Attack of the DOKU-MON!!

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This is how Yih Seong looks like when he's stressed.

Haha.. chill bro, you can't be the one who's burning out.. it should be me =P

PS - Gambate to all my batchmates in Summatives 2 and EOS! We will survive this.. we HAVE to, coz there's 4.5 more years to go ^^"

PPS - die.. i can't finish everything.. 4 more days to go.. die.. then again, wtf am i doing online instead of studying =/

To be burned out ..

A month ago i promised myself to start studying for Summatives 2. A little more than a week before Summatives 2, i burned out.

It's never happened before. Me burning out. I've always been the type to take things slowly and take my own sweet time. Reading through notes for the first time while the others are already way into their third round. Maybe what they say is right, slow and steady wins the race. At least, it proved to be the best way of studying for me.

And then Monday came. Having only finished Endocrine, with Piss, BS, and Sex to go. One weekend, 9 weekdays. I stared in horror at all the lecture notes i was supposed to cover in that short time. Too much. I stayed back in the library to study. I looked at the pile of notes in my hands. My eyes scanned through the same sentence, over and over again. My mind went blank. Those words thrown together to mean something meant nothing to me. I couldn't register what i just read seconds ago into my head. Then i realised. I couldn't study anymore.

*flashback*
The only time i remembered i panicked was during the ASEAN scholarship interview years ago. I remember sitting in front of 5 adults, just looking down, coz my mind's not working anymore. I couldn't think of what to say, how to answer their questions. I must've looked like an idiot sitting there not saying a word during interview.

The other time i nearly panicked was during the SPM English paper. The essay paper. I chose the question i would've liked to write about the most. I tried to plan what to write, but nothing came out. So i thought maybe if i start writing i'll get over the writer's block. Bad idea. 30 minutes since the exam started, i didn't even write an introduction yet. Palpitation. Sweat glands on my palms went into overtime. Luckily i got hold of myself after a while and changed the question, and wrote a page plus full of crap. Miraculously, i got A1 for an essay on something i would've never care - "Advantages of Television". The topic for the essay i failed to write was.. "Friends".
*flashback ends*

Back to Summatives 2. It was Monday when i burned out. I couldn't read a single sentence on the lecture note and understand it. To be unable to study with just a little more than a week to Summatives 2 doesn't make me feel good. Yet, i can't will myself to study. I stared at the stacks of papers in my file. Too much. Seconds turn minutes, minutes turn hours, hours turn days.. i was running out of time.

Today is Friday. I've not covered much since Monday, but i've gotten myself back. I realised i stressed myself out too much to finish studying after seeing how little time i had. I realised i crave for food every time i'm stressed, and peanut butter on bread is just the best thing i can make for myself. I realised Naruto is a great manga, especially fun to read with an exams just around the corner. And i realise that it wasn't me, it's just that Nilesh Kumar's notes are incomprehensible =P

PS - hehe i was just crapping, don't take me too seriously, especially when i blog =P. To all the Sem5 that've just finished their Phase 1, well, all the best to you all! =) Damn jealous of you Sem5 ppl la, having survived 5 semesters in IMU edi. Gonna miss all of you.. ^^. And to all my batchmates, STOP READING BLOGS AND GO STUDY DAMMIT!

PPS - On a side note.. my parents are coming up tomorrow! =)
STILL READING? OMGWTF WANT TO FAIL SUMMATIVES 2 IZZIT? GO STUDY!

PPPS - oh sorry, forgive me, i was just too stressed up. Now, go study ok? Good boy/girl! =P

Masquerade : A Night Unveiled

Friday night. Masquerade was held in the auditorium. Lots of performances. Interesting. Funny. Touching. Loud. Very very loud. So loud it produced a 10.0 reading on the Richter scale. THAT loud. Most of all, it was the most entertaining night ^^ (and hot too.. the air-con chose the best time to break down.. -.-")

Me the volunteer controlling the lights, along with Paul and Jack with the bazooka (kinda like spotlight). Dunno why, but lately i seem to be eager to do anything.. ANYTHING that doesn't involve staring at words in the Meriab Marieb that juz don't.. can't make any sense to me (guess that's what Anatomy's about). Brought along my bro's digital camera for some pic-taking, but it ran out of battery AND memory before Masquerade even began. Sigh.. remind me to check the camera next time.. can't trust my bro to keep the camera ever-ready -.-" Anyway here are some of the pictures Chia Huan managed to take for me (she sat at the last row so it's not very clear, but hey, don't complain)

The stars of the night =P. Deborah and Jeremy practising for their performance later. This was taken right before Debz ran back home to sleep. 4 hours before Masquerade begins.. -.-"

So while waiting for Masquerade to begin, me went to check on the Tai-chi gang..

..and there they were. But only those hardcore TC people are around. Wonder where everyone is.. (err.. no, i wasn't supposed to be down there with them =P)

After a lot (really lot) of pestering from Chow, the CMAC gang finally took a picture with the oh-so-nice-must-take-picture-with-it Christmas tree -.-". Altho Christmas is still far far away.. (Chow's posing again.. sigh -.-")

..and 4 hours are over in a flash (yeah right..). Masquerade finally started. And people start dancing around on the stage.

Chow's favourite came to live on stage. They were singing "Phantom of the Opera" (argh.. the horror..). Haha.. but they were really good.

Another highlight of the night. 3 violinists playing Canon in D Major. Perfectly synchronised. All rite.. close to perfect =P

And finally, the performance we've been waiting for our whole lives =P. Ivy playing the keyboard, Jeremy Munis playing the guitar, and Deborah singing like a devil. Err, i mean angel. Yeah, angel.. altho i can't make out what that devil was singing. I mean.. angel. Right.

And lots more superb performances, Chia Huan didn't take pictures for me.. damn sad wei =( (haha.. kidding la, thanx for taking those pictures). Plenty of singing. There was a song by Planet Shakers (i think) which literally shakes the whole auditorium. Acapella by an all-boys group and an all-girls group (getting a little sexist, are we?). And then the 'Ultraman Dance'.. yeah, ULTRAMAN dance. Funny can't even begin to describe it lol. Then there's an interesting musical play by Sem 2 (especially the scene where the slave slashes all the queen and princes.. haha the effects was just right-on - think anime ^^). Close to the end was the 'Shadow Dance', very nicely choreographed and nice 'shadow' effects. Oh yeah, and one of our lecturers sang a Beatles Beegees song too. Go JPJ! =)

That's all i should think. I definitely gonna come to watch again next year, if it's ever held again. Or i might join next time. After i learned how to play like him. But first i have to get my guitar back. And learn how to play guitar.

PS - i have to get my hands on the video of the whole Masquerade ^^

The crap they made us read ..

*yawn*. Finally finished my AIR (Assigned Independent Reading) topic. Took me almost 4 hours to read the article and filter related crap from pure bullcrap and stuff-so-crap-i-wasted-half-an-hour-of-my-life- reading-it (FYI, less than a third of the whole article is relevant). Just for my own reference (and anyone else who's still procrastinating), i'm posting it here.

"Illness" and "disease" do not mean the same thing. Illness is as perceived by the patient himself, based on his experience, and may mean pain, loss of or change in specific physiologic functions, or decrease in performance level. An illness can also be non-physical, and may mean an impact on his social life, varying degrees of vulnerability, feelings of isolation, regression or fear.

However, different individuals have different threshold for acknowledging the presence of illness. This variation is largely influenced by family background, economics, culture, education and previous illness experience. An individual is more likely to take on the 'sick role' if he stands to gain from it.

Besides that, symptom recognition is not standardized in every individual, and depends on personal factors, context and culture. A typical symptom may be considered being "ill" to an individual but not another.

On the other hand, disease is as seen from the doctor’s perspective. Usually, a person is said to suffer from a disease after objective measurements such as physical exams, laboratory data, x-rays, endoscopy, histology and methods of molecular biology have been made. By comparing the data obtained and the disease model carried from medical training, a doctor will then infer the presence of a disease.

Considering the difference between "illness" and "disease", a person can be ill without the presence of disease. He may perceive himself to be ill based on his experience, although medical examinations’ results did not establish the presence of disease. The said "illness" is based on the patient’s own perceptions and experience.

A person can also have a disease but not self-define as ill. He might show the typical symptoms of a disease but does not consider himself to be suffering from an illness. This might be due to different threshold or symptom recognition among individuals.

Unrelated news: Signed up for SPCA Club and Photography Club today. That makes it 11 clubs i'm in? O.o

To be sick ..

The last time i was sick i thought i nearly died. That was a week before the A2 exams when i was confirmed to have contracted dengue. Thank god i survived, but then i only got one of the milder strain. Don't even wanna think of how getting the other strains feels like..

