Troubling times ahead....

Hmmm....all that seems well is not well...troubles are cropping up everywhere....so many problems...how to resolve?

Study problems...relationship problems...material problems...it is everywhere...sometimes i wish...that i wouldn't have to face all that problem...but then, where's the excitement in life if like that? heheheeh...

first thing...i wanna say how grateful and thankful i am to have met a wonderful bunch of friends ever since coming here...they are a great bunch of friends...very funny and easy-going...we can talk abt virtually anything...and also good friends who happen to be my coursemates....and this is where the problem lies...except for a very few...i'm not very close with my other coursemates....heheh...we see each other like strangers...which feels weird, giving we have to stay with each other for 3 more years....well, i guess...we have alot of time!! xD

other than that...hmmm...i am glad i didn't have any personal relationship problems whatsoever....lucky me...for i have less thing to worry about...i was already very busy...definitely no more time for personal loves!! but one thing that worries me is my friend...hmm...i always like to worry for other people...ahhaha...no wonder i'm so emo all the time....hohohohoh....pathetic eyh....

thing is....no one likes her bf...we can all sense that her bf is not a good guy...but...how can we tell her? she has already been brainwashed...cant really make good judgement...and that's really sad...cos i know she's a smart person...but this guy is too persuasive...influence too much...i'm worried she wont be able to resist him someday...i do not want her to be hurt!! i'm very sorry to say this, but seriously think that they are gonna break up sooner or later...

ok...enough abt her...if i seriously want talk abt it its gonna take forever....hmm...another thing that i have to worry abt is money...my well is drying up very very very fast!!!! i need more water input....heehehhhe....hmmm...just hope my bro knows how to handle his money really wisely...else i'm gonna be bankrupt for real....

hmmm....campus is full of nicely-dressed ladies and gents...but seriously...all of them abit of show-off innit? well, i guess, its normal human behaviour...when i see all these pretty girls and boys shop...hmm...abit jealous they have all the money to spend....whereas i had to dig really really deep into my pockets for a simple t-shirt...hmm...dunno...shudn't be jealous...just accept it...its them and their own wealth...it doesn't concern me...all i have to do is keep strong to my discipline and principles...be my own self....not be influenced by others to follow them....heheheheh...

wat else wat else? hmmm....assignmetns are burying me...i dont think i'll be seeing much of my friends anytime soon...so sad....i really liked their company...heheheheh....but i have to focus....i must get serious now!!! i don spend my family fortune to fail my subjects!!!


till then...ciao~~

My my....

What's this what's this? I thought i decided to keep my blog really updated? Now....a whole April is gone before this new post. What i can say is...time flies!! Heh...musta lost all my readers alreaady...hohohhoho.....one way to lose ur followers is to disappear..hahahah...easy ehh??

Here's hoping i'll find new readers with the new postings....hahaha....see how the time fits...cos...i will be reallly really busy as hell soon....more than 10 assignments and exercises awaits me...all to be handed up early june...tis a time to work hard man!!! to work my ass off!!! i cannot afford to lose out...i cannot afford to fail!!!! and on top of that, i had to master a software i barely know in one months time in order to fully utilise it!!! So fucked!!!

wish me luckk.....and i wish good luck to those out there...doin whatever in wherever....till then.....ciao~~~

Another start, another chapter

It seems, as fate would have it, it had happened.


As i passed through the gate into my campus, the only thought in my mind was, "I'm really here." So surreal. A year ago, something like this seemed impossible to happen. But, strangely, it HAD happened.

I was referring to me back to studying again. I couldn't take it anymore where i was last time, where i was previously. All the stuff and drama that occured was too much for me. I HAD to leave, knowing i would be happy in leaving, and other people happy in me leaving too. Their lives could return to normal. As for me......

I was back. Finally. I could be with my family again. Sure, some things have changed, but i was happy again, at least. I found love and warmth again with them. Just being around the people u've loved all ur entire time just lifted me out of my spirits, even tho' a lil this and a lil that happened, which caused us to argue a few times. I didn't mind that, because the arguements is part of our family life. It was, thankfully for most of the time, back to the old times...

But sadly, i left them again. After a mere two weeks. Too short, i told myself. I hadn't tasted all mum's cooking. I haven't watched movies with dad. I didn't play enough with my brother. Too short. But i had to go, for another chapter in my life is about to begin.

A year ago, i was offered a place into one of the private universities in my country. As happy as i was, i knew from the bottom in my heart that i wouldn't be able to study there as it was a very pricey university. So my dreams were shattered.

