Update!!

Well, I know I have not been writing my blog for like ages and I'll try to make it up by putting in as much as I can <- the more colourful stuff ofc ;)

Anyway, let's start off with Guess the Sketch. It is the first time in my life that I've been complimented on my rough drawings lol - she (I think she's a she :P) said that I draw very well and would like to be my friend (in that game). Well, that's rather unexpected lol but well, I can't say that I'm not pleased =)

Next stuff, about end of June or early July (I can't rmb now), PWoW has finally breathed its last breath - the server that I've been on for 3 years and have started my WoW 'career' is officially and in finality dead. I can't say that I'm surprised - have been expecting this sooner or later but I didn't thought it would be so soon... The sad thing is that prior to its final days, I have been away from WoW for weeks due to exams. I wish I was there when it has it last moments - see all those familiar players one last time and ss all my characters and my GB's wealth (I think I have over a million gold in GB at that moment and over 50k gold in total spread among my characters; my mage has not yet and will never hit the 6k gs mark - he's still at 5.8k; my pally at 5.5k (ally at 5k); my druids, horde and ally, at 5.8k and 5.4k respectively; hunter at 5.3k; warlock at 4.7k; priest, horde and ally, at 5k and 4.4k respectively; rogue at 5.5k ally, horde at 4.8k; warrior tank at 5.4k; DK at 4.8k; shammies, horde and ally, at 5.3k and 5k respectively <- and these are the ones that I've bothered to gear) .

I think I do have a total play time of over 100 days combined all together (my AH/PvP rogue already has 30 days on him lol). Seriously, with that much play time you'd expect me to fail badly in schoolwork - surprisingly in this period of gaming, I actually scored an almost 4 flat for foundation lol and my degree weren't too bad except the most recent semester's result - which have dropped an epic 0.1% in CGPA! GOSH! I worked hard and only got a 0.04% increase but then drop so much!!!! ZZZzzzZZZzzzZzz.

With the server gone (and also my characters), I thought well, that's the end of WoW - time to uninstall but then I itch to try out Cataclysm (worgens and archealogy ftw!)... then after a month of absolute boredom, I found a new server (Neverendless) to play on >.<

Now, I'm putting in (whenever possible) almost 6 - 7 hours per day and I play daily... and it's my supposedly 'study leave' DAMN! Think my CGPA will drop further (out of the first class honours rank?) ..... you BET.

I'm so screwed. I can hardly focus at all and my parents... well let's just say that I think they have given up on advising/persuading me and just hoped that I would come around and stop... but I don't think I can do it alone >.<. If I delete any of my new characters that I've put lots of effort into, I might just breakdown and not do anything at all <<-- To temporarily pause, maybe... but it's still really hard. And then there's that The Sims Social game on FB. Sigh...

Furthermore, Leong gotten the Dragon Age 2 CD and helped me installed it. It is AWESOME. The plot is as great as the previous DA but it limits a bit more on character customization and it is way easier than DA:Origins though. I'm hoping to have another go but this time as an apostate hah! Surprisingly, I've finished the game and Leong hasn't although he was the first to install it (weeks before I installed mine lol)

Moreover, the BSS Bioweek was a HUGE SUCCESS! and, as expected, the main attractions were the CSI 'crime scene' and the Live Exhibition. All the programs planned are my ideas and I'm proud of that. Lots of lecturers actually complimented us as well (though Dr Lisa is slightly upset when we forgot to put in the accreditation for the biochem students for lending us their DNA models). Pity the documentary showing lacks advertising - the contents are amazing! They just don't know what they've missed out on!

Also, Prom Night (Paparazzi) was a HUGE SUCCESS as well (tho I'm not the organizer hehe. and there are rumours about the Head - Si Nan, flaunting and misusing his authority and not doing anything). You simply must see my hair-do lol!!

