International Nomad [updated]

Nomad, a member of a group who move from 1 place to another rather than living in 1 place all the time. Two of friends I’ve made here in Australia can be qualified as an internation nomad. They spend all their life travelling around the world.

This guy, Allen, moved to dunno moved how many countries already. He mentioned that he had settled down in more than 5 countries, but I only recall him mentioning Argentina, Australia, UK and Malaysia. Well, his parents work with MAS and due to their career, they have to shift here shift there. The move to a new place settle down for a period of time (2-3years) and the company decides to allocate them again. And so the cycle repeats.

Seems fun right??

I mean, they are privileged enough to travel all over the world, get to experience different culture. Plus, they get to socialize with people of different culture, learn to speak a dozen of language and he gets 2 free return-ticket to anywhere in the world each year. (A return ticket to everywhere in the world!!! And if he used up those tics, the only have to pay 10% for a subsequent ticket!! Man, given this incentive, almost anyone can afford to travel around the world in 80days) And this guy Allen, dunno been to how many different schools in different countries. Hmmm…maybe that is why Allen took up International Business Course. Suits him perfectly…

Yesterday, I get to make another friend who travels all around the world. His name is Ceej, from Malaysia. From our 1^st conversation, I learned that he started traveling with his parent at the age of 12. From then onwards, the longest period he stayed in a foreign country is 5 years, which is US. From his appearance, his age is probably the same as mine. So he probably traveled and settled in a number of countries.

During their short stay in a foreign country, they had to be enrolled to an international school. And they said that there are a lot of their schoolmates are those who get travel all over the place too. And the average period that their schoolmates stayed in a particular country is only 2years… Imagine, travelling all over the world, experiencing a life as an international nomad…

How cool is that??
Sounds pretty cool to me!!!

However, the drawback is that they don’t have many ‘long term friends’

Update: I spoke to Allen today. He has settled in a number of country including: Malaysia, UK, Australia, Argentina, Austrien, Cambodia and China. Man, this guy is good!!! Guess what, he is 1 year younger than me some more....

Back to net

My internet has sucessfully upgraded to the super fast lightning speed, ADSL2.
Today is my first day enjoying the fast internet connection.
However, the connection is a bit jumpy... I'll give it a few days for the system to stabilise...

My housemate is feeling a bit generous today. He bought a new wireless router for the whole house today....
No more lan cables, no more pesky lines... I'm now using wireless technology now. WOOHOO!!!
1 thing funny about wireless router though, it doesn't work if a microwave is operating nearby... Some say that it because both devices operate at a very similiar wavelength. In other words, they 'boh song' with each other and try to dominate each other's wavelength...(something like that..)
So, if my internet connection breaks down, its probably the microwave's fault...Either that, or its the service provider...
But its more likely that the microwave is at fault...

ADSL2

I'm changing my internet connection to ADSL2 soon...
then i'l be able to enjoy lightning fast data trasfer speed....
muahahahaha

HOwever, drawback is....i'm deprived of the internet connection till this monday...
sigh, hopefully they hasten the change of connection.....

Weird day

Today is a very odd day....
I met some friends who i hadn't met for quite some time...
People who don't usually greet me actually greeted me today....
Strangers around me are also more kind than usual...


There can only be 2 explaination behind this:
1) Today is a good day!!! Some stars and constellation happens to fall in the right position thus allowing me to receive tremendous luck...
2) I've turned into a super lengchai overnight...

I'm probably thinking too much...

Thesis Selection

I've been busy lately doinr research on a few thesis topic which I'm interested in...
Oh, for those who do not know, I'll be doing my thesis next academic session. We had to submit my preference as soon as possible to secure the topic of our 1st choice of thesis selection.

I submitted the form 2 days ago, last friday.
Jeng jeng jeng, my first preference is this thesis topic:

TOPIC 1151****************************************************
Supervisor(s): Dr Michal Tordon, A/Prof N A Ahmed
Title of thesis topic: Upgrade of UNSW wind tunnel test facility
Brief summary: This is a continuation project to upgrade the largest teaching subsonic wind tunnel of Australia.
Laboratory access required: Yes Lab. name(s): Aerodynamics (L209)
Suitable for: MECHATRONIC

What is a 'Wind Tunnel'???
A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects. Typically, a plane has to be tested in a Wind Tunnel before any construction takes place.

I spoke to the 2 supervisor (Dr.tordon and Prof.Ahmed) regarding my intend of taking this thesis topic. Judging from our conversation, apparently I am the only student who approached them regarding this thesis topic.
It could be a good thing as i won't have any competitor who could potentially 'steal' my topic. And i am also interpreting it as "I could possibly be the only idiot who is gonna take this seemingly "uninteresting-with-no-future" thesis topic.

The interesting thing is that, they state that the 'Wind Tunnel' i'm dealing with is the biggest wind tunnel in the whole of Australia. They also claim that it is possibly one of the biggest wind tunnel in the world. This device is freaking huge! Ths size is like 2 classroom size and a height of 2 story tall.

