HIV/AIDS blood donation

The Malaysian government is planning to jail people who have HIV/AIDS that donate blood.

To tell you the truth, the first thing that came to mind when I heard this news on The Star article was, gee... wouldn't I be worried if I ever needed to get blood tranfusion from the hospital?!

You see, the government has always been publicizing the public to donate blood as the the national blood bank is dangerously low on blood stock. I for one am a blood donor and I think it is a very charitable and humane thing to do. It is also healthy as you "dispose" your old blood and keep your marrows churning out new blood cells; this is supposed to be healthy. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of that.

Back to the point, by publicizing jail sentences to those who have HIV/AIDS and donate blood, wouldn't that tell you that the blood collection guys are not checking thoroughly the blood that has just been donated for diseases, viruses or any harmful substance in it?! Logic tells me that when one donates blood, it is also the authorities' responsibility to inform the donor that they have found something wrong with the blood. And when that is found out, that blood will be disposed of responsibly. Let's say a person who does not know that he/she has HIV/AIDS and donates blood; he/she will be jailed because he/she didn't realize it! In a way, it brings fear to the public and that doesn't promote blood donating at all.

Yesterday's Dinner: Eggplant, shrimp omelette, and roast pork in soy sauce (i think)

Losing Streak

As you all know it is World Cup season again, and me being the football (yes, the rest of the world calls soccer as FOOTBALL!) amateur who never plays nor care about soccer has kicked off another season of betting and aimless shouting!

You see, I've never watched complete football matches unless it is a World Cup match! That being said, you can tell that I've only watched football enthusiastically when I was in Form 2 (1998), Taylor's College (2002) and right now after graduation from Purdue (2006!). World Cup has seen me through betting in every stage of my academic life. And with every betting match, I will discuss the odds with friends and their friends and their friend's friend. It has brought everyone irrespective of race, age and personality together with a common interest (even for the uninterested like me) to one topic on the coffee table, which is... WHO WILL WIN?!

Today's match between Brazil and Ghana was no biggie as everyone expects Brazil to win... even so, I lost four bucks as I wasn't betting on the overall full-time score because of the low winning return ratio, but I was betting on who will score next, how many goals in the game will there be and so on... all these through online betting bookies (which I am donating to them lavishly, unfortunately)!







The real loss was actually the match between France and Spain as I had my hopes on Spain but the otherwise unbelievable luck on France's side got them to the next round... and $20 poorer for me just because French players are good in pinching asses! *boo-hoo-hoo*!!!
Then again, I have by bets on France in the game against Brazil.

To date, I've lost nearly NINETY FREAKING BUCKS on bets! But if you ask me, I've never enjoyed football this much before. Not even in previous World Cups! I've learned the basics of the game and know how to actually enjoy watching a match... otherwise I would be staring at the TV looking at 22 people roughneck-ing it out to get one miserable ball into the goal! I realized it is more than that... and I'm glad I can appreciate football better and in the spirit of camaraderie with my friends and strangers.

I hope you guys, anybody, will be able to give me tips on the match between England and Portugal. I am hoping for England but many people say otherwise... What do you think and what do you think I should bet on? Also the Germany and Argentina match. I'd appreciate your comments! Thanks in advance!

P.S. To my family who thinks I'm wasting money, let's just say I made some money from other sources and have the extras to spend... hehe...

Yesterday's Dinner: Baked fish, stir-fry vegs, and shrimp omelet
















Tonight's Dinner: Stir-fry vegs, scrambled eggs, and squash curry. We were supposed to have baked chicken but it went bad... :-(

Airline Drama

This should rightfully be a long and detailed post regarding the drama going in the airline industry.
To cut things to the chase, here are some updates in point form:

• British Airlines and American carriers are being probed for cargo price fixing. This is against fair trade rules and many other airlines including from Asia are being probed.
• Airbus is under fire because it is delaying delivery of the worlds largest commercial aircraft, the A380 by almost half a year. Airlines are seeking compensation for the delay including Malaysia Airlines (plans of cancelling the entire order is speculated), Singapore Airlines (first airline to fly it) and Emirates Airlines (the worlds largest single order for that aircraft)
• Air China expands its stake in the 7th largest most valuable airline, Cathay Pacific to 17.5%. (I'm not sure if this statement is correct or not, but here's the article and tell me if you can figure out what's going on on who's buying who, selling what, to who, etc...) *spiralling eyes*

That's all the updates for now.

Tonight's Dinner: Baked chicken and stir-fry vegs (home grown vegs from Purdue Village)

Polite + Courteous + Mannered + Empathetic = Civilised!

An article on Reader's Digest has suggested Kuala Lumpur (KL) of Malaysia as the third rudest country in the world in a survey conducted in 35 major cities where Reader's Digest is published! The most polite country goes to shocking but well deserved New York City!

I for one am not surprised that Malaysians to be considered rude. The New Straits Times followed up with this report and KL-lites agree too. But to those who beg to differ, here is my counter comment...