Okay, medical-wise, I've got myself bitten by some unknown insect/bug/creature and now, although the swelling is gone, I still have the cyst under my skin and sometimes it itches and pains me lol. Carpal tunnel's syndrome <- yup I think I got them occasionally, especially from over-gaming (record: 3 days straight [got eat a bit and 4-5 hrs sleep lar...] - since after school friday till sunday night, then skipped monday 8am class coz cannot wake up zzz). Weird pain on the side of my head that doesn't felt like throbbing but then I think it's gone. Haven't exercised for ages and my muscles felt wasted. Sleeping less and even later then before - there was one time I didn't sleep at all and right after gaming, I went to class (w/o bathing also >.<).

Mental-wise... yea... well... my gaming addiction as well as internet addiction are getting worse (as you can see from above). My coursework marks are at their lowest point and now I'm purely depending on my finals to get through BUT as you can see as well, I've failed to control my 'cravings' ... if continue like this, I'm pretty sure my results would be even worse than my previous sem and it might just land me in the second-class honours + lost of my 1 more year's worth of scholarship. I seem to get addicted to any game - once I had DA2 installed, I played until 5am :| and then continue right after I wake up the next day. Sigh~~

well, now's already 1am and I'm still thinking of doing my Auctions before sleeping (AH stuff can take up to 1 - 2 hours leh >.>) and my target of stuff to study today wasn't finished either. CHAM!

I MUST STOP GAMING! That's the only way... I can promise myself time to play after finals but what if the server suddenly updated to Cata?! >.< I still haven't gotten the Cata installation yet! GRRRAAHHHH!

Now, I only have 3 more days before my first paper - Fermentation Tech. and it's a lot of calculations that I, more often than not, like to do stupid mistakes on. SIGH.

Gosh, I've been ranting, ain't I (for almost 45 minutes now O.O)? Kk, time to stop and go sleep. It's a long sprint to cover as much stuff as possible tomorrow. Wish me luck! (lol, I'd think I need a MIRACLE and not only luck now >.< Fingers crossed!)

P/S: Photos of the bioweek, prom night can be viewed at my FB photo albums. =)

A worrying predicament

Adult ADD - - -

Adults with ADD may have double the challenge of children with the same disorder! Firstly, they often go undiagnosed because attention deficit disorder treatment tends to focus mostly on children. Although it is a problem which an ADD adult usually carries from childhood, it was not a widely recognized disorder in past generations so they often don't realize they have ADD until their own child is diagnosed. Parents will recognize their own past or present behavior when they look through the list of symptoms for their child. Also, there are several fairly common adult conditions that can mimic ADD , such as depression, anxiety, hormonal imbalances hypothyroidism, manic depression or obsessive compulsive disorder. It is very important that a physician rule out these conditions before properly diagnosing adult ADD.

The ADD adult may have the same challenges as the ADD child with the main difference being that adults have more sophisticated coping mechanisms than children. Behaviors may include: difficulty staying organized, difficulty finishing a task, procrastination, trouble maintaining relationships or controlling their moods, very impulsive, poor financial management, etc. Once adult add is diagnosed, physicians often prescribe antidepressant medication, like Prozac, and if that is ineffective, stimulant drugs likely will be tried. It is very important to understand that the attention deficit disorder adults can successfully reduce or eliminate their symptoms naturally by incorporating diet, exercise and lifestyle modifications.

http://www.oneaddplace.com/adult-add.php

I've just did that website's ADD survey-kinda thingy and surprise surprise! Guess what the result is?

Dr. Amen suggests: "More than 20 items with a score of three or more indicates a strong tendency toward ADD. Your total number of items with a score above three is 41.

Based on this calculation, you HAVE a strong tendency toward ADD.

LOL! This sucks but then there are further test questions to be answered to know vaguely which type of ADD you are.

Your ADD Type Results

Your results indicate that it is likely you have ADD

Your results indicate that it is unlikely you have Inattentive ADD

Your results indicate that it is likely you have Over-focused ADD

Your results indicate that it is likely you have Temporal Lobe ADD

Your results indicate that it is likely you have Limbic ADD

Your results indicate that it is likely you have Ring of Fire ADD

:| I've got to find out what's wrong with me lol so I googled all those.. well illnesses.

