Ashwin Arumugam

I Hate Chain Retweets

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:27:00 +0000

This is something that’s been on my mind for a while. I’ve been meaning to get it out into the open, but every time I decided I’d blog about it, something else would come up. So now, I guess it’s time to say,

I HATE CHAIN RETWEETS.

I’m a tweetwhore. Heck, everyone on Twitter is a tweetwhore! I understand that everyone is different and thus, they’d have their own different styles of tweeting. Fair enough. But, some things shouldn’t be different. Like, how one retweets another’s tweet.

Twitter is a great place to be. It’s keeps you engaged in the things that are happening around you (and at the same time making you more anti-social at the dinner table). It’s great because there’s a button to do everything you want. A ‘Favourite’ button to favourite tweets that touch your heart. A ‘Reply’ button to reply to tweets that caught your eye. A ‘Delete’ button to erase any incriminating evidence that might possibly ruin your life. And last but not least, a ‘Retweet’ buton.

You can’t see the Retweet button above because it’s my tweet, and Twitter doesn’t allow users to retweet their own tweets, so here’s another screenshot for you, with the retweet button.

The ‘Retweet’ button is unique. When you retweet a tweet, it symbolises your agreement with the person who tweeted that tweet. It’s also another way of saying, “Damn, I wish I had thought of that!” The only time when someone doesn’t have a retweet button is when their profile is private. Hence you’d have to manually retweet the tweet, by copying and pasting, and then adding an ‘RT’ in front.

Now here’s the thing. My profile is as public as a public toilet. My Twitter profile is sooooo public, that if it were a prostitute, it would have contracted all the STD’s out there. Therefore, being a public profile, each and every one of my tweets comes readily equipped with a ‘retweet’ button.

But, some of my followers for some bizarre reason have never heard of the ‘Retweet’ button. Please note the sarcasm. By manually retweeting one of my tweets, it’s almost as if you’re saying, “Damn, that was a good tweet! But I’m not gonna press the ‘retweet’ button. I’m gonna manually retweet your tweet so that people will retweet my tweet and I’ll take all the credit.”

And I just don't get why they'd manually retweet my tweets, because it's just too cumbersome to copy and paste and type. Why would anyone in their right mind do that, when there's already a button to do it!?

Still not getting it? Take a look.

After Chelsea’s unfortunate 3 - 5 loss to Arsenal, I tweeted “CHEL53A”. I got chain retweeted 7 times. To you it might seem like nothing. But to me? It really breaks my heart. This is plagiarism, in its simplest form. The epitome of copying and pasting.

I mean, it’s alright if you wanna add a witty comment by manually retweeting my tweets. But doing it and just putting ‘HAHA’ or ‘LOL’ in front of it? Not cool, bro.

I’m not even gonna think twice about the implications of this blog post. If you think I’ve hurt your feelings by writing this blog post, do tell me. Stop the chain retweeting. Every tweet comes with a ‘retweet’ button. USE IT.

Malaysia Boleh

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:59:00 +0000

You know when you want to watch a video on someone’s VEVO channel, and it says:

This probably means that the artist or uploader doesn’t recognise Malaysia as a country. Okay, we Malaysians can handle that. I mean, no biggie right? Malaysia IS a small country, and isn’t as well known as Singapore or Hong Kong. So it’s understandable why the uploader would do such a thing.

But, it’s only understandable if the uploader has no clue about the existence of Malaysia.

However, today, as I was watching Foster The People’s “Don’t Stop”, the suggestion sidebar suggested that I watch Yuna’s “Someone Out Of Town”

And most of you Malaysians should know Yuna, right? She’s a local artist, who miraculously has her own VEVO channel, and she’s a brand ambassador for Canon and TM.

So being Malaysian, we should be able to watch a Malaysian artist on her VEVO channel, right?

WRONG.

I don’t want to live in this country anymore.

Christmas In Bangsar

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:23:00 +0000

A few nights ago, I was on my way back from somewhere (I honestly cannot recall where) and I happened to catch a glimpse of the Christmas lights around Bangsar Village. I only saw the lights for about 2 seconds, and even then, I only saw them from the corner of my eye. I thought they were magical.

So, I decided to do something adventurous. I would attempt to shoot the lights using only my 50mm lens. I would of course shoot in RAW and process the shots later. Alas, as I drew closer to the lights, I realised that they were far from magical.

Sure, they were better than all the Christmas decorations from previous years, but I was really hoping for something more. There was one year, the management of Bangsar Village got so cheapskate, they decided to wrap the whole building in some cheap looking ribbon. Not cool, at all.

I took a few shots, and I’m not really happy with them, but they’ll have to do. I need to spend more time with my camera and get my mojo back.

