daily routine

DAY 5

What's your daily routine?
What must you do every single day?

I think it's obvious.

Sleep.
Eat.
Drink.

haha of course not forgetting the most important thing, GOING ONLINE.

Using the computer, going online, surfing the internet have become a daily routine for almost everyone nowadays, no matter how young or old you might be.

I see kids as young as 10 years old starting to use blogger to blog about their daily lives (my younger sister haha), and some really old folks going to computer classes to learn how to operate computers and use the internet. It's the GREAT PLAGUE which affected everyone across Europe in the late 1600's.

Sometimes I have to say, the person who invented the Internet is a genius. You could argue with me, but in the end I'm still right. WHY? Because you're using the internet, to argue with me haha.. (see, you get my point? haha)


HOW MANY HOURS?
haha hours? I wouldn't use the word hours, it seems too short for me. I could go online all day and not step out of my room, haha..

WHAT DO I DO?
Here's my daily routine!

Switch on my laptop
MSN auto login, YAHOO auto login
Open up Firefox
Check my YAHOO inbox
Open up Facebook
Open up my blog, my chinese blog
Open up WRETCH & AIO (taiwanese networking websites)
Open up video websites to start download taiwanese shows, dramas..

After all that,
I might do the following or rest for a while before I continue with the following haha..

-watch the downloaded shows
-read news of the world (current issues)
-write up a blog entry or two
-surf other blogs
-surf Facebook
-find people to chat on MSN/YAHOO

All the stuff I mentioned above takes some time and they have now become my daily routine, or shall I say, part of my daily routine (haha).


DO I USE NICKNAME?
_yes, when i was young. I've used many nicknames, ranging from Charlieboy to Kanadaboy to ChAzZz. Charlieboy was a nickname for YAHOO MESSENGER. KANADABOY was Xanga's nickname, which I have stopped using ever since I stopped using Xanga. ChAzZz, which is probably the most famous one and probably the last nickname I adopted, which was in use for my FRIENDSTER profile.

NET FRIENDS?
Oh, I have many net friends, to be honest. This is due to my early exposure to the World Wide Web by my mum, at the age of 10. She hooked me up with my first email, Yahoo, and it's the one I'm still using now. (funny huh? haha)

Many people don't believe in net friends, and they think it's bullshit. Yes, there are many fakers and liars in this world, let alone the CYBER WORLD. However, out of all these fakers, there are bound to be some real, honest, down to earth, friendly people that are there to greet you. I have met some of them, and so should you.

Isn't that one of the reasons we go online for?
To meet new people and make new friends?

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER TO TRUST THEM OR NOT?
well, you learn from mistakes right? I have made mistakes before and have trusted the wrong person. However, I learned from that mistake and I have become a smarter surfer. To be honest, if you don't have the tendency to do bad things or lie, you should not fall into any of those traps.


PARENTS?
haha, my parents have given up on monitoring my usage of the computer & internet long time ago. I tell them exactly what I do, and they trust me. I also share my stories and experience with them, of course I still have my own privacy, but sharing some of those privacy/stories make them feel better and more connected to you. Therefore, they would trust you and respect your privacy and would stop nag you to get off the computer. Does this make sense to you?

All your parents want from you is for you to connect with them and let them into your live. Once you let them in and maintain that close bond, they would trust and respect you. And you'll have your freedom. So, please don't rebel or fight with your parents over this small, unnecessary matter, seriously! I see many of my friends fighting with their parents over this matter, which I think is absolutely STUPID and USELESS.


DISCONNECTED FROM THE REAL WORLD?
Sometimes yes, because you would get too carried away with all the awesome things you have in the cyberworld that you forget about the reality. Therefore, you should choose to balance between the usage of internet/computer, and going out and have fun with your real friends haha..

"Poking your friends on Facebook and asking them to out to have lunch with you" is a perfect example of how Internet has helped us in our daily lives. Imagine how much you can save from that, when you FACEBOOK your friend instead of TEXTING or CALLING them ;)


stay tune for more update!




CHARLES CHUA
http://charleschua.blogspot.com

REAL VOICES,
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4

money, work...

DAY 4

$ $ $
who can live without money?


Face it, nowadays, everyone's dying for cash.
there are people who rather work over-time and even do the dirtiest job, just to get cash.

why?

for a living of course,
or to get something he/she wants...


I have to admit that I can't live without money.
I'm not a super-shopaholic and I don't spend that much money, but without money, my life would be really dull.

This is absolutely true when you're living far-far away from your parents, outside your hometown.

The people I'm exposed to here in Canada are mostly children of rich businessmen or wealthy family from China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong - you name it. Therefore the peer pressure into getting branded goods is pretty big and I have to admit I have/am slowly fallen/falling into that trend. Although, I try to stop myself from spending so much at times haha.. And to be honest, I do feel guilty sometimes, after spending too much money in one shopping trip.
some photos from my recent shopping trip down in the states.

i love Lacoste, i have their shirts, socks, shoes, and bags.
the only thing i need to complete my whole collection is a pair of shorts haha.







paul smith's cufflink


Godiva's chocolates




sperry's boatshoe


CK

My friends and I always go out to eat, and I love to try out new food. This is the problem, and it's also where my money is mostly spent on - FOOD. Ever since I moved here, I've been trying new cuisines as often as possible. I have this belief that I should try out and explore new things, which has also made me gain a lot of weight (haha)..

Fried Crab from SushiBar


Nando's Chicken (tastes so much better than Malaysia's)


Beef Terriyaki (my favourite japanese dish)


(cheesecake at The O'dor)


Korean TOFU SOUP with beef bimbimbob (or whatever it's called)



THE SOURCE?
I get my monthly allowance from my parents. I used to work part-time when I was in Malaysia, but even though I worked part-time, the pay was too low (rm4/hr wth right?), that it wasn't enough. Now, I'm hoping for to start saving up for my upcoming Summer vacation to Taiwan and maybe Singapore & KL in July/August. So, I'm counting on Youthsays to pay for some of my expenses.

HOW DO I SHOP?
I'm a smart shopper - or at least I think so, myself. I always try to compare the prices of the item I want to be on the internet or at different stores before I buy, so I won't make a mistake and regret. Of course, there's a strong urge that pushes me to buy that item the first time I see it, but if the price is too high, or the fact that it's more of a NEED than NECESSITY, I would think twice before purchasing.

MY GENERATION? work ethic?
Everyone has to work hard to get what they want right? So, no matter what generation or family background you're from, you have to work hard. Or else, you're just spending without a reason.
THE ECONOMY?
It's bad- duh. We are just slowly recovering from a recession which hit us a while ago, and with so many unfortunate events (disasters, wars) happening, the economy is not going anywhere. It might rise, but it would drop again, pretty quickly.

All the resources have been used up, or will be used up soon, I believe, in our generation. Look at how US attacked the Middle East in search for more crude oil few years ago. It's evident that economies worldwide are slowly falling and EVERYONE IS AFFECTED.

THE three coolest jobs>?


1) ISLAND CARETAKER



BEN SOUTHALL won the job as the caretaker of Hamilton Island, Queensland last year. All he has to do is stay on the island, take care of it, have fun and blog about it everyday on his blog..

WHAT A LUCKY MAN!
It's like he's getting paid to go on a LONG vacation.



2) BLOGGER
who makes money off blogging, ofcourse!

Look at Kennysia of Kuching,
Xiaxue of Singapore
and many more..

They are being paid to review awesome hotels and tourist attractions around the world, and they get to be exposed to the public at really cool events and get treated like royalty at parties.


haha, ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit.



3)WORKING at a place where you absolutely enjoy.
For me, it would be either an airport, or in Taiwan's entertainment industry.

I love travelling and exploring airports around the world, and I'm also interested in learning more about how airlines work and all the behind-the-scenes stuff at the airport.

I also love to work or, should I say, appear on television, even though I've never been on one before (hahaha). Maybe it's due to the fact that I watch too much Taiwanese television shows.

Anyway,
that's about it for now.

MORE articles coming soon!



CHARLES CHUA
http://charleschua.blogspot.com

REAL VOICES,
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3

what it takes to be...

DAY 3

So, everyone has goals, dreams, targets - whatever you call them, but how many have actually succeeded, reached, or completed them?

Goals are easy to list, but are hard to achieve. WHY?
-lack of urge to do so
-laziness
-lack of certain resources/help
-don't work hard enough

Everyone have excuses to forgive themselves for not achieving their goals, just like what I did a few seconds ago. I just came up with a few lame yet true, excuses as to why we can't achieve our goals.

Alright, I just finished writing my assignments just now and man, I'm tired now. But I'll try my best to complete this post and make sure it's up to my standard -check out my blog to verify it.

To be honest, I don't really know what I should write talk about. I don't think I am a successful person, yet. But, I know I have a few personal achievements that I'm proud of.


Instead of story telling like everyone else, I'd just list out some of the stuff worth mentioning.

-earned money for designing a website for my mum's friend's Travel Agency. I was only 16 at that time, and I think I earned RM300 from the job.

-getting the annual head teacher's award at my previous high school in the UK. I worked really hard for it, and getting it was the best gift for both my parents & I.

-earned $500 for a Nuffnang blogger competition I participated in, two years ago. I managed to complete my entry the night before it was due, haha that was one PURE INTENSE night!

-got "A" for my bahasa melayu (malay language) in the PMR Examination. I have learned Malay before in the early years of primary school, but stopped after I move to the UK. Then, I came back to Malaysia and only studied two years of BM and managed to get an "A" on the PMR national school exam. EVERYONE, even my teachers and parents were shocked. MALAY was like a foreign language for me, yet I got an "A". That was when I realized I'm a quick learner when it comes to languages and writing.

there are a few more things that haven't been mentioned, but I'd like to keep the list short, as I'm getting tired now haha..

Anyway, in conclusion, I feel the most successful thing I've achieved so far is settling down in a new environment and becoming more independent on my own. Sure, there were the difficult times, but I managed to pull through it.


HOW DO I DEFINE A SUCCESSFUL PERSON?
how would you define a successful person?

it's pretty hard to list out what it takes to be successful, because there are many ways of becoming successful, good and bad.

however, here's what i think the basic requirements that are required for a person to become successful.

1) determination.
you have to focus and be determined on your goal/target. NEVER give up until the last minute.

2) belief/faith.
believe in yourself. have faith in yourself.

3) just do it.
believe it or not, NIKE is actually right.


WHAT INSPIRES ME?
- the outcomes, of course. Everyone work hard for a reason, to achieve something. However, sometimes, people also work for the sake of it. (haha)

ROLE MODELS?
- probably my parents. They really worked hard and are still working hard for my siblings & I. I'm really grateful for what they have given me. They always teach me to "strive for the best" and "never do anything that's against your own belief".


AMBITIONS? GOALS?

1) get into a good university, study hard and get my law degree.
2) learn how to save money wisely.
3) get rid of bad habits (laziness...)

for the upcoming 5-10 years,
-i should have enough money to get myself a car and apartment
-and live with my girlfriend.

those are my goals,
how about urs?

CHARLES CHUA
http://charleschua.blogspot.com

REAL VOICES,
DAY 1
DAY 2

F&F

DAY 2

'family always comes first.'


After meeting new friends here in Vancouver, especially those from China, I really feel fortunate to be born into a family with two other siblings. The reason I specifically mentioned China is because of their "one child policy". Families in China have been restricted to only having one child per family ever since 1978, due to the mast growing population issue that has been troubling the country's economy.

Alright enough with the history crap, haha let me introduce you to my family, the CHUA's.

First off, here's my parents.

DAD & MUM

Dad's currently managing a seafood manufacturing company, Bismaraya Sdn Bhd.
Mum's an associate professor at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

They met in the States (US) or Canada, i forgot.
Then, they moved around M'sia, Canada, USA before settling down in 1992, when they had me.

I'm the eldest in the family, then there's my younger sister.
SIMONE CHUA
and the youngest member in my family, my little bro,
MORGAN CHUA


here's a photo of my mum, my siblings and I. took this earlier this year, during the period of Chinese New Year.


And here a few more photos of my family,
on a family trip to Kundasang, a village nearby Mount Kinabalu.

the photos were taken 2 years ago, i believe.


dad, Morgan & I


Morgan, Mum & Simone.



Friends.
They are the ones whom I learn from, laugh with, cry with and spend my daily life with.


I can't really recall as to who is my best-friend, because I don't have one and I don't believe in having best friends. Maybe it's because of the constantly-moving-around-places thing that has made "making REAL friends" a trouble for me.


If you were to ask me, do you have any friends that you're still close with since primary school?
I would reply, "Which primary school are you referring to?"


- the one in Malaysia?

well, I have a few friends that I have known since primary school, that I still keep in touch with through Msn & Facebook.

- how about the one in Scotland?

you know what? i have never seen or talk to anyone of them since I moved back to Malaysia. It's really unfortunate, I know.

Then, if you were to ask, how about the ones in high school?
I have been in three high schools, so here are my answers.

- my first high school, which was in Scotland?

hmm, managed to find a few classmates on Facebook a while ago, and we sort of chatted for a while and then lost contact again (damn)..

- my second high school, Malaysia?

most of us still keep in touch through MSN & Facebook, but it's sad that since I left Malaysia, our relationships have slowly and are slowly fading away..

- my current high school, Canada?

i will be graduating in three weeks time, which is exhilarating. but, I do hope we would be able to keep in touch, no matter where all of us end up going for university.

It's really hard for me to actually describe who my friends are, so why don't we just let the photos do the talking.


ANDY & I (taiwanese friend)


Chen Nan (China) & Krystal (Canadian/Chinese/Japanese)


Michelle (taiwanese)


some people (friends) from my current high school


Yuino (Japanese/Taiwanese), Andy, Chen Nan (China)


Paige (China), ME, Jennifer (Hong Kong)


Peggy (Taiwanese), Kiki (China)


Irene (Taiwanese)




and here are some photos from Malaysia.



Hajar, YinMan & Mei Jin



Hajar, Mei Jin, Amylline


Yun Jie & I


friends who sent me off to Canada, two years ago.


high school moment, with the j3 ren gang.







they were/are the closest friends I have ever had,
they took me in and treated me like family.


Now, for the QnAsss....

When you are meeting new people how do you describe yourself?
- haha, that's a funny question. Obviously, I'd say I'm a nice person, with awesome personalities haha.. I can be cool at first, and will later warm up once we get to know each other better.

Is identity important to you and your friends?
- not really. Yes, you have to know your status and know where you're at. But, when you're with your friends, you try to be as down to earth as possible and show the "real" you, right? So, identity is not that important to me or my friends.

Does religion affect your choice of friends?
HELL NO. imagine what the world would be like if only Chinese befriended the Chinese, and Malay only sticks to Malay. HOW BORING WOULD THE WORLD BE!


that's about it for NOW.
stay tune for more articles!


CHARLES CHUA
http://charleschua.blogspot.com

REAL VOICES,
DAY 1

DAY 1

Day 1, intro yourself and talk about youths in Malaysia.

alright, I'm Charles. My life is rather 'different' from most of the people i know.
I'll be 18 in November this year, and I can't wait to graduate from high school next month!

Ever since young, I have been moving around, living in different parts of the world, experiencing unique cultures, learning through different prospective and most of all, enjoying life where ever it takes me.


Here's a little 411 for anyone who's interested about my life.

1992 November 6th - born in Vancouver, Canada.
1992 December 31st - travelled to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

1993 ~ 2002 - stayed in Malaysia, completed primary 4.
2002 December - moved to the UK.

2003 ~ 2005 - stayed in Scotland, UK. completed year 1(form1).

2005 December - went back to Malaysia.
2006 ~ 2008 - studied in an independent chinese school.
2008 August - moved back to Canada.