1. Over-focused ADD

SYMPTOMS

• Worries excessively or senselessly • Is oppositional and argumentative • Tends to get locked into negative thoughts, hving the same thought over and over again • Tendency towards compulsive behaviors • Tends to hold grudges • Has trouble shifting attention from subject to subject • Difficulty seeing options in situations • Holds onto his/her own opinion and won't listen to others

http://www.second-hand-news.com/overfocused.html

I didnt have all symptoms though... moving on!

2. Basal Ganglia ADD

SYMPTOMS

• Angry or aggressive • Sensitive to noise, light, clothes and/or touch • Frequent or cyclic mood changes (highs & lows) • Inflexible or rigid in thinking • Insists on having his or her own way, even when told no multiple times • Periods of mean, nasty or insensitive behavior • Periods of excessive talkativeness • Periods of excessive impulsiveness • Exhibits unpredictable behavior • Displays grandiose or "larger than life" thinking • Talks fast • Has the sensation that thoughts go fast • Appears anxious or fearful

http://www.second-hand-news.com/basal.html

Don't have all the symptoms either...

3. Limbic ADD

SYMPTOMS

• Moodiness • Negativity • Low energy • Frequent irritability • Tends to be socially isolated • Frequent feelings of hopelessness, helplessness or excessive guilt • Low interest in things that are usually considered fun • Sleep changes (too much or too little) • Chronic low self-esteem

http://www.second-hand-news.com/limbic.html

zzz

4. Temporal ADD

SYMPTOMS

• Periods of quick temper or rages with little provocation • Misinterprets comments as negative when they are not • Tends to become increasingly irritable and then explodes. Is tired after a rage. • Periods of spaciness or confusion • Periods of panic and/or fear for no specific reason • Imagines visual changes (sees shadows or objects changing shape) • Frequent periods of deja vu • Sensitive or mildly paranoid

http://www.second-hand-news.com/temporal.html

-> mild paranoia and periods of deja vu :O

Anyhow, I have quite a lot of the symptoms overall but if specifically for one illness only, then I might have perhaps less than 80% of the symptoms frequently. Haiz, dunno lah. I do have spaciness often. :P

P/S: NOTE! I've found out there are another sickness (mental) that causes you to get paranoid over these perhaps false, self-diagnosis. So, yeah, Ima ignore all my symptoms for now =P

Afterthoughts for today's trip

6/6/11

At Yakult, I've confirmed my believes that it is really good for the health. Surprisingly most of the process there do not require much man-power - this is the power of industrialization I guess. At High 5 Bread Town, I've learned about the legacy of bread which is something that I'm rather interested about and also the processing part. The guide given was rather abrupt and fast - I must have missed out loads of stuff :|

Anyway, learned stuff aside, I've also realised that between my friends and I, we have almost nothing in common (besides being in the same course lah) hence I really starting to feel the gradual separation between them and I - after today, I've got a feeling that I'm just there to fill in whenever the lecturer needed a 5-person assignment group and to head the group when no one else wanted that position. I just... well, I dunno how I really feel right now - mixed feelings. Maybe and probably I'm just thinking too much.

Okay, that's it. Cya!

The many pvpers in pwow

... that you would not like to meet in bgs or that you would like them to be on your team. :P

Alliance

Hunter

Whunter

Maenlol

Pred

Jaz

Mage

Faol

Mandriva

Warlock

Lockunder

Warrior

Ay

Paladin

Priest

Druid

Shaman

Thalion

DK

Rogue

Rialgala

Tabi

Bedeestealth

Skillsmelee

Kimkill

Horde

Hunter

Manias

Mage

Taleron

Wiski

Warlock

Warrior

Blubbey

Allgren

Silencium

Paladin

Priest

Druid

Wnimba

Platypus

Lettuce

Shaman

Colas

Bedeesham

DK

Rogue

I didnt managed to complete this list b4 pwow went down. Anyhow, here is the incomplete one. RIP pwow.