Hopefully this statement: "Dealt with Australia's biggest Wind Tunnel" will look good in my future resume.

Looking down

Since the thesis topics has been posted up lately by UNSW, i was kinda busy looking around for information and meeting people to find out more about those topic which i'm particularly interested in. And since we have to submit out thesis topic preference before this friday, we have to act fast in our decision...

I spoke to mr.tomonari furukawa, a supervisor in charge with thesis topics that has something to do with robatics and system control. [He is probably the best and the smartest lecturer in the my faculty. Everyone in the uni respects him a lot...]
And I was very aware of my own body language during the discussion with him. The bad thing i noticed about myself is that, i tend to look down on the floor while i'm talking to him.

Even during the conversation, i was very aware of this bad habit of mine...and i was telling myself the whole time, "dude, look straight while you are talking!! There aint nothing interesting on the floor...."
Sigh, too bad....habit remains as a habit....and i tend not to look straight if i'm talking, particularly if i have a tremendous amount of respect towards the person i'm talking to ....

Well, I have change my habit bit by bit....
3 months!!! I'll give myself 3 months to do that!!!

Thesis

As defined in wikipedia.org, a thesis is an intellectual proposition. A dissertation, a document that presents the author's research findings and is submitted in support of candidature for degree or professional qualification.

The time has come to a stage when I am required to decide what to do for my thesis subject in order to graduate from UNSW.
There is this long list of thesis topic that is available to students. I have to choose 5 prefered topic from that list before this friday. Out of so many topics, I found out that i'm more inclined towards topic which involves either programming, electronic, or management.

For the next couple of days, I have to visit those 'supervisor' who came out with those thesis topic in order to get a rough idea on what to expect.

While deciding on my preference of thesis topic, it got me thinking: Mechatronics, a field so vast with endless persuit of knowledge....What would be my career path be?? What would I end up doing in the future??

Perhaps, someday I'll get to build my own big bad giant robot that has the potential to dominate the whole world...

[Quote] Bruce Lee

Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man,
sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can
---- Bruce Lee

Demotivator

Sometimes, I feel like i'm not productive enough...
Instead of wasting time, I should be doing some productive work...
Sometimes, I question my purpose...
Instead of thinking about the future and remisnicing the past, I should focus on the present living for the moment....

I was searching for motivation these few days...
And instead, I found a demotivator website, www.despair.com

MOTIVATION. Psychology tells us that motivation- true, lasting motivation- can only come from within. Common sense tells us it can't be manufactured or productized. So how is it that a multi-billion dollar industry thrives through the sale of motivational commodities and services? Because, in our world of instant gratification, people desperately want to believe that there are simple solutions to complex problems. And when desperation has disposable income, market opportunities abound.

AT DESPAIR, INC., we believe motivational products create unrealistic expectations, raising hopes only to dash them. That's why we created our soul-crushingly depressing Demotivators® designs, so you can skip the delusions that motivational products induce and head straight for the disappointments that follow!
E.L. Kersten, Ph.D.
Founder and COO of www.despair.com

[Quotes] Confucius said:

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.

---- Confucius

Artificial Heart Pump

Last monday, i was in a lecture attending my fluids dynamics class listening to a guest speaker as he talks about his company, Ventracor. And he was the head designer engineer of the company. Imagine, a head designer actually came to one of our lecture and gave a presentation about his company and their works on artificial heart pump.

Building an artificial heart has been the Holy Grail for medicine for decades. Now, the australian company, Ventracor came out with an impressive looking device which could prolong someone's life with a weak heart.
---- http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s978930.htm

Humans...have come a long way, and now they are capable of manufacturing stuff which could temper the organs of our body...

That head designer engineer brought with him 2 artificial heart pump to the lecture theater, which he allow us to pass around to have a close look at it... As he was talking about the device, there was this tingling chilly feeling inside of me.

The current version of artificial heart pump by Ventracor

The inside of the artificial heart pump.

He mentioned about a number of success operations.
Out of the many, 2 of them left me with minor fear....
1) A guy was suffured heart failure. Just before his death, an artificial heart pump was installed within his body which keeps him alive for more than a year. And he is still alive. Freaky thing is, that guy has no pulse. Imagine, a person walking around the streets with no pulse in him...
2) Another fella, had an earlier version of an artificial heart pump installed within his body. The earlier version of the heart pump was a bit bigger, bulkier and not so fashionable. The freaky thing is that, the heart pump would emit some mechanical noise everytime it pumps blood throughout the whole body. So, in the hospital, nurses and doctors would freak out whenever this person is walking along the quiet aisle. They could hear his mechanical heart pumping and his breathing a few meters away.....

These inventions are great.
They bring technology to a step further.
They save lives.
They improve the lifestyle of the community.

