cheesetal

The Water Dragon

2012-01-26T15:24:00.003+08:00

There's so much more happiness to go around this Chinese New Year, as compared to past years.

My happy (embarrassing) family. ♥

I find the atmosphere at our home feels lighter and more refreshing, somewhat.

Shauna loves his little sibling. :3

It took me awhile for me to realize that it's been quite awhile since we properly celebrated, since our family went through a fair share of tough times which consequently led us to escape overseas on previous occasions.

The past two years has been saturated with waves of ups and downs, but I'm here to say that the three of us are here to sincerely usher in the beginning of the Dragon Year. :)

Every year, we spend most days of the new year with our extended Chow family, and like all other years, we laugh, devour our favourite homemade soup, get fat, grow old, and lose money to our Aunty Su whom is the luckiest person I've ever met. *bitter*

Another tradition we kept was our yearly day-trip to Malacca town to visit mum's relatives, but with a side twist - we did a pitstop at our secret food haunts before going home!

I'm also quite happy to have rekindled my love for baking, because I can now tempt people with cakes and brownies just so they can drop by my house for a visit :D

BFF :D

Five long years since the BFF's last group picture was taken, can you believe it?

My Grandma Knows Kung Fu

2012-01-23T08:12:00.000+08:00

While waiting for the rest of the family to arrive for the reunion dinner, I sat around with Shauna and my other cousins in front of the tele box, and helped swat away some flies that were trying to invade my favourite soups and pork dishes.

A few minutes later, I saw this wad of newspaper flew past me like a battling spear, heard a loud THWACCCCCK!!!, and my grandmother heaved a small sigh, bent over to take up the newspaper, and underneath it was the exact same fly that I was trying to very hard to shoo away.

Except now, it's a dead fly.

We all looked at her, and back at ourselves again; each equally speechless as the other.

My uncle joked that it she probably took that eighty years of her life to cultivate all that qi and inner energy, coupled with the fact that she doesn't have much to do at home anyway, hence the unbelievable talent and lightning hand reflex.

...

I told you, my Mama is just awesome.

A List of Things...

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000+08:00

...That recently annoyed me -

Drivers who continuously blare their horns when they're cars are stagnant in a traffic jam.
Just when I finally decide to buy my favourite pair of white Havaianas, the salesperson tells me that my size is out of stock. For three months.
Must gaining weight after eating big and delicious portions for dinner every night be the natural way of things?
The resident rat in my neighborhood is keeping my dog awake at night!
My supposed family trip to Cambodia went from reality to dream when the agent called to say all the hotels were fully booked by Chinese tourists during CHINESE NEW YEAR!??!?! -___-"
The current hot and humid weather's the perfect combination for an eczema attack.
You search high and low for that 5 cent coin for an ice-cream cone from McDonald's, they tell you their machine's out of order.
Seriously, two assignments even before the beginning of semester?
My dog eats book receipts that I compile for my mother's income tax.

The one that got to me most, was how annoyed I was with myself for reversing into someone else's car, resulting in a huge hole in my wallet after paying for the damages of both our cars!

Sigh, never again.

Project 16/21; Baked A Birthday Cake

2012-01-16T23:16:00.002+08:00

And it was a success!!! :))))

This person that I baked for is actually a friend, but recently, I see him more often as my patient in the dental clinic as compared to other socializing occasions. You'd hardly find friends who are that patient to when you experiment with their teeth, and even gives you and your partner little gifts from time to time.

So when dinner was set for upcoming 30th birthday, I thought a homemade cake would be a good gift to show how grateful I am for his kindness!

Before the icing.

Honestly, I haven't baked a proper cake in years, and this strawberry cake that I did was the biggest (and grandest) scale I have ever achieved in a single try. The fact that the finished product turned out to be what I dreamt it would be actually surprised me.

The final product.

I'm not too sure if my friends didn't want to make me feel bad, but I really hope that everyone was as pleased with the outcome as I am; especially Chin Aik.

Here's to more experiments in the future; I just need to find potential guinea pigs to try!

Quote #57

2012-01-14T19:38:00.004+08:00

"I always continue to smile after I put down the phone with you. Heh"
"Me too"
"Then I guess we're weird together :)"

Palpitations

2012-01-13T12:16:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow, someone will once again return home, and the thought of us catching up and digesting 6 months of each other's lives sounds quite exciting in my books.

I wonder how's it gonna be like, but so long as there are no heart attacks this time, it's all good.
I hope?

Fifth Semester

2012-01-12T12:30:00.003+08:00

Can you believe it?

Next week marks another beginning; the beginning of the last few months of my pre-clinical phase of dental school.

It was barely a month ago that I made my happiness known to the whole world that I have made it into third year, but honestly, to digest that fact itself obviously took a longer time than expected. In my case, the epiphany only arrived at my doorstep after my new timetable (finally) appeared in my university portal two days ago. Heh.

Other factors also came in like a slap in the face - how we suddenly have two assignments patiently waiting for us to digest even BEFORE we officially start our term, and four clinical slots in our first week(!) alone marks the beginning of our continuous hunt for patients again.

Anyone interested? :D

Happy as I am to be treating people and seeing my friends again, I am unsure as to how excited I should actually be about resuming classes. One, because the time for us to part our separate ways is drawing nearer and nearer and secondly, you tell me lah who prefers to wake up early, slog and tire your brain cells for eight continuous hours than to sleep in and have breakfast in bed???

My days of jellying around are going to end once more, and the next time I get this chance; an entirely new phase awaits me.

YDC 20th; Dhamma Initiative

2012-01-11T07:41:00.000+08:00

The thought of this possibly being the last camp that I'll be attending in a long while saddens me, because this was how everything started a long time ago, and has become a huge part of me ever since.

Looking at the latest stream of pictures that we took at OUTBAC Broga, mostly funny ones with my #epicfail facial expressions, I realized that it's been nearly nine years. Nine long years, and yet, most of my favourite aspects, like the people I have known since young, still walk with me till this very day.

In between, I have also met people who infused much colour and joy into this already wonderful experience, and I sometimes wonder who will I ever be, if not for them?

This act of initiative dealt me a number of lessons for me to ponder upon, and just like all previous camps that I have been to, I came back home feeling inspired and subsequently, rediscovered the old, funny, lame, sentimental and hyperactive Cheese in me.

Through it all, I am more than happy to have been apart of all the works of The Dhamma Initiative; smiley toes and all!

Virtue

2012-01-09T01:22:00.003+08:00

What I admire most about my Mamee Monster, is her patience. There is only truth when I say that her patience is quite unbelievable, because I have yet to know of another individual who comes close to the level of zen she has acquired.

Dear mother of mine, is patient with everything, and it is her knack for maintaining her calm and composed self when things go terribly haywire that really irks me till no end, leading to me sometimes questioning her about her planet of origin.

Hee. :)

Nothing really seems to have effect on her nowadays, especially after her recent commitment to weekly meditation sessions - I could set her head of curls on fire or ram our family car into a Ferrari and I bet you my savings that she'll just keep calm, and meditate on.

LAIKE A BOSS.

Just kidding; she'll strangle me for sure! -___-"

My point is, it is this trait of hers that I have such high regard for, and with it also comes this feeling of shame that I am forced to admit. I only wish that after what possibly could be years of strenuous practice and cultivation, I can acquire at least half of all the virtues that makes my mother, and to better myself than what I already am today.

Shauna Can Sing!

2012-01-07T20:46:00.000+08:00

Just returned from a less-than-24-hours trip to Malacca with Shauna, and I was quite pleased with how fruitful it turned out to be, in terms of its original purpose and other miscellaneous that we squeezed in.

Bunked in at Cedric's old Nyonya house for the night; was so taken by its age and architecture!!!

My role was basically ~~a loyal psychotic fan~~ an audience to my brother's performance with MOD and also him going solo for a few songs for the opening ceremony of a new Buddhist Association at Bukit Baru.

This is one of the rare moments that I get to sit down and see Shauna perform, and I have to concur with people's opinions about his singing talents, because my brother has improved tremendously since the last I heard him. :)

My Shauna, with his girlfriend (keyboard).

It's just weird though, to listen to others complementing my brother's height, his looks o.0, and other stuff that siblings don't usually acknowledge between one another, and it was even weirder when you see a lady giving him flowers and request for a photograph together HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Brunch.

We only had time for brunch before we made our way back home, with me driving right smack beneath the afternoon sun. Anyone knows that you can never fulfill your Malacca food quota with just chicken rice balls, but I was still a happy kid in the end after buying mountains of pineapple tarts back home.

WOOHOO! :D

Parchment

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000+08:00

Journals and blank notebooks intrigue and fascinate me in ways that I cannot comprehend. From the various designs of its front covers, the fresh smell of tree bark, to the clean sheets of pale parchment, I sometimes feel that this fetish of mine is tipping over the borders of obsession, and it took me an immense amount of self-control over a long span of time to not keep bringing a new one back home every time I enter a bookstore!

Within my collection (explains how many I actually have -___-"), I actually have use for most of them, while the empty ones I keep stashed away to await days of random epiphany, and I finally give them a purpose. :)

Whatever journals I have, I value them dearly, as each one of them carries some sort of sentimental significance - It could be contents that were churned directly from my jumbled thoughts, the person(s) who gave it to me as gifts, knowing the littlest details of what I valued and liked, quotes that I wouldn't want to forget, or how I use them as monthly planners to keep track of my life.

Planner 2012

My book of dreams ♥

The giver of this knows me too well.

I guess I like the idea of having bits and pieces of myself immortalized in whatever means possible; in this case, it would be my thoughts put into words that hopefully, I would have the luxury of rereading again in the years to come.

Besides that reason, you can say that it's like any other crazy obsession some others might have.

Kampung Angkat

2012-01-05T09:30:00.000+08:00

Yet another opportunity to do community work!

The narrow road leading to the fishing village.

This time, we accepted an invitation by our medical seniors who are posted at Batu Pahat to participate in their Kampung Angkat project, whereby the general gist of it is a thorough health screening programme for the community in a specific village.

There are a few stations that the villagers will have to go through, and amongst them are blood pressure, blood glucose level, BMI, breast examination, eye test, and of course, oral health.

Oral Health Education

For the oral healthcare station, there was already a dental officer stationed to inspect the oral cavity, so what my friends and I did was to fill in the details on behalf of the villagers, and also to provide oral health education for their children.

The trip down was pretty short, but we were quite grateful for the hospitality that our seniors have shown, and also the experience gained from conducting health screening programmes such as this one. This is one of the first times our Dentistry school has participated in this project, and I don't expect this occasion to be the last of it! :)

Happy children :)

Project 15/21; Virgin Hair No More

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000+08:00

Inheritance

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000+08:00

It is easy to be calm when there is nothing to worry about, Eragon. The true test of your self-control, however, is whether you can remain calm in a trying situation. You cannot allow anger or frustration to cloud your thoughts, not at the moment. Right now, you need your mind to be clear.

- Glaedr, the Dragon

Red Velvet

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000+08:00

Some New Year love!

Recipe adapted from here.

#Resolutions2012

2012-01-01T16:32:00.000+08:00

On the 1st of January 2011, these are the resolutions that I made, and allow me to tell you its progress, or the lack thereof.

Family - Rather than wanting to remember the good deeds that I do everyday, I want to remember each time that I was rude, or shown inacceptable behavior towards Shauna and Mamee Monster, and hopefully, I shall never repeat it again. The fact that Shauna and I have been much closer than ever should explain a fair deal of improvement, although I admit that I still need to me nicer to my Mamee Monster ♥
Education - I still remember my promise to Michelle Wong, so I hope that she remembers too. Hee. I am happy to announce that Michelle has stuck by our shared promise - She dutifully stayed awake during most of our lectures this year, while I on the other hand, was supposed to NOT skip my lectures, and I have failed. Miserably.
Health - After what I had been through with my father, I don't think that this column needs any further explanation. :) Falling sick twice in a month during your exam period is unacceptable.
I've met quite a number of great friends this year, and also had a chance to marvel at the support that was given to me by people that I've known for many, many years. My only wish is to appreciate all they have done for me, and to always keep them close to my heart. Let my friends comment on this. Hee.
My birthdays are occasions that I usually do not have much emphasis on, but, it feels quite surreal that I am turning 21 years old next year. For that, I'd be kick-starting Project 21; a mission to accomplish 21 things that are worth doing, that I have never done in my life thus far.

