OK so Ern Sheong has gotten himself rid of that sales job with iZZi Wireless Broadband which required him to work all weekend and practically 9 hours a day in a shopping center trying to sell people one thousand ringgit broadband packages. (I actually got a promotion to booth supervisor, but when I realised that the basic pay did not change and the working hours were still that gruelling, I quit anyway =P)

Well I was enjoying my days off after 31st of March (the day I quit) and spent my days hanging out or sleeping late and getting up even later. Nothing in store for me. No plans to do anything. But then before the week was up my mum obtained for me an internship with her friend’s company, i.e. a telco company in Malaysia (no not Telekom, much smaller private company called Telshine Telecommunication) (Somehow it’s weird how things are always planned nicely before me. It just comes. I did not even have to search for both of the jobs I landed since coming back from Singapore. I have to thank God for that.)

I started my job on the 7th of April, and for the past week I have been following an engineer around the entire Klang Valley changing the gateway number for the dialer used to connect to the call server at Telshine (discounted call service). I went to the semiconductor factory StatsChipPac in Shah Alam, Gardenia in Shah Alam, Transwater Api in Bandar Sri Damansara, Aker Solutions at Wisma Hong Leong … bla bla bla so so many companies and so so many factories that I cannot remember anymore. But of course, the pay is lousy. But I can claim petrol and make money out of the petrol allowance! XD

This week I expect to be be driving out on my own to meet clients and do the required maintainance since I have learnt how to deal with most of the troubleshooting needed to fix faulty dialers and how to reprogramme the gateway via plugging in a handset.

Saturday went to the PIKOM PC Fair at KL Convention Centre and got myself a pair of SonicGear earphones for RM 45 (bad publicity for this company, but sorry have to announce it: Your earphones are lousy!!!). Got home and realised that the sound quality was way inferior to that of the original iPod’s =.=

Then I went to church later part of my Saturday and found out that there was some audition for dancers to perform in a special church musical production.

The weird thing about this was that I signed up for the audition:

ES: Hi, I would like to try out for the dance production.
Girl:  Sure, just fill in your particulars here on this form.

While I was filling up the form…

Girl: So, what kind of dance are you currently in? Hip hop?
ES: er…. uh…. ar…. no experience
Girl: It’s okay just come for the try-outs…

Thanks. Phew.

Sweat.

Sunday I was paid to go to a volunteer training session for the World Congress of IT happening this May. I was even given free lunch and three complimentary tea breaks. (There is such thing as a free lunch!) Well I signed up to volunteer for the event months ago (I blogged about it before) so here I was at the training session for one entire day along with 300 other people. Not bad, rather fun. (Paid RM 80 a day for volunteering, training days included) I was allocated to Sales (aka PR) and was posted at the KL Convention Center IT Exhibition during the conference (May 18-22, 2008). Maybe you guys can visit me there! And owh I was also very fortunate to make some great new friends there at the training… hi Aaron from Monash and Peng from APIIT!

Yeah so came back home, had dinner… and decided to drag my father to the DVD shop (whoops! shhhh. hope the police do not read my blog XD). Bought 6 DVDs and watched Step Up (yeah I know I am slow…) at night. Great movie. Makes me feel like dancing too! =) And the girl’s hot =P

So that sums up my week. Not to mention Cell Group, 2 birthday outings, and well, the sad part earlier in the week at Andrew’s wake. Rest in peace, bro.

OK now back to my “How Dell Does It” book before I retire to bed. I really respect and admire Dell.

Good night people. God Bless.

*Andrew Yap passed away on 6 April 2008, leaving behind his beloved family and his whole lot of friends. Thank you to all for the prayers, but God is the Boss and He makes all decisions. Andrew has been called to be with the Lord. I bet Andrew is in a much better place right now. See ya, Andrew.*

Through MSN, Kevin Chan and a few other DJ friends related to me the message they received through SMS on Monday:

Andrew Yap, SMKDJ Class of 2005:

“Andrew Yap from DJ is in ICU. He fell and hit his head and his brain shifted. He’s still unconscious even after the surgery. Docs say he’s not recovering, please pray for him.” -Ee Fei

He added that this was not an April Fool’s joke.

Indeed it wasn’t.

So please pray for him for a speedy recovery. We need a miracle here. He is still unconscious.

Stefanie Lip wrote a prayer so please pray it or pray your own prayer:

In the name of the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit

Dear Lord,

Omnipotent and eternal God, the everlasting Salvation of those who believe, hear us on behalf of Thy sick servant, AndrewYap, for whom we beg the aid of Thy pitying mercy, that, with his bodily health restored, May he be healed by the Holy Spirit and May You Shower Him with your utmost love and mercy. May he wake up from his surgery as he has not waken up since then.

