home away from home

when will the bullying stop?

2010-11-02T16:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.danoah.com/2010/10/memoirs-of-bullied-kid.html

copy and past the above link on your browser and read it please. its a post about bullying and how to recognize the signs and the effect it has on a person who's being bullied. we can all play our part in putting an end to bullying. it has claimed too many precious lives.
lots of love,
daven

research

2010-09-27T11:03:00.003-05:00

i have my undergrad research proposal in!

Government policies favoring Islam causing disrupt in ethnoreligious Malaysia.

This is my senior political science capstone proposal and i am way excited to get started on it. I have been reading lots on this issue with scholary journals and plan on conducting several interviews with officials in Malaysia. All in all i hope the findings of my research will provide the results i seek.

Wish me luck family.

Daven

oh i cut my hair again!

my aspirations.

2010-09-19T13:30:00.003-05:00

Dearest family,
An update is instore. It has now been 3 long,eventful years since i've been away from home . I cannot even begin to describe the growth and changes i've gone through. Everything from the people i've met along the way to the places i've been, the classes i've taken, the smiles i've received and the unpleasant occasions; they've all added to the wealth of my knowledge and ultimately in my understanding of the world we live in. my political aspirations and my dreams are being carved into a foreseeable reality.
Its so close I feel it all coming together.

In the midst of everything, I always take a few moments to remember the faces i've not seen these past few years. Its funny how you forget certain words, you forget things that you were taught, but all I have to do is close my eyes and I can see all of you so clearly, your voices, your faces, your antics, your funny ways. And then I smile because of the joy that you have brought to my life. And this has been my greatest motivation. Knowing that while im here fullfilling my dreams, im away from the most important thing in my life- my family, and that my success will bring them so much happiness.

While we speak of success, i'd like to talk about failure. Failure has been one of the great teachers in life, that when opportunities after opportunities shuts itself in your face and you feel like theres nowhere left to go; when the consequence of an action brings about a negative repercussion, failure presents itself in the most downright unpleasant fashion. But success feels the greatest when its preceded by failure. And there is so much to learn in failure itself. When you are at your lowest, feeling alienated from the world, the support of one person means so much. And there is no one person you can count on more than a parent to tell you that they love you and believe in you even when the world doesnt. You learn who your true friends are. You learn to fight back adversities and to learn from your mistakes. With failure you grow to appreciate every step of the way. And with failure you learn to succeed. So let not a bad grade, an inappropriate comment or the unkind laughter of people ridiculing you bring you down and make you feel any lesser than the person you are. Only when you stop believing in yourself does a dream die.

And that my family, is one of the most important things i've learned being away. One, cherishing my family. Two. Let failure be a lesson not an obstacle to success.
As I am wrapping up my studies here at my university- graduating with a bachelors degree in Political Science, I aspire to go into human rights international law, working specifically on children rights. As I look at my near future, and my prospective law schools. I'm considering doing a Masters in Public Service and a concurrent Law degree. And amidst all the assignments, and readings, and meetings, I would like to take a moment to tell you how much you mean to me.

Signing off with all my love, till next time,
Daven Raj, a son, brother, cousin,nephew,grandson, to the most wonderful family in the world.

(Random childhood memory) mum : How much do you love mummy?
Me: I love you so much ... deeper than the ocean floors.

they call me raj

2010-05-14T21:54:00.002-05:00

a masquerade themed banquet i attended last week! :)
update : family, i miss all of you so much. i'm looking at graduation which is literally a few months away and i smile because i know we will be reunited soon. i cant wait for you to be here and meet all the wonderful people i've met. love for you to meet our dean of students and vice chancellor of the university and just EVERYONE- my friends, my house, my university, my city.
i love you!! all of you!

equity, diversity and inclusiveness award

2010-05-07T00:28:00.002-05:00

for my family whom i wish are here by my side!
i am the recipient of a student leadership and excellence award at my university and received a scholarship plus a certificate to go along with it. i requested my friend to video record this so you are able to be apart of this with me.
missing all of you

smile!

2010-03-12T13:56:00.000-06:00

keep smiling!

a new year

2010-01-12T09:50:00.002-06:00

hello family and readers!
happy 2010~
a new year, new dreams, new stories, new possibilities...
dont ever stop dreaming..for if you let your dreams die, you are like a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
i am that much closer to my dreams. what does 2010 have in store for me :
- GRADUATION! end of this year i'm graduating with my political science degree :)
- student faculty research collaboration in india over the summer on male child sex trade
- moving out of the residence halls and owning a car.
- Law school applications
- Internships for next year before entering law school
- Last semester as the president of the international students association and Director of Student Life and Diversity on Student Senate.
- hone my skills in piano and continue improving on my Spanish.
- seeing my family again.

its been 3 long years ive been away from home. 3 years of growth i could never have fathomed if i hadnt left. thank you for setting me free because now im soaring high in the sky.

everybody once had a dream..too many has been washed away by the invisible waves of time. hold on. wishing everyone a joyous and successful year!

lots of love from
- the kid who went travellin.

hello everybody

2009-12-07T10:11:00.006-06:00

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me ~Jim Valvaros

came across that quote.. i think its a wonderful quote.
these 2 weeks are going to be insane!! wish me luck folks.. its finals week! and my favorite time of the year.
some of you might know this already, but im lookin at purchasing a car, second hand of course and these are my final two options. waiting on the loan i have taken out, im not sure which one to get though because they are both pretty amazing! one's a Honda Civi and the other is a Mitsubishi Eclipse.
just recently came back from chicago. was a great time as always. and for my end year vacation. im thinking of Puerto Rico! doesnt that just sound AMAZING!!

oh and here's a couple of random pictures of me. :) just in case you need a refresher.

a random post of me speaking!

2009-11-19T14:34:00.002-06:00

Video-logging episode.
so instead of writing i may just post videos of me speaking from time to time. figured i could say more and do more and besides, it gives you a reason to see me live. instead of just an inanimate cluster of words sprawled before your eyes.
so todday i'd decide to talk about culture and its relevance to our future. enjoy the video :P
truly,
Daven

leaves are falling..

2009-11-13T13:41:00.003-06:00

sometimes when i say im stressed,
undertand that im for real.
sometimes when i call just for a chat,
understand that im just needing to hear the familiarity of a voice.. a voice of comfort.
sometimes when i do a lil too much,
understand that it can become burdensome and i need to relax.
because after all we are all human. we have our ups and downs, ins and outs, happiness and sad.
sometimes you have to remember to listen,
and if you dont have the right words to say,
say, ' i love you' because that may make my day.
sometimes i look out my window and the sun brings a smile to my face.
its getting darker out.. i wish the clouds away.

i wish we'd all remember the bigger picture- that a life well lived is one lived in happinness. that when pressure from society's expectation forces you to conform to it, you might just break away. what once was my driving force to succceed now seems to have its negative repercussions. that i am not to feel, to be let down, to experience sadness, because i NEED to achieve them. and when i relay any of my worries, dont brush it off and ask me to drink water or call my brother, because thats not helping. thats masking these feelings. if im being completely honest, we should all share a lil more, talk a lil more, laugh a lil more and cry a lil more.
i think its time we all recognize that in the end, we are all humans and 'feeling' is not a weakness.

all that being said. yesterday is over and today is a new day. here's a video of me playin the piano. enjoy. the song is called whirling leaves.

i dare.... yes i do.

2009-11-08T15:33:00.003-06:00

the beginning of this Fall semester i made a bet with a friend of mine in which by halloween whoever does not get six pack abs will have to shave his head bald...halloween was last weekend. i failed to get the abs i wanted. to honor ones own words is the simplest form of dignity to be upheld. so i stuck to my words and chopped the hair off.

this picture was taken right before i shaved my head.
..
....
....... and then......

you see it really isnt as bad as i thought it was going to be! i have a pretty decently shaped head.

2009-09-23T19:07:00.000-05:00

we all need closure in our lives.
the human mind has its way of keeping unshut doors pulsating with raw, unfiltered emotions- happy or sad. and sometimes these emotions cloud our ability to live in the now. i had just came home from an amazing vacation/summer school at UCBerkeley in California and i havent really had time to sit down and reflect on my trip and all the wonderful memories made.
i see now how journals help us stay tuned to reality. as you document events, you make them concrete, you make the emotions, the colors, the surroundings into something ....visible and as the words lay sprawled out before you, youre able to look on and gain some perspective on how it has influenced you at that moment. a deeper sense of engagement with the happening is achieved. my summer involved lots of travelling and doin things i could previously only dream of and with people i shared too many good times with be it
risking our lives hiking up yosemite!

waiting in line for baseball tix

drinking wine at napa valley

freezing our butts off crossing the golden gate bridge

tracing our name on sandy beaches!

climbin up to a beautiful waterfall!

hanging with the boys

goofin around on the beach

laughing our hearts out on the streets

or getting ready for a night out in town

i had spent one of the most incredible holiday and also had the chance to really explore my career decisions and see my ambitions become more clear through the summer course i took at the university.
and then i got back. that incredible place i just left was stuck in my head. my heart wasnt in the right place and i was torn in between the happinees of being back and the sadness of leaving. there was also a 'strangers feel' to the all too familiar sights and feelings from just a few months ago.
Being able to see the whole picture and how experiences are meant to add not rob the wholeness is vital.whats most important is being able to adapt. the art of being fluid yet true to yourself is so hard to do. growing up in a country for 19 years then having to leave the familiar, and coming into the unfamiliar foreign land is scary. but then growing accustomed to the unfamiliar and going back to the former life is even harder. and the cycle just continues as the familiar becomes the unfamiliar and vice versa. its easy to exclude people from our lives but when we deny our ownselves the reality of the world around us- thats when we're heading down the path of ,dramatically put-solitude.
A simple philosophy to live by is to Accept things as they are. just as you would a person. you dont want to change everything that you dont like about a person because then youre robbing them off their being, but you can positively influence change in a person as time passes.accept things as they are and then if need be, see how you can influence changes. the cause is much easier when its 'us for change' rather than 'me against the world'. first theres the attitude, and then theres time. time makes the awkward-normal, the lost-found, the sweet-remembered, the bitter-forgotten.
i am back in eau claire. school starts tomorrow, i've set goals for the semester, i was initially struck by a reality check; that life moves on and time and tide waits for no man. im almost there. theres just this one lil thing left: my closure to an amazing summer. the experience has been priceless, the friendships have been formed- now im moving on with all that ive gained and learned and look forward in anticipation for school tomorrow. i am positive everything will work its way out. they always do. you just gotta believe it. goodbye Summer of 09. hello FALL 09!!!

say what!? daven.. youre so talented...hahaha

2009-09-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

so ive started taking piano lessons as a new hobby.
i quit teaching dance. took up a lot of my time and i had to prioritize.
but anyways here's a video of my first attempt at playin!

RAKIS?

2009-08-27T21:40:00.006-05:00

hello :)

2009-08-11T22:17:00.002-05:00

hey everybody!
i hope you are all doing well. as i gear up for my final days here in california ,i think back on all the adventures that i've been on during my stay here. i will be posting more updates soon after im done with my final essay exam.
it has been memorable to say the least.
well this is going to be a short update because i have to continue reading for class now but just wanted to point out that the essay i wrote for the scholarship is actually an online competition and i will need votes to secure the scholarship. if you would like to help me win the scholarship click on the link ive posted below on the words 'here to vote' and vote for my essay. it takes less than 2 seconds. my essay is posted under the undergraduate section and you can vote multiple times. thank you everybody :). have a fantastic day!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

p.s- by the way, you can all leave comments in the comment box at the end of each post. leave a comment, say hi or something :)

remembering a special person

2009-08-08T12:56:00.001-05:00

I found this scholarship application online for $2000 dollars and it requires writing an essay of about 400 words based on a quote. i chose the quote "we ought to make every moment count,because it may be the last" and wrote it in memory of my uncle and since most of the readers of my blog are family, your brother, father, cousin or son. i hope you can all appreciate the sentiments i wish to express through writing that we do not ever take things for granted.

