We are the Millers movie review

Plenty of adult/sexual jokes and it showcases the family spirit as well. I never thought a movie could mix both of these elements so perfectly. 

I especially love the credits part whereby the song they played in the RV (they changed it - the original song in the movie is something else) is the theme song from FRIENDS and Jennifer Aniston was surprised. That moment is superbly touching =)

It's a good comedy to watch and I would recommend it, but do note that it's 18SX so keep the children away ;)

Thoughts on Miley's VMA performance

I'm very sure you've probably heard all about the god-awful performance she did at the VMAs. I was pretty much like - okay she's just a massive attention w**** and I miss the times when she was younger - and then  I got over it. But now that I've seen her response on the so-called 'hate' that she received for her VMA performance I could help but wanting to get this out from my chest.

Here's a quote from the infamous Miley,

"I'm a totally different person to who I was when I was 16 or 18... I wanted to let people see that side of me, just not the glammed up beauty shot girl as that's just not me. Haters are gonna hate, but the haters are also gonna click on your YouTube video to watch it so I really don't care. You can help me break records, even if you were just watching to hate on me. I break records, so I won!" - Miley Cyrus

Considering that I'm pretty open minded (as compared to other Msians I suppose lol), ofc she's a totally different person - she has been drawn so deep into the muck of Hollywood that she can no longer find the real her anymore. I mean, seriously, I love every one of your movies when critics said that you have no acting talent whatsoever. Plus, from what you've just been quoted saying, it just shows you as the attention maniac that you've become. I have no idea whatsoever how hard it is to grow up in the spotlight, but I had believed that you would be better than, for example, Lindsey Lohan. I guess I believed wrong.

You can be whoever you want to be in this life, Miley. It's your life after all, but I believed that how you act  (not as in 'acting', you know) reflects who you really are. You're just an attention monger - who just aims to keep herself in the spotlight while she's ruining her life (and perhaps others in the process), who just wants to 'break records' and not be the person who your future children could look up to, who just thinks of how 'winning' in terms of bad attention and not really winning in life. I mean really, if you crave attention so much, why not do something good? Something that is closer to your heart? And not just doing sexual dance moves on married guys or to the audience? You're not a slut (I hope), but you're acting like one.

Okay, I guess that's enough ranting. Though I could dig up a couple of quotes that you've said that supports my thoughts in this article, but meh, I think I wouldn't need to. You'll just prove me right, time and time again.  Just a little something before I go, being who you are is one thing - you may crave attention and you cannot help it, but why oh why you have to go do stupid (it's not even 'crazy' mind you...) stuff? I guess you just wanted the easy way out eh?

The Science of Personality

Had read a very interesting article on introvert vs extrovert but it's relatively not a new topic anymore lol. However, the article introduced a new class 'ambiverts' who is roughly half of an introvert and half of an extrovert. Just would like to point out two major points in the article that I find is interesting - you can read the complete article here.

Before we go any further, it’s important to point out a significant distinction. When Carl Jung coined the terms “extrovert” and “introvert” in the early twentieth century, he emphasized that introverts aren’t necessarily shy or insecure—nor are extroverts necessarily empathic or loving. The distinction between the two, Jung wrote, lies mainly in the fact that introverts get exhausted by social interaction, while extroverts get anxious when left alone. Introverts need solitude in order to recharge, while extroverts draw energy from socializing; “either preferring to be in the thick of crowds or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show.”

Harvard psychologist Randy Buckner found that people who identify as introverts tend to have larger and thicker gray matter in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex, a highly complex brain region associated with abstract thought and decision-making. People who identify as strongly extroverted, on the other hand, tend to have thinner gray matter in those same prefrontal areas—which hints that introverts tend to devote more neural resources to abstract pondering, while extroverts tend to live in the moment. 

