I'm Empty.

If there's one song I seem to hear all the time on Hitz FM these days, it's this.

Empty - The Click Five


It just strikes a chord with something deep inside me, and I keep putting it on repeat, maybe because I once felt so empty inside. But somehow, I feel stronger now, like I have something deep inside me that makes me less hollow, and more fulfilled.

Guess they were right, what that doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. And I definitely am.

Thanks for the memories.

Hope that you guys enjoy this song as much as I do!

***

And on an unrelated note, I'm coming up with a series of posts on love and relationships which will be debuting on this Friday. I'll be a weekly thing, and dear readers, you can expect a new one every Friday.

I really feel that with what I know now, I would have been so much more successful with relationships back in secondary school, and I hope that whatever I share would be able to help you readers, whatever stage you may be at in life.

So hope you'll enjoy the very first installment of "What Women Want" this Friday!

What do women really want?

Yeah, it's all about what women really want, so stay tuned!

Explaining my absence.

Yes readers, I know I have suddenly disappeared from the blogosphere for quite some time now, since Monday, because of my longer working hours.

It's really been a long week and this is how I spent it:


1. Working (Duh!)

The desk where I work.

Yeah, I'm an administration assistant at Summerhill Realty so that means that I have to:

• Be in the office early to get the office sorted out before all the real estate negotiators (agents), start coming in.
  
• Yes, I get to use the computer, but not so much to blog, but for databasing. I'm made to go through the property listings that the negotiators pass to me and key the data into the Summerhill computer database. This is really, REALLY time consuming. The first few days, the load was really, REALLY great. I literally had to sort through a MOUNTAIN of forms and key them in, one by one into the system. AND WHEN YOU KEY IN THE DATA YOU HAVE TO DO IT IN CAPS, CAUSE THE SYSTEM CAN ONLY UNDERSTAND CAPS, AND NOTHING ELSE BUT CAPS. Thank God that I got through that gigantic stack already and I have less data entry to do these days.
  
• Being an office administration assistant also means that I am in charge of the filing of all the petty documents around the office. EVERYTHING is filed in this office, ranging from advertisement invoices to incoming faxes. Yes, we also have to file up the Dell computer advertisements that come in through the fax! But the worst was still the Star Advertisement invoices. I had to go through a stack of invoices about half as high as your average PC casing, cross check with the different agent's files to see if they have been charged accordingly, AND then file ALL THOSE INVOICES IN DESCENDING ORDER! If you know me, you would know that I hate paperwork and was never EVER able to file my homework up when I was back in school. All my papers were always missing because I was too lazy to file them up. Guess this is paperwork karma.
• Be the de facto telephone receptionist. Yes, I have to go "Good morning/afternoon, Summerhill Realty..." in my saccharine sweet voice every time someone calls. Yes, its really SO sweet that one lady commented "wah, your voice very ho thia!" (well that means 'nice sounding' in Hokkien) and made me go all "kam siah, kam siah" ( thank you in Hokkien)!
• Type and print stuff. Yeah, I'm the guy that everyone goes to when they want a letter or some forms printed. I get to play around with the photocopier a lot too. Well, on the bright side, I guess I got better with Excel and Word... or maybe not.
• Also double up as tech support. I'm the youngest guy there so (the older folks) approach me with tech support issues from time to time. I'll gladly teach anyone who wants to sort their contacts on Gmail or how to use their new laptop anytime. (: Just glad that I can help.
• LISTEN TO LIGHT FM. Yes, the radio is RIGHT BEHIND ME, so I really can't help but listen to James Blunt crooning "I'll carry you home" for the 213,231,453th time! That pretty much explains why I blast Hitz FM on high whenever I have the chance to in my Kelisa.
  

Told ya, Soph. (:

Yeah that's pretty much everything I do as an administration assistant. But the job's not too bad, cause I get to learn all about real estate, and as Donald Trump says, that's where the money is. So I guess the opportunity to learn all about tenancy agreements and S&P's can't be a bad thing ya?


2. Trying to write about the Raja Petra sedition case.

RPK takes the sedition case on!

Yes, I was trying to blog about that ALL week, and I have even done extensive (well, at least I think it is) research on Malaysia's sedition laws so that I can write a thorough critique of the whole case.... but I guess that it's been a little too long since my last argumentative essay! So there goes the critique... But oh well, I now know what interalia and mens rea mean now! (: I'll make a good law student lar, SMU! Can ya please please offer me law?

Anyway, back to the Raja Petra sedition case, Raja Petra (editor of www.malaysia-today.net) is being investigated under our sedition act for an article he wrote on his blog, "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell". Well, read about it here.

Now, let us take a quick look at Malaysia's sedition act so that we can discuss it lah.

