Joyce Chu - Like Me and it's parody

Cutie pie Joyce Chu Zhu Ai released her third digital single in early December. The single, entitled Like Me, describes the digital lives of the current young generation - phubbing on one's phone and frequenting essential online serivces Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp to name a few. Over time, these services become popular and their names adopted as verbs.

Not only that, Like Me also mentions about the elation of getting responses for one's social post and interactions on the net.



In response to Joyce's single, a fellow netizen from Penang released Chiak Ha Mi (Eat What?) sung in Penang Hokkien, a dialect of Chinese. Set on a theme of Penang food, he parodied Like Me with perfect rhyming lyrics. Elements parodied includes waking up from the bed, brushing teeth and riding a bicycle.

Netizens praised the parody for its creativity. Joyce Chu watched the video and commented, "Hahaha I'm laughing my ass off!"



Since the video only contained original lyric in its description I shall provide the English translation here.

Translation of the parody:

I wake up early only to grope on my cold bed
I'm only brushing my teeth once in three years
I wake up early only to find that I've forgotten to charge the battery of my phone
What should I do today?

What should I eat today? McD or KFC?
I dream of going to Japan to have sushi
What am I looking at? I can't bear to look at the prices in the menu
I don't have cash, so I can only eat up myself

*1
Hokkien noodles, curry noodles, wan tan noodles
Rice vermicilli noodles, spagetti, tom yam noodles
I don't care it's lo mee or Javanese mee
Add more ingredients, add spiciness, add size and take them away

*2
Eating bread, drinking coffee, take a selfie
They're not cheap and tasteless, so dissapointing!
I don't care [the restaurants] are air conditioned or not, hotel or street hawkers
It's better to eat Maggie mee at home
Like this happy

I want to go out but my butt sticks on the chair
But staying at home there are only expired milk in the refrigerator left
Why I have to take a cab even when I'm penniless?
Today I'm so angry!

Looking at Facebook there are lots of cute girls
Whenever I ask them out they regenade
I gave them a call but they ask me to go f*** myself
I give up so I call for delivery at home

*1

*2

*1

*2

Lo Mee, curry noodles, la mee, Hokkien noodles
Maggie Mee lah
Delivery.....

Clara for GUESS in Nylon Magazine

Model and actress Clara Lee posed for GUESS lingerie #underwear for Nylon magazine.

The photos were originally posted around October (Allkpop, Koreaboo), featured again in December 2014. In the photos, you can see Clara showing off her curvaceous figure with a dreamy gaze. With the aid of sunlight passing through the blinds, Clara delivered a pure and subtly sexy look.





Anyone can say she has a sexy body. Tell me, what else do you see?

That's all for Clara's lingerie shoot. If you want to view more, you have to purchase the November 2014 issue of Nylon Magazine.

[UPDATE] I've discovered additional photos from AppleDaily and can't wait to share them with you for your viewing pleasure.

If you're curious about her cup size, it's a big D.


She gained popularity in Emergency Couple drama


Looks sexy even when depressed...


Her gaze and glamourous figure is my weakness

Is she too sexy to handle? I guess so.

Being used - part 2

I have vented my displeasure towards this "friend" of mine in Part 1. I've acted nice in front of him and his family but that doesn't mean I am totally comfortable with him.

Flashback to the year when I was in second or third year of university....

I was in an outing with my college mates from my days at HELP University College. While I was strolling in The Curve, he rang me up asking me out for yum cha (catching up over a drink). I agreed (in hindsight that was a foolish decision to make, but if not, I would not get to blog about this). So that means ending my outing there and then because of the time factor.

I ended up in Jaya One with his group of friends. Suddenly he talked about attending a Saturday church event with his friends all without asking for my say over the matter. In so he committed an utter disrespect of me, but I kept quiet to save him face.

He even claimed that the event in the church is an annually held paid event.

I was brought to Full Gospel Assembly (FGA) along Old Klang Road.

And guess what? It was an ordinary service conducted in Chinese, free of charge. I was feeling pissed for being cheated like this. How are you supposed to represent Jesus like this?

*********

It was the next week, he called me up for a yum cha near Old Klang Road in the afternoon. The catch up session ended and I was supposed to meet dad at Bangsar. Public transport weren't efficient but I was supposed to commit myself to go.

And guess what? With his friends, he manipulated me to attend the church service. So I called up dad mentioning that I can't go with him.

It was co-incidence that my church friend from Planetshakers in Melbourne was attending the same service. I thoroughly didn't enjoy the service. To put it in words, I didn't feel the Holy Spirits' presence.

After the service, back in my house, I rang up my Melbourne friend and complained of the mistreatment I've got.

*********

It was my final week for holiday since I have to be back in Melbourne for studies. I attended the Saturday night service, but this time with my Melbourne church mate. The church members told me about an investigation launched when they heard my complaint, and punished those responsible for it.

