Audrey in Sydney (Episode 2)

Day 3:

Lunch was this


and was shared between all of us


at where else? The Sydney Fish Market, of course! Oh, Auds and I shared a serving of lobster, too. Exquisito mucho!

We saw Nic's new place for the very first time today and it's a good place (when the doors and lifts are working, that is). Jona, Auds, Shaun and I then headed over to Bondi to try the infamous Fried Mars Bar Sern Li was telling us about during lunch. And also because Bondi is another must-see place when you're in Sydney. If you look at the signboard in the pic below, you'd notice that there are quite a few things that you are not allowed to do or bring to the beach. Sheesh... and don't Auds and Jona look sweet together? Aw....



We went climbing over the rocks to watch how some people were fishing. We also enjoyed the big splashes of waves that went up at least 6 feet high. Something very embarrassing happened to Auds but I'm keeping mum. You wanna know? Go ask her yourself. And so the day ended with...



Day 4:

Shaun wanted Auds to see his main campus and assured her that she will like the place. I mean, who won't? It's the oldest uni in Aus so off we went and Auds couldn't stop taking pics. The Main Quadrangle exudes charm and it's Harry Potter-ish features make everyone go 'ooh' and 'aah'.


Darling Harbour was our next stop but Darling Harbour is not much fun, really. I mean, we're not kids so we can't actually see the fun there but it was something we had to tick off our itinerary. Auds took pics of the city skyline, which I will not be posting here as we know what a city looks like and almost all cities look the same.

Days 5 & 6:

We spent the day bumming around. I had to finish off as much of my essay so days 5 and 6 we 'bumming-the-house' days. On Day 6, we had visitors from Adelaide and Perth over for dinner at Borelli's. So we had people from everywhere! Nic, Miow, Shaun, Erin and myself are Sydneysiders, Auds is a Melbournian, Josh came up from Adelaide, Kevin is from Perth and his sis came over from Subang for a holiday. A mini reunion sort of thing, just that it's also with newly introduced people. After dinner, we came home and they played a few rounds of poker.


I later served dessert, which was a chocolate mud cake Auds and I baked earlier in the day. I served it with strawberry and Bulla vanilla ice-cream! Yum! Too bad I didn't take a picture of what I made. And when Nic lost all his chips, he resorted to doing silly stuff like taking pictures of this:



Day 7:

We frantically packed our bags and made sure everything was unplugged, all windows and doors tightly closed. I had to check and re-check that I brought everything necessary should I manage to arrange for an interview. And at 5:00pm, we started walking towards the station to catch the train to the Domestic Terminal to board our flight to Melbourne. And so it was tonight that our Melbourne Winter Adventure started.

Audrey in Sydney (Episode 1)

Day 1:

I followed Shaun to his practical exam in uni and waited for him to finish so that we could head over to the domestic terminal together to welcome Auds to Sydney. She gave us the wrong time (or I remembered the wrong time) so we actually waited for more than an hour for her and we were worried she got kidnapped or something. She is small enough to fit into a luggage bag, I reckon.

We brought her home, which she nicknamed our mansion. Haha, she's another victim of our 3-flight staircase. More casualties next month! But she thinks that it's good as it helps burn that little bit more fat. Haha.. What did we do? Nothing much, as far as I can remember (Auds, if you're reading this, please remind me of what we did!). We slept really late because I was making her guess which Disney cartoon my songs were from. Lousy la you, Auds, you could only recognise songs from Aladdin and the Lion King, sigh.

Day 2:

We said that we'd get up earlier to catch a Sydney Explorer bus. In the end, we did not because I only managed to get up at around 10. Sigh, such a let down. So, we looked at our plan again and set out to have lunch at Pancakes on the Rocks and then explore the areas around there for the day. We took the train to Circular Quay and Auds started snapping away! The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the seagulls, everything! Unfortunately, we couldn't wait to attack the food that forgotten to take pictures of them! Gluttons! She ended up taking a picture of the menu.


We walked about in the Rocks Arcade. Auds bought a purple ducky candle. Auds has a thing for purple. As it was drizzling, we decided to look at things that had a roof above. We went into the Rocks Discovery Museum, which does not require an entrance fee but it is up to you to donate a gold coin or two. Very interesting place and super hi-tech! You come out of the place having a better understanding of how the Rocks became what it is today. We then went upstairs to the Information Centre and that is where we bought some souvenirs for ourselves. I bought myself a Buddy Bear t-shirt and 2 Buddy Bear postcards. Auds also bought 2 postcards and a World Cup edition of a Buddy Bear figurine. She bought the Spain one - no prizes for guessing which team she supports. We picked up brochures and asked about the Ghost Tour. If you do a Google search on it, you'd even be able to look at video clips of this tour. Spookiness to the max!


We headed outdoors when the rain let up. Walked down Argyle Lane and Auds took a picture of Biggles. Now, I don't know the significance of Biggles but I DID READ THE PLAQUE! I just don't remember what I read...

Anyways, we looked around for a way to get onto the Harbour Bridge because we wanted to do the Pylon Climb. I mean, instead of paying 200 buckeroos to climb the Bridge, I'd rather pay $8 to climb the Pylon to see the same view. And the view, I'd have to say is absolutely breathtaking. The 200 steps did not deter us one bit. Come on, 200 steps only ok. It's not like Batu Caves. Er, how many steps does Batu Caves have ah?


We headed back to Circular Quay and along the way, we chanced upon a shop selling buttons. All sorts of buttons! Big, small, tiny, huge, exotic, cute, ugly, shiny, dull, you name it! I bought Auds a pack of 8 doggie buttons as a birthday present. I wonder if she's already framed them up...


I took her to Customs House to have a look at the' underground model' of the Sydney CBD. Oh, and also to rest our feet for a while. Of course, when you are in Sydney, the Opera House is a must. To the Sydneysiders. They resemble sails of a ship. To me (and my mum and grandma), they resemble cockle shells. Along the way, I pointed out the different tiles that signified the Quay's past shorelines.


We walked over to the Botanical Gardens as I wanted her to see the flying foxes sleeping high up in the trees. I then told her the joke of what Shaun misheard his dad said. Uncle said, "They look very vicious". But, Shaun misheard and reacted this way: "Huh? What? You think they are delicious??!!!??!" Yup, left all of us in stitches.

We stopped in Woolloomoolloo for hotdogs and we attempted the very steep and long staircase that leads up to King Cross. Xin Wen then called to confirm that we could join her for dinner. And she also said the Jona would be joining us, much to Auds' delight. We walked all the way from King Cross back to Pitt Street. It was a VERY long walk but well worth it. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby and then headed over to Starbucks for some coffee.


The day ended very late for us. We took the 11:15pm express back home. We slept very well that night.

Missing you, missing me

For many, the opportunity to study abroad is one not to be missed. By the 2nd or 3rd year abroad, homesickness would be almost non-existent, as is the case for many of my friends (most of them guys). But for me, it's the opposite. The longer I spend away from home, the more I have the urge to finish up with my studies and head back home.

I miss my family the most. My parents, although nicer to talk to over the phone, I miss being with them physically. It just isn't the same. Yes, we do get into occasional head-butting sessions, especially mum and I but hey, that's how we bond. And with my bro, what can I say? Yes, we don't think alike but having him around has it's 'soothing' effects. And oh, he's very handy when it comes to fixing stuff around the house - that is when he's in the mood.

I miss my car. Haha, yes, peculiar. But no other car drives as well as my faithful Toyota. Now that dad has another car in the house, I think I would end up driving the Merc instead. But no!! I want the Toyota. Aih, better not complain so much. Some people can't even afford a car let alone drive one. So yes, shaddup...

I miss my friends so, so much! Jeunn, Rick, Weng, Ai Ling, Yin Lee, Yeow, Pet and Jon, I so want to catch up with you guys! If you ask Shaun, my phone bill has gone through the roof a few times now. Emails don't work for me - not personal enough. The hardest to reach is Jon. Work, work, work, to the extent that phone calls are ignored! And he doesn't reply text messages! Very frustrating I have to admit but when I finally give up, a message comes through on MSN Messenger from him. It's like he has this 6th sense or some psychic power to help him 'work his magic' on me.

Oh, and I so miss the kids! By the time I get back, they'd be bigger, taller and heavier! Oh, and they'd be cheekier, definitely! I hope they won't make me teach them a dance in one week like they did last year!

It's the end of July now. I need to work terribly hard for the next 3 months and then I would be able to enjoy myself to the max! Can't wait!

Big first step

I finally managed to pick up the phone and dial his house number. My voice was quivering, my hands were shaking. Argh! Why did it feel as if I was professing my love?!?!? Terrible feeling, really.

Has he forgiven me? Does he still not regard me as his friend? How should I react if he answers cold, short replies?

