Journal de moments mémorables

Nightmares

2011-07-15T17:50:00.000+08:00

I wonder what it takes for me to rewrite history, undo wrongdoings and just have things back to normal again. I yearn for your touch, your scent, your smile just to wake up to find that I have the bed all to myself.

I wished I could erase some scenes and memories. The disappointment in your eyes, the silence you fed me when I was helpless and dying for some words of comfort, the sound of your engine leaving my garage.

I miss the sight of your clothes strewn all over my room, the way you carry me when I'm drunk, your laugh, your wink. I would give everything to fix this disarray I caused just to get your nod of approval again. But is my realisation too late?!?!?

2011-05-29T21:36:00.001+08:00

A 15 year old girl holds hands with her 1 year old son. People call her a slut. No one knows she was raped at 13. People call a girl fat. No one knows she has a serious disease which causes her to be over weight. People call an old man ugly. No one knows he had a serious injury to his face while fighting for our country in the war.

Re post this if you are against bullying and stereotyping.

Graduation

2010-12-09T01:01:00.000+08:00

I was told that parents are happiest during two occasions; their children's graduation and their children's wedding. Not sure how much of that is true but I'm just glad that I'm a graduate although I have to say Imperial freaking robbed me of my university life.

Most of my friends had measly 13 hours a week or something whilst I was busy trying to read & compile the three timetables given to me. Doing a science degree is a BIG NO NO! That itself is an understatement. If all you want is just that qualification on a piece of paper certifying you then let me tell you that there is a bucket load of other easier or more carefree and easygoing degrees to choose from. How I wished someone at least told me that...All I heard about uni life was how fun it is, how much free time you have, boy, how wrong I was!

But at the end of the day, despite all the slavery I sought to and hard work I put in, I'm just glad uni life is over (or should I say Imperial life?). Imperial should really advertise this on their website:

-first year chemists have to submit their lab reports every Friday by 12am

-second year chemists have lectures then labs from 9am-5pm straight

The 12am thing, I never got. Like why would you ruin my Friday nights and make me hand in an awfully and badly composed lab report when you could have received more quality if only you gave me till Sunday 12am? I tend to think the lecturers in Imperial have nothing to do with their weekend & would prefer marking our lab reports to fill in their empty time.

The 9-5 with no lunch break. Isn't there any 'student rights' law which says it's mandatory to give your students at least an hour of eating time or break time? After all it's a proven fact that students who work with enough break time are more productive and learn faster than students with insufficient break time. Hmph!!!

Oh well, what doesn't kill you make you stronger and stronger I became (: Or that is what I would like to believe. Do remind me to send Imperial my medical fees cause I'm convinced I have gastric pains ever since my second year in Imperial began!

SO, if anyone is even thinking of joining the Imperial family, you & I can have a lengthy talk and I'm sure you wanna think twice about such a huge commitment. But like everything in life, all has its own pros & cons. My only advice is to be wise with all decisions, it often deserves more time than we think it does.

To all my Australian friends graduating in 2 weeks, give yourself a pat on the back! I wish I could attend your ceremonies but rest assured I'll be there spiritually. Here is a big, hearty welcome to the next stage of your life --------------> the working world

xoxo

Palindrome

2010-12-01T22:14:00.000+08:00

Finland & Estonia

2010-12-01T02:32:00.000+08:00

Annual bear campaign which travels the world. Each bear is painted by a country depicting it's own culture. This year this campaign which promotes world peace was held in Helsinki.

Parliament

Thai bear

Cuban bear with a cigar. Very disappointed there was no bear by Malaysia ):

Remains of a wall during the wartime

Pretty, colourful flowers (:

Estonian traditional food and lady

Nice view, sunny day but still cold!

If you're not a fish person, you better not step foot there. Although the tiny fried fishes are very tasty, at one point it will be sickening esp when you realise they do not even serve mushroom soup; only fish soup everywhere!

Best time of the year to visit: July-Sept

Fun facts:

1 Skype was invented in Estonia.

2 Almost 100% of Estonia has wireless internet which includes public places like the park.

3 Finland is the happiest country to live in with of course the happiest people in the world. (Gonna think about moving there now...)

Quote of the month

2010-11-22T19:49:00.001+08:00

"Apologising doesn’t mean there isn’t guilt and forgiving doesn’t mean the pain is gone"

Child labour in India

2010-11-21T17:32:00.001+08:00

A child carries unbaked bricks to a kiln at a brick factory in Raichak, India.

Seven-year-old Salaj Mohammed Kasim weeps during a police raid on a Mumbai (Bombay) embroidery workshop.

An Indian woman holds the hand of her eight-year-old daughter after she hammered her finger last year while breaking rocks on the banks of a river in Siliguri, India.

Indian boys look out a window during a police raid in Mumbai.

All of you reading this are fortunate enough to grow up in a nice, cosy environment filled with love. Most of the children in the world aren't even given the opportunity to have a glimpse of a normal household. This cycle of child labour would not stop if we, being the capable ones do not lend a helping hand to end this disgraceful act. Even if it's just a simple gesture like buying Fairtrade products, it would still contribute to this campaign. I urge you all to spread this meaningful message to raise awareness for children all over the world. Thank you!

An overdue apology

2010-11-19T02:01:00.000+08:00

No words would justify my actions, no love would bring me back, no hatred would make me forget you, no pain would undo my mess.