I drawn to agree with the writer here. I frequently find myself staring off into space thinking about a multitude of stuff that may/may not be related to what I am doing - and from these blank-off sessions, I often get pretty good story ideas (not comprehensive though, I still have to fill in plenty of parts in the stories that I thought of). I like being alone with my computer or in my room/house and I don't like crowded places (like that time I was in KL central and there are just SO many people around - I hated that) unless I'm occupied by something else that takes my mind off the people part - like a book fair lol :P

When I joined the world of postgraduates, I was driven purely by interest (and slightly by the chance of getting patents so I can live the rest of my life without working lol~), but now I see that, although I'm still very driven to read up on the latest scientific discoveries and making sense of them, I'd rather stay at the sidelines and be reading about these stuff than be actually in the field and trying to get something to work lol. Nonetheless, being in a lab means I'm quite isolated from the rest of the world lol so I have my solitude but not my happiness.

Sigh... just finish my work and graduate out from here. If I have to work, I'd rather have some money to pay myself off lol. 

Two Worlds - Stay the Night

The corrected version :) Enjoy!~

Lyrics

Laying with you wide awake
With so much to say
But we prefer to keep it quiet
Don't leave my arms until I know
You'll still be here by tomorrow
And love's a plane, our hearts could fly it
So why are you wanting more?
Are you needing more?
When I stop you at the door,
And say

Stay the night
Stay the night
In the matter of minutes, I'll
Make you mine, make you mine
Ohohohoh
I can barely sleep when you're gone
But we can stay awake all night long
If you
Just stay the

Night is when I dream the least
Unless you dream it with me
Together we'll be hopeless dreamers
Close your eyes and you will see
The time in night it would be
If you trying to see if it's something sweeter

So why are you wanting more?
Are you needing more?
When I stop you, I can go
And say

Stay the night
Stay the night
In the matter of minutes, I'll
Make you mine, make you mine
Ohohohoh
I can barely sleep when you're gone
But we can stay awake all night long
If you
Just stay the night

Everybody's looking at her, everybody's looking at me, everybody ever want to see
Everything (that) we can do, everything (that) we can be, when it's only just you and me
I've been looking through the skies, I've been looking through her eyes, I've been looking to the clouds goodbye
It's alright
Cause she's staying the night

Let's go

Stay the night
Stay the night
In the matter of minutes, I'll
Make you mine, make you mine
Ohohohoh
I can barely sleep when you're gone
But we can stay awake all night long
If you (woahh)
Just stay the night
(Stay the night)
Just stay the night
(Just stay the night)
Just stay the night...

Just stay the night

Taken from YouTube Originals. :)

A special thank you to Malte Koch and Haydn Roff for the corrections. Thank you! :)

Where's the logic? - A breakdown of the study costs for MSc

As you all know or probably will know, I'm a biotech Msc student at USM and I was looking through the fees structure today and realised that USM is totally not fair to research mode students... (those who just wanted to get a Msc cert so they can get a better job)

A breakdown of the study costs involved in getting a masters in science (MSc) at USM:

Research mode: 
Duration - Likely to be 2 years (min) before your supervisor will agree to graduate you
Cost - RM 4100 per sem with some other study-related expenditures (exam fees for thesis evaluation for example). 1 year = 2 sems - TOTAL: RM 17,490

Mixed mode: (I simply choose one health science-related course - health toxicology)
Duration - For sure 1 year can graduate unless you are lazy and do nothing lah
Cost - RM 13,940 per course with registration fees - TOTAL: RM 14,280 (funny that they don't need to pay exam fees when they are the ones having exams)

Coursework mode: (I simply choose one health science-related course - clinical pharmacy)
Duration - For sure 1 year can graduate unless you are lazy and do nothing lah
Cost - RM 14,940 per course with registration fees - TOTAL: RM 15,280 (funny that they also don't need to pay exam fees when they are the ones having exams)

ohh yes, research mode costs more and is longer in duration than the rest of the modes... and now I wonder why I chose research mode in the first place lol...

