Now, then and sunset on the guitar.

Just thought I would write a few words after all this while, updating about what I'm doing now and next.

So after a lot of hard work I have completed my final year project on time, and I'll start having my first paper this Friday. There will be four papers for this final-final exams, with the last paper on May 12.

What I'll do next? Let's see. Going to climb Mount. Sungai Lembing, again. Try my luck on sunrise again. And then, would probably go to Kuala Kangsar to visit a friend. After that, Cameron Highlands, again.

Then, looking for a job.

What would happen next remains a mystery now anyway.

On another note, I love sunset on the guitar. :)

YER BLUES
"the sun goes down on the new Fender acoustic..."
- Copyright 2006 by Rick Macomber

“One day,” you said to me, “I saw the sunset forty-four times!”
And a little later you added:
“You know--one loves the sunset, when one is so sad…”
“Were you so sad, then?” I asked, “on the day of the forty-four sunsets?”
But the little prince made no reply.

- Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Once again.

It's been a really looooong time.

I had had doubts if I would ever continue writing in this blog again, or if anyone would still be following, checking on my blog every weekend, having that tiny little hope that she or he may see an update.

And if anyone still does, I greatly appreciate your appreciation, and I'm also awfully sorry for deserting this blog for more than three months.

But I'm back today, again. Things I'll be writing here may be different from what I've always been writing though; it's been a long time, and people changes from time to time. After all, the world is dynamic, life is dynamic, people are dynamic.

Change is always for the better, I believe.

My return today is a very simple one - I just have these quotes from significant figures that I really like to share. Writing in facebook status or windows live messenger's personal message can only include that many - and I have read so many good lines today that I really like people to know.

They've made my day. Hope they do the same to you too, whoever is reading.

Mark Twain (American humorist, writer and lecturer. 1835-1910)

Image from cmgww.com

• “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

• “Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.”

Maya Angelou (American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. 1928-present)

Image from mayaangelou.com

• "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

• "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
  

• "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it."
  

• "Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness."
  

• "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

Mae West (American actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol. 1893-1980)

Image from allaboutmae.com

• "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough."

I only learned about this great woman, Maya Angelou, today. And yes, I'm going to check out her famous book "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" soon!

When I've got the time to hit the bookstore.

I hate this but I'm having so little time to be spent on going out. It's a dangerous place we're living in, but I guess once in a while, we all need some fresh air, somewhere else.

A bookstore, a restaurant, or a movie.

2012 was good in terms of graphics, moderately heart-gripping, but somehow it's also commercialised, if you know what I mean. It could have been better, if it could go deeper than just surface.

Humanity. The best test I've ever seen on movies was in Batman: The Dark Knight; where two ships were installed with bombs. If you've seen that movie, you know what I meant.

Thanks for reading Eternal Baroque. Good evening, and have a great weekend. :)

Things that inspire

One interesting thing about commercial ads is that sometimes it inspires. Like watching a meaningful movie, or listening an emotional song; the heart aches, then it warms up; a surge of life in your veins.

It's not hard to survive in this modern days. But perhaps, most of us have problems seeing through; knowing how to live.

And that's the reason some movies, some songs, some ads, could touch a cord in you; as if you've been asleep for all this while, waiting for that one sentence, to wake you up to life.

To cut long story short - I went for a movie night out with my friends last night (Public Enemy, great!), and there was this Chivalry commercial before the movie started. It was as if the narrator was talking to me - a life-inspiring message.

The Movement, Live with Chivalry, Chivas


Transcript:

Millions of people. Everyone out for themselves. Can this really be the only way? No.
Here's to honor. and to gallantry, long may it live.
Here's to doing the right thing. To giving a damn.
Here's to the straight-talkers, who give their word, and keep it.
Here's to freedom, wherever you find it, and to knowing the true meaning of wealth.
Here's to the brave among us.
Here's to a code of behavior that sets certain men apart from all others.
Here's to us. Live with Chivalry.

On another note, the background music used in this commercial is a masterpiece. Can't resist to not share it with you. I love how the music flies from one point.




