I started two tags on Twitter

Let's see them come to fruition... particularly during my three months of absence. I know it's gonna take an uphill task to promote them, but hey, it can be quite fun, no ?

The tags are :

#wthwednesday

On Wednesdays, everyone shall share their WTH moments, findings and whatnot. A harsher-sounding version of this could go like #wtfwednesday but I'd rather stick to the words WTH.

#rappelonsnous

From the French word "rappelons-nous", meaning "let us remember". If there's something, like a particular cause, a day of solemnity, celebration, whatever we'd like to bring to everyone's attention, French-speakers - and anyone who's interested in the tag - shall tag their posts with #rappelonsnous.

I've just let those two tweet tags into the Twittersphere. Let's see what develops.

Luminescence

Kingdom Hearts Wiki usernames shall be used.

TroisNyxÉtienne : Whatcha up to ?
Anti-ant : nuffin much just chillin
TroisNyxÉtienne : Mm.
Anti-ant : i found tt im not supposed to be alive
TroisNyxÉtienne : ?
Anti-ant : yea. isnt tt something ?
TroisNyxÉtienne : Not supposed to be alive ??
Anti-ant : i found out tt i almost drowned more than once, and then i got ran over by a motorcycle, got hit in the head with a bowling ball
TroisNyxÉtienne : That'd mean you're SUPPOSED to be alive - every attempt at taking your life was unsuccessful
Anti-ant : and got my head slammed through glass. yea but tts cuz i got lucky. but i almost drowned 3 times
TroisNyxÉtienne : You can't get lucky more than once, can you ?
Anti-ant : yes
TroisNyxÉtienne : So
Anti-ant : i drowned 3 times
TroisNyxÉtienne : And you came out alive.
Anti-ant : i got shot in the neck by a be be gun. ETA : yea i guess
TroisNyxÉtienne : And you came out alive. So that could only mean that you're SUPPOSED to be alive. Nothing else can take you away. No one else. Only the one person up there.
Anti-ant : tts not how it’s been looking so far. i got my ribs stomped in too, so i ve heart problems now
TroisNyxÉtienne : Yep, but think again :
Anti-ant : yea but tts wt would’ve killed me and its like it made me weaker
TroisNyxÉtienne : think about the number of people who could look up to you for all those things
Anti-ant : nobody
TroisNyxÉtienne : You're alive because of THAT. I frequently say…
Anti-ant : cause no one ever really talks to me
TroisNyxÉtienne : …that no one would ever listen to me because thus far, no one ever has.
Anti-ant : exactly. tts how it is with me
TroisNyxÉtienne : But you never know what's bound to happen in the span of a day, let alone a week
Anti-ant : yea i guess
TroisNyxÉtienne : I never knew I was going to have to chide you like this ! So if you feel the walls are closing on you and you look at life and see how it sucks...
Anti-ant : but it’s been about the whole school year and barely anyone's said anything to me
TroisNyxÉtienne : Well, I practically got rejected in college after 1 1/2 years
Anti-ant : i dont really have a choice but to look at a dreary wall
TroisNyxÉtienne : Same here, but I'm going on
Anti-ant : why ? i try to go on but they keep bringin me down
TroisNyxÉtienne : You know what I tell myself everyday ? Even if I don't feel like it ?
Anti-ant : wt?
TroisNyxÉtienne : I've got a life to live. I have a reason to be here.
Anti-ant : yea
TroisNyxÉtienne : And even if people don't listen to me now, the time will come when they will. Only a few people in the world walk the talk about who they are and what they want to be
Anti-ant : i hope the same goes for me
TroisNyxÉtienne : It will.
Anti-ant : i guess so
TroisNyxÉtienne : It's a question of how strong we both are
Anti-ant : yea. i hope it will.
TroisNyxÉtienne : Okay, give yourself a challenge (the same will apply to me too): for the next three months, I know it's gonna be difficult to find yourself. But whenever you have the chance to reach out to someone, do it.
Anti-ant : ok
TroisNyxÉtienne : I'm going to do the same, when I go for my National Service.
Anti-ant : I’ll keep tt in mind
TroisNyxÉtienne : Then, at the end of 3 months, tell me how it all went. I'll tell you my side of the story and believe me…
Anti-ant : but then the people in my school most of them are my enemies, to say the least
TroisNyxÉtienne : …there might not be much difference between both our stories. Well, it's just as bad over here. Not to mention that I'm dealing with 94% of Malaysians who can't change their minds about things
Anti-ant : but i try to be nice to them no matter wt but they make it tougher and tougher for me
TroisNyxÉtienne : Ya gotta try
Anti-ant : yea but we try to help them cause we’re nice, but some things just can’t be helped
TroisNyxÉtienne : I could easily whimper if the same thing happens to me, can I not ? The same thing has happened to me : I've been used by lots of people. But there are still some hearts we can move. If not all people can be moved, try some
Anti-ant : yea i guess so
TroisNyxÉtienne : And believe me, those few people you help are the people who might just as well remember you for the rest of their lives. I'm trying to give myself hope too. These past few days - weeks, in fact, have been very dreary.
Anti-ant : yea. same for me
TroisNyxÉtienne : And this, is the product of depression : (post was removed) We won't wanna go living like this all the time, would we ? You're misunderstood. So am I. And I'm not saying it's easy to go on, because I know it isn't. The very challenge right in front of us is learning how to live

