Pride and prejudice

Racial slur as man calls Welsh woman "English"
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071130/tuk-uk-britain-racial-fa6b408_2.html

Michael Forsythe was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, after being found guilty of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour, a court official said.

Forsythe received the sentence at Welshpool Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was also ordered to pay 200 pounds in prosecution costs.

The former lorry driver, who is originally from Northern Ireland, but lives in Powys, Mid Wales, called Lorna Steele an "English bitch" during an argument after he collided with her parked vehicle in the Welsh market town of Newport in February.

Forsythe has attacked the prosecution as a waste of time and money, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

"I find it unbelievable that I've been prosecuted for this," he said. "I've travelled all over Europe as a lorry driver and never had any problems with anybody and now they're officially calling me a racist.

"It's political correctness gone mad."

To you, for you, THANK YOU.

Heartfelt thanks for remembering the 29th of November
Your sincere thoughtfulness I will always treasure
And cherish in my heart from now until eternity
For friends and family are the pillars of humanity.

Impression@ble

I know I shouldn't be judging people by their email manners.

But that I do.

All the time.

*frowns*

It's murderous, I agree. It's just wrong to think more highly (or lowly) of people based on the that. But at the same time it's hard to not like a person more when they write you nice emails.

:)

Haha, caught ya speculating. It's not what you think! And there's no pretty boy involved. I swear!

Okay, stop all the pestering, dear KPCs. It's just my groupmate lah. Partner in crime for our VPL project. See, he's this super berat mulut guy. Who doesn't say a word during meetings. Absolute silence. Unless he's forced to speak, he would remain silent until the end of time. How someone can be so wood-like and log-gy I just don't know.

I know some people would say they prefer this type of co-worker to a chatterbox who talks non-stop. But it can be quite tricky communicating with the former too you know, especially when you're trying to work together for the project.

I tried. God knows how hard I tried. Trying to chat him up so that he can warm to me (oi, I already said it's not what you think!). I thought that would make him want to talk more and contribute his ideas more. To be fair, it's not like he's a no-show. He's always there for meetings and does contribute a bit (er, peace and serenity [which comes from his silence] is the only thing I can think of unfortunately). And most of all, he's smart. He's got the BRAINS. But we just can't put his intelligence to good use because he's so tight-lipped all the time!

It came to a point where I was starting to dislike him. You would too if you've tried so hard to get him to (and I'm not trying to sound like a dentist) OPEN HIS BLOODY MOUTH when all he's willing to muster are one liners.

Very good.

Oh, I gave up.

Then last week, we were supposed to meet and discuss our section of the presentation, and for some untimely miscues, we missed each other and didn't meet in the end. I thought with his kind of attitude, he would just not say a word and let it pass. But no. He wrote me a (sweet) email apologising for our failure to meet!

Awww...there Munny goes again...

Ok fine, it's not like he OPENED his mouth and uttered those words but at least it was something.

That was last Wed. On Friday, we met up for good and completed our task. I emailed him the slides to have a look and he replied back saying he thought it was ok. He even thanked me for being more organised than him and wished me a good weekend!

I can't believe I've changed my impression of him after this brief exchange of emails!

Seriously, what am I like?

Croatia 3 - England 2

My first reaction?

Dai sei.

Padan muka.
 Wa-ha-ha-ha!!!

But before you start labelling me Cruella Devil, I must say I'm not anti-England. In fact, I’ve been an England supporter since the day I started watching football (eherm, no prizes for guessing the reason behind my unwavering support *wink*)

But as much as I wanted England to qualify for Euro 2008, I didn't feel they deserved to. At all. IMHO if they can’t even beat Croatia AT HOME, they can forget about competing with the rest of Europe for the trophy in Austria next year.

Reality bites. Truth hurts. Defeat sucks…

…but DB07 rules! :)

And I can’t wait to catch Mr Goldenballs' inch-perfect pass on Youtube!!!