I challenged myself to shoot with only my 50mm, and once again, I made the most embarrassing mistake. I shot at the widest aperture, f/1.8

I need to stop doing that. Sharpness is hard to control on this lens once you open the aperture that wide. Better luck next time I guess.

However, one really cool thing about this year’s decorations is that they’re made from recycled tin cans! It’s amazing how they managed to cut slits into so many cans and attach them to ten trees which are 12 feet tall. Okay, one fake tree and nine real trees.

And that my friends, is Christmas in Bangsar. Which reminds me. I have to go set up my Christmas tree!

It's About Time.

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:18:00 +0000

I started blogging in 2009, when I was in Form 3. At that time, I didn't know what my blog was going to be about, who was going to read it (if anyone even had the time to read it) or whether I'd be as famous as all those celebrity bloggers out there.

2009 was the year I discovered what NOT to blog about.

That was a very ‘educational’ year for me.

In 2010, I discovered that with the power of Twitter, I could influence all my followers to read my blog posts by simply posting the permalink (and yes, they did have the time to read it.) Twitter has really opened my eyes, it’s not just another social network. Twitter is a whole new world. A world where you can influence people you don’t even know just by the things you say.

Okay, I might not have had an asthma attack when I was 9, but you get my point, right?

And this year, I discovered that I might never be as famous as all those celebrity bloggers who blog about everything and anything and get paid with big, fat cheques from certain advertising companies. But one thing I did learn this year, was how to blog from my heart. In June, my blogging mojo came back, but then I had to start studying for SPM, and that was really very potong stim for me.

Which is why, over the next few weeks, you my dear readers, can expect several blog posts, and a new section which I like to call 'This Needs To Be Said' which is where I will express my distaste for certain things, people, and places. But don't be hatin'. Hater's gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate.

Today is the 1st of December. I know, I'd make a really good calendar. I'm almost done with SPM, I just have one more paper left, which is EST, in exactly a week's time. It feels good to have most of the subjects done with, but somehow I still don't know what to do with my life anymore. I intend to make this December really productive, as this screenshot of my calendar clearly indicates. Got loads more activities and outings lined up which have yet to be input into my calendar.

So stay tuned for my next post, about why I hate chain retweets!

I Like Shooting In RAW

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:53:00 +0000

This is my dog, Brandy. This is also the second time I’ve shot and processed a RAW shot. And boy am I lovin’ it!

Best Advice I Can Give You

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Before you read this post, make sure you check out Kenny Sia’s latest post: “Don’t Go To University For The Sake Of It”

I trust that you’ve read it. Now let’s get things straight. Malaysia is a really nice country, there’s no doubt about that. Who could find fault with nasi lemak, roti canai or tau foo fah? I truly appreciate the fact that I have friends from so many different walks of life. I really love how I can speak 4 different languages (although my Chinese is a bit off)

But. There is always a “but”. I hate living in Malaysia because I have to follow the extremely stupid Malaysian Education System. It’s so dumb, it shouldn’t even be called an Education System! Allow me to take you on a journey, through the Malaysian Education System, starting with Primary 1. Or as Malaysians call it, Standard 1.

In Standard 1, you learn absolutely nothing. Up until Standard 6, you will still have learnt nothing. Your entire primary school life is completely useless, in Malaysia at least. I can’t remember anything I learnt in primary school, probably because I never needed to put anything I learnt into practice. The only thing I remember doing in primary school? Having crushes on girls.

Then you come to Form 1. At this point, you (or in the case of most Malaysian kids, your parents) have to decide what kind of school you should go to for your secondary education. A government school, a private school or an international one.

This is what the most rational consideration would look like. It’s all about the money.

Government School: Free. Percuma. 免费. இலவச.

Private School: Must pay a little bit lah. Can lah.

International School: “I spend so much, my kid comes out like an American wor!”

In my honest opinion, if you want to be a better person, stop thinking about the money. Remember what Jessie. J said? “Forget about the price tag.” Enough side-tracking, let’s get back to business.

Government schools are rubbish. This may sound very harsh, but it’s the truth. Government school teachers are never in school half the time, because they’re attending courses on how to be better teachers. You won’t learn anything in a government school, because frankly, you get what you pay for. In this case, you paid nothing, so you get nothing!

Private schools. Hmm, I don’t want to sound biased, but private schools are alright. I go to a private school, but honestly, it just feels like a normal school, with a hint of style. But this does depend on which private school you choose. There are some private schools which cost ridiculously high, and some which are really cheap. But in the end, you’re getting the same thing.

International schools. Let’s get one thing clear. Not all International school students are as stuck up as you think. My mum stereotypes everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, and she classifies International school kids as stuck up kids. If you go to an International School, your future is going to be very bright.

At this point in time, you would’ve finished your PMR examination, assuming you went to a government or private school. If you went to an International school, then I’m sorry, but this blog post might no longer be relevant to you. Now the biggest question in your life is: “Which ~~seat~~ stream should I take?”