It has been close to two years since I came back to Malaysia for finishing my fourth year, and that's the reason I didn't bother to contact my "friend".

Roadkill

Guys a few days to year 2015! Are you looking forward to it?

Now, let me talk about a minor accident I've met not long after starting my PhD course. Read on if you have the heart, and get your tissues ready!


Photo taken from here.

Story starts.

I would be attending a cell culture seminar (more like a product party) held by Fisher Scientific (link) at their office in Shah Alam. I headed down to University of Nottingham Malaysia campus to pick up my course mates, and off we go.

In no time, I was cruising along E18 Kajang SILK Expressway, on the stretch of Semenyih - Putrajaya link. I arrived at the built up area after Bukit Kajang toll with a speed of 80 km/h, that's the speed limit for the expressway.

On the road divider on my right, I spotted a dog popped up from the road divider. Another vehicle was cruising on the rightmost lane, its speed faster than me.

AND THE NEXT THING IS the dog jumped suddenly from the divider so the vehicle on my right hit it hard with NO MERCY. And the dog was thrown to my lane.

My course mates went into a frenzy so that I brake my car. But I was aware that there were vehicles behind me so it would be dangerous to bring my car to a stop. In a split second I decided to slow down my car a little. No point braking hard because it's just a stray dog.

I allowed the dog to pass under my car, letting a loud thud. Next, the dog was thrown to the lane on my left.

I looked up my rear mirror and that was my last sight of the dog. A lorry was about to hit it. The dog let out a scream in pain, and I assumed that it was no more.

All of us made it to Fisher Scientific office safely but I felt bad for making the hard choice in a split second. It's either I emergency brake and get my car sustain damage from behind or have the dog die but keeping my car unscathed.

The next day, I washed off the blood stains on my front number plate.

My Message to the Churches in Singapore

by Fynding Noor
The Real Singapore
25 December 2014

Dear The Real Singapore,

I write this letter as a Singaporean Muslim.

I address this letter to the believers of this church, the priest and pastors, our interfaith workers, and all people who commemorate the birth of Jesus, Peace and Blessings be upon him, & Lady Mary, the purest woman of this world and most eminent in the next world.

Recent events such as the evil ISIS torturing our Christian brethren in Mosul and the very recent shootings and unfortunate incident of innocents being held hostage in Sydney – all of which claiming to be done under the name of Islam has caused great upset, anger and hate for the rest of the world.

This outrages us as much as it outrages you and hurts us as much as it hurts you and angers us as much as it angers you, perhaps it angers us even more so because these evil perpetrators have hijacked our religion and misused it to fulfill their hidden motives and agendas.

Although these incidences and acts of terror are happening outside of Singapore, the ripples of their actions are starting to hit our shores.

One of our greatest blessings which we share in common, amongst many others, is to call Singapore home. We were born and raised here. Our closest friends are Hindus, Christians, Catholics, Buddhists and Muslims and believers of many other faiths. And we really wouldnt have it any other way. Neither will we tolerate anyone, regardless of who they are, to threaten this peace and love that we share amongst us.

The majority of Muslims, 99.999% of us, are lovers of our Prophets and Messengers. All of them. They are one and we prefer none of God’s messengers over the others and unto Him do we submit.
In fact, it is part of the faith of a Muslim to believe in the Holy Bible and Jesus, upon him be peace as with the Torah – the scriptures of the Jews and Moses, upon him be peace.

Believing in them is a testimony of our Faith.

In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and requested his protection. He responded by granting them the following charter of rights.

St. Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai in modern-day Egypt and is the world’s oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1,400 years under Muslim protection.

The following was penned in the Charter of Rights.

“This is a message from Muhammad son of Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God, I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.

No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His prophet.

Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight.

The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval.

She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation of Muslims is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

This promise is eternal and universal. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) ordered Muslims to follow it until the Day of Judgment just as we follow his last sermon before his passing.

The charter imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties.

I know I do not speak for myself alone but the majority of Muslims, not just in Singapore but all over the world. We stand with you in solidarity. We pray with you and for you. Our peace is yours and your peace is ours. Every word in the Charter stands true as it was in the time of the Prophet as it does today.

Previously, perhaps it was enough that we knew in our hearts that good people on both sides exists, but with the negative media only showing discord and injustice, doubt arises and we start to wonder.

The intention of this letter is to reinstate and assure our fellow brethren that we are ONE.

Muslims celebrate the Prophet Muhammad on varying occasions.

In the coming month of December, I would like to join you in your gatherings to celebrate Jesus. His birth, life, message, teachings, the second coming, the Messiah, the Spirit of God & the Virgin Mary, our Holy Mother.

Let us, together, stand united against attacks on any religious communities.

With love and prayers,

on behalf of my Muslim friends all over.

