The Show Must Go On

Busy busy busy

2008-12-14T21:30:00.002+08:00

Wow.. It's been a long time since I've logged on to my own blog.. Haha. Lots of assignments and work needed to be done. But winter holiday's coming soon.. along with Christmas. Will update soon with my life and work.

Animatic

2008-12-06T02:12:00.001+08:00

Here's the animatics for my final short film. The 2D version of it.. which I'm not so good at. Anyway, here it is!

Showreel - Sneak Peek

2008-12-01T21:01:00.005+08:00

Been really busy nowadays. I'm having 2 major project which is my showreel and finals. Showreel is a compilation of animations or any other artworks. And here is one of mine.

Please feel free to give any comments at all.

The model is not done by me, just the animation. This is just a simple run and jump with a bit of story behind it. Haven't given more feelings and life to it yet. Will be busy again.

Looking Back - Heathrow

2008-11-29T22:53:00.004+08:00

I was feeling kinda lost when I reach Abu Dhabi. I tried walking around, going through the directories, study the flight time and gates, and I got tired of trying not to look lost. I am lost anyway, so I just sat down at the back row. The place was really small and compact. After I sat there for an hour, it's time to go.

I was realise I was quite reluctant to fly again. Probably because of the long hours and the boring moments travelling alone. At this point I was really tired. When I got onto the plane I got excited again. It never fail to amuse me looking out of the window during take off. Then the tiredness hits me again and I tried to sleep but I knew I wouldn't be able to.

Finally I reached London. The landing was delayed due to heavy mist in the area and we had to fly in circles for 30 minutes. The airport was quite packed. The customs were quite strict with a few people. I lined up for my turn for at least an hour. They asked me a few questions which I was too tired to remember, and then directed me to the medical office.

I was ready for this, already took my chest X-ray before I came here. When it was almost my turn, I panicked when I couldn't find the X-ray result in my hand luggage. Oh well, it took me another 45 minutes to convince the doctors that I'm well enough.

And it was in the doctor's office where I met a friend and he's from Malaysia as well. Then on, we collect our luggage, asked for directions, and bought ourselves bus tickets. He was heading to Oxford. At the bus station, it took another 2 hours I think, because the bus was delayed. But finally, I'm on my way to University of Hertfordshire. Finally.

Looking Back - Etihad

2008-11-21T23:38:00.003+08:00

I was still looking out of the window. This is it. I'm off. There's no turning back anymore now.

It was amazing to be on a plane. I've always looked up to the skies and told myself, one day I'm gonna be in there. And I got my wish. One thing I disliked was the pressure. My ears hurt slightly and it gets irritating. I fumbled my hands with the controller and it still won't come off.. The stubborn thing.. I gave up and I pressed the buttons on the controller anyway, while it's stuck to the side of the seat. There was games, movies, music, news, documentary, and a few other tools.

I listened to music to help me with the pressure that's building up in my ear and it works. After a few songs, I got adventurous a bit and looked at the movie section. But to my disappointment, this screen that I got is problematic. It lags when I watch movie, and it auto-restarts when I listen to music. I finally gave up and ended up resting.

I did not sleep through the whole flight. Then they started serving food. I ordered lamb and some kinda weird rice. It was really delicious. They serve appetisers, main course, dessert, and tea. Then I rested again. And the food came again. I guess it was tea time. I've lost track of time throughout the whole flight. The food came quite often and I tried my best to finish everything till the last meal.

It seems like forever till they announced we're landing in Abu Dhabi. It's going to be a 2 hours transit so it's not going to be that bad. And here I am, in a foreign country. Abu Dhabi.

Looking Back - Farewell Malaysia

2008-11-17T20:48:00.002+08:00

Let's start from the beginning.

I was at the airport and I never felt so blur and blank before. There wasn't anything running through my head. I look straight ahead and couldn't believe I would be leaving in such a short notice and time. Like what I said, took the Visa in the morning when I saw it was ready, collect my flight ticket, attended my grandma's funeral, and to the airport.

It was time for me to leave and I walked like a robot. I didn't know what to do but just do what I had to do. I walked down the escalator and wave as I go along. All I thought about was, am I late for the flight? I'm going off already. I can't believe it. Am I doing things right? Is anyone staring at me? Weird.

I was in the plane already the next thing. I made myself comfortable. I sat at the right side of the plane, aisle seat. There was a screen in front of me, a controller beside my seat, arm rest, pouch with magazine, adjustable leg rest, and a pull down platform for your foods or drinks.