The answer is simple. Go for Science stream. I’ll tell you why. If you are very sure you want to work in the business/finance/any money related field, then go for Arts Stream. However, if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, then stay in Science. And if you hate Biology or Add Maths, then drop those subjects, and take English Literature, Accounts, Economics or ICT.

Why should you do this, you ask? Because my dear readers, if you study Science subjects in high school, once you’re older and finally realise what you want to do with your life, and it is arts related, then the transition is so much easier! Imagine studying in Arts stream in high school and then taking Chemistry, Biology & Physics in college! And I also have this theory, people who studied Science subjects in high school or college and go on to do Arts degrees end up reaching their first million dollars faster than people who did Science related degrees.

So now you’ve sat for your SPM trials, you’ve gotten your results and you apply for a college. Again the question arises: “Which ~~seat~~ subjects should I take?” Take the subjects that interest you. Don’t be afraid to check out the different colleges’ open days. They can be really informational and helpful, and will assist you in making your subject choices. On which course to take, all I can say is:

“If you still don’t know what you wanna do in life, then do A-levels. If you know you wanna go to Australia for university, then do the South Australian Matriculation or AUSMAT. Set on going to Canada for uni? Canadian Pre-U is your answer. Want to live the American dream? The American Degree Program is all you need. Want to blow RM60,000 in less than a year? International baccalaureate will help you!”

You’re 3 months into your first semester at college, and your official SPM results come back. They’re pretty much what you wanted, but you couldn’t really be bothered because no matter what, your SPM results, like most other Malaysian things, are completely useless.

The time you spend in college depends on which Pre-University course you do. This is where Kenny Sia’s blog post comes in. Most Malaysians parents have planned out their kids’ lives for them, right until the day they die. Malaysian’s have never been independent, because for most of our lives, we’ve been spoon-fed by our teachers, our parents, our friends and our tuition teachers! We just don’t have the ability to make choices for ourselves. Put your foot down, and make up your mind. Don’t go to university for the sake of it.

Your parents will spend roughly one million Ringgit on your tertiary education, so you better not mess it up. Don’t just do an Engineering degree so that when you go for a job interview you can show them a piece of paper which says you blew one million Ringgit on something you didn’t really want to do in the first place. No matter what your parents tell you to do in life, they can’t let you choose what you want to do, because it’s your life!

So you see, it all comes down to what you learn in primary school. My advice? Don’t ever study in Malaysia. It’s like a stack of Domino’s, one bad move sets off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. If I were given the option, I would study in Singapore, or Australia, or some other country. Anything beats Malaysia.

Why I Dislike Edited Photos.

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Tue, 31 May 2011 10:44:00 +0000

Before I begin this post, please note that if you do edit your photos, THIS BLOG POST WILL PISS YOU OFF.

You have been warned.

Dictionary.com defines photography as:

“Noun: The art or practice of taking and processing photographs.”

Processing, in this context, does not mean photoshopping your pictures. It means developing your photos using a dark room and developing fluid. See, the definition of photography has never changed. It will, and should never change.

The question still stands, why do some “photographers”, as they call themselves, still edit their photos? And they don’t edit their photos with Photoshop CS5 or Lightroom. They edit them with programs like Photoscape and Picnik.

I’m not targeting everyone who edits their photos. I have nothing against edited photos, or people who edit photos. If you edit your photos for personal use or for your blog/Flickr/Tumblr/Instagram, by all means, go ahead. Some edited photos look nice. The rest, are over-edited. They remind me of those ladies who put too much make up on, and tell people they look pretty.

I remember Googling something a while back, and came across this:

"Photography is something really magical to me - capturing a still, perfect moment in time, that would otherwise have passed unnoticed, and preserving it forever. I love taking photographs of people; every face tells a story, and I think there is something profoundly beautiful in old, wise faces."

Besides learning that the person who wrote that likes taking pictures of people's faces, we now know what photography means to him. When you take a picture, you're capturing the moment. You want to show people what you see through the viewfinder. A good photo doesn't need to be edited. A good photo must simply connect with it's viewers.

If you take a great photo, you don't need to edit it. If you really feel something when you're taking photos, and then you see the final image, and it's exactly as how you imagined it in your head, and it connects with you, then that's a good photo. You don't need to modify what you see just to make it physically attractive. The most beautiful things in life are often sparked from emotions.

Do you edit your photos? Even if you do, just remember, I have absolutely nothing against you, or your picture. All that matters is that you like what you did to your picture. But if you over edit your photos, and submit them for competitions? You photo just made it onto my dislike list. Remember, I said the photo did, not you.

*The contents of this blog post are in no way directed at a specific person or group of people. This is just my personal opinion.*

I Dunno La.

