I'm Home, Finally...

It is great coming back home.....home sweet home. After a few weeks of holiday, from Italy, to Aberdeen, and to London, I was really looking forward to coming home. The journey from London to KL was alright.

I was so happy when I saw my dog, Kiki, wagging away her tail like the propeller of the helicopter the moment she saw me getting out of the car. And I could not resist the temptation for mamak food. So I had to go there at the same night of arrival for supper. hehe. Miss it. Miss the tosai, maggi mee goreng, and the teh o ais limau. Everything just tasted so good!

A couple of things are$ troubling me. Firstly, my rather severe jetlag (Slept at 6am m'sian time yesterday). To solve this issue, I have decided that since I'm going to spend only 10 days here, I might as well just sleep according to UK time. This will certainly help me adjust myself much more easily when I go back to UK next week. The weather in KL is also very hot and humid. I have been sweating non stop the whole day.

And this time, my time spent in Malaysia is going to be different. Now that I'm single, I have no boyfriend to chill out with....It is so different. At least last time, whenever I wanna go somewhere, there will always be someone to accompany me. Not this time, unfortunately. No one to cuddle me, no one to share my food with, no one to listen to my rants...etc..etc... So I am going to plan my outings for the next few precious days (9 days left in KL) with my good old mates. That aside, certainly, nothing beats being at home.

Away Again

Don't think I have been blogging as much as I wanted to. I have been really busy travelling up and down. Since I'll be moving down to Glasgow this month, I have spent the previous few days packing my room. But I still have my clothes to pack up.

I'll be away again for a couple of days. I am going off to Aberdeen in about 2 hours time. My family will be arriving at the Aberdeen airport in the evening, so I'm going to meet up with them over there.

From the airport, we will be heading to the countryside, Royal Deeside, for a couple of days. On Saturday, we will be driving down from there to Dundee. After my graduation in Dundee, we will be taking the train to London. And only on the 16th of July, I'll finally board the flight home to Malaysia! yippee!! Can't wait. If only I did not have to go to London, then I would be able to fly home earlier.

ok...take care guys! Will update this blog whenever I can. Ciao!

Done and Dusted

aaahhhhh.... finally, the shadowing week is over. It was really boring (to be honest). The junior doctors, whom we students were shadowing, were laid back and flexible. They let us off by lunchtime, allowing us to enjoy our short break before the nightmare begins on 1 August 2006.

Although I was not particularly busy during the whole week, I just felt awfy tired everyday. I shall conveniently blame the travelling (up and down Glasgow) as the culprit. 2 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the evening....I admit it was ridiculous hehe...oh well, what to do, I'm trying to save some money. The air-cond in the bus was not functioning. argh...It was rather stuffy in the bus, and to make matters worse, the weather has been really warm these days. I ended up staying 2 nights in Glasgow because I had to arrive at the ward at 8 am on two occassions. It was impossible to travel from Dundee any earlier than 6 am. I was glad that I put up 2 nights there, otherwise, my eye bags would seriously be irreversibly black and swollen!!

Throughout the week, I had alot of time to think back about my life so far. It is so funny. When you are a student, you just wonder how working life would be and just cant wait to start earning. But now, as I embark on the working journey, I am dreading it. Maybe it is because of the new environment, or maybe it is because of the new responsibilites? I dunno. I guess it is a mixture of alot of factors. Scary!!

At the moment, I think I shall sit down and enjoy the remaining 3 weeks as a student. This is so sad... =(

Lazy Worm Infestation

HELP!! Someone help me! Lazy worms are creeping all over me. I tried to pinch them away, but they are just so sticky, and would not let my skin go! Anyone with solutions??? Please fill me in. I really need it ASAP.

Sigh. Lazy worm infestation is my own diagnosis. The infection just started a few days ago, but it has gotten worse today. How did I contract this fatal illness? Let me explain.

Tomorrow I will begin my 1 week shadowing at the hospital I will be working in starting August. Excited? Nope. Basically, what I understood the objective of this shadowing week is to help us students (who will be working soon) to orientate ourselves in the hospital setting as a junior doctor. I will learn how to function properly in the ward (prescribing, learn where to get what forms, etc). Every student in Scotland has to undergo this shadowing week. Well, it is, of course, really good to get my bearings correct prior to working full swing, but I am dreading it. I want to enjoy my last few weeks as a student as much as I can. I do not want all that responsibility once I start working. Moreover, I haven't touched my book since my exam, and have been spending my days shopping, travelling, watching movies, watching the world cup and now, the wimbledon! =P How am I going to pull myself together to work in the hospital tmr?

