Backlog and Mish-mash.

Prologue: Just a quick news roundup for Sarawak State Election news on the eve of the nomination day (6 April Wednesday): Almost all major parties has unveiled their candidates for all the 71 seats contested in this election. BN Sarawak still follow their usual 35 (PBB)-19 (SUPP)-9 (PRS)-8 (SPDP) formula with N70 Ba'kelalan singled out for "mystery candidate." Rumour abound whether BN will sent Idris Jala over but in the end the rumour was popped. Larry Sng was dropped but he's loyal with BN. Schism in Sibu SUPP expected with N46 Dudong's incumbent Datuk Soon Choon Teck dropped being replaced by veteran P211 Lanang MP Datuk Tiong Thai Kiing. On PR's front, PKR, DAP and PAS unveiled their list separately. Things of course are not exactly rosy especially when the dropped N9 Padungan incumbent, Dominique Ng bitterly disappointed, resigned from PKR and ready to stand as independent candidate in either Padungan or N11 Batu Lintang citing meddling from National PKR, Baru Bian and rival See Chee How (with See being nominated to stand in Batu Lintang.). Expecting more candidates from other parties (especially SNAP) or individuals to step forward and stand in election. A very crowded contest indeed! Will multi-cornered contest in First-Past-The-Post voting system favours BN? Will PR will inch forward further with more victories? Did other parties work as spoilers? Whatever happens, let's look forward for the nomination day tomorrow (6/4/2011)!  For the latest news coverage, watch out for MKini's and Jabatan Penerangan's minisite!

Here's a mish-mash of backlog and whatever things that happened in my life.When one is living alone in a small room with only laptop that functions as his window to the real world, every little mundane details in daily life can be more significant than it is. Like how I passionately follow Sarawak State Election for example in which I am ELIGIBLE to vote but not able to go home because I am out of dough and I would have to ask my parent (who already funding my MA) to give extra money which will be unfair for them. Looks like I am keeping my vote til next GE then. *sigh* Anyway, mish-mash.

-Occasional venture outside my room-

Since solitude is an essential part of an postgrad's life,  I don't really have any peer which I can hang out with hence reducing any need of going out from room to socialize with everybody else to almost nil. These days there are only a couple of reasons why I would march out from my and expose myself to sunlight and those reasons are fairly practical like lunch/dinner (following the quota MSG-packed unhealthy postgrad diet regiment of having instant noodle for one of the daily main meals) with most of my meal run brought me to Fajar Harapan Vegetarian Stall (Austerity measures.) OR grocery shopping run, mostly to Majujaya Minimart at Sungai Dua. Occasionally though I do venture to some other place just to change the pace a lilbit.

25 March Friday.  Tailou Lawrence had bought the McDonald Big Breakfast Promo and he can't finished it. He asked me over Facebook for lunch while at the same time gave me his extra set to me to get rid. How can I resist free stuff! It was a coincidence to that I need to do a grocery run too so immediately take his offer and go to Queensbay to meet him (he's working around that area)! We had lunch over Johnny's Thai Fusion in which they seated both of us at the awkward corner seat and I went to Jusco for my grocery run after lunch. This was taken while I am on the bus back to USM (I think it was the same bus I took when I went to Queensbay) with me utilizing the USM Library reusable bag (Plastic bag is gone from Penang during weekday).

So what did I get. Leftover McD big breakfast set with hashbrown from Ah Wong which I had it as tea time (cold meal was BLERGH. But it's free BREAKFAST so...), HupSeng Cream Crackers (teh BEST cream cracker to dunk into Milo!), soap (Strawberry smells...FRUITY. VERY FRUITY.) and Indomee (with buy 5 free 1 promo package! Smart shopper.).

5 April (Tuesday). Going somewhere further like Jusco or at least Tesco Extra has lingered in my mind for a while now but my laziness has got the worst of me. Another chance of grocery run has appeared today and as usual I went out, originally thinking of just settling it over Majujaya with lunch over Lita Cafe. For some reason, Lita Cafe was CLOSED today! Plan to Tesco Extra emerge in full swing! Walked over there (in which I only realized halfway that I forgot to brought along my reusable bag which makes me kinda FML. But there are way of cheating the plastic ban...), shops for soap, Vico and more Maggi Mee (also 6 packet promo pack), lured to buy the Mexican Bun fresh from the Tesco Bakery before settling my lunch over food court for once. Cheat: grab the big plastic bag from the fresh vegetables section. No handle but at least it's organised with no risk of everything falling of your hand.

30 March Wednesday. Talking about McDonald Big Breakfast promo, they had this promo in which you can just download the McDonald Big Breakfast promo voucher online, print it out, made any RM5 purchase (Coffee, drink, muffin whatever), present you voucher and get yourself TWO BIG BREAKFAST! Malaysian being typically opportunistic and frugal (Time is hard these days!) crowded every single McDonald outlet in Malaysia every morning just to get themselves two sets of Big Breakfast! I was thinking of doing that too but the thought of waking up early and then crowding with people waiting in vain for the Big Breakfast is not exactly appealing...

...so I went to Plus 2 to have Wantan Mee instead. Air-conditioned, not crowded, short waiting time and still pretty cheap. I went out that day because I went to library to renew by book subscription (they finally rectified my borrowing status from undergrad two weeks borrowing period to postgrad a MONTH borrowing period. Time to hoard the books!) and it was brunch time around 11am.

-Somewhat a continuation from previous post-

SzeSze who did not return her robe on Sunday 20 March because she haven't taken her family photo in a proper photography studio yet had finally returned her robe on 1 April (Friday) which was the last day for graduates to return their graduation robe before being penalized for late return in the following week. Me, as the resident USMer that's still around (and who did helped those two SISTAHs to take their robe before) did his part as her rep once again. Good thing for her that she asked her cousin (who live in Penang but occasionally go back to Taiping) to sent it to me with everything in tact or I would have just died. Now that with the robe returned safely, the only thing left for her is to take her scroll. There's a catch: Unit Rekod only open on weekdays and she's working in KL. Is it going to be my duty again? *shudder*

 

Good bye, graduation robe. You will be missed~ I adore USM's purple robe.

-the weather in Penang-

Penang's weather has been quite unpredictable these days alternating between rain and blazing sunshine with occasional great cloudy days in between though now that we had entered April, it seems to me the sun is going to reign supreme once again cranking up the day time temperature up a notch like today. Looks like the blue sky won't last as Penang can be very dusty and prolonged sunny days will definitely make it worse.

This was taken on 21 March (Monday) NOON. Frequent downpour for the next few weeks at the end of March really cool down the temperature a lot that I had to turn my fan speed down to 3 (I usually keep it at full 5 at all times) at night and sometimes day time.

It's April now and April so far means plenty of sunny days. This was before Penang become dusty again in which I spotted a plane (four engined if I am not mistaken. B747?) flying across the sky leaving a long contrail behind. Pretty magical I think. Where is the plane heading to I wonder.

That's all for now. I guess. Watch out for new posts. Just a couple more backlog stuff to go (still depends on whether I am in mood to write some or not.)

Epilogue: Short academic related update: Viva presentation of one of my supervisor's MA candidate on 6 April Wednesday evening. I hope it won't be scary because I will be having my own in a few years time after I finished my thesis. (If everything goes smoothly...). Crossfire expected. *shudder*