Porsche at 20?!?!

I was reading my friend's blog seconds ago. I didn't know the car that her boyfriend drove is a Porsche, not until I saw the Porsche logo at Raymond's facebook. What strikes me is his young age upon owning such luxury. Not only that, my friend is wrapped with brands from her head right down to her feet. Prada hair band, Gucci sunglasses, God-knows what branded makeup she's using, LV belt, and clothes with brands that I couldn't even pronounce. I'm so tempted to post her pictures and the Porsche in my blog as a proof because I know it is unbelievable but that would violate the privacy act. I think the model he's driving is Boxster S and it is close to NZ$ 140 000. Crazy!!! I am struggling to pay off my tuition fee but there are others who are so care-free as to buy Porsche when they are only 20! Oh well, that's his money anyway so he has the right to manage his finance as he likes...worldly speaking. Ok, back to my packing...40% done!

Update on my flat hunt

Yea yea I know, I've forsaken poor bloggie for more than 2 weeks. Blame it on Wellington and its after effect. Anyway, to cut the story short, I went flat hunting in Wellington for 5 days last week. How shall I describe Wellington? Hmm...if you have a thing for guys or 'women' in chic business suits, it's definitely a place for you. But I personally found it very intimidating. Good ol' Dunedin with care-free students in jeans and pajamas suits me better. I finally decided on a 2 bedrooms flat up on a chemist shop. It wasn't my plan at all, but funny how things could end up. Oh well, I believe it is a God chosen place for me since I've prayed about it and so did some of my friends.

Recently, a friend keep asking me this question:" Are you happy?" I don't know how to answer this question accurately because 'happy' is a very subjective description. (* hint hint* I loathed subjective questions and trying to play psychologist irritates me) My view of happiness changes over time and experience so it is better to ask me 20 or 30 years later (provided I am still on earth). If happy by your standard means thankful and contented with what I had, then yes. I can never be thankful enough for all the blessings God had given me including finance, friends, family, study, food, shelter, entertainment, etc. But if happy means contented with my current achievement then my answer is a no. I am definitely not contented with my status quo at the moment. I felt I can achieve more and I can strive harder. I have big dreams and I have yet to realize them. People might think I am greedy for success and wealth, well, that's your assumption and you can keep it for yourself. Only God knows my vision and I will not leak it out until I realize them. If I were to say bye bye to Earth at this very moment, I am definitely not happy. I don't have a good result to report back yet...therefore, my contentment shall not end here. I hope that satisfy your question and save your energy from asking me the same question next time because you will never get a definite yes or no from me *wink*.

Congratulations to all Graduants!

Wow, 48 hours of intensity!

Friday evening: Heard Janice's voice and Greg's signature sniffing of the nose. I shot up the stairs in nanoseconds, hardly able to content my excitement to meet the Gns (well, it's actually more of the Lees, Janice's parents and George coming too). After a few huggies and yuppies, we rushed off to town, the Gns and Lees heading off to Pharmacy Cheese and Wine, and me heading off to the Octagon to meet the Yeos.

Height of the night: Christmas in the Octagon. It was superb, considering the event had less sponsorhip than the previous years. The event started off with casual Pacific Islander songs by the First Church. Just prior the Nation band staged up, Tahi (ignore the spelling) gave the coolest Linkin Park-style rapping.
When I said Christmas you said 'Yeah!'
Christmas
'Yeah!'
Christmas
'Yeah!'
etc.
The coolest part was he integrated the gospel into the rap, telling Dunedin about Jesus Christ is our Saviour who brings light into the world.
Brad was the MC and a very good MC he was, even though there was an air of negative degree Celsius among the crowds (especially the oldies) at the beginning. After a couple of carols (very jazz-style as expected *hint* Michelle was the keyboardist), the crowd started to warm up and there were more and more people swarming into the Octagon. There were a few dances from Dunedin Studio of Tap (tap dancing), Pacific Association of King's (Samoan Dance---reminded me of Bruce pole dancing), and a Hip Hop band. I felt a swell of pride burning in my chest and I couldn't help but told the girl beside me, "this is my church". When Hannah was leading the song 'Oh, Happyday', I even saw some Asians joining into the song, clapping their hands and doing the not so obvious jumps.

Saturday morning: Pharmacy Awards Giving Ceremony at the Hunter. Now, this is what I called people mountain people sea. With the mass generation of CO2 in a confined place, I found it hard to breath, let along trying to weave through the vertically advantaged crowd. I could hardly catch a glimpse of the award recipients, but a few names were being called so often that they bared a mark in my brain, Anita Smith and Jason Wright. I was starting to get bored (because it was more like Anita and Jason Awards Receiving Ceremony) when suddenly I heard the familiar four names being called for the most publishable group research project: Gregory Gn, Janice Lee, Tao Jiang and William Wong. Congratulation guys, I am so proud of you!!! Esther got a prize for being the best academic student in P4.

Nearing the end of the ceremony, I was very drowsy from CO2 toxicity so decided to leave early. We did not even join in the procession. However, we found a good spot in Starbucks and had a clear view of the graduants walking down the road of victory. For the past two years, I had attended two graduation ceremonies of two people whom I am not so close with. Ironically, I was unable to attend THIS year graduation ceremony eventhough there were a lot of close friends I can cheer for. I was ticketless! I don't mind at all because experience told me I would have fallen asleep throughout except for the very brief moment when my friends were called to receive their certificates.

We had the graduation dinner at table 7. It is a very fancy, expensive restaurant with on trays and desserts. Half way through my main course, my stomach was stretched beyond the limit of bursting. Luckily there were some comfy couches lining the wall beside the table. We took a rest at the couches and must have look pretty worn out because the waitress looked at us and our half eaten food and I could imagine her thinking that we just came back from a battle. Thanks again to all the graduants who kindly paid for our meal. It was expensive, about $56 per person. And that ended the chapter of the most anticipated day of this summer!

P/s Miss Dune was amazingly cooperative and put on a bright sunny face throughout these past 48 hours.

Davina's Midnight Surprise Party

Again, surprise is not an applicable word nowadays. But we did it anyway, for the sake of tradition =P. The surprise party was superb. Jacqueline as usual, is the decoration queen. There are mountains of food and drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. 40 pieces of KFC, 7 pizzas, >10 packets of chips, cookies, fruit platters, ~20 beers, 8 vodkas, a champagne and a mega size chocolate birthday cake from A&D company, of course. There's about 20 guests last night. Among these guests, Sam was the spotlight. Wanna know why?

TADAA...

Simply ADORABLE!!!!

But I shall say Sam is more interested in food than human's curdle. Every body went wulala with Sam, but he was busy minding his own business...sniffing around for food! Kawaii! Guess what? Ben's (Mok) darkest secret was unveiled last night...he's actually afraid of dog. I got suspicious when Ben walked away every time Sam *sniff sniff* around him, so I tried to sneak Sam onto Ben's lap. Ben's reaction was like I've just put a snake on him. MUAHAHA*laughing evilly*

Finally, I met Phoebe, Glenn's beloved daughter. She's utterly shy. I didn't get to talk to her because I was too busy with Sam. Yea, yea...they are both equally cute but Sam is less shy...and he's furry.

Ok, looking forward to Quantum of Solace tonight!

Prayer and Friends

I am utterly bored these few days (trapped in my room by the rain) so there will be more than usual updates posted. Stay tune...

I am now reading a book recommended by Michelle, Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae. I was flabbergasted by the image painted by the writer regarding spiritual warfare. Prayer is a strong weapon. The earnest you pray, the stronger the shield formed by the angelic force. Sometimes it is hard to account what is happening, even to friends, when you are going through a hard time. Details are not important. Our hearts are connected through a special cable called friendship. When you are happy, my heart cheers for you. When you are sad, I felt your sorrow deep in my heart. So, you are not alone, friend, because all of us are linked by this cable, no matter how far we are. Details are not important, but just a sentence of 'I need your prayer' will generate gigawatt of power shield through prayers linked by this cable. God WILL make a way, when there seems to be no way. Together with all of our prayers plus the fervent pleas and interceptions from the heavenly beings ( I do believe in guardian angels), God WILL make a way. Somebody told me this once, when a door is shut right in your face, that does not indicate the end of the world. If you take a step back and look to your left and your right, you will discover there are a lot more doors ready for you to open.

Miss Dune is upset again!

For those of you who are basking in the warm/hot weather at the north, Dunedin is drenched in showers and coldness for the past 72 hours. I hope Miss Dune will get over her whining temperament and put on a sunny face during the graduation float. I am so looking forward to that because this will be the FIRST time I really attend a graduation when most of my close friends are saying sayo nara to the university. It will be awful for them to walk under a shower with their robes dragging along the muddy road.

Today is a special day. It is the day when two important persons in my life are having their BIRTHday=). My dear mother and my dear friend, Sam. Woot, woot, welcome to the 20s association, Sam =D. Having said that, in two more months, I will have to wave my special 21 bye bye. *sniff sniff*=(
Hiak, hiak...I know it is still early but I have come up with a list for my birthday presents. *wink*

1. I want you, you, you and you to give me a birthday dance and upload it on facebook =P, so it better be good for your own sake!
2. Think about me for 10 seconds when the clock strikes 12 exactly on 16th of Feb. (Eeew, sounds like a mourning ceremony, ok, maybe say a prayer of birthday blessing =D)
3. No present! The birthday dance is already a present =P

Oh no, it's raining cats and dogs now. Guess what...I heard thunder, loud and scary. Now that I think about it, I seldom heard thunder in Dunedin. Might have to cancel the squash with Yan tonight.

Where's my hair?

There. I've cut my hair and it is so short that I looked like a boy more than a girl =P. This is the most impulsive decision I've made regarding my hair. I just happened to walk past Bizzo on my way back from the hospital and suddenly I had this strong urge to walk in and have my hair 'tidied', initially. Next thing I knew, I walked out with the