An early greeting - Happy Chinese New Year! :)

This year is the horse year - my year! :D But it's wood horse though - I'm a metal horse hah!

Anyway, I'm really excited for this year coz well, I've made soooooooo many cookies and am hoping to get feedback from my relatives lol :P I'm rather proud of them. Sometimes, I do believe I should just go and become a chef ....hahaha~ a chef who specialises in cooking pastries, and baking cakes and cookies :) All the sweet stuff hehe~

Okay all those things aside, I want to wish you all a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. May the strength, the stamina and the resiliency of the horse year allows you to achieve your ambitions and reach greater heights. 

Btw I do not own this pic. Credit goes to the original owner of this beautiful card. 

Oh and I highly recommend watching the old cartoon movie 'Spirit - Stallion of Cimarron' in this few days when the snake year is transitioning to the horse year. :)  

Within Temptation - Roses (Hydra 2014)

A word of caution, I had a huge headache trying to figure out the lyrics to this song, so do expect plenty (and I do mean PLENTY) of errors. Don't be surprised if the lyrics make no sense in many places lol.

Anyway, feel free to add in your suggestions/corrections in the comments below. Enjoy! :)

YouTube link: http://youtu.be/_k2mDALQJSE (So, they have made the video unavailable to all countries except Japan LOL http://aveyntoh-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/within-temptation-lyric-videos.html Don't worry though, there's still a way :))

Lyrics:
Whoa......... x5

I feel my heart explodes into particles
Love is always here and I've told you so
Restless in dreams, life carved in stone
This rhapsody's laughing in a way, I guess we all know it

Heaven held us down while we watch it flow
Heaven, can you help us? Where we can go?
Whoa~

Colour my roses/ Covered by roses
When this says it's over?
We all know our beauty were dead
The queer is over looking
Left no words unspoken
Remember you as long as I can
Hold you in the arms of mine and still the
Why until the end
The world have our place in time
Need to live every moment
Whoa~ whoa~

We build the castles high, tell them how deep it goes?
We take the blows apart, when we're through it all
The dawn is closing in, new tales are told
This rhapsody's laughing in a way, I guess we all know....

Colour my roses/ Covered by roses
When this says it's over?
We all know our beauty were dead
The queer is over looking
Left no words unspoken
Remember you as long as I can
Hold you in the arms of mine and still the
why until the end
The world have our place in time
Need to live every moment

For all.... of you...
It's like thrashing in the night
The light... raging down from the sky
The blaze afar.... has the demons... the lights
It's all beyond them all, you gotta let it go

[Child speaking: She grows with beauty. Beauty that must die. And joy. His hand is ever at his lips. His soul shall taste the sadness of her light (life?). And be a * cloudy ***.]

Colour my roses/ Covered by roses
When this says it's over?
We all know our beauty were dead
The queer is over looking
Left no words unspoken
Remember you as long as I can
Hold you in the arms of mine and still the
why until the end
The World have our place in time
Need to live every moment

[Guitar solo]

Whoa......... x4

Within Temptation - Dangerous (ft Howard Jones)

Lyrics: 
I know I won't change, I have tried
Was feeling so caged, hands tied
I can't find anything feeling so right, it's blinding hope

The Reaper is close, save a spot
A matter of time, can't deny
I won't try to run, run, run
This destiny's mine

The countdown has begun
The walls are falling down
My life is on the line
The fear is mine...

It's dangerous to sacrifice
It makes your blood run to throw the dice
It's dangerous, it's what you like
It's what you'll die for to live this life
We're going on and we'll never stop
We're going on till our worlds collide
It's dangerous
So dangerous
Dangerous

I know it's not safe, close my eyes
I search for the edge of Earth
'cause that's the only place I'll ever find that makes me hope

A thief in the night, out of sight
It's out there waiting to ignite
The favor will rise, rise, rise
Taking over my mind

The countdown has begun
The walls are falling down
My life is on the line
The fear is mine...

It's dangerous to sacrifice
It makes your blood run to throw the dice
It's dangerous, it's what you like
It's what you'll die for to live this life
We're going on and we'll never stop
We're going on till our worlds collide
It's dangerous
So dangerous
Dangerous

Nothing matters anyhow
It's like I'm floating on the ground
Into the hands, there I dive
With my life flashing by
Like the time is slowing down
When the world is out of sight
All the memories in my mind
Won't leave me behind
It's dangerous... (dangerous)
It's dangerous... (dangerous)
It's dangerous!

It's dangerous to sacrifice
It makes your blood run to throw the dice
It's dangerous, it's what you['re] like
It's what you'll die for to live this life
We're going on and we'll never stop
We're going on till our worlds collide
It's dangerous
So dangerous
Dangerous

How to access a password protected WinZip or WinRar

It's real easy actually :) So never fear if you've somehow forgotten the password/s to your zip files :)

1. Go and download Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) software 
2. Install it and open it.
3. Choose 'Installer for zip files' (on your left)
4. Drag in/open your password protected zip file and let it do its magic ;) It might take awhile depending on your zip file size, so wait till it's finished
5. Click 'Generate' at the bottom right.
6. You'll get a new .exe file on your desktop (or if you've changed the save location, find that .exe file in your new save location), double click that.
7. It should pop out a folder on the same location as your .exe file
8. The folder should contain the files that are in that password protected zip file :) 
9. Enjoy!

Credits to my dad for finding this out on youtube. :P

**I'll add in screenshots when I can.

Within Temptation (ft. Xzibit) - And We Run

This is one of my favs too from Hydra :D

(So, they have made the video unavailable to all countries except Japan LOL http://aveyntoh-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/within-temptation-lyric-videos.html Don't worry though, there's still a way :))

Lyrics:

It burns into your heart, the darkness that you fear.
You were never free, and you never realized.
And love, is a word you've never heard.
Your heart is cold cause it burns,
The desire to leave the mire.

