ICSJ CF camp!

Stan will be away on camp from 18th to 21st August. Till then, will update stories later after camp =D

Infestation

I was happily editing my magazine content yesterday night when I spotted a few ants running around on the top of my table. I've seen these pesky pests running about for quite some time and I thought that they originated from some hole. I usually won't bother them since they may just be passing through. For the past 3 weeks or so, I've noticed that there have been more frequencies and a steady stream of them too but I can't seem to pinpoint where they were going with their load until yesterday.

At one split second, I saw an ant creeping into my "Band of Brothers" DVD box set. It's the linear opening at the spine of the DVD container to be precise. After that, a few more ants followed their comrade into the opening. At that point of time, it dawned upon me that that could be their base of operations all the while! To be really sure, I grab that whole box of DVD collection (3 of them) and took them outside to my door and prepared myself to "blast" open the disc box. With tissues equipped, I pried open and to my revulsion and disgust, I was right and there was literally an ant colony in my DVD box! There were eggs everywhere, on the case itself and for that matter, even on the discs! It looked like some darn Zerg colony. The whole case was infested with worker ants and I saw about 3 Queen Ants probably getting ready to lay even more eggs. That was sickening. I never knew a DVD case box could be classified as a viable habitat for ants too..lol.

First things first is to rescue the two discs from the box. I yanked out the discs, cleared the surface of all the crawling ants and then proceeded on in wiping the discs clean of any egg remnants that might be there. As I wipe the disc, I noticed that there were lots of stains and it was not that easy to wipe them clean. I gather that those stains were the squashed remnants of ant acid, larvae and egg sacs together. I will definitely be annoyed if my discs were spoiled because some ant decided to spray its acid or eggs all over the place. After clearing my discs, I took the container box to the toilet, opened the floodgates from the tap and drowned the entire colony with water while scrubbing it clean. On that day, all the death cries were mixed together as the little lives were snuffed out with the splashing sound of water. However, those ants are real survival because even after rinsing them in water, some of them are still clinging on to the box. At the end of the drowning sequence, the small carcasses of those six-legged creatures, eggs and larva were floating in a derelict mess. They'll never know that their hidden base was annihilated totally because one of their ants made a mistake and gave away their secret position. =p

I checked the other two DVD containers and also the other discs and thankfully, none of them were affected with ant migration. Anyways, all those purging wasted a lot of my time and I could have finished quite a portion of my magazine content if not for this untimely interruption and pirate cry to raid and pillage a colony.

Blue Community

Solomon Kalou fires off the winning shot for Chelsea

The football season is back and Stan is here to whine again about football..haha. Yup, season 2009/2010 of the English Premier League kicks off with the Community Shield match between Man Utd and Chelsea. United have won it twice in a row on penalties. The question is, will they be third time fortunate to win it again? The squad is certainly a different one without Tevez and Ronaldo while Chelsea's squad has little difference since there are no major transfers happening there.

Within 10 minutes of the game, Nani opened the bank with a fierce long range diagonal shot beyong the reach of Cech. I have to say Nani had been superb in this game with the passes and the runs timely placed. It's a pity that he had to be taken off halfway at the second half for injury. If Nani can continue to keep up displays like this, that would be great since last season was not a really good one for him. It's time to step up to cover part of the void that was left behind. Anyways, Man Utd looked like the sharper side at the first half. Attacks were well coordinated and there were a couple of times they could have easily gone ahead further with a few more goals.

The second half was a different story though. Ivanovic was clearly struggling against the United attackers and so Ancleotti replaced him with Bosingwa. That was a good change of tactics from the new boss. Well, the Blues look more threatening in the second half, and I guess it must be that half-time talk. Chelski punished United for their sloppy defending in the 52nd minute. Both Foster and Drogba collided with each other while going for the ball and Carvalho was just at the right position to connect the spilled ball with a diving header. It's a small fortune for Chelsea for that open goal but I thought that Foster should have performed better in such situations by plucking the ball in the air commandingly. There are a couple of times where Foster dealt with his saves and command of area poorly. There was one time where it was reminiscent of the Malaysia match where Foster nearly screwed up from a defender backpass. At other times, he looked like gifting a free goal to the Chelski poachers for dwelling too much on the ball. Foster's lack of exposure to first team duties and major clashes could be the reasons for his failure to impress. Nevertheless, it seems that Fergie is gonna keep faith in him for an extended run with our beloved van der Sar injured for 8 weeks straight. Hopefully, Foster could withstand that period of time and show perhaps that he deserves to be United's next keeper in line after vds.