Fast forward 7 months, and i fell sick again. Started with a really sore throat last Sunday. And coincidentally, it was the day we planned to have a surprise birthday celebrations for five people. Yup, have to surprise all FIVE of them. Paul, Chee Mei, Chia Huan, Lay Chin and Yew Wen, all December babies. Didn't really plan properly, nobody really know the plans until the last minute. But that doesn't matter anyway =P. That makes SEVEN birthdays in bout 2 weeks. The bill for all the presents and cakes and props broke the RM800 mark. Which means each of us had to fork out 55 bucks O.o . And my dad wonders how come my money runs out so fast.. blame those birthday boys and girls! =P

Missed the lectures on Monday coz i couldn't wake up. Didn't get much sleep the night before, had a bad headache. Went into the library at 10.15am, and the first thing i heard is "Hey, you not going for PBL ar?" from May Ee. Fuck. Dah lah i'm not feeling good at all, i missed lectures that morning, i didn't do the research for PBL yet, and i forgot i had PBL that bloody morning. So either i grab the nearest Meriab and cram everything i had to know about menstrual cycle in 15 minutes, or go pick a spot in the library to sleep. I really don't have to tell you my choice, do i? =P (hey sorry ya to my PBLmates.. i'll pass the notes to you all next session la)

It's Wednesday today. Had to pop pills the previous 3 nights to get some peaceful sleep (those mountains of paracetamols i got from dengue proves useful after all haha). Miracle pills, to quote my bro. And really, they work wonders when you have fever or headache. Looks like i need to stockpile more of them.. (considering i gonna get a hell lot of headaches in years to come).

And i wonder.. if you become a doctor, would you prescribe medicine to yourself when you fall sick? I guess so.. which means we can save some moolah by not having to see a doctor anymore! Another advantage of being a doctor.. haha =P

Which reminds me of my AIR topic, which i was supposed to be doing instead of typing this post. "A person can be "ill" without the presence of disease, or have a disease but not self-define as ill." WTF? Sigh..

PS - looks like this plague of sore throat/flu/fever is spreading like wild fire among IMU students across batches =/. Hope everyone recovers soon!

If only there's no exams to look forward to..

Sigh.. i guess the last major event of this year for me is over now. Only exams, revision and more revision to look forward to this year. What fun.

It's the World AIDS Day last Thursday, 1st December. Chow and the others went to Bukit Bintang for some singing session. Me 'fang fei kei' coz got choir practice that day. And the day before. And the day after. Heck, we've had choir practice every weekday for the past 2 weeks =D. Maybe that's why there's less and less ppl in the student lounge the past 2 weeks? haha =P

All that practice was for this 'big' event today. MSD and CrusAIDSers organized some talk on AIDS in IMU this morning. Us members of the Choir Club were to sing a song as part of the performances. A malay song, 'Satu Bangsa Kasihi Semua'. It was the song chosen for this year's National Day i think. So hard for me to remember the notes. I still got them wrong after the first week.

But this time we had more guys tho. Used to be only me, Jem, Paul, Timothy, and Hong Lim singing the 'I am Cow' song. Haha.. man, i miss that song. That's the only song ALL of us still remember how to sing. By all i meant not only the Choir Club. Haha ;)

Matthew, Gary and Shin Yin joined us this time. I was surprised, frankly.. there's more guys from our batch who want to join choir ^^. I didn't even know why i joined in the first place. Maybe i like to sing? Haha.. i've never even sang anything in front of anyone before before this. Still, i had a lot of fun in choir. Don't know whether we all will still keep singing till we're in Sem 5. Coz 90% of the choir members is from Sem 1. Does this mean we won't have time to do anything else when Sem 1's over? I hope not. I'll seriously die if all i can do is study. I bloody hate studying.

Summatives 2 in less than a month now. If only i can start studying. Getting results better than what you expect can really make you complacent. I'm not bragging or anything, bragging is just a selfish way to boost one's ego at the expense of others. And my ego doesn't need any boosting anyway *shrugs* haha =P. I'm crapping again. Now that i have nothing on for the rest of the year, maybe i'll get bored enough to study. Or sleep. More likely sleep. =P

PS - since my previous post, there's been so many birthdays i nearly forgot who's birthday is when. I'll just wish them all at once here. Yeah, i'm lazy. (btw please correct me if i'm wrong..)

Happy belated Birthday Winnie! (29th November)
Happy belated Birthday Sebastian! (1st December)
Happy belated Birthday Vincent! (2nd December)
Happy Birthday Pizzle Kizzy.. err.. i mean, Paul Kong! (TODAY)
Happy Birthday Chee Mei aka MC Cheemz! =P (TODAY)

And of course, a special tribute to an old friend of mine (didn't think i'd forget you, did ya?). This is the first ever e-mail i received from him (and sadly, the only one -.-") - uncut, unedited, and uncensored. Guess who?

