HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

...TO MY DARLING DEAR PHUA CHU IAN!! xD

Warning: heavy amounts of PDA ahead. Don't say you weren't warned...:D

Dear Chu Ian, though you may not be around here for me to celebrate your birthday with you, I'll wait till you get back to give you a birthday hug (and much more :P)! :D

Enjoy your birthday with your family oo! May all your wishes and dreams come true!! My best wishes to you dear!! :D

I shan't be all lovey dovey here so, i'll make it short and basically, i love you! :D

Once again,

Happy Birthday Chu Ian dear! :D

p.s.: This shall be my 2 post that i have updated in my blog!! xD Rewards pls!! :D

Blah

I have not the slightest idea how anyone can have a long distance relationship.

I am slowly dying already....

LOL! And it has only been a week and a few days! It's insane. xD

I am suppose to update on my Penang trip (which the entire Monash students seem to have gone) which i would in due time. xD So No worries. I have lots of pictures to entertain all of you. Though it may just be pictures of scenary and some random stuff. But a forewarning! I am predicting that it would be a rather long post so, visit me and i'll show you a little about Penang from my humble blog! :D

Till then, this is an update because my darling dearest has requested for it all the way from China, so, just to amuse him, that'll be all folks! xD

Nothing specific

This being a random update, i shall briefly walk you through the few days after the Fireflies outing. :)

The very next day after my outing with the Leo members, i had work to do.

As a cleaning lady.

xD

It sounds terrible lar. But hey, i got paid handsomely k. :D

Seeing that "cleaning" crew sounded so pathetic for the University graduate and student, my sibling decided that "maintenance" crew was more appropriate. xD Clearly, he was in denial. He even refused to accept the fact that the job that we had to do was so very obviously "cleaning"! But just to please him, i kept quiet and continued referring to the job as cleaning. xP

Contrary to the image that you are having in your mind right now, it does not involve cleaning the house. Nor were we required to dress up in a dirty overalls with a feather duster in hand and a cleaning solution in the other.

Though it is not that far off...:P

We did have a cleaning solution in hand. But instead of a feather duster, we had Good Morning towels, a vacuum cleaner in hand and in the back pockets of our jeans, we had screwdrivers. Haha!!

Can't imagine what the job required us to do?

WE HAD TO CLEAN COMPUTERS! xD

Ok ok. Wipe those laugh off your faces.

Mind you, it is not as simple as you think. Quite simply, we had to go to this *beep* company to clean the computers for them and when i say clean, i mean: wipe monitor screens, the monitor itself, wipe the mouse, thoroughly clean the keyboard keys and suck dusts off it and unscrew the CPU casing to vacuum the dust off inside and then wipe the casing.

Ok. It does sound simple. But golly! Try cleaning your ancient old keyboard and expect to see your long lost paperclip stuck inside.

The worst i saw was this lady - who probably eats tonnes of titbits every other day- that has this keyboard FILLED with EXTRA TITBITS! Urgh. It was unbelievable. Even her colleagues laughed at her. xD But honestly, utterly gross.

I find the most tiring part of the job was getting on both knees and climbing underneath the table to seek the CPU amongst piles of paper, files, helmets, shoes (which thankfully, NO ONE HAD STINKY FEET!), tupperwares and rubbish. At the beginning, it was my sibling that had to do it but seeing that i had a much smaller frame compared to him, i ended up doing it instead. And i tell you, it is not for the weak backs.

Overall, i actually enjoyed myself whilst my sibling "cried" at the horrid sickening feeling of CLEANING people's computer whilst they and their colleagues stare at you as if you were some dropout student. I particularly disliked those working people that gave that attitude as if they held the highest position in the entire company when in actual fact, they are nothing but the filing lady. Like there was this irritating lady that talked non stop on the phone and made us delay vacuuming the area because we were apparently "disturbing" her. To me, it is fine if the person were to ask us politely to stop temporarily and use the phone fast. BUT NO! She had to give us this haughty look and spoke to us as if we were way below her position and used the phone for so darn long! Grr. Do not even get me STARTED on her caked-up face coloured like she was a Christmas tree. *grumble grumble*

ANYWAY, it was a consolation to find out that both of us finished 60 over computers in one day! xD So proud you know!! Hehe! Also, to our surprise and joy, the company had this vending machine that sold drinks for 10 cents a cup!! Haha! We made sure we had our share of good drinks at the end of our time there. xD It was hard labour k. All in all, we had 167 computers and 25 over printers cleaned in 3 days! Not bad an accomplishment for 3 people! :D

Then came the second job that we were required to do.

Installing photo kiosk for *beep* company.

Again, it was no easy task. Much harder if you ask me. Basically, we had to go to *beep* shop that had the *beep* photo kiosk. All that was there was the kiosk still wrapped in plastic and boxes with the CPU and monitor delivered. What we had to do was to unwrap the kiosk, CPU and monitor and then start placing everything in order: with the CPU in the "drawer", the LCD monitor propped up against the kiosk, the mouse and keyboard USB plugged and the wires neatly kept and to have it switched on and lastly the multi size memory card reader plugged in too.

Initially, one of the staff told us that it took almost more than an hour to fully assemble the kiosk. On the first day, we did not time ourselves but on the 2nd day, i took my digital watch along and for the two places we went that day, we finished at a record timing of 30 minutes and 22 minutes respectively. :D We were so proud!! xD We both agreed that we make a wonderful team. xD

Of course, there is this saying that: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Or ME a dull girl.

After 3 days of work the first round, my sibling invited me to a launch of a brand: thirtyfour. Go Google it if you are interested to find out much about it. Though not much is written about it. It is a local brand (i think) that designs bags, bracelets and shoes made of leather and sunglasses. At the launch (my first), there were free beers, cocktails and mocktails (i drank both cocktails and mocktails) and there was a makeshift stall there that had extra pieces of leather and two ladies helping people design and make your own bracelet/handphone holder/card holder or anything else that you can think of to make.

