06-10T15:50:00.007+08:00

Most of you might know that I started training BJJ last October with Quico of Brutal BJJ Team.
I however stopped training one month later(November 2007) due to back injury, resume training again a month later(December 2007) but in a very inconsistent manner, and a total lay off from BJJ from January until recent May after I finished my finals in college.

In between that, I contemplated to quit BJJ after I was diagnosed with a herniated disc on L5/S1 on February 2008. I however made a U-turn on my decision after much encouragement and support from my teammates in Brutal BJJ Malaysia.

Two weeks ago Quico announced that he will be leaving Malaysia end of this year due to job commitments, and our last class will be on 30th June. It was quite a shock for the team. We do expect him to leave us one day, but not THIS soon. We expected to have him with the team for at least two years as he told us before that will be the duration he will be in Malaysia. Things are however, subject to changes. Nothing is certain.

And it's a pity that I missed 5 months in total of training. With remaining of 6 classes under Quico's guidance left, I'll definitely have to make full use of it to absorb as much knowledge as possible from Quico.

Till then ... the team will decide where to move on.

Cauliflower Is Growing On My Ear !

2008-06-08T23:54:00.008+08:00

Recently I had my right ear swelled up due to BJJ training, early sign of cauliflower ear.

What's cauliflower ear?
You either click the link to read or much more interestingly, watch the and informative Youtube video below - Cauliflower Ear - Inside The UFC.

Look at the face of Michael Bisping when blood was drained from his ear.

Omg!! SAVE ME !!!

Ordering from Budovideos.com

2008-06-01T03:46:00.007+08:00

I placed my orders with budovideos.com on Sunday morning, and it arrived on my doorstep on Friday at 2pm, while I was still at Johor. Asked Fedex person to pass it to neighbor instead. It's thumbs up-ed for budovideos.com's fast service.

The parcel

Adidas White BJJ Single Weave Training Gi.

Budovideos.com catalog

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Master Text Book by Helio Gracie

Round 5 Series One Figurines set

I am however upset that the Adidas Gi is actually a Judo/BJJ Gi, where the sleeve is slightly wider and longer.
I thought it was supposed to be a BJJ only Gi.

Singapore trip, 27-30 May 2008

2008-05-31T18:11:00.016+08:00

Deepest condolence to Tony Hoon and family for the passing away of Allan Hoon on 29/5/2008.
May he have a blissful rebirth.

Arrived on 27th, 4pm-ish, Tony picked me up from Lavender.

attended Dharma talk by 16th Drawu Meghen Rinpoche.

After dharma talk, makan-ed durian at Geylang. Trust me, I only had durians, nothing else :-)
Damn got standard wan .... sit on nice teak table and chairs to eat, free flow of plain water provided.
Even chio bu go there eat with their hands wan ... don't play play.

Next day, had malay rice. Something I can hardly find here in Malaysia.
Malaysia's malay dishes somehow never look appealing to me, or its just me who doesn't know where to get good malay rice.

Random-ing before suffering ....

I was surviving the pain ! ^_^

If there's internal blood clot in a particular area, there will be more blood being drawed.

Okay, Enough of my treatment.

At night, we went to Geylang for durian again, and I also eaten the famous Geylang Beef Kuey Teow.

Goodies.

Kah Fei and Tony Hoon.

30th May 2008, Few hours before I board the bus to Singapore-KL, I had some good chinese Nasi Lemak.
For $2.50, you'll get a piece of drumstick/chicken wing, egg, fish( not sure what fish is it ) and a piece of fish cake/ham.

This particular store has been featured in Singapore's magazine and newspaper.
This is the only Nasi lemak stall I see people lining up to buy, whereas others ... hmm...

I heard some people saying Singapore's standard of living is high, but if we are earning and spending Sing dollar,
then I would say the standard of living is far lower than Malaysia.

And of course, among the few magazines that I would never leave Singapore without buying :P

When Daddy Think He Knows Best ...

2008-05-26T20:14:00.005+08:00

While I was updating my resume to apply for a part-time Fitness Instructor opening, I recalled something my dad told me few years ago when I was still actively competing in Taekwondo competitions and other sports.

My parents are the conservative types where they think their child should be studying hard, get a good job with high salary. They never want their child should be taking part in any sports as it's just waste of time and will not bring any benefit.

Worst still, my dad told me no employers will want to hire someone who's into combat sports.
During that time, I wasn't able to defend my stand although I believe whatever I go through with combat sports will be beneficial to me one day in the future, somehow or rather.

Today I realized, what I believe appears to be true. As I would like to venture into the fitness industry once I complete my tertiary education, my experiences as a district level and state reserves athlete will be giving me credits as part of my resume.

I am certainly feeling pissed off with my dad somehow today, if not for his disapproval for me to take part in sports, I would have made it further than what I've achieved before I ended my career prematurely.

Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF]

2008-05-03T22:10:00.026+08:00

I've been itching to get my Canon EF-S 18-55MM f/3.5-5.6 II replaced for the past few months, but I was being lazy to drop by camera shops to survey and of course purchasing the iPhone causes some delay as well.

Getting a Canon lens is pretty much out of my budget especially for fast lenses, so I shortlisted a few 3rd party lenses instead;

I went over to YL Camera Service at Pudu Plaza this afternoon to check out some used Canon L lenses that caught my attention via ShutterAsia forum and recommendation by Peter Tan, the Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM (RM2.9K-RM3.1K) and Canon EF 16-35MM F/2.8L USM(RM2.9K). I thought I'll be getting those L lenses, but somehow I just don't feel good about buying 2nd hand lenses, although 3 months warranty is given by YL Camera Service, and they worked pretty well when I tested them.

So I settled for a Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF] at RM1580 (inclusive of HOYA UV(N)HMC Filter) instead, But I'm hold back from buying any Tele lenses at the moment.

Taken with Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF]

Taken with Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II

So far I can only say I love it's faster focusing speed and bokeh compared to Canon EF-S 18-55MM f/3.5-5.6 II.

Bruce Lee's Striking Thoughts

2008-05-02T13:59:00.004+08:00

"Defeat is a state of mind. No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as reality. To me, defeat in anything is merely temporary, and its punishment is but an urge for me to greater effort to achieve my goal. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth."

Bruce Lee
1940-1973, Martial Artist, Actor and Author

Sweetest Fear

2008-04-17T13:42:00.002+08:00

You are my sweetest, but also the one I fear most.

Apple iPhone

2008-03-29T22:41:00.016+08:00

My loyal Motorola e398 that has been serving me since November 2004 has been put into retirement.

Before that, I was considering a PDA, but based on experienced PDA users' advise, I decided that I want to be an iPhone owner instead.

Sadly, there is no official release of iPhone in Malaysia and Singapore until now. What are available in our local market are imported and hacked iPhone(s) without official warranty by Apple. You would be considered lucky to be given warranty by the trader themselves.

I was lucky enough as one of my relative were coming back to Malaysia for a holiday and I decided to ask for her help. Thankfully, my iPhone's journey to Malaysia was a smooth one from the States and arrived in Malaysia on the 25th March 2008.

Even the unlocking process was smooth, all thanks to ZiPhone, I didn't have to pay anyone to perform the unlocking for me.
Thanks to Ken Lui as well for informing me that we can unlock ourselves without needing to spend money on such service, but just download the software from the internet. Previously hackers would need to use a specially modified sim in order to get the iPhone hacked, unlike now, everything is so easy with just one click of any various iPhone hacking software available.

Nice touch screen. Very responsive and sensitive.

Nice and smooth finishing by Apple.

Resting on it's stand. In the process of getting it's battery charged.

Even we looked so happy inside it :-P~

The only drawback of this phone so far to me is the SMS feature. It doesn't allow it users to save messages as draft. If that's not bad enough, we can't forward SMS(s), copy paste words. Hopefully someone will come out with a good 3rd party application for SMS.

And as the touchscreen is so sensitive and one alphabet/number is so narrow to each other, I tend to always accidentally press the wrong information needed. I also tend to press send before I could complete my message. I would probably need a Pogo Stylus for iPhone as well for this issue.

Finally, I hope hackers can keep abreast with Apple's updates on curbing unauthorized iPhone users like me by updating their firmware.
The news released by Macworld, iPhone hackers look to an uncertain future certainly doesn't sounds good at all for many people, including me. Currently the hacked 1.1.4 version isn't exactly stable compared to the hacked 1.1.3 version.

Total of USD427 for a 8GB version, inclusive of shipping and tax, which is below RM1400, It is worth every single cent my dad paid for this phone for me.

Course Preview - 6th Semester

2008-03-14T16:37:00.006+08:00

The last and final semester for our Diploma year started last week, 3rd March 2008. I'm looking forward to end what I've started back in May 2006, to graduate with my Diploma. 3 subjects to be completed within 7 weeks.

Abnormal Psychology
Our senior told us once that when we study this subject, we'll somehow go abnormal as well.

Well yeah, literally. I'm glad that Miss Aggy Hooi is teaching us this subject. Like what I've mentioned last semester(4th semester) on Industrial & Organizational Psychology, she can make a dry subject to be very interesting with her unique way of teaching. In her tutorial classes, we can just walk in without any pen and paper. It's all about application questions discussion in her classes. She never believes scoring in exams based on what's on the textbook, but she believes in critical thinking, what is applicable in the real world.

But personally I think that this subject should be taught in earlier semesters, or probably replace some other languages or nation building subjects. You'll know why I think this subject should be taught earlier later.

Methods of Research in Psychology & Counselling
This subject will lay the foundation of writing thesis in our degree level education.
Lectured and tutored by Mr Ooi Boon Kuan, whom I heard that he's a former military guy. Not sure about it, just hear say. While practical will be guided by one of our course all time favorite, Mr Phillip Chung.

Counselling Practicum
Once a week thinggy, which I personally feel it's not adequate for us to be exposed to what we need to be exposed to. I'm currently having my practicum attachment with Ezra at HUKM Psychiatry Department/Ward/Clinic. Under guidance of Counsellors, Medical Officers and Doctors (depending on who's free on the day we are at our practicum site). I shall not reveal too much on this due to confidentiality issue.