Under section 3(1), those acts defined as having a seditious tendency are acts with a tendency:

(a) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any Ruler or against any Government;

(b) to excite the subjects of the Ruler or the inhabitants of any territory governed by any government to attempt to procure in the territory of the Ruler or governed by the Government, the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any matter as by law established;

(c) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Malaysia or in any State;

(d) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the subjects of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or of the Ruler of any State or amongst the inhabitants of Malaysia or of any State;

(e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Malaysia; or

(f) to question any matter, right, status, position, privilege, sovereignty or prerogative established or protected by the provisions of part III of the Federal constitution or Article 152, 153 or 181 of the Federal Constitution.

It really pisses me off that we are still living in a society where we still cannot tolerate alternative views, that's what this whole act is about. Only support expression of opinion when it's YOUR opinion that others are expressing? That sounds real Stalinist to me, really. That must really make mother Russia proud.

Even if our dear sedition act is not the archaic dinosaur that everyone thinks it is, what pisses me off even more is that the sedition act is only used when a personality comes up with words that offend a high ranking member of our dear government, but never when those very same high ranking officials do something to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races of the population of Malaysia. It's either that its somehow enshrined in our constitution that the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia are not part of the population of Malaysia, or that something is SERIOUSLY wrong with our judiciary system.

Yes, somehow when a high ranking member of our government goes up and wields a weapon in public and incites hatred, it's okay, but when a blogger writes about bringing those responsible for a murder trial to justice, it's sedition. Our dear politicians seem to be so immune that the dear person who was fooling with a weapon in public didn't even get charged for brandishing a weapon in public. Where is the sense in all this? Guess it rocks to be a member of our very dear government.

Guess we need someone to stand up to this injustice. Go RPK!

I just hope that this case sheds light on the gaping flaws within our judiciary system. Let justice prevail!

DISCLAIMER: And let me stress once again that these are just some of my humble observations which are not in any way meant to incite hatred against any party but to just very politely point out how funnily the judiciary system always seems to side the dear government in Malaysia. So, please don't sue me for sedition, dear government.


3. Guest starring on kennysia.com
Notice anything familiar about this picture?


Anything?

Cause like Tysern put it, those stinky pajamas sure look really familiar...

... and Lim Kit Siang's body ain't as hot as that one...!

...!!!

Hey, that's us, Tysern, Ee Fei, Chongxian and I, at the Nuffnang pajama party!


Guess I can recognize those smelly pajamas from anywhere!
But why Lim Kit Siang? Oh well, I shouldn't be complaining, at least it wasn't Karpal Singh!
*Read Kenny's post here!

***

Oh well, it really has been a busy week but I hope to keep posting regularly, so you readers, hang on in there!

To all mothers out there, Hamlet's Hero wishes you a very Happy Mother's Day to you! Make sure you do something special for your mother whenever you can, she very well deserves it!

Old school.

Hamlet's hero, signing off.

Office Updates

"I'm trying to get Benjamin from Star Classifieds to settle some invoicing matters but the automated-telephone-answering-system keeps going "our tele-agents are currently busy at the moment, please hold on..." and Light FM keeps playing over the telephone."

A day in my life working at Summerhill Realty in Sunway Mas commercial center.

And that's also a good example how Light FM is just everywhere these days! Please, I get enough Light FM at home, in the car, and in the office already! Why is Light FM everywhere!? Including the telephone! Listening to one too many Lobo songs (which my dad loves to death) can indeed drive you mad, trust me.

Anyway, I digress. Now time for some updates on my (very interesting) life in point form:

1. I got accepted into Nanyang Business School, NTU.
I don't mean to brag, but I expected this coming. Guess my 5 minute interview really did turn out well. However, I'm still weighing my options. It's really unlikely right now, but I'm still praying that I suddenly receive a letter from NUS law school. I'm really not sure if I should still go down to study in Singapore if I don't get law there. Is it really worth studying something other than law there when I can probably get into HELP University College's law school without too much trouble. And yeah, further excerbating the Singapore problem is that I am yet to hear from any of the scholarships that I have applied for. ): Guess that I'll have to start thinking about how to finance my studies in Singapore, real soon. Oh well, hope that it all works out right.

2. I'm working as an admin assistant at Summerhill Realty.
Yeah, since I have been relieved of my duties as a debate coach, I'm currently working at Summerhill Realty doing office work. Siew Ho was so kind to recommend me for the job. So here I am, typing this post at Jun Wei's mom, Michelle's office in Sunway Mas commercial centre. Work here has been pretty okay and I have been preparing documents, sorting files and all sorts of office work here since I started work last Friday. I never really liked office work, but oh well, guess its a new experience right?