Take your breath til nothing's left.
Stars of life upon your chest.
And I know you, wherever you go.

And we run and we don't look back.
And we run til we've had enough.
And we run, tell me how to run......
And we run, til we break down.
And we run til we fall apart.
And we run til we've had enough.......

(Rap) Don't blink, you'll miss it.
Lift up your head. We gotta get gone.
Yeah, we outta here.
Don't blink, you'll miss it.
Lift up your head.
Too late, we gone.
Yeah, we outta here.

And we run, for the lonely heart
And we run, for this killing love.
And we run, far ahead we go.

(Rap) I'ma break these chains, ran through the rain.
Never looked back, never quit, worked through the pain.
This blood in my veins run cold when I hate.
Give enough to keep sane but I never lose hope.
This is my time now, no time for tears to celebrate.
Put it in the air right now.
Never back down, you can never wear my crown
Cause it weighs too much and I crush every motherfucking

(Rap) Thing I touch.
This is love, I've never loved so much.
Get involved, make the world stand up.
Hear my might before I ever get far.
Man in lights, you lost all my trust.
Now it's time to face all of us.
Get in line just to *spar* with us.
And it feels so far from us, just take my hand and run.

And we run, for the lonely heart
And we run, for this killing love.
And we run, tell me how it's enough.
And we run, til we break down.
And we run til we fall apart.
And we run, til it's enough.

Yeah, we out of here.

(Rap) Don't blink, you'll miss it.
Lift up your head.
We gotta get gone.
Yeah, we outta here.
Don't blink, you'll miss it.
Lift up your head.
Too late, we gone.
Yeah, we outta here.

And we run, for the lonely heart
And we run, for this killing love.
And we run, far ahead we go..

(Rap) Don't blink, you'll miss it.
Lift up your head.
We gotta get gone.
Yeah, we outta here.
Don't blink, you'll miss it.
Lift up your head.
Too late, we gone.
Yeah, we outta here.

Within Temptation (ft. Dave Pirner) - The Whole World is Watching

One of my favs in this album. Any corrections are welcome :)

Lyrics:

You live your life.
You go day by day
Like nothing can go wrong.
These scars are made,
They're changing the game.
You learn to play it hard.

And I know you wish for more,
And I know you try.
And now you realize,
You know the time is right.

The whole world is watching when you rise.
The whole world is beating for you right now.
Your whole life is flashing before your eyes.
It's all in this moment that changes all.

What are you waiting for?
What are you fighting for?
Cause time's always slipping away.
The whole world is watching.
Yeah, the whole world is watching you when you rise.

You build your walls
Then break them away
Cause that is what it takes.
You saved yourself.
You found who you are,
That never goes away.

And I know you wish for more,
And I know you try.
And now you realize,
You know the time is right.

The whole world is watching when you rise.
The whole world is beating for you right now.
Your whole life is flashing before your eyes.
It's all in this moment that changes all.

What are you waiting for?
What are you fighting for?
Cause time's always slipping away.
The whole world is watching.
Yeah, the whole world is watching you when you rise.

Whoaa.....
Your sacrifice comes through your mind,
But nothing is wasted.
You made it now.
You rise again, breaking out.
Each step you've taken, you've paid the price
The whole world is watching.

Ohhh..........
The whole world is watching.
The whole world is watching when you rise

What are you waiting for?
What are you fighting for?
Cause time's always slipping away.
The whole world is watching.
Yeah, the whole world is watching when you rise


Corrections are provided by Sebastian and Pawel Tarnowski. Thank you! :)

Within Temptation - Tell Me Why

I love the chorus :) So awesome! Video's gonna be up only on Hydra (the album)'s release date - I've learned my lesson lol. Any corrections are welcome :)

(So, they have made the video unavailable to all countries except Japan LOL http://aveyntoh-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/within-temptation-lyric-videos.html Don't worry though, there's still a way :))


Lyrics:

I've been losing myself to end this, so much broken by the rain.
Nothing can take my mind off how to make them pay.
Give up myself to nothing, then the pain will go away.
Losing myself to know this, I've been going away.

If I could turn
The hands of time,
And I would,
But here I am.

Tell me why am I still here when I'm so dead?
I'm living like the ghost of yesterday.
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on?
Gotta turn it down, to let it go.

I do turn to keep on trying, but I spend it to the end.
Knowing that there's no person for my rising side.
I've buried again in evil, only there who's left behind.
I am the one who's standing, I will live to tell.

If I could turn
The hands of time,
And I would,
But here I am...
Here I am.

Tell me why am I still here when I'm so dead?
I'm living like the ghost of yesterday.
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on?
Gotta turn it down, to let it go.

Tell me why I'm wasting away.
Tell me how to be my own change.
Cause I've been losing it too long.
How can I stand here and fight?
Tell me how to face my own death.
Cause I'm still standing.

[Guitar solo]

I'm still standing, such a fighter.
I've got to fight for... all of it.

Tell me why am I still here when I'm so dead?
I am just a ghost of yesterday.

Tell me why am I still here when I'm so dead?
Why...
I'm living like the ghost of yesterday.

Tell me why am I still here when I'm so dead?
I'm living like the ghost of yesterday.
(Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone)
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on?
Gotta turn it down, to let it go.

Within Temptation - Dog Days (Release Version)

I'm rather disappointed that they chose to keep the 1,2,3,4 part. Oh well, most of the other parts of the lyrics are changed though, so, here's the new lyrics :) Transcribed by yours truly ;) but ofc this one's really tough so expect plenty of mistakes.

(So, they have made the video unavailable to all countries except Japan LOL http://aveyntoh-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/within-temptation-lyric-videos.html Don't worry though, there's still a way :))

Lyrics:

Wake in the dead of night
*Darkness turning white*
Running to what's wrong each time
Failed to get it right

Fighting off this heavy heart
Keeping your head high

Oh won't you please forget
Oh won't you please forget
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
*They never hurt so strange*
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
*Still never fight away*
One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?
One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?
These are the dog days
These are the dog days

Wake up by the dreams at night
Chills run down your spine
*Brothers starving*, summer skies
This madness to our minds

Fighting off the darkest thoughts
Fighting to survive

Oh won't you please forget
Oh won't you please forget
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
*They never hurt so strange*
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
*Still never fight away*
One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?
One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?
These are the dog days
These are the dog days

These are the dog days

Embracing the heart, to find the loss
Running down the path that I, think I need to go
When you think you've won, you still lose it after all
These are the dog days
These are the dog days

[Guitar solo]

One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?

Oh won't you please forget
Oh won't you please forget
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
*They never hurt so strange*
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
*Still never fight away*
One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?
One, two, three, four, what are you waiting for?
These are the dog days
These are the dog days

These are the dog days

These are the dog days
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
These are the dog days

These are the dog days
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
These are the dog days

Within Temptation - Silver Moonlight (release version)

I've the official version of the song already and I gotta say, I love the release version as well :) though it's a bit more 'noisy' than this version :P 

As usual, asterisks represent parts that I'm not sure. Any corrections are welcome :)

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsQVdtY3Q8E (So, they have made the video unavailable to all countries except Japan LOL http://aveyntoh-blog.blogspot.com/2014/02/within-temptation-lyric-videos.html Don't worry though, there's still a way :))

Lyrics:

Turn around, open your eyes
Can't move on until you're stuck *in town*
When you open your eyes
It's alright

Oh!
Whoa.....
Whoa...........
Whoa...

I'm hellbound in this life
Keep fighting the coldest wars
It's always been like this, I don't know why

Enslave my *num*, you're mine
Your fear that ties me down
Going down
I won't bow

No!
Screaming at the walls of fire
That's closing in on me
(Closing in on me)
I'm hungry for the burning of the silver moonlight
That's where I wanna be
(Where I wanna be)
Screaming at the walls of fire
But I'm still running free
(I'm still running free)
In the silver moonlight
I can't breathe...
Whoa...

These days are only now
Breathing in the coldest lies
I think that's only what you have in mind
Holding on to the best of you
I hit the pavement
Going down
I won't bow

Don't!
Screaming at the walls of fire
That's closing in on me
(Closing in on me)
I'm hungry for the burning of the silver moonlight
That's where I wanna be
(Where I wanna be)
Screaming at the walls of fire
But I'm still running free
(I'm still running free)
In the silver moonlight
I can't breathe

I'm impatient
But these colours that I leave
Too many shades of grey
I cannot breathe
(Cannot breathe)
Dreams I have are tainted
I need you to believe
*All the way to make*
They're real.....
Ohh

(Make em real)

[Guitar solo]

Screaming at the walls of fire
That's closing in on me
(Closing in on me)
I'm hungry for the burning of the silver moonlight
That's where I wanna be
(Where I wanna be)
Screaming at the walls of fire
But I'm still running free
(I'm still running free)
In the silver moonlight
I can't breathe...
Whoa...............
(I can't breathe)
Whoa...............

Turn around, open your eyes
Can't move on until you're stuck *in town*
When you open your eyes
It's alright

Ross Copperman - Talk

I'm not so sure whether the part marked with asterisk is correct or not lol. Anyway, I've tried :P Any corrections are welcome :)

Lyrics:

The sun comes up
The day is calling
But in your world
The sky is falling down
And you say nothing

Forced a smile
So they won't stare
And braced yourself
'Cause they don't care at all,
Still you say nothing

You say nothing......... at all

Talk to me now
Let it out
You can whisper or you can shout
Pour it out
Like a flow
Rushing down from a thundercloud
woah woah
Talk to me now

You form the callous from your pain
And so you hide yourself, away from me
Oh you say nothing
But I can't reach you in that shell
And I don't know the secrets, you won't tell
Coz you say nothing
But I know it's something........

And I know, I know

Talk to me now
Let it out
You can whisper or you can shout
Pour it out
Like a flow
Rushing down from a thundercloud
woah woah
Talk to me now
woah woah

*Would you be scared if you try and*
And shatter the silence
If I ask you to
Would you?
Talk to me now

Talk to me now
Let it out
You can whisper or you can shout
Pour it out
Like a flow
Rushing down from a thundercloud
woah woah
Talk to me now
woah woah

Talk to me now
You can let it out
You can whisper now
And you can shout it out

Talk to me now
You can let it out
You can whisper now
And you can shout it out

Won't you talk.............?
Won't you talk.............?