Haha, alright alright. That last bit was done on purpose. But see, I have to chide McLaren for being such a smart-ass. He bravely dispatched Becks when he took over from Sven in July last year, then when he was in trouble with England’s underpar performance some months back, he recalled Captain Marvel to save his bum. But minutes before the game last night, he decided to trade experience for experimentation.

Dear Sir, what can I say? But that you chose own demise…

Prescription for Laughter

My public health lecturer once told us that he has seen "exercise" being prescribed to patients on the NHS.

I wonder if docs could prescribe "laughter" too?

Coz that's what I need. V badly.

And today I managed a few, without even needing a prescription for it. All courtesy of my groupmates (at the Hypertension workshop) who, bless them, sees the funny side of many things.

I will remember inelegant drugs (as in "no class"), how when I said 'Hey pal', you replied 'Hey bucket' (coz you thought I called you pail) and last but not least, the warm welcome you extended when I told you I was stressed out.

You have no idea how much "Join the club!" meant to me...

You know I can't...

My sister Yan had started her school holidays for more than a week now.

I asked what's occupying her these days.

She said, "Well, I wake up at 11, potter about, go online, have lunch, watch TV, read newspaper, bake cupcakes, read my books, do my thing, dabble in art when I feel like it, and yes, lots of sleep."

I can hear her snickering in the background.

I almost slammed the phone.

Unfortunately for me, it's a Nokia 5300 Express Music slide-up phone, so I literally couldn't slam it down.

Deep breath Munny, deep breath.

"Oh I see. You know what dude, I'm done with you. Put mom on the phone."

Yes, I call my sister dude. Affectionately.

Oi, what's so funny?

I chatted with my mom.

I asked her about the upcoming holidays.

"We're thinking of going to Kuching for a few days in December. Not official, but we're planning to."

Alright, good guess, but I didn't slam the phone down. I CAN'T do that to my mom. I DON'T WANT TO do that to my mom.

Yup baby. Deep breath. Don't lash out like a mad dog.

But then again it won't be me if I said I didn't put up a sulky, sour-grape protest.

"Mmm...okay then ma, enjoy yourselves if you all do go."

Minutes later, a long lost Kuching schoolmate nudged me on MSN. She asked if I remembered her.

Course I do, Ming Yian!

We did some catching up, and she mentioned she's going home this weekend after her final paper.

"Aww, that's nice", I said.

"Yeah, mom's Ko-Lo Mee, Sarawak Laksa and Kuay Chap are waiting for me."

She inserted a grinning emoticon.

"You know you can only get these from Kuching right?"

I think that's when I lost it.

Why huh, why???

Especially when you know I can't do those stuff, have those stuff, and resist those stuff!!!!!

Another 1 down, 4 more to go...

Downtown (Petula Clark)

"When you're alone, and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown"

I finished week 7 of semester 1 today.

It has been a whirlwind week.

Relieved? You bet.

To quote Mr New Kid on the Block himself - who I deliberately sat next to in room 0.07 this morning (hehe) - it's Friday!

Sigh, a pal of mine is off to Norwich for the weekend to see her boyfriend. That's her reward for working her butt off in the last 5 hectic days.

For those of us unlucky enough to have such distractions, eherm, we just have to find other things to distract ourselves... =P

I went to town in the afternoon. Just had to get out after adopting the robotic "going to uni and back to my room" routine for the last few days. Literally saw no other people in the entire world except my coursemates and lecturers. How sad!

And I've been so caught up I hadn't realised that Winter Wonderland is already up and running.

It's an annual thing, this Winter Wonderland. A family-oriented mini carnival fun-fare enterprise to usher the advent of winter (or rather, stave off the advent of winter depression =P).

As I was trotting down King Edward Avenue and walking pass City Hall where Winter Wonderland is held, my mind rewound back to the time when a few mates and I went to our first Winter Wonderland. I remember us having tonnes of fun taking silly pictures up at the ferris wheel, on one hand trying our hang on to our seat, and on the other, fighting hard to be in the centre of attention in front of the camera!

Ahh, those good old days...

...was 4 years ago. Dear me.

