Muse

Is it testosterone that is fooling around?

Or is forbidden apple always tastes better?

Is infatuation just a temporary blindness?

Is there always right or wrong , or just grey area?

Floral Exhibition

Olomouc annual Floral Exhibition at Vystviste Flora..
It's all about flowers , flowers and more flowers...

You just can't get enough of flowersss...

And not forgetting 'exotic' tropical flowers like our national flower - Hibiscus , which has to be specially cultivated inside the green house..

And also cactus..
And not forgetting the crowd..

Number 1

Most , if not all of us , aim for number 1 in life. No.1 in class , No.1 in school , No.1 in competition , No.1 in everything.. Ya..Number 1. Number 1 , our aim , our parents' expectation. Number 1 - a show of superiority , excellence and merit. We always feel that being number 1 will prove that we are the best.

Maybe my stint in INTEC has changed my view. How do you want to be the 'BEST-EST' among the bests? Everyone is the best in his or her school to get the scholarship. Why make life so hard trying to best the bests?

And it's not just the number of A1s that determine how good a student is. Everyone has that extra niche that makes him or her unique. Some can sing better , some are musical prodigies , some have superb oratory skills , some have that extra sports gene..... So there is no criteria for the definition of BEST.

Then being here now , i can see even a larger variety of people from very different backgrounds. People being brought up differently , people with different culture , people with different views in life , people half a globe away from us.

What i want to bring out is , rather than striving hard to outbeat each other , would'nt it be better if we share with each other? Knowledge is limitless , and there is no way one can occupy everything. Everytime we share , we are also gaining. Everytime we teach , we are learning.

Everyone speaks Czech!

Czech language is not that foreign afterall.

Everyone knows Czech!

Do you know that "ROBOT" is a Czech word? I've always thought that this word should come from some developed countries that pioneered such high tech mechanical development.

Apparently it was created by a Czech writer in one of his article during World War II. Hmmm...

How Open Can They Be?

This are billboards found in Czech...How open-minded the society can be.

This is definitely a big taboo in Malaysia , or Asian society in general. Nudity is not an art open for public viewing. People have to find high and low , resort to pornography or to the least Playboy magazine to satiate this little desire for these explicit photos. Here it is everywhere! You do not have to search for it , it comes to you.

If such billboards were put up in Malaysia , definitely our over-zealous , religious-minded , Eastern-values-guiding MP and leaders will be having heated debates over the newspaper and in Parliament.

But here , it is an art , it is nothing unorthodox. This is their culture , so it is just an adaptation to their culture.

Sauna here is open to both genders at the same time. And all locals , both men n women enter sauna buck naked and even take bath together. For us , it might seem awkward initially , but to them , there is nothing embarrassing at all..

And of course , there is no cubicle for taking bath in common bathroom in swimming pool or gym. So practically everyone is walking around with not even a single strand of string on.

This is Czech..

It's just too over-rated

Every year after SPM and STPM results are announced , tons of students with strings of A's will definitely say that they want to do medicine , wish to become a doctor , hope to save people's life...It has been a routine year after year.And honestly speaking, it has become quite boring sometimes when we read in interviews that most of these top-notch students proudly cite the same ambition. Why can't there be more variety?

And admittedly i am among these crowds a few years back. And here i am now doing medicine , pursuing my dream. But come to think of it , is it genetically embedded in every good students to have such great enthusiasim in medicine , and most importantly the seed of passion and kindness to help people around? Or is it just environmental influence that mould a so-called good student since young that he or she ought to be a doctor one day.

I think the latter hold more truth in it. We are living in a society where people's eyes and mouths play such an important role in our decision making. Sadly to say , some have been so susceptible to societal expectations that they are just a subject of manipulation , living others' dreams rather than theirs. Just because people think that good students should study medicine , so good students eventually think that because they are good , their dreams should be to become a doctor too. How often do we go deep into our hearts and ask if it is what we really want? Or is it just what our parents and teachers want?

And of course people always think that it would be a waste if a straight A's student doesn't apply for medicine.

"Do you know how hard it is to fight for a medical place in local uni? Now that you've got straight A's and you don't want to apply for it?"

Ya , ya ..everyone knows only 4As student in STPM got the chance to apply for it (not even guaranteed a place) , so only excellent students can do medicine in local universities. So here comes again , just to show to everyone that i am excellent , i scored straight As , i must apply for medicine. And it is betting your future just to proof that you are excellent. So now everyone knows , medical students are EXCELLENT students.

And definitely , this career is being overrated in our Asian society.

"What is ur son in-law doing?"

"Doctor , ehem.." beamed the mother in-law from ear to ear.

But...

"What is your son in-law doing?"

"Errr..er..hair dresser....." whispered the mother in-law ,praying hard that it is hardly audible.

By the fact a famous hair dresser can easily earn many times more than a normal doctor in hospital. I don't think it is an ideal career if you want to get RICH either. Doctor have to work practically 24-7 with not much time left for enjoyment , sometimes even time to sleep. So what can be done with the money afterall?

And to quote that you want to help people , how far is it true? There are so many ways to help others around and why must it be to be a doctor? Aren't teachers helping to shape the future generations? Aren't social workers helping those underpriviledged in society? So why not pick any of it too? And if it is purely to help others , are you going to prescribe medicine for free for those poverty-stricken patients? But real life stories have told us most doctors in private practice are charging exorbitantly even just for consultation fees.

And now that i am in medical school , i have experienced it myself the so-called "life as a medical student". There are so much to do , so much to study in so short a time. How we wish there are 8 , 9 or 10 days a week. Before you get to sleep well on Sunday , you realise that there are huge piles of work waiting for you to complete for the next week. Most of the waking hours during weekdays are practically spent in front of the books. Just to get a week off during study period will cost you double the mental and physical torture to catch up. And sadly to say , after all the toiling , statistic has shown on average 50% of students will dropout eventually.

So unless you really have great passion in doing medicine , do not embark on this choppy tumultous journey. But of course i am not here to pour cold water , of course some of us are really enthusiastic in doing it. So our will and determination is the greatest motivation that keep us moving. Just a reminder , give it a second thought before making this lifetime decision.

Mexican Cuisine

Mexican gastronomy with its intense flavours , colourful decorations , and its variety of spices is definitely too much to resist for a glutton like me.

Let's start with some starter..

Tortilla filled with chicken and cheese , served with salsa sauce.

And soup..

Tomato soup with avocado and tortilla chips

Main course...

Pork steak , anyone?

Or maybe chicken on hot plate served with wheat tortilla and cheese

Why not salmon with mexican rice?

Everything is red - it's hot , it's spicy , it's vibrant , it's fiery , it's Mexico!

Spring

How nice the feel of spring is,
With flowers blossoming from dead land of long winter ,
With birds chirping on the trees ,
With bright sun beaming over the sky,
With fragrant faint whiff of flowers,
With crystal clear water flowing along the river,
With cool breeze spreading the message of new beginning,
This is SPRING!

Devils at work

One devil is enough to create trouble. When two devils meet up , they definitely wreak havoc!

This is what happened during Priya's birthday.

8 ways of making her birthday memorable:

1. Start counting down a week before her birthday. Leave hints everywhere (on the blackboard , on her book , on the slide show , sit beside her) to remind her that we have PREPARED something 'special' for her.

2. Recruit enough team members to work on the evil plan.

3. Prepare her favourite food and drink.

Food: Bread with thick spread of blended dried chilli and chilli padi.

Drink: Egg , Coffee , Milk , salad cream , chilli padi , dried chilli , chilli powder , spices and BELACAN , all blended till smooth.

4.Tell her we will play a prank on her the night before her birthday , but catch her unprepared by having it a day before.

5. Blindfold her and bring her to a secluded place. Make her down the food and drink.

6.Remove the blindfold and before she can react , smash one fresh egg on her.

7.Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Priya! Happy birthday to you!

8.Celebrate 21st birthday with diarrhoe and vomitting due to spiciness of the drink and food.

*Our initial plan is up to no.7 . Due to unforeseen circumstances , no. 8 has unfortunately happened.

Finale:

2 evils have to apologise.

And to 'repent' and 'turn over a new leaf' , each of us have bought a new t-shirt 'I am NICE'.