2009, an experience

In 2009, I have learned:

1. The CONCEPT
2. Moo Calcium sucks
3. I am not creative material (can die from overwork)
4. There's so much more about advertising that I didn't know. Kinda scares me.
5. There are more psychos around than I thought. I met two this year, one last year, and one in 2006. I've had enough to last a lifetime.
6. Advertising is..... Er I better not mention. My future job at stake here.
7. To be very very skeptical.
8. 24 Power Drink doesn't exist in Malaysia. How we managed to market this 'imaginary' product, I'm still trying to figure that part out.
9. Vietnam is a small country indeed.
10. I can crap 30+ pages on the Vietnamese language. And I can do it all in one night.
11. It IS possible to write a 200 + page report on Vietnam. I have never been so proud of myself, and my teammates.
12. That to save money in Jaya One, one must starve, and hang out at Cold Storage frequently.

2009 gave me:
1. Drama. Assening Assignments.
2. The ability to stay up for nights on end. (coffee + apples helps. Makes me very high indeed)
3. The realisation that I can juggle my assignments and exams at the same time. Literally at the same time. I'm still in awe of myself (perasanted-ness) though there were many side-effects (brain nearly died, I was in a zombie-like state for days)...
4. Wonderful people. The more people I knew, the more I learned.
5. Loss.

I still miss you both. RIP, grandpa and Uncle Simon.
I love you.

6. Strength.
7. Insomnia. I'm still having trouble falling asleep.

8. Bloody Shop. Drove me crazy for weeks.
9. A brand new college, complete with an awesome photo studio, audio room, lounge, MACs (Kay I don't use them but still), and a way better library. Oh yeah and we're getting a gym soon.
10. The opportunity to really work as an account executive. And boy, is it hard.
11. I have finally made a trip to Perpustakaan Negara. Semangat giler.

In the midst of it all, to be honest, I don't feel a thing about 2009 going away. I guess I'm really too tired to bother right now. When I realised that today was New Year's Eve, I was shocked. And I honestly don't know how I'm gonna spend this day. I have absolutely nothing planned, cos my plans are all.. uh. Unconfirmed.

2009 was dramatic. In a sense that so many has happened (If I were to blog about it, this post would be super long). We've experienced many deaths... Many significant ones, in fact. But all in all, boleh tahan lah. Next year, I'll be graduating. I'd love to see where that takes me.

So I leave you with this wish, that the next year will be much better for all of you.

It's a little early, but Happy New Year, guys. :)

A rough summarisation of 2009 for IAA 71/72

A short re-cap of this glorious year, with all its ups and down, we've survived!

1. The "Concept"
2. zoo trip-visiting cousins
3. Bloody Shop
4. class barbeque night
5. Hulu Langat picnic
6. College move to Jaya 1-- spend more $$
7. NTRC project
8. POOL!!! addictive...
9. many many late nights
10. road trip to Mable's home town
11. Ad-unpluged...
12. ASSignments!! (in a good way)
13. TLC sucks...
14. 24 power drink not sold in M'sia..
15. movie highlights: fast & furious, Avatar, monster vs aliens, transformers 2, ice age 3, g-force...
16. makan, makan, and more makan...

-adapted (or rather "taken from") Thomas Tan's Facebook note 2009 "A good year"


Bottomline: Despite all the shit we've gone through, we SURVIVED!!! We rock. :P


I'll come up with my own later lah.

Christmas

isn't Christmas,
till it happens
in your heart...
somewhere, deep inside you,
is where Christmas really starts...

so, give your... heart to people...
you'll discover when you do.
that it's Christmas, really Christmas... for you!


It's a bit late, but hey, it's still Christmas!
More or less....

After a long Hiatus

Hello all!

It's been awhile. Blame my lack of updates on assignments and exams. However the good news is, I'm now free!!! I've decided to take the time off to get in touch with my music (or rather get reacquainted), considering how long it's been since I last touched my violin. And to reflect on what I really want to do in advertising. Next semester have to choose electives liao, so yeah. It's been a semester filled with all sorts of drama which I will not speak off here, but thankfully, it's over. :)

Oh yes, and I broke my record. 3 DAYS OF NO SLEEP! Okaylah I slept a few hours in the afternoon, but trust me, it wasn't enough. On the 3rd day I could barely think and I had to complete an individual assignment.

One good thing about this semester is that I've grown... Somewhat (I so feel like laughing at myself now). I never knew that there was so much more to advertising than what I learned in the past few semester. Advertising (especially the creative aspect) is HARD. It's not the execution part of it all. It's the formation of it. Execution-wise, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do lah, to be honest. But good ads don't work that way.

This semester was an eye-opener.

And I have my lecturers: Margaret Chew and Alicia Chong to thank for that. Despite the times that I've whined incessantly about how hard the assignments all were, I believe I did learn something from the both of you. I don't think you'll ever read this, but I still want to say a heartfelt thank you to the both of you.

This is an ad that will never ever be shown in Malaysia (Malaysians, we all know why...)