I was blur. I tried pressing buttons on the controller but nothing happened. I tried removing it from the seat by pulling it but it didn't budge. I kicked down the leg rest, okay I've figured this leg rest out, it's comfortable but what about the screen? I poked and nudged the screen but it's still showing the Etihad sreensaver. I must've looked like a fool to the guy beside me. No matter. I settled down at last.

Everytime the guy beside me, an Arabian dude I think, did something I'll try my best to take a look at what he's doing while brushing or playing with my hair or something just to be natural. I tried looking out the window when the plane's about to take off. It was really cool imagining and thinking how an object this huge lift off.. The plane moved and I was as excited as a baby who haven't learn how to walk yet, but was placed on a cradle.

When the plane lifted off, I watched as I left Malaysia.

Time's Running.. And Fast

2008-11-11T00:47:00.003+08:00

Hey guys! Sorry for not posting for so long already. It's been really busy nowadays. 1500 words report, 800 words SWAIN, Cover letter + CV, animatics & storyboard, and a showreel. All within this week. It's madness I tell you. But I've got it all almost covered. Trying not to stress myself because it's bad to stress myself when I'm so far away from home.

Things will be okay I hope when this week's over. Been raining a lot here lately. Gloomy skies. 4pm and it's already like 8pm in Malaysia. Cold as always. I've been in the room most of the time nowadays trying to get things done.

Anyway, here's what I cooked for lunch.

Fettucini and sliced sausages in chicken soup! It is very nice and very filling. Haha. Easy to cook too. K gotta get back to work!

The Workload

2008-11-05T17:36:00.004+08:00

Ok I know this might sound crazy but it's true. And it is by my decision that I shall do this and never regret. I shall be strong and confident no matter the situation and I must be calm.

A final project, coming up with a short clip of at least 2 minutes long. Maximum of 3 person per group. Due next year, May 2009. I decided to do it alone.

Yes I know it's crazy. I heard how Vincent made it through the course doing the finals alone. He told me about the hard times through out the years and the amount of work to do. Seeing him reminds of The One Academy and he still sounds like me tutor. He was telling me how to manage my time and how important it is, the endless amount of work, the depression during winter.. it was cruel I tell you!

But I told myself I want to do this on my own.

Wait.. on my own? Nooooooooooooooo!

Currently, I have a reflective cycle report to do on my previous project which would be "Oh Non!", a SWAIN to realise my own strength and weaknesses, cover letter and CV, 6000 words degree essay, and animatics in a week's time for my finals. I wish myself luck..

Just Thoughts

2008-11-03T07:01:00.005+08:00

Animation. A series of drawing that comes to life.

What's the difference between a real life motion picture compared to a mere.. what you call.. Animation? If I'm not mistaken. Pardon my ignorance upon such a lowly form of art, but I see no point at all in imitating a real movie, filled with the finest, best quality of photography that moves in sheer perfection.

Photography. I agree with you that what we see are indeed the finest, best, and perfect in every way.. in the eyes of men. It is exactly as you say. We animators, on the other hand, do not merely imitate such movements as you see through the lens of a camera. To do that, I would agree with you that there is indeed no point at all. Animations is a work of art. We tend to show and exaggerate what we, as men, do not fully realise the nature in our own movements. No one person walks the same as another. A walk, is like our fingerprint, unique.

We as animators tend to animate our characters beyond perfection compared to motion pictures. Beyond perfection in our own ways. Creating the impossible that no men can do under a camera lens. If this is, as you claimed, a lowly form of art, then I am overjoyed knowing that arts is much more than meets the eye. After all, I am merely just an artist.

Let's take a walk and I'll tell you more about the wonders of what we are doing. We're living in a world different from others. We're special.. and it's our responsibility to show the world that everything in the world is not just.. a world.

It's art.

Welcome to my life.

Picture Time! London Trip - Part 1

2008-10-30T03:27:00.031+08:00

It's Snowing I Believe

2008-10-30T02:09:00.006+08:00

I knew the night's temperature would be -2 degrees on the forecast but I really did not expect it to snow! I was in the kitchen getting my dinner ready, eggs and ham, when I saw one of my housemate.

Frankie: Heyya, look!
Andrew: Huh? Are those leaves?
Frankie: No! It's snowing! Can you believe it?

It's my first time since the first time seeing snow, so yes, I think I do believe. Thing is it's only October and it's already snowing. She told me it should snow on January like it always do but today it's magical. Those snow looks like powder to me and normally when it rains, that's how it looks like too. But as time goes by, it was snowing quite heavy.

Andrew: Are you guys going downstairs later?
Remy: Yea in like 10 minutes or so.
Andrew: Knock on my door when you guys do!

We went down and it was real hard to see with the wind blowing at my face and the snow kept getting into my eyes. It wasn't pain though because the snow was really fine. I wore 2 winter clothes and a T-Shirt, snowcap and gloves. I consider myself heavily protected from cold. It did but my hands were numb and it was hard to take pic with my poor fingers.

They were having snowball fight by the time I went down. Students from all over came down and gathering the snow with their palms. It was really fantastic. Out of control. Some students even tossed at the security holding umbrellas.

Anyway, it's taking forever to load the videos. I will load it in another post and another time k!

The 1st Month

2008-10-26T22:34:00.015+08:00

"It's 3"
Andu: Are you serious?
Jacky: Yea. 3 degree.

Yes I was shocked. I felt as though I'm living in a freezer or somewhere as cold. That was at night though, about 12am when I was walking back with my friends that I met in church. There were 5 of us, right after watching a football match. It feels weird watching TV for me when I'm in my friend's place. I feel as though it's my first time watching one.

Same feeling as when I took a cab when there's 4 or 5 of us. I'm sitting in a car.. That's so unreal for me because when I reach UK, there's a mind barrier that I held before me. I could never drive, there won't be TV, etc. It felt nice though. First car ride in UK was in a cab. When one of my friend in church told me he could drive, I was like, "Wow you got a car here!?". Then I noticed how absurd that question was.

I'm doing fine here in UK. It's getting a little too cold for comfort. On Friday my church friends, William, Jacky, Jason, and Mahesh invited me to visit London with them tomorrow(Saturday) and my eyes grow brightly.

I woke up at 7.45am and got ready. Brush teeth, breakfast, skin lotion, lips care, and off I go. William woke up late and we had to wait from 9am till 10am, then till 10.45am for the bus. We reached the station and I noticed there were another 2 girls following us, Rain and Yi Li. We went by train with an All-Day Pass ticket. Here are some pictures.

After that we went to Chinatown. It was already about 6pm I think. It was quite dark though but luckily the camera my mom bought for me was awesome.

These are just a few of them. I will post all of the other pictures, and the same ones, in a new post. We went to the Eye of London as well. I won't tell you how it is, but to show you in pictures.

There, London as it is. When my friends have uploaded the pictures I'll take some from them as well. From left to right, including those 2 girls at the back, Yi Li, Rain, Mahesh, Jacky, William, Jason, and Andrew at the camera.

We were really tired after this whole day trip in London. We've spent more than 12 hours all over and it's my first time traveling so far from Hatfield. Thank you for reading! Don't just read next time k. Come UK :D

The First Few Days

2008-10-21T20:55:00.003+08:00

The 1st time I went to the cafeteria, I was so lost and alone. So I innocently sat in a particular end of the table. There was plenty of seats at the row beside and in front of me. I had lasagne and yea it was nice. Cost me £2.65 if I'm not mistaken. Quite affordable but can't have it everyday. As I was enjoying my meal, a local girl sat right in front of me. Then again, I was lost. "Should I say Hie? But she's not looking over. Gosh it's so tough to be a foreigner!"

Ended up I just finish my food quickly and left. I felt horrible actually. Anyway, there's lotsa things that I should learn. I noticed they never say "Thanks" but "Thank You" instead. So I started saying Thank You too. I guess it's more polite that way and it sure sounds like it.

Several weird things happened at the 1st few weeks in UH.

1. I was bathing after I had my dinner. It was quite early then, about 9pm. It was really quiet at first, but not anymore. I start heard moanings. Real loud ones. I couldn't believe it at first, "It must be some jokers watching porn aloud". The moans continued. It seems to be coming from the room directly in front of the bathroom. Then later, the guy starts to moan as well. It was a low groan and moan. Then I knew it was real.

They gave us free condoms anyway during orientation. Haane must be glad I couldn't make it from orientation. Haha.

2. I was walking to my dorm. A bunch of drunk white guys and girls in school uniform was walking the opposite way. It seems to be an event which requires everyone to have school uniform. I kinda stayed away from them because I don't know what to expect from drunk white guys. Some of them were holding glasses of beer which appears to be even more threatening. I stayed few more steps away trying not to look too obvious. Suddenly one of them approach me and mumbled something but I kept walking till he was trying to catch up. I looked at him and noticed he was talking to me, trying to keep up with me while holding a girl's hand and casually asked, "Heyya, do you happen to have a condom? You know, condom?". I just broke out laughing because he seem to be really used to this kinda things. His friend then asked me if I would like him to slap the drunk sextard.

So there, my exciting week on UH. Keep in touch!

