GlamorAnn

Vuvuzela: The World's LARGEST Water Ride

2013-05-07T00:13:00.002-07:00

When I found out that Malaysia is the the home of the LARGEST water ride in the world, I cannot believe it. Still can't believe it, so I must see it with my own eyes.

If you're still in the dark of what's going on, here's a brief explanation of this totally awesome, action packed ride. So hold your orgasms...

*deep breaths*

Imagine you’re sitting on a rubber raft, eleven stories above ground. Below you, a long, winding waterslide, leading away so far you can’t see where it ends. Suddenly, the ground falls away and you’re plunged, screaming, hurtling through a maze of watery pipes, twisting and turning like an aircraft out of control. It’s terrifying yet exciting and all your senses are alive!

WHOOO!!! This is exactly what it feels like on the Vuvuzela, Sunway Lagoon’s latest attraction and the world’s largest water ride!

When I first heard about it, I knew right away I just HAVE to ride it. IhavetoIhavetoIhavetooooo!!!

Oh my...

From what I've read, riders would be LAUNCHED from an incredible height (I suppose its not for the faint hearted) of 30-meters high, and you will be plunged through a ride that spans 152 meters that is designed to resemble riding rapids on a turbulent river O.O"....

There's more!

Each ride will allow riders to experience up to 5 awesomely thrilling oscillations in the world’s largest water funnel before being shot out back into the enclosed flume. It all ends down at the splashdown pool. The Vuvuzela is designed for riders to experience zero gravity (so you can fly... if you believe), caused by the swinging to opposite sides of the funnel to reach the apex of the ride.

Anybody's got a napkin? My laptop, unfortunately, is covered in drool... gotta dry it before it shuts down on me before I can finish writing this post...

ANYWAY..... the best part is... Nuffnang is giving out free invites to spend a day at the totally awesome theme park. This is my chance to ride the famous Vuvuzela!!!! EEeeeekkk!!!

Why do I want to join Nuffnang for a blogger's day-out at Sunway Lagoon?

BECAUSE I wanna meet other awesome bloggers ~~(with the possibility of meeting up with some really cute guys at the theme park)~~ and see their retarded reactions on the ride... like this one....

Its gonna be LEGEN... wait for it.... DARY.

LEGENDARY!!!!

Journey to the Bangkok

2012-08-27T03:46:00.006-07:00

I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD!!! And yes, I'm still alive and well... barely.

Frankly, my life for the past few months has been pretty uneventful or 'unblog-worthy' as so I put it. College life is tough, there's no doubt about it. But now that I am on semester break, I am now free to live my life... for about 2 weeks.

Anyway, I just came back from Bangkok after nearly 12 years since I've been there.
Awesome trip.

We were staying at the Charium Riverside hotel which is located right by the Chao Phraya river. Its so weird staying next to a river where there are boat taxis, public boats and other kinds of boats just floating by like any normal transportation on the road.

On our first day, like any other typical Malaysian tourist, we have to MAKAN! And where else to start a great trip but at the Chao Phraya Princess Cruise.

Mmm.... look at all that food....

There was plenty of food at the buffet and they even have SASHIMI!!! Oh the yumminest!

I even had my first cocktail. Pink Lady. A classic. Oh yeah, I'm now into photo editing! Yalah, yalah.... I'm so outdated lar~

One of the views you can see along the river. There are loads of temples all over Thailand. Trust me, its practically impossible NOT to see a temple anywhere around even during a 10 minute stroll.

Honestly, I find it quite fascinating to live by a large river where public transportation such as taxis and buses are transformed into the water version of it. There are even banks on boats that actually goes to the homes of the people for service if they want and there are also ambulance and school buses in water modes too!

Look at that! Doesn't this just prove my point? The river is an important part of the local's lives. They even have a floating market there! Isn't that awesome? Not sure if this is where the locals go to for trading purposes because of all the tourists I see everywhere, but it sure is a great contribution to the tourist industry.

I just love looking at all the stuff the people had to sell and there's all kinds of stuff people actually sell on their boats; food, souvenirs, clothes, bags, hats,..... food..... And also food, did I mention food?

See? People actually eat by the river like a hawker stall and the tourists doesn't seem to mind at all. I saw this tourist with a bowl of noodles and he doesn't seem to know how to use a chopstick. He just keeps jabbing at the noodles and trying to roll it up like a spaghetti, but he only managed to secure a single stand of noodle after a long battle with the two little wooden sticks. HAHAHA!!!!

I honestly do not know what is the big deal of riding an elephant... so smelly.....

I know this sounds weird and totally out of the topic, but if you could just zoom into that picture above and take a closer look at the guy on the elephant's head and tell me, does that guy look like Michael Jackson before he turned white or what??

Like seriously, when I first saw him, I was like HOLY S**T its Michael Jackson riding an elephant in Thailand!!! Daniel thought I was retarded then. Whatever.

Ok ok this is soo freaky! Apparently, there's this portrait of a Buddha on the wall that has been carved to look like its watching you from any angle when you look at it. Its kinda creepy, but look...

Isn't that so weird?? Its just looking at you wherever you go!

I love how much work has been done just to complete all these woodwork. Check it out!

Amazing stuff, huh?

Chinatown in Thailand seems to be much larger than our own Chinatown in Malaysia. Loads of people, food stalls by the streets, but the one disappointment that I had about the place was that there was no place to shop! Like, no souvenirs, no clothes, no bags, nothing! WTF

OK, so there were a few stalls that sells some stuff like this one. But only a few. Crocs? Yuck.

How is it that they still have Durians? I thought it was out of season. Anyway, I still think our Malaysian Durians are waaay better. You have not lived until you try the Musang King. Heavenly stuff....

We also visited quite a few temples including this palace. Apparently, this is where the royal family goes to when they have an event going on and it also used to be where all the royals used to live including the many concubines who has a house each to herself.

I can't imagine what its like to be a concubine. I mean, it must be weird to be wife no.2 or even 12. Or can you imagine having loads of wives at the same time? What if you lose track? What if any woman can just sneak in and pretend to be your wife then enjoy all the luxuries?

Oh well, to each his own.

Because the palace is a HUGE place and it would probably take forever to explore the entire place on foot under the hot sun, we hired a golf cart. Lazy tourists...

And look who's the driver!

I've never driven a golf cart before, but its easy. Like driving a go kart. The only thing that bugs me is the fact that it can only go at a maximum speedy pace of........ 5km/h.

One of the concubines' houses. An adorable little house. Apparently, the concubines are not allowed to leave their house in case they meet other men. No one except the king and maybe one or two servants are allowed into the house. Especially men. No one messes with the king's women.

But it kinda sucks to stay in that little house all the time, doesn't it? No TV, no Facebook, no Internet, nothing! It would've been torture for me if I have to be stuck in one place with no entertainment all the time. Plus no boys??? Damn... those girls sure do love their king a lot to go through all that.

The king in Thailand has been greatly respected by all the Thais. I see his picture as well as the queen's almost everywhere and they put flowers all over it. Its just amazing to see how much they love their King.

What fascinates me the most are the ruins of temples in Bangkok. They're HUGE! And considering that it was once on fire for nearly two weeks, was submerged in 2 metres of water and through all the crazy weathers, I think it still looks great!

There's a reason why this Buddha's head is in the tree. Remember when I mentioned earlier that the temple had once faced a great fire? Well, there was a huge statue of the Buddha in the temple. Because the neck was the most fragile part, the head fell off when the roof caved in.

So as not to disrespect the Buddha, especially since the head is the most important part, the monks placed the head in that tree to look like it belongs there and for... serenity? I dunno... but basically, its to respect the Buddha.

Also, its in that particular temple where the actual Lord Buddha's ashes was once buried. Its already moved to a museum today though... so don't get your hopes up of seeing it.

This statue of the Buddha is about 1500 years old and it was only recently found!

Funny thing about this trip. After our first experience riding a Tok Tok, we swore we would NEVER ride another Tok Tok again. The last time we rode on one, the road was dusty, it was uncomfortable and the worst part is when we're right behind a bus that farts thick clouds of black smoke.

Well, that night we were in a hurry to make it to a fancy buffet which we reserved for 7pm. Unfortunately, it was Friday night which means traffic is heavier than usual. All the taxis we hailed refused to take us downtown because of the terrible jam and they say that where we're going would probably take more than an hour to get there.

By that time, we were getting pretty desperate as we had already changed our reservation time to a later one but we had yet to find transport. It was then that we met a taxi driver who was talking to a Tok Tok driver who once again refused to drive us there, but then he suggested that we take the Tok Tok because it is smaller and can take shortcuts.

Like I said, we were desperate, so we rode on the Tok Tok. It was an uncomfortable journey especially with Daniel as large as an elephant so mom had to sit on the floor. I would've sat on the floor instead if it wasn't for the fact that I was wearing a skirt at that time.

In the end, we finally made it. Fortunately, we were nowhere near any farting buses. The buffet was great! Check out what the chef did for my crepe. Doraemon!

What made this trip even more memorable was the time when I actually burned my jeans in the hotel. I don't know what happened, but one moment I smelt toast, the next, I saw my jeans on fire!

What happened was that I left my jeans next to the electric stove. I swear I did not remember touching the knob, nor do I remember turning it on. I never thought anything like this could happen, but it did.

So I quickly turned off the stove, and threw my jeans into the bathroom sink to soak it in water. By that time, the fire alarm went off and the sound was deafening!

Not long after that, a hotel staff, 2 guards and a policemen was knocking at the door within minutes to check out what's been going on. It was pretty embarrassing to explain what happened to them, but at least everything was okay.

Geez, I can't believe I could've almost set the hotel on fire!

My dad actually thought I purposely put the jeans on the stove and turned it on so that I could dry it quickly or something like that.

Honestly, how stupid do you think I am?

In the end, I cut my jeans into short so that I can wear them again. Also, the strap of my bag was on the stove too, so the buckle had melted.

So all's well that ends well.

The College Life

2012-05-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

OK, so a month of no updates is totally unforgivable. I understand. But the past few weeks of adjusting into college life at INTI International University is... hard.

I gotta admit, the campus is really lovely and its in an isolated location where there is no distractions and it is the perfect studying environment. Check it out:

As you can see, the University is a pretty large place and that's just the office block. Its much larger than I imagined it after I took the campus tour. Its massive!

I haven't taken any photos of the place yet, but I'll give you the campus tour on my next post.

Anyway, 3 weeks of college is already killing me. I have about 6 assignments to finish by the first week of June and that's not even including the homework and reports the lecturers assigned us. Its a total chaos! I've never faced anything like this back in high school.

The other part is my social life. You'd probably would've realized by now that I'm a banana. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here for my definition of 'Banana'.

Ok, back to the topic. So I'm a banana. And unfortunately, not everybody here is a banana either. Apparently, I'm the only Chinese in the class that speaks English while everybody else would rather speak in their own mother tongue; mandarin, cantonese, hakka, etc, etc,...

Worst is that these guys could hardly speak English! OK, they can speak English, but its broken English and sometimes, they would stumble with their words as they are not used to speaking the language. I wonder how will they cope with the course as all the subjects are taught in English and you have to be able to speak and write good English to do well in college.

So because I'm unable to speak mandarin, it was hard for me to make friends. Yes, I do have a few friends and most of my classmates have been friendly enough with me, but communication is hard between us and I honestly feel like a fish out of water just by hanging out with them for a while.

I feel like an alien especially when they start chatting excitedly in mandarin, probably sharing a joke, and I have to pretend to laugh even though I have no idea what the heck are they laughing about!

Btw, do I look like a hot alien or what? ;)

On the bright side, my classmates seems to like me nonetheless. We talk sometimes, they always say hi to me whenever we happened to pass by each other and I've been chosen to be the class rep and a secretary for another group assignment. But I think its also probably because I'm more fluent in English than they are.

But at the end of the day, I guess you could say that life's unfair. You either take it or leave it. I mean, just 3 weeks ago I was complaining about how dead boring and listless my life was before I started college. Now, I'm beginning to wish for my carefree life again.

Oh, the irony.

My Childhood Diary

2012-04-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Why do I feel so guilty right now? Oh yeah, I haven't been updating for a LONG time! It is a sin to keep my dear readers in the dark.

So as a treat for being my faithful reader. I present to you.... my childhood diary...

I can't believe I would ever in my right mind share some of my private thoughts to the world. But I was only 11 then, so how bad could it be?

OK, so this is one of the least embarrassing entries in my diary. There's more...

Looking back at my old pictures, I had to admit that I was rather... 'chesty' among the other girls. I started puberty earlier...

Speaking about puberty, oh God, I can't believe I'm showing you this...

But I must be thankful that my family isn't that type of family that tells the whole world about their little girl becoming a woman and throwing a HUGE celebration like some of my friends...

Of course, there were the secret hate thoughts I had about my classmates.

And then there's those cringe worthy entries about my 3 year obsession about my crush which made my face go all red again just thinking about it.

These are some of the more 'sane' entries.

Yes, sharing things was a BIG deal for me then.

And that's how I suddenly became fascinated with facial hair...

There is a lot more entries about him, but they were much too embarrassing to share with. I think practically half the entries of my diary was about him.

So... yeah, some of my private thoughts as a kid. So the lesson of the story is....

If you'll excuse me, I've got some global warming to do.

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Happy Easter!!

2012-04-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

I feel awful for not being able to update this blog lately. I guess weeks of nothing to do just made me... lazy. Anyway, I'm back and I do try to keep myself busy. I even went to the tailor's to create my first Sari which Roann gave to me last year. Check it out:

So...? What do you think? Do I look like a Bollywood actress or not?? HAHA!! If only I was skinny...

I've also been really busy editing pictures all day for April Fools. And here are my masterpieces:

Yeah, boredom makes me do stupid s**t.
As the saying goes, Idleness is the devil's workshop.

I CAN'T WAIT TO START COLLEGE NEXT MONTH!

The College Hunt

2012-03-24T01:20:00.005-07:00

OK, so the dilemma of finding the right course and the right college is worst than I thought. Heck, I've been so distracted, I haven't been updating this blog for 2 weeks already!

But after weeks of researching, visiting colleges and talking to several counselors, I've decided to take up Foundations in Arts at (most likely) INTI International University.

So to those who just got their SPM results and still have NO IDEA what to do after this, here's some of the things I've learnt about choosing the right course and college:

1. Know your strengths

I think before you choose your course, its always best to get to know your strength and weaknesses when it comes to choosing the right course. What are your best subjects? What are you good at? And most importantly, what makes you happy?

Forget about which career makes the most money at the moment, because I know for a fact that a Mak Cik who sells Nasi Lemak outside a large university can earn much more than the professor of that University. Going for further studies is to learn more about the subject you are curious about, not mainly to help you earn some extra cash. Remember Bill Gates? Exactly.

2. Take a Career Quiz

Its one of the ways to see which career is best suited for you. You can try taking this career quiz created by Taylor's College. Click here.

3. Talk to a Counselor

Just visit any college and ask for a counselor. They will talk to you about your options and career pathways which will guide you to the right course. But like I said, it'll be a huge help for them if you know what are your interests so that they can help you towards finding the right course for you.

I think its best to talk to a few counselors before you make your choice, so take your time and don't worry if you're still unsure after the first visit. Remember that you have to be absolutely sure if you don't want to waste your time and money over the wrong choice of courses.

4. Visit the Education Fair

Its a great place to find out the right college for you, plus, it helps to view your options. Once again, it helps if you already know what you want, thus narrowing down the list of potential colleges you might want to study in the future.

Also, by visiting all the colleges present, you are able to compare apple to apple. Like comparing this course to that course, and also its a good way to compare the course fees once you've visited all the booths.

5. Be VERY Sure

Once you know what you want, make sure that its absolutely the right course for you. NEVER let anyone else waiver your thoughts, otherwise you'll be back at square one again.

Trust me, in the beginning, I was very sure I wanted to take up Mass Communication as my course in college. But then, somebody told me to take up business because it'll get me a stable job, another suggested that I take up Psychology to understand the human brain, and then another one told me to take up A Levels or Canadian Matriculation in college because she had a wonderful time then.

Don't lose focus of what you want because only you are responsible for your happiness and future.

6. Shortlist Them

Once you've found the right course for you, its time to choose the right college. For me, I shortlisted the colleges according to the following criteria: courses, fees, location, and reputation.

When it comes to choosing the right college, always start by making sure it offers the course you want to study. By doing that alone, you've already shortlisted the colleges by about 50%. Hey, not all colleges offers the same course.

Then, you compare the course fees. Make sure you can afford it if you're not getting a scholarship.

Its also best to consider its location. If the college is too far away from home, you may have to either live in their campus, or face travelling for hours everyday. Remember to consider the environment too. If you prefer a quiet place to focus on your studies, then studying in the heart of KL may not be the best choice for you. However, if you'd like a recreational place to study in, then go ahead and study in KL. Its all up to you.

Finally, take a look at the college's reputation by looking up at the forums and take a peek at what people has to say about this college. If it has a lot of positive reviews, then you can consider studying there. If not, go look for another college.

7. Visit the College

OK, so here's a crappy picture of me visiting INTI International University. Its a nice place, actually. Big, clean, peaceful, a great place to study. The downside to it is that I suppose its a little isolated and there's no shops or malls anywhere nearby. It does, however, have a lot of great facilities like a gym, sports center, library, computer lab, etc, etc,...

But the point of visiting your shortlisted colleges is to make sure that you are happy with the learning environment and its facilities thus, helping you in making your final decisions.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR COLLEGE HUNT!

Oh! And congratulation to those who just got their SPM results. I hope you're satisfied with your grades like I am ;)

18 and Legal Baby!

2012-03-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

That's right, folks. I'm finally 18 freakin years old!! Can you believe it??

But in all honesty, I really don't feel any different. Heck, I didn't even celebrate my birthday for the first time in my life this year because I really don't feel like it. Not even a birthday cake.

I know, weird right?

Most people would've thrown a HUGE party on their 18th birthday, but after last year's party, I guess I didn't want to go through the hassle of inviting people, planning out the party, splurge on catering and then go cleaning up the place later on. Its simply too much work! I don't want to go through that again unless somebody else wants to throw a birthday party for me and do all the work.

In fact, we recently had a huge family gathering 2 weeks ago. Plus, I just came back from Italy and I'm still sorting out my life at the moment. I guess I'm simply tired and I have no mood for any celebrations. Not even for my 18th birthday. THAT's how tired I am.

Instead, I've had quite a pleasant and relaxing birthday last Monday. On my birthday, my mom took me out for my first facial spa! Woohoo!!

I felt AMAZING after that facial spa. It was definitely a great experience and frankly that was exactly what I wanted for my birthday. A relaxing day at the spa. How did my mom know, I have no idea. But I've been thinking about that since last year.

Aside from the spa, I've finally received the latest novel by Sophie Kinsella (she's my ALL TIME favorite author) I ordered from MPH. Spent the day reading it until I got a text from Melissa to go out the gates where I found a basket of handmade roses and a birthday card!
I LOVE you Melissa!!

Along with the book, I also found another mail for me; a birthday card from Godma and Godpa! How awesome is that?

Later in the day, even Roann, her aunt and brother, Ronald came over to visit me and wish me a happy birthday. I was really surprised when I first heard a group of people singing 'Happy Birthday' outside my room until they opened the door to my room! Thanks for coming over you guys, and I love the nail polishes you got me. I'll be sure to make use of them :D

So to end my wonderful 18th birthday, my family and I had a fancy dinner at a Japanese buffet restaurant (I got to eat for free). ITS CHOW TIME!!!

Of course, I can't forget the people who wished me a happy birthday on Facebook and through SMS. Thank you so much, you guys! I love you all!!

I guess it comes to show that you don't really need a big party, or, presents, or even a cake to feel special on your birthday. I feel so loved knowing that there are people who actually thought of me on my special day.

My 18th birthday may not be the most extravagant birthday of all, but on my 21st birthday, I ain't gonna throw a big party either. Nope, I'm gonna take a tour round Europe on my 21st birthday. Now THAT's how you celebrate your day of freedom. Bon Voyage!

Italian Stereotypes

2012-02-28T04:05:00.002-08:00

Before setting foot upon the grounds of Italy, I've heard of quite a few stereotypes about the Italians. But after living among the Italians as a member of the family and a student for 2 months, I've learnt that not all stereotypes about the Italians are true.