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:26:00 +0000

I feel bad. I feel really bad. Embarrassed too. More like ashamed. Why? Because I haven’t updated my blog for almost two months now.

But then again, seeing that Alison hasn’t updated hers for 6 months and Tzi Hua hasn’t done justice to hers for a whole year makes me feel a bit better.

So it got me thinking about…life. Yes, it may sound extremely cliché, everyone thinks about life almost every other second. But this time, I really thought about it. What I’m going to do with my life. And, more importantly, why I wanted to do so

Life is just one big question mark, waiting to be answered. Some people have come close to finding the answer, but alas, no cigar. And the question I hate the most is:

“Ashwin, now that you’re in Form 5, what do you want to do?”

~~Well, to be honest, I’d like to do Megan Fox~~

Frankly speaking, I haven’t got the slightest clue as to what I want to do after SPM. Here’s the problem with parents. They want what’s best for you, but they don’t want you to actually do what you want.

Here’s what my dad wants me to do:

Yeah, he wants me to be a doctor. Seriously? Yeah, the world will be a much safer place once I’m a doctor.

Like, what’s up with parents these days? Okay, my dad didn’t exactly say that he wanted me to be a doctor. We had THE TALK on my 16th birthday, in Bangkok. He said it more subtly, like:

“Hey son, now that you’re 16, I think you should start considering career options. What do you want to do?”

To which I replied: “I’m not really sure dad.”

“Well, what are your best subjects in school?”

Me: “I dunno, Chemistry and Add. Maths I guess.”

“Well then why don’t you become a Chemical Engineer then!? You could do an internship at my company after Form 5 then you’ll have work experience. And if you like it I could even get you a job there.”

He later added: “Have you ever considered being a doctor?”

Dad, I’m sorry, but that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. I’m not saying I don’t want to be a chemical engineer or doctor, all I’m saying is, I don’t want to talk about it right now. Well actually, I don’t want to be a doctor, but we’ll keep Chemical Engineering on the list.

I think for now, I’m pretty happy just being a normal Form 5 student. Who doubles as a Viking at school functions.

So please, please, stop asking me the dreaded question. Because my standard answer for a while will be “I dunno la.”

About Me

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 08:25:00 +0000

My name is Ashwin Arumugam.

I was born on the 7th of December 1994, which makes me 18 this year, and also a Sagittarius. I suffer from Middle Child Syndrome (at least I think I do).

Currently, I’m a student of the South Australian Matriculation (SAM) Program at Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas. I’ve spent the last 5 years of my adolescent life studying at Wesley Methodist School, and I must say, I’ve led a fun-filled high school life.

I can now safely say, I’ve lived the best high school life that anyone could ever ask for. Doing the craziest things in the world, with the craziest people in the world. Having fun with the people who have known me for 5 years, some of them who will go on to be my best friends in life.

Some of you may know me from the blogosphere, some may know me from the Twitterverse, and some may know me from my irregular articles in the New Straits Times (NST). I’ve been a young journalist with the NST since 2007, and this year, I’m taking it one step further and joining their youth section, U-Phoria.

Two years ago, I got into photography. And again, I can safely say, I don’t regret it one bit. Photography allows me to express what words cannot. It’s a form of escapism, where you paint a picture for others to see, and the rush you get every time you release the shutter button is exhilarating. You can view my portfolio here, here or here.

And no, I’m not just another kid with a fancy camera. Check out my portfolio if you really want proof.

2011 has been one heck of a year. Going to Singapore with 8 other guys and staying in a hostel for 4 days & 3 nights with an unknown Indian man from London. Driving to my friend’s house at 4am in the morning to play FIFA 12 on his PS3. Creating a Twitter account and posting lame jokes and getting followed by famous Malaysian celebrities.

There are loads of other things I’ve done this year, but you guys don’t need to know the extra stuff :P

Within the next 12 months, I’ll have to decide what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. Once my SAM course is over, I’ll have my ATAR score, and I’ll have to start applying to universities. I’ve been pretty lost about this whole thing, because I don’t have a clue as to what I want to do. Whenever people asked me what I wanted to do after Form 5, I was pretty stumped.

Now that Form 5 is over, I’ve got to make up my mind. But maybe, just maybe, I can delay this decision a little bit longer. I closed an important chapter of my life in 2011. Let’s hope that 2012 will be equally as exciting.

For now, I think I’m just going to enjoy the show.

This is my blog. This is my Twitter. This is my Facebook.

And this is me. I am Ashwin Arumugam.

Look What Mum Brought Home!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:24:00 +0000

Mum just came back, and she was like, "Kids, come down! There's something you should see!"
This was definitely something alright.

One of her artist friend's dogs gave birth to six puppies. She generously decided to gift us with one of them. And we already have one dog at home. But TWO!?

