Ben..... I am....

Mar 2011~

2011-03-15T18:49:00.003+10:00

Wow, I seemed to be updating lesser and lesser nowadays. Its not that I am getting lazy, but its more of I had been getting busier. Many thanks to Viola for reminding me that I still have a blog~!~ Haha.. Thought nobody reads it nowadays. Therefore shall write an update for now.

Been pretty busy the last few months. For instance, in Jan and Feb, I was mostly occupied with arranging and planning the itinerary for May and Nov this year. Yes, am flying back to SG for 3 and 2 weeks respectively. This time, with wife-in-tow. Hehehe. So there's alot of wedding planning to do and tonnes of people to liaise with, just to make sure nothing is left out.

Amidst all those stuff mentioned above, I was still working part time and looking for a full time job. Recently, I was offered a full-time position for what I had been doing part-time and I got to say I am enjoying it. I officially started yesterday and so far everything had been good. Although the probation is for 3 months and I had to go back to SG for 3 weeks during my probation, my bosses even said that if I were capable, they might even shorten my probation and put me on the normal salary package. That seemed pretty good. In addition, they seemed to be very confident that I can do it as they had been getting tonnes of feedback from my other supervisors. All I am looking forward to is securing the car allowance. That will boost my income alot more. Well, fingers cross I pass probation and get what I want~

I know I usually have some pictures to share but lately, my camera had been sitting in its bag. Will definitely try to post some pictures when I get some.

Good Bye 2010, Hello 2011~

2011-01-19T09:29:00.002+10:00

2010 has drawn to a close. It had been a roller coaster ride. Alot of ups and downs definitely and everything turned out to be better towards the end. Looking back, 2010 had really been a hell of a ride.

Let's start off with the big family issues that I was facing during CNY. Those affected are still reeling from the side effects of it and although everyone is recovering well, I am glad that I was home to handle it all.

My relationship with Fau ended. It was due to a couple reasons. Sad and heart-breaking it might be at first, but it was good while it lasted. No regrets about decisions made and I believe we are both better this way.

My Masters course was fantastic. It was an intense first half of the year with all the evening lectures while almost working full-time as a program convener. Second semester was equally good with all the professional placements in the hospital. Definitely alot of experienced gained from my time there.

Holidays to Auckland and Canberra had shown me what spectacular views was waiting for me while I am in this country. Am hoping to travel more in time to come.

My relationship with Mimi had definitely blossom over time and there's no looking back anymore. We had both learnt as we go and are fully committed in each other. We are both looking forward to 2011~

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I learnt quite abit in 2010.

I had to step up for the family and managed. At least its better than it was before. Before I leave SG, I reminded Dominic again, there will be a time for you to stand up and make a decision because I am not going to be around. I am glad he took it pretty well and taken actions when required.

I had also learnt to trust my instincts more and not just follow words blindly. Sometimes when things are more obvious than they are, its best to believe in it and do what's best.

Sometimes, sincerity has to be shown and not just by words. Funny how some organisations expect you to go to extremes just to show you are sincere in doing things.

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2011 is full of events. For now, it had taken a great start, not just for me but my family as well. Hope everything carries on and it has to be a better year than 2010~ Nothing could go any worse than whatever had happened in 2010!

All done~ Merry Christmas and Happy New Year~!

2010-12-27T18:29:00.005+10:00

Finished my Masters with a glamorous graduation ceremony 2 weeks ago. Shall let the pictures do most of the talking then...

Now.. thats me holding my Masters cert. All done~

After graduating one more time and this time with no further studies in mind, I was out looking for a job. I got to say I am pretty lucky to have secured a job before graduation as well. Now all I got to do is wait to sign the paperwork and it will all be sweet. Pay-wise for the job is pretty good as well. It is comparable to what I am getting from teaching alone.

Talking about teaching... so far all of my private tutoring students this year managed to get High Distinctions for their exams this semester. Haha. Can't be more proud of my own achievement~ Especially since there were only 20 or so students who got the HD out of 600+ students overall. There were suggestions abt me teaching full-time while studying for a PhD, but that all got to wait.

This year, I spent my first Christmas here. It is good. Very wonderful in fact. Surprises and gatherings. Christmas Eve was dinner in Brisbane, followed by a romantic walk after that. Christmas luncheon at Cindy's was fantastic. So much fun! Am now tempted to get fitter after all the good food.

Christmas Luncheon at Cindy's...

Shall let u all look at this... Hehehe...

Canberra, Masters completion. Auckland.

2010-11-18T10:21:00.008+10:00

Another few months of no-writing, back again. I think I had been laden with too much work before and slowly, I had lost my touch when it comes to writing. I completed my Masters and now am just awaiting graduation. One stage of life has ended while another brand new one begins. I am officially now un-employed. Wait, I cannot say that yet since I have yet to graduate. I am still waiting for Dec 17th to come. While waiting, I had sent out about 10 over resumes and 2 had gotten back to me. One was an email saying I had failed in my application. Another was a phone call a couple days ago and an impromptu phone interview. After-which, he says he will get back to me. So I will wait and look out for more jobs available.

I had visited Canberra and Sydney during one long weekend holiday. It was a great trip. We spend approx AUD$200 each on food alone! Thats amazing given the fact that we were only there for 2 and a half days. Haha. Alot of nice pics were taken and I shall post them up in Facebook when I get the time.

The Parliament House in Canberra.

We spent a couple hours there and the tour was definitely the highlight of the trip.

The ladies' favourite cafe.. Lindt Chocolate Cafe at Darling Harbour.

I was asked to go Salsa in Syndey, but I turned it down as I didn't want to end up killing some bastard or him losing a limb or 2. Not sure why but whenever I think of salsa in Sydney, I get reminded of him. A very fruitful trip definitely, but it turned kinda bad on our flight as Mimi lost her iPhone 3GS at the airport after boarding our flight. But then again, I got her an iPhone 4 in return as I happened to get a good deal.

After that short weekend get-away, I continued with my placement at the Gold Coast Hospital and finished up my Masters program. We planned another holiday before my graduation before my student visa expires and this time, we are going to Auckland, New Zealand, for 5 days.

It is quite a nice country I will say. The land famous for All Blacks and having more livestock than human beings. Spent a day at the thermal-reactive town, Rotoura, and was amazed at the scenery which greeted us. Alot of the pictures are readily available in Facebook. One of the many is shown below, the White terraces of Rotoura.

The white terraces of Rotoura.

Another favourite place of mine is the mudspa and hot spring. The whole place has boiling lakes and ponds. A very magnificent sight definitely.

Wai Ora geothermal sites. Hot steam rising from the water.

And of course since we were there, we might as well try the mudspa and soak ourselves in the hot spring.

At the private mud bath... before we soak ourselves in the Sulphur spa pool...

Definitely a good trip. Although we were all tired by the end of it, but its all worth it especially since we had cover alot of places during this trip. Perhaps next time when we go there, we will have time to travel to the South Island instead. For now, back to waiting for more calls and more job search...

Back to writing...

2010-09-07T07:39:00.007+10:00

I know it had been more than 2 months since I written anything here. To be honest, I am surprised at myself for typing this entry this morning. Its not that I got nothing to write nowadays, but life had been so busy for me that I even needed a weekend get-away last week just to freshen myself up.

I got myself a new car. Bought it at a good price and bargained for an additional AUD$3500 discount. Might not seem alot at first, but given the final price of AUD$21,888, the discount is almost 15%. Good deal still. Am loving it. Dom thought its a RX8. Haha. Its way off my budget and if I have that sum of money, I rather spend it on another car or on something else.

My new ride...

I had been back to Singapore and back to Aust. It was a fantastic trip, although only 18 days long. I guess I really enjoyed myself towards the second half of my trip when I had finally settled issues at home and was able to 'enjoy' myself alot more. Caught up with alot of friends over dinner and it had been good. Met up with the boys and really miss them alot. I know I said this before, but although we are best of friends and we only meet up a couple times every year, once we finally met up, the feelings we have for one another is back to last time! Felt as if we had never been separated! Miss everyone back there.

A happy family!

With my favourite food guide!

The guys!

After coming back to Aust, its all back to work and finishing my studies. My boss had told everyone that from now on I am supposed to take over his duties when he is not around and it can only be good news for me. I had asked for minimum classes to teach in the first 6 weeks of semester due to my placement at the hospital as I am there from 7.30am- 4pm everyday during that time. After those 6 weeks, I was re-assigned to another department and have more flexible hours so my boss allowed me to take over his classes just so I can earn abit more money as well.

The placements had been good so far. Cardiac was fun and working in the catheter lab seems to be the way to go for me. Besides, since I have an affinity for numbers as well, my supervisors there had been teaching and guiding me the processes of cardiac implants along the way.

My working environment in a cath lab.

My second placement had been enjoyable so far. Just 3 shifts a week, shouldn't be too tough I guess. For now, I will just reorganise everything so I can take more classes as well. Need to boost my income a fair bit so I can be more stable financially.

Yvonne came to GC a couple weeks ago and we finally caught up with one another. I also flew down to Sydney and travelled to Canberra as well. We did catch up again in Sydney and went to a few good places to eat as well. The food there totally rocks and even their desserts are fantastic. Didn't have time to process the photos yet so that got to wait.

I think thats enough for today as I got to prepare to go Uni for a full day of teaching. Not sure when I will be writing again but lets just hope it doesn't take this long again...

Semester DONE!!

2010-07-01T12:22:00.002+10:00

The semester is finally done! With my performance review on Monday, it marks the end of the semester with huge success! All comments and remarks given totally make my day! The Head of School (or Dean in some faculty) says I have done a brilliant job at keeping everything together and even my former boss (whose role I took over this semester) said that I "put his own performance to shame"! Hahaha...

Now just have to wait for my own results to be released and gonna head back to SG this Sunday. Shopping time~~!~~! Time for my massage-cum-physiotherapist session~!

You...

2010-06-09T08:13:00.002+10:00

Lately I had been hearing alot of stories about you. No good things, to be honest. For one, its your attitude. True that we are no longer talking as much, but do think back, why does it happen? If you didn't put words in my mouth in the first place, we could still be friends. Now, we are simply acquaintances.

People are unhappy that you had taken us for granted. Even people working close to you are also feeling that way. Don't put yourself up high on the pedestal when you are not that qualified. I just hope you can reflect on all that and perhaps change your attitude toward friends. I wish you all the best for the exams.

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We had not met up as often as you might have wished. I am very sorry but assignments and exams are piling and I cannot afford to do badly in any of them. Besides, I know you had been pretty free recently and had ran into some issues with some people. I will try to catch up whenever I could.

The next few weeks are exam weeks and no doubt that you will be bored and want to go out. Just like this time last year, I will be staying home to study. However, this year with so many things happening, I hardly had time for myself. So do give me some time to sort things out and we will go out once everything is over. Don't think so much into things and you will be fine.

P/S Your pictures nowadays... are looking more and more unnatural... And I am not the only one who says that... The comments speaks for themselves.. take care yea...

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Last night as I fell asleep on my desk, I dreamt of you. I was back in Singapore and we were talking about how everything happened. Obviously we don't like how it ends but I guess its for the best. Maybe like you said, at least you have nobody to answer to, you don't have to stop doing things because of me...

I just wish you are alright now and please do take care of yourself. You should rest and let your neck recover. Don't want you to hurt yourself. Although we are no longer partners, but I am still concern about you. Take care and see you soon.

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2 months and a half.

2010-06-01T15:00:00.003+10:00

Wow. Its been more than 2 months since I last updated. No doubt that its been along time, but I just lost the feeling of typing out my blog. The end of semester is already here.

Alot had happened. My birthday went pretty well. I went to Byron Bay. It was nice there. Dinner prepared by Liam was fantastic. No complains at all. All guests had fun and it was good.

Semester had worn on and it has been a successful semester teaching. Alot of positive feedback had been given with regards to my teaching and everything had been looking positive so far.

My Masters had been good and am just hoping to pass all subjects. Thats all I ask for.

Fauziah and I had gone our separate ways. Its for the best I feel. She had moved on pretty well and I should too. It had been a good year and few months. Wonderful memories will always live on and I wish you well.

I was involved in a near-fatal accident 2 weeks ago. I almost lost my life there. I am thankful that I am still alive. The other party had claimed liability and am claiming all my injuries and treatment to his insurance. My car is a complete write-off with insurance paying me $4,100 for it. Given that I paid $5050 for it 3 years ago, its a pretty good deal. Well, my car is un-repairable. Given that all alignment is gone and the fact that the impact literally killed my engine, its given that its a write-off.

Note that even the wheel caved in....

She had served me well. When news that my car got hit on the side, a mate said "Woah, Goldilocks got rammed!!" Funny as it sounds, being car-less seriously is not good. Shall thank my lucky stars that am still alive today.

What happened was that I was travelling on a straight road when a ute (pick-up) turning right hit me from the side. It dragged me across to the other side of the road with incoming traffic coming straight at me. I got to swerve to the side, into the grass to avoid a head-on collision. I was very shaken after the accident and ambulance came to access my injuries.

I am very thankful that am still alive today. I could had been lying in a coffin right now if I were not careful at all.

Alright, enough of writing... time to concentrate on my Law and Ethics essay... am given a week extension due to the accident and now I got to finish it by next week!

A sudden change.

2010-03-20T12:48:00.002+10:00

Work had been hectic. Going back at night to prep labs for the next day. Fuses blow and everything. Something just doesn't seem to be right. Its been a roller coaster ride this week. Amid of all things, one of ours died in a iron-man competition. Sigh. Whole department was in a disarray. Hopefully next week will be better.

Time had been scarce. I didn't even have time to sleep. Hopefully it will all be better next week onwards although I doubt it as labs will be tougher. Sigh.

Lectures had been good until I received a couple of feedbacks. Got to slow down alot more for a handful of students who couldn't understand the concepts they were supposed to know from previous course. As ridiculous as it seems, when there is a pre-requisite for the course I am teaching, and if you had not done that pre-requisite course, why are you in my course in the first place?! You still have the cheek to write in to complain and say I am going through things too fast for you. I got 120+ students, and 100+ are happy with whatever I was doing and only 2 of you were unhappy, so you got to complain? Argh.. u can never please everyone..

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There has been a sudden change in myself lately. I keep to myself more often nowadays. Sigh... perhaps its all the stress... perhaps its other issues... As for now, I am going to try and focus on my work and studies. Try not to let other things bother me for now. Need to put my focus in place.. its only Week 4 next week~!!!!

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Liam asked to cook for my birthday. So I called a couple friends. Although its very last minute as I didn't know what to do on my birthday til just 2-3 days before, I appreciate that everyone make time to come. I simply got no mood to celebrate. Although sisters in GC had planned a celebration last week, I am happy already. Just surprised that friends do remember as well. Liam should be here any minute. I should be getting ready too. Til then... bye...

Thoughts...

2010-03-08T11:52:00.004+10:00

Had been bothered with stuff in my head lately.

First and foremost, Aust DIAC office took some time to process my visa and guess what? After approving my visa application, they did not inform me! There I was, nervous and worried about my visa expiring next week and after all the hoo-ha 2 weeks ago, still no news from them! I went to the DIAC office today and was informed that they actually approve my application last Wed. ~!@#$%

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I finally sign my teaching contract last Fri. Got to say I am pretty impressed with how much my pay scale jumped after graduation. Right now, am only giving 2 hours of lecture every week for 13 weeks and 9 hours of labs each week for 7 weeks. At least I doubt I have to worry much about my petrol cost for going up to Brisbane 4 times a week for my lessons.

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Lately, I seen some friends making advancements in life. I am happy for them. Very happy in fact. However it made me think alot as well. I tend to question myself, "What about me? Have I done anything worthwhile all these 25 years of mine?" I am turning 25 really soon and looking back at my accomplishments, it seemed minute. Friends around me had been very encouraging and asked me to start planning early if I really want to make something out of my life. I do agree that I got to plan early. However, I just cannot help but think of all the 'What-ifs' in life.

I guess I really have to strive harder now. Got to strive even harder. Work towards to my goals in life, even if it means sacrificing my time.

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

I had been quite surprised at myself this time. I never expected myself to do what I did. Although its already the past, thoughts of it still stings. Not that I think of issues on purpose but sometimes when you are alone, memories and thoughts tend to float into your mind.

Most important thing for me now is to let go... There are 3 phases in life. Acceptance... Forgive... Let go... Alot of issues I had been through, I was able to forgive. But to let go? It does seem abit foreign to me. However, I believe it will take some time for me to really let go. So please be patient with me...

Commencement of Masters.

2010-03-03T12:21:00.004+10:00

Its been a long time. I am back in Gold Coast for more than a week now. The trip back to Singapore has been fruitful. I managed to catch up with alot of friends and without a doubt it had been an enjoyable 2 months.

I made some short trips when I was back in SG but memorable ones are still the BKK and KL trips. The best times I had back in Singapore got to be my last 2 weeks. Sounds kinda funny but its true. Although I was leaving in less than 20 days, the feeling I had was totally different compared to when I first went back.

This year, Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day fall on the same day. As such, my darling went along with me to visit. It was an enjoyable day afterall.

CNY at Darling's..

Other than spending time with my family, I still managed to catch up with my best friends in SG. Thanks David for the dinner. It definitely tops all previous gatherings we had. I got to say that even KTV will not be as fun as this!

Dinner with best of friends..

Now am back on the Coast, time to do my Masters. As the course only has 10 students, it is quite obvious if anyone skips a lecture. Not that I am going to, but the thoughts of skipping one and how easy it is to be caught, is horrifying.

I will be finalising my contract this Friday. Seems like I will be the course coordinator for one module and everything seems good for now. I don't mind working as long as the Uni pays me well. So far, money is the sole motivation of me working.

Its gonna be a hectic semester as it seems right now. Not sure when I will be writing again....

An update finally~~!@

2010-01-22T12:54:00.010+10:00

Its been more than one and a half months since I last updated. I had been busy enjoying myself and did not have the time to write. In short, my parents went over for my graduation and we flew back to SG together.

Family pic without our sis... MayEe... When you graduate, we should take one together as a family!

Had a couple of gatherings back here in Singapore. Of course, the first one was with family and best friends. Dinner with friends and it had been great catching up with everyone!

Meeting with best friends~

Not forgetting, I managed to sprung a surprise on my darling by coming back a couple days earlier. Planned with her sister to let me into the house early morning just so I could wake her up in bed. Usually, I tend to give her morning calls everyday when I was in Aust. So that morning, I went over to her place and woke her up in person instead. Haha. She thought she was dreaming. Hehehe.

I went Singapore Flyer finally! Haha. Not a bad experience as we are only paying half price for it. Thanks darling for getting the tickets! Spending New Year and Christmas in Singapore had been great. Both parties were enjoyable and managed to catch up with some very old friends.

In the cabin of Singapore Flyer...

I like this pic... lol..

I went to JB with my dad and his friends for massage, sauna and jacuzzi for one whole day. Paying only 98 Ringgit, everything was included. Food was free-flowing, drinks were all up to you to choose. It was very relaxing. Dinner was at an exotic-food restaurant. Turtle, squirrels and all sorts of animals were on the menu.

Menu at that restaurant...

I went Bangkok for 5 days. It was a trip full of shopping, massage and eating. Everything about the trip is enjoyable. Tiring it might be, but still, all worth it. Getting to spend our first anniversary together in a foreign land with no one else to disturb us is a great idea. Perhaps we should do that next year as well. Hehe. Photos for BKK, shall wait for next update or check my fb~

Degree... doneand dusted.

2009-12-01T10:50:00.006+10:00

Degree... checked...
party... checked...
Acceptance into Masters... checked...
Party... checked...
Preparation for parents arrival... checked...

I just checked my results, relieved to know that I am graduating afterall. Haha. Not that its any surprise. After the end of exams, it was a day or 2 of rest before the massive drinking and partying begins.

18 Nov - Wed

Last paper. Went straight to the tavern for drinks right after. We spent a couple hours there, drinking away, talking about our future plans. Can't believe that it had all ended.

20 Nov- Fri

Dinner and drinks at Leanne's. Alot of drinking and definitely alot of fun. Most of the tutors or academic staff were also invited and it was nice mingling with everyone on a casual, non-formal setting.

Grp pic we had... among many that were taken..

Company was great. Some of us stayed til late into the night and we played Singstar! Haha. Didn't know I could reach the high notes of scissors sisters in their songs to beat the girls! Haha. Definitely had been drinking abit way too much as well. Haha. Jess and I stayed over and it was home to rest for a couple hours.

21 Nov - Sat

It was Jess's farewell. She is leaving for S. Africa and Canada for 5 months and is not attending graduation at all. Definitely alot of drinking again~ It was nice catching up with her family though. Having known them since last year and been attending their family gatherings, it was not difficult to fit in. I had to wear some funky glasses cause I wasn't in any costume while she was in a Dutch maid's uniform.

See you soon, buddy!~ Miss ya~

I guess the surprise came when we say our good-byes. She was alright when bidding farewell to everyone else, but when its my turn... She started crying. Her make-up runs and I was surprised. Her Sisters were telling me that its alright and just that she and I had gotten too close over the past year. In the end, Jess still walked me to my car before I head back. Will definitely catch up with her when she returns.

22 Nov - Sun

Dinner with Eziq and Cindy. Was a nice time catching up with them and hopefully we will meet up soon before she flies.

Dinner at Little Singapore..

23 Nov - Monday

Mel's birthday. Called him but he did not pick up.

I had my interview for my Masters as well. To be honest, the only preparation I did for the interview, was to choose the right shirt and tie to wear. Other than that, nothing. Call it confidence or what-so-ever, I knew I could do it. It was me against a panel of 3 interviewers. After the whole interview and it was my turn to ask questions, the following dialogue took place.
Me (M): When will I hear from you again? Interviewer (I): Either this afternoon or over the next few days. We want to let selected individuals have enough time to consider our offer before accepting.

I asked a couple more questions pertaining to the course and also my return flight as well. Then just as I was about to take my leave, the one in charge stopped me.

I: Ben, tell you what. I am giving you the conditional offer now. Would you like to accept it? You don't have to tell me now. You can take a week to consider and get back to us. Just to let you know, we only accept 10 students a year and you are the first and only one to be given the conditional offer on the spot.
M: Thank you very much. Yes, I will definitely contact you over the next few days about the offer. Thank you for your time once again.

And so, yes... I already accepted the offer. And since I am due to graduate, my acceptance is confirmed. After that acceptance, it was more drinking and gathering. I was also doing up my administrative stuff for my Masters as well, i.e; Visa, fees... etc.

Now just got to wait for parents' arrival tomorrow morning before we fly off to Sydney together on Thurs. Would be gone for a week then back in time for graduation. Not sure when I will be writing again. Til then. Adiós..

爷爷....

2009-11-13T05:20:00.000+10:00

爷爷...

Its been 4 years since you left us.
Everyone had been doing fine.

Don't worry about 嫲嫲.
Your lovely wife is healthy and had been very well taken care of.

As you might already known, Dad and 叔叔 are doing pretty well in business.
The business you started is still going strong.
姑姐 and family are doing just fine.

As for your grandchildren...
I am almost reaching the end of my studies here.
汉杰 had arrived in Australia.
All your grand-children had grown up.
May Ee is now in Canada.
汉豪 is doing very well in Republic Poly and had been dating.
Both 汉洋 & 汉嘿 are doing pretty well as well.

I had been seeing a beautiful girl.
Her name is Fauziah.
We had been seeing each other for 10 months.
She visited me when this year in Australia.
There is still a long way to go and will definitely let you know if we were to progress any further.

Many times I sit, staring at the ocean, just thinking of you.
Not having you by our side was definitely painful.
But I guess we had all moved on.

You had always doted on me.
We were very close.
From the day I was born, to the morning as I held your hand when you left us.
When you passed on, it was very hard for me especially.

爷爷，Thank you for coming into my dream this morning.
I will definitely come over and visit your grave when I am back.
Sorry for neglecting you after all these time.
You had taught me many lessons in life.
I had never regret spending time with you.

爷爷, although you had been gone for 4 years now.
Thank you for everything you had done for me.
I still miss you all the same.
You had always been in our hearts.

Last academic week.

2009-10-29T00:08:00.002+10:00

This is the final academic week of my bachelor's degree. After this, all that is left of my life as a student is one Study Week, followed by 2 weeks of exams. Tomorrow marks the last day of Uni. Not sure how I should feel about this. Exams coupled with a few stuff which had been on my mind, I got to say I had not been able to sleep much recently. Perhaps its the stress of exams, perhaps its the fear of not knowing how to handle some issues, perhaps its just a wrong choice from the start... I hope things could clear up soon.

Approaching another cross-road, it will soon be time again for me to make another decision. Just hope I make the right one and do what's best for everyone.

I don't know what else is there that I can write anymore. Maybe I should leave this blog as it is and disappear along with it... Maybe...

Buenos Noches, Adiós...

Car. Mao's Last Dancer. Snappy.

2009-10-11T00:17:00.007+10:00

Got my car back from the mechanic. Along with the various repairs done, they actually wax, wash and vaccuum my car! Now it looks as good as new. Haha. Can't be more happy as I had not seen my darling that clean for a long time! Not that my car is dirty, its been very clean all along! I wash the exterior every week and vacuum every month, but got to say would not had done a job as good as the specialists at the mechanic. So sparkling clean and shiny that I actually feel good and proud for owning that little darling of mine. Hahaha.

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Was invited to catch "Mao's Last Dancer" just now. Man... it is definitely a good movie. A show which brought tears to my eyes in the final moments. Its been a long time since a movie done that to me. Its money well spent and so far, its the first movie I paid to watch in Aust this year. The previous one was Transformer 2, where Daniel paid for us to oogle at Megan Fox. *wink*

Cool poster... I like how the Chinese word is used as a background.

Not sure if this movie is shown in Singapore but its definitely one good damn show which I don't mind catching it again on DVD. If its not shown in SG, perhaps I might just get the DVD in Aust and bring back with me. What's even more interesting is that its based on a true story. Unlike some of the biography-movies which drives one to sleep, this one is clearly a winner.

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Does anybody understand the meaning of 'I am busy, will only do it later.' If its really important I will do it as soon as I can, but if its not and I am not interested in it, then it can wait. I don't care if its too late to respond by then because I am simply not interested in it! Sometimes I admit that I might be snappy but I clearly think that if you were to confront me and ask if I understand simple English, you were asking for it.

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

Alright, am heading to bed. Danny is arriving later and I need my rest just so I can wake up on time to drive to Brissie airport to pick him up at bloody 7am on a Sunday!! *grumble* My only rest day of the week for this week and an even earlier start!

Mid-Semester Break. Car-less for a week. ZZ Birthday. Overspent.

2009-10-01T09:20:00.002+10:00

Week 9 ended and its mid-semester break now. Kinda weird to have a mid-semster break in Week 9 when there's only 13 academic weeks. Nevertheless, we all deserve a good break to catch up on all the work that has been piling lately. Am pretty proud of myself, half of the pending work had been done over the last few days. Finished writing my Neuroscience research paper, lesson planning for next week and part of the Financial plan for a business subject. All that is left is preparing the presentation slides for the business sub and 3 journal articles review. At least now I have Thurs-Sunday to prepare all that. Neuro paper was a huge one and spent the whole day writing my part. Now its all up to the rest of them to pull their weight cause I believed I had done whatever I could.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Was up at 6.30am (SG 4.30 am) today. Went to drop my car at the mechanic. Seems like they will take one week to repair all damages. So most likely will be home-bound for one week. Some friends are nice enough to offer car rides to/from Uni. Will not want to inconvenience them as well. Shall take it as it comes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

ZZ birthday was yesterday. Called to wish him happy Birthday and caught him by surprise! Haha. He reminded me of how the 3 of us used to lie in bed and chat. We should really catch up when I get back. Good luck ZZ~!! We know you will do well. *wink*

~~~~~~~~~~~

Realised that I had been over-spending quite abit lately. Perhaps its true, you spend more when you earn more. Therefore its time for me to start eating more at home. That should save me more money. Hehe. Hopefully will have enough money for me to spend when I come back to SG. Hehe. Looking forward to my return in Dec...

Lecture. Accident.

2009-09-19T12:54:00.005+10:00

Everything was going fine for the past month or so. I was asked to take over a lecture 2 Thurs ago. My boss, R, got something to attend to and he doesn't want to cancel the lecture. So he sent me an email at 7am asking if I am keen to do it. I was up early that morning and upon seeing the email, I rang him up immediately. Below is how the conversation takes place.

Me: Morning R******, this is Ben. I just saw your email and would like more details.

R: Morning Ben, what other details? Its ok if you are not comfortable with it. I just thought to ask if you would be interested as had been receiving emails complimenting you on your teaching.

Me: No no.. thats not it, I am definitely interersted as its something new to me. Besides, it would be a good experience for me as well. I would like to know what lecture you want me to give.

R: Thats good to hear! The topic would be on 'Electricity and Safety, EMG, ECG, EEG and ERG - kinda stuff.

Me: Sounds good! Alright, see you at 1.30 then!

I went off to see him and he did warn me that normally only 50 students turn up for the lecture at that time as its scheduled at 5-6pm. He told me not to be disappointed if I get less than that as he had been seeing only arnd 30 students the past 2 weeks. So at 5pm, when I entered the scehduled lecture theatre, I was amazed at the turn out. Almost 150 students turned up! Haha. The lecture was good and they all enjoyed it. I was smiling inside as its indeed good experience and of course, I was smiling on my way to the bank! Wahaha.

The next time I saw my Boss to sign the new contract for the lecture, he told me this...

R: Ben, I had received emails from the students asking you to take more lectures. Good job! At the rate you are going, I think I would be out of job really soon.

M: *smile* Thank you, R.

R: I was thinking, since I would be going on my long service leave next year, would you like to take over the lecturing position on a contract-basis? (Contract as I would be unable to do full-time due to my own impending Masters.) As you had taken most of the tutorial classes this year, you would had known at least half the students, it shouldn't be that difficult.

M: Thats would be great! Thanks R. Perhaps we shall discuss this towards the end of this year after my graduation.

R: Definitely! Let me clear this with the head of school as this is considered an unique appointment and it should be no problem given your experience in teaching these 2 years in Uni.

Haha. If everything goes well, I should no longer worry about my financial issues. Everything seems rosey and sweet until last Wed.

I was involved in a car accident. Who in the right mind turns left without checking her left side? Only that stupid lady! I was on the left, turning into the main road. She was on the right. Both of us wants to turn left. She keep checking her right and fails to notice me. When she turns, she turns into my car!! Even after hitting my car, she didn't stop! She drove right through almost pulling my front bumper apart! Its as if she felt no impact or what-so-ever.

I drove forward and pulled over at the road side. We both got out of our car. The first thing she said was, "Are you insured?" While the first thing that came out of my mouth was, "Are you alright?" Bloody woman. Talk about empathy. She blames me for pulling up next to her. I blame her for not looking her left when turning left. We did not want to argue so we just took down each license's number and details. We called our own insurance company and let them deal with it. In all, my company is sending me some forms for me to fill up and to draw the diagram as they are well aware that both parties are blaming each other and its a case of my word versus hers.

Now got to wait til the forms arrive and Tues for my car damage assessment to be done at the insurance mechanic. Sigh... Not sure how is it gonna be. Of course its possible to look on the bright side and say its material damage and I wasn't harm. But still, its a heart-breaking to see my first car like that. Sigh. A close friend did mention that Chinese has a saying that material loss is a form of way to ward away evil things that might harm you. So maybe take it as a form of blessing instead. Sigh, lets just hope that its one big evil thing that was coming at me... and no more please...

The damage...

From the side...

Jess's Dinner. E-bay. Overworked & Fatigue.

2009-09-06T07:20:00.008+10:00

Its been 3 weeks? Anyway, been to Brisbane to catch a Hossan Leong show. Yes, he came down to Australia and had a mini show there. It was good networking with counterparts from UQ and Overseas Singapore Unit definitely. Recorded the 2 songs Hossan performed during the hour long segment and will post it up soon. One was meant for his upcoming show in Oct I think.

Finally managed to have time for dinner with Jess. Although we see each other in Uni 4 days a week, its always about Uni and stuff. So we arranged a dinner at her place where we spend some time to catch up on each other's personal life. It was good. She made lasagna and I brought over a bottle of red. We spent 4 hours sitting there with wine and doing nothing except chatting! We did promise to have another session soon as we are graduating end of this year and we will be going our separate career paths after that. Gonna miss my favourite partner~

Jess...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I bought my first item on ebay! It arrived 3 days after I bought it and I was soooo happy. Haha. I acted like a kid getting his first toy and its definitely a good present for myself. Wahaha. Its something which will bring some fun into gatherings and definitely doesn't run on electricity. Jeremy reckoned its a good buy and I just paid for it immediately. Well, without further ado, have a look...

The packaging...

Check this out... Metallic suitcase...

A 300-chips full poker set!!

Wahaha... seems like I can start my mini casino in no time. Poker set with chips! Casino style kind of chips! Same weight, except un-marked. I chose un-marked as I do not want to be limited with their denominations. Hahaha. Now now.... shall think of a good timing for its opening ceremony. Hehe.

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

Week 7 is coming. Having 3 exams this week. No doubt it is hectic, I guess I would have to survive Monday, Tues and Wed. I worked so much last 2 weeks. My visa only allows me to work a maximum of 20 hours a week. However, I took on around 40 per week for the past 2 weeks. More than half was due to private tutoring so no breach of laws. The money is good. That, I can't deny. But I did so much for this weekend, that right before my exams, I am in bed by 9 or even 10pm! I couldn't study!!! The last 2 nights, I was asleep on my laptop. Literally face down on my laptop as I was so tired. Only walked to my bed at 2-3am instead.

Perhaps I should be more careful when the End of Sem exams come. That will mean I might have to give up some students or even reduce my hours. Damn!! Now I better worry about my own studies before it kills me tomorrow.

On the brighter note, was commended for my teaching. My boss actually informed me that he had received numerous emails praising me on the way I teach. Haha! He also told me to expect an influx of students in my class as many are disgruntled for having incompetent tutors. Yesterday, at a staff meeting before the Year 1 exams, he actually appointed me chief invigilator!! All seems good so far. Am looking forward to the second half of the semester.

Alright, should stop writing and try to focus on my studies before the exam rapes me tomorrow.

End of Week 4. Sizzler dinner. Bachata CD.

2009-08-22T17:39:00.006+10:00

End of Week 4. Although I had been turning away some students, as of this week I have 7 students now. I was teaching from 8am-4pm on Fri and it drained me. Although its good to be doing all that given the money earned, its about time I focus on my own stuff. Not forgetting, I scored my first perfect score for a presentation this semester. Haha. Seems like we got ourselves off a good start. Anyway, with much plans confirmed, seems like this semester is just gonna fly by pretty quick.

Last week, dinner with Sisters was great. Its been a long time since we last met up and Cindy had changed her hairstyle. Haha. Really nice meeting up with the 2 of them once again. We went to Sizzler at Mermaid Beach and had agreed not to patronise that place again. The food was so-so and service was below average. However, still a good evening as its the company which matter more.

Matt and I...

2 Sisters... first time they decided to take funny pics.

Last night we went up Q1 to salsa under the stars. Its definitely a different feeling dancing on the 20th tallest building of the world. Listening to salsa music, dancing on the 77th floor, overlooking the night skyline of Surfers Paradise is definitely romantic. Damn... how I hope she was here with me. Michelle and Trish were saying that it would be romantic if they were to have their wedding reception there. Haha. The night was great and I actually won an Aventura Bachata CD. I was standing close to the DJ console and he said the 2 fastest man who can produce their Queensland driving license will win it. I was one of them! Haha. The next one is in Nov and hopefully, my exams would had finished by then. Shall remember to bring my camera next time.

Work. NDP 09. Weight Loss.

2009-08-11T23:39:00.004+10:00

I had been offered alot of work this semester. I think word got around pretty quick about how well I performed last year and last semester when I worked as a mentor for the Uni. Its only the start of Week 3 and I had been approached by 5 students individually for private tuition. Thats on top of the average of 8 hours of classes I teach on a weekly basis. So if everything works out well, I might be earning a salary of at least 1.2k a month. Thats just for working only around 10 hours a week. Hehe. Good money I will say. However, I had just turned down a student who emailed me asking for private tutoring. I feel that I am already quite heavily taxed with my 5 students (some asking for more than one session) and I don't want to put my own studies at risk of earning more money.

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

4 group projects this semester. Of which, 1 had been taking shape pretty well. The rest got to wait til more details to be released before we can start preparing for it. Seems like a hectic final semester as some people had mentioned. Knowing myself, I will survive. I will not crack under pressure. *wink*

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

Lately, an acquaintance of mine conveniently 'lost her memory'. Apparently, she got involved in a 'car accident' resulting in her memory loss. One wonders how is it possible when the car was in her garage all along. Hmmm... can't help but be in awe of the lies she told everyone before and after the 'accident'.

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

Before I forget, Happy Belated National Day Singapore!~ I spent the Sunday enjoying my Yong Tau Foo and HK Roast in celebration of National Day. Well, Darling was performing at Padang and I felt kinda bad that I couldn't be there to show my support. Wow. Another year had passed and time really seems to fly. Thats a good thing I will say.

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

I was told I lost alot of weight recently and look alot better now. Thank you for the compliment. You know who you are. I guess the weight lost since Apr was never gained back. Well, I wish the best for you too.

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

Alright, I think thats enough for today or shall I say, for this week. Got a lab in 8 hours. Time to catch some sleep.

Week 1 concluded. Rumours? Spare me.

2009-07-30T21:02:00.004+10:00

Week 1 had concluded for me. Yes. Only Thurs and its already over for me as I have a 4-day week this semester. However, I had arranged for more teaching for this semester. I just signed my teaching contract on Wed and am given an average of 8 hours of teaching a week. Its all working well for me now. Its very good money so am not complaining.

Having a 4 day week does seem easy but when we looked at the Assessment criteria for all subjects, seems like we have plenty of projects and assignments. So much so for thinking that we would be having an easy final semester before graduation. Next week on, Fri would be teaching from 8-1pm.

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

My darling reminded me that I missed watching her cook. One thing for sure is that she is scary when she cooks. Very fierce. Haha. As much as I miss disturbing her when she is cooking, its a dangerous game as she is the one holding the knife. Another 2 things I miss about her is when she vacuums the floor and make the sound of a salt and pepper grinder. Haha. Funny moments! Oh well, happy memories to be remembered...

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

More than a year ago, I was asked about an on-going rumour which someone was spreading. I paid no heed to it as it is after-all, a rumour. I totally forgot about it until someone asked me about it again. It had been so long since I last heard it that it took some time to ring a bell. Anyway, I don't believe in it, so does the good friends of the person in question. In any case, my conscience is clear. So, if anyone were to go on and talk abt stupid stuff, be my guest. Because I don't give a hoot. Enough said.

I miss her.

2009-07-25T11:29:00.003+10:00

Its been almost a week since she left.
Time really seems to go pretty fast.
Blink of an eye, one week had passed.
I certainly hope the next 4.5 months will fly by.
Felt as if a part of me was missing since the 19th July.

I miss the waking up in the morning beside her.
I miss stroking her face in the early morning.
I miss watching her sleep like a baby.
I miss preparing pancakes for breakfast for her.
I miss chasing her out of the house with the activation of security alarm.
I miss walking the streets, holding her hands.
I miss the singing in the car.
I miss her reading the maps while I drive.
I miss buying groceries with her.
I miss taking photos with her.
I miss seeing the sights with her.
I miss her feeding me grapes.
I miss her company.
I miss watching tv with her on my lap.
I miss cuddling her tight in my arms.
I miss looking at her face before I sleep.
And most of all, I miss her.

Magical 2 weeks... 6 months Anniversary,...

2009-07-20T08:18:00.004+10:00

2 weeks. For 2 weeks, I was the happiest guy in this part of the world. I really couldn't bear to let go yesterday at the airport. We had spent so much good times together that I really wish it would never end... This post had to be written in parts, partly because I feel sad whenever I think about her not being with me. I really miss her alot although she had only been gone for less than 20 hours. Sigh... How I wish time will fly by and it would be December.

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

The time with her was good. We went up Sunshine Coast, down to Melbourne, to Dandenong's Forest and Great Ocean Road. We caught up with my salsa friend in Melbourne and one of my best friend, David. A total of 904 pictures were taken. Will leave it to her to upload them.

I was really pampered when she was here. Its been a long time since someone cooked for me, washed for me and made me so happy. I am already looking forward to going back to SG after graduation. I can't wait to have her in my arms again.

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

We celebrated our 6 months anniversary when she was here. Looking back then, I would never had expected to be celebrating our 6 months in Melbourne and Gold Coast, Australia. Celebrating our anniversary in 2 different cities in a foreign coutnry!

We were talking about our relationship at Great Ocean Road and neither of us did expect us to be doing what we did that day. It was a happy occasion and among the gifts I bought, one was a wristlet which she could use for formal events. She likes it alot and I didn't mind buying it for her since its something she will use.

Then upon reaching Gold Coast that same night, we came back to my place for me to pack new clothes for the next few days. I picked up the guitar in my room and started playing a song for her. She never expected it as she knew I don't know how to play any musical instruments from the start. I told her the guitar belonged to a friend the first time she saw it. (Yes, I lied.) Besides when I picked up learning to play it 2 months ago, I kept it from her as well and only a handful of people knew.

Her response was something I never expected but let's just say that she was touched and appreciated my effort. I miss her dearly and can't wait for my graduation then I would be back to see her again.

Sem 1 over, Freeedom~!

2009-06-26T01:00:00.004+10:00

Yes!!! Finally finished the dreadful 2 papers. Biomechanics was ridiculously hard and nothing we ever expected. Am glad am not the only one who felt that way. Guess the best was to aim for a Pass instead. Bioinstrumentation was spot on for me. I think I might had nailed it.

Was so happy after the final paper that both Jess and I went straight knocking on the door of Unibar. Walked right in before they were even opened for business and ordered a jug of beer! Haha. Started drinking by 10.30am and we were happy to leave the examination hall at least an hour and a half early. Definitely a good way to relax! With our alcohol ladened breathe, we went straight to the convenor of Biomechanics and told him how crap the exam was. Haha. Must be the alcohol's doing...

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

We had a proper end of semester dinner tonight together with Erin and her guests. Food was good, company was great. Everyone is just so happy that its over and we can finally sit down for a proper meal at last. Erin's boyfriend and bestfriend came over for a visit from Canada and it was great meeting them. Been hearing so much about them.

One of the better pics taken,..

Good to be able to catch up with Jonny before he flies off to Vancouver to play rugby. Well, definitely a night to celebrate with wine and good jap food. I know I certainly deserved it after working my arse off this whole semester.

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

Looking back now... First semester of third year in Uni is officially over. I am surprised with myself. I don't ever recall studying as hard for the past 4 semesters. In all, I achieved 7 top scores over 3 subjects this semester. That is, beating 120 others to claim top spot in 7 various assessments. Haha. Am kinda surprised actually.

Exercise and Sports Behaviour - 3 seperate presentations (9/10, 9/10, 59.5/60), Teaching of 32 beat dance. (14/15)
Biomechanics - Poster on body mechanics. (9.5/10)
Bioinstrumentation - Lab project (15/15) , average score over 6 Lab reports (9.9/10)

Definitely did not expect all these results as the average score was just passing or pretty low. So it all came at a surprise indeed. I certainly hope I can carry on doing this for the following semester commencing in Aug! Not gonna think about that now and just relax for awhile. Gonna enjoy the break and soak in the holiday mood... *wink*

2 down... Good food... Successful Oyakodon!

2009-06-18T16:21:00.007+10:00

Done with 2 papers, another 2 more to go! Surprisingly, the psychology subject was a breeze and there is a slight chance of attaining even a Distinction for it. Haha. A credit and I will be happy. Can't say the same for the other subject. No wonder the failure rate is as high as 25%! Anyway, here's a low-down of what I am aiming for...

Estimated:
Exercise and Sports Behaviour - Credit
Clinical Ex Testing - Pass

Yet to take (Aim):
Biomechanics - Credit
Bioinstrumentation - High Distinction

I will shoot myself if I score any lower than a Distinction for Bioinstrumentation. Anyway, am gonna hope for the best and work my ass off for these 2 papers which I had yet to take.

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

William cooked dinner last night. No doubt it was a late dinner but its all worth the wait. He actually prepared an Entre and a Main. The main ingredient for the night was Chicken breast. Haha. Not gonna blabber on anymore, enjoy the pictures...

Chicken breast spaghetti in tomato sauce.

The main... Stuffed-Chicken breast with mushroom sitting on a bed of risotto..

Dessert.. Dual-layered sponge-cake... yes.. he made it!

Can you see the 2 layers?..

It was a very good dinner done by him. Haha. Certainly hope there's more to come! Haha.

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

I finally tried doing Oyakodon once again after attempting it numerous times more than a year ago. This time, I am glad to say, I finally succeed! Haha. At least I got the cooking mix right! Gonna try a few more times before I am confident enough to do it for my darling!

Looks so much better than last time... taste much better too!

Ya, I had agreed to make it for her when she arrives and so I started testing it out first. With all the rice toppings bought and additional sea-weed, I am all set! Haha! A few more practice would be essential.

Alright, time to hit the books once again...

Not panicking.

2009-06-11T12:54:00.002+10:00

Exams are next week and somehow, I am not panicking. Not sure why. I am definitely looking forward to the end of it but somehow with papers on both Monday and Tuesday, I am still updating this blog!!! Its only 4 days aways and I know I had been studying for some time for this coming exam. Gonna spend another day on Clinical Ex Testing before I jump straight back into Ex and Sports Behaviour. Another 2 papers on the 24 and 25 July but that can wait.

It had been rather cold this week. Winter has definitely hit us! Cold as ice in morning and night, with temperatures going down to single digits while afternoon still alright (around 18-20) with the sun above. Definitely good that I had made soup last night. At least that should keep me warm apart from the hot water showers and hot drinks I had been having.

Came across this article some time ago, thought its an interesting one. Was flipping through countless ladies magazines that day while waiting for my car to be fixed.

Interesting article...

Don't ask me why am I reading women magazines. I am not turning more feminine as time passes. I might be in touch with the female side but am definitely still as straight as a metal rod! (Haha... ZZ and Mel.. stop smiling.. I know what both of you are thinking of..) Not sure why they have so many Woman's Weekly, Cosmo,... etc at a car workshop. Perhaps the shop owner's wife donated them after reading them. Whatever the case, it kept me company for 2 hours while I sit in the workshop waiting for the rain to clear.

Study Week!!!

2009-06-07T19:40:00.002+10:00

Wow. 13 weeks had passed and coming week is Study week before 2 weeks of exams! I definitely slept alot better after writing and venting it all out. For now, a re-cap of what went by this whole week. A major presentation for Exercise and Sports Behaviour on Monday, which we did very well. As the convenor said "The best presentation I had seen this year." 59.5 out of 60! Haha. 2 girls in my team and I had to act as a girl. Haha! And it all seems to be getting better!

2 projects were due this week as well. Completed both with a great partnership with Jess. One is based on circuits and programming using electricity as a a system for a muscular healing. Already knowing we scored a a possible 9 out of 10. Its only a matter of 9, 9.5 or 10. The other is a poster based on the how bad the lecture theatre chairs are for our backs. We totally think out of the box while most of the groups doing biomechanics of certain sports or joint replacements. So we hope to score once again. Hehe.

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

Jacqui came to the GC on Sat. Was caught by surprised with her visit as wasn't expecting her anytime so soon. Anyway, I showed her around and we totally had a good time catching up. Its kinda funny when I had not seen her for around 2 years and yet we could still talked like last time. Hope she enjoys the rest of her stay here and have a good holiday.

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

Packed and clean up my room today. Cleared the 2 half-boxes that were sitting in front of my TV shelf and did some ledge cleaning off my window. Definitely more space in my room now. Hehe. Vaccuming of the room carpet had always been a monthly process but you can say more was done today to pre-empt the arrival of my Queen. *wink* Proud of myself with the amount of work done. Hehe. 26 days to her arrival! WooHoo!

发泄。

2009-05-31T12:40:00.004+10:00

最近，一直睡不好,
因为有一样事情搞到我非常烦。
通常过的快乐与活波的我，最近心里一直都觉得不好受。
想找个地方发泄，所以就打算写在我的网站，
希望能让自己好受一些。

我非常不喜欢上个礼拜一跟你通电话的那番话。
别人也是人，你没有权力侮辱他。
我和你的关系到了这个地步，你只能怪自己，不是别人的错。
自己要看开点，不要无赖别人。
到现在，我还是一样，没变。
要变，要换的，是你的想法。

你不是不知道，
我最讨厌别人用不同的手段来控制我的选择，我的人生。
我已经24岁了。
给我一点尊严，尊重我的选择。
你不喜欢的话，那就别管，
不要干涉我的生活。

我就写到这里。没话好讲了。
希望写出来后，心里会平静下来，
能好好的睡，好好的休息，
让我可以专心的读书，考试。

~~~~~~完~~~~~~

Ups and Downs.

2009-05-26T21:12:00.002+10:00

I mentioned before that life is always a vicious cycle of ups and downs. Things just keeps happening. Studies, family... etc. Anyway, sparing all details... miss her alot recently... This song had been in my playlist for a few years... and actually inspired me to do things which i never expected myself to..

Adam Sandler- Grow Old With You.

I wanna make you smile whenever youre sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
All I wanna do is grow old with you

Ill get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

Ill miss you
Ill kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

Ill need you
Ill feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed if youve had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you.

Something for you, darling. Love you. *wink*

Studying with candles. Catching up.

2009-05-23T12:36:00.010+10:00

Winds faster than 100km/hr was blowing with heavy downpour coming down hard on the Gold Coast on Wed and I had to stupid-ly drive out for petrol in the afternoon. Not realising the seriousness of my actions, I drove past fallen trees on the road, until we stopped at a traffic lights and a tree just fell and smashed 2 cars in front of mine. I was very temped to make a U-turn and go back but decided to go on and get petrol instead. I got really scared. Some traffic lights were down as well. Coming home, I was informed that electricity got cut off. Most probably a fallen trees had hit the wires or something. News that a man had died from flying debris was reported in the news as well.

I had no mood to cook and resorted to cooking instant noodles instead. My 3rd packet this year I think. Thank God for having a gas stove in my kitchen. With the aid of a tall black candle, I ate in darkness.

You know when you watch those old Chinese movies, especially those referring to different dynasties whereby Chinese normal folks had to sit for an exam to be determined a scholar? Yours truly had a feel of how they actually cope with studying at night.

What an experience...

Looking back, it really made me think alot. Well, I really admire those people who strive through the night, studying with just a candle light. I surprised myself that night, in the total darkness, with my vision spared with just that candle, I actually studied for 3 hours. Going to bed at 11, my eyes were tired. And I was productive that night!

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

Last night, we had our monthly dinners. The Sisters treated me to good Korean BBQ and Hotpot, followed by Chocolate at Max Brenners. Catching up with one another is always good and the last time we ate together was at Cindy's place.

Yummy Korean BBQ... cooked by the waitress in front of us...

The only pic I had of us... together with the Korean seafood soup.

Chocolate at Max was good. We all had a good time. Drinks and food were ordered and we just had a good time filling ourselves with goodies.

My Chocolate pizza with a crunch..

Amelia's Strawberry and Chocolate-dip

Cindy's Chocolate Souffle with ice-cream

We all left the place early. It was cold and we definitely did not want a repeat of what happened last time. Haha. Definitely a good time we had and am so looking forward to the next one at Sanctuary Cove. It would be good for them to finally meet my darling. *wink*

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

She had been busy with her rehearsals and everything just seems never ending. Knowing dancing is her passion, I always try to give her my utmost support. Sometimes cannot help but wanna be greedy and hope to have more time with her. Oh well, as long as she is happy and healthy, thats most important. I don't ask for much. Well, another week down and soon she would be here. Hehe.

Week 11!

2009-05-18T18:26:00.002+10:00

Blink of an eye, its already week 11 of the first semester. Time really flies. Just a couple weeks more and end of semester exams would be here. Autumn had descended on us and its fast approaching winter as I hardly recall Autumn ever being so cold. I would think we are at the end of Autumn and winter is just a few weeks away.

My ankle had been recovering well. So far, I had been able to do most of the stuff I wanted to do with no dramas. However, I think it still needs that 2 full weeks to recover before I can run. I tried running just now and resulted in hopping instead. Should recover by early June.

Had a fun Fri evening last week when ZZ, Mel, NBX and my darling were all on msn chatting at the same time! Its been a long time since we all got together even for us guys alone and it was the first time I actually got Fau to chat with them although she met them before. Hehe. Seems like no ice breakers needed next time I come back! Haha.

May Ee- Not that I want to steal mum away. I need to plan her trip for her so I need some details from her. Well, she is visiting you in a couple weeks time. I promise I will not disturb your precious time with her. You can have her from now on. Hehehe.

One month to exams. Mother's Day.

2009-05-10T14:25:00.004+10:00

The title says it all. One more month to exams. About time to start mugging and concentrate on what matters most. Ankle is still recovering, slowly. Still unable to run but well, at least am able to walk normally. Another 3 weeks before it should fully recover, so should be more patient now anyway.

Been saving alot of money by cooking alot more at home and with decrease food intake, even I surprised myself. Not at the money saved but by how much food I had actually not been eating. Recently, been trying out new stuff like Nasi Goreng Seafood, Tom Yum noodles with lamb slices.

Nasi Goreng Seafood with sambal on the side..

For now, all seem clear and am looking forward to the Carbonara tonight. Intend to make enough to last a couple meals just so don't have to cook all the time. Came up with a study plan and intend to stick to it.

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

Today is Mother's day. Called her to wish her. Kinda funny when she claims that I had forgotten her. Hmmm. Sigh. Jealousy of my mum is lethal. Sometimes just don't understand her. Women. Sigh. Can't live without them but can't live with more than one of them!

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

Darling had been very understanding. Called to calm me down the night before as she knew I had a very bad evening with a stupid housemate with no brains. Guess she had not really seen nor heard me that mad before. Well, am looking forward to seeing her in 54 days. Will make it up to her when she arrives.

5 days long weekend.

2009-05-03T00:10:00.004+10:00

As our results from the previous exam were released to us one at a time, many of us dreaded knowing them. Nevertheless, its something we have to know. Honestly, am disappointed with my results. Although compared to the rest of the cohort from my course I am above average, I expected better results from myself. I usually take it as a cue to work harder for the End Sem papers.

2 May - 6 May marks my long weekend. Its 5 days long with not much plans to begin with. I wasn't thinking too much of what to do as I was resigned to the fate of not seeing darling on most of it as she would be away. I actually dread this long weekend because of that. It was until on 1 May, after our final lecture on Fri arvo, when Jess and I had this conversation...

Jess (J) : So, what are your plans for this weekend? Study?

Me: No idea. Not sure what to do as she would not be free to webcam anyway.

J: You know, you got 5 days long and its only Fri arvo, you could go somewhere as well.

Me: Hmmm.. good point.. why didn't I think of that?!

I rushed home immediately, wanting to check the prices of the air tickets to Perth, Singapore and KL. Thoughts of me flying to KL or Sing made me smile non stop during my drive back home. I could go Perth to visit my parents who were there on a holiday, celebrating their silver anniversary. I could return back to Singapore and catch up with family and friends. Or I could even fly straight to KL to surprise my darling! Prices, as I found out were as follow..

Perth - $700.
Singapore - $650 via Jetstar
KL - $690 via AirAsia.

I was very tempted to book the flight to KL and then surprise her at her hotel room when I knock on her door. However on second thought, I decided not to. It was her chance to have her own time anyway and I don't think I should really interfere. As much as I miss her, its best I let her enjoy her short KL trip with her friends. I did not even consider flying to Perth as the price was just ridiculous. I would had considered flying back to SG but I would only get to see her for less than 24 hours as well, so it makes not much sense as well. Besides, my budget was not that high.

So there goes the brilliant plan of flying. Its Saturday midnight, going into Sunday. I got to say so far I had been keeping myself quite busy. Last night was yumcha with Matt, Liwei, Ken and Weeliam. Fun company and we were out til 2-3am.

Today was packed as well. Morning had to run some errands and catching up with friends. In fact, I just came home at 10.30pm. Am dead tired now. Its good that am keeping myself busy as well. Tomorrow should be continuation of the errands as its not even half settled. Might be spending alot of time on it from now on.

An interesting conversation I had with some friends just now.

Me: You know, I almost went back today. For $650 to SG or $690 to KL.

Friend (F): Har?! Come on mate. If you were to spend that much to fly back to see her for less than 48 hours, whats the point? You might as well save that money! Wait 2 more months and when she comes over, you can pass me the money and I can make you tonic soup everyday!

We just burst into laughter. Oh well, yes perhaps should save the money for future plans. Put it into my account and will need to use in over the next few years anyway. *grin*

Argh, I just hope time will fly faster and perhaps my friend can start preparing all the tonic soup that he mention for me! *cheeky grin* Hahaha... And oh.. did I mention, my friend is a trained-chef. Yummmm...

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

Darling was sweet enough to leave me a couple online messages and a surprise email before she leave on Fri early morning. It kinda surprise me alot as I never expected her to do such things. *wink* Am looking forward to her return on Monday evening.

1 step closer, 10 weeks more.

2009-04-28T18:34:00.005+10:00

Last weekend marked the end of the mid-semester exams. 2 papers on Fri afternoon and 'celebrations' started soon after paper finished. Beer at the Uni bar before dinner at Cindy's. Its one of those monthly dinners that I have with the 2 Sisters. They always take good care of me and had planned such monthly dinners just to catch up. Hehe.

The spread at Cindy's was unbelievable. I strongly believe that she prepared enough food for 10 when there were only 6 of us! 2 soup base and all so yummy! She spared no costs at all! So much food that I was asked to bring back a big portion as well. I was asked to bring a few friends and cordially invited Matt and Jeremy. Mahjong soon follows and we actually played 2 rounds! Haha. Played small and I was lucky to actually win $15. Overall, an enjoyable night with good food, nice company and good entertainment.

Half the spread... check out the size of those prawns..

The 3 ladies.. hostess Cindy (Ms SG).. Amelia (Ms Malaysia) and Mimi ( Ms HK)... haha..

The other half of the spread..

Weekend was spent largely at home resting as needed to rest my ankle and do some music editing for Monday's dance demonstration. My gf was away getting ready for her 2 performances in SG, so I kept myself occupied. Had late night supper and coffee on Sat night with both Aaron and Weeliam and tried staying up for her but I just crashed at 5am.

Monday was kinda bad with lessons from 8-5pm back to back with only an hour lunch break. Had our dance demonstration at 12noon in the sun as well. Kinda lucky that my group still came up tops once again, to add on to the top marks we got from 2 presentations. Hehe. Thankfully, my ankle survived the short demonstration and we got the marks we deserved.

Now with all mid-sem exams gone, its another 2 weeks before an exam on Clinical Ex Testing. Shall start studying early for it since darling would be away in KL this coming weekend. Haiz... Might as well keep myself occupied just so time will past by faster. On the bright side, 1 step closer to end of semester, 10 weeks to seeing my beloved once again. Hehe. *cheeky grin*

Popping in...

2009-04-24T10:41:00.003+10:00

One and a half hour before 2 papers back to back, and can't believe I am actually typing this out. I agree with ZZ, exams kills. Thanks to Dree and ZZ for the encouragement. Hehe.

Haha. Anyway, just popping in to say I love you alot, my darling Fau! Haha. very sweet of her to call when I least expected. I know you are reading this... Hehe.

Awakening.

2009-04-18T17:53:00.008+10:00

It is a slow weekend for me. The last few days of the mid-term break before we start the second half of this semester. I know I would not be seeing my gf much today and the next few weekends especially since she would be busy so I thought why not try to study as well. Besides, I cannot do anything nor go anywhere with my right ankle in the current condition. However, little did I realised I would be sitting on my bum at my desk, not studying but chatting with ZZ for the next few hours! What started off as a normal conversation slowly lead to more serious stuff. I am glad we had that conversation cause ZZ literally brought me back.

Recently, all that had happened had made my mind so clouded with things that I am no longer myself. I couldn't really think and was too bogged down with the short term goals that I kind of neglected my long term ones. I had been back for 2 months and all that had happened was bad news one by one.

-My little car got so thrashed that I actually contemplating selling it instead of doing the repairs. All of it due to the large amount of money I got to spend on repairs.

-My harddisk that crashed and with the loss of data, I was on the verge of buying a Mac on the spot. I had to keep calling HP, chasing for the replacement and see if they could help.

-My right ankle which caused me so much pain. Hoping around on crutches for 2 weeks, in contant pain. At least its alot better now and I hope to recover fully in 2 months.

I was in the pits. Physically, mentally drained. All I could think of was to finish the studies I started. No longer focused on the plans I used to have. So much so that alot of negative thoughts and worries begin to fill my mind. Questions like, "When will I ever be able to settle down? Am I the right person? Would I have enough money to fuel my plans? What else is there for me after this?"... etc, keep coming back at me. Might not seem much to you, but its a build-up of feelings I guess.

Its kind of funny how things work. This morning after Fau got to go for her training, my childhood friend, YK, sent me a song. The lyrics goes...

You look so beautiful today
It's like every time I turn around I see your face
The thing I miss the most is waking up next to you
When I look into your eyes, I wish that I could stay
And I cant lie
Every time I leave my heart turns gray
And I want to come back home to see your face
And I
Cause I just cant take it

Another day without you with me
Is like a blade that cuts right through me
But I can wait
I can wait forever
When you call my heart stops beating
When you're gone it wont stop bleeding
But I can wait
I can wait forever

I know it feels like forever
I guess that's just the price I gotta pay
But when I come back home to feel your touch
Makes it better
Till that day
Theres nothing else that I can do
And I just cant take it
I just cant take it

Somehow it brings back certain memories. Pleasant ones. But it also reminded me of how much I miss her. Not thinking too much of it, I started my chat with ZZ. Our lengthy conversation started with family well-being to reason of relationship, marriage and work. It wasn't much but it evoked a feeling deep down inside me. Its like something in me just woked up after all the gloom that had happened. All that he said, served as a reminder of what I had overlooked these 2 months.

I got to admit. I am in fact very happy to be with Fauziah. No doubt that I am unable to settle down now due to obvious reasons and being physically so far away, it just makes things harder. Although life might be hard but getting through it with a life partner, makes everything sweet. She has been persistent in wanting to wait for my return. Although I had given her the time frame of years, it was never definite. Even before everything, when we were still new, I had warned her of the tough times ahead. She made up her mind to wait. I know its tough for her. Its definitely not easy. To clear things up, I just want to say that I WILL come back one day, to take her away with me. Give me a few years after graduation. Let me earn enough. I aimed to settle down soon. I know its not much, but this is the best I can assure. I certainly hope we can work this relationship out together and enjoy the happy ending that we both desired.

For all that, I really want to thank ZZ for bringing me back on track. To look at the whole picture. To see how awesome she had been to me. To rediscover the drive that I seemed to have lost in life. For all that, Thank you Zhi Zhong.

Updates of ankle.

2009-04-16T14:42:00.006+10:00

My right ankle had been recovering pretty well lately. I went for an X-ray on Tues and it was good news, except they found something else which shouldn't be there. Haha. Apparently, I have an additional bone at my ankle joint, which is not normal. Anyway back to the X-ray, no broken bones. Damn happy! Cause any broken bones, even a hairline fracture will mean my right ankle will be plastered and in a cast for 6 weeks minimum! However, the doctor did tell me that it will take me another week before I can walk without crutches again. Another month before I can start dancing, not that I had been dancing here. Another month from then before I can start running again.

When I first hurt my leg... see how swollen it is.. 18 needles needed..

All wrapped up to compact it, just so I can stabilise it better.

Now am hoping my ankle can recover enough by Monday so at least I can start driving again. This week of holiday is mainly used to rest and recover my ankle. Although I did have plans to go Brisbane but had to shelve it. However, I had been pretty fortunate amid the unfortunate events. I have a bunch of very good friends who had helped me in this time of need. Some drive me around, some cooked for me and even invited me over for dinner. In no particular order, I would like to thank them one by one.

Michael.
Thank you for helping me out when my previous harddisk crashed.
Solving and finding the neccessary softwares I need.

Mattthew.
Thank you for taking me to the TCM while cutting short your appt.
Driving me around, looking for crutches and even chauffeurring me to the TCM and back home.
Thanks for the beehoon!
Thank you for taking up alot of your time when you had things to do on your own.

Michelle.
Thank you for taking me home from Uni after a busy day at work.
It was nice having you to cook for me last weekend and really appreciate all that!
At least a break from the food I had been taking.

Jess.
Thank you for taking me to the Doc and back.
For staying with me while I received treatment.
Thank you once again for picking me up from home to your place for dinner and driving me back after that.
Really appreciate all that!

Beatrice, Amy, Estee and Althea.
Thank you for picking me up for dinner even though you know I could barely walk.
For cooking and washing up.

Thomas.
Thank you so much my good friend.
I will never forget how you piggyback me down the slope off my house in the morning and back up in the evening!
For being ever so thoughtful and taking me to the Doc this morning.

Amelia.
Thank you for entertaining my requests of photocopying my receipts.
Haha. I know you were busy and didn't mean to disturb but I did not know who else to approach.
Thank you so much.

William.
Thank you for coming by my place on 2 nights to chat.
It was great having you around to talk over fruit and biscuits and we definitely got to know each other alot better ever since.

If I had left anyone else out, kindly please forgive me as its not done on purpose. Now another weekend for me to stay home and let my right ankle recover.

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

Remember I mentioned that my darling gave me a pillow case as a farewell gift? She had one for herself as well.

The one on the left is hers and the other is mine. Haha. How matching!! Very sweet of her! Thank you darling! I will be careful and take care of my ankle~ Thanks for the care and concern!

Things come in 3s...

2009-04-10T13:32:00.004+10:00

As mentioned in my previous post, first car, then laptop. I was hoping that its the end of things until I fell and twisted my ankle badly on Tuesday. I was shocked when it happened because I literally saw my right ankle rolled the other way. After the moment of shock, came the excruciating pain.

I know I needed to see a doc the next day but there's no one to take me to one on Wed morning. Darling was pretty worried and lucky she was understanding enough that its not I don't want to see a doctor but there were a couple other reasons as well. Thankfully, Matt came to pick me up to see a TCM in the late arvo. The acupuncturist poked 18 needles into my right ankle. There was major swelling and Matt even took a picture of it. After treatment, he drove me to a couple pharmacists and I managed to get an elastic bandage and a pair of crutches as instructed by the TCM. Thankfully Matt was there to help me out, if not I think I would be in greater pain than now.

Yesterday, Tom actually came over to my place to pick me up to go Uni. He actually piggybacked me down the slope of my place and back up in the evening when he sent me home! Jess helped by taking me to the TCM once again for my 2nd appt in the arvo and thankfully, its alot better. However, I still need to schedule an X-ray on Tues after the 4 days long weekend to make sure no bones were fractured.

Using crutches is no joke. I had to use them to travel around 400 metres in Uni yesterday and I had to make a stop in between as it was too tiring. It doesn't help with the weather drizzling as well. This morning when I woke up, the mid and lower trapezius muscles on my back were sore coupled with both arms as well.

Since I am in crutches, immobilised, I am spending my long weekend at home. How exciting~ While others are out partying, dancing, drinking away, I had to spend this time resting, elevating my right ankle every now and then. Argh. Oh well, no other choice as if I were back in SG, I would love to attend En La Pasion at Zouk tonight.

Last night, I actually teared watching a movie. Its called- If Only. Its about how a guy used to take his gf for granted. Then she dies in an accident right after she poured out her feelings for him and decided to break up. He cried himself to sleep and woke up re-living the same day yesterday. He did whatever he could and right to the time when she died, he protected her, sacrificing himself in the process. Very touching movie. It doesn't help with the soundtrack being very nice as well. Perhaps am turning into a softie.. Lol..

First the car... Now laptop..

2009-04-01T12:30:00.003+10:00

Damn it. I came back and in a month, I spent close to $1800 on car repairs. And just yesterday, my laptop decided to die on me. So as it floats to the Pearly Gates while the technician tried to recover my lost data, I was asked to call HP to see if they could do me a favour instead.

Well, my laptop warranty expired 5-6 days before it crashed. So I called them and plead my case. They asked me to fax the invopice. I faxed it 3 FRIGGING TIMES!! yET, THEY TOLD ME THEY DID NOT RECEIVE IT BUT GIVE IT A COUPLE HOURS AS FAX MACHINE IS BUSY...

What kinda bull is that?! Now while the techinicians are still fixing it up, I was advised to wait for HP's reply. If it could save me $100-$150 in repairs, why not. However, that would mean I would be without a laptop for more than a week. That means a week of no webcam and contact with outside world when I am home.

ARGH......

Damn it man... I hate to rely so much on my laptop.. but sometimes.. we just cannot help it, or can we?

24th Celebration part 2.

2009-03-30T18:39:00.006+10:00

I know its kind of late but had been extremely busy with Uni stuff and some planning for July holidays. Hehe. Well, better late than never right? After a long recovery from the house party on my Birthday, I received a lovely parcel from SG! My darling surprised me with this.....

Gift from darling...neck pillow, card, a mini notebook... so sweet of her..

Well, I started using the pillow immediately and it IS very comfortable! Hehe. Trust my darling to know what I need. Thank you so much dearest!
24 March- Tues

Matt came over to my place to pick me up for dinner with Leck Wee. They brought me to Mike's Kitchen and the food is really good! Oh boy, the 1kg ribs is definitely tasty and wouldn't mind going back there again!

Leck Wee, Matt and the good food...

They treated me to dinner and we went off to Marina Mirage after that for after dinner desserts. I did not know Max brennar opened a branch in GC!! Hehe.

25 Mar - Wed

Met up with Helen finally and she wanted to bring me to a new Sushi train outlet for Birthday! We spent a couple hours just chatting and catching up with one another. Its really been a long time since we ever talked so much. Haha.

Helen and I... along Brisbane St.

27 Mar- Fri

2 sisters decided to take me to dinner and we had it at Shogun! Nice place, good food! Hehe. We spent so much time chatting that we stayed later then expected! We had yummy chocalate after that and only headed home past midnight. They decided to give me a shopping voucher just so I can get what I want and Cindy even got me presents from Japan!! Hehe. Some yummy cake that was specially made for royalties.

My sisters in GC with the yummy food at Shogun!

Overall, its been a wonderful birthday celebration 2 weeks long! I received cards from lovely sister, mum and even my landlord. Haha. So many pple to thank for and I just have no idea where to start.

Its been great having so many good friends and I definitely have no regrets over all the decisions I made. Thank you everyone for making my 24th memorable and a joyful one!

P.S/ I nailed my latest presentation!! They liked my introduction and we topped the class!

I turned 24!!

2009-03-23T18:04:00.012+10:00

On the 21st March 2009, I turned 24. Yes. 24 years old. To my lovely sister who wants a dinner treat and yet called me 'Shrek'... Just you wait my girl, your turn will come just like when you turned 19 and I called you Auntie. Muahaha...

A few friends had asked me how I celebrated my birthday given the fact that I am so far away from home. I guess its a matter of celebrating with friends and 'family' since Australia is considered my second home. I certainly had alot of fun this year. Although I had been here for 3 years, this is the first time I actually planned to celebrate my birthday. I shall begin on my celebration details just so as not to bore you readers.

19th March, Thursday

I arranged dinner with a small group of friends to go Cav's Steakhouse. The place had always been known for their steak and the restaurant had not disappoint me after all these years. Therefore I invited Estee, Tze Hao, Jason and Jeremy to dinner that night. Most of them would not be free on the day itself, I decided to have this minor private dinner 2 days before.

Dinner at Cav's..

The food was good and we had a jolly good time chatting about driving, cars and drinking. We had our fill and proceeded to 3 Beans for late night coffee after. It was a good start to a string of celebrations..

20th March, Fri

As Jess, Lewis and Kyla were not able to attend the big party due to Kate's 30th, I arranged for a seperate dinner with them. This time, we went to Sagano. When the trio demanded that they picked me up from my place, not allowing me to drive, I know its gonna be a drinking night. I was not wrong. We went to the bottle shop and I picked up 3 bottles of red wine. Its specifically chosen by Lewis as he knows his wine better than us and it did not fail us.

We arrived at the restaurant and were seated promptly. Dinner was served and we didn't stop eating for the next 2-3 hours! Haha. Well, what can you expect when the dinner was a Sukiyaki buffet with free flow of thinly sliced beef and veggies?

Check out the beef...

We had so much fun eating, drinking and encouraging each other that I totally enjoyed myself! My glass was never half filled! Whenever I had 2 sips, it was topped up to the brim again! Haha. By the time I realised it, I was flushed! My ears were red and everyone had a good time.

Jess, Lewis and Kyla..

Jess bought me my first birthday cake in Australia and I totally love it! It was yummy! We finished the dinner with a good dessert that night. 3 bottles of good red was definitely a good company with so much beef involved.

The ladies and my cake!

21 March, Sat

I arranged to webcam with Fau for a while before I leave my place on my birthday. Main reason is because I am not coming back to my current place for the night. I was spending the night at my other place up in Ormeau. Being given the house keys and codes to de-activate the alarm, the house is all for me to utilise. All these with the permission given by Eziq's parents themselves. His parents asked me to stay over more often and was always happy to have me around. Well, they went back Malaysia for a couple months and I was presented with the house keys then.

I went to pick Bernie up and we had a good lunch before starting on groceries. We reached my place at around 3pm and started preparing for dinner. The menu that night was all planned by Bernie. I was given the priviledge of choosing the individual items.

Menu.
1. Oxtail soup
2. Baked Red Snapper with Thai Sweet Chili
3. Druken Chicken 三杯鸡
4. Pumplin Curry
5. Cold Tofu
6. Caramelised Chicken Cutlet
7. Scallop Potato
8. Mango Pudding

Baked red snapper in thai sweet chili..

Caramelised chicken, Oxtail soup and Pumpkin curry..

At the dining table.. the food definitely got Tom's approval..

After the sumptious dinner, Thomas brought out a cake. Haha. It was very nice of him and Em. Cake was good and I even had it again for breakfast! I opened up my presents one by one and I certainly got what I wanted! Other than the countless bottles of red and white wine I received that night, I got a pair of sneakers from the girls!!

The party that night~!

We started the drinking games soon after and Eziq was gone by 11+! Haha. Everyone had a good time chatting and drinking that night. It was definitely a night for all to remember with the good food, wine and wonderful friends.

Spent the night there and took a wholle day to recover on Sunday from all the drinking. We finished around 5 bottles of wine and a bottle of rum. Actually, its more of I finished them as everyone just wanted me to drink. Thank god, no hangover and I still managed to clean up the place and leave everything back in order by 3pm. Arrived home and slowly start to unpack my stuff and decided to take a picture of all the gifts.

Everything I received... from all dinners and the party..

3 bottles of good wine were left after the massive drinking session. Haha. Thank you everyone! Especially my sister who mailed me a card from Canada! I think I better let my liver rest for the next week or so as had been drinking way too much over the last few days! So much that I literally died in my physical test today. Haha. Alright. Time to rest my arms and give it a good rub. However, am not complaining as this only happens once a year and am really glad that everything went well!

End of Week 2. Birthday coming...

2009-03-15T18:48:00.006+10:00

~Updated list as of 17 Mar~

Week 2 had been a breeze. Am doing 4 subs this semester and its supposed to be easier than Yr 2. 4 main subs are Bioinstrumentation, Biomechanics 2, Clinical Ex Testing and Exercise and Sports Behaviour. Not gonna bore you with the details of the modules but its gonna be interesting see how I am gonna survive Ex and sports behaviour. Its a Psychology subject and I had teach a class a 32 bars dance. Jess and Tom already said they want to join me just so they can save the trouble of thinking what dance to teach. We got that all sorted a week before we were supposed to form our own groups! I think its gonna be interesting teaching peers simple dance steps. Its supposed to assess our abilities to cope with all sorts of behaviour problems that might surface as we start coaching/teaching in real life situations. Haha.

Oh, guess what. I started studying already! Much to the surprise of everyone here, I actually studied and covered quite abit. Lets just hope I manage to keep up with the studying. Studies aside, a friend had signed me up for SG club this semester. Oh well, shall see how it goes then. Should be starting our morning trainings this week and badminton on Tues as well.

On the side, had been spending 2 Sundays at the beach lately. I was there for a couple hours today and its totally worth it! Last Sunday, the sunset was beautiful. Took a picture of it with my phone and here it is...

Sunset...

Was at the beach today only for a short while but had a good time sipping hot tea and enjoying banana muffins with Shelle. Nice to catch up on one another every now and then.

Got my birthday plans all sorted and should be having dinners with friends. More about that when the time comes or after the party with pics. I was asked to compile a list of items I want or needed. Well, had been thinking about it and in no order of importance, here it is...

1. Steering wheel cover. Mine is peeling slowly and needs a replacement.
2. Size 11 sneakers. Both of mine are dying...-Shelle had offered to get it for me... -
3. A small diary/planner, around 5" by 7" in size. Those pocket size ones which comes in handy when planning schedules. -Darling had already mailed it over..-
4. iPod Touch
5. Good DVDs, eg. Korean's Innocent Steps, Aliens Trilogy,... etc

Updated as of 17 mar 09.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moving on, I had finally used what Dar had given me before I left SG. A beautiful pillowcase that comes in a pair. I am given one while she gets to use the other. How sweet~! Hehe.

Beautifully wrapped...

On my bed...

First week.

2009-03-07T16:08:00.009+10:00

Been back for more than a week and week 1 of Uni had just ended. Been very busy with alot of stuff lately that got no time to update much. Well, let me start from the first week I came back to Gold Coast.

Arranged to have dinner with Sisters Amelia and Cindy on Friday, 27 Feb. Gosh... Cindy's place is really beautiful. Its a waterfront property and very huge! I hope to have a house like that in the future and accompanied by a yatch, thats life man!

Dinner was very good. All prepared by Cindy and company was wonderful. Garden salad, steak, Seafood Risotto, Abalone and Moreton Bugs. Dessert was nice. Knowing Cindy, everything got to be perfect and everything was nothing but that! It was really nice to have dinner with them once again!

Amelia and I..

Chef Cindy in her proud kitchen..

I was invited to a family dinner on 1 Mar, Sunday. It was time to catch up with Shelle, Erin and Jess. Its nice meeting up with all of them after so long and dinner with them was never a bore. Told them of what I had been up to in SG and they are happy for me.

Dinner party... all thanks to Chef Erin for the arrangements!

Week 1 of Uni was alright. No fancy stuff except all the introduction to the subjects we would be taking this semester. Managed to save quite abit of money by getting second hand books. Spent a total of $250 on all my books, saving myself around $150!! The girl whom I got them off from had taken really good care of the books and we agreed to do more business next semester! hehe. No point buying new ones as they are way too expensive and those that I bought are in fantastic conditions!

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I need a new phone!! I was thinking why not sign a plan with Vodafone and perhaps make use of their offer to get myself a new phone? Not that I needed a new phone for no good reason but the volume of my current one is way too soft. People got to strain their ears to hear what I was saying most of the time and its kind of embarrassing to shout into the phone in a public place. Besides, my current one had been with me for more than 2 years and it had served me very well. So I spent the whole of last night checking out offers and narrowed down to 2 phones which comes free if I sign the $79 monthly plan.

First on the list is the Blackberry Storm 9500.

2nd contestant is the Samsung Omnia.

Both phones are good in their own ways as I need a phone which gives me more than just allowing me to text and call. It actst as my planner as well as some friends had realised by now. Happy with the research I done, I went to the Vodafone shop just now and after doing some checks, they don't allow me to sign a plan. Main reason is because they are afraid I leave teh country without fulfilling my contract. What the f**k! I had intentions of settling here and now they give me this kinda crap. Argh.

So before then, do bear with me if I do sound abit soft on the phone as there's simply nothing I can do. Seems like I have to wait til July for a spare phone to arrive then.It would be the upgraded version of my current Samsung D900.

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

On the personal side, everything had been good so far. I had been in constant contact with her almost everyday. Am glad that she is handling everything well and really appreciate the effort she puts into maintaining this LDR. So far, she had been going home early, just so she can have a chat with me on the webcam. All these does seem pretty new to me and without a doubt, made me appreciate her alot more. As much as I told myself that I had been through all these and that before, all that she had done really surprises me. For all that, I really want to thank her and give her a hug.

Although she had left SG for KL for some work this weekend, thus ending the nightly webcam routines for 3 nights, we are still contacting each other regularly. She had wanted to bring her laptop along just so she can see me online for those 3 days but I had told her not to. Firstly, its additional load and do not want her to get her laptop stolen. Secondly, its a frigging 60 ringgit just to use the Internet for a day! That would make it 120 ringgit just to use the internet! Too expensive I reckon and so told her not to bring it.

This weekend seems kinda slow for some reason and hope to get some study done tomorrow. Would be cooking at Shelle's after an afternoon at the beach and hopefully can get a tan. My turn to cook family dinner. =)

Partner's Past. Should we mind?

2009-03-01T22:35:00.000+10:00

Should a person’s past be a judgement of who and what they are? I was asked this question all the time, especially when it comes to their partners. Honestly, I don’t mind my partner’s past. I believe that when you are in a relationship with a person, its the present that should be focused on and not the what happened last time. Only that way, will a future exist for the both of you. As troubling as some past might be, it plays safe to be honest.

Everyone has got a past. Nobody liked their past to be brought up. It will only invite more questions from partner. First come minor misunderstandings, then mistrust then followed by the end of the relationship. If we were to keep bickering about what happened last time, the relationship will just come to nought. Personally, my past ain’t that glorious as well, so why should I mind my partner’s?

As much as I agree that the past should remain buried, the partner has every right to know of their partner’s past as well. Imagine the following scenario:

Guy A and Girl A had been going out for a long time. Guy A had some past that he never told Girl A. One fine day, Guy A’s ex, B, came up to Girl A to complain or boast about some issues she used to have with Guy A. Girl A gets suspicious and starts to doubt Guy A. One thing lead to another and soon, it marks the end of a wonderful relationship.

Imagine the consequences. All that could be avoided only if Guy A had been honest and opened up to Girl A in the first place. That’s why I believe that a couple should be honest to one another and not have any hidden skeletons in the closet. Sometimes, its best to tell your partner when you can and not let it drag. How do you expect your partner to feel when he/she hears it from another party? Disappointment? Hurt? Anger?

Although sometimes its difficult to open up to tell your partner of your own past, put them in your shoes. How would you feel if you were treated that same way? Not a good feeling right? Then don’t do it to others if you do not want that to happen to you.

There are 3 keys to a successful relationship. Honesty, Trust and Love. How is Trust supposed to exist when the main foundations of the relationship is already shaken? Or when either party is not willing to be honest with one another?

I am very happy with my own relationship right now. She accepts my past and I don’t fault her for hers. Am glad we were both very honest to one another to begin with.

This entry serves as a purpose to remind others that certain things had to be said and not hidden just because you think it might hurt your partner back then. It hurts more hearing from another party or much later on. Now if you excuse me, time to give my darling a good night call.

Last week in SG.

2009-02-27T12:28:00.009+10:00

Ever since that short update, I was shocked at this blog's traffic. Haha. Its been a long time since I had more than 5 comments on my blog. Still, a shocker! After V-day and all the good times, I entered the last week of my stay in SG.

First in line was tea with Godma Kat at Bugis before dinner with Danielle, Chantel and Lindy. Tea was good. Spent the 3 hours talking abt how time flies and updating each other about personal life. It was nice meeting her again before I fly off.

Dinner was great and it was nice catching up with the girls. Said my final goodbyes to them as would not be seeing them anymore til I get back next time.

The ladies...

After dinner we headed off to Union. I dropped the ladies at Amara before picking up My Darling to go USQ. Didn't know she was feeling unwell until she mentioned it to me when we were almost in USQ. Would had made her stay home if I had known. Still, a good night dancing away.

Thurs was a slow day initially. Supposed to run some errands but my poor girl had fallen ill and had taken MC. Spent the day with her, letting her rest and really spent some time at home chilling before sending her home.

Friday, I surprised her at her workplace by appearing at her knock-off hour to pick her up. Dinner was simple and good. Then followed by a midnight movie. Good movie. Really a nice one. As she had cravings for sambal sotong from Newton, we went ahead for supper soon after.

Sat was memorable as it started with a gathering cum baby shower in the early evening followed by farewell at USQ that same night. Baby Ee Thern is so cute~! Jinai and Jon must be proud parents. How time flies. Just one year ago, I was one of the brothers for their wedding. And now... Wow! It was a good catch up with Francis, Serene as well. Its been so long since we all got together like that.

USQ was good. Very memorable indeed. With the countless number of dances that night and slow enchanting bachata, it's definitely a night to remember. Really want to thank everyone who came down that night! It was certainly very nice catching up with some old friends nd dancing with them! Of course, cannot help but feel sad that am leaving the place and its my last night there already. I did sang a couple love songs in the wine bar. And also, a duet with her as well. Really love that night alot.

Francis n Serene.. at last!

The sisters I have in USQ for almost 5 years already!

The band at USQ with Fau and I...

Sunday was slow and easy. Had some quiet time together. As we couldn't swim due to the bad weather, we used the Steam Room instead. All good with some camwhoring. Due to some last minute issues, we had a late dinner and the night ended with drinks at Royal Plaza with Chef Uncle Robert.

Arranged to pick her up from work after a good breakfast on Monday before joining the guys for lunch cum KTV. They treated me to both lunch and KTV because my birthday is coming and they wanna celebrate it early for me. Am really blessed with friends who planned the whole day of events.

Lunch was at Ding Tai Fung. We did not order too much food and I hope I did not blow too much of their budget. All was good. The whole day was very enjoyable and it really brings back memories for all of us.

Lunch.. yummy..

KTV... there's always fun with them around..

The night ended with a family dinner and spent some time drinking with Danny, catching up with the lazy cousin.

The day came for me to leave Singapore with a heavy heart. Fau took half day leave to send me off at the airport. She came to my place, spending some time with my family before we all left for the airport. Surprising enough, Amanda came to the airport as well. Thank you so much! At 8.15pm, I walked through the Customs and walked on. Looking back for once last time, I waved at them, telling myself I will see them soon.

Well, thats my last week in Singapore. In all, its a fruitful trip back to Singapore. Very fruitful. Unexpected things kept happening. I will say I spent alot of time with my family this time round. Am now back in Aust, am so looking forward to end of this semester.

One step closer to graduation, one step closer to freedom...

Short update.

2009-02-16T20:31:00.007+10:00

Time seems to fly by so fast. Its been almost 3 months already and am heading back to the land Down Under soon. Sad as it may seems but I guess all good things must come to an end someday. Time to go back to finish up what I started out in the beginning, getting my degree.

Picking up where I left off in my last entry, Chinese New Year was great. All the good food, all the visiting.. Towards the end of the CNY period, I actually went on a short get-away to Desaru. It was ful-filling, spending some quiet quality time.

Friday the 13th is normally a day many people avoid. However, I chose to have my farewell dinner that night with Shirine. All the catching up with her was definitely good. Accompanied with good food, the dinner was enjoyable. And yes, I got her flowers to show my appreciation as well.

Right after dinner, we headed off for KTV. She made the arrangements and I was surprised at the turnout. Honestly, I wasn't expecting so many people to begin with. It was a good night of singing and it just might be my last KTV night before I head back.

Shirine.. thanks for the dinner~!

V-day was good as it falls on a Sat. That means my date does not have to work and she came over to my place for lunch. I prepared a Western-cum-Italian meal. I received a card from her which was really nice and could tell alot of effort was put into it. All the past pics of us and its definitely an item I would bring back to Aust. I gave her a card,snow globe filled with 2 pics. ( 1 one each side) and a bouquet of 9 roses. Pink was her favourite colour and so I got my dearest friend, Matthew to design a bouquet for me. Got to say, its beautifully done and really exceeded my expectation. Perhaps a change of profession? Hehe.

Preparing lunch.. Dom called it Lunch of Love.. haha..

The finished product..

Flowers for my partner.

After the lunch and presentation of gifts, we proceeded to Esplanade for Breakout with a group of friends. We decided to skip dinner til after the performance as lunch was too full for the both of us. Musical was good and it was followed by a good dinner at Balcony. She bought dinner and it seems like we were approaching the end of the night until I drove to Macritchie Reservoir for a night stroll. The night was memorable and sent her home only at around 3am.

The following day was spent at Sentosa. We took a cable car ride in and sun-tanning was the call of the day. In short, am all red now and in pain. Jialat.

Gatherings, CNY!

2009-02-06T18:08:00.012+10:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!!!!!
I know its abit late.. but still within the 15 days of CNY!!

Finally caught up with Zhi Zhong after his tour around Europe. Really envy him and hope to go on similar tour soon. Although we were all apart, its good to know that we are still who we are and still the best of friends. He understood what it takes to have a long distance relationship and he had to go through similar situations as I had last time. I guess its all good for him now and am very happy for him.

Finally all back~! awaiting Dave...

Chinese New Year had been good this year. As usual, the normal routine, the normal questions BUT different answers this time round! Hehe. More to be disclosed in due time...

Family portrait... May Ee... where are u....*sob*

On third day of CNY, as per last year, we met up again for a good meal. This year, it was at NBX's place. Steamboat was all prepared by his parents and we had a good time chilling out before going over to my place for mahjong! Hehe.

The spread..

Both of them waiting for the food to cook.. lol..

Mel and I..

Finally met up with Learning Lab friends after 7 long years! Its amazing how we still managed to keep in touch after so long. Dinner was at another steamboat place followed by coffee after that. Ladies had become more beautiful and one is even getting married next year!! Jialat. Please don't tell me age is catching up!~ Lol...

Audrey, my sis...

Terence, Me, Xian, Eve...

Sat was spent at Arthur and Cheryl's place and had mum's family dinner that same night! It was good and kinda nice to catch up with a couple distant cousins. Common questions were asked again and its kinda repetitive of what I had gone through earlier.

Sunday was nice. Had a long day of visiting 3 various places, all with good food awaiting for me to try! Alot of first times that day and the mood of the day was really like a stock market. Reached an early high, plunged 'way below zero point' then started to climb slowly again. Ended the night at Bellini's. Thanks Rine for the card! I doubt I will wanna go Bellini again on a Latin night given the current conditions of the place. Nothing agains the band. Its just the music, crowd and flooring.

This week so far had been rather busy with family stuff and Tues was memorable. Am glad everything ended well that night. Dom had his 'virgin' night in Union. Haha. Someone coined the term and its just so appropriate! Too bad the video is way too large to be uploaded if not would have done so. Not forgetting, I received a gift from Viv!! Thanks girl!! Will try the rose tea some time soon! Hehe.. All the way from Vietnam! Hehe..

Am so looking forward to the wonderfully planned weekend~

Disappointed. Too naive.

2009-01-23T18:37:00.004+10:00

Here I was believing that all was good after the conversation that day, I was sprung a surprise half an hour ago. A normal group discussion with an agreement NOT to mention anything or to bring the conversation outside was TOTALLY ignored.

Its one thing to help a friend, but another to actually bring it up outside thus breaking the whole agreement. Is there a need to really do such things? Besides, with no names mentioned, not even initials, only a couple know who I was referring to.

Am totally disappointed with whoever that person is. The least he/she could do is notify me that he/she will talk to the party and not leave me in the dark when confronted.

And Yes. I was confronted based on the CLOSED discussion we had in the group. Thats why am upset.

Perhaps I was too naive to believe that certain people will really keep whatever was discussed to themselves.
Perhaps.

Maybe I trust too easily.
Maybe.

Never knew a friend, whom I thought was someone I could count on, would do that to me.

~~~~~~~~~~

P.S. Thanks everyone for showing concern. You know who you are.

Korean dinner, Mussels Guys, Union and BBQ

2009-01-18T19:17:00.006+10:00

Had dinner with ex colleagues on Thurs in Bugis. We tried a Korean Restaurant along that street. Food was not fantastic but the company totally made up for it.

Dinner with lovely ex-colleagues~

With Ada..

As usual, Ada was the talkative one. Still it was great meeting up with them as they mentioned that I was sorely missed by the company heads. Perhaps I should drop by for a visit someday soon. Hehe~.

Finally managed to catch up with Karen for dinner on Friday. She had been busy with work and park-toh. She even passed me a belated Christmas gift and I am already using it. Attached it to my luggage. Many thanks for the dinner and gift, dear Karen-sis! We went Union after that and hopefully her old shi-fu did not let her down. Its been a long time since I had picked up the phone and was greeted with 'Si-fu!!!!' Haha.. those were the days.

Dinner at Mussel Guys~

That night was memorable and I totally fell in love with a few dances that night~! The nostalgic Chan-Chan, sensual Bendita Tu Luz, romantic No Me Ames and lovely Fever. Those 4 dances totally made the night even better. Whoever you are, a big Thank you!

Yesterday had a full day event. Mahjong in the afternoon followed by a BBQ at night. It was held at my place but was organised by Fiona. Thank you so much!! Everyone had lots of fun and my family totally love all of you~! Alot of drinking indeed! Jaggerbombs.. Submarine.. even shotguns!! Haha. We stayed til 2+ and definitely memorable! Would like to thank Fiona for all the work and apologise abt her phone. Thanks to Jemz for being so sporty and we all know its all in the name of fun. My first BBQ with them and its nice catching up with so many of them after so long. Perhaps another gathering soon~!

Complaint.

2009-01-15T18:15:00.003+10:00

Disclaimer: Bitchy-Ben on the loose... read on if you don't mind...

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I know you seldom see me bitch or complain but something happened last night that I really cannot take it. Imagine you spend some time styling what's left of your short hair to make it spike up, only to have some pple to mess it up! It happened not only once, but twice! To make matters worse, it happened to me twice on the same night!

First one... everything was fine and dandy on the dance floor. The reuda was nicely done and doing it with the performance team had never brought me such joy as everyone knows their stuff. I had my refresher course there and then conducted by Jackson! All good until the ending pose. Vacila Sentada~ The girl gladly sat on my lap and I thought it was over. Most of the ladies who sat on laps just happily stood up soon after and thank their partners. BUT HELL NO~...

Picture this... my partner got to place her palm right onto my head and rub it vigorously!~ I was stunned for a moment. I don't mind if her dancing were vigorous but its my bloody head she is rubbing!! She can grin at me while looking at my face! My expression was totally a deer-in-headlight kinda look as someone told me. Such things had never happened to me in my 5-6 years of dancing! Hmm.. maybe give it to her that under normal circumstances, she cannot reach my head. You know the best thing? I don't even know her!! I gladfully avoided her the whole night then.

Second one... As I thought everything was over with my messed up hair, I did consider salvaging what was left of it. I was thinking things could not be worse right? Well, I was sooooooo wrong! The next one takes the cake! A normal close-hold bachata can turn into a nightmare as well. I was preparing to dip the partner this time and guess what?! Her hand happily goes all the way up and mess up my hair as slowly and sexily as she could. Come on la. I do not have hair suitable for shampoo ad, what's there to touch so much? And how sexy can you look when you were messing up my hair? Haiz...

Honestly, if its some other ladies I would not mind cause I normally dance bachata with pple I had known for a long time. Besides, if the ladies were to just placed their hand there or maybe stroke every now and then, its still alright. But to stroke like I got hair long enough for me to flick and look back while at the same time release electricity (majiam Follow Me advert), its uncalled for. Bachata had always been my favourite dance and she spoilt it for me. Thank God its to an unknown song but I definitely will be more careful of the partner next time. At the end of the dance, I was speechless. I got to admit, I got a shock when I saw myself in the mirror. My hair looked as if I just got out of bed. This girl, I only know for less than 2 weeks.

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Take it as an unhappy Ben voicing it his thoughts Such incidents will still not deter him from dancing Bachata or Reuda. Except that he would be more careful when dancing with certain people again. He still loves dancing~ *wink*

On a lighter note, was encouraged to post this picture as the bar maid was too cute to not take a picture with her.. Haha..

Meet-ups.

2009-01-14T23:59:00.000+10:00

Had a wild night on Friday. Chantel held her Birthday at Movida that night and its a place filled with all sorts of memories now. Haha. Pictures were posted up on facebook and some had to be classified solely for Private Viewing only.

Sat was Shirine's Birthday and she had it at SAFRA Mt Faber.

The grp pic!

Overall a good party. I gave her a Japan travel guide which will come in useful when she goes there in late March. Filled with common phrases and places to go, I hope she likes it.

Sunday was spent meeting up with Bella for lunch and coffee before dinner with Amanda, Elric, Michelle and Fau. Monday marks the start of a busy week with meet-ups with many people all planned out~.

Tea with Dorothy in the late afternoon was great! It had been a long time since we last caught up with one another. She got me some chocolate from S. Korea and some candies from Melbourne! Very thoughtful of her.

Coffee at Coffee Club

Finally met up with Alicia for dinner! It had been more than a year since we last caught up! No doubt we both had seen changes in one another, we still managed to click pretty well.

Dinner at Tonkichi~

After that, had supper with YK and spent some time catching up with him. He got me some chocolate from HK Disneyland and really appreciate the kind thoughts.

Tues was spent with my dad and we had some father-son kinda time to chat. Showed him some photos and got to say am blessed with a dad who is open-minded. Went Union Square that night and had good dances! Seriously love that few songs which I dedicated.

Yesterday, finally met up with Estee for lunch. Spent some time catching up on one another before we met up with Amanda and Michelle.

Good lunch with Estee..

KTV in the afternoon~

We spent the whole afternoon singing away before proceeding to have Korean food in Tanjong Pagar area. It was a good day meeting up with one another and hopefully can meet up again soon~

Welcome 2009. Good Bye 2008.

2009-01-04T12:52:00.006+10:00

A new dawn awaits.

I truly understand the meaning of this phrase ever since Mel had I had a good talk on New Years Eve. A new year, a new page of life to be written. Every single year that you lived, is just like a page off a book. With every year's passing, a new page was created and written on. Thank you Mel for such great insights. I truly needed a listening ear that night and thank you for being there.

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New Year Eve was spent largely at home as we decided to have our Reunion Dinner early as May Ee was leaving soon. So we had a huge family dinner with relatives. Mel came over for drinks at the roof top and we had the whole area to ourselves.

New Years was spent in Union and had a great night. Got to know more people and even got closer to some friends. Great night it was, dancing the night away til wee hours of the morning.
2 Jan- Fri
Went on to catch a musical 'Wild Rose' and got to say, its my first Chinese musical in 10 over years. Great company and with the prices we paid, I will say good entertainment. I met up with another fantastic friend for drinks at Chijmes that night. Couldn't believe we talked til almost 2+am~!! Fantastic night out with wonderful company! Really good to know one another better and can really talk alot.

With the beautiful Fauz for drinks..

Weekend was spent mostly at home, followed by a night of dancing again. I guess I had reverted back to my dancing days once again. Although not as crazy, but still going back there on a regular basis. Had a family dinner on Sunday followed by movie and chatting session with Bella.

Monday was May Ee's last day in Singapore. Yipoh came over and picked us up for dim sum lunch. That girl said she wanted dim sum so I suggested to have it at a reputable restaurant. All good then we went home for me to pick up the car. Only to send her back to town for her to meet her friends.

Dim Sum with Yi Poh..

That night, we had another family dinner with her friends and dom's gf. Dad went for a short nap soon after and we all left home for the airport to send her off at 3am. After a teary farewell, we all came home and slept. Frigging tired.

Whole Tues was spent resting and visiting grandma. Only at night did I go out.

7 Jan - Wed
I met up with my former colleagues for dinner. Funny as they always had been, it was a hilarious night out. Dinner at Manhattan Fish Market and coffee at TCC.

Thorn among the roses..

Sharon was still as goofy as ever. Some of them had already left the company and yet we still kept in touch. Was told personally that 2 of them specially came for dinner just to see me. Am so honoured. Although my time in that company was short, only spent 3 months, I guess I left a deep impression in everyone there.

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

Well, a new year and I guess new things can begin. A start of a new life perhaps. But whatever the case, I would really like to thank the following people for the advises and encouragement so far.

Mel - For the endless torment you had to go through with the constant surprises I keep springing every now and then.

ZZ and Amelia - For the listening ear I desperately need in the early morning.

Fauz - For the talk and laughter that we share every now and then. And don't shy away now. *grin*

Amanda - For making me laugh when I wasn't myself. For reminding me of who I am and what I have to do.

To all these people, a BIG thank you and Muacks!

Last but not least, May Ee- I miss you already! Little princess... hope to see you soon!

Post Christmas 2008.

2009-01-04T12:10:00.015+10:00

Here are some photos that was taken before Christmas eve...

Katherine.. looking good as always..

Danny came over to stay for 2 nights and we had a great time catching up. Dim sum was the order of the day on Tues, 23 Dec. I am really gonna miss all these when May Ee and I go back to our respective countries.

Family lunch.. hehe.

How can you not miss the cute sister, cousin and brother?... and the FOOD!@

Christmas Eve was spent watching Yes Man and dinner was at House. We had a great chat and it all followed up with drinks at The Wine Hut with good old friends. New friends were made and finally got to catch up with my buddy, Amanda!!~

X'mas Dinner..

The drinking gang in Wine Hut..

Buddy in wine hut.

Christmas Day was at Jenny's followed. We had too much to drink~ I received 2 presents~! One from Saulin ( A perfect-fit t-shirt) and the other from Jenny (red passport holder!) Hehe. Thank you so much!

Christmas Gathering!

Amelia and Cindy came over for a visit and I brought them to AMK to eat crabs! Well, its something that you cannot find in GC nor Kuching! Hehe. Everything was good and I was happy to show them the night skyline of Singapore after dinner.

Time for me to play host to Aust guests!! Amelia, her family, Cindy and husband!

A cousin gathering was organised by Danny on Sunday and we had such great time with the whole Wong family that pictures were taken and everyone was dead tired after the party! It was great to see May Ee join in the fun with Uncle Alvin! Waterpolo was the call of the day and it was funny when we had a race in the pool. Losers were punished with 20 push-ups and we now know who is the weakest and strongest among all! Haha.

Our favourite Yipoh with the Big 3~

Waterpolo.....

Will write more in due time. This post is pretty long already and will write abt New Year Soon..

Pre-Christmas.

2008-12-24T04:48:00.008+10:00

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I decided to update one last time before the Day. Well, after Bintan trip, nothing much happened except catching up with more friends and family time. Dine at Kushinbo with Jonathan and Jason and the spread was good. Well worth the money given the fact that we spent 4 hours in there!

The dessert platter as designed by Jon..

Had an awesome dinner on Wed and too bad no pictures were taken. Beautiful place and shall say the whole atmosphere is unforgettable!

Thurs night was a wonderful dinner at Melben Seafood in Ang Mo Kio. The bill came to a whopping $400++! We had 4 extra huge crabs cooked in different styles~. 1 Chili crabs, 2 Butter crab, 1 crab beehoon! After dining there for more than 2 years, I just realised that the boss is actually a family friend! Haha! Many thanks to Uncle Alvin for the treat as we had a very full dinner!

Cousin Danny and I holding on to Butter Crab~!

Family photo!

Drinks with Saulin at Fullerton was great! Although she was late but I guess her company made up for it! Am really to know someone like her. Always willing to lend a listening ear and a great friend indeed!

May Ee came back early..ONCE AGAIN!! That girl.. always springing suprises on us like that. Although its great to have her back, we had to re-shuffle some plans instead. Still, I love you sister!

Drinks at Fullerton..

Christmas party with some salsa friends on Sat night and it was good. It was well organised and due to the suprise my sister sprung on my family, I was unable to help out. Thankfully, everything worked out well. I had to leave the party early to attend to something and its still a great night after-all!~

Grp pic with feast right in front!

Sunday was the day of eating glutinous rice balls (Tang Yuan). I did not make it this time. Left it all to May Ee as she enjoyed doing it. Everything was good and supper with best friends after that. Melvin and NBX came to pick me up and we spent some time talking and time really flies~. Thanks guys!! Am really glad to have friends like you all!

Dinner with Katherine on Monday opened my eyes to alot of stuff and I really enjoyed the coffee and dinner session with her. I am blessed to know a friend like her and am suprised that although there is a wide generation gap, we managed to talk for hours! She is looking good and am very happy for her!

Went on for coffee with Valris as she had night shift and picked Danny from Parklane before coming home. He is sleeping over for 2 nights! A typical cousin pajamas party! Haha.

Alright, I will stop here as I have yet to upload the pictures from today. WIll hope to write more happy stuff after tomorrow!

Bintan Trip, 12-14 Dec 08

2008-12-15T14:13:00.012+10:00

Been to Bintan and back. It was a fruitful trip. Kudos to Shirine for making all possible. Although she might deny it, its still a good holiday.

We started off on Fri morning. Breakfast at Bedok hawker centre before grocery shopping. Its been a long time since I had such yummy breakkie!

Danny and I at the food centre..

The ferry ride was rough. Alot of people had to use the additional bags provided to empty their stomachs. We arrived at the check-in counter early and waited for Danny to check in. So we decided to cam-whore quite abit. Hehehe.

I kinda like this picture...

We checked into our villa and relaxed soon after. Nothing much happened except getting ready for dinner and all the cooking. Dinner spread was good and to top it off, the tang-yuan was a big success!!

First dinner... with good wine..

Dark Chocolate Tang-Yuan! Big Success!~

The night ended with dai-di in the girls' room. Well, they took the largest room and since all 4 are sharing one room, we cannot complain.

Saturday was another cooking day. Breakfast was prepared by yours truly and we soon proceeded to the pool and beach for the day's activities.

Cam-whoring at villa while waiting for buggy to pick us up..

At the pool waiting for the buggy to return..

Dinner was fantastic. Ribs, Caesar Salad, Crab Bisque, Pasta Bolognaise, Cheesecake and Amurula Shake. Very rich and fattening!!!

Dinner spread...

Sunday, time to leave. We took a couple shots before we boarded the bus to take us back to the lobby. Since our ferry is only 5 hours later, we decided to sit in a cafe and had food and drinks while we play more card games. Hehe.

Lunch-cum-drinks @ The Terrace

Overall, a relaxing and good trip. No doubt some things have changed but most important of all, everyone had fun. Its more of a self-awareness trip for myself. I guess we can never make everyone happy. The best a person can do is to compromise and settle the issues amicably. Its always give-and-take.

One should never forget the purpose of a holiday or get-away is to have fun and not be bogged down with minute issues. Remember the holiday for the joyful moments but not by the unhappy stuff. I know I had fun. I choose to remember the smiles.

Home...

2008-12-07T13:31:00.008+10:00

I have been for 12 days already. All had been really good so far. As far as I am concern, I have been spending time with my family, especially Mummy dearest. Then this coming Wed, I will be spending the whole day with her. Gym, Swim, Shopping and Eating. Its unbelievable that I actually managed to spend so much time with my family and not so much time outside.

I was home or with family for the first few days. The only person I met was Mel who came up to my place on Friday night. I only went out with friends on Saturday. All thanks to Saulin who arranged. Dinner was at Marche followed by dancing the night away.

Group Pic..

Lucky guy with good friends.

And yes... Saulin 姐。。。我回来。。。 :) We were caught by surprise after Dinner. We were just taking our own sweet time to walk out of Marche when we were told that there will be fireworks display soon. It was to commemorate Vivocity's 2 years anniversary. Got to admit, fireworks there and then brought back unhappy memories. Much thanks to caring friends, I am over it now.

Nice right?..

Sunday was with grandma and Auntie Lily's family. All came along for shopping as grandma wanted to buy me a watch to replace one that I lost. Hehe. Spent the whole day with her and it was good. Grandma can really talk and I don't recall her ever stopping from 12noon to 11pm. Haha.

Grandma and Auntie's family..

So far, had dinner at Crystal Jade, Dempsey's House, Ding Tai Fung,... etc. All was good. Good to know that I was welcome home after so long with so many changes in Singapore. At least one thing is constant, good friends. Am lucky to have friends like that.

Nothing much after that as I was with Mummy most of the time. I went to have dinner with friends, supper with best friends and I caught Snow White and 7 Dwarfs. Boy, it is a fantastic production!!

I even took some pictures with the cast!! Purposely be the last one to queue for autograph (cause I bought the CD) to chat with them. Sebastian can really be a drag queen! Haha... Plans for the next few days... catching up with childhood friend, cooking a feast at home for family, Mummy's day and Bintan trip. Hehe. By the way, not much dancing so far. But those 2 days I went, it had been fantastic!@ As usual, got my dance of the night. And Damn~!.. its memorable~! *wink*

Coming home is a bitter-sweet feeling...

2008-11-24T21:10:00.009+10:00

Yes. I am all packed. Or mostly packed. I am coming back tomorrow. Somehow, this time it sure feels different. Before I go on, let me just say I finished my exams. Grades I hope for are as follow:

Maths and Statistics- High Distinction
Physiology of Exercise- Distinction
Biomechanics- Distinction
Biochemistry of Exercise- Credit

Really hope I get these grades as it will pull up my GPA and compensate for a disastrous first semester earlier this year.

I had been really busy after exams. The day immediately after exams on Thurs, I went up Brisbane. With both Amanda and Beatrice in the car, we went up to shop and eat. Main aim was to sing KTV in Sunnybank. I called Bernie along and we all had a good time. All was good and we had yumcha after that. I only managed to reach home at around 6am on Friday morning. We caught sun-rise by the beach and boy was it beautiful.

I had a couple hours sleep before waking up to go Movieworld. Spent a whole day there with all the rides and boy was it wonderful~. Tried to do some more shopping before joining Shelle and her friends for a beer at the tavern. The evening was spent in Currumbin at Kate's place where Amanda got drunk. The company was great and we definitely had too much to drink!! (once again!)

Woke up on sat on the couch at Kate's and had to rush home to freshen up for lunch with both Sisters. They wanted to bring me to George's Paragon and it was good. The food was fantastic! To my surprise, they actually passed me my first Christmas gift this year!! When I opened it, i was touched.

Yes... its D & G... expensive...

Cologne.. after-shave balm.. shower gel...

Gosh, I felt so bad for making them spend so much. They bought me lunch and I got them coffee instead. It was definitely an enjoyable lunch. Got to really thank them for taking such good care of me here. I promise I will do the same when I see them in Singapore in Dec!

That same evening, I met up with Amy, Amanda and Beatrice for dinner. It was sukiyaki and we ate too much. Hehe. Didn't do much except to go back to their place for DVD.

Sunday had a brunch appointment with Helen and we went chocolate shopping! $50+ worth of chocolate! Mostly given out as gifts as I was told that SG don't sell these... Here it is...

Half of the chocolate I bought..

Helen and I in a pile of choclate.... a girl's fantasy...

It was definitely wonderful as didn't know she is such a chocolate fan... that she collected all the wrappers. Haha. I finally managed to meet up with Eziq soon after. He had changed his ride and boy... I wished I had the money to do the same. We went off to somewhere far for coffee in his new toy and it had been really nice catching up with him.

Eziq's new ride... BMW Z4

Today, had been home after going to the beach once again to chill. Had a good talk with my buddy before dropping my car at Auntie Shirley. She sent me home to pack soon after. Michelle rang me up around dinner time and asked that I go out for dinner. Having no plans, I agreed. Little did I know that she had actually called Trish, Erin, Jessica and Kyla along! It was a great dinner having good friends around and they even sent me home.

I am gonna miss them! Coming home in 16 hours. Lets just hope my Qantas jet land safely amid all the scares.

Au Revoir Australia...

Signs.

2008-11-08T12:11:00.005+10:00

Nothing much had happened in particular except that I was sick last week. Very sick. Took quite abit of medicine and still unwell. However, I still attended a birthday party cum Halloween at Michelle's. It was good but pictures would not be posted as there's some agreement between us. Well, I left the party early as I was pale and everyone was quite concerned about my health by then.

I made several decisions this few weeks and firmly believed that those are the right ones to take. In whichever case, its decided. Some, I believe had certain signs to guide me along and some are plainly after some self reflection. Not going to say much here as alot of people reads this.

Moving on to happy stuff... Cindy and Amelia brought me out for dinner 2 weeks ago! It was at this expensive Japanese restaurant and good food was to be expected. In short, we were not dissapointed! Put it simply, food was fresh, company was great and we had so much to eat that we couldn't dance much at the latin party after!!

This is just the appetiser... did not take pictures of the main nor dessert as was too hungry!

Had coffee recently with some friends at Broady and this funny sugn caught my eye...

I want a free puppy!! hahaha... but can also imagine children with expresso at night.. noisy and would not be able to sleep!!

I was tidying up my room when I suddenly stood up and saw this sign on my wall. It was a gift from my mum before she left Australia last Feb.

Mum's words... true? And they say mum knows best...

Thinking about it now, how true it might be? What do you all think?

You...
Thanks for the t-shirt! Looking forward to seeing you after almost 2 years! I will feed you more than just prata!! Perhaps we can come up with something and even more outings!!

You...
Am happy that you finally found someone! Oh boy! You really took your own sweet time to pick and choose yea? Hehe. Why no more updates now? Ever since got girlfriend, no time to write?! Now I am stuck with this song on my blog, you better write something.. Not that I am complaining as it is a nice song.

You...
I know you have been very busy with new product launching in a couple weeks time. Do take care of yourself and I would be back then we can go out and have fun once again! So much to catch up on and really love the cards! *wink*

Both of You...
Thank for the concern lately! I am sorry that I made you worry so much that you couldn't sleep. Don't worry about me. I will be fine. Thank you for the talk as it just helped in one of the major decisions. I will catch up with both of you after the exams! By then, all would be better I hope.

You...
Its been half a year since we last seen each other! How have you been? I seriously think we have to talk when I get back. Cause as of now, its neither here nor there.

You...
I cannot believe that you actually told your friends. It was a shock when I was asked about it. Perhaps I have not known you long enough to fully understand you.

You...
I cannot believe how long it takes for both of us to click! Pretty fast I will say. Do take care and be fore-warned of what I told you that early morning. Things might seem difficult in future but have faith in it. You will be fine. You have my number if you ever need to call.

You...
Its been great knowing you. Studying together in the lab for this whole week seemed to be a great idea. I had known more now and would thread carefully of what and how I do things now. Regarding the conversation last night, lets keep it strictly between just you and I, as agreed.

Having taught so many students this semester, I have received comments on my teaching from their evaluations of me. So far, all liked my teaching with some even comparing me to other tutors/demonstrators they had. Its really heart warming when one of them wrote this in the evaluation..

"Before these tutes I did not understand one single thing about organic chemistry, so Ben patiently went through all the lecture notes and workshop questions with me. Even if i didn't fully understand everything in the tutes, when i got home and went throught my notes again (with ben's added tips) i was able to grasp the concepts and i definately now have confidence that i can pass the end sem exams. thanks Ben :) "

Teaching had been great for me this semester and now I know I can teach not only Maths, but Biophysics and Biochemistry as well! Haha. With exams so near, I had to turn down a couple request to do additional tutoring as I need time to do my own studying as well. I think this post is longer than what I expected it to be initially. Well, back to my studies now and maybe update again.

Camping in Murwillumbar!!

2008-10-30T22:05:00.005+10:00

Yup! I went camping with Jian in New South Wales last weekend! We were both invited by Jess and Kyla. Its seriously an eye-opener as its not your ordinary farm-stay whereby there were animals and such. Its a real farm! Jess and Kyla's dad were sugar-cane farmers and own huge plots of land. So with huge land comes huge machines...

Big machine I tell you...

Yea. Big machine in a BIG shed. Not only that, we had too much to drink. Jian calculated that we had an average of 15 bottles of beer each and to add on, 4 equivalent of strong Bundy-coke. We were all high and tipsy at the very least! It was a beautiful night with all stars and the Morrin family were definitely wonderful hosts! We had barbie for dinner and as it was really cold at night, we had a huge bon-fire going. Both Jian and I slept in the tents outside the house to get the real feeling of 'camping' and it was really an experience! Something I would really love to try again some time soon!

One of the many shots taken...

After the night of heavy drinking, we had a tour around Neville's farm and even visited his boat in the morning! The farm is definitely a good place to unwind and relax. Its really something you will never expect. Waking up to the chirping of birds and all that...

The farm..

Riding on the back of the truck... touring the farm.. lol..

Now with all fun seems to be ending one way or another, there's Michelle's birthday cum Halloween party tomorrow, followed by the SSA End of Sem dinner on Sat. Haha. Its about time we hand over to the new committee! Hehehe. Looking forward to dressing up for the Halloween party as my costume is abit... unorthodox! Haha..

Present!!

2008-10-18T22:07:00.004+10:00

I bought this online...

Made the purchase a couple days ago and its now on its way to my home. That little girl's feet get cold during winter and so I had decided to buy this to keep her warm in Canada. Might be expensive, a whopping AUD$186 but I think its all worth it as long as she likes it.

On the other hand, she had decided to get me American Eagle apparels. Hehehe.

While I try to study for my finals, I have to give myself some time to go shopping for souvenirs. As usual, I always get gifts for my parents and loved ones. This time, I have a rough idea of what to get and so it shouldn't be that tough. Hehe.

Mel, i am really looking forward to coming back for those supper!! haha. Can't wait!! We got so much to catch up on!!

End of Mid-terms!

2008-10-12T12:42:00.005+10:00

Holidays came and left. 2 exams on the first week of Uni and mid terms are finally over. Time for a short breather and then start studying for end of sems. At least now we all know a possible aim for grades for end of semester exams.

Well, I just received another card from the same friend! I guess she must have read my post and therefore sent a card with a few simple words but used highlighters instead. I was wondering who it might send it as it wasn't signed off. However, the hand writing and greetings totally gave it away! Hehehe. Thank you so much! I miss you too!

Last Thurs we went up to Bernie's place for dinner. He cooked a big feast we sure had a good time with all the food. It was a 10 course dinner and a selection of 2 desserts. All very good food and cost only $2o!! It was a very good dinner with lots of leftover which we brought back as he couldn't finish everything himself.

Just last week I cooked at Michelle's as well. I had a craving for Singapore curry and so decided to make a pot of curry chicken for everyone. Jian commented that the veggies is alot similar to the one served with chicken rice back in Singapore. Haha. I think what was lacking is only the rice itself. I could had made chicken rice but did not managed to get the proper ingredients and so had to go with white rice instead. It was a good dinner for 6.

Curry chicken with the bai cai with home-made spring-onions..

We celebrated Kyla's birthday at Valentinos and that girl had a blast. It was followed by drinks at Howl at the Moon and boy, the ladies sure had a good time dancing away.

The birthday girl.. ain't she lovely?

A party together at last~!

It was definitely an enjoyable night as we finally managed to go out and drink as a group. Nobody drive that day and we all share cab to get home after. I spent the night at their place again as I had one drink too many~! Haha.

Jemz, am definitely looking forward to coming back to drink with you to our hearts content~! Haha. Then we can go Union and dance silly there after as mentioned by you! We were supposed to do it last year but you were too busy mate!~ No more excuses this time~!

Mid Sem term break

2008-09-27T17:48:00.004+10:00

Yes. Its finally here. The long awaited mid sem term break! Although it only a week long but still its about time we all need some rest from all the lessons. However, I had been approached from students to teach during this break and they are willing to pay. I got to agree as it only means more money and I am in need of it.

Most of the results for mid semester exams are out. Overall, I am happy with them. Of course I could had done better in couple of them but then again, judging by my scores, I am happily sitting on the top 20 percentile at least.

I know F1 is already in Singapore and I was reminded of it when I received lovely postcards from a dearest friend. It came as a big surprise. It wasn't one card, but 2!!! They were sent 5 days apart! Perhaps its been a long time since I last received anything from anyone from Singapore. Last one I got, was a birthday card from Shirine.

lovely cards...

I am very thankful for having someone who actually remembered and sent me the postcard even though its free. I guess its just the feeling of being missed. The contents of the cards, is filled with encouraging words and even an invitation to join her at F1~!

One would only understand the feeling of receiving something from home when he/she experience it. I guess mainly because I am the type who naturally likes to send cards home and never thought of receiving one myself, receiving these cards totally made my day.

It was very thoughtful of her. I guess 4-5 years of friendship definitely runs deep. I guess that just gives me another reason to look forward to coming back~!

Mexican Night. Thomas's party.

2008-09-22T07:04:00.008+10:00

I survived the worst week~! The 3 assessments on Wed was good. After which I went for Mexican Night party at Erin's. Bringing a sombrero and going in red, I was dressed for the theme as requested by the hostess. Soon after I arrived, Erin drew a moustache on me and I started speaking in Spanish! Haha.

It was a good evening filled with delicious food. Nachos with dip and chicken tortillas. Yummy!

3 Amigos... Emmy... myself.. Trish..

Nachos with mince and dips.. yummmmy.. forgot to take pic of chicken tortillas.. was too hungry..

She's gonna kill me...

One of the grp pics we had... =)

I could only afford to party that night as I was having another bug exam on Sat morning. The brilliant me suggested that we all camp over in Uni on Fri night and understand all the concepts we needed to know just so we could all be well-prepared for the exam. It was a camp indeed. Got ourselves a big project room and start bringing in the eski (ice-box) from my car. Salami, cheese, ham, bread, tomato, cucumber.. etc. Everything you need for a healthy sandwich is there. Coffee powder, hot thermos, creamer, tea, sugar, milo... etc. Everything you need for a hot drink is in there as well! All I will say is that its a big success and we are doing it again soon!

The paper on Sat was alright. Just hope I get the grade I aimed for. I find the subject the toughest this sem. However, we are all just waiting to get it over and done with as we were looking forward to the party up in Brissie that arvo. Thomas and myself went to the beach in the mid arvo for more training and running and footy before a yummy fish n chips lunch. We then proceed over to Brissie for his birthday barbie and finally got to meet his family. The food was good, company was awesome. We then went out with friends to club at Met. Good place with beautiful bars and even the main dancefloor has cages filled with dancers in them. Definitely an experience!

The night ended at around 4 for me while Thomas stayed on with his tall blonde for another hour or so. We all stayed over at his place and had a good breakkie at 10 before coming back to the beach on the coast again!~ Haha. Such beach bums.

Dinner was cooked by Michelle's mum and both of us just popped over soon after. The best chicken schnitzel and yumy potato salad! What a way to end the weekend! I crashed on her couch and fell asleep for almost an hour before I managed to convince myself to get up to drive home. Ha~! So tired... only a couple hours of sleep the night before and couldn't sleep well on Fri night as well.

Just another 6 weeks and end sem exams are here. Shall relax one more week before we all start engines again~!

Lucky. Crazy Week.

2008-09-15T18:54:00.003+10:00

You know you are in luck when you don't have to cook for a week. 2 weeks ago, I had my surprise by Cindy. Her Bento set and porridge still leaves me wanting more. Just as when I thought it was an one-off thing by her, I received another text by Amelia the last week. It was a simple msg, "Little brother, do come by my office to collect chicken rice, curry and beef noodles. You know the drill." Wow. Am I in luck or what?

Chicken rice, Beef kway teow and chicken curry... yum yum..

Gosh. I feel so pampered by these 2 self-proclaimed big sisters of mine. They told me they just want me to focus on study and not worry about cooking dinner. Really thanks to both of them that I got through the previous 2 weeks smoothly.

Matthew is fantastic! His mutton mee goreng and sticky date pudding is freaking nice as well. Even Amelia said that she is willing to pay for it if he ever think of selling. Hehe. Great knowing so many wonderful chefs.

The week ahead is not any easier. Having 3 assessments on Wed; 2 lab quizs and Biomechanics mid-sem exam. Then another Biochemistry mid-semester exam on Sat. To add on, mega-huge lab report due on Tuesday. Its a hectic week. I slept over at Jess's on Sat night as we had to study for all the assessments and the lab report to finish.

Had been invited for a couple dinner parties lately. All thanks to Michelle who did all the introduction. The night at Club-twenty1, dinner-movie-dancing night and thai-dinner. Beautiful evenings it had been, I am looking forward to Wed night! Just the thought of it is simply exciting! Mexican night! Here I come~!

Happy Birthday Dom~!

2008-09-08T09:24:00.000+10:00

The youngest in my family just turned 17!! Haha, gone are the days when my mum used to pronounced his name wrongly for a few years. Sometimes we do miss the term 'Dom-min-ack!!!' screeeching from mum's mouth. Haha.

With both sister and myself studying overseas for the past year, he had been all alone at home. Being the only child is boring, he claims in the beginning. I guess its when all attention gets showered on him and he might not be used to it. Haha. Well, our little boy is all grown up!

Yes.. a very pro shot...

Although we have our fights last time, everything still turned out well for both of us in the end. Now, being 17, all I hope is that he is more mature and no longer that silly and gullible. As what my mum sometimes call him, 大木头.

Last family pic I had... with Chef Robert... little girl missing tho..

I do not have much pictures of him. So I guess will have to make do with some latest family pictures I managed to salvage one way or another.

I was surprised when Dominic picks up Salsa. He had been dancing for half a year now. I would say still got a long way to go for him. Always saying that he want to join me at Union Square, I guess that will have to wait for 3 more months. By then, hopefully he would had worked up the courage to approach people for dance as well and not be sitting there having drinks.

Can you spot him?.. hehehe..

Well, little brother o'mine, Happy 17th Birthday and do your best for the following year! We all love you and I miss you! We are proud of you for making the honorary roll for First Year!@

Good meal.

2008-09-04T20:34:00.005+10:00

Blink of an eye, mid-semester exams are here. Maths and Statistics paper tomorrow morning followed by Exercise Physiology on Monday. Biochemistry and Biomechanics would be in 2 weeks time. Having so much to study for, dinner usually is a problem. I have to decide what to cook for the night as I would be packing half of that for lunch next day as well. What it all means, is that I have to cook enough to last me 2 meals.

Besides, I usually meet Bernie, Linda and Jason for dinner on Thursday. So ever since he resumed his work in Hilton again, I would had to think of other plans.

So yesterday as I was busy wondering what to cook for dinner, I saw a message sent to me by a friend, Amelia. Apparently, another friend in Uni had cooked me food and packed it nicely just waiting for me to collect it the next day. Problem solved~!

So today as I walked to the Staff office to collect my food, I was thinking at most its a tupperware. However, imagine the look on my face when I saw this...

I must be dreaming...

Another angle of the fully prepared dinner...

A freaking Bento set! Rice with Sambal prawn, Ma-po toufu (嘛婆豆腐), egg, chicken in yummy sauce! Not only that, a huge bowl of fish and scallops porridge and a platter of dessert! Oh man~! All stacked nicely in the brown bag! This can fill me up for 2 meals! Haha.

The rice is yummy. Believe it or not, I got full when I finished three-quarter of the set! Feeling guilty not having touched the porridge, I took a spoonful. I reckon Aunty Cindy should open a chinese cafe here in Gold Coast. The porridge has a generous serving of scallops and fish! Every spoon has at least 2 chunks of scallops and fish in it!

The dessert... well, the chocolate sauce to pour over the warm chocolate cake. Yummy~! Now I asked myself, why didn't I get to know them sooner?! I know she dislikes being called Aunty so for just this once, Cindy Jiejie cooked yummy food! Haha.

Damn, am I lucky or what~!

Training.

2008-08-31T10:09:00.006+10:00

Surprisingly, I still remember my chinese. Speaking is one thing. Writing is another. Although some words were wrong but they were kept to bare minimum. It wasn't as bad as somebody who wrote a postcard back from the States and Canada a couple years ago. Haha.

Whenever people who heard of me waking up early for training, they all gave me the 'Are-you-crazy' kind of look. Yes, its a torture waking up at 5.30am but what kept many of us going is this...

The sun-rise.... and this...

Last Friday I brought Dae Hun along for the morning training. It was confused at first. The way it looked at me with its tilted head as I took its leash was so cute. Having him around was fun and could tell that it had lots of fun. It wrestled another dog to the ground, had its doggie treats and basicly, had fun with everyone who was there. We had a breakkie BBQ by the beach after training and all was good. What a way to spend the public holiday~

Dae-Hun with me...

By the time I brought it home, it was very tired. Such a nice day at the beach with friends and a dog. That night I went back to their place again. This time, it was to drink and be merry and just normal chit chat. I also brought up a silly dream I had the night before. It brought back certain memories. I guess I drank too much. Finished three quart bottle of a Chivas alone while the rest had small amount of it and some baileys. We stopped at 2am and I went to my favourite corner and slept there the whole night.

Came across this phrase as I was reading a good friend's blog...

i know 'we can be extraordinary together, rather than ordinary apart'.

I know things do not work out the way you want them to sometimes. However, take things easy. You are not alone. Its not that tough but do know that you have friends around you as well. Take care.

26 Aug 2008. I miss you.

2008-08-27T01:09:00.007+10:00

As you all know, I normally do not have the time to write on a weekday. I filled my days with so much activities that I only have time for myself on weekend. However, its a special day today and I think its best I write something about it before the clock strikes 12.

Part of it is in Chinese, just so she can read it.

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

My mum had been a very special and wonderful person to me. I am sure those who know me well will agree. I try my best to make her happy as I always believe in being filial to one's parents is the best repayment one could give back for them bringing you up.

我一向来都觉得我妈非常特别。认识我的朋友都会同意。我认为唯一对父母把我养大的回报，是孝顺他们。您一点都不老。反而我觉得你越来越可爱，不信的话，问你的三个干儿子；Melvin, 志忠，BingXi.

In Sydney, Blue Mountains..

She had taught me all the basic things about life. She was the one who taught me most of dishes which I nowadays perfected it according to my friends. However, I believe no matter how hard I try, I still am unable to match her standard. I simply miss her cooking.

妈教过我很多东西。烹饪，厨房料理全都是她教的。虽然朋友们都认为我煮的已经很好吃了，可是我总觉得妈煮的，还是最好。我非常相恋她的烹饪。

Marine Parade, Southport...

No doubt as her son, I had made her cry before for things that I did. I only wish for her to be happy from then on. I try my best to accommodate her most of the time. People did ask me before, if your mum and girlfriend were to drop into the ocean and you can only save one. Who would it be. My answer had always been to save my mum. Reason being, you will only have 1 mum.

我们这一身只有你这一个妈，所以我们都很珍惜你。好相恋每天都买早餐给你，好相恋陪你看香港连续剧，好相恋跟你一起出去逛街。

Marine Parade, Southport..

She has always been very cute. So much that I actually miss her blurness at times too~.

你有时非常糊涂。我想起时，都会自己跟自己笑。

Dinner together...

So, before the day ends, I would like to say once again...
Happy Birthday Mum. I love you. I miss you. Muack!~

在今天还没过之前，我想再次跟你说声。。。
亲爱的妈妈，生日快乐，我爱你。我想你。

Week 4.

2008-08-24T21:08:00.003+10:00

I cut myself last night while preparing dinner. Was careless and ended up with a deep cut on my left pinkie. Blood kept flowing for 45mins and we were all hoping it would stop bleeding.

I had been cooking and writing carefully today. It was tough trying not to get my little pinkie wet. Sigh. Then there were talks on getting stitches if it does not recover soon especially since its a deep cut with so much blood lost.

Recently had been kinda tough for me. Alot of things had not been working out the way I had wanted it to. Sigh. Its very frustrating sometimes. For example, having signed up to be one of the tutor for Foundation Year Health students, we had to assure our students are fully sponsored by the school before we can even start our tutoring.

Just today alone, I have got 3 emails from different students asking for private tutoring. However, there is no way I can agree to tutor them as long as they don't have permission from the lecturer in charge. It doesn't help that the fella had been trying to cut cost, resulting in reduction of my classes from 4 to 1. At least I still have 1 private student and 1 lab class to conduct.

Shall see if I managed to get more students over the next week. Hopefully I can get more money from the lost income. Cause I do need the money as well.

Sigh. Limited choices for so many students...

End of Wk 3.

2008-08-17T13:57:00.007+10:00

It had been a hectic 2 weeks. Aside from studies alone, activities were packed with driving a bus up to Brissie to watch the NDP with 200 other Singaporeans, working and training. Only the 3rd week and already had a test and 2 lab quizs. More to come in the following weeks. I will survive.

I had my first chance of driving a bus up to UQ last Sat. It wasn't as tough as I thought it might be given the fact that I had not driven a manual car for more than a year. My legs were to used to having only 2 peddles and with the additional one, it took me some time to get used to. As we had too many people, someone had to hire a car to follow my bus. However, for safety reasons, we placed all the newcomers in my bus as Sam and I are the only ones who know the roads in GC.

My ride...

We went to Sunnybank for lunch as we all know the newcomers missed local delights alot. Then the whole night ended with a wonderful meal of 点心 at Mannors。As we had too many people, we had to be split into 2 tables and it was refreshing to have Bernie joining us for supper and our tables just couldn't stop laughing with Gavin and Bernie cracking jokes one after another.

Sam and I agreed that although the night had been long and we were both very tired, we have to send the newcomers back one by one as it was too late to expect them to go home themselves upon reaching GC. So by the time we sent everyone back, it was alrdy 3am. I went to Sam's place for tea before I go home to rest.

I had started working last week and it was good. I had been teaching in Uni. I applied to be a Biophysics tutor and had been teaching at tutorials and am conducting 1 lab session. The pay was alright for the stuff I am doing and it had been an easy job for the past 2 weeks. Never taught lab sessions before and it had not been as tough as I thought it might be. Hopefully in time to come, things would be the same and pose no difficulty to me.

The sun creeping out of the horizon at 6am...

The weekly trainings had started and going into the 3rd week now, we are all having fun and no doubt we all hope training will continue til end of semester. Hehe. The difficult part is always having to wake up at 5am but the reward is worth it. The sun rise is beautiful, beach and waves are out of this world. We did all sorts of training and the main motive was to boost our fitness after a sedentary first half of the year.

Preparing for training... Tom, Jess and Nathan.. Michelle and Kyla missing...

End of training.. Sun up and shining... 7am..

The pics here doesn't look that great, mainly because it was a cloudy day and yours truly was in no mood having pulled hamstrings of both legs. Hopefully more pics to come in the near future...

Sometimes its good that we are busy.. it keeps our mind off lotsa things doesn't it? Been so busy that there had been no time to call home and I was out of touch with my family for almost a month... but glad to know that Mum and Dad still misses me. They called for an hour chat last week. Although it shortens my sleep time before morning training, it was great knowing you are missed!~ *grin*

End of Wk 1.

2008-08-03T14:27:00.009+10:00

First week seems to have quite a couple of surprises installed. Everything is good. Deep down inside I am still trying to start the engine to study. It seems to have cool off too long during the winter break. So now the difficult part is getting it all started again. I guess the toughest sub for this semester would be Biochemistry of Exercise. This semester should be alot easier compared to the previous one I just had.

Dominic told me that sis came back to Sg. She surprised Dad and Mum as she had told them previously that she is only coming back next week. Cheeky girl. But that means that she would only see my birthday card only when she return end-Aug. Small issue. Miss that girl!~! Hope to see her soon~!

On the first day of Uni, one of our friends, Nathan, came up to us and announced that he is gonna be a father. That news certainly blew us away. Tom expected it, but Michelle, Jess and I were shocked. Well, hope everything would go smoothly for him.

My landlord, Gordon, signed a new contract for a brand new kitchen~! WoohOo~!! Its about time to change the kitchen after having the old one for so long. The whole process was rather painful actually. Having to empty all the contents in the cabinets and storing them in a room while they ripped out the old kitchen. Then having to put everything back again. However, the stripping and placing of new kitchen took only 2 days. So its not too bad. And with those couple days and nights with no kitchen, I went over to Michelle's to cook~! It was definitely fun and a joy, cooking for 4-5 pple. Pork chop with fried rice on one night, stir-fried beef spring onion and ginger on another night. All traditional dishes with oyster bak-choi and panfried mushroom-egg.

Then with my new kitchen now, I gonna cook here and they would have to come over. Alright, enough of reading.. will show you pple the pics~!

Old kitchen with a cannot-make-it stove..

Old Kitchen... ugly green cabinets...

Behold...

New kitchen!~ WoohOO~

Damn nice right?~!

Lately, I had been walking Gordon's dog, Dae Han. At times, I even brought it along for my runs. It seemed to enjoy the workout quite abit. So much so that even Gordon said that Dae Han sees me as a form of trainer than more of a snack-giver nowadays. Hehe.

Isnt't he cute?.. Hehehe..

Muscular as well...

Next week would be the start of our intensive training. Couple of us had decided to train up for all sorts of reasons. First training would be at 6am on Tues, followed by 6am Thurs morning. Die.. That means to wake up at 5.30am to drive to the beach. Yes. All training would be done at the beach! Hehe. Gonna see if we can all survive the boot-camp. Haha. Am tempted to bring Dae Han along but will see how it goes. Hehe. Hope to enjoy the sun-rise on the beach while training...

Start of Sem 2.

2008-07-28T22:25:00.005+10:00

Today is the first day of Sem 2. In a way, I am glad. At least there is something to occupy my mind for the next few months before I come back!~ Just a blink of an eye, and I am left with less than 4 months til I get back. Last week was pretty hectic. I spent 2 nights up in Sunnybank, staying at Bernie's and Linda's. Those few days were filled with plenty of good food and ended with a visit to NewFarm Market. Everything is so damn cheap there! Can you imagine 3 large Angus steak for $10 and a pack of half kilo of smoked salmon for $10 as well? Even special tea-tree honey was only $5. Think any visitors to Brisbane/Gold Coast would love to experience there.

Sorry Rine, the market only open on Sat mornings. So you had to miss it~. Next time maybe!!~

Dinner tonight had been wonderful!~ Matt and Leck Koon graduated today and dinner was at Versace!~ WooHoo~! Thanks Matt~! 12 Oysters and lotsa good food tonight!! As it was the big guy's graduation, his parents flew over. I was introduced to Leck Wee, Leck Koon's brother. It was great having dinner with them tonight and much thanks to Matt for the invite~!

Matt's parents, Leck Wee, Matt, Me and Leck Koon.

I had been listening to some songs lately and cannot help but keep singing to this one. It is damn meaningful I feel. I can just imagine myself singing it when the right time comes.

Jason Mraz - I Am Yours

Well you done done me and you bet i felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that i melted
I fell right through the cracks
And i'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothin's going to stop me but devine intervention
I reckon its again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more
No more it cannot wait, i'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment maybe sing with me
Ah la peaceful melody
Its your godforsaken right to be loved love loved love love

So i won't hesitate no more
