The Cake ..

Well , Father’s Day is next month but both me and my dad wont be home then . So I decided to double it up as Mothers’ day and an early Fathers’ Day celebration .. =p

Mum And Dad With The Cake..

Family Photo.. =p

So after the photo sessions of course comes the cake eating session . Haha .. The cake was ok . Mango Creme . At least it doesn’t have the rubbery coating like on Sachin’s cake during our farewell party last year . Haha ..

Me And Mum .. =p

Well , they say that Mother is an Angel sent by the Gods all the way from the Heavens to take care of us . I am so fortunate that I got the most caring and understanding mother that one could ever get . She was by my side when I jump for joy for my excellent results , she was there for me when I was down due to something sad , she cared for me when I was sick , she was there when I needed someone the most . She has been all that and she will always be . No one can ever take your place in my heart and in my world . I love you Mum ..

p/s : Photo kinda blurry . My dad ’s not a very good photographer .. XD

At first I was kind of reluctant to give Windows 7 a try as my Windows Vista is a genuine copy . But since reviews of it has been good and my friends said that they have no problems with it , I decided to have a go at it . Andrew Raj , if you’re reading this i guess you should be very happy right now ..

Me           :    ” Dei Andrew , Windows 7 stable edi ar? “

Andrew :    ” Very.. “

Haha..I’ve only been using it for a few days but I haven’t came across any problems with it . The best part is , the whole system runs smoothly and at a way faster speed than Windows Vista . The operation is almost the same as Windows Vista other than a few changes here and there . The most obvious is of course the taskbar and the gadgets . In Windows Vista , you get one tab for every page / program you open . And the side bar is only fixed at 1 place although you can drag limited items out of their place . But for Windows 7 , the windows are all grouped under the same application into 1 single tab . Kinda neat I would say . As for the sidebar , well , there is no side bar . The items are simply ” floating ” on the screen and you are free to place them anywhere you wish on the desktop ..

I Love The Way The Images Of The Windows Pop Up .. =p

A feature of Windows 7 I really like is the desktop background that you can set to change according to your preferences . You can set what photos you want and how long does 1 photo ” stay ” on the screen . This feature really caught my interest as I can set my favorite shots from my DSLR camera , photos of precious moments with my family and friends , or any wallpaper – worthy pictures ..

Sunrise At Lumut . Damn Nice.. =p

I’ve also installed the RocketDock software . Which is really cool if you’d ask me . I’ve also customized the icons to the ones I downloaded from their add-ons website . Most of my icons now are ” Holograms ” themed . Hehe..

The RocketDock With The Enlarged Office Word Icon.. =p

The only downside for Windows 7 for me at the moment is the Windows Media Player . It no longer has it’s own toolbar on the taskbar which I find quite inconvenient . But then yet again there won’t be any irritating pop ups on the playlist when your mouse pointer goes close to the area around it especially when you want to play a PowerPoint slide show . So i guess I won’t complain much ..

Windows Media Player Pop Up..

So , this kinda wraps up my personal review on the Windows 7 Ultimate Operating System . To those who are still using Windows Vista or Windows XP , I would suggest that you guys give Windows 7 a try if your computer meets the system requirements that Windows 7 need to operate on . It has the speed and reliability of Windows XP and the considerably attractive Graphic User Interface and themes of Windows Vista . 2-in-1 .. So what are you waiting for ? But then yet again , it is up to one’s personal preference . So it’s up to you guys to decide . Just stating my personal opinion here . Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post . Till the next .. Chao ..

So on Saturday , we woke up as early as 6.30 a.m to catch an early ferry to Pangkor to avoid human traffic jam at the jetty ..

This Time I Really Got A Shot Of Sunrise At Lumut . 7 a.m .. =p

We got on the 7.30 a.m ferry to Pangkor . Reached there around 8 a.m and rented a taxi ( van ) to the cemetery where my grandmother ’s grave is at and met my aunts and their family there . We have already paid some grave cleaners to clean the graves a few days prior to the day we are coming . There wasn’t much tidying to do so we prepared whatever was necessary for the prayers ceremony . The main place for our prayers was at my grandmother’s grave . So before performing the ceremony there , I have to travel to 3 other graves to ” invite ” the ” spirits ” of my deceased ancestors to my grandmother’s grave to ” have a meal ” on the food we brought on the altar . There are 4 graves I visited in total that day and all of them are at different cemeteries . But luckily Pangkor isn’t such a big island and the cemeteries are only maximum 2 minutes motorcycle ride away from each other . Only me ,my cousin brother and 2 of my aunts went to the 3 graves..