To Build A Home - Cinematic Orchestra

There is a house built out of stone
Wooden floors, walls and window sills...
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust..
This is a place where I don't feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home.......


Cause, I built a home
for you
for me

Until it disappeared
from me
from you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust........


Out in the garden where we planted the seeds
There is a tree as old as me
Branches were sewn by the color of green
Ground had arose and passed it's knees

By the cracks of the skin I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree to see the world
When the gusts came around to blow me down
I held on as tightly as you held onto me
I held on as tightly as you held onto me......


Cause, I built a home
for you
for me

Until it disappeared
from me
from you

And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust........

Victory, or destroyed by war.

It's a harsh cold world out there at the front line.

Being thrown, pushed, crushed, defeated, devastated, depressed. And still the next morning you have to wake up and survive the next battle.

Though till then, all the battles fought were only minor scratches of the whole cruel world.

But the failures in fighting these minor wars were already able to smash the young spirit into shatters and pieces.

Life isn't hard, everyone else is doing the same, and even more difficult jobs than you are; But life's still overwhelming, while you can't even win the weakest monsters when others are already slashing throats of huge demons.

Like a loser gamer in Diablo II, stuck at the ground level and could never break through to the next.

I am baffled in newsdesk. But I'm still surviving, at least able to breathe.

Though the worst part of it hasn't even come yet.

Watching people battling one of the worst demons I feel belittled. I know if it were me, I couldn't handle it.

Relieved and angry at the same time.

Relieved since I know that demon is out of the limit of my capability to handle; Angry because I know I couldn't handle this if it were me while others can excel it.

Even though the hands are trembling when weapons are set out; even though the shoulders are shaking when armour lies in front; even though the tongue is tied dumb when horn is handed - there is no turning back for a soldier on the red line.

In the end it's only sieg or vom krieg zerstört.

All we can hope is a ride on four horses over the Siegestor when the curtain draws.

"Dem Sieg geweiht, vom Krieg zerstört, zum Frieden mahnend" - inscription on back side of The Siegestor (Victory Gate) in Munich by Wilhelm Hausenstein.

"Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, reminding of peace".

Ah, entertain-ing.

Time to blow away some dust. Sorry people, again I'd been caught up by both work and also laziness for weeks - friend said that working people have no life, and I'm one of those lazy pigs who wake up in the morning with working blues and come back from work to do nothing else for the rest of the day.

The last time I posted anything I was at fashion and beauty desk, but now I've been switched to the entertainment/lifestyle desk - which, I would have to say, is more interesting to me than f&b - well, except for the freebies part.

While I don't get to get all those latest eye shadows, glossy lipsticks, perfect foundations anymore working in this desk, I get something different after all - the experience of talking with SOMEONE interesting.

The difference between f&b and entertainment is the object of interest - one is about the products, the other is about the persons.

Undeniably, there had been boring times where you ate small biscuits, smiled half-heartedly to the PRs, heated the chair for nothing and wasted some inks for apparently no reasons other than to waste the inks.

However, there had been times, too, that you would meet people who are actually INTERESTING; Those were the people who actually inspires, excites, interests.

Some travelled far enough to share exciting stories; some went through much enough to tell you how to not fail life itself; And some served good food.

...... Yes, I'd been for food review and also movie review - Korean food and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button respectively. :P

So far being in the entertainment/lifestyle desk gives good experience going out, it might not be as relaxed and pampered as in f&b coverings, but you do see more than just fashion and beauty.

"The reason why I could've developed all these interests, is that I'd put all my time into business and hobbies only - I don't shop, I don't watch TV, I don't go for spa or facial," said a female adventure traveller on 4x4 vehicles across South America last year, who is also a florist, dancer and chinese ink painter besides being a published photographer now.

Shows the relation between emphasizes on fashion and beauty and level of personal development.

But still, I envy my friend who got the SOTHYS body treatment in f&b desk. I need one for my tired feet!

A devil and a not-that-sane man

We all have obsessions - be it that adorable laces, that creepy tune or that Keanu Reeves; We all have crave for something or someone at one time.