The reason I said that Abnormal Psychology should have been covered in earlier semester is because of our practicum placement. Be it in any NGO, Psychology,Psychiatry or Counselling centre, it would be good for us to cover that subject earlier to somehow or rather help us during our practicum placement.

Ezra and I for instance, sometimes we are lost during our discussions with the Psychiatry department staffs. Luckily we've made our own initiative for read ups before practicum started, else we'll probably look real stupid during our practicum.

And for this last and final semester, I'll have to resit Interpersonal Communication Skills from last semester. That was the only paper that I got C- . I probably paid too much attention on the hot lecturer and tutor instead of what they are teaching.

4 subjects in 7 weeks. I wish my course mates all the best! Let's graduate according to the expected time frame :-)

a new chapter

2008-03-13T18:49:00.006+08:00

12/3/2008, 7:50pm-ish @ Thai Express, The Curve, The Walk.

P/s: We may know each other for not long, however our bond and relationship doesn't shows that way :-)

Instead of Smoking To Relax ...

2008-03-05T10:15:00.005+08:00

do deep breathing exercise instead.

The most common reason given by smokers is because of stress and smoking helps them to relax.
But contrary to that beliefs, a stick of cigarette actually contain various stimulant chemicals rather than relaxation. This can be confirmed with studies, (Kassel, Stroud, & Paronis, 2003) smoking actually increases the physiological characteristics associated with stress.

Smoking action itself could help smokers to relax, but not the chemicals contained in cigarettes. The reason smoking could help smokers to relax is because they are breathing consciously while inhaling and exhaling each puff, which helps them focus on the action, rather than the issues that are causing them to be stressed up.

Similar characteristics are present between deep breathing exercise and smoking, the only different is the type of air they are putting into their body. Deep breathing exercise practitioners inhale fresh air and exhale carbon dioxide, while smokers inhale and exhale carbon dioxide.

The blue box of Mild Seven Lights actually belongs to me, back in December 2006.
Today, I use this photo to remind me of Government's warning in regards to smoking instead.

I had my first cigarette when I was 14 out of curiosity. And until today I've easily smoked more than 100 sticks, which according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that makes me an established smoker. But thankfully, I'm not an addict, thanks to my genetic variant that decreases the function of the enzyme CYP2A6.

In recent months, I've not even touch a stick of my friend's offer of cigarette. And I'm going to stick to this good habit for sure.

Book Review: Superfit

2008-03-01T22:40:00.013+08:00

The name Royce Gracie is no stranger to any Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners.
Fighting and defeating 3-4 opponents per-night back in the early days of UFC. With notable wins over bigger fighters such as Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Akebono Taro to name a few.

His book, Superfit, written together with James Strom and Kid Peligro attracted my attention.
It's stated "Royce Gracie's Ultimate Martial Arts Fitness and Nutrition Guide". I got my copy from Borders for RM119.90, the usual price for Gracie's series of books.

It's separated into Four parts;

Starts off with brief introduction and then was introduced to the most important part any sports, Warming Up and Stretching. The Gracie family actually uses a refined stretching routine called "The Gracie Stretching Routine". That's for Part One. Personally, I don't see why is it being called GSR, they stretches are pretty much standard stretches and nothing special.

Part Two: The Exercises
Consist of Abdominals, Cardio, Free Weights, Isolaterals, Plyometrics and the Power Series.
Good photos are provided, but lack of important details. Deadlifts for instance, details on keeping the back stabilized and keeping the back from rounding.

Part Three: Putting It All Together
Pretty much of teaching you on developing your programmes and how to adjust them and all from time to time. Royce Gracie also talks about his fights and mental preparation. Some sample workouts for beginners, intermediate and advanced level are included as well.

Part Four: Royce's Family Diet
Food area broken down into categories, A,B,C and D group, with rules on how to and not to combine them in a meal. And of course, a sample of Royce's diet.
'

Conclusion
There's nothing much to shout about on this book. Just like any other most strength and conditioning books available in the book store. Most of the informations on the trainings could be found in the internet as well. Even that, the author failed to include safety details in their training explanation. (Eg: Keeping the back from rounding during deadlifts.)

However, their Plyometrics and the Power Series are good training informations, which I personally hardly seen any such training being done in most commercial gyms in Malaysia. It's better known as CrossFit workout.

A good book for beginners who wants to start off with a training programme, but for advanced users, this book wont be expanding your knowledge much. So if you really want to know the secret of Royce training that makes him so tough, forget it.
There isn't any secret, but its rather more of a branding using the name "Gracie".

What's Your FitnessAge?

2008-02-25T15:45:00.009+08:00

"Age is just a number", this is what I usually DO hear when my parents and their friends talk regarding ageing. Well, not exactly in fact, it doesn't applies when it comes to your FitnessAge.

I had the opportunity getting my FitnessAge tested on Saturday at Get Fit Muscle Up workshop at FIT Innovation. The results of my test wasn't surprising to me, my FitnessAge is older than my chronological age, I've not been working out consistently since August 2007 after all.

What is FitnessAge?

FitnessAge (www.fitnessage.com) is a number, or ‘age’ assigned to an individual upon completion of a number of fitness tests, measuring one’s fitness level. It was developed using data compiled by more than 56,000 individual tests, and the software’s diagnostic and computational algorithms have been granted a U.S. patent.
The tests will be administered by a fitness professional, who will then use the individual’s results with the FitnessAge service/software to derive their FitnessAge. Basically, you get all the detailed results of your tests presented in a manner that we can ALL easily understand and relate to – AGE.

For example, an inactive 30 year old may have a FitnessAge of 50, which means that his/her fitness level is comparable to that of a 50 year old (And believe me… it sucks when that happens). Alternatively, a 50 year old may have a FitnessAge of 30 – which means they are in the same great physical condition as a 30 year old. Easy right?

What Are The Tests?
To determine our FitnessAge, we will be tested on:
Body - Body fat percentage, Weight, and Body Measurements
Cardio - Resting Pulse and Recovery Pulse (using a 3-minute step test)
Flexibility - Sit and Reach (touch your toes)
Strength - Sit-ups (1 min) and Push-ups (until fatigue)

Just in case you’re wondering… the tests used in FitnessAge are not chosen randomly or for fun, but are in fact industry standard tests that are also used by the American College of Sports Medicine and the YMCA, the two leading authorities on exercise physiology.

- Source: DailyMuscle.com

Being 20 this year, I have a FitnessAge of a 35 years old. Based on all the test mentioned above, I performed badly on my cardio and actually failed my Push-ups at 20 due to an old shoulder injury. The results of my FitnessAge would definitely motivate me to work harder to gain my ideal fitness level, and the best thing is I'm able to pin point on which areas I need to improve on.

P/s: Thank you to Dailymuscle.com for personally subsidizing me RM50 to attend Get Fit - Muscle Up.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

2008-02-20T16:23:00.003+08:00

Attended CPR training/course at FIT Innovation to fulfill ISSA's requirement for their trainers to be CPR certified. After attending the course, I came to a conclusion that Ignorance is not bliss, but kills.

During emergency situation, it's rather important to make the correct move rather than move you think is correct. It determines the victim's survival rate.

I'm pretty glad that I did went through this course, although I hope I don't have to use it on any of my future clients. It's better knowing than not knowing, just in case.

Personally I also feel that such training/course should be included into our national curriculum syllabus, not just limited to St John Ambulance and Red Crescent members.

Love is in the air...

2008-02-18T23:55:00.012+08:00

Related post : Meet a friend, or someone special ...

Tony decided to spend some time on Valentine's day with his broke back partner(s) in Malaysia. But due to the fact that I am walking the straight line, I ditched him and went for a blind date instead on V-Day.

Most people were surprised about my participation in Table For Two, and yeah, expect the unexpected. But some even sees that I'm desperate for a relationship, if that's how shallow they are seeing things, then be it :)

On a personal note, it was a nice getting to know new 9 friends from other institutions with various interesting traits. And I certainly had a wonderful time with my blind date, Josephine Chin. I won't be describing more than that, just lost for words :)
She prepared a Coffee Mug filled with chocolates for whoever her blind date was, and I'm actually happy to be the person receiving it as a coffee lover. Chocolates has been good friends with me, always comes in handy when I don't have time for a proper meal and it works as my pre-workout meal at times.

This article was published in The Star Education
(17 February 2008) so I thought I'd put a copy up here before its lost to the archives.

By TAN EE LOO and EE-LYN TAN
Photos by AZMAN GHAN

“Table for Two”

THE suspense of waiting finally ended when the five chosen couples for StarEducation's “Table for Two” met over a delightful candle-lit dinner on Valentine's Day.

The 10 guys and girls, selected from over 70 applicants, were treated to a sumptuous dinner hosted by Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur.

It was a feast fit for a king: the semi-buffet spread at Cafe Serena Brasserie had an enticing assortment of seafood, including oysters, mussels, scallops and crayfishes, topped with cheesecakes and pralines.

The romantic evening kicked off with a speed-dating session lasting five minutes each, which enabled the guys and girls to say hello to each other, before learning whom their blind dates were. After being paired, dates, they sat down to dinner.

Most of the participants had made an effort to dress for the occasion. Everyone also brought along gifts, to be exchanged with their dates.
The couples had all read about the “Table for Two” candidates, who were featured in StarEducation on Feb 10.

However, many of them said that meeting each other in person was an incredible experience.

To add a little spice to the evening, the StarEducation team asked the participants to vote for the Best Dressed and Best Smile awards. For the Best Chemistry prize, the team picked a couple that it felt got on best during the night. The winners received bags of goodies, courtesy of L'Oréal Paris.

Contrary to stories about disastrous blind dates, the evening ended with everyone adding new names to her/his address book. Who knows, the dinner could be the start of some beautiful friendships, or, even romance?

Well, want to know what happened at the “Table for Two”? Here are what the participants have to say.

Eknaswaran and Esther

Eknaswaran Matandor, 19, chose to give his date a large pink box of colourful marshmallows.

“I wanted something that was sweet, soft and colourful,” said the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) software engineering student, fondly called Vickey by friends.

Then, when it came time for dessert at the chocolate fountain, Vickey noticed that his date, Esther Wong Shuey Wye, 22, had scooped everything except the marshmallows.

“When I asked her why she didn't take any, she said she hated them!” said the Kuantan native.

