~La Corda D'oro Primo Passo~

My first ever anime addiction experience........falling in love with classical music once again

Last Sunday, Kelvin introduce me to a music-orientated anime none other than La Corda D'oro or Kin'iro no Corda . La Corda D'oro simply means in italian "The Golden Strings". I find this anime very addictive and i finished it within three days. Haha.

Plot

The story is basically about a girl named Hino Kahoko who is a general-ed student in Seisou Academy. In that school they also have music education whereby students are required to wear cream-coloured uniforms to distinguished from the general-ed students which wear gray uniforms.

One day, Hino Kahoko runs late for school and stumble upon a fairy named Lili. Lili[who always wanted someone to see her] was also shocked that Hino could see her. Lili is a mischievous musical fairy who was saved by the founder of the school (he could see Lili too) and because of that, Lili is constantly blesses the school with musical talent.

Lili was happy that she could see her and gives her a magical violin which enables anyone to play it using the "tune from his/her heart". In addition to that, Hino Kahoko was also "offered" a place in the school's annual musical competition or concours. Naturally, she rejects but is constantly pressured by Lili to join the concours. Finally she gives in and was amazed when she could play "Ave Maria" after listening to Len Tsukimori who plays the violin and is also a concour participant.

For the concours, they are four selections(or test) whereby the participants are required to play a song according to the theme given[4 themes in this case]. I like the plot because it shows the skills of a musician in a particular instruments such as the violin, piano, trumpet, clarinet and the flute.

As the story goes a long, Hino Kahoko has to face many problems and trials namely the "guilt" from playing the violin because she felt she's lying to many people out there; tricking them into thinking that she was a talented violin player. Romance was also cleverly inter-wined in the story seeing sparks of love between her and 7 guys/men namely, Len Tsukimori, Ryoutarou Tsuchiura, Kazuki Hihara, Azuma Yunoki, Keiichi Shimizu, Hiroto Kanazawa[yes, her teacher], Shinobu Osaki. Sad thing is, Hino couldn't made up her mind. Haha. I would love to see the romance between her and Kazuki Hirara or Ryoutarou Tsuchiura .

The story also shows the conflicts she had with her friends while also making new ones namely Fuyuumi who is also a paticipant in the concours.

Problems arised when she broke 3 of her magical golden strings of the violin during the 3rd selection because of her angry demanding tune of her heart instead of love for the violin.
This is where the name of the show comes into place.

Now she would either have to leave the concours[which she loves] or continue with it [and ppl would know she sucks :) ]. A bit of lo-so ness comes into the picture. Hino Kahoko becomes confuse with what she wants and what to do . Love of Hate the violin?

I won't tell the ending , watch it yourself. Haha.

As aforementioned, the story rotates around music. I find this show inspiring because it causes you to fall in love with music or start learning music. Many famous piano compositions name are announced in the show so now i can spend time learning them[as i donno the name before]. I am currently attempting "Revolutionary" or " Etude Op.10 12". Sigh , nowhere near the speed though but i shall strive for perfection. I strongly encouraged those who plays an instrument or have love for music or ANYONE to watch this anime. Its so good that it cause you to fall in love with classical. People should make more animes like this. I cried during the 25th episode because the music was really touching[really from the heart]

The Disappointments
1. I wanted to see more action
In my opinion, the loso-ness should be cut down a little and focus towards more music. I would have love to see them competing with other school in music or something.

2. Romance
The romance is a bit weird. I would have love to see at least forming the couple. Hihara was so close but sigh...too bad. Romance in this story is weird.

3. Music
I think there should be more violinist. The sounds from the violin of Len Tsukimori and Hino Kahoko is exactly the same[same violinist who plays the music]. You can't fool me. I have heard many violinist and never ever i have encountered violinist that plays exactly alike. That is why when you go into a concert, the violins sounds nice as a group but never one whole note or tune. Its can be liken to our voice, each of us sing differently but when we sing a note together its nice.
At some parts i think they even use a keyboard[the vibrato is too constant] . I would also have love to hear more music like duets, trios, sextet or something but of course not deviating from the main plot so that it won't lose its "kan-tung" feeling. Haha.

4. Short
The story is short. I want a 2nd season!

Characters

Taken from Wikipedia.

(日野 香穂子, Hino Kahoko)

Voiced by: Reiko Takagi

Violin by: Yuuki Nakajima

The protagonist. Kahoko has a slim figure, with scarlet hair and brown eyes. She is very friendly and is very honest. She is a second year at Seisou Academy and is in the General Education department. Hino never played or touched a violin in her life until she meets the strange fairy, Lili. Though at first reluctant about playing the violin, she soon becomes more in depth with her music. She is a polite and considerate girl who puts other's feelings before her own, though at times she can appear rather naive, especially in music. The boys involved in the concours have obvious crushes on her, though she cannot figure that out. She lives in an apartment with her mother and older sister. She confesses to have a craving for sweet things.

Lili (リリ, Riri)

Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi

The fairy that lives on the campus of Seisou and is the one who gives Kahoko the magical violin. Lili is the same fairy that promised the creator of the Academy that he will bless the school with music. He flies around the school waiting for people to notice him, and if they respond, he blesses them with a "magical" musical talent or whim.

Len Tsukimori (月森 蓮, Tsukimori Ren)

Voiced by: Kishou Taniyama

Violin by: Kouichirou Muroya

A surly, blue-haired, violin player who normally behaves contemptuously toward everyone. He was a child prodigy, coming from a family of musicians. His mother, Misa Hamai, is a very famous pianist and his father is a well-known violinist. Because of this, many people take his brilliance for granted. He seems very cold towards those that he comes into contact with, even his admirers, to whom he rarely pays attention to.