UH

2008-10-19T23:59:00.003+08:00

It's Sunday. Totally doesn't feel like it except for a Sunday service in church. I attend church quite frequently nowadays because that's the only place I could go. Weekends on campus is quite deserted. Most of the locals went back for the weekend. So nice.. If only I could go back for the weekend too, I thought to myself.

The place is nice. The people here are wonderful. Willing to help. The weather.. Very windy at times. The sun is still bright here which I'm quite thankful for. When the wind blows, it's very cold. But if it isn't windy at all, the temperature here is like air-con temperature back in home sweet home.

It's still autumn now or so I hope. It is starting to get a bit too chilly here. The leaves on the trees are nice. Green leaves on the lower part of the tree, and slowly gradient to dark orange on the top part. Most of the leaves are falling already. Dead leaves everywhere. Sigh.. This is so depressing! Lol just kidding.

Come to think of it, this is my first real post when I reach in UK. I've settled down already, luggages are fully unpacked this afternoon. Everything looking great. Winter's approaching. Haane's being quite strong already. Not much worries at hand. Kept in touch with everyone. Getting a laptop at the moment. And some churchmates just invited me to watch a Football match on tuesday night at their place.

I say let's watch together. Yes you.

Notice

2008-10-14T23:56:00.002+08:00

I guess I'm doing quite okay now. Can say I'm on a steadier phase already. But I haven't take the opportunity to explore yet. That might come in a bit later. Been thinking to get a laptop as soon as possible. Been onlining in the library since I reached. Gonna blog a brief one for now. The next post will only be posted when I have a laptop, or when I have plenty of time to do so. Till then people! Take care ya back home. And keep in touch.

1st Post In The UK

2008-10-12T03:40:00.002+08:00

Finally found a chance to get online and blog. I'm currently in the library, University of Hertfordshire, UK. There's a lot I wanted to share but I just don't know where to start.

A lot of things happened on 8/10/08. I got my visa in the morning, got my flight ticket in the afternoon, attended my grandmother's funeral as well, and then left for the airport after mourning. It was hell, if not close to it.

Me and my family went to the airport with me. Haane was with me the entire day and I was really glad. My uncle and few of his church member came as well. My friends came a bit later. We had dinner at KFC and gosh I was blank. It's all so sudden.. too sudden in fact. Basil sang a few songs together. I was blank. Haane tried to comfort me. I was blank. I hugged Haane before I left and she cried.. And there I went.. down the escalator. No turning back now.

And now, it's the 3rd day in the UH(University of Hertfordshire) and frankly, I've cried more than when I was brought to this world. It was a really hard 3 days for me. Here's a list of why I can't turn the taps off.

I can't see my family, friends, and Haane till June
There's no way I can go back now
Everytime I see something that reminds me of home
All the things my family did for me
All the little things that Haane did for me(the folded stars and crane)

Okay that's just the tip of the iceberg. The list can be longer. Not to mention I've used up 5 packs of tissue already. Even seeing the pricetag on the tissue made me teary. It was tough.

Now, I'm beginning to get used to it. Had to see the bigger picture. I've been locking myself in my room most of the time, spending £25 on calling Haane(I really needed that). Aaron helped me a lot. We cooked dinner together and we went shopping in a nearby supermarket, Asda. I spent almost £50 on stuffs I needed to cook, food stuffs, and kettle. I know it's a lot but it was necessary. Most of the things are actually very cheap if you're working in UK. I'll upload the pictures when I have a laptop. By the way, a laptop is the most important thing that you'll ever need to go overseas. Without it, prepare to think a lot in the room and cry along with it.

Here's what I think about trying to get used to a new country, alone. I think it's not a matter of time trying to adapt to a new surrounding. It's actually a phase. The 1st phase is when you've just arrived. It's the worse of all. This phase will be in action for as long as the individual stays in it. You'll only move along to phase 2, if you manage to get out of it. So, time will not matter.

Anyway, I guess I'm in phase 2 already. Not that bad now. Previously, I never wanted to unpack because if I do, I'll have to accept the fact that this isn't a 9 days thing.. It's 9 months, and I did unpack. My room is still a bit untidy though because the luggage is still on the floor and the clothes aren't unpacked yet because I forgot to get a hanger.

On the 2nd day, I went to a church event called International Food Night. It's when everyone gathers around to have dinner, volunteered by people to cook. I had rice and spaggheti sauce with minced meat. Very nice. Had a great night there. Keeps my mind off of home.

Well, I still miss home though. Very much. And really, there's no place like home. And Haane, Happy 2nd Anniversary! I really wish I could be there for you.. It's already 2 years now being together and I had to say, you're wonderful.. I Love You Haane! Will try to get online more often now. Keep in touch people!

