A Journey Called Life

A year After

2010-11-16T22:54:00.002+08:00

After a year of hiatus, I finally decided to update my blog.

What has gone through in one year's time?
- Too much that a single post can't describe.

How has my life changed?
- Only for the better

Have I grown?
- U bet. From a 361 degree aspect

Do I enjoy the past year of my life?
- There are ups and down but collectively, it was awesome ^^

What do I wish for in the future?
- Erm, happiness & a bright future I guess

Do I see myself accomplishing it?
- I see glimpse of hope. So I am going to continue on with being hopeful :)

Am I tired now?
- Uh-huh

Do I want to stop?
- Yup

Good Night Folks..

Philosophy of IFs

2009-11-10T19:25:00.001+08:00

If God tells me:
-I could relive one moment with u, I would choose to be cuddled tightly in your warm and loving arms (cause I can never forget how good it felt)
-He could take away one hurtful thing you did to me, I would choose the day you decided to 'bitch' about me openly (cause it really broke my heart)
-He could take away all my sorrows about this incident, but with it goes all the memories about you as well, I would say NO
-He could turn back the time and let me choose again, I will make the same choice
-He could bring you back to me right now, then I guess....my answer might not be YES

Some Interesting Facts About Homo Sapiens

2009-09-18T20:10:00.002+08:00

Lately I've been continuously impressed by the many facets of human personality. One of the many interesting facts that I learn includes how our behaviors are sometimes contradictory to who we actually are. For example, if I am a person with low self-esteem, I will usually appear proud and boastful just to feed my frail self-esteem. The sad part about this is that sometimes we don't do it on purpose. We somehow believe that we are confident and deserve to be confident. We don't know who we actually are...due to certain defense mechanism that decide to block everything up in order for us to continue striving in this demanding world. I wouldn't call this a bad thing but rather, a fascinating ideology.

Lately, I have been going through certain ups and downs in life that taught me a lot of life's valuable lessons. Although some of the experience are not something I would choose to go through, I am still grateful for the lessons learned.
However, I suddenly realize that no matter how much I learn, it is never adequate. What I mean is that whenever I think I have learned enough about a certain issue, I realize I am far from enlightenment. Guess that's how the phrase, 'learn till you die' come from. It also helps me realize that we can never lear everything in life....Just learn whatever we can and be sure to apply it :)

Cheers

The Lovely Garden

2009-09-18T16:17:00.003+08:00

After a long hiatus, I think it is time for me to scribble something unto this lovely website of mine. After all, it is a place for me to rant and share bad/good experiences.

First, I am glad to be welcomed back here in Malaysia by a group of loving friends. Though I have spent 4 months away from them, 'The Garden' still has a place for me :)

Let me introduce you to my lovely friends that together made up 'The Garden'

We have
1) owner of the garden : Valerie Chua
2) The flower growing in the garden : Leow Jia Min
3) The grass that bring peace and serenity to the garden : Hillary Chew
4) The little butterfly flying around beautifying the garden : Evie Chua
5) The cute little bee buzzing around the garden : Ng Zi Yen

And of cause, last but not least ME (the colorful rainbow that shines the garden day and night and make the whole garden colorful..hehe)

There might be some arguments here and there between us at times (I guess) but all in all....we still make a great 'garden'...

Thank you girls for being part of my life

Happy Birthday Xiao Chao

2009-07-01T13:44:00.001+08:00

Today is 'little grass's' birthday..
Happy birthday little grass...

So sad cant celebrate with you cause I am so far away...Wish you had a good time...and enjoy yourself to the fullest ya...I miss you

And also I would like to wish Yen a happy belated birthday :)
I cant join Yen's birthday celebration too :(

Well, guess what?
I am gonna miss both my BF's birthday who happen to fall on the same day......
Hmmmmmmmmmm...Hmmmmmmmmm

Happy Birthday Xiao Chao

2009-07-01T13:44:00.000+08:00

Lake Powell here I come

2009-07-01T13:40:00.002+08:00

I have been trying to upload pictures of me here but still cant...Nevermind, will try a different method.
Anyway, next Tuesday and Wednesday, I will be going to Lake Powell, America's second biggest man-made lake I heard...its really cool and I might be doing jet ski...

It's time to dig out the bikini I bought there and sun bath.... :)

My Life in The States

2009-06-30T13:07:00.002+08:00

Today I went to an animal sanctuary and voluntered myself together with some colleagues to cater for the cats and dogs in that sanctuary. Although we did not manage to do much, it is still an experience :)

My life so far has been adventurous and fun-filled. Went on a bike ride cruising along the national park witha colleague who is nice enough to give me that ride.
Will soon be four-wheeling off a dirt road and I heard it is loads of fun.

The places I have been so far is quite numerous and I am making the most out of my brief stay here in the states.

God has been blessing me continuously but I have not been very devoted to Him. This saddens me and I am trying to be more devoted. Please pray for me fellow Christian friends.

Despite all that, I still miss all my friends back here in Malaysia.
How is everyone?
Any updates about interesting things that happened in my absence?
I really want to know about the stuff that have been happening to all my friends so do update me if possible ya?
I love you guys

Ice cream Frenzy

2009-06-20T13:45:00.002+08:00

Today, I had a chocolate chip mint cone ice-cream, a banana spilt and also a vanila cum corn flake ice cream. Thus, in total I consumed 5 scoops of ice-cream....I feel so guilty after that...my goodness..I will definitely gain weight ... :)

Updates about me in US

2009-06-17T12:26:00.003+08:00

Well,it has been a while since I last updated my blog. There are so many interesting and meaningful experiences that I should blog down instantaneously but I failed to do so. I tried uploading my pictures here but somehow I cant manage to do so.

Anyway,
I have done tonnes of hiking since I have been here.
Went to Zion National Park in Utah, US twice and had loads of fun there.
Going to Bryce Canyon and Antelope Canyon soon.

Will try my best to upload pictures ASAP.

Life here is exciting and nice (and of cause busy as usual)

Hiking down to Roaring Spring

2009-05-11T11:44:00.003+08:00

Today I went on a long hike to Roaring Spring.It was 3000feet down and 3000 feet up the North Kaibab trail that connects the North Rim (top) to the Colorado river(bottom) of the Grand Canyon. The actual hike down to the Colorado river is 8300feet so I just went barely less than half way down :)

It was fun and I really had a tough time hiking up those steep rocky mountains. The bad part was I got sunburned and I look so dark now. Hope it doesn't last long.

Roommates

2009-05-10T12:56:00.003+08:00

After a week, my roommates FINALLY arrived.
I am so excited to have roommates but at the same time felt a bit anxious too.
I guess it's the thought of living together with strangers that is kind of putting me off.

However, I met them after work and as usual, introduced myself to them and spark continuous ongoing conversations with them (that is just 'Grace'). They are nice people and I hope we will get along well.

