it’s been a time of much misery and angst. well, okay, not very much, but just enough for me to feel like a dinosaur. i dont mean ancient, just extremely irritable — and occasionally brutally carnivorous.

but i’m going to try and distract myself, because no one ever felt happy obsessing about the puddles of excrement in life. especially if that excrement was self served. i just have to keep reminding myself that this is what happens when i lose sight of what’s really important.

so enough with the doom and gloom! here are two community events i want to write about, both of which occur this weekend, only one of which i’m going for, and the other one functioning as the lift-off for this week’s Monday Meme, which is looking very much like it’s not going to be a Monday Meme any longer, but rather a Random Day of the Week that Su Ann Finds Time to Blog Meme. it’s such a tired excuse, i know, but my life is kind of like a vacuum right now.

the first event is another US College Applications workshop that i’m going to be speaking at. for those who were at the Descartes panel last week, my sincerest apologies if i came across too strongly about subjects i feel particularly impassioned about — namely, misrepresentation in admissions essays. i hope i didnt frighten anyone — i’m really just a very angsty cuddly dinosaur — but i promise to be super sweet this weekend :) the second event is a safety workshop designed to teach women how to defend themselves against street crimes.

1. US College Applications Workshop

Venue: LT2, Taylor’s University College, Subang Jaya
Date: 1 & 2 & 15 August 2009
Time: 10am – 5pm
Fee: RM 25 for 3 days
Site: usapps2009.blogspot.com

the workshop is a series of panels spanning three days: two are this weekend, and the last day is a review session in a fortnight’s time. the list of speakers is a long one, with current students and alumni from 20 schools speaking on various panels. all 8 Ivies — Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, UPenn, and of course, Columbia :) — are represented along with top US universities Stanford, MIT, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Berkeley, Northwestern; as well as top liberal art colleges Swarthmore, Colby, Wellesley, Brandeis, Scripps and Mount Holyoke.

definitely come if you’re intending to apply to US colleges this year, or the next, or anytime beyond. you can find the schedule for all three days on the event blog. the panels will be very useful to any applicant — for instance, we have a Pre-U panel on the first day that will outline 5 different preparatory programs that will serve as a good bridge between high school and US colleges, as well as how best to apply fresh after SPM. the entire application process will be broken down into different segments, and each segment will be led by an experienced panel. there will be a how-to panel for each step in the application, e.g teacher/counselor recommendations, school reports and transcripts, CV’s & resumes, essays etc.

there will also be a special panel of actual college admissions interviewers from Harvard, MIT and UPenn. if you’re interested in liberal arts colleges, we have the best possible panel of current students to speak to you about life in liberal arts colleges. there will also be SAT and TOEFL workshops and a run-through on how to pick the right university/college ‘fits’ for yourself. pretty much everything you can think about will be represented over the weekend.

i’m going to be speaking at the Pre-U panel and the essays workshop panel. it’s going to be a very knowledge-rich weekend, so definitely come if you’re intending to apply or are even just curious about US colleges. i only wish i had such resources when i was applying :) email me if you plan to come, and i’ll pass your information on. alternatively, you could sign up at the blog:

usapps2009.blogspot.com

2. City Survival Training

Venue: Event Hall, 3rd Floor, Bangsar Village II
Date: Saturday 1st August
Time: 12.30pm – 5.30pm
Fee: RM 50

the special events folk at Bangsar Village are organizing a workshop for women called City Survival Training. we all know that KL is unsafe whether in daytime or at night due to rampant street crimes such as snatch theft, muggings, and house break-ins, and Bangsar Village is doing their bit by engaging safety activist Captain K Bala to speak to a women-only audience on crime prevention tips and self defence.

tips and advice on how to spot snatch thieves and how to secure the home against break-ins will be shared, as well as some basic self-defense moves. participants will also learn how to identify and use other common devices for personal protection, how to handle prank calls, maintain proper security in the home as well as how to handle vehicle safety. other safety issues such as defense against cyberbullying and even safety whilst shopping i.e. two-way mirrors or cameras in the changing room of shops will also be discussed.

a friend of mine is organizing this event, and i’m helping her promote it because i strongly believe that every woman who lives in a cities as unsafe as KL and PJ should know how best to defend herself against such crimes that could potentially endanger lives. every woman in my extended family, including myself, has been mugged or fallen victim to snatch theft before, and even my dad and brothers have been mugged. thieves have been getting increasingly desperate and dangerous, and thus it is imperative that we know how to deal with such situations.

i would love to attend if i could, but unfortunately i committed myself to the US college applications workshop a long time ago, and they both happen to fall on the same day. but the rest of you girls, please try and attend if you can. i know the entry fee sounds a little steep at RM 50, but i’ve heard some samples of the tips that Captain Bala is going to be teaching during the workshop, and i promise it will be a worthwhile purchase of knowledge. this workshop is also non-profit, so all proceeds from the entry fee will go to the Bangsar Village Kids’ Charity.

