Behind A Face We Show The World

So I went to America for two weeks, and it was really good fun. And I didn't update my blog.

SHAME.

But this is not a travel blog, and neither am I qualified enough to write one. Just one comment I would like to make in that respect.

Hollywood is an OVERPRICED, TACKY, SHIFTY TOURIST TRAP. Yeah. You still have to go there though if you're a tourist in LA. It's like how you have to go to Times Square if you're in New York. It was an experience though.

There. That's the one rant done with.

On that note (offend warning), I notice that there actually aren't that many fat people around the USA. Gasp. I've literally traversed the States, and the stereotype just doesn't hold. Like how not all religious aren't extremist. Or something like that.

I have been assured though, that this is simply because I have been visiting the urban areas, where everyone is rushing about and no one really has the time or the money to stuff their faces with. I supposed I should've dug just a little deeper; maybe if I traveled just a bit to the next town over, I might have found a whole new population altogether, which may reinforce or completely shatter the said stereotypes.

Which got me thinking, and that usually puts me in a bad spot, but oh well.

Certainly all countries must put up a front for the tourists, which may or may not reflect the values of the country itself. At least, hide the bad bits. You've got to make some money somehow right?

Only, isn't the whole point of travelling to get to know the country and enrich your knowledge or something like that? Like, will you be content with knowing half the country? Or are you afraid of your country being called a hypocrite? Because let's face it, all countries need monies, and all countries are equally as guilty in this facade.

Do you think we as travelers will feel cheated if we are just given a show of the best of the best?

TBH, probably not. We travel to, as it is aptly put, "get away". From the mundane everyday life that we lead, to search for something new. Something fresh. Something exciting. I am sure that often does not include living a day to day life in those countries, where it might be even worse than where them tourists came from. I mean, tourists could afford to fly to your country, so they must be able to afford a higher standard of living than that.

But really, it all depends on what you are looking for in a holiday. You want a five-star hotel with 3-starred Michelin restaurants everyday? You only have to look. You wanna backpack in a dodgy hostel or couch surf across the Americas, eating dodgy food from vendors which may or may not give you salmonella? You only have to look slightly harder. So it is not saying that a country will completely block off access to "non-touristy" areas. They are still there. It all depends on if you, as a tourist, wanna see them or not.

Unless of course you wanna visit North Korea. Then it is a different bottle of kimchi.

The final word, of course, is be friendly with the locals. After all, they are the ones knowing where the good eats, the best nasi kandar, the sweetest ABC in the neighborhood would be. It's not as exciting as trying everything other than the restaurant with the fanciest sign, but it's better than blindly following the tour/crowd.

Well, cya then. Got more photos to upload soon.

Behind A Random Rhyme

Sometimes I wished I was a fish,
Living life with a splash splish.
Swimming so free,
As worriless as be,
Worse case scenario is to end on a dish.

But then I might end in a tank,
An unkempt aquarium (so dank!).
Be fed once a day,
To float, but not play,
I rather be working in a bank.

Speaking of banks, I need a cent,
Or a penny worth of thoughts to rant.
But what's creativity
To some rationality?
Artful thinking can't pay rent.

But I respect those with art and proses,
Their minds flower-y but sharp: roses.
It's said pay is bad,
But good friends to be had,
Fun chat times in moderate doses.

But I'm on this path of healing,
One that some might find appealing,
The hours be long,
But I must be strong,
For saving people would be the best feeling.

Behind Pokemon Go and find something better to do with your life

Let's face it, Pokemon Go was an overnight success. Granted, it took years of preparation and months of hyping prior to launch to make it the overnight success that it is. Bearing the brand Pokemon helps a lot as well.

For those who have no idea what Pokemon Go is, you must be living under a rock, or have no access to social media. And I don't think too hardly on you for that. TL;DR, you play a normal Pokemon game, except with a GPS and in the real world, and you beat gyms and collect them all, to be one in a million of very best trainers.

Gameplay mechanics remind me a lot of Ingress, a mobile game released a few years ago with similar principles. It's basically capture the point found in most multiplayer games, except these points are in real life, there are many points, and it is played in a map view like below:

Same concept, you get people to walk around their neighbourhood to complete tasks which gives you levels which gives you more reason to walk around. You join a team, which motivates each member to walk around some more, and hopefully obesity can be reduced.

I tried this game in my first year, but it was draining my battery and data, and I had no friends ;( ... playing this game. Granted this is still a very popular game, but just didn't interest me. Pokemon Go will also drain my data and battery, but I think I will play it because... POKEMON :D

I do not have a data plan in Malaysia, so I won't be able to play until I return to the UK, where I will start my journey amongst level 50 veterans. But at least there will be strategy guides. So the arrival of Pokemon Go to Asia won't really affect me... yet. Although it would provide entertainment in terms of people watching. MORE PHONE ZOMBIES!