That's all the updates for now. Stay tuned for now.

Happy Mother's day my dear MUMMY and all the mothers in the world.
I love you mum

Random Update

2009-05-06T13:10:00.002+08:00

Wanted to show you guys some awesome picture I took at the Grand Canyon but the file size is too big and I don't knwo how to resize it at the moment. Guess we'll just have to wait.

Anyway, I am having a really tiring but exciting time and I am enjoying myself here:)

The first day at Grand Canyon

2009-05-02T17:10:00.003+08:00

Hie everyone,

Here I am at North Rim Grand Canyon Arizona, supposed to be happily snuggling in my bed at 2.20AM in the morning.

However, I couldn't sleep. I think I am having jetlag. Or maybe, I have not gotten accustomed to being all alone in a foreign country. It could be a combination of both actually.

Allright,let's update everyone about my life in Arizona thus far.
After being picked up by a kind employee Karen,we headed to the Social Security Office to get my Social Security Card (a card to enable me to began working in the States). To my horror, the officer said he can't start verifying my working status and issue me a card until 10 days after my arrival into the States (apparently, the new law states that any foreign citizen who wish to work here needs to wait for 10 days after arrival into the States). Karen made a call back to the resort where I am supposed to work and my General Manager Daisy said that they might have to send me back if things don't work out. However, Daisy checked with the capital office and apparently they had the same problem with some international students last year as well. So they insisted on getting me apply the Social Security Card even before the 10 days. The officer gave me a resit of application but said things are looking bad as the systems seems to suggest I could not be verified unless my sponsor here in the States, GeoVision activate certain thing (I am aware that I need to contact GeoVision upon arrival but was hoping to get a calling card to contact them prior to leaving for Grand Canyon). I told Karen about this and she said I can contact GeoVision upon arrival into the Grand Canyon and that everything will be fine.

We were supposed to head up to the Grand Canyon alone (just the two of us) but Karen got a call from the HR requesting her to fetch two other guys. There are some troubles locating one of them and we end up an hour behind schedule. When I get to the Canyons, it is too late to contact GeoVision. Karen said I can do it tomorrow morning and assured me everything will be fine but I am still a little worried.

As I was filling in my forms to be an employee, I was assisted by a sweet HR assistant manager. However, there are so many queries of mine that she can't answer (I think she is fairly new). And I end up having my paper half filled. All these added to my discomfort. Everyone else (other HR personnel) is so busy helping other employees check in no one is available to help me out and there seems to be hiccups all over (I heard it's really messy with the lack of stuff as this is the pre-operating period).

Then I was told by her that I was the first official international student to arrive this year (there is one girl but she was here last year so she had no trouble with the social security card and filling in the official forms as her details are already with them). How I wish i wasn't the first first-time international employees that report to work.

I heard since this is a pre-operating period, we are all assigned to various areas to help out and try to get the resort running in 2 weeks or less. It is going to be hard work.

With all these mess and the fact that I can't call my parents despite having bought a calling card cause I can't locate the phone at the other block of the dorm and it's dark with no street lights (my torchlight wasn't bright enough to bring me far), I am feeling very overwhelmed.

Oh, And my room wasn't in top notch condition but I think it is quite good. I just need to do some slight cleaning up tomorrow. Mike (the HR manager I dealt with prior to arriving at the States) said that the all the other international students will have it much easier when they arrive as everything will be up and running by then. How I wish I was one of them now.

I am still very worried about my working visa and I seriously hope it will not cause me any trouble or I will end up having to come back to Malaysia.

I don't know, it didn't start off good but I guess everything will be fine soon. I just don't know who to confide in at the moment. I think I'll pray. I think I have not prayed enough.

To Mummy, Daddy and Sissy

2009-05-01T11:26:00.004+08:00

Forget to thanks my parents who was so worried they call me at every single transit and my little sis that insisted I bring a few pieces of facial mask there cause I never had the time to use it when I am in Malaysia. I tried...it's good love...
Love you all... Muackz

Hie from Utah, Arizona

2009-05-01T11:22:00.002+08:00

Finally reach ad...yay....wow....its so energy draining.
Partly cause I wasnt sleeping most of the time...so tired....hehe

Hie From Singapore

2009-04-30T04:21:00.003+08:00

Hie everyone.
Since I am still at Changi airport with some time to spare, I decided to update my blog.
Wanted to upload some pictures I took of the airport (including the seemingly decent chair I slept for about slightly more than an hour)but unfortunately, I left both my camera cable and charger in the checked-in luggage as mum was worried about my hand-luggage being too heavy...

But it's ok...still can scribble some words.

But it is going to be a short blog since I uninstalled Microsoft, so no 'canggih' words to use...hehe..

Hmm, got a warm farewell from my parents (who came all the way down to KL from Penang), aunt, sis as well as some nice CF-ers (Betsy, Jenn Ming and Issac). So nice of them to send me off. Love all of you guys

Of cause not to forget the heavy inflow of farewell msges I received from my lovely friends especially "zhu ren and the happy garden".

My dear was worried about me he even called to check on me when I'm here at Changi. So sweet :)

My cousin Esther was another sweetheart who dedicated a post in her blog specially for me. So touched la wei....hehe

Alright, I think I shall stop here. Update you guys again soon.

P.S: my best friend, sorry but looks like you need to wait a while more before I can reply to your post. you know which post right?

Empathy

2009-04-19T22:54:00.000+08:00

Empathy,

Was does it actually mean?

Being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes?

Genuinely understanding what they are going through?

How could you? Having not experienced the same predicament?

It’s hard I understand.

It’s hard.

Empathy,

A feeling shared by two same fated souls

A bond to comfort

A soothing fact that I am not alone

Empathy,

A friend I seek to make

Always Here

2009-01-13T01:02:00.001+08:00

Hmmmm,

Had an exhausting but satisfying day.

Unfortunately, this experience does not apply to everyone.

How I wish I could be there for you. Well, guess you will have to endure this alone for the time being.

Be strong ya. I am always here. Was, is and will be here.

Thank You

2009-01-06T00:21:00.002+08:00

Thank You
Thank You
Thank You

Thank you God for loving me more than anyone could ever possibly have

Thank you mum and dad for bringing me into this world and nurtured me into a charming young lady (hehe…) with your unconditional love and care.

Thank you all my friends who have always been there for me; through thick and thin no matter how insignificant you thought you are to me (both existing and those I have lost contact with).

Thank you dear for staying by my side; loving me and accepting me as who I am (even at times when I was terribly unreasonable).

Thank you everyone who has ever came into my life and left a permanent footprint in my heart.

Thank you Grace (myself) for being you.

Thank you people for reading my blog.

Love you all loads….