Personally, I feel that Bruno Aveillan (the director of this ad) is a genius. I absolutely love his work. The concept of this ad is clearly seen, and beautifully executed. Now if only we could make more ads like these...

My Top 5 Treat List

Note: This entry is for the Nuffnang competition collaborated with Dell for a Dell Inspiron 13 laptop.

Being in the Advertising line, I am constantly subjected to many sleepless nights and a whole load of stress. Hence, I am usually seen in college looking and walking like a zombie. In my position, there are many things I'd absolutely love to treat myself to. Unfortunately, time constraints and recession has a huge effect on me. So, the only way I can actually treat myself, would be by using my imagination (stop looking at me like that, I'm seriously broke so let me dream okay). These are my top 5.

#1

How nice it would be... To treat myself to....

A Dell Inspiron 13 laptop.

Given the life I lead, it's WAAAAYYYY past the time I actually owned one. Did I ever mention that besides studying advertising, I'm also an account executive for CREACTIVE, IACT's (my college) Student Run Ad Agency? Being an Account Executive (AE) isn't exactly easy. I have to be constantly on the go, and it really doesn't help that whenever I need access to the net, I have to comb through places to find cyber cafes, and put up with the lousy internet connection at college (when I use the college computers). What's worse is that I have to literally fight my brothers to use the PC whenever I need it. Yep.... A laptop would be great now. However, I'm really picky. I need to make sure that it's a laptop that I love, and can use for years to come. Dell Inspiron 13 is all I am looking for in a laptop and more. It's fully functional, and I absolutely love the blue color. So eye-catching! :D I can picture myself using it right now..... Ahhhh....

#2

If only I were able to treat myself to....

A spa treatment.

Okay, sounds cliche, I know. But seriously, do you know how stressed up I can get?? There are times when even an ant can set me off. Seriously la, when I'm stressed, I'm like a ticking time bomb. You never know what could set me off. SO... For my own sake, and possibly the rest of all humanity, I NEED TO GO TO A SPA, AND RELAX.

#3

I'd really love to treat myself to....

A crystal violin.

I've been playing the violin since I was 10 years old, and despite quitting my lessons to pursue my advertising diploma full time, my heart never left it. From time to time I'd still pick up my precious violin and play with it, just to hear its melodious notes. I've wanted a crystal violin ever since I saw Vanessa Mae perform with it. That was when I was 12, I think. It looked so lovely, so beautiful. I never thought I'd have ever seen anything so beautiful like it. I go absolutely ga-ga whenever I see a beautiful violin. But I don't think I've ever seen one as beautiful as this. From then on, I told myself I'd own one someday. And I definitely will, someday.

#4

I'm dreaming of treating myself to....

A bungee jumping spree!

Not many people know this. I absolutely love extreme sports. I love feeling the adrenaline rush. It's something that really gets me all hyped up and excited. Among all my siblings, I'd be the first one to go on the roller coaster, no matter how scary it may be, I'd go. I'd love to know how it feels to jump off a cliff and.. Not die. Haha.. I never had the chance though... Again, time and money are both huge influencing factors in this.

#5

And I'm really dreaming of...

Treating myself to a WHOLE NEW WARDROBE!

Okay, tell me, which girl does not want her wardrobe to look like this I ask you?? I probably wouldn't have it in brown though.... I'd want it to be white, cos it's my favourite color. And I'd have WAAAYYY more clothes, shoes and accessories than the one in this picture. Besides, my clothes are getting a wee-bit too dull. It's really time for a change.

So, those were my top 5. I may not be able to achieve them all now, but I certainly hope I'll achieve them in the future. Especially that Dell laptop. Soooo..... Pretty please with cherries and sugar on top? :D

Heads Up!

Eileen is currently busy. She is buried by work and work and more work and is unsure of when she will be free. Hence, there will be a short hiatus.

I will be back! (a la Terminator) Hasta la vista baybeee!

P/S: If you want to read any updates, just refer to my Twitter page. :) The link is on the right.

Beware of the Bear

HAHA... XD

Good form of advertising, don't you think?

There's this hype....

I'm going. Are you? :)

The Magic of Photoshop.....

Goes both ways.

From making people pretty,




To making them butt-ugly.



Which really makes you wonder how many pictures you see in magazines, adverts, etc are actually real.......
Actually, I wouldn't be too surprised if Kristen Stewart actually looked like that. :)
I'd love to know how they did it though. Rest assured my pics aren't completely photoshopped (except for certain lighting adjustments and all.... Eh, how can you see the pictures clearly of the picture quality not good huh?)

Nostalgia, Sibu

Can't believe I used to sing this every freaking morning back in NS (National Service). I can still remember the lyrics.....

What Happens When People Market a Movie Wrongly

New drawing coming really REALLY soon! It's been crazily hectic these days. What with the Kancil Awards deadline just over yesterday. College picked us (my partner and I) to send our entry in but we had to send it in ourselves (explanation: my college filters through every entry sent by students and shortlisted Kancil Award entries are usually sent in by the college). It's a long story filled with re-do-s, re-printing and a whole lot of shit we had to deal with, but I'm not mentioning this here.