Skyped my elder sister and showed her Whiskey (That's what we called the new puppy since our other dog is called Brandy) and my sister practically melted!

However, there's still a possibility we might give her back, because, to be frank, my dad knows NOTHING about this! If he doesn't agree to keeping Whiskey, then its goodbye.

But who could ever say goodbye to such a cute puppy? :)

Back from Bangkok!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 02:50:00 +0000

Just came back from Bangkok slightly over 24 hours ago. I'm dead tired.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is like 10 times bigger than Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Immediately after we landed, I rushed towards the baggage claiming carousel, grabbed my bags, and literally ran to find some free wifi!

By doing so, I had just made my FIRST international check in on Foursquare!

If you ask me, my 16th birthday was pretty awesome. Why? I spent my 16th birthday in another country, Bangkok to be exact. Also on my 16th birthday, I rode an elephant.

Yes, I know that's not me on the elephant, that was the guy who DROVE the elephant. Another thing I did on my 16th birthday: I made a suit!

Does that make it a birthday suit? :P
Later in the night, my dad and I headed on to the Ma Boon Krong Shopping Centre, where incidentally, they have a Muay Thai Fight Night every week from 6pm to 9pm!

I was pretty bummed with my camera because there were NO CLOUDS in Bangkok when I was outdoors, and my camera was overexposing most of the pictures. But my 50mm lens really came through during the Muay Thai fight.

This is one of the temples at the Grand Palace, which is also the King's residence. Coincidentally, his birthday is 2 days before mine!

Before leaving Malaysia, I had a rough idea of what I wanted pictures of, and a monk was one of them. My 50mm lens didn't focus on the monk's head properly, so I converted it to B&W and added a soft focus filter.

Ohh, I almost forgot!

It feels good to be home :)

EF 50mm f/1.8 II & Initial Sound Photoshoot

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:57:00 +0000

I guess I really have to credit this post to Calvin Chew.
Why, you ask? Because he helped me get my first lens!
Well, technically, not my FIRST, my second lens, so to speak.

This is probably the cheapest bundle of joy in the photography world.
Heck, I think it IS! At only RM 350, this lens weighs in at 130g! That's lighter than my phone -.-

After testing out Calvin's own 50mm lens (I only took 2 shots :P), I knew I wanted to buy it.
To be honest, I had always wanted this lens, particularly because it's such a great portrait lens.
The dismal f/3.5 on my kit lens didn't isolate my subjects enough. This one had an aperture of f/1.8...

Which makes my pictures look like this!!
Calvin couldn't go out and buy me a new one in time for Initial Sound's photoshoot so he kindly lent me his instead.

Yeah, that photoshoot is a whole other thing. We didn't have a proper place to do it, so we ended up going to the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) to do it.

Unfortunately, the uptight Indian security guards came to us after about 10 minutes and said we weren't allowed to take pictures. But we kinda ignored him several times and it really pissed him off. More of that later in this post :P

This was the first shot, which was REALLY candid. One thing Wen Chuan noticed was that in all the pictures, no one was actually looking directly at the camera. After I got back, I tried cropping the pictures to Album Cover size, and I realised someone's face would ALWAYS be left out.

Which was quite a bummer since we spent a while a KLPAC and even took shots in the rain.

This was the shot that everyone liked the best. I'm pretty lazy to upload all the pictures from the shoot as there were 411, so I only uploaded 59 onto Facebook. You can check them out here, here or here.

Owh, I almost forgot! Still wanna know why we got halau-ed? It's actually Jia Wen's fault, because he did this!

The security guards started shouting at us from the main entrance which was like 150m away! :O

So if you wanna catch Initial Sound live, head on down to EndGame, to purchase tickets!

Time To Get Productive.

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:09:00 +0000

If you own an iPhone 4, please click here
Or, you could just stay here. The talk of the town has finally hit Malaysian shores. Yes, the iPhone 4. I'm beginning to feel like if you don't have the iPhone 4, you're life isn't complete.

While everybody's getting iPhone's and HTC's and what not, all I got was a Samsung Omnia. And it's not even new. It's a frickin company phone. From my dad.

I have to admit, I'm not at the top of my game anymore. After my poor performance in the Mid Term exams, my parents practically shut everything out of my life. No Facebook, no Twitter and worst of all, no Blogging. Then came the Final Term exams (which I know I failed really badly)

Yes, in the last 4 months, I've only done 3 posts. THREE!
My table looks like a mess.

To be honest, I have been procrastinating like hell for a long time. I would procrastinate about studying, about blogging, about going somewhere I wanted. I was just plain lazy.

But that's gonna change. Imma make these holidays really productive.

Starting NOW.

