Goldon At The Food Fair (Anne Wong not in pic)
Sandwich Girl
Primary School Superman
Charlton. Bullied.
Chong Bullied.
Douglas being 
Lousy Lighting - Garrick and Tang at bowling
Tang. Samurai blade not for sale.
Garrick, Tang, Me. Haraigoshi, Taiotoshi, Osotogari.I spent the weekend blissfully offline, immersed in first life, talking and thinking and moving about, not confined to a screen and a keyboard.
It was blissful.
Several things have happened lately. I miss my 2nd-last chance to represent Sarawak in the National Judo Championships, after failing to attend the weighing in ceremony. Nobody told me about it. Or perhaps they did, but I failed to understand. Now I've one last year left to do so, after which I'd be too old to compete.
Vincent competed in the state selections. The guy who broke his collar bone twice. The haraigoshi specialist. The guy whose belt I'm still wearing, after he passed it on to me.
His hair was brown. My hair was green. The dojo, naturally, burst into good natured grass jokes. Gary coined the term 'hot like Wasabi'. It stuck.
I watched them play, at the sidelines.
I saw opportunities that I could've manipulated. I fell when they fell.
Vincent has quit Judo. His girlfriend told him that it wasn't good to train, and so he listened and stopped.
Douglas's girlfriend has converted to Islam. She tells him that he doesn't love her when she calls him during training, and he doesn't pick up.
Tell me: who can pick up a phone when you're sweating all over and your hands are shaking from the kumikata?
Garrick leaves in two weeks for KL, for hospitality management at Taylors.
And then there were three. Taiotoshi, Uchimata, Osotogari. Tang, Desmond and I.
Life goes in cycles. When will it be our turn?
As requested I finally got my camera back last night, and then spent several hours minutes camwhoring in front of the lens, trying out different lighting 'effects' to see if my hair could reflect and look like a neon signboard. Here are the best of them:
This blog is four years old. It has grown, much as I have, through right before the PMR all the way to after the SPM. It is young just as I am young. It has been my home, of sorts - the one place on the web that is truly me.
This blog was first called Ice and Coffee back when I had just set it up. It was green. I like green. Halfway through form 4 I decided that I did not want cookie-cutter templates that everyone e
lse had, so I switched to Minima, thinking I could edit the simplest theme on offer in the Blogger repertoire. I slapped on a header, added badges and -voila!- personalised blog!
After the SPM I purposely made my blog ugly, trying to motivate myself to craft something up that looked good. It was polka dotted grey and white. I still shudder when I think of it. So this morning I got up, switched back to a clean version of Minima (beta template, by the way) and then did bold, brash changes. I had no clear vision. I just knew what I like, and what I didn't. I also knew it had to be green.
Alright, my notes on the redesign of this blog:
Minima was chosen because it is simple, clean, and easily editable. I modified the header CSS, added a painted image behind the blog title, and liked what I saw. So I left it as it was.
Keeping to just the CSS style sheet at the top of the template, I worked my way down to the background, setting it to repeat a green striped image I had found long ago. Then I m
odified the wrappers so my blog would be a little wider, making it easier on the eyes.
Step three. Fonts. I was aiming for maximum readability, so used what Blogger offered first, enlarging fonts across the entire blog until I found it reasonably good looking. Then I edited the way blockquotes were displayed, though I still have to change the padding and margins till it encases the text put in naturally.
I added Reinvigorate tracking code, and then an Easter Egg ... somewhere around this blog. It should be easy to find.
Lastly, I tackled the sidebar. Integrated Flickr with a few hints in the Rounded Blue theme (hit ctrl U at the demo page, if you're wondering what they did), and then a Cbox (which doesn't seem to work at the moment), archives, links and so on.
I admit it isn't completed. I'm aiming to add a Navbar to the top, as well as badges and the usual feed options (Feedburner just rocks) to the sidebar. But other than that I think it looks reasonably nice. Not bad for a 3 hour job! *Pats self on back*
What do you think of the redesign?
[Update]: I've added the Navbar and the Feedburner feeds. I'd rather you subscribe to that rather than the default atom feed for this blog. The location of the feed is here. The Navbar has me slightly perplexed - those rounded corners you see are not images, but nifty CSS. I'm still figuring out what makes it look like it does, but credit must be given to the source: the K2 blogger theme.
