My Life's Story

A little Update or two :)

2008-09-12T14:04:00.007-04:00

Gosh, it's been almost three months since I visited my own blog... :S

My Life's story started a new chapter since....Not going to blabber much though....A lil short summary of what life has been:

Moved to Addison (Dallas). Loving my new place! ALLLL to myselfffffff....heh ;)

Started working.....*for about a month and a half now*

Missed Denton (I know I know I used to rant about how it's boring and all, but I've come to appreciate the campus atmosphere....safe lil bubble it was)

Slept on the floor for 3 days! (it was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E) - lack of sleep nearly made me bonkers!

Need a C-A-R!!!! *yes it is a MUST, not a nice to have or can do without!*
Had great help from great people (you know who you peeps are!) to help me through this transition! Nothing like social support alright :)

Learnt a couple of lessons about the REAL world......my bubble-ed world busted the moment i graduated.....lol...

Soooooo to sum it up my place in this world so far...... here's a picture to tell the story :)

picture credit: Getty Images

A personal quote

2008-07-16T00:37:00.005-04:00

Someone wise gave me an interesting analogy about life:

"Life is like a game of poker, sometimes you get good hands, other times, bad hands. So play your best with the hands you've got"

I couldn't agree more :)

Introducing Keean Lee :)

2008-06-28T20:55:00.007-04:00

I'd like to introduce my beautiful, gorgeous, adorable, oh-s0-cute, lovable (I guess you got my point by now) baby nephew Keean Lee. He was welcomed into the world right smack on time. Gosh, he has a sense of good timing already...LOL

Oh how I wish I was back home cuddling and planting little kisses on those cherubic cheeks of his! *sigh*

Okie before I start going ga-ga over this handsome little fella, I'll leave you to some pictures of him :)

Haha yes yes I am one proud aunt *grins proudly*
A fine young man he will grow up to be.....hmmmm, I shall teach him a thing or two about life, hahaha....Images of being the 'cool aunt' popping up in my mind :P

And with that, I give Keean Lee :)

Just look at him....heart meltingly gorgeous isn't he? :)))

I am told this is what he does best....LOL...ZzzzZzzzz....apparently he is dreaming of food here....ahhhhh a true Malaysian ;)

HAHAHAHAHA!!! Love this picture! He has attitude already....Keean: "Wassup dawggggg"

A tiny bundle of Blessing he is to my sis, my bro-in-law, and us all. God's little miracle at work :)

A quote :)

2008-05-23T02:27:00.003-04:00

I saw this quote and I wanted to share this with whoever reads my blog.....aptly describes my philosophy ;)

It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.
-Emiliano Zapata-

The closing to a chapter and a new beginning in My Life's Story

2008-05-11T03:55:00.008-04:00

Wow......I finally walked......after four (well, a lil tad more than that) years of crazy, procrastinating, late nights and burning the midnight oil in Uni life, I reached my destination....

The feeling is surreal I must say......I love/loved living life wrapped in this little bubble like haven I called school life.......I say that because it always made me feel that I was in a 'protected' world....away from the real world out there......and now.....with that chapter ending, my wings are primed to spread into the other world....the real world they say...

It has indeed been a journey filled with many ups and equally many downs....bittersweet it is....I have learnt many life's lessons, made wonderful friends whom I treasure their friendship and also those who have made a difference in my life....the good, the bad, the ugly....I've seen it all and lived through it.....I am glad I survived.....as the saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger ;)

Thank you to those who have made a tremendous impact in my life for I know that I would not be where I am without your support and constant motivation.....both family and friends.....I share this achievement with you :)

Here's to new beginnings! *toasts*

Aye aye to that! ;)

2008-04-26T22:26:00.003-04:00

I must say that through recent personal experience ...I cannot agree more to the quote below...... :)

"Confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can have. It's much sexier than any body part"
-Aimee Mullins-

Confidence is indeed sexy....I must add that although it is sexier than any body part (points above) sexiness in both body and mind is best ;)
Just my two cents....

Quotes of my own...... ;)

2008-04-13T04:04:00.005-04:00

Encouraged by a friend, here are some of the quotes (or somewhat seem like quotes) from me ;)

Live each day as if they were your last, for you'll never know when you will leave this Earth

Love with everything you've got or do not love at all for one should never love half-heartedly

Treat your partner as if he or she were your best friend, because friends do not take each other for granted nor do they disrespect one another, which couples sometimes do
(inspired by a interview with Seal and Heidi Klum on relationships on Oprah!)

Great love is like a golden needle in a haystack.....precious and rare....(almost) impossible to find but it exist

Great friends are....simply great (and rare i might add)! Don't let them go so easily :)

The best lovers are also the best of friends (again, inspired by interview with Seal & Heidi Klum)

and finally, a personal favorite which I believe to this day.....

Trust comes before Love
(for what is love or even friendship without trust)

*The End*

A lil Quote or Two....... :)

2008-03-29T02:33:00.005-04:00

Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
-Maurice Setter-

One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other's stories.
-Rebecca Falls-

Miracles sometimes occur, but one has to work terribly hard for them.
-Chaim Weizmann-

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.
-Carol Burnett-

Failure is a stepping-stone to greatness.
-Oprah Winfrey-

A fantastic offer from 2LevelsAbove ;)

2008-03-13T15:55:00.004-04:00

Great news from 2LevelsAbove! I found out that 2levelsabove is offering free hosting to small business for 3 months (yes you heard me right....T-H-R-E-E whole months of free hosting!) and subsequently get unlimited bandwidth and storage for just $10 a month. A great offer in my opinion... :)

So hurry and visit 2LevelsAbove to sign up for this fabulous deal!

Democracy....alive and kicking.... ;)

2008-03-09T01:50:00.006-05:00

PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF THEIR GOVERNMENTS,
GOVERNMENTS SHOULD BE AFRAID OF THEIR PEOPLE.

-V for Vendetta-

This quote which I took from V for Vendetta aptly describes the results of the current election in Malaysia. I am immensely glad that the people spoke.....that they voiced their dissatisfaction over the way things have been handled by those in power. I'm glad that they cared enough to stop our beloved Malaysia from falling apart due to lack of democracy, corruption, and a lack of proper leadership from those whom the Malaysian people believed in. I am breathing a sigh of relief...........

I find it interesting that those of us who are living abroad cannot vote. So much for technological advances....lol. On a serious note though, I am ticked off as I did not get to exercise my civic duty!

Even though I am aware that is it the same party that is taking hold of the government, I hope there will be more accountability and transparency. I am tired of watching those in power running around loose without being checked. Need to be whipped into place when they get out of line.

Oh well I want to keep this post short so I shall end it with saying....."thank you fellow Malaysians for keeping democracy alive and saving good ol Malaysia from going six feet under!" *toasts*

Life's Lessons.......

2008-02-29T14:16:00.012-05:00

These days I seem to stumble upon writings which bring deep meaning and somehow affect me at the personal level.
Here's another post which I think is pretty meaningful.......

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. (depends on how you want to see it.....)

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present (so true....)

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it (again.....very true...)

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain. (haha i think it pertains to women....not sure about men)

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. (got me there)

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive, if someone is sorry and remorseful. (is everything forgivable though?)

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. (yeah...almost everything......)

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family & friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. (very, VERY true....)

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back .

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44 . Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

A reason, a season or a lifetime......

2008-02-25T03:04:00.008-05:00

I came across this a while back and again just today.......it struck me as there is truth to it....

I dedicate this to those whom I have crossed paths with in the past and in the present.... :)

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually
to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide
you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because
your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things
you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you
were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Missing Home Most.......

2008-02-07T23:22:00.000-05:00

I must admit that I am not the kind of person that misses home like mad but somehow during festive seasons especially Chinese New Year....somehow.......it evokes that "I miss home" emotions within.......

The family gatherings........the heavenly goooooood foooood, the little gambling sessions with my relatives (mind you I am not an avid gambler, haha...just during CNY) and watching my stack of dough flow out....lol *well occasionally they flow in*

One of those moments where I miss home.......

As the saying goes, "a picture paints a thousand words"......
These are some images that evoke those nostalgic feelings within........

Reunion dinners!

Ang Pau (red packets with $$$$$!) galore!!!

and of course, what would CNY be without those firecrackers! *which is quite a rarity back home nowadays though*

Oh yes.....I nearly forgot.....

GONG XI FA CHAI TO ALL WHO ARE CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!

A quote.....

2008-02-01T00:17:00.000-05:00

"Fortune and Love befriend the Bold" - Ovid

A tribute to Heath Ledger......

2008-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

It's weird that when someone you don;t even know (and also famous, I might add) passes away, you actually feel a sense of shock; a sense of loss........mourning them, as if you known them forever.........
The news of Heath Ledger's sudden death came as a shock and yes, there was a tinge of sadness that passed my way as I heard about his death.....

A young man of 28, a father, a lover, a rising star...........

It makes you ponder about your mortality doesn't it????

Many of us take our mortality for granted (including yours truly) and yes I've said it a thousand times :P
Think about it, how many of us live each day as if it were our last? How many of us put off doing things until the next day? putting off telling those whom we love how much we love them or how much they mean to us, thinking we will live long enough to tell them another day???

To Heath, a mortal being whose mortality was cut short, may you rest in peace.......

Interesting subjects.......

2008-01-15T23:25:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty pleased with the subjects I picked for my last semester as an undergrad.....

Principles of Counseling II
Group Process in Helping Relationships
Physical Geology
Sociology of Disasters

I've taken counseling back in HELP but oh well......never hurts to take it again....heh....

Group Process.....hyped up, ADHD-like lecturer whose extra-extroverted attitude is surprisingly not annoying but refreshingly entertaining ;)

Geology....all about the rocks baby!!!! (not really actually....)

Sociology of Disasters.....well this one tops it off....whacky, loud professor who is unconventional and passionate about her job and her field.....today was the first day in class and already I can foresee crazy heated debates and opinions thrown around....... not to mention the fascinating projects too.....

Looks like I'm going to have fun :)

Last Semester

2008-01-14T01:12:00.000-05:00

Feeling a tad sad.....last semester here at UNT.......being a student.....enjoying life........

I love student life........not really looking forward to the working world right now.....makes me cringe thinking I have to sit behind a desk, working a 9-5 job :(

The real world beckons.........

A bang I shall end it with :)

A New Year, A New Beginning

2008-01-10T00:29:00.000-05:00

2008, A New Year, A New Beginning..........

The footprints of my journey have yet been marked.....

The path I will come to take have yet been traversed........

My heart throbs heavily against my chest, anxiously looking ahead.....

wondering what's in store....

Deep breaths, head held high, I take a step forward.........

Introducing.......2 Levels Above

2007-12-14T00:47:00.000-05:00

Starting a business is a BIG thing, I'm pretty sure many self-employed entrepreneur will tell you that.
The heart pounding, risk taking decisions......the gamble, the losses, the rewards.......ahhhh yes, the rewards......nothing beats the sinfully sweet taste of success *oh and PLUS you don't have to work like a D-O-G for anyone*

I must say that in this modern, technology based age, one's business should have a multi-faceted look to it. This includes having a personalized webpage to reach out to potential customers. Allowing them to take a peek at what your business/product/service is all about, it's a surefire way to attract attention.

Yes I do have a point here if you are wondering, hahaha....

I'm proud to present.........

2 Levels Above (click here)

It's a company owned by a personal friend of mine which specializes in web designing and development. Customers are primarily those who own small businesses or those who are interested in starting a business.

Below are some of the work produced by 2 Levels Above:

I like it due to it's simplicity, customer friendly service and affordability. As for the web designs, I can describe it in two words: Simple & Sophisticated. It caters to what you as the customer want. Some want it simple and straight to the point, others want it to be sophisticated, elegant, and eye-catching.

Yes maybe you would think I'm biased because it's someone I know. If you need further convincing about the excellent service provided, click here for reviews from customers who had experiences with 2 Levels Above.

In a nutshell, 2 Levels Above is what it says.........2 levels above the rest of the competition.

p.s:
For those who are interested in start up businesses and would like to engage in discussions, go to Startup-forums.com

Boyz II Men - Just My Imagination (running away with me)

2007-12-12T01:27:00.001-05:00

This was the song i was talking about earlier....Just My Imagination by Boyz to Men.....heavenly!!!!

Sigh...perfect dance to slow dance to.......

The Federal Constitution of Malaysia: Why we need to learn and understand it.

2007-11-25T00:50:00.000-05:00

I've always had the idea in my mind that Malaysians are not aware of the Federal Constitution because they were never given the chance to do so. I came across an article by Raja Petra Kamarudin in Malaysia Today (click here) which touched on the importance of it. With the surge of events that is currently happening in my beloved Malaysia, I think it is important I bring this up.

I think that there is an urgent need to make it compulsory for students to learn and understand the Federal Constitution of Malaysia due to several factors. Firstly, it should be taught in school so that these children will grow into informed citizens of Malaysia who know their rights. If ever it is violated, they will know it and shall make themselves heard. Secondly, they should be taught so that the citizens of Malaysia will not be fooled by those they are governed by. Call me a cynic but I always thought that keeping us citizens uninformed was the best way to keep us subdued by 'they who shall not be named'. Think about it.....

Uninformed citizens = ignorant citizens = easier 'dictatorship' and cover ups by "they who shall not be named".

I became aware of the need for fellow Malaysians to learn about the Constitution when I was apart of an audience in a forum entitled "Article 11" back some time ago. It touched on the issue of religion. An eye opening experience.

I suggest that even though we are currently kept in the dark about the Constitution. It is every Malaysian's responsibility to read and understand the Constitution (click here ). Count me in with regards to reading it!

Democracy I must say, is an illusion back home......we like to show the world that we are an exemplary country in which different races blend harmoniously. I would love it if it were true, but as most Malaysians know, it's superficial. There is an underlying tone of resentment amongst the people due to many factors (which I might enlighten you about another time).

I am glad that although Malaysians are still alive and kicking in the political sense......I am glad that they had enough of the nonsense they have to put up by 'they who shall not be named' and taking a firm stance on it. I am glad they realized that democracy needs to be brought back to Malaysia and it's high time for it. Some (they who shall not be named) think that voicing out and taking a stance against the failure of democracy is not a sign of patriotism......I think it shows WAYYY more patriotism than sticking a bunch of Malaysian flags on every inch of the car. It shows that we, the people of Malaysia still care enough about our country to let it go down the drain.

Just my imagination.......(running away with me)

2007-11-21T13:54:00.000-05:00

LOVE THIS SONG!!!

Just my imagination (running away with me)

*closes eyes and sways to the song*

Just my imagination...............(running away with me)

*The Album is worth buying too! :)

Wedding Songs

2007-10-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

I was inspired to write this after a conversation with a dear friend about the kind of wedding songs we would want to have at our weddings.........

Yes, we are romantics! hahahahhahaa

well, here are some on what would potentially make good wedding songs :)

p.s: obviously it depends on the invidual taste!

"Someone like you" by Van Morrison

"Let's get it on" by Marvin Gaye
(my dearie friend's personal favorite! hahaha....it'll be SOME wedding alright!)

"The way you look tonight" by Frank Sinatra (Michael Buble in this vid)
(my personal favorite! now only if Buble can sing at my wedding...*sigh*)

"Unchained Melody" by Righteous Brothers

"From this Moment" by Shania Twain
(another friend's personal favorite)

So what's your ideal wedding song? :)

Change

2007-10-24T02:55:00.000-04:00

The winds of change beckoned me.......

Decided tis time for one ......... :)

The Door Ahead......

2007-10-15T00:38:00.000-04:00

The door behind finally shuts.....

I gaze longingly to the door ahead...........

wondering.....anticipating.....wondering....dreaming.....

illusions dancing in the shadow of the light coming from the door ahead.....

Only to realize that it was shut tight as it was before...............

gazing......

longing..........

wondering........

hoping......................

Dedicated to my dearest Dian......

2007-09-20T21:42:00.000-04:00

Today (friday in m'sia) is a sad day......

The day our beloved Dian whom we all consider to be family and very much apart of the family has left us in M'sia to return to Indon to start a new phase in life.....

I'm personally glad for her to have finally found the love of her life and to finally start a life of her own............

........but still, for 5 years she was the shining light in our home....never failed to bring joy with her smiles and great personality......

A great help physically and emotionally to all of us especially my mum......

Those of you who have met her will know what I am talking about :)

Anyway, enough of dwelling in sadness......

Change is inevitable ...........i personally do not like change but hey, there's always something good behind everything :)

A toast to a dear friend and a dear adopted sister *toasts*

Here's to life and the beautiful changes it comes with...........

Below is just some pics taken over the years..............

A Family photo :)

Happy Burfday!

Mother and daughters.... :P

Candid moment

My last 'date' with her @ midvalley!

Miss Dian Widianingsih!

Until we meet again my dear Dian.......

Life Back in the U.S.....

2007-09-19T01:51:00.000-04:00

Well I've been back in Texas for quite a while now but just been TOOO lazy to write....or maybe I just didn;t want to write about my life's story for a while.....

It is good to be back .......although it's lonely out here sometimes........

Was a bit of a rough spot for the first week though.........being "homeless", the jet lag and personal issues took a bite out of me :(

Tis all good now.......found an apartment to live reasonable comfortably in, thanking my lucky stars I have such a wonderful roommate too......fortunate that she comes from a similar background as me so all those cooking and walking around without my shoes would not be weird/offensive to her.....
Oh she's from Thailand btw..... ;)

Will post up pics soon enough.....when i'm in the mood.....

It's the 4th week of school and it's finally beginning to kick in.....for me at least.....have to start my readings, my assignments, research.....yes yes.....we have a miss procrastinator here..... :P

Anyway, that's about it for now.....don't wanna babble too much!

Peace

Letting Go........

2007-07-22T12:27:00.000-04:00

Stealing glances....

the door behind me.......

wondering if it will, it could, open again........

I keep wondering, waiting, anticipating.............

Shut and locked it stays........

Letting go......

Easier said than done...........

Time will heal all wounds, as the saying goes.........

Letting go.......

I look to the door ahead of me........

Of Malaysia, Moments and Melbourne.....

2007-06-26T12:35:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a WHILE since I written anything here.....heh
It;s been about 6 weeks since I left for Malaysia.....
Lovely to be back.....family, friends, fooooooood........definitely not the humidity and polluted air though.

Yet somehow, i miss life there........

Peacefulness......

The absence of drama...........

Trust is like gold......precious and scarce nowadays.......don't know who to trust.....
I used to see the world through my innocent eyes.....trusting generously......only to have it used against me in the end.

It's a pity......the world out there....people......nasty people........
I guess innocent eyes aren't going to survive in the big bad world......

A wise friend told me once......"always have boundaries" in any relationships.....pretty tough for my to do it.....but yes, those words ring in my head now.......

Ah well, what goes around comes around eventually........

On a lighter note, I will be leaving for Melbourne this Thurs (28th June) to do some catching up with cousins, relatives and friends. Figured that this is the best time because after this......life's pretty much focused on work and.....work :)

Off to Melbourne! :)

International Week , International Picnic and Malaysian Party (Spring 2007)

2007-05-14T01:14:00.000-04:00

YEs yes..........i know....it's another long overdue post.....
Again, I decided to compile pictures from all the events that happened the last couple of weeks here at UNT and post it all at once.....
So without further much ado, let's get down to business ;)

THe first event was the International Week 2007. They hold it in Spring every year to celebrate student diversity here at UNT. It was a fun and as I remembered, crazy week for me as I had to help coordinate some events and finish up my assignments and sit for exams.....went bonkers for a bit there ;)

'twas held from the 9th to the 13th of April 2007 and the best events (I thought) were the International Food Fair and the Dance Party (which, ahem, coincidentally, was coordinated by yours truly.....*grins)

So here are some pics from those that week..... :)

Olga and 'gang' .....from top left: Yun Ju, Sung Won, Rana, Sheena, Ryuzo, Olga (my boss!), Michael and me! This was taken at the International Banquet.

Michael and me! :)

Group pic!

Natalia and me in Kimonos....don't we look awfully sweet??? HAhahaha :)
This was taken at the Sakura Festival, held by the Japanese Organization. Very big population of them here

My name in Japanese.....it says "May" :)

Food Feast!

This is our Malaysian booth....purposely booked it right smack in the middle of the room for promotional sake! heh......I'm sooo proud of our Malaysian Booth!! Look at all the nice nice food!

Poh Lynn and Me!

Olga, my boss and Me! Lovely lady......poor dear, she had her hands (and feet, if i might had to be more dramatic) full preparing for the event!

Selasi, me and Michael.....our booth's neighbor.....Ghanaian booth....which I 'chopped'....AHAHHAHAA!

The Iranian booth, which was the most interesting booth due to the costumes these two ladies wore....none of us were really bothered to put on our national costumes...too busy with food business ;P

Fruit Salad with condensed milk......yum! I made this for the Food Fair...yeah yeah, not exactly Malaysian but it sold out! heh

Proof that our food was a hit! :) Semua jual HABIS!!!

The entrance to the Food Fair Booths

The venue for the Dance Party......nice eh?

The Malaysian 'Gang'....we were waitin to serve the pizzas to the students

Boy, did we all have a good time! Even Olga danced quite a bit! hahaha!

Nice shot ;)

4 Gorgeous ladies....Rana, me, Afrin and Pelpina

Three ladies and a gentleman....Jake, Pelpina, me and Afrin

So that's about it for International Week.....
Now we'll move on to the International Picnic....apparently they hold this every year too! and yes, it was a blast....as you will see in the pictures :)

The Lion trying to errr, lick himself....

Yolanda, Selasi and me....trying to get our kites to fly....bloody windy day.....perfect for flying kites....too windy actually.....

Rana, Pelpina, Olga and me

Kids at heart :)

L-R: Yolanda, Charis,Selasi, Me and Rana.....Really like this picture.....a shot of all of us jumping...well, Charis had a late take off...keke

Trying to act 'retarded'.....I couldn't compete with Rana....LOL

Aights, done with the Picnic, on with the Malaysian BBQ/Potluck Party!!! the Last one for Spring!!! Always love attending this parties....

Rosh, me, Ann and her hubby, Richard

the 'sane' among the 'insane'..... :P

Branda, Siner, me and Gabriel

AHAHAHHAA!!! I LOVE this pic!!! Such contrasts don't you think? LOL

Well, that ends my picture galore for now.....the next post will be from Home! :)
Adios for now dear A-me-li-ca! Tis been a great semester!

Food for thought....

2007-04-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

I always believed that most of us (including me!) take life for granted. We assume that we would live the next second, the next minute, the next hour, day, month, year and so on, hardly giving much thought about our mortality. Lucky you if you are one of those deep individuals who sit down at the end of each day, reflecting and being thankful for surviving the day....literally.

The tragedy at Virgina Tech on Monday (April 16th) proved that one can never know when one's life will be snatched away. Quite shocking news in which it's effects rippled through my university and its students

It's even more shocking to learn that the killer was not what everyone would have expected....i for one was surprised.

What even shocked me more was that there was many tell-tale signs of the killer being a potential threat to the public and yet no steps were taken to prevent that from happening. Yes, I know we can't quarantine every person who is a loner, who is suffering from a serious case of depression and writes disturbing stories......but still, past events should be sufficient enough to put him on a watch list.....to protect him and the public

Enough said.....can't undo the past. I feel for those who witnessed the horrible tragedy and were victims of it, not to forget the families of the victims. I pray that they survive this ordeal.....

Life is indeed unpredictable.......lesson here: never take life for granted!

Home Awaits......

2007-04-05T23:29:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhh.........I cannot believe how fast time flies.....next month I'll be going back home ;)
In the 8 months I've been here, I realized that I have begun to grow fond of the independent life here. Obviously with independence comes responsibility.....scary at first, having to do everything myself and keeping up with it but it gets easier as time passes......
Moving along into adult world....it's been quite (thank goodness) a smooth journey so far.

My mind drifts off at times, daydreaming and planning.....what to settle here in UNT before I go back and what will I be doing once I am back......the fooooooood!!! hahahaha.....THAT will undoubtedly be the first (other than reuniting with my family of course!) I will be hunting down for! haha

Hmmmm, I'm in the midst of the busiest time at UNT so far.....it reminds me of the good ol days when I was at HELP University College.....being bogged down with tons of research and assignments! I actually miss that....*smacks herself *
With papers to write and exams next week....not to mention the International Week, in which I am involved in....it's going to be one hell of a week! :)
International WEEK! Here I come!!! woooohooooo!!!! ;)

Awwww....isn't it sooooo cute? little colorful people dancing!

GOod FoOd and GoOd TiMes ;)

2007-03-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Yes Yes Yes.....i KNOW i'm lagging in my blogging activity.......forgive me.......

Therefore, i decided to squeeze all three stories into one.....mostly pictures because I think pictures tell a better story ;)

So presenting the most recent event.....a couple of guys who came down from Bemidji to UNT for Spring break.....ex-HELP college students whom I know ;)
Had a good little get together and of course, fanTAbulous food!
Enough said.....picture galore time! :)

Jarrod and me (knew him way back before college-our parents knew each other...and NO, we were not childhood sweethearts if you were wondering....LOL)

Don't we look alike? *gasp*

A candid shot of the four of us; L-R: Shamini, me, Naresh and Roshini

Sandwiched between the Bemidji boys....Big Yogi, me and Jarrod

Sultry Shamini and me ;)

Botak head small yogi and me....hahaha!

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Okie now let's talking about one of the most grueling but memorable experience I've come across.....
Getting involved with the Vagina Monologues was a wonderful experience. I can't really describe it....you'd have to be in it to understand it ;)
Everyone's performance was top notch, especially the monologist....talented cast we had! I was personally blown away by all of their performances....bet you would be too if you were there!

4 hours of practice every tues and thurs.....THAT was what I remembered what didn't really look forward to.....hahahaha.....especially after a whole day of classes and/or work! :P butttt then again, I seem to come out of it with a smile....ironic isn;t it.....pooh!
Here are the pictures during our full dress rehearsals and before the performance was staged (on the 16th and 17th of Feb '07).
Oh oh! we actually came out in the newspaper!! woot woot! hehehehe...center page!!! *faints*

Anyway, here's a link to the Vagina Monologues video my director made....it was clips from our rehearsal.....such a cool vid (forgive the biasness, haha): check it out here....Vagina Monologues Video Clip

So here's the pics that kept me pretty darn busy for a good month! :)

A group picture of the V.M cast of 2007! *cheers*

Proof that we were in the newspaper!!! muahahaha! ;)

A view of the stage

Did I mention that we gals just love to dance when we get the chance to? well, here's proof :)

See what I mean?

Backstage.....L-R: Stephanie, Leah and Katie O

A candid shot of Ashley....hilariousness

She was responsible for my ugly-ducking-turned-into-swan miracle ;)

This was the 'miracle' I was talking about....heh....

Retro lookin' Shanika and me

Sizzlin Destiny and me....you should have seen her performance entitled "My short skirt" and the outfit that went with it...*smirks*

Sweetie Jena, Funky Massy and me ;)

Kim, Portia and me.....this duo rocked the house down! with Kim receiving a standing ovation for her out-of-this world moans ...it takes bloody talent to perform up to 25 various moans i tell you! among them are the clit moan, the vaginal moan, the college student moan, the AFRICAN AMERICAN moan (which is btw, my favorite one! hahaha)

Lena and Kim busy preparing the booklet for V.M

My director Charlie Hughes and me! :) Kudos to her for being a solid rock for all of us throughout the whole thing!

Crazy Ashley aka the VaGianTa and me :P

Jena and me

Jen and me

Massy and me

Gayla and me

Jackie, Kamyon and me

Blair and me

The VaGIANTa aka AShley

Kinzie and me

This is a funny picture due to the background....

Erin (far right): ....."ugh, look at your boobs..." Leah (far left): ....what, you've got a problem with it huh?

My beloved "say" group...."If your vagina could talk, what would it say?".....e.g: "I want....more! more!.....feed me....YES! YES! (my personal fav, which happens to be MY line...heh)
L-R: Kassie, Kinzie, me and Gina

me trying to look 'helpful' while others are busy putting in last minute pages into the booklets! ;)

Another group pic of the cast of V Monologues of 2007!

Our pillar of strength and the person behind the scenes...Jazzy Jasmin (VM producer) and me

my two 'fans'....muahahaha...Kuzi and Joe

Dearie Maricela came all the way from Dallas to watch me in the Vagina Monologues....so sweet of her!

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And finally! the Malaysian potluck party that was held on the 9th of Feb 2007....
Had quite a good crowd plus a few guests that were not malaysians! managed to introduce them to our sinfully delicious Malaysian food and they actually enjoyed it! :)

So feast your eyes on the pictures!

Our dear Malaysian Student Association president Roshini doing an intro and a tour of the various food that we had :)

Ann and me

Yogi and me....Look who's sizzlin....i meant me btw......hahaha..... *oh i'm so vain!* ;p

3 ladies and a gentleman: Gabriel, Branda, me and Siner

Naresh, Sugen, Ravi, Yogi Roshini and me

Charis, Siner, and me

Steve and me

And last but not least, the three multinational beauties.....Nancy, Rosh, and me

Gosh, it is one LONG entry........that all for now........blegh! need a break!
Spring BREAK!!!! wooooot wooooot!!!
Au revoir! ;)

The V Box

2007-01-31T17:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's (tuesday) Vagina Monologues rehearsal session was an experience that I would like to pen down here....it showed me why this Monologue is SO IMPORTANT!

We had a group session yesterday, where each person would write down the names of people (on a piece of paper) whom they know who were victims of violence, including themselves and put them in a box. The box represented all the people who were affected by violence in one way or another...the past, the present and the future......
You cannot imagine how fast the box filled up with pieces of paper.....and worse of all, you cannot imagine the stories these brave women have shared with the group......the abuse, the violence, the molestations, the rapes, the countless betrayals of those whom you think would protect you...............towards BOTH women and men.

I realized at the end of the session that I am so so so blessed that throughout my entire life, I did not come across such violence or been a victim of violence in any way. I am so blessed that I am loved and fiercely protected by my family albeit the little flaws here and there....

Now I understand why it's so important to have this......it gives these women a voice, a voice for those who can't and are afraid to speak up......

To my family, thank you for keeping me safe.....I am truly blessed.... ;)

Of Monologues and Vaginas ;)

2007-01-27T04:59:00.000-05:00

It's the end of the second week of Spring Semester and things are getting into motion......
UNT has finally see the REAL may kuen choo....lol....kept a low profile last semester but I knew I would come out and be active this spring though....I find I like doing that.....keeping a low profile the first sem and bursting into the scene the next :P

This semester already promises to be one exciting one.....

First, I FINALLY found a job!!! *laughs heartily* working at the International Welcome Center.....it's a great feeling to be able to work and earn a bit of dough *no more nagging from my sis too.... heh....."better start earning some dough!"/"have you found a job yet?"*

*money, money, money....come to me.....*

Money aside, it's nice to work at the international welcome center.....get to meet and mingle with international peeps and study (when it's peaceful and quiet) .......

Crazy schedule this semester too!!! Three back-to-back classes (thank goodness they are only 50 mins long)........never walked so fast in my life to get to the next class...which is like a block or two away!

Oh....interesting subjects too this sem..... :)

SPANISH!!! *elementary lah* - Hola senor/senorita! Como estas? ......Si, si.....muy bien :P
Intro to Moral Issues.....starts off with philosophical Aristotle...which i have no idea what he is talking about...blegh......promises to bring controversial issues to light :)
Political Science: American and Texas Government.......I shall be looking to learn about my rights and the American Constitution.....which brings me to what I want to say.....they should teach us children about our own Malaysian constitution back home.......when we know our rights.....me thinks there will be less apathetic attitude about what is going on around us Malaysians.....
U.S History fm 1865 ......no offense to Malaysian history but the American history is so much more interesting and "colorful".....perhaps due to my brilliant professor too...love his lectures :)
Quantitative Methods (Lab): muahahaha.......since Winnee's brilliant intro to Research methods and RM, I was exempted from taking the two RM papers here.....just have to take the lab.....must say that I think our RM subject and lab was much more grueling back in HELP ;)

Anyway..........back to where I left off.........yeah, my busy schedule.......oh did I mention my grueling 4 HOUR rehearsals every tues and thurs for the Vagina Monologues???? *faints*
Honestly didn;t look forward to these four hour rehearsals at first but I am beginning to change my perception of it...... :)

I bet some of you are thinking..........

WHAT is the Vagina Monologues?

It is held in conjunction with *V-DAY which is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.......it is a powerful movement dedicated to it's aims and objectives.....you cannot believe how the Vagina Monologues can stir a community up.....even the word "vagina" is already 'eye-catching".........

Just a brief background......Eve Ensler created The Vagina Monologues as a means of communicating to people what is taking place at present....violence against women in every corner of our Mother Earth. As a result of 200 interviews with women of all color, creed, status, she created the Vagina Monologues to tell us all their stories.....some humorous, some heart breaking, some eye opening, some oozing with frustration and anger.......but none which is boring....

I don;t know how many of you knew this but The Vagina Monologues was brought to our Malaysian theater some time back but it was banned from being played due to it's nature......it did run for a while...UNTIL the officials found out about it and deemed it inappropriate.....!!!!
Yes, I am rolling my eyes at the overincredulous attitude....but seeing as we are a more conservative nation.....it;s self explanatory.......

SO, THAT is WHY i took.....no, wait.....GRABBED the opportunity by the balls to be a part of this......something that is controversial, something that has a message, something that has a greater good in it despite it's crude (and at times, very vulgar too) appearance......

Never cease to forget that these are stories taken from REAL women......

It's three weeks to the staging of the Vagina Monologues here at UNT........I cannot wait to see how it will transform my life....as it has for other women before me........i cannot wait to see the protests carried out by the opposition groups like the Young Conservative Texans.....and how we will thwart them like a fly with a fly beater.......... :)

I cannot tell you how important it is to be aware of this V-Day.....and the Vagina Monologues.....check it out here.....The Vagina Monologues

Please take the opportunity to see it if you can or better yet, get involved in it......

Let's try to end the violence against women and let them thrive to their fullest potential......

Let's us women AND men put a stop to it....... ;)

Note: I just remembered that you CAN search for videos about the Vagina Monologues in Youtube.........these are some examples.....

Please be forewarned! You may find these videos offensive due to the nature of the language and the "actions" that are used.....

Vagina Monologue Video 1

Vagina Monologue Video 2

Vagina Monologue Video 3

*V stands for Victory, Valentine and Vaginas (Vday.org)

Chrristmas and Canada! 06/07

2007-01-10T02:10:00.001-05:00

Year 2007.......my my, how time has passed......

Well, I had a great winter break....went to Canada and met up with Sheila Tan and Cassie Forsythe, weeeeeeeeeeeee, I remember I was looking forward to that trip so much, wanting to get away from Denton after being stuck there for about a week when Fall sem ended......

Hmmmmm, let's start with Christmas first.........

Spent Christmas with Steve and his family.....like Thanksgiving, I had an authentic experience of Christmas with an American family :) went to his maternal grandparent's place on Christmas's Eve for gift exchanging and dinner.......goodness, I don;t think I saw presents piled around a tree that much before....believe me, it was ALOT!!! it filled the living room......*okie, okie, half the room* each person got not one, but at least 3-4 presents!!! and boy, was I surprised and gleefully happy to get more than one pressie!!! *evil laugh*
We went to Steve's aunt's place for Christmas......lovely house.....had good ole American style dinner..... ;)

Continued to bum at Steve's place until the 27th dec; both his step dad n him sent me off to the airport *so nice of them :) * ......and i thought, "AT LAST!!!!" hahahhaa......

Here's a few pics of Christmas in TExas!!! ;)

Tec and Me....this cute fat doggie belongs to Branda

Cindy, Peter and Me (had dinner in front of the fireplace)

L-R: Me, Grandma Irene, Liz, Shari, Grandpa Ken, Fred, Peter, Steve, Cindy, Madison and ermmm, I forgot her name *her one squatting*

My Christmas Pressies! Harry Potter (6th Book), sweater, a set of gloves, scarf and beanie, and a set of bath stuff.... :)

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ThAt was Christmas, now it's Canada all the way! ;)
Arrived in Toronto in the evening, got picked up by sheila, her granduncle (Uncle Gopal), and Cassie.....arrived home and was greeted by lovely lovely food......sigh, the taste of food I am so familiar with! Nasi Briyani with Tandoori chicken, roti canai, chicken and mutton curry and spinach....*faints*

I was sooooo disappointed that it did not SNOW!!!!! ARGHHHH!!!! i was hoping I could bury myself in snow and build a nice snowman for myself!!!! :(
The weather is going bonkers alright!!! esshhhh
So anway, most of the time in Toronto was spent with shopping......which reminds me of the horrid taxes there.....gosh!!! FOURTEEN PERCENT!!!!! *faints* if not for the bloody tax, the things are cheap, esp that particular time due to boxing week......pooh! .....still, even with taxes I managed to buy reasonably priced stuff ;)
So the ONLY time we were out of Toronto was when we went to Niagara Falls, which was in Ontario....gorgeous view although it was not as big as I thought....hahahaa...the camera can trick the eye alrite.....
Parties and get togethers were another commonality during my stay in Canada....good food, interesting people and good times! ;)

So here's the pictures collected along the way......enjoy!!!!

Cassie, Sheila and I having a 'pit stop' at a hot dog stand after shopping the whole day....sinfully delicious ;)

Starbucks, a luxury.....

Sheila presenting the banquet of food for a party held at Uncle Gopal and Aunty Shari's house

Contrary to the picture, she was not drunk.....Hahahaha!

An adorable pic of Uncle Gopal, Aunty Shari and me :)

Sharmini and Me (Uncle Gopal's daughter)

Shahan and Me (Uncle Gopal's son)

A decent picture of Cassie, Sheila and Me before we got a bit bonkers out of boredom......*refer to next few pics* :P

Crazy pic #1

Crazy pic #2

Hahahaa!!! Gosh, this is my fav pic....didn;t realize the finger gesture Sheila made til i saw it during playback......LOL

Crazy pic #4

Crazy pic #5

Last crazy pic....looking so called innocent (with the exception of me la)

A view of the alter in a nice Catholic Church....yes ma, you'll be sooo happy to know I went to Church aye..... :P

A display that was put near the Church....nice isn;t it?

This is such a cool sidewalk art!!!

HAHAHHAHA!!! Need I say more????

Feasting at a Malaysian Stall......can't begin to describe how much I started to miss home by then :(

Cutey pie Alyssa (shahan's daughter)

Adorable big eyed Jasmine (Sharm's Daugher)

I just love to watch kids eating....soooo cute! Here's Kaila (shahan's elder kid) and another cutey boy belonging to his friend

A 'white man's dinner, prepared by Chef Shahan

A game of Scrabble.....a game loved by Uncle Gopal and Aunty Shari....it's evident in the way they played alright....kena beaten kao kao by them!

The Queen of Scrabble, Aunty Shari

A gorgeous view of a hotel in Niagara-on-the-lake town

and another

At last, I got to see Niagara Falls in it's glory!!!

Sheila and me

Cassie and Me

Okie.....another bunch of hilarious pics.......we were mocking the danger sign......LOL

Konon nye trying to push Sheila off the rails

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! a real mock toward the danger sign!!!!

Another one of my fav picture.....cassie trying to 'save' me from jumping off

Just to give you a glimpse of how cold it was.....horrid wind....fingers was literally numb

My favorite shot of Niagara Falls...can u see the rainbow??? Look closer!!! ;)

The majestic Falls

That is Niagara Falls from the U.S side....just across the border....not as grand as the one in Canada

A view of one of the many bridges that connects Canada and U.S

Gorgeous isn;t it???

Here's some light displays we came across on our way back to Uncle Gopal's friend's place....gorgeous....

and another......

Trees decorated with pretty lights! :)

A pic with Liz and her husband *i forgot his name*; they turned their beautiful hse into a bed and breakfast.....cool eh? :)

one for the road......

Phew!!! I'm finally done with this entry!!!
A good trip I had......ended up missing home more now........hahaha.......sigh........5 more months!! Can;t wait!!! ;)

Oh, and a Happy New Year to everyone!!!! ;)

Auf Wiedersehen!

Greeetings from Canada! :)

2006-12-30T01:58:00.001-05:00

Rah rah rah!!!! At last I'm in Canada!!!! Was feeling like i was rotting away while i was waiting patiently to come here alright! :)

I finally arrived in Canada on the 27th of Dec at about 5.10p.m....three hour journey from Dallas. Spent a couple of days in Steve's house.....got invited to his place for christmas and he offered to drop me off at the airport which was like 10 mins away......ahhhh, everything dropped nicely into place :) had a nice time spending christmas at his mum's place......surprised to received quite a few presents too :) *shall post pic up when i have the chance*

Man, the pile of christmas presents is NOTHING compared to the ones I usually see during Christmas time in Malaysia.....it was literally a MOUTAIN of presents.......each person would get on average about 5 presents, one from each family member.....took about an hour for the christmas present unwrapping session to end!!! hahaha......had a good time observing peeps of all ages opening their presents in delight with all the ooooos and the ahhhhs.....LOL
Oh before I forget, I FINALLY had a taste of Malaysian food when Branda, my fellow malaysian friend brought me to a Malaysian restaurant in Plano.......hrumph! was quite insulted because the owner was from Johor but the posters he put represented Singapore, indicating that it was a "singaporean" restaurant.......
Oh well.....had Penang Fried Kuey Teow *faints in delight*......twas fairly good....when one is desperate for some good malaysian food, anything tastes good la.....hahaha
Had some kangkung belacan too.....gosh....i tot i had died and gone to heaven already.....
Can't wait to go back to that place to try out other food.....should have seen the look on my face....eyes darting back and forth at other peep's dishes.....all looked sooo good :P

Ok, back to where I was....Canada...... :)
Arrived at the airport and was greeted by Sheila Tan, my good ole college mate *missed that woman tons*.....Cassie was there too.....
Met Sheila's Granduncle who picked me up and drive me straight home and to be greeted by the-oh-so-yummy dinner being laid out.......*faints with joy*
After being starved from my dose of curry, i finally got 'cured'........muahahahhaa....curry galore! in other words, Indian food galoreeeee!!!! yes yes, I will admit that i'm a fan of indian food.....makes me wonder if i was born the wrong race..... :P

Spent the WHOLE day shopping in downtown Toronto the next day (28th Dec).....as usual, the after Christmas sale is a madhouse.......people shopping til the drop.....and unlike Malaysia, when it's sale time, it's REALLY sale time......did I mention that the tax is 14%????? my eyes nearly fell out of my eye sockets.......I thought 8% was bad enough (the % of tax in Texas).........guess Malaysians are pretty lucky then......5% aje.......phew......makes me wanna cry.....14% !!!! That should explain the good public services.......

This is hilarious......

On the morning of the 29th of December, Sheila Marie Tan came knocking on my door to wake me up.......she came into my room and tried waking me, nicely SITTING on the side of my bed, and a moment later, a fairly loud crash was heard and the bed BROKE..... it was tilted to one side while we were trying to comprehend what happened.........AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!!! Hilarity!
Had to prepare for the party that was held at night.........managed to help Sheila's Grandaunt a bit.....heh, successfully charmed both Grand aunt and Grand uncle with my sweet and oh-so-charming personality through a bit of kitchen work.....(grins)
Again, we had a table full of sinfully delicious food.........*clasps hands in delight*.....
*shall post up pics soon la! can't post it up now cuz i can't use me laptop!*
Yup......so that's about it for now.....going to go for more parties with the coming days........weeee!!!!!
Oh and I haven't gotten the chance to play with snow yet.... :(
looks like i am the only one who wants it to snow.....hahahaha.....naturally....Sheila and Cassie were surrounded with snow in Bemidji.......
Gosh, why am I yakking so much!
Anyways..........that's all for now..........shall be updating soon...........

Niagara Falls, here i come!!!!!!!!! :)

My New Room!!! ;)

2006-12-19T00:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, the heading is self explanatory :)

I moved into my new room last weekend.......tiring work alright.......

Hmmm, due to a not so good first impression, I initially thought I wouldn't like my new room but thank God my opinion changed :)

Besides having a kitchenette, I don't have to share my bathroom with four people!!! hahaaha......it's really annoying to share it with so many people....... :P

And my roomie has a HUGE TV........hahhaa......compared to mine la.......come to think of it, all the TVs i've seen so far have been HUGE......Plasma TV is a norm here........blegh.....*goes green with envy*

Anyway, here's a couple of pictures of my new room! :)

My roomie's a bit shy to take a pic.....she wants to look good for the camera.... LOL....will try to get her another time :)

Oh, I didn;t mention her name did I ????? it would make a good guessing game.....so try and guess her name.......

CLue: She is named after an alcoholic drink :) *cool name me thinks*

Asuka and Me in my new room; went to have dinner with her before she left for Japan for the break

My cosy corner ;)

Another angle of my room; the bed with black sheet is my roomie's bed

The Kitchenette! Thus begins the cooking galore by "Chef MK" :P

The closet......sigh, the only thing i miss about my old room was the walk in closet! this is soooo small compared to my previous one :(

Toilet for two!!! ;)

Christmas is comingggg!!! Christmas is comingggggg!!!! Can't wait for CHRISTMASSSS!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Can't wait to go to Canada!!!! weeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

okie okie........toodles now :)

Fall Semester's OVERRRRR!!!! ;)

2006-12-15T02:46:00.000-05:00

Source: Getty Images

FINALLY!!!! Fall Semester is officially OVER!!!! Woooohoooo!!! *not that it makes much diff to me as my last paper was on tues (12th Dec)
Boy, time has flown quite fast alright.............4 months since I first landed here......... :)
Gosh, i can't wait to go Canada!!! woooooohhooooo!!! A wickedly nice change from being stuck in Denton.........can't even go down to Dallas now that the the hols are here because the bus service are most prob stop during the hols as there are barely any students here to go down :(

*dreams of gorgeous scenaries in Canada..........not to mention MOUNTAINS OF SNOW!!!!

*smiles to herself and shrieks "Yay!!! I can finally build a snowman!!!"

As for now, i'm going to be busy hunting for a job (which is soooo freaking frustrating!) and move into my new room! weeee!!! now i can finally cook properly as my new room as a kitchenette! niceeeeee.........

*talks dreamily*

I like it when it's Christmas time.......there's something in the air during this time....... ;)
Carols playing everywhere I go, and I keep humming christmas songs.........ahhhh, it's infectious, the Christmas spirit.......can't help but be jolly during this time of the year ;)

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*hums Christmas carols to herself

SNOWY TEXAS!!!!!

2006-11-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

Need I saw more???? hahhahaaa.............. IT SNOWED IN TEXAS!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEE WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! *runs around happily*

It started to get cold yesterday (wednesday) nite.....thank goodness....crazy weather.....one day it's hot and humid, the next cold and freezin.......

Got up this mornin and saw that it was icy outside.....didnt expect it to snow though.....but i was gleefully happy by then..........ICEEEEE *which really looked like snow a bit* then the little wonder started around noon ..........little flakes of snow floated from the skies......*smiles broadly*
I know i know.....i sound like a little kid seeing a giant ferris wheel for the first time....hahhahaa.....this reminds me of a couple of friends up in bemidji who saw snow for the first time and went a bit cuckoo.....*you know who you are!*

So anyway..........i think i'm pretty lucky to witness snow this early and in texas.....people say it snows once....buy who knows??? I'm hoping for more! ;)

Here's a couple of pictures of me in 'snowy.....more like icy la' texas!

A scene of the pool from the third floor

The frozen table and bench

the Botak tree with soft snow flakes covering it ;)

And lastly....ME!!! like me beany hat? :P

p.s: it's predicted that it's going to be 'sunny' tomorrow......see, crazy weather........

My first Thanksgiving ;)

2006-11-28T02:09:00.000-05:00

My first ever thanksgiving in America.......had a pretty good break :)
Started to parrrrty a bit early by going to a fellow Malaysian's house for "thanksgiving" get together last tues (21st Nov). I must say, it was a Gorrrgeous house.......didn't have the chance to snap pics of it though.....damn......a pool table and a private cinema room upstairs..........*faints

Good food.....good company...... :)

The feast

(Komalaa, our hostess was the lady in blue)

A game of Monopoly....was pretty hilarious, the way we played..... :)

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I followed Steve back to his place in Irving on Wednesday afternoon, taking the bus from UNT to downtown Dallas, then a train to Irving........
God picked up by his mum.........GOSH!!!! I couldn't believe the car she was driving.......SOOOOO CUTEEEEEEEEE!!!! Twas a bright red BEATLEEEEEEEEEEEEE.............eeeeeeeeee!!! :)
Esh, again, I did not get to capture a pic of the cutey car......

Anyway, I got to meet Steve's parents (mum and step dad) and the rest of his relatives........very welcoming and warm :)
I can proudly say that I am quite the interesting person, coming from a country and a culture that is different from theirs *pats herself* heheheh
Was even asked to cook some Malaysian dish the next time I came down.......... *looks nervous*

Had a movie marathon the three days I was there, watching season 4 of "24" (go watch it! it's soooo good!) on a plasma TV and a surround sound system......me like ;)

FINALLY went to a club in downtown Dallas (The Tunnel) but disappointingly, the music was erm.....not to my taste..........drum and base, drum and base............how on EARTH to dance to that man.........blegh........Latino or RnB will be my next target.........now thats what I call music ;)

We went to NorthPark on Saturday......a pretty ritzy area..... Steve's mum treating me to Southwestern food in a fancy restaurant (forgot what the name was).....Marisela (Steve's best friend) joined us a little while later........something interesting happened while we were there......might wanna ask me personally if you're THAT curious ;)
Went to do some window shopping in NOrthpark after that..........definitely a place for the rich......

Nothing much after that la..........Marisela drove Steve and I back to Denton and she and I went for a movie nearby (Steve was not feeling well).......
OH YES, before I forget........DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE "THE FOUNTAIN"............aside from ogling at Hugh Jackman, i could NOT make sense of the movie from the START TO THE END!!!!!!! aiyohhhhhhhh!!!! TERRIBLE I TELL YOU!!!!! gets me frustrated when the movie sucks......

So back to where I was..........here are some of the pics I took on my THanksgiving break :)

note: had to take some pictures off due to reasons which i will not say here......

Steve and Me

A light moment with Grandpa Kenneth (he had a lil too much to drink....had to do my utmost to understand what he was talking abt....LOL) interesting to note.....he has Native Indian blood....

Grandma Irene...lovely lady.... :)

Cindy (steve's mum) and Me......sweet natured person she is :)

The adult's table

The "kid's" table......serious......LOL

The yummylicious baked/smoked turkey.........

This is Sylvester.......the FATTEST cat I've ever seen.....gosh...and it's NOT pregnant mind you....he's a male (though I discovered he had tits)

Butt scratching time.........

This dog has the most beautiful exotic mix of color and pattern I've ever seen.....the name's Hank

Marisela, Steve and Me at "The Tunnel" in downtown Dallas

Dear branda and me ;) this babe sure knows how to groove to drum and bass 'music'......*salutes her*

Finally, the fancy restaurant where steve's mum bought us lunch.....

That;s it for now............Christmas break coming up.......*grins cheekily*.....can;t wait for it ;)

A Tribute to Kylie

2006-11-12T01:05:00.000-05:00

I knew that this would come.......the day my dear old Kylie would have to go......had a feeling that she would go when I wasn't around........how true my predictions were.....

I feel terrible.....terrible because I didn't say goodbye to her properly before I left for the States....was in a rush to go to the airport until i completely forgot....only remembered when I was on my way to the airport.....damn it!

And now I can't say goodbye to her for one last time......

Parents had to call SPCA to take her away and put her to sleep.....she wasn't getting any better.....sigh....I'd rather have her put to sleep than to suffer in pain anymore.....

Kylie, Kylie, Kylie.....I will always remember the her as the brown lil pup brought to my hse at two weeks old....ever so tiny and adorable....with her little bell around her neck, jiggling away when she's out in the garden, barely taller than the grass......sighh

The house will be quite quiet the next time I go home :(

Dear Kylie, a good companion; a faithful watch dog.......I will miss her....

Kylie, August 16th 1995 - November 12th 2006

Of Horses and Vegetarian Food.....

2006-11-04T18:12:00.000-05:00

Gosh, I'm soooo left behind in blogging abt life over here.......malunye......even Franky and XQ who's sooooo busy up there in Bemidji goin nutty with assignments and exams blog even more than me, who's busy goyang-ing kaki here compared to them.....hahahaa.....

10 weeks has passed since I came here to Texas, to begin a new chapter in my life.....wow.....time has flown........I've pretty much settled well here......apart from missing family, friends and fOOd back home, I'm doing pretty well! :)

I have come across and made friends with several fellow Malaysians who I have some of the best time with so far.......from stuffing our faces full with buffet style food, heading to Wal-Mart to stock our food shelves up, having really really good home made ice-cream in a really really beautiful old fashioned place when it's freezin cold outside, to chilling out and playing Tai Tee and eating peanuts brought from Malaysia.........thats my idea of having fun........btw, I did that yesterday.....we're planning to have a Bak Ku Teh feast soon.......muahaha! can't wait for that one!!!

I have come to realize that there's alot of difference when we meet a Malaysian stranger for the first time versus an American........you can definitely feel a kind of unseen 'bond' that makes fellow Malaysian click faster.........less superficial....more genuine.....interesting.....the familiarity each one offers of life back home......I guess I understand why Malaysians (or even other international students) tend to stick in their groups without mixing around with others........thank goodness I do mix around a little apart from my fellow Malaysian friends......*gives herself a pat on the back*

Weather's getting nice and cold here....quite cold at times.....hmmmm compared to those in Bemidji....it's summer temperature for them man............madness!!!

Anyway, without further ado, I present u pictures from what I did last saturday.....
Signed up for volunteering (Make A Difference Day) at Riding Unlimited, a therapeutic center for disabled kids....they use horses to do this..........horses........i love these creatures........beautiful, strong creatures..........i didn;t care if i had to scoop poop and clean smelly stables or whatever, as long as I had the opportunity meet these beauties.....
Hmmmm....i was exagerrating about the poop thing though.........didn;t do that much there, just a little painting.....did learn a thing or two abt grooming a horse though.... ;)

My best moment there was when Max, the black beauty came trotting towards me.....so excited!!! hahaha! it's as if my knight in shining armor came riding towards me pulak.....HAHAHA!!!!

*forward foward*

Went to the Diwali celebrations held that evening/night, which was organized by the ISA (indian students association)....was tickled because the abbreviation back home in Malaysia would scare a few of us.... :P
Was REALLY pricey......didn;t plan on goin at first but due to a friend's invitation, I went to support her.....gosh, most of the perfomances were.....hmmm.....lame......really....and the host's accent was hilarious!!! For the first time I actually witness an Indian guy with really thick indian accent speaking English.......it has always been a common joke back home.......couldn;t help but laugh ......LOL
Sigh, was hoping that the food would redeem my money's worth......mutton curry.....yum yum.....but LO and BEHOLD.......it was VEGETARIAN .........*faints* ....enough said.......

Here's pictures from last week!!! ;)

This is Luke....pretty young and michievious fella....was the guinea pig for us when we were shown how to groom a horse :)

Luke and Me ;)

Mr. Big......hahahaha!!! It sooooo reminded me of Mr. Big in Sex and the City....he is a BIG horse

Max the Black Beauty......he Is a beauty no? ;)

Painting the stables

Poh Lynn and Me ;)

A random pic of a Teepee near where I stay....they were having some archeological week i think.....

A candle lighting performance......

One of the best performances....Oriya Folk Dance performed by two little pros

Erm....forgot what they were doing here....hmmmm

The typical indian bollywood style of guy wooing the gal... :P

An adorable finale......kids strutting their stuff on stage.....soooo cute!!!

Small Yogi (the vainpot) and me ;P

Yogi, Shamini (Roshini's sis), Naresh, Roshini and Me

Until the next entry.........Peace OUt!

Diwali in Texas :)

2006-10-24T01:35:00.000-04:00

My first Deepavali in the Land of Cowboy and boots ;)

I was wondering if I would EVER get hold on some muruku and some mutton curry and. and.....oh whatever's indian la during Diwali!!! Thank the heavens I was invited to join the Diwali celebration at Yogi's friend's place.....a Malaysian guy (Ravi) who's here to complete his graduate studies with his wife recently joining him......all I could think was...."INDIAN FOOD!!! INDIAN Music and the chance to get out of my room!!! ;)

I had a GREAT time there.....good food, good company, INTERESTING dance session to indian music in the dark after dinner.........hahahaha :)

Had a good spread of food.....mutton curry, chilli prawns and squid, fried rice, noodles, BBQ chicken, kurma and chicken curry........heaven....HEAVEN!!!! Oh how I miss Malaysian food!

All in all, I had a pretty good first Diwali celebration in Texas! *hopes to taste some Malay food during Eidul Fitr celebrations but doesn't think so......*

Here are some pics to give you a glimpse of Diwali celebrations in Texas!!! :)

Gabriel (Branda's bf), Branda, me, Thana (Yogi's gf), and Yogi *in blur motion*

Challenging Roshini to down a tequilla shot....watching her scrunch her face while trying to drink some lemon juice....hahaha...i was done by then.....hail the tani expert!

Roshini n Me (still standing straight after that shot)

A shot of those who came......the host (Ravi) is the bald guy in white shirt with his wife (gosh, i forgot her name)......p.s: the guy taking this pic was quite a looker! ;)

Evidence of what went on after dinner.....lights out...... music turned on.....and they boogied away!!! LOL....you can see yogi strutting his stuff :P

and another.......

This might be a tad too late but oh what the heck.....HAPPY DEEPAVALI!!!! and HAPPY EIDUL FITR!!!!!

I found my dream!!!!

2006-10-15T01:10:00.000-04:00

I have found my dream.......seriously.......

When I heard of it........a lightbulb in my head went off.........

Never thought I would come across an opportunity of a lifetime like this.............and now that I've found it, I'm sure as hell not going to let it out of my sight!!!

For those of you who always had a thing for community and conservation projects AND the chance to experience the adventure of a lifetime as well......take a tour of the link below and see if a lightbulb in your head goes off...... :)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you..............

The International Student Volunteer Travel & Work Programs

For the first in my life, I can clearly see my goal....what I would like to achieve in the next two years....to work my ass off getting sponsorships to make this dream come through!!! In the summer of 2008, I WILL do this.........

Hahaha.....I can already picture myself doing this.........
This might be the start of a change in direction of what I wanna do in life....... ;)

UNT Symphony Orchestra - WOW!!!

2006-10-05T01:30:00.000-04:00

I went to my first UNT Symphony Orchestra Performance today :) ....Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor......was accompied by UNT Alumni Soloist and a huge choir group
Loved it when they did the Ode to Joy...........the orchestra, the soloists and the choir.....*hair on arms standing up*

One word to describe it.....WOW......

It's no wonder that UNT is said to have a good music program......they definitely proved it tonight......

Anyway......I'm too lazy to write grandma stories.......prefer to tell them through pictures nowadays :)

Charis, Branda and Me at the Murchinson Performing Arts Center
*sayyyy, does my cheek look sharper!?* :)

Prove of my attendance :) best thing abt it....IT IS FREEEE!!!

Oh I decided to throw in other pics I collected over the past few days too ;)

Medication.....ughhh.....

I think this is a good way to get patients to be informed of what medication they are taking.....don't you think?

Yogi, Charis and Me at last friday's pep rally (hahaha, yogi looks like he's got green smoke coming out of his nose)

Can't help it! I'm so proud of myself that I had to put this up....LOL
Baked chicken marinated with soya sauce n pepper; added mayo n onions for flavoring

The first of my three cool posters.....it's such a sexy poster......ahh, the wonders of fantasies.....*grins mischievously*

I love this poster! hahahhaa.....quite aptly said in a hilarious way!

Tugs at my heart when I see this......beautiful..... :)

Lunch at Oriental Garden with Asuka (jap friend), Andrew and Poh Lynn.....Andrew who's Korean used to study at HELP *i must be VERY blur because I never really noticed him around*

of SeXy VoIce and PuffY eYes.....

2006-09-24T22:43:00.000-04:00

Sigh.....I have OFFICIALLY been 'welcomed' to student life in America........

Started feeling pukish on wednesday.......of ALL week....i HAD to start feeling sick this week......had three papers coming my way and I couldn't afford to get sick........

THank goodness it wasn;t too bad.......but knowing me, once I get sick, i get the whole bloody package *well, almost*.....sorethroat, bad cough, bad phlegm, bouts of headache here and there......squash one, another one comes along......essh....damn annoying......now i'm left with an awfully I'm-too-sexy-for-my-shirt voice......*KAT!!! i should senerade to u now! keke*

The WORSE was my puffy eyes.....all thanks to my new found allergic reaction to Aspirin.....took it to get rid of my headache.......thank GOD i took one only.....if not.......hmmmmmm

Well....to show you how BAD it was......enjoy the pictures below!!! Hmmmmmm since Halloween is coming up....i could pop an aspirin and voila! LOL........

Oh and I posted a couple of pics of a cool shirt I bought.....joining an org called Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA )
I think it's gonna be prettty interesting.....heh....they actually stage the Vagina Monologues every year......

Introducing..........may kuen the ....errrrr....puffy eyed monster.......HAHAHAHA!!!

Don't you agree that this makes one hell of a halloween mask??? :P

Here's how I really look like under the natural light........ewwwww

One for the camera! Man! I look different!

Now THIS is what I'm talking about.....cool huh.... :P

THe Back of the Shirt.......

Gotta go study for ONE for test this tues!!! Been lazing around this weekend!!! ;P

*slaps herself* back to work kuen! back to work! *slaps herself!

Of FootBaLL, hOOkaH and dArTs

2006-09-14T18:54:00.000-04:00

A lot of firsts happened last Saturday......went to my first football game, tried hookah for the first time and went to a pub for the first time (at UNT).....

Pictures speaks a thousand words no? Shall let these pics speak for 'emselves then ;)

UNT's marching band....they rock man!!! No offense to SMU (southern methodist uni) but they were dressed horribly...like the popcorn or ticket seller at movies (squint your a bit and u can see that they are dressed in white and red stripes at the end of the field in the pic)

postions everyone....... :P

TOUCHDOWN!

Marisela, Me and Steve @ the game

Trying hookah at Bagheri....an Italian restaurant down at Fry Street (the owner is from middle east me thinks...hence the hookahs)

At Cool Bean's (Marisela, Steve, Christian and Me)

the expert concentrating.....rite..... :p

Still don't get the American Football game yet.....heh....still prefer football (or as they call it....soccer) though.....

ARGHHHH.....gotta stay in and study this weekend....got exams next week! 3 papers somemore!!!! *faints* :(

Pictures from the Land of Cowboys and Boots ;)

2006-09-07T00:11:00.001-04:00

Finally I got the patience to upload all the pics I have been collecting so far........Well here are the pictures from a place I will call 'home' for the next couple of months or years..... ;)

The University of North Texas.... *grins proudly*

My roomate, So Mi Kim and Me.....she's Korean (did I mention that she has a gorgeous cousin who's an up and coming Korean actor.....*purrrrr*)

This is the Administrative Building...haven't gone inside to explore it yet...they have so many gorgeous buildings here.....well, to me at least!

A random picture of a cutey squirrel ;)

A view of the beautiful fountain.....the building you can see is the Willis Library.....hahaha...I can say that it's nothing like the one in HELP.....four storeys of books and books and....stuff other than books i suppose.... :P

*drumroll.................

TADAAAAA!!!! An intro to where I stay..... :)

A view of College Inn. It is one of the oldest place to stay on Campus....hence the shabby look it has la....still like it compared to the other Halls....they are REAL dorms......eeeeee......

A view of the pool by from my room (on the third floor).....now u know why i say it's kinda cool compared to the other dorms? kekekeke.....this is where social gatherings happen.....

So Mi and Me in our room

My corner (before decoration)

My spot (after decoration!) believe me.....it makes a whole lot of difference!

The fridge, the microwave and the toaster oven.......oh and the water supply too ;)

My bed....aren't I neat??? *laughs*

My study table......

The food shelf.....my source of comfort (not all the time laaaa) when my tummy grumbles..... :P

The closet....guess which side is my side.....heh

The toilet....it goes to show how old this place is judging from the condition of it.......

My source of pride....for now......LOL....my beautiful wall....decided to call it My Wall of Memories...... ;)

Here's a close-up of it.....

and another.......

and another.....!!! *sorry can't help it......* :P
(nice to look through it before I drift off to slumber land....)

Lunch: ahhhhh.....my first taste of MAGGI!!!! had to cook it in my cooking pot......too lazy to walk all the way to the kitchenette to cook it!

Dinner: porridge, BBQ pork and tempura......after having cafeteria food all week long, you can't imagine how this simple made my day (with the maggi for lunch too!).....and coming from a person who doesn't like porridge....that's how much I miss home food......muahahaha....

Christian, Steven and Me @ a Toga Themed party.....had to use my bedsheets....looked and walked funny in it......it was boring.....horrid music, cheap beer and I wasnt in the mood to socialize......blegh....*btw, Christian (the fella i said was a hottie Latino....looks better in real life....in case u think I had bad taste, heh*

Ann Norhan and Me in her house.....really nice and simple. She's the director of the International Admissions and she's a Malaysiannnn!!!!
(she had a party at her place on Sunday-09/03/06 for the Malaysian students.....so it was kinda a gathering for Malaysian students......)

A group pic....the girl on the left in white spaghetti strips (standing) was a HELP student....Charis....part time student...hence I didn't recognize her.....a graduate student. The fella in a grey colored jacket was also a former HELP student....Andrew from Korea....again! I think i'm really blur because I don't recall seeing him in HELP. Oh and small Yogi (if you can recognize him) and Poh Lynn (next to me)....HELP students too..... ;)

Hahaha......yes, I finally found him..... this IS small Yogi....nicely balding away.....esshhh, no wonder I didn't recognize him at first.....

Branda (beside me), Roshini and Naresh....the five of us (including Yogi) had dinner @ Red Pepper on that same Sunday.....chinese buffet.....niceeeee ;)

Was glad that i got to meet the Malaysian students here.....widened my social network a bit.....

That's it for now.......will collect more pics of the gorgeous buildings on campus.......soon.... ;)

*EDITED*

Forgot to add some pictures here.....

Halimah and Me in downtown Dallas....*I consider her my surrogate mum here*

Wati and Me

*puts on a girly girl voice and looks up with starry eyes*..... "Oh!!! my Cowboyyyyyy!!!" :P

My suitemates.....(Me, Tasia, So Mi and Ally)

Back to school ;)

2006-08-30T19:16:00.000-04:00

First week of classes……gosh I missed being a student….I realized this ever since I started working at AIG a couple of months back…..no wonder people say that the best times of our lives are our uni/college lives ;)

I can already see the vast difference between the learning atmosphere back home in HELP and here at UNT…it’s much more interactive and alive here……although I have yet to participate in it yet…..*yeah, my asian side is still dominating me*……
Students will shoot questions from all angles and state their opinions about an issue…..however silly same of it may seem…..and I can see why they *well, most of them anyway* are confident and opinionated people…..the encouragement for speaking up and pointing out issues……there’s such a positive and lively learning atmosphere one can feel…still have yet to get use to speaking my mind…..hope to get in the groove soon ;)

Oh and another thing I have noticed about the peeps here….they CANNOT SPELL……bloody hell…..I thought it was a joke when I used to hear about Americans not being able to spell….i really don’t know what to say…..they should have spelling courses in uni I think….heh….
Imagine a university level student spelling paper as PAPE…..*faints*

Another interesting thing…..I’ve been told that I speak very good English…..*pause*…..HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I don’t know if I should take it as an insult or a compliment…..Thought about it for a while and realized the reason for these ‘mat sallehs’ to say that to me….most of the Japanese/Koreans/Chinese here don’t speak good English….hence they take the Intensive English Program that’s offered here….aihhh, NO wonder la these mat sallehs keep on making a comment like that…… “You speak good English”……

Most of the lecturers (more accurately, instructors) are graduate students doing their Masters/PhD…..interesting…..wonder if HELP will ever do that ;)

So what’s interesting about each class so far??? Hmmmm HUGE number of students for Health Psych, got a HOT female *no kidding* instructor for Developmental Psych….HAHAHAHA….that reminds me….of the difference if I took it back at HELP back then…..*grins*, got a big TEDDY bearish, bald guy who is pursuing a masters in counseling (in sports psych) teaching Psych Factors in Marital Adjustment……LOL……Got a cool professor for my history class who’s taught at UNT for 40 years!

Oh and did I mention that I’m virtually lost in my U.S history (frm 1865) class??? Shit man….I’ve got no background in it like other students who learnt it back in high school…. SOOooo when the professor started talking about the Confederate, Union, Civil War, blah blah blah……I nearly died-ed……*panic button goes off*

Feeling pretty lonely at times…comes and goes….that’s how life’s gonna be now I suppose….being out of the ‘nest’…..yeah, I’m starting to appreciate home now that I’m away….need to ‘lose’ something to realize how precious it was to you eh?

In the Land of Cowboys N Boots ;)

2006-08-27T00:32:00.000-04:00

It’s been more than a week since I’ve made my ‘disappearing act’…..heh ;)

I’m finally in the Land of Cowboys & Boots……and there’s only ONE word to describe it….H-O-T!!! It is absolutely freakin hot down here…….way worse than the heat back in Malaysia (btw, if you STILL haven’t figured out which state or which country I am in….oh well….)

The plane journey from Malaysia to U.S was fairly good; no delays whatsoever. Until now I am amazed at myself for my lack of emotional breakdown…..seriously…..i’ve heard enough stories from friends who have gone ‘out there’ and experienced the emotional turbulence that I can only imagine. I would have cried more if I continued to delay my departure, hugging and kissing and thanking my family and friends for seeing me off …..it was a quick goodbye…..i guess in some sense I didn’t want to make it hard for me and for my family to part……*note: many thanks to Sheila, Puvan, Franky, and Xiao for seeing me off that day…..it was so schweeet of you guys to come all the way man….really…. ;)

Touched down at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport at about 10.15a.m on Thurs (17th Aug)…..had to go through customs which took quite a while…..oh but it was worth it as the officer who was checking my documents was ahem…..quite good looking….no wait….he was good looking la……Hispanic fella…..do pardon me and my fascination with Hispanic fellas *as you will see why I said that later on*…..they are just eye catching….can’t help it…..hahaha…. :) so he striked up a conversation with me, asking me the usual…..what I’m doing here, where am I studying, blah blah blah……

That was followed by declaring my goods….which took another half an hour I think……had to let them go through my food stuff…..i think it’s quite typical for students from Malaysia la….LOL……gosh, a bagful of food I tell you…..maggi, milo, spices……ketchup bottle broke (my mum said that the beg was tough and that nothing will be broken…riteeee)….created a bloody mess in my luggage; thank GOD I didn’t put any of my clothes there…….blegh, wasted time cleaning it up……

Finally met Halimah and her hubby Hamzah at the entrance….she’s my sister’s good friend and also a former colleague at Texas Instrument. I must say I thank God for them (and their daughter Wati)…..their support and presence has helped me a lot…..I guess that’s the reason why I adjusted quite well…...i wasn’t thrown out there to survive on my own straight away.....if that was the case, I think I’d suffer from an emotional breakdown….

They are really wonderful folks :) didn’t miss home food at that time because I still could enjoy home cooked Malay food, albeit being spicy most of the time….so yeah…..Halimah took me around (since I can’t go anywhere without a car; you’re practically helpless if you don’t have a car in Texas) to get things done……cooked nice nice spicy food……kekeke…..*I should remember to thank God for being so lucky….reminds me of what my mum used to tell me…”It’s God’s plan”…..things seem to fall into place quite nicely ;)
So the day came when they sent me off to UNT (Uni of North Texas)……WOW….it was quite the day……moving in day…..everyone was moving in…..and UNT is like a little town by itself already….that’s how HUGE the place is…….really quite overwhelming at first, seeing cars lining the streets, students moving in and all……was nervous as hell…..finally realized at that time that I was finally going to be by myself…..taking responsibility for my life……damn…….

Got a little lost trying to find the place I was going to call home for the next year or two…..College Inn….looks can be deceiving….it looks like a old, grubby apartment-like place at first glance but I eventually liked it after getting used to it a couple of days later……after visiting other dorms; I mean, they are REAL dorms…..quite the opposite of mine….the buildings look really nice….my favorite kind of buildings…old and grand……mine’s more of a apartment though….and best of all, it faces the pool….. :)

Finally met my roommate; her name’s So Mi Kim….she’s Korean……I actually contacted her via email before moving in…she seemed pretty nice…..couldn’t speak much English though….Hahaha…..that reminds me….you should see the way we communicate to each other……it’s a duck and chicken situation…..both of us struggling to get the other to understand what we are talking about….LOL….hand gestures, hand signals included in our daily conversations…..she gave me the honor of being her ‘english teacher’…..hahaha….and I shall do my duty alright….for BOTH our sake…..she’s here for the English program (like the English immersion prog back in HELP)…..Majoring in art …quite a talented one too…..oh did I mention that she has a cousin who’s an up and coming Korean actor? I hardly say this of Asian men but he’s Gorrrrgeousssss………sigh……*faints*….. keke……

I would say again that I’m lucky that So Mi is not the room mate from hell…..we get along pretty well…….pheww…imagine getting a roommate with horrible attitude and irritating habits….well…..it’s only been a couple of days…..so I can’t really judge yet but it’s going well now…… ;)

Orientation was a PAIN IN THE ARSE!!!! Sat through the orientation for international students……was quite overwhelming by the amount of info coming immigration stuff (sooooo cannot play the fool with it), tax stuff (how to do my tax), insurance, how to register…..blah blah blah…..the whole lot…..that was bearable la…..even the orientation for Transfer students. This was where my subjects got evaluated against the Uni’s core subjects first….had to proceed to the Psych Dept to get more info about the core subjects I would have to take as a psych student to graduate…..that was quite a handful…..was soooo blur….hahahhaa…

Oh did I mention that a friend back from HELP studies here too? Her name’s Poh Lynn…..thank goodness for her too! At least I had one familiar face…..oh make that two….including Serena (no, not Serena In )…..another Serena who used to attend HELP too……got to know a Japanese girl (through poh lynn) who’s taking psych as well!!! Woooohooo!!! Was quite happy to have someone else taking it…..the name’s Asuka Mitani……
Shit, I am babbling…..I’ve never babbled this much before…….oh well….

A pool party was organized by some club or my college inn admin staff on Wed…..was feeling out of place…..sigh…..so the sad man…….was walking around, holding my pizza in one hand and a cup of water in the other…..trying to look interested in what’s going on……look look look around…..manage to catch the eye of a good looking chap…..smiled at him, he smiled back and I looked away…..shy mah…….and again, tried to look interested in what’s going on….got a bit bored….went to seat on the swing nearby and observe people……hahhaa…..this is where my education in the field of psych comes in handy……

I must say that people here are more confident of themselves……of their body…..me thinks most of them literally don’t give a damn about what others think about how they look. Very evident during the pool party……plus sized women wearing bikini…comfortably swimming, playing around……Man, I wish I dared to wear one…..must go workout like mad first ;)

Anyways….got bored of observing people….so I went walked around again…..saw the same hot guy sitting at the same place……caught his eyes again….hmm…..managed to bury my shyness and chatted up with him……majoring in an interesting area….Fashion….suits him….and NO, I don’t think he’s gay…….LOL
Damnnnn he’s hot….*Krish, if you are reading this…..HAHAHHAA…..you should fly down here I tell you!!!! HAHAHHAA…he might be purrrfect for you!*
So this little hermit’s made a couple of new friends! ;)

So come Thursday…..had to sit for the THEA test (Texas Higher Edu Assessment….i think)…..5 BLOODY hours man…..i had to glue my arse for 5 hours in the hall…..doing the test……math, reading and writing…….I hung my head for so long (to read and answer the questions la) that it’s aching like hell now…..i’m surprised my bladder could hold on for THAT long……heh…terrible….terrible……

After that I had to rush to register my subject as I could not do so if I didn’t sit for THEA test….SOOOO bengang man……registering last minute…almost all the subjects I wanted were filled up…..initial subs I was interested was Health Psych, U.S History ( up to 1865), MANDARIN (yes yes, as an international student and as a student from the college of arts and sciences, I am required to take one foreign language), and Intro to Moral Issues (a philosophy paper)…….ended up taking Health Psych, U.S history (from 1865-yes they have two parts), Psych of Marital Adjustment (muahahaha….interesting) and Developmental psych (if you were wondering why I didn’t take it back in HELP, you should know why……go figure who used to teach dev psych back then)….tried my luck on psych of sexual behavior…..BAH! It was full….not surprised though….*smirks*
I got exempted from taking quantitative methods and experimental methods (research methods back in HELP was a combo of these two)….BUT I have to go for labs though…..good thing….should refresh my memory of it….

So that’s about it for my hectic orientation week…..am in Halimah’s house….took a commuter bus from Denton to Dallas….45 mins ride……heh…..missed home cooked food……

I think I’ve babbled enough for now……Uni life’s officially starting next week!!! Looking forward to it…..a bit nervous…I want to do well…….cross my fingers and hope I will…..who knows, I might graduate with a cum laude or something like that…..heh

A brand new chapter in my life’s story has just begun……….. ;)

p.s: keep a lookout for my gallery of pics….I shall be posting it up when I get a whole bunch of ‘em ;)

'Tis the time......

2006-08-15T14:53:00.000-04:00

It’s 2.40 a.m…..16th August 2006……tis the Day………

Can’t fathom the thought that I’m really going off later today……….

Such a big step out there in that ‘world’…….such a HUGE step out of my comfort zone…….

It hasn’t hit me really hard yet……me leaving home and my loved ones……

Really hoping I don’t breakdown that horridly when I reach there…..

Pardon my depressive mode…….haha…..not really depressed but really sad….feeling heavy hearted……does feel heavy…….

Would like to thank everyone (too lazy to list everyone la….you know who you are though….keke) for taking time off to visit me these past few days……real sweet and thoughtful of all you to do so!!!

I’ll stop babbling for now…….should catch some winks because I’m positive that I won’t be able to sleep on the plane……
Good bye Malaysia………Hellooooo U.S.A……..

It draws nearer......

2006-08-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

Time is ticking away…………

Time is running out…………..

It has begun….the tug of two worlds pulling me apart……the new, unexplored and unpredictable world…… the old, familiar, and comfortable world that I’m so used to…..

Damn it!!! I don’t like this……emotions running on a high gear………

Family……friends………..that special someone………

It’s so hard………sooo sooo hard………sigh…………..

Stolen Moments.....

2006-08-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

I never thought this would happen……never imagine it could…..

I wanted to start afresh….in a new world, a new life in a place faraway from home…..

But life, it’s full of surprises aren’t they??? It threw me an unexpected surprise when I wasn’t looking…..

You knew from the very start that time was going to be against us….

You knew that I was going to a land far away from here……

You knew you might lose your heart if you pursued me……..

But……

You took your chance and played with fire………

A fire that could engulf you whole…….

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Time froze the moment you asked me………

I didn’t know what to say, what to do………

My mind was filled with questions...the very questions that you forbade me to think about……

Still, the apple in the Garden of Eden was calling out to me…..whispering delightful pleasures as I closed

my eyes…

It was an eternity before I made my decision………

Like you, I took a chance; I threw caution to the wind and said yes…..

Like you, I took a chance and played with fire; the same fire that could engulf me whole….

And from that moment on, time was a stolen pleasure………

Stolen moments, stolen kisses…. the stuff of storybook romance…..

Time kept creeping upon us as you and I continued to ‘steal’ time…….

I tried not to feel…..but my heart betrayed me…….

I can only imagine how this ‘fire’ would burn me when I set my eyes upon you for the last time…….

You and I knew that goodbyes were going to be inevitable…..where we go from here, I do not know….

Whatever it may be, I would never forget the amazing stolen moments you and I shared…....forever.

Just the way you are..... ;)

2006-07-31T15:01:00.000-04:00

It’s really nice to have someone who likes you for who you are doesn’t it? That warm fuzzy feeling….just makes your toes curl……..and that goofy dreamy smile plastered on your face….. hahahaha not that I AM like that!!!! Just thoughts crossing my minds these couple of days….. ;)

With these thoughts, I’m soooooo reminded of Mark Darcy’s oh-so-romantic line when he wanted to confess to Bridget Jones (the first one) at the bottom of the stairs……
It went something like this…..

“I like you….just the way you are……”

To all the hopeless romantics like me…… “SIGHHHHHHHHH”…………….

Shit, I’m going all mushy!!!!

Heh.....

2006-07-23T00:27:00.000-04:00

Life…….it’s getting pretty interesting at the moment……scandalous I might say….. ;)

Tick tock tick tock……..

Three more weeks……..

Tick tock tick tock……..

*hahaha, yes ‘k’, I know you’ll be giving me capped comments soon!*

Tick tock tick tock......

2006-07-12T11:16:00.000-04:00

TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK………………..

Time is flying by like the phantom wind……..so swift, so silent……….

In exactly 5 more weeks at this time I’ll be boarding the plane heading towards the Land of Opportunities (or so they say)……..

5 more weeks to blast off……hahaha….sounds like I’m good for take off in a space shuttle huh……well it does feel like that……..blasting off from my cosy ‘nest’ soon….

I am already picturing myself sitting on my bed in my dorm over there, bewildered, lonely, and a tad scared; excited too……scared of what is going to happen ahead of me…….the unknown ……fascinatingly scary…..haha….what a combo….

Couple that with the realization that I am about to start new chapter in my life’s story…….

TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK………………

The phantom wind is gaining speed once more………

I am.....

2006-07-08T13:07:00.000-04:00

I realized that…….

I am too nice

I am gullible

I am naïve

I am a FOOL.

Why am I a fool? Simple…..the answers lie in the first three……..especially the first…….

A price to pay

2006-06-17T04:42:00.000-04:00

I knew that this day would come…..a day that I’d have to risk a precious friendship to speak up and voice what’s raging inside me. Up to now, I never wanted to do so because I knew for sure that if I ever did it, I will pay the price for it…..

And I am paying the price for it right now…….

I’ve always have this notion that the single worse thing one can do to another is to give them the infamous ‘silent’ treatment…..it’s rude, childish and most of all, it’s hurtful. I would rather be screamed at, yelled at, and well, basically anything but silence. At the very least I would understand what is going inside the other person’s head/heart, however hurtful the truth might be.

To be subjected to one’s bitchy mood swings or constant taunts as and when one likes is already annoying enough…. But to have the perception that I am something of worth when I am needed or when there is time to kill burst my bubble. I am not some ragged puppet doll…..and I don’t deserve to be treated that way.

I’m fuming because I’m punished for finally having the balls to stand up for myself (I did realize that it was wrong of me to lash out angrily in a sudden manner so I apologized; it must have hurt a lot too)…….

I’m furious because ego, selfishness and pride is refusing to be replaced by understanding, humility and self-awareness.

I’m mad at myself for giving a damn when the other person doesn’t give a damn at all.

And finally, I’m enraged because I have done my best to work things out……and the only return I get is a deafening echo of silence………..

A postponed 21st Birthday Party.....

2006-06-13T11:30:00.000-04:00

I finally had my 21st postponed bday party on the 10th of June......main reason was due to me wanting those few important people to be there......

It's been like a month since the party.....yeah, I know.....took me quite a while (more like centuries!) to put this one up....why? busy with working life and uploading pics here is such a pain in the arse!

SO! without further ado, I present.....memories of my postponed 21st bday party ;)

A group pic of my highschool mates (L-R: Charmaine, Therese, Lydia, Darshi, Thim Yee, Anu and Me!)

Anu, Darshi, Marlene and Me..... ;)

The highschool gang (with the exception of Nadine)

The college gang (L-R: Ai Ling, Serena, Naveena, Asha, Nadine, Loraine, and Me)

My mother and I ;)

These last few ones below are some of the most hilarious poser pictures that was taken that night.....thanks to Miss Poser Loraine...... :P

The pouting duo

Deceiving picture......NO, her hands weren't grabbing my boobs :P

Does it need explaination??? hahaha.......

Picture Galore - 21st Bday!!! - Updated

2006-05-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

One word to describe my 21st birthday celebration: Low Keyed ;)
Had lunch with my parents at home Chinese restaurant near Desa Aman and dinner with a close circle of friends in Hartamas.........originally wanted to partttyyyy (read:club) but no one was really up for it so I decided to postpone my 'celebration' .......was nice though.......in a way.......a quiet celebration........ :)

Anyways, enough of babbling......here's some pictures from my 21st Bday photo collection.... [damn, didn't take pictures during dinner.......arggh!]

One of the earliest present given to me.....by Sheila! A nice nice Nike jacket! *so sorry for not putting it up earlier!*

A pair of Gorgeous earrings.....custom made man!!! and it's purple! love it love it! ;)

The Birthday girl with her birthday cake and birthday pressie..... ;)
Notice the famous Two Red Eggs...some of you may know this joke....HAHAHAHA!!!!(hint: Cheet chat)

The LONG awaited 'key to freedom'.........well.....it's more like OFFICIAL key la.....LOL

Collection of Birthday cards....sweet!

From parents......

From Raam and Loraine...... the drawing's hand-drawn (charcoal) by an unknown artist.
Wish I could show you the Fake $$$ they creatively gave me....am afraid i might run into trouble with the law if I do though.... Damn! I really thought the fake cash wez real for a moment!

A gorgeous photo album from Ai Ling......

Oh and how can I forget THIS one!!! HAHAHAHA!!! A shirt from Evan... Hilariousness!! ;)

Many thanks to everyone who made this day memorable.......a quiet memorable one........thanks for your wishes and love......!!!!

Looking forward to life's journey ahead....... ;)

21 years old......

2006-05-25T11:04:00.000-04:00

TWENTY ONE years old……..

Gosh, I remember when I was in secondary school, I wondered what would it be like to be 21……it seemed so far away then…….how time flies……

Here I am, standing at the end of one path and at the beginning of a new path……..

Twenty One…..the age which officially signifies the end of my teenage years and the beginning of adulthood. Mixed emotions really…….unnerving too…..hahaha….i’m standing at the center of everything right now…….

I always wondered, who decided that 21 should be the age that signifies adulthood? Why 21? Why not 22? 23? Interesting to know aye?

It’s been a journey, this 20 years of my life…..memories forged along the way……some I can’t remember (especially my childhood ones….just bits and pieces…), some wonderful, sweet, touching……others unpleasant, painful, heartbreaking at times……..

If someone were to ask me would I change anything, I would reply “Yes!”……there are many things I want to change, if only I had the power of time…….

But then again, come to think of it, if I changed history, I wouldn’t be who I am, warts and all……we all want to be better, we all strive to do better…….I guess the best way is not looking back and wishing I could change things, but looking forward and creating waves of change in my life……..

Sigh……I cannot believe that I’m sitting down in front of my laptop, on the EVE of my birthday, murdering myself with boredom……..oh how niceeeeeee (rolls eyes)

Oh well…..a dose of self reflection would be a good way to kill time lah…..

I don’t feel twenty-one……..

Said that too when I turned twenty………

Weird…….adulthood…….don’t know if I’m ready for it……blegh…….

There’s just one thing I hope I would never forget……..to be a kid at heart……

Reminds me of a teacher of mine back in high school (for those of you went to BBGS, it’s Jugdeep! LOL…..hair standing up yet?)…… she said that the worse thing about being an adult is that we forget how to be a kid at heart……how we feel embarrassed about doing things others would consider kiddish…….she mentioned how she wanted to dance and play in the rain but stopped herself from doing it, due to her ‘status’ as an adult……

It scares me to think that I might possibly forget the kid in me…….

*stares into space*

Twenty-one Kuen, TWENTY ONE………………

My Father and I

2006-05-23T13:54:00.000-04:00

Just got ‘inspired’ to write about this topic……

I wonder how many of us out there have a wonderful, father-daughter/father-son relationship???

Ponder on it........

If you do, I envy you………..

My relationship with my father is not a fairytale one. I cannot even begin to describe the kind of relationship we have……..

We hardly talk….when we do (I wouldn’t call it ‘talking’ though), one liners or monosyllables are the norm…….he goes about doing his own thing……I go about doing my own thing…….it’s like two strangers living under one roof……

Anyways…..the reason I wanted to write this entry was to let off some steam…..seems like a suitable outlet me thinks ;)

A good friend of mine enquired if I could rent out my adorable little Mini Austin……I was fine with it but I needed my parents’ stamp of approval before I could really give a concrete answer. I asked my mum about it and she seems okie with it but she said that she needed to talk to my father about it……(notice the hierarchy?)

Oh yeah, need to insert that my mum acts as the messenger going back and forth between my dad and I……a bit amusing at times…..”your father says….blah blah blah….” Or “your daughter says……blah blah blah……”

Anyways, she came back to me saying that my father disapproved of the notion of renting my Mini out to my friend but she encouraged me to approach my father personally….maybe he’d change his mind she said……

I thought I would give it a try…….who knows…….

It was a challenge to sum up the courage to talk to my father……I know it may seem silly but with my history with my father and his one-of-a-kind character……..you would understand why I dislike talking to him……

So I tried……today….during dinnertime…….conversation went something like this:

Me: Pa, can I lease the Mini to my friend?

Father: No.

Me: Why can’t I rent it to my friend? I’ve got reasons…….

Father: (interrupts) I said no, don’t ask me why.

Me: What’s wrong with asking you for a reason?

At this point, I remembered his face turned to a shade of red and an expression of disbelief (due to my so called defiance) was plastered on his face. Mum intervened and tried to explain to me

Mother: Pa is planning to rent it to his friend so that he can keep an eye on it. It’s harder to do so if we rent it to your friend.

Father: When you earn your own money, you can make your own decisions……

Me: It has nothing to do with money…….

Father: If you wanted to rent it, you can rent to Ta-Deh (means uncle in hokkien I think), he has only one car….cannot think of family….must think of friends…….

Me: Why rent to him? His daughters can’t even drive yet……

Out of nowhere, the topic changes…..

Father: …..(can’t remember this bit)…look at your discipline….get up so late…..you have an easy life…..everything you want, you get……

Me: (Silent……)

Can’t remember much after that…..I think I wanted to forget what he said……..

Want to know why I was so (pardon the language) FUCKING mad???

First reason: He couldn’t even give me a generous reason and explanation as to why he disagreed with my suggestion. Instead, he was all authoritative and RUDE.

Second reason: This one pisses me off even more!!! Out of nowhere, the topic changed and it became personal…..it was a PERSONAL ATTACK……I was thinking…. “WTF???? What does renting my mini to my friend has to do with me getting up late and being undisciplined?”

Third reason: The mother of all reasons that made my blood boil…….until I earn my own money (and not under his ‘wing’), I could not or to put it more aptly have NO RIGHT to question my father’s decisions.

Now can you understand why I dislike talking to my father?

Why I find it hard to respect him when he does not respect me? (I shall not go more in-depth into this or else it’ll go on an on)

And most importantly, why my relationship with my father is so, so SOOOO strained???

I remember I used to envy my cousins who had (and still has I’m sure) a great father-daughter(s) relationship…..he takes them out almost every weekend (they’d invite me to join at times)….. he delightedly answers their questions when they ask him just about anything......he laughs with them, plays with them, showers them with hugs and kisses…….

Or my other uncle who takes his kids on a trip (camping, road trips, etc) every other holiday, does things for them like setting up a trampoline in their backyard for them to play, constantly encourages them in whatever they are doing……..a pat on the back, a smile, a hug……

I don’t remember having all of those……..I wish I had one or two……

As I am writing, tears being to well up, clogging my vision……..can’t help it, it has always been a touching, emotional topic (and amazingly, I am writing this out in the open…..quite a private person I am)

I pray and hope that my kids will have a father who’s like the two uncles I described above……

No doubt that my father has done well in doing his ‘duty’ as a father……a shelter to live under, food on the table, protection from harm, education……but still

Can’t blame him too much sometimes..…history molded him into this……..

I know I have to get away from home……I’m like a time bomb…….if I live here any longer…..God knows how catastrophic things will be when I really can face my father eye-to-eye…….it will come one day, but not now…….will have to wait til I “earn my own money”……

Found out that I ain’t the only one who has to get away from home to prevent a “bomb” from going off…….history repeating itself……..with me this time……

Hahaha, thank goodness my father has daughters……..wonder what it would have been like if he had two boys…….

Gosh, I never wrote anything this long and this personal!!! A feat I must say!!!

Steam quite gone now………comes back if I think about it though……..

My father and I………this is just the beginning……..

A trip up Gunung Ledang

2006-05-14T12:22:00.000-04:00

Gunung Ledang……..somehow I always thought that it was in Langkawi…..I honestly didn’t know that it was in Johor before this! Gosh, how embarrassing….mixed up two legendary tales……finally got my facts right – Puteri Gunung Ledang (Johor) and Mahsuri (Langkawi) :)

I had the opportunity to travel to Johor last weekend (6th -7th May) to climb this beautiful mountain and savor its gorgeous view at the top…..Yes! I reached the TOP!!!! *pats herself on the back* Went with two splendid friends, Raam and Nadine …..and let me tell you, it was an adventure with a capital A! Even before we reached Johor!

The climb up Gunung Ledang was actually a charity climb organized by the Nanyang Siang Pau Press. I chipped in to collect donations through ACTS (A Call to Serve) who was working with them on this. We stayed at this gorgeous place called Taman Hutan Lagenda…..a really good getaway place….

I thought of writing a long story about it (heck, this entry was written ages ago but I didn’t put it up due to technical probs with putting up the pics….a pain in the ass!) but I decided to use pictures to tell the tale…… so here it is! :)

Where we stayed.......great place to have camps!

The 3 'Musketeers' ;) (Nadine, Raam and Me)

Slithery beauty.....

Niceeee........

I actually manage to walk up this slope! Bloody steep one too! Bad bad stamina!!! Was huffing and sweating like a pig all the way up!

Heh, guess which butt mark is mine? ;)

Gorgeous view when we were halfway up.......

THE TOP!!!! WOOHOOO!!! I 'conqured' Gunung Ledang!

And another magnificent view from the top ;)

There was one word to describe this trip……Adventurous! Had quite a few interesting incidents…..LOL….my Mini Car’s clutch gave way when we trying to find our way to Nanyang Siang Pau (the meeting place for everyone) and going on a night walk and getting caught in a downpour halfway through…an experience to remember……I guess now I sorta understand how it feels to be blind….I can assure you it’s very,very scary……..had to learn to trust the person who’s guiding you……another valuable lesson I learned……..

In a nutshell……it was an adventure with a capital A ;)

Mount Kinabalu, here I come!!! *thought of putting Mount Everest but I think it’s pretty far fetched for now.....LOL*

Correction.....Me??? A Devil????

2006-05-14T05:34:00.000-04:00

According to a buddy of mine, this picture would accurately describe me compared to the one before this.........I couldn't help but agree ;)

My scandalous story ;)

2006-05-05T12:31:00.000-04:00

FINALLY, life is getting a bit ‘scandalous’ for me……. ;)

Okay, when I say scandalous, it’s not about lifting skirts, breaking hearts or having one night stands…..wellllll I know it CAN mean that but come on, do you think my life is THAT scandalous? Riteeeee…….

Scandalous = Exciting, Naughty, Devilishly cheeky, etc ,etc…you get the idea……

So back to my scandalous story, it was a Thursday night when I “landed” in Lockup, Bangsar after celebrating the end of exams (well, technically mine didn’t finish til that Saturday) with close friends…..esh, didn’t know were going to club……wasn’t even dressed up for it…..

MOOooohahaha…twas ladies’ nite sooooooooo I happily helped myself to ermmm…..6,7 or 8 glasses of vodka lime and a couple of beers…..ahhhhh….loved the whoozy high feeling I got…….heh, went a little further in the mischievous scale and had a go at fagging too this time……*yeah yeah, I know I’m shortening my life with every puff*……

…..a gulp here, a puff there, some boogie here, some shaking there…….

Backtrack to the shaking booty part, got picked up by a guy and errrr……we danced…..something I would only do if I had enough my alky in my bloodstream….. ;)

Well, to cut the story short, ever since then, I’ve been playing a cat and mouse game with him……kekeke……feels soooooo terribly naughty when I think of it. The freaky part is that he confessed that he really liked me (the very next day)……after dancing with me for like what….15 minutes? I honestly don’t know what to think of it…..that didn’t go down well with me….
What freaks me out even more is that I think he is pretty serious about this…..eeekkkk!
As opposed to him, I don’t see anything in this though…..no feelings whatsoever……

I think part of the reason to my lack of feelings in this ‘scandalous’ situation is because I am adamant about not starting any kind of romantic relationship right now………gosh, I will be leaving for the States to study in a couple of months time and I don’t want to have a long distance relationship….not when it’s at an early stage…..

I guess in a way I now know what it’s like to be in a situation where someone has the hots for you but you don’t have it for that person………..I’ve had my fair share of being on the opposite end of the spectrum……trust me, it is not a nice feeling at all …….

Love is indeed a complicated thing….two people falling for each other doesn’t happen THAT easily……but when it does……it’s magic……. ;)

So……in the mean time, I shall continue with my little scandalous cat and mouse game……... :P

p.s: Now can u guess why I posted the little cutie devil pic before this? *winks*

Me? A devil? Heh.....

2006-05-02T14:20:00.000-04:00

Hehehe........ ;)

Sleeping Beauties

2006-04-20T11:29:00.001-04:00

The effects of procastinating for Final Exams.......
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START LAUGHING
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Still laughing? Good stress buster huh...... ;)

I know I know...........mean of me to put it up here huh..........can't help it...... it's HILARIOUS! Four siblings caught on camera! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Guess which is my dad? ;P

OKay.....off to study now......sigh......can't wait to partyyyyyy......damn it! I finish on the LAST DAY and it's the LAST PAPER on the LAST DAY! Saturday somemore! *wails*

What's News......

2006-04-13T11:51:00.000-04:00

Felt like sharing some exciting news & achievements here……. ;)

Received a cheque for my local scholarship yesterday….. whoooopie!!!

Did unexpectedly well for my Stats test…….*big grin*

My Intro to Business Admin group presentation is one of two groups used as a benchmark to evaluate other groups (well done my dear groupies! MUAHAHAHA!!! So proud of us all!)

FINALLY started studying………!!!

Was nice to my sister who’s back home for the weekend….LOL……….HEH ;p

C-H-A-N-G-E

2006-04-11T13:41:00.000-04:00

One (and a half) more weeks to finals…….

Two (and a half) more weeks to ‘freedom’……..

Two (and a half) more weeks to the end of the semester………

Gosh…..time really flies…..really.

What makes it more poignant this time round is that after this semester, paths will begin to branch out...people I have come to know and love will take on their separate paths…..i will begin to take on my own path……
Before this, we had college to ‘glue’ us….
It was a place where we could meet up, have classes together, have lunch, tea, or dinner together (or supper even) together, do projects and experiments together, ….we could have quiet, loud, funny, serious conversations with one another….. laugh, fight, love, cry…..the point is……we had a common ground to meet and share our life’s stories with one another……..

I wish I could stop time………..I wish we all didn’t have to go our own ways……..

My stubborn heart refuses to acknowledge the fact that change needs to happen……to you, to me, to everyone because it’s the only way we’ll ‘grow’…….

Easier said than done though……….

I conducted a mental rewind a couple of days back and compared where I was last year and where I am this year………I realized that I’m still ‘stuck’……

I searched and searched for answers as to why I haven’t budged……found an answer to that……

It had a name…….F-E-A-R

Fear of change, fear of expressing myself, fear of love, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of my own self……

These fears literally froze me up and nailed me to a spot, not allowing me to move forward or anywhere for that matter…….

It’s like I’m standing at one end of a very, very tall building and there’s this hanging bridge which I have to cross if I want to get to the other side……it’s frustrating because I know that there’s something potentially good waiting for me at the other end and yet I let my fears stop me from taking a step forward….or if I already took a step, it drags me back to where I was……..
It’s the shaky, unpredictable bridge which is scariest part……

Breathe……breathe……

AARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!

Until I muster the GUTS to cross that bridge, I can’t cross other bridges……..until my desire to ‘grow’, to move forward FIRES me up enough to burn my fears away……I will stay stuck…..

So……anyone’s got a lighter??? ;)

the giant blowjob (finger) (Cheong, 2006)

2006-03-29T12:39:00.000-05:00

HAHAHAHA.................now now, I know what you're thinking........cool huh????

LOL.......wasn't planning to put this up BUT due to encouragement from SOMEBODY, I decided to post this imaginative work of art........hmmmmm, I must say kudos to the photographer who took this.......really looks like I was ermmmmmm, giving a blowjob to an oversized penis (can't even fit la!)

ANYWAYS, enjoy the pic (or what i would call....a work of art.....haha....)

p.s: in case you were wondering, I am obliged to cite the title...... ;P

Kinky Malaysians

2006-03-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

Heh, I'm not in the mood to write yet……wanted to post some interesting pictures though…….take a look!
p.s: it was taken at Bandar Tun Razak park *laughs mischieviously*

Now….first we see a sign that says no intimate acts…..okie lah…..makes sense, knowing how sensitive we Malaysians are about displaying our affection openly toward one another……(giggles)

or so they say........

Well, well, well…….it seems that SOME of us Malaysians are a kinky lot!!! There were quite a number of evidence like those above in a particular spot in the park……fascinating……LOL

Now what I find amazing is that the couple(s) who were being frisky at that spot could actually stand doing it because there were tons of ants running around and they pack a mean bite alright!!! Oh and not to mention WHERE they bite……bloody asses these ants……they do know where to bite……

I guess pain is indeed pleasure for some……*snorts…..followed by a loud laugh*

Kylie

2006-02-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is Kylie, my 10-year old doggie (that’s 70 dog years mind you). Doesn’t she look simply adorable??? HAHAHAHA……my, what a meanie I am….laughing at her when she is suffering away…..well, not really….she just hates that cone thingy……took her to the vet and he suggested that she wore it to prevent her from biting her skin (she had a skin problem). I guess it’s really annoying because it limits her vision, causes her to bump into everything and doesn’t allow her to scratch her itchy behind (if it’s itchy lah)……kekekeke….aiyooh, it’s just hilarious I tell you……HAHAHAHA!!!

And boy, a trip to the vet can burn a hole in my pocket :/

If tomorrow never comes

2006-02-17T05:17:00.000-05:00

Imagine this scenario……you are talking to your loved one over the phone….laughing, joking, assuming that you’re going to see or hear from them again….no big deal……then the next day, out of nowhere, you receive news that your loved one you were chatting away with the night before died…...passed away…….was killed…….
The realization of it hits you like a ton of bricks…..he/she is no longer alive.....one day you’re speaking to him/her, the next she/he’s gone…..no more……
How can you possibly accept the fact that you’re never going to speak, laugh, and share your stories with your loved one? How?
You keep asking God why he keeps taking the ones you love from you….Why????
The only answer you receive is silence……
Someone dear to me had recently lost a loved one……the scenario I just described was exactly what happened to her……
I know I could not feel the full extent of what was she going through…..I have not lost someone dear to me……yet…..but as I sat beside her silently and hugged her while she shed her tears, it slowly seeped in…..the feeling of losing your loved one. Gosh……
I guess that’s why those who have gone through an experience like this keep saying that we should always appreciate our loved ones while they are still here with us……tell them how much you love them….show them how much you love them…..never wait until they are six feet under to do so and regret that you never did while they were still alive…..
This entry is dedicated to my dear “sister” Dian……someone who can find the strength to smile each day and the perseverance to keep going on with life regardless of how cruel life is to her……
For that I truly admire and respect her.

QBa Babeh!!!

2006-02-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

Wahahahahaha…..my dull and quiet CNY finally came to an end on Wednesday…..man, there’s nothing better than a dose of clubbing; this was one BIG dose alright….. ;)

Went to QBa in Westin on that particular day because twas Ladies’ Nite and when it’s Ladies’ Nite, you’ll get to drink a certain range of drinks offered for F.R.E.E….til 11 lah!!! Now, how can I pass up the opportunity to down as many vodka limes for free eh? Yes, yes, I have a confession to make…..I am a “blardy drunkard”…..but in my defense, I am only a “blardy drunkard” once in a blue moon lah……

So, where was I? Oh yes, free drinks, no cover charge, and good music (they have this live band that plays latino music and in between breaks, they play really good RnB music…..sigh….). Love the atmosphere as well…..it’s not really a club but more of a bar lah…..and the crowd….yeah……wayyyy different than the ones you’ll get at Zouk…to think I thought highly of Zouk before this…eeek!

Yup, so I tried downing as many glasses of vodka lime/cranberry as I could before the clock struck 11……weeeee……was quite tipsy by then (shall let you guess how many glasses I had, heh) but my guess was that the tequila shot that sent me to tipsy-land….and yes, it does feel nice when you’re all high and tipsy….particularly when it comes to shaking your booty…..love it!!! It feels damn sexy and naughty man…..totally forgot about being self conscious and went wild with my girlfriends….keke…..

What makes this clubbing outing exxxxtra interesting was ermmmm, a rather interesting experience (mischievous glint in the eyes)……I’d rather not disclose the details here though…..ask me and I might tell….but what I can say is that my ‘horns’ grew a couple of inches longer lah….

I must add that it wasn’t only the clubbing experience that I thoroughly enjoyed; it was the ‘post party’ outing with my friends that were memorable! Was definitely with a great company of friends …..*cheers* (you know who you are!)

We went mamaking, then decided to stop by McD’s drive-thru at about 4 in the morning to get some fries and swung by the playground opposite my hse to feast on them. I must say, for a group of people who got all high and tipsy a couple of hours back, we had some intelligent conversations….Hahahahhaa!!! Yes indeed! Isn’t the brain amazing? LOL

So we sat on our swings, forgot that we were ‘young adults’ and swung to our hearts’ content, had intelligent conversations while munching on our fries and enjoyed the beautiful scenery above us. Twas about 5 something by then……Kekeke…..remembered that we strolled around the playground/football field and by this time there were people going for morning walks…..decided to wish him good morning and waved at him……he was standing at a distance and he looked at us in a funny manner…a bit scared I think…hahahaha!!!

We proceeded to my house for some hot drinks and more entertaining conversations……finally had to call it a day at about 6.45a.m.......amazingly, I wasn’t sleepy……

In a nutshell, I had blast…….scandalous (clubbing) and pleasant (‘post party’) …..(good lah, had to make up for the rather uninteresting CNY before that……keke)

The year of the D-O-G

2006-01-30T10:01:00.000-05:00

It’s been a longgggg time since my last entry……….fingers haven’t been itching enough to write about my life’s story….

CNY’s been a very quite affair these past two years…..I guess mainly it’s because of my mom’s trip to Aussieland for these two years…..I have been asked if I felt any different about not having reunion dinners during this festive season……didn’t really feel that there’s anything different or that I am missing anything at first but come to think of it, it is nice to come together *at least once a year* and have a big feast! So yeah, have to admit to myself that I do miss having reunions…it’s the exchange of everyone’s life story at the dinner table which I find most interesting….. ;)

LOL……thinking about CNY, the first day of CNY was rather…..interesting…..LOL…..no no, I didn’t visit some male strip club or something lah….eshh…..

Another thing that has been stuck on my mind is somewhat to do with my future career…..eversince I took Issues and Ethics, I’ve been ‘exposed’ to the world of…..well….issues and ethics in the counseling profession. I’ve always had an interest in that area but God……I swear that every time I go for my lectures, the more apprehensive and worried I get about going down that lane……..it’s more and more evident that peoples’ lives are literally in your hands…….every decision u make will have consequences on the client and if I make one wrong move…….one wrong decision…….gosh….I don’t know if I can handle the consequence of my decisions if it goes wrong………grahhhhh!! And what runs through my mind is the question of whether I am competent enough to be in this profession? Am I ready to take on and face not only my client’s ‘challenges’ but my own? In class we were taught that it was important that as counselors, we must know ensure that we are always aware of ourselves; our attitudes, beliefs, values, ethics, principles, etc. Only when we can handle ourselves, then we are capable of handling others…..my lecturer, aptly described what I just said like this…. “You cannot bring anyone any higher than you are yourself”…..very, very true…..In this line of work, there cannot be a compromise regarding the counselor’s level of competency……

So this brings me to figure out my future career……..I don’t know if I am going to be in mainstream psychology or that I will look for other paths after my degree…..still thinking about it……..

So, if I were to describe my subjects this semester, I would say that Issues & Ethics has prompted me to do quite a bit of ‘soul searching’; Intro to Business is fun and easy to grasp because if you tear everything down, it’s basically common sense (even my lecturer said it!) and Statistics is wayyyy better than college algebra……..I don’t feel depressed every time I finish class *hooray!*…..the lecturer’s nice….I know it’s a bit highschoolish but she makes us understand what we are learning instead of breezing past the chapters, not bothered if we really understand what the hell is going on…….

Oh well, that’s it with my life story for now!!! Haha…..who knows when’s the next time I will write……aloha!

Spring Sem's Starting....

2006-01-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

Spring sem’s starting tomorrow…..sigh…..

Oh well, I think it’s high time for me to get back in action. I feel as if my brain’s been staying idle for too long and hmmm…..the effects of being in that state is not too encouraging. I’m soooo not joking…….

Decided to take three subjects for my final sem of which two are just ‘for fun’……LOL….yeah….for fun…cuz it’s not part of the subject list which UNT provided me with while I continue my studies over here……so the ‘fun’ subjects are Intro to Business and Issues and Ethics. Figured that it would be good to dabble with a bit of business and as for issues and ethics, I bet I’m going to take it again at UNT but heck, I don’t mind taking it now cuz I simply love Mr. Gerard’s lectures…..keke.

2006 was not all that hyped up for me….was feeling lousy and ‘jaded’ for a couple of days….and ‘lost’ too….I’ve left the familiarity of 2005 and stepped into the unfamiliar path of 2006……don’t like that feeling…..I remember going through this phase shortly before my birthday last year and it scared the hell out of me. Yeah, it came back again…….another round of facing my insecurities, my little inner demons…..well, facing “me” lah I guess.

Hahaha…..I think I said this to myself last year but I’ll have to say this again….it’s going to be an eventful year…..with going to Texas to complete my final year there……thank goodness I don’t have to go through all those hassle to reapply to get into UNT!!! ;)
Boy, I can imagine……how empty college when it comes to Fall. Most of the peeps from my batch would have left by then…..would miss some of these crazy, loud, and fun loving characters I’ve come to know…..

Been busy applying for a scholarship to aid my studies in the States. I hope hope HOPE I can get it this time round……so pray that I’ll get it lah ya!

Aight, I guess that’s it from my life’s story for now…..toodles!

Last Entry for 2005

2005-12-30T14:13:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, the year is coming to an end, and I guess I should write a bit before we welcome the New Year….

Hmmm, I know I’m absolutely guilty of not writing about my experiences during the Perdana Global Peace Forum which I attended from the 15th to the 17th of Dec. I can say that it was worth it……three days of listening to speakers from varied backgrounds touching on the issue of peace…….I can only describe it as “WOW”. It’s hard to put into words…..erm…..I sorta came to realize that I don’t know much about what’s going on in the Big Bad World out there…….seriously…….I felt soooo……naïve and inadequate…..but I must say that the kind of information I got from listening to the speakers was first class!!! It’s not everyday when you get to hear about the inner workings of the Bush administration, the ‘other side of the story’ about the war in Iraq, about how the world was just seconds away from annihilation with nuclear weapons taking center stage; how vital the media is in shaping the minds and perceptions of it’s audience; how modern day colonialism is done through IMF…..these are bits and pieces of what I listened to during the Forum……God, it just ‘stretched’ my eyes, ears and brain to the limit….LOL…… it was utterly priceless ;)

Well that was the highlight of the holidays lah…been in and out of the house quite a lot after the forum (that’s my so called excuse for not bloggin….heh). Been busy shopping for Christmas; had a fabulous time spending Christmas with my ‘second family’ (HAHAHA! I even attended Mass!)……I love it when it’s the Christmas season…..there’s just something warm and fuzzy about it…….and erm, my other ‘excuse’ for disappearing was meeting up with friends who came back from overseas and some I have not seen in years……it’s amazing how they change……..some more than others……..thank goodness there are bits and pieces of them that I still know off…..

Ooookie, I am supposed to talk about the year in general……it zoomed pass me quite fast! I remembered Spring was supposed to be my last semester at HELP and by now I’d be in Texas, running wild and lasso-ing ‘cowboys’ in my spare time, keke……rushed here and there to get ready for Texas but quite a big decision to stay back in the last couple of months before I left…..scandalous……so far I’ve not regret the decision I made to stay back! Well, I still long for the day I can fly out of the nest for sure…….but for now…..I am definitely enjoying being spoilt rotten :P

With that I would like to end by saying….. “Goodbye 2005, Hello 2006…..!!!!”

An unexpected surprise

2005-12-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

Wahahahaha!!! I have to write about this!

I managed to get free tix at the very last minute to watch a performance at The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac). YTL was celebrating it’s 50th anniversary so they decided to “give back to the community” and stage a four day celebration with different performances each night. Gosh, I never expected to end up there for sure! Was finding my way back from the welcoming reception of the Perdana Global Peace Forum (oh the food!!! Fabulous!!! That is what I can remember for now….LOL) when I got a bit lost and ended up in near Sentul Park. Decided to ‘visit’ KLPac …..hahaha, I remembered that YTL was having some performances going so tried my luck and voila…….unexpectedly got it ;)

Had a great time there….beautiful place. Almost felt like I was in some foreign country. They had a choir performance…first one was by the LiT performers (they sang accapella, which was ……WoW…..) and secondly by the Philharmonic Society of Selangor Choir. Oh and a solo performance by soprano singer Cindy Yeap and Brian McIntyre. Sigh…….got me into that Christmas-sy mood; all mushy and nice ;)

I guess it’s really nice to do something spontaneously and to get something unexpected in return. Pure fun I tell you! ;)

Gotta get some rest….long day (s) ahead…..

A nice change

2005-12-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh…..at last I found a background which suits my taste....love it!

Darn those fonts though….all screwed up.

For the next couple of days I will be attending this really cool forum called the Perdana Global PeaceForum 2005 Some of you might have come across it in the papers. The list of speakers are just amazing; they come from different backgrounds and professions and all have one common aim; to discuss and come up with ideas on ways to achieve peace.

I must say that it is a first for me, attending a forum like this…..there’s just something in the air about this forum ….. I can feel it….pretty exciting actually and looking forward to it. Oh and I get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some important personalities….. Tun Dr. Mahathir among them ;)

LOL….Feel like a kid attending her first birthday party ;)

Hmmm, still cracking my head over what to do with my room. A good friend of mine really got me thinking on what to do with my room since I said I wanted to give it an ‘identity’. Dang, I realized that I need to do some soul searching to come to decisions on how to decorate my room. Didn’t think it was THAT hard before….

Oh well, I guess that’s pretty much it for now. Damn I really want to go somewhere….somewhere out of the city!!!

Holiday, Holiday, here I come!

2005-12-10T13:53:00.000-05:00

Hallelujah! Holidays are FINALLY here…..well, it’s been hols for me since last Monday (took two papers only) while everyone was still busy slogging away…..heh.

Celebrated my ‘freedom’ with a trip to Chilis with a close friend and again three days later with another close friend……ahhhh……life and it’s little once-in-a blue moon pleasures (a meal at Chilis that is)

Finally got to go clubbing on friday after months of being ‘dormant’. Hmmm, it was a last minute plan really…..just that I had news that a couple of college friends were going so I jumped at the chance, calling my ‘kaki clubbers’ to see if they wanted to go. Was all geared up to go……..wore my ‘clubbing’ outfit, a little makeup here and there and wore my long dangly earrings (couldn’t resist wearing it although my ears haven’t fully healed yet). HAhahahaha…..it was a funny and pathetic sight…… the three of us gals were like poor lost souls walking along the streets looking for a good club to go to when we reached K.L. Couldn’t enter Passion….for some reason, the peeps at Passion were more stringent in checking IDs this time round so we couldn’t get pass them as we weren’t 21 yet……..ughhh…..damn!!! My college friend who I was supposed to meet up with was not anywhere to be found…..even more sad case….. :/

Ended up in Espanda, which btw, was a wrong move as there were practically no souls there and scarcely anyone on the dance floor. But hell, I paid RM30 and I’m not gonna waste my money without doing what I was ‘itchified’ to do for the longest time……shake some booty and drink a little booze. Sigh, honestly, I must say that the crowd factor plays a vital part…..there’s just no atmosphere and mood when there’s an absence of a crowd going wild on the dance floor. Oh well, we didn’t stay long as one of my ‘kaki’ was feeling sick so we went back very VERY early…….sighhhh……..was not satisfied. Clubbing anyone??? Buzz me if you’re going! ;)

Not sure if I’m going anywhere this holidays…….always wanted to go on a trip with some friends out of K.L. The excitement, the adventure, the fun that comes with it…..hmm……really really really want to go somewhere!

Anyways, moving on to another topic, I’ve got about 3-4 weeks of holidays and I certainly don’t want to waste it doing nothing (backed up by my mum’s constant nagging to make sure I don’t waste my hols). Well, I guess here’s a little list of what I would like to achieve by the end of the holidays and to whoever’s reading this…...feel free to ‘check in’ on me….good to be pressure…. :P

So, here goes……

I would like to decorate my room. It’s quite bland now…….I wanna give it an identity so much so that when someone walks into my room, they’ll know it’s ‘me’. *KAT! You’re gonna help me out here riteeeee???*

To lose 5kgs………oh God……my constant battle with weight has been a never-ending one……..hmmmm…...losing it is one thing, keeping it is another!

To finish reading at least 3 books…….yes, I really must catch up on my reading and spend less time online.

Swim 50 laps- freestyle. I always thought that freestyle was the easiest stroke of all……apparently not. Haw haw. It’s a killer! * takes a deep breath tells herself….I can do it , I can do it, I can do it*

To find a way to earn some extra pocket money. It’s always nice to be able to earn your OWN money and spend your OWN money……makes me feel….proud.

I guess that’s it for now. Will add to it if there’s anything else…in the meantime, I shall go plan my next clubbing rendezvous ….. ;)

Tag, I'm IT

2005-11-26T00:58:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged by my friend Astrorat about “10 things I have recently learned about myself”……Hmmmm…..well here I go!

1. I love to be by myself (I can sit by the playground in front of my house at night for quite a longggg time)

2. I get pissed off very quick but I cool down just as fast.

3. I am too nice!

4. I am very shy around strangers and I can come across as cold at times…. but with friends….now that’s another story……heh.

5. I have histrionic and narcissistic tendencies.

6. Disney classics like “Bambi” and “Fox and the Hound” makes me tear. (sooo unlike me)

7. I’m terrible at remembering the names of roads and highways but I have a knack of finding my way back ;)

8. I can’t stand being cooped up at home for a long time. It drives me mad!!! (it goes back to the 1st statement I guess)

9. I am foolishly stubborn at times.

10. I suck at maths (Hahahaha……..that I have known for quite a while)

I’m tagging all my fellow blogmates……..TAG, you’re IT! ;)

To cheat or not to cheat???

2005-11-18T12:50:00.000-05:00

Question: To cheat or not to cheat?

I had my chemistry test today (Friday). It sucked. I wasn’t prepared for it….was running around like a headless chicken trying to make sense of what I was studying the day. Bloody hell! I was fucking frustrated (I’m not kidding). I couldn’t understand the freaking notes that the lecturer gave, which was incomplete most of the time. Tried reading the textbook, but that got me even more pissed at myself because there was too much to read and I don’t know where to start…..!@#$% In the end I gave up and decided that a good night’s sleep was more worth while than pissing myself off the entire night (eheh, the real story was ……I fell asleep while reading Chem)

What caught my interest was how others ‘prepared’ for being unprepared. I was honestly caught off guard by the openness of some students about cheating in chemistry test. After being ‘exposed’ to their openness about cheating, I found myself toying with the idea of taking a peek at my notes if I couldn’t answer my chem questions……it was seriously tempting, especially when I was not prepared enough for the test.

My eyes darted toward the notes and my hands were itching to flip through it. Argghhh!!! “Should I do it? Should I???”……but my conscience kept pulling me back, “NO…..NO!!!”. Damn it! I couldn’t bring myself to do it; I don’t have it in me to cheat, even though I know I had the opportunity to. Sure enough, others weren’t feeling too guilty about it. I actually saw someone right in front of me taking a peek through the notes….

This brings me to my question; how can someone live with the guilt of knowing he/she cheated and that the end result of the test/exam is not what he/she truly deserves? I know I can’t.

Personally, I’d rather fail at something and to know I deserve it than to cheat and get the result I don’t deserve. And yes, that “F” may affect my grades BIG time but at least I know that I was honest.

To this day, I still remember an incident that could potentially change the course of my history in high school if I cheated. It happened in when I was 13 yrs old (Form 1). I was representing my school in the yearly interschool athletics competition (MSSKL). Unfortunately, it was also my mid-term examination and the papers I had to sit for were pretty major ones. Therefore, I had no choice but to sit down in a noisy cafeteria to do the paper. No one was there to keep an eye on me….perfect opportunity to cheat. You cannot imagine how distracting the atmosphere was; guns firing every minute or two, whistle blowing, loudspeakers booming away…….ARGHHHH!!! I could not concentrate at all. I was doing the objective part of my science paper and right next to me was the reference book……my head was blank, there were no answers popping out of it; the book was sinfully beckoning me to flip open the pages and find the answers. I knew that if I didn’t look through it, I was going to flunk my paper.

When I look back, I couldn’t believe that I did not cheat….the opportunity was there….. so tempting. I could have aced my paper (and the few others which I took on that day). As a consequence of not cheating, I did horridly for my mid-term test. Tried to salvage myself in the finals but to no avail. I ended up being demoted from one of the top class to the so called average class. It was shitty to know that I was demoted but I was damn proud to know that I did not take the “bait”. I find myself holding on to that to this very day.

Yeah, I know that some might argue and say that they’re only doing it to keep their grades intact and doing well is very important. Is this it? Has it come to a point where it is worth forsaking your integrity just to do ace a paper?

I repeat my question: To cheat or not to cheat?

My answer: Never.

Quirky observation

2005-11-11T06:45:00.000-05:00

It’s an interesting to observe how people react when you decide to do something out of the norm. I did just that on Wednesday, in terms of dressing…..

If you see me in college, I am usually in jeans (or khakis….basically pants lah). So, after FINALLY piercing my ears for the 3rd (and hopefully final) time the day before, I was inspired to raise a few eyebrows in college the next day thus deciding to do something out of the norm…….denim skirt and boots to go.

My my……I am not joking when I say I was noticed. Got a couple of compliments from my friends and teased by my lecturer……Cis! :P

The hilarious part was that this guy whom I don’t recall ever talking to (you might know him….the Singaporean fella with the specs), suddenly told me that I look nice in skirt…….ermm…….Okayyyy……interesting……..

It is indeed amazing how something out of the norm such as wearing something different to college can bring about reactions I received.

Try it; try doing something out of the norm to you and watch the reactions you’ll receive… ;)

My dream, your dream

2005-11-03T02:23:00.000-05:00

There is one advice given to me by friend when we were in high school that I will never forget…it goes something like that, “Whatever you do, live your dream, not your parents….because at the end of the day, you will regret that you lived theirs instead of yours”.

Parents are among the most important people in our lives. We know it. They know it. I feel that many of us are brought up in an environment where we feel that we “owe” our parents, after all the sacrifices they made for us. Therefore, when it comes to important decisions that changes the course of the life of a young adult, the struggle between pleasing one’s parents and striving to live one’s dream comes to light.

Yes, I think the gratitude toward the sacrifices our parents have made for us while we were growing up should be there. Note that I mentioned “gratitude”, not “owe”. To me, “gratitude” means appreciating what someone has done for me, “owe” means feeling OBLIGED to return the good deeds/sacrifices that has been given to me…..a vast difference. Back to my point, we should be grateful for what our parents do for us, but we shouldn’t feel like we owe them so much so that if there is a conflict of interest, we give up what we want (our partners, our careers, our dreams) and replace it with their choice of partners, careers, and dreams. It doesn’t stop there; we sometimes fool ourselves into believing that that is what we want afterwards, only to realize it is too late when the veil is lifted. An example might help simplify the message I am trying to get across. You want to be an actor; your parents want you to be a doctor. Even though you show talent, interest and determination in striving for what you want, you are constantly bombarded by your parents’ advice to abandon your ‘dream’ job and take interest in what YOU EVENTUALLY THINK is your ‘dream’ job…..becoming a doctor. I am sure you have come across stories of students/adult dropping out of their courses/careers mid-way because they realized that that is not that THEY wanted to do.

I feel sad for those who, although successful in their careers, end up feeling miserable and stuck, regretting the decision of abandoning their ‘dreams’ and replacing it with their parents’ ‘dreams’. Parents sometimes live their dreams through their children, forgetting that their children have dreams of their own. Not many of us get to do what we want. Fortunately, I am one of those lucky ones. I had my fair share of oppositions toward what I wanted to do but I got my parents’ support in the end.

Live your dream, not your parents’….or anyone else’s for that matter.

Deepa-Raya or Raya-Deepa?

2005-11-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

Today is Deepavali. Raya celebrations won’t be in another two/three days’ time.

I have been doing some observation today and I noticed that even though it is Deepavali, there are more songs that display the spirit of Hari Raya rather than Deepavali…..why on earth is that happening? I don’t know much about what was screened on TV because I haven’t been watching it today. When I was at Midvalley today, I noticed the same thing too; there was a performance that was more inclined to the Raya mood rather than the Deepavali mood.

I am NOT insulting the Raya celebrations. I just think that shouldn’t we be giving more prominence to the Deepavali celebration which is celebrated TODAY before shifting focus to the Raya celebrations? In a subtle way, what I notice that is happening is rather disrespectful.

Wondered if anyone has noticed this.

Freedom

2005-10-30T04:44:00.000-05:00

I bet this is every parents’ nightmare; the day their kid starts turning into a little devil and starts going out and coming back at an ungodly hours, only to piss the parents because they were worried sick of what might happen……images of worse case scenarios popping from every corner of their brains.

I recently got a nice scolding from my dad for coming back at 3.30 a.m. Why? The main reason is not because I came home at that time…..it was the fact that I came home ALONE at that kind of hour. Got dagger looks from him as he lectured me. Mum was trying to be the mediator in case things get out of hand.

Now I am sure you might call me insensitive. Don’t get me wrong. I understand the messages my parents were trying to convey…..”What if something horrid happens to you and you are alone? People might purposely bang into you and make it seem like an accident and then……” you get the picture. Yeah I know my parents love me and thus the reprimanding and all….

Here’s the thing, is there a difference if I came home ALONE at night BEFORE 12 as opposed to AFTER 12???? In my mind, it doesn’t. If things happens, it happens. I don’t agree I should avoid getting myself into unwanted situations by staying cooped up at home. Obviously I know the dangers that are there due to my staying out late and driving home ALONE. What I would like my parents (and other parents too) to understand (albeit I know they are going to say that they love me too much to let anything happen to me) is that it doesn’t help by keeping me cooped up at home, thinking that it’s the best way to avoid horrid things from happening. I know what I am doing and I take responsibility for my actions. Coming from the school of old teachings, my dad thinks that as long as I am under his roof, I am under his care. Therefore, I must listen and obey his ‘rules’. For those of you who know me well, you know that this doesn’t apply to me ;)

Look, I am not trying to villianise my dad or mum. They do give me my freedom…..I know that I am luckier compared to others. I only want them to understand that I am a grown up and I take responsibility for my actions. Good or bad, it is still my decision. How the hell am I going to learn to be responsible for my life if I am “protected” all the time?

It is a tug of war between me wanting to rebel and not wanting to cause hurt to my parents. Believe me, it is.

The typical life of a teenager isn’t it?

PSG Search-In Camp

2005-10-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Just came back from PSG Search-In camp (21st-23rd Oct). To sum up my experience, it was "Refreshing". To get away from the city and the contanst busy-ness......nice.
I didn;t really go to camp to search withing myself because I have been doing that. Main aim was to have fun.....heh.

I must say that it's very very laid back compared to the facilitator camp I went to last year. Had tons of free time to hang around. Guess part of the reason was because I am a participant this year ;) God, it's a lot of difference.

Too lazy to write

Check out the pics below ;)

2005-10-24T13:35:00.000-04:00

Weather was nice and surprisingly cold on Sat morning......notice the extra layer we were wearing ;)

2005-10-24T13:24:00.000-04:00

Gerry processing the session with us ;)

2005-10-24T13:22:00.000-04:00

A collection of picture montage from all the groups. Had some good insights in this session.

2005-10-24T13:21:00.000-04:00

The cool mailbox that started from Psychcamp 2004 still lives on! ;)

2005-10-24T13:17:00.000-04:00

Evidence of the hilarious-ness of our games session

2005-10-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention that each group had a name. You'll never guess my group name.....LOL

2005-10-24T13:08:00.000-04:00

Hilarious! ;)

2005-10-24T12:59:00.000-04:00

Frances and Shian pitting against one another in one of our many simple and hilarious games.

2005-10-24T12:46:00.000-04:00

It was horribly hard to stiffle our laughs when we were playing Pictionary. Everyone was sleeping.....thus the need to be 'discreet'......which we were quite unsuccessful at.

2005-10-24T12:43:00.000-04:00

HAHAHAHAHA!!!.......

2005-10-24T12:39:00.000-04:00

Just another random picture... ;)

2005-10-24T12:34:00.000-04:00

I wanted to buy this gorgeous pot of purple colored flower......but I knew it won't survive if I brought it down to K.L....next best thing to do.....captured it's beauty on camera.