First five's from shengmae.

1. It’s ALWAYS bros before hoes.

My three best friends and I have gone through exactly the same thing and when I say exactly, I mean WAN HUNDRAD TAOHSERN PERCENT identitcal breakup situations and we all got dumped exactly the same way and felt the exact same shit for a year or so. Well, Jote's going through it now. 1.5 months and counting. Moral of the story - we all have each other and when things get heart-breaking and downright confidence-wrecking. We take care of each other, talk it out, get our logical brains straight, and back on the road we are.

2. Take up Mandarin classes.

7/8 of my ACCA friends are chinese-educated. More often than not do I feel insecure and inferior when socializing. I feel like the world's out to get me and they're plotting their sinister actions to embarrass my xiang jiao ren-ness.

Besides that, my dad tells me twice a day about, not only how it will benefit me in communication and networking with people, but also the detriments of not going to China to do this 3-month trip for goodness' sake.

3. Read more.

My vocabulary's as lousy as a C-grade movie. I didn't read at all throughout my childhood and now I STILL DON'T EVEN READ AT ALL. I'm on the computer all day, I'm on my phone all night, I'm in the toilet everytime, I'm climbing every week... I'M DOING EVERYTHING BUT READ. And not to mention having big trouble facing politically active rakyat when they come to interrogate me about my ulterior motives throughout my voter's registration campaign that I'm involved in. Seriously, the frigging newspaper is there everyday, getting wet by spilt water, doing nothing. go read the damn papers, boy.

4. You’re gonna enjoy high school.

SAVOUR EACH MOMENT. You'll know when and where you need to. Trust me.

5. Don’t worry about your crooked teeth.

Reading shengmae's one about this can make me omg cry all night ='(

But honestly, the laziness that will get to you, the discipline problems you will be facing when everyone's forcing you to keep your retainers in your damn mouth and not leave them everywhere else... won't matter because you will be a marvelous person and you will know it when the time comes. People will accept who you are. Not what you look like. And girls will be after you!

*Omg shameless*

6. Always think of the good stuff and look toward the future

Your excessive insecurities and self-consciousness is inevitable, I agree. But there are many other things that can help overcome your lack of confidence and shyness - one of them is using your time more carefully and making sure everyday that your to-do-list had something in it that would benefit you in the future. Making sure that everything you do makes someone else smile and that you know you have a good heart and you're using it to make this world a better place. Always look an improved you for the community in the future.



7. When you're choosing your tertiary field of study, choose the one you REALLY WANT TO DO

8 years ago, I started getting interested in graphic web design. I learned how to do basic stuff on photoshop, like colour stuff, draw boxes... It was so refreshing to create something out of nothing. It was colourful. It was my passion. I kept it.

Then 4 years and 2 months ago, my dad and I went to Sunway College to go checkout the courses offered there. We came across this lovely section which said "Monash - Mechatronics Engineering" and I was exhilirated. All my life I was this little boy who always like to take things apart and extract electronics from radios/walkmans/computers and join them to make something. It was time to show the world what I could do with my technicalities.

Then 4 years, and 1 month ago, My dad brought me to the Sunway School of Professional Accountancy (a.k.a. SunwayTES).

4 years and 1 month later after that visit, I am now struggling to finish my final audit paper.



8. "A Jack of All Trades, A Master of None"

Swaying in and out of all kinds of sports and keeping none of them close to you... sometimes it's a waste of effort, sometiems it's a waste of time. If you pick up a sport and you see that you're improving rapidly in it, keep it going. Don't give two birds about your teammates who are leaving to Melbourne to study, your friends who all do other sports, your dad who thinks that rock climbing is too expensive etc, and someday, you will find yourself in a school competition, in a college sports carnival, in the open games, in the inter-district fight, and soon you will see a world-class you.

And it's not only about sports, it's about everything! you may find yourself soon doing photography perhaps, and maybe in your spare time earning some pocket money from designing websites... but realize that if you took either one to further levels, you would have so much more earning power.



9. Don't think about what people are thinking about you!

WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT JUST MAKING CONVERSATION. Everyone has insecurities. Just go for it, man. As they always say, you'll never know until you try. Seriously! I can tell you, you'll find yourself more confident after gathering all your energy to just go up to some random person and say hi.



10. When you meet someone named Ms. Liew, WALK AWAY.

She may be attractive, the both of you may click in seconds, but watch your emotions. You're a guy! Keep the logic up in there! Trust me!



Have faith. All the best!

Here's a quick update:




Currently busy with... well, I wouldn't call it community work now.. I'd really like to call it event management. Lovely experience, man. Even failing a paper doesn't bother me. I've got so many other important things on my plate now!

Will talk more about what I'm currently readying. Keep in touch, guys. This is gonna be an exciting year. =)

To all who ask whether I am content...

Truthfully..

No. I am not.

This job is worth at least RM4k.

Maybe I'm blind and stupid. I don't think before I speak. I jump before I look at in the end I fall and cry over the pain. It is evident that I do not fit in this area of expertise as I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, no job satisfaction, no discipline, no technical competence, no sense of urgency and achievement... and obviously no skill in having a thick face.

Because RM0.5k for a job taking a month and a half ain't dropping me hints that I have potential in this field.

So I resign henceforth as, I wouldn't say a 'web designer' as I clearly have no idea what that means, but just a person who knows how to do a some website stuff. I have two more small jobs to attend to after this one, and after that, I am putting my foot down and letting go of this.

My clients deserve better quality results and thus deserve to pay more for those results. There you go.

Yes, you can scold me now. My face is thick. Don't worry.

I'm beginning to think that it actually is truly due to climbing. Because usually it comes and goes in a span of 2 or 3 weeks, but this has been going on for about a month and a half! And it usually peaks at one point and alleviates immediately after that. But now it's been bout 2 weeks since it's peaked, and it's still peeling! the thing is, I see like perfectly fresh skin underneath! It's like I'm peeling off a layer of thickened climbing skin. Callus!

Chris said he stopped climbing for awhile and the same thing happened. But GAH, my climbing buddies climb as often and or as little as I do... BUT THEIR FINGERS AREN'T LIKE THIS, aRE THEY!?

Haih. Insecurities.

"Hi, nice to meet you."

"Umm, nah, I prefer to hug people. Come here, man."

Just over a month into the year, and I feel like I've achieved so much! Yes. I know I shouldn't be 'resting on my laurels' wth is a laurel anyway.

Yea so I've helped plan a community event in a month and a half, and the results were fantastic! Met new people, helped orang asli brighten up their lifestyle, learned some valuable lessons throughout the organizing process.... lovely!

Besides that, I've done more rock climbing in the past few months than I have played basketball in my entire life! Okay not that much, but.. omg! Repelling is fun! Nah, some foto from up there:











But only first-pitch la. We all training only. Thursday I'm gonna go THIRD. I don't care Alan Fung Yoke Yan, YOU ARE FOLLOWING ME UP.





Other than climbing, I've been doing a project website that's been going on for ages coz I fricking hate the tediousness of coding, but the little little successful implementations are the things that intrigue me all the time.

19th February! omg where got time!




Also just did a little shoot for An Old Flame. Not sure when the photos will be up, though. Venue was freaky, dangerous and secluded - an abandoned house. I got a cut from shattered glass litter on the floor, dirtied all of bags and some equipment, and a screw right up the sole of my shoe. A SCREW, YOU KNOW. It's not a nail or a thumbtack IT'S A FRICKING I dunno la how it went through. It's like it drilled through my shoe in a split-second while I was stepping on it. Ish.

Anyway, we're going MadMonkeyz tomorrow night (wednesday 7pm) if you'd like to join us, and Damai Wall, Batu Caves on Thursday morning/afternoon.

Climbing is lav-lay!

See you soon mates!

I miss being sick. I would consistently get up earlier everyday because of the discomfort, and thus I could get more work done in a day.

I miss having heavy asthma attacks when I would collapse at the top of the stairs in front of my parents room and wheeze my lungs out until my parents would hear me coughing vigorously ad dash all the way from the kitchen to take my school bag off and carry me to bed,stroking my hair.

I miss staring at the mcdee's overhead menu from the front of the queue all by myself and calling my brothers to help me order a simple filet o' fish large set.

I miss sitting in the passenger seat and listening to stories and advice from my parents, and their lessons on life, not needing to experience them myself and getting my hands dirty.

I miss the many things in life that were easier than the ones I'm going through now.

I miss you, pampered little jonny.