Just got back from Hong Kong on Friday. It was fun fun fun!!! But so gloomy!! It only rained twice at night but the days were still always misty and gray and gray... Had loads of fun nonetheless!!

I realise that my attempt at starting a twitter account is crashing and burning pretty quickly :p Firstly because I've protected my account so it can only be viewed by people whom I approve, and secondly because I haven't tweeted in more than a week. Fail. Oh well, can't say I didn't try it. Hehe.

On another note, I am very excited about becoming a Real Civil Engineer. Lol. I know that what I envision my job to be is a highly glamourised version of what my actual job will be like (once I start working that is) but I'm still excited about designing Real buildings and Real infrastructure that people will actually be using and being able to see the product of my designs in Real Life. Ahhhh!!! My holiday in Hong Kong only made me feel more excited - I had an awesome aerial view of the Hong Kong International Airport - a civil engineering marvel in it's own right :)

Anyway, completely unrelated - but my "flavour of the month":

Matt Bomer from the TV series "White Collar". Average storyline, hawt lead actor :p
Yess, I can be quite superficial sometimes.

tweet tweet

As the title suggests, I now 'tweet'. Along with a large portion of the American population and countless other people who are either constantly remotely connected to the web via phone/blackberry/iphone or jobless bums like me :p

Not sure how long this is going to last... It doesn't seem as interesting as Facebuku to me. Probably because I don't have a blackberry/iphone/3Gphone. Sad right? Well, I'm getting a new phone soon. It probably won't be too hi-tech since I don't see the need to waste a chunk of my precious savings on such a thing.

So for now, I'm still a Twitter noob+wannabe.
But that's cool with me - my life goals won't suffer from it.

The Perfect Leather Jacket!!!

Yes, I know it's already summer in Australia (not to mention summer all-year-round in Malaysia) but I couldn't help noticing this leather jacket at Mango/MNG which I had only half a mind to try on for obvious reasons (i.e. that it's too warm to wear a leather jacket around KL, in case it wasn't that obvious to you :p). Well, I decided to try it on anyway - and immediately fell in love!! Yes, I know this is a jacket I'm talking about being in love with. But seriously, I think it's safer to fall in love with a jacket rather than an actual person - more fun, more satisfaction, less heartache :p

So it's being reserved for me. I need my sister's stamp of approval before making the purchase. (Well, I'm planning to buy it even if she DOESN'T approve). But it would be nice if she liked it too :)

Here's a picture:

P.S. I'm very excited because I've been looking for the perfect leather jacket for quite some time. And I've just found it!! Now to find the perfect guy... Hehe.

Joshua Kadison - Jessie

I've heard this song on the radio before but never really paid any particular attention to it. Then just now, I happened upon it on YouTube (since I'm highly jobless :p). I read the lyrics while listening to the song and that was when the honest, raw emotion of the song hit me - it really is a pretty darn good song :) And which incidentally was written by the singer with reference to Sarah Jessica Parker of SATC fame (whom this Joshua dude dated for awhile)!

So, crappy 90s-style music video and weird tarzan-esque hairstyle aside, do give the song a listen if you haven't already.

From a phone booth in Vegas, Jessie calls at 5 A.M.
to tell me how she's tired of all of them.
She says, "Baby, I've been thinking 'bout a trailer by the sea.
We could go to Mexico... you, the cat and me.
We'll drink tequila and look for sea shells.
Now, doesn't that sound sweet?"
Oh, Jessie, you always do this every time I get back on my feet.

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.
By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.
But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;
Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.
Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

She asks me how the cat's been. I say, "Moses he's just fine
but he used to think about you all the time.
We finally took your pictures down off the wall.
Oh, Jessie, how do you always seem to know just when to call?"
She says, "Get your stuff together. Bring mose and drive real fast."
And I listen to her promise, "I swear to God this time it's gonna last."

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.
By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.
But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;
Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

I'll love you in the sunshine, lay you down in the warm white sand.
And who knows, maybe this time things'll turn out just the way you planned.

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.
By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.
But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;
Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.
Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

A Few Things:

• Bee vs Ant - didn't stick around to see which one won. I think the bee looks kinda cute, don't you? Brings back memories of 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'. *sigh*
  

• Been trying to explain to my grandma that she is 87 this year but she insists that she's 88 and that everyone else is wrong for trying to tell her otherwise. LOL.
  
• I can't seem to talk and make hand gestures and drive at the same time. But hey, in my defense, I drive a manual car - which fyi, requires the use of BOTH hands to maneuver :p
• It's only 9.15pm right now but I really want to sleep because I am so jobless that the only other thing I can think of doing is to refresh facebook every 30 seconds sit here and finish this blog post. Boo.
• MOSQUITOESHAVEBEENATTACKINGMEANDWON'TSTOP!!! They have also somehow managed to develop a resistance to insect spray. Grrrr.....
  

Books to feed the word-hungry

Went to 'The Big Bad Booksale' in Amcorp mall just now. Ok, so the name sounds pretty lame - but the sale was AWESOME! Hundreds of books from autobiographies to fiction to self-help were on sale for as little as 5 Ringgit! Actually, most of them were either 5 or 8 Ringgit. Which converts to less than 3 Aussie dollars. A-may-zing! Obviuosly, being as word-hungry as I am and also considering the fact that I now am officially on holiday, I pretty much went crazy - picking up books like a tornado over Texas. Got myself a few thriller/mystery novels, a cookbook, an autobiography, another novel and a book of poems (for my sister whose attention span only lasts for one page - I figured she'd be able to handle reading the occasional poem since most of them are only a few lines long. hehe.).

So basically I bought 8 books (which will hopefully get me through the whole summer) and it only cost me RM60!! The other people there were walking around with cardboard boxes with easily over 20 books in them!! Seriously, I felt like Christmas had come early. I was that excited.

And now to read them - Fun fun fun :)

Bye-bye, 3rd year... :(

My last paper (the yucky geology one that I failed miserably at preparing for) finally came and went yesterday. ZOMG, I must say that those 5 days I spent counting down to that paper seemed like the longest 5 days of my life (note the gross exaggeration here, but cut me some slack - it was pretty bad, kay!).

But the realisation of what this all means just hit me a few minutes ago (thus my writing this post) - another year of my uni life has come to an end. I'm sad and excited at the same time. Sad because, I don't know, I guess I'd have liked this year to last longer? This has been a pretty amazing semester for me and if I had the chance, I would do it all over again but in exactly the same way (except I'd study harder for my exams :p). I've gained so much from this whole year - in terms of experience, and knowledge (and weight! hehe). I just wish there had been more time to do more things. But doesn't everyone? At the same time, I'm excited because I'm 3/4 of the way through with my course!! This time next year, I'll be preparing for my graduation... Ready to enter the working world and become a SUPER ENGINEER! Haha. Too much? :p

It's scary how quickly time flies. I want to shout "SLOW DOWN!!!" - to make it slow down. But I'm pretty sure that's not physically possible. So I'll save myself the embarassment and just pretend to be all calm and composed here ;)

Another thing that's just happened here in Australia - the National Tertiary Education Industry Union, NTEU has just announced a strike which unfortunately involves my exam results! At first I was thinking, "omgomg, I'm not going to get my exam results back" but then I realised that it might be a good thing considering how crappily I answered some of my exam questions this time round... So NTEU, I fully support your strike!!

But on a more serious note, I was just reading an email sent by one of my lecturers to our whole Civil Engineering class and I realise how important it is for the NTEU to be having this strike - the teaching staff at universities across the country and underpaid, over-worked and under-appreciated. The government has not been hiring enough staff and as a result the student-teacher ratio is too high, the teaching staff cannot possibly divide their time well enough to cater to all the students' needs. This strike is long overdue and if the government manages to come to a settlement with the union, I'm sure it will be for the good of not only the NTEU members, but also tertiary students all over the country. I must say that some of my lecturers and tutors are amazing people - they are so dedicated to their jobs; they answers our countless questions with such patience; they still find the time to reply our emails. They certainly deserve more.

But for now, the streets of Melbourne city beckon - retail therapy, here I come!!!

Omg, that line was so bad. But I like it anyway so I'll just leave it there :p

Oh and since I'm supposed to be studying for my Geology paper right now, I felt that I should point out that the stones used to pave the lane in my MoVida pics (1 post below) are basalt, an igneous rock which is abundant in Victoria. Hehe. *nerd*

Absolut Mango vs The Real Mango

The Real Mango tastes better and is better for you too!! (and A LOT cheaper :p)

Also, since this post is dedicated entirely to all things strictly mango-related, I think everyone should know that I'm craving mango with sticky rice right now :(

I should SOOO be studying rocks right now...

In a desperate attempt to procrastinate, I decided to check out 'The Star Online'... You know, to catch up on the news from back home :p

What was initially expected to be a fruitless conquest turned out to be quite fruitful instead! Came across a report about Chin Peng, the infamous former Secretary-General of the Communist Part of Malaya, which linked to more articles about him and his fight to return to Malaysian soil. See, he is 85 years old and in poor health and currently lives in exile in Thailand (so exciting!) and all he wants is to be allowed to live the final few years of his life in the country he calls home - Malaysia. The Malaysian government isn't allowing this move (as expected). But I think they should just let the old man come home and lift his exile sentence. Like seriously, it's not like he's going to revive the communist party and plot to overthrow the government?!

Anyway, anyone who's interested to read these newspaper articles that I speak of can do so by clicking on the links below:

Chin Peng apologises for death of innocents

So close and yet so far

P.S. how appropriate is it that I'm listening to 'Gai Bian Zi Ji' {Change Me) by Wang Lee Hom right now? :p

(not quite)The End of Exams + MoVida

OMG!!! I am waiting for Wednesday, the 25th of November to be here so that I will not have to force myself to study things that I don't want to study anymore.

Despite the fact that I have one more exam paper left, I feel as if my holidays have already started...

Went out for a slightly extravagant (by uni student standards) dinner on Thursday night with my Civil Eng friends - Suvrat, Shanika and George. I was actually trying to get us a table in MoVida Bar de Tapas but since their evenings are apparently fully booked till December 14 (ke-ra-zee!) we had to settle for MoVida Next Door which is right next to the original MoVida but has a strict 'walk-in, no reservations' policy.

We tried out about 7 of the tapas offerings on the menu (I'm keen to go back to try more!) and spanish beer - Pagoa (which is quite awesome tasting - smooth, sweet, only a slight aftertaste, and a nice rich golden tone) and some red wine (can't remember the name, but it was what was recommended to us after Shanika told the waiter that she wanted something "sweet but not too sour-ish". LOL.). As expected, what we got was a red wine that was just that - sweet, but not too sour-ish :p

I shall make a reservation well in advance for when I come back to uni next year so that I can try out the original MoVida and see how it compares to MoVida Next Door. Can't wait!! :)

I couldn't fit my camera in my little (but awesomely cool) sling bag so I couldn't take pictures of the food like I usually do. However, I've ripped a few photos of the dishes we had from the MoVida website:

The original MoVida (which we couldn't get a table at. Boo. )

MoVida Next Door (woo-hoo!!)

Yummy, chewy (deep-fried?) bread; a-may-zing grilled prawns; grilled lamb

5 Minutes in KL...

I'm in KL for the weekend for my mom's 1st year prayers. 2 things - crappy weather, awesome food+company :)

Been eating more than I should be. But thankfully, good genes mean that I'm still a nice size 8 :)

Mixed feelings about returning to Melbourne because:

1. NOT excited about my Wednesday and Thursday exams... :s (I haven't done ANY studying in the past 3 days...)
   
2. Can't wait to have bubble tea (lychee jelly!!!) with priza, nishi and yvonne!! :)

I'm keeping this post short because, I should be packing right about now...

Life's Too Short

I know I haven't been blogging as frequently as I would like to. But I've been busy trying to eat right, sleep right, and study right. All of which I have 'sort of' been doing pretty well.

Except tonight, I can't sleep just yet. My sister just told me about a relative who suddenly just had 2 strokes and is now in a coma and on life support. He's most probably not going to make it through. And I'm not sure what triggered it, but I suddenly realised that no one knows when their time on this earth will end. You could be laughing and dancing one day, and gone the next. Life's just too short. And that's why, I guess, some people are always doing as many things as they can do, trying as many things as they can try, seeing as many things as they can see. Good for them I guess. People like me on the other hand, are always wishing to do things but hardly ever get down to actually doing them.

There are so many little things that worry us. But when something like this happens, we suddenly see all these things for their true trivial nature. Who cares if you spilled juice on your shirt in front of 20 other people; or if you accidentally bumped your nose on the glass window in a crowded shop? No one's going to remember it in a few days anyway.

The possibility of death is everpresent in our daily life but the average human being has somehow managed to block it from their view; pretend that is it not there; as if not thinking about it will make it seem less likely to happen and eventually cease to exist. When Death comes knocking when you least expect it, you suddenly realise all these things that you have yet to do - suddenly there is a whole list of places to visit, people to see, things to say. And this realisation is quite an overwhelming feeling - one that leaves you crying in shock, gasping for breath and praying desperately for sanity to return once again.

Morbid yes. But also so, so real.

I guess at the end of the day, no one really wants to live their life endlessly fearing what might happen in the next moment. So for now, it's best to just carry on living the way we always have - in a state of blissful ignorance. Whoever who coined the phrase 'ignorance is bliss' must have been one hell of a champion at being in a constant state of denial.

So yes, now that this is off my chest, I can once again sleep peacefully. (fingers crossed!)

I just wish everyone wasn't dying so quickly. You never seem to get to spend enough time with the people who matter the most to you - any length of time is never enough. I know what it feels like to lose the most important person in the world and hate the fact that other people have to experience that same horrible feeling too. Again and again. But life's like that?

So much for sleeping peacefully...

(also, sorry that this post - my first one in awhile - has to be such an emo one)

Quote of the Day

If you had to stalk the guy you liked, he probably wasn't interested in you to begin with!

(or something of that nature...)

- closing line from "All About Steve".

Yeah, the movie's been getting really bad reviews. But in its defence, I think there were a lot of really good points that were raised in it, only that they were executed very badly. Good points + bad execution = GIANT flop.

*sigh*

I really like Sandra Bullock movies... except maybe this one.

Needs Some Oiling...

Lol. No, I'm not implying anything dodgy. Just that in my case, when I stop doing something for awhile, I usually find it very hard to bring myself to get back into the habit of doing it regularly again. Take for example this blog - I stopped posting things for quite sometime and now I've become too lazy to put my thoughts to plasma! (I use the word "plasma" because obviously since I'm typing on my laptop, using the word "paper" would be highly inappropriate :p)

And so here I am again, trying to oil my chains so that they get cranking and stay in motion for a bit...

On a totally different note, I recently watched 2 movies at the Malaysian Film Festival here in Melbourne and I must say that the whole experience made me feel so proud to be Malaysian! The films were 'Talentime' and 'Muallaf', both by the late Yasmin Ahmad. When she passed away in July this year, I must admit that I could not for the life of me fathom what all the fuss was about - the Malaysian film industry had apparently 'lost one of it's brightest minds'. But now, after watching the 2 movies - Talentime being the perfect potrayal of Malaysia's melting pot of cultures, and Muallaf bringing up the issue of religious tolerance - I realise just how great a loss her death is. And 3 months later, I am grieving this loss.

1 week later, I...

• Finally got my internet reconnected at the new apartment
• Am loving the new aparment!
  
• Made myself a little 'reading corner' in my new room :) (SK gave me the idea of converting it into a Wang Lee Hom 'appreciation corner' - which I'm seriously considering. Lol.)
• Am still hopelessly infatuated with Wang Lee Hom... (as you can probably tell from the previous point)
• Am direly lacking sleep and routine
• Have yet to cook a proper meal in my new place
• Was successfully vegetarian for 10 days. Yayy :)
• Am frantically rushing my assignments due in the coming week :s
  

My Latest (Unfortunate) Obsession :p

SO, I watched Wang Lee Hom's Heroes of Earth concert in Taipei on DVD with Priya and Yvonne on Sunday night and somehow managed to develop a MASSIVE crush on this Lee Hom dude.

Funny because now I feel like a silly, giggly, air-headed adolescent girl who's constantly squealing in delight everytime anyone mentions his name. I've already watched his MVs on YouTube a gazillion times and not to mention various other videos of him; I've chosen my favourite songs to (attempt to) memorize in Mandarin, no less; I've memorized his profile information (subconsciously of course) because I've read it wayyy to many times than I should have. And yes, I do realise how horribly pathetic I sound but a crush is a crush and this one just hit me like a Category 5 hurricane - with no prior warning, and at a VERY HIGH SPEED. I must say, I did not see it coming.

Oh well.

So now it is nearly 5 a.m. here in Melbourne and I've just spent the past hour shamelessly watching even MORE videos of Lee Hom on YouTube. Addicted much? Maybe I should start my very own Hom-aholics Anonymous - the first of it's kind ever. Yes, I'm desperate to get my hormones back in working order and continue with my life as usual. But I have a bad feeling that it's going to take awhile :p

See, the sad thing is that HE IS SO PERFECT (at least from what I've gathered from the internet) and so OUT OF REACH.

By the way, sorry if I'm being too liberal with my use of capital letters. It's a bad habit I've just picked up.

So I will stop ranting now and go to bed (and hopefully have a nice dream starring Wang Lee Hom?).

SAD.

Random thought (that I had to postpone the act of brushing my teeth to document here):

I'm really glad that one day, I'll be able to look at this blog, re-read my old posts and reminisce about my past experiences and thoughts. Obviously not all of my life is written in this blog - but a good chunk of the things that matter to me are.

A friend posted this link on Facebook. It's about this man, Jamie Livingston, who decided to take one photo a day for every day of his life and did so for 18 years only to die at the age of 41 from cancer. Now his collection of photos have been put on exhibition for everyone to see. It is both inspiring and heart-wrenching at the same time. Check his photos out here .

Makes Me Sad (of cowheads and what not) :(

Studying in Melbourne, I've been slightly out of touch with the going-ons in Malaysia. So when on Saturday a friend told me about how a group of Malays from Shah Alam's Section 23 protested against the proposed relocation of a Hindu temple to their housing area by carrying a severed cow's head to the Selangor MB's office and stepping on it in a show of their protest, I was horrified!

Just a few thoughts that I need to get off my chest here:

We Hindus worship the cow as a sacred animal. I don't eat beef because I was brought up that way, as a mark of respect towards the sanctity of the cow. So of course I was offended when I read the article on the Malaysian Insider regarding the protest (here) and shocked and disgusted when I saw the pictures of the cow-head. Part of me was angry that these people had resorted to such a lowly form of protest - surely there are other ways to make their opposition heard? And part of me was horribly saddened by the fact that there are still Malaysians with practically zero knowledge of the other cultures and religions in the country, and no tact in the way they do things. Do they not realise how seriously insulting it is to Hindus to walk around with a cow's head like that? It's not the same as just carrying a racially provocative banner. It is so much worse.

I've read and heard comments asking how these Section 23 residents would feel if other people carried a pig's head to them instead (which, for the record, I do not condone). But I say, the impact is not the same. The Muslims don't worship the pig, they just aren't supposed to eat it. It would be an insult to certain Islamic practices, but it wouldn't be a direct insult to the very core of the religion itself.

I'm not a person who is ever big on the whole revenge thing. And I'm a firm believer in using diplomacy to settle problems. It makes me sad that something as simple as a temple relocation could be blown out of proportion in this manner. It makes me sad to see Malaysians behaving this way. It makes me sad to see the very rude and angry comments posted in response to this issue. Surely we have all been educated well enough to know better? To act better? To understand better?

And all this makes me wonder when Malaysians will ever be ready to call ourselves one collective Malaysian race and be patient and tolerant enough to accommodate for the vast cultural differences that make up our country. I know that we are getting there... But will it ever be possible to actually reach our goal of a 1 Malaysia?

Going back to the issue at hand, I looked up the video recording of the protest and found it on YouTube. I'm not going to post it on this blog, but the link to it is here if anyone who hasn't checked it out already wants to check it out. (This probably won't be viewable in Malaysia.) Grotesque as it may be, I think it is important for people to watch it and recognise that this is not how we want our citizens to act; not how we ourselves should act. And I hope that by reading the comments related to the video (though a select few voiced out some good points), everyone sees how useless and detrimental it is to be blinded by anger and hatred - about 95% of the comments on this video were absolute rubbish.

Also, I want to make clear of the fact that I am fully aware that this protest is not reflective of the general Muslim population in Malaysia, but just a small handful of misled, uneducated and intolerant people. And I would like to remind everyone else not to make this mistake of generalising all Malaysian Muslims in this manner.

Lastly, I wish the Malaysian government would do more to address this issue - to remand the protesters or even, at the least, to voice out their disappointment about the whole thing. But no. Instead, they attempt to emphatise with the protesters and explain their misled actions (article from the Malaysian Insider here). I'm sorry, but I have tried to see things from their (the protesters) point of view and I just cannot understand how they could bring themselves to do something as barbaric as brandishing a cow's head no matter how angry they were. Protest, I understand. But not the way they did it. That's just wrong :(

So anywayyy, those are my thoughts on this issue. Feel free to comment (but please don't be rude).

Hungry for More GG

Gossip Girl Season 3 will be out soon!!! September 14 to be exact :)

Not sure how good it's going to be. Actually come to think of it, it'll probably be pretty bad as far as the acting and storyline go. But the designer clothes, New York's Upper East Side and Chuck Bass are gonna be AWESOME!! And we all know that EVERYONE watches it because they can't get enough of Chuck Bass ;)

The Season 3 preview is hereee:

Lapsap...

So I've heard quite a bit about this Malaysian DJ duo which call themselves 'Lapsap' - Cantonese for 'rubbish'. Lol. Interesting name choice :p Didn't how good they were until I heard them for myself at the Merdeka Party at CQ here in Melbourne. Also, I was quite intrigued by the energetic jumping, arm-pumping and dancing of '5ft' - no prizes for guessing which one I'm referring to!

Found a video of them on YouTube which shows 5ft's dancing and also their (Lapsap's) cool DJ-ing :D

Hhhmm

It's funny how I could never imagine how anyone who fell IN love could ever fall OUT of it. But I guess, you'll never know until it happens to you, right?

So yeah, I've realised that it is indeed possible (thankfully!) to fall out of love... For a broken heart to mend itself - time actually does heal :)

(THANK GOD!) :p

Now I understand how Carrie Bradshaw could have SOO many boyfriends in all the 6 seasons of Sex and the City

My Little Whipper :)

I walked into 'Let's Cook & Shop' today with Nishi and Yvonne and found this awesome little appliance aptly (and cheekily :p) named 'Little Whipper'. Hehe. It's a battery operated whipping thingo that whips anything that can be whipped... i.e. milk, eggs, cream, etc.

Of course, I HAD to buy it :) Especially since it was on 'special' - it was practically begging to be bought!

Headed back to Nishi's place and had a test-run with it:

The 'Little Whipper'

The froth we made...

Our 'pro' cappuccino which ended up looking like a latte :)

A special tribute to our friend, Bob :p

We destroyed the Bob tribute after and made this swirly pattern instead

A Few Lessons Learned

1. There is hope yet to find my Mr. Right. I watched a friend find hers right infront of my eyes :) Now I just have to pray really REALLY hard that I'll find mine soon.
   
   
2. You don't even have to be remotely drunk to dance if the music and the company are good.
   
   
3. Mushroom pizza ain't all that great...
   
   
4. Good concealer is MAGIC. Made my snowboarding bruise invisible. Nyehehe.
   
   
5. Don't ever use a unisex toilet in a club/bar (unless you reaaally need to pee). Dodgy things happen. And there is always a very suspicious-looking puddle of god-knows-what on the floor around the toilet bowl. Blegh :s

Song that's currently playing on loop in my head - "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas...

I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good, good night

:)

IT'S STUCK IN MY HEAD.

Actually, the chorus is the only bit that's stuck in my head. Which is way worse than having the whole song stuck in my head :p

Meh.

I just watched the MV again and I'm not so sure that it's good for little kids....

I have boiled this one particularly unfortunate egg 4 times over... The final time was for about 30 minutes... Talk about overkill :p

See, 3 people told me that rolling a boiled egg over a blue-black bruise somehow makes it heal quicker. And it works!! Hehee :) Except, I can't bring myself to eat the egg... So I've been reusing it instead :p

I'm NOT planning to crack it open to see how it looks on the inside.

Alone Time

I remember reading an article in Cleo sometime last year about taking some time off to just 'date yourself'. And though the bit about dating oneself sounds a little weird, I'm beginning to see what the author of that article meant about just taking some time to do certain things, which you would otherwise need a guy/your girlfriends to do, by yourself.

Then just now, I watched an episode of Sex and the City about being single and still feeling confident about yourself - not needing a man in your life to feel good but to just feel good being on your own. And it made me think of trying a few things out for myself. Perhaps try watching a movie alone, dining alone, taking a walk in the park alone? The list is endless! And the outcome of it all? I would say confidence, independence, contentment - just an overall NICE feeling.

I guess some people would feel insecure about doing things without other people to keep them company. Sometimes I find myself thinking "What would people be thinking if they saw me out alone?" Would they assume that I'm a loner with no friends and pity me? Would they just walk past without a second thought? Or perhaps they would realise that I'm comfortable just being on my own and respect that? But then I've figured that the key to being able to do all these things alone would be to not care about what others think. And I think that almost everyone worries too much about what other people think of them and how other people perceive them. Why is it so important?

A few months ago, I tried shopping alone. And it felt really good! Just slowly browsing through clothes and shoes and accessories without a care in the world, lost in my own thoughts, totally contented with the fact that I was all by myself. It was almost therapeutic! Since then, I've gone shopping alone a few times more. But of course, shopping with friends is really fun too!! :)

I still haven't tried watching a movie in the cinema alone or having dinner out alone but would like to. Once I pluck up enough courage to... :p

*Just something I've been thinking about a lot lately... So many more related thoughts in my head but I just don't know how to word them.*

Don't Get Punched in the Face :s

I went for a daytrip to Mt Buller yesterday (Tuesday) to snowboard. My trip to Hotham during the previous weekend wasn't enough. So 3 friends and I headed up yet another mountain in search of that adrenaline rush that only snowboarding down a steep slope and still having control of your board gives you. Well, drugs do that too - but this way is much safer... Or so I thought!

Decided to be a hero and try a run where the only way up is to ride a T-bar. For those who don't snowboard/ski, a T-bar is an upside-down T-shaped bar (duh!) that you are meant to hook onto your leg and it pulls you up the slope. I'd seen it numerous times at Mt Hotham but had decided that I'd rather just use a regular chairlift. This time, I had no choice. And 4 tries later, I was still stuck somewhere near the bottom of the slope - I kept falling down 1/4 of the way up. Nyeh. Luckily, there was a ski instructor who rode up with me on my 5th try and he helped me keep my balance and I managed to make it all the way to the top!! I was so relieved that I'd FINALLY reached the top and could now just take a regular chairlift when... (with my amazing luck)... a T-bar HIT ME in the face.

Yes, I was in pain... and shock. I fell to the ground clutching my nose (yes, second nose accident in a month!) and tried to will the pain away. Then I realised that my nose was bleeding all over my light blue ski jacket and WHITE ski pants. My friend who was standing a small distance aways thought that the blood on my pants was some sort of cloth pattern. Meh. I must admit, I did cry... and hyperventilate... But both the bleeding and hyperventilating stopped soon enough. And the best part was that I got to ride one of those snowmobile thingos with the paramedic dude who came to check on me.

So now, my left eye is swollen (the T-bar hit the left side of my face and my nose). But I'm just glad that nothing worse happened.

I went to get my left eye checked today and they gave me eyedrops to dilate my pupils so that they could see the back of my retina properly. The doctor told me that they stay dilated for about 3 hours or so after that. And as I walked back to my apartment, I understood why druggies wear sunnies even at night - I hadn't brought sunnies, so I had to look down with my eyes only 20% open to block out the excessive light. Note that it was a particularly gloomy day in Melbourne :p

The end verdict isn't too bad. My left eye should be alright once the swelling goes down - I look like I got punched realll bad :p The eye doctor person told me that my eye wasn't damaged (apparently my eyelid did it's job of protecting my eyeball :p). And now, I have yet another "What (Silly) Shobie Did" story to add to my collection.

Not planning to ride a t-bar EVER AGAIN.

And just for the record, I prefer Hotham over Buller anytime - better snow, better slopes :)

As I write this post, I am on a weird caffeine+condensedmilk high... On the way down, I think. But still pretty darn high. Note to all: DON'T drink 3 cups of teh tarik in a row if you don't usually take caffeinated drinks. Boo.

I went snowboarding last weekend. More details later.
I went for a Malaysian seminar thingo today. More details later.
I want to play the piano but am too fidget-y to produce any actual music.

I want to write more, but my brain will not permit me to :p

Maybe tomorrow :)

I've just spent the past hour reading random blogs and going through my old, old facebook wall posts and am feeling particularly philosophical about life - what it's given me in the past and what it has in store for me in the future.

A few slightly disjointed thoughts:

• It's confusing trying to read into everything that happens in your life and interpreting it as a 'sign' of some sort; Difficult to predict from these supposed 'signs' what lies ahead. And yet, without fail, everyone does exactly that every single day.
  
  
• About soulmates: I always wonder if I will find mine, or if such a thing even exists. Recently 2 things I've read/heard regarding this very thing have been featuring constantly in my thoughts. One is what I read in a book that says that a soulmate doesn't have to be someone who remains in your life forever but instead comes into your life in your time of greatest need, to help you, and then leaves once his/her duty is done. The other is what someone told a friend who then told me: that there is not one, but many soulmates for any one person in this world - the key is to stop looking once you've found one soulmate.
  
  
• It's interesting how everyone has different ideas of what the ultimate goal of their life should be - some say it's having a successful career and making lots of money; some say it's getting married and having a family; and some don't even look that far ahead but instead choose to live life once day at a time. I always wonder: What is MY ultimate goal in life?
  
