On Cloud 99

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!! I'm finally FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! No more staying at home studying whilst refraining myself to go out! XP A picture says a thousand words right? I'll just let the pics do the talking.

#1 Taken at Glenelg beach in 2007 in Spring.
Was supposed to stay home & finish up my assignment...the rest is history =P

#2 Back in Penang during summer.
Was trying to take modelly jumping shots but ended up being so unglam >.<

#3 Doing a random jump on the way back from Barossa Valley

These pictures portray what I'm feeling now =D The yayyy-ness of being free from exams!

XOXO,
Me

I feel hollow...

...at this particular moment.

Not too sure if it's because I'm still not over about my paper OR I refuse to face the reality - when I wake up tomorrow, I have 1 day short to prepare for my final exam paper.

Every day from the moment I open my eyes, I can't wait for it to be night again so that I can drift off into my dreams, far far away from reality. It always seems like the day arrives sooner than the night. I never wanna wake up to face this harsh reality.

Just 4 hours ago, my friend & I encountered something freaky, which I'll save for another day because I can't wait to go to bed~

Me =(

I'm devastated, don't ask.

Just came back from sitting for a paper. & guess what?! Instead of feeling relieved that I've finally finished 3 papers, I feel totally, utterly & extremely shitty! I dunno about you, but I somehow feel a tad inferior being around ang mohs in the exam hall. I know their first language is English & I bet that they'd think we, international students, are not as smart because we have to bring in dictionaries (not that we HAVE to, but just IN CASE they use bombastic words that are totally out of our league). It was distracting when the time for the ang mohs was up & they all left the exam hall. It made me feel nervous because now there were only a few international students left (we get extra 10 mins for every hour, in this case 20, since the exam duration was 2 hours).

*SIGH* Talking about time, I still cannot believe that we were given 2 hours for such a long paper!! =S The thing that makes me feel bo kam muan is that, I did extremely well for ALL the assignments for this subject & if this exam paper pulls down the average grade, I'd be damned! I KNOW I'll pass this paper, just not with flying colours, that's all. =( & I know how people always say "when you're in uni, as long as you pass, it's alright, you don't need distinctions to get a degree" but...this is something rather personal, like I fail to even reach my full potential, y'know? Somehow being brought up in a competitive Chinese school has instilled this kiasu-ness in me though I don't show it. My parents never pressured me into achieving excellent grades & I thank them for that because it makes me a person who knows how to think for their own good. & I don't wanna disappoint them, knowing I could've done waaaayyy better.

I'm going on & on & I know you're bored reading this. I just needed to rant. For the final paper, I'm gonna shine (hopefully)! *fingers crossed*

Me

It's official

Before any of you guys think I'm attached or my exams are over or *insert what you think it is*, sorry to burst your bubble. =P

I've been feeling rather frustrated lately. I don't know why it took me more than a year to feel frustrated since I've been in Adelaide since February last year.

So, what is it about "official" & "Adelaide"? LOL I just simply don't get the Aussies! Like, seriously =.= I don't get their humour, their culture of drinking & clubbing, the way they say "no worries" in response to "thank you", the way they say "ta" as a replacement of "thanks",
arvo" for "afternoon", & calling people "mate". I dunno about you but according to my dictionary (in both sense), "mate" is something more personal. According to Microsoft Encarta Dictionary 2007 - U.K. used to address somebody: used as a friendly, or sometimes hostile, form of address to a man (informal) (usually used in combination). There were more than 1 definitions. Another definition is "friend". Well, I'm not a man AND I'm definitely not YOUR (any random Aussie person) friend! It gets to me all the time! =S Even though I speak proper English, without the lahs, mas, lohs etc., they still don't get me. Sooooo, I have to "speak like an Aussie", which they don't understand me either! It's freaking frustrating, it's like being mocked at, y'know? It's like they're secretly laughing at me in their heads, "Haha...Actually I understand you perfectly. I'm just poking fun at ya." OR "WTH, your Eng sucks to the extent I do not understand you!" There are a few instances where Aussie people don't get what I mean. I'll just give you 2 examples.

Incident #1
Venue: A reject-shop kinda store
Was looking for a waste paper basket but I couldn't seem to find it after having walked up & down the aisle a million times, so I resorted to asking one of the cashiers on duty.

Me: Hi, I would like to know where I could find a waste paper basket.
C: A...what?
Me: A waste paper basket?
C: Errr...sorry, what?
Me: (Attempted to pronounce it in an Aussie 'style', with "a" being pronounced as "ai") A wAIst paper basket.
C: A rice paper basket?! (I was like =.= WTH, rice paper basket sounds close enough to a waste paper basket & she still couldn't get it!! Was losing my patience)
Me: (Was getting annoyed at this point) A waste paper basket? You know, something you used to throw unwanted papers into?
C: Oh! A waste paper basket! Right, it's just there..walk to the end & they're just on your right.
Me: Thanks.
C: No worries! (see what I mean?!)

Incident #2
Venue: Home
I couldn't find a particular piece of information on the subject that I had to sit an exam for the next day. So I msg-ed one of my coursemates, an Aussie obviously, to ask her if she knew where to find it. Till the next day, even after I've sat for that subject, I didn't get any reply from her. & she replied me this: hp all ok ee lin! sorry didnt reply at time. was lk for that answer too! How did you find the nxwm (short for Nutrition, Exercise & Weight Management) exam? L___ (her name) I wasn't in the mood to reply her because obviously I didn't see the point in replying. I mean, what should I say? Tell her what I thought about the exam? Then what? =S Back home, we (my friends & I) don't normally sms about stuff like that. We would just talk face to face if we wanted to know stuff like that, not sms! It'd be so awkward to just stop msg-ing with nothing else to say. Besides, I didn't wanna waste my hp credit! =S Anyway, I thought maybe I should reply just to be polite. & so I told her what I thought about the exam & she replied me saying that she agreed. Then WHAT?! Ish...I hate it when they (Aussies) make small talks that go nowhere. So no, I didn't reply after that.
Disclaimer: I'm not being racist. I'm just simply saying that I don't get the people here! & I don't think I'll ever fit in. You see, I don't even get their humour. Last year when I took this course which requires us to watch some clips of Aussie TV shows, everyone laughed except me. I sat there with this face --> =.=|||

XOXO,
Me

='(

Yup, that's how I feel right now. =( Y is it that the more you hope, the more disappointment you feel?? Maybe my resolution for next year should be - Never hope, so that there won't be any disappointments. *sigh*

Sadly,
Me

=(

For 20 years of my very existence, I've never had to worry stuff about being beautiful & such. For example, I don't even care if I have hairy legs (although having hairy armpits is quite unforgivable) or that I don't wear feminine enough. I had no problems with anything to do with my appearance. You must be thinking this is another post about my protest regarding my principles on beauty again, right?

You're WRONG!

LOL

This is the most random & most wu liao post ever! Since I came to Adelaide, I realised since last year that I've been having dandruff now & then. =( When I went home last summer, everything was normal again. This year, it started developing again...since mid-winter? I can't remember when...*sigh* I could still remember how I thought people with dandruff must be dirty & that they don't wash their hair enough. But since I shampoo my hair every 2 days, it's impossible that my hair's dirty right??? So I decided to do some research on dandruff. =D

& *gasps* I learnt that dandruff can be caused by emotional/physical stress & the season - usually worse in winter. These are 2 of the factors. I wonder if it's both in my case. So, for the first time in my life, I had to go shop for anti-dandruff shampoo. =( Fortunately for me, mine is not as serious as described in many websites - "White scales and flakes on the scalp which fall onto the shoulders" or "may be associated with irritation or itching".

Before I end this post, here's a really funny pic that describes what dandruff is really all about. XP

*update: ish! i tried to link the pic here & it failed because the pic was copyrighted - wtf =.=

XOXO,
Me

What I do when I'm stressed 2

At times like this, I always need a good laugh. Was thinking of blogging to relieve stress & I found this cartoon. ROTFL Now, don't you feel it reflects most of us during exams? =P

I have nothing to update, really. Oh, except for the fact that I haven't stepped out of the house for 2 days in a row =.= I think I'mma go out later to get some fresh air!

Another 2 more weeks...yes, it ain't that faraway! >.<

XOXO,
Me

What I eat when I'm doing revision

Studying lecture slides
(It enhances my memory on things that I've studied! It works!)

A slice of choc chip & apricot cake

Let me elaborate more on the cake. LOL I feel so loved these few days =P Yesterday I stayed back at uni to study with J until 9:30pm & at about 7:30pm, my coursemate/classmate sms-ed me to ask if I was still at uni cause she bought me "yum yum" cake (according to her) to keep me awake while studying! How thoughtful is that?! =)) & indeed they were yummy! I didn't finish them yesterday, so I ate the remaining piece today as a dessert for lunch. I think I'm starting to get influenced by Lunch is Served. She blogs about what she has for lunch & the stories that go with it. Got me hooked. XP

A tuna sandwich with cheese & a tall Long Black from Hudson's

XOXO,
Me

*sniff*

OMG! I just can't believe it!!

A moment ago, I was studying...feeling lazy, eyelids about to close when suddenly my mobile phone rang with Britney Spear's song Autumn Goodbye..."I NEVER PROMISED YOU A HAPPY ENDING, U NEVER SAID U WOULDN'T MAKE ME CRY..." You get the drift. It was pretty loud and I totally got a fright! XP

The voice of the caller (C) didn't sound at all familiar.
This was how the "conversation" went:

C: Hello! *very cheery tone*
Me: Hello! *very cheery tone*
C: You're at home right?
Me: Yeah...? Who's this?
C: Oh, I'm SL, using E's phone to call. I'm reaching your place in 15 mins, I'll call you when I'm there & you just come down & get something ok?
Me: *confused* Errr...OK

I was left clueless. I didn't know what was happening. LOL After giving J a birthday surprise I thought someone was doing the same, except that my birthday was eons ago! XP But what could it be?! A VERY belated present?! =S Hmmm....

So, I continued studying, keeping in mind that my phone would ring any moment so that I would not jump outta my seat due to Britney's singing. And so, SL said she was here & I immediately went down.

It turned out that SL & E made me herbal soup! OMG! Can you believe it?! Herbal soup! The one thing I miss most about home! My mom used to make herbal soups for us all the time, especially exam periods. Ohhh...

Now everything fits into place. I recalled myself talking to SL after church last week. She asked me how I was doing & cause last week I was totally stressed out due to assignments, I casually said that I'm stressed out but trying not to. She asked me if I missed home & I replied without 2nd thought "YES! Especially now that no one makes me herbal soups during times of stress!" I know I have a weak body. That's why I always try not to put myself in a situation where I'll fall sick easily. For example, I try not to even expose my neck when it's windy because I catch a cold easily (that is why I can never fathom how the ang mohs can wear low-cut dresses during winter); I try not to risk not bringing a sweater out when I know that it might be cold because I don't wanna bear the consequences of catching a cold later; not forgetting, I don't like wearing skirts during winter even though I've got tights because tights ain't that thick & again, I might catch a cold if a bigger surface area of my body is exposed to the wind.

Anyway, back to the story. I never, in my wildest dream, thought that someone would actually take my word seriously. OMG. I feel so touched!! It is a kind of surprise...& it changes my perception towards ppl too. I thought it'd b so hard to actually find someone who cares. =) I'll leave that for another day.

Here's a picture of the soup! And mind you, there's ginseng inside too!! =) I'm a happy girl...

Soup in jar

Close up

XOXO,
Me

My assignments...

...are so yesterday!! XP I don't care that exams are just around the corner, I'd prefer studying to doing assignments ANYTIME!!

So here's a song I dedicate to myself...LOL






XOXO,
Me