Hugs and Kisses…

Emotional Turmoil

2008-12-19T00:04:00.001+08:00

It's been so long since I last penned down my thoughts and emotions here in this special blog of mine.
There's so many to share; happy, joyful occasions as well as less delightful events.

I think it is only fair to conclude that the happy stuff that has been happening in my life far supersede any misfortune that befalls onto me. I am greatly blessed by the mighty one. Thank you Lord.

But there is this funny little sad feeling deep inside my heart right now. A feeling I can't seem to explain.
What is it that you are trying to tell me dear emotion? What's the message that you want to bring through to me?

I'm confused...

My Dear Friend Lai Mun Yeu….

2008-11-11T18:52:00.002+08:00

Hmmmmmmmm,

Lately, Mun Yeu has turned into a complainer, keep complaining I did not post up anything about him so here goes Mun Yeu (hehe, jkla….you are not that mean but still, as promised, I would love to blog about you)

Mun Yeu is my ex-secretary (can’t believe it’s EX now). A very good one indeed.

He used to help me keep note of my hectic schedules, update me about any new assignments or projects, and does my printing stuff for me (oh no, I sound like a ‘nasty’ boss huh….)

Now, everything has changed :(

Haha, actually nothing much has changed. Apart from the fact that he is no longer my secretary.

Lately, I don’t get to mingle around with him as much as I used to. So, whenever possible, I will try to have a little chat with him and update myself about this close friend of mine (Yes, I did that just in case you don’t know…. =P)

Today, Mun Yeu and a few batch mates of ours went for their routine badminton game. I was supposed to join but couldn’t make it due to a few unforeseen circumstances.

Kinda sad for missing it. Promise you will invite me again next Tuesday?

Anyway, my apologies for crapping but my mind is really all jumbled up now, trying so hard to finish up the ACP translation before tomorrow’s group meeting.

And I have to be in Subang by 8pm (which is very unlikely looking at the way things are progressing) for some kid’s drama practice….

Forgive me dear friend….

But before I end, there is this one thing I would really like to say….it’s a blessing to have known you and I hope our friendship never dies

Remember, just as you did and is still doing for me and all our friends, I will be there for you if and when you need me =)

Just call my name, and I’ll be there

Friends Forever

11th of November, A Day To Remember

2008-11-11T17:54:00.002+08:00

Today is a very special day indeed.
It is a day of ‘LOVE’
11th of November 2008, though I think it will be much more special three years from today, on the 11th of November 2011.

Well, to begin with…
Someone said there is something important that ‘someone’ wants to tell me today, on the 11th of November, at 11 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds (I am not sure if the seconds are accurate) which is this morning. It has something to do with the transition from being single to non-single.

Secondly….
I read ‘our daily bread’ and it tells about a memoir in Melbourne, Australia called the Shrine of Remembrance in which house a carved stone that reads, ‘Greater Love Hath No Man’. On the 11th of November at 11.00am every year, a mirror will reflect the sun’s light onto the stone to spotlight the word ‘Love’.

Thirdly…..
There is a secret recipe outlet located about a stone’s throw away from my house that happens to be the 11th branch of the secret recipe series. So, on the 11th of November, they gave out 1 free cake for every cake purchase.

Since when has November 11th turned into such a meaningful day?
However, since it is November, everyday is a special day for me :)

My Two Current Best Friends

2008-11-10T23:34:00.000+08:00

Apart from my two future best friends, I still have two current best friends that I am missing a lot.

Planning a meet up with them. Hope it will work out eventually….

Anyway, just a little updates about them

First : Miss Kam Kher Li, a cute and carefree girl who doesn’t seem to be bothered by anything but yet, cares for my deeply..Thanks dear.
Tag : Curly

Second: Miss Bavarhni Subramaniam, a steady and cool girl who always comes to my aid whenever someone tried their hands on bullying me, just like a big sister I can always count on…….Thanks too dear.
Tag : Bawang

My tag : Bo…Ey…(pronounced as BoooooEeeeeeee)

Miss my time with them a lot :)

My Two Future Best Friends

2008-11-10T23:13:00.002+08:00

Hihi, I am back.

Haven’t been blogging for a while so decided to post some updates.

Today, I want to talk about my two future best friends, Yen and Jia Min.

While Yen seems to be getting more cheerful by the day after removing that big obstacle troubling her (way to go girl, I am so proud of you), Jia Min seems a little anxious lately. I don’t know what’s wrong but I am getting a little worried about her. I really hope she is fine. For now, I’ll pray.

Hmmmm,
I feel so tired today…my eyes are barely half open so I don’t know what I am typing. Hope the post is still readable =)

Counting My Blessings

2008-11-06T21:25:00.003+08:00

A friend reminded me about how blessed I am.

This prompted me to type a post to share about my blessings…

Hehe…

As mentioned in the previous post, I lost my house key, how do I get in and out of the house then?
My housemate left his key on the table so I manage to open the door and pass the key back to him in my own special way =)
Blessing 1

My car key.
How do I manage to get my car out (of the place I parked it) and back home?
My mum is so brilliant (or she knows how careless her daughters are), she entrusted my aunt with the car’s spare key. And there is this sweet friend of mine who is so nice to go get it for me.
Blessing 2

I had to get out of the house later than usual. And today’s class was at 12pm.
Judging at HELP’s parking system, days when classes are at 12pm will grant me no parking space and I have to cruise along the parking area for quite some time before some good Samaritan decides to stop loitering around the college and go home. So, I prayed to God before I left home and guess what? I found a parking space without any hassle. Talk about the power of prayers.
Blessing 3

As a matter of fact, my whole life has been a blessing =)

Thanks Lord
Thanks mum and dad
Thanks sis
Thanks to all my family members
Thanks to all my friendly and fuzzy Friends

You all make my day :)

Cranberry Addiction

2008-11-06T20:53:00.000+08:00

I don’t know why but I got this sudden addiction to cranberry juice.

Oh well, since it’s good for health (it is right?), why not?

Going to get my third glass for the day…..Wee….

Eventful Day

2008-11-06T20:51:00.000+08:00

Wow,

Let me tell you about my eventful day yesterday.

First, I lost my house key (recovered).

Then, I slipped while walking to the bus stop after class, injuring my feet.
It bled and my DNA was spilled onto the road.

Lastly, I lost my car key (fate remains uncertain).

Hmmm, but guess what?

I got to eat the super cheap RM5 western food.

Not bad Not bad =)

Overall, it still is a nice day cause it’s November

Happy little Mary Magdalene

2008-11-04T22:31:00.007+08:00

Wow…November is really a HAPPY month.

So happy, happy, happy.

Everyone’s blog seems to be full of happy stuffs and so is mine.

Just came back from a drama rehearsal for my church’s kids’ bible school. For this drama, I play Mary Magdalene (can imagine or not?? I can’t actually….haha)

The rehearsal was so funny with Eu Joe (a church friend) around. The supposedly serious and sad scenes became comedy and we end up laughing throughout the entire rehearsal.