Captain's Log

2008-10-05T04:05:00.018+08:00

Captain's Logbook - Page 59, by Sir Andrew Whisperwind

Found this old papyrus crumpled under my documents in Photoshop. Seems to belong to a certain Captain of the vessel H.M.S. Visapliz. I'm amazed at how old the logbook is. I'm quite determined to recover the rest of the lost papyrus though. What this Captain is going through is quite similar to my situation, which is rather fascinating. Oh well, I guess waiting for the Visa is as random as any sea could be. Never know exactly when the rain's about to fall.

Anyway, I'm still waiting for my Visa. I managed to contact one of the students from UH. He's really helpful and he's currently filling me in on what's going on through the week. Good news is class haven't started yet. The first week after orientation is for Seniors to help Juniors out on their first week at Uni. Bad news is, although I will be joining the 3rd year students, I still am a Junior.

Oh well, hope things will go well. Classes will start tomorrow. Hope the "rain" will fall as well.

Malaysia BOLEH!

2008-09-28T20:41:00.005+08:00

Classes commence on the 29th! Just a day before we actually get to start studying. I'm so excited! Or at least I would be. But sadly, not for me.

I'm still waiting for my Visa. Everyone's been asking me how's my Visa, which is not surprising. I ask for it myself too! Anyway, I tried not to look forward to my Visa too much because I have a life to live. Haane just sent me an article few days back. I'm really surprised that Malaysia actually got Top 10 in Britain. Here's the article. Really amazed how Malaysia got there.

Click HERE to see what Malaysia achieved

Seems like I'm not the only one who's having Visa problems. It's just them(or us) making it hard for us(or ourselves). Hope my Visa even get approved. Sob*

The HBB

2008-09-24T02:41:00.014+08:00

Me: Hey what're you guys doing on Monday? Today's already Saturday wei.
Julian & Boon: Huh what's going on on Monday?
Wei Liang: Haane's Birthday la sorrr!
Basil: Eh ya wei. Let's do something for her.
Me: I wanted to surprise her. Like bring her to somewhere for dinner.. Then you guys pop out.
Wei Liang: Where? I mean where for dinner.
Me: I dunno.. I'll call you when I thought about it.
Basil: Eh! I can't make it on Monday la.. Need to go to Ipoh for 3 days.. But let's make something for her.
Wei Liang: I wanna make chocolate cake.

It started out from this simple conversation. Basil suggested a music video for Haane. Serious? And I was on the phone with Haane during the MSN group conversation.

Basil: Eh Andu, what's Haane's favourite song?
Me: Er.. Wait ar.

Me: Haane, what's the first song that comes to your mind right now?
Haane: Erm.. There the one that goes(starts singing), "Love grows where my Rosemary goes.. "
Me: Oh how come? So old already the song.
Haane: I was watching Shallow Hal.

Me: "Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows"
Julian: LOL! Basil dislike songs that is older than the 90's.
Wei Liang: Oh this song! *starts typing the whole lyrics on the msn chatroom*
Basil: Oh no la anything's fine. You sure ar Love Grows?
Me: Yea sure. But anything la.
Basil: Oh k k. Sure ar? But I was thinking about "Jason Mraz - I'm Yours".
Me: Lol..
Julian: Sorr. Let's just do both.
Wei Liang: Eh let's do "LFO - Every Other Time" also.. Or "Fastball - The Way", or.. *List goes on*
Basil & Me: Let's just stick to Rosemary.
Wei Liang: Ok la.. Brbz, I go make chocolate cake.
Me & Julian: Huh? Since when you know how to bake. Eh..... WTF!

We meet up at 5pm the next day. 1 day before Haane's Birthday, so much to do, so much time(or so we thought). We went to a park near Boon's house and we started unpacking and brought out the instruments. There were a lot of people around playing and jogging. "No, people, we ain't busking but you can start throwing coins if you want".

As time goes by, we notice that each shot we take is getting darker and darker. We had no choice but to take as little time and shot as we could. It's already 8pm. We went to Taipan for dinner and discussed bout the next location. We need a piano.. Boon's place.

There were quite a lot of people at his place so we had to do this fast! Boon's family was watching a football match that has just started. Manchester United vs. Chelsea. It did distract us for a while in certain near-goals situation. We then had to shoot for I'm Yours and we decided to make it much more interesting with a different approach. Wishes! How could we forget.. We also took individual shots, taking turns to wish her for her Birthday. By the time we're done, the match was over. It's around 11pm and Wei Liang and Lilian left. Basil decided to come over to my place for the editing and we managed to get Julian and Boon to come along.

