UNIMAS Photo Slides

These were photos taken during a recent trip to UNIMAS (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak), a Malaysian university based in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak.

Just click on the play button to start the slide show.

Picasa Slideshow. Theme: Flowers

Here are some bouquet pictures that I took nearly 8 months ago.



I just thought of giving Picasa's embedded slideshow a test run. I wanted to give my photos the extra 'ooomph'!

LionelLam.com is back! :-)

Whoa!

What happened here?

I woke up on a sunny Tuesday afternoon soaked in my own sweat.

Whew!

I just woke up from a nightmare, and if that was bad, I thought I would feel better if I did a round of checks on my blog, and to do some editing as well. Lo and behold! I was totally shocked by what I saw: pictures of blue, red and white splashed across my site’s homepage in a grid-like fashion.

I was shocked. I was surprised. I was a little dazzled….and of course, a little groggy.

I thought my site was hacked. Still reeling from the ‘shock’, I decided that there was something with those funny pictures. Upon closer inspection, I saw the words:

“Upgrade to Pro today!”

“Bandwidth Exceeded”

“Photobucket”

Whoa! Photobucket! What the heck…

I should have known that this was coming. I actually anticipated that something like would happen one day, but I never thought that ‘one day’ would be ‘today’. The bandwidth usage of the theme designer’s hosting account on Photobucket had just hit the ceiling and I’m pretty sure sites around the world using this theme would be crying for more server juice, and looking like you-know-what…

I decided that one day of ‘downtime’ would be enough. My friends joked that my site had just received a facelift. More of a ‘face off’ if you ask me. Final year project aside. It’s time to save my ego…

I immediately went on a prowl for a solution. I decided that if the pictures were missing, it had something to do with a URL (Uniform Resource Locater, the jargon that fills your browser’s address bar, if you’re not exactly the tech-savvy kind…) pointing to an image that no longer exists. I went under the hood and voila! I made some changes to the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets, for more info, just do a Google search) and pointed the scripts to the theme images hosted on my Photobucket account.  It’s a good thing the theme’s designers included the pictures in the download package.

It’s simple really, I just changed the designated address in the CSS script and had the blog point to the images hosted on a Photobucket account under a different username.

Ah…and it has all ended well for me tonight.

Heyho!…heyho! It’s back to work I go!

==END==

Working 24-7

I used to wonder, and I am still wondering even today, how long can you keep a computer running without switching it off. It’s not difficult to imagine how much we use computers today, with the advent of the internet as the ‘in’ thing. Computer addiction is a real problem these days, with kids spending more time in front of the monitor than they see daylight. I’m a seasoned (and hopeless) addict; I’ve been there, done that.

Tsk tsk! Messy right? I know I know…

You don’t have to tell that I’m seriously low on desktop real estate. Look at the top right corner.

Yup, my computer has been working (and it’s still working, otherwise you won’t be reading this post…chuckles…) harder than a bank’s server. I’ve also got that stupid final year project to do, so what can I do? I think it’s going to be up for another 24 hours.

 

Needless to say, here’s the culprit…

Moan…the facade of iniquity. The unnecessary pain and suffering. The nemesis that is keeping me awake, buried in miles of jargon and code. But I can’t sleep. I just had coffee…damn.

Goodnight to you all anyway, looks like I’ll be alone again. Sigh….

‘lah’ – Manglish at it’s Best

“Don’t be like that la!”

“Why you like that la!”

“I’m a good guy la, don’t get angry…”

“What I want for lunch? Whatever la…anything la…”

“Terrible la you, go fly kite!”

 

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Have you heard people speaking English in this way? If you have, welcome to Malaysia!

Manglish = ‘Mangled English’?

To the typical foreigner who is unfamiliar with Malaysian customs and traditions, may I have the honour of introducing to you one of the world’s most peculiar quirks in the field of language development.

Manglish = Malaysian English/ English (Malaysia)/ Malicious English (I made this one up)

According to Wikipedia, ‘Manglish’ is the slang term used to describe the version of English that is colloquially spoken in most parts of Malaysia. (You can check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manglish). Thanks to the ethnic and cultural diversity of Malaysia’s population, Manglish has been further enriched with a wealth of languages and dialects such as English, Hokkien (a Southern Chinese dialect), Mandarin, Cantonese and Tamil. If there’s one thing that we Malaysians can truly be proud of, the culmination of blood and sweat (I’m beginning to think that’s an exaggeration…), it’s the creation of Manglish, one language (unofficially), one nation, one dream. If by now you’re wondering why Manglish was never adopted (and NEVER will be) as an official language, just read on!

Let’s Learn Manglish!

The truth is, with a bit of practice and commitment, Manglish is not difficult to learn, or at least, identify. Please see below for a list of well known particles and components of Manglish.  Let the lessons begin!

