This is a friends-only journal. (70% Friends, 29.9% Public)

Which means that:-

- Please leave a comment to be added. You ought to be a friend of mine, and if so, tell me from where I know you. If you just want to be in my friendlist or be a friend in LJ with me, you can leave a comment asking. I'll consider adding you (actually there's a great chance that I will add you because I don't mind new friends).

- If you are here just to stalk me or find something to disturb me, then here's a word for you: 'Get Lost!'.

I write about my daily life in my friends-locked journal update, mostly boring and pointless, and I usually use words which people might not understand. I can be emo at times, so be warned.

* please note that if you're someone I know in RL, tell me and I will be most likely to add you, unless I do not trust you, then I will not even consider it.

P.S: If you are from any parts of LiveJournal and just wanted to leave a message, you can do so here in this post. ^____^

P.S.S: My open blog is here: http://ylwong.wordpress.com/

P.S.S.S: Have any questions? Ask here. I'll reply asap. http://www.formspring.me/kristalyamaki

This is my first post since I've arrived here in the UK. It will probably be the only one that I will ever write here in the UK thanks to my lazyness. This is also my first ever post in the year of 2012, the year that some group of idiots say that the world would end. Of course I wouldn't want the world to end, or else I would have spent my whole life in school and college. Things would have been pretty nice, and it has been pretty nice I must admit, for the past few months since I have arrived here. To be more exact, I have been here for around 4 months already. Leeds is a nice city, small and relaxed. At least I have heard that Leeds is a much nicer place to be in than the neighbouring city with which Leeds share an airport.

I am still spending a lot of my time here watching animes. Although I must say that I am rather unhappy with the internet connection the place where I am staying, the university's accommodation. Sure, it may be around five times faster than in Malaysia, but they have blocked access to BitTorrent. Therefore nowadays I have been relying on direct downloads and file-sharing sites for my weekly dose of anime. Let's see... even that didn't work out well. Megaupload just recently got removed from the face of the internet, while Fileserve and Filesonic chickened-out for fear of being sued. Thinking all about this makes me wonder, do I support piracy? Well, maybe I do now. After all I believe in anime sharing, and if that is not piracy, what is it? I don't like being a hypocrite in bashing pirates while at the end of the day I'm doing the same thing. But perhaps, I could argue my case saying that to me it is education, and that access to free education is human rights? But well, let me say that I do not believe in human rights either. Jeremy Bentham's "nonsense on stilts" and Alistaire MacIntyre's "witches and unicorn". Just listen to them.

The University of Leeds is a nice university. It has a campus unlike HELP which is smack in the middle of some office estate. The whole campus is within walking distance, but what I don't really like about the location of the law school within the campus is that it is located at the west end of the campus, and that is like at the opposite end of the school's main entrance. Remembering how difficult it was looking for the law school the first day I have arrived here makes my blood boil. Not literally but I was unhappy with how I had to walk all around, and had even sufferred a leg muscle cramp while I was cycling to my university residence which is located more than 3 kilometers away from the university campus. I just HAD TO get a muscle cramp and that was the worse thing that had occurred to me so far. Yeah, so far.

I don't like to convert currencies, but I had to. One pound is five ringgit in Malaysia, and a penny is five sens. And with that kind of exchange rate, it is hard not to feel sakit hati when you are spending money here in the UK. I have always had to controlled my spending, all the way down to the penny. Whenever I could stay at home and cook myself I'd do it. Whenever I could stay at home and not go out I'd do it. Everything out there is expensive when you just times five. 10 pounds is lima puloh ringgit. I could have a good buffet sushi lunch in Malaysia already, but here that's just enough for a basic chinese meal for a person. Spending money is a big issue to me, because the money is not mine, I did not earn them, and they are limited. Having friends do not help as you are always encourage to spend when you're with them, i.e. eating out together, going to have fun together (movies, bowling, casino, etc), going traveling together... indeed, if you're alone, you can save a lot. It is not like I'd like to reject them all the time, and I do feel sad for them and myself whenever I were to reject their invitation to do stuffs, but sometimes my pocket is just too tight and light. I don't blame anyone for it, nor do I blame myself for it. I just try to live my life simple. I would be happy with cheap stuff. You can get "branded" goods for cheap if you know where to go. Morrisons, sainsburies, tesco, etc. I am also happy when I can get myself free stuff. Wherever there's free food I'll be there. Tomorrow I'll be in an open house organised by a society that bears the name of the largest Malaysian ruling political party. Normally I'd avoid at all cost those shady organisation, but when can I do when my pocket is tight? I wouldn't mind going for free food, neither would I mind collecting those white 'ang pau' from Perkasa.

