satellites and planes

Fuh. Had a good two full days with friends.

I saw on the bulletin about a trip to a satellite company and the an airplane hanger. Feeling interested, I somehow didn’t feel the urgency to go buy the tickets until my friends asked me too. Hehe.

On Monday, we all gathered and took the university’s bus. The satellite company was 10 minutes away from our university and I think most of us know where it was anyway. Anyway, we were greeted by young man who might be the same age as me (eeek!); he could be in his late 20-ish. He escorted us to the briefing room where we met the Head of Engineering and Operations guy. His resemblance to my dad is like 80%, with his hands in his pocket, not wearing a tie with his jacket, and his accent. All of us received free postcards and the company’s pamphlet full of info, including the satellite’s history, location and details.

I have learned about physics and mathematics from high school and pre-university courses, but satellite is something new to me, especially relating to the technical details. When he started of the introduction of satellites, from the history of satellites, the uplink and downlink processes and the clients, I feel amazed and feel proud. This is something where our society should notice and not just complain about it. It’s definitely not an easy job maintaining the country’s satellite. One small human error could destroy everything, which so far hasn’t.

The trip to our locals’ airplane hanger also continues to “wow” me. The engineering aeronautical department of the privatized airplane company has been maintaining airplanes from all over the globe for years while being the backbone of the company. Sure, tourism makes a lot of money but over the last 10 years, with the paranoia of airplanes incidents and low-cost affair in spending money, tourism does not help at all. Hence, the technical services saves the company and it keeps on growing. My friends, I and other students had the opportunity to meet some of the working staffs. All of them were friendly and I can say they like our presence there. I guess it’s not that often that people come and watch how they do their work. Makes them feel happy, proud and mostly appreciated (duh!). Though none of us were allowed to take any pictures of the airplanes or the hanger, the memories will stay forever; the day I stepped into the cockpit of an airplane.

 

sinkin’ soon

I love this!

 

repetition is the trick

My anticipation of Norah Jones’s new album has ended after listening to her live performance from Walmart’s Soundcheck. When I first hear Chasing Pirates, I wasn’t too happy about it because.. she doesn’t sound jazzy at all, though still very bluesy and mellow-ish. I like the guitars and the melody of the song itself. Perky but not pop-ish. Lol. Not sure if anybody can understand what I’m saying about it. The point is, she totally changed her direction, thus this album is completely different from the previous ones. Then on 11th November, I downloaded her new album (I promise to buy it once it’s in my country) and listened to all of the tracks.

Norah's new album, "The Fall"

I kinda hated it at first. I guess I was expecting a lot of solo piano part, just like her first album. Still, I like certain songs like Young Blood, Light As A Feather and I Wouldn’t Need You. Her voice is still mellow and mesmerizing, regardless what instrument she plays, though piano complements it very well.

Another thing is.. her attire and make-up. I don’t have anything against the way she dress. It’s just that she totally has this new look on her. Pretty dresses and make-up. Sigh. I still adore the way she looked from her first album. Long wavy hair with a hint of lipstick on her would be enough because she is one of those few people who looks pretty without needing anything much. Oh well, it’s just my opinion and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe she could attract new fans by dressing up a bit, though people will like her on different reasons.

Since last night, I’ve player her whole album on repeat and now I think I like all her songs. Maybe the trick is just repetition, except when you really resent something. Maybe now I’ll try to like John Mayer’s Battle Studies. Unlike few of my friends who’s been expressing their fondness of it on Facebook, I still don’t get his new songs (yet). I’ll listen to it later on repeat (and buy his album IF I like it).

 

no tickle? try blogthings

5 years ago, I remember trying out the personality, family and work quizzed on Tickle.com. It is somehow accurate and I depended on the results of the quizzes to find out what kind of person I am, which when I think about it now, is not really a good thing. But I had fun alright. You know how quizzes give out very positive results regardless what kind you take. Haha.

Since I can’t find Tickle (I think they replaced it with testq.com), I shall try blogthings.com. It used to be a trend when my generation of kids just started blogging and university life. People would be posting up all kinds of god knows results on their blogs and other people would comment on it. I tried one or two for the sake of trying, but then I just ignored it because I don’t see the point of it, especially those ‘What kind of Flirt are you?’ kind of quizzes. I guess I am boring. Haha. I have my own way of making things fun for me and other people, and it’s definitely not answering random questions and be excited about it with my friends.

Anyway, I am really trying to find out whether I am introvert or extrovert and here’s what I found out.

The Introvert-Extrovert Test

says that I’m Somewhat Extroverted (75% Extroverted)

What does it mean?

You tend to have a more extroverted personality but with a good balance of introvertedness. You can understand why people want to be by themselves, though you are the one who may direct their social activities.

 

Extroverts:

• have motives and actions that are directed outward.
• are more prone to action than contemplation.
• are typically very friendly to unknown people
• feel empowered in social situations

 

Introverts:

• have motives and actions that are directed inward.
• tend to be preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings.
• minimize their contact with other people.

Hmm… Somewhat accurate.

 

no more mr.nice guy

When you don’t put a line for respect between yourself and the people in your life, those people WILL eventually grow accustomed to disrespecting you more and more.

If it’s a bit too late to actually draw a line, what would you do? Would you blow up and tell them all the things they should not have done, or would you just ignore them?

It’s a really hard decision for me to make, especially when it’s someone whom I used to consider as a good friend.

 

insecurity

What is insecurity in your perspective?

Is it the jealousy you feel when you see someone better and you attempt to prove to them that you’re way better even when they don’t see it?

Is it the act of proving your point to someone in your conversation with others when it is related to your own personal experience, and you think the other person is undermining you?

Frankly, I think for every person it is different things that are making us feeling insecure, but some of us don’t even realize that. We even “defend” the insecurity behaviour and claiming that it’s our true feelings.

Sometimes, you just need to know where you stand and what you are doing in this world. Complaining about something that does not concern you is… useless. It makes you appear “less” than you should be. What we should is face whatever problem we are facing. My opinion, the best thing is to make action while complaining, or to think what to do first then complain and then get the problem fixed.

My simplest example was the time I followed my friend to the gym. I was trying out the treadmill but it doesn’t work. What do I do? I quickly recognize who the female person in charge during the sesssion, and approached her. Then, changed some of the  wires, plugs, and extensions, and tada! In the end, others and me could use some of the ones that I thought were “broken”. Easy, isn’t it?

I could have just complained to my friend that the equipment in this gym doesn’t work at all and this gym “sucks”, but I didn’t, and I’m happy with myself for that.

Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.

I hold onto that sentence greatly, but now trying with 0% likelihood that anybody will pay th efavour back because that’s what sincerity and security with yourself and others is all about.

*yawns* The outside the window looks like it’s from the bathroom shower, with the soft continuous hum. Makes me want to fall asleep back again.

 

good swim

Not good, at all. I just found out that I MIGHT have to wait a YEAR to retake the subject with grade D. Hmm. I don’t think so my parents will be pleased to know about this, especially when my elder sister just graduated with a Masters. SIGH.

After my 10am class, I went straight to hunt for a swimming suit for my swimming class later at 4pm (yay!). From the time I was in the bus until I got home, I was walking and sulking like a dead zombie, thinking about why am I doing this to my life. Gah. If I did not get D for it, I’ll graduate in in 2011. Looks like no then. SIGH (again).

The swim suit that I bought had pink lines by the side and it was very.. cute. I don’t wear pink coloured material that often but this one suits me well, and the size was just nice. Not too tight and not too loose. Just nice.

Then, swimming class was fantabulous, as they say. My instructor was a national swimmer and now have his own company, and he looks super young! Despite me feeling down about my results, there’s always swimming class on Friday to cheer me up. I love to play with water!

p.s: I have a feeling tomorrow I”m going to wake up with sore aches all over my body. Yikes!

 

together again =)

Yay!

I had a super duper awesome time in  Australia~ My elder sister graduated with a Bachelor and then getting a short-cut to Masters. Awesome! Our parents was really excited, seeing her up on the stage with other Masters holders, except she ’s the shortest one of coure (we are all small sized anway >__<).

Then BigSis, followed by her boyfriend went jalan-jalan with us to the Botanical Garden. Pweeety flowers! Then BigSis took us to the fantastic looking sea and we snapped pictures there until a Mat Salleh joked around us taking his pictures instead. Lol you funny bearded man.

Oh, then on 23rd Oct, it was LilSis’s birthday! So BigSis, LilSis, and me took the train to Melbourne to meet LilSis friends and then in end up a surprise birthday party! How nice to have friends like them.

Finally, I patched things up with my ex-boyfriend. Ah.. Things are sweeter than I thought. How I missed him.

 

new song, new book

Since the length of my term break will only be two weeks, might as well I do something with it rather than playing games and Facebook-ing. No more classes for two weeks! Yahoo! (two weeks is a long holiday for our university. sad isn’t it?)

Although everybody I know has been talking about Dan Brown, this will be my first attempt reading his new book, The Lost Symbols. Now I’m in chapter 17, the part where the female professor explained to her assistant about this new theory of hers and how will it work. Unfortunately, it’s very vague now on how and what it is all about. I guess that’s how Mr Brown keeps his reader reading. Curious to know what the hell he is talking about and how it all is going to end. Plus, topics about ancient symbols and cults are always foreign to me and quoting a line from the book itself, “We all fear what we do not know“, except that I’d get more curious about it.

Also, finally Norah Jones’s new album is coming out and it’s called “The Fall”. Hmm. Sounds pretty emo-ish to me, which I hope not. She’s been my favourite jazz singer and pianist since I was 15 ( aged quite fast didn’t I?) and I’ve seen the transition of her albums. “Come away with me” was the perfect album, in a sense of her piano playing, vocals and lyrics; everything. Second album was very chirpy and very her. Third album was also very her since she wrote most of the songs and I think it was very personal, including the song to Mr President, My Dear Country.

Her new single, Chasing Pirates, from the new album didn’t blow me away in vocal or piano sense. Sigh. I’m guessing she wants to experiment but I hope it this album won’t sound pop or rock or anything unlike her. But I guess people change and it feeds them. Oh well. I still love her regardless whatever she does because of her originality and her jazzy echos in her voice.

 

cali what?

Man I’m just so slow.

I was browsing through some tv episodes that I downloaded for my friend and then I realized that the term simply means something else by just removing “cali” from californication. U’huh right?

Smart? Maybe but after watching the show for 5 minutes I was thinking that … “So I guess the whole series is just about that all?”