Best free PDF to word online software - Nitro Cloud

I've used this and I've gotta say that I'm a very satisfied user :)

Although you only get 5 free conversions per month, this online software (none of the hassle of installing a software that you scared may contain malwares or viruses) is by far the best converter that I've seen. It's very accurate and has plenty of other features (that most people had to convert a pdf to word in order to do) - for example, adding an electronic signature to a pdf file. 

And by creating a free account, the files that you have ever converted will remain in its cloud storage (and in your account - the files won't be accessible to anyone else) for as long as you want it to be. Plus, you can easily access it anywhere (with an internet connection). 

If you don't believe me, well, go ahead and try it out yourself. I'll bet you will be satisfied with it as well.

Check it out here:
https://www.nitrocloud.com/

R.I.P.D movie review

I've been putting this off for almost 2 weeks (since it was released and I went to watch it lol). Anyways, here's the review! Enjoy! 

#WARNING: Plenty of spoilers btw, unless you've already watched the trailer then well, nvm then.

First off, I would say that it's hilarious, though if you have watched the trailer, you can already anticipate the most of the hilarious parts in the movie. I've even watched the 'The Making of' part of this movie and I gotta say, at the beginning, the chaos in the warehouse is marvelously constructed. Only the fire is digitally added while the rest of the stuff - including the actors/actresses - are all suspended in mid air using wires. 

I particularly liked that part where Ryan's character was introduced to the audience as the old chinese guy. :P Oh and that part where the harpoon pierced right into the butt of the annoying fat 'ghost-undead'. Heheh. 

The villain is excellently played IMHO. You will get that feeling like you wanna wring his neck or something. The feeling that a fellow 'friend' betraying you is like one of the worst feeling ever.

All in all, I highly recommend you all to watch this movie if a.) you like comedy and b.) you like action movies. It's a brilliant mixture of both and ofc kudos to the excellent acting for both the good and evil side. 

'I guess this isn't really much of a review, but really, you should go have a look at the trailer at YouTube at least.' S.Y.

Stomach Bloating and Gastric Pain

Being someone who is rather new to gastric pain but is an old-hand at getting stomach bloating, I thought I should share some of my experience and how I handled those problems.

First of all, recognise the symptoms. This is very important. Usually, people will dismiss a minor gastric pain as a simple stomach bloating problem, but then the pain got worse. By then, they have a full-blown gastric pain on their hands and at least have to suffer awhile until the medicine takes effect. I'm one of those people, however, now I know better :P

In short though, for gastric pain, the pain is absolutely indescribable... just imagine a sore stomach being wrung very hardly and  repeatedly (the pain is somewhat persistent, but the really bad parts [super painful parts] usually come in waves) + nauseous feeling  + headache.

And if it's coupled with bloating, you'll get the sensation whereby you feel like you've been pumped full of air in the midsection of your upper abdomen (which is below your chest). My best description of the location of the pain would be that it's located between the lowest part of my ribcage - there's a tender (no-bone) area between the left and right ribs. You may or may not see that aforementioned location become inflated, like a balloon. I've got cases whereby my stomach bloated up so much until I look like I was 3-month pregnant... Honest! I believe there are other people having even worse cases of stomach bloating though.

Well, I've described the symptoms as well as I can but what of the treatment? For me, I'll put some Minyak Angin (I don't think there is any English word for this, but you can go google it if you don't know what it is) if I have bloating at the site of pain and at the lower part of your back (right above your buttocks). This should help eliminate air from your stomach. For gastric, first eat/drink something nutritious (not water and don't take cold drinks. If you want to eat, eat something that is light and requires minimal chewing. And ofc, don't eat/drink anything that is very acidic - like coca cola/any other soft drinks) - for example, a warm cup of Milo/hot chocolate/cereal drink/milk, fruits such as banana, or some biscuits/bread/bun. Remember not to eat too much or eat too fast.

