Year's ending

So we have arrived at the end of another year. I am too exhausted now to reflect on my 2009, but I reckon that this Asia Trip that I'm currently doing is definately one of the best things I have done so far in my life.
I am cuurently sitting in an Internet cafe in Koh Phangan, Thailand copying over inages and videos from my SD cards onto a pocket drive I aquired in Wan Chai tech centre, Hong Kong. I have currently used up 188G out of 500GB on this trip, which is staggering, but the Pentax K7 shoots 720p HD video in a format that doesn't compress very well - and I have shot LOADS of videos.

The long absence from this space is terribly annoying, and I am wishing I had a Macbook Pro with me on this trip so I can be as active as my coleague Changas, who has been uploading some amazing images from his stay in Hong Kong.

Anyway, to make up for it I've uploaded a few images below as a recap of what's been going on in this trip so far.

Snapped these during my transit in KL LCCT Airport on the first day of the trip. The kid was so fascinated with the aircarft taxiing around on the tarmac, it reminded my of my childhood fascination with flying.

Ok I lied about the recap, but this is all I can upload for now. I really wish I had a Macbook Pro NOW!!!

recap later. ciao

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Open Source

Googling for free image editing software, and it struck me, again, how awesome 'open source' is. I was tempted to go down the piracy route and download a copy of Photoshop, BUT, I wanted to see what free stuff was out there, and also I am in a bit of a rush and couldn't be bothered scouring torrent sites for a good version of Photoshop nor waiting for however long i would take to download.

Anyway, the other night, 2 of my friends had to apply for their Cambodian visa's. They reached a stage where they had to print but we had no access to a printer. So, I tried to see if we could print to a PDF document, but the laptop did not have Acrobat installed. Then I tried copying to word document, but the copy of Microsoft Office installed on that laptop was illegal and had been deactivated... so 2nd time fail.
Finally, i got the idea to try Google Docs. And you know what, it worked like a charm. I was able to copy the webpage into google docs, and from there export it out as a PDF. I am so PRO-GOOGLE at the moment, I could shout it out from the rooftops... if I wasn't so self conscious.

Anyway just installed GIMP and giving it a run through, I should have images up very soon!

Laters

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10 days, and counting...

It's only been 10 days since I met up with the 3 others with whom I will be exploring South East Asia, and man, what a hectic 10 days it has been. It has been a mental, physical and emotional roller-coaster of a ride so far, and I am awaiting with pensive excitement to see how the other 30 plus days will unfold.

So far, we have covered just 2 countries - Maacau and Hong Kong. We still have a fair few days left in Malaysia so it doesn't really count yet. Macau and Hong Kong wre great, and we came away with a few highlights that have been perfect 'Mastercard Priceless' moments - you know the TV advert with the tagline "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard."
I've posted one here as an example, and also to makeup for the lack of photos in this post ;)


This one below is a spoof take on it =D



At the moment, we are all taking a break from each other, mainly because I am sick to death of them all - *jokes!* We've had to split up because we all have family to visit in Malaysia, so we're meeting up after all that family stuff is done with.
We are also recovering from what I suspect was food poisoning. Yes, in 10 days we have experienced all that life could throw at you, and I am still reeling from it all. I have yet to fully comprehend the mental and emotional impact it has/will have on me, and I suspect my travel buddies are in the same boat.

I guess life catches up to you when you least expect it, and though it may seem that it has dealt a random hand, I reckon it is as timely as it could ever be.


Stay tuned for a more detailed recap, which I will be doing as soon as I figure out a way to process my images.

Ciao

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needle and thread

Just finished replacing the missing button on my shorts. The button has been missing since I can't remember, and I have been meaning to sew on a new one... since I can't remember when... Yeh, so I only remembered when I packed this pair of shorts in.

This little exercise in handywork proves how diligent a student I am. Back when I was in year 9, which is almost 8 years ago now, one of our arts subjects was textiles, where we were all taught the art of dealing with fabric and needlework. The central project was to make a stuffed toy snake, which i still have lying around somewhere back in the study. Remind me to upload a photo of it some time.
Anyway, when it came time to assessment, (where to my memory I received a D - not distinction, but grade D in the order of A, B, C, D, etc.), my teacher's only comment to me was "Sew More".

And to this day, I have taken the suggestion to heart, and you will occasionally find me hunched over a damaged garment with needle and thread in hand, attempting to repair it to the best of my abilities. I'd be happy to help with yours if you so wish - just drop me a line! =D

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M.B.A.R.C

Whilst setting up this blog, I was asked, as we do, to select a url. I went through a whole bunch, as you do, including kiwisan, kiwispot, and anything else with a kiwi in it. If you haven't realised already, Kiwi is my nickname, the origins if which will come to light at a later date.

Anyway, I finally arrived at "mbarc88" - a simple anagram that details my origins, and reflects on how I usually identify myself:
Malaysian
Born
Australian
Raised
Chinese.

And 88 refers to 1988, the year in which I arrived in Australia as a young baby not even 6 months out of the womb.

I reckon that it's pretty cool the anagram can be pronounced "EMBARK", mainly coz I have recently 'MBARC-ked' on a one and a half month trip across South East Asia with my friends (which coincides with a desire I have of setting up a travel blog). It also builds on the idea of the new age of global migration, where people 'MBARK' on journey's to new worlds and new lives. Also, I just love to travel, which also alludes to the word 'EMBARK'.... well you get the picture - I just love this anagram/word I've created!

So there you have it, mbarc88.blogspot.com

A note about the photo included in this post:
For a mate's 22nd birthday, a friend and I decided to cook up a 10 course degustation meal - and yes, this was during or just after the MasterChef hype of Australia. One of the items on the menu was Picris, better known as Ox Tongue. This is what it looked like before it was served. I don't think we ever told the guests what was served on that particular meat platter.... I may have mentioned pizzle though...

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First Post

So, I have finally scrounged up enough motivation, and a few measly brain cells, to set up a personal blog from which my mind can secrete it's dribble of so called 'independent thought'. Oh and let's not forget the occasional overflow of soulful reflection on the inner self and life as this particular lost child of the late 80's experiences it.

This is my attempt at carving for myself a little space in this ever expanding ethereal vortex of piracy, instant messaging and sex, a.k.a the World Wide Web. As paradoxical as it sounds, this will be a somewhat personal space, and though it may cause me occasional sharp pangs of angst, I shall make every effort to keep it so.
I already exist in this digital universe on several spaces including facebook, msn, and an academic university blog. But I figured it was time for me to expunge certain thoughts into a space that wasn't so guarded by certain protocols and rigidity. It's not so much the spaces themselves but rather my own perception of those spaces that restricted me. How successful will this attempt be? Only time will tell.

And on that note, I welcome you to Kiwi's spot, which I may refer to occasionally as the K-spot, which is only 1 letter away from (your) G-spot ;)
Terimah Kasih.

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