Great-Grandpa ’s Grave ..

Great-Grandma ’s Grave ..

Grandfather ’s Grave ..

You can see that the graves’ designs are different as the time line when my great-grandparents passed away and when my grandfather passed away is different . But wanna know the similarity between them ? I have never met any of them before . Haha.. Ironic? My grandfather passed away even before my mum started dating with my dad . So imagine how long has he been buried there . So ,after finishing the prayers ,we headed back to my grandma ’s grave and started the prayers there .. After the ceremony , we sat down for a while to rest . Then my aunts told me that from now onwards , it is my responsibility to come every year and pay respect to my ancestors as I am the eldest son and grandson in the Lee family . Looks like I just got a new responsibility on my shoulders ..

Grandmother ’s Grave . Passed Away On 1998 When I Was Only 8 Years Old ..

During Cheng Beng , we present food on the altars of our ancestors’ grave as a ” feast ” for them on that special day and burn paper offerings for them so that they can live a more comfortable life in the after-world . Normally , people would burn silver papers , paper money and clothes for the deceased . But tradition seemed to changed together with the flow of time . Nowadays , other than those above , people would burn houses , branded clothing and even luxury cars . Haha..

Treasure Chest For My Grandfather ..

The Offerings Going Up In Flames ..

According To Chinese Beliefs ,This Is The God That Is Supposed To Keep The Spirit Of The Deceased Company At Their Graves While We Are Not Around . Each Grave Has One And We Present Offerings To Him As A Symbol Of Appreciation ..

Finished the whole ceremony around 9.30 a.m and headed back to my 4th aunt ’s house for brunch . Since I was starving as I haven’t had my breakfast yet , I ate like a horse . Haha .. Furthermore , my aunt cooked her special chicken rice . So….. Damn !! I had a total of 3 servings of rice plus all the dishes she cooked . Haven ‘t had a home cooked meal since Chinese New Year . Haha .. My family and I left Pangkor at around 3 p.m .. By the way , Pangkor Jetty has changed alot since the last time I came to Pangkor ( which is of course during Chinese New Year ) . Now it looked more modern and it has a ” 1 Malaysia ” statue / tower or whatever you call it right in the middle of the opening . The reason why I don’t know whether to call it a tower or a statue is that it is merely a high-rising landmark with NO empty space inside to accommodate people at all . Waste of money ? Decide for yourself..

The ” 1 Malaysia ” Landmark ..

You Can See The Landmark From Afar . Beside The Number 1 Are The Words ” Pangkor ” ..

Well , after that , we went back home and rested for the rest of the afternoon . In the evening , we went to Ayer Tawar to have dinner with my Uncle and Grandma ( Maternal Side ) and visited my mum ’s aunt ..

On Sunday , my family and I woke up early as well to pay respect to my maternal side’s Grandfather . He passed away in 2001 when I was 11 years old . I only went to his grave as my uncle and aunt have already went to my great-grandparents grave earlier . So we did what we have to do there and we left afterward . Sadly , I left my camera in my grandma ’s house . So I took photos with my phone . But then sadly , something happened to my phone when I came back to my uni that I don’t want to talk about before I get to load the photos into my laptop . So , I apologize as there are no photos from here ..

Back to the story , Cheng Beng really thought me a lot of things . Other than reminding us to respect and remember our deceased relatives and the memories we have with them , it also teaches us to cherish our loved ones whom we still have with us today . To me , Cheng Beng is more than merely a religious responsibility to carry out . It reminds us of who we are and where we come from . Our identity , our origins , our roots ..

PICC Front Desk..

This is the 1st time that I have been to Putrajaya . The view from PICC is not to say breath – taking but it is nice . Of course I brought my camera along just in case there’s any interesting photos to snap . Guess I did not make a wrong decision .. =p

The Main Road Leading To PICC . My Dad Says Those Two Buildings Are One Of Sunway Construction’s Project . He Used To Be The Safety Officer There Before He Was Transferred To Abu Dhabi..

The Lake On The Left Side Of PICC..

Another 2 Buildings Under Construction..

I Don’t Know What Caption To Put For This . Haha..

Since the view is kinda nice , my friends and I decided to take some photos there ..

Main Road As Our Background..

Singh , Me And “Apek”.. =p

Me And One Of My Close Friend In UPNM , Idvinderjit Singh..

Inside PICC . It Is As If We Were Separated From The Group . Haha..

After dinner and a mini shooting spree here and there , I decided to go into the main conference hall and wait for the event to begin ..