Before he met Hino he didn't think that music was enjoyable, though after spending time with her, he began to slowly enjoy music and his music changes because of her. He slowly warms up towards Hino and even gives her advice on how to hold and stand properly with the violin. People think that he acts harshly towards Hino, but deep down in his heart he is really concerned about her (though he may not show it). As the series progresses, he realizes his feelings for her. He's slowly affected by Hino and his mother says that he has changed his character. His mother knows that Hino is the one that affected him or changed his personality.

Ryoutarou Tsuchiura (土浦 梁太郎, Tsuchiura Ryōtarō)

Voiced by: Kentarou Itou and Ayumi Tsunematsu (young Tsuchiura)

Piano by: Masaru Okada

Another second year General Education department student, and Hino's friend. He and Kahoko met after he ran into her, nearly knocking her down a staircase, saving her in the nick of time. Their friendship eventually grows, and she even confesses she knew nothing of violin playing. He is a very gifted pianist but quit playing in public because of an unpleasant experience at a junior concert. Ryotaro is the star of the soccer team, being very skilled at the sport (and even outdoing some third years). After he helped Kahoko in the first round of the concours by being her accompanist, he, as well, joined the concours. He does not like Len Tsukimori, and they often get into many disagreements[towards the end, the hard feelings are not that bad]. His feelings for Hino gradually deepens as the series progresses.

Kazuki Hihara (火原 和樹, Hihara Kazuki)

Voiced by: Masakazu Morita

Trumpet by: Kazuki Abe

Hihara is an energetic third year at Seisou who plays the trumpet. He is tall and in shape (he runs every morning), and has green hair and eyes. He's aggressively friendly and outgoing and has little sense of social boundary. Hihara has an enormous appetite, as he is constantly eating (especially baked goods). He quickly befriends Kahoko. In the middle of the series, he starts to call Kahoko "Kaho-chan", instead of the usual "Hino-chan", this suggesting he has a rather obvious crush on the girl. He also admits to Azuma that he has a crush on Kahoko, saying "don't make fun of me" when asked. Basketball is one of his favorite sports.

Azuma Yunoki (柚木 梓馬, Yunoki Azuma)

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio

Flute by: Shin Endou

A student in his third year, he appears to be a very considerate and kind, this helps to hide a meaner and more intimidating man. He is tall and smart, his hair a deep purple and longer than that of the female characters. He comes from a family of flower arranging. He also used to play the piano, but due to the law that the youngest son cannot be better that his brothers, he turned to the flute. The charming and considerate flautist "prince" of the harem, he has a worshipful trio of fans that hate any girl he shows any attention to, Kahoko in particular. He has strong feelings for Kahoko, but acts like he really hates her.

Keiichi Shimizu (志水 桂一, Shimizu Keiichi)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

Cello by: Tomoki Tai

A blond 'bishounen' and also is the youngest male competitor, he plays the cello. He is very drowsy all the time and often seems confused. Shimizu can be found sleeping anywhere, anytime, so Kahoko first meets him lying on the ground fast asleep. His life seems to revolve around music (he tells Hino that he sleeps, wakes up, plays the cello, then repeats the process, other than eating and visiting the library), and he loves to play his instrument. He enjoys reading and studying music history and structures of instruments. In time, he becomes interested in Hino because of her carefree music.

Shouko Fuyuumi (冬海 笙子, Fuyūmi Shōko)

Voiced by: Akemi Satou

Clarinet by Tomoko Nishizaki

The other female competitor from the school, she plays the clarinet and is also shown to play a little piano from episode 26. Fuyuumi is a first year at Seisou, a small, slim girl with cyan hair and eyes. She is very hesitant and easily intimidated, and very shy. During the training camp, her vacation house was used, indicating she comes from a wealthy family. She looks up to Kahoko as a role model and wants to be like her.

Nami Amou (天羽 菜美, Amō Nami)

Voiced by: Yuki Masuda

A brunette female general education student in her second year. She is from the press club and is set to report on the contest. Most often she does crazy things just to get the "juiciest" articles. She befriends Kahoko and Fuyuumi.

Hiroto Kanazawa (金澤 紘人, Kanazawa Hiroto)

Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa

Tenor Vocal by: Naoki Tokorodani

The lazy music teacher with greyish-lavender hair who is the head of the competition. He is always seen smoking, and sometimes when outdoors he is seen feeding his cat. He seems to know about Lili, but claims that he cannot see him. In the anime, his talent is singing.

Shinobu Osaki (王崎 信武, Ōsaki Shinobu)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

Violin by: Kouichirou Muroya; Viola by: Yuri Matsumoto

He is a Seisou graduate, with reddish-orange hair and who is also in his 3rd year in a university currently and as a support teacher for the orchestral club. In the past when he was still in high school, he won first place in the competition. His reason for playing the violin is to make listeners happy. He has a gentle heart, and he was the one who cheered up Kahoko after she started questioning her abilities of relying on the magical violin compared to the music department's students hard work in episode 12. He also enjoys teaching young children to play the violin, and has even gotten some of the concour participants to help him with it

In conclusion, i really encourage everyone to watch this anime at crunchyroll[streaming] and search from La Corda D'oro. Each episode is about 25 minutes including the intro song and credits. I suggest not to skip the credits as at the ending Lili the fairy would come out and give a cute "One Point Classic" which are interesting facts about classical music heydays. All in all they are 25 episodes and an additional special episode[episode 26] which runs for 30 minutes plus. For those post-SPM students , this is a great anime. MUST WATCH! You won't regret it. At crunchyroll, the speed of loading is quite fast so don't worry.