Thoughts on Judgement Day (Book)

I've just finished about 270 pages of the book Judgement Day by James F.David and had felt very sad for the victims in the story.

There's a particular part of the story where I hated the most - a so-called professional 'psychotherapist' is manipulating little kids (3-5 year olds) to 'remember' child molestation stories (but the kids will believe that the stories are true - they will remember the stories as 'memories') to be used against their very own parents. Imagine how sad that would be, as a parent, to see your very own child to accuse you, falsely, of child molestation/ abuse, when you had done nothing to them. These false 'memories' planted by that evil psychotherapist into gullible children are the worst thing that can be done to a parent who loves his/her kids very much.

Ishh, the more I read about that part the more I hate that psychotherapist. She misused her talent by manipulating kids. This is just so wrong! Causing the kid to hate his/her parents forever and making him/her to actually want to leave them, willingly.

Also, in any child abuse case, the parents being accused are given less chance to actually prove their innocence - the judge will definitely pity the child who claimed (after being brainwashed by that evil psychotherapist) he/she was abused sexually by their father and their mother just stood there and let it happen. Sigh, if this kind of stuff happens to the real world, the real world must be very messed up indeed though I'm sure kids IRL are not that dumb though - still, kids at the younger age range (as mentioned in the first para) are very gullible to anything :|

Sigh, the author really had done some soul searching about this, I guess, and knew it will let the reader have very strong emotions about it. I oh so hate that 'psychotherapist' ..grrr!!

Simple advice: one of the healthier ways to eliminate boredom at Kampar

Sick of eating the same dishes at Kampar new/old town everyday? Tired of wasting money on 外卖? Then this advice is for you: go and buy yourself a rice cooker today!

With a rice cooker, you can cook almost anything and everything that you might fancy to eat (Exaggeration). It is also better to stock up on canned foods or food stuff that can last- canned beans, tuna, sardines, pickled lettuce, packet/canned chicken, dried mushrooms etc. If you can get some, especially during pasar malam nights, fresh veges - my favourites: french beans, long beans, cabbage, carrots, young corn, onions, potatoes, eggs and others (but note that the vege that you choose must be easy to cook, or it won't be cooked even after your rice is already cooked). You might want to get some seasonings such as parsley, 'chiang mai' (I forgot what it is called in English, will edit this as soon as I find out :P), mint leaves, garlic, ginger, pepper, soya sauce or raisins as well. Last but not least, rice! (Or mee, mihun, porridge, steamed foodstuffs [like mantou, paos, xio mai/ dim sum/ dumplings, sweet/normal potatoes etc], corn (chopped into segments to fit in the rice cooker), soups, spaghetti - yes, you can even cook spaghetti!) Note that you'll need a metal stand and a metal plate small and flat enough to fit into your rice cooker for steaming stuff.

First of all, put in the amount of rice that you want to eat. Half or 3/5 of a cup of rice (the cup is usually provided when you buy a 5kg/10kg of rice but since you won't be eating that much rice before it spoils. It is better to get a cup from your mum or buy a plastic cup that has the height of about the length of your middle finger), for always-on-diet eaters, is usually enough for 2 meals. For moderate eaters, 1 full (up to the brim) cup can provide enough rice for 2 meals. For heavy eaters (those that like second helpings for every meal), then you might need 2 full cups. Next, wash your rice! (Taking rice cooking as an example) I usually wash it for about 3 rounds (you must change the filtered/ distilled water used to wash it, per round).

The easy way with only one rice cooker is to dump everything into the pot after you have washed the rice. But you will have to cut them into small, easier-to-be-cooked pieces before dumping them. That's one of the main reasons I choose french beans, flat beans (those peas in the pods), long beans, cabbage and carrots as my few main vege choices - you can cut them horizontally or even slanting but for carrots and potatoes, you must cut them into very thin pieces - if you want to make them into strip-style (like those found in salads), go ahead! :) Don't throw whole bulbs of onions into the rice - slice them up as well into cloves/ strips. Young corn may be a slight problem though - it is crumbly when it's cut into small pieces and, hence, I usually don't cook them :P For dried mushrooms, you'll need to dunk them in hot (preferably, because it's quicker) or cold water to soften them and let them bloat up before cutting - strips are usually the best way to cut mushrooms.

