Lovely sister turned 21 today

Born on the 30th April 1987, Jennifer Soh Li Wen, my one and only beloved sister, has just turned 21 years old today, which she refers as the “legal age” as we, in Malaysia, are considered official citizens of Malaysia at this age. She used to be real soft-spoken, timid and always have been a cry baby. Though she is still a cry baby (hehe, I know you are dear) when things don’t go the right way, the way she wants, now, she’s much stronger now I believe, taking big actions and deciding things on her two feet and being her brother makes me proud to see how much she has grown up after 21 years being my little sister. I can’t tell you, dear, how happy I was when I heard that you got into Universiti Malaya, the most prestigious university in our homeland and looking at you making your first step towards the life that you are to seek from now. Take time and for sure, God will let you know his plans for you in his right timing and when you do, trust me, you will enjoy the enlightenment for I know your heart really yearns very much for the compass of life to point somewhere, to something concrete.

My message to Jennifer

Sis, I know I’ve always been strict with you and
it is much because you are my sister. I have always
and will always wish the best for you and I want you
to know once again this day, that you can always count
on me for anything. Just remember to always have the guts
to dream on and as long as you keep that in mind,
all things can be made possible !

From your loving brother,
Andrew

Jennifer’s first reply

Thank you very much, Ko…
So touched…
My connection here is very low and slow..
So, I have yet to view the webpage..
Nevertheless, thank you so much for everything…
I don’t think I have made the wrong choice in my field of studies…
I myself wouldn’t know whether I can survive inthe media line or not..
So, being a broadcast journalist may just be a saying only…
I still have many thoughtless choices…
I’ll give myself more chances to explore and see what suits me the most…
For now, I accept everything that comes around…
Who knows, it may benefit me somewhere…
I’ll work hard, don’t worry so much about me..
I’m 21, it’s time for me to stand on my own feet and walk the way of my own life.

Jennifer’s second reply

I’ve seen the message on your website for me..
Again, my tears automatically roll on my cheeks again…
How fast have we grown!
I’m already 21 and you’ll be 26 soon…
Today is another boring day at the hostel…
Almost every day I eat egg but it’s ok…
I’ll have pizza ordered later with my friends…
Since it’s exam season, everyone is either busy studying
or finished their exams and packed back home…
I’ll be home on Saturday and Mom and Dad will plan a dinner for me…
As we grow, Mom and Dad get older..
Looking forward to see you coming back but when you leave again,
it’s another page of sadness for me even though many years have past
but I still have the same feeling…
Like when you write anything to me or when I hear your voice,
I’ll sure have my tears ready to explode from my eyes like a volcano!
I wanna study now again, so take care and
I’m really happy to have such a nice brother like you…
The connection is fluctuating, so I better take this chance
to send this reply to you asap..
Dun worry, I washed my face already..
Love and miss you dearly…

My short reply

As long as my message has reached you,
I am happy enough.
See you when I go back in June.

Love,
Andrew

How well do you know Uniqlo ?

Have you heard of Uniqlo ?

Asano modeling with Chloe Sevigny for Uniqlo

UNIQLO CELEBRATES THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING WITH A NEW UT COLLECTION AND ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FEATURING CHLOE SEVIGNY

March 5, 2008 (New York, NY)– This spring, UNIQLO’s creative wheels are turning once again with the return of the UT Project (UT stands for UNIQLO t-shirt), a limited edition collection of t-shirts designed by renowned artists, designers, photographers, etc. Arriving in stores on March 17th, with deliveries throughout the season, this collection features t-shirts from famed artists Keith Harring and Basquiat, among other designers and artists. Reasonably priced from around $15.50 and offering styles for men, women and children, there is sure to be a style for everyone. These t-shirts will be available in UNIQLO stores worldwide.

To complement this truly innovative idea, UNIQLO is rolling out an advertising campaign featuring Chloe Sevigny and Tadanobu Asano, a Japanese actor, shot by photographer Dan Jackson. This campaign will be featured in wildpostings, a type of viral guerilla-style image campaign, as well as full pages in Time Out New York, AM New York and the New York Post, commencing on April 10th.

“”UT is about self expression, so we took this as our starting point for the campaign. With Tadanobu Asano and Chloe Sevigny, we had them express various characters and emotions that they found in the t-shirt designs. We wanted them to bring the designs to life,” said Markus Kiersztan, owner of MP Creative and consulting creative director for UNIQLO.

The UT Project will continue to be an important initiative for UNIQLO in the future as illustrated by the launch of the interactive UT Grand Prix Program, which enables artists from all over the world to submit a t-shirt design to possibly be sold as a t-shirt at UNIQLO. The UT Grand Prix is certain to make design more fun and adds another interesting layer to the UT Project. This project commences on April 16th and will be carried out over the months following.

About UNIQLO

Clothing says a lot, but you can say it better. UNIQLO designs, manufactures, markets and sells casual wear that can be worn by anyone, any day. Rather than dictate a look, UNIQLO provides people everywhere with the piece they need to create their own style. And style comes from within, which is why the UNIQLO logo is nearly invisible, tucked away inside the garment.

This concept, along with an unwavering focus on quality and value, has guided UNIQLO’s actions since the establishment of its first store in 1984 Hiroshima, Japan. Today UNIQLO has grown to over 760 UNIQLO stores worldwide and is household name in Japan.

From t-shirts and sweaters to denim, outerwear and trend items, all of our clothes are made according to exacting Japanese standards for quality and come in an astonishing variety of colors and styles. UNIQLO is committed to providing customers with true excellence and innovation in casual wear, from the design and functionality to the fit and color choices. As a company, UNIQLO controls every stage of the creation of its products—from the fabric used to the stringent production control program at the factory and finally to the display at the store. We use the world’s best resources to give customers something better every time.

UNIQLO is a brand of FAST RETAILING and among the top 10 specialty apparel retailers in the world. Other group companies include Theory in the U.S., COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS and Princesse tam.tam in France, and g.u., CABIN, ONE ZONE, FOOT PARK, VIEW COMPANY and ASPESI in Japan. For more information, visit www.uniqlo.com or www.fastretailing.com.

***

For those of us who came to Japan about 8 years ago, when you hear this brand, it was like cheap and good quality products for foreign students like us. We could get clothings, ranging from spring to winter, at very reasonable prices and it has long to be known in Japan as “cheap stuffs brand”. Well, Uniqlo, now, not that cheap anymore, after they have rebuilt their brand power overseas, trying to gain a status in the international market by empowering themselves through new designs and collaborative ideas with designers, artists and even photographers. I’ve heard from my friend who used to stay in London saying that it is rather a popular Japanese brand and it is not that cheap there. I love the designs of the UT Project this time (1500 yen per T-shirt) and planning to get myself a few once money gets in. The shore at Harajuku is pretty cool so if you haven’t check it out, please do. The YouTube video below will give you a rough preview on how it really looks like. Enjoy.

Introducing Japan’s rush hour train

Human tuna can

This is exactly how it looks like. Yes, they do “push”. *hehe* I guess I will face that more next year onwards when I do really start working. I was never into the idea of owning a car but perhaps, when I do get myself enough money and tired of being squashed into a moving public transport like this, I may consider owning one.

Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland : 4 Minutes

4 Minutes

Saw this music clip on TV and I simply love the funky tune the moment I heard it. Madonna collaborating with Justin Timberlake, well, I can say I like it better than the time with Britney. Awesome music and Timbaland really knows how to make it into a funky song as how he always spice up songs with his magic. Some cool dance steps by both Madonna and Justin. The whole video itself was unique as well so, enjoy the song as much as I had ! Peace.

GE FMP Prospective Employees Gathering Party

Anassa, the venue for the gathering party

I’ve just received an e-mail from GE just now regarding a gathering party for the prospective employees of FMP for the year 2009. According to the e-mail, it will be held at a Mediterranean cuisine restaurant which is situated inside the Akasaka Biz Tower in the newly opened area called Akasaka Sacas. I’ve already confirmed my attendance on that day which is going to be on the 24th April and am really looking forward to it because on that day, we will be meeting the Finance Leaders of GE Japan who will be our mentors for the program. This is my first time trying out Mediterranean food and that is also something I will be looking forward to as well. I guess the best thing of all, I will be meeting all of my future colleagues (if they all do attend) and definitely this gathering would really make me feel that I am already a part of GE. Yippee ! *hehe*

Utada Hikaru: Prisoner of Love

Prisoner of Love

A snippet shot from her promotion video for this song

The promotion video from her latest released single

I’m a prisoner of love
Prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love
I’m just a prisoner of love
A prisoner of love

平気な顔で嘘をついて
笑って　嫌気がさして
楽ばかりしようとしていた

ないものねだりブルース
皆安らぎを求めている
満ち足りてるのに奪い合う
愛の影を追っている

退屈な毎日が急に輝きだした
あなたが現れたあの日から
孤独でも辛くても平気だと思えた
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

