Reflecting on a sem gone by (catching up on slack)

Well, i've reached the end of semester when i have no more excuses not to write anything. It flew by quite quickly and when i figured i would settle down into knowing people and finding my niche in iH, it seems like i'm at the same place i was when the year began. there's only one conclusion... the freshers are weird.
but anyway, that's not the point. i attempted to smush 5 months worth of happenings into this one blog. it doesn't justify it at all, but at least it's here...

COMMENCEMENT DINNER - 2 MARCH 2006
nice big group picture.. with some random person's sleeve *HhhRrrMmpPPhhHHh*

DUTCH NATIONAL NIGHT - 18 MARCH 2006
the big big choir... dutch national anthem - hardest one yet!Dutch dance people... where i got to know lovely Ann.. in the middle =)there's always got to be some matrix cross-dressing.. somewhere, in an ih production.

PAT'S BIRTHDAY PARTY - 25 MARCH 2006

on the way there.. in the tram. now how come noone else dresses up in my travelling group? oh well.. i always have to stand out....

with the birthday boy - paris hilton, jack sparrow and jeannie (as in i dream of jeannie.. i made an effort, honest!)

VIVA LAS VEGAS BALL - 30 MARCH 2006

whole bunch of girls in the foyer before setting off...

with the lankans! yes, even jo and sheannee are lankans now...

THE 301 vs 401 SHOT RACE - 14 APRIL 2006

2 apartments... 1 building... 5 flights of stairs... about (i think) 90 shots... 1 race to rule them all...

(sorry, corny!) p.s: did i mention the 6 hidden whiskey shots? yeah.

The competitors at the beginning of the race... (okay, so maybe we had a little bit of outside help... but the other apartment are monsters!)

End Result: a Tie... and 9 pretty happy people!! thanks to the spectators.. it only took all of 5 minutes!

IZY'S BIRTHDAY - 4 MAY 2006

izy's birthday cake.... like the handiwork?

THAT 70s SHOW CAFE - 6 MAY 2006the funky funky clothes that louise and i tie-dyed for the waiters... so proud!
and the best act of course - saturday night fever!

EVERYONE who took part in cafe.. one big happy family! sort of... haha..

IZY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY - 7 MAY 2006

izy's birthday party cakes.. [i'm not in a single on of these photos! =(]

CC'S SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY - LATE AT NIGHT 27 MAY 2006

cc's Surprise Birthday party... ken, when i say party starts at 9.. the latest you should come back is 9.30... *frown*







the (insert greycourt accent here) 'special' birthday cake...

stuff that goes along with birthday parties...

and more stuff that goes with birthday parties...
0-0-7-BaNg!

SCHOLAR'S DINNER - 4 JUNE 2006

heehee... look how many people jumped into the picture because they wanted to be in the same photo as pretty alison cole!! (she's on my left!)

living in 301 has been pretty much awesome all the time. i maintain that we have the homeliest, most lived in (read: messiest) apartment in the college. but heck, i'm proud of it.

(taken at the beginning of the sem.. see.. they're all still squatting outside)

admittedly with my own fears of being in too close quarters to my best friends at the start of the year, i think our relationships have developed - we learn to compromise, we bitch a bit, but i think we wouldn't dream of living with anyone else at the end of it. =)














the teams for our balloon stepping contest.

game on!

so, a few shitty subjects, too many parties - in 301 and out of it - later, and we're pretty much at the end of one semester! i'm halfway through uni already... despite the 2nd year blues, well, it's all going alright isn't it?

love love love to everyone is all i can say. =)

Post Poker Potato Party

It's halfway through the second week of uni.
301 is doing well with probably our 3rd party. Well, nowhere as big as the housewarming, but still, over 10 people at (probably) iH's first and only Potato Poker Party!
No, we didn't throw in potatoes just cos they started with P. It all began with CC and Ken buying a bag of potatoes (i think 30 of them for 4 bucks)
and we never used them.
and i figured we should.
Thus the potato party was born!
One night of attempted hash browns, spanish tortillas and mashed potatoes.
Must say everything got eaten so it must've been a success. (then again, we ARE uni students)
Well, whatever you think, I'm chuffed with the way my tortilla turned out, even if i DID stand over a hot stove for 2 hours while they played poker. it's rewarding in its own way, ok?!??! Plus, i didn't lose my money to Pat, so there!
Sorry there aren't photos cos i didn't think to take them at the time.
Another day sleeping at insane hours, another great iH moment, another day of uni life has passed me by. :)

House Warmed

it's 4 am and we're all done with our house warming party.
the house was very very warm.
i'm all warm and fuzzy inside too... just because it was a very successful party (in my eyes)

so we had to fight fang for guests, but i think we're both happy. he had the drinkers, and we had the hungry post-drinkers (or pre-drinkers... or both).playing with my birthday present - Cranium!

yup. still have too much food around though, but our humble supply of girly alcohol is still somewhat intact. noone up for lychee liquer apparently.
this was ih. this was australians, internationals, ex-ihers, current ih-ers, seniors, freshers, everyone thrown into the sauna that was 301. troy for the uninitiated.
at 4 am, the place seems empty, when just hours ago it was full of bustling activity.
oh, and did i mention it was a late birthday celebration for me too?i don't think one can really feel much more love.
this promises to be a good year ahead. *SmiLeS and HuGz*

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

Ipoh Strikes Again

HaPpy YeAr of The DoGgiE!!!
new year in ipoh was.... HOT!
my goodness me, the temperatures reached 40 degrees AND my grandma's air cond kept tripping. I sympathise with the Melb people who have no air conds...
Anyway, it was a lot of family and food (as always) and i thought i'd share the highlights of the trip.

Disappearing Suckling Pig

Now you see it.... (note the HORRIBLE cutting.. this is before we ate it.. eeee...)













and now you don't! Voila! well, not much of it left anyway.

Perfect Palatable Presentation

This is how they serve shark's fin in Ipoh (when there's too many bookings and too little cutlery. On a serving plate. *roll eyes*

Engaging Cousinly Communication

What is a family dinner without portable gaming devices and mobile phones? Aaahh.. the glories of technology.

Amazing Amphibian Ambrosia*

*means delicacy. I didn't know it either.. but i needed an A word to make my headline sound cool.. la la la.

Oh yeah, that night, we also ate this chinese delicacy called suet kap. It translates into snowball and has this lovely jelly like texture.. Oh, how wonderful. So you thought eating birds saliva ala bird's nest was icky, think about feasting on some boiled frog's genitals.. Mmmmmm... look, a whole bowl of it.Each blob of "snowball" is like.. not exactly the erm.. balls of the frog, but rather the sperm duct (or something like that) and if not cleaned properly, you can still see the little black veins. Oh, delightful. I absolutely hate the stuff myself cos i hate the thought of swallowing ANY nether regions, but for some absurd reason it's good for your health and i have had to force 2 bowls of it down my throat in the last week. Times when ignorance is bliss. By the way, i think at least 100 frogs died for that bowl.







One more close up for the road.











And that, really, is all i bring back from ipoh. other things are just too embarrassing, or i forgot to snap a picture of it, or i want to keep the fun of telling in person.
oh, and stay away from gambling kids.. it's a losing sport. *sniffle*

Eeee.. Medical Type stuff

We can never learn too much.
As Murphy's law would have it, the worse mouth ulcer in my life happens during Chinese New Year. You know, the biggest eating fest i'll have before i fly back to Melbourne for a year!
Anywayz.. crucial questions that need to be answered:

What is a Mouth Ulcer?
According to Dr. Martin Tooke

A mouth ulcer is a breach or break in the mucous membrane which lines the inside of the mouth. It usually looks like a depression in the mucous membrane and usually has a yellow or white colour. The size may vary from a millimetre or less in diameter to several centimetres. It is often painful.

Basically, a very painful hole in your mouth. OOOWWWWW!!!

How do you get a Mouth Ulcer?
Well, there are two types of mouth ulcers,

The first type is caused by stabbing yourself somehow.. maybe with a sharp tooth or a fish bone.

The second type, aphthous ulcers are caused by 101 conditions. But here are the ones i cared to list

• body's own immune system attacking the mucosal lining of the mouth.
• after minor injury to the inside of the mouth
• stress
• after eating certain foods
• hormones - common round about the time of a menstrual period. less likely if pregnant
  
• coeliac disease (what the heck is that?)
• viral disease
• mouth cancer
• herpes
  

HhhMm... this sounds good. i'm not pregnant. But i could have a STD or cancer.

other than that... the article says it will normally heal in 1 to 2 weeks. sometimes a month
1 to 2 weeks!!! a month?!?!?

So.. Remedies

1. Gargle salt and water
2. Use Bonjela
3. Use Bonjela
4. Use Bonjela.

Guess what? i'm gonna use bonjela. and drink lots of water. and all that jazz..
We hope Jeannie gets better even after all that CNY eating ok?
P.s: photo of ulcers not included in order not to gross me and everyone else out.

GoNg Hei FaTt ChOy to all! i'll be in ipoh over the weekend so have a good year of the dog and erm... bear with me quiet for the few days..

Artsy Fartsy = Smartsy (i wish)

So i was looking through the papers and the rotary club of ampang is looking for volunteers to teach art to underpriviliged kids every weekend. and i told my mum and said i'm qualified! and she was like.. huh? i did form 5 art ok? in england!
i also said i'd end up teaching those kids how to research surrealism and pointilism and cubism. yeah, run away you little kids.. i WORKED for my A in art!
no seriously, i did.
think about our art in secondary school... warna primer, sekunder, tertier. yellow+red = orange. A!
haha.. it was only a matter of time til we realised that the questions in our final exam were taken straight from the workbook. you know, that one with the answers printed at the back.
Sup sup sui (translates to wet wet water meaning no problem. probably cos it's easy to make water wet..???) lah this art business. have to catch up in uk ah? can lah.. take easy subject. Art!
Honestly, art was the most challenging subject i took in my time there. you can paint the kerbau and the paddy field then good for you. Somemore you must know about the cubist, the surrealist, the impressionist, the renaissance period. ETC. yeah, and must know what style monet use, degas use, dali use. know how to do it for yourself also. wahlau. Pening.
but here's the thing.. you can get by without ever really knowing how to draw. just need to know how to copy. haha.. serious! i envy people who can draw whatever is in their head. mine will end up deformed. i can picture how to in my head, but never can come out wan. so..
anyway, i was looking through my old art books, and in a sad bid to make myself look good.. see lah all my beautiful artwork. i take picture for you also.

Presenting...

Jeannie's Wonderful Amazing Bestest Ever Artwork!

This is my fave fave fave of all time picture. Wah.. how amazing to be able to draw a leopard. i mean.. copy a leopard. anywayz.. quite impressive wat for someone whose last art exam (then) was a logo for kelab memancing (dun snigger, you've been thru it too)

And this is like.. one of the first things i ever did when i moved there. I also dunno how i drew this. haha.. never touch charcoal before. oh well.. let's just admire and not stare at the flaws.

somemore got my random piece of choy. actually not that great lah, but the colours are so funky, so i must also show off.

And this strange piece is my attempt at surrealism. La La La. surrealism is like, a big random canvas where you can paint whatever the hell you like. Mmmm... we had to snip bits out of magazine and stick together and make something like that. so erm.. yeah. random!

Art- maybe need a bit of skill to make stuff look nice lah, but all the research stuff, haha it's a lot of bullshit. sort of like essays, especially in english lit. You find some random thing i.e : the car in the novel or painting was black. Then, elaborate endlessly on it with anything that pops in your mind. Observe

To my belief, the car in the novel/painting was black as the artist/writer was trying to convey that the object was one of depression and darkness. There are undertones of death, as the traditional hearse carrying the coffin of the deceased, as well as funeral attire are all coloured black. As the character in the book/figure in the painting is approaching the vehicle, perhaps it is a sign that there is impending death in his future. The car could have been sent as an omen, by, perhaps, a foe of the character. Or, this could be a forewarning of the future that the writer/artist wanted to include. Therefore, this story/painting is an illustration of the adversity that one must overcome even though faced with an obstacle as great as death.

Haha. And people wonder why i'm taking a bachelor in arts. Gosh, if only bullshit was a profitable career.

Year of the Dog mah... so get dog for feng shui lah!

Today i made the mistake of walking into Pets Wonderland.
What happened? I was smitten.
I saw all the beautiful little puppies there, and there was this border collie pup that was on the top cage so he was eye level to me. He was a bit older than this here pup, but i can swear to you, he did the puppy dog look.oh my gosh.. talk about melting! and to top if off, after putting his head on his paw and looking right at me, he stretched and lay on his side, all the while still looking at me...
MuMmYyyYY.... i want a dog! it's been such a loooooong time. i really miss having to take care of something else. haha.. okay, so maybe that's why i mother my friends. nag nag nag eh?
But seriously, that puppy was soooooo adorable. MuMMmYyyy,... cannot keep dog in our house? i wanna work in pets wonderland.....

Fairy stories with *muaks* all round!

Two little fairies sat in a teacup.
There's some tea in that teapot
one of them whispered.
Perhaps we should have a spot
the other one said.
So he leaned over to the edge of the cup and
*muaks* got a peck on the cheek.
Lovely, the little fairy said,
Lovely spot of tea.

A frog sat on a lilypad.
Oh, what is the use of being a prince? he sighed No one will love a froggy prince!
Just at that moment a fairy princess came fluttering by.
She was singing and happy til she heard a sigh.
And down below, there glittered a crown
Sitting regally on a slimy green head
Oh poor poor froggy, he is so sad
So she flitted down and said Cheer Up
and *muaks* gave him a peck on the cheek.

The little fairy prince was out one day
Looking at his beautiful kingdom
The flowers and butterflies and sunshine
Made him warm in every way
So he looked around
And soaked up the day
And *muaks*
the day gave him a peck on the cheek.

Hello the violet fairy said
When did you pop up here?
Oh, just recently, when the sun came up
I do that, you know, pop up with the sun
Oh, so do i, she replied, But sometimes i like
to sit by myself in the moonlight.
Won't you by lonely? he asked
Oh, no, not now that you are here.
and *muaks* she gave him a peck on the cheek.

*Gurgle* *babble* and *muaks* the little baby fairy popped out of the flower!

What news from ipoh?

Well, when one has returned from Ipoh, one must regale tales of all the delicious food. Well, basically that's all that i ever do there - EAT!
So, here are some photos...


Haha.. i'm getting hungry looking at it again. so MAYBE it doesn't look so good in the photo, but i promise you, if you've eaten it... you understand. it's the lure of ipoh sar hor fun...




i kinda forgot to take photos til after i'd devoured most of my chee cheong fun.. but still. mmm.. with the tim cheong that's sweet sauce.. yum yum yum. apparently the hor fun and the tauge in ipoh is the best cos they have water that's been through limestone caves. something like that.. whatever.. it's so good!





And this is most definitely one of the best dishes.. EVER! haha.. bias lah me. anywayz, hakka mee in ipoh.. the beauty of it? a single bowl still costs rm 1.50. but it's OH-So-YuMmY. plus, i'm hakka, so i was born to love it.






Well, i also ate two roughly-8-course dinners (wahlau.. fullness) and managed to observe the strange mengerie that is my uncle's fish tank. imagine looking at pleasant goldfish, and then suddenly seeing right through one! no kidding...
seee.. apparently he's an alboino eye fish.. but it's true, when you stare at it head on, you can see transparent globes of its eyes. anyway, imagine being completely engrossed in that fish, and then mum suddenly screaming and running, and then you looking up to stare directly at...
OH MY GAWD. dead fish the week before chinese new year.. bad omen or what? but noo.. the little fellas still alive. apparently he likes resting upside down. freaky fish.. i had enough and left soon after.

But yeah, ipoh. great food.. everything else. kinda weird. oh, and really really bad drivers.

Man Who Read This Blog Must Be Bored...

Confucius is one of the great philosophers of our time. Spreading his wisdom on such matters as filial piety, virtueos living and family values, he was indeed one of the great icons of Chinese culture. But what do we care? Following Murphy's Law, we have to poke fun at him too, with these not so correct sayings from the sage - or not. This time, on Things you don't learn from textbooks...

Confucius Says...

• Man who stand on toilet high on pot
• Man who jump off cliff, jump to conclusion
• Man who run behind car get exhausted
• Virgin just like balloon... one prick, all gone
• Man who eat crackers in bed wake up feeling crummy
• Man who sleep in bed of nails is holy
• Man with hand in pocket feeling cocky all day
• Man who excels at putting worm on hook is Master Baiter
• Man who loses key to lady's apartment get no new-key
• Man who go to bed with itchy backside, wake up with smelly finger
• War not determine who right, determine who left
• Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok
• Schoolboy who play with schoolgirl during wrong period, get caught red-handed
• Man who sit on tack get point
• Girl who sit on judge's lap get honourable discharge
• Girl who go camping must be aware of evil intent
• He who farts in church sits in own pew
• He who sneezes without a handkerchief takes matters into own hands
• Man who go to bed with hard problem wake up with solution in hand
• If you want pretty nurse, you got to be patient
• Man who stand on street corner with hands in pockets, not feeling crazy, feeling nuts.
• Woman who go to bachelor apartment for snack get tit-bit.
• No difference between man and mouse - both end in pussy.

okay okay, a lot of these are naughty.. but so am i! entertain yourself with sayings of Confucius during my absence. I'll be thrown into the depths of Ah Bengness accompanying my parents to ipoh.. JoY!

oh alright, i'll throw in some actual Confucius quotes, to neutralise the naughtiness of the above.. and make this seem a bit more educational.

Confucius REALLY Say...

• To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
• I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.
• It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
• Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
• Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
• In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
• Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance.
• Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
• It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.

There, don't we all feel that much more enlightened? For more Confucius quotes, click here.

Jeannie say ... if you start talking like Confucius, it's time to go to bed.