GlamorAnn

Sick of Being Sick

2012-01-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

Cough! Cough! A...ACHOOOOO!!!!!

If the tittle and expressions above haven't given you a clue what's this post is gonna be about, you're probably an idiot. Or sick.

Yes, I'm down with the common cold (and I hope to God nothing more). I haven't been to school for a week now. In the beginning, my host sis was sick last Wednesday. We'd normally take the bus to school and I was still in good health to go to school by myself.

However, because my Italian skills is as good as a 3-year-old kid, I'm not allowed to take the bus myself because they're afraid I might:

1. Not be able to identify the right bus.
2. Take the wrong bus.
3. Get lost.
4. Talk to some random stranger for help.
5. Accept help from a kindly looking fellow in a white van.
6. Somehow find myself next to the Great Wall of China after accepting a glass of coke from the kind fellow and later took a long nap and forget who I was.
7. Spend the next 20 years traveling the world, delivering packets of what looked like dried grass.
8. Eventually watch the news and see a tearful couple mentioning my name and how much they miss me.
9. Recognize that its my parents and remember who I really was.
10. Fight a bloody battle with my master and eventually escape alive.
11. Travel by foot for 3 years to Malaysia.
12. Reunite with my family once again.
13. Fly to Italy.
14. Attempt to take the bus to school again.
15. Take the wrong bus.

So... yeah. I'm not allowed to take the bus to school alone. Yeah.

A few days after my host sis got sick, I got sick too! FML...

Anyway, I hope I've been making a speedy recovery. I've been drinking A LOT of water and using the toilet A LOT of times. The good news is that my pimples are finally going away! YAY!!! In a few days, my skin will be nice and smooth, just how it used to be.

The bad new is that because I haven't been moving my ass for a week and I've never stepped foot out of the house, I've been rolling in the weight gain and I'm SO FAT!!! >.<

When I'm back in Malaysia, its gonna be a strict diet and kilometers upon kilometers of non stop running. Maybe I'd get a personal trainer.

Now I know how pregnant people feel...

Buon Anno Cinese!

2012-01-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

GONG XI FA CAI and 新年快乐!

Its the year of the Dragon, the luckiest zodiac of the 12 years! I have a feeling that there's gonna be a lot of marriages and babies on the way.

Speaking about babies, my host family's cousin recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He's so gorgeous, I fell in love with him straight away. The baby's name is Raffaele, the same name as my host brother. Isn't that cool? I'm so happy for them :)

Oh yeah, on such a special occasion, naturally, I must dedicate a nail art for the year of the dragon and here it is!

Tada!! What do you think?

The head was a little tricky to paint on. I had to practice on a piece of paper with both hands before taking a deep breath and paint my nails. Miraculously, even my right hand turned out fine. I have steady hands :P

Lookie! Put my nails together and you get the body of the dragon :)

This year is probably the loneliest Chinese new year ever. Because I'm in Italy. Its weird not listening to the 'Boom, boom boom!!' of the fireworks, or watching a lion dance, going shopping for new clothes, eating a lot, and worst, no ang pau!!! >.<

But how often do I ever get to visit Italy? Exactly.

I've been aware about this and it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. There's always next year. Plus, I'm having a wonderful time here.

The downside is that I have pimples! Yes, that's right, smooth-as-a-baby's-butt-skin Anne has A LOT of pimples! I'm so devastated :(

Never in my life have I ever seen so many pimples at one time on my usually smooth skin!

Where did I go wrong???

Anyway, I'm doing my best to get rid of those awful pimples by drinking lots of water (I've been using the toilet more frequently these days), staying away from dairy products (I think that's the cause of it because I've been drinking milk and eating cheese and chocolate nearly everyday), and wash my face more often.

I'm so desperate to get rid of it. If it gets any worst, I swear I'll insist upon seeing a doctor! I can't live looking like the surface of the moon, I just can't. I'm really close to tears just looking at the mirror these past few days.

Okay, getting out of topic here. Anyway.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! Wishing you happiness and prosperity to all my family, friends, and not forgetting my lovely readers.

Lots of love from Italy <3

T.G.I.S

2012-01-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

Thank God its SUNDAY!

I swear, my first week of school for the year felt like the LONGEST week of my life. And I have to go through all that for the next 5 weeks. XP

My very first week of school in Italy was last year before the beginning of our 2 week holidays. It wasn't so bad then because everyone was relaxed and they finished school earlier. But now that the holidays are over, things start to get serious.

First of all, I found out that we had to go to school on a... a Saturday! Yes, I'm shocked too. In our Malaysian school, we only have school on Saturdays for curriculum activities or to replace a holiday. Even then, we don't go to school on that rare Saturdays because... we wanna sleep!

So yeah, its usually the people who have nothing else to do that would go to school on a freakin Saturday. But attendance in an Italian school is very important, so we have to go weather we like it or not. The only free day we get is a Sunday. *sigh*

Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the lessons either because everything is in Italian except for English classes. So I couldn't follow the lessons because I can't understand what they're saying... and I get really bored. Sometimes, I get so bored, I actually sleep in the class believe it or not.

Nobody noticed that I was sleeping during the past few days because I have a technique: I'd take out one of my novels, open it to a random page, bend over it and use my hair to cover my face so it looks like I'm reading when I'm actually in a far away land called Dreamland. So far, I haven't been caught yet.

I also discovered not long after that they have no recess!

Like WHAAAAT!? How can you possibly go on for 6 hours in school without at least 20 minutes break?? Apparently, the Italian students can. Its so weird. What if you get hungry? What if you need to use the toilet? What if you need some fresh air and to stretch your legs??

In the end, whenever I need to use the toilet or to buy a drink from the vending machine (did I mention that there's no canteen in the school?), I'd have to ask the teachers in Italian.

Later on, when school finishes, Lia and I have to literally RUN to the bus stop so that we can catch the bus home. And usually, we'd always miss the bus. So we have to either wait or take a 10 minute walk to the city square where all the buses go to and we have to wait about 30 minutes for the next bus to arrive.

In the morning, we also have to take the bus to school and I swear, never before have I appreciated owning a car or being driven around by my parents before! In the morning, the bus is so crowded, I'd usually get squeezed about by the passengers because I couldn't find a seat.

One time, I've been squeezed so hard by a guy from behind me, I swear I felt something else on my ass. I hope its his phone or something hard in his pockets *shivers*.

On the plus side, I really enjoyed playing sports with the school kids last Friday. We played Badminton. Its been a long time since I've done that.

While Lia was off playing soccer with her friends, I was playing badminton with an Italian boy (because I had no idea how to play soccer) when the P.E teacher told us to have a real badminton match. And guess who won??

ME! I won! Malaysia Boleh!!!

After I won the match, another boy who was watching us play wanted to challenge me as well. And I accepted, even though I was completely exhausted and dehydrated.

Once again, I won. Yep, I've still got it. Haha!!

The next day, my muscles were aching because I haven't been using those muscles in a long time because of my SPM exams. Gosh, I could hardly walk and my butt hurts so sitting down may take some time. But it was all worth it. It was probably the most exciting thing that had happened during the entire week.

I like my P.E teacher. He's probably the biggest guy I've ever seen so far. He's so tall, I'm barely up to his shoulders. (Yes Daniel, he's much taller than you.) I literally have to look up to talk to him.

I dunno why, but my P.E teacher reminds me of a St. Bernard. A gentle giant. He's very kind. The next day after playing Badminton, he gave me the school team t-shirt!

I realized that "No Al Doping" means 'No to Drugs'. Okaay....

Whatever. Its free!

On Saturday, I'd follow Lia and her friends to Avellino in the evening. It was a different experience walking around the place at night. I've never been out with my friends at night before, we'd usually go during the day.

I really enjoyed looking at the things that are sold in the shops, but we didn't go inside much shops.

I love shopping....

Oh and the shoes! Absolutely gorgeous! I love their boots, but I don't think its very practical to wear in Malaysia. *sigh* Oh well....

Anyway, we went to a pizza restaurant for dinner and guess what I had...

Sorry for the crap picture. I'm afraid of using flashes in a public place. But basically, its a pizza with cheese, sausages, and yes, believe it of not, french fries! What a strange pizza.

I wanted to try something other than my usual Margarita pizza, but I think I still prefer the classic, which is, of course, the Margarita. The french fry pizza is great, but I find it rather fattening and yes, you get one WHOLE pizza to yourself!

I really have no idea how the Italians do it! I've seen skinny girls and little kids eat those massive pizzas to themselves and they didn't seem very... stuffed. Like me. I could barely eat even half that pizza, but somehow I managed to stuff 3/4 of that pizza in me. Somebody else ate the remaining quarter pizza of mine.

You won't believe this, but, in Italy, you have to pay for the glasses, the cutlery, and basically the service in a restaurant! Its about 2 euros per person, which is about RM8. Damn!

I've been busy this past week and I know I'll be busy for the next few weeks as well. So I'll keep you updated every Sunday because apparently, that's the ONLY free day I have in a week.

Ciao!

Culture Shocks

2012-01-05T03:14:00.000-08:00

Its been about 3 weeks since I first stepped foot upon the Italian grounds and I have learnt that the culture in Malaysia and Italy are COMPLETELY different.

So here are some of the culture shocks I have experienced during my stay in Italy so far.

1. Its all about the love in Italy

When I first met my host family, I planned to give them a hug (and that's already very affectionate for me). But instead, they gave me a kiss on both cheeks each and I realized that this is common in Italy. More kisses and hugs followed after that when I met other Italians during my first week.

I have never received (or given) so many hugs and kisses in just 1 week, I can't even keep track anymore! But you know what? I actually like it.

2. Most Italians smoke

The first thing that greeted me at the entrance of the airport was the smell of cigarettes. Its very common for people to smoke here, including the teenagers. Even my host family smokes, except for my host sister, Lia.

Although I've been offered a cigarette once in a while, I refused politely. I want to experience their culture, but I don't intend to start any bad habits. Like smoking.

But I've learnt to stand the smell of cigarettes now and it doesn't bother me whenever somebody smokes in front of my face anymore.

3. Nobody goes bare footed in the house

OK, I've been quite aware about this culture before I arrived in Italy, but despite all that, I still asked where do I put my shoes when I first arrived at their home. I was a bit surprised that I could walk around in the house wearing my sneakers because I didn't want to dirty the floors.

But everybody seems to be doing it so what the heck. Anyway, if you wanna be comfortable, you can wear house slippers like the one I'm wearing now. Their aunt bought it for me even though I insisted that I'd pay for myself and she said its a gift for me.

Isn't that kind of her?

4. Italians eat fast

That was definitely a shocker for me. I thought I ate quickly. I've always finished eating my food first back in Malaysia, so I was very surprised that everybody else had finished eating their share of pizza while I was only halfway through (and trust me, it was a very large piece of pizza)!

The there was lunch and dinner and every time I always finish last! Even their grandpa ate faster than me =.=

5. EVERYTHING is in Italian. Even the Simpsons.

The Simpsons has always been one of my favorite shows. That's why I was feeling so happy when I saw the Simpsons theme song playing from my host family's TV. I was surprised when I saw Homer speak Italian after that.

In fact, everything that was originally in English has been dubbed into Italian so that the locals are able to enjoy it. We even watched Dragonball in Italian!

Its so weird watching Goku speak Italian...

Its not just the TV. Even the movies played American movies in Italian.

The other day, Lia took me along with her friends to watch Sherlock Holmes. At first, I was like 'Great! Something in English. Finally!' Fat hopes.

The movie is dubbed in Italian and there isn't even any English subtitles for me to read like the ones in Malaysia. I had a feeling that it was a good movie. Unfortunately, I couldn't understand a word of it.

6. Italian kids gamble a lot

Now that its the holidays, I've been following Lia to her friend's house nearly every night to play Tombola or Sinco. Its the Napolean version of 'Bingo' and its quite fun. Except for the fact that I always keep losing money T.T

Tombola. Its a game where somebody randomly chooses a number and call it out. You're supposed to cover the number that is called on your card just like bingo. The first one who finishes all the numbers is supposed to call out 'Tombola!' and you win money.

In the beginning, I didn't win at all because they call out the numbers in Italian so I couldn't really understand. But after numerous times of playing, I began to recognize the numbers and I've won a few times now.

Here's a fun fact about gambling in Italy; it is said that a person who is very unlucky in the game is usually lucky in love. Maybe I'm lucky in love because I never won anything at all during the first few nights :P

7. Loud conversations are normal

Until now, this is something I'm still not very used to. I don't understand Italian very well, so I get very uncomfortable when people starts talking to each other very loudly. At home, people shout at each other when they're mad at each other so I get a little upset whenever my host family starts talking loudly because I can't tell if they're angry or not.

I've been told that its normal for people to shout at each other even when their not mad, but sometimes I'm afraid they shout because I did something wrong. Oh well, hopefully I'll get used to it soon...

And that's some of the few culture shocks I have experienced during my stay in Italy. I'm pretty sure there are a few more, but I'm too lazy to list it down. More updates to come soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Christmas in Italy

2012-01-02T02:20:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR and BUON ANNO peeps!

OK, I know its a very, very late post, but what the hell. I'm gonna talk about Christmas in Italy anyway.

Being away from home on Christmas day is a totally new experience for me. Despite the cheerful atmosphere in my host family's household, I couldn't help that feeling about missing home and my family.

On Christmas eve, we had a BIG dinner and I mean a HUUUGE dinner. I've never eaten so much food before. At home, my family used to prepare several types of food and we'd leave it on the table for others to take as much as they want.

I'd usually take one meal and I'm done. But here in Italy, things are a little different. Instead of one course like I'd normally have, they have about 5 courses!! XP

These are some of the things we had for Christmas. The food is SOOO good. I really enjoyed it, but there's so much food, I felt like I could explode any minute.

Later on, Lia took me to their basement where they store all their food.

I've never seen so much tomato sauce all my life. They made it themselves last summer. Its used for pasta and other food. Like, seriously? Can they really finish it all in one year??

Actually, I think they can because I've been having food with tomato sauce nearly all the time.

Check it out! Apparently, their uncle and grandpa makes their own wine. How cool is that??

That's where they store their wine. I've tasted it a few times. Its pretty good, actually. Its not as strong as the wine we usually have at home, but its just perfect for me.

On Christmas day, we went to church. The mass is celebrated a little differently compared to Malaysia.

First of all, its obviously celebrated in Italian, its alright to enter the church late (as in very late. Like, after the homily late), the choir sounds so good (and the priest is not complaining that they sound too 'professional' like my church), and you can exist before the priest leaves once mass has ended. The priest would stay at the altar and greet the parishioners instead.

After mass, my host family took me to a place where there's so many displays of the scene when Jesus was born. Its so beautiful!

I just love the 3D scenes. It must've taken a lot of work to do it.

Isn't it absolutely stunning?

According to the Italian tradition, the gifts are exchanged and opened on Christmas day, unlike my tradition where we exchange gifts on the 26th December which is Boxing day.

I'm was surprised that I actually got a gift at all for Christmas. I mean, I'm just a stranger in the house. I did get each the member of my host family a Malaysian gift though. I hope they liked it.

I was very touched when their aunt gave me something as well as a classmate from school. Even my host mom and dad gave me something too.

Anyway, spending Christmas in Italy made me realize that its not about the gifts, its not about the decorations, and its not about the food. I learnt that Christmas is about being with your loved ones and the miracle birth of Jesus.

I missed my family so much on Christmas, but I had a blast with my host family at the same time.

Merry belated Christmas and a happy new year! <3

The New Girl

2011-12-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm currently on school holiday for Christmas and the New Year until the first week of January. That means I've had about 4 days of school in Italy so far.

I'm so glad that my host sister, Lia, is about my age so we can go to school together. At least there's somebody I know on my first day of school. We go to the same class together.

I thought the place was absolutely beautiful! We took a bus to school and I've been taking pictures along the way. I saw snow on the mountains!!! O.o

Woah! They actually have graveyards for their dogs. Awesome.

The streets were so quiet in the morning. So different compared to Malaysia.

Well, this is my classroom. There are about 22 students, but including me, there's 23 students in the class.

I was so nervous about going to their school. I was really hoping that they'd like me because I want to fit in so badly. During the AFS orientation camp, I've heard of quite a few students who didn't even make any friends because of the language barrier and sometimes, the students don't really give a damn about Asian kids, so I got kinda worried.

It turns out that once again, I worry for nothing. My classmates seemed happy to meet me! They were all smiles and introduced themselves. They showed me around the school and introduced me to their teachers. They can't really speak good English, but I can basically understand what they're trying to say.

The girls are so nice and they're so much fun! They are very close to each other and so friendly. They wanted me to sit at different places of the class with different people so that we can get to know each other better. I like that arrangement.

There are very few boys in the class though. I think there's about.... 7? I think. But they're so friendly and they were very curious about where I come from and how things are compared to Italy. They are so freakin gorgeous, but a little... errmm.... crazy.

As for the teachers, they were really nice people. They can't really speak English that well either, but I'm glad they try to anyway.

The English teacher is my favorite though. For obvious reasons. She took me to different classes to talk about our Malaysian culture and stuff while my class is taking a Latin exam. Latin is so friggin hard I'm telling you. Even though we may have a bit of Latin during mass, I still don't get it.

My classmates are awesome!

It was on the last day before the holidays started when we had a class party! I've never told my host family, but I hate cheese. But you know what? Their food is so good, I've been completely converted! (except the mozzarella cheese. I didn't really like it. Hopefully, I'd eventually get used to the taste).

My favorite so far is the Margarita pizza. Its a classic pizza in Italy and its so simple! Its just the pizza with cheese, tomato sauce and some basil leaves. Its simply 'molto buono'!

Later on, Lia and I went to visit a friend's house. I enjoyed looking at the streets of Italy. So small and quaint.

The streets are so beautiful at night! The lights, the shops, the people, everything! I'm so happy.

HOLY S**T! Its Sophie Kinsella's new book! I wanna read it, but its in Italian :(

And that was the end of my first week in an Italian school. I have to say that the school is very small, but the good thing about it is that then everybody in the school knows each other unlike a large school like mine. I was quite relieved that I managed to make friends and I feel so lucky that I have a host sister like Lia.

She's the best :)

Buongiorno Italy!

2011-12-25T08:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Italy! I still can’t believe I’m in freakinItaly. It still feels so surreal. I never thought I’d go to Europe someday. OK,yes I have and it came true!

Travelling to Italy was nerve wrecking. I was SOOO nervousthe moment I first said goodbye to my family at the airport. But at the sametime, I’ve never been so excited before. There were so many things on my mind; what if my host family don’t likeme? What if I don’t fit in with my classmates? What if I don’t like it here?

There were just so many questions on my mind.

I’m not the only one though. Even Syefah, another exchangestudent was also nervous. Heck, she was crying when we left our parents!

Its true that I absolutely love travelling, but I also HATEgoing on long flights. And the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Doha took about 8effin hours! That’s not even Italy yet. We still have to go on transit fromDoha to Italy which is about a 6 hour flight.

So altogether, I’ve been travelling for about 14 hours, butthat’s not even counting the 8 hours we had to wait on transit for the flightto Italy. Yeah, it took us about 22hours to reach Italy XP

When I first arrived in Rome, the first thing that hit mewhen I stepped out of the airport was the smell of cigarettes. I’ve been toldthat most Italians smoke, so I was prepared to tahan the smell if my hostfamily happened to smoke.

I still can't believe I was in Rome. Its like a dream come true :)

Before meeting our host family, we had to go for anorientation camp for 2 days. The volunteers are super friendly and we had agreat time!

In the hotel, I found some gorgeous postcards of Rome and Iwanted to buy it because I collect postcards. But the counter had no change for10 euros. Like hello!? It’s a counter, its supposed to have change wth =.=

I brought only notes with me so I was disappointed to findout that I can’t buy a drink from the vending machine. I haven’t had a drop ofwater since I stepped out of the plane so I was pretty frustrated that not onlycan’t I buy a drink, I can’t buy postcards or make a call because the freakincounter had no change for 10 euros!

But the place is absolutely beautiful! I fell in love withit instantly.

My first Italian breakfast! In Italy, there is bread in every meal and I mean every meal. Not that I'm complaining though. Their bread is so yummy!

During our break from the session, Ricardo, our volunteer,took me and my group to the top of the roof to see St. Peter’s church. I’vealways wanted to visit that place! Its been my dream to see the Vatican andvisit the most famous church in the world!

I really hope I could visit that place someday *sigh*.

At the end of the session, we all said our goodbyes to eachother as we went our separate ways to meet our host families. I was really,really nervous at that time because I was afraid I might not recognize my hostfamily or they might not pick me up from the train station.

Come to think of it, I guess that was kinda silly, huh?

I took some pictures on the way to the train station fromthe bus. Once again, here’s st. Peter’s church. *sigh* So near, yet so far…

The roads are so clean and the cars are so adorable!

I don’t know what’sthis place called, but Lorenzo said it’s a famous court or some sort.

Everything is simply beautiful! I love Italy :D

Sorryfor the VERY late update, but I’ve been busy settling down in my new home forthe next 2 months. When I finally tookthe train to Avellino, my heart was beating fast because I really hoped my hostfamily would like me.

Sowhen I stepped off the train into the cold dark night, I got very worried whenI saw no one there. I can’t speak Italian, my phone was dead and I didn’t haveany small change to call if there’s a problem. I don’t know if it was the coldor if I was nervous, but my body shook vigorously and my teeth was chattering…you know what? I think I was cold after all.

Anyway,I found a bench and sat there for about 10 minutes before a lady holding an AFSposter with my name on it approached me. That’s when I met my host mom.

Iwas so relieved! I haven’t introduced you to my host family, have I?

Myhost family is a family of four, just like mine. There’s my host mom,Genoveffa, host dad, Pasquale, my host sister (I finally have a sister!), Lia,and my host brother, Raffaele.

Iliked my host family instantly. They are so kind and generous. When I firstarrived at their home, they gave me a brand new coat, hat and scarf becausethey knew Malaysia is a hot country and they were concerned that I’d get coldhere.

Iwas so touched. I can’t imagine buying things like these for completestrangers. As I was preparing for bedtime, my host mom asked me if I hadpyjamas. I told her that I planned to wear my track pants and the cardigan thatI was wearing.

Shesimply shook her head, took out a box containing a set of new pyjamas and gaveit to me! The pyjamas is so warm and comfortable. I never thought anybody wouldbe this generous and kind to outsiders like me.

A complete stranger whom theybarely know and they've welcomed me into their home and gave me clothes becausethey were concerned about my well being.

Apparently, my host family couldn't speak English very well. I discovered that they've been using Google translate when e-mailing me. Luckily, my host sister, Lia, could speak English just fine. Not that great English, but good enough for us to communicate with each other.

Ifeel so lucky to be in this family.

Soanyway, we had dinner of Margarita pizza. It’s a classic pizza in Italy and Ireally liked it! Really.

Ihad no idea that I’m supposed to have one whole pizza to myself. I also foundout that apparently, Italians eat quickly. And I mean really quick. Everybodyelse had finished their pizza while I was only halfway through my first slice!

And trust me, it was a very big slice of pizza.

Theslice of pizza was actually enough to fill my tummy, so I politely declined therest. I really couldn’t eat anymore because I had an apple, a big sandwich,yoghurt, and more bread on the train.

Inthe house, I saw a fireplace! An actual fireplace that works! My host dad orbrother would take firewood from outside the house and put it in there. I knowit sounds silly, but I was really fascinated to see a real fireplace that isfully functionable to heat the house.

Raffaeletold me that the heat from the firsplace goes round the whole house becausethere is a heater in every room. The heat from the fireplace would travelthrough the pipes and out the heater so that it’ll be nice and toasty in thehouse.

Ididn’t have an adaptor for any of my gadgets so I had no choice but to use myhost family’s computer at the moment. The keyboard is slightly different fromthe keyboards in Malaysia. So it took me some time to find the keys and letters I needed to e-mail my family.

In Italy, some of the symbols such as @?()&;*%are in different places and there are also other symbols I’ve never seenbefore. Its probably an accent which is read differently.

Thenext day, I had to go to school. I’ll blog about it the next time. Ciao!

Ready for Italy!

2011-12-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

As most of you guys would know by now, I'm going to Italy for the next 2 months! I'm really excited and for the past few days, we've been shopping for some winter clothes and other essentials for the trip. Here's some of the stuff we bought.

From the letter I received, it says I needed to bring along a traditional costume to show the Italian folks. So my mom wanted to get me a Nyonya costume because I'm actually from a Nyonya heritage. For those who don't know, the Nyonyas were actually a mix of Malay and Chinese royalty back then.

Nowadays, there are very few Nyonyas around, but my great grandma is a Nyonya. We could hardly find any nice Nyonya traditional outfits in KL, so we went to Melaka to find it as the Nyonya people originated there.

Luckily, we were able to find PLENTY of beautiful Nyonya clothes and its in such good quality (unlike the lousy ones we've found in KL)! There were a few outfits, but I've finally made a decision and here it is!

What do you think?

The thing is, its gonna be winter there, so I hope where ever I'm going to might have heaters so that I won't freeze my butt off when I wear this outfit there. Still, it is a really nice outfit. Maybe I'll wear it for Easter day next year when I'm back in Malaysia.

I also got a few stuff mainly from Mid Valley. Mostly long sleeved shirts and some sweaters. And some jeans. I'd usually go for Levi's jeans for quality, but this time, I've found a better place to look for jeans.

This time, I got my jeans from Dorothy Perkins. Their jeans are super comfortable, its good quality and it costs less than RM100 (probably also because its on discount). I should've gone looking for those jeans a long time ago!

Here we have my scarves, hat and gloves. I'm gonna be nice and toasty there!

And then we have my jackets, sweater and cardigan. Of course, not all of them are new. Some were the same jackets I use whenever I go to Australia.

I am, however, pretty glad I have a trench coat. I feel like a flasher!

Then there's my favorite...

I swear! I did not plan to buy 2 boots. Even though I got them both for less than RM150 (I absolutely LOVE sales). I planned to get only one because I know its gonna be cold there and I couldn't wear any of my formal shoes cuz they're all strappy heels and my feet will be frozen for Christmas and New Year.

But because Aunty Margaret wanted to get me something nice and we were stuck between the two boots, she decided to get both of them for me (don't worry, they were waayy below her budget). Thanks a lot Aunty Margaret! I love you!

I also got two thermal clothes (or Long Johns as most would call it, or long underwear if you wanna make it sound even more un-sexier). But its really amazing stuff because even though the cloth appears thin, I can actually sweat in an air conditioned room with only that thing on!

While we were shopping, I was really hoping I could find something nice to wear for Christmas because apparently, the dresses I have are not appropriate for the weather and the material might cause static shocks. It was only on the last day, I've found the PERFECT dress which is pretty, festive, warm, and comfortable!

Check it out! This is what I'll wear this Christmas.

This is what it looks like on the outside. But on the inside...

Tada! I told you I feel like a flasher in a trench coat, right? But anyway, what do you think of the dress? Its made of wool, so its very warm (trust me, I was already sweating when I took the picture). Its in a festive color, which is red, perfect for Christmas and it doesn't cause static shocks!

Its the perfect winter dress!

I'm really excited about the trip to Italy. I've been communicating with my host sister. So apparently, my host family is a family of four; a mother, father, brother and sister. I'm quite relieved that my host siblings are about the same age as me. The brother is 17 and the sister is 16! Just like me and my brother!

They also live in a villa and I'll be going to Campania, which is South of Italy (thank goodness its warmer there!). Its also near Naples and its not too far away from Rome.

Oh I really hope I could visit Rome!

I'll be going to an Italian school and I'm very nervous about attending their local school as a foreign student. I hope I'd be able to make as many friends as possible and maybe fit it with them. This is like 'The New Girl' feeling in school all over again!

I hope they like me.

Updates maybe a little slow for the next couple of days because I'll be off to Italy this Friday. I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time.

Wish me luck and Merry Christmas!

Dear Santa

2011-12-03T04:39:00.001-08:00

I'm beginning to think you've been reading my letters wrong every year because you seem to be getting me the wrong things for Christmas. Not that its a terrible gift or anything if that's what you think. But I think its time you get yourself a pair of reading glasses.

This year, I'm not gonna ask you for any gifts because obviously you need to work on your reading skills before you disappoint me again. But lets review the things you got me for Christmas since the day I first learnt how to write, shall we?

When I was 4,

I asked for a Barbie doll. You gave me a doll, alright. But it wasn't a Barbie doll, it was a rag doll.

I understand that men can't really tell the difference about girly stuff, but really? A rag doll?? Geez...

When I was 8,

I asked for a coloring book with plenty of crayons. It was also that year when I begged you to stop giving me clothes because that's what you always seemed to be giving me every year! Once again, I thought you must have read my letter wrong because you gave me...

That's right. More clothes. Do you have elves that help or elves that sit on the sofa all day long?

When I was 11,

I was finally pleased that you have eventually stopped giving me clothes. This time, I asked you for a pair of roller shoes because all the other kids have it. Instead, you gave me...

Candy. Lots and lots of freakin candy! Need I say more?

When I was 15,

My belief in you was already beginning to deteriorate because you have been giving me the wrong stuff every year. However, I gave you one more chance by asking you for a Makeup set because I thought I was old enough to have one. But what did you give me?

Santa, I understand that a lot of girls get pregnant at my age and I know I did mention that I'm turning into a young lady and all, but SERIOUSLY!? A maternity shirt?? I have totally lost all faith and hope in you.

Its been 2 years since I've stopped writing to you. Back then, I used to write to you with paper. But I have a feeling that its been used as toilet paper for the past 13 years. So I will not give you the pleasure of wiping this entry onto your cold ass because this'll be posted on your computer and I'm sure you don't wanna ruin it, do you?

I'm not writing to you to complain about your past mistakes. OK, maybe a little bit. But the reason why I'm writing to you now its because I want you to give my family a wonderful Christmas this year while I'm away in Italy. Let them not have the Christmas blues because there might be less people to celebrate Christmas with this year, but let them have one of the most memorable ones ever!

Give them a turkey, or give them a roast lamb. Remember to fill all their stockings with lots of presents (PLEASE! No more clothes!) and give them the Christmas spirit they deserve.

This time, no more screw ups. OK?

Anne.

P.S. Will you do me just one more favor? I would really appreciate it if you could just gather all of Justin Bieber's Christmas albums... and BURN IT. Thank you with sprinkles on top :)

Dear readers, this post is based on a true story. Believe it or not, I've actually received a maternity shirt one Christmas. So to all those girls out there who thinks they've received a weird gift, think of me and be grateful for what you've got.

Memory Lane

2011-11-25T02:40:00.001-08:00

Its about 3 more papers before I finish my SPM and I can't help but think that I'm gonna lose so many people in my life. I mean, I won't be in high school any longer. I may never see my teachers and perhaps some of my classmates again.

Looking back at the happy times I had in high school, I feel rather sad that I won't be in this school any longer. I won't be able to see my teachers, my classmates, tuition, all of it! Its just such a huge change to me.
I had a great time with all my school mates. Especially my classmates from 5 Jujur. We certainly shared lots of memories together for the past 2 years together.

As lame as it sounds, I honestly feel that I'm gonna miss waking up in the morning, put on my uniform and go to school. Studying together in a classroom, using the smelly toilets, forgetting to do your homework, and so much more which I have taken for granted.

I'm gonna miss spending time with my friends everyday. Making prank calls from the public phone, skipping class, camwhoring in the school and playing pranks on my friends will only be but a fond memory of mine now.

I'm also gonna miss taking part in school activities such as cross country. Though I'm not exactly the athletic type, I'm rather disappointed that I didn't make my goal of winning a medal because I fell and sprained my ankle this year :(

Although I didn't take part in the running competition for sports day, at least I took part in the tug-of-war. Which we won!

My first and last medal from this school. Actually, I used to win a lot of medals before. Its just that in this school, not everyone can participate. So things are a little different here.

And how could I forget about the time the teachers brought us out for the Bon Odori event? We had such a great time then...

Finally, our graduation day. I really felt so emotional then because this is my final year of high school and I'm not sure if I'm ready to lose the people I know and love from this school.

That's me and my class teacher, Pn. Rozitah. She's been our Physics teacher for 2 years.

I'm gonna miss her too...

I really hope we could keep in touch as much as possible. Who knows? Maybe someday our kids could be the best of friends someday.

Of course, I'll be missing my teachers. No question. I mean, they've been helping me all these years, sacrificing their time just to help their students.

I still remember my Standard 6 BM teacher, Pn. Noraidah. How could I? Even though it was against the school rules for teachers to give private tuition to their students, she helped me out anyway. Despite the risk of losing her job. She really helped improve my BM skills a lot and I really appreciate that.

Then there's my P. Moral teacher, Pn. Norlida. She really helped me out with my essays because I was pretty lousy at it. She gave me loads of tips because I was the only one who actually gave a damn about the essay. I really want to score for my SPM!

I also appreciate the help of my current BM teacher, Pn. Afizan. Despite her strict attitude, she's actually very kind. She didn't mind whenever I ask her to check my essays and she actually marked it and gave me tips. So I'm really grateful for her help.

My English teacher Pn. Habibah is also one those special teachers I won't forget either. She's the one who helped me achieve the opportunity of being selected for the student exchange programme. Because she's one of the few teachers who could write good English, she went through all the trouble of writing the recommendation letter, talking to the principle, getting info's about my academic progress, etc, etc.... I'll send her a postcard once I'm in Italy. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably wouldn't be able to go.

But in general, I'm pretty much gonna miss all of my teachers. Especially one whom I wouldn't mention because ~~I once had a mini crush on him~~ he helped me a lot.

So yeah, school life holds a great deal of bitter and happy times there. I'll definitely miss it tremendously and sometimes I wish I was Form 1 again.

But, I gotta move on in life. I'm gonna finish my SPM, go for the student exchange programme, get an internship at The Star newspaper, then go to college. So far, that's my plan until then. Maybe next year I'll organize a gathering to see all my school mates, teachers and friends once I'm back from Italy.

Wish me luck!

Traditional Outfits

2011-11-19T05:11:00.001-08:00

Many people would've known by now that I have been selected to participate in a student exchange programme to ITALY for about 2-3 months.

I've been applying for this student exchange programme since the beginning of this year and I didn't dare announce my trip to Italy because I didn't want to jinx it.

BUT since its been confirmed that I'm selected, I've got my host family and I know when's my departure date to Rome, I guess its time I'd let my readers know that I may or may not blog while I'm there because I don't know if there's gonna be wi-fi over in Italy.

According to the letter I received, it says that I have to prepare some info, pictures, our Malaysian flag and I have to bring a traditional outfit there.

I don't normally wear any traditional outfit of any sorts and I'd like to wear an outfit that wouldn't make me freeze to death in Italy because I've gotta feeling that its gonna be cold there. You see my problem?

I think a Baju Kebaya (traditional Malay outfit) looks nice, but I don't know if its gonna be warm enough for me over there...

I've worn a Punjabi outfit (traditional Indian clothes) too....

I've heard that the Sari (another traditiona Indian outfit) is pretty hot, but...

The middle may be a little exposed and my tummy easily gets cold. Besides, what if I liked Italian food so much, I got fat and look super ugly in a sari???

And then I thought about my own traditional costume which is a cheongsam, because I'm a chinese. The problem is that nobody wears a Cheongsam and hardly anyone sells it either.

Another problem is that to wear a Cheongsam, you should have a good figure to wear it because its such a shapely outfit and its probably one of the most sexiest traditional outfits ever! How the heck can I pull it off?

If I wanna wear a traditional outfit which keeps me warm, hide my figure, and keep me close to my Chinese roots, I might as well wear this outfit:

Woohoo! An outfit from the Tang Dynasty. Hat included. Now THAT's a traditional outfit!

Unfortunately, nobody from this century even sells or wear it because its ridiculous to wear something like that in a scorching hot weather like ours.

I need help.

What kind of traditional costume should I wear to Italy???

Leave a comment with your opinion.

Come to think of it, why is it that in a multi- racial country like Malaysia, only the Chinese NEVER wear their own traditional costumes unlike the Indians and Malays?

Hmmm.... you can also leave a comment about that too if you like. I think its because its too sexy to wear in public.

Oh yeah, my first week of SPM wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Except last Thursday, which was Math. Usually, I thought Maths was a piece of cake. I mean, it always has been before....

Until I realized that 5 minutes before time was up, I realized that I shaded 10 questions wrong because I skipped 3 questions by mistake! Total chaos!

I barely had time to shade the answer sheet correctly and answer the 3 questions correctly before the examiner collected our papers. By the time I got to the last question, the examiner told us to put down our pencils because time's up.

Nevertheless, I ignored her and finally thought of the correct answer and shaded it properly just seconds before she took away my paper. Thank God I got everything right just in time.

Of all things to happen, I can't believe I panicked during maths, the easiest subject ever! And I think I know why. Its because I didn't wear pink underwear that day unlike the rest of the week because I ran out of them.

On the bright side, Math paper 2 was definitely easy to answer. I had no problem there.

Btw, Pink is my lucky color according to my horoscope. Yes, believe it or not, I actually believe this shit. Don't judge me.

Wish me luck for my next few papers!

P.S. I can't believe I'm sharing the color of my underwear to the world. Must be the stress that's causing me to think irrationally. Oh well.

Its Finally Here!

2011-11-12T20:08:00.001-08:00

OMG! I'm practically hyperventilating right now.

Tomorrow's the big day; the day I've been preparing for the past 10 years. The day I've been dreading all my life. The day I've been studying for day and night. The day that'll mark my last day of High School....

The day I finally sit for my SPM examinations O.o

Its all set. Our tables were arranged, our SPM slips were pasted on our desks and I'm sitting face to face in front of the examiner. Just my luck!

Worst, since I'm the only student in the entire school who's taking the Bible Knowledge exams, I'll be in a room alone with the examiner. One. On. One :S

Hopefully the examiner isn't some creep who's really annoyed with me for taking the exam so I have to occupy his/her time. If the Good Lord is kind enough, perhaps the examiner is cool enough to cit chat with me during the exam to lighten the atmosphere. Fat hopes.

Anyway, remember how I used to whine about not being able to have a proper graduation day like everybody else and that I wanna wear a fancy robe and hat and hold a fake scroll?

Guess what?

WHEE!! Much to my surprise and delight, we had a surprise graduation session last Friday, 11.11.11. I got to wear a fancy robe and hold a fake scroll! I'm so happy!! :D

Well, we didn't have the hat, but that's OK. It might ruin my hair anyway.

Apparently, we were the first batch in our school history to have a graduation day. I feel so honored and lucky to be the first to graduate from high school properly.

There's my entire class taking our graduation photo. Can you spot me next to the teacher?

I know at a time like this, I should be studying instead of blogging right now, but I thought I should just update you guys on what's going on right now. Updates may be slow from now on until 5th December which is my last day of SPM.

Besides, I've been working my butt off writing lots of essays and doing exercises for at least 6 hours a day (and please fellow SPM students, don't you dare boast about how much longer you study than me because I don't give s shit that you've been studying for 24 hours a day and that you're much cleverer than me and I'm a lazy sloth.).

I've even started writing in a straight handwriting instead of my normal cursive style, which is kind of a pain because it really slows down my writing. But I gotta make sure the examiner could read my handwriting.
I think I deserve a short break, don't I?

Today, as I was reading my horoscope from the Sunday's newspaper, it says that my lucky color, number and day is pink, 13 and Monday.

So I have a good feeling that tomorrow is gonna be my lucky day. It better be, because BM is gonna be my first subject so I'd better do well on that subject.

And since my school uniform does not even have the slight hint of pink, I'm gonna wear as many Pink underwears as possible. To attract more luck via my ass. As for the number, I'll just turn my volume up to 13 in my car for that extra luck boost.

Usually, I'd look at a horoscope and then think its bullshit, but this time, I really feel that I need as much help as I could get. I've even been praying real hard everyday that I'd do well in my exams. So far, my prayers really did come true for my exams.

The first time I prayed for at least 4 A's in my UPSR, I really did get exactly 4 A's, much to everyone's surprise (they thought I was too carefree and relaxed. A parent actually thought I was stupid. But her son is retarded and that's already polite enough. So there.)

Later on, I prayed that the lowest grade I could possibly get for my PMR was at least a C and it also came true! I prayed that I might be chosen for the students exchange programme despite my average grades and the slim chance that I'll be chosen, and it too came true!

God has really helped me all these years and hopefully, he'd help me again so that I'll do well in my exams.

Good luck to all SPM students! Lets all do our best and pass with flying colors. God bless!

P.S Thanks to you guys, GlamorAnn has finally reached over 10000 viewers!! Thank you so much for all your support. This has really given me the encouragement to blog more often.

P.S.S I know it may not be a lot of viewers to some of you, but this blog has really come a long way since 2009. So shut up.

How to Annoy Like a Pro

2011-11-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

It brings me great satisfaction when it comes to annoying the wits out of my brother. As Daniel's older sis, its my job to makes his life miserable. After 16 years of being on the job, its time I share with you on how to make life a little rosier by annoying like a pro.

So here's some of the top annoying stuff I do that drives my brother up the walls:

1. Smother him with lots of love

That's right. Straight boys aren't the mushy kind of people. So everyday, I tell my brother how much I love him. Just shove your love right up to his face. It always winds him up. Never gets old.

2. Sing the same song over and over again

Not just any ordinary songs. The really annoying ones like nursery rhymes or some random tunes with the occasional bangs and chorus! (Baba Black sheep is my favorite tune.)

3. Just smile and stare

It really works. Not only is it creepy, its also entertaining to watch his reaction. Plus, you're already being annoying without doing anything! That's the beauty of it. And if you want that extra 'oomph', batter your eyelashes whenever he looks at you.

4. Ask lots of questions

Here are the top questions I ask my brother nearly everyday:

What's up?
Can I play with you?
Isn't my dog so pretty?
Can I cut your hair someday?
Don't you love me?
Can I ride your future motorcycle?
Can I move in with you when we're grown up?
Don't you like my little puppy??
Aww! Isn't my doggie cute?

And so on...

5. Sing along to his favorite song. Badly

Whenever a song comes up on the radio in the car, I'd sing along off tune just for that pained look on my brother's face. Of course, he'd turn the radio up to drown my voice and eventually I'd stop. But I'll sing again a couple of minutes later.

6. Make bets you will never pay

According to Daniel, I owe him RM250 after a countless number of random bets I made with him. But we both know very well that I ain't paying up.

7. Don't follow his directions

Whenever I drive my brother around, he'd constantly give me instructions on what to do. So sometimes, when he tells me to go left, I'd go right. When he tells me to make a U-turn, I'd drive further away from the U-turn and take the longest way back.

8. Sniff. Loudly

I love it whenever Daniel reacts to that. MOM! ANNE IS SNIFFING ME AGAIN!!!

9. Poke at random times

Unlike Facebook, poking people in reality is a lot more entertaining than clicking on a button.

Also, an annoying person should know how to Take a Punch!

Having a brother who is 6ft 4inches tall and a body mass of nearly twice my size, its no laughing matter when he gets mad. Trust me.

But after years of experience, I'm not afraid when he gets mad. I've gotten used to being hit once in a while and I always get yelled at, but that's the price I have to pay to be annoying. Its all worth it though. In fact, it gets us closer each day.

See how close we are? We enjoy each other's company.

I Wish Guys Would..

2011-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

What happened to all the gentlemen in the world? Finding a guy with some decent manners and courtesy towards women are so rare these days! Why is it so hard for guys to be a gentleman once in a while?

You see? This is why its so hard to find a boyfriend!

Guys, we girls would really appreciate it if you...

1. Insist on paying the bill

Sure, its nice to offer to split the bill just to be polite, but we girls don't expect you to accept it. What we expect is for you to wholeheartedly, unabashedly insist on paying. That shows that you really want to make a good impression. And also that you have cash. To go shopping. With us.

2. Hold the door open for a stranger

No doubt that its a polite gesture. To me, it proves that you have class and not afraid to show it.

3. Keep us warm

That's Barack Obama keeping his wife, Michelle warm with his jacket.
Do you see how sweet that is?

Girls, on average get cold much easily than men. So if you really do care, risk a bit of discomfort and give us your jacket when you see us shivering. Trust me, every girl wants to be treated that way.

4. Help us with our bags

Weather its helping us to hoist our bags into the overhead compartment on an airplane or just helping us carry a heavy load to our cars, a guy's strength is definitely much appreciated. Not trying to sound sexist or anything like that, but lets face it. Guys are certainly stronger than girls. Which makes them indispensable. Especially during our shopping spree!

5. Know your 'P's and 'Q's

Remember to say 'please' and 'thank you'. It costs you nothing and it keeps everybody happy. It sounds pretty simple, but you'd be surprised how few I've seen people remembering either.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

6. Smile!

There's nothing more attractive than a guy with a genuine smile. So smile! It might brighten up somebody's day. Everybody likes being smiled at :)

That's So Penang

2011-10-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

It was one of those last minute 'Hey-lets-go-somewhere-far-away' weekends. And so, our destination was in Penang island, in which I call 'The Land of Good Food'. Because everything in Penang are DELICIOUS!

On the first night when we arrived at our hotel, my dad thought it was about time that he took us to our first night club where he used to go in his younger days.

Well, my first impression of the night club was that it was really LOUD. Like, someone screaming in your ear loud. It was so loud, I could barely hear myself think and I can feel my clothes flapping away on me when I stood in front of the speakers for a brief second.

We sat at the side of the stage where it was the least loudest, but very loud nonetheless. My dad ordered some drinks for us. For my dad and brother, a pint of beer each. For me, a glass of white wine.
Thank God. Beer isn't my kind of drink.

And so throughout the whole night, we watched the band play all kinds of requests, including a Chinese song requested by my dad. Apparently, he told them that we were from Taiwan wtf...

The band was pretty good, considering that they are able to play any song you want like a live jukebox.

It was a fun night, but honestly, I'm not sure if the night life is my cup of tea. I mean, my dad and bro managed to down about 4 pints of beer throughout the entire night, and me? I only managed to drink about 3/4 glass of wine. I didn't even finish my glass when we left!

I'm not exactly an alcohol person, but it did give me a boost of confidence to put a camera at the band's face later on.

The next day, we happened to stop by Penang hill. It was a last minute decision, but hey! Since we're there why not take a chance?

Look how steep that railway is! If only it were a roller coaster. I bet it'll be a hit!

That's the train we boarded to go up the hill. Still wish it was a roller coaster....

Check out all the people down there!

It was actually a fast ride to the top, unlike the old days. My dad said back when he was a tour manager, it was a pain to bring the tourists to Penang hill because the train was made of wood and it always broke down halfway during the trip. So, everybody has to get down and walk all the way to the top!

A pretty sight, isn't it?

I noticed a lot of people made their mark on that tree stump. Naturally, I too must make my mark.

ANNE WAS HERE 2011!
Can you see it? If only I brought a marker pen...

You'd have to be an idiot if you couldn't be bothered to take a picture with the picturesque scene up there.

Look! Its the wooden train I was talking about!

Check out the cute little grasshoppers this lady is making! Its made out of coconut leaves.

I used to create such grasshoppers like these before. It was a great tool when it comes to making pranks on other girls. Unfortunately, I forgot how to make them. Its pretty complicated.

Later on, we headed off to visit some temples.

Am I allowed to take pictures of Buddhas in the temple? I hope its not disrespectful...

You know, as I was checking out the statues of Buddhas and other artifacts around, I spotted this couple who were meditating in front of this large Buddha. And then, I saw the man who was sitting calmly at first, started to shake really violently. It was super freaky.

He was shaking all over for about a minute or so and then, he was calm again. But his head was moving about in a slow circle. Was he possessed?

We weren't allowed to enter that temple. It makes me wanna enter all the more!

OK, I know some of you guys might be pretty pissed with me for not taking any foodie pictures. What? It was so delicious, I had to eat it right away before I could even think about taking a photo!

See? That's how good Penang food is.

Peace out yo!

Life as a Banana

2011-10-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

If you personally knew me well enough by now, you'd probably figure out sooner or later that I'm what people would call a 'Banana'.

Can you spot the Banana?

A Banana refers to a person who is yellow (Asian) on the outside, white on the inside. In other words, a Chinese who can't speak Mandarin, but speaks English.

Its funny that my parents could speak Cantonese fluently, but I've never been taught how to speak the language. Ever since I was a kid, I'd usually hear them argue in Cantonese. So I came up with a conclusion that the only reason why my parents never taught me Cantonese is because they probably didn't want me to understand what their arguments are about.

But I think the reason why I never picked up the language was probably because I wasn't too interested in it.

Believe it or not, I've even gone to several Chinese schools before I studied in a private school. I spoke very little Mandarin because back then, I was extremely shy and I was afraid to talk to people. So I barely had any practice with my Mandarin speaking skills and it was hard to make friends.

However, the only time I ever spoke Mandarin or Cantonese fluently is whenever I order food. Hey, when you're hungry and gotta eat, you gotta speak up; nobody speaks English at a local coffee shop.

But if I have to speak Mandarin and its not about food, there's my problem; either I couldn't understand or I have no confidence in replying. Some people say that I have an accent whenever I speak Mandarin because I sound like a white person who can't pronounce things properly.

Back when I was in private school, I was pretty much normal over there because everything was in English. Now that I'm in government school, it really hits me that I am a Banana among mangoes (yellow on the outside, yellow on the inside, get it?).

On the other hand, at least I can still manage to understand what people are basically saying once in a while so that I can survive. Speak to me in Mandarin though, and things get pretty awkward. Like this one conversation I had had with a little girl:

Translation: Have you seen my mom?

And then I'd think for while and usually say:

Translation: Err... I dunno...

And then she went:

Then a worried looking lady came up to the girl from behind, so I left and I can hear her say:

Translation: Hey, why aren't you talking to me? Oh, hi mom!

Thank God I was right about that woman, otherwise I'll be stuck with that little girl until we find her mom.

Well, that's the hard life living as a banana. I really wish I could speak Mandarin or Cantonese as fluent as any other locals around because I feel really inadequate having being able to speak only English and Malay instead of my mother's tongue.

Its true that being able to speak English means that I can communicate with international people, but sometimes, I wish I could trade the language with Cantonese so that I can finally speak to my dad's side of the family or talk to my grandma.

But for now, I guess I'll just have to accept that I'm a banana. For now.

Love at First Bite: Wagyu Beef

2011-10-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of the famous Wagyu Beef?

If not, you have no idea what you're missing. The Wagyu beef is known as the most expensive meat in the world because of it's super, super tender meat and the production of Wagyu beef is an expensive and time consuming process.

The Wagyu beef is grown from the Wagyu cattle. All their lives, the Wagyu cattle have lived a life of luxury because it drinks beer and gets massages everyday to make its' muscles relaxed and soft. Even on the day of slaughter, the Wagyu cows are killed in a split second before they even saw it coming. How?

Usually, when anybody knows they're gonna die, their muscles get tensed because they're scared out of their wits! The same goes with the Wagyu cows. No matter how much beer and how well their massage is, all the effort will go to waste if the cows are slaughtered like any other cows; their muscles will be tense once they know they're gonna die which totally defeats the point of getting soft meat from them.

So, to overcome this problem, the cows are given beer and massages like any other day on the day of their slaughter. The worker who massages the cow would keep massaging the cow, and then... BOOM! He hits the spine of the cow with an electric shock which immediately kills the cow in a second. Thus, the meat will be very soft and tender.

Last night, our whole family had the pleasure of having Wagyu beef for dinner thanks to my cousin who came back from Australia and got the Wagyu Beef we asked for.

Here, we have 5kg of Wagyu beef in our fridge. It costs about RM1000 altogether, but it was worth it!

The Wagyu beef in Australia is a lot cheaper compared to the ones sold locally here in Malaysia. The Wagyu beef we got from Australia is from the Victoria Market in Melbourne. There, you can find only ONE stall that ever sells this kind of meat.

When we were in Melbourne the last time, I believe the Wagyu beef costs about 60 AUD (RM180) per kilo. In Malaysia, the Wagyu beef costs about RM800 per kilo!

If you notice the marbling on the meat, you'll find that the Wagyu beef has layers of fats in between its muscles which makes it even softer than any other normal beef!

Now I know what you're thinking; 'Eww... too much fats. It's not very healthy. Its not good for the heart!'. Before you girls cringe at the word 'fats', here's the best part about this beef; its fats are actually GOOD for you!

Yes, I kid you not. Research has proven that the Wagyu beef is higher in monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) than normal beef. This means it melts at a lower temperature and its better for your heart than saturated fats like butter. Plus, monounsaturated fats also helps to reduce cholesterol level.

Hmm... delicious AND healthy! Too good to be true!

Anyway, we had a great combination of food last night.

We have salad, SUSHI, pizza, and some wine to go with the beef.

Here, we pan fried the Wagyu beef with sesame sauce to give the meat some taste.

When I took my first bite out of that piece of meat, I felt a sensation in my mouth; the softness of the meat, the taste of beef and salt on my tongue and everything felt wonderful for a second. I'm in love. That's just it; I fell in love at first bite.

It was truly delicious. And with some rice from the sushi with a sip of red wine, everything is balanced perfectly.

We certainly had a wonderful evening together as a family last night...

If I Were a Dude...

2011-10-01T01:14:00.000-07:00

If I woke up one day as a guy, I would do all kinds of manly stuff I've always wanted to do like:

1. Growing a mustache

I would name my mustache Joe and comb and shampoo it everyday...

2. Peeing while standing up

Its hard to do it if you're a girl. Trust me.

3. Camwhore... like a MAN

STEAK!!!

4. Going topless

If only I could go topless whenever convenient. ~~Especially when washing my car.~~ But, you know, people will stare... not in a good way. Whereas guys could go topless anytime, anywhere and people don't mind!

5. Sitting with my legs open in public

Yeah... gone are the days when mom slaps me for sitting like a boy in a skirt when I forget.

Just a random thought after my SPM trials are over. Good luck to those who are sitting for their PMR exams right now.

So what would YOU do if you were the opposite sex?

The Girly Advantage: Periods

2011-09-25T04:51:00.000-07:00

WARNING: MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR MEN. CLOSE THIS PAGE AND GO WATCH SOME CAT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.

And if you're still reading, you're either eligible to read or some guy who has nothing else better to do.

I don't know what's the big deal about having periods. Its just the natural process of every girl's life and I think it shouldn't be a taboo subject because there's nothing to hide. It's not shameful, its normal.

A lot of girls I know would complain about it when the time of the month comes. Sure, you'd get the pimples, the mood swings and probably the occasional cramps. But I think having periods is a great advantage! How can you not love it?

For one thing, whether you have your period or not, its the perfect excuse to get away from anything!

For example, you can use the period excuse to:

1. Skip gym class

Ooh! Sorry teacher, but I have period cramps. Cannot run today.

2. Not go swimming when you don't feel like it

Works every time.

3. Avoid any unwanted dates

And they would leave you alone.

4. Be late and blame it on your period

Sorry, but we can't help it ;)

5. Leave unexpectedly

You know, during some boring lecture or some unpleasant stuff that you wouldn't like to be involved in. Because of your period.

And many, many more! Its the perfect excuse, and nobody will question you especially guys. The moment you say the 'P' word in front of them, they'll get really uncomfortable and leave you alone. Immediately. Great stuff. Unless of course, they're clueless about it.

Which reminds me about that one time I met this guy at camp. He was 18 then and guess what? He had no idea what is a period and how do us girls control it. And so, at the age of 13, I had to give an 18 year old guy 'the talk' about girls. Poor guy, he looked pretty... amazed and err... enlightened when I told him about it. He should really get out more.

And don't ask me how the hell did we eventually get to that talk.

But on medical terms, having periods isn't such a bad thing because it helps slow down the ageing process and somehow, after the period is over, you'd feel happier and prettier. Don't you?

Besides, I think it sucks if you don't get your period as a girl because you won't feel like a girl without it.

Well, I'm glad we've had this girl talk. I think its good to share our thoughts about womanhood with one another. Good luck and have a great life.

And if you're a guy who have just completely ignored my warnings, screw you.

Essentials in Nail Art

2011-09-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

If you know me well enough, you would've known by now that I am a HUGE fan of nail art. Some people would ask me how I do my nails, so I thought I'd share with you some of the must-have tools when it comes to nail art. To take a peek at some of my creations, visit my nail art page here.

First off, here are the main things I use to create my nail arts:

These are the tools I use when it comes to painting my nails and creating patterns. Lets take a closer look, shall we?

Here, we have the best and most useful tool of all when it comes to nail art. Its light, disposable and its SUPER easy to create nail art with these babies. Yes, I'm talking about toothpicks.

What you can do with them is to create little dots or easy patterns with them. You can even control the size of your dots by either using a sharp toothpick to create tiny dots or squeeze the tip of the toothpick down to make it blunt to create bigger dots.

Here's an example of creating dots using toothpicks:

Awesome eh? Gotta love the power of the toothpicks!

Next we have the bling bling. A.K.A, nail jewelry.

Obviously, you can use these shiny things to brighten up your nails! Just use some clear polish and apply it on your nails as glue for the jewels and stick it on your nails immediately. Or, you can just stick the jewels on your nails right after you have just painted your nails.

I prefer to use nail jewels that are neutral in color because it can match with any color you own like this nail art:

Once again, toothpicks are awesome because it helps to apply nail jewels on your nails! Just dip your toothpick it a tiny bit of clear nail polish or water and it can easily get a hold of the jewels for easy application.

And then we have the Konad stamp.

Notice the little prints engraved on these mirror like objects? This is just like a print and stamp method of creating a nail art. Awesome stuff. Here's a demo video on how its done:

See? Its that easy to create professional looking nail art even if you're a noob! Unfortunately, I haven't found that special nail polish for this Konad stamp so I can't use it just yet. Anybody knows where I can find it in Malaysia?

Moving on, here we have my brushes!

Obviously, I use them to create different patterns using different sized brushes. Its exactly like painting a picture. The only difference is I'm just painting a really small canvas.

Ok, this is definitely my favorite way of creating a really quick nail art;
OPI Black Shatter nail polish!

Its one of the most simplest, super, super easiest way of creating a beautiful nail art. For those who don't know a shatter or crackle nail polish is, its a kind of nail polish that cracks up as soon as it is applied onto another base nail polish when it dries up, giving it a 'shattered' look. Its so cool to watch it crack when it dries, I love it so much!

All you have to do is to pick a base color and you paint the black shatter nail polish all over your nails as usual and watch it crack!

For this nail polish, I recommend using a Gold nail polish as your base to give your nails this rustic look:

After applying the black shatter nail polish, apply a top coat for a shiny finish and to make it last longer.

Of course, we can't forget about the glitter and the shimmer!

You can use glitter nail polish to give some bling to your nails. If however, you're not the glitter type of person but would like some shine nonetheless, you can use a shimmery nail polish as its not as harsh as glitter.

You don't necessarily have to apply glitter all over your nails. You can apply it at certain areas just for emphasis on your nails. Like this one:

I added a little bit of glitter at the tip for that shiny finish.

If you like doing things manually, then try looking out for these kinds of nail polish.

Its just ordinary nail polish, nothing too fancy like the Black shatter. The only difference is its brush; its very, very thin!

See? What I love about this brush is that I'm able to create thin lines and curves using these little brushes. And its not very hard to use either! With one quick swipe, you've got yourself a perfect line! Here's a design I created using these nail polish:

Its one of my favorite designs! Unfortunately, it was short lived because I had to go for an interview the day I created this design and so I had to clean my nails before I left :(

Well, you couldn't possibly create long-lasting nail art without clear polish, can you now?

Most people don't realize that a base coat for your nails is important because it helps to protect your nails from being stained from the colored nail polish especially the red ones. If you keep painting your nails without a base coat, you will notice soon enough that your nails will turn yellowish in color. A top coat is also just as important to protect or 'encase' your nail art so that it can last longer!

This is optional, but if you like doing your pedicures as well, try using a toe separator.

This pimped up toe separator is a victim on one of one of my doodles. What? I get bored!

And there you have it! These are the tools I use to create my nail art. Its a fun hobby and it exercises patience and steady hands. If you have a lot of time like me, this hobby is surely your thing.

Good luck and have fun!

The 7 Types of Blogs I Like

2011-09-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that my post about The 8 Types of Blogs that Bugs Me has now become my most popular all-time blog post. Apparently, people do care about what others think about their blogs.

So I feel that after posting my negative views on other blogs, I suppose I should follow up with a post about my positive views about certain blogs. So here we go. The type of blogs I like are...

1. Informative

To be perfectly honest, I don't really give a damn about the ordinary lives of other people, strangers in particular. Like, some people will blog about how boring their day was, or how they bought a new phone and how much better it is than mine, etc, etc... I don't care! But informative blogs are usually the ones that captures my attention.

Blogs that do reviews of certain products, food or anything else will certainly get my views because I can gain knowledge from them rather than 'lala' blogs that post nothing but ugly pictures of people camwhoring in the toilet. Just saying...

2. Full of pictures

If I had to choose between a textbook full of dull texts or a textbook full of color and pictures, I'd definitely choose the picture textbook. Why? Because it makes things look a lot more interesting and it helps me to have a better understanding about what the author is describing. No matter how boring the blog could possibly be, it can grab my attention if it has more pictures included.

Don't be the dull textbook, those are for serious (and possibly old) people.

3. Interactive

When bloggers interact with their readers, I feel that it helps create a bond between blogger and reader and I will surely come back if the blogger seems like a nice person after having a nice chat or even saying a quick hello. That's because it creates an interest in the blogger and I would like to get to know him/her better.

Don't be a stuck up snob towards your readers. Just by saying hi might even do the trick to bring that reader back for more.

4. Generous

You know, the kind of blogs that do charity or goodwill. And if not, blogs that organizes contest where they give away freebies to some of their lucky readers. Its fun, and both blogger and readers can benefit from it!

5. Humorous

Funny blogs are surely the ones I would visit the most to give me a boost of happiness and some bloggers are simply hilarious! Yes, funny blogs are the best blogs in my opinion.

6. Creative

Some blogs I've come across are very creative. For example, there are bloggers who actually take the time and trouble to draw cartoon characters of themselves while others take the time to photoshop images into ridiculous ones like this:

Blogger Kenny Sia decided to to be 'lala' for a day and photoshopped himself as the Blog Queen XiaXue. I laughed so hard when I first saw this picture!

7. Interesting

But of course, the blog has to be interesting to capture anybody's attention. Weather its about your travels, your new muffin recipe or that girl/boy you've been stalking all month, it has to be interesting enough for me to come back for more!

Nobody likes to stick to a bore, be interesting! If you wanna be interesting, talk about things other than yourself. To be boring, talk about yourself. That's what I think.

Happy Blogging!

Things to do Before I Leave Highschool

2011-09-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

I realize that this is gonna be THE year; my very last year of high school. So to make the most of what I have, here are some of the things I would like to do before I graduate...

1. Make my mark in the school

Yes, weather it means I have to spray paint my name all over the school, or be part of a mural, I wanna make my mark in the school.

2. Smile at random people all day

Even if it means some people might misinterpret it wrongly (trust me, it has happened before), I think a smile brightens up anybody's day.

3. Get into trouble

Not something too serious like getting suspended or something like that, maybe get caught for my awesome nails or playing a prank on the teacher. Which brings me to...

4. Play a prank

I wanna play some random pranks on random people. Weather its the teachers, the students, or you, Pushpa. Yes, I'm talking to you. Watch out...

5. Play Hide and Seek

Ooh! We have to do it someday guys, come on!

6. Get the highest score in class for something other than English

Not to brag or anything, but I've always been getting the highest score in English too many times, I barely keep track or yell 'WOOHOO!' anymore since primary school.

7. Eat nothing but canteen food all day

Gotta get my digestive pills ready...

8. Moonwalk down the corridor

I'm gonna do it!

9. Blow my first Bubble gum

Just you wait people, I vow to blow a stupid bubble out of gum and nothing's gonna stop me! Even if takes all year, I'm determined to emerge victorious!

10. Use the teacher's toilet

Oops, sorry teacher. Couldn't hold it any longer.

11. Dance in front of the CCTV camera

Attention all students, STOP DANCING AND GET BACK TO CLASS!

12. Win several arm wrestling matches

So far, I beat 2 guys at it. Still up for another round, Eric Nathan??

13. Cycle to school in a pinafore

I hope my skirt don't fly up on the way...

14. Sing a karaoke at random places in school

Weather in the classroom, the bio lab or even in a toilet stall, I shall sing randomly and watch the reaction of the people nearby me.

15. Compliment some random stranger in school

For a day, I will give random compliments to people including total strangers and that guard at the guardhouse. He needs a reason to smile.

16. Bake cookies and give it away for fun

Who doesn't like cookies??

17. Go planking at random places

Might as well be temporarily stupid before I leave, eh?

18. Go to the top of the building and scream... something...

THERE'S A BROCCOLI ON THE ROOF!!!

19. Write happy notes on post-its and stick them at random places in school

Have a good day!

20. Start talking to different groups of people in my class

While I'm in high school, I gotta suck it up, get over my fear of people and start talking to other people in my class. Honestly, why can't we all mix around?

6 Gifts NOT to Give a Girl

2011-09-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

Everybody LOVES receiving gifts. Especially girls.

When they really like the gift, they really appreciate the gifts. But give them the wrong thing and you would find yourself in a load of s**t. Or if you're lucky, they'd just smile, say 'Thank you', and leave it in the darkest corner, never to be seen again...

Like any typical girl, I love receiving gifts too. So based on my 17 years of experience of receiving gifts, here's my take on what not to give a girl. Guys, be aware that not all girls are the same, so whatever gift I may find cheesy might actually work on your lady.

So take note, I advice that you do not give her...

1. A Teddy Bear

Yes, as much as it sounds sweet to give a girl a teddy bear, think about it; what is she supposed to do with it? Look at my header above and see how many teddy bears I own. And that's not all, my collection of Teddies have grown since then and now I have... 7 Teddies!

What do I do with it? Because its been given by friends and relatives, I don't have the heart to give it away and I have no shelves to keep it. So, I keep them on my bed where they've already taken up half of the space. And no, I do not cuddle them like you hoped I would, I just dump them on my bed. Full stop.

2. Clothes

For goodness sake, please do not give her clothes. Its true that girls loves shopping for clothes and stuff, but we all have different tastes. You might think you bought her something flattering, but she may interpret it differently.

And what if you got her the wrong size? If its too small, she will be embarassed, and if you buy her a size too big, she might think you're calling her fat. So do not interfere with our wardrobe by trying to either dress us up or down if you value your life.

3. Chocolates

Most girls have a weakness for chocolate. Especially me. I adore chocolates! But there's also the pitfalls that comes with it. There's this one time I received so many chocolates all at once, and let me tell you, it was torturous trying to resist its temptations. So do not tempt her by buying her chocolates unless you like hearing her moan about her weight all the time.
4. Perfumes

I think its best to let your lady select her own brand of scent. Don't assume that every girl likes the smell of Roses or Citrus. Some girls may be allergic to the chemicals and for all we know, the perfume might even smell bad on her because everybody has their own natural ~~odour~~ scent. Some girls might even find it offensive because they might assume that its your gentle way of saying 'You stink.'

5. Cleaning Equipments

'Oh, but its pink, dear. Your favorite color! What's wrong?' Oh yes, its my favorite color. But it doesn't matter because YOU'RE vacuuming up the place once I'm done with you.

6. Gym Membership

Signing her up for a gym membership is like signing your own death warrant. If you really want her to lose weight, take her out for a walk, go for thrilling adventures like rock climbing or mountain biking (without telling her that she's fat of course).

And that's all the no-no gifts I could think of to never give a girl. But what's most important is that its the thought that counts. Don't splurge for the sake of buying 'things' for your girl because its not the trinkets you buy that counts, its the memories and experience you shared that matters the most.

By the way, my SPM trials are coming next Tuesday. *groans* So the next few posts are probably gonna be irregular and short as I need what little precious time I have to study.

I wish all the SPM candidates 2011 good luck and I hope we'll pass with flying colors!

My Car and I

2011-08-25T07:39:00.001-07:00

Isn't she beautiful?? This is my car. MY car!

Omg, its like a dream come true; I have my very own freakin car!

Ever since I was 14, I've always wanted to own a car. To be independent when it comes to transport. No longer will I have the need to disturb my parents by calling them or waking them up to send me to places! This is the life.

If you knew me long enough, you would've known that my dream car is a Mini Cooper S. It still is!

But I've gotta be realistic here. There's no way a student like me could possibly afford such an expensive car and I doubt that my parents are willing to pay such a high price when I only need a mode of transport.

So when I'm out in the working world and become a successful businesswoman or something like that, you can be sure to find me driving that gorgeous car someday...

But in the meantime, my current baby is this second hand Myvi of 4 years. She may not be brand new, but she's great to drive around compared to the AD Resort (which is a manual gear. btw).

This may not be my previous car, but that's exactly what my old car looked like. Although I passed the driving test using a manual car, I'm still pretty lousy at it.

Just as soon as I thought I've finally gotten used to driving a manual gear, the car just DIED when I was turning past the guard house. The road in front was clear, the car waiting at the back of me was clearly annoyed, and the guard was watching me. Oh the pressure!

I started the car again. Not even a second later, it died again! And I'm like, 'OK, I'm really freakin out here!'

So I started the engine once again, and it SHOT across the road, nearly colliding with the car driving in front of me. I quickly swerved to the side, hitting the curb and the other car managed to move away just in time, while honking at me.

That was the scariest moment of my life, I nearly cried...

After telling my dad what happened, he was like, 'That's it. We're getting you an automatic car.'

YES!!!

So the AD Resort was sold away and I gotta admit, I'm kinda sad to see it go because I've known that car all my life. I practically grew up with it! I've slept in it as a baby, I've traveled in it, I nearly caused an accident with it...

We've shared loads of memories together.

But anyway, I guess its about time to let it go. After all, my new baby is a lot easier to drive and I'm a lot more confident in driving to places now. Recently, I even managed to drive all the way to church by myself and there was no accidents, no complications, nothing! It was a completely smooth journey!

Plus, the car is pretty spacious, the seats are comfortable, there's no clutch, no 1st gear, 2nd gear nonsense, just drive, reverse, or park. Its like driving a bumper car!

Oh, and for all my readers' information, I won't be blogging as frequently as I usually do because of the extremely important SPM trials and I need the time to study the crap out of me. I hope you understand and wish me luck!

The BIG One

2011-08-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

I know its kinda late, but as promised, here's my experience of being part of the BIG One video workshop.

Our first day started off with introductions and games. Such as what I call the 'musical cups' above where everybody has to be in sync with each other so that it'll sound awesome.

I couldn't forget the 'seeing through your ears' activities where we were blindfolded and led round the farm by the facilitators bare foot!

Credits of this photo goes to YNN

So... yeah, we went down the hot steps of staircases, walked over sharp pebbles, past soft grass, and onto ice cold water which someone has obviously poured onto our pathway. It was a totally different experience and we learnt that we had to transmit those feeling to our audience when they see our videos.

The next day starts off with making your own breakfast because I think the uncle prefers to sleep late so he gonna be like, 'Here's your frying pan, here's the stove, and here's the egg. Now leave me alone.' *goes back to sleep*

Its probably the only time where people actually get to show off their cooking skills. Some pro's are even kind enough to take other people's order and have that slight chance to ruin their breakfast. If they wanted to.

I'm definitely no cook. So I took nobody's order and made my own crappy breakfast. I made a sunny side up with ham sandwich. And it didn't burn! YAY ME!!

Alright, so everybody has been split up into 3 groups. Each group were assigned to create a video which relates to the Farm. For my group, we were sent to Lenggeng Town which is not too far away from the Farm while the others had to film there. So we get to escape from the Farm.

Everybody in the group played a different role. I was the editor together with Marcuse. Though I'm not sure if I was very much help cuz for some reason, I felt really, really tired. Don't ask me why.

It was a wonderful experience to harass some random person on the streets so that they can be in our video XD

As the editors, Marcuse and I were pretty free while they were filming. Look how busy everybody else were...

Guess what? While everybody else were interviewing an old man in a shop, Miera, Marcuse and I found this uncle and we thought we'd interview him as well. Turns out that we weren't in Lenggeng Town the whole time and we went the opposite way!

So the kind uncle drew a map for us, gave us some directions, told us the places of interest, and off we go!

By the time we've reached Lenggeng Town, it was raining cats and dogs! So we couldn't go far because of the rain and walked down the shophouses.

And thank our lucky stars, we have found someone who could actually speak english! Finally!!

Yes, we found this aunty who spent her childhood in lenggeng and she can speak plain English. At last! All day, we were looking for someone to interview, but most of the people either refused to be on camera or we couldn't understand each other because we speak different languages.

Plus, we were even allowed to take a look up their old shophouse. All I can say about that place is that it was the darkest and dustiest room I've ever been in.

Can you see the dust floating about in the air???

We even had the priveledge to talk to the state deputy of the place and it was amazing luck as well because he was born and raised in that place, so he is bound to know a lot about Lenggeng.

And now, a group photo with our mentor, Joe on the right. She's awesome with the cameras.

And there was the Post-production. Which means its the editor's job to edit the videos. Arrgh! Being an editor is such a pain. No wonder why they get paid so much! Its hard work looking through hundreds of clips to choose from and squeeze them all into less than 5 minutes!

Its not easy finding out the right time to cut the videos, its not easy to put them all in the right sequence, and its ESPECIALLY not easy to do subtitles! Omg, how do these people do it? You have to translate every single word and type them all out and we had only a day to complete this video.

Marcuse is great with the computers because I really have no idea how to work out the programme and I keep dropping off once in a while. So he did most of the work. Sorry Marcuse, I wasn't much help.

Honestly, I felt like the Ringo Starr of the group...

Anyway, after many waking hours of editing the video, here is the outcome..

Yeah... we didn't do the subtitles because we didn't have enough time to do that... But basically, he's talking about the good stuff about the place. Nothing too mind blowing about that...

But check out the other group's videos. They're pretty awesome. :)

Paradise in a Farm describes the many joys you find in there. Get close to nature and enjoy the activities it has to offer!

Fresh from the Farm is all about the scrumptious food you can find in the Farm. In this video, Alyna will show you how to make a delicious meal using all the ingredients from the Farm.

After watching all the videos, I have to point out that all the hosts of the videos sounded very stiff and nervous. But who am I to judge? I'm not the host and even if I were, I'd probably be nervous myself. So they did a good job for an amateur, right?

And so, our journey ends here. We had a blast coming for this workshop and I have definitely learnt a lot about video production now.

Lets take a look at some of the people's thoughts during the workshop...

Some of my favorites were...

The Farm

2011-08-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

When I first received a message on Facebook about a video workshop from Lisan, who is from The Star newspaper, I thought it was a spam because most letters I receive are from my e-mail inbox itself.

Nontheless, I checked out their website, Switchup.tv. And I decided to go for the 3D 2N workshop. Best decision ever!

Our workshop was held at 'The Farm' in Negeri Sembilan. If you're looking for a quiet place to hold retreats, camps, and other events, this is the place to go.

Lets take a tour round the farm, shall we?

The Farm is run by Uncle Andrew who lives there and takes care of all the animals and plants. Yes, it is a REAL farm. Not like some crappy place where they have only a tiny chicken coop and call it a 'farm'.

I really like this place as well as the Uncle here because he even lets us go fishing by his pond and gave us some sticks, strings, and hook!

Yes, its not exactly one of the best equipments you could possibly use to catch a fish, but with a bit of bread as a bait, we could actually catch fish! I couldn't believe it! It was so easy to catch a fish there because either there's too many fishes in the pond, or the fishes there are plain stupid.

Heck, I caught 3 fishes and that's already considered as a lot of fish to me because whenever I go fishing with a PROPER fishing rod and use SQUID as bait, I'd usually catch at most 2 or none at all. But this time, I only used a stick, some string and a piece of bread as bait and I already caught 3 fishes within the first hour!

I laugh whenever a noob fisher actually catches a fish for the first time and freaks out because he/she didn't know how to take the hook out of the fish while its flapping about on the ground helplessly.

That's why it REALLY freaked the girls out when I felt a tug from my string and yanked it out of the water in a split second while the flapping fish lands right next to their feet. HAHAHA!!!

You should've seen the look on their faces when they saw how I removed the hook from the fish. Whenever I unhook a living fish, I'd put it on the ground, step on it so that it can't move and I just remove the hook from its mouth. Simple as that.

But I think the girls almost went faint when I stepped on the fish.

The Farm is also the home to many of our furry friends around the place. Aww... look at the little rabbit. Isn't it cute?

AAAWWWWW........ it makes me wanna snuggle them too!!

In the morning, the roosters won't shut up and keeps crowing till we wake up!

So to take revenge upon them, we had to eat their wives/hens! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!

OK, that sounds messed up. But its true, all the meat that we had throughout the entire camp came straight from this very farm. That means the chicken were freshly slaughtered and the fish were caught straight from the pond! Pretty cool, huh?

I even recognize some of the fruits served from the fruit trees I saw in the area like the guavas!

Although we were surrounded by plenty of nice and healthy fruit trees, guests are strictly forbidden to pluck any fruits because it will damage the trees if everybody does that. So if you really wanna pluck any fruits, its probably best to get Uncle Andrew's permission first.

I've never seen so many jackfruits all my life!

This proves that I'm definitely no Kampung girl. I had no idea that baby jackfruits LOOKED like that.

This is a Dragonfruit plant. You can see why its named after a dragon because of its 'spiky' skin. It turns a hot pink once its ripe and ready to eat. Its a pretty AND yummy fruit, mind you.

A funny story about Durians; I've been eating durians all my life and I've never seen a Durian tree before. Since I've heard that The Farm has plenty of Durian trees around and we are allowed to pick up the Durians we find on the ground, I wandered about the ENTIRE place looking for just ONE Durian tree.

You know what was the dumbest part?

After much searching, looking up at all the tall trees I see while sweating bullets, I found a durian on the floor so I looked at the tree next to it. It then dawned upon me that I was surrounded by Durian trees the whole time and there I was going around all those Durian trees like an idiot wondering when would I ever find one =.=

Nom noming on Durians! Yumm.....

We even found a ball so we played Captain Ball!

Because The Farm isn't located near a busy town or anything, its a great place to go Star-gazing. Just remember to bring mosquito repellent if you plan to do so though. Otherwise, you'll be eaten alive rather than 'watch the stars'.

From the Dormitory, you get a good view of the place; from the garden to the pond!

The dormitory is big enough to fit about 15 people... I think. It may not be air conditioned, but I can guarantee that its pretty cold at night. Trust me, I'm the kind of person who loves the cold and I thought it was gonna be warm at night. So, I only wore shorts and a t-shirt and man, was it cold! Especially when it was raining!

You only need to put the fan at low power just to keep the air ventilation. Other than that, it will be cold enough to doze off at night.

In the dormitory, I found this switch that said 'NO TOUCHY'. I wonder what does it do...

Oh yeah, I'll be sure to blog about our videography workshop on my next post so don't forget to drop by soon!

In the meantime, lets find out what does this button do...

....................................

David Archuletta's CRAZY Fan

2011-08-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't he wonderful??

I've always supported David Archuleta ever since he first appeared on American Idol. That's why I was kinda pissed that David Cook won instead of him. When I first heard the results, I was like 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!'

But anyway, as soon as my friends and I heard about David Archuleta coming to Malaysia for his Concert, we bought the tickets straightaway!

And so, to make sure I got a good view of him, I wore the highest wedge sandals I own (which is about 3 inches tall). What I didn't know was that we were gonna walk all the way from China town to the stadium which is about a 10 minute walk XP

By the time we got there, I was sweating like a pig and my feet began to hurt. Plus, we were waiting at the stadium from 6 to 8. That's like 2 hours we've been waiting out there. We left at 4pm and the concerts starts at 8pm. Until now, I still don't understand why did we have to go 4 hours early...

So we finally got our seats and what a coincidence! We met WenXin right next to us! We met her at the environmental camp in Genting last year. You can read all about our trip here.

Finally! I saw David Archuleta as super cute as ever! In the flesh. RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES!!! EEEEeeeeeKKKK!!!!!!

Yes, I may not look it, but I was capable to scream continuosly for at least 30 seconds until my friends had to turn and stare at me XD

When David sang, 'Stand by Me', he was like, 'Won't you stand... stand by me?' and I was like, 'YES I WILL STAND BY YOU, DAVID!!!'

OMG... even his sweat is adorable! Can I... can I kiss it???

I'm soo hating those people I met recently who even took a PICTURE with him!! OOHHH the frustration!!

But for his sake, maybe its a good thing we never met because if we ever had to come in contact, I would have a super glue ready with me and I would apply it to my hands, ask him to give me a Hi-5 and... we'll be together.... FOREVER....

Look how excited they are! Come to think of it, I think 90% of the audience that day were all females. The only guys who came were either the boyfriends of the female fans or their kid brothers. Basically, the girls are probably the ones that dragged the boys to the concert. The only guys that came by themselves were VERY few...

So yeah, I had a blast coming to David Archuleta's concert that Tuesday night! If only I actually got to meet him, it would make it the PERFECT night of my life.

Just you wait, Archuleta. We shall meet again...

Cassandra's Confirmation

2011-07-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

I've never felt as happy as I did last Sunday when I've finally been confirmed as a Catholic. It was certainly a beautiful occasion and I'm happy to be stuck with Jesus for the rest of my life.

Before the big day, I was really stressed out over my dress because about 2 weeks ago, everybody had their outfits ready except for me. I was really worried by then because Aunt J, a friend of my mom's was supposed to make me a dress.

ell, the first dress aunt J made was unfortunately not what I had in mind because my measurements were not taken and we've never discussed the design and material. So this is how the first dress turned out:

This is the kind of dress I would've probably worn if I were 7. Although her estimations of my measurements were pretty close enough, I didn't think it was suitable for the day I've been looking forward to since I first started going to Sunday school (which is a looong time).

And don't get me started on how I look in the dress.

But anyway, I smiled and thanked her for her efforts. Though I was genuinely grateful that aunt J took the time to buy the materials and make the dress, I was still a little disappointed that it wasn't what I expected it to be.

2 days later, mom asked me what did I think of the dress. I didn't say anything but mom knows me so well that before I could even reply, she was like, "A little disappointed, huh?"

Its like the heavens have opened up and I can hear choirs of angels singing 'Hallelujah' my prayers have been answered; my mom DOES have some good fashion sense! And suddenly the day became bright again.

So like... 5 days before my confirmation, my mom explained the situation to aunt J and she agreed to make me a new dress. This time, our way.

3 days before the big day, we went over to see the dress. Other than the fact that the dress was a little shorter than the full-length dress I pictured, it was pretty much OK. It was definitely WAAAY better than the first one. But it needed some alterations because the dress was kinda loose.

And so, a day BEFORE my confirmation day, mom went to pick up the dress. Finally!

So at last, I finally had something to wear on my confirmation day. But the next time another big occasion like, I dunno, a wedding comes up, I'm definitely doing things MY WAY and I'll guarantee that I'll have the dress ready within at least 3 months before the BIG day. Not the day before it.

And I'd definitely rent the dress. I'm not sure if I can trust people to make me a dress at the moment...

Oh yeah! Check out the nail art I created for that special day.

OK, back to my confirmation....

So the ceremony went smoothly; I had something nice to wear, I've got my Godmother, aunt Susan at my side, and that wonderful satisfaction of being closer to God after 10 years of journeying towars this day with the rest of my classmates. This guy here is Samuel btw, he and I designed our confirmation t-shirts for our camp. You can read all about the crazy times we had at the camp here.

Teacher, if you are reading this, thank you so much for all your hard work. We may not show it, but we truly are grateful for your time, efforts and patience. May the good Lord send His Holy Spirit down upon all of you for good things will come your way soon.

These are our awesome teachers who prepared us for our confirmation since last year. From left, there's teacher Nancy, Sonia and Peter.

With my Godparents and parents at the altar.

So after the ceremony had ended, I am now officially Anne Cassandra Wong Synpuhn! Whee! I have a middle name :D

So lets celebrate with ice cream yam cake!!!

Bon Odori 2011

2011-07-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the celebration of Bon Odori 2011. It was the first time I've ever been to such an event. All I can say is.... it.... was... AWESOME!!!

Check out the nail art I created for this occasion.

Beauty eh?

I also wore this shirt which I had no idea what it says and what it means. But because it sounded Japanese, I decided to wear it anyway :P

If there's anybody in this whole wide world who can tell me what is 'Herobel' or 'Zaneibe Tomahawvs', please put me out of my misery and tell me what the **** does that mean...

I wasn't really planning to go for the Bon Odori event at first, until our school announced that they'd take us there. So I went with my friends!

Before we left, we had to gather at the school. And while we were waiting for the bus to arrive, Vivien brought some bubble gum. And I don't know how to blow a bubble :(

Watch me and my friends attempt to blow a bubble gum in this video!

As you can see, I failed miserably T.T

At one point, I was close to blowing a bubble and Vivien was standing in front of me saying 'Blow! You can do it. Blow!!'

And so I blew. But instead of a beautiful pink bubble expanding right before my eyes, I see my spit on Vivien's face. LOL.

Ever wondered how does a tudung look with a yukata?

Now you know... that I want a yukata!!!

When I first got there, I was so damn jealous seeing all these girls wearing their gorgeous yukata. But some girls who were wearing short yukatas in an... erm... inappropriate way, yeah,... they look like hookers. Especially with their falsies and super thick eyeliner...

I dared Melissa to pose with this sleepy guy there by going NEXT to him. Not stand so far away from him. Chicken...

Some of the girls in our group thought the drummer boys there were kinda hot. For me, they look pretty average. Maybe its their uniforms that boosted their sex appeal. I dunno...

But we did try to look out for some hotties around the place, you know, for... research? But at the end of the event, frankly I have to say that I'm disappointed. Out of... what? 2000 people at the event, I only found one hottie. ONE!

Like wtf Malaysia? Our guys aren't beautiful enough man! I dunno much about the guy's opinion of the Malaysian girls, but still!

That one handsome guy I spotted at the event was tall, fair, good looking and he has biceps! Huge biceps! Plus, he's a chinese! How many buff chinese guys do you get to see in a lifetime? Hardly. Other than Bruce Lee of course.

And then its time to chow down in our all-s**t-too-expensive-check-my-wallet-I-hope-I-have-enough-of-money-japanese meal! Yummy!!

The food was super expensive! Like, that Unagi Rice costs RM15, that box of BBQ squid is RM10 and that sushi is about RM10 XP

There were a few other items we bought too, but lets not bring up too many painful memories...

Despite the many announcements from the organizers of not picniking at the field or bringing food in that area at all, nobody gave a damn and everybody was happily nom-noming at the field. And so did we :)

The rest of our group arrived. Check out Harue and Loo Yee in their pretty yukatas! Gorgeous!

You see lah. These girls are already preying on little girls in yukatas. Paedophiles...

OK, this is the fun part of the event. Everybody has to make rows of circles around the stage and dance by following the moves of the people on the stage. Its really fun and easy because everybody's doing it and you won't look dumb trying to do your own 'cool' dance moves when you actually look like a dork.

Trust me, I've been there...

Put your hands in the air, and wave it like you just don't care! Yeah!!

And so, we ended our day by partying in the bus. No, actually Vivien and the Malay gang we're partying. I was already half-dead by then to party at all.

Driving with Melissa

2011-07-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

Ever since I first got my P license 2 months ago, I haven't been driving for quite some time until last week, when I began driving to school. Using an AD resort (a.k.a, the manual car).

OK, I know I passed the test and all, but I'm still a nervous driver. So when my friend, Melissa asked me to drive her home on the first day I drove to school, I was a little skeptical about the idea of driving anybody anywhere.

I couldn't say 'No' to her so I was like 'O...k...., but no comments on my driving!'.

So I planned to route to Melissa's house. Just as I was signalling left, Melissa told me, 'No, don't go left. I prefer the other way.'

So... I went her way and this is what happened:

Well, we ended up being stuck at a slope when the car conveniently died right there! I wasn't planning on going up that slope but because Melissa said it was the fastest way, I just went up there.

And then I realized that I was on 3rd gear when I drove up the slope which is probably why the car died when I was supposed to be on 2nd gear. So, I quickly pulled up the handbreak. Just as I was going on 1st gear, the car went backwards and Melissa and Daniel were freakin out!

This time, I pulled the handbreak really hard, got onto 1st gear, hit the gas, let the handbreak go, and VRROOOM!!! The car just sped right to the top. LOL.

Next time, I'm going my way.

The next week, we had to stay back after school because we had a Treasure Hunt competition. So after we were done, Melissa asked to to send her home. Honestly, I'm surprised that she wants me to take her home after that episode up the slope.

But once again, I couldn't say no to her.

So this was what happened later on:

This time, just as I was turning out of the guard house, I was shocked to find that I couldn't turn the steering wheel. Then slowly, the car touched the cones and it was pushing it right in front of the guards some more OMG!!!

And then I realized that the car once again died. But I don't know how did it die this time because I SWEAR I was still on 2nd gear and I didn't go any higher or lower.

Nonetheless, I restarted the car, reversed and turned out of the guard house. Both the guards and Melissa were laughing. That was embarassing.

Along the way, there were some birds on the road and Melissa was like, 'Anne! Watch out for the birds!!!'

But I couldn't care less, because I know the birds can obviously fly out of the way and there's no way I'm gonna stop and honk at those birds. And even if i did kill a bird, then nevermind, we have a free dinner. Problem solved.

So when we were about to reach a junction, I saw this little white dog at the side of the road, suddenly Melissa started screaming:

And so I braked. But the dog wasn't even in front of the car, it was at the side only. WTF...

Seriously. Just as I braked and was recovering from a heartattack, there was Melissa, oogling at the puppy, saying how cute it was =.=

After sending her home, everything was smooth sailing. Come to think of it, why is it that everytime I send Melissa home, there's always episodes like these coming up?

Maybe I'm nervous driving somebody else home, or its the pressure.

That's it. I'm getting a Mini Cooper S. And fast!

The Sweet Stench of Victory

2011-07-12T01:14:00.000-07:00

YOU CAN DO IT!! PULL! PULL DAMMIT!!!

That's what I've been screaming at the Green house whose not even my team because our boys from the Blue team lost at the first round =.=

BUT! On the other hand, us blue girls won the tug-of-war event to make up for it so yeah... look at my shiny new Gold medal!

Its the first medal I've won ever since I left Seri Suria and entered this school. Which is relief because I thought I'd never win a medal of any sort compared to my junior years. Just look at the medals I won back in the day!

Oh well, I'm pretty happy that I've finally won something nice and shiny for a change :)

I had a feeling that its gonna be a great day because just look at the amount of people that came last Friday (no Rebecca Black reference)!

But I still find it strange that we had our Sports Day in July. Usually Sports Day is supposed to be in April... oh well...

So I've been walkin around, taking pictures of some random s**t like this one;

Haha! That guy looks like he's posing with that cutout when actually he's just trying to adjust its position.

Nice underwear pal...

Also, there's a lot of pretty girls out there for the march. Dunno how the heck do some of them manage to walk on the grassy field wearing stilleto high heels. Wouldn't they get stuck once in a while?

I've been there and done that. One time, I got stuck when I accidentally stepped on the grills of a drain. Took me awhile until I managed to hack my heels out XP

Damn, we have a lot of fine girls in school...

What is this? A freakin pageant??

Gorgeous!

WTF!? They literally have a 1 Malaysia as their mascot?? LOL!!

And this Red house here has a hired assassin to threaten the judges to let them win or... DIE!

OK, I give up. What kind of mascot is that? Looks like a TV of some sort...

And this is our mascot for the Blue house. At first, I thought it was a blue turtle. But it turns out that its supposed to be an earth or globe...

But hello? Isn't he supposed to be big and round to be an earth??

The irony of it all is that my parents owns the business of making customized mascots. But if I were to find a mascot at the last minute, I would take one of the goats from our school compound, dye it blue, dress it up in blue outfits and use THAT as our mascot.

Now that will be an awesome mascot besides the animal cruelty.

As usual lah, all these girls would start camwhoring as soon as they're unleashed after the march.

Then things got serious from then on when the games begin.

Even the teachers had to race as well!

Nope, your eyes aren't fooling you. We won SECOND PLACE!!! WAKAKAKA!!! *sigh*

The Great Adventures in Sabah

2011-07-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Finally! Another dive trip after a year on land :D

And this time, I got to dive at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; the place where I've always wanted to dive because of the many great dive sites I've heard about.

The one thing that bothered me about this trip was that this time, I can't bring my camera along with me while I go Scuba Diving. A long time ago, my camera got stolen but it was later found and returned back to us. Unfortunately, that idiot wanted to take out the memory card but it didn't know how to open the camera.

So it forced the poor camera open and after that, I can never take the camera underwater again because the water can now get into its' system.

This is my favorite underwater picture that I took when I was in Pulau Tioman.

I swear, next time I come back to Sabah, I'll bring an underwater camera with me. Or at least a housing for my current camera.

And I might like to take up an underwater photography dive lisence. Probably.

It was a pretty good dive actually. There wasn't as many divers that went for the trip as I usually see. Whenever I'm on a dive trip, I always go along with at least 10 other divers including the dive master.

This time however, only 5 other divers were with us; two chinese guys, the diver master and his friend, and the owner of the dive shop, who went out diving by himself while taking pictures underwater. How I envy that...

Ever since I first got my Open Water dive lisence, the only dive buddy I ever had was my brother, Daniel. Every single time, I'm always stuck with him. And its not like I have any choice; I have no sister or a friend with a dive lisence so its always been with Daniel.

But after the second dive, Daniel got sick so he didn't go for the last dive. And so, I've finally got a different buddy; the Dive Master :P

I saw a few things I rarely see underwater during that dive. Like, I spotted quite a few Lionfishes; one of the most poisonous fishes in the world.

I even spotted a prawn which usually shows up at night. But the coolest thing I got to experience during that dive was having my 'manicure' done at the cleaning station by these little critters;

At first, the dive master took us to this sandy area and over there, we saw this structure made out of tyres.

When we took a look at the structure, there were schools of fish which were crowded in that tunnel of tyres. Then, the dive master signaled me to place my hand on the tyre, which I did.

And out of nowhere, these little Hingebeak Shrimps appeared and started going all over my hands and nails, 'cleaning' me.

How awesome is that?? It felt a little ticklish at first, but then I got used to it and it felt really nice after that.

*sigh* if only I had some dive log refills so that I can record that fantastic dive... and a camera...

Anyway, I haven't shown you the hotel I stayed at. The hotel we crashed in for 4 days 3 nights was at Sutera Harbour. Check it out:

Isn't the garden so pretty??

*gasp* OMG!!

That guy is walking on water!! O.O

And take a look at the view we have from our room!

In the evening, the sunset is so beautiful. The only thing I regretted was that I totally forgot to take a picture of it :/

And this is where we have our breakfast every morning:

Check out Aunty Margaret's face after taking a bite out of her pineapple...

LOL! LOL! LOL!!! XD

HAHAHA!!!

Just look at the pained expression on her face when she was aware of the camera XD

The next day after our dive, we decided to go White Water Rafting!

In the beginning, we thought it was gonna be a piece of cake when we first laid eyes on the river. Looks pretty calm right?

On board the raft was me, Daniel, Mom, Aunty Margaret, a japanese couple and the guy behind there is our captain, er... I never got to know his real name, but he calls himself Captain Jack Sparrow. Wtf...

This is our neighbouring group of rafters. Everytime we see them, we always have to paddle faster because they will always keep splashing us with water and I didn not plan to be wet by the end of the ride.

That was until this happened...

If you havent guessed yet, our raft got caught by a tree branch and we began to sink as more water rushed in. And it wasn't really much help when another group floated down the rushing waters right into us!

I think that made the tree branch puncture our raft and we couldn't free it. So at the moment, we were stuck right at the side where the waters were really rough. Slowly, the raft began to go lopsided and we were really soaking wet.

Finally, we had to abandon ship.

I was really thankful that we had our lifejackets on. Usually, I'd find it a nuisance to wear one until the day came when my life actually depended on it. Now I know the meaning of 'lifejackets'.

At first, I had to climb to the side of the boat and later on the edge of the boat. It was freakin scary. So I took a deep breath and take the plunge!

When I jumped, I didn't surface for quite sometime and I swallowed quite a few gulps of river water while some went into my nose. Yuck!

Do you realize what could I have possibly swallowed in there!? Let me show you some of the things I saw before we got stuck, shall I?

Exhibit A:

Do you know what those are? They're buffalos taking a bath in the river. And do you know what else they could've done in the river? Ugh... please don't remind me....

Exhibit B:

A village. The river is probably essential to their lives where they use it to wash their clothes, plates, pots, etc.. etc...

And do you know what else they do in the river?? I leave it up to your imagination.

Along the way, I saw soap, some garbage and this large pile of yellow foam I saw resting on a rock. Lord knows what could that be XP

Get the picture now? What I swallowed in the river could've been poisonous...

So anyway, as I was saying, when I was underwater for a minute or so, I was probably swallowing something disgusting. Finally, I managed to start kicking and get to the surface. After struggling a bit, I began to float on the water by lying horizontally so that I can float better.

The next problem I faced was to get to the river bank. When the water currents are strong and you are not wearing any specialized footwear such as fins to manuver yourself to the side, but instead you are trying to hold on to your favorite flip flops, swimming toward land might be a little tricky.

I tried as best as I could to fight the currents and swim towards the shore, but it was quite impossible. Luckily, one of the staff who was waiting at the shore managed to get to me and pull me to the side. *whew*

That... was... AMAZING!! What a rush! I never felt so alive after that experience!! I wanna do it again!! Minus the swallowing the river water part... which, come to think of it, tastes like plain ol' water...

And waay at the side there is our raft which is still stuck there. Finally, they managed to get it out by cutting a hole...

See the rectangular hole?

In the end, our group had to split so that we can squeeze into the other groups' rafts. I went on this family's raft and they asked me if I was Korean or Japanese since I couldn't answer them in Mandarin. And like the honest idiot that I am, I told them that I was Chinese and they were really surprised.

So they asked me where I'm from, and once again, I told them the truth that I was from KL and they really look taken aback.

I swear, the next time I meet some random chinese stranger, I would be ready to tell them that I'm a Korean who comes from Australia. And they wouldn't blink an eye. End of story, end of the embarassment.

That way, they won't keep assuming that I speak mandarin and have a one-sided conversation with me in mandarin while I have no idea what the heck are they talking about and I'm to shy to say so. Problem solved!

That is... unless they know Korean and start speaking to me in Korean. Oh God...

But besides the adventures I got to experience in Sabah, what I love about this place is the seafood!

Big, fresh, seafood... YUMMY!!!

My mouth is already watering...

Except for that one. Ugh... Rock fishes are hideous! And poisonous too. Why would people wanna eat that!?

Look what I got from one of those abalone dishes! Aren't these shells so pretty? And the holes are naturally like that too. So I took it home as a souvenir.

Btw, Melissa Foo, if you're reading this, I'm sorry I didn't buy you a souvenir. But if you like, I could give you one these shells, kay?

Confirmation Camp 2011

2011-06-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

WOOHOO!! Our confirmation camp was freakin AWESOME!!! And if having our camp in Golden Sands, Port Dickson with the band, great friends and teachers wasn't good enough, we had Martin Jalleh as our speaker for the past 3 days!!

For those who don't know Martin Jalleh, he has been a motivational speaker for 35 years and from my experience with him, I think he's an excellent speaker. Honest! He is absolutely HILARIOUS!! And we've learnt a lot from him. Also, Martin's the guy on the left if you don't know by now that he's slightly old.

Oh yeah, we played a lot of games too. Martin's favorite game was the game he always wins; Martin Says. Its the same thing as Simon Says, except instead of Simon, we have Martin. Its hard to win with him... trust me.

Ah... yes. My all time favorite activity of the entire camp was the telematch at the beach! We had such a great time! At least, I did.

While we waited for the others to arrive, I was keeping myself busy by taking loads of random, candid pictures! Check out Shaun's sexy pose :D

I actually took Bryan's picture because I like his shirt:

Men: NO shirts, NO service.

Women: NO shirts, FREE Beer!

LOL!!

And here's one of our games; make the longest line in 2 minutes! You can imagine the kinds of stuff each team did to make their lines as long as possible! Since we were at the beach, its no surprise that all, sorry, MOST guys took off thier shirts!

It certainly was a sexy game...

You'll never guess what was the next game...

We had to fill that freakin tall pipe with water while there's holes all over that darn thing! It was hard, trust me. We had to find the holes and stick our fingers in it to stop the pipe from leaking. And on top of that, we had to make sure the pipe stays on the ground so that the water don't escape.

Trust me, sea water and my contact lenses DEFINITELY don't mix. Definitely.

We didn't win, but we were soo close! :(

As soon as the games were over, everybody had gone CRAZY!

Check out these girls lying FLAT on their faces! HAHAHA!!!

And so, we had our Inner Healing session that night. Saw so many people crying and sniffing the whole time. For those who don't know what's an Inner Healing, please Google.

The next day, we celebrated mass in our confirmation t-shirt designed by yours truly and the T-shirt group :)

And here we have Laurina to model our T-shirt...

GORGEOUS!

Haiz... Greg, Greg, Greg.....

You know what? I tak puas hati with my previous model Laurina, so I got Rachel instead...

Yes! Much better!

Lord knows why the teachers wanted to take our group picture indoors when the field outside with excellent lighting, wide open spaces and benches is the perfect place to take a group picture! Especially a LARGE one with 94 students not including the teachers and lecturers.

But no, they decided that since they wanted to save some time, we had to take our group picture indoors with this crappy lighting...

See? And its not like I'm even trying to make this picture look bad on purpose. This is honestly the best picture I could take. With or without flash.

And have you noticed that the group above are all guys?? Yep, the place was too small to fit everybody inside. In the end, the guys and girls took our pictures seperately and we didn't even get a chance to take a picture with the teachers!

And now, Victor says goodbye!

GOODBYE!

And good luck to those who are also taking their confirmation this year as well :)

Family Day 2011

2011-06-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

Whee!!! We had such a blast last Saturday on our BEC's 2nd annual Family Day. To read all about last year's Family Day 2010, click here.

This year, our Family Day was held in Sungai Congkak, Hulu Langat. The same place as last year.

In the not-so-wee hours of the morning, people began to arrive at the place. To pass the time waiting for others to arrive, some played frisbee. Though I'd prefer to play frisbee with my dog. If only I could teach my dog to fetch first.

AAhhhh!! We started our day with the morning Aerobics. Don't just stand there, Ronald. STRETCH!

And our morning Aerobics was led by no other than Amelia Quah!

Check it out, she even has backup dancers!

Actually, Flora was at the back but she was too far away from the camera's view. Sorry Flora..

Whether you're young or old, man or woman, smart or retarded, gay or straight, Tom or Jerry, everybody has to do the exercise!

Except me, cuz I'm the photographer of the day! Hahaha!!!

And so, everybody was divided into two groups to play Captain Ball! This game is very similar to netball; all you have to do is to get the ball to your goal and you get points. Yippee!!

In the meantime, there's Freddie doing a little jiggle there. God knows what for...

And let the games begin!

It was team Orange vs. Black. Even though a lot of people were wearing black that day. There was a team Orange because the captain, A.K.A Uncle Eric, was the only one wearing a bright orange shirt.

And btw, I was with team Orange.

"YOU! What are you doing taking pictures there only?!" said the Captain. Haha! No lah, he didn't say that. Though it looks a lot like that.

Anyway, I did get out there to play for a while. But because I didn't bring my sports shoes and I don't like running around on the wet grass with bare feet. I was mostly moving about in one area, occasionally catching... ok, losing the ball whenever it comes to my direction.

But even though I'm not such a good player, I'm a pretty good cheer leader!

Me and the Aunties, were yelling at the side, "GOOO ORANGE!!! YEAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" "Get the ball! GET THE BALL!!!" "YOU SUCK BLACKIES!!!"

And our cheering paid off because.... Orange won!! WOOOOO!!!!

Mmm.... yummy! Here's the food prepared for the Fear Factor games for the telematch games. Prepared by Amanda and Roann, with a little bit of my help as well.

Lets have a closer look, shall we?

Drink: Rose syrup mixed with water and piles of crushed up strawberry waffers sprinkled on top.

Main meal: Crackers sandwich with tomato sauce in between, soggy chocolate waffers and cocoa crunch on the side.

Do you have the stomach to eat it all?

Once again, everybody was divided into 5 groups for the telematch event.

Pass the rubber band with a straw.

Form a square.... blindfolded.... Sounds too easy though....

Military Crawl with Amelia spraying water onto them.

Fill the bottle with a wet sponge.

Ermm.... travel with a ping pong ball and spoon in your mouth with a ball in between your legs.

Poison Number.

Fear Factor! Mmm.... just look at the yummy food!

Ahhh!! Just look at the delighted face of Aunty Grace as she takes a bite out of heaven. Pure satisfaction...

Woah! Just look at that kid downing the entire drink in one gulp. Way to go little man!
And finally my favorite game.... round the cone!

Its cute when the kids do it, but its HILARIOUS when the adults have a go at it!

For example...

LOL!LOL!LOL!
But he's not the only one...

WAIT! There's more...

HAHA!! There's Aunty Pat while Uncle Eric is cheering her on!

OMG! Who did this you you!? It...it was.... the cone....

Heeheehee... he got dizzy and drunk from the cone!
Finally, we end our fabulous day out by cooling ourselves in the river!

Have a great day!

Wife, Servant, or Dog?

2011-06-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Recently, the 'Obedient Wives' club was initiated in Malaysia and I thought it was hilarious! According to them, they believe that social ills such as prostitution and divorce is the wife's fault because they failed to keep their husbands happy by being submissive to their needs and give great *ahem* in the bedroom.

What I find funny about this club is why is their failed marriage the wife's fault? Why is it just the women's fault? Sure, it maybe partly her fault, but I strongly disagree that the whole reason why there are so many divorces is because the wife wasn't 'obedient' enough.

I believe that it takes two in a marriage and a happy marriage shouldn't be based on sex alone. Get this, one of the founders of the club said,

Wtf!? Do the wives necessarily have to be the sex worker? Even if its the other way around, I'd be very uncomfortable treating my husband as a servant rather than a life partner.

OK, there are LOTS of things that is wrong with being a 'whore' to your husband. First of all, we are living, breathing, human beings. We are not a sex object. Second, a whore is a woman who have sex with loads of men, not just one. So this statement doesn't make sense.

OK, I made the dancing puppy statement up. But the rest was entirely true. Obey? Serve? Entertain? What are we, your servant? Because that's exactly what a sevant is supposed to do. Might as well hire a servant, don't need a wife anymore lah.

Wait... what??? So the cause of upheaval in this world is the 'disobedient' wife!? Whatever happened to 'till death do us part' huh? There is still such a thing as 'disloyal' husbands too you know! Even if the wife was super obedient, I bet the husband would cheat on her anyway because now that she's a pushover, he can do anything he wants while she sits there and 'obey' his every command and whims.

Just like a dog.

Oh yeah, they even have classes on how to be good in bed! Imagine what kind of 'tricks' could they possibly teach in that class. I'd love to know. HAHAHA!!!

Is this really the kind of woman every man would want in a wife? Maybe so, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm definitely not one of these women. Like hell am I gonna take orders from anyone and obey their every command. No way!

Oh yeah, tomorrow I'm heading for an interview with AFS for the Student Exchange Programme to the USA. Hopefully, I might be the lucky 50 to be chosen. So wish me luck! I seriously need lots of those right now...