Apart from the 'wrong' gift, he also found it a challenge to break the ice with his blind date.

“I think I drank more than six glasses of water just to fill the time,” Vickey revealed. “But I learnt not to judge a person by how she looks. Esther was quieter than I expected.”

Marshmallows aside, Vickey and Esther share a love for sports, especially Formula 1 racing, and a love for food.

“We had some common interests, but there were slight differences as well,” said Esther, an applied science student at Deakin University. “I like to bake instead of cook, but he likes to cook instead of bake.”

Esther gave Vickey a tin of Famous Amos cookies.

“With boys, it's always safe to buy food, especially since I didn't know who my date was going to be. I was lucky that Vickey likes food!” she said.

Both agreed that they had fun, nonetheless, and it was exciting to meet so many new people at the table.

John and Sue Yee

John Chang Shang Hao, 24, said many of the participants recognised him as “the guy who travels”!

“I was surprised that they knew who I am. Since last week, when it was announced that I was one of the finalists, I have been bombarded with messages and calls from family and friends!” said the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman journalism student.

John made a present for his date, Tang Sue Yee, 20, by shaping a yellow ribbon into a rose. He wrapped, folded and glued the flower, then gave it a stem made of paper clips.

It took him five days to make the rose, which was then carefully placed inside a beer bottle – the first beer bottle he ever bought in Tasmania, Australia, where he used to live.

Sue Yee loved the gift and reciprocated with a box of Japanese chocolates – which turned out to be John's favourite!

“I told John if he really loved me, he would have made 99 of those roses for me!” said the Taylor's College mass communications student, with a laugh.

John remarked that Sue Yee talked a lot and asked him lots of questions.

“Because of that, she knows more about me than I do about her!”
Sue Yee added that as John was older, she learnt a lot from his stories about his experiences.

“He was very talkative and friendly, and he made me feel comfortable as the night progressed.”

Chuin Keat and Amanda

To make the Valentine’s Day dinner truly special, International Islamic University Malaysia law student Pang Chuin Keat had asked his brother to buy him a small bag and key chain during the latter’s recent trip to Barcelona, Spain.

“Barcelona is my favourite football team and I thought it would be nice for my date to have something that showed my interest,” said the 22-year-old from Penang.

Chuin Keat's date was Kasturi School of Accounting student Amanda Wong Shan Ming, 20.

Amanda had also wanted to make the occasion special; she made a bracelet and necklace using wooden beads for her date.

“It was the first time I’d made jewellery for a guy, so I researched ideas on the Internet before getting down to it. It took a couple of tries before I finally got it right.”

She added that she admired Chuin Keat for his ability to handle culture diversity.

“The fact that he is the only Chinese student in his batch shows that he adapts well to change,” she said.

On his part, Chuin Keat found Amanda very funny.

“She talked a lot and she also encouraged me to talk. Whenever I didn't say anything, she'd ask, “’Why are you silent?’” he said,

Both swapped phone numbers and e-mail addresses and said they would continue to keep in touch.

Darren and Jasmine

The Feb14 dinner turned out better than Jasmine Ong Kim Li expected. “The ambience was romantic and the food was good. And my date, Darren, makes a good friend to begin with,” said the Brickfields Asia College law student.

Jasmine, 20, gave Darren Dinesh Navaretnam, also from LUCT, a bottle of “round rubbers” that multiply when watered, and received a bracelet in return.
“My wrist is quite thick ... I'm just glad that the bracelet fits me nicely,” she said with a laugh.

Not knowing what to expect during the evening was part of the deal. Even so, Darren, 22, could not help but have the jitters.

“I was very nervous when I arrived at the hotel. It was only after my blind date and I started to open up and chat that I felt more relaxed,” he admitted.

The creative multimedia graduate was paired with Jasmine for the evening. In fact, he said he had a feeling that she would be his date as soon as he saw her picture in the paper one week ago.

“I did my own 'calculation' and thought it could be her,” he quipped.

Jasmine and Darren both won the Best Smile awards.

Kang Xian and Josephine

Lee Kang Xian, 20, had a tough time picking a gift for his date.

“As I didn’t know whom I would be paired with, I chose something neutral,” said the social sciences student, who showed up with a set of Adidas toiletries.

His date, Josephine Chin Fong Leng, got him a mug and chocolates.

Although there were a few awkward moments at the start of the evening, they became more comfortable with each other as the dinner progressed.

Josephine Chin and Lee Kang Xian dipping skewers of fruit at the chocolate fountain.
In fact, Kang Xian confessed that he had plans to meet Josephine again. “I will make the first move, but whether or not we see each other again depends on her.”

Josephine, 23, wore a strapless white dress accentuated with lilac beads. She completed her look with a pretty evening bag and peep-toe pumps – and took home the Best Dressed award.

On her outfit, she said she wanted to look simple and not too fancy.

Although she was getting calls and SMSes throughout the night wishing her good luck on her first blind date, Josephine said she chose to pay attention to Kang Xian.

“I also didn't get to eat much because we were too busy chatting. I thought I should focus on the person rather than the food because it's a date after all,” she added.

It's Confirmed a Herniated Disc on L5/S1

2008-02-11T19:31:00.002+08:00

After 6 months, my lower back is still giving me problem. Based on my read ups, I suspected myself that I'm having herniated disc and sciatica, which I really hope it's not.

But my MRI scan this morning confirmed it's herniated disc on L5 and S1.

First thing that came to my mind, Shit!
Am I going to ~~perform Kama Sutra~~ roll on the mat again? weights lifting? Running? 101 questions starts flowing into my mind.

Doctor told me for now( and I wonder how long would be the now), no jumping, running and whatever is mentioned earlier. My only exercise would be swimming and cycling.

Next appointment in 2 weeks time, meanwhile, will be on Mecobalamin, Arcoxia(etoricoxib) and Norgesic. I welcome any suggestions from people in regards to this issue.

WTF ler . . . . . Just when i thought I found things I like to do to replace basketball and taekwondo.

Meet a friend, or someone special ...

2008-02-10T09:07:00.002+08:00

Before proceeding to read the article below, I'll have my say.

I was quite surprised when Ee-Lyn called up to inform me that I was one of the 5 chosen guys for this event. Honestly, It took me a while to recall "Table For Two" while on the phone with her, exams just finished the day before when she called, I call it post-exams effects.

I have to make things clear here, I'm just a certified fitness trainer by my college, yet to be ISSA certified, But will be one within this 4 months for sure.

It's an ankle surgery due to ligament tear and chipped bone to be precise. I didn't really gave it up, but just lost interest during my recovery period and started to play basketball after that. My ankle wasn't much of a problem compared to my knee that ended my career prematurely.

This article was published in The Star Education today
(10 February 2008) so I thought I'd put a copy up here before its lost to the archives.

StarEducation will play matchmaker to 10 lucky guys and gals in “Table for Two” this Valentine's Day.

By EE-LYN TAN and SARAH CHEW

ON FEB 14 candy, cards, flowers and gifts are exchanged every year in the name of St Valentine. But who was St Valentine?
According to legend, Valentine was a priest in Rome under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. The latter decreed that single men made better soldiers than married men so he outlawed marriage.
Valentine realised the injustice in this and secretly married young lovers. When the emperor discovered this, he sentenced the saint to death.
But while imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with a young girl who visited him. Before his death, he wrote her a letter and signed it “From your Valentine”, which is an expression still used today.
In conjunction with Valentine's Day on Thursday, StarEducation has chosen 10 finalists for its “Table for Two” competition.
They will meet for the first time over a sumptuous and romantic candle-lit dinner at Cafe Serena Brasserie at Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur on Jalan Ampang at 7.30pm.
They are the lucky ones from over 70 entries we received. Other than going over their entries, we took the time to meet those in the shortlist personally.
However, they will not know who their blind date will be until they actually meet their respective partners on the night.
Dress to impress, dress to kill, or just dress smart casual if that's your cup of tea.
Who knows, you might meet that special someone. If not, there will be nine more friends to add to your network.
Do bring along a little something for your date, if you can – it is Valentine's Day, after all.

Tang Sue Yee, 20,Taylor's College, School of Communication

I have a passion for photography and I previously worked for an advertising agency and a talent agency, taking shots of models. I want to be a photojournalist, as I love travelling.
Sometimes I travel alone when I need time to think or go for trips with friends to look for good food in places like Klang, Malacca and Penang.
I also like to cook, but from the can! My idea of 'whipping up a meal' usually means adding in mushrooms and tomatoes and I often burn my food. The worst dish I've ever made was Coca-Cola chicken, as it came out burnt and sticky!
I'm on a four-month break from studies now, and am gardening and working.
I've just finished my third job working at a hardware shop.
One of the reasons I joined “Table for Two” is to prove to my mom that I like guys She is glad that I'm going to have a date with a guy.

Pang Chuin Keat, 22, International Islamic University Malaysia

I am a third-year law student studying both civil and syariah law.
What's unusual about me is that I'm the only Chinese and non-Muslim student in my entire batch of 300 students.
In my free time I enjoy swimming, which I do almost every day at the pool on campus.
Otherwise, I spend a lot of time reading. I'm a very big fan of motivational books especially the works of Dale Carnegie.
I also love to travel and my favourite destinations are Pangkor and Redang, in fact my grandfather lives near Pangkor.
I'm very interested in meeting new people so I can make more friends.

Eknaswaran Matandor, 19,Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
I've never been on a blind date before and I am nervous and scared but decided to take a chance.
I think what's unusual about myself is that I can speak Cantonese fluently - even better than Tamil. (laughs!) My friends, who call me “Vickey” or “Eky”, are mostly Chinese so that's where I picked up the language.
I also love to watch Hong Kong television series, which helped me improve my Cantonese.
I also love to cook, especially Chinese food. The dish that I cook best is baby kailan with oyster sauce.
In my spare time, I am learning to dance, both break dance and hip hop.
I've been doing it for four years now.

Jasmine Ong Kim Li, 20, Brickfields Asia College

I'm a very outgoing person so I don't mind doing crazy things.
Once, when I was 14, I jumped on stage during a Disney Channel programme without being asked.
I also stalked a guy my friend liked and asked him for his phone number, but hey, I was young!
I have two acoustic guitars and a five-piece drum set that I play by ear.
I play netball, shot putt as well as attend dance classes and kickboxing.
I like watching lots of DVDs, mostly chick flicks or horror movies, but not the gory ones as I can't take too much blood.
I like intellectual arguments or discussions and I'm not a 'mushy' kind of girl.