As it was still during the World Cup frenzy, our conversation was short. But, it was comforting. I've finally managed to patch things up with him. Sometimes, it's not about who's right and who's wrong. It's not about who should make the first move. To me, it doesn't matter. Pride has little effect in my judgements. It's the friendship that I treasure most. We've been friends for close to 15 years now and I'm not about to let an argument create a hiatus. It can leave a big bruise on our friendship but certainly not cut it to an end.

It was his birthday last weekend. I called again. He sounded happy that I called, or at least I thought he sounded happy. It made me feel really good inside. No awkwardness, no cold pauses, no tokenistic remarks.

I'm glad that I made that first move. It may not have been my move to make but hey, he's my friend. A friend that I don't want to lose, a friend whom I've grown up and have become very attached to. Without him, going back to Desa would not be the same. And it doesn't matter what he thinks of me. What matters is that I care for him and I feel happy doing so.

Welcome back, friend!

New treasures

Along with Yew Huoi came 2 new additions to my small CD collection:


Wa!! I mean, of course the excitement has died down since but still, WA! I finally have my hands on Gary Chaw's new album and not rely on downloaded versions of his songs. I'm a law-abiding person - try not to download as many songs as I possibly can, especially when the artistes involved are fellow Malaysian - notice the 'Original' sticker on the corner of his CD cover. And yes, I agree with Auds, his voice is awesome. Versatile, emotional, transparent. I especially like his version of Jasmine Flower. Where do all these ideas come from? For someone who has not gone through proper vocal training and who taught himself to play the piano, I salute him to the max! I mean, I can't even do what he's doing and I freaking have training! Aih, no talent, so sad...

And yes, VK, I love die you! Oh, and I hate die both the Malaysian and Australian postage systems! (Excuse my usage of Manglish). If you look closely at Michael's CD cover, you will notice that there is a black scribble. That scribble is in fact his autograph! Yup, yup! VK got it for me! I was a tad disappointed as I had expected more than 5 songs in the album. Even with the 5 songs, most were old songs which Michael wrote for other singers. His new song, Commitment, is sadly, a chip off the old block - sounds very similar to Fairytale. Even the chord progressions and style. I do like the song which lyrics were written by Angelica Lee, though. And I think it's this song which is used in the advertisements to promote the Visit Malaysia 2007 campaign in Taiwan. But, all songs bear the signature of Michael - simple, honest, clean and crisp. Like what Miow said, Michael's songs are the only Mandarin songs that I can sing without guessing or looking up for hanyupinying. Yes, it totally sucks to not be able to read and write Mandarin like mum.

I wonder if Fish Leong would have released a new album by the time I get home...

My friend Yew Huoi

First name, Yew Huoi. Last name, Ng. But, there are people who know him as Leonard.

His age, you ask. Same as mine. Perhaps 2 months older than I am.

Where on Earth did I get to know him? Ah, now, that's where the thinking comes in. You see, Rick was in the Boys' Brigade (BB). For those of you who don't know what that is, please head over to my brother's blog and you'll get a gist of it. In short, it's like the Scouts, just that the founder of Scouts was a BB boy himself. I hope this is right, otherwise, please feel free to correct me. And then, my brother became a BB boy. Somewhere along those lines, I was introduced to Yew Huoi, as he was also a BB boy. I've forgotten if he was Rick's or my bro's friend but that doesn't matter anymore.

While I was in Desa 2, he was in Desa 1. We seldom saw each other and the only times that we did were through BB and prefect functions (my bro was a prefect, too and a vice head for that matter). When I decided to give Form 6 a go, I had to familiarise myself with a new surrounding as my school only goes up until Form 5. So, it was at Desa 1 that I spent 2 miserable weeks before entering CPU. Guessed? Yup, for 2 weeks I was his classmate. He sort of scared me a little as he was this really perfect guy and was a 'don't-mess-with-me-or-you'll-suffer-the-consequences' kind of person.

Of late, I found out that he's best friends with Su Ee, our head prefect back in school. Odd. But it's really NOMB. He contacted me via Friendster to inform me of his visit to the Down Under and NZ and was asking a favour - a place to stay while in Sydney. Being the kind (ahem!) person that I am, of course I graciously offered. They (he, his younger sister Corvy and his mum, Ivy) slept in my room. I moved the sofabed into the room so 3 made the room cozy (and warm) enough for nice winter nights.

I brought them around, of course. We went to Pancakes on the Rocks


and Borelli's. Aunty Ivy was kind enough to treat us to dinner at Borelli's. She was even nice enough to help me clean the house! Goodness!


Yew Huoi had the privilege of watching me do my last minute preparation for my presentation. It's amazing how I seem to come up with the best ideas at the very last minute but no, please do not follow in my footsteps. I am NOT a good role model.

Shaun's family

Last month was an extremely busy and packed (literally) month with many assignments due, presentations and visitors from home. There were 2 days when there were 3 families in my house. Mind you, I live on a third-floor unit in suburban Epping. No lifts. Stairs all the way up. There are three rooms - bedrooms and a master bedroom with an ensuite. That room belongs to Shaun as he has a double bed. As for me, my room is the nearest to the living room. Erin's room is right inside.

Erin and I had our rooms to ourselves. Shaun had to share his room with his parens, who slept on a queen-sized air mattress on the floor. Quite comfy, that mattress. Uncle SF and family slept in the hall with their electric blankets. There are 6 of them in that family - Uncle, Aunt, Darryl, Calvin, Beatrice and Anton. The four, or should I say, three (I don't count Darryl as a kid anymore) monkeys made the house really noisy. Beatrice was constantly in my room going through my collection of picture books. The 2 younger boys were occupied with the PS2. Aunty Gaik and Uncle SF were busy organizing stuff for their move over, so I was left with the kids most of the time.


Unfortunately, they came at a time when I had my Literature Review and Philosophy assignment due. I was extremely busy already and needing to babysit 3 kids was certainly challenging. Nevertheless, I took everything in my stride and tried my best. Emma was worried that I would lose my cool on my work so she wanted me to take a break and not worry too much. I tell you, Emma is THE best research supervisor anyone can ask for. I'm so going to cook my sweet and sour fish for her when she gets back from Bangkok.

Having Shaun's family over made me miss my family. I made frequent telephone calls home (and I still do) to 'complain' or to report my situation here. My parents are like my friends when I'm over here. Once I arrive home, that's a different story but we still are friends in many ways.

Through observing Shaun's family, his uncle's family and my friend's family, I learnt to appreciate my family more and to realize that every family have different opinions and priorities. Also, I asked the question of what draws different families to each other? How do different families live in harmony? What does it take? Why do parents treat different children differently?

Thank you for that short visit. It has provided me much fun and insight. Also, I would especially like to thank Uncle SF and Aunty Gaik for helping me with something very special.

They lied to me in school

By Petra Gimbad

My flatmate and I were watching Oprah, who asked: "What is missing from your life?" Often, she said, the answer lies in our ability to love ourselves. This is true. Without vicious intent, our family draws painful awareness to ourselves when we step wrongly; society constantly tells us who and what we should be. There is little acceptance for one trying to discover oneself. The only approval that we are free to receive in public before reaching adulthood is praise for academic ability. It was only when I studied overseas that I discovered that the Malaysian habit of freely comparing the number of A's so-and-so's son or daughter achieved was not a global phenomenon.

Few friends were allowed to experiment with what they liked and were barred from pursing what they truly wanted, yet they were expected to make the right career choices at 18 that would make everyone happy. It is tragic when one crosses one's teens without ample scope to discover what one loves, particularly in a society that prides itself for its pragmatism. Study your math and science not because you love it, but because it will feed you; learn the piano to be "cultured", it looks good on your CV; avoid volunteer work because it is dirty, there is no point in doing work unless there is money involved. We read to be "smart", not for love of knowledge. Practical choices must be made, yes, but surely there is room for doing things we love too?

The friends with whom I shared my schooldays are now in their early 20s, and many of them are lost. It was easy at 18 to predict the choices most of us would make: top students aimed for medical school, the boys applied to engineering schools, those lacking in confidence did accounting. There was the occasional computer science student and biomedical science student. Parents twisted and wheedled: "You want to help the world? Be a doctor." "You're so good at language and writing, look - be a lawyer, not a journalist."

I asked a friend who graduated cum laude about her passion and what she wanted to do with her life. "Hee hee," she giggled. "Uh, I like to shop? And do stuff with my boyfriend?"

There is not much help for the jaded in university. We were assured constantly: "Oh, theory is always boring. That's accounting. Just stick with it. Wait till you get into the real world - that's when the fun starts." Perhaps, but friends who have graduated seem to lead the exact same lives we led in college or secondary school; but instead of waiting for the bell to ring, they wait for 5pm. They still mamak with the same friends - different faces sometimes, but essentially the same characters. Their conversations sound similar - gossip about everyone's personal lives, the latest girl (different name, same person) and the newest mobile phone (usual Nokia of increasing hideousness). Underlying it all is a restlessness which drives constant complaining and the urge to pick apart everyone but themselves.

And how they cling! Breakups are painful, but they are worse for those who have relied on their partner to provide all companionship, reassurance and fulfillment. Too many are caught in stranglehold relationships because of what they lack, which may include a truly fulfilling career, a family they can really talk to and friends who actually challenge them to be all they can be while accepting them for who they are. Many are crippled by the lie that you need someone else to complete who you are, without realising that each one of us is a whole person fully capable of providing for his or her needs. The thought that we are responsible for our happiness seems to frighten us or meet disbelief. We don't trust ourselves capable of this because we do not know our worth.

Societal norms all too often impose limitations on the people we are expected to become, influencing how we will allow ourselves to grow for the rest of our lives. It is so easy to lose the unique voice each one of us was gifted and neglect our soul's potential as a result.

Nobody wants to be a pauper. Still, I am now more firmly convinced than ever that being successful in terms of prestige and money does not make finding happiness any easier.

Petra likes feminism, social justice, and working on the online magazine, Vox. She is a law student in her spare time. Comments: feedback@thesundaily.com

What's up?

Hey everyone! Yes, I know I've been MIA so here's a sneak preview into what's coming up next month.

1) Shaun's family
2) My friend Yew Huoi
3) New treasures!
4) Big first step
5) Missing you, missing me

Not telling what's in them though. Haha.. so I guess you'd need to wait. Hopefully I'd get one or two done before I head down to Melbourne. Aih, what to do? I'm a student ma. Have to spend some of my parents' money on travelling. Haha.. so evil, me.

Rearranging Letters

Shaun had this email forwarded from Dennis. Had us both laughing.

This has got to be one of the cleverest. Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble.

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE :
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE


ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE


AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

Yep! Someone with waaaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands!

Tagged

... by Zheng Hong! Oh man!! And he had to say 'surprise' at the end! Bugger!!

Name 20 people you can think of at the top of your head. Don't read the questions before you write, and tag 5 people to do this survey.

1. Shaun Chew Wei-Ziong
2. Erin Chew Tze-Yuin
3. Darryl Chew Wei Jian
4. Dominic Heah Kay Hsiung
5. Low Ming Yow
6. Melvin Poh Chih Jun
7. Joshua Tan Jianyi
8. Petra Gimbad
9. Jonathan Lee Chee Weng
10. Edwin Jiew Jay Yew
11. Tay Ai Ling
12. Tai Yin Lee
13. Chong Jeunn Fuh
14. Sim Rick Kee
15. Audrey Lian
16. Alan Lee Hann Wu
17. Justin Oei Yew Wye
18. See Jian Jye
19. Siew Guo Fen
20. Quah Pei Shin

How did you meet 14?
I met Rick back in primary school. I was in 2K and he was in 2M. He used to pass his paintings to me from in between the window panes. Funny way of getting to know a new person in school.

What would you do if you have never met 1?
I wouldn't be his girlfriend today.

What would you do if 20 and 9 dated?
Er, be happy for them? I mean, one's my best friend and one's my favourite cousin. And they both go to FGA. Haha.. but it would be a little funny considering Jon already has a girl and Pei Shin's taller than him A LOT.

Did you ever liked 19?
Like as in friendly kind of like, yes. More than that, I'd have to say I have nothing against lesbos but I'm definitely not one.

Would 6 and 17 make a good couple?
Unless they are bisexual, NO!

Describe 3.
He's the innocent younger cousin brother of Shaun and Erin. Currently a hot-blooded 16-year-old bloke studying in Sri KDU. Shy and a tad clueless at times.

Do you think 8 is attractive?
She is definitely very attractive! She has the brains and the charisma. How can any guy not fall for her, I have no idea. Steve, you are real smart. Please keep her.

Tell me something about 7.
We dated for 8 months and he was the sweetest person I thought existed. He still is but only to certain people. His English is atrocious (sorry Josh!!) but he made it to uni so he's not all that bad. A great friend to have, really.

Do you know any of 12's family?
Her younger bro and her grandmother.

What's 18's favourite?
Favourite what? Actually, I don't know much about Jye to tell. Favourite hobby would be playing online games and organizing his money-making servers.

What would you do if 11 confesses that he/she likes you?
I will be stunned and flattered. But em, I'm not bisexual, you know.

Who is 9 going out with?
His sweet girlfriend whom he met in college, Ee-Lane. I've only met her once! How can??!!!!

How old is 16 now?
21 years 7 months 1 day.

When was the last time you talked to 13?
About a month ago over the phone.

Who's 2 favourite band/singer?
Er, I'm bad with names but I do know!

Would you date 4?
Honestly, yes.

Would you date 7?
Over and done with.

Is 15 single?
Yes, unbelievably.

What's 10's last name?
Jiew. That's why we call him Mr. Banana.

Would you ever be in a serious relationship with 11?
Oh man, how many times must I repeat myself? I'm not into my own species!!

Which school does 3 go to?
Sekolah Sri KDU.

Where does 6 live?
Currently in Newtown. Back in Malaysia, he lives in USJ, not sure which section though.

What's your favourite thing about 5?
His hug!!!

And I tag...
So cham, exams now but hahahahaha, quoting Zheng Hong: Like I care!! (So bad hor...)
1. Audrey Lian
2. Wong Wen Jun
3. Benito
4. Joshua Tan
5. Bro

A Little Morale Booster

Something a special person gave to me on a bookmark a long time ago. Something I treasure deepy. I dedicate this to two friends in Melbourne, currently feeling a little under the weather.

Auds: If you need Chryssie, she's always here for you. Even when you don't feel like talking.

Sheena: Life is always a bitch. But hey, we Perdanarians are well-known for pulling through, aren't we?

You're really something do you
know that? And in spite of
whatever may happen in your
day, you are going to stay that
way: trying and giving and
living life in the best way you
know how.

You've made it through difficult
things before, right? Right. And
you always land on your feet.
Maybe not dancing; maybe not
always sure about what to do
next. But you always manage to
figure things out. Especially when
you're able to keep your sense of
humour and not lose your smile.
If you really think about it,
you'll realize that you are a very
strong individual. Someone who
may not have all the answers,
but who is at least willing to
hope and try and believe.

So keep your spirits up, and keep
things in perspective. It's going
to be okay.

~ Ceal Carson ~

Full house

Uncle Shiang, Aunty Vivien (Shaun's parents), Uncle Shiang Foo, Aunty Gaik (Shaun's uncle and aunt), Darryl, Calvin, Beatrice and Anton (Shaun's cousins) arrived at 6pm sharp yesterday.

You have no idea what they brought along with them. Everything, literally. Right down to Maggi Mee In My Cup (Curry flavour), air beds, air pump, tea, coffee, sugar and the works. Seriously, they will survive anywhere with the amount of stuff they've brought.

Have failed at my attempt of doing work with them in the house. Ended up spending my morning in Eastwood buying food ingredients for dinner. Aunty Vivien wanted to have steamboat so yup, you guessed it, we went to Tonyon to get our stuff. The two aunties stopped in a Korean store to buy Manuka Honey and Aunty Vivien even borrowed the storekeeper's calculator to ensure that it's cheaper than the pharmacy she bought from last night in Mac Cen. Geez! Power or what?!

I guess I'd have to wait till late tonight to do some work. Or wait till they head to the city.

But, I have to admit, it's really nice to have so many people in the house. Especially when 4 of them are kids. Sigh... how I wish I was home with 'my' kids.

And on Monday, Yew Huoi, his sister and his mum would be back to stay another 3 days. That makes 12 of us in the house!

The sky is my limit

Ladidadida.... I have done something outrageous yet again - I've started a new blog. It's called Childhood Innocence. See the similarities? Hm.. I've decided to try it out since I've sign up for it and also to challenge myself a little - some of the commands and stuff are in Mando so yup, time to pick up the slack in learning the language!

Oh, there are a few features which I find really cool, too. You can change the layout for your blog, your photo album and your intro page. How fun is that! So for each page, I have a diff layout. Muahaha... and I prefer the designs they have. More to my taste. And they have a guestbook! One where you can leave messages and all that and it won't disappear! You can choose to seal your messages, too (if you wanna tell me a secret la that is).. Oh, and I totally love their photo album facility. So easy to use! And they'd automatically resize the pics! Saves heaps of time you know! I mean, Blogger is good, too but Wretch is good in a different manner. Oh, but, *roar* being IT illiterate does have its setbacks. Not to mention Mando illiterate, too... boohoo... =(

Oh, remember BlogCharm? It seems that I still have an account under them but sigh, I've given up on that one. I can't follow the flow of their system at all! So, although they pay me to blog, I pass. I just can't cope with learning to decifer their webpages and all that when I shouldn't even be looking at blogging more than I can at the moment.

