and as the end of my exchange journey nears

thought that i could update my blog with lotsa photos while im on exchange
since im here alone and have a lot of free time.
oh boy, how wrong could i be.
i was busy slacking away n enjoying myself i totally forgot about my blog.
many photos are true though >.<

and now its already November.
i've been in adelaide for almost 4 months.
time seemed to pass very slowly in august.
but now looking back,
i cant help but wonder,
where did all the time go?!?!

my last 20 days in adelaide.
sounds so short.
cause once i leave i wont be coming back.
as much as i wish to be back in spore soon,
i also kind of wish to have more time here.
feelings are mixed.
i look at the room (or rather, mess) that i've been calling home for the past 4 months.
kind of 不舍得
and now whenever i walk to school i've take more time to look at the surroundings
the trees, the flowers, the grass, the sky.
i don't have much chance left to enjoy them.

exchange is really a life opening experience.
coming here alone turned out to be the best thing that happened.
(even though sometimes it gets really lonely though)
the time alone also gave me time to reflect on past events,
and made me see how childish i used to be.
oh my goodness, i can't believe i actually behaved that way previously.
so blardy embarrassing goodness.
nonetheless im glad, cause now upon looking back,
i know that i've matured.
all the things that life throws my way,
only helped to enrich my experiences and broaden my perspectives.
these things that i call 'suay',
helped to shape my strong (or i would like to think it is) character today.

lastly, i would like to say aloud...

I CAN COOK NOW!!! 

humans are weird. 

when in spore, i cant wait to go for exchange. 

when on exchange, i miss spore and countdown to going home.

i can foresee myself missing aussie when im back to spore.

LOL.

somehow it just doesn't feel right

i think my stubbornness got the better of me.
i should have known.
so, this is what happens when you refuse to listen to your heart (even when it is protesting so very loudly) and listen to the stubborn mind.
the right thing is often the hardest to do.

im bored.
date me out! hahaha

been watching Rainie Yang's latest drama called 醉后决定爱上你 recently.
i have to say, her acting really improved tremendously.
she's no longer only good at acting sweetie cutie pie now.
there's an element of a mature and independent woman in it.
the chemistry between the 2 leads are pretty good too!
some classic lines from the drama that really touched my heart,
because it just feels so apt for me at some point in time.

go and watch!!

oh and a side note. 張孝全 is pretty shuai. 

i think as long as the actors can act well i will like them. 

cos e same happened for secret garden LOL

the nonsensical mindset of sporeans

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/tit-tat-exchange-over-reserved-mrt-seats-084554302.html

saw this and i went like 'WHAT?!!!'.

honestly, whats with the wrong mindset that only reserved seats people must give the seat up?
are the other seats around not seats?
or is the reserved seat more comfortable, bigger, softer, such that its more suitable for the needy?
no matter where u are sitting, as long as there is someone in need of a seat in front of you,
YOU SHOULD GIVE IT UP.

if let's say there's a pregnant lady who moved into the centre of the cabin,
because it was crowded and she needed to move in to let more people enter.
she's standing away from the reserved seats.
does that mean that you no need to give up the seat to her?
or do singaporeans expect the needy to purposely place themselves in front of the reserved seats?
honestly, it doesn't make sense because you should give up your seat as and when the need arises.

but then again, there are some particular old people who thinks that they are specially privileged.
they are healthy and strong, but yet stroll into the mrt and purposely place themselves in front of the reserved seats, EXPECTING people to just give it up for them.
hello? who do you think you are?
i dun mind giving up my seat to you.
but i just dun like the attitude of yours, as if the whole world OWE it to you to let you sit down.
if you are jolly when capable of standing then why do i need to give it up to u?
there are times where young people do not feel well and need a seat too.

there was a few times where i had my menstrual cramps and i got a seat.
and then some aunty come along n keep staring at me as if i am obliged to give it up to her.
she was wearing high heels btw.
i am not blind, i can assess her capability of standing.
obviously if u're still healthy and can balance so well on heels, then i dun think u need the seat more than me, do you?
age is not a default.
why should i give it up to you when im in physical discomfort, and when i have a 40 minutes train ride ahead of me?
so i just kept staring back at her.
to add on to my irritation, she kept using her bag to bang against my leg.
it was not a peak period btw. she had plenty of space. 
LIKE WTH.
so, to deal with people like her, who are so buay paiseh,
i commented to her LOUDLY 'excuse me, can u stop using your bag to hit me'.
for people like that who are so full of themselves, making them feel embarrassed will do the trick.

for the old man who complained, im shocked that he actually has the face to do so.
it just shows his mindset - that he is obliged to have a seat purely by default of his age.
this, is the wrong mindset.

on another random note, GE 2011 is over.
i just like to comment to certain new citizens who proclaim that we singaporeans, who are born and bred here, don't have the right to discriminate against them because our ancestors are migrants too.

i would just like to say that, these ancestors of ours contributed to what Singapore is today.
they supported Mr Lee Kuan Yew, they worked hard, to build Singapore to a modern city today.
you guys simply flock over when things are rosy and good,
and comment that 'we are all e same. all of us are migrants'.
excuse me?
our ancestors contributed to Singapore.
did u? or rather, did urs?
you cant just come when things are looking good and go around acting superior, and act as if u're a pure Singaporean too.
in other countries, migrants are e ones being discriminated against.
ironically in singapore, it seems that the foreigners are the ones who start the discrimination war first.
a case of  贼喊捉贼

ntu accountancy grads don't really earn

 recently saw this post and was a bit demoralised.
ntu accountancy graduates are not earning a lot as their starting pay. 
yeah yeah yeah,
i know that there are many ways to look at this.
the details, how its calculated etc etc.
but then, imagine the impression given to employees and pple out there.

Average Gross Monthly Salaries: 
Ranked 4th - SMU Business Management (4-yr programme) Cum Laude and above – $3,750 ($4,000)
Ranked 5th - SMU Accountancy Cum Laude and above – $3,625 ($3,800)
Ranked 16th - SMU Business Management (4-yr programme) – $3,292 ($3,500)
Ranked 26th - SMU Accountancy (4-yr programme) – $3,162 ($3,500)
Ranked 34th - NUS Business Administration (Accountancy)(Honours) – $3,081 ($3,375)
Ranked 53th - NTU Business (3-yr direct Honours programme) – $2,933 ($3,200)
Ranked 62th - NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – $2,778 ($2,775)
Ranked 65th - NUS Business Administration (Accountancy) – $2,692 ($2,600)

Permanent Employment Rate
NTU fared much better here!
Ranked 7th - NUS Business Administration (Accountancy)(Honours) – 100.0% ($2,600)
Ranked 8th - SMU Accountancy (4-yr programme) – 97.9% ($2,650)
Ranked 10th - NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – 97.0% ($2,600)


http://www.salary.sg/2011/graduate-employment-survey-2010-published-2011/
http://www.moe.edu.sg/education/post-secondary/

mans. i hope i can get a job before i grad! >.<

I AM GOING FOR EXCHANGE!!!!

alrights, its been final.
i've officially received the confirmation letter from Flinders stating I am going over there to study for 1 semester.
going to start applying for accommodation, visa, and booking air tickets soon.
and not to mention getting my loan from the bank!
MOOLAH is uber important.
feeling kind of nervous!
should i wait till i get my visa, or should i just heck and book my air tix first?
since i honestly cant afford to let the air tix prices spiral upwards like nobody's business
>.<

shall blog about my supposed-to-be-awesome-but-turned-out-horrible weekend soon!
also, i engaged in my second round of retail therapy!
=)

sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me

i would like to say that the above phrase is utterly false.
words do hurt.
especially when said in spite. or malice. or intentionally to affect others' emotions adversely.
Eg. insults.

words with awful content can happen under 2 circumstances:
1. those who harbour ill intentions or are just bu shuang with you in someway (Eg. your enemy)
2. those who truly care and sincerely wants you to change (Eg. your family)

but most of the time, people just take words with awful content negatively.
if it arises out of situation 2, then you should be happy.
we can have so many hi-bye friends, all of whom we can exist peacefully with.
but how many of them care enough to take e risk of jepardising their relationship with you to tell you things so honestly and in perspective?
if you have friends who tell you straight to your face that 'hey, its not very good for you to always do this (some not very nice stuff that you always do) you know...'
then you should be happy.
cause out of all those in your social network, who bothers and dares to do so?

but sometimes, we all get so caught up in being nice and sociable and decent to other people,
that we become so mean to these people who truly care.
Using family as an example, i believe many can understand.
we can be a total role model in fromt of others, but a total bitch or bastard with our families. 

but when it comes to a hybrid between situation 1 and 2,
when words of awful content comes from someone who is supposed to care,
and comes in such extreme intensity,
words will hurt people.
that's why there's always the saying that some words once spoken, can never be taken back.

it does feel lonely sometimes

ok, enough about Singapore politics. think im boring everyone out over here.
been super duper busy with FYP and all e other projects on-hand.
never been so stressed up by work before!
and as a result, i engaged in extensive food and retail therapy.

went to do manicure, where i chose a damn odd colour.
due to my stubborness where i simply DON'T BELIEVE that i cant carry off cool colours.
and tadah! the results is this:

the colour is not bad. REALLY.
somehow it just doesn't look good on me.
sighs.
guess i must resign to fate.

and THEN. i went on an eating spree.
first lunch at Far East, then Ippundo Ramen, then dinner at home =X
and i bought a new bag!
that costs this much:

in case u cant see, its SGD $174.30.
and that's e price after 30% discount.
!!!!!!!!!!!!
how can i spent so much on a bag?!
especially since any bags that cost more than SGD$40 i'd balk n refuse to buy.
ok its from this brand:

not very high end, i know.
but STILL. its more branded than Charles & Keith.
because, Charles & Keith are selling a new bag model thats similar to this that i bought, but at SGD $70.
so, the brand differential is more greater than the price differential of $100.
which thus, confirmed my decision to buy,
after looking at it for 1 month,
and after searching for a bag for 6 months.

here's the bag!

if you don't think its nice, please don't tell me. 


on another note, i think its rather reasonable to expect to be the most important person. 
i cannot accept anything lesser than that.

the forum

for those of you who missed the exciting n hyped up forum session about spore's upcoming General Elections, you can watch through this link:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/gecountdown/forumvideos.htm


although im quite a supporter of PAP, i do agree that 'absolute power corrupts'. although personally i would still like PAP to be the dominant party, i do feel that there can be more room for the opposition such that there're more checks and alternative opinions.

and i wasn't even aware that Ms Josephine Teo is my very own Bishan MP! there's only one sentence that she says irks me a lot... 'that we cannot discount everything else that the government has done in e past....'. i think e fact that elections are held every 5 years kind of mean that the party would be evaluated based on what has been done over the past 5 years, or even 10 years, no?

Dr Vincent from SDP is certainly a very good speaker. If only he can be voted in! or if only PAP had spotted him.

and here's e introductory video of Ms Tin Pei Ling: i would have to say that... im not very impressed. she doesn't speak with conviction LOL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdRLDEVn-FY&feature=related

i think the other candidate, Vikram Nair, comes across as more sincere and honest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO5ZnP98EXc&NR=1

tin pei ling - the new spore celebrity

im sure many of us have heard about tin pei ling recently.
she's one of the newly unveiled PAP candidate of only 27 years old.
and her background and personal life has been under attack ever since then,
with many people stalking her FaceBook and making comments about her photos.
Refer to this http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/tin-pei-ling-victim-gutter-journalism-20110330-014441-579.html for a rather good summary!

and her reaction to this ultra big hoo hah,
is to privatise her FaceBook account and those photos.
she also privatised her Twitter.
if you're curious about which few photos of her has generated such high publicity,
refer to this http://rockson.blogspot.com/2011/03/tin-pei-ling-sexy-pap-xmm.html
the language used is not so refined, but its kinda funny in an ah beng singaporean kind of way.
and the most said Temasek Review http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/03/29/ms-tin-pei-ling-dumped-her-ex-boyfriend-to-marry-pms-principal-private-secretary/

she married a rich guy, and is doing well in her career.
so it doesn't come as a surprise that she's leading an extravagant lifestyle.
but whether she can still understand the heartfelt complaints of an average Singaporean awaits to be seen.

although personally i sympathise with her, i don't think it comes as any surprise.
especially when she's heading the New Media section of PAP and,
is supposed to reach out to the masses through usage of new media (social media).
she should have known that people would start searching for information about her on the net,
and FaceBook is a common tool.
although i have to agree, the degree of it is kind of overwhelming.

however, it may be a blessing in disguise.
given her young age and good looks, its hard for her to convince people of her ability.
Ms Tin needs to win respect from the people. 
this saga can be used to her advantage, given she handles it well.
i don't think hiding in silence and privatising every online profile of hers is a good attempt.

firstly, how are you going to reach out to the masses by privatising your profiles? where is the so-called interaction going to take place? it makes no sense to have a personal account and a public one for work purposes, because as a politican, your personal life will always be scrutinised by people. i mean, look at other countries, such as Japan. The media seriously scrutinises every small part of their ministers and make a big issue out of it. Given PAP's slogan of being open and honest, hiding behind private profiles won't help at all because people will start wondering - where is the so called openness?

secondly, Ms Tin is very young, she's a 4th generation. meaning, how she wins respect and support from the people is going to be very different and harder than before. she needs to reach out to youths, many whom are highly educated and exposed to many information - web savvyness complicates that further. These youths have grown up under the leadership of PAP, hence would have a certain degree of expectations for PAP and their future leadership. they have also witnessed the hard work of the opposition for many years, and have more or less formed an impression of PAP and these oppositions. they are waiting to see further development of spore's politics, and have very high demands of PAP now.

thirdly, to be a politician, one must have certain leadership qualities. if dear Ms Tin cannot even handle such a saga on her own, with her own people, at her home turf, then her ability to lead the country seems a bit questionable, because out there, the people she needs to face would be even more malicious and complicated to handle then these net citizens alone.

i agree with some net citizens who say its not fair to say 'give her a chance',
because PAP doesn't give the opposition a chance too. 
given how the opposition tries so hard and fights so hard just to be 'given a chance',
Ms Tin should undergo some trying times to hone up her character for future positions.

i think this whole elections thingy is quite interesting! you guys can read more comments from here: http://www.motochan.com/2011/03/30/the-tin-pei-ling-incident-is-a-storm-in-a-teacup/
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=6488

some of my opinions are formed based on the comments i read online. some really does, make sense in a way.

thought provoking. hmmm.

some thought provoking posts abt spore's politics:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/joel-joshua-goh/my-vote-counts-10-reasons-why-i-cannot-vote-for-the-pap-in-the-next-election/236626774675

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150173240219676

http://yaevlejunce.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/my-vote-counts-10-reasons-why-i-cannot-vote-for-the-pap-in-the-next-election/

i have some of my disagreements with what has been written, but shall not post here. haha. shall just say, nothing is perfect in this world. and that sometimes, bad things have to be done so as to protect the greater good. remember Robin Hood, who do bad things such as stealing, to benefit the poor? and sometimes, the big picture, and life's bare necessities, are the most important.

read, and go figure ;)

因为幸福没有捷径只有经营 

wells! horrid wednesday is finally over!
not that the results are good.
was still rushing my assignment 2 hrs before submission time,
and the presentation and report kind of didn't go well with our prof :(
but let's all look on the bright side.
ITS OVER!!
if im gonna survive exchange alone,
i have to be much better in psycho-ing myself positively!

so to reward myself, i went to watch 康 熙來了,
the episode about Fan Fan and Hei Ren getting hitched!
was 2 episodes long actually, and they're so sweet! :)
seeing how they got through a whole 10 years,
accommodating to each other's needs and wants, just for him/her.

loved her new song especially, cause the lyrics are just so meaningful

for a relationship to work, both parties MUST know how to give in and accommodate

and at times, sacrifice what he/she likes to do what the other party she/he likes instead.

and like how Xiao S aptly puts it,
to be married means to be stuck with the other person for the rest of ur life.
it'll be utterly horrible and boring if both parties don't make special effort to spice up the life.

loved the last sentence of the song especially:

因为幸福没有捷径, 只有经营 .

well, its certainly not that i want to complain,
but i would truly appreciate it if my team mates or project mates are more active and takes more initiative in the projects.
you guys are not the only one with busy schedules and deadlines.
but thats not an excuse to leave the project aside.
when there is a tight timeline and insufficient time,
certain things take priority.
i dun understand why some people keeps looking at the nitty gritty details,
and in turn,
lose focus about the entire overall objective.

crossroads

Been doing a few personality tests lately due to me feeling lost about my future career path.
they say follow your interests and your talent.
okay, maybe not talent, but what you do well in.
but sometimes, just sometimes,
when life puts you in certain circumstances,
how do you decide which to follow?

here's another personality test result of mine:

well, at least i improved and developed some personality.
the last time i did something likdat,
it says im equally developed in all 4 quadrants.
in other words, im 25% of everything which equals to...
no personality.

a little update,
i've been holing myself up at home over the weekend
watching this new Korean drama called 'Dream High!'
its damn damn awesome.
its like e Korean version of GLEE,
only better because it has a good plot (unlike GLEE)
and the songs are original,
and the lyrics are totally in sync with the storyline.
go watch go watch!

what are words

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQY4dIxY1H4 

listened to his song and was quite touched. 

especially the lyrics!

if only a guy would do this for me. 

i'd marry him straight away. 

haha!

The Lyrics!

Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
Anytime you whisper my name, you'll see
How every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

And I know an angel was sent just for me
And I know I'm meant to be where I am
And I'm gonna be
Standing right beside her tonight

And I'm gonna be by your side
I would never leave when she needs me most

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
And I'm gonna be here forever more
Every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most

I'm forever keeping my angel close

<3

im useless after all

aarrgghh. very stressed now cos of dear FYP.
and of all my luck, all my deadlines come at the same time after recess week =/
let me see, i have 1 assignment, FYP report, 1 presentation, 1 report, 1 quiz, and my INSTEP application package to worry about. all over the span of 1 week.
and that not including other pending projects - 3 presentations and 2 reports. 
doesn't help that even though i've been attending lessons dutifully,
i still have no idea what they're about.
how the hell am i supposed to finish reading up everything taught in half a sem in 1 week?!!
and i wonder how the hell did i cope in all the previous semesters.
i slacked too, but e situation wasn't so disastrous.

and meanwhile, i'm really hating myself for slacking so much and having no discipline.
i seriously can't get ANY work done!
and not to mention being unable to make decisions properly.
damn it.

on a sidenote, i enjoyed my shopping spree yesterday!
Bought 1 bracelet, 2 headbands, 1 Shu uemura blusher, and a pair of black pumps!
and of all, i love the Shu Uemura product best.
the lady was really very nice and provides good advice.
i think im going to switch all my makeup to Shu Uemura from now on =/

iphone is awesome!

was playing with my friend's iphone photography app awhile back and managed to do this:

 this is the original photo taken of the ship while i'm on the ferry

this is the edited photo that resulted after i played with the app and had many layers of different effects coated on it. love the final result! the outline tracing thingy is so damn cool! the surface ripples on the sea and the energy can be seen more clearly; and it looks so much more fanciful and artistic than the original one. 

if i have an iphone, i would have no problem posting a photo a day because i'll just be taking random pictures and editing them all e time!

林志炫 浮誇

just finished watching 超級星光大道 and was very very impressed by 林志炫! he can hit all the high notes with sufficient strength and energy! 

this is the 林志炫 version:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pil65_83Yrw&feature=related

the song was originally sung by 陳奕迅 and the canto version is certainly much emotion inducing than the chinese version. the difference lies in the way the lyrics are written. the song is not as high, but the tone is much much more intense! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJEwPEs9bEg

what would be your next stop?

As some of you may know, I finished this drama serial called 下一站, 幸福 recently and was totally blown off my feet by Vanness Wu's performance in the show. Especially after watching all the 幕后花絮 on how he overcame his challenge of memorising looong lines (due to his role of a lawyer) in chinese and getting the correct pronounciation. goodness. 下一站, 幸福 is an awesome show!

so i went to google to find out more abt Vanness, and discovered that he has another drama serial coming up! =D its called 拜金女王. however there was a teeny weeny bit of controversy on how he landed that role though. but i absolutely dun care! here's more about the show:



片　名：《拜金女王》
集　数：20集
类　型：偶像、爱情
编 　剧：陈玉珊
导　演：陈慧翎 
制片人：陈玉珊

拜金女王主　演：吴建 豪、熊黛林
偶像剧《拜金女王》相关新闻：
偶像剧《拜金女王》举行男主角公布记者会，由F4成员之一的吴建豪出 线担纲演出。原定男主角言承旭突然现身表态支持，表示“因为身体不好，不能 和这么好的团队合作真的很可惜。”
近来因演出偶像剧《下一站， 幸福》，让吴建豪 荣登台湾偶像剧一哥宝座，该剧幕后推手前三立电视台总监陈玉珊，近期以制作人之姿决定开拍一部新的偶像剧《拜金女王》，找来吴建豪担任男主角，女主角则由 香港天王郭富城的女友熊黛琳担任，于昨日(9月5日)举办男主角公开记者会。《拜金女王》的剧情描述遭母遗弃的孤女长大后，成了嫌贫爱富的拜金女模，因一 夜情在法国和音乐学院的男学生展开孽缘。为了打造国际规格的时装偶像剧，制作人陈玉珊特地重金礼聘《欲望城市2》和《穿着Prada的恶魔》视觉造型总监 菲尔德（Patricia Field）任造型总监。制作人更透露光是预计两个星期的法国行，预算就高达1600万台币(约人民币350万)
原 本《拜金女王》的男主角属意由同为F4成员之一的言承旭担纲，但是因言承旭身体微恙，档期又敲不定，现在改由吴建豪出线。被外界形容成“救火 队”，吴建豪表示，其实他很早以前就看过剧本，当时就很想演出，他说：“很开心演这部戏，别人怎么说他不在乎。”制作人陈玉珊更透露，当初因为这部戏要去 法国巴黎取景，让从未去过法国的吴建豪还特地打电话跟她说：“不在乎角色大小，只希望让他能参与演出。”
虽然言承旭无法接演，但是在记者 会现场，他却意外现身，这让陈玉珊十分惊讶。一上台更是与吴建豪相互击掌、拥抱，兄弟之情不言而喻。Jerry 表示，虽然最近身体不好，但陈玉珊推出新戏，他一定要来站台。陈玉珊事后说到：“Jerry变成熟了！”，吴建豪则说：“不管怎样，大家都是兄弟，4人中 只要有人接到工作，大家都会彼此鼓励、加油。”，这也打破了外传4人之间有嫌隙的谣言。

and searching for Vanness's pictures showed me some of his transitions since he debuted as F4 eons ago:

Back when he first debuted as an F4 member

then after going through a few years in the entertainment industry

the new look and hairstyle as a lawyer in the show. totally dig this new fresh and clean image of him

Remedies

Recently, I adopted back my old-and-long-forgotten habit of reading.

I always feel the urge to read whenever I step into the library, being surrounded by tons and tons of books. But due to hectic schedule, I also have no time! So one book I've finished reading is this:

 Remedies by Kate Ledger

The reviews are not bad - http://bookreview.mostlyfiction.com/2010/remedies-by-kate-ledger/ 

Initially I was attracted to the book cause of the cover. Looks so painfully abstract and hidden with so many secrets that I want to read it. And after reading, my take aways are this:

1. There are times when serious, deep misunderstandings can happen because one just simply refuse to communicate with each other. A good intention can be interpreted in the opposite way by the other and it just snowballs from there, especially when its your partner. Many a times we doubt and are skeptical, but many a times, the source is that we're just not trusting enough to believe that he/she would be

2. Emotionally painstaking events can really tear people apart. The only way to heal is to talk about it to the people who matters and who're also affected, and help each other to recover, because that is the source of positive energy. 

3. No matter how hard it is to go about doing something, if it needs to be done, it must be done. Otherwise it'll just be like an evil poison that would spread and engulf you from the inside. 

What impressed me most was the open-ended ending of the book. I was so looking forward to the ending and finding out whether everything would work out nicely in the end. Stayed up until 4am to finish the book and was greeted with an open ending. LOL. really leaves it to the reader's imagination! 

HAPPY CNY PEOPLE! 

I hope that 2011 would be a better year for me. And I would have the strength to become brave and stronger.

Day 2 in Phuket: Being an Interviewer for the First Time (Part 1)

Shall resume blogging about my Phuket trip!

Day 2, we got straight down to work as we had 2 interviews lined up for the day. And both are located in different beaches. (that's how our money depleted so quickly).

Having our complimentary breakfast in the morning:

Surin Bay Inn makes sure that every table has a flower deco on the table. A very sweet gesture and the choice of the flowers used helps to brighten up the day.

.

Us at breakfast

After breakfast, OFF WE GO! in a fiery red tuktuk. apparently the local taxi drivers and tuktuk drivers there have a monopoly. they're called the MAFIA. heard a few cases in the past where they would stop public buses on the road and point guns at the driver in order to stop public transport from snatching their business. luckily we're tourists so obviously even if such things happened, we wont be hurt because hurting us = no business = no money! 

The fiery red tuktuks! Don't we all look like we're some businesswoman.

Our first stop was the Kamala School, a school ran by Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation (http://www.phukethasbeengoodtous.org/) to provide quality English education to the local children, especially after the 2004 tsunami. 

We reached the school!

this is the sea view seen from the school gate. awesome right! imagine stepping out of school and having the sea greet you everyday.

the informal commerce food stalls right outside the school gate

the sea of motorbikes. due to the lack of public transport, the locals use private transport (ie. bikes / cars). even young kids have their own scooters or motorbikes to travel around. and its very obvious that they have no licence.

1. the name board of the school

2. the plaque when the school first opened. The school is under the King's Foundation. 

3. the school compound

4. the basketball court, located beside the guys' dorms

5. their classrooms

They were having a celebration for Children's Day then. Children's Day is a very important festival in Thailand because they believe strongly that children are the future and hence, should be treated with importance. For Kamala School, there was a funfair: 

there was even a boxing ring where the 2 kids are blindfolded and then start to box each other, if they managed to hit each other that is. its quite a comical sight. there was performances and all different booths of different games for the kids to play.

we took a picture with the Bunny from Andara Resorts who had a booth at the funfair

After which we heard that there was a temple nearby so we decided to visit and explore abit. 

the main Buddha where we paid our respects

look at the paintings on the wall!

and then we got lucky bracelets from the temple after receiving the monk's blessing. which we wore every single day! and i have to say, the bracelets seem to work. because for the remaining days there, we kept meeting nice people who were very helpful and friendly to us. in addition, some would give us valuable information for our FYP such as telling us who and who to contact etc =) 

lunch! 

the pineapple rice was super big!

one of their specialty

the noodles which i had

our next stop was BangTao Beach Chalet, a small boutique resort that is very nature based and loving. i lost some of the photos taken when we were given a tour of the rooms. what i remembered most clearly was the swans (the size of a laptop) made and folded from towels alone. aahhh, lost the photos =( 

alright, realised 1 day is pretty long. shall continue next time!

***************************************************************************************

results were out. and i have to say, though my semester gpa has been improving every semester, the degree of improvement is not enough. i expected 1 grade higher than what i got. for all my modules. and considering the fact that my gpa is split into 2 degrees, means that the effect of every sem's gpa on my cgpa is even smaller. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. i don't understand why its not. getting a bit demoralised. at the rate im going, there's no way i can jump an Honours class, especially when there are lesser and lesser modules to clear. 

Went for INSTEP information session yesterday and oh wells, financial constraints is really a big issue. would be looking for jobs these few days i guess.

Farewell to Taurus, but deep down, im still one!

I'm sure many of us have heard about the new horoscopes 2011, where a new horoscope sign was added -

Ophiuchus.

Apparently there is a shift in the Earth's rotational axis caused by the moon's gravitational pull. And this in turn caused a one-month bump in the star's alignment. Meaning, in super darn simple terms, the sky has shifted.

So this is Ophiuchus:

It is also known as Serpentarius, the Serpent Holder. One interesting fact is that unlike the other 12 signs, it is associated with an actual person.

Some traits of this horoscope:

• Many people are envious of this subject as he progresses well throughout life.
• A seeker of wisdom and knowledge
• Many people are jealous of this person
• Tends to go for the more flamboyant in dress sense, favouring bright colours.
• Authority looks upon him well.
• Would make a great architect or builder.
• Number 12 is this persons lucky number.
• This person will have a big family but leave home at an early age.

Read more: Ophiuchus - The 13th Sign of the Zodiac 2011

Can't say that many welcome this move, because we've come to love what or rather, who we are since we were born. Under the old horoscope sign, I'm a Taurus. who is characterised by stubborness and being dull and unwelcoming to change at times. But under the new sign, I'm an Aries, which is characterised by being very varied and always welcome changes. Its not me at all. But I guess no matter which horoscope we belong to, our personality is there and there to stay.

Here's to check if your horoscope has changed:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 – Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 – March 11
Pisces: March 11- April 18
Aries: April 18- May 13
Taurus: May 13- June 21
Gemini: June 21- July 20
Cancer: July 20- Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10- Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16- Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30- Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23- Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17- Jan. 20

Smartie Pants Evonne

Oh my my my!

After 5 years of having a blog on Blogger, i finally know how to change my template! =)
though i have to admit its not because i'm zai or i finally figured out how to do the html thingy,
but its because i made use of Blogger's new function Template Designer!
its soooo idiot-proof that a NOOB like me knows how to use,
and can have so much fun playing with it! =)

YAYYY!

Leaving for Phuket! Day 1

As some of you may know, I went to Phuket recently to do my dear FYP. Although it sounds nice and damn cool, it turned out to be like a business trip and well, we didn't have much time for R&R. though we did covered many beaches (and spent a bomb on transport) and went to many places. anyone needs info for Phuket? come find us! we'll damn good at it now. LOL.

shall update with pictures!

us being 50% excited and 50% sian when leaving Changi Airport! 

 this is the meal i had while waiting for our flight. 

a small Udon set that costs SGD $7! 

but i have to say, the Udon tastes rather nice and its e first time that i eat Udon without getting sick of the taste!  

all that is needed for the flight! 

Jetstar 3K537

Apparently Jetsta's Jetsaver Light allows a maximum of 10 kg for hand carry luggage instead of the usual and norm of 7kg! Relieve for us because our laptops took up like almost half of that weight. 

AND OFF WE GO!!

paying our respects accordingly at Phuket International Airport! 

Because we stayed 6 nights instead of the usual 2 nights at the hotel (called Surin Bay Inn), free airport transfer to and from the airport was given! so when we walked out of the airport, there was a man holding the sign 'TEOH MINGWEI' waiting to receive us. we felt like celebrities! 

oh and this thing about Phuket is, the cars there (even those used for taxis and for chauffering guests around) are rather big and luxurious. Honda, Toyato, Lexus even! 0.o we felt so pampered like we're some mega rich people being chauffered around haha! 

and here's our accommodation: SURIN BAY INN 
(http://www.surinbayinn.com/)
Surin Bay Inn
106/11 Surin Beach,Thalang, Phuket 83110,Thailand
Tel.: + 66 76 271601, + 66 76 621626
Fax: + 66 76 271599, + 66 76 621627

Its opened by a couple, an angmoh and his Thai wife. It emits those kind of small, cosy, family feel kinda inn because you get to interact with the owners, the staff, and even some of the other guests they have there. and these people sort of became friends after 2 days. An additional plus point is that they are REALLY REALLY friendly and helpful! =)





Soooo, due to certain restrictions, we only booked a Deluxe Twin Double Room, though we had 3 people.
So when checking in, the receptionist realised there's 3 of us and they're fully booked for the entire period of our stay, so its not possible for us to change room type. Luckily the owner of the inn, Bill, was there and he was really nice and helpful. I think we looked pretty desperate as we said we don't mind squeezing into that room, and he just asked us to take a look first before we make any decisions.

 This was how the twin deluxe room is supposed to be.

and i think because we were staying for 6 nights, which is pretty long, Bill actually got the staff to help us shift the furniture of the room around. ON TOP OF THAT, they even sweep the floor and cleared all the dust that is visible at the corners of the room because of the shift on furniture. Mega touched, and that's our first night in Phuket! we experienced the warm hospitality of the people. One of the staff even dirtied her black pants while helping us (half the length of the pants became white from the dust)! And yet they're ever so friendly and told us its okay when we kept apologising.

and TADAH! this is how it looked like. 

they shifted the 2 beds together for us. 

other amenities in the room

I have to say the toilet is rather big, and the shower head is strong. 

SHIOK! 

and the closet is damn cute! 

the light lights up when you open the door, and shuts off when you close the closet door TIGHT.

so after settling down into our house for the next 6 days, we walked out to visit 7-Eleven and did some stocking up of the necessities:

 

 this is how their 7-Eleven looks like. 

small, but well-stocked.

and definitely our favourite, cause its so familiar! 

we've never had so much fun shopping at 7-11 before. LOL. 

and this is our loot for the night! 

(Note the cup noodles, unhealthy snacks, and the iSPY wine) 

we didn't finish up the mineral water and coffee in the end though. 

and we gave the staff 1 of the iSPY wine. 

and so after settling down everything, we started to get to work!

the mess during our project discussion / meeting. 

oh yea i forgot to mention, the inn even provide guests with travel adaptor!

we got 2 from them =) 

us happily in our room!

and that's our first day (or rather, night, in Phuket!)