I am supposed to be doing my EU law seminar questions for next week's seminar. I have no idea why am I taking EU law considering the fact that I am not going to take the UK Bar. Talking about the UK Bar, I have come to the decision to not go for the UK Bar due to its price tag. I can potentially practice as a lawyer back in Malaysia with CLP. Studying the BPTC for the UK Bar would cost a MASSIVE 20 times more than studying CLP. I know that the probability of failing CLP is much higher than the Bar, but for that amount of money, meh. I hear that HELP is going to offer CLP next year. BAC and ATC would be the other options for CLP. But of course I'd like to go back to HELP for CLP, but it is going to be expensive. Maybe I should just stick to BAC.

It is sad thinking of all those things. It is also sad to think of where am I going to be ten years down the road.

This year's CNY was the worst compared to the last few years. In this post I'm gonna write about my trip back to my parents' hometown in Sibu this year for Chinese New Year. It has been a tradition for our family to return to Sibu to visit our grandparents once every year during CNY, and since I'm studying in Kuala Lumpur, I went back to Sibu alone on a direct flight from KL last Sunday while my other family members flew in to Sibu from KK, also on the same day.

This year, my family (i.e. my father's) was only one (out of his five siblings living away from Sibu) who returned to Sibu as the others couldn't come back as they're abroad either in Jakarta or Brisbane. Uncle Yih Chung was there too, but his wife Aunt Wang Phio and their kids (my cousins) are all at the mother's side. As a result, the grandparents' house was quieter than previous years.

It was a Sunday when we reached Sibu. Within a few minutes of reaching at the house, mom wanted to go to church for the evening mass and so I accompanied her. I have to say that we've got a rather rude shock on the condition of the church.

It was around 5pm when we reached the front gate of the church. The notice board outside of the church clearly stated that there's a mass at 5:30pm. The problem is that, the church frontgate was still shut tight and locked. What kind of church would lock its front gate half an hour before a mass?! We had to walk all the way in through a side gate. However, the worst is yet to come. About half an hour later the mass stared. I had noticed more problems here: there was not even one altar server serving the priest! (two of the communion ministers had to help the priest) There were two readings and usually they were read by two different persons; here, the two readings were read by the same reader! Are they really short on manpower that there's no one to do the reading and serve the altar? I can't believe it! However, the thing which really showed disorganization was the candles on the altar - they were not lit at the start of the mass and it was only during the middle of the mass one of the communion ministers went up to the altar to light up the candles!

Not only the mass was very disorganized, the people of the church (i.e. the wardens) were not friendly at all. At the end of the mass, in less than 10 minutes, the front door of the church was closed and locked. I thought to myself, what kind of church is this? It is as if the church does not welcome parishioners and is telling them to go away! What in the hell is going on?! This church is the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Sibu! If this useless bishop is unable to even look after his own church, how is he able to look after the whole Diocese?

Nevermind the church rant. The next day we went down to Sarikei as my mom had to renew the lease for the land her dad passed down to her and her siblings. Took almost half a day. Later that day we visited our uncle (mom's elder brother) at his shop.

CNY wasn't really enjoyable either. Reunion dinner consisted of some food ordered from a restaurant down town and some extra veggies prepared by grandmom. As the table wasn't able to fit everyone, the younger ones (i.e. the children) ate first, and after they've finished, the adults took their turn.

On the first day of CNY itself, as it was raining and the car wasn't available, we were "stranded" at home. It wasn't until evening we were able to go visiting around town. Those we visited were mostly from mom's side. The one thing I don't like about Sibu is that the drainage system here is so terrible and the water level's so high, once it rains, some parts would definitely end up flooded.

