bLoggLer

Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)

2010-07-23T22:01:00.000+01:00

En-ger-land

2010-06-18T21:28:00.004+01:00

*Yawns* That's 90 minutes of my life that I'll never get back...

I give full credit to the Algerian team for standing up and claiming a point off the English. Maybe because they know I was rooting for them haha.

I think the best bits of the night was probably the quote-worthy lines from TV pundits and critics...

"England maintained their unbeaten record."

"We'll try to have a positive analysis of the game right after the break. But let me warn you, it may not be possible."

(Journalist to Stevie G) "What was lacking in England's game tonight?"
(Stevie G) "Goals."

(Patrick Viera of France) "We drew two games in the opening stages and we still got ourselves to the finals. England could still qualify, like we did in 2006."
(Adrian Chiles) "I'm glad you're on board, Patrick."

Snowed Under

2010-01-05T22:34:00.010Z

The weather outside is frightful, but the boiler inside is delightful, and while I have no place to go (coz I'm on-call), let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Ok, I admit that was very selfish of me. People up and down the country are worried about whether they'd be able to get to work the next day, catch that flight they've booked months ago, or simply not break any limbs while walking in the snow, and here I am wishing I'd see more white stuff. Hmm...

I guess you probably have read about the cold snap we've had since new year's. In actual fact, the unusually cold weather started before the holiday season. While some parts of the UK and Ireland witnessed the magical phenomenon of White Christmas, London-dwellers only had Christmas. Booooo.....

Anyway, I was watching the news on telly earlier and the Met Office have apparently issued an emergency weather warning for tomorrow, with heavy snow and ice expected for Wednesday, and subzero temperatures on Thursday and Friday. Thousands of schools have been shut nationwide and airports like Heathrow and Gatwick have been closed due to high volumes of snow. Over here in South Kensington, we've only been getting cotton-y snow every now and again but nothing too thick. *I hope to be proven wrong in the morning*

So what else is new, apart from the new year? I went to work yesterday with a bunch of new year resolutions, one of which was to "chill-out-relax-and-don't-stress" but I've already sent that packing. "Take it slow" is another one but if I can't achieve #1 I can't do #2. I also resolved to "strike a balance" but everyone knows the act of juggling is one hell of a skill to master, so you will pardon me if I do not achieve that by the end of this year...or in fact this decade!

I promised myself I will "stop buying material stuff", but it looks like I may have to un-apply that resolution for January as my most expensive possession is kaputing as we speak. My laptop of 5 years, the one which has been a loyal servant to me during my uni days, has what I think is old age. It switches off randomly and while I have made peace with the fact that I can no longer watch my favourite TV shows via online streaming, I can't accept the annoyance of having to restart the computer in the middle of reading an interesting article, typing an email, or checking out good deals on eBay or Amazon. Let's not forget I have zero patience to begin with!

#5 - Get a man.

*I can see funny looks* Hahahaha!!!

Nolah, it's not on my resolution list. Wishlist maybe, but not resolution list. But if it's on yours, here's an interesting parting article...

Check out: Abundance vs Scarcity

Just a spoonful of NJPPK to make the medicine go down...

2009-07-26T22:57:00.008+01:00

Check out: 12 Answers to 12 Tweeter Questions

Thanks to XY, I got the address to Jason Mraz's blog. Have always been a fan of this amazingly talented singer-songwriter and the blog is a great opportunity to further demystify the character that is Mr A-Z.

Was virtually pyscho-analysing his blog entries when I saw something very familiar...

Wanna know what it is? Click on the link above (12 Answers to 12 Tweeter Questions).

p/s: Jason, I love NJPPK too...how about being a spokesperson for them? =P

Manglish (tak) boleh

2009-07-21T18:35:00.006+01:00

What a coincidence. This (grammar malfunction) came after I read an article on the Star today. Aptly observed by Yeow Boon Kiat of PJ.

It reads...

What’s there to boast when we’re speaking Manglish?

WE Malaysians have always been praised by foreigners because we can speak several languages and dialects.

Most of us are able to at least master basic English and a few other languages.

We like to boast before our Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and Korean friends that our English is better than theirs.

We even like to make fun of their English pronunciation and we feel superior to them.

But what is there to boast when we are just speaking Manglish most of the time?

Many of us fail to improve our English because of a complacent mindset.

We ignore grammar and include lots of Malay and Chinese words such as lah, arr, hor or de instead of using standard English expressions to convey our thoughts and feelings.

We think this is fine as long as our Manglish is understood by others.

For a long time, we have been living in complacency while the standard of English in the North-East Asian region has been improving fast.

More and more professionals and graduates from that region have made efforts to enhance their English in native English-speaking countries and more and more of them are able to shine internationally.

Meanwhile we are still speaking Manglish like “you got see Ali arr?” “Got arr, you never see him mie?”

While our Asian counterparts are going the extra mile to master English, we may still be thinking our English is better than theirs.

In actual fact, the number of their professionals and graduates who are proficient in English may even exceed our population!

Apa khabar? Khabar baik...

2009-06-07T22:17:00.018+01:00

Listening to: Kembali (Anggun)
"Jalan masuh jauh yang harus aku tempuh, dan harus aku cuba meraih asa, cita & cinta"

Just thought I should post something on my blog so it doesn't look as if I've gone missing or something ^^

Still around folks, still around. Just haven't had the time, and more precisely, the mood to blog, due to this and that, and that and this.

It'll change though. It should anyway. After the 27th.

That's the day I'm sitting for the most important exam of my life. Nothing like that kind of hard-hitting statement to get me into full exam prep mode eh?

As always, I'll do the best I can. Hoping that my best is good enough.

***

Funny weather we've had today in London. Started out rainy and windy (as forecasted by the Met). Then it abated and the sun came out in full force, only for the wind to bring the clouds back and gloom up the place. Ugh.

Looked the same in Paris but nothing was gonna stop FedEx from securing his maiden French title after such a long wait. Me the ever hopeful fan, prayed and crossed my fingers pretty much from start to finish, except for 15 minutes late in the second set when my computer and BBC's website weren't communicating, which resulted in me missing the tie-breaker. You don't want to know how many times I've cursed in that 15 minutes.

You have to pity Soderling though. Playing at a stadium where 99.9% of the crowd wanted you to lose before the match even started is disheartening. Still, I think he has loads to be proud of. Reaching the finals in Roland Garros is no mean feat, and knocking Nadal and Gonzales out of the championships en route to the final deserves an extra applaud.

And certainly a million merci beaucoups from the champion himself, no doubt. =P

***

Okie doke, so much scramblings for now. Gotta head back to books...

Actually, bed would probably be more appropriate considering it's Monday tomorrow and it's now close to 11pm.

"So long, farewell, auf widersehen, goodnight", and lights out~!

And oh, before I sign off, here's just a few recent pictures of moi...

Fine, dandy, and loving her new fringe :p

Irish Medical Dictionary

2009-03-25T22:54:00.003Z

Artery: The study of paintings

Bacteria: Back door to cafeteria

Barium: What doctors do when patients die

Benign: What you be, after you be eight

Caesarean Section: A neighbourhood in Rome

Catscan: Searching for Kitty

Cauterize: Made eye contact with her

Colic: A sheep dog

Coma: A punctuation mark

Dilate: To live long

Enema: Not a friend

Fester: Quicker than someone else

Fibula: A small lie

Impotent: Distinguished, well known

Labour Pain: Getting hurt at work

Medical Staff: A Doctor's cane

Morbid: A higher offer

Nitrates: Cheaper than day rates

Node: I knew it

Outpatient: A person who has fainted

Pelvis: Second cousin to Elvis

Post Operative: A letter carrier

Recovery Room: Place to do upholstery

Rectum: Nearly killed him

Secretion: Hiding something

Seizure: Roman emperor

Tablet: A small table

Terminal Illness: Getting sick at the airport

Tumour: One plus one more

Urine: Opposite of you're out

Haha, I had a good laugh. Hope you did too!!! ^^

Thanks M.

Hard Times

2009-03-25T13:49:00.004Z

To: Miss Tan

Subject: Online Saver rate change

Date: 20 Mar 2009

Message:

The Bank of England have reduced the Base Rate by 0.50% to 0.50%. Following this, we have changed the rate of interest you earn on your Online Saver account from 0.75% AER to 0.25% AER, 0.25% gross variable. The new rate is effective from 20 March 2009.The Online Saver is designed for people with longer term savings goals - as you won't receive any interest on the full balance in any calendar month you make a withdrawal.Our Online Bonus Saver account may suit you better (Simply go to the 'Savings' tab and select 'Online Bonus Saver'). However, please remember that if you transfer any funds out of your Online Saver this will count as a withdrawal from your Online Saver and no interest will be payable on that account in that month.

Thank you for saving with HSBC.

Hard times people, hard times.

Flavour of the Month

2009-03-04T18:54:00.012Z

I just read my sister's offline messages to me on MSN. Apparently she thinks I went too far with my previous post (on Mr Cutie Pie). Too far on the insanity scale that is.

Well in case you TOO think I've lost the plot, let me reassure you that it was merely a crush. No more, but certainly no less either!

Come on, it happens to the best of us...

Anyway Yan, I'm glad. It shows you've got your head (tightly) screwed on.

*clears throat*

Ooh, just some photos of yours truly [taken during Jeff's trip to London recently], of which I was (some sort of) a tour guide. It was a nice walk along the embankment indeed...we'll try Cheyne Walk the next time eh buddy?

Actually, something rather interesting happened at the restaurant when we were having lunch. Kinda involved a cute German guy....oh well, enough of my boy-craziness.

Don't mean to boast but I love this picture to bits. I didn't know photography skills are intrinsic to me!

Have You Read...?

2009-02-26T18:02:00.007Z

Stole this from someone's Facebook tag. Apparently it's the 100 must-read books. Or something like that.

1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
2a) Add a '-' to the ones you HATE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X+++
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (bought it but yet to read...Option 4, make it a hash #)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte *
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee #
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X+++
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier X
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger *
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger*
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot *
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (I doubt I'd ever read it, and I'm inclined to blame the movie for it)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens *
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy *
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky *
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck #
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens X
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen X- (in bold)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen X
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini *
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X+
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens *
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt *
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold X+++
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas *
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding X+++
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens * (can you believe that I have not read the book yet?)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens #
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker *
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro *
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom *
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X+++
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton X+++ (my fav as a kid!!!)
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas *
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo *

He

2009-02-25T22:32:00.017Z

He was there right from the start. Holding her hand. Stroking her head. Kissing her softly as she winces in pain. Her tower of strength.

He was there in her hour of need. He kept her company when she was alone. And afraid. In this foreign place. He was there, from morning to dawn.

He made sure she was comfortable. He brought her flowers. And books and magazines to take her mind off it. He checks that she's not hungry, or thirsty. He tells her jokes that made her laugh. He updates her family, his family, and their friends. He flew all the way just to be with her, for her, and stand by her.

***

In case you think this is just another one of my daydreams, it's not.

She's real. He's real. It's real.

A 25 yr old doctor was admitted to Casualty at our neighbouring hospital for sudden onset of chest pain over the weekend. It was suspected to be a heart attack and she's now at the our hospital for further investigations.

He was here since her admission on Monday. Never leaving her bedside. Always around.

It's one of the things I look forward to when I go to the ward everyday (that, and my cutie pie Registrar). The sight of them gives me hope and renews my faith. Hope that love exists. Faith that such a 'he' exists.

***

Speaking of my cutie pie registrar, boy have I got news for you!

I was speaking to a patient yesterday, and he curiously asked about my nationality, after failing miserably to locate me based on my 'elusive' accent. I proudly told him my country of origin (as always) and he said the surgeon who operated on him is Malaysian too.

Anyway, don't know why I thought that was news-worthy, but it came up in my conversation with my colleague this afternoon as we were walking back to our office. I told her what I found out, and she said one of the cardiology registrars is Malaysian as well.

No prizes for guessing who....

YES YES, MR CUTIE PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***

My colleague: "Oh really? Mr DS is Malaysian? Aww, lovely. Oh you know what? One of the cardio registrars is Malaysian as well. Oh I can't remember his name...[me prompting with some hints]. Yeah, that's the one! Oh he's sweet. Really nice. *jokingly suggests to me* Hmm, now that you know, maybe you can get to know him better. If you're single haha. You never know."

I approached him once on a Friday evening long long time ago (har-har, good guess but it wasn't to ask him out). I had a burning question about the heart and who better to ask than the cute doctor I have a crush on...sorry. The competent doctor who specialises in that field.

Me: "Hi, sorry to trouble you, but can I ask you a question"? [heart racing, palms sweating, thank God not slurring]

He: "Yup, wassup?" [seriously, he said wassup. No kidding. Ohhhh this guy is kewl...]

Me: "blah blah blah, I'm doing an audit on pacemakers blah blah blah, what is the reason for xyz blah blah blah"

He: "yada yada yada...empirical [good choice of word]...yada yada yada...dogma [lagi good choice of word]..." er, the rest was a blur.

Bottomline: He's cool, approachable, not arrogant, speaks blardi good English.

Just saw J's message. "Have I stalked him on Facebook?" Yes but to no avail. Which is good, coz that means he's not a Facebook guy, which is MY kind of guy.

The Bachs, Brahms and Beethovens of tomorrow

2009-02-24T22:53:00.006Z

Listening to: Dreaming of You (Selena)

"If you looked in my eyes, would you see what's inside, would you even care?"

Myself, Chet Wei and her friend David were out at the Royal Overseas League (nicely located behind the Ritz) tonight to support our ex-classmate Shuenda in the ROSL Annual Music Competition.

Shuenda deservingly got himself into the Keyboard Section Finals, beating 30 other hopefuls en route to tonight's grand finale, competing against 5 other contestants. There were 2 South Africans, a Taiwanese, an Australian (who looks like the teenage version of Josh Groban), a Maple Leafian (sorry, Canadian) and last but not least a MALAYSIAN!!! Ben Schoemann (the guy from SA) was crowned the overall winner but personally I thought Shuenda's choice of songs (and rendition too, of course) were better. All biasness aside.

The 6 of them were uniquely magnificent in their own way. Yours truly may not have a discerning ear in music but the 30 minute performance (from each) were really enthralling. Sure enough, Munny yawned and fought to keep her eyes open, but that wasn't attributed to the recitals. The harmonious tunes were simply so serene that she was (almost) lulled into sleep.

Yeah you laugh. You would too if you had gone there straight after work, and had less than 6 hours sleep the night before trying to rush an audit report.

Oh well, at least it's done.

And I guess as a reward for all my (last minute) hardwork, I managed to see my favourite (cutie pie) Registrar on the ward today.

*ALL SMILES*

Think Alex Yoong but with spiky hair, the same soft spokenness but wayyy cuter. Hopefully no beauty pagaent wife and adorable son....
And I thought I was only susceptible to what my sis and her bunch of pals call Rories...

Dreaming of...

2009-02-21T23:18:00.006Z

Listening to: Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)

"listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness...like a heartbeat.. drives you mad"

I don't know if it's stress, coincidence or just plain randomness, but I have been having dreams of my colleague for the last couple of nights.

THREE nights in a row to be exact. Bizarre innit?

I can't remember when and what and how (naturally), but I am sure he was in it.

Is someone trying to tell me something?

I am a little too afraid to go to bed tonight actually. Coz if I do dream of him again I think I'll have bruises in the morning. All for pinching myself too hard.

Please dream-spinner, don't freak me out.

Woops

2009-02-11T18:35:00.003Z

Erm. I wish.

Home & Away

2009-02-10T18:39:00.005Z

16 days (away) and I didn't recognise my room in South Parade.

I find it amusing actually. How I could forget the landscape of this tiny little shoebox that I've been inhabiting since July. How I responded when I entered the room. As if seeing it for the first time. Me thinking, "hmm, this isn't so bad". As opposed to "oh no, not again".

Amazing what a 2-week break (home) can do.

It was a good form of absence too (I believe) as far as work is concerned. I probably have more colleagues chat me up today than I ever do in a week. "So how's your holiday?" "Did you have a good time?" "Aww, Malaysia must be lovely". "Bet you didn't want to come back to this horrible weather."

"Too short". "Obviously". "Without a doubt". "More than you think".

I saw an aeroplane flew above me as I was walking back from work. At least 36 hours has passed since I left (home).

I'm away, but I left my heart there.

2000+9

2009-01-01T15:20:00.015Z

Sourced from bbc.co.uk

A little smile,
A word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near,
A little gift from one held dear,
Best wishes for the coming year.

Fireworks in London
(check out 4:19-4:22...it was like the stars were raining down on London...defo my favourite and most memorable segment of the entire fireworks display)

Last night's ringing in of the new year at Westminster Bridge was in some ways a reminder to myself that...

a) if I could survive standing for 2 hours at freezing point, I could survive anything

b) time doesn't stop and

c) nothing lasts forever, or is ever as (bad as) it seems

Special thanks to Kevin for making me cry with his super-hot tom yam, and for being nuts enough to want to do this :)

So, where to next new year's eve?

Auckland looks promising, Sydney is - and has always been - spectacular, Hong Kong blows me away, but I think it may just be New Year, New York?

Old is (not) Gold?

2008-12-29T18:03:00.016Z

Listening to: We're Young and Beautiful (Carrie Underwood)

"Cause a time will come, when I'm not so young, and beautiful"

Yo yo yo! Hope you all had a marvellous break?!

Yes, I hear you. I want more (too). If only eh... :(

Anyway, new year's day is just round the corner. It'll be 2009 before you know it peeps!!!

As much as I didn't want to go back to work, I nonetheless had to (in spite of the mood-sinking Monday blues that I had last night *pouts*).

But then maybe the big guy up there took pity on me, for it was a pretty relaxing day at the office today. Most likely because we've discharged about 75% of the inpatients last week (for Christmas), so the hospital is currently quite empty, which is not necessarily a bad thing...

Took in a prescription from an outpatient while serving on the hatch today and went about our usual set of questions (somewhat intrusive but hey that's protocol for you) - drug allergies, concurrent medication, any exemptions etc.

When I asked about his current medication, he said "Ohhhhh, a lot", and showed me a print out.

To be fair, it was ONLY 2 pages of FP10 repeat script. Tops 15 items. It's not really that massive a list...

"You are so lucky you don't have all these problem(s). You are young."

Er, thanks uncle. I have my fair share of problems but still, thanks.

I went and got his medication dispensed, and 5 minutes later, I handed it to his wife, reiterating the instructions and gave her some general counselling.

"Aww, thank you so much. Bless, such a sweet girl. You take it easy okay while you're young. Not like us, old." She shook her head slightly as she bent down to pick up her bag, and gave me a wistful smile before she turned and headed for the exit.

You know what. I don't think I want to be old(er) anymore. Maybe what I REALLY want is to be wiser...

System Down

2008-12-11T18:22:00.005Z

Listening to: Talk Show On Mute (Incubus)

"I hate to say it but you're so much more endearing with the sound turned off"

This is probably the worse bout of illness I've had.

And it's only bloody laryngitis...

I can afford to laugh at it right now, but the last couple of days have been hell. Not being able to speak (having lost my voice completely) was the worse punishment one could ever have. And I'm not even a chatterbox!

Went to the GP for some antibiotics and I hope (with fingers crossed) I'll be ok for work next week.

Munny needs a good anti-virus cover...come on white blood cells, DO YOUR THING!!!

Bel-Feirste

2008-12-11T17:25:00.006Z

Listening to: Big Girls Don't Cry
"and I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket,

but I gotta get a move on with my life"

Funny how my favourities cities in the UK almost always start with a B - Brighton, Birmingham, Belfast...Blackpool?

Haha, we'll see about the last one.
Anyway, moi was at the Norn Iron capital over the weekend for some escapade.
I didn't think I'd remember much of the place since it was more than half a year ago that I was last there, but some things don't change.

That fast anyway.

Belfast City Airport is for one WAYYYYYY nicer than "the other airport". Nope, I still can't bring myself to mention its name in full...the pain of having my pepper spray confiscated is still too much to bear. I certainly wouldn't wish my worst enemy the kind of trauma I went through in May...all for carrying a mace which in all honesty was used strictly for self-defence purposes!

Ok, to cut the long story short, I was stopped by the security folks at Belfast International Airport (prior to my flight back to Cardiff ) for having on me a device deemed illegal in the UK (hey, don't look at me like that...I REALLY didn't know!). Blah blah blah, they called the police, they rampas-ed my mace, took down some details and I was let free. No harm done but Munny was emotionally scarred, to say the very least :)

Thank God this recent trip was hassle-free. Otherwise Belfast would be on my B-list - B for BLACK!

A big shout-out goes to Mark, to whom I owe a great deal, not only for his time but also for his effort in ensuring I had a marvellous time in the city, however short it was.

London awaits you, Mr Belfast!

M & M

Three and Twenty

2008-11-30T17:33:00.016Z

Yo peeps!!!

Yup, you don't have to say, I know. It's been a while since you've heard anything from yours truly. My bad my bad.

Well, it's not as if I have been over the top busy, but busy enough to not have time to blog (if that makes sense). But yeah, something has to be done about my work-life balance though that's for sure.

Anywayyyy, all is good. I'm fine. Alive and kicking.

In fact I turned 23 on Saturday! I had a good birthday, thanks for all your well wishes, greetings, emails, and presents. You guys really made my day!

Special thanks to sister dearest for her hand-made card, sent all the way from home (sweet home). Yanny, you're the best! Sister and draw-er, haha.

Righteo folks, more updates soon, I promise. Watch this space!

Simply Red

2008-09-23T23:11:00.007+01:00

We won 6-0 (yay!)

What can I say...

...but that the kids sunk Sheffield United.

Glory glory ARSENAL!!!

Met up with Rehma for the first time since graduation. Can't believe it's been 2 months since we packed out bags and left Cardiff. Dear dear.

She contacted me last week about this Carling Cup 3rd round match, and seeing tickets were only a tenner, I'd be a fool to say no.

Especially when it's held at the Emirates!

And what a jubilant evening it was :)

Speaking of Cardiff, we weren't the only ones with some sorta connection to the place. Aaron James Ramsey does too. Particularly since he's a Welshman!

AJR signed for Arsenal a couple of months ago and I made a mental note to myself then that I'm gonna check him out as soon as this season starts and whey-hey, he's managed to impress (me).

On the pitch [and off] :) :)

One of Wales' finest exports...hee-hee-hee!

Le Blues

2008-09-17T23:33:00.011+01:00

My colleague Brian and I and a study group mate went to 'support our local team' last night.

Was at Stamford Bridge to watch the Champions League match against Bordeaux, which the Blues comfortably won 4-0.

Managed to get tickets for the game as they were on general sale, otherwise fat chance. Must say the turn out was way better than I had expected. The stadium was about 95% full, which is a considerable attendance.

We were seated 6th row from the pitch, just behind the goal mouth, slightly to the right, few feet away from the supporters of the visiting team. The whole night they were singing their hearts out (in French no less), much to the amusement of the locals, who responded (typically) by singing sarky football songs, one of which include "why the f**ing hell do you eat snails".

HA-HA-HA!!!

I have to say Chelsea are looking rather invicible atm. Helming the EPL standings and showing commanding presence in the UCL, they look the better team heading into Sunday's cracker match against MU. My money is on them!

Ok, before you pick the GUN up and shoot me, nah I haven't jumped ship. I'm still with them :)

COME ON ARSENAL!!!!!!!

Brian and I

Keelan and Brian

The reason why I put these 2 photos up is to highlight the difference btwn how WE take photos, and how THEY take photos.

*nods*

Yeah, I know.

Charlotte and Paul

2008-09-02T22:30:00.011+01:00

I was over at HR last week to sort out some payroll issues (oh btw, I got my first pay cheque two Fridays ago. Do try to feel excited for me because - surprise suprise - I'm not. Well I'm sorry but I can't think of any reason why anyone can be that elated when 1/5th of one's hard-earned money is cukai-ed. Might as well say culik-ed eh...)

Anyway, while waiting for the ever so helpful HR officer to meet me, I wandered around the reception area and saw a leaflet - printed in sexy black ink on good quality glossy paper - bearing nothing but a website address and the eye-catching "10% discount for NHS staff."

Intrigued, I took one home and checked it out.

Turned out that PAUL was actually a French pattiserie and they have a cafe on King's Road, which is 5 mins from where I live, and where - according to Friday's edition of the London paper - Sienna Miller was spotted.

Now, I've been asked (quite frequently by friends who find it 'delightful' that I'm staying at South Ken) if I've seen any celebs since moving down here. The answer is sadly, ilek. I may be very good at identifying celebs in mags and things but I reckon I'm totally pants when it comes to spotting them minus the glamour and make up. Hmm, come to think of it, maybe I've walked past Hugh Grant or some Chelsea footie players/WAGs without even knowing!

Nah, don't get too flustered. My floormate's colleague apparently knows David Beckham well (from his Manchester days) so hold your squeak (with bated breath) until I get full confirmation, which would be tomorrow *hands rubbing with glee*

Hehehehe...

Anyway...

My college-cum-uni pal Sin Fee came down to London last weekend. (I trust) he had a fulfilling shopping spree at Oxford Street, but other than that, we didn't get up to much over the weekend except going out and sitting at a tiny little park opposite the hospital, walking around Sloane Square (admiring Tiffany's and Chanel from the window sill a la Holly Golightly - err, that would be me rather than him), running a House marathon, and being acquainted to Charlotte, courtesy of Paul.

I told Sin Fee about this French pattiserie when he came on Friday, and I believe it is kismet that we came across one while checking out King's Road on Sunday.

We both thought it was a sign,
That the treat was meant to be.
And so we did not (bother to) resist,
I hereby present Charlotte Frais to thee.

...and the 2 (sad) people who were nuts enough to take a picture with her!!!

So, what do I think of Charlotte?

Fragrant, sweet and mood-lifting.

Agreed, Paul?

Notting Hill Carnival

2008-08-25T23:45:00.010+01:00

Howdy howdy folks?

Yes, it's been a while since I've last done anything with my blog...had too much cocktail made from the following concoction...

50% Laziness

50% poor time management skills

100% procrastination

Woops...:(

Anyway, I am fully settled in the city (which a friend humourously calls the "Big Smoke"). For those not in the know, I am doing my pre-registration training with Royal Brompton Hospital at South Kensington. Glancing at my calendar, I realise that come tomorrow, I would be entering the 5th week of my programme...wah! It seems only yesterday that I was having jitters about starting work and entering the real world as a fresh-faced undergrad!

Yikes...

Aug 25th is a bank holiday in the UK, so it was a particularly long weekend for some. Moi initially had plans to go to the Scottish capital on Saturday for the Fringe Festival but due to some unforeseen circumstances (in which a friend had to stay home due to a family emergency), Edinburgh was a no-go.

Was majorly disappointed but instead of staying home and sulked the whole time, Anneke and I went and checked out the annual Notting Hill Carnival at well, Notting Hill.

With my floormate Anneke

It's a weekend-long celebration in honour of the Afro-Caribbean community in London. Great food, groovy music and joyful atmosphere - everything that's truly reflective of the West Indies. It was nice seeing a sizeable crowd turn up for what I've been told is the second largest street parade of its kind after Rio. What beats watching dazzling colours of costume parade and rhythmic sounds of steel music come alive on the streets eh?

To borrow the latest ice-cream flavour by Ben & Jerry's, it seriously was Jamaican Me Crazy!

A colourful eye-opening experience

To quote Ini Kamoze..."Excuse me Mr Officer, love you like that!"

Start Of Something New

2008-07-27T23:39:00.003+01:00

Heart don't fail me now
Courage don't desert me
Don't turn back now that we're here
People always say life is full of choices
No one ever mentions fear
Or how the world can seem so long
Or how the world can seem so vast
Courage see me through
Heart I'm trusting you
On this journey...to the ~~past~~ future

-Aaliyah-

Race for Life

2008-06-01T18:40:00.011+01:00

Michelle and I did a charity race for Cancer Research UK today.

It's a women's only event, organised annually to help raise the awareness of breast cancer, and in due course, increase funds for the organisation's activities.

The race started at 11 this morning at Bute Park, which is just outside Aberdare Hall. I actually didn't know anything about RFL until about a month ago, when Michy said she was doing a charity run and asked if I was interested. Always up for some adrenaline rush and things for a good cause, I agreed.

Not wanting to suffer the embarrassment of finishing last, we did some training sessions at Bute Park over the last couple of weeks, just to familiarise ourselves with the route and also to have a rough idea of our fitness levels, which, needless to say, fell into the category of DANGEROUSLY UNFIT!

But although we weren't (at all) serious in our training sessions, I was surprised that we actually finished the 5km run around Bute Park in just under 40 minutes. I know it's not a record-breaking, Olympic-winning time, but still, we exerted ourselves and actually RAN! So even if you're not going to give me a pat on the back, I WILL!

And already did =P

I can't begin to count how many times during the race that I felt like giving up and walk instead (which one is allowed to do, fortunately), but I forced myself to keep running, because I know if I ever stop, I'd be too comfortable to want to start running again. Granted, there were times when we had to slow down because of the masses ahead of us (8000 odd participants showed up for the race, which is pretty incredible), but I think did well enough to not give in to my selfish and weak urges!

As I was saying to my family and a couple of people who knew I was racing today, I almost passed out after crossing the finishing line, but you know, the personal satisfaction in knowing that I've challenged myself to the max and yet came out on top is indescribable.

So much so I'm seriously thinking about the London (half) marathon next year!

Ok Munny, one step at a time...

Still standing...but our knees looked like they were ready to cave in, any second then!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WORD NERD with a BIG HEART, HELLO?

2008-05-27T11:18:00.008+01:00

Listening to: Feel This (Bethany Joy Galeotti)
"Feel this? Can you feel this? My heart beating out of my chest"

Ok, I notice I am bordering on turning my blog into a David Cook blog soon if this doesn't stop so I promise this will be the last entry about him.

For now.

Until I find more interesting stuff!

HEHEHEHE....

Word Nerd:

While you're at it, check out his rendition of 'All Right Now'. And the clash of egos at the end...

Big Heart:

Aww...

(You had me at) HELLO:

YES YES YES! I AM THE ONE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!!!

My Boo

2008-05-25T15:52:00.021+01:00

Listening to: I Knew I Loved You (Savage Garden)

Dear David

"I know that it might sound more than a little crazy, but I knew I loved you before I met you. I think I dreamed you into life. I knew I loved you before I met you, and I have been waiting all my life".

I may not have written those beautiful words myself but I mean every word of it.

You may not recollect the first time we met (because we never did), but I knew you're the one for me when I first heard you on someone's playlist on Imeem. The song was of course Always Be My Baby.

On first instance, I thought it was Edwin McCain. You know, the guy who sang I'll Be? I think that was the second song you auditioned, after Living On A Prayer...Honestly, I hope you'll pardon me for thinking it was him because I know mistaken identity isn't exactly fun, but in all fairness, you did sound like a lot like him...oh no no no, don't frown just yet, I sincerely meant that as a compliment. Oh absolutely! I love Edwin and have even gone as far as listing him as a potential guest performer at my wedding *smiling sheepishly* Oh well, don't mind a silly girl me. I like to dream. But to quote your 2nd song in the finale, "if you don't dream big, what's the use of dreaming", eh?

Personally, I think you did justice to my favourite Mariah song. Everything about how you went about the song was just perfect. I don't mean to be sexist but sincerely I never expect a guy to be able to sing a girly song like that, and you've done it to perfection.

You want to know something David? I believe in serendipity. Synchronicity even. And I think the way you and I are brought together is pretty serendipitious....

I used to watch American Idol when I was still home (home being Malaysia...heard of it?). I didn't manage to catch the first 2 seasons but I was pretty much glued to Star World when they broadcasted Season 3, in which Fantasia won. Soon after, I left for Cardiff to go to uni. I don't mean to thrash the Brits but they're not very into entertainment programmes from across the Atlantic, so folks like me rarely get a glimpse of US TV shows, AI being one of them.

So yeah, if I hadn't gone on to Imeem that fateful day, if I hadn't been so bored as to play other people's playlist, and if your Mariah cover wasn't on that random guy's song list, I wouldn't know you. I wouldn't have typed David Cook into Google, and I wouldn't have found you on http://www.americanidol.com/. I wouldn't have started watching AI again and this wouldn't have been written...pretty freaky huh?

Thanks to the technology these days, and the generosity of anonymous virtual samaritans, AI episodes could be found on the net and I have had the opportunity of following you and the other idol hopefuls on AI after the Mariah Carey week, up until your crowning on Wednesday!

Honestly, I think you did a great job with Music of the Night. I know Lord Webber was only joking but it is a sexy song indeed! Tell me, how did you approach the song? You sang it like you understood unrequitted love...do you?

Also, how does it feel to have Diane Warren give you a standing ovation for your take on I Don't Want To Miss A Thing? It was an interesting choice by the producers because let's face it, the rock ballad is already so good, it's hard to musically fine-tune but I kinda like what you did with it. The violin arrangements worked well, and again you've reduced me to jelly. Hehe.

And how can we forget the great U2 classic. And what an occasion to sing it too!

Speaking of the finale, I thought you did great. No doubt you surprised me with your last song choice, but it was nicely done man. It showed the sensitive part of you, which is really what I find appealing! I like your presence on stage, I really do. I like the fact that you sing your heart out, but that you do it with poise, and quiet confidence. You come across to me as a simple and humble man, one that is full of integrity and sincerity.

I've read quite a few interviews of yours and when asked to describe yourself, you said "a word nerd". Did you really mean that or were you simply spinning it for girls like me, who dig them?! I'm sorry but it's really hard picturing you as one, especially when you appear so cool on stage!!!

Remember how I was talking about synchronicity earlier? If your younger brother Andrew didn't try out for AI, you wouldn't have come as a moral support. And if you weren't there to be persuaded to take part, you won't be in the competition at all and certainly not have the "Time Of Your Life" (love the song btw, I play it every day). Life has a funny way of working itself out, don't you think?

Anyway, sorry this letter is getting longer and longer. I just want to say, I think you're one of the best AI winners of which I've had the pleasure of getting to know and love. I hope you will stay true to yourself in the midst of dizzying success, and I wish you ALL THE BEST.

Forever your girl
XXX

***

Ok, don't panic. I haven't lost the plot, I've just lost my heart (to him) hahaha! Oh come on, it was meant to be silly! Look here people, I HAVE TO trivialise my obsession with David Cook alright, otherwise I'll go nuts!

Actually, I'm already nuts so bring on the COOKie!

Rock on, DC!

Look at the COW(ell) at the corner...

Colour Me Bad

2008-05-19T16:50:00.011+01:00

Listening to: Unfair (Josh Kelley)

"You wish you didn't care. Didn't care at all. But all you do is care too much"

We had our last lecture today.

And it didn't occur to me that it IS our LAST, until now.

Funny how none of us got emotional or anything, for this is probably the last time we'd ever be in the same lecture hall together. I guess it didn't help that the content was pretty dry (which explained why people were rushing to leave at the end). It was an external speaker who came and gave us a talk about the transition from being a pharmacy student to an actual HC professional. Insightful in theory but dronish in reality. I just thought the guy could have made it more appealing...

Anyway, that's that. MPharm IV (almost) done and dusted.

I said 'almost' because it's only OFFICIALLY over after our test on Thursday, which I'm not 100% ready for, but will have to be between now and then!

I was walking to the county library in town this afternoon when I bumped into an aquaintance I haven't met in almost a year. An academic year at least.

A is a Masters student who I met while working part time at the kitchen downstairs. At the end of last year, her friend (who was supposed to partner me) couldn't make it to work so she took over her shift. I've only met her once but we've kept in touch till now. Fancy bumping into her again!
Ahh, I just like it when chanced encounters happened :)

We stood by the alley way near M&S and chatted for a good 20 minutes. She told me she is about to go away for a holiday soon.

"Oh, where to?"

"Belfast."

"OMG. B-E-L-F-A-S-T! I just came back from there like a week ago!"

Boy I can't help it. I know a couple of passers-by who turned and glared at me for shrieking so loudly but who cares. I like Belfast =P

Much better than I like Cardiff might I add!!!

(but then again if I were in Belfast I'd probably say I don't like the place haha).

I told her I enjoyed my trip (despite not having enough time to go to Giant's Causeway, which is THE MAIN attraction in NI) and the corny "I'm so envious of you, I want to go too, can you pack me in your suitcase please?!"

We talked for a bit more and she mentioned that it was her boyfriend's idea to go for a weekend break, what with the stress she's been under recently.

BOYFRIEND?

She let out a shy smile.

"Go on, tell me. TELL ME!!!"

Again, people turned and gave me daggers but no surprise - I DON'T CARE. (was almost tempted to stick my tongue out at them, but thankfully I realised, in time, that I'm not 5).

This kei-po-chi pestered for juicy details and was told that she met him while working part-time somewhere else and they've been going out for almost half a year.

Now, this bit I didn't ask but she volunteered it anyway.

(Hey hey hey, what's that lift of an eye-brow for? I really didn't ask!)

"He said he liked me because I don't wear make-up, unlike the rest of the girls at the factory."

So yeah, if you see me chucking out my mascara, blusher, eye-shadow, lip-stick, lip-gloss, eye-liner, foundation and whatnots, need not ask. You know why!