It is definitely a place for people to be seen and heard. And a place where you really get to see the true nature of certain celebrities. I got a shock when i saw one of the well known local celebrity puffing away on a cigarette! It just does not seem to fit her "role model" image. Sigh. My sibling kept chiding me on how naive i was when i expressed my surprise.

As much as it is the "real" world out there and this is what you get when you get to such events, i really think that this is not my thing. The people there are hopelessly pretentious and doing air kisses all night long. There is no such thing as morality in events like that and those that want to be seen, are dressed to kill.

Me?

I was dressed comfortably and wore shoes that killed my feet. Haha!

Then my sibling took me on a killer ride. Literally.

But that is one story i shan't share. :)

Oh yes! I also watched James Bond with my sibling too! Another after work celebration. xD I want bangs now!! Olga made the hairstyle look so good! I am considering cutting my hair again. xD

Anyway, then i had my wonderful dates with Chu Ian. :D And watched My Best Friend's Girl and Madagascar 2! Haha! And also bought pretty earrings too!! With wonderful discounts! xD

Then after that, i slept for the entire week. Haha!

Well, anyway, i would be MIA from tomorrow onwards until the next Monday. I'll Be Back! So don't miss me yet. ;)

Fireflies outing with Leos

I am well aware of my absence from blogging and i apologise and blame it all on the holiday mood. xD Not that it makes me happy, but more of ...laid back. And when i am laid back, i tend to not have the mood for blogging. So, no post lo! :D

Anyway, since i am having the rare burst of excitement and energy to blog, i might as well make full use of it before it simmers and die and leave me withering till the next blue moon.

So let's cut the drama and let me walk you through past week's events. Starting with: The Fireflies Outing with Leos!! :D

It was planned as a year end trip for the Leo members so, semangat as i am (and coupled with some puppy eyed faces to drag me into the trip), i joined in the fun. :) Scheduled on the 16th and 17th of November, a group of about 14 of us met at the Uni entrance (the popular meeting place for outings) and embarked on our exciting adventure to Sungai Buloh and Kuala Selangor. xD Honestly, this is my first ever road trip with my friends! Ok lar, so maybe this trip is only an hour plus long...but hey! Let me enjoy the fact that i had a road trip k. xP

So eager was i about this road trip that i had my bag packed since Wednesday. xD And just as i was praising to myself on my achievement on preparing early, i decided to check my mail on Saturday night to check on any last minute mails and...sure enough, there was one.

I had work to do.

@#&$?! It was already 12 midnight!!! And they sent the email on Friday which was the very day i decided that there was no need to check my mails!! ARGH!! *pulls hair in frustration* ... I knew i should not have played games that very day...>.<

But after taking several deep breaths to calm myself down, i got straight down to work. According to the program list, my partner (Brian) and i had to prepare a list on "The importance of water and how to conserve it" or something along the lines. So, taking note that this was part of the activities that we were preparing for the children at the orphanage and the knowledge that they apparently understand simple English, i thought, great!! I can just Google my information and hopefully they can understand me! Woohoo!

Basically, i started work at 12 midnight and finished at around 1a.m. Not bad actually. Time was taken into picking the simplest instructions and knowledge - those that are easy for them to understand and for me, in case i have to translate (Yup. I had plan B) - and into choosing cute images on water. Or more of water droplets. Such as this very one that i took:

Hehe! I had another one of a cartooned water droplet...but it's lost amongst the many other droplets! (and i was lazy to search for it...:P) So anyway, that done, i sent another message to Brian to find out whether that the Asian and Malaysian map was supposed to be prepared by us or not and went to sleep with that question.

It was not until the very morning of my trip that i decided to being along a camera.

Picture me, still in my pajamas at 7+ in the morning hunting down the camera. Which was not to be found. So, with the ruckus that i was making so early in the morning, i woke my sibling who very nearly shouted at me to use her camera instead. So that covered, i was still worrying about the maps. After ensuring that all my last minute items were in place, i got a message from one of the OC for the trip - Sheen Sern. I DO NOT NEED TO PREPARE THE MAPS!! YEAY!!!!!!!

*breathes easily* Whew!

By the time i was ready to go, everyone was already up to send me out and after receiving "take care" shouts and goodbye waves, i hear my younger sibling's voice above everyone else's:

Her: Bye! Take care arr!!....OF MY CAMERA!!!
Me: Bye -! WHAT! Is that what you say to me when i am leaving?! GEE! K lar k lar!! I WILL!
Her: OK! Take care!! Of MY CAMERA!! hahahahahah!! Byeeeee~!
Me: -.-" BYE!

So here are a couple of pictures of the cars that bore the responsibility of driving the rest of us safely to our destinations taken with my sis's camera. xD I am sorry i have zero knowledge of photoshop and have no clue how to blur out the number plates but don't go stalking them lar k!

This is one of the cars that brought us there - SS's car. :D

This is another of the cars that brought us to our destination - WJ's car

This here is a picture taken when we had our stop at the Rumah Tunas Harapan

Here is a pic of the girls that went for the trip. :) Sorry, didn't get to take a pic of the guys. LOL.

Ok. Enough with the pre-trip pictures. Because this is all that i have. Hahaha! Moving on...we headed to our first destination - Sungai Buloh to the Furry Friends Farm (FFF). A brief introduction on this place, it is headed by Miss/Ms. Yeap. If you have read through my blog since the very beginning, i had a post on a newspaper cutting of a dog that resembled my lost dog and well, that very picture was taken at the FFF itself. So, in some weird twist of fate, i am at the very place i thought my lost dog was.