3. O.S.I.Wednesday

today’s Monday Wednesday Meme is about our experiences with street crime, inspired by the aforementioned workshop. for once, my own meme entry is actually going to be brief, cos my snatch theft experience was very quick and swift. it happened outside of my house, and two guys slowed down beside me on a motorcycle, gripped my arm and caught me by surprise, and swung my bag off my shoulder. and that was that. some contents of my bag were later found in a nearby residential area, where a resident had seen the snatch thieves emptying my bag into a drain, and called my house number which was in my paper organizer.

my mom and aunts have quite frightening experiences though. one of my aunts had her very young son held at knifepoint :(

so do share your experiences and how it happened, and if you’re comfortable with it, do please reveal the location because this is helpful information. for instance, i now know to be extra careful at the Bangsar Telawi area cos lots of my friends have had their stuff snatched there, and i know one person who was kidnapped there too. but of course, reveal the location only if you’re comfortable with doing so.

happy wednesday everyone :)

the purpose of this post is to tell you about Guinness’ global contest, which involves two very awesome and extreme circumstances of sea and air.

but before i go on, i must preface that information by saying that the most exciting things i’ve ever done in the sea and in air are … well, not a lot. i’ve been sitting here for the longest time trying to recall when was the last time I did anything remotely noteworthy in the deep blue seas and up in the air, but i’m drawing a blank.

for instance, i’ve never been diving — i keep delaying getting my diving license because i really want to go with the right person, but after almost 4 years of procrastination, goodness knows who that is anymore. and i did go deep-sea fishing with my dad once, but i got kicked off the boat into another boat because i was too fidgety and was scaring all the fish away.

then when i went to Sri Lanka, which has the most gorgeous beaches I’ve ever seen, all I wanted to do was sit and admire the crashing and howling waves.

evening waves at Sri Lanka

at Bali, i only wanted to eat the pork ribs at Ku De Ta. sorry, it’s just that good.

Ku De Ta @ Bali

and at some point, i liked snorkeling, but after unknowingly snorkeling through Justin’s puke at Perhentian (he got seasick and threw up over the side of the boat while we were in the water), i think i may have developed a snorkeling phobia.

as far as air experiences go, i’ve not done anything cool like fly in a hot air balloon nor pilot a plane. besides collecting air miles and club loyalty points (WTF), the closest thing to high altitude excitement that i’ve done is make a snowman and chase yaks in the mountains of Yunnan, China.

yunnan

i’ve parasailed a couple of times too, and that was probably the most fun thing i’ve done in the air.

also skiing, riding on the catapult-thingy, and bungee jumping in Australia, all of which i have no pictures of, because i wasn’t cool enough to have a digital camera then.

and hurtling off a random watchtower somewhere off the Peninsula coast. but it was funnier to see freddy do the egyptian walk mid-air:

and of course, climbing 13,000 feet to the peak of Mount Kinabalu, where i lay on the rocks in crisp cold mountain air, beheld a majestic sunrise, and also sprained my ankle.

the sunrise at 13,000 feet in the air at the peak of Mt Kinabalu

that’s really all I’ve done in the sea and in air. it is now embarrassingly clear to me that my experiences in these vast and opportunity-abundant elements are really quite mundane and run-of-the-mill.

but here’s the thing –- i could probably get a flying license and learn how to fly my own plane, or go cave diving in the darkest of nights, and i still wouldn’t be able to top the experiences that are being offered by Guinness for its global contest.

Guinness is giving out 3 experiences in a Global Contest held in conjunction with their 250th Anniversary, and two out of the three experiences have to do with sea and air.

the first experience up for grabs is the Space Experience (’air’ indeed!!! talk about not setting expectations straight T___T). the winner of the contest and two friends get to go into outer space aboard the Virgin Galactic, the world’s first spaceline.

lift-off is at the launch site in New Mexico, and winners will undergo astronaut training that will prepare them for the experience up in space. i’m already closing my eyes and wondering how awestruck i’d be feeling if i got to look at planet Earth from a distance while floating in zero gravity. sigh.

the second experience that can be won is the Sea Experience. the winner and two friends will be taken aboard the ultramodern Guinness 250 Underwater Bar and into the depths of the Norwegian Sea, where everybody will sip stout and make merry amidst resplendent underwater vistas. it’s going to be in Norway –- i imagine it would be extremely fortunate if the trip coincided with an occurrence of the aurora borealis. one can daydream :)

to join the contest, go to the website and put yourself in the lottery. you simply have to fill out a form, and no, you don’t actually have to write a slogan or a comment about your sea and air experiences or anything like that to join the contest. which is just as well for me, cos i’d be embarrassing myself amongst people who’ve probably flown in hot air balloons or gotten chased by sharks in deep waters.

oh hello pinkpau, is it true that the coolest sea experience you’ve ever had is swimming through Justin Tay’s puke? yes it is. wtf.

