Hope you have a Nice time here!

25 Apr 2007

beday

Happy Birthday!!!!


today is my birthday....hahaha...happy birthday to me....turn 20 2day....above is my birthday cake...cappuccino cake...mum bought it from baker's cottage...quite delicious...got my birthday gifts from my friends...only 2.....and 2 birthday cards.....and loads of birthday messages whether itz from friendster or myspace or sms......i didnt feel sad as i had not received many presents as i dont think birthday gifts are soooooo important....watz important for me itz dat my friends still remember my birthday...whether itz new friends that i made in form 6 or old friends from secondary school or old old friends from primary school...i think that's the bestest gift.....just a simple birthday wish will make me happy...at least, people still remember me....i'm not that kind of person who is popular among the students....so, not many people know 'bout me...and i'm glad that among those friends that i made, they really treat me as their friends as how i treat them....fair enough....

by the way, my family celebrate all of our members' birthday, included my aunt, who on and off come and stay with us.....we just celebrate the birthdays by eating cakes...no more than that...so, i just spent my day at home 2day...i remembered that on last year's 25 april, i was at school and had bowling lessons after school....2005's 25 april i celebrated v my friends by meeting at midvalley(coz after spm, havent meet after that!!)....2004's 25 april was a school day and was a friday and i brought along the gifts to tuition centre (coz i went to tuition after school)!!! then 2003's 25 april was a school day, but my friends and i went to shopping at jaya jusco klang to celebrate it....celebrate with a party is just not our style...although i've done it b4....when i was younger and stayed with my grandparents....maybe when i was 4 n 5 years old...i stayed with my grandparents in a village at sri menanti, negeri sembilan coz my parents were working in shah alam...they couldnt take care of me so i stayed v my grandma n grandpa...that's when the birthday party was held....neighbours' children were also invited!!! n the cake was very bigg!!hahaha....that's the way they celebrate sthing in a village...everybody got invited...

my siblings and i never wish for any birthday gifts from our parents....NEVER.....this is bcoz everything that my parents bought for us were considered as our birthday gifts...whenever we went shopping, anything that we wanted to buy, they will buy for us, as long as itz affordable and itz meant for us....say, buying toys when we were younger....but, things like cds, magazines, they'll think itz a waste of money...but, back then, when i said i wanted to buy, although they still 'nagging' 'bout how wasteful (of money) it is, they still bought for me....until when i got older, i bought those things quitely v my pocket money....so, really, we never lack of anything...what we need, itz already been there...therefore, birthday gifts really is not part of our birthday thing from parents...itz just mainly from our friends...i'm glad that i have them to b my parents!!

24 Apr 2007

maksim

Electrik


maksim is a Croatian pianoist...i like his music very much...since he's a pianoist, so he wouldnt be a singer...and u wouldnt hear his voice as he is not singing...i dunno what type of music itz called...new age? because there is no one singing, so, i think itz refreshing to hear his music after hearing songs who sung by someone else....his selection of tracks mostly is a mixture of classics and modern.....so, sometime u'll find some pieces of his tracks that u are quite familiar with... and in his fifth album, Electrik, itz really an 'electric' selection...this album is a heady mixture of recognisable popular classics, which i bet u guys havent heard of it b4 + new compositions by his long time collaborator, Tonci Huljic, and a few unexpected suprises...this is what Maksim said about Electrik...

"Most of the pieces here have a really upbeat production," he says. "I myself really like clubs and electronic music - it is the music I most listen to after classical - so the idea of people dancing to one of my pieces in the club is really, really challenging."

The album's opener The Gypsy Maid (from IL Trovatore, an opera) is a fantastic manifesto for his approach...it starts off almost folkily, with the jolly tune becoming increasingly dramatic and an insistent beat adding a real sense of purpose...itz not hard to imagine hearing this in a club - it has the internal rhythms of a rave...Maksim plays his piano like a DJ works the decks, knowing how to control the crowd: lifting them high, bringing them down, speeding things up or chilling it out.

