All about cartoons

Actually, instead of all cartoons, this post is more about cartoon characters from the 80- and 90-ies, the era when I was still a kid 🙂

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One recent day, I mistook Pluto for Goofy. But because Sue pointed out and after that I made a mental note: Goofy walks on 2 legs while Pluto on 4. Besides, Goofy wears clothes. This overwrote my memory forever! Haha! I cannot recall if the mistake was a mere slip of the tongue or I used to have problem differentiating both of them. To me, they have the same face!

Same face!

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Sue is an avid fan of Mickey Mouse. I told her, “I like Warner Bros’ cartoon characters more than Disney’s ones, they are cuter!”

“Oh! So you do not like Snow White and all?” Sue’s surprised.

War!

Opps… I do like Snow White and all. I failed to realize that there’s a blind spot in my mind! I was so narrow-minded (literally, haha!) that I take Disney cartoons as the synonym of [Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy and Daisy] and nothing more! :p

Ok, maybe I just do not find THEM (just them) cute! :p No offence!

Just THEM not cute…

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Being sent to a Chinese primary school, I learnt proper English only at the age of 10. Prior to that, I barely understood any. This impaired my ability to understand cartoons more, including picking up some of their names!

Case study #1

After seeing a real, living Tasmanian devil for the first time, I asked BF, “This is my first time getting to know Tasmanian devil. Why do we call such an angelic-looking animal devil?” BF smiled and replied, “This is because you have not seen them preying on other animals. I thought you would be familiar with them? Don’t you know Taz, from Looney Tunes?” This came as a complete surprise to me! I could recognize Taz: he’s the one who spins a lot. But I did not know his name, let alone knowing he’s a Tasmanian devil *shy* Now I know! 🙂

Angel and devil? And alike meh???

Case study #2

For Peanuts, I only knew Snoopy when I was a kid; got to know Charlie Brown and Woodstock at later stage when English newspaper started to be of interest to me.

It’s a relief to know even half-banana like SG also did not know the names of some cartoon characters :p

SG: I just realized not long ago that there are dutchy names for the characters in Peanuts!

Case study #3

When I was a kid, I thought it was “TH mutant ninja turtles”! TEENAGE is too deep a vocab for a kid! A Chinese-educated kid whose family members did not speak English at all! Haha!

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No doubt I was still an extremely limited English user back then, but even so some cartoons’ theme songs and signature lines were so catchy that I picked up effortlessly.

The songs:

Mighty mouse and friends!

Captain Planet! He’s the hero!

The signature lines

Tweety bird: I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

Bugs Bunny: Eh… What’s up, doc?

Thunder! Thunder! Thunder cat!

Also catchy, is the laughter of Woody woodpecker! Her x 4, her x 4, her her her her her…. 🙂

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When I was a kid, I also couldn’t differentiate between autobots and decepticons while watching Transformers.

	Decepticons	Autobots
Color of insignia	Purple	Red
Color of the eyes	Red	Blue

What I do not understand is that, the differences are very apparent to me now!

Maybe (little) girls just aren’t good with machines!

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Q: One day, Doraemon bumped into Hello Kitty. Both were delighted but they failed to greet each other properly. Why?

A: Hello Kitty has no mouth, can’t greet verbally; Doraemon has no fingers, can’t wave or shake hands :p

No fingers

Guys always fail to notice Hello Kitty has no mouth!

No mouth!

Sawatdee Ka! – Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong

27 Dec 2012, Thursday 

Overview:

We requested for a drop off from Baan Bua Homestay (25 baht/person) to the Chiang Rai (CR) bus terminal, deposited our baggage and off we went for shopping spree and massage again. Next, we embarked on another adventure: taking the Thai public bus to Chiang Khong (CK). Upon reaching CK, we found our way to the decent Namkhong Riverside Hotel and then wandered along the only happening street in CK a bit as well as the temple festival. It was our last night in Thailand. Laos, see you tomorrow! 

Being messy, again!

The bus schedule: from Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong

Apparently, there are 2 types of public buses to Chiang Khong. This is the flashy one.

The baggage deposit service is located next to the toilet at the Chiang Rai bus terminal.

tHAIabasco! 😉

Err… Messy?

Spot the difference.

Sue and I were puzzled for a fraction of a second: both also original flavors, but why the different packaging?

Light bulb: Oh! Thin cut vs. ripple cut!

In the process of learning Thai! :p The friendly shop assistant helped me with the translation.

Shopaholic at work!