He read the post and…

Anti-ant : yea… hey, tnx for helping me out. i feel better now
TroisNyxÉtienne : Don't mention it. That's the least I can do.
Anti-ant : ur the best
TroisNyxÉtienne : ::hug:: you rock too. See, I never thought of it this way, but He gives me strange occasions where I can move people, like now. The same might happen with you too ?


At a time when all seemed to have been lost, at a time when I was giving up hope, there came an occasion where I had to cheer somebody up. Somewhere, someone needs some reassurance, and in this case, it was a friend of mine.

Our lives have depressions. Some could be extreme. But how do we live after that ?

I praise and thank the Lord for giving me this wonderful opportunity to give this friend (and myself) some hope to carry on when things seem so bleak ahead of us.

A really great way to put dreams together.

I want to be a recording artiste and songwriter, and allow my knowledge in law to make us in the know of the law here, as well as to speak about justice in a way no one has ever used before.

Two of my friends want to be video game designers.

Another one wants to open a production house.

And here I was, thinking of this very wild dream :

Why not hold everything together into one single production house, and call it La Maison TNE ?

There, we wouldn't have copyright issues over theme songs anymore, and because both departments focus on creativity, ideas can be transferred from one department to the other. Also, when, say, there's an upcoming concert, we can join our ideas together ! Video games aren't just about battle systems - they're also about aesthetic ideas. I can let them do the credits and the extra bits, for example.

I'll talk to these partners about La Maison TNE. It is true that we're not gonna start off smooth sailing : the entertainment industry over here is an oligopoly - there are a few key players dominating the scene, and with them, money talks. The only company which has been able to break through thus far is Les Copaque Productions, because of their impressive CGI rendering, and they are now the rising stars in the market. Over here in La Maison TNE, we are problem children.

Deep down in my heart, I know, that if there's one person to overcome the likes of Nobuo Uematsu, Yoko Shimomura, Laurent Boutonnat, Jean-Pierre Pilot and Andrew Lloyd Webber, it's me. And if there's one company to be among the likes of Square-Enix, it's gotta be La Maison TNE. I dream of writing, performing on stage and releasing singles/albums alongside this, and being able to have a say in the creative process. I yearn for the implementation of constant improvement, and I want to make it such that all who participate in La Maison TNE enjoy their work.

I will be the epitome of the Boleh spirit.

It's a wild dream, but by the grace of God, it will happen.