Top 10 Things To See and Do In Perth

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:07:00 +0000

Well, Wesley Methodist School's Form 4 entourage for Sacred Heart College leaves in 4 days to Perth, Australia. This time, without me. But I don't really mind because I just went there in March with my family, and I had a really enjoyable time.

But, lemme give you one thing to ponder about. Currently, you're paying RM 3790 for a 5 day homestay trip to Perth, airfare, transport and a few meals included. Ohh, and you're flying Malaysia Airlines.

I on the other hand payed RM 375o for 14 days, stayed in an apartment, rented a car, went all around the coastal areas and had a blast for RM 40 cheaper XD But, I had to fly Air Asia :(
So, to make up for your loss, I've decided to come up with a list of things you guys MUST do when you have any free time.

1. Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA)

This aquarium is actually right opposite the Sacred Heart College, in a place known as Hillary's Boat Harbour. Yeah, on your itenary, they printed it as Hillary's Marina. To be honest, they're both right XD

For an aquarium, its actually quite...BORING.
Okay, I have to admit anything is better than Aquaria KLCC, but unless you get a tour guide, you're losing out on a lot. Damn, those tour guides can give you a whole Biology lesson faster than Ms. Teng!

2. The Perth Mint

The Perth Mint is one of the first few places in the Australian territories where money, or gold, was produced.

This surfer looking dude will give you the lowdown in a slick Aussie accent, and when he asks what country you're from, listen carefully to how he says "Malaysia". You will die of laughter :)

Then they'll show you the entire process of gold pouring which is quite interesting and HOT.
You can literally feel the fire coming out of the furnace. Make sure you get a front row seat when you watch the gold pour!

3. The Eye on Perth

Similar to what we have back home, except this one's bigger and more expensive. If you're lucky enough, the school will take you here after your trip to King's Park.

4. King's Park

King's Park is well, a park. It's really big and green with loads of trees, and you can always see a few Aussie's lying down on the grass with their bikinis. The best time to go there is at night, because then you can take some really awesome sceneries like these. *Hint Hint Naveena and Chen Yang*

5. Busselton Jetty

Busselton Jetty is a really historical place, I don't know why. Its kinda far out from the city, I only managed to go there because my family rented a car and we drove around the entire southern region of Perth for 3 days. You probably won't have time to even go halfway there, but ask your host if there are any interesting places in the outskirts of the city.

6. Climb a Cliff Edge

Yes, I'm shit serious about this. You have about a day, utilise it to the maximum!! Go to any beach or cliff anywhere in the vicinity of your host's home, and don't be afraid to explore. My dad and I had to do a short 15 minute hitchhike to get to this place.

7. Visit a Zoo

If the school's not already taking you, go to the zoo. Or even a pet farm will do. The one thing you have to see there is the sheep shearing. Some places even allow you to shear the sheep and take the wool back with you!

Remider: You are not allowed to bring things into Australia without declaring it to customs, but you can bring anything OUT of Australia.

And make sure you take loads of pictures with the kangaroo's and koala's.
But be careful though, the kangaroo's like to bite.

No joke yo.

8. Milk a Cow

Well, while you're at the farm, you NEED to milk a cow.

9. Explore

Always keep in mind, no matter where you are in Perth, you're always safe. It's not like Malaysia where any second you could be robbed by some Indonesian dude. I can assure you that your trip will be a million times more enjoyable when you discover new things.

10. Visit Fremantle

Fremantle, or Freo, as it's known by the locals is kinda like the Bangsar of Perth. You can find almost everything in Fremantle from chinese supermarkets to buskers on the streets to chili festivals and even prisons.

Word of advice. Fremantle is a must, the beach especially.

Ohh, I forgot to mention, there's absolutely no free Wi-Fi in Perth, so no Facebook :P
But if you have the cash, get a prepaid card, because you will undoubtedly get lost.
The best piece of advice? Just have fun :D

Paul the Octopus

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:06:00 +0000

Project 365: #38

Let me introduce you to a very good friend of mine, Paul the Octopus. Paul has a special power. He's psychic. If you are a frequently on Twitter and Facebook, and you watch the FIFA World Cup while you do any of these two things, you should know who Paul is.

Paul lives in Berlin, Germany, in an underwater aquarium. You might be the skeptical type who says, "He's just an octopus. How can he be the FIFA Oracle?" I beg to differ. This eight-legged sea creature has predicted all of Germany's matches correctly except for one.

Paul's predictions are carried out on live television. Two containers which carry the flags of two teams are placed inside his tank. At the very bottom of each container is a mussel, Paul's food. Whichever container Paul reaches into first will be the winner.

Paul knew that Germany would own England. Paul was sure that Argentina would go home crying and Maradona's clothes were still on XD

BUT.

There's one thing Paul will definitely get wrong. Spain vs Germany. Paul inadvertently picked Spain over Germany. And he will pay. I quote my friend, Kevin.