Cardiff City Centre looked more pleasant this evening than I ever remember it to be. I reckon it's the Christmas deco and lights that gave it some much needed cheer this time of the year...

Read a touching book lately, called Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson. It is about a diary written by a mother to her son, right from the early days of his conception. As you can imagine, it is full of bliss and mirth and heart-stirring stuff. It certainly did insinuate a lot of broodiness in me!

Here's one of the many quotes from the book that I found inspiring. Hopefully you will find it breathtaking too ...

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling 5 balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. One day, you will finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends and integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you understand the lesson of the 5 balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.

Remember the 5 balls Nicky, always remember the 5 balls."

Yes, I said one.

Last one :)

"Good memories are like charms, Nicky. Each is special. You collect them, one by one, until the day you look back and discover they make a long colourful bracelet."

Aww...

Jung Typology Test

A pal introduced me to this test. Claiming it to be v accurate.

Jung Typology Test.

Try it!

After you have done the test, you would be assigned 4 alphabets. Type in that combination into Google and read the profile description.

Have fun!

Here's what I am...

INFJ

Portrait of an INFJ - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging (Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling)

The Confidant

As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types (oooohhhh).

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential (OMG). INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them (OMG OMG!). They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals (of course!).

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.
The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

Jungian functional preference ordering:
Dominant: Introverted Intuition
Auxilliary: Extraverted Feeling
Tertiary: Introverted Thinking
Inferior: Extraverted Sensing

INFJ Relationships
INFJs are warm and affirming people who are usually also deep and complex. They're likely to seek out and promote relationships that are intense and meaningful. They tend to be perfectionists, and are always striving for the Ultimate Relationship. For the most part, this is a positive feature, but sometimes works against the INFJ if they fall into the habit of moving from relationship to relationship, always in search of a more perfect partner. In general, the INFJ is a deeply warm and caring person who is highly invested in the health of their close relationships, and puts forth a lot of effort to make them positive. They are valued by those close to them for these special qualities. They seek long-term, lifelong relationships, although they don't always find them.

INFJ Strengths
- Warm and affirming by nature
- Dedicated to achieving the ultimate relationship
- Sensitive and concerned for others' feelings
- Usually have good communication skills, especially written
- Take their commitments very seriously, and seek lifelong relationships
- Have very high expectations for themselves and others (both a strength and weakness)
- Good listeners
- Are able to move on after a relationship has ended (once they're sure it's over)

INFJ Weaknesses
- Tendency to hold back part of themselves
- Extreme dislike of conflict and criticism
- Have very high expectations for themselves and others
- Have difficulty leaving a bad relationship

INFJs as Lovers
INFJs are warm, considerate partners who feel great depth of love for their partners. They enjoy showing this love, and want to receive affirmation back from their mates.
They are perfectionists, constantly striving to achieve the Perfect Relationship. This can sometimes be frustrating to their mates, who may feel put upon by the INFJs demanding perfectionism. However, it may also be greatly appreciated, because it indicates a sincere commitment to the relationship, and a depth of caring which is not usually present in other types. Sexually, INFJs view intimacy as a nearly spiritual experience. They embrace the opportunity to bond heart and soul with their mates. As service-oriented individuals, it's very important to them that their mates are happy. Intimacy is an opportunity for the INFJ to selflessly give their love, and experience it in a tangible way. Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relationship, INFJ's natural partner is the Visionary, or the Inspirer.

The busybody in me erm, went and checked the 'Visionary', and this is what it said on the profile...

The visionaries are fluent conversationalists, mentally quick, and enjoy verbal sparring with others. They love to debate issues, and may even switch sides sometimes just for the love of the debate. The ENTP personality type is sometimes referred to the "Lawyer" type.

My instant reaction was..."Oh my dear God...."

It is exactly the kind that I like to engage with!!! Verbal sparring? Anytime mate!

As for Inspirer, they are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it.

Adeline is now very hopeful...haha!

