Life with Mynn!

I hate to admit it..

2012-02-16T00:46:00.000+08:00

3 in the morning.

2012-02-15T03:12:00.000+08:00

So, how on earth do you get rid of ear pressure?

Here I am sitting in the kitchen having a 'good time' doing work, and my ear feels like its about to explode. Why don't I know any ENT specialists? Hahah.

Now, I'm contemplating whether I should go for badminton training tomorrow or not. 2 hours of intense physical activity, I wonder how my nose will survive! I hate having the flu!

Ebikko galore. I guess D knows just how much I love Jap food. He's fond of buying me sushi and roasted chestnuts from Jusco (chestnuts more for himself lah!) before picking me up from school nowadays. Today he even got the wasabi in a cup with Kikkoman soy sauce for me, so keeewwwt!

Anyway, I conked out after school from 4pm right up to 10pm. No idea what happened! And D never wakes me up whenever I conk out like this! I kind of wish he would sometimes, lol.

Nice sushi dinner at 10pm, the wasabi helped to clear the nose!

... and here I am at 3am, constantly yawning to try to 'pop' my frikkin ears.

A little something from Lohlah!

2012-02-12T17:21:00.001+08:00

So, guess what arrived in my physical mailbox today?

OOH. A package!

Expecting it to be from a UK uni, I wonder why they hand wrote my name and address on. Wow such personal love from them.

And then, I flip it over, and what do you know, I see LOHLAH ANN LEE on the back! =D

Dengan penuh berexcitement, saya terus cuba membuka sampul surat itu.

But I failed terribly wtf.

So I head upstairs and get a weapon of mass destruction to assist me.

A pair of scissors.

No, I do not want you to know where I live!
Hint: It's somewhere near where Brandy lives.

So, with assistance from my mighty weapon, TA-DAH!!!
Looking at the front of the card made me laugh out loud. Looking inside made me laugh even more! I saw the book and went "Awwwww...." opened it, and it said:

To: Some dog lover!!
From: Some ''lover'' of a dog lover!!

What a relationship. No, I do not want to imagine this. Hahahahha =P

LOOK, SO CUTE RIGHT!?!

I think I may need to look into the mirror when I'm wearing my headphones to see what I look like. Hrmpf! =P
And now, I'm off to flip every page in that book! =D
Thank you Laura! It's such a nice surprise on a boring day filled with the despair of going back to school after half-term break! <3

Fish-Ikan-鱼-рыба-물고기

2012-02-10T16:11:00.002+08:00

I have to confess.

I LOVE FISH.

Especially fresh steamed fish in a 'sour spicy soup gravy' kinda dish.

So spicy you tear at every mouthful.. I think that is the beauty in this dish!

This was at Pormtip Thai at USJ City Mall, USJ 19. Two thumbs up!

Facebook.

2012-02-10T00:27:00.002+08:00

Just some screenshots to cheer you up..

My schoolmate on the teachers from the Chem Dept. at KLASS:

CK and I talking about the spring equinox and eggs:

Just a really random post, actually.

What's Made You Happy Today?

2012-02-09T19:11:00.002+08:00

A snapshot of my Starbucks planner (given by bro!) for the month of January 2012. Started a personal mission to record down one or two things that's made me happy on that day! Quite satisfied that I managed to do this for a whole month. I think it's something nice to look back on.

Hard Rock Café Bali

2012-02-08T18:44:00.003+08:00

Guitars autographed by famous musicians.

A streak of forgetfulness & the long weekend.

2012-02-08T17:07:00.000+08:00

I've been having a streak of forgetfulness, starting with leaving my Mac charger in school, followed by my lunch bag the next day, and then leaving my phone in Jade's car and to top it off, my watch at KK's house. Hrmm. Although my stuff's not with me, there's this little voice in my head telling me that they're at wherever they are, I just need the neurons to 'click' for me to realise that I've left my stuff behind!

Anyway, here are some random snapshots from the long weekend..

All the Feng Shui stuff to be placed around the house.

OMG new steam cleaner! No more mopping!

A McD cone, haven't had one in so long!

Dinner at BarBQ Plaza with the bro and Ee.