To make me dread tomorrow (and the rest of the week) further, I am travelling everyday from Dundee to Glasgow at 5.30 am (which means I have to be up by 4 something in the am!!!). The reason for this is because no accomodation is provided for us. I suppose I could stay a couple of nights in a B&B, but I need to save some money. I have been spending too much on shopping, and travelling too. A night at a B&B will cost me about 20 quid at least, whereas, my megabus ride to and fro Glasgow for the week only amounted to 28 pounds. Guess I have to sacrifice abit of my precious sleep to save the money. After the hospital, I am going to catch the 6pm bus back to Dundee, and by the time I reach home, it will be 9pm. Sigh.

I forsee my next few days till the weekend as tiring. Hope I do not need to work too hard in the hospital during this week. hehe. Ohh...I just can't wait for the weekend...me and my friends are planning to go to Stonehaven. Till I find a cure for my lazy worm infestation, I shall continue to watch the world cup match between Switz and Ukraine......and then, probably retire to my bed early. Fingers crossed, I would be able to wake up in the wee hours of the day! Wish me luck!

O.V.E.R.L.O.A.D.

Summer sale is here! Most of the shops here are having big sales. But there is nothing much to buy really (yeah, rite). Well, I guess I would be buying more if I have my own money. Sometimes, I kind of feel guilty spending parents' money. ;)

Bodyshop. Yes, I am addicted to it now. Thanks to my housemate, who introduced me to the body butter from Bodyshop. Ever since then, I can't seem to live without it. The Bodyshop sale just started on Wednesday. I popped in to see if there was anything affordable and nice to buy (esp body butter).

"Special edition body butter, 50% discount"

My eyes opened wide the moment I saw the statement above. I looked down to the display table and saw 4 special edition body butters on sale. The normal price is about 10 quid, but it is only 5 quid today! This is even cheaper than msia. . The blueberry body butter was also sold at half price. So it was a must buy situation!! hehe

The 4 special editions were:

• melon (very refreshing, smells like a honeydew)
  
• banana (my goodness, who wants to smell like a banana??!)
• honey (very sweet scent)
• avocado (the butter was bluish in colour, smells almost similar to the olive body butter)

I got all of them (except the banana one of course) and a blueberry. =) While paying, I passed my Bodyshop card to the cashier, and to my surprise, I was told, "It is your bday month, you can choose any pdt worth 5 pounds." I was happy, but did not know what else to buy. So in the end, I took another body butter. In total, I walked out of the shop with 4 body butters!! Talk about overload man! =P

The next day, my housemate and I went shopping in town again. We walked into Bodyshop and this time, I bought their shower gels instead. It was cheap! One bottle for only 2.50?? keke...yeah, I could not resist the temptation to grab a few of them (which was exactly what I did). As I was paying for my 3 bottles of shower gels, the cashier said this to me, "Oh, this is your 4th visit to Bodyshop, and you're entitled for a 5 pounds voucher." I was like "Whoa, why are there so many free gifts?" I did not know what to get. But in the end, I took one avocado body butter." hehe.

In just 2 days, my room has been overloaded with Bodyshop products. I do not know where to put them as my cupboard is pretty pack. I think, with this amount of body butter, I probably do not need to stock up for the next few years!! I wonder how long will I take to finish using all the body butters?

Ciao Italy!

After a few days of rest, I have finally geared myself to put in some details about my trip to Italy. It was great fun!! My frens and I visited Milan and Venice. To be honest, I prefer Milan to Venice, because:

1. Things are more affordable in Milan.
2. People are more polite in Milan.
3. It is less crowded in Milan.
4. Gelato was more yummy in Milan.

Our first stop was Milan. The weather was great. The sun was shining away brightly. It was such a good feeling to finally feel the sun burning my skin. (As you know, Dundee is super cold, and the summer has not be very warm either). Anyway, we visited the main attractions there, such as the well-known Duomo (a church), Castello Sforzesco (a castle), Parco Sempione (a pretty park), and of course, I celebrated my bday there!

The Duomo, Milan.