Yes, Malaysians can generally be friendly people only if we know that certain someone. The teritorial instinct among Asians is alive and that can be seen in, well, our own piece of territory. Have you ever seen a property go unfenced in KL? Back to the topic, being friendly is totally different to being polite, and most importantly in part of the survey, being courteous. The survey judges politeness more on the courteous side. For example, does one hold the door for the next person to enter, will someone help pick-up a bunch of documents a person accidentally drop, or does the person behind the counter give a genuine smile and thank you to the customer? I for one, would never imagine that happening in KL; or at least I've not experienced it. You see, Malaysians are also a bunch of shy people, enclosed in their own circle of known people, and everyone else are outcasts. The freedom of expression (of course in a positive manner) doesn't come noticed.

I've visited New York City 3 times now, and everytime I go to this bustling and thriving city known for its your-business-is-not-my-business attitude is none prevalent to a big extent. Just stand still and look at your map, and someone will stop and ask you if you need help for directions. Street performers are amazingly polite and entertaining and I believe is what makes New York a lively city. Everyone always start with "Hello, how are you doing today?" which looks like a genuine caring intention but I realized it's just an automatic startup communication connection dialog. If you say, "It's alright", then they'll just go on with their job. But if you really answer that question like "It was a pretty busy day for me", then that sparks a whole friendly conversation. Amazing isn't it?!

Anyway, back to KL's case, there is an aura of fear and exclusiveness that needs to be lifted. The new generation of KL youth is in the forefront of making changes that what would be considered a new civilization. Even Singapore doesn't have that and I know with proper nurturing, Malaysia really has what it takes to be up there as the most polite (and I really mean COURTEOUS) people in the world! Our humility has always set us apart from other cultures and that could be the very essence of a nice city to live in not because of tall buildings, fancy shops and restaurants, but because of the people. If all of Malaysians could emulate the recognition of Malaysia Airlines' cabin staff as the best in the world for so many years, it could pull us up and create a chain reaction to set KL and Malaysia as a whole as the best place to be! And I'm not saying this just to see KL at the top of the rankings, but for our own sake!

Buck up people! You know you can do better! I believe in Karma, and you are responsible for your actions and outcomes. Our parents always told us to be polite and courteous people. Why not heed their advice for once! Throw your pathetic self-naturedness for once and be a person, and a civilized one at that!

I know many will strongly differ in my views in some details. You might even say I am ironical in some of the actions I do to those who know me. But I am trying to change for the better and you should too. It is human nature to wail at our undercomings; dedicate one day of being nice (and courteous) for a start and lets see how your world look so much brighter and a nice place to be.

This post has totally gone too long but there's a reason for it. I AM EMBARRASED TO SEE THOSE RANKINGS!

Tonight's Dinner: Shrimp in Fried Egg, some sort of stir-fry chicken, and best of all Roast Pork (char-siew)!!!

Father's Day

It has been 5 years since Pa passed away... Although I'm one day late, Happy Father's Day to the greatest dad on Earth.

On this day, I reflect back the days where I wait eagerly for Pa to come home from work; and its not just for the day, but weeks, sometimes months. As he audits different banks all over the country (Malaysia) for long periods of time, moments shared together whenever he is home is treasured to the max! Simple stuff like having dinner, gardening and the occasional holiday out of state are just the things we do to catch up on time as I grew. Best part is when I can join Pa in his work in different parts of the country when school is out.

But it's the small things that I miss most; like how he will give me reflexology and peel the skin off the prawns and save me the best portion of the fish! As he sits on the rocking chair while I laze on the bean-bag watching our favorite shows, X-files, and documetaries.

I inherited a huge amount of my wisdom and skill from my father. And it is time that I listened to his advice that I always took for granted. Even now as I realize and reflect on his advice, I just hope that this empty soul of mine has the ability to take action.

Prayer: Pa, I hope you are at a happier place and don't worry about us. But in the mean time, do protect us and provide the inspiration you always have to everything I do. The next lottery win would be helpful too... kidding!

Dinner

As I browse through various personal blogs, it seems that many bored people, me included, have been posting alot about food.

I for one, am a big fan of food! But however much one is in love with food, there's the bad circumstance of getting fat. But wait, what happened to eating in moderation?

I've been in the US for 3 years now and American food always seem to lure me to obesity when they know I'm a sucker for melted cheese. Then again this past few months and almost half a year already, I can say home cooked food is not too far away.

In my last semester, I've been chow-ing at Chia & Su's place (which I've conquered and taken over this majestic kingdom) and they've been cooking dinner every weekday. Awesome as the food is mostly Asian with newly created recipes fusioned with other western cuisines.

Being the epicurian that I am, I must say dinner was always the highlight of my day! Now that I'm staying in Purdue over the summer, and chef Su (luckily its not gramatically correct to say Su (sous) chef) is gone, I've found myself another budding food maker!

I present you Kwan from Hong Kong! Apart from his creative food preparation (not to mention messy!), it actually taste's awesome!


I asked Kwan...