Since the drama was directed to the kids, all our actions must be exaggerated. Imagine me being shocked, crying out loud in a kid’s tone and doing all those funny expressions. Seriously, I must rehearse it myself in front of the mirror to see how I looked.

Anyway, I had a really great time today.

Had a great time yesterday.

And

I am positive that I will have a wonderfully superb time tomorrow as well as for all the days after tomorrow.

In a nutshell,
Will be happy forever just like Cinderella.

La..la..la

We are all in HAPPY land.

If you are to find happiness, you must first open your eyes and see it

Makan Spree

2008-11-04T01:45:00.003+08:00

Today (yesterday actually), I had dinner with my seniors in HELP, Betsy and Lordson, then detoured to Karuna’s (another senior) house to give her a surprise belated birthday ‘bash’. It’s not really a bash, I just went there to give her some birthday ‘cupcakes’, pulling my two seniors along. There, I watched 3/4 of criminal mind with Karuna while Lordson and Betsy got engrossed into their ‘serious’ discussions. I enjoyed today’s episode of criminal mind. It’s nice especially with Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in The Middle appearing as the lead guest star.

Alright, backtrack a bit.

Met Betsy at about a quarter to 6pm. Drove together (my car tailing behind her car) to ss3 to pick Lordson up. On the way, we had to endure a long and tiring jam due to the rain (plus its jam time in PJ).

Throughout the middle of the journey, Betsy and I somehow got separated into two lanes, mine moving faster than hers. Since I don’t really know how to get to Lordson’s place and the massive jam strictly disallowed me to pull my car over to the roadside and wait for Betsy, I decided to wait for her in front my house instead (it’s along the way, how convenient). After being reacquainted with each other, Betsy decided to travel in one car so I hopped into her car and off we go to fetch Lordson.

After some minor wrong turnings into the wrong alleys, we finally reach Lordson’s house. Decided to go for the super cheap RM5 western food but it was close. So, we went for fried hokkien mee instead. Ordered three additional tasty friend chicken drumsticks to supplement our meal.

After filling up our stomachs, I call for dessert, so off we went to 100Yen at ss2 after paying Salvation and McD a visit. Ate chocolate and mango flavored erm….ice cream? (don’t know what’s it called). Then, I saw bubble milk tea and tempted Betsy and Lordson to get them together with me (so evil…wakeke!!). We came to a consensus that milk tea comes after Karuna’s cake.

So off we went, hunting for some cute ‘cakes’ for dear Karuna. Spotted some adorable little cupcakes and bought it.

Last stop, bubble milk tea. Yay…

I got sour plum milk tea, Betsy green apple and Lordson passion fruit.

Mine was too sourly, Lordson’s too sweet while Betsy’s too plain….Haha…

Anyway, chicken drumstick on Betz and milk tea on Lordson… (me?? cupcakes)

Thanks load guys….

Had a really enjoyable (though quite tiring) outing today.

A Sweet Gift From a Sweet Friend :)

2008-11-01T23:56:00.007+08:00

Yay… It is finally November.

This year in particular, I was looking forward to November very much. Guess there are a few reasons for it.

But the main reason remains as….it is my Birth Month….Yippie…

After so many conflicts, issues and dilemmas, I am really looking forward to a good time on my birthday and perhaps some nice presents (hehe, hinting…)

Anyway, since today is the first day of my favorite month, I would like to set the ball rolling with positive comments on my blog.

Yesterday was a dramatic day for me. But I believe the joyful events superseded the unpleasant experiences.

Since yesterday was Halloween, the Peer Support Group (PSG) who was partly in charged of the ‘Big Event’ set up some sub-events prior to the Big Day to collect some money for the party. They came out with the ‘Tricks or Treats’ segment where people can ‘trick’ or ‘treat’ their lecturer and friends by paying a certain amount of cash for a certain prank or ‘treats’.

One of the treats that were available was a stalk of rose. Honestly speaking, as a girl, I would really love to get the rose. In fact, I was thinking of buying the rose as a ‘treat’ for my two future best friends, Yen and Jia Min but scrapped off the idea when I saw the price. RM8. Considering my financial status lately, I reasoned that it was not a good idea. Besides, I think it will be more meaningful for them to get it from a GUY instead.

Anyway, I really love the rose as it was blooming so beautifully (I saw it). So, yea, deep inside my heart, there is this flicker of wish that someone will get it for me. I don’t mind if it’s from a girl friend. But I didn’t really expect much so as not to be disappointed.

Nevertheless, a nice, sweet and caring close friend of mine somehow thinks that I deserve the rose and get it for me. Plus, he got me some chocolates as well. He must have known my favorite junkies is chocolate and decide to brighten up my day with a dose of these amazing little mood-enhancers. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY LOVE THOSE GIFTS.

Thus, this post is an appreciation post to acknowledge your SWEET thoughts that really brightened up my gloomy day. You might not realize but it meant a lot to me. Really.

Thanks so much SWEETIE. I will not forget your SWEET thoughts.

To make sure my memory of 'it' remains forever, I decided to take a few shoots of those memorable ‘treats’ and put it up in this post.

The chocs that help give the dopamine i so much needed

How it looks like with its wrapper.. Can't believe this thing cost RM4

The ever so lovely stalk of rose from Mr. Sweet

Same rose from another angle

Irritation Bug Infection

2008-10-31T23:27:00.000+08:00

Lately, everyone seems to be infected by the ‘irritation bug’ causing us to get irritated more easily than usual.

I think my symptom appeared a couple of weeks ago and it is getting more severe with each passing day.

So, yea, someone please find the cure to deliver all of us away from this peculiar disease.

To all my infected friends out there,

Hang on….

Help is on the way

(I wanted to blog about 1) something really nice & sweet I receive from a kind and super caring friend, 2) some assurance I think I should give to someone, but haven’t had the chance to…tomorrow bah)

Random Post

2008-10-29T01:53:00.002+08:00

I wonder why?

I have so many positively inclined thoughts to be penned down but somehow they never find their way through to my blog. And yet, those negative insights lingering within my mind will somehow end up being posted.

Funny eh? The only explanation I can think of thus far is that, positive thoughts can be put off but my negative thoughts need to be expressed out before it can be eliminated.

Poor readers of my blog, have to put up with all those negative comments.

Anyway, below are lists of some of the most recent positive comments I have to share but didn’t manage to post.
1) I went out for a fulfilling movie outing with my two ‘future best friends’ on Deepavali day. We enjoyed ourselves there. Plus, I went there with my sis and cousins. Their company throughout the journey to Midvalley was a real blessing J
2) I attended a very interesting lecture today. A very insightful one indeed.