PS: I do apologise however, as i understand there are different sectors within the Christian community itself and perhaps you may or may not identify with this letter, but my message of peace and solidarity stands nonetheless.

I sent this letter over 200 churches in Singapore, but i dont think that is all of them. I have tried looking for various sources for the email address and in my process could have spammed a couple of churches. (Im really sorry.)

I hope that this reaches out to people of goodness on both sides to send a message that we need to do a lot more to reach out to one another and bridge our communities.

If not now, then when? If not you, then who?

Peace be upon you always.



*Original Blogpost can be found here: https://fyndingnoor.wordpress.com/

Youtube Christmas - videos to watch

Merry Christmas everyone! How is your Christmas? I am a big Youtube junkie because the list of videos to watch is never ending. It's a man made universe housing huge constellations of videos, each waiting for you and me to discover and appreciate. Without further ado let's come and see my choices of videos to watch to enter a Christmas mood!

Joyce Chu's "Last Christmas" cover



Joyce was heartbroken when her present was given to a bitch (also played by herself). To get herself a good revenge, watch how she transformed into a badass rocker and tormented her lover day and night (played by her brother).

Night Owl Cinematics' "All I Want for Christmas Is You" parody



All our #firstworldproblems in the song! My biggest problem of using a smartphone is battery life. Yeap you have it right.

A Pink's Christmas greetings







I feel so touched when A Pink members wished me with their message! The English subbed versions came just in time for the festive mood.

Wish you a Merry Chirstmas & Happy New Year! Party safe people.

Garmin's cutiepie

My uncle decided to buy a laser printer for office use, in the last hours before Pikom PC Fair 3 ends! From my grandma's house, we drove to Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to make our hunt.

I kid you not, he was looking for a very specific printer. Due to high volume of prints in the office, he was looking for a heavy duty model capable of printing 10,000 pages from a single toner. Most laser printers are incapable of doing that. And, we eventually found a good deal: lease to own a printer. Basically, my uncle only needs to pay a fixed amount per month for 3 years to have the printer shipped to his office. Toner exchange and maintenance will be taken care by the vendor. Sounds very very good!

And then, at the Garmin booth, I found the same showgirl again! I was hoping to stumble upon her again because my friend said she's very pretty.

*photos taken with my Samsung Galaxy S3





In my last installment, I dubbed her the best showgirl around PC Fair.

This time around I took the opportunity to ask for her contact, so I'll know who she is and won't forget her again! She's known as Gummy Sy. Go follow her on Facebook & message her if you have modelling jobs.

9 secrets of shopping in Low Yat Plaza

I am a person into computers and electronic gadgets so I love hanging out at Low Yat Plaza a lot. Sometimes, after work, I'll take a walk at Low Yat Plaza to check out what's the latest promotion going on and try out new gadgets. Whenever I wanna shop for electronics, the place to go is Low Yat Plaza.

Low Yat Plaza is Malaysia's largest ICT lifestyle mall - everyone should know that!

If you're not living in Kuala Lumpur like I do, you have Digital Mall in Petaling Jaya and KOMTAR in Penang Island are the places to go, they are the Low Yat Plaza of your area, so my tips apply to these places!

After I graduating from my degree I gave a shot of working at Viewnet Hyperstore in Low Yat. Based on my experience, I present you a few tips that’ll save you much headache shopping at ICT lifestyle malls!

Ask politely for discount
This is my Golden Tip when shopping for gadgets. If you take a product from the shelf and head straight to the cashier, you'll be charged the list price. In reality, you can buy stuff at a cheaper price! Prices can go lower than those stated in price lists. Here’s a little tip: you can ask sales assistant to give you discounts! Sales discounts can indeed be given if it's permissible. Just make sure you ask nicely with a smile.

Do your homework on what you need
Compatibility is the buzzword when it comes to buying technology products, because electronic equipments only work with appropriate accessories. Before you hit the shops, it’s good to know about the model number and specifications of your existing products, or if you’re clueless, present a photograph of your existing products. In most cases, a model number will suffice. There’s little salespeople can do when you can’t tell what your product model is.

When buying consumables such as ink cartridges and toners, it's best to give the model number of the cartridges or toners instead of printer models can save much searching time, and salespeople in the shops will appreciate it lots.

Once open, it’s considered sold
You may have noticed signs asking customers not to open the product packaging, and the shops have a good reason to do so. Careless opening of product packaging can lead to damage and affect sale of products because the packaging don't look good anymore. If you need help, you can always consult salespeople in the shop for a sample, or have the salesperson open the product for you (if possible).

Look at sales personnel’s outfit
Salespeople in Low Yat Plaza and similar places are divided into two types: sales assistants and promoters. Are they different? Of course they're different, & indeed both types of sales personnel are different. Sales assistants are employed by the shops and they are rewarded for sales of any products in the shop. Promoters’ usually wear T-shirts representing a brand and they’re employed by the brand to increase sales of the brand’s products. See the difference in their interests?