Meanwhile, I've shared my audio drafts with quite a few people, and that's one way I'm using to gain support from the people around me, near and far. I've even let my friends on board Kingdom Hearts Wiki listen to them. Also, I'm contemplating making a name for myself during the soirée à la française on May 23rd : I'll make a cover of a song of my choice (I'm yet to choose, and tomorrow is already the 1st of May)... and I pray God that He may give me the courage to get up there, as well as the humility.

An idea I had for a stage performance

I had this idea whilst I was changing. I had put on a white, translucent pair of shorts and a T-shirt, just to feel comfortable. Then I took hold of my drumsticks... and looked at the mirror. And as I looked at the mirror, an idea just flowed into my head like that !

Imagine that this is a performance to celebrate children, or to raise awareness on reaching out to them.

I'd grab a few people my age, a few teens and more kids, and we get them to practise their dance moves beforehand. I'll also require a few people to sing the lyrics. Everyone - the kids, the musicians, everyone - will join in the chorus. I haven't written the song yet, but I know it'll be something about children.

On stage, everyone will dress like kids of below-average earners, with simple home clothes (never mind if there are holes). The rest of the musicians - basses, keys, frets - will be on, but lights are dimmed. The percussions are not entirely those of the standard drum set - there'll be pots and pails and stuff, things that the kids grab from home... imagine Stomp. Of course, I'll include the bass drum and cymbals - lots of cymbals - for the timbre.

Two people - the percussionists - make their entry into the stage while "discussing" amongst each other. Suddenly, one of them steps on something, and a woody, "CRACK" sound is heard. (S)he picks it up... it turns out to be an old pair of drumsticks. Both of them look at each other and nod. They head over to the set..... and they begin drumming. Lights are on them, but dim. The bassist follows after.

The kids enter the stage with their moves. Then the lead singers come in. As mentioned earlier, everyone is simply dressed. The lights alternate, with whites in between. Spotlight on the lead singers.

At the chorus, all lights come on and everyone joins in. Everyone in the audience joins in by clapping in time.

Somewhere in the middle, the people on stage will do a trademark chant (I'll come up with that too !), and this will induce the audience to join in. The musicians will do their stuff. Particularly the percussionists. This is bound to make everyone's heart race. Here, the lights alternate (or, we could have a spotlight).

Then finally, we come to the part after the bridge, where the chorus will be repeated twice, and then the trademark chant again...... short music sequence, heavy percussions... and final crash. Lights alternate quickly, with lots of whites in between....... and off. Song ends. Thunderous applause from the floor.

And whilst I conceived that idea, I was air-drumming, holding my old pair of drumsticks in reverse and trying to figure out the beat. The only thing that's in my head now is the rhythm. I have to come out for the rest of the parts - and quickly, too !

This entire performance might sound hard (and believe me, it is - it's already hard to coordinate dances, now what about the percussionists themselves ?), but it is possible. I know, from the bottom of my heart, it is. Say if we're going to use keyboards instead of the standard piano for this, then I can pre-record at least two tracks for the song. The rest of it... methinks it'd come with a lot of practice and a lot of prayer.

Necessity is the mother of invention - er, audacity

Note to self : Necessity gives me the audacity to do just about anything.

I arrived at college at about 12:15 and rushed into the computer lab. There was the usual group of big, burly college sophomores reserving the PC with admin capabilities. With my usual timidness I would never be able to confront them and ask them if I might use it.

But today......

I walked right up to them and asked them boldly, "Is that PC over there in use ? Please may I use it ? I've got an assignment to submit today."

I had to. Joanne, Adoravelle, Deepa and Talitha were to meet me in the PC lab to discuss the Business Studies presentation (Talitha's here with me now) and I couldn't possibly tarry around. And believe it or not, those big burly guys graciously left !

Brokenness makes us stronger ?

