I've just....bought...my guitar.......

yes, I bought my guitar..........I should start the post with something like "I bought my guitar!!!" with as many exclamation marks or put in in capital letters "I BOUGHT MY GUITAR!" coz I've finally bought a guitar for myself rightt.....but that's not how I feel now...

I regretted buying it from the moment I step out of the shop.  

After surveying almost all the guitar shops in KL and PJ via internet, I thought Woh Fatt music house in Pudu is the best choice to get cheap/affordable guitar. Geographically also very convenient. And yes, they have alot of guitar brands and wide range of prices. And the staffs are friendly and helpful.

Right choice of shop....but wrong choice of guitar on my part....*cry* 

So I'm here to release my feeling give some advice to the beginners (like me) who are thinking of buying a guitar on a budget, from the advice I heard, the reviews I read, and the experience I learnt.  

If you're serious bout learning guitar but on a budget, try something around RM200-500. For instance, the guitar seller actually recommended a Hofma guitar which he offered RM280, and the touch is really not bad, wood also nice. And actually when you try searching through the net, you can find these better-quality-than-the-100-something guitars at plus-minus RM 300 such as L.Luthier. But I didn't much think bout that coz my mind was filled with: "I'm on a budget, try to get the cheaper." "I'm broke after repairing my car....so get the cheapest!"

So I didn't think twice and bought the cheapest one at RM145 inclusive of bag. Wayyyy below my budget and I should be happy bout it. It's the famous Kapok guitar.(If you get it from guitar shops in shopping mall, the guitar itself costs you 150.) A lot of people will recommend it as the cheap-and-quite-good guitar. well..better than the cheap techno guitars.

Now, someone, please smack my head and ask me to think bout long term, bout trying out other guitars, and it's not like I don't have budget for something like the Hofma guitar.......arggghh!!  

Okay, enough....for now I'll be contented with my kapok guitar. PTL!

It's shuttlecock (3)

Went to MO'12 last month. Really didn't feel like going seriously. My passion for badminton has GONE! Yesss! Guess my primary purpose (besides to catch some thrilling live badminton actions if I'm lucky enough) was to meet with old badminton buddies. 

Well, for that 'thrilling live badminton actions' part, it was quite a disappointment. LD lost the day before quarter-final, Cai-Fu didn't participate, Yong Dae didn't play MD, Koo-Tan was kicked out in early round, WS and WD were left with China girls fighting themselves out. I guess the climax for the quarter-finals was in the 2nd game between Jorgensen vs Chen Jin. CJ won in the 1st game and Jorgensen was trailing behind few points closing to the end of the 2nd game. But he somehow got into the rhythm of the game and with the supportive crowd behind him ( a.k.a anti-China players crowd), he was boost with confidence and 'Ohm'. So the mental game started and CJ was shaken. Jorgensen was able to take advantage of the situation and brought the game to deuce (ha, now this is what the audience love and enjoy). The cheers and clappings for Jorgensen were as if he's a Malaysian player playing in his home ground lol. Poor CJ was stressed and let the 2nd game slipped from his hand. Then...nothing much to say bout the 3rd game, CJ's skill has always been one level above Jorgensen.

Now for the second part, it's like an adventure in the stadium! I got a crazy friend who met a whole bunch of even crazier friends finding ways to get into some secret areas. And we managed to find the players' warm-up courts! The players played quite casually during the warm-up session. And you can see and hear the interactions and conversations between them, e.g Lee Yong Dae chatting and laughing with his partner while playing, LCW flirting with the chinese player etc...  
The 'reward' for following the crazy friends? A pic with Zhang Nan...tada! I'm not sure why I took a pic with him, I wasn't even sure whether he's Zhang Nan or Chai Biao actually, lol. But yea he's ZN, the current no 1 XD player.

All the best in OG 2012! That's the highest achievement an athlete can hope for, no?

It's shuttlecock! (2)

As a keen supporter of Malaysian badminton team, one of the saddest moments for me was the lost in quarter-finals of Thomas Cup 2006 held in Japan. That's the time we had a relatively strong and balance line-up for all 3 MS and 2 MD. Prediction and expectation were spread all over the world that MAS has the biggest potential to grab the Cup since 1992. Alas, the higher the expectation, the bigger disappointment felt. The serious spraining of WCH's ankle followed by the losing of MAS team to the eventual silver medalist, DEN, was not a reality the nation was prepared to accept. I totally remember that day after the loss of KBH to Joachim P. Badminton fans had to suffer the consequences psychologically. I was in exam week, and reading the critics and negative reports of our team spoilt all my study mood. Anyway, my mood changed drastically from depression to super high within few days when my net-pal sent me a clip of Xia greeting me. It made me soooooo happy that..........I couldn't study.
(At last I found the clip!!!)

Another time was when LCW lost to BCL in World Championship held in Madrid. I forgot which year. That's the 1st time LCW ever lost to BCL. and "break his leg" issue, remember? haha.
And the doubles brought too many disappointment and heartbreaking moments for ah ma. I'm not referring to any particular pair. Our doubles all these years are quite talented and have so much to give, but they're just .....Haiz. period.
Gradually, I became a more mature and rational fan from 2007 to 2010. Still as supportive but the passion for it slowly fades away........

Some unforgettable coincidence happened in real life:
1. Met a net-pal from east Malaysia. We've chatted for quite sometime and I was leaving for 4-month training after SPM. So I told her I was going to leave and prepared to explain bout the training to her. To my surprise, her reply was:" 4 months? not 3 months? In Sibu? I think I'm in the same church as you are." Then I found out she is a sister in the Lord's recovery.

2. Once we're in campus training and went to the condominiums where most IMU students stayed for gospel preaching. I knocked on my friend's door ( my high school friend who's the best badminton gossiper of mine). I was shocked. She's excited more than feeling shocked. Why? Because she thought I paid her a surprise visit purposely to watch badminton matches together with her. Well so coincidentally, Sudirman Cup was going on, and on that moment I knocked on her door, the Malaysian team was in action, and I still remember she's watching LCW on court. Awkward and embarrassed. Yes, pau you gonna bear that for expressing as a badminton fanatic instead of being a testimony of Jesus.

3. In uni we have a tradition of buddy system a.k.a direct senior-junior thingy. I was 'adopted' by a very amiable and pleasant 2nd year buddy. Then when I met with my final year buddy, we realised we're members of the same international badminton forum. So I got a buddy who treated me live badminton matches. ;p

Alright, I'm reminiscing on my teenage life as a badminton fan because.........I want to end it. Blame it on our team, still hasn't got a World Championship gold medal and it's like an annual event.....LCW era is ending soon and no eyes to see our juniors....KKK/TBH will not go down anymore because they're at the bottom......CEH/WPT are like old ahma now.....OSH is getting fatter and fatter until cannot move.....LOL
ok, I'm kidding.
I wanna end it because the locusts have eaten all the years.

It's a bird? It's a plane? It's shuttlecock!

These few weeks I'm trying hard to refrain myself from digging news bout the world badminton championships match between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan. Was in Sabah that time but got to know the result right on that night. Heartbreaking it was...so near yet so far....sigh.....that's why I don't feel like reading all the news, reporting how sad LCW is.....it's just so saddening!! Dear all, please allow ah ma to tell you about the long story of ah ma's teenage life as a badminton fan.
(Warning: This is a lame story telling post.)

It all starts with Malaysia Open 2004 which was held in ahma's howntown. I went to the quarter-finals. The only 2 badminton players I know were Wong Choon Han from MAS and Xia Xuanze from CHN, and I was expecting a match between them but it did not happen. Lin Dan, Bao Chun Lai, Peter Gade, LCW, Park Sung Hwan, Gao Ling, Zhang Jun......I got to know all these names on that night. Ask me what happened on that night, ah ma can tell you in every detail.
First, my sister's friends, the pro stalkers, brought binoculars to stalk the players, especially LD and BCL, who were the top men single players at that time. Yes, the immature LD was already ranked number one 7 years ago. We...no, they, (I was an innocent teenage girl back then) came out with the conclusion: BCL is much more handsome than LD.
Then Xia entered the stadium! *shout* and he was playing on the court right in front of us! *SHOUT*
(A brief biography of Xia, he was ranked number 1 men single player in the world back in early 21st. The number 1 nemesis of WCH and the bronze medalist of Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney.)
Apparently no one paid attention to his game, three-quarter of the audience ran from the left seats to the right seats when LD marched in to play on the most right court.15 mins after that, LCW, an unknown MAS player at that time but he was the only MAS representative left in the MS quarter-finals, marched in to the most left court to play against BCL. The crowd was patriotic. Almost all ran back to the left seats to support LCW. LD left with no one to admire his 'show-off' skills, he lost his match to Park Sung Hwan. The innocent me turned to my sis's friend and asked:" Isn't he number 1?" HAHAHA. Till now I never like LD. *rolling eyes*
Oh, LCW vs BCL's match! I had no particular preference that time, just followed my gang, which was the odd one cheering for BCL. You can imagine the whole stadium was cheering for LCW and shouting "Malaysia Boleh!" while our gang 5 to 6 'little kittens' was.. “加油...鲍春来...”-ing. The crowd was so going to stone us to death. At one point, BCL was unhappy with the line call, and the crowd booed him (well, typical Malaysian supporters.). So we shouted "鲍春来....冷静..." LOL...I dunno who suggested that, but....I felt like wanna hide my face in a hole after shouting that... =.=
Anyway, we left the stadium right after Xia finished and won his game. That's how ah ma used to fall in love with Xia. HAHAHA. and began to follow the badminton news.

Joined badminton forum, got to know a bunch of badminton fanatic friends, followed closely the result of every badminton tournament.....and since time immemorial I became quite  super supportive of Malaysian badminton, consequently my emotion went up and down with the performance of the Malaysian team in badminton events. Stupid much? yea. But that's the life of a badminton fanatic.

(to be continued)