Food for Thought

2008-05-12T21:20:00.003+01:00

I got these from a forwarded email. Just thought I'd share it with all.

Be inspired!

'Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

'If I want my dreams to come true, I mustn't oversleep.'

'Of all the things I wear, my expression is the most important.'

'The best vitamin for making friends..... B1.'

'The happiness of my life depends on the quality of my thoughts.'

'The heaviest thing I can carry is a grudge.'

'One thing I can give and still keep...is my word.'

'I lie the loudest when I lie to myself.'

'If I lack the courage to start, I have already finished.'

'One thing I can't recycle is wasted time.'

'Ideas won't work unless ' I ' do.'

'My mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.'

'Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right.. Forget about the one's who don't.'

'Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.'

Post-Dissertation, Post-Holiday Stress

2008-05-07T11:09:00.005+01:00

Just a quick update to say I'm back.

As I was saying to my sister, I can't believe I'm busier now than when I was working on my dissertation!

Came home to Cardiff on Monday from an amazing weekend break in Cornwall. I left for Truro on Friday after submitting my "life for the past 2 months" aka dissertation. Was totally stress-free and blissfully happy until Monday, when I came back to a dingy, wet, and cold Cardiff. I've never suffered from such bad withdrawal symptoms in my life!

Will blog about that later. As well as the MB20 gig last Wednesday.

Oh dear God, has it been a week already?

OH MY WORD!

Currently dealing with graduation stuff, work-related paperwork applications, refresher classes, mini workshops, mock tests, and preparing to go travelling again this weekend.

To Belfast.

I shall find time to update soon. And also, hopefully, a cure to my incorrigibly messed up time-management skills!

Later folks.

Stunned and Stunning

2008-04-26T19:08:00.012+01:00

The stunned (me) couldn't believe how incredibly high the her heels are (stunning)....

The stunned wants a LBD exactly like what stunning is wearing...

Sourced from: The Daily Mail

Poster Day

2008-04-25T00:11:00.005+01:00

Phew. Finally over.

It may only be 10% of my project but still, the perfectionist that is moi will never think that. Which is a problem.

Overall it was ok though could have answered the questions better. As always...

Not sure how I fared in the eyes of the lecturers who assessed me, but a few pointers for the future...

a) Stick with a light background when making Powerpoint shows / posters etc. Nothing is more annoying that not being able to read what's on the slides! (Don't think mine was that bad but having seen 100 odd posters, I feel the best ones are usually those with light backgrounds).

b) Keep it simple. I think what I rued the most was the fact that I tried too hard to impress the assessor. I was firing too much scientific jargon at him and the poor guy couldn't handle it. He was lost halfway through and I wasn't sure who was more embarrassed. Him or me.

c) Learn how to make technology work for me! It's painfully frustrating when you have ideas you want to execute but couldn't because of techinical incapacity!

I had a dream...

2008-04-16T09:41:00.005+01:00

...but it's NOT a song to sing.

You see, I don't usually remember dreams from the night before, but this one? The oddity struck so me bad that when I woke up, I had this thought of immortalising it by way of a blog entry.

Ok, before you think it's a flash of my future glamorous life, seeing Prince William at the altar when I walk down the aisle, or winning a Nobel Prize that kind of thing, no. It's not.

Which makes it even odder.

I dreamt that I went to the market to buy okra so that I can go home and make fish head curry.

-____-

As much as I tried reducing it to a science, and attempted to attach reason and logic to it, I think it's probably best that I don't. Because otherwise I'm inclined to think I've lost the plot...

Arsenal HANDed the win to MU

2008-04-14T00:16:00.009+01:00

That's the way I see it.

No, I'm not being a sour grape or a sore loser. It's easy to call me that considering my team have lost, but believe me, it's not that.

You have to agree that Arsenal was the better team, overall. They had possession, passed neat balls, created chances, played with flair. But none of those mattered because at the end of the day, it's the score that determines things. Not stats, playing style or strategy, which were collectively in favour of the Gunners.

2-1 is not a true reflection of the game. I will still congratulate MU over the win no doubt, but the Devils better not push it too far by saying it was a deserving victory.

Because it's not.

Nonetheless, I salute Hargreaves for his stunning free kick (I wonder if he's been taking lessons from Becks lately =P). I give credit to Ronaldo for letting Hargreaves take the free kick (not bad from someone who's been branded selfish by his manager before). I am impressed with the Gunners' esprit de corp in tough times and here's hoping we'll see more of that in the next season and beyond.

Righteo, now that I've made my peace / piece, I'm off :)

Tibetan Personality Test

2008-04-09T23:04:00.005+01:00

I got this from a forwarded mail.

You know, the usual "if you forward to xx number of people your wish would come true" type of stuff.

Sincerely, I never believe in that, but I thought I should share this with you guys anyway because it really wasn't as nonsensical as I thought. And there are only 4 questions so it shouldn't take too long.

http://memoriter.net/flash/test.html

Be enlightened!

Of records...on and off

2008-04-06T23:33:00.015+01:00

Dear Blog (or should I say dear readers of my blog...of which I'm sure there are not many left thanks to my dormancy haha =P)

Where do I begin?

I think I'll start off by saying it's freezing cold today.

Not something you'd expect this time of the year.

There were some sleets in the afternoon, while I was walking home from town. Funny how the weather decides to spring a surprise on me. Just last night, before lulling into sleep, I thought of my 100% snow record.

Yes, feel free to knit your eye brows and go "what?". I attribute the randomness of that to the stastistically obsessed part of me which you may or may not know about...

You see, it's snowed every year that I've been here. Until now that is. (If I were you, I wouldn't ask why and how that is important because it isn't, at all).

As I was saying, the record has been 100% so far, but after last Sunday's Daylight Hour Fast Forward, I realised that the 100% may have to be slashed to 75% now that winter is (un)officially over.

But apparently I've been too hasty in writing them off. After all, it is British weather we're talking about. Which is pretty defying like no other.

Woke up this morning and read on the BBC that London and several areas in the UK like the Highlands and North Wales recorded a fall of snow. The Met Office claimed that if one has enough belief, it will come Cardiff's way in the next couple of days...

Ok, they didn't say it like that but you know I was meaning the forecast.

Speaking of records, I believe Cardiff City FC just made one today, by beating Barnsley 1-0 to reach the finals of the FA Cup. I may not be the Bluebirds' biggest fan, but loyalty does dictate that they are the team I should be backing to win the prestigious trophy next month. No prizes for guessing why, but sincerely, I hope they win it.

I do.

The more I think about it, the more I am getting attached to - and fonder of - the capital of Wales. It's as if my leaving this place (for good) in less than 3 months' time has made me appreciate Cardiff more than I ever bother to. Maybe it's knowing I'll never be back, or just simply yearning to have more before the time is up to move on...

For instance, I have never stopped by Alexandria Gardens to look at the flowers or trees or grass or birds or statues for more than 2 seconds. The only time I would have trotted pass the gardens would be when I make my way to the Main Building. But today, and also on Friday, I found myself slowing down, literally, to smell the flowers. I was taking photos of the beautiful blue sky framed by budding trees and immaculate buildings. For the first time I noticed how serene King Edward Avenue actually is when on a quiet weekend, void of students milling around.

It has been therapeutic, all these languid walking and mental note-taking of the beauty of mother nature. I think more so for a stressed out, worked up worry pot that I've intensified into the last couple of weeks.

When I finished my lab session on Friday, I made myself go for a walk. Not something I usually do considering Aberdare Hall is just across the road from Redwood, but I had to, for the sake of my mental well being.

I plugged up my headphones and walked. And walked. And walked. Until my muscles were unclenched. Until I was able to breathe in and out without feeling like I was gasping for air. Until I was in equilibrium once again...

I know it's hard for some people to think of research as stressful, because let's face it, there's no need for any serious reading like one would have to do when sitting for written exams. But it is easy to overlook the fact that lab research is tedious. Time-consuming. Energy-sapping. Mind-blowing even.

Or maybe it's all that to me because I just don't like research. I don't like being holed up in the lab doing monotonous procedures or what-have-yous. I need to have people contact to keep me in check with reality. And sanity.

Like all good things, bad patches will come to an end. With a bit of luck, I should be packing my bags and ready to leave the lab by the end of this week.

Thanks for the cheers, but that's not the end, unfortunately, for I still have a poster presentation and a 10,000 word dissertation due in by the end of this month. Just take a quick look at the calendar and you'll know the kind of state I'm in.

Work aside, I've had quite a good week on the social front. Met up with Michy for a quick lunch on Sunday and a movie after that. I later joined Vivien and her cousin for dinner in the evening, and did some good-old catching up. Which was just as well.

Honestly, paying 5GBP for a predictable rom-com was definitely not worth the money, but if you were me, you'd do anything to take your mind off work.

But that's not to say I didn't enjoy 27 Dresses.

Having read the synopsis somewhat, I thought the best I could muster was a 'yeah, t'was alright', but the movie proved me wrong. Extremely rare I have to say, but refreshing at the same time.

Jane has been a bridesmaid 27 times (hence 27 dresses). I haven't a clue as to whether she did that voluntarily or that it was actually her job (ie professional bridesmaid), but the point is that she was always the supporting character but never the protagonist. At work, she admired her boss from afar. His "right hand", as Edward Burns' character described her. "The kind of girl men likes because they never say no." [his words, not mine]

A chanced encounter with a journalist called Kevin (or is it Malcolm?) at a wedding soon changed things for Jane. The attraction between them was obvious (even if they had gotten off on the wrong foot). Both were quick to dislike each other as they were to fall for one another. A few drinks and an intoxicating rendition of "Bennie and the Jets" one pouring night set the tone for some loving action in the backseat of the car, only for Jane to find out, in the Sunday papers the morning after, that the main reason she was Kevin's object of pursuit was because she was THE subject of his assignment.

So, did they kiss and make up in the end?

Your guess is, nope, not as good as mine, but hardly necessary =P.

I'd give 5/10 for storyline. 4/10 for story telling. 7/10 for cast and top marks for Tess who played the annoyingly attractive younger sister (come on, even her name is a coquettish give-away). And as much as I dislike Katherine Heigl in GA, she carried Jane Nicholls well, making the character almost believable despite her good looks.

I guess you should all know by now that if I didn't give any (cute) guy a mention, that won't be me at all :)

The name?

James Marsden.

The reason?

His wiry hair (I have a thing for natural curls). His casual demeanour. His dressing style (T-shirt underneath a collared shirt with jeans plus a smart blazer on top - does it for me EVERYTIME). His killer smile. His charming wit. And quiet confidence.

Ok, I know I'm only supposed to put up ads for potential suitors on match.com and not on my blog, but if you do know anyone who fits the bill, think of me.

Til the next time we meet again, I shall remain, yours truly.

Getting meds from doctor or pharmacist?

2008-03-31T22:27:00.003+01:00

The answer depends on who you're asking.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/Frontpage/2200105/Article/index_html

Triumphant Gunners

2008-03-29T16:58:00.001Z

And what do ya know...

They won 3-2 at the final whistle.

*all smiles*

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

2008-03-29T16:33:00.006Z

You know, this is more than just a Lenny Kravitz song.

It's a philosophy.

5 minutes ago, I was on BBC's website checking out some live scores of the EPL. One of the headlines was screaming at me.

Bolton 2 - Arsenal 1

"Shit" I thought to myself. There goes the EPL title.

I was about to send a message to my friend that "Arsenal can just forget about it" when Gallas and van Persie scored 2 goals within 5 minutes to level the score.

I think they're trying to tell me something...

Hope

2008-03-21T13:35:00.012Z

What Can I Do (The Corrs)

"And who knows I might feel better, if I don't try and I don't hope?"

A pal and I commiserated. Over lost hopes.

I don't know what her "hope" was, and I didn't ask, but I know my hope looks to be hanging on by a very fragile thread...

But I still want to hope. I still want to believe there's hope. I still want to hope that there's hope in hoping.

Well done Cymru

2008-03-15T22:45:00.006Z

Wales won the RBS Six Nations Rugby Grand Slam (in style) today, beating France 29-12 at the Millennium Stadium. On a wet, wet, WET day.

They won the same competition 3 years ago when I was in my first year. And they've won again in my final year. Kinda like a warm welcome and an affectionate adieu don't you think...?

For what it's worth, I think I'm gonna miss this place.

In spite of it all.

Sourced from RBS 6 Nations Official Website

Disclaimer: I tried looking for a nicer picture of HRH but to no avail. He doesn't look too happy in this...for obvious reasons?

Happy-Clappy

2008-03-14T23:42:00.005Z

I was chatting with one of my ex-Uni Hall mates on MSN the other day and he asked after me.

"Hmm, not so good lah."

"But the Adeline I know is always happy-clappy!"

OMG, my eyes almost popped out.

While I cringe to have people know me as moody, temperamental, quick-tempered and "short-circuit way to easy" (all of which I am and I know you'll agree without a doubt haha!) , I was more than happy to discover that wrong impressions may not be such a bad thing after all...

Jeff, I know you're not a good liar but thanks for that anyway. You certainly made Wednesday!

2nd Week of March

2008-03-07T23:15:00.011Z

Harder to Breathe (Maroon 5)

"I have the tendency of getting very physical"

Monday – Forgotten, and not forgiven:

Fought hard to wake up in the morning. Had my usual session in the lab. Came home rather disappointed because my cells weren't behaving :(

Forgotten (completely) that today was the instalment deadline for (my last ever) tuition fees. Usually I would have had this date highlighted in my diary/organiser months before, but nowadays because I hardly use my planner for anything (given that lectures are over), it didn't occur to me that payment day was TODAY!

Thank God dad texted me about the bank transfer *phew*

Tuesday – On the fence, and then over:
You know, I’m really going through the motions with this project of mine. Right now, I just want to finish it off, write it up, hand it in and then DISAPPEAR!

Had a text from Rehma asking me if I wanted to go watch Arsenal play AC Milan in the evening. Last week, she blasted me through and through for having this on my Facebook status: "Adeline is wondering if she should support Ars or Milan."

Tonight, she’s testing my allegiance, once again.

I tried real hard to recollect the last time I went to watch a footie match live. The fact that I couldn't means it must have been a verrrrrrrrry long time ago. So I went.

Was a good night as Arsenal whacked Milan's butt 2-0, owing to Fab and Adebayor's late goals in the second half. It was nothing short of a well-deserved win. I did feel bad for my Brazilian blue eyed boy though because Kaka and co held up well for 80 mins and then everything just went down hill after Fab's strike. Also, it wasn't a happy ending for the Italian blue-eyed (literally blue-eyed) captain for this was apparently his last season in competitive football...Rest assured Paolo, Christian will continue the Maldini legacy :)

Wednesday - Life’s little bumps along the way:

Lab session as usual. Nothing to report on the research front.

Went to watch Juno with some mates in the evening.

If you had asked me to watch this before the Academy Awards, I would have said "dude, save me 4 pound 20." But the hype really roused my attention.

And you know what? I actually LIKED it. VERY MUCH.

I'm even thinking of buying the DVD when it's out!

The movie appealed to me because of the heart-warming plot (I've always been a sucker for such films). And Juno was charming. I just loved her straight-talking, don't-give-a-damn attitude. And teenage pregnancy isn’t exactly a topic that is easy to story-tell, so kudos to the writers who managed with a lot of humour and subtlety.

Thursday – Free? Nothing’s Free:

My new contract phone arrived today. A Nokia 6500 Slide.

This is the number 1 phone on my list, but unfortunately I couldn’t have it free with the renewal of my contract as my cheapskate call plan doesn’t qualify. So what the customer service agent suggested was that I go for a "customer-returned" phone, which is not brand new, but still functional.

I agreed without thinking twice because that means a) I get THE phone, and b) I don't have to pay the difference (as opposed to wanting it brand spanking new). Little did I know that it came with a clause…

Apparently, a customer returned phone package entitles me to only the phone and the charger. I don't get a user guide, nor do I get the installation CD, phone to USB cable and headset.

I felt a bit cheated because although I could download a virtual phone guide from Nokia's website, I have to fork out money to buy the rest of the accessories. And they're not cheap you know! At the end of the day, it worked out to be roughly the same as paying the difference and getting a new phone. So I've decided to call the deal off and may have to settle for phone number 2...

Friday - TGIF:

Ditto

Saturday – The expected and the unexpected:

Went to town to post my phone back to O2 and came back to find out that our doubles pair have (rather expectedly) lost their All England semi-final encounter against the Koreans. Honestly, is anyone surprised?

I then hung around to watch Chong Wei's "expected to win" match against an opponent he's beaten quite a number of times, rather comfortably too may I add, but he didn't make the cut this time around. Against everyone’s expectations.

Meanwhile, the election results were trickling in slowly on the net. It was exciting news that the opposition garnered an edge in the north. A couple of mates and I kept each other updated on the results over MSN and I must say it was a nice "conference" to be having on a Saturday :)

I was lamenting to one of them that the afternoon was pretty much gone (as far as doing any work is concerned) because it was too difficult to concentrate when our country's political future is being revealed on the other end.

"Yeah Mun, I noe what u mean. Me 2 . Can't focus. OVERJOYED =P"

Eherm.

Later in the evening, I went for a collaborated birthday dinner at Valentino's for 2 coursemates whose big days were a few days apart (hence the joint celebration). Italian food (ie pasta and spaghetti and tagliatelle and tortellini) has never been a fav of mine, so I was the only carnivore who ordered meat. The lamb in honey and mint sauce was YUM!

Sunday - Er...

Woke up at 10 and went to bed at 10.

Every other thing that happened in between was too insignificant to go on the record.

***

So, there you go. A summary of the events and happenings of the week just passed.

Okay, fine.

The truth of the matter is that I’m too guilty to make the title of this post “I didn’t do any work this week”....

Hopes and Fears

2008-03-05T10:38:00.005Z

Warkah Untuk PM

As much as this is a commendable effort, I feel it'd be more helpful if they could, at the same time, publish what the people are writing to Pak Lah about, regardless of whether the hopes, wishes and concerns of the Malaysian public will be taken to heart and acted upon.

Personally, I wish for (or would like to see more of) the following:

a) All-round education and fair opportunities for ALL Malaysians
b) A reliable public transport system that serves its purpose
c) An accountable go-men administration
d) Unity
e) ~~Double standards~~

And before you naysay them all, here's a friendly reminder that this a wishlist.

There's nothing wrong in wishing for better things.

Royal Brompton Hospital. Royal Connections?

2008-03-04T00:37:00.007Z

So Close (Jon McLaughlin)

"Let's go on dreaming, though we know we are so close and still so far"

This is the second time I've discovered that RBH has had links - no, not official, but "6-degrees-of-separation" kind of links - with the royal family.