Me and Basil was setting up our stuffs. When we were about to edit, look what Julian and Boon found. Scrabbles! I wasn't really into Scrabbles till Basil asked, "Have you guys play Grabbles?". Now that really caught my attention. All 4 of us played for like 30 minutes till Basil realised it's getting really late. After an hour of editing, look what Julian and Boon dug up next.. Harry Potter Chess Set! Luckily it's a 2 player thingy and the editing goes on. By the time we finished, it was already 4.45am. We're pretty exhausted, but it was time well spent and worth it. Take a look, and enjoy!

Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows, by HBB

It's all lip sync, 1 - 2 takes(3 at most), and all in a days work. "Jason Mraz - I'm Yours", by HBB was unfortunately too large(340mb) to be uploaded. I really have to thank Basil for his tremendous effort for this project, and Julian, Boon, Wei Liang, and Lilian for their endless will to help and support, and finally Haane for giving us a reason for this project and the existence of this music video. We're proud to call ourselves HBB, Haane's Birthday Band. We're doing this for a friend and also for fun as well, but if there's any request for music video, please do not hesitate to ask HBB(which can also be Happy Birthday Band) for a HBB Production Music Video! Thanks for watching!

Refused Visa

2008-09-20T20:42:00.021+08:00

Finally pulled myself together to write this post. I tried writing on the day itself but I couldn't think straight. When I was about to write, plenty of things shot right through my mind(including some curse, mind you) but I knew I wasn't ready for to blog. If I were to post it anytime sooner, it would've been meaningless words of random emotion. Anyway, let's talk about my refused visa application.. from a third person point of view!

The following story is based on a true story. It is categorized as +18sx(please don't believe this). Here goes!

He was a very happy boy.. Just kidding.

His name is Udna. He was very excited about his visa till the point where he finds it hard to sleep and even if he did, he had Visa nightmares.. It was horrible. Everyday he'll check the VFS website in hope that the Visa is ready for collection.. and it happened. He was so happy about it and told his girlfriend Enaah. Both of them met up and took LRT to Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur.

Wisma MCA, by Vedd

They both rushed up the elevator. This time it's not because they're excited, but they met someone Enaah recognized and they didn't want to be noticed. 19th floor. It went up very fast. He asked the guard at the entrance if his girlfriend could come along. She asked if it was just one. He happily replied, "Yes!" and then she said, "Oh, she'll have to wait at the entrance". He wasted 5 seconds wondering why she even ask how many there was, maybe he should've said her family is on their way too if that's what it takes to take Enaah in. He switched off his phone, passed his bag to Enaah, and waited for the call to enter. The door opened and this guy stuck his head out. He talked to the guard about "visa collection" and she pointed at Udna. The guy was so quick with his hands and he just took Udna's Visa receipt and closed the door behind him. All he could do was nod.

He was called to enter not long after. There was another guard inside and he asked what Udna's here for. He told him bout the collection, and the guard asked, "Oh, then where's your receipt?". Udna wasn't holding anything and he felt dumb telling him someone just took it.

Guard: Just like that?
Udna: Erm yea.. Just like that.

The guard then checked Udna with a metal detector(Gosh, he barely missed the tip of Udna's pistol(?) that might come in good use later.. Udna really wishes he had one). Then Udna proceed. Waited for about 10 minutes for them to call his name. *Really felt bad Enaah couldn't come in*. "Mister Udna Lek Noj?" It sounded something like that and he sat down, eagerly waiting for his Visa. The officer handed over Udna's documents and he signed. He then left and took the nearest seat to him. He pulled out a bunch of paper and 1st word he saw was "REFUSAL". *I don't know why I continued searching for my Visa but I did*. He checked his passport and it seems the same to him. Flipped it twice looking for his Visa. Then when he finally understand what is going on, it was too late. Tears formed on his eyes and he thought about the time Enaah and Noraa(his supposed to be room-mate) kept bugging him about applying earlier.

Then things started getting too teary and foggy in front of him. He left the place. Enaah waited patiently outside. *When she saw me, I saw the sweetest smile.. like when she's eating Shabu Shabu*. I did not know how to break the news to her then nor do I now. She was so excited but Udna faked a smile. It was obvious. She saw right through it. They went down the elevator. It was moving very slow. He looked for the nearest place to sit. Enaah ordered Curry Laksa and Udna a Teh. He hadn't the appetite to eat a thing at all. Not even his Teh. Only drank the Teh he ordered when Enaah started tearing too. Then they walked to KLCC. They were very quiet. It was the first time in many years that Udna came to KLCC. They walked around and Enaah pulled him to the park outside KLCC. *It was beautiful, but sadly I didn't think so on the spot*. He was still clouded with sorrow. Then they walked back inside. He felt so sorry about it. *Deep down I knew I wanted to walk the park with her*.