Lee Kang Xian, 20, Tunku Abdul Rahman College

I'M crazy about sports and fitness. I can't explain it but it's something I'm very passionate about.
I'm currently pursuing my diploma in social sciences though I will be transferring to another institution soon to pursue my degree in psychology.
Once I've completed my degree, I'd like to move on to pursue my masters in sports psychology as it combines both my interests.
I'm also a certified personal trainer having completed my qualification from The International Sports Sciences Association.
In my free time, I'm still honing my skills in photography and recently purchased my first professional camera, a Canon 400D.
I'm a former district basketball and taekwondo representative but I had to give it up when I ruptured my knee ligament and have had to undergo two surgeries to have it fixed.
When I was younger, I was also a district football player in the under-12 category but had to abandon that as well when I injured my ankle.
I'm nervous about what to expect, as this is my first blind date so we'll see what happens that night!

Esther Wong Shuey Wye, 22, Deakin University, Melbourne
I'm currently doing a Bachelor in Applied Science majoring in Food Science and Nutrition in Melbourne.
I will probably work in my mum's cake shop after I graduate because I like to bake.
Last year, my course had a project in which I had to invent something, so I made a savoury Swiss roll with spinach and cheese.
I also like Formula One racing, I've watched it since I was 12.
My dad and I root for Kimi Raikkonen.
During my free time, I go shopping mostly for bags and shoes – I have probably more than 20 bags and 30 pairs of shoes now!
I've done some travelling and went on an exchange programme to China last year for my Chinese language elective.
Whenever I meet guys, I'm usually always the one asking questions so hopefully my date won't be too shy!

John Chang Shang Hao , 24, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

As a journalism student, I've got aspirations of writing for a travel magazine one day.
Just last year, I spent five months backpacking through the United States.
I worked at Cedars Point theme park in Cleveland, Ohio, as a lifeguard and later became a ride operator for a water coaster.
After my working stint, I took time off to travel and visited Niagara Falls, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego.
I also paid a visit to Disneyland and Universal Studios in Los Angeles and also the San Diego Zoo.
Before returning to Kuala Lumpur, I also made a nine-day stop in Japan and Mount Fuji, visited Sijuku to see the Harajuku girls, and stopped by Tokyo Disneyland.
I stumbled upon “Table for Two” by chance when I was flipping through the newspaper. I can't wait to meet the others as I enjoy making new friends.
I'm planning to make my date's gift as I feel it should be something from the heart.

Darren Dinesh Navaretnam, 22, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology graduate

AS a big fan of 1980's rock music, I started taking lessons to play the electric guitar, a year ago.
I'm a huge fan of music acts such as Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Deep Purple, just to name a few.
They've all got great guitarists and I'm working towards being able to play Bon Jovi's “Halfway There”.
I'm a recent creative multimedia graduate who is currently looking for a job.
A month ago, I completed my six-week internship at Codemasters, which is a British video game developer.
While there, I worked on video games development where I helped with several upcoming games.
In my free time, I'm an all rounder and love to indulge in photography and video games consoles.
I also enjoy playing football a couple times a month with my neighbourhood friends.
With this being my first blind date, I'm going in with no expectations, and plan to just go with the flow!

Josephine Chin Fong Leng, 23, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

I study law and I'm the type that likes debating, so I join moot competitions.
I discuss human rights, politics and current news with my classmates but I usually talk about music and movies with strangers.
I like the outdoors and a group of friends and I do things like jungle trekking and rock climbing but I don't have time for it anymore!
I'm quite active in the Asian Law Student Association. I just came back from a conference in Bangkok, Thailand, and I've been to others in Singapore and Hong Kong under the association.
I hope to be surprised at “Table for Two” this Thursday and meet someone compatible.
I can't possibly describe the ideal guy until I meet him, because I believe it boils down to the chemistry between two people.

Amanda Wong Shan Ming, 20, Kasturi School of Accountancy

During my free time, I do arts and crafts such as making bracelets, cross-stitching and drawing on T-shirts.
I'm doing an accountancy course because crunching numbers is like a hobby to me, so my sister thinks I'm weird.
I just became president of my college Student Council and I'm also the external vice-president of the ACCA Student Ambassador Network.
I like my independence and running around, so I guess my ideal guy would have to be understanding because I wouldn’t want him to breathe down my neck!
I've never had a boyfriend because my parents believe I should only start dating at 21.
But I joined “Table for Two” to meet more friends and if something happens, I'll take it from there.

Random Thoughts

2008-02-01T00:55:00.000+08:00

I hope I don't have to be opening any of these books for revision anymore, not until my Diploma end.

5th semester ended yesterday and I am praying hard that examiners will be lenient to let me pass all my paper. Especially Family Counselling and Basic Management Principles. *Prays*

1 month holiday begins. Will be a very busy holiday rather. 1 examination to complete, 2 courses to attend, a trip down to Singapore, meetings with supervisor in HUKM and yada-yada a few other more stuffs to be confirmed later.

One very important thing is getting back my physique shape as well, I've not been working out consistently since August last year due to my back injury. Chinese New Year will be very challenging for me to control my junk food intake.

These books will be accompanying me for the 1 month holiday. Call me no life for spending time with books, I guess I am anyway. ;-)

Tearing ACL in Taekwondo Sparring

2008-01-27T16:00:00.002+08:00

Watching Human Weapon's Jason Chambers snapping his ACL on a Taekwondo sparring match just reminds me of myself back in 10th May 2005. Jason ~~Lee Kang Xian~~ Chambers attempts to execute a tornado kick with a poor landing, and resulting torsion snaps his knee.

Similarly, I attempted to continue fighting when my knee snaps for the first time, which then snaps for the second time in less than 20 seconds back into the round. It caused me to undergo an ACL Reconstruction surgery.

Warning : Awful video clip,
But serves as a very informational/educational documentary on Endoscopic ACL Reconstruction.

It's also something that I've went through in the operation theater before not once, but twice. And I feel the pain when I watch it.

Practicum Placement

2008-01-16T00:37:00.000+08:00

I first approach National Sports Institute hoping to get into the Sport Psychology Centre for my practicum placement. NSI accepted us with the condition of having our practicum done 5 days per week. However, our college rationale only allows us once per week. There goes my opportunity have a taste of working in NSI and more specifically the Sport Psychology Centre.

To be honest I was pretty pissed off that it's because of the college rationale that stops me from getting exposure in the field of Sports Psychology. External factor rather than internal factor. Oh well, at least I get to step into the National Sports Institute building. *shrugs!*

This morning, just hours after answering my course mate's question as a post entry in regards to our education, I received a text message from the Social Science programme leader, asking me to call her back. I thought I was in deep shit for criticizing the programme, or failed her assignment. You know, usually those who received phone calls from her, it's never good news. Those are people who fail in coursework, got barred from exams and the list goes on.

I called her up, braving myself to face whatever consequences for my action.

And indeed, I'll be facing the consequences for sending the practicum opportunity request letter to HUKM. They accepted our request and I'll be posted to HUKM Psychiatry department along with Ezra in our last semester of Diploma programme for our practicum.

Till then.

A Question Posted by My Coursemate

2008-01-15T04:46:00.000+08:00

Ezra posted on Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course - Updated

Hey
i still cant figure out whether to take advance or degree
financial concerns and all
plus im not sure about the benefits of goin overseas to take my degree.
I thought we are supposed to learn about malaysian culture and not the culture from overseas so that we can counsel malaysians.
i hope that u could blog on that

Ezra's question;

1. Advance vs Degree

Based on my personal opinion after I've went through other institutions' Psychology programme syllabus, I would say that TAR College's Psychology programme standard is abysmally low for the course of it's kind that is available in Malaysia. Read more to know what's the main reason.

Before I proceed, let me explain the route of progression in TAR College. SPM leavers who has 5 credits including English are entitled to be enrolled into Diploma in Social Science (Counselling). It's a two years (4 semesters and 2 short semesters) programme. Upon completing Diploma, students who chooses to continue their education at TAR College progresses to Advanced Diploma in Social Science (Psychology) for another 2 years (4 semesters), and finally for a Bachelor Degree, students who chooses this route will HAVE to join Summer Semester Programme at Liverpool John Moores University(LJMU).

No doubt students enjoy the opportunity of Summer Semester Programme by going to LJMU for 3 months to complete their Bsc(Hons) Human Psychology, but in my humble opinion the period is too short for us to even start adapting to the new environment, or for some, just began to adapt.

A recent informal interaction between our course seniors who are in their 2nd year of Advanced Diploma with LJMU's Summer Semester Programme leader for Psychology, Professor Noel Sheehy ( which I shamelessly joined to in to ask questions although the meeting wasn't for us in Diploma level ), I understand that there will be no Industrial attachment/posting/training provided to students who complete their Degree via the route mentioned earlier.

The lack of or should I say non existence of industrial attachment/posting/training in our syllabus itself is a big lost for students in terms of exposure to the working world.

However, students do get a practicum experience during their last semester in Diploma level. But again, I do not believe that students will gain MUCH from the practicum arranged in our syllabus. Students are arranged for practicum once a week for the duration of 7 weeks. Summing them up, we only go to our practicum posting for a total of 7 times only.

But for students who are not concerned about industrial experience and intend to pursue a Post Graduate course that is offered by LJMU, this progression route would be for them because the courses are offered to the Summer Semester Students at discounted prices.

On the other hand, other institutions that I've mentioned in my previous post do have Industrial Posting/Placement as part of their syllabus, except for Raffles School of Psychology which I will inquire more later on in regards to Industrial Placement.

2. Financial concern

If you intend to pursue your Degree locally, you can always apply for PTPTN loan. But that doesn't mean your dreams of studying abroad is crushed because of financial issues, you can still apply for study loan from various organizations or bank, if you don't mind paying back with interest after graduating.

3. Benefits of studying abroad

Again, my personal opinion says It depends on individual. I think the article The Benefits of Study Abroad " by Mary M. Dwyer, Ph.D. and Courtney K. Peters would be a good read up.

