3 tough choices

good day people. it's been a while and i would've liked to say that i this blog hasnt been updated because i was busy, but fact is that i almost totally forgot about it.

so, for those who bother to care, this is an update about my life.

personally, nothing much has changed. football and cars are still a big part of my life and arsenal fc's inconsistence is as usual, throwing me into despair.

academic wise, i face 3 very tough choices.

let's start by explaining my current situation.

i successfully entered university of applied science mannheim in germany. not exactly my first choice, but better than nothing nonetheless. and for those who accepted my application, i am eternally grateful.

however, the course that i am studying is not my first choice as well. most people who know me knows, that the course i want the most is maschinenbau (fahrzeugtechnik), which translates to mechanical engineering (automobile technology) and the course i having now is automation technology. not such a big difference in terms of the name and spelling, but quite a big difference otherwise. the thing is though, it has always been my decision to change my course in the 2nd semester to maschinenbau in the same university.

however (again), i found out a few things that has thrown me into a big problem, which is the "schwerpunkt", or "emphasis" i guess you can say. the "schwerpunkt" i am obsessed to study is, as said, automobile technology (study about cars) and the one im currently having is automaton technology. thing is though, automobile technology is not offered in mannheim. which is tough, because i want nothing but that. so here i am, facing 3 tough choices.

1. continue with automaton technology

not my cup of tea if you ask me. and for valid reasons.

for starters, i have to study programming and electrical engineering. initially i thought that would be fun because i always admired those people that can write lines and lines of codes which no one else understands. after going through the lectures for about a month however, i found out that i absolutely detest the subject. it is just... not for me. not because of the professor, which is apparently great for other students but somehow not for me. i simply hate it and the thought of having to use this knowledge for the rest of my life gives me nightmare. 

electrical engineering is also not my taste but it's not as bad.

2. change to maschinenbau in uni. mannheim

not a bad choice, except for the "schwerpunkt". the "schwerpunkt" offered here is contruction technology and production technology. again, not a bad choice but not what i want. and doing something i don't like is, as many people told me, living a nightmare.

3. change to maschinenbau in other university.

most logical choice, and seems to suit me perfectly, in almost every sense, except for one thing: what do i have to go through for this.

now i really hate this part.

what i will have to do, is to apply for other universities for the next semester that offers "schwerpunkt" automobile technology, hopefully get accepted, and move houses (if accepted). that would be university application all over again!! and truth be told, i really really hated that process.

choices analysis:

choice 1 is the one i would eliminate first, without a second thought because as i said, i hate to do what i hate to do. and for me to do what i hate to do for the rest of my life send chills up my spine. and it would continue to send chills up my spine every morning i wake up.

choice 2 actually has a benefit. since it is also a "maschinenbau", only with a different "schwerpunkt", the subjects are similar in many ways. hence, i will be able to change my "schwerpunkt" even later in my studies. not bad. sadly however, if i DO continue with it for more semesters, chances are that i will continue until the end of my studies.

choice 3 is so far still my best hope of a happy life. since at the beginning of the summer semester i would finish semester 1, i can start semester 2 in "schwerpunkt" automobile technology. it will be tough, as there are subjects that i would have to retake, meaning double work in semester 2. all the troubles i mentioned will be extremely annoying, but not something new, and considering that i'd be able to supposedly enjoy the rest of my life, it WILL be worth while. worst to worst, i'll have to restart from semester 1, which is more annoying because i'll be another semester behind my peers, but still worth it.

for all choices to be available however, there is one last test i will have to go through: DSH. it's the german proficiency test. those informed will know that though i didn't exactly fail my previous test, TestDAF, it wasn't prestigious enough for the universities to accept it, leading me to have no choice but university mannheim. not exactly bad, not in any way in fact, but just not my first choice.