The next time you buy a gadget, know the difference between someone wearing a Viewnet (shop) uniform and another wearing Logitech (brand) T-shirt. Make your judgements on whose opinion carry more weight on you decision making.

Ask questions on product
It’s pretty self explanatory! Ask whatever question that comes to your mind before you buy. No question is a stupid question!

Ask for any warranty upgrades
Some shops provide warranty upgrades for select products. Warranty upgrades are worth it for an additional fee because it saves you so much time when you need it. Who knows, you need to claim warranty & the hassle is travelling. Benefits of warranty upgrades can range from walk in warranty (saving you from going to the brand's service centre) to 1 on 1 item exchange.

Large orders or special product not in stock, refer to senior staff
During my job, I’ve met business customers making large orders and enthusiasts looking for high end/collector’s item that are not in stock. If you need something, and there’s not enough stock to meet your needs, you can simply ask to be referred to senior staff of the shop who can tell you whether stocks will be immediately available.

Test product immediately
Nothing is more annoying than a product not working when you got home, right? After you paid for your product, it’s best to open the packaging and test the goods you’ve bought. If you have any issue, you can ask for an immediate replacement. Good shops have testing corner for you, so make good use of it!

Addition
Avoid buying from foreigners
There are stalls opened by foreign workers (particularly the Pakistanis) in Low Yat Plaza. My advice is avoid buying from them unless you know & trust them personally. Who knows if you need after sales service but the stalls are no longer there?

You have finshed reading my computer & gadget shopping tips in ICT malls! Do you find any of the tips useful?

Being used

At this moment, I have a reason not to feel good. I have been thinking of a recent episode when I felt used by someone.

This person is a high school junior of mine. In my high school, for some reason, I was feeling down. Apart from getting good results, most parts of my high school were bitter memories. Looking back in hindsight, I had friends who cared for me no matter what, but that was also a weak spot for devils to take advantage. He looked like a good friend, but when I was too sad to notice any hidden agenda in him.

I have known him for years. Since returning to Malaysia after I finished my degree, I actually never bothered to contact him. I remembered what he did to me years ago which I wasn't pleased - I shall talk about that episode in another blog post. Just very recently, not long after I started my graduate studies at University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, he messaged me through Facebook to reconnect with me. Perhaps I should forgive him, and give him another chance. I joined him for one activity. After that, he started asking me out for a few of his activities but I did not join.

In an evening, while I was busy with cell culture stuff on campus, he rang me out about an activity that night. That was a last minute call indeed. He mentioned about a medical specialist delivering a talk and wanted me to accompany him. After I finished my cell culture work I made the journey from Semenyih to Sri Petaling.

When I arrived he said what... "You missed the best part [by the speaker]!" I was actually a little offended to hear that, but I kept it to my heart, if he had considered how troublesome it was for me to come on short notice, and the journey I took. Then, I was brought into a seminar room where the talk was held. I was asked to made a payment of a small sum which I wasn't told about - wasn't too happy about it, but I kept my cool largely.

And guess what? The speaker did talk about some valid points about nutrition indeed, but the crux of the matter was to sell me nutritional supplements! The proper name for this kind of "talk" or "seminar" should be called a product party. The ploy to used by this junior of mine is to mention about some prominent/famous/successful person will be speaking only to con me to a product party! The language used by the speaker wasn't so difficult to understand. Even though I spent no penny, a few hours of my time will be out.

I looked up and saw white plastic bottles used to package nutritional supplements, each displaying its product label prominently, standing on shelves attached to walls. I've been seeing similar products in the past, in childhood and adulthood, knowing that these supplements aren't cheap to buy. Very well, a sign of what my junior is up to, even though years have passed.

Then, I turned my head to the back and noticed two portraits, each displaying a couple. I supposed they are married couples. I recalled seeing one of the portraits which I saw a few years back, at another place - the husband and wife who are members of a particular direct selling company. Another blatant giveaway! A few years may have passed, but I certainly remember.

Don't treat me like a fool anymore. I spent none of my money on a single product (except the entry fee); in the future I ain't got time for that. What do you suppose a friend is for?

Low oil prices could revive world economy but hard times are ahead for Malaysia

by V. Thomas
Free Malaysia Today
15 December 2014

Oil prices are tumbling down in a descent that is fueled by the weak global economy and the increased shale gas production in the US. The US had made much efforts in the past few years, backed by technology and investments, to free itself from over-dependence on Middle East oil.

With ISIS posing a major regional threat that could throttle oil production in the volatile Middle East, the US and other nations are wary of the economic consequences. This is the main reason for the intense shale production in the US.

In the future, oil prices will be more stable and affordable, and the oil windfall for the OPEC countries could be a thing of the past.

Saudi Arabia’s strategy of keeping oil prices low to drive out US shale gas supplies is a no-brainer. It is not going to have a major effect. The US will do its best to maintain shale gas production, including subsidising it, for its domestic use. The days of using oil as a weapon against the US are truly over. President Barack Obama, being more of a statesman than a politician, has done much to relieve the US of such threats.

The Middle East is in turmoil and nations too dependent on oil from the region must plan and prepare themselves from any eventuality by opting for other sources of fuel.

In the short term, major oil producers like Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Indonesia and others who depend much from oil export revenues could be in trouble.

For Malaysia, hard times are ahead and the days of carefree spending with Petronas profits are surely over. We know how much our government has abused our petrodollars. For example, the administrative capital of Putrajaya – which should be called Petrojaya instead – was built using billions of petrodollars when this precious money could have been used fruitfully for more important programmes and initiatives to diversify the economy so that we wouldn’t be too reliant on a depleting resource.

How the low price of oil is going to affect international politics and economics in the new year is yet to be seen. The US shale gas production is here to stay and is going to reduce and stabilize oil prices for the good of the global economy. The immediate beneficiaries will be major economies like China, Japan, India, the EU and the US itself. These economies could be re-energised, bringing multiplier or spillover effects for the world economy.

My journey as a fan of Felixia Yeap @ Raisyyah Rania Yeap

I have been following Felixia Yeap since her days of doing sexy shoot and being the first and only Playboy Bunny from Malaysia. She undergone a 180 degree change that took her fandom by surprise. It has been a while since she started donning the Muslim headscarf (hijab). By the time I pen this down, much has calmed down.

Pre-Hijab Felixia



The time I discovered about Felixia was on Facebook, already a Playboy Bunny. Fellow property developer Eric Yong has written about her a few times, featuring her with the tag Blogger Hotties. Photos of Felixia featured by Eric was fumingly sexy. You can say that Felixia was at the prime of her sexy career.

At the time I'm penning this post, Eric Yong's Blogger Hottie are no longer there.



At one moment I dug through Felixia's work, posted in her Facebook photos. I could remember there was a photo which she lie on a bed, her abdomen facing down. All her curves were gorgeously presented. Like a great piece of art, portraying the geometry of a human body, I couldn't help but exclaim. That was one piece of Felixia's work that I remember the most.

The photo I've described above is no longer there.



To be honest, I envy those who get to meet Felixia in her pre-hijab days.


I've watched every one of her sexy videos on Youtube. Then, her Youtube channel was FelixiaAV. Haha, I remember it correctly! Those videos are history now. There was a striptease. There was a video of Felixia singing.

What I like was, Felixia actually made eye contact with viewers!



I miss the sexy version of Felixia. She was once our Playboy Bunny, known for a playful image. It stays in my heart forever. What is more, I have to remind you that without the sexy Felixia, there won't be the current Felixia.

Hijabbed Felixia

Maybe it was a coincidence. Felixia was thinking about learning to dress in the likes of Malay-Muslim. And what I did during that time? I knew not of Felixia's upcoming transformation but I had a unlikely stirring in my heart. What I am going to tell you sounds strange and unlikely. You may even laugh at me!



Before I continue, let me tell you my backstory of Muslim headscraves first! When I was a little boy in primary school, I had not met many Malays. Butsince secondary school, I had Malay teachers in large numbers, teaching me various subjects. That started my curiosity on their head dress.

During class I would secretly observe their headscraves and figure out what's underneath. I have even used the sunlight from the window to my advantage! Hahaha.

My secondary school lasted from 2002 till 2006. During those times the tudungs available was just square scraves. The inner scarves were thick and hideous. Styles were boring.

After I finished secondary school, I went for Edexcel A-level in HELP University College and stopped encountering hijabbed Malay girls.



Around March 2013, an ad from thepoplook.com got me hooked. The model was so pretty! I was lured into the world of Muslimah fashion that I had no idea how vast it is.

So, a chance has finally come to fulfill my curiosity. There wasn't a good opportunity back then; and I was too embarrassed to discuss about my fascination with tudung during my teenage years. Slowly, I got my hands on hijab wearing tutorials on Youtube and Malay girls' blogs.

Headscraves are just simple piece of cloths, but when worn they adopt three dimensional shapes.Sounds a lot like a protein - a single polypeptide chain that folds into 3D shapes that enable them to function.

The tutorial videos are very engaging to watch if you have means of appreciating it. I have to admit this is a pretty good set up to look for pretty girls :P From the videos I learnt that Muslim fashion is no longer a boring thing. This category of fashion is evolving into a formidable industry driven by the rise of purchasing power among Muslim consumers worldwide.



By the time Felixia started donning hijab on a daily basis and chronicled her journey on Facebook, I had already learnt the new aesthetics to appreciate her new beauty! The hijabbed Felixia is more feminine and evokes a sense of respect. She has grown, but not on the kind of path we'd expected.