Kelvin if you're reading this i want to burn the episodes after you finished downloading them. Hehe.

For the directors of this show, I WANT A SECOND SEASON!!!!!!!

I want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want i want !!!!!!!!!!

This shows how badly i am in love with this anime. Haha!

On another note, i am accepted for the KPLSPM(Kursus Perguruan Lepas SPM) overseas course and i am preparing for it. Not only that its harder than JPA interview. Sigh~

Aw Shucks......

Now i have to go through the trouble of writing a two-page long essay for my brother's assignment.

Topic: Role of Biotechnology

Its a conspiracy i know..... If i hadn't' like biotech i need not to write this essay for him. Hehe.

Looks like i have to postpone my blog post. Next up, an anime review by me. YES and i do watch anime. Not that often. Its my first time getting addicted to one . Haha.

Next Up: La corda D'oro anime review

I got Tagged.....Again

nstructions: Remove ONE question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. Do you believe in love at first sight?
I don't think i believe in that. THAT would be more like infatuation or LIKE at first sight. How can you love someone so fast? Are you sure you're able to sacrifice your life immediately for her/him at first sight?? Haha.

2. Do you eat without brushing your teeth?

I eat before i brush my teeth. Its disgusting when you eat bread, eggs, buns , or drink milk/milo with a mint aftertaste

3. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

Anywhere would do seriously. I'm so bored being stuck at home trapped in a house. It beginning to feel like a cage already. Scholarship come faster!

4. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?

I dream to have unlimited dreams come true regardless who i become if i wish to become him/her. Hahaha.....

5. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?

I'm not a baby . OF COURSE I DO!

Its the process whereby light is being refracted when it passes through the prism-like characteristic water droplets producing an array of 7 colours. NAMELY, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and indigo.

Whoever who made this question is dumb.....

6. Do you like being who you are today?
Of course i do. DO i have any choice? I'm still gonna stuck with the body i have so might as well i like it right. Haha.

7. If you win $1 million, what would you do?

That's so cheap of you........$1 million now is like kacang/peanut/worm/dirt/microscopic dirt. But free who don't want. hahaha....With that 1 million i put into singapore bank lor. Higher interest. Hehehehe....

8. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?

Duh......... You ever said "i love you mummy" to your mom right? If not, "tsk tsk tsk" you unfaithful son/daughter . Go buy some gifts for your mom lar; Mother's day approaching leh.

9. Would you swim in a vat of chocolate?

=.= PIMPLES PIMPLES PIMPLES!

Its like swimming in a vat of BUTTER(cocoa butter). If its Belgium's choc, might as u give me the whole pot and i sell it. More *KA CHING!*

10. Do you wear boxers?

Definition:someone who fights with his fists for sport

Are you nuts! i certainly do not drapped a men around my body. Sick, sick , SICK question!!!!

i' m just being bored.......hehehhe

11. Which type of cars I love the most?

Unlike most people, till now i do not have any car that i really like. If malaysian brand, it is still PERODUA! But i would like to try a hybrid car...so nice.

12. Which do you prefer from your other half? hug? or a kiss?
I can't see the future.....It depends. Haha.

13. If you have faults, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
This is why Malaysia has many problems. We should voice out in a diplomatic way to correct someone.

14. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?

Faith...my faith

15. Are you a shopaholic or not?
Compared to an Ah Lien, i would be an angel.

16. What kind of electronic device/gadget you own that you like most?
SOMEONE PLEASE give me a camera handphone!!!!!

17. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?

My mood swings......haha

18. What makes you feel disappointed?

When i have a disappointing feeling.......hehehe

19. If given a chance, do you want to see your future?
Nah, makes me worry more.....

20. List 5 ways on how you like your eggs?
Fried, Scrambled, Poached, boiled, and half-boiled. Haha

I Tag:

1.Daniel

2.Ahma

3.Kelvin

4. Grace

5.Kim

6.Letitia

7.Cordelia

8.Jason

Rejected~

Sad but yeah i don't think i am volunteering anymore for World Vision One Life exhibition. They inform me saying that they have enough volunteers already. But anyway, hopefully somehow, they will need some help eventually. I really really want to volunteer so much.

Sigh. :(

Sadistic sadness......

Yup i know i promised you that i will blog about Big Apple Donuts but my pictures were deleted so unfortunately by my dad. Nevertheless, i shall still blog about it later with pictures I'll draw.

Lately, i just finish designing a t-shirt for EBC Line Dancing Ministry. The theme is Pink & Black and White & Pink. Design is pink but the shirts colour is an alternative to the buyer. Anyway, it was challenging because i need to make it modern, following the "in" fashion trend, and not make it too feminine because got men in the dance group too. So here's the results, please comment! All done using photoshop Cs3.






















Black Shirt Front design





















Black Shirt Back design






















White Shirt Front design




















White shirt Back design












On another note, i might be volunteering for the "One Life" exhibition at 'The Spring Mall" in Kuching from the 1st May-4th May. Do come and support. If all goes well, i can be part of the group. I am now in the midst of the applying to be a volunteer. If you want to disturb me during the exhibition don't bother, it will be the mp3 that will do the talking. The exhibition is mainly about exposing the lives of people suffering from HIV/AIDS so that this matter will be taken seriously. It is not only to prevent HIV/AIDS but to also create an awareness and a paradigm shift[anjakan paradigma] so that people won't look down but help these people. Most of all, you'll reflect on your life and how you can make it better[or plan a better future]

Visit World Vision Here

Petronas Educamp Experience Part II

continuation.........

