Day 3 and Day 4

Day 3
Stayed at home all day. Felt a wee bit bored today. Downloaded Angry Birds and have been sitting on the couch playing it all day and laughing to myself whenever I suicide. Too funny!!!!!

Day 4
- Met up with Andrea, Douglas and andrea's sister, michelle, at 10am at Chat Thai for breakfast. Bwahahahahaha... had yau char guai with yummy kaya jam. MmmmmMM!!

-Walked along George St to Circular Quay and the Anzac Parade was going on. Then off to Harbour Bridge and Opera House for them to snap photos. A bummer the weather was pretty sucky ....

- Had morning tea at La Renaissance at The Rocks. Creme brulee, coffee and macarons. Though I was too full from breakkie to eat any macarons

- First time ever walking into an LV shop... LOL!

- Caught the free bus to World Square. Was so looking forward to Din Tai Fung's xiao long bao but it was 3.30pm... it was closed :S

- Went to Mamak and it was close to. So went to Ramen Kan for Jap. Karaage Cheese Curry! MMMMmmmMM:)

- Ate till so full but man! andrea's sister can eat!!! still can go da bao Meet Fresh (taiwanese dessert) to eat on the way to the airport. LOL! crazyy!!! Said my farewell to them. So glad andrea came to sydney. She made my easter weekend eventful :) And I got to claim my other half's hug from her... heeheeee :D

The day isn't over....

- Met up with lucas after his work and went to his place to wait for the rest to come.

- Yu sheng, jenny and pauline showed up an hour after and went to nearby jap for dinner. Too full to eat so i just ordered green tea ice cream. Hehehe..

- Poker started after dinner. Not my luck that night. Played two rounds and then... we went to Chat Thai for supper!! and that was after midnight. LOL! OMG! three times this week.....

- After chat thai, lucas jokingly asked for round 3 poker after supper.... and we all agreed! Hahahaha! and so, poker till 3am in the wee morning. Lost again. Haha! thank goodness it wasn't real money. Great fun....

And so.. the day ended... at 4am the next morning for me. What a long day.

And today's day 5 of 5... like a little kid dreading to go back to school, I am now dreading to go back to work tomorrow after 5 days of holiday .....

But we all have to grow up eventually... so tomorrow, work starts..... money money money!!!!

Day 2 of 5

-Slept early last night thinking I will wake up early this morning to go for a long run after bumming so much yesterday

-Woke up at 8 as planned. And it was raining. So I continued sleeping

-Woke up at 9.30 and it was still raining. Decided I should just get up.

-Had breakkie in front of the tele and continued re-runs of Glee. It amazes me how I can watch all those episodes over and over again and still not get bored of them.

- Then typed a super long email to my other half. Took me about 3 hours? Hahaha!!

- It was still drizzling after I sent off the email. But decided I NEED to run

- Put on my raincoat, wore my old runners as I didn't want to get my new ones wet... and off I go on my feet

- Did about 5ks and felt the blister on my feet building up but there's no turning back as I was near the rocks.

- Finished 10 k with a massive blister. Lesson learnt. I'm just gna get the new shoes dirty next time and then buy a new clean shoe so my currently new shoe can be the dirty shoe next time. Hahahaha! Sorry Ivan!!!

- Dinner at Chat thai with andrea, douglas and michelle, andrea's sister. Queue was long as usual but worth the wait. Good food as usual. Tried the curry fried snapper for the first time and it was YUMMMYYYYY!!!

MmMMMMMMmm.... day 2 of my 5 day weekend was awesome too.... :) No plans tmrw though... can't run now with my blister :( *sigh*

Day 1 of 5 day weekend

-Woke up after 10 hours sleep

-Had bagels and cream cheese for breakkie in front of the tele

-Watched re-runs of Glee and Greys till 1pm

-Nap from 1-3pm

-Walked to Chinatown with cousin to get some salad for dinner

-On the way home, borrowed some DVDs

-Had grilled lamb cutlets and salad for dinner whilst sitting in front of the tele AGAIN watching DVDs

-Magnum Big choc bikkie for dessert

And now.. still in front of the tele, sipping a cup of green tea watching tele and blogging this

I have never enjoyed Good Friday that much!

Need to do some reading tomorrow and then at night... Chat Thai with Andrea!!!! Woooohoooooooo!!!!

First time after such a long time....

I left the house yesterday at 2.30 pm. It is now Sunday 12.45pm and I just got back not long ago.

Yesterday was the first time after such a long time since I had such a great time. The last time was back in July when we were playing board games at Yin and Shaun's place back in Auckland. 

It was Carlo's housewarming yesterday as he moved in to his new place in Parramatta just a few weeks ago. I was a bit hesitant to go out yesterday. It was raining and I thought I can give the excuse that it was raining and I don't feel like going. Main reason was because I didn't know anyone except the him. I was thinking I'm going to be bored as I don't really like mixing around much. Just lazy. But now, I am not regretting a single bit and I am so glad I went.

 The hosts

Reached his place at about 4-ish and met his housemates - craig and alan, alan's gf, vanessa and two other people i don't remember what their name were. Haha! All except vanessa were previously from Auckland as well. They have already started drinking since 2. Lol! Had my bacardi breezer and chat with Vanessa who was pretty easy-going and easy to talk to. Played Wii and caught up with Carlo as I haven't met him since November. He gave me a tour of his new place. The place is kept so clean it was hard to believe it's an all guys apartment. Lol! It is at the very top floor and they call it the penthouse unit. Living the high life as what he claimed. They have their own personal BBQ space at the rooftop which was simply impressive. Too bad it was raining orelse the party would have been there. 

Yummmyyyy!!!! they were quite addictive....

Came 6pm, more and more people showed up. Prior to that, I was already given 1 bacardi breezer, two jello shots, and 1 punch. I guess in a good way, it made me more out-going and mixed around more and talked to strangers. Started feeding myself with meat pies, wedges, chicken and chips to bring my heart rate down. Majority of the people were previously from Auckland. Majority filipinos and indians. It's amazing to see so many moving from Auckland to Sydney. Met three girls - two taiwanese and a japanese who weren't from Auckland. Asked how they knew Carlo and apparently they met on the bus when Carlo first arrived Sydney and was asking for directions and they became friends. Lol!! Too random! Carlo o carlo, picking up chics on the bus right away. Lol! Then talked to another person from auckland and found out they met at IC level 0 in a pretty random way too. They were sitting on the same table and they greeted each other and asked each other if they were filipinos and then.... that's how they met. I still find the bus one the most interesting. Hahaha!! 

Talked to a few more people that I don't even remember their name. One of Carlo's workmate made really nice cocktails but then left quite early. I drank half of mine and then left it on the table and when I got back, it was gone :( I think quite a few people got quite tipsy and it was so funny just watching them. Thank goodness it was funny drunk and not aggressive drunk. Soon, the science-ish stuff came up. 

Using a feeding bag that's usually used in hospitals for patients who can't eat by mouth to transfer shots to test tubes. I guess that's what you get when one host is a medical engineer and the another one being a chemical engineer. Lol!! The thought of it sounds a bit disgusting but if you think about it, the bag is actually very clean as it's sterile. I just hope those test tubes are new :S

Throughout the night, drinks were just put into my hand non-stop. Had another bacardi, another fruit punch, 4 more jello shots and god knows how many test tubes. Lol! This is the most I've drank after awhile but I felt completely well after all the greasy food. Craig, who was already half tipsy when I reached at 4 was pretty wasted at night. He wanted to get the japanese and taiwanese girls drunk but when they refused his shots, he just drank them himself. He was going around hugging people. Too funny as when we asked him this morning, he doesn't remember a single thing. Carlo was also pretty tipsy and it was funny because all these while, I've only seem him playing sports. He was making the drinks to put into the feeding bag. One time it was nearly all vodka, wine and a little apple juice. Another round was just apple juice and water. He didn't even know. Until this morning when a few of us actually mentioned we drank a round of just diluted apple juice. Haha!

Played Wii Fit throughout the night, chit chat and got carried away as I missed my last train back to the city. Wanted to catch the bus but as I will be the only one on the bus as it was 1 in the morning, Carlo made me stay the night along with a few others who were not sober enough to drive back. He was so nice as I got his room all to myself whereas the others were sleeping in the living room on the couch. It's always good to be the young one and a girl :D 

Had a pretty good sleep last night but woke up at 7. We all helped to clean up the place and then went for big  breakfast and had a good laugh on last night. All in all, last night was awesome and I enjoyed myself despite not knowing anyone. I went there only knowing 1 person and left knowing at least 7 more. 

And so, somehow, I figured, I still bond better with people from Auckland compared to Sydney, irregardless if they are Malaysians or not. And so, I still miss Auckland :p. But at least, I like Sydney last night. Hehehe....

4 day working week ahead!!!!! 

Dear Diary.. I feel empty

Dear Diary, 

So I stepped out of the apartment this morning to get ready for a run. The weather was bright and sunny, not too hot, not too cold, just perfect. I did my stretches just so that I can run a little bit more as I had a very uncomfortable run last week and only lasted for 15 minutes. 

I was enjoying the view by the wharf overlooking the Anzac Bridge. My life now consists of a 8.30-4.30, Mon-Fri full-time job. Despite the 1.5 hour commute each way, at least there's no overtime, no weekends. I enjoy my weekends. Sleeping in, lazing around, doing nothing. And now, I have decided to run on weekends to add a little something to my weekends. Need to start getting healthy and hence I need to force myself out of the place. 

And then .. I felt a little down. I felt empty. Is this how I want to live my life? Forcing myself to actually do some physical activity instead of having fun doing it. I still miss Auckland. Because in Auckland, there's no forcing in that. No matter how tired I am, no matter how much assignments I had, I'd wake up on weekends for sports. Because I enjoy it, because I look forward to the friends, to the hanging out, to the eating. I envy those back there. Always have something planned for the weekend. I still miss the company, the friends. There's still no way I can find the same group of friends I had back there. I can't get them here. 

This is quite bad but.... I am still looking back. Still looking back at the best times I had during my 3 years as an undergrad. I can't seem to let go. I can't look forward. I tried. There's still nothing to look forward to. There's no plan really. I never had one. When I came back to Sydney after my holiday, all I had in mind was.. get a job. Get a job. Think about other things later. And now, I got a job. So... what's next? No idea. Easter is coming up. Any plans? Nope. If I were in Auckland, I'd be planning something to do on this long weekend. But over here, I've got nothing to do......

And then... I started my run.

Have I came up with a solution to my emptiness yet? Nope. I am just going with the flow. When a plan comes up, I will plan it. But for now, I am still lost. So in the mean time, I shall just enjoy earning the money, living life day by day, and enjoying the ME-time I have EVERY weekend. 

And so, Auckland, today, tonight, I miss you. And to Sydney, tonight, I don't think I have liked you an extra bit yet. 

My first pay cheque :)

29 March

8 years ago, year 2003, that's the date I got my Learner's License.

This year, 2011, this is the date I got my very first full-time pay cheque!!! Wooohooo! Time to get a haircut!!!

I'm tired

It's only my 2nd week of work. And I am exhausted. ~ 20 patients a day and still have so much more to see. Think about the money. Think about the money. With time, I'm sure it'll get better...  :D

Twestival Auckland 2011 - for the people of Christchurch

God knows how many sleepless nights they had... How many phone calls they have made..... How many tweets they tweeted..... How many emails sent..... How many meetings held.... I do not know any of those but I am sure it's A LOT!!!!

What I'm talking is about a bunch of friends in Auckland, who shares the same dream, which is to organize a charity event (Twestival Auckland 2011)  in such short time frame (approx 1 month), where 100% of the proceeds goes to the New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Appeal. I admire them a lot. I admire their spirit, their effort, their kindness. 

I do not know how many people in Auckland reads my blog. Perhaps majority who reads it are people who already know about this event with all the advertising in Facebook. But, if you are one of those, who reads my blog, and the name Audrey or Ying Swan is not familiar to you, then here's more information about this awesome awesome event that you HAVE to go to. It's for a really good cause. It's for the people of Christchurch. They need your help. Even if it's just a $25 donation. And with $25, you'll be entertained to the MAX for 3 full hours on the 24th of March 2011, at 519 Events Center, 519 Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, Auckland, from 6.30pm - 9.30 pm.

For more information:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TwestivalAKL#!/TwestivalAKL

Website: http://auckland.twestival.com <--- buy your tickets from here!! And if you can't attend, click DONATE!!!

Read Mamasan Audrey's (one of the organizer) blog entry about this great event HERE

2 months

I arrived Sydney on 13/01. And today, 14/03, I started my very first full-time job :) (minus the orientation day on 11/03).

Took me 2 LONG months!

Finally employed. The wait is over. Not a job I really want but it'll do for now :) Hehe... they say you gotta enjoy what you do. Well, for now, I enjoy making money. Haha!! 

KK Trip (Part 1)

So I think I should start blogging about my fantastic KK trip as I am starting to forget some details.. lol!

26th December

I was so unlucky to fall sick the day before. I remembered loading myself with heaps of water after the Christmas bootcamp as my throat started feeling sore and I couldn't stop sneezing. Unfortunately, I wasn't any better on the day I left for KK. Cousin picked me up in the morning for breakfast before she kindly insisted that she dropped me at the airport instead of the LRT station. Mind you, the drive to KLIA from my place takes about 45 minutes! So nice of her... Had my favourite wonton noodles for breakkie but unfortunately, I couldn't taste much due to the clogged up nose:(

The flight to KK was pretty good. Had my favourite window seat... can't remember what I ate but I sure do remember the ferero rocher chocolate and haagen daze ice cream! wOoott WOooOTT!!

Arrived KK airport and caught a cab to the Borneo BeacHouse. Gosh!! RM 30 for a taxi ride. So expensive!! Ohhh well..... at least the accommodation was cheap ;) RM 25 per night. Well, that was what it was meant to be.. but somehow we ended up paying less than RM25. Sure it isn't glam like the hotels, the mirror in the toilet was tiny, there's ants here and there if you leave food lying around, the computer is super ancient.... but it was a nice and cosy house/backpacker and it was only a 5 minute walk to Tanjung Aru beach! Plus, the total amount we paid for 4 nights is equivalent to a one night stay in the hotels so I'm quite happy with that. Heeeheee... Save so much!!

Our nest for the next few nights...

So after checking in, washed my face, then it was off to Audrey's house as I had nothing else to do. The other half hasn't arrive yet as her flight was delayed. There were soooooo many people at Audrey's house. Gosh! So many aunties aunties and cousins. Man, I don't even know which were her aunties and which were her cousins. Lol!

There were also quite a number of sick people in the house, all coughing and sneezing. Flu season perhaps? Or maybe just from pure exhaustion. Audrey made me a really good tea with ginger and honey. Yumm yumm... felt so good after drinking it and drank many many cups of it. Haha!! Thank you mamasan! Still taking good care of me despite her being the bride. Lol!

Apart from sipping tea and sniffing my nose... here's what I did...

that's liyang there enjoying herself :p


that's bronson's mama in heaven :) lol!

Of course I wouldn't be that silly to put photos of myself up. Hehehe.. so yea.. For the first time in my entire life.... I got a mask being put on my face... felt so good after that man!!! and a pedicure and footscrub :) bye bye dead skin!!! but as i'm typing this out, the dead skin is back again.. why so fast wan??

After that.. it was dinner time. Her family cooked for all of us.. and there were so many of us... I don't even know how many hungry stomachs they had to feed... but it was a lot! So nice of them to do so... And the food... so yummy! nice comfort food.. especially for sick people like me.. the ginger and wine chicken soup was da bomb!!!!

So when did Ah Swan arrive? Halfway through dinner. Hehehe... it was not only her flight was delayed but.... surprise surprise... she went to the wrong backpackers!! Wahahahahahahahaa!! She went to Borneo Backpackers instead of Borneo Beachouse. Lol!!! Funny how I had a slight feeling she might go to the wrong backpackers... and I was right! Lol! Even she herself had that feeling too. Lol!! Andrea and Douglas came along as well as they had to pick her up from the backpackers. What nice people!!

After dinner.... (now I know why they fed us so good) it was dance practice time!! They made sure we had enough energy to practice the dance by feeding us. Hehehehe.. sneaky sneaky... It was great fun practising... all the laughters and stupidity.. Lol! I'll always remember this. It makes the wedding even more memorable perhaps. Hehehe...

Not too sure what time we finished but we were knackered by then. Andrea was so nice to drop us back at our backpackers. Then it was shower.. and then to bed.

Yean and Sam arrived a wee bit past midnight from Penang as their flight was delayed quite a bit. There were so many flights being delayed that day as the KK tower in the airport caught fire. I guess I am the very few who had no idea about this because my flight wasn't delayed and even arrived KK earlier than scheduled. Haha!! Lucky lucky me :)

27th December

Free and easy day. the nose was feeling better and I could taste again. The 5 of us - Me, Swan, Liyang, Yean and Sam took a morning stroll to the beach and then decided to head into the city. Caught a bus that cost RM 1? Can't remember but it was cheap.

First stop... breakfast time!

Then we walked around.... KK is such a beautiful quiet town. Love it!

And got our legs eaten by fishies...

I had always wanted to try this but never had the companion to do so. It was quite ticklish at the start. Not many fishies came to me... coz I just got my foot scrubbed and so it was CLEAN! heeeheee...

Yean and Liyang went off after that as they had church rehearsals. Swan and I continued walking around but didn't buy anything. Ohh wait... I got insect repellant which I am glad I bought.... and we had lunch.. KFC bro! MmMMmmmm.. yum yum... but... the naughty me kept on eating ice and.... my nose was blocked again :( *sigh*

About 5-ish.. yean texted and said they are done. The plan was to meet them at the beach for some coconut. We went to the bus depot but had to wait 20 mins for the bus to depart. Decided to catch a cab but had so much trouble finding a cab that doesn't rip us off. RM15 to the beach! It wasn't that far... plus our bus ride was only RM 1 each. and hence, I refuse to pay more than RM 10. *sighh* after much searching around, it was already time for the bus to leave and so we caught the bus.

Unfortunately by then... we were too late for coconut. Met back at the backpackers and they came and pick us up and it was off to Audrey's place for more practice.

There were more new faces and... met Cynthia too!! Omg! Haven't seen her for soooooo many years and didn't know she was also there for the wedding :) So good to see her again.

After practice.... it was seafood time at Gayang as promised by Andrea. Hehehe... Audrey's family actually prepared dinner for us again but we really wanted seafood. Audrey's advice: You all better not get sick tomorrow ar!!! Only drink stuff out of a bottle/can. Hehehe....

So... there were 7 of us.. in a 5 seater 4wd. So Liyang and I had the first class seat. Cool eh?

First class seats at the back yo!

Gayang seafood was far. About 30-45 min drive. It didn't help that the traffic that night was pretty bad. But it was interesting. Lol! Omg! I am so glad I wasn't in the bus. There was this bus that decided to cut all the cars and drove off-road. And for a moment, it got stuck and couldn't come back to the road and looked like it was gonna topple over. If I were those people in the bus. I'd be pissing my pants off!! There were so many other cars cutting like that as well and I really hate it when cars do that. It's these cars that make the traffic even worse! And even if you don't let them cut in, they will still squeeze their way through no matter what... even if it means hitting into you... Yes, we experienced a mini incident ... But it was all sorted in the end. Quite funny really.

Arrived Gayang Seafood and it's dinner time!!!! woohoooo!! so many live seafood... good stuff! Andrea and Douglas did the ordering and we all just waited.. and waited.. and waited.. it was quite a wait for the food. Waited for almost an hour? And then..........

Gayang Seafood = Heaven!!!

Leave no trace behind....

MmMmMMM!! Heavenly!!!!!! It was worth the wait. Though I would have enjoyed myself even more if I was able to taste properly! My tastebud was gone due to the clogged up nose and I was just so annoyed at myself. Nevertheless, I still managed to taste a bit and it was AWESOME!

The bill came to RM 30 pp. So cheap!!!! Thanks to andrea and douglas who were soooo nice to drive us all the way out, go through the traffic jam, went through the mini incident, waited.... and brought us to this yummy seafood place. Now that's KK for you!! Best meal in KK.

28th December

Church wedding. Yean and Liyang left bright and early whereas the three of us was lucky to sleep in. Hehehe.... andrea picked us up again to grab breakfast and the local hawker stall for noodles and then send us back to the backpackers to get ready.. and then picked us up to head to the church. Can't thank that girl enough!

And now.. the wedding... first wedding of a friend I've attended. That was why I was soooo excited!!!! 2nd wedding I can clearly remember. The first one was my cousin's a few years back.

Love the little fairies!! So cute!!! They were just prancing around, holding a wand in their hands.... ahh! so so cute!!! There were lots of standing up and sitting down and lots of singing. Just like how I remembered my cousin's one was. I guess all church weddings are like that? Hehehe...

And after all those.. the moment everyone has been waiting for...

The bridesmaids and groomsmen started to make their way in. And then the maid of honour. And then.....

MAMASAN n her daddy!!!

In my head, I knew she was gonna look really beautiful anyway... and so I turned away... LOL! Besides, everyone is gonna whip out their camera and be snapping photos of her and I didn't really have a good seat so there's no point trying to snap photos of ppl's hands holding their cameras. Haha! Instead, I looked at Bronson.

His face says it all. Full of love and happiness. Sure to me he's always a joker and always seem to be irritating audrey during netball but the look on his face that day... that was a different type of smile. It wasn't the cheeky grin.

Or maybe I'm just fooling myself? Maybe I watched too many repeats of 27 dresses. No wonder I decided to look at the groom instead.

Jane: You know how the bride makes her entrance and everybody turns to look at her? That’s when I look at the groom. Cause his face says it all you know? The pure love there.

Kevin: When the bride comes in and she makes her giant grand entrance, I like to glance back at the poor bastard getting married. Cause even though I think he’s an idiot for willingly entering into the last legal form of slavery, he always looks really, really happy.

Hahahaha.. i'm so cheesy eh? I didn't realize this till i watched 27 dresses AGAIN few days ago in Sydney and realized the reason why i looked at the groom. Hahaha! influenced by chick flicks... Lol!! Hmmnnn.... I wonder if it's the latter? Hahaha! nah.. i'm very positive it's the former. Haha!!

After the church ceremony, it was photo time outside the church. It was only then I had a good look of mamasan Audrey. SooOOooO beautiful. Love the dress and the hair too! I even said to audrey: "Wahh! haha! i didn't know you look so pretty!!!" Nyehehehehe.... i think she wanted to slap me then... Lol!!! But hey.. can't blame me laaaa as i always see her in her sports/fishing attire.... All sweaty and with her messy hair :p

So after the photos... it was lunch time at Windbell restaurant. Very near our borneo beachouse. Hehehe... Waited quite long for the food. As I was too hungry, I didn't take any photos of it. Hehehe.. straight away digged in!!

A very hungry Yean

Didn't really have much time with the bride and groom, there were busy walking around, taking photos, drinking, singing, dancing... lol! They both looked stunning n their traditional costumes. I showed my aunt and mum Audrey's photo and they were like... "wahhh! your friend so pretty! look like model!!" Hehehehe...

Enjoyed the company on my table. My other half, mama jo, mei, boon, andrea, douglas, li yang, yean and sam. It was awesome catching up with mama jo and mei as it's been a LONG LONG TIME since we last met. I'll just let the photos to do talking right now as you c an see.. I am getting lazy... haha!!

Audrey's family loves to dance!

Cynthia came over to our table for a photo... ahh! so great seeing u girl!!

Great company!!

Best wine ever!!! - lihing

not their usual self after some lihing.. hehehe

Boon turned into baby Boon after too much lihing!

After lunch, after all the yum sengs, lihings, cupcakes, food...... we headed back to our backpackers and rest!! It was pouring pretty badly and hence it was so good to sleep. Poor li yang who felt so sick on that day. I felt so bad as I have a feeling I passed my cold to her.

For dinner, we waited for the rain to calm down a bit before we walked to the food court at tanjung aru beach.

i had cravings for cheap western food.. hehehe....

Swan's Ayam Masak Merah, which looked more like... Sweet n Sour chicken. lol!

Long day... it was a long day. But a very beautiful, happy day. I felt so lucky to be able to see two of my friends getting married.. FINALLY!!! I know this is a bit late but.... I wish the both of you lots of happiness in this new, wonderful, exciting journey!!! Mwahhhhhhh!!!

Part 2... to be continued............

Hmmnnnn.....

wait... wait... wait...

Hmmnnnnn.....

Hey you!!!

Someone with lots of patience, filled with kindness, determination...

Someone who makes me smile, laugh, cry and feel....

Someone who enjoys his seafood and Chat Thai-s....

Someone who understands..who cares...

Someone I care about ...

Someone I miss...

Someone I love...

Happy 24th birthday monkey!!! wahahahaha!!! we're no longer the same age.. woohoooo!!!

I feel terrible really. No gifts, no cards, no videos, no surprise planned this year. Too much going on in my head. Sorry! I'll make it up to you the next time I see you.

Thank you for all you've given me. I really appreciate what you've done for me. Have a great, awesome year ahead!!! Rabbits rule!!! (rabbits by nature, monkeys by nurture?) Lol!

You are hilarious...

Few weeks ago, our conversation went something like that...

Me: running tmrw?

Him: my feet smaller now i think.. shrinking... small feet jog slower...

Me: hahaha... ur feet shrink? how?

Him: it felt loose when i wear it.. maybe the shoe expanded... how long is ur feet? what's ur size?

Me: us 7

silly me at that time still actually believed his feet was shrinking..until after i heard he got me something that will keep me happy for awhile.. and then it was quite expensive.. i started suspecting that really odd conversation we had... but i waited.. and waited.. and still no show...he was going to make a claim already.... he asked me whether i wanted to know what it was.. i said no.... until today...

Just so you know.. in my apartment building, unit 508 doesn't exist. It only had 501, 502, 503

this was what's being written on the envelope of my birthday card....

and he still syok sendiri write 'my address' again on the shoe box....

So he actually wrote my address wrong three times! hahaha! so funny when i was opening up my parcel... i was smiling from ear to ear.. not because of the shoes, but his actions... lol!! it reminded me why i am so attracted to him.. hehehehe... never fail to do something silly....at least he took out the price tag!!! i actually wondered if it was me who gave him the wrong address.. i checked my conversation with him and i did give him the right one.. and i typed it out twice somemore! hahahaha!!

And so.... this is what I got!!! Took heaps of photos of it to show how white it is!

My very first non-Nike runners!!! always wanted to get a new pair of shoes but decided to only get it after i got my first pay... but now.... woooohooo!! (though i am still really curious to run with asics...apparently no size... next time.. next time.... i was also curious with New Balance too!)

Thank you very much for putting much thought into this lovely present. Best present ever!!! Really brave of you to buy me a pair of runners.... And thank you for your silly-ness.

You are hilarious.... and that is why I love you :D

And to MOH-Swan, Yin, Shaun, Sharvin, Jeremy, Matt, Christine, Andrea and Kai Ann who signed the birthday card with your wonderful birthday messages, thank you!!!

Another earthquake?

2011...

Queensland flood

Cyclone Yasi

Melbourne flood

And now....

Multiple deaths as quake strikes Christchurch

Christchurch earthquake: "Dead bodies lying around"

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this on many people's facebook status. I was thinking how come they were so outdated... didn't the earthquake happened back in September last year? And what deaths? There weren't any deaths. I clicked on the link and realized there was another one that hit Christchurch midday today. Multiple deaths were recorded and it breaks my heart to see that it's the same place that got hit again. My thoughts goes out to all those in Christchurch. Imagine having to live through this twice. Once is already bad enough. Twice? Why is mother nature being so unfair? Isn't one enough? What have Christchurch done to deserve all this? Does it have to happen twice just because no lives were taken first time round? Geeez!!!!

Mother nature must have been very hungry and have bitten off half of the Cathedral

NZ is such a beautiful country. Mother nature, please stop ruining it. I beg you.

Now I just hope what was predicted by the Maori elderly during Waitangi Day is not true:

Wellington Earthquake - "Beehive in ruins, body bags in the streets of Wellington, tsunami stretching to Kaikoura"

Hands off my Kaikoura!!!!!

11.02.2011

What a day!!!!

It was only the day before my birthday that I decided I shall do something memorable on my birthday. A few days before my birthday, I wasn't even excited. I felt like it was just another day. My mood hasn't been too good either as I was pretty much down as I hate the feeling of being unemployed and also not getting my physio registration yet. The mood to celebrate just wasn't there. Besides, there isn't really anyone here to celebrate it with me. I miss NZ. I miss everyone there.

But somehow, on the eve of my birthday, I decided... I can't just let it pass like that. I might regret it. Sure, I do not have friends with me to celebrate but afterall, my birthday is about ME. Heeheehee.... And so, I decided to do a 21km run despite not running since the 23rd of December in Singapore. And when I say not running, it means not even a 10 min run since then. Haha!!

I heard of the 7 bridges run in Sydney. A 21km run. Always wanted to do it but never had the guts to do so. I am not familiar with the place and the map is tiny when printed on an A4 paper. But since now I have my baby Legend, equipped with google maps... there's no excuse not to run it.

I printed out the map anyway and wrote out instructions on when to turn left, when to turn right. Downloaded mapmyrun to my baby Legend so I can track my pace thinking I want to do a good run (what a joke!!).

Told my aunt and cousin about it and the reactions I got from them was... CRAZY WOMAN!!!

Swan called me at midnight and she also said CRAZY!!!! when I told her I'm gonna do 21km on my birthday.

I got a birthday wall post on fb from nat and it said CRAZY MONKEY with regards to my 21km run.

Hahaha!!! Crazy? I didn't think it was... till halfway of my run...

It started pretty good running across the anzac bridge as I knew the way.

#1: Anzac bridge

Getting onto Iron Cove bridge was pretty straight forward to as it was all the way along victoria road. Except I ended up on the right side of the bridge and doesn't have the pedestrian path and I had to go under the bridge and so I had to U-turn back and get onto the left side of the bridge to cross it. that.. broke my momentum a little.

#2: Iron Cove bridge

The run after Iron Cove bridge towards Gladesville bridge wasn't too bad. I gained my momentun back pretty quick and didn't have to stop. It was quite an elevation for Gladesville Bridge. Quite a big bridge actually as it crosses the Paramatta river. The view was nice and so I stopped to snap a photo of the view. Started to walk a lil as it was quite a climb to me.

View from Gladesville Bridge - Paramatta river

After crossing Gladesville bridge, I got a little confused as there weren't any proper road signs and I have no idea what road I am on. I saw a bridge that I thought was the Tarban Ck Bridge that I was meant to get onto. took the pedestrain subway and just ended up on the other side of the road. Had to backtrack and realized the bridge I saw wasn't Tarban Ck Bridge. Had to run a lil off road to get to Tarban Ck Bridge.

Once I crossed that... it was all downhill from there. The roads are so confusing and I had trouble getting onto Fig Tree bridge. The directions on the map was also useless. Used my google map and still had no idea how to get to the pedestrian part of the bridge. I was going back and forth one area about 3-4 times, pausing to look at my map.

Some reserve that i was going round and round at

It was at that point where I really wanted to just turn back and head home and forget about it. I was so disappointed that this is taking longer than I expected. So frustrated that my legs were killing me and I can't run much. I thought to myself: Maybe there's isn't a pedestrian foot path for this bridge. But from far, I could see people walking along it. Weird... how the heck do I get on it? And so I walked around again, walked back to the traffic light I passed, saw a bike coming off Burns Bay Road which looked sorta like a highway, and then stood there and tried to figure if pedestrians were allowed on that lane... and then saw no cars and ran on that lane as I saw the pedestrian walkway from far. Lol!

As I got onto the pedestrian part of the bridge, I saw a small footpath leading to it from Reiby Road. The road I was on earlier but I turned around too quickly as I thought it was a dead end as it says No Through Road. Gahhh!! It was meant for the cars! lol!

Once I crossed that bridge, I was really demotivated. Really gave up on running and decided I will just walk it. And because I stopped and ran, stopped and ran so many times... the pain in my feet, my toes, my thighs were just burning every single time I try to run. Stopped by a Shell station and bought myself a bottle of Coke. Wahhh!! best Coke i ever tasted! thank goodness I brought 50 bucks with me. Lol!

the point where i was so tempted to wave a car down and hitch a ride

I ran a lil afterwards but it was mostly walking throughout. I always seem to get lost when I start runnning. I would miss a turn and go too far or make the wrong turn. Aihhh.. and then when I realized I have to turn back, I get frustrated and then I walk it. Lol! It was quite a funny feeling really. Frustrated but at the same time, laughing at myself. No wonder people said I was crazy. It was then I decided, yes, I am crazy. But I was happy at the same time. Because I am on this tiny adventure and I will get to write about it.

It was around 11 where my mum called me. She was asking what I was doing as she wanted to skype. And so i told her I was out running. I said.. "i'm out for a LONG run." I didn't tell her I got lost so many times. When she called, I was actually running and so I stopped to answer the phone. I continued walking as I was talking to her and dad. And when I put down the phone.... I realized I made a wrong turn as I came to a dead end. I turned right into Shirley Road instead of turning left. And so, I had to walk all the way back up again. Hahahaha!!!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge - something familiar, Finally!!

Soon, I could see the harbour bridge and it wasn't that far. Got so excited coz it means I am not too far away now. Arrived milson's point and filled up my bottle with water, got onto the Harbour Bridge and ran across. It was quite a painful run across the bridge. The bum, the thighs, the knees, the feet.. they were all aching so bad. It was noon under the scorching sun. But I did it. I ran across without stopping.

Walked through The Rocks and along George Street to get onto Pyrmont bridge. Wanted to actually catch the bus home from george street and skip bridge #7 but I was so close to the last bridge. And so.... the final bridge. Bridge #7- Pyrmont bridge on Darling Harbour. The bridge I walk across everyday. Fom there, I made my final run... and returned HOME!

And so, that was the story of my little adventure on my 23rd birthday. That is how I am going to remember my 23rd birthday. What was meant to be a 21km, 2 hour morning run turned out to be a 27.55km, 5 hour adventure.

My body sure is aching right now am I am typing this out but I dare not complain to mum and dad as they will definitely say... "Why do you want to torture your body like that on your birthday?". Well, it wasn't a torture. I felt great after it, satisfied with a feeling of great accomplishment. I got to know myself better and did not expected to do so.

There were so many times where I wanted to hitch a ride, turn back or catch the bus home but I managed to resist all those temptations, and managed to avoid giving up. Despite all the dead ends, frustrations, disappointments... I managed to visit all 7 bridges with my own two feet. Which was what I was set out to do this morning. Sure it took almost 3 times the time but I eventually completed it.

And that is how I would like to face this year's challenges. I am facing disappointments and frustrations in my life right now, setbacks and feelings of coming to dead ends... but after today, I realized.. as long as I have the will power, the strength and focus to U-turn, backtrack, make a detour... I will be able to achieve my goals. It is all about putting in the extra time and effort (in my case right now, to fix my CV and over letter) in order to get what I want (securing a job). I mustn't be put down by rejections ... I must be strong and face all these obstacles and conquer them... and I know I can... because of what happened today.

This tiny adventure not only showed me other parts of Sydney and allowed me to cross 7 bridges... it also showed me what I am capable of doing. It showed me that I can do things as long as I do not give up, as long as I am willing to contribute. Perhaps this trip is a tiny preview of what this year is going to be like? And so, I am going to take this attitude and mindset of mine that I had today, and face the challenges that are gonna be thrown at me this year :)

Happy Birthday to me!!!

And and.. of course... what made my day even more special was the birthday phone calls from loved ones...MOH Ah Swan is not suprisingly to be the first one to call me!!!!! followed by my parents, the significant other and brother..... birthday emails, birthday texts, birthday wall posts on fb, birthday msgs in fb inbox..... thank you all!!! I feel so loved!!!

And my aunty cooked me a yummy dinner of steam chicken and my favourite chap chye and noodles... cousin bought me a watermelon cake.... and we all watched a DVD from my 6 weeks free DVD rental :p

And also to Audrey, who wrote a birthday post just for me and making me feel special with all the compliments.... almost burst my bubble.. lol!!! Mwahhhhhh!! love u to bits!!!!

And to my other half, ah swan... phone call, sms, fb, and now.... a post consisting of three facts ... in which I was nodding my head for fact #1, totally agreeing with it.... bursting my bubble on fact #2, shaking my head for fact #3... hahaha!!! thank u!!!!!

So this is my 23rd birthday.... surprisingly a memorable one :) Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heeeheeeheeeee......

Life's a waiting game

Waiting...oh still waiting...

Waiting for my physio registration....

Waiting for reference letters to come to me before I can get my skills assessment done... and then need to wait again..... then only can I submit my PR application... and then wait again....

It's all a waiting game right now.

In the meantime, maybe I should start blogging about my KK trip and Thailand trip... what say you? hehehe....

Everyday is like a holiday right now. A holiday with no sense of direction. Everyday I wake up, I have no idea what I am going to do. Weekends, weekdays... they don't make any difference. I'd like to go out and catch up with friends, but that means spending more money. And so I choose to stay at home...sit in front of the computer and stare at facebook and listen to music... or rewatching DVDs.

Went to the gym for the past few days for yoga classes. Yes, me and my introductory offers. Hehehehe... Still have 8 more days of it till I reach day 14. Hehehe.... And then after that, I'm going to be a lost soul again... maybe back to running? Haven't ran since.... since Christmas. Not too sure how I am going to reach my target of a sub 50 this year.

Ohhh please give me a job.... I'm tired of being lost. Tired of not being able to go out and spend money and meet friends.

But .... I can't start working till I get my registration and submit my PR application to get a bridging visa!!!

Life's indeed a waiting game... oh gosh... help meeeeeeee

What a LEGEND!

Went for my medical check up today. A lot of waiting. Said goodbye to another $303.

Went to uni after that to get my documents certified by JP. Lady said to come back after 4pm to collect them. It was 11.15am then. It takes me an hour to go home so decided to hang around and kill time.

Realized I need to fork out another $330 for skills assessment and a lot of documents and references to get. Did heaps of phone calling and emails and got to no where really.

Walked to Broadway shopping centre and killed 3 hours over there walking around aimlessly. Walked into shops and look at things I can't buy but wish to buy. But..I need to save. Well, more like, need to minimize my spending as much as I can. Walked pass the 3/Vodafone store and saw some pretty good phone offers. But I can't get it yet as my contract hasn't ended. Wasn't in the mood of en-quiring and the people there don't look too friendly.

Went back to uni. Still have 1 more hour till 4pm. Went and did some 'research'. Picked up my documents at 4pm. Caught the bus to town hall. Decide to check out the 3/Vodafone store in town hall as that's where I got my mobile broadband last time. Waited 30 mins to be served...

After all those... a LEGEND was given to me :D :D

HTC Legend

How much did I fork out? $0. I was previously on a $19 plan where I get $70 of credit to call/text, of which only $20 for international calls. Now, they let me upgrade to a $29 plan despite my old contract still present for 1 more month. They cancelled that for me without needing to pay any cancellation fees or the $19 for the final month. So, I swapped to a $29 plan and I get $180 credit to call/text, of which I can use up to $100 for international calls. Plus 200mb. Plus unlimited calls to people on 3 or australia vodafone...plus unlimited access to fb and other social networks... And of course, my baby LEGEND!

And on top of that, I get $10 off per month for the first 12 months for my phone fees!!

So really, I am still paying the same $19 per month for this whole year but I got a new phone and loads of credit and other benefits :D

LEGENDARY!!

After so much waiting and anticipation

I got rejected.

I finally got my first rejection. From my first interview I did way back in November. My one and only interview.

This is just the beginning...

Back in Sydney

It's a different feeling.

Usually when I fill up the arrival card, it would automatically be:

Occupation: Student

Purpose of visit: Education

Usually when I come back to Sydney, my mind would be thinking ... "Oh! Need to pack my bag for school. Remember to bring so and so..."

This time back, I still wrote Student. I was contemplating on Unemployed or Student. Lol!

Purpose of visit... I ticked Employment. The guy at the immigration was asking me what type of job I'm looking for. Usually I can just go through it without any questions asked.

This time back, as I sat in the shuttle from the airport back to the apartment, all I had in my mind was... Where to now? Lots to settle. Where do I start?

- Haven't got my physio registration despite submitting my application in advance. Need to sort that out ASAP but don't know how.

- Need to fix my CV and make it better

- Need to look for jobs

- Need to apply for PR

> Need to do medical check up

> Need to get police check

> Need to ask dad for money

> Need to print forms, need to photocopy documents

> Need to find a justice of peace that will certify more than 5 documents

- Need to get printer ink

Welcome back to reality Sher Mayne!

1.1.11

(it's the 11th of January right now. Just got back from bangkok and am dead tired. Typed some when I was in bangkok too. Glad I can post it up now!! Sorry it took awhile. This New Year's post was typed on the 1.1.11 and was completed on the 11.1.11)

As I read my other half's memes to sum up the year 2010, it finally strucked me that I will soon have to put up a post to sum up my year. I haven't put much thought into it prior to that and when I realized I have to write one up soon, I felt like it was such a chore. I almost didn't want to do one. It's only today, when I sat down, and read back my previous new year's posts, I decided that I should do and I'd regret if I don't write one. If someone were to ask me how was my 2010, my immediate answer would be :"Hmmnn.. it was alright." I wouldn't say it's great or anything. My immediate impression on 2010 was that it was a 'bleh' year. Nothing much to talk about. Maybe it's just the way I am recently. Not too enthusiastic with things. Not really looking forward to a new year where I am officially unemployed and setting foot in the real world. Yes yes... I know it's not a good attitude to welcome the new year. But I am positive that as I type this post out, there will be more positive feelings towards 2011.

Perhaps it was because I was expecting too much from 2010. I was hoping it was going to be a much better year than 2009. But my immediate recall of 2010 was that it wasn't much different than 2009. I complained a lot in 2010. And that was why it felt like I didn't have much to write about. But if I do put some thoughts into it, it was actually a much better year than 2009. It was another year filled with new accomplishments and memories. And I did do things I have never done before.

The format of this 2010 post? Well, I wanted to do a meme as well but I decided against it as there are some questions that I can't answer. And hence, the boring format remains. The books, sports, social life, family and LDR. Yes, I know I'm 'so creative'.

The books

This year marked the final year of my university studies. And if you have followed my previous posts, I have passed all my papers and I would be graduating with a Masters of Physiotherapy degree in March/April 2011. It wasn't as stressful as last year but me being me, I'd stress myself up for no reason. But I guess I do need the stress to be able to force myself to study. My results weren't impressive but hey.. P's get degrees! The first semester of the year was 3 by 5 weeks of clinical placements and the second half was study, exams and ended with another 5 weeks of placement.

When I started this degree, never have I thought that I would need to set foot in a hospital. But I really enjoyed the hospital environment. I have learnt so much in all my clinical placements and I am so thankful I had the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team. I have picked up a lot of valuable knowledge and also tons of people skills. I've learnt to have more patience, I've learnt to twist my words around in order to get things done, I've learnt to be more helpful and more understanding, especially with older people. I get to talk to doctors, not because of any illness that I have, but to give my opinions on their patients. I've learnt to ask for favours... in a nicer way. I have learnt to put on a smiley face, and pretend I like someone, even when they really get on my nerves (but of course, I had to blog it out here).

It was so hard to get into book mode in semester 2. But I pulled through it. A lot of slacking, a lot of last minute cramming. I sat for my exams... the last of my entire university degree... and also for my entire life. At least I hope so. I would be insane if I continue.

And after all that, I had to sit for my IELTS english test. To apply for a working visa / PR in Australia. I sat it during my December holidays. Not surprised that my highest score is in Listening, and lowest score in Speaking and Reading. Writing was in the middle .. I'm glad to know that I am still good at bullshitting my way through. And yes, all sections are above 7.0 and so ... no more tests/exams forever!!!

So this is it. 3 years of kindy, 7 years of primary school, 5 years of high school, 3 years of undergrad, 2 years of masters .... I am now officially done with studies!! Woohooo!!!!

Sports
Well, remember in my 2009 post, I mentioned about a mission that I wanted to accomplish but I won't mention what it really is till I complete it? Well, let me just tell you what that mission was. I did not complete it because I chickened out. It was to run a full marathon. I wanted to do the one in Gold Coast. But I didn't do it due to financial issues. There was a full marathon that I could do in Sydney but I chickened out. When will I complete a full marathon? I don't think it will be 2011 either.

But at least I ran more half marathons this year:

- February: Putrajaya Night Half Marathon - 2 hours 27 min

- May: Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon - 2 hours 9 seconds

- September: Sydney Blackmores Half Marathon - 1 hr 59min 27s :) sub 2:00 goal accomplished!

The goal for 2011? Either a full marathon or running 10km with a sub 50.

I swam slightly more this year as well. Partially to avoid running and still working on the stamina. But mainly to reduce stress and also to soothe the aching muscles.

And my new sport?

Yoga. Well, I don't know if you can call it a sport so I shall say.. my new fitness activity.... Hehehe... I was introduced to it by one of my canadian buddy who was up at Newcastle with me during my placement at John Hunter. It was after the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon and since she has really tight ITBs and hip muscles, she was asked to stretch more and reduce her running. She needed to rest. And so, she dragged me to Hot Power Yoga at Newcastle. I enjoyed the stretching and the sweating. It's a torture during the session but feels so good after.

When I went back to Auckland in July, I found out there was this introductory offer for Bikram Yoga at East Tamaki. It was like 20 bucks for 10 consecutive days and I dragged Ivan along with me. It is so different than the Power Yoga. More stationary poses and more discipline and mental strength required.

Back in Sydney for the 2nd semester, Nat introduced me to the Power Yoga place near Central station in Sydney CBD. Again, there was an introductory offer ... $25 for 14 days. And so.. I went for it again. In preparation for my half marathon in September, making sure I am well stretched.

And after a long break from it, when I got back to Malaysia in December, I contacted Mei who teaches Bikram in USJ and I had a free 10 day pass to Bikram Yoga. And I went for 3 days non-stop. Hahaha!

If it wasn't for these introductory offers, I wouldn't have continued. It is very pricey for a Yoga class. But me being me, I still have 2 more places to go in Sydney for introductory prices before I need to start paying the full price for Yoga. I have already Bookmarked these places and am continuing to look for more! Nyehehehe.... Whether I would continue once I have to pay the full price is still questionable. I really enjoy it but for the price... I am not too sure if it's worth it. I think I just don't like paying for things that I can actually do myself... if I am more disciplined enough.. and if I have a hot room :p

And another new thing.. that I did briefly in December (2 sessions to be exact)... was boot camp! Thanks to Karen for being my friend and asked to join the Bring a Friend Day Rebel Boot camp. Yi Wen came along with me. It was pretty awesome. Except for the fact that I had to wake up really early and had 3 hours of sleep on both the nights before boot camp. Go me! Now I know how my clients felt when I was giving them push-ups in the gym and all I did was counting and asking them to GO GO GO! I wouldn't be surprised if they were swearing at me in their head. Because I was doing that when I was doing the push-ups in a big school field with barely any sunlight. Well, not swearing to anyone in particular of course, just swearing in my head, scolding myself for deciding to go and do it. But ... no regrets! It was good stuff! And it was good to see other Malaysians waking up early in the morning and getting involved in physical activities.

Ohh! and one last sport I got involved in. It was a different involvement. I wasn't a player for this. It was my first time, covering a sports team, being a team (student) physiotherapist. It was for the women's AFL (aussie footy). After watching the game for so many weekends, I am still quite clueless on how the game goes. Did I enjoy it? Well, to be honest, not really. It wasn't really good money and I got bored because there isn't much injuries in the women's team. But I am thankful to have the opportunity to do some sports coverage as I get to improve my strapping skills. Plus, I get to add it in to my CV :) Hehehehe....

Social life
Many friends came to visit me in Sydney this year.

- Christine and Matt (photo unavailable)

-Shaleeni

- Yi Wen

- Caris

- Caroline

And my very two special people:

- Ah Swan - My Other Half

(photo not taken in Sydney as we were too busy eating in Sydney that there wasn't a photo of us both together.. lol!)

- Ivan - My significant other :)

If you calculate how many months I was in Sydney this year, I could say that I have someone visiting me almost every single month! It was so good because it made time flew by pretty quickly. There were less lonely nights and there's always something to look forward to.

I made some new friends this year too. Really nice people.

Thanks to Swan as she gave me the opportunity to briefly coach UMSA's netball team this year. They are such a nice bunch of girls.... And because of that, I got to eat Kajang's satay in December thanks to Ying Xuan and had an AWESOME trip in KK thanks to Andrea (more on this on a different post).

Ying Xuan

Andrea

This year was also my first time staying out of Sydney. I stayed at a friend's place in Newcastle, for 5 weeks. And shared a room with another friend. And I am glad it was with Nat. We also share our hospital stories at the end of the day. She is so caring, so easy going and always willing to help out. Every friday, we'd drive back to Sydney from Newcastle. And when Sunday comes we'd drag ourselves and journey back to Newcastle for another week of clinical placement. We'd play music in her car and I'd be the DJ for the trip. Our trip always involved chocolate. Pods, mint slice, tim tams ... and.. almonds... we love our almonds.... It was a good 5 weeks. Unforgettable moments, great times.

John Hunter Hospital - our daily morning walk to the hospital in Newcastle

I had two friends who got married this year too! So many people got engaged/married this year man!

Registration ceremony of Yu Sheng and Jenny

And the long awaited, much anticipated wedding of the year (more on this in a different post too!)

Mamasan Audrey and Bronson

I've also tried to be more sociable this year and attended my very first house party in Sydney organized by one of my coursemates. I usually do not attend all these house parties and only attend the end of exam/semester celebration. But since it was the last house party by the Canadians, I decided to go for it.

The theme? Canadian Night... duh!!

And now.. the nasty...

I wish I can ignore it but I couldn't. I was disappointed with a friend's action. The excuse for not being able to meet me was just shocking. Shocking for someone who's working and earning money. Shocking for someone who once called me her best buddy. But I won't elaborate on it. Let's just say that this year, I have learnt what friends I should keep and what friends I should not even bother with. My trip back to Malaysia this time was an eye opener. I know this is bad but I can use my fingers to count to 3 ... and that is the number of people I would shake my head when I think of their actions. I am disgusted. I do not wish to be but I am.

And then there's people, who I am not so close with, and yet they are so hospitable... I met friends who I never really talked to in high school but they made the effort to go out with me for a quick catch up despite a late night at work and even treat me to a meal. And then I wish, I was closer to them back in the days.

(gosh, it's 2am now and I feel like I am ranting in my new year's post... lol! save me!)

I think I should move on to the next section. But to summarise this part... Many friends visited me this year which was fantastic! I met new friends... nice new friends. I have friends who got married. I found out that some people are just not worth my time anymore and I need to accept it and let go.

Family

Bro was in Sydney for a few months at the start of the year. It was good as he'd cooked vitamin soup for me at his apartment and his own nando's cheese chicken. We'd go for Passionflower ice cream after dinner. He took me out to many many meals. He fed me well and it was good to have him in Sydney. It all felt so empty after he left, especially since my cousin was in Nepal then and I was living alone.

However, mum and dad visited me several time s in Sydney this year as they have some things to settle in Sydney. Till now, it's not yet settled and I'm praying it will all work out in the end. I had more family time this year than last year. But I do wish for more. But what my mom said last time was right... Once we leave the nest, we are most likely not gonna come back. I really enjoyed their company in Sydney. coming home being able to smell really good cooking and being able to say "hi Papa! Hi Mummy!!" all over again... When they left, the apartment felt so empty especially when my cousin was still in Nepal and I was all alone in the empty apartment. It can be quite depressing and lonely.

Some situations have changed over the last few months. Had a good chat with my brother on the bus trip home from Singapore to KL in December. I am going to miss him seeing that he's going to be further away. But I know the change is for the better. 2011 will be the year where it's only mum and dad in NZ. But they have so many trips being booked already so that's good :) I am glad they have each other's company so they're not so lonely despite having both birds leaving the nest. But I do have plans to fly back. When I have a job and when I have the money. Which I hope is in the next few months!!!

LDR

January, February, July and November were the months that I got to spend it with him. My favourite months in 2010. Though it was only a few weeks/days of the month, I enjoyed and cherished every single moment of it. The hardest goodbye was made in the month of July. Because we were both uncertain of when we will meet the next time. And uncertainties suck. I dislike it. A LOT. The month of November was a bonus surprise. It was the best 4 days. But then it was another difficult goodbye. Because we are still uncertain of the next time we will meet.

Does it get easier after experiencing a year of it? My opinion: No. Maybe it would after a few years? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see. My hope is yes. As this is a new year's post, I shall be honest. Do I ever have doubts? Definitely. Sometimes I have doubts if it will last. There were times in the year where I wonder maybe it's better if I am unattached. Then I do not need to miss someone so much. Maybe I will actually feel less lonely. Less lonely nights. I do wonder if I can be that minority who are lucky and be the winner of this long battle.

I apologize for my negativity and doubts. This is just how I feel. Because of the many other LDRs I know of, at the end of 2010, I only know of one that is still going. I hope it runs in the family :p It's amazing what distance can do. Even after so many years of knowing someone, it only takes distance plus a little time to end it. I wonder when my time is up.

But for now, I shall live the moment.

This time back in Malaysia, I do get the same question over and over again after I say I am going to look for a job in Australia. A question about what happens to the both of us. And all I can do is shrug my shoulders. Because I do not know. Because I have decided to do what I do best. Go with the flow, let time decide, keep my fingers cross, believe and have faith.

What ever happens will happen for a reason. It will always be a blessing, be it in a disguise or not.

Am I ready to welcome 2011?

I'd be lying if I say yes. But it is already 2011 as I type this out. I have stepped into 2011 with a lot of uncertainties. Not the way I wanted but I have expected it. This is going to be a very challenging year. Especially the first few months till I get a job. My year of having a different status. Where I no longer can call myself a student. I need to sell myself now as a Physiotherapist.

I hope the search won't be too long. I hope something comes up soon. I hope I get something good.

Am I more positive seeing that this is the end of the post? Slightly. I am uncertain and a little doubtful, I am afraid of stepping into the real world.

But I am looking forward to it. Looking forward to get a job. Looking forward to earn money. Looking forward to see the bank account go DING DING DING, with cash coming in every week. I am looking forward to my first pay. Looking forward to buy myself a new pair of runners with it. Looking forward to go back to NZ for a short holiday and see him when I have a good job and saved up a fair amount.

I am looking forward to a GREAT YEAR! Hell yeaahhhh it's gonna be different!!! It's gonna be different in a GOOD way for sure!!! It's gonna be my year. The Rabbit year. Cute little animals they are. Hopping over any obstacle that comes in their way, eventually getting to their carrot. In my case, a JOB. And that's what I'm gonna do! Mwahahahahaha!!

And now... that's a whole lot of positivity!!! Woohooo!! Told you I'll get there... hehehe..

Welcome 2011!!!! I am now welcoming you with BIG, WIDE, OPEN arms and big huge smile!!!

My resolution for 2011? You all know I usually don't make resolutions. But this time... I do --> Get a great job and call myself a physiotherapist!

And I am gonna make it happen!!

Happy New Year everybody! 2011 is going to be way better than 2010. Here's to a better health, way more laughters, more joy, more smiles, more positives, more money and way more LOVE!!!

This is gonna be a really special year. Not only because my resolution is gonna come true but also because the dates are so cool!

1.1.11

11.1.11

11.02.2011 (a palindrome! on my birthday! Woootttt wooottt!!!)

1.11.11

11.11.11

And that is why... 2011 is gonna be a blast!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year!!!!