3. I'm missing my debaters and students so badly now!
Yeah, working in an office means that I'm sitting down sorting stuff and using the computer most of the time. I miss all the fun times we've had together la... all the crazy times in class, my extended debate discussion sessions, and just hanging out in the teacher's room with Tysern, Chongxian and Patrick. My debaters too, it was such a great time we all spent together even though it was so stressful. It just seems so weird coming to work each day and not seeing the faces that I've been seeing everyday for the past 1 and a half months or so. Miss all of you guys so much. *puts on sad face* We really must all meet up soon, and that includes all of my students too. I know I was going on about how we must all meet up and party, and we'll do that after your exams kay? My house is open to you guys, so till then, study hard kay?

4. I need to start working out again!
Debate stress and long hours of office work, is bad for ab-formation, trust me. ):
Gotta start working out hard again the way I used too. A flat tummy is not enough, gotta get those abs out somehow. I can do it! Haih, but I guess I need more motivation somehow. Any ideas anyone?

5. I'm teaching tuition!
I'm helping Rachel out with her chemistry so I've been hitting the form 4 chemistry books recently. Anyone else need help with their chemistry? Or maybe even physics? I'll love to help you guys catch up after my office hours. Hope my chemistry didn't deteriorate too much!

Guess that's it for today. Till then, take care people!

Team, you've done us proud.

The SMKDJ Wira Debate Team 2008

Daryl, Keefe, Calvin, Jayshendra, Kevin
Rachel, Zafirah, Sophia
(and Puan Koh and Puan Tan)

Letting go of something you love is the hardest thing to do. And as I have come to learn and grow with this team of mine, saying goodbye is definitely difficult.

If you have not heard already, our team gave it their very best at Kuala Selangor and we came up in 2nd place in the state finals. I know I told this team that we'll go all the way, and even though the road may have seemed to end here, they did indeed go all the way. Even though the final decision was ruled against our favour, the way they spoke so confidently and eloquently made me feel so proud. If they were lousy up there, if they did not speak and argue the way that they were taught to, I would have failed my duty as a coach, but at the finals, they were up there on the stage, being the debaters that I knew that they could be. What more can a humble coach ask for?

We've come a really long way in our one and a half months together. Guess time really does fly when you're having fun, or as Keefe puts it, it all passed by in a blink of an eye. *BLINKS*

We stressed over debate definitions....

We stayed up late into the night doing our speeches....

We fought over petty issues.

We raised our voices at each other....

....but we also....

Encouraged each other on....

Drilled points into each other's heads....

Camwhored together!

But the most important thing was that through thick or thin, we stayed together. I said it once before and I'll say it again - great friendships were forged in the fires of the Bilik Tayangan, that has been true each passing year, and this year was no exception.

In the quarantine room!

I'm just so proud that we gave this our very best shot, working hard on our cases till the very end, and that we truly have no room for regrets.

It was a true honour to coach this wonderfully diverse team and I just hope that you guys realize that you have so much potential within each and every one of you. In our one and a half months together, we have all grown so much as a team. We not only learned about gauges and definition debates, but we also learnt the more important lesson - how to work together as a team.

Even I was just the coach for this debate, the journey sure wasn't easy. It was many late nights helping the debaters with their speeches, staying up till the wee hours of the morning editing the scripts they submitted, and even ending up dreaming about various stands in bed. Yes, I quite literally had debate nightmares. Yes, quite a number of times I woke up in the morning to some debate dream thinking that we got our stands and points all wrong!

Sophia and Keefe going through their speeches just before the debate.

But we pulled through, debate after debate all the people who showed their support, John, Andrew, Marc my friends and students really made me remember what debate was all about - supporting each other as we grew together as speakers and friends.

And even though my standards were so high, in the end, I am proud to say that my debaters finally put it all together and put a stellar showing in the state level Wira debate championships. The amazing thing is that they're not even in form 5 yet, and they're already performing so well, who knows what they can achieve next year?

Keep working hard team! Keep giving it your best and you will reap the fruits of your labour soon! I'm so proud of every single one of you in light of how much all of you have grown as debaters, but I'm even more proud of the fact that I can call each and every one of you my dear, dear friends.

(:


Love all of you guys so much!

Our journey.

We were so close, but what a journey we had.

If you have not heard already, our team gave it their very best at Kuala Selangor and we came up in 2nd place in the state finals.

I'll come up with a post soon, but the debaters have already wrote so poignantly about our journey I recommend that you read these accounts first:

Sophia
Daryl
Zafirah
Calvin
Rachel

We gave it our best and we have no room for regrets. I'm so proud of you, team!

The full post will come soon, take care team!