4.I thought we are supposed to learn about Malaysian culture and not the culture from overseas so that we can counsel Malaysians

If I can remember clearly, we do have a module called Malaysia: Cultural & Religious Practices during our 3rd semester. Although we used textbooks from United States, but the theories can still be applied here. Our assignment topics given during that semester for this particular subject was to analyze Malaysian culture based on a few local production movies.

I decided to make this entry a post instead of replying to Ezra's comment after having deep considerations for my course mates who are still undecided and not clear with what is lying ahead of them. I hope based on my limited knowledge,resource and survey, it will help them in their decision making. But then again, please do find out the information first hand by yourself as well before deciding/making any conclusion.

Disclaimer: Informations posted are correct at the time of posting and may change without notification. I shall not bear any responsibilities in anyways for any form of damages caused by reader's decision due to my entry posting.

Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course - Updated

2008-01-12T23:31:00.000+08:00

Related Post:
Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course (11 August, 2007)
Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course - International Medical University
(26 October, 2007)

Went to The Star Education Fair 2008 instead of studying today to inquire about Psychology programmes in other institutions in Malaysia.

In my previous write ups, I mentioned about HELP University College, Sunway University College, University College Sedaya International, Monash University, University Tunku Abdul Rahman and most recently, International Medical University offering Psychology as part of their new courses available.

And today I got to know that Nottingham University, Malaysia Campus and Raffless School of Psychology, Malaysia Campus will be offering Psychology programme as part of their new courses, just like IMU.

Raffless School of Psychology is actually from Singapore, and recently started their Malaysia campus. They will be awarding Diploma in Applied Psychology up to Specialist Diploma in Applied Psychology. To complete a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Applied Psychology that is validated and awarded by University of Wales, students are required to complete it at Raffles School of Psychology Singapore campus at their third and final year. As an option, students can either do a 3+0 programme with Singapore Campus, or 2+1 with Malaysia Campus for the 1st two years and final year at Singapore.

On the other hand, Nottingham University, Malaysia Campus offers BSc (Honours) in Applied Psychology And Management Studies under their School Of Applied Psychology.

It seems that every year more and more institutions are offering Psychology programmes. A good sign indeed, for people who intend to study Psychology locally and most importantly to match up the ratio of Psychologist in Malaysia with the citizens.

And this certainly brings more joy to me as once I complete my diploma, I'll be having extra few more options to choose from. Infact, I've already submitted my application form to IMU today, and If I were to proceed to study at IMU, I'll get my application processing fees waived.

Till then, we'll see.

My StreamyX Is Down

2007-12-31T18:39:00.000+08:00

My streamyx line has been down up since 20th December 2007.

TMnet's contractor has came and go a total of 3 times including today.

Unfortunately they still could not fix the problem. TM's contractor could not do anything anymore, they've tried their best. Now we need TM's staff technician to fix the shit.

Now i realize how bad is it living without internet. Im currently posting this post from a friends' place.

Meanwhile, Happy New Year to everyone!

To see photos taken by me ...

2007-12-19T02:19:00.002+08:00

go to my Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/subject2changes.
Some of them are also posted on nalandabs.blogspot.com.
Comments and critiques are most welcome :D~

My Contract With Fitness First

2007-12-05T17:21:00.000+08:00

I'm contemplating on renewing my current 1-year member contract with Fitness First. I have until late February 2008 to decide on it.

Most of my friends are asking me why do I need to think twice to renew a passport membership contract that only requires me to pay RM105 per-month. It's something I believe every commercial gym goer will be begging on their knees to get such package.

The things that really make my head spinning to think about are:

Cons

The nearest Fitness First clubs are 15km away from my home, which is IOI and Leisure Mall respectively. Driving 15km which could take up to 30minutes due to heavy trafic or JAM is no fun. Besides, petrol price will be increasing in 2008, plus with the toll rate, I'll be having less pocket money to spend. Used to drop by the gym on the way coming home from college, but due to various reasons, I've hardly do so.
Getting a back injury on August and caused me not able to workout regularly started to make me think about paying for nothing. Although members are allowed to freeze their account, but you'll have to go one long hell of a ride before getting it frozen.
I don't like working out in air-conditioned environment.

Pro

I enjoy group exercise classes. Especially RPM.
I don't just workout in the gym, but I observe how the Personal Trainers there work with clients. It somehow broadens my perspective on being a Personal Trainer.
Having girls with tight fitting attire in sight improves my blood circulation.

I'm currently waiting for news from Fitness First in regards to another branch in Mines that is supposed to be opened by December 2007(information according to the Membership Consultant when I signed up). Now it's already December, but still no sign of Fitness First at The Mines, or even any news about it.

Opening of a branch at The Mines will affect my decision making a lot more.

YOU, please give me some thoughts about it. Yeah, I mean YOU!!!!

Canon Speedlite 580EX II

2007-11-26T16:54:00.000+08:00

Picture worth a thousand words.

My dad called me while he was at Klang Parade today afternoon, confirming the model of the Speedlite with me. I finally got my hands on it. All thanks to my dad.

Now all I need is to brush up my skills. =))

Related post
Canon EOS 400D
BG-E3 Battery Grip

Personal Feedback on BSN N.O Xplode

2007-11-24T14:15:00.000+08:00

I'm posting this entry immediately coming back from Fitness First IOI Mall.
I purchased my first tub of N.O Xplode back in August and I was so excited about it. But until today, I've used only 7 servings(broken into 3 workouts). And I doubt I'll be touching it anymore after today.

According to dailymuscle, N.O Xplode works perfectly for him. But it works the other way round for me.

I consumed it on an empty stomach as instructed by the label and my workout for today was Rippetoe Workout A. I did not feel the 'kick' as many users claimed to give them. Infact, I feel really weak and did not have the strength to perform my workout well. My hands were shaking(similar effect of working out on an empty stomach) as I lifted the barbell off the bench press. A workout without RPM is not a complete workout for me. I proceeded to the cycling studio.

After completing my workout, I was overcome by a feeling of nausea. I immediately rushed into the locker room, fill up my shaker with Cytosport MuscleMilk, gulped it down, sat down and calm myself. 5 minutes later, I felt better.

I'm not sure why is my body reacting so negatively towards N.O Xplode. But end of the day, I'll give it up because my previous workouts with it did not go well either(same effect as today). I'm better well off taking 2 slices of wholemeal bread with peanut butter and a cup of coffee 1 hour before my workout.

Marriage Rings

2007-11-22T01:01:00.002+08:00

They say there are three rings in a marriage:. - The engagement ring, - The wedding ring, and suffering.

Random Thoughts Of The Week

2007-11-18T18:17:00.001+08:00

Being a coach at the gym;

On Tuesday morning, I made 2 students vomited by running 3 rounds around the college's Olympic-sized swimming pool. I was leading the students in the run and they tried to keep up with my pace.

2 days later, I threatened a small size girl that If she could not lift 30pounds on the shoulder press machine, she'll fail. She cried. The reason I treated her like that because she was playing around during warm up session, and I got sibeh tulan with that kind of attitude. But of course, I joked with her and she start smiling again. But I hope it was a sincere smile.

I hope they hold no grudges towards me.

Being a student at class;

Having Miss Aggy to be our tutor is real darn fun. She plays game with us during tutorial classes instead of giving tutorial questions. And often it will spark out arguments among classmates on who's idea on tackling certain situation is the best.

It just amuses me to see how people intellectualizes a subject or issue, according to their level of understanding.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Ding Martial Art Gymnasium

2007-10-31T05:49:00.002+08:00

I have been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu(BJJ) for a month now. And it's really an enjoyable martial art where I get a full body workout every training session. BJJ isn't easy as what it seems to be. Before I started to train BJJ, I thought it was easy stuffs to pull submissions and all through watching BJJ videos. However, now I know I'm wrong. There are lot of details to take note off in every step or move we make. 1 SMALL mistake and you're gone! Either being dominated or submitted by your opponent.

Interesting enough, BJJ is known as the Chess Of Martial Art. Each technique pulled doesn't end there, it always has something to counter against, provided you have the foundation and know your stuffs.

If you are interested to learn more about BJJ, drop by to Ding Martial Art Gymnasium, Kelana Jaya. They are charging pretty fair price too.

Registration Fee: RM50
Annual Membership Fee: RM30
Adult (2x per week) 3 months: RM400
Adult (1x per week) 3 months: RM240
Adult (2x per week) 1 month: RM160
Student (2x per week) 3 months: RM350
Student (1x per week) 3 months: RM200
Student (2x per week) 1 month: RM140
Coupon (prepaid system) 8 lessons: RM180
Single Lesson Drop-In: RM30

One of our regular training session. Quico, our instructor demonstrating a new move.

Family Photo, missing a few though.

Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course - International Medical University

2007-10-26T23:38:00.001+08:00

In my two previous post on Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course and Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course via ADP, I managed to list down quite a number of Institutions.

Recently International Medical University (IMU) introduced to the public about their new degree programmes which includes Psychology. Sounds interesting to me, and I was more than happy to know IMU will be offering Psychology by July 2008.

I was impressed with their programme structure arrangement, teaching-learning-approaches and features after checking IMU Psychology programme syllabus via their website.

But after clicking on IMU Psychology programme's fee structure, I got to think twice about it. It cost RM12,000 per semester and a total of RM76,000 for a 3 years IMU Bachelor of Science (Hons) Psychology programme.

Related post : Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course

Course Preview - 5th Semester ( Changes made )

2007-10-24T22:23:00.000+08:00

I started my new semester last week, where I got involved in an accident on the first day of my new semester itself. We only had lecture on the first week, whereas tutorial and practical starts from second week onwards. There are 5 subjects this semester;

Interpersonal Communication Skills
I was quite surprised to see the lecturer and tutor who is teaching us this subject. She taught us before in our very first semester of our course, and that was like 1 year and 14 weeks ago(roughly) ? She was teaching us Introduction to Information Technology practical classes back then. Judging from her first tutorial class, it's going to be interesting to have her teaching. Discussion without a one sided answer and learning from each other style.

Another lecturer walked into our lecture hall today. She introduced herself as Miss Kik, a lecturer who usually teaches Advertising courses. She told us that there is changes in the course programme, no idea what exactly the changes were, but she just follow orders from the college to lecture us. 1st lecture with her, and my name was already been called by her to answer question. A question on Johari Window and I gave the wrong asnwer. Anyway, she has a very interesting way of conducting her lectures and without using a mic to get her student's attention.

