Dear Sha

Happy Deepavali! 

Ambik many many gambar of you in a sari okay.

Tangy Experience

Happy Two-Days-Late Chap Goh Meh people!

Chap Go Meh, 'the fifteenth night' of the Chinese New Year festivals, is also better known as the Chinese Valentines. Young single women berkumpul beramai-ramai to throw oranges into the sea/river/pond in hopes of finding love.

Attached with the mandarin orange are scribbled names and mobile numbers (and perhaps nowadays with msn, fb account and blog links?) Today I read in The Star that the men community toss bananas in the lake instead of oranges, how odd.

As I’ve always been quite negligent of Chinese festivals and traditions, I’ve never tried or even get to witness people casting tangerines into the sea/lake.

Speaking of oranges, I had zero at home, neither did Lynette, Yong Hui or Carolina had any to spare. Yea, that was how urgently we required oranges -______- After much brainstorming and calling, we stole a few from Jian Hon and Swea Phin who imprinted their names on an orange each to throw on their behalf. After dinner Jin Hwa, Kok Sing, Jun Keat, Yvonne, few more people and myself head over to the lake at Taman Jaya to throw our own oranges and participate in the festivities. There was a massive crowd of people of all ages, very unexpected loh. Even as we were leaving there were still people swarming in the entrance

As we wedged our way through to the lake, we passed by many many enthusiastic jantans armed by long poles with a net at the end to fish for floating oranges with contact numbers on it. And nowadays, it’s not only the single ladies that are doing the casting, the men do it too. I know a few who did anyway *coughs*

It was fun, despite the not so interesting performances and standoffish choi san yeh, I’ll never look at Chap Goh Meh as just another day with fireworks blasting around after this.

If you’re fascinated to find out more regarding the story behind Chinese Valentines (Qi Xi), click here. There are many versions to it, this is just one among the many.

The Most Exciting Moment Of My Life, Yet

RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!

SPM RESULTS ARE OUT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!

That has been all I've been muttering since morning. I am shaking in my knees and my fingers are trembling as I type through this post.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a just a little bit there.

Save me please someone.

I suddenly lost confidence in myself, I suddenly feel that though I've worked so terribly hard to reach the stars, I won't get my straight A1's.

What if I didn't study hard enough?

Oh god...it's dreadful having to doubt myself over and over again.

I still am praying and hoping to get at least straight A's in regardless of whether they are A1 or A2.

Straight A's fall into my wide open hands. I know my palms are not that huge but if you aim sharp enough, it just will plop nicely into them.

I have this sudden inspiration of sleeping overnight at the temple. Wanna join me? :)

For the Record

I have a bucketful or rather a whole head full of grumbles to rant about which is somehow related to the essay long text message I read when I woke up abruptly about five this morning. The contents were disturbing enough to keep me awake until sunrise despite the fact that my system was crying out for all the rest it lack of over the past weekend.

A handful of people have been complaining that my blog is lacking of pictures. In other terms, way too many words for their liking. Grr. Due to endless demand, nah la, here it is :)

Rumah KIDS, 2/2

Choon Onn & Kuan's House Visit, 11/2












Visit to FGS, 13/2

YS Lou Sang, 15/2

YS House Visiting, 16/2

I took so long with this blogpost that Jason was whinging on MSN I reply only every four minutes, which is about fifteen replies in an hour. Accounting student konon. Sheesh. After a lengthy conversation, we agree that money can’t buy time. He’s lacking of it, I on the other hand, has plenty.

Right now, I need to catch up on some sleep, I went thru the last and final six hour driving lecture. The system is so messed up. BN should allocate more professionally trained lecturers who don't crack up lame jokes in every sentence haha! I'm sorry Amran for conking out your phone batts!

P.s: The pictures are courtesy of Daniel Teoh :)

P.ss: Like my new new new layout? heehee

Roses are blue

As usual, that overrated 'holiday' has fallen upon us today. Panicky boyfriends and absentminded husbands are running to the nearby gift shops buying the RM11.99 roses in a quick attempt to, well, not get scolded at.

Or cried at.

Or thrown at, for that matter.

At this very moment, I'm convinced Valentine’s Day is nothing but a mere sham. It’s the king of all marketing hoodwink.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Valentine’s but it’s because I stopped believing in them back in high school after a ghastly incident which I beg to be excused from explaining or rather, I will not go into details as this blog is as public as it can be.

The other night, I was watching How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, the only thing that kept me from enjoying was me thinking what an moron Kate Hudson was in that movie, I mean, if you really know what you’re doing, it doesn’t take ten days to lose a guy. You can do it in ten seconds. But the thing about romantic comedies is that they are based on one of the few moronic ideas, none of them which ever happened in real life. Both the hero and heroine hate each other and go lashing at it, like cats and dogs, only to realize much later they’re attracted to each other one or both of them is blocked in some way, and have problems committing because they always try to please everyone. They’ve either got an alcoholic father like in Runaway Bride or some other nonsensical trauma. But suddenly, some magical therapeutic thing happens to make them get over it within seconds, and they rush back to Richard Gere or Julia Roberts and fall into their arms because everything has been resolved and now they can get married happily ever after, which is even more bullshit then the rest because thing like that never happen in a flash.

And anyway, what I always want to know about romantic comedies is: what happens after they end? It’s easy enough to fall into someone’s arms, but what happens after that?

I’ve ranted enough only to cover romantic comedies, don’t get me started on pop songs.

Pineapple tarts and Cantonese dramas

What comes into mind when Chinese New Year when it crosses your path?

Ang paus, fire crackers and lion dances?
Or the dreadful long winding journey back hometown?

When CNY crosses my mind, I don't laugh as if its the best thing that happened in the year. Instead, I smile. Why?

Only once a year we're reminded of what Chinese New Year means to us. How we enjoyed it with our once innocent young minds, running around with lighted up fireworks despite the buzzing blood sucking mosquito's and crooning crickets.

This festive season holds a different meaning for each and everyone. Some may say it's a reason to splurge on new clothes,drink and gamble.

For me, Chinese New Year every year is sort of like just another holiday. A ritual. Once a year, I acknowledge my heritage and endure the boredom of sitting around and having no one to talk to during the 'family reunions' (everyone's getting so old..its either no one's in school anymore or they speak fluent Chinese and hardly any English). The only plus side would be getting those nice thick red packets and the amount usually decreases every year since the petrol price is increasing rapidly.

Apart from that, it never fails to remind me of the juicy mandarin oranges, ba kua, inquisitive aunts, bratty cousins, ham sup uncles, relatives of all ages gathered around the tube box to watch daily hokkien drama series, hard to resist chinese delicacy, waterfall like showers, and yes, the pressure cooker climate.

Chinese New Year also repeats the scene of dad yelling WAKE UP without over doing it yet just enough for us siblings to find our heads hidden between the folds of the blanket and proceed to grunt a 'yeaaaaa, coming' and promptly falling back asleep. Later on, grandma fusses over her granddaughter's lack of appetite for breakfast while grandpa is hidden behind the morning chinese papers and us sitting blurry and unfocused in between morning conversations,

Without fail, all the aunts will come together as a flock and after the passing out of red packets, will proceed to ask me which college I'm attending. It never fails. And it never stops amazing them that I'm still in undecided because all my cousins are like, graduating from university or close to doing so. To that, I will solemnly reply, I'm still undecided, but I've National Service awaiting me in March.

And here I shall clarify once again, I am pure Chinese. My 'Szetoo' is as Chinese as a Chinese is. My dad's a hokkien and my mom's a cantonese and they're both as Chinese as Chinese can be.

I'm not Japanese or Korean, neither am I European or pan-Asian. So please, please, stop saying I look like one. More importantly, I do not look similar to an ang kong kia for that is an insult.

In contrast, I do not have the korean-ness look (whatever it is), neither do I have big round eyes and I do not pride myself in not knowing how to speak a chinese dialect properly.

Let me tell you this, I have great pride in my name as its quite unique. and is pronounced wrongly 97% of the time in this country. Most of the time, hardly anyone's heard of my name.

My ironic cousin claims that the size of my head has shrink immensely with my recent haircut. Let me ensure you that the size of my HUGE ego has not shrink with my head, and I therefore must protest to that statement. My head size is fine, thank you.


Anyways, wishing everyone a very HAPPY Chinese New Year and may you not get indigestion by all the food and scrumptious cookies laid out before you every other hour by your aunts, grandaunts, cousins, second cousins, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers...... heehee

Decisively indecisive

I am indecisive.

I really am. Ask anyone. Even a stranger on a bus or the cashier at the nearby seven11 can tell you how indecisive I am.

No need for that, just ask me, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups or Hershey?

My indecisiveness managed to bubble up a tiny conflict between my parents! I feel so bad lah.

I was up at KLCC the last weekend for The Star’s annual Education Fair. With so many courses available today, I'm spoil for choices. Choosing the right one can be very very daunting. Especially when I've got issues to keep in mind. It haunts me all the time.

The place was nonetheless, very chaotic. Everywhere you go, you see a familiar face, plenty of lalas , ah bengs, and yes, crowds and crowds of college hunters like me, and plenty of parents. Yes, it was very chaotic and there was such a noisy atmosphere.

I went to every nook and canny, and everywhere, everyone was offering us pamphlets, plastic bags, pens, bookmarks and who knows what, which I just didn't bother checking and just chuck it all into the plastic bags. Seriously, these people will pounce on you especially if you tell them you are an SPM leaver, just like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. So well after going through a few rounds, I still haven't made up my mind about which college, I would like to pursue my tertiary education.

Some colleges took the nuisance to pen down my personal information regardless of my hostility. I’ve got to give them the credit though. One in particular, woke me up on Monday morning. Groans. Another took the trouble to add me on msn.

Err.. is that normal?

Indecisive

Oh well, I am still in the midst of contemplation and have no idea where I am heading to yet. I'm currently sitting on the fence of indecision, trying to encounter all of the frustration and struggles. Worries aside, I'm taking the driving ceramah on Thursday! My first baby step to driving :)

It’s the moments when we walk side by side
I carelessly slip my hand into his and when he clasp my palm tighter,
locks his fingers between mine,
not wanting to let go,
I feel as if his skin talking to mine,
assuring me that everything will be okay.

Decisions are at the heart of leader success, and at times there are critical moments when they can be difficult, perplexing, and nerve-racking. However, the boldest decisions are the safest. This source provides useful and practical guidance for making efficient and effective decisions in both public and private life. Nothing succeeds a success better than another sweet success.

Professor Hossein Arsham

A closure

I'll be temporarily taking a break from blogposting to cure my
broken/kaput/out of order heart.

Until then, Happy Christmas & Merry New Year!

Class of 5 Bakti Year 2007.

These are the pictures taken at our mini class reunion on the
4th December 2007.

The beginning

The oh-so-responsible class monitor

The birthday boy

The crazy Manchester United fan

The aftermath


The unbelievably and exceptionally intelligent one

The greedy one. Heehee

My five year relationship <3






My deepest apologies to Kee Hoong and Jun Shuo that weirdly enough there weren't any pictures of you both that I could post up :( but I truly enjoyed the Mulan song you remixed for me and Pravin. Thank you for having that song stuck in my head for days after that.