Interact With Us!

Yahoooooooo!

2009-04-25T01:37:00.006+08:00

It was 1am when I checked my email and I was thrilled to receive a conversation from Lindsey of Texas who ordered my art magnets recently. Here's a screenshot of what she wrote:

She put a smile on my face with those kind words. This is one of the reasons why I've always wanted to be independent and do my own thing. I like being in control of what I do and the sense of satisfaction is really something else! I don't think I will ever miss having a Managing Director tell me what to do around the office or to deal with insecure colleagues who are constantly threatened by the presence of a better individual. I am forever grateful for my mum. When everyone else tells me I am being unrealistic, she is the one person I know who is always supportive of what I do.

Honestly, I am still unsure of what I really want but till it all becomes clear, I am gonna stick with my passion and interest as I go along. Even interest is not straightforward for me - I have too many! I seriously need a specialised brain haha.

This is totally random but thanks Kai - for the little things you've done and given me.

Ok I must get some sleep now or I'll probably miss my 7am class!

Ciao!
Niza A.

A Beautiful Morning

2009-02-23T06:53:00.005+08:00

I was up the whole night to finish an assignment and this was what I saw when I stepped outside this morning.

I know...nothing special but it's RARE that I get to see mornings these days. Let alone smell the morning air. Someone said to me "Don't waste the golden moments - your golden years - by waking up late" Err...isn't golden years for older people? Anyways, I know she was just being concerned and I totally understood what she meant. I agree. At the same time, I can't help it that I get my assignments done better at night. Then again, the hours of the morning till afternoon is when I get things done - when I'm most efficient and productive. Almost as if I'm two like sides of magnetic poles that repel each other. Not that I'm a science geek...one in the familiy is enough :p (and that's a compliment).

I miss mornings. I wanna get back to waking up early and watching those home decor and cook shows on TV. I did that a lot way back during the 'done with school and job hunting later' period. Now I realise that I don't even watch TV anymore! Is this a sign of getting old? haha.

Oh no I just remembered I have a class later! Can't get my rest yet! Some final adjustments to make!

Ciao!
Niza A.

What have the sisters been up to lately?

2009-02-03T06:48:00.018+08:00

We just got back from a trip to the beaches of Hawaii. Vivid memories of women dancing the hula, men sipping tropical drinks topped with pineapple and paper umbrellas...everything was beautiful...the sun, sand and the sea...Jaslyn made us promise that we would be back again next year when beautiful flowers bloom in the summer...

Ok fine! Those things never happened. Maybe in future eh... :D

Now, what have we really been up to? Apart from school, we have been working to launch a new line of fashion items as well as stylish accessories for the home.

After months of planning, we finally came up with designs that we both love. Things are still in the early stages and there's still sooo much we have to do. We bickered A WHOLE LOT throughout the process (What! We're siblings, what do you expect?) but we had tons of fun too.

So we had a brainstorming session the other day. We came up with a couple of potential names but decided to stick to something close to our heart - Shieza's. As some of you may already know, it is a combination of our names, Shiella and Niza.

Here's a sneak peak of our designs...and more to come!

Most of our items will be customised and made to order so you can choose your own design and prints and we will do the rest for you!

It's going to be tough juggling school, Shieza's and a myriad of random stuff including blogging! :D. We're working with every spare time we have. Hopefully it will all go well and we'll be able to launch our designs soon. We will need all your support so wish us luck!

Love,
Shieza A.

Quick Updates

2009-01-25T00:39:00.010+08:00

School term has just started and I'm already rushing for an assignment due on CNY! It doesn't help that my short attention span is getting shorter (if there is such a thing at all). My mind keeps drifting every 5 minutes when I'm supposed to be listening in class. To complete my assignment, I'll have to read through my textbooks again just to grasp the topics that were covered. Then I'll wonder why I did not concentrate enough in class haha. Soon as this assignment is done, there'll be 2 chapter quizzes to be tackled by the end of next week! It wasn't as hectic last semester. This only means I'm left with less time to do things that I've been planning to do. Good thing my time is not restricted and I can still cope. It's admirable how some people juggle full-time careers and part-time studies. It can be a challenge. You guys deserve a pat (or two) on the back.

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I have always viewed the world and the people around me through rose-colored spectacles. Then something happened recently which shattered the rose-colored spectacles that I've always carried around with me. I realize that as optimistic as I am about almost everything and as good-hearted as I believe people to be, I can never be too sure. I used to brush off bad feelings in me, thinking I was just imagining things to be bigger than they really are. Well the bad feelings has usually proven to be true so now I know better that I should pay more attention to it. Haha yeah I know this may not make any sense to some but the things that has happened...they really opened my eyes. To a certain degree, it has made me see people and the things around me a little differently. Now that's what I call real world university ;)

I am truly appreciative of all who had been with me, helping me through that short moment - something I will not forget.

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Moving on to work. Met up with Jan this month. For a while, we made do with emails and phone calls so it was good to finally get some mutual time off. We had some really great face to face discussions and exchange of ideas. As usual, we had a lot of updating to do :) Met Mei too. I remembered how I thought Jan and Mei looked like sisters when I first saw them at the gym. Anyways, if you are looking for pretty corporate gifts, do check out what Jan and Mei has to offer at Icing Gifts. I like their fresh concept.

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The first month of 2009 is fast coming to an end. I think this year is gonna be filled with new things and exciting ventures. I am prepared for the worse yet still hoping for the best. I can hardly wait! :D

Niza A.

Dinner-Bowling-Arcade-Sis's Engagement!

2008-12-01T18:23:00.036+08:00

I'm back!!! Finally, the excruciating exams are over. But I'm still as busy as ever with club activities, tutoring preparations and loads of readings to complete. And facebook games as well. :D Last weekend was especially busy for me and my sis, Niza.

Dinner at Newton Circus

Hanies and Hisham

Rizzy, Me and Mommy!

Saturday night was happily spent on dinner at Newton Circus! It's been such a long time since I last took a bite on those scrumptious, delicious, titillating, well-seasoned, mouthwatering stingray with sambal! Full 5 stars given for its divine taste. :) Sadly, my poor sister, Niza, could not join us because she fell sick. She almost passed the flu virus to me but luckily my strong immunity managed to block and fight back those vicious foreign particles from invading and crumbling down my entire system like what happened with my sis's. Haha..anyways, here are more pics.

Yummylicious stuffs from my not-so-good quality camera handphone. The food definitely taste better than it looks here.

Arcade & Bowling

After dinner, we decided to hit the pins at East Coast bowling alley. It was very crowded and we had to wait for 10 people ahead of us before our turn. While waiting, we sneaked up to the 2nd level to shoot bad people and do some bike racing.

Hi! We're pro-bowlers from Team Singapore :)

Strategizing...

We got home pretty late and it was a tiring day. But it was so much fun and definitely worth it. A very, very special thanks to Rizzy for driving us around. Traveling to these places would not have been possible if not for you. :)

1st Sis's Engagement

The next day, my 1st sis, Hanies, got engaged to Hisham, her boyfriend..or should I say fiance. ;) Congrats sister! May they have a blissful and everlasting love and I look forward to their marriage! Can't wait to attend their marriage and do my hair, wear beautiful baju kurung and eat good food...hehe..I sound as if I'm the one getting married. The engagement was such a joyous occasion but unfortunately, we did not manage to capture much on camera. That's because we were so busy helping out with the cooking, cleaning and doing many other things good daughters would always do. ;)

I did however took a picture of my little nieces, who both look as cute as me! *huge smile*

Hahah...I should really stop praising myself to the skies...'cos everybody already know how cute I am. :P 'Till next time! Toodles!

Love,
Shiella A.

The Meet

2008-11-24T18:00:00.012+08:00

I was looking through my old album and found this old picture of us. That was the assembly area where we used to sing the national anthem and take our pledge each morning. That LONG path (long enough for our 2.4km run) we had to take in order to reach the school compound. I remember how I used to rush to school in the mornings and get caught for being late. Twice or thrice, Yvonne would let me pass so I won't need to get my name written down on the detention book! Haha of course I didn't get to escape from detention totally. There was one time when I had to clear rubbish bins from every class after school as punishment.

I miss the macaroni soup from the school canteen! That stall always had the longest queue.

Julie, Yati and myself used to skip P.E. lessons as much as we could. Then we'll either sit at the stone areas or in class and start chatting away. Haha yeah I don't like P.E. There was once when almost everyone in class skipped Mdm. Zurinah's F&N lesson after exams to play badminton for over 2 hours. We all got muscles aches the next day and couldn't walk properly! Going up and down the stairs was a terrible experience! Lol that's what we got for skipping classes heh.

So I met the girls after my exam. Everyone seems to have lost a bit of weight.

Our dinner at Jalan Kayu

Khai and Atie

Julie, Hana and Myself

Eryani had to work late so we made our way to her home area after dinner for a short meet.

On our way home, Julie was talking about how we used to skip lessons after the exams. I totally don't recall! Lol haven't I always been a good girl? :p She also said that everyone is still the same. I would agree and disagree. I think we have all changed in one way or another but the core of who we are deep inside still remains...and that's a good thing.

Julie was always the funny and jovial one. Khairiyani was the loud one but always kind at heart. Yati was the sensible one. Eryani was the talkative and fierce one while Farhana was the soft spoken, prim and proper one (Eryani and I agrees that Hana has the cutest voice over the phone!).

Well, that was what I thought of them back then...and who I think they still are now :)

1995-1998. It was a good four years. How I miss those times. All of them have either moved or are moving into a new phase of life with their significant other and I am truly happy for them! See you ladies again in less than a month!

Checked my inbox today and I got my first buyer for my cupcake painting! I am so excited to know that someone actually likes my painting enough to want it in their home. I've been on a painting break for quite a while and will hopefully start again soon.

Ciao!

Niza A.

A Year Wiser

2008-11-16T02:07:00.006+08:00

The youngest of the seven princesses celebrated her birthday last weekend. As always, it was filled with laughter and antics.

I was probably still half awake on the way to meet the ladies. First, I made a call to confirm our H.T reservation but got connected to a residence line because I conveniently punched the last number that was stored in my memory log without checking first. Then I missed a train stop and ended up in Somerset instead of Orchard so I had to take the train back in the opposite direction. Lol how did that all happen?

So I finally reached RP. The lady at the counter took a quick glance at her notes. "Table 36," she said with a smile. She gestured to a man with a ponytail and I was escorted to a table where Jas, Jing, Eve and Suh were already seated. He then pulled out a chair for me before wandering off to serve another customer. Shortly after, a man smartly clad in a black suit came over and asked, "Would you like tea or coffee ma'am?" If he had simply said Madam instead, I would've probably slapped him dead (kidding!). Hehehe the best thing about these places is that you will always be greeted like a VIP. Maybe that's why some people do not mind splurging and dining in these places. The experience makes all the difference.

We had a filling 2 hour lunch before making our way to lucky plaza and finally DFS Galleria.

The seats were extremely comfortable. If it wasn't for the tight security and surveillance cameras, I would have brought the sofas and cushions home!

One happy customer. Truly tai-tai. Tell me again why you ladies call me tai-tai? I don't deserve the title in comparison :p

Next. Off we went to Pitstop for our games session. I had plans to head home early but as predicted, I stayed through the night.

Our birthday girl and winner of Spy Alley!

Our fastest game...was it called Mr. X?

SWAP was probably the best game of the night. "what colour? what colour?" "switch" Big swap - "heart pain!" haha. Of all the times we've played at a games cafe, I think Snorta was the most memorable for me.

The birthday girl pouring our free flow (which is actually not free) of water from the mini dispenser.

Pretty Jasmine and Funky Jing goofing around.

Each time we stay out late, Huijing will always call me up to make sure I have already reached home safely. Very caring. I am so touched. (You my beeesssstt frreen... :D)

We should really really really try out TAG Paintball sometime. Pretty costly but I think it would be crazy fun!

After our games, we decided to join Jasmine's husband, Adrian and his friends for karaoke. I think KTV (Suhui's fav) has almost become a ritual each time we're out as a group. Give it another year and I might just be able to sing every mandarin song on KTV haha.

The birthday lady got a mini cake while the guys sang their hearts out. Then it was more picture taking and of course, more singing. The duets at the end was a pretty good way to end the night.

Look forward to our annual meet with the complete seven!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While I'm glad that my exams are over, my baby sis is still studying hard for her next paper.

When studying, she gets distracted and blames me for it when I've caught her watching music videos on YouTube several times! Haha she is always extra cranky during the exam period :p

All the best! You'll do well :)

Niza A.

It's a Weird World

2008-11-06T02:31:00.011+08:00

A question posed by a man during an SOS dating segment:

"In a relationship, how soon should I be passing gas?"

??HUH?? (Yea, I hear ya)

Seriously.

Should that even be a question?

I don't know if it was meant to be a joke... but really...... How would a dating expert answer that one? hah

Then the host went on to ask another man:

"What about a girl? What if she happens to pass gas somewhere during the relationship?"

So the man replied:

"I don't know... but I think if it happens then I'll be like...(acting cheeky as he moves closer towards the lady host) oh we're soooo close!"

ROFL!! :D

People are weird.

I'm weird too.

It's only a difference of being a good weird or a bad weird.

I'd rather be the former, thank you.

Niza A.

Our Current Love

2008-10-30T19:24:00.005+08:00

The sisters are loving this song at the moment. Enjoy!

Shiella & Niza A.

Clone, Brain, Festive Collage

2008-10-23T05:00:00.012+08:00

Here I am in the small hours of the morning, finishing my bowl of instant noodles and tuning in to the radio. Class 95 plays the best songs at night, I'll tell ya...

I had the strangest dream last night. I usually get peaceful, dreamless sleep. Except for this recurring dream I get every now and then. A dream interpreted by the Chinese to mean that I will prosper financially soon. Haha. Oh never mind about my dreams.

My clone is complete. Painting a portrait of myself can be quite scary...because of the intense observation of photo realism, I notice every little feature that I would otherwise never really see.

I think the end result doesn't look much like the reference photo but I guess it's not too bad for a first attempt at a full colour realistic portrait. I see where I've gone wrong but I'm too lazy to make changes. Well, they say practice makes perfect so I hope to get better with each new face I paint. Provided I don't get bored painting faces or with painting altogether.

Will someone tell her to stop smiling at me?!

There is another project that I hope to start on soon. Actually, there are 2. Well, 3 to be exact. I wanna be a full-time artist can? Haha but I probably wouldn't last too long...soon enough, my left brain will start screaming for attention. It's amazing...whole brained people like Leonardo Da Vinci and Einstein.

I was reading an article about brain activity and there was this part that I found interesting. The article talked about how changes in our breathing patterns could help shift our moods and attitudes. By controlling the air we breathe in, we can activate our left or right brain dominance. Since the left brain controls the right part of our body and senses, we can activate the left brain by forcing air through our right nostrils and vice-versa.

**Edited**
Shiella said I should not miss out this small info. So just in case anyone wants to try out the test below heheh:

Some right-brain activities would include:

Singing,
Painting/drawing,
Visual – e.g: Looking at pictures, recognising faces
Movement – eg: dance, etc

Some left-brain activities would include:

Reading,
Writing – language and word skills,
Calculation,
Organising data/information,
Remembering names etc

****

Ok here's a test of your brain dominance. Breathe deeply in and out of your nose. Then hold a mirror, CD, CD case or something similar under your nostrils. You will find the pools of condensation from your nostrils are of different sizes. This dominance can last for a few hours or shift back and forth from left to right to left in a few minutes. Try it :D. I found this to be true. When I was reading, the condensation produced from my right nostrils were bigger, indicating that I was using my left brain. Soon as I shifted my concentration on a piece of painting, the condensation on the left became bigger. I marveled at this new piece of information and called Shiella into the room to try it out. This test worked on her too. Haha then came the funny and interesting part...

Shiella the science buff said, "Let's try something out."

She took the cd case from my hand and repeated out loud to herself, "Left bigger, left bigger, left bigger." She then breathed out onto the cd case and the condensation pool was bigger on the left.

She did this for the right, repeating out loud, "Right bigger, right bigger, right bigger." Now the condensation pool was bigger for the right.

We were fascinated yet laughing all the same. I took the CD from her and tested this for myself. Yep, it worked on me too. Not too surprising though...considering the fact that our brain usually believes whatever we tell it.

Oxygen, psychology, science of the brain, whatever it is, I have another assignment that I just can't seem to focus on. Maybe I'll force air through my right nostril or simply repeat to myself: "Dominate, left brain...dominate, left brain...dominate!" Maybe that would work...hah. Or perhaps I just need to get back to my exercise regime and get more blood and oxygen pumped up to my brain so I can focus better.

I realised we don't have too many Hari Raya pics this year 'cause we just can't be bothered to take much...many times, we just forgot to snap any. Oh well. I'm signing off now with a collage ('cause I'm too lazy to upload each pic separately) of the festive season.

Now get back to some serious stuff.
Yeah. That was the subconscious talking.

Ciao!
Niza A.

Doodles and Paints

2008-09-23T03:01:00.006+08:00

I have this blank piece of paper that I put underneath my keyboard. At times, I'll start doodling on it when I sit at my desk. Mostly, I don't even know what I'm doodling...but it's as if the right hand has a life of its own and I would suddenly end up with some kind of sketch. Haha. So here was what i got the other day:

I lifted the sketch and placed it right in front of me. For what seemed like a brief moment, we locked eyes as the lips spoke: "Paint... me... a.... portrait...". It was the most mesmerizing voice I've ever heard. Hypnotised, I took out my set of oils, held the paint brush in my hand and let each colour splash itself on the blank canvas. I took a step back, trying to make out the fuzzy outlines. The nose, the eyes, the lips...they all looked too familiar. I pondered further...Have I seen you before?... Then a realization came. I opened my mouth in disbelief as I stared at the face that stood only inches away from me. I pointed my finger at her and uttered, "You...You impostor!" Right there smiling back at me was none other than...my very own...portrait. :D

Ok ok...I'll cut the crap. That of course, was not the real story. I just decided that I should take a break from my child-like paintings of landscapes and cupcakes...and do a more realistic looking portrait. Above is the photo reference...

...and here it is upclose.

This is my second portrait on canvas. I know it looks weird and scary. I'm currently working on the first stage of underpainting. Since I'm using oil paints, it would take about 2 or 3 days for it to dry a bit...after that I'll get on with the shades and highlights. Hopefully, it'll end up looking like me!

Below was my first pop art, cartoon-ized style portrait, using gouche as the painting medium. I gave this to Janice for her birthday this year and she loved it!

I might wanna do a portrait of a couple...and then a baby...and a cat too...then I wanna paint more cupcakes, sweets and desserts.

One of these days, I will want to get on to create paintings that provoke thoughts and emotions - of the viewers. Oh wait...I just remembered...I should be preparing for my upcoming quiz and assignment! Bleh...

Ciao!
Niza A.

Saya Melayu

2008-09-17T10:47:00.007+08:00

Aptly titled because I have been told that I am not in touch with my own culture :p (although culture and being malay are two separate things). Hmm...I am actually considering writing this post in malay but I shall not :p In no way am I being racist. I think we are all equals, regardless of race, language or religion~~, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality.~~

Well, I met up with a couple of my malay friends recently:

Thursday

Met up with Maliana after almost a year. We had quite a bit of catching up to do. After breaking our fast, we walked aimlessly at marina just like old times. Past 10pm, we sat on stone stools, discussing issues that I think only deepened our friendship. Hehe I hope you get your wish soon, ya! ;) insya-Allah.

Saturday

Science Center, Sakura buffet and Step Brothers. Yes, I do need more melayus in my friendship circle so Kai, thanks for introducing the lovely couple. It was great getting to know them, especially the sweet and demure Liza. I had a good time :) Since Kai and Jaz have already covered the whole day event, you can read them here and here. Oh and happy twenty_(eh-hem) birthday!

Monday

Yati. Soon as I saw her, I had to hug her. She sobbed. I almost could not look her in the eyes for it brought back some painful memories. The last thing I wanted was to well up with tears. I think we all felt her loss. Yati, your latest blog entry saddens me even more. I know no amount of words can take away the pain and grief you are going through at this moment. We may not have been in touch for a long time and only met briefly at your place...but do know that I am sincerely ever a call away. May Allah bless your mother's soul. May He give you and your family the strength and blessings during this time and always...

Managed to meet up with everyone else too - Farhana, Eryani and Khairiyani - with the exception of Julie. It was wonderful seeing them again after 10years. Even if it was only for a short while. I never realised how much I truly miss all of them. School uniforms. Those were the best days... :)

Yush, updates soon? :D

Yang benar,
Yun

Weeks Of FuN! - Part 3

2008-09-08T07:20:00.009+08:00

Thrill Rides

Here are the highlights of our outing that was way, way overdue! We spent a Sunday at Escape Theme Park. The initial plan was to go on Saturday but we postponed it for the family dinner at Bali Thai.

Firstly, thanks to Fadrizal for being kind enough to offer us a ride all the way to Pasir Ris!

Couldn't help zooming in for a paparazzi shot. Heehee

Some of the best rides were shut down for maintenance when we were there but we made the most of the day anyways.

First up...was the haunted house. The person in charge told us to keep loose belongings in our bags. The reason? She said it was dark inside and it would be hard to retrieve lost items. I didn't think the haunted house would be scary at all but soon as I heard the word 'dark' - I have to admit I got a bit scared...but hey, we were hoping to get frightened so we walked in. My mum and sis stayed close to each other while Shiella and I clutched our elbows together tightly.

Wow...soon as we were inside, it was like a walk in the park. It was SOO dark that I could see my feet. It was SOO scary that I can laugh. Ok ok all I'm trying to say is...it was so NOT scary at all lah! Typical haunted house filled with life sized machine ghosts and pathetic lightings. They should hire real people to dress up as ghosts so that when we walk in, these 'real' ghosts can come out of nowhere and scare us from behind. Haha.

See how our mum wears her spectacles and sunglasses together.

We had the whole mini ferris wheel to ourselves. There was no queue 'cause it was probably the boring-est ride at the theme park.

Queuing up for the mini roller coaster.

This next ride is my favourite! Although I almost couldn't reach the pedals...heh.

Nooott...baaadddd laaahhh.....can qualifiy for the F1.

After the rides, we played a couple of games. The basketball was fun although none of us managed to score. We were given only four tries but each time the ball bounced back, we kept throwing for the fun of it! Hehe. No one else was waiting in line anyways. I think we gave the boy at the counter a hard time haha.

Our elder sis played this horse racing game.

Look at her...competing with the kids...tsk tsk tsk...pick someone your own size! :p

Yay she won the race! Her prize? A droopy eyed bunny.

Bunny snatcher!

Oh more thrill rides....why am I not excited? haha.
Shiella and Hanies took The Inverter thingy. I didn't take this one because uh.....well someone had to be the camera woman! :p Ok fine...I admit...the thought of getting spinned 360 degrees just made me sick to the stomach.

The brave ladies getting in line for the Inverter.

Here's a video of them. I couldn't keep up with that giant spinning machine so it's gonna be a bit dizzying. But hey, look at this this way - watching my video will make you feel like you're riding The Inverter. :p Oh you can spot the 2 sisters on the 3rd row from left. There's only 2 of them seated on that row and Shiella can't stop waving throughout the ride.

After the ride
Me: Was it scary?
Hanies & Shiella: Not as scary as the viking
Me: Really?
Shiella: Yeah.
Me thinks: Eh I took the scariest ride...that means I'm pretty brave...(proud of me)... :D

We took almost every ride and played games till the night. There was plenty of laughter and we had so much fun!

Niza A.

I Am Myself Again. Thank you.

2008-09-02T23:50:00.005+08:00

Things have been a bit haywire for me. No, I did not go crazy. I'm still sane. Last Friday to Sunday were one of the craziest days I've had. Things did not turn out as well as I thought it should. Before I go any further (warning: long blog post), do know that I am not complaining or blaming anyone - not anymore at least :p It's about how things usually turn out beautifully...and the little gestures that keep me sane.

Well, the story goes like this..

Very early on a Friday morning, my sleep was disturbed by some strange noise. (I haven't been getting proper sleep and I thought Friday would be the day I could to make up for all of it). I dismissed the noise. I got back to sleep only to be woken several times by at least four phone messages.

I thought....How did I get so popular this morning? Haha. Well I got up. I had to anyways.

I spent my day putting some final touches to the powerpoint slides that I was going to use for my group presentation the next morning. My part of the speech was completed and I was all prepared....until the very last minute. Late at night, I received the last part of the speech from my group mate and I was shocked to find that we had the same topic! How could this happen?! I remembered thinking to myself - this is a disaster! Knowing that it was too late to get her amended copy, I had to change mine instead. I talked to her about it casually the next day - just a small confusion which she apologised for. Oh well, we all make mistakes - a mistake that I had to pay for though! haha.

Back to the point.

I was feeling the pressure but I kept my patience. I managed to get my new topic sorted out that night. The only problem was getting my new facts right and being clear about the kind of message I wanted to convey. I was terribly worried about it. The worse thing was not being able to bullshit (pardon the language) my way through as I was doing a business topic. I needed proper information and facts. Good thing I already had some of the information at my fingertips. I ended up getting only one hour of sleep just to get my part done (yet again!). I was so sleepy and having a hard time digesting all the information.

In class on Saturday morning, I knew it was getting bad because I was not able to fully concentrate on everyone else's presentation. Many times I felt as if I was drifting away and then snapping back only to drift away again. It was a challenge for me to do the simplest thing: listen. I was not alert. I could not think well. When it was my turn, I didn't do better than my first presentation - when I knew I was capable of better. Ugh. I had to keep looking back at the slides to recall my points and I was filling my sentences with too much "umms" and "ehms". Haha...funny how I stumbled on my words quite a bit. Several times, the little voice in my head was saying: What am I talking about? LOL. At one point, I looked up at the camera and I heard myself go: uh oh...I'm recorded. The little voices in my head just wouldn't shut up. Lesson learnt: always, always get enough sleep if you're going to be talking in front of a group of people.

After class, I had lunch with my classmates. They are one of the most colourful bunch of people I've met. It was fun hanging out with them for a bit. After that, I headed to Art Friend with Fuzz. We shared a lot of things and even found out we had quite a bit in common.

Just when I thought the day was turning out better, my group mate for another assignment paper sent me a message about making more changes and editing. I got home by 8pm and we both worked on it together. I forced myself to stay awake till over 5am. That was when I saw my bloodshot eyes and puffy eyebags...I don't usually get them much. I went to bed and got up less than four hours later with a splitting headache.

I headed straight to my computer and continued editing. I was starting to get a little frustrated. The lack of sleep was getting to me. I could not think clearly. My director once said this: "If you don't get enough sleep, you will not be able to think properly and your memory gets affected" - he was right.

Later in the day, I got a message from an acquaintance asking for my help with her work - funny how some people ask for help only for their own benefit. I don't wish for anything in return. Just a simple "Thank you" - and I've never gotten that from her. I've helped you enough. Now deal with your own problems, I thought. Gosh, it's been too long since I felt so much hate - and I hated the feel of it.

I was busy getting my work done that I forgot my meals. My mom brought in some food and hot drink for me, knowing I haven't had anything to eat. It made me feel better. When my sis came home, she sat right beside me and listened to my rantings while I was typing away. It helped to lift off a whole lot of bad feelings in me.

By evening, things were looking up when we had the effort of 3 people working meticulously together. We finally got everything done before 10pm. Can you imagine that? There I was on a Sunday, sitting in front of the computer for almost 12 hours non-stop. Oh wait...more editing came after 11pm...but thanks to our hero editor, it got done by midnight. Hmm...because of him, I've kinda changed my negative perception on working with men for school assignments...I shall not elaborate further :p

Ok so things did not work out too well in the past few days for me...but I've gone through worse. I don't take anything too seriously. Each time I thought I would go crazy, I reminded myself that there are always many others around the world who are experiencing worse. That helps me bounce back pretty fast in any situation. Most importantly, I am THANKFUL to have my family with me all these while. I am so glad that the puzzle pieces in my life has always found its way of fitting together somehow - and that I would always get to see the beautiful picture in the end...that itself is a wonderful thing.

Oh and everyone who sent me messages and calls. My apologies for the late replies. I hope none were offended. I just had to redeem myself again...before I ever get on the verge of hating the human species. The one way that works for me is to get detached from society for a bit. So I switched off any form of communications. Yeah, I know...So drama. Well, at least now, I am back to being myself again.

To all our muslim friends... heh I won't retype :D. You can see it here: Ramadhan.

Ciao!
Niza A.

Totally Random

2008-08-20T23:18:00.007+08:00

A little more than four months to go before we enter the new year. Time truly flies huh. Today is another one of those days where I try to make the most out of my time. There are so so so much I want to do and one thing I need to work on is efficiency. Yep, I guess that would be part of my new year's resolution. Sometimes I do wish that humans were not designed to sleep - then we can get as many things done as possible. Then Huijing will tell me "Human beings are never satisfied with what they already have" Haha there's some truth to that. So far, I'm happy with how things are slowly turning out...of course there are many rooms for improvement.

So today I got a necklace and a couple more earrings done up. I managed to finish up 3 paintings in about a week too - not bad considering I'm one who pays a little too much attention to details. Getting immersed in the creative stuff is pretty therapeutic for me. Especially when I have many assignments and deadlines to meet.

Shiella bought 4 more books that were on sale. How can I ever get to reading all of them??? Perhaps I must learn to speed read...like how you see those robots reading at a speed of 2 pages per second in movies? Haha yeah that kind of speed read is what I'm talking about.

Eh I'm supposed to blog on my "Weeks of FUN - Part 3"......eeerrr that can wait lah. This is just a short post I'm writing as I take a short break from the assignment paper that I'm currently working on.

So there you go Shash! Our latest update! :p

Oh and I'm checking this against my list of accomplished tasks too :D

Niza A.

Weeks Of FuN! - Part 2

2008-07-30T05:00:00.003+08:00

I'll hopefully continue with the rest tomorrow - heh that's what I said in my last post. AND I have reason for not doing so. I have been uh...painting. I'm holding the paint brush again and WOW oh WOW it's been the longest time since I did. I'm going crazy once again over paints. For the very first time, I painted on canvas. Boy oh boy am I addicted. I don't know how long this addiction will last but as long as the painting bug is in me, I don't think I'm gonna stop anytime soon. I'm enjoying it a lot. :D Plus it's a good break for my eyes. I got my new contact lenses the other day and the optician told me my eyesight has increased significantly for the worse. Not good!

Anyways, let's finish off from where I stopped:

Family Dinner

This month, we celebrated 3 birthdays! Our mum, uncle and the baby sis, Shiella got one year wiser ;)

We had dinner at Bali Thai Restaurant. The food was great. The service was pretty prompt too.

After dinner, we took lots of family pics! We actually stopped traffic at the busy shopping center. Haha not that we were stars but we were blocking the whole walkway while posing for the cameras.

The birthday twins with their gift bags!

After dinner, we went to Cik Ti's house. The rest had already headed home. We chatted, took more pictures, watched TV and lazed around a bit at our aunt's place. I'm too lazy to upload the pics for that part of the night :D. Well, it was a nice evening. More so for the 3 who celebrated their birthdays, I hope!

Shiella's at camp again so I've enjoyed peace and quiet for the past few days :p Although I do miss getting her annoyed 24/7! Heeheehee. I'll pester her for details when she's back.

I'm gonna be back soon with part 3!

Niza A.

Weeks Of FuN! - Part 1

2008-07-23T02:47:00.006+08:00

These few weeks has been a lot of fun for Shiella & myself. I meant to blog earlier but I somehow got a bit busy with a couple of preps. I'm still gonna blog even though some of these stuff are overdue 'cause I think it's always nice to look back at old posts once in a while for memories' sake.

BBQ & Fireworks

We had an outing with the trainees and volunteers to Sembawang Park. Although I live in the north, believe it or not, it was my first time there. I also got to know that the visible island right opposite is actually Johor. Haha Uncle Francis laughed and jokingly asked "You not living in the north area ah you?" I'm not ignorant. It's my first trip to Sembawang Park, mind you :p

We spent the time doing some brisk walking, briefly playing in the sands and taking in the breeze by the jetty with the trainees.

After that, we walked to Cindy's house which was only 5 minutes away from the park. That was where we had our barbecue.

We ate, played games and watched some pretty fireworks throughout the night.

The fireworks was in celebration of the 4th of July for the US.

We had a nice time and most importantly, I think the trainees enjoyed the outing very much.

I have two more events to blog about but it seems like either photobucket or blogger is being a pain right now so I'll hopefully continue with the rest tomorrow.

Ciao!
Niza A.

Part 2: Libing's Big Day

2008-06-23T05:00:00.003+08:00

I really appreciate Eric and Libing for taking the trouble to cater halal food for me throughout the day and night event...I know it's neither easy nor cheap to do so...thank you!!

Janice and myself were on stage playing host for the evening. 420 people were present at the wedding. I kept telling myself that there were only 42 people in the ballroom so I won't get jittery on stage hehe. Surprisingly, once I was up there, I did not get any jitters at all! Thanks for the opportunity :)

We saw a few old school mates including Yenchiao (hope I spelt her name right!). We haven't met her for more than 10 years and it took me quite a while to recognize her.

The rest of the crowd headed home, but the five of us did not want to end the night yet. So, we decided to head to this place called Highlander for some nice live music. The two musicians were really good. One guy played the guitar so freaking well while the other sang to some old familiar tunes. At one point, two somewhat drunk sounding Caucasian ladies went up on stage and sang 'I Will Survive'. One of them was so engrossed singing and dancing with her hands flapping around in the air that it looked as if she could hit the guitarist right smack on the head, sending him bouncing off the stage. Towards the end, everyone at Highlander was asked to sing along to the music so the five of us started singing out loud at our cosy corner. Good music with great company - I had fun! Did I mention I only had one hour of sleep the night before? Didn't feel sleepy though.

Yvonne is a fashion designer and a swimming instructor. That explains her tanned skin. Whenever we see each other, she'll stand beside me and say, "You're Chinese...Saya Melayu!" Haha funny girl. Well, thanks to her swimming lessons, I can now swim! I have to say too, that I really love her vintage-looking dress which she designed. I'm gonna get her to make a dress for me sometime :D

Eric and Libing have been together since secondary school and they have finally tied the knot. Congrats again! May you both be showered with all the good things life can bring. We're all happy for you!

Lovies,
Niza A.

Part 1: Libing's Big Day

2008-06-21T19:40:00.026+08:00

Another one of the seven princesses got married!
Last Sunday was Libing's big day.

The other five princesses (one more princess was in Australia) were at her place early, around 6am. We decided the night before that we would all wear something pinkish to match. I'm the odd one out in yellow 'cause my pink dress was in the laundry!

Our bride, Libing, hasn't changed much since our school days. She is still very much the sweet, quiet and kind-hearted lady I know.

Somewhere along the wedding procession, we had to head to Clarke Quay for the couple's photoshoot. If you've never been to Clarke Quay in the day, you should. It looks totally different in the morning. We were there at 9.30am. The beautiful atmosphere really made me feel like we were out of Singapore.

The picture below was taken by the professional photographer. It does not look too good 'cause I took it directly from the photo itself. The men had to jump up in unison and they got the timing right on the second shot. Great job guys!

Top row, 2nd from right is Mingcai, our 4E2 classmate. He is a man of few words. He was the one who drove us around the whole morning.

So while we were waiting around for the bride and groom to finish their photoshoot, we had our own little photo taking session using Janice's handphone camera! Hehe

We were busy in our own world that we didn't realize an angmoh sticking his head into our photo out of nowhere. Haha cute man. He then took one group photo for us to make up for it while his family waited for him at the side. Some of these Caucasians are so friendly and easy going - that's what I like about them.

And just who is that man spying behind us? Unlike the angmoh, this Asian man will only try to get into our picture discreetly.

We all got home, changed and headed for the wedding dinner in the evening. I will be posting up the second part of the wedding day tomorrow.

Lovies,
Niza A.

Natural Disasters

2008-06-20T02:08:00.014+08:00

Shiella and I were up chasing tornadoes at 3am last night! Ok ok we were watching the formation of tornadoes on YouTube (3am?? Tornadoes?? Yeah, I know). As we were watching these videos, it made me think once again about how incredibly fortunate and protected we are being in Singapore...and how we sometimes take things for granted.

Below is a footage of a tornado by professional tornado chasers.

Some of these tornadoes that were formed looked so beautiful yet so destructive!

We were looking at videos of the Tsunami too and reading up a bit about it. This section may be of interest:

According to an article in "Geographical" magazine (April 2008), the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th December 2004 was not the worst that the region could expect. Professor Costas Synolakis of the Tsunami Research Center at the University of Southern California co-authored a paper in "Geophysical Journal International" which suggests that a future tsunami in the Indian Ocean basin could affect locations such as Madagascar, Singapore, Somalia, Western Australia and many others. The Boxing Day tsunami killed over 300,000 people with many bodies either being lost to the sea or unidentified. Some unofficial estimates have claimed that approximately 1 million people may have died directly or indirectly solely as a result of the tsunami.

Article source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami

So again, a reminder that we should not take things for granted eh?

Anyways, one thing lead to another and we began watching videos of the eclipse and meteor showers and this one video in particular got our attention.

Case tape 347 is a home video made by two hikers on the day they went missing.

Hahaha sooo lame but pretty good one I must say. Although they forgot - a meteorite that huge would create a crater and not just a pile of black whatever-that-is. Well, the first few parts really got us thinking that it was the real deal. Shiella and I laughed our heads off watching this video!

Before I forget - I was at Libing and Eric's wedding last Sunday. I'll blog about that a little bit next round. For now, congrats to the lovely couple!!

Niza A.

Meeting and games

2008-06-14T03:35:00.004+08:00

The BSC had our first Exco meeting at MINDS cafe. As usual, the dates in my daily planner gets more and more filled up after each meeting. At least it gets filled with fulfilling and fun events. :) There was more time spent on play than work but we covered everything we needed, which was perfect. :D

I won this fast-action game called Uglydoll!

Awww...they're sad cos I beat 'em. No worries guys, I'll let you win the next time we play :P

Jungle Speed...it's all about full concentration and how quick your reflexes are. The winner end up with the least number of cards.

And Szeling ended up with the most cards! Hahah...she was probably concentrating on the handsome cafe crews instead of the game. ;)

After meeting, it was dinner at Fish & Co.

Dressing Elmo up

And Elmo supports Obama (background picture). :D :D :D Change We Can Believe In!

Chunfeng, Faeez, Szeling, Me!

I realised I won most of the fast-action games. Maybe this means I have a quick reaction time! Hahah! I bet if someone throws a knife at me from the back, I can probably catch it quickly with my two fingers...just like that essence of chicken advertisement. ;)

Shiella A.

Kung Fu Panda and Sarpino's Pizzeria

2008-06-11T22:08:00.005+08:00

Last weekend was spent watching movie and eating good food. It was the first time I tried the food at Sarpino's Pizzeria situated at Jalan Pemimpin. The price is slightly cheaper and the food tastes even better than Swensen's. The ambience is also much nicer and quieter. There also weren't many patrons on a Sunday. In fact, Rizal and I were the only customers when we came in and he claimed that he booked the whole restaurant for me. Yeah riiiiggggght :P. Because the restaurant is situated in the middle of a circle of landed properties, I guess their business is mainly catered to these rich people. Anyhows, thanks Rizal for introducing me to something new. :)

Pizza with yoghurt and cheese and chicken and lots of other good stuff.

Yummy lasagna. I started eating from one end of the plate before photo taking...couldn't resist! :)

Rizal and food. Can you not always look so fierce? I guess it's because I interrupted his eating. Hahaha... :D

I also watched Kung Fu Panda! Kung Fu Panda was soooo funny! I just love that lazy, fat and flabby panda named Po. It's about a story of a Panda whose wishes of becoming a great Kung Fu fighter was fulfilled when he met his Master Shifu, who managed to train him using Po's greatest love - food. Nobody, not even Po, believe that a fat panda like himself could become a decent fighter. Therefore, the take home message is to believe in yourself no matter what your limitations are and how little faith others have in you.

And hence, I still believe I'm the cutest...no matter what others say. Heheh... (I'm really that shameless!) :D

Cheers,
Shiella A.

BSC Science Fair

2008-06-11T20:38:00.012+08:00

Last Saturday, my CCA, the Bachelor of Science Club (BSC) organized an NIE Science Fair at the Singapore Science Centre. I was helping out as a facilitator at the 4-hour event and it felt so tiring just standing around. Thankfully, I had teachers and cute primary school students to chat with. They made the 4 hours pass by faster. The theme for this science fair was 'Save the Earth'. Therefore, participating schools had to showcase their innovation in relation to this theme. Here are some of their interesting projects:

Boys from Maris Stella High School.

An environmental-friendly mini-oven which makes use of solar energy. Even though it takes as long as 40 minutes to heat up a metal spoon, it's definitely a simple yet useful innovation! Heh...I'll consider this when I get older but I think I'll stick to my microwave oven for now 'cos I don't have that much patience :D

Everyone at the fair was captivated by this lamp made of plastic bottles which was creatively decorated by beads and pieces.

Stable and sturdy stool - made from 600 sheets of newspaper which are glued together using tapioca flour. And this was cleverly done by...

...the boys of Henry Park Primary School. And they happen to be our 3rd prize winner! Spot the twins in this pic. :D

2nd Prize Winners: Girls from Saint Anthony's Canossian. They created plastic out of milk!

1st Prize Winners: Board games made from recycled materials.

And the 1st prize winner received $800 cash! That's a little too much money for primary school kids...isn't it? Well, I guess they can recycle that money as well. :D

And that's Sze Ling and me :)

There was also a melodious performance by Yunus and Dzhuri which was skillfully recorded by me. :D

I wonder why BSC didn't pick me to perform for them. I could have sung twinkle twinkle and the kids would've loved it :p Yunus! Must give me 50% commission if any of my friends decide to hire you as their wedding singer ok! Hahaha!

And last but not least, a video of my handsome Romeo climbing up to me!

Lotsa hugs,
Shiella A.

Blog Makeover

2008-06-10T20:44:00.011+08:00

We're redesigning our blog. Weeeeeeeeee!

You know how it is when you can visualise your idea and sketch it down on paper but it's a whole different thing altogether to 'sketch' your design digitally? Especially when you have no digital media expertise whatsoever: FRUSTRATING! Although our new look is not exactly what we wanted to do initially, we pretty much like how it's turning out. We're still working on some minor details as we 'speak' :D

Snippets of what to expect:

Scribble buttons, glitter paper and a whole new RSS icon.

The new look will be up soon.

Cheers and have fun!
Shieza A.

Holidays

2008-05-30T01:39:00.005+08:00

Everybody seems to be doing something fun and productive during holidays...going overseas, doing part-time job, going for a hike or expedition...I was supposed to be busy too. I was supposed to go to Batam, Genting...but everything I planned to do wasn't executed! :( :( :(

Anyways, Niza and I just came back from home visitation of one of our MINDS trainee. It was quite fun, visiting our trainee's family and getting to know him better. We got to know that his behaviour at home and in school is actually very different. We were also very surprised at how good our trainee is with calculations in Mathematics. All along, I have underestimated his Mathematical skills. Today's visitation was no doubt a fruitful one!

Amidst our hectic lifestyle, I have always found peace just by looking at how simple-minded our trainees are. Unfortunately, I have to go back to that hectic and busy lifestyle with lots of events at school coming up after this week. And I'm sooo not looking forward to it!

Love,
Shiella A.

P.S: Now it's my turn to feel like I solely own this blog. Sis! START BLOGGING!!!