Anyways, I've heard this movie is quite good.



Yeah, Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens. Check out the poster:



Sounds like a High School Musical-ish movie, LOOKS like a High School Musical-ish movie, the only problem - it's not. Summit apparently made a bad choice in marketing it. It Disneyfied the whole thing. Now, I'm no Disney-hater. In fact, I've loved Disney ever since I was a kid. The only problem I've ever had (and still have) with it, is how some movies/shows they have produced were losing the classic Disney touch (not inclusive of the Pixar movies). But I hear that the Disney family (that was fired from Disney, or something to that extent. Yeah sounds stupid I know, it feels weird typing this) is coming back to Disney, hence we have more classic movies to look forward to (like Princess and the Frog).

ANYWAY, back to the movie. The marketers chose to market the movie via Disney Channel's Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka and decided to call the film "Bandslam" instead of "Will" because "Will" was too... Indie, when in fact the film IS indie (well, according to a source it has an indie voice wrapped up in a high concept). I hear it's a very Juno-like film. It's a School of Rock-ish movie caught in a High School Musical-ish skin. Statistics say that most people thought it was another High School Musical-like movie.

Remember Juno's cute trailer?



Compare it to the Bandslam trailer.....

Here's a brief synopsis about the film:

Charlotte Banks (Aly Michalka) has what it takes to be a true rock star, and with the battle of the bands approaching she's determined to win. Her chief opponent in the upcoming competition is none other than her egotistical ex-boyfriend Ben (Scott Porter) . Ben may be cocky, but there's no denying his charisma when he takes the stage. With a little help from new arrival Will Burton (Connell), Charlotte's band begins to develop a unique sound and starts writing some original songs. Meanwhile, as Will and singer/guitarist Sa5m (Hudgens) start to make a love connection, disaster strikes, and the band is forced to choose between conceding the competition or standing tall and finally living up to their true potential.

Apparently, Rob Freidman, the person in charge of this trainwreck of a marketing plan heard Hudgens' singing and thought there was only ONE way to sell this film - High School Musical. The problem here, was that Vanessa isnt playing Gabriella from HSM. Her character here is a monotone, dark, goth character. My source tells me, she's actually pretty good, but I think the bad advertising overshadowed that. Would a dark character be marketed as.... Smiling and happy, I wonder? The poster was already a huge spoiler. And by that, I don't mean for the movie plot.

You can read the full rant (I don't mean it in a bad way) here.

The marketers definitely did not read the movie right, neither did they take the time to know its target audience, which are two VERY important aspects when it comes to marketing. They made a quirky, unique and cool indie film into a tween flick. Mind you, the movie was rated PG. No tween flick could possibly be a PG film.

At first glance, I wouldn't even consider watching Bandslam. I mean, I don't even like High School Musical. But after checking out some info about it, I think I'd really want to watch it.

It Really Was It

Sooooo.... Who wants to watch it watch with me?



Aww heck, got teman or not I die also must watch!!!! But seriously la.... Who wanna watch with me? I'm open! Wait that didn't sound right, did it?

The Dawn of A New Moon

Note: If you are a Twilight fan (especially if you're an Edward Cullen fan), please do not continue as this entry may be offensive to you. You have been warned.



I'm pretty sure you guys have seen the recently released New Moon Trailer. A lot of hype has been re-generated over the Twilight saga, and fans are just rearing to watch it. Now, I'm not Twilight fan. I cannot fathom why the girls go all ga-ga over Robert Pattinson, when all I see is a seriously constipated face trying its hardest to look.. I dunno, sexy in vampire-like way? I still hate Bella (the one in the movie) because she was so expressionless I thought she was a robot that was trying too hard. I totally did not see any chemistry whatsoever between Bella and Edward, and by the time they got together I went: "THEY WERE IN LOVE???" The ONLY person that managed to catch my eye was Mary Alice Brandon's Alice Cullen. She was just too cute! I found the plot amazingly dry, so bloody typical, and awfully tedious. The cold, stiff acting didn't help much either.

Yes, picking up an apple from a tree for a girl is enough to make her want to be you girlfriend. Every boy who wants to get a girl should really do this! Right.

Judging by the trailer, New Moon is probably gonna be just as cheesy (the dialogue made me want to vomit. How the actors could keep going all mushy-mushy to each other and keep a straight face, I have no idea), and just as dry. Gosh, I want to slap Bella so badly.... Is it just me, or am I liking the evil-looking blonde voltur-whatsitcalled woman more?

Okay, if you are a Twilight fan, ignored the warning, read this far and are about to throw stones (or whatever you can find) at me, let me say ONE redeeming point about the Twilight saga: Jacob Black. Watching the trailer, Taylor Lautner made me actually want to watch the movie.

Look at that. He kinda looks like a guy from a surfer ad to me, but honestly, he is hot.
Check out those abs!