I'm sorry for the endless mistakes I made esp to the ppl I put so much faith & trust in who ended up tattered. I won't even dream of asking you to forget the past; am merely seeking your forgiveness and that you let time work it's magic.

I've given up making false promises in hopes of making you happy only to realise these promises will kill you further along the way. I could no longer make you believe my stupid lies and figured it's best to make you cry now then prolong the pain.

If only you heard the insanity in your voice, you would agree that I've done the right thing. I shouldn't have shown you the world and snatched it right out of your grasp in lightning speed. I do take full responsibility in everything that has happened so feel free to pile all the blame on me. I'll rather bear the burden on my shoulders than let you have more weight on your back.

I think it's time for me to grow. To take this world full on by myself and see what life has to offer. Call me selfish/the meanest word invented and I won't even hold the tinniest grudge against you.

I believe in you, the strong person you are when we first met. That you'll be able fix all problems, to mould yourself into a stronger person for some lucky girl out there waiting to be found.

I only want the best for you in life and pray that there are no more short comings in your life. May you be blessed with health, happiness, wealth, beauty, intelligence and most importantly a good and kind heart.

I'll be here if you ever need me. I'm merely giving you what I owe you most right now; time and space.

God bless!

Simon Cowell laughing!

2010-09-07T04:46:00.000+08:00

Contentment

2010-09-06T03:33:00.000+08:00

I've been very confused with life lately. Or more like have been making some important decisions which will affect my life and some are still "left behind" cause my brain simply cannot process anymore information.

From young, we were advised to strive for the best; to play tennis like Anna Kournikova, walk like Gisele Bundchen, sing like Christina Aguilera... So what is the best? How do you define best? Cause my best could differ from your best which differs from his & her best. Has it ever crossed your mind that no one can be the best at anything all the time? One could only be the best for some time. Cause at some point someone will overtake you. Going up the ladder must be fun but when you're at the top, it'll be a hard fall downwards.

So when is enough enough? Being content is on route to happiness so is it a sin to crave for a handbag or a nice ride or to dine in Michelin stars restaurants? If it's a sin does that mean we'll never improve since we're not trying harder? Or is it only human to want something we don't have?

How do we decide that we're content? Or that you could do better? Or you deserve more than you receive?

SIGH! Maybe I'm over thinking cause I'm mentally exhausted but my body refuses to sleep. Story of my life...

Sexy Singapore

2010-09-06T01:23:00.000+08:00

I finally revisited Singapore after seven long years. Going back to the same country even though it's a different city is NOT acceptable to me and what more Singapore when it's teeny weeny? Maybe China could be an exception but definitely not Singapore. Like come on, there's 148 countries in this world, I'll much rather go to some far away or perhaps an exotic place than return to the same country.

But I'll definitely give credit to Singapore because this small island is not recognizable at all. A bit shocked though I didn't expect much less from Sg. As usual I played the tourist and visited the zoo, bird park, science centre, casino, Universal Studio; not to forget the drinking at Clarke Quay & shopping at Orchard Road. (:

A show at the night safari

Indian temple

Big red Chinese temple

E trying to be funny

The very beautiful swimming pool in the shape of a ship on the top of 3 buildings *engineering marvel*

Casino - ground floor

Universal Studio

To me, Universal Studio is way over rated. Well I'm a little biased cause I do not go on roller coasters; heights and speed are a bad combination. Also, I was told tickets are often sold out and that I should book my tickets online which I very well did. And guess what?!? I woke up and it was RAINING! Since I wasn't allowed to cancel the bookings which was really unfair, the one hour walk costed me SGD70. I wouldn't recommend anyone to go cause it's very small compared to Disneyland & they have that silly non-refundable policy. Not impressed!

Looks like Sg is not such an efficient country after all :S

Pink briefcase

2010-09-01T18:17:00.000+08:00

Isn't this just so cute?!?

If I owned one of this I would already know how to fix everything in the house by now. But it's not mine so that explains! It looks like a good investment since the tools look useful & pretty and surely one day it will come in handy.

Anyway, tmr is the last day of Hungry Ghost Festival. It's a traditional Chinese occasion where joss sticks, incense and food are offered to the deceased. Hence, I'm going back to my hometown in Malacca later today for 2 days to pay my respect.

P/S: I hope everyone enjoyed the Merdeka celebrations ytd. Well who wouldn't? ~~Any reason for a public holiday!~~ Our country is still progressing so well at 53 esp with the recent announcement of KLIA 2.

The one Malaysia theme (Malay-Indian-Chinese)

I am obviously one proud Malaysian

Mom's big 5-0

2010-08-31T23:28:00.000+08:00

Last month, my dearest mom turned 50. Hence, my sis & I decided to throw her a small celebration at the Mandarin Grill in Mandarin Oriental Hotel next to KLCC. Mandarin Grill is very famous for their exquisite food and sure enough they lived up to their reviews. Wine was good, service was excellent and if you get a side table (through advance booking), you'll get a glimpse of the city as well.

An assortment of bread

A tasting plate for appetizer

Lamb chop

Burger

Lobster

Their signature grill meat

NB: All portions are generally very small except for the grill meats where there is a minimum weight you have to order.

My smart sis also arranged for a saxophonist from the hotel to come when we brought the surprise cake to my mom. Staff are very very helpful, they helped us hide the presents and cake when we got there and almost everything went as planned.