KLCC Park, by Dennis Detering

Then as they were about to walk into Working Title, Udna's mom called. She told him to go back to JM(the place where they help with the Visa) and they'll see what can be done. She assured him everything will be alright. And that's all he need. He faught through the clouded memories of sad images within him, tore apart the "him" that has given up inside.. It was a tough battle for him, battling with himself inside, but it wasn't for long. He pulled myself together. Took a deep breath.. All was not gone. *I see hope. I see what's in front of me. I see Haane*.

I re-applied for my Visa the day after. It got rejected because there wasn't enough proof or documents that I actually have the money to pay the fees and support myself when I'm in UK. So now I've provided what they need, and hopefully I'll get my Visa on Wednesday or Thursday for a flight on Thursday(ideally) and maybe, orientation. So, I was back to myself again. For the sake of myself, my family, my friends, my blog.. I'm once again Andu.

Special Thanks to Haane for being there for me not only during the collection of my Visa, but also the countless times she was there by my side when I need her the most. My family, and Aaron(my supposedly room-mate) for their support. And last but not least my friends and relatives who intends to come for my flight to see me off. Appreciate it all!

Thanks for reading. Though it's a bit cheesy and long winded, but that's what I went through. But from what I remember, I wasn't that emo. I don't think there were as much tears as I mention, but it doesn't matter. That was Udna's story. Wait till you hear mine.

Visa.. Overrated!?

2008-09-16T07:43:00.006+08:00

A document that grants entry into a country. Just a single sheet, not to even mention it's only a paper, determines whether you can take the next step entering a country. Couple line of words, a few chop and signature makes up a Visa, short for the Latin carta visa, lit. "a document that has been seen"(wikipedia, 2008). It's amazing how powerful a single paper could be.

And it is this single paper that got me dead worried about whether I could make it for the flight in time or not. Well, if I couldn't.. Forget bout couldn't. As a person who's familiar with Photoshop, I could probably make a Visa of my own. Hell, they would never see the difference till at least when my course's over I estimate. Maybe I could even add my Visa to my portfolio. One of the things I would be proud of when I show my kids and grandchildren.

Kids: Whoa! Teach me grandpa, teach me!
Me: Alright kids hold your horses. It's easy to make a Visa when you get desperate for it.

Okay I am desperate for it but no, I'm not that reckless. Lol. Well, just a bit worried about it that's all. Roshan got his Visa a day just before his flight and now he's already in London. I was really happy for him. Hopefully I get mine too.. maybe last minutely. Just don't make it "last minute" literally please. I know I'm a last minute person but this is absurd. Anyway I don't think I need a Visa, I'm a good guy! Everyone knows I'll donate my 5 cents each time I have them.. Come on! I wouldn't strap a C4 to myself and suicide.. At most I'd just pass the C4 to the person next to me "Here, help yourself". Okay just kidding, I really need my Visa. Argh! Stress! But I'll take Haane's advice and be optimistic about it. Hmm.. Think I smell something.. Visa..

The Truth About Farewells

2008-09-13T03:03:00.004+08:00

Disclaimer: What you're about to read isn't a lecture! It's just some of the things I would think about when I have the time for it(which is quite often).

The truth about farewells is.. it isn't goodbye. It's just the beginning. Leaving Malaysia for further studies is just another chapter of life that's about to begun.

Previously, all I could think about is I'll be missing Malaysia.. especially my family and friends. The food too of course! The only picture I had in my mind was the airport on the 19th. Usually during these farewells everyone will be wishing goodbyes, take care, and good luck. Some will cry there and then. All I could think of was sad scenes. But that isn't true. Wishes are for the time ahead of us. "Take care over there, and good luck to what you're about to do there". It's all meant for what we're about to go through in the bittersweet future.

So as I was saying, just to tell myself, leaving Malaysia isn't the end of the world! It's just a period of time where I need to realise that no matter how far we are apart, we're merely in different places. No matter how distant we are, distance can be changed. And changes can be made. And it will be.

The Celebration - Part 1

2008-09-11T10:31:00.001+08:00

A few people can't make it today sadly.. for them(for me as well of course). It wasn't really an official celebration but let's not bother ourselves celebrating my leave. We had a karaoke session at Neway at ss17(if i'm not mistaken). We went at 7pm and the price was like RM40++ per person. Luckily, Wei Liang had a membership card that reduces the cost to RM29++ instead.. for himself. How silly is that!? That didn't come in handy as we expected but nevertheless!