Kevin Lim: Spain :) sad octopus if germany loses. They're gonna kill it and make sushi bento.

But I have a different kind of torture. Hehe.

I want you to remember the look on his face. Because in the next picture, he'll be gone.

*Flush*

Never Believe an Octopus

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Project 365: #37

It's 11.56pm, and I'm still have to finish two more karangan panjang's. Somebody just kill me now. And Paul the Octopus as well. Germany FTW!!!

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:27:00 +0000

Project 365: #36

My sister came back from Australia for two weeks. Middle child syndrome all over again. Ohh, parents-teachers conference for Form 4's is this Thursday. I pity people like Samuel whose birthday is on the same day.

I really need to wash my shoes XD

Lock and Key Hypothesis

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:42:00 +0000

Project 365: #35

School begins again tomorrow. Everyone feels so leceh to go back. Can you imagine how the Argentinian players must feel like to go back? I'm so addicted to Twitter now. I passed my 100th tweet mark after just two days of tweeting :)

Here's one of my favourite tweets so far:

I forgot what it was like to read. Now the only book I read is Facebook

Safety First, Rock On Later \m/

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:26:00 +0000

Project 365: #34

I've never actually tried gig photography before, so this was a new challenge for me. Remember Overdose?

Naveena organised it, and it was awesome!

This time, SMK Sentul Utama organised their very own Battle of the Bands. Can you believe that they managed to get more than 20 school bands to participate? And from SMK Weasley Methodist (That's supposed to be us XD)

Give it up for Safety First!!!

They were really bored before their performance, but they rocked out hard on the stage \m/
And eventhough they didn't win, I'm sure they had loads of fun.

Here's the video. Enjoy!
It's Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day"

Godiva Chocolatier at Pavillion

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:55:00 +0000

Project 365: #33

Today was like living a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Two chocolate giants. One mission. Beryl's Chocolate in Seri Kembangan and Godiva in Pavillion. Most of you should know that Beryl's is an Asian based chocolate factory that makes really cheap and affordable chocolates which tend to leave that sticky, dry taste in your mouth after you eat them.

Yeah, that's what my supervisor at New Straits Times said too XD

Now, Godiva on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Beryl's. Imagine, handmade chocolates imported from Belgium, made from the finest cocoa beans from Ivory Coast, cleverly blended using an 84-year old recipe from Germany.

Meet Yazeed Dato' Kayoom. If you're wondering why he has a "Dato" in his last name, fret not. It's only because his father is a Dato', so legally, he has to adopt the title from his dad. Yazeed is the Brand Manager of Godiva Chocolates.

And lemme tell you something. He has the best job in the world.

The Beryl's interview was as dry as their chocolates. But Godiva? That interview was one I will never forget. Yazeed started off with a brief history of Godiva and introduced us to their various types of chocolates. Here's how the story goes:

Lady Godiva was married to a money minded guy, called Earl of Chester Lord Country. Earl needed funds for his army, and decided to impose heavy taxes on the people to waiver his cost. But Lady Godiva would accept none of this.

And so, Earl challenged Lady Godiva that is she rode around naked on a horse, he would not impose the taxes. Waddya think happened?

Lady Godiva won the challenge, and gained the respect of the people. Lady Godiva symbolised purity and excellence to the people, so to immortalise her efforts, they named her Lady Godiva.

This is one of Godiva's signature items. The Chocolixir. Directly translated, it means "Chocolate concoction" And it definitely is. It's made out of pure dark chocolate, nothing else. There's something so special about Godiva chocolates, it's just so hard to put it into words.

You really have to try it out yourself to believe it. It's like heaven on earth, like sex without having to take your clothes off. The unique blend of dark chocolates is subtle yet distinct at the same time.

I'm a huge fan of dark chocolates. Gimme anything with milk and I will reject it without even looking at it. Almost everything I tried on the menu contained dark chocolate XD

This is their Dark Chocolate Cake, made of nothing else but pure dark chocolate. Sandwiched in the middle is a nutella-like hazelnut spread, except this one costs 5 times more. Did you know that the cheapest thing there is RM 19? Read on to find out what the most expensive item is.

Godiva's is a really posh place. When I sat down there and they served the appetizers, I was debating with myself, "Should I just use my hands and eat, or use a fork? I don't wanna look like a retard in front of these people"

But to tell you the truth, it doesn't really matter. Once you take one bite, just ONE bite, you will forget everything, nothing else matters in this world. You can't think, your mind won't be able to process anything. Everything will just go blank.

Your senses will come alive.

There are three Godiva outlets so far in Malaysia, one in KLIA, the second one in KLCC and the third one is here, in Pavillion. Godiva already has plans to open up a shop in Bangsar Shopping Complex. That's gotta be awesome. Now I can eat premium chocolates without having to go to far out places!