On another note, I know that whenever Islam is mentioned, it struck fear in the heart of most Malaysian Chinese people. That's not without reason - non-Muslims in the land had been mistreated here and then, as far as cases like body snatching and unilateral conversion is concerned. I can totally understand why netizens were leaving negative comments when Felixia started to follow Muslim fashion.

Heck, I was even struck by a pang of sadness while at work. I kept that to myself.



I talked to a few of my Facebook friends about this. One of them joked that this is my new [clothing] fetish. It's just a quirk. But, I identify with Felixia for having a quirk. She wears the dress; but I have the eyes to appreciate it!

Don't get me wrong. I am not interested to marry any Muslim girl.



Felixia Yeap is now a Muslim convert and adopted the name Raisyyah Rania Yeap, and I only got to meet her at that point. No matter what, she's still popularly known as Felixia and that name is here to stay. I am a fan when I started to know of her, and I am still with her now.

If I wanted to see sexy girls now, as Felixia has put it, there are plenty of that around.

She reiterated that she remains a Chinese and not masuk Melayu as many have speculated. However, this is a point I beg to differ. If you have followed her closely on Facebook, you'll notice that she consumes Malay food and surrounds herself with Malay people now. Her fandom has also been remodelled - I see more Malay fans commenting on her updates now. De facto, she has masuk Melayu. The current Felixia caters to Malay people rather than her fans of the past.

There is no turning back after conversion to Islam, I can only pray that her choice is a good one. Once again, I miss the old Felixia.

A Christian mum's reponse

by Christine SK Lai
The Malay Mail Online
24 November 2014

NOVEMBER 24 — My eldest princess announced to the whole wide world that she had dumped God; she termed it as “coming out of the closet,” likening it to the homosexual who boldly declares to everyone (God included) that he is free to do what he wants with his life. So there. Well, it’s not that it was a recent thing anyway. It’s pretty old news as far as I am concerned. Still to go “public” — I guess she must feel good about it. Do I? Honestly? Of course not. Which Christian parent would feel good about his/her precious child “leaving the faith?” But it’s nothing earth-shattering. Children keep breaking their parents’ hearts all the time — that’s the price of love. I dare say every parent, Christian or non-Christian, has shed — and will no doubt continue to shed — buckets of (mostly unseen) tears over their children’s decisions in life. But I think it’s harder for a Christian parent to take, because we know it’s our children who lose out when they give up on Some One as fundamental and essential as God.

Still I am somewhat amused by all the responses to her article. I suspect people, especially Christians, don’t know how to react to me. I gather everyone in the church which she used to attend with me must be having a gala time circulating her article. Ok, maybe I exaggerate. But it was funny how they looked at or talked to me during the initial days of its publication. I think they expect me to be...embarrassed? Ashamed?

Perhaps they were thinking, “Kesian....poor thing, some more she’s a widow.... Hai, children these days...” They get uncomfortable, I can just see it in their eyes, unsure whether/how to bring up the subject with me. Some commiserate. A couple wats-apped me the ‘offending’ article and asked somewhat incongruously “Hey, just saw this... did you know?” Duh, as if I didn’t know. Others simply said, “We will pray for you and for her.” Well, I say thank you to these. I don’t know about my daughter, but I readily admit I need all the prayers I can get.

I have not responded to her article until now, we have not talked about it at all. We did our talking, screaming and shouting years ago when she decided she wanted to live life the way she wanted, instead of the way God wanted. It was a drama, which I am sure neither of us want repeated. Of course we have also kissed and made up after the “volcano” exploded; that’s what love is all about. Disagreement doesn’t mean we can’t love one another. Besides if my God loves her enough to respect her choices, so must I. Like she said if she wants to go to hell, that’s her choice. So be it. Though I am sure it breaks God’s heart that any human being would want to purposely go their own way, because He knows inevitably that leads all the way to a soul’s destruction, when He has shown so clearly another better way.

Someone once pointed out, God doesn’t send people to hell, neither need the devil drag us there; we choose to go there ourselves. Jesus Christ has never and will never force, manipulate or sweet-talk anyone to follow Him. If we are to come to God, we must come willingly, out of love, nothing else. He will have it no other way. And if we do come, it must be on His terms, we must let God be God after all. We ignore, reject, deny or refuse Him at our own peril. Could it be that that’s the underlying problem with all our endless discussions about God? That in our heart of hearts, we actually fear the consequences of believing. After all if there really is a God, it would require us to examine and change ourselves to see if we conform to His holy standards. Whereas if we can just “dismiss” God away, we don’t need to answer to anyone except ourselves for the way we choose to live.

