My Day at Thailand

This is quite a late post. I forgive myself for procrastinating. :)

So it was a one-day trip. My dad drove my mom, her friend and I to the border of Malaysia, parked our car, changed currencies and took a taxi to Hatyai, Thailand. Oh before that, I had to get out of bed at 4.30 a.m! Just thought I'd mention that. It was a challenging task to gather enough self-control to not just continue lazing in bed or sleeping in. Yea so I got up. I guess I was kinda sorta a little excited. Upon reaching the Thai border/custom, four of us climbed out of the car and joined many many sweaty impatient Malaysians and a minority of Thais in line, passports and one ringgit in hand. It was a long wait and it was blazing hot!

After the whole border-of-Thailand episode, we climbed back into the same taxi and continued our taxi journey to the city of Hatyai. After 45 minutes, we finally reached the city. We had lunch and walked to a market. I can't remember exactly what we did and where we went after that, but I do know that we had to ride on mini truck-like vehicles, equivalent to our taxis called "tut-tuts". It is such a cute name for a truck; it makes it sound fat.

Me on a fat truck. I'm sorry truck. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. But I'm pretty sure I hurt you anyway. Cause I sat on you!

We traveled the city, moved with the agility of street monkeys from street to street with both speed and money in our pockets. We conquered the shopping malls; explored the market places...

The sun going down was a sign for us to head back home. And so we headed back home.

It was a long day. There were some rather awkward moments on my part when people would talk to me in Thai and I would reply in English - sometimes I tried Mandarin or any other language I know - and we would end up staring at each other speechless.

But it was a good experience all in all.

A fact

I have been back in Penang for nearly 3 weeks now. It has been great thus far.
A quick summary of what I have been up to :

• Shopping - sales up to 70% discounts have made it all the better.
• Catching up with friends; remembering the good old times when we would get into cat fights, hitting each other with headless barbie dolls.
  
• Sleeping - a lot, but going to bed at very late hours. It's not healthy I keep telling myself, but what do I do? Sleep late.
  
• Entertaining myself by reading New Moon + watching Korean dramas and Lost Season 4.
• Church activities - camp, sleepover..
  
• Going online.
• Discovering I have a look alike.
• Queensbay/ Gurney Plaza.
• Enjoying food I haven't tasted for a year.

It just struck me that around the same time last year, my family and I were in Brisbane unpacking and trying to settle down in that, at the time, foreign place. It was a hard and difficult time for all of us and it was God who helped us through that stormy phase. The fact of the matter is time flies. It has already been a year. And soon, due to the fact that time flies, I would be back in Brisbane, in that constricted space surrounded by four walls called my home. But I won't complain; I miss home.

I still have Christmas and Chinese New Year to look forward to before I head for home. Speaking of which, Christmas is in 8 days!!!!

The Worst Firday of My Life

It was another one of those Fridays, or so I thought. Woke up, got ready for school, ate breakfast and then realised my dog, Elvis was missing. We had to go search for him. I walked down the whole of our street but found no Elvis. My mom went looking for him with Joel using the car and they found him! Something white and fluffy is not that hard to find. Joel saw him peeing in a bush, mom stopped the car and the search was over.

Later in school, during my Biology test, I didn't notice that there was a wasp which landed somewhere very near me until the teacher came over to shoo it off. He did shoo it off, ohhhh but it got worst - the thing landed on the sleeve of my shirt. I shut my eyes and stayed as still as possible, just like I learned when I was 6. I could feel everyone's eyes on me right then. The teacher grabbed a pen and scooped the wasp away from me. Very concerned friends turned around and asked me - using sign language - whether I got bitten. Nice people :)

In the evening, we had to go to a friend's place for dinner. We got locked out. It's a long story but to cut it short, we didn't take the keys out with us and accidentally locked the door. After dinner, we called the lock smith. The door was opened. I rushed in, embracing every single piece of furniture I could see. I thought I would never see the inside of my house again.

And that, was the worst Fridayof my life. EVER.

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is definitely THE book of the year, captivating the hearts of so many readers around the world.



It is written in Bella Swan's perspective and revolves around the storyline of when an ordinary human girl meets a handsome vampire. It has almost every possible element a story book could have, all in one. The romance, the action, the suspense..

Pretty much every girl in the universe is in love with Edward Cullen. He's mysterious, strong, swift, "absurdly handsome"- according to Bella, and intelligent.

My favourite few lines from the book :

"You really shouldn't do that to people," I criticized. "It's hardly fair."
"Do what?"
"Dazzle them like that - she's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now."
He seemed confused.
"Oh, come on," I said dubiously. "You have to know the effect you have on people."
He tilted his head to one side, and his eyes were curious. "I dazzle people?"
"You haven't noticed? Do you think everybody gets their way so easily?"
He ignored my questions. "Do I dazzle you?"
"Frequently" I admitted.





The characters in the two pictures are playing the lead roles as Isabella Swan and EDWARD CULLEN. The movie should be in theatres in December.

This heart-warming novel is one that is worth reading.
I give it 6 stars!

My Soccer Hero - KAKA

This certain Brazilian midfielder puts all those "sexiest men alive" to shame. No seriously. All the Brad Pitts and George Clooneys of the world are no match for this 6 feet 1 inch pretty boy. Personal opinion.

You're probably thinking "Kaka? What a weird name". I have to admit I asked myself and a few others that very question when I first found out such a person existed (It's all thanks to Megan). To clarify things, his real name is Ricardo, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite in full.
You have to agree that Ricardo is a nice name, in an Italian/Brazilian sort of way.

Kaka :





Pure talent :





He's the main reason why I find soccer matches so entertaining. Kaka is such a talented player and that's not all. He presents himself well both in and out of the field. Apparently, he's a devout Christian and a very nice person. If you notice, he never spits during a match! That takes a lot of self-control because I've heard spitting is so very tempting a habit.
Everytime he scores a goal, he points up to heaven, glorifying God. He's really an inspiration. Kaka is definitely someone worth watching on television. This year, Time Magazine listed him as one of the most influential people in the world; the only soccer player on the list.



Kaka and his 'I belong to Jesus' shirt :

Like Kaka, I belong to Jesus. Do you?




World Cup isn't for another two years, but that's okay. I will just have to wait ! When the time comes, I'll stand proud, waving the Brazilian flag, singing the Brazilian national anthem and painting my face green, yellow and blue. But for now, go AC Milan !


There you go, you've just learnt of yet another one of my many interests.
You might also come to the conclusion that I love soccer for all the wrong reasons. Hahah :)

Of Random Drives and Jacaranda trees

A random drive through Carrindale. Well, not so random maybe since we had to find a way out of there anyway. Joel had some project to do with his friend who lives there, hence, the not-so-random-after-all visit to the suburb of Carrindale.

I had a good time admiring the beautiful and extremely expensive-looking buildings that some people call their HOMES.


Carrindale, a pretty suburb with even prettier houses.

I like how those jacaranda trees (the ones with the purple flowers) line up along both sides of the road. It gives you a sort of calm soothing feeling as you drive pass them. Beautiful things.

I here by declare the jacaranda flower as the national flower of Australia.
I'm thinking it already is, but just in case it isn't.

Holiday Gettaway

When my dad was back for that brief period of time, we went on a one-night holiday to Rainbow Beach. It's always great to explore new places, visiting beautiful sites; wonders which really reflect the greatness of their creator! We had fun of course. We got to see dolphins, HUGE pelicans and a massive sand dune. We even experienced the thrill of getting lost in the woods while trying to find the beach. But all was a happy ending since we found the beach after a 15-minute? search.

The Beach :



My very ambitious sister, Aberlyn trying to surf.


Them both. Up to their usual mischief.


Tin Can Bay :

Cutey Wwolphins

That is one huge scary bird!

Even pelicans don't like my mom. Jokes :)


The Sand Dune :
They say Aberlyn's tiny. I think so too!



Our little holiday gettaway ended in no time because of the fact that time flies when you're having fun. Next target : Melbourne/ Sydney. I would choose Melbourne of course since RACHEL OOI is there! Unfortunately, it is way too far.
I need some time to think about this. And more time to convince my parents...

My Best Friends of SGGS

Madelene Khaw and Tan Ni Wen.


I never could ask for better friends during that short yet long time we've known each other. We have always been there for one another. Encouragement helped build up our friendship.
We cry, laugh, joke, tease, walk, talk and scream together. We share our deepest thoughts and feelings with one another as well as talk about anything and everything under the sun, even if they doesn't make sense. We tell each other secrets and all those kinds of stupid little things that don't matter, but are important at the same time. We're upfront with one another. We point out each others' faults and flaws and we expect a change.
That is the kind of friendship we have. A friendship grounded on love and trust.


Ah yes. I remember those times we would annoy Cikgu Nurbaya with our chatter, laughter and the giggles during her moral class. We enjoyed writing and drawing silly things on scraps of paper and laughing afterwards until we went all teary-eyed at our collage of scribbles and hand-drawn pictures, something I'd like to call art. No wonder that poor teacher left the school.

Another memorable event - our night of 'Disturbia' was fun as much as it was scary. But when it came to the most exciting and nail-bitting (I don't know about you, but I bite my clean nails when I'm scared) moment in the film, the part where Shia Labeouf goes into his neighbour's house in the quest of finding his mom, the DVD decided to bail on us. So until now, we haven't seen the ending of 'Disturbia'. Nevertheless, we had so much fun screaming. Although half of the time, I covered my eyes with a pillow, watching it with Ni Wen and Madelene while holding hands, shouting every 1 minute or so, was definitely worth it.

Pictures of you, pictures of me, hanging on my wall, for the world to see...



How well do I know them?

Tan Ni Wen :
- loud
- when she doesn't talk, something is wrong
- carefree lots of the time
- very hard to please
- very very expressive
- not afraid to speak her mind
- prefects are not exactly her favourite people
- loves MPH and romance novels
- loves photography, sticky notes and sweets
- likes to draw a heart shape right after she writes her name
- the neatest person I know, with the exception of Madelene
- T-shirts, shorts and flip flops are enough to make her look good

and a million other things.

Madelene Khaw :
- extremely quiet and shy around people she's not close to
- creative
- hardworking yet lazy :)
- the piano is her good friend
- gifted in art and sewing
- owns a pair of highly peelable hands
- has the nicest writing
- has an endless supply of good pens
- very generous
- LOVES butterflies but is scared of real ones
- the neatest person I know, with the exception of Ni Wen
- very very very forgiving

and a million other things.


Hope what I wrote here doesn't embarrass you two. But it is all these little things and habits which make you, you. And without you, you lovely lot of two... what would I do?

He's Back

Oh yes he is.

September 27 :

Aberlyn and Joel presented to him the sweetest powerpoint. He then brought out 'the merchandise' from his huge as luggage.. DVDs, clothes, mooncakes?, medicine etc.

Midday:
The Asianness in us decided to go for some Asian food - YAM CHA, which is basically tim sum. It was authentic Hong Kong food. We quite liked it.



A happy family. Can I hear an 'awww' ?


Well, my dad's been bringing us shopping, taking us wherever we want and of course indulging us with good food (after 3 months.. he'd better :p). So you see why we're always so excited when he comes over. But he's going back, because he has to, not because he wants to.

Not to worry, he'll be back here very soon! Which means more 'merchandise' - I just love the word.

Miley Ng

What would I do without Miley? I would probably go insane is what.

Growing up with dogs my whole life, I'm just not used to not having a dog around. Which was why we decided to get a dog. We drove all the way to Towoomba, about two hours away from our place to take a look at the "Finnigan Farm Pups". There were three puppies for sale and we picked from among the lot a certain pup with a black patch on one eye. There was something about her that caught my attention. I took a single glance at Miley and immediately knew I found what I was looking for. It was love at first sight.

Miley, the Finnigan Farm Puppy:


We bought her, put her in a box and took her home along with her pink bed and some toys.
There was an intense debate of what name to give our new puppy. Aberlyn insisted on calling her Miley, simply because she's a fan of Miley Cyrus. Somehow, everyone agreed to that. Maybe because we were all ready to give up anyway.

Miley grew to be an intelligent little dog. She learnt tricks in no time.
She loves playing fetch.
She has a favourite toy, as adourable as that sounds.
She hates water and hates the warm blasts of air coming out of hairdryers even more.
She dreams at night. I know because she makes funny noises while sleeping. I'm guessing it's sleep-talking, in whatever language she speaks.

Miley taking a bath. She's so tiny, the sink is her bathtub.


A few days ago, Miley went for desexing. A needle, two stitches and she took it like a man.
She has to wear this orange cone-shaped thing around her neck to prevent her from licking her wounds. With that thing around her neck, all she can lick are her two hind legs.



So here's to Miley, the best dog an owner could ever wish for.

Our Story.

Just to reinforce what Rachel Ooi wrote briefly in her blog, I will tell the story of how Rachel and I became such close friends in greater detail.

Our story starts here.

In the beginning, God created a girl in her mother’s womb. When she was born, her parents named her Rachel. She was destined for great, great things. Even when she was a young girl, she liked to help out in any way she could, always the first to put up her hand and volunteer. She was everyone’s sweetheart.

4 years after Rachel was born, a little infant opened her eyes to see the world for the very first time. Abigail was her name, as was given to her by her parents who thought that name was the best choice for their firstborn. Hmmmm
Abigail tried her hardest to treat everyone nice.
She was a good girl. = )

...Fast forward...

Year 2006 -
It was time for Abigail to attend her first ISCA service. She was a bit scared but excited. The form ones entered Palm Springs for their welcome lunch hosted by the leaders of ISCA. Rachel was amongst them leaders. Abigail and her friend, Emma didn’t know anyone there. They didn’t want to talk to anyone else but to each other. Rachel, who noticed that came up to them and tried to be all friendly and nice. But she soon gave up because they weren’t being co-operative, giving only one-word responses like “yes” or “no” or “ok”.
Yes. Rachel and Abigail started off rough.

Abigail was then put in Rachel’s cg, Roti Batu. Every time they met in cg, they would only engage in small talk, like “how was your week?” or “why didn’t you come to cg last week?” They did talk and laugh together, go on cg trips together, but still there was no….. spark! Hahh

(Ok, I’m tired of writing in third-person.)

One fine Sunday morning, sometime in the month of August maybe…
Mere coincidence. Both our families decided to go out for some family bonding time/breakfast. My side of the story: Aberlyn wanted to go to McDonalds. We all agreed because we needed a break from the usual Arati Villas. So McDonalds it was. As we entered McDonalds, we saw familiar faces smiling at us. We said hi to Rachel’s family and talked to them for a bit. Then, it was this sudden decision that changed our lives as we'd known it. Our parents decided to sit together in one table. So Rachel, Carin, Aberlyn and I had to sit somewhere else. For some reason, Joel wasn't there. Rachel and I started talking so much. Both of us just had this “I have a million things to tell her” sort of feeling in us. A sudden outburst. There was not even a single moment of silence. It was intense! Carin and Aberlyn made some interesting contributions to our discussions as well. We laughed. And we laughed hard.

My parents enjoyed the company of Rachel’s parents. The same the other way round. So we often went out for dinner together. Rasa Sayang, Evergreen, Tanjong Bunga Seafood, Passions of Kerela… And of course, after dinner, we would have our photos-in-the-toilet time.

The following year was great. Eventually, I became good friends with Rachel Yeoh ! The sleepovers, shopping trips, photo sessions, Girl Power, the fav list.. BFFS for life!
Good times:

Rasa Sayang

PCC toilet

Mural

Cass' sweet 16

Kit Siong

But sadly, I had to leave to Brisbane, Australia. Rachel cried me a river. Oh yeah! A few months after, it was her turn to leave to Australia, but to Melbourne instead. Now we both are, like she said, so near, yet so far.

Our story doesn’t just end here.
I believe it will continue on and on.
Till death do we part.

Bananas, sticks, beijing, olympics, bread and honey, superspy.

English Assignments: designed to scare the skirts off little kids.

Tomorrow will be one of the most nerve-wrecking days of my life. I can tell. I will never be this nervous about something, ever.
Tomorrow, at about 11, my hour of doom, I will have to perform a speech from the play Romeo and Juliet. In Front Of My Class. I know, to some, the idea of performing in front of a crowd is nothing to get all scared about. But not to me, especially when we're expected to perform it full on dramatically with all the sighs and hand-on-the-forehead moves. And the worse part- we have to wear costumes!

All those who performed on Monday and Tuesday were so nervous. Most of them were shaking. My friend, Jess turned red when she performed. I laughed at her. But she offered me some sour cream and onion chips today, so I guess she's not mad. Jess was very good at her speech though. My other friend, Rachel who performed the same speech as mine did hers really really well.
The Pressure!!!

I chose probably one of the corniest speeches you can find in the whole script. I don't know why, but I chose it anyway. So, poor me. I have to get up there tomorrow, wearing a white dress, acting all head over heels and saying these lines:

O Romeo Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father, and refuse thy name
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague
What's Montague?
It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face
nor any other part belonging to a man
O, be some other other name
What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd
Retain that dear perfection
which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name
And for thy name, which is no part of thee
Take all myself

And that's not all. After the speech, I have to give another 600-word speech, my rationale.
I know, I am terribly excited too!
I have to explain in my rationale why I chose to wear what I wore and how I attempted to convey the love theme etc etc..

I can't ruin the whole thing tomorrow. I worked way too hard to just ruin it. Or at least I thought I worked hard. So there was the process of learning my lines. Then, writing my rationale, which drove me insane by the way. I had to then find a white dress, pretty shoes, stress out, memorise my rationale, write dot points on a palm card and stress out some more. So yeah, I worked hard all right.

I'm nervous but I'll get over it. Soon. It brings me joy to know that I still have 2 more years of these kinds of assignments.
God, help me!