Sibuk Sial!!!

Those 2 words describe exactly how my life has been for the past few weeks. I'll let the pictures do the talking :)

Had lunch with Lydia. All friendships are different, but the ones where you can just pick up right where you left off are sometimes the best kind, even though they can be hard to come by. She is one of those rare friends. And I thank God that she is not the only one :)

I made tong yuen!! Hehe... *pats self on the back*

A few days later, Chin Tuck and I experimented with more colours :D And he got colouring on my white shirt -__- (I had to wash my shirt before the colouring set in, that's why I'm wearing his shirt)

Besides tong yuen, we also made gingercoffeebread man!

Our last batch. We got creative. LOL.

We went carolling and had so much fun! (and ate lots too! Hehe)

Us carolling in church on Christmas eve.

Chin Tuck+me @ church.

My Christmas present <3

Followed Chin Tuck and his family to Genting. We watched Dreamz. It's the best show that I've watched in Genting so far. The highlight of the evening was taking a picture with a white tiger!

I'm glad I came back to Malaysia, 'cos I got to celebrate my grandpa's 80th birthday. If there's one thing I learned in Brisbane, it's that we have to treasure our loved ones while they're still here.

We'll be celebrating Chin Tuck's mum's birthday today. It's gonna be a quiet New Year's Eve for me this year. Happy New Year everyone! :)

Why Christmas?

Christmas is a strange time of the year.

There are bells and baubles. There are carols and choirs. There are trees and tinsels and turkeys and tarts and treats.

Somewhere - somewhere in there there's a reason for all that. There must be. But who's got the time? We'll all sing the carols and do Christmas. And then that'll be it for another year.

So why do we do this? Why Christmas?

Christians celebrate Christmas to honour the birth of Christ.

Which brings me to my next question. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, why do you celebrate Christmas?

I read this somewhere:
"What makes Jesus so special that EVERYONE YOU KNOW has to get presents on HIS birthday?"
(I can assume that this wasn't meant to be taken literally and is actually funny)

Before I continue, I need to clear up some points:
1. I am not a religious zealot.
2. I am not condemning anyone nor do I think anyone is a bad person simply because they don't believe in Jesus.
3. Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ.

I can understand that no one wants to have another religion forced on them, but what gives society the right to "sanitize" Christmas just so they can partake in it too? It is Christmas, not Xmas.

This is a Christian holiday, just like Hari Raya Haji is a Muslim holiday. I'm pretty sure that if society were to step in and "participate" and slaughter a chicken (instead of a cow or goat... it is easier to slaughter a chicken right?) without praying, or have a tree as a symbol of their holiday, they wouldn't be too happy about it. Hari Raya Haji may not be in the same league as Christmas is to Christians, but it's still a holy day - as Christmas should be.

I'm not saying that you have to believe in the Christian religion to celebrate Christmas - simply respect that is is a religious and holy day and do not try to sanitize it. If you really want to celebrate something non-religious, there are 364 other days to choose from. Pick one and celebrate.

Somebody tried to explain some of the reasoning behind it. He explained that this is a widely recognised holiday and not everyone in society wants to deal with the religious aspects of it. However, they want to partake in it, so the only option was to sanitize, or ignore, the religious aspects. Therefore creating a comercialised Christmas. Okay... Interesting. While I can understand the reasoning - it doesn't make it right or respectful.

I guess Christians are just as much to blame because we did not stand up and speak as this was slowly happening.

One thing that more people need is tolerance, understanding, and respect.

Ok I'm done ranting. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, (whatever religion you subscribe to) and a very fruitful new year!

Possessor or Possessed?

Miss A buys clothes, & then she keeps them. She saves them for some "special" occassion, which rarely happens. Her clothes will probably last forever, along with Miss B's furniture which is all covered in clear plastic.

Now this may be fine for some, but I like to think that people should possess things. Never the reverse.

Furniture is for sitting on comfortably, not for sticking to. Carpets are to walk on, regardless the weather. Fine china & gleaming silver are wasted if they are always carefully stored away in some dark cupboard.

Beautiful, expensive clothes are meant to be worn. A lot!

Saving everything "for good" means that many of the best things are never really used.