Carrot cake with macarons

E & I bought the cake from Whisk. It is the most delicious carrot cake I've ever tasted in my life. It has minimal sugar and is a healthier option especially after a very heavy meal. But need not worry sugar lovers cause Whisk serves red velvet cakes and cupcakes as well. Whisk is a family business in Empire Shopping Centre and I would recommend everybody to pay them a visit.

Anyway, after the cake and the bottles of red wines and the recall of childhood stories we of course had to snap photos of this happy moment so here goes:

xoxo

Bits of Egypt

2010-08-29T22:15:00.000+08:00

First of all, let me apologize for my absence. It had been a very hectic past two months. From unpacking everything back into my room in KL to helping out a friend's wedding to annual check ups to birthdays to catching up with friends; now I finally have a little room to breathe as things had cooled down a little. I will try to make it a point to blog more often especially since now I'm neither a student nor an employee so I don't really know what category I am under. :S But for now, let me enjoy my sleep ins till 4 or 5 pm and it's so wonderful to have all my belongings under one roof again.

Anyway, my last trip before returning home was EGYPT (: I'm so glad that I've finally conquered the Africa continent though of course Egypt is nothing close to the poverty in South Africa. I was in the capital, Cairo for a week which was a huge mistake cause 7 days is way too long for just Cairo and 7 days is way too short to travel down south to Lukshar where there are many interesting sites. I think 5 days in Cairo is more than sufficient if anyone is planning a trip there.

To do in Egypt:

1 Visit the papyrus museum

The papyrus leaf

We went to the papyrus museum cause apparently it was invented by an Egpytian. But there's a huge controversy cause the Chinese are saying they invented paper from papyrus leaves first so who knows?!?

Drawings on real papyrus paper

You can buy a drawing from the museum like me if you want and get conned. If not head to the local bazaar and you can get it for perhaps one tenth of the price offered in the museum. It's everywhere but don't be fooled into buying drawings on banana leaves instead!

2 Hire a camel & a tour guide

Camels are much taller than horses which I never knew about. On TV, they look pretty stout to me but if you're afraid of heights you better get a horse or even better a horse drawn carriage which provides a lil shade. But if you want the full on experience get a camel (:

3 Pay tribute to the Great Pyramid in Giza

It's situated in the biggest desert in the world so you really wanna bring shades, hats/caps, sun block, WATER, camera to capture the heat and perhaps wear proper shoes. I wore sandals and the sand was burning hot so it's not advisable.

4 Go to Coptic Cairo

It's a little Christian city which has many churches and gardens and of course cemeteries.

6 Climb the little pyramid

E & P climbing the little pyramid

Since I'm a law abiding citizen (we're not allowed to touch the stones what more climb?), I decided to sit in the shade and replenish my body cells with water. E & P climbed a few steps just to snap a photo but I decided it's ok to snap a photo at the foot of the pyramid as well. :P

7 Sleep in a real tomb

That is a REAL firaun's tomb P was lying in. She is absolutely mad. All treasures are obviously gone now, it's just an empty rectangular box.

8 Go to Islamic Cairo

It's filled with mosques and museums. There's also a stunning view at the top cause it's on a hill and it overlooks Cairo.

9 Visit the king's and queen's tombs

Be prepared to "hike" if you want to visit all the tombs.

Tips:

- the weather was freaking 48 degrees when I was there so be PREPARED. Don't get dehydrated or you'll end up with a fever.

- be careful of where you eat or you'll end up with a diarrhea like me

- girls need to wrap up even though it's so hot cause every guy will just stare at you. Women in Egypt are mostly Muslim and they're covered head to toe so you can understand why.

- you MUST negotiate with cab drivers cause EVERYONE will try to con you in Egypt, even the security guards in front of our hotel!!!

- I won't recommend anyone to be out ALL day cause you'll most likely get a heat stroke. Get up early and visit sites, you should be in the hotel swimming everyday to cool your body down

Anyway, I read in the papers that Egypt is closing entries to the Great Pyramid from October onwards to reduce vandalism and for repair works. If they get visitors like E & P who tried to scale the pyramids, touch the tombs & carvings no wonder they need to close it for restoration.

If you want any more details you can email me (: Hope everyone's summer is going just the way they want it to!

Lotsa love from KL xoxo

My superman

2010-06-20T09:34:00.000+08:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

For those of you who didn't know it's father's day today, big shame on you & I suggest you call your dad up right now to present him a long speech. I haven't been around to celebrate this day with my dad or granddad ever since I've been sent off to London to study but I've never forgotten to wish my dad.

It's easy to be carried away by the hectic timetables we all have, the tasks waiting to be done, the people waiting for meetings and jobs to be delegated and so on. But having no time is the lamest yet the most used excuse.

My dad is a very important figure in my life. He provides everything for us from shelter to education to maids to scrumptious food to those to-die-for bags and basically anything we could ask for. Since I'm the youngest at home, I'm obviously most 'manja-ed'. He's the one I run to when 'talks' with my mom goes sour. He's the one I tend to when my bank account dried up. He's the one I call when there's any problem cause he solves it faster than my mom. :S

He has been there for me through stormy weathers and sunny days, never stopped loving me no matter what mistakes I made. I always remember two of my favourite quotes from him:

"If you don't know how to spend money, you'll never know how to earn it"

and

"If a problem can be solved with money, then it's not a problem at all".

Obviously moms being the way they naturally are, my mom wasn't too happy with those statements.

