I wanna cosplay too!

Was randomly searching through the net one earlier and found some pretty good cosplay photos. Kudos to these dedicated individuals for bringing well-loved anime/manga into flesh! Sorry I didn't reference every single photo...

Thought those cosplayers were good? Well, This one here below is the best!! KAKH IT'S YOUR FAVOURITE MUAHAHAHAHAAA!!! May it haunt you in your sleep! *evil grin*

'Personal Matter'?

Article from here: http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5620461/teen-model-escapes-abusive-malaysian-prince/

Teen model escapes 'abusive' Malaysian prince
AFP June 1, 2009, 6:36 pm


JAKARTA (AFP) - A teenage US-Indonesian model has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, after her dramatic escape with the help of Singapore police.

Manohara Odelia Pinot, 17, told reporters she was treated like a sex slave after her marriage last year to Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, the prince of Malaysia's Kelantan state.

Her mother, Daisy Fajarina, said she would press charges against the 31-year-old prince, and blamed the Malaysian and Indonesian governments for trying to cover up the alleged abuse.

"The things I've been afraid of were revealed to be true. Manohara has suffered physical abuse. She's got several razor cuts on her chest," Fajarina told AFP on Monday.

"No parent could be silent if their child was treated in such a barbaric way."

The Malaysian government had ignored her pleas for access to her daughter and had blocked her from entering the country, she said, while the Indonesian embassy had said that Manohara was fine with her new husband.

But the young woman -- a well-known socialite in Jakarta -- said her life at the royal palace involved a "daily routine" of rape, abuse, torture and occasional drug injections that made her vomit blood.

She said she was usually held under guard in her bedroom at the palace and was injected with tranquilisers whenever she complained.

"I am still traumatised by all that happened and it has left an impact on me," she told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday, after escaping the royal family during a trip to Singapore over the weekend.

"Sexual abuse and sexual harassment were like a daily routine for me, and he did that every time I did not want to have sexual intercourse," she was quoted as saying in The Jakarta Globe.

"I could never think a normal man could do such things," she said, adding: "Some parts of my body were cut by a razor."

"I've been treated like an animal. I'm like his property and I was in his room and whenever he wants to play with me he just goes into the room and plays with me. I'm like an object."

The teenager -- whose fairy-tale wedding to a prince captured the imagination of Indonesia -- said she would be tortured if she did not appear to be happy when she attended social functions with Fakhry.

She said she secretly called Singaporean police and pleaded for help after the royal family took her to Singapore when they accompanied Fakhry's father, Sultan Ismail Petra Shah II, for medical treatment.

"The police told Fakhry that he would be held in jail if he did not let me go. No one could force me against my will in Singapore and I knew I had a chance to escape," she said.

The model once voted as being among Indonesia's "100 Precious Women" said she escaped her guards by pushing the Singapore hotel elevator's emergency button.

They were reluctant to chase her because they knew the scene would be captured on security cameras.

She blasted the Indonesian embassy in Malaysia, saying: "They made it worse by telling lies, saying that I was fine while I was suffering in Kelantan."

A spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry insisted the embassy had done everything it could to help Manohara and said the government would assist her if she wanted to file charges against her husband.

But Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government would not investigate the allegations.

"I think this is more of a personal matter. To date we have not been dragged into it, so we want to leave it as it is," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia's royal rulers used to enjoy immunity from criminal and civil charges but the privilege was removed in 1993.

There has been no comment from the Kelantan royal family.

Manohara's lawyer, Yuri Darmas, said she would have a medical examination to back up her allegations of abuse.

"We need one to two days to gather evidence before we file a lawsuit to the Malaysian police," he said, adding that he intended to pursue criminal and civil lawsuits against the prince.

Manohara has already filed for divorce, her mother said.

Welcome to the Racist Side of Australia

There is racism everywhere in the world. You just have to stay in one spot long enough to experience it.