Talk to me now
Ohhh
Talk to me now
Now, now, now, now, now
Talk to me now

Ross Copperman - How Many Heartbreaks

There are several parts that I'm not sure. Feel free to drop your comments/ any corrections :)

Lyrics:

I pushing everyone I can away to hold you tight
You're running through my head night after night
Wanna to close out everything and close my eyes
I wanna knock around like it's time after time

Even though I know they say there's nothing left for me say
Only one, that's all it takes,
To take away this feeling

How many heartbreaks do I have to hurt through
How many hold-ons do I have to burn through
How many fall-rise, does it takes to save/shake you
How many heartbreaks does it takes to break through

I wanna tell you that I'll be your rapport,
(but) I can't lie
Wanna be the way we were for one more night
I wanna make you feel the love I feel inside
I wanna find the words we lost between the lies/lines

Even though I know they say there's nothing left for me say
Only one, that's all it takes,
To take away this feeling

How many heartbreaks do I have to hurt through
How many hold-ons do I have to burn through
How many fall-rise, does it takes to save/shake you
How many heartbreaks does it takes to break through

I wanna believe in something bigger than myself, yeah
I wanna know habits come and go through this hell
I wanna be thankful for the heartache that you gave me
You gave me....

/How many heartbreaks do I have to hurt through
How many hold-ons do I have to burn through/

How many 'false lies', does it takes to move you
How many heartbreaks, does it takes to break through?
Yeahhhhh......

How many heartbreaks do I have to hurt through
How many hold-ons do I have to burn through
To break through
To you
To you

Free social sharing widget for Blogger (and other platforms) - AddThis

So, I've been thinking of putting a widget for sharing individual posts on multiple platforms (I already have the FB and twitter ones though - on the right side - but it looks very cheap. I wanted something to look a bit more polished :)) for some time now and, despite my super-hectic schedule, I've finally found one that is free, looks cool enough and is very easy to use.

Introducing.... Drum roll please! .... AddThis! It's pretty cool as you can see from the changes to my blog and it's compatible to Blogger (there are quite a lot that is compatible to WordPress, but not Blogger lol). It also provided a 'Recommended for you' box at the bottom and a 'What's Next' box on the bottom right. 

How to set one up for yourself? Easy! Just follow these few steps and you'll have a sparkling new 'social sharing' widget for your blogger. 

1. Go to AddThis! smart layer webpage: https://www.addthis.com/get/smart-layers
2. Choose your platform: i.e. Blogger
3. Choose to either 'on' or 'off' for Follow. (Easy links for people to follow you on FB or twitter or etc)
4. Click on 'Share' and modify it to your liking.
5. Click on 'Recommended Content' and modify the title if you like.
6. Click 'More Options' and pick the colour that you want. (You can see all changes in the preview box on your right)
7. Then click 'Install Blogger Widget'.
8. It'll bring you to another webpage where you have to log in to your blogger and choose the blog that you want the widget to be in. 
9. Then click 'Add Widget'.
10. It'll bring you to your Blogger layout edit. Choose a place to put your widget and click save. 
11. Voila! You're done. :) Click 'View blog' to see your handiwork :)

Ross Copperman - Angel by your side

Lyrics:

Five years its been now since you've seen me
And I know you're not the same sweet girl
That I left when I was lost

Stop now you know you'll never reach me
Since the day I passed away
And the lies I thought that had now gone

Well if you ever feel this angel by your side
I'll be the light
I'll be the sun that fills your morning now
When you lose the strength to fly
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the sky
I'll be the star that stares into your eyes
When you go to sleep at night
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the angel by your side

(yeah yeah wow woooo)

God knows there must have been a reason
As he sucked the life from me
So young yet I pray my soul will keep
Right now you're living with this feeling
And there's no one left to blame
Bad dreams when they bring you to your knees

Well if you ever feel this angel by your side
I'll be the light
I'll be the sun that fills your morning now
When you lose the strength to fly
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the sky
I'll be the star that stares into your eyes
When you go to sleep at night
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the angel by your side

(yeah yeah)

I know you start believing
Well you've got faith i know i've seen it
When times are rough you've gotta leave the world behind
You've gotta feel me by your side

I'll be the light
I'll be the sun that fills your morning now
When you lose the strength to fly
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the sky
I'll be the star that stares into your eyes
When you go to sleep at night
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the angel by your side

(yeah yeah)

I'll be the angel by your side (i'll be the light)
I'll be the angel by your side (woo woo)
I'll be the angel by your side

I'll be the light
I'll be the sun that fills your morning now
When you lose the strength to fly
I'll be the angel by your side
I'll be the sky
I'll be the star that stares into your eyes
When you go to sleep at night

My tuition experience - being a part-time tutor

If you wanted a complete story, well unfortunately, I cannot give you one :) Every day that I went there for work, I'll get different stories to tell, different frustrating kids to handle (kids' moods changes week from week lol. He/she can be the nicest angel in the first month of tuition, but become a really annoying kid who kept taking your stuff from your bag even you told him/her not to...). I suppose I can only write for those stories that I recalled the best and they may not be all nice and fluffy.... kids can be real mean/bad some times.

There's this standard 2 science class that I taught. The kids in there are like the rowdiest of all the classes that I taught. They can scream and yell ALL CLASS LONG. Seriously.... and I ran out of energy to try to control my class and tell them off at the same time.... especially when they knew that I can do absolutely nothing to actually punish them. It was not like when I was young, where we (the kids of that time) were so afraid of the almighty CANE. One whip of that and you'll get a painful red scar across your palm/butt/thigh (depends on which part the teacher hit you at lol). I'm not exactly the kind of person who would cane a child either so.... all I can really do is yell for them to shut up, get back to their seats and do their homework. Anyway, let's just say it's a really tough class to teach but one day, once most of the kids have left, the hyperactive kid as well as a hardworking kid (the only 2 kids left in the class) said to me, 'Terima kasih, cikgu.' (Thank you, teacher.) multiple times. And those words made teaching more bearable and now I do believe that I understand why my parents love to be teachers so. My dad used to proudly tell me about this teachers' day card that he received from a student. The student addressed him as "the nicest teacher in the world". And my mom, well, she's gotten plenty of gifts from her little students as well. Some of them are rather thoughtful gifts, and some are just the usual red pens, but to her, she was touched all the same when she received those gifts. :)