Although itz an 'electric''s album, sure it has a very modern feel, but it's by no means all relentlessly full of beats and electronic effects.....it still have some classics' tracks.........

"There are a few pieces on each of my albums that are slower tunes or more filmic music" says Maksim, "People can listen to this in the car or to chill out when they get home as well as in the club."

And he's right about his music's filmic (pertaining to motion pictures) qualities....several tracks are obviously very cinematic...listening to the music, itz just like watching a movie...but, of course, without the picture...these tracks just make the listener have to conjure up their own images....the fast-paced Requiem Listen with its apocalyptic choir could be the theme for the climax of a dark, but action-packed superhero adventure - the sound of someone saving the world....and Beyond Rangoon/Waters Of Irrawaddy is from an actual film's soundtrack, being Maksim take on the Patricia Arquette film's score by Hans Zimmer..itz very subtle and both incredibly emotional and uplifting....his lyrical playing of the slowly sweeping melodies calls up the lapping of water and the drama of high mountains....classical standards such as Hall Of The Mountain King sometimes victims of their own familiarity, are made to sound fresh again.

itz perhaps not surprising that this is a very democratic album...he not only demonstrates that high culture can be made accessible to all, but also that pop music is not necessarily as throw-away as it first appears...a version of ABBA's The Way Old Friends Do makes an unexpected appearance, its sentimentality transformed into uplifting emotion and military style drums adding dramatic backbone.....

for me, every albums that he made has itz own 'personality'....from his first (his first album was not released outside croatia as he's still not popular at that time...if i'm not mistaken, itz in year 2000)...well, should i say, starts from the second album till his fifth album, there are different 'personalities' in these albums...but one thing for sure, itz a mixture...classics and modern...this is how he tried to 'introduce' the classical's tracks for the younger generations....as i say b4, itz a kind of music where u can try after having those 'singing songs'....some of his tracks really make me wanna 'push hard' on doing something, like when i'm really frustrating or when i feel that i couldnt finish or achieve something, i will listen to some of his tracks that i feel itz really has the POWER to push me move forward....itz feel like 'inspirational'....thank you, Maksim!!!!

these are the tracks from the album:

1.The Gypsy Maid 2.Requiem Listen 3.Child In Paradise 4.Anchem 5.Hall Of The Mountain King 6.Nachrach 7.Beyond Rangoon/Waters Of Irrawaddy 8.March Of The Icons 9.Tango In Ebony 10.Carmen Entr'acce 11.Prelude In C 12.In Paradisum 13.The Way Old Friends Do

PS: not all of this article was written by me.....

20 Apr 2007

japanese lesson

I'm lAzy....but Itz fun n iNterEsting to lEarN!!

Irasshaimase.
Hajimemashite.

Watashi wa Chong desu.
Dozo yoroshiku.
Watashi wa Mareisha-jin desu.
Nihongo o benkyo shiteimasu.
Watashi no tanjobi wa shigatsu no nijugonichi ni desu.
Mata dozo.
Sayonara.

translation:

Welcome.
How do you do?

I'm Chong.
Nice to meet you.
I'm a Malaysian.
I'm studying the Japanese language.
My birthday is on the 25th of April.
Please come again.
Goodbye.

hahaha...i'm currently learning the japanese language..by myself....i wanna learn coz i hope to be a translator and want to be easy when i go to uni (although i can take japanese class at uni, it will b easier if i have the basic!!)...and this language has the market tooo....just think the best sides of japan like technology, n u'll know what i mean...but, since i'm not schooling right now, so, i feel a bit lazy to continuosly learn the language...i'll always find an excuse to skip this language 'class'....like no mood today or got favourite programmes to watch, this kind of excuses...but now, i think i have to start to do it seriously...otherwise i'll not be finished until next year!! :) so, u guys will wonder how am i gonna learn without going to the language class, right?...well, my aunt went to learnt b4 (at language centre), n she left those books with me...so, i learn from these books and from those exercises that she did b4...and search in internet for the pronounciation...

basicly, there are 3 types of japanese writing, that is kanji, hiragana and katakana.