At the end of the day, all these arguments about God are just that — arguments. No one, nothing can prove or disprove the existence of God. Not archaeology, philosophy, psychology, technology or whatever-logy can put a “finger” on God. Not the most brilliant mind, smartest scientist or deepest thinker, certainly not I. If He is, He is. His existence doesn’t depend on man’s belief or unbelief. He doesn't need me or anyone to defend who He is or what He does or doesn't do. Nothing changes His love for us, whom He considers the masterpiece of His creation.

No, I am not embarrassed about my daughter’s declaration of atheism. In fact I am very glad she wrote so publicly about it. When I read the responses to it, I cried. I cried because here in concrete form was God’s answer to a mother’s unceasing prayer that He would send someone, anyone to tell her what I no longer know how to tell her anymore.

He sent not one, so many...I am just amazed that people would take the time and care to explain, exhort, elaborate and elucidate the truth of the Scriptures that answer all the very valid issues she raised in her article. Without fail, every Christian response affirmed and comforted me as the very real manifestation of God’s love expressed by a community of faith that is the distinction of all true Christians. It just goes to prove that my God is not a mere “religious crutch” or a collection of rules and regulations but a living, thriving God who will use every means to connect us back to Him; no matter that we turn away, He doesn’t. His heart is always open, even when ours are closed.

It really doesn’t matter to me if my daughter reads, dissects, accepts or rejects the responses that answered her questions. The fact remains, not only her, but many other people got to read too, because it was in public domain. That’s how great my God is; He doesn’t just answer one person — He answers every person who dares to ask. The only catch is we may not like His answers. I am so humbled and yet so proud to have such a personal Almighty God to acknowledge, love, honour and worship.

If we are honest with ourselves, it really boils down not to a matter of proof, but a matter of will or will not believe. The Christian faith has been assumed and criticised as a blind leap into the dark. I am no expert theologian, but that's not my experience at all. I don't claim to understand God, in fact I confess many times I actually don't understand Him.

But just because we don't get answers that satisfy us cannot mean something is untrue, invalid or non-existent. That's way too simplistic and really a rather convenient excuse of getting rid of that disturbing 'issue' called God. It puts the 'blame' and responsibility on Still it's nothing new. Human beings have always put God on trial. They did that to Jesus 2000 years ago, matter of fact we are still doing it today. Actually they killed Him. We are still trying to 'kill' Him too. But the great news is my God just won't stay dead. He is a resurrected alive God, and He will have the last word, when He puts us all on trial.

God dealt graciously with me 12 years ago, out of His great love and mercy He saved not just a grieving wife but a husband about to die. Now every day of my life I can only mouth inadequate thanks and gratitude that all is well with my soul, for I have tasted and know that the Lord is good even when circumstances are bad. There comes a time when true faith doesn’t remain at the level of “need.” True faith must go beyond to grasp that God isn’t our personal genie to satisfy our every whim and fancy. True faith that stands firm demands that we “know” that we know whom we have believed.

I can't “show” God to any atheist, as much as I want to for my own daughter, whom I love dearly. But one thing I can do — I choose to believe God loves her more than I ever can, so He will never leave nor forsake her, even if she thumbs her fingers at Him. He is ever the Good Shepherd who hounds after even 1 lost sheep to bring it home to Himself. That's His very own guarantee and I know I can hold my God to His eternal unchangeable promises. After all, He did say He is Father to the fatherless and a defender of widows.

That means my children and I are definitely on His “to do” list. I couldn't ask for more.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.

The SECRET of scoring well in exams

I went to visit my friend Feeqsays the other day, and he asked about how I succeed in studies. I gave him a few simple answers, like I am passionate about what I am doing, I read a lot, etc. The question he asked is worthy of a deeper thought, and I believe many of you in schooling years are also asking the same question.

Whether you like it or not, taking exam is part of study. I can relate that exams are stressful experiences. From my own experience, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia was the most stressful exam I've ever sat. Before my first paper, I felt like vomiting due to the tremendous amount of stress.

Coming back to the point of exams being part of education, exams has a purpose to serve for both students and teachers. As a student, you are tested so that you can prove yourself having knowledge of the subject you have learnt. As a teacher, how would you know if you have done a good job teaching your students? You can find out through a test given to your students. In essence, exam is a feedback given to the teacher to let him see how well you learnt, and to measure how well he/she teach. This works both ways for you and your teachers.

To score well in exams, working hard for a subject is a must. Nowadays there are a lot of seminars and tuition centres that teaches you about techniques of answering questions. You are taught to answer questions in a particular way to help you score. Answering skills is only one aspect of scoring in exams and I don't discount the fact.

Given that the Asian culture is to score well in exams, many people memorize ways of writing the answers, getting the score they wanted but ended up with no understanding and appreciation of what has been learnt.

Now I am telling you an important secret many may have missed.