Embarrassing moment: I accidentally went into the male toilet… *shy*
because I overshot the yellow poster on left and I can’t read Thai sign circled in red…

Taking the dilapidated public bus to Chiang Khong (65 baht/person). If the condition of this bus is too much for you to endure, then stick to the flashy one.

This is the VVIP seat in the bus! 🙂

Sue and I were touched by the kindness of Thai people once again. To squeeze sitting place for both of us, this kind uncle (on left) had to fold his legs in uncomfortable position along the journey.

The sunset view approaching Chiang Khong was quite scenic!

At Namkhong Riverside Hotel: strong back support and arms!

CK: Having problem conversing in English in this small town, had to resort to Google Translate!

Finally managed to overcome communication barrier!

Our desire to light a kong ming lantern was gratified eventually. Thank you Google Translate! 🙂

Sue’s upset about my alcohol (in)tolerance… Why? This is how much I could take, after which I won’t be THAT sober anymore… *shy*

Day 1: Bangkok | Day 2: Chiang Mai 1 | Day 3: Chiang Mai 2 | Day 4: Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai (a), (b) | Day 5: Chiang Rai | Day 7: Chiang Khong – Laos | Sue’s

The ________ in me – Part 3

Gemini 

Today, you could be seeing me laughing my heart out, over some silly or cold jokes and still can’t stop laughing after that at every thought about the same jokes.

On another day, you will be surprised to see the same person, me, crying my heart out watching a movie, reading a book or even at my own reminisce.

Today, you could be seeing me behaving like a hyperactive kid, running around, playing hard as though I won’t get tired at all.

On another day, you will be surprised to see the same person, me , hibernating all day. My highest record was to be asleep for 22 hours, after a 3-day camp which I hardly got any sleep.

Colleague said, “做你很伤身：大悲大喜，大情大性。” I say, perhaps this is what people said about the universe is within us.

Part 1 | Part 2 |

Indonesia in retrospect – Part 3: On our own adventure! (a)

The following was an email that I wrote to someone who used to be special to me while I was in Indonesia. Narration in the form of an email, that’s a novelty for my blog! :p

Some amendments were made to the writing, also added in photos. Enjoy reading! 🙂

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Dear NK,

Thank God that I’m back to hostel of UI safely! Phew… what a relief!

At the UI Railway Station

the ticket to experiencing life…

Today, we embraced the suggestion given by Bapak Henki and took the economic class train from Depok to Bogor. Bapak Henki said, “You guys should go experience life!” Zaino, Shahrul and have just reached a consensus that this is going to be our very first and last time travelling by train in Indonesia…

I asked the guys, “Can I climb to the top as well?
Them: please don’t be a disgrace to our uni… and you are going to fall!

Once I boarded the train, adjectives that struck my mind instantly were: dirty, hot, smelly, mental-torturing, and YUCKS! I don’t consider myself as a pampered girl. I am quite proud that I could survive under most of the hard or tough conditions and have quite good adaptability, but the scene in the train was really unpleasant.

My sketch: the layout of the train interior

To increase capacity, the train has only limited seats. There were many people sitting along the corridor with baskets of vegetables, fruits and even CHICKS! “Wow, Sam! Chicks are taking train together with us!” Zaino uttered.

The train was actually crowded enough to make us felt a bit uncomfortable already, but as the train traveled the flow of “mobile market” made the space even more congested. The sellers kept walking around in the train, selling tissues, cold drinks, hair accessories, fruits (apples, mandarin oranges, pears), fried tofu, candy, cigarettes, calendars, photo frames, handkerchiefs, snacks, etc., JUST NAME IT! Almost everything that you can normally find at our night market back home is sold here, in the train!

We didn’t have our breakfast before heading to Bogor. Therefore when the seller who was selling the fried tofu in his DIY trolley, Zaino and I were on the impulse to buy some to feed our growling stomachs. But to my ASTONISHMENT, I saw something that instantly made me lost all my appetite…

The wheels of the trolley had very small diameters only. Which means the tofu located at the lowest layer of basket almost touched the wet ground! With the seller pushing that trolley around….

On our way back to Depok, the scene in the train was even more interesting! There were blind people singing around and then begging for money from the passengers. Next, came a lady who placed prayer booklets on the lap of every passenger.  Another lady then stood amid the crowd, reading some prayers aloud and her “colleagues” started to collect money from the passengers.