  
• I just straightened (well, to be accurate, I should say 'relaxed') my hair 1 week ago but can't help noticing what looks like the beginnings of a curl in one particular lock of hair... Meh. So much for having straight hair for a change.
  

A New Semester

I can't believe how quickly time is flying - it's bordering on freaky actually :s

Just 1 month ago, my holiday started and now here I am, back in Melbourne, with my second semester starting tomorrow. *gasp!* Too fast!!!

Part of me is excited at the gazillion possibilities that this new semester presents, but the other part of me is dreading all the things that could go wrong instead...

But then, I've thought about it. And I've decided that I'm only going to look at the good stuff - no point wasting my energy on anything bad. I'm not going to brood, grumble or curse anyone or anything this semester. I'm going to approach this semester with an open mind and an open heart and just see where it takes me. I'm going to enjoy myself, damnit! (And I'm also going to drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday... :s)

So we'll see how it goes... Hehe :)

For now, all I have to say is: Bring it on!!

tira miss u

A few days back Bel, Tasha and I tried our hand at making tiramisu. Wasn't too bad :p

Some pics here...

I baked the sponge layers the day before.



Caramelised the sugar and coated the almonds with it.



Us noobs furiously slathering the mascarpone on, around and in-between. It was melting fast in the KL heat :(



The aforementioned noobs (minus myself)



Slapping the caramelised almond bits on the sides.



The finished cake after we'd refrigerated it for about 5 hours.

Yummay :p

NOTE: I should mention that I ripped these photos off Annabel's facebook album :D

Swine Flu Bull$#!t

Like SERIOUSLY PEOPLE!!!

This swine flu is practically the same as the normal flu. Just accept it and move on with life. If you get the flu, then all you have to do is take a course of antibiotics, rest, and recover! So what if other people get infected. We don't quarantine people with the regular flu. And that causes more deaths than the swine flu does! Meh.

I think the Malaysian Health Ministry is massively overreacting - closing down schools, quarantining people who've been in contact with infected people, asking students studying in Australia not to return home. But wait, there's more - you could be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed for up to 2 years for withholding health information about yourself... :s

Seriously, I think the resources wasted on all that can and should be used for more important things.

Found these cute little works of art/vandalism in Melbourne. I totally agree with the message that the people who did this were trying to put forth. Basically, there are these cute life-sized sculptures of 3 skinny men in business suits, holding their briefcases and random Melbournians have taken the opportunity to use them as part of their mini awareness-raising campaigns (I once saw them with cigarettes in their o-shaped mouths - so cute!). Here, they are wearing masks. Lol!

Gotta Love Malaysia! :p

First day back in KL and this is what I see:

• Street lights lighting up the roads at 12 o'clock in the afternoon...
• Some random dudes working for a bakery, selling their goods 'market style' i.e. they were yelling at the tops of their voice. About bread. Lol.
• Man sweeping the... (wait for it)... HIGHWAY!!

And for all that, I have only one thing to say - it feels good to be home!

:p

The T-word :p

I bought turkey by accident at the supermarket. Came home, read the packaging for the first time, and realised that it wasn't chicken, but turkey! Meh. Only someone called Shobie could do something as silly as that :p It said 'TURKEY' on the front. But I didn't realise that when I was buying it :s

Didn't want to waste it. So I cooked it anyway. Surprisingly, it tasted good! Probably because it was fake turkey... tasted a lot like chicken... and quite unlike the turkey I usually have... but that's only roast turkey, for Christmas - so maybe it's meant to taste different :p

So having the other turkey breast today. Yumm :)

I think I'm going to start using short sentences from now on. Like this. Hee.

(NOT YET PSYCHO... but getting there... as you can probably tell)


And just a little something on the side - found this printing error on a sign at the Asian grocer's here :)

Australia vs Japan

My first real life football (soccer) match!! :)

Didn't really know what was going on... Spent most of the time laughing at the fouls and referee's antiques and the players' dress sense :p

But it was still fun.

Did the mexican wave ONCE... Missed it TWICE. Seriously, how was I supposed to know there was one going around the stadium (massive as it was) when I was busy keeping my eye on the ball?!?!

Ate some super salty and MSG-laden chips (that tasted awesome nonetheless!). Put myself in the best situation to catch the swine flu... :s One stadium with 70,000 people - at the rate Victoria's going, there must have been a few people with the flu there... Don't want to get QUARANTINED!

Heard the Australian Boys' Choir perform before the match started. Sadly, not many of the other spectators shared my enthusiasm for that performance :( Boo. But they sang my favourite Aussie song, "I Still Call Australia Home"!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Saw Tim Cahill (the 'star' of the Aussie team) score 2 goals - according to my more football-savvy (I fall under the 'football noob' category :p) friends, they weren't exactly awesome goals... But then, both teams had chosen to rest some of their best players.

I've decided that I like Mark Schwarzer!! He made some pretty cool saves :)
(though I think he looks better from afar rather than up close... :p)

That's all for now.

Nyeh.

The crowd at the MCG

Australia scoring their first goal!

Some Aussie fans letting off flares after Australia's first goal... :s

*The pics shown here were taken by my friend, Tai Jia*

I ♥ Glee!!!! :) :) :)

I love love love love love this version of 'Don't Stop Believing'!!!!

It's from a new TV series called 'Glee'.

*sigh!!*



Did I mention that I LOVE IT??? :p

(And also, the main guy is pretty darn hot. Hee :) )

Seeing Ghosts...

I'm trying very hard to study for my first exam on Tuesday, but my mind keeps going back to one thought - triggered by my seeing a certain 'ghost' from my recent past.

I'm usually one who is big on the whole 'forgive and forget' attitude. But as I've only just learnt, some things once forgiven (or maybe not really...) cannot be forgotten. It's like a wound that keeps closing on the surface but never heals properly on the inside. Just ruin the skin covering it, and the wound is exposed once more.

No matter how hard I try to justify certain events that have happened, I keep coming back to this one huge, gaping question that I simply cannot find the answer to - how can there be such cruel, selfish, and hurtful people in this world? How can someone, a totally normal human being, do something so inherently evil and just carry on with their life without an ounce of guilt or remorse for their actions?

It just doesn't make sense.

Or perhaps the remorse and guilt are there... Only that they choose to bury them and not look at them.

But at least I have a cure for the confusion that thinking about something like this brings - think of people like Barrack Obama and Dr. Charles Teo and Elizabeth Gilbert and I feel so much happier knowing that there are still are so many good people around :)

In 'The Sound of Music', Maria sang about raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and all her other 'favourite things' to make herself feel better when she was down. I guess the people mentioned above, along with my awesome(!) family and friends are MY 'favourite things' :p

That, and 'Sex and the City' :) :)

Dr. Charles Teo

He sounds like an awesome guy - Just yesterday, I stumbled upon a book written about him in Borders about how he successfully operated on a brain tumour in a 26 year old concert pianist's head. He's based in Sydney.

He's had similar success with lots of his patients... Though most of the time his operation only helps to prolong their life and not cure them of the cancer completely. Still, it's an extension of their LIFE. That must certainly count for something.

I'm so glad that there are people like him in this world :)

Here's a link to an article about him and his medical contributions.

♥

This picture was taken one cloudy day, when I looked out of my window in Melbourne and saw not one, but TWO rainbows!! :)

It's the hard times that teach you to appreciate the good times so much more...

Been slowly catching up on 'Eat, Pray, Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's having a positively positive effect on my outlook on life. I find that I can really relate to the emotional roller-coaster that is Elizabeth Gilbert - her thoughts, feelings, temperament and rationale are all so similar to mine. We share the same zodiac sign... And very nearly the same birthday (3 days apart!). Coincidence? Or am I just seeing what I want to see?