Fragmented versions of comments on my first post on a fan-made sequel to the Kingdom Hearts series, KHLegacy :

Xiggie : Wow, is there anyone here who hasn't lost a friend/family member ?

troisnyxetienne : I guess we're all acquainted with loss, to varying degrees. I've already had three losses in my immediate family. On the surface of it, we may appear to be cool and able to maintain our composure, but inside, we're all broken. Suffering is inevitable, of course, but it makes us stronger. When we do write the plot in KHLegacy, somehow or other, this brokenness will surface - and we have to make readers/members aware of it. I want it to be more than just a fan sequel : I want it to be a story that touches hearts.

While some people dismiss Kingdom Hearts as a cartoonish game because of the presence of Disney characters, I look at it from the Square Enix point of view : the emotional viewpoint. I take a stand where I can view and dissect every form of human interaction. My knowledge of English literature (or any form of literature, for that matter) makes me appreciate life more, and it is through this appreciation that I play or visualise each scene, second by second, I replay that scene (or I picture it again), and I ponder upon the emotions of each character, as well as the thoughts that may have crossed their minds.

There was one episode in the Olympus Coliseum where Auron (from Final Fantasy X) had been controlled by Hades, Lord of the Underworld, and his soul was placed in a statuette. Sora, Donald and Goofy set out to find it - and when they did, they actually got to feel Auron's thoughts - oh, the horror they felt ! I played Final Fantasy X so I can imagine what the real Auron would've felt. Picture this : Auron journeyed with two of his best friends, Jecht, and the summoner Braska, in a quest to seek the truth about their homeland, Spira. Jecht and Braska were both killed. Auron had almost lost the drive to live. Those thoughts would've played in Auron's mind in that particular episode in Kingdom Hearts II. One loss is devastating enough ; what about two ?! And Auron tells himself "You must live !" no matter how broken he is inside.

On another note, take one of my previous posts where I wrote about Goofy's apparent death. No matter how cheesy the person may be - ultimately, if that person is kind and has done a great deal, he will be sorely missed. Donald, Sora and Mickey could have, at some point in time, been turned off by Goofy's... er... goofing around. The English version shows a dejected Sora (voiced by Haley Joel Osment) saying "This is not happening. It can't be happening... it can't..." while the French version makes it more emotional : we have Sora (Donald Reignoux) almost crying.

Now, to take this story of losses to a personal level : I've suffered three losses. Many a time I've felt that I was at the end of my rope. I confided in my best friends Kiran, Adoravelle, Kimberly and Nithya - and all of them, no matter how they put it, somehow seemed to tell me the same thing :

Brokenness makes us stronger.

I forgot who it was who wrote the poem "Elegy in a Country Churchyard" (I don't even know if that's the right title even), but he did mention that the sufferings of the poor man and the sufferings of the rich man are all the same. We are born, we lose our celestial light, we are accustomed to the practices of our ancestors, we attempt to survive (out there, it's a survival of the fittest), we build relationships - and they are broken, we lose loved ones, we do not gain enough for our efforts... Some stories end happily, some stories end in despair. All of us want a happy ending, a reason to die for... to make life beautiful.

Xiggie (Sigfried) lost his father. And I know quite a few people who have lost a parent in their teens (or in their childhood). My heart goes out to them - and while writing for KHLegacy (and while writing my songs, in the meantime), I want to spread a message about the suffering of humankind.

Terima kasih (or, There still is some hope in this world)

Today, during the break in between Tort law class, God made something beautiful happen.

It so happened that Nithya and I went to the nearby 7-Eleven to get some snacks (I'm abstaining from ice-cream and I'm planning to extend that to chips too, by the way). So when we came out and headed back to the Koponas* building, we were rather tired after doing so much walking - not only did we walk to 7-Eleven, but also to KL Sentral for lunch - we made a few trips here and there. So we decided to take the lift.

The lift was still on the third floor.

When the lift came down, there was a family inside. I think there were about five or six people inside. Nithya and I held the lift.

And much to our surprise (and delight), the children looked at us with wide-open eyes and said, "Terima kasih" (Malay for thank you).

We both smiled back.

While in the lift, my usually talkative nature died down, it gave way to a pensive silence.