In another case, I would often draw stuff to hint at the answer to a question or to help explain something that I cannot put in simpler terms. Instead of being happy because they get a picture to guess at, they will be like 'Teacher, I can draw better than you. That's kids' drawing.' or 'What is that?' ... lol. I refuse to believe that my drawing skills are so bad lol and they aren't, haha, I'm just exaggerating. The 'what is that?' scenario did not happen very often. Most of the time, they will only criticise my drawings by telling me that my drawings look like their little brother's (or sister's) drawings. Considering that these kids are 8 years old and below, I'm feeling extremely depressed to hear that lol. Well, not really. xD

One of the drawings from a std 2 student  for Christmas :) I ended the class a bit earlier than usual and let them have some fun on the whiteboard :P

There was a time when I can teach each individual student (it's a small class of students) and I love it. It's simple and straightforward (not much student control and more to the real stuff, the teaching) and I like to believe that the kids that I taught had learned a lot during those times (it's a holiday class so yeah, the class is like really really small :P). That's kinda the best times for me and well, since the class is smaller, I can actually give gifts (like jellies and sugary food stuff :P) to students that did well. Now leh.... hehe. Better not... since they are soooo naughty.

Honestly though, from the stories that some of these kids told me, they are forced to attend tuition classes after tuition classes, from Monday to Sunday. I truly pity them. I believe in going to tuition only when it's beneficial to you, but not because your parents are too busy to take care of you (or they don't want to spend money on daycare I suppose). As much as I pity them, I do understand their parents' dilemma and for their problem, there may not be a very clear-cut solution. Perhaps sending their kids to endless tuition classes is the best choice for them.

Oh yeah and for those who are thinking of going down this line to earn some extra cash, don't be fooled (like me). The pay is pretty much low as compared to the time you needed to put into it to prepare the teaching materials (it's like OMGAWD sooooo many stuff to finish before the next semester) and putting that EQ of yours through a very testing time lol. I'll never understand why people like to underpay teachers... even part-time ones. But anyway, I've heard that my current job is, so far, the highest paying part-time job that I can find LOL (I suck terribly at job finding, heh). So... wth, just gritting my teeth and do as well as I can I suppose.



P/S: That's all for now, and considering that I have stacks of books yet marked... (I feel like crying liao lah T.T) this is quite a lot to write lol. I'll add more or maybe write a part II when I recall more stuff from my previous teaching days :P

PhD Comics - Most accurate description of a postgrad's life

These 2 comic accurately describe the trapped feeling that I get, even though I'm not a PhD candidate... now you see how bad my lab condition/culture is, yea? Anyway, enjoy! :)

Credits are given to PhD Comics for creating such comics which accurately reflected my feelings towards postgrad studies. I think I've lost the links to these comics, but feel free to go to their official website to search for these: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/most_popular.php

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THESE COMICS IN ANY WAY.

How Reading Improves the Brain [ABC news]

Just thought I'd share this. It's a good read. :)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/reading-improve-brain/story?id=21501657

Shingeki no Kyojin - The Reluctant Hero (Piano Only)

I've watched this anime, in what seems to be like, ages ago. It's okay but it'll never beat Code Geass hehe :P

Anyway, this music is pretty awesome on piano and I thought I'd share this. Enjoy! :)

Lyrics:

Remember the day we met
It's painful for me
Because nobody wants to die too fast
Remember a day we dreamt
It's painful for me
I could see your face
I could hear your voice

**I'll cont this tmr, very tired now lol. Nite!**

Random rants - Lab issues

So.... a shtstorm has happened at my lab (and ofc, from my rage-filled previous rants, you can see that I'm not exactly out of my own shtstorm as well lol). Anyway, there is an impending war between my lecturer with his fellow lecturers in the same.. uh... 'department'. 

I'm like a drifter, you know. Even though he's my supervisor, I'm still as neutral as I can get... I suppose. I don't join my fellow same-supervisor lab mates that much, but I don't hang out with other students who are with other lecturers (especially my supervisor's 'enemies' lol... except ofc my BF :) ). I just do my part the best that I could and keep far far away from these sort of stuff. But well, the tension at the lab is on an all time high and it's really stressful for me to do any work there when all I hear is talks of 'kena-ing' (sabotaging) the other side. Gah~ My BF is feeling the same way as well lol. We're kinda caught in the middle I suppose, but we're both trying very hard to get away from all of that. Maybe I should go to the lab one day and play that song from the movie, Bridge to Terabithia - 'Why can't we be friends?' - just to see their reaction lol. :P

There is no use trying to care for the lab either... since it's like I'm the only person re-preparing all the ran-out reagents and keeping items stocked up... oh and I also clear the wastes. I'm like the lab assistant/ cleaner there... who isn't paid a cent to do this sort of work. Since I'm still the 'most junior' in the lab and that my supervisor might/might not be taking on new student/s for like ever... all the dirt and sht I'll be picking up for the rest of my post grad studies lol. That's one of the reason I hated hierarchy. I mean like come on! There is a list showing the scheduled rotation for waste clean-up and so far, I'm the only person who is doing ALL of the work... and not to mention, if I refuse to do it on the reason that nobody else is doing it, then they be like 'oh you cannot be like this. You must CARE about the lab.' Yeah, I cannot, but you can lah, is that right? Such a hypocrite. Bah~ 

With my money problems, experiment problems, tuition problems, not-enough-free-time problems, fed-up-with-a-lot-of-people problems, I'm afraid I might just go insane.... When you are overwhelm with so much uncertainty in life, with so much to worry about, it's really really hard to keep a positive outlook (though I find that upbeat music do help, until I start to think about my problems again lol). Haiz, sometimes you'd wish all these could just be ended with a snap of a finger. I want to escape, but I'm bound by invisible bonds that I've put on on myself. I should have followed my friend earlier last year and left this place. It is too late to leave now? Yes, I suppose it's late, but if I continue on like this, the toll might just be even higher for me and what will happen then? 