The following day (16th April 2008), i was awaken by the stirring Ivan from his sleeping bag. Don't ask me why but he preferred sleeping on the floor rather than on the bed leaving the entire bed to myself. Wahahaha. Oh yah, forgot to mention about the hotel room. For my room, we had a bathtub and shower that is leaking, a clogged drainage system(flood in the bathroom literally), and super hot lamp lights. The lights practically can heat up the whole room like a sauna . Hence, we had to always live in the dark.

Where was I, hmmmmmmmmm. Ok so i woke up at 5.30 am which was one hour earlier than my schedule. Read some notes and took a bath. Went downstairs for breakfast with my roommates. I didn't eat much as i had butterflies in my stomach (lame). Spent my time reading some more notes.

So i went to the Nemesis room(its a star not something evil) at 7.45 to gather in our respective groups. I was A-06-05 which mean:

A=Group A which consist of about 40 people
06= You are in group/panel 6
05= You are the fifth speaker

Got into my proper group and made some new friends namely Ting Ling Ing, Zetty, Kershia, and Liew something something......Kershia you gotta help me. Haha. The Petronas Officer then gave us a briefing about the case study(which will be the interview). Its divided into two sessions; individual and discussion in groups. We had to give our views/opinions in both sessions. So Group A topic was Sport Policies. My task is "to create a Sport Policy to ensure sports is mandatory in School and Corporate Organizations to instill a competitive society". Each one of us in our small group had the same topic but different task to do and say. For example, one person's task is "to oppose the sport policies". Although your task is given that way, you can still oppose or agree with your task.

Basically we had 30 minutes to prepare and we went to another hotel room to do you interview. I was getting nervous and i broke out in cold sweat. Then, i notice something very important. I realised that i didn't read the finer prints in my case study. "to instill a competitive society". I didn't notice it earlier. I was nervous times three. All along, i was writing the benefits and how-to's to implement a good Sport Policy. So i quickly try to direct all my points so that it will "instill a competitive society".

GOOD THING I WAS THE LAST SPEAKER!!!!!!!!!

Haha. So at last i went into the interview room. All my friends said negative comments saying the interviewers were so serious/moody/strict ecetera....I whispered a silent prayer asking God to help me. I did all the proper mannerism before i sat down and smiled. They smiled back. PHEW! Good sign leh. I was feeling very happy by then. Both interviewers asked something like this:

Interviewer:Tell us something about yourself. Your family? hobbies? etc?
Me:Yada yada yada yada.........

Interviewer: Which Course did you apply for?
Me:Geology

Interviewer:So, which do you prefer, Overseas or In UTP(universiti teknologi petronas)?
Me: In my opinion, i don't mind any of them. My personal belief is that it doesn't matter how far or how long you study to achieve the course you want. Of course overseas they have the expertees and better experience but i still don't mind studying in UTP because later you can always further yourselves in that field.

Interviewer: What if we change your course?
Me: Hey, knowledge is always a gain not a loss. Even if you don't like it, knowledge is always beneficial.

Interviewer: But i'm sure you have an ambition right?
Me: Of course i have an ambition which is to be a biotechnologist or geologist. But like i said, knowledge is always a gain never a loss. So i do not mind.
*interviewer nods and wrote several comments*

Interviewer: you may start your case study

Yup so that was it. The funny thing was i wasn't cut off when i was speaking . That's a good sign i guess. My other friends were cut off and they were asked to keep their points for the discussion later. I spoke about the same time as my friends so i think it must be the grace of God. Anyway, during my points one of the interviewer yawn. I was quite tactful and i immediately change to my next point which relates to working people. Good thing i got her attention once more as i was elaborating too much on school i guess. After that, i shook hands with them and went out.

For group discussion , i spoke my points again. Personally i feel that our group went off topic as it was suppose to be concentrating on the society as a whole, NOT only athletes in Malaysia. I tried to bring the focus back to Malaysia holistically but some(i won't mention who) keep on focusing on athletes. The research points are just facts about Malaysian athletes AND the society.The facts are not suppose to be the points. Its a form of misdirection to confuse you from sticking to your main task. The facts are they to support your task or as examples when you speak. Oh well, i decided to join in as i can't pull back the topic as all of them (no offense) were into concentrating on athletes already. Anyway, they just want to see our speaking and communication skills so there is no right or wrong answer. At least the interviewers liked our discussion because it was lively. IT wasn't monotonous and boring. I also tried to pass the ball to someone else so that i do not look like dominating.

Personally, looking back, i think the reason why i wasn't cut off in the individual session is because i was fulfilling my task accurately? I'm not sure , but i think that is what happened. The whole interview process finished at about 10 something in the morning.

It was still early for my English and Critical Thinking test which starts at 2.30pm. Watch Discovery Channel and Disney as usual. Lunch was horrible as usual. Hehe.....

At about 2.15pm i was prepared to go downstairs from my hotel room. As usual you press the lift button and wait. When the lift door opened, i only TOOK ONE step into the lift and.

BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!
The whole electricity in Rajah Court Hotel was cut off. I was shocked and startled for a few second. Any sooner and i would have been trapped in the lift for a few minutes. After about 30 seconds, i went in the lift as the electricity came back on again. Then i adjourned to the "grand hall" for the exam. Haha. Later on i heard that electricity was cut off again after we went downstairs using the lift. Phew!!!!! closed one lar........

The exam was further delayed by 20 minutes as the electricity wasn't back yet. We had to sit for three test. English Placement test, Verbal evaluation, and Diagrammatic Series.All are MCQ(multiple choice questions)

English Placement Test(1 hour/50questions):
Its harder than SPM english as the test has very high standard of vocabulary and grammar. Not only that, most of the answers are quite close and you have to decide which is the best answer.

Verbal Evaluation(30 minutes/60 questions):
Basically they give you a short passage followed by four statements. Your task is to label the statements with either A,B or C. A for true, B for false, C neither , you need more information to see whether its true or false. Its a bit harder as you cannot answer based on your own acquired knowledge but solely based on the passage.

For example, the statement stated "Nuclear Plants are dangerous because they are many accidents that occur". I chose "c" because the passage didn't say anything about accidents but just said that people are against it. Its true in reality but not in the test. So i kept on erasing my answers as i tend to blacken the wrong one. Sigh~

Diagrammatic Series(20 minutes/40 questions)
I find this fun and exciting. I wish got more time but i finished it 3-4 minutes earlier . Hence, i got time to check the hard ones. I'm confident i can get mostly correct for this one. A lot of people "tembak" but i didn't. I guess the IQ online test that i always do helps quite a bit. Haha, experience mar......

After the whole thing, i rushed back to the hotel room and packed my back . Checked out and went home. Plonked on my bed.......so tiring BUT FUN. Nice getting to know so many people in two days. Met some recommers too.

Anyway, for those who want to try out these test we experienced go to http://www.shlgroup.com
They shouldn't have printed the website on the paper. Now people can go and practice. haha.


Next Post: Big Apple Donuts Review, bad or Good?

Petronas Educamp Experience

Just came back from Petronas Educamp yesterday. Exhilarating yet tiring. I'll try to make a simple and short one. Hopefully not so lo-so(boring and long). And no pictures again, coz i can't find that stupid camera. Sigh~


I attended the Petronas Educamp at The Regency Rajah Court Hotel in Kuching from the 15-16 of April 2008. Like any other excited participant i woke up early and do a last minute check on everything i should be bringing. Took a bath and dressed up as best as i could to give a good impression . The funny thing is, they were a lot of things we need not to bring although they specified to bring it in the offer letter. I had to bring a luggage bag and two plastic bags to fit everything.

Thing we need not have brought along:
1. Bedsheet Cover
2. Pillow Cover
3. Blanket
4. Sport shoes
5. Tracksuit
6. Collared T-shirt

In the end we need not any of the above at all. All along i thought they were just using Rajah Court Hotel as a venue, not for lodging. I thought they will send us to some hostel . Anyway, surprise, surprise we stayed in the hotel eventually. Have backache for no apparent reason. I'm not exactly angry but its better staying in a hotel compared to other Educamp participants held in other parts of Malaysia. We got AIR-CONDITIONER & ASTRO!!!!
*points finger and laugh at them*

So after the immense traffic-jam that early morning, i reached the hotel at about 8.10 and i could sense the environment of smart-alec all around me. Prim and proper designer shirt, ties, coats, blouse, blazers, shoes, and high-heels flashed around me. I reminded myself that i was surrounded by top students all around Sarawak. 160 of them. OK, ok minus one excluding myself. Anyway, you know what spoiled the sense of professionalism in the air? The loud voices like pasar malam, mixture of Foochow, Hokkien, Mandarin , English and Malay all rolled into one. Its hilarious. Try dressing a normal hawker stall ah pek in office wear and you know what i mean. Haha.

Just like any ordinary Malaysian time, the registration only started at 8.30 am. I don't blame them because a lot of things need to be settled so i used the time for socialising. Meeting new people and fellowshipping with old friends. 8 greenians were they namely me myself, Samuel, Walter, Ivan Tan, Amy, Leetizia, Lee Siao Fen and Terence. Our number were small compared to other schools. Oh well. Some of us figured out that Sarawakians are KiaSu(competitive). It so happen that they were two human lines are made . One is super long and one is short. Guess what? Those people in the longer line don't bother to even join the shorter queue. So dumb and *insert whatever word you want here* . Hehehe. I think you can decide which are smart and are not. It also happened the same way for the buffet spread of breakfast for us.

Got my name registered after a slow mass traffic jam of humans and my ID. Went to eat some breakfast and waited in the "grand" hall. Anyway, i wasn't given any room number so i thought i would be the one going to Kuching Park Hotel. As Rajah Court was full, some participants would go to Kuching Park Hotel and stay there overnight. I heard the participants would be notified by phone call if they are selected to stay there. They didn't give me a timetable too. Everything is free, what more can i ask. I remained optimistic

In the morning was a opening speech by the Sarawak Region Petronas Boss at 10am. It was followed by a short talk about the Scholarship or Convertible Loan and then some experience sharing by two students studying in UTP(universiti teknologi petronas). As most of the participants are vying for UTP, it was more appropriate for the sharing as they were not many students being selected for the overseas course. What intrigue me during the speech about the scholarship was that Petronas used to sponsor medicine as Petronas has its own mobile clinic. The sad thing is all 220 of these medic students never returned to our homeland. So ungrateful lah. I mean you're sponsored , the least you could do is work here for a few years. Nowadays, people are not grateful enough.

Then its was LUNCH TIME! The food was HORRENDOUS(i'm exaggerating) . It wasn't nice at all. Some people didn't eat as it was not right for their diet. I thin what they should do is find out the students diet. Not all people can eat spicy food and meat and some are allergic to certain food. If i was hired as a chef in The Regency Rajah Court Hotel i think all the participants would actually have an appetite to eat. Now i am having Stomache upset. Its sad lar, Petronas spend so much money on low quality food. I think they will agree with me as they ate the same thing as us. Throughout the camp it was :

1. Super hard fish(either overcook or frozen fish thrown into the wok)
2. Meat falling of the bones or too hard( overcook)
3. Yellow veggies (overcook)
4. Oxidised/overiped fruits
5. Coloured sugared water (its not even syrup!)
6. Cracked boiled eggs(as in cracked during boiling exposing its "flesh")
7. Watery baby-food looking porridge
8. Wet fried mee/mee hoon

BUT i salute for the beef rendang and the spicy sweet fish. Those were the only edible nice food. Good job on that one. Other than that, needs lots of improvement.