Chelski's second goal was more of a dubious and controversial kind. The dirty rat Ballack had a couple of tricks up his sleeves when he "obstructed" Evra, leaving the left back stranded behind on the ground when Chelsea pumped a long ball ahead for a counter-attack. The result was 3 Chelsea attackers vs. 2 United defenders scrambling back and Lampard being the free man slots it in without trouble to give Chelsea the lead. The United players protested but the goal stands. I was already resigned to having Chelski winning the game 2-1 but out of nowhere, Rooney bulldozed through to beat the defensive line and scored at the death to at least provide United another chance to win the game. This is a preview of what to be expected if you allow Rooney to run rampant in his central forward position..haha

So, it has to go into the the penalties but I had this awful feeling that Man Utd will lose the shootout firstly because vds was not there and secondly, I had a pre-emptive prediction that some weird blokes will be chosen to take the penalty shots. Giggs was the first to take for Man Utd and I was right to say that he would miss this since it's kinda predictable where his left foot will strike. Usually, for left-footed kickers like Giggs, the only thing that would beat experienced keepers like Cech will be speed and power of the shot. I was annoyed to see Carrick as the next penalty taker but he did well in putting the ball into the net eventhough Cech guessed his direction properly. And the last penalty taker for Man Utd was a shocker. It was Patrice and experience tells you that defenders are one of the worst people to take shots. Lo and behold, Patrice's gay shot was so bad that even John O Shea could save that kind of kick with his eyes closed. Kalou finishes off the final kick and looks like Man Utd don't get to be third time fortunate.

I find Man Utd's attacking department doing well for the match but the quality of the defence is questionable. Perhaps the absence of Vidic is one of the contributing factors. With him out for a month and vds for eight weeks, maybe it could be time for Fergie to press the emergency button to open the bank again. Oh well, Man Utd need to get this out of their system and prepare for their first league game next week. Foster has to warm his gloves better if he wants to continue on in between the post.

No exams but occupied

I can't believe I'm locked out of youtube and blogger for the past two days at my campus. But since it's back online, time to write something which was supposed to be up a few days ago..haha. Last Friday, went to lepak at Mid-Valley with Jason, Reuben and Samuel. Carl's Junior is not too be missed of course since its ages since I had one. Ahhhh..the taste of those freshly cut fries is still in my mind now..yum yum. One of the main purposes of going there is actually to spend my RM50 MPH book vouchers which I had won at the Perdana Leadership Foundation essay competition. As a result of the jam outside Bangsar and makan time, I only had like around 30 minutes to make a choice and it's not easy to decide what to spend on. On the previous year, I spent my RM50 vouchers on the 50th anniversary Malaysian event archives.

At first, I thought of spending it on those law shortcut books for slackers like me. However, couldn't find any year 2 subjects there. Then, I thought of any worthy graphic novel but all those that were selling there were marvel and DC stuff, not like those done by Alan Moore. Marvel and DC are technically classified more as comics rather than graphic novels. I love those Marvel and DC comics too but I wanna get something that is standalone. I moved on to my third choice, which is my beloved History section. I thought of getting another historical account book but I hesitated because there are still tons that I had not read finished yet. And right at that moment, I remembered the type of books that are definitely worth the buy - hardcover, pictorial and photographic books either on the Cold War or World War II! Yes..these books are currently lacking in my collection - photographic archives of modern world history. I browsed through quickly and finally found one nice treasure - A photographic book on World War II, both civilian and military shots by the war photographers of the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK. I came at the right to get it because there was a storewide 10% discount at MPH for the weekend..hehe. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my purchase..wheeee :)

Anyways, Semester 4 is coming to an end. The honeymoon semester is coming to an end soon but this does not mean that I won't have anything to do. Magazine, presentation, drafting and Moral MPW are stuff that are occupying me busy for this last week even though I'm not sitting for any final exams. Tomorrow's a killer assesment day with GP presentation and drafting assessment. After tomorrow, I really have to get down in studying for my moral exams because I've not touched a single thing there at all. I passed already with the coursework marks but I aim to score to higher for that exam since I have nothing on for this semester. Uhhh..the thought of cramming one whole book into my brains within 2 days is just staggering even for last-minute peeps like me. Immediately after exams on Saturday, there is no res because I'll have to go for practice at church since I have to serve this Sunday. I hope I don't explode at the end of the week because I still have a magazine to publish on the next week. [Rantings and Complaints mode done]

On a brigher note, it's a good semester break and holidays to look forward to - time to catch up on my games and movies. There's also the Inti Subang ICF camp at Port Dickson too. Looking forward to have fellowship and meet new people there. =p Hmmm..I think I'll stay at campus until the camp starts. Well, it's good to make some plans on what to do during that period of time soon.

Wow...just simply wow

Yesterday was the Installation Night/Club Awards Presentation ceremony which was held in Pan Pacific at KLIA. INTI Christian Fellowship got nominated under 9 categories and they are:

Best Event Review: Beau Bristow Concert
Best Camp: ICF Camp
Best Progressive Club Award
Best Exhibition: Christian Awareness Week
Best Club Publicity
Best Religious and Cultural Society
Best Secretary: Me..lol =p
Best Treasurer: Shu Jin
Best Associate (Or in other words..Best Club)

Of all the 9 nominations, ICF achieved three, Best Exhibition for Christian Awareness Week, Best Progressive Club Award and shared the coveted Best Associate title with Stact Club. Haha..CAW was awesome and I'm glad to see it getting recognition. To some extent, CAW was our fueling factor to push ICF to greater heights. We had gathered much momentum at that time, and the people in the organising committee for CAW had the blueprint to push ICF to grow further in its potential.