Exam is also about Communication

Has anyone told you that exams are also communication in action? Knowing what the answer is to a question is not a big problem provided that you've studied hard enough. Knowing how to write the answer is an art that carries more weight than knowing what is the answer. The question of how to write the answer is actually a question of communication. Let's put it this way: How to communicate the answer?

My teacher once said about knowing how to communicate with the examiner. Speaking about communicating with the examiner, many of you may be new to the idea. We don't see the examiner face to face. We don't know who the examiner is. So, how to communicate with a person when you don't even see him or know who he is?

Communication with the examiner happens a little differently compared to the day-to-day interaction with our friends. It's more like reading a news article - the journalist don't know who you are, but he/she is communicating the news to you so that you know about it.

Now, I want you to remember this important point. From the moment you pen your answer, you are starting the process of communicating with the examiner. The examiner is a human being. The examiner reads your answer and decides whether he/she understands what you have written. Treat the examiner as a person who don't know about the subject, and your job as a candidate is to communicate to make a point known. Whether your exam is in science, business or art, you'll be using bits and pieces of language to tell the examiner what you know, or what you think it is, or why something shouldn't be the case. Whenever a point needs to be made, language is involved; all that you learnt about a language are actually not confined to language classes. You are free to use whatever grammatical structure available to present your points and take care that no one misunderstands what you are saying.

Answering questions in mathematical papers is not spared from the process of communicating, either. When the answer requires you to state calculation steps, please do not skip that (obvious reason: marks awarded for steps!). Actually, the greater purpose of including calculation steps is to communicate your thought process leading to the answer, so make sure you do not skip a step that renders a reader (examiner) unable to follow your working and needed to make guesses. Also, if you need to invoke a mathematical law/rule/theory, you'll need to state the name of the law/rule/theory in your answer because it is a critical link to the answer.

Your job as a candidate also involves making life of the examiner easier. Toolkits of language are great help to make your point clearer as well as indicating the direction of argument you are going to make. When one page isn't enough for your answer, help the examiner to find where your answer continues with simple words like "(Please turn overleaf)" or "(Continue on next page)" or "(Answer continues on page XX)". They carry no marks, but examiners appreciate it lots for making their work pleasurable.

Coming to the conclusion of my post, I would like to ask you once again: What are tested in an examination? An examination not just tests about knowledge, but also communication. With good communication, you'll score well in exams and get anywhere in life :)

Refreshment of #LUV from A Pink

I am here to say, I am a Pink Panda! My idol is rocking the stages of music shows KBS Music Bank, MBC Show! Music Core, SBS Inkigayo (The Music Trend) and some other big name shows that I regularly open up on Youtube. The girls have been on a winning streak on shows a few times thanks to the power of fans. Together with the rest of Pandas, we do our part to lift our idols up so that they can win big in the shows, and show lots and lots of love for them. Just like any other die hard fan, I am doing these for my idols with no question asked!



I am unlike casual fans of K-pop only listening to songs and at most, know the person or group singing it. I get to know the members of my favourite group in all level of details I can get and watch their personal side through variety shows. I explore their extend of vocal talent beyond the title tracks of their album. I can easily tell each member apart when the rest of the people remarked about A Pink members look the same to them.

The girls are entertaining us with their schedule of activities so let's support them with all our hearts okay?



First of all, while I was waiting for A Pink's new album and song to be released, child actress and new Inkigayo MC Kim Yoo Jung performed her special stage of Mr. Chu as her first thing to take over as emcee! I really like Mr. Chu as the last installment of A Pink and I eagerly waited for it. When it came out, I was mind blown with her performance! She pronounced each syllable of the lyric accurately. What's remarkable is A Pink was touched watching watching this performance of Yoo Jung. The performance proved that Yoo Jung studied the dance moves and gesture for Mr. Chu so much so that her effort didn't go unnoticed. I really enjoyed her show and gave my thumbs up for the most sincere performance of any kind.



I sort of know about the comeback showcase of A Pink but only learnt of the time 30 minutes after it went on live stream! By that time I was back in the postgraduate students' room after finishing lab work. So, I decided to stay on campus to watch A Pink's comeback showcase to its completion (it lasted for one hour and a half). I didn't mind the entire show was in Korean, but I am glad enough that being a fan is the common language of watching it. A Pink sung "Secret", which has something to do with past events in my life and showed us "LUV" exclusively to us fans before the MV was released. That kept me excited over the MV due soon.

I missed out on individual members' aegyo due to poor wireless connection on campus, and was relieved to rewatch the part in the recorded showcase.



This was a special stage of "Good Morning Baby" presented especially to Pink Pandas on MBC's Show Champion. It feels like having someone greeting you good morning with a song instead of mere words. Why Good Morning? The first few moments of a morning is intimate, what is more A Pink really hits it home with a "Good Morning Baby".

If you watch closely, their dance moves on the stage gesture waking up for the morning!