So here are some of the stereotypes about the Italians and weather they are true or not.

1. Italians are fashionable

Yes, its true. Italians are definitely fashionable (mostly the girls). They'd usually dress up quite nicely weather its going to school, or work, etc, etc... Plus, the girls would normally wear lots of makeup, which is why they found it strange that I especially don't wear eye makeup in particular (because at the end of the day, I'm afraid of looking like a Raccoon with eye liner and mascara on. So frustrating...).

2. Italians eat pasta everyday

That's mostly true. My host family has been having pasta for lunch almost daily, but once in a while we'd have things like risotto or boiled vegetables. And bread (personally, I think THAT should be their stereotype. There's ALWAYS bread at every meal). But we have many different varieties of pasta (big pasta, small pasta, frilly pasta, pipes pasta, weird pasta, etc, etc,...) using all kinds of recipes. More recipes than I'll ever imagine for pasta...

3. There are a lot of expensive cars on the Italian roads

SO not true. There are no Ferrari, Mercedes Benz, Lamborghini, or any big expensive cars on the road. In fact, its better that way because the roads are so tiny! There's no way you could drive around a big expensive car in the streets of Italy, because the roads are so narrow and its hard to get around. That's why most of the cars are so cute! I did, however, see quite a few mini coopers over there :D

4. Italians are romantic

Omg, YES! Italians are definitely romantic. Its normal for them to show their affections for one another, so kissing in public, holding hands, and going arm in arm is pretty normal to them. Sometimes, they like to sing along to songs like 'O Sole Mio' and other romantic Italian songs. Its just beautiful. Trust me, I've been charmed by quite a few Italian gentlemen, but I won't go into details. Hush, hush!

5. Italians are LOUD

Yes, its true. Italians would normally speak to each other in a loud tone especially in the South, which is where I stayed for the past 2 months. Sometimes I get scared whenever my host family has one of those specially loud conversations (its worst when you don't understand Italian), so I would usually go to my room whenever this happens. I'd rather not get involved in what looks like an argument. Or a discussion on where to place the furnitures.

6. Most Italian men are Mama's boys

Hmm... that, I'm not so sure. But I can see every reason why most Italian men would wanna stay with their mommy. Like, hello? You've got a place to stay at no cost, free meals, and someone to clean your room and do you laundry for nothing! But I suppose its also because owning a house costs a lot, so they'd wanna save their cash to own one someday.

7. Italians uses a lot of hand gestures

Yeah, that's quite true. I've seen a lot of Italians use this hand gesture in particular most of the time. It means to say 'what?'. Body language in Italy is widely used which is also why most Italians can tell if there's something wrong just by looking at your facial expressions. Trust me, its like as if they could read my mind! Whenever I'm depressed or happy, they would normally ask me what's up even though I try to hide it, its almost scary...

And these are some of the stereotypes I've heard about the Italians. Heard of any others? Do share!

Arrividerci Italia!

2012-02-24T01:45:00.003-08:00

I'm back in Malaysia! Sorry for the late update. I've been too busy... and a little depressed to write during my last week in Italy. I miss all my Italian folks so much already. But at the same time, I'm so happy to see my family and friends in Malaysia again.

I've learnt so much during my 2 months in Italy and I've met so many wonderful people there. I dunno why was I so stupid to choose such a short programme knowing very well that I could've taken a year instead. In the beginning, I wanted to go to the USA for a semester, but the interviewer saw my parent's salary and thought we can afford to pay for another programme because they wanted to give the scholarship to the poor kids.

I agreed to choose another programme and at first I wanted a year programme, but I guess I just panicked at the interview and chose 2 months because thoughts of being away for so long, missing my loved ones and going to a strange place suddenly scared me. That's not like me.

Oh well, I guess God has other plans for me.

Anyway, my last week in Italy was rather emotional. There's just too many goodbyes and I hate goodbyes!

I've experienced so much here and there's so many things I'm gonna miss like
going to school.

This is the last time I'll ever go to a high school again. I'm gonna miss it terribly.

Looking at the snow

I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to see snow on such a rare occasion in Southern Italy.

Eating a whole pizza to myself

I've never eaten so much pizza within 2 months my entire life. I've never felt so ALIVE being able to finish a pizza to myself! I guess its back to lousy ol' Malaysian pizza for me :(

Playing Tombola or Sinco

I've lost A LOT of money just playing that game because I was struggling with the rules and the language, but I eventually managed to win back some cash. It was all good fun anyways.

My Italian friends

*sigh* I wished I'd been able to go to school more often. Gonna miss them so much.

Lia's friends are so awesome! We had the time of our lives hanging out after school.

Eating Italian food

I'm so hungry right now...

My little Valentine

His name his Chesere (not sure how to spell his name). But he's so ADORABLE!! I was the only one besides his mom who carried him all night, playing superman and hide and seek.

On Valentines day, he took off his little pacifier and gave me a kiss on the cheeks! I fell in love with him instantly (and I don't care if I sound like a pedophile)!

Playing in the Snow

Looking at the snow for the first time was a dream come true. I never imagined I would ever see snow when I found out that my host family lives in the South (which by the way, never snows there). But it did! It was the first time in nearly 30 years, and I was THAT lucky to see it!

Watching movies in Italian

OK, maybe I won't miss it that much, but it was a pretty good experience nonetheless.

Speaking Italian

I've picked up quite a bit of Italian during my stay in Italy for 2 months. Its a shame I won't be using it that often in Malaysia anymore...

But most of all, I'm going to miss...

My host family

I'm going to miss my host family SO MUCH!! They've been so kind to me the whole time. There was never a time when they were ever being unkind to me even once. I'm so touched and I will never forget them.

I'm gonna miss my host brother and sister too. They were the only ones in the family who could communicate with me because they knew a little bit of English. We keep in contact now through Facebook. I do wish Lia hadn't deleted her Facebook account though. I try to talk to her on Skype, but the connection is so bad, we could hardly hear each other. What a nuisance...

And then there's my host parents. Although we couldn't communicate with each other that well because of the language barrier, I really felt we had a connection.

My host mom has been so nice to me by taking me out to places, showing me her knitted works (she actually does a wonderful job at it), and occasionally giving me things like a four leaved clover or chocolates. My host mom tries to speak to me using what little English she knows, but I appreciate that at least she tried to talk unlike some host families who never talks to the students at all!

As for my host dad, I think he's wonderful. He couldn't speak a word of English, yet he always tries to talk to me at the dinner table. In the beginning, talking to him felt like playing a game of charades with him using hand gestures or pointing out things while I try to guess what he's been trying to tell me. But eventually, I began to understand him better after a few weeks without him acting it out or Lia translating his words. In fact, I actually replied in Italian once in a while so we've had those occasional short conversations together.

He's also been very generous when it comes to food. Always giving me an extra helping even though I'm already stuffed to the brim. I'm positive he gives me more food than his own kids! One time, he gave me a packet of biscuits to bring to school and when I was about to eat it in class, I found out that he didn't give one to Lia (but he loves his kids anyway)!

So yeah, after saying goodbye to my host family at the train station, I was silently sobbing on the train. I didn't care if I looked like a crazy girl in the cabin, I just didn't want my family to see me cry in front of them. I held my tears until then.

My 2 months experience in Italy was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me. I've learnt so much and I think it has also changed my views about the world. I feel so lucky to be able to participate in this Student Exchange Programme and I have no regrets.

Thanks AFS! You have changed my life. Forever...

A Winter Wonderland

2012-02-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Omg, omg, omg, OMGEEEEE!!!!!! Its SNOWING!!

ITS FREAKIN SNOWING HERE!!!! o.O

This is the HAPPIEST day of my life! I can't believe its snowing here in Southern Italy. Before we left Malaysia, we were told to expect the unexpected, but sh*t! I never expected SNOW where I am because I've read that the winters in Italy is mild, especially in the south. So its unlikely that its gonna snow, BUT IT DID!

My host dad told me (yes, believe it or not, I actually understood what he said. Finally!) its because of the strong winds from Russia that brought such cold weather all over Europe. Its even snowing in Rome, which apparently is the first time in 27 years!

The weather is so cold, even my school in Avellino is closed because its snowing heavily over there, so nobody could travel about there as its quite dangerous. Honestly, I really wanna go to school because obviously, I wanna see the snow, and also because I wanna spend as much time with my classmates and teachers before I leave for Malaysia.

This is Avellino. The English teacher was there and took a picture for me to check it out.

I WANNA GO TO SCHOOL!!! >.<

Whatever, its snowing here in Sperone too. But only up the mountains which is just about a 5 minute drive from the house. I was so excited the moment I saw the white snow as we got higher, I was literally jumping about in the car. I couldn't wait to get out and run in the snow!

Check it out! I was speechless. I've always wanted to see snow and now my dreams finally came true! I felt like a child again.

Naturally, I HAVE to lay on the snow, take off my gloves and feel the snow. It feels like shaved ice.

LOOKIE!! My first snowman! I'm so proud :D

The first thing I did in the snow was to build a snowman. I've always wanted to do that. Its easier than I thought because the snow can easily stick to each other quickly. If you press it real hard together, it'll turn into a big ball of ice! Much easier than building a sandcastle.

Meet my new boyfriend. He's gonna be my Valentine this year.

Love you, handsome. Muah <3 <3

Wanna know why I'm so attracted to my man?

Because my boyfriend has a PHD (Pretty Huge D*ck)!

LOL

Even Lia and her friend, Daniella is having the time of their lives in the snow.

I tried to make a snow angel, but as you can see, I failed miserably. Its harder than I thought. No matter how much I move my arms and legs, I couldn't go any deeper because the snow is already compressed. You can see, however, that I managed to stain the snow blue in color because of my jeans. LOL.

What an adorable snowman! I spotted him on top of somebody's car.

Meet Ilenya. Another of Lia's friends. Honestly, among all of her friends, I personally think Ilenya is my favorite. She's so jolly and cheerful, I couldn't help but like her. But at the same time, I really think I should have a warning before she comes over because she ALWAYS eats my chocolates!

I have a packet of chocolates and another sack of it hidden in my cupboard. I planned to bring it home to Malaysia... assuming she doesn't find it. One time, she actually found my stash when I wasn't around. By the time I came back, I found a pile of wrappers on the table and another half eaten chocolate about to enter her mouth! o.O

I was only gone for minute. I know Italians eat quickly, but damn....

After wrestling for the packet of chocolates, I had to run with it and find a place to hide them!

Despite all that, I still think Ilenya is such a lovable person. Probably because of all that chocolate in her :P

But seriously, I hear that the whole of Europe is going through extreme weather. It so cold, it snowing in Southern Italy and it had already claimed 7 lives in Italy. My Polish pen pal told me that its VERY cold in Poland. If I recall, she said the temperature is between -25C to -15C.

That's cold. VERY cold. A lot of people died because of the cold. I read the news and apparently, even North Africa is affected. Must be bad...

Nonetheless, I actually feel quite lucky to come to Italy at this time because come on! How often does it actually snow in South Italy?? Practically never.

Lia said that in 100 years, this is the 3rd time it snowed here. How good is my luck??

But I do wish I could go to school soon. Its been a while and I'm beginning to get bored of the snow because it restricts people from going to places.

Oh well, might as well enjoy every moment in Italy before I leave, eh?

Things I've learnt in Italy (so far)

2012-02-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

How time flies! In exactly 2 weeks, I'll be off to Rome to fly back to Malaysia the next day. The past 6 weeks in Italy had taught me a lot of things, and I'm pretty sure there's more to discover within the next 2 weeks to come.

So off the top of my head, here are some of the things I've learnt in Italy (so far). I've learnt...

1. How to eat a whole pizza to myself

Yes! I did it!! Never before have I ever imagined that I, Anne Cassandra Wong Synpuhn, the girl who hated pizza and never liked cheese, could possibly eat an entire freakin pizza to myself. Never! I felt so happy the first time I took the last bite and see that its gone.

I'd usually eat up to 3/4 of the pizza, but I've learnt the Italian's technique: just take a quarter of the pizza, fold it in half and eat it quickly. That's how you finish the pizza. I'm so pleased with myself :)

2. Some useful Italian phrases

When you're staying in Italy for a few weeks, knowing a little Italian can take you a long way. Here are some Italian phrases I use often:

Ciao! Come stai? = Hello! How are you?

Parla inglese? = Do you speak English?

Scusa, non parlo bene l'italiano. Parlo inglese. = Sorry, I don't speak Italian very well. I speak English.
Sono di Malesia = I'm from Malaysia.

Basta = Enough (Its useful especially when your host family is trying to stuff you with food)

and my favorite phrase....

Scusi, posso usare il bagno? = Excuse me, may I use the toilet.
(VERY IMPORTANT PHRASE)

There are quite a few more Italian words I know, but I speak broken Italian, so the above phrases are definitely the ones I can say perfectly. Not to mention the fact that I've picked up quite a few bad words on the way. Did you know that there are about 10 Italian words for the word 'pussy' alone?

But I'm not teaching any bad words here. Because I'm a ~~good~~ ~~polite~~ ~~well-mannered~~ OK girl.

So far, I've also learnt how to count up to a hundred, the days of the week, months of the year, and the colors in Italian. Lia has also taught me how to use 'have', 'had', and what not for the grammar in Italian. So I'm slowly but surely learning Italian.

3. How to play Italian 'Bingo'

'Sinco' is my favorite game here. Rules are simple, finish the pictures on your card when its called out first, and you win! Just like bingo. Except, you need money to play. Unlike Bingo. I've lost quite a few times, but I've won too. At the end of the day, I think I lost more than I won, but for the spirit of the game, I found it quite entertaining.

4. Italian boys pierce their ears to show their masculinity (or gayness)

During my stay in Italy, I noticed that a lot of Italian boys had pierced their ears. Its usually on their left ear. I asked Lia why they do this and she said its because they do that to show that they are a man.

Why the left ear? Because if you pierce your left ear, it shows that you are a straight man. Pierce the right ear, and that means you are gay. It explains a lot because whenever people talk about gay men, they would tug their right ear as a gesture that he's gay.

But if you pierce both ears, its not important. It doesn't show if you're gay or straight. Maybe its to show you're bi?

LOL. I pity the guy who talked himself into piercing his ears and accidentally pierced the wrong one XD

5. Most Italians don't sing their National Anthem

This is something I find quite sad. When I asked my classmates how do they sing their national anthem, they weren't sure about the lyrics and melody of the song! I was quite shocked because in every Malaysian school, we have to sing the National anthem, our state song, and the school song as we watch the flags being raised up the flagpole.

Here, there's no assembly every Monday, or any day of the week. We just go straight for classes. And even if there was a time when the entire school meet up (which is about once a month), they just get together and talk instead of getting in line and sing the national anthem. Plus, I don't even see the Italian flag on a flagpole in front of the schools.

Not much patriotism here, but I can see that the Italians are also very proud of their country from the way they talk about all the good things they have in Italy. From their rich culture and history, down to their food and language.

Hmm... I guess Italians are patriotic in their own way after all. I've changed my mind. Italians are patriotic after all.

6. When it seems like just enough, there's more!

OK, its lunch time. And I've been served a simple dish of pasta. By the time I've finished it, I'm neither hungry nor full. Perfect. THEN a mountain of salad plonked on my plate, along with a large steak and slices of bread. I feel stuffed just looking at it already.

That's usually what happens during meal time. There's never a meal that's 'just nice', its always 'too much'. Unlike Malaysia, Italians have a few courses of food, mainly the appetizers and the main course while we'd usually have one course in Malaysia and that's it!

Man am I stuffed o.O

7. How to write in Italian

Hell yeah that's my handwritten essay in Italian! Writing like a pro ~~with the help of a dictionary~~.

8. How to build a snowman

I built a snowman!! Its snowing here in Italy. Never in my life have I imagined that I could have the opportunity of seeing snow because I'm in the south. But the weather is so cold, its snowing here too! I didn't even feel cold because I was too happy to notice it.

My childhood dream of playing in the snow has finally been fulfilled.
The happiest day of my life :)

I'll write another post about my first winter wonderland soon.

Sick of Being Sick

2012-01-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

Cough! Cough! A...ACHOOOOO!!!!!

If the tittle and expressions above haven't given you a clue what's this post is gonna be about, you're probably an idiot. Or sick.

Yes, I'm down with the common cold (and I hope to God nothing more). I haven't been to school for a week now. In the beginning, my host sis was sick last Wednesday. We'd normally take the bus to school and I was still in good health to go to school by myself.

However, because my Italian skills is as good as a 3-year-old kid, I'm not allowed to take the bus myself because they're afraid I might:

1. Not be able to identify the right bus.
2. Take the wrong bus.
3. Get lost.
4. Talk to some random stranger for help.
5. Accept help from a kindly looking fellow in a white van.
6. Somehow find myself next to the Great Wall of China after accepting a glass of coke from the kind fellow and later took a long nap and forget who I was.
7. Spend the next 20 years traveling the world, delivering packets of what looked like dried grass.
8. Eventually watch the news and see a tearful couple mentioning my name and how much they miss me.
9. Recognize that its my parents and remember who I really was.
10. Fight a bloody battle with my master and eventually escape alive.
11. Travel by foot for 3 years to Malaysia.
12. Reunite with my family once again.
13. Fly to Italy.
14. Attempt to take the bus to school again.
15. Take the wrong bus.

So... yeah. I'm not allowed to take the bus to school alone. Yeah.

A few days after my host sis got sick, I got sick too! FML...

Anyway, I hope I've been making a speedy recovery. I've been drinking A LOT of water and using the toilet A LOT of times. The good news is that my pimples are finally going away! YAY!!! In a few days, my skin will be nice and smooth, just how it used to be.

The bad new is that because I haven't been moving my ass for a week and I've never stepped foot out of the house, I've been rolling in the weight gain and I'm SO FAT!!! >.<

When I'm back in Malaysia, its gonna be a strict diet and kilometers upon kilometers of non stop running. Maybe I'd get a personal trainer.

Now I know how pregnant people feel...

Buon Anno Cinese!

2012-01-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

GONG XI FA CAI and 新年快乐!

Its the year of the Dragon, the luckiest zodiac of the 12 years! I have a feeling that there's gonna be a lot of marriages and babies on the way.

Speaking about babies, my host family's cousin recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He's so gorgeous, I fell in love with him straight away. The baby's name is Raffaele, the same name as my host brother. Isn't that cool? I'm so happy for them :)

Oh yeah, on such a special occasion, naturally, I must dedicate a nail art for the year of the dragon and here it is!

Tada!! What do you think?

The head was a little tricky to paint on. I had to practice on a piece of paper with both hands before taking a deep breath and paint my nails. Miraculously, even my right hand turned out fine. I have steady hands :P

Lookie! Put my nails together and you get the body of the dragon :)

This year is probably the loneliest Chinese new year ever. Because I'm in Italy. Its weird not listening to the 'Boom, boom boom!!' of the fireworks, or watching a lion dance, going shopping for new clothes, eating a lot, and worst, no ang pau!!! >.<

But how often do I ever get to visit Italy? Exactly.

I've been aware about this and it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. There's always next year. Plus, I'm having a wonderful time here.

The downside is that I have pimples! Yes, that's right, smooth-as-a-baby's-butt-skin Anne has A LOT of pimples! I'm so devastated :(

Never in my life have I ever seen so many pimples at one time on my usually smooth skin!

Where did I go wrong???

Anyway, I'm doing my best to get rid of those awful pimples by drinking lots of water (I've been using the toilet more frequently these days), staying away from dairy products (I think that's the cause of it because I've been drinking milk and eating cheese and chocolate nearly everyday), and wash my face more often.

I'm so desperate to get rid of it. If it gets any worst, I swear I'll insist upon seeing a doctor! I can't live looking like the surface of the moon, I just can't. I'm really close to tears just looking at the mirror these past few days.

Okay, getting out of topic here. Anyway.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! Wishing you happiness and prosperity to all my family, friends, and not forgetting my lovely readers.

Lots of love from Italy <3

T.G.I.S

2012-01-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

Thank God its SUNDAY!

I swear, my first week of school for the year felt like the LONGEST week of my life. And I have to go through all that for the next 5 weeks. XP

My very first week of school in Italy was last year before the beginning of our 2 week holidays. It wasn't so bad then because everyone was relaxed and they finished school earlier. But now that the holidays are over, things start to get serious.