There was about 13 of us singing songs from "KRU - Oh La La" to "Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody". It was fantastic. Now that I mention the word fantastic, the food was nearly as fantastic as us. It's a buffet serving salad, sushi, soup, stews and all sorts of mouth-watering goodies! Ok it's bout time I start taking pictures to really make them make you drool.

We finished the night with a SLAM by "Queen - We Will Rock You" and we're all pretty exhausted. The free drinks and buffet really made up for the bill. Anyway, I found out a friend of mine, Roshan is also leaving for UK. He'll be leaving for Bristol this Friday! I really hope he gets his Visa on time. It seems like it's not goodbye.. More of "See you in London bro!".

The 5-minutes Packing

2008-09-10T11:08:00.003+08:00

I just recently collected my medical check-up results. It seems that I'm completely fine.. except for the mild anemia and thalassaemia minor. No wonder I feel tired so easily! Anyway it's just a minor thing. Very common disorder of the blood. But I still think the huge amount of blood the doctor took is the cause of anemia though in my honest opinion.. =)

Anyway, onwards with the packing! There's bigger things to do than worrying about thalassaemia and anemia and hemoglobin stuffs! The packing took me, my mom, my youngest bro Daniel, and my girlfriend Haane to do it. We pack the luggage with very sure and steady hands. A completely no rush procedure using the step-by-step method.. and we did it in 5 minutes. Well that's just for the winter clothes, not-so-winter clothes, and some towels. I still have to stuff in a full formal wear including shoes, phone charger, erm.. what else.. green pillow my girlfriend gave to me, and of course.. my soft toys.

The Feeling

2008-09-09T03:45:00.005+08:00

Oh no, here comes the emo part! Well it's just something I feel responsible to share in this blog. Blog's are supposed to be emo anyway so let's not complain about it! Here goes..

Excited about UK but not too anxious to leave Malaysia. I've never cared much about the place I belong till the time is closing in to leave my home. I just realised that I've actually had the best things in life I could hope for. I noticed I do love Malaysia when I was actually supporting my country in Olympics. Usually I never bother myself with these events. I'm just a simple, happy-go-lucky guy. As long as the sky doesn't fall on my part of the wall, it's okay. But going overseas for further studies kinda get force me to be independent and grow up as well.

Sad(or happy) to say, I've never done any housework before, never cook before(unless maggi is considered), and never had a credit card before. It's not that I believe that house chores are a women's responsibility. It's not necessary for the women to cook for men(but at most times, yes).. Men cooks better anyway, that's a proven fact! But it's simply because I never take the initiative to try or do. And IT'S BOUT TIME for these sad facts to change into impressive ones!

In conclusion, I learn to love my country no matter how bad it is, it's still the place I'm brought up, and I'll cook better than women in time(lol jk).

The Destination

2008-09-07T22:57:00.000+08:00

Hertfordshy-ier. No, that's not the place. It's just how I pronounce it. It kinda sound something from Lord Of The Rings. Never watch it? Then let's just call it Hertfordshire. It is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. Not that I know a lot about the place but that's what it says in Wikipedia. From what I know, the place is quiet and University of Hertfordshire(UH) is located in Hertfordshire because they say it's not allowed to position such a huge campus on a location like London. And therefore it's just 20 minutes away by train from the heart of London and maybe a minute's walk from the edge of London.. Well I did say maybe.

Anyway, the flight's on the 19th this month and it's going to be autumn when I reach Heathrow. Transit at Abu Dhabi something or the other for 2 hours then off I go. From what I heard the weather's just nice and cooling.. Exactly like air-conditioned temperature in Malaysia.. A bit too cold for warm-loving people like me. Upon arrival, representatives from UH will be picking us up.. or rather collecting us because they're going to wait for other batches of arrival later. Oh and I will be reaching there at 7.30am.. Just nice for an afternoon nap if I'd say so myself!

It's about time..

2008-09-07T20:13:00.000+08:00

I've always watched people leave from time to time.. especially my brothers. My eldest brother left for Germany like years ago and he came back just recently for holidays and now he left again. My second brother left for Auckland and he came back a few times too for his share of holidays, and yes.. he too went back to complete his studies. So now my second brother(Steven), has completed his studies, my eldest brother(Kel Vin) has completed his studies, and now they're both looking for job already.

Anyway, it's kind of weird now that it's suddenly my turn to go overseas for further studies instead. The thought of it gives me the butterflies! Well it's already 7th and I'm leaving on the 19th. Lots of my relatives were asking me whether I was excited.. Well yes I am! But I'm not too anxious to leave as well. For all I know, it'll be a different experience all in all. So there.. My blog is now officially opened! *cuts ribbon* "SNAP!"