Murakami Stories and Poolside Parties

Haven't blogged for sometime as I have been busy with so many things ranging from writing application essays, attending pool parties, debate practice to even playing "Your Call" on my guitar which has recently lost it's thinner E string.

Just wanted to share this short essay I wrote for an application. It's a true story and I hope that you learn something from it.

An event that changed my life.

Two years ago, a friend of mine committed suicide. I knew him for about 7 months then. We were both scholars living in the same cramped hostel. He was a guy who always had a smile on his face, a smile that masked his inner demons he wrestled with.

I was walking past the HDB flats that lay between school and the hostel that fateful day. A crowd was gathered at one of the base of the flats. The police were there, and they zipping up a body bag. “Just another suicide,” I thought. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Back at the hostel, it was unbearably tense. There was one scholar that broke the curfew, that friend of mine who always smiled. My worst fears came true - I walked past my friend’s dead body just a few hours ago.

We never really knew why he jumped. He was a quiet guy and he kept to himself most of the time, but he never ever seemed distressed over anything. He just had that smile on his face whenever I waved hi. Some say that it was because he failed history; some said he had relationship problems; but the fact still remained – I was never going to see him again.

I felt guilty for his death – guilt that I wasn’t the friend who talked him out of taking his own life; guilt that I wasn’t the one who reached out to him and became his confidante. It made me realise that in life, just abstaining from sin isn’t enough – it’s just as important to step up and do what’s right and show the people we care about just how much we care.

From that point onwards, reaching out to that one quiet person in class was never a chore, it just was the right thing to do.

I don't want you to ever feel the regret I felt that night, so just push yourself to do the right thing, even though what's right often isn't what's the easiest to do.

When life just doesn't seem fair.

Why do I see Murakami stories everywhere?

Hamlet's Hero's Magical Joke Tour.

Announcing the Magical Joke Tour! All readers wide and far! Hear ye, hear ye!

I'm compiling a list of jokes. Yes, a grand list of favorite jokes!

Yes, that's a joke in itself!

So readers, if you have in possession a lame joke, a really old, funny joke, or even one that may be slightly sick, tell me about it! Write me an email if you really can't write about it in the comments. (:

Please support the Magical Joke Tour!

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Discount Magazine Subscriptions - Save big!

(That's not a joke (: )

I'm tired of being all alone and this solitary moment makes me want to come back home.

I feel guilty.

Not the guilt you feel when you're absolutely sure that you did something wrong, but just the nagging feeling that I could be a so much better person but I just let myself down. Again.

And this song is playing in the background too, throwing me into this mood.

Your Call - Secondhand Serenade



(I chose a better vid this time!)

I always tell myself that I'm going to be a good person, the best person that I can be, but I let myself down from time to time.

I do my best to be a good friend, son and teacher but sometimes I forget that the things I do just aren't right.

Maybe I should just go to sleep now and see what I can do to make amendments tomorrow. I want to do what's right. Just hope that I can give the world my best tomorrow.

If you're out there reading this, I need a hug. ):

Legendary Art.

School is just plain tiring me out these days. It's not that school's really taxing - it's only a half day after all. It's just that filling out all those university and scholarship application forms are really taking a lot out of me. Also, the next Wira debate is only a week away!

Thank God that school ain't all work. Some things really make your day, like what I have to show you here today.

Well, as most of you know, I teach Art in DJ and I do get a lot of interesting art pieces every week. Nevertheless, some drawings just stand out.

Like this one.

Beautiful gun sketch from a form 1 student.

Yup, this gun was my No. 1 piece of legendary art for this year. Nice piece of sketching there! (: But today, I got a new piece of art which just blows that one away! And what's more amazing is that it's from a student of mine.

Here it comes (it's supposed to be a pencil sketch with emphasis on shading/shadows)!

Running man!

Yup, I was supposed to give this a score out of 33.33 marks. Guess how I looked when I tried to grade it? And yes, it's from a form 2 student from a good class.