Anyway, this place is actually something like SPCA and PAWS except that the concept of taking care of the dogs and the environment of the area is far different from the conventional animal centres. For one, all the dogs at the compound of FFF are strays and so Yeap allows them the freedom of roaming around as they are accustomed to whilst at the same time training them to be chained up, put in cages and be around people. The reason behind doing this is so when a prospect owner for the dogs come by to adopt one, these dogs are able to be used to being chained up if and when visitors of the owner comes by to visit or whatever.

One the day of our visit, there was a small puppy that someone left at the entrance of the FFF and it was about a few months old so it was really really small and cute! But apparently, under the trained eye of Yeap, she could tell that the puppy was having skin disease (though i could hardly tell) and she told us that the puppy was having worms in the tummy noting the bloated tummy of the poor animal. The little one would be sent for vaccination soon. Thank goodness for medications for animals!

Before i elaborate more on what we did at the FFF, our first stop upon arrival was, you guessed it right!! -FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! :D

I was supposed to take a pic of the restaurant name but was so eager to get into the car that i forgot...*knocks head* BUT! I took pic of the food! Not that it was anything out of normal. xD Feast your eyes:

On the girls!! Hahaha!!!

Again, i have no pictures of the guys. Too shy to admit they love the attention? Whatever lar. :D And so, pic of the food as promised- which i am not even going to try to name them lest i name them wrongly and get fried for it. I love my skin too much. So here:

The aftermath

Should have sent this to The Star! xD

So, anyway, after the glorious food, we went on with our adventure to the FFF. After getting lost at one point or two, we managed to find the place. And let me explain to you how the surrounding was like.

Picture a kampung area and the roads are a single narrow tar road and the only possible transportation allowed at that area are motorcycles. Of course, like many other kampung areas, when you spot people on motorcycles, they are always without the headgear. Possibly a way of protesting against the government officials for not widening the roads or for not giving the people more development in the area or just complete disregard for the law lar (like our fellow friend with the no parking sign. xD).

So, on your way to the FFF, that is what you will see.

Basically, when we reached the FFF, it was really different than what i would have expected. From the picture, i had imagined a wide land and dogs running around freely. Frankly, i was prepared to chase dogs around the compound and be surrounded by 200 dogs sniffing about me. Not saying that i stink. xD

But it was nothing like how i had imagined it to be.

Instead, the first thing that comes to mind when you see the FFF is - is this really the place?? xD Not that it was anything bad but it was so Cameron Highlands, if you get my drift. Nothing like how you would picture a Furry Friends Farm to look like. xP

It had an area of the land fenced where the majority of the dogs were caged and housed whilst some dogs were left roaming about. There were about 4 other "city" people already in the process of working to clean up the area so in some ways, we did not need to do too much of work alone.

Anyhow, after ensuring that most of our skin (that was exposed) were covered thick with sun block and mosquito repellent, we listened briefly to Yeap who told us to divide between ourselves into groups to: sweep, clean the cages, clear branches..etc.

In the end, Tze Yuen and i ended up doing the raking of dry leaves into bundles for "bonfire" later on. Which, if you thought was something simple and easy, think AGAIN! Now i know why people hate raking leaves!! But of course, the end result after raking is always a sweet one. We took pictures to compare the before and after result! Tze Yuen has the pictures and i would try to get that...but it looks gOoooooD xD Others were asked to wash the bowls (for the dogs), remove piles of old discarded items into a pile and to clean the dog pen.

The worst i heard was cleaning the dog pen. Maggots were feasting on poo and flies were everywhere. In fact, flies were all over the entire farm! At the area where all the food were, about a thousand odd flies were settling themselves all over the place and mind you, it is not for the faint hearted or the fly haters. I, for one, could only stare in disbelief at how ANYone can live through that amount of flies. I would have loved to swat them all.

Overall, we spent easily about 4 hours at FFF lending our services. Which was fun! :D It is always nice to see how everyone join hands to help each other out. But i left with dog poo stuck on my pants. :(

And with the extra knowledge that these bunch of dogs are darn lucky! They have far better quality food than we do!! This is their diet: Rice, Beans and OLIVE OIL! I take normal SUNFLOWER OIL k! (i think...xDD!) But still!!! And they take HUGE amounts of food!!! Like 2 huge bowls of food! By huge, i mean their bowls are the size of Yut Kee Bak Kut Teh's biggest Bak Kut Teh bowl. IT'S HUMONGOUS i tell you!! (If you really want to know, then take me to Yut Kee and belanja me lunch and i'll show! Wakaka)

Oh ya!! Before i forget! I HAVE to tell you the toilet at FFF!! I can't say i was not warned that it is ancient but gee! I had NO IDEA! You see, someone had asked about the toilet before we began work and we were warned that it was pretty ancient. So, thinking that i would not be needing it, i did not think much about it.

It was not until i was raking halfway that i felt that i needed to pee. Thinking i could hold on to it, i continued raking. But it was towards the end of the area, that by that time, I was holding in my bladder till my legs shivered and my eyes watered. So i knew i had to enter that dingy looking no-lights toilet no matter what.

The moment i climbed into the toilet, my eyes were as wide as saucers and i nearly peed in my pants.

The "toilet", is made out of wood. And the "roof" is merely some extra board of metal piece flung across the top. BUT! I have not reached the best part!! The door, has NO LOCK! So while doing my business, i was half praying no one would barge in!! Also, there is no such thing as a flush k. And it just so happen there was no water in the bucket that was left at the far corner of the small toilet.

AND! THE TOILET BOWL! Omg.. it should not even be a called a toilet bowl since it DOES NOT EVEN HAVE A BOWL to begin with!! Basically, the place that your pee or poo is suppose to enter is through this rectangular box-shaped hole that they cut off from the wooden floor (the horror!) and through this small old halved pipe, that was tilted at an 45 degree angle to send your business into whereever that i can not possibly imagine!! >.< Omg. *shudder*

I almost contemplated to pee by the bushes instead.

After i was done, i immediately ran to wash my hands and felt so disgusted i wanted to run to the chalet to scrub myself clean. Urgh..

Anyway. Once we were done, we headed to the nearest food outlet - KFC - for food. Still dressed in our dirty clothes and me in my poo stained pants. xD Everyone stared when we went in. I really think it was more of the stench than anything else that caught everyone's attention. BUT it was not me k!!

However, we ended up eating at some mamak. WITH MORE FLIES! *faints* After finishing though, we went to check in at the chalet which was really quite pretty! Here are the pics:

(Kit Yee, I am afraid that this is the only firefly that i could take! :( I would have been fined RM500! And many have tried to take pictures but all that turned out were black gloomy shots..Sorry ya...)

Here is the first thing that you see when you enter the chalet (minus the people and bags of course):

Here is the entrance to the toilet. The light was extremely dim (for the chalet i stayed in anyway). So, we mostly bathed in the dark. Haha!

Above: The entrance to the bedroom. Again, the lights are very dim and provide a very romantic feel to the room and i recommend it to people planning for a simple holiday for your partner.

Below: See what i mean? xD

Above: The cupboard and dressing table

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the chalet! :D

And now: the BBQ - this was after we rushed to bathe after knowing that we were the 9th group for the firefly watch! Again, i am sorry for not being able to take pictures of fireflies. The rules states that we could not even talk during the ride or get risk getting fined off RM 2000!!! I could be exaggerating the amount but there were so many fines [not allowed to catch any fireflies or fined: RMXXXX and blah blah...] that we could hardly remember anything! xD

But we hardly bothered and ended up talking loudly at one point, being shushed in another, whispering at certain parts, laughing, giggling and even gurgling were heard at some point and the ooohs and ahhhhs at the sight of the fireflies "decorating" the trees with its "light bulbs" and the clear star-filled night that we had on that very night. Extremely beautiful. :)

The procedure of the firefly boat ride is this: when your number is called, your group must already be wearing your lifejackets that are of course required or else fined for RMXXXX. xD Then you would be asked to walked along a bridge towards the brightly lit waiting boat.

Walking along the bridge and looking out into the darkness, it is rather creepy especially at the sight of old big trees at every corner and how you could see no further beyond the nearest tree you see. Scary cat as i was, i held on tight to Tze Yuen's hand all the way. Haahaha! Sorry Tze Yuen!! xD

Then, you would be taken around a river-ish area where you would see the fireflies as the boat slowly glides along near trees for better view. But really. The amount of fireflies that we have is slowly getting extinct especially due to overdevelopment and illegal logging around the area where they live. We have to do our part to help these little insects by ensuring that we do not pollute the places where they live and protect our environment. :) Practice the basic 3 Rs!! Google it if you do not know!

So after around less than half an hour's worth of firefly sight seeing - which shows how little fireflies there are left to see - it was time for FOOD! :D

Here is a few shots i took (which aren't many) on the BBQ night! :D:

Junk FOOOD! And water. :D

MY FAVOURITE!

Most of them preparing the cocktail sausages and fish balls...or was it chicken balls? xD

Sheen Sern and Wen Jhe "cucuking" the chicken wings for us! :D THANK YOU!

The twins! Haha! Both are extremely adorable! xD

And that marks the end of the pics i took. Haha! I know. I had eating to do!! xD

Then we cleared up the area and in the end, went back to our chalet to prepare the gift bags for the orphanage the next day and studied!! xD Remember the maps i was talking about earlier? Well, we learnt later after dinner that we were supposed to teach the children on where the countries were on the map!! Yiks! Knowing that i, for one, am extremely poor in Geography, i nearly choked on my food. Thankfully, i was not alone. xD

So, all of us grouped together to form a study group and learn the Asia map which to us were harder. XD! IT WAS SO FUN!!! Now i know where most of the countries are at on the world map! Hahaha! It was the best study group i have ever had. xD

Then, we played: MAFIA!! :D I tell you, it is THE best game to play with your friends. When playing with cunning people, it is sooooo fun!! :D It is also an extremely addictive game so we ended up playing till 2a.m.! xD

The next morning, I had a rude awakening when my handphone rang. When i groggily woke up, i answered the phone with the most groggy voice i had ever remembered myself making and waited for the person on the other line to answer.

NO SOUND.

#$%@!!

Turns out it was Sheen Sern giving everyone a wake up call. -.-" At 7.20a.m.

ZZZZZZ....In end, we woke up and got ready to check out from the chalet at around 8:15a.m.++. Haha! So here: was how packed the car was with all our bags! Hehe!

Below: This is our breakfast!!! Chips, plain bread, biscuits and water!!

So healthy eh? Hehe!!

The next stop for the trip:

This is Rumah Tunas Harapan! :D At this orphanage, the concept of how the children are taken care of is very different compared to other orphanages.

How?

The conventional orphanages that we mostly hear about basically takes in orphans and several teachers or guardians would be in charge of the home. But in Rumah Tunas Harapan, they instil a family oriented concept whereby the children are placed into houses and in each house, there is a "father" and "mother" to take care of them as their own. There are altogether one Chinese family, one Indian family and 4 other Malay families. In each house, the couple would take care of around six children and bring them up according to the culture of each ethnic. For example, the children in the Chinese house would be brought up to celebrate Chinese New Year, allowed to eat Bak Kut Teh and so on. Same goes for the other houses too.

The children are taken care of until they are 18 years old and some, until they graduate and learn to take care of themselves. The children that we saw were mostly in the age group of 4 to around 17 years old? That is my impression of the teenagers and kids anyway. xD

So here is the entrance to the hall that they have:

Inside the hall.

Mr. Ong. The father for the Chinese family telling us more about Rumah Tunas Harapan.

Clearing space for us to execute our activities for them! :D

The teenagers and kids gathering

According to the plan, we were to play a series of games with them. Starting with the ping pong ball on the spoon game for the younger kids; the place-finger-on-the-ground-and-spin then walk on a straight line game for the slightly elder kids; the four/three legged race - where the participants bind their feet together with a string and walk to the other end and lastly, the squish a balloon between two person and attempt to walk all the way to the end game. xD After the games, we were supposed split them into the primary schoolers and the secondary schoolers and teach them the countries from the Malaysian and Asia Map respectively. Afterwards, we were to pair up with our partners and let the children walk through the "Environmental Walk" by learning how to save and protect/encourage/prevent: Water, Trees, Recycling, Pollution, and another two more i can not recall... And then we were done.

(I could not remember how to blow a balloon!!!! *sob*)

Yi Mei telling us the change of plans

Unfortunately, there was a change of plans once the younger kids saw balloons. It was like giving them presents for Christmas! So in the end, we had to improvise and allow the younger kids to play the ping pong ball on the spoon game and then allowed the rest to play with the balloons for awhile before gathering everyone into groups for the map session! Which i loved most because i learnt it!! Haha!! I could see that they enjoyed learning the Asia map as much as i did. :D Overall, the groups of kids i had for the entire day were very sweet and attentive. Which made it very simple for me. They were very enthusiastic and excited too! I could not have asked for better! :D

Then, it started to rain so, the children were lined up according to their units (the house they stayed) and i was with group 4. So Brian and i followed the children - all 6 of them - to the house. We met with their father - a very nice and gentle pak cik who was very kind and i learnt that he was retired and since he had nothing to do, he and his wife decided to take care of kids! 10 of them too!! I was honestly amazed. But hey, if he loves what he does, then i say, God bless this man with such a big heart! :)

So, when we were told to stay in the unit to talk to them about the topic we were assigned to - mine was water - for about 30 minutes, i nearly choked. I begged for a 15 and in the end, due to the rain, i was punished with an hour. xD It was not that bad lar. LOL! Except for some awkward moments when we had no idea what else to say. Haha! Worst was translating English sentences to Malay! I did not think it was so bad! Haha! But we managed. Thankfully with Brian's lame jokes. Haha!!! Honestly, thank you man! xD

We managed to handle everything until Sheen Sern came with the goodie bags and told us we could go back to the hall. Back there, we watched the kids play with rain water and enjoy balloon fights before taking a group picture and head off back to KL for lunch!!

Which was in One U. Haha! Tried Wong Kok for the 1st time. Not too bad le! I like it there. :D

Then it was home sweet home and a good hot bath...Ahhh..Nothing like home. :D

That's all for the long post! Sorry for the abrupt ending. Haha! I had been dragging this update for too long! Till the next one!! xD

SPM just started...

...and it has certainly been awhile since the last we heard of it. haven't we? :D

Listening to my sibling grumbling and stressing over the exam makes me somewhat thankful that i managed to pull through that horrible period of Form 5. Not that i was miserable then. LOL! Nevertheless, all of those who have lived through the SPM would tell that SPM was ...nothing... compared to what they are going through now.

But then again, we have all heard that from our seniors. I remember when i was Form 5 and got the pep talk from my seniors. I always thought they were trying to show off and it was easy for them to say because they already went through what i was going through then; easier said than done.

Looking back, i understand now, the reason behind them saying that. University level is far beyond what Form 5 was. Doing a complete different course than what i took up in high school, i am not 100% sure whether the basics taught in high school would be of any help in Uni level. Of course, certain concepts are facts that cannot be changed. But is everything taught in high school the same as what you learn in Uni?

Whatever it is, i wish all SPM takers the best of luck and good health! :D Gambateh!!

Shopping and the haircut...

...Yup. That is pretty much what is going on during my much awaited hols.

Odd though, most of the time, for the past 12 years or so, i have always been looking forward to my holidays. I don't believe that i have ever failed to come up with a long list of things to do during the break. There is always the bullet point in the list which i promise myself to read; the other was for me to catch up with movies that i have missed; another was for me to exercise; next was to tap into some unfounded talent and the list goes on...

This time round, i have, perhaps the longest break i have ever had for a long while. Close to 4 months! I am only in my 2nd week of new found freedom and i am already restless. It is strange. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed; meant to be a time when everyone should be relaxing and living the moment and partying. And i am doing neither. xD

Instead, i am rotting. I do believe i have no more brain cells left in my little brain. Perfect.

But i can already hear Chu Ian's voice at a far away distance and wait...i do believe he is asking me to ... hang on... COOK! Hahaha. Yes. My darling is asking me to learn to cook. WHICH, i am planning to do. So let's see, i actually do have a plan for the holiday! 4 months worth of cooking!! :D

Yes yes yes...i do not know how to cook. FINE! Shame on me....*bluek* :P But hey! It is just that i prefer to watch other people cook and i do not wish for anyone to end up at the hospital for having eaten my overcooked Enchiladas or whatever. xD (psst...go google for this recipe. It sounds absolutely delicious!! xD)

But anyway, my list of things to do for the hols have never really changed since the last 12 years. HAHA! It always involves:

1. Reading (I have completed hmmm...2 books already i think...and still counting)
2. Catching up with old/new movies (Made of Honor - SWEET!!!; Penelope - Meaningful and sooo Sweet too!!! :D; My Best Friend's Girl - Let's just say i am no longer going to the cinema for 18 -rated movies - be it PA or SX. NEVER - It's bullshit)
3. Sleeping
4. Playing games ( mostly word challenge in facebook. HAHA)
   
5. Exercising (been neglecting that for a VERRRY looooooong time)
6. Drinking loads of water
7. Clearing old notes
8. Reorganising the cupboards and drawers
9. Learning how to cook (New on the list! :D)
10. and the list goes on repeating itself...

:D There you have it. A rough sketch of my things to do. Boring eh? Haha! But anyway, i have done my first part of shopping after visiting the bazaar that had all the online fashion bloggers gather at 3K to sell their items (which are mostly female clothing that ranges from t-shirts, blouses, skirts, dresses, accessories, shoes and even lingerie!!). That was my first time visiting one and aside from the cramped space, i quite enjoyed it! Especially meeting up with Tze Yuen and Yee Mei - who "flew" all the way from Malacca on the day of the bazaar itself! :D I tried first hand, the art of bargaining. And i tell you what. I SUCK! hahahahah! I am absolutely terrible at bargaining!!! Gosh. I almost made the lady's mother snatch the money from me and return no change! She was hopping pissed off! xD I bought a dress, you see. It was labeled Rm49 and i tried to hagger for 9 bucks less. The lady refused to accept any less than rm45. I mean..come on. It was the last piece and she was already packing! So i mentioned that and pushed for a 40.

That hard headed woman refused to allow me that. But then soften a little to allow me RM43. GEE. I haggled till i had my eyes sore from the puppy eyed look and turns out it wasn't much of a cute sad look. Haha. I got it at that price. Rm43. And i only agreed to that price because the hard headed woman's mother was practically shoving at my face the book that apparently showed pictures of the blog and told me that the dress was new and was not even pictured on the blog! GRR..that is really one pushy lady.

Anyway, i also got myself a pair of nice blue earrings. :D So yeah. I only managed to get two items from the bazaar whereas people were buying in a few bags! Dunno lar. Maybe bazaars aren't for me? xD At least not bargaining. xD

And, i got my haircut before i went for the bazaar too! So Yee Mei and Tze Yuen got to see my new haircut before anyone did. Hehe! To those who would like to know i look in my new haircut, well, it's the same as when i cut it during MUFY. haha. So, no drastic haircut. :D If you really cannot remember, well, buy me lunch and i'll show! Wakaka!

Lameness aside, i do not think i would be having any year end trip this year round. First time for as long as i remember. Sis is going to have SPM so, i am the hired driver. The job entitles me to send her to and fro from school and ..AND sending her lunch. Sigh...I REALLY NEED TO GET PAID FOR THIS!!!

In the form of a HTC Diamond would do. xD

BUT, having grumbling so, at the end of the day, they are always given the exeption no matter what. That is what siblings are for, ain't it? :)

Enjoy your holidays my dear friends!! :D

Exams are OVER

*Warning!! Not a happy post ahead!!*

As much as i would love to scream and shout along with everyone else that exams are over, unfortunately, i doubt i could enjoy the moment as much as most of you can.

Such a party pooper aren't i? xD

But hear me out when i say that the moment i completed my last paper, i did not feel as if i have done it all and deserve a pat at the back. Instead, i felt as if part of me was still sitting at my desk writing my answers vigorously and the other part of me is out of the hall looking back into the now-empty hall.

You know how when after you complete your exam paper and you release that huge sigh of relief? Well, i am still holding my breath. For some reason i cannot fathom (at least for now), i simply cannot relax and breathe easily. I know that the only time i can do that - that is, breathe easily - is the time when the results are out.

Mind you, i do not mean to spoil the holiday mood nor am i suggesting that i am eagerly looking forward to the day i either choke and collapse on air or the day i can finally take in real deep breaths of air and finally feel the burden being lifted off my shoulders. Every one hopes for the best. And i am no exception. But i am in a sticky pool of mud right now and i already managed to get about a quarter of my body out from the mud and currently working my way towards my ultimate escape. I cannot afford to fall into that mud hole. No. Not again.
As you may have noticed, i am in a cloudy mood. Can't really blame me. It's raining cats and dogs outside now. I apologise for the depressing mode i am in and i promise, really i do, to come back posting a much happier tone to my entry. This i assure you. :)

I will be back for more happier moments! :D

Just for updates

I am aware that i have yet to update on my blog since the last on HTC Diamond. Unfortunately, i can't annouce that i have finally gotten the phone. xD

So anyway, since i have been told to update, well, I'm afraid that if i have to do so, i would need the entire day. Therefore, my fellow readers, kindly be patient and i will be updating in what i hope to be a complete one, by the time exams are over. LOL.

Till then!

HTC Diamond

ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*takes a deep breath* I AM SO IN LOVE WITH HTC DIAMOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*takes rapid breaths*

*squeals*

I had one of my best dates with Chu Ian yesterday (thanks for the lovely outing! :D *hugs*) and we decided to go check out the HTC Diamond. And this was my first impression of it.

"Oh..My..Gawddd!!!!!!!!!! *faints* *recovers* It is FABULOUS!!!!!!! *takes deep breaths* TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!! My Gawd!!! IT IS JUST OOZING WITH FABULOSITY!!! AHHHHHH!!!!"

I know. Very dumb blonde-ish. WHATEVER! I love the PDA PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! I WANNNNNNNNNNNTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is the most beautiful phone i have ever seen!! Though it seemed a little too complicated at the beginning, after some reading and learning, i think i can handle it. But gosh! It is sooooooooooooo nice! It isn't bulky like most PDAs, it has awesomely clear screen with vibrant colours, it has 3.2 mega pixel camera - good enough for me!, and..it comes with a stylus!! xD So silly lar. Lol!

On a more serious note, given that this pda's close competitors are iPhone and Samsung Omnia, this phone is far better compared to both.

Yes, i do realise that iPhone is said to be the founding father of the touch sensitive technology. But i have tried using the phone and it is not as user friendly as i had hoped it to be. SMSing is tedious for those with fat (or some would prefer "big") fingers using iPhone. Not implying that i have fat fingers, it is simply not fun. Though browsing through the main menu is delightful - especially when u move from page to page, it is not so when navigating through the applications. Half the time you are left wondering if Apple is out to ensure its users enjoy going through hair pulling frustrations. But i have to give it to the Apple company hands down for their creativity and ability to come up with such high technology that has left the world anticipating for the company's next phenomenal creation. They are indeed a brainy bunch.

Omnia, on the other hand, is definitely trying hard to be just like iPhone but fails miserably in doing so. It is not as touch sensitive as iPhone, which results in it looking like an amateur kindergarten material next to the iPhone. Very sad case. So when one asks for a stylus, it apparently comes separately and if the user wishes to tag it along with the phone, the stylus becomes one of those hanging phone accessories dangling from the corner of the phone. So imagine, when the user has an important phone call and hurries to answer it, the stylus would be flinging about from the outer top corner of the phone, possibly flying across and hitting the user smartly at the cheek, resulting with the user answering the phone call swearing under his breath and looking like a fool to those who are nearby to watch. One word = UGLY.

HTC Diamond, on the other hand, is gorgeous. It is slim like both its competitors and it is neatly shaped to fit the palm comfortably. It (thankfully) comes with a stylus as part of the phone and what catches my eye is how sharp and clear the screen was. I, for one, am quite particular about the sharpness and clearness of the colours and so far, sony ericsson has what i like. So, think Sony Ericsson screens and you would get what i mean. And to know how good HTC Diamond is, well, HTC Diamond is infinite times better than that. *squeals* So bias ya? LOL! I did not get to completely test out how good the rest of the functions are but over all, i am really loving it. :D Like i say, i am willing to learn the functions of the phone so it is no issue. :D I have yet to test how good the speakers are and as well as the camera so i would have to find out more on that.

Golly. I just found out that even Nokia has come up with something similar! Go check out Nokia's latest - the Nokia 5800 Xpress! Unfortunately, Nokia's downfall has always been its thickness that always puts me off. This particular phone is no exception (from what i see from its official website gallery pictures). It looks pretty cool though! Instead of building in a full keyboard attached to the phone to make it bulkier (think HTC tytn) it has a full screen QWERTY keyboard! From the screen, it seems like the keypads are fat fingers friendly! WooHOO!

Then again, HTC Diamond is still the BEST! Haha! Not going to change my stubborn mind until i find something better. Hehe!

But then le...here comes the funny but sad anticlimax. It is beyond my reach. :( Despite my enthusiasm and love for the phone, I doubt i would ever get it. It is wayyyyyyyy tooooooo expensive. Know why? Cuz it is priced at RM 2799.

My ears, eyes and heart bled when the sales person told me the price. Wish as hard and as much as i may and yet, it is a case of so near yet so far. *sob!*

Sighh...i can only dream of the day i can get to own my very own HTC diamond....in a dream where money grows on trees, i became a long lost sole heir to a trillionaire's fortune and pigs flew...

Recovered...or have i?

I have been having these weird dizzy spells lately. My fever is on and off every now and then and i feel the heat building up from within my body whenever i munch greedily on sinful heaty food.

Ahh...the things we do and go through for the enjoyment of sinful food. :D

Nevertheless, i do hope i am finally recovering soon. It is never fun to lie around feeling dreadfully weak and helpless. Not to mention that it is giving me an extra excuse to sit back and not do anything! Argh...i can already feel my lazy bones forming and my back bone weaken...

Enough with that. I am now coming to terms with the loss of my hand phone and it is time to, like that usually say, move on.

As of now, i am going back to basics with the Nokia 1110. Yes. Go Google this ancient phone and laugh as loud as you want. Very farnie. Ha-ha.

I am not trying to console myself but it really isn't all that bad. Yes the phone has no colour and yes, there is no such thing as playing the latest Pink song on the phone and yes, i cannot snap pictures with this phone. However, it functions well to serve me the convenience of messaging easily and talking on the phone as well as using all the basic functions. Truth to be told, it is a very pleasant phone indeed.


But of course, we need some colours in our lives, don't we? :D

Odd thing is, i can't seem to think of a replacement! Half the time i was hoping for a different phone because the flip phone i had was extremely flimsy. Now that it is gone, i have no idea what i want! But one thing is for sure, as far as Nokia's flip phones are concerned, i am no longer getting one from them. Though they remain my first choice of brand when i decide on a new phone.

HTC diamond is something i am eyeing at for this moment. Everyone who know me well seem rather surprised that i would like this phone but i am not sure for now. I have yet to feel the phone and try to use it. Doesn't it sound like something i would like?? xD

But i may just be bored with everything and settle for something super simple such as the Nokia 6330. It's slim, sleek and simple enough. I might just end up getting it. :D Which is most likely the case since it is far more affordable than the HTC diamond. LOL! So, chances are, you will spot me using the Nokia 6330 soon. xD

Please give me some suggestions on some nice phones! I'd be happy to know! :D

LOST handphone

...*sob*

Yes. I've lost my handphone.

It doesn't help that i was feeling feverish and was feeling absolutely tired and cold for the entire day. :(

I have no idea how i ended up losing it. I did not even feel it falling off from my hand. And i only got around realizing it once i got home.

It's funny actually. Chu Ian was telling me how i should message him upon my arrival home instead of delaying it and make him worry. So after reaching home and walking like a weakling upstairs to change into something warmer, i was about to have my lunch when i decided to look for my handphone to message Chu Ian.

@#$&%! My phone is missing!!!!

Immediately, i made sure my car was thoroughly checked by me and my sister and looking into my bag again and again to make sure. Then i tried calling my phone and got what most people dread for when they lose their phone - no tone. Dead. Na Dah.

*panic*

Me: Mae! Go change! We're going to Uni to look for my phone!!
Me: *picks up phone to dial number* Daddy...i lost my phone...and there is no tone when i called it just now. Can u please call Maxis to bar the sim card?
Dad: huh! OK. I'll do it immediately.

Sadly, there was no way of tracing back my phone and of course, since that area is indeed a jungle, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I talked to every security guard that was around that area and all came back with negative response that made me really upset.

Then i recalled that there was a security guard who was on a motorcycle who passed me as i was on my way back to my car, who i remember came to a halt and bend down to take something. Though i did not pay much attention to what was that that interest him at that time, for some reason, i remembered that entire scene very well. Another girl (from my Communication class) happened to be near him and i remembered her asking if he was alright or something like that. Since the proximity between she and the guard was relatively close so she is for now, my best witness for me to find out what it was that he was picking up from the ground.

When i went back to Uni to retrace my steps, i approached this particular security to question him already. But he replied that he did not see anything and there was not much that i could do at that point. So, whatever it is, i have made my report to the security manager in Monash and he has brought the case to the Sunway security manager who have already questioned this particular security guard who has denied taking anything.

So basically, it's really gone.

Of course, after i left Uni, there would be plenty of students walking along that area so although he was the immediate person i saw bending to take something from the ground, it may very well not be him. I do not mean to simply accuse him but if you were in my shoes and the last thing you remember that could be of help in your case to trace back your phone is that very image of the guard screeching to a stop and picking something off the ground, you might just be feeling the same suspicious feeling about him as i am.

For now, i am just hoping that whoever it was that took my phone, to please just be rid of all my personal stuff and sell it off lar. For what i worry most now is that someone may misuse my personal things that is stored in the phone.

But i do so hate the person for taking the phone and not reporting it. Horrible disgusting dishonest person. Sheesh. May YOU learn your lesson soon enough.

Argh..

p/s: Special thank you to Chu Ian, Yee Mei and Tze Yuen who have been most concerned and called to check on me as well as to Jackie and Tak Leong who have been most helpful and concerned too. :) I feel much better knowing that you all are there for me during such times. :) Thank you! *hugs*

Earrings for Sale!

Hello my dearest friends!

For those who are observant enough, you would have noticed that i have added in new links in my linky box. :D

And i would like all of you to pay close attention to one of the sites listed -

Crystals N Such

To provide you a very brief introduction of this site, it is a blog started by a dear cousin of mine, selling earrings. She hand-made the earrings shown on the blog and the designs include some oriental designs and some of which are simple yet sweet.

To allow you a sneak peak into some of the designs that she has, here are two of my current favourites:

Josephine



Bejaded (My fav.)

(Bejaded is really cute right?? :D )

The pricing for the earrings are reasonable and some are also designed with swarovski crystals (Bejaded) and not being biased or whatever, but it is really pretty and affordable!

So my dearest friends, do your dear friend here (me) a favour by visiting the website and leave a comment or two to either provide suggestions to the kind of earrings you might like or better still! Purchase them! :D

Also, do spread the word around and visit:

Crystals N Such

Thank you! :D

Extensions, the Flea Market...

...and not to forget guilt.

Turns out we managed to get our extensions for 2 of our assignments till next week. Whether or not it is good news is yet to be determined. :D

As for the Flea Market that was held for two days this week at Monash, i only managed to properly visit it today - last day. Silly me, i did not withdraw money and only brought along with me the amount i had in my purse = RM40.

Manalah cukup??!

I had the intention to get myself some clothing and ended up spending my money on earrings instead. LOL! I saw some really pretty charm bracelets too but sadly, by then, i had not much left with me so, with a heavy heart, i had no choice but to forgo it.

*sob*

On a happier note though, i got myself some cute earrings! :D And, i made someone's day too! That of course, was what really made my day. :)

I am in lazy mode now, so i will be the lazy bum that i am and ignore the guilt of not completing my work.

*snort*

Birthday celebration!

Happy Birthday, Yee Mei!!!! :D



May you continue to have many happy moments and all your wishes and dreams come true! May this special day be spent surrounded with all the people you love and care most for. Enjoy this wonderful day and Happy Birthday once again! *hugs* :D

Happy Independence Day!!

A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation’s flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth.
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Selamat Merdeka!

Closing Ceremony of Beijing Olympics

Boy, I must say, it was spectacular!!!! As proven since the very moment they were announced to host the Olympics, China has never failed to impress us even until the very end.

Although the closing ceremony is not quite as impressive as the opening ceremony, nonetheless, it was definitely well done. I believe that China has shown and proved themselves well this Olympics and deserve every wonderful moments they have had throughout the 16 days of non stop games.

London would have to work extremely hard to come up with something that can impress the entire world just as much, if not more, than China. They did show us parts of what we can anticipate and look forward to in the London Olympic Games and i must say, they have loads to improve on. Leona Lewis sounded really weird and the short stint was far from entertaining. Perhaps, it is not something that we can compare with China as the latter have an extremely rich culture that they have managed to showcase to the world. China has millions of people helping out with the performances and they were definitely well trained and extremely synchronized. I love, and i am sure every is to, with every bit of the Beijing Olympics. (Aside from the big boo boo about the fireworks and the little girl)

I am proud of China and they have definitely showcased my personal best Olympics ever. Kudos to them and i say, keep up the wonderful job and make us all proud and truly believe that we can achieve:

One World, One Dream