I remember the day when the news came. I cried, knowing that the truth i tried to put behind me came true. Mum was sorry, i was sorry. I blamed. Blamed only myself. But i told myself i should be strong and just live life with positivity...

Opportunity came. The new intake is open, and finally, there existed a course that suited what i wanted to learn(it was previously nonexistent in this particular uni, which was why i rejected going there in the first place), and what's more, with this particular uni, i stand a better chance to get a loan to support my studies. And so, after all the procedures, i went to the university.

So here i am...studying again. I found out how much i missed studying. Now is the last frontier. Now is the time. Now is the stage where i'll stage out a successful career in the future. Now is where i lay all my foundation. Now is the moment.

Thanks to my family. Thanks to my friends. Thanks to my agent. Thanks to the people who wished me well. I will try my best and shine.

And thanks to God. I think He made me go thru a miserable one year just so i could arrive where i am today.

It's been so long....

....since i last blogged. Must have lost all my readers already. Hahahahha!!!

Sorry peeps....me no chance online for the past months as work's been driving me nuts, what with more colourful people coming into my life as well, the good, and the bad.

Interesting things have also cropped up in my life, what with all the spices God has thrown into the pot of mixture that is my life. Interesting events, improved relationships, emotions that went around like a rollercoaster ride. Is it good? Issit bad? All i can say is, all that happened are merely lessons...lessons that one ought to learn in life....


I have more stories to tell...but now's not the time...wanna hear? Hit me up!

One year difference

Ducca’s birthday a year ago was, well, eventful. In a good way, of course. On that day something happened that was previously unrecorded in Ducca’s past birthdays. Not that Ducca’s past birthdays are dull, in fact, every birthday is special to Ducca, but, the memory of last year’s birthday is especially sharp.


If one year ago, during my birthday, if you’d told me I’ll be spending my next birthday with strangers in an alien place, I would have laughed in your face.



But it did happen. A year ago, my mates sang the birthday song during class which made my face extremely red. A year later, I’m in a totally new place which I visited for the first time, spending my time with around 60 people I had not known existed before. And no, they didn’t sing the birthday song. Thank god. Lol!


All I can say is, what a difference a year makes. The saying, though clichéd, rings so true: you never know what will happen tomorrow, let alone a year! Though this year I’m far away from my closed ones(I miss them badly!), events that happened made this year’s birthday another special occasion.


Because I had to be outstation for days leading up to my birthday, I really can’t celebrate it on the big day itself. Thus, my relatives over here celebrated with me a few days earlier(thanks!) and the next day I was off to work outstation for 3 days.


Around two hours left to the start of my birth-day I received a surprise from one of my colleagues who was also outstation with me. Ohh..i really didn’t expect him to treat me, so I was really surprised when it came. And then the clock struck midnight, and well, my birth-day began!


I spent the first hour of my birth-day playing ps2 with virtual strangers, which happened to be my hostel mates for the day. It’s been such a loooong time I last touched a ps2, and I deserve to play till late night ahh!! Ahahah!! I was already starting to like my hostel mates a lot. They are very kind and warm and funny and approachable.


I went to sleep around 2am after that, only to wake up 4 hrs later for work! The whole day I was trying hard not to fall asleep during work, with a slight headache too. But I told myself this is only for a day, how many times do u have the opportunity to work elsewhere and spend good time with people you just met? So what if I slept late? I don’t get to do this often!


When it was time to say goodbye, there was the tiny feeling of sadness there again. over the relatively short time we had, I had grown to like the place and its people a lot. I was sure I’m gonna miss them! One of them greeted my birthday as we parted, and I’m thanking him in my heart that he remembered, tho I suspect he still couldn’t remember my name!


For dinner I bought some Dunkin’ Donuts(we don’t that store where I’m staying) and off we’re back to our original town. I checked my phone and found there were a few messages from my friends greeting me. Aww..you guys!! Thanks a lot!! This marks the first year I’m not seeing my friends on my birthday, and also theirs. Sigh. Don’t worry, when we gather in the future, let’s party till we drop our pants!! XP


So. A year is all it takes for all the difference. A year later I’m in a new place, around new people, doing new things. I wonder then, how will my birthday next year take place? Another new place? Another new event? Another person to share it with? Who knows? I only know that, a year from now, I’ll look back at last year and this year with fond memories.


This is an account of how I spent my first birthday away from my loved ones, what I did, how I did it and who I did it with. I miss you guys. Thanks for all you’ve done.

*written 21st Sep*

A rare day

Like most of Ducca's friends, Ducca has two birthdays in a year, one from the lunar month, and one from the widely used 'English' calendar(Gregorian, issit? can't remember the official name). But the two birthdays never fall on the same day for as long as Ducca remembers. Then it occured, it never happened since Ducca was born.

But this year, it's different. This year, in fact, Ducca finally gets two have two birthays on the same day.

This year's birthday is really really special. It is xtremely rare that the two dates fall on the same day. The last time this happened was, well, was on the day Ducca was born!!!

The next time it happens again...well...Ducca might be very old already till then...so let's savour this year's b'day with awesomeness!!!


But there's a downside though...this year marks the first year Ducca is without Ducca's loved ones near during the bithday...and on such a special, once-in-a-few-decades year....it makes the heart ache....it's just too bad...and sad...

But Ducca refuses to be saddened by this fact...it is, after all, a special day, and why spoil it? Whether Ducca is going to celebrate it alone or not, at least, take heed in knowing that this is not a moment to be missed...



Happy Birthday Ducca!!!

What price would you pay?

Seven dollars. It's not really that much. But for a poor ass ex-student with low income living off breads almost everyday, seven dollars is a heavy sum to pay up. So, to be fair(to my wallet too), i live by a fairly loose rule: if you want to spend, make sure it's damn worth it. And no regrets.

It was a Monday, and i had an extra off day. What do i do? I have two choices: either stay at home and listen to 3 kids shouting, crying, playing and fighting outside your door, or go to the mall. Being the bored ass i was, either i get out, or explode in my own room.

So there i was, in the mall. Wanting to catch a movie, i went straight to the cinema. there wasn't much choice; there's only 'Money No Enough 2', 'Babylon AD' and 'Death Race' being shown among other thai horror movie and malay romance film. And Wall-E. I chose to watch 'Money' first, and in i go.

After 2 hrs i came out, not knowing what to do, and where to go. Why not, i say, watch another movie, just to pass time? Now i'm left with 'Death' nd 'Babylon'. From the papers, 'Babylon' didn't get good reviews. And 'Death' does not really appeal to me either. I have a feeling that i would be disappointed in both films, a feeling both won't be the kind of film i reeeaaalllllly enjoy, but what to do? Do i want to spend another seven dollars for a movie i think will be crappy?

My logical side is screaming 'IIDDIIIOOOTTTTT!!!!!!' as i handed the girl behind the ticket counter my cash. i went in for the movie, and i came out feeling a little pissed. The movie is THAT bad. Shit!!!!

There i am...a bit regretful for sitting through the movie...but later i reasoned, hell, it is waaay worth it than enduring kid's screams and shouts and tantrums. Seven dollars of freedom....seven dollars of crap movie...a small price to pay.

i made it sound if the kids are kids from hell. Well, they are, in a way, when they have their tantrums(which, by the way, almost all the time!)...


So yea. what price would you pay to escape these kids? i say seven is just right.



By the way, the crappy movie which i went to is 'Babylon'. The paper was right. Damn. ANd i have no intention to watch 'Death' either.

For your information...

When i was near to starting up a new blog earlier this year, my friend who had started her own blog, considered having two separate blogs. She asked me, will i be able to cope with managing two blogs? how will i differentiate the blogs? will it be the same or anything? will i even have the time to update it?

sadly, the last question i have to admit is no, i don't have time to update it. As for having two blogs, so far i'm managing quite okay.

So FYI, if u are new to my blog, pls do head over to my first ever post and read about my 'introduction'...pls play by my rules, and i'll play by yours. i'm that simple. for those who have been visiting my posts for a while, well, hello again, and thanks for droppping by, but i have sumting to add...


this is how i'll differentiate my blogspot and xanga. for the blogspot one, i shall post matters more that have a more 'serious' tone to it...like uhmm..stuff that's kinda deep. Lol. Meanwhile for the Xanga page, i'll post stuff that has more humour, or more towards giving out facts and trivia kind of stuff. so to summarise, blogspot is more serious, and xanga more...fluffy. LOL.

Also i will post same stuff on both sites, but that really depends on the subject matter. Overall, generally speaking, a post may be available on my blogspot, but wont be available on my xanga, and vice versa. Some will be exclusive to one site only, while at times some posts will be available in both sites.

I think that's abt it..click on the 'Linkin with Ducca' if u want to head on to my Xanga page...u are ver welcome there...


peace out~~

Merdeka

Today, is my nation's independence day. having spent almost my entire life in a foreign land, i never get to really absorb the independence spirit in my own homeland.

This year, though, is a teeny bit different. Last night at midnight there were fireworks to celebrate independence day. The fireworks aren't spectacular at all, quite common, they even lose to the fireworks my neighbours put up during CNY!!! But the atmosphere was lively. hundreds of ppl standing streetside, waiting near their cars, under trees, in coffeeshops, in their vehicles, just everwhere, all stood or sat there waiting for the fireworks to start.

And when the fireworks stopped, there was a huge traffic jam as everyone started their cars or motors and prepare to leave. Even there are a lot of ppl on bicycles, carrying the flag of our nation, speeding us buy. That's when all the vulgarities began.


'Aahhh!! STUPIID!!!!' people shouted everywhere. Angry curses are flown everywhere as cars tried to reverse and go out. another person screaming stupid again as a motor nearly collided with a bike. chaos is everwhere. I was in the care thinking, 'is this really the true independence spirit we all are supposed to have during this time of national celebaration? is shouting angrily at other people seem like how independence day is portrayed on tv and newspapers? have we lost our patience, understanding and forgiveness in these hard times? where exactly is the unity spirit?'




Then came a soft voice saying, 'Merdeka.'



I turned around to see who said that. A car that was crawling past us had a few guys in it. The driver, seeing me turning to look in his direction, repeated 'Merdeka' again, and smiled to me. I smiled back acknowledging him while his friends at the back looked at me. We eventually passed each other, but i can still hear him saying 'Merdeka' to the car behind us as he drove on.


Soon...some cyclist and people on motor greeted each other with the word 'Merdeka' again. I caught some more angry retorts from some other people, but still the word 'Merdeka' warms the heart more than anything. A simple greeting, a greeting which unites the nation, a greeting that will be returned with the same acknowledgement, is the only important thing at that moment. Despite the bad moods of most of the people stuck in traffic, there are still some who revel in the Merdeka spirit...perhaps caused by the fireworks, or the simple fact that our nation is celebrating its b'day again. Perhaps, after all, not all is lost, and i went home with a smile, extremely proud of my country, and extremely proud of being its child.



Happy Independence Day to my fellow rakyat. Merdeka.

Falling in love never seemed so cute before.....

Ahhh….not that I’m in love or anything, but really, falling in love had never been shown any cuter. Love at first sight, the process of courting that special one, doing everything to protect your special one, pain of losing your special one….all the things experienced when in love, had never seemed so innocent and cuter. Hmmm…it’s not the Valentine’s(not yet, anyway), and I’m not in love, so u are wondering, WHY THE HECK AM I WRITING ABOUT LOVE?


Hahahah…ever since beginning of this year, unless you had been living under a rock all these time, you should have seen a tiny robot with binocular-eyes everywhere in commercials, walls of buildings and shops, magazines and everywhere. Now do u finally know what the heck I’ve been trying to say?


Yes…the little and cute robot everyone got to know as WALL-E(short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter-E Class) began appearing everywhere, thanks to the clever ideas of the promoters of the film. Yesterday I went to catch Wall-E. and I only have one word for it: CUTE.


And I’m not only talking about the character himself. Everything in the film, the manner of Wall-E(who, after 700 years of cleaning up human’s mess on Earth, had developed human-like feelings and emotions), the interaction between Wall-E and his lady love, EVE(short for…I forgot :s), the robot in the giant spaceship Axiom, the travel through the space, the acknowledgement of mutual love, the re-understanding of Earth…and lots more. For a movie which doesn’t have much dialogue, it carries itself pretty well.



A short synopsis of Wall-E: Humans no longer inhabit Earth, thanks to the ever mounting amount of rubbish generated by humans themselves. Earth’s mess is thus left to robots to clean up, while the humans upped and went to live in the outer space. 700 years since the humans left Earth, only one robot managed to persist and survive till this day, that is, Wall-E. Wall-E is contented to live each day working to collect, compact and put away the cubes of waste until as long as it manage to last. His life changed one day when another robot arrives in Earth from outer space, and what happens when a robot falls in love?



The main theme of the film is just that, a love story. Can Wall-E ever win the affections of the emotionless Eve? When I first saw a poster for ‘Wall-E’ I thought ‘cool’. Space and beautiful stars? Cool, I like. A cute robot? Cool. But the poster didn’t say much about the plot of the movie. When I finally read about it a few months later(hey, they only reveal stuff later) I finally got it. ‘So it’s gonna be a movie where a robot who had developed emotions falling in love with another emotionless robot. It’s not gonna be a movie about another adventure in space or anything. Plus, the film won’t have much dialogue at all!’ I thought. Do I want to see a movie where human conversation is almost non-existent? Never mind the lack of human voice. The thing is, do I even want to WATCH a movie where the robots make robotic sounds 85% of the time?


The answer is, yes, it’s worth a watch. Let me justify it, well, at least from my POV.


First, the concept of a love story between robots is relatively new. It is, after all, interesting to see HOW Wall-E will strive to change his relationship status. Second, how does Earth look like when it was full of litter and is considered unsuitable to live in? Third, how do humans in the future look like? And finally, why does Eve only come now, after 700 years? And how will the movie writers do justice to the promising storyline concept?



I confess I’m a sucker for stuff space-related. I always liked to stare into the beautiful night sky filled with bright stars. I like to stare at the moon. I loved reading about facts and trivias about the planets, the stars, the supernovas, galaxy all that. The scope of the Universe and its endless possibilities intrigue me. Hell, I’m even a Star Wars fan. So, another movie with space as its background, why not I give it a try?



And I’m so glad I gave the film a try. The film, despite little human presence, was top notch. I loved the film. I never liked watching romantic movies or love stories in general, because there are just too many cheesy romance films with little substance, characters that don’t have any chemistry, and unnecessary kissing and sex scenes. But this, a love story between, of all things, robots, caught my attention all the time. Yes the film is very funny, had a lot of feel good time, but it is full of bittersweetness and aches too. One scene nearly got tears to flow out of my eyes(thankfully, to my credit, I did not, cos I had this *dumb* rule to not ever cry in movies), it was just so sweet and painful at the same time. Another scene managed to make me laugh and on the verge of tears at the same time. I know the girl beside me cried a bit after the film finished though, she was so touched by the film, just like me, tho I hid it better, haha.



The film is not only about a love story. It also explores the idea that one day, just may be, Earth will be so full of wastes it outnumbered us, the humans. What will we have we done to make that happen? Overpopulation? Too little space? We being wasteful? And where shall we live then, shall that happens? Space, just like in the film? I don’t think so.



It also stresses the importance of plants. Trees. Anything green. Because, after all, we do depend on the oxygen-producing plants to survive. If they were to be destroyed into oblivion, how can we live? Why did we, and more precisely how, do we let plants to disappear from the face of Earth? In the film, we literally killed Earth! It may sound ridiculous now, but it is really happening now, even as I am writing this, and even when you are reading this. Trees are felled every moment. A forest the size of a country might be gone the next day when you wake up for school or work. It is a bleak future indeed for the children of the next generation.



Another is of course, the on-going debate about the possibility of robots developing human emotions. New inventions are cropping up everywhere. A robot that can differentiate one human from another. A robot that cleans your house. A robot that will interact with you. Even robots that are made specifically to look like human is under development! Will these robots become us in the future? And how much do we really depend on robots? How much will we depend on them in the future? And will the robot have a mind on its own and start to rebel against us, the humans, its creators, should they come to understand us in the future?



While the film does not delve too deep into the subject matter, it nevertheless succeeded in getting the audience to reflect on the possibilities by spreading it throughout the film evenly.
Okay, enough with all the theories behind the movie. Now I want to talk about the characters. Don’t worry, you won’t get 1hr 45mins of robots beeping electronic sounds here and there! The humans do make an appearance!



First is of course, our lovely little hero, Wall-E. VERRRYYYY cute. Jusr watch him go ‘Waaaallllyyy’. And his mispronunciation of Eve’s name is sooo cute, the way he calls out Eve is just so adorable. Wall-E also demonstrated basic human interaction that sadly, in our own current society, is absent. How many of you are willing to spread out your hand and help out a stranger kindly and introduce yourself and all that, without worrying that the person you are helping could be there to cheat you? And Wall-E’s devotion to his girl…ahh…if only the men would be like him….



Next, is of course, Eve, our heroine! You know what, while watching Eve, I can’t help but think of Angelina Jolie when Eve appears. Seriously! I don’t know why. Eve reminds me of Ms. Jolie very much. At first I didn’t think much about the design of Eve, but later in the film, when Eve finally lets out a laugh, wow, that robot is so well done!! Every emotion, every movement, the animation is great!



All through the movie, the characters convey their emotions through their ‘eyes’ and ‘voices’. Really, a movie that depends so much heavily on the body language and facial expression of the robots will be nothing if the sound effects are not good. If you can’t produce a good enough sound to express a non-talking robot’s expression successfully, then the movie will be a disaster. Fortunately, the sound and body language of all the characters combine wonderfully to produce such an amazing and warm movie. Kudos to Ben Burtt, the guy behind the sound effects, who is also the man responsible for the ‘sounds’ of Star Wars!



Of course there are many more characters but I don’t want to spoil too much.




Overall, this movie can succeed because of its expression, physical and vocally, of its characters. I had no problem at all with the lack of dialogue. It is the lack of dialogue that amplifies the robotic body language and expressions. The animation is so real and convincing. It is a well-done movie indeed!