After all that ranting... something a little less depressing and annoying =)

10 little known things about me

♥ I love most things banana-flavoured
Chocolate banana cake, Chocolate banana Pocky, banana cake (hehe, Boon Aik still remembers this XD ), etc all make me very happy XD

♥ My great-grandmother was a Singaporean Nyonya
Actually, just found out about this recently from mum. We were commenting on how Ken has 'exotic' slightly brown-gold coloured hair and she said "you're actually more exotic than him since your great-grandmother was..."

No wonder my grandfather looked a bit not Chinese in his official portrait.

♥ My first so called 'secret admirer' was in kindergarten
There was this boy who liked to hug me and plant kisses on my cheek =P

♥ I'm super neat when it comes to unwrapping gifts
Usually, wrapping paper survives mostly intact under me when it comes to the unwrapping process. Can't say the same when I'm the one handling the wrapping though ;)

♥ I can't remember the last time I cut my fingernails
Uh-huh... because I haven't cut them in years. Ashamed to admit this, but there's something about the solid, shiny metal of the nail-clipper that freaks me out when it comes to fingernails. So that's where my nail-biting habit comes handy. Lol.

♥ I ADORE thick black soya sauce
Hehe... it's the Hokkien genes inherited from my two Amoy/Xiamen origin grandfathers. Amoy in Southern China's famous for its soya sauce. Hence, a lot of Hokkien cuisine incorporates caramelised dark soya sauce in the recipe. Eg: Hokkien Mee, Bak Kut Teh, Loh Ahk (braised duck) and my all time fav - my grandmother's black sauce prawns... yum! =9

♥ I've burned myself on a spotlight
There's a light and gradually fading scar not far from my right elbow that I got when I unwittingly laid my hand on the spotlights illuminating a menu at a Chinese restaurant in Subang Parade. Was around 6 or 7 then and yet to dicover how hot a spotlight can be XD

♥ The government schools I've been to serve better food than the private institutions I attend/attended
Canteen food at primary school was lovely (and cheap!), esp the noodles, hence why I balloned up around the ages of 8-12.

My secondary school was also known for great canteen food while I was studying there. I'll always look forward to lunch after prefectorial duties + in early form 5 got to hang out with Mr Yip Jun Ho while partaking in the spread. Hehe ^^

Meanwhile, Taylor's started off having a cafeteria that did not sell any food. Then, there was food but of the packaged, meant to last a few days convenience store type. Monash, on the other hand, has a cafeteria with quite a lot of variety........ except that more than 50% is spicy in some way, or too salty >.<

♥ I watched Euro 08 finals with Auli and Gary
Hehe, this one was really last minute =P The Samad gang met up for an outing on the day of the Euro finals, and Auli proposed that we watch it together. In the end, Gary and I agreed and we stayed up from 11 pm to 5.30 am at Auli's house =) Germany v Spain. I'm the neutral one whilst Auli and Gary are long-time Spain (Iker XD ) supporters.

♥ I cried the first time I did abseiling
Erm... SMK SAS prefectorial board of 05/06 would know about this, since it happened during prefects camp at Fraser's Hill. I didn't have trouble roping down. It was the letting go at the upper ledge of the wall that caused problems.

Was really scary since I have a phobia of free falling backwards. In the end, it took quite a bit of coaxing to get me to let go. Turned out that the rope was very secure and abseiling down the practice wall was really easy + fun ;)

I really should be in bed.

Grr. I hate how I become insomniac-ish when under stress, no matter how sleepy and tired I am. It's just... I keep dwelling on worst-case scenarios until I scare myself into a frenzy and toss and turn in bed.

@#% exams start on the 23rd. 11 days away. The only studying I've done is for COM1020, and my 'achievement' is not enough to even attempt one of the basic 100-word-essay questions in the paper. Starting to get really sick of 1020 and all those 'wth! this makes no sense' uber over-structured and complicated sentences in the journals (which when compiled is our textbook, thus 100% examinable).

I seriously don't know how I'm going to break down, comprehend and store enough info to write four 100 word essays and two 600 word essays in 2 freaking hours. That's a total of 160 lines! Thank Zeus the exam only carries a 30% weightage.

Still... if I didn't do well in assignment 2 (worth 40%), and even if I did alright, I'll need all the marks I can scrape together to achieve at least a Distinction.

Dreading exam season with all my heart. I still remember all the tears, anxiety and anguish that accompanied studying for exams in June... because I prepared right at the last minute, in between papers, for all 4 subjects.

It's going to be even worse this sem. Only 4 days separate Macroecons from Marketing, and only a miserable 1 day between Marketing and Business Law (open-book, so it needs the most note-taking preparation. Not enough of that, and guaranteed an instant fail or barely passed grade >.< )

Suddenly all the light-heartedness and optimism I've been feeling lately is fast draining away, and I'm becoming grouchy and high-strung again. *sad*

Adele has been feeling very happy and lucky lately. Thank YOU! ^^

So hyper until can't sleep

Hehe. Went anime shopping with the male in my life and he picked up Kanokon for himself, partly because of my recommendation. What girlfriend introduces an ecchi series to her bf? *shakes head* =P

... And what girl watches a male ecchi series?! Hmm.... XD

Well, Kanokon is rather quite a bit of fun to squint at and enjoy in front of a laptop screen =)



Here's a take on why Kanokon is an underrated gem ;)




On another note, my much awaited half-German cousins arrived in M'sia today! 8 years since my aunt's family migrated to Germany and all I can say is... GOSH... why do the males in the family get all the good genes? =P

My grew-up-in-Australia cousin looks like a buff male model whilst his elder brother has the good-looking preppy Harvard style, and this German cousin - I swear - looks like he just walked out of an alt-band/Hollywood photo shoot. And he has the cutest accented English. And he's just only 15! Not fair! XD

And... and... and... they're all gentlemanly, romantic sweethearts girls swoon over. The preppy one's even married already.

My other German cousin, 4 year old sister to the aforementioned rocker lookalike, also has typical Pan Asian look with gorgeous features. This one's so adorable that she's going to break more than a few hearts in the future ;)




Going out with dad later today. Hopefully we'll be able to try Ramen Taiko.

Itching to try the food there since Katsumata-sensei (another ramen lover!) recommended the place, and dad got me the menu to skim through. They have authentic Shouyu Ramen, my fav~! ^^

But it'll be funny if we do go there, since the restaurant is just opposite his condo in Mont Kiara... but he has to come and pick me up all the way in DJ and then make our way (almost) back to his place XD





Speaking of Katsumata-sensei.... *sniff* I miss a lot of these guys and gals.

Especially the ones that I met back in Beginner 1, like Ou Yang-san, Natalie-san and Candy-san. And also those that joined us later like Karen-san.

That's Katsumata-sensei in the first row to the left, with the checkered skirt. She's gone back to Japan now. One of the best and most lively teachers we've had =)

Almost 3 weeks now since I've deferred my I2 class to end of the year. On the bright side, at least I might get to see Natalie-san and Lina-san at the next I2 intake.

Undecided yet though if I want to commence Nihon-go classes for twice a week during the hols. Getting a little hard to manage hw and revision for the Intermediate levels.

Might also want to take up latin dance or start learning to salsa again during the weekends.

Had a good, long talk with an old (long lost?) friend ;)

Things at one time we're very complicated between us, so it felt good to be able to talk to him in a mature and "we've grown up and are wiser now" type of way.

As usual, when things are going right between us, it was good to talk to him because he has a stabilizing effect on me. If there is someone who can talk sense into my thick skull, it would be him.

But most of all, I've missed him... as a friend whom I'm able to be frank and honest with, because he already knows so much about me - the good, the bad, and the really ugly.

And in a way, I'm that bit happier and relieved to know that he feels the same and I haven't left too much of an in-deletable bad impression from my prior bad behaviour.

It's the hols!

My aunt who's currently living in Germany will be back for two weeks, along with my cousins Erik and Vanessa. Can't wait for their arrival on Thursday! =)

In the meantime, I took out some books from the Monash library. I know, I know. What am I thinking? XD I'm behind in my Law and Comm reading, and here I am happily reading fiction. Oh well.






I admit, I got a lil' ambitious =P 5 books for a 1 week study break.

On another bookish note... a book tag!

1. 1984 (George Orwell)
2. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
3. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
4. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
6. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
7. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
8. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
9. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
10. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
11. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
12. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
13. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
14. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding)
15. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
16. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
17. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
18. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
19. Dune (Frank Herbert)
20. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
21. Emma (Jane Austen)
22. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
23. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
24. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
25. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
26. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)
28. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling)
29. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)
30. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
31. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)
32. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
33. In The Skin Of A Lion (Michael Ondaatje)
34. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
35. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
36. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
37. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
38. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
39. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
40. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
41. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)
42. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
43. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
44. Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck)
45. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
46. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
47. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
48. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
49. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
50. Shogun (James Clavell)
51. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
52. The Bible
53. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
54. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
55. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
56. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
57. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
58. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
59. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
60. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
61. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
64. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
65. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
66. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
67. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
68. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
69. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
70. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
71. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
72. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
73. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien)
74. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien)
75. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
76. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
77. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
78. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
79. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
80. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
81. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
82. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
83. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
84. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
85. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
86. The Stand (Stephen King)
87. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
90. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
91. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
92. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
93. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
94. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
95. Ulysses (James Joyce)
96. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
97. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
98. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
99. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
100. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

To do the tag, bold the books you've read and italicize those you wish to read.
Out of that list, I probably won't want to go near Anna Karenina again, unless I'm having trouble sleeping XD

Some piccus I've yet to post up:

Ken playing by the beach ^^


Interact Club of SMK SAS BOD 2005/2006

1.What would best describe your personality?
Love Addiction - Koyama Keiichiro [what?! *faints* XD ]

2.What do you like in a guy/girl?
Carat - sifow [No la... I don't look for a guy that can give me diamonds]

3.How do you feel today?
Belfast - Boney M [Beats me *shrugs*]

4.What is your life's purpose?
Holiday- Bee Gees [If only...]

5. What is your motto?
the SPEED STAR - Namie Amuro [hahaha... yes yes, I love fast things, bring it on =P ]

6.What do your friends think of you?
Something's Been Making Me Blue - Smokie [ Really?] =(

7.What do you think of your parents?
Love is Delicious- Wheesung [hehe]

8.What do you think about very often?
Let's Just Kiss and Say Goodbye - Barry White [Hmm...]

9.What do you think of your best friend?
We Belong Together - BIG BANG [So sweet =) ]

10.What do you think of your crush?
Nothing Compares 2 U- Sinead O'Connor [...]

11.What is your life story?
No More Cry - D-51 [Yes, by all means please]

12.What do you want to be when you grow up?
Lay Back in the Arms of Someone - Smokie [I want to be loved by someone ^^ ]

13.What do you think when you see your crush?
Violet Sauce - Namie Amuro [So steamy XD ]

14.What do your parents think of you?
Hot Limit - T.M. Revolution [Eh? I'm a very goody-goody daughter =P ]

15.What do strangers think of you?
Here With Me - Dido [O-kay...]

16.What will they play at your funeral?
I Got You Babe - Sony & Cher [A little inappropriate, but at least it's a happy song =) ]

17.What will you dance to at your wedding?
Lovable - Kim Jung Kook [Ooh! I definitely want this song played! ^^ ]

18.What is your hobby/interest?
Rainbow - NEWS [I love spotting rainbows <3 ]

19.What do you think of your friends?
The Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston [I love you guys and I hope you guys love yourselves too =) ]

20.What song do you listen to when you are sad?
Emotions - Bee Gees [*sniff*]

21.What song do you air guitar to?
You're Still the One - Shania Twain [Err. No.]

22.What should be your signature karaoke song?
Love Me - Bee Gees [Goodness. I hope not =S ]

23.What is your greatest desire?
Let Me Be There - Olivia Newton John [Let me be here for you ^^ ]

24.What does next year have in store for you?
Love Story - Clavier [Sounds good. Love the song too ;D ]

25.What's your outlook on life?
Chiisana Koi no Uta (Little Love Song) - MONGOL 800 [Love makes the world go round]

26.How will you die?
Naihi Shinsho (Innermost Secret Confession) - ONE OK ROCK [Ehehe... no comment]

27.Do people secretly lust after you?
Painter Man- Boney M. [A hot painter man, I hope ;) ]

28.The best advice you will ever get
Unbreakable - Domoto Koichi [Stay strong... pretty good advice eh? ^^ ]

29.What will I be doing for the next 3 months?
If You Don't Know Me By Now- Simply Red [Knowing me, I'll be wasting time]

30.What do you think of the person who tagged you?
Needles and Pins - The Searches [I hope not =S ]

31.What will your future mother-in-law be like?
Lost in Love - Air Supply [I want to love her, but not THAT much =P]

32.What is the favourite song of the doctor who will help deliver your baby?
I'll Be There - Mariah Carey & Trey Lorenz [That's reassuring =) ]

33.If you wrote a book, what would it be about?
Deep In Your Heart - Domoto Koichi [Smexy and hot, full of secrets... oooh ;D ]

34.What sort of world ruler would you be?
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics [Hehe]

35.Will you ever get a dog or cat?
On the Street Where You Live - Perry Como [Sidetrack a little... I adore Perry Como's songs!]

36.What would you say at your Oscar/Nobel prize acceptance speech?
Locomotion - Kylie Minogue [Hahaha. I'll get everyone to do the Locomotion with me! ^^ ]

37.What is your superpower?
Blue River - The Band [???]

38.Why are you attracted to enigmatic brooders?
Cry - Godley & Cream [Because they make me want to cry?]


Lots of funky oldies, thanks to my Nano containing a good chunk of my uncle's songs. Explains the Boney M., Bee Gees and Smokie huh? ;)

Good news!

A close friend of mine has a new and much awaited baby cousin! ^^ Congratulations, Gary. May the young A. Wines be well and healthy in Aussieland.

Since Gary's one of the few males in the family, he's overjoyed to have a male cousin to play with. Hence, the celebration ;)

On another happy note, there's two recent games floating around gamespace that I can't wait to try:


In the Dog House. It's always hard to resist the cuteness of a Nitrome creation, isn't it? ^^



Hoshi Saga 3. The previous two were a blast, so this is probably going to be a "oops, time flew by so quickly" piece of fun.

Enjoy! =)

Sigh. I promised myself I would stop caring. That I would stop obsessing. And for a while I really believed I did, that I'd conquered goliath. But... I realize that a small part of me still cares. It's hard because I there are some things that cannot be molded into a certain shape by time. Yet... the aftertaste lingers on...

Sweet, sweet relief!

Can't believe I'm almost done with the final assignments for this sem... after all that mind-killing, tears-inducing stress.

Btw, Monashians take note!

Monash AniManga Otaku Unity (MAOU) will be holding the first ever Monash AniManga Matsuri (Festival) on:

22, 23 & 24 September

Yup! Next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! =)

It'll be fun... with a Hostess & Butler Cafe (Tues & Wed), Games, Competition, Anime art henna, Cosplay (Thurs), etc.

The festival will run from 10 am to 3 pm on all 3 days, so some take a look and bring -drag, convince - your friends to join in the FUN!

Eheh... hello once more! *yeah, I strike again with my multiple posts in one-day tendency* =P

~*^Great master L-double u- n^*~, I think you're right la, sleep deprivation really makes people a little retarded XD

Stressed and frankly, quite a bit going through my mind now. So what to do? Write, of course.

I miss Southampton FC! I miss watching them on Astro, when it's premier league season. I miss hearing fans singing 'When the Saints Come Marching In', and most of all, I miss watching the Saints play at St Mary's.

Many have asked me, 'Why Southampton?'

Well, it's hard to describe the emotions I feel for the club. Pride, love, disappointment, hope, and more... all rolled into one. That's how I feel about the club. So much so that without even making an effort to do so, I refer to Southampton as 'we'. As in, 'We'll be playing against (club name) this weekend. I know we can do it.'

It's the same with Ferrari and F1. The team is where my heart belongs when it comes to F1. I wouldn't be able to like any other team as much. I grew up instinctively loving Ferrari cars (and still do! XD ) with that interest leading to a supporter-commitment to the Ferrari F1 team.

To me, supporting a club/team/etc is to love it for all the right reasons, sincerely... kind of like how one should love a bf. It doesn't matter if they're having a great season or a disastrous one, you'll still be a supporter. One may rant and groan, but at the end of the day, there's still a feeling of emotional connection.

Anyway, tomorrow's the fourth last race in this season's racing calender. It's the race that means the most to me, as a Ferrari fan. Monza,Italy... I share your hope of hearing the Italian anthem being played tomorrow on the podium.

Aloha! =) Greetings from the land of assignments. As stated in the previous post, it's that time of the season again for this gal ;)

2 research assignments in one week. Wish me luck! Hopefully, Mr Kumar will be in a sun-shiny mood and grant us an extension on the comm assignment. And I'm being ambitious. I want to try and finish off my 1000 word marketing mini essay by tomorrow, so I can start on the hefty comm assignment with a clear mind (40% of my final marks lie there *gasp* XD ).

Anyway, I'm still alive! ^^ Will be a mainly inactive blogger for now though. Time's not on my side, amigos... unfortunately.

Hope all of you are well and will remain well. Cheers! :)

P/S: I crave homemade sweet treats. Want to pop into Marmalade for some cupcakes *drool*

Hola!

It's been a while since the last post... because life's still hectically busy XD

I've an assignment due next week, another in two weeks' time, and two due on the very same day in three weeks' time. *faints*

The Comm 1020 major essay is worth 40%! No kidding there. There's also Marketing and Macroecons mid-term test this week.

On top of that, have to juggle dual MAOU (AniManga club) responsibilities. One as normal secretary, and the other as co-secretary of the committee managing the as yet unnamed fiesta planned for week 11 - which is end of September in non Monash terms.

I'll be cosplaying for the very first time too, and debuting at the fiesta. ^^ Thus, have to plan out the details of my costume as well.

In other words, hang in there amigos, I'll update as soon as there's more than an iota of free time ;)

Ciao!

First of all, a big thank you to those who helped Bee Theng and I with the MONGA survey! Our Head of Writing has replied that she likes the article we wrote, thanks to the findings we gathered from the survey ^^

And...

Sorry guys for not updating, have been super busy lately and haven't been feeling well too due to the haze and abominably hot weather. Blogging's been one of the last things on my mind.

So stressed up lately with assignments and such. It's as if one blink of an eye and another piece of work has to be submitted for assessment.

And... still blur regarding the Comm assignment I'm forced to hand in on the 13th. I'm behind by 3(!) chapters worth of journal reading for that unit, including 4 journals I have to read to complete the assignment >_<

Don't know when I'll actually start feeling not so tired every day, and be able to push myself to complete the required work for all the units ='(

P/S: If you're a Sunway Monashian who enjoys anime and manga, join our very own MAOU (Monash AniMangs Otaku Union)! =) Just get in touch with your friends who are members (if you're reading this you already know one =P ) and have them update you about meetings and such + hand RM5 to MAOU's very nice treasurer ^^

P/P/S: J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard! In December! Super excited XD

I'm not emo-ing anymore XD

Talked things over with Jason and feel more reassured now. Will only get to spend quality time with him in September when he has his 3 week long break though. More bad news is that's about when I'll start to get crazily busy, but we agreed to work something out :)

This week's going to be hectic hectic hectic too. Have 2 club AGMs and 2 parties - MBC's Networking Party and the COSTA Bash. Both parties are on the same day =P Haven't decided if I'll be going though as lots of assignments and homework to work on because...

