Friendship is like bicycle cards

Engineered to last

Hung out with my brothers today. Cj, Yh and Je. Cj and Je got back from kl a few days ago. And apparently our Mr Kee got out of PLKN sooner than we thought. He had been inside for 3 days only actually. Faked asthma and fled. Oh he got a nice haircut. A very very thorough haircut. He pulled it off just okay.

Ah it's great to finally see them again. So we decided to go to cs for a small reunion. Met up with je at cs. He has gold hair now. Kinda beng-ish. Well he liked it. I would never go with gold. Black is still the new black. Had lunch there and talked about stuff. Feels awesome to share stories, not that I have any interesting ones, other than watching pps all day and baking cakes. Seems that they are having a pretty good life. How nice.

Then watched Shaolin. Uhh it wasn't too bad. Was just okay for me. Bumped into Cj (Chuan Jin), Wa, and Hl. Talked more. Cj showed us some pictures. All I have to say is unless you're emo, punk, gothic, or adam lambert, gangsters wear no eyeliners. You got it wrong bro. And I realise that guys don't really talk about personal things in front of each other. We talk more about things, like movies, school, technology. And sports. And sometimes girls. Nonetheless it was a very enjoyable chat.

Went home. Kee and I decided to find a job together next week. I'm not sure if he's absolutely in on this but I'll figure something out. Split up and that's bye bye for now. I'm looking forward to see you guys soon!

*Bobby Gaga is in INTI. Haha.*

!

MY GOD.

PANIC! AT THE DISCO'S NEW ALBUM "VICES & VIRTUES" WILL BE RELEASED IN MARCH 2011 AND ONE OF THE SONG "THE BALLAD OF MONA LISA" IS ALREADY OUT!!!

As you know probably already know, I am a big-time-major-no-joke-loyal-die-hard fan of Panic! At The Disco since I first heard them. That was in 2006. I Write Sins Not Tragedies came on the radio and immediately I fell in love with their music.

Their last album, Pretty. Odd. was released back in 2008. And now, finally, after 3 long years, their new album is finally ready. I can't explain how excited I am right now. I don't know how much longer do I have to wait for it to arrive in Malaysia. If I have to I'll order it online. I MUST HAVE IT.

Many do not really understand their music. I don't blame anyone for that. Their music isn't for everyone. It all depends on what you want to hear and what you find attractive in music. For me, it's simple. I seek ORIGINALITY. VERSATILITY. INNOVATION. CREATIVITY. SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT.

In my opinion. They have the full package. Their music is definitely original. They write their own songs. And it does not just apply to their songs. Their musical STYLE is rare and original. Unlike anything that I've heard. Even their song titles are super creative. That Green Gentlemen, Nine In The Afternoon, Nails For Breakfast Tacks For Snacks, and their longest one, There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet. However, my favourite thing about Panic! is their insane versatility. Their daringness to adopt a totally different style to their compositions. To give their band's outlook a 180 degree change.


2005.

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

This is their first album back in 2005. I Write Sins Not Tragedies, But It's Better If You Do, Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off, The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage and Build God, Then We'll Talk are my favourites from this album. Back then they were more of alternative, punk and rock. They put on eyeliner, had this funky hair doo going on, basically they have the gothic-burlesque-circus-club-cabaret look.

Like this.

There were four

At the time I loved their music though I wasn't crazy about all of their songs. Some were slightly too punk-ish for me. I think they wrote the songs together with their ex-member Brent Wilson before he was replaced by Jon Walker. Oh and their I Write Sins Not Tragedies music video won the Video Of The Year in the VMA 2006. Back then they were all only around 19 to 21 years old. Just a few years older than some of the singers nowadays. Yet has more talent than they ever will have. This song is probably the definition of their first album.

2008.

Pretty. Odd.

Hands down. My favourite album of all the albums I've heard in my life. They took a huge risk of losing their fans by changing their style almost completely. That is why my friends I feel that they are the utmost versatile band other than The Beatles. There wasn't a single trace of Punk rock in this album. It was more folk, country, melodious, still alternative and very, very indie. Hell I think they used the Citar in one of their songs. By the way they took the ! sign off, so it was then Panic At The Disco.

There were still four

Obviously you can see that they look entirely different. Very classical-1800 s'-retro-gentlemen-style. I loved it. Some of the fans did not. Of course they lost a lot of big time fans for changing so drastically. But they stayed true to their music and did what they think is the best. That right there, is why I'm so devoted to their music. They're not influenced by the mainstream music society and write cheesy-cliche-commerciallised songs so that they can be decently popular.