First of all, I found out that we had to go to school on a... a Saturday! Yes, I'm shocked too. In our Malaysian school, we only have school on Saturdays for curriculum activities or to replace a holiday. Even then, we don't go to school on that rare Saturdays because... we wanna sleep!

So yeah, its usually the people who have nothing else to do that would go to school on a freakin Saturday. But attendance in an Italian school is very important, so we have to go weather we like it or not. The only free day we get is a Sunday. *sigh*

Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the lessons either because everything is in Italian except for English classes. So I couldn't follow the lessons because I can't understand what they're saying... and I get really bored. Sometimes, I get so bored, I actually sleep in the class believe it or not.

Nobody noticed that I was sleeping during the past few days because I have a technique: I'd take out one of my novels, open it to a random page, bend over it and use my hair to cover my face so it looks like I'm reading when I'm actually in a far away land called Dreamland. So far, I haven't been caught yet.

I also discovered not long after that they have no recess!

Like WHAAAAT!? How can you possibly go on for 6 hours in school without at least 20 minutes break?? Apparently, the Italian students can. Its so weird. What if you get hungry? What if you need to use the toilet? What if you need some fresh air and to stretch your legs??

In the end, whenever I need to use the toilet or to buy a drink from the vending machine (did I mention that there's no canteen in the school?), I'd have to ask the teachers in Italian.

Later on, when school finishes, Lia and I have to literally RUN to the bus stop so that we can catch the bus home. And usually, we'd always miss the bus. So we have to either wait or take a 10 minute walk to the city square where all the buses go to and we have to wait about 30 minutes for the next bus to arrive.

In the morning, we also have to take the bus to school and I swear, never before have I appreciated owning a car or being driven around by my parents before! In the morning, the bus is so crowded, I'd usually get squeezed about by the passengers because I couldn't find a seat.

One time, I've been squeezed so hard by a guy from behind me, I swear I felt something else on my ass. I hope its his phone or something hard in his pockets *shivers*.

On the plus side, I really enjoyed playing sports with the school kids last Friday. We played Badminton. Its been a long time since I've done that.

While Lia was off playing soccer with her friends, I was playing badminton with an Italian boy (because I had no idea how to play soccer) when the P.E teacher told us to have a real badminton match. And guess who won??

ME! I won! Malaysia Boleh!!!

After I won the match, another boy who was watching us play wanted to challenge me as well. And I accepted, even though I was completely exhausted and dehydrated.

Once again, I won. Yep, I've still got it. Haha!!

The next day, my muscles were aching because I haven't been using those muscles in a long time because of my SPM exams. Gosh, I could hardly walk and my butt hurts so sitting down may take some time. But it was all worth it. It was probably the most exciting thing that had happened during the entire week.

I like my P.E teacher. He's probably the biggest guy I've ever seen so far. He's so tall, I'm barely up to his shoulders. (Yes Daniel, he's much taller than you.) I literally have to look up to talk to him.

I dunno why, but my P.E teacher reminds me of a St. Bernard. A gentle giant. He's very kind. The next day after playing Badminton, he gave me the school team t-shirt!

I realized that "No Al Doping" means 'No to Drugs'. Okaay....

Whatever. Its free!

On Saturday, I'd follow Lia and her friends to Avellino in the evening. It was a different experience walking around the place at night. I've never been out with my friends at night before, we'd usually go during the day.

I really enjoyed looking at the things that are sold in the shops, but we didn't go inside much shops.

I love shopping....

Oh and the shoes! Absolutely gorgeous! I love their boots, but I don't think its very practical to wear in Malaysia. *sigh* Oh well....

Anyway, we went to a pizza restaurant for dinner and guess what I had...

Sorry for the crap picture. I'm afraid of using flashes in a public place. But basically, its a pizza with cheese, sausages, and yes, believe it of not, french fries! What a strange pizza.

I wanted to try something other than my usual Margarita pizza, but I think I still prefer the classic, which is, of course, the Margarita. The french fry pizza is great, but I find it rather fattening and yes, you get one WHOLE pizza to yourself!

I really have no idea how the Italians do it! I've seen skinny girls and little kids eat those massive pizzas to themselves and they didn't seem very... stuffed. Like me. I could barely eat even half that pizza, but somehow I managed to stuff 3/4 of that pizza in me. Somebody else ate the remaining quarter pizza of mine.

You won't believe this, but, in Italy, you have to pay for the glasses, the cutlery, and basically the service in a restaurant! Its about 2 euros per person, which is about RM8. Damn!

I've been busy this past week and I know I'll be busy for the next few weeks as well. So I'll keep you updated every Sunday because apparently, that's the ONLY free day I have in a week.

Ciao!

Culture Shocks

2012-01-05T03:14:00.000-08:00

Its been about 3 weeks since I first stepped foot upon the Italian grounds and I have learnt that the culture in Malaysia and Italy are COMPLETELY different.

So here are some of the culture shocks I have experienced during my stay in Italy so far.

1. Its all about the love in Italy

When I first met my host family, I planned to give them a hug (and that's already very affectionate for me). But instead, they gave me a kiss on both cheeks each and I realized that this is common in Italy. More kisses and hugs followed after that when I met other Italians during my first week.

I have never received (or given) so many hugs and kisses in just 1 week, I can't even keep track anymore! But you know what? I actually like it.

2. Most Italians smoke

The first thing that greeted me at the entrance of the airport was the smell of cigarettes. Its very common for people to smoke here, including the teenagers. Even my host family smokes, except for my host sister, Lia.

Although I've been offered a cigarette once in a while, I refused politely. I want to experience their culture, but I don't intend to start any bad habits. Like smoking.

But I've learnt to stand the smell of cigarettes now and it doesn't bother me whenever somebody smokes in front of my face anymore.

3. Nobody goes bare footed in the house

OK, I've been quite aware about this culture before I arrived in Italy, but despite all that, I still asked where do I put my shoes when I first arrived at their home. I was a bit surprised that I could walk around in the house wearing my sneakers because I didn't want to dirty the floors.

But everybody seems to be doing it so what the heck. Anyway, if you wanna be comfortable, you can wear house slippers like the one I'm wearing now. Their aunt bought it for me even though I insisted that I'd pay for myself and she said its a gift for me.

Isn't that kind of her?

4. Italians eat fast

That was definitely a shocker for me. I thought I ate quickly. I've always finished eating my food first back in Malaysia, so I was very surprised that everybody else had finished eating their share of pizza while I was only halfway through (and trust me, it was a very large piece of pizza)!

The there was lunch and dinner and every time I always finish last! Even their grandpa ate faster than me =.=

5. EVERYTHING is in Italian. Even the Simpsons.

The Simpsons has always been one of my favorite shows. That's why I was feeling so happy when I saw the Simpsons theme song playing from my host family's TV. I was surprised when I saw Homer speak Italian after that.

In fact, everything that was originally in English has been dubbed into Italian so that the locals are able to enjoy it. We even watched Dragonball in Italian!

Its so weird watching Goku speak Italian...

Its not just the TV. Even the movies played American movies in Italian.

The other day, Lia took me along with her friends to watch Sherlock Holmes. At first, I was like 'Great! Something in English. Finally!' Fat hopes.

The movie is dubbed in Italian and there isn't even any English subtitles for me to read like the ones in Malaysia. I had a feeling that it was a good movie. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand a word of it.

6. Italian kids gamble a lot

Now that its the holidays, I've been following Lia to her friend's house nearly every night to play Tombola or Sinco. Its the Napolean version of 'Bingo' and its quite fun. Except for the fact that I always keep losing money T.T

Tombola. Its a game where somebody randomly chooses a number and call it out. You're supposed to cover the number that is called on your card just like bingo. The first one who finishes all the numbers is supposed to call out 'Tombola!' and you win money.

In the beginning, I didn't win at all because they call out the numbers in Italian so I couldn't really understand. But after numerous times of playing, I began to recognize the numbers and I've won a few times now.

Here's a fun fact about gambling in Italy; it is said that a person who is very unlucky in the game is usually lucky in love. Maybe I'm lucky in love because I never won anything at all during the first few nights :P

7. Loud conversations are normal

Until now, this is something I'm still not very used to. I don't understand Italian very well, so I get very uncomfortable when people starts talking to each other very loudly. At home, people shout at each other when they're mad at each other so I get a little upset whenever my host family starts talking loudly because I can't tell if they're angry or not.

I've been told that its normal for people to shout at each other even when their not mad, but sometimes I'm afraid they shout because I did something wrong. Oh well, hopefully I'll get used to it soon...

And that's some of the few culture shocks I have experienced during my stay in Italy. I'm pretty sure there are a few more, but I'm too lazy to list it down. More updates to come soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Christmas in Italy

2012-01-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR and BUON ANNO peeps!

OK, I know its a very, very late post, but what the hell. I'm gonna talk about Christmas in Italy anyway.

Being away from home on Christmas day is a totally new experience for me. Despite the cheerful atmosphere in my host family's household, I couldn't help that feeling about missing home and my family.

On Christmas eve, we had a BIG dinner and I mean a HUUUGE dinner. I've never eaten so much food before. At home, my family used to prepare several types of food and we'd leave it on the table for others to take as much as they want.

I'd usually take one meal and I'm done. But here in Italy, things are a little different. Instead of one course like I'd normally have, they have about 5 courses!! XP

These are some of the things we had for Christmas. The food is SOOO good. I really enjoyed it, but there's so much food, I felt like I could explode any minute.

Later on, Lia took me to their basement where they store all their food.

I've never seen so much tomato sauce all my life. They made it themselves last summer. Its used for pasta and other food. Like, seriously? Can they really finish it all in one year??

Actually, I think they can because I've been having food with tomato sauce nearly all the time.

Check it out! Apparently, their uncle and grandpa makes their own wine. How cool is that??

That's where they store their wine. I've tasted it a few times. Its pretty good, actually. Its not as strong as the wine we usually have at home, but its just perfect for me.

On Christmas day, we went to church. The mass is celebrated a little differently compared to Malaysia.

First of all, its obviously celebrated in Italian, its alright to enter the church late (as in very late. Like, after the homily late), the choir sounds so good (and the priest is not complaining that they sound too 'professional' like my church), and you can exist before the priest leaves once mass has ended. The priest would stay at the altar and greet the parishioners instead.