T'was 2nd December, 2002..
[+/-] show/hide e-mail

Full name: *beep* (no....Lawrence IS NOT my real name) Single or taken: What else? Everyone hates me : ) Sex: The last time I bothered to notice, male. Birthday: 29th November 1986 Astrological sign: Saggitarius Siblings: Lyn, 13 Hair color: Black, with mysterious traces of microscopic white Eye color: VERY dark brown Shoe size: 7 1/2 >*;-* R e l a t i o n s h i p s~* > > Who do you consider to be your best and closest friend?: Myself? Does this person know this?:Of course..... Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? I thought it was answered in the previous section. Did you send this to your crush? : Crush? Crush who? >*;-* F a v o r I t e s *-;-* > > Color: Aquamarine Number: 9? Cartoon character?:Bugs Bunny....what's up doc? Movie: Any James Bond film Fast Food: Pizza! Boy's name: Squall (sounds damn cool) Girl's name: No idea...... CD or TAPE?: CD Animals: Actually, I'd like a tiger....muhahahaha Game(s): Taekwando (cause it's the only thing I'm good at) and swimming! Day of the year?: Any day is fine as long as I'm there to see it. Month?: I've answered this question above. >*;-* T h e E x t r a S t u f f *;-* > > The last thing you ate: Mee goreng. (yum) If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?: I don't wanna be a crayon....but if I got stuck as one I'd choose black because everyone uses black and it ends my misery faster. Where would you want to go on your honeymoon?: On a quiet island in the Mediterrenean or somewhere high in the mountains of Switzerland. Who would you want to spend the rest of your life with?: Of course someone who (must I use this word?) LOVE me and vice versa. Where do you want to get married?: I'm not that particular.....hahaha What's the weather like?: Nice and sunny. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?: The speech...I guess. Do you do drugs?: What do you think..DUH What kind of shampoo do you use?: Fruity or chemical smell, I don't care as long as it gets my hair clean. What are you most scared of?: Hopelessness in any situation. How many TV's?: 2.... What are you listening to right now?: My thoughts. What car do you wish to have?: A Black Porsche 911 but seriously, I don't like cars. Give me a F-22 any day. Who is the last person that called you?: Leong. Do you like the person who sent this to you?: Okay, a little. How do you feel at the moment?: Tired and bored. How do you eat an Oreo?: Pop it and and chew, and chew..... What makes you happy?: Nearly anything that doesn't kill me. What's the best advice that you've been given?: "The talk you hear about adapting to change is not only stupid, but dangerous. The only way you can manage change is to create it." What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?: Way too many to even begin listing.... If you could be someone else for a day who would it be?: Well....an ExtraTerrestial, because I'd like to find out how they live. Who would you hate being locked in a room with?: I hate being locked in a room with anybody. The lock is the problem. Why am I locked in a room anyway? Well...if that happened, I guess it would be a snobbish and self-indulgent person. Of the following which would you prefer:- Happy or sad movies?: Happy!!! On the phone or in person?: Anything goes.... Summer or Winter?:Winter, because it's so nice and cold. Wait...is that my frostbitten ear on the ground? Hugs or kisses?: Both....but I'd personally prefer hugs, because you can do it without worrying about your breath or the person you're hugging's breath. ;-* H a v e Y o u E v e r *;-* Given someone a bath?: Yeah....myself. Smoked?: Smoking kills..if I wanted to kill myself I'd do it with a bullet to my head. Bungee jumped?: Always wanted too. Run from the cops?: Nope...I never run from battle. But I've shot them many times...in PS2 games. *;-* F i r s t T h i n g T h a t C o m e s T o M in d *;-* Red: Blood Pig: Food Zebra: Piece of Asphalt sOCkS: Hairdryer *;-* F i n a l Q u e s t i o n s *;-* Do you want your friends to write back?: Anything. Writing back would be nice....hahahaha.... Who's least likely to respond?:I think Siaw, the super-quiet person). I only sent it to 3 friends. Who's most likely to respond?:I don't think anyone will respond...hahaha...... Are you sick of filling this out?: Not really. The bored are easily amused....

Haha it's rather obvious who it is, right. Happy 19th Birthday dude =). You were right about me.. i didn't respond to your e-mail =P. I did fill up my version, it juz didn't get sent. Anyway hope you're having a great time over in UK. See ya during Christmas (i hope). Ciaoz now.