What will happen then? ...

Something that I came up with

So, I've seen this on FB

and I thought... well why not edit it into biotechnology? So I did it haha. Poor photoshop skills though... I'm just too lazy to fine tune it lol, so here it is... my crappy photoshopped joke for biotech (BT) graduates. Enjoy!

And boy, am I mad! - Part 2

So.... I went and talked to the owner of the tuition centre and lo and behold, she told me that my payment rate per class is actually only RM55 for a whole f-ing month and for 2-hour classes, I'm being paid RM88 per month. That's better than some centres but considering the hours that I've poured into this to prepare for the classes (and I have to teach different level of students in each class LOL so for each class, I may have like 9 books to teach, so need to prepare for 9 books... per class). If I'm absent, the rates dropped by RM5 for the RM55 rate and by RM8 if it's RM88 rate. Then after that, she cut my pay some more by multiplying it by 3 AND THEN dividing it by 4 then add that value to my already diminishing pay........ hence, I only get a f-ing RM 165 for last month. I've lost a total of RM90 for being present for 12 classes out of 16 classes.

Trying to survive on RM165 for January is just ridiculous... my travelling fees are two times that amount. I suppose I could just cycle all the way to Bertam every day - and I can save on toll fees too. Oh and I can just eat all the scraps and leftovers like some beggar every day.... LOL. So much for getting a degree....

Not to mention, even if I'm not absent, I can only earn a maximum of RM290 per month for all the classes plus a small bonus for not being absent... it's still not enough to cover my travelling fees, let alone have enough leftovers for me to buy lunch everyday. 

WTF. I doubt I'll be working there for much longer though. The most I'd say is until end of February... until I can try for another allowance-giving scholarship. Worst case scenario.... even I've worked SO f-ing hard for my good grades, I'll still need to get a study loan to study.... then I might as well stop this postgrad nonsense (wasted talent or not) and get myself a low-income job.... 

Whoever says money doesn't matter is really a super-rich idiot. Money DOES matter... now, I'll be trying to figure out how to earn more for this month... short of selling my body ofc LOL.


Update: So, okay after some more clear thinking, I've narrowed down several things that I can do to counter my financial crisis.... Either I do more tuition - private ones that pay 3-4 times more than what pittiance that I'm currently earning from the tuition centre and/or I'll continue selling my health/blood in  the name of science lol... you know, the clinical trial thingy... yea, those pay very well and you don't exactly need to do anything (except to eat medicines that you don't actually need to eat, be hospitalised for a weekend, and give up plenty of your blood [and have needle mark scars on the nook of your elbows like you're some drug addict LOL, heh, they're true though!]).

Ross Copperman - Hold My Breath

Lyrics:

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa
You’re breaking my heart
Breaking my soul
Taking everything
I can’t control
And want me to beg
And want me to scream
You hold me back so I can’t escape

[Chorus]
But I don’t wanna hold my breath
Toss my penny’s in a wishing well
Believe in fortunes I can’t tell
Cause this is my life
I won’t let them get inside my mind
I don’t wanna fall one step behind
Lose my place at the finish line
Cause this is my time
And I don’t wanna hold my breath
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)

I swam into the ocean deep
The waves they tried to bury me
But I was strong
I was brave
They pushed me down
But I escaped

[Chorus]
But I don’t wanna hold my breath
Toss my penny’s in a wishing well
Believe in fortunes I can’t tell
Cause this is my life
I won’t let them get inside my mind
I don’t wanna fall one step behind
Lose my place at the finish line
Cause this is my time
And I don’t wanna hold my breath
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)

I don’t wanna hold my breath
Toss my penny’s in a wishing well
Believe in fortunes I can’t tell
Cause this is my life
I won’t let them get inside my mind
I don’t wanna fall one step behind
Lose my place at the finish line
Cause this is my time
And I don’t wanna hold my breath
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)
I don’t wanna hold my Breath
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)
(I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my, I don’t wanna hold my breath)
I don’t wanna hold my, Hold my, Hold my breath

Ross Copperman - Glass

This guy's brilliant! :) I'm an insta-fan lol... am going through all his songs at the moment, so do expect plenty of lyrics lol :P

Lyrics: 

Tryin' to live and love
with a heart that can't be broken
is like tryin' to see the light
with eyes that can't be opened.
Yeah, we both carry baggage
we've picked up on our way,
if you love me do it gently
and I will do the same.

We may shine,
we may shatter,
we may be pickin' up the pieces here on after,
we are fragile,
we are human,
we are shaped by the light we let through us,
we break fast,
'cause we are glass
'cause we are glass.

I'll let you look inside me
through the stains and through the cracks
and in the darkness of this moment
you'll see the good and bad,
but try not to judge me
'cause we've walked down different paths,
but it brought us here together
so I won't take that back.

We may shine,
we may shatter,
we may be pickin' up the pieces here on after,
we are fragile,
we are human,
we are shaped by the light we let through us,
we break fast,
'cause we are glass...

We might be in oil and water,
this could be a big mistake.
We may burn like gasoline and fire.
It's a chance we'll have to take.