Oh and don't you worry, I've done a lot for my dad too. For example, my dad is a huge foooooood lover. He drives for hours to try any dish which she said or he said or his friend said is delicious. And being the good daughter I am, I always ~~voluntarily~~ tag along and stuff my face even though my stomach is already about to explode.

AND he's always craving for dessert. After a heavy heavy meal, he'll be like "Oh, who's up for ice cream?" And when no one's keen on it, he'll put on this sad, miserable face. Then he walks to the ice cream shop and just stares at the ice creams, hovering there until someone comes to his aid. And voila, few minutes later, he and I will be eating ice cream or perhaps even a banana boat. :S (Ever wondered why I'm the size I am? I have my dad to thank.)

Anyway, I'm thankful to God that I have been awarded with such a protective, loving, patient, ~~hot-tempered~~ and understanding dad. I wish I could spend this day with him but I know he knows where my heart lies. Our undying love for each other goes a long way back - though probably only after my unfaithful teenage years.

Us in Tokyo Disneyland

During the 07/08 countdown

Happy father's day daddy. Will make it up to you soon enough <3

London musicals' reviews

2010-06-18T10:52:00.000+08:00

One of London's must do is to watch a musical. Every musical gives you a different experience and could make you love it or loathe it so be sure to choose music that you like or a producer that you fancy. I really enjoy musicals probably due to it being a live entertainment, how professional they look and perhaps give you a hint of what goes on behind closed doors when filming a Hollywood movie.

Here are my reviews of the musicals I've been to:

Dirty dancing (6.5/10)

Actually went for it twice; E tried to surprise me in our first month of dating but obviously failed. Some parts of the musical is a bit slow for me, too much talking, too little action going on.

Oliver (8/10)

To be honest, I fell asleep mid way. Not because it was that bad but I didn't sleep at all the night before for some reasons I cannot remember. (Things I sacrifice for my degree) *shakes head* But I remember the music was quite lively with cute little kids running about. OMG they are seriously cute, would have adopted one of them if I could afford it and if I knew how to look after a child. I probably rated it higher as well because it's harder to train kids to act in front of a huge crowd though it's not really related but it is to me! :D The adult actors cracked a few jokes here and there.

Wicked (3.5/10)

I don't think it's worth watching at all though I was sick when I went for it. LOL. Aren't I quite on the unlucky side? But there's this girl dressed in green from head to toe and she screams at piercing voices most of the time & out of the blue. I find her quite annoying and unrealistic. Like if kids watch this they might think she's an alien or get the wrong idea about humans or something. Right? Kids these days are so imaginative. Heh.

Love never dies (5/10)

Almost everyone I spoke to loved this but I kinda dislike opera singing so hence a 5. Though their voices go really high or wtv but I'm not into this kinda music/sounds. Besides, although it's a sequel to Phantom of the Opera, the plots are completely different. This one was a little boring and very predictable. And I hate any movies/stories I can predict spot on cause then I'm not in the suspense which means you didn't catch my attention which equals boring.

Jersey boys (7.5/10)

It's quite entertaining maybe because I'm a bit of an Abba fan & they sang a few of their songs which I liked :D It could be a little slow at some scenes as well and only contains 4 main actors so could come across as boring to some. But their singing made up for it, to me anyway.

Hairspray (10/10)

It's one of my favourite. Full of vibrant colours and cheerful people. I loved almost every single song in this musical. It's almost a replica of the movie so if you liked the movie, you're definitely gonna like this 10 times more. Some audiences were so into it, they started jumping and waving their hands as well. It could definitely cheer you up on a bad day.

Mamma mia (9/10)

Music is rather cheerful here as well. Brings you back in time. It's probably the musical I laughed the most. Only musical I've been to where at the end, everyone was at their feet dancing and singing along.

Les Misérables (10/10)

All scenes are very entertaining. A lot of suspense are created. It's the longest musical in London. (3 hours I think) Words can't describe this musical, you just HAVE to watch it.

Rat pack (6/10)

There are only 3 main singers and 3 female dancers through out. They smoke and drink on stage, very 'cool' esp since smoking is banned indoors in the UK and man, what a job. These actors are probably doing three of their utmost favourites simultaneously: sing, smoke, drink. Some songs are rather nice. BUT, this musical is gone. The theatre is being used as a venue for Love Never Dies now.

The woman in black (5/10)

Some parts are indeed a bit scary. Do not sit at the lower deck if you're afraid. Wouldn't reveal why or I'll spoil it for those who are interested in watching it but if it bothers you till you can't sleep late at night then you can ask me :P Some scenes are a bit boring. A bit too much talking for me but it's a play not a musical so what did I expect anyway? I am too hard to satisfy I tell you!

I wish I could watch more musicals but tickets are quite expensive & I have done my time here. The best available tickets are priced at £60 for most. The cheapest range could start from £20 I think. You can buy them online or in the theatre itself but either way you are able to choose your seats. You have to pay some surcharges online though but saves you the hassle of traveling there itself. You can even purchase tickets from some stores in Trafalgar Square for convenience sake but I've never tried that cause it looks dodgy. :S

Tip: If you book it way in advance, you could even be sitting right in front.

Anyway, hope you found this helpful. (:

Enjoy your next musical!

Hollywoods reunion

2010-06-17T08:12:00.000+08:00

NO, I don't think we're blondes or brunettes trying hard to be a bimbo. Neither are we born Americans or anything to do with celebrities or the strong paparazzi/media influence in this generation.