Giving Brandy a little indulgence I bought at Bangsar Village on my birthday.

Teasing her by putting the rawhide snack on her back!

And lastly, letting her fall asleep on me. I love how peaceful she is in her sleep.

Edges.

2012-02-08T14:51:00.001+08:00

Am absolutely loving how short it is. =P

Bucket List #31: Ayung River

2012-02-08T00:03:00.001+08:00

As I created my bucket list.. I put down

31. Go white-water rafting.

And then a few minutes later I realize that I've actually done that! How exciting, lol.

Here's a picture to prove it!

This was in Bali '11. (Again, Bali.) A photo of a photo, hence, the low image quality.

There was Mei Shan, Rachel and Catriona on my raft, as well as a guide and our tour guide. It truly was an amazing experience at the Ayung River (longest one in Bali!), I especially loved the sharp turns and edges! My friend nearly fell off the raft at one point but I managed to grab hold of her arm and held on to her for dear life. How dramatic, but yes, that was exactly what happened! Ayung River had its fair share of waterfalls and steep drops, and we did go under those waterfalls.. it was very refreshing to say the least! =P

So.. yes.. I wouldn't mind going whitewater rafting again, on a more challenging river!

Bucket List #1: Locks begone.

2012-02-07T19:48:00.000+08:00

First accomplishment from my bucket list.

How about something different? A change?

Chopped them off at The Inc. at Scott Garden, OUG with the bro.

I feel light-headed. Literally.

The Bucket List

2012-02-06T23:10:00.000+08:00

Mynn's Bucket List: 100 Things to Do Before I Die

I've decided to come up with my own bucket list, simply because I want to try new things in life and step out of my comfort zone. I've included items of varying difficulty and tried to make it as realistic as possible, with a few crazy ideas in between. I hope some of them can make a difference, whether it is for my friends or for the community around me. After all, I want to live life to the fullest!

If the item is clickable, it means I've done it and blogged about it!

1. Cut my hair super-short.
2. Go indoor/outdoor rock-climbing.
3. Run a marathon. (A 10km one would be a good start!)
4. Play paintball.
5. Attend a martial arts class other than taekwondo.
6. Learn a dance style.
7. Go on a road trip with my friends. (Pangkor '09 was, but let's have another!)
8. Earn my 3rd Dan black belt!
9. Own another lens in addition to my Sigma 18-125mm.
10. Volunteer at a charity.
11. Go cycling outside of my neighbourhood.
12. Work as a barista someplace.
13. Give a homeless person a meal.
14. Write an article for the newspaper.
15. Play golf!
16. Appear on TV.
17. Play tennis!
18. Play squash.
19. Go horse-riding by the beach.
20. Buy a bouquet of flowers for a friend.
21. Learn to fire a rifle.
22. Teach a foreign person English.
23. Attend a classical music concert.
24. Go surfing!
25. Go bungee jumping.
26. Drive a go-kart.
27. Walk through paddy fields.
28. Go zorbing!
29. Go on an African safari.
30. Milk a cow.
31. Go white-water rafting!
32. Go on a cruise.
33. Visit an old folks' home.
34. Stay off Facebook for a full week. (That's 7 days!)
35. Climb Mt. Kinabalu.
36. Attend the Olympics.
37. Send someone a handmade card. (by myself of course!)
38. Be a mentor to someone. (If you read this and you feel that I've been a mentor to you, please let me know, it's another item off my bucket list! =D)
39. Give an amazing surprise to someone.
40. Perform a nice deed to a stranger.
41. Experience a sunset with someone special.
42. Learn sign language.
43. Solve the Rubik's cube in under 30 seconds.
44. Allow myself to make mistakes.
45. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
46. Donate blood.
47. Learn to meditate.
48. Bake for my dog.
49. Get my ears pierced. (Again. The holes closed!)
50. Be able to do 50 pushups.

List to be updated!

-It is not a race completing these tasks, rather, it is enjoying the journey-

Oscar

2012-02-06T16:41:00.002+08:00

Oscar is pretty efficient at grinding things up and squeezing everything out of them. He has a sexy silver exterior and detachable parts. Oscar is Australian too. So, who is this Oscar guy?