About a month ago, I found out about Prince William's visit to Brompton (following the hospital's exemplary evacuation aid to neighbouring Royal Marsden Hospital). And today, when perusing BBC's website for the latest in Diana's inquest, I found out that the Princess of Wales first met Hasnat Khan when she watched him perform a heart surgery at (gasp) Brompton!

Ok, here's my best shot at linking all the trivia.

Me, Sze Mun Adeline Tan - has school girl crush on Prince William - Prince William's mother is Princess Diana (of whom I am a big fan, as well) - Princess Diana met Dr H Khan - Dr H Khan performed surgery at Brompton - Brompton is where I will undertake my pre-reg training!!!

I'm Still Here

2008-02-25T23:39:00.004Z

Call it a hiatus. A break. A momento.

I don't think there is a time when I have gone un-posted on my blog for more than a week (don't count the time I was away from my base in CF though).

Sooo, what's going on?

Well, plenty, but not much either.

Yeah I hear you. One of these days I need to a) make up my mind about what I want to say and b) stop being so confused.

Over what?

Hmm. Almost anything and everything.

Nah folks, I'm fine. I'm keeping well. It's just that I've been thinking a lot lately. About things that don't really have clear cut answers (or directions) from the guy above :)

It was on my 21st that I started this blog of mine. Now, I don't know what poeple think of blogging, but for me, I blog to de-stress (as the thoughts scattering around in my brain need an anchor to hold them down). I blog about things that touch the heart and soul, so that I will never forget how it felt to have experienced that certain moment, or event, or random act which sparked off a million emotions in me. And I guess I was also using my blog to keep you informed of my present situation, latest endeavours, future plans etc.

So to validate the last point I just made, here's a note to let you know I'm still around.

I'll be back :)

Soon-ish...

'We are defined as Malaysians'

2008-02-17T18:38:00.004Z

Apparently there isn't much buzz surrounding next month's GE.

Yet.

I'm anxious to see how hangat it'll get with less than 2 weeks of campaigning for all political parties.

As a Malaysian who is abroad, I try to follow election-related news closely through daily perusal of our nation's top newspapers like the Star and NST.

Just days ago, I came across this little excerpt in the local Metro paper, reporting on our country's forthcoming GE.

Metro World, 15 Feb, 2008 - Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has called a general election more than a year early. The move comes amid rising racial tensions and a slowing economy. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim yesterday said the timing of the poll, on March 8, was a 'dirty trick'. Mr Ibrahim is excluded from the standing until April because of his criminal record. Mr Badawi is expected to win the poll with a reduced majority. He has also come under fire for the election schedule which allows only 13 days of campaigning.

So, rising racial tensions is how the world sees the situation back home.

Please tell me it's not true.

Or rather, I don't want to believe it's true.

***

NST online
By Puan Sri Sarasa Pasamanikam
18 February, 2008

I WAS born in 1947, a time when the Indian independence was much talked about. There were a lot of political reading materials in my house when I was growing up.

I used to read all these and had a natural interest in politics. I joined the Muar MIC branch in 1969, the year I started teaching at Sekolah Menengah Rendah Sri Muar. I taught for 23 years before opting for retirement in 1992.

When I became active in politics, there were few Indian women who became politicians. My husband, Tan Sri Pasamanikam, contested the Batu Anam state seat in 1969. Every day after school, we would travel from Muar to Batu Anam -- a 90-minute journey. I enjoyed my visits to the estates, going from house to house.

The people were simple and hospitable. We campaigned to garner their votes for the Alliance (precursor to the Barisan Nasional which was formed in 1974).My husband used to campaign together with Tun Musa Hitam, who was the member of parliament for Labis. I also campaigned with the Umno wives.

It was an exciting experience for me. There was goodwill and unity back then, as opposed to now, where people are more calculative, eager to see what they can get in return for supporting the party. Even volunteers put self-interest first. If they are unhappy, they would quickly switch to the opposition. There is no conviction.

In 1970, I became the MIC state Wanita secretary and my chief was K. Jeya Letchumy. Together we built up the women's wing in Johor. In 1984, I became the MIC state Wanita chief. In 1992, I took the plunge into the deep end. I opted for retirement from teaching and became a senator until 1998.

As one of the few Indian women in politics then, I had no problems but sometimes, I wish I had done more for single mothers. It was an issue that dominated the Indian community then.

I also wish I had done more for the stateless people. Although we did highlight these problems, I feel that had we done more for these people, it may not have grown into such a big problem today.

As Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi laments, our problem today is the implementation of policies and plans by the government.

The top leaders have always implemented plans to promote unity, tolerance and mutual respect for the different religions and cultures. I'm sad to see that some people instead create barriers between races. We have to look at each other as fellow Malaysians, rather than as people of different races and religions.

I think this year's general election will be a challenge with the Indian voters because of the emergence of the Hindu Rights Action Force. People are now openly discussing their unhappiness over some issues.I think it's not a bad thing, as instead of just sweeping the issues under carpet, our prime minister is willing to listen to these problems.I'm also happy to hear Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's assurance that he will look into all genuine grievances among the Indian community.

As for the opposition, I would say we cannot bank our hopes on them although some people are of the view that we need to have a strong opposition for check and balance.

I am currently the Tarom branch chairman. Although I have retired and am receiving a pension, I think I should serve the people for as long as I can. But I am not interested in coming back into politics. I speak as a former teacher who thinks it's the present generation's time and we should only guide them. Otherwise, when will they ever learn and lead?

Puan Sri Sarasa Pasamanikam is a former teacher and senator. She became a politician when she joined the MIC at the age of 21

Stupid Cupid

2008-02-14T20:00:00.002Z

"You're a real mean guy. I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly"

I'm not gonna dignify the so-called Roman God of Love by mentioning the V word.

So Happy Porcupine's Day people.

Tear-jerker Buatan Malaysia

2008-02-13T16:53:00.007Z

Home (Michael Buble)

"I know just why you could not come along with me,

this was not your dream but you always believe in me"

http://www.petronasgreetings.com/

The touching advert by Petronas made me laugh and reminisce about school. I pity the poor little orphan who has no family to celebrate with. When the festive message came on at the end, my eyes welled up at the thought of not being with my family this festive season, yet again...

*sob sob*

Miller, Wentworth

2008-02-08T20:05:00.004Z

Shy Guy (Diana King)

"I don't want no fly guy, I just want a shy guy"

This sad person that I am hasn't watched a single episode of Prison Break before. Until last night.
As usual, I got hooked (though still deciding whether I'm hooked on the show or WM haha).

I dug him up on IMDb, and this is what he's got to say of himself.

"I'm kind of a dork. I don't have much game. I'm not particularly comfortable in bars or clubs. I much prefer being home playing Scrabble, having dinner with a couple friends, going to see a movie, or losing a whole weekend to Season 14 of "Law and Order" or "The Simpsons".

OMG . He and I should SO hook up!!!

Sourced from: http://www.wentworthmiller.ch/

I will get married in...

2008-02-08T01:39:00.001Z

...March 2012.

That is if you (or I, I should say) believe in this STUPID Facebook Wedding Algorithm.

Honestly, I am so disappointed.

Not because it's 4 years and 1 month away, but that I actually wasted 5 precious minutes checking the application out!

Thousand apologies to those 20 ppl I sent this crap to just to find out when I'd be tying the knot.

Gawd, what am I like?

The Scientist

2008-02-01T12:25:00.000Z

This song has been around for some years. One hears it on the radio on and off.

But I never realised how jiwang it actually is, until I listened and paid heed to its every word as it came on my playlist last night.

Deep in the still of the night.

come up to meet you
tell you I'm sorry
you don't know how lovely you are

i had to find you
tell you I need you
tell you I set you apart

tell me your secrets
nurse me your questions
oh let's go back to the start

running in circles
coming up tails
heads on the science apart

nobody said it was easy
its such a shame for us to part
nobody said it was easy
no one ever said it would be this hard
oh take me back to the start

i was just guessing
at numbers and figures
pulling the puzzles apart

questions of science
science and progress
do not speak as loud as my heart

tell me you love me
come back and haunt me
oh and I rush to the start

running in circles
chasing our tails
coming back as we are

nobody said it was easy
oh its such a shame for us to part
nobody said it was easy
no one ever said it would be so hard
i'm going back to the start

A Balancing Act

2008-01-30T13:12:00.005Z

Standing Still (Jewel)

"Between fight and flight is the blind man's sight and the choice that's right"

The bottom line is that there are no right or wrong answers, just the best action to be employed under mitigating circumstances.

Ethical dilemmas.

It's something we've been preached to at uni for a good couple of lectures.

Yup I got it.

Most of the time, I was able to get behind the simulated scenarios and formulate what I think is the best way to handle the situation, so I figured ethical dilemmas are just another one of those lecturers' gimmicks to try and scare us about the real world.

Until this ethical dilemma got the better of me.

I was watching episode 2x24 of Grey's Anatomy yesterday which involved a difficult decision.

A pregnant lady (who already had 6 kids) came in for a Caesearean for the birth her 7th child. She wanted Dr Addison Shepherd to tie up her baby-carrying factories after the delivery because, as many of you would understand, her family is getting far too big for her to handle.

The only problem is that her husband was against birth control (for religious reasons), and she hadn't told him of her life-changing decision.

The doctor didn't agree to do it just like that, obviously. She made the patient aware that it was a private matter which should be talked through properly between husband and wife before any action was to be taken.

But knowing that her husband wouldn't come round to seeing it her way, she saw no point in bringing this up to him. The only way (in her opinion) was to do it behind his back without him knowing.

So after some serious consideration, Dr Shepherd obliged, because "she is our patient, and our obligation is to her, and her only".

She tied up her Fallopian tubes after delivery, and made it known to the OR staff that she did what she "had to", "due to a complication of the surgery which came from unexpected bleeding of the Fallopian tubes".

Sincerely, I thought that was smart. What a way to camouflage the whole thing without needing to break patient confidentiality.

But guess what. The patient's husband smelled something fishy about the business. He probably knew (from his experience of having 6 kids) that C-sections are relatively safe, so he was definitely not bought over by the justification of Shepherd's actions.

And he decided to sue.

Naturally, Shepherd wasn't going to let this blemish her renowned reputation. She went back to the patient and asked her to come clean as it was HER request after all, and that Shepherd only did it at her behest.

Ha. So what do you think? Do you think the patient would have been so "kind" as to tell her husband the truth and bear the brunt of his fury, and see their marriage fall apart because of that?

Of course not.

She's human after all and humans are selfish. They are only after what they want and care about nothing else. (Haha, I said they like I'm not human...)

So, the doctor went all out to help her patient and she gets punished for that. Where's the justice?

I guess it's just another reminder that this is the real world, and justice isn't part of the make up.

The way I see it, the real dilemma - at the end of the day - looks as if it's balancing the patient's best interest, and the health professionals' best interest. Because if doing what the patient wants is going to land the latter in hot soup, would anyone be so willing as to go the distance, when their ass, and job, and reputation is on the line?

Morality

2008-01-26T11:03:00.002Z

Put Your Records On (Corrine Bailey Rae)

"maybe sometimes we got it wrong, but it's alright"

I was clearing my old notes today (wayyyy back to first year) and chanced upon this cute little poem in a Law handout by Dr Dai John. I wonder why it was there...

Moral Maxims
by Colin McGinn (from the book Moral Literacy)

If you want someone to do something, persuade them, don't make them
Always be kind at first, but be firm if your kindness is exploited
Trust people unless you have reason not to, but don't be surprised if your trust is betrayed
In matters of blame, think twice before you speak
Be critical but not cynical
Remember that there is a future, not just a present

Never allow the low standards of others to lower your own standards
Admire good people
Be wary of envy, in yourself and others
Don't forget that everyone has to die and everyone was once born
Don't confuse just criticism with persecution
Be truthful, but not in order to hurt others
Let the facts speak for themselves
Beware of the abuse of power

If you are not sure you are doing the right thing, ask a trusted friend
Remember that bad things have often been done in the name of virtue
First be honest with yourself, and then with other people
Never let injustice pass unchallenged
Don't make excuses for cruelty
Don't take from others what is rightfully theirs
Be kind to strangers, but not because you too may be a stranger one day
Don't allow your temper to do what reason can't
If you can't sing, be happy that someone can
Stare at yourself in the mirror once in a while
Don't insult where you can refute
Don't confuse independence with rebelliousness
Respect truth above persons
Don't despise the unfortunate

Keep your word
Don't let outward appearance determine your moral judgments
Be tolerant of difference
Be humourous, but not at the cost of seriousness
Don't think what is right is always obvious
Let other people finish their sentences
Apologise if you let someone down
Don't apologise if you have done nothing wrong.

Haha, looks like I'm not that moral after all...

Prince William visits Royal Brompton

2008-01-25T11:27:00.003Z

To Be With You (Mr Big)

"stand up who cares about little boys that talk too much"

Wuu-huu....

Why can't he wait till I start work before visiting?

6 more months only mah...

*sniff*

Prince William visits RBHT

Around The World To 80 Cities

2008-01-22T17:56:00.002Z

The Way (Dana Glover)

"I can't expect the whole world to stop turning just to listen to me,

besides everybody thinks that they're the one that's got something to say,

it's the way it's been it's always been the way"

I have this great big map which I stick on the billboard to the right of my desk.

Every once in a while, when I'm bored, or just want to waste time, I'd spend 5-10 minutes looking at all the places I want to go.

I have once and for all decided to make a list, and I look forward to crossing them off in the near future...

1. New York
2. San Francisco
3. LA
4. Miami
5. Boston
6. Luxemburg
7. Tokyo
8. Amsterdam
9. Brussels
10.Brugge
11. Italy (anywhere!)
12. Zurich
13. Geneva
14. Basel
15. Monaco
16. Morocco
17. Egypt
18. Istanbul
19. Stockholm
20. Olso
21. Helsinki
22. Madrid
23. Canary Islands
24. Granada [again]
25. Malaga
26. Porto
27. Faro
28. Lisbon [again]
29. Ireland (anywhere!)
30. Glasgow
31. Edinburgh
32. Aberdeen
33. Belfast
34. Budapest
35. Seychelles
36. Shanghai
37. Beijing
38. Hong Kong [again])
39. Bangkok
40. Chiang Mai
41. Pattaya
42. Taiwan
43. Nairobi
44. Mombasa
45. Australia (anywhere!)
46. Moscow
48. Bali
49. Hamburg
50. Munich
51. Berlin [again]
52. Athens
53. Johannesburg (world cup 2010 anyone?)
54. Delhi
55. Toronto
56. Ottawa
57. Vancouver
58. Newfoundland
59. Dubai
60. Auckland
61. Singapore [again]
62. Yorkshire
63. Norwich
64. Cornwall
65. Liverpool
66. Cambridge
67. ~~Swansea~~
68. Aberystwyth
69. Paris [again!]
70. Washington DC
71. Johor Baru
72. Kuala Terengganu
73. Seremban
74. Malacca
75. Isle of Wight
76. Portsmouth
77. all the beautiful islands back home
78. Shenzhen
79. Rio de Janiero
80. Hawaii

I am actively looking for travel mates and tour guides, so hook me up!

NB: Anywhere except Hawaii I'm afraid. I'm keeping that for my honeymoon so don't fight with my Mr. Whoever he will be :)

West Coast of Western Europe Pt 6 (Final)

2008-01-20T17:48:00.000Z

Okay if I proscrastinate any more and delay this any longer, I might as well just forget it. Which I am (slowly)...ooh dear.

cont'd from Pt 5

27 Dec was the penultimate day of our trip.

Not sure about the girls but I know I showed signs of "wuu-huu...I don't want to go back..."

Because going back means going back to mundane old life. And although I missed my (creaking) bed in Aberdare Hall, I had somewhat gotten accustomed to the vagabond routine after 14 days of nomadic travelling. And I've had loads of fun, which makes the withdrawal symptoms even harder to bear!

The itinery for the day was rest and relax, plus covering tourist spots we left off from the day before.

Sao Jorge Castell is located on a hill, overlooking the city. We went up there at about 10am and stayed till noon admiring the view from the top, and soaking up the sun...

We descended from the hill and came down to the Praca de Comercio. It is easily the most majestic square in Lisbon - unmistakable with that breathtaking arch the erects proudly in front of Rua Augusta, the main pedestrian shopping area downtown.

Picure courtesy of Strawberry World Lisbon

From there we went to Baixa-Chaido, which is akin to Bintang Walk back home. We walked around, poked into a few shops and surprise surprise, it was nearly tea time. Due to a tummy that was on strike the day before, I didn't have the appetite for any delectable Portuguese pastries. But I was going to make amends that afternoon anyway.

Adeline said we absolutely have to catch a Fado show before we say bye-bye to dear Lisbon, so we did. But we didn't exactly buy tickets to the show because the places we identified from the guide book and maps given by Tourist Information were either unidentifiable or just weren't available. As we were walking back to our hostel, we chanced upon a guy who was standing outside of his restaurant (couldn't remember if he was having a fag or just some fresh air), but anyway, he called out to us and asked if we were interested in Fado.

We passed looks to one another, and sincerely, if you could draw balloons on top of our heads, it would have to be "is this guy psychic?"

Fado is a traditional folk music that is melancholic as it is nostalgic.

Having surrendered Malacca to the Portuguese back in 1511, we know from history that they are a bunch of people with enriching culture, so it simply wouldn't do us (or them) justice if we didn't try to catch any performance showcasing some of their fine heritage.

Apparently, it's free at the restaurant (but we would have to pay for dinner) so we thought, why not, since we needed to eat anyway so we booked a table for 3.

It wasn't any surprise that the place was expensive (by Lisbon standards). A 3-course meal for almost 40 Euros, man that has got to be the most expensive meal I've had!

The ambience was right, but too bad the waiters spoiled it for us. Stupid of them anyway.

As we entered the restaurant, they asked if we wanted them to take care of our coats. Being on the alert, we politely declined.

Guess what the chief waiter said.

"Why, are you afraid we're going to steal your stuff?"

That was stab number 1.

I think maybe being ill had something to do with me being subdued that night, because ordinarily I would have just thrown him back with a "Why, precisely! Such a mind reader you are!".

As we took our seats, he "casually" enquired after our origins.

"So are you girls from the States?"

(Me trying my best not to shake my head at YET another person who thinks we're from the US)

"Haha no sir. No, we're from Malaysia."

"Ahhhhh Malayyyyysiaaaaaa. You speak very good English for an Asian. Trust me (he rolled his eyes)."

My ears almost fell off.

Was that some kind of a compliment???

Except I DON'T THINK SO!!!

What was he trying to say huh? That Asians don't speak good English?

EXCUSE ME??!!

Good thing he left before I had a chance to pin him down on the table.

Eherm.

Anyway, we were seated very near to the stage so I guess 40 Euros was worth it. The performance started after we had our starters, so I'd say they timed it well. It was roughly a one-hour segment, which consisted of interesting cultural dances interspersed with solo singing (of Fado music) in between.

Sorry to sound brat-like but the food sucked. My dish anyway. I guess I still wasn't feeling too well from the cold and it probably affected my appetite. I was fine the whole time until I consumed the fruit dessert.

For reasons unknown to me, I felt queasy after just having 2 bites of peach.

The gag reflex was too strong to withhold so lo and behold, I puked.

Yes, right there on the table.

I shall spare you the details but let's just say I was thankful for the following:

a) my napkin (which camouflaged the contents quite well, thank you)

and b) there wasn't any pretty boy in sight to see my embarrassing act so all is good :)

I felt bad for the waiter who was going to clean our table though...

But on second thought, maybe not.

Let this be a lesson to him not to insult Asians who speak good English!

So there. That concludes my enormously enjoyable trip around the West Coast of Western Europe (OMG 36 days ago).

Huge huge gratitude to Adeline and Joyce for being such great travel partners, for doing all the booking and reservations and planning and researching and correspondence etc, and for putting up with (ALL) my bad throughout the whole trip.

You guys are wonderful. Thank you. Muah!

The fantastic four - Adeline, Joyce, Me and San San

Freaky Friday

2008-01-18T20:07:00.000Z

The FREAKIEST thing happened today.

As in FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY.

Have I said FREAKY, already?

I was telling Michelle about it yesterday after Enchanted. I had a dream about it last night and today I happened to come face to face with it.

The shocking quirkiness of kismet.

Enchanted

2008-01-17T21:38:00.001Z

Ever Ever After (Carrie Underwood)
"Start a new fashion, wear your heart on your sleeve"

I don't know what the other cinema-goers were laughing at, but I know I was laughing - hard and out loud - at the cheesiness of the movie.

Enchanted is Disney's latest fairy tale (the title sure gives it away doesn't it?).

Not exactly boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love and live happily after...but you're 99% right anyway.

Giselle was supposed to marry Edward, the prince of Andalasia Kingdom. His evil stepmother (honestly, why are all stepmothers evil? Surely there are some kind loving ones around...) wasn't ready to give up her throne when Edward marries, so she sent away Giselle, this young lady who naively believed in ever after.

Where to?

Planet earth - a place where happily ever after doesn't exist.

So there she was in New York city, all alone and lost. But her lucky stars didn't let her despair for long, for a handsome man's daughter noticed her from the window of a taxi, and with her daddy's help, took home the damsel in distress.

6 year old Morgan was fascinated by Giselle, what with her over-enthusiastic mannerisms and speech, and of course, her pong-pong fairy tale dress, but Robert wasn't so impressed. I think he thinks what I would think too if I met Giselle on the streets.

A-huh. Psycho.

Talking about how she was cast away from her kingdom, and her fervent belief that her true heart's desire would come and save her. Come on young lady. Wake up.

The movie progressed and true enough, Edward did come to planet Earth to save her, but by then, she had already fallen for Robert, who (disgustingly) reciprocated.

Who did she end up with?

Let's just say had the ending been better, I might have contemplated bestowing more than 6 stars out of 10...

Sigh, it's Disney after all. They already bought me over with the "happily ever after" idea ever since my mother read me Cinderella, so why should this time be any different?

Except that I am now no longer a hopeful girl of 5 but a sceptical woman of 22...
Ok, on 2nd thought, I'll give it 7 out of 10. 1 extra star for the cute little girl who played Morgan, Carrie Underwood for lending her vocals to the uplifting soundtrack and that magically dreamy person who made "ever after" seemed believable, even if it was only for 1 hour and 46 mins.

Yup Carrie, storybook endings, fairy tales coming true. Deep down inside we want to believe they still do....

West Coast of Western Europe Pt 5

2008-01-12T22:06:00.001Z

cont'd from West Coast of Western Europe Pt4

Ok. This is what the Lonely Planet has to say...

Portugal is a quiter, calmer place than its exuberant neighbour, Spain. But it's far from dull. Thanks to the country's relative geographic isolation, Portugal has retained a strong and fascinating sense of identity and culture....

The economic base is still very traditional, relying largely on fish, wine and textiles. The flip side is that although EU funding has vastly improved the infrastructure, Portugal is still relatively a poor country.

And that was where I stopped reading.

Yes, this city girl isn't that easily impressed by less wealthy nations, she admits very sheepishly. But then again it's not to say Malaysia is VERY wealthy either...but that's different :)

I had very low expectations of Lisbon thanks to the excerpt from the book. Little did I imagine I would fall so much in love with the place...

We arrived very early in the morning following the night bus from Sevilla. The thing is we were to suppose to fly in to Lisbon, but our flights got cancelled 2 weeks before our trip, so the 7 hour bus was the only option we had. Can't really complain because come to think of it, we were lucky to get transportation out of Sevilla on Christmas Day...

We were there so early the metro guys weren't even ready to serve us yet. But I bet we amused them very much with our half-awake "ok-we-got-to-figure-out-where-the-hell-are-we" looks. Haha.

And neither were we ready to converse with the locals too, given we know absolutely no Portuguese! I remembered thinking at that time that if we had to resort to so much sign language in a moderately advanced and tourist-friendly country like Spain, then one does wonder what magic we had to perform to get people in Lisbon to understand us...

But all that worry was unnecessary, for people in Portugal spoke GOOD English! Well, in Lisbon at least. That really put their Spanish counterparts to shame!

Lisbon is a port city by the sea. We first went to Balem to see the famous Torre and Museu do Design. Had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant which - in OUR opinion (this is not just me) - served the BEST Chinese food we've tasted in the 3 chinky restaurants we've customed on this trip. The roast duck was oh-so-saliva-inducing, and the seafood noodles! Never have I seen such fresh prawns in years!

A-huh. I can see you going..."Chinese food? When on a Europe Trip? Hello???"

Well, you would too if you're sick of paella (like I was), and literally, sick (which I was).

I fell ill when in Sevilla (was down with a cold) and I craved for soup like no other. I felt instantly energised after downing that bowl of chowder! No kidding!

After the Balem, we went over to the other side of Lisbon which is the Oceania, home to the Europe 98 Expo. It's a newly developed area, boasting cable car rides, a casino, an aquarium and high class apartments around that area. Walking around Oceania on that beautiful afternoon gave my nerves a lot of serenity and tranquility, of which they have been deprived since starting uni in September. How therapeutic.

It actually reminded me of the same relaxed feeling I had as we strolled along the harbour in Copenhagen 2 years ago. Both are capitals of the country, both are by the sea, both were blessed with enormous sunshine when I was there, and both were the last stops of my Europe trip. Hmm, how uncanny...

The current background on my desktop :) - Oceania

Days are much longer in this part of Europe, which means we got to do more during the day. As the evening approached, we went up to Largo das Portas do Sol (which is the terrace the guidebook recommended for getting snapshot souvenirs of the city). Overlooking the Lisbon skyline during sunset was indeed very picturesque, but moi unfortunately haven't got the photos on her so she couldn't them show off...

To be continued.

Prison Break

2008-01-09T15:29:00.000Z

Was doing my research on healthcare provision in this country (and the issues surrounding it) for my PH4105 exam when I stumbled upon this illuminating feature on UK prisons.

Go check it out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456953/html/nn2page1.stm

It's a real eye-opener.

I just can't believe the inmates have access to more mod cons than I do!

Simple Things

2008-01-08T20:35:00.000Z

I love receiving emails from friends. Especially those from whom I haven't heard in some time.

It just adds a bit of life to well, you know, life.

Good to hear from you again AL, Nan and KL!

So, what has Munny been up to? She spent the last few days doing (or claiming to be doing) revision. Has not seen the sun in a while. The only time she went out was to buy groceries and post some letters off and returned a couple of un-read library books (which is very sad. She quietly promised herself that that will be the last time she's taking out The Alchemist and it'd better be, after 3 attempts of borrowing it and not a page was flipped!).

Sincere apologies Senor Coelho. It's not your fault, it's mine.

As of now, she's just finished watching The Devil Wears Prada (check it out at 66stage.com), sincerely dreaming she could wear those pretty clothes and have half of Andie's determination to hang in there and not be a quitter.

I LOVE ANNE HATHAWAY!!!

Ok, procrastination time's up. Before I go, let me leave you with an interesting little quote that I've been philosophising lately...

"The world is no longer a romantic place. But some of its people still are, however. And therein lies hope. Do not let the world win." - John Cage

p/s: Congratulations to E An for you know what...*insert coy emoticon*

West Coast of Western Europe Pt 4

2008-01-04T23:58:00.000Z

cont'd from West Coast of Western Europe Pt 3

Sevilla is well known for the Flamenco dance and bull-fighting amongst other things. But winter is too cold for the bulls to come out and fight, so we could only go for the Flamenco show.

The one we went to was a modest little theatre 2 streets from our hotel. The show featured a guy on guitar, a lady on vocals plus a male and female dancer. Not being sexist or bias, but the guy dancer gave a better performance than his female counterpart. You could see the fire and passion, so much so his red shirt flung out from its tucked position to set this girl swooning!

Ok folks, there is no need for rolling eyes...

That was Christmas Eve.

As our bus to Lisbon wasn't till 11 on Christmas night, and we didn't want to pay rent for a room we were only going to stay for half the night, we decided to check out around noon time.

Things went a bit out of hand as there were some discrepancies in payment. We thought we were due to pay 18 Euros per night (as listed on our booking sheet), but when we got round to paying the bill, the receptionist charged us 22 Euros.

"That's not right", we echoed.

A-huh. But what's that in Spanish???

Great. The receptionist spoke not a word of English, and we spoke not a word of Spanish. And we're supposed to settle this rather complicated matter.

HOW???

Jus then a guy walked past us.

For no rhyme or reason, my instincts said I should call him.

“Hi, sorry. Do you speak English?”

“Yup”.

I nearly wanted to shout "Oh great", when I remembered that's only half of what we were looking for.

"Erm, sorry again. But do you speak Spanish too?"

"Yeah, I speak Spanish as well".

Now I can say "great".

"Right, could you help us out for a moment?"

"Sure".

We told him the situation and he translated everything we said to the receptionist. And he did the same with his reply to us.

To cut the long story short, the receptionist said for as long as he has been working there, the rent had always been 22 Euros per night, and he blamed the booking website for giving us the wrong quote. We sensed he wasn't going to budge, so we had no choice but to pay the amount he asked for.

I suppose you could say getting the guy to be our translator wasn't of much use since we paid 22 Euros eventually, but I beg to differ. At least with his help, we reasoned (a little) with the receptionist and the money didn't go into the hotel's accounts without a fight.

A note to Rodrigo...

Firstly, muchas gracias.

I know you gave me your name card and all, but I think I've lost it!

You have no idea how many (crocodile) tears I shed as I overturned my entire room to look for your precious name card, but worry not, I remembered your name, Senor Rodrigo Hernandez erm something (I like your middle name by the way, am gonna add it to my fav name list after this). I remembered the way you looked, the knitted brown top you wore, and the (brief but interesting) exchange we had, so not all is bad...I guess it's just yao yun mo fun...

Eherm. The last bit is a private joke between me and the girls =P

“Tall, dark and handsome?” I hear you ask.

That is if he wears an 8-inch platform shoe and shed some pounds…

:)

We went to Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa for a walk after that. The latter was a nice little park where many families came out and spent quality time with loved ones on Christmas day. It was quite surprising that many people were out on the streets actually. I had always thought it was going to be soulless like in the UK, with most shops closed and only 3 cars on the road every hour, but no, I was proven wrong. Amusingly wrong!

Day then turned into night and it was time for us to board the long night bus to Lisbon, scheduling to reach the Portuguese capital at 7 in the morning.

Waiting at the bus station was quite a harrowing experience, as people looked rather dodgy over there. I apologise if I offended anyone with that remark but personally, that was how I felt. People stared at us everywhere we went, like they've never seen PYTs before. Sure, getting that kind of head-turning attention is (or would have been) flattering any other time but not when it's late at night, at a dim, quiet bus station...

Thank God we got on the bus safely and reached Lisbon before dusk as planned.

To be continued...

LOL!

2008-01-04T00:14:00.004Z

If You Could Read My Mind (Amber)
"if you could read my mind love, what a tale my thoughts would tell"

I came across these 2 groups on Facebook and it had me on the floor.

As in I fell off my chair laughing.

The "All men are created equal: They are all inferior to Michael Vaughn" group, and the " I Want A Man like Leo Wyatt" group.

Did I join them??? What do you think???!!!

West Coast of Western Europe Pt 3

2008-01-01T22:59:00.000Z

cont'd from West Coast of Western Europe Pt 2

4th stop: Cordoba

We arrived at Cordoba by bus and spent a day in this town south of Granada.

The first impression was good as the tourist information guy was friendly and helpful. But it started to go downhill when we reached the hostel, as we were told there wasn’t a 3 bedded-room for us. The receptionist said the only option was to move us to a 6 bedded-room.

Of course we rioted! Because a) that’s not what we wanted and b) we made this booking months ago, so why could they not have told us before hand so that we could make prior arrangements before it’s too late? It was clear that they knew about the unavailable 3 bedded-room because she (foolishly, I’d say), showed us what her colleagues wrote on their copy of the booking confirmation sheet.

We didn’t settle for the 6 bedded-room, obviously. At one point she even said to us, “Look, I’m trying to solve a problem for you, ok? So take it easy.” which I thought was classic. A) You never tell a customer what to do and b) the customer is always right!

After some negotiations, she said the only other option left was to let us have a 3 bedded-room of which the lock was faulty. We didn’t have much of a choice then but to grudgingly take the room. We consoled ourselves that it was just for una noche, so (we tried to) chill.

We went to the Mezquitta in the afternoon, which is a unique piece of architecture that reflects the fusion of Islamic and Christian influences, attributed to the fact that it was a mosque - once used as a church - from the 12th-16th century.

A visit to the Alvazar de los Reyes Cristianos overwhelmed us with its lush gardens and impressive fountains, not forgetting the lebat clementine trees too!

Not very keen on tapas and paella (after 4 days in Spain), I was eager to try local Cordoban food. Unlike the Alpujarran cuisine, it is less meat-based. And soups form a big part of their cuisine too. But cold ones though, to my dismay. We were lucky to find one shopkeeper who spoke modest English, and it was he who introduced us to salmorejo, flamenquin and gazpacho, which is a mish-mash of stuff in soup. I think the best was calamares fritos - yummy fried squid!

5th stop: Sevilla

As I mentioned before, not many speak English in Spain (or at least those we encountered). The exception being the people in Barcelona (for obvious reasons). Because of that, we relied heavily on sign language and I’m sure the girls wouldn’t forget the incident at the bus station where we bought our tickets to Sevilla, our next stop.

We were trying to buy tickets for tres (our most-used Spanish word) when he asked us for the departure time. The furthest I could count in Spanish was to 5, and when I put 10 fingers up to signify 10 o’clock, he pointed to 10pm. Not wanting to travel that late, we asked if there were tickets for earlier buses. But not being able to convey that in Spanish resulted in me doing my “hand sweeping up” movement, which had all of us in stitches!

Oh, so you think it was fun eh, using sign language. Well, a little, but not when things get lost in translation.

After we bought our tickets, we asked the counter guy - in the poorest Spanish you can ever imagine - “Arrivio estacion de autobus como *and then did a little hand shaking motion coz we didn’t know how to say hour in Spanish*". We wanted that to mean (literally translated into Enlgish) "arriving at bus station what time?”

And the guy responded with a 2.

Ah, 2 o’clock, we thought.

We went on the bus expecting a 4-hour bus ride. The three of us dozed off at some point and it wasn’t until I heard Torn on the radio that I woke up.

Finally, an English song :)

I opened my eyes and checked the time. Oh, 11.45. Right, another 2 hours. I was prepared to go back to sleep again when the words “Hotel Sevilla” caught my eye.

Sevilla?

Am I dreaming?

I alerted the girls.

“But we’re not due to reach till 2, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s what he motioned”, the girls reassured me.

"But I really saw the word Sevilla lar, so what’s going on?"

It wasn’t until later that we realized the 2 he motioned was meant to signify two hours, and not REACHING the bus station at 2pm.

See what I mean?

It was a good thing Sevilla was the final stop anyway, so it didn’t make a difference. Otherwise we would have been transported elsewhere and the problem then would be “we missed our stop senor, please get us back there!”

It was overcast when we reached Sevilla that afternoon. Hmm, this fussy pot wasn’t liking it already. And then we had a problem finding the hotel because the only instructions given were “200m from the bus station”. And like J said, “do they expect us to walk in a circumference of 200m and see if we spot anywhere that says Hotel Loudres?”

And it really didn’t help that Sevilla has 2 bus stations.

As serendipity would have it, we arrived at the other bus station, not the one that was 200m away. So you can imagine the walking we did prior to locating our hostel. No point turning to TI for help too because it was a Sunday and none of them were open.

Eventually we found the place, thanks to some bar owner who had a comprehensive A-Z of Sevilla. We checked in to what was the best accommodation of our trip so far.

Later in the afternoon, we checked out the Cathedral, which was absolutely magnificent and walked along the river bank to the other side of town. The weather picked up tremendously the following day, so much so we stripped off our winter jackets by mid afternoon! And this was supposed to be the winter season. I take back all the bad stuff I said about Sevilla earlier!

We then walked around the Alcazar (couldn’t go in coz it was closed) and the Old Jewish Quarter. We went into some souvenir shops and like a déjà vu in movies, there was a desperado, in cool shades, brown hat, lank black hair, strumming his guitar, itching to lavish his attention on us 3 guapos. He even blew Adeline a kiss!

Unfortunately it was that Adeline, not this one. I was so very jealous!

To be continued...

West Coast of Western Europe Pt 2

2008-01-01T19:02:00.001Z

cont'd from West Coast of Western Europe Pt 1

Orly airport was quite far from where we stayed (Jaurez). We had to change 2 metro lines and take a 40-minute bus ride to reach the airport. The train bit was fine, but when we got to Porte de Choisy, we were a bit confused as to where to take the bus because everything was in French!

But worry not, a (cute) Frenchy metro-counter guy came to our rescue and pointed us in the right direction.

Ok fine. He didn’t literally come to us, we had to go to him. Still. He had the cutest smile I’ve seen in the last couple of days.

So there, we were ready to bid Paris adieu.

I have no doubts I will be back to this lovely city in the future.

Next time, with more cash and a man.

:)

2nd Stop: Barcelona

We got into the Catalanion capital past 2 in the afternoon.

I made a mental note to change my habitual “Excusez moi, parlez vous anglais” to “Hola, habla Ingles?”, but when I came face to face with the locals, I got so tongue tied it took me a lot of “erm”s to get back on track. And I tell people I actually speak 3 languages. How useless.

Good thing Barcelona wasn’t a freezer. It has exactly the kind of weather you expect Spain to have. Palm trees, warm breeze, lots of sun.

After checking into our hostel, we headed off to the Picasso museum and the Barri Gothic Cathedral (which was under construction so basically we saw nothing). The next morning we went to witness Gaudi’s brilliant architecture at La Sagrada Familia and a visit to Nou Camp!

I was the only one excited about this as none of the girls were interested in football. But before you get excited yourself, let me just say we merely hovered outside and did not go in for any tours as time was pressing. So don’t ask me if I saw Ronaldinho or Messi :)

We went from there to Montjuic, home to Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic village. The trek uphill was worth it as we got to go inside the stadium and around the area.

Having walked so much in the last 4 days, my legs were ready to cave in. I think J’s ones were in similar state too. We were thinking of whether to walk up to the Castell or take a cab ride up.

The other Adeline, the semangat one, didn’t have to ask us really. The answer was obvious.

And it was a good thing we didn’t pretend to be brave and say “oh don’t worry we’ll be fine” because we would have died on the way up! It was quite a steep ascend to the top, and given our state at that point in time, we would have been stuck in a rut if we had chosen to walk!

You should have seen how we ooh-ed and ahh-ed, and how the cam-frenzy came alive. It was a view to remember. Absolutely beautiful, especially since we were there around sunset.

We got back to town and did a bit of shopping.

Yeah I heard you, a trip to Spain wouldn't be complete without a visit to ZARA! Luckily for me I was on a (very kiamsiap) budget, so I had no problem not splashing.

The plan was to go to the waterfront in the evening, but an untoward incident occurred (theft). It definitely tarnished the favourable impression I had of Barcelona. And the police! They could have a) referred us to the right place and b) be more sympathetic! We spent the entire night making a police report. Over what, a stolen bag? Have some efficiency!

If there is one thing about me that I've learnt while on this trip, it is that I could actually survive on 2 hours of sleep and still be up the next morning.

Yeah, loads of people can too, but you don’t understand. My body is not accustomed to staying up late and waking up early, which means this is a surprising revelation for me!

Having spent so much time at the policia the night before, we retreated back to our hostel for 10 winks before leaving for the airport at 5am in the morning to catch a plane to Granada, our next stop.

I must apologise to the girls for not speaking much to them the night before (after making the police report) as I was really tired. And when I’m tired I’m grouchy. As it’s not nice to have a grouchy travel mate, I kept my mouth shut the whole time after the incident. J and A, if you’re reading this, it’s nothing to do with you guys or anything. It’s me alright.

And as if my need for a quick pick-me-up was obvious to serendipity, a curly haired, smiley, hostel assistant was on duty that night. You don’t know what kind of wonders that did to my moods!

Argh, why did we have to leave so early in the morning? I didn’t even get to ask for his name....

Not that I know how to in Spanish anyway…

No wait, he spoke very good English!!!

Sob sob…

3rd stop: Granada

Granada had better be good, I thought to myself, after all that in Barca.

And it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

As I wrote to my parents on the postcard I sent them, Granada has to be my fav spot on Earth at the mo. Well, home too (before they get offended haha).

What can I say? It’s simply beautiful beyond words!

Before I left for this trip, I asked my Gibraltarian friend about Andalucia (the southern region of Spain), a place she claimed is where I can see the “proper” Spain. The moment I mentioned I was going to Granada, her eyes lit up. She said she hasn’t been there before but that I made a fine choice by deciding to go.

Er, truth be told Tanya, I didn’t plan this trip. Joyce and Adeline did, so girls, good choice.

Granada is a smaller town/city compared to Barca, so there are less shops and buzz around town, but despite that, I loved it. That coming from a city girl means it means more!

If I thought 9 Euros for the Louvre in Paris was expensive, than 10 Euros for the Alhambra must be throat-slitting. It was, I wouldn’t deny that, but it was worth every cent. The palace within the Alhambra was so majestic I almost wished I could pack my bags and start settling down there!

I’ve done a fair bit of palace-hopping on my last European trip and this, but I’ve seen nothing like the one in Granada, which is a shining beacon of Moorish architecture. If I already went goo-goo-ga-ga over this palace, then I can’t imagine how I’d feel when I visit the Taj Mahal in the future. (I’d probably be so breathless I need an oxygen mask haha).

The next day we went outside of Granada, to a place called La Alpujarra, which is a conglomerate of little villages at the foothills of Sierra Nevada.

We took the bus up to Pampaneira, and then walked UPHILL, for 1.5km to Bubion, the second highest village. UPHILL hokay! 1.5km leh! Rocky, steep footpath some more. Don’t play play man!

This has got to be my personal best so far!

And I almost died when I reached Bubion. How to climb Mount Kinabalu I ask you? *head shaking*

Picture paints a thousand words. So here you go. Enough said.

And one more thing.

I WANT MY CRYSTAL FLOWER!!!!

Advice of the day: if you see something you like, then by ALL MEANS buy it. Don’t be like me and think the whole day. At a store in Pampaneira, I saw this crystal ornament I really liked and I thought to myself, "you know what, let's go eat first, and then come back and browse to my heart's content". I went back to the shop after lunch, but it was closed coz it was siesta time and I ended up not buying the one thing I fell in love with at first sight!

See? I'm still regretting to this today!

Muaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

To be continued...

West Coast of Western Europe Pt 1

2008-01-01T14:18:00.002Z

Ha. People laugh at my collecting receipts, entrance tickets, boarding passes etc. Things they call JUNK.

But at times like this when you struggle to recollect the things you did on a trip or where you've gone to visit, they do come in handy!

I won't dwell too much on what I did, where I went and bombard you with too many pictures (because I know the pictures won't mean anything to anyone but the people in it, so I shall spare you that).

I'll just throw in some of my observations, thoughts sparked off by quirky little things that happened, and (haha I know you're waiting for this) how many leng chais I've met along the way...

Aherm.

1st Stop: Paris

2 words.

FREEZING COLD!

As beautiful as the city is, winter there is unbearable. I was in 4 layers and still, was close to being hypothermic. That's bad.

But let not the cold take anything away from gay Paris, the fashion capital, a title it truly deserves! Man, the ladies here are so well dressed. I mean chic, classy, elegant you get the picture. Not tracksuits or sweat pants with tacky bling-bling. You see this quite a lot you-know-where...

We reached Paris rather early in the morning, a crisp morning with the sun out not too long after we arrived at Beauvais Airport. An expensive bus ride to Palace de Maillot and we were in town. Till today, I still chide myself for not learning an extra few French words because it was hard communicating in English over there. *eyes rolling* You know, the whole French pride thing. Some people just refuse to speak to you in English even though they could. I know they can because even my grandparents know how to count in English and say "left", "right", "walk straight", "5 minutes", "oh bus? You take here" etc, so don't tell me the guai los can't?

Also, it's ironic that the only French words I know aren't appropriate to be used, at all!

Hint: Lady Marmalade :)

According to the (messy) travel log I kept, the Arc de Triumph was followed by Champs Elysees, Grand Palace, Petit Palace, Concorde, The Louvre Museum and Eiffel Tower at night. Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, it was certainly a historic venue because: a) that was where the Ultimate Eiffel Tower Sucker Group was formed and b) I survived the extreme cold temperatures to which I've never been exposed before!!!

UETSG was a joke among the 4 of us (Jesse, KC, Kwang Chear and moi) for being, as the name implies, suckers for the Eiffel Tower. First we bought cheaplak souvenirs at the Louvre, and then kiddy little glowing Eiffel Towers that captured our gullible imagination. And when at the entrance, we decided we were going to go all the way up to the top even if it meant we would have been set back by almost 12 Euros.

All for being so in love with a tower. Gawd.

Nonetheless, the view up there was amazing . It's hard to see from pictures, but do take my word for it!

The Louvre Museum was oh so huge. Though not one to appreciate art, I paid 9 Euros through my nose for entrance fee solely to see Leonardo's muse, amongst other things. The things that I do to be "cultured" eh...

Mona Lisa was a little disappointing if you ask me, coz there was no way you could get a close up view. Security was tight around the museum's prized possession and the painting was so small (at least smaller than what I pictured it to be) that some people even suggested it was the fake one!

After that, we walked along the Seine river, mentally taking in the romantic view from the embankment and wishing that a special someone was here...

Ok Munny, speak yourself and no one else!

We walked passed Hotel De Ville (haha, as much as I appreciate your humour, it's not where Cruella stayed), the Pantheon and Luxembourg Garden and went into Notre Dame Cathedral.

Apparently duck dishes are famous in France, so that's what we had on our second night. Foie grais, magret, confit de canard. Not forgetting creme brulee too! I would happily eat escargot for every meal but erm, these stuff are too pricey for a snail! Then there's also french crepes and pattiserie to satisfy all the sweet tooths around...

On our last and final day, we went to Sacre Couer and later posed at the entrance of Moulin Rouge.

Naked?

You wish!

A trip to La Fayette (the Harrods/Selfridge of Paris) completed the city for the 4 from Glasgow, while Joyce, Adeline and I (there were 2 Adelines on the trip) stayed on another night before flying out to Barcelona the next morn.

To be continued...

GROSS

2008-01-01T13:30:00.000Z

I am the one in the sex DVD, says Chua
sourced from The Star

LABIS: Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek admitted he is the politician in the sex DVDs circulating in Johor.

In a press conference here Tuesday, Dr Chua said the girl is his “personal friend”.

He apologised to the Malaysian public, his supporters and colleagues.

He said he did not make the tape himself.

Dr Chua said he will not resign over the sex DVDs. He will leave that up to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to decide.

“I have seen the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and I have personally apologised to them,” he said while reading from a one-page statement during a press conference here Tuesday.

Dr Chua, who was clad in a yellow batik shirt, added that he had met up with Abdullah on Monday.

Asked about the reactions from Abdullah, Najib and Ong, he said that it was better to get a reaction from them as he cannot comment on their behalf.

Dr Chua vowed to continue carrying out his duties as a minister, MP and party leader.

Asked about his political future, Dr Chua said: “I leave it to my party members, leaders and the Malaysian public to be the judges. It's not for me to speculate.”

The sex DVDs, on two discs, show Dr Chua and a woman engaging in various sexual antics. The two DVDs had been circulating in Muar, Tangkak and Batu Pahat over the past few days.

The existence of the DVDs was first reported in the Chinese dailies on Sunday while a Bahasa Malaysia daily reported about it on Monday.

In one of Ally McBeal's early episodes, a senior at her firm justified his illiciting a prostitute as having too much respect for women to get on with them under the pretext of a relationship when all he is asking for is just the three letter word.

She threw up.

I think reading this makes me want to throw up too.

Urgh.

2008

2008-01-01T00:18:00.002Z

At the beginning (Donna Lewis & Richard Marx)

"life is a road now and forever a wonderful journey"

I welcomed the new year in my room at midnight. Far from the crowd, far from the noise, far from the smoke. Just exactly what I was surrounded with in Covent Garden a year ago.

I spent New Year's Eve in London last year fine dining with some friends. Although we were (physically) very close to seeing the fireworks along the Thames, we didn't manage to at the end due to mis-timing.

Having experienced the hoo-ha and chaos that accompanied the ushering of the new year in central London, I thought enough is enough and decided I'm not gonna bother this year. With anything.

And what do ya know.

I saw what I missed 365 days ago, with clarity, in peace and serenity. To think that I actually saw the fireworks display without leaving my room...the whole thing does make my enthusiastic plans last year a little ironic, don't you think?

Photo taken from Aberdare Hall, Queen Anne Square

Steve Allen - "Nothing is quite as funny as the unintended humour of reality".

I have no clue who he is but he is damn right.

Not trying so hard may just be the unintended resolution for 2008...

FACE it

2007-12-31T10:00:00.001Z

Yes, I've come to a point where I HAVE to FACE it.

"The social networking utility that's gripped this side of our generation" - a friend aptly puts it.

"One that will get you addicted for nuts" - I'm sure many will not venture to disagree.

What am I talking about?

YOU know what I'm talking about.

Funny how I still can't bear to utter it's name.

What has taken me so long?

Truth be told, I never dreamt of signing up for one. Not in this life, not in another life.

Why?

Well for starters, it's for people with a life. Low profile folks like me don't have one (or rather much prefer staying below the radar), so you can count me out.

Secondly, I'm selfish. I don't think I'd devote my precious time to checking out who's with who or who's no longer with who or who's about to be with who. Unless you're a very pretty boy then I might make an exception :)

Thirdly, don't give me the "but that's the way to keep in touch!" pretext. Oh no honey, no no no. You can do better.

Fourthly (and ultimately), it's an act of defiance.

I think the last point - above all - sums it up best.

So why am I doing it now? After all that?

Well, I've been forced to.

Yeah I know, this is lame as lame excuses go. But that very something I'm after can only be found there you see...

No, not handsome men, my recent holiday photos on 33's cam!

And then there's also the "if you can't beat them, join them" thing...

Back

2007-12-30T11:38:00.003Z

Back To Life (Soul II Soul)

"Back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now yeah.

Back to life, back to the present time, back from a fantasy yeah "

It's unmistakable.

I know I'm back in the UK when I see dark clouds, grey skies and general gloominess.

Sigh. What a far cry from the mood-lifting, spirits-soaring, feel-good weather that I've been lucky to experience in the west coast of Europe in the last 2 weeks.

Oh well. Reality bites. That's what it is.

Hope all my lovelies had a splendid Christmas and in less than 48 hours, a cracking ringing in of the new year!

Shalll write again soon.

Holiday wishes

2007-12-14T13:48:00.000Z

Finally.

The last day of term.

I'm off to Glasgow in less than 3 hours and I've not packed.

Very good.

Anyway, before I shoot off, I haven't forgotten you lot ;). Just wanna say Merry Christmas to all who celebrates and all the best in 2008!!!

You had me at the piano

2007-12-11T21:20:00.002Z

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/sol/newsid_7130000/newsid_7137200/7137218.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1

Oh my god.

YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS.

You HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO watch this.

Talk about being WOW-ed. I've never been SOOOOO impressed by a guy before in my life!

Anyway do me this tiny favour by watching the clip. Won't take you long. Max 3 mins.

:)

Righteo, back to my 3500 word essay.

*Sniff*

Christmas with David Beckham

2007-12-07T18:37:00.001Z

David Beckham on BBC2, 25 Dec 2007, 1500-1700

SOB SOB...

But I won't be here to tune in on Christmas Day!!!

SOB SOB x 1000000000000 times until breathless...

Pain pain go away...

2007-12-07T18:22:00.001Z

...just go away and GO AWAY!

*sniffles*

My gums have been hurting for 3 days now, all because of my impending wisdom tooth...

Heck, I didn't know that stress can instigate these things to grow...

Either that or I've just grown wiser in the last couple of days =P

(Wawasan) 2020 for Pharmacy in the UK

2007-12-04T20:17:00.000Z

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain organised a Pharmacy consultation at Redwood this evening. Pharmacy 2020: have your say and help shape the profession's future.

A few friends and I attended this small-scale forum which was aimed at obtaining feedback from students with regards to how they (or we) think Pharmacy will be in the next 13 years.

NLT was about 3/4 full, with students from all years represented. Among the speakers for the evening were Mark Donovan - possibly one of the funniest and most interesting external lecturers I've had this year, Mair Davies - principal pharm at Princess Wales Hospital and one or two other Welsh Pharm Board Execs.

Mark kicked off the session with a quote.

“Everything changes, nothing remains without change.” - The Buddha

How profound is this quote huh that I'm actually still trying to make sense of it as I'm blogging...?

Anyway, he talked about the society, and how the profession is changing for the better, with pharmacists having a bigger role to play in healthcare than ever before. The last point was undeniably referring to the recent (must have been over a year now actually) green light from DoH for pharmacists to prescribe.

It is a grey area, prescribing. For us pharmacists. On one hand we have to be careful not to upset the doctors given that they've had sole possession of this right since the dawn of time, and on the other hand, we have to make sure that we're all up to speed in terms of competencies and skills. Also, prescribing for pharmacists, as idealistic as it sounds, does present a limitation in that it's difficult to prescribe without knowing what the diagnosis is. And I'll the first person who would object to pharmacists diagnosing because that lies outside of our realm. We're simply not trained as diagnosticians. Period.

Almost everyone on the floor unanimously opined that pharmacists have the skills, and are the best persons to prescribe. No question. But are there other ways of making prescribing work in favour of us pharmacists, the experts in medicines?

A progressive model was put forward during the consultation.

Doctors diagnose, patients prescribe, technicians dispense.

What do you think?

Oh you laugh. You naysayers laugh and shake your heads in disbelief at such a notion.

10 years ago no one believed pharmacists could prescribe a single drug let alone the entire BNF, sell emergency hormonal contraception over the counter, monitor warfarin levels (blood thinning therapy), run high blood pressure clinics etc. Yet they are all now in full swing, with pharmacists as proprietors, leading the way.

So pray tell me, what is impossible?

Pride and prejudice

2007-11-30T21:50:00.002Z

Racial slur as man calls Welsh woman "English"
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071130/tuk-uk-britain-racial-fa6b408_2.html

Michael Forsythe was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, after being found guilty of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour, a court official said.

Forsythe received the sentence at Welshpool Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was also ordered to pay 200 pounds in prosecution costs.

The former lorry driver, who is originally from Northern Ireland, but lives in Powys, Mid Wales, called Lorna Steele an "English bitch" during an argument after he collided with her parked vehicle in the Welsh market town of Newport in February.

Forsythe has attacked the prosecution as a waste of time and money, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

"I find it unbelievable that I've been prosecuted for this," he said. "I've travelled all over Europe as a lorry driver and never had any problems with anybody and now they're officially calling me a racist.

"It's political correctness gone mad."

To you, for you, THANK YOU.

2007-11-29T21:05:00.000Z

Heartfelt thanks for remembering the 29th of November
Your sincere thoughtfulness I will always treasure
And cherish in my heart from now until eternity
For friends and family are the pillars of humanity.

Impression@ble

2007-11-26T21:51:00.001Z

I know I shouldn't be judging people by their email manners.

But that I do.

All the time.

*frowns*

It's murderous, I agree. It's just wrong to think more highly (or lowly) of people based on the that. But at the same time it's hard to not like a person more when they write you nice emails.

:)

Haha, caught ya speculating. It's not what you think! And there's no pretty boy involved. I swear!