My good friend, Nishi, told me what her Behavioural Economics lecturer told her class when he couldn't figure out one of the economic models that he was trying to explain (but kept getting confused) - "Well, I suppose if you think about it enough you'll start believing it. I mean, the Pope probably just kept thinking about God until he eventually started believing in Him, right?"

...

Lol! That was an actual quote (might have been slightly different when he said it, but you get the picture).

Laugh. Coz you know it's funny :p

I keep forgetting what I wanted to say...

I need this blog to be remotely wired to my brain at all times so it can record my thoughts whenever I want it to.

Meh.

I'll try to remember tomorrow... :s

I FOUND MY PENGUIN!! ♥ ♥ ♥

:) :) :)

I found it!

See, when I reformatted my laptop, my msn emoticons got wiped out along with all the junk I had in it. And my penguin that waves goodbye to everyone I chat with on msn was gone too.

As expected, I searched high and low for this emoticon. But none of the people I asked, whom I thought would have it, had it. Not a soul... It was as if this poor, cute little waving penguin had disappeared from the face of the world of Windows Live Messenger without a trace. Boohoo :(

But then today, my cousin Dhaaren who was bored to the point of insanity in his home started sending me all these random emoticons over Messenger. And then I realised that there was a good chance that he'd have that ever-so-elusive penguin emoticon! AND HE DID!!!

:)

So now I have my penguin back - to wave goodbye to the people I chat with. Yayyy!!

I should be studying right now. But I think I'm allowed to have a break seeing as I've just finished reading the lecture notes of one of my four subjects for this semester :p

This whole week has involved me doing 3 things - going to the library, eating, and sleeping. And when I'm asleep, I dream of what I'd studied that day - my subjects even haunt me in my dreams!! Meh. So needless to say, I am taking a well-deserved break :) This is the first day since Saturday that I haven't gone to the library - nerd much?

As far as I can remember, I've never been so diligent (and, to an extent, disciplined) in walking (all the way) to the library and actually getting some (nearly) solid studying done. However, this year is different because during the semester, all around me I saw my fellow coursemates paying attention in class (unlike me, they actually knew what the lecturer was going on about!), I saw them keeping up with the tutorials (unlike me, they knew what the tutors were going on about!!) and I saw them so well-prepared for the assignments that we were given.

o_O

Yeah, so I kinda realised that I REALLY need to study to even have the most minute chance of being as prepared as everyone else in my class will be for the upcoming exams. I think I'm slowly bridging the gap... But not too much :s

And this leads me to think "I really should start paying more attention (and talking less) in lectures" and "I should attempt to do my tute questions BEFORE my tute". Yeah right... It's what I think at the end of every semester when I'm frantically attempting to stuff as much knowledge as my brain can absorb and hold in this short 2 week span. But come the start of the new semester, I'm back to my old lazy ways again.

But I will try A LOT harder to make it happen next semester... :p
Must be more hardworking (i.e. nerdy)...

:s

We'll see how it goes!

Some quirky song lyrics :)

"so keep your friends close and your enemies in your pocket" - Pocket by Sam Sparro

"go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight" - Fairy Tale by Sara Bareilles

I can only think of these 2 lines because they keep playing in my head. I would call them cute... but I seem to be calling everything cute these days. So I shall refrain from doing so now :p

(but they are kinda cute, no?)

:)

Word of the Day...

KERFUFFLE!!! :p

Ok, I'll type it again minus the perkiness - kerfuffle.

I discovered it while reading an article from an architecture magazine. It IS an actual word! It's synonymous with the words disturbance and fuss and is a primarily British term.

Such a cute word!!! It is officially the cutest word in my vocabulary. I have this tremendous urge to give it a huge squeeze and pinch its cheeks. If only it were a little kid and actually HAD cheeks... :(

(No, I'm not pyscho... Yet :p)

And in line with all this randomness, I googled images for the word 'kerfuffle' and found this:

Eerrmmm... :s

Serendipity

I recently watched the movie, Serendipity, starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack. My first thought was - "What a stupid movie".

Indeed, it was kinda dumb. The cheesy 'love-at-first-sight' (yes, I'm a non-believer); the annoying mis-coincidences... i.e. how they just kept missing each other at every place they went to; the crazy, frantic dashing around trying to find each other. Meh.

BUT (and there always is a but)

I could appreciate one thing (I use the word 'thing' because I can't find a better word to describe it) in this movie - the idea of leaving everything to fate. Though I don't believe that everything is fated, I do think that sometimes things happen for a reason (fate?) and sometimes we have to make our own fate, pave our own path, charter our own course.

This movie however got me thinking about how easy and convenient and comfortable it would be for us if we could just leave everything to fate - put all our trust in the fact that if something was meant to happen, then fate would take it's due course and make it happen. It certainly takes a lot of pressure off of wondering whether you should make that first move on the guy that you fancy or how much hard work you should put in for your exam preparation. It would be so simple to just live life without the burden of thinking that "good things come to people who work hard enough for them" and let everything else be determined by fate.

Yeah.... No. I think that kind of thing only exists in movies. In the real world, we make things happen on our own. Well, most of the time.

Taoism says that "the universe works harmoniously according to its own ways and that exerting one's will on the world will disrupt this harmony".

I can't remember why I quoted that... It's too late and my brain is dying from a lack of sleep. So I shall end this post here and leave you to ponder about the Taoism quote on your own :p Good luck.

I've become a fan of the Australian Masterchef series that's been showing on Channel 10 for the past 3 weeks and it makes me want to be able to cook as well as the contestants and chefs in the show!!! I've always been a huge fan of cooking shows and watching this show has shown me that ordinary people (even 'kids' my age!!) can come up with awesome looking and tasting dishes. I always get the urge to raid my 'pantry' for ingredients to come up with my own (hopefully not-too-awful) culinary inventions. Some have been good... Some were... pretty awful :p

Of course, I don't dream of owning a restaurant of my own... I would melt/disintegrate (oh wow! btw, I didn't know that this blogger thing had a spell-check which corrects my spelling :p) from all the pressure!! And then there's the reality check - that I'm not anywhere as good as those people in Masterchef. But it doesn't keep me from trying to up my game :p Try and try again, right? And if all fails, CHEAT. Hehe. Though I'm not sure how to cheat with cooking... (Use ready-made/pre-mixed ingredients??)

And just for those interested to know, my trusted internet source for good, tried and tested (and therefore reliable) recipes is www.taste.com.au :) :) It's got loads of recipes from all the Aussie magazines and cooking shows and has reviews by people who've tried them. Do check it out when you can!!

And I also need to mention that almost ALL of my friends have become foodies overnight!! Cool, but a weird coincidence :p

I think the media (particularly TV and cinema) normalises cheating. You see it in every TV drama/movie. The character is always in a relationship with someone else (usually not so attractive) when they bump into the guy/girl of their dreams, their soulmate (usually dropdead-gorgeous) and there's just this connection that's too amazing to ignore. And then they do this whole see-saw dance because usually, one of the parties involved is engaged and about to get married. Then comes the climax where they realise that they're marrying the WRONG PERSON (God forbid!!), and they publicly declare their love for each other (in front of the poor unsuspecting, but now awfully shocked and visibly distressed spouse-to-be). And then they live happily ever after.

Bah!!

So bad.

Now everyone thinks that it's ok to do stuff like that :s

My Awesome Photo

So I'm not much of a photographer... amateur or professional. But I was playing around with Tai Jia's DSLR camera and decided to try something different...


The best part is that...

It was an accident!! :p

But I guess, some people are just gifted ;)

My new favourite song!!!

I only just sort of stumbled across this dude's song (and actually paid attention to it!). I'm pretty sure I've heard it before (since it's not exactly a new song) but I just never gave it much notice. Now I have and I really like it!!!!

Woohoo - Sam Sparro!!
Black & Gold

Seriously, give it a listen and see what you think about it.

Right now, I'm in love with the song!!!
Too bad he's gay... :(
Such a nice voice!

So about growing up...

I've been thinking a lot about what makes a person 'grown up'. What characteristics would you have to possess to consitute being 'grown up'? Are there varying degrees of 'grown up-ness'?

My recent experiences have helped me to realise a few things that must mean that I'm on my way to becoming more 'grown up'...

• I have stopped buying girly mags like Cleo and Cosmopolitan simply because I'm totally over the silly relationship advice columns and airbrushed pictures that just make you feel like going out and buying a bucketload of cosmetic products. Instead, I bought Women's Health and I must say that it's one of my best buys thus far this year! I love the articles and the exercise advice and health columns and facts in it. So cool! :)
• I looked in the mirror the other day and thought to myself, "I can actually see someone a few years younger than me looking at me and thinking that I'm a grown up because I actually look grown up!!". Hehe. And to prove that point, I haven't been ID-ed at the bars and clubs that I've been to recently. Still trying to figure out whether I should feel flattered that I look 'mature' enough or offended that I look 'owld' :p
• I have a grown-up voice... (Hehe.)
• Someone whom I really admire and respect (but only to a certain extent!) once told me that part of growing up is learning to be patient - learning to wait for things and not rush them. I think I'm slowly getting used to waiting. And not trying to force things to happen before they're meant to. (Yay for me!!)
• I have this voice inside my head that helps me think things through better. Yes, it really is a voice, different to my normal 'head voice'. Yes, it exists and resides IN my head and not anywhere else. And NO (I know what you're thinking), I'm NOT schizophrenic! Maybe borderline... :p

Lawl.

So yeah. I may not be fully grown up yet, but I think I'm making good progress towards womanhood... Like a famous girl (now still kinda not a woman) once sang - "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman, all I need is time... Lalalalalaaa".

"When you're young everything feels like the end of the world. But it's not - it's just the beginning. You might have to meet a few more jerks, but one day you're gonna meet a boy who treats you the way you deserve to be treated - like the sun rises and sets with you."

AWWWWW!!!

That's from a quote my friend told me from the movie '17 Again'. Yeah, I know. Silly movies that have such wonderful (but slightly corny) phrases don't deserve this much attention. But a girl can hope!! :)

One day...

:p

Pilates or MacBook???

THIS

OR

THIS?

I'm supposed to be finishing my assignment now... But it can wait :p
For awhile at least.

I just got off the phone with Sher Reen and am very excited that the thought of taking pilates classes!! (Reading Women's Health kinda makes you want to do pilates and go jogging :p)

But I also want to save up my money that I'll be earning this semester for a new MacBook... My current laptop is slowly dying.

Howww???

I really want to do pilates....
(But then what about my MacBook???)

Boo-hoo.

Aw mannn! (Btw, a good friend told me to stop saying 'aw man' coz it makes me sounds like a dude... Say whaaat? :p) It's cowld outside!! COWLDDDD :(

I just want to stay in my bed the WHOLE day and sleep and have someone bring me food when I'm hungry and massage my feet when I get pins and needles... Any volunteers?

Maybe I should sleep a teeny bit more. It is after all, a Sunday. Meh. SUN-day. Where's the sun???

To make up for the 'lack of sun', I'm putting this picture here:

No, I changed my mind. I can't find a nice picture of the sun. Booo.

:p

What's on my playlist right now...

I've decided to go retro...

1. I Want To Know What Love Is - Tina Arena (originally by Foreigner)
2. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
3. Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar
4. Straight From The Heart - Bryan Adams
5. Islands In The Stream - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (I dunno how retro this one is...)

Just to name a few!!

I also have Metro Station's 'Shake It' on the same playlist... But it's not retro... Metro - close enough? :p

This Wonderful New World of Arts Subjects...

As you may or may not know, I got a job at uni this year as a 'note-taker'. Yup, I get paid by the uni to take notes for students with disabilities.

Right now, I've been assigned to 2 students - 1 is hearing impaired and another had a really bad shoulder injury (last year or something) and can't write for long periods. They are both Arts students...

And so about 7 weeks ago, I stepped into my very first Arts subject lecture in the whole history of my uni life. It was called... (wait for it)... Sexual Politics. Hehe. It's not as dodgy a subject as it sounds. Though some things they discuss are quite eye-opening for me. It's a subject about feminism - it looks at different types of feminism, the issues that feminist are fighting for and all that (feminism-y) jazz :p

A few things intrigued me from the moment I stepped into the class:

• the fact that the lecture hall was filled with girls (probably about 100 of them) and only had about 5 guys in it. What a huge contrast to my engineering lectures where 80% of the class consists of male students!
• the way the students were dressed... There were punk chicks, very trendy but butch girls, guys wearing scarves and super skinny jeans, people dressed in vintage clothes... all sorts of styles! Not the usual t-shirt, jumper and jeans you get in engineering lectures... (though I do try to mix my style up once in awhile :p).
• I dunno... Just the general vibe I got from being in an Arts subject lecture was different. I can't pinpoint what made it different. But I guess it was a combination of a lot of smaller factors (DUH!).
  

And another thing that I realised when I went for my note-taking assignment for the other student, for a subject called 'Science, Reality and Reason', was that these students have a totally different way of thinking compared to Engineering students! It was a much more abstract way of thinking... So weird!! But so exciting at the same time!! :)

Hehe. I'm happy because I've always wanted to do an Arts subject but my strict degree plan doesn't allow for many elective options. Now I'm finally getting a taste of them! Yay for me :)

What to say, what to say?

I'm going through another 'dry spell' with regards to what to post on this blog of mine... Well, to be honest it's more of a 'don't-feel-like-writing-anything' spell than an 'i-don't-know-what-to-write-about' spell. I have things that I could write about. Just can't bring myself to actually write about them.

One day... :)

But for now, I shall leave you with this picture:
(It's my latest desktop wallpaper :))

FMyLife :p

- Today, I tasted rainbow. By that, I mean a homeless man hit me in the face with a bag of Skittles for not giving him money. FML -

My friend, Priya, told me about this website called www.fmylife.com and so I decided to check it out. The validity of some of the stories are questionable. But some are obviously true and, like the one above, make you laugh out loud. So funny!! :p

If you haven't discovered it for your self already, you should go right noww! :)

I was just reading my older posts that I'd labelled with the word 'thoughts' and it struck me just how great life was for me exactly a year ago and how so much has changed between then and now.

Some change was for the better... The biggest and most obvious change was that my mom was still alive. (I know, so emo!) But sometimes things like this really hit me. How just at this same time last year, I was looking forward to meeting up with my family in Perth for the Easter break and this year, the most important person in my family is gone - no meet-up with her forever. *sniffle*

I can't wait for the 1 year anniversary of my mom's death to come. Maybe things will get better after that...

My Perfect Morning

My perfect morning would involve me sitting on my bed, wearing my most comfy/old/worn out house clothes, and flipping through the latest issue of Shop Till You Drop, with a mug of warm barley tea in one hand and the sun shining in through my window. Oh and the sky must be clear and blue. And I'll have to have my favourite music playlist playing in the background. *sigh*

One Sunday... (it has to be a Sunday coz the name adds to the perfectness of it all - warm, bright, laid-back :p)

Lemme Think...

I haven't been blogging as frequently as I'd like to. No mood, no time and no inspiration!!! Wait... maybe mood and inspiration are the same thing? Hhmmm... *thinks hard*

Anyway, yeah. I dunno what else to say now.

Maybe it's because I'm having issues with myself - whether or not to force myself to come up with a post, what to write about, whether or not people will be entertained... does a lack of enthusiasm translate onto plasma???

Maybe I should talk about a new song?

No.

I'll just show everyone a picture of the wet look tights I bought. (They look like skinny leather pants from afar. Teehee!)

Love Is In The Air?? Really???

So is love the warm fuzzy feeling we get in the pit of our tummy when we think about that special someone? Is it real? Or does it only exist in our minds - a figment of our imagination. That desperate need that is innately present in every one of us to feel needed and wanted - is this feeling born of that desperation?

I for one believe that love really does exist. If it's possible for a mother to love her child in such a simple and unconditional manner, surely then it is possible for a man to love a woman and vice versa?

When I was younger, growing up on a diet of Disney fairytales and a hodgepodge of other 'happily ever after' movies and tv shows, I used to think that Love only happened once in your life - that you'll meet that one perfect guy and fall madly and deeply in love with him and he with you (coz it has to be a mutual thing) and then you'll date for a few years (and still stay madly in love with each other) and then eventually get married, have kids and grow old together and live Happily Ever After.

Yeah right.

I still am a devout believer in the fact that it is possible to really fall in love - to truly experience love and all the bittersweet times that come with it. But I've now come to realise that it is possible to fall in and out of love. Of course, it doesn't happen overnight. But it happens. And when it does, you just need to pick yourself up and know that you can fall in love again. Yup, I now also realise that (good news!!) you can fall in love MORE THAN ONCE in your lifetime :) That there's more than one guy who'll be perfect for you. That there isn't such a thing as 'the perfect guy'. But that you can find one that's pretty darn close to perfect (in your eyes!).

Lately I've been hearing so many stories about couples breaking up. Couples that have been going out for ages and that you'd think were on their way to marriage. And it's really made me rethink my fundamental thoughts about marriage and relationships. And I still haven't properly answered all these questions that have come up - Is marriage more of an agreement than a declaration of love? Are we better off marrying someone whom we know we can depend on but only count as a friend rather than a man that we could be totally in love with but would make the crappiest husband in the world? Does every marriage eventually become a mundane routine that people stick to just because they're too comfortable to do anything else? Is it normal to date someone for 5 years and then break-up and then date another person for just 3 months and get married?

I know, I'm still only 21. ONLY 21 :p But I can't help being affected by the things that surround me. And even though I'm in no hurry to settle down, I still can't help trying to figure out where my life's path is headed to and where it'll lead me.

Only a year ago, it hadn't occured to me how uncertain life is; how many times we come to crossroads; how many times our path diverges; the endless decisions that we have to make, not knowing whether or not we've made the right ones. And sometimes, never finding out if we did. Now I'm slowly learning just how many things in life DON'T have one clear, correct answer/choice/path.

I remember playing this silly little boardgame with my sister and cousins years ago called 'The Game of Life'. And thinking back to it makes me want to laugh at the irony of the situation - now I know that Life IS a Game and it's one that we have no choice but to play.

The good thing is, I've always been kinda competitive in nature (not TOTALLY crazy pyscho competitive, but more competitive than your average joe la). In this game, I might not come out tops, but I sure will make sure I play my best (when I'm not feeling lazy that is :p).

Suddenly all these analogies about life and rollercoasters and sin x curves and boxes of chocolates are starting to make sense... :p

Top 5 Break-Up Songs (in my opinion laa)

5. Love Song - Sara Bareilles
4. White Horse - Taylor Swift
3. Take A Bow - Rihanna
2. Love Is A Losing Game - Amy Winehouse
1. Warwick Avenue - Duffy

"This would be a great break-up song" is what I think everytime I listen to/sing along to one of these songs :p

Had to make a list of them just so I won't keep obsessing over them. They're great songs and I love listening to them (just for fun - nice tunes, very heartfelt/angsty lyrics). At least now I won't have this nagging thought in my head to list them down before I forget!

I ♥ my Body Shop Exfoliating Mitts :)

I just bought these mitts 2 weeks ago and have been religiously using them about 4 times a week. Soo good!!! It makes me feel good about myself :p And they look nice too!

And

I also noticed that my blood circulation's improved... Though I'm not sure if exfoliating mitts are meant to do that. Added bonus :)

Kiss Today Goodbye...

This song keeps playing on loop in my head.
It's from the musical 'A Chorus Line'

What I Did For Love:

Kiss today goodbye,
The sweetness and the sorrow.
Wish me luck, the same to you.
But I can't regret
What I did for love, what I did for love.

Look my eyes are dry.
The gift was ours to borrow.
It's as if we always knew,
And I won't forget what I did for love,
What I did for love.

Gone,
Love is never gone.
As we travel on,
Love's what we'll remember.

Kiss today goodbye,
And point me t'ward tomorrow.
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for love.

Love is never gone
As we travel one
Love's what we'll remember

Kiss today goodbye,
And point me t'ward tomorrow,
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for love.


I used to love this song (when I was 14/15 years old), then I forgot about it for the longest time. And now, I think someone's Facebook status reminded me of it. I love the lyrics now - bittersweet. Going to try to dig up the piano score...

I'm doing a much better job with this blog than with my journal. I haven't written in it for 2 weeks and 2 days now. I will try to recap briefly the going ons of the past 2 weeks in my journal tonight. I wish my journal had an auto-write button! :p But it doesn't. So I have to write everything in myself, using my own hand. Meh.

Going to pain my hand now. Yes, I said 'pain my hand'. In my speak, it means write till my arm muscles learn and memorise the true meaning of PAIN. Lol :p And also 'ouch' in advance... :s

Neither Black Nor White

I'm always bewildered when something happens and I expect the answer to be a clear cut 'yes' or 'no' but ends up being something in between. I'm beginning to realise that as I'm exposed to more new (new to me) situations that nothing is ever black or white but is instead always a shade of gray. You can like someone and not like them at the same time; you can feel hungry and full at the same time; you can want something but not want it at the same time. The list really is endless. Inexhaustive.

And I guess that I'm also learning that this is what we should appreciate about life. Because nothing in real life has a straight answer. Though I'm sure the author of Q&A or Slumdog Millionaire as it is now known would like to differ - according to him, life CAN be a multiple choice question. And learning this is the hardest part when you've led a sheltered and fairly problem-free life the whole time before this.

Oh well. As Alanis Morissette once sang - "You live, you learn".

I ♥ Love: Why Is Valentine's Day So BIG???

Love - it's a pretty cool thing. Any kind of love, between anyone. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It makes you feel wanted and appreciated and safe. It puts a smile on your face and a bounce in your every step.

But the biggest question is how do we express this love? Do you show it in an extravagant and flashy way by giving them the best gifts you can afford? By publicly declaring your love? By gushing continously about 'the love of your life' to everyone and anyone willing to listen? Or do you express your love quietly? And in line with this 'biggest question' of how to express your love, what do you do on Valentine's Day?Do you choose to go all out - flowers, chocolates, a romantic candlelight dinner? Or do you simply acknowledge Valentine's Day as a huge marketing gimmick? Afterall, shouldn't you be celebrating your love everyday? What makes the 14th of February so special?

Yeah, I know the story about St. Valentine. But why this one day? Admittedly, it is nice to do something special once in a while. It feels nice to break the monotony of your usual routine and step outside your little, cosy microcosm. But this can be done on just any day. You can make any day your little personal Valentine's Day. Why must we conform to the expectations of society and celebrate on this one day - February 14?

So I'm still wondering. I like giving people surprises and receiving flowers and everything a normal girl likes but does everything have to be planned to coincide with this ONE day?

:p