Nine In The Afternoon, Norther Downpour, That Green Gentlemen, Mad As Rabbits. Best songs of the album. Nine In The Afternoon was nominated for Video Of The Year in the VMA 2008. It's easy to see that the video got inspiration from I Am Walrus by The Beatles. Nine In The Afternoon was the hit of the album.





2011.

Vices & Virtues

I have a pretty strong feeling that this album will resemble the first one. A lot. They put the ! sign back on. That was after Ryan and Jon left the band. So it's once again Panic! At The Disco. I saw the preview of the music video for The Ballad Of Mona Lisa yesterday and immediately sensed the similarities between that and the I Write Sins music video. I seriously cannot wait!

And there's two

Jon and Ryan left the band in 2009. Needless to say we are all expecting a change in the style of the music. Since there are now two, we can really see more of their personal styles and ideas. I think this is wonderful. For an artist to express themselves in an honest way. The Young Veins are doing great. Their album, Take A Vacation is phenomenal to me. The songs are very Beatle-ish and 60s'. You can sense the Panic-ness in some of their songs. You also get a taste of the old Panic in the current Panic!'s song, The Ballad of Mona Lisa. Yet, somehow, the songs from the two bands sound nothing alike.





This is not the music video. This is just the song and lyrics. Hm I would say it's very new and clever stuff. But I'm not crazy and flipping out. Not like the time when I first heard Nine In The Afternoon or I Write Sins Not Tragedies. Sounds a bit mainstream. Too pop-rock and less alternative. I think that will gain them a ton of fame. I loved their last song New Perspective. And I'm looking forward to Vices And Virtues. I know that all of the songs will be superb.

Ah I wish they were back together. Panic! At The Disco is great. The Young Veins are great. When they come together, it's just MAGIC. They split not because of feud but creative differences. From my point of view I definitely loved them the most in their second album. I miss their musical chemistry. I miss the Panic with four person. Still, I think it's a healthy thing for both bands. They are now able to maximise their own taste and style in their music. As a fan, I am glad for them.

I AM DAMN EXCITED.


So. If you have not yet heard their songs before. I would urge you to spend a few minutes and listen to the songs above. They are really awesome. Who knows they might be your new favourite band.

*VICES & VIRTUES IS GOING TO BE THE BOMB.*

I love sandwich

Take #129

Another magic video of mine.

It's a contest entry for the skills contest held by youtuber 12OfClubs. Only 3 places this time. But the competition isn't that fierce. About 80 entries I reckon.

Transformer-ish

First and second place prizes will include a DeckONE Industrial Edition deck by Homer Liwag. Honestly I'm not crazy over the design. Looks a bit toy-ish. Though I heard it's quite good.

Idea is to perform an effect which he did a tutorial on. Though we were encouraged to change things a bit and make it our own. Creativity, patter, smoothness and everything are accounted for.

I did his sandwich routine. Which has already been in my repertoire for a few years already. I'm a big fan of card sandwich, as well as bread ones. So it definitely not a new thing to me. I added my sandswitch idea to his routine and tadda!

It took about 3 hours to film and 1 hour to edit. The whole thing was just 2.5 minutes long. I had to get it as close to perfect as possible. So, if I'm lucky enough I might place. If not, nothing changes.

Wish me luck.

*I say Zach will win.*

Khai Xiang bakes another cake

It's true. I just did.

I got up 10 in the morning, which is considered super early for me, and started on my second oreo cheesecake. Last time I overbaked it. However it tasted fine. The responses from my guinea pigs were rather positive. Especially Cui Ling. She seemed to have liked a lot. She'll probably come for seconds this time round.

Okay so I went online to look for some baking tips. How to prevent the cake from cracking, using water baths, bla bla bla. Nothing too useful. I just had one thing in mind. DO NOT OVERBAKE. I followed the standard procedure. Though I started with the batter this time before the oreo base. Not sure why. Not a great idea.

I tried to make the oreo base as powdery as possible. And somehow it seemed thicker than before. I crushed the oreos for the batter less so they were in bigger chunks. Cause last time I felt the cheese itself was slightly too oreo-ish. Um I would say the mixing job was far better last time. Maybe it was because of my sister's help. She has school today.