O.S.I.Wednesday!

surely there is more to life than…?

my answer: getting caught in the race for bigger and better. we should once in a while revel in the small and seemingly meager.

going for a much-needed movie tonight, providing we dont get caught in traffic. that’s my small joy of the day. and i’m very happy that i’ve decided on my plan of action for the next few years. it’s feasible, something i both want and need, and bound to be an abundant source of activity, engagement and thrills.

plans for the weekend:

- potentially going for a waterfall and staring-at-stars getaway. i’m not sure if this is still happening, but if it doesn’t, i will make my own getaway with Lenny and a bottle of Moscato. I am crossing my fingers for a hazeless Friday night.

- speaking at a panel for US education, organized by Tony Pua’s Descartes. the Facebook page for the event is here. this panel is going to be one of two different US college forums that i will be speaking at over the next month or so, but it will be less workshoppish than the other seminars, and more of an experience-sharing one, so do come if you’ve always wanted to know more about US education and Ivy League prep. It will be held at Sunway University College on Saturday the 25th of July.

- going to the Hennessy Artistry One Massive Party! remember last year when they brought Flo Rida over for Artistry? this year it’s going to be bigger and better, because they are importing a whole slew of international artistes to bring the house down!

Artistry this year will see the likes of the Ying Yang Twins and Fatman Scoop as two of the headlining acts. Neither really needs any introduction, but if you are unfamiliar with these hiphop / crunk superstars, time to get on Youtube, yo.

here’s one of my favorite songs from the Ying Yang Twins:

as for Fatman Scoop, haha, remember when Put Your Hands Up was all the rage at clubs and bars, and just about every DJ’s R&B mix? You got a 100 dollar bill put your hands up! You got a 50 dollar bill put your hands up!:

man, these videos are bringing back some serious memories of the great R&B / hip hop rap reign of 50 Cent, Ashanti and Ja Rule several years ago.

along with Malaysia’s homegrown and lovingly halal One Buck Short, the other international acts who will be dropping beats at Artistry are:

- DJ Camilo (New York – hip hop and R&B with a reggae twist)
– Homies (Taiwan – hip hop & rap)
– Dominique Tsai (Taiwan — pop; I hear she’s a hottie!)
– DJ Milinka (Indonesia – house)
– and Mr Sam (France – electro & progressive trance).

i cannot wait for Artistry! it’s looking to be a very promising night with the best friends, who hopefully will stay away from the alcohol long enough to hit the dance floor with me. I MISS THESE OUTDOOR THINGS – too many crappy raves have come and gone on our soil and left a bad taste in my mouth. bring on the night! pinkpau needs some fun.

to get to Hennessy Artistry, you can obtain 2 passes by purchasing a bottle of Hennessy VSOP at participating bars and clubs (refer to the website). purchasing 2 bottles gets you 5 passes.

see you guys there! especially you folks who have been working way too hard.

Hennessy Artistry
9pm, Bukit Kiara Indoor Arena
Saturday 25th July 2009

i am attempting to remove several constructs of my blogging disposition. beginning now:

1. i will write anytime i want, regardless of how brief my message is. like if i want to say, tomorrow is lavender day at work, but i dont have any office-appropriate lavender clothes. should i blatantly flout the (two day old) tradition of color-coding our clothes and wear my Hogwarts shirt to celebrate today’s opening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince?, i will say it. in one post. without concern of whether people will have anything to respond to it, or if people actually care what i wear to work, or if it — according to some parties — will be the Downfall of My Blog.

2. i refuse to let the use of Twitter take over my blog. nobody blogs anymore these days coz Twitter is making everyone lazy. there is really only so much one can say with 140 characters, and it’s not enough. pinkpau in bite sized pieces is not nearly as fun as long and tumbling rants at quaintly.net. and Twitter is not as cool as everyone claims. more on this another time. plus Plurk is so much better, especially when all your friends are on it.

3. i will remember to set some time apart every now and then to blog proper, but will also remember not to take my blog too seriously. i generally dont take my blog very seriously, but as always, it’s easy to get sucked into that kind of thing.

4. i will not participate in anymore blog politics. i will link whoever i want to link, and blog about whatever i want to blog about, thank you very much.

okay lah i think that’s it. my grumpy mode has been abated by nice cold green tea and the promise of ice cream. but the weekend has come and gone. i think it’s very likely that i will not have an OSIM tomorrow, cos i may be working out of a little internet-less burrow. but let’s see how it goes.

also, i’m thinking of starting a private journal somewhere far away.