病める時も健やかなる時も
嵐の日も晴れの日も共に歩もう

I’m gonna tell you the truth
人知れず辛い道を選ぶ
私を応援してくれる
あなただけを友と呼ぶ

強がりや欲張りが無意味になりました
あなたに愛されたあの日から
自由でもヨユウでも一人じゃ虚しいわ
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

Oh もう少しだよ
Don’t you give up
Oh 見捨てない　絶対に

残酷な現実が二人を引き裂けば
より一層強く惹かれ合う
いくらでもいくらでも頑張れる気がした
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

ありふれた日常が急に輝きだした
心を奪われたあの日から
孤独でも辛くても平気だと思えた
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

Stay with me, stay with me
My baby, say you love me
Stay with me, stay with me
一人にさせない

Drama “Last Friends”, on heavy topics like DV and GID

The song “Prisoner of Love” is currently the theme song for a new drama entitled “Last Friends” as you can see from the video above. Saw Hikki’s performance on SMAP x SMAP on TV today and she was singing this song and totally loved it. Will definitely get my hands on the single CD which is going to come along with a DVD (out in May). You can see the preview of the promotion video at her homepage right now. Love your song, Hikki ! Check the song out on my Music Box ! Anyway, I’ve just watched the 1st episode of “Last Friends” and it was definitely a good drama. A drama with heavy social topics like domestic violence (DV) and gender identity disorder (GID). Looking forward to the next episode very much and the song truly suited the drama very, very much. For those of you in Japan, be sure to check it out on Fuji Television, every Thursday 10 pm.

Born as a not-so-authentic Malaysian

Tengku Faris: Don’t question Malay rights

From The Star Online

Years singing “Negaraku” with all my heart did not matter

KUALA LUMPUR: The special rights and privileges of Malays should not be questioned but the community should make every effort to improve and stay united, the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan said.

Tengku Mohammad Faris Petra Sultan Ismail Petra reiterated that nobody should challenge Malay rights and privileges, adding that these developments were becoming apparent following the recent general elections.

“The Malay Rulers will act as a source of unity and loyalty among all the people as stated in the Constitution and Rukunegara.

“As such, the people should be united and no one should question the special rights and privileges of the Malays because it is quid pro quo in return for providing citizenships to 2.7 million people of other races who joined the Malay Federation.

“It is not appropriate for the other races to demand equal rights and privileges after they had already acquired their citizenships,” he said in his opening address at a Malay unity gathering held in conjunction with the Maulidur Rasul celebration at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.

The theme of the event, organised by a group of Malay NGOs named Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu (BBPM), was “Malay Unity is the Core of National Unity.”

The NGOs included the National Writers Alliance (Gapena), Federation of Peninsula Malay Students, Pekida and the Malaysian Islamic Consumers Association.

Tengku Mohammad Faris, however, reminded them that while they pursued stronger Malay unity, they should not ignore the rights of other races, such as freedom to practise their religions.

***

Sigh, I am already very clear about this fact long long ago, but being reminded again that even though I am born a Malaysian on the Malaysian land does not make me an authentic Malaysian is pretty heartbreaking.

It is not appropriate for the other races to demand equal
rights and privileges after they had already acquired their citizenships.

This definitely hurts to read.

How do you expect fellow “not-so-authentic Malaysians” to love Malaysia like this ? Dear Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan, I was really disappointed because I thought the royal symbol should show more wisdom and yeah, please explain to the other royal families of the world when this news reaches their royal ears.

Freedom to practise religion and other general rights, that is what we are all to have and we should make every effort to to improve and stay united, you say ? Then, you should check with your immigration department to check the number of “not-so-authentic Malaysians” giving up their citizenships or migrating to another country.

Well, it is true that people won’t kill each other anymore due to racism in this modern day but people will just take the peaceful step to flee to a place where they are totally accepted with all the rights a citizen should have. And many are already considering the peaceful step even at this very moment. Is this the improvement and the unity that you wish for ? Haven’t we learned a big lesson from that very miserable historical event in our past ?

From the day when I was born in Malaysia and perhaps till the day I die, I may remain just a Malaysian in my passport and my identification card because I should be happy with the citizenship bestowed upon my non-Malaysian ancestors who brought me to this world and zip up my lips for it is pointless to waste my efforts to ask for equality. *sigh* A change, the dream that I’m still hoping very much to be realized.

A meet up with Tse Wen in Tokyo

Sushi lunch treat at Ebisu and
shopping stroll at Akihabara

Congratulations, Lin Chia !