The entrepreneur in me was inspired: I turned to Kos and Shahrul:-

Me: I know what part time job we could do here in Indonesia. Let’s burn some VCD and CD using the university’s laptop and we come sell in the train!

Shahrul: Sam, it’s easier if we just sell our buttocks…

Me: Hahahahaha! I think I can sell my smiles! Smile at the passenger and ask for 1000, and they can pinch my face for 5000!

While I was enjoying (not really) the scenery along, a broom suddenly hit my foot and I saw a shabby boy and a mother carrying a baby on her back sweeping the floor in the duck walk position and at the same time extending their hands towards me begging for money. Trust me dear that this is indeed a saddening scene!

There was also a lady who put a packet of candy on everybody’s lap (seems like a common marketing strategy): if you want to buy, just pay her or you’ll have to give the candy back. I asked Shahrul, “Can’t we just act dumb? Just take the candy and put inside our bags. When asked, we could say we thought the candy is complimentary!”

Zaino is the most pampered child among us, he said he felt like vomiting being in the train. Nausea was not a problem for me but I felt very MZ in the train because it’s so crowded, no place for me to hold on (I was like practicing my balancing skill along the journey), I was always disturbed by the “mobile market” flow walking up and down in the train. I wanted to take photo in the train actually but the guys stopped me from doing so. They thought it’s not safe to expose my digicam and I might risk being robbed as digicam appears to be such a luxury amid the indigent setting of the train.

Pen off here. Miss you!

With love,

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I felt as though I came out of ivory tower after the ride: I did read about poverty issue in every corner of the world but the train ride experience gave a very REAL projection of it and made me realized my privilege.

I think this was exactly why Bapak Henki urged us to take the train to Bogor: to experience life!

Part 1: campus life – (a), (b) | Part 2: host family | Part 3: adventure – (b)

Discovering OZ! – Part 3: Extraordinary things that I did in Australia

1)      Patted, hugged and played with kangaroos and wallabies

Before I flew to Melbourne, I kept telling friends that I wanted to put my hand into the pouch of a kangaroo. When I told my friends in OZ about my plan, they frowned and said, “do you know kangaroos have really strong claws?!” Opps…

I was so glad that I had the chance to see 2 kangaroos boxing each other from the distance while I was in the moving bus. Tour guide stated that they were fighting for dominance.

At Ballarat Wildlife Park

she’s a menace
evidence #1

she’s a menace
evidence #2

2)      Tried rock climbing for the first time

And I fell in love with it! Louis said I was pretty good as a first-timer! 🙂 I managed to conquer the grade 14, 17 and 18 routes (oz system).

At You Yangs Regional Park: completed route 4 and 5 of this Urinal Wall (what a name!)

crawling my way up!

This grade 18 route is really exhausting! I had almost nothing to grip/step on

I failed this…

what had I got myself into?

3)      Sea kayaking for the first time at Port Melbourne

Sea kayaking is quite different from kayaking along the river.

It was a sunny morning at first. 8 of us in a group started to feel a bit bored roaming the calm sea then the “fun” set in when there’s abrupt change of bad weather. Almost everyone capsized at the same time but at different locations and we only had 1 coach/trainer with us. Worse still, strong off-shore breeze was pushing us away from the beach. At one point, I was really exhausted paddling but it still took like forever to reach the jetty by kayaking against the strong wind. In the end, we were rescued by sea patrol!

In order to be rescued, I had to jump into the sea. My lips turned blue and I was shivering non-stop before going on shore. What an experience!

At Port Melbourne: The poor trainer

4)      Watched musical show for the first time

Xanadu was just fun to watch (also less flashy: we were sitting on plastic chairs, simple backdrops and props) but Love Never Dies was really mind-blowing for me! I was fascinated by the elaborate costumes, backdrops, props, stage layout – you name it! Shirely, my sister and I looked so much like bumpkins at the theater for being seriously under-dressed   Well, we were still going through the learning curve! :p

the benchmark for dress code

under-dressed?

The Regent Theatre

I had problem understanding the “lyrics” whenever it’s the female or male lead singing: female lead’s voice was too high-pitched while the male lead’s was too bass!

5)      Watched live comedy show for the first time

I saw wire while one of the comedians was performing magic! Haha!

the impetus to watching a comedy show 🙂

6)      Patted and hugged koala bears, dolphins and seal

Koala bears smelt really good actually! Thanks to their favorite meal I think: the eucalyptus leaves.

At Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast, Queensland

At Sea World, Gold Coast, Queensland: Smile one!