Bayern München vs Real Madrid - A dramatic movie

i watched the uefa champions league semi-final 1st leg in allianz arena just a few moments ago, and when the game was over, the 1st thought that came into my mind was: that was a fucking movie.

and it was a really good one.
one that involved, heroes, villians, conflicts, surprises, suspense, and of course, a dramatic ending. everything you find in a top-class movie.

it started out well for FC Bayern München (fcb from here onwards).
fcb had a gameplan to frustrate the Real Madrid (rm)'s talented forwards and sat back stubbornly while rm controlled possession. but only when özil's through pass released karim benzema, who forced fcb keeper neuer into a good save, did the game sprang to life. as do all movies.

then came the theatrics. at the quarter-hour mark fcb winger ribery wriggled himself into the box but was halted by a challenge from sergio ramos. it was only a soft touch, but ribery fell so dramatically that he could've stood a chance in the oscars.

moments later however, fcb broke the deadlock. rm failed to clear a corner properly and allowed ribery (the actor) to slot in to ball through holes in masses of limbs. fcb took the lead! what a good start for the heroes! replays however shown that fcb midfield was offside and had a suspicion that he may have, in the slightest of possibilities, deflected the ball. the goal stood none the less and the home fans were cheering their heart out.

rm tried to mount a comeback, which created even more dramas. players from both sides jumped, dived and swam at both sides of the field in attempt to fool the officials, with much success. this however, created plenty of chance for fcb to counter-attack but supposedly in-form fcb striker mario goméz wasted so many chances that people might be persuaded to call him mario torres.

1st half ended, 1-0 to the german giants. fcb fans are singing in delight as they celebrate a well-earned lead. little did they know that it was not to last.

the heroes could've have wished for a worse start in the 2nd half. karim benzema gave a superb through-ball that sliced open fcb's defence and found the stylish chief villian cristiano ronaldo. famous, glamoured and flamboyant cr7 couldn't score, but forced a brave save that bounced of the palms of the brave manuel neuer. but the danger wasn't over. ronaldo picked up the rebound and his crossed found the unmarked mesut özil. özil, being half german and is the key player for the german national squad (labelled as the traitor in this film), made no mistakes and calmly slotted home with the goal barely a metre before him.

howard webb, clearly enjoying being in the spotlight, shown his true worth once again as he shown a yellow card to a rm player on a challenge. the challenge was rough and a card was rightly given to rm. but he gives it to the wrong player! rm midfield xabi alonso tackled gustavo unfairly but rm fullback fabio coentrao gets the card! foolish blunder by the obviously dumb referee.

more theatrics, as villians ronaldo and co., along with heroes robben and co. took turns to dive around the pitch, successfully lying to webb more often than not. goméz missed more chances (some glorious, some not as easy) as his day looks destined to end horribly. the frustrated striker was so frustrated that he hit the pitch angrily like a 5-year-old kid not getting his prefered christmas present.

gomez worked tirelessly but his efforts were in vain as he missed chances after chances when he should've put fcb far far ahead, until that fateful moment. time seemed to slow down as it finally arrived.

it was the final moments of the game. forever-dependable fcb captain phillip lahm jinxed passed coentrao and created acres of space for himself. he whipped a vicious low cross into the 6-yard box. gomez finally timed himself perfectly and stabbed rm in the heart as he buried lahm's cross in the back of the net and sealed the win. what moment of pure joy for the striker as he celebrated in front of his own loyal fans and was congratulated by his faithful teammates.

however, rm, as if on a sinking boat now, refused to die a silent death. they kicked and pushed and struggled like a dying beast and rm substitute marcelo was extremely lucky to stay on the pitch as he viciously kicked fcb's thomas müller's leg. the ball was rather far away but the ever-dumb webb only gave him a yellow card when it was a very clear red.

90+4: the final whistle goes and fcb has won the game! great theatrics from both sides and gomez turned from zero to hero as the home fans celebrate cheerfully. this game will set up a thriller second-leg at rm's home ground nad it should be another classical movie.

thank you for bearing with me as i sign off my very boring review.