I'm impressed not only with the children, but also the parents of those children - they brought their kids up pretty well. Their manners were impeccable. And also, with their childlike innocence, they know how to appreciate the good deeds people around them do. With the kind of stress we people of Kuala Lumpur go through during rush hour, how many people would stop and say a simple thank you, let alone smile and give a nod of appreciation ? Hardly anyone does that.

But today, the simple gesture of these children gave me the realisation that there still is some form of hope in this world. Just yesterday, I was crying alone at the computer table, hoping that God would give me some form of hope. Today, He gave it to me - through the act of some two or three young children.

Praise Him.

Sometimes, I wonder if the campaign for courtesy (which was actually launched some two years ago) made a difference. To most Malaysians, it didn't. I mean, of course, to many school-going children and teenagers, it did. But the elders, especially those of Generation Y, don't seem to be affected by it. Oh well...

*KOPONAS = Koperasi Pos Nasional = National Post Cooperation. Brickfields Asia College has classrooms on the first and second floor of the Koponas building.

And we disperse for a one-week break

Because hanging out with you... makes me complete.

Today's class (Literature class, not Tort class) was awesome. And the two-hour break was awesome too. After finishing up to Chapter 18 of Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge" with Ms Sunbeam, we headed off to Mid Valley (again !) - but this time, we had slightly different company - there were Adoravelle, Kimberly, Talitha, Tharani and I.

Because we were pressed for time, we headed over to only one place : Yo ! Sushi on the Lower Ground floor.

Adoravelle loves sushi. So does Kimberly. Tharani seems okay with it. Talitha... well... after we told her what actually went into her stomach, she seemed kinda grossed out by it, but she said it all tasted good.

The thing about me is that I hardly eat Japanese food. The last time I had sushi was somewhere last January (as in 2008), when Christine offered Johanna, Zazie and me a sushi roll each. And the last time I had Japanese food was on mom's birthday - on the 30th of May - the day before she was admitted to hospital for the last time. That was our last outing together. And I remember I had yaki udon (for the uninitiated, they're Japanese-style fried noodles, and it should be noted that udon is traditionally served with soup) with seafood. That was one really good udon, and my palate got suited to it rather quickly.

So. Back to Yo ! Sushi. No photos were taken, sorry - so those of you who are not native to Mid Valley Megamall, try let your imagination run wild. All tables were near the conveyor belt, and each plate came in different colours to indicate the price (e.g. a meal on a purple plate would cost RM8, while a meal on an orange plate would cost RM10). Adoravelle and Kimberly got their meals first. Adoravelle was scooping up some wasabi while Talitha (who didn't know a thing about Japanese food) asked :

Talitha : What's that ?
Tharani : Ice-cream.
Talitha : Yeah right !
Kimberly : It's wasabi.
Adoravelle : She was right in saying that, wasabi is some sort of mint-flavoured ice-cream thing.
Talitha : If you ask me, I'd rather not eat it.

I ordered chicken yakisoba (it's a Japanese equivalent of our fried yee mee, with chicken chunks this time). My meal was the last to be served ! So while waiting, I groaned and asked Kimberly,

troisnyx* : Good grief, I'm hungry. Any recommendations ?
Kimberly : Take something off the conveyor belt lah...
Adoravelle : Try salmon.

I trusted Adoravelle, because she has Japanese food rather frequently - and so Kimberly picked out a plate of salmon sushi off the conveyor belt. I had it - yum ! Talitha was tempted to take something off the conveyor belt when Kimberly and Tharani had to spoil all the fun :

Tharani : It's raw fish.
Talitha : RAW FISH ???!!?!
troisnyx* : Wei, come on lah, it's not that bad. Honestly. It's nice.
Adoravelle : And it's one of the healthiest meals around.

After much persuasion, Talitha took a sushi roll from Kimberly's plate. I guess she must've enjoyed it.