It's a Hollywoods reunion because although Payal, Yoyo & I went to the same college, we only bonded because we were living with the same host family. We lived in an adjourned house with our "guardians" at 12 Hollywoods, Courtwood Lane. So there you have it. Gosh, I can still recall those 12 am curfews and how we all rushed to get a cab and forced the driver to speed all the way home. Those were our underage days.

Since Yoyo's from China, Payal's from Dubai, and I from Malaysia, it makes meeting up that much more difficult. To have our last reunion, poor Yoyo had to travel to London all the way from Manchester. *pat pat*

So naturally, to live up our college days, we went clubbing. Payal usually compromises with us to have Chinese cuisine so we reluctantly agreed to go to an Indian nightclub called Maya at Soho. The club is quite bad so I have no idea why the queue was so long and creeping so slowly, music was very bad, bars were jam packed & dance floor was teeny weeny. Even after renovation, the deco was still horrible-even I could do a better job at decorating.

Anyway, here are some pics of the night:

Happy to finally be INSIDE

Getting comfy on the couch

Second shot of the night

Camwhoring

Vodka & orange juice

Unknowingly last dance

Getting some fresh air

Right before re-entry

Notice how sober we were at the beginning and how the events unfolded into shaky legs, loud talking, hands up in the air etc. Little did I know that the third last picture was gonna be my last dance because...

We decided to get some fresh air and sober up a lil before finishing our bottle of Vodka. As we were re-entering the club, we had to descent this flight of stairs. I was being so careful, holding onto the railings, going step by step until at the corner of my eye, a pair of pale chopstick legs flew pass me. I looked right and Yoyo was sprawled on the floor with a pitiful look on her face. And you guessed it, we got kicked out. They nearly didn't permit us to retrieve our coats. Pfft.

The next day, we all woke up with heavy heads and aching bodies. *sign of old age* ): Thus, we spent our day just like any normal person; going to the mall i.e. Westfield, shopping, eating, walking in the park & drinking responsibly at the pub this time.

At the Bull

In the park

I learnt a very valuable lesson that day: Never go to Maya again!!!

Yoyo: Congrats upon your grad and have sensible fun with Masters in Warwick

Payal: Try your utmost best to complete your useless degree & stop going around wasting daddy's hard earned cash

Here is a virtual toast to our friendship!

xoxo

Decisions decisions decisions

2010-06-14T09:19:00.000+08:00

It is indisputable that any decision we make affects and changes our lives in many aspects. Which uni to go to? Which country to work in? Who to date? Dress to impress or not? Should I play the polite & kind card or demanding & wild card? Every decision you make has a risk factor and you shouldn't be weighed down by it.

It's my last week in London and although I've been looking forward to this week for as long as I can remember, it's suddenly a bit overwhelming. With only 4.5 months before I start work, I wanna have a hell of a time and tick off my long to-do list of crazy stuff. I very rarely regret the choices I've made cause what's the point? Regret or not, it's done and over with; just learn from your mistakes. I've learnt that wtv you do, you need to be happy and confident about yourself. That way, you perform better and gain more satisfaction. Everyday is a slow learning process.

To me, nothing is more important than family. Obviously having spent all our lives waking up to the familiar faces and going to sleep with the familiar voices will drive anyone insane. Hence, like a normal family, we do bicker. Especially my sister & I. I think she secretly enjoys annoying me. But at the end of the day, we all sleep on the heated arguments and tend to let bygones be bygones.

I think all families argue because you know that no matter how bad the temper is, how many vases are broken, how loud you shout, we all know that we are bonded to this person for life. And that is when people often take family members for granted. I often say to my girlfriends that you can tell if he will be a good father by looking at their current relationship with their family especially their parents. If he is from a close knitted family, probability is he will be a caring parent and looks after their family well. If not, you might wanna look elsewhere.

Anyway, I've decided that I've been away from home for TOO long and it's time for the four of us to be reunited by living under the same roof. We could finally go on family holidays again with everyone present and yummy lunch/dinner buffets.

Us in Manila

Anyway ask me again next year. I may change my mind after the nightly fights for the Astro remote with my darling sis.

Moving on, Payal and E had been urging me to read. They have left me with more than 10 books to choose from. As most of you know, the only books I read are textbooks or magazines. No, I'm not a nerd but I just cannot sit still and read cause it's just too boring for me.

Thus, I'm thrilled that I finally finished a storybook today. Knowing me, I obviously chose the only pink book available cause a pink cover signifies a chick flick book. I figured it's better to get into the groove of reading first then tackle the hard core ones like The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

A Hollywood Ending by Robin Sisman

This book ain't great but it's ok if you just wanna read to pass time. I'm actually patiently waiting for Sunday to come to hop onto my plane to Egypt. Oh note: ever ever travel for more than 2.5 weeks. I remembered when I was traveling around Spain and Germany for a month and nearing the third week, my sis & I were just in the hotel watching movies. Yeap, what a great way to spend money. But trust me, by the second week, you're already so knackered & worn out from sightseeing, the constant switching of hotels and hotel food. Hence, I'm taking a week break from Malta before heading to Egypt. Smart eh?? :P

Break your heart

2010-06-13T20:07:00.000+08:00

Dear V,

Sorry I haven't been much to you. I had been so busy helping E move out of his place and the movers finally came to take over. Anyway, heart break is a normal occurrence. Every minute, people fall in/out of love. Some even make an effort to stay away from love in fear of heart ache.