The Stage..

After waiting for a while , I was informed that The Prime Minister of Malaysia , Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak will be attending the event as the guest of honour . So we will have to wait for his arrival before the event starts . So to kill time .. =p

The Chandelier ( Or Whatever You Call It ) From The Main Entrance’s Angle ..

I Like This Photo Better . Taken From My Seat’s Angle . Has A Crispier Finish As I Used “Vivid” Mode.. =p

After only a few minutes , Dato Sri Najib arrived and officiated the event . We were presented with a dance from a group of cultural performers from the universities of Malaysia as an opening show ..

Can You See Him ? My Camera Can’t Zoom That Far . Haha..

On The Big Screen . Clearer View Of Him . Haha..

The Group Of Cultural Performers..

The Trophy . Thoroughly Made Of Silver Wei . ( Or Maybe Just The Coating ) Haha.. XD

The event started shortly after the Emcee made a simple intro . This event was aired LIVE on TV1 . Haha .. Such a big thing wei . Hehe .. The 1st speaker was Natalia Budanova from Russia . She did quite a good job on her speech but contestants which really caught my attention were these few ..

Mohd Shazuan from Malaysia . Champion For Nusantara Category . His Speech Is Damn Powerful . Had The Audiences Glued To Their Seats . Haha..

Chai Lany Sles from Cambodia . Runner Up For Nusantara Category . His Command In BM Is Quite Amazing ..

Zhang Song From China . Champion For The International Category . Yeah !! Proud To Be A Chinese .. =p

Zara Maxwell Smith from Australia . Runner Up For International Category ..

Damn Cun Wei . Haha.. ( Borrowed This Photo Form Eugene’s Profile )

In the middle of the “show” I sneaked out to get a few shots of Putrajaya’s night view . Now THAT is really nice . Haha..

I Have No Idea What Structure Is This . Hehe..

Main Road’s Entrance ..

The Road And The City Are Flooded With Lights . Love This Photo .. =p

When I re-entered the hall , it was already the closing ceremony . Looks like I walked out on the last speaker . Haha .. There was another cultural performance as the judges tally the points of the finalists . The results were announced later and that was the end of the day..

Closing Performance ..

The Ministers , The Participants And The Winners ..

Left – Right : Y.B Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin , Mohd Shazuan , YAB Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak , Zhang Song

By the way , did I tell you that the Chief Of The Armed Forces , Gen Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Azizan Bin Ariffin was there as well . He spared me a moment of his time to take a photo with me even when he is rushing to escort Dato Sri Najib out of the hall ..

Photo’s Blurry Cause The Hand Of The Person Taking The Photo Is Kinda Shaky At That Moment . And By The Way , This Photo Is Cropped . Haha..

Well , this trip has been a memorable experience for me . Seeing people from so many countries taking part in such a major event is certainly an eye – opening  experience .. =p

Fuh .. Damn Tired Wei .. Haha.. XD

The Steamed Fish For Lunch . It Was Marvelous.. =p

One Of My Favorite Dishes . Siew Yoke ( Pork ) Cooked With Sesame Oil And Soy Sauce . Hehe..

Steamboat For Dinner..

After lunch , we took our family portrait . And Yes .. Of course it’s using my Sony α330 DSLR . Hehe.. XD

All In Traditional Chinese Costume . Nice Eh ? =p

That night , my friends had a little gathering at Jee Yan’s house . Went over around 9.30 pm and left around 11 . We chit chatted and did some catching up . It was nice .. =p

After sending my grandma back to Ayer Tawar , my family prepared for our usual prayers and of course the countdown . And as usual , with countdown there are always……

Fireworks !! This One Is The ” Hong Pao ” , Loosely Translates As ” Red Firecracker ” At The Main Gate Which We Lit At 12 am . =p

Dragon Egg..

Gasing..

Mini Gasing..

My Sis With The ” I-Don’t-Know-What-You-Call-It-Firecracker “.. Haha..

Fireworks From Our Neighbor.. =p

This year my dad bought 2 sets of those fireworks as well . One was lit on this particular night , and another one during the mini barbecue we had at my house on the fifth day of Chinese New Year . Some photos of it …

This Is My Favourite Shot Of The Fireworks.. =p

NOT A Firecracker . Haha..It’s The Big Incense Stick That We Burn As Offering The Gods ..

Well , I know I am not really that good a photographer yet , but I am learning . And I will get better.. =p

1st Day

1st day of CNY is of course morning prayers as usual . Then we went to my uncle’s ( dad’s elder bro’s ) house to “pai nian” and went to my grandma’s house after wards . Had our lunch there and went to my grandaunt’s house ( mum’s aunt , paternal side ) which is also in Ayer Tawar on the way back . She was the one who took care of my mum during her childhood days so my mum has a very special bond with her ..

My Whole Family With My Grandaunt And My Cousin Bro ( Grey Mickey Mouse Shirt )..

My Mum And Grandaunt..

Oh ya..Did I mention that my cousin bro tagged along with us when we came back from Ayer Tawar ? But then we met with his aunt when we stopped by 7-11 to get some ice and he decided to follow her instead . Haha..Mischievous little fella .. XD So after that , we went home and rested for the rest of the day..

2nd Day

Woke up early in the morning to prepare for our journey to Pangkor . The reason being we don’t want to get caught in the jam to embark on the ferry there . Reached Lumut Jetty around 8 am . While waiting for my dad to get a parking lot I snapped some photos to kill some time ..

The Jetty Terminal..

The Clock Tower..

One Of The Business Premises..

This Is Totally Just For Fun . Haha..

Then we bought our tickets and waited for the ferry to arrive . So while waiting ..

Sunrise At Lumut Jetty . More Like 8 Something am . Haha..

Reached Pangkor Jetty at around 9 am . Called and waited for my aunt’s ( dad’s elder sister ) family members to come and fetch us . And while waiting .. XD

The Shop Lots At Pangkor Town . If You Would Have Read The Newspapers , You Should Know That The New Shop Lots On The Left Were Built To Replace The Old Ones Burned Down In A Fire Few Years Back..

The Fire Station Tower In Pangkor ..

Happy CNY Banner From MCA . I Wonder How Long Has It Been Hanging There . Haha..

We went to my aunt’s house after wards and came out again to have breakfast . Well , I could say nothing much about Pangkor until the evening . Where I went to Pasir Bogak to take some shots of the sunset there . The scenery was tuly breath-taking ..

The 1st Photo There . It Was Already Around 7.40 At That Time..

The Beach..

A Speedboat In The Middle Of The Sea..

Trying To Focus On The Waves But Ended Up Focusing On The Footsteps Instead . Haha ..

These People Are Still Playing Banana Boat At This Time . Haha.. XD

This Is My Favorite Shot Of The Day . An Overall Photo Of The Bay . Nice ? =p

3rd Day

Breakfast at Pangkor is always something I look forward to . Had a bowl of ” Qing Tang Mien ” ( Mee Sup ) . But then I had a sudden craving for the ” Chee Cheong Fun ” so I went all the way to Sg Pinang Kechil just to get 1 packet of it . Haha..Then met up with Pei Fan after lunch and headed back to Sitiawan..

This Photo Kinda Sends Out The Message ” Lets Go Home ” . Love It.. =p

The Rush At The Jetty . And It Happened Right After My Family And I Got On It . Haha..

Reached Sitiawan around 5 or so and the whole family rested for the rest of the day , except for me . Haha.. Went out for the movies that night with Kit Kei , Xin Yi , Ee Lynn and her bro..Well , the initial plan was to watch “Percy Jackson and The Lighting Thief” at 9.30 ..But due to some unexpected turn out of events , we ended up watching the 11.45 screening instead . Haha..This time it is seriously NOT me whose late . Some little lady ( Xin Yi ) took way too long to prepare . Haha..I still can’t forget the incident at her house when I went to fetch her . Only a few of us close friend knew what happened . Haha ..

4th Day

17th of February which is also MY 2oth BIRTHDAY !!!!! =p Haha .. So this is gonna be the Big 20 part . Hehe.. My dad bought me a Casio Edifice watch as a present .Thanks Dad !! =p

Love This Watch To The Max . Haha.. =p And To NZWatches , Please Don’t Sue ME For Using This Photo . Haha..

Well , didn’t go anywhere for the day except to Econsave and The Store to buy some stuffs for the steamboat at Ang’s house at night as I have to help my dad put up the bamboo curtain on the empty space between the walls separating our house and the neighbour’s . After dinner time ( NOT dinner ) , went to fetch Kit Kei and headed to Ang’s place ( except that we made a pit-stop at Wonderful Gift gift shop as she wanted to get a gift for her boyfriend . Haha.. XD Reached Ang’s place around 8 or so . Then helped them get prepared and it’s ” makan ” time . Hehe..