Jesus, Your array of miracles, A true manifestation of Your Divinity, Draws the admiration of searching souls. Never let it be said, “Miracles do not exist!”. You are the living example of such actions. Bless us with the faith to always believe, To affirm the Supreme Power of Your miracles, Be they of a physical or spiritual nature. We believe that our friend Andrew will wake up and be healed by your healing hand.

In your most precious name, Christ Our Lord 

Amen.

Even if you do not know Andrew, God hears your prayer. Praying for him is the least we can do.

I am now contactable at the same previous number since I got a new SIM card with the same existing number. Bought a new Nokia 3500 Classic phone today with my own cash (read: hurts).

But since I bought it with my own cash I will treasure it more as well.

For my phone number you can visit my Facebook profile (no. is only visible to friends).

(Yes, despite despising the bond that is attached to most, if not all, scholarships, Ern Sheong is embarking on a Malaysian Scholarship ATTACK while ignoring the bond part, at least for now during the application stage. Good thing for him that SPM results were already released, so there are abundant scholarship options NOW. Many of these still accept post Pre-U students (A Levels in my case).

His options, after his not-so-comprehensive and not-so-encompassing research online and input from his dear mummy, are 12 Malaysia overseas scholarships: Name of Scholarship (Deadline)

1. Biasiswa Khazanah Global (26 March)
2. Shell Malaysia Scholarship (31 March)
3. Yayasan Telekom Malaysia Scholarship (31 March)
4. Securities Commission (31 March)
5. Bank Negara Scholarship (11 April)
6. Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship (31 March, only for selected UK and Aus universities, sorry US ppl)
7. Yayasan Tenaga Nasional (16 March, I discovered this at the last minute!)
8. Felda Scholarship Programme (22 March)
9. Gamuda Scholarship Awards (15 April)
10. Great Eastern Scholarship Award (31 May)
    
11. Astro Scholarship (20th April)
12. CIMB Scholarship (only for CIMB employees’ children)

Yeah so if you guys heard of any other OVERSEAS scholarships around here in Malaysia which is not listed above kindly comment here. And yeah I purposely omitted Petronas and JPA (don’t think they take in A level students anyway, and I was already rejected by them earlier).

Why BNM or SC or CIMB would accept a person intending to do an electrical engineering degree is anyone’s guess. Though with a Management Science or Operations Research course they might still accept me somehow.

Hope this helps those with the same situation as mine too: Want to go overseas but too expensive to pay on your own. ACT NOW!

UPDATED: Yayasan Sime Darby Scholarship added (No. 6); Yayasan Tenaga Nasional deadline and link updated (No. 7); Felda Holdings Berhad Scholarship added (No.8); Gamuda Scholarsip Awards (No.9); Great Eastern Scholarship (No. 10); deadline for BNM Scholarship added; status of CIMB scholarship added; Astro Scholarship updated

Call me stupid. I take a taxi to work daily and I often wear this black trousers with a slippery pocket. My phone is in the right pocket of my trousers but when I sit in the cab the pocket is tilted at a downward angle and so most of the time the phone slips out of my pocket and onto the taxi back seat. It has happened many times already. But I either noticed it gone from my pocket or the taxi driver saw it as I alighted without my phone and alerted me (this happened once).

Yesterday, it happened again. My 3-month old, one thousand ringgit phone slipped out of my pocket and onto the taxi’s back seat. I alighted the cab oblivious of this. Neither did the cab driver alert me because he did not look behind. I only noticed the disappearance of my phone later on when I was wondering why my right pocket felt empty.

I called my own number with my boss’s phone and a lady picked it up. As it turned out, that she was the next passenger on the taxi. She spoke mandarin to me and hence I passed the call to my colleague. We arranged to meet at 12.30 the next day (today). My colleague ends the conversation but without taking her contact number or name or even where to meet! (The stupid thing was that I didn’t even try to converse in English with her, or Bahasa if need be! Otherwise all details would have been sorted out!) I thus assumed that it was at the taxi stand, but I did not make it a point to call her again to get more details. (DAMN STUPID OF ME) I did SMS her in English, asking for her contact number, but I got no reply.

Thus I waited for half an hour today from 12.30 pm onwards, but no one came. Sigh. I couldn’t call my phone today, as the phone must have been turned off. I also set a pin number to the SIM card, so the phone bearer could not turn it on to receive a phone call from me even if she wanted to. Or maybe the battery died. STUPID ME.

One of those things that happen la. Shows how stupid SPM straight A students can be. (Only referring to me) Yeah, this is a very good example to illustrate that academics aren’t everything. Common sense is indeed more important.

Hopefully she would take the trouble to go to a Maxis Customer Center and return it.

T_T … So yeah, if you did not get the point of this post, it is this:
Don’t contact me at my usual 012 220#### number until I have reunited with my phone again.

If I get a new number, I will update you guys. Oh yeah, and I need to fork out my own money for another phone, because mum/dad won’t buy it anymore.

I am extremely angry with myself, beyond words, for being so foolish, careless and dumb.

I will be leaving for Singapore this Friday 8 am and coming back to Malaysia by Saturday midnight.

Quoted from an MOE Press Release:

NOTIFICATION OF RELEASE OF 2007 GCE A-LEVEL EXAMINATION RESULTS

1. The results of the 2007 Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level Examination will be released on Friday, 7 March 2008.
2. School candidates may obtain their result slips from their respective schools from 2.30 pm on 7 March 2008.
3. Private candidates will be able to obtain their results through the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board’s website (http://www.seab.gov.sg) after 2.30 pm on 7 March 2008. They will also be notified of their results by post.

To be frank, I am not anxious at all. Weird. Sadly, I would have to miss my church’s Friends Night this Friday night and pass over the chance to invite my unsaved friends to church. But luckily, Easter is just around the corner at the end of March!!! Another great time to bring friends. XD

Alright haven’t found much time to blog lately (for 3-4 days already) and due to my crazy working hours… starting at 2 pm and ending at 11 pm everyday. And yes I cannot get up in the morning and usually I get up in time for lunch or for driving lessons (YES I AM ONLY LEARNING NOW). Coupled with some flu and cough lately it really spoils my mood to blog and I can’t stay up as late as I used to (need to recover mah).

Oh yes btw I am now “curi tulang”-ing at my workplace at Giant Kelana Jaya to write this blog post.

But the past few days have been rather… fun… in a different way. For the better part of yesterday and today (and tomorrow there’s another appointment) I have been spending hours at customer’s houses setting up iZZi’s internet connection since Scream-X’s connection by TM Nut have been causing them a lot of headaches. There were also problems with wireless routers and wireless USB adapters. I am rather amazed that people look at me and expect me to solve their router and internet configuration headaches. I also least expect myself to be some tech guy who knows a lot about how to configure computer stuff (but of course I did not disappoint them and solved whatever computer troubles that they had =P )

Frankly, I am just a tech-savvy user. But incidentally I want to study Electrical and Computer Engineering given my interest in comp stuff. So perhaps i can be a real tech-genius in the future managing a company of tech-geniuses.

Random - Advice for people who want to use Vista: Don’t do it. Keep your XP. Seriously. Recently-leaked e-mails between Microsoft employees show that even Microsoft employees were aware that present computers do not have enough specifications to run Vista smoothly. Read more here and here. Skeptical? Ask your friend who just bought a Vista-powered computer recently. (Unless you have 4GB RAM, your computer will be slow and bound to hang) If you have the cash, get a Mac. (which is the main reason why I am working now, to save enough for a Macbook Pro)

I was tagged TWICE. (Stefanie Lip and Kevin Chan tagged me.) =(

1. What was your dream during your childhood?
To be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. (Really? Maybe it was something like that. Too bad I’m Chinese.) Then it changed to pilot, to doctor, to who knows what…

2. Do you like rainy days or sunny days? Why?
Sunny. I don’t like it to rain when I want to go out for a jog. =)

3. Which colour do you like better? Black or White?
White. White Macbooks are really cool. Hey but so are Black Macbooks. Black then. Whatever la

4. Who would you marry?
A girl with beautiful character who is patient enough to deal with my stubbornness and bad attitudes.

5. Where do you want to go most? Why?
1) Stanford University to study. Stanford rocks la.
2) Around the world. The world is beautiful. I want to see it.

6. Which part of yourself do you love the most?
I love all just the same.

7. When you encounter a sad moment, what do you do?
If it affects others: Keep silent and reflect about life. Encourage the person if possible. Realise that life is so much more than striving.
If it affects me: Pray. Reflect silently. Pour out on others.

8. What are you afraid of losing the most?
My loved ones. Family and friends. The trust and faith of people.

9. If you met someone you love, would you confess to him/her? Or just keep it secret, observing?
Yeah I certainly would. But I’ll wait for a good time and not rush it.

10. List out 3 good points of the one who tagged you.
Stefanie Lip: Well-organized, reliable and trustworthy.
(Stefanie Lip was Secretary of DJ Prefect Board during my year. She did an awesome job. Her document formats are still being used by the prefects in DJ today.)

Kevin Chan: Great public speaker, creative, helpful
(Kevin Chan was DJ Assistant Head Prefect and did a marvelous job. His support was instrumental in the Board.)

11. What are the requirements that you wish for your other half?
Accepts and loves me for being me, not because of what I can be.

12. Up to now, what is the moment you regret most?
Can’t think of any, frankly. No regrets. Sorry to disappoint.

13. Which type of person do you hate most?
An arrogant person.

14. What is your ambition?
To start a company and grow it into a global magnitude.

15. Would you rather be someone else at this very moment?
No. I love the way I am.

16. If you can have 2 dreams to come true, what would it be?
1) Long term: I am able to establish a company that lasts beyond my lifetime and thrives worldwide.
2) Short term: Study at Stanford University.

17. What do you think is most important in your life?
Keeping the faith and the Word.

18. Who’s your favourite cartoon character?
Doraemon. (I read Doraemon’s comics voraciously while younger)
Frankly, I don’t fancy any cartoons.

19. What will you do if the world ends tomorrow?
Save souls for Christ at the last minute.

20. The most worthwhile decision you’ve ever made in your life so far?
Failing PTS was a not a decision but it had I passed and skipped a Standard Five, many many wonderful things would not have happened.
Failing to get government scholarships but getting an ASEAN Scholarship to Singapore was also not a decision but it was really worth it.
Looks like I was guided all along. I didn’t make the decisions. God did.

I tag… YOU READERS. You cannot escape!!!

Quoted from BUS CRASH NO MORE PETITION:

To: Ministry of Transportation, Malaysia

We, the concerned youths of Malaysia express appalled anger towards the Slim River Bus Crash incident that claimed the life of Lee Nian Ning and two others on the 25th of January 2008. This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. Despite numerous complaints and public uproar in the past, incidents like this continue to occur. It was reported that the driver’s company had 13 summonses on that bus itself. We find it unacceptable that such a company could have operated that vehicle on the road. What are the explanations? Hundreds of thousands of university students just like Nian Ning and us rely on such public transport to travel back home. Human life should not be taken lightly.How could a vehicle with 13 summonses be free on the roads and not held by the authorities?

We, the following, hereby demand that the relevant authorities take immediate solid actions in ensuring that mistakes like this do not occur again in the future.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

If you want to join in the petition, click here. This is the least that we can do for an unfortunate incident which cannot be reversed. Every petition counts. Show that you care. I am sure that you will one day take a bus to another town in Malaysia. Please help ensure that your journey and the journey of many hundreds of thousands of others are not plagued by such a tragedy anymore. Put a stop to the road menace.

Visit this blog for more on this issue and the reactions to it.

Please post this on your blog now to help:

Chung Lern and Nian Ning’s families would like all families and friends of the victims, dead or alive, in the Slim River Bus Crash to come forward and join them in taking action against the bus company. Stand up to seek justice for these three innocent individuals, who were all so young and full of life.

If you have a blog, please call out to ANYONE who knows someone who survived or did not survive the crash to come forward to join the Lee family.

Make a huge difference, make a huge fuss.

For now, you may contact Lee Chung Lern at chunglern@gmail.com or preferably on his handphone at 012-6670368.

If you do not know what this is all about, the underlying story can be found here.
Nian Ning’s blog can be found here and here. It’s rather sad. Let’s do what we can to support her family.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Ome, my fellow Thai friend who studied with me in National Junior College, for his very kind and patient assistance with the installation of a self-hosted Wordpress blog. Ome helped me by giving detailed instructions and helping me troubleshoot despite being busy with other programming work. *applause*

Also I would like to express many thanks to Marcus Chang for being my “tech support” when I needed it, with this blog and with many other countless times since secondary school. And yes, like you said, if I do get rich, I might pay you. Haha

Sorry if you have been visiting expecting posts. Look out for more posts soon!

Hi there I have just settled into this new home and it would take some time for me to get acquainted with the new freedom that I have in doing up my blog. Please be patient as I search for a suitable theme online to suit my tastes and struggle to configure the way the site looks.

Watch this space soon!

Akhmed the Dead Terrorist

Jeff Dunham, a very talented ventriloquist and funny-man!

My birthday is already over last December but I want to thank two people especially for their thoughtful gifts.

Serena gave me a cute soft toy from Aussie!

Daphne gave me a big jar of cookies!

Alright I admit that I have been a cookie monster (jar is not full anymore)

Thanks gals! I really appreciate it!

Every man has to go through this phase.

Introduction: There are two kinds of shavers in the world:
1) Electric shaver
2) Razor blades

My dad introduced me to the former and I have been using it for quite a while already. But I always failed to get a clean shave and often my skin would turn pink and this was embarrassing especially when I am going out right after the shave.

Thus, I recently switched to the razor blade, namely the Gillette Mach3 =P

A bloody experience. And guess what, I had to go to Google to learn how to shave properly because dad didn’t like razor blades and said that it was going to cause more hair growth! Talk about what generation we are living in! The Google generation.

The agony. It will take some getting used to. A cut here today and a cut there tomorrow. But when done properly it results in a good, clean shave.

Soon, I’m going to be a pro-shaver.