Just received a happy news through a call from my junior, Lin Chia. She was aiming to get this scholarship that I am getting from SATO scholarship foundation and the results is out today and she got it ! Am glad that all my advices and coachings paid off. Most of all, she was listening keenly to what I’ve said and prepared properly for it and that was the key to the success we have this time. You did it, girl and yes, I am waiting for a BIG treat from you. *hehe*

Miss No. 208,

I am proud to announce that you are officially as of today,
one of 27th scholars chosen from the whole Japan to receive
2 years of full scholarship for your master degree studies in Tokyo University.
Keep up the good work and all the best with your research !

If you don’t know how to fix it, stop breaking it !

Listen to what a girl has to say

“Amazing girl ! Say it, girl ! Go girl, let them know !” That is exactly how I felt when I was watching this amazing speech on YouTube. This legendary amazing speech was made by Severn Suzuki, just only 12 years old at that time, at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro in 1992. I wonder what took me so long to actually come to know about this video but I am glad I did see this. Each word she uttered truly reflects what we should know about our world up to even today. The following are details on what she is right now.

She is currently an environmental activist, speaker, television host and author.
Born to writer Tara Elizabeth Cullis and Canadian geneticist and environmental
activist David Suzuki, Cullis-Suzuki received a B.Sc. in Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology from Yale University in 2002. She has spoken around the world about
environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future
in mind, and take individual responsibility.

In 1992, at the age of 12, Cullis-Suzuki raised money with members of ECO,
the Environmental Childrens Organization (a group she founded) to attend this
very Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro. Along with group members Michelle Quigg,
Vanessa Suttie, and Morgan Geisler, Severn presented environmental issues from
a youth perspective at the Summit, where she received a standing ovation for
a speech to the delegates. The group also addressed delegates at the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).

Li San, my talented friend (Part 2)

Michael Johns

My friend, Li San, is definitely talented. I’ve introduced her in my previous post, so check it out. Look at this completed sketch of Michael Johns from that American Idol TV show and yes, she’s a freaky fan of that show especially when she refers David Cook and Michael Johns as her men. *hehe* I personally am amazed on how she “whipped” his bitchy hair (this is how she expresses it because it was the hardest part which required lots of strokes) and the unbelievable leather jacket. It’s amazing how you can actual come out with the texture of materials by just sketching. The glassy look of how eyes should be is also sketched out realistically. Simply amazing. Two thumbs up, Li San. Anyway, please check out her whole collection here at DevianArt. She’s happy if you have any comments ! Li San, can’t wait till you finish your next masterpiece, dear.

An e-mail from Mom & Dad

A pleasant e-mail from home

Dearest Son,

Congratulations!
You’ve successfully qualified for GE two years training programme!
So, this is a great change and you dare to make change happen!
So, praise the Lord, trust in Him always!

Love and best regards,
Mummy and Daddy.

My simple reply

Thanks Mom and Dad.
The change.
Not going to be easy,
but my heart yearns for it !

Love,
Andrew

Dad’s Reply

Yearning is what your desire longing for.
When changes take place, face it & deal with it.
With God’s grace in every area of your life,
then you will continue to change defeat to victory by faith.
Great joy and success follows.
Then, you change your life ahead.

Dad.

I continued by saying

Bitter defeats, I’ve tasted some.
Unbearable challenges, I’ve survived them all.
The road is long and many more are yet to be seen.
But, I will always remember to count my blessings
and continue on this very journey of mine boldly.
So, what I seek upon you two dearest souls is
to be there when I heed for your words of wisdom.

Your son,
Andrew

8th year begins from today

GE wants me !

Leadership Program at GE Japan
Financial Management Program (FMP)

It’s official now ! At exactly 7:18 pm tonight, I finally got the long awaited call from GE’s HR department and I knew at that very moment, I’ve got the job, the job that I really wanted all this while. Although I knew before hand that if I were to get the call today, which means ‘good news’, I was controlling my happy soul in order not to shriek out hysterically in front of the person in charge of informing me tonight. Oh well, I knew that if I weren’t able to get the call I would definitely get a nervous breakdown and am glad that God did not allow that to happen. So, my life in the next coming years after graduating my master degree will be with GE. Anyway, I would like to shout out my thanks to everyone who has been so kind and supportive throughout my whole job hunting which actually began around June last year. I did went through all sorts of trials which include the death of my beloved grandma but I am glad I made it through and finally, able to detour my life towards the goal that I always have been yearning for. Peace and I will update you all more later ! Gosh, I am so damn happy about this !