Any ideas? :D There's less than 3 months left, and I have only just achieve 13. Help me complete this!
I solemnly promise to cut down my FFK streak by a minimum of 50%. SUCCESS!!! *denial*
My addiction for Facebook has got to stop. Sigh T.T OBVIOUSLY FAILDOTCOM LAAAAA.
I seek happiness through the happiness of others. SUCCESS!!!
There is a fine balance amidst striving for personal goals, seeking momentary pleasures and allowing certain emotions and feelings to flow as they please. I think I need to find that. SUCCESS!!! :)

And TODAY, on the first day of 2012,

I vow to complete with the final semester of my pre-clinical phase with no regrets, no resits, and in the most fulfilling manner possible.
I vow to be more careful with my health; in terms of what I eat, my level of fitness, and my sleeping hours.

I also think that it's about time I be less of a stubborn child when it comes to consuming medication
-___-"
I vow to place my family as a priority above all other priorities, my dimsum dog included.
I vow to be more wise with my expenditure; to buy the necessary, and to resist getting those that I do not need.
I vow to improve on my spiritual wellbeing; to be more mindful of my thoughts, my actions, and my speech.
I vow to be nothing but sincere; as a daughter, as a sister, as a lover, as a friend, as a student, as a leader and follower, as a random stranger that you chance upon across the street.

And LASTLY...
I still want my holidaez kthxbai.

Project 13/21; My (Male) Shopping Companion

2011-12-30T14:48:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was one of the rare days that I devoted so much time just to hunt down some clothes for Chinese New Year, and it took me an entire day later to realize that it's my first time having a guy as my shopping companion.

A lil slow on my behalf, but my full appreciation still goes out to him; for walking with me amongst the waves and waves AND WAVESSSSSSS of humans that flooded Pavilion, for waiting for me outside the changing rooms, for carrying my bags, and just for the company.

I could get used to this. :)

And then, there was also the double date (also the first in my 21 years) that made a fantastic ending for the day...

Hee. :3

Absence

2011-12-24T06:32:00.000+08:00

Extreme Happiness Is...

2011-12-23T17:03:00.000+08:00

When you tear open that slip of paper,

...and you find out that you are now a third year dental student.

The World Above Me

2011-12-22T22:57:00.000+08:00

There were some possessions of mine that became Siew Mai's periodic chew toys, but there were only very few that I got really upset ~~and nearly minced him for it~~.

One, was my Mac charger that cost RM299 to replace, my pencil box, and the other was him chewing my world map to shreds while I was sleeping.

My new map from National Geographic!

After contemplating, I finally bought a replacement when I was in Singapore, which gave me this triumphant feeling that I am able to wake up to see the entire world above me every morning again!

The dog can growl at it for all it wants, but I made sure that he's not gonna get to it for the second time. Hee.

My room feels complete now. :)

Delicious DT110

2011-12-21T06:39:00.000+08:00

What was meant as a surprise celebration for Yiling's 21st somewhat became a class gathering when more than half of us turned up for dinner after our exams that day.

The birthday girl ♥

This is the second birthday in a row that I've planned to her with her closest friends, and just like last year, the supposedly 'surprise' event didn't exactly turned out like how we expected. Heehee.

Nevertheless, other than the birthday girl not being surprised, she and the rest of us certainly had a very good night, with proper food after being deprived for such a long time, funny conversations, and equally funny pictures taken!

I'd like to say again, that this person is held responsible for most of my happy days in university, and is most definitely deserving of all the happiness that I am able to give her in return.

Also, I think I'll just cut down my efforts for the surprise elements and just stick to good ol' fashioned dinners. :D

Absence

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000+08:00

19th - 21st December 2011

My complaints of not having any fate with Singapore have finally been addressed, and as you read this, I have already begun my journey down north and am most probably taking a shut eye in my designated coach seat. :)

Five other dental peeps are gonna be my travelling companions this time, and we plan to conquer them new rides at Universal Studios; there were quite a few that weren't ready when we went last year.

I'm quite excited though, since Christmas is just around the corner and it has been y-e-a-r-s since I last saw all the pretty fairy lights at Orchard Road. When we say Christmas, we also say sales, and when we say sales, we ALWAYS say ~~window~~ shopping! :D

Will be back home before you can say cheesetal.

Excess

2011-12-16T20:58:00.000+08:00

What exactly do I feel right now?

Right now, I feel like the wind has swept me off my feet, and the ringmaster behind this involuntary journey would be time itself.

Time has given me the liberty to have me immerse myself in the fulfillments of life, ensuring that I am not left behind to experience every possible aspect of my education, human relationships, gluttony, and acts of hedonism that I appreciate, definitely.

The only thing that time has not given me; the thing which is most important - A momentary pause.

With all that I experience, everything seems to come tumbling one after another, and before I can even comprehend what has happened, I am whisked away to something that is entirely different from my previous encounter, and as the cycle continues the thrill of excitement is soon replaced by the feeling of dread and exhaustion, because I am unable to stop.

Sometimes, all I want would just be that single pause; to be able to give my body a chance of a deep breath, to give my heart a rest from the adrenaline; to give my mind that split second to process all the beautiful memories, and not succumb to the continuous whir that now seems perpetual with every week that passes, every day, every minute, every second.

Fulfilling, yes, but time, you just need to stop.

Once in awhile.

2011-12-02T05:01:00.000+08:00

Tonight, coffee seems so familiar, somehow.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. ♥

November 2011

2011-11-30T06:13:00.000+08:00

My level of mental exhaustion was at its peak in this month of November, with so many written exams and practical tests spread out within all those four weeks. I'd say that it was definitely crazy times, because even when you eagerly count down the end of each paper, there isn't sufficient time for you to take a breath of fresh air and call it a day, when you need to immediately tune in for the next exams that would take place the week after.

More often than not, I went through each day feeling pretty much jaded, as I couldn't really tell what has gone into my head most of the time, what retains in my over-saturated brain... all I know is that I wanted that seemingly never-ending cycle to come to a complete halt, or, merely just take a pause so that I can actually comprehend my current state.

With nothing but the desperate feeling of wanting to take control of my own life again, coffee has suddenly turned from arched nemesis to a necessity to get by, and there was this influx in salmon sashimi every other day, with hopes that my brain would wake up and show the genius side of me that I always wished I had within me.

Needless to say, I just continued wishing. :)

With December taking its turn to roll, it'll be our final FINAL papers coming up in two weeks' time, and all I want to do is to give this last leg a final push to get it done and over with.

At least then, I can say that I did give it my best shot!

Fluff Ball

2011-11-29T13:25:00.000+08:00

When Siew Mai first came into our home a year ago, it was that phase of life where the loss of a family member was quite recent, and the three of us concentrated on trying to bring back some normality back into our lives.

Well, apparently that can't really happen when you bring back a white fluff ball into your household, and that same fluff ball happens to be the cutest (and most rascal) thing that sweeps everyone's heart away in a jiffy.

Disgusting. -___-"

Now, over a year has gone by, and that period was more than enough to make me realize just how important and close to a family member he has become; not just to my family, but also to close family friends, acquaintances, blog readers, and Facebook strangers.

What I mean to say, in the end, is that split decision to bring him home, was probably one of the best decisions we've made, ever.

Movie: Puss In Boots

2011-11-29T08:44:00.000+08:00

For an inanimate kitty to make Shauna go Awwwwww, you'd be sure that Puss In Boots turned out to be a movie that's worth watching. :)

I was generally elated to be temporarily free from exams that night, so any movie would have been sufficient to make me a happy camper. On the other hand, my sibling looked like he enjoyed it very much, considering how loud the both of us laughed at some parts of the show. Heh.

We all know how his big, green eyes is what everyone anticipates every time he makes an appearance, and I assure you, you won't be disappointed! :D

Review: 7/10

Cheesetal - Four Years Old

2011-11-27T18:23:00.000+08:00

It has been four years now, since cheesetal.blogspot.com came to life.

To have yourself consistently blogging over that time span, you'd realize that four years isn't a short period, and amongst so many people I know who simultaneously hopped onto the same wagon as me when I wrote my first post, I came to realize that cheesetal was eventually left to be one of the last few standing, while most of the other sites were abandoned, leaving me quite sad because I was left with lesser reading material to indulge in.

Then again, in another perspective, I tell myself that it is only four years - A time frame that is long enough to sum up a fraction of my life's experiences; the bare minimum of my thoughts that I allow for the scrutiny of those whom I know, and more dangerously, those whom I do not.

But, I have had quite an enjoyable experience, thus far.

This space was created from a spur of a whimsical desire to have a breakthrough into the cyber world, and slowly morphed into a medium where I am able to witness a rewind of my past, this present which is concurrent, and an indication of a future that would most likely be. It remains the sanctuary that gives me freewill to write what I do not usually speak, and fuel for what little imagination and inspiration that I possess within me.

I suppose that one day, all this would probably come to an end, but till then, I'd like to allow this sense of affection and achievement to cloud my thoughts for the moment; for having all this come to at least, four years.

Evolution

2011-11-27T00:23:00.001+08:00

My act of organizing my picture files in my Mac for the first time allowed me to unearth my Photobooth folder and its contents that really made my eyes go wide.

When I first brought Gisele home in 2009.

Self-portraits sure is one way to make you realize exactly how much change you've gone through in terms of physical appearance, and when we look back at old photos, most of the time we snort in disbelief and ask ourselves - did we actually look like that last time? o.0

After a game of badminton.

Before going to Bangkok in 2010.

I think, the most dramatic change was during my first few weeks of having metal in my mouth, where my cheeks just puffed and swelled because of the pain. Or, it could have just been the usual case of me having too much cake on my plate. :D

PHWROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

All that glee for finally having hair that's long enough to become a makeshift moustache. :)

This last photo would be my most recent; I wouldn't say that I've changed to a point where I see a complete stranger staring back at me from the photos, but, to a certain extent, I admit that my younger self does give me the urge to laugh, no?

November 2011

Mamee's Adventure

2011-11-19T06:15:00.000+08:00

My Mamee Monster's going to spend two weeks in India very soon, and there has been a recent hustle and bustle to scout for warmer wear, travel toiletries and good walking shoes to ensure a hassle-free and spiritual trip.

She's actually going on a pilgrimage with a small group of people, and the plan is to pay visit to the significant Buddhist landmarks; something she had always dreamed of doing for as long as I can remember. It's a pity I have university to tackle, or I'd have also joined in this rare opportunity myself!

Her absence within that period will definitely be felt by Shauna and I, since we both always anticipate her nagging every time we're home, and I'll be left with no one to hear out my funny stories and rants about the outside world till she's back home.

But, if there's one thing that all three of us have to agree upon, is that we know who's gonna miss her the most...

Heehee, guess who?

Linger

2011-11-18T06:47:00.000+08:00

Hello Daddy, how I've missed you. ♥

I have not always had you as the first in line to my train of thoughts, but rather, I am pleasantly reminded of your presence every now and then through personal experiences, exploring undiscovered places, right up to bits and pieces of conversation that can be as random as marriage and buying a house!

That particular conversation I had with four others was the one that triggered a realization that there are so many things I could have told you, or that you would have liked to know about my life, that I'd spend days and days just compiling everything down, and yet, I wouldn't really know where should I begin, or how the ending will turn out to be.

Maybe, to not worry you, I should start by saying that life has been good. Perfect is what idealists would say, but, as you know your daughter, I'd just say that the word good describes it just fine.

I've been caught up with university (nothing new), and so is Shauna. Both our buttocks are tied down to our respective chairs until our exams finally finish in December, and till then, we're pretty much subdued since the only place we frequent to is probably just Starbucks. Hee. Mamee Monster's keeping a watchful eye on us, as always; I am all in for her doing meditation and all that jazz, since it's what she wanted to do all this while.