The best thing to do right now is just to move on. Stop replaying the relationship from the beginning to the end cause that's not going to help. You'll only be left with nothing but memories. Stop beating yourself over it, you did everything right. I think the distance had finally taken it's toll. Keep yourself occupied, go out and meet friends. You definitely shouldn't lock yourself up at home because of him. He is over. Start doing things for yourself, things you enjoy doing.

Please stop dwelling on the past. Live in the moment and for the future. This is a blessing in disguise. No more waiting on him to be free and no more frustration with talking to 'a wall'. I know easier said that done. Right now you're probably thinking, "Why you? Why is this world so unfair?" Well, when one door closes, another door opens but we often stare at the closed door that we don't notice the open one.

The empty feeling in you, the loss of appetite, the fatigue, the puffy eyes, feeling lonely, hopeless, in despair, upset and worse of all, in denial. Please do get rid of all these negativeness. You may not see the light at the end of the tunnel right now, but there is a light, perhaps a dim one. There's always a solution to a problem. You have to find your way out of the blurriness. I can say a lot of things to you but only you really control your own emotions, thoughts and feelings.

You deserve much more than this honey. Read this, cry your heart out one last time and tomorrow will be a new and brighter day.

A broken heart can still be mended after all.

A big thank you to S for being such a dear to V. I hope you both are studying smart and all the best for the coming exams. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger! In less than a month we'll be reunited again. (:

With love,

Snapshots of Malta

2010-06-10T22:54:00.001+08:00

For those of you who haven't heard of Malta, here's a few useful details at the top of my head:

1 It's a tiny country made out of a few islands in the south of Sicily, in the Mediterranean Sea.

2 It joined the EU in 2004.

3 The capital is Valletta.

4 They have their own Maltese language.

5 It's a Catholic country.

6 Malta's flag.

Anyway, I stayed at Corinthia Resort and Spa, St George's Bay. There's 3 Corinthia Hotels in Malta itself so you better not end up in the wrong place if you're thinking of going.

Front of the hotel

Back of the hotel

One of the five pools

The upper deck pool

The service in this hotel is quite shit to be honest. The suite room we stayed in was very tiny compared to other suites around the world. Service is just horrible, staff members are unfriendly and incompetent though the guys provided much better service than the girls. Breakfast and dinner buffet is very limited and food in all five of the restaurants are only okay, presentation is not bad but limited menu once again.

Room service is not 24/7 like wth, what if I'm hungry past 10.30pm?!? Housekeeping is bad as well, they did not vacuum my room at all throughout the eight days stay. It's so called 5 stars but I'll rate it a 6 out of 10 perhaps due to the value of money not being fulfilled.

To do list in Malta

1 Get a massage, you're by the beach so you obviously want to relax.

(We went twice, the first day was horrible-it was as though the lady was just lotioning me, the second day much better so it depends if you get a good masseuse)

2 Visit Haqar Qim Temples

It's like UK's Stonehenge I would say although this is more interesting. For example, they have sunlight shining though the doors of the temple during sunrise but only on certain days like equinoxes where the day and night time is the same which occurs twice a year.

Taken from the museum

(You can see the ray of light shining through the doors of the temple)

Interior of the temple

Exterior of the temple

3 Hitch a ride on their local bus

Malta's population is rather tiny so cabs are really expensive. It's about a tenner for a 3 mins ride. Solution: hope on the bus. The only catch is that the buses' frequency is every 30 minutes. LOL. I went on it for a day but surrendered after. Oh, the advantage of the bus? You get to hear the current and latest pop music. :D

Maltese stripped yellow & orange bus

4 Take a cruise to Gozo & Comino (up north)

It's quite worthwhile to go on a full day cruise to see the cliffs, coasts, caves, natural bays and rocks which formed over thousand of years. You can even take another boat ride into the caves.

5 Visit the churches and catacombs

Catacombs are underground tombs. You can see the skeletons in open tombs. If you're claustrophobic, I probably won't recommend you going down under as passage ways are tiny and dimly lit.

Churches in Malta are the only churches I've been to where the floors are filled with tombs under it.

The ceiling

6 Visit the Blue Cliffs

7 Go to Mdina & Rabat

Entrance to Mdina (It's like a little enclosed village)

Rabat

8 Dip into the pool or jacuzzi and sunbathe

9 Walk along the promenade

10 Try Maltese food

Their food is heavily influenced by the Italians since they're so close to each other.

Overall, Malta is a beautiful country full of history (it was once under Spanish, French & British ruling) and nature. War ruins are still evident in the city where rubbles could be seen nearly everywhere. The people are quite friendly and helpful which adds more to Corinthia having no excuse for their bad services. It's quite the perfect place in Europe for relaxing and chilling out especially right after your final year.

Oh yeah, ever bought an ice cream at sea?

Boxing up

2010-06-02T05:41:00.000+08:00

I have been moving houses EVERY year since I've came to the UK. So you can imagine my reaction when the guy from Barclays Bank asked me, "What's your house telephone number?" as a security check. Obviously I gave the wrong number cause I didn't bother updating and they barred my cards. Anyway I learnt a very clever trick. The next time I went to unbar my cards, I told them that my new house has no home phone. LOL.

Sorry for the diversion but point is moving house is very troublesome. You need to get used to your new wardrobe, get new furniture especially lamps cause I like a very bright house, apply for a new phone line and internet, TV license etc. In addition, you have to pack all your things from one place, wrap the fragile items with bubble wrap so they don't break and unpack them all in your new place, blah blah blah, you know the drill.

So, I'm very glad that I'm boxing up my belongings for the last time. Although this time is a lil different cause I had to section out all my winter clothing as I no longer need them in KL. My room looks very bare right now. My closet is filled with naked hangers and empty drawers, the floor is no longer littered with my bags and the shoe rack is just nude with only three pairs of shoes.

My boxes good to go

Close to bare closet

Naked hangers

So much more space. On the right of the room used to be a row of bags.

My suitcase of winter clothing for Oxfam

But there's one slight problem. My collection for the shipment was supposed to be this morning and guess what? I overslept. It was like a whole dejavu moment. Not the first time. The last time this guy was coming to fix our kitchen oven and I was waiting all day for him. He was due to come late afternoon but I fell asleep instead. Had to lie to Payal that they called and rescheduled.

On another note, I have a new favourite home cook dish. Korean noodles with egg, tofu, crab stick, kimchi and beef.

Yummy?

It is a bit unhealthy though cause it is still instant noodles. But it's so easy and convenient to cook. Only takes 5 minutes or less (:

Anyway, I have to get going. Need to pack for my Malta trip. Have to leave my house in about five hours. So see ya'll in 9 days. (For the remaining people having exams, I wish you all the best and I'll try to remember to pray for you whilst I'm sunbathing or snorkeling or cruising. :P)

Mystery unsolved

2010-06-01T07:21:00.008+08:00

It's Bank Holiday in London today but public holiday doesn't affect me since I'm practically free everyday. I actually don't feel good doing nothing and wasting my time whilst my days to starting work is counting down itself silently ):

Anyway, E and I decided to go shopping to buy swim wear for Malta. So there I was getting changed and since it was a cloudy day, I put on a black dress. As I was deciding on my jewelry pieces, I noticed that the drawer was a tad bit loose (usually it's jammed pack and stacked to the top of the drawer). And suddenly I noticed one of my Dior necklace plus the box was missing. I started panicking and E was trying to convince me I misplaced it. I prayed for the best and pushed it to the back of my mind.

As we were putting on our shoes, E was looking for his sunglasses and guess what?!? It was also missing! I realised something has gone amiss and my happy mood was instantly replaced with a foul one. So we started searching everywhere for both our things to no avail.

Next, I told Payal and Sonal, my housemates. Payal came into my room and opened my drawers to check if the necklace was amongst my other jewelry. She was opening box by box and came to my Gucci box. She was like, "Geebs, this is empty right?" whilst shaking the box in the air. And knowing Payal, I thought she was pulling my leg and I was like come on give me back my ring! The look on her face told me she was serious this time and I told them they might wanna check their rooms for missing things.

And sure enough, Payal lost her Hermes watch and diamond earrings, Sonal her DKNY and Guess watches. So here we are trying to piece the puzzles together and playing Patrick Jane in the Mentalist. We finally concluded it has to be the maid who has full access of our belongings and is FAMILIAR with our wardrobe.

But then where do we go from here? We could either file a police report or leave it. The chances of us getting our belongings back are so slim as well. I'm still deciding what to do. Imagine if we file a police report and name the cleaner as the main suspect. What if she was innocent? We could have ruined her life or her future prospects in other jobs. Or what if she was guilty or had previous convictions? Then we would have stopped her from stealing from other ppl.

Either way I cannot think of anyone else but the maid. And I can't believe this Bulgarian woman is so ungrateful and deceitful. I treat her so nicely, I bought her Turkish delights when I went to Istanbul during Easter, I offer her Yakult, Actimel, Red Bull and I've even made coffee for her in so many occasions.

Lesson of the day: Do not leave your maid unattended in your room. She has been working with me for 2 years, cleans well and prior to this, I never had a problem with her unless she had been stealing without us noticing.

Anyway, water under the bridge! To lighten things up, E took me to Zafferano in Lowndes Street. It's a notable Italian restaurant with a Michelin star.

The interior of the restaurant (There are 2 rooms)

Starters:Four different types of bread

E with his flat spaghetti with lobster and fresh tomato

(4 stars)

Gnocchi with asparagus

(5 stars)

Veal shin ravioli with saffron

(5 stars)

Happy me with my sangria and ravioli

Buffalo ricotta cannoli with orange, chocolate and pistachio

(3 stars)

The cannoli is Italian's traditional dessert but it was filled with cream and I'm not a fan of cream. The biscuit was really crunchy though. The gnocchi and ravioli is amazing!!! The restaurant's design is not extravagant. They do have big vases of white daisies all over the restaurant which makes it look a bit nicer (maybe only cause daisies are my favourite). I think they're trying to go for the old Italian restaurant look but didn't really work for me.

Service was excellent though. Sangria was not in the menu but we requested for it and they made it specially for us. They have a very good selection of wines as well if you like wines. The portions are quite small so if you're a big eater you probably need two main courses. Zafferano will definitely be seeing me soon.

P/S: The lunch and dinner menu is different.

Sex & the city 2

2010-06-01T00:27:00.000+08:00

I watched SATC2 last weekend. I was really disappointed by this movie but what did I expect anyway? Sequels usually aren't as good as the first ones (Pirates of the Carribean is another one). But this movie was really quite bad. The clothes aren't as fashionable as the first one. In fact, I'll never wear some of them like this one:

The story line was very poor, it wasn't funny at all and I think the director/writer seriously lost the plot or lost their humour. I don't recommend anyone watching it cause it'll just make you think less of the first one. Nevertheless, they still managed to rake in something ridiculous like US14 billion over the weekend. I guess their branding or image is very strong hence they were so occupied about making money, they didn't put much effort or thoughts into the production.

Also, they touched upon the Arabic culture and gays. It's such a sensitive topic and I was thinking it may be quite offending to some people that they shouldn't even go there. Oh well it's just my opinions.

On the other hand, Britain's Got Talent is back. Since Diversity won last series, there had been SO MANY dance groups this year trying to impersonate them. I don't think any of them are even close but I was quite impressed by this group, Peridot.

There were a few good teen singers as well like Olivia Archbold & Chloe Hickinbottom. I've been following Britain's Got Talent every year and usually towards the end I get very emotional. Like last series, I really wanted Julian Smith to win but he ended up getting third and I wanted to cry :S I felt so sorry for him, he's a father of two trying to turn his life around for his family. He deserved a chance!! Although I have to say Diversity was really entertaining and very creative in their dance moves.

The only problem I have with this program is that how can you judge a singer and a dancer? How do you tell who is better cause it's totally different categories? Anyhow it's still fun to watch but I hope this year the contestant I vote for will win! (:

Finale of student life

2010-05-31T02:24:00.001+08:00

Sorry, I've been MIA-ing recently. Just submitted my FYP and had the presentation last Friday, followed by the end of Management dinner. We better get an A cause I think our presentation went very well and we managed to answer all the questions in our Q&A.

My group & our lovely supervisor

Us in front of the Business School

After a whole week of trying to cut down our essay by 4 000 words, practising our presentation and spending the entire day being drowned by other groups' presentations, we headed to Hotel Rembrandt in Knightsbridge for our end of year management social. Food there was surprisingly not that bad, the way they arranged their food was very professional and pretty looking. Only disappointment is that food were served way too slow and service was quite poor.

Chicken salad (5 stars)

All you vege haters would love this dish cause it tastes nothing like a salad.

Salmon (3 stars)

Lemon cheesecake (4 stars)

Though to be honest I was too full to judge by then :S

Then of course there was the usual cam-whoring. (:

Mo, me, Sel

Niki, Kristy, me

Jacq, me, Minglee

Yabo & I

Iain & I

Amirah & I

I'm wearing this white Lipsy dress for the first time although I bought it a year ago. Stupid me. It's probably out of fashion already. Anyway, after that we went for the usual karaoke. We were all very knackered from the continuous lack of sleep so it wasn't that great but it was our last gathering ):

I'm quite sad that another year has come to an end again. Time to move on with our lives and enter the working world :S I hope everyone gets a good job (if you haven't already) and reach your dreams. To those lucky bitches on a gap year, have a time of your life and sorry to say but you'll have a harder transition to the suits and ties. See you all during graduation, till then...

Seven wonders of the world

2010-05-24T16:41:00.001+08:00

Did you know that wonders of the world are broken down into many groups? I used to think that it was just seven wonders of the world :S

The first category is the oldest one ie seven wonders of the ancient world consisting of:

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq

(The Babylonian king built it for his homesick wife who had a great liking for fragrant plants and tress of her homeland, Persia)

Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt

(Like a normal lighthouse, it's duty was to guide sailors into the port at night)

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Turkey

(It's actually a Greek tomb but the land it's now on is under Turkey)

Colossus of Rhodes in Greece

(It's believed to be a statue of a Greek god, Helios)

Temple of Artemis in Greece

(A temple dedicated to a Greek goddess, Artemis)

Statue of Zeus in Olympia, Greece

(Made by a Greek sculptor for Temple of Zeus)

Greece was very popular and tech savvy back in those days huh? Anyway, I was happily googling the wonders of the world thinking I'm gonna visit one of them next summer and guess what?!? All the six wonders above are gone. Most of them were destroyed during war time or if not during earthquakes :S I was a bit disappointed and upset that this generation can't witness the architectures and art work of these structures dated back to about 300BC.

But at least there is one sole survivor of all the mishaps and it's still standing tall in the dessert in Africa.

Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt

(It's the oldest and largest of the three pyramids. It's main purpose was used as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh. It is the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3 800 years!)

I'm just SO glad that I'm going to Egypt next month to see this breath taking structure. It's like killing two birds with one stone cause I always wanted to go to Africa & I'm also very keen on visiting the pyramids and the sphinx and all that. (: Although to be honest, I prefer going to Cape Town where the real deal is. But when I told my parents, my mom was like, "What? What if something happens to you? All my investments on you will go to waste!!!." My mom sees me as an 'investment'. :S

On a brighter note, since I'm going to Malta & Egypt next month where the sun is scorching and the heat is boiling, I obviously went shopping to be prepared and not return, sunburnt again. Thus, E and I went to Selfridges ytd. We had salted beef sandwich which is ok if you don't eat too much but it's one of those things which are negatively correlated; it tastes less delicious the more you have.

We were shopping for a short while cause the temperature was just too hot and we were over clothed for the weather. I only managed to buy a straw hat and sunglasses but I was content.

My new purple shades

My straw hat

E's black shades

Oh, before I forget, the other groups are seven wonders of the: medieval world, industrial world, underwater world and seven natural wonders of the world.