The Duomo was such a majestic building. I was really mesmerised by the amazing architecture, and had the opportunity to stand at the roof of the Duomo! The view was fantastic. The Parco Sempione was very beautiful. Many gals put on their bikini, laid their rugs on the grass, and began sunbathing at the park. We also managed to visit one of the famous Italian lakes, Lake Como. I love Lake Como. We joined a short cruise around the lake, ate big apples while enjoying the scenic view around the lake and had our first gelato! yummy!

Parco Sempione, Milan.

On the night of the 12th of June, my friends gave me a bday surprise. First, Geak Poh said he was going down to the hotel lobby to get some beer. I told him I did not want any as I was still very full. Then, when he came up, a tiramisu cake with a candle appeared. =D I was very surprised. Too bad we didnt have a lighter to light up the candle. Grazie guys! The cake was quite nice.

Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday to me! On my bday morning, we visited a few places and had lunch alfresco style along a famous street, known as Via Dante. From there, they led me to the famous chocolate shop, Pasticerria Marchesi, in Milan, which was nearby. I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic, and I have been talking non-stop about wanting to visit this chocolate shop before our trip to Milan. So, after lunch, my friends suggested that we take a short walk further down a road in order to board the electric train, that would take us to the Duomo. As we walked, SzeLeng said (while pointing at a shop ahead), "Hey sawling, does that shop look familiar?" I looked up and saw the sign board, "Pasticerria Marchesi." And replied, "Eh, we accidentally walked into the shop!!" All of them giggled away. Only then I realised that it was all planned out by them. So sweet! =D Thumbs up to the dark chocolates there! It was cool to celebrate my bday in a totally different country. It was a great day. Sono felice. (I am happy).

Having said that I prefer Milan to Venice, the latter is no doubt a very pretty place, especially the Islands nearby. Romantic? Well, I beg to differ. I think the only romantic part of Venice is the gondola ride. You know, image riding on a nice gondola with your partner, during sunset. The gondolier would row the gondola down The Grand Canal, with the beautiful orangy sunshine, and the gondolier singing "Santa Lucia" and a musician playing his accordian. Ahh...this is romantic. =)

Gondolas in Venice.

My friends and I did not ride on the gondola. As there were far too many gondolas moving along the canal, therefore, causing a Gondola Traffic Jam. And, unfortunately, being partnerless, riding the gondola is meaningless (moreover, I could ride on the traghetto, which is similar to the gondola, but at a price of only 50 cents, as opposed to the gondola, which would cost about 80 euros).

The famous Rialto Bridge, Venice. The colourful wooden stilts serve as parking poles for the gondolas.

To start, the people in Venice did not give me a good impression of the place. We were answered rudely by those working in the Tourist Info centre. From the main train station, we took a vaporetti (water bus) to San Marco (a district in Venice). The scenery along The Grand Canal was pretty. Saw many gondolas and interesting buildings. At San Marco, the whole area was so pack. We could hardly walk without brushing shoulders with those around us. We tried a Venetian snack, Involtini, for lunch. It was nice but a wee bit salty.

The gelato shops in Venice were not as impressive as those in Milan. The gelato were not decorated with fruits or biscuits, and were not colourful enough to look appetising. hehe. But we did manage to eat nice gelato at the Lido beach.

Gelato shop in Milan.

The islands around Venice, Murano and especially Burano, were really pretty. Murano is famous for glass blowing. Here, I spent sometime buying accessories for myself and as gifts. At Burano, the houses were all painted in bright colours. The sight was picturesque. =) I have yet to find out why the houses there were painted in different colours. We had lunch at a nice Venetian restaurant. I tried their seafood spaghetti (spaghetti ai frutti di mare), which was excellent. SzeLeng tried gnocchi cooked in Arrabiate style. Gnocchi is a potato pasta. It was spicy and delicious too. Both Geak Poh & Su Ann had tasty fried seafood. It was a molto buono (very nice) lunch!

Lunch @ Burano.

Italy is certainly a place to visit. But, I found Venice abit of a disappointment. It was too "tourisy." That aside, I really enjoyed my one week in Italy. I have managed to get a mild brown tan (I tried really hard to become more tan, but it was not an easy task, as I don't tan easily). I am still abit too fair. I have picked up some Italian words too. keke. Ciao!

Beautiful Burano.

Arrivederci

Arrivederci = Goodbye (in italian)

keke...yes yes I'm going on a holiday!!! =)

Leaving in 10 mins time to embark on a journey to Milan & Venice, Italy, for one week. I'm looking forward to the trip!! =) But abit scared of the various nasty stories about things being stolen over there (passport, money, watches). Will have to keep my eyes open all the time to watch out for those ppl!! *fingers crossed

Will update you guys about the whole trip and upload some pretty pics!!

Hope you guys have a great week ahead! Study smart & Chill Out!

New Addition to The Family

Yes yes... Let me introduce you to my Nici family. =) ooh... I would Nici toys, bcoz they are just so soft and cuddly. Every animal is so so cute. The only bad thing about Nici toys is the price. They are quite expensive. But, when you love them, you just gotta get them. keke. This post will be all about the members of my Nici family. The language used will be those baby-ish, so if you can't tolerate it, then, my advice is to stop reading this post now. Otherwise, if you want to get to know my Nici family members, you're more than welcomed to read on.

Right. Where should I start? It started off with 2 of them, one was a pillow, named "Moo Moo" and the other was a sheep, which I have named "Baa Baa." I love them both so much that I've decided to take them along with me to stay here in the UK. Without them, my life would be empty and lonely. Thanks to them, I get to hug something. (I know, I know, I sound very pathetic). Here they are:

Then, about a year later, 2 new members joined the family. They are Bud Belly, the pink hippo, and Polar, the special edition christmas bear. (see pic below)


Recently, I added another 2 Nici toys. Unfortunately, this time I have to make do with mini-sized ones. Let me introduce you to my wee Magic Meadows, the yellow fairy, Rapphie, the baby giraffe. =) If I'm not mistaken, the fairy is only found in limited places, such as UK. Look at them, they are so adorable!!! Don't you feel like getting one too? =P



awww...look at the happy family. =) I just can't get enough of Nici toys. Think my next target would be the leopard with blue spots...keke. hmm..I shall wait till I get my first paycheck! (not too long from now, but I am surely not looking forward to working life).

There you go, my sweet Nici family. They have become part of my life. And I hope to take good care of them till I die. *muacks to them all! Here is another pic to end this introduction. Hope you guys will have a great weekend and an excellent week ahead! I'll be heading to Italy on Sunday! Really looking forward to it. =)

My First BBQ in Dundee

It is amazing how 2 years passed by so quickly. Today, my friends and I decided to have a BBQ party in the garden of my house. This was the first time we have a BBQ in Dundee. We never had a chance to do this last year as we were too busy preparing for our exams. Moreover, previous months have been too cold to even sit outside.

The weather in Dundee is rather unpredictable. I woke up this morning worried whether it would rain, as stated in the forecast. The sky was rather dark and soon, it started to rain for about 15 minutes. Luckily, it stopped and the sun showed itself. The weather was not too cold, so it was a rather nice day for our BBQ! =)

As I sat down in the garden, I began to realise how peaceful the garden at the back of my rented house was. Although there were only plain green grass with loads of wild flowers, the garden was rather cosy. We bought instant BBQ sets which were sufficient to BBQ our 24 pieces of chicken wings, more than 10 sausages, 4 pieces of salmon, 4 corn cobs, 2 chicken fillets and a couple potato wedges. Yeap, I ate quite alot, and could not stop junking on Doritos. keke...by the end of the BBQ, my tummy was extremely distended. I think all the rugae in my stomach has been stretched to the max. =P That aside, I really enjoyed sitting down with my friends. We are officially called "The Pea Family."

Why use the word "pea"? Well, it all started from Su Ann, who was given the nickname "Green Pea" by KC. And as usual, Su Ann loves to give us all nicknames. Frog-saw, oyster, lai lai, etc are a few of my nicknames so far. hehe... To be part of the Pea Family, we all need to dress correctly according to our colours. For eg, I am known as "Pink Pea", therefore, I need to be dressed in pink, Sze Leng is "Blue Pea", so she needs to be dressed in blue, Geak Poh is "Yellow Pea" and KC is "White Pea". It was a Hap-pea day! The only regret I have was, the time passed so fast and it is back to Monday again = back to lectures.

The Pea Family (noticed each of us were in our respective Pea Colours).

Giant Microbes Have Arrived!!

hehe. I knew that I would have caught your attention! To those of you who did not study about microorganisms, let me introduce you to them. Microbes are little germs (bacteria/virus) that can cause infections (eg. sorethroat, stomachache, common cold). They are not visible to the naked eye. If you wanna check them out, visit http://www.giantmicrobes.com.

My housemate's (Su Ann's) bday is on 5th June. Since this is her last time here in UK, we all decided to give her a nice present, something memorable, cute and meaningful, hence, we bought her a set of giant microbes (7 of them). For us who studied about these microbes, it was really cool to see them being made into soft toys. For us who have studied about these microbes, it was really cool to see them being made into adorable soft toys. You'll get what I mean when you see the pics later.

Su Ann threw a mini bday dinner at a restaurant called Byzantium. The food was alright, but the portions were rather big. I ate something called Mossaka, which was made of aubergines, cheese, onions and a nice sauce. It was served with rice and Greek salad. It was yummy, but I could not finish the whole thing. We had mussels for starters as well.

Anyway, after we all had our dinner, we gave Su Ann her present. And my, she was really surprised! hehe. Let me show you how adorable these Giant microbes are. (see the pics below). I love the purple one, which is the Ebstein-Barr virus....look at the eye lashes! Oh well, I am glad that Su Ann loved her present. Can see that she could not stop smiling from ear to ear for the rest of the night, even the whole of today! =)

Su Ann can't stop smiling.

Cute giant microbes.
(Red one: Streptoccous --> Sorethroat)
(Purple one: EBV --> Kissing disease)
(Brown: Shigella --> Stomachache)
(Blue: Rhinovirus -->The common cold)
(Yellow: Bordetella pertussis --> Whopping cough)
(Light green: Orthomyxovirus --> Flu)
(Darker green: Porphorymonas gingivalis --> Bad breath)

An Evening at the Park

The weather yesterday was superb! It was the first time in the whole year that the temperature rose up to as high as 21 deg C!! It was warm, and the sun was shining brighty. My housemates and I could not resist the good weather outside. So we decided to walk to the park nearby our house.

At the park, we sat down on the bench and had a wee chat. Then we started to jog around it. I am happy to say that I almost met my target for the day, which was to jog 3 rounds (I managed 2.5 rounds). After months and months of cold weather, being able to have the sun burn my skin for awhile was really a great feeling. At least (and I hope) the sun has managed to make me less white. keke.

Next, we made our way up to the Mills Observatory (which is a mini planetarium on the hill). We managed to take a few photos, and joked around. It was fun. We decided to walk down the other end of the hill to make our way home. So in the end, we actually did quite alot of walking. Peeking at my brand new pedometer (which I just received a few days ago), I walked about 12088 steps yesterday!! hehe. I dunno whether that is alot or not, but I am just one of those people who gets so excited with all these teeny weeny gadgety things. haha.

The day ended with a nice dinner (fried meehoon tomyam style). And I spent the night watching the last episode of season 3 of "The O.C." Could not really sleep. For the past few nights, I was knocked out by 10pm. But last night, I did not sleep till 1 something. Probably coz my endorphin levels were markedly elevated. It was a fantastic day.

My housemates and I clowning around at the Mills Observatory.

A Different Kind of Stress

There are so many types of STRESS in life:

--> study stress (will i pass or fail?)
--> work stress (so much to do, so little time...I can't meet the deadline)
--> family stress (why does mum/dad have to do this to me?)
--> relationship stress (does he/she love me?)
--> finding accomodation stress (I can't find a decent room to rent!! argh!!)
--> friend stress (why is she not talking to me? why does she have to lie to me?)
--> holiday stress (hmm...I hope I have booked everything correctly. Did I bring my passport?)

Everyone hates stress, I'm sure. I doubt that no one has not faced any stress before in their life, except, probably a newborn baby. I hate stress, I really do. Some stress are tolerable, some are not, and it will worry you for quite awhile.

I have highlighted many times that "Life is Tough." And it is true! Although I have finished my exams, now I am stressed out with other things, which may not be as critical as passing my finals. But these wee things are capable of making me quite stressed up as well.

For eg, I am going to work in Glasgow. I have not found an afforable room to rent yet. Everthing in Glasgow is double the price here in Dundee. (ok ok I know I should not complain since I was the one who decided to apply for jobs there anyway). And yeap, I am abit particular. I do not like sharing toilet with strangers. So I am looking for an ensuite room. There are not many rooms like this out in Glasgow. sigh. I have just about 1 month left to find a room and it is stressful! why? Coz I am not in Glasgow to hunt for rooms and I hardly know the area around there well enough. So it is difficult = STRESS.

Relationship is a very stressful thing as well. I love you, and you love me, we both get together and pak tow lo! Sounds easy eh? But heck, it isn't. Well, maybe for some of you it is as simple as ABC. I would not say that I am very experienced in relationships. But from what I have went through so far, I think it is very complicated. I have different ideas and opinions which my partner do not seem to be able to comprehend. Neither am I able to get his ideas and opinions. After endless arguements, we are still not able to come to a compromise. I respect his ideas, but by following his ideas, I am no longer ME. I want freedom to do what I want. (me is not a very sentimental person). I feel that I should achieve something first before settling down. If only, we could find a solution, something that we would need to compromise a little. This is just STRESSFUL.

These 2 examples are TWO different types of stress...which is so different from my exam stress about a week ago. When will I ever be stress free? (just wished I was a small girl again). I doubt I will, because, once I have resolved a particular stress, a new one will appear. I could forsee my new stress, which would be my working life!! argh...it is scary to be the person in charged of another person's life. Just yesterday, my friends and I were asked to react in an emergency situation. Saying and thinking about what we should do is simple, but really, carrying them out is a task! sigh. STRESS!

Restless

Ok. It is only 2 days after I have passed my finals. But I am seriously bored!

For the past few weeks, I have been spending most of my time reading, studying and completing assignments. Before I sat for my exams, my brain kept on wandering away from the topics I was reading on (Addison's disease, outcome 9, audit, etc) to the various things I want to do after the exam (shopping, read chick books). "Stop thinking...and concentrate." That was what I told myself.

Now that exams are over. My brain shouts "Yippee!! You are free now! Push those adrenal glands away, no more outcomes, go do anything you want." Sounds pretty easy eh? But heck, it is no easy task.

Every morning, I wake up thinking of what I should do for the day. To make matters worse, the sun rises as early as 5 am in the morning, and I can't sleep for longer even if I want to. The sun was just too bright. I went for a jog, shower, ate bfast. I really took my time through all those..and the clock only showed it was 8am! urgh...why is the time passing so slowly?? Ok nevermind. So I went to read the newspapers, did some pointless surfing....and looked at the time again...only 10am?? sigh. Shopping? done that, but there was nothing to buy. Read chick books? not in the right mood to do so yet. Study and prepare for work? No way I am going to pick up my Oxford Handbook to read (at least not now)!

I guess the problem is before exams, all I did was sit down, study and study. And once when I do not need to do that, my life suddenly feels awkwardly free. Ok ok...I know many of you are still studying for your finals and wished that you can be in my position. I shall keep quiet and enjoy my relaxing moment. =)

No Longer An Undergraduate

Yeap, you did not read that wrongly. I am NO LONGER an undergraduate! I have my MBChB finally!! yiippeee!!!! =P

I sat for my Final Viva exam yesterday. The days leading to "D-Day" of exam and during the exam itself, were no doubt, frightening and stressful. Everyday, my heart starts to pump hard, butterflies fly around my tummy, both fingers and toes turn icy cold, loss appetite to eat..etc..etc... I am sure you guys have experienced these before. But I think this time, my stress level has received a place in the "Saw Ling Book of Record", as the highest stress level in my life.

Even after the exam, the agony while waiting for my results was stressful too. It was such a tremendous relief the moment I saw my name in the pass list on the board. I was so happy until tears of joy just started to roll down my cheeks. Come to think of it, 5 years of medical school just passed rather quickly...it was not easy, and yes, I have finally made it to the end. All my hardwork, and my parent's money have paid off. Thanks mum n dad!

The good thing is I can now support myself. My parents do not need to give me pocket money anymore. They can sit down and relax. And I can buy anything I want without feeling the guilt!

As for now, I shall enjoy my break till August, which is when I start to work. Should I travel somewhere? hmm...ok, let me plan me holiday! =)

What's My Age Again?

As I was walking along the pathway outside my house, the neighbour's kids approached me. There were 3 of them at that time, all still in primary school. We had a short conversation.

All Gals: Hi!
Me: Hello
Gal 01: How old are you?
Me: How old do you think I am?
Gal 01: 20?
(I shook my head)
Gal 02: 21?
Me: Nope. I'm 23.
Gal 02 (was speaking to her friend): She looks like she's 12 years old.
Me: Awww....that's sweet. (smiling to myself)

=) It is amazing how young people think I am over here. This was not my first experience of someone saying that I looked younger than my age. A few of the patients I spoke to always commented that I looked like I am 15 or 16. (Don't mean to brag bout myself) But, I think it is because the Caucasians generally look more mature for their age. Most of my fellow students in my year are 22 years old, and they do look like they are over 25. Or maybe it is because I am short (I'm surely taller than 5 ft). Whatever. Not important.

But, I shall thank my M'sian genes for making me look youthful la! =P

Flowers

ahhh...flowers, I just can't get enough of them. I think eversince I came to UK, I have began to really (I mean, REALLY) appreciate flowers. I have never taken these many pictures of flowers in my life so far. =) hehe... Flowers are pretty (so many colours) , bold (stand up tall all by themselves) yet innocent (they just bloom when the time is right).

Today, my housemates and I had a little photo taking session at a wee garden near our house. Every year, they seem to plant tulips of different colours. =) It was such a lovely day at that time, the sun was shining brightly. Lucky for us, we managed to snap our photos before the dark clouds came rushing in, blocking away the pretty sunlight. It eventually rained quite heavily later in the evening. This sort of made the day turned gloomy. Oh well, whatever it is, flowers certainly made me happy today!!

Summer is Coming!!

Yeap...summer is looming in! Look at the cherry blossoms shedding off their last petals... =) It was a really pretty view this morning after I went for my jog. The petals basically covered the whole road. Unfortunately, sad to say, the sun has been rather shy this week. She has been hiding behind the clothes most of the time and allowing the clouds to cry almost everyday!! The day started off pretty well, with bright sunny sunshine, but, now, the dark clouds are fast covering the sky. sigh...hope it doesn't rain.

Anyway, here are some a few more pics I took this morning. Was kinda getting crazy studying for my exams (although I have to admit I haven't been particularly hardworking). But enjoy the pretty pics.

Pretty Red Tulips

Yellow/Red Tulips

Pink Tulip

Purple/Yellow Tulip

Lazy Weekend

The weekend has just passed by quickly. I have recovered from my sleep deprivation. Slept early during the weekend, had my morning jogs to help me release endorphins and improve my fitness level.

Oh, did I mention I spent both Saturday and Sunday watching Australia's Next Top Model (Season1). The telly was showing 4 episodes in a row on both days. I didn't really want to watch, but in the end, got hooked up with it bcoz I didnt know how to prepare myself for my exam. Sounds weird doesnt? But, I really have to sit down and think, what sort of questions they are going to shoot at me. There is no way I could read everything in my portfolio...hmm....tough tough.

Anyway, back to the model show, it was really interesting...you could actually see and experience all the bitchiness among them. hehe. And they actually learned quite alot of things, like eating etiquette, dressing, make up, and all had to go for a bikini wax!! hehe.. it was funny to see them cursing out loud when the person ripped off their hair.....poor ppl.

On Saturday nite, I was too sleepy to do any work (still havent recovered yet at that time). My housemate bought a DVD, called "Just Like Heaven". The show starred Reese Witherspoon, who looked so pretty in the movie. She played the role of a doctor. She has never experienced love ever so far. Suddenly, she was involved in a RTA (opps..sorry, it means Road Traffic Accident) and ended up in a coma. Her spirit left her body and could only be seen by one particular guy. Love started to bloom between both of them. When she finally woke up, she couldnt remember him. This part was quite sad. But, eventually, they both finally got together..You really gotta watch the movie coz I didnt describe it fully here. It made me laugh, and it made me cry!! Highly recommended.

So, today, I am back to full swing (hopefully!!). But I sort of lost my mood this morning...so hope I'll regain it back soon...otherwise, I wouldnt be able to get my work done.

Have a good week ahead everyone!

41 Hours 21 mins of Consciousness

My deadline to hand in my work was yesterday at 1pm. I rushed and struggled to finish my work... it was to write 12 pages worth of reflection on my progress throughout my years as a student. I had no choice but to burn the midnight oil to finish the work. Here is a brief idea of what I did.

Thursday
0500 woke up
0530 started to edit my work on the computer
0830 hungry, decided to eat some cereal
0845 resumed my work
1400 lunch
1420 resumed my work again, planned to finish everything by 6pm
1800 work not completed
1930 went to uni to print out some stuff
2030 decided to go home bcoz the idiot colour printer did not want to print
2045 gulped all my food (microwaved chicken tikka masala), and started work again

Friday
0000 needed my caffeine boost...had a cup of cappuccino
0500 still struggling to finish up the last few pages
0600 urgghhh...why can't i finish this work!!!
0800 stomach was growling...very hungry..had not had anything to eat since dinner....but I did not have the time to even walk to the kitchen to get some food, or to drink water..
1000 finally finished the typing..now I have to print out the headings for my folder...
1030 still no time to drink water, was too absorbed in printing, drawing boxes and cutting the headings...my hunger pangs have gone
1100 began arranging everything into place..pasting the headings onto the right dividers, and also printing out some of my work to include into the folder...still no time to drink water...
1200 realised that I needed to print out those coloured pages...decided to screw the colour coz I wouldnt have the time to use the printer in the uni. so, I decided to use my black n white printer instead...hmmm..turned out ugly..but nevermind.
1230 30 mins to deadline....began to write down the contents...there were 20 headings..gotta rush. oh..just remembered I forgot to print out the front cover with my name, ID no..
SHIT!!
1245 finally completed everything, changed into proper clothes (was still in my pyjamas) n left to hand in my folder. was thirsty...but again, no time to drink water.
1250 arrived at the uni (quite fast eh? coz I ran, i would usually take about 10mins with a leisure walk). my throat was so dry...as in REALLY REALLY DRY...it was even difficult to swallow my salive...then, I thought, hmm...I sitll have 10 mins left...maybe I should try my luck with the colour printer.
1255 yay!! I managed to print my 2 coloured graphs...was quite happy, but I realised that the colour didnt turn out as nice...probably the ink was low or something..but hey, nevermind, at least they looked better than the black n white graphs!
1300 reached the office to hand in my stuff...was glad to see that I was not late bcoz there was quite a queue, everyone waiting to hand in their work as well.
1315 ahh....done and dusted...wasnt too happy with my work..coz i didnt have the time to read over again..
1330 arrived back home, saw my friends waiting for me for lunch (their deadline was an hour earlier than mine). AAahhh...finally, my first sip of water!!!!
1400 had lunch at a nice pub, decided to hang out at in the shopping mall..was looking for a
nice coat to wear for my oral exam.
1700 discovered a nice coat in Zara..but no size. sigh. was told that new stock may or may not arrive in the next week..so maybe i'll try again.
1730 everyone was in need of caffeine..ended up in starbucks for some drinks. They have new concoction of drinks, like Banana caramel and Java chips (both are frappuccinos). I decided to try Java chips (which has coffee, choc, choc chips..something like Rhumba). It was really good....so thick and just the right degree of bitterness!! I thought the Rhumba was too sweet.
1830 left the city centre and took the bus back to home.
1900 home at last. realised my room was in a terrible state of mess...papers everywhere on the floor, the leftover cuttings all over the place, books here n there.
2030 It is American Idol time!!! had poopcorn too while watching.
2200 very sleepy..couldnt open my eyes, but decided to give my mum a ring (coz i told her i didnt have the time to chat with her yesterday)
2220 fell asleep while speaking to her...sorry mum!
2221 ZZZzzzzZZZZZzzzzzz

By the end of the day, my eyes were straining and aching, my muscles were tensed and I think I have permanently developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my right arm. SIGH. Such "fun" life I have!

Life is Tough

The flowers are blooming,
The birds are chirping,
The sun is shinning,
But my heart is yearning.

I yearn for someone to care,
I yearn for someone to love,
I yearn for someone to cuddle,
I yearn for someone unreachable.

When I sit down to eat,
When I sit down to drink,
When I look outside the window,
All I can think of is you.

I have lost my beam of support,
I have lost my source of happiness,
I have lost my dreams,
I have lost you.

Dreams are not just dreams,
Dreams are something to look forward to,
Dreams are meant to be shared with someone you love,
But when dreams don't meet, that's when everything falls apart.

I've never told you a lie,
I've never want to break your heart,
I've never felt this miserable in my life,
But I know, whatever I do, I will never win you back.

Pls forgive me for sounding so sad...but this is the state I'm in now.
Hope all of you will find someone who loves and cares for you.
And remember, when you have, treasure the person like gold.
Dun ever let he/she slip out of your hands, bcoz you'll never be able to get the person back. It's like finding a needle in the sea.
Life is always tough, remember that.
As for now, I shall use all my energy and strength to be happy. Dun worry, I'll be fine.