During Lunch on the first day, all my friend had calls to stay overnight at Kuching Park Hotel EXCEPT ME. I was worried and hot. All the other participants got their rooms(enjoying air-con and a shower) except me and the Kuching Park to be participants. Ivan Tan got the call. Imagine waiting for the next agenda for about 2 hours plus under hot sun or fan WEARING office style clothes and tie. Terrible!

Went in the hall at 2pm and sat for the aptitude test. It was tough to rank your liking and dislikes from 1-8 . They were 17 questions and each question has 8 statements. You're suppose to rank them. But for "special" people like me, i like most of them the same way and value. It was hard deciding which i like best. To top it off, someone turned off the air-con . It was like a Sauna. grrrrrrrrrrrrr.........................
About the test, though i rank it from 1-8 i like all the 8 the same. Sigh weird me.

After the test we had a tea-break. I hadn't receive any calls so i decided to approach one of the officer. Good thing i approach the right one. She was very nice though she was handling so many things during that time, She said she'll try to arrange that i go to Kuching Park Hotel if my name isn't in the Rajah Court Hotel List. Yay!

After tea break we had two more talks. The document arranging and Potential J Briefing(PJB donno what J stands for but its about the interview process). They brought forward the PJB in the afternoon as we are very cooperative we have too much time left. In the end our nights will be free. DOUBLE YAY!

The officer called my name and i was suppose to stay at Rajah Court Hotel. They thought i didn't register. =.= Sigh, i stayed in room 404. They also announced that the number of people going to Kuching Park Hotel is reduced from 24 to 7 people only as they found out Rajah Court has more rooms that evening. So all the greenians were here to stay. Haha. Ivan was initially in another "suite" room which has a kitchen. So super big lar. But they were 6 people in one room and they had to share 2 queen size beds. In the end, Ivan moved in into my room cos they were only 3 of us(2 queen size beds too). Practically wasted my night watching tv to relax my mind. Disney, discovery, and then more disney. Ivan and I wanted to go out to buy some titbits at Everrise but the guards prevented us. Sigh~. Spend the rest of the time reading my notes and preparing for the interview.

That night i couldn't sleep because my mind was racing about the interview.

What happened to Anders the following day? What challenges and problems did he face?
Stay tuned to find out tomorrow as he blogs about the 2nd half of this special Petronas Educamp episode.......
TO BE CONTINUED........

I am obviously watching too much disney. Haha. I think i will continue tomorrow. Too lo-so already. Me and my Anthem of words. haha

Presidential Pokemon

Presidential Pokemon. Please open in another window, as the video is too large to fit into my post. Haha.





Tomorrow is the Petronas Educamp! At least, i can breath easy as it would be in English. Hope to see Samuel and Terence there. Gambateh!!!!

WooHoo!

Status Permohonan
Tahniah!

Anda telah disenarai-pendek bagi mengikuti Program EDUCAMP dan Sesi Temuduga PETRONAS. Surat panggilan rasmi telah dihantar melalui pos.

Anda dikehendaki menghadiri Program EDUCAMP dan Sesi Temuduga PETRONAS seperti berikut:

Tarikh : 15 - 16 April 2008

Lokasi : The Regency Rajah Court Hotel,
Kuching, Sarawak

Adalah juga dimaklumkan bahawa anda telah di senarai-pendek berdasarkan permohonan anda untuk mengikuti program berikut:

Program : Luar Negara
Kursus : Sarjana Muda Geologi
Sila rujuk kepada lampiran Surat Panggilan Educamp dan Panduan Penyertaan, Akujanji dan Senarai Semak untuk maklumat lanjut.


Dimaklumkan bahawa kehadiran adalah wajib untuk dipertimbangkan bagi Program Penajaan Pendidikan PETRONAS. Kegagalan menghadiri program di atas sebagaimana yang ditetapkan akan mengakibatkan permohonan anda ditolak.


Yay!!!!! SO now i am accepted to another interview/camp. Actually i receive a call from Petronas Kuching informing me about the Camp. That cause a lot of people to be paranoid whether they're accepted or not. You can check now on the internet for your status.

NOW, back to researching and preparing for the interview.......*faints*

Testimony of a Former Satanist

I got this amazing video from Larry's Blog.
Its about an ex-satanist coming to know about Lord Jesus and her conversion into Christianity. Glory to god!
You may have to open in another window coz my blog can't fit in the video. Hehe.

Its wonderful to know the power we have in Jesus Christ. Satan is running out of time and thus he's trying to influence as much as he can. Our mission is to nullify Satan's power and step up our game.

Her face is distorted to hide her identity and the name she uses isn't her real name. Be encouraged!

Part 1


Part 2

Mr.Potato!

I lOVE this clip. SO funny!

~Monkey Tagged Me~

Monkey Kho tagged me. Sigh. Fine, fine i'll do it for blogging material. Hahaha.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night?
The television...Hehehehe

2. What were you doing at 0800?
Breathing, staring at computer, sitting down, hearing , smelling, and typing this post. What can I say, i multi-task!

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

Refer to question 2 BUT add eating roti canai.

4. What happened to you in 2006?
I became a jie jie =.= don't ask.

5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
How come the roti canai is like that?.

6. How many beverages did you have today?
Water.

7. What color is your hairbrush?
i have tons of comb/hairbrush at home. Name the colours of the rainbow and i think i have it. Haha.

