MAS Traveller Short Film Competition

Vote your favorite MH videos!
As well as this video made by our own Curtin Miri campus. Haha miss you guys ;)

Swearing Gamers

Bringing the bad swearing out in the open
Not long ago a fellow blogger Angeline of My Chamber ~ Raison d'etre asked the big question:

Is it normal for people to scream and swear when playing games?

I looked back to my past years, and I realized the answer was YES. Why, barely a few nights ago a few security guards came knocking on my door to check out an apparent noise disturbance. Well it couldn't have been us as the house is always loud. But then again when I reflected back, we could have made serious noise unconsciously when we were in our euphoric climax(es).

What? It's Thrill of the Hunt

Long ago we used to participate in group hunts for food that runs and bites back. When hunting was rendered obsolete thanks to refrigerators and McDs, KFC etc, we converted the primordial urge to hunt into something else e.g. cheering for the group when your club scores a goal. As the gene pool gets more desolate from the hunter-gatherer functions, the newer generation find the same thrill of the hunt in games.

Why? We Just Love Psychotic Frenzy...

Well during the hunt of any sort our adrenaline kicks in and and all the senseless screaming, shouting, swearing and physical abuse comes in uncontrollably. Normal individual would utter words others would never imagine he/she would shout normally, just like someone with Tourette's syndrome. Some will begin banging and bashing their machines or their teammates, resulting in a domestic violence WHILE swearing etc.

From my own experience I would swear in 3 different languages and tilt my head backwards to face the sky asking "WHYYYYYYY?!!!!" silently, then back to the killing. Occasional middle fingering is normal from time to time and thank fully no bashing of properties and/or individuals were involved.

It's an impulse reaction to a stressful situation. It's like crying while chopping onions. Angry when Streamyx is down again. Happy when you eat KFC after a long weekend.

It's all those emotion.

When? When We Reach Orgasm
All the tantrums and unprecedented behaviors can occur during these scenarios:

1. During an OWNAGE where everyone and everything is being killed
2. When you are being killed
3. When you almost die
4. When you hit 0 HP and dies
5. After you character dies
6. When you feel the game is imbal

Lingoes:
OWNAGE (basically when you get raped by the opponent)
Imbal (for imbalanced, when you think the game is not balanced)

Where? Worldwide...

Apparently this 'disease' is not an isolated case e.g. happens for Asians youth only. It's a global pandemic that usually affects male who happens to have medium-high contact with electronic games. What started out as a minor case of swearing over Monopoly has now turned into an uncontrolled malaise over the internet and local area networks.

Below are examples of gamers worldwide showing chronic swearing and physical abuse:

This is just Counter Strike. The same happens to DotA, Mordern Warfare and other multiplayer games involving interaction (well mostly killing) other human players.

Cure?
There is currently no cure, because a gamer cannot be treated when he is off the game. whereby he becomes normal. Once in contact with a game the gamer changes dramatically and the only solution when this change happens is to either:

1. Physically abuse them back to shut them up, no point swearing back as they're immune
   
2. Call the relevant authorities
3. Tell them to go play somewhere else
4. You pack up your sleeping bag and sleep somewhere else
5. Join the swearing frenzy
   

I am a gamer myself but I can say my hardcore-gaming days goodbye as I slowly phase out playing games from my life thanks to other more important and demanding aspects of life. However I will not deny the fact I am one of the swearing gamers, albeit not chronic, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I MIGHT swear again (in-game)...

To all people out there who knows such nuisance gamers, please refer to the strategies mentioned above. To those who live with such nuisance gamers, be safe to know that no one is being murdered in your house. To the nuisance gamers, PLAY HARDer!

Sayonarra Mafia Wars?

You ain't extorting my email address from me Zynga...
So I came back after a long day looking forward to attend to Facebookly matters. Then this shit pops up in Mafia Wars. At first I thought I was blind because I couldn't find the ever-friendly X icon to close the message. Apparently there isn't any.

Players of Mafia Wars are now required to give in their e-mail in order to play Zynga games. This is a broad daylight extortion. A short trip to their profile Discussions revealed the same thing happened to other Zynga games such as Farmville. Fuck this.