If you asked me.....
Taylor Lautner is way more handsome and way hotter than Robert-I-Need-To-Poo-Fast-Pattinson.
I'm so glad they cut his (Taylor's) hair.

Maybe he WAS trying, but I seriously don't feel turned on.

AND another thing, why on God's beautiful Earth, did they choose Robert Pattinson, over HIM????

Gaspard Ulliel.
Ooh-la-la.

He doesn't even HAVE to act sexy, the guy OOZES sex appeal. He, in my opinion, would make a much better Edward Cullen. Whatever possessed the director/producer/whoever was in charge of casting to overlook him? I'd choose him in a heartbeat. Heck, this guy made Hanibal Lecter look sexy. I'm not sure if he was good in it, cos I did not watch the film (with me getting nightmares so easily and all....). But boy, was he hot. And when he speaks in French... or even in English, WITH THE FRENCH ACCENT.... Oh lord...

So, why is Robert Pattinson Edward Cullen again?

A Japanese Advert

I tell you, I can never remember the name of the product of this ad even though I've seen it so many times. It's what we call vampire creativity, an ad that is so creative, that you cannot remember the brand name at all. This ad won the "Golden Pencil Award". According to my lecturer, this is the ultimate award that a copywriter can wish to achieve.

So, tell me what was your first impression of the ad, and... can you still remember the brand name after watching it? :)

Oh, Parting Never Sweet

This post is dedicated to the lovely Paik Hwa and... Uh... Lam Ming Guan who will both be flying to England very soon. This picture was taken last Thursday during our farewell party for the both of them. I can't believe we're all flying off one by one! Next it's gonna be MichT. I hear she wants to fly to Aussie... I think. After her, it'd probably be me.... I'm not sure who else is gonna fly off, but I'm pretty sure that the yam-cha gang is probably gonna whittle down to one or two people. I'm gonna miss you all so much! I feel so nostalgic thinking of the wonderful times we had together. I have one thing to say though, please, PLEASE don't forget us! Do remember to keep in touch and TOLONGLAH, don't come back to Malaysia like a pendatang haram and NOT tell anyone about it.....

Paik Hwa and Lam, please take care. Please stay in touch. And remember this, we all love you (well if the others don't, I know I do. ;)). It's not exactly a very heart rendering speech, I know. These are very simple words, but I really mean them (I can feel your bulu naik-ing). With that said, bon voyage and have fun!

Justice- "D.A.N.C.E"

Here's a vid I've been meaning to post up a long time ago, but I kept forgetting the title. I saw this back in Sem 1 (which was last year), thanks to Joyce Ngu. The shirts are plain shirts by the way, they just added in graphics. The graphics here are damn cool. And by that, I mean that the timing of all the graphics on the tees is so precise, I was amazed. So amazed, I started raving about it the next day. Enjoy!

P/S: This isn't the original version, guys. There were a few scenes left out, so... Not as cool as the one I saw. If I manage to find the particular version I saw, I'll repost the vid.

It's a Big Ad Indeed.

I saw this ad a few days ago in class. Not sure if you guys have seen it, but personally, I feel it's really creative. Apparently, after the launch of this ad, the sales of Carlton Draught rose. It was really bold of the advertisers and the company to choose such an unconventional way of launching a beer ad, considering that your average beer ad does not involve millions of people running around and singing.

What used to be

Nope, I did not trace this. It's really simple and really rushed. I used to draw a lot. My books would be filled all sorts of drawings when I was small. It irritated my parents and teachers really badly. Oh yeah, I painted a lot too. These days, I don't draw so much cos I got busy. I'm not too sure how to pixelise it. AM planning to post some of my artwork here. Especially since I don't have much to blog. Most are gonna be handdrawn and black and white. I'm not too good with CG yet.

A Revamp At Last

FINALLY, this blog is revamped. It took me this long to figure out how to change the template so yeahhh. I am happy. :) Like I promised, I've edited the blog and everything.

However, I think I lost some of my links, not really sure la. Cos I had to upgrade my blogger account settings and all. Being me, and I know I am prone to being extremely muddle-brained, I cleared my previous layout without thinking, and yeah, lost a lot of my widgets. I guess you can consider this blog still under construction, though I'm not quite sure what else to do with it....

For now, I must go back to my cross cultural essay..... Whoo-pee.

Additional notes

To whom it may concern:

Sorry guys, but I'm not going to edit this blog until I can figure out how on Earth to modify the html codes of the blog templates provided by yummylolly.com. Don't worry guys, I'll definitely revamp this blog. Thank goodness I'm not doing creative multimedia (as interesting as it may be), or I just might die.

At this point in time I should be:

A. Vegetating in front of the TV (though I don't watch it as much anymore)

B. Leveling up in my PS2 (sadly, PS2 saya rosak. Have to send for repairs. How I wish for a PS3!)

C. Reading a good book on my comfy bed (Which reminds me, Ches can I pinjam The Diary of Anne Frank please?)

Unfortunately I have an essay to do, some bloody groupwork that I totally forgot about, and I STILL haven't organised and revised my notes. At least it's a holiday tomorrow.