Thank You for the Dinner

i know that it is only a simple meal, but i thank:

• the farmers, for all the plantations
• the butchers, for the meat
• the processors, for making meat into sausages
• the transporters, for transporting the food to the supermarket
• the supermarket workers, for putting all the food on the racks
• the supermarket counters, for allowing me to buy food (while sucking off my money, but i forgive you. it's your job)
• the CDC house masters, for making sure that the cooking facilities are available and properly usable at all times
• the other people staying in the Guesthouse, for allowing me to cook at peace
• my friends, for encouraging me that i shouldn't be so lazy as to eat simple food all the time
• my mother, for teaching me how to cook something not too simple
• all the other people that i should but can't remember to mention
• and God, for making all these people exist in my life.

Thank you. You helped me create a wonderful dinner for myself.

Mein Vorbild

Das Vorbild ist ein Model oder ein Idol für jemanden. Man liebt, bewundert sein Vorbild, und wünscht sich, dass man mit seinem Vorbild gleich werden kann. Alle Leute haben verschiedene Vorbiler, vielleicht Prominente (zum Beispiel Michael Jackson), Politiker (Barack Obama) oder Athleten (David Beckham, Michael Jordan oder Usain Bolt) und so weiter. Ein Vorbild muss gute Eingenschaften haben, zu einer guten Führung werden. Mein Vorbild hat diese Eigenschafen, und er ist eine gute Führung werden. Es ist mein Vater.

Von außen ist er ein normaler Mann. Ganz normal. Keine schöne Frisur und keinen muskulösen Körper. Aber, war er in Innerem hat, unterscheidet ihn von die anderen Leuten. Er ist immer ruhig und entschlossen, wenn es gefordert wird. Er gerat nie in Panik. Er kann immer ein Lösung finden, wenn wir Probleme haben. Er ist nicht der Kapitän, der die anderen Leute zu Herrlichkeit bringt. Er ist den Führer, von dem jedermann abhängen kann, der sie aus der Krise führt.

Er zeigt seine Qualitäten nicht nur im Haus, sondern auch in der Firma. Er ist immer zuverlässig. Er ist ein Mann, der normalerweise im Hintergrund unbemerkt arbeitet, aber er leuchtet in der Zeit der Dunkelheit.

Er ist mein Vater. Und er ist mein Vorbild

Looking Back

Tomorrow's the day.
i'm going to germany.
i am leaving behind my country.
i'm bidding farewell with all my friends and family who are staying behind.
Tomorrow.

after finishing the vorpraktikum (practical training) about a few weeks back i finally have the chance to seriously look at my country i was born in for the first (and my maybe the last) time properly. properly as in to have nothing to do at all but to really look and see it. after all, when did we ever have the chance to do it? since i was born i spent most (if not all) of my time studying, working, playing, spending time with people etc etc etc but never to look at malaysia as it is. and after spending the last few weeks doing it, i find malaysia to be rather beautiful.

don't talk about politics and corruptions. or about technology. or even standards of living and cleanliness. just look at its bright side. i promise you, it IS rather mesmerizing.

look at the people. malaysians are really friendly. so long as you are friendly and polite, they treat you like a acquintance, not a complete stranger. ask for directions, and they will answer you as if you were a friend. give them a chance to show their friendliness, and you won't be dissapointed.

look at the weather. we often complain about the sizzling hot weather and the much too excessive humidity. but i love it. its so nice to be out under the sun (although it can be quite scorching sometimes) and play football. when the rain comes, all the heat will be washed away in an instant by the downpour, which last only for a short while and doesn't stay for long. the chilly wind that comes after the rain is so relaxing that you can just stand there, enjoy the wind, and smile. the best part is, we dont have to wear layers and layers of garments just to prevent ourselves from freezing to death!!

look at our culture. the malaysian government have made a great fuss to show off our cultures and traditions. and for once, they really do have a good point. the way we celebrate our festivals displays our passion. the way we interact among ourselves shows our friendliness and kindness we have for each other. even the way we dress ourselves proves our fondness and our respect to our long history and tradition.

now take a look at our place. our landscapes. our mountains, rivers, forests and wildlife. and you will find a view like no other. we don't have post-volcanic mountains. but our mountains are the pride and glory of the south east asia. the penang bridge may have been built decades ago. but it still is one of the longest bridges in asia. our rivers are not as famous as the nile. but it still clearly displays our wealth in wildlife habitat for the aquatic lifes.

beautiful. isn't it?