What's intriguing about this game is the apparent pure addiction this game has launched many people into. You get news about people stopping their cars in the middle of the road or congregating around some poor soul's house to catch Pokemon. Because you have to be the very best, no matter what it takes. Ever since 1996, it was some kids' dream to catch Pokemon in real life, and now that the chance presents itself, who could resist? Even I'm itching to get in on the action.

As a hardcore casual gamer myself, I understand the addictionist-completionist nature which would propel people to insane lengths to geddem all. Just check my Cookie Clicker. (Please don't click that. It sucks your soul.) On the other hand, I am a lazy sack of nuts, and if the weather looks slightly dark outside, I won't go out. And it gets pretty dark often in London. 

And honestly, I find it stupid. The whole point is to make people healthier by walking, but you get a whole group of people to look at their phone all the time. Sure, you make a community of gamers, but is this the society you want? A segregation of gamers and non-gamers on the same road? But I exaggerate. I just hope people look where they are going, and take care about the time spent on Pokemon hunting/farming. Don't forget to eat, sleep, and talk to your loved ones.

But I can, nay, I will get pretty addicted once I return. Even I don't know what I would do once I am a Pokemon trainer. I can only hope that I won't end up doing crazy things like midnight expeditions, getting lured into a mug spot or attaching my phone to a cat to hatch an egg.

But I might. Who knows. I have to be the very best innit?

Cya at the Gym. The Pokemon Gym.

Behind Punday Monday

So this guy, his wife and their child walks into Rotund Rings, your generic donut shop.

Each of them wanted one doughnut each. So the wife and the kid sat at the table and waits, while the guy walks up to the counter and orders a Tri-Box Set, containing three donuts, which is a perfect size. The counter clerk informs him: "I'm sorry, sir, we no longer have the Tri-Box Set as it wasn't really popular. Now,  Donuts come in boxes of one, a Duo Donut set, a Quatro Donut set, a half-dozen or a dozen."

The man shrugs, and just orders three donuts. And then decides to go to the toilet, leaving the wife to pick up the donuts. Soon, the clerk beckons to the wife to pickup the donuts.

The wife arrives at the counter to realise that the box that the clerk brought out was only big enough for two donuts.

"I thought we ordered the Tri-Box set?!"

The clerk came around carrying the third donut in a bag, and said to the angry wife:

"Duo donuts. There is no Tri."

....

I'll see myself out. Cya,

Behind some shit I've promised 3 months ago

With friends like mine, I should really learn to keep my big mouth shut.

So, I will attempt to answer the above questions with enough honest sass as possible.

Benefits of the third reich.
Everyone is now united in hate towards a common enemy, and world peace (or something resembling it) has been achieved. At least, until someone manages to become the President of the United States...

The joys of anal sex
Essentially doubling the number of sex position, hence doubling the size of the porn industry. Can't say the same about fun in the bedroom tho... Does prevent accidents, but there are risks of... accidents. Smelly kinds. Well, not as if the other kind ain't smelly eventually.

I was eating a plate of siew yuk and got an erection. Why?
Well, I guess it's because you've been watching too much porn, and too much foodporn. And soon enough, one type of meat starts to look like another; starts to smell like one another; starts to taste like one another. Like, mate, I know you like that salty sauce, but I think it's time for you to go vegetarian.

Or maybe you just enjoy necrophilia, who am I to judge.

Why is strawberry milk the best milk flavour of all?
Because it goes so well with siew yuk. Or whatever meat you consume.

Which pokemon is the most attractive and why?
Magneton. Nuff said.

I don't like dishonouring promises, so here you go. Have fun. Cya!

Behind Animal Cruelty Part 1

Based on what I have observed throughout my life in Malaysia and UK, animals that humans spend a lot of time with can be broadly separated into two categories:

• Animals that humans keep as pets (friend)
• Animals that people raise for their produce (food)

And as far as our feelings go, it's pretty clear cut. We care about our pets when they are next to us, and we care about the latter group of animals when they are in front of them. On a plate.

It is the animals that do not belong to any of the above groups, however, that intrigues us humans the most. It's the kind we only find roaming the jungles, savannas or tundras of the world, or, more commonly, the zoos of our cities. It's the animals very few have tried to eat, and fewer have tried to befriend. It's the animals of the wild, that some people do keep as exotic pets that can at any moment turn on the owner. It's the gorillas, the crocodiles and the ostriches of this world.