Quite frankly speaking, I prefer Twitter to Blogger. For one thing, updates are way easier, and there's much less hassle.

I wonder....

What would it be like, if everyone were rich?

What would it be like, if the media didn't exist?

What would it be like, if Michael Jackson weren't discovered?

What would it be like, if I were the youngest, not the eldest?

What would it be like, if the Earth was flat?

What would it be like, if I chose science, instead of advertising?

What would it be like, if we lived in treetops?

What would it be like, if I saw Big Foot, and lived to tell the tale?

What would it be like, if I were rich?

What would it be like, if I were born in January, not December?

What would it be like, to have blonde hair?

What would it be like, to have fair skin?

What would it be like, to have my own laptop?

What would it be like, to be a Leo, and not a Capricorn?

What would it be like, to live as a superstar?

What would it be like, if the world had pink trees, instead of green?

What would if be like, if the sky was green, not blue?

What would it be like, to never grow up?

What would it be like, if Malaysia never achieved independance?

What would it be like, to have a dancing jellybean?

I don't know, you decide. ;)

Note: Just because I wondered, doesn't mean that my favourite colors are pink and green.

I haven't been in a blogging mood.

SOOOOO yeah, no updates so far. That is, till now (the post you're reading la).

Epilogue for a Dear Friend

At around 10.30 AM in the morning, an SMS woke me up. I checked my phone - it was Pauline:

Uncle Simon passed away yesterday, I'm not kidding. Funeral is tomorrow.

At first I had no idea who she was referring to me about. I thought she meant that her uncle had passed away, and she wasn't coming to the potluck (groggy as I was, that was my assumption). So I put the phone down and went to sleep.

An hour later, I was awoken by yet another SMS. This time, it was Wei Ling telling me that the party was canceled because Mable and Pauline weren't able to come due to the passing away of "Uncle Dobby". Then I started thinking.... Uncle Dobby? Uncle Simon? Who...? Then it hit me. It was the uncle from "Kindly Laundry". The owner of the laundry shop near my old college.... I was shocked.

It turns out that Uncle (as we all called him), had died of a heart attack just yesterday. It seemed so unbelieveable.

We knew uncle through Pauline, who was his goddaughter. Almost half of my class knows him, I think. As I remember him, Uncle was kind, friendly, and fun to be with. We'd all go over to the laundry shop to hang out and chit chat. He'd make all sorts of jokes, and we'd all laugh. Uncle had a jolly face. You could see it in him that he was a cheerful person. He wasn't like any of the uncle-s I've met. He was hip, and actually really cool. We called him our "rockstar".

I remember this one time when uncle called us over to eat lunch. He'd made lunch for us. It was so good. He cooked mushroom and chicken soup with eggs. I ended up doing the washing (I offered la).

I horribly regret one thing. Not spending enough time with him. Everytime I come by the shop (which grew less and less), uncle would tell me : "Hey Miss Woo! Long time no see! Why never come to the shop now hah?" I guess the increasing ammount of workload made me withdraw, socially speaking. I went home immediately after class, spent lots of alone time in college, cos I really was very stressed up. I regret so much for not spending time with him. Cos now I can't. I won't see him anymore. My last memory of him, was that tight fatherly hug he gave me a month ago. Mable told us that he told his sons that he missed us. My heart ached at those words, and the tears started pouring.

I cried a lot yesterday, thinking about you, and how we won't see that jolly face of yours ever again. I'm sorry I couldn't come for the funeral, I am so mad at myself for not being able to go, and at my dad, for not letting me go. I sincerely hope that all is well. I pray with all my might that you will rest in peace. I pray for your family, for Auntie, for your sons, Sonny, Stanley, and one more (I forgot the name... Really sorry). I know that I, we, will never forget the beautiful memories we shared together. Here's to you, rockstar. We'll always remember you. We all love you.

ho-hum

okay.. I know this blog is getting kinda abandoned.... I need to revamp it la. Any ideas?

Generally, there's nothing bloggable at the moment. Either that, or I'm too lazy to blog. I'm trying to find a new template though... ('cos I don't know how to design my own blog - HTML issues, dimension issues, etc.)

I tell you ah I'm very far behind the html world now. I need to get my knowledge back! RAWR!

Anyway, I might be going for a potluck party tomorrow. I'll blog about that, I guess. If I have the pics.

Death of Another Genius

Yasmin Ahmad, may she rest in peace, has passed away at 11.25 pm on June 26 2009. Yasmin, 51, collapsed while presenting a working paper at Sri Pentas, the headquarters of the television station TV3 on Thursday and was rushed to the Damansara Specialists Hospital. It is reported that she suffered from a stroke and brain hemorrhage.

I was utterly shocked when hearing the news. She was at the prime of her life, heck, the prime of her career. I loved her works - Sepet, Gubra and Muallaf, just to name a few. Her advertisements were nothing to sneeze at either. They are some of the most creative Malaysian ads I have ever seen, and good Malaysian ads are very hard to come across. She orchestrated the adorable and endearing "Percintaan Tan Hong Ming".



I admire her, I truly do. Goodbye, Yasmin Ahmad, may you rest in peace.

I saw the cages, not the chains: Exposed

It was an innocent Moral project, which we felt so wonderful after.

"Taman Sinar Harapan" it was called, when translated it means "Ray Of Hope Garden" or something to that extent. It's ironic, considering the disturbing secrets it held. Now I am wondering, how much did they lie to us all to hide their sinister intentions?

Back in 2006, my friends and I went there to do volunteer work as part of our Moral Project requirement. Before we got started, the people in charge lay down the ground rules: No taking pictures of the residents, and no going to the block that was furthest from the hall, as the residents there were very violent and could pose harm to us. We were also told that most of the residents were not around due to some Paralympic Games event going on somewhere. Now I am wondering if those residents really went for Paralympics at all.

We were given a tour around the place, everywhere except the "forbidden" block. They later delegated our tasks to us. My heart broke when I saw all the residents, abandoned with no home except this one. Most of them were seen in cots. One of the volunteers told us that some had to be tied up with cloths to prevent them from hurting themselves or climbing out. We saw cloth, not chains. So our work began. We tidied up the place together, while the residents watched us curiously. Pn. Low, our Moral Studies teacher at the time, told me to bring my violin along to play songs for the residents. I was the only one from the whole of 4A and 4B to be allowed to go deeper in the buildings, a peek of the so-called "horror house". As I played I saw how these people reacted. There was one point where they led me to a section of the buildings that was locked with a strong grill door.

"These are one of those who have severe mental disabilities." I was told. And I saw how severe it was. They shook the bars of their cots, and screamed, quite unlike the docile ones who were not placed behind grill doors. The stench of urine was unbearable. These residents, if my memory served correctly, were all chained to their cots. But I suspected nothing, thinking they were somewhat well taken care of. I did not, however, see naked males who were tortured on the floor, as quoted by The Star.

We left the place with happy feelings in our hearts thinking that we had done something truly fulfilling that day. None of us were aware of the horrors they hid.

So when I saw the article on how horribly the residents were treated, how "tidak apa" the volunteers were, I was shocked. I didn't know what to think. And yet there I was feeling so thankful that day about having a good mind, body, spirit, etc. when clearly there was so much more going on there. I feel horrible for not noticing it all, especially when I was the only one allowed to go in deeper. How did it slip by?



For those of you who have not read the article, you may do so HERE. My heart goes out to the residents of Taman Sinar Harapan, I pray it will all turn out well for you. I'm so sorry I didn't notice anything amiss when I went there.

R.I.P, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett

Yesterday, I went to the corner shop near college, sleepy and groggy. After ordering my Milo kosong panas, I started dozing on the table. Then Ian and Wai Lee walked in. Ian, whom I expected to look groggy as usual, wasn't. He came in, looking shocked, having that "WTF?" look on his face, sat opposite me and said:

"Eh, Michael Jackson's dead."

That woke me up immediately.

Yes, for those of you who haven't heard, the King of Pop is dead. I couldn't believe it at first, so I switched on the radio and tuned in to Fly Fm. Confirmed, Ian wasn't lying. He died at age 50. And he was due for a huge come back too. This was too shocking.

(I preferred him when he was black, seriously)

Michael Jackson was my childhood idol. I used to rush out of the room whenever he came on TV just to watch him. This was the guy who made the Moonwalk so famous, no one could imitate him. Heck, no one could even dance like him. I loved him. Sure, he turned a little crazy, but you have to admit, his works are legendary.

Like Elvis, he left us so suddenly.
He is one of those inimitable giants.
No one could top him.
Here's to you, Michael Joseph Jackson, King of Pop.
You are truly a legend.
We will not forget you.
May you rest in peace.

Let's take another moment of silence for Farrah Fawcett, one of the original Charlie's Angels, who died of anal cancer on the day before Michael Jackson's death.

(the iconic poster of Farrah Fawcett that graced the bedroom walls of many teenage boys in the 70s.)

May you both rest in peace.

Sem 3 To-Do List

1. Sociology Individual Assignment
(Essay on the Amish Culture)
(Deadline: 5 June)
2. Sociology Group Assignment
(Exhibition on Sex and Gender Issues: Does Size Matter?/Beauty vs. Brains)
(Deadline: 17 July)
3. Public Relations Individual Assignment
(News Article : PR Fundamentals)
(Deadline: 19 June)
4. Public Relations Group Assignment
(Go Green Campaign)
(Deadline: 10 July)
5. Sales Promotion Individual Assignment
(Research on Wendy's Pack)
6. Sales Promotion Group Assignment
(Marketing Plan for Maxis <-THIS IS FOR REAL PEOPLE!)
(Deadline: 30 June)
7. Consumer Behavior Individual Assignment
(Mind Mapping)
(Deadline: 30 June)
8. Consumer Behavior Group Assignment
(Creating an Ad for Al Gore's Environmental Cause + Identifying Target Audience)
(Deadline: 18 June)
9. Pengajian Malaysia Group Assignment
(Dunno what we're supposed to do.)
(Deadline: Not sure)

Now you know why I haven't blogged for so long. It's been hectic, it's been stressful. I have group meetings almost everyday. I'm not even sure where to start. What's worse is that due to IACT's move to Jaya One in August, they MIGHT be moving up our exams, which means, NO STUDY BREAK. With our schedule the way it is, I'm wondering if we have to time to breathe, let alone study.

So peeps, this blog will not be updated consistently, but I will update when I can. If I do have the time, I'll change the blog layout too. Getting bored with this one....

P.S: I'm starting to drive around more! With mum next to me, that is. I think I'm getting better! :D Hopefully I'll be able to drive to Jaya One once the college moves.

Time For Laughter

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!


Watch it lah.

What Happens When Global Warming Takes Over

Lol.

Not Just for laughs though, its a real issue here folks.


Let's go green! :P

Mother, I do love you

I slumped on the bed, tired and exhausted, drifting off to sleep.
I hadn't slept for a week.
Then a hand, old and worn through years of suffering stroked my hair gently.
I didn't need to open my eyes to see who it was,
I already knew.

Despite all the quarrels, the shouting, the disagreements, and my misbehaving, Mum, I do love you.
I haven't been the perfect daughter, I've probably let you down too much. But mum, I promise I'll be better.
Thanks mum, for everything you've given to, and done for me.

I love you. :)

Happy Birthday, Mummy!
And Happy Mother's day too!

Bored

See, I shouldn't be blogging, nothing to blog about also... Pictures haven't edit nice nice so I dun wan post up yet.... Some more right, I have to analyse some Wendy's sales promotion technique and write about it. Deadline on Tuesday arrrrrr.... (Eileen feels lazy)

So why am I blogging?

Dunno lah, I just feel like it.

So I'm gonna start bugging people with a meaningless post.

LALALA~
LALALALALA~
LALALALALALALA~
LALALALALALALALALA~

Hmm... I feel like eating. Shit lah, how can, I'm supposed to be dieting wei. But but... food makes me feel so happy!!!!

I wanna eat.

I wanna eat.

I wanna eat.


Will you feed me? I'm hungrrryyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RAWR!!!!

I wanna eat.........................

Faster feed me, I'm dying here...... *looks at skinny body in mirror* See la, I'm getting anorexic.... Faster faster feed meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why don't you wanna feed me? At least la suggest food for me.... Wee wee you owe me lunch. Faster feed before I die.


Hungry.
Hungry.
Hungry.
HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!


Feed me.
Feed. me.
FEED. ME.
FEEEDDDDD MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...................

I wanna cry d.... Takkan you wanna let me die of hunger? Cruel laaaaaaaaa........... *sobs sobs*


Hahaa you still reading ah cannot believe you not annoyed yet bluek neh neh bu bu hahahahahahah

I'm hungry..... Feed me lah..... Why lah you want me to strave? Later I become like the African children then all my leng leng clothes cannot wear d.. You want that to happen????? FEED LAAAAA.....



fine lah since you dowan feed me I go feed myself bluek

CREACTIVE Member's Profile

Posting this cos I'm really happy with it. :)

Well, at least it's better than my first member's profile. Hopefully this shall be approved by senior designer Soon Jun and chief designer Chee Ching.

I'm wondering if I should switch my position as an Account Executive to Copywriter. Or perhaps do both? Hmmm....

Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I should be studying. I really should be studying.. Aiyah. Who cares? Taking breaks are needed you know.
________________________

The Poster:

The Trailer:



The Synopsis:

This movie is actually an adaptation of a novel of the same name. It tells us about Benjamin Button, a man who is born old and grows younger as time goes by. The movie more or less chronicles his life, how he lived in it, how he grew up in it and such. His story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, is as unusual as any man's life can be.

The Review:

First of all, OMG. BRAD PITTT!!!!!!!!!! *squeals like a 13 year old school girl* Dang. He is oh so gorgeous!!! In the movie when he gets younger, that is. I tell you I could not keep my eyes off him. Sure, he looks old now, but when he was young.... Oh man.

SEE?????


SEE????

These two pics I added because I like them. :P

Now I know why everyone's been raving about him.
He looks better then you Twilight people's Edward Cullen OKAYY????



Ick lahhhh...
He always looks like he's gonna hit someone.
Now, Brad Pitt, he's a totally different story.
*ducks from Twilight fans thowing stones*
Which reminds me, I have finally seen the movie, and will be reviewing it soon! :)

Ooh Ooh! And Cate Blanchett is absolutely beautiful!
I think people have been neglecting her lah.
Her performance, as usual, was stunning ok?
I've always had a thing for her films. :P


Pretttyyy!! :D

Ok, I've been sidetracked from the review for too long.
Here's the REAL review:

I've always loved touching, heart-rendering films. ESPECIALLY those that can make me cry. And let me tell you, not many movies can make me cry. Remember the genius-ness of What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. And what about I Am Sam? Well, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is one of those rare movies that can make me cry. But rest assured, I was thoroughly impartial when I started watching the film. I wasn't even drooling all over Brad Pitt like I did earlier. the drooling started when he became younger. I can't help it lah. He was sooo gorgeous! The best part about Benjamin Button is that is not like those shallow, stupid, non-issue kinda movies. It makes you think. It's a movie with an actual message. In short, it is a great movie. The effects, especially, were awesome! That obviously took a lot of patience. I ask you, did you think it was that easy to turn this:

to THIS??????