However, i have a bad feeling about this... It feels like as though this thing is turning people into the undead, a zombie...
[Damn, i better make sure that my conscience are dead the next time i see it]

Voluntary Work

My secondary school friend Gerald, made some remark about charity work in his blog...
He mentioned his experience when only as little as 1 out of 10 people support his effort for collecting funds for some AIDS donation drive... And he was on saying that how 'the more fortunate' people should be more caring and observant towards those who are less fortunate...

His post about the charity drive is kinda inspiring...which makes me want to talk about voluntary work...

I'm glad to say that i've done some voluntary work myself. Most of it were affliated withPBSM (Malaysia Red Crescent Society).
And i'm proud to have join the ranks of VAD (Voluntary Aid Disaster Unit). Even though the term VAD sounds nice and impressive, but i've never been called to those major events like those really big accidents, chaotic events , demostration and events like these....
At most, I was called to service in those company family day, sport events, and those one-day event.. And it was all pure voluntary work, and sometimes i have to fork my own money to pay for transport fee and medical items...And sometimes the workload can be pretty hectic.
As a medic, we have to be prepared, calm and steady all the time. We are not suppose to display a panicy face, not even a tired face... Doing so would freak out the patient and the patiend would lose confidence in our ability, which is not a good thing...

So, question is...why would i do something with little or no benefits in return???
I probaby wouldn't be able to express it clearly in words, but its the sight of those expression....the grateful look on those patients, that thankful gesture on those organisers, that sincere face saying 'Thank you'....was all well worth it...

It's not everyday that people are really grateful for what you have done....
and in events such as this....I get to experience this almost every time....

Of course there are other unwritten bonus that comes with the job such as meeting new people, old and young, rich and poor... And i was 1 fortunate guy to get to listen to their experience. I found out that people in general are very interesting and they have rich experiences of their own....

Throughout my days as a medic:
I've driven an ambulance. Everyone can test-drive a ferrari, but not an ambulance. :)
I get to play with an resuscitator (an equipment capable of performing CPR).
The best was when i dyed my hair golden colour while on one particular PBSM duty....How cool is that?? Its not everyday u get to see an 'ah-beng' medic on duty... Golden monkey boy
:)

Mid Autumn Festival

Mid Autumn Festival also known as Moon Festival, Mooncake Festival, August Moon Festival or the Lantern Festival is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the lunar calender.
This year, Mid Autumn Festival falls on the 6th of october....which coindently is today...
:)

Today is all about the big round moon, lanterns, mooncake the story of 'Chang E'.
There are various version of the Chang Er story circulating....

However, i'm more into the big round moon instead of the story behind Mid Autumn Festival.
I find the full moon mesmerising beautiful....

To everyone:
Happy Mooncake Festival...
Enjoy your night....

Dorky face pt2

Remember my previous dorky face post??
Well, i present to you another episod of my dorky face collection...

(Cool pic eh? My tongue has just enlongated a few inches long...Oh btw, that was me in the lower middle part of the picture. The one wearing a white jacket with a green t-shirt inside)

Usually, my dorky face pictures are only for personal keepsake..
But not this particular photo... This time, it has gone a few levels up, this particular photo has just gone international...
I just found out that the same picture was used in a flyer advertised in the UNSW ISS website.

DJ Layzr in M'sian DJ Battle

Recently the 'Malaysian DJ Battle Championship' was held in 1utama KL presented and organised by Bionic DJ academy on the 9th september 2006.

"This is a platform for aspiring djs to showcase thier skills, network and exchange idea" ---- DJ Fuzz

Some of Malaysia's finest DJ went in competing for the grand title in hope of being Malaysia's best DJ player. My elder brother went for it...in search of fame with no fear of defeat and the goodwill of healthy challenge.
Too bad I wasn't there to witness DJ Layzr, my elder brother showing off his skills.

Some of the pics taken in the DJ competition:

Some of the best DJ in Malaysia and in the middle is DJ Layzr

DJ Layzr in the grand competition

DJ Layzr showing his skills

And in the end, not only did DJ Layzr survive the competition, he went back home with a grin on his face bearing the title of WINNER OF MALAYSIAN DJ BATTLE CHAMPIONSHIP 2006 “BEAT JUGGLING CATEGORY”

Great job. brother!!!

For more photos of the event: More Photos!!!
To see the results of the competition: Competition Result

Pictures from camp

I just got this...Below are 4 pictures featuring some of my experiences from the previous camp i've been to a week ago.

Yo! whats up?
This is me, all geared up!

Made some new friends in the camp...

Night time....Keep on rockin'

And towards the end of the camp, we had so much fun that we've gone back to our kiddy state.... Looking back at the photos, we look like a bunch of retards..

PostSecret [Updated]

PostSecret.com
Its probably one of my favourite blog. I never fail to visit this site at least once a week. Thats coz this site is being updated every sunday.....
Its actually a site where ppl post in their secrets in a form of postcard. And this guy name Frank (owner of the blog) post up those postcards...

A secret of mine has just been posted by a guy last week....
my deep dark little secret...

Updated on 5/10/2006
The postcard I was referring to: