The life of a Sassy Little Lady

Steve Jobs - "Insanely Great!"

2011-10-06T13:38:00.004+11:00

Seriously, how many people can build a company named after a fruit and turn it into a culture that has revolutionised lifestyle, technology, education, entertainment; and one that almost literally runs the world.

And amongst the many things he has said, here's one where I think he reveals his not-so-secrets in becoming the legend he is:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

- Steve Jobs

Gone too soon indeed but he once said:

“I’ve always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do.”

- Steve Jobs

And I believe he has.

"Click. Boom. Amazing!"

- Steve Jobs

But I guess of all the things in life that he has lived for, the best is one that many people have the other way round:

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

- Steve Jobs

R.I.P Steve Jobs. Thank you for putting "a ding in the universe".

I'll miss your presentations.

P.S. Haters, just look at the world today.

Quotes taken from: macstories

Vainpot Diaries: Silkymit

2011-09-29T16:03:00.000+10:00

The things us girls do to look presentable (sigh...).

Seeing that I needed my legs waxed and my epilator's not working (sad) and I wouldn't even consider waxing here (cause it's SO expensive and I can't be sure they do a good job), or buying a new epilator here for that matter, I decided to go all Columbus and explore this new product I saw (of course, I always have to be first to test unknown waters). First amongst my friends to try waxing, epilating, etc etc. You see, curiosity ALWAYS gets the better of me. Though to be fair I always (ALWAYS) read reviews and all that before trying.

So there I was, sitting on my bedroom floor the morning we were supposed to leave for the Palazzo. If you've ever shaved or waxed (or tried any hair removal method for that matter), you'd know this was the biggest, baddest (lol... cause it would almost DEFINITELY go wrong) and possibly dumbest risk I was taking. But anyways,

You know when you get that "uh-oh" feeling?

Yea... I never listened to it =D

Not too many instructions...

How wrong could it go right?

Apparently "consistent use of Silkymit actually discourages hair regrowth!".

Really? REALLY?

Anyone who can actually support this, write back to me and I promise I'll use this religiously.

But your opinion doesn't count if you're from the marketing department of the company that sells/manufactures this thing.

Proceeds to use...

I see no hair and do not know till now how it works.

Seriously baffles me.

But the white powder, is dead skin =D

So I suppose it's an added bonus.

The instructions say to rotate the mit clockwise a few times and then counter-clockwise a few more times. It took so freaking long to do both legs okay. And my legs aren't long (at all) or big (thank God). They say beauty requires effort...

I advocate effortless beauty.

(The awesome moment when your friend touches what in reality is a half-fallen apart folded ponytail and exclaims, "I really like how you do your hair! Win x7777!)

But a note on the instructions also say do not rub against skin (and trust me, you WILL be tempted to), DO NOT! Cause there will be lots of white powder and no skin left on your leg. I got a lil big of that... =(

A picture of my half-hairy, half-powdery leg...

Hahah!

Ok, for real...

The verdict:

It didn't do such a great job for me and it took a looong time just to get acceptable results (perfectionism alert).

I guess after using an epilator for so long you get used to how fast it takes to actually do the same.

With regards to regrowth, it has only been 5 days and there's already noticeable growth.

Maybe I'm just really hairy...

But yeah, try it for the experience and if you really need to exfoliate.

To be fair, I have smoother legs now =D

But I'll definitely be getting an epilator when I go back for summer!

Till then, I'll just...

Try other funky ways and hopefully find a good alternative =D

P.S. It cost about $7.00+ for a pack of 3 mits so I guess it was cheap, but definitely not value for money. I have high expectations. True that.

Vainpot Diaries: Ryota Hair

2011-09-28T10:26:00.000+10:00

Fancy kimono-ed beauties making you look gorgeous? =P

Us after our hair sessions...

Love how they add beautiful, soft curls before you leave so you feel sexy all day after =D

Camwhoring with the boyfriend while waiting for Azin after my haircut.

So, this is not an "atas" thing ok. Just that I needed a haircut and no one else I've found so far are as polite, nice, careful, observant and friendly as the owner and stylists here. Also, they do a really good job at layered cuts.

On a side note, they have a mini boutique at the salon that sells Liz Lisa (Ok, not so side note after all).

Yummy Secrets: Lady Marmalade

2011-09-26T18:21:00.000+10:00

For: The BEST start to your mornings =)

Run by 2 former contestants of My Kitchen Rules =)

A little shop with so much to tell...

No table numbers here but table animals?

It used to be table vegetables actually... =D

So you obviously start with delicious coffee.

Pictured here is Azin's cappuccino.

Yea, she and Eugene both have something for cappuccinos =D

Brioche with mushrooms, goat's cheese & herbed butter.

And my favourite!

Has eggs, beans and toasted bread.

Dessert at breakfast! How sweet is that? =P

Nougat.

Eugene and his Ploughman's Lunch.

HOT CHOCO!

The haloumi on this one is to-die-for!

Pumpkin and barley soup.

If you ever get a chance to go, go! They're only open in the mornings though...

And their website is: http://ladymarmaladecafe.com/

Sipping and nomming while I still can,

Palazzo Versace, Gold Coast

2011-09-25T15:30:00.000+10:00

So in celebration of our first year together and my graduation, Eugene and I decided to spend some time at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast, one of only two in the world!

Saying that the place was beautiful is an understatement. It is BEYOND beautiful and the prices for lunch and tea are not cut-throat too. Believe it!

And what makes it better is that it's next to the Marina Mirage, my current favourite place on the Gold Coast, other than the Palazzo.

Hello again, Gold Coast!

Eugene's cappuccino.

You'll probably realise by now he almost ALWAYS orders cappuccino =D

And my English Breakfast...

Delish!

Our afternoon tea tower of delicious goodies.

The compulsory toilet camwhore picture *grin*

And they place the Versace logo E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E!

The Versace Marina.

View of the rooms at the palazzo.

The old.

The new.

Taken specially for my daddy =D

More rooms and the Vie Restaurant.

The Gianni Versace Boutique.

Peter's Fish and Chips near the Palazzo.

Yummeh!

Lunch is (most definitely) next.

Did I mention I ♥ pretty places that don't break the bank (my bank at least)?

Yummy Secrets: Cocoawoo

2011-09-25T09:45:00.000+10:00

For: Hot Choc Divinity and Cupcake Goodness...

One of my favourite places to go for hot choc (since I can't take coffee) and cutesy cakes.

Shame they close early (at about 4) - early by Australian timing, SUPER EARLY by Malaysian timing.

Eugene's cappuccino.

See the coffee machine? It was custom made for them in Royal Purple!

Chocolate selection.

Have a cuppa-cake... Or yummy sandwiches?

You see, it's not a girly place =)

Sassy's...

Eugene's...

Azin's...

No hot choc for me this time, instead...

Choc Milkshake!

(I LOVE MILKSHAKES)

And, and since it's a coffee place, I feel obliged to add that they use a special Campos Blend which has a hint of Spice and Choc. How sweet! =)

Sipping and nomming while I still can,

1 year on...

2011-09-18T20:47:00.001+10:00

1 year together.

Reminding us about what's important for many many years to come...

Happy anniversary, love!

Sassy.

LivingLaughingLoving: Great Big Waves

2011-09-13T15:43:00.000+10:00

A photo-log series dedicated to the wonderful experiences in life...

All in the name of living, laughing & loving.

20th August, 2011

The Whale Watching Experience

Understanding (to a certain extent) the significance of the bible story "Jesus calms the raging storm"

So Jerry Bruckheimer...

This was someone at the start of the trip.

I was like that the moment we could see Gold Coast no more... till we reached Marina Cove again 3 hours later.

The amount of willpower I had to NOT throw up... I could have levitated.

Sadly not enough to calm the sea.

A glimpse.

DO YOU SEE IT?!

Yup.

Frankly, that's all the whales I saw.

Of course everyone else who weren't meditating with me or throwing up or busy trying to hang on to the railings for dear life saw a whole lot more whale action.

But still, experience none-the-less.

One I'm glad to say I've done (enjoyed in the span of those three pictures) and I'll never do again.

EVER! =D

Captain on board.

Frankly, I think seeing this was more exciting for the sea-sick people like me...

SHORES.....

Meters away from Marina Cove.

Smiling again =)

Look at Eugene's hair!!! XD

I think the Grinch goes whale watching quite frequently.

Address:

Only 1, Middle of Nowhere, Gold Coast.

Your turn to drool over this.

Relieved people.

I just realised recently that I now live

somewhere many people spend their whole childhood dreaming of going to.

I'm incredibly blessed and looking forward to make the most out of my time here.

Live, laugh, love...

LivingLaughingLoving: Ekka 2011

2011-09-13T06:44:00.000+10:00

A photo-log series dedicated to the wonderful experiences in life...

All in the name of living, laughing & loving.

17th August, 2011

Carnival Colours

The Showbag Pavilion Madness

Experiencing tradition

Childhood memories =)

...

Palaeontologist

Lost fairy...

Super lost fairy.

The food pavilion.

Going Home

The Chilli Factory.

Hottest Chilli.

Daredevil boyfriend.

For 3 minutes...

Never worked.

We went home =D

And I know it's mean but I found it (and still find it) highly amusing.

Live, laugh, love...

LivingLaughingLoving: CRIKEY!

2011-09-12T21:11:00.000+10:00

A photo-log series dedicated to the wonderful experiences in life...

All in the name of living, laughing & loving.

13th August, 2011

My favourite tunnel to date...
Guess where? =P

Getting There

The Australia Zoo

Dearly missed...

The Animal Planet Crocoseum

...

Spot joey!

Laughing...
A random picture I took which will alway remind me of the simple pleasures in life.

Living...

Loving...

Live, laugh, love...

Scenes from South Bank

2011-08-06T14:39:00.001+10:00

So I've been back in Brisbane for exactly 2 weeks now, and yea... it's been okay I guess. At least way better than my first semester. We've moved into a new place so the past 14 days have been all either about:

Serious furniture shopping

OR

Arranging furniture delivery

OR

Enjoying Ikea food... And I mean E-N-J-O-Y-I-N-G

OR

Arranging delivery of white goods (you know, like the fridge and washing machine... stuff which are normally white lah)

OR

Fixing furniture (to which my boyfriend says... "bloody bed")

OR

ATTEMPTING to recreate the food we terribly miss from back home (read: What I Was NOT Meant to Become)

OR

Arranging for electricity, internet and all that boring nonsense

OR

Grocery shopping

OR

Going to uni and cracking my head over ketones, 5'-3' and (but definitely NOT limited to) finding out that I have to do 4 presentations... Dammit. I thought I was over those =(

And that pretty much sums up most of my first 2 weeks here. Fun eh?

By the way, I just ate durian mooncake! And my breath smells like durians... Haha!

So after a looong looong time of being back in Brisbane (like Eugene says), it felt kinda weird that we hadn't been to the city YET. And considering I need a constant change of environment, that WAS really weird (and yea, I'm weird like that too, just in case you were wondering). So yesterday, off we went to the city.

And before I bore you to death, considering I haven't... here are some pictures from the beautiful South Bank where we took an evening walk before going to the city.

Confucius say...

Brisbane city.

Welcome to the beach in the city - brought to you by Streets (the ice cream brand that in Malaysia we call WALLS).

And then,

Brisbane really gave me a change of scenery...

Welcome to the Nepalese Peace Pagoda.

Sorry if you didn't like peace pagodas and I bored you to death. So beautiful and amazing (it's right smack in the city, how cool right?) that I HAD to take so many pictures.

The equivalent of Eye on Malaysia which I think is called The Wheel of Brisbane...

Part of the old Victoria Bridge.

Must have change of focus for a bit.

The new Victoria Bridge.

Beautiful skies over the Brisbane Museum and Art Gallery.

QPAC - Where we watched WICKED in March.

Towards the heart of Brisbane City.

See the City Cat?

Why doesn't Malaysia have ferries as part of our public transport system?!

Ok don't answer.

The light of a million mornings.

Who said there are no traffic jams in Aussie?

The casino where they have lip gloss and perfume dispensers in the toilet.

Now you know... In case you were out in the city all night and needed to rush to work.

So there, a view of Brisbane City for those of you who want to know what it's like =)

I hope you enjoyed it.

P.S. Shame I didn't have my camera with me so all pictures taken with the iPhone 3GS. And no, no editing involved.

What I Was NOT Meant To Become.

2011-08-03T19:33:00.001+10:00

I found out today that if I never become a scientist or dietitian, popiah seller is not one of my career possibilities.

Such a significant event in my life.

Now, back to finishing my popiah.

God bless the poor boyfriend who has to eat most of it...

Sassy - On the go

To a 189-year-old genius...

2011-07-20T16:05:00.001+10:00

To a 189-year-old man with whom I have a love-hate relationship...

Happy Birthday,

Gregor Mendel!!!

Picture credit to: "With Us- News for Entertainment."

*Click to read more*

Let's make the next semester a "more love - less hate" relationship yea.

And... and... I'm still trying to get the fascination you have for peas be it in my food, in lectures or especially when I'm cramming for the finals.

Anyhow, Mendel rocks! as long as I always understand what he investigated...

With much respect,

Liverpool vs Malaysia XI

2011-07-18T01:41:00.002+10:00

Memories with daddy ♥...

16th July, 2011

National Stadium, Bukit Jalil

Sassy's back!

2011-07-17T22:17:00.008+10:00

HELLO WORLD!

My first post after... *Checks last post* exactly 6 months and 1 day! I'm hopeless at updating. But on top of that, the reason was simply: I turned 21 and I needed a break from everything. No I didn't stop living - still went to uni and I'm currently living in Brisbane. I just felt that the relocation needed some getting used to and me being such an angelic homely girl, I really struggled with being away from home and fitting in miles away is a course totally different from what I've been used to for the past 2 and a half years.

So to cut the story short, in the past 6 months that I've been absent from the blogosphere, I've:

1. Turned 21 with my boyfriend there but sadly my family miles away.

2. Experienced staying in a house with 6 other girls who are awesome and who have always been there with me and for me.

3. Moved from Newcastle to Brisbane safely. Boy am I fickle-minded *Grin*

4. Began my 3-year Biomedical Science course journey - *I can sense from here that you asking why =D*

5. Kinda settled in and found contentment with living in Brisbane... Kinda. Not without the help of my ever-awesome boyfriend though.

6. Still not gotten used to living so far away from home. It's not that I hate Brisbane or anything ok, just that there's no place like home, family and food from home - I'm Malaysian!

7. Gone through the whole house-searching nonsense and moving (partially - one day before flying back. Champion of epic proportions we are). House searching - calling (I hate!) - meeting - inspecting - repeating the whole process - confirming - paying - reading documents - signing - looking for whitegoods, electronics and furniture - endlessly comparing prices and understanding the crazy specifications - packing - moving *faints*

8. Survived one full semester of university, constantly trying to hold on to personal believes and principles whilst trying to fit into what they call the scientific community - it is and will always be a constant battle.

9. Tried working when I could in jobs that sometimes made me feel either happy or sometimes like I wanna go back in time and question the person who invented certain mathematical concepts; and at other times like a secret undercover spy.

10. Met great people and made good friends.

11. Fell in love with what is to me, one of the most beautiful languages and cultures in the world - Italian.

12. Came home over winter (which I absolutely hate living through) break to be with my wonderful family and see my friends.

13. Survived what people call a mild winter and what I call the nightmare of my life!

14. Realised how much I love being Malaysian and how awesome our country is. I'm now so patriotic you have no idea. Ask Eugene.

15. (Because I never stop at 13 or 14 when I make lists) Realised that after 6 months of not writing, I miss my blog =D

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16. ... Oh oh! I've also gained 3.5kgs over 6 months and then found out that I lost 0.5kgs just now. *Depressed x 937093703* ='(

And that 6 months of my 21st year for you. Nope, nothing all that exciting =P

So... did you miss me?! =D Haha...

I missed having you read my blog tooos...

Sassy & Friends (0 - 1) The Lizard.

2011-01-16T21:53:00.001+11:00

Okay, I officially lost to a freakin' lizard! FML seriously.

This is what happened - condensed:

By the way, note that this was after I saw a huge spider outside the house when I first came, cockroaches in the microwave which when I tried to kill I started a TINY fire, a flipping beetle in my room 2 days ago and maggots on the laundry room floor this morning *cries*.

Lizard went in to Krista's room.

Krista called me on my mobile.

Lizard escaped from her room through the gap under the door.

I went out of the room to see where the lizard was.

After looking around I saw an image on the floor which looked like a strip of plastic.

Sassy: "Krista, what colour is the lizard?"

Krista: "Brown."

Note - Carpet's dark blue.

Oh ok. Cannot be lizard cause not brown and strip of plastic thingy looks black.

*Walks closer to thingy*

*Thingy runs*

*Screams* "OMGosh it's the LIZARD!!!"

*Runs back to the my room* FML max!

Comes out after moments, still on the phone with Krista.

Sassy: "I think it went into Madhu's room"

Traps lizard inside room with door stopper.

At this point I don't even know if I should wish that the lizard dies or not. Sigh. Why is life so complicated???

Discusses how to get rid of lizard.

Calls landlord and he laughs at us. OMGosh why so insensitive?!

Appointment at 7pm to proceed with operation "Get rid of evil Lizard".

Goes back to room and Googles, "HOW TO GET RID OF LIZARDS" while discussing with Krista online.

Together with my awesome housemate, we come up with our genius plan: The Killer Combo of Chili Flakes, Rock Salt and Onions. AWESOME!

A website suggested PEACOCK FEATHERS - ___ - #$^%#^%$& WHY UNI NO PEACOCKS!!! (As if la I will go pluck feather from the peacock. FML why am I such a scaredy cat???)

7.01pm - Krista comes out of room first *Thanks God for amazing housemates*

Krista: "Susanna, it's outside your room door!"

Sassy: "WHAT?!" *Jumps on bed* "Er, can you please ask Lynne if she knows what to do?"

Krista: "It ran under your carpet. I think it's trying to get into your room."

FMLx1634529736948736!!!

*Use precious flats to hit door*

Krista: "It's not moving."

*Use foot and shoe deodorant to spray under door gap*

Krista: "It's still not moving."

*Nearly dies from deodorant poisoning cause room has no windows and I sprayed too much*

Sassy: "I think I'm dying from the deodorant!!!*

Fast-forward 5 minutes later, I'm escaping through my room's back door. Seriously, what have I done to deserve this *Sob*

Going to the front of my room, I see the lizard hiding under my floor mat. Idiot lizard. Get away from my carpet! WHY WHY WHY MUST AUSSIE BAN PEPPER SPRAY??? *pouts*

Lynne then comes up with a brilliant idea: "We should get a gentleman."

Thank God Krista is friends with the neighbours. Phew.

Luke, the very nice neighbour comes over to help.

Stupid lizard ran to the front door as Krista opened it and because we screamed, it ran back inside. Idiot lizard.

Luke successfully gets rid of lizard after us girls had a few scares, screaming and running away moments. Superhero much!

P.H.E.W! Finally.

And you'd think that this was the end of it right? Enough la for one day kan?

But no, I washed up and tried getting into my room only to find out that the door was locked from the inside cause I escaped from the back sliding door and climbed over stacked boxes. *No more energy for expressions*

Climbed through back door again with Krista's help. And now I'm sitting here, emotionally and mentally drained LOL with no energy to do my homework. And my excuse if my teacher asks me - "I LOST TO A STUPID LIZARD SO I WAS SUPER TIRED AND DRAINED".

*Applause for Lizard*

WTF.

Who knew lizards could be so smart lah?

A picture of the ugly, idiot lizard:

Picture credit: museumvictoria.com.au

Apparently it's called a Garden Skink.

And I just killed another bug in my room. Ok, cukup lah... Enough creatures for today!

But honestly, it's one of the memories of great times spent with my housemates that I'll treasure when I leave next month. Thanks, Krista, Lynne and Luke our awesome neighbour who saved my life and gave me an experience I'll treasure =)

Unfortunately, the only picture I got of the experience:

My barrier to make sure the lizard doesn't come in.

Pathetic.

FML.

But thank God for the experience, for great friends and for not allowing me to die of a heart attack.

10 DAYS!

2011-01-15T21:28:00.000+11:00

Ok, seriously... 10 FREAKIN' DAYS LEFT! Goodness... I really can't wait. Come to think of it, I only have to survive 1 more weekend by myself after this. And I definitely like the number 1 more than 10 in this situation. Haha... Yea, I like to lie to myself like that one *Rolls eyes*

Ooh ooh! Also, in 2 days' time it'll be exactly a month till I move to the next state! Excited max!!!

But before all that, I still have to survive 3 math tests, 1 chemistry test, 1 english test... You get the picture lah.

Ok, this post was written cause I needed an outlet for my tiny bit of over-excitement. Hah! Going back to reality now.

Towards a Great Start...

2011-01-01T03:43:00.001+11:00

Happy New Year, dearies!

2011 will be an awesome year!

Live. Laugh. Love

Love,

A Little Prayer.

2010-12-31T23:46:00.004+11:00

Thank you, dear Lord

for bringing me safely through 2010.

For blessing me with memories and friends who make life such a wonderful adventure.

For keeping my loved ones safe and happy,
for always providing my every need and showering me with the things I want,

and for always letting me know how loved and blessed I am.
And thank you for the little reminders of the loved ones who are now by your side.

May you walk with me through 2011.

I miss you,
Grandma and Zac.

P.S. Please keep everyone I love safe. I know it's selfish but that's all I ask. Thank you ♥

Love,

2010

2010-12-30T16:20:00.004+11:00

I just tried mentally summarizing 2010 in words just now and I swear it sounds like a freaking novel or something. Let's see:

relationship troubles

crazy long distance relationship with guy who doesn't really care

(understatement of the year)

went to China with mummy

fell out of love

met with someone I haven't seen in ages

graduated from college

(somewhat la... haven't gone through convo yet)

broke up

made tough decisions

accomplished quite a few things on my life list

(mostly those involving food and travel)

became a bit more social than before

got close to people whom have become great friends I'll treasure for life

(I miss each one of you)

fell in love

left for Australia alone

now a part of another long distance relationship

(which just proves that it's not long distance being a problem, it's about who is part of the relationship)

experienced faith, hope and love in new dimensions

and at the moment,

counting down the days till

I turn 21

and

meet the love of my life again.

and of course,
preparing for life in another part of the world
and

looking forward to the future like never before.

Best-seller, no? How's that for Eat, Pray, Love 2??? Hahah joking lah. I never read that book. Have a thing against books that I know will make me cry.

But anyways, that pretty much sums up a good year =) Phew! Now for 2011 ♥ Ready? Let's go!

To all of you who have made my year special, thank you and I love you all!

Keeping the love alive ♥

2010-12-25T00:50:00.000+11:00

Blessed Christmas, dearies.

I hope all of you are spending precious time with your loved ones.

And for those of you who are away from home, I hope you're being showered with lots of love regardless of the distance, just like I am =)

Have an awesome year ahead, loves;
and
God bless

♥

Our very first Christmas tree
which is currently over at Eugene's side of our Skype Christmas Countdown date =D

And because of the time difference, we're having 2 countdowns ;P

Once again,
Blessed Christmas and have an awesome 2011.

Love,

Looking Forward.

2010-12-18T20:10:00.004+11:00

Exciting things happening in my life at the moment:

1. Hopefully meeting dearest Meei again after MONTHS! And with this comes a trip to Sydney with my housemate Krista! =)

2. Looking forward to counting down with Eugene to our first Christmas and New Year's Day together... On Skype! ♥

3. Counting down the days till Prince Charming arrives. Today: 1 month and a week left!

4. Looking forward to turning 21 =) (Actually more for the surprises, presents and shopping I'll get to do =P). Hah! I'm deprived like that; even though it's only been 3 days since I went shopping for my Christmas present - which I have to say, I've fallen in love with every day since then. Haha! Gosh, I ♥ Playboy!

5. Home-hunting for next year. This one's more of a mixture of feelings. Can really drive me mad especially since I'm a control freak and I absolutely HATE uncertainty. And thought it's not us buying the house, it's still pretty damn exciting lah. Imagine what buying your first home will be like =)

6. Listing down what we need for our new home! Actually deciding what's a need and which are "wants" is fun (Like the kinda fun when you have to give 100 reasons why you think it's E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L). Thank God student accommodations are almost fully furnished!

7. Following the above, looking for cheap but nifty appliances. Nothing like the satisfaction of buying something awesome for a few dollars ;)

8. Playing the role of interior designer and picking out (and matching) colour schemes for the new home. And because I'm the one doing this, I get to torture the boyfriend with crazy amounts of pink *grin*

9. Signing up for possibly every free discount card there is (that would be of use to us, of course). Hahah... I do crazy things like that, seriously. Having said that, I find a use for everything.

10. Coming up with budgets and revising those budgets only about 20 times and finding out it doesn't tally. FML. I don't know how I even convinced myself to do my C.A.T. But at least the budget's working for me and hopefully for us next year. Haha! I don't care at the moment it if doesn't tally as long as I have a surplus.

11. Revising my life list and starting a new one with Eugene! Also, possibly our blog =)

12. Finishing my foundation!

13. Going home to my family next year ♥

14. Seeing my dearest friends again ;)

15. Looking forward to the future together.

Such is the exciting life at the moment.

Can't wait for next year!

On a side note, I have a feeling that Ikea will be my 2nd favourite store for the first quarter of 2011 =)

Much love!

When it becomes my problem.

2010-12-17T14:07:00.001+11:00

Finally! The first round of tests are over and the holidays are here =)

And just before I start, I shall warn you people that this is a bitchy ranting post.

I usually don't have a problem with people being "pat kua" (Busybody) and "kiasu" (although I think you're bad enough with one, with both... I just pity you lah). I mean, you wanna be "pat kua" and annoy other people, or "kiasu" and torture yourself... At your own expense.

It becomes MY problem when your "pat kua-ness" and "kiasu-ness" interferes with my life!

Now to bring sense into the picture.

We had Chemistry test yesterday which was supposed to last for an hour. But it was an in class test and the teacher gave us 10 minutes of extra time (meaning the test was flexible lah). So me being so long-winded like I've always been, took a lot of time to answer the questions. And so when time was up, I had ONE question left to answer (which I haven't even attempted yet).

You see, to me, I would try my very best (say up to the very last second that I could) as long at it's not at anyone else's expense. Say, as long as I don't make the teacher or the other people wait for me. It's ok if I get low grades as long as I know I made a conscious effort to do everything I could. Cause I'm not competing with anyone.

So while the teacher was collecting the papers and I was just trying to read the question to see if I could attempt it, this stupid boy came up to me and saw me reading the question. And before I say anything else, note that he has learnt almost everything we're studying now cause he did his A-Levels.

He said, "That one very hard. I didn't even attempt it."

And I was thinking, "You didn't attempt your problem lah. I wanna attempt how?"

And when the teacher came round and collected the exam paper from the person next to me, that idiot just took my paper off my desk and handed it to the teacher. WTF!

Eh, since when I made you my P.A.?!

And so being the blunt and "mean" person that I am, I asked him after that, "Why did you just take my paper like that and handed it in?" (Actually, it was more like SNATCH MY PAPER)

His reply: "Because it was times up already." (In an indignant tone)

WOAH, who appointed you class monitor? Seriously, go die.

And when I said, "It's none of your business". His reply: "Sorry".

Seriously, PLEASE go die.

And THIS is when people's "pat kua-ness" and "kiasu-ness" becomes MY PROBLEM.

Please lah. So because you didn't attempt it you don't want me to attempt it as well is it? You've learnt all of that before so it's really your problem that you make a decision not to attempt it hor. And mind you, if your trying to compete with everyone else, remember that in my case, you're competing alone.

And please remember, AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE!

2011.

2010-12-05T22:54:00.001+11:00

2011 is gonna be an awesome year =)

Taking a leap of faith.

Lots of prayer ahead for sure.

Can't wait! ;)

My new bubble. I'm lovin' it! ;)

2010-12-05T22:46:00.001+11:00

As it is, I'm currently sitting down, enjoying the satisfaction that comes with finishing my assignment and laundry (there's just something about doing laundry, really), slurping instant noodles, doing my chemistry homework and blogging at the same time. Super woman much? =P

But yeah, it's been like that since 1 month or so ago when I moved to this ulu but pretty place called Newcastle.

Acutally, not so ulu lah, cause it made its way onto 'Lonely Planet Top 10 Cities 2011'. Must give a bit of credit eh?

The first week, as most of you would have know, was hell. Lots of crying, missing home, skyrocketing phone bills, breaking the bank - you can imagine lah. Homesickness is very real ok? But yea, glad I got past that stage. Doesn't mean I don't miss home though.

So anyways, now that I'm more or less settled down and happy, I'll give you dearies who have always been here for me in some way, a glimpse of my new life.

The place I call home; along with 7 other girls.

Yes, 7.

And no, we don't fight.

Half hidden by trees for our privacy =)

Believe me when I say I'm O-V-E-R-J-O-Y-E-D when I see this after walking 3.4km everyday.

It means I'm HOME!

And I don't have to walk long windy paths anymore...

Until tomorrow.

The entrance to my room.

Of course now, almost drowning in homework and assignments, it's not so neat anymore.

This too, definitely doesn't look like this now =P

Hah!

My memory ~~wall~~ ~~door~~ whatever-you-call-it.

The little reminders that keep me going ♥

Close-up =)

The makan stuff.

Can't live without eating, I tell you.

My tiny window.

If I ever forget my keys, its $80 or climb through that.

*Mental note: NEVER FORGET KEYS!*

Where all the culinary magic happens.

Pfft.

That's BS. No such thing till next year ok? I'm fine with pasta for the next 3 months.

My $27 rice cooker.

Because I'm anal like that.

Life-saver.

Enough said.

Milo - MUST HAVE.

See, no chips and keropok.

I'm a good girl =P

Maggi, unavoidable ok. On days like today when it's the start of mad-rush week you have to survive.

See the soy milk carton on top of the eggs?

It says "goodness with a great milky taste".

Lagi BS!

Not good and not milky =(

Laundry closet.

SATISFACTION =)

Left: Bathroom ; Right: Toilet

Yes, got difference. BIG difference.

So yeah. That's the tour around my house. You're welcome =)

And now to answer the most frequently asked question:

What have you cooked/eaten so far?

Because I'm living alone for now, and I'm cin-cai like that, these are some of my meals to date:

My first proper self-cooked meal in Aussie =D

Cause I was so semangat, I made pasta, scrambled eggs and potato and ham salad.

Not bad lah, actually.

Other than that, fried rice, fried pasta, you get the idea.

Survival food.

Uni food.

Steak and Mushroom Pie for $2.50 - Crazy yummy!!!

Ok, I bet you're hungry already.

And as I said before, the walk to class and back is 3.4km. 1.7km there and 1.7km back. By the time I finish this course my stamina sure very power =P

In the housing area =)

Flowers here are crazy pretty ok!

Makes me smile each morning...

And definitely makes the walk to class a lil less painful too.

Nah, a picture of my pretty face for those of you who miss it =P

First day of classes ;)

Shortcut from my housing area to uni.

The Callaghan campus =)

You should know by now =P

Seriously, I see things here that I only used to see in the zoo back home.

Ducklings, big-ass lizards, KOOKABURRAs (they're effing cute btw!), cockatoos...

Walking through my uni, especially when it rains - which I HATE btw, is like walking through a rainforest.

I've watched these babies grow *sob*

Told ya.

This isn't even the part where it's most like a rainforest.

Wait for it...

TA-DA!!!

Chair of Environmental Inspiration!

Oh I could sit there all day...

Of course not, this woman has got better things to do ok.

For my beloved.

Not only cause he's drama lah.

I'm only kidding.

It's cause he likes theatre =P

HAHA he's so gonna kill me =D

And after a 30 minute walk...

I see these words and I'm mad happy!

Cause I'M FINALLY THERE! =D

The usually after 5, the looong walk home again =S

Actually walking on campus is quite scenic especially near the train station (I'll definitely post up a picture one day). The view is super nice! And that's probably one of the things I look forward to most every day; other than shopping of course!

Ooh, ooh! Speaking of shopping! I'm crazy in love with shopping here ok. They have AWESOME brands!!! My favourites so far (in no particular order =P) :

Smiggle!!!

FREAKIN' AWESOME STATIONERY!!!

Kikki.K

Which also has SUPER NICE stationery!

Of course, LUSH...

I almost went MAD when I saw it =D

Can't blame the lingerista can you? =P

They carry PLAYBOY!!! *DIES x 1000*

And of course, Wicked Weasel, which I'm not going to link in case any under-aged people stumble upon this page =P

But google at your own risk.

I don't think it's that bad lah.

I love their tagline btw. It says: "micro bikinis, barely covering girls since 1994" =D

Of course together with these brands are Cotton On (super cheap!), Cotton On Body (Mega-cute undies ♥), Roxy, Billabong and Diva!

I CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!! =P And of course, my birthday next year when I'm sooo gonna "sapu" all these stores =D

Well so far, I've been shopping in Westfield Kotara with Krista (my super sweet housemate). We kinda even each other out cause she goes crazy over clothes and I go crazy over lingerie so yeah. It's quite a nice mall actually (definitely can't beat One U back home, but better than nothing).

NEEDed stationery and earrings.

See I didn't spend unnecessarily ok! =P

Splurged a bit on lunch though (which I ended up tah-pau-ing for dinner cause the portion was so big).

Chow-mein - A lil taste of home.

Now that I think of it kan, I think I can never be a food blogger.

Cause when I'm craving something, anything that comes close to it, no matter how sucky, tastes good to me.

FML!

Krista's laksa which was actually pretty good =)

And so far, my favourite past time is grocery shopping (yes, this is so sad). Goodness.

Spotted this on my way to do grocery shopping and it reminded me of Lizzie! ;D

Miss her =(

Jesmond. The place I do my grocery shopping at.

Close-up =)

Yups! That pretty much sums up the introduction to my new life =D It's beautiful at the moment and I won't change a thing about it.

Having said that, I miss all of you back home =)

p.s. brand logos credit to kikki-k.com, choose your voucher, and wickedweasel.com =)

BAMBOOZLE

2010-11-22T00:56:00.001+11:00

Bamboozle

\ bam-BOO-zuhl \ , verb;

To deceive or get the better of (someone) by trickery, flattery, or the like.

To perplex; mystify.

Hah! How cute is that?!

Totally made my day.

Credits: dictionary.com - My life saver and court jester on many many occasions; along with Google XD

Crumbling.

2010-11-17T00:23:00.000+11:00

I really don’t know what I’m doing here. The walls are crumbling down and I want to go home. All these days spent trying to be strong is taking it’s toll and even when I can’t be strong anymore, there’s no one here to hold me.

I try every day to live within my means knowing how much my parents gave up for me to be here. I try to be strong and make everyone at home proud but at the end of each day, I know I stand alone.

I feel I’m losing the people I love and relationships I treasure because I’m far away and I can’t do anything about it.

I can’t seem to figure out how people eat on $11 a day and how I can be sure eggs are bad without tasting it or just taking a wild guess and wasting that portion. Or even how I can manage to balance eating healthy, looking good, keeping my grades up and making sure my room is a clean and comfortable haven without collapsing from tiredness at the end of the day. And more importantly, how I can live the comfortable life my parents want me to without wasting any of their hard-earned money cause I feel really guilty.

I’ve been strong for too long.

I can’t do this anymore.

God, I really need you now.

And I hope as always,no matter what I say, I can get up again tomorrow and face the day with Your strength and a that little thread called faith.

I love you, daddy, mummy, Jo, Rose and Eugene.

And all of my friends back home. You know who you are.

I miss all of you.

The beginning to happily ever after ♥ - Part 2

2010-11-12T23:59:00.000+11:00

*From the collection of looong overdue posts =D*

*While I was MIA*

So as I've mentioned before, I've been up to lots while I was MIA for the past two months and these few posts are a recap of what took place.

Enjoy!

16th October, 2010 - 18th October, 2010

Cameron Highlands - The Monthsary Trip

Day 3 (18th October, 2010)

The last day of our first official trip together =) There was nothing much really, other than a happy ending and a few pretty pictures to post ;) Enjoy!

After checking-out =)

The road downhill.

One last stop before we head home.

Fooodddd!!!

Both are incredibly yummy! =P

Have said it before and I'll say it again:

"I LOVE PASTA!!!"

I shall try every chocolate fondue I come across while I can still afford to eat like that =P

Favourite!

And another favourite.

I'm craving again.

*Sigh*

*Grin*

Was really tired...

Goodbye, Camerons.

Thanks for the lovely memories =)

And then on the way home, guess who drove?!

Beware: Lady with road rage!

Yup! And that sums up the trip. Wonderful memories indeed. I wanna go again!!! ♥