Next, I usually chew then swallow 1-2 (depending on the severity of the gastric pain) Actal medicine. It works great for me (not instantly though, but the effect can be felt rather quickly - like within 20 mins, the pain should totally subsided) and it comes in a minty flavour which I kinda like. Chewing before swallowing helps the medicine to work faster, you can choose to just swallow it like any other pill. You may use water to wash down the medicine in this case.

Note that there may be other effective gastric pain medicine out there but I only recommend something that I've actually used before. If you have any good experience using other brands of gastric pain medicine, feel free to share the medicine brand in the comments below and perhaps say a few words on how effective it is (For example, how long before it takes effect? Does it taste bitter? etc).

Lastly, don't expect that you can be right as rain instantly... you have to get some rest, especially after suffering from such horrendous pain. So, get an hour's nap or so (usually I just sleep until the next morning lol or until night time) when the pain isn't too much for you to bear anymore.

I guess that just summed up my experience with gastric pain and stomach bloating. If you want to do some reading up on these two problems, check out these sites. I find them to be most informative. Stay healthy and enjoy!

http://www.yogawiz.com/blog/home-remedies/gastric-symptoms-and-cure.html
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2012/11/21/a-taxonomy-of-tummy-bloating

Distracted Driving Infograph

Credits to Insurance Hunter

Stop Distracted Driving - An infographic by the team at Stop Distracted Driving

Embed Stop Distracted Driving on Your Site: Copy and Paste the Code Below

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Bookmarklets - the New 'Apps' for Browsers

Check this link out, it provides a intro on what is a bookmarklet and how to get one for your browser. :)

http://marklets.com/FAQ.aspx#whatsABookmarklet

View Instagram using Webstagram

If there are anyone like me out there who wanted to have full functions (like viewing the list of your followings/followers etc) for instagram available to me when I view it via PC, then you've come to the right place!

Webstagram works brilliantly, but I don't know whether it steals your info or photos or anything lol... coz well, you need to authorise it to allow the online site to 'like', 'comment' or 'browse' at your express behalf. Hehe. But if it puts your mind at ease, I've used it and it's secure :)

So yea, you just go to its website here ---- log into your instagram account ----- authorise webstagram ----- then you can start browsing/liking/commenting on instagram (via webstagram) using your PC!

The Ready Set - Long Way Home

I'm a little bit tipsy
And I'm all alone
Trying to find you at 4 in the morning
Both hands surround my phone
Wondering if your heart's been roaming
And what if you say to me
That you feel the same as me
You'd never walk alone
We could take the long way home...
We could take the long way home...

You're in every song that I sing
On the radio, radio
The only thing that I need
To make everything matter
See there's a new side of me
I'm a little bit better now
Doesn't mean a lot but to leave cause I, I know it

I like something about you
You like something about me
And I don't plan no stopping till I get... you back

I'm a little bit tipsy
And I'm all alone
Trying to find you at 4 in the morning
Both hands surround my phone
Wondering if your heart's been roaming
And what if you say to me
That you feel the same as me
You'd never walk alone
We could take the long way home...
We could take the long way home...

Rain, rain wash away, what I been
Saying everything isn't enough... woah

I'm a little bit tipsy
Wondering if your heart's been roaming

I'm a little bit tipsy
And I'm all alone
Trying to find you at 4 in the morning
Both hands surround my phone
Wondering if your heart's been roaming
And what if you say to me
That you feel the same as me
You'd never walk alone
We could take the long way home...
We could take the long way home...

(Rain, rain wash away, what I been)
Oh, oh, oh
(Rain coming down to wash away what I been)
Oh, oh, oh

I'm a little bit tipsy
And I'm all alone
Trying to find you at 4 in the morning


YouTube link here.


'Love this song :)' S.Y.