Guess no more.

One stressed out art teacher.

See, your art teacher can draw too. And I probably put in more effort marking your paper than you did drawing it. -_-" Life ain't fair.

Well, at least some of my students really appreciate us. (:


Go DJ!

Dearest Birthday Wishes for a Very Special Cousin.

If there's a cousin I really care about enough to dedicate an entire post to, instead of being lazy and just sending him an ecard, it's him - Andrew Ong Seh Jin. Andrew, you've hit your twentieth birthday and I guess 20 years - two whole decades - is indeed a milestone. Thinking about how far we've both come in life makes me reminisce of all the times we've had together, and it brings me all the way back to the very first memory I have of you.


My earliest memory of him was when we were both very little and he was still living in Australia. We met in Alor Setar, the hometown of our mothers, when we both happened to go back and visit our maternal grandparents. I still remembered that he brought his new Nintendo game system back, and he was proudly using a gun to shoot down electronic ducks on Ah Ma's old TV.

When we went to play paintball.

He was just one year older than me, and he was the one cousin of mine who was closest to me in terms of age. It was just a matter of time till we became closest buddies, and we did.

When we climbed the Harbour Bridge together.

He was the one person that I would look forward to see every holiday. We enjoyed each other's company then, and I'm glad to say that we still do. We spent all the time we could together every holiday, getting together to let our imaginations run wild and imagine other fantasy worlds, or to fight with our pillows and blankets in the dark.

Paragliding in Penang.

Eventually, he moved to Singapore to study there. It was a godsend. He was so much nearer and I could see him so much more often. Since the internet was still in its infancy then, we wrote to each other when we were busy with school.

The holidays that we went on together...

I still remember lying on my marble floor, black pen in hand, carefully penning out a letter to my beloved cousin. I can also remember my excitement when I got letters from Singapore addressed to yours truly.

The letters I used to write before the internet.

We did everything together; we got Digimons and played together when it was all the rage; we got into Magic: the Gathering, the collectible card game, together; and we even got Game Boys so we could play Pokemon together. Having you to play with made everything so much more fun.

Yup, you're good at Chinese Chess too! (:

The years went by, and adolescence came. We started thinking about the opposite sex. Thank God I had you to confide in. I still remember our deep conversations about life, beauty and love that lasted all the way into the deep nights. I can still say that I still look forward to those talks we had when everyone else were last asleep. Come back soon ya?

The four of us.

Andrew's beautiful sister, my cousin Ilynn. Love her to bits too!

Another year has passed and I hope you know that I wish you the very, very best. My parents always talk about how nice and smart a person you are and I can never agree more with them. Just know that all of us here are wishing you all the best on your twentieth birthday. I hope to celebrate many, many more happy birthdays with you.

My cousin Andrew - the Professor.

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDREW! Wishing you many happy returns all year! Know that your cousin a whole continent away always has you in his thoughts and sends you his love. Let's never stop staying close. We love you so much.

The three guys.

Just hope that you and your family are great and are in good health always. Can't wait to see you again cousin! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hey! Dawn Yang used my (badly watermarked) picture on her blog!

Yes, you got that right, it seems like Singaporean "chio bu" (hot chick) blogger Miss Dawn Yang has somehow used a photo from hamletshero.blogspot.com on her blog.

I'm perfectly fine with her using that picture, its just that I guess I won't get any incoming traffic from there because I didn't watermark that picture properly with my blog's URL. ):

To all you bloggers out there, remember to properly watermark your photos if you want more incoming traffic from all around!

Every Ending is A New Beginning.

[ I posted this on my 1 Keruing blog! They had so much initiative to create a class blog the day after I let them know of this idea! ]

It's late now when I type this, but the very thought that my students from 1 Keruing are depending on me to upload the wonderful pictures we took today gives me the strength to keep typing on.


