Fall Out Banglas (FOB)

Fall Out Banglas is a band founded in 2003 in Malaysia after they released their chart-topping single White Van which made it their 2003 AIM best album and song beating PopShuvit's Sk8ter Anthem which ranked 2nd place.

EarlyLife Andrew Ong met Darren Teh and Isaac Chee and finally Lue Junyi and they formed the band in 2003. After Andrew had several vocal problems, they tried to audition many bands but it was a red light and they almost shut the band down for good. But after they found Babeng they swore that they'd found the perfect vocalist.

They released their chart-topping album which was ranked a number of times in the Malaysian chart.

Um.

Just one of the few reasons why I wouldn't bet my life on Wikipedia.

Me = Shu Lynn = Same Age = ...

p/s: click the image.

What Women Want

Nah. I'm not here to tell you what I think women want in a guy. It's the latest reality show I'm hooked on. What's particularly admirable about this reality show is that it's an original Malaysian effort, instead of being just a rip-off, like Malaysian Idol and One In A Million.

Plus it's good. (hey, I'm a girl too)

It starts off with 13 male contenders who have to do different tasks each week to prove that they really are what women want. What I like about it is that it's not some gooey show where the guys flex their biceps and cast macho shadows everywhere. It really tests the men's ability to create a positive first impression, intellectualism, interpersonal skills, durability and strength, sensitivity, and romanticism.

Episodes:

1. Audition + Filming of Hannah Tan's video
2. Rewards: Military-Style Challenge; Elimination: Paintball
3. Rewards: IQ Test; Elimination: Advertising
4. Rewards: Rock-climbing; Elimination: City Race
5. Rewards: Jewellery Search; Elimination: Salsa
6. Rewards: Salesman; Elimination: Culinary
7. Rewards: Kayak; Elimination: Jungle Endurance
8. Rewards: Foot Reflexology; Elimination: Serenade
9. Rewards: Test-Driving; Elimination: Boxing
10. Rewards: Fashion; Elimination: Photography
11. Not telling! Watch yourself! (Plus I also want to watch first =P)

I admit that I've only watched 2 episodes of the whole show =P The first was Episode 8 when there were only 6 contenders left. The second, Episode 9, when there were 4. Four because both Nicholl and Talha were eliminated from the previous episode.

Contenders:

Mohd Hafiz bin Adnan
Charmer But Slight Gayishness & Bad English
Junior hairstylist, Kedah

Charles Brunold (looks like Mark ^_^")
Competent, With Killer Eyes *swoon* But Too Much Of A Go-Getter
Expatriate businessman, France


Hisham Hamzah (Sham)
Soothing Voice & Admirable Comradeship But Horrible Serenading Skills
Radio announcer for local station Mix FM

Christian Neal Capes
Fantastic English + Perseverance But Questionable Character
English language and literature lecturer (now voted Most Eligible Bachelor)

Nicholl Eruthiaraj
Awesome Musician But Zero Originality
Food sciences student and Malaysian Idol alumnus, Penang

Talha Jamshaid
Great Cook But Mouth Has One Foot In It
Pakistani traveller born in Argentina

And the rest I tak tau but I copy-paste from Wikipedia anyway.

• Andrew Ting Lin — an advertising company employee from the United States
• Adzrool Idzwan Ismail (Tom) — a university student in communication course
• Ram Gopal Raj
• Aloysius Wee (Alloy) — an events manager
• Carliff Ridzwan bin Carleel — a business degree holder
• Adrian Jalaluddin — a historical studies degree holder
• Jasvinder Singh Gill — a university student (voted off cuz exam clashed with the challenge. kesian.)
  

Here's the way it works.

They have to face different types of tasks per week. The 1st one I watched was when they had to serenade a woman and create a good first impression in 5 minutes. If Aishah didn't like the serenading, the guy would be drenched wet with a bucketful of water. If she liked it, she'd throw a rose to him.



The 2nd one was when they had to drive a Lotus Elise (is that a good car? =.=) like a total pro around a course charted for them, and have a boxing match against each other. Fun to know Christian was a manual-noob (like me) and learned the Way of The Manual in just 2 hours and didn't wreak the car. All he squashed was the cone he was supposed to stop in front of.



The great thing about this show is not so much the guys' looks (although it plays a part... Charles is like *whoa*), but the fact that the real person within each of the men is captured and recorded. It's really nice to see them goofing about like some of the typical goofballs we have as friends =D And it's also really nice to see them not talking about sexual aspects of women when they're excited about the competition or when they're told they get a date with a girl. All Charles said when he won the boxing challenge and got a coffee date with a hot biker woman was:

"I like bikes. I like girls. So... *grins sheepishly* I like coffee!"

Cute. Guys are likable when they're being cute. *hint*

And I sincerely think male viewers can get something out of this show too. For example, I really admired Hafiz's sensitivity and his firm principles. He was so reluctant to beat up his roommate and contender - Chris - and Charles, although he so obviously could, because he didn't believe in fighting a friend. He compared it to beating up his own mum and dad, and in the end he was voted off by the other contenders and sent to the jury as a result of his "failure to rein in his emotions".

(Chris was sent to the jury automatically because he lost the boxing challenge)

I was telling Shaun that I would vote for Hafiz to stay because his spirit was really admirable. Hannah Tan, the hostess, herself reminded the contenders week after week that this competition was about what women want, and they should vote accordingly, not politically. I believe that by holding on to his principles, Hafiz already had one foot in women's hearts.

But the jury might have thought otherwise.

Whatever doubts they had about Hafiz, however, was washed away when Chris did that amazingly stupid (pardon the word) and childish thing of trying to make Hafiz look bad by accusing him of playing politics in the competition.

By the way, some people say Hafiz is gay.

Dots.

Well, if that's true...

Too bad la.

But he's still a nice guy, and I believe nice guys deserve a place in this world too. (gotta work on that gay thing though)

Charles is a true businessman (and the most mature of the lot, methinks). Read what he says:

“What Women Want is the fastest way to gain exposure. I am doing this to promote my business and my modelling career.”

Anyway, I agree with most bloggers when they say the guys are not that hot, but I'm not into this show for the hotness. I just really love seeing guys be nice people on TV, instead of being presented as sexually hungry creatures (although most of them probably are =.=)

Here's the clip of they did in Episode 1 (I think the last part is horrendous, though). The guys are all presented according to their professions. Easy to see why they put Charles last *swoons again* (modelling career sure jadi d la)

Of Fairy Tales, Fairy Land and the Magic Within Us

My childhood pretty much revolved around Enid Blyton's children's books.

Tsk.

Lousy intro.

Anyway, Enid's books have really eye-catching titles:

• Thirteen O'Clock
• The Faraway Tree
• Children of Other Lands
• The Toys Come To Life
• Tales of Toyland

...and so many more.

I first read The Faraway Tree series when sis' friend, Ai Chen, lent us the whole series. It's basically about 3 children who find an enchanted tree. They meet queer people like a guy with a moon-shaped face (creatively named Moonface) and a guy who wears a saucepan on his head as a hat (also creatively named - The Saucepan Man). The enchanted part of the tree is actually the top of the tree, where different lands will come and go. The children visit different lands each time, but they have to leave it before it "moves on", or they'd be stuck there forever.

That's where the suspense comes in la. Sometimes the people of the land are really weird, e.g. Topsy-Turvy Land, where people walk on their hands with their feet in the air, say goodbye when they first meet and hello when they part ways etc. Because the children can't possibly walk on their hands, they're sort of disliked by the people and are almost captured and imprisoned.

Some lands are really hard to leave, like Candy Land (yum) and Toyland (whee).

Enid's books basically revolve around these sort of themes, and she successfully taps into the little kid in all of us. In me, anyway.

Toys coming to life and having parties of their own, the Land of Nursery Rhyme where all the nursery rhyme characters are real people, fairies breathing life into snowmen, a sacred, enchanted world unraveling when the clock strikes 'thirteen', enchanted lands where happy-ever-afters always happen... we may sneer at the thought and tell ourselves that these things aren't real. But there will always be a part of us that longs for them, for brighter colours in the world - bluer skies, greener trees, happier birds, and kinder people.

Enid tells us that that kind of world does exist. And it is closer than we think.


In Those Dreadful Children, she writes about 2 families: The Carltons - perfectly behaved and well-groomed, and the Taggertys - chaotic, noisy and loud. It's ironic to see each family labeling the other as "dreadful". The title takes on a whole new light when Enid writes that the 3 children from each family labels the children 'on the other side of the wall' as "those dreadful children".