And my obsessions currently would have to be the smoking hot devil Chuck Bass, the insanely humourous Dr. Walter Bishop and everything about the two extremely definitive persona.

TV series Gossip Girl made a huge come back in end of last year, airing its Season 2, with Chuck Bass (played by Ed Westwick) ever more seductive and Serena Van Der Wurtsen ever more gorgeous. The series revolve around the lives of Manhattan elites, the upper-east side's glam and scandals of the filthy rich teens.

Serena with her on-and-off relationship with Dan, Nate with his high fidelity currently hooking up with Vanessa for god-knows-how-many-days-it'll-last (I bet he will hit on to another girl the next few episodes), Jenny with her competitive side coming back to school after quitting fashion job, Blair with her love-and-hate relationship with Chuck - now it's already episode 16 and I'm still craving for more and more DRAMAS!

Chuck Bass is certainly the devil, the bad boy, the mephisto who is never ashamed of being filthy rich and using those money for filthy pleasures. Drugs, women, alcohol - this guy has all sorts of problems but he still pulls it off looking metrosexually seductive. When you thought he's just a heartless mean bastard, the next second he's showing his mercy on things and people he treasures; And yet, the next minute he puts on his devilish smirk on his face again, heartlessly and heart-breakingly saying : "'Cause I'm Chuck Bass", watching the world burn in his hands.

Maybe it's true that women are naturally blessed with "maternal instinct" that when triggered, couldn't stop but fall to save the man who is god-knows-if-he-himself-even-wants-to-be-saved. Chuck, as problematic as he is, Blair falls hard for him, trying to save him even though it turns her world upside-down, destroys her own life, makes her suffer. And yes, I bet there are also a whole lot of girls out there queuing up to save this gorgeous guy, hoping that this guy can be saved. And yeah, that is what makes Chuck the guy so sought after - the maternal-instinct trigger-puller. Voila!

Fringe is another sure-to-make-the-headline series first aired in September last year. Created by Lost creator J. J. Abrams, with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Fringe is a sci-fi series that explores the realms of fringe science - a type of science that is debatable, possibly-destructive and questionable, yet, theoretically possible to realize. Levitation, teleportation, telepathy - these might seem bizarre and probably more spiritual than scientific, yet the series pulls it all together possible with fringe science, making science the new God.

In search of information about "the Pattern", FBI agent Olivia Dunham, highly intelligent fraud criminal Peter Bishop and institutionalized research scientist Dr. Walter Bishop team up to decode all the unusual incidents happening all around the world, looking for a scientific clue to understand "the Pattern".

In spite of the amazingly addictive plot lines, the Frankenstein-mixed-with-Albert-Einstein Dr. Walter Bishop is certainly one of the most interesting character in the show. He has been in a mental facility for 17 years before being granted permission to leave to help in the investigation of Olivia. This man, as highly intelligent as he is, has an almost humourous style of speaking and way of acting.

Dr. Walter has a personal lab at Harvard with a personal cow to milk for personal drink which he heats it with lab equipments - even though it seems really insane to drink milk from a laboratory-used measuring cup but John Noble (who plays the role Dr. Walter Bishop) makes it hilariously normal-looking.

Not to mention that seriously funny phone conversation with his son Peter Bishop : "Hello, This is me, your father, Walter Bishop," which is being replied indifferently by Peter : "Thank you, Walter. I know who you are." Wonder who would have come up with that line on the phone!

It's not too unusual when it comes to Dr. Walter to comment like this when he saw a bizarre parasite housing on the heart of a poor man : "This is spectacular"; Or him to reply like this when Peter told him the person they were looking for was dead : "Does he still have his head? Is it still attached to his body?"

You know he is somehow insane, yet that is what makes Walter such an interesting character - he doesn't feel out of place with his insanity and thinks that he is acting appropriately while milking a cow in his lab or saying that the onion soup beside victim's body looks tasty at the scene of a horrible deaths in a restaurant.

Thanks to Dr. Walter Bishop, Fringe has something to laugh about besides the addictive tension all over the show.

Dramas is brewing round the corner - I can't wait to have more of it! And you- are you ready4more?

