The weekend before the Horrid week...

Its been a rather good weekend. I was out on friday evening. I joined my friend for a show at the IMAX theatre at Darling Harbour and of course dinner & coffee inclusive. That goes without saying actually. We caught the movie 'Mystic India'. Its a 45 minutes show but it was very well done. It was about this boy who is known to be the youngest Yogi. He left home at the age of 11. He was well known for the path he took to determine the start of his journey. He plunged himself into the river on a stormy night where the river was at its wildest point with regards to waves. He decided that if he were to come out alive after plunging into the river, being a yogi was meant to be his destiny. He travelled through various parts of india. He even meditated in the Himalayan Mountains during winter despite urges from the villagers telling him to leave the mountains with them till summer comes. He survived the cold by meditation. And in fact scientists have agreed that mediation does regulate the body temperature thus allowing the body to feel warmth instead of the cold, icy temperature. Interesting huh? Well catch it if you can. The evening ended well.


I got up on saturday feeling abit under the weather but Mellishia and her family popped over for tea and they were here for about two hours.That lifted my spirits drastically but after they had left, the house was totally silent. I could literally hear the crickets in my backyard..haha.. Something that i should have gotten used to by now, but i guess to hear the house silent after it has been surrounded by noise and laughter is abit weird la ah.


I have got no plans today. I got up and did my laundry and had a good breakfast. Just being a pig:p and i tried to get started on my work. I have two papers next week and one assignment due. The week after i have an assignment and a presentation due. To make matters worse!! my group memebrs have not responded to my sms of having a meeting tomorrow...argghhhhhhh! SLACKERS!!
ok i think i shall end here la. I need to really really really really really (i think you get my point) head back to my work.

You are the only problem you will ever have and you are the only solution.

Change is inevitable, personal growth is always a personal decision.

Bob Proctor

The Aftermath...

Little did anyone know that i stood outside the departure gate for a good whole fifteen minutes after he had gone in and waved his final goodbye. I just stared at the gates with a feeling of emptiness. It took some time to sink in. He was actually REALLY REALLY gone. The guard gave me a look but smiled at me just before i turned away to make my way to the station ALONE. I waled past the shops we were browsing through a few minutes ago. I stared and touched the seats we had out lunch at (i know its abit of a drama BUT i DID do such things). I staggered towards the train station. Everything changed in that instant. I was now walking to the station alone unlike the past week where kelvin had been with me. I broke down after so much of control and telling myself not to. It was after i got a call from a close friend, Mel to check if i was doing ok. Of course i was not alright!! I gathered myself and headed down to class. The seat beside me on the train felt so empty. It even hurt to look at it. I looked at my hands throughout the entire journey.


I had a class to rush off to so it distracted me abit. But the hard hit was the walk home. The past few evenings, i would be rushing home after class anxious to be greeted by him. The mere opening of my window blinds which was visible from the traffic junction made me feel so happy. However, when i stared at my blinds from the junction, i sensed a feeling of dread. They were closed. I told myself to be strong and head home. I entered the room and just stood in the centre of it. It felt so empty. The bags were gone. The shoes were gone. His shirts and jackets were gone. It was just ME!! How could it be over so fast?!?!?!?!?! I rushed to the toilet where i spent some time bawling my eyes out. I knew i could not be in the room at that point of time. Thankfully Mel had agreed to meet me in the afternoon. I think i just hugged her for quite a bit. I was just so in need of someone and i knew i could always depend on her. Despite having a test the next day, she wanted to meet me. It was either she came over to my place or i headed down to hers. I did not want to inconvenience her and thus decided to meet her at Strathfield. I think i badly needed to get out of the room.


I did gather myself together. But my bed felt utterly huge in the night. I still lay towards one side of the bed leaving the other half empty. I truned around in the morning as per routine the past week and found the wall staring back at me. My heart felt very heavy. I still sense his presence evrywhere. I still feel as though he is creeping up to me in the kitchen and asking me about the day's plans.


I know its gonna take time for me to get myself together. I will do my best. But its gonna be tough. My housemates have been very understanding. They made sure i had eaten and even offered me supper. *Thanks guys* . I guess i will get better as time goes by...

Life is like the ocean.

In order to survive, you must learn to ride the waves.

Tonia Knouse

The Countdown To Our Second Year Anniversary TOGETHER...

Our cake - Lemon Curd Cheesecake
A picture taken before midnight
The cheesecake being eaten by ME cause our dear friend did not like it!
My best friend calling in to wish us!
Us - Happy!!!

Starbucks By The Darling Harbour...

Its good'ole ME...

My partner..the BETTER half

Look who's started drinking coffee????

Us...

Simply US...

The Thai Pothong Restaurant

Before heading out on the eve of our second year anniversary
In the train on the way to Newtown for dinner which turned out to be Thai
A picture after a full dinner :-)

Pictures From A Visit To Lakemba And The City

Ummmm...Censored!?!?

Awwwwwwwwwwww
Nothing to do la during the train ride...so try and get the perfect picture..hehe Trying to get myself organised

Parting...Sweet Sorrow?

Its been an amazing week. I spent it with a very dear person in my life. I just don't know how time flew by. This time last week, i was waiting at the train station eagerly waiting for his train to come. Keeping my excitement to myself so as not to alarm the members of the public and when he finally appeared, it was a brilliant moment. The long wait (due to the train) was instantly forgotten as i saw the smile on his face. That was the beginning of my wonderful week. It has provided me with lots of happy memories that will be cherished and shared with my kids and grandkids in the future..haha

Its wednesday morning (about one la). As i watch him sleep, i lump forms in my throat. I know that its a matter of hours and he will not be here with me anymore. My room will be cleared of all the shopping bags, his shoes, socks and his towel. I am gonna be returning to an emtpy room with no one to watch a dvd with or even share a bag of chips with. No one to make breakfast for, no one to make lunch or dinner for and lastly no one to ensure that i am nice and warm. Sometimes in life , we take alot of things for granted. We take people for granted.
I am one of those who are guilty (just like many of you out there).

I really do not want time to pass. Just wish it could stop for a bit so i can just spend more time with my dear one but alas its just a wish. Simply a WISH....

Joel: Thats the movie Ed! Try reality.

Ed : No thanks!

The Most Important Night...

I Ready for a night to be remembered for the rest of our lives together

Dinner At Strathfield - Korean..

Together :-)
Picture taken by Kelvin. Just don't ask me why!?!
Me and Melly
After a full dinner and coffee to end the evening, we are all SMILES :-)

Manly Pictures

The 'Out Of Africa' restaurant where we had great tasting African/Morroccan food.

The Spicy Calamari rings we had for starters. Oh ya! We had garlic bread before this as well.

The Chicken Tangine which was eaten with a side dish called 'Kus Kus'. This dish is a real thumbs-up although Kelvin insisted that it tasted like chicken curry and wanted to check to see if the chef is a desi bhai!

Us - Contented and satisfied after the sumptous dinnerOur future home at the Manly waterfront [Nothing wrong in dreaming right :-)]

Manly...

Its the second day of the 'holiday'. We went down to the city yesterday. Tried looking for the KrispyKreme Doughnuts outlet but were unsuccessful so we decided to give it a pass. We did abit of shopping for the people back home and went down to Darling Harbour for the magnificant view. Today, it was a day spent relaxing infront of the laptop watching DVDs before we headed out to Manly beach slightly after four. We caught the beautiful sunset, did part of the scenic walk and ended the evening with Moroccan (African) food. A warm of hot chocolate to warm us up before tucking in

Easter Monday...

Easter monday marked the beginning of my 'long awaited' holidays. Well actually i was in uni fr just three weeks and the holidays arrived. That is if i don't count the three weeks i spent in Newcastle. Hmmm the thought of Newcastle does bring happy memories which i would treasure for life. Some memories which not everyone gets to keep. After some reflection, i have realised that i have been pretty lucky in life. God has given me everything possible to allow me start life proper. I have a father who has always been there (besides the fact that he can be a real pain at times). He has been both a mother and father to me. I can proudly say i am what i am because of him. I have also been blessed with very good friends. My classmate, future collegue and friend once commented days before my 21st that i have very good friends. Yes! i have to agree with her. Her c omment did make me realise that i do take them for granted at times. I don't think i would want to lose them. They have been there in the darkest moment of my life. They have seen bawling and wiping my face with toilet paper (none of us had tissue paper). They know my family so well that i don't have to explain why it has to happen that way or why my family thinks that way. In terms of education, i have also been very fortunate. God has given me such a wonderful oppurtunity which my father could not have given me (not complaining) but i guess everyone has to live within their means. I cannot be too greedy and ask for me although i wish god would just give me one last oppurtunity. Last one...please god!!!!


Well i don't want to bore my readers any further. I will tell you guys how i spent my easter monday which a public holiday here in NSW!!!! Haha..So while my fellow Singaporeans were heading to work, school and worse!!! SITING FOR AN EXAMINATION!!!! I was in Parramata Westfield Shopping Center having some retail therapy. Actually to think about it..the last time i did some shopping for myself was two weeks before i headed back to Singapore for the summer holidays. I FINALLY bought myself a nice jacket and not the oversized, lok-cok jumper i wear to uni (according to Melati). I also bought myself a pair of earrings (wooden themed), a top, two necklaces, a bar of Rocky Road (for myself) and a GIANT bar for my best buddy, Oreo cheesecake and a chai latte. I left the westfield feeling contented BUT not satisfied! It was too early to head home. Although it seemed like it was nine plus from the sky (still trying to get used to the shorter days due to the onset of winter).

Melati and I then decided to head to Darling Harbour for dinner and coffee (again!! But hey!! i had chai latte REMEMBER??) We had subway sanwiches and i had a latte. We sat at the river front talking for quite some time, enjoying the cool breeze and just catching up. It was a very relaxed evening. We talked about the past, present and the future. We don't know what tomorrow might bring but we can definately dream! The night came to end too fast but i can say that by the end of it, i was CONTENTED and SATISFIED!! Thanks Mela for listening!

I believe through learning and application of what you learn,

You can solve any problem, overcome any obstacle and

Achieve any goal you set for yourself.

Brian Tracy

Impatiently Trying To Wait Patiently...

Its the easter break. To be more specific its easter saturday for me. Well its the start of my semester recess which isn't much of a recess because of the amount of work that has YET to be touched. BUT putting work aside, i have a visitor to entertain and whose company i am really looking forward to !!!


So anyway yes.... the visitor is coming in on tuesday and as you guys already know it ONLY saturday...arghhhhh!!!! It seems like a long way to go still...impatience! impatience ! I know is NEVER the solution but what to do?????? Time is passing by so damn slowly. I feel like grabbing the clock and manually turning the time forward. Sigh!! Time only flies when you are having and before i know it that visitor would have packed the bags and left. Sad huh?

Perhaps there is only one cardinal sin : Impatience

Because of impatience, we were driven out of paradise,

Because of impatience, we cannot return

W. H. Auden

Walk Your Own Walk...

You have to walk your own walk in this life. As you are travelling down your road, don't look down at your feet. Keep your head up and eyes focused on what you know to be true. Be neither a follower nor a leader. You are not forsaken, you are forgiven. When shadows exist simply find higher ground to tread upon. If you come across an obstacle or an impasse, attend to it but do not focus on it for too long for your feet might sink into the quicksand that surrounds it. Find courage to surmount it and continue on with your journey.


Offer your hand to those who come across, who are stuck in their own personal sand traps BUT do not point them in the direction you feel they must go. They should eventually make their own way. Only imply to them that they are never alone. When you get to where you are going and look back, its your own footprints you are going to want to see and not someone else's. The importance of your trials and tribulations is a gift to beholden, for that is how you will learn whom you truly are.

You cannot control what happens to you,

But you can control your attitude towards what has happened to you.

Through that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.

Brian Tracy

Demands By My Best Friend....

For those who have been in Australia, you would know what the above picture is. Yes! NO prizes for guessing. Its the infamous 'ROCKY ROAD'. A proudly Australian owned produce. Its basically chocolate filled with pieces of mashmallows. They just simply melt in your mouth. The bars in the above picture are filled with macademia nuts which makes it even tastier!!!

You must be wondering why the sudden interest in ROCKY ROAD. NO... I am not going to quit my Radiation Therapist job and be a ROCKY ROAD maker although my housemate claim that i can be a good chocolate maker. :-) Well my best friend has demanded that a send her some of the delicious bars back. Sigh! Minah...you think i tidak ada lain kerja but to go and get the bars for you is it?

Ok ok...STOP staring at the screen and wishing it was my face so you could slap me across the cheek. I will get it for you but sorry ah definately NO homemade cookies. You have to do it yourself. If the luggage has space then i will get you the mixture for you to try back home k.

The easter break is coming in about a week and i am SO SO SO looking forward to the break. There are so many things to look forward to!!!! Ok la i think you guys get the drift....

We must look for ways to be an active force in our OWN lives.

We must take charge of our destinies,

design a life of subtance and truly begin to live our dreams

Les Brown

A Call From My Best Buddy...

YES! As the title suggests i received a call from a minah whose name rhymes with Mofia from a suburb in Singapore known as Kembangan. Man! Thats a long introduction for a tiny person like her. Haha..


Despite the fact that she woke me up from my sleep, her call was so so so WELCOMED!!! In fact when she said she would call yesterday and did not i was kinda dissapointed but i knew she would call sooner if not later. I felt so much better after talking to you sofia. Its like a burden lifted of my shoulders. I will just have to put words into action and hopefully i can sort things out. Its terrible to have a mess in life but i guess that can't be avoided. There was so much to tell but due to the short time we just caught up with one another and i was more than happy with that. And don't worry k...i will send you the 'Rocky Road' bar..


Well enough about her, i just wanted to reflect on certain happenings...maybe one only la..I was having a discussion with someone and it was regarding a place in local universities. That person turned around and said ' i thought to get into spre uni, you need to be the top 10% among the poly grads in your course for that year'. hmmmmmm........that got me thinking...how does he or she know whether the person i was talking about was in the top 10% or not?? I mean helllllllllllloooooooo there are other smart people around as well. So i was kinda surprised at that person's remark. But i kinda expected it cause i am not that smart as compared to that person so duhhhhhhhh!! the person associated with me trying for the local university was obviously not going to be that smart. Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In fact that person is way smarter than me and i am proud of that fact.


Well maybe of he or she had put it in another polite and less intimidating way, it would have been better but i guess you don't learn everything through books. We learn as we walk down the journey of life.

It is not the sound of a man's creed, but the number of his deeds,

That determines one's true value.

Dr Bob Siegman

From The Kitchen Of 136 Joseph Street...

The weekend came and went by with a blink of an eye. It started off with the entire gang having lunch at this nasi padang restaurant in Lakemba. It was in conjunction with Melati's birthday. She really enjoyed the makan. I must say it was really good! The owner has four shops in singapore itself. I like the sambal goreng the best. The tempeh used was so fresh and so different from Singapore (my opinion). In fact the meal was reasonably priced as well.Three dishes for $7. You have a choice of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. Might go there again. Its worth the trip down. After the makan session, it was time to burn some calories. We ended up in Parammata Westfield to do some shopping. Well technically i did go shopping but i came home with nothing for myself. Next time....maybe...


Sunday was spent indoors. It was freaking cold. The temperature dipped to about 7 degrees. I need to get a heater and it must be soon if not i would be freezing my ass off.


My housemates and i decided to make cookies for dessert and for the birthday girl. So thats what we did. In between the trays i finished a huge pack of Smiths potato chips. Arghhhh!!! This is so bad. I think i am an emotional eater. Whenever i feel things are not going too well i tend to resort to food to give me comfort. It really does work especially when you eat something super fattening. You do not get the same comfort when you substitute with healthy stuff like fruits or even museli bars..hmmmm


So while i was busy baking, my housemates were busy making sushi. They had bought all the necessary ingredients and equipment required. Do you know you actually need this mat thingy to roll the sushi. Two filings were made or rather prepared. One was chicken teriyaki (recipe contributed by yours truly) and the other tuna. In the process of preparing the chicken teriyaki, my housemate gave suggestions of improving the taste and it did taste good. She added oyster sauce and cracked black paper. It seriously did wonders to the taste.


The rolling of the sushi was tiring. Although i did not do it. I just watched and ate my chips and wedges with compliments from my housemates. It was a rather super fattening sunday. But i went to bed with a contented stomach.


I bought another pack of chips today. Its the cheese and onion flavour. According to my friend, it tastes great. So i am gonna give it a try soon.

From The Kitchen Of 136 Joseph Street...

My triple chocolate fudge cookies about to enter the oven
The finger licking good sushis
The end product - triple chocolate fudge cookies - yummy!!