I'd say that the only thing about our family that will probably disgust you is that the entire world has accepted that siew mai's now the ~~king~~ little baby of the household, and all he has to do is give us that (cute) look, and he gets everything he wants, right down to my stalk of lychees.

Disgusting. . . -___-"

If you're curious, I've still been taking walks in the park in your absence, and it's something that I plan to continue for as long as I am stay here. Aside from the minor construction that's going on now, I still look forward to see the usual folks, the same winding path, the same green shrubs and trees; one of the only survivors of time that serves as a concrete reminder of what the both of us had previously shared together.

Oh, I have a secret to share with you; something that you'll definitely like to kepoh about if you're still around. :)

Daddy, I just wanted you to know that you'll always be at the back of my mind, even when the time of your absence will only continue to lengthen.

Your 52nd birthday is coming soon, by the way.

Love!

Movie: The Adventures of Tin Tin

2011-11-17T05:53:00.000+08:00

The first thing that came to my mind when I watched this movie, was how real the characters were even though it was obviously an animation film! Thumbs up for the striking resemblance they managed to come up with for Tin Tin, as compared to the comic version.

Other than that, it was quite an enjoyable movie to watch; there was just a right balance of adventure and humour in the movie, and it didn't make me feel like I sat through yet another cartoon show for younger children.

Review: 7/10

Awaited

2011-11-15T05:43:00.000+08:00

Happy 21st Birthday, Best Friends; You both finally caught up with me. ♥

It was the time of the year again - the month of October where every other day is someone's birthday, and EVERYONE scrambles to go present hunting, buy birthday cakes and organize birthday parties. This is when your Facebook events list start piling sky-high, and you make extra effort to drop them a text message to wish them all the happiness in the world.

That, is my October, every single year. :)

Because it's Tze Han's birthday too!

However, 2011 this year is slightly more special, because Carmen and Weishya finally turn 21, and to commemorate this occasion, a big group of us got together for a barbecue and some good catch up.

Okay, so in between my job of manning the pits, the catching up was done more-so by me, because apparently, I only socialize with books instead of real people. -___-"

Ah Kong :)

We also surprised Carmen that night with a long-time friend from Singapore who dropped by just to join in the celebration!

It's pretty nostalgic, how the three of us go such a long way back; from those days of being tiny, bobbing teens, and now, we're all twenty-one years of age.

Sigh, old already lor best friends...

For One Day

2011-11-13T16:42:00.001+08:00

Like a broken record, I keep repeating my sad story about not having enough fate with Singapore, and I had zero hope that I'd actually be able to go back there anytime soon. And then, someone offered me a chance for adventure. :)

It took quite abit of contemplation on my part, but I'm quite sure you can tell how the story turned out to be. The next afternoon, I got myself return bus tickets, sat for a practical test in university, and I was on a five-hour journey to meet my bears that same night.

All-in-all, I only utilized about 24 hours there, but that full day was all it took to make all the stress back home disappear momentarily, to meet the people I've been longing to meet since forever, and to compensate for the time that we all have lost for staying in different countries.

We all have grown so much since the three of us last properly saw each other.

Not exactly to become entirely different individuals, but more of our core personalities have developed and bloomed to make each of us become a distinct identity of our own. With all our diverging career paths, relationships and emotional growth, I am thankful for this opportunity to still laugh and relate to each other, even after such a long time.

Like all my previous adventures, this one kept me inside this happy bubble for the entire week that followed, and I'm also quite excited that we'll be seeing each other again, soon enough!

October 2011

2011-11-02T13:46:00.003+08:00

Crystal is definitely alive, but obviously missing from most places; during most times.

...And deranged enough to relate this personal fact from a third person's perspective, instead of her own.

You can't say for sure that her life's been packed to the brim with activities, because it hasn't. But, neither can you claim that she's completely idle, or the opening sentence to this post wouldn't be stating that she's missing to begin with.

We all know what exactly consumes her entire being at this point of time - books, post-its, pieces of paper, high lighters... nothing too different from what she tells you most of the time and that includes her signature green tea frappucinos.

Stress is a definitive, but interlaced with this main feeling, she's happy out of her mind, due to the many good things that continuously hits her, one by one, and once in awhile, she allows these mini raging sessions to intrude into her happy bubble, just so that she can make full use of these rare chances to bitch about the idiocies and crap she has to take from individuals who are clearly lacking functional brain matter.

Crystal did have her moments of escapism from her phase of self-confinement. Good food has been an excellent encouragement to her battered soul, but not much of a help to her original plan to maintain a healthy diet and weight. Then, there was her purchasing a coach ticket to spend 24 hours in Singapore, and the many, many, MANY birthday celebrations that included a few of her very best friends.

No necessity to worry yet, as her life has not been too shabby even in most stressful times, and before you know it, you'll see her around again.

Project 12/21; Patient Treatment

2011-10-13T06:31:00.000+08:00

If you look that the picture, I was actually with my first ever patient in the Oral Health Clinic, educating her about how to improve the overall condition of her teeth after doing the necessary scaling and treatment.

That was nearly a month ago.

Fast forward, I've had seen four patients thus far and each of them comes with different oral conditions and a new set of challenges for me. One of them includes my brother and a good friend of mine, to which I am extremely grateful to have them agree to become ~~dental mice~~ guinea pigs for me to practice on :D

Speed Dial

2011-10-10T00:05:00.004+08:00

Like all my other early mornings to classes, I thought this particular one would be just as normal and mundane, with four hours worth of lectures running back-to-back.

Until my friend called to say that she got involved in a four-car accident.

It didn't take much thinking for me to decide that I want to be there for her, so together, the both of us skipped the first two hours worth of brain anatomy to face the aftermath of long-winded procedures that everyone has to go through whenever they experience any road mishaps.

Before any decisions were made, my friend insisted that she waited for her father to arrive at the scene, as he would probably know what's the best option to take to ensure everything's alright, and that she doesn't get taken advantage of by the other drivers.

The sight of her father finally arriving, to how he immediately became apart of the entire incident and how he handled the situation, just made me realize that if I were unlucky enough to experience anything like this in the future, I'd end up having to fly solo when it comes to doing the necessary procedures in order to get myself out of this mess.

Sure, I'm pretty much certain that Shauna is someone I can rely on during such occasions, but the idea of him being your brother and not your father; it's entirely different. The family member whose number is still the first on my speed dial, isn't here anymore to immediately come to the rescue, calm me back down to my senses, and then proceed to tease me for costing him yet another fortune on repair works.

That was just one of those days where you realize that you're on your own now; that it's about time I build up some muscle to fend for myself in times like these, and probably take extra care whenever driving is concern.

Community Service

2011-10-09T10:21:00.000+08:00

The wonderful perks of stepping foot into dentistry and healthcare as a whole, would be the ever available opportunities to participate in community service projects. It's what drives me to endure such a long course, because you are able to help others with acquired skills and knowledge that not all others are able to give to those who need them.

By chance that no others were available to participate, I ended up volunteering with another colleague of mine at this Smoking Cessation campaign in a low socio-economy residential area at Kota Damansara two weeks ago, and I ended up feeling happy at how meaningful my Saturday morning turned out to be.

What we were both assigned to do was pretty simple - We educated the residents (mainly women and children) about how smoking affects our oral health, and why is it so important to maintain the health of our gums and teeth. We also ended up showing a demonstration on the correct methods to brush our teeth, hence the use of the super-sized teeth model in the picture :D

At the end, we did a health assessment and survey together with the nutrition and pharmacy students; ours focusing mainly on their oral health and state of their teeth. For someone who claims he doesn't fancy children that much, I thought Jonathan was quite a natural with them. Hee.

These few short stints that I get to do every now and then, only convinces me even more that this is my true passion - to be more in touch with, and to give back to the people who are more in need of support and aid.

To me, there is no greater happiness than the ones that are gained from the people around you.

Freaky, Not Friendly

2011-10-02T15:39:00.001+08:00

I would be completely honest with each and every one of you - that Facebook is my addiction; and it is an addiction that is nearly impossible to curb unless the entire cyber world suddenly gets wiped out, or something similar to that effect.

I'm quite sure I'm not the only one stuck with this predicament, because I know of some people with more severe cases than me, who are what we would all being crazily obsessed with status updates, friend requests, comments, likes and dislikes; it's like their entire life revolves just around Facebook and the well of information it provides about you, me, him, her, the entire universe.

Which is why this addiction itself, is starting to really freak me out.

As much as we now rely on this social network to keep in touch with all sorts of people through various means and applications it provides, the path that Facebook is taking in the name of upgrade and progress(?) makes me feel nothing but more vulnerable in the cyber world.

It's like, having all your moves and actions being highlighted for the entire world to scrutinize, regardless of how unimportant it is for you to have a pimple, or something major like your brother's graduation. The worse part is being unable to fully protect the privacy of your information that you initially chose to allow only close acquaintances to know of.

With all the downsides against the ups at the moments, it tempts you to just deactivate the well of contents that you've garnered over the years, but yet, it is the addiction that stops you from doing so, since deactivation also means a near-complete outcast of yourself from the rest of the world.

How now, brown cow?

September 2011

2011-09-30T03:57:00.003+08:00

There were two epic birthday surprises that I was proud to be apart of -

One of them was my best friend's boyfriend. :)
My little pig came back from Korea and nearly gave me a heart-attack when she told me she did plastic surgery. -___-" I love her all the same. ♥

The photo she took of me @ Plan B, Bangsar Village.
I saw my extended side of the Chow family for the first time this year at the house-warming of my grandmother's new place!
Treated a patient in the Oral Health Clinic for the first time! :D
Had lunch with the dean and was late for a meeting after...
Attended two weddings within two consecutive days; both families being old family friends with so much history, I think I'll talk about this separately some day.
Caught up with my pink friend over cake and chamomile tea. ♥
Finally decided to go kebaya hunting in Melaka. :)
Multitasked my university responsibilities like there's no tomorrow. What a feat to know that I'm still surviving.
Sent a long-time friend off to UK, and made me start counting the days till my time arrives too.
Was made to realize that going zen is the best way to get yourself past the idiocy and challenges that difficult people throw at you.
My favourite shopping mall exploded... :(

Dental Dinner; Masquerade

2011-09-28T00:38:00.000+08:00

We may have struggled with all the challenges and countless deterrents from every possible angle, but we finally came to the day where we see the Dental Dinner come to life again this year. ♥

It was decided that the theme was to be 'Masquerade', and with the enthusiastic committee who poured in so much blood and sweat to make this event a success, we all joined in the fun and got ourselves all sorts of fancy schmancy masks to wear that night!

By nicking this off the dispensary, do you know just how much you save? :P

Even our lecturers went all out to join in the fun!

It wasn't just the food that was worth mentioning, we were entertained by such wonderful performances that night - From the engaging emcees, to our own students, and also our lecturers whom I admit, completely stole the entire show with their singing and (ahem) catwalks. :P

The emcees - Batman & Robin!

Leng lui :D

The turnout was pretty impressive that night, with a good mixture of students from all four batches. You could see everyone's enthusiasm when they came dressed in their best which lead to an acute photo-taking frenzy that lasted the whole night.

The lady warriors who keep me sane hee. ♥♥♥

The first photo that Cousin Cavin and I took in uni, with just the both of us together, and we both loved it!

My sibling buddy! :')

This night is a night that I'd like to remember as one of my most memorable moments in my university days - For being in the presence of good friends who carry much significance, for being mesmerized to point of falling in love just by listening to a few songs, for the good food and that awesome chocolate cake, for being set up just because I wore blue and white -___-", for having white laurels on my head, for the 3 hour escape to compensate all the exam stress we were going to face after.

For everything that brought all that joy and happiness! ♥

Convince Me Otherwise.

2011-09-26T23:03:00.001+08:00

What a horrifically humongous pile of notes and assignments we have here!

Let's see, there's seven systems to cover for Medical Science, clinical practice, 3 semesters worth of Community Oral Health, 3 semesters worth of Dental Practice, our Dental Science modules, competency tests, patient treatments, case submission, lab projects...