Vastly different from her short stories, this particular book captures the human nature in each one of us and reveals it from different perspectives and surroundings. Selfishness exists in a child well brought up as easily as it does in a wild child. Biases and prejudices against the other just because he lives differently. The longing for a higher purpose and the need for a higher Being.

The turning point of the story was when Mrs Taggerty was knocked down by a car after a typical war day with the rest of the family.

Call me soft, but I felt a tingle within me when Mr Taggerty asked himself, "What is it about the Carltons? What do they have that we don't? Why are they so different? There must be something!"

Call me soppy, but I cried when the oldest and roughest of the Taggertys, Pat, broke down and promised God that he'd be the best boy on earth as long as He kept his mother alive.

The magic of Enid Blyton is that she makes all of us feel like a ruffian Pat Taggerty, like a straight-backed John Carlton, like a helpless Mrs Taggerty, and like a compassionate Mrs Carlton.

A ruffian becomes obedient, a rigid boy becomes accepting of different people, lives are transformed, love is discovered... aren't they all magical?

We search for the amazing, thinking that they are unbelievable, but see -

Fairyland is within reach

The Phoenixian Cloud rises as does the mythical phoenix

the birth of new life - is it not magical?

life is what we make it

I may choose to call it The Eclipsing Darkness.



But Psalm 19:1 says that "the heavens declare the glory of God".



Look again, I bid you.



Is it not better named,

A Ray of Hope ?

'What If?'

Probably the most overused phrase in intended philosophical paragraphs.

Here I go, though.

*click to enlarge and see properly*

p/s: thanks to Darren for tying the balloon to my foot.

p/s2: oklah. and thanks to someone for taking it off afterward.

Destroy Us All

A clip from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy which I found to be particularly eye-catching. (or ear-catching)





The guy who does Billy's voice - Richard Steven Horvitz.

I Know It's Kinda Late... But Happy CNY! *Lame*

Chor Yeow came back from Germany for Chinese New Year, as I posted here.

Grandma picked this CNY to reveal a secret she'd been keeping for many years.

Wait. That sounds too mysterious. And probably a little criminal.

Grandma picked this CNY to pass down what I term her legacy - and what she termed something else in Chinese - to us, her grandchildren.

Rings of the Third Generation

Chor Hui, Chor Yeow, Sis, Shaun and I were there to collect our rings. Lin's ring would have to wait a year or two to meet its rightful owner.

Grandma bought gold rings for each of her grandchildren some time ago, for us to put on when we grow older. She didn't say it, but perhaps she felt that this was all she could do for us as an uneducated housewife from the time of the Japanese Occupation.

My ring. Credit goes to sis for her excellent photography.

My ring turned out to be too big for all my fingers (except the thumb - which isn't really called a finger), but I'll value it for the rest of my life. Because it tells me my icecream-loving Grandma thinks I'm worth gold to her. T_T

Why People Think I'm An Excellent Student

Dear teacher,

Can help me certify?


*ducks flying duster*

Satay Celup at Ong Kim Wee (Ban Lee Hiang?)

And so I discovered that Ong Kim Wee is not just this really annoyingly busy place with many cars and parking lots and traffic jams.

Well, I suppose there always has been a reason for the jams =.=

Clockwise from left: Jess (aiks), Yen, Adrian, Gary (aiyak), Shaun, Daniel, Yik How, Sharma, Qi (aiyaks), Sis (ish), Sarah

Sorry la. I tak pandai take photo. T_T

Anyway, judging from the number of links in that caption, I suppose what Ju remarked was pretty much accurate:

Wah! Does everyone in MGC have a blog?!

Yep. Time to get one too, Mangkuk Queen #2. (thankfully, she wouldn't read this. i hope.)

- Back to the main course -

According to Qi's report, Gary drove like a crazy guy from Ujong Pasir to Ong Kim Wee and did some other dangerous stuff, which I didn't quite get, but which I trustingly believe to be dangerous. It was all in vain, anyhow. Cuz the rest of us got there late. =P

Being the latest to arrive, Yen had to snuggle in for awhile with the guys at the other end of the two tables, where Daniel sat afterward. After the appropriate changes were made to the seatings at the tables, and the all-time practice of a girl-guy table was carried out, Adrian (between the two tables) was still in a dilemma over which table he should put his food on.

