My silly snip of thought

Hahaha... She must have been really bored. I'm pretty retarded when it comes to girls.

I guess I'll have to refrain from having dates until I meet a speech therapist or a love doctor.

Buletin Citra Jan-Mac 2006

Just as Jasmine said a few weeks ago, I'm on DPM's bulletin cover. I finally managed to grab one and scan it for archiving (and shameless show-off =P).


The ultimate success story though, is the girl with tudung. Having a single parent didn't stop her from achieving great result in SPM. Wish her the best of luck~!

Point of transition

The public university admission was released yesterday afternoon. A lot of people logged in in the morning to find nothing. I woke up late, 1.30 pm to be exact, because I followed the France vs South Korea match till dawn. Like my peers, the priority of the day was to check the admission result. Turn on the PC, log in to emoe.gov.my, nothing. So I tried the Higher Education Ministry's website instead. Nothing on admission as well. Maybe not today, I thought. But I clicked Refresh anyway. Some browser messages popped up and I ended up looking at the page everyone has been looking for, the result!

"Tahniah! Anda telah berjaya ditawarkan program seperti di bawah:" caught my attention on the screen... Code: MS15, Programme Title: Science (Physical Sciences), IPTA: Universiti Malaya (UM).

For real?

Still unsure, I quickly skimmed the page looking for something for confirmation and found my name. Yes... This is MY result. For a mili-second my mind went blank, then a short naive laugh of satisfaction bursted out of me before I broke the news to my sister downstairs.

It's like dream come true for goodness' sake. A lot of things I had wished for in my education never materialised. I used to dream about studying in Harvard. So I took SAT, but failed to take SAT II in time because I doubted myself for a few months. That and other major missteps during high school totally put my career vision in jeopardy.

Now, at least the path has been cleared. I get the course that I really wanted and everything is re-aligning towards the original ambition, albeit on a different scale and locale.

NBA Finals 2006

The final two teams are set. It will be Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks come June 8.

Both teams performed well during the regular season, especially the Mavs, rolling to 60 wins in 82 games in the tough Western Conference to finish 3rd overall, behind the Spurs and Pistons. Much credit goes to head coach Avery Johnson, under whom the Mavs added solid defense in addition to their offensive firepower in All-Star Dirk Nowitzki and co. In their impressive run to the Finals, they slain the Grizzlies with ease, then outlasted the defending champion Spurs in 7 games, and finally putting brakes to Phoenix Suns' wheels.

But the Finals will not be a pushover. The Heat were cold during the regular season, only notching 52 games, but peaked just as the playoffs started and has been blazing since. Shaquille O'Neal looked 10 years younger, Dwayne Wade is doing what Dwayne Wade does, Alonzo Mourning plays as well as a player with only one kidney can play, and Antoine Walker and Gary Payton nicely settling down to their roles. Like the Mavs, this is the first time the franchise is in the Finals. But Miami Heat is a veteran team guided by the legendary coach Pat Riley, and they know how to win. Their win over Detroit Pistons is a testament of how good they are.

During the regular season, they faced each other twice, both resulting in comfortable wins for the Mavs. But that is no longer a factor because the Heat are on a totally different level now.

As for the defensive matchups, at first glance stars in both teams would be unstoppable. The Heat obviously will dominate the paint with Shaq. If Detroit's frontcourt of the Wallace duo and Prince could hardly contain him, DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier would have no chance at all. Wade would also be a problem for the Mavs, but at least they have a good defender in Juwan Howard. The Heat, meanwhile, do not have an answer for Nowitzki. Dirk is 7-foot tall and plays with skills of a small forward. He will take his defender to the perimeter and beat him with his drive and pull-up jumpers.

At the point, both teams are evenly matched-up: Gary Payton and Jason Williams for the Heat against Jason Terry and Devin Harris for the Mavs. Payton is a 16-year veteran and contributes significantly in offense and defense, Williams is troublesome when he gets hot, Terry is capable of making big shots and dropping big numbers while Devin Harris is consistent and reliable.

The key for Miami will be the supporting players. Shaq and Wade will command much attention from the Mavs' defense, leaving players like Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem and Jason Williams with a lot of open shots. They need to keep making these open shots for Miami to win.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, have to push the tempo like they did to the Spurs. Playing at a faster pace would put a lot of pressure on the slower Heat. Besides getting easy baskets in transition, it would tire Miami's veterans and render Shaq ineffective in defense. The Mavs also need to fully utilize their deep bench against Heat's thin bench.

It is hard to predict which team will finally lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The Mavs have an advantage in their youth and talent, but never underestimate the determination and experience of the Heat. O'Neil, Payton, Mourning, Walker and Wade are hungry for a ring.

Keep my nails clean

University will start in a month's time. I still don't know which corner of the country I will be sent to, or if I will even be admitted. Speak of a lousy system... In comparison, US colleges announce their admission in May for entrance in September.

In any case, preparations still have to made. So recently I bought an essential item: the manicure kit. It sounds feminine, but let's see what it looks like. Dang dang dang~!


No pink colour, no floral patterns, no gold. Man enough.

It's price is a little bit on the expensive side though, which explains why I'm totally broke at the moment. But taking into consideration that it would last (hopefully) for half a decade, it is worth it.

Plus, keeping your nails clean? Priceless.

Renovation: The Outcome

The Picasso imitation, signed off with "kakeng" instead of "picasso". Have not found a reliable way to put it on the wall yet, so it is resting on top of my monitor for now.


A bookrack on my tiny study place. Beside it is my bedroom's door, painted in racing double stripes.


This is how the bedroom looks like from the door. It's messy. My bed is the one in close view.


A closer look at the graffiti.


The wall next to my bed, decorated with a Vince Carter poster to complement the basketball theme of the room. I would have preferred a Kobe poster though.


My closet. No skeletons ;P


Boxes of basketball kicks on top of the closet.


Something I bought during the trip to West Malaysia, a Michael Jordan bobblehead.


Oh, and this Tigger of mine have been featured here before. All he does is sleep...


The noisy alarm clock and a Twins poster at my bedside. There are a number of other Twins-related items in the room, but that's for another post. There are just too many of them.


Lastly, a poster holder I made out of polystyrene recently, as a quick measure to neutralize mum's complaint of a messy room.

A dream of death

A friend of mine died a few days ago. Drowned. He was a nice guy. And I only have good memories of him... Isaac, rest in peace.


Lately, death has been echoing at the back of my head. There was a dream that I had. In the midst of fun with friends, a lady, in all politeness and a concerned face, called me to follow her. She had something important to tell me, she said. As we got into a room, she revealed that I have contracted a terminal disease. To prove it, she ran a test on me. Positive. And for the rest of the dream, I was awaiting death.

How pathetic, to be awaiting death. To be wasting any little talent I have, doing nothing. To see the ambitions vaporise. Reality is we are all awaiting death in life. We all have a limited time of unknown length. Perhaps, the dream is a gentle reminder of that.

I will remember.