If there was one right decision that I've made in my life, it's this - coming back to teach in DJ and meeting such wonderful students that have really taken my viewpoint of life and turned it all around.


This experience is something so precious to me, it just makes me beam and smile uncontrollably when I think of you people, my dear, dear students.


Don't ask me why, but I know that just thinking of you guys having fun, telling jokes and just fooling around just puts a warm smile on my face. Perhaps it reminds me of the great times I had in DJ all those years back, and it just makes me really hope that your time in DJ would be as precious to you as my DJ years are to me.

A whole future in DJ awaits you guys!

Teaching you guys was a real pleasure, really. I can honestly say that from the very first day I walked into your class for KH class and taught you guys about fluorescent tubes (and "cok"s) I knew - teaching your class was going to be FUN!


Yes, he was like that from day 1.


I'm just a little unsure if they got any worse? Couldn't be because of me right?
*SMILES INNOCENTLY*
Just that now I think they have a little obsession with my pants (or is it something else?).

Don't understand why you took this shot...

It just sucks that posting all this pictures online just makes me miss you guys already. Honest. I know I've not taught you guys for long, but it already feels like I really know you guys now.


Guess in life we've got to learn to say our goodbyes and just cherish the memories of the people we care about - change is the only constant, we've got to say our goodbyes some day anyway - but today seems a whole lifetime too soon.



Really, it all just seems too soon to be true. It almost doesn't make sense, but that's life, don't you agree?



I'm gonna miss you guys, but know that I'm not really gone and you guys can just come talk to me whenever I have the time.


I know as time goes by, I'll probably just be reduced to the memory of this teacher with tight pants and a bright red belt who once walked into your class, (tried) to teach you guys KH and moral knowledge, but I really hope that you remember me because you guys really made an impact on my life. The fact that I'm up at 2:10am right now typing this is testament to that.


To everyone in 1 Keruing, I wish each and every one of you all the best. All the best in school, love and life. (: And remember that teacher wearing the pink shirt that once tried real hard to teach you guys. Love you guys!

Look onward to the future with excitement! The best is yet to come!

NOTE: I changed the layout a little bit (:

Damn, I'm going to miss them. ):

Thanks for the Victories (and Martinis).

Yay! There is reason to celebrate despite messing up my law application and suffering from sleep deprivation! With all our hard work, this year's Wira debate team made it through the preliminary rounds of the Wira debate and beat both SMK Tropicana and SMK Damansara Utama in one day!

*Grins* Finally got my revenge for that ill adjudicated debate all those years ago!

YAY!

Gotta work even harder after the next motion is released to work our way all towards the finals of this year's Wira debate. I can confidently say that our chances to make it all the way this year are way better than the past few year's. Let's go all the way team! I'll be right behind you guys for any help and support you may need.

We gotta work real hard for the rest of the debate, and we're going to win this thing! We'll work real hard all the way into the night if we need to, just like a few hardworking teachers who work in school late into the night, in their pajamas!

We gotta work real hard next round, into the night if need be....

Well, it has been a long day and I really think that Pinkpau and so many other bloggers have already done a wonderful job reporting on the events of last Saturday's Nuffnang birthday bash so I'll just post the wonderful pictures that we took. [Read about Pinkpau's reporting HERE. Read about Ee Fei's reporting HERE. ]

The Nuffnang Nuffies!

The party started out really good, with Nuffnang Nuffies serving and registering us! They were composed of a French maid, a sexy nurse, a policewoman and a hot Japanese schoolgirl (not in picture). They really restored my faith in the beauty of Malaysian girls! Go Nuffies!

The interesting part is that the hot nurse happens to be a long lost friend of our dear Mr. Chuah. Well, if I had a hot nurse for a friend, I would be sure to keep her close to err... treat me? (:

There were also beauties from across the Causeway at the party. Talk about having the best of two world in one place!

