The Greatest Show on Earth

Probably no one comes here anymore

2011-05-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

But I hope you still do.

I don't fully understand my own emotions well, let alone being able to express or act upon it. Hence, at the end of the day, ignorance is the safest answer.

I have always considered myself cowardly, hiding behind a brave facade. In making a mental choice, between a safe, certain (of course, less exciting and a lot less potential) choice and a choice of the opposite (vulnerable, exciting, with a lot more potential), majority of the times I would take the safer option. Not only because it is easier (you don't miss what you don't have?), but also the potential to hurt is a lot less too.

I have never made real effort to be 'friends' with vulnerability. And at the end of the day, I am a lot worse off as vulnerability has now become this stranger, affecting life whether I like it or not.

News that I have recently received, no other news could be both more exhilarating and more confusing at the same time. Give me a physical problem, I can fix it or at least think of many many possible ways to. But, a matter like this, I am as lost as an eight year old! I do not know what to do about it or even what to feel about it.

Unsurprisingly, my first reaction is to be pessimistic, feign ignorance and pretend I do not care. But I do, as much as I do not want to. These things are never easy to figure out and I am at an utter lost. It's complicated. There are so many things to make clear of and so many questions to answer.

Is it something worth the effort, worth giving in to vulnerability for? But by doing so, it might all go very very wrong and whatever the outcome, someone will get hurt, either myself or someone else. Am I trespassing into forbidden territory? I am pretty sure I am.

The question that I cannot let down though is: Am I letting go of another wonderful opportunity?

Part of me does not want anyone to see this. But part of me wants to try and hope you get here.

Sticking out like a sore thumb

2010-08-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

At 0830, I arrived at the National Library Building in the middle of town. I followed my sister in her car to her office, which was near the library. Thus, I am here THIS early. But apparently, 0830 is not early at all for some of the Singapore students in the library, even if the study lounge opens at 0900 and the libraries at 1000.

At 0835, there was already a line of people sitting outside the study lounge, waiting for the door to open. Even while waiting for the door, instead of talking, most of them have already opened their books and started studying.

And now at 0935, I am here, probably the only one who is not deep in her studies. There are five 2 to 3m tables with chairs on all sides, another six or so tables placed next to the windows, with chairs on both sides, there's even cushions placed at the front of the study lounge. And guess what? They are all filled. Yes, at 0935. Mostly by students, some who are having their breakfast and studying at the same time.

Feels lonely being the only one idling my time away =)

30 Aug is special

2010-08-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

Today is my mother's birthday and for the second time, I am writing here instead of sharing it with my mom. If things went as planned, she should have arrived Singapore at 1600 and is now in my sister's place with her husband and grandchildren. She is such a party-er. Instead of opting to choose between celebrating with her sisters and mother or her family, she decided to do both. Thus, this morning she was still in KL, probably having spent yesterday going crazy with her buddies, and then hoping into a bus the very next morning.

Thus, it must be surprising to find that she is celebrating her 60th birthday. Well, it was for me. My mom is sixty. Isn't people who are sixty your grandparents and not your parents? Aren't sixty year olds suppose to be living the "slow" life, winding down? Not backpacking across China. Not diving (well, she has not done that for quite awhile). Never have I thought my mom would approach 60 so quickly, time does fly!

My mom is a remarkable woman.

From what I have been told, my mom have been a bookworm since young (scary!). Once, she got spanking for ranking 14th in class. But my mom was not a total goodie-two-shoes. Apparently, she did not get any spanking in the end as she and her nanny collaborated against her father, faking screams of pain as the nanny hit her ever lightly. Among stories of her childhood, her favourite (ones she repeated again and again) were ones of her and her father. One particularly memorable was just how she would boil fresh milk for her father. How she would skim the top layer of fats (which forms when milk is heated) for herself. She clearly had very fond memories of her father, who unfortunately passed away when she was merely 17. Thus, I never got to see this grandfather of mine.

My mom studied really hard and managed to get into university in Singapore (which is major feat at that time, very different from our time) to study pharmacy. After that, she dived straight into her career and didn't look back. I am pretty sure that my mom never had any really long breaks prior to her retirement (thus she is enjoying every moment of it right now). She is hates having things undone and would be restless until it is completed, even to this day, even with minor household things. Even though she was a mother of two kids (then three when I came along years after), she still strived in her career. She had a senior post where she worked for nearly 35 years until the day she retired. She was liked by people around her as she is kind, understanding, caring, patient, loving. I feel very privileged to have such a stunning example so close to me.

I love her so much, I don't want her to be sixty. Now I understand why some people want immortality, because life can feel so short.

Sick

2010-08-24T06:35:00.001-07:00

Down with cough and flu. Just great! When I am suppose to be studying day in, day out - I am sleeping my day away. Waking up at frequent intervals to clear the phlegm in my throat and the booger in my nose XD Great..

I am still a child

2010-08-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

If you think that leaving your family and home for a land thousand of miles away will lead to you grow, sometimes, it can be so wrong.

Since coming back home, I have rediscovered myself. It could be said that I lost my spark in the nine months in UK and was left dwindling until I came home. It is true, even my family have commented that after the good trip to China, I have become more energised than beforep. And I do feel different too. I feel more purposeful, more useful, more loved, more happy, more contented. And.... A little skinnier (work in progress).

I enjoyed my stay in UK, for sure, and made some friends that I hope will last, and I learnt many new things (mostly only during the end of the academic year, unfortunately). All in all, I just did not utilise my new freedom effectively and went down the slide.

What is the defining difference between this two "homes"? Guidance from family, as much as I would love to say I am in no need of it. I was innocent enough to think that there are people out there who would think for me more than my family (or even as much as them). Ridiculous, now I know. No one cares more for me than my family, and it took me so long to realise, I feel apologetic to them. And they are the ones who suffer most from my mistakes. Only people who care enough will point out your faults and encourage you to act. Only people who care enough will try to shield you from your innocence and naivety. Only people who care enough will be willing to endure your wrath just to teach you.

I am still a child.

The third side of the story

2010-07-29T04:36:00.001-07:00

As I have mentioned a few times in this and previous blogs on certain not-so-happy occasions, the relationship between my dad and I borders between estranged and forced. This is rooted by the fear and respect that I have for my dad. Ironically, he is my inspiration. There is so much to know and to learn from him, how his head works and why he somehow is most often than not, one step ahead. Couple this righteousness with a ferocious temper, he seems to take on a role as a ancient age wartime general, where slight mistakes will meet with fatal consequences.

How did our relationship boil down to this situation? That, will be another story for another day.

Today's story is about understanding my father, more accurately, his pedagogy style in teaching children and loved ones. Also, about seeing in my own eyes the very things I failed to trust before. All this just because of a different vantage point.

If I dare say, my father have always had a brash attitude, as far as I am aware. When he has a point to make, or something to teach, there is no method that he won't use to get the message across. In fact, his style is captured more or less with this phrase, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". His words are like venom vaccines, inoculating it into your system, hurting you in the process, in hopes that you (or in the case of an injection, your body) will learn. The more he cares, the stronger the dosage.

Me, being an overly sensitive child (and the multifarious mistakes and wrongdoings that I am guilty of), I just could not take the words he said and the expectations that he sets. Thus, this hostile relationship began when I was 16 or even earlier. What tipped it off? Math and physics (my dad's favourite subjects) tuition.

It did not mean that I did not love my father, it was just that fear and ignorance engulfed everything else. It also did not mean my father did not love me, which was something that I learnt later on.

Having my nephew around this week really changed and cemented my perception of dad. With my rambunctious nephew around, all the uncanny remarks, for now, were aimed at him. Ben, my 6 year old nephew (with strength probably comparable with a Hulk of similar age) is still a child, so most would make leeways for his attitude, especially my mom. But my dad is strict, although miles less than how he treated me as a kid and lightyears less than my sisters'.

This is what I noticed, my dad is incessantly naggy. He uses every chance to try to imbed a certain lesson or warning into Ben, whether it is while he is eating or while he is playing. Secondly, my dad prefers to use the most effective and thus, stinging method. Also, he loves exaggeration: extrapolating a small mistake into a life-destroying problem. For example, Ben, like all kids, love to play. The problem is, he doesn't know when he should stop. To him, life revolves around playing. If it is not fun, it is not worth doing. And when he refuses to do something, he can be such a nuisance.Ben is no angel (especially when he doesn't want to be), he is pretty difficult to handle, with his boundless energy, massive strength and obnoxious attitude. He tends to not listen, especially when it comes to my mother. In a shopping mall, when he runs too far and mom screams, "Ben! Come back." He runs even further and more yelling only makes him run further and further away. Classic scenario, the bully-able grandma.

So yesterday, my dad said this to him, "Ben, there is only one monster in this world and that is you." Ouch! It certainly made my usually unaffected nephew feel something. If I were in his shoes, who knows how I would have reacted (crying would probably come close). I am not here to comment on the psychological effect of it, or whether it is the right thing to do, but this is just to explain the situation.

However, for all his mean and painful words, most of the time, he doesn't mean it. Even after saying all the things he says to my nephew, he still spoils him with trips to fast food (two times in three days!! Unheard of for a person who used to force "illegal" sweets and carbonated drink out of my sisters' mouths) and excursions to the rock climbing gym. This obvious and direct act of love, I could only see it when I am the observer, not the subject. I guess I have always taken too many things for granted.

This does not necessarily mean immediate reconciliation between my dad and I. That day will come, I hope. However, it makes my dad more human than anything else. I have always looked up to my dad. To me, there is no God, and my dad was and still is the closest thing to it. That is how much of an inspiration he is to me. I have done my wrong in this prolonged episode of hostility between the two of us. Only when I amend those wrongdoings, can I hope to make everything else right.

A heavy price for ineptitude

2010-07-01T05:25:00.001-07:00

Working holiday

2010-07-01T01:08:00.001-07:00

A new view on a working holiday. Not only does it mean a person who spends their holidays working temporarily, it also means the person HAVING FUN spending their holidays working even when the work doesn't pay well.

What a shame (again)....

2010-06-04T12:52:00.001-07:00

although this time, it is more so than any previous times, considering I am almost a third way done with this milestone called university life. (what?! so soon..)

As I am whizzing past all my references and notes for my third paper tomorrow (which marks exactly half of my exams), I cannot help but feel a sense of disappointment in myself for not fully utilising my resources here (sorry mom and dad for wasting your money=(). Here I am (again) deep in remorse that I have not given the attention to my studies which it indeed required and that I will be very lucky if I even managed to pass my exams (see, confession is out, I am terrified!).

Studying Politics (among other things, such as the E part of EPAIS) is so different than anything else I have studied and it took me close to nine months to start realise it. Also, it is extremely fascinating and humbling. Where should I even start? Politics is so different from all the subjects I have taken previously, the usual science, math and compulsory languages taught in school. Unlike all those, politics is such an agile, vast and ever-confusing topic that is (as much as we pretend to be apolitical) relevant in the real world. I remember my very first politics seminar, my tutor asked, "If politics is the struggle for power, what is considered not to be in politics?" None of us could think of anything.

Nine months on, I have learnt more in this past two to three weeks than I have in my time here in Warwick. As I jump from chapter to chapter, I only have so much time for each topic, having to spread my time equally among everything. In the end, all I have done is skimmed the surface of various components. There is so much more for me to learn in each and every of those topic, which I would have known by now if I had fully utilised my time here. It really is quite a shame. And when second year comes, there would be even more topic and hopefully, things will be different.

For this, I have made a special arrangement for myself and hopefully it will work to remind me of my current position and feelings (only now that I am back in this ditch, I remember feeling the same way before my A-levels and also every other examination I have taken XD the out-of-time part only, some of them were not quite that interesting XD). I have pre- (or is it post-?) dated this post to be published again on 4 October 2010, which is the first day of my second year.

Hmm.. Will it work, future-me?

A Sense of Purpose

2010-05-29T21:45:00.001-07:00

A few days more and the final stage of my first year... begins. My first paper would be Introduction to Politics on Wednesday, a theory-intensive paper requiring four essays done within a time limit of three hours. Then...

OK, you and I have heard enough of that. Waking, eating, breathing, drinking, sleeping exams is certainly no walk in the park, especially when my brain is in serious need of dusting, like dusting cobwebs off old china.

Although it is no easy work, truth be told (and to the horror of me, and probably you), I am enjoying all the work I have been reading on so far. Introduction to Politics, which I first started with, was quite a burden to begin with, dragging myself from one sentence to another, through words like liberalism, conservatism, ya da, ya da... But, after the initial warm-ups, things started to look up and things got really interesting (or is it because I over with liberalism? hmm..). I continued on with World Politics, which I only recently discovered, is very different from Introduction to Politics. Hmm.. Wow. That is how much I have been slacking XD And then on towards World Economy, then now... Mathematics (no one can ever run away from that!).

The stress surely is significant (as for anyone), but I feel positive about it. Admittedly, it has been a long time since I have felt such productivity flowing out of my efforts. And... I have regained back my sense of usefulness, achievement and desires. I gotten back my interest in subjects I came to university for.

I feel lucky that I took the opportunity to study something unique. It suddenly struck me that politics (and soon, philosophy) is not a subject many people (back home) would do or would have the opportunity to do. Another truth here: the initial reason why I took up EPAIS (Economics, Politics and International Studies) was because of a recommendation from my dad. I did not give much thought to it, just considered it to be an interesting addition to pure Economics and went for it. Although there is still a lot left to be desired for essays, I am beginning to feel the thrills and challenge, instead of burden and dread, on finishing them and hopefully writing (*ahem*bullshitting*ahem*) something worth-reading.

There are many things I wished I had done this year (who doesn't?). One of them being putting more effort into my reading and work. Now when I find something utterly captivating, which happens often, instead of delving deeper into it and researching for more information (wiki is everyone's best friend), I am forced to set it aside and move on to other topics that also require my attention. For example, Marxism. There is so much more to it than being the nemesis of liberalism, a communistic propaganda, the Soviet Union.. ya da ya da... And of course, the ever so precious and triumphant liberalism and capitalism, a wolf in sheep's clothing. If only I was not so ignorant before. Well, that will be for another time.

Part of the reason I am writing this is take it as a reminder if I ever fall of the path again.
Remember, remember *imagine scene from Lion King*

Before this ends, let me make it clear that this year have not been a total waste. I have found that there are some things I can live with, some things that I can live better off without, turned a minor interest into a major one and found it indispensable, unfortunately I had to temporarily suspend it due to its "side-effects" XD Last but not least, the friends (dare I say family?) that I have come to know in this short nine months. They deserve a whole other post, which will come soon.

Already am looking forward to next year even before this one ends. Remember, remember.. XD

Good luck everyone!

Running is guilt-free

2010-05-20T10:19:00.001-07:00

As exams looms closer, I just cannot help but to be weighted by this feeling of..... guilt.

Guilt of not pacing my studies since the beginning of the year (in fact, beginning of my education).
Guilt of not fully utilising the resources my parents have bought for me using their hard-earned money.
Guilt of using that money instead to spend my time idly (and garner the most amazing friends!).

Especially now, the guilt is immense.

Guilt of "revising" the wrong book. *hint:almost everyone "reads" this book

And until recently, guilt of not training for my half-marathon (38 days away). My excuse would be due to the weather, it dipped last week and running outside was the last thing I wanted to do.

At last today I bucked up and ran out the door into the most wonderful weather so far. It's lovely that spring is back again. (In fact, I got to kick the blanket off me on the previous night, a second time!)

The run was surprisingly ache-free and it was absolutely indulging. It does not cease to amaze me that running, unlike books, does not punish me for neglecting it. Unlike books, I feel so at ease and thoroughly enjoying every single stride. Instead of time quickening as I am having fun (which it usually does, oh.. all those late nights in the kitchen talking!), time seem to cruise more slowly as I pace myself. Maybe it is because for that period of time, I really am focusing on the present. The bomb!

Run, and you will know what I mean.

See all of you soon, miss you guys lots!

One week was running, next diet, now studies

2010-05-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

A little more than two weeks to go and I am so not ready.

Although, love having people to study with. Sure beats studying alone (which doesn't even work!).

Real politics vs. "Fake" politics

2010-05-11T03:49:00.001-07:00

These past few days have been pretty historical to the British government. Ever since election day, where none of the parties won a majority, the government have been in a, what they love to call, "Hung Parliament".

In the first few days, it was highly assumed that there would be a Lib-Tory coalition, since Nick Clegg (party leader of Lib Dem) expressed, during his campaign, that he would join with David Cameron (leader of Tories) if Conservatives were to get a large proportion of votes, but insufficient to win a majority. Furthermore, Nick Clegg was officially in talks with the Conservatives exclusively after the election results.

Come today, it was exposed that Lib Dem were in secret talks with Labour over the weekend. Yesterday, Nick Clegg met with Gordon Brown. It looks like Conservatives have already laid down their cards (promising vote reforms, which is one of Lib Dem's priorities).

It doesn't take a national vote to know that everyone is restless and highly displeased with how Nick Clegg is handling this situation. On the other hand, they are after all, the LIBERAL Democrats. Nick Clegg deserves some applauds for putting up with all the pressure and talking with both sides of the parties. On the other hand, it clearly shows how he would handle major situations while in government.

Such an interesting time for politics students. The last hung parliament in British elections, if not mistake, was during 1970s. There is so much for us students of politics to observe and listen as history unfolds. Yet, we are suppose to be deep into our theoretical books, preparing for the imminent year-end exams.

I really should go back to the "fake" politics, i.e. political theories, ideologies, which are all in my "Introduction to Politics" module. Are these ideologies really relevant or are they really fake?

For now, it really does feel irrelevant.

Sacrifices are inevitable, but it's temporary

2010-04-25T07:24:00.001-07:00

Some things can never go together, like water and fire, summer and winter, liberty and monarchy.

Baking and weight loss don't go together too.

In the past few months, I have been immersed in the world of cooking and baking. It blew me away, especially the latter. There are so many resources available both in and away the computer, thousands of books and even more blogs dedicated wholly to the topic of food. The love for something we live with everyday is everywhere in this world, from here, to America and all the way home in Malaysia. There are so many blogs dedicated to our South-East Asian specialties and all written so well.

No doubt I soon found myself among them, eagerly trying all sorts of recipes found both on the web and in cookbooks. I went crazy (to say the least). I dedicated hours to cooking and baking, something I am certain I could not have done if I remained back at home. I enjoyed every single minute of it, even slaving six full hours alone in the kitchen to bake just one cake.

Unfortunately, I went overboard in this short year (with the bingeing when I first came here and later baking escapades) and gain quite a few pounds. I could feel the effects of the excess weight (it is surprising how little can make such an effect), I felt lazy both mentally and physically and lost substantial interest in my purpose in being here. It took me two weeks being away from this encapsulating way of life in Warwick to get a wake-up call. The efforts to change, so far, are going well: running frequently and eating healthy and the inevitable halt on baking. Of course, there are days (today, for example) I do want to start the oven in the kitchen, but that would steer me off track from my schedule and goals.

That is not to say I will not bake often again. Balance, I believe, is key. For now, I will stay away from baking. But once I am ready and have achieved what I aimed for, I shall return to baking (not with a vengeance, balance balance). This too, is a motivation for me to complete the half-marathon in good time (an apt sign of being ready?)

Til then, goodbye baking.

Please donate =) http://www.kl-marathon.com/profile/22321

KL Marathon: Run For a Cause

2010-04-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

As a motivation to lose the UK fats (that is what I am calling "them") and to get fit, I have signed up for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon on 27 June 2010 under the category of half-marathon (21.1km). I will be running with my housemate here, who was the first to come up with such a great idea!

Instead of solely running, I decided to run for charity, which is the National Cancer Society, in hopes to help them raise funds to continue their non-for-profit work. One of their efforts which caught my attention is building public awareness on early detection for cancer. So many times people have to perish to that disease because they were not paying attention their own body and were unable to find out about the tumour growing inside of them until it is too late. So much pain and suffering can be minimised if everyone took steps to watch after themselves. There is no absolute guaranteed way to prevent the disease, no one is an exception. It can occur to anyone, even the healthiest of people (although staying fit and keeping away from smoking does do wonders). Thus, we should all learn to listen to our own vessel and rely less on luck in detecting the illness.

Therefore, this a great opportunity to do two good things. One, donating to this noble cause and to support me in completing the half-marathon. It would mean so much to me if you could spare that little sum. All this support would definitely come in handy, especially during the last leg of the race. Also, please drop any messages such as advice and whatever in the comment box. I would love to hear what you all think about it =)

To encourage more people to take part and to record this special event, I will be writing constantly on this highlight of my life, all the way until the day of the event.

Please take a look at my profile page (http://www.kl-marathon.com/profile/22321) on the marathon page and possibly, donate. If you have any enquiries, please do not hesitate to drop me an email at sam.klmarathon@googlemail.com.

Thanks for your time. Stay tuned!

Shepard calling wolf

2010-04-21T01:59:00.001-07:00

At last there is a story in my mundane life worth mentioning and worth reading.

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning, just before 0900, the fire alarm started ringing. For the first time, I was so sure that it was just a drill testing the system. What made me think so? They have many times done this in the mornings where the alarm would go off for a minute and stop before anyone had time to step out the door (unless you are THAT fearful for your life!).

So, I did what I always do in those situation - hide in the covers of my bed and hoping no one would look through my window, which faces the main road and was uncovered. How so wrong I could be and how stupid I was to do that. Not only did it not stop of a minute, it continued to past 10 minutes mark, half hour, an hour, until it FINALLY ceased at an hour and a half. What an experience to be had with the ridiculously loud alarm ringing in your ears for that long. My mind started altering the "melodies" of the alarm. I am not sure how to explain what I mean, I am no musician after all.

Anyways, being cooped up under THREE layers, one of which is a duvet, for an hour and a half in this season (Spring) is, if I dare say, applaudable. Furthermore, I was terrified of even twitching for fear that an officer would see it through the window. Breathing under the covers started to strain as the air got stuffier and my body was restless, wanting to stretch and get out of the self-made Sahara desert!

Approximately after half an hour (thankfully I had my phone under the covers, which did its best to entertain me=)), I heard sounds of door opening and shutting abruptly. "Oh shit!", the first words that came through my mind. I could hear the noises getting louder and closer. Finally, the inevitable occurred. My blue doors opened and I heard a security guard-sounding (I have no idea why) man talking over his walkie-talkie. It occurred so fast that I couldn't think and could not do anything. I could feel adrenaline fill my pulses into my immovable body, trying to get me up and start running, to get me out of this bed-turned-hell hole. But, I resist, what I could do? Break and jump through my window, like the scenes in Hollywood movies (minus the window being several feet above ground, my room is on the ground floor, not so thankfully)? Or, get up karate-kick the guard? A guard who probably duties as a bouncer at student union.

Luckily, all those were unnecessary. He opened and closed the door as fast as one would if someone asked you to open and close the door, where the other side was just a wall. Nothing other than luck and miracle can explain that. Everyday miracles? XD

It was only an hour after that the alarm stopped. Some time before that, I ventured out of my bed, deciding that I would rather risks the tens of pounds fine (actually, now to think of it, I think it is £100 fine, shit.) than to stay in bed any longer. Never have I so badly wanted to get out of the bed, if only I would feel that way every morning.

In relation to the title above, it could be said that the students are like the villagers, the security is the shepherd, the fire the wolf, with the screams of the boy replaced by a much more annoying alarm. After so many drills, when the actual wolf came, nobody (or just me XD) could not be bothered anymore.

What actually happened was a gas leak (probably from the heaters, since our stoves use electricity). I would consider that another miracle ocurred as the leak did not cause an explosion and kill an innocent, poor girl who was secretly hiding in her covers.

Scary.

Two months plus to go..

2010-04-18T12:54:00.003-07:00

If only there was no dreaded exams coming up, I would be jumping for joy! Also, something else is hindering from being overly ecstatic. I do something before I go home, which loud-mouth me promised everyone I could tell (weirdly enough, suddenly everyone is reminding me of it.) Gah.. Loud-mouth indeed. Now, everyone is probably sneakily laughing with the told-you-so look. Furthermore, there is more at stake now (namely, £50).

OK, maybe in some ways I am glad I foolishly made that promise. It is one of the reasons that keeps me going.

First of all, thank you Loo Ann Shien and Aberdeen for giving me so much enthusiasm and motivation to actually attempt... (aarrgghh, I am still hesitant in writing this down, mainly due to embarrassment). Now that the ball really is rolling, everything is feeling great and I actually believe I can accomplish it! So, once again, thank you Loo Ann Shien (I will do my best for you too, alright???)

I will write more on this later. Not much mood to blog, oh wells.

What a shame (again)...

2010-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

although this time, it is more so than any previous times, considering I am almost a third way done with this milestone called university life. (what?! so soon..)

Hmm.. Will it work, future-me?

My last day of March.... 2010 XD

2010-03-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

3.30pm

5.00pm

Now-8.30pm

Full days work. Worth every second, I hope =) The smell itself is wonderful (more than wonderful, but I can't seem to find the appropriate word for it)

Hope you guys are having fun in Cambridge. Weird without you guys here =(

Barely surviving

2010-03-16T19:10:00.001-07:00

This blog..... just sad. Wait a few more days (and 1500 words later).

For now,

My awesome desktop.

Last year's Warwick Malaysia Night

2010-02-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

Trailers for 2009 (not 2010!) MNight:

Wished I was here last year to watch it. The trailers are fantastic, especially the first one. Almost made me shed a tear.

Home... What could be better?

The Chinese New Year Effect

2010-02-23T09:46:00.001-08:00

Refer to this article: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_493317.html

The most intriguing parts of the article:

In China, young people, to avoid nagging from their parents, have resorted to 'renting' a boyfriend or girlfriend to take home during this new year period, Mr. Lee observed.

Still, a little social pressure is useful but more importantly, parents and relatives need to encourage them (to start families) and show them support.

Is there some hidden meaning in my dear brother-in-law sending this article to me (and my sister)? Hmmm...

Imagine Mr. Lee behaving like all the aunties, pestering all the younger generations in his family, ”快一点结婚！”.

Cooking blog updated

2010-02-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

Two blogs one brain makes this blog even more dead.

Knowing when to fork out the money to eat out

2010-02-18T09:35:00.001-08:00

I rarely eat out, I go on weeks (no months yet) without outside food. I am easily satisfied with homemade food.

Every time I eat out, first question I would ask myself is, "Can I cook this?". Usually, I have the confidence to say yes. Obviously I have not been fine dining much.

Thus, knowing when to fork out money for good food is immensely important. I would not want to lose my taste for food and lose the ability to know when a food is inedible (although I have been doing some quite crazy dishes - pepper garlic fried rice last night!).

That is why today's expenditure of £4.50 is justified. There was a Vietnamese food social by the Vietnamese Society (I am Captain Obvious). Together with Nicole and later Tze Xuan and Yeok Yin, all of us were immensely happy with the food the Vietnamese prepared.

The great thing about the social was that for £4.50, I tried so many different things. Unlike outside, for the same amount, I would only get a single dish. I tried almost everything (with the exception of aubergines. Bleh! An acquired taste. It is not that bad I suppose but I would not choose to eat them.) There were the usual noodles and rice. No pho bo though=( The braised pork was excellent, and the chicken soup... MMmmm..

And dessert, I went ga ga. Fruit Salad, I had two servings (bye bye £2). I found the recipe (I think), cannot wait to try.

Unsurprisingly, I could not bear to wait another minute to take pictures before gobbling. Thus no photos. In fact, I only thought about the camera right before my last bite=)

Yum yum..

I PLAN to post something up from Chinese New Year.

A different Chinese New Year (I am Captain Obvious).

Worth crying for...

2010-02-08T16:19:00.001-08:00

http://kongkay1.blogspot.com/2010/02/bak-kut-teh-supper-restoran-ttk-1-jln.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Kong-kay1+%28Kong-Kay1%29

Why do I love to torture myself?=( Haha..

Chinese New Year: 5 more days =o

To take cooking seriously in uni

2010-02-02T16:57:00.001-08:00

I have always had an interest in cooking and baking (more so with baking because its experiences is something that was absent in my childhood and I do not need to cook to get good food back home).

Cooking and baking are now (for quite awhile) been my obsession, ever since we (the eight of us) decided to split up and have dinner on our own on weekdays. Suddenly, I would be thinking of my menu throughout the whole day. Forming my groceries list throughout the week (an effective method to keep spendings in shape).

Anyways, Yu Min bought this whole lot of pandan/screwpine leaves back from London (I was planning to make seri muka soon and I just needed a few). So there I was stuck with possibly 30 to 40 stalks of pandan/screwpine leaves, which are surprisingly cheap (at least in the biggest Chinatown in Europe) if you actually need that many.

Anyways, I decided to put it to good use and make red bean soup. So in goes the red bean into the slow cooker, left to be simmered for at least two days before consumption (the way I like it! Thick and gooey. Yum!) Because my housemates were going to have a party tonight in the kitchen, as usual. I had to resort to....

No worries, the rubbish bin next to it is only for paperXD

By the way, I have (another) new blog=)

Guess who's at no. 30?

2010-01-24T12:03:00.001-08:00

In the recent article "The 31 Places to Go in 2010" in The New York Times, Malaysia is at 30!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html?pagewanted=3#Kuala

How I learn to love Malaysia only when I am far away from it.

Life is never without difficult choices

2010-01-22T16:30:00.001-08:00

Will the day of every come? The day when we do not need to make choices and everything settles by itself? The day when we do not need to contemplate and deliberate the "best" action plan? The day when we can lie thoughtlessly without any potential for regrets or lost opportunities?

And when it does come, would we wish it never did?

Not today (for me, at least). Today, I wish this decision will form itself, giving me the assurance that nothing would go wrong. That I will not have regrets choosing it, that I wouldn't wish it any otherwise.

What am I to do? Is there ever a fool-proof methodology to go about it?

Imperfections of World Democracy

2010-01-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Although so far until now I have made no mention on anything regarding to my studies here in Warwick, I have learnt and immersed myself in the sorts of knowledge which I would not have otherwise.

Before arriving in UK, when people questioned the course I would pursue here, I would just give the short answer: Economics. That is not exactly true. Not only am I studying Economics, I decided (with the suggestion from my father) to take Politics and International Studies as well. So, the course name is Economics, Politics and International Studies (thus Economics was a much simpler and shorter answer to people's questions).

As far as I am aware of, Warwick is the only university providing such a course. Thus, I was as clueless as everyone else what EPAIS entails. All I know that I would be studying both Economics and Politics. Up until now, neither have I touched anything regarding International Studies, nor do I know what exactly that means. Is international studies another name for international relations (a specialised branch of politics)? I have no clue.

For this year, I have taken up three Economics modules and two Politics modules. Economics 1 is pretty simple, most of the topics were covered in A-levels, just add a little bit more. Quantitative Techniques is pretty damn hard, especially with a lecturer like Dennis Leech. World Economy just begun to be interesting as we finished the history part last term and this term, we are having a new lecturer, who is going through the theoretical part.

Politics is a much obscure subject. There are theories to be learnt, but none of them hold absolutely true. There's the realism theory, while on the opposite, there's the liberalism theory. To make matters worse, there is constructivism right in the middle. All of them have people going for it and people going against it. There is no absolute right or wrong in Politics, not even human rights!

Next is the reason for writing this post today. In politics seminar (one for each module every week), we are all academics sitting in our comfort chairs, enjoying the heat from the radiator, discussing and debating world issues like we care, like we understand. Do we really? Even after all the researching and reading, do we really understand what is truly happening outside our classroom door?

While we are discussing all the terrors, such as genocide, terrorism, we speak with a sense of detachment. With a sense of security of knowing that whatever we talk about, it would end when we exit the class. And next week, we will do exactly the same thing all over again. We are not those who have to live with it every day and every night. We do not to fear for our lives. We do not directly face the consequences of the terror happening in this world. Who are we to talk, discuss about it and act as if we truly understand?

Reading the news about Aung San Suu Kyi today ("Court to decide on Suu Kyi appeal within a month" January 20, 2010, CNN International http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/01/20/myanmar.suukyi/), there is a person who decided that sitting in the classroom discussing about the issue was not enough for her. She knows that if she wanted to make a difference, she had to go out there and do something, whatever the consequences.

She has been in house arrested for 14 of the past 20 years. Did she think and fear that before she begun? I am sure what she thought of was more than that (probably more on the lines of death and murder, although how is that worse than being isolated in a house with only two companions for 14 years and counting?).

Having been for approximately 20 of such classes so far, it feels like I have not truly learnt anything new. But, this is a necessary step towards achieving something more. Hopefully, not quite like Aung San Suu Kyi (I wouldn't wish for such a predicament to befall on myself), but something of that substance (or as close as it can get).

Cooking Fetish

2010-01-19T14:39:00.001-08:00

My RSS reader to me is like Facebook to most other people. When I am free, or right after checking my mail, I will log into the reader to read new posts posted on multifarious sites.

Of course, I have many economics blogs on the reader, which are awesome reads. These blogs are by some of the most knowledgeable economists out there: Paul Krugman (nobel laureate in economics), writers of Freakanomics, professors at famous economics institutions like Princeton and Yale and of course, editors of The Economist. To keep myself up to date on the world outside Warwick, I have most of the major news site on the reader: CNN, New York Times, Guardian..etc... For fun, I have some sites which are there to amuse, like Lifehacker!, which is always full of useful surprises. And last but not least, a list of friends' blogs are on it too. So that I do not have to enter their blogs one at a time to see whether they have posted something new!

Wait... There is still more. (You may ask how do I find time to read ALL of them? Well, I pick and choose what I read and I love to waste my time) Of all the feeds I have on my Reader, the ones that always get me going and all excited are FOOD AND COOKING BLOGS. I am sure this is not surprising to many. But I have taken in an addiction that is hard to cure, and possibly detrimental to my health and the health of my pocket!

I have a whole category just for cooking and baking feeds, which are unsurprisingly labeled "Cooking and Baking"! Most of these sites are blogs by some of the most enthusiastic people. All of them share one common interest: food. Do not think that just because they love food, they are not fit. On the contrary, some of them live excellent lifestyles. Many of them specialise in good, clean, healthy food and the food still looks and sounds so so so GOOD.

Funnily enough, looking at photos of food does not make me crave for food. Simply because, how can biscuits and bread ever compare with those scrumptious delights? Aaahh... Although I am a student (where food is suppose to come in ready-made form), I believe that good food can only be produced on a hob, in an oven, in a steamer. Certainly and never never never out of a microwave.

I am always on a lookout for interesting recipes which I always hope to cook or bake one of these days. But time and funds rarely allows it. Although there are plenty recipes that calls for the most minimum, but the most exciting ones are usually far from it. I will just have to wait for the day I have my own home, my own kitchen, my own pantry. (I always wanted a pantry more than anything else! By then, I can die of happiness.)

I shall prove everyone who says fitness and food don't mix wrong!

Before I stop, let me introduce to everyone one of my ABSOLUTE favourite site to visit: www.rasamalaysia.com (Thank you Sharon for introducing it. Love ya!!!!) The writer is a Penang-ite in America.

I am sounding very aunty, well this is what happens when you hit twenty. You start feeling old, real oldXD

Housemates = kids

2010-01-11T16:56:00.001-08:00

In my hall/floor, we have common milk, bread, cheese, butter..etc... So cases of "stealing" (big or small items, it is still stealing after all) are uncommon, at least to my knowledge. Well, Yu Min's eggs did get stolen, but she has had her revenge (she is not one of the kids I am referring too)=)

Anyways, someone STOLE my frozen pizza which I happen to treasure quite a lot. It is those special treats I have for myself which I restrict myself to once a week - the only prepared meal I take. Even though it is a prepared meal, it is extremely delicious (not Tesco Value or Tesco brand). It was on sale during the holidays, so I stocked up on it.

Now that someone has stolen the ration for the week, what am I to do?
1. Consider it finished for the week and continue with the rationing.
2. Finish it up as quickly (and as healthily - without killing myself in the process) as I can.
3. REVENGE! Take someone else's pizza for this week.

The problem with solution (3) is that I have no idea who took it. Damn it! How can he/she take it when it is clearly stated that it belongs to someone else? I wrote my NAME on it.

Ever since they got back, they have already begun to frustrate me, more so than last term. Blame the wonderful weeks when Yu Min and I had the kitchen all to ourselves.

Roar.

This post does not express how angry I was when I found out the pizza was missing. This is a trivial issue, but my anger probably is collected from all other tiny issues as well.

Roar.

Oh well.

Winter '09 London Trip

2010-01-10T13:44:00.001-08:00

Happy Twenty Ten, everyone! We are now (unofficially, for most) a year older. Did you feel any different on 31 December than on 1 Jan?
For me, 31 Dec I was brimming with energy and 1 Jan exhausted due to lack of sleep.

All in all, 2010 started off great. Watching the fireworks at London Eye, even when from afar, is breath-taking. The fact that I am in UK has sunk in more then than ever before. I am starting to love this island. Enough about all that, let's talk London!

It is been a long time since I have done this (probably the first since the "renovation" of this blog) - let's have some photos (which must have been sorely missed).

Back to studies.... Toodles~

2010

2010-01-02T02:34:00.001-08:00

I have learnt to dislike these "momentous" post. Once that carry, instead of a past, a future. What more, that it may in some way affect this nascent year.

So,

FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA~ refer to "Big Bang Theory" Season 3 Episode 11

HAPPYY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

The Horror that is DOTA

2009-12-15T06:14:00.001-08:00

Imagine a rectangular table cramped with eight laptops on it, two on each sides and people staring straight onto the screen. Imagine the frequent cursing with these words "fuck you", "shit" and many other unmentionables. Oh, and once-in-awhile screams. All this happening while there is nothing to be seen outside in the pitch darkness. Now, imagine this situation on a round table, on a square table. Somehow, I have been through them all these past few days.

It all started last Thursday when everyone declared "holiday". Out came the computers into one of our kitchens. I only got to play on the last day as
1. Mine's a Mac.
2. I did not believe that DOTA could bring such fun into a person's life.
3. I kinda had better things to do (finishing my seminar work for the next day. In the end, I went to class without any sleep!)

Well, the initial hostility was quelled two nights ago(third round so far). It was sort of the final round before everyone left (i.e. Paul and Ka Chuan flying back home. One happy, the other not soXD). And my god, even though I just got pushed around (when there was something bad happening in the middle, Rui Zhe will say "Sam, don't come here.". And the constant running away. And the constant panic attacks throughout the whole game.) Roar.. Feels like two nights ago even just by thinking about it.

The horror that is DOTA. Yet, you still want to play it so so much. Roar. Can't help it. Tsk tsk Sam.

Holiday Commences NOW

2009-12-11T01:18:00.001-08:00

Even though life has been quite a holiday ever since being here, having endless weekday nights chatting, touring around to different places (i.e. Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester so far), nothing is quite like an official holiday! Nothing feels better than having fun guilt-free, without work to dampen the fun-filled mood.

The holiday is going to be a month long until the end of the first week of January next year - 2010! So, that is four weeks of absolute bliss is this new place!

For the first week, I will be in Warwick, hopefully having lots of fun with the people here who are not going back to KL (lucky peeps!). This weekend is going to be very interesting. Yeah~

From next Friday (18/12) to probably the first Monday of January (4/1) (although I already have a return ticket on 8th), I will be in London. So anyone there interested to catch up, give me a buzz or leave a message here and I will get back to you. Anyone back in Malaysia interested to come to UK for a short holiday?XD

If anyone is wondering why I am up at 4.40am typing this, it is because I am not sitting in a friend's kitchen with another 6 of us. They are currently playing DOTA! Hahaha. My com is being the router here and I am reading up for a seminar at 11am tomorrow. I really do hope I even manage to wake up for it. This DOTA thing have been running for two nights ever since all of us announced MERDEKA. We are such fun-holics. OK, I am high.

A long and expensive Saturday

2009-11-21T13:42:00.001-08:00

It is 8.55pm here now in University of Warwick on a rainy and unfortunately, gloomy Saturday. I have been up 6.00am to participate in the Ultimate Indoor Regionals Open (our team made a women team). We did not go to win, but to brush up on our skills. There were no other women team and many of them were all-male teams, as there are no gender ratios for open tournaments. It goes without saying that we got our arse kicked... BADLY. Nonetheless, we learned a lot. We improved our stack and practiced the 2-1-2 strategy. Anyways, the game did not dig a deep hole into my shallow pockets. Well, not directly. UK is a very dangerous place, it is very easy to splurge for nothing and it is mostly necessary.

I had to meet the team at Coventry Train Station at 7.50am. So at 6.30am, I went to wait for the bus at the bus stop (even when I knew there would be no bus that I could catch in time to meet at the train station, I just wanted to try my luck). Well, bus drivers do not drive when they do not need to. In the end, I had to take a 9 pounds taxi ride to the train station (at that time, I had exactly 9 pounds in my purse, should I count myself lucky?). Furthermore, I had to buy a 4.20 pounds return train ticket to Birmingham.

The games finished at around 2pm. I hurried my way back to Coventry to spend time with my "cooking buddies" (More on them in later post). Arriving in Coventry, I found out they were half an hour away by bus from Coventry at a huge Tesco Arena. We decided to meet at Morrison's later on. In the two hours of alone-free-time, I walked around Coventry buying some necessities (which amounted to 14 pounds, don't ask me what I bought! They really are necessities.). Then, I left on Bus 4 to Morrison's, that single trip costs 1.20 pounds. They were to arrive later so I wasted time in Morrison's and bought some groceries (which amounted to 4.08 pounds), all the food to last me until Thursday (as long as you buy your own food to prepare, food is not too much of an issue). After a very long while, I called them, they said they were in Morrison's for quite some time, yet we didn't see each other. Then it hit me, I went to ask a salesperson whether was there another Morrison's around. Apparently, there was! Arrgghh.... Nothing can quite described how I felt there and then. Nothing. Life was toughest then, really.

I decided I would just return back to university by myself. Took bus back, transiting at the main bus station (that cost 2.70 pounds).

Came back, cleared everything, bathed and now I am in front of my com typing this. One lesson I learnt: Want to save money? Stay in university and don't go out.

Total expenditure today: approximately 40 pounds = RM223 (current exchange rate)

What's more? I have to go back to Birmingham tomorrow for the second day of competition (more like practice). That's gonna cost 7.20 pounds, just for the necessary transport. Unless I start walking 2 hours before, hmm.. It actually sounds tempting.

My brain is quite wrecked at counting everyday, my mind is stresses by it, my mood is also influenced by it. It can't be helped. Thank goodness staying in campus, I don't feel it cause it is possible to go through the whole day without spending a penny (other than for dinner, which averages at 1.50 pounds, which is pretty decent. Own cook of course, this is where my "buddies" come in, I am sure I cannot be bothered to cook everyday just for myself.)

That's all, for now. Time for dinner. At 9.40pm, which has also become VERY normal.

Week 6

2009-11-12T11:12:00.001-08:00

OMG. This blog has been left alone for 7 weeks (6 ~~schooling~~ universit-ing weeks + 1 orientation week).

Thankfully by now, everything has settled down. Amazingly, I have started calling my room "home". I utterly shocked myself when I said that absent-mindedly the first time. But of course, actual home is always back home.

Life here is probably as routine as it gets now, which isn't much other than my late dinners. Dinner is always a highlight everyday because of all the fun! It's rare for me to sleep before 12am these days. And youtube-ing is a new recreational activity for me. It can take up to 5 hours. It can go on forever.

And.... the actual sports. I am happy to say that Ultimate is very much still part of my life. Although, the enjoyment definitely does not beat El-Ninos in any way=) Apparently, Warwick Bears is one of the top teams in UK. Many of the members play in the Euro Championships, which must be something. The women's team (over here they lack girls too. Can't say that it is a problem for me. Hehe..) is by far the best in UK. They play drills a lot. More on Ultimate later on. I did fitness training today, ass tiring. Sprint, sprint and sprint. I salute you, Bryan! Over here is definitely nothing like US, I bet. Or maybe I have not seen the first team training, but I doubt they are as crazy here. Most players start in university.

As Warwick is a kampung, there's really nothing much else to do. Good thing, cause most things need money, which I lack. After seven weeks, I think I have adapted to frugal living. Every penny that leaves hurt. I have gotten used to constant counting, constant budgeting. And of course, under-budgeting. It is not that bad, it is a good habit and sometimes, good fun. Of course, it certainly is more fun having more money. So if anyone is feeling generous, donations are welcome=)

That's all for now.

I miss Roti Canai.

Unusual Sunday

2009-09-27T10:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a day of many last, for this year.

Last time seeing my sisters and family.
Last time going wherever I went today.
Last time sitting at the playground fooling with a certain bunch of friends.
Last night in my own room.
Last sunset.
Last Ultimate training with El-Ninos.

Today is going to be sober day. It should be a glorious and joyous day.

I miss everything already, even before taking flight.

Party on Friday

2009-09-10T01:11:00.001-07:00

Above is a map to my house. My house is located on Jalan SS21/54 (next to the mosque on the right in the map), house no.50, white walls and black gates. To get a more detailed map, click on the map and enter "Jalan SS21/54 Damansara Utama" in the search box. An unknown neighbour marked their house there. Thanks Vincent.
If you are unsure, give me a ring. Call earlier so you can reach me.

Party starts at 7pm.

It would be better if as few people drive as possible, because alcohol is available. Drivers are forbidden from drinking.

See you guys tomorrow:) It's going to be quite crampy.

World Domination in Disguise

2009-09-08T03:04:00.001-07:00

Facebook wants to be our only friend, so it can "indirectly" manipulate our lives to its wishes. It does it by seemingly bringing us closer together, with wall postings, sharing quizzes, tagging photos. But, it is all just a cover-up.

All those fancy gadgets are meant to break our relationships. Just like two end of a chopsticks, when we try to bring them closer together, it would eventually break. How does Facebook do this?

...Rather, we're breaking a cardinal rule of companionship: Thou Shalt Not Bore Thy Friends...

It works with this rule: We don't like being friends with boring people. (Whether or not it is true is yet to be determined) Thus, Facebook makes us boring. To be more precise, Facebook causes us to bore people with unnecessary nonsense. Take a look below.

"It's called narcissism," says Matt Brown, a 36-year-old business-development manager for a chain of hair salons and spas in Seattle. He's particularly annoyed by a friend who works at an auto dealership who tweets every time he sells a car, a married couple who bicker on Facebook's public walls and another couple so "mooshy-gooshy" they sit in the same room of their house posting love messages to each other for all to see. "Why is your life so frickin' important and entertaining that we need to know?" Mr. Brown says.

What can we individuals go to go against this powerful enterprise? They have programmers to woo our every desire and bring down our defenses. They can create games even better than Restaurant City, quizzes more interesting than "Which L4D zombie are you?", heck, they could even create a better you.

There is still hope. We are humans, there is nothing we have not been through. We have been eaten by tigers, we have been to the moon, we have been to the lowest place, highest place, coldest place, hottest place on earth. Which other species can claim to have done all those things? There is also no other species on Earth that kill each other for reasons other than survival.

To prevent Facebook from controlling humans, thus the world, we must refrain from every temptation of entering the enticing pages of Facebook. We must not enter Facebook after checking our e-mail. We must not stare at friends' photos. We must not tag ugly photos of friends. We must not try nonsensical quizzes (telling you that you are a witch). We must start wishing friends' happy birthday in person or by phone, not through Facebook. We must not rely on Facebook to remind us of friends' birthday. We can do it!

Let's be frank with ourselves: We can never do all that. Facebook is an addiction, like drugs and cigarettes. Once you are in, you can never come out. Facebook will rule the world. Facebook is King.

Quotes are taken from: How Facebook Can Ruin Your Friendships - WSJ.com

Rainy days

2009-08-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

Over the past three full days I have been here in Singapore, it has been raining every afternoon. How timely! What was suppose to be the hottest time of the day turned into the most windy and cooling time of the day. Add on the tick-tack sound of rain droplets falling onto the ground. It is the perfect recipe for.... AN AFTERNOON SIESTA.

The rain would leave the night pleasantly cool, especially yesterday, when my family and I walked to the nearby German restaurant to have my mom's one-day-belated birthday celebration. (My mom is exactly 6 years and 354 days older than Malaysia. Hehehe.. I just blurted out my mom's age to the whole wide world!)

I am possibly spending my very last few days with my whole immediate family, for the year or so. It is pretty saddening to think that when I return, my nephews may all look very different? act very differently? One may not even recognise who I am. That would be Samuel, the youngest one. The poor boy had to go to the hospital yesterday because he had difficulty breathing. My mom stated that it was her first time hearing a baby cry that way. It was pretty terrifying. In the end, the doctor said he was infected with a viral infection in his voice box. Nothing big, thankfully. He sounds fine and dandy today, albeit the crying.

Lately, I constantly fall into this daydreaming mode, contemplating how different my life will be once I am in UK. (Assuming I have no sudden accident here and the visa application goes through without a hitch) How will my life there be? I really wonder. There would be the BIG THREE, which are the three things that I plan to prioritise on. 1. Studies (duh!) 2. ULTIMATE!!! 3. Part-time job.

Oh, I am also imagining how "poor" I will be there. I read an article in the newspapers recently about the author's years in Toronto as a student doctor. Let me summarise for you all the important points.
1. Her meals 7 days a week is ONE chicken leg, which she roasts weekly (all seven together) on Sunday, while doing some house chores. (She skips breakfast and lunch)
2. She wakes up at 5am. She finishes at 9pm.
3. Even though she skips breakfast and lunch (sial), she goes to the gym and swims 2km every morning.
OMG. Well, that was back in 1992. She is now a very successful (probably) neurosurgeon. If I am not mistaken, she ran off (elope?) with either an Indian or Black man, later divorced. Wow. Maybe she needed some excitement in her highly routine life? How do I know all that? Well, she happens to be Singapore's senior mentor's daughter=) Wah hao. Don't want to mention names here.

Rainy days are perfect for sleeping and daydreaming=) (Wait, this sounds wrong. I do not daydream about eloping off with either an Indian or Black man. WeirdXD)

P/S: I downloaded on Picasa the photos from the Port Dickson trip. Those who want it, go ahead and take it=) The link to Picasa is above.