The second day of CNY was the day I had to catch a plane back to KL. It was a short holiday but it was nice to be able to have a rest and see my grandparents. Back here in KL, as people have gone back to their hometown, with nobody around, KL has become rather quiet that it's like a ghost town over here where I stay.

Edit: I just received a call from mom saying that dad's wallet got picked by a pickpocket in town. Just how bad can Sibu be?

( Read more... )

Here's my latest AMV "Never Apart". I was only able to release it after Animangaki ended. Anyway, the AMV features the anime Nodame Cantabile and Michael Wong's "Bu Hui Fen Li". Enjoy!

x-posted to yamaki_anime

Edit: it is now under a cut...

This is so fun. 8D

(the fishes will follow your mouse, hoping that you'll feed them! And you can actually do so!)

(Stolen from Aiko Shorin's blog. Now I feel like a cosplayer stalker. :D)

1. I'd wanna climb up to the top of Mount Kinabalu and take photos of the sunrise.
2. I'd wanna attend Comic Fiesta and take many photos of the events & cosplayers.
3. I'd wanna take photos of Karpal Singh in a ceramah together with Tok Guru Nik Aziz.
4. I'd wanna take a photo of the land/sea from inside an aeroplane.
3. I'd wanna photograph my lecturer with her mouth wide open. (so that I can photoshop a fly flying into the mouth. XD)

Yeah right. (and no, I'm not gonna let the camera touch water regardless how it claims to be waterproof. Even if it is waterproof to some extend, letting the camera touch water is like decreasing its lifespan, so no way.)

I just remembered that I have constitutional law test tomorrow (or rather, within 13 hours), and I have been spending the whole day reading Narcissu -side 2nd-. ohnoes. I'm so gonna be dead. D:

In the past few days I've been to church everyday for the holy week starting with Holy Thursday (the last supper), Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I skipped Holy Saturday to join the others to watch the "Final Solution" stage drama over at the City Harvest Church.

the stage drama was about the "Final Solution" which has been said to be able to change a person from evil to good and its inventor not believing in Jesus Christ's miraculous healing powers. I originally had a good impression on the stage drama until I heard the word "I'm going to ask Karpal Singh and Gobind Singh to sue him". Although it was funny, it had immediately turned me off for good. The story was waaaaaay too irrational, irrelevant and... out of the world. The jokes were entertaining and the casts were great in acting, but I say that's just about how good it is.

On the other hand, I was really touched by the homily of Fr. Albert during the Good Friday mass over at SFX church - he told the story about a pair of twins. When they were young they were almost the same. When their parents died, the elder brother studied hard, graduated with a degree and found himself a good job while the younger brother couldn't get hold of himself and became bad and joined the gang. One day, the younger brother had accidentally killed a person who happened to be the younger brother of the leader of the gang and he knew that he was going to get killed sooner or later. He ran home to his elder brother, soaked in blood, and told him about the news. The elder brother waited until the younger brother was asleep. He wrote a note and left it on the table. He then put on the younger brother's bloody clothes and then went out to look for the leader of the gang. He was caught, tortured, beaten up and finally hanged to his death. When the younger brother woke up by the knock on the door by the police, he was asked to go and identify the body of his brother at the mortuary. When he returned from the mortuary he noticed the note his elder brother have left behind, and on it written "I have given you a new life, live it well.". This story really inspired me as I have always wondered how Jesus's death have anything to do with saving us, and this story says it all.

Compared to the homily of Fr. Albert over at SFX church, the drama was nothing at all but a mere attempt to pull more member into the church. Even the pamphlet on the drama was very exaggerated. That's what I think.

I felt really bad at Consti tutorial just now. Very bad. They were discussing AV Dicey's rule of law and I was unable to give any suggestion on what to present and all that... because my mind was empty. Seriously empty. =\

I am now at my room at the residence. Apparantly Ms. Cirami and Ms. Khatijah are on leave, I didn't have to attend their classes today.

...but now that I think of it, today's 1st of April. Seriously, this can't be a joke, right? I mean like what if the two lecturers were to suddenly turn up and I ended up missing their classes?

OMG.

*faints*