Yes, that is Miss Dawn Yang right next to me. (:

Yeah, Dawn Yang, the Singaporean celebrity blogger that I use as an example when I discuss the wonders of cosmetic surgery with my kids, was there at the party too! Plastic surgery really does work, provided you want to achieve that doll look. (: Well, it does have its charms.

And now for the near-permanent resident of Singapore - Pinkpau!

Pinkpau with her Apey jammies.

I really must commend her on doing a wonderful job with organizing the games and activities we played that night. We could improve on the games next year by giving out more cameras and more T-shirts, Su Ann! *hint hint* (:

And of course, this being a Malaysian event, how can we forget Malaysia's top celebrity blogger?

Kenny Sia.

Yup, Kenny just flew in from Thailand and as exhausted as he was, he was extremely obliging and put on big grins whenever a blogger asked for his photograph. He's a really nice guy despite his celebrity blogger status.

Next up is a really nice girl I met on the Nuffnang network. She never fails to leave me wonderful and inspiring comments on my blog! It was just so nice to see her in person!

Presenting - Linora of www.aronil.com!

Hamlet's Hero meets aroniL!

We really must hang out sometime ya?

And then we have the person I have to blame for only making RM8.22 on Nuffnang after being a member since December, Timothy Tiah.

I have a perfectly good reason to have a sad face on. ): Pay me boss!

"I only made around RM5 in late February!"

"Chong Xian who just started blogging has been paid that amount each week (he just started less than a month ago and I get much more traffic than he does)!"

*Timothy chuckles*

Sometimes you just can't win.

But then again, EVERYBODY won at the Nuffnang birthday bash!

Yes, my favourite Malaysian Dreamgirl wannabe, Ringo from http://cheeserland.com, picked me out from the crowd to pose with her on stage. Needless to say I got a tiny bit overboard. Maybe that's why I'm not a model. (:

Me - the second Ringo

At least I won RM 200 worth of Wella hair products! (:

All in all it was an awesome, AWESOME party and I so want to go to the next one if Nuffnang organizes any more events like this in the future. Have the next one in Singapore and I'll be sure to pop right in too!

I was supposed to put up some more photos (roti lilit anyone?) but it's getting late already.

LONG LIVE NUFFNANG (just pay me a little bit more please? pretty please?)!

Just a little sneak peek...

Just a little sneak peek into what we Nuffnangers were up too last Saturday night.

Posing with the Malaysian Dreamgirls. (GO RINGO!)

We had a great time there I tell you! I'm just so happy to meet my fellow bloggers in person and just hang out and have a good time. We really must have more such events la Nuffnang!

Too busy to do a proper post now as I am kinda busy with debate and my driving test tomorrow. Hope all goes well for DJ this year. I know we can do it!

Updates on the pajama party to come soon!

Update, 10:50am, 17th March 2008:

Passed my driving test! Still too busy to write a proper post on the Nuffnang pajama party but Pinkpau wrote a wonderful one right here.

(Yes Pinkpau, it has been a long time but I am still discussing media debates, although with my school team that I am coaching this time. Cheers!)

The 1st round of the Wira debates will commence tomorrow morning, so calling out to all DJ-ians, old and new! Pray for our Wira team! We'll make it all the way this year, I know we can!

Bubbly Anchor Updates

Will be updating in point form as I feel strangely incoherent for some strange reason. Feel really random at the moment for even stranger reasons. Maybe it's the time, or the fact that I have a hat on at the moment (will pass it back to you Roger!). Sadly, I'm no Cat-In-The-Hat able to spew lyrical genius of limerick after limerick. ):

So what have I been up to lately?

1. Been to a pool party organized by some of my students. Yes, a pool party, with Chong and Tysern, but we did not swim because we were too lazy (that's the official reason ya?). Hoped you guys enjoyed the drinks and always remember that you can call your teachers out anytime (are we cool or what?)!

The next great party will be at Chong's place. All students, you better make sure that you can make it when we begin handing out invitations! It will be a really grand event, all three of us guarantee you!

2. I watched Colbie Caillat perform live at the Curve! She really isn't half bad live and she entertained us for a good while with her popular songs like "Bubbly", "Realize" and some new songs like "Magic". Guess it was a really good deal to just be walking around in the Curve and to just happen to be there to watch her perform live like that. Guess it pays to live where the action is. (:

3. I've decided to put both my feet forward and try to get into the NUS law faculty by any means possible. Got a ton of applications to complete and I must so stop procrastinating and get them completed soon. I also have a few essays to write for scholarship applications. ): It's starting to feel a little bit like school all over again. I'm thankful that its finally clear what I want to study in university now. I just hope that with my 2 years of training and tutelage under the guidance of a qualified lawyer, I'll be able to pass the interview and entrance test to get in law school.

4. I'm helping out the DJ Wira debaters. Hope that my experience in Singapore has helped me become a better debater and I am able to help this year's Wira team make it all the way to win this year's Wira debate cup. Watch out, all other debate teams, Kevin Chan is here to make sure SMKDJ goes all the way to win this year!

5. Nuffnang pajama party later today! I'm so excited! Gonna take lotsa photos! *SMIRKS*

Brohemian Rhapsody

The other day, Roger, Zachary and I were discussing a Bohemian Rhapsody parody deep in the bowels of Mid Valley Megamall. Little did we know that collegehumor.com already came up with one.

Enjoy!

Brohemian Rhapsody - Lyrics
Is this the frat life
This is so phat to me
Hittin’ the ice-luge
This is the sickest party
Open your thighs
Give my bros high fives, so sweet
I’m just a frat boy, taking virginities
Because it’s golf pros, tennis hoes
Gettin’ high with my bros
Anyway this bitch blows, doesnt really matter to me
To me Harlan, just killed a keg
God I rule at Tony Hawk
Dude you suck, don’t even talk
Duncan, we’re up at beer pong
If you don’t sink 5 cups you’re such a gay
You guys, brooos
I’m so f-ing drunk
If Im not out of bed on time tomorrow
Wake me up, wake me up
I can’t miss Western Civ Oh great, I have to piss
Break the seal yeah now it’s time
What the hell is with this line
Goodbye everybody, I’ve got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and pee outside
Oh no, duuude (There’s a cop car)
Damn you Gamma Pi
I sometimes wish I never had pledged at all I see a little party foul over there
What a douche, what a douche someone get the mop bucket
Chad and Moose are fighting
What is with this lighting here
Broke a lamp, broke a lamp
Broke a lamp, broke a lamp
Shards of glass inside my foot
Oh God oh ow ow ow ow
I tried to jump it thought I could clear it
He tried to jump it, he’s a drunk idiot
Get him some gauze for his lamp injury
Easy Trent, easy bro, think I’m bout to blow
(Vomit noise) No! We will not let you bro, let me bro!
(Vomit noise) No! We will not let you bro, let me bro!
(Vomit noise) No! We will not let you bro, let me bro!
Will not let you bro, let me bro!
Will not let you bro, let me bro!
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Dude I’m gonna, dude I’m gonna, dude I’m gonna let me bro
Fuck all you guys, I’m gonna puke and rally, rally, rally Swear to God I’m not crying, there’s shit in my eye
You guys promised to love me until we all died
Oh Logan, cant do this to me Logan
Just gotta get hugged, just gotta hug it out here Brotherhood’s forever,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters, Bro-dy

The One Worth Sleeping With.

The room was dark and cold, with a forbidding air about it. I just wasn't sure. How could I be? So many failed attempts, failed chances and broken hearts floating about in my sea of memories, I hesitated.

I just knew that this door was more than just a door to me - it was a temporal opportunity, the kind of rare chance that comes flashing by just once and then disappears into the dark, black void, never to be heard of again. I knew that this was one thing I had to do for myself, the one thing that I deserved after all these lonely years.