If you want to have a hard-boiled egg with your meal, then remember to boil it first before cooking your rice! However, we can easily replace that chicken egg with salted eggs (must also boil first) or 皮蛋 (can eat without boiling but ofc you must remove the shell first).

You can add some seasoning to your still-not-cooked rice! Add some sliced ginger/ garlic if you want or you can save them for later (put them after the rice is cooked).

While the rice is cooking (do keep an eye on it and not just fall asleep waiting lol), I'd suggest you open a can of foodstuff, preferably those with some kuah with them such as canned/ packet curry/black pepper chicken or canned beans or tuna/sardines/dace or pickled lettuce (this is more suitable for porridge but still, it's tasty ^^). Some people might like canned ikan bilis or prawns but I don't actually like the canned version of those - they just tasted funny. Open those cans or packets and put the contents in a separate bowl/ container. If you prefer your dishes hot, then you might want to heat them up using your rice cooker first (via steaming), before you cook your rice. Add some seasoning of your choice if you want - eg. pepper/ minced garlic/ ginger etc. A canned food can usually last me for 2 meals or more so that separate container should preferably have a cover of sorts for keeping in the fridge. You can also eat straight from the can but I do think that's not very hygienic (like eating food from a polystyrene container).

When you rice is almost cooked (you can see that the rice is semi-hardened/cooked and there are no bubbling water anywhere on the surface of your rice), add raisins, depending on how much you like raisins - they will help with flavouring your rice, but if you already have something else in mind, like soya sauce, then don't add them lah. You can also try putting in taufu (normal/ Japanese) but they break rather easily so you must be careful when putting them into the pot.

Furthermore, I've tried steaming those should-be-fried-instead meat products such as nuggets, fish fillets and I am sad to say they tasted horrible when steamed. Fish balls tasted weird too (they are proly not fully cooked when I've eaten them b'cause they are slightly slimy and had a very strong fishy scent... yuck!). Maybe you can try with xio mai (Dim sum sliced into pieces) - it may fail though heheh.

Lastly, when your rice is cooked, you can add any final seasonings, if you want, on top of the rice serving that you have taken from the pot. Also, if you can get your hands on some bak hu (pork floss), you can add them in as well but note that they are rather dry so I always eat them only when I have some other food that can provide lots of kuah (like canned beans). For petai lovers, you can buy a whole chain of petais and enjoy! :P

Voila! There you go! And all these steps will take, at most, 1 hour if you're cooking for only yourself and provided that you do not dilly-dally when chopping up the veges or when doing any of the steps. And, to top it all off, you can also get a glass/ cup of your favourite bevearage when eating your meal - fruit juices, iced lemon tea, Yakult/ Nutrigen/ Vitagen etc, isotonic/fizzy drinks (not advisable though coz they're gassy), boxed drinks, milk etc etc or perhaps just plain cold water!

For spaghetti, I have not yet really tried it out but, theoretically, you'll have to break them into halves at least so they can fit in your rice cooker, filled with hot boiling water. For pasta, it's simpler, you just boil them in hot water until they are soften enough then pile up a plate of pasta and add the sauce (tomato or mushroom, your choice. If you don't know how to make the sauce, just go buy them).

For mee/ noodles/ mihuns, you must cook the veges/ mushrooms/ anything that you want to add first, by boiling them in hot water until they are soften enough (thinner veges = easier to be cooked). Then, you boil the mee/noodles/mihun. If you want soup, pour away the water from the first boiling (I use the same boiled water for the veges and the mee/mihun but you must boil the veges first), and boil a new batch of water for the mee/noodles/mihun- so you can drink the soup (but still I'd advice against drinking it because maggie/any other packet noodles's seasonings are still not good for your health).