Word	Meaning	Example
lah	Used to affirm a statement (similar to "of course"). Frequently used at the end of sentences and usually ends with an exclamation mark (!). It is derived from and has the same meaning as the Chinese expression "啦".	Don't be an idiot lah!
nah	Used when giving something to another person, often in a rude or impolite way.	Nah, take this!
meh	Used when asking questions, especially when a person is skeptical of something. Derived from the Chinese expression "咩".	Really meh? Cannot meh?
liao	Means "already" Derived from the Chinese expression "了".	No stock liao.
ah	Derived from the Chinese expression "啊". Used at the end of sentences, unlike meh the question is rhetorical. Also used when asking a genuine question. Besides that, some people use it when referring to a subject before making a (usually negative) comment.	Why is he like that ah? Is that true ah? My brother ah, always disturbs me!
lor	Used when explaining something. Derived from the Chinese expression "囉".	Like that lor!
d/dy/ady/edy/ridy	Derived from the word "already". Often used in online chatroom by the youth in Malaysia, although in speech, speakers will often pronounce as 'ridy'	I eat 'd' 'loh', I eat 'ridy'
le	Used to soften an order, thus making it less harsh. Derived from the Chinese expression "了".	Give me that le.
one/wan	Used as an emphasis at the end of a sentence. It is believed to derive from the Chinese way of suffixing "的" at sentences.	Why is he so naughty one ah?
what	Unlike British/American English, the word 'what' is often used as an exclamation mark, not just to ask a question.	What! How could you do that? I didn't take it what.
got/have	Used as a literal translation from the Malay word 'ada'. The arrangement of words is often also literally translated. The use of this particular particle is widespread in Manglish, where 'got' is substituted for every tense of the verb 'to have'.	You got/have anything to do? (Kamu ada apa-apa untuk buat?) I got already/got/will get my car from the garage. Got or not? (Really?) Where got? (To deny something, as in Malay "Mana ada?", and also in Chinese "Nali you?" as spoken in Malaysia)

Source: http://www.wikipedia.org

See? Isn’t Manglish easy to learn? Now that you have some idea of what Manglish is all about, let us move on the next section.

Okay Kids, the Word for Today is ‘Lah’…’L-A-H’, ‘Lah’…

Nobody knows where Manglish came from. It was just there, and everywhere. It became obvious that a ‘language’ such as Manglish, so lovingly embraced as the ‘mother tongue’ of Malaysians, must surely be included as a subject in schools. After all, language development takes place best in the early years of childhood right? Logical? Rational? Unlikely.

You may have noticed from the article in Wikipedia, that Manglish is also famous for it’s richness in cross-cultural profanity. Not only did Malaysians have the benefit of learning the words and phrases of other languages (Manglish is a blend of several languages, right?), but they also had the privilege, handed out in a golden platter, if you wish to put it that way, of learning each other’s forbidden grammar. I won’t risk putting those word and phrases here, for risk of my blog eventually mobilizing the teacher’s union and education ministry, or even becoming a lawsuit magnet. For the curious handful of you, you can start looking here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manglish#Nouns

And the King is….LAH….

Yes, in terms of dominance and popularity, no other word in the Manglish vocabulary can stand up to the word ‘lah’. As the old adage goes, if you’re Malaysian, say ‘lah’. As Wikipedia puts it, “The ubiquitous word lah (/lɑ́/ or /lɑ̂/), used at the end of a sentence, can also be described as a particle that simultaneously asserts a position and entices solidarity.”. Don’t get it? Don’t worry la…neither do I. I only know how to use the word. Simple, straightforward, plain Manglish.

Love Thy Neighbour

A little love does indeed go a long way. Long was it goes, from a time perspective. Ever wondered where Singlish (Singapore English, oh no, not again…)came from? Singlish is supposed to be similar in many respects to Manglish, but there are some syntactical differences, so a Singaporean friend of mine claims. I could cover a bit about Singlish, but that would be out of the scope of this article. Want to know more about Singlish? Do your homework la! Go Google…

==END==

Would You Dare to Write This?

They say this was written by a real person, a real letter by an applicant for university. Whoever this 'Hugh Gallagher' person really is, I like his writing style, laced with a tinge of sarcasm and interweaved with sporadic humour. Imagine writing something like this during a job application.

-Lionel.

This is an actual essay written by a college applicant. The author,
Hugh Gallagher, now attends NYU.
3A. ESSAY: IN ORDER FOR THE ADMISSIONS STAFF OF OUR COLLEGE TO GET TO
KNOW YOU, THE APPLICANT, BETTER, WE ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING
QUESTION: ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A
PERSON?

__________________________________________________________________________________
I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I
have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making
them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic
slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time
efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot
bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook
Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a
veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly
defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious
army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the
subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large
suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On
Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of
charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie.
Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear.
I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I
have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last
summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force
demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me
fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy.
I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day
and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I
know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have
performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week;
when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I
successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a
small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On
weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami.
Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down.
I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a
toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San
Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the
Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and
I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

Lionel’s Photo Gallery

Welcome to my photo corner! I am very passionate about photography, and I would post some photos which I would like to share with you on this page. You are free to download these photos so long as the intended purpose is not commercial in nature.

Mushrooms Growing on Log

Golden Retriever Dog

Bird’s Nest Fern

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

The Chinese Hibiscus

The Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur