First post of 2013

Hi! January is almost over and I just realised I haven't been writing much here. It's been 4 months since I arrived UK. Wow...time really does fly! I am happy to say that I'm feeling soooo much better except for the occasional emo moments when I get too stressed out, which is normal. :) My winter break was mostly spent doing nothing, watching drama, surfing the net, and talking to my family on skype. Pure bliss!

I was wishing for a white Christmas last year but it didn't snow. My Christmas plan - snuggling down in bed watching Love Actually - kind of failed too. I wasted so much time that by the time I took a shower and snuggled under my covers I was too sleepy to finish the movie. Oh, and having Snickers ice cream in bed was awesome!

A friend from Birmingham came over to visit me for a day and a half, and then it was my turn to pay him a visit. I must say, I haven't felt so at home for a looong time. I stay here alone (although I have 2 flatmates, we don't usually hang out or talk except when we bump into each other in the kitchen) so I kind of forgot how it felt like having meals with friends or just having someone to talk to. I stayed over my friend's place in Birmingham and I got to know his housemates. For 2 days, it felt sooo good to cook, eat and play together with them. I haven't laughed so much ever since I came to the UK. Then it was London! My primary school friend accompanied me throughout those 1.5 days. When I came back to Nottingham, reality sank in...loneliness came creeping back.

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Anyway, the above was written sometime in January. LOL It's already February! The month of L-O-V-E. Hehe...OMG, I saw snow for the first time in my life last month! I was rushing my assignment like mad in my room and then as I looked out the window the view outside took my breath away! Outside was covered in white and snowflakes were just falling slowly to the ground. The atmosphere outside was so still...as if time stood still. At that moment, I wanted to just sit there wrapped up in my fleece blanket and watch the snow fall! <3 nbsp="" p="">
So after the submission of my 2 assignments, I finally had time to just rest and not think about deadlines for a while. It was then that I realised being busy isn't a bad thing after all. It helps one to get their mind off certain things and time seems to pass by quicker when one is occupied. Finally, I can say that I finally made "peace" with where I am and what I need to do. =)

除此之外，我也学会了生命中的一门功课。很多事情不能强求，人会因时间或环境而改变。不是每个人都像自己一样那么注重或在乎一些事情。只要从另一个角度去看，那么一切会显得更清晰。还有就是凡事不要想太多，想了也不能改变什么，那何必自讨苦吃？长大了，很多事情不需太执着，要适当的放手，这样才活得轻松些。

XOXO

It's the time of year

For the first time I'm spending Christmas away from home. Although the Christmas atmosphere is everywhere in the UK, I still feel....a teeny weeny bit of homesickness. But it's OK, I'm fine. Really. It's just that seeing status updates and pictures of friends spending Christmas with their friends and family back home on Facebook does sting, no matter how I tell myself that it's OK.

Can't believe it's Christmas already, 7 days later we'll be welcoming the new year! And then the new term starts again. The moment I reached home from my Christmas eve dinner with the church saints, I received Christmas wishes on my wall and it made me really nostalgic. I reflected on the past year and thought...I didn't do much. I spent most of my time working, going out with friends and sleeping, or even wasting time away in front of the computer. To be honest, I don't think I spent much time with my family. *guilty* My aunts and cousins are already in Penang today with my niece and nephew and I really wish I could be home to see everyone!

I never knew how much I wanted to be with my family until now. T_T Like one of my friends said, she never knew she wanted to be home so much before she worked in the US for such a long time. I guess humans are like that. We never know what we want until we lose it. At this point I don't think I'm structuring coherent sentences. Anyway, I realised that every year I would make resolutions, all psyched up for the new year but....they never go the way as planned. This time I shall refrain myself from making resolutions. I just hope that I am able to complete my postgraduate studies and not get too shitty a grade.

In the past year, I fell in and out of love. Let's just say...it doesn't matter if you never get to be with the one you love because as long as he is happy, you are happy and that's all that matters. =) Finally, I can proudly say that I am freed from all those sticky love issues. I've never felt this relieved for a long time and it feels awesome!!!!

Tomorrow's Christmas...I think I'm spending my night in PJ's wrapped up in my warm blanket and watch Love Actually and have dessert. Hmmm...sounds like a plan! Whoever's reading this, merry christmas and a happy new year!!

XOXO
Me

Hello world! *warning* super long post ahead!

I've been MIA due to a series of events that have happened in the last week. In conjunction with the last post entitled "Monday Morning", I was to type a post entitled "Tuesday Morning" because something happened that morning (obviously!) but I kept putting it off till today.

Tuesday 7th April
I woke up early as usual. Went to the kitchen to cook some rolled oats. Did I mention that the bananas here are so unpredictable? LOL I mean, I bought some unripe bananas & to make sure they last longer, I put them into the fridge to slow the ripening process. I thought it was about time I ate them because they've been in the fridge for more than a week. That morning I decided to eat them with rolled oats BUT when I peeled one of the bananas, it was still not ripe! Did I tell you that I absolutely hate eating unripe bananas?! Besides the fact that they're not sweet, I hate the texture of an unripe banana. *sigh* So I thought I'd put my new jar of honey into good use.

I opened the kitchen cupboard (where we keep our food supply) & reached for my jar of honey. I had a lot on my mind then, one of them being the arrival of 2 of my primary school mates the next day. I was quite excited as I didn't expect time to fly by so fast! I turned to J while still reaching for the honey, & said, "oh my gosh...I can't believe that (my friends will be arriving tomorrow)" [Just so you know, I didn't manage to finish the words in brackets] Just that split second, I heard a loud piercing crash. I looked down & there it was - that bottle of fried onions my mom made for me to bring back to Adelaide had fallen & broken into smithereens at my feet. I was stunned for a moment. It almost felt like my heart, too, had broken into pieces. I was angry with myself there & then. Why did I put the bottle so near to the edge of the shelf?! Why didn't I focus on just reaching for that damn honey?! I had no one but myself to blame. =( Since Feb until that Tuesday morning, I've only used the fried onions twice. TWICE!! Oh, I really wanted to cry. It was like the only thing I had of mommy. Well, maybe not, since I have a bottle of fried garlic...but still...that bottle of fried onions was a symbol of mommy's love & effort. I still remember her chopping onions & frying them just a few days before I left Penang. ='( What a way to start my day. Was in a bad mood after that. Even the oats didn't taste as good as usual. Wanted to talk to mommy so badly. I did, eventually. & it made my day. The conversation was as follows:

Me: Mommy!!! I'm soooo sad!
Mom: Oh, why?! What happened?!
Me: *SIGH* This morning when I was reaching for my jar of honey inside the cupboard, I accidentally broke the bottle of fried onions when it fell onto the floor!
Mom: Oh...I thought what pulak?! See la? You treat it so preciously, now the floor gets to eat it...haha...Nevermind la, I'll make another bottle for you, you can try asking your friend to bring it back for you in July if any of them comes back to Penang.
Me: OH! Yeah hoh?! OK! I'll ask my friend. =D

I felt better instantly! ^^

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Wednesday 8th April
The day I've been waiting for! I guess the reason I was so excited was I don't think any of my friends, in their right state of mind, would ever visit Adelaide! Besides that, it was the company that I looked forward to. At least I'd have people whom I'm familiar with around. That afternoon, I met up with JM after lecture to get my "present" (hehe~) & we had chicken rice at the Penang Hawker Centre. It's always good to have lunch with JM because we always share a meal + she's very funny. =D L & S have already reached Adelaide but they were at Glenelg, so I thought I'd go home & rest first before going out with them for dinner.

Took this while waiting for the bus

I was super excited to have good company & good food! We settled for Italian food at Brunelli on Rundle Street.

Us at Brunelli

The spaghetti was yummy but the pizza was just so-so. Nonetheless, we had a great time catching up. Ermm...I think I'd give L & S a short introduction. Haha. I was in the same class with L for 3 years from Standard 1. As for S, I was in the same primary & high school with her but we weren't close. I had neutral feelings towards her. I lost contact with L since primary school because he (oh, forgot to mention it's a he) went to a boys' school after that. We only met again in Feb 2007, before I came to Adelaide. After that, I met him again in December 2008 (wait, or was it in January 2009?). The amazing thing is that though L & I haven't seen/talked to each other for so long, we instantly clicked when we met up in 2007. Was & still am glad that we keep in touch since then. =) S was being her usual talkative self. It was good...no awkward moments, besides all 4 "girls" were from the same school so we had LOADS to talk about. From mutual friends to mutual friends' boyfriends to our own ideal boyfriends. LOL Ahhh...Been deprived of girl talk for ages! We continued our girly chat (with a guy around...haha) at Chocolate Bean.

Shared Chocolate Filth @ Chocolate Bean

Spent hours there. I wished that time could just standstill. Caught a bus home at 12:05am with L. Oh, L stayed over at my place. Come to think of it, I was a really bad host. I had my guest sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. He was on a holiday & he had to sleep on a hard floor.

Thursday 9th April
Ah...Thursday morning was a busy one! My cousin had his friend bring back supplements from Penang for me & I was supposed to get to his restaurant to collect it. I woke up early but was wasting my time away. Saw GF online on skype, ended up talking for almost an hour. Realised it was late, so we hung up. I rushed to the city to catch a bus to Glen Osmond, where the restaurant was located, then right after collecting my stuff, I caught a bus back to the city & then and another bus back to Magill (where my campus is & where I stay), all of that in 2 hours! Reached Magill in time for my 1pm class! I was exhausted when I reached Magill. Finished class at 4pm that day. Met up with S, L, KT & sis for dinner! This time we had dinner at a Korean restaurant on Leigh Street. Funny how we ended up ordering 2 beef dishes & 2 pork dishes. There seemed to be endless topics when we're together. I fell asleep while we were watching Spirited Away as I've watched it before & I had a loooong day. Managed to wake up for the ending. LOL That night L & I caught the 12:05am bus back home for the 2nd time.

Friday 10th April
Ahh..Easter holidays are finally here! But I had an online test that day, so I had to re-revise the stuff I already revised to refresh my memory before taking the test. That morning, L & S had gone to Victor Harbour. While doing my revision, GF came online on skype! LOL Yeah yeah, ended up talking to her for 4 hours. XD Even talked to her while having lunch. We always have so much to talk about it's unbelievable! Then again almost dinner time, I caught up with S, L, KT & sis for dinner, this time at Pancake House.

Can't remember what this is called =S

Dutch chocolate pancakes

Cajun chicken

After that all of us crashed at KT & sis's place. I fell almost fell asleep watching Howl's Moving House. Managed to keep myself awake by noticing lame stuff with S (Eg. how ugly the guy's earrings were). XD

Saturday 11th April
The day I've been dreading since 8th of April. Yes, the departure of S & L. I totally hate goodbyes. I know I can still meet them in Penang, but I have to wait for ages to do that. Besides, their departure also means that I'd have to face reality (start on assignments), which makes it even more depressing. Today L & I were awake at the same time, so we decided to take a walk to my campus, which is just 5 mins walk away. OMG, that day was so hot, both of us were desparately looking for a shed to stand under. XP As L didn't have any plans before 11:30am, we decided to catch an earlier bus to the city to walk around & talk. After gathering at KT's place, we went to have lunch at Billy Baxter's!

My hot chocolate

*fast forward*

Accompanied S & L to the airport. Upon arrival, S found out her flight had been delayed to the same time as L's. LOL Another opportunity to sit down & talk! We got ourselves a Hudson's each & made ourselves comfortable on the sofas provided. *fast forward* Time for them to board. Oh how I hated that moment! Hugged them goodbye & as I was walking towards where were came from, I turned around & saw both of them following from behind. Eh? They realised that the bag of Haigh's Chocolates S was holding onto was gone! I think if someone was there with a camcorder recording it, it'd be a funny video to watch. We were all so 惊慌失措! But good thing L asked the staff at the checkpoint & they took the bag of chocolates out from one of the drawers. =D S was super relieved, after thanking the staff, we hugged goodbye once more & I didn't dare turn back this time, in fear I might just breakdown in front of all the people at the airport. =/ Hah...but guess what?! I didn't cry, though I was the only person on the bus. I just thought that I should count my blessings that I still keep in touch with my primary school friends! ^^ Aren't you guys just proud of me? LOL I think positive for once. Had yummy tom yam for dinner at KT's place. That night...I caught the bus home alone...it felt very different...like something missing...but, I guess life's like this. Sometimes you just have to be alone to grow up.

Sunday 12th April
The moment I opened my eyes, I felt like I just got sucked into a deep black hole. Reality hit me on the head, real HARD. I was all alone again. No more L sleeping in the sleeping bag on the floor. No more having to tip-toe into the bathroom. Everything was just how it was before. A little weird I must say. Anyway, life is full of separations. So yeah..life goes on. I got out of bed...cooked some oats...washed some grapes...added them to the cooked oats...was eating them in front of my computer...when suddenly, I felt that familiar pain. I decided to ignore it & continued eating my oats but the pain got worse & worse. Argh! Bed...all I need is a nap & the pain would just go away, like it always does. After napping for an hour, the pain was gone...but I've already missed my bus to church. So I decided to stay home, which I am thankful for because the pain came back after lunch! By now you should have guessed what it was. Yes, the time of the month. *SIGH* No sweat right? Everytime I take naps, eat/drink warm stuff, keep myself warm etc. the pain just subsides. With the hormonal imbalance, pain & the departure the day before, I broke down...cried myself to sleep. Especially at times like these I miss home so much! Everything just didn't feel right.

Monday 13th April
I woke up feeling like a truck just rammed over me. Almost felt like a hangover (well, I'm just guessing hangovers feel like that...never had one). Talked to my parents after breakfast, thinking that my menstrual cramps episode was over. Little did I know, there was something in store for me...For the whole of Monday, I had diarrhea! Argh! Into the bathroom, out of the bathroom, in again...out. I felt so drained & weak. Those who say they love diarrhea because they wanna lose weight, I tell you this - You'd probably die before you achieve your ideal weight. I kid you not. Did you know that if you're a pregnant woman, you could have a miscarriage if you experience serious diarrhea?! Stop & think for a second. I stayed in bed the whole day, only got out of bed when I needed to you-know-what. =.= Had oats & crackers for lunch. It tasted so bland I felt like puking. Was my turn to cook fish so I thought, "I'll cook fish porridge...love it when mommy cooks it". Called my mom to ask her how to cook etc. Well, needless to say...I think the fish porridge I cooked just tasted horrible/terrible (couldn't decide on which adjective is worse). It was hard to cover the fishy smell & I think I marinated the fish with too much soy sauce. It tasted soooo salty I gagged at every mouthful. =S Being sick is already bad enough, having to take care of everything when you're sick is even worse! I really really felt like crying there & then! Now I understand what Karen Cheng meant by The Hormonal Illness, it's just that the only difference is I'm not pregnant. Hah..Imagine what it'd be like if I was pregnant! From Friday till Monday, I've laughed & cried countless times. I cried while watching a video PQ posted on her blog in conjunction with the post on Imperfectness Made Perfect; also cried while watching a video J sent me thru e-mail on how people from some parts of the world eat food scraps of people from other parts of the world; cried again reading a blog post XC recommended. I nearly laughed a** off when I watched a video (not sure if you can open it) one of my primary school mates recorded & posted on Facebook; I also laughed when I opened YY's forwarded e-mail entitled Naughty Banana & saw this:


Tuesday 14th April
Hmm...nothing much happened on that day. Thank God the number of times I needed to go to the bathroom reduced dramatically. LOL Went out to buy some "sick food" supply. Cooked chicken porridge that night. Yummy! ^^

Chicken porridge

p/s: I started typing this post on Sunday night & finally finished now. phew! That was a looooong post!

XOXO,
Me

She's the man

First of all, this blog post has absolutely nothing to do with the movie "She's the Man". I just couldn't think of a decent post title.

Anyway, I've been meaning to blog about my 2nd week of uni but I change my mind since I lost the magic moment to blog adee. LOL & I realised that I haven't blogged about my February. So...yup, this post is about what I did in February, before I came back to Adelaide.

Hopefully, looking through the pics I took in February won't stimulate my tear glands, causing a massive downpour.


1st February
So, the 1st day of February, the whole family went out for dinner @ Manila Place on a Sunday night because brother was gonna leave on Wednesday that week. It was also the 1st time having dinner out as a whole family since my brother came back for 3 weeks. Usually we would have dinner at home. It was really great...finally the 4 of us reunited. No more feeling like an only child XP However, bro was leaving soon & I was gonna leave 11 days after that. Argh...I totally hate having a concoction of emotions. *bleh*


4th February
The day before Sue's departure, us Disted girls (of a different group) decided to have 1 last hangout @ Gurney Plaza. We got to catch up over lunch & express our feelings about leaving Penang. It was all good...At least I know that there are people out there who truly know how I feel. =) They are the people whom I hung out more during the summer holidays & I'm glad I did.


5th February
Hmm...I dunno where to start with this one. LOL I first got to "know" HY during CNY in 2008. Didn't really talk much to her as I felt a lil strange being around C's friends. Funny thing was, I mentioned to C that I was a little intimidated by HY & what do u know?! He asked HY & YY out in December to have dinner together with us & *zap* I dunno what happened along the way. I started going out with them more & when YY went back to study in Perlis, HY & I met up for a movie - Underworld 3. We had a gr8 time watching the movie & having lunch at Kim Gary after that. I guess 1st impressions aren't always accurate. ;) Good thing C asked them out for dinner in December. If not for him, I wouldn't have gotten to know a new friend, would I?

7th February
My baby boy went back to Singapore with his grandparents (my aunt + uncle). ='(

10th February
Since I got to know KT in 1999, we've been kinda close ever since. By close I mean, talking about anything in the world with each other. & of course when I found out that she was coming to study in Adelaide, I could not express how thrilled I was! Having someone you know for aeons here is definitely the best thing in the world! So we hung out alot in Adelaide, mostly during the holidays though. I'm not sure if I've blogged about this before. One time, when we went hiking at the Botanical Gardens, I almost died. I shall save that for another day. XD Anyway, we've been planning to go hiking for ages so I decided to just go ahead with the plan before I came back to Adelaide (she left almost a week after I did). Hehe...That's us...hiking & camwhoring along the way.


14th February
The day that every couple (or rather just the girls with bfs) has been waiting for. Well, since my friends & I are still single, we thought why not celebrate it among ourselves?! Ruth, YF & I headed to the Northam Beach Cafe for our dinner. Hmmm...I think we had ikan panggang, lasagne (with soup & dessert [omg the dessert!!]), muar chee...omg I can't remember! =S All I remember is that the food was yummy & we left with filled stomachs. LOL Happy Belated Valentine's Day girls! =D


15th February
After planning for sooo long, SM, XY & I finally met up! Too bad HN & SH couldn't make it though. =( We first became close in...let's see...2004. We were in the same group doing the SPM Additional Mathematics project. & the rest is history. XD I'm always glad that I get to keep in touch with old friends because nothing compares to them! Well, not that new friends are not good, it's just that old friends have known you longer & have probably been through a lot with u in those years that u've been friends.


18th February
The day before my dreaded day. Despite having to leave the next day, Shaun, Ruth & I met up for lunch at Kim Gary. & after that, we headed to PAH to visit Pras who has been admitted there.

That's pras, with Shaun Jr. Shaun made while waiting to visit her. LOL
19th February
I dun even know what to "say" here. I was dreading this day for almost a week even though I knew I had to face reality. Well...let's just say I managed to put up a brave front & held back the tears that have been desparate to flow. Besides, for the first time in 2 years (1st time not counted as mom went to Adelaide with me), I had a friend to keep me company during the flight. So it wasn't that bad...until I reached Adelaide & stepped into my room of course.

There you go, this is a post on what I did in February.

XOXO,
Me

My summer hols December 2008

5th December 2008

Friends I got to know during Disted-Stamford days fetched me from the airport to surprise my parents whom didn't have a clue (or so I thought) that I was reaching that night. I would say that the surprise was kinda successful. =P

8th December 2008
Had sardine + cucumber for breakfast since ages! Home sweet home!! <3


Had a trim & decided that I should try giving myself bangs so that I look younger than my age. =D

9th December 2008
Finally! After 9 months of cooking on my own, I got to taste my mom's yummy bak moy!


11th December 2008
Mom made Jawa mee, which was comparable to the ones sold at hawker centres but healthier!


15th December 2008
Had dim sum for breakfast @ Bali Hai with Prasana & Ruth. OH boy, you wouldn't know how much we laughed that day. All because of those funny-looking geoduck, fishes with kissable-looking "lips", escaping spider lobsters etc.


Had pizza for dinner with mommy & papa @ Pizza Hut.


17th December 2008
Disted girls' lunch out @ Manhattan Fish Market


18th December 2008
Had dinner @ Sakae Sushi with C & his gang or as he calls it - OUR gang. LOL


19th December 2008
Celebrated Wai Che's birthday at Sakae Sushi the next day & I met PQ "unofficially" there! XP We were planning to meet up & I've met her here! =) The whole table was surrounded by progesterone-rich beings. XP Later that night, we had KFC for dinner at Wai Che's place, courtesy of her parents. It was really fun, getting to know some Union girls & really enjoyed the bonding session except the fact that I got an irritating eye later that night. =(


21st December 2008
Had a really great meet-up with Pei Qi, my pre-school friend. She blogged about our outing here. Pai seh, I'm trying to summarise my whole December into 1 blog post. =P


On the same day, at night, I had dinner with my aunt's family + "my baby boy" @ a hawker food centre opposite Super Tanjung. Got to eat curry mee! =D


After that, met up with some of the OCFers who are from Penang & also Chloe who was going to go back to KL the next day.


24th December 2008
Christmas Eve! Remember my dilemma? I decided to spend Christmas Eve at my friend, PQ's church! =) Half of me wondered how it would have been if I went out with the other group of friends, but I guess every decision made is of a reason. I got to spend time with PQ & got to know BX more. I am happy to say that I did not regret my decision. ;)


25th December 2008
Had Christmas lunch at Prasana's place! Her mom & herself prepared various types of yummy food! Had fun catching up with Disted friends too...Everyone commented on how I still laugh like a horse & that I should go to a turf club for a date in the future so that my guy wouldn't suspect anything if he hears me laugh. He'll think it's just one of the horses.


29th December 2008
Met up with Yon Lynn, my high school friend! Haven't seen her since beginning of 2007, before I left for Adelaide. She's still as crazy as ever & never fails to crack me up! XD



30th December 2008
Had breakfast @ Mr. Pot with Alicia, whom I've known since primary school. We had a good time catching up with each other's lives overseas. Glad we're still keeping in touch after all these years!



31st December 2008
The fantastic 4 reunites with a new member (JM's sis)! The 4 of us bought the global warming shirt beginning of last year.


Later that night, I decided that maybe I should give OUR group of friends a chance. LOL That day, I finally learnt a way to face annoying people! XP & thus, my new year resolution would be to keep that up. Hehe~


So, that's all for December, will update about January soon, I hope. =P No promises. Anyway, I know this is a little too late, but Happy New Year! May you guys have a blessed year ahead! ;)

p/s: Taking my driving test this Monday, pray for me! =S

XOXO,
Me

My christmas wish...

...is to pass my driving test!!

Had my 2nd driving lesson today...I did OK I think...still I can't help but feel a lil afraid on the road with all those freaking motorcyclists & buses.

This is what my driving instructor said, "It's not that you don't know how to drive, you're too nervous."

Well, he's so right! Because I freaking had a traumatic experience with the previous driving instructor!! *sigh* I need a psychologist now...to help me overcome my fear of driving. I just hope I remember the 2 test routes he showed me today!

Will update with pictures soon! After I've done something fun! XD

XOXO,
Me

Woohoo!!

Yippy! I'm a happy happy girl!

As many of my friends already know, my previous driving experience was a really BAD one. I'm not even exaggerating. It was so bad that I'd have nightmares & palpitations the night before my driving lessons. Thanks to my previous driving instructor, I almost sworn off driving. He scolded, nagged, pinched, poked & screamed. I could never have a second of peace with him around. Basically I just did whatever he said without even knowing the basics of driving. After the 3rd/4th lesson (Can't remember, it was 9 months ago) I couldn't take it anymore. I thought I was gonna have a mental breakdown. & with those nightmares, I didn't think they were good for my well-being, so I told my mom that I wanna have my driving instructor changed.

Well, we managed to change but I didn't manage to finish my lessons in time to take the test. Went back to Adelaide with my lessons hanging halfway. When I came back, I totally dreaded driving lessons. I didn't know what to expect.

But....

thank God I survived my 1st driving lesson in 9 months! I still remember how to drive on the road but not going uphill & the parking one. All is good! I'm happy...I guess I'm not so afraid of driving anymore! My new driving instructor is more patient & he lets me ask questions. =)

XOXO,
Me

Summer plans

I know this sounds crazy. It's only the middle of 4th week of my 2nd semester of 2nd year and I'm already planning what to do during summer!

Plans usually don't work out (based on experience), for example the Sydney trip, I can save that for another loooong post.

Anyway, yes...summer plans. Since one of my best friends, GF, won't be there when I go back home (she's flying to the US tomorrow! *sob*) I would have to entertain myself with stuff I've always wanted to do but haven't gotten the chance to.

So here's a list of things I wish to accomplish when I go back home!

Visit my baby boy in Singapore! <3

Try out different food at different places *drools*

Watch Twilight with my girl friends!! *screams*

Do my shopping early (which I dread)

Bake/cook =D

Practise my piano and hopefully get to learn guitar

Learn ballet (I MUST do it this time!)

Oh, and last but not least, get my freaking driving license!!! I just cross my fingers that the driving instructor won't be an a**hole! Hmph! Made driving a bad experience for me only.

That's for now! Stay tuned to my boring life...

XOXO,

Me

It's time to breakaway

Guess where I'm going! =D See you guys soon~

XOXO,
Me

It's been too long...

...since I left you here.

My holidays are great...meaning I finally feel the feeling of having a holiday! Been busy hanging out with friends from the past (well, it kinda feels like it) and reliving memories.

During the past 1 year, well, maybe not...9 months being away from home, I guess I realized a great deal of facts about life. As for me, I think I've learnt that if we keep hanging on to the past, we are unable to live out future to the fullest. However, if we remember lessons from the past and apply it in the future, then it would bring us benefits. It may sound easy but one thing I know is that I'm not the kind who can juz forget about the past and move on like that...sometimes I think too much, sometimes I say things without thinking, sometimes I regret not doing the things that I should have. So you see, I do think about the past now and then. Being back home for nearly a month, I've been chasing my past. I wanna make everything right again. So, I finally made it up to a friend whom I've lost contact with for ages since he had his girlfriend. After all, he's leaving for US in January.

Just the other day, I was laughing my signature laughter with my Penang friends at Gurney Plaza and suddenly one of them remarked, "Ee Lin!! I haven't heard your laughter for ages!! I miss it so much...." That exact moment, I felt like I've found my old self!! I can be who I wanna be...I guess I do laugh like that in Adelaide too, but not as freely as I wanted to because my friends would tell me that people are looking. It may be embarrassing, but I miss doing that so much!! So what if people are looking?? I laugh like no one's around...juz in my own world, where everything stands still.

Maybe because in Adelaide, I look out for my manners alot that I don't feel natural. Even the 1st time hanging out with my best friend of 5 years, I felt so weird...I even said excuse me after burping. She said "aiya, it's not your first time la ok?!" and I thought: oh...I've totally forgotten how to act in front of her. *sigh* I feel so torn apart. Malaysia and Adelaide, which is my home?? The me in Malaysia vs. the me in Adelaide, which is the real me??

I guess I'm just too emotional...=)

XOXO,
Me

What did I do today?

Woke up today and a thought passed through my mind "go for the Popular Bookstore interview and get yourself a job!"

I was so determined to get that job...I mean, getting a job is one of the things I wanna do when I get back to Penang.

So off I went to Gurney Plaza (GP) right after my lunch, walked into Popular with high hopes and I realised that the poster with the recruiting information was gone!! They must've hired someone already...*sigh*

As determined as I was, I walked around GP, hoping to find shops with vacancy notices on the glass door. I did find a few but I was too shy to walk in to ask =S Coward, I know...

In the end, I did walk in 2 stores to ask - 1 is Tower Records which sells CDs and another 1 is Memory Lane which sells cards n souvenirs. Didn't get to be interviewed but the TR guy asked me to come back the next day because their manager wasn't in and the ML lady said she'll call me for an interview.

Right now, I really really hope I get the TR job...haha~ If I get it, it would be my 1st job ever!!!

p/s: more updates on my job interview tomorrow or when I remember XP

XOXO,
Me

High School Musical 2

I'm hooked onto High School Musical 2!!!!

I know it's not as good as the 1st one but I'm still a sucker for high school romances! =P So far I've watched HSM 2 for 4 times already XD

So romantic ok?! OK, maybe not THAT romantic...but still...I just wanted to cry when Gabriella wanted to break up with Troy and when she sang that break up song (Gotta Go My Own Way).

I'm stuck in one of my fantasies again!! I think E is right, I'm still stuck in the past...not fully grown up yet...still searching XP I WANNA GO BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL AND GET MYSELF A HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART!! <3

Gotta Go My Own Way
I’ve got to move on and be who I am
I just don’t belong here
I hope you understand
We might find our place in this world someday
But at least for now
I gotta go my own way

And when Troy sang a duet (Every day) with Gabriella...WHOA!! So romantic!!!!

Every Day
[Troy]
Once in a lifetime
Means there's no second chance
So I believe that you and me
Should grab it while we can

[Gabriella]
Make it last forever
And never give it back

I know the acting kinda sucks and all but WTH, this show is for kids anyway! =D

XOXO,
Me

Ermmm...

...I don't know where to start.

OK...I start from last Friday =P

I baked a cake and rolled sushis last Friday. It was easy baking a cake. All I had to do was mix the ingredients until it's smooth and then transfer the mixture into a erm...mold and put it into a preheated oven! =D However, the cake came out looking weird...it looked like a volcano >.< Looks don't matter...it tasted great! HAH to all those who are laughing at me now!! *blek*

It was my first time making sushi. Well, not exactly made made, but...fine!! I ROLLED a sushi for the first time...=D It was quite messy...rice sticking on my fingers and at the same time had to make sure no rice sticks on the seaweed outside =S I seriously disappointed myself. The first thought that comes to my mind is: I can never be a housewife!!!! Such a failure, man! But it's ok...cause this is my first time. P2 was teasing me of never gonna be a good housewife and I said I'll find a guy who can cook. What she said next made sense too. Guys who know how to cook expect their wives to know how to cook as well. True...very true.

While rolling sushi's, P2 kept mentioning P, which was quite weird cause everything seemed to fall into place. Like how guys know how to cook expect their wives to cook or guys who know how to cook are difficult cause they're picky in their food. That's just super weird. Not only that, P2 will tell me out of the blue, "Don't (fill in verb), P (fill in like/dislike) eating (noun)" XD

It was really fun though...E was responsible of cutting the sushi and she found quite a few with only rice and without any fillings...oops~ We ate those without fillings =P I think I'm sick of sushi for the meantime.

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2 nights ago I watched High School Musical 2...been waiting for it to be out for ages!! Awww~ So romantic!! Sometimes I wish I'm back in high school and I have a boyfriend...haha...high school sweetheart <3 Like what C said "High school love is the purest and sweetest" Just one of my fantasies...I'm getting old!

Anyway, went out with J yesterday morning to get J2 her birthday present which falls on this Friday. We had no idea what to get her so I suggested we make her a big birthday card with photos of her memories stuck in it =) We set off to Lincraft to buy cards and then we went back to J's place to save some photos into my pendrive and memory card to be developed in one of the shops at Rundle Mall. We were so scared that J2 would see us with our big cards cause then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. J made sure that J2's not home then she called me to go up. Oh yeah, J and J2 are housemates.

After choosing photos to be developed, we headed to 3 Store to develop the pictures cause E went there to develop before and it was instant. Unfortunately, the machines at 3 Store were out of order. Therefore we headed to Harvey Norman, the one introduced by J. Oh boy, we had a hard time figuring out how to use those darn machines!! I think we took half an hour just to choose and edit our photos. =.= Technology...

And it took us by surprise...it wasn't instant. So we had to go for our lunch and come back to collect the photos. When there are too many choices, it's hard to decide. J and I took like 10 minutes to decide on what to eat and so we went to Southern Cross. I thought maybe I should settle for some Tandoori cause it makes me feel at home so we did. The curry turned out to be super duper salty!! *faints* Luckily I brought water, if not I would've died of dehydration.

Collected the photos and wow!! They're so nice!!!! I love hard copy photos....memories start to rush back to me! Excuse me for the boring style of writing. I'm not in the mood for creative writing...LOL J and I were so excited to do art and craft!! Haven't done it for ages...Thought it would be really quick to make a birthday card...little did we know...we took more than an hour to make it cause we couldn't come up with ideas for the captions of the photos. =S 9 photos were developed but 3 couldn't fit in so I took home 2 myself and J took 1.

ARRGGGHHHH!! Wasted too much time today....later!

XOXO,
Me

3 in 1

Hmmm...let's see. I haven't been feeling very well since last Thursday. I keep having this headache that makes me feel like my head is gonna be blown off any moment!! ARRGGGHHHH! I don't know why, but I never had headaches in my life. This is the first time...Insisted not to take any medicine cause I believe in recovering naturally =P However I broke my no-medicine policy on Saturday night.

On Saturday, I woke up at 6:56am because P wanted to leave at 7:45am to the leadership workshop kairos at Marketplace Church which ends at 5pm. To cut a long story short, I'll just tell the main points. There was this "game" which requires us in a group to do different things. For me, I had to do duck walk. So I ended up having sore thigh muscles =S Going down the stairs and sitting on the toilet seat are a pain for me now! >.< Anyway, I reached home at 6pm, had a massive headache so I went and had a nap until 6:30pm which is dinner time. After having my dinner, I thought that it wasn't good to sleep right after a meal, so I listened to songs and online for a while until 8pm.

Was sleeping very very soundly when someone knocked my door at around 10pm. Well, because of my famous pyjamas, the first question that guy, X, asked me was, "Why aren't you in your pyjamas and you're sleeping already?" when I opened the door. I just simple replied, "Headache". O.O The next moment I know was he asked me to wait and I went back to bed, wrapped up in my blanket and he came back with a glass of lukewarm water and a Panadol. I told him I didn't wanna take any medicine but he insisted so I took it and swallowed it with lukewarm water. Everything was a blur...I think I remember him asking me to take Vitamin C the next morning or something.

So, many may be asking what's the "3 in1" in the title for XP 1. headache, 2. sore thigh muscles, and 3. time of the month!! *sigh* Being a girl is sometimes tough. But thank God that since I came here, no more cramps for me during the time of the month =) So it was all ok... I don't think I'll be updating my blog so frequent now as I'm starting to panic. Exams are just around the corner and deadlines are nearing.

p/s: I realised that blogging is a really good way to keep friends updated! =) I will try to blog whenever I can. Miss and love you guys!

XOXO,
Me

Falling sick

Woke up yesterday morning feeling my throat being tight. Tried to utter a word but no sound came out...after clearing my throat twice, a coarse voice was heard. Didn't feel like talking the whole day, felt so miserable. =(

Today, I had yummy egg for breakfast. However, I didn't feel as happy as I would have been. >.< Still miserable that my throat is tight. My body keeps screaming to be wrapped up in my blanket; my eyes try to shut themselves every second I try to read my novel. I feel like dying!!!!!

*sigh* Planned to start studying today. Hopefully I am able to after my nap...

XOXO,
Me

Summer Holiday Mood XP

Am chatting with a Penang friend who has gone back to Penang for her holiday.

Hehe...since I'm having my semester break now, my mind wandered to summer holidays which is at the end of the year!

Things I wanna do during summer holidays:

1. Learn ballet (adult class of course)
2. Learn a language
3. Learn how to play the guitar
4. Arrange my photos in an album
5. Eat every kind of hawker food before coming back to Aus
6. Sleep
7. Find a part time job (doesn't matter if the pay is low)
8. Get a haircut before coming back to Aus
9. Practise swimming (hopefully)
10. Watch at least 1 drama series
11. Shopping (never liked shopping but I have to shop for stuff cause stuff here is expensive)
12. Meet and catch up with old friends
13. Learn driving!!
    

So far I've got 13 things to do during summer holidays! Wheeee~

XOXO,
Me

Monday

Woke up early today despite sleeping late the night before. Had a quick breakfast again with M and off I went to the city to see the GP. Didn't want to go at first but my mom insisted I go although the swelling on my hand has subsided because she said, "Just in case" -.-

The GP heard what I had to say, had a look at my hand, typed some stuff on his laptop and it was over. All he said was, "It might have been a spider bite, it looks OK now. Tell you what you should do, go to the mall, buy a surface spray, and spray on the walls in your room, just in case spiders or other insects are lurking around" =.= Oookkkaaayyy...No prizes for guessing right how much he charged me. A freaking amount of AUD46.10!! What's that 10 cents for anyway?! ARRGGGHHHH! I should have just be prodigal and not heed my mom's advice! That's like what...RM138.30!! With that amount, I can pay for half of Linkin Park's concert tickets!! I decided not to go for the concert cause 1. my mom didn't allow cause it's expensive, 2. I felt guilty spending so much, and 3. it's AUD99.90 (RM300) for a ticket!! All 3 reasons are related to $$$ and I had to pay what, RM48.30 after claiming back AUD30 from OSHC! =S

*sigh* Enough about $$$...though I seem stingy, I don't care anymore! It's time I learn how to say NO to temptations and start saving. No spending unless it's on food or something necessary. Hopefully next year my lecture schedule would not be so tight and so I can work!! Well, not 100% because of money that I want to work though. Been wanting to work and experience how it's like working since finishing SPM, but never gotten myself to.

After seeing the GP, I headed to the State Library. I wanted to borrow Hopeless Romantic once again cause I haven't finished reading it when I returned it but I couldn't find the book. *sigh* Wanted to read the ending of a romantic story...=P So, I thought maybe it's time for me to read those classical books (e.g. Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility etc.) but I couldn't find them either. Suddenly I was in the mood for thrillers, so woohoo~ I borrowed 2 books by Sidney Sheldon and a chick novel by Sophie Kinsella.

Was reading "In the mirror" by Sidney Sheldon on the bus on the way home (it's rather funny calling Hosanna my home, cause it's not exactly my home >.<). Nearly missed my stop! When I looked up and saw the majestic building of Hosanna Heights, my heart skipped a beat and in a split second, my butt got off the seat and my hand was reaching for the button to ring the bell! Phew~ Didn't want to walk uphill if I'd missed the stop!!

Holidays is the time when I have time to myself to reflect upon my life, myself and stuff around me. It is also the time when I'm more sensitive to comments cause I know that I'll be able to reflect on them when my mind is not occupied. While having lunch, P came down with his bag. There weren't any people sitting at the table he used to sit at, so he put down his bag on one of the chairs at the table I was sitting at. Then I was talking to this guy X and X suddenly teased me (I couldn't remember what) so I said, "Stupid X!" Out of silence, P said I should not call people stupid. I wasn't offended and wasn't sure if he said it seriously or jokingly though but it got me thinking.

When I call someone stupid, I don't really mean stupid stupid, but just an expression. And when I say it, it doesn't mean that I'm angry or what, it's just how I express myself. Maybe, just maybe I do offend people unconsciously, but I do not call people I'm not close with stupid and people who I'm close with know that I don't mean what I say. So, what should I do about this? Restrict myself from saying the things I'm used to saying? Or, just restrict myself when I'm around certain people? Sometimes I feel I can't satisfy every single person. I just wanna be me...you know...be the bubbly and happy-go-lucky person I used to be. On the other hand, I want to be this perfect girl, which I know is quite impossible. At times I want to grow up as soon as possible (part of the reason is to show P I'm not that immature girl he thinks I am) but I just can't. It's not time yet...it's not meant to be that way. I'm proud to say that I'm mature in some ways though. =)

A friend let me listen to this japanese song entitled "I remember you" sung by Yui and I think I'm addicted to it...=S One more song to my addicted song list. Haha~ It's only Monday and so much has happened. Hmmm...I think this holiday would be quite eventful ;)

XOXO,
Me

Beautiful Sunday....

Woke up later than usual to go to church. Had a quick breakfast of toast bread with butter (yum yum!!!!) and 2 glasses of milk. Off we went!

I think today's message was really good...=) It was about loving God more than the world...

Came back and the first thing I did was to go online XP Managed to catch up with 2 of my high school friends...and as usual, we have a little girl talk...hehe~ and it led to our usual question - Have boyfriend already or not? =D and my usual answer - No

I'm soooo excited to know my friend's "love" story though...cause this time when I asked our usual question, her answer wasn't No, but Dunno *nyahaha* She's gonna tell me the story after her exams!! Woohoo~~ Can't wait...suddenly I realised how we've all grown up...*sob* Everyone's getting attached one by one...*giggles*

Beautiful sunday reminds me of this song by Daniel Boone:

Sunday morning, up with the lark
I think I'll take a walk in the park
Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day

I've got someone waiting for me
When I see her I know that she'll say
Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day

Hi, hi, hi, beautiful Sunday
This is my, my, my, beautiful day
When you say, say, say, say that you love me
Oh, my, my, my it's a beautiful day

Birds are singing, you by my side
Let's take a car and go for a ride
Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day
We'll drive on and follow the sun
Makin' Sunday go on and on
Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day

Hi, hi, hi, beautiful Sunday
This is my, my, my, beautiful day
When you say, say, say, say that you love me
Oh, my, my, my, it's a beautiful day

Hi, hi, hi, beautiful Sunday
This is my, my, my, beautiful day
When you say, say, say, say that you love me
Oh, my, my, my it's a beautiful day

It's a classical oldie...<3

XOXO,
Me

Dress to impress?

*laughs hysterically*

Nah...never! For me, at least...

I may not be perfect but I' m always me...

So...guess what I did today! I, being so me, went for a walk in Morialta Conservation Park in pyjamas and slippers!! Yep! You guys "heard" that right...pyjamas and slippers! Woohoo~

It's not that I always wear pyjamas everywhere in Penang. In fact I've never really worn pyjamas out, unless I'll be sitting in the car waiting for my parents to do their stuff =D

It was super duper fun...Not caring what people think of you.

For the first time in ages, I could do something as crazy as this. Well, it might not sound crazy to some people but it might be to my friends here. Cause I've been wanting to wear my pyjamas when I go out but many a times, my friends will ask me to go change...hehe~

At first I imagined myself as a mental patient who was on the loose...haha...I have to admit, my pyjamas did look a little like a mental patient's except for the teddies and duckies all over them =P I did get quite a number of stares but I didn't care. I just walked in and admired the greenery around me. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes!! After that I was thinking: What if people think I'm some kind of psycho trying to commit suicide in the park? That thought made me wanna laugh out loud! Yeah right...committing suicide with a phone and room key in one hand. =D


And there's where the saying "There's always a blessing at the end of every wrong turn" comes into the picture. I took the wrong road. Instead of turning right to the first falls, I made a left turn to some muddy and steep road. As I walked up that road, I started panting a little...and then...*speechless* how spectacular the scenery was from up there! I guess that's the "blessing" I got...Wow~


After snapping a few pictures, I turned back and took the road that I should've taken. As I walked further in, the strong wind blew harder and harder on my face, making it so numb I wasn't even sure if my face was still there! >.< Seeing the waterfalls makes me think of a song called "Indescribable". The lyrics go something like this:

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

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On the way back to my hostel, I started to think again.

Haha~ Thinking...that's what I do best.

Why do people judge you by what you wear? Who made the rule that pyjamas should be worn to bed and office-wear should be worn to work etc. If everyone wears pyjamas to work and office-wear to sleep, then it would be a norm because everyone does it. You get what I mean? Ahh...I don't understand myself either =P Just a thought...Now another question comes to my mind...Why do women wear high heels?! LOL...besides wanting to be taller and to make their butts higher or something (no offence to those wearing heels). I once read in a health magazine that high heels are a form of modern-day feet-binding and I couldn't agree more! We as humans are made to walk on our flat (but arched) feet, why wear high heels that can cause health problems? OK, I know some of you are already thinking: I'm sure you'll wear high heels one day! I'm not completely against it or anything, I'm just curious. Please don't bombard me with negative comments! >.<

Anyway, I feel much much fresher after having a walk with nature. Fresh air....*inhales deeply*

On my way in...

Teddies on my pj's =D

On my way up the wrong road =S

On the way down...

Ahh...Finally!

On the way out...*thinks*

That's all guys...one of my boring days =D

Crap, I'm feeling hungry already...hehe~

XOXO,
Me