2 hours later, in our tutorial class of the same subject, a pretty tutor walked in to our tutorial venue. She introduced herself as Miss Cheng, a TAR College graduate in Advanced Diploma in Media Studies, attended LJMU's Summer Semester Programme for her Degree and got her MA in International Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University last year.

Group Dynamics
Teaches us how to conduct group counselling. We'll have to work in pair with a classmate, and get at least 5 people who are willing to help us to help them. Taught by our head of school, Dr Chai. Previous year, our seniors seeked our help to help them to conduct their group counselling experiment. But my group's session ended up as a yam cha session with our seniors.

Counselling Methods & Techniques II
Continuation from Counselling Methods & Techniques I from semester 3. I enjoyed the practical classes in CM&T I, and I'll continue enjoying this one I guess? Lectures and Practical conducted by Miss Eva Li, while tutorial by Aggy Hooi, another lecturer/tutor whom I enjoy her class a lot. She was my class's tutor for Introduction to Psychology in our first semester. She's someone who challenges her students to think out of the box and not to rely too much on textbook.

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Counselling
I won't comment much on this subject. All I can say is I'm praying hard there is improvement in this subject's lecturer teaching style. Senior citizen Mr Kuan Ah Kan is the name of this subject's lecturer.

Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Taught by Miss Aggy Hooi. Need more I say about her?
I'm glad that she is teaching us. According to our senior, their batch got a part-time lecturer who isn't very good in teaching and made the subject very boring.

Sometimes, a dry subject can be fun if being taught by the correct person.

Although there are 5 subjects this semester, but I'll be sitting for 7 papers in total for finals.
I haven't pass two subjects from 4th semester ( notice that I did not say I fail, I said I haven't pass! ), Basic Management Principles and Family Counselling. Rumours are saying that 1/3 of the course ( around 40 students? ) did not pass Family Counselling and majority of them are pointing fingers at the lecturer. But for me, I'll take full responsibility for my own actions.

I've been hired by the college to coach at Co-curricular Gym-Workout Programme again this semester. I wasn't hired last semester because the Sports Coordinator of Gym-Workout Programme was on maternity leave and a guy took over and hired an all girls team of student assistant.

Course Preview - 5th Semester

2007-10-20T23:56:00.000+08:00

Interpersonal Communication Skills
I was quite surprised to see the lecturer and tutor who is teaching us this subject. She taught us before in our very first semester of our course, and that was like 1 year and 14 weeks ago(roughly) ? She was teaching us Introduction to Information Technology practical classes back then. Judging from her first tutorial class, it's going to be interesting to have her teaching. Discussion without a one sided answer and learning from each other style.

Group Dynamics
Teaches us how to conduct group counselling. We'll have to work in pair with a classmate, and get at least 5 people who are willing to help us to help them. Taught by our head of school, Dr Chai. Previous year, our seniors seeked our help to help them to conduct their group counselling experiment. But my group's session ended up as a yam cha session with our seniors.

Counselling Methods & Techniques II
Continuation from Counselling Methods & Techniques I from semester 3. I enjoyed the practical classes in CM&T I, and I'll continue enjoying this one I guess? Lectures and Practical conducted by Miss Eva Li, while tutorial by Aggy Hooi, another lecturer/tutor whom I enjoy her class a lot. She was my class's tutor for Introduction to Psychology in our first semester. She's someone who challenges her students to think out of the box and not to rely too much on textbook.

Ethical and Legal Aspects of Counselling
I won't comment much on this subject. All I can say is I'm praying hard there is improvement in this subject's lecturer teaching style. Senior citizen Mr Kuan Ah Kan is the name of this subject's lecturer.

Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Taught by Miss Aggy Hooi. Need more I say about her?
I'm glad that she is teaching us. According to our senior, their batch got a part-time lecturer who isn't very good in teaching and made the subject very boring.

Sometimes, a dry subject can be fun if being taught by the correct person.

Canon Battery Grip BG-E3 for Digital Rebel XT

2007-10-14T17:16:00.000+08:00

Got my BG-E3 battery grip today, part of the wishlist of accessories for my Canon EOS 400D. For the price of RM450, inclusive of a piece of NB-2LH, the first word that came into my mind was; cheap.

Thanks to Liew Kah Fai once again for helping me to purchase them.

Now I'm saving for a Speedlite 580EX II. I don't mind if you would like to donate or sponsor me an external flash. Even a small loan, I would appreciate them.

Lessons Learned After An Accident

2007-10-08T23:36:00.000+08:00

Today was the first day of my new college semester. New timetable showed that my Monday classes starts and end at the same time with a college mate. So fetched her to college, and then fetched her home as well.

After dropping her at her home, while I was on my way home, at one of the cross junction, my car was hit by a on coming car.

At the cross junction, I was suppose to stop to see if there is any on coming cars, which I did. But it was raining heavily and my mirror was blurred by vapour, I saw no cars coming from any direction and I was clear to go. However, my judgment was wrong, there was a Grey Naza Ria coming from my left direction, it hit directly on the left of my car, there goes my left side's front and back door. I think the reason I could not see the car coming was probably the Naza Ria's light wasn't turned on, plus with the dark sky and it's Grey in colour.

The Naza Ria's driver was kind to check how was my condition. But my main concern was my car when I came down [ How am I going to travel around without a car? Never mind, make full use of public transport then. ]. Naza Ria's driver decided to make things easy by making a police report and insurance claim. I agreed with that. I'm in the wrong in the eyes of law, because Naza Ria had the priority to move, while my side has the "Berhenti" line. But too bad, I can't see it coming due to the blurred window. The driver apparently told me that he's actually rushing to send his daughter to college.

Photo courtesy of Mr Oh

I'm not cursing or going to blame anyone, if anyone is to be blamed, it would be yours truly for being careless. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I'm very grateful that I have no serious injuries in a serious accident I would say. My car almost turned turtle, call natural reflex of a skillful driver [ Cheewahhh :P ] or just plain pure luck, I managed to pull my steering to control it, something that my driving instructor told me before when I was learning how to drive [ How fortunate for being able to finally unleashed the skill ;P ].

Lessons Learned from this incident;

When it's raining, drive carefully. Finally I know why people around me always tell me that. Before this, I was overconfident. But now, I know I'm good, but it's other people that might suck. [LOL]

Window blurred and can't see clearly? take a few seconds to open your window to check how's the situation like. rather than trying to save a few seconds, you'll end up few hours trying to solve the problem ( wait for tow truck, go police station etc )

Managed to learn how to deal with insurance company thinggy when involved in an accident.

Knowing where, what and how to do a police report in an accident.

Photo courtesy of Mr Oh

My New Toy : Canon EOS 400D

2007-10-06T01:34:00.000+08:00

The photo above is the last photo taken with my Canon S3is before it was packed into it's original box, ready to find it's new owner. Posted at forum for the price of RM1.1K inclusive with all accessories worth close to RM500.

Paid RM2499 for a new Canon EOS 400D. Comes with Scandisk Ultra II CompactFlash 2GB, Raydawn 58mm UV Filter, EF Lens Work III: The Eyes of EOS, Canon DSLR Bag and a D-POD TR-38 Tripod.

Thanks to Liew Kah Fai for helping me to place an order through his college lecturer. It's slightly cheaper than market price.

Canon S3is is packed and ready to meet it's new owner soon.

Not to forget, with gratitude, thanks to my father for everything that you can see on both photos. He got me a Canon S3is, then now a Canon 400D when I want them.

Now I'm hoping to get a Canon Speedlite 580EX II and BG-E3 battery grip soon.

Gameness Platinum Weave Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi

2007-10-04T14:10:00.000+08:00

On Monday night, I rolled without a Jiu Jitsu Gi, was rolling with a pair of Fairtex AB1 and T-shirt instead.

Ding Martial Art Gymnasium doesn't sell any Jiu Jitsu Gi, but they were offering Judogi instead.
I didn't want to rush into any decision on getting which Gi, decided to survey instead.

According to Grapplemonkey's Guide to Buying a Gi;

The Difference Between a Judo and Jiu Jitsu Gi
If you are considering using a Judogi for BJJ or vice versa, you may want to know what the differences are. The main difference is the cut. Judogi have a looser fit and are easier to grab at the lapel or sleeve. In BJJ, this makes it more advantageous for your opponent, making it easier for him/her to get and maintain their grips. It’s also more lapel to choke you out with. Judo has strict rules for the length of the sleeve and style of the gi. It is not uncommon for competitors wearing BJJ kimonos to be disqualified or not allowed to compete in Judo competitions.

As the statement above, I certainly don't like looser fit clothing, and this applies to my Martial Arts uniform as well. The last time I wore a looser fit TaeKwonDo Uniform, I felt clumsy. So I decided that I'll be definitely be getting a Jiu Jitsu Gi.

The first place I thought about of getting my Gi was from KDT Academy's store, where I get my Fairtex grappling shorts from. Not many variety available compared to the last time I checked their online store. So I emailed Vince ( sometimes the store's stock are not updated ) in regards to getting a BJJ Gi, and he recommended Fuji "Victory" Single Weave BJJ Gi size A2 for RM358. But what I wanted was a Gameness Gi. The remainder of Gameness Single Weave Gi was in size A3, selling for RM375.

Fortunately for me,under the "Specials" section of the store, the last piece of Gameness Platinum Weave Gi size A2 was available, best still, blue in colour, the exact weave and colour I wanted. Was quoted RM448, 20% off from usual RM560 price tag. Quite worth it I would say, according to Gameness Official Store, Platinum Weave Gi is sold at USD135, and that's excluding shipping. ( Initially I thought of buying directly from the States if KDTA did not have any stock available )

So I asked Vince to reserve the last piece for me and collected the piece of Platinum this morning. Gameness Gis doesn't come with belt, so it was another RM60 for Gameness's white belt. Total was RM508, but Vince gave me another RM8 off (thanks man!) to make it RM500 in total.