Convenience? Or Manly Dignity?

Tough issues of life.

We had fun fishing around in the pot for Qi's egg too. And Jess's afterward. The waitress helpfully came along and fished around for us too. We were very grateful for the yu cha kuai that she fished out for us, but Yen didn't look too happy with the brown tahi-lookalike-gooey-ness that she plopped onto her plate in the process.

Yen got rid of her attachment to the tahi-lookalike-goeey-ness-filled plate by forcing everyone (okay la, mostly Jess only) to wipe off the cucumbers on the bread plate (the bread looked like the ones my grandma used to feed to the birds - i didn't think humans and birds had so much in common) so that she could use it to replace the tahi-lookalike-goeey-ness-filled plate.

I don't know if it was the missing egg or the cucumbers she had to eat, but Jess became really sorrowful after the cucumber episode.

Anyway, we - Shaun, Sis, Qi, me - drove home in peace (as Jerm would say) and chatted away about university lecturers writing on the board with one hand and erasing what he just wrote with the other.



Sorry I didn't belanja, Gary. =D You makan too banyak. Wakaka.



p/s1: I know Qi has a blog too, but she gave us (devotion group) the wrong address the last time. Tsk. I'll find her blog one day. *semangat*

p/s2: And yeah, I found out that Capitol is not a coffee shop.

Scholarships - Local

I think everyone knows I want to do Law, and I want to go to a government uni (UM! hopefully =.=). However, I know some of you want to do other stuff and go other places, so I've included stuff that are relevant - namely Law, Business/Marketing etc, Engineering - to some people I know. Not all of it, though. There are other scholarships here. I've done most of it on this blog for easy viewing and browsing though. But I only included details that I think are relevant la. Refer to the given site for more details. Search newspapers also la. Malas betul! Tsk! (Public: Who says I didn't search!)

Securities Commission (SC) Scholarship 2008

Fields of study

Law, Economics, Finance, Actuarial Science, Business Administration, International Securities, Investment Banking, Accounting, and Islamic Finance & Banking.

Pre-U Scholarship Requirements (For A-Level courses at local recognized institutions)

· Academic: Minimum 8As in SPM 2007

· Other: Under 19 years of age

Tertiary Scholarship Requirements (For 1^st degree courses at top universities locally and overseas)

· Academic: Minimum 4As and 1B in STPM or 2As and 1B at A Levels or 3.5CGPA at Diploma/Matriculation level

Additional Requirements:

Active in both co-curricular activities and sports, good English and Malay communication skills, not a scholarship recipient of another organisation. (must write essay wan)

Closing Date
By 31 March 2008. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Application

. PDF File & MS Doc

. Or Obtain forms from the Reception Counter of the SC during weekdays from 9am - 12pm and 2.30pm - 4pm

. Email scholar@seccom.com.my or

. Mail the following address:

Human Resource Department

Securities Commission

No. 3, Persiaran Bkt Kiara, Bkt Kiara

50490, Kuala Lumpur

Value of Sponsorship

Full academic fees, books, subsistence and other miscellaneous allowances. Provisional offers will be made to successful candidates subject to gaining acceptance into top institution/university and serving the SC for a stipulated period upon completion of tertiary education.

Bank Negara Malaysia Scholarship Award 2008/2009

Fields of study

Law, Economics, Financial Engineering, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Banking & Finance, Corporate Finance, Islamic Banking & Economics, Syariah Law, Information Technology, Mathematics

Pre-U Scholarship Requirements (A-Level, American Foundation Program, Australian Matriculation)

· Passed SPM 2007 with at least 8A1s

· Not exceeding 19 years old of age on 1 July 2008

Sponsorship to pursue Bachelor Degree (Honours) at foreign unis will be extended subject to meeting the approved criteria.

First Degree Requirements (Local and Foreign universities) – At least one of the following criteria:

· STPM/A level – at least 2A and 1B or

· Diploma/Matriculation – CGPA of at least 3.5 or

· For candidates currently pursuing First Degree – Current CGPA of at least 3.5

and

· Passed SPM with credits in BM and English subjects

· Not exceeding 25 years of age on 1 July 2008

· Have confirmed or will be offered a place to pursue a First Degree in 2008 at recognized local or foreign universities

Students who are currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree (Hon) at recognized foreign unis are also eligible to apply.

Additional Requirements:

Excelled in both extra curricular activities and sports & good command of English (both written and oral)

Application (need to register with the site first)

. Pre-U, Overseas Preparatory Programme

. 1st Degree - Will be open from 24 March 2008

Closing Date

· Pre-U: 7 days after SPM 2007 results are announced

· 1^st Degree: 11 April 2008

· Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Yayasan Sime Darby Undergraduate & Postgraduate Scholarship Programme 2008/2009

Fields of study

· Engineering : Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Computer

· Business : Accountancy, Finance, Business Administration, Computer Science, ICT

· Science : Agriculture, Food Technology, Plantations Technology, Plantation Management, Forestry, Biotechnology Undergraduate Studies

Eligibility/Requirements:

· SPM (minimum 7 A1s in subjects taken) and any of the following:

o STPM (CGPA of at least 3.5)

o Matriculation/ Diploma (CGPA of at least 3.5)

o ‘A Level’(minimum 3As)

· Fluency in English is a must.

Application Online
Open for applications from 15-31 March 2008. Only online applications will be considered. Applications should take approx. 45 minutes. Please read through the scholarship application manual before submitting application.

Other Details (Including List of Local & Overseas Universities) + FAQ

Closing Date
Open from Saturday 15th March 2008 and closed on Monday 31st March 2008. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Value of Sponsorship

Covers full academic fees, subsistence allowances and books/equipment. Airfare at the beginning and end of the course will be provided for overseas sponsorship.

Yayasan Wah Seong Scholarship Awards 2008

(Specially for financially needy and academically deserving students)

Fields of study

· All fields of study

Eligibility/Requirements:

· Currently studying, registered or applying to local institution of higher learning or university.

o STPM in local schools or Matriculation courses in local public universities

o Any course in local universities, technical colleges and vocational institutions

· Demonstrate a continuing involvement in extra-curricular activities (team@individual sports; voluntary service; affiliation with a recognized association or society)

Application

PDF File. Send by post/fax/email to:

Scholarship Awards Committee

Yayasan Wah Seong

59-11, The Boulevard, Mid Valley City

Lingkaran Syed Putra

59200 Kuala Lumpur

Closing Date

Call to find out. Number is given in the link (click "fax").

Value of Sponsorship

Allowance of not more than RM 10000 a year inclusive of payments for:
. Course and other compulsory fees
. Board and lodging
. Transportation
. Textbooks
. Miscellaneous pocket expenses

*The Star Education Fund 2008*

Fields of study

Medical, Early Childhood Education, Engineering, Accounts & Finance, IT, Property, Business, Science, Biotechnology, Design, Music, Arts, Communication, Architecture, Management, Multimedia, Social Science & Humanities, Hospitality & Tourism, Logistic, Psychology, Law, Actuarial Science, Computer Science... and many other stuff which I'm lazy to list down. Check the site la.

Eligibility/Requirements:

· Malaysian citizens of not more than 25 years of age on 1 January 2008. Not applicable for those applying for post-graduate awards

· Must be able to gain admission to approved educational institutions

· Excelled in extra-curricular activities and active in sports

· Foundation/Diploma courses: Reasonably good results in SPM/UEC or equivalent

· Higher & Advanced Diploma/Degree courses: Reasonably good results in STPM/A-level/UEC or equivalent

Application

PDF File. Or submit a stamped (40 sen) self-addressed envelope (25cm x 30cm) to:

Manager

The Star Education Fund

c/o Star Publications (M) Bhd

Menara Star

15, Jalan 16/11 Section 16

46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Closing Date

Completed application forms with the required certified supporting documents listed in the applications forms must be received by 2 weeks after release of SPM/STPM results. Late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Value of Sponsorship

Note: Recipients of awards or scholarships which are not offered directly by The Star but are offered by any other sponsors/donors/educational institutions/corporations/persons/organisations thru The Star may be required to sign a bond with the awarding organisations/benefactors.

The scholarship is not a cash award but will be in the form of academic course to be offered by the participating colleges/institutions of higher learning/universities with the tuition fee and/or other such incidental expenses fully paid up.


On second thoughts.

I malas want to put everything here la. It might be updated from time to time, but I think I'd spend more time applying for my own scholarship than advertising them.

Tsk.