As I stood there, gathering my courage, the door knob stared mockingly at my shadowed visage. Throughout the course of my life, it had been nothing but ordinary; today, the knowledge that someone was on the other side of the door made the knob possess a menacing presence, a worthy adversary. It looked cold and unforgiving to the touch. Just thinking about touching it sent thoughts of it searing right through my naked flesh jolting through my mind.

"But I won't live my life in regret, not anymore," I muttered to myself under my breath.

Bare skin made contact with cold metal, and it sent a shiver down my spine and into the very deep, dark depths of my existence. I would have jumped if I did not hold myself back. I fought the reflex to pull away. I could hear the moving of small metal parts of shapes incomprehensible to me. There was no turning back now, I was past the point of no return.

The door creaked open and a dark figure appeared across the room, gently lying on the bed. I could see the curves of her silhouette. Her head turned and she seemed to make eye contact with me through the darkness of the room. Her stare threw my mind back to another time, another place, where the people that I've let close into my life hurt me again, and again, and again. Was it worth it to take that risk again?

Then it struck - amidst all the pain, the lies, the deceit, there was one in my life that never let me down. After being with her through the night, she still was there for me in the morning - she never walked away from me. She never failed to satisfy all my senses, as she made my skin tingle whenever I put my fingers inside her. She electrified my tastebuds when I licked my fingers which tasted of her. Her aroma just filled the room like magic and took me to heaven several times over. Did I mention the sounds she made as I ate her? She was crisp and fresh for my taking, always.

It was her again today. It was my one true love, the one worth sleeping with. I had nothing to fear.

Don't you sleep better with Chipster?

This was the entry I wrote for the "I sleep better with Chipster" contest organized by Nuffnang but I never posted it because I never bought myself a packet of Chipster so I could take a photo with it. O_o Damn, I should stop procrastinating, but I'm going to the party anyway! (:

Of Psychedelic Nights and New Dawns.

Coming back from Singapore, so many things have changed - the opposition is now in control of 5 states; my A-level results are out and they are really such a relief; and I really have grown wiser and less naive when comes to matters concerning the heart.

I took a shotgun into Singapore (made to open my bag at customs)!

A letter to the opposition.

Dear Oppostion,

The people of Malaysia have really gone all out to vote you in this year despite all the dirty tricks and underhanded tactics by the ruling party this year and I really hope that you don't let us down.

I hope that you do something about the injustices in our judiciary system and that we find honest people who cannot be bought over by money to decide on who's right and wrong in our country. Then only can the truly corrupt and evil men can be brought to justice.

I hope that something can be done about bringing truly free press to Malaysia - a more objective media who tells the Rakyat all about both sides of the coin, allowing us to choose what we really want in our leaders.

I hope that our leaders realize that we Malaysians are now more aware about political issues and they stop taking us to be the ignorant masses that they think we are.

I hope that as this new dawn approaches for my dear country, Malaysia, things really improve for the better and we'll have a fairer country for all Malaysians, regardless of race or creed.

- Hamletshero

One thing I realized recently is that whenever I felt really down, my dearest friends were right there beside me, helping me go on. I guess that we have to go through bad times to really appreciate all that we have, like the people who really care about us. I really am so thankful.

Friends, can't do without them,

Life has gotta go on ya? Onwards towards greener pastures and of course the Nuffnang pajama party (thanks Pinkpau)!

Of results and crazy nights.

Just recently back from my short trip to Singapore to collect my A-level results and to meet up with some really good friends. It may have been a really short trip this time, but it really was one hell of a trip. Thank God everything worked out in the end.

Lucy(and Hamlet) in the Sky with Diamonds.

Missing you back there already, Hamlet. Buried my diary, things are gonna be ok.

A new dawn approaches for all of us. Let's make the most out of it.

Hamlet's Heroes

P.S. : And did I mention that I am so happy that Barisan got PWNED in the recent elections! They couldn't even save Selangor with all their cheating! There is hope for true democracy in Malaysia!