As I held the receiver in my hand, my heart crumbled beneath the weight of my breath. When Death comes calling, it is often at the most unexpected times- when you’re getting ready to go to school, when you and your friends are all rolling over from laughing too hard, when you’re simply just laying around doing nothing. I picked up a call that day. My uncle had passed away.
I wish I’d gotten to know him better. I knew he became sick when he was diagnosed with brain tumor. It changed all our lives forever- for better or worse. Mum and dad were gone a lot on hospital visits, vacations had to be cut short for family emergencies, grandma worried all the time, and we kids always had to be extra careful around my uncle. I smile and remember when he would jokingly taunt me calling me ‘Black Cat’ and my brother ‘Dirty Crocodile’ and I would just get so mad because I despised the name. I also vividly remember him falling over on the floor convulsing on numerous occasions. Epilepsy was a side effect to the brain surgery he had undergone. It is often when we lose something do we realize its value and then sadly, regret. What if we never had to lose anything? That life, and possessions, and jobs and love could be immortal so we can always be in bliss, living happily with all the things that bring joys to our lives. It can. Life can be immortal in the moments that we live. Memories that last a lifetime can be etched into our souls reminding us of all these moments. That one brief instant at the pedestrian crossing when two eyes meet as they cross paths; everything else fading, that tender loving moment when your partner got down on his knee to propose to you, when you hear your mum’s voice singing a lullaby rocking you to sleep some 30 years ago. These are all moments that excite and inspire passion. These are moments that evoke happiness, for you see, if you live in the moment and enjoy life for what it truly is; you don’t ever have to worry about regretting it when it’s gone. And if you’re missing or thinking of someone, all you have to do then is remember.
Make every moment count, make every relationship matter, you don’t know when your time or theirs is up. I hear all these wonderful memories of my uncle from family and friends and it pleases me to know what a joy he was and what a beautiful heart he had that even after all this years of him passing, his memories still live on and his last moments on earth, is only the beginning of his moments in our hearts.So in honor of living our days as if it were our lasts, last week i went hiking up a mountain, two days ago i went sailing, the day after tommorow im going sky diving and i am just savoring it all. Hey, we only live once- might as well enjoy it.

last of L.A! day 3!

2009-07-18T03:29:00.002-05:00

travelogue day 3!

woke up still a lil sore from all the walking last night! but definitely ready to start day 3! my travels this time would bring me to the beach and on a hunt for celebrities.
destination: Santa Monica/ Venice Beach!
Jack was moving out of the hostel into a place in santa monica and so we decided to get there together. This time we did not get lost in the midst of all the bus transits. i was pretty darn excited as its been over a year since i last went to a beach!!

the sand was HOT against our bare feet, the sun shining mercilessly on our skin, the water a stark contrast, cold almost bone chilling as we shuffled between land and water trying to find the right balance of both, but who cares i was at the BEACH!!
so anyways the scene was one of happinness- children building sandcastles,families playing together, couples frolicking in the water, dogs running around. but the one thing that surprised me was the vastness of the beach. it spread for miles and miles beyond the reach of my vision. it seemed to not end and felt realistically so when we walked and walked but didnt seem to get anywhere!! haha.. the sidewalks adjacent to the beach were lined up with street performers and little stands selling every kinds of things imaginable on one side, and stores and cafe's on the other.

there were people all around. you'd come upon musicians, hippies, skateboarders, tourists ( hats on their head, cameras around their neck),the homeless, the surfers etc.. and all over you could find crowds of people gathering around certain performers and so we went to check one out.

ahhhhh this guy was crazy!!
he was going to jump on shards of broken glasses!

and he jumps!!! but doesnt bleed. impressed we continued walking on till we happened upon the second beach!! santa monica beach!

there were bike paths and walk paths and lots of fit birds(slang for hot gals in the UK)

and couple of miles down the path theres the world famos..

all the beaches were connected to one another and they really didnt look any different ( which makes the different names rather puzzling). so then we decided to go to one of the most well known celebrity spotting sites in L.A.........
right off sunset boulevard!
we walked around, it is a shopping haven! went into a bar to get an afternoon alcoholic beverage to quench our thirst, people watched! but to our dismay no celebrity. it was still hot out and we had plenty of time in our hands, so we walked around a bit more, got a book from a bookstore, people here are loaded with moolah!! they've got the clothes, the cars, the toys and the pets to show it.
suddenly, from the corner of my eye, i saw this one girl asking somebody for a picture. she was GORGEOUS and i knew that i saw my first celebrity. problem was i didnt know who she was. they were at starbucks.
and i didnt even take a picture..because, i wanted to appear civil. haha..so we did what came naturally, we went to buy starbucks coffee! unfortunately by the time we came out..... they were gone. haha..

after a while, i thought id head back to hollywood to the hostel and see what else i could do on my last day there. said goodbye to Jack and wished him safe travels. On my way to the bus station, i saw the beach one more time and felt a lil reluctant to just head home without bumming around. so instead of boarding a bus, i headed out back onto the beach and visited a carnival by the pier, took some pictures and then sat on the beach and read my book whilst watching the sun set out in the horizon. it was such a serene moment as i sat there and reflected on my travels so far and everything that i have been fortunate enough to see not only in california but in the U.S through all the experiences and people ive met, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore and the breeze in my hair together with the chirping of birds and laughter of children from far away provided the perfect setting!

i reached the hostel just in time to catch a group of people heading out to the bars for a pub crawl, put on some clothes quickly and headed out with them where i met a couple of ppl from australia, brazil, UK, Indonesia and had a great time with all of them! what a great way to end my trip to L.A.
i head for San Fran the next morning...and from all the things ive heard of this place, you cannot even begin to IMAGINE how excited i was!!!
problem was i still didnt have a place to stay!!.....stay tuned!!

day 2 episode 2!!

2009-07-18T03:26:00.001-05:00

Travelogue Day 2 Episode 2

It was a fantastic way to start the day, the excursion. I reached the hostel at around 1 and bummed around for about 20 minutes, cooling down from the heat outside. I had googled 'must-do's at san fran'(remember my night at the airport?)and almost every search pointed me in the direction of this one Getty Musuem and its Free. So i decided to infuse some culture into my trip, my intellectual fix and head down to spend the next couple of hours there. Jack came along and so we rode to bus. the directions told us that it would take an hour to get there but due to certain unfortunate circumstances- standing on the wrong side of the road watching our bus drive away, reliance on my phone's GPS that almost made us walk 3.5 miles back when we were already right in front of the Musuem's entrance, we finally arrived at the musuem at half past 3.

Oh right, first about the museum.In their own words, what they offer is a collection of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present against a backdrop of dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens, and breathtaking views.It houses European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts, and European and American photographs.
i think many youngins oversee this place because its a Musuem and we all know that they can get pretty dry sometimes. but this one right here is a whole different story. to get there, we had to ride a tram(FREE) that runs from the entrance all the way up the hill where the musuem is. the view in and of itself was just gorgeous. situated atop a hill overlooking most of LA. Refreshing gusts of wind constantly blew in our faces, adding to the already Beautiful hot sunny day! The architecture of that place was remarkable, the gardens, there was an air of sophistication that permeated the place and i felt priviliged to be there.
However,the place closes at 5, so with an hour and a half in mind we grabbed a quick bite at the outdoor cafe and began our exploration. We first went to the gallery with art from the Renaissance period and briefly breezed through, stopping periodically to feign admiration for certain artwork.

We ventured through different time periods made fun of the men in dresses that are depicted in many paintings, went to the photographs section

walked around the gardens,

watched a weird group of ppl staring at the walls( we think they were confused and thought that every part of the musuem is art)- so we stared at the walls too but there really wasnt anything special about them. we also looked at various sculptures situated all over the museum.

This place really is a gem and its FREE. There are open air spaces outside the gallery that connects into the other parts of the museum

walked around a bit more but there really wasnt enough time to see everything.

stairway to heaven.

so that was the end of our musuem trip. If u ever get a chance to visit San Fran dont forget the Getty Musuem.
that is not the end of our day though! haha..
We had planned on riding the bus back and getting off at all these different neighbourhood of the rich and famos. but we waited at the bus stand for 30 minutes and it never showed up! friggin A! im really hating the transportation system here. so we decided to walk, considering that they didnt look that far off while on the bus here.. the keywords here being on the "BUS" ride here. we walked. and walked. and walked. then walked some more. and a lil more. and then we reached...

we find ourselves on the wrong side of the road and there were no pedestrian walking to get to the other end and on top of that cars were just speeding by at 100 mph, so we did the most natural thing. we RAN ACROSS The FREAKING ROAD!! after we were done snooping around, we realized that there werent any path to walk on our side and had to RUN through the crazy road again! and we walked..and walked... its been 2 hours since we left the museum.

we finally see a bus and hopped on but a block or so later we saw .....

and MJ's house! so we got off the bus.

there were yellow tapes that blocked of entry into the street but there were reporters and many other people who were outside. it felt very surreal to think that he died just a couple of days before in this very house, and being in the same viccinity of where Mj is. a legend. but then you realize that he is actually dead and youre hit with a pang of sadness. it was a sombre mood.

anyways it was getting late. and so we walked back. for at least another half and hour till we both could not take another step. literally! and we decided to sit and wait at the next bus stop we saw. the time- 9.30 at night.

4 and a half hours after we left the museum. we got back to the hostel at quarter past 10 and crashed. i slept like a baby!
that was the end of day 2!!
i LOVE L.A!
travel tip: just because it looks close on a map, it isnt necessarily so in real life!

day 2!!

2009-07-18T03:23:00.002-05:00

Travelogue Day 2 Episode 1!!
If day one was eventful, day 2 was even crazier!
started of the day hungover from last night, but not wanting to let it get in the way of my merriment, i took a shower and persevered through! first event of the day. hollywood hills walking excursion! woo hooo!! what can be better than hiking up hills at 10 in the morning with a headache!(i was the only one among the ones who went out the night before who could get up and go on the tour!)
grabbed 2 bottles of water, camera in hand, our tour started from the hostel.
on the way up there i saw flowers!

ooooooooooooohhhh!!
houses!

aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!
backs of people's head!

woaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
and the garden of OZ!

WAIT. WHAT!?!? the GARDEN OF OZ!????
YES my dear baffled friends, the garden of OZ.

what sign? this picture was not taken by my camera. really!

The hollywood sign becoming more and more visible the more we walked.
our tour guide!

hand of god!

goodbye world!!

Hollywood- Los Angeles!

2009-07-18T03:17:00.001-05:00

Travelogue!

Day 1
Destination : Los Angeles!

After a somewhat tiring night at the airport, i was able to catch a shuttle from the airport to my hostel, the rather innovatively named USA hostel. Along the way, i was trying to take in as much of the sights as i can. The houses, the streets, the cars.. honestly at this point as excited as i was, i really just wanted to take a shower and start my day! reached the hostel and before entering, i thought to myself, ' aight daven , this is it. smile and enjoy yourself. ' checked in to my room. nobody was there at that time. all 7 of my roommates werent in. unpacked my clothes, let out a fart, removed my socks.. okay okay i'll narate a little quicker. i heard a key fumbling around in the door knob and in comes a british girl whos name i cant remember anymore. we talked for a bit and she headed back out again.Before i could enter the shower another kid walks in. his name was Jack, from the UK as well and he seemed like a pretty cool kid.
When i was done freshening up, the two of us decided to head out on to hollywood Street and check out the place.. you know HOLLYWOOD. The glam, the red carpet, the flashes of camera, the walk of fame. i fully expected it to be dazzling and shining and mesmerizing with all the thrills of star power, but i was greeted by ordinariness... mc donald's wrapper sweeping the walkway, stains of all sorts all over the pavement, and most surprisingly, the hundreds of people stepping all over these 'stars'. there was nothing special about them. but everytime i walk these streets, my eyes just cant help but wander to the ground trying to find for names of celebrities i might know. did you know that one star costs 25 000 dollars and there are 5 categories of the stars, movies,musicals,theatre, and two others i forgot, and the latest star was that of cameron diaz!

And then i found the most glamorous name of all. the all mighty princess.. the wonderfully, spectacularly tragic star of pop princess ......

and i just had to get down on my knees and get a picture.

the first day i pretty much explored hollywood boulevard, saw the kodak theatre, the chinese theatre which is probably the biggest movie cinema ive every been in and the many other sights of hollywood.

at the ripleys musuem with the worlds tallest man!

the KODAK THEATRE!! american idol!! ahhhhhhhhhh!! *faints*

see the long line of ppl across the street. television crew, fans both tourists and locals, just everyone lining up to get a glimpse of michael jacksons star. it was the weekend that he died and there were flowers, cards, candles all adorned along his star- pretty much covered his entire star but people still stood in line.

the chinese theatre
and then there were the many street performers!

and of course....

BARNEY!

in the evening went to a barbeque dinner at the hostel and after that while we were supposed to go on a limo tour with a bunch of ppl from the hostel , jack and i didnt know that we were all to meet at the lounge, so our spots were given away. it was a good laugh. we chilled a bit at the hostel then went out to meet with the rest later in the night.

Day one was a day well spent! Hollywood was fun despite its unglamorous appearance!

a concoction of fairy tales

2009-07-09T11:51:00.002-05:00

Raj means heaven in croatian!

isnt that just wonderful. hello family and fellow readers of my blog. i know it has been a while since i last wrote but here i am. worry not now :).
if youre wondering how am i doing. im doing great!
if youre wondering where am i now. im in California in the University of Berkeley.
if youre wondering where have i been? ive travelled to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

travels have been great! san francisco and LA are truly amazing. they seem so different from the rest of the US and i LOVE it!
ive met so many people from around the world and many whom have travelled to malaysia. they all seem to love it!

4th of july is when americans celebrate their independence and i was in San Francisco watching the fireworks that night. it was beautiful! and there were just thousands and thousands of ppl everywhere! i watched it from the bay area so it was even more beautiful with the ocean in the background.

i hope you are all doing great whereever you are. know that im thinking of you and that i miss you all.
god bless.
daven

happy birthday to you! happy birthday to you!!

2009-06-10T22:13:00.003-05:00

dad.

do you know that i have a HUGE fear of needles? do you also know that the one person i trust with sticking a needle in my veins is you. stability, assurance and trustworthiness. dad youre all that and more.

People ask me why im always so happy and positive. im certain i acquired that from you. youre presence only adds to the joys of those around you and it makes me smile knowing that my dad is my role model.

I'm so glad that last year i got to spend your birthday with you and the family! every year that im away, every year that i grow older, every year that our ties as father and son age just a little more, we have learned to be a better father and a better son, and like wine as it gets better with age; the essence of your being shines brighter and brighter with age. heres to another year in your life 'pa'.

i appreciate everything that you do. Happy 56th birthday! and may the angels bless your day with all the happiness in the world!

i love you!

happy mummy's day!

2009-05-10T15:32:00.002-05:00

Mother.
every day. i thank the gods.
for this amazing life.
every morning. i wake up with a smile on my face.
all the good i do. all the beauty in this world.
all my aspirations and inspirations.
it all started with you, in your heart, with your love,
im forever grateful that i as your son, can have in this lifetime, the honor of your love as a mother.
because it has lit my darkest days and illuminated my brightest mornings.
you care with no limits, you are the one, the only , my never failing pillar.
i love you.
happy mothers day 'ameh'.

.your son.

hello everyone

2009-05-10T09:43:00.003-05:00

some pictures from chicago~

i just came back from chicago. and it was so much fun!
saw so many things.
Also know that i am safe here. that i am not infected by the swine flu. that the situation here is being handled real well and i have been keeping myself informed on any new findings. reminds me of when malaysia was hit by the JE virus a couple of years ago.

i also found out that i wont be able to graduate next may because of the financial crisis, the university and state are taking budget cuts and so the classes i need to graduate arent being offered till next fall, so i have to be here a semester longer. but no worries, its all good.

finals are this coming week. boy am i nervous. i hope it goes by fast! and then CALIFORNIA HERE I COME! summer plans = study for a month here in eau claire. and a month and a half summer course in University of Berkeley, California!

i really would love to update some more, but i have to get going on my paper now. heres a fairly recent picture of me!.....

i kid... haha heres a real picture of me!

viennese ball workshop..2 days!

2009-04-03T00:19:00.000-05:00

LOL IM ALL OVER CAMPUS!!

March Madness~

2009-04-02T03:45:00.005-05:00

i think....
its time for an UPDATE!!!

the last time i wrote something, i was incredibly sick and its been a while since then. glad to say i am recovered and fully functioning now! i had to miss all 5 of my exams and got the week to rest. the week after the exams was spring break so that sorta gave me 2 weeks of rest which was EXACTLY what i needed. this year i did not do anything during spring break. stayed in the dorms and practically laid around doing nothing! the week after spring break was probably the busiest week of my life besides finals week. i had to stay up night after night to get all my readings and assignment done plus i had to make up for all the missed tests from before break. i had spent more than 40 hours in the library in that one week.
.
i only had one thing to look forward to..and that was my 21st BIRTHDAY that friday midnight/saturday morning! was with about 60 of my friends and we partied.. saturday morning i woke up and called home and spoke to everyone for quite a bit. especially sashi.

then i went to a really nice restaurant and had really amazing food and also ordered my first legal glass of wine to go with my meal.

spent saturday afternoon at a university event called teas of the world. i went shoppin downtown for a while, walking around with a friend. then i went home to prepare for the night. i showered and at night i called another friend and we both went to another posh restaurant for dinner. and we ordered more wine. i celebrated my bday exactly the way i wanted to. with a little bit of everything! at night i went out to party again! on sunday i had to teach dance at two to tango and the president Kristine turns 21 too! so she made 4cakes for the entire club members- and i got to cut my cake!! yay!

.
now just an update of everything that has been going on.
- i got the Resident Assistant job. a dream come true. Resident Assistants (R.A's) are basically students living in the halls who are there to supervise and care for a wing of residents..sorta like the boss of the floor. and this entitles me to free food and boarding. saves me $5000 dollars in school fees!

-ive been nominated for a student leadership award.
The Samuel T.L. Larsen Memorial Award honors the memory of a UW – Eau Claire student who passed away in summer 2004 in a kayaking accident. This award recognizes a student who demonstrates outstanding character, enthusiasm for life, active involvement in leadership activities, a broad interest in various programs, and a general concern for fellow students, faculty, and staff. Nominees must be in good academic standing and be registered both semesters of the current academic year. One student will be awarded $500.

- today i got back a political science essay exam and i got an A in the class.

- my face is all over campus. my dance group are holding a viennese ball workshop this coming saturday and they used a picture of my friend shari and i dancing to grace the cover of the posters. so there we are all over campus. i might just mail a few home. the Viennese Ball Workshop is our annual fundraiser and as the vice president im in charge of organizing it. so far we have more than 60 people scheduled to attend. thats about 700 dollars that we have raised so far! i'll be so tired this saturday after 5 hours of dancing!

- student senate elections are coming up! it'll be my 3rd year running as a student senator! elections are on the 13th - 15th of april!

- the school newspaper wants to do a 'student life' cover on me. they basically write a whole page article about me. that would be quite interesting!

thats about all the updates i have for now!!

sick again

2009-03-08T13:14:00.002-05:00

this past thursday, i woke up feeling fine. however as the day progressed,i started developing dizziness, headaches and my throat was surprisingly dry causing me to cough. i could not sleep or study as i had a midterm the next day. that night i was twisting and turning in my bed, i had also contracted the fever.
i woke up friday morning pain jostling through my entire body, managed to drag myself to the phone out in the hallway and call university health service to make an appointment. got myself tested and they diagnosed me with having the common cold. and told me to go take tylenol.. which btw is the 'panadol' here...everybody takes tylenol.
so i went home and took the tylenol... my condition just worsened throughout the day and night. saturday morning i coughed up some blood and i felt like rippin my throat apart.on my friends advice i went to a local private clinic.. and they did some more lab tests on me and found out that i had come down with influenza type B. my fever had rised to 38.6 C and my heart was beating really fast according to the doctor. he prescribed some medications..which came up to 161 dollars!!!!!was in the clinic for 2 and a half hours.

went back home..had a muffin and took the pills..one is called tamiflu the other vicodin. i took them both an hour apart. i went to the bathroom to catch a drink of water and was stumbling all over. almost fell out on the hallway.. managed to reach my room and crashed on my bed..... around midnight i woke up and started vomitting...all the water that ive drank earlier.
my stomach muscles were contracting so bad it hurt! woke up this morning and i feel a little better. read the drugs side effects...both of it causes dizziness and vommitting. i feel a lil just a lil better now..its going to take about a week. and i have 5 exams to study for..
wish me all the best

february updates!

2009-03-01T23:58:00.003-06:00

to my brothers,
all of you are missed dearly,
everyday.
i sometimes sit and wonder what each of you could be doing that exact moment.sashi training in his new found interest of thai kick boxing, sohar either on the internet or dancing like a maniac to the beats of techno music, and rakis as always on his game machines! especially now that he's gotten a Nintendo Wii!!
and then i realized ive spent forever doing nothing but smiling nonetheless.
thinking of my family makes me happy.

i wish i could pick a book at any random day and read to rakis or rose. 15 miinutes a day is all it takes to make a difference. dont let the rush of the day keep you from stepping back and taking it all in. the moment, the faces, the taste of the food youre eating.. soak it in!

i guess if theres one thing i wish for this post is to let you know that there are bigger things than the materialistic needs of human beings. let loose and be merry!

i got a new haircut!

dance master!~~

2009-02-23T11:23:00.001-06:00

2009-02-21T02:35:00.002-06:00

and so it was.... an amazing night!
my american dream come true!
you know how when immigrants come to america, they come with the hopes of one day living the american dream, a life rid of misery and sadness , filled with joy and laughter.
i came to america to vote!!
not in the elections.....
but in AMERICAN IDOL!! i think for the longest time, ive been a fan of the show!

anyways the point of my story is..........................
DAVID COOK! the AMERICAN IDOL WINNER FROM LAST SEASON!
CAME TO EAU CLAIRE AND HAD A CONCERT LAST NITE!!

i scored some last minute tix and got two more tickets for my french friends~
the concert started at 8.30 and they waited since 2...so we were pretty much standing at the front of the stage!!

ryan starr was the opening act for david cook!

thats a video of his song titled 11.59

then david cook came! and he was amazing !!
heres a video of him singing- i dont quite know the title of this song.

so after the concert we hung around and chatted with ryan star and his band..they were all crazy fun to talk to! we brought one of the band guys on a tour inside the building.. haha and he followed us.. his crew had to come look for him afterwards.. hahahaha..i thought that was pretty funny!

and sadly david cook did not come out to meet his fans.. but thankfully.. i have been backstage before..and know the way that leads to the back of the building from the stage.. and so we were walking there and true enough.. out comes david cook.. but they didnt let us go see him.. so we snuck out back and went to the front of the tour bus.. there were like 9 of us out there.. and we waited for about 10 minutes.. just when we were about to leave... david cook comes out!! haha..
wooo hoooo.. way to go for not giving up!!! but he was such a nice guy!! haha we were out there talkin for about 30 minutes.. and he signed stuff and took pictures.. and i told him to go to malaysia! and it was coooooldddddddddd!!! haha..
but it was worth it..
my american idol dream came true!! first celebrity in the US of A!!! how appropriate!

i love dancing!

2009-02-20T17:31:00.001-06:00

if you dont know this already, i teach dance at the university.. tonight actually my dance group and i are going to the cities to go salsa dancing. at the start of lessons, us instructors always put on a 'demo' show for the students and i got a friend to record the salsa demo.

here's the salsa vid..

i had a dip in there at the end!! but haha it wasnt on the recording..

anyways.. heres a video of double step swing practice that my friend jordan and i were doin and decided to record.. there were a couple of mistakes in there but it was fun and i decided to post it anyway!~
so dont laugh aighhtt

enjoy~~

smile and make the world arond you happy!

2009-02-01T23:50:00.007-06:00

since i got a call today about my blog address i reckon somebody is going to be reading this in the next few days. with that in mind, i have taken the liberty to post a few pictures from my travels and escapades and enlightened you shall be.

first off pics from that one tv appearance that i did an interview with.
heres a link to the video and website where you can actually see the whole interview..
when u click on this link.
DAVENS ON TV!!! CLICK HERE!!

go to the bottom right of the page and scroll down to where it reads : civil right pilgrimage pt 2.
haha.. i really do not sounds smart in the clip and the camera angel really isnt that flattering.. but then again.... im on TV!!! wooo hoooo haha

snowboarding and winter holidays with ben,ruth and steph.

some random recent picture of my friends and i.

MEXICO! was simply stunning and amazingly beautiful. sunny weather, great food, friendly people. mexico was a treat and a perfect get away from the cold winter weather of eau claire!

and this is the most recent pic of me....taken.... YESTERDAY!! haha..

and so it ends, another day,
as night turns to day and day turns to night,
the stroke of midnight bares upon me here in the states.
the absurdity of time. for it is a new day, a new hour, a new second. and like its past minutes, can never be reclaimed.
hence i bid adieu to all of you, while i retreat to the comfort of my bed, serenaded to sleep by my nightingale.

p.s- have no idea why the poem at the end! haha struck by a minute of poetic amusement. good night is all it says!
hav a great day everyone

hope. dont lose them.

2009-01-14T11:15:00.002-06:00

happy new year everybody!!
aspire to be the best that you can be!!
a new year, a new beginning , the start of many more adventures and memories. as far as resolutions go, i want to focus more on my personal development and truly find myself despite the insanely busy schedule.
.
health wise- i've taken to follow a diet and exercise routine a friend of mine has designed especially for me in helping me get my 6 pack abs.
.
education wise- im taking the maximum 18 credits and really want to raise my G.P.A to a 3.5 at least.
.
spiritually i want to do some soul searching and see where i want to be in a few years in every aspect of my life.
on a different note, the presidential inaugaration is in a few days when presidfential elect barack obama takes over as the first black president of the united states. im so glad to be here to witness history in its making.
also on a different subject, i just got back from beautiful sunny mexico and experienced one of the most fun vacation. the people, the culture, the food, the scenery! mexico definitely inspired and awed me.

before mexico i went to the twin cities(minneapolis/st paul) in minnesota and met up with ben, ruth and their other brother steph. it was nice meeting up with all of them after almost 2 years. we also went snowboarding in Wasau which is a city east of eau claire. after 5 hours of snowboarding my whole body ached for the next couple of days!

and so here i am back in my room in my dorm after more than 2 weeks of vacations. a friend of mine asked me last nite if i wanted to go to chicago this weekend. i just might take up her offer on that.

classes start on the 26th of january. im all anxious for this semester.i hope i can juggle everything and balance my life.
thats all from me this time!
lets all celebrate 09 with style and keep it classy all year long. good luck in everything.
lots of love.
daven

hellos and goodbyes. a passing moment?

2008-12-10T05:16:00.001-06:00

LAST two to tango of the semester!!
taught viennese waltz and loved it!
then we took some group photos!
with the other instructors and members~

exams are next week! yikes! wish me luck folks!

hollering out to the other side of the world!

2008-12-07T09:47:00.006-06:00

this is me now. i got another 2 piercings on both sides of my ears.

october 6th was such a long time ago.
it was also when i last updated the blog!

that means a whole 2 months of updates, unfortunately i have exams coming up in the next week and i wont be able to do it.
but heres a gist of whats been going on with me.

30th october- halloween 2008- i was genie/aladdin and won a costume party! haha click on pictures to enlarge

two to tango - the dance club that i teach at, we had a huge dance event. and it was a great success!

thats me in the middle of my lesson! haha

thanksgiving was last week. it was incredible.thanksgiving is a national holiday here. what it is essentially is a time for families to get together and cook up a feast and spend all day together. there was a historical even that brought about these holiday, something about american indians ( the native people) and the loss of their land but the details are vague in my mind.
my friend samantha lee invited me to spend thanksgiving with her and her family. there was sooo much foooooddd... we played games, talked, watched a movie, and just hung out and had a good time.

well thats about all the updates i have for now. exams are just aorund the corner wish me luck yah!!
also i heard that the UPSR results are out. the one of many flaws of malaysia's education is its emphasis on the number of A's one gets. tsk tsk. nobody is going to be good at everything. i hate how the whole system just eludes the notion of recognizing students who are gifted in other area's like arts or sports. all schools and colleges here have scholarships for athletics and music whereas back home you only get scholarships if you have 16 As which i find absolutely ridiculus!
well thats my little rant for the day.
what i wanted to say is :
CONGRATULATIONS EVERYBODY (all my lil cousins)
whatever results you got. im proud of you. and if youve put in effort , then whether you got the results you wanted or not; be proud of yourself!

oooh happy anniversary my lovable parents and happy birthday bro!

peace out folks.
lots of love
your american wonderboy!

mission failed!

2008-10-06T23:34:00.004-05:00

bungee jumping would have been great if only it werent raining and they hadnt closed it early!!
and so i hear that some of you still visit my blog. good it doesnt defeat the entire purpose of me starting it in the first place.
my lack of sleep last night has made my entire day miserable!
i could not concentrate on anything and so tonight at 11.30 im heading to bed and saying goodbye to all you beautiful people back home.

rekindled love

2008-10-01T23:52:00.003-05:00

october 1st 2008.
i got to call back home today.
Time just seems to go by so quickly that weeks and months fade away just like that.
rakis speaks with such fluency now i was astounded for a while. love. i love that kid like no other!

mum and dad's voices were such a great delight. struck by a wave of nostalgia, wishing i could run to them and hug them as tight as i can.

the other brothers were not at home..unfortunately. i wonder how they are doing now. i hear sashi is now staying in the hostel of his college, and sohar was at his friends house when i called.

i guess here's when i update everybody on my life thousands of miles away second time around.
fall started with the new international students and being a peer guide to them.i'm so thankful that im able to meet the most beautiful, intellectual people,many here on scholarships and an earnest will to study and embrace a whole new experience altogether.
then classes started and life just progressed a good 15 times faster.
ive yet to take a walk down the park which i frequented so often last year.
ive yet to finish the book which i was reading in summer- with only a few pages left.
i've not been able to analyze things for how it is. and i need to constantly take a step back to look at how things are going so i dont lose my personal goal of living every minute of life.

but i've also accomplished so many things so early on this year academic wise, activities wise forging good healthy relationship wise.
the new undeclared students club is now underway, and it makes me happy to be able to help others even if it is just in helping them choose a major.

work has been truly amazing. just what i wanted.a job i could walk away knowing i've learned something.

i've been at the library more times than i have ever in the past, so thats definitely a good thing.

and i've been thinking about my career and where i see myself a few years down the road, and i wont say that my views have changed cause i've never been a close minded person to begin with, but it certainly has expanded so vastly, i can proudly say im a global thinker, though i reckon labeling myself that just made me lose intelligent points. i'm considering continuing my studies to include international law after i've graduated with my law degree here- working with an intergovernmental organization for a cause.

my friends here have been great. i really couldnt ask for more.
and in the spirit of randomness i've pierced my lips, and shaved my head to a centimeter of hair.
i'm going bungee jumping this weekend .

an acquaintance of mine wants to interview me for an article in the school newspaper. its called ...the life-story of.. and its a one page article of well..me. will let you know if i do it.

but not to make this post too long, i am doing well. i wish i hear from everybody back home more though, just leave me a quick mail or a short message or a voicemail on my phone. i think about all of you all the time.
take care mum, dad, bros, sisters, grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, family and any other readers of this post.

my american family including my host bro from malaysia.
truly,
daven

an 80's party.

2008-08-24T10:25:00.001-05:00

a 80s themed party.

one week old

2008-08-23T19:54:00.002-05:00

i guess theres no way in telling how or what or where the future takes you. sometimes when i feel lost, i take a moment to reflect and explore all the possibilities. but then there are times when there are these urges that can only be fulfilled by acting upon them, you know, seizing the moment, living life, having that rush of adrenaline pumping through your veins.

hang in there i have a reason for saying what i just said.

its been a week since ive been back in america.im still having jet lag where i cant sleep at nite and only in the evenings and sometimes not even then. so im fatigued most afternoons. met up with my host family once, everybody loved their gifts which makes me happy.

well long story short. i am doing well just for everyone to know.
back to where i began this post. i decided to do something yesterday just for the fun of it..

can you tell the difference~

and so it starts again

2008-08-15T00:45:00.001-05:00

....IM IN AMERICA....
unfortunately there has been a delay in my flight. so i'll only resume flying to VEGAS in the morning... its going to be a longgggg nightt...

19 days till i leave

2008-07-26T07:16:00.005-05:00

sometimes a simple wish of a son is to have his family by his side.
sometimes a kid goes to extremes to feel noticed.
sometimes when we dwelve into our quite little world wondering where is everyone, we just simply need that 'hello' greeting.
sometimes we are so consumed with earning, with work, with taking care of the future, we ignore the present, we ignore the people that matter, we forget to love.
sometimes he cries alone in his room.
sometimes he talks to himself.
sometimes he plays with the shadows he sees etched on the walls. he is lonely.
sometimes that little girl longs for the mother she has never met.
sometimes that little girl gets up to something bad.
sometimes that little girl sits there smiling up at you thinking you are her world.and then you melt.
sometimes they come home late at night; when all their children are fast asleep.
sometimes they make plans for the family; but work pulls them away.
sometimes it frustrates them; and then they give up.
i long for the family i love.
i long for time together.
i long for a great getaway....away from work
away from distractions.. away from worries.
i long to be a family under one heart not the roof above.

now. i want it now.this day now. not tommorow. not the day after.....

fever, go away u abominable disease.

2008-05-04T14:33:00.003-05:00

i dont remember ever being this sick.
ive been throwing up all night, every part of my body hurts. throw in the diorrhea and thats how terrible it is.
i dont mean to scare anyone. its a severe case of food poisoning i assume.
yesterday was the festival of nations at the twin cities, and i had nepalese food, whose undigested rice came gushing through my nose and mouth.
i'm so dizzy, i've been in bed all day. having myself an energy drink now.
hope i get better. pray for me family.

namaste

2008-04-30T13:38:00.003-05:00

indians have one of the most unique cultures and food, refered to many here as exotic and interesting, i've come to appreciate so much of what my culture has to offer, from its languages,clothes, to its extremely flavorful food!
mmm mmmm mmmm my tongue longs for the taste of indian cuisines.
here's what daven craves for today!

NASI BRIYANI

and my all time favorite dessert!!!!! mummy i know you know this:

GULAB JAMUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

talking bout a good time! 19 days!

2008-04-28T10:23:00.007-05:00

another one of those dreary days where snow starts falling even afer its way past winter and wayyyyy into spring. yes.. its the 29th of april and its still snowing here in wisconsin. everybody thought we'd seen the last of it, but nooo it sneakily seeps its way into EC!
okay i went to Madison this past saturday! and it was soo beautiful..well not beautiful, just huge and modern and their campus is wayyyyy better than ours...and they have a separate building for everything! however its super expensive too..bout $14 000 per semester..and i dont think i'd trouble mum and dad to do that!
i met up with stephanie a friend from high school. we had such a great time together.

yesterday we had a barbeque thingy at the backyard of Towers( my residence hall). my fingers are all swollen from the coldness of the weather and the heat from the grill..
well guess what??
19 more days!
todays craving, taman rasna's deliciously yummy BAh KUT TEH! I am definitely turning into a pig once i get back!!

23 days ! my love!!

2008-04-24T22:30:00.003-05:00

there's this small restaurant in pJ that has amazing chicken rice. the combination of chicken, roasted and steamed,tender cha siew strips, a bowl of meat ball soup, served with delicious chili sauce and sweet black sauce over a plate of steamed white rice. heavenly delights await me in 23 days!
i CANT wait!!

if only soon was sooner

2008-04-23T00:33:00.004-05:00

i was sitting in class today and i started to salivate, my mouth craving for a taste that seemed familiar 'once upon a time' ago.

PRAWN SAMBAL

i day-dreamt a meal today. good news is 24 days and i'll be back home in the comfort of my favourite foods!!

birthday celebrations!

2008-04-14T23:32:00.000-05:00

viennesse ball ~ eau claire style!~

2008-04-14T22:56:00.001-05:00

so i just had two awesome nights of dancing at the viennese ball at my university.
it was spectacular!! sooo much fun. just a couple of pics i got from friends!

you owe me one!

2008-04-13T23:35:00.002-05:00

so this monkey a.k.a brother of mine told me to write him an essay for some admissions purpose entitled my life and family.and so i did :P

This is the story of my 15 years of existence. My earliest memory dates back to when i was 4 and my brothers were arguing over who gets to buy the latest edition of the Nintendo Gameboy.Within me, as i saw the squabble before my eyes, grew a deep longing for the object of their desire and so i did what any brilliant 4 year old would do; i cried. The significance of this story is that it was all about me, i was the youngest of three children and for the most part of my story i got what i wanted.
Then it changed. But before i go into that i shall introduce my two older brothers. My eldest brother, sashi 'the cool' raj is in short- cool. His every move, i try to emulate. From the way he's dressed to the way his hair is styled even to how he always ties the knots on his left shoe before his right. Then there's daven 'the braniac' raj. Smart as smart can be, he is the brains of the family. He is smart and handsome( definitely, we all are) except that we never and still dont get along. And then there's me, yours truly. ive always been called the cutest of all 3 babies, so im guessing i am the 'looks' in this family. But then reminiscing back to my brilliant act i pulled as a 4 year old, i sure do feel smart.
As i was saying earlier, life was a heavenly bliss until i turned 8. Another boy came into the household. At that time( to me at least) mummy was getting bigger and bigger by the month and one day she went to the hospital and came back with this thing called my younger brother. His name is rakis and he started becoming the belle of every party, the attention getter. I disliked him, but he helped me grow into the young 16 year old man that i am now.My family and i, we handle ourselves well.After all my dad always quoted the honorable ghandi that "we have to be the change we want to see in the world." This is my story and i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed tellling it.

its a beautiful world!

2008-03-31T01:09:00.000-05:00

back from spring break!

2008-03-25T12:05:00.002-05:00

so i just came back from a civil rights trip and i cannot express to all of you how much it has affected me. will write a post on that soon but first a couple of pictures from the amazing trip..well its just pictures of my friends and i..not so much bout the trip.:P

i have to tell you, escaping wisconsins blistering cold to head down south was such a great decision on my part! (pats self on shoulder)...i was reminded of malaysia's weather as the sun shone summery heat on our skins, except that its better. i still despise the sun though. however it was quite the sight seeing all my wisconsinites laying out in throngs whenever,wherever the sun shone trying to get a tan. however due to my wonderfully tanned skin i would much rather hide in the shade enjoyin the cool breeze.

okay till next time just thought that i should update before i head out to shower then to class..love ya guys! hugs and kisses
daven

my dorms- towers north

2008-03-25T11:58:00.002-05:00

so everyday i have to walk down the "HILL" to get to class..join me family and friends as i make my way up the crazy hill the last day of classes before spring break. it was such a beautiful day, with blessings of sunshine on the otherwise cold wisconsin day.

lets dance lets dance

2008-03-10T23:08:00.002-05:00

just a couple of my international friends and i outside the theatres..one sunday night ! haha!

me yesterday

2008-02-20T16:21:00.002-06:00

yesterday was voting day! for the primaries in the US presidential election!
this picture was taken in front of the campus mall. which is basically the place where there is a clock tower on campus.
well hello and goodbye!

immmm backkkkkk

2008-02-18T10:33:00.005-06:00

hello and good morning everyone.
its a wonderful monday morning and arent we all excited to start the week!!?
first of all...happy birthday mommy! you are the wonderful-est,sweetest,caring-est,beautiful-est person in the world! hope you had a wonderful day!

secondly, im finally done with my Resident Assistant job interviews. will know if i get the job in march.
i met presidential candidate barrack obama on saturday. it has to be the single most amazing speech i've heard in my life. almost brought me to tears.
the charisma, the personality, the reasons and fights he stand for.
for all the non-political readers out there, i also met superman's actor brandon routh last thursday. and KUMAR from HAROLD&KUMAR Goes To White Castle.

finally went to a party after such a long time of being in the dorms. its still snowing out and unfortunately today i am not dressed for the snow, so im looking to freezing my butt of when i go outside.!!

well i've got to run to class in 10 minutes so i'll end today's post with latest pictures of yours truly..

co be mua dong

2008-02-13T00:54:00.004-06:00

hi everybody! its been sometime since i last blogged here so i thought i would just update tonight right before going to bed!
so today was the host family valentines day potluck dinner! and many of the international students were there, anddddd yours truly together with a friend..decided to ........sing!
and i sang a vietnamese song!
i had such a fun time! and just for your viewing pleasure, im attaching the videos here on the blog. hope all of you have fun. i went way off pitch once the entire song and youd prolly be able to tell when..but enjoy and dont complain!
it was so nice to meet my host family after bout a month and a half!
the videos will be in sequential order. oh and the microphone decieded to suddenly not work!

so the first video will be that of my friend introducing and explaining the song in english to everyone. its pretty hilarious...

watch out for the bit at the end, i taught monica a cool move right before the performance.

next we have the ending of the song..:)

finally!......look at how monica runs away!

and thats the end of it! i love you family.
and i love my time here! im just making the best out of every opportunity!

2008-02-04T21:29:00.000-06:00

walked by a preschool today, i miss the noise that surrounds the entire house, my entire life- of the kids fighting and crying and screaming and laughing. now its all just .....different.

the things i'd do for money!

2008-02-03T23:52:00.000-06:00

guess what was in my mail!!

come on take a closer look

-Opens Envelope-

OH YEAHHHH!!! my PAYCHECK FOR 25 dollars for setting up flyers on tables all over campus!

didnt i tell you the things i'd do for money!
oh by the way it was ruth's birthday last week on the 28th of january, got to talk to her and shes doing okay over there in nebraska.

its still so cold out!

2008-02-02T13:39:00.000-06:00

me familia! ?de donde eres?
mum and dad. i think we should book my ticket back home soon, so that the ticket price aint too expensive. by the way im really looking forward to returning home to meet everyone. all the "koli curry and mutton varaval and chinese food and briyani and everything else!!"
and definitely...NASI lEMAK!!
ama thaye ( oh my mother )
so if ive not mentioned this before, there are two new malaysian students who came in january. ones from klang! ( what are the odds of that) half way across the globe and i run into someone who comes from not only the country but the area i live!!
and the other is from subang!
im doing pretty good in my spanish class. so put that in the list of languages i know!
i just found out its soo much cheaper to send stuff here to malaysia. my friend delivered a parcel for 13$. such a rip off living in malaysia and having mail sent!
i need to DANCE! i have such an adrenaline rush just dancing in public. when i come back its gonna be private dance lessons with my previous dance studio 3 times a week until i leave!
teaching dance here has definitely polished my skills..though honestly, i feel that i can do so much more. i wanna join competitions and win trophys and have something that i can boast about later on when im older! *note to self- not wishful thinking*
making dreams become reality!

well i should definitely end here, because im supposed to be working on my resume and i havent started!
till next time family and friends!

NEW AdDITION!

2008-01-30T13:27:00.000-06:00

hola!
como estas me familia? im learning spanish this semester and its been going good.
just a word out. theres been a new addition to this blog. its an audio segment on the left hand side of the page, click the play button and voila, theres me speaking! haha
again im just throwing it out for you guys, listen or not its up to you.:P
well i think i better get ready for class now.
have a good wednesday everybody!
love
daven

thiz is mee

2008-01-29T00:14:00.001-06:00

listen

2008-01-22T23:15:00.000-06:00

home away from home!
my classes are so hectic..well it isnt actually..but its going to be. tommorow i have 4 classes..and lots of other appointments.
busy busy busy.
well hows everyone back home doing? sometimes i feel like im ranting on and on to myself. with only haritha occasionaly responding. i want to know whats happening with everyone?
oooh i heard today is thaipusam..well tell me if we frequented the batu caves this year?
hows rakis doing at home?

well love to chat..but i have to wake up early for class tommorow..and have to go around the college giving flyers for 25 dollars. the things id do for money.
college life is so underpaid. i feel that the government should pay us for going to school and not otherwise.
much love,
your american dream

i need you

2008-01-19T10:25:00.000-06:00

my best friend emily singing!

hows everybody doing?

2008-01-18T14:51:00.000-06:00

hello everyone. winterim is over!
ive got 3 days off before classes start.
international students orientation went on all week. met a couple of new friends from all over the world. the days just keep getting colder and colder and i love sitting in and watching the snow outside because its just so pretty.

will be having mexican food tonight with friends. also...AMERricAN idol has started! which means i get to VOTE!! talk about the best things in life here.
anyways..im going to get some rest nowww..hugs..
love
daven

updates on studies.

2008-01-15T14:02:00.000-06:00

i had an A for my mid term exam. 2 mistakes..out of 50 questions..i expected 1 ! but anyways..i'm soo satisfied! and my speech went really well today. will get my grades tommorow. hopefully i get an A in it..pretty confident about it. 70 percent of course done with. thursday ive another speech - a group presentation and my final exam on friday and then im done!
ive had 3 speeches..and 3 sleepless nights.
but it has paid off..im doing real well in the class.
family youre an inspiration.

you ? me ? lets celebrate!

2008-01-08T11:16:00.000-06:00

when you are a kid. you tell your parents everything.
as you enter adolescent, you tell them nothing.
when you become an adult, you TALK.

funny how i would never have opened up my life to family before this whereas previously blogs were only for friends. distance does make the heart fonder.
:)

im still finding a way to send rakis's present. but im afraid the "overly competent" malaysian immigration officers might deem it a danger to national security and make quick bucks by the infamous form of accepting bribes ( which mum and dad, if it comes down to, i expect to do so)

on another note,
winter is still going strong though i must say the weather has warmed up to negative 1 degrees.however they say the worst is yet to come.
as you all may or may not know, i had wonderfully signed myself up for winter classes whilst many laze their days off.

the class : fundamentals of speech.
progress : an A for the first speech.
comments : you have no idea how good it feels to be more coherent than american
students.

tommorow is my next speech. so im crossing my fingers and praying for the best.

i went to the mall a few days ago. and i saw... COATS and SWEATERS i WANT! a CK jacket worth $189 dollars, and 2 other sweaters around $60 dollars. my eyes went O_O
cause they look so nice! i wanna splurge on these 3 clothes! HINT HINT HINT mum!!!!

and barb and dave if you reading this..THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR THE SWEATER on christmas. LOVING IT!!

friends and i!! i said just FRIENDS! dont start assuming and spreading gossips around. :P
have a great day everyone

good morning world!

2008-01-05T11:47:00.000-06:00

hello and a happy new year everybody!
a new year - a new start
i'll try updating more but first, my christmas celebration and end year partying.
christmas was simply amazing. it was everything i expected -from all the white of snow and sparkle of lights, the visiting of family and sumptious food! the meals, the music, the festivities..
today im inspired to write. music has always been a big part of my life. helps me get in touch with my senses and memories. connecting my past, present and future. hearing a song can transport me way back to my childhood days and i can suddenly remember all these things- what i was doing, who i was with, how i was feeling.
music just makes life so interesting. and it feels good to atttach a song to fragments of life and its events.from childhood lullabies (mums never ending ariraro version of putting us to sleep) i can still hear her voice going arirarirariarirararo..makes me smile thinking about it. to know that for 23 years that song has gone from my elder brother, to me then to the younger ones. :). from the soothing sounds of lullabies to serenading songs that reminds us of our first love. music completes the little cracks in our lives so what you waiting for, grab a CD, turn on the radio- let your life be filled with music and find your song.

love
daven

happy birthday RAKIS boiiiii!! i love you

2007-12-19T17:38:00.000-06:00

i'll be sitting for the last of my final exam tommorow. im gonna bust my brains studying tonight. tommorow i'll also be going for my first job interview..
to work as a.........................toilet cleaner!
hahahahhaha im kidding..although it is the highest paying job in college, mum and dad has eternally forbade me from ever working as a toilet cleaner. truth be told i dont even know what my job entails..i think it has something to do with telephones and making calls.

this is the most i've wanted to come back home. having to miss rakis's birthday is miserable!!! i called rakis yesterday when no one was at home and we talked for about half an hour. it made my day.

well i guess im just updating to let everyone know that im doing great..and i'll be spending my christmas with dave and barb. and exams are going well. ive been eating like a pig but the holidays are here and im ready to exercise all the fats away. also something really interesting that i found out recently..
im "google-able".. haha just go to google.com and put my name in as davendra raj and see what you get..
senator davendra raj...

well i shouldnt spend so much time on ..i shall leave everyone with a few pictures..
love
daven

first day blues...

2007-12-12T19:00:00.000-06:00

that feeling when your stomach wheels itself a million times over in you and your heart beats just a little bit faster. the same feeling that throughout the years, never leaves you everytime you enter class on the first day..

~...a photograph captures more than an image, it captures a memory, it captures a feeling, it captures a soul...~

hi rakis, if you are reading this. i love you. have a great birthday and smile.

more pictures from chicago

2007-12-01T01:46:00.000-06:00

and this is me NOW!!

highlights of chicago

2007-12-01T00:58:00.000-06:00

chicago!!

2007-11-28T18:35:00.000-06:00

these are just some of the pictures taken with my friends camera..

i bowled a 207 on Monday. i would have gotten a lot more,if my friend didn't accidentally throw my first frame. he got a 9 for me..and then i threw for him and got a strike..

anyways, I'm back from Chicago.it was extremely entertaining.on the journey there, we stopped for mcdonald's breakfast and after breakfast while reversing the bus, our driver backed up into a parked car and dented it bad. on trying to reverse out of the car that it hit, the driver backed up into another car that was parked.it was hilarious.
the first day we were there almost everything was closed - cause it was thanksgiving.the next day we got up as early as 6 in the morning to go shopping. and shopping went amazing. i bought myself winter clothing and lots of scarfs and pants.

on Friday i went to Greek town and had Greek food. that night was the highlight of my whole trip. i went to watch PHANTOM OF THE OPERA- the musical.
it was beyond great.it was spectacular. muy caliente!
on saturday we did a whole lot of sightseeing.visiting the handcock tower, the musuem, this big bean in chicago. and then did more shopping at night.
sunday in the morning we went to the park to see the bean again..then we went shopping and at noon, we sat on a 6 hour bus ride back.

till next time.. i miss all of you..

drops of laughter

2007-11-06T06:27:00.000-06:00

isnt that the cutest or what? hahaha..

you think you know me?

2007-11-06T01:01:00.001-06:00

okay ive been having a great start to the week. so today i experienced snow for the first time..and the surprises dont stop there. during senate meeting, i was named senator of the week, much to my amazement. i had not a single clue that i'd be named senator of the week so that was GREAT..and after senate..we won bowling ..and after bowling i won the assasins game that the people on my floor have been playin for some time now where you get the name of a person youre supposed to "kill" with a sock..and on and on it goes until theres 2 left..and i was one of the last two..and i killed the other guy today!
yes everyone..this is a great start to the week.!! well off to study for math now..much love and hugs..
daven

you wont believe it!

2007-11-05T15:08:00.000-06:00

OMG!! ITS SNOWINGGGG OUTSIDE!!!!!!

snow flakes raining hard from the sky.im soo amazed..im actually short of words right now to describe how i feel..except..its soooo amazing to experince my first snow fall!

LOVE IT!!

daven in the jungle

2007-10-31T00:46:00.000-05:00

okay ive got loads of pictures from my walk down by the park on campus..i might just upload them all into a site and link it here..cause posting them on the blog is taking a lot of time.

well i thought id write a blog post but its getting late..and i better head to bed.got an early start tommorow..

good nite everyone..

love

daven

sunny side up

2007-10-24T01:12:00.000-05:00

just in case any of you have forgotten how i look..heres me....TODAY!!! hahahha
it was suchhh a great and wonderful day! my friend and i went for a walk in the park.

will somebody get me a gun!

2007-10-23T01:59:00.000-05:00

okay the title is just an expressive term nothing real to it whatsoever.

its 2 in the morning, i repeat 2 in the morning.my roommate invited some friends over at midnight without asking me about it first.i have an early class tommorow at 8 which means i'd have to wake up at 6.30 in the morning.i've been tossing and turning,flipping the blanket over my head, covering my ears, finding just about any means to go to sleep but i just cant drown their noise or that of the radio.they finally left but now i just cant sleep, so im here at the computer lab surfing the web praying sleepiness comes over me again.

the guy next door he seems really depressed like suicidal depressed because he's lonely and no one wants to hang out with him.but he's annoying.well thats besides the point.the point is i'd trade just about anything to have a room to myself.as you all can see, the long term effect of this can be rather critical towards my progress here.i just dont feel like reasoning.

i thought i was being anti-social but when i weigh the issue at stake here with my conscience, i find that its not me, its really just about trying to fullfill my dreams. and i dont blame my roommate,i mean he's just a kid,fresh out of highschool,just starting to experience college life. still not gotten over the thrills of his prime teenage years. i guess im just over that period of my life. after all it has been 3 years since im out of high school and my goals are just more clear to me now. and this, family and other readers of my blog, is why too much is never a good thing. i cant spend too much of my time in a room with my roommate.

i thought writing would help with the sleeping, but i guess not, im still wide awake and its 2.20!
i wish, i was in a big house, atop a hill, where i could retreat myself to the confines and seclusion of the rooftop overseeing most of the city and open to the blanket of stars up above. turn on some good classical music,mozart or beethoven and just relax and engage myself in some relaxing alone time. oh wait i just described home!!
my big white castle!
i feel im being too whiny on here and this reflects on a bad image of america.okay fellow readers. i shall handle this on my own from now on and instead blog on the happenings. i got highest again in bowling this week. so my names going to be up on the wall two weeks in a row. and yes i did take a picture of my name on the scoreboard.thats 3 out of 5 weeks that i came out tops. the other two only loosing by a couple of pins.say it with me all..
I ROCKKKK!!!

anybody there?

2007-10-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

i called grandma yesterday to surprise her..

{phone rings}: ring ring ring ring...
grandpa answers: hello.
daven: taTA EPedi iReKingGe? (grandpa how are you)
granpa: pati warange..( grandma's coming)
daven: okay bye...
{waits 2 minutes}
amayi: hello..
daven: HELLO AMAYI!!epedi irekingGe? (HIII grandma how are you?)
amayi: nala irekire. di mana sekarang? (i'm fine.where are you now?)
daven: AMERICA le kupere. (im calling from america)
amayi: tipu,kenapa macam dari rumah? ( you lie,why does it sound like youre calling from home)
daven{bedazzled and confused}: err,betol dari amerika panggil. (its true im calling from america)
amayi: betol? (really)
daven: {oh my god} betul larr...(its true larrr)
amayi: apa khabar? (how are you?)
daven: baik tetapi sejukkkkkk...(good except that its cooolddddd)
amayi: okay bye..
tuut tuuut tuuut tuuuut tuuuut( line gets cut)tuuut tuuut
daven: eh? hello? hello?

AHHAHAHAHAHA that was the weirdest phone conversation ever.

sunken sorrows, silent sobs, stimulating solitary search. so soon.

2007-10-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

-amazed at how i used S to begin all the words of my title.-
its happened again.that feeling i get when i start to shun the people im with..because i feel that im better than them. i look around and perhaps i feel that the tides of my dreams are ebbed by their lack of maturity.

i deserve to be with old people,
talk to them about the good ole days
drinking coffee and reminiscing.
how more perfect can life be?

i cannot leave with a roommate..its fun at first but it gets tiring after a while. im very much into having space and it affects me negatively when im forced to share the tiny room. my days are centered under my lofted bed. this is all the space i feel i own. where my table is, pictures in front of me. personalized to the finesse of my touch. and now he wants to bunk beds. where i take the bottom bunk and he takes top. it allows more space for the room but constricts my personal freedom.i do not feel comfortable living here and he presses me and i feel that he's being pushy and confrontational. not in a rough way no..just so determined it makes me want to say yes just so i can get him to stop.

i guess space isnt that much of a deal for him because he grew up in a family of 9 brothers and sisters, but ive always had a room to myself, always had the bathroom to myself,im compromising so much and if you get even a little clue of how it feels from my perspective, just a little..that malay saying fits like a tee.."berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul." and to quote from a language i dont even like, to start with, is how much im detesting it.

i need a counsellor, and a masseuse, and a personal butler, and a car, and a SMACK TO THE HEAD! im starting to sound deranged! SPACE SPACE SPACE SPACE!! god GRANT ME SPACE!!!

hey is anyone even still reading this..or am i just rambling on and on and on to myself,making me sound more of a lunatic!
i love you family. get me a house and a car and a room to myself.well okay i dun wan the car or the house yet. just a room.

inklings of happiness

2007-10-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

mummy writes: darling why cant mummy get into your americandaven.blokspot.com have you change it.if yes then just sms mummy darling so that mummy can see your face on line darling.take care bye sweety.

daven replies: urmmm....blogspot {^_^}".....

get your freak on!

2007-10-18T21:29:00.001-05:00

i got interviewed today by a newsletter..once i grab hold of the issue i'll try and upload it!
im feeelin goood todayyy!! haha

flipside!

2007-10-17T17:31:00.000-05:00

i've been feeling rather down in the 2 days that have passed.everything is right and yet not right at the same time. i guess ive not actually felt the real impact of being away from home. the celebration of festivities harbour an entirely different feeling in me. well not quite entirely, i just wish for a more real sense of belonging, like to a family..my family. an afternoon of bowling with mum and dad and rakis and sohar.
if im being rather vague, i guess im just avoiding putting up a vulnerable me. on that trip to minneapolis, after all was done and i had to sit the 2 hours ride back to eau claire, i'd somehow imagined i was on my way back home, after a long holiday.
theres nothing to worry about trust me, thoughts just come and go out of my head, but at this very moment i wish i could be back home in malaysia for christmas or over the winter holidays.
so many of my friends are going back home and they are all so enthused about it,i just wish that somehow i could share a little piece of their "pie".
that being said, honestly, life is going great.i feel like i have a direction now.the friends i have are plenty and many of them are pretty darn nice.
well i guess im gonna sign off now.. i feel loads better. hugs everyone.

cannonball

2007-10-15T21:59:00.001-05:00

I am gonna be on the big scoreboard up in the bowling alley..!!! woo hoo..im gonna take pictures and show all of you! haha..
i played great games today..176-181-123..i know i know..the last one sucked..but i still beat everyone there!! so yay for me!!!
anddddddddd.......i forgot what else i wanted to share with everyone. i guess i just want to say that im doing good.
over the weekend i went to minnesota, for a tango workshop.and i got to meet a lot of people. also remember the student dance instructor that i applied for..apparently there are auditions for it.and i just realized i forgot most of the dances i did..for the application i had to list down all the dances i know..and im surprised ive actually done 14 types of dances!!
what else. oh mum dad..im registering for winter sessions and i have to pay a downpayment of 100 dollars. just thought i'd let u know.
i think i must have gained 20 pounds since i came here. im bored right now. should be studyin for my criminal justice test tommorow..okay thats it..im done..off to my luscious,entertaining,exciting books now..
see ya everyone.!!

stupendous,preposterous ramblings! haha

2007-09-29T15:34:00.000-05:00

its a saturday and im just chilling my days away...so i had to write another journal entry which is a description of a landmark or place.and i figured i'd let you read on little bits nad pieces of it too.. tell me what you think.

DAVENDRA RAJ

Description of a place or landmark

Heading back up the hill from my criminal justice class, I was mulling over the documentary on WACO, Texas that we were just shown. Deeply disturbed, my mind focused on shunning out the visuals of the babies and women’s burnt corpse that were on the projector and almost immediately, thoughts of home and friends proliferated my mind, casting over me a warm blanket of comfort. The brain works in such a complex and fascinating way, it’s amazing how a certain smell, or color or place is all it takes to recapture all the different events that make up our memory at different periods of our life.

It seems almost inevitable that every time I think of home, food pops up within the neurons in my brain. When I think of food, the mamak stalls come to mind. Every bit a part of the Malaysian culture, mamaks have become ingrained in most Malaysians’ lifestyle. In the western world, I guess you can say a mamak is like little 24 hours cafes serving the best of Malaysian food. More than that, its where friendships are forged, hours are spent after late nights out to the clubs or it simply serves as a chill out spot for the young, the old, the lonely, the cool and families as well.

Every place has a memory associated to it. And mine would be months in my senior year of high school when my friends and I, the 5 of us would meet up every night consecutively for our ‘supper’ and just really have the best laughs, the juiciest gossips, the bitching, the after cyber-café frequents and also the post Malaysian idol times.. A round of Nasi lemak-coconut flavored rice served with anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, fried egg and juicy fried chicken, together with chili paste can very well be honed the national food of Malaysia normally bought with teh ‘o’ ais ( iced tea) or milo ais ( tastes like iced chocolate), are the usual orders. Its got to be something bout the food or the open-airness of the place, mamaks are usually abuzz with laughter, people yelling over the voices of others in multi-languages and this pretty much is MALAYSIA- a multi ethnic, multi lingual, happy, peaceful and harmonious place. You could run into almost anyone at the local mamak stall- the priest from church, the doctor and his family; friends from school and sometimes, unfortunately, even the school principal.

there are a couple more paragraphs..but im leaving that out because its well, lets say..not appropriate.. and im gonna post the ending of my journal for you to read.if you find it disconnected from the passage its cause of the missing paragraphs. :)

The significance of a mamak stall in my life is so strong that its absence now makes me yearn and envisage myself sitting there with my girlfriend, both of us lost in our world of night crawlers, reveling in the moment bore witness only by the mamak waiter and suddenly everything seems complete again. My mind soothed and my heart at ease. The mamak down the street, is everyone’s treat.

the end!

this is me..that is you..?

2007-09-29T15:23:00.000-05:00

so ive been writing lots and lots and lots of journals for college writing english class..and i just thought hey i'd post an excerpt up.
the first one is a paragraph from my description of a person.

Her “scent” exudes fear. I say scent because you can smell her a whole corridor away. She doesn’t smell bad though. It’s a sweet, really, really sweet rosy smell, the kind that makes you go weak in the knees and you get butterflies circling around in your gut. Perhaps that’s why it’s so terrifying, because she is the exact opposite of how she smells. The deception is so painful. If I was visually challenged I would think she’s god. She’s beautiful, really truly beautifully scary. She comes to school draped in a ‘sari’, a traditional Indian outfit where the cloth is wrapped around a woman’s body. Depending on the material of the cloth and the prints on them, a sari could go from a couple of dollars to thousands. She was by no means a small sized woman. Fairly figured but she packed powers that put superman to shame. The queen’s pardon would equate a mighty slap from her. The deathly claws would inflict pain that words cannot describe. Oh those pinches are ones you’d remember always. Quoting one of the more clichéd overused phrases, deep down she was a nice person

thats from somewhere in the middle and if you still havent figured out who she is..this is the ending of my essay.

Abraham Lincoln once said,” A woman is the only thing I am afraid of that I know will not hurt me.”
Abraham Lincoln did not know her. Irony is, her name is Abraham too… Mrs Abraham.

a month!!

2007-09-25T15:57:00.001-05:00

idle hands are a devils workshop.
see that is my quote of the year. barb told me that on the very first day i was here in the states. so im not apologizing for not updating as much as i should..simply because...my hands were busy....OKAY i apologizE IM SOrrrYYYYYYYYYY....
i didnt mean to abandon the blog for two weeks.
but here i am again!!
and guess what..its been a MONTH!!
since i arrived in america! doesnt time fly by so fast. okay first thing first. the great daven has scheduled an appointment to be a student senate. and also. remember the bowling team that i was trying out for. well i didnt get in. but they are having a league and guess who came out tops..yep..you bet..its yours truly
what have i been up to this past weeks.well i have done a fair bit of partying.but thats only on fridays and saturdays. the week just goes by so fast cause youre doing all these work that when weekends come all you want to do is destress and unwind. fridays and saturdays to party and sundays to rest and finish up on homework.
food has become quite a bore. the cafeteria food tends to serve the same dishes..hamburgers, grilled cheese ,salads ,pizzas. lots of unhealthy food.
ooh fall has started!! bet you'll wanna see pics of that!!
and football season has started as well..and my favourite team in the whole world(though i absolutely cannot comprehend the game yet, is PACKERS!!) because my family here told me that i have to like them!! haha and theyve won every game of the season so far.ooh i was referring to american football not soccer.
what i have come to realize is that,for me, college life here is very isolated,reclusive,secluded whatever u call it. its like a world of its own.i feel cut off from life out there.its like the whole town is defined by the university.if you follow me in what im sayin ,in which im hopin you do. life here seems be within the campus. food-games-friends-work-dance-entertainment-conversations-school. you feel rather confined to this place and a weekend away or anything that implies just being out of college for a while just sorta gets me back into perspective.like a breath of fresh air.

i think i must have bored half of you reading this by what i just typed so im movin on. ok here goes. my names going to be on the board up in the bowling alleY!!!! haha..
my beds been lofted up and my table is now underneath my bed.english assignments killed me the whole of last week which caused for lacked sleep and to find out that its not going to be graded is "vexatious" now go look that up in the dictionary.
if ive mentioned about the international fall festival where i lifted the malaysian flag and paraded around in a parade of flags then you can just ignore this whole bit that im about to write.
but in a short statement. i felt proud to be a malaysian. and honestly it felt weird being proud to be a malaysian. ok i'll post a couple of pictures up on the event.
well i think i'll end here for now. i have an election to go to and a speech on how media influences the way women and men are portrayed. unfortunately though as interested as i am, it is something ive done before, so my knowledge of it would naturally impede my enjoyment of the talk.its a requirement for english class.
alright till next time my fellow readers.
much love and thoughts.
daven

now WHERE is my recipe!!

2007-09-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

booo hoooo..looks like no one wants to tell me the recipe!!
i got a phone everybody!!
and heres my number!!
(715)-8643 469
if u wanna say hi or anythin just give me a call!!
haha..hopin to hear from at least one of u.....unlike the recipe!!
try outs for the bowling travellin team is next wednesday.theres chances of winning scholarships if we win the tournaments.wish me luck!
im also joning the student senate!! in short..student body..very political..haha
welll im going to shower now. and then head to class..till next time..
love
daven!

my curry lives over the ocean..my curry lives over the sea

2007-09-11T03:23:00.000-05:00

see..ive been missing food from home so much that i think im gonna try cook it..but first of all..i need this one insy teeny bit of help....
SEND ME THE RECIPES!!!
hahaha...
you can post the recipe on the chatbox on the left of the page or at the bottom of this post theres a post a comment icon..click on that and post the recipe!!
love...
daven

life here!!

2007-09-08T00:47:00.000-05:00

thats grayson.grandson of dave and barb.hes 9.hes won like a thousand bike races..impressive huh...

thats jaylen chewing on....errr. grass..haha yeah dave made me chew on it as well..its a midwestern thing to do...funny..

see that girl is red shirt.thats tigan.shes 16 i think.the eldest among the 3 granchildren.that was her cross country race event that we went to one saturday morning.before dave and barb brought me out to see my school.

we went to a dirt track racing on the sunday as well.it was exhilirating.the rush of adrenaline everytime a car zooms by with the engines roaring thunderously.pheww...

dirt track racing..riders gearing up as the flag is signalled.

thats the end to my stay at the geisslers.the sunset at the race.we headed home after that for my last nights sleep..and i went to school the next day for orientation!!

boi did we do a lot that sunday,before dirt track racing we went to a park in daves HARLEY bike.and we came upon this wonder.

and there we were making our way to the sacred spot where nature shines in its natural beauty.

thats me sittin beside the waterfall..

the view from the falls.

the pictures dont lie.

and thats where paradise was...

some random building we drove by..

thats me all geared up (with all the protective measures taken) and gettin ready to get on the bike and go for our ride!!

okay a lil bit about the amish people,they dun ever use electricity or any modern day technology.hence the buggies..that they use to go about.its pulled by a horse.

it was the sunday that i stayed with them that dave and barb brought me out to see the amish people.now the amish community..thats a story of its own.maybe if i find time i'll write about them.but it is definitely something worth knowing. so anyway, we were headin out to augusta(the town where the amish people live) and on our way we stopped by a winery and opposite that we had THIS...haha it was fun!!

these are some of the trophys megan,tigan and grayson won..there were loads more!!

now this mum and dad and all my other relatives is what rocks best.we take walks here.! this was when i joined dave and barb in their daily 3.5 miles walk around the neighbourhood. it was good..built me an appetite and we grilled and ate hamburgers after that.im in heaven!

this is a lake that dave brought me to see..while we were riding around.

i went to another waterfall with a group of international students. they call it the big falls..

lookin all cool and adventurous..

i swear the girls just dug the hair..all day people came up to me telling me the hair was fly!( i explained earlier that fly means cool) thats zane from ukraine. and yelena..

my friends and i...theres yelena from croatia,me,bibi from macadonia,behind her is david from germany,then theres dora from mongolia and daniel from bolivia!

bowling with my group of friends!

one of the skits that the orientation week packed

my first day of college..and that was how my room looked like..dark and gloomy

thats my room now!!

today is a friday night and instead of partying or gettin drunk like what other kids do.today i decided to instead just chill with some friends.i met the asians today at dinner. japanese,korean,chinese and malaysians. they wanted to play bowling on the university campus so i was all game for it..

after bowling we played a few games of billiard and then played table tennis.its amazing how good it feels to have pure sober not alcohol related fun.!!

they had an alcohol awareness campaign yesterday,we had to write a journal on it and my proffesor was really impressed by my work..i was also the only one to hand in my journal(being the nerd that i was,i stayed up till 3 the previous night finishing up on assignments).

studyin here is really an entirely different approach then back home...we did a review in class today and everyone was just raising hands giving opinions and this you never see back home..back home the same few smart donkeys are the ones always raising their hands and teachers always expect the same answers.one week in class and i probably already love the

education more than ive ever loved it back home.

i wish rakis and sohar could come here as well..they'd definitely benifit from it..

bgeissler@trane.com

thats barb my host mums email address

and dave,my host dads email address is dave_geissler8@hotmail.com

together we are one

2007-09-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

all the international students

greetings

2007-08-31T01:43:00.000-05:00

happy 22nd birthday sashi!!
hope the party was a blast! have fun! live life good!
and also happy merdeka day!!

home is where i belong

2007-08-30T02:12:00.000-05:00

well i know everyone's been excited about meeting the geisslers,or well getting to know them a lil bit better so here we go!

the first picture is taken from the backyard and you'll be able to see two roofs..the one on the right is grandma and grandpas and the one on the left is dave and barb's.

so i will start with the home where i lived in and show as many pictures as possible.the yard that each house has is unbelievably large and its so green everywhere.

and this would be the front door and kitchen area and you can also see the island from where the picture starts,thats where we eat breakfast everyday. its so nice to wake up and come to the front door and let the morning sun shine on you as you inhale the soothing evergreen aroma(for lack of a better word) brought by the breeze.

the pictures below are that of the living room area

next up is where the island is. as i said earlier heres where we have breakfast and sometimes dinner.theres a tv and watchin the news every morning is a routine.

then theres also dave's office.cause he works from home

they have a dining room which they rarely use unless theyve got company over. we used that on the sunday that was my last day and had grilled food..hamburgers!! surely yummylicious. marge and bobs homes are the same designs except that they used their dining room as a prayer room.and thats where we dine together for dinner everyday.family dinners are never missed and everyone always sits and have enjoyable talks!

the fun is definitely in the toys.and the big boys toys are the rides! so lets go check out some of the rides that the geisslers own.!

first of all a jeep which i honestly have no idea is manufactured by whom or what model it is.and then theres the old red car which again i dont know the model or the type except its red and its super fly( super fly means cool) haha.moving on we have the land mower which comes with the handsome bloke on it! havent got a chance to ride on this yet but i will,introducing the BOAT!!and heres where he stores them.

and of course who can forget the harley davidson!

this is the head of the deer that dave shot and killed and won a prize for the biggest haul back about 20 years ago or so.alright now,the moment you have all been waiting for,the unveiling of where i stay!!the stairs headin 6 feet underground!i know what youre thinking..woahh rite!? haha yes i did get the whole floor to myself.

but the ol wise one has forgotten to take a picture of his room.but if you look closer you can see a door on the left and theres where the hunble sexy one resides!!

tommorow is going to be the last day of orientation and my room mate is moving in at 12 pm.really looking forward to meeting him.today it was one of my friends birthday and we hung out till late at his dorm and ive been on the computer since typing this blog post.man this sure takes a long time all the uploading of pictures..well in the next episode,i will highlight the activities i did with the geisslers with breath taking pictures promised..be on the look out.in the mean while..adios!

campus life!

2007-08-28T22:19:00.000-05:00

well here i am at the computer lab in my dorms..or halls as they call it here..orientation's started and i hope everyones doing well.ive got some explaining to do before moving on to what im going to say in this post.
first of all. i cant call out now,because i need a phone line and a phone.well most phones here come free when you register with a phone network so im getting a free phone.but when i went to register for a network they said that i would require a social security number( which is sort of like the IC but an american one) and i asked around the peer guides(senior students who registered to help as peers to the new international students) they told me that i'll have to register with the social security department and thats off campus.and i cant do that now because our schedule for the week has been planned out by the university and its been real busy with orientation. so probably by the end of the week i'll be able to go to the department.
it has been the most geographically challenging time of my life,haha i say this because im meeting with people from all around the world and trust me when i say this. met students from bolivia,bosnia,austria,england,mexico,china,sri lanka,germany,latvia,mongolia,vietnam and the list just goes on.
its been great getting to know all this other international students...and orientation has been really helpful.i met up with heather pearson( the woman who handles admission) and she was so glad to see me.shes handling all the transfer of credits and she guided me through the fee payment.so yeah the university fee has been paid and everything is settled :)
there has been some reduction in fee so heather said she'll take care of that.
yesterday was first day of orientation and in the evening they took us out to SHOPKO which is a supermarket/shopping complex nearby the campus to get stuff for our halls and student life.
i got myself 100 dollars worth of things- bathroom slippers,pens,laundry basket,spoons, essentials basically. i also got myself a backpack on discount! 50 percent!
my host family were really great.they took care of me real well. i'll write a post up on the activities i did with them but that'll be for later.
so yeah ive set up a bank account with rcu bank and its easy cause its on campus and all.theres a deposit of 5 dollars in there!! hahahaha..but when i contact you mum and dad i'll give you the routing number so you can wire money over.tommorow registration for classes will begin and im looking forward to that.today i had a math placement test.its just a test to see which math class to go to..i'll know the results tommorow but me hating math ,well i hope i get the easiest class. the peer guides have been awesome.there's this guy from malaysia, his name is russell and i went to him to find out about how to contact back home and he was the one who told me where to go and stuff..and he cooks.so he told me that he'll cook curry and invite me over one day.then theres laura who is my group's peer guide and she does political science as well so she's been great help.today a counsellor/psychologist came in to the orientation and had a talk about the free on campus counselling and its quite appealling.contrary to what everyone reading this might think,i think its quite healthy to go to a counsellor and on a regular basis.its not that big in malaysia but most americans( not here though) in big cities and all,they go counselling a lot..so i think im gonna go on a regular basis, i asked a question today,if it was possible to go in and discuss about anything,say about i dunno,fishes and stuff, and she said that its perfectly fine to do that.im not going loony but i figured its good to have someone to go to just to well.DISCUSS issues or get opinions as well.healthy intellectually.
havent met my room mate yet and im really lookiing forward to meeting him.his name is charles francis soldner and hes a freshman here at the university.the rooms are okay not that big a fan of it but its alrite.
well again.im doing well and theres nothing to worry about.the internet connection in the room is not set up yet.it needs a modem but ive talked to my RA.room advisor. and hes gonna help with it.we went for a show at the cinema today.its a budget cinema so its really cheap. $1.50 for the movie which is considerably (even to malaysia's cinemas) cheap.
i've asked around about getting a job on campus and the pay here is good especially over the holidays so im going to look into that.well i'll try and update more often but as i said,the beginning few weeks of uni is going to be real real busy and i'll need to settle down first before anything.so bare with me okay everyone. and dad dont think that im ungrateful and all, the university has got us all really crammed with activities.
i've gotten my address down at the university.so here you go to anyone who might want to send me a mail.and also so that you can send me the speakers that i wasnt able to bring out here.
its
758(room number),towers residence halls north,
642 university drive,
EAU CLAIRE,
54701-6119,WI

(WI is short for wisconsin)
also im going to join the senators and officers commission.its a student government and its real good stuff to go on resume especially to apply to law schools.ive been getting on fine with everybody,the weather is still great!! and its absolutely fabulous here!! i have tons of pictures but as i said the connection is not set up yet so you'll have to wait a bit!
well thats all for now.
love to everybody.
one more thing.at the bottom of this post you'll be able to see a "post a comment" icon.you can click on that and post a comment if you want.that way i know that youve read this!
oh and also mum can you find the software cd for the webcam i left it back home and i really need that to use the webcam here,unless its possible to send the program over through the internet( ask sohar) then you'll have to send me the cd together with the speakers.and i might want to join a soccer club here so do send me my boots and my dancing shoes,the real shiny ones.its just clubs i plan to join later on in the year.i've been really good on budget but had to pay for quite a number of university matters.so its good to always have extras in the banks.so do hope to see you all online soon.the time difference really is troublesome though!! when youre awake,im alseep and likewise when im asleep,youre awake.!!
love and happiness be with everyone!!
and campus Is just BEAUTTIIIFULLLLL!!!

this is it!!

2007-08-27T01:35:00.000-05:00

hello and welcome dear family to this blog of mine..i figured instead of sending out mass mail, everyone can just come here and see what ive been up to as i'll be constantly posting up pictures

and description of my everyday life here..

well its been a lil over 4 days since ive been here..

but i shall for everyones sake,reminisce the ordeal i went through while on my journey to living the american dream!!

so i boarded the flight at about 10.45 and bid all of you farewell..and i must say as soon as i stepped past those security gates and headed down the escalator i felt a surge of ( i wont say freedom) but empowerment. i felt empowered by life,by taking the airplanes alone towards america!! aMERICA!!!!!

so there i was on the first flight from malaysia to singapore.and i get the aisle seat beside the emergency exit..there was no one seated beside me on board and well i was bored..so i decided to call the air stewardessess again and again and again to keep me company!! haha again im kiddin..

but that flight was over and done with pretty quickly.as i reached the singapore terminal,now here's where the headache comes in.the airport is soo huge and all im told is that im to be at terminal c at 6.15 in the morning..and there i was right off the airplane wondering how in the world do i get to terminal C whilst lugging my hand carriage.i swear i walked about 1000 miles..okay maybe a lil less..(1 mile maybe?)

still my legs were hurtin and it was late at night..which didnt help to my problem because all their information counter were closed.!!

however after walkin around..(surfing the 15 minutes free internet provided there) i found one ..yes ONE information counter with someone in it..so she directed me to where i was and i plonked myself down on the comfy sofas provided in front of the counters and decided to spend my night awake reading a book or something.before i knew it,i was fast asleep sprawled out on the damn chair..note to self-(okay family channel, no swearing)

i mean sprawled out on the heavenly chair...

the mind works when all else fails

i woke up at 4.30!! rite when the gates open...and thankfully..as the que just sky rocketted in a matter of minutes..and there i was in front of the counter again,when the guy asks for my 1-20 form..which i CANT seem to find!! called mum,yes u mummy.and while i made u search at home, i found it together with the check to pay the university fee..why would u put it there..?!

okay moving on..there i was on board the united airway flight from singapore to tokyo,japan.it was a long flight..from 7.15 in the morning singapore time,i reached about 5.30 in the evening japan time.barely an hour later i was at the counters on board the next flight to seattle,america.

but i did manage to get myself a camera from japan's airport..it cost me around 330 american dollars..which i now have come to the realization( i spell realisation with a Z because im american now, and thats our way of spellin it) that it was money well spent because the camera is just great!! back to the ordeal.the ticket initially states that i was to fly from tokyo straight to minneapolis.but i got transitted to seattle.so there i was on my flight to seattle which departed japan at 7 pm and reached seattle 9.30 am american time. my next connecting flight to minneapolis was in 45 minutes..which i still am very confused over why they only provided such sort intervals in between flights!!

i had to pass immigration,declare the bags again,go through security.take the train get off at the first stop,cross the hall and take another train and get off at its next stop,then i had to cross the hall again to take another train and to get off at its next first stop. finally i take the escalator up and head into the cabin.

it should have been as hard as that..( well the irony being im supposed to say easy,but i cant possibly say easy given i have to complete all the task above in 45 minutes).as i was sayin it should have been as hard as that but it was as if lady luck had been eyeing on me all day and decided to throw curses upon curses of bad luck my way...

i ran into problems at the immigration.the i-20 from was a photocopy and they required an original.how in the blooming-heavens(family channel in mind) am i going to provide them with the original i-20 form when thats what the university had sent to me by mail...!!

there i was being hauled up to a group of equally stranded foreigners who ran into problems of their own.i went up to the officer and told him that i had a flight to catch in 45 minutes and i would appreciate him helpin me out but he was being a really ( @#!%#@%#$%#) awesome and friendly person. and told me they were doin the best they can and hes sorry but i'll have to wait.sorry my BEHIND!

then i look at my watch and its 5 minutes to take off..for christ sake then they call my name!!

the officer who attended to me told me that i better hurry into my flight. remember earlier on i had said what i was to do if there werent any immigration problems..( the declaration and train taking) yeah now ive that to do in 5 minutes..

going through security at america..i had to take out my shoes everything.laptop,video camera,belt...as soon as i hit the last platform..WHAM, i started running my lungs out towards the gate.as soon as i got there all panting and short of breath,this woman( a kind old american passenger) told me the flights been delayed so no rush young man.....

@)!#*2&(*&amp#$@%$;amp;am453$#%#p;amp;*()#&)($$#$%&^*^

now if youre wondering what are the above symbols..which im sure many of you will be,they are words that are censored because as im constantly reminding myself.this is a family channel!! haha

so there i was at the waiting area and i check my ticket and voila( u pronounce it as wa-lla) there has been another transit to nevada..a 5 hour flight.at nevada, we were told in the airplane before disembarking that passengers to minneapolis have to hurry( AGAIN) to the information counter and see what they can do about the flight.because apparently the flight from nevada to minneapolis was at 3.15 and its already 3.15 due to the delay in flight.

so from gate 22 i had to walk all the way to the middle of the long long long terminal to information,at information they told us to go back to the gate we came from theyre reopening the gates to minneapolis.so i rush all the way back to gate 22 and it was empty.then i hear over the speakers that passengers to mineapolis are required to make their way to gate 45 to board the plane!! 45!!!!!! 45!!!! i was at 22!!!! i ran all the way across the terminal..and my legs almost suffered a cardiac arrest( well i dun know what this means just wanted to use a medical term) hahaha kiddin i know that cardiac arrest has to do with the heart. but anyway as i was sayin i was this close to fallin over lethargic.as i din get much sleep in any of the flights..2-3 hours mostly. i reach the gate and the steward tells me that the plane is going to take a 20 minutes break to wait for other passengers to board..i swear i almost had a heart attack!!

my legs wouldnt budge.they felt so heavy and i just sat down on the nearest chair and waited for 10 minutes before boarding the plane..another 4 hours of flyin and finally here i was at minneapolis.america at 7 pm american time.

so in conclusion i had travelled for more than 30 hours,ive not showered for 2 days!!,i lack sleep,my only other shirt changed had started to stink and the hand carry wasnt gettin any lighter either.

the only good thing was that the flight from tokyo to seattle i was seated beside a university proffesor from india who has been in america for 14 years..he was very informative and said that i'll be a famous kid in campus..!!

just when you thought all will end well..and dave could finally take his shuttle to wisconsin (where his university is) for the final 2 hour bus ride. WRONG! my bags got delayed..and will only come at 9.45pm.and the last of the shuttle is at 9.so there i am stranded again.in america.

i went up to information and got the cheapest rate hotel for the night..called the la quinta which means something in spanish! i took my baggage and got the hotel shuttle to the hotel from the airport.and in experiencing true american culture for the first time,i tipped the driver. i saw the person before me tip 2 dollars and since it was my first time.i tipped him a whopping.......................(suspense eh?)

3 dollars..
and he was over the moon about it..well not quite.but he was happy enough to carry my baggage to the front lobby of the hotel.and then i paid up and got to my room.carryin the luggage by myself making two trips back and forth to the lobby from my room because i din wanna tip any bell boy to carry my stuff..lesson number two- most americans carry their own weight around which means they dont depend much on others as much as we...sorry im american, i mean YOU asian people do...hahahahhaha

my room at the la quinta!

it was great that i had decided to spend the night at the hotel because if i were to head to wisconsin that night i would have to end up stayin at a hotel until orientation which is from a wednesday to sunday.in the morning before i left the i called stephanie from university up and she told me that they have found a host family for me!!!! OH YAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! it was the happiest news ive heard all that few days!! and as if all was destined to be..their initial student ran into problems with his visa and so they looked at my profile( where i had to talk a lil on myself) and decided to go with it..most host family get in contact with their students a whole month and a half before they arrive in america to get to know them..but i did not get to do that..and they still took me.stephanie told me they were really nice people!!

and i can attest to this sayin they are and this is from the very bottom of my heart THE most AMAZING AND NICEST people you can meet.they are the kind of people who just makes a difference to your life and you dont get that a lot..u have got your son/nephew/brother/cousin/friend in the most amazing trustworthy hands youre bound to find. this is fate..and a great start to a great life ahead!!

i will on my next post update everyone more on my family here..but its already 2.38 in the morning and ive got to get up for my first day of unversity at 6.so i'll just end here..besides this post is gettin way way way way way way too lengthy!! congrats if you've continued readin thus far..im impressed!! haha so i shall reward you by pictures..and when they tell you wisconsin is pretty..u better believe it.mum dad rakis sohar..change your plans for australia this end year holidays and get your butts here..they are so nice they even said call your family and let them come over for a week or so we'll take care of them..awwww arent they the best!!!

and ive done so many things these past few days,i dont know where to start. dad ive found a high school for sohar..and well as i said you should all come in december..and hopefully you and mum will consider retiring here..cause by golly..everyone here lives to such great age and their so very young at heart!!

the photo is not editted..i swear the skies do look like this!!

david geissler(dave) and barbara geissler(barb)
grandma marge and grandpa bob!!

my new ride- a harley DAVISON!!! yes uncle chand!! this is the HARLEY davidson!!

goodbye everyone!! hugs and kisses to all