It comes to the stage where you gather the full set of papers together, have the full examination timetable mapped out in your head, place everything in front of you, and when you sit down, you don't really know where, and how should you begin.

In fact, the only thing that made the most sense was to freeze in motion, without a clue as to what to do next, and simultaneously, have this bizarre hope fly into your head that time would have frozen off as well, allowing all the happy times and carefree moments to preserve themselves in their most glorified forms.

A blink of an eye later, reality kicks the daylights out of you, meaning to say that you accept the fact that obviously, time waits for no man (I hate that phrase, by the way) and you start to have a serious case of tachycardia and an anxiety attack because exams are around the corner and here you are doing anything but striving to achieve that tiny fraction of what differentiates you between a failure and a passer.

A passer? Is passer even a proper word...?

Somebody, anybody, p-l-e-a-s-e tell me that I'm not the alone, that I'm not the only stressed and frazzled oddball in this mad and hectic part of the universe.

And that whoever's in this same predicament as I am, we are all gonna get through this, in some way or another.

After 6 Months,

2011-09-24T20:59:00.001+08:00

Braces and I have come to a level of mutual understanding, and nowadays, the mere fact that I have metal in my mouth has been accepted as one of the main features used by people to describe how I look like. I've also came up with a generic answer to all the people who ask the reason for wearing braces, so yeay. :D

It took a good six months, but I guess I've finally settled with all the tweaks and shuffling of routine that I had to make in order to accomodate the new changes that came along with this eighteen-month ordeal.

Taking a much longer time to clean my teeth was one, there was also the obvious shrinking of my appetite, because eating meats, noodles and leafy greens posed as a major challenge that took me the longest time to adjust to. Then, there's the periodic ulcers you get from the brackets when you don't drink enough fluids, and the occasional pain after going for your regular orthodontic appointments every month.

I think the major challenge was actually to overcome the self-conscious part - how reluctant I was initially to smile with my teeth for fear that I'd look funny. If it wasn't for the constant pestering from peers and friends who convinced me that I'd still look funny regardless of whether I showed my teeth or not, I would have forever condone myself to being Mona Lisa. :s

There's still a good long time before I can finally take it out, so I guess it's just the patience of having to upkeep it that has to be constantly present, since acceptance has already been accounted for.

One more year.

Hmmm...

Cousins, Coffee & Conversation

2011-09-23T06:59:00.000+08:00

As we take this chance to sit down for coffee last night, my cousins and I realized how far we all have come in the past five years or so, both together and as an individual, and yet the immense amount of effort we pour in to stay close to one another remains the same, if not even better.

Peers.

Two reasons brought us together last night - One, was to give Cavin a somewhat mini belated birthday celebration.

Cousin Cavin and our Aunty Su.

The other was in light that Jason was leaving back to the UK the very next afternoon.

Cousin Jason and I.

The five of us practically grew up and spent all our lives together, and from those kiddy days where make-belief was what we do best, to the odd teenage years of battling secondary school and acne, to the which-college-should-I-go-to dilemma, we have reached the phase where we have long conversations about career, politics, and the planning of our future lives.

We'd also know how much we've grown, seeing as our aunties and uncles put much curiosity as to who's dating who, and having a guess at what our marrying ages are gonna be. -___-"

As more years pile above one another, the chances that we get to do something like this unfortunately is harder to come by, so today, I permanently archive this in a format that is somewhat permanent; to remind me that we have had much good times together, and even as our paths continue to diverge even further, we can still look back and say to ourselves that this was indeed, good times.

Samsara

2011-09-20T06:26:00.000+08:00

There is a slight, but apparent shift in the emotional aspect of my wellbeing during the past few weeks, mostly attributed to the complexity of human relationships that I have inflicted upon myself to endure and comprehend all at once.

It is the combination of multiple individuals, occurrences and situations; each an entirely different entity from one another, that stirs a good deal unrest; an overall imbalance to my general equation.

My emotions are not skewed towards any particular direction or extremity, but rather, it is the myriad of happiness, sadness, exhilaration, compassion, disappointment, satisfaction, anger and pride that simultaneously presents itself together with each individual, striking various attempts to unsettle what used to be the calm waters of my mind.

By allowing myself to be consumed by all these incoherence and external fetters, I have invited a state of worry and mental exhaustion by just simply trying to keep up with all the people that I care for, even when I know very well that this is something I'd choose to do wholeheartedly and sincerely.

There is so much on my mind, that maybe, it is wise for detachment to finally come into picture, and remain.

Temporarily, until I am willing enough to return into this wheel again.

Weekend Getaway

2011-09-18T20:47:00.002+08:00

Mamee Monster and I went to Melaka with a mission.

Okay, so the wedding was the main mission, but deep in our hearts, there was something else that was equally as important as well.

Sooooo much good food, it makes all the extra fats worth it! ♥

Project 11/21; I Canz Vote!

2011-09-15T21:51:00.000+08:00

Stress of A Dental Student; A Survivor's Guide

2011-09-07T06:55:00.004+08:00

Everyone who is not a dental student like me, are not very aware of how packed my course is, and how much sweat and blood is spilt before we come out as full-fledged graduates who are ready to drill holes into your teeth and fill them up with something else.

Honestly, even I myself did not anticipate the things that I now have to experience as I go along with this course, so I figured that some little tips would be able to help others and myself, in hopes to enhance the fulfillment of our current experiences in university. :)

Some of these pointers are specific for just my course in the university, but I suppose non-dental students would still be able to relate to it, somehow.

JUST ACCEPT THE FACT!
That your course will be one of the most stressful and most time-consuming amongst all the health sciences, and it'll probably remain this way till you proceed to clinical phase.
SLEEP LESS!!!
A senior once told me upfront that there is no way in normal human capacity that 24 hours a day is ever enough to fit everything into your brain and make it stay there! Therefore, to maximize whatever time there is to offer, you must, must, MUST train yourself to sleep as little hours a day as possible, and still survive the hectic days that will plague you like that Rebecca Black song on Youtube.
SLEEP ENOUGH!!!

*ahem*

There's a vast difference (not contradiction) between this one and the other point above. In order to compensate for all the sleepless nights that you have forced yourself to put up with consecutively, have at least two days out of seven where you allow yourself to sleep for more than 8 hours at one go.

It helps, trust me :)
STUDY CONSISTENTLY.

Sorry guys, I tried, but there's no easy way out.
LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Since you're already subjected yourself to learn all about teeth for the next five years, you might as well adopt the sincere attitude of wanting to know more, and slowly, you'll find that it naturally grows onto you, just like how enamel and dentine grows in a tooth bud.
LECTURERS ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS.

I admit, there always exists a love-hate relationship between the students and the lecturers. Both parties are capable of swinging from one extreme to another; one being too nice or demanding, the other being pro-active or absolutely lazy.

Try to achieve a neutral balance, as this mutual respect and responsibility that forms in the relationship between the both of you can be quite encouraging. I mean, it's great to have a friendly lecturer whom you can confide to on any occasion, and likewise, a student who actually shows his/her sincerity to learn and improve, no?
FIND A HOBBY.

If you dig sports and outdoor activities, do some exercise and join tournaments. If music and dance is your fortè, continue to let the rhythms and beats overcome you. If travelling is your lifelong passion, take a few days off once every few months to disappear to your ideal destination. If social activities like watching movies and yum-cha with friends are what keeps you sane and alive, JUST DO IT!

You can't just go through university bearing only the memories of only lectures and practicals in the dental laboratory and Oral Health Clinic. -___-"
EAT MORE FREQUENTLY!!!
It is by personal experience that after each lecture or practical session, you'd exhaust most of your sugar stores and your tummy will start to ~~threaten~~ strongly hint that you should munch on something. Try to avoid heavy meals lest you start having snooze fests in the midst of lectures, but more of light and frequent meals throughout the day.

My friends recommend that you keep a stash of digestives wherever you go - lifesavers, those things :')
LAUGH.

Laugh when you're happy and when something's funny. Laugh when you're sad and unhappy.

Laugh when you see your spilling timetable, laugh when your favourite pumpkin rice gets sold out by 11.00am. Laugh when you have two quizzes the day after, laugh when your social activities are put on hold. Laugh when your lecture suddenly gets canceled.

Laugh when the dispensary denies you the right to get an extra capsule of amalgam, for free.

Gives you the pseudo feeling that things are gonna be better.
FIND A RELIABLE COMPANION.

Out of your entire class of let's say, 50 people, it is very important to have at least someone whom you are able to rely on, regardless of whenever, wherever and whatever the occasion.

You'd come to realize that it's not just the academic side of university that warrants this significant necessity; other external factors like personal relationships, daily challenges or simple interactions like telling a joke, an exchange of sarcasm or a about of gossip between two people can make quite an impact in the long run.

Having a friend, a group of people, or a partner in some cases, to share all these things with you, right from the beginning days till the time comes when everyone goes their separate ways - is priceless.

Predictable

2011-09-05T13:04:00.001+08:00

I really am a creature of (many) habits, and once a designated routine has taken the liberty to latch itself onto my daily activities, I normally just oblige its repetitiveness and would most likely do so until an entirely new routine is introduced.

There are some very prominent ones that are easily noticed by people, like how I have been pretty consistent in waking up around 4 - 5.00 am on weekdays, and that I must, must eat something the minute I get up from bed. It doesn't help that yoghurt and muesli has ended up as my daily staples; I just don't get bored of it even after having ate it every single day since the beginning of the year.

It sounds like I have an OCD but trust me, I would willingly trade it for dim sum or waffles & ice-cream anytime! :D

There's also my long walks that I try to do on alternate evenings, where I slowly take my time alone to digest my daily thoughts, vent my frustrations on dry, crackling leaves, do some decision-making and contruct plans for things to come afterwards.

All the little things, like showering twice everyday, hugging and kissing my dog everytime I come home, eating at specific times only...
A slight shift though, would be that I no longer frequent Starbucks as my hideaway nowadays. I've found somewhere else - also another coffee parlour that I am able to immerse myself in my world of dentistry, story books and Facebook. But yeah, I still oder the same drink almost all the time. -___-"

Okay, before I scare you ~~and myself~~ it's not that I see routines and repetitions as a preferred way of going about things; it's more like a realization that you need a minimal amount of predictability in order to co-exist with the mechanics that functions around you and the rest of society. Like for instance, I can't have extremely random sleeping hours every other day and still expect myself to be efficient during lectures and practical sessions, nor can I jump of on the next plane to Cambodia tomorrow and only appear again two weeks later.

Actually, that really is a plan I could consider :)

Here I am talking about my supposedly routined life, and up comes more ideas to sorta deter me from being all rooted and responsible!! Kinda contradicting from the title above, no?

Meh~

After Four Times...

2011-09-03T11:03:00.000+08:00

Bangkok still makes me feel the tingling excitement the minute I step out of the plane, and I can tell you that it's one place where my love for it just continues to grow in leaps and bounds, and will never stop.

View from atop.

Every time I go there, I go with the main reason to meet old friends whom I only get to see about once a year, and this time it's no exception! I made sure my flight was arranged in such a way that I was able to stay at least a few nights with Krit and his family, just so that I could spend some time with them besides just attending the congress. Meeting Mint up for dinner one of the days was also something that made me very happy, since she's been caught up with her new job lately.

My mama :D

If not for the fact that I was actually skipping classes to go over, I would have just extended my stay for a week of two, or until my Mamee Monster calls up to say that it's time to come home :P

You could say that it was a pretty relaxing trip this time, with not much intention to see as many things as I possibly can, since I've already been to almost everywhere by now. During the times where I'm free from the congress, I just hop into a taxi to the nearest BTS station, and I end up just strolling along the streets of Siam Square, taking pictures and eating as and when I feel like it!

Siam Square

I'm very, very thankful that I was spared from the over-eating mission that was supposed to be carried out the moment I arrive, but rest assured, I was still well-fed by the people here - I only ate six times a day instead of eight this time :D

Pad thai.

Pork satay.