I don't have that much, but what I do have isn't sacred, to be saved, covered, hidden, protected.

Things are to enjoy!

From Starcraft to this...

We wanted to play Starcraft. But the settings weren't right, we couldn't LAN. We even tried direct cable connection but our laptops couldn't detect each other. We ended up doing this.


Did I mention how much I love holidays?

Funfacts

Funfact no. 1: Some people said I gained weight!! Yay!! *pats self on the back* Must be all the rice, milk & butter...

Funfact no. 2: Some people said I got fairer... Which is weird considering the fact that I walked under the hot sun in Brisbane more than when I'm back here in Malaysia.

Funfact no. 3: I got bigger muscles on my arms. From all the housework perhaps?

Funfact no. 4: I can still drive. Haha!! I guess it's a skill that you cannot forget once you've learned it, kinda like swimming.

Funfact no. 5: I've been going out everyday since I've landed. There's so much catching up to do!!

Funfact no. 6: I've been shopping. A lot. Without doing any research, I got myself a new phone the same day I arrived in Malaysia. I know, I can be quite impulsive. Then cosmetics. & more cosmetics... Perfume <3... Clothes... I should stop. I can stop. I will stop! ....Next month. Haha!! There's still stuff on my shopping list, like bags, and accessories... and more cosmetics... XD

Funfact no. 7: I've been experiencing multiple orgasms. Food orgasm that is... Dim sum; Chong Qing steamboat; Kanna's banana leaf rice; Spicy Char Kuay Teow; Indomie; Heng Tai's Kam Heong Lala, & Tom Yam Fried Rice with Extra Sotong; Asam Laksa; Kayu's famous curry & my favourite Roti Telur (The waiter remembers me!! He said "Eh how ar yoo? Long taim yoo no coming..."); Nasi Lemak... There's so many more!!! Malaysia is a food heaven! I have to go... Like how Josh puts it, "I'm having the munchies!"

Madagascar & Lala

Met up with Josh (whom I've known since we were 7 & I'm so nice to layan him everytime he's emo) on Tuesday & we watched Madagascar 2! The penguins are soo funny! It isn't really that good, but if you enjoyed Madagascar, then go watch Madagascar 2. I'm glad I'm in Malaysia. Australia is so backward, Quantum of Solace is only coming out in December in Brisbane. But I heard it's a disappointment anyway. No gadgets, & if you didn't watch Casino Royale, you wouldn't know what the heck is happening.

Oh & I bumped into Elvyna before the movie, met Aik Thai at GSC (he was also in the same hall watching the same movie), & bumped into my cousin after the movie. It's good to see familiar faces! Haha!

After Madagascar 2, we window shopped for awhile. We looked at some shoes, then headed to Parkson to sample some perfume. hehe...

By that time my stomach was growling so we went to Indomie to have our fix. Kam Heong Lala... Yum! & Tom Yam Fried Rice with Sotong... Double yum! We ate & chatted till 2am our stomachs were satisfied & our butts hurt.


I miss this lifestyle. It's good to be home.

I have no time to blog since I arrived in Malaysia! Ok so here's some of the stuff we did before leaving for Malaysia.

1. I ate a burger at McDonalds... with bacon! Tee hee... You cannot get this in Malaysia! Imagine going to a Ramli Burger stall, & you say "Burger babi satu". Nope, it's something I can't imagine happening in Malaysia. Pity, Burger babi has such a nice ring to it.

2. We finally went to the famous casino in Brisbane city. We actually wanted to play Blackjack, but decided against it after we saw how the banker kept winning. LOL. We didn't even know how to play the slot machine. Headed home & had our own gambling session. We used Phuong's limited edition Jay Chou playing cards! Woot!


3. Swam at the Manors. We did some really crazy stuff in the pool which I shall NOT blog about. Haha! Then they came over to our apartment since they haven't been here before.

4. Went shopping with the girls at Harbour Town. Had a really crappy meal. The menu said fish with prawn, calamari, scallops, & fries. Turns out the calamari & scallops were fake. WTF!!?!? It was made from potato & flour or something of that sort. Other than that, I really enjoyed shopping there :)

Thankful

On Sunday, the girls & I went to Harbour Town (which took about an hour or more to reach by public transport) for some retail therapy. Little did I know that a storm would hit Brisbane. The worst storm that Queensland had experienced in more than 20 years.

The funny thing was, I didn't even know that a storm had hit Brisbane when I came back (the storm was in a different suburb), until a few days later. The only thing I knew was it was raining heavily the night we came back.

Phuong (who is all the way in Vietnam, mind you) messaged Hwai Li & I to ask if we were ok. & we were like "Storm? What storm?" Then we looked it up online & was shocked to find all the pictures... Trees uprooted, roofs blown off, people wading in knee-high waters...





I am thankful. God took care of me, & I didn't even know.

Is the grass really greener on the other side?

A lot of people have asked me if I am planning to stay in Australia after I graduate, leaving Malaysia for a "better nation" for a "better life". & my answer to them is "No, I'm going home."

I'm not saying Australia isn't a nice place. I've had so much fun exploring this foreign land & I intend to learn much more about this place, the people, & its culture.

But, I've lived in Malaysia all 21 years of my life. I love my home. I don't deny that there are many things that we can be unhappy or complain about but this is home. Sure there are plenty of system that don't seem to work smoothly, but this is our tanah air!

I've crossed the fence, the grass isn't much greener after all.

Fun & orgasm

Finally! Omg I'm so glad it's over. I'm so excited!!!

Holidays here I come!!

I'm looking forward to it... I was actually smiling to myself in the exam hall ok! & I couldn't concentrate. All I could think of is these 3 months... LOL I know I know...

The orgasm is kicking in, just thinking about it...


Listening to: Next Plane Home - Daniel Powter

Week 15, Semester 2, 2008

14 weeks just passed by in the blink of an eye. Finals begin next week.
I won't have time to blog.

*looks at schedule & faints*

First paper on the 5th, 2 papers on 12th, last paper on the 13th.

Then I can't wait for what happens next :)

Freebie

Last week of lectures was well... last week. & guess what I got from my tutor?

Chocolate! For achieving 100% attendance in his tutorial. *pats self on the back*

Ok Hwai Li, I admit I skipped more classes than you, but I know which one can't be skipped! hahaha...

If only we knew which class to skip & which not to. Like Phuong said, they should at least mention it in the course profile. LOL wtf...

Pick Up Lines 101

Josh, remember we were once discussing about pick up lines? You've inspired me to write this post, & hopefully some of you guys can benefit from this ;)

I think the only purpose of a pick up line should be to initiate a conversation with a girl, but pick up lines are not an essential part of meeting women. Ok I shall start with bad pick up lines.

"Great legs, what time do they open?"
Your friends might find this hilarious, but you're certainly not getting anywhere with her by trying this pick up line. Anytime you imply that a good-looking girl is easy because she's dressed provocatively & in a bar, you're committing a huge mistake. If she's hot, would she really be interested in hearing you belittle her? & it's not witty, it's just insulting.

"Hey girl, what's up? Guess what? It's your lucky day. Out of all the girls here, I picked you to talk to."
Confidence is always good, but when it crosses the line into arrogance, you won't be having much luck with the ladies.

"Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk past again?"
Kind of funny, yes, but you want to know why it's so bad? Too cocky. This type of pick up lines has got egomaniac written all over it.

"Excuse me, I think you owe me a drink. Because when I saw you from across the room I dropped mine."
Not only will this trigger the bullsh*t detector on most girls, but you're bound to get labelled a cheapskate to boot. At this point, you shouldn't be asking her for things but instead, offering to make her life better in some small way - or at least buy her a drink.

You wouldn't want this to happen to you.

If you ask me, men have a tendency to walk up to women in completely the wrong manner. Whether it's out of a fear of rejection or just general stupidity, men often come off as being crude & insulting.

It is important that your first line of communication be one that is easily accepted, funny, or humorous, or something that will make a lasting impression. One mistake that any women can tell you that most men make is that they try to use a sexual pick up line. This does not work with women & is an instant turn off.

What does work however is to use a charming, sincere, & witty pick up line. Another area that is a quick turn off is to use a pick up line that sounds like a pick up line. Women want to hear a conversation starter, not a pick up line. So, make sure that you fine tune your pick up line & present it in a way that opens dialogue & is a form of communication, not a command that demeans the woman's character.

When you first meet a woman, unless you want a slap in the face, your pick line should be complimentary in nature, not overtly sexual. Here are the few good pick up lines that you can use as conversation starters.

"Besides being gorgeous, what else do you do for a living?"
This is a great pick up line because it opens with a compliment & is then followed by a sincere question - what line of work are you in. It is a two fold compliment; the first says that the woman is beautiful, the second that you are interested in her area of work, or her brains. Make sure you say it with a genuine & sincere smile & it will work like a charm.

"Heaven called, they said they're missing an angel. No, seriously, where are you from?"
This pick up line plays on the heaven/angel theme - a very common topic used in pick up lines. But this one leads into a conversational topic. Often, people use pick up lines & then are left dumbfounded with nothing else to say. Always follow your pick up line with a question or a comment that elicits a response.

"I only have a minute before I must get back to my friends, but I wanted to introduce myself to you."
This line is more formal & old fashioned, but it takes the edge off. Most women tend to shy away from men who they think may become instant stalkers. By letting her know from the beginning that you aren't planning on monopolizing her time, she will be more receptive to your introduction & conversation.

"The only thing your body language isn't telling me is your name."
This line is a bit more straightforward & should be used only when you are positive that you & the woman have made that first connection. It is another great starting point that leads into an introduction.

Remember guys, don't take pick up lines so seriously, or it's bound to fail. Let your guard down a bit, & make it clear that you're aware of the cliched approach you're taking. The girl may not swoon, but she'll probably think you're cool enough to carry on a conversation with. The rest is up to you ;)

My friend the siao cha boh

Life would be so much duller without friends like you...

I miss u too siao cha boh!! :P

Feel the Adrenaline!

I've been wanting to post this, but I was too busy watching Moonlight Resonance. hehe...

Guess where we went during SWOTVAC? We were deciding between Movieworld & Dreamworld, & almost everybody said that Dreamworld's rides are nicer, so yup, Dreamworld it is! (It was a good choice, Dreamworld did not disappoint)

Hwai Li & I on the train. The seats were uber comfortable! We thought of renting a car, but we were too lazy to drive.

Our tickets!

On the bus. Terence doesn't know how to look at the camera.
He was really excited. LOL. Like a small kid. It was funny watching him.
Terence: Oooh this is so fun!! *beams*
Three of us: Err...... ok... We're glad you're enjoying the bus ride.......

Terence still has trouble looking at the camera.

Me! There were so many people there. We went on a school holiday. School holiday = more time spent queing up :(
Notice the really tall Giant Drop behind. More on that later.

The Park Map. Really essential!

First ride! THE CLAW!
While we were lining up to get on the ride:
Me: Do you scream on rides?
Phuong: No. I curse.
Me: Haha... Hmm... Ok... (Whatever that means) *shrug*

People were screaming & we were telling each other "It's not that scary mar... Why are they screaming?"

I underestimated The Claw. Imagine this. A giant pendulum, swinging back & forth. & at the end of the pendulum we sit in a circle, facing outwards, feet dangling. Oh it also spins 360 degrees, & swings at up to 75km/hr. 9 storeys high. So 1 second u may be falling face down, another second you're falling backwards. Get it? ...Never mind, there's a picture of it below.

When it first started, I was like "Woohoo!! This is fun!!" But when it got faster, I couldn't scream. I just concentrated on breathing! Man, it was hilarious as well. Phuong was sitting on my left & I could hear him... "WHAT... THE... FFFUUUCCCKKKKKK!!!" *super high pitch at the end*. HAHAHAHAHA.... Now I know what he meant.

When we got off the ride, I felt like I was floating. I couldn't feel my feet on the ground. That was one hell of a ride!

Oh oh & I love it that they have all this cute "props" around so we can pose & take pictures. Haha!


Next, Wipeout! This ride wasn't so bad. Maybe I overestimated it after I sat The Claw. It spins, twists, & tumbles! I found it really fun! While on the ride:
Terence: *phew* Ok we're done. It's stopping.
Hwai Li: No there's still one more time! I counted when we were lining up!

Yea, we actually have conversations on rides at theme parks. Haha! Oh & she was right. It did turn one more time... Really slowly... I think that was probably the worst part of the ride. Going upside down is bad enough. Going upside down slowly... that's just torturing.
Wipeout in action!

More "props" to pose with!


Terence didn't take a picture coz he was queing up for the next ride.

Reef Diver. The most dizzy-ing ride I sat at Dreamworld. It's supposed to be a family ride weih!
Phuong & Hwai Li didn't want to sit because it'll make them dizzy. Wise decision. Reef Diver is like a giant vertical whirlpool thingy... It just goes round & round, up & down...

I like this picture! Wipeout on the left, The Claw on the right. Yup that's The Claw. Now you get it?

Phuong...
& Hwai Li... Watching us on Reef Diver also makes them dizzy. Haha!

After Reef Diver, I felt like puking! So I just sat with Phuong & stoned for awhile.
In the meantime, Terence went on Vortex, which I wanted to sit also but I was feeling too sick... Hwai Li took this picture. It's really cool! All you do is just stand there, & it spins so intensely that it leaves you plastered to the wall!

When Terence was done with Vortex, we proceeded to lunch! Bumped into Koala on the way, awhile later we saw him returning with a female Koala. Perhaps he picked her up somewhere? LOL.

Super long que. Damn school holidays...

Me --> happy, full, & not dizzy anymore! Yay! More rides please!
Phuong --> *pointing & middle finger above the eye, wink, tongue sticking out* face. A sign language us housemates learned. HAHAHA!!!

Cute-ness!

We weren't ready for another ride, so we decided to enter the haunted house. Theme: The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
I like the way they created the atmosphere... Orange lighting, mist, & you can hear those people that went in before you, screaming... The only thing not right about it is this white man dressed in those "sam fu" outfit, guarding the tomb. & he will hit the gong & say "ENTER" in an Australian accent.


This was another hilarious experience. Terence was supposed to lead, followed by me, Hwai Li, Phuong, & two random guys that joined us. Halfway through, Terence got scared & asked me to lead. I was like "No!!". So he had no choice but to lead. Phuong didn't help either... All he did was "Yalah Terence don't chicken out la!" LOL. Kudos to Terence for leading us through the tomb! Oh & at the last part this "actor" came out from nowhere, dressed in "sam fu" & all, looking bloody & really pale (their make up skills are superb), & he said "ni hao". All of us replied "NI HAO" in unison! It was so funny! So unplanned, & right on cue! I have a feeling that we're the only group that answered him :P

After much screaming laughter, we're ready for another adrenaline-pumping ride! The Giant Drop!
It's the tallest, free-falling ride in the world, according to the Guiness Book of Records. It took us up 120 metres, that's equivalent to a 39-storey building. When we reached the top, all I was thinking of was the trip down. & Terence tried to start a conversation to calm himself down.
Terence: Err.. Hello
Me: Hi.
Terence: Wah still can answer me. Wow this is really high.
Me: Yea... (duh...)

*silence*

WHOOSH!!! Whoa!!! That was soooo fun!! It was breathtaking! Literally! We even bought the picture of us on the way down.

Took this picture while lining up to get on the Giant Drop.
That's Captain Sturt Riverboat. (We were still lining up for the Giant Drop)

After the Giant Drop, we chose Mick Doohan's Motocoaster. We sit on life-size replicas of racing bikes, & are held in by a unique restraint system. The line for this ride was the longest. We had to wait close to an hour to sit on it for a few minutes! Still, this ride is fun! (It goes up to 72km/hr!)

Next, we went to Nickelodeon Central to sit on...
Runaway Reptar Rollercoaster! Hwai Li & I got to sit in the front, so I guess we enjoyed this ride a little more than the guys.
I even saw Superboy lining up for this ride too.

Final ride, Dreamworld Railway.
Phuong looking at the two photographs of us that we bought. One was from Wipeout, the other one is us on The Giant Drop.

Terence still not looking at the camera.

Terence is scared of Phuong touching him. Or should it be the other way around?



Lovely sunset.

Us waiting for the train.


It was a long, tiring, but fun day.

Oh... Here's the picture of us on Wipeout.

We survived The Giant Drop!
(r to l: Phuong, Terence, Crystal, Hwai Li)