Merdeka!

Happy 49th year of independence, Malaysia!

By the way, what is independence? According to the Wikipedia,

"Independence is self-government of a nation, country, or state by its residents and population, generally exercising sovereignty.

Independence can be the initial status of an emerging nation (often filling a political void), but is often an emancipation from some dominating power. It can be argued that independence is a negative definition: the state of not being controlled by another power through colonialism, expansionism or imperialism. Independence may be obtained by decolonization, or by separation or dismemberment."

Okay, I think that does explain how Malaysia got its independence quite well, don’t you think so?

- Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Of food

Aah, food is one of my favourite topic.

Anyway, I think I have a new food passion: pasta. Pasta with sauce, to be precise. Pasta sauce is rather cheap here (compared to other stuff I mean), and you can get really good-tasting one like from Italy quite easily (Europe IS very near to the UK…). And it’s so easy to cook! Boil some pasta, drain the water and add some (ready-made) pasta sauce. Voila! All ready to be eaten. I think I’m acquiring a taste for pasta with sauce. Yummy! I wonder how much does pasta sauce cost in Malaysia? It’s not that I’ve ever bought any before… My previous experience with pasta had been limited to macaroni (fried or baked), and spaghetti, neither which I particularly fancy. Hmm… Oh well, this might only be a passing fancy anyway *grins*.

When talking about food, I have to mention the fruits that are sold in a nearby (chain) supermarket. I mean, I’ve bought apples that came from Brazil! A friend got some which came from New Zealand. Considering that we’re now in the UK, that’s a long way to travel to get a supply of fruits. Of course, I’ve bought some apples that came from France too, which is closer to the neighbourhood *grins*. I have to say, the Brazilian apples tasted better though, I wonder why…

- Wondering smirk… I just love the expression!

Here and now

It’s official people: summer is over. The weather here has been like rain, rain, and yet more rain; the people here call it ‘typical English weather’. I guess 35 degrees Celsius is not typical, huh? *Grins*. Anyway, the temperature has lowered to 20 degrees now, and I’m already feeling a bit chilly. As a friend said, this is only the beginning. I have to say, I’m not really used to these sort of drastic weather changes.

Apart from moaning/complaining/whining about the weather, it has been busy working days for me. My supervisor is already back from his trip, so there were a lot of catching up to do. And finally, I’m having some positive progress! Yay! Working alone (and asking question via e-mail) was fine, but nothing beats one-to-one discussion. I know, I know, I’m supposed to portray some independence in my research or something, and not depend too much on my supervisor as some people might say, but hey, as long as it gets the work done, right? *Shrugs*.

By the way, do you know the difference between a nerd, a geek, and a dork? If you want to know, you can find out here. Ooh, now I see.

- Yeah, sometimes I’m a bit too stubborn for my own good… *Shrugs*.

Of sports

You know, I’m not someone who’s that keen on sports (understatement of the century). But of all the sports, I’m quite interested in golf. Yup, you read correctly, golf. Not to play of course, but to watch. It’s quite interesting actually. How did I get interested in golf, you might ask. Well, it was actually from a manga (or Japanese comic) called Rising Impact. Yup, from a manga, surprise, surprise. There’re actually a lot of manga based on sports, such as football (one of the most popular; I really like Whistle!), basketball (Slam Dunk, anyone?), tennis (Prince of Tennis is great!), and even gymnastic (I’m currently reading Fly High). Really.

Anyway, back to golf. I just have to celebrate the latest win of my favourite golf player, Tiger Woods. HURRAY! This is his 12th career major, and his 51st PGA Tour victory. Yup, and all in just 10 years too. Wow… *shining eyes*.

- Go Tiger!

Pay for good grades, anyone?

I read a very interesting article recently, that parents are now offering their kids pay for good grades. And it’s not peanuts, people; some even offer a new car for A’s!! I mean, that’s outrageous! I know, I know, it’s not really a new trend, but I guess it’s becoming more popular as people, especially teens, are becoming more materialistic these days.

"Adults who promise money, gifts or privileges say their children study harder when incentives are on the table. The lesson they hope to teach is that rewards require work."

I guess the theory is sound, but it’s not really practical. I mean, usually the children will take the gifts for granted. And they will expect something in return for anything and everything they do. I guess it seems like a trivial problem when they’re small (and they look cute when they’re doing it *gagged*), but believe me, it gets damn annoying as time goes on.

Of course, my feelings on the matter is not influenced by the fact that I was never rewarded so handsomely when I was small (if ever). Nope, I’m not jealous, not at all… Of course not. *In denial*.

- That’s me, alright…

The usual stuff

I just recovered from a severe case of diarrhea (errrgh!!). Yup, it was so bad I had to go and buy some medicine for it (btw, thanks again M for the advice). Luckily, I’m feeling all better now… I think. In fact, I took a day off yesterday, just for the heck of it, and I did nothing the whole day, and was feeling bored out of my mind. Plus the fact that now I’m somewhat stuck in my research, due to the fact that I have absolutely no idea how to solve a relatively simple problem that I’m going bonkers over it, and I can’t exactly ask my supervisor as he’s away and unreachable by e-mail or phone. Yeah.

Apart from all that, it’s life as usual for me. Everything’s just peachy *sarcasm dripping*.

- Yeah, so true…

Another party

Yay!! I got invited to another house-warming party hosted by a Malaysian (thanks NA!). This means, yes, more Malaysian food! There were barbeque chicken, ayam percik and even laksa Johor. Yummy!

On another note, I got another chance to watch TV. This time, I managed to catch Britain Next Top Model. Yeah, I guess it’s a spin-off of the American one. However, I don’t think the British version is as interesting as the American one. I don’t know, it’s just a little… bland. And less glamorous. And the host (which I don’t recognize) is not really that comparable to Tyra Banks. And it’s strange to note that British people swear even more than Americans! Yup, in the British show, the people keep going *beep!*. Of course, maybe I just don’t get the British sense of humour… Who knows? *Shrugs*.

- …

Money and happiness

I read a really interesting article today, about the link between money and happiness. And I couldn’t agree more. Especially on the part where the writer said:

"I would love to live in a world where authentic happiness was achievable solely from the richness of relationships, but I’m a realist. And the reality I see — and that so many of you write to me about — is one in which money plays into our ability to be truly happy."

I’m also a realist. I mean, in this time and age, it’s really difficult to even survive without money, much less be happy. Money makes the world go round *shrugs*. Furthermore:

"If you don’t have money to buy things, you’re going to be very frustrated. It’s just that simple."

*Grins*.