McDonald's Samurai Pork Burger ♥

There were also a few preferences in places that I personally requested Krit to take me - Chinatown for an example. This is one place that I will never be able to get over all the hidden places that sells bulks of stuff at such low prices, and how easy it is to get good food whenever you're hungry.

I'd like to show you this picture that I took of Wat Arun at night; one of the most beautiful pictures that I managed to capture in Bangkok city. :)

The place where I captured this will not be revealed for now, but should you ever come to Bangkok with me the next time, I'd most definitely like to bring you there!

August 2011

2011-09-02T14:05:00.000+08:00

Certain months that I had spelt only work, work, work; others only spelt fun, fun, fun. Almost always, I am usually sitting on either extremes of the Libran scale, but this time, August was what I'd call a balance between the both worlds.

I've resumed those hectic days of university again, where I have no choice but to put up with my weird sleeping habits, classes from 8.00am till 7.30pm, not-so decent cafeteria food, activities here and there... I'm quite sure you get the picture. :)

It's not just the packed schedule that's a challenge; it's the general expectations that your course demands from you that requires more time and patience before you finally adjust yourself to it. Just having barely survived the first few weeks made me realize just how much effort I have to churn up in order to keep up with the general pace of how things are going, not to mention occurrences of me being set up every now and then. -___-"

*breathes in, breaths out*

However, I'm also quite happy with other things that I've involved myself in. True, my one-week stint in Bangkok cost me all the stress and pimples for not being able to catch up with all the classes I missed, but I didn't regret it one single bit! Then, there were spontaneous nomnom times with friends, family, farewells, and the recent Hari Raya celebration!!!

With beef rendang, my life feels so complete :')

Like I said, August brought me quite good times, and once I get the hang of the general routine of things, then I just might have a little bit of space here and there to continue doing random things!

In The Name of Merdeka

2011-09-02T10:49:00.002+08:00

A small bunch of us got called together for dinner on the 31st of August, and the host just told us to bring something each to share with the rest.

Lame Tan - Our host.

After piling up the dishes on the dinner table, we realized that we really went international, as all the dishes came from different parts of the world. We had IKEA's swedish meatballs with its gravy and jam, assorted sushi, Indo Mee specially flown in from Medan, tortilla wraps, Korean rice cake and Ayamas chicken.

Talk about feasting woohoo :D

I really suffered from a food coma as I really couldn't have enough of them meatballs, and it didn't help when there was homemade tiramisu and ice-cream for dessert.

Soooooo good!

Nomnomnom.

Just when I thought the night has already come to an end, I was looped into the idea of watching Cars 2 in the cinemas, which turned out to be quite good, as most Pixar films are expected to be :)

Review: 6/10

APDSA Thailand

2011-08-30T16:54:00.001+08:00

The week I disappeared to Bangkok, most people immediately assumed that I was on one of my spontaneous travel rendezvous again, when in actual fact, the main reason I went this time was for a dental conference.

Believe me, please? -___-"

I participated in the Asia-Pacific Dental Students Association Congress (APDSA Thailand) which was a one-week programme that required us to stay in Bangkok. The place we stayed at was called the Rama Garden Hotel, and altogether, about 400 dental students from 15 different countries came together to make this event a success!

The complete schedule

About ten of us from my university took the chance to attend this conference, and it felt somewhat intimidating that I was the youngest in terms of academical years. Hee. Since we traveled in a few groups and had different flight schedules, we eventually planned to meet at the night of the Opening Ceremony, where everyone was required to wear formal dinner attire.

All of us, save Warren.

Ruby, my roommate! ♥

Prior to the congress, all of us were divided into groups and a Thai representative was appointed as our leader. These are the people that I traveled around with most of the time, so you could say I was closer to them as compared to participants from other groups.

My leader for Group 23 - May :)

Ladies

Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea.

The congress consists of a mixture of lectures, workshops and research activities, but I think the main highlights would be the City Tour and the Culture Night held on the final day of the congress.

The Emerald Buddha Temple

We were taken to the Vinmanek Mansion and the Grand Palace during the city tour, where the most of us ended up roasted in our covered attires due to the hot sun :P Both destinations were packed to the brim with other tourists, but it wasn't an easy seeing how striking our T-shirt colour is!

Our eye-catching T-shirt!

The Grand Palace

Our night ended with all of us enjoying a gigantic buffet spread whilst on a river cruise along the Chao Phraya river. :)

As for the Cultural Night, I don't think I have to elaborate on this. But, I gotta give credit to all the countries for coming up with their respective performances that really entertained the crowd that night.

It was a new experience for me, and after this first time taking part in APDSA, I hope I'll be able to attend the next one at Australia in 2012! :D

Too bad though that I couldn't stay long enough in Bangkok to join the post-trip to Pattaya. I would have loved to bask in the sun and sink my toes into sea water and sandy beaches.

Quote #56

2011-08-29T14:26:00.001+08:00

There are some of us who take many, many things into deep consideration before finally making a certain decision.

In the end, after having allowed the final conclusion to take its due course, it is usually the one particular aspect in our lives that ends up being completely sacrificed -

Our happiness.

Project 10/21; Ahem So Random

2011-08-28T10:43:00.001+08:00

Please do not let your comments be too obvious, should there be any to give. :)

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Farewell, Jesmine!

2011-08-28T01:06:00.000+08:00

One after another, each of the three Kuan siblings leave the country to study abroad, and with every one that goes, a grand farewell is always expected, with food, friends, and movie marathons on that LCD tv :P

This farewell that I just attended today was Jesmine's, who's following my footsteps of a dental student. The only difference would be her doing the full 6-year programme at Indonesia.

That's her in the middle with her curls, and myself next to her with this awesome unibrow yeay!

I was one of the few people who grew up together with the Kuans since their earlier years, and even gave tuition classes to all three of them before! It is quite a sad feeling whenever I have to attend any of their farewells. Then again, it is during these occasions that a big bunch of old friends come together under one roof; something that's pretty hard to come by nowadays.

If not for this event, I wouldn't have the chance to meet up with Carmen, to whom I owe pretty much a lifetime's worth of secrets and interesting experiences that I've yet to share with her since two months back!

Sigh, first, it was Jem's, now Jes's... can't imagine just how glamorous Jason's farewell would be like when his turn finally comes.

2011-08-26T23:52:00.000+08:00

Amidst the pending emails that I was sieving through in my Gmail inbox last week, my eyes backtracked immediately when I chanced upon a name that hardly, or has yet to even appear in my archives before. Having said that, this particular person took me completely by surprise, in a good way. :)

It was in light of her turning 21 years old just two weeks ago, and I figured that a tiny present, or token, would be most timely for an occasion like this one. All I hoped, was that the postage added that bit of surprise and spice to her wonderful celebration that night.

What was unbeknownst to her, was that her email to me had touched a big part of my heart, and left me to ponder over the meaning behind the short paragraphs of her words. What she had said, reminded me of how simple gestures eventually prevail against bigger and grander initiatives, and how some times, all we need to give someone is just a tiny bit of effort along with our sincerity.

That day, she made me much, much happier than how I had did, to her.

Project 9/21; Pet Project

2011-08-24T01:34:00.001+08:00

Behold my latest commitment, inspired by someone who is immensely close to heart. ♥

Dazed

2011-08-24T01:01:00.001+08:00

Krit's instagram of my touristy self.

This continuous shift from routined lectures, to my holiday cum conference at my second home, Bangkok, and then immediately return to the reality of studying again; it's got to be one of my toughest moments of adjusting back so far, and I am currently at the border between struggling and going bonkers. T.T

Mama :')

I'm not saying that leaving everything behind for a week's worth of unforgettable experience at APDSA was something I regretted doing, but it's just that I will have to accept that missing one week of a very intense semester definitely puts a toll on your overall stress level, because the workload that has piled up to anticipate my coming home is really at a staggering amount. When I came back yesterday, all I could do was give the o.0 reaction at what the rest of my colleagues have achieved and how fast I need to be in order to keep up with the current pace that I'm supposed to be at during my absence.

The worse part is, I promised a few important people that I will catch up, and I've been lucky to have a few people by my side who took one step back to make sure that I'm not left too far behind. Bless all those funny people :')

So, so, hard, but mark my words, I will catch up!

Just you wait and see!

What We Left Unspoken

2011-08-22T22:16:00.000+08:00

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Four-Eyed

2011-08-21T20:50:00.001+08:00

My attempts to make a replace for my misplaced pair of spectacles had always been thwarted based on the reason that my eyesight was still considerably good and I don't even wear it very often anyways. It shocked me that not many people knew that I've been wearing glasses even since school days, which proves the point of me hardly wearing them when I'm supposed to.

But, as my handwriting continues to be minuscule and more reading material piles up each day, I thought that it's time I really took my astig matism and long-sight(?!) more seriously. It doesn't help when all my practical work's making me squint in order to take in all the details of our work, putting an even bigger strain onto my eyes.

I just collected the new pair today, and right now I'm still in a daze trying to adjust to the sudden shift in power.

Never knew the world could be this clear before.

Movie: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-21T20:14:00.001+08:00

This movie was watched the night before I had to wake up at 5.00am to make it for my flight to Bangkok. You only get the best free-stylers to pull of this kinda things :P

No regrets, because it was a show that I enjoyed for its storyline and also the graphics. The apes sure did look very life-like, and it also gave that creepy feeling with it; can you imagine if this revolution actually happened in real life?

I'm Coming Home

2011-08-14T05:10:00.000+08:00

14th - 20th August

Heehee, my efforts to return to Bangkok once every year seems to be coming along just fine. ♥

Fourth Semester

2011-08-13T04:53:00.000+08:00

Who would have thought that in just five days after the beginning of a new semester, myriads of feelings flutter in and out continuously, never once letting your mind and heart stop to catch a breath and comprehend each situation in full detail.

Resuming classes had generally brought along a rekindled happiness within me, with the essential reason of being able to see all the familiar faces that I haven't seen all the way since the last examination. Even with the privilege of stalking their Facebook profiles to see how everyone's coping - their wellbeing, travelogues, food adventures, relationship statuses; nothing beats giving the people that you miss a great bear-hug when you finally meet them again in person!

While there is the general feeling of satisfaction to return to all things familiar, there are also the little details in the entire picture that inserts slight bouts of annoyance - the freezing temperatures, cafeteria food, inconsiderate library occupants that mimic loudspeakers to a tee; a tiny reminder of why I'd always pick holidays instead of studying anytime.

I'd very much like to plonk myself down in a corner just to digest all this, but I can't, simply because our hectic daily schedules doesn't warrant a chance to do so. In just our first five days, we are already bogged down with lectures all the way till 6.30pm, multiple laboratory sessions, clinics, upcoming assignment deadlines, projects... and the remnants of what we define as free(?) time are used up for study and revision.

Technically, what I mean to say is that in reality, we have absolutely no free time.
No time to think, no time to play or study, no time for rest.

All this, in just five days.

3rd Place

2011-08-12T18:10:00.000+08:00

Our little boy just got a hair cut this week, and the more I keep looking at how enormous his head looks as compared to his body, the more it reminds me of that evil monkey villain from Powerpuff Girls!

MOJO-jojo ♥

The groomer that gave him to us actually borrowed him for his students' grooming exam, and he apparently came out 3rd place for his poodle-cut! I can't deny that he does look quite cute at the moment, but I just can't stop laughing every time I look at him. :3

I'd also like to introduce his pink donut to everyone who's reading; it's one of his favourite toys of all time ever since we bought it.

... As you can see, part of the reason why he likes it so much is how multi-featured that pink thingy is - one minute, it's his chewing toy, and the next thing you know, it becomes his beloved pillow. -___-"

Complete Dentures; Complete!

2011-08-11T04:12:00.000+08:00

The happiest days of my holiday was ironically towards the end of it, when I finally resumed my arduous journey of finishing my complete dentures, to finally ACTUALLY completing it! :')

I totally concur that it wouldn't have been arduous at all if I pledged my full commitment to finishing it as soon as possible, but as procrastination always gets the better of me, I ended up abandoning it right up till the last days of my term break before finally having a full-blown panic attack and swearing to finish it before 8th August.