8. What was the last thing you paid for?
A bowl of Kueh Chap. [seems that all the things i talk about is food!]

9. Where were you last night?
PIKOM fair, Home, bedroom.

10. What color is your front door?
Dark teal Brown.

11. Where do you keep your change?
Wallet and the "money-basket"

12. What’s the weather like today?
Cool with nice zephyrs.....ahhhhhhh

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
Got to be anything with fruits. The most bought flavour for me is vanilla raspberry.

14. What excites you?
Music, brass band, DCI, Lachey Choir, drama, dance, creative arts, exams, interviews, books, new places, new adventures

15. Do you want to cut your hair?
NO, definitely NOT!!!!! I'll let my hairdresser do it. I've never seen people cutting their on hair in a salon though......Hmmmmm, maybe someone should do it for guiness world records

16. Are you over the age of 25?
Which one are you talking about? Cat years, dog years? OR human years? IF human years i am definitely under 25. This is a stupid question, what for you send this to friends if you already know their age????

17. Do you talk a lot?
Yes, i do if people talk to me. I can get lost if they start speaking mandakien(mandarin + hokkien)

18. Do you watch the O.C.?
Saw the advertisement though. Does that count??? hahaha.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
The ugly,preverted and disgusting singaporean blogger.

20. Do you make up your own words?
Konnichiwa konbawa awak sangat lawa. Of course i do, who doesn't.

21. Are you a jealous person?
I do get jealous but i don't hold it for long . Haha.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’.
Anders. [we have split personality] hahaha.

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.
Keropok[to keep in company during movies], Kelvin the one who tagged me, Kat, and Kim. Haha 0o0o0ps got four leh.......haha

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?
Not using the handphone now but i think its my dad.

25. What does the last text message you received say?
ok.

26. Do you chew on your straw?
What type ? plastic or the organic one?

27. Do you have curly hair?
yup.......

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
Bathroom

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
I donno

30. What was the last thing you ate?
Roti canai.

31. Will you get married in the future?
I donno the future but maybe?

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?
hmmmmm............PENELOPE

33. Is there anyone you like right now?

I like number one. Haha lame answer. Quote: kelvin how can u just like ur family? should be love them......hahaha

34. When was the last time you did the dishes?
Last night.

35. Are you currently depressed?
Whatever for?

36. Did you cry today?
Nope....

37. Why did you answer and post this?
Kelvin tagged me.

38. Tag 5 monkeys who would do this survey.
Kelvin, Kelvin Kho, Monkey Kho, Kho Ee Teng[ i don't think she reads this], and Kelvin the Monkey. Hahahahaha.......

~JPA interview experience~

Firstly, i want to say sorry for being M.I.A. for so long. The two factors are:

1. Couldn't use streamyx as a lightning fall from heaven and struck the modem and my network card Kapoot! At that time i was very anxious as i haven't finish doing my scholarship application and preparation. Having internet nowadays are so important.

2. Procrastination got over me. Its hard to get into blogging after not blogging quite awhile. But when the blogging fever rages, i can blog basically about anything ; the moon, the sky, the air, the zephyr ...I think you get my point. Haha .

Swinburne rumour update: i won't be going yet, maybe in July intake or after going to Form 6.

Anyway, firstly i want to thank God for giving me a chance at the JPA scholarship interview. Thank God for his grace, mercy and favour upon my life. Lately, i find that most people recognised JPA scholarship as PSD. When i mention i am going for JPA interview, they all say as "HA? what is that? how come i donno wan?" until i say PSD(public service department;direct translation of Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam) scholarship.

I'm sure by now you want to know in detail what happened during my JPA interview. Let's backdate it to Last Friday (28th March)

Friday:
*Dad calls from office to tell me my results (no internet mar) *
*Dad congratulates and became excited*
*I became excited*
*Mom can home and i break the news to her. She also became Excited*
*Ate Duck for lunch*
*Got internet connection and start doing som research on Recom and other websites*
*Got into study mode*

Saturday=Study and Church

Sunday=Church +study+hip hop class+ study

Monday= Last minute shopping + studying

Haha, in conclusion, Anders=Study. No lar. Kidding kidding. got some fun in the middle too lar. Basically what i did was going through the topic one by one, writing down the points i can/could say and researching the internet and newspaper for facts. My researching paid off, most of my facts i was able to use them in the interview.

I was basically nervous the days before April fool's day. Couldn't sleep properly, i had to keep on reading books to actually make myself sleep. That happen to happened too (haha. so many happening words) through the days POST-JPA interview. I'm really tired out.

So on to D-day.

Jpa Interview:

I woke up around 5.30 because i couldn't sleep, wash up and had my breakfast. I went through my notes again getting the information to my head. One advice to Jpa interview wannabes; take SLEEPING PILLS if you must. You need to the sleep to be actually alert that morning. I was groggy actually and i wasn't alert.

Went into the car and use a short cut to avoid the massive traffic Jam. My father missed Pustaka library and we had to make another round to reach it. But we still reach there quite early. 7.15 am . I spend my time reading the whole speech by Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badai about RMK-9 or the Malaysian Ninth Plan. If you can get your hands on it, many valuable information can be used later in your interview. I didn't know that about 1500 schools didn't have 24-hour electricity. That itself explains a lot about our education in Malaysia.

After the some preparation , i decided not to study anymore before going in because it will only stress myself out against time. Its not SPM. Haha. I wanted to have a calm posture before going in. Met some friends along the way. I used the time to make new friends such as Nicholas and Louis. Quite fun to get to know new people. Its good to have people you know in the interview room to lower stress levels. Haha. At least not so intimidating and maybe you know a bit of their weakness. Haha.