I bet Dr. Walter Bishop will be saying over there : "Excellent! Let's make some LSD!"

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year!

I finally have my five-day break before back to work again.

My mind is still in a mess, but I'll get over it soon. I guess.

Until then, I wish you all good luck and good fortune in the Year of Ox! :)

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

Let's face it, you're not Kate Moss.

I have been in the fashion & beauty desk for two weeks now. I know, I know, you all have tons of questions like "Oh my god, is it cool?", "Gorgeous, did you get to try some free make-up?", "Freak, aren't you so in trend now?"...

However, the truth is that it's actually a bunch of Paris-obsessed and Kate-Moss-worshiping and vitamins-enriched products.

One of the Paris brands told me that turquoise and plum are the make-up colours trend this season. So I tried turquoise on one eye and plum on another eye, and I looked like I had two black eyes - one that has already blue black and one that just got punched one second ago.

And tell me if this is even logical - one of the make-up brands have one of their trend to look as if Kate Moss just woke up. If you want to get a look of just-woke-up, then just woke up and get out of the house. And if you seriously badly want that smoky eyes smudged look, sleep one hour and woke up and go. Otherwise try punching your eyes. Or apply turquiose and plum colour together.

If you do get the just-woke-up look perfect, I suggest wearing one of those designs for CNY this spring to perfect-ize it. They looked just like your grandmother's pyjamas. And seriously, some of the designs I saw were so smudged that I couldn't sense any design in it - perfect match for your smudged just-woke-up look.

Once you get everything ready, you might want to get you yourself to be ready. Spa is a good choice but I find it difficult to get that the spa products actually make you younger when the spokeperson looks like she's got layers of plastic on her face. And what's more, those nerves-confusing exercise to beautify your skin - I believe I'll have nerves-break-down syndrome before I have my chin shaped.

Besides, here's a good news for vitamin-obsessed : 90% of the beauty products are vitamins-enriched. Any kind of vitamins you can think of and those you won't even dream of in your wildest dream are added in moisturizer, facial cleanser, whitening cream, eye gel, hand cream and foot lotion. Seriously, everything. And I think they even add it in lipstick and toothpaste, so that your lips and your teeth are not left out from vitamins.

So far, I'm feeling so cool with all this, don't you agree?

Just, brief.

It's high time to update my blog, I guess! I've been quite busy with work since my internship started on 5th January; almost caught me exhausted.

I'm currently assigned to the Fashion & Beauty department of The Sun newspapers. Normally this section will be published on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays. So check out extra careful on these days if you might catch my name there! (If you know my full name!)

I already had one on Wednesday for a very brief article. A good start!

Besides, the sun management will be rotating us interns - I'll be in Entertainment next month and newsdesk finally in March.

In spite of being busy with work, still, I try to keep my head above the water. :)

There's tons of things revolving inside my head; yet it also feels like there's nothing really significant that I have to spill it out - isn't that weird? hehe.

Well, while I take some time to clear my head up, I have two movie lines from "Hitch" to share with you here. Good day!

"Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love.
If you must steal, steal away from bad company.
If you must cheat, cheat death.
And if you must drink,
drink in the moments that take your breath away." - Hitch

And, always remember...

"Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away."

-Hitch

2009, I resolve to be a better girl.

It's a whole new year starting today! 1st of January, don't we all love it? :)

I know it's been soooo long I hadn't updated my blog here. What I'd done in the end of year 2008? I had gone to Singapore from 24 to 27 of December, celebrating Christmas in the crowded modern Asian city. The theme this year was "A Sweet Christmas in Singapore", so lamp posts along Orchard Road were decorated into candy canes. They were so cute!

I'll post the photos up once I got them from my friends. ^^

We all make new year resolutions when a new year comes. Even though we could not quite make them in some of the years, but it was still an exciting ritual to do, embracing the coming new fresh year. And that's what I'm going to do, too! :P

First of all, I want to perform well in my internship starting 5th of January! As you would have read it some posts ago, I am going to do my internship for three months in The Sun Daily. Yes, the Nation's free newspapers which is Telling it as it is. The Sun newspapers is considered to be one of the most neutral newspapers in Malaysia, providing high quality news. I still do not know which department would I be in, but whichever it is, I want to do well, or at least fine!