That’s all I can remember for now. Will elaborate on the two uplifting experiences if possible

Nitez!!!

I Don't Understand

2008-10-27T23:40:00.000+08:00

I really don’t understand. What’s wrong with being understanding? Do you like it more for me to be demanding? Not reasonable? Impulsive? I am not saying that I do not possess those personalities but I have been trying hard to be a considerate girl and now you want me to be the opposite?

I hope you can get the facts straight before consulting me the next time. Think of what you want. And don’t confuse the both of us.

Thank you

First Ever ‘Orang Asli’ Trip

2008-10-26T23:40:00.018+08:00

Yesterday was my first trip to the ‘Orang Asli’ settlement in Kampung Batu, Pahang. The journey started officially at about 9.45a.m from SS15, Subang Jaya after some unforeseen delays. Three quarters through the way, we stopped at about 12pm to get a dose of the infamous pork wan tan mee in Sang Lee Village, Pahang. After satisfying our hunger pangs, we continued on our journey to Kampung Batu, traveling off-road in four wheel drive vehicles. The road was rocky and bumpy but we manage to reach our destination without much obstruction.

Our destination, Kampung Batu

Once there, my cousin Esther and I waste no time and toured around the little ‘village’ under the guidance of Mr. Leong Kok Wai, our ministry team leader. Our first destination was a little ‘Atap’ house five steps away the community hall (a hall built by our church members for the villagers to gather around during events and fellowships) housing a little ‘Musang’. It was so tame and cute that Esther and I had to play with it.

The cute little 'Musang'

Front and up-close view of the cute creature

Awww... How sweet and cosy too.

After enjoying ourselves with the lovely ‘Musang', we continued on our little tour.
We went as far as the waterfalls the villagers use to wash themselves up. The kids were having their weekly bath when they saw us. They were so shy in our presence they started to shatter away, hiding as soon as we approach. It was a hilarious scene, really.

The waterfalls where the kids were bathing

We had lunch together with the villagers (yes, the wan tan mee was just an appetizer), joining into their conversations, trying to break the ice. The villagers were particularly shy with Esther and I, as this was the first time we were introduced to the community.

After lunch, a few of us continued with the kids’ coloring class. At first, the boys were really shy and refused to talk to me. But in the end, they start to lift up the barrier bit by bit. A good start I shall say.

Me and some of teh kids at the 'coloring class'

After the class, we bid goodbye to the villagers and continued on our journey out of the village to Bentong hospital to visit baby ‘Elijah’, a strong willed toddler who was down with cough. I get to try my hands on the four wheel drive on our way out. Not the entire journey, just the less bumpy roads but it was a good start. Besides, I got good comments. So happy :). Didn’t know driving a 4WD off-road was that challenging and fun.

A log we have to pass through. Cool!!!

Ever imagined me driving this vehicle? I just did :)

After visiting baby ‘Elijah’, we moved on to our final destination, ‘makan place’. Had a luxurious dinner and off we go, back to our home sweet home. We reached SS15 at 9pm and called it a day.

It was a fun and exciting day for me. Longing for my second ‘OA’ trip :)

Advanced excitement

2008-10-23T01:51:00.001+08:00

Wee….

It’s already October 23rd.

My birthday is in one month’s time.

A time to commemorate and rejoice.

Happy Happy Happy.

My God, Your God, Our God

2008-10-23T01:49:00.000+08:00

My God is so big,
So strong and so mighty,
There’s nothing my God cannot do.

Love you loads Lord….

Abba Father….In you I seek solemn and peace…

Give Me A Break!!!

2008-10-22T22:13:00.000+08:00

Gosh!!! What on Earth did I do to deserve this?

How immature can one be?

I am not commenting on today’s incident because I don’t know for sure the actual event that takes place but I still believe it’s both parties to be blamed (based on my observation)

But I am talking about the cumulative events that happen.

God, I am only human. If you want me to solve THESE predicamentS, please give me the wisdom to. They are too complicated for your poor servant.

Love you God!!!

You are the best.

No one can compare to you. I stand in awe of my FAITHFUL GOD!!!

Miss Couldn’t Care Less

2008-10-22T15:38:00.001+08:00

Here I am, stuck in the library with the noble intention of finishing off my assignments and free myself from the Miss Last Minute guilt.

As much as I wanted to, I must admit I am someone who gets distracted easily. Guess my auditory processing cortex is a little bit more sensitive than that of normal humans (Is that a good thing?)

Sitting beside my table are two lasses, heavily indulged in their juicy gossips about people around them. Not that I am a nosy person to begin with but my extra-sensitive auditory nerves keep firing impulses to my brain to be processed and so, involuntarily, my ears joined their conversation.

Despite trying hard not to be distracted, my concentration is undoubtedly diverted by conversations I have zero interest in (I am serious though it may sound contradicting), praying that they will finally realize library is not a place for gossipmongers. LoL.

To all my college mates randomly scattered around this building or beyond, all the best in your assignments or studies (we have exam tomorrow…Noooooooooooo!!)

DESSERT our way to reversing 'STRESS'

2008-10-19T05:37:00.001+08:00

With loads of assignments pilling up and midterm around the corner, all of us (Bpsych students) are stressed out to the extreme limit.

But no worries, aid is on the way.

Professor Grace is here to suggest an easy way out to eliminate all the intoxicating stress accumulating inside us.

TAKE A BREAK, HAVE SOME “DESSERTS”

Yes, DESSERTS. That’s the key word.

Sounds too simple? Well, I have some rationale explanation to support my hypothesis (Hehe, PSY105 addicted)

1) Desserts are sweet and eating sweet delicacies has been proven to enhance one’s mood. In another word, eating desserts make us HAPPY. The happier we are, the less stressful we will be :P

2) If u take the word STRESSED and reverse it, you will get the word DESSERTS.
STRESSED ~ DESSERTS.
Remarkable ay?
The instruction is simple. Reverse STRESSED into DESSERTS and eat it up. Then you will always be stress free and dessert-ful. ~ho-ho-ho~

SUPPORT SIMPLICITY :o

Aftermath Report

2008-10-17T01:57:00.001+08:00

Everyone,
Ignore my previous post. It’s fiction. Man-made. How can a girl as jovial as me wrote such an emotional post? Hmmmmmm, whoever used my blog to post up misleading posts…you better surrender yourself and I will consider forgiving you :P

Anyway,
Remember I said something about an aftermath report on the post dated Oct 9th (Emo Queen is Back?)
So, as promised…

Ya, I did survive. As usual. Cause God loves me :)
Arghh, I am so blessed.

Sorry...

2008-10-17T01:36:00.002+08:00

So many things happening, so many thoughts swarming my mind, so many stuff to cater to, so little time to stop and ponder, so many tendencies to hurt someone inadvertently and I just did. Way to go girl.