INFJs as Parents
INFJs usually make warm and caring parents. Their goal is to help their children become adults who know the difference between right and wrong, and who are independent, growth-oriented individuals. Along the path to that goal they are generally very warm and caring, and are likely to treat their children as individuals who have a voice in family decisions. They want their children to be able to think for themselves, and make the right decisions. They also can be quite demanding on their children, and may have very high expectations for their behavior. Although they are generally soft-spoken and gentle, they may become stubborn and sharp-tongued at times when their expectations aren't met, or when under a lot of stress. INFJs take their parenting role with ultimate seriousness. They will make sacrifices for the sake of their children without a second thought, and without remorse. Passing on their values to their children is a serious priority in their lives. Children of INFJs remember their parents fondly as warm, patient, and inspirational.

INFJs as Friends
Although the INFJ is likely to put friends behind their God and their families in terms of importance, they do value their friendships. As idealists who have strong value systems, INFJs seek authenticity and depth in their close relationships, and especially value people who can see and appreciate the INFJ for who they are and what they stand for. The INFJ is likely to spend a lot of time socialing with family members. If they are religious, they probably are social with members of their religious community. After that, the INFJ may have friends represented from any of the personality types. They are usually extremely intuitive individuals, who will have no patience for anyone they feel is dishonest or corrupt. They'll have no interest in being around these kinds of people. All kinds of people are drawn towards the INFJ. They are usually quite popular, although they may be unaware of it themselves, because they don't place a lot of importance on it. The INFJ is valued by their close friends for their warmth and consideration, their new and interesting ways of looking at things, and for their ability to inspire and motivate others to be the best that they can be, genuine article that they are.

Possible Career Paths for the INFJ:
Clergy / Religious Work
Teachers
Medical Doctors / Dentists
Alternative Health Care Practitioners, i.e. Chiropractor, Reflexologist
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Counselors and Social Workers
Musicians and Artists
Photographers
Child Care / Early Childhood Development

So, what are you?

Awkward Moment

Our department organised a welcoming party for international students this evening at Aberdare Hall.

The turn out wasn't great, but better than what I had expected. Our head of school was there, as well as a few lecturers and academic staff.

As it was held around the same time as my part-time job in the kitchen, I couldn't stay long and only popped by to say hi and grabbed some finger food before starting work.

I saw Ven, one of my juniors and walked over to his table and joined him. He was engaged in a conversation with another person, and when it came to a standstill, I extended my hand and introduced myself.

"Hi I'm Adeline."

He looked at me.

Then at my hand.

And back at me.

"Hi. Er, I'm Rahim (name is changed to protect privacy of the person in question). Sorry I can't shake your hand."

Woops.

I never knew that. I have shaken hands with male Muslim friends before and they never told me off so I assumed it was alright.

I apologised and then we started talking.

"So, where are you from?"

"Malaysia."

Then he laughed.

"So shouldn't you know about that???"

Er...

***awkward moment***

***hands thrown up in air***

But I really didn't know!!!

Wheel of Fortune?

Listening to: To The Moon and Back (Savage Garden)

"reaching out for human faith is like a journey I just don't have a map for"

Picture courtesy of Reuters

I read on Yahoo! news today that China is planning on building it's on Eye.

I wonder why.

It seems like everyone is trying to copy the ferris wheel in London. First Singapore, then us, now China.

Why not have their own versions of Twin Towers or Eiffel Tower or Opera Houses and other architectural hallmarks?

Why the Eye?

I wonder why...

Runaway

Listening to: Escapade (Janet Jackson)

"I hope you can find the time this weekend to relax and unwind"

Whoa, if this is how withdrawn I am after a nice, relaxing, carefree weekend, then I can only imagine what drug users go through when they desperately crave the next fix.

Was away to Birmingham on Friday. Not a great time to be galivanting across the country when I have essays to write, presentations to give, meetings to attend, reports to hand in, papers to appraise, experiments to conduct...erm yeah, the list goes on.