This is their disclaimer in the puny Zynga's Email Program:

When you share your email with Zynga's Mafia Wars you'll get regular messages about developments and promotions in Mafia Wars and other Zynga games. We'll also let you know when your friends in Zynga games leave you messages or ask for assistance. You'll be able to manage your preferences by visiting our Preference Management Center. Please read our Privacy Policy to learn more about how we treat personal information like email addresses.

Unlike most who quit all Zynga-based games as protest, I've decided to join the ultimatum until Friday evening for this ridiculous extortion to be removed. This is a clear violation of privacy policy offered by Facebook, so any of you who are in the same shoe please do not give in to their demands... you want my e-mail? Nah! mIm (-___-) mIm

Miri Mini Tornado

End of the World coming to the shores near you... or not...

Source: Unknown

Facebook and the online network of Malaysians (well Mirians mostly), were spammed by this photo of a tornado at sea. Yea sure it looks dangerous and looks like a Biblical sign of the End of Days. My first thought was "WTF is a tornado doing at sea?"

Well, bad news young Mirians. It's harmless. It's a natural (occasional) occurrence. It's so natural and quiet sometimes it happens unnoticed. And it wont shred your house to pieces because it's static and only happen at sea. Screw the celebrations because Miri schools or campuses would not close down. Oh and it's called a waterspout.

It's a not-so-common sight in coastal waters, especially when one is in Mukah. Can ask any coastal towns along Sarawak and Sabah or anywhere in Malaysia; and the fishermen, ferrymen, oil rig workers etc. would tell you "pfft! biasa jak pok..." and steer clear or just wait for it to die down. The saddest thing is I've been in a city life for too long I forgot what's the local name for it.
No need to grovel (well, this could be a good time to repent and bertaubat haha) for a nature's event that occurs naturally like the natural rain. Naturally. And it's a good time to shut down your PC and laptop or TV(?) and start living in the real world. Next thing you know kids will be screaming statuses "OMG! ITS RAINING! RAIN IS BASHING MY ROOF! IM GETTING WET! ITS THE END!"... a clear sign what Facebook has done to the young generation.



Want to know more about your friendly natural event? Click here.

Sarawak Killer Wasps

Aggressive wasps cause a string of deaths, increased temperature may be blamed

Roughly a month ago in October there were cases of kids who died after being stung by wasps. And the cases increase until yesterday, when another boy died by what seemed to be wasps in Sarawak's southern region. Condolences to all the families of the victims. Below are the chronology of the cases:

October 5:
Batu Kawah: A family was swarmed at their home. Mother, eldest child and brother in-law survived. Two other children, Sze Ying, 6, and Chun Jie, 3, died. Read here.

October 8:
Batu Kawah: The eldest child of the previous attack, Chen Sze TIng, 8 did not make it. Read here.

October 25:
Muara Tebas: Two men and three women were attacked by a swarm of wasps during a jungle trek. All 5 were hospitalized in Sarawak General Hospital. Read here.

November 3:
Kampung Bako: Sazali Sapiee, 12, succumbed to unknown insect stings after being attacked by unknown insects while playing with his friends. Read here.

I'm not sure what's pissing off these wasps but I can point out to the weird weather pattern. I mean, I myself can be cranky during a hot day and even more crankier when experiencing extreme temperature change within 12 hours (bloody cold and wet in the morning and blazing hot in the afternoon). Or another theory is they're some kind of new species of wasps accidentally introduced into the state by insect collectors, stowaways from cargo ships, or simply were blew here by the 4 typhoons raging in the neighboring Philippines.

Whatever the reasons for their recent agitation, let's be careful with wasps or any other insects you encounter. Below are the info on the bugs that may inflict pain (Source thestar.com.my):CENTIPEDE - The house centipede, unlike most other centipedes that normally live outdoors, can live indoors especially in damp, moist basements, cellars, bathrooms, crawlspaces or unexcavated areas under the house.