After half an hour, when most of us had already finished our meals, my yakisoba arrived. I wanted to relish the food and take my time eating it - and I'd have done it, had the food arrived earlier. We were pressed for time - it was 2:10 and we had to leave for college at 2:30 - and so I finished my yakisoba as fast as I could. All of us had green tea, and we didn't realise that we could get as much green tea as we could for RM 5 !

Na, I was full already.

I paid for my meal - we paid for our separate meals - and I thanked everyone for a great outing.

My thoughts shifted to how mom used to go for outings with her best friends, even when she was in college, and she must've really enjoyed them. I enjoyed myself today. I enjoyed myself during the previous outing. Mom would've done this in my place too, I guess.

After class today, we dispersed for break. We'll be having a break for the Chinese New Year holidays and we'll resume classes on the 3rd of February. A blessed New Year to all who celebrate Chinese New Year - and my special wishes to Kimberly M, Kimberly T, Adoravelle, Xiao Xuan, Helena, Joyce and Christine.

___________________________________________

I told Kimberly, Adoravelle and Joanne (I didn't tell Talitha this yet) that we were in trouble. I told them that we had to at least get a demo performance ready by February. Worse came to worst and we resolved to do it a cappella. And also, since Adoravelle and Kimberly have already sworn off French songs (sorry DK, don't blame me on this one, I tried convincing them !), we all decided to do something upbeat and blues-y.

Our sights are set on three possibilities : The Supremes, The Beach Boys, or a song called The Candy Man.

I can arrange voice parts, just like I did for my school choir the last time.

Well, let's train - and at the same time, I have to tell DK the horrifying news.

I conceived this idea only yesterday

I found a way to raise funds for the poor next Christmas.

Forget about packing old clothes, that's just too overrated.

Forget about giving cash in hand, because many people would only give the loose change they have.

I'm thinking of gathering my USJ friends (especially those who are musically inclined), head over to a recording studio, record a good (and I mean good) Christmas album, sell it at market price, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the less fortunate. This won't just be a moment of discovery for me - I'll also get to use my talent to touch others !

I conceived this idea while in church yesterday. When I told dad, I knew he was skeptical of this idea. What's there to be ? If he knows we're a bunch of musically talented people, then he needn't worry - we're using our talents for a good cause.

Well, if Father Patrick Massang did it, we can ! And we're youth, anyway ! Among my friends (the ones I have e-mailed), I'm the eldest of them - I'm now 17. The youngest of them is now 13. Sure, if there're more interested people who're willing to join us, then the age range will change... :)

Two possibilities can arise from this situation :
+ If the demand is low, then the proceeds will go to a charity of our choice.
+ If the demand and sales are high, then we can help as many people as we can !

Now, time to enlist people. Also, I have to figure out a way to promote it - apart from putting the progress on troisnyx* officiel.

I've e-mailed four people in my circle of friends, and it looks like I'll have to revive my Windows Live account just for projects and discussion. But I told them, all e-mails go to my Yahoo ! account.

E-mails hidden for confidentiality.

Those of you who are interested, and are living in Selangor or Kuala Lumpur, kindly leave a comment on this post. If you're already in my contacts, you may very well e-mail me or IM me about it.

I've begun my diet (er, regime ?) today.

And no, this isn't a crash diet. Refer to my staple (that's several posts below this).

Till now I've taken water, Nesvita, water, and five laps around the entire condominium. I'm not gonna resort to slimming pills - after all it's the basic rule of life (it's even mentioned in the book of Genesis) that we have to persevere to gain. Hard effort pays off. I'm gonna persevere to bring my weight back to a supportable stage. To those who say my entire figure looks okay... look again.

[And while doing this first set of exercises I carried out an experiment of sorts - and found that whenever I'm at rest, J'ai Pas Vingt Ans (by the way, you can find it in the playlist) seems faster than 120 beats per minute (its normal tempo), and whenever I'm moving - like in the case of the five laps, J'ai Pas Vingt Ans seems slower than 120 BPM. In fact, it seems more like 100 BPM to me ! Could it have something gotta do with metabolism ?]