... my weekend will be spent mostly at Nikko Hotel, conferencing.

MSLS 08 Speaker's List

• Y.A.B. Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia
• Dato’ Seri Khaled Nordin, Minister of Higher Education Malaysia
• Y.B. Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Education Minister of Malaysia
• Zainah Anwar, Executive Director of Sisters in Islam
• Ruben Gnanalingam, Executive Director, Westport Malaysia
• Karim Raslan, Founder, Karim Raslan Associates
• Dr. Denison Jayasooria, Executive Director, Social Strategic Foundation
• YB Senator Dato’ Zaid Ibrahim, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department - Law and Judicial Reform
• Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz bin Ungku Abdul Hamid, former Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaya
• Khoo Kay Peng, Executive Director, SEDAR
• Dr. Mazeni Alwi, Chairman, Muslim Professional Forum
• Datuk Justin Leong, Head of Strategic Investments & Corporate Affairs, Genting Berhad
• Dato' Ooi Sang Kuang, Deputy Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia
• Ibrahim Suffian, Director, Merdeka Centre
• Dato' VC George, former Court of Appeal judge
• Mr Yeo Yang Poh, Former President of the Malaysian BAR Council
• YB Khairy Jamaluddin, MP, Rembau
• YB Tony Pua, MP, PJ Utara
• Dr. Siva Ananthan, CEO, LTT Global Consultants
• Afendi Sustriwolo, Chairman, MPPK

The ones in orange are the speakers I've heard of, whilst the ones in red - danger XD - are the ones I predict might get asked all sorts of interesting questions during the open mic session.

Will be meeting Jen there, and she says Gabrielle will be introducing the two of us to her friends in the spirit of networking. I sense I'll be meeting many people at MSLS ;)

Hope that you'll get your confirmation too, Sara.

By the way, spent the weekend in Melaka. Really enjoyed the trip back to my hometown this time. Had the chance to have dinner at the Portugese Settlement (very good! :9 ) and shopped at Jonker Walk (brought back some lovely accessories). I want to go again soon! =P

P/S: I'm behind on my blog visiting and commenting. Sorry guys. Will try asap (and do the tag as well, Sara).

Hola everyone! I guess Monashians and basically just about every uni student would be swamped with assignment deadlines, homework, busy personal lives, etc.

Gosh, it's just the 2nd week of sem 2 and things are already heating up! XD

I'm co-writing a MONGA (that's Monash Sunway's very own student editorial!) feature article with Bee Theng due on the 4th. The first macroeconomics assignment is also due on the very same date. Furthermore, there's MSLS 08 on the 2nd and 3rd. Comm 1020's first assignment is due the week after macroeconomic's. And there are about 2 assignments or so due two weeks after Comm1020's. Marketing requires a mini assignment to be handed in every week as well.

Phew!

Japanese lessons are getting tougher too! And the amount of homework we get has increased dramatically =P

Uni classes-wise, Comm 1020's interesting. There are lots of international students, and everyone is so verbal and outspoken that it really makes you think and voice out your opinions. The class is relatively small as well when compared to the business ones, so that makes it easier for you to not be dwarfed by the size of your surroundings.

Marketing tutorials are fun in the sense that once again, it is about thinking and voicing out your thoughts. As such, a lot of interaction takes place. We have group discussions as well, so it's a good chance to mix around within the class. There are four leo's (my star sign) alone in the tutorial class!

Business Law is interesting. It really is! You get to find loopholes, argue to your heart's content, and learn latin (ratio decidendi, obiter dicta... =P ). Fun, no? ^^

Macroeconomics, sadly, seems to be the one I'm enjoying the least (not to say that I don't like it. I do, just not as much). Rather alarming isn't it for someone who's tentatively majoring in Economics? But that's alright, just have to pay more attention in class and stay up-to-date with my notes.

A while since the last update.

Partly because:

• I've been cleaning my room! Now it looks like a storm happened instead of hurricanes
  
• Semester 2 (liar, sem 2 only commenced on the 15th... lalala XD )
• Cloudy gray mood (first there was not-so-nice timetable, then not-so-nice results.... >< )

Oh yes. First day, and I've already got homework! *pretends to be happy & enthusiastic* Homework, HD, see the magical Hattern pattern? I wish XD



Bali Trip 2008

Yet to discover then the magical 'date-disappear' option, and didn't get the chance to paint (literally the dinosaur era computer software) my mark before uploading to photobucket.

Add in dungu photoshop-ing skills and what you see is me exactly what is... yay!


Airport. Welcome to Bali!


Hello beach!



Melia Bali @ Nusa Dua





Balinese lake (man-made XD ). Looks so tranquil.


Valentine's Day, hence the rip-off outdoor "romantic" dinner concept on the right.
Feed mosquitoes more like it.


Hotel blocks. Rooms inside nice + cosy ^^





Beach Dinner @ Jimbaran


With grandmother. Was sooo windy, that everything was flying here flying there =P
Eyes also cannot open XD


Wrong time for a beach dinner, but oh well... ^^



Kintamani (Volcano + Lake Batur)


Village on a tranquil hill. Really like this pic =)


Bali's very own active volcano :)


Lake Batur, against a mountainous background.


Looks so dreamy ^^


Wouldn't want to fall and roll down >_<


Those three brown 'things' are actually the roofs of atap houses.


Where we had lunch! ^^
Very nice place. Fresh air + nice view of volcano and lake + food = bliss.
The fried banana with honey and Balinese pulut hitam were heavenly :9



Coffee and Spice Plantation


Coffee beans being roasted. Very interesting =)


Sat at this comfortable little hut sampling yummy warm drinks.
Even had hot chocolate made from the cocoa beans grown on the plantation... syiok.
My dad tried making his own primitive cigar with the tembakau they gave =P



Uluwatu - Temple and Monkeys

Cliff to the right of Uluwatu's temple.

Sorry ye... no pics of the temple or monkeys *smacks head*. The monkeys were cute but looked fierce, and I didn't dare take out my camera around them in case they'll snatch it. Chasing after monkeys isn't my thing XD



Sunset @ Tanah Lot


Strong, strong wind. Even the trees have to sway about.
Got splashed with dirty water - the wind was blowing the drainage water from the drainage pipe meant to drip into the sea upwards onto us, instead of downwards into the sea. Yucks =_=

But it was worth it because...




Before; It's coming; Sunset! :)


Imagine watching this with your loved ones ^^


... And then it rained.
Tanah Lot temple - an island in a storm.
Looks like something out of a horror movie... kekeke =P

Lookie what I found

Nihon-go Beginner 1 class + 3 sesat guys on the right

It's really tiny, since it's taken off ICLS' website.

The intermediate 1 class is now smaller ( ), since there's only 11 of us - 9 continuing from B2 and 2 new girls. We have a new sensei as well.

The situation's like a pyramid, getting narrower towards the tip. Speaking of pyramids...

Last Tuesday @ Sunway Pyramid

Group shots at Italiannies (The 4-to-go set meal... yummy )

3 from TBS and 5 from Monash

Sara

Yi Qing

Sara + Yi Qing

Scrumptious bread and butter pudding & ice cream cake

With Sara at Asian Avenue.

Can't seem to leave there without getting an accessory or two.

In order, we went to collect the tickets (Be Cool... suggested by Chee Fei ), had lunch (Italiannies), watched the movie, and window shopped.

Be Cool was entertaining and funny. Some of the jokes missed the mark, but others were hilarious to the point of stitches. Plus, there's a bit of a tribute to Ferrari.

Really did have a great time, thanks for the good company ^^