No more it cannot wait i'm sure
Theres no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, i'm yours

I been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bendin over backwards just to try to see it clearer
My breath fogged up the glass
So i drew a new face and laughed
I guess what i'm sayin is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
Its what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

I won't hesitate no more
No more it cannot wait i'm sure
Theres no need to complicate
Our time is short
It cannot wait, i'm yours

Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find the sky is yours
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
A lá one big family (2nd time: A lá happy family; 3rd time: A lá peaceful melody)
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

No please, don't complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

No please, don't hesitate
No more, no more
It cannot wait
The sky is yours!

16 days had passed..

2008-07-19T14:32:00.002+10:00

I know its' been more than 2 weeks since I last updated. So this would be a long one i think.. but mind you it will be very very random.... here i go...

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Matt asked me out for dinner at Palazzo Versace with his relatives and friend. Thank god we managed to get half price for the buffet. Yours truly managed 18 fresh oysters and a couple of Kilpatricks. Dinner was good, but as usual, its the dessert and seafood section which stands out. The hot food could be better in my opinion.

Matt hold his birthday party and it was nice knowing many more pple. Thanks mate~ and the bak chang he made is really nice.. haha.. although i find the sweet bean paste abit weird initially, the rest were good.

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Was just asked to change my bedsheet again. Come on, its not like I bring a girl home every night right? Although its nice to have fresh sheets to sleep on but to change it EVERY WEEK?! Even back home, I help mum change it fortnightly at most!

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A few of us decided to have hotpot over at Linda's and boy was it fantastic. 2 nights of hotpot and we had so much food! Card games and Monopoly ensue and it was so darn good. Much thanks to Linda for putting me up that night as it was far too late to drive back. Hehe.

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Jess's birthday party was held last sat night. It was a blast. Theme was OP shop and got to be ugly, loud and outrageous. OP shop is the kind of shop whereby pple donate clothings to the shop and they sell it at cheap price. All proceeds go to a church. The birthday girl made huge glasses of mojito for everyone. I reckon its more like a pint given the size. Liking the drink very much, I had 2 pints of mojito, 3 pints of alcoholic fruit punch, 3 shots of baileys-tia maria, half a bottle of red-wine and half bottle of champagne. It was gooooood. Haha. I was actually asked by Jess's boyfriend to teach both of them salsa. That was funny. I danced alot that night as we had salsa music on for a long long time and there was no other guys who knew how to dance. Haha. I think I got pretty high on drinks that I started to drunk-dial pple. It does help with sitting at the verandah, staring at the ocean under the stars. Really soothing. I think its the first time it ever happened and am glad I can roughly remember what was said.

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To...

You..
Pick up the courage and learn how to drive!!
Have more faith as am sure all of us would want to sit in your car someday~

You..
Thanks for always being able to lend a listening ear and ever being so encouraging.
It was nice having those night coffee/hot choco while we chat.

You..
Although we seldom meet up, its still nice to see you are doing well.
Catching up in the restaurant in Sunnybank was good and am glad you are healthy.
Hope to catch you soon and I want your laksa/lasange!

You..
Am very happy that you are taking good care of the family.
Somehow I was not surprised that you took on Salsa.
Hopefully when I come back, you would still be dancing and we can go Salsa together.

You..
As I told you earlier, first impressions counts.
It was nice catching up with you and remember to put yourself in his shoe if you ever forget what to say.
Good luck in all and hope to hear good news from you soon!~

You..
I am happy that I would be seeing you in Dec~
Hopefully we can do things together and I had various ideas in mind.
Prata by the alleys and late night outings~!
I miss you!~

You..
Its been a long time since we last had a proper chat.
What happened to you? -sigh-

You..
I am sorry if I did say nonesense that night and its all the mojito's fault!!
Haha. Don't worry, will keep all conversations safe. *wink*

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Think am done writing for now. Will write more when I feel like it as I have not much mood to write recently.

Melbourne Part 2

2008-07-03T23:01:00.023+10:00

Just came back this evening and unpacked all the stuff I brought back. Went there with a 11kg luggage, came back with 18kg. Not that bad. Anyway, here it is.. to continue my Melbourne trip.

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Day 5- 28 June Sat

Salsa night! Music was good. But was lacking a dance partner. We danced til around midnight then we left for Brunswick street for the cafes. Both Burim and I sat there and chat til 1.30am before heading home.

This is the place.

A sign I think which suits woman alot.. hehehe...

Day 6- 29 June

Brunch in Chapel St.. nice food...

We woke up late morning and headed out to Chapel Street for Brunch. Nice place with all the cafes and high end shopping. No wonder Linda keep insisting to shop there. Haha. After which, we walked past another market and bought more groceries for the night.

Buskers in the market.. they are good..

Day 7- 30 June Mon

Arranged to meet up with Dorothy the whole day. It was good that we finally managed to catch up after so long. She was very cute, always stressed abt where to bring me, while I was more laid-back abt the whole thing. We met up and she brought me to St Kilda. Had brunch then we walked around before going to her place to rest for awhile.

In front of the amusement park in St Kilda.

We then head out to the city. We walked around, with my personal tour guide. Coincidently, we walked past Ned Kelly's Jail and by then, it was too late to join the tour but it was alright. She brought me to various chocolate shops to indulge in more chocolate!!

Jailhouse tour anyone??

The chocolate in Koko Black is really good. The set up seems more up-classed then San Churro and Max Brenner.

Together in Koko Black..

My hot choco..

Dorothy brought me to Suga where they make lollies in front of you. Its amazing how they make those word rocks. I even bought a couple packets as souveniurs! Nice handiwork~! Only in Melbourne!~

Lollies from Suga... check out the words... all handmade!!

After all that chocolate and lollies, she brought me to this vietnamese eating house for the famous Beef pho. It was said that even Bill Clinton had 2 bowls there.. I had a large one and I was full. Really wonder how big is his stomach...

Fantastic Beef pho...

Dinner over and done with, we head to a coffee shop for coffee. Chat til 11 then we head home. Yes, alot of eating but its all good food!!!

Day 8- 1 July Tues

It was another day in the city. This time, I finally met up with David!! We went to Queen Victoria market. We were queuing for fresh Jam doughnuts and I heard someone called my name. I turned around and it was Samuel and Jim!! What a coincidence!~

Queen Victoria Market.

One funny incident which happened in QV Market. You know when there is no lever on the toilet tap, we normally assumed its sensor right? Well, David and I were in the toilet trying to wash our hands and we were looking so stupid trying to get the tap running, putting or hands below the tap, tapping the base of the tap on the sink, moving our hands arcoss our own sink trying to 'activate' the sensor. But still no water! We were looking kinda dumb trying to get it to work until the cleaner behind us said "Below the sink". Only then did we realised the button below the sink. We felt so stupid.

Kaimana looking suave..

After QV market, we went to check out David's bachelor pad. No pictures was the promise and we went for lunch at Sea Salt. After that, it was choclate (again!) at Max Brenner. Haha. I am growing fat with so much chocolate. We talked so much and it was really good catching up with him finally!

Hot choco with waffle balls .. yuuuuuum..

Dinner was at a ramen stall and it was very good. Having to finsh our dinner quick as there were pple waiting for our table then we head out to another chocolate stall again! San Churros!!!

Happy david... has a sweet tooth...

Day 9- 2 July Wed

After 2 long days in the city, I decided to take a break today. Grabbed a book and went to a cafe in the suburb I was staying in to chill. Good way to spend the afternoon, reading a book while having coffee and cakes. Thats life.

My book, cuppa and cheese cake.. Oh-so-good..

Burim decided to make Okonomiyaki for dinner and it was good. Wonder where he gets the recipe from. He taught me how to make it and now I am tempted to try making it next week or some time soon. Hehe.

Top to bottom: Burim with his masterpiece.. Burim, myself and Cheri..

Day 10- 3 July Thurs

Spent the late morning packing and getting ready to leave the beautiful city. Now I can fully understand why pple tell me how much they love Melbourne compared to GC. Well, took a train to the city to catch a Skybus to the airport. It was very efficient and I was in the airport in arnd 20mins. Had lunch in the airport and Gordon came to pick me up.

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Overall, my trip to Melbourne was fulfilling. I did what I wanted to do and see. BIG thank you to Burim, Dorothy and David! Without them, I would have no idea where to go and no one to bring me around. They took time off their busy schedule to accompany me and show me the city. Thanks peeps!

Melbourne Part 1

2008-06-29T17:26:00.016+10:00

Melbourne was surprisingly fun so far. Unlike many other trips, I had nothing planned for this trip and decided to play by ear most of the time. Even the day tours was arranged kinda last minute.

Day 1- 24 June Tues
I arrived in Melbourne Tullarmarine airport at around 8.30pm and Burim was nice enough to pick me up. He settled me in really nicely and even drove around the neighbourhood to show me the key places so I could explore the next day. He even passed me a couple booklets like the train timetable and a street directory so I can find my way around the city. Went to bed really late as by the time we were done, it was almost midnight and he has to work the next day.

Day 2- 25 June Wed
I took the train to the city for a walk. Recce the pick up point for the day tours and started my shopping!~ Shirine arrived in Melbourne already and would be joining me in the city in the late afternoon. I was hoping she would come earlier as the shopping centres close at arnd 5-6. But in any case, I bought myself a beanie and a scarf. We met up and had our first chocolate indulgence at the Chocolate cafe in DFO (Direct Fatory Outlet) above Southern Cross station. My goodness, that station has 16 platforms and had more than 20 trains servicing there. Back to the chocolates. It was nice, the mocha was rich in chocolate and beautiful~! Just what I need to last me the remaining of the day! Dinner was at Shirine's friend's place. We had Chicken rendang among other Indian dishes and after that, it was an hour train ride home for me. But of course not without trying 2 bottles of wine Shirine bought from Huner Valley!

Chocolates Indulgence... dun u want a pice, ladies?

We finally met up in Melbourne!! and i am wearing a beanie!!! keeps my ears and head warm in the cold!

Day 3- 26 June Thurs

We met earlier in the morning and the ladies started shopping. They can really shop! 3 Big bags in under 2 hours! I reckon that if they were given the time, they could had bought the entire city! Well, we went on for Penguin parade tour that afternoon and it was well worth it. Little penguins as close as within touching distance! We pay an additional $15 for VIP seating to see more penguins and it was well worth it.

Penguin parade anyone??..

Funny sign~ only in Australia...

Dinner was at a reccomended italian restaurant and the food was good. Nice to fill our 3 hungry stomachs. Then Shirine and I had a long conversation as planned for initially meant for GC. Reached home really late and that silly woman forgot to notify me when she reached home.

Dinner at the Italian place... Oysters kilpatrick, pasta and pizza... yum... surprised that they don't know whats Oysters kilpatrick..

Day 4- 27 June Fri

Got to be the best day so far~ We embarked on a Great Ocean Road tour. Unknown to any, it was actually one of the must-do things for me this year. Due to certain reasons, I had to do it. Having the 2 ladies as company was a bonus!! The place is so beautiful!! We took many pics and I would say that even pictures would not be as good as looking at the real thing!~ Loch Ard Gorge was stunning!

12 Apostles and me..

12 Apostles.. beautiful right?.. would love to go again!~

Standing on the beach in Loch Ard Gorge..

This is the view of Lch Ard Gorge from above.. stunning..

Picture taken at Razorback cliff.

With the London Bridge between the 2 of us...

Dinner was at Tiamo cafe along Lygon street and it came highly recommended from Dorothy. Trust her to come up with affordable nice eateries! We went on another chocolate indulgence and Shirine commented that its on par with the one she had in Italy. Ha~! I just love it when I managed to plan trips like that! We took tram back to the train station and they took a couple more pictures before we say our good byes. *sob* It would be another 5 months before I see her. Well, time does fly and in no time, I would be back in SG and seeing everyone back home. I called Sheldon to wish him Happy Birthday but it was a pity that he only picked up the phone when I was alone, if not, both Shirine and I would be able to talk to him together!

Am proud to say that I did most of the logistic planning for all 3 of us and I enjoy doing it! I guess it makes me happy knowing that I am appreciated for the effort I put into it. *grin*

Having her sitting beside me in the coach for the long journey was certainly an eye-opener! We had so much to catch up on and I shall say it was fulfilling! Talking to her helped me in personal emotional growth and I got her to thank for~!

Day 5- 28 June Sat

Had been so tired from all the tours that slept in that day. Only managed to wake up at 1.30pm. What a pig! But well, we went on to Preston Market to get groceries. I made dinner and we went salsa! It was alright. Not as good as expected but still enjoyable. Of course it would had been better with Shirine around! Miss her!

Day 6- 29 June Sun

Burim brought me out to Chapel street for Brunch. He then brought me along that street, describing certain shops and items. It was really nice of him to do all that! We bought groceries and I am making dinner again. Its a small matter to me as it would be nice for him to try Cantonese cuisine.

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Well, pics for Day 5 onwards would be posted some other time. Some pics cannot be posted as well! Ha~! Anyway, rest of the pics, got to wait til I get back. Now, time to check on the soup I am brewing over the low flame! Check here for the next update soon!~

Finish Exams. Melbourne!~!

2008-06-27T00:57:00.001+10:00

Exams were over and done with. Went home to pack and off to the pub at Coolangata Airport for pool and lunch with the usual. Then off to Melbourne!@!...

Not gonna update much now until the end of my trip!
Only returning back to GC next Thurs. =)

So far it had been great!!!!

Peace Out!

Middle of exams. Shirine trip. Salsa night.

2008-06-19T00:54:00.005+10:00

3 papers down, 2 more to go. Am so looking forward to my trip to Melbourne next Tues. I don't know why. A trip 'supposedly' down memory lane? But I have never been there before. Sigh. Anyway, cannot wait til end of the exams. Cause finish last paper on Tues morning, the same evening, I would be on the flight to Melbourne.

Shirine came over on Sunday. It was good and nice having her around. We did not talk as much as I expected. But I guess having her around really makes me miss SG more. Although she would only be here for 4 nights, I cooked on 2 nights. It was more convenient as I got exams the next morning and both Denise and Shirine got to wake up early for their pre-arranged plans. I brought her to Sagano for the beef shabu-shabu on the second night and showed them around abit.

I did joined them at Movieworld today and it was good fun. Although both of them were timid in taking the more adventurous rides, the image of Shirine shrieking in horror when she saw the ride she was queuing up for, whizzed all the way up to 10 storeys, was classic. Haha. Being the last night in GC, I brought them to Cav's Steakhouse. It was fantastic~. As promised, I agreed to bring her to salsa in GC. It was rather new to me as the last time I had really danced was all the way back in SG in Feb. Well, am glad she enjoyed herself and boy was I surprised that we actually stayed for more than an hour and a half. We danced quite abit, bachata, salsa and even merengue!! Glad to know I still have the groove.. hahaha..

We then head off to one of my favourite coffee shop for berry-licious hot chocolate. Although I do make hot choco too, but nothing beats having the special sinful one. It might be a long drive down but its all worth it watching both their satisfied faces plastered with smiles. The 4 days might be rather short, but its all good. Am happy that I made them feel as comfortable as I can. Cause nothing makes me happier than having guests over to visit. Tomorrow got to send them to the airport as they are catching a plane to Cairns. Will meet up with them in Melbourne again. =)

One of the dinners at home..

Menu for the night, Roasted chicken, asparagus with prawn in garlic sauce, bak choi in oyster sauce and oven-baked cheese mushrooms.

Pic taken in front of Movieworld..

On the side note, it was nice calling and contacting Carolina to do me a huge favour. Am happy everything went well and nicely as planned. *wink*

Ever wonder...

2008-06-14T23:38:00.003+10:00

Shirine arrives tomorrow. So I came back to Ormeau to stay the night. Dinner was lamb stew with rice and both Bernard and Eziq really enjoyed it. They went out, leaving me alone at home to study. However, I ended up watching tele after having the heavy dinner. I know I should be studying and/or focus on creating my cheatsheet for my Monday paper but its just one of those moments whereby you know you have to spend a couple minutes writing a sudden floating thought down. 'The Family Man' was shown on tele and I got to say its one good movie. I teared at certain point. Very touching. And the movie got me thinking of all those thoughts.

touching movie..*sob*..

Ever wonder of the 'What ifs' in your life? Ever think about what might had happened if you had made the other choice in life? Ever thought when you are already happy and in fact, are actually missing something important in your life? Am sure many of us answer a 'Yes' in at least one of the questions asked.

I did wonder what would had happened if I were had turned the other direction. I did thought of the 'What ifs'. Details will be too personal to write here but sometimes I do question myself if I did make the right choice. All along I was always a man who goes in the path chosen and not look back too much, so to think of the other direction doesn't happen often.

So if you were to have all the money in the world and money is of no issue to you, but you are all alone. An angel gives you a glimpse of life-to-be if you were to get married to someone you loved 14 years ago. You experienced the joy of having a family on your own. You were there for that few important parts of your kids' life. You had the family love. You were getting used to it and you were brought back to reality. You don't want to, but its was only a glimpse of what might be. Would you sought the partner you dreamt abt for a chat? Would you give it another go just because the angel had shown you the alternative?

Happy Birthday to you~!

2008-06-12T10:54:00.003+10:00

Happy Birthday my dear friend! I actually wanted to wait til sg midnight then give you a call, but I guess my body was just too tired. I even slept through my alarm (which was set to go off at SG 12midnight)~! Still, I hope you enjoyed my morning greeting instead.

Its been 4 years since we knew each other and its amazing how our friendship had blossomed. Thinking back, we sure had lots of fun back then.. be it at Sentosa, KTV and at wedding dinner as well! Rushing for lessons together, then meeting up to practice in Union was memorable. Many of our classmates had more-or-less left the scene and only a handful are still around. Maybe we can all catch up again someday.

One of the good times we had together was still fresh in my mind. I can still remember the day where I met up with you at Vivo for dinner and having no place to go after that, we were heading towards Union until a last minute decision to go KTV. Wise choice indeed. Then the night out was nicely completed with me sending you back early in the morning! Haha.

Well, am looking forward to the time when I get back then we can go and have more fun together again!~ Enjoy your birthday my dear friend and take care~!

Last week of Sem.

2008-06-04T20:13:00.005+10:00

Moved to new place. All unpacked and tidy. With a TV on one side of the room near the wardrobe, I can comfortably lie in bed and watch tele. Now what is lacking is just a mini fridge in my room for drinks and cold water. I am liking the soft carpet, new mattress, tall chair, air-con... etc. Yes, air-con even when its winter. Haha. But of course, I will save it for hot days instead. I like the fresh air.

my room... more pics in future i hope..
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I did my Neuroscience lab exam. It was bad, very bad. Sigh. End of semester exam in less than 12 days and am starting to press the panic button in me. Just received my results for Physiology. Although many did say I did well given the fact that many just scrapped a pass, I wasn't very happy. Maybe I was too competitive and I thrive on competition. My tutor was the one who told me I should be happy cause many students didn't do well.

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I booked my tickets for Melbourne. Would be staying with a friend whom I knew from salsa. He will bring me out to dance. Meanwhile, I had considered joining Shirine and Denise for the day tour thing. It might not be a bad idea but got to work out the cost and everything. Although I am already saving heaps by staying with him, the air tickets still cost $211.

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You know how funny it is sometimes when people you barely know tells your siblings they know you? Or even juniors back in JC say they know you? Its kinda scary knowing that. Cause today, mayee suddenly ask me if i remember so-and-so. I was like... Hmmm.. I think so. (But honestly, i can barely remember him.) Cause that guy told her that he knows me and I need to see his picture to refresh my memory. And funny thing is, even after seeing his picture, I have not much of a clue!@! Jialat.. think I getting old...

Then another time when I went for a friend's birthday party. Someone suddenly turned around and said I know you! I went quiet for a moment cause I had absolutely no idea who she is. So i ask how. It was only then that person said she was my junior. So much for trying to stay low profile. But then again, how low profile can one get when you are in the student council? Hmmm.. springing surprises like that can be fun, but shocking at times.

It doesn't stop there. Dom asked me if I knew so and so recently. I was like, Huh? Then he went on and said that person says he knows me. Aiyo, I guess there would be more times like that given such a small world. I better behave.

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I finally salsa in a club last night!! After more than 2 months, I appeared in the club. Didn't know the people noticed my absence so much. It was good. But sad to say, the live band wasn't there last night as they had a gig else-where. Hope they would be back on the 18th. If not, someone is gonna be so disappointed. I brought Michelle along as she wanted to know where to dance. Daniel wasn't worried as he knew his girl is in good hands and it was an enjoyable night although I didn't do much dancing as we only stayed for 15-20mins. The music the DJ played was bad. I could do better with my limited collection I felt. If I did not lose my 35 GB of latin music, I would have offered to DJ here.

We went for coffee soon after and chat til kinda late. Some plans were made but nothing concrete.

Time.

2008-05-31T16:46:00.010+10:00

17 Days to start of exams.
2 Days since a supposed yearly celebration.
1 Day to moving out.

Yes. Am moving out of my current place to somewhere closer to Uni. Eziq already said countless times he will miss having good conversations. But I think he miss the food I cook more like it. I will definitely miss place as its very comfortable. Moreover, its the freedom that I enjoy. However, his parents would be here and although I was welcome to stay , I decided to leave as I don't wanna disturb their family time.

View from the corridor.

View from the other side of loving area.

Honey-baked lamb-rack which he loves so much with cheesed-mushroom

The last dinner I cooked here before moving out.... Honey-baked chicken.. wedges.. cheese-stuffed mushrooms, onion-mushroom0fried-egg with chicken rice.

Yes. I know its a nice place. Eziq did mentioned that he would want me to come back (and stay) next year if I want. I was tempted but chose not to make any promises. It would be a good house to have friends over as there is additional guestroom. Well, the new place is not that bad. Got to see how it all goes when I move in tomorrow.

Boy, thinking back, how time flies. Its already more than 3 months since I came back. So much had changed. New friendships were forged. Went to a couple amazing places.

On top Mt Cootha.. during sun-set..

This place is beautiful. We went up during sun-set thinking it would be a good time. But appears that sun sets at the other side of the mountain and the lookout faces East. So I made up my mind that for people who comes and visit me, I don't mind waking up in the wee hours in the morning to drive up to this place to see the sun-rise.

Another scenic place. On the bridge to Southbank overlooking the Brisbane river. Mel would remember this place..

Pic taken on the sand... on a quiet beach in Gold Coast.

Who can forget such beautiful beaches? Yet to find a beach that can rival this private beach I frequent. Well, I guess its just wait til somebody who really wants to come and not just paying plain lip services. People had done that and had been let down before. So, I normally do not pay much attention when people say they will come. I will start thinking and making plans ONLY when air-tickets are confirmed.

Alright, gonna continue my packing... time to shelve certain memories.