Can’t believe the first post about us is an apology post. There is so much that I wanted to express, so many touching scenes. And yet, all I can say now is ‘I am Sorry’.

Actually, I don’t think you are the only ONE I hurt, there is someone else. And I bet he knows I am referring to him (if he ever reads this post)

Why do I keep hurting people that are dear to me? People who cared for me with all their heart. Am I born to ruin people’s life? Will I ever stop stinging people’s fragile heart?

To You:
I am sorry, sorry, sorry. Besides this, I don’t know what else can and should I say. I can’t believe I made you cry. This is ridiculous. I think you made the wrong choice. A bad choice. A choice you should never have opted for from the very beginning. Don’t you think it’s time for you to reconsider your values again? Distinguish what’s worthwhile from what’s not?

To Him:
I am sorry too. Yea, I read your PM. Yea, I read your touching posts. Yea, I am aware of your feelings. Sorry for acting as if nothing happens, sorry for being so selfish and greedy to try to keep you as a good friend despite knowing that it will only bring you tremendous grievance. Sorry.

To Myself:
What are 'you' crapping about? I think 'you' have transformed into the ‘Crapping Queen’.
Irritating, selfish little crapping Queen. LOL

Happy Birthday Daddy

2008-10-14T01:08:00.001+08:00

Elo everyone, I am finally back.
Miss me?

Yesterday was a really special day for my family and I.
It was my dad’s birthday.
Although both my sis and I are down here in KL, not being able to celebrate this joyous occasion together with our beloved ‘daddy’, I believe he had a great time with my ever so lovely Mum.

Honestly speaking, I do not share an intimate relationship with my dad.
However, deep inside my heart, I still appreciate all the sacrifices he made for the family, all the effort he invested to be a dedicated and caring father and all the sweats he shed to provide a decent living environment for me and sis.

Dad, no matter how far apart we may seem from each other, both physically and emotionally, I just wanted to exclaimed, I Love You. Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Welcome to My Life

2008-10-09T13:43:00.001+08:00

Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you

Do you ever want to run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming
No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like
To be like me

To be hurt, to feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

Do you wanna be somebody else?
Are you sick of feeling so left out?
Are you desperate to find something more
Before your life is over?

Are you stuck inside a world you hate?
Are you sick of everyone around?
With their big fake smiles and stupid lies
While deep inside you're bleeding
No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like
To be like me

To be hurt, to feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

No one ever lied straight to your face
And no one ever stabbed you in the back
You might think I'm happy
But I'm not gonna be ok
Everybody always gave you what you wanted
You never had to work
It was always there
You don't know what it's like
What it's like

To be hurt, to feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like (what it's like)

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

Welcome to my life
Welcome to my life

Emo Queen is Back

2008-10-09T01:42:00.001+08:00

Sigh, here I am, loitering in front of the computer for hours, being unproductive, thus rendering my skipping class effort to finish up my assignment completely to waste (please don’t tell my parents). I don’t know how much of my brain cells are left alive, maybe about one eighth of them? Nonetheless, these pathetic remains of my brain are still sufficiently workable for me to produce this crappy post to rant and complain and make everyone who reads it absolutely disgusted. Oh my God, I don’t even know what am I crapping in here. Just feel like crapping and crapping and crapping.

BUT

I will survive!!!

Stay tuned for my aftermath report

To be continued …

Always in My Heart

2008-10-07T23:12:00.002+08:00

Since I am still in the refractory period, i.e : desensitized to the extent of completely not being able to work on my pilling up assignments, I decided to write a post in dedication to one of my close friend, Daniel Teoh whom I hope are now save in the arms of God.

Despite being 25 months younger, Daniel has always assumed a very protective role over me even from the very beginning of our acquaintance. It could either be his natural inclination as the eldest in the family to look after his girl friends or me appearing weak and fragile (though I am not in actual fact), conning him into thinking that I really needed his care. I guess both reasons are pretty valid.

There are lots of sweet memories being shared between the two of us and it is not easy to accept the fact that he is gone (although it has been 2 months now), especially when he is just so young. Not even 21.

Pretty often, I find myself trying hard to retrieve the memories of our last conversation together. How did it go? Did I say something hurtful to him unintentionally? Suddenly, every single word that came from me during that last earthly conversation we shared became very crucial. But no matter how hard I tried, the memory seemed vague. It upsets me a lot but it also gave me a very important message, a lovely word by the name of 'appreciation'. To appreciate all the lovely souls God sent to bless me, those who are still close at heart and at psyche as well as those who seemed distant away. To childhood friends as well as newly formed acquaintances.

To everyone who is reading my blog now, I love you no matter who you are.

To Daniel, memories of you will always exist, safely kept deep in my heart, no matter where you are. Thanks for such a wonderful friendship, my dear friend. Missing you always.

Thanking all my lovely caring friends

2008-10-05T20:35:00.001+08:00

Like I said, I really am blessed. I put up a post about what I have been doing lately with no intention of proclaiming to the world how stressed I am lately (seriously). But then, all those concerned nice friends of mine are sensitive enough to sense it (not that I am excessively stressed, just a little) and pampered me with scores of soothing and encouraging words. Just wanted to say thanks especially to Jun Min and Mun Yeu, the two little close friends of mine that are experiencing some degree of stress themselves. Cheer up and ganbatte. We shall fight off stress together!

Me, Myself and I

2008-10-05T20:12:00.003+08:00

Hie hie, was feeling bored so decided to scribble a few words into my blog today. Hmm, let’s see. What did I do today? Well, I slept, woke up, travelled back to my aunt’s home, spent some time together with her, ate lunch, spoke to my mummy, daddy and sissy, slept again, woke up, did some chores, ate dinner and feel sleepy again.

Simply put, I experienced the life of a PIG today. One day in the world as a PIG. Not bad. But now it’s time to step back into reality and work on my pilled up assignments.

Hmmmm, I think I am all geared up after the essential rest. Here we go! Vroom….

To all my dear batchmates out there (both new and old), ganbatte kudasai ne !!!!!

Hie I am Back

2008-10-04T17:02:00.000+08:00

Oh my, can’t believe I have not been blogging for almost two months now. Kinda pathetic wasn’t it? Considering all the excessive thoughts that are storming my mind right now, waiting eagerly to be expressed out. So many monopolizing thoughts, so many different stories to tell, I am seriously getting lightheaded. Hehe. Nevertheless, I have this interesting story to share about how merciful and passionate our heavenly father is as he has always been.

Lately, there is a lot of matter that has been keeping me real busy, occupying a large chunk of my time. I was so busy until I totally lost count of the days, mixing up weekdays with weekends. Honorably, I have been accounted by my fellow group members to make an important call to a welfare home (for our group project) seeking to clarify some important issues yesterday. And due to my crazy schedule, I totally forgot about the task and fail to make the call. There I was, laying down happily on my bed after an eventful day, knowing that everything will be fine when I open my eyes the next morning after sharing a long and intense ‘personal time’ with God, completely ignorant to the unaccomplished task.