We may shine,
we may shatter,
we may be pickin' up the pieces here on after,
we are fragile,
we are human,
we are shaped by the light we let through us,
we break fast,
'cause we are glass.
'Cause we are glass.

Ross Copperman - Holding On and Letting Go

Lyrics:

Is anybody out there?
Is anybody listening?
Does anybody really know?
Is the end of the beginning
The cry a rush a one breath
Is all we waiting for
Sometimes I want my taking
Changes everyone before

[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go

Sometimes we're holding angels
And we never even know
Don't know if we'll make it, or we know
We just can't let it show

[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging close
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go
Yeah, letting go

It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging close
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go

[Chorus]
It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging close
Some prayers find an answer
Some prayers never know
We're holding on and letting go.

And boy, am I mad!

So... my mum informed me that my pay from my part-time job as a tutor at a tuition centre was cleared by the bank and was inputted into my account. But surprise, surprise! The centre only gave me RM165 for A WHOLE MONTH of tuition. WTF. Yeah, I mean I was absent for two days due to that stupid compulsory safety campaign by my university and due to attending the scholarship interview at Kelantan... but seriously? That less than half of what you've promised me!

However, I'm a very reasonable and logical person, so okay, let me break it down to you in simpler terms... I've taken on 4 classes - all lower standards (Std 1 to 3) - with 2 of the 4 classes having a tuition duration of 2 hours. You told me that I'll get RM110 per month fix rate for each class and that classes that are 2 hours-long will be paid at RM285 (per class or for the two classes that I took... this one I'm not so sure. If it's for both classes, then it should be RM 142.50 per 2-hour class... which is not exactly very reasonable but meh, it's okay for me... anyway, let's just consider it as payment for both classes). Anyway, If we add all these numbers together, we'll get RM505 for my 4 classes. Okay, then I was absent for 1 time per class. You said that if I'm absent (even with valid reasons), I'll get RM10 less and, considering this, I'm assuming that for 2-hours classes, the pay deducted if you're absent will definitely be more... Perhaps you'll deduct around RM 20 per class. 

So, let's do some simple math, shall we? RM505 - (RM20x2) - (RM10x2) = RM 445. Oh and you wanted to charge me for the books that I need to use for teaching? FINE! Then minus away the RM35 for the books, I still have a f-ing RM410.... which is way less than what I had expected but it's what I DESERVE for helping you teach all those kids (and not to mention, I have made extra exercises for them to do AFTER I've finished your 'syllabus').

Seriously, if the next time I see you and you cannot give me a proper explanation as to why my pay is so F-ING less, my resignation letter will be on your desk faster than you can blink. I'm not THAT STUPID for you to RIP me off a second time. 

I'm out!


P/S: After thinking for some more, I've realised which classes she didn't pay me for - the 2-hour classes. That's the only logical explanation... If that's so, they better say it's a mistake and that they'll correct it.. if not~ 

The 1st Annual CNY Cookie-Making Safety Meeting report

At our CNY cookies-making safety meeting today, these stats were presented. There is a worryingly rising trend of 50% for burns for dad while mum, without fail, will get burn/s every year since 2011. On the other hand, Ah Ma and I should maintain our good record and not get burned next year.

As proven by my good no-burns record for two years straight, I confirmed that by saying 'Don't burn me!!' repeatedly every time I reach over to mum's side to check on her kuih kapit is good practice and should be included into the SOP of CNY cookies making.

We concluded the meeting by asking both dad and mum to be more careful next year in order to finally reach our CNY cookies-making safety meeting's objective - that is to have 0 burns for every member.

This meeting is sponsored by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health ........ (not really) ... lol :P

**The word 'Burns'/ 'burn' are hereby defined as burn/s that require/s the immediate treatment of using aloe vera sap to prevent the formation of blisters and/or scars and to reduce burning sensation and any other symptoms of burns.

****Something stupid that I came up with lol. That stats are true though.

Zombie Tycoon II - Brainhov's Revenge game review

Zombie apocalypse!

This all started when Dr Tycoon decided that he didn't like people at all and would rather have them turned into obedient zombies that he can order around, but he's not counting on getting any competition in this mad scientist field... :P (No more spoiler, you can find out who this competitor is when you play this game ;) )

Meet Dr Tycoon. He is hell-bend on destroying the human race and replacing them with his obedient zombie army.

The way the game was presented reminded me strongly of Plants vs Zombies (PvZ) which I love :) It has plenty of PvZ humour (you should read the descriptions for each monster/building type etc, they will make you chuckle from time to time :)). 

This game's developers do have plenty sense of humour - PvZ-style :) Naming a monster skill as Defile... hah!

Gameplay-wise, it's pretty up to standard (quite challenging). It's tough like hell if you plan to get all the stars though. I gave up somewhere in the mid I think lol. There is a limit of 4 groups of zombies per game and the mad scientist takes up one group all by his own :P

A screenshot showing how the game looks like :)

Moreoever, there are plenty of puzzle for you to figure out. So this game is not just about massacring the human race and making more zombie minions. :)

Some puzzles for you to figure out as well - it's not all 'I want brainz!'

It's a game worth playing if you're into zombies, PvZ-humour and puzzles. Be warned for those perfectionists! It's really challenging for all of you who wanted to get full stars for each level. You'll find yourself replaying the same level for plenty of times. You might just get bored (like me).

For me though, I've gotten myself all frustrated over a level (my character keeps suddenly dying lol.... one-hit die sort of death... sigh) and I'm too lazy to replay that level after dying for like 7-8 times in a row for the same level. I'd like it more if I can save my progress whenever I want, so I can like load back the game to the 1 min before my character's death lol. Moving on to a new game......

