O-week O-ver

it's over.
one week of madness. friendships made. friendships strengthened. limits found. limits pushed. values learned. values practised. values thrown out the door. so surreal. so alive. so memorable. so relieved. so tired. so spontaneous. so planned. so proud. so grateful. so missed already.
this is post o week at 1.40 am with an impending 9.30 am lecture.
i loved every moment.
i love the people. freshers. seniors. ih-ers.
thank you for teaching me. thank you for learning from me. thank you for making me feel special. thank you for feeling that you are special in our home.
O week 2006. Pumped.
Special mention to the o weekers. thank you for 16 new best friends. =D
photos in time. but for now, rest.

ConFOOcious say...

The hype of just starting college is awesome. It exuberates, spreading to the seniors. You know, those crazy enough to just wanna run o week (with no pay!)
O Week has started (so don't really expect much updates)
Everything is pumped, especially our dance song... the freshers just inject energy into the place, and the room cram really got sweat dripping off the walls (and pooling at our feet) VERY VERY DISGUSTING. Now think of our shirts that we're wearing all week.
*BLeUrGh*
but anyway, o week is pumping, ih is pumping, i'm sorry i'm too tired to type more.
Confoocious.

The Ghost of You...

Maybe he's still here... or some part of him.
I vacuumed the apartment for the second time. And have 4 boxes left to unpack.
Okay, maybe it's still really cluttered, but who cleans the apartment twice?
Spent the night in the living room fortress- cold and lonely.
Kee Win, OCD might just be spreading.

All Alone in a Big Big Apartment

So i'm back in Melbourne.
i didn't cry at the airport - even though Kee Win, CC and Ken came to send us off.
i DID however, manage to end up sitting next to 3 third year engineering students.
Of all the courses, and all the year levels, and all the airplanes, and all the seats.
Oh well.
I've lost weight just lugging around my boxes, unpacking, not eating enough and not sleeping enough. That's good i guess.
I wish my apartment mates were back. Living in a big place with your own kitchen, living room, toilet, bathroom and double bed just doesn't mean anything without your best friends.
I'm afraid of the imaginary murderers who will sneak in on me while i'm having my shower.Somehow my soft toys just don't cut it for good company. I miss you guys. Come back soon.

Lonely,

Your Apartment Mate.

p.s: i'm spending the night in the living room 'cos it's less lonely somehow and 'cos i have to buy double bed sized sheets tomorrow. (none can fit!)

Packing, Pondering and Parting with the Past

It is at this time of mad packing and feeling like you cannot possibly squeeze 3 months of missed activities into 1 day, that i am particularly struck by the inevitability of change. (i love that phrase, altho it's still a scary one).
People are peculiar creatures in that things only seem important when it is further from your reach. The urgency of something is directly proportional to the impossibility of achieving it. On the last day of my holiday, a dozen things flash through my mind. People i should have met, things i should have done, food i should have eaten. But i suppose nothing is worth regretting. It's kind of like when you're cramming for an exam, and there are 101 things you'd rather be doing, but when you have all the time in the world after, you choose to procrastinate. (or you in this case could just be me).
Aside from that, I am struck by the fact that a world that i knew, the IH of 2005, is gone. As izy once said*, it's kind of like going back to your home, except it's lost that sense of familiarity, and is full of strangers. What a scary thought. (*may have edited izy's exact words to make it sound profound)
I feel some sort of remorse, leaving KL again. Homesickness hits you when you least expect it, even after being overseas a few times before, but 3 months of being at home will do that i suppose. i imagine that i wouldn't feel such a strong attachment if i didn't know i was leaving the next day tho. As the Counting Crows (relatively) recently sang and Joni Mitchell penned all those years ago

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

So it got me thinking that... there's a lot to miss cos i think there's a lot that will be gone. i'll miss the little things, like saying Good Morning to Omar in the dining hall, like being a fresher (year long title), like having a pizza slice room, like waving to Kee Win in the New Building, like being able to visit Tas or Harvard whenever, like seeing familiar faces all over iH, like teasing Kai at the foos table, like Wooby chillin' like a condor with a 10 foot wingspan. *sigh* good times.
I'm very scared of changes. I like familiarity. I like comfort. It's silly to try to hold on to nothing though. Even holding on is a change.

So, here's a blog with a toast. To embracing new things and cherishing existing ones. To the tears that wash away the painful clutches of memory, letting us renew, reinvent and rejuvenate ourselves.

Like Omar (and probably Eddie) would want me to write. Tupac Shakur said:

That's just the way it is. Things'll never be the same. That's just the way it is. aww yeah.

i think Kee Win, mushy songs on my itunes and my wonderful family are to blame for this bout of sentimentality. and crying.

Weighty Questions Addressed (ooohh... more puns!)

Walking around the cheesy gift shops today (my fave kind of soft toy shopping), there was an unusual number of single male shoppers. Yeah, without any whiney girlfriends to drag them (unwillingly of course) through the pains of shopping- what more for plush toys. All signs pointed only one way ---> Valentine's Day is coming! Yes, in 6 days, the darling of the greeting card company will prey on the wallets of poor, soppy, most likely unemployed and reluctant boyfriends. Roses, chocolates (of course the kind that are less fattening), a posh meal, possibly candles, perfume, petrol money and the obligatory soft toy. 'Tis the one day (other than her birthday, christmas, anniversary, your birthday, the day her dog dies and the last day of exams) that you spend lavishly, showering her with gifts and love (haha.. remember that?) and compliments on her dress!
which brings me to my next Thing they don't teach you in Textbooks...

The Male Dress Dilemma

No no... nothing to do with the way men dress (altho that is worthy of a lesson too. very important point, fellas) but rather... when the girlfriends drag that poor, unsuspecting fool i mean, dear of a boyfriend along to shop for dresses - a boring enough enterprise on its own - he is faced by the lose-lose dilemma.
I have not fully thought this through, so this is my train of thoughts as i ponder this situation.
I can't decide if it's worse to have a really fine girlfriend (specifically in this situation) or one who is well, weight conscious. haha.. you see, girls are very indecisive creatures. Yes, you males reading this, you've seen us.

"Uuumm... I don't know if i want to have a tiramisu, or a chocolate marble cake. Probably the tiramisu lah. Aiyer, the strawberry cheesecake looks nice too lah. DuNnO!"

"Hhhhmmm... this shoe looks nice on me, but it won't really match my tops. Orange one? Blue one? Orange is nice lah, but what to wear it with? Waaahh... eeh.. that other pair looks good in red woh."

Sorry girls, you know it's true too.

But anyway, guys.. have you ever been shot that question? Wait for it..... *drum roll*

Do I look fat in this?

Haha.. well, maybe it's not phrased exactly like that. You may have heard the variations.

• So, do you think this looks nice on me?
• Ooohh... i look quite curvy* in this, don't i?
• Hhhmm.. do you think this cutting is right for me?
• Do you think this dress is too clingy?

*curvy: codeword for fat
Guys, when hit with this question. i think you're quite screwed. haha.. you see.. if she does look gorgeous in the dress.. then say so. BUT
a) She might think you're lying
b) What some (not all!) guys think is gorgeous i.e: tacky, revealing and shows cleavageis erm... not exactly that gorgeous. [oh, and erm.. this picture also reminds us of the male dilemma.. of choosing women who are really women]
c) Even if you're not lying, she probably wants to believe that you are cos she's not too convinced that she looks that great.

So... haha.. i would say honesty is best, but NOONE likes to hear that they look bad in something. Unless it's coming from a best friend, in which case there is some sort of immunity.
If you MUST utter the truth though, try and do it gently. I have been kind enough to think up such gentle remarks that may save you:

• Why don't you try this other cut instead? (may distract her but in any case, helpful ideas are good because they show concern)
• Oh, I think it looks very good, but the colour doesn't suit you so well. (weight is then not the issue. But make sure you say something about the skin tone and not how the colour makes her look bigger)
  
• There are some nice shops down there, why don't we take a look there first? (can really be seen as a sacrifice of time for avoiding CHB (Cold Hard Bitch) syndrome
• But dear, that doesn't compliment my shirt. (haha... then i'd be worried about your sexuality)
  
• Oooo... isn't the deco here nice? This couch i'm sitting on (if you are so lucky) is really comfortable (if you're really lucky, her girlfriend will call at that precise moment and she'll forget she asked you anything at all)
  

Okay, i'm out of ideas. I suppose the direct approach could work too. It looks awful on you. Choose anything else and i'll pay for it. (that actually might work)

So, let's say you have squirmed out of the Am i Fat? question. Assuming this scenario has then spurred on a low self esteem period (as dress shopping sometimes does, particularly after the festive season) there is one cardinal sin that ANY guy can commit. What is that, you ask? Offering her ice-cream? Oh no.. fattening foods release endorphins and would therefore only make her happy. Buying her a dress? Well, if it fits and she likes it.. you're definitely gonna get some nookie that night. No no... the evil deed?

NEVER ask for the girl's weight. No No.. Forbidden. Confidential. Absolutely Unconducive to making her feel better.Besides guys. There is absolutely NO reason to put yourself in this predicament. Never Ever try to guess her weight either. I've thought about this one. It's a Lose-Lose Situation.
You see, if you guess LESS than her actual weight... she will feel down because she is not actually that weight, and you think she is... Therefore she would be fatter than you thought.
If you guess MORE than her actual weight, you are effectively saying she is FAT. and that she looks FAT. And you thought that she was heavier than she actually is.
See.. Lose saying less. Lose saying more. Unless you get it right, which of course, is hardly every gonna happen, is it?

Fret not girls, I've thought of the Optimists' Guide to Weighty Questions (pun intended)
If said guy guesses less, then that just means you're better at hiding your fats than you thought.
If said guy guesses more, then he just has a very bad eye for weight and you can proudly annoucne that you are thinner than he thought and he is just very stupid for not being able to see what a perfect size 10 you are. *roll eyes here*

So, Guys, my advice, stay away from questions of weight.
Girls, you're beautiful just the way you are. Now burn those magazines and turn off the tv. Oh, but being healthy is important. Remember: Healthy and Skinny are NOT the same thing

p.s: could you tell i went dress shopping? i think the CNY eating got to me.*sniffle* but that didn't stop me buying a dress. Wheee!

The One About Presents

Oh yay! 50th post.. too bad it's nothing insightful or meaningful.
Just thought i'd put up some momentos of ken's bday party last sunday!
haha.. oh, and to offer some wise-sounding but ultimately pointless thoughts.

In the pursuit of gifts, it is not the size nor the cost that is important, but the thought and the meaning behind it...


Jeannie

Haha. You'd expect that as some lame excuse to get a shitty present for someone. But really, i think that it's the special meaning, the personal touch of it, that makes it worth getting (or giving!).
Take for example, kee win's present to kenji:

look how happy he is... with a preschooler's toy!

plus.. it's a really neat thing for his apartment mates (i.e: me) to play with next time.. so A+++ for that choice of present!

Very Thoughtful and Very Unique and, this can only be said for us, Very Useful!

our mahjong playing visitor from Kajang also enjoyed the Mr. Potato Head very much, as can be seen from this picture. (He is disillusioned with the fact that Mattel made a little figurine of him. Ssshhh.. don't tell him)

and you can do this....













and this.....

and then pack it all in at the end.













Whee... Winner of the Most Unique and Entertaining B'day Present! Good stuff...

Post Photo Sifting Ache

Just a short one cos i spent the last 4 hours sifting through what photos to develop (you know.. digital cameras are kinda evil in their own way... especially when 10 people take 5312 photos in 6 days). Anyway, time flies fast when you have less of it (or so it seems) and i officially am developing my wisdom teeth!
So does that mean my wisdom is finally emerging?
or is my wisdom leaving me?
Hhhhmmm...

To be pondered....

To Long Lost Relations and World Peace

So many things in the last few days. i love chinese new year!
So there was the incredible revelation that THIS GIRL...

(p.s: I really really like this picture. :D)

is actually my cousin!! Okay, everytime we've tried to explain it (with the dramatised story and all) people have gotten confused, so i tried to simplify it in a chart (it's part of being an art student)I am very convinced that the older i get, and the more of the world i see, the smaller it seems to be. My mind was reeling for at least a day just trying to comprehend how my best friend for one year could suddenly turn out to be my cousin! and how coincidental that we lived next to each other! haha.. some things are just under your nose and you never know.
i suppose we got along too well from the start. but how wonderful that we are having dinner tonight to "reunite" the long lost cousins (our parents) and we are living together for the rest of the year too! Yay!
i just had a thought, if i had known CC was my cousin before I went to melbourne, i wonder if we would've gotten along like we do now. oh well *shrug* as long as we do now! =D
The lessons of the day:
1) Be nice to everyone, you never know who might be related to you.
2) Everyone in Ipoh is related to each other somehow
3) If the world is so small, and we are all related somehow, why do people still fight each other? *sigh*
Seriously, imagine if people bore in mind that everyone they meet is a friend, or a brother, or a sister to someone they knew, then HOPEfully there would be less fighting. I think especially of the cross-border fighting in places like Southern Thailand (or Northern Malaysia i suppose), Israel-Palestine, Northern Ireland and the whole Rwanda issue. It's even more true in a localised area. And over matters of petty proportions.
Sometimes people just miss the point of religion.

All together now peeps. It's a small world after all......

News Headline

Inventive plumber in Ipoh rips off old lady

Plumbers in Ipoh take old folks for fools. And you know what, they're not that wrong. One plumber surprised us with the ingenuity of his chindogu*-like solution to a leaky pipe picture below.

Upon closer inspection, one can see the handiwork.

Funnel : can be bought here for 3USD
Hose: how bad can it be? let's say max 10USD
Total : 13USD which converts to RM 36?
Old lady paid RM 200 for the work. *faint*

Someone should be sued for something like that.

*chindogu: Japanese unuseless inventions e.g: solar-powered flashlight