Pokemon

Yes, I've recently got myself addicted - AGAIN! - to pokemon games... yay! Lol. Anyways, I'm majorly screwed this time coz well, I did something wrong with the installation and didn't realise it until I was 4 gym badges through :\ So yea, Ima put some tips here if you guys are using Desmume emulator to play pokemon on your PC - I'm poor so I can't afford a nintendo lol~.

Okay, first of all, you must NOT install your Desmume in a protected drive (like a certain C Drive: Program Files) - you can install it anywhere but here. Seriously. Unless you want to play the whole game with NO saves (daredevil here!~ ahaha), you better install it elsewhere and, again, NOT in Program Files. I'm not sure whether the emulator fixed this with the recent version but it's better not to take risks lol.

Next, I've found this to be a very useful guide for 'Super Effective' attacks :) So ima post it here together with the source:

(P/S: It's just a rough guide ya, so far, it's 99% accurate for me - and it can be quite a headache trying to figure out weaknesses and strengths+doing matchups for dual-type pokemons - and well, mistakes can happen :P) ---- (P/S: oh and also, take note when your pokemon evolve - because well, sometimes their type will change from single-type to dual-type)

Which types of Pokemon attacks are effective against which types of Pokemon?

Bug Type
Good against Grass, Psychic, Dark
Bad against Fire, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Ghost, Steel

Dark Type
Good against: Ghost, Psychic
Bad against: Fighting, Dark Steel

Dragon Type
Good against: Dragon
Bad against: Ice, Steel

Electric Type
Good against: Water, Flying
Bad against: Grass, Electric, Ground, Dragon

Fighting Type
Good against: Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, Steel
Bad against: Poison, Flying, Bug, Ghost , Psychic

Fire Type
Good against: Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel
Bad against: Water, Fire, Dragon, Rock

Flying Type
Good against: Grass, Fighting, Bug
Bad against: Electric, Rock, Steel

Ghost Type
Good against: Ghost, Psychic
Bad against: Dark, Steel

Grass Type
Good against: Water, Ground, Rock
Bad against: Fire, Grass, Poison, Flying, Bug, Dragon, Steel

Ground Type
Good against: Fire, Poison, Electric, Rock, Steel
Bad against: Grass, Flying, Bug

Ice Type
Good against: Grass, Ground, Flying, Dragon
Bad against: Water, Ice, Fire, Steel

Normal Type
Bad against: Fighting, Ghost, Rock, Steel

Poison
Good against: Grass
Bad against: Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Steel

Psychic Type
Good against: Fighting, Poison
Bad against: Psychic, Dark, Steel

Rock Type
Good against: Ice, Fire, Flying, Bug
Bad against: Fighting, Ground, Steel

Steel Type
Good against: Ice, Rock
Bad against: Water, Fire, Water, Steel

Water Type
Good against: Fire, Ground, Rock
Bad against: Water, Grass, Dragon

'Pokemon rocks! :)' S.Y.

P/S: I'm going to try out Pokemon X and Y next! :P


For you nintendo owners out there, here are the links to get pokemon Black and White (v1 and v2) from Amazon:

Innocent Days - Hitomi

Someone shared this on my FB news feed and well, it just brings back memories of the epic anime Code Geass :) *Feels* It's really sad that Euphemia had to die >.< I dunno... I just feels like she symbolises nativity (not that it's actually a good thing) and innocence.

Thought I'd share it here with you all. Enjoy!

Izumi ga wakitachi kawa wa uneri yuku
Anata wa ano fukai umi douka mimamotte kudasai
Shinpi no tsubasa de chuu o maiagaru
Anata wa ano kurai sora douka michibiite kudasai

Yoake no ame wa jiyuu ni
Watashi no hoho o nurasu
Kodomo o daku you ni
Yasashiku tsutsunde hoshii

Yakeru you na manazashi
Utsukushii yume o ou chikara
Sono kokoro to tamashii o kakete
Tsuminaki jidai e tsurete itte

Shinpi no tsubasa de chuu o maiagaru
Anata wa ano kurai sora douka michibiite kudasai
Aamen