2008 September ~ NOW:
currently staying in Vancouver.
will be graduating from high school next month.


Upcoming Events:
2010 July - Leave Canada, move back to Malaysia.
2010 September - Go to the UK for my undergraduate law study (LLB).


As you can probably tell by now, I love to travel and try out new things -pleasant things.
Yeah, I know, many people love to travel, that's the main reason Air Asia was brought up anyway. (haha sorry, just trying to prove that i do know some stuff about Malaysia)

for those who don't know what Air Asia is...
(AIR_ASIA: probably the fastest growing airline company in South East Asia, due to its favorable routes and affordable (cheap) flights.)


i'm linking this post to my personal blog and chinese blog, so I'm expecting readers outside Malaysia/Singapore region, therefore, please respect the fact that not everyone know what Air Asia is.


My first existence on this so-called-world by Internet Surfers - you & I, was probably around 5 years ago. It all started with the predecessor of Facebook, Friendster. Yes, I'm sure probably everyone here has or had an account registered in Friendster.

Friendster was THE FACEBOOK back when Badawi was still the head of state.
I had 14 accounts, each with around 1000 or less - friends. Everyone was competing and literally fought to add as many friends as one could, in order to gain popularity/fame and get to know more people. (haha, ohhh those good times..they just pass by so quickly...)

Friendster not only helped me 'gain fame' in the online world, but also helped me gain recognition in school. I had just came back from Scotland at that time, and I didn't have any friends in Malaysia - well I eventually caught up with a few friends from primary school, but still, I was like a "noob" in a new environment, and mind you, my bahasa melayu was absolutely terrible at that time. (Thank God my parents enrolled me into a chinese school haha)


Anyway, cut the long story short,
I managed to fit and started to BLOG and shared my daily life, stories and knowledge with random people (haha)....

i kind of got out of the topic there, so I'll resume my story later in other posts.
keep track of my posts, if you enjoy my post :)

To find out more, kindly visit CHARLES CHUA @ BLOGGER.


Alright, back to the main topic - YOUTH.

Youth, Remaja, 年輕人
whatever you wanna call it.....


What's the best thing about being a youth today?
- probably having the current freedom which we take for granted. We're lucky enough to be born into this generation where war is not a MUST and where internet has been made WIRELESS. Being able to travel around the world and explore new places and interact with other people across the Atlantic ocean (or should i say, Pacific) really makes the world a better place to live in.

What makes you HAPPY?
- certainly not the way things are happening in Malaysia nowadays.. haha i'm just joking. i haven't been able to experience happiness for quite a while now, due to the amount of stress i have right now.

Do you think youths nowadays live a better life compare to our parents?
- Hell yeah, go home and ask your mum & dad, why do they keep asking you to spend your money wisely, go to university, get a good job, work hard and strive for the best. Everything - well almost everything is so much better than they were before.

The most difficult hurdle?
- probably my move to Canada two years ago. Everything changed after I move here, I had learn to be more independent and make important decisions on my own (while my parents still give me support once in a while). To be honest, Canada is not as good as I thought it would be. And whenever my Malaysian friends ask me, "Do you regret leaving us and move back to Canada?", I would have trouble answering them, despite the fact that I've mentioned Canada was not as good as I thought it would be.

I feel like I've really grown up.

The Biggest Fear, other than death?
- not able to accomplish my list of things-to-do-before-i-die. (HAHA)

FRIENDS or FAMILY?
- it depends on the situation. there are times when your friends are worth more than your parents. but morally speaking, family would be the correct answer. think about it, how would you be able to make friends without your parents? (hint, biology)

REBELLIOUS YOUTH?
- well, i wouldn't use the word rebellious to describe myself, or in fact youths nowadays. Like everyone else in this society, we're just trying to make a living by studying, voicing out our opinions and stand for what's right!



all for now, i guess that's about it.
will blog again soon.

hope you've enjoyed my post,
i kind of got out of hand, wrote too much stuff haha..

and its 2am now, so, if some parts don't make sense,
you'll know why ;)




CHARLES CHUA
http://charleschua.blogspot.com