songs of the soul

februarythefourteenth

2012-02-15T00:10:00.000+08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S :)

we spent today on sunday having dimsum at ipoh, a stroll around gurney, lunch at mansion thirty two,and took the ferry back to butterworth. nothing special, but when it is with the person you treasure and miss, everything feels surreal, even the short ride on the ferry feels like the first time.

2012-02-08T00:47:00.000+08:00

last sunday noon, gunung jerai.

babyyou'reafirework

2012-01-23T00:28:00.000+08:00

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!!

wish everyone a prosperous and wonderful dragon year ahead :)

reminiscing

2012-01-06T12:20:00.001+08:00

the last two months of year 2011;

i graduated

i witnessed (and caught on camera -- thanks to dad's bulky 300mm lens) a lunar eclipse

i saw the eye of singapore and the marina bay sands AND a convertible vw beetle all at once.

i was mesmerized by a real life moving painting from the song dynasty. surreal.

i tasted the best satay yet.

swooned over cute painted united buddy bears at pavilion kl and agreed whole-heartedly with this quote.

and, i shot this picture of a no-eared xiaoxiao. she is getting fat isnt she?

and uh, i got hospitalized for viral fever, kthxbye :)

rainbow

2011-12-15T19:09:00.002+08:00

haji lane, singapore; htc diamond2, 15122011

i saw a perfect rainbow in the sky today. and bought the perfect colour-block pleated skirt at haji lane. and also made acquaintance with the cutest 6year old ginger kitty (jack) at one of the stores, he approves of the coin purse we bought!

the many faces of a cat

2011-12-08T22:21:00.000+08:00

flirty

fuzzie-wuzzie cuteness

blur?

alert

foreword

2011-11-15T23:42:00.000+08:00

saturday was my bachelor's degree graduation. am still sifting through the too-few pictures that dad took -- blame it on me, my bad time organization led me to rush from collecting my graduation gown and tickets to changing and make up in an hour which left no time for photographs with friends. meanwhile, i leave you this blurred photo of me on stage with our chancellor and the monash logo and slogan, ancora imparo.
i haz big mouse earz.

2011-11-10T00:31:00.000+08:00

obsessed about dresses now, especially those with minimalist shapes and colours constructed with soft, flowy fabric. it makes accessorizing more fun and exciting! oh and empty picture frames too, which i think has something to do with working at a photo studio.

images from thesartorialist; stockholmstreetstyle, and studdedhearts

keeping grounded

2011-11-08T23:45:00.000+08:00

working has been eventful, showing developed photographs to customers and see them smile made me smile too. i received my first paycheck of my entire life and am so happy, although it is not much, and have returned mum the money i borrowed from her while graduation-dress-shopping at topshop the other day. spent a bomb on the 2 dresses that i have no regret for (i couldnt decide which to buy for graduation so mum and him decided that i should buy both and decide at home), and have decided which pair of heels and accessories to wear with the dress. taking a day off on thursday to get an account for the study loan that i hope i could get to study honours next year, and it makes me think of what thesis i am gonna do. keeping my feet close to the ground and taking baby steps, one at a time.

2011-10-28T00:02:00.000+08:00

still alive.

backlog

2011-10-15T23:54:00.001+08:00

currently part-timing full day(?) at my great aunt's photo studio. saw some pretty interesting photos -- good and bad -- from many interesting personalities, including a self-proclaimed photographer who photoshopped his clients fatter. hmmm.... anyway, a few pictures that i have yet to post,

1.2. a school of clownfish and a lone "eyebag"(?) fish at hongkong's ocean park, from december last year

3. xiaoxiao being bored, lying around on the ledge

4. temple roof
5. black ferrari at genting highlands

6. me acting crazy

7. carved bronze door plaque of a chinese temple

a love note

2011-10-11T00:48:00.002+08:00

being together with someone for so long means that we know each other like the back of our hands, which is a sweet thing except the times when we cannot stand each other's weird behaviours. i am still learning to live with another person's antics that is different from my own, but i am contented with who i am on this learning process with, and although i slip up some times, i have you to be there for me, who would take in my own crazy antics.

thankyou, you who i have known for 15 years of the 22 i have lived, you who likes frozen yogurt so much you would drive 50km to have it. i love you. happy (a little late) anniversary!

2011-10-05T17:08:00.000+08:00

oh, hi!

right.

2011-09-27T14:15:00.000+08:00

this is so beautiful. i cry every single time i hear it. nuff said.

what have i done? i wish i could run

away from this ship going under

just trying to help, hurt everyone else

now i feel the weight of the world is

on my shoulders

what can you do when your good isnt good enough?

when all that you touch tumbles down?

cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things

i just wanna fix it somehow

but how many times will it take?

oh, how many times will it take for me?

to get it right

can i start again with my faith shaken

cause i cant go back and undo this

i just have to stay and face my mistakes

but if i get stronger and wiser

i'll get through this

what can you do when your good isnt good enough?

when all that you touch tumbles down

but how many times will it take?

oh, how many times will it take for me?

to get it right

so i throw up my fist

throw a punch in the air

and accept the truth, that sometimes life isnt fair

yeah i'll send down a wish

yeah, i'll send up a prayer

and finally, someone will see

how much i care

what can you do when your good isnt good enough

when all that you touch tumbles down?

oh my best intentions keep making a mess of things

i just wana fix it somehow

but how many times will it take?

oh, how many times will it take?

to get it right

2011-09-22T23:53:00.000+08:00

Have just finished watching the titanic ghosts documentary on YouTube and have read about the discovery of the identity of the infamous "unknown child" of the titanic. It is indeed fascinating to see how scientists identify the identity of an unknown child who had died a century ago with dna from one small bone fragment and 3 teeth. At least now this little boy could rest in peace. Watching all that drama unfold made me realized that if -- God forbid -- anything happened to me, I would try my best to remember to put my identification card in my clothing.

shapes and patterns

2011-09-17T23:43:00.001+08:00

deposited a few copies of my resume at the career fair in the morning, shopping and late lunch at midvalley/gardens with kaireen, anusha, wenli and simin the remainder of the day. the first picture i took of the rainbow-coloured cardboard paper inspired me to look for regularities in shapes and patterns, so i dug out some of the photos that i had taken of similar kind.

rainbow colour coordinated art paper; navy stripes; butterfly prints; the onehundredcatsandamouse painting exhibited at the sarawak cat museum; the rims of the volkswagen golf gti; vw touareg; and passat cc, respectively, taken at the volkswagen das auto show i went with him last week at the bukit jalil stadium. it was freaking impressive! maybe i shall dedicate a full post to the presentation.

lengzai lenglui

2011-09-06T22:41:00.001+08:00

i have been mia for over 2 weeks, my bad, i know. sorry! would probably get into more action these few days, now just feast your eyes on these kitties, remember them, the brother and sister pair with their mom?

exactly 3 months after we took these photos, they are now almost grown up! arent they pretty/cute? the one on the right in the first pic is now still on the right, she's a female, so we named her leng lui (pretty girl in direct translation from cantonese), and the other is her brother, leng zai (handsome boy in cantonese)

the first pic was taken on 15th may, the second on 15th august! my sister took both these pics, there's still an entire folder of them in our archives! they are just too cute, and are regulars at our home now.

snippets

2011-08-21T19:46:00.000+08:00

blogging has become sporadic since my holidays, so here's a peek at my life for the past two months. be warned, picture overload.

1. anusha, simin and i went up to genting for a one day fun at the peak, our clothes and shoes were soaking wet from the fume ride, and whilst we were sunbasking ourselves in the hot sun/cold breeze, three of us developed mild sunburns;

bentos - simin and i made sandwiches, packed them, and customized with our names written on the wrapping. cute and yummy!

2. took random pictures;

spontaneous shot on penang bridge during the penang bike week 2011 in june.

3. went on a 3 days trip to kuching with yujia and kinta, and talked deep into the night until we fell asleep;

self-timer shots are always necessary!

4. celebrated ahkong's 80th, it was a very heartwarming dinner and we had a fun family get-together over the entire weekend;

5. played with xiaoxiao and hung around with the family of stray kitties that live across the street from our home;

6. celebrated mummy's birthday on the 3rd of august;

nah, it's all safe.

7. took more random pictures;

subway white chocolate macadamia cookie, soooo good!

8. and spent the past thursday and friday with him and our friends before moving back here at sunway. we had a karaoke session on thursday, and shopped around kl (midvalley-sg wang-fahrenheit-pavilion) on friday. we got matching t-shirts from uniqlo and he bought me a pair of ballet flats as the soles of my current pair are on the brink of being torn apart.

say hi, girls :)

caramel cheesecake from nando's, tastes like heaven.

at pavilion - the guys. was focusing on the signage behind them though.

9. we also chased down a ferrari 458 italia while descending genting (again) after having dinner and a quick stroll. converted the picture from a video i took, hence the noise, this photo just does not do it justice, at all. i guess all of us were on a roll that night as another yellow 458 italia zoomed pass us when we hit the highway.

10. commencing work tomorrow with my psychology lecturer in uni as a part-time research assistant, nervous! my first job in my 22 years of life, keeping my fingers crossed!

reachfortheskies

2011-08-09T15:39:00.000+08:00

who knew job-hunting would be such a pain in the behind. plus the fact that admin staffs in uni do not have the courtesy to reply your emails that were sent and resent over the course of 2 weeks. will call in tomorrow, guess we just have to do what we have to do :/ and cross our fingers.

kuching sky//genting highlands sky.

nikon d90.

35mm

2011-07-31T00:35:00.000+08:00

trying out dad's new 35mm lens, and trying out painting my nails. my unstable hands just doesnt help make anything easier,or prettier. now back to writing up resumes and cover letters. yay unemployed life!

oh and, do visit me here :) do leave your footprints there too if you have tumblr!

09072011 photo diary

2011-07-29T00:42:00.000+08:00

tropical fruit farm; tropical/exotic fruits, blended fruit juices, shady trees.

seafood by the pier; tanjung tokong sunset, jumping over rocks barefooted, discovering an abandoned light house, hanging out on the ledge with the sound of waves down below our feet and the wind in our hair.

straits quay; after dinner strolls, frozen yogurts, wanderings, beautiful lights.

fin.

08072011

2011-07-19T00:59:00.000+08:00

this is a post looong overdue! so, last friday was ahkong's 80th birthday, and we had a small, intimate dinner. relatives came back from the states and singapore and others flew in domestically just for the night. it was warm and touching, especially the part where ahkong gave a special dedication to popo, and made her cry with a bouquet of 12 red roses. everyone was in their highest spirits, even my fever and dizziness and nausea worn away as the evening proceeded with laughter and tears of joy.

hui and me did a presentation, which ended with akhong looking like this! now all his friends call him superman!

we four girls always end up embarrassing ourselves at dinners like these, singing with ahkong on the karaoke to his favourite song which literally translates from chinese as "cute roses".

and we also doubled as candy-giveaway girls at the night's conclusion. our job was to ~~smother~~ shower guests with sweets!

ahkong and popo with her lovely bouquet of roses :)

their three kids all grown up!

the night ended with a frenzy of family photo-taking. and many tired but happy giggles, smiles, and laughters. and snores till the next morning! the next day consisted of a fruit farm outing and a sumptuous seafood dinner!

many thanks to him for being in charge of my camera the entire night as i was so dizzy i could faint, let alone focus and shoot.

to be continued...

just

2011-07-11T00:37:00.000+08:00

blogging lagged recently, preoccupied with so many things to catch up on -- sleep, eat, sleep, eat, watch masterchef reruns, gatherings and meet ups, sleep, eat -- at home. got the results of my last semester at monash back, although was not up to my set goal by 4 marks, but still am quite satisfied :) now to get all my assignments back, my academic transcript, and try typing out a resume and gathering all required certificates for job/further studies/scholarship/study loan applications. and tell u guys about the fantastic weekend that we have just spent as one big family! till then, goodnight(morning)!

the hunchback of notre dame

2011-06-30T22:51:00.001+08:00

watched the hunchback of notre dame yesterday and have since been replaying these songs, especially the bells of notre dame and hellfire. such beautiful and natural animations, and educational too, very unlike the easy-to-consume 3D cartoons nowadays. i miss my childhood that was not invaded by ipads or iphones or wiis or psp's. such are days long gone :/

this and now

2011-06-20T22:51:00.000+08:00

the last paper of my entire degree life, done today. a few randoms from these past few days that were filled to the brim with psychology and communications mugging, as well as eventful what-might-be-the-last-few outings with my bunch of uni friends before everyone go their separate ways in pursuit of their own futures.

in these 3 years, i have met people that i would never have thought of meeting, whom i will remember forever - even if i do not, facebook and twitter would remind me anyways. thankyou and thankyou, again.

i think angeline took this shot, cause i do not have the slightest recollection of me shooting it ever.

to the family that supported me all the way, i hope i made you proud, as i know i do myself. to you, thanks for being my ~~punching bag~~ venting machine and being there for me, just being there.

pathway that shields us from the scorching sun in our journey to and from the campus.

caffeine and juices to boost our study engines.

snacks; oatmeal cookies.

when life gave me lemons, i sliced them and threw them into the drinking water.

bags.

wenli digesting media audiences.

thanks angeline, love this shot; dad's old watch and my usual go-to necklace bunch.

wenli;s belated birthday steamboat dinner; "aiyak (kuah, 2011)".

snowflake; grass jelly + shaved ice + taroballs.

-- some by diamond2, others by d90.

rant

2011-06-19T22:22:00.000+08:00

after tomorrow, there'll be change, and i do not like that concept any better than i like bittergourd. as much as i hate change, a time has to come when something old ends and something new begins. i still have no idea what i m going to do after this phase of life, and i dont know where life would take me. but i do know that as much as i hate change, change has to come. last paper for my entire degree life starts and ends tomorrow. not liking it one single bit, but still welcoming it with arms out wide, and a tinge of anxious anticipation in my heart. it's time to grow up lyn-xiu, it's time to grow up and take charge of your life.

smile

2011-06-11T23:19:00.002+08:00

the product of procratination: picture from myfolder; texts from mybrain; serviette from capricciosa; smile from theglass.

perceiving colour

2011-06-07T17:23:00.001+08:00

"in march of 1986, the neurologist oliver sacks received an anguished letter from mr. i, who, identifying himself as a 'rather successful artist' described how ever since he had been involved in an automobile accident, he had lost his ability to experience colors, and he exclaimed with some anguish, that "my dog is gray. tomato juice is black. color tv is hodge-podge..."

in the days following his accident, mr. i became more and more depressed. his studio, normally awash with the brilliant colors of his abstract paintings, appeared drab to him, and his paintings meaningless. food, now gray, became difficult for him to look at while eating; and sunsets, once seen as rays of red, had became streaks of black against the sky."

(cited from goldstein, 2010, p. 202)

interesting little excerpt coming from a science-y sensation and perception textbook perused for psychology revision. loving black and whites currently. maybe it has something to do with the exam period? first paper in exactly a week.

sources: my archives; studdedhearts; dreamcats

friday,

2011-05-29T01:04:00.000+08:00

the day, not the song, consisted of a 4 hour ~~killing~~ shopping spree (unbelievably-cheap-clothes-overhaul) at the zara warehouse sales -- specifically the rm10 section, some four cheese pizza and spaghetti with fried onion and calamari in squid ink at capricciosa. and some pretty black pearly (not-so) whites. they are delish! newly opened at sunway pyramid, a must try!

i didnt get this, but still think that i should = regretting. hope it will still be there when kaireen goes there again tomorrow :/

sista jackets :D

this is anusha's best score!

the above three pics (and more) are testament of what could be done when there is no mirror in-sight when trying to try on -- with grave effort and possibly some serious embarrassing as well as image-tarring moments -- massively marked down clothes. yes, you ask your friends (or strangers) to help you take a picture of yourself using (my) sub-standard diamone2 camera. after taking like dozens of pic, the staff came up to us and said 'sorry, no pictures allowed' but being the loyal malaysians we are, that did not stop us :D

last writing assignment! and i'm done for the semester and my degree life. until my final finals on 14th that is.

recent randoms

2011-05-24T20:39:00.000+08:00

pretty kitty. auntie su's homemade raspberry + walnut loaf, toasted. kitty scratch gif, addictive these moving image thingies.a streak of cloud. xiaoxiao. self-portrait with 50mm lens and hair up, something i couldnt do and havent done in 3 years.

2 more assignments to gun down. till tuesday! :)

grey matters

2011-05-21T23:32:00.000+08:00

assignment #1: 1500/2000words

assignment #2: 0/2000words

assignment #3: a considerable amount of words/2000words

minor assignment #4: 3/4 online discussion postings

hang in there. like cats on a window sill, like swans gliding on a turquoise lake, like dreamcatchers in the morning sun. until friday.

sources: htcdiamond2. dreamcats. agapeboutique. stockholmstreetstyle. hellocute. fashiongonerogue. wikipedia.

mind

2011-05-19T22:19:00.001+08:00

I walked down the long corridor, so long I cannot seem to make sense of what is at its end, or if there was an end to it. On either side of me were tall white walls with holes in it, hollows that housed white candles lit in glass jars. Somewhere, a chorus sang, its echoes resonating on the walls and in the innards of my ears, its angelic tune warming up my heart, like a sunbeam waiting to burst out of me. I walked along these walls, touching them with my bare hands, caressing its every surface. I raised my head up to the ceiling, and was spellbound by its intricate architecture; swirls of gold, white and bronze carved out onto its buttresses, depictions of angels with wings on their backs playing soundless tunes on their harps, doves with heart shaped spools of ribbons spilling from their beaks adorning its domed edge. Nearing the end of the corridor, on the left wall, there was a flight of stairs spiralling upwards. Its narrow walls were lit with candles too, cream coloured ones. I ascended the stairs, tilting my head slightly to one side, trying to peer to the top, taking one cautious step after another.

onetwobucklemyshoe.fivesixpickupsticks.

2011-05-18T21:01:00.000+08:00

i have been waiting for these shoes for over a month and they finally arrived today! what's not to love about a platformed oxford pump heel that stands at 12cm tall? they are actually unbelievably comfy for their height and fits me like a glove! thanks wenli, simin, anusha and kaireen, u girls are so freaking sweet, u know? except conning me into believing that i had to save up to pay for them babies :) thankyou girls so damn much!

and these spongebob and patrick straws from mcdonalds' happy meal sets. yeah, for kids, but one can still be a kid at heart right?

sleeping when i should, and when i shouldnt. getting too lethargic when there is so much to do. 3 major assignments and 1 minor one. all started but all still not completely done. i need to get my stuff together.

one.two.thirteen

2011-05-16T16:49:00.000+08:00

dont worry, i'm still here, apart from being too busy going out with the bf (who has a crazy ~~addiction~~ obsession with frozen yogurt), staying in at home with the beloved family (stroking xiaoxiao's nose), and a shopping date with mummy yesterday (yay for rm49 forever21 jeans!), the fate of my ccp major (read: 50%) (!) assignment literally hangs on a thread. due next monday, currently looking at 0/2000 words. go me.

photo: xiaoxiao(s); d7000

at peace with thyself

2011-05-10T01:11:00.002+08:00

i am at this moment in life where everything seems perfect. despite the non-ending assignments (3 major ones in a 7 day period), the scorching hot weather (burnt neck), and that i do not fail to crave for chocolate and ice cream at the weirdest time of the day (think 12am), i love the pace of life i am now going through. an episode of criminal minds or glee during lunch/dinner, hanging out with friends in between classes and assignment submissions, succumbing to the temptation of a half-eaten snickers bar, and taking a nap right before dinner. i can sufficiently say, right here and now, that my last semester of uni life definitely is one worth reminiscing. my friends - old and new - who held me through tough times, who encouraged me not to give up when assignments are killing me, who were there to lend an ear or two when i wanted to rant, who filled my life with laughter throughout the day, noon and night. thanks for everything, everyone!

belated birthday pressie from yujia, with notes all written around the box. thanks yujia! i love it so much :)

this was what was inside the pretty little box :) purse!

peace; from cotton on for only rm2.50. for hope charity. thinking of getting the other 2 designs.

i have no idea why i am all sentimental right now, maybe it's cuz i m leaving my 3 years of degree life in monash behind in just another 2 weeks. 2 weeks, we shall have picnics around campus (instant cup noodles are with me!), we shall have more eat-outs (i still owe you girls a birthday treat!) and fill the remaining weeks with ecstatic joy. shan't we, girls?

the whole day today was joyful, to the brim. ihassnowflakeforsupper, nothingbeatsthat!

2011-05-08T17:26:00.001+08:00

HAPPY MUMMY'S DAY MUM :)

thanks to the power of photoshop, this was our present for mummy, hehe! love ya mum!

fragments

2011-05-05T21:37:00.005+08:00

colour palettes, blue. but pink, with white heart-shaped swirls.

a scent of sweetness, like peach-coloured balloons against the cloudless sapphire sky, stagnantly floating.

short dresses and school bags, ice creams and rainbow coloured nail polish.

dreamcatchers, their feathers dancing in the wind, its colours gleaming in the sunset.

look in the mirror, shed some tears, brush your hair, smile a little.

white lace dresses, pink shorts and skinnies, crotchet tops, hats all floppy.

icing on the cake.

dragon's pearl, something treasured, something beautiful.

understand each other like the back of your palm, like the back of each other's palms.

breadcrumbs/bluehairmiumiudress; fashiongonerogue/xiaoxiaoonawall/
purplesky; fashiongonerogue/heart/whitekittypinkroses; dreamcats/
bluewhitegreen/zaratrfapril2011lookbook; fashiongonerogue/ruby

2011-05-02T12:52:00.005+08:00

"hope" is the thing with feathers-

that perches in the soul-

and sings the tune without the words-

and never stops - at all -

.emily dickinson. "hope" is the thing with feathers.

MTWTFSS

2011-05-01T23:32:00.006+08:00

randoms over the past week at home from my phone.

monday. at the airport. cute elderly couple in matching tees. and a whole bunch of their friends somewhere behind us wearing the same thing; women in red sleeves, men in blue, too cute!

tuesday. near our house. famous taman bandaraya curry mee, the portion just right for breakfast.

wednesday. at grandparents' house. xiaoxiao sunbathing on the counter top and obsessively watching the ceiling fan turn.

thursday. grandparents' kitchen table. grandpa's bak kut teh, I.WANT.MORE.

friday. my room. the bag that i have been craving for since last month, thank you dear :)

saturday. on the driveway outside our porch. dead fly/bug/bee, look at the colours of its wings!

sunday. today on the bus back from penang to sunway. individual tv set that has a choice international and local movies (step up 2, hongkong/taiwanese/malaysian films, documentaries (discovery/national geographic) and music, and chicken rice, and hot milo, and complimentary bottle of water; so worth the 60bucks.

back to media audiences research proposal that's staring to feel weird like i'm doing it wrong.

50mm

2011-04-26T23:46:00.005+08:00

brought the new 50mm lens out to play. the bokeh effect makes me wanna dance and jump around and dance some more :) oh and xiaoxiao's chubbiness makes me wanna do the same thing!

taiwan diaries day 2 part 2

2011-04-23T23:24:00.012+08:00

the number of overdue overdued posts on my dashboard is overwhelming. i'll try to finish them this easter break :)

anyways, continuing from my taiwan/hongkong posts 4 months ago (oops!), after checking in at our hotel, we went to the Danshui Fishermen's Wharf where the wind was so strong the weather so cold i left my camera in the warmth of the car and went out with 2 scarfs, one jacket and a hot cup of milo. it still didnt help, so no photos (oops, again!) my apologies!

the fragments of the entire travel escapes me after 4 months, so i'll try my best with these bunch of pictures.

pink flowers outside our hotel at quandu

after warming ourselves for abit, we made our way to Danshui old street, selling many local delicacies and had these little store fronts selling souvenirs and memorabilia. there were game stalls where we tried our hand at shooting down as many ducklings(?) as possible to win a prize. hui won one, and i guess all i did was shout my way through the entire game.

a whole wall of hand-painted tiles!

cute little kitties! i actually regret not bringing one home now.

the infamous ahpo iron eggs. they were basically eggs marinated for so long a time their egg-whites hardened and blackened, and they shrink to the size of quail eggs (i think)

by the time we got back to quandu, it was time for dinner,

and desert

bean curd taiwanese style! sweet potato soup+taufufah hybrid mix. deliciously awesome!

after making our tummies happy and satisfied, me and hui decided to walk along the stretch of streets. we stopped by a pet shop to get some souvenirs for xiaoxiao and stumbled upon this adorable munchkin! the petshop owner lets her roam freely around the vicinity of the shop, and she was all curled up sleeping when we met her. but when she awoke she was in a mood to play! we tested the toys we wanted to buy for xiaoxiao on her, and just couldnt let her out of our sight!

watcha lookin' at mydear munchkin ;3

we did a little photowalk at the park opposite our hotel in the dark. dogs walked pass us and sniffed us with much curiosity but they were cute doggies anyway so we didnt mind the attention.

that's hui bytheway :)

that's day 2 for you! till next time!

moocat the cow cat

2011-04-20T21:36:00.005+08:00

there was a cat at uni today! totally brightened up my day, of non-stop assignments submissions -- i submitted one psychology lab report today, writing assignment due friday, and two more major communication assignments due 2 weeks later, both 50% -- and of countless sleepless nights.

we stalked him from afar

we got closer

and when he laid down to sleep we walked up on him

but he didnt mind, and showed us his belly, a sign of comfort and trust

so i stroked him on his forehead and he closed his eyes slowly.

i stroked him on his chin and he liked it, i ran my fingers over the furry breaks of fur on his neck and he turned over on his back exposing his tummy for me to massage.

moocat (that was what wenli and i named him, cuz of his milk cow-ish coat?) had bite marks under his right ear, two little holes which made me think they might be snake bites. but then again he wouldnt have survived, fortunately. oh and the cafeteria people fed him a whole bag of fried fish cakes, so he was quite a happy cat :3

it's nice to have a cat trust you like that even though we were complete strangers. if only humans can be more like that?

blurry pictures from my htc!

so yesterday,

2011-04-18T21:25:00.002+08:00

symbolic consciousness

2011-04-17T18:51:00.010+08:00

alot of pictures all not my own.

1. xiaoxiao from hui's blog

2. miumiu capsule shoe collection spring 2010 - getting an inspired version for a mere fraction of the price, havent seen the actual product. we'll see how it goes.
3. white cat on the edge of a balcony
4. super slouchy one side off-shoulder top
5. odd-eye white kitty
6. miumiu spring/summer 2010 shoe collection - and i died
7. impeccably dressed father and son team
8. cat with a bell under table
9. overexposed beauty - sun flare love
10. fatcat sunbasking with furry tummy exposed - i'd be able to do that after wednesday :3

photos from fashionworldz, dreamcats, fashiongonerogue, lisaslikes, thesartorialist

22

2011-04-12T21:40:00.008+08:00

thanks to technology, i literally spent my birthday in virtual celebration with friends and family. wishes poured in on facebook (thanks birthday notification thingie), twitter, and texts from overseas (hi auntie su!) as well as a nice call from home :)

the person who said birthdays are fun days apparently do not have 2 assignments due on the same day next week! but i had fun over the weekend though! roaming aimlessly around different malls on different days - saturday and sunday - it was therapeutic, window shopping did not cost a thing but we spent massive amounts of money indulging ourselves in food. he took me to satisfy my coffee icecream craving at haagen dazs but we ended up satisfying other flavoured ice cream cravings as well; rum raisin, chocolate truffle, cookies and cream, macadamia nuts, strawberry and tiramisu! yumyum!

a GoldArt statuette from the bf. cute little things. i just wished i could open its casing and touch its surface!

thankyou kinta for this little book!

now back to mugging on psychology journals and writing up the vertical sound localisation lab report! oh and i was ecstatic beyond words for my first writing assignment :)

as time passes
realizations fill you
and your soul
and you feel complete
and you feel loved
you learn to cherish
you learn to learn
and then you learn to be grateful
of all the wonderful things in life
that has ever happened
or yet to happen
you see rainbows in the sky
coloured shadows on the sidewalks
light breeze caressing your hair
and you trot on air
at ease
at fulfillment
at completion

an eulogy

2011-04-05T23:22:00.006+08:00

love, a day more than forever.

when dr sharon asked us to write an eulogy in the form of a six-word memoir about ourselves during writing class, that was what i wrote.

oh and the white roses? i just find the colour white so calming nowadays. have been wearing white since the weekend.

white roses from knightcat

white cats

2011-04-02T23:31:00.007+08:00

sources: xiaoxiao from hui's facebook/dreamcats

chasing clouds

2011-03-30T19:29:00.004+08:00

25.03.2011 18:18

25.03.2011 19:05

28.03.2011 15:42

30.03.2011 18:55

28.03.2011 19:26

with the workload on me now, all that comfort me are beautifully fluffy candy floss clouds, tidbits for my sweet tooth, and lots of fruits in my oats.

sore thumb torn palms

2011-03-29T21:53:00.004+08:00

do you ever doubt yourself sometimes? that somehow under the façade that you put up, the protective layer that you encase yourself up in, that when you wake up everyday and look into the mirror you smile to yourself and say "i'm fabulous" -- a ritual that you must perform -- you actually dont feel like it? you actually felt like unbrushing your already curled hair with their perfect twirls and swirls and lie down back in bed. your mind goes blank, it is dark but you do not black out, you stay wide awake staring into nothingness thinking of nothingness. there is no thoughts in your head. nil. when you had to write about someone, you feel that you cant because you do not know that person, hypothetically or realistically. hypothetically and realistically. you have no clue what to do, your fingers spread out on the keyboard, thumbs on the spacebar, pinkies where they should be. you start to type random words that appear on the blank document, alphabet by alphabet, until you suddenly stop dead in your tracks. no word comes out of your fingertips, like a dry water tap, no visuals in your head, blank, like the remaining page-long word document. you start to think that you were not born to do this, that you are just a clueless bystander, and that is when you start comparing yourself to others. she wrote 600 words in under 15 minutes, why cant you? she finished her jennifer character but you havent embark on your sam. she has brilliant ideas, creative juices evolving into alphabets, words, sentences, paragraphs, whilst your sit there, deadly quiet. stuck. in muck. and when you think you suddenly have a surge of inspiration and resume your typing, feverishly, all ten fingers fleeting the keyboard trying to put your thoughts into words, they disappear again, floating away like the sands of time. the clock is ticking.

what you see

2011-03-28T16:11:00.007+08:00

back at sunway after spending the weekend at home, ignoring my cultural and communications policy assignment that is due this friday, and home for cheng beng.

sun rise from the chinese cemetery atop machang bubok hill at 8am

there was a problem with the train that we were on on friday, and as it stopped momentarily at the ipoh station we took advantage of it to snap a few pictures out the window, the view was phenomenal! my first time on the train from kl back home was more memorable with him by me :)

apparently a cargo train overturned and we had to alight at the ipoh station, take a bus to taiping station, then transit from there back home. he called his cousin at ipoh to the rescue and we reached home safely far before the bus would have even reach taiping!

the ipoh train station

ipoh city hall during dusk, looking majestic

currently having a fruits craving, especially for grapes and those cute-looking kiwiberries!

now back to ccp readings and essay. ohwow, interesting. (read: sarcasm)

it's in me,

2011-03-22T22:47:00.008+08:00

deeply etched in the depths of my mind, this forever21 mulberry alexa look-not-so-alike,

and making its way down my throat and eventually down my digestive system, avocado and unagi sushi rolls from sushi zanmai! his personal delivery made it all the more tastier :)

as much as she wants to lay down and rest her mind and body from stressing over her writing assignment due friday, she cannot just yet. fortunately there are motivators encouraging her on!

six

2011-03-19T23:17:00.006+08:00

today, all taken with his htc desire hd. loving the vignette and vintage effects.

1. dad's vintage watch, now mine
2. him forever playing fifa on iphone
3. the train station
4. our feet shots
5. a happy-faced bouncy rubber ball
6. second hand dr jekyll and mr hyde for only rm4

supposed to check out university of nottingham's booth at the uk education fair today, but they didnt show. ohwell, researching for a master's degree is as tough as the program itself i guess :/ but we did find a decent purse for me, since my almost-4-year-old h&m one is starting to fall apart.

a walk in the (theme)park

2011-03-15T23:25:00.012+08:00

his family went up to genting highlands for a trip, so he grabbed his netbook, me my books and we headed up. it was nice just to walk around in cold weather for a change.

mocha and cappuccino, lights, resting monorail wormies, lamborghini, stained glass, baskin robbins in 14 degree weather, stuffed mascot toys, chandeliers, happy old people on a mural outside the casino, world map international times, another colourful mural, clock tower

a prayer

2011-03-12T21:23:00.009+08:00

She ran her slender fingers over the length of the cat's body, she was eating out of her food tray. The crunching sounds made as pieces of food were squashed between her sharp teeth, she ate hungrily. Ocean fish and salmon pockets, her favourite, with the occasional dried anchovies and fish heads. Her body of pure white fur had start to shed, as she stroked the back of the cat's body with practiced motions from the nape of her neck to the tip of the tail the length of her body.

She has been here for a year, since she was a baby barely a month old. Separated from her mother when she fell into a wet drain, almost drowned to death if not for her sharp ears that heard her faint meow on that fateful hot afternoon. Both she and her sister tried fervently to rescue it, first trying to scoop it out with her bare hands, leaning into the drain with buttocks to the sky. But it did not work, she was too far away, the drain too deep.Finally her sister stepped onto the walls of the drain, feet apart, constantly adjusting the weight of her body on both legs as to balance herself.

Slowly lowering her torso deeper into the drain, she reached out for the little thing, still meowing with what energy that her tiny body can allow for. Perhaps she saw the hand reaching out for her, as the echoes of her meowing got closer she was waddling like a duckling, threading painstakingly over the filthy drain water, a mix of detergent and waste residue from the houses nearby it. Her sister kept encouraging her on. Come little one, almost there, here, come here.

After what seemed like hours, she did. Her sister scooped her up, putting her onto the pavement by the drain, the little thing of complete white coat with gem blue eyes all soaked in filth, meowing louder and staggering to get closer to their feet for safety. They carried her into the house, cleaned her dirty fur until she was as white as snow again. Exhausted from her terrifying experience, she slept in her arms, in the midst of all the washing and drying. She was really tiny, the size of her palm.

It's slowly getting dark outside, and it's raining. She saw him getting on his trusty old bike, balancing an umbrella in his right hand, taking off in the direction opposite the house, a worried expression blanketing his wrinkly face. They took off too, with umbrellas in hand, in search of her, shouting out her name. Beating around the bushes that she normally loved to play under with a rattan stick, threading through puddles, looking into dark corners and alleyways. No sign of her pure white body. No sign of that familiar meow.

A silhouette appeared from afar, a shadow on a bike with an umbrella in hand. Grandpa slowed down to a halt before the gates, exceptionally quiet. We looked at each other, frowned, observed a droop in our shoulders and facial expressions, lowered our heads as we tried our best to control the tears from falling. But doing so shattered our fragile hearts into pieces instead. Now we can only pray and hope that she comes back home safe and sound, that familiar meow ringing at the back of my head, and her lithe white body running about happily in my mind's eye and dreams.

"a prayer"

blackhumour 201103122309

onetwobucklemyshoe

2011-03-09T23:17:00.005+08:00

today,

1. kaireen gave us these sisterhood-of-the-travelling-chain necklaces she bought from jakarta, and

2. he came to sunway and we had a gastronomical time at asia cafe with another friend!

she's stocking up on more criminal minds, and when there's enough she'll start on her assignments. soon.

cloud nine twice

2011-03-08T22:54:00.005+08:00

"Train to Birmingham arriving at platform six." Gary stands up from his squatting position, pushing his right palm against a wall, stabilising his groggy body with all his might. Putting on his Raybans and adjusting his shirt, last night's visuals still haunt him. His ribs protruding from his torso, that guy had hit him hard. His aching stomach starts to worry him, his throat now dry, and his limbs now wobbly from having to put up with all this. This is a busy station, but still, nobody amidst this crowd saw his pain and agony. Incapable of holding on, Gary finally drops unconscious. A lady standing by Gary shouts, and a kind soul dials 911. His vision blurring him, Gary drifts into a land of unknown.

it's fulfilling, yaknow, the feeling when your name had been called by your lecturer to read out aloud your narratives while your writings are being showcased via the overhead projector in front of the entire class. how about if you doubled that feeling? ecstatic it was! bonus was when she commented "narrative seems effortlessly composed as it's fluid" when in reality i was having a hard time cracking my brain open trying to form a whole paragraph without the letter "e"! honestly i thought i managed without any "e"s until after i sent her my piece and read through that i accidentally put in an "e"! nevertheless, yays X) that my first ever writing unit in uni went way better than i had expected it too!

Kayla Grace All the way to the waist
Ribbons and pearls and pink bows
Unicorns and Rapunzel and fairytales
Feelings and emotions and all those struggling relationships

fight the battle

2011-03-07T21:59:00.004+08:00

in the process of falling sick, getting well, and falling sick again. vicious cycle this is, and the doctor prescribed double doses of medication. but then, these pictures made the flu all the more bearable.

lanvin fw2011 finale; rodarte fw2011, love the wheat-painted fabrics; olga kurylenko, i want all that she has on her; phenomenal wedding-dress-appropriate masterpiece of tulle from marchesa's fw2011 collection; alexa chung, forever doing no wrong,

images from: style(dot)com, models(dot)com, fashiongonerogue, studdedh earts

shall resume with my taiwan diaries around next week; i barely blogged about it.

red dates

2011-03-02T22:04:00.004+08:00

10 red dates, some rock sugar, 2 cups of water

bring water to a boil. add in red dates and rock sugar. squish red dates when they're soften. leave to boil until water turns a reddish brown. taste. add water/rock sugar if necessary. continue boiling till the smell of red dates fill the kitchen and eventually the whole house, squishing the dates occasionally. taste again. when taste is satisfactory, bring mixture to a simmer and eventually turn heat off and let it cool.

strain off the bits and parts of red dates until a clean juice is left. enjoy!

it tastes better with one leaf of pandan. that's what grandma taught me.

on a side note, to hell with animal abusers.

nailbiting in anticipation

2011-03-01T23:23:00.007+08:00

first day of the last semester of my degree life today, had a cultural and communication policy lecture as well as a nerve-wrecking-3-hours-straight writing techniques class. i bet i looked like xiaoxiao up there -- all wide eyed-slash-being nervous and biting on stuff (nails) -- when dr. sharon asked us to write about ourselves and our writing styles. i have never spat out so much fragmented stories. writing class was a breath of fresh air for me, so different from the lectures we have, allowing us free reign of our imagination, creativity as well as free flow of emotions.

when we were asked to describe one of our dreams, i wrote about this nightmare i had of purple spiders with claws at the tip of its dangly legs. the nightmare was so vivid that when she asked us again to describe our emotions during the dream if possible, i could recall them as though i have just went through them. it was horrifyingly scary at the moment of writing, i had to stop and close my eyes, and in my mind's eye i could see myself reliving the scene all over again.

but it was therapeutic to be able to do that, releasing all my fears in writing. my heart throbbed along with my brain going through the entire process, but i felt as though a heavy burden was lifted off me. it was stressful to write on demand, but it was fun all the same. although i did some serious blunders for some of the exercises, i am looking forward to next week's class, anticipating what she has to say for my writings in what she calls "clinical exercises" to see how far is our writing abilities.

9 to 2 class tomorrow, non-stop. looking forward to it.

a dozen other things

2011-02-24T23:36:00.005+08:00

have been the worst blogger yet. blame it on laziness and sickness. ewww..
last semester of my degree life starts tuesday; no classes on monday and friday :) although i keep complaining about how lazy i am to start uni, but still quite excited about seeing all my friends that i havent seen in 4 months!
mum is slowly recovering, slowly but recovering
have to buy more books: middlesex, the harmony silk factory, sherlock holmes, falling leaves.
currently reading: man and boy, tony parsons. done reading: sybil, it was hauntingly surreal.
hooked on criminal minds. need to start from season 1.
infatuated with kitties, and the proenza schouler ps1, or any satchel resembling it or the mulberry alexa. unhealthy.
needs new shoes for uni. note to self; remember to pack shoelaces.
ohdear prison break. changes channel.
hollywood week was amazing. i like thia.
graduating in june. honours or masters?
hoping, praying, having faith.

image: dreamcats

V

2011-02-14T23:59:00.012+08:00

something i wrote

especially for you

for being there by me

for all these times

i know you'll forever be the strong shoulder i could always lean on

through thick and thin

rain or shine

i love you

and adore all your crazy antics

forever and always.

happy valentine's

crossed toes

2011-02-13T23:31:00.007+08:00

google regurgitated all med phrases regarding the search i ran but at least my recollections of 3 previous years worth of biology helped tremendously cure is slow but promising prognosis is excellent still alot to be concerned about worries worrying does not solve problems it creates new ones all there is to do is to wait and hope and pray and from that we gain peace

yesterday at kek lok si we lit joss sticks lit candled lamps prayed hard and made 118 wishes

chasing after

2011-02-08T23:27:00.009+08:00

1. pristine sunsets

2. a bag this shape, or better yet, this bag image from thecoveteur

3. dad's old yashica film camera. need to get it repaired somewhere sometime
4. a polaroid camera! like this one that once belonged to simin's dad
5. the perfect lace dress image from knightcat

6. more yakiniku!
7. lens/light flares!

a brand new year

2011-02-03T01:07:00.004+08:00

gracie from down our street came visiting this morning to wish us a very

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

day2; beitou

2011-01-28T23:11:00.011+08:00

after spending 2 nights at SeeYou hotel, we checked out and embarked on a journey to beitou, one of the towns on a higher altitude that was famous for its hot springs. however, we did not catch a chance to try out its natural open-air hot spring, which was full to the brim of people in various interesting swimsuits that were otherwise not exactly suitable in winter weather.

wooden signs outside the hot springs

cute innit this fat furry thingy?? taken with a 300mm lens as this chubby fellow was cleaning itself on a roof

the closest we could get to a hot spring was to visit the Beitou Hot Spring Museum. oh and check into a hot spring hotel later in the day.

there was this area that depicted what a public bath looked like, i just couldn't resist stepping into it. and i did something really crazy, which shall remain untold, ahem.

a hokutolite, or beitou rock which i guess is one of the vital materials for the hot spring. and also where the name of the place originated from

i absolutely adore this stained glass-window

within the vicinity of the museum was a public library of some sort, and outside it were numerous interesting manmade "rocks" with writings on it that actually tells stories if you start reading the words from the centre spiraling down its circumference.

if only all libraries were set as close to nature as this one.

it was actually quite refreshing to be that close to nature but still admire the modern architecture around. in such perfect weather it was as if we were in heaven, or at least, heaven on earth.

as our stomach grumbled, signalling time for lunch, the driver drove us further on in search of food. warm foods, soup, and local delicacies. the right amount of warmth, neutralized the chilling cold as it started to rain; what more could we ask for? it was damn perfect.

local bamboo shoots, if i remember correctly

a peculiar tasting local dish called "cross cat" when directly translated from mandarin

i would call this dish spearheaded shrimps cuz i dont know its name!

after lunch, we advanced to our hot springs hotel, passing YangMing along the way. the driver said we had to take picture with the famous "YangMingShan flower clock". he was so persistent about it that we had to brave the strong wind and rain to stand there for 5 minutes, snap a few pics, laughed hysterically at the umbrellas that were blown into the shape of flowers by the crazy rain.

happy almost-dry people, and me, with the camera. oh look at mum's overturned umbrella!

the town of YangMingShan

after checking in, we went to the Fishermen's Wharf at Danshui where the wind was stronger, the rain heavier, and the laughtersmany times more hysterical! post to follow later!

heart

2011-01-26T22:15:00.004+08:00

although i had to unbox this thing by myself, it was still a very sweet surprise, especially when there's no special occasion or celebration. thankyou, love you too X)

have i told u lately,

2011-01-17T23:48:00.004+08:00

1. that i took a short excursion to taiping with him two saturdays ago

2. that i found this jan2006 copy of Autocar while spring cleaning my room; it's a "mini special" copy! i was so ecstatic it felt absolutely normal to grin crazily while alone

3. that xiaoxiao now sleeps so much in the morning she can hardly stay put in the evening

4. that i have been playing around in grandpa's garden

and that this title has nothing to do with a song.

taiwan diaries; day 1

2011-01-11T22:20:00.016+08:00

and finally, i have overcame procrastination and setting foot on this blog; or rather, fingers on the keyboard. what better way to start a new (blogging) year than by going back to taiwan, day 1.

i havent seen such an antique looking radio in aeons. sanyo?

we actually arrived at taiwan on 11th dec at around 11pm. checked into SeeYou Hotel, ate a red bean bun courtesy of auntie su who was already there, took a warm bath, unpack a little, laze around, slump down on the bed and went straight to dreamland. the next day, well, it's all here :)

i have no idea what this plate of awesomeness is called. egg crepes, perhaps?

after having a super cheap breakfast, we did a little "photo walk" around the streets around our hotel.

ahem, yes, i take pictures with one eye closed.

with our tummies filled, we made our way up to the taipei101. not only was its building taller than anyone else's, with minimal but matching blue ornaments, its christmas tree did not disappoint too!

love this picture to bits!

i have no idea why this picture refuses to rotate itself!

a whole dress made out of beads!

the coral handcrafted statuettes were amazing! if my memory did not fail me, they were mostly made from red coral(?). oh and the owls, how can one not be tempted to take them out of their protective glass cases, chuck them in your bag and carry them all the thousands of miles home?

the remainder of the afternoon was spent walking around the shopping section at taipei101 and then off to XiMenDing! this was where i saw the first mini cooper in taiwan, a bronze limited edition, i professed my love for minis by slapping hui's arm really hard and excitedly asking her to "take peeeeekture take peeeekture!!"

by nighttime, the only rational place to visit after a light dinner of szechuan style porridge was the infamous ShihLin night market. loved taipei's metro, no tickets, only a small recyclable dark blue plastic coin; chic.

anyways, shihlin was swarmed with people grabbing local delicacies as well as imported goods such as clothes from america and accessories from korea. let's just say we didnt let ourselves down there, shall we? shihlin was warm and crowded, but colourful.

printing error? or spelling mistake?

marshmallows!!

corndog!

and when i saw another pearl (/cream?) white cooper parked by the roadside, the fangirl in me cannot contain herself any longer. i snapped a pic, went up to touch it and smiled slyly to myself *grins*

2010 in retrospect

2010-12-31T23:10:00.024+08:00

ferrero on vday; baby xiaoxiao in february; bali during end of february; our first time at zoo negara in march; early 21st birthday present in the form of a golden key honours society membership invite; my very first camera on my 21st in april; annual vay-k with the gang in june; last monash ball in september; xiaoxiao all gorwn up in october; grandpa's water lilies in full bloom; rita's birthday end of october; taiwan and hongkong family trip in december; xiaoxiao frolicking here and there despite being blind in one eye; a pretty face at one of our favourite tomyam noodles joint.

looking back at 2010, honestly there are things still on the resolutions list that have not been crossed out -- like getting a job for summer. but at least i lived the year with no regrets, saved xiaoxiao from drowning in a drain, achieved the results that i aimed for, attained membership in golden key, and am learning to take more beautiful pictures as well as loving and cherishing my loved ones.

au revoir 2010, bonjour 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

pet.portrait.

2010-12-23T22:46:00.004+08:00

xiaoxiao trying out the new toys we bought for her from taiwan while we try out dad's new d7000 (on her). the "pet portrait" mode was superb! so much so that even her damaged eye looked cutely normal :3

in the meantime, sorting out a combination of almost 6000 photos of our taiwan and hongkong trip from 2 cameras. so do expect heap lotsa vacation-related posts!

live from hk

2010-12-18T23:30:00.006+08:00

the spectacular hongkong skyline and laser lights show

reporting from the novotel hotel lobby in hongkong, eavesdropping on the basketball coaches from india and united states talking about the games and the lakers and whatnots. (i dont understand why the photo with my sister's face refuses to rotate!) left taiwan for hongkong yesterday morning, witnessed hongkong's crazily congested mtr stations, learnt about their freakingly high cost-of-living, but am amazed by the cars people drive here. convertibles -- mini coopers especially!

oh and it's hui's 18th birthday today! so nice to be celebrating it in hongkong! she made a wish without candles, and with fruit tarts and assorted cakes in the hotel room. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUIIIIII :3

i miss you

retreat; therainneedstostop

2010-12-15T19:29:00.003+08:00

in jiu fen, staying the night and tomorrow at this quaint little inn, with all the units having its own distinct themes. soft toys and cozy couches, beautiful lamps and paintings provided us with an indoor activity shielded from the prolonging rain -- chilling out and taking photos! the first step into the room was like arriving in heaven after carrying our luggages up flights of stairs in the pouring rain towards the inn atop a steep hill.

the rain's picking up speed outside; it's probably time for a warm bath.

from taiwan with love

2010-12-13T15:54:00.004+08:00

behold, a map of taipei. catching cabs to go around the city is so convenient, cuz almost everywhere u turn u can see a little yellow car.

touched down last night at 10.40pm, and arrived at our little hotel 50minutes later. no sign of winter here yet, at 20 degrees we still see girls in mini skirts and furry boots -- bare legs! skinnies tucked in boots were slightly unnecessary.

went up to the taipei 101, had lunch and walked around xi men ding for a few hours. loots included snacks and 3 very cute hand-sewn owls. lunch was satisfying, sushi and garlic bread and bean curd with red bean. yums! shall take a rest and try our luck at shih lin night market later. *waves*

feather in a whirlwind

2010-12-10T23:04:00.005+08:00

"why are you, peasant boy, here in this magnificent city? throughout my childhood i had always dreamed of coming here. i had always believed i never would. yet now i was here, among fifteen million people. i felt like a feather swept up in a whirlwind. i was only eleven years old. nothing could have prepared me for this."

-- "Mao's Last Dancer"

only 140 pages into this book and i'm deeply engrossed in Li Cunxin's world.

cat diaries

2010-12-05T15:18:00.003+08:00

1. while playing, lying low focusing on my feet preparing to pounce on me
2. looking regally beautiful, with her only eye
3,4. taking catnaps, on flat ground, and in grandpa's gigantic plant pot well shaded from the sun

melancholia

2010-12-01T15:29:00.004+08:00

sometimes when you are not what others think you are, you tend to go all mellow inside. sometimes when you are all mellow inside, you tend to retreat into your shell. under all those laughter and playful giggles, no one believes you are actually breaking up and being torn apart by the facade that you are putting up.like a clown putting on too much make-up, drawing a smile that is way bigger than what the heart portrays, pretending to be something larger than life; that in real-life, when the dream is over, the people all gone and the laughter fades, the mask strips off, leaving you to bleed under your own heartbreak and sadness, under the tears and the gurgled breaths that you take. suffocation, the walls are closing in, the phantom manifesting itself, the darkness that was once buried deep in the roots of the soul, suppressed until it can be concealed no more. no more, there is no more. no more happiness in the small hole that you called home, the empty space with no love and no hope, the space where the heart once lies. a beating heart, now substituted by a piece of glass, broken into a million pieces.

"melancholia"; blackhumour 201012011513

havent been writing alot like i used to, trying to channel my inner poet, inspired by the constant rain and grey skies that seemed to engulf the whole world this past week, making the house appear to be darker and gloomier than it usually is. even with the lights switched on and the wooden door open ajar, the world outside still feels dead, no cars on the street, no cats meowing like they used to, flowers and trees all bending their heads like they were saddened by this downpour too. where are the sunny laughter of kids at the playground? it is the school holidays, aren't they supposed to be out and about, chasing each other and riding bicycles and shrieking with joy going on the swings? what is childhood like today that it was not 20 years ago?

photo taken at bali

sweaters and faux fur coats

2010-11-26T22:22:00.002+08:00

are these early-winter-appropriate for hongkong/taiwan that are expected to have a temperature of 14-20 degrees in mid december?

images from here, here and here

lately,

2010-11-23T21:14:00.005+08:00

trying to get in touch with my thoughts
to get inspired
should write more
reading torey hayden's "the tiger child"
take more pictures
spending time alone at home
waking up late
doing chores
watch films
arrange our photos in an album
plans to bake
learn to shoot in manual
make a skirt from scratch
scooping spoonfuls of haagen dazs ice cream from a tub

puts a smile to my face

a cat and a concert

2010-11-19T17:52:00.004+08:00

tuesday. xiaoxiao sleeping on grandpa's tool shed roof the whole afternoon. air supply "love never ends" world tour in penang, with dad. it was super awesome! looking for their songs online!

bye, pasar malam (night market) now :)

"do you want my corn?"

2010-11-13T22:33:00.004+08:00

that's an inside joke, which involved someone shoving her half-eaten corn in everyone else's faces which then resulted in bursts of laughter so tremendous it breaks windows and makes heads from tables away turn.

barely finished our last paper in time -- 2500 words in 2 hours? -- and immediately escaped to empire subang for dinner at chilis. when 5 hungry and liberated girls meet food, u can guess what happens next!

this is simin's diy tlr. so cool!

nachos!those jalapeno peppers are scary but it was gooood!

cajun club sandwich which michele and i shared

simin's fish and chips with weird-tasting dip sauce

anusha's lamb shoulder with ah-may-zing mashed potatoes! we ended up packing away 4 boxes of mashed potatoes!

kaireen's chicken chipotle with "the corn"

my hauls (from left) today, and yesterday, from f21 and diva.

nothing beats post-exam holidays, especially when they are 4 months' long! packing 4 months' worth of stuff to go home tomorrow! bliss!

blossoming

2010-11-10T18:00:00.002+08:00

last few weekends, from grandpa's garden.
2 more days.

a test from above

2010-11-04T21:54:00.003+08:00

i m feeling sickly, maybe it's cuz of the stress i m facing for the exams. my final year, such an important year, and it doesnt help that i m currently mugging on psychology research methods and theory. at this moment, i miss home, i miss everyone at home, i miss my cat, and i miss him. thanks to my sister who tagged me this photo of xiaoxiao :) it means alot to me now, to see that she's doing well and that everyone at home is too.

i promise i will do my best too, thinking positive thoughts. as mum says "it's just a test from above". i hear fireworks outside, that's a good sign :)

sugar, spice and everything nice

2010-11-03T20:36:00.011+08:00

these were the ingredients for the perfect stress-buster lunch rita treated us to at the atrium cafe lounge at pyramid tower yesterday, in celebration of her belated birthday last week!

mega-(mouthwatering)-post alert!

for rm45 per person, u can eat-all-you-want! chinese cuisine, japanese sushis, nyonya kuihs and tidbits, middle eastern delicacies, western courses, anything and everything! i was there on 2 missions: to eat and to have fun!

wanted to grab the macaroni and the oysters but i was too full to fill them in anymore. what a waste! they looked so good! kinta and yujia both had the oysters and prawns and they said it was goooood!

we really loved the dining area alot, partially separated from the crowd outside with natural lighting coming down from the glass-windowed ceiling above us. this place exuded welcoming warmth which was a prettily added bonus to the whole dining experience!

rita's brother was there too, thorn amongst the roses. many apologies for having to suffer from the gossipy giggles and crazy antics of four crazily stressed girls!

the official start of food-hoarding

their desserts were out of this world! normally i would attack just desserts at a buffet, but somehow i was able to refrain from going all out this time. i wanted badly to sink my teeth into this,

this,

and this,

but i only ate these,

yumm-mieee! i was satisfied :)

dark chocolate cups with raspberries are not fattening, no they arent. am i right, or am i right?

birthdays are never complete without birthday cakes! although late, but still, better late than never!

i love how accidentally colour-coordinated we were, to make the birthday girl stand out more!

thanks, again, to the self-timer function. most brilliant thing ever on a camera.

happy belated 21st, rita!
we love u!

illuminate

2010-10-31T23:07:00.004+08:00

the battle starts tomorrow but i m feeling weak. i know i have finished all there is to study, but somehow there is a sense of restlessness. anxiety. insecurities.
mum asked me to pray and be calm, and that all will be alright. and i know i can. i know i can. i can. i will find the light.
illuminate.

oreos

2010-10-29T11:56:00.003+08:00

blueberry icecream flavoured, that leaves a cool minty sensation down my throat.
that white background? yeah it's the flip side of my abnormal psychology notes.
getting back to it now.

times like these

2010-10-24T21:30:00.007+08:00

1.2. animal butter biscuits

3.4. "the day the clocks stopped", a children's book from our once-upon-a-time children's book collection

5. magnets on fridge

6.7. b&w pictures hanging at home

xiaoxiao's eyes are not okay, they seem to be bulging out from her head it's damn scary. and i have finals starting next monday. but i'm okay. i'm okay, cuz i'm at home.

musings rantings fussings

2010-10-20T21:33:00.009+08:00

karlie kloss looking fierce at lanvin!

feminine, flowy maxi skirts + manly, tough combat boots/super high platform heels for a tiny girl like me = love.

shall look for flowy fabric and ask grandma to teach me make one over the summer semester holidays!
as for the boots/platforms? shall wander and search.
have to buy new sandals, my beloved studded ones broke when i accidentally kicked at a protruding tile. still, will try to get it fixed as i love it too much for it to just die like that.

chloe, dolceandgabbana and lanvin spring2011 at style.com//hannelimustaparta//fashionsquad//ultra slick combat boots at forever21(d0t)com//stockholmstreetstyle

drooling session over, she shall hit the books immediately.

food marathon

2010-10-17T23:53:00.007+08:00

have been eating the whole weekend! my whole week's worth of saving on food in uni came down to this! and at tgif and klcc the past 2 days. but we live to eat, right? so, grace and me, we had dinner at sushi zanmai tonight, and it was awesome!

what's better than eggplants? fried eggplants wrapped unagi! yums X)

i finally got to sink my teeth into these avocado sushi thingies i have wanted since the last time i went there. one word: iwantsomemore!! avocado+unagi+omelette all in one bite-sized (not quite bite-sized for me, they're quite a mouthful) sushi, what's not to love?

and this is some big gigantic oyster. i expected some foul-tasting un-fresh oysters, but these were nothing i stereotyped them to be. they were really sweet and succulent! and made me want more too!

best of all, we talked and it was a very relaxing night! we should do this more often, but in less good-food seducing = empty wallet places!

had fun the whole weekend, and so it's high time she works hard for the coming finals. let's get some work done!

10; cookies and cream

2010-10-16T23:10:00.007+08:00

roamed around klcc, lowyat plaza and times square the whole day, making up for the anniversary we couldnt spend together last sunday. walked around with him helping me lug that damn heavy d90 just so that we could take random pictures of food and the sky. looked around for a self-adhesive photo album but to no avail. oh well, just have to keep on looking.

right arm around my neck
fingers entwined
pout pout laugh laughters
ice cream sweet
cherry on top
strawberries glazed in sugar
candy floss clouds
random toppled popcorn like stars
similar
to those in your eyes
twinkles in the sun
shining in the dark
so many years
hundreds of months
thousands of days
millions to go
i you we
i you we

thankgawdisurvivedthisfriday

2010-10-15T23:15:00.009+08:00

finally get to take a rest, at least a weekend's break until i continue with studying on monday for the finals.

it was a freaking busy week! stayed back at uni library till almost 11pm every night, and ate dinner out of vending machines and waffle stalls. today was craziest! stayed up late last night to finish the results section and did the discussion section in uni 4 hours before the due time. printed it out at 5pm sharp, accidentally deleted off my abstract section and my title page and totally messed up my results tables, graphs and reference list. the printer at the computer lab was overloaded with printings of us 4 psychology students and there were curses every now and then from us four girls. once done with printing, we rushed to get them stapled at the its office, then ran all the way from level 4 to level 6 in the other conjoining arts building, and handed it in 15 minutes late. luckily the assignment-submission box was not closed yet. phew. and thankyou to those who gave me moral and physical support ie. michele, yujia, divya and simin :) love u girls!

anyway, heaved a sigh of relieve. then simin, yujia and i made our way to pyramid for a little walk-around and to have dinner. at tgif. what irony. this had been the worst friday ever, "thankgawd it's friday?" nooooo...i dont want another friday like this one!

anyways, dinner was soooo good. i especially adore the jack daniel's sauce for that burger! sweet and sour from the plum and a little bitter. those double-stacked quesadillas with loads of cheese in it was superb, and the mini desserts, heavenly! one for 3.90 and three was for 9.90, save!

am too exhausted for anything anymore, not even blog hop. so good night and have a nice and relaxing weekend! he's coming tomorrow :D

crappy diamond2 photos will have to suffice for today, except that of xiaoxiao :)