P/S: and hah! It's not even a day since the new year and I've already broken my new year resolution (the not sleep late one.... lol. It's almost 2am over here...). Guess I wasn't ready for the new year... or maybe I'm just wasn't resolute enough :P

You can buy the game on Amazon by clicking here.

Sanctum game review

Another way overdue game review. I played this game around 2+ months ago lol. Anyway, better late than never? hehe :P Here it is!

Sanctum

It's a futuristic-and-alien-themed 3D tower defense game with FPS element in it :) It's a bit tough for me.... got stuck at around level 5 lol... (each level have like around 10 waves). Although there are several types of gun provided (including a sniper rifle), they are practically useless, except for the handgun, that's pretty handy... if you upgrade it A LOT. Furthermore, each mob have their own specific weak point and if you don't keep hitting that spot (or even if you do), you will definitely not kill the mob no matter how hard you try. I specially hate the damage-soaking alien... it's just SO HARD to kill... and there are SO MANY of them

Waiting on the next wave :)

These little buggers are hard to aim at lol~ unless they get close enough

The towers are pretty cool though and I like the teleporting and lift ideas. I would love it better if you can build towers using the overview but then I suppose the game developers wanted it this way so you can see how awesome the animation for building a tower is lol :P

Overview mode :)

Overall, it's honestly a great game to play, but it's just that I'm too frustrated by those damage-soaking aliens. They are the cause of my defeat in Sanctum lol. Perhaps you'd have better strategy and luck. Give it a go and do tell me how you fare :P Have fun!

You can buy the vr 1 and 2 at Amazon.

Rage game review

The long-awaited/promised Rage review! I've finished playing this game for almost a month now and I've just finally got this one up on mah blog. Procrastination at one of its finest moments. Lol. 

Awesome game, honest! It's like combining Fallout series with Borderlands series, with superb graphics :) Being a huge fan of both games, Rage is an insta-hit game for me :)

Superb graphics and I'm not even playing this on high res lol. You can see that this is obviously animated (not real), but then the details are exquisite!

It has the elements of Borderlands by having nil, and I repeat, NIL, glitches and bugs, making gameplay as amazing as it gets. It also have very cool vehicle combat and vehicle racing features that makes it uniquely its own despite having elements from both Fallout and Borderlands. 

My first vehicle - a bike! :)

Then you'll get to upgrade to a buggy and a full-armoured car through racing

I like how the game does not have quests that kept asking you to revisit the same location over and over again. The most you'll see the same location (I'm not referring to the zone map btw) for the purpose of doing quests/ jobs is twice. It's not too repetitive enough to make me get bored of playing the same location map. That's a major plus point for me :)

It has some cool contraptions too - like this flying bridge

Gameplay-wise, it's not too hard until you'll say 'fck this, I'll just go play Hello Kitty Wonderland instead' or too easy until you can face roll across the keyboard and still kill everything lol. It's the epitome of 'just exactly right'. :) The boss fight may need some strategy and patience but you can easily get through it soon enough. 

Racing is one of the finer points of the game. It won't be as good as a racing game like Need for Speed since it's not exactly designed so, but it's still great enough to afford a mention in this review. There are various ways to race, as you'll soon find out, in Rage and all of them are tonnes of fun - blasting the racing opponents who is in front of you with rockets? Yes please! :D 

If you find yourself ever short on cash, you can try turning some fast bucks by playing the various mini-games (such as this one) scattered around town.

You even get to craft items (like a remote-controlled, bomb-strapped, toy buggy, a gadget that works like a lockpick [by blasting the door open lol] and sentry guns) that can help you through the game. Though there may be some times where you'll find yourself a bit lost/ confused as to where to go next. Most of the time, you either missed a staircase or a ladder... that's usually the case for me though :P 

Fear factor? Well, it's well-balanced I'd say. I still get surprised by mobs sometimes (mostly mutants lol) but the game doesn't just scare you for nothing lol. There will always be a mob to kill at the end. 

The plot of the game is pretty solid - there aren't any loopholes in the story that I've noticed (too busy blasting the head off mobs lol) and the flow of the plot alongside the game is well-paced. 

There are also a reference in-game that gives the game, Fallout, a nod and a salute - bobblehead collectibles and the Vault boy bobblehead! :) It's pretty cool. Oh having said that it has great graphics, you can take some time off questing and go for a ride in your buggy to marvel at the scenery. There were times I'll stop in the middle of the journey of going to a questing location to gape at the scenery... No joke lol! There also places (non-quest-related but with mobs for you to kill) that you can go if you found them during your many excursions too. :)

So, if you like Fallout and/or Borderlands, you really should give this game a shot. It brings out the best of both games and added a little something-something of its own. I guarantee you'll be satisfied and perhaps wanting for more lol - there are DLCs for this game but as of now, the game devs are no longer releasing anymore DLCs. Now, I'm waiting on Rage 2 :D

Okay now the time for screenshots of beautiful sceneries :P 

Once you emerged from the Ark, you are greeted by this beautiful scene of a post-apocalyptic world

More post-apocalyptic scenery

Hot air balloons :)

The stalactites and stalagmites look like the jaw of a dragon

Brightly illuminated cave

In a cave - I've never appreciated caves' beauty this much.

Even the sewers are beautiful in Rage lol.

The sunset at the ending of Rage's DLC is amazing. I suppose the sunset has a meaning... the game is about to end.

You can buy the game on Amazon here. Trust me, it'll be worth it :)

Happy new year!

I'm starting to use blogs like my twitter/ facebook lol. Anyway, copied this from my FB and Twitter posts:

A sky filled with brilliant, booming lights ushers in the new year. Happy new year everyone! :)