After mass, my host family took me to a place where there's so many displays of the scene when Jesus was born. Its so beautiful!

I just love the 3D scenes. It must've taken a lot of work to do it.

Isn't it absolutely stunning?

According to the Italian tradition, the gifts are exchanged and opened on Christmas day, unlike my tradition where we exchange gifts on the 26th December which is Boxing day.

I'm was surprised that I actually got a gift at all for Christmas. I mean, I'm just a stranger in the house. I did get each the member of my host family a Malaysian gift though. I hope they liked it.

I was very touched when their aunt gave me something as well as a classmate from school. Even my host mom and dad gave me something too.

Anyway, spending Christmas in Italy made me realize that its not about the gifts, its not about the decorations, and its not about the food. I learnt that Christmas is about being with your loved ones and the miracle birth of Jesus.

I missed my family so much on Christmas, but I had a blast with my host family at the same time.

Merry belated Christmas and a happy new year! <3

The New Girl

2011-12-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm currently on school holiday for Christmas and the New Year until the first week of January. That means I've had about 4 days of school in Italy so far.

I'm so glad that my host sister, Lia, is about my age so we can go to school together. At least there's somebody I know on my first day of school. We go to the same class together.

I thought the place was absolutely beautiful! We took a bus to school and I've been taking pictures along the way. I saw snow on the mountains!!! O.o

Woah! They actually have graveyards for their dogs. Awesome.

The streets were so quiet in the morning. So different compared to Malaysia.

Well, this is my classroom. There are about 22 students, but including me, there's 23 students in the class.

I was so nervous about going to their school. I was really hoping that they'd like me because I want to fit in so badly. During the AFS orientation camp, I've heard of quite a few students who didn't even make any friends because of the language barrier and sometimes, the students don't really give a damn about Asian kids, so I got kinda worried.

It turns out that once again, I worry for nothing. My classmates seemed happy to meet me! They were all smiles and introduced themselves. They showed me around the school and introduced me to their teachers. They can't really speak good English, but I can basically understand what they're trying to say.

The girls are so nice and they're so much fun! They are very close to each other and so friendly. They wanted me to sit at different places of the class with different people so that we can get to know each other better. I like that arrangement.

There are very few boys in the class though. I think there's about.... 7? I think. But they're so friendly and they were very curious about where I come from and how things are compared to Italy. They are so freakin gorgeous, but a little... errmm.... crazy.

As for the teachers, they were really nice people. They can't really speak English that well either, but I'm glad they try to anyway.

The English teacher is my favorite though. For obvious reasons. She took me to different classes to talk about our Malaysian culture and stuff while my class is taking a Latin exam. Latin is so friggin hard I'm telling you. Even though we may have a bit of Latin during mass, I still don't get it.

My classmates are awesome!

It was on the last day before the holidays started when we had a class party! I've never told my host family, but I hate cheese. But you know what? Their food is so good, I've been completely converted! (except the mozzarella cheese. I didn't really like it. Hopefully, I'd eventually get used to the taste).

My favorite so far is the Margarita pizza. Its a classic pizza in Italy and its so simple! Its just the pizza with cheese, tomato sauce and some basil leaves. Its simply 'molto buono'!

Later on, Lia and I went to visit a friend's house. I enjoyed looking at the streets of Italy. So small and quaint.

The streets are so beautiful at night! The lights, the shops, the people, everything! I'm so happy.

HOLY S**T! Its Sophie Kinsella's new book! I wanna read it, but its in Italian :(

And that was the end of my first week in an Italian school. I have to say that the school is very small, but the good thing about it is that then everybody in the school knows each other unlike a large school like mine. I was quite relieved that I managed to make friends and I feel so lucky that I have a host sister like Lia.

She's the best :)

Buongiorno Italy!

2011-12-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Italy! I still can’t believe I’m in freakin Italy. It still feels so surreal. I never thought I’d go to Europe someday. OK, yes I have and it came true!

Travelling to Italy was nerve wrecking. I was SOOO nervous the moment I first said goodbye to my family at the airport. But at the same time, I’ve never been so excited before. There were so many things on my mind; what if my host family don’t like me? What if I don’t fit in with my classmates? What if I don’t like it here?

There were just so many questions on my mind.

I’m not the only one though. Even Syefah, another exchange student was also nervous. Heck, she was crying when we left our parents!

Its true that I absolutely love travelling, but I also HATE going on long flights. And the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Doha took about 8 effin hours! That’s not even Italy yet. We still have to go on transit from Doha to Italy which is about a 6 hour flight.

So altogether, I’ve been travelling for about 14 hours, but that’s not even counting the 8 hours we had to wait on transit for the flight to Italy. Yeah, it took us about 22 hours to reach Italy XP

When I first arrived in Rome, the first thing that hit me when I stepped out of the airport was the smell of cigarettes. I’ve been told that most Italians smoke, so I was prepared to tahan the smell if my host family happened to smoke.

I still can't believe I was in Rome. Its like a dream come true :)

Before meeting our host family, we had to go for an orientation camp for 2 days. The volunteers are super friendly and we had a great time!

In the hotel, I found some gorgeous postcards of Rome and I wanted to buy it because I collect postcards. But the counter had no change for 10 euros. Like hello!? It’s a counter, its supposed to have change wth =.=

I brought only notes with me so I was disappointed to find out that I can’t buy a drink from the vending machine. I haven’t had a drop of water since I stepped out of the plane so I was pretty frustrated that not only can’t I buy a drink, I can’t buy postcards or make a call because the freakin counter had no change for 10 euros!

But the place is absolutely beautiful! I fell in love with it instantly.

My first Italian breakfast! In Italy, there is bread in every meal and I mean every meal. Not that I'm complaining though. Their bread is so yummy!

During our break from the session, Ricardo, our volunteer, took me and my group to the top of the roof to see St. Peter’s church. I’ve always wanted to visit that place! Its been my dream to see the Vatican and visit the most famous church in the world!

I really hope I could visit that place someday *sigh*.

At the end of the session, we all said our goodbyes to each other as we went our separate ways to meet our host families. I was really, really nervous at that time because I was afraid I might not recognize my host family or they might not pick me up from the train station.

Come to think of it, I guess that was kinda silly, huh?

I took some pictures on the way to the train station from the bus. Once again, here’s st. Peter’s church. *sigh* So near, yet so far…

The roads are so clean and the cars are so adorable!

I don’t know what’s this place called, but Lorenzo said it’s a famous court or some sort.

Everything is simply beautiful! I love Italy :D

Sorry for the VERY late update, but I’ve been busy settling down in my new home for the next 2 months. When I finally took the train to Avellino, my heart was beating fast because I really hoped my host family would like me.

So when I stepped off the train into the cold dark night, I got very worried when I saw no one there. I can’t speak Italian, my phone was dead and I didn’t have any small change to call if there’s a problem. I don’t know if it was the cold or if I was nervous, but my body shook vigorously and my teeth was chattering… you know what? I think I was cold after all.

Anyway, I found a bench and sat there for about 10 minutes before a lady holding an AFS poster with my name on it approached me. That’s when I met my host mom.

I was so relieved! I haven’t introduced you to my host family, have I?

My host family is a family of four, just like mine. There’s my host mom, Genoveffa, host dad, Pasquale, my host sister (I finally have a sister!), Lia, and my host brother, Raffaele.

I liked my host family instantly. They are so kind and generous. When I first arrived at their home, they gave me a brand new coat, hat and scarf because they knew Malaysia is a hot country and they were concerned that I’d get cold here.

I was so touched. I can’t imagine buying things like these for complete strangers. As I was preparing for bedtime, my host mom asked me if I had pyjamas. I told her that I planned to wear my track pants and the cardigan that I was wearing.

She simply shook her head, took out a box containing a set of new pyjamas and gave it to me! The pyjamas is so warm and comfortable. I never thought anybody would be this generous and kind to outsiders like me.

A complete stranger whom they barely know and they've welcomed me into their home and gave me clothes because they were concerned about my well being.

Apparently, my host family couldn't speak English very well. I discovered that they've been using Google translate when e-mailing me. Luckily, my host sister, Lia, could speak English just fine. Not that great English, but good enough for us to communicate with each other.

I feel so lucky to be in this family.

So anyway, we had dinner of Margarita pizza. It’s a classic pizza in Italy and I really liked it! Really.

I had no idea that I’m supposed to have one whole pizza to myself. I also found out that apparently, Italians eat quickly. And I mean really quick. Everybody else had finished their pizza while I was only halfway through my first slice!

And trust me, it was a very big slice of pizza.

The slice of pizza was actually enough to fill my tummy, so I politely declined the rest. I really couldn’t eat anymore because I had an apple, a big sandwich, yoghurt, and more bread on the train.

In the house, I saw a fireplace! An actual fireplace that works! My host dad or brother would take firewood from outside the house and put it in there. I know it sounds silly, but I was really fascinated to see a real fireplace that is fully functionable to heat the house.

Raffaele told me that the heat from the firsplace goes round the whole house because there is a heater in every room. The heat from the fireplace would travel through the pipes and out the heater so that it’ll be nice and toasty in the house.

I didn’t have an adaptor for any of my gadgets so I had no choice but to use my host family’s computer at the moment. The keyboard is slightly different from the keyboards in Malaysia. So it took me some time to find the keys and letters I needed to e-mail my family.

In Italy, some of the symbols such as @?()&;*% are in different places and there are also other symbols I’ve never seen before. Its probably an accent which is read differently.

The next day, I had to go to school. I’ll blog about it the next time. Ciao!

Ready for Italy!

2011-12-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

As most of you guys would know by now, I'm going to Italy for the next 2 months! I'm really excited and for the past few days, we've been shopping for some winter clothes and other essentials for the trip. Here's some of the stuff we bought.

From the letter I received, it says I needed to bring along a traditional costume to show the Italian folks. So my mom wanted to get me a Nyonya costume because I'm actually from a Nyonya heritage. For those who don't know, the Nyonyas were actually a mix of Malay and Chinese royalty back then.

Nowadays, there are very few Nyonyas around, but my great grandma is a Nyonya. We could hardly find any nice Nyonya traditional outfits in KL, so we went to Melaka to find it as the Nyonya people originated there.