7)      Tried skippy’s meat for the first time

And I did not like… the texture was like beef…

kangaroo souvlaki

8)      Went on a hot air balloon flight over Yarra Valley

had to do some works before being up in the air

the man in control!

Yarra Valley’s really scenic!

had to do work again post-flight

Tina compressed the bag; I compressed her! 😀

9)      I went to Sydney, I saw the Harbour Bridge, I conquered it!

10)   Visited a strip club

:p

Too bad, not allowed to take photos…

11)   Slept in the swag at the outback

This is definitely different from camping! Because when you lie on your back, all you see is not your tent, but a million stars! It was just …. romantic! Also, it’s freezing cold at night in the desert!

Preparing our “beds”

Hippo and I survived sleeping in a swag under a million stars! 

12)   Rode on a camel for the first time

Danish friend, Martin raised a question about if one-humped camel is still a camel because in Danish it is named differently 🙂

one-humped or two?

13)   Tried diving a bit at Great Barrier Reef

We got to enjoy the introductory diving session at Great Barrier Reef. It was my first time wearing the wet suit and carrying an oxygen tank. Few meters down into the water, I felt the pressure in my ears was building up and sharp pain crept from inner ear. I couldn’t equalize the pressure no matter how hard I tried and the guide said he had to go on without me! 😥

When Mich’s back from the diving session, I asked, “Does that mean I am flawed and no diving for me forever?” I was relieved when she said the guide was just not patient enough and not providing longer time for me to get used to the pressure. She also took a long time before she could equalize the ear pressure when she first tried diving.

14)   Graduated with master’s degree!

With sweat and tears! Of all my studying days, I was the most hardworking during the pursuit of my masters!

now a Unimelb alumna

15)   Skied for the first time

Snow, I finally got to meet you! 🙂 I scrutinized it, to see if snowflake can be seen with the naked eye! :p

At Mt. Buller: Can see snowflakes or not?

Walking in the rented ski boots was so draining! When I skied, I kept falling down, clearly not talented! I also worried that ligament on my right knee would give way if I did aggressive movement.

Skiing is fun as it is tiring!

sigh… fell down again

At the end of the skiing session, we were so exhausted but we still had to walk a long way in the boots to the assembly point trudging our skies.  Sis and I decided to slide down on our butts downhill. Passers-by all laughed at us.

Part 1 | Part 2 | tips

Discovering OZ! – Part 2: Culture shock

I went through the 4 phases of culture shock during the first semester of my masters taken at University of Melbourne. CP once said that I should have chosen a course which consists of at least 3 semesters: 1^st semester=busy adapting, 2^nd second=starting to acclimatize but it’s time to leave already! Cannot be any truer!

Australia is the first non-Asia country that I visited. It was also my first time living abroad (for more than 2 months), in an English speaking country. The experience was overwhelming. I got really attracted to the liberal environment. The following shock stood out:-

1)      I can’t find bolster in the departmental stores!

Some of my OZ friends did not even know what a bolster is! -__- Now can you understand why hippo became a dearer toy at the end of my stay in Australia? He’s all that I had to hug to sleep!

2)      I can’t find brush to wash my clothes in the departmental stores!

I bought a nail brush instead…

3)      G’day, mate!

I had problem understanding OZ accent initially, so much so that when I received unfair treatment from some people when I requested them to repeat their statements, I felt the urge to scream, “I can’t understand your accent does not mean I am stupid, ok?!”

On second thought, so what if I am stupid, they should not be rude to me as well right? :p

4)      Self-checkout service

Such a level of trust!

5)      Openness about sexual matters

One day, while waiting to enter the lecture hall, course mates were chatting.

Someone: Oh! He told me her gf is so good at bed!

They then went on to discuss about the juicy details. I blushed!

the kind of postcards you won’t be able to find in / send to Malaysia 😉

During his visit to Kuala Lumpur, L got a shock seeing this in the train: What’s wrong with your country that you can’t kiss in the public?

6)      No chili sauce for most of the restaurants

Well, I learned to like ketchup and mustard!

7)      Different teaching and learning environment

The learning process is a real eye-opener! Having group mates of various nationalities  for assignment could be a challenge! I must admit, Malaysian education system spoon-fed me too much! Being a rote leaner, I suffered!

Almost like a UN!

Beer is served within the compound of the university 🙂

I asked around, friends who studied in Malaysian government universities responded unanimously that attendance to lectures is compulsory. Attendance was not recorded in Unimelb. That was when I felt that Malaysian education system meddled too much. I mean my body could be at the lecture hall when my mind is totally absent. It takes own initiative and motivation to learn. Oh! And I like wearing casual wear to classes instead of business attire.