To be very honest, I really don't like wearing my new BJJ Gi after first time trying to put them on. The feeling is so different compared to my TaeKwonDo uniform. It's so heavy. I certainly need sometime and a few rolling sessions to get used to it. But then, there goes RM500, no matter what, don't like also must say LIKE ! xD

A New Beginning With Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2007-10-02T13:30:00.001+08:00

Started a new journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Portuguese Purple Belt, Francisco Cunha "Quico".

Francisco Cunha "Quico" flanked by his instructors

Before Quico started our class, he explained a few things to everyone, a total of 17 athletes was there for the first session, including one Blue Belt from KDT Academy;

1. We must be in shape( being fit ).
2. Everyone learns from each other, no matter what belt you are.
3. What BJJ is all about.
4. ...and finally his BJJ experiences.

So we started the class with the usual warming up, then followed up with conditioning. Worked on the core, arms n legs with our body weight. I can tell myself that I'm not in shape at all before I could finished the conditioning routine. Now I'm having DOMS all over my tights, arms and abs as I'm typing this. Whatever routine we did, Quico explained to us the anatomical reason to it and how it helps us in our BJJ game.

Learned the basics of Guard and Mount in our first rolling session.
Quico also explains that during our rolling sessions, we should not go TOO hard with our rolling partner, just in case we might break or dislocated a joint.

All I can say is, after 2 years of hiatus from martial arts training, I'm very, very happy to be training again. What's even better is that I'm training under a friendly and humble instructor.

Guard

Side Mount

Currently there's only two Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clubs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
For those who are interested to learn the art of ground self-defense may check our the link below.

Body and Mental Strength

2007-09-28T11:28:00.000+08:00

Julien Greaux

I admire someone with a great physique(muscles etc) and athletic ability. But by just looking and admiring, wont bring me anywhere. I got to train, eat properly and be disciplined to build the great physique appearance and athletic ability. TRAIN with right effort!

Similarly, by admiring someone who is smart, intelligent, having high intellectual ability, simply by just admiring and not doing anything about it, will not bring me anywhere. What I need to do is train the "mental muscles" as well. By reading, learning with discipline and right effort.

Same concept applies, just on different goals.

In the gym, the harder I train with the right training approach, I get better physique.

In daily life, the more problem people around me gives me, the harder the problem, but with a right attitude and approach to face it, I toughen my mental strength.

Thank you for all the challenges in life =)

Where Is My Girlfriend?

2007-09-13T13:10:00.000+08:00

Had a family gathering recently. Most of my cousins came with their partner.
Then my uncle(s) asked me when I want to find one ?, when am I going to bring mine to show to uncles and aunties for approval?

Hmm.... good question. Hahaha!

One of my uncle even joked that I should not be waiting too long, or else it will grow shorter if I don't start using it. (A certain level of dirt in the mind is needed to understand this)

Who's name will be filled up in this certificate?

Well, I just can't seem to get myself a girlfriend for the past 2 years since my last breakup.

The reason: ~~Till now, there's only 1 girl I really still want to be with, but she doesn't want me anymore. So I'll just leave the space empty for now.~~ I can't find the right girl.

Frustrating Lower Back Pain

2007-09-04T20:47:00.001+08:00

The month of August has been a very frustrating one for me. After hurting my lower and seek for Chiropractor's help, there is still a little discomfort as I'm typing this and I'm still not allowed to start working out. I really miss RPM classes and weight lifting.

Infact, I've went to consult my Orthopedics for some pain killer and muscle relaxer, preparing myself for my semester finals which will be starting on this coming Friday. Whenever I sit too long, I'll have my lower back screaming for help. It's so frustrating that I can't sit long to concentrate on my revision.

What Major Is Right For You?

2007-08-30T23:13:00.000+08:00

You scored as Psychology/Sociology, You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in Psychology, Sociology, or related majors (e.g., Counseling, Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology, Social Work, or other social science majors).

It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it.

Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. Psychology and Sociology are both great minors to add to any major.

Psychology/Sociology

94%

Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health

88%

Religion/Theology

63%

History/Anthropology/LiberalArts

56%

Education/Counseling

56%

English/Journalism/Comm

56%

HR/BusinessManagement

50%

Physics/Engineering/Computer

50%

PoliticalScience/Philosophy

50%

French/Spanish/OtherLanguage

44%

Biology/Chemistry/Geology

38%

Visual&PerformingArts

31%

Accounting/Finance/Marketing

25%

Mathematics/Statistics

WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
created with QuizFarm.com

It seems that the courses that I'm taking now matches all top 3 fields that is best for me;

Diploma in Social Science(Counselling) under Education/Counselling is ranked 5th, but Diploma in Counselling is just one of the pathways I choosed to achieve my Degree in Psychology, which is top of my list.

Certificate in Buddhist Studies under Religion/Theology ranked 3rd while ISSA Personal Trainer Certification under Nursing/Athletic Training/Health ranked 2nd.

Did I mention that I ticked on Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science as my second choice after Diploma in Social Science(Counselling) while filling up my college's application form?

Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course - via American Degree Programme

2007-08-16T23:34:00.000+08:00

Let's go for American Degree Program!
Warning: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO SUCH ARTWORK WITH JALUR GEMILANG

In my previous write up, I was focusing more on private institutions that offers undergraduate Psychology course based on UK and Australian education system. Whereas In the United States, they adapt a totally different system. They adapt the system of Liberal Arts.

Unlike UK based education system where the syllabus has been set since from Pre-University year until students finally graduate, Liberal Arts give students a considerable amount of freedom to choose their subjects, which consist of;

General Papers
Compulsory to be taken
Consist of papers from various fields such as Communication,Computer,Mathematic,Social Science, Arts and Humanities, Natural Science, English etc
Certain amount of subjects are set by institution that has to be taken by students, on the other hand students are allowed to choose certain subjects related from the fields mentioned above that interest them. [ eg: In the field of Humanities, the institution requires student to choose 2 subjects out of the offered 5 subjects. ]

Major Related
The name says it all. It's also known as the Core Requirements or Requirements for Specialization.
A certain amount of subjects are being set by institution that has to be taken by students, another certain amount are to be chosen by students. In another words, students choose their Elective of the Major.

Elective
The widest range of subjects are available in this slot. Some might not be related to your major at all.

How the actual system works might vary from different institutions to another. So i'll just write roughly about it.

The minimum requirement for Malaysian students to enroll into ADP is SPM or it's equilavent.
It will be a 4 years duration of study years and the indication used on students to indicate the level of advancement are Freshmen(1st year), Sophomore(2nd year), Junior(3rd year) and finally Senior(4th year).

By Junior year(3rd year), students are required to declare their Major, and to graduate with a major, students are required to have a good amount of courses for them to be an expert in the field chosen. For example, a student who choses Psychology major, but only done two courses on Psychology, sounds unrealistic isn't it? That student has to take courses that makes him/her familiar with the basics of the different fields in Psychology.

And finally, to graduate, student has to fulfill a certain amount of credit hours. 100 credit hours for instance. You've accumulated 50 credit hours from your Core subjects, and you'll have to accumulated another 50 credit hours combined from both Minor and Electives paper. If student thinks that it's useless for them to study unrelated subjects to their major, they can still choose elective of their major. It's up to students to be narrow or broad.

*credits to Lowyat.Net forumers for sharing information that contributes to the write up above.

Usually private institutions in Malaysia offers student 2+2, where 2 years program are completed locally, and the remainder of 2 years will be completed in their respective Universities overseas. So basically Freshmen and Sophomore years are done locally, while Junior and Senior years are done overseas.

The number of institutions offering American Degree Transfer Program is not limited to the list above. Those that are not listed above means their institution doesn't offer Psychology in their American Degree Program list. This could be due to the institutions lacking on resources.

Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course

2007-08-11T01:35:00.000+08:00

As far as we know there isn't many Private Institutions offering undergraduate Psychology course in Malaysia. Being a student who is interested to pursue a degree in Psychology myself, I used to face difficulty on getting information that I wanted/needed after I completed my SPM(equivalent to GCE "O" Levels). When I was at college, I was quite surprise to find that most of my course mates doesn't know WHERE and HOW to acquire for such information. They just enroll and study without knowing what's their next direction?

I'm doing this writeup hoping that it will be useful to prospect students of Psychology. Take note that I'm not endorsing any of the institutions mentioned nor being affiliated to them. This will just serve as a shallow platform of information and It's based on my personal survey with limited resources, therefore I do not guarantee full accuracy of information provided as institutions mentioned might alter them from time to time.

To date, there are 5 private institutions that offers Undergraduate Psychology course;

HELP University College

Offers their own 3+0 HELP University College Bachelor of Psychology(Hons) Program under the Faculty of Behavioral Sciences

Students may also opt to transfer credits to leading universities in Australia, United Kingdom or New Zealand

Sunway University College

Offers Bachelor of Psychology(Hons), a joint Honours Degree with Lancaster University under the Department of Psychology

University College Sedaya International

Offers a 3+0 Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Psychology under the School of Social Science & Liberal Arts.

Student may opt for UCSI's International Degree Pathway with Universties in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom or USA

Monash University, Malaysia Campus

Offers 3+0 Bachelor of Arts with a few major to choose from, Communication, International Studies, Writing and Psychology. Offered under the School of Arts and Sciences.

Under the School of Business Bachelor of Psychology & Business is being offered as well.

University Tunku Abdul Rahman

Offers 3+0 Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) Psychology program under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences(FAS)

All 5 institutions requires student to go through a Pre-University programme before being allowed to enroll into their undergraduate programme. It could be the generally accepted GCE 'A' Levels, STPM, AUSMAT, SAM, CIMP to name a few, or the institution's very own foundation programme. However, due to the fact that there is no 1 standardized foundation programme in Malaysia, every institution sets their own standard for their offered foundation programme. Students who opt for Institution's own foundation program may need to resit certain subject papers if they were to transfer to another institution.

My next writeup would be Private Institutions That Offers Undergraduate Psychology Course - via American Degree Programme.

Tunku Abdul Rahman College UK Collaboratives

2007-08-09T19:47:00.001+08:00

I can't help but to post this information up just in case if there is any TARC-ian who might be facing dilemma on their progression route after Diploma. This writeup would just serve as a very shallow information based on my limited resources.