Secondly, I want to have more self-confidence. You would never look good without a pint of confidence threw on yourself. You would never be capable without a layer of confidence glowing on you. You would never make your point clear without a little more confidence. I want to have more confidence in being myself, admit the wrongs, praise the good, point out the unfair and feel good about myself.

Thirdly, I want to be better in bass. And get really good in jamming. And make it to somewhere this year, if possible.

Next I want to further expand my circles of friends and go to more places I've never visited. I want to see more and know more still.

Also I resolve to be more considerate, and reasonable when talking to people. I'll think before I hurt someone with my words, and I'll state my point clear when someone tries to take advantage of me. That's very important. :)

Last but not least, I resolve to live healthier than last year. I'll yum cha not more than five nights a week; I'll sleep at 1 a.m. the latest on nights I didn't have assignments or yum chas; I'll do more walking to buy nutritious groceries; I'll shop really less, only for important things; and I'll be less emotional.

I guess my every list ends with a seven. So here's my big important seventh point : Life's short, do it if you want to know how it would be, and don't regret. I know it's a bit cliche, but I would end the post with my favourite quote from the movie Transformers :

"Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car? " - Sam Witwicky

Happy New Year!

The Best of My 2008

It's the Dong Zhi today! A festive day for Chinese, signifying winter solstice and also the end of previous year. Two days later we'll be celebrating Christmas. It's time to say "Happy New Year" !


It's the time in a year to start making conclusions for the previous year, and make new year resolutions for next year. So far the year 2008 has been a year of widening circles, opening views, stretching horizons and growing up for me. I feel grateful as I draw my conclusions for my own 2008.

1. Joined a band

"I heard that you play bass?" asked Calvin when my roommate gave me his MSN. "Yeah," I replied. And that marked the beginning of me having a band - now with Calvin as one of the guitarists, I as bassist, Pei as drummer and Khai as guitarist also. And I wouldn't forget to mention this time - and Teko as band manager (and vocalist sometimes) ! :P


2. Valuable memories on Terengganu islands

In mid May and June I went to two islands in Terengganu - the happening Redang and the breath-takingly beautiful Lang Tengah. It was the first time I ever see such crystal clear seawater when I reached Redang. Saw colourful corals, fishes and got to feel a live sea cucumber. Got myself a photo of snorkelling under the sea. Danced and drunk in Redang too!



Lang Tengah was yet another great experience -I saw five sharks in one day of snorkelling. I even got to play a Nemo with my own hands! Jungle trekked and saw Green Tears (a kind of plankton that glows in the night, usually seen on beaches), baby turtles and shooting stars!! And I touched the Christmas Tree corals, too. :)



3. Went to different places

I never really went to many places myself, I'd not been overseas and I only been to Melaka, Johor, Pahang and once to Sarawak. But that was before September this year! My coursemates and I went for trip to Taiping, Perak and Penang Island after our finals ended for the May semester. Nigth-safari-ed the first time in Taiping, and tasted real local Penang food in Penang! Ah, those asam lasak, fried oyster, Muachi....Yummy!



Right after came back from Penang, I went to Ipoh to attend one of my best friend's birthday party at her grandmother's house. Treated myself to lots of tasty Indian food - that was when I knew there were sooo many different kinds of Indian curry! Visited the Kellie's Castle and Gua Tempurung and also tried a few famous local dishes such as the Ipoh Tauge Chicken.



4. Watch gigs and see musicians in action

Thanks to Calvin and Teko, I had chances to watch more gigs and see more musicians in action than ever this year. The first would have to be Moonshine Gig in Laundry Bar on 13 November. Calvin brought Pei and I to watch the gig, I finally got the chance to see Tempered Mental in action - not mentioning that I even got to talk with their drummer Jimmy and Ocean of Fire's drummer Jonathan Scull in person -although they just said one or two sentences to me. :P

5. Widen musician circle

Things really would run once you got it started. At least now I know a few more musicians than just those in my own university. And it's great to know more!