I think we were already contented to be nominated to be in the running for Best Associate but we never dreamt or anticipated that we would actually win it! To see ICF's name being engraved on the trophy and to be remembered..it's just emotional. As I said, it's all by God's grace. The award belongs to all ICF members because all of them played different parts, no matter how big or small, in making our fellowship a homely place to be.

Praise God. All Glory be to God :)

Farewell Kak Yasmin

Malaysia has lost a bright talent on 25th July. Yasmin Ahmad tragically passed away at the age 51 years old due to a stroke and brain hemorrhage. Many Malaysians fondly remember Kak Yasmin for her love and touching creative works in the media that transcends the boundaries of race and religion. She was a true advocate of the spirit of muhibbah. She used her talents to build bridges between the different ethnic groups. She presented to Malaysians, a vision of what being a "Malaysian" should be.

Of course, I remember her for all the wonderful Petronas festival ads that aired on television that was directed by her. They are not lavish or complicated stories. Just simple presentations of everyday Malaysian life on issues like filial piety, tolerance and love. The message in those small little clips were warm and sincere. It never cease to amaze me how she could actually direct ads that are culturally unique to each ethnic group and at the same time, appeal to them eventhough she's not from their culture. Kak Yasmin's artistic skills were so renowned that even the Singaporeans approached her to direct one of their government sponsored ad on marriage. It must be said that ad in Singapore (titled "Eulogy") was also given thumbs up by the Singaporeans themselves. I am sure her passing away will impact the Singaporeans as much too as it hit the Malaysians.

Kak Yasmin's films were never shy of controversies since they explore many topics which the government of the day or even Malaysians themselves consider it to be taboo. Sepet was the one which stands out the most among her work. Her recent film works include Muallaf and Talentime. This is a huge loss for Malaysia. The amount of years lost, and all the films. ads and ideas that she would have in her mind for the nation. I think to some extent, Petronas ads during festivals will never be the same again. I just felt a huge void there and I hope Kak Yasmin's efforts will inspire many more young Malaysians to follow her footsteps in using their creative ideas to bridge the divides. Her last blog entry stops at 22nd July. It will remain there untouched forever but it shall never be forgotten by us.

Rest in Peace Kak Yasmin. You have done your nation proud and we Malaysians feel thankful for the little life lessons that you have provided us in your creative works.

Last week for CF activities

Oh well..we have came to the end of the semester for the activities of ICF. It has been the last week for many ICF events and meetings, but of course, we will still continue to meet each other for dinner outings etc. On Monday, since it's a public holiday in Negeri Sembilan, there were no classes. The whole bunch of us made a dinner trip to Kajang for Kajang satay and we were led by Qin Le there since he is a resident of that place itself. Mhmmmm..I ate about 15 sticks but it's not that filling since I didn't eat any other stuff. I have to say the satay sauce is really delicious though and they allow us to have free refills..haha.

Wednesday was our last official CF meeting and it's also the closing ceremony for the May semester. We had a farewell ceremony for Kelvin, Nic and Shu Jin since this is their last semester. I think the CF folks will miss them very much. Kelvin has been a constant and visible figure at CF and I've known him since semester 1. I feel that CF has lost a very capable and loyal servant, since Kelvin has always been there to ensure things like logistics and sound systems run well before the meeting. Not only that, he's also one of the few worship leaders that we have. For Nic, most of us definitely wished that he's with us earlier. Lol..he only came to know us in his last semester. Nic's a fun fella to be with and hang out. We wish all the best to wherever he may go. Shu Jin has been a wonderful sister-in-christ to many and I believe that she had led the Chinese CG well. Though quiet, she has done alot in the background that many do not see. We wish Shu Jin the best as she goes back to Sungai Petani. Maybe I may bump into her in the future if I do go there to visit my aunt..haha.

On Friday, instead of having our regular CG meetings, we had a final CG makan outing at KFC. We had a change from Pizza Hut for the last 3 sems..lol. Yup, a massive group descended upon Nilai KFC and we needed about 5 cars and double trips to get everyone there since all three CGs are going there. We had a great time fellowshipping and I think half of the lower floor of KFC consisted of our group..lol.

I wanna thank everyone at ICF for helping the new committee in making this semester a success. We had completed 1 semester term and we had certainly learn alot of things. I will definitely look forward for next semester's activities! Btw, ICF is being nominated for 9 categories for Installation Night/Award ceremony tomorrow. Hopefully, with God's grace, we can win a few of the awards..hehe =p