Now I'm mentioning these three animals in particular, as I am sure most of you would know why.They have been in the news recently for doing things they are "not supposed to". First two animals rose into infamy recently for bringing harm to kids.In Cincinnati, a gorilla was shot because a kid fell into an enclosure, and was thereafter rescued. In Florida, 5 crocodiles were killed because a kid waded into a lake and seemed tasty. Each time, the parents were at the scene, and tore their eyes off their kids. So, who's at fault for killing those animals?

I'm not going to write about racism issues or how much media attention they are getting, because the whole point of this article is that it is clear how we value lives of humans against lives of endangered animals. One human life demands 5 innocents. Which on a supply-demand curve does not make sense, since there's so many of us and so few of them.

But humans are illogical when it comes to humans.

Like, imagine a hunter killed a deer and took it home as trophy, right? And a herd of big antler-ed deer ran into the nearby village to find it, right? And in the process gored and trampled a whole family. Clearly their deaths are justified.

Whoops, rambling again.

So, the moral of the story is humans > animals, regardless if they are friends, food or neither.
The thing about the neither category is we don't know what to do with them.

Do we leave them be? But we need the land!

But why?

Do we kill them all? But we need to preserve their existence!

But why?

Do we stick them in zoos? But we will feel bad for robbing their freedom!

But why?

In the end, it's always about us selfish humans. Who really cares about animals nowadays eh?

Cya, fellow dominant species.

Ostriches should run in within the next week.

Behind Living Once

Alright, to continue the thought I left off previously.

People only live once in their lives. Sadly, a third of them is spent sleeping, and a further third is spent working to make money to try and continue to live. So it is quite logical to try to make the most of that final third of your life.

Right now, I AM in that third. So, I should really be going out and enjoying what life, and London in particular, have to offer. The thing is I really have not been doing so. People have been going on trips every break, and seeing all the musical and plays; I just stay home and play video games. I have some regrets.

Often I use the lack of money as an excuse. Which of course is a perfectly legitimate excuse. However, there comes a point in one's life where one realises that one is running out of time, but not of money. I know, I simply KNOW that I will regret it if I don't do something crazy before I graduate, nay, before third summer is over (since we only have one month of summer the following year). Usually this would involve a lot of memories, travelling time, and money, as well as pictures and happiness. It's a balance of fun and liabilities.

So I think I've decided to go wayyy overboard this summer. Japan. USA. Penang. Basically not really spending too much time at home. But I like it. It's now or never.

*   *   *   *   *

Which is why it is a shame to hear news about people who die too soon. 

It comes as a shock to people hearing about the death of Christina Grimmie, a contestatnt of The Voice who was shot last week, and died at the young age of 22. The motive was unclear, but it was clearly planned out in advance, not through a mad dash of insanity.

Her death echoes that of John Lennon, who was murdered in a slightly similar fashion in December 8, 1980. Fans worldwide were devastated, and there was a huge hubbub. And then there will still be a whisper in the future, but still never forgotten. The memory of a death is measured by the lives touched before. (I quoteth.)

Her death and senseless murder is especially saddening because she was at the rise of her career, and in an alternate universe where she was alive, who knows what she would've done. Inspired the next Idina Menzel? Led charity works around the world? Or descend into Done-Disney Despair? No one will know now. It's a waste of potential, and one that doesn't seem justified however you cut it. She hasn't done anything wrong.

Two days later and you hear of another SERIES of sensless deaths. A shootout at a gay bar in Orlando, killing at least 50 people. This time the person responsible was allegedly part of the Islamic state, with the motives suspected to be either death to sinners or death to Americans. That was a shame, and all my prayers be with them. But for me, the saddest part is that there is a news report stating that some Malaysians actually condone the death of sinners and deviators of nature. To me, I don't actually care what you think. As long as you don't butt your nose into other people's lives, or worse, snuff it out, then I will respect your opinion. I expect a two-way relationship in this matter.

Sadly, I know that is not how life works, and I have to accept that life is unfair. But a guy has to have principals.

*     *     *     *     *

That got morbid.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is that death does not give a shit about what you've done or what you think about other people (and vice versa) and what you've achieved in life. When it comes, it comes.

You literally only live once.

It's two extremes we have, putting yourself in danger because everyone dies anyway, or the scenario described above. 

Whereas I will continue doing the things I want to do, because in the end, we only have one life to experience the world. I'm somewhere in the middle, like Malcolm.

Life is unfair.

Anyway, that's my late night ramblings. Thanks everyone, and remember to say I love you to those you care about.

Cya.