Sean: Hey boobie lover, what's cooking tonight?
Kwan: It's shrimp
Sean: Awesome! what do you call it?
Kwan: I don't know.
Sean: You don't know? Then how do you cook it?
Kwan: I don't know, I'm letting my imagination go wild!
Sean: okay.... *rolling eyes with fear looming*

Okay, okay... maybe this conversation didn't actually take place word for word, but the message was. As long as it tastes good and looks good, the ingredients don't really matter. Kwan is planning to name his dishes though, so that's a good sign!

From now on, I hope to take a picture of every weekday dinner and post it here just for fun. Check back everyday on SeansZOne and get your bibs ready when you do!







Cheers~


Tonight's Dinner: Shrimp in Corn Sauce

Phelps Media Showdown

I am OUTRAGED!!! Rev. Fred Phelps is probably the most abominable person I've ever known. As what an article in Time magazine calls him "an attention-crazed fanatic based in Topeka, who has logged 15 years as a kind of paleo-fundamentalist (Sean: whatever that means...), gay-baiting performance artist". You see this guy goes to funerals to protest. Protest who and what? Not sure... But he claims that 9/11 and the dead soldiers are all justified acts of God, and he and his church (consists of his own family members) are thanking God for it!!!

At this point I'm turning sick to actually hear that! Apart from that he is of course loathing gays, AIDS, Iraq, IEDs and so on... but mainly he is thanking God for all the disasters and civil matters because we deserve it. Okay, think whatever you want to think. I can understand why some can think like that. But keep your thoughts to yourselves and not smug it in other people's funeral! It is an extremely difficult and sad moment to actually be at a funeral of someone very close to you. That sadness is should dissipate on its own without interruption. With what Phelps is doing is turning sadness into anger and rage! What a bunch of devils!

A group of Harley Davidson riders known as the Patriot Guard riders loath Phelps and his agenda and they basically follow their mass to wherever dead soldier's funeral and guard the procession by revying up their bikes to swallow the disturbing protest sound. Words seem to fail me as I'm not sure I can classify what those idiots (Phelps) are doing be considered protests in the first place because they are more like stirring up a ruckus.

Anyway, this issue has caught national attention and I first knew about it when it was mentioned in Time magazine. The following videos are best watched in sequence (and with a glass of wine) for the full impact ...


Wow, I've never seen the media attack any person being interviewed before...


Okay, Phelps has its supporters...

But if you think the first video was interesting, take a look at this one:


And finally...

I hope that van eventually crashed.

In a way, this issue has actually opened doors for America to support gays, and totally redefined the meaning of Freedom of Speech. And if there's one small thing I agree with Phelps is that America is doomed!

BryanBoy Luvs Purdue!

Two posts earlier titled 'Save the Last Dance', I was talking about my last party before graduation. The pictures didn't go to waste being published on my malnaurished visited website because it was also published in BryanBoy's website!!!

BryanBoy is some teenage faggot from the Phillipines who does it all and exposes it all (his faggoty life, that is)! Its really a good and addictive read if you're as bored as me after graduation. I mean, its a good source of laugh. Anyway, the point is it is nice seeing yourself presented on someones very popular website, whoever that person is... enjoy!

Buh-bye!

Mr. Chia leaves Purdue for good in 7 hours. We celebrate this last night with dinner and games... and also the last chug!



All the best, and remember not to forget your jobless friends once you get your paycheck!

Save the Last Dance

Alright, for all the geek and nerdy years I've been at Purdue, I've never been to Neon Cactus, really!
Neon Cactus is supposedly to most happening club near campus. Not to mention 10 cent beer and $3 cocktails on Thursdays!









It took a few people to persuade me to go there just the day before my finals that leads to my graduation. It was that moment I knew the true colors of many people who try to get me to go.
Lies, threats, and psychological stress just to get my butt there... I thank them for that!!!


I was really hesitant to go but what the heck! It's my last dance in my academic career (or so I believe).

























Ahh... I think I almost completed the college life experience in the nick of time. There're many things I've not done or experience yet, but hey, I can still look back and say "I had my share of fun at Purdue!"

[listening to Petrified by Fort Minor]

Graduation

Its that time where I tell you whats going on in my life... Well, I'm happy to say that I have finally GRADUATED!!! For the love of God for those who still don't know what I graduated from, I now officially have a Bachellor of Science Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
I don't have any concrete plans but I am now working for my professor as a Research Assistant over the summer. In the mean time I will try to find a job i desperately need and also prepare for the GRE Exams (you need to take this exam to go for a masters degree). However, I don't plan to take Masters unless I get financial aid. I have been scrunching on my family's account too much and I think its high time I produce my own money.

Yeah, it feels good to graduate.

However, thinking that my life did not end but in fact just started is a daunting thought.

Should I have been working harder during my academic career?

Played less?

These are thoughts that run through my mind whenever I feel pointless in the situation that I still don't have a job.

Nevertheless I am contented with my achievements.

Why?

Because I am faithful that things will turn out for the better.

One by one, we go our seperate ways not knowing what we may face, but I hope one day we will meet again.