Not easy at all.

Rating: 4/5, a must-watch.

Vote Earth

We vote for politicians.

We vote for our government.

We vote for singers.

We vote for many things, really.

But have we considered, voting for..... Earth?

We Malaysians complain endlessly: "Very hot lah today!" Do you know why? It's not just because we live in a tropical climate, a huge part of it is also because of global warming. Don't you think it's about time we did something about it?

It's not JUST the hot weather I'm talking about here. It's the very fact that the Earth is dying because of global warming. We only have one Earth. We live in it. Shouldn't it be our duty to save it?


Take a stand now and support Earth Hour by switching off all your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28 2009 at 8.30PM to 9.30PM. Take that time to think what you can do to fight against global warming.

Remember, we only have ONE Earth. Save it before it's too late.

VOTE EARTH!

I've signed up, what about you?

For more info, click here. :)

Infinite Dots

What would it be like, if I wasn't born?

My parents would have more money.
They wouldn't have to worry about my college fees.
My brother may not have turned out to have ADHD.
My youngest brother wouldn't have someone to annoy all the time.
My grandfather wouldn't have anyone to show his priceless violin to.
My mum would have less grey hairs.
My dad could've renovated my house earlier.
There would be more space in the house.
My psycho aunt might still be living with us.
There would be no granddaughter in the Woo family. (I'm the only one they have)

I don't think anything would change among my high school mates. Seeing as I'm normally left out.

Irene would have someone else to rant to.
Regina and Irene may never have become friends.
Joyce Ngu would have 1 less English speaking person at NS.
Wee Sheong would've gone to NS alone.
He would also have one less person to whack him on the arm.
The breadman who comes by my house would have no reason to sell popcorn.
Chester would have 1 less person to go gaga with over Rachael Yamagata.
Han Ling may never have heard of Soko.
Jone would have 1 less person to irritate.
William will have 1 less person to tell his secret fear to.
Jone and Jun Lung wouldn't have gotten that sentimental gift.
Molly would've slept next to an empty bed back at NS.
Yih Ling could sleep peacefully through the night without me waking her.
The creepy NS guy may still be sane.

Weng Kit would have no one to play Power Rangers with him.
Shaddap lah, I was 4.
San San wouldn't have a girl to share things with.
No one would've played the violin at my school.
My portrait would not be at the center of the IACT gallery.
The trophies on display at home would not be mine.
One less blur person on the face of the Earth.
One less person to point and laugh at the lala-s.
Oh did I just say that out loud?
One less person in the class.
One less worrier in the class.


This isn't much, but I guess I do make some sort of impact.
Small as it may be.
This is just from my point of view lah. I don't know. The impact could be smaller..

Or bigger.

Movie Review: Bride Wars

The Poster:


The Trailer:




Synopsis in a nutshell:

Two best friends who shared the same dream of having a perfect wedding become mortal enemies when a mishap causes their wedding dates to be scheduled on the same day. Liv and Emma have planned their weddings to minute detail since they were little, and the wedding venue, on the top of their lists was the Plaza Hotel. At 26, they were both engaged and rearing to get married. All hell breaks loose when a clerical mistake schedules their wedding dates on the same day at the Plaza Hotel.


The Review:

Hearing my friends rave about the movie, my expectations were pretty high upon viewing. Unfortunately after viewing the movie, I found myself being let down pretty bad. Watching the catfight between the two Bridezilla-s was, admittedly hilarious and entertaining. That, I think, was probably the only good part I found in the movie. Oh, and I loved watching Kate Hudson. She totally oozes of sexiness. Especially her voice.

The plotline was so predictable, I already knew the ending before the movie ended. And that's not just it..... I could even predict certain scenes that were about to happen in the movie. At the middle of the whole thing, I got fed up and thought to myself: "WHAT WAS THE BIG DEAL ANYWAY? Have a double wedding lah!!" The whole fight, was stupid. In other words, the storyline was stupid. Which, needless to say, spoiled the whole movie for me. But then again, what can you expect from a chick flick?


Rating: 2/5



I'm trying my hand at reviewing here. Please don't stone me to death if I do it badly.. It's still my first time. By the way, just because I found Kate Hudson hot, doesn't mean I'm bisexual or a lesbian.

Wishes

Happy Chinese Year to all my readers!


May the year of the ox/cow bring you lots of prosperity, good health, and a blessed year to come!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

Eh, where's my angpao? ;P