Kanji:
-used for expressing 'meaningful' elements such as nouns & stems of adjectives and verbs.
-characters borrowed from chinese language.
-usually got 2 readings, the 'on' reading that is originated from chinese pronounciation, and the 'kun' reading that is the japanese reading.

Hiragana:
-used for expressing 'gramatical" elements such as particles and ending of adjectives and verbs which show tenses.

Katakana:
-words for foreign origin.
-as for those chinese characters, if they are read in japanese pronounciation, Hiragana will be used; if they are read by following the actual Chinese phenetic signs (means in chinese pronounciation), Katakana will be used.

so, for the beginner, we have to learn all those basic writing in hiragana and katakana, just like abc in english...but, u have to know that there are only 26 alphabet in english...in japanese, hiragana+katakana= 226 'alphabet'!!! this havent include the kanji words...there sooooo many(actually i dunno how many, maybe thousands).....but, for the japanese, the hiragana and katakana's writing are the most important...kanji is second...this is because if they forgot these kanji's writing they can replace it with katakana's writing...note that the japanese only learn kanji's word when they are in secondary...so, they will know some of the basic's kanji...like their name...most of the japanese's name is written in kanji...some of them also use katakana....But NOT in hiragana....that's the thing that make me so 'lazy'.....memorize these new writing.... :(

but for us who is not the japanese, we learn the language using the romanized form...just like the first part of this article...eg: Hajimemashite in romanized form...then, write in hiragana...so, it means that, we, the foreigner, have to learn the romanized form and the hiragana's writing at the same time!!! then it's word order are different from the english languange...in english, the word order are subject-verb-object, whereas in japanese, itz's subject-object-verb....so, really, have to learn the basic thing, like grammar....

but on the other way, i find this language very interesting...the japanese's pronounciation are all the same tone, only some of it with a bit higher or longer tone...others are the same...then the way to make a sentence....in english, if it only use four words to make a sentence, but in japanese, it will use more then four words or lesser than four words...eg: i'm chong-watashi wa chong desu...see the difference? and the writings are very cute....for me, itz like drawing some symbols....hahaha.....

p.s: i hope to finish this b4 uni's intake...wish me luck..hahaha...thanx!!!

13 Apr 2007

The Lesser Known

The Lesser Known… Kimi Raikkonen
12 April 2007


Kimi Raikkonen’s quiet confidence on track and party-friendly reputation away from the paddock makes for an interesting combination. We caught up with the Finn to find out a little more…

Q: Tell us something we don't know about you?
A: I've got two dogs, Ajax and Pepe.

Q: Your favourite song for karaoke?
A: I'm not the best singer in the world, but I do like a couple of Finnish singers and bands.
Q: When you're at home, what do you listen to when driving?
A: Mainly today's hits and Finnish music.
Q: Your most prized possession?
A: My wife and my Ferrari Enzo.

Q: Person you most admire?
A: My parents.

Q: Last good deed you did?
A: Charity things in Finland.

Q: Do you have any bad habits?
A: Biting my nails.
Chong Yen Pheng tells it all.....
Q: Tell us something we dont' know about you?
A: I hate pets
Q: Your favourite song for karaoke?
A: Seldom go for karaoke...mayb fast song n pop song
Q: When you're at home, what do you listen to when driving?
A: Songs from Lite Fm...we've got oldies, pop, n modern
Q: Your most prized possession?
A: My family, Maksim's singnature, Cds, magazines, posters..
Q: Person you most admire?
A: Those who try very very hard and eventualy got success
Q: Last good deed you did?
A: Sent my old stuff to those who need it
Q: Do you have any bad habits?
A: Dig my nose (NOT infront of others!!)
*Person to tagged: fad, min, hannah

11 Apr 2007

Why Always Tagged Me????

You often fly around Asia. What do you usually do on the plane?
Yen Pheng: Watching the sky, people around me, watching tv, sleeping....wat else can we do? havent fly so far b4.....except from Langkawi to Subang

What will you always bring when you're traveling overseas?
Yen Pheng: Probably camera, many many pairs of socks, clothes, note book, wat else??