Okay, stop all the pestering, dear KPCs. It's just my groupmate lah. Partner in crime for our VPL project. See, he's this super berat mulut guy. Who doesn't say a word during meetings. Absolute silence. Unless he's forced to speak, he would remain silent until the end of time. How someone can be so wood-like and log-gy I just don't know.

I know some people would say they prefer this type of co-worker to a chatterbox who talks non-stop. But it can be quite tricky communicating with the former too you know, especially when you're trying to work together for the project.

I tried. God knows how hard I tried. Trying to chat him up so that he can warm to me (oi, I already said it's not what you think!). I thought that would make him want to talk more and contribute his ideas more. To be fair, it's not like he's a no-show. He's always there for meetings and does contribute a bit (er, peace and serenity [which comes from his silence] is the only thing I can think of unfortunately). And most of all, he's smart. He's got the BRAINS. But we just can't put his intelligence to good use because he's so tight-lipped all the time!

It came to a point where I was starting to dislike him. You would too if you've tried so hard to get him to (and I'm not trying to sound like a dentist) OPEN HIS BLOODY MOUTH when all he's willing to muster are one liners.

Very good.

Oh, I gave up.

Then last week, we were supposed to meet and discuss our section of the presentation, and for some untimely miscues, we missed each other and didn't meet in the end. I thought with his kind of attitude, he would just not say a word and let it pass. But no. He wrote me a (sweet) email apologising for our failure to meet!

Awww...there Munny goes again...

Ok fine, it's not like he OPENED his mouth and uttered those words but at least it was something.

That was last Wed. On Friday, we met up for good and completed our task. I emailed him the slides to have a look and he replied back saying he thought it was ok. He even thanked me for being more organised than him and wished me a good weekend!

I can't believe I've changed my impression of him after this brief exchange of emails!

Seriously, what am I like?

Croatia 3 - England 2

2007-11-22T00:02:00.001Z

My first reaction?

Dai sei.

Padan muka.
Wa-ha-ha-ha!!!

But before you start labelling me Cruella Devil, I must say I'm not anti-England. In fact, I’ve been an England supporter since the day I started watching football (eherm, no prizes for guessing the reason behind my unwavering support *wink*)

But as much as I wanted England to qualify for Euro 2008, I didn't feel they deserved to. At all. IMHO if they can’t even beat Croatia AT HOME, they can forget about competing with the rest of Europe for the trophy in Austria next year.

Reality bites. Truth hurts. Defeat sucks…

…but DB07 rules! :)

And I can’t wait to catch Mr Goldenballs' inch-perfect pass on Youtube!!!

Haha, alright alright. That last bit was done on purpose. But see, I have to chide McLaren for being such a smart-ass. He bravely dispatched Becks when he took over from Sven in July last year, then when he was in trouble with England’s underpar performance some months back, he recalled Captain Marvel to save his bum. But minutes before the game last night, he decided to trade experience for experimentation.

Dear Sir, what can I say? But that you chose own demise…

Prescription for Laughter

2007-11-20T18:13:00.000Z

My public health lecturer once told us that he has seen "exercise" being prescribed to patients on the NHS.

I wonder if docs could prescribe "laughter" too?

Coz that's what I need. V badly.

And today I managed a few, without even needing a prescription for it. All courtesy of my groupmates (at the Hypertension workshop) who, bless them, sees the funny side of many things.

I will remember inelegant drugs (as in "no class"), how when I said 'Hey pal', you replied 'Hey bucket' (coz you thought I called you pail) and last but not least, the warm welcome you extended when I told you I was stressed out.

You have no idea how much "Join the club!" meant to me...

You know I can't...

2007-11-18T14:40:00.002Z

My sister Yan had started her school holidays for more than a week now.

I asked what's occupying her these days.

She said, "Well, I wake up at 11, potter about, go online, have lunch, watch TV, read newspaper, bake cupcakes, read my books, do my thing, dabble in art when I feel like it, and yes, lots of sleep."

I can hear her snickering in the background.

I almost slammed the phone.

Unfortunately for me, it's a Nokia 5300 Express Music slide-up phone, so I literally couldn't slam it down.

Deep breath Munny, deep breath.

"Oh I see. You know what dude, I'm done with you. Put mom on the phone."

Yes, I call my sister dude. Affectionately.

Oi, what's so funny?

I chatted with my mom.

I asked her about the upcoming holidays.

"We're thinking of going to Kuching for a few days in December. Not official, but we're planning to."

Alright, good guess, but I didn't slam the phone down. I CAN'T do that to my mom. I DON'T WANT TO do that to my mom.

Yup baby. Deep breath. Don't lash out like a mad dog.

But then again it won't be me if I said I didn't put up a sulky, sour-grape protest.

"Mmm...okay then ma, enjoy yourselves if you all do go."

Minutes later, a long lost Kuching schoolmate nudged me on MSN. She asked if I remembered her.

Course I do, Ming Yian!

We did some catching up, and she mentioned she's going home this weekend after her final paper.

"Aww, that's nice", I said.

"Yeah, mom's Ko-Lo Mee, Sarawak Laksa and Kuay Chap are waiting for me."

She inserted a grinning emoticon.

"You know you can only get these from Kuching right?"

I think that's when I lost it.

Why huh, why???

Especially when you know I can't do those stuff, have those stuff, and resist those stuff!!!!!

Another 1 down, 4 more to go...

2007-11-16T22:13:00.002Z

Downtown (Petula Clark)

"When you're alone, and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown"

I finished week 7 of semester 1 today.

It has been a whirlwind week.

Relieved? You bet.

To quote Mr New Kid on the Block himself - who I deliberately sat next to in room 0.07 this morning (hehe) - it's Friday!

Sigh, a pal of mine is off to Norwich for the weekend to see her boyfriend. That's her reward for working her butt off in the last 5 hectic days.

For those of us unlucky enough to have such distractions, eherm, we just have to find other things to distract ourselves... =P

I went to town in the afternoon. Just had to get out after adopting the robotic "going to uni and back to my room" routine for the last few days. Literally saw no other people in the entire world except my coursemates and lecturers. How sad!

And I've been so caught up I hadn't realised that Winter Wonderland is already up and running.

It's an annual thing, this Winter Wonderland. A family-oriented mini carnival fun-fare enterprise to usher the advent of winter (or rather, stave off the advent of winter depression =P).

As I was trotting down King Edward Avenue and walking pass City Hall where Winter Wonderland is held, my mind rewound back to the time when a few mates and I went to our first Winter Wonderland. I remember us having tonnes of fun taking silly pictures up at the ferris wheel, on one hand trying our hang on to our seat, and on the other, fighting hard to be in the centre of attention in front of the camera!

Ahh, those good old days...

...was 4 years ago. Dear me.

Cardiff City Centre looked more pleasant this evening than I ever remember it to be. I reckon it's the Christmas deco and lights that gave it some much needed cheer this time of the year...

Read a touching book lately, called Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson. It is about a diary written by a mother to her son, right from the early days of his conception. As you can imagine, it is full of bliss and mirth and heart-stirring stuff. It certainly did insinuate a lot of broodiness in me!

Here's one of the many quotes from the book that I found inspiring. Hopefully you will find it breathtaking too ...

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling 5 balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. One day, you will finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends and integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered. And once you understand the lesson of the 5 balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life.

Remember the 5 balls Nicky, always remember the 5 balls."

Yes, I said one.

Last one :)

"Good memories are like charms, Nicky. Each is special. You collect them, one by one, until the day you look back and discover they make a long colourful bracelet."

Aww...

Jung Typology Test

2007-11-10T14:03:00.002Z

A pal introduced me to this test. Claiming it to be v accurate.

Jung Typology Test.

Try it!

After you have done the test, you would be assigned 4 alphabets. Type in that combination into Google and read the profile description.

Have fun!

Here's what I am...

INFJ

Portrait of an INFJ - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging (Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling)

The Confidant

As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system.

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types (oooohhhh).

INFJs place great importance on havings things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done, and constantly define and re-define the priorities in their lives. On the other hand, INFJs operate within themselves on an intuitive basis which is entirely spontaneous. They know things intuitively, without being able to pinpoint why, and without detailed knowledge of the subject at hand. They are usually right, and they usually know it. Consequently, INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. As an extreme example, some INFJs report experiences of a psychic nature, such as getting strong feelings about there being a problem with a loved one, and discovering later that they were in a car accident. This is the sort of thing that other types may scorn and scoff at, and the INFJ themself does not really understand their intuition at a level which can be verbalized. Consequently, most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back part of themselves, and can be secretive.

But the INFJ is as genuinely warm as they are complex. INFJs hold a special place in the heart of people who they are close to, who are able to see their special gifts and depth of caring. INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone. They are very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict may drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger. They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right. On the other hand, INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts that they are living up to their full potential (OMG). INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them (OMG OMG!). They believe in constant growth, and don't often take time to revel in their accomplishments. They have strong value systems, and need to live their lives in accordance with what they feel is right. In deference to the Feeling aspect of their personalities, INFJs are in some ways gentle and easy going. Conversely, they have very high expectations of themselves, and frequently of their families. They don't believe in compromising their ideals (of course!).

In the workplace, the INFJ usually shows up in areas where they can be creative and somewhat independent. They have a natural affinity for art, and many excel in the sciences, where they make use of their intuition. INFJs can also be found in service-oriented professions. They are not good at dealing with minutia or very detailed tasks. The INFJ will either avoid such things, or else go to the other extreme and become enveloped in the details to the extent that they can no longer see the big picture. An INFJ who has gone the route of becoming meticulous about details may be highly critical of other individuals who are not.
The INFJ individual is gifted in ways that other types are not. Life is not necessarily easy for the INFJ, but they are capable of great depth of feeling and personal achievement.

Jungian functional preference ordering:
Dominant: Introverted Intuition
Auxilliary: Extraverted Feeling
Tertiary: Introverted Thinking
Inferior: Extraverted Sensing

INFJ Relationships
INFJs are warm and affirming people who are usually also deep and complex. They're likely to seek out and promote relationships that are intense and meaningful. They tend to be perfectionists, and are always striving for the Ultimate Relationship. For the most part, this is a positive feature, but sometimes works against the INFJ if they fall into the habit of moving from relationship to relationship, always in search of a more perfect partner. In general, the INFJ is a deeply warm and caring person who is highly invested in the health of their close relationships, and puts forth a lot of effort to make them positive. They are valued by those close to them for these special qualities. They seek long-term, lifelong relationships, although they don't always find them.

INFJ Strengths
- Warm and affirming by nature
- Dedicated to achieving the ultimate relationship
- Sensitive and concerned for others' feelings
- Usually have good communication skills, especially written
- Take their commitments very seriously, and seek lifelong relationships
- Have very high expectations for themselves and others (both a strength and weakness)
- Good listeners
- Are able to move on after a relationship has ended (once they're sure it's over)

INFJ Weaknesses
- Tendency to hold back part of themselves
- Extreme dislike of conflict and criticism
- Have very high expectations for themselves and others
- Have difficulty leaving a bad relationship

INFJs as Lovers
INFJs are warm, considerate partners who feel great depth of love for their partners. They enjoy showing this love, and want to receive affirmation back from their mates.
They are perfectionists, constantly striving to achieve the Perfect Relationship. This can sometimes be frustrating to their mates, who may feel put upon by the INFJs demanding perfectionism. However, it may also be greatly appreciated, because it indicates a sincere commitment to the relationship, and a depth of caring which is not usually present in other types. Sexually, INFJs view intimacy as a nearly spiritual experience. They embrace the opportunity to bond heart and soul with their mates. As service-oriented individuals, it's very important to them that their mates are happy. Intimacy is an opportunity for the INFJ to selflessly give their love, and experience it in a tangible way. Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relationship, INFJ's natural partner is the Visionary, or the Inspirer.

The busybody in me erm, went and checked the 'Visionary', and this is what it said on the profile...

The visionaries are fluent conversationalists, mentally quick, and enjoy verbal sparring with others. They love to debate issues, and may even switch sides sometimes just for the love of the debate. The ENTP personality type is sometimes referred to the "Lawyer" type.

My instant reaction was..."Oh my dear God...."

It is exactly the kind that I like to engage with!!! Verbal sparring? Anytime mate!

As for Inspirer, they are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it.

Adeline is now very hopeful...haha!

INFJs as Parents
INFJs usually make warm and caring parents. Their goal is to help their children become adults who know the difference between right and wrong, and who are independent, growth-oriented individuals. Along the path to that goal they are generally very warm and caring, and are likely to treat their children as individuals who have a voice in family decisions. They want their children to be able to think for themselves, and make the right decisions. They also can be quite demanding on their children, and may have very high expectations for their behavior. Although they are generally soft-spoken and gentle, they may become stubborn and sharp-tongued at times when their expectations aren't met, or when under a lot of stress. INFJs take their parenting role with ultimate seriousness. They will make sacrifices for the sake of their children without a second thought, and without remorse. Passing on their values to their children is a serious priority in their lives. Children of INFJs remember their parents fondly as warm, patient, and inspirational.

INFJs as Friends
Although the INFJ is likely to put friends behind their God and their families in terms of importance, they do value their friendships. As idealists who have strong value systems, INFJs seek authenticity and depth in their close relationships, and especially value people who can see and appreciate the INFJ for who they are and what they stand for. The INFJ is likely to spend a lot of time socialing with family members. If they are religious, they probably are social with members of their religious community. After that, the INFJ may have friends represented from any of the personality types. They are usually extremely intuitive individuals, who will have no patience for anyone they feel is dishonest or corrupt. They'll have no interest in being around these kinds of people. All kinds of people are drawn towards the INFJ. They are usually quite popular, although they may be unaware of it themselves, because they don't place a lot of importance on it. The INFJ is valued by their close friends for their warmth and consideration, their new and interesting ways of looking at things, and for their ability to inspire and motivate others to be the best that they can be, genuine article that they are.

Possible Career Paths for the INFJ:
Clergy / Religious Work
Teachers
Medical Doctors / Dentists
Alternative Health Care Practitioners, i.e. Chiropractor, Reflexologist
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Counselors and Social Workers
Musicians and Artists
Photographers
Child Care / Early Childhood Development

So, what are you?

Awkward Moment

2007-11-08T19:40:00.000Z

Our department organised a welcoming party for international students this evening at Aberdare Hall.

The turn out wasn't great, but better than what I had expected. Our head of school was there, as well as a few lecturers and academic staff.

As it was held around the same time as my part-time job in the kitchen, I couldn't stay long and only popped by to say hi and grabbed some finger food before starting work.

I saw Ven, one of my juniors and walked over to his table and joined him. He was engaged in a conversation with another person, and when it came to a standstill, I extended my hand and introduced myself.

"Hi I'm Adeline."

He looked at me.

Then at my hand.

And back at me.

"Hi. Er, I'm Rahim (name is changed to protect privacy of the person in question). Sorry I can't shake your hand."

Woops.

I never knew that. I have shaken hands with male Muslim friends before and they never told me off so I assumed it was alright.

I apologised and then we started talking.

"So, where are you from?"

"Malaysia."

Then he laughed.

"So shouldn't you know about that???"

Er...

***awkward moment***

***hands thrown up in air***

But I really didn't know!!!

Wheel of Fortune?

2007-11-06T16:59:00.000Z

Listening to: To The Moon and Back (Savage Garden)

"reaching out for human faith is like a journey I just don't have a map for"

Picture courtesy of Reuters

I read on Yahoo! news today that China is planning on building it's on Eye.

I wonder why.

It seems like everyone is trying to copy the ferris wheel in London. First Singapore, then us, now China.

Why not have their own versions of Twin Towers or Eiffel Tower or Opera Houses and other architectural hallmarks?

Why the Eye?

I wonder why...

Runaway

2007-11-05T22:30:00.003Z

Listening to: Escapade (Janet Jackson)

"I hope you can find the time this weekend to relax and unwind"

Whoa, if this is how withdrawn I am after a nice, relaxing, carefree weekend, then I can only imagine what drug users go through when they desperately crave the next fix.

Was away to Birmingham on Friday. Not a great time to be galivanting across the country when I have essays to write, presentations to give, meetings to attend, reports to hand in, papers to appraise, experiments to conduct...erm yeah, the list goes on.

Nonetheless, I always have time for friends and it was indeed a quality weekend break. Sincere gratitude to Siok Ping and Aun Yeung for their superb hospitality.

Siok Ping is a friend I met at Malaysia Hall in the summer. She is a radiologist at QE Hospital in Brum and has been here for almost 6 years now. She would soon be going over to Canada, with her husband, to do her fellowship there and I thought I should catch up with her once before she leaves for Ontario early next year.

It wasn't that long ago that I went to Birmingham for the All England Championships in March, so nothing much has changed. Well, Bullring is still bullish, and the town centre is as thriving and bustling as ever (which is, I must say, what I remembered most about Brum from my last trip, although to be perfectly honest, I didn't go anywhere but the NEC).

Siok Ping suggested taking me out for shopping and walking around in town, but sincerely, those of us coming from Asia will probably find shopping here less awe-inspiring than those multi-storey domes we have back home, so she thought of taking me to the countryside instead to have a taste of the Midlands.

Me and Siok Ping at Hidcote

We drove out 50 miles to Hidcote Manor Garden on Saturday morning. It's one of those National Trust sites that offers scenic, unpolluted natural landscape and as you've guessed it, 90% of the visitors were above 60 :)

Haha, not that I mind at all. It was nice to go out there and take in breaths of fresh air to keep my lungs healthy. We spent the entire morning at Hidcote, gazing at flowers, snapping our cameras away on sights which would make perfect desktop material, and plucking apples.

Yes you saw it right.

Erm actually, no. We didn't pluck them from the trees. We helped ourselves with windfalls =P

Hey look, if you paid 8 pounds for entrance free it's only fair you get something in return alright...

Later in the afternoon, we dropped by Stratford upon Avon and paid Sir Shakespeare a visit at the Holy Trinity Church. It was an interesting (albeit touristy) little town. A place which offered Shakespeare so much inspiration must be worth visiting.

Me in front of Shakespeare's statue

We walked along the river Avon and Hwee Cheng - Siok Ping's sister-in-law - couldn't help but lament that it was the perfect place for pak-toh (courtship), to which I silently nodded.

Haha, in spite of myself, and the cold, foggy weather!

Winter days are, as you know, short, so by the time we got back to Brum, it was pitch black (although it couldn't have been later than 5pm). There wasn't much point in doing more sightseeing, and since Siok Ping and her husband wanted to watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I tagged along.

IMHO, Cate Blanchett deserves an Oscar. Ooh Definitely. Even if she was only nominated and didn't win it at the end of the day, I just hope the person who beats her to it is worth more salt than Gwyneth Paltrow (remember the '98 Oscars?)

Sunday went by in a blur. I think we did grocery shopping in the morning, and then prepared lunch after we came back. Aun Yeung went to his room to fix his computer, while Siok Ping and I enjoyed a girly conversation or two downstairs in the kitchen.

Although there is quite an age gap between me and Siok Ping, I find I can talk to her very naturally, without any awkwardness on either side. We talked about work, life, relationships, family, you know, the usual sort of thing, but with a more matured outlook. Not that I'm slagging off my peers, but sometimes it is hard to talk about serious things with the latter without them thinking you're having a quarter-life crisis.

Yeah, I know people find me a tad serious sometimes. Ok fine, not a tad but very. Just the other day, we went for a mate's birthday party and I was engaged in an interesting conversation with a matured friend about life, present and future, when my coursemate came over to join us. She followed our conversation for 5 seconds and then she left. And when she left us to join another table, she chidingly said to me, "Honestly you guys, it's Friday night, can we talk about something else?"

I don't think the point is whether it's Friday or Sunday or Tuesday. I think it's a matter of interest. A matter of wanting to talk more than who's going out with who, or where are we going shopping tomorrow. I know not everyone is a fan of stimulating, thought-provoking conversations but I, fortunately or unfortunately, happen to be one.
I like talking and pondering about life. It makes me think less about myself and more about others. I become less caught up in my own world, and embrace a bigger one out there that I've only seen a fraction of, and wonder if I would ever see enough.

Backward In Coming Forward

2007-10-30T16:21:00.003Z

Better Together (Jack Johnson)

"I'll tell you one thing - it's always better when we're together"

This afternoon, I met up with my group mates to discuss our VPL project (the one where we had to come up with a new drug for a given disease), and in particular, talked about the questions we were going to ask the "investors" (simulated bosses of this project) when we meet them next Monday.

After a seemingly positive reply from the BOD on our ideas for hepatitis C last Friday, my groupmates seemed to have taken their feet off the pedal. One even came to the meeting and said she didn't know what we're meeting up for.

You don't???!! Well my dear, I suggest you read your own emails the next time before sending them out to others because it was YOU who said this...

"I think before tuesday we should research this idea further and look at the other aspects regarding this idea and then when we meet on tuesday we can discuss it."

That's why, Miss H. That's why we're meeting up today.

It was as if people were clueless about what's going on. Either that or they underestimated next Monday's session with EJK and co. Let me tell you something my lovelies, we only get one chance, and nothing more. Next Monday is the only opportunity for us to clarify our doubts and concerns with the investors with regards to proceeding with either idea 7 (or 8) for which they have previously given the go-ahead. It is our only chance to seek advice from the experts and use the new-found knowledge to solve problems that we - the amateurs - are currently facing (amateurs may be too generous a term, actually). It'd be a complete waste if we turn up for the session ill-prepared!!!

"Speak now or forever hold your peace".

How I regret not injecting my take on this subject at the meeting earlier. We spent 30 minutes (or maybe even more) beating around the bush, going back to square one when common sense dictates that the outcome of today's meeting should be a conclusion on which idea we wish to pursue. I didn't want to sound too school-marmy by telling others what to do, and therefore thought it was best for the other stronger characters to hint it out but in the end, they too weren't sure themselves.

So here's what I have to make peace with - the tedious task of doing something completely not worth our time, and most importantly, something we have already DONE for the submission last Friday. All because I was backward in coming forward.

Sigh Munny dear, just never learn.

One Sweet Day

2007-10-27T23:37:00.001+01:00

Listening to: Pour Some Sugar On Me (Def Leppard)

Me and the birthday girl

Went out with some pharm mates last evening to Chiquitto's for Darsh's 21st bday do. Good night out it was, made complete by a sweet revelation :)

Just want to say congratulations to the new love birds and hopefully someone will circulate the pictures around v soon...

It was a sweet surprise indeed. Lily said I reacted like an overjoyed mother (haha). Nah, I'm just very happy, both for the 2 of them, and the fact that I picked up the right vibe, some point in time!

My Dream Team

2007-10-26T14:07:00.002+01:00

Say What You Want (Texas)

"You can say what you want but it wont change my mind"

Laminated list.

Have you one of your own?

This topic (made popular by Friends) cropped up several times during offhand conversations with my girly pals, and upon reflection, I realised I've always given different answers each time I've been asked. Tsk tsk, how typical :) The thought of making it official is hence the reason for this post. Except I wouldn't call it the laminated list, seeing how I don't quite agree with some technicalities of the definition...Anyway, I'll just name it the Dream Team. People who make me dream my life away (and hence should be prosecuted by the Time Management Inspectors for seriously damaging Miss Tan's productivity =P...)

Oh Adeline, just cut the crap.

In no particular order, they are:

Michael Vartan

I mean, seriously, what was Jennifer Garner thinking when she dumped him for Ben Affleck?

Ethan Hawke

He comes, he sees, he conquers...my knees!

Matthew Metzger It wasn't just his choice of song ("When I See You Smile") at the American Idol (season 3) audition that had me. It was his personal goal in life - "To someday be the best husband and father the world has ever seen" - that swept me off my feet.

Aww, isn't this is sooooo Adeline???

David Robert Joseph Beckham

He needs no introduction, nor pictorial justification.

But here's how sweet a couple we would make if I know how to super-impose my face onto Posh's one...

Jose Mourinho

Yes, okay, I know. I'm an Arsenal fan, I'm not supposed to be looking at Chelsea players. But that doesn't include the (ex-)manager, does it?

Dermot Mulroney

Like how wine tastes better with time, Dermot looks finer with time...

Alex Yoong I defy any hot-blooded female not to be moved by this heart-stopping picture...phoawar!

Shia LaBeouf

Please Shia, drive me home in Bumblebee, every night!

Sean Penn

You wouldn't have understood it even if you tried, so don't bother ;)

Fredrik Ljungberg

Erm, yeah. The man, is, erm ________

*pls insert the highest superlative you can think of for I have been rendered speechless*

Pierce Brosnan The dream team is NEVER complete without an Irish Charmer!

All pictures are sourced from www.google.com

Alright alright, I know some of you are gonna argue that it's double the number of what is "allowed" on the laminated list, but hey, that's the beauty of the Dream Team you see. No restrictions, no bumping off the list, no order or ranking... :)

OK FINE. I'm fickle. I'm indecisive. Happy?

Namesake

2007-10-21T22:17:00.001+01:00

I supposed you can call it a strange habit. Or just plain weirdness. That I tend to look out for my name as the credits roll at the end of a movie...

So, someone shares my name. Big deal huh?

Oh yes, especially if you're not Jessica, or Emily, or Sarah.

I guess I just like the coincidental, light-headed thrill of chancing something uncanny :)

Time and time again, I've been on the lookout for another Adeline, but I haven't been close. The nearest hit was probably Adele, of which there were a few.

This evening I watched "And I Hate You So" on Veoh.com, a HK rom-com that has been around for ages (I'm sure). I don't get to watch as many Chinese movies as I do Hollywood ones, so naturally, I didn't pass up the opportunity of viewing one when it's totally on the house. =P

Cheesy, predictable, but entertaining is what I thought of the movie. Not your average "boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl have conflict, boy and girl end up happily ever after" romantic comedy. Something a little different.

And there. Just when I wasn't expecting any familiar names, I saw 诗敏.

Hmm, I should have bought lottery today...I reckon I'd strike big :)

7 Days

2007-10-20T16:18:00.000+01:00

In the last 7 days...

I bade Theresa goodbye. She left for China to do a short course on Traditional Medicine and I wish her all the best.

In the last 7 days...

I experienced real muhibah-ness when I joined in Raya celebrations at a Malay friend's house. Was swept away by the kuih batik he made. Damn, I can't even bake anything and I'm a girl...pah!

In the last 7 days...

I attended a birthday do for 2 of my coursemates and had a marvellous time eating yummy Mexican food, acting silly and discussing about cute guys in MPharm IV (namely 'loceng', 'Kaya BaikMenang' and the new kid on the block...shoot(!), what's his name?)

In the last 7 days...

I experienced a choking feeling as deadlines got the better of me.

In the last 7 days...

I was drawn away from my comfort zone time and time again and I don't like that.

In the last 7 days...

I wished I could punch her bulldog face and tell her to take her rotten who-do-you-think-you-are attitude away with her but I'm glad I didn't. Haha, I could actually sabar...not bad not bad :)

In the last 7 days...

I slept for less than 6 hours on 3 occasions and I snoozed my alarm clock 3 times the following morning. How I still reached class on time is a wonder.

In the last 7 days...

I became someone I wasn't. Maybe in my dreams I was that, but in real life I know I am not.

I 'defended' a 'criminal' 'in court' and was later told I gave a moving closing speech. The truth is that I was only putting up an act. Literally.

In the last 7 days...

I kept thinking about this which have no answer.

You said it right Des'ree. Very right.

Listening to: Life (Des'ree)

Thankful thought of the day: That I'm Alive. And Kicking!

www.davidbeckham.com

2007-10-13T20:05:00.001+01:00

I am serious. No joke. He really has an official website!

I googled Becks a while ago for an upcoming post (hehe) and found myself at his website, reading his blog!

Well, nothing fancy. Just short and sweet messages for kei po chis like me :)

Here's one of the latest posts...

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for not updating my blog over the past week or so, but as I’m sure you understand, with my dad being taken ill the only thing on my mind was to get to him as quickly as possible.

Thank you so much to all of you who sent messages of support, flowers and cards to the hospital. They were greatly appreciated. Along with my dad and my family, I would also like to thank the doctors, nurses and ambulance staff who were amazing in their care of him. I’m back in the States now and will be continuing my treatment on the injury.

That’s all for now - I’ll update you again soon.

Thanks

David

Oi Becks, what about pharmacists?

When I read that Beckham senior had been admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital following a heart attack, I wished I had applied there for a training place. Who knows maybe in the future I'd come into contact with Beckham senior himself, advising him on his medicines? And in return for my excellent patient care, he'd introduce me to his son and and and...

Okay, time's up. Enough day-dreaming for the day. o.O

Happy Raya

2007-10-12T14:27:00.001+01:00

Was told by my classmates that the Muslim community here celebrate Raya today (whereas it's tomorrow for those back home), anyway, regardless of dates, here's me wishing all Muslims Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, or Happy Eid-Ul-Fitr!

Looking forward to open houses and yummy food ;)

Stye

2007-10-11T17:48:00.002+01:00

I have a stye in my eye
And all I can do is sigh...
I'd very much like to bid it goodbye
I hope the time is nigh!

Woke up this morning and my left eye felt gritty. There's this uncomfortable feeling everytime I blink. Went to the mirror to have a look and saw a tiny red bump on the eyelid.

Having learned about styes in my first year, I didn't feel so panicky at the sight of one. For those not in the know, it's essentially an infection at the base of the eyelids. Nothing damaging, as it's all external, but the accompanying tenderness and pain is definitely not welcomed either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Stye02.jpg

Styes are self-limiting, fortunately or unfortunately. It'll go away on its own without medication.

I sure hope it'll disappear entirely by tomorrow evening as I'm out for dinner with some friends, and am very likely to have my beautiful face captured on cameras...hmm, maybe I'll just stand rightttttttt at the back so that no one can see my "weird" eye... :(

Trial Run

2007-10-08T20:19:00.002+01:00

I went to the courts today. Cardiff Crown Court. For a trial.

Ooohh...

Witnessing lah, not trying! Choi choi choi.

It's all for our Expert Witness assignment. My friends and I figured that since we are so pathetically clueless about the judiciary system here, it'd be good to go and sit in on some trials, since the Crown Court is a stone's throw away from Redwood. And it's free. :)

The first trial we witnessed was so anti-climax. The guy pleaded guilty barely 5 seconds into the whole hearing and the next thing we know, we were out of the courtroom. That quick.

But that wasn't what we're here for, I exclaimed! We wanted to see lawyers cross-examine witnesses and present their case so that we know what to replicate in 10 days time. In front of the whole class.

Completely unsatisfied, I told Jinal I was staying put. I'm not leaving until I saw another trial. 2 of other friends had commitments so they left. We went back to the drawing board and checked out the other trials that were in progress. The next available trial was in court 5, and so we went.

This time around, it was a series of preliminary hearings, which is a bit like appointment-booking if you ask me. Basically, the prosecutors gave a background to the case and asked the judge for x amount of time to service the paperwork before proceeding with the case. The judge then looked at the present schedule and fixed a later date to resume the trial.

Full stop. All rise.

What???

Nooooooooo, that again was not what I woke up early for! (We agreed to go at 10am).

This time, Jinal wasn't staying. She had a group meeting back at Redwood at 12pm and she left.

Still unsatisfied, I stayed back at Court 5 antiticipating more action.

I want to see fights! I want to see heated arguments! I want to be wow-ed!

True to form, the next hearing was indeed a trial. 3 guys were tried for assaulting someone... or er, something like that. The jury were called in and they each took their oaths.

I rubbed my hands with glee.

The prosecutor stood up.

"Your honour, I am Ms X, prosecutor for this case and may I introduce my learned friends, Mr Z, Mr Q and Mr R who are representing the defendants."

...
...
...

She said some technical stuff I couldn't remember, and then my worse fears were confirmed.

"The witnesses were originally told not to attend the trial until tommorow. I'm afraid there won't be any provision of statements from the them today and would therefore like to ask Your Honour for this case to be postponed till tomorrow."

*&%#!!!!!

But I have a class tomorrow at 10am! And I'm booked up for the whole week! I won't have time to poke my nose in the Crown Court till next week, which will be too late for my assignment!

Sigh, my whole morning was wasted. If I had seen some cute lawyers then I wouldn't feel so bad, but this? Totally unacceptable.

And later on when I recounted the incident to my friends, I said our 'outing' was a bit like trial and error. We just have to try enough times to get the right case!

Yes yes, I like puns ;)

Humpty Dumpty? There's one right here...

2007-10-07T12:45:00.001+01:00

I last heard: Melodi (Sheila Majid & Lin Yu Zhong)

I am reading: The Expert Witness (R H Mildred), The Expert Witness In Court: A Practical Guide (C. Bond)

I am thankful for: the herbs mama dearest packed for me last month...so that I could reconstruct her "Luk Mei" soup 6600 miles away from home...although it's nothing like the real McCoy!

Whenever nosy people asked about my middle name, I'd almost always say gorgeous, or stunning or some other similar superlatives, but the truth is, it's klutz. That is my (unspoken) middle name.

I can't begin to describe how clumsy I am. I can walk with most confident stride you'd ever see and the next thing you know, I'd be bumping my feet against the edge of the rubbish bin as I take a swerve away from it. Ask my sister, she'll tell you.

Just this week, I've had 5 clumsy moments.

First, I jammed my index finger between the shower door and the hinge (if there's such a word). How the hell I managed that is beyond comprehension.

Then when I was working in Aberdare Hall's kitchen, I dropped the huge plastic dish-washer rack onto my feet. Imagine the ouch.

On the same day, I accidentally brushed my fingers against the metal food container before I put on my gloves to take it out from the dish-washer. OOoohhh.

I hadn't even recovered from all that and I injured myself again. This time, I bumped my head against the kitchen sink as I got up from picking some residue on the floor.

5 minutes ago when I was in the shower, I noticed a blue-black patch right below my knee.

You know what? Don't ask.

Just don't.

Don't You Read The Papers?!

2007-10-06T23:02:00.001+01:00

I went to the library to do some research at 4ish this afternoon. On a Saturday. All for that expert witness thingy. Hmph!

As I walked down King Edward VI Avenue past Redwood to Bute, I saw rows and rows of buses parked on the streets. Ah, must be a match going on at the Millennium Stadium down town, I thought.

A few bus drivers were standing around, chatting among themselves to kill time as they waited for the passengers to come back up after the match. Which won't be till another 2 hours or so.

One of them saw me walking past, and out of boredom (I guess), he greeted me.

"You alright love?"

Ah, my favourite term of endearment.

"Yeah not too bad."

I decided to be friendlier.

"A match going on is it?"

He gave me a scary look. Like he was going to kill me. Oops, what did I say?

"Don't you read the papers love?" He bellowed, and the rest followed.

"Well, yeah but..." Actually, it's no.

He cut me short. "It's rugby my love. New Zealand vs France!!! Rugby World Cup!!!"

Oh...I see.

What? It's the world cup again? So soon?

Where has the last 4 years gone?

Searching My Soul, Tonight

2007-10-02T22:51:00.000+01:00

So, I am now officially back in uni.

Completing my final year.

Ya-hoo!

Well, not exactly.

First day back and I'm petrified. The introductory lectures really did the trick the proprietors wanted them to. They've successfully reduced me to a bunch of fray nerves.

Presentations. Group work. Group project. Individual presentations. Class test. Exams.

Break?

None.

Our major major (have I said major?) assignment this term will be VPL. Actually, it's not called VPL, but we are essentially doing a project for VPL - Venture Pharmacy Limited - a venture capital company set up by lecturers to fund bright, feasible projects.

Hypothetical, obviously. There's no such company, but we have to pretend as if it's real.

Our task? Form a biotechnology company to research a drug for a given disease.

Each group consists of 8/9 students, 2 representatives from each of the research group ranging from chemistry, drug delivery, pharmacology and health and medicine. In lay men terms, there'll be 2 chemists, 2 drug formulation-ist, 2 pharmacologists and 2 clinical staff in the biotech company, and it's designed this way so that we each bring our respective expertise into the team to work this thing out.

My group? We're looking at developing new Hepatitis C treatment.

How?

NO CLUE.

Next up, it's this thing called Expert Witness. As pharmacists, there will be instances where we will be asked to go to court to provide, as the phrase suggests, expert opinion to help with criminal or civil cases involving the use and misuse of drugs. To prepare us for the REAL WORLD, they've designed an assignment in which we have 2 weeks to research and prepare for a 15 min presentation, which is supposed to mimic the adversarial situation, ie like how it is in court - complete with judges, jury, prosecutors, plaintiffs / defence.

How?

NO IDEA.

Just this evening, I bumped into a long-time-no-see friend at the hall. She came to visit a coursemate and knocked on my door on her way down. We got chatting for a bit and being a law graduate, I sought her opinion.

"You want to know about the judiciary system and law stuff ar?"

I nodded my head with so much vigour it almost broke my neck.

"Haha, er, I guess you can watch Ally McBeal?"

It doesn't take a genius to figure that she was actually kidding, but I took her words seriously anyway. Anything that would help me get a better idea of the LAW.

So I did. I watched Ally McBeal. Right from the start. The pilot of Season 1. Courtesy of a very generous veoh.com member. And I'm hooked.

It's all Lu Yee's fault!!! :)

But hey, don't roll your eyes at me...

As Ms McBeal herself said...

"I am admitting a difficulty. It will get easier in time."

How much time do you think?