Oh yea, I did one of the most ingenius thing on earth. I mentioned last time that the baking pan touched the oven rod thing. I figured that could be the reason it overbaked. So I placed two wooden chopsticks to let the pan rest on top thinking that the chopsticks will insulate the pan. I preheat the oven. After a few minutes. I smelled something. Burning. Shit. The chopsticks got barbecued. Ahh it's like uhhhm... okay imagine the chopstick divided into 10 equal sections. It would be totally black and crusty at 3 and 7. Something like that. I wanted to take a picture of my brilliant success but kakak threw them away already.

I repreheat and was more than ready to bake it up. Last time it was 175c for 48 minutes. This time I set it to 160c for just 36 minutes. I waited. *Ding ding ding* Done. I went to have a look. Huh? It's not cooked! AHH! UNDERBAKE! Alright chill. 10 more minutes. I started to think if you bake it at low temperature will it take longer to bake or will it not bake at all. Okay after 10 minutes it looks like this.

On the darkside, it's not overbaked

This time the cake still cracked. I'll work on that some other time. It's no longer that brownish. But the oreo crumbs keep falling out. Guess I didn't press them firm enough before. After chilling to room temperature, it's now in the fridge.

So friends of mine. Remember what I said about my second cake? Yes later I'll be bringing some over to Chentel's and you juniors get to taste them tomorrow morning, provided that she doesn't finish everything by herself. I'll get soonming to try it too. And Vanessa, last time you missed it, so how bout this time?

Right, after this give me some comments please. Thanks.

* I prepared for 1.5 hours before I could bake it, is that too slow?*

* Out of ideas for witty titles *

Orderly messed up

So.

I live a laid back life nowadays. You know, there's a certain period of time in life where you have no life at all. As contradicting as it sounds, that is exactly how my life is right now. A life without a life. Profound. Nonsense.

I'm not sure if this is a good thing, but I'm not too worried about it. I know most of my friends have started their A levels, SAM and all, but meh I gotta study, then work hard to earn a living for the next twenty thirty years. A few months of break for now. Not that big of a deal. I'll add some colours to it don't worry.

People often go "Oh if you rest for too long, you'll get lazy." And I go " .... uhh your point? " So as you can see I'm not a constantly hardworking person. I do work hard sometimes for specific reasons, like exams or assignments etc. Other than that, I'm just a teenager who likes to sit back, enjoy life, and often does odd stuff that makes him happy.

Young people, students in specific, do not understand that we have the luxury of having nothing to worry about, and just relax and have fun. Seriously other than studies, homework, and all that stuff, what else do we really have to fret about? Boyfriend girlfriend? Come on, if you think that relationship problems are messing your life up, please remember that you brought it all to yourself. No one forced you to say yes in the first place. Jump on the bandwagon and go single. Life's easier that way.

As we grow older... oh what the hell I sound like some naggy-wise-old people. Anyways as that happens, we'll have more responsibilities. Life will never be simple then. We have work , family, car, house, pressure, social life, relationships and another million things that I don't even know to worry about. Never will we then have a true moment of nothing-to-do-ah-I'm-so-bored-I'm-going-to-die-rotting. There'll constantly be things to bother us. To keep us frustrated and troubled. We will no longer feel the same relief and freedom like we did after every exam.

We have fun because we have no problems. Adults have fun and get back to their problems. We all know that the fun-ness of the fun is in no way the same. That is why we really have to learn how to enjoy life as youngsters. Not that I'm asking you to waste time playing dota (not that playing dota means wasting time), but to appreciate every millisecond of this teenagehood. We'll lose it sooner than we think.

Here's the worst part. We'll regret it. We'll all look back at our lives and think 'Dang I should've done more crazy things with my friends when I was young. ' By that time, all those things will be out of the questions. So back to now, I guess we all know what we should do. Enjoy life. No regrets. This'll probably be like one of my life resolutions. I wanna be able to enjoy life when I'm older like I do now.

This was meant to be a short update. And look what I've done. Anyway this is something different from my usual posts. So should blog like this more often? Or do you guys dislike this style. Let me know.

*I totally sounded like a cheesy-cliche-corny motivational speaker. Yikes.*

Khai Xiang bakes a cake III

Chillaxin' in the fridge

My alarm woke me up at about 10am. Nowadays there's an 80% chance that I'll let it snooze. Today's different. It's CAKE DAY.

So I went to the kitchen and took the cake out. Oh I wasn't the first to try my cake by the way. My grandma and sister did. Ladies first.

Nom nom nom

My brother was as excited as I was. We each had a slice on our plates. Here goes nothing. Here goes everything. 3. 2. 1. Dig in. I had a bite and...



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( I hate how they always do this for emails that involves wishing for something and then forward it or else someone you love will die or the wish will not come true , all that crap.)
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THANK GOD IT TASTED OKAY.

It was alright. Wasn't too good. Not bad though. Slightly towards the positive side. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10. Plenty of room for improvement. Sure I did burnt the side of the cake. Still, considering this the first cake I baked, I would say I did fine.

Honestly. Making the cake wasn't hard at all. Actually rather simple. All I needs is a few tries before I can get it just right. Next time, I'll try not to let it overbake. It should not have cracks on top either. And I'll make it look more appetizing. This one looks nothing like a cheese cake.

I'm hoping to make another one soon. I'm going to make another one soon. This is just the first of many.

* Cui Ling was lucky enough to have a taste of it! *

Khai Xiang bakes a cake II

After some rest. I decided to get down to business. Originally I wanted to make a video out of the whole process and make it funny in some ways. Though my sister told me it was a stupid idea. Scratched that.

So I cleared the table and set up my 'apparatus'. This was, esentially, an experiment. My sister was there to help me. She was reading to me the online recipe. I was too lazy to write it down.

Welcome to the 2nd episode of my cook show yay!

Step 1. Smash the oreos.

Crush them into powdered form. As micro-nano-pico-femto as possible. Best if it's like the sands of the Hawaiian beach. Mine was like sands of Port Dickson.

Step 2. Form the base.

Melt 3/4 cup of unsalted butter and mix with the fine oreo crumbs. Spread on baking pan and press firmly. Voila, that's the base. Yea. That simple. Oh that reminds me. I asked the girl 'Hm so is the butter same as the ones that we use everyday?'. She replied 'No, it's unsalted.' -.- Like I didn't know that. And she said it in a cold unsarcastic tone, which made it more sarcastic. Nonetheless thanks for your patience!

So far so good

Step 3. Batter!

3 packages of cream cheese + 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. Beat with electric mixer till creamy. Huh, I don't have one. So I had to mix them with the metal thingy by hand. Then I was watching a youtube video where the guy got everything done within 5 minutes and I'm struggling to stir and mix and beat and blend. Pathetic to the max. And how is creamy like? Whip cream creamy? Mayonnaise creamy? Hair cream creamy? I wasn't sure. So I just kept on going and going. Beat them up for a good 20 minutes.

Handmade cakes are the best

Step 4. Add this add that.

4 eggs that survived + 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract + more oreos. Mix mix mix. The egg definitely gave the batter its creaminess. I don't quite know why they had to put it in one at a time. Used up another roll of oreos. This time it was coarsely crushed. To enhance its cruchiness I guess. Quite tiring. I seriously need to get an electric mixer. Finally. Something decent.

Now that I look at it, eww so yucky

Step 5. What else, bake it lah.

Preheat the oven to 315F. 176.666666666666666666 degree celcius. And just pop it in the oven. I have a small convection oven. Works just the same way. Set the timer to 55 minutes. Well says there in the recipe 50 to 60 minutes. And wait.

There was a minor problem. The baking pan thing had the circle thing in the middle where you can push it up to get the cake out. And the oven has this middle metal cover thing. So when I place the pan on the metal thing, the circle thing stays while the side slides down and touches the iron thing that becomes red and heats up the whole thing. So I called the shop and asked if it would explode or something. She said no. And I proceeded.

Sittin' pretty

Step 5.5 Clean up.

Everyone's 'favourite' part. Oh well. Have to end what I started. It's much better than how I pictured it. You know. Like cheese on my face, especially the nose. Cheese on the wall. I would wear an apron. Hair messed up. Everything everywhere. And when people see it they'll faint at the spot. I should really cut down on the movies.

Kakak to the rescue

Step 6. Take out. Cool. Chill.

So I took it out at about 48 minutes. Oh my god, why the hell is it chris brown. I mean crispy and brown. The recipe lied. It's overbaked. By how much, I don't know. 50 to 60 minutes your head. I left it to cool down to room temperature for about an hour plus. It's now in the fridge. I have an odd feeling about this. Not bad, just odd. Like maybe I would find a coin inside or something. Or maybe it will taste incredible? Or incredible shitty.

This looks nothing like anything.

Step 7. Wait.

It'll be in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Will be ready around midnight. Still. I wanna build up the excitement. So I'll let it stay overnight and have it as breakfast tomorrow morning. If I can resist that is.

If I have diarrhoea (wow I have no idea I can spell that), this cake will be remade on April Fools.
If it tastes okay, an improved-second-comeback-cake will be made and it will be for you guys.
If it tastes great, it'll cost RM5 per piece. Haha. Nah I'm fooling around. We're talking USD here.

We shall see.

Oh random baby cousin!

* I can't wait for tomorrow. You can't wait for part III. *

Khai Xiang bakes a cake

Hey.

So a while ago I was thinking of baking a cheese cake. Just for the of fun it. Cause I'm bored. And I love cheese cakes. I wasn't joking. I looked up a few recipes online and felt that oreo cheese cake was a good start.

Oreo cheese cake, I choose you!

Just today morning I rode a bicycle to Perling Indah, probably the only confectionary shop in Perling. I could drive. I mean my parents are at Thailand, and my mum's car is just sitting there. My mum most probably wouldn't approve of me driving alone so I took a bike anyway.

I got help from a girl whom I knew a few years ago. She went for training as well. Her mum owns the shop and she was helping there. Or working maybe. I literally had no idea what I was looking for. So I just said 'I need whatever that is on this list'. She was patient with me. Granulated sugar, oreos, cream cheese, unsalted butter, baking pan, vanilla extract, eggs, measuring cups and spoons, yea that's about it. Check check check, oh, sour cream. Uhh not selling in Perling Indah. Oh well. I spent a total of RM89. Minus the baking pan and some other baking utilities, the cake itself cost about RM50-RM60.

Then I rode back home carrying all those stuff with me. Good work out I would say. I reached home and... Oh shit, one of the eggs broke. A few cracked. Luckily I bought an extra one so it was just nice. 4 usable eggs. Oh shit, sour cream! I hesitated for a long while and was like 'Ah screw it, I want this cake done by today. So again I biked to look for sour cream.

Searched every possible shop in Kosa. No sour cream. Went to Perling Mall. I kept on saying 'I need sour cream, SOUR CREAM' and the people there kept on taking me to get shower cream. Oh god. Was my pronounciation that bad, or was your english that crappy? Haha guess what, NO SOUR CREAM. I even asked the people in Secret Recipe, the lady boss told me it was hard to get hold of and nowhere that she knew of sold it. Damn. Wild goose chase.

By the time I reached home again. I was very tired. Ahhh I haven't even started on the cake!

* Sour cream doesn't exist in Perling. Like it's some dinosaur fossil. Can you believe that. *

This is not a sonnet

I'm sad because we will no longer be in each other's lives as much as we were.

I'm not sad because it's not as if I won't get to see guys forever.

I'm envious because you people still can meet up often and have fun.
I'm not envious because I have faith in the path of my choice.

I'm looking forward to seeing new faces in the days ahead.
I'm not looking forward to missing the old ones every single day.

I'm happy that you guys are moving on.
I'm unhappy because you all are leaving.

It's sometimes good to be alone.
It's all always bad to be lonely.

The glass is half full.
The glass is half empty.

One thing's for certain.

I will miss you because I love you.

That's more or less how I feel right now. Haha bet you didn't see that coming. This other side of me that takes over once in a blue moon. I know it's kinda funny. Like which teenager would get all emotional about their friends leaving for their studies. It's not like their going to fight World War III and die or something.

I wish I am stronger, so I don't have to crap about all this stuff. Why do I feel so nostalgic? Why am I so sentimental? Is that a good thing? Aren't guys suppose to be all cool about it? Like just a handshake and go 'Good luck bro' and go on with my life? Or is it that everyone feels that same? And that I'm just more vocal about it? Or could it be that I'm the only one making a big deal out of this?

Ah whichever it is. I'll get over this. And I'll definitely update this blog soon. I hate to see this post everytime I log on.

*It's time to move on.*

In my life, I love you more

For those who are going to KL for their studies. All the best. I love you.

And of all the songs that I've heard in my life, this is the one that never fails to make me want to cry. I think of you all, my beloved friends whenever I hear this.

Appreciate the lyrics and the beautiful melody. Realise how much you mean to me.

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed

Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall

Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you

And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

*The sun is the only thing that stops me from crying*