I have some funny subscribers to my YouTube channel who sometimes ask me the weirdest questions either in my profile comment box or in private messaging.

There’s this one particular guy who asks me strange questions all the time. I don’t reply every one of his messages because I really don’t have the time to.

But there was this weird Q&A that transpired between us recently. The topic is totally out-of-the-blue random.

Him: Hi sheylara, do you know how to draw Japanese cartoons?

Me: No, sorry, I can’t draw to save my life.

Him: Can you teach me how to draw Japanese cartoons?

Me: I can’t draw.

Him: Why can’t you draw?

Me: Er… why can’t YOU draw?

Him: Because I want to test you.

Me: What do you mean?

Him: I want you to teach me how to draw Japanese cartoons.

Huh??!!

QUESTION MARKS POPPING OUT AROUND MY HEAD.

Sometimes I really wish I can look into people’s heads to see what they’re thinking.

What should I reply next?

I was at Sentosa last Saturday and chanced upon a beach party at Cafe del Mar. I never knew Sentosa was so happening!

Took some videos. Enjoy!

I will be talking more about my adventure in Sentosa soon. This is just a teaser! ;)

It took me about eight hours to make this stupid video because splicing all the separate audio tracks into a coherent whole was a bitch. You will never know my pain unless you’ve done it before!

After I finished editing the whole thing the first time, the file got corrupted before I could render the video, so I had to DO IT FROM SCRATCH AGAIN.

OMG.

I swear I hate editing videos.

But completing a video feels good.

So.

Remember to scrub your face at least twice a week to get baby smooth skin!

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Gamer Girl Friday will be delayed this week because I am terribly terribly behind in all my paying deadlines. Thank you for your patience!

I really, really hate IT fairs because I really, really hate navigating through crowds.

Last night, I was thinking about going to Sitex 2008 because my dad needs a laptop.

I decided that I should go today because it’s the first day and it’s a work day, so there should be less of a crowd.

I asked the Goonfather, since he’s an expert at attending IT fairs, “Do you think Sitex will be crowded tomorrow since it’s a Thursday?”

“Yes,” he said. “Sitex will only be crowded on Thursday.”

“Huh??”

“Only Thursday will be crowded,” he repeated. “The other days will be crazy.”

What a goonbag.

Anyway, I’ve gone and returned. I survived!

It wasn’t that bad.

I actually managed to finish my purchases in 30 minutes.

I bought another MSI Wind. For my dad!

I got a black one for him. I’m not evil!!

But I bought a pink portable hard disk for myself!

I have needed an external hard disk for backup since years ago, but have never felt rich enough to actually buy one.

Today I felt rich enough because IT IS A PINK HDD!! And it’s only $199 for 500GB!!

I also bought a keyboard for the Goonfather’s mum because her keyboard has gone wonky.

I feel poor again after all these purchases.

Anyway, good luck to everyone in the next few days if you’re going. May you survive unscathed!

I’m constantly amazed at the cruelty and lack of empathy in human beings.

Yesterday, a friend sent me a link to a forum thread where people are making fun of a couple with looks that do not fit into society’s norms.

Read it here.

Some of the jokes are quite funny. I have to admit I laughed.

I laughed because some posts are creative, although I felt a little ashamed for laughing at other people’s expense.

But there are posters who are downright malicious, saying things like ugly people shouldn’t be allowed to get married.

These people never stopped to think for a minute that it could have been them, did they?

People can’t choose the features they were born with. How could a person be blamed for being born less than perfect?

These horrible people are the ones who drive some women to plastic surgery

These same horrible people probably also thrash plastic surgery, accusing people who’ve had surgery done for being fake and having low self-esteem.

Hello? Where did you think that low self-esteem came from?

How can people be so shallow and hypocritical and dumb?

Next time, when these people go around spouting cliches like “Be confident in your own skin” or “Love yourself just the way you are”, I hope they also remember the times when they laughed at or insulted people whom they thought were ugly.

The world could do with less judging and double standards.

Filming in KL — Day 4
Oct 9, 2008

KL (Malaysia) has so many beautiful grungy places. Although quite scary, they serve as exquisite backdrops for films and photoshoots.

I would love to go back to this place to do a fashion photoshoot.

Or maybe not.

It’s a big abandoned building with all kinds of crazy junk heaped around the compound. It’s like a rubbish warehouse.

And the mozzies had a field day when tourists came to visit.

The native mosquitoes rolled out the red carpet to welcome us.

Welcome! they cried, Please make yourselves at home while we drink your blood!

They huge, they’re enthusiastic and they’re hungry.

They’re also ninjas.

I swear.

Big as they are, you don’t feel them land on your skin. You don’t feel them feeding.

You’re minding your own business, looking around casually. And then you chance to glance at your arm, and there’s a teenage mutant ninja mozzie shaking salt and pepper on your hair follicles.

In alarm, you swing your arm violently to shake off the TMNM. But, with all the years of gruelling ninja training under its arthropodal belt, it is prepared for the assault.

It clings onto you with its hooks for feet, all the while laughing maniacally at the folly of homo sapiens. You consider thwapping it flat but you don’t want mozzie guts all over your arm.

So you scream at it.

“My blood is toxic and will kill you dead, you dumb shit!”

Miraculously, the mozzie flies off at that.

And then you realise that that’s only because it’s already had its fill. A pink welt develops instantly on your arm where the TMNM had last roosted.

And it’s itchy.

Beware of teenage mutant ninja mozzies.

We should have heeded the warning.

Luckily, I didn’t die of dengue fever after this encounter.

I wonder how the resident artists survived the TMNM attacks. They must have some kind of permit to stick around unmolested while they complete their artistic masterpieces.

We didn’t stay around for too long. Perhaps 40 minutes or so. I could feel my cells screaming in agony just being in this waste.

You might think that this building is in some remote no man’s land, 3,000 kilometres away from the nearest civillisation.

It’s not.

It’s just minutes away from civillisation. I don’t suppose the residents in neighbouring buildings take a leisurely walk to this dumpster every evening after dinner to dispose of their trash?

After doing our scenes in this building, we strolled over to another compound with even more abandoned buildings.

It was better this time. We didn’t have to enter any of the buildings. We shot everything outdoors.

And that’s the end of my shoot in KL!

We drove up to Penang on the same day. It was a nice journey that took us from daylight to nightfall. I can’t remember how many hours it was.

Along the way, Dean, who was at that time the driver, suddenly turned around and said to me, “You must take a photo of these buildings!!”

“Why?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Nuts!

He’s always saying things for no reason. So, Kan took over the wheel and made him be the cameraman.

It kept him occupied for a good while.

Every time we went through a toll booth, he had to hold up the sensor unit for access because someone couldn’t be bothered to stick it to the windscreen.

And then we were in Penang!

My first impression of Penang:

*lol*

I didn’t know Penang is a resort city. It took us more than an hour to find our hotel because Kan was looking for a specific hotel and we were led on a wild goose chase by well-meaning locals. Finally, one savvy local told us that the hotel we wanted had already closed down.

DOH.

We settled for this small resort hotel called The Lone Pine Hotel which is, frankly, a bit creepy because of the name and the way the sign looks.

It brings to mind B-grade horror flicks where unsuspecting backpackers get eaten by giant mutant bugs while being raped by bored psychopaths.

Okay, it’s not that bad.

It’s a cosy resort with friendly service. It also has a nice pool, which is a redundant fact because I don’t swim.

I don’t like wearing swimsuits. =>

Alright, then. That’s all for today. More adventures in Penang next time!