Hottest Video Clip in NTU

Video clips have become rather popular these days, and of course YouTube can take credit for that. There has been one particular clip that has been circulating around NTU recently that has become so hot, my Indian friend studying here in NTU heard about it from his friends back in India! It's also featured on Mr.Brown's website.

Take a look! ==> NTU student survey

Selamat Hari Raya and Deepavali Vazhthukkal

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Maaf Zahir dan Batin.
...and a belated Happy Deepavali!

Hari Raya (this year, Deeparaya... hehe...) to me back in Malaysia was just a holiday time to relax and have lots of stuff to eat at the Ramadhan bazaars. But being in Singapore, especially this year somehow, it feels... lonely. The decorations are all at Geylang Serai/Little India. The festivities are all over there.

This is what separates Malaysia from Singapore. In Singapore, it feels fake for some reason or another. Over here on the "ulu" west end of Singapore the most I'll expect to see is a banner (by the government, of course) wishing everyone a Happy whatever and if I'm lucky, decorations such as lightings spanning the road etc.

I can do without all the lighting and stuff. Where is the "feeling"? The "atmosphere"?

I still love Malaysia. And I'm proud of it. : )
p.s. Please love me back...

On another note... There is something major celebrations in Malaysia in recent years cannot do without, and that is... a PETRONAS advertisement. People really have a liking to these advertisements, because apart from reminding everyone some major festivity is coming soon, it is also touching and always teaches or reminds us of some important values in life. I can watch a PETRONAS ad and cry. And I have Yasmin Ahmad (once again) to blame for some of those incidences. She's great, and she's one of my favorite Malaysian Malaysian (as opposed to ultra-Islamic Malays, Sino-centric Chinese etc.).

Here's the links for some of this year's ads: CNY2006 and Hari Raya 2006 (sorry, can't find Deepavali one)

Nice comic!

These are a few comics which I always look forward to see in the newspapers or online:

Baby Blues
Get Fuzzy
Foxtrot
Zits
DrMcNinja
Big Top

Before the recess week I attended a URECA talk, and one of the presenters/speakers was this guy who trains the Singapore Physics Olympiad team (!). Anyway, I noticed some interesting comic strips in his presentation slides. I checked it out online and I've been addicted ever since... haha... It's more towards research and post-grads jokes, but it's hilarious nonetheless. Check out PhDComics!

Mid-Autumn Haze

Mid Autumn Festival (中秋节) is here once more... and so is the haze.

Oh the haze... I think many Malaysians and Singaporeans won't forget how bad the notorious haze was in 1997/1998. Even managed to get into National Geographic if I'm not mistakened. Economic losses were purported to be at US$9.3 billion (from a Wikipedia article here)! And I remember I had to wear a mask to school (the simple cheap cheap type) in standard 6. The PSI (Polutants Standard Index), or the API (Air Pollution Index), was at an all time high at my place... 100+! Of course, there were places that were worse off like Kuching... the PSI there reached an all time crazy high of 839! The visibility was within the range of 300-500m only I think.

Then a few months after coming to Singapore I was also considering of wearing a mask... for SARS... but that is a different story =P

Anyway, I also clearly remember that I didn't manage to see the moon during Mid-Autumn Festival in 1997. And possibly this year too, or at least it'll not as bright as I would have loved it to be. Sadly the rains don't seem to help much... and I'm keeping indoors and not running at all these days because of the haze.

Well, thank goodness November is on the way... time for the monsoon winds to change (from south-west to north-east) and that'll greatly reduce the haze in the Southeast Asian region. The haze will be directed to the Indian Ocean and West Australia instead (which is fine since not so many people live there). But Sumatrans (and Javans also I guess) will continue to suffer lah. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono... do something!