The interview was purely malaysian time. Good lah. Not all the *use deep voice here* chosen ones(sounds like from a movie) arrive on time. Saw(as in the past tense of see not cutting) the JPA interviewers dressed in full coats entering the library to set up the things. All guys. Great!!!! Women are generally more picky i guess?

Went into the library at about 8.20 am i think. You could feel the tension in the air. Thank goodness the air-con was just switched on if not i would have suffer from major shivering.

Shivering+nervous+anxious+excitement= disaster

I was the only one wearing red; somewhere between red and maroon. Appeal to the malays!!! hahaha. At least the interviewers will remember me more coz i "stand out". haha. Wore a gold tie with tons of grey microspots to lower the sparkle and of course slacks. Wore my polished Bata leather shoes.

The waiting time was killing. All of us just wanted to enter the room and get over it. Time after time(song) it went tick, tick , tick. It was so quiet i think you can even hear someone fart or an ant squealing when you squish it . Ok , fine i am exaggerating but you get my cue. I was bored so i went through some of the RMK-9 facts to refresh my memory. Talked about politics while waiting. I also signed my attendance and arranged my documents. Wanted to take some photos but i couldn't find my camera to bring along . Sigh~

So then i we went into the interview room after much waiting. I think we were the third group . We entered Panel 2. My group we had three girls and three boys including myself. Nicholas, Min Zhi, Daniel and I were in the same group. So basically happr lor. Got three people i know. The interviewers tried to calm our anxiousness and excitement. Relax~
(adapted from my Recom post)
The interviewers played a small "April fools joke" on us. At the beginning he asked " Sila buat "introduction" tentang diri sendiri" . We all thought we had to speak in "BM" and the vocabularies were rushing through my head. They didn't specify what they want to know too. IN the END, we were suppose to answer in English. Funny lar this interviewers. I had to re-interpret what i had set to say on my mind. Oh well. One advice though, make sure you look at the interviewers. One poor boy(sorry nic no hard feelings) in my group didn't SEE and HEAR the interviewer cutting him off as he spoke too much. And he went on and on, interviewers weren't interested anymore. BTW, he mentioned about playing DOTA which is like the killer for your intro. On my part, i try to keep it light and joked with the interviewers. I think people prefer a bubbly personality than a serious and too intellectual type.

*highlights of the interview*

I mentioned i love dancing and "specialise" in ballroom dancing. Cha-cha-cha and jive.
Interviewer: Kamu tahu tarian poco-poco?
Me: Tahu.......
Interviever: Kamu boleh "demonstrate" untuk saya?
Me: Boleh , kamu mahu say menari sekarang, ya?
Haha....in the end i didn't lar. Interviewing time have to be serious mar.

I mention about line dancing too.
Interviewer: HA!!!!! Lion Dancing????
Me: bukan, bukan lion dancing. Tarian Garisan!!!
Interviewer: Oh, patutlah. Kamu berbadan besar tentu tidak dapat buat tarian singa. Kamu buat saya terkejut sahaja. *room filled with laughter*
Me: *laughs* betul tu.....

Mention about my passion for biotechnology.
*interviewers faces just suddenly stared and froze at me. Listening so, SO hard to what i say*
My heart goes......sha la lala sha la la la in the morning *music fades*
Hope i get their attention! Haha.

One part i find strange is Daniel mentioning about his achievement painting the house. Oh well. Haha.

For the second part , we were asked to do debate style. Our question was:

"Rising oil prices is a threat to our country's economy"
I was quite happy.i though to myself: We get to do our intro and discussion in English!

The interviewers split us into government(pencadang) and opposition (pembangkang). We were given time to write our points. I was the opposition. We thought and thought our points in English and getting all the facts i got into my mind. Finally it started and the first speaker begin sharply using some flowery English phrases UNTIL the interviewer interrupted : Your English is very good, now we would like to hear you speak in Malay.

!@#$%^^&*!@#$%^&*!@#$%^&* went through or minds. The interviewers enjoyed their little evil scheme against us. It was hard enough for us to be opposition . Now we had to do it in Malay. Anyway, i manage to give my two cents worth of though on the topic. But basically everyone except some were interrupting each other. I spoke about two times. I wanted to further elaborate the third time but they(interviewers) stopped the discussion. I couldn't get a word in at the heated IMPOLITE interruptions. I think that's a really bad idea to interrupt impolitely. At least say excuse me or pardon me. I think most of us went off topic but i did try to get two points on why Malaysia economy will still increase. Halfway through the discussion we were talking about bio-diesels , hydrogen engines and bringing in foreign experts(i brought it up) to solve the oil price issue when we're suppose to be talking about the economy. I was happy i spoke 99% malay. I only use the word "so" accidentally.

My points:
1. Malaysia is a major country for producing petroleum and prices are soaring all over the world. SO petronas untung and they use it for subsidy mar. Our economy won't be that largely affected but can still go on.
2.Agricultural department is using money to give subsidies to fisherman and farmers so they wont' be badly affected.
3. Technology is improving , we won't need t rely heavily on petroleum next time.
4.They are still competition among price of goods. People can still contribute to the economy.

I was about to talk about Singapore who has nothing and yet produce such large amounts of revenue when the Interviewer halted the disuscussion to an end. Oh well....I wanted to say about Singapore so much!!!!! I think looking back everyone went off topic....Or even the whole conversation was off topic. GOD PLEASE HELP US!!!!! Anyway, we were in the room for 45 minutes (someone timed us kah?). didn't know it was that long. Haha.

Now is to keep on praying for God's favour......