There are just so many ways to improve or, well, worsen your cooking and you'll have the enjoyment of trying them out! The varieties of ways you can cook and 'supplement' your meal are the fun part of this method of simple cooking. Be innovative and creative and I'm sure you can come up with something that is tasty, visually-nice and suitable for you!

Like what the French like to say, I wish you bon appetite for your first own-cooked meal! Good luck! ;)

On a side note, if you are a picky/meat-only eater, then this might be slightly difficult for you. Sorry ya! Though you might wanna try to take a step in curing yourself of the fear/ dislike of eating stuff that you don't eat by using this simple cooking method. hehe, but I'd say I'm too optimistic :P

* Also, stay tuned for easy tips on making sandwiches (special ones lah) :P

Edited 6/5/11: I tried mixing McD's black pepper with garlic as seasoning and I gotta say they are good! Today's meal - pi dan + pickled lettuce + rice + garlic + McD black pepper + French beans + mushrooms + raisins :)

Lots of new interests and disappointments

Well, let's start off with the bright cheery side shall we?

New interests:

Lost of new interesting stuff happened lately, ranging from new songs to listen to and to the recently flash flood that had happened right in front of my eyes! But the main thing I will talk about here is my trip back home during the study leave and the hours of gaming with and giving gaming counsellings to my bro. Yes, gaming is now that important in my life - it's actually one of the links between my own brother and I... darn, this is getting bad isn't it?

But, wow, where should I start? I helped him out with some BoE gear, got him his long-hungered for motorbike (in-game) and gave him tips on how not to suck xD I get to show off my stuff and gear too!

Also, on the IRL side, I get my wisdom tooth number 2 pulled out (Finally! lol) and although I had to get like 3 anesthetic shots to numb it just enough to not hurt that much - it still hurt but not much. In the end, I had a dizzy head and a weak body when I get home lol.

Ahh, and dad's special fish stuffed with asam chilli... mouth-smacking delicious! And having my mum fussing over me.. the joys of being home! :P

Disappointments:

Well, to start off, I have noticed that I have spent way too much time on WoW... yes I know I'm addicted and I need to get help but I'm still not actively finding help... The worst thing is that after gaming so long and neglecting my studies, I still don't feel very bad about it (well, I do but I just tell myself that 'you have that coming' and just move on, which is actually a bad thing).

I had just, I think, flunked a final exam paper. Yes, you have not heard wrongly... I have never flunked one and this is my first and I am not feeling very bad about it and am still thinking of gaming after I get back home... ughhhh. WTH?!

Secondly, although I have long knew this, but I have just confirmed it with NatGeo's sleep deprivation test - I am rather seriously sleep deprived (Quiz here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/sleep/quiz/sleep#sleep). I have been sleeping between 5 hrs or less everyday and seeing how my studying is going on for finals, I may need to cut that down even more. But I do take naps - 2 hr naps! - that resulted in me having a very tired feeling and am even more unwilling to study.

The cause of this sleep deprivation? The main one is gaming! Again, WoW is ruining my life but I dunno... I don't feel like giving it up yet - though I do doubt, at times, my ability to give it up. There are some other causes such as watching movies/ series, insomnia (sometimes), late supper, song listening, facebooking, reading online articles etc.

I really need to get my life back in shape by getting back all the sleep that I need and I have to cut down on the naps. This is weeks of sleep deprivation I'm talking about, it may take months to get them back. >.< Also, if I can't game at night anymore, I can't game during the day (lousy net line during the day) - I can effectively reduce or stop my gaming sessions... am I ready to take that step? ... um, well....when I'm too sleep deprived maybe. Haiz, I still want to play but I want to sleep as well. I can't get the best of both worlds so I'll have to choose and although to most people it may be an easy question, to me it is hard as hell. I'll have to think about it (<- avoiding the subject again... haiz)

Gah, I'm feeling awfully tired right now. I'll need to get some sleep. Nite guys!