6. Joined a new gang of friends

This was truly unexpected - I knew this gang of new friends through Teko. I'm the ultimate night animal for years and couldn't change. And it's great to have gang of friends to hang out in the middle of the night! Yum cha and yum cha for nights! Hehe. It is also a whole new category of people I ever mingled with. And it's very fun to hang out with them. I certainly learnt more than I would have thought. :)

7. More horizons widen!

There are still lots and lots more of experiences I gained this year. Street Dance competition I went to report about, heart patient I interviewed for my assignment, short film shooting I helped for, and the new friendly roommates and housemates! :)



I guess I just love NANA (seven in Japanese), it has been the second post I listed up to seven things. And these are the conclusions I drew for year 2008 - I'd been surprised, growing up and grateful.

That was my 2008. And how was your 2008 so far? Do tell me about it!

Until then, Happy Dong Zhi and Merry Christmas!

Seven Ways to De-emo

Emo. It's the kind of feeling you feel when you sit down alone finally after a crazy party is over. It's the kind of feeling you feel when you thought of a meaningful memory when it rains. It's the kind of feeling you feel when you just got hurt by a friend's insensitive words, but you find no way to express your feelings.

Almost all of us dislike feeling emo. It draws us down, it makes us vulnerable, it makes us feeling lonely.

To lead a positive life, we would have to think of ways to cope with emo. And it differs between people and people in their ways of over-coming emo.

As a person who emo quite frequently, I have discovered seven ways to help me out of emo through all these years of in-and-out-of-emo experience.


1. Watch informative documentaries

Surprisingly, watching TV programmes such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and History Channel put me at ease easily. Whether it's the awe of new technology or the surprising fact about history, or even the firm voice of the narrator in most documentaries, documentaries have always been successful in drawing me out of the black hole of emo-ness.



2. Watch humourous movies/dramas

This works just as amazing as documentaries on me, but it's just that it's a little harder to get access to movies and dramas I want to watch than documentaries sometimes. Though, watching a light-hearted movie such as Bridget Jones' Diary, 101 Dalmatians, and Madagascar, I feel better having a laugh. And of course, some black humour in dramas such as Desperate Housewives or Gossip Girl entertains as well too.



3. Blog

Sometimes I get so emo that I couldn't even drag myself to be couch potato, so I stay in front of the cold hard monitor and start typing out my feelings into my poor grey blog. It feels a lot better after you get to pour your feelings out. Even though it's just writing out your feelings for no one to read.

But anyway, blogs are great because of its ambiguity - you write things there because you don't want to make your friends worried by telling them, but by posting in blogs, your friends have possibilities of finding out and might just come and console you some time later. However, regardless of the motive of blogging, it's really one of the great ways to de-emo.



4. Try out something new within the interested areas

For instant, I try out new ways of playing a certain bass line, or experiment on writing lines on my own with my bass. And I think by plotting out a whole new kind of story in my mind also helps to de-emo. These kind of things excites, thus the mind would go more positive relatively.


5. Sleep

One of the effective ways for me to overcome emo is to sleep, if my mind isn't too restless. It seems that with enough sleep, people could feel happier. I probably have the emo cycle frequently due to my sleep-deprived lifestyle. Feeling emo is one of the ways my body is telling me it needs rest probably. :P



6. Get out of the house with friends


This solution could be the best and also the worst of all. Sometimes by getting out, my mind is allowed to sway into other fun stuffs with friends. But sometimes getting out in a state of mind that is emo, friends not only didn't make me feel better, but I make them down as well. And that is the worst of all situations. So it's a risky decision to make when I'm emo.

7. Chat with friends on instant messenger


Although I put this one as the last in the list, but it doesn't mean it's not important. In fact, I clicked on to this option like 90% of the time when I was emo. However, equally risky as the 6th option, chatting with friends on IM could lead to disastrous situation sometimes, too. You may just end up being hurt more or hurting yet another person because of your inconsiderate words or the other person's inconsiderate words.