The Godiva concept is ingenious. Instead of a normal chocolate shop, they've done something completely different. Their outlets are like mini factories with cafe's that not only serve chocolates, but cakes and coffee's as well!

And the award for most expensive item goes to.....

The Luxury Box!!

At a staggering RM 645, you too can have your very own 59 piece box of Godiva chocolates. Then when you go to the toilet, you can tell yourself, "I just shat out RM 645 worth of chocolates"

So watcha waiting for? Get out there and make your way to:

Lot P2.15.00
Level 2, Pavillion Kuala Lumpur,
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia

I'm telling you, you will not regret it. As Yazeed puts it, "Godiva choclates are about self indulgence. You haven't eaten real chocolates until you eat Godiva chocolates"

Will The Real Obama Please Stand Up?

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:35:00 +0000

It's a known fact of life that the best things are always free. And I stand true to this fact. Free things always come in their most raw form, unedited and just waiting to be digested.

Take the Malay Mail for instance. Even though I write for the New Straits Times, I have to say that if you want the cold, hard and uncensored truth, then the Malay Mail is your best bet. And plus, the Malay Mail is completely free!

Government controlled newspapers (I shall not mention names here, but you should know who they are) have strict censorship rules. Even the slightest slip up can throw an entire newspaper enterprise off balance. They just can't risk losing their money.

Which is why people like you and I who are kepochi, tend to look for the newspaper that actually delivers. (No pun intended XD)

Time for a little celebrity social experiment.
Below is a picture from today's Malay Mail. It's an article about a Barack Obama look-alike.

At first glance, which is which? Who is the real deal and who is the fake?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

The answer:

Didn't expect that, didya? They look like brothers!

The guy on the left is Obama and on the right is an Indonesian dude called Ilham Anas. An Indonesian filming company is filming a movie about Obama's childhood day's in Indonesia. The movie is called, "Obama Anak Menteng". And guesss who gets to play Obama?

The Indonesian dude!

Life, Is Like Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:43:00 +0000

Project 365: #31

Well, I'm back to washing my own clothes, cleaning up after myself after dinner, folding the clothes and on top of this finishing my never ending homework. Civic's class today was the bomb.

Arvind: Nav, do you know Santokh Singh?
Naveena: What? Do I want to sing Toxic?

Then Mr.Balan started explaining the difference between Punjabi's, Bangladeshi's and Pakistani's thanks to Sher XD

Tzer Chyuan: Weih. Weih, Bangla!!

We all laughed so hard until we cried X)

Stop Right There

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:33:00 +0000

Project 365: #30

I've decided to give myself a try at Twitter. Again. The last time I did, I tweeted once, then never tweeted again. I've also decided to try out still life. It's kinda fun to explore all the different things you can do with a DSLR, and this is just one of the many more to come.

What would I do if my dad didn't collect liquor bottles? XD

Top 10: FIFA World Cup 2010 One-Liners

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:50:00 +0000

The FIFA World Cup comes about as often as I pass up my homework. Once every four years. And true to tradition, there will always be the witty fans from the most far-out places in the world with their one-liners and puns.

#10: Football fans on the amount of cards given out at matches this year

The referee's at FIFA matches produces more cards than Wesley Methodist School teacher's produce homework.

#9: English fans on Rooney's rubbish performance at the World Cup

"What's the difference between Rooney and Shrek? Shrek can actually save the day"

#8: Rajveer Singh on Portugal's thrashing of North Korea

#7: American's on their first "win" against England

#6: Me on why France didn't make it into the Top 16

"I think France has remained dizzy ever since Zidane headbutted Materazzi chest at the last World Cup Final "

#5: Nicholas Sia on the referee at the Germany vs England match

#4: English fans on Lampards misjudged goal

"Yesss!!! We scored!!! LOL, joking, FIFA linesmen dislike technology"

#3: The general public on Ghana's 2-1 win over USA

"Obama watched Ghana vs USA only to see his own kind beat his own country 2-1"

#2: What would happen if Nigeria vs Germany?

It would be so awkward because then the scoreboard would say Nig-Ger

And the best FIFA 2010 World Cup One-Liner is...

#1: Joachim Leow's pre-match pep talk before facing England

"Okay guys, here's the plan. When you walk out of that tunnel, you're gonna hit those England fellas so hard they won't even remember what an English accent sounds like!"

Got any more to share? Leave a comment in the cbox. Viva La Deutschland!!

This Was Something Special

noreply@blogger.com (Ashwin Arumugam) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 07:43:00 +0000

Project 365: #28

I've never been to Tugu Negara in my life. Until yesterday. It's a great place for architectural photography, so I've come to realise. There's just something so captivating about the shapes there. It's a culmination of all things great.

Will post about "How to make your very own Vuvuzela" very soon.