Luckily, we were able to find PLENTY of beautiful Nyonya clothes and its in such good quality (unlike the lousy ones we've found in KL)! There were a few outfits, but I've finally made a decision and here it is!

What do you think?

The thing is, its gonna be winter there, so I hope where ever I'm going to might have heaters so that I won't freeze my butt off when I wear this outfit there. Still, it is a really nice outfit. Maybe I'll wear it for Easter day next year when I'm back in Malaysia.

I also got a few stuff mainly from Mid Valley. Mostly long sleeved shirts and some sweaters. And some jeans. I'd usually go for Levi's jeans for quality, but this time, I've found a better place to look for jeans.

This time, I got my jeans from Dorothy Perkins. Their jeans are super comfortable, its good quality and it costs less than RM100 (probably also because its on discount). I should've gone looking for those jeans a long time ago!

Here we have my scarves, hat and gloves. I'm gonna be nice and toasty there!

And then we have my jackets, sweater and cardigan. Of course, not all of them are new. Some were the same jackets I use whenever I go to Australia.

I am, however, pretty glad I have a trench coat. I feel like a flasher!

Then there's my favorite...

I swear! I did not plan to buy 2 boots. Even though I got them both for less than RM150 (I absolutely LOVE sales). I planned to get only one because I know its gonna be cold there and I couldn't wear any of my formal shoes cuz they're all strappy heels and my feet will be frozen for Christmas and New Year.

But because Aunty Margaret wanted to get me something nice and we were stuck between the two boots, she decided to get both of them for me (don't worry, they were waayy below her budget). Thanks a lot Aunty Margaret! I love you!

I also got two thermal clothes (or Long Johns as most would call it, or long underwear if you wanna make it sound even more un-sexier). But its really amazing stuff because even though the cloth appears thin, I can actually sweat in an air conditioned room with only that thing on!

While we were shopping, I was really hoping I could find something nice to wear for Christmas because apparently, the dresses I have are not appropriate for the weather and the material might cause static shocks. It was only on the last day, I've found the PERFECT dress which is pretty, festive, warm, and comfortable!

Check it out! This is what I'll wear this Christmas.

This is what it looks like on the outside. But on the inside...

Tada! I told you I feel like a flasher in a trench coat, right? But anyway, what do you think of the dress? Its made of wool, so its very warm (trust me, I was already sweating when I took the picture). Its in a festive color, which is red, perfect for Christmas and it doesn't cause static shocks!

Its the perfect winter dress!

I'm really excited about the trip to Italy. I've been communicating with my host sister. So apparently, my host family is a family of four; a mother, father, brother and sister. I'm quite relieved that my host siblings are about the same age as me. The brother is 17 and the sister is 16! Just like me and my brother!

They also live in a villa and I'll be going to Campania, which is South of Italy (thank goodness its warmer there!). Its also near Naples and its not too far away from Rome.

Oh I really hope I could visit Rome!

I'll be going to an Italian school and I'm very nervous about attending their local school as a foreign student. I hope I'd be able to make as many friends as possible and maybe fit it with them. This is like 'The New Girl' feeling in school all over again!

I hope they like me.

Updates maybe a little slow for the next couple of days because I'll be off to Italy this Friday. I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time.

Wish me luck and Merry Christmas!

Dear Santa

2011-12-03T04:39:00.001-08:00

I'm beginning to think you've been reading my letters wrong every year because you seem to be getting me the wrong things for Christmas. Not that its a terrible gift or anything if that's what you think. But I think its time you get yourself a pair of reading glasses.

This year, I'm not gonna ask you for any gifts because obviously you need to work on your reading skills before you disappoint me again. But lets review the things you got me for Christmas since the day I first learnt how to write, shall we?

When I was 4,

I asked for a Barbie doll. You gave me a doll, alright. But it wasn't a Barbie doll, it was a rag doll.

I understand that men can't really tell the difference about girly stuff, but really? A rag doll?? Geez...

When I was 8,

I asked for a coloring book with plenty of crayons. It was also that year when I begged you to stop giving me clothes because that's what you always seemed to be giving me every year! Once again, I thought you must have read my letter wrong because you gave me...

That's right. More clothes. Do you have elves that help or elves that sit on the sofa all day long?

When I was 11,

I was finally pleased that you have eventually stopped giving me clothes. This time, I asked you for a pair of roller shoes because all the other kids have it. Instead, you gave me...

Candy. Lots and lots of freakin candy! Need I say more?

When I was 15,

My belief in you was already beginning to deteriorate because you have been giving me the wrong stuff every year. However, I gave you one more chance by asking you for a Makeup set because I thought I was old enough to have one. But what did you give me?

Santa, I understand that a lot of girls get pregnant at my age and I know I did mention that I'm turning into a young lady and all, but SERIOUSLY!? A maternity shirt?? I have totally lost all faith and hope in you.

Its been 2 years since I've stopped writing to you. Back then, I used to write to you with paper. But I have a feeling that its been used as toilet paper for the past 13 years. So I will not give you the pleasure of wiping this entry onto your cold ass because this'll be posted on your computer and I'm sure you don't wanna ruin it, do you?

I'm not writing to you to complain about your past mistakes. OK, maybe a little bit. But the reason why I'm writing to you now its because I want you to give my family a wonderful Christmas this year while I'm away in Italy. Let them not have the Christmas blues because there might be less people to celebrate Christmas with this year, but let them have one of the most memorable ones ever!

Give them a turkey, or give them a roast lamb. Remember to fill all their stockings with lots of presents (PLEASE! No more clothes!) and give them the Christmas spirit they deserve.

This time, no more screw ups. OK?

Anne.

P.S. Will you do me just one more favor? I would really appreciate it if you could just gather all of Justin Bieber's Christmas albums... and BURN IT. Thank you with sprinkles on top :)

Dear readers, this post is based on a true story. Believe it or not, I've actually received a maternity shirt one Christmas. So to all those girls out there who thinks they've received a weird gift, think of me and be grateful for what you've got.

Memory Lane

2011-11-25T02:40:00.001-08:00

Its about 3 more papers before I finish my SPM and I can't help but think that I'm gonna lose so many people in my life. I mean, I won't be in high school any longer. I may never see my teachers and perhaps some of my classmates again.

Looking back at the happy times I had in high school, I feel rather sad that I won't be in this school any longer. I won't be able to see my teachers, my classmates, tuition, all of it! Its just such a huge change to me.
I had a great time with all my school mates. Especially my classmates from 5 Jujur. We certainly shared lots of memories together for the past 2 years together.

As lame as it sounds, I honestly feel that I'm gonna miss waking up in the morning, put on my uniform and go to school. Studying together in a classroom, using the smelly toilets, forgetting to do your homework, and so much more which I have taken for granted.

I'm gonna miss spending time with my friends everyday. Making prank calls from the public phone, skipping class, camwhoring in the school and playing pranks on my friends will only be but a fond memory of mine now.

I'm also gonna miss taking part in school activities such as cross country. Though I'm not exactly the athletic type, I'm rather disappointed that I didn't make my goal of winning a medal because I fell and sprained my ankle this year :(

Although I didn't take part in the running competition for sports day, at least I took part in the tug-of-war. Which we won!

My first and last medal from this school. Actually, I used to win a lot of medals before. Its just that in this school, not everyone can participate. So things are a little different here.

And how could I forget about the time the teachers brought us out for the Bon Odori event? We had such a great time then...

Finally, our graduation day. I really felt so emotional then because this is my final year of high school and I'm not sure if I'm ready to lose the people I know and love from this school.

That's me and my class teacher, Pn. Rozitah. She's been our Physics teacher for 2 years.

I'm gonna miss her too...

I really hope we could keep in touch as much as possible. Who knows? Maybe someday our kids could be the best of friends someday.

Of course, I'll be missing my teachers. No question. I mean, they've been helping me all these years, sacrificing their time just to help their students.

I still remember my Standard 6 BM teacher, Pn. Noraidah. How could I? Even though it was against the school rules for teachers to give private tuition to their students, she helped me out anyway. Despite the risk of losing her job. She really helped improve my BM skills a lot and I really appreciate that.

Then there's my P. Moral teacher, Pn. Norlida. She really helped me out with my essays because I was pretty lousy at it. She gave me loads of tips because I was the only one who actually gave a damn about the essay. I really want to score for my SPM!

I also appreciate the help of my current BM teacher, Pn. Afizan. Despite her strict attitude, she's actually very kind. She didn't mind whenever I ask her to check my essays and she actually marked it and gave me tips. So I'm really grateful for her help.

My English teacher Pn. Habibah is also one those special teachers I won't forget either. She's the one who helped me achieve the opportunity of being selected for the student exchange programme. Because she's one of the few teachers who could write good English, she went through all the trouble of writing the recommendation letter, talking to the principle, getting info's about my academic progress, etc, etc.... I'll send her a postcard once I'm in Italy. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably wouldn't be able to go.

But in general, I'm pretty much gonna miss all of my teachers. Especially one whom I wouldn't mention because ~~I once had a mini crush on him~~ he helped me a lot.

So yeah, school life holds a great deal of bitter and happy times there. I'll definitely miss it tremendously and sometimes I wish I was Form 1 again.

But, I gotta move on in life. I'm gonna finish my SPM, go for the student exchange programme, get an internship at The Star newspaper, then go to college. So far, that's my plan until then. Maybe next year I'll organize a gathering to see all my school mates, teachers and friends once I'm back from Italy.

Wish me luck!

Traditional Outfits

2011-11-19T05:11:00.001-08:00

Many people would've known by now that I have been selected to participate in a student exchange programme to ITALY for about 2-3 months.

I've been applying for this student exchange programme since the beginning of this year and I didn't dare announce my trip to Italy because I didn't want to jinx it.

BUT since its been confirmed that I'm selected, I've got my host family and I know when's my departure date to Rome, I guess its time I'd let my readers know that I may or may not blog while I'm there because I don't know if there's gonna be wi-fi over in Italy.

According to the letter I received, it says that I have to prepare some info, pictures, our Malaysian flag and I have to bring a traditional outfit there.

I don't normally wear any traditional outfit of any sorts and I'd like to wear an outfit that wouldn't make me freeze to death in Italy because I've gotta feeling that its gonna be cold there. You see my problem?