Now that I have one less responsibility to worry about, at least there is now a slightly empty space of time to concentrate on other matters at hand.

Dinner(s) with Shauna

2011-08-07T11:08:00.000+08:00

I wouldn't say that we 'hang-out' with each other all the time, but my brada-sista relationship with Shauna has undeniably improved throughout the last two years and nowadays, we're quite able to sit down on the same round table and actually be nice to one another. ~~Most of the time. :D~~

One of the consistent activities we both enjoy doing together as siblings would be going out for dinner, and catch up on some meaningful conversation while we noms down all the good food we ordered. Almost every time we do this, I don't know why we always end up settling for expensive places, rather than the usual food you could get just anywhere.

At least, it comforts our ~~wallets~~ hearts to know that this is not an everyday-affair.

Amongst the many mutual friends that we share between us, they all know there's such a vast ocean of differences that divides my brother and I; the both of us portraying entire personalities that are completely unique to one another.

Yet, the marvelous thing about all these dinners is that we actually look forward to sit down in the comforts of having each other as company, order our fair shares, and just talk.

We talk, talk and talk about the many things that we revolves about our lives and while one of us speaks, the other listens with great intent, while chipping in an opinion or two if required. The topics never seems to cease, and we almost always carry our conversations from the dinner table, to the cashier, right up to our slow drive back home. At our last dinner (awesome beef ribs :D) we even adjourned to a more quite coffee shop for an hour or two, simply because we have yet to achieve the climax of all the stories we wanted to tell each other!

To me, it is these conversations that remains the highlight of every dining experience, because every chance is a rare blessing - that both of us, albeit living in entirely different worlds, are still able to come together under the small umbrella of similarities that we share. This is something that not all siblings are lucky enough to experience, and we just happened to be one of that special few.

And this is coming from the same two people who used to fight like cats and dogs when they were little, who threw away each others' toys and abused the rotan that was specifically meant their dad's use only.

Now, all they do is eat premium beef ribs and pay a hefty price after -___-"

Movie: Captain America

2011-08-06T10:46:00.000+08:00

It seems that Hugo Weaving's the perfect actor of the evil villain Schmidt, and there's just something incredibly appealing about witnessing an emaciated Chris Evans transform into a hybrid of muscle and agility; chiseled looks included. :)

Review: 8/10

Melbourne ♥; Mornington Peninsula

2011-08-02T05:37:00.000+08:00

With regards to Jem surprising me with Juliet's stay with us in the city, I really didn't see it coming! It was one minute that he said he had something in store for me, and the next minute, she was standing right next to me.

Trust him to always give me sudden heart attack :)

The Juliet.

Since Sean, her brother, was also staying in the city, the four of us went on my last road trip to Mornington Peninsula. where it's supposedly famed for strawberry picking and wine-tasting in the summer.

After breakfast @ Three Bags Full

Out of the entire ten days, this day had one of the worst weathers, with perpetual gloomy skies and light drizzles that lasted from morning till evening; one that can be described as a normal winter day in Melbourne.

Eh eh i'm flying!!!

The strong winds made sight-seeing quite difficult as it was too chilly to stay outdoors for too long, but there were also those silly moments where we just had to make a fool out of ourselves in front of others, with the price of having to freeze our little toes off. :P

If you look at the pictures, I can assure you that we weren't exaggerating (okay la, it WAS abit exaggerated) with us nearly being swept off our feet by the wind, because we actually needed quite alot of effort to stand upright at that beach we went to.

I was slow for the camera, as usual.

Despite the weather and season, we did make a stop at one of the wineries, where I got to try some of their brews. I was quite happy to recognize that familiar taste of a particular label that both my father and I used to enjoy with one another.

On the way back home, we also stopped at Brighton beach; the place where all the coloured beach houses stood. It was a real pity the sun was hiding that day, or it would have been lovely to catch its sunset.

This will be one of the places that I intend to return to, if I ever plan to come visit Jem again. I'd love to go strawberry picking, or even buy myself a ticket to enter some of their maze gardens!

And there you have it - the end of my stay in Melbourne. :)

July 2011

2011-07-31T07:28:00.001+08:00

Today, it is the last day of July, and here I am again, attempting to write yet another monthly update.

And yet again, out of all the words and flowery sentences I could possibly put it, I choose cut everything short and bluntly say that time just passes just too darn fast.

Like last month.

Like the month before, and the one before it.

The worst part?

It's only gonna get even quicker from now on, and on the 31st of August, you'll probably hear me utter the same thing all over again, or better yet, I might not even bother to update at all.

Gossip

2011-07-31T01:09:00.003+08:00

There is so much uniqueness in each and every one of us, that it makes it so difficult to find a beginning, and also an ending.

Killer

2011-07-30T09:21:00.000+08:00

I have exactly one more week of official holidays before my fourth semester starts, but since looking at my upcoming timetable for the next four months, it feels like my holidays have already ended.

You could say most of us sorta died by just a mere peak at the schedule that's in store for us the next four months.

It's crazy, I tell you. JUST CRAZY.

In my timetable, all the columns in every single day are coloured, meaning there's definitely a lecture or a practical that we need to attend somewhere. There are NO empty slots that I could visually find except lunch period every day, which is only 45 minutes.

T.T

Just the thought of it makes me wanna cancel my initial plans to attend the dental congress in Bangkok, because I cannot imagine how many sleepless nights I'd need to make up for the entire week of lessons that I'll be missing in two weeks' time. Even all that food that I'm bound to binge on during Hari Raya doesn't seem so enticing anymore.

Sigh.

From the minute my exams ended last semester till this very second, I've been on a joy ride.

It's time I come back and finish up what I started, and anticipate the things that has yet to come.

Melbourne ♥; The Food

2011-07-29T15:19:00.001+08:00

A holiday is never complete without including food in it, and I can tell you that the food that I had in Melbourne was simply memorable :)

Corn fritters @ Mart

Iced coffee @ Mart

What I particularly liked about Melbourne was their abundance of small, cozy cafès that were tucked away in between busy streets, and the only way to find them would be because you actually knew it's exact location, or you found it purely by accident. This was what my travelling buddy and I had in common, so besides going around seeing sights, we put (most of) our trust in Urbanspoon and set off to hunt some of these places down.

@ Mart

Trio Platter @ Three Bags Full

Most of our meals were more of breakfasts or brunch, because that's our most hungry part of the day hee, and all the supposedly good stuff gets cooked during that time. :D

Bircher @ The Hardware Societe

We also had some little noms in between our meals once in awhile, where I was introduced to some of their famed desserts from different eateries, and it was so good I fear for my expanding waistline.

Churros with Milk Chocolate Dip @ San Churros

Cheesecake @ Greco's

Macaroons @ Lindt Cafè

Chocolate Mousse @ Koko Black

You won't believe it when I say this, but if there were to be any other thing more memorable than their food, it would definitely be their coffee, and the most ironic of this whole situation is I'm not even a fan of coffee back home! =/

I'm not sure what, but there is something about the coffee there that I've grown to appreciate, and it's one of the things that I've been missing very badly ever since my return home. This is where I'd also like to mention a certain place that we went to that instantly became my favourite place out of all the others I've been to!

Regina Funghi @ St. Ali

St. Ali was the last place that we searched for before I went home, and from the moment we stepped in to finally paying our bill, there was nothing that the whole bunch of us didn't like about the place. Food was very good, the coffee was very, very good, and it was only after I came home that someone told me I stumbled upon one of the top 5 best coffee parlous in the world!

Carrot cake @ St. Ali

In fact, it was so good that we stayed to try some of their desserts, and we ended up coming again the very next day to try their other items on the menu. :) ♥♥♥

Flawed

2011-07-28T08:03:00.011+08:00

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Enju

2011-07-27T23:55:00.001+08:00

Tonight's dinner was spent with most members of my Beloved Bear Family, with one member missing and a few special guests in between. After many occasions of failing to catch up even after meeting each other countless of times, it was one's 21st birthday that finally gave us all a chance to just sit down and enjoy each other's company.

Wing Luo's 21st Birthday

I was personally glad that we had Japanese food for this occasion; a personal favourite for most of us, and something that was relatively soft for me to chew on after having gone through my dental appointment just a few hours before. Sigh.

Unagi maki

Cha soba

All I needed was my usual dosage of cha soba and unagi, and with Enju's signature black sesame ice-cream for dessert, I was pretty much filled with contentment by the end of the night! :)

New bear in the family :P ♥

Movie: Wu Xia

2011-07-26T23:03:00.001+08:00

Review: 5/10

People who watched the show before me told me it was slow, but when it came to my turn, I felt it wasn't slow; I just thought it was... weird.

Compared to other of Donnie Yen's shows, there was more mind games than his usual martial art stunts being portrayed here, and I found certain ones to be quite gruesome. He did, however, show more emotion in this movie, which changed my impression of him as just someone who could only fight and nothing else.

As for the other co-star, Takeshi Kaneshiro, his character was what made the movie weird for me. Hehe, when is came to the ending, all my Mamee and I could was just raise our eyebrows, laugh and then walk out of the cinema to catch some dinner.

Clipped Wings

2011-07-23T08:53:00.000+08:00

Dear Daddy,

When you were once around, I remembered how it was like to have a pilot amidst our family - Mamee, Shauna and I were so used to you disappearing every few days, that we were somehow quite glad that your working arrangements gave us some space to do as we please *ahem*, and it really allowed us to acquire the skill of toning ourselves down to anticipate your coming home.

I know you would have merajuk-ed at me, but don't get me wrong, there so many happy times that I don't know where and how should I begin to reminisce all that I remember!

There was a time when the younger versions of Shauna and I were pretty good at naming the capitals of various countries around the world, because you used to quiz us every night after dinner. We thrived in all the stories and adventures that you tell us every now and then, and of course, there were sometimes the little gifts that you brought back from certain countries; a small token whenever you felt we deserved some reward.

But, what I think that got rubbed most on to me, was my passion to travel and see the world. Because of all the experience that you've gained from different countries throughout your working years and all the stories that you've told, I used to love it whenever we had our family holidays! And now, even when you're gone, the tickets that you have left behind for us has been facilitating this passion of mine for a year now. I can safely say that the number of times I've sat in an aircraft throughout this year beats all the other previous years altogether!

A few days ago, the family has been informed that this same privilege; the last fine thread that serves as the final link between your previous company and us, has already come to an end.

From this day forward, there will not be anymore random escapades as and when I like, and to whichever places I see fit. There will be no more in-house services and first-class treatment, and I will now need to subscribe to all the promotions of this particular budget airline you used to pretty much ~~hate your guts~~ dislike. :)

Though I may not be able to enjoy the perks that you have passed down to us anymore, I am here to thank you, daddy.

Thank you, for giving me an opportunity, albeit a temporary one, to chase after my lifelong passion, and to facilitate it in such luxurious means for all three of us. It has been such great times in the long run, and obviously, I won't just stop here.

Thank you, for everything!

Love,
Ah Jie

Happiness Comes In The Form Of...

2011-07-22T15:37:00.003+08:00

Finishing your student council duties for this holiday!
Green tea frappucinos with whipped cream. :3
Siew Mai hopping onto my bed at 8.00am in the morning, licking my face to wake me up.
Your friend Pei Song befriends you back on Facebook HAHA!
Shauna giving you some love :))) ♥
Fast internet connection.
Having someone deliver an Italian B.M.T. to your house after you slept for 12-hours straight.
Going on a holiday with your best-est guy friend and at the same time, laugh at how scandalous everyone thinks this escapade is.
Being invited to sit in the cockpit for take-off and landing!
Bright, bright sunlight that allows you to do FOUR batches of laundry at one go.
Good food, but with even better company.
Picking up ten cents that you randomly found on the street.
Writing a good blog post.
READING a good blog post. (hint)
Mingles :3
Recycling an entire previous semester's worth of lecture notes.
Other drivers giving you way at a blocked junction.
A familiar piano piece.
Finally getting to travel to Singapore -__-"
Having girly lunch and shopping spree with my Mamee.