ANT - Ants sting and inject their formic acid into animals or humans that threaten them or their nests. Unlike honeybees, ant stingers do not have barbs so the ant can sting several times, and the act of stinging does not kill the ant. A bite or sting from a CENTIPEDE, ANT or BEE can easily be treated, even at home. If the reaction is localised, wash with soap and water. You could also get a steroid-based cream from the pharmacy to apply.BEE - Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination. Bees sting only when they are extremely provoked - to protect their colony or when frightened - because they will die after stinging. When a BEE stings, it leaves a sac in your skin that continues to pump venom into your flesh, so it’s best to get it out as soon as possible. Scrape the stinger off with a quick sideways movement with a fingernail.
WASP & HORNET - Unlike the bee, the wasp and hornet are more aggressive and can insert and withdraw its sting with comparative ease. Hence, a single wasp is able to deliver multiple stings with ease. When you are being attacked by HORNETS, don’t run as this will make them think that you are going to attack them. Find a place to squat down and sit still. Hornets can mobilise the entire nest to sting in defense. They will only attack when provoked, but don’t go too near the nests as our sweat will provoke them to attack. When stung, lie down and apply cold water or ice in a wet cloth on the affected area. If you experience any symptoms of allergy in the first 20 minutes after being stung, get medical aid immediately.LEECH - They hang off the leaves of bushes and will drop onto you as you brush against them. The leech’s saliva contains an anaesthetic so you do not feel its bite. LEECHES will drop off once they have drunk their fill from you. They should not be pulled off - their jaws could be left in your flesh. Remove with a dab of salt, alcohol, an ember or a flame. (Ham: Hmmm, our sweat is salty, so I have a theory that applying sweat drops on them may work).

SCORPION - The Black Scorpion is common in Asia, especially in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. It can be found in forests or sheltered scrublands. However, its venom is not considered lethal. A SCORPION’s sting might require medical attention. There might be symptoms and lots of pain. These can be treated with sedation or pills to stop vomiting.
SPIDERS - Although scientifically not an insect, it is still a creepy crawly. There are no significantly poisonous spiders in Malaysia. A bite from a tarantula is painful but not life-threatening.


CATERPILLARS - Caterpillars’ bristles may be poisonous, so they should not be touched.

ANZAC Day 2010

Remembering the Fallen. No, the holiday applies to Australia and New Zealand only, not Malaysia...

The night before was rough, with most of Unit 14 went out for the night for some Laser Tag fun at Joondalup. Sadly we lost. But hey no one slept, I think, and a few hours later we were all set up to go for the Dawn Service for ANZAC Day.

At 4:30am it was uber-freezing and the sprinklers were not helping. Thanks to Kelvin's advise I got 3-4 layers of clothing because it's going to be colder. We were met with a few other students who hopped onto the bus to King's Park, where the dawn service was held.

Held every 25th of April every year in both Australia and NZ, ANZAC (Australian New Zealand Army Corps.) Day is solemnly celebrated to remember the fallen ANZAC soldiers at Gallipoli during WWI in 25th April 1915, where the ill-fated 8th Battalion landed 1 mile off their intended beach and were met with fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turks causing more than 8,000 deaths for the ANZAC soldiers. The day is also celebrated to commemorate other ANZAC troops' sacrifice at other war theaters from there onwards.



The mood was obviously solemn for the Australians, but the noise of the DSLRs snapping and handphone cameras clicking were all from the Asians like me. I do feel outta place but I don't do anything too noisy to respect the event. After a while the breezy 15°C wind send me into the solemn mood as well, as the dawn service began with wreath laying and a speech. Despite not being an Australian I shared the feeling of loss and felt patriotic just by listening to the speech. It all ended with planes flying overhead and no applause were heard.

Strangely there were no 21 guns salute as expected or as blogged by others. Must be something to do with the traditions in Western Australia. It ended by 6:40am, and I skipped the parade that was held at 9am because I was dead sleepy. Hopefully these videos compensate my post on the latter events:

Remember the Disconnected Malaysians

Today we will remember the Malaysians who were intermittently disconnected from the world...
Here at K4L I would like to commemorate the Malaysians who were struck by the worst disaster in Malaysian history; the day Malaysia has no Internet. My condolences to those who lost their times to harvest their crops in Barn Buddies, gossiping in MSN/Skype/other IM, clicking refresh to see Facebook statuses, stalking people online, and occasionally looking for materials for referencing.

Read more here

When this news broke out last night, I wonder how many people in Malaysia will suffer until May 2nd (or longer since who knows *touch wood* may take longer). I hope the service improves after I get back...

Increased Rape/Molestation/Etc.

There's something called Internet, udang, 3GP, HQ, AVentertainment, free downloads...