You never know how sensitive you could be, or your friend could be at the moment. And not to mention you never know how busy/messy your friend's mind is at the moment. Though nevertheless, when it works, a few words from your friend could just happened to be your salvation of the day.


People are complicated animals, we could never really predict what we would get or what we wouldn't get. That is why the key to de-emo, I would advised, is to change the "mode" of your mind without having to rely on another person's reactions to help.

It is no doubt friends really help a lot, when they are capable of helping. Most of the time we can only self-help. And anyway, you may never know, maybe by doing more self-helping, you could then become a more independent and reliable person for others.

Emo could slow you down, make you stay. However we can always discover ways for ourselves to de-emo, to start running and to start moving on. You may never know, the good things in life might be already on their way to your doorstep!

A natural retreat

How long has it been since the last time you stop and smell a flower?

Once in a while, we all need a halt from the rat-race in the city. A one-day trip to Fraser's Hill serves just that purpose to escape.

Fraser's Hill is located near Raub, Pahang. It is a perfect location to feel in peace with nature.

So I went there with my family on a Sunday morning.


Before getting to Fraser's Hill's Gap, we stopped by for a while at the old Pasar at Kuala Khubu. The shops there were of historical designs, caught a glimpse of it while driving around.

Old China Town buildings

At 11 a.m. we reached the Gap, driving into a long and winding one-way road up the cap of Fraser's Hill. The air is cooling and refreshing, a natural air-conditioner. :P

After driving for about 8km, we reached the cap finally. Saw a large golf court and buildings covered with leaves and such.

So we drove uphills, and my Dad took out his binoculars and we started bird-watching. @.@. I saw quite a lot of birds, but they were so good with camouflage, that with my phone's camera, you don't see it even when it's right there.

This is a photo I took, where there's a brown-coloured bird resting on a branch.


Erm, nothing, right?! ? I myself couldn't see any bird until zoom-in for like, 8x?!..and still in 8X it's a blur brown spot that I am not even sure if it's really the bird. But I saw the bird with my own eyes outside the camera indeed!

For about half an hour we were bird-watching, until I felt really bored (ok, i'm not a nature lover...urm, not a bird-watching lover..lol). We drove more uphills, through another long, really winding road up to the Waterfall.


We still have to walk on foot for sometime before reaching the Waterfall. Though along the way you could see lot of greeneries, and a slow flowing peaceful stream under the bridge. It was a relief for the eyes as well I guess, with all these anti-stress-adants.


One of the photos that I like. Over there were father and daughter, the father leading his little daughter walking slowly along the bank. The father was accompanying his daughter running before that, it was so cute! :)

So we finally saw the Waterfall after walking up and down fleets of stairs (Ah, I hate stairs. ><). The waterfall view from far :
The water was running fast here, the sound of the water rushing down was loud. Some people were swimming, playing around near the Waterfall. But we didn't get down.

After chilling for a while we headed back again. Then I saw this amazing tree :


The tree was literally growing without soil. The roots were struggling to hook on the rocks at the bank. The water had been too fast at that spot I guess.

Even trees could hold on to the last minute, why couldn't we? A piece of mind.

So we drove back the way we came, I decided to take a photo at the square.


OK, that's a typical nerd tourist who took photo in front of a memorial clock tower. ><>

Yeah, that's a Post Office at Fraser's Hill. The design was really beautiful.

We went down the winding road again to the Gap and I took photo of an old historical Chinese tea shop. Believed to have been there for more than 20 years.


After all these long winding roads we took, finally we were hungry like...anything la. haha. So we had our lunch at Kuala Khubu, eating crabs.


You can see how big was the "Gong"! And I ate that, hehe XD....

Fraser's Hill trip was nice, cool, and refreshing. You can have greeneries, birds, butterflies, waterfall, jungle-trekking...... It's a perfect place certainly for nature-lovers.

But a city bug like me....probably prefer to stay in front of the computer blogging than walking up and down the fleets of stairs or going up and down the long, winding roads for birds and waterfall. ><

Anyway, it's still a natural retreat indeed! :)