It's not officially up yet, though. I'm planning to start my first post tomorrow. June 1, 2006, the birthday of my second blog. Or should I wait till the 2nd instead. Looks nicer, the numbers I mean. 02062006 rather than 01062006. Muahaha, better still, 20062006! The twentieth! Er, but that's a little too long a wait eh? But I think I will wait. =P

There are pictures already though so if you want, you can look at those first. And gawk at how incredibly mixed-up I am with my priorities........ *cry*

From Jing Jing to Cheng Cheng

We used to laugh and play
out in the sun all day
in the bubbles of the bathtub
to rub off all the excess mud

We used to spend lots of time
in my home which is
actually mum's office as well
running up and down
till she yells

Upstairs, all of you, up you go!
Startling some of the customers
and leaving us with heads hung low

You used to teach me
little and simple things
sweeping the floor
and cleaning dishes became
less of a chore

I still remember you saying
'You use this end like this
to get to the dirt in the edge'
'You mop the floor from one end
to the other to have a smooth surface'

All the jokes
and the singing
oh, the impromptu music and Mandarin lessons
the sound of them still ringing
in my head until today

Dearest cousin
while it's been a while
since we've talked
you are always in my thoughts

Now that it's near
to you special day
I would like to be the first
to wish you Happy Birthday!

[Dedicated to my cousin sister, Meng Cheng, who is currently pursuing her Master education in Monash University down in Melbourne. She is turning 25 tomorrow.]

Snapshots

Hello, apa khabar, I'm still alive, don't worry.

Just to let all of you who either cares for me or are just nosy know that I am still up and about and doing stuff that I am supposed to do, here are little snapshots of what is up with my life since May 6, the day I had that unforgettable dream:

~ I was doing my first third-year prac for three weeks. It ended on Friday last week with big hugs and lovely prezzies from the staff. It was a happy but sad day for me. Happy because it was all over and I could concentrate on doing my lit review and sad because I've grown to enjoy myself there. Met my advisor at Gloria Jeans Epping to finalize her assessment and prac will officially be over on Thursday when we do the prac folder peer evaluation thingy. Oh, just get it over and done with already!!!

~ It was Ta Seng and Edwin's birthday on May 11. I called Edwin to wish him happy birthday and I woke him from his beauty sleep. Ta Seng, on the other hand, we took him to Mac Cen so that I could belanja him dinner but he ended up buying dinner for himself! That fella, just because you're working doesn't mean I cannot buy stuff for you ok?

~ Kenny's birthday was on May 13. Sent him a text message first thing in the morning only to find out a few days later on the MSN that he did not receive it. What is wrong with communications nowadays? At first, my congratulatory card doesn't get to Sook Fong, then my much anticipated autographed CD of Michael's latest album goes missing in the post. The latest incident was mummy not receiving the oh-so-cute Mother's Day card I sent! And now text messages getting lost in cyber space? Outrageous!

~ And there was the conversation I had with Rick, which reminded me of the good old times and which also made me feel like going home. Rick's pursuing a girl! OMG! But, haha, I am obliged as a friend to only let you know that much. If you really want to know more, ask him yourself or see if you can dig anything out of Jeunn Fuh. =P

~ Do not watch MI:3 if you have a headache because it will only make you feel worse. I even felt like puking. The show itself was good, though. I liked the storyline, the whole idea of Ethan settling down and all that, makes it more realistic but then again, can this happen in real life? Haha... that is up to you. And with all that being a linguist. Wow, I mean, they learn so many languages as actors but do they actually understand what they say? Do they learn anything out of it? Or are they like uni students who memorize and then forget everything once it's all spilled out?

~ Ai Ling is now working in a new company. She's happy with the place as she gets to work more humane hours, unlike where she was before. This way, she gets to come out for mamak sessions when I'm home. Her new office is in Shah Alam and ahem, she's single again! Girl ar, don't rush into the next one ok? Enjoy life as it is first. If you're hooked up, how am I supposed to spend quality time gossiping and backstabbing and reminiscing with you? =D

~ Uncle Shiang Foo is shopping for a good school around our area for Darryl. Hopefully, Darryl will get to start Year 10 when he comes. Uncle Shiang and Uncle SF and families will be heading down to Melbourne in 2 days and then on June 1, they will be bunking over at our place for 3 days. That's when I will be interviewing them for my research. Oh, and in the meantime, I'm doing research for them - calling people up asking about selective high schools and all that. Aunty Gek just called and she did mention she would like Darryl to specialize in Biology. Definitely James Ruse if he can. Heck, it's the No. 1 school in NSW!

~ The wisdom tooth opening on the rear right side of my mouth has been bleeding quite a bit recently. Sometimes, it even hurts. Shaun thinks its an infection. I have been gargling my mouth with Oral-B antiseptic mouth wash for 2 weeks now. I even dab salt on it. Oh, what can the matter be? I've spent enough money on consulting doctors already, I'm not prepared to consult a dentist so soon.

~ Yew Huoi is arriving tomorrow! That means another copy of Michael's autographed CD is arriving! Yeay! I will meet Emma early in the morning to talk about my terrible draft and then come home to clean the house. My train to the airport leaves Epping at 2:15pm. Of course I have to go pick them up at the airport. You don't expect them to take the train to Epping all on their own, do you? It's their first time in Sydney leh!

~ I handed in my draft literature review yesterday and I think it was terrible. Have to continue work on that one. Now I have to catch up on readings for lecture later. Later tonight I'll be going back to DLC with Ta Seng to celebrate Kah Wai's birthday. Later tonight meaning 15 minutes before midnight. Sigh...

Oh, but before that, lunch!!!

And Shaun's home liao.

Dream on...

Something is seriously wrong with my head. I mean, how do you actually get ONE dream with TWO popular figures in it? To top that off, they were actually my DATES (or were they actually my boyfriends?).

OK, the dream started with us (the girls from choir and myself) hanging out at the SS2 Hawker Centre. And, that place was CLEAN! Imagine that place spick and span!! Then, I get a call from my 'ride' telling me that he's around the corner coming to pick me up. So, I got up from my seat. Since we were sitting right at the entrance, it was pretty easy to see his car driving up. Whoa, he has a damn chun car ok. Some two door sports car from some big name. Was it a Ferrari? Not sure, but it did look like one. It was kinda dark so didn't really get the colour of the car. He opened the door for me and *gasps* it was Chaw Ge!!!! Or Gary to some of you out there. My friends were like: OMG! You know him? He's your mate? When? How? I was in no mood to answer and I guess in a small way, I couldn't explain it either.

So yea, we went to some party somewhere. Supposedly, Daniel Lee, the winner of Malaysian Idol 2 was to be performing. Hm.. it'll be good to finally hear him sing live, I thought. I mean, to me, Nita was more deserving of the title but hey, Daniel wasn't too bad. With no vocal training and all that, he's done well but of course, with better vocals he'd go further. But you cannot deny the fact that he's very cute. He is!!! With that cheeky smile, that dimple, that guy-next-door face, the kind and polite demeanour, no wonder girls of all ages go ga-ga over him. OK, back to the party. I was sort of left to my own devices as Chao Ge went on with his 'pullings of strings' with other musicians and people I do not know. I wandered off and somehow I ended in a music studio.

This was where I met my next 'Prince Charming'. The studio was connected to a fish shop (of all places!) and it was a pretty cool place. Very simple yet stylish interior. Suddenly, someone walked through the door. He greeted me and flashed me a smile that was to die for. Weakly, I responded with a faint smile (how pathetic) and a simple 'Hi'. What bewildered me was what happened after that.

He and I seemed to know each other very well. He took me on a tour of the place. And to my surprise, his dad, who owned the fish shop was there, too. Prince Charming was very intimate with me. I mean, he kept holding my hand, whispering in close proximity, massaging my shoulders and neck and a few times he even kissed me on my neck when he was standing behind me. FUIYOH!!! Imagine Daniel Lee doing that to me man!!! Wa, unthinkable yet dreamable.... OMG!

OK, I'm sounding like I'm really losing my mind liao. I woke up after that. Guess I couldn't handle the pressure of being in the lives of 2 currently very wanted male singers in the Chinese entertainment world.


I added an additional image coz I like how he looks dressed in all black. Kinda 'ying'.


This is the cover of his album - I'm guessing only coz I don't know really.


And I've not even bought their albums yet.

Unexpected stay

Thursday. Shaun was in the city with uni friends. Frantically tried to call him to tell him that something was seriously wrong with me. Have already purged twice and threw up thrice. All within one hour.

Called Ta Seng to ask him if the medical centre at Macquarie was still open. He got panicky. Even wanted to call a cab. Thankfully, he called Daniel instead and he was on his way to Wei Foo's place. Kent was there and they drove over to pick me up.

Registered myself at the counter at around 9pm. I had to wait for about 30 minutes before the triage nurse called my name. Then another 2 hours before Shaun came to the hospital. Ta Seng, Daniel and Kent went home. It was not until 1am that I was called in by the doctor. By then, I had threw up and purged an additional 5 times each. I felt extremely weak. Dizzy.

Doctor took a tube of blood from me. She put me on drips. She kept me there until 4:30am. The cost of all that was a whopping $140. I arrived home at 5am. I vomited another time before taking a warm shower. Went into blissful sleep after that.

Awoken by a text message at 8:30am. Wrote down my cue cards and emailed my presentation to Emma. Shaun sent me to uni at 12pm. I was the second to present and I did a good job. Wore my baju kurung to make up for my pale complexion.

Arrived home at 3:15pm. Ate plain porridge, though not much of it and went straight to sleep.

I never thought I'd have to spend a whole night in the hospital and be put on drips! I only expected that scenario to take place when I am maybe 40 or 50!

From Shij to Ling

The best Tai Kar Che of all time: Tay Ai Ling!

Ai Ling has been through thick and thin with me. She stood up for me when I was 'bullied' and she played pranks on me to test my personality (and I hated her for that then but love her now!). I shared some of my darkest secrets with her and her house was like my usual stop-over before heading off for tuition. Hm, it was just a place to bum around after school before heading off for volleyball practice or something else in school. She was a great volleyball player, maybe coz her second sis was a KL player. Runs in the family?

Like Rick, Jeunn and Petra, Ai Ling is a very direct person and she's not afraid to show her real personality. Very original person, she is. She would tell you off when she thinks you're being a real a$$ and would tell you that you're really dumb for doing or saying some stuff.

She is one friend whom I feel really secure with. I miss her lots. She's always working, working, working. She needs to as she has bills to pay. But now that she's in a new job which doesn't end at dreadful hours, she says that she'll be seeing more of me when I'm home - so happy!

Ling Che, life has not been the best for you but remember, the best always comes later than everything else. And besides, you'll last far longer in life than most of us will coz you've been through it and seen it all.

Happy birthday!

Questions aplenty

With Josh's recent trip to bustling Sydney from peaceful Adelaide, my mind has been doing some thinking. As much as I do not plan to do such thinking, my mind just switches on by itself.

Why is it so hard to to be normal friends again?
Why is it that when we talk it feels superficial?
Why can't you admit that you are hurting and not perfect, too?
Why must we all pretend to be friends?
Why do first impressions last so long?
Why is it that when I try to make amends, everyone thinks that I'm up to no good?
What is so wrong with admitting my mistakes?
Why is it not right to express my feelings?
Is it not acceptable to put on a sad face when I feel sad and vice versa?
Why do people listen to the middle person but not the first person?
Isn't it more believable to hear of something right from the horse's mouth?
Why is it so hard to shake off bad impressions?
How do you patch things up with your ex's ex?
How do you patch things up with your ex?
How do you do all that and still concentrate on studies?
What must you do to make people believe that the other person was the one who was lying?
Why must life be a masquerade?
Why must life be a race to the end?
Why were we born just to die?
How do people change from one end of the spectrum to the other without realizing it?
Why do we still keep faith in people when there's nothing left to believe in?
Why do people lie and trick others for the benefit of the self?
How can two people just put everything down and start anew?
Why does it take just one second to hurt a person and a lifetime to heal the pain?

No matter what you do to justify your acts, people will have something to say about you, like it or not. I guess that's just human nature. When you can't have something you want, it's of no value. When you get it, you brag about it. Is that all there is to life? Getting something, showing it off and telling others off thinking that your way of achieving goals is the best.

People get what they want not by luck or chance, it's because of hard work. They do not merely show up for that one chance. I somehow still do not believe in luck because nothing in life comes for free. Heck, even if you pray 24/7 to any Upper Spirit, you will not achieve what you have set out to achieve if you just sit on your butt expecting things to happen before your very eyes. Like what my mum always say, "Don't work and see if you have food to eat or not? Don't study and see if you will pass the exam or not? If you don't work hard, how will you know when you are enjoying your life?"

With life being such a long and unexpected journey, the passers-by will be aplenty. Hence, I've resolved to just looking to my bunch of close friends and my family when things go awry for me. I'm tired with playing mind games and being all 'cutesy, feminine, nice" when I can be naturally myself. So what if not everyone likes me? Not everyone has known me long enough to know what I really am like. But then again, sometimes it only takes a break-up to know a person you thought you knew.

As my dearest friend Jon put it, "A bunch of close friends beats one lousy boyfriend anytime". I guess it's time to stop thinking about passers-by or else I'd be totally drained.

Easter insanity

It's the Easter break now and all hell has broken lose. When I was supposed to be catching up on research, but I went window-shopping and screaming my lungs out at the Royal Easter Show. Not to mention busy catching up with friends and my ex at the Malaysian Sports Carnival.

Too bad I don't have pictures of Shaun and I on the sling shot. Actually, I take that back. Thank goodness I don't have pictures of that coz I look absolutely petrified. Urgh! $30 for the most heart-stopping 30 seconds of my life! That went my Friday.

Saturday was wasted waiting for Shaun to get his new 'hi-tech' toy - his new Nokia which uses the 3 network. He just can't wait until his plan with Optus ends! So now he has a handset which has a 2.0 megapixel camera! Then, the most unexpected of the unexpected happened. Melvin actually accepted our dinner invitation and brought Josh along for steamboat! Had a great time with them - no awkwardness, just good laughs. I miss that part of Josh, the part who doesn't just disses me in front of a whole crowd just coz of our bad history. Then Melvin had to start a bout of ghost stories, which had Erin, and I sleeping in Shaun's room with a lamp on all night!

Then, the day we have all been waiting for - the day Nic plays netball!!! Haha, I must say that was the most happening netball match I've ever attended. We had nicknames such as 'Woman Dominic', 'Wanker Dominic' and 'Miss Dominic' because he played the WD position. Nic was made famous and he has us to thank. Jun Hui had the whole SUAMS gang cheering 'cheerleader' style:

"Gimme a D! [D!], gimme an O! [O!], gimme an M! [M!] etc... What does that say? DOMINIC! Go, Dominic!"

Now, let's leave it to the pics to do the talking.

Pet's column

Hey everyone!

As we all know, our dear friend Petra is an English fanatic and loves volunteer work. We need more people like her in the world! OK, now, she's managed to score a place writing for the Sun newspaper. Do check out her monthly column! It's out every first Thursday of the month and do let her know if there's anything you are interested in getting out into the public. She will take everything into consideration and will be very thankful to you for enriching her bank of already rich information.

For your convenience and to spur you on to reading more columns, here is her first column.

Pet, you go, girl!

From Shij to Rick

I think April babies are the most direct bunch of people you can meet. They tell you straight in your face (or over the phone) things that would really hurt deep down inside. Things like, "You know, not everyone in school like the way you behave".... WA!! *Imagine me starting to cry*

Rick and I started from way back. From the time when I was a newbie in Primary 2, he was passing his paintings to me through the window panes whenever he walked pass to go for recess. Of course, that left me baffled and surprisingly, he himself still do not know why he did that. Just being the sweet 'tough' guy that he is. =P

He and Yeow taught me how to play badminton, which I still suck at. I sat with him throughout Primary 5 and we had 'races' to see who was able to hand in work first. Made me write so freaking fast! We were both prefects (believe it or not?!?!) and ah, he was the maths and arts genius.

Then we were in high school. Not sure why but I don't seem to remember the times I spent with him in high school as clearly as the times spent in primary school. So odd. However, I do remember the crushes he had on girls. Quite a few I would say but to save his 'face', I shall not name them. Oh, let's just say he used to sketch their faces when a teacher (usually Mr. Chin) was teaching up ahead. I would turn around and go, "Hor!! Not paying attention!"

I guess having grown up and spent so much time quarelling over everything has made him one of the most precious friends I have. Funny how the most painful prick (most hurtful friend, when loosely translated), turns out to be my confidante - the person I go to when in need, when I want to whine and cry, when I prefer to listen to negatives instead of positives - and occassional driver.

Rick, you cannot imagine how much I owe you for being direct and honest with me, for just trusting your instincts that "Shij is not like that" and for believing in me. Both Jeunn and you are one in a million (hm.. two in a million??)...

Happy 23rd birthday.

Lots of love, Shij.

[Hm, now, should I get you the pink or green T-shirt??]

From Shij to Jeunn

Today, Jeunn turns 23. Would like to wish him a very Happy Birthday and may his wish of graduating this year come true. Actually, Jeunn, I'm pretty sure it will.

Also, I would like to thank you for all the time that you have spent chaffeuring me around KL and being a 'free' taxi of the route Seri Kembangan-Taman Desa. Oh, and of course, for that unforgettable trip to Melaka. All that wear and tear, the toll fees, the petrol, the parking, your lovely treats of McDonald's soft cones, your charming (and sarcastic) sense of humour.

An even bigger thank you for standing up for me and believing in me when things go terribly ugly and wrong. Thank you for being honest coz that's what makes the foundation of all lasting friendships - honesty, loyalty, forgiveness, give-and-take. Love you to bits.

Funny, why weren't we better friends back in high school?

Here's to you, cheers.

还可以吗？

哇，好类啊！好想好好睡一睡。
我的摇很酸。肩膀也有一点但是我依然还在对着电脑。
眼睛已经快要闭上了。刚刚打瞌睡。
但是我还在听着歌。新哥来地。当然比较high的感觉啊！

不晓得我写的对不对呢？我华语使在的是太赵高了！
咳，为什么我当时没去上华效？那我觉得我母亲才能告诉你。

可怜的我。

Gratitude

Thank you for the prayers. Paul is out of ICU and is on the road to recovery.

Appreciation also goes out to the people I live with - it's never easy when the monthly 'aunty visits' happen because my hormones literally go haywire and I do lose a lot of blood. It's hard when you have the genes of both your paternal and maternal female members - all have a history of something to do with the vagina, such as cysts and fibroids. And apparently, I will be inheriting the little growths as well. Why can't I have extra synapses in the brain to make me more streetwise or something like that?

Speaking of going out of hand, I somehow decided to spend more time reading 'The Harmony Silk Factory' than anything to do with uni. And I finished it really quickly, as well. Well, not nearly as quickly as 'The Bondmaid' but I never seem to be able to follow any of the rules I've set out for myself. One of them being - read more textbooks, fictions save for weekends. Perhaps I need to threaten myself. Hm.. suggestions?

Moreover, I bought not only 'The HSF', but 3 other books! Will not reveal what books but they are definitely by my favourite authors. One was bought out of interest, though. Not revealing what either. =P

I have been munching on Peanut M&M's non-stop since Wednesday and have not been going for my regular walks and cycles. The loss of blood is causing my stomache to bloat (Shaun thinks it's funny to look like I'm pregnant), my legs to go weak and lethargy to take over of all controls. But I think the chocolate is causing the extra heat in the body so I would need to boil another pot of chrysanthemum tea. Learnt a new trick from mum on how to make it extra yummy so maybe tomorrow is a good day for tea. Cooling me down would be just in time to face prac with a level head. =/

But I think the biggest surprise this month's 'visit' has sprung is my swift decision to continue with my Optus postpaid plan and to upgrade my handset. So now, from a Nokia 6610i, I am the proud owner of a Nokia 7370, which is part of the L'Amour Collection. WHOA! Chrys using a high-tech mobile phone!!! Definitely a first! Oh, but it's not the one that you see in the TV advertisements. I have the one which is Coffee Brown in colour. Shaun thinks the amber one is more feminine, which is true as it has flower motifs and gives a more 'girly' look but hey, who says all girls like stuff like that? So sexist! Talk about gender equality. But yes, it is snazzy. I like the phone. Hell, it comes with matching earphones, leather pouch and sling! So going to treasure this.

And, I went to the Adidas factory outlet store in Lidcombe this afternoon when we failed to fix my old pair of Reebok runners for the 5th time. We've tried super glue, epoxy and what not. In the end, Shaun said, "Don't think we can save this pair of shoes. You've been wearing this pair for 9 years! For heaven's sake, go get a new pair!" $80 poorer, I came home with a pair of Xanthos. Believe it or not, I think it's from an older collection as the Adidas website does not have any record of it. Sorry, can't show you what it looks like. But for those of you who have seen my first pair of white-with-orange-stripes Adidas, which I bought in Midvalley for ~RM300, this pair look similar but with more funky-looking stripes and with more support to the ankles. And it's cheaper than the orange pair!

So yea, out of control mode is scary. Makes me think that I am doing really badly in life as a 22-turning-23-year-old human being. Still, I am totally 100% truthfully not complaining about the oh-so-exciting life that I am living.

ARGH!!! Someone stop the squeeking of my spacebar!!!!!!!!

Paul's news

OK people, just got IMed by my cousin Woon Bing. Please head to this blog for updates on Paul's condition. I'm just so glad that he is on the road to recovery. So, so glad, really. I think I nearly cried when my other cousin, Pei Shin, sent me a text message saying that he could move his fingers and had some facial expression. I know I did jump for joy.

So yes, please keep the prayers coming. And no, I have no preference in religion. I don't care if you are freaking non-religious, Buddhist of any denomination, Christian of any denomination, Muslim, Taoist, Hindu, Ba'hainese or a mixture of everything. Just pray for Paul, please. Even if you don't pray, just think of good thoughts and believe me, the aura of good thoughts do travel far.

Prayers needed by the bucketload

Conversation between my cousin Woon Bing and I, this afternoon over the MSN Messenger:

WB: Did you hear about Paul?
SJ: Oh hello, no, I didn't. What happened to Paul? (sensing something amiss)
WB: He's in ICU now. In critical condition.
SJ: OMG!
WB: He slipped and hit his head when going into the drain to take the ball. He was playing basketball.
SJ: Which hospital is he in? Is he awake yet?
WB: HUKM. Not sure. All I know is that he was supposed to wake up yesterday. They only told us during Sunday service. I don't know what really happened.
SJ: OK, thanks for letting me know. I will call Jon. He would know more.
WB: OK. Take care.

Paul is a lovely, caring and energetic young man who has lots of friends who love him in return. He is funny, sarcastic and played really good volleyball.


According to Jon, he was fine until he gradually lost his coordination. His condition has been up and down. He's had two operations and his brain was bleeding. Not sure if it's still bleeding or not. Doctors took him of sedation but he's still in coma.

Oh please, give me a break already! Last year my bro, my cousin and now a good friend of mine in life-threatening mode? And all happening when I'm over here???

I must've been a Communist or a terrorist in my past life to deserve all this.

A little something from a dear friend

Received this lovely piece from a very dear friend of mine. You know who you are. Love you lots.

May you be blessed
with all things good.
May your joys, like the stars at night,
be too numerous to count.
May your victories be more abundant
than all the grains of sand
on all the beaches
on all the oceans
in all the world.
May lack and struggle be always
absent from your life
and may beauty order and abundance
be your constant companions.
May every pathway you choose
lead to that which is pure and good and lovely.
May every doubt and fear
be replaced by a deep abiding trust
as you behold evidence of a Higher Power
all around you.
And when there is only darkness
and the storms of life are closing in
May the light at the core of your being
illuminate the world.
May you always be aware you are loved beyond measure
and may you be willing to love unconditionally in
return.
May you always feel protected and cradled
in the arms of God,
like the cherished child you are.
And when you are tempted to judge
may you be reminded that we are all ONE
and that every thought you think
reverberates across the universe,
touching everyone and everything.
And when you are tempted to hold back,
may you remember that love flows best when
it flows freely
and it is in giving that we receive
the greatest gift.
May you always have music and laughter
and may a rainbow follow every storm
May gladness wash away every disappointment
may joy dissolve every sorrow
and my love ease every pain.
May every wound bring wisdom
and every trial bring triumph
and with each passing day
may you live more abundantly than the day before.
May you be blessed
And may others be blessed by you.
This is my heartfelt wish for you.
May you be blessed.

"A Brother's Journey: Surviving a Childhood of Abuse"

Written by Richard B. Pelzer, this is a true story account of (as you may already have guessed), his childhood. I'm into everything that has to do with children and childhood so I guess that was what made me buy this book. Wasn't sure if it would be a upsetting book but I read it anyways. And you know what? I think I topped my record of finishing off a novel under 4 hours! The last time I finished one in such a short time was when I read Catherine Lim's "The Bondmaid" back in 2001.

What do I think of it? I thought it was an honest account of what had happened. I cannot imagine myself remembering all the details of what happened to me when I was only 5 years old but Richard remembers, and I can understand why. When you experience abuse in that manner, you will most definitely remember everything that you felt, if not have done. Emotions and feelings are the strongest matters that keeps us alive, sane or insane. To remember events down to the very words spoken by all the main characters, one can only imagine the journey that he has gone through, one that he wouldn't want anyone else to live through. Warning: some descriptions are not for the faint-hearted. They initially brought disgust and hate in me but then I also had tears in my eyes. Kudos to Richard and all others who have published their experiences for educating the world and bringing such horrors out into the daylight.

Reading "A Brother's Journey" made me appreciate my life even more. Although I realize that my childhood was enjoyable and free, I can't help but feel that I could have taken everything for granted. Not realizing that someone undergoing abuse in their home could well have been my next-door-neighbour or my volleyball teammate, I might have even taken life for granted until I came over to Sydney. In fact, I think I sometimes still do take everything I have for granted. See how powerful reading books is? It makes you think of so many things!

Writing this book was Richard's redemption - he has managed to put everything down and learn from the events in his life which he deem unfortunate. He has become stronger and he will be able to teach and love people in a more 'real' way. To me, that is a significant trade in life - to let go, move on and become stronger, something that I still kinda suck at.

Life

Life begins with birth
We exist and deviate
We then end with death

Unusual dinner

Today I decided to cook. Usually I would prefer to let Shaun do all the cooking and I would just pretend that he's fine without any help. Well, I usually do the cleaning up, as in while he's cooking. Erin and I take turns to wash up afterwards.

Today I decided to prepare the ingredients, since Shaun wasn't home yet and I didn't want to take a nap. I figured that it was too early for a cycle so away I went with the chopping, cutting, peeling, pulling and whacking of shallots, ginger, garlic, beef, tomato, carrot and apple.

Intended dishes were beef with shallots and ginger, and an omellette. Was thinking of putting in mushrooms, chilli and tomato into the egg but we didn't have mushrooms, Erin doesn't take spicy and so I was left with only the tomato. ARGH! So, I decided to be a little creative. I put in a carrot, which I sliced thinly, and an apple!!! I cut the apple into cubes. Boiled the carrot in some hot water so that it would be softer when I cook them with the egg. And when I dumped everything into the pan, they smelled terrific! I then added some salt and pepper. After a few tosses, I though I'd add some sesame oil. Wasn't sure how it would taste but what the heck.

Verdict: It tasted weird. Haha, but it was a good type of weird. It wasn't salty enough, though. And the one cup of rice wasn't enough today! Shaun and Erin were very hungry! Erin then made some 'bananarama' flavoured oats, which she and Shaun absolutely did NOT enjoy. Oh... Uncle Toby's, oh so tasty... NOT!

Another day. I'm going to start cycling now. Have to give Nic back his comp. Haha...

Hm, what should I cook tomorrow? Maybe the brocolli. It's starting to turn into ice.

Coogee Beach

Date: March 11, 2006
Time: 12:30pm
Venue: Coogee Beach
Event: SUAMS Welcoming BBQ

FYI, SUAMS stands for Sydney University Association for Malaysian Students and the barbeque was to welcome the freshies into the great and exciting life of students in Sydney ala Malaysian style. Haha, there's where I don't fit into the picture. 1) I am NOT from Sydney Uni. 2) I am NOT a freshie. =P

Oh, but I did get food for free. That's coz Miow is the Sports Director and he was sweet enough to get some chicken-tasting hotdogs and a cup of cordial. Couldn't tell what flavour it was, though. Oh, I wasn't the only person who was out of place. There was Ta Seng, our navigator. Haha, oh, but he was a hit with a group of girls. They thought he was really funny.


Erin with some food....


Ta Seng and Shaun with more food....

As I felt bad for eating food that I wasn't supposed to, I didn't eat much. I ended up getting an apple pie from Mackers with Ta Seng. We then went for a hike up the cliff. The view was stunning! Should look at the colours of the rocks and oh, the blue, blue sea....






We also had a brief dip in the baths. It's an enclosure, which is like a pool, just that this one is a natural one, in the seas. Bummer, don't think I have a picture of that. Will remember to take one when I go to Coogee again coz those at Bondi and Manly aren't as 'friendly'. Oh, and the sun!! Look at what it did to Nic..


Spoilt the day with an unknown tantrum. Urgh.... sometimes I hate being myself coz I don't understand half the things I do or say.... Now, don't say I didn't warn you about my mood-swings and temper tantrums. Stay away from me!!!

SMKDP Class of 2000 Reunion 2006

Date: February 10, 2006
Time: 9:00pm
Venue: Newly-opened section of Sri Neela's mamak (they should pay me commission for giving them so much business)

[Very long overdue. Apologies, apologies..]


Su'Ann Wong Yinn-Venn. The last time we met was at Denise's birthday party some 8 or 9 years ago. Having graduated from the University of Auckland, she is now back in KL working in Damansara in a job that is something like a job-hunter's, just that she receives CVs and forwards them to prospective employers.


Girl in white is Natalia Yee Yen Lin, most popular girl in school history who is currently doing her Honours in Psychology down in Otago, NZ. Lim Sim Yee, her faithful sidekick is now working at Tropicana Golf and Country Club. Give her a call and she'll bring you in for some scrumptious food. Fella behind us is cheeky Foong Chee Kit. No idea what he's doing now actually but he's still with the same girl from milleniums ago. Happy for him!

The twins, Adelle and Adelyn Lim. Please guess for yourself who is who...


This is Max Leung Kah Nung who now drives a swanky new black two-door Merc, which he bought on his own. Will always be a dear friend to me coz we get to speak in Hakka when we want to backstab someone.. nyahaha...


Two guys from Science 2, Tommy Chiang Choon Leong (in red) who is doing.. er... I forgot what he's doing now but I do know that he's working now. And, I do know that he's still as sweet as ever. Raymond Loh Chiang Yew, heartthrob to the younger girls in school. He managed to come from his cousin's wedding dinner and still ordered something to eat!


Law Pin Kean was penolong ketua pengawas along with my brother. He's now working in a bank in Kajang, if I'm not mistaken. Sim Hui Wei, longtime friend was late due to an accident that happened to her brand new Perodua Myvi.


You know the first two so let's start from the girl in white. Ong Su Ee, ketua pengawas and future architect, currently finishing off at Newcastle, NSW. Her hand is on the shoulder of Lian Poh Choo, sweet and super intelligent currently in UM. Behind her is Nai Ching Yee, joined us in Form 4. In grey is Wong Yew Fon who used to be blur but is someone who is sweet and loyal to friends. Last but not least, Lee Lee Sih (Rick's cousin), who is 2 days older than I am. Not sure if she's still working for Aunty Gek at the salon in Ampang but she sure has beautiful skin and lovely hair now.


Alexis Keith Fernandez is the young man standing next to Chee Kit. He's a copyrighter now. You know that Perodua advertisement that was on TV during CNY where there were 3 young boys (one Malay, one Chinese and one Indian) who spoke Mandarin and played lion dance? Well, he did the copyrights for that. The handsome young man sitting in front of him is Robin Sue Tze Liang, who is working in Kelana Jaya doing web designing. It was also his gf's birthday so he had to run to and fro our gathering and her birthday dinner. Next to him is Vijay, a person I've not seen since VK's break-up with me. That would be 4 years?


We practically took over the whole shop! This is only one part. We had tables at the sides as well!

That was not all who attended. There were many more. To name a few, there were Yeow Chwan, Rick Kee, Jeunn Fuh, Peng Wai, Edwin, Justin, Chia Lit, Karen (Kow Cheng Ye), Yin Lee, Husaini, Chin Liang, Weng Fei, Yee Sim, Kong, Yuen Chai and many more!

I would like to thank all of you who has helped to make this reunion a success, especially Chee Kit, Adelle and Jeunn Fuh who helped me call the peeps whose numbers I don't have. Thank you guys so much!

P/S: Santhosh apologized for not being able to make it due to Thaipusam.

Dream a little dream of....

Had a dream of a guy I used to have a crush on in high school. It was a peculiar scenario. Unsure of where we were exactly and what we were doing, I allowed myself to continue dreaming. It was at the beach. And for some parts, we were at a shoplot. I think near my house. Now, there certainly isn't a beach anywhere near my house so it seemed really weird. To make it even more weird, he was rather friendly towards me. We weren't particularly best of friends in school and I haven't been thinking of him recently so why this sudden appearance in my dream?!

He taught me how to surf. I don't even now how to swim in real life. =/ He stood up for me when some of the other girls bad-mouthed me. How sweet... *blush* (in the dream, not now la!) He held my hand when we climbed down some rocks. He helped me pack my stuff and carried my tote bag from the beach to the car.

And we attended some meeting at one of the shoplots. Upstairs were tables arranged in a long row and chairs all around. There were many people and he waved at me. I sat next to him. Didn't dare to look at him, as I never dared to look at him in class back then. After the meeting, we were the last to leave. We went down the stairs and he held me back. His hand was on my left shoulder. He came near me to whisper something into my ear, which I totally do not remember now and he started to kiss me! OMG!

The disbelief actually woke me up. And for the entire day, I tried to call him on his mobile. I finally managed to get him in the evening. It's funny how things turn out. We are now 'phone buddies'. Still a little shy and awkward when we meet but at least our misunderstanding of a decade ago has been cleared. I love the feeling of getting things out in the open. At least, we are still friends.

I wonder why I don't dream of my boyfriend that often... hmm.......

New discoveries!

I was feeling lazy, yet again, so I browsed through random blogs. There were a few which were hosted by BlogCharm and they caught my attention. Why? They had this:

Why not get paid to blog?

Wa!! I thought, yea, why not? I signed up for an account just to end up deleting the blog I had set up. They wanted me to create a Paypal account, which I did. But, due to my own insecurities of online transactions (especially when it requires your bank account number), I chickened out. I closed the Paypal account the second after I created it. Annoying eh, people like me?

You might be wondering how you get paid and you might be thinking, hey, I wanna get paid, too! Just go to their website and find out for yourself. If you know how AdSense works, you would be able to figure this out pretty easily.

As for me, I'm fine with blogspot. That is until someone I know can prove to me that it is safe to use BlogCharm and I won't lose any of my parents' hard-earned money to some cyberthief.
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There is a lecturer here at Macquarie who is Malaysian! Wow! She specializes in History of Travel and History of Love. Imagine that... love you know... and how did I find out about her? As students, we get an update of what happens in uni. Yea, it's like a newsletter. And she was featured in it coz of the release of her new book. Oh yes, she writes books, too! I did a Google search on her name and I found out that she has won an Australian award of some sort (I don't remember the name of the award, ok: bad memory) for her book Love and Vertigo.

Oooo.... new books to eye on, new author to spy on!

Yeash!!! I'm so gonna take advantage of Co-op's 15% discount!

Hello, Miss Teo Hsu-Min!

"Beyond the Fall"

What is "Beyond the Fall"?
I've been reading this book for the past 3 days. I should be finishing tomorrow. It's written by a young man called Thomas, who resides in Singapore. He is a tetraplegic (person who is paralyzed in four limbs) and this book is about his life after the fateful Christmas Party in 1999, where he got drunk and somehow ended up on the ground floor when he was supposed to be in bed on the third floor of a friend's house in Bukit Timah.

How did I get this book? Why?
I was in Popular with mum and our two maids, Seuth Pov and Pher. Seuth Pov wanted to buy some books before going back to Cambodia. I just took the chance to spend more time with mum and dad. I was browsing through the shelves (not the the branch in South City Plaza has a good selection of books) and one section caught my attention. The first book was Lydia Teh's "Life's Like That", which is about Malaysian life. That was a good read. Will talk about it next time. Then next to her book was this book, which has a lovely painting of a sunflower on its cover. It actually looked a little like the art work produced by the kids dad teach. I flipped through, read the front and back covers, and the first few pages. At the bottom of one page read: "20% from the sale of this book will go to .......... Foundation...... Charity........" Oh yes, definitely buying this book. I'm a big fan of charity..... =P

So far...
I've enjoyed reading it. I envy Thomas' journey of life. I mean, I don't think it's any fun being paralyzed but I think he is getting much more out of life because he is more appreciative of life than most of us 'normal' people are. He wanted to share his experiences with the rest of Singapore (and perhaps the world) to show that people like him are also part the society and that they should also be taken care of. He was referring to how an enormous task it is for him and his maid to go 'jalan-jalan' in his neighbourhood - high kerbs, flimsy railing, uneven pathways, uncovered manholes, etc. Just imagine a really bad version of KL. There were a few typos but I guess that's alright as the publishing and editing was done by his close friends. I like the layout of the book, though. The idea of starting each section with a picture and poem is refreshing (for me, at least). Definitely refreshing when you have been reading Times New Roman font 10, single-spaced, in paperback published by Puffin or Penguin all your life.

Not good enough

Hm, I didn't get the scholarship.

When Jennifer (Head of Dept., IEC) called me on my mobile, I was waiting outside Darryl Lea for Uncle, Aunty and Erin.

J: I'm so sorry to tell you that you didn't get the big prize. But I must say that your interview was a very strong one and it was a tough pick.
Sj: Oh, that's alright, that's fine. No worries. Thank you so much for providing me the chance.

Hm, I sounded just fine. I felt fine. Probably I was too hungry to feel anything else. All I had in my mind was Pent-Thai's Pad Thai. Yummy......... I need to eeaatt.......

But, I did have the reflex to call dad right away. Wasn't sure where he was but I called him anyways. He answered very quickly.

Sj: Hello?
D: Yeah..
Sj: You in Papua New Guinea already ar?
D: Haha, nolar! I'm still in KL la! I'm only leaving tonight.
Sj: Oh. Er, I didn't get it.
D: Did they tell you why?
Sj: No, and I didn't bother asking. But I sort of thought that I wouldn't get it anyway coz my GPA is not as impressive as my friend's. And I would think that they would choose someone with a higher GPA than one which is sitting just slightly above the requirement mark.
D: Yes, yes.
Sj: And they would want to make it look good on paper, too. You know, to encourage other students to get higher GPAs and also to look good in their report to the Scholarship Committee la.
D: Of course, of course. Never mind. We already said that it's not important.
Sj: I'm going to call mum to tell her.
D: No need. I'll tell her for you. No need for you to make another call. I'm going to her place now. I'm meeting with her for lunch.

It takes time for stuff like that to sink in. I'm not supposed to be sad. But somehow, I am. Like 6 hours after the receipt of the news.

Oh well, consider myself lucky. At least I had the chance to even be allowed to apply.

A CNY to remember

Quick, faster, why so slow one? Hurry, if not we will be stuck in the traffic jam! We couldn't wait to go home, to be with the family. It took us around 2 hours to arrive. As we drove into the driveway, we could see a white tent. We disembarked. Grandma was glad that we were home. Youngest Aunt (Aunt Yeen) was already there with Eunice, Youngest Cousin. So that meant that 4 of the 5 siblings are home - Dad (Oldest Son), Aunt Ying (Oldest Daughter), Uncle Fatt (Youngest Son) and Aunt Yeen (Youngest Daughter). The missing link was Middle Daughter (Aunt Hong), who lives in Melbourne. Uncle Aaron was said to be arriving the next day enroute to Melbourne from Beijing, and he would be representing Aunt Hong.

It was quiet. We could see that Grandma and Dini (their long-serving Indonesian maid) were tired and sleepy. Even Granduncle and Grandaunt were there. Heck, there were even family members I've never seen or don't recognise. Scary feeling indeed. It was a time to gather, to reintroduce, to tell our stories that would have evolved from the last time we met. It was a time to bond. And trust me, having spent one CNY away from family is enought to make you really appreciate all the small talk and 'Wah, your daughter ar? So big awleddy? Good girl or not? Oh, study in Ostehlia ar? Wa, must be very clever one's.

We (the younger generation) were left to our own devices. With such a huge house and the lot of us, there were many things to fiddle with. Eunice fed the fishes while Samuel watched and instructed.



We had lively discussions at the dining table, which had us resorting to using the cordless phone as a 'mic' - the person who wishes to speak shall speak into the phone and everyone else must keep quiet to listen. That was really entertaining! Uncle Fatt was the only one who didn't need to 'mic' as he had to take care of his sparrow hawk. Unfairness.....



And yes, let me introduce you to the other female Voon of my generation: my cousin who is 10 years younger than I am - Miss Voon She Ying (see the resemblance in the names?). She's a little ripe for her age, I reckon but nobody says that it's a bad thing. =) She's pretty and chirpy. She seems to be very creative (like me!) - she makes things out of paper, plastic, ribbons, just everything she gets her hands on. And she's very into Channel [V] and MTV and everything rock. She's into black and red stripy stuff, rap and over the eye hair fringes (which drove grandma nuts when I had the same hairstyle!). And yes, she's hot with the fellas.

Back in Sydney

It's been a week since I arrived in sweltering hot Sydney. Well, it's not hot at the moment because it's actually pouring (for once!) and windy. I left a gap in my window so it was all wet - my laptop, too! I sort of panicked but all is well. It is quite intersting to sit her at the table and stare out of the window to watch raindrops fall in the glow of the street lamp. And the smell, the sound of rain - feels like home. Just that where home is, it's literally raining cats and dogs.

With the Chews here, life has been pretty unpredicatable (and predictable in a way). Don't think that sentence made sense but that's not important. I can safely say that the way Shaun was brought up and the way I was brought up are really on the two ends of the spectrum. But I won't say that what they do is wrong. For all I know, they would think that I'm a stuck-up, selfish, bitchy, spoilt princess from a rich and 'we-know-all' family. Ah, sama-sama lah.....

Due to Erin's arrival, Nic is now roughing it out in the living room while looking for a new place. He started with 2-bedroom units. Then now he's looking for one-bedroom places. He was so into looking at chun places, places which look new and funky. Heck, he had me looking at the pics, too, and I must say, some of them really are attractive! The one that stood out most was the 3-level place. Ooo, saliva drooling.....

Let's just hope when the parents leave on Wednesday, we would see some differences. And that the girl would prove all my preassumptions wrong.

Yes, I am preassuming. So hate me.

Fight: Forgiven

I was upset
I wanted to let you know
my feelings
as did you

Hoping
the person I once knew was
still in you
somewhere

You
released the
pent up
anger you had that was waiting to
explode

Eyes swollen with tears
Body trembling with fear, distress and disbelief
Fear because we've never had a FIGHT
Distress because we let the FIGHT take over
Disbelief because we let the FIGHT begin

What has become of us?
Was it entirely due to
me?
you?
her?
him?
All of us?

I don't know
I don't want to know
It hurts to know
Heck,
it hurts to care and love

The
Fight has awoken me from
my life
A life of loyalty and compassion
A life that has been misinterpreted
A life that was help formed
by people such as
you

Thank you for the
fight,
anger,
distrust,
disappointment,
release and the
lifting of burden.

I will always remember the times we've had
in the past
when nothing mattered
when we were friends because we
enjoyed each other's company and
talked about everything

You were someone I treasured and would
still want to treasure
but it is too painful and
heavy a task
to know that you have never understood
my thoughts and intentions

I fought with you
I forgive you

Will I forgive myself?