It was 5.30pm yesterday, I was on East Terrace, just finished watching "Angels and Demons" at Nova Palace Cinema ($6 student tickets for the month of May!). I was contemplating taking my usual route through Rymill Park to get back home. The sun had just gone down. I saw a young Indian couple walking in front of me and they were heading through the park. Figure that it should be safe enough if I walked behind them.... Halfway into the park, I saw this caucasian man standing around on the green. The minute he saw us, he started shouting and cursing God knows what. I could only make out "fucking" and "black". Typical racist stuff. Then he started throwing stuff at us. His paper cup (probably containing alcohol) and rubbish, stones etc.... The Indian couple and I just ignored him and tried to walk faster. To must surprise, the white guy rushed towards us. My panic buttons were going off like crazy already. He went for the Indian guy, grabbed him and started hitting him!!! The poor fella was struggling and his partner and I were just stunned. Seriously I should have screamed or something but I was just stunned. After a while the Indian guy managed to break free and the 3 of us ran out of the park.

Thank goodness he wasn't injured. I called the police when I got back, and was told to go to the station the next day to make a statement. I did exactly that, but lo and behold, when I told my story to the policewoman, I was just dismissed. True, I guess reporting anything must be pretty useless, considering I don't know who was attacker or the victim. Nothing they can do about it right? But I thought I could at least provide a collateral history of sorts should the Indian guy decide to report. No, they didn't even take down anything for records. I felt that they were quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Racial attacks? No worries. That was the vibe I was getting. In this same week, four Indian students in Victoria were brutally assaulted. One of them is in critical condition.. Even if he does survive, he will probably be blind and have brain damage. Check out the article for yourself here and here.

This isn't the first incident I've seen. Saw 2 white old ladies throwing crude remarks at African migrants (calling them animals and whatnot) in the bus. I had a feeling they could be refugees as they travelled in a large group, consisted only of women and children and had a caucasian lady as a 'tour guide' and showing them how to use the bus. Anyway the 2 old ladies didn't stop at jeering, they hollered throughout the entire bus ride bout how "these filthy animals are allowed into our country" and proceeded to fight with the guide and chase them down the street. Old ladies: they still have what it takes to be rabid.

And yes, I've met racist patients too. But then again, as long as there is a majority race, there will be exploitation and undermining of the 'lesser races'. It seems to be the wisdom of the world. Granted, most Aussies are very friendly and open hearted, but the racist minority make such a horrbile, indelible mark. Also, I don't like people giving the excuse that "he's drunk, not racist, he doesn't mean all that!" Come on. Alcohol disinhibits people. It causes people to say and act in ways that they normally wouldn't provided normal social constraints. But surely they must have been thinking it, to actually act on it.

I'm still keen on working in Australia, it's a nice place. For which is worse: being treated as a second-class citizen in a foreign country, or your own?

Through the Years and Far Away - ほしのこえ

Hello, little star
Are you doing fine?
I'm lonely as everything in birth

Sometimes in the dark
When I close my eyes
I dream of you, the planet Earth

If I could fly across this night
Faster than the speed of light
I would spread these wings of mine

Through the years and far away
Far beyond the milky way
See the shine that never blinks
The shine that never fades

Thousand years and far away
Far beyond the silky way
You're the shine that never blinks
The shine that never dies

Hello, tiny star
Can you hear me call?
I'm so blind as everything at birth

If I could flow against these nights
Straighter than the string of light
I would lay these hands on time

Through the years and far away
Far beyond the milky way
See the shine that never blinks
The shine that never fades

Thousand years and far away
Far beyond the silky way
You're the shine that never blinks
The shine that never dies

Through the years and far away
Far beyond the milky way
You're the shine that never blinks
The shine that never dies

Anzac weekend in the Yorke Peninsula a.k.a. The Little Emu Chronicles

So finally the story of the Anzac weekend in the Yorke Peninsula with Xian-Nian and my new car, Little Emu. This is also the story of how the naming of Little Emu came to pass. On Saturday, we drove to Innes National Park, which is around 2.5 hours from Maitland (which is another 2.5 hours from the city). The weather that weekend was to put it mildly, cold and windy. Adelaide recieved so much rain that weekend it surpassed the total monthly average. I was nearly blown off a cliff at one point. Seriously. It was that windy. But it was Xian-Nian's only weekend in Maitland so we thought we'd better make the most of it. It turned out to be a really fun and hillarious adventure! Not to mention wet and cold. Stopped by some of the towns along the way to enjoy the scenery.

By the time we reached Innes National Park, it was 4pm and the sun was going down soon. Managed to skim through some of the coastlines and beaches in the park. One of the beaches was called "Little Emu Beach". And throughout our journey in the park there were several emu crossing signs. There was an Emu Street in Wallaroo, where we had lunch the following day. Plus my car was a lovely sky blue shade, similar to the colour of some emu feathers (I think.... Slobby Emu (refer below) does seem to have blue bits). So I asked my beloved, "What do you think if I name my car Little Emu?" Surprse, surprise, my dearly beloved let out a collosal *snort* and replied: "Up to you....."

So there! We got to explore yet another part of beautiful South Australia, Xian-Nian got to experience country living, I got to practice driving, Little Emu got his name! So everybody's happy. Also, Xian-Nian saw his first full rainbow that Saturday in the national park. Not only that, we saw 3 rainbows in succession! So I guess we should be thankful for the rain. ^_^

Slideshow with more photos:

SATURDAY: Minlaton, Yorketown, Warooka, Stenthouse Bay, Marion Bay, Innes National Park.

SUNDAY: Moonta, Wallaroo, Kadina, Ardrossan.

This here is another emu. His name is Slobby Emu, because he's a slob like a *certain someone I know*. Xian-Nian bought him for me from the airport, just before he went into the boarding gate. I was feeling pretty horrbile from a night of vomitting and nausea, further more I had to say goodbye to him (again). So Slobby Emu kept me company for the remainder of my time in Maitland, until I returned to the city. See his blue feathers kinda matches the blue of my car. But then again he's a soft toy and not a real emu per se....

Oh yeah, Darling. Happy 4.5 years. ^_^

Phantom of the Opera

Went to watch the Phantom of the Opera at the Adelaide Entertainment Center with Ken today. Performance-wise, the entire cast was fantastic! Anthony Warlow played the Phantom beautifully and flawlessly (as expected). Loved it loved it loved it! The costumes and special effects were stunning (with the exception of the chandelier. OMG it looked like the UFO that time forgot. During the scene when it was supposed to come crashing down, it looked more like it was placidly floating towards the stage....). We booked our tickets quite late but still managed to get fairly decent seats for an equally decent price. Although....... in my opnion the venue for the musical SUCKED big time. The entertainment center wasn't designed for musicals! I'm sure the people sitting on the second elevation must have needed binoculars badly. The 2 great big tacky TV screens flanking the stage were useful in certain scenes, but half the time they were a distraction. I wish they held it at the festival theatre like Miss Saigon last year.

Now if only I had a gazillion bucks so that I can also watch Pink, Pussycat Dolls and Lady Gaga live in concert(s) in the next couple of weeks. -_-"

Melbourne Trip + My bf is a quarter century old today

Happy birthday, Darling. Thanks for keeping me company for the past 3.5 weeks. I know I always cry when you leave, but you've made me very happy indeed.

Where have all the cool cartoons gone?

This is totally random. Let's break from the photo parade, shall we? I'll continue on with the Melbourne trip and Anzac weekend photos next. :P

Remember the good ol' Saturday morning cartoons from the 80's and 90's? Jem, My Little Pony, He-Man, GI Joe, Denver the Last Dinosaur, Smurfs, Dungeons and Dragons, Thundercats, etc etc etc.... I can probably name a list as long as my arm. I really miss those carefree years. Anyway.... this is probably the most pointless and nonsensical one... Came across it on Youtube. This show was so random it never made any sense, but I still found it heaps funny. Ahhh... sweet nostalgia...

I made a patient cry...

....and of all places to do it, I did it in this small, little town. Now I'm praying and hoping not to bump into her on the street or while doing my shopping in Foodland (the most happening place in town). And you know the worst part? I can't remember her face!

She came in for a simple follow-up. I was supposed to take her history and the doctor would evaluate me. I introduced myself ("Good morning. I'm Leng, a 6th year medical student. Is it alright if we have a chat?" *big smile*) 2 minutes into the history, she suddenly said "I find this all very uncomfortable. I can't take this anymore!", burst into tears, and ran out of the office. Neither I nor the doctor saw that coming. Suffice to say, it didn't go down well with the clinic staff. They had to call to apologize and calm her down. She said she was very upset and felt that she was being interrogated. She didn't come back for her consult that day.

Looks like my people skills still need heaps of work. Wish I could apologize to her in person. That's the first time I upset a patient, but I guess I should be grateful it happened when I'm still a student.

More photos of this little town:

The main street. Key attractions include the supermarket, post office, bakery, pub and butcher.

The most happening place in town. Seriously.

Aside from the quiet, there's a nice country charm to the place.

For some reason, no matter how small a town is, there's ALWAYS a church. It really echoes of Adelaide a.k.a. The City of Churches.

Anzac Day is coming up this weekend. Sucks that Monday won't be a holiday too.

The simple life

I survived the drive to Maitland! *phew* I still need a lot of practice on the road, though. Kena hon a couple of times while driving in the city. They were near misses at that too. -_-" Damnit I hate roundabouts! But once we were out of the city, the drive was pretty straightforward. Nice long country roads. The stretch heading towards the town via Arthurton and Kulpara was a bit bumpy.

Some hand-carved soap roses Xian-Nian got for me from his Mt. Kinabalu trip. It's amazing they survived the plane ride to Melbourne and Adelaide. Thanks Darling!

Eggs Benedict at a cafe in Norwood. Fuel for the journey.

Flat and brown all the way through. It's no wonder one friend told me to "be careful, don't fall asleep at the wheel".

Students' Accommodation on Samuel Street, Maitland. A nice cosy, 3-bedroom house with wireless internet. Alone in the middle of nowhere with no internet certainly won't work for me.

Somehow the printer doesn't work. And the bicycle wheels are flat. And the bicycle pump is broken.

A nice spacious backyard with an orange tree! I've always been fascinated by fruit trees (some weird obsession). Unfortunately the oranges aren't ripe. Plucked one and it was so hard and sour. *edit 28/4/2009 - the rain seemed to have plumped them up a bit. Lets hope they'll be ripe and ready to eat soon!*

There's also what looks like a garden shed in the backyard. Upon further investigation, we found remnants of a gruesome past....

Chicken coops!

...and bones!!

This looks like a scene out of an old Western-psycho-murder movie. I'm dreading the week when Xian-Nian won't be here with me.

International Primary Health Care

Am halfway through my GP SCAP now. It was a good thing I got International Primary Health Care (IPHC) instead of a city GP (for those non-Adelaide Uni ppl, we get to choose the type/location of our GP rotation from a list of things. Some students even opt to create their own). IPHC was unexpectedly fantastic! The first half was basically interactive lectures on medicine in a Third World setting. Things like sanitation, maternal and child health, HIV, TB, mental health and cross-cultural issues. I think it was not just the lecture content, the speakers themselves were so passionate and experienced in what they did. Most of them spent a large part of their careers working and living in areas of need like Nepal, Cambodia, Africa etc. A whole heap of sad things happen as we speak, but the suffering of the unfortunate millions aren't heard by those on greener pastures. Nothing is ever enough to change everything, but what these doctors did made a world of a difference to those they touched. Also, I learnt that it's more important to ensure sustainability of your works rather than playing 'saviour' for a month and flying off, leaving people to sink back into helplessness.

We had to put together a presentation for our own development program at the end of the 3 weeks. Basically had to explain to a panel of donors/judges a.k.a. our examiners what our development program was, and why we deserve xxx amount of cash to fund that project. Our examiners were quite meticulous, so things had to be done up as if it were the real thing. My group chose to build schools and set up an education program in Bhola Island, Bangladesh. It was a bit hard to get things together since we had the Easter weekend in between, but luckily I had awesome groupmates. =)

We also got to visit the Royal Flying Doctors base. Climbed into one of their planes like the little jakuns we were. :P Overall a very productive and fun rotation. It kinda inspired me to spend some time working in international health. I wish I had this rotation early on in 5th year, or maybe 4th year. If I did I would have jumped on the opportunity to follow one of the doctors on their missions overseas. Maybe Nepal.

For the second half of my GP SCAP, I'll be in Maitland, Yorke Peninsula. It'll be like a rural posting 'cos Maitland is 2 hours 45 mins drive from the city. And guess what? I just bought a car and collected it TODAY aaaaand will be driving there! OMGWTF that's scary shite for a hopeless driver like me. Thank God Xian-Nian is here now with me!

Feast your eyes on my brand new Hyundai Getz 5 door hatchback in Sky blue. Automatic transmission of course. Thanks Papa! Please pray for the safety of me and my car. And stay tuned for my next adventure. :P