SK did warn me of the likelihood of having reverse culture shock when I am finally home but I did not expect it to be that bad for me though. I seriously had a shock of my life when I was restrained from entering the council one day, the female guard quoted, “your skirt is too short!” I was really upset over this. Besides, it took me some time to become accustomed again to the hygiene level of our public toilets. Close friends also worried for me a bit when I first came back. They thought I lack awareness and kept reminding me that I shouldn’t be putting my handbag on the passenger seat, shouldn’t be at the car park alone especially not at night and the list goes on.

dress code at government agencies: no sleeveless, no collar-less, no above knee

Didn’t I look decent in this? Skirt’s too short?

But no worries, (I think) I am really good at adapting and re-adapting 😉 BF said, “Oh Sam! You are recovering your Malaysian accent real quick!”

Part 1 | Part 3 | tips

What’s new in Batu Pahat?

Mar 2007: to record audition video for Amazing Race Asia 2.

May 2009: to settle scholarship application and to attend Su Ee and Simon’s wedding.

Nov 2009: to attend zabo SK’s wedding.

Dec 2010: to attend Sin Eee’s wedding.

Aug 2012: to visit UK farm.

Upon graduation, the primary purpose of going back to BP was never to explore the town. During my recent visit during CNY, I finally had time to observe and pay attention to this town which would always have a special place in my heart.

spot the difference #1:
bus stand: there wasn’t shade last time!

spot the difference #2:
bus stand: major bus ticket counters are now outside of the building

spot the difference #3:
The Summit on the wane. It’s no longer the most happening mall in BP

spot the difference # 4:
at Minyak Beku: new feeding method!

spot the difference # 5:
at minyak beku: The restaurant-cum-karaoke on left had gulung tikar!

spot the difference # 6:
at minyak beku: the 5 of them are new! :p

Not too sure if it’s still the same fish! :p

(New) Stuff that impressed me:-

Nasi Briyani at Baryani Sena Corner! Ok, maybe it’s not new. But how come no one brings me here before?

This is the best nasi briyani I have ever had so far! The rice is extra fragrant!

Durian sago at U-Dessert! You have to finish it quickly though, it becomes unpleasant to eat when it is watery…

Very durian-ty, very yummy!

The Memorial Dato’ Onn Jaafar gallery! I was impressed by the effort of establishing the gallery. I have great reverence for Dato’ Onn when I studied the part of Malaysian history about him being a nationalist and where his proposal of opening the membership of UMNO to all ethnic groups met with strong opposition.  However, such reverence was discounted after finding out that he had 6 wives altogether…

The gallery!

Dato was quite a poser, don’t you think? 🙂

Got my utterance? Go try and go visit! 😉

我会中文之名句精华2

我：。。。怕那绝症会传染。。。

同事：是遗传吧！

“时代的巨轮不断地向前挪进。。。”想当年，我的SPM中文作文，是这样开的头。

事到如今，我也分不清楚这是不进则退，还是纯属a slip of the tongue乎？:p

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落红不是无情物，化作春泥更护花。

龚自珍该不会是看见相若的景色而有感而发,续而题的诗吧？

Photo taken at Kuirau Park, Rotorua, New Zealand

壹 |

Post-watching “Silver Linings Playbook”

I like Sunday being a do-nothing-but-slack-all-I-want day! Long hours of siesta, catching up on reading and watching movies all day long are just BLISS!

Me: Am I having this? Bipolar disorder (what Bradley Cooper’s diagnosed with in the movie)?

F: Don’t think so, your mood turn is not that drastic. You only have unipolar disorder….

Me:  Hahahaha! Always high?

F: Gila……..

The chronicle of a 花痴: Post-watching “Cloud Atlas”

All these quotes keep echoing in my mind….

If God created the world, how do we know what things we can change and what things must remain sacred and inviable?

The nature of our immortal lives is in the consequences of our words and deeds, that go on and are pushing themselves throughout all time. Our lives are not our own, from womb to tomb, we’re bound to others, past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.

The weak are meat and the strong do eat.

… no matter what you do it will never amount to anything more than a single drop in a limitless ocean.

What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?

BUT, the loudest echo (accompanied by a scene!) is: General Hae-Joo Chang!

I was enthralled!

I like both characters but the General is more appealing! 😉

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