No, not this Oscar.

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Introducing.. Oscar Neo DA-1000 Ultem Tough Juicer!

Picture from here. Ee got Oscar using a Groupon voucher. It comes in red, silver and black.

Oscar running in all its pride. Observe the number dial at the end, you can change it to control how dry you want your waste product to be.

Look at how colourful all the fibre is!

Today's juice has carrots, red apples, green apples, beetroot and celery.

(No particular juice recipe, I just chucked in whatever there was in an effort to clear the fridge!)

Finally, after all that chopping, juicing and cleaning.. a massive ball of fibre!

Wow, my tongue's pretty long eh.

Yumms?

Blood-red juice in a bottle.

To sum it up,

Pros:

-Juices slowly and without much noise. (Slow so as to not destroy the enzymes by heat.)

-Parts are relatively easy to fix and dismantle.

-You can also use it for a multitude of other stuff, including making nut butters, dips and pasta!

-Fruit seeds and skin can be put in the juicer if you like. I do put in the apple core after slicing off both ends! I've also tried adding in orange peel and buah kedondong as it is!

(A word of warning, too much of it may result in your juice becoming too bitter!)

Cons:

-You may become lazy in using it since you need to fix the parts, juice, and then clean.

-Fruits cannot be put in whole, the part where the fruits go in is quite narrow and apples have to be chopped into tinier bits. Some carrots can go in whole, and celery can definitely be juiced as it is.

-Oscar tends to heat up after awhile; the manual does instruct you to give it frequent breaks.

Oscar has been a pretty useful machine in grinding up fruits and vegetables for juice. I can never do it in the morning since I value my beauty sleep too much to sacrifice it for some juice-time, so I tend to make juice at night and bottle it up in the fridge. It is less nutritious this way though since it would be oxidized over time. As long as I keep it airtight it's not too much of a worry for me!

A Typical Thursday at KLASS.

2012-02-06T02:26:00.001+08:00

Let's have a run through of what a Thursday at KLASS would be like.

6.30am: Hit the snooze button on the alarm repeatedly before finally dragging myself out of my heaven.

After having my cup of coffee and half-boiled eggs/whatever, head to school.
7.15am: 20 mins ride, and cut across the school compound to get to Sixth Form Centre.

7.20am: Unload stuff at cubby holes. Get books out and possibly check pigeon holes (far left) for any 'mail'/letters/sheets from teachers.

Head to the empty classroom we took over. Room is ten steps away from cubby hole. LOL. See why we took over the room?

Approx 7.30am: Sleep or do last minute homework or chat if in high spirits (unlikely considering the ungodly hour it is now).

7.45am: Bloody school bell rings. Wait a few more minutes and then exit the room reluctantly and head to Learning Cafe for tutor group. (Forgive the horrible picture, I was in a rush to go to assembly after!)

Whole school assembly on Thursdays and Sixth Form assembly on Tuesdays.

8.35am: First class of the day, Decision Maths with Mrs Whittington. Head back to Sixth Form and get books. Drag self to Main Block and climb up the stairs to Maths class. Hey look, its Pia and Veronika.

9.25am: The bell (which now sounds quite pleasant!) rings again. Go down the stairs and head to the Chem lab for Mrs Willis' class. Hey look its Nick and Bryan!

Hey look again! It's Afrina and Will. And the Smart board behind. And the glassware.

10.15am: There goes the bell (very much looked forward to during Chem classes lol!). Pack up and head back to Sixth Form. That's two flights of stairs mind you! =P This is us passing by the DT block!

10.40am: Darn bell. Signifies end of a very very short break. Which is extremely precious time if you still have incomplete homework ngehehe. Get Maths books and head to Maths. We call her Lady Doyle. =D Two flights of stairs down, across the school, two flights of stairs up. Hey look its Yumesh and Arvind!

My Maths classes are the most depressing classes ever. Anyway, good time to catch up on work. As in Chemistry. =P Don't get caught!

11.30am: Phew, bell of relief. Head back to Sixth Form (again) and to the room we call home (wth!) for my Private Study aka free period. (Hehe, short Facebook break.. I somehow can use FB with a https:// link, it's otherwise usually blocked by the school for very obvious reasons.) I used to not have a free the entire day, until we cut down on Critical Thinking lessons this term. A saviour I tell you.

12.20pm: Lunch bell. I'm normally too lazy to go downstairs to the canteen or tuckshop or cafe to get food if I brought food. Save $$$!

12.30pm: Toilet break! Love the toilets at Sixth Form. They don't smell bad. Just always runs out of hand towels!

1.00pm: Get stuff and head to Bio lab for Ms Armstrong's class. Today we're doing something cool, dissecting eyeballs! Cow's eyes to be specific.

Cool, it's bright blue! The tapetum which enables the animals to see in the dark. Dogs and cats have it too, which accounts for the 'glow' you see when you look at them, or when you take pictures of them.

1.50pm: Chemistry again, with Mr Slade this time. Yes, oddly enough I have two teachers for each subject. I'm doing a presentation today on breathalysers since we're doing redox chemistry.

Hey look it's the pen drive RVC gave to me lol.

2.40pm: Woohooo, end of another school day! I don't particularly like Thursdays since its quite hectic. Hey look it's Shaaerah and Afrina walking past one of the House walls!

So, once again we head back up to Sixth Form. I usually stay back till about 3pm to avoid the jam in school when everyone goes back home. Or later if I decide to do work. Today, I've had enough and my brains are almost fried, so we're going back home at 3!

2.50pm: Pack bags and head downstairs!

Hey look it's the staircase I climb up and down about half a dozen times daily.

3.30pm: Entertain Brandy when I get back home.

4.00pm: Read newspapers/fall asleep/surf the net/bring clothes in and fold/etc. Attempt to do homework. (Usually fails.) Hey look I found this infographic interesting!!

Around 6.30pm: Bring dogs out, do necessary cleaning, feeding, etc.

7.45pm: Shower!

8.15pm: Dinner, at Chilly Pan Mee Taipan today! Note to self to reduce intake of chilli!

9.00pm: Finally get a proper start on work due in tomorrow, notes, etc.

11.00pm: Start to feel sleepy/restless/lazy/all that applies and make myself a cup of tea.

Hey look, it's blueberry tea!
I usually go for Jasmine / Green Tea / whatever is in the cupboard.

11.30pm or earlier: Start to feel hungry again. I eat so much I cannot believe myself sometimes wth.
Since its CNY season, hey look, cold Mandarin oranges!

And start munching on whatever I can find. Today, I see cornflake cookies Makko made!

Almost midnight: Dry clothes, yes, in the middle of the night if there is any.

Continue working. Usually till late due to procrastination.

FINALLY. GO BACK TO HEAVEN IN MY ROOM at about 2am/3am/4am depending on work done/due or tests the next day.

Repeat.

~~Jeez this post took me like forever.~~

Colours

2012-02-02T23:52:00.001+08:00

A random thought striked me today.

What is the world like to other creatures of Earth?

A super saturated nearly-HDR image of the neighborhood. No spot-editing, the cloud formation on that day was just like what you see in this picture.

What if you were a tiny dog? How big does the world look like to you? What do you perceive humans as? What about other dogs?

January 27 2011: When life couldn't be more perfect.

I miss holding my tiny dog in my arms. ='(

Please be safe, Whiskey.

Technics

2012-02-02T01:36:00.002+08:00

It's just me and my random midnight Google searches. I saw this video on YouTube, Pirates of the Caribbean played on an electone. Also known as electric organ. Well, just watch the video.

I watched it and my eyes literally did this. O_O The speed of the dinosaur playing is just amazing, considering WHAT the dinosaur is playing!

Anyway, I digress. Let's get back to me hehehehe. I still play the Technics organ I have at home whenever I feel like it. And so I just don't forget how to play! I'd like to learn new songs of course, but it is quite hard getting them since piano is so much more popular. The organ can be used as a piano too, albeit the organ's keys being split into two rows. It just feels weird playing without the pedals!

This is it, Technics EN3. Really really realllllllyy old.

Sourced from here.

If given the chance, I would really love to learn how to play the violin. Over the years I have discovered the joy of listening to current songs played using classical instruments, or a combination of them. Very nice, I must say!
This includes Sungha Jung and The Piano Guys. Click on their names to get to their YouTube channels. Welcome to music heaven. =)

Anak Bali

2012-02-01T23:08:00.002+08:00

Bali: Summer Break 2011

So, I have this random photo upload on my blog.. simply to satisfy someone who fears the picture of the statue below this post and thus is afraid to view my blog! Also, I never did update my blog on Bali photos, except for one or two snapshots.

This was taken in the streets of Kuta when I went for lunch after an excursion at Waterbom Bali. It was great fun walking around Kuta with my friend without any sense of direction whatsoever. Whenever we got lost, I asked around in my half-baked Indonesian.. and hey, what do you know, we got back safe and sound to Waterbom. Stopped for lunch at a waroeng somewhere and had some yummy Soto Ayam (don't forget the ever so addictive kecap manis!)

This kid is in his own little world of happiness. Cycling around with what seems like a sail and even giving me the tiniest bit of a smile despite what must have been an intimidating DSLR. Aww, I miss my childhood and would give anything to enjoy those carefree days again with my family back in the day... :'( But that's the way life works, isn't it? You don't get back those days, all that's left are memories. I'd like to make the most of what I have left.

This was quite an eye-opening trip in terms of the culture, lifestyle and means of livelihood of other people. Thank you KLASS for providing me with this experience!

Fiery Determination

2012-01-31T02:47:00.001+08:00

..is just what I need to carry on.

Picture taken in Kuta, Bali.
I think the photo could do with a better angle, but with me not exactly being very tall.. and the statue being not exactly very small.. we might have run into a problem here. =|
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I need to find the motivation to move ahead, to be one step ahead.. and not be behind picking up the pieces and salvaging what's left. Dear determination, where are you? Come back home.

Going Against the Flow.

2012-01-29T03:25:00.001+08:00

January 27.

2012-01-27T00:57:00.001+08:00

Well, like it or not January 27 is here again.

Experimented with some new fonts I got.

JAN27: It can only mean one thing, SHIT NO I AM OLDER, AGAIN!

Back in the days, it used to be 'wow this getting older business is so fun!' And now all I feel is blergh, my life is flying by and what am I doing with it. Anyway, right now I have so many things on my mind, having just completed a Chem mock I didn't study for and tons of catch-up work to do besides a gazillion other things I should be doing. And I want to update my blog! So many happenings I want to remember.

Besides sleeping at 5am on Thursday morning and going to school, coming back for a good sleep from 4pm to 9pm and generally feeling laggy, this was a nice surprise. Bristol is the last uni to respond to me and yay I may be good enough for them. What a thought. I definitely have no regrets applying to the UK, it's been such an exciting experience.

Definitely won't be going to the UK for interview, I've emailed them and they said they will set up a phone interview. That shall be my first ever phone interview! Yay another new experience for me heheheh.

Been eating tons of oranges. Likely to get a fever + cough + sore throat + etc if this continues.

Bar-B-Q Plaza

2012-01-22T21:02:00.001+08:00

Picture courtesy of Jade Wong. Did a slight colour edit.

Have a Happy REUNION DINNER everyone!

Buah keluak is awaiting! <3

Chem Prac!

2012-01-21T14:06:00.000+08:00

So, what goes on in a typical Chem class when we have to do a practical?

In this case, we're nitrating methyl benzoate and purifying it. Its supposed to be some kind of benzene but since benzene itself is carcinogenic, here's an alternative!

VERY IMPORTANT STEPS. LOL.

Ze classmates: Nick and Bryan. iBry is holding an iPhone in a ~~iChem~~ Chem class.

Ze occasional lab partner: Shaaerah, looking pissed listening to what Mrs Willis is saying lol.

I just realized this was here today. Sigma bonds and pi bonds wthh.

The solid formed after mixing the nitrating mixture DROP BY DROP with the methyl benzoate and conc. sulfuric acid in an ICE BATH. Temperature cannot go higher than 15 degrees celcius. Annoying. Leave to sit in room temperature when all of it has been added and then pour it over crushed ice.

No, its not a drink.

And now we set up the Buchner funnel! A really cool suction funnel that uses up shitloads of water. Wash the solid with distilled water (cold!) and then we are ready to recrystallise it!

To do this, we need HOT ethanol. No flames please, unless you want the lab to go up in flames! So hot water bath + ethanol in test tube. Add in the ethanol and then put the whole thing in the hot water bath. (At 50 degrees celcius, no more and no less!) Then, we cool it in an ice bath AGAIN, and do the suction filtration AGAIN.

Ta-dahhhhh dried crystals! Going into the oven in the background.

And its gonna sit there for the whole of Chinese New Year. Poor thing!

Once bitten, twice shy.

2012-01-20T00:20:00.000+08:00

Don't feel like saying much. Here, have some photos.

This is the stack of work I got for missing a few Bio and Chem lessons for my exams. Such a skiver yes I know.

Got my Extended Project results. Quite happy with my A (but not A*!) considering I did 90% of the 5000 words the night before the deadline. Stayed up the whole night and morning, and went to school, and survived. What an all-nighter! Yes folks, this is simply the height of my procrastination.

I remember reading Reader's Digest since forever. They have some pretty inspirational stories, some cool facts (that came in handy in my essays!) and of course, the jokes section. =D I recently got a new subscription with a Groupon voucher. Half price!

Notes that CK wrote in my book. Freaked me out for a bit.

Had some nice desserts at Equine Park after our Stats exam that day.

Cherish with her pumpkin dessert thing. I only like them cubed, haha!

The view from inside the white lion, driving back from school. White lion is now with proper owner!

In the past week, I nearly ran into TWO BLACK CATS trying to cross the road when they saw me. Wth. Do the two dipoles cancel each other out? Hahahhahah chemistry.

View from my place in the library at KLASS. Bio and Chem corner <3 nerdified.

Yes, another random one for Foursquare! 2nd floor of KLASS library. And hahaha, yay another badge!

I saw this on the net and thought about it. It made so much sense.

Perhaps my comment today was a bit uncalled for, but yes, the reply I got was probably far worse, without a thought in it. Once bitten twice shy. Change is inevitable in our lives, but friendships should be able to pull through no matter what, if they are strong enough. One of my resolutions this year is to make time for friends, and this I shall.

Looking forward to a good time with my favorite gang tomorrow.

"Google is your best friend."

2012-01-16T13:32:00.000+08:00

I think being able to use Google effectively is one of the most important skills of surfing the net. This particular infographic I saw on 9gag.com is really handy! Work through the whole thing and start using the tips.. you will be amazed at how your Google searches result in what you are looking for almost immediately.

And no, I do not work for Google nor do I receive commissions!

Infographic from hackcollege.com, no copyright infringement intended!

Some pooch pampering..

2012-01-15T22:38:00.002+08:00

I decided to splurge on rawhide and chicken treats for Brandy that day. Other than sleeping and eating, her favorite pastime has got to be chewing on rawhide. Haha, she could go on at it for hours in complete focussed-mode. Until she feels satisfied! If it's a large bone she'll save the rest for the next few days.

So this is her posing with a cheesy grin.

Bought her this regular-sized red rawhide bone, and I am reminded once again why I never buy it. For one, the red gets all smeared on her paws and legs, making it look like she just came back from a war. The packet says long-lasting but based on the Brandy scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most satisfying, looooooongest chew, it gets a score of 1 since it lasted her only about 10 minutes?! Her whole body shook with excitement though, a sign she's happy with it!

This actually smells really good. Cannot believe I'm saying this.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

She's trying hard to focus!

But is obviously kinda sleepy. Haul of the day.

Today was pretty epic. Spent last night working on Stats until about 4am.. went to bed for 5 mins and then the bro woke me up. He was going to Cambodia for a company conference and so we took off for LCCT. Dropped him off and drove his white lion back. Slept for another two hours before I woke up rather reluctantly to go for Taekwondo class. Survived it and came back home to do more Stats! Ended up with only one paper done though, lol. Took a 2 hour nap in the evening and tadahhh here I am. O_O

My relationship with you shall end in about two days. =D