My Long-Awaited Trip To The US

Well, my family and I will be leaving for the United States on Sunday morning. I am really excited and I can hardly wait for it because this is the first time I will travel outside of South East Asia. I will be going there for a fortnight and I will be visiting four places - Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I really hope that this will be a marvelous and fun-filled vacation for my family and I. :)

Why Should We Drive?

Driving is essential in our everyday life. We should all take up driving once we reach the age limit of 18 to drive and even if our parents are unable to buy us a car. Having a personal car can benefit us and do us a lot of good rather than be a disadvantage especially when we live in an urban area.

Firstly, taking public transport to wherever we want to go to is generally inconvenient and troublesome as the public transport system in Malaysia is not as efficient as that in developed countries such as the UK, Singapore and Japan. It takes a lot of time to get to other places depending on public transport such as trains and buses as the public transport system is invariably not punctual. We may also be late for important events and meetings because of this. Furthermore, if you want to go to many different places, relying on public transport would be much costlier than driving your own car.

Besides, during peak hours and festive seasons, the public buses and trains can be extremely packed and sometimes overcrowded. And when there are a lot of people, there may be pickpockets and thieves lurking around, waiting for their victims. Therefore, public transport is dangerous as it poses a threat to us commuters. Moreover, some drivers can be very rude. They could be smoking or consuming alcohol and some of them may even speed recklessly on the road. This too is certainly hazardous as it can contribute to fatal road accidents.

In addition, owning a car can very much ease the burden of our parents. We can help them to run errands and we can also take our siblings who still cannot drive, to school, tuition, etc. Furthermore, if there are any emergencies at home or other places, we can just drive to the nearest hospital or clinic. It will be a lot faster as we don’t need to depend on the ambulance or other modes of public transport.

What’s more, by owning a car, we can have more privacy. For instance, we can discuss family matters without anyone knowing and we can also listen to our preferred choice of music. In addition to that, we can upgrade our car according to our liking and maintain it to make it more comfortable and nicer. Lastly, I strongly believe we should all take up driving as it is very important.

What Patriotism Means To Me

Patriotism basically means love for and loyalty to one's country. I often hear many people telling me that they love their country but I don't really believe they actually do. Just look around outside and you'll find litter everywhere. Just look at the public facilities such as phone booths, bus stops, toilets and so on, many of them have been vandalised. These are just two of the many examples why I don't really believe people love their country when they say it.

Well, there are many ways to show love to our country. Showing patriotism is not merely flying or waving the national flag on National Day or singing the national anthem enthusiastically. Instead, we should keep our houses, schools and public places clean at all times. In short, we must not litter! Besides, we should also keep the environment clean by not contributing to pollution.

Furthermore, we can show love to our country by helping and caring for others who are less fortunate or are in need with our precious time, effort and money regardless of race and religion. We should all respect each other's race and religion and not discriminate and belittle others for I believe that we were all equally and wonderfully made by God.

Moreover, we should also learn more about other customs, religions, races and traditions so as to avoid any misunderstandings between different people especially when we, Malaysians, are living in a multi-ethnic and multiracial country. If we can forge a better understanding and have mutual respect between the different races and religions, many conflicts such as wars, genocides, disputes, massacres and so on could have been prevented in the past and can be prevented now and in the future.

All the above are my views on ways to love and show patriotism to our country. I believe that by following the actions above, we can have peace in our country and also the world. Lastly, I believe these are what patriotism is about.

The World Championships 2009

The annual Badminton World Championships 2009 started on Monday in Hyderabad, India. This world championships is promising to be very exciting with new drama and excitement unfolding as each day passes till the finals on Sunday in this week-long tournament as almost all of the top and best players will be taking part in this major event in badminton. And this time Malaysia has high hopes on their players to finally win a first world championship title as Malaysia has yet to produce a world champion since the tournament's inception in 1977. Malaysia's best bets for a world title are Lee Chong Wei, the top seed in the men's singles, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, the second seeds in the men's doubles and Wong Pei Tty and Chin Eei Hui, also the top seeds in the women's doubles.

Today is the 2nd round and well, I just hope the Malaysian players will do well and live up to expectations of winning a world title or even a silver or bronze medal. You can catch all the excitement on Astro channel 816 every day and you can also log on to www.tournamentsoftware.com to check on the latest results. That's all for now. I will try to update my blog later in the week on the World Championships.

A Horrifying Experience

Up until now, I can still clearly reminisce this incident that happened many years back. One morning, about 7 years ago, my mother brought my brother and me to the 1 Utama Shopping Complex to buy a birthday gift for me for my upcoming birthday.

When we got there, we parked our car in the car park, which was at that time rather empty and there were not many people around. Then, we alighted from our car and walked to the entrance nearest to us.

As we were walking into the entrance, suddenly a man ran from behind and snatched my mother’s handbag. He was patiently waiting behind a pillar to pounce on any easy prey that walked by. After that, he quickly ran to a blue Proton Wira that was waiting for him nearby. I can still recall that there were about three accomplices waiting for him in the car.

My mother shouted at them while they quickly sped off in their car. We were extremely shocked at what had happened to us which we totally did not expect at all. Luckily, my mother did not fall down or was not hurt in the incident as she was carrying her handbag in one of her hands. The car keys too was not taken as it was not in the handbag.

We then hurriedly got to our car and drove out of the car park. At the entrance of the car park, we told the guards there what happened and we went home. Once we reached home, my mother called my father to tell him about this incident and they went together to the police station nearby to lodge a report but there was nothing the police could do.

Approximately 200 ringgit was stolen along with some credit cards and my mother’s driving license. In spite of the valuables stolen, we could still consider ourselves lucky as none of us were hurt in this horrifying yet unexpected incident.

A Tribute To My Parents!

Dear Mum and Dad,

I am writing this for you in conjunction with Mother’s Day on the 10th of May and Father’s Day on the 21st of June. In this essay, I want to show my appreciation and gratitude for all the things you do for me, your child.

Firstly, both of you have worked so hard for the family. You have put in a lot of effort and sacrifice in the Amway business so that you could have the freedom you have longed for to spend the time with the rest of the family. I am also thankful to both of you for building this wonderful business so that our future next time will be bright.

Dad, you are the breadwinner of this family along with Mum who also plays an important role to support this family. You have always worked tirelessly in your job as a civil engineer and also in the Amway business with Mum to provide the family with all the needs.

Mum, when I am weak in a subject, you always spend money to try to find the best tutor available. For example: Mrs J’s wonderful tuition class. Besides, you have always helped me with my homework, tasks or assignments which I have problems with. You are also a very patient mother who constantly listens to my problems and thoughts and gives me solutions and answers to the problems.

Dad, you always tell me stories and events of the past in the family and also in the world. I like the way you tell stories or give talks with so much excitement and enthusiasm. You have given me a lot of information on many things which I do not know and you and Mum are my source of inspiration to become a successful person in life.

Mum, you would also always chide me or reprimand me whenever I do something wrong or something which you don’t like. And not only that, you and dad have constantly taught me to do the right thing and also to have the right attitudes. If not for that, I will become a spoiled child.

Dad, in spite of being so busy in your work, you still find time to bring the family on outings and trips to domestic or foreign places during the school or public vacations. I thank you dad for always giving the best you can provide to the family. You and mum are also very loving, encouraging, supportive and caring parents.

Mum and Dad, thank you for all the things you have done for me. You are the best parents in the world. I love you very much, Mum and Dad. Dedicated to my father, Soon Lip and mother, Li May.

Originally written on the 21st May 2009.

Man Utd Crowned Champions Again!

Wohoo!! Manchester United clinched the English Premier League crown for the 3rd consecutive time after holding Arsenal to a 0-0 draw yesterday. This draw gave Man Utd an unassailable lead over closest rival, Liverpool. Besides, with this title, Man Utd have now equalled Liverpool's record of 18 league title. Furthermore, Man Utd will be gunning for a quadruple of titles when they take on Barcelona in the Champions League final on the 27th of May in Rome, Italy's Stadio Olimpico after bagging the Club World Cup, the League Cup and now the EPL. And finally I also hope Man Utd will win the Champions League!

The Champions of the EPL 2008/2009 - Manchester United

60 Earth Hour

60 Earth Hour is on the 28th March, this Saturday at 8.30pm to 9.30pm. There are all together 84 countries, 2848 cities, towns and municipalities, 6299 organizations, 8742 schools and 21014 businesses in the world that have already committed to VOTE EARTH for Earth Hour 2009, as part of the worlds first global election between Earth and global warming. So everyone, please remember to switch off all the lights in your house for an hour from 8.30pm to 9.30 wherever you live on planet earth. Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. So will you be part of the earth hour to save the environment and the earth?

Heartbreak For Chong Wei

Lee Chong Wei was beaten in the final of the All-england Badminton Championships on Sunday. He lost to Lin dan 21-19, 21-12. This was the first All-England final for Chong Wei and this was Lin Dan's 6th successive final and his 4th title. Although this defeat was a better performance from Chong Wei comparing to the 2 defeats at the Beijing Olympics and the China Open, the gap of standard between him and Lin Dan is still quite far. Besides the victory for Lin Dan, China also made a clean sweep of all the 5 titles and they are the first nation to do it in the All-England Championships, if I am not mistaken.


The winners of the All-England 2009 were:
1. Men's singles: Lin Dan
2. Women's singles: Wang Yihan
3. Men's doubles: Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun
4. Women's doubles: Zhang Yawen-Zhao Tingting
5. Mixed doubles: He Hanbin-Yu Yang


Furthermore, the Swiss Open Badminton Super Series will start today and I hope the Malaysian players taking part will fare better this time comparing to the All-England.

My First Post In More Than 2 Months

Hey everyone, sorry for not updating my blog for the last 2 months or so. Anyway, my exam finally finished last thursday and overall, i rate this exam as quite easy. I already know a few of my exam results and I am quite content with the results except for my Chinese, which was not up to the mark. I will blog more about my exams next time.

The All-England Badminton Championships final is tonight at 8.30p.m. Astro will show the final on channel 811. It will be very exciting tonight for Lee Chong Wei will be up against his arch-rival Lin Dan. Yesterday, Chong Wei was in superb form, as he demolished Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat 21-8, 21-13 in just about half an hour while Lin Dan was quite lucky yesterday because his opponent, Chen Jin retired half way during the match. Anyway, if Chong Wei wins this final, it will be his first All-England title and the first in men singles since Mohamad Hafiz Hashim won it in 2003. As for Lin Dan, if he wins it tonight, it will be his fourth All-England title after previous victories here in 2004, 2006 and 2007, if I am not mistaken. Both players will have a 50-50 chance to win tonight's final and I predict that it will be a mouth-watering match up and that Chong Wei will emerge as the winner. Malaysia Boleh!! Well, that's all for now. Bye.

Happy New Year 2009!!

The year 2008 has just ended and let's welcome the new year 2009. I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and prosperous new year and may good health and happiness be with you. Happy New Year and God Bless You!! =)

Happy New Year!!

2009!!

My Experience In Vietnam

I came back from Vietnam on the 12th of December (Friday)and the whole trip was great. I know I posted this only 3 weeks after the trip and I am sorry for the delay. Anyway, here is how the trip was.

Day 1 - Woke up at 4a.m in the morning and reached the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) airport at 6a.m. The flight time was at 7.50 and we reached Vietnam at around 9.50. When we were boarding the plane, there was a heavy rain and the airport service was poor because we had to walk in the rain to go to the plane. Anyway, back to Vietnam, after reaching we took a taxi to Ho Chi Minh city and we stayed in the Thien Tung Hotel. We later went to the Ben Thanh market. Its one of Vietnam's most famous landmark and it was built during the French occupation of Vietnam back in 18 something. We went for lunch and then we went back to the hotel and we rested until at night. During the night, after dinner, we went to the Diamond Plaza- one of the biggest shopping malls in Vietnam to do some shopping. We later went back to the hotel.

Day 2 - Woke up around 6 a.m and we followed a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels were used during the Vietnam war by the Vietnamese where the Americans fought against the Vietnamese. Before reaching the tunnel, we went to see a temple of a new religion in Vietnam called Cao Dai. It is a religion mixed with their own Cao Dai, Catholicism, Buddhism, Taoist and Hinduism. Then, we continued our tour and we reached the tunnels at around 3 something. There were 2 different tunnels and we went to the one that was the closest to the city. There were many things to see there. We not only crawled in the tunnels, but we also saw many boobie traps, an exploded tank, a large bomb crater, the way the soldiers lived in the tunnels and many more. The tunnels that were build last time were really awesome. Then before going back, my brother, my father and I tried a real M-30 gun with live bullets. The gun sound was really loud and it was also very heavy. After that, we followed our tour bus back to the city. Had our dinner at the Ben Thanh market and later went back to the hotel.

Day 3 - Woke up around 6 a.m again and we followed a private tour to visit the Mekong Delta and River. And this time round, our tour guide was one of the hotel's staff. And he could just skip his work like that to be our tour guide. How funny and weird. Then, we went to the Mekong River. We sat on a small boat to a few islands in the Mekong River. We went to the first island to buy some souvenirs and also see some roosters that are used for fighting. We also drank one type of honey drink there. On the other islands we went, we ate tropical fruits, watched a musical perfomance and we even sat on a sampan. The trip finish around 5 something and we headed back to the city. After that, went back to the hotel and after dinner, we went to the Ben Thanh market. Later in the night, my father brought my brother and I to eat ice-cream at one special ice-cream store and finally went back to the hotel.

Day 4 - We woke up around 6 something and we ate breakfast at the hotel. We didn't follow any tour on this day. So after breakfast, we went to the Ben Thanh market again for my mother and my grandparents wanted to buy something. In the afternoon, we ate lunch at a beef noodle restaurant and we also went to visit one of my parents' friends in the city. Then, we went to the Diamond Plaza again and we watched the Madagascar 2 Escape To Africa movie. After the movie, my brother and I played bowling with my father. Then, my parents went out to do something and the rest of stayed at the hotel and we ate dinner there. We spend the night by just watching television and using my father's laptop. Before we slept, we packed our things to get ready to go back tomorrow.

Day 5 - The day finally came for us to return home and we woke up about 5 a.m and we started packing our things and we left the hotel an hour and a half later to the airport. Our flight was at 8.50 a.m and we took our breakfast at the airport. Next, we boarded the plane and the flight back to Malaysia took nearly 2 hours. We went back in two separate cars back and after an hour's drive, we finally reached home after almost a week away.

That's the end of the trip. =) Hope you enjoyed it. :)