Based on my batch's prospectus (2006/2007), students who are interested in studying at United Kingdom for a Honours Degree will have to complete TARC's Advance Diploma, then they are entitled to proceed for a 3 months summer programme with either Liverpool Johns Moores University or Sheffield Hallam University depending on the course they are studying.

BUT, that's not the only choice. There are certain route that wasn't mentioned in the prospectus. Something that I just found out last night while surfing for information about UK Universities that offers Post Graduate studies in Sport Psychology.

Sheffield Hallam University actually has 3 special tailored programmes for TARC students. Not only the mentioned 3 months summer programme, but also Two Years Progression Degree Programmes for Diploma graduates and Continuation Masters Programme for those who graduate with Sheffield Hallam University degrees on the Summer Semester Programme or Progression Degree programme.

On the other hand, to pursue a Liverpool Johns Moores University degree, only Summer Programme is offered. Postgraduate Masters Courses are also offered, but totally different to what Sheffield Hallam University has to offer. Sheffield Hallam University's Postgraduate programmes are said to be specially tailored for TAR College students only. While Liverpool John Moores University are chosen ones deemed to be most suitable to students on the Malaysian Summer Programme.

If you still need any information with regards to the issue mentioned above, wait for the periodic visits of academic staffs from the respective University to TAR College.

Making Orders with Binabadan.com

2007-08-06T13:39:00.001+08:00

Binabadan.com , one of the link shown on my sidebar, and a site which I got to know recently from Chrisdaanimal's recommendation.

Among those websites available on my sidebar links, I found that Binabadan.com has the cheapest pricing among all. ONS 100% WHEY Gold 5lbs is only being sold at RM165, that's RM15 cheaper compared to my tub of WHEY that I purchased from EGOnutritions back last month.

I was talking about me not getting proper Pre-Workout and Post-Workout meals in here, so I made an inquiry to Bidabadan.com regarding Pre-Workout supplement that they have in store.

The store owner, Dave, recommended anything that contain caffeine, synephrine and mahuang or testosterone can boost your workout by 50 to 60%. At the time of correspondence, he only has two items in store available, M1T-Rx and BSN N.O.-Xplode. I never heard of M1T-Rx before, so I made my own research with limited sources via the internet about M1T-Rx and found this;

Is there any side-effects?

M1T-Rx contains actual androgen hormone characteristics, therefore may yield side-effects if taken more than the recommended dosage.

Headache may occur if user has never taken pro-hormone before.

WARNING!

THIS IS A SUPER STRONG STUFF. Please read the label carefully. DO NOT INCREASE THE DOSAGE. USE AS RECOMMENDED. PLEASE DO CYCLE THE PRODUCT IF YOU WANT YOUR LIVER! Take milk thistle daily. Drink plenty of water.

Not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18 or women. This product contains steroid hormones. If taken in the excessive dosage it may cause breast enlargement, testicle shrinkage, and infertility in males and increase facial and body hair, voice deepening, and clitoral enlargement in females. If you are at risk for prostate or breast cancer you should not use this product. Do not use this product if you have pre-existing medical condition such as prostate enlargement, heart disease or hormone abnormalities. Do not exceed the recommended serving. Exceeding recommended serving may cause serious adverse health effects. Possible side effects include hair loss, acne, hair growth on the face (in women), aggressiveness, irritability, and increased levels of estrogens. Discontinue use and call a physician or licensed qualified health care professional immediately if you experience rapid heartbeat, dizziness, blurred vision, or other similar symptoms. Use of this product may be banned by some athletic associations. Anyone subject to drug-testing or doping procedures (e.g. IOC, USOC, NCAA, IPC, IFBB) should consult their governing organization before using this product.

After reading the statement above, my testicles shrunk before I even started consuming M1T-Rx and I told myself not to be exposed to all the risks mentioned above even if it could bring the visible different in growth in just 7 days with M1T-Rx.

I've read alot about BSN's N.O.-Xplode from various sources about how good they are to get us pumped up for a workout, no matter what sports you are doing, they just work great. So I decided to order a tub of N.O.-Xplode 1.81lbs for myself to test how great it is considering Binabadan.com is only selling it for RM190 + RM10 for shipping ( EGOnutritions are selling them at RM253 for the same item ). But only Grape flavor was available at the time of buying and also was the last tub before the next batch arrives.

Banked in RM200 into Binabadan Enterprise's account on Thursday 11am. Item was shipped on Friday, and arrived to my house via Skynet at 11:30am Saturday. But, I wasn't at home.

But Skynet gave me a call this morning at 9am informing me about their delivery, and at 1:30pm, I got my hands on my 1st tub of BSN N.O.-Xplode. Thumbs up to Binabadan.com for a smooth transaction.

I'm really excited to get a taste of XPLODE from it. But I'll still have to be patient for the time being to treat my back injury. I hope to write up my personal review on my current Pre-Workout(BSN N.O.-Xplode) and Post-Workout(ONS 100% WHEY Gold) meal soon.

P/s: My dad is a bit paranoid about me consuming supplements. He believes in getting nutrition from natural sources from daily balance diet only, but for me, it should be a balance between natural sources from our balance diet WITH supplements. What more when it comes to bodybuilding supplements, where the first thing that comes into his mind when I mention "Sport Supplement" is Steroids.

So, I have to hide my tub of N.O.-Xplode inside my cupboard.

Chiropractic Treatment

2007-08-04T19:23:00.000+08:00

I hurt my back on Tuesday, on Wednesday, out of curiosity, I googled about Chiropractor, and found www.chiropracticmalaysia.com.my. The nearest clinic to my home is at Taman Maluri, Cheras.

On Friday, my back did not get better, called up my regular orthopaedic doctor at 3pm but the nurse told me he was in the Operation Theater performing operation. Decided to try my luck to find Chiropractic Healthcare Associates with the only keyword I remember "Kompleks Maluri". Thankfully that a friend of mine was with me and she was familiar with the area I mentioned. Managed to find it easily.

At 4pm, stepped into the clinic and to my suprise the number of patients waiting for their turn for treatment/consultation. The receptionist told me to wait till 6pm, which then I went to a nearby shopping mall to have a meal and went back there at 6pm. Even if they told me to wait till 10pm, I would, cos the sore on my back was bad that almost every bit of body movement caused pain.

To cut the long story short, I was introduced to Dr Moira Robertson.

She did assessments on my back and then explained VERY clearly to me what had happen to me and did some adjustment on my back. After going for just one session, All I can say is, I STRONGLY recommend Chiropractic treatment for back problems instead of taking pain killers. As I've mentioned before in my previous post, taking pain killer just "covers up" the pain, but the root of the problem is not fixed yet, which Dr Moira too do not agree with her patients taking pain killers.

Went for my second treatment after lunch today and again, it just got better after today's adjustment.

My next treatment will be on Tuesday.

Lower Back Pain

2007-08-02T18:49:00.000+08:00

In the past 2 years, I've strained my lower back a few times because lifting things that are heavy with a wrong posture. Instead of bending my knees and squat to pick the items up, I bend over and lift instead. Besides that, If I can recall clearly, sometimes I even twist my body to look behind or talk to friends while lifting the heavy item.

Two days ago, I strained my back again while playing a game where we had to build a human pyramid structure. I was one of the few guys who act as the base of the pyramid, lifting our friends up. All of sudden I can feel my lower back 'gave way' or the feeling of being PULLED.

I try not to take any muscle relaxer or pain killers because it only 'covers' up the pain with the underlying problem still there. Whatever body movement that will strain the back more will cause pain, While taking drugs to 'cover' the pain, we tend to move our body over the limit that causes strain, but not being aware of it. So it's damaging it more without knowing it. Another way of saying this is It's important to know that the pain is there to know the limit of my body movement and posture.

Went to google-ed about "Lower Back Pain" and there are hundread over websites providing information on Lower Back Pain.

I personally found these two sites very beneficial to me.

What You Need to Know about Back Pain
Low Back Pain: Tips on Pain Relief and Prevention

Trainers conduct workshop for fitness professionals

2007-08-01T22:42:00.000+08:00

This article was published in the Metro Section of the Star newspaper on (28 July 2007) so I thought I'd put a copy up here before its lost to the archives.

By NG WEI LOON
Photos by SAMUEL ONG

weiloon@thestar.com.my

LOCAL fitness professionals and buffs were given the opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade from two master fitness trainers - Robert Sherman and Abbie Appel - from the Reebok University based in the United States recently.
They were in town for the two-day Reebok Resolution Asia Premier Fitness Certification Tour.
Sherman said their role was to impart knowledge on the latest techniques and equipment to boost the local instructors' level of fitness education and arm the professionals with the skills to train their clients better.
“We are impressed with the high level of energy displayed by the participants. And they certainly have the desire to improve. Their willingness to learn indicates that they are passionate about their profession,” he added.

Energetic: Participants in action during the training programme using resistance bands.

Sherman, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years said the growth segments in the trade were on personal, yoga and strength training.
Meanwhile, Appel said she was delighted with the participants' excitement in accepting new ideas in her debut appearance here.
“I specialise in stability ball workouts that engage the core muscles to work inside out. I also choreograph dance movements and incorporate sports drills in my fitness programmes,” she said.
Malaysia's master trainer Irene Lee was also present.
The three led the eager participants through various vigorous physical regimes.
Besides Malaysia, the workshop was also held in Hong Kong, Korea, India, Indonesia and Thailand this season.

Show of strength: Appel (front) and Sherman at the workshop.

“The workshop has been a regular feature in our calendar. We have been hosting this event in Malaysia for about 10 years,” said RSH (M) Sdn Bhd advertising and promotions manager Jay Mee Chuah, adding that the event drew about 50 participants.
As the climax to the two-day event, the participants took part in the Reebok Rhythm Challenge conducted by Lee.
The contestants were evaluated based on their flair, speed, endurance, physical condition, control, execution, energy and attire throughout the one-hour Hi/Low aerobic master class.
The top three winners received prizes worth RM2,300.
The best dressed female and male participants also took home RM500 worth of prizes each.
The event's co-sponsor included 100-Plus, Aster Spring, Brand's, Dermalogica, GNC, Gym and Care, Nestle, Pathlab and TruDtox.
Other partners were Maskulin, Nona, Rapi and Shape.

From Left: Irene Lee, Robert Sherman, Abbie Appel and finally, me! :D