Where would you like to travel to the most?
Yen Pheng: Republic of Ireland, England, Finland, Spain, Italy n other european countries....i like their culture, their building very much...Korea, Japan oso among other places dat i like

What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?
Yen Pheng: Drink water

What are you getting into these days?
Yen Pheng: Learn sthing bout life through all those i have encountered b4....

What interesting movies have you seen recently?
Yen Pheng: The Day After Tommorow

Which CDs have you been listening to often these days?
Yen Pheng: Cd dat i burnt recently...songs dat i like but i didnt buy those album, Maksim's third album,Wang Lee Hom's ....

Do you go to Karaoke often?
Yen Pheng: Went to karaoke once, on my graduation day (2004)....

Did anything happen recently that moved you?
Yen Pheng: Not really....

If you can rest for a month, what would you like to do?
Yen Pheng: Travelling....

If you're about to go to a no-man-land and you're allowed to bring 3 things with you; what would you bring?
Yen Pheng: Mp3....magazine....water?!

9 Apr 2007

f1 in mas 6-8 april 2007

6, 7, 8 April- Formula 1 in Sepang International Circuit



Qualifying Session-7 april 2007

Parking sticker


Ticket before use


Finally, the race is gonna start!!!! n i really make my wish come true, dat is going to watch f1....went there on 8 april to watch the qualifying session...... the third practice session starts at 11am while the qualifying session starts at 2pm.....but my bros and i were there at 9am...have to b 'an early bird' so dat we can take the good place to watch the race...although it's a long hour to kill, but we brought along newspaper, magazines, books along...so, we were not sooo bored...the place where we sat was called 'hillstand', so u can imagine dat we were sitting on the grass....this place can see the cars go around the corner, coz itz exactly at the corner....besides that, we saw the planes took off!!! so, we waited for about 45 minutes, to watch the Porsche Carrera Cup's qualifying...itz a race by those driving in the Porsche's cars.....then at 11am, the f1 drivers went out for their final practice session.....

aeroplane taking off
helicopter flying around before the qualifying session

between the time after the practice seesion n b4 the qualifying, the track was inspected by the safety car....marshalls should b sweeping or cleaning the track to make sure the track is empty...either itz debris or rubbish....this is done to make sure that no accidents will occur during the qualifying...itz bcoz all the f1 cars r tooooo 'sensitive'...any small, little rubbish can make a f1 car which is 'flying' for almost 300km/h, turn upside down...then, the safety car will come around and check....n these marshalls will 'salute' the safety car, a sign to show everything is alright....

marshall make sure there are no debris/rubbish on the track

marshalls sweeping, cleaning the track b4 the practice n qualifying session
the medical car...

manitou standby...so that it can b used when accidents occured

the safety car...inspecting the track

these marshalls are waiting for the safety car to pass by

at 2pm, the qualifying sessions starts. the qualifying sessions is divided into 3 parts, where itz 15 minutes for part 1 n 2, and 20 minutes for part 3. there are all together 22 cars, so, the 6 slowest cars will b 'kick' out of the first n second qualifying...the 10 remaining cars will run as many laps as they can in the third session, but hav to produce the fastest lap to make sure he can grab the pole position. in short, who is the fastest, he will starts at number 1(pole position);the one who is the slowest among them, will start at last...basicly, the car will run faster when itz not feul loaded...so, in the third session, these 10 cars will go as many laps as they can to reduce the fuel to certain level..(tooo little of fuel will disqualified!!) to produce the fastest time....how do we know who got number 1? well, there is a tower which will show the number of the car...itz a tower where it list out all the drivers positions....well, the final session was very interesting....coz, u wouldnt know who's gonna grab the pole position immediately after the 20 minutes was over...coz the cars were still running....first, i was happy coz my favourite driver was num 1...then suddently, his num drop to second, then third...so, he will starts at number 3....this is wat i mean as ecxcited n interesting...u can actually fell ur heart pumping very quickly....screaming in excitment...this kind of feeling.....

so, the day ended as Felipe Massa grabbed the pole position, ahead of Fernando Alonso n Kimi Raikkonen.