Same ol' Starbucks

2011-07-22T08:52:00.000+08:00

My love affair with Starbucks began during my college days, when I was in dire need of a suitable place to study. Back then, I hated my college library with an unmistakably burning passion, and my home also wasn't a very conducive option particularly because my bed was very, very good at tempting me to fall asleep on every time I read my notes.

From then on, the feelings and affection just bloomed and flourished. Hee ♥

Ever since I started frequenting there, I used to spend hours at one time getting myself absorbed in nothing but my notes, and with (nearly) always the same drink for company. Then, there's the occasions where you bump into people you know, or the random chats you make with strangers that lead to you eventually becoming good friends with them.

Such good times.

Today, after what seemed like ages, I finally went back to the very first place my love story began, and nothing has changed -

I still felt all the love, and I still had my most favourite green tea frappucino, for free. :)

Melbourne ♥; Mount Dandenong & Philip Island

2011-07-20T09:49:00.001+08:00

Our second road trip that we did right after our first, was to the two places mentioned above. However, we were not alone this time as two of Jem's buddies decided to join us for a ride. :D

Lucas and Wyman, who also came to Melbourne for a holiday :)

We started our journey slightly later in the morning, since Mount Dandenong (our first destination), was only about an hour's drive away from the city. The place is apparently famous for pancakes, so before reaching, we stopped by at one of the many pancake parlours for some breakfast.

This was what Lucas had.

We basically went to this place called Sky High Mount Dandenong that houses a platform that gives you a fantastic view of the entire Melbourne.

Awesome view aside, there were other little attractions that the four of us played around with, like the Giant's Chair and the garden with the Wishing Tree.

Then, we had some pie before heading over to Philip Island :D

At Philip Island, we were hoping to catch the famous Penguin Parade, where we can actually sit by the beach and await the arrival of penguins returning to their nests on land after spending a few days at sea! In the end, we did catch it, but it was such a disappointment because winter's not the correct season, and instead of the supposedly hundreds we were anticipating to see, there were more seagulls than penguins that night. -___-"

So what I enjoyed more of our road trip that day was the beautiful landscape that we saw during our drive there, and this place called Noobies where we could look through special telescopes and see seals basking on the rocks right next to the sea.

Noobies

Just before sunset.

The best part of our journey (that's what I thought) was the stop we made just before crossing the island.

We stopped by the pier at a small area called San Remo, and it was there that we enjoyed a serving of fish n' chips that was so huge it attracted quite a number of seagulls towards our table.

Crazy huge fish n' chips!!!

I particularly enjoyed having the other two guys around, because if put together, the three of them make a hilarious riot. They spent most of the time joking about themselves, and while doing so, I couldn't resist spamming the camera with all their various poses.

2011-07-20T06:29:00.002+08:00

I awake at the brink of dawn and immediately take in the silence that is so overwhelming; so calming, so tranquil.

I sit up with my back propped against the wall for comfort, awaiting the appearance of the first tinge of sunlight that will soon peek through the dark morning clouds. From the initial darkness, everything happens so quickly in transition, and before I know it, the arrival of day has come.

All this while, I am thinking.

I ponder over each detail that crosses my mind and mull over multiple things in a split second, I wonder at the capacity that my thinking space is able to handle. All the thoughts, all the feelings, all the doubts and worries, all the hopes and dreams, all the memories and coming aspirations, all the dreams and fantasies.

Each of it is all so fleeting, it is as though I am thinking of everything, all at once,

or simultaneously, I think of nothing at all.

Dream Girls

2011-07-19T06:29:00.001+08:00

Somehow, it never occurred to me why I never bothered to watch the original film, but when I caught this musical with my aunty at Istana Budaya last Friday night, I was quite taken towards the overall plot and storyline! It made me wish that I previously had more enthusiasm when the film was still showing in cinemas.

As much as I praise the plot of the show, the performance of some of the casts was sadly not memorable enough for me. They didn't seem to be able to shine in their respective characters that night on stage, although I do not doubt that each and every one of them put in maximum effort to put up a good show for the audience.

However, I was mesmerized by some of their vocals, particularly by Elvira Arul, who was actually the understudy of one out of three Dream Girls (the main actress is Dina from Malaysian Idol). Then, there was also Kris Coleman, and I want to say that both their voices are spectacular that night! :) Kudos also to their props, for all the lights and amount of glitter that defined the glitz and glamour that was supposed to portrayed in the show.

Dream Girls will be showcased at the Istana Budaya till 24th July, so do get your tickets if you're interested!

Project 8/21; Weak Knees

2011-07-17T03:26:00.001+08:00

On that faithful morning, when my Mamee Monster lost her step, fell down the stairs and knocked her head, I discovered something about myself that has never happened to me before.

My heart literally stopped when I saw her lying supine on the floor, with our dog faithfully sitting next to her, probably wondering what had happened to her. It was really lucky that I was in when she fell, because the knock was hard enough for her head to start bleeding, so I had to drive her to the nearby clinic for a check-up.

Turned out, the doctor said he had to stitch up the wound and this is the part I'd like to highlight -

In my whole life, I have never been scared of blood or any other form of gruesome and gory things, but while witnessing the entire procedure, I actually felt like I was going to faint.

...

At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. But, as the doctor continued to skillfully manipulate the needle in and out of my mother's skin, more and more stars blurred my vision, my hands became cold and clammy, my legs nearly gave way. It came to the extent where I had to excuse myself from the room to take in some fresh(?) air and get a grip of myself.

That was my once-in-a-lifetime experience of feeling woozy when I see blood, and I hope there should be no further incidents to justify another encounter again.

On another note, Mamee's completely fine now. :)

That faithful morning.

Melbourne ♥; The Great Ocean Road

2011-07-16T09:32:00.000+08:00

The whole idea of staying over at Jem's for so many days was to rope in a few road trips, so for that, we rented a car for two consecutive days for approximately 160AUD; each day a different destination. For those of you who asked, we rented a car from a company called Budget, which was one of the most affordable car rental company we could find!

On the day of our adventure, we first stopped at Werribee Park to have a look around, since it was along the way to where we were heading to. The funny part was that the two of us were SO punctual, that we actually arrived at the place before it was even opened to public, leaving us no choice but to freeze for about half hour at a nearby playground. -___-"

I freeze while Jem takes (more) stupid photos of me.

When it finally opened at 9.00am, we took our time to walk and have a look around, while my personal tour guide gave me an overview of the place. It's his fourth(!) time visiting after all and he could even tell me some of the changes they made since the last time he came.

The place itself was quite pretty and obviously huge with different areas like the old Victorian house, the stables and the rose garden. It helped that the sun rays were at its peak and the skies were of a bright blue shade; such a pleasure to walk in such good weather. It was only after Werribee, did we begin our Great Ocean Road Trip.

Werribee Park

The Great Ocean Road is actually an immensely long stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, with several attractions that people could stop at along the way. We could have bunked a night at one of the many inns we saw, but we figured we could cover pretty much the whole way and still make it back the same day.

One of the stops we did was at Eastern Beach, where I was very much amused by funny looking poles that are made to resemble human figures.

Eastern Beach

Sad Valentine.

There was also this gigantic pool made out of sea water where they have diving boards for people to use and play with. In our case, it was obviously too cold to swim during winter, but we still made full use of them diving boards hee.

Jem, it's actually quite scary.

Gimme sexay. Rawr!

We stopped to take pictures with a lighthouse on a hill that overlooked a great view of the sea.

Apostle lookalike!

Later in the evening, we stumbled across a lake to which I fail to remember its name, but its image will forever be etched in my memory for its tranquility and reflecting surface! Even the pictures that Jem took didn't do enough justice to describe what I saw that day.

Actually our main aim of this trip was to not only enjoy the scenic views along the entire stretch, but to also catch the setting sun over the famed 12 Apostles; one of the main attractions the Great Ocean Road has to offer. As of now, there are only about seven of them left today.

View of the Apostles from Gibson Steps.

This was the funny part of the trip - Because we were running behind time, we were basically on a wild goose chase after the sun, begging it to not set so fast haha! Actually it wasn't quite funny because the roads were seriously winding and only wide enough to fit exactly two cars (or maybe only one), and we were driving on it like some racetrack!

In the end, we still made it, just a few minutes before it turned dark, and it really was a wonder to behold -

When looking at the pictures, someone exclaimed before this that it feels as though we made it to the end of the world, and I honestly couldn't agree more with his statement.

Movie: Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (Part II)

2011-07-15T10:39:00.000+08:00

Before watching every Harry Potter movie, I always make a mental note to myself that there should be never be any expectations laid down beforehand. There have been one too many times where I was beyond disappointed with the outcome, so even when the trailer for the last movie turned out pretty exciting, I remained as skeptical.

However, the grand finale to my most favourite book series of all time took an entire different turn, and I was so happy that it didn't just exceed the near-zero expectations I had set, but it was actually what I considered a good movie!

The idea to separate the 7th book into two parts was a very good idea, or so many details would likely be lost along the way. It was so nostalgic to see how much the main characters have grown since the first movie was produced, and I actually feel quite sad that it really is the ending of the entire saga. If you choose to watch it, I suggest you look out for this extremely handsome boy that makes an appearance right at the end of the show!

Sigh... his blue eyes...

In fact, I liked the movie so much, that I was even willing to watch it twice, on the same day! :D

Review: 8/10

Love Never Dies

2011-07-14T08:44:00.000+08:00

There was nothing that I didn't like about this production. Okay, maybe the few people in the seats in front of us were slightly er... big, but where the musical was concerned, everything was fantastic!

From the props, the backdrop, the costumes, right to the music actors' performances; I was very much impressed with how much emphasis that was put into making every little detail stand out on its own. I'd also think that the storyline deserved some praising on its own because of the drastic twist it had in it; I totally didn't expect it to progress that way, and ended with an ending like that. :)

The musical marked a somewhat grand finale of my ten-day stay, as my flight home was scheduled the next afternoon. I'm describing it as grand not with any intention of exaggerating things, but because it was honestly a good production, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Thank you, Mrs. Em for insisting that Jem and I must catch this musical!

Melbourne ♥; The City

2011-07-13T10:08:00.000+08:00

From the minute I arrived at Tullamarine Airport, I began my series of long walks to have a look at sights and what the city has to offer. My tour guide, companion and host was non other than Jem :), and together we practically conquered every possible nook and cranny we could find within the few days I was there.

Next to Yarra River

I'd like to keep emphasizing how I lucky I am that the weather was splendid the first few days I came! The sun was up shining so brightly (in winter!) and the wind wasn't its strongest, so it was quite a pleasure to walk about without freezing my toes off.

Federation Square

On the first day I was there, I think we practically walked the entire city!

I was introduced to the usual places in the city centre; the places that are saturated with people most of the time. I loved how the old buildings were preserved and given functional purposes, so even while standing in the middle of busy streets of La Trobe and Swanston, there's still so many sights to see!

Melbourne Central

Inside the State Library

The thing about Melbourne is that their colleges and universities are blended in the city itself, so my tour included a walk through the University of Melbourne, RMIT and Trinity College.

At Trinity College

Then, there was also the great Yarra river, where we caught the setting sun in pictures.

But, I still think one of my biggest achievements during this trip was to meet up with Princess TY, not just once, but many, many times. We even watch a movie and had bubble tea together so really, it's more than enough to make Kuo Chern quite jealous of us :P

TY and myself.

Other days proved to be more relaxed, in the sense where we just strolled along to places that where we thought might interest us, like the Block Arcade.

Block Arcade

WAI NO WATER?!

One of my most memorable days there was when we paid a visit to the Shrine of Remembrance and the Botanical Gardens, for it carried both some historical and comical value -___-"

Shrine of Remembrance

Melbourne City

For everyone's information, the Botanical Gardens was where we laughed ourselves silly with all the fallen leaves, because amidst our taking an infinite amount of photos, that was also where I got slapped by a leaf while attempting to strike a Korean drama pose.

Talk about epic.

In attempts to erase that picture from your memory, I shall present you more ~~artistic~~ decent photos of the both of us for your viewing pleasure.