I have been waking up and reading online Malaysian news, only to find sick and twisted sexual crimes being committed in home country. Orphans being gang-banged to pregnancy with pencil shoved up the vajayjay, 15 years-old boy raping 28-years old woman, chemical rape, and the more common guards molesting girls cases. This could be an alarming trend, and I'm wondering if this is the degrading hedonistic society that will cause the Creator to push the Doomsday button.

To all the ladies and girls out there, do be more extra careful when going out.

Natural Disasters in Oz; We're Okay in Perth

Earthquakes? Tsunami? Volcano? Hailstorm? Typhoons? No worries! We are still okay!

There has been increased rate of natural disasters worldwide, Australia not excluded. Just less than a week ago there's a 3.8 magnitude earthquake in Adelaide, and just recently there's a 5.0 in Kalgoorlie-Boulder (very close to Perth by geographical standard).



Nonetheless, those disasters would only distract my mind for a few minutes, then it's back to stressing about assignments and reports and presentations and midterms and quizzes and etc. However safety cannot be neglected. Since we Malaysians come from a country that's free from earthquake (from our memories anyways) that doesn't mean you won't experience it. Look at me now I'm in a earthquake zone and I'm Malaysian. Below are things to do in an earthquake:

If you are indoors:

• DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
• Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture, window or anything else that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place (i.e. under a desk or in an inside corner).
• Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load-bearing doorway. Brace yourself on the side with the hinges to avoid the door swinging at you.
• Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
• Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
• DO NOT use the elevators, even if they are working. There may be aftershocks.
• If you're in your hotel room, stay there. There are usually aftershocks, and sometimes they may be worse than the original earthquake. Under a sturdy desk or in an inside corner of your room is the safest place to be, even if you're on the 40th floor. If there's a heavy bookcase next to a match-stick desk, don't get under the desk.
• If you are in a restaurant, get under the table.

If you are outdoors:

• Stay there.
• Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
• Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

If you are in a vehicle:

• Pull over to the side of the road and stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires. (Guide Note: an earthquake while you're driving feels like there's something wrong with your car. Don't stop in the middle of the freeway if traffic is still moving around you. Slow down and put on your turn signal to get to the side of the road. If everyone else is doing the same thing, it was most likely an earthquake.)
• Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

Source: Earthquake Safety n.d.

Be careful out there no matter where you are...

Clash of the Titans Review

The closest thing you can get to a God of War movie for now

I anticipated the movie after seeing the movie poster earlier this year, because it's one of the remake of one of my favourite old school movie of the same name from 1981 (used to love those kinda movies back when I was a kid, oh how simple stop-motion was enough to captivate anyone that time before CG came in).

Comparison of the 1981 movie poster and the 2010 movie poster. They tried to be true to the original movie, although the new Kraken is awesomely more epic and GoW-ish ;p

I can barely remember the original movie's plot, but I assume it remained mostly the same. With the exception that the main hero/demigod Perseus was the very same Na'vi dude from Avatar as well as the unconventional saviour in Terminator Salvation. So seeing Sam Worthington again in this movie not long after his last two epics, it felt awkward. It felt like Perseus the demigod got immortal and survived the Greek mythology era and lived through WWI,WWII, the Cold War, the War on Terror, then became further immortal by turning into a robot in the War Against the Machines but lost his legs, then went to Pandora to become the hero of the Na'vi in the Humans-Na'vis War (and turned into a Na'vi).

The evolution of Sam Worthington throughout the history of Humanity

But enough about Sam, on to the plot. The plot is simple where the hero is required to go from Point A to Point B in order to save the Princess from the Big Boss, just like a typical Mario Bros. game. However, just like God of War, the journey requires the hero to side track to Point C, D B, back to A etc. With a bit of LotR elements where random side characters tag along the with the hero to complete his quest (and DIES in the end leaving the audience wondering "what's his name was?" at the end of the movie), CotT doesn't really expand the potential ideas apart from reusing older ideas from the original and other relevant movies.

But hey at least the CG saves the day, and the stop-motion Kraken is now a ferocious well-animated 3D beast that is set to come alive and harass you with his tentacles in 3D (yea I watched the 3D version, although most of the time I don't feel the 3Dness).

Overall I'll give positive ratings to CotR (2010). As a GoW fan I'll be a bit biased because some of the elements in the movie are GoW-ish e.g. jumping off the Pegasus midair to slaughter the Harpies(?) may sound familiar to GoW players who have played the similar scene in GoWII. So I'll give the movie:


Links: Official Website