Race day-8 april 2007

well, the race is schedule to start at 3pm, but i was there at 9.30 am, still, to find a good spot....2day's crowd is better then yesterday....n itz almost red here...there r many ferrari's supporter....n many Finland's flag, to support Kimi Raikkonen (he's a Finnish!!)....n yes, we still bring along newspaper 2day....12.25pm, the Porsche Carera race starts.....n finish at 1.15pm...n the track is closed for inspection, again....at about 1.30pm, our prime minister give a short speech at the mall area, we, who sit at the hillstand, can only watch through the big screen...afterwards, antique cars carrying our prime minister and the f1 drivers....the drivers parade starts...the drivers were seated in the antique cars which carry them around the circuit to meet the fans....so, i finally 'meet' my favourite driver, and other drivers....they waved at us n we also waved at them!!! after dat, national athem is played.....at 3pm sharp, the race starts....the starts of a race is very interesting coz any driver can hav the opportunity to overtake others...but i couldnt really see it...a bit disapointment.. :( i couldnt say much bout the race as i did not really watch the whole race (i only see when they are near to me), but i really enjoyed to be here, to feel the heat, to see every1 around me's reaction when the team they support win or lose.....the disadvantages of being here is dat i'm not soo sure who's leading or still got how many laps to go as i cannot see the tower clearly...the num dat i can see was 001, 002....other num couldnt c clearly coz most of them are alike...so, next time when i gonna come again, i should bring telescope...

the day ended, well, ok for me, although my favourite driver didnt get number 1....itz bcoz his engine also got some problem b4 the race....so, i guess number 3 is also good, better then number 4...the race won by Fernando Alonso, ahead of Lewis Hamilton n Kimi Raikkonen

got tagged again!!!!

Got tagged again!!!!

Last FRIEND you: (not including family)
1. Saw: Su Wen
2. Talked to on the phone: Xue Ying
3. Text messaged: Sha Ney
4. Ate with: Su Wen

Today:
1. I'm: A bit sad coz Kimi Raikkonen got num 3 in f1 (dat race in sepang)
2. Wearing: shirt n pants
3. What were u doing 10 hours ago: sleeping
4. Dislikes about tomorrow: -

Favorite:
1. Number(s): -
2. Movies: Mr & Mrs Smith, A Walk In The Clouds, Sweet November, The Lake House...etc

Currently:
1. Are you missing someone right now: no
2. Mood : a bit sad
3. Wanting: to meet my old friend this thrusday at midvalley!!

Q&A:
Q: First thing you did this morning?
A: drink water

Q: Favorite quote?
A: Live the live to the fullest coz man passes this life only once

Q: What's bothering you right now?
A: hav to get back to learn japanese...u c, i had left it for bout 1 month!!

Q: Where is the last place you went?
A: Sepang International Circuit...went to watch f1

Q: Do you have any siblings?
A: Yayaya....

Q: Do you smile often?
A: at home, not so often...only wen i watch the comedy or sthing funny happen...but whenever i meet my friends, i will definetly smile....coz havent meet for a while..hapi to meet again!!

Q: Do you wish upon stars?
A: yeah...n not only upon stars, everything dat can make my dreams come tru, i'll try...(execept bomoh..this kind of thing)

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: not sure...u hav to pass this question to my friend to get a better answer

Q: What color shirt are you wearing?
A: yellow

Q: What were you doing at 12 last night?
A: going to sleep after a tired day (watching f1, was there at 9.30am, but starts at 3 pm....hav to find a good spot to watch!)

Q: When was the last time you cried?
A: watching The Lake House

Q: Do you get angry easily?
A: sometimes....

Q: What are you about to do?
A: eat my breakfast!!!

Q: Did you ever check your phone waiting for someone to call?
A: no...who wants to called me?!

Q: Rate life as of right now...0-10?
A: 9

* person to tag: hannah