The city itself was beautiful by itself, but I daresay that it was made even more beautiful because I had Jem to share it with me. It was a good time for us to catch up since he last came back home, and most our time was spent either talking, or walking silently together along the streets, taking in the little details of everything. It was all these elements combined that lead me to exclaim what a fantastic time I had over there, and how I cannot wait to go back again.

A Flood of Memories

2011-07-12T10:39:00.000+08:00

Wow... P'Venice sure knows how to stir up nostalgic old memories. By just publishing ancient photos on Facebook, I was completely engrossed with each picture in that album, with myself grinning widely at the physical changes most of us have gone through in the past years.

Venice and I - Bangkok 2008
The short hair phase.

In each picture, everyone looked much younger, more innocent. I seriously laughed-out-loud in between attempts to compare how we all looked last time, and how we are now at this very day. There was also this lingering vibe or happy energy being exuded in most of the photos, almost as if we gave it our all to preserve every bit of that happiness into a single photo.

HAHA I just HAD to post this! My Shauna so cute I can cry :')

There was a good mixture of a bunch of us participating in different activities; most of them I have honestly forgotten about. Then, there was also the other side of it - the fellowship gatherings that we shared together, which lead to the strong bond that continues to keep us together and moving forward.

What made me quite happy was to note that it was mostly the physical part of us that changed, while the bigger part of the spiritual fellowship amongst us still remains quite the same. :)

Woohoo best friend and I - Date unknown.

Pink Best Friend and Lumster - Yvonne's house 2008

Myself and Pei Song - TDC 9 2007

Looking back at what we now call memories, I thank Venice, for allowing these pictures to resurface again. It definitely served as an outlet for amusement, but I believe that it served an even greater purpose. It was a gentle reminder for us who grew up together all these years, about how much YS had once play a role in our lives, and how it still plays a role to most of us in the present moment.

Or at least, how it plays a role in my present moment.

Today, I was reminded of a memory that is so great, and the thought of most of us striving to continue that memory is so uplifting to the heart.

I hope that I continue to be apart of it.

Project 7/21; Australian Footie

2011-07-12T09:47:00.001+08:00

On the weekend that I was in the Melbourne, I was invited by my father's ex-classmate; an uncle who happened to be residing in the city, to watch a game of Australian football. Since young, I was quite aware about dad having friends all over the world, but yet, I still felt very immensely humble and grateful to have one of them to host me during one of my holidays.

Seeing that it was a complementary ticket, I immediately took up the offer to watch the live match because I don't remember watching a live game before, and also because friends around me claimed how exciting a footie match can be.

So, I went, and I agree to the fact that it was very exciting.

When I went, that uncle was kind enough to summarize all the kinetics of the game, and gave me a crash-course to what the game is actually all about. Being someone who's never been a sports fan, I sure had alot to pick up in a short period of time. Long story short, the game is actually somewhat similar to American football, just with different rules.

Apparently, Australian footie's quite a big hit amongst its countrymen, how they go all out to support their respective hometeams and subsequently, how defensive they can be against their er... oppositions. :)

The match that I went to was between St. Kilda's Saints and North Melbourne's Kangaroos, and just by giving a quick scan through the crowd, it was obvious that the Saints had a much more dominating audience as compared to the Kangas. Even after the first quarter was over, I agree whole-heartedly that it really is an interesting game!

In just twenty minutes, I saw the players pick a fight with one another in the centre of the field, a magnificent score from the St. Kilda's star player, and the different reactions given by the audience in response to a player's spectacular moves and vice versa.

You could say that it's one of the attractions that is quite worthwhile if you're in Australia. If you have a chance, go catch it some time!

Melbourne ♥

2011-07-11T08:19:00.096+08:00

It has been two full days since I touched down at our local airport.

Albeit my quick adaptation of fitting myself comfortably back home and its mundane activities, I am most certain that while I am physically back in reality, it is certain that my heart still lies in Melbourne.

That getaway for ten days may have manifested out of spontaneous whim, but I can tell you that it was one of the best choices I have ever made, and would have immensely regretted if I didn't follow my heart. The entire experience was just breathtakingly wonderful.

By coming back, I have left behind all the picture-perfect memories that captivated me at first sight. There are some that are displayed just like an open book; some are seen only if you look hard enough, and only if you allow your imaginations to overflow.

I have left behind the roots of my stay being an absolute success - they say that it is the companionship, the people you are with that truly allows you to see happiness, regardless of time, place and activity.

Now that I'm back, I feel myself being mostly dazed amidst all the effort to resume what normality has in store for me. I know, that a part of me still lies far away from here, and flutters from street to street, blending in with all the art, culture, and freedom of expression.

In truth, I chose to leave behind that part of myself, in hopes that someday, I will return once more.

Movie: Transformeres; Dark of The Moon

2011-07-02T07:34:00.001+08:00

Meh.

Transformers this time was... just Meh...

Review: 6/10

Wait For It

2011-06-28T21:09:00.001+08:00

In about eight more hours, I will touch down at a place that I've been longing to go to for a very long time - my third disappearance to complete the month of June.

I have packed my necessities to last me for about ten days, leaving behind my worries, responsibilities and reality as a whole.

Most importantly, there is this person that I will meet the very second I arrive, and because of this person, it makes everything so much more different.

At this moment, I cannot be more excited. :)

Number 5

2011-06-23T06:03:00.000+08:00

23rd - 26th June

My second disappearance this month -

Nevertheless, I'll still be nearer to home than you can ever imagine.

Pandemic

2011-06-22T16:07:00.001+08:00

Of late, negativity is what silently lurks amidst the air, and try as I may to steer clear away from what I abhor so greatly, I find my attempts of escapism to be futile, and the end result?

To have its stench still reeking on my physical self, even after many attempts to desperately be rid of it.

I feel that all this is equivalent to being caught within the very centre of this wild ring of fire, and with every step that I dare take, whether it is to avoid or to brave myself through it's wild flames, I am still left to suffer from the stinging sensation of its exposure; various battle scars that will serve to remind me of its mere occurrence, and the consequences of being embroiled with such delicate matters.

What surprises me about this wild ring of fire, is that the root of it; the foundation of what stems this negativity together, is actually something that was initially meant to be good, once upon a time.

Yes, positivity.

Nearly everything arises from something pure and good; the initiating good thought, the want to help, or the need to make a change. It is amidst all these notions of goodwill and aspiring energy, that we sometimes stray from our original paths, and forget the core values and goals of what we initially set out to achieve, be it as a gathering of people or just an individual self.

When this state emerges and proceeds to unsettle what used to be calm waters, we must not welcome it with ignorance, but to acknowledge and embrace it as a challenge that will serve to make us all better, stronger, and wiser.

Faith and hope is what needs to be within us, along with a sense of togetherness; to bring about the clarity of the bigger picture, and eventually, all of us will be able to be rid of the dark clouds that envelopes this long winding road of uncertainty.

Achievable

2011-06-22T13:46:00.000+08:00

One night, my buddy from Thailand randomly asked me to give him an example of a good dream (as in something you'd like to achieve), because he was compiling 100 different dreams for his ongoing project.

I thought it'd be quite fun to follow suit and list down what I'd say would be realistic dreams of mine, and I can assure you that what I intend to achieve does not exceed Number 100. Hee.

Have my own papaya plantation with Szetoo Weishya. I will never.forget.that.
Like my (future) occupation.
Also, like and better still, love my (future) partner.
Acquire above-average cooking and baking skills.
Bungee-jump.
The luxury to travel most parts of the world.
A beach holiday at least once a year!
Continue to write on Cheesetal for the next 10 years :D
Maintain good ties with 100% of the good friends that I have at this instant ♥
Go for a community service stint in any rural country that requires it.
Old and wrinkly is still acceptable. FAT? No.
... I ran out of dreams -___-"

Father's Day

2011-06-20T16:07:00.000+08:00

Happy Father's Day, to all the Fathers out there.

For cleaning the porch,
Pumping the car tyres,
And changing the fizzled lightbulb in the kitchen.

For the early curfews,
The don't-talk-to-all-boys rule,
And showing obvious distaste in that miniskirt you wore to the movies.

Happy Father's Day, to all the fathers out there.

For maintaining the stoic, manly figure,
The macho demeanor,
And inability to admit that he's wrong, ~~sometimes~~.

For the random ice-creams,
The Belgian Chocolates,
And treats and rewards as and when deserved.

Happy Father's Day, to my father.

For having done exactly all that, and probably more. ♥

13th Teen Dhamma Camp

2011-06-19T00:52:00.000+08:00

My considerably long hiatus from volunteer projects was finally put to a stop when I spent four days at TDC during the first weekend of June. In actual fact, I was secretly quite pleased with myself for even attending this event, because I felt my own absence from the people that I once spent all my time with in my younger days, so it was a mixture of feelings that I'll probably share if you carry on reading.

I iz CheeCher Chow :)

The venue's at a temple in Klang, and I was merely there together with a few others to play the role of an assistant cum advisor to the main committee, who were the ones that ran about taking up the major roles and responsibilities that eventually lead to the success of this camp.

Phino ♥

And I can say that I've never been happier to have come back. Even in the midst of all the stress, sleepless nights and disrupted eating patterns, I was positively sure that I missed every single moment of it. The fact that I was even present brought so much nostalgia and memorabilia that's been stored from all the previous years of organizing camps and other projects.

It reminded me of how much I have been through all these years, and obviously, the ~~aging~~ growth that has followed suit; the sense of contentment to know that there have been so many friends that have stuck by with me even from my most youngest of days.

Half of my two best friends.

It's nice to go through it all, and have the opportunity to look back at how far we all have come, both individually and as spiritual friends. All the smiles we shared when we recalled bits and pieces like kitchen fiascos, cockroaches in bathrooms, forgetting to bring toothpaste... the sudden bursts of tears in between...

Then, there's the current newer and younger generation of people who never stop reminding of the difference in age gap, and how they leave me in awe after witnessing their continuous vibrant energy throughout all four days, while I ever so nearly admit defeat during the second!

It is these beautiful people who reminded me the reason why I stayed since seven years ago. and what I hope at this moment, is for at least someone amongst them to have been inspired to stay on, just like how I did. ♥

cheesetal

The Water Dragon

My Grandma Knows Kung Fu

A List of Things...

Project 16/21; Baked A Birthday Cake

Quote #57

Palpitations

Fifth Semester

YDC 20th; Dhamma Initiative

Virtue

Shauna Can Sing!

Parchment

Kampung Angkat

Project 15/21; Virgin Hair No More

Inheritance

Red Velvet

#Resolutions2012

Project 13/21; My (Male) Shopping Companion

Absence

Extreme Happiness Is...

The World Above Me

Delicious DT110

Absence

Excess

November 2011

Fluff Ball

Movie: Puss In Boots

Cheesetal - Four Years Old

Evolution

Mamee's Adventure

Linger

Movie: The Adventures of Tin Tin

Awaited

For One Day

October 2011

Project 12/21; Patient Treatment

Speed Dial

Community Service

Freaky, Not Friendly

September 2011

Dental Dinner; Masquerade

Convince Me Otherwise.

After 6 Months,

Cousins, Coffee & Conversation

Samsara

Weekend Getaway

Project 11/21; I Canz Vote!

Stress of A Dental Student; A Survivor's Guide

Predictable

After Four Times...

August 2011

In The Name of Merdeka

APDSA Thailand

Quote #56

Project 10/21; *Ahem* So Random

Farewell, Jesmine!

Project 9/21; Pet Project

Dazed

What We Left Unspoken

Four-Eyed

Movie: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I'm Coming Home

Fourth Semester

3rd Place

Complete Dentures; Complete!

Dinner(s) with Shauna

Movie: Captain America

Melbourne ♥; Mornington Peninsula

July 2011

Gossip

Killer

Melbourne ♥; The Food

Flawed

Enju

Movie: Wu Xia

Clipped Wings

Happiness Comes In The Form Of...

Same ol' Starbucks

Melbourne ♥; Mount Dandenong & Philip Island

Dream Girls

Project 10/21; Ahem So Random