Nonetheless, I always have time for friends and it was indeed a quality weekend break. Sincere gratitude to Siok Ping and Aun Yeung for their superb hospitality.

Siok Ping is a friend I met at Malaysia Hall in the summer. She is a radiologist at QE Hospital in Brum and has been here for almost 6 years now. She would soon be going over to Canada, with her husband, to do her fellowship there and I thought I should catch up with her once before she leaves for Ontario early next year.

It wasn't that long ago that I went to Birmingham for the All England Championships in March, so nothing much has changed. Well, Bullring is still bullish, and the town centre is as thriving and bustling as ever (which is, I must say, what I remembered most about Brum from my last trip, although to be perfectly honest, I didn't go anywhere but the NEC).

Siok Ping suggested taking me out for shopping and walking around in town, but sincerely, those of us coming from Asia will probably find shopping here less awe-inspiring than those multi-storey domes we have back home, so she thought of taking me to the countryside instead to have a taste of the Midlands.

Me and Siok Ping at Hidcote

We drove out 50 miles to Hidcote Manor Garden on Saturday morning. It's one of those National Trust sites that offers scenic, unpolluted natural landscape and as you've guessed it, 90% of the visitors were above 60 :)

Haha, not that I mind at all. It was nice to go out there and take in breaths of fresh air to keep my lungs healthy. We spent the entire morning at Hidcote, gazing at flowers, snapping our cameras away on sights which would make perfect desktop material, and plucking apples.

Yes you saw it right.

Erm actually, no. We didn't pluck them from the trees. We helped ourselves with windfalls =P

Hey look, if you paid 8 pounds for entrance free it's only fair you get something in return alright...

Later in the afternoon, we dropped by Stratford upon Avon and paid Sir Shakespeare a visit at the Holy Trinity Church. It was an interesting (albeit touristy) little town. A place which offered Shakespeare so much inspiration must be worth visiting.

Me in front of Shakespeare's statue

We walked along the river Avon and Hwee Cheng - Siok Ping's sister-in-law - couldn't help but lament that it was the perfect place for pak-toh (courtship), to which I silently nodded.

Haha, in spite of myself, and the cold, foggy weather!

Winter days are, as you know, short, so by the time we got back to Brum, it was pitch black (although it couldn't have been later than 5pm). There wasn't much point in doing more sightseeing, and since Siok Ping and her husband wanted to watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I tagged along.

IMHO, Cate Blanchett deserves an Oscar. Ooh Definitely. Even if she was only nominated and didn't win it at the end of the day, I just hope the person who beats her to it is worth more salt than Gwyneth Paltrow (remember the '98 Oscars?)

Sunday went by in a blur. I think we did grocery shopping in the morning, and then prepared lunch after we came back. Aun Yeung went to his room to fix his computer, while Siok Ping and I enjoyed a girly conversation or two downstairs in the kitchen.

Although there is quite an age gap between me and Siok Ping, I find I can talk to her very naturally, without any awkwardness on either side. We talked about work, life, relationships, family, you know, the usual sort of thing, but with a more matured outlook. Not that I'm slagging off my peers, but sometimes it is hard to talk about serious things with the latter without them thinking you're having a quarter-life crisis.

Yeah, I know people find me a tad serious sometimes. Ok fine, not a tad but very. Just the other day, we went for a mate's birthday party and I was engaged in an interesting conversation with a matured friend about life, present and future, when my coursemate came over to join us. She followed our conversation for 5 seconds and then she left. And when she left us to join another table, she chidingly said to me, "Honestly you guys, it's Friday night, can we talk about something else?"

I don't think the point is whether it's Friday or Sunday or Tuesday. I think it's a matter of interest. A matter of wanting to talk more than who's going out with who, or where are we going shopping tomorrow. I know not everyone is a fan of stimulating, thought-provoking conversations but I, fortunately or unfortunately, happen to be one.
I like talking and pondering about life. It makes me think less about myself and more about others. I become less caught up in my own world, and embrace a bigger one out there that I've only seen a fraction of, and wonder if I would ever see enough.