So, when I open up my eyes this morning, welcoming yet another wonderful day, memories of the assigned duty came back to me and I was terrified. Oh no, the welfare home is closed on weekends (to phone calls) and the proposal paper is due on Monday. What should I do? As I was pondering on my carelessness, I suddenly remembered that I manage to get hold of the person in charge’s personal contact number through persistent request. However, I threw the paper housing the crucial information after being able to speak to him through the general line as I do not want to violate people’s privacy unnecessarily.

As a last minute deviant resort, I drove back to ss2 all the way from Subang Jaya and search through the huge bag of garbage outside the house. Through his grace, God enabled me to locate the paper. Feeling blessed, I thanked God repeatedly and hurried into the house to make ‘the call’. However, the call was unanswered even after a number of attempts. Feeling slightly discouraged, I went online and starting chatting with some close friends to cheer myself up while thinking of a backup plan. After about an hour, I decided to try again and guess what? He picked up the phone and answered all my queries. Now, we are back to square one and the proposal in on its way. Thank you Lord. I love you.

A day to remember

2008-08-07T22:10:00.005+08:00

I had an appointment yesterday with a close friend from Korea, Jeong Su which I happen to meet during a mission trip to Thailand a couple of weeks back. She was staying temporarily in Malaysia for some evangelical work before embarking on a two year mission trip to America.

I was given the privilege to visit her at her host in which she prepared a simple but tasty Korean meal for me. We were joined for dessert by another Korean friend, Shinae who will also be going for a two year mission trip. The entire meal was prepared by Jeong Su.

The awesome meal prepared by our Korean Chef, Lady Jeong Su

The bean paste fondly known as 'Samjang' by the Koreans

Opening ceremony ~ho~ho~ho~

Korean style of eating ~ wrap up the rice and fried vege with lettuce leaf with together with 'Samjang' to enhance the flavor

After enjoying a decent meal, the girls decided to try me up for a Korean traditional costume which Jeong Su brought along. Although sweating profusely in the dress, I enjoyed the experience. I had a fare share of pictures taken in the lovely dress which will be uploaded as soon as I receive it from the adorable Shinae.

After enjoying the meal and the costume, I brought Jeong Su for a tour to HELP University College. After that, we went to Subang Parade for a shopping spree in which she manages to secure a pair of exquisite white shoes.

As our tummies started to growl, we went food-hunting for the best place to eat. I suggested ‘Uncle Lim’s Café’ in view of the local delights it cater. I ordered ‘Nasi Lemak Chicken Rendang’ and ‘Uncle Lim Curry Laksa’ for Jeong Su as she is very fond of spicy food. To my delight, she loved the food and was having a good time enjoying her meal.

After the meal, I sent her off to the LRT station and we bid farewell for the night. It was truly a memorable day. Thanks Jeong Su.

A special dedication to my friend Lee May

2008-07-11T23:29:00.003+08:00

In order to ease the boredom of my beloved friend Lee May while she is working away from home in Alor Setar, Kedah during the weekdays, I decided to fill her time with one additional post for her to read.

Since I am not granted ample time to draft a long and meaningful post, I decided to make her the main character of this post, narrating this charismatic lady in a simplified manner. After all, it is written specifically in dedication to her.

Lee May is a nice and caring friend whom I had the privilege to be acquainted with during my teen years. We were classmates for 5 years, sitting just a table away from each other.

Physically, this close friend of mine is slender, has a healthy complexion, and is gifted with the height of a supermodel. However, her most appealing asset would be her pair of big sparkling eyes. My friends and I have always tried to convince her to take up modeling, envisioning that one day she will be walking down the runway.

Despite all the sweet talk and girl persuading power, she chose to venture into the health line, volunteering herself to enhance the quality of life of the ailing. This is the selfless aspiration of a young noble girl with a heart of gold.

Me and the hot babe

P.S. To all the bachelors out there, Lee May is still single but not for long. So, don’t miss out on the golden opportunity to get to know this charming young lady.
Lee May, since I won’t be around to update this blog for a while, you can check this post on and off to see if there is any guy that would be more than happy to help me ease your boredom.

Embarking on a compelling mission

2008-07-11T16:43:00.000+08:00

In a day’s time, I will be catching a bus up to Genting Highlands to join a mass of people for a meaningful 6 days conference, preparing us for a momentous outreach towards a number of participating countries around Asia. There are eight Asian countries involved in this outreach program namely Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, Japan, Taiwan and Philippines.

The outreach country that I will be visiting is Thailand, our neighboring country. Seven outreach members from different countries and I will be forming a troop and work hand-in-hand to reach out to the marginalized Burmese community who are seeking refuge at Sangkhla Buri, the border town between Thailand and Myanmar.

Our focus will be on the illiterate Burmese children who were robbed of their schooling privileges from the Thai government, classifying them as foreigners. This left the impoverished refugees with no identity papers, severely diminishing their employment prospect.

Equipped with the knowledge and skills we are bound to garner from the conference along with God’s grace, the eight of us will depart to Sangkhla Buri hoping to be successful in enhancing the Burmese refugees’ standard of living.

Wish me all the best :)

Dancing our way to a charged phone battery?

2008-06-25T17:10:00.003+08:00

Good news for all dance freaks out there. Thanks to a new kinetic technology application, a new gadget that only requires you to dance your way to top up the charge in your phone battery is set to be on its way.

These portable energy chargers which will be attached to the user’s arm employ a system of weights and magnets, providing an electric current that tops up charge in a storage battery. The battery will then be utilized to recharge the cell phone.

So, what are you waiting for? Start dancing now.

Interesting Regulation

2008-06-24T18:50:00.001+08:00

I was flipping through today’s The Star newspaper when I saw an appealing article about a wheelchair bound man charged with drink-driving in Sydney, Australia.

The disabled man intended to visit a friend staying 14km away with his automated wheelchair when he doze off and drove down a highway. A passing police patrol woke him up and conducted a breathalyzer test on him. His alcohol content was found to be more than six times over the legal limit for driving. This prompted the police officers to charge him with drink-driving.

Apparently, the classes of vehicles subjected to the drink-driving law in Australia encompass the automated wheelchair as well. In fact, this interesting rule might be valid in most countries around the globe.

Thus, to all the folks out there, do not drink and drive anything that has wheels, including strollers and trolleys.

In memory of my M&M Easter Chocolate

2008-06-17T00:07:00.005+08:00

Recently, my aunt from Australia came back to spend a 3 weeks holiday with the family members. As always, she bought us loads of chocolates as souvenirs. This time around, as I was one of the last to choose the chocolates, I was left with an adorable M&M Easter chocolate which I named Choczy. My Choczy was so cute I had to take its pictures as remembrance before eating it. I now present the pictures I captured of my dear Choczy which is now safely in the arms of Jesus, or so I hope for your enjoyment.

Choczy with wrappings on

Choczy without its wrapper

Choczy after dissection

Choczy posing with its wrapper

Happy Rice Dumpling Festival (Duan Wu Jie)

2008-06-09T01:42:00.014+08:00

It is the time of the year for yet another festive celebration in one of the world’s most culturally diverse country, Malaysia. Yesterday, we celebrated the Rice Dumpling Festival or more fondly known by the Chinese community as ‘Duan Wu Jie’.

Due to my curious nature, I googled up the story behind this memorable event which up to date, is still being strongly upheld by the Chinese community around the globe. I summarized my discovery together with some pictures of the delectable rice dumplings which is now being treated by the digestive enzymes from my stomach for your leisure reading.

Duan Wu Jie is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese Lunar calendar annually. In addition to the vast selection of mouth watering rice-dumplings available for savoring, the dragon boat race is also held concurrently on the same date. Many versions have been told with respect to the legend behind this honorable celebration. The most widespread adaptation tells about the patriotic poet Qu Yuan who is also a high-post minister of the Chu Dynasty in ancient China. Qu Yuan is highly respected both for his loyalty towards the emperor as well as his devotion to his country. However, due to an unfolding political conspiracy among the palace officials, the weak-minded emperor Huai was tricked into banishing Qu Yuan.

This left him helpless as he witness the progressive occupation of his motherland by the Qin dynasty. Devastated by the events that unfolded, Qu Yuan decided to take his own life by plunging himself into the Mi-Luo river in Hunan province of China on the fifth day of the fifth month in 278 B.C. The news reached the ears of the citizens. Overwhelmed, they made rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river in hope that the fishes will favor the dumplings over Qu Yuan’s body. A group of fishermen then conducted a search for their beloved minister’s corpse in boats, beating gongs and drums along the way in a desperate attempt to scare the fishes away. This eventually marked the commencement of the dragon boat races. Since then, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month has been dedicated in remembrance of the deeply cherished minister and poet, Qu Yuan.

Hope the chronicle above managed to shed some light about the origin of dumpling festivals. Having said enough about the origin of Duan Wu Jie, we will now divert our attention to the lip smacking rice dumpling, or Zongzi as it is famously called. Zongzi is made from glutinous rice stuffed with an assortment of fillings wrapped in bamboo (or lotus) leaves. The most common type of filling-based Zongzi is the ‘rou Zongzi’ (pork/chicken meat Zongzi). The few main ingredients in rou Zongzi are pork/chicken, chestnut, egg, salted egg and dried mushroom. Rou Zongzi can appear white (the glutinous rice is not pre-fried) or brown (glutinous rice pre-fried with soya-sauce).

The infamous pork Zongzi

There is one exceptional type of Zongzi that contains no fillings, called the ‘Jian Shui Zong’. Jian Shui Zong possesses characteristic yellow appearance which resulted from treatment of the glutinous rice with lye water (aqueous calcium hydroxide). Jian Shui Zongs are usually eaten with sugar or syrup to perk up the palatability. Nowadays, modified Jian Shui Zhongs filled with red beans are widely available as an alternative option for picky consumers.

The yellow Jian Shui Zhong

Enclosed below are pictures of me and my first Zongzi of the year which serves as my supper yesterday

My supper ~ pork Zongzi

Me with my supper ~ Yum Yum

Two Choices

2008-06-08T02:13:00.003+08:00

A while ago, I read an interesting e-mail from a friend entitled ‘Two Choices’. That pithy e-mail tells about how we can always choose our own reaction towards a certain predicament that befalls upon us. Even though it seems mundane, I totally agree with what it says. Thus, I set out on a mission to put the advice into practice. Let’s view how I fared in this quest of mine.

Scenario 1
A week ago, I joined my cousins for an evening in the swimming club. While lazing on one of the benches around the pool, I saw a few sexy babes wearing bikinis, exposing their slender body. As much as it was a feast for my eyes, it created a deep sense of intimidation upon me. Thoughts began to swarm my brain, making me feel vulnerable. Words like ‘I wish I have those bodies’ keep rehearsing themselves inside my mind. In the midst of those lingering thoughts, I am suddenly reminded of the two choices philosophy. At that instance, I gave myself two choices. Either I develop that jealousy into a burning desire to strive hard and gain a similar sexy figure by adhering to strict diet regimes and heavy exercise routines, or I happily reassured myself that I am so much luckier than those ladies for I have one less problem to worry about, maintaining that ‘perfect’ figure (which is terribly taxing). I chose the latter.

End result ~ I learnt something new that day. How to appreciate myself as another one of God’s wonderful creations.

Scenario 2
I have had a bout of emotional swirls for the last few days. It started off with my dreadful results coming into my hands. With all due respect to the emotional preparation I made myself go through, I still couldn’t help it but feel sad. During these periods of despair, I repeatedly gave myself two choices. Continually implant a sense of absolute worthlessness into myself, or the smarter option, allow myself a brief moment of depression before summoning all my brain cells together and work out a better alternative to supplement my unpleasant results. While the preferred choice works occasionally, the feeling of angst continues to haunt me periodically. This in turn takes a negative toll on my temper, steering me to vent out my anger over trivial matters. At one point, I even lost myself completely, bursting out in tears over what seems to be insignificant issues. Guess I failed to entirely incorporate the two choices methodology in this particular scenario.

End result ~ I console myself with the infamous ‘perfection belongs to God alone’ quote which works out just fine.

Judging based on my performance from both scenarios, I shall be honest and admit that I have not mastered the teachings completely but at the same time, deserved a pat on the shoulder for my effort and partial success.
Well done Grace!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-06-07T02:35:00.000+08:00

Each year, the date 6th of June is marked on my calendar as an exclusive day as it indicates the day of birth of one of the world’s greatest mums, my mother.

I would like to make it more meaningful for her this year by extending my wishes to her on the internet for all to see.

Happy Birthday Mummy! I Love You!!!

Hello World!

2008-06-03T20:24:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, nice to meet you.

You are now casting your eyes on the first ever official post written by a thrilled newbie trying her hands on creating a blog. For an IT illiterate like me, this was no easy task. It took me the entire night just to fill in my profiles. Sad wasn’t it? Guess this is a hint for me to start connecting myself with the established IT world.

Let’s see, there a few reasons as to why I want to start a blog, but the most prominent one that I can think of for now is to boost up my command of English. As such, I welcome any critics about my grammar, vocabulary or my thoughts. Just feel free to give me your comments.

Oh ya, I am also recruiting English language tutors so anyone out there who itches to be a tutor are more than welcomed to contact me.

Lastly, thank you for reading!