[Update2]: A full list of tools used in this redesign:
Flickr (for photos)
Notepad++ (for code editing)
Creative Commons (for protection)
Google Page Creator (for the easter egg and site graphics)
Cbox (for the chatterbox/tagboard)
Photoshop Ciplak Suite 2 (for minor image tweaks)
Reinvigorate (for site stats)
Eli's Fingers (for typing)
Got tagged by Sam. Here goes.
LAYER 1: ON THE OUTSIDE.
Name: Eli James. Too damn long, they keep on telling me.
Birth Date: 14 December 1989
Current Status: Multi celled organism, with effective life support systems good to go. Alternatively single and available.
Eye Colour: Brown. Hazel.
Hair Colour: Green.
Righty or Lefty: Righty. Or was it wrongy?
LAYER 2: ON THE INSIDE.
My Heritage: Hakka Hockien mix. Chinese, but i don't look like one. I can't speak either well, but i understand.
My Fears: Strangles, chokes and loss of a loved one.
My Perfect Pizza: Not too oily. Lots of cheese. Lots and lots and lots of cheese.
LAYER 3: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW.
My Thoughts First Waking Up: Say, is my pillow green?
My Bedtime: It depends on various complex factors. Amongst those are the people online on my MSN contact list at that said period of time, my energy levels and whether or not it is raining.
My Most Missed Memory: St Thomas's before The Exodus.
LAYER 4: MY PICK.
Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi. Twist.
McDonald's or Burger King: Definitely Burger King.
Single or Group Dates: I don't like dates. They have pits and they taste too sweet. Try raisins.
Adidas or Nike: Adidas, simply because they make the World Cup football.
Tea or Nestea: 3 layered tea. Just for aesthetics.
Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla rocks.
Cappuccino or Coffee: Neither.
LAYER 5: DO YOU...
Smoke: Nope. Maybe just sucking on a pen. Does that count?
Curse: In German.
Take a Shower: Like most Malaysians, i skinny dip from my house in the trees. Either that or i dance in the rain.
Have a Crush: Not at the moment, no.
Think You've Been In Love: Hrmm. Yes. But the emphasis is on the 'think'.
Go To School: Nope.
Want To Get Married: Someone told me that's not something i can decide.
Believe In Yourself: Sometimes.
Think You're A Health Freak: No. But i do love vegetables.
LAYER 6: IN THE PAST...
Drank Alcohol: Yeap. Small amounts, but all disgusting.
Gone To The Mall: Like most Malaysians i never go to malls. Very dangerous places indeed.
Been On Stage: Yes. Quite a few times.
Eaten Sushi: Definitely.
Dyed Your Hair: My hair is green at the moment. It is my natural hair colour.
LAYER 7: HAVE YOU EVER...
Played A Stripping Game: It is sometimes very challenging to untie my judogi knots. Very stimulating stuff.
Changed Who You Were To Fit In: I try not to. But i must say that yes, i have done so before.
LAYER 8: AGE YOU'RE HOPING...
To Be Married: Gee, i've never thought about this. When i meet her, i suppose.
LAYER 9: IN A GUY GIRL...
Best Eye Colour: Why are you asking me such superficial questions?
Hair Colour: Whatever hair colour she has i'm fine with.
Short Hair or Long Hair: Long hair. Alternatively bald.
LAYER 10: WHAT WERE YOU DOING...
A Minute Ago: Doing this tag.
An Hour Ago: Finishing Star Wars Republic Commando
4.5 Hours Ago: Washing tonight's dinner
1 Month Ago: Judo monthly contest? Learning how to drive? Read my archives lah.
1 Year Ago: Cursing the SPM.
LAYER 11: FINISH THE SENTENCES...
I love: God.
I hate: Waking up sore all over and then bathing the dog.
I hide: From tags?
I miss: Everyone. Everything.
I need: To finish this tag.
Now i'll have to tag someone. Here's my plan: i'll tag 5 of the most unlikely people to reply to my tag, and then go on with my life:
First off, Zewt, because he's slightly impervious to tags.
Yasmin Ahmad, for showing the world Malaysian film isn't dead.
Marina Mahathir, for being so outspoken on behalf of the rest of us.
Amir Muhammad, to take his mind off the fact that our stupid all loving Government censored his latest movie.
And lastly, Hishamuddin Rais, because i like his Belacan articles.
I spent the time between 1 to 6 today in the hair salon, sitting down and reading Female, while the barber / hair stylist slapped on copious amounts of bleach. It was horrible stuff, smelling like a cross between melted plastic netting and my old school socks. I wrinkled my nose and stuck it out, continued to read various daft articles like 'What Men Never Tell You', and 'Top 10 signs He's Cheating On You'. Ugh.
An hour later when i glanced at myself in the mirror, my hair was a fluffy golden brown, much like the gold you get in those KFC commercials (Original or Hot and Spicy?) with tossed lettuce and steam in the background. Not that there was, at any time, steam from my head.
The barber washed off the dye, leaving my hair gold (and very much ruined - back to square one after my 'swimming (chlorine impaired) hair', two years ago. Wowie). She started slapping on bright green dye. My hair immediately became black again, with green at the roots.
I waited another hour.
My parents came back at 6. First reaction from my mum: "Oh dear ..."
First reaction from my dad: "Wow. More weeds."
First reactions in going out to a public place (Hui Sing hawker centre): Oogling and pointing and falling off chairs laughing. (Imagine the hawkers coming out of their stalls to stare at me, this weird speciment of a boy. And i caught and old man laughing at me with his hands over his mouth when i turned around.)
No, really. What's so funny about a green head? Huh?
I posted a comment in Zewt's They Clever Or I Stupid? post, and it's basically a lot of the issues i've been writing about in my, erm, as yet unnamed novel.
Read the post, the 60 comments (just scroll throught the occasional flamer), and think. For the lot of you who love intellectual discussions, go ahead. For those who don't, run away to Kenny Sia or Andrew Ho.
So here's the comment (they were talking about the number of Straight As and the faults of the current education system):
I am of the generation you speak of.
I personally know Jabez. He's a good kid, a hard worker, he took music in St Mary's, and i've a feeling i should defend him.
This year's standard has actually rose. Believe it?
Think about it. The number of straight As this year is measly compared to the number of straight As last year. And i compared with a few other friends, they agreed. The standard has rose. (psst, take a look at the national average)
Perhaps because next year is the first batch in English, and they want to make is seem as if the English students (sci and math) are a success.
But this is pure speculation by the student population of Malaysia. Ignore it if you want.
Wat do i have to say for me and my generation? Firstly, we're not smarter than you guys. I've been thinking a lot of what i want to do with my life, and i realized that 'genius' isn't determined by your IQ, your ability to get girls, or even the number of As you get.
It's your accomplishments that count in life. Einstein and Edison would've scored straight Cs, and yet they're counted as geniuses because they created things that people use today. Einstein was so radical ("Imagine yourself travelling at the speed of light? Would i see waves, or beams?") no education system in existence could've have handled him.
So what i've got to say is this: As count very little. Our politicians lately have been making a lot of noise about the laser-like focus on academic performance alone. This is good news, but i've been worrying a lot about certain implications this 'jumping on the opinion bandwagon' has, since i'm still a student (going form 6) and whatever they implement affects me directly.
The issue we have to focus on is not the standards, or the egos of parents (though both are problems, important ones, in our country). The main issue we have is still the number of subjects we are taking. I foresee a culture where the government's insistence to 'break away' from academic acheivement alone will create a culture of students joining activities solely to get certificates. What is worse is that while they push for more involvement in activities, but our government does NOT cut down on the number of useless subjects like Moral, EST and even irrelevant Islamic History. They even added Siviks to the list! So we, the students, don't join clubs, or co-curricular activities for the skills they teach, or the things they can learn. I'm already seeing this in some of my schoolmates, and in my friends and younger siblings.
I admit, my cert collection may be lousy compared to the positions they have held (i go for skills and knowledge). But can they write and think and construct arguments like i'm doing now? Can they throw a person twice their weight? Can they participate in a theological debate and then conclude, summarize and make sure everyone walks away learning something?
I don't think so.
And this is the challenge we have: tell our kids not to worry about Moral or EST or even the islamic elements in our history that does not promote racial integration in our country. Tell them that they should join activities to learn, not to collect certs. And while we can't do much, we can love our school going kids (read: ppl like me ;P), we can tell them that academics isn't everything, and above all, we can give them the support they need as they transverse this faulty system we have under our kris weilding Education Minister.
End of my comment. (I think i can actually put this as a proper post in my blog ;D hehe)
There it is. The lives of over a thousand students in Malaysia determined by a thin slip of paper.
I've always wondered how something so small - so fragile - can mean so much. You expect the power of deciding your future to come in the form of something greater, like an Oscar gold statue, or a block of carved ivory (nevermind the apparent animals' rights violations). And yet thousands of lives are changed with slips of paper everyday.
Sad, isn't it, the press coverage given to A1s and their importance in our society?
Okay, scrap that. I'm not going to turn this post into a ravaging critique of the Malaysian education system, or the fact that we have too many subjects, or the fact that we are developing a breed of young Malaysians who excel at taking exams and nothing else.
No, not talking about that. Though it is very tempting to do so.
I'm talking about my SPM results. I'm relieved with what i have, and i thank the big guy upstairs (God) for being with me in so many ways throughout 2006. Boy do i hate the SPM.
I got 8As, 1B, and 1C.
Of those, 5As were A1s (Math, Add Math, English, EST and Physics)
3A2s were History, Chemistry and Biology.
The B3 was unsurprisingly BM, and the C5 was for moral, which i duly accept with slight glee. I am a very immoral person, according to the Malaysian syllabus. I throw cans at dogs, kick old women down stairs, and laugh whenever i see a pedestrian knocked down by a speeding car.
On a more serious note, i'm feeling slightly detached, (as well as) relieved that i scored A1 for both physics and add math. I can now look Mr Lee (physics) and Aunty Oi Jun in the eye, with confidence that i did not let them down.
It's over. I can't believe that it's over. I'm not feeling anything raw. Is this apathy? I may never know.
I threw two people for ippon (win) today. Took a load of photos, both at the food fair and then at the dojo. No time to upload - too late at night now.
Both ippons were Osotogari. The first wasn't really fantastic - since the guy i was up against was yellow, fatigued and green around the ears. Grabbed hold of his lapel and entered.
Second one was good. He had speed and dominated at the beginning, controlling my movement. Hard hands pushing me away from any potential Osotogari entry. I remembered to relax, spun him with a few Sasais, and then entered Osotogari just as he was recovering from one such spin.
I lost to Alex - a dicky leg and i wasn't moving at my usual speed. Plus i couldn't get a grip earlier on. He entered a beautifully executed Uchimata - hitting me where it hurts the most in the process. Ouch.
It's weird - the first time i had an ippon it was after a day out with Garrick and Tang, collecting Salvation Army donations (was that a year ago?). The first time my Osotogari ruled in shiai i was also out with Garrick and Tang. St Thom food fair, bowling, and fragging at Garrick's house. Life sure does go around in circles.
I'm finally green (belter), something i've been working on since the year before. I'm happy.
And i'm also dissapointed i couldn't get a third ippon. I want a Judo shirt. And i want to show them all that Osotogari isn't a lousy, easily countered throw.
I have to sleep now. And when i put up photos, trust me - i'll start blogging about something else. Like Joshua, Andrew Ho and Kok Wee teaching me basic badminton. Very funny stuff.
Till then.
Note: Before you read this post i must warn you it is full of Judo terms, which is romantic-sounding stylised versions of something as mundane as 'Major Outer Reap' or 'Body Drop'. Read my introduction (briefly) to the sport first, or just buzz out the Jap words and entertain me by juggling pencils.
First off, Happy Chap Goh Meh, people! Here's to the end of the drinking/celebrating/diabetes/gambling 15 day that is the Chinese New Year!
The night before i was having a nice Judo conversation with Horng Eng, something that rarely happens these days. It's usually me cycling, trying vainly to build up stamina, or staring at the wall thinking of Judo. Sad, isn't it?
Well, the time not spent reading or blogging or coding is spent thinking about Judo, at any rate.
So it went roughly like this, after we caught up on her collar bone (which she broke, immediately including her in that all-exlusive club of Vincent and Wilson and a few other (un)lucky guys); her Red and White wins (she defeated every single member on the opposing team - bravo!); and someone called Vivienne, whom she insists can defeat me easily.
Dienasty:
Say, are you going to Judo 2moro?
I plan to have a series of Randori (ed: sparring) with just one technique:
Osotogari.
See how many times i kenak countered
^.^
Horng Eng:
lol!
I want to be there to see that!
Not sure whether i'm going lah.
Well, she didn't, so here's what happened:
I had driving in the morning, learning loads of things about how to fail my practical. Let's say it involved not signalling at all the right moments, driving on the dividing line, and then looking at incoming cars for 8 seconds and nearly veering into a road divider.
When i came back my parents weren't in, probably doing whatever parents did on a Sunday afternoon (which i have no idea - maybe shopping for plants? Once they came back, 2 years, ago, and unloaded a box. "Go and take your dog out from the car." they said. Me and my sisters stared.) ... and i was effectively facing once again the old problem of No Transport. Garrick was at music lessons, and couldn't go. Parents out, aunt probably resting or marking Chemistry papers (who knows how hard University students are to understand?). At the very last moment my sister suggested Joash, and i SMSed him, praying that he could pick me up. I was literally starved for the sport. Not to mention somewhat rusty.
He said: "Yeah, can pick you up. But leaving early, about 5:30"
I tell you, if there was a rocket pack somewhere around i'd have shot through the roof in happiness.
There were plenty of Thomians at the dojo by the time i arrived, along with a troupe of Orange Belters that were upgrading to green. I was Orange, the last remnant of the old batch who was still low ranking. Joash is green, Chong is green (the white belter that i supported a year ago, mainly because a, he's Thomian b, he's the underdog) Ali is green, and Douglas is BLUE.
Douglas made a great big show early on, first squatting next to me near the bag racks and carelessly dropping his blue belt at my feet. "So long you didn't come liaw ..." he said, stretching. I tickled him as was the custom when you're disturbed (either that or a lock, but nevermind), and proceeded to search for my handphone, which was missing. I had to go check Joash's car, and that meant leaving the dojo.
Now, leaving or entering the dojo requires you to bow towards the shoman (place in dojo with country's flag and founder's photo, plus VIPs if this was a tournament), the same way you knock before entering someone's office. It's some Jap custom, but when i bowed to leave Douglas was there in front of me, proudly decked out in stunning blue, arms at hips.
So i was bowing at him, the little bugger.
I made a total of 4 trips to and fro from the car, by which time Douglas had claimed enough bows from me to make me pissed. But he was just playing around, in good humour, although i have to admit it wasn't particularly funny from my end. But i understood. Really.
I practised an updated version of my Osotogari, no longer lifting the opponent up with my hip and making him seriously fly. I decided to change mainly because it isn't particularly feasible in competition, or real life. And i'm not exactly the strongest of exponents - i can't possibly lift Max, or Sam(uel) because they're too big. So much for my 1 year in developing such a throw.
This updated version was coming on nicely. Then i randori-ed with Tang.
Tang has slipped since the days of him giving me this scar. His Taitotoshi was no longer the throw to fear it once was, but i'm certain he'll regain all that was lost soon enough. I threw him with two Osotogaris, made use of his defense on the third and threw him with a Sasai (footsweep), and then a last Osotogari before my reaping leg began cramping.
Sensei ordered me to rest and rub some cream on the afflicted muscle.
After suffiently regaining motor control of my leg, I went for a bout with Sensei. He threw me about 5 times in a row with Osotogari (i fell, got up, got thrown again, fell, got up .... so on) before i realized what he was doing and stopped it. Then he proceeded with footsweeps and a Taiotoshi to shame Tang, before allowing me to throw him once with Osotogari.
Sensei!Oh wow! I was looking for self defense applications for Judo, and guess what i found! (PS: This is for Horng Eng and Douglas and the other people who share my love for the sport - count the Osotogaris! ;P). It's the Goshin-jutsu, not for competition, with all the boring bits thrown out. Niceeee. Love the sound effects.
I know my blog is grey. It will be green soon. I know it. I feel it. Sometimes i get very bad Designer's Block. The same way that i get very bad Writer's Block every few years or so - when it seems none of the short prose i produce is startling enough.
Why am i suddenly reluctant to touch my Blogger xHTML?
It might be that i spent half the day today configuring Netvibes to my heart's content. It now shows me my Gmail, headlines from The Star, the weather in Kuching for the next 4 days, the RSS feeds of all my friend's blogs (particularly the UGS blog ring) and gives me updates on all the latest happenings in the publishing industry.
It might be due to the Chinese New Year celebrations, which should have given me plenty to harp on about. And the pictures! Oh the pictures, what jokes they could become! Apart from the faintly staid photo caption contest in BUGS (featuring a CNY photo of me, kenny and Wen Qi) i took a series that should be framed up in a musuem somewhere, dedicated to gatherings and Flickr and the wonders of Web 2.0:
