Bridging Fantasy & Reality

When life gets unfamiliar, all you can do is make the best out of it....

After some good probing from the mother, I have decided to put up pictures of my room (....regardless of how messy i still think it is).. You should know that this makes me feel somewhat exposed... Whatever the case, I still feel pretty cozy in this quaint little room that I now call home...














I had my first politics class today. And it was everything I expected it to be. I suddenly feel this urge to watch 300. It was all about Sparta. How war was such an important element of life back then. I suppose it was just the beginning of everything I was about to learn in the next few months, but I was intrigued right away. And happy, that maybe this was just one of the better decisions that I had made. The past few weeks, post enrolment, I was still in a daze, tryin to figure out if my choices wouldn't spark my interest... I'm pretty glad that that's not the case...

Met up with Su Lyn after lunch and once again we took the streets by storm. Walked to Foodtown, nearer to campus where I stocked up on food... I hope I don't finish it too fast.. I've developed a larger appetite, thanks to endless walks and colder weather... Oh, and apparently, also an obesession with milo powder!! Seriously, stick a spoonful into your mouth and let it melt! Heaven!

Anyways, my outings with Su Lyn are always fun fun fun... She invited me for dinner with her and Queenie on Friday but I had to turn it down, coz am supposed to be cooking with some of the residents then. Fingers crossed, our meal tomorrow will be safe to consume.

Been going for morning jogs at the domain pretty frequently. If I'm lucky, I get to catch the sunrise, which, honestly, is an awesome sight! The jogs also help me channel my pent up energy. The craggy tracks are refreshing to take on. Now, if only I could get my Ipod to work like I want it to....

Thinking of walking to the harbour tomorrow by myself after my stats class to get some studying done... The view of the sea and the wind blowing against my skin sounds very appealing... And the walk will do me good too..

Other than that, things here have been moving pretty slowly... Lectures are so huge that it's impossible to find any friends in them. I got to know yet another Malaysian who's in both my econs and psych classes and we've been hanging out, but most of the time, I prefer to keep to myself during lectures... It helps me focus more too. I believe that finding good friends takes time (...despite my need for affiliation, as quipped by Cassie) so I am not stressing the small stuff.

Comments (1) Full article

Lantern Festival at Albert Park, day 2 upon arriving....

The throngs of people and the stalls that were set up during the lantern fest

F&PAA, this is the brand new business building at UoA... it's where I have most of my lectures....

The view from F&PAA (Fisher and Paykel)

This was the outdoor orchestra that I went to at the Auckland Domain, sorry, there're barriers blocking the view....

The throngs of people that turned up, all sitting on the grass which doesn't turn soggy no matter what....

....and there're no mosquitoes at all!

Our own little gathering, from left is Caroline fm Germany, me (yes, I know, my hair looks disgustingly flat....), one of the floor RAs, Trishvin (my RA) and one of the Swedish residents.

The view from Su Lyn's apartment at The Quadrant.... the green roofed building's the law faculty...

More buildings... I like the red roof ones!!

And there's the quay, amidst the construction..... See any cows yet?? No?? Thank you very much!!

Those are the kinds of roads I'm talking about... they're all like that... This one's in the city center....

This one was taken at the Harbour, down Quay street... From left, Joanna, me, Ashish, Vim and Jack

And again.... these are a few of my closest friends here... Joanna's a M'sian fm Perth, Ash is from India, Vim and Jack are both JPA scholars from M'sia

There's me and Trish... She's such a great company with loads of great advice to boot. Trish is a JPA scholar from Malaysia too.....

There's me and Joanna. Joanna's a biomed student who lived in Perth for 3 years. She looks so Malay right? But she's chinese and about 18 years old this year. She's so adorably cute!!

Comments (3) Full article

OmIgODD! I can't believe I'm finally blogging! I've been craving to get on the internet for the longest time EVER. And all i could manage for the past few days was a couple of minutes to sign up for a couple of courses and check my e mail and Cassie's blog (Cassie, u can stop gloating now)...

Anyways, there is so much i wanna spill here... Too much in fact. My journey has been nothing short of an amazing adventure of independent survival, meeting so many different people with different personalities and overcoming fear (...I've done this so much this week, that I feel I can take on anything that comes my way!)

I have LOADS of things left to do, there's ALWAYS something to do here. I've never had a free day since I got here, which makes things better to be honest. It doesn't leave room for homesickness... Am blogging from the computer lab btw. There're about ten different labs here, and they used to charge for internet utilization but NOT ANYMORE. Which means, double hurrah for me. Labs get really packed tho, and even within the ten, it's difficult to find a suitable place.

So, enough about the labs. Here are some of the things I need to highlight.

1. Do you ever wonder why Caucasians normally have athletic legs (...apart from it being genes)... It's coz they walk EVERYWHERE. And in Auckland, there aren't any flat roads at ALL. It's either downhill or up hill... The walking is insane! But I absolutely ADORE it. The salubrious weather makes it an extremely pleasant task. So for the past few days I've spent my time walking from one end to another from approximately 8 am to around 5 pm. My legs have never hurt more. And I am beginning to think exercise is redundant when it comes to this country (....but that doesn't explain why many people are obese over here).

The roads are crazy steep i tell you. There was once I was walking down with Su Lyn (Cassie's friend who I got acquainted with once I reached New Zealand) and I almost broke down in tears for fear of the "bunga" on my sneakers not being good enough to keep me from falling.

I guess, I've gotten used to it now. I know a couple of roads pretty well. And I know the city campus pretty well too. Just getting from one place on this campus to another is like participating in a leg of Amazing race. Requires strength, stamina, determination, a good sense of direction and speed. Hurrah to walking I say!

2. People.
To be honest, this country is FAR MORE multiracial compared to Malaysia. You can find people from every end of the world. You name it and they're here. Even my residence hall comprises mostly of international students. My RA-resident advisor, is an angel. Her name's Trishvin and she's a JPA scholar from Malaysia. She took me jogging on my 2nd day here at this huge park and I ended up gasping for air like a fish outta the sea. We're doing it again tomorrow morning with Ash, this guy from India.

So far, I've made friends with Malaysians, Fijians, Americans, Germans, Swedes, Australians, Kiwis, Indians, Brits, Singaporeans, Japanese and Hongkies. But I have a feeling that this is only the beginning and more is yet to come. The friends i have (apart from Su Lyn) remain acquaintances though, I mostly walk places and get things done alone. Which is really unusual in my case coz I'm so used to having someone around. But I could easily get used to it. Sometimes i'm amazed at things I managed to do here that I was afraid of doin at home. Su Lyn has been a darling though. She helped me recognize places and sign up for my courses and get books. She;s just been so helpful.

3. Adaptation
I expected to take MUCH longer to adapt over here, but I think I've pretty much adapted somewhat. Everyday is like a new adventure here and you never know who you're gonna meet or what's gonna happen. On the 2nd day, some of my residence hall mates, Thrish and I went to a park nearby to witness a free outdoor orchestra with laser displays and fireworks. It was the BOMB. Even New Year's day in Malaysia couldn't compare. And then on the third day, almost all the residence stayed downstairs to play board games and mingle. I had such a blast that I forgot to call home!! Thing is, for some weird reason, I have more guy friends here as opposed to girls. Maybe it's a little too early to tell but we'll see. Went for a long walk yesterday after dinner from one end of the quay to the other end. Was a bit apprehensive at first coz I was the only girl but I would've regretted not going.

There isn't a moment when I don't miss home but things here haven't been bad at all. In fact, they've exceeded my expectations so much that i don't think I'm scared anymore. The loneliness gets to you sometimes but I've never been alone much. The food here sucks! There's nothing cheaper than 8 bucks except subway sandwiches and other sandwiches. The catered dinner meal plans haven't been all that great either. I normally don't eat too much at dinner, although it's a great place to socialize with the other residents.

Am planning to apply for a job here. None of my classes are in the morning, they only start from 11 am on wards. Not necessarily a bad thing. I also have classes at the Tamaki Campus which is a free bus ride from here although I've not had the chance to familiarize myself with it yet.

Hmmm, so I think I've babbled enough. I should get my internet connection up by today coz I just registered for the wireless Whoosh services. Fingers crossed I will be able to do it all by myself. I have a single room all to myself with a double bed (surprised?), a small fridge, a desk, a huge closet, window and little walking space... No complains there. The bathrooms are fabulous. I've not had any problems with it since arriving. Signing up with vodafone was a tad tricky but all's well now.

Better get running before the sun sets then. Missing you guys!

You know you love me!

xoxo

Comments (3) Full article

"I don't wanna take anymore stuff out... Whyyyyyy am I a girl????? Arghahahaha roaR" -Me

So here's the thing. I am packing. My luggage bag is 20 kg overweight. They charge 100 ringgit or so for every extra kg. Which means, I have to pay 2000 ringgit to bring that extra load...(....which does not include the weight of my laptop AND my hand luggage....). Yes. GO ahead. Ask the question. "Woman, waht the crap are u bringing with you??". But before you do. I challenge you to go pack for a country with 4 seasons which you will be spending almost a year in. There is no way in hell you can pack within the limit. Unless you're a slotherific dude who turns over his undies n wears them for two days in a row....

Here's the other thing. I have to get my hair done today. Just when I've started loving it, I have to cut it/meddle with it/spruce it up, til I ultimately hate it.... Why? Coz a hair cut in Sheep Land is worth more than you can imagine.

And another thing, I have plans to go to genting with Leeza Yong Tau Foo and Mark Por Siew Pau. I am dMe thosai btw. I don't think it works for me, but whatever! I have absoluta no idea how to go to cheras. And I think I made too many appointments for this week.

Which reminds me, Mike leaves for Sydney-too-expensive-land today. All the best in the med world Mike. I'm expecting free med treatments from all my dr friends in the future. I will exchange for free psychology treatments when you fall into that middle age crisis depression/when you need marriage counselling/when you have that psychotic urge to stab someone for no specific reason.

I need to go turn my bag upside down now. Did I mention I have more stuff to stuff into it???

Have fun doin what you do best! You know you love me.

xoxo

Comments (5) Full article

I have a lot of pictures. Of Shereen, Shalene and me at our final outing. Of Ben's farewell. Of Mike and Cassie at KLIA (random, I know....). Of my family reunion this CNY in Seremban. Too bad you won't be seeing any of them.... I'm sorry, I just have too many things to do with the limited amount of time I have in Malaysia.

Here's a short summary of how the weekend and a little beyond went. Lunched and watched Meet the Spartans with Shereen and Sha on Fri. Had an awesome time. Balik Kampung on Sat with me driving and Trixie (lil sis) sitting by my side while bobbing our heads to Ben's Backstreet Boys cd.... which I still have with me. (sorry Ben!!!) I had so much fun with the cousins in Seremban. Glad I got to see them again before I leave. We chatted over big lunches and poked fun at each other. And my grandmother kept reminding me that this might be the last time I see her. And I kept telling her "no, no, no". And then she gave me this granny sweater, which made me remember that it's the thought that counts. And then went for Ben's farewell on Sunday where we gambled and indulged in Peach Vodka courtesy of Billy. And I got to loh yee sang for the 1st time this year.

Sent him of at KLIA early Monday morning. It was an emotional affair. But I couldn't cry. I think I have numb tear ducts! I am not emo enough la. I think my romance nerves are stagnant too. I watched 2 very sappy romantic movies and managed to laugh in satirism at both. The first one was Must Love Dogs starring Diane Lane and John Cusack. Dull and draggy. The 2nd one was You've Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I just don't get the Meg Ryan craze.

Packing's getting more intense. I leave in exactly 8 days!!! I've already half packed. Just need to stuff more clothes n earrings n shirts and random stuff into it. Bought lotsa stuff today and yesterday. Gotta run. Loads of things to do.

You know you love me.

xoxo

Comments (1) Full article

From the Files of Tuition Valley, an online tuition portal....
Student' s name :
Dimi
Place:
Petaling .Jaya
Duration of tuition:
2 years

Form 4 Final Exam
Physics : C5
Add Math : B4
Chemistry : B4

After SPM
Physics : A1
Add Math : A1
Chemistry : A1

Comments
Dimi is a hardworking and discipline student. She is the only student under my coaching for complete 2 years. (Form 4 and Form 5) Initially, she is weak in mathematical foundation and concepts after her PMR and causing her lack of confidence in subjects like Additional mathematics and Physics. Another weakness of hers is too nervous and easily get panic during examination.
Efforts put on her are more on counselling and encouragement, conceptual explanation on Mathematics and Physics knowledge.
Due to her persistence and hard work, eventually she achieved excellent results and obtained 11A1s in her SPM examination. Congratulations to Dimi!

Today is day three of me being sick at home... A.K.A torture!!!

After three days, nothing seems interesting any longer. Magazines give me a migraine. Facebook bores me to the ground. Sleeping is so overrated! The tv is an annoying box of idiocy that drives me up the wall. And thinking of any food in particular makes me wanna puke.

Anyways, was browsing through the net....... ok, fine, I googled my name! And I found this site in which my former tuition teacher, Mr Seow, wrote about me! Never knew til today.... Mom's bugging me to register for a uni guide and the international orientation programme.. Oh, and I'm also almost done with my very own self made calendar!! I just have december left to do and I've run outta UHU glue... Plus, three more frames to be decorated after which, I will be finally done with all my home DIY projects.

Will post pictures up here soon for your browsing purposes. Til then,

you know you love me!

xoxo

Comments (0) Full article

You know there's that point in life when everything seems to be going well and you start thinking you're invincible and not a thing in the world can get your spirits down?? I began to think I was invincible about a month or so ago. Like everything was working so terrifically right for me and it didn't matter that I was staying up late most nights and that I was eating only food prepared in the insalubrious premises of the unknown and not drinking enough water but other unhealthy beverages..... Only to be slammed back to reality again yesterday... Sigh.

I finally fell sick. Like it was some sorta karma for being ignorant and not being as in touch with my spiritual side as I should be. And mind you, when I get sick, I really do! It's not some sorta mild influenza that can be cured with a dose of panadol flu or a mere bug that lasts a night. I was literally curled up in bed. Didn't even wake up to eat the entire day. It was just me and the bed and the spasms of pain in my stomach and the deafening migraine that bemoaned my instincts. Sigh. I think my allergies finally kicked in. I've been sporadically testing my limits with dairy products. Guess I was finally set straight. I canNOT eat dairy!!! Am still trying to figure out whether it was the fried bihun or if it was something else that trigered my puke buttons.

Can't seem to figure out how bulimics survive on puking their guts out though. I. Hate. Puking. In fact, as better as it made me feel, I think I've subconsciously developed a fear of puking.

That aside, the past few days prior to my sick stampede was fun fun fun.

Went out with the MPS girls on thursday. Reunited after a LONG time, we spent a short time together at the Dessert Bar, chatting over ice cream at Subang Parade. Yes. This was one of the rare occassions when I put my intolerance to the test. No more! Was fun just catching up and being reminded of the nuttiness that made us tick...

Just us girls.... From far left, me, Wai Yi, Petrina, Puiks, Alison, Natasha n Leez

Then later at night, a spontaneous call lead to a spontaneous outing at approximately 12 am at Bojangles in Desa Sri Hartamas. Nirms, Mike, Nirm's sis and her bf and I hung out while talking over live music. Headed back at around 4 sth in the morning after an extended chat in A&W. Mike left his headlights on and his car batt had to be shocked back into life. Gave us both a slight scare. I was already scanning my brain for a suitable place for him to sleep at my apartment after his third trial with the car failed, when outta nowhere the engine revved back into life.

At Bojangles, in Hartamas...

Despite the late night, both Mike and I had to wake up early again on Friday for lunch with Esther and Jing at Paddingtons in One U. Esther picked me up and we battled the jam to get to One U where Jing had been awaiting our arrival for the past hour!!! Sigh. Had yummy pankeok for lunch!! Try San Francisco!! Very recommendable... The fish is excellent! Walked around One U in a zombified state after that with Esther.... Was just too tired to function.

From left : Mike, me, Esther and Jing at Paddingtons

Saturday morning was our professional development project at Joel's place. Shaun taught us how to cook a three course lunch... Started off with making the dessert, a creamy yoghurt based fruit dish which we all agreed was the best of the dishes. Then was the rich tomatoe broth, made from celery and carrots and butter and water and other things. The potatoe salad was the easiest and funnest to make. Followed by the boiling of the angle hair spaghetti and finally, the carbonara cream for the cream eaters and the tomatoe based special for me... Had a good time both making the food and eating it over our very brief rotaract meeting. Probably my very last one... Made an announcement to the district early this morning where I declared my withdrawal from D3300 and deemed Shaun Liew as my replacement. Sigh. All things do come to an end.

Cassie, Me and Sylvia, pretending to wash stuff....

Saturday night was the January Babies Bday bash at Backyard Pub in Desa Sri Hartamas. Attended the function with Cassie and Leez and met up with Alex and his brother there. I suppose we did have a great time hanging out with them and getting to know them better and feeling the thrill that came with being rebellious. Plus, putting confusions and questions marks to rest. Slept over at Leez's place later that night, I mean morning, considering we only got back at 5 am. I think I was the first one to zonk out while we were gossiping... Sorry gals.

At Backyard, from left, me, Bernice, Cassie and Leez...

So yea, that's pretty much my week. I leave in about 18 days, the final countdown begins.... Going back to Seremban to meet with extended family during chinese new year.... Hope you guys have a great New Year celebration...

Til next time, you know you love me...

xoxo

Comments (4) Full article