Yum .. Greedy Me..Haha.. XD

A lot of our friends are present on that night . We did a lot of catching up and it was fun . =p Then , while I was chatting with Mei King and Uncle Eng Seong ( Ang’s dad ) , they suddenly brought out 2 cakes and sang the birthday song . Well , it was my birthday that day and Kah Wai ’s the next . they did wish me but I never thought that they would actually buy a cake to celebrate it . I am really touched guys , since I seldom celebrate my birthday .. . Thanks .. But there is a catch to it . me and Kah Wai need to take the candle out of the cake by biting it . Haha .. Lets just let the pictures do the talking ..

Me And Kah Wai Posing By The Cake..

Candle Blowing Ceremony..

Ang – “Look At Me For What ? Take Out the Candles La..”

Well , You Can Guess What Happened .. And Yeah .. Thanks To Ang . Haha..

Well , At Least I Didn’t Kena As Bad As Kah Wai . Haha .. And It Wasn’t Me . I Forgot Who Did It ..

And These People Are Just Watching So happily . Haha..

Anyways , a big thanks to the guys who organized this thing . I really enjoyed myself that night and hopefully you guys enjoyed too..

Group Photo.. =p

And just for fun..

Me Posing With My Camera . Haha..

5th Day

As usual , nothing much during the day but my dad organized a mini barbecue gathering at my house that night . Most of my friends from yesterday came and we had a good time as well . The only thing that slacks is that I didn’t take any photos and I took out the expensive liquors too soon . No one even touch the beers as they were busy drinking the Chivas Regal and Dry Gin . Haha..

Nothing much for the following days except outings with friends and things like that . Dad left for Abu Dhabi on the 7th day . We sent him off at the Shuttle Bus stop near Pizza Hut . Hope that everything goes well for him over there .. =p As for me , I went back to KL on the 8th day of CNY . Sunday morning 8.30 am bus . Gonna miss home , my family and my friends . Haiz.. Anyways , I know CNY is already over but hopefully it’s not too late to wish everyone HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR !!!!! =P

p/s – Can’t wait for Chinese New Year 2011 . Haha.. =p

p/s – CNY post coming soon . Stay tuned..

My Appearance That Night . Nice Specs Eh ? It’s For Staring At The Computer Screen Only And It’s ‘Powerless’ . Decided To Make Myself Look More ‘ Knowledgeable ‘ . Haha.. XD

To my horror , all the head of departments , Deans , military officers and most senior lecturers are present . Even both the Deputy Vice Chancellors are present for the event . I was like ‘ Die la .. ‘ . After the all the time-wasting formalities , the performances started . First up was the Chinese calligraphy exhibition , English sketch , French poem recital , Arabic sketch , and finally me . I was feeling kinda nervous as I have to give a speech in front of so many important people . It’s unlike when I was the MC during assemblies in secondary school where I actually have a book in my hand to tel me what to say next . This time I am going on top of the stage EMPTY HANDED . Butterflies are flying wildly inside my stomach . But , I am already there . And realising I am the only solo performer there , I got up , pulled myself together , and said to myself ” I gotta make an impression today ” .

I walked up the stairs , adjusted the microphone , and .. ” Here it goes ” ..
” Vice Chancellor , National Defense University of Malaysia , Lt General ………. ”
My words are barely audible in the beginning and I swallowed my saliva hard down my throat plenty of times . But as my speech entered the starting part of the introduction , I am going quite smooth already . Guess I’ve just gained a tiny bit of confidence there . So I went on and on about my chosen topic “Integrity Among Malaysians” . And I guess I could say I ended with a ‘Bang!’ as when I raised my voice on my last sentence ” … Duty , Honour and Integrity ” , everyone in the hall clapped .. =p

After the Closing Ceremony was over , a few of us stood outside the doorway to send of the VIPs .. The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Alumni , Prof Wan Mahsom came over to me , shook my hands and said ” You spoke well boy .” .. That short sentence really made my day . We chatted for a while till she had to leave . As I watched the VIPs went , I thought ” I’ve made a good impression of myself haven’t I ” =p

Here are a few photos I took after the night was over ..

Me And Lt Kol Surjeet Singh . My Foundation Year 2nd Semester English Lecturer.. Photo Kinda Blur..

Me And My Current English Lecturer , Ma’am Erda and Previous Semester English Lecturer , Ma’am Eva . Another Blur Case Photo .. XD

My Precious Little Trophy .. =p Photo Damn Blur . Can’t Wait To Get My DSLR Back From The Service Center .. =p

Guess this is all for now folks . Till the next post , chao.. =p

p/s – Counting down to Chinese New Year holidays .. 5 more days !! Yeah !! =p