I think a Baju Kebaya (traditional Malay outfit) looks nice, but I don't know if its gonna be warm enough for me over there...

I've worn a Punjabi outfit (traditional Indian clothes) too....

I've heard that the Sari (another traditiona Indian outfit) is pretty hot, but...

The middle may be a little exposed and my tummy easily gets cold. Besides, what if I liked Italian food so much, I got fat and look super ugly in a sari???

And then I thought about my own traditional costume which is a cheongsam, because I'm a chinese. The problem is that nobody wears a Cheongsam and hardly anyone sells it either.

Another problem is that to wear a Cheongsam, you should have a good figure to wear it because its such a shapely outfit and its probably one of the most sexiest traditional outfits ever! How the heck can I pull it off?

If I wanna wear a traditional outfit which keeps me warm, hide my figure, and keep me close to my Chinese roots, I might as well wear this outfit:

Woohoo! An outfit from the Tang Dynasty. Hat included. Now THAT's a traditional outfit!

Unfortunately, nobody from this century even sells or wear it because its ridiculous to wear something like that in a scorching hot weather like ours.

I need help.

What kind of traditional costume should I wear to Italy???

Leave a comment with your opinion.

Come to think of it, why is it that in a multi- racial country like Malaysia, only the Chinese NEVER wear their own traditional costumes unlike the Indians and Malays?

Hmmm.... you can also leave a comment about that too if you like. I think its because its too sexy to wear in public.

Oh yeah, my first week of SPM wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Except last Thursday, which was Math. Usually, I thought Maths was a piece of cake. I mean, it always has been before....

Until I realized that 5 minutes before time was up, I realized that I shaded 10 questions wrong because I skipped 3 questions by mistake! Total chaos!

I barely had time to shade the answer sheet correctly and answer the 3 questions correctly before the examiner collected our papers. By the time I got to the last question, the examiner told us to put down our pencils because time's up.

Nevertheless, I ignored her and finally thought of the correct answer and shaded it properly just seconds before she took away my paper. Thank God I got everything right just in time.

Of all things to happen, I can't believe I panicked during maths, the easiest subject ever! And I think I know why. Its because I didn't wear pink underwear that day unlike the rest of the week because I ran out of them.

On the bright side, Math paper 2 was definitely easy to answer. I had no problem there.

Btw, Pink is my lucky color according to my horoscope. Yes, believe it or not, I actually believe this shit. Don't judge me.

Wish me luck for my next few papers!

P.S. I can't believe I'm sharing the color of my underwear to the world. Must be the stress that's causing me to think irrationally. Oh well.

Its Finally Here!

2011-11-12T20:08:00.001-08:00

OMG! I'm practically hyperventilating right now.

Tomorrow's the big day; the day I've been preparing for the past 10 years. The day I've been dreading all my life. The day I've been studying for day and night. The day that'll mark my last day of High School....

The day I finally sit for my SPM examinations O.o

Its all set. Our tables were arranged, our SPM slips were pasted on our desks and I'm sitting face to face in front of the examiner. Just my luck!

Worst, since I'm the only student in the entire school who's taking the Bible Knowledge exams, I'll be in a room alone with the examiner. One. On. One :S

Hopefully the examiner isn't some creep who's really annoyed with me for taking the exam so I have to occupy his/her time. If the Good Lord is kind enough, perhaps the examiner is cool enough to cit chat with me during the exam to lighten the atmosphere. Fat hopes.

Anyway, remember how I used to whine about not being able to have a proper graduation day like everybody else and that I wanna wear a fancy robe and hat and hold a fake scroll?

Guess what?

WHEE!! Much to my surprise and delight, we had a surprise graduation session last Friday, 11.11.11. I got to wear a fancy robe and hold a fake scroll! I'm so happy!! :D

Well, we didn't have the hat, but that's OK. It might ruin my hair anyway.

Apparently, we were the first batch in our school history to have a graduation day. I feel so honored and lucky to be the first to graduate from high school properly.

There's my entire class taking our graduation photo. Can you spot me next to the teacher?

I know at a time like this, I should be studying instead of blogging right now, but I thought I should just update you guys on what's going on right now. Updates may be slow from now on until 5th December which is my last day of SPM.

Besides, I've been working my butt off writing lots of essays and doing exercises for at least 6 hours a day (and please fellow SPM students, don't you dare boast about how much longer you study than me because I don't give s shit that you've been studying for 24 hours a day and that you're much cleverer than me and I'm a lazy sloth.).

I've even started writing in a straight handwriting instead of my normal cursive style, which is kind of a pain because it really slows down my writing. But I gotta make sure the examiner could read my handwriting.
I think I deserve a short break, don't I?

Today, as I was reading my horoscope from the Sunday's newspaper, it says that my lucky color, number and day is pink, 13 and Monday.

So I have a good feeling that tomorrow is gonna be my lucky day. It better be, because BM is gonna be my first subject so I'd better do well on that subject.

And since my school uniform does not even have the slight hint of pink, I'm gonna wear as many Pink underwears as possible. To attract more luck via my ass. As for the number, I'll just turn my volume up to 13 in my car for that extra luck boost.

Usually, I'd look at a horoscope and then think its bullshit, but this time, I really feel that I need as much help as I could get. I've even been praying real hard everyday that I'd do well in my exams. So far, my prayers really did come true for my exams.

The first time I prayed for at least 4 A's in my UPSR, I really did get exactly 4 A's, much to everyone's surprise (they thought I was too carefree and relaxed. A parent actually thought I was stupid. But her son is retarded and that's already polite enough. So there.)

Later on, I prayed that the lowest grade I could possibly get for my PMR was at least a C and it also came true! I prayed that I might be chosen for the students exchange programme despite my average grades and the slim chance that I'll be chosen, and it too came true!

God has really helped me all these years and hopefully, he'd help me again so that I'll do well in my exams.

Good luck to all SPM students! Lets all do our best and pass with flying colors. God bless!

P.S Thanks to you guys, GlamorAnn has finally reached over 10000 viewers!! Thank you so much for all your support. This has really given me the encouragement to blog more often.

P.S.S I know it may not be a lot of viewers to some of you, but this blog has really come a long way since 2009. So shut up.

How to Annoy Like a Pro

2011-11-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

It brings me great satisfaction when it comes to annoying the wits out of my brother. As Daniel's older sis, its my job to makes his life miserable. After 16 years of being on the job, its time I share with you on how to make life a little rosier by annoying like a pro.

So here's some of the top annoying stuff I do that drives my brother up the walls:

1. Smother him with lots of love

That's right. Straight boys aren't the mushy kind of people. So everyday, I tell my brother how much I love him. Just shove your love right up to his face. It always winds him up. Never gets old.

2. Sing the same song over and over again

Not just any ordinary songs. The really annoying ones like nursery rhymes or some random tunes with the occasional bangs and chorus! (Baba Black sheep is my favorite tune.)

3. Just smile and stare

It really works. Not only is it creepy, its also entertaining to watch his reaction. Plus, you're already being annoying without doing anything! That's the beauty of it. And if you want that extra 'oomph', batter your eyelashes whenever he looks at you.

4. Ask lots of questions

Here are the top questions I ask my brother nearly everyday:

What's up?
Can I play with you?
Isn't my dog so pretty?
Can I cut your hair someday?
Don't you love me?
Can I ride your future motorcycle?
Can I move in with you when we're grown up?
Don't you like my little puppy??
Aww! Isn't my doggie cute?

And so on...

5. Sing along to his favorite song. Badly

Whenever a song comes up on the radio in the car, I'd sing along off tune just for that pained look on my brother's face. Of course, he'd turn the radio up to drown my voice and eventually I'd stop. But I'll sing again a couple of minutes later.

6. Make bets you will never pay

According to Daniel, I owe him RM250 after a countless number of random bets I made with him. But we both know very well that I ain't paying up.

7. Don't follow his directions

Whenever I drive my brother around, he'd constantly give me instructions on what to do. So sometimes, when he tells me to go left, I'd go right. When he tells me to make a U-turn, I'd drive further away from the U-turn and take the longest way back.

8. Sniff. Loudly

I love it whenever Daniel reacts to that. MOM! ANNE IS SNIFFING ME AGAIN!!!

9. Poke at random times

Unlike Facebook, poking people in reality is a lot more entertaining than clicking on a button.

Also, an annoying person should know how to Take a Punch!

Having a brother who is 6ft 4inches tall and a body mass of nearly twice my size, its no laughing matter when he gets mad. Trust me.

But after years of experience, I'm not afraid when he gets mad. I've gotten used to being hit once in a while and I always get yelled at, but that's the price I have to pay to be annoying. Its all worth it though. In fact, it gets us closer each day.

See how close we are? We enjoy each other's company.

I Wish Guys Would..

2011-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

What happened to all the gentlemen in the world? Finding a guy with some decent manners and courtesy towards women are so rare these days! Why is it so hard for guys to be a gentleman once in a while?

You see? This is why its so hard to find a boyfriend!

Guys, we girls would really appreciate it if you...

1. Insist on paying the bill

Sure, its nice to offer to split the bill just to be polite, but we girls don't expect you to accept it. What we expect is for you to wholeheartedly, unabashedly insist on paying. That shows that you really want to make a good impression. And also that you have cash. To go shopping. With us.

2. Hold the door open for a stranger

No doubt that its a polite gesture. To me, it proves that you have class and not afraid to show it.

3. Keep us warm

That's Barack Obama keeping his wife, Michelle warm with his jacket.
Do you see how sweet that is?

Girls, on average get cold much easily than men. So if you really do care, risk a bit of discomfort and give us your jacket when you see us shivering. Trust me, every girl wants to be treated that way.

4. Help us with our bags

Weather its helping us to hoist our bags into the overhead compartment on an airplane or just helping us carry a heavy load to our cars, a guy's strength is definitely much appreciated. Not trying to sound sexist or anything like that, but lets face it. Guys are certainly stronger than girls. Which makes them indispensable. Especially during our shopping spree!

5. Know your 'P's and 'Q's

Remember to say 'please' and 'thank you'. It costs you nothing and it keeps everybody happy. It sounds pretty simple, but you'd be surprised how few I've seen people remembering either.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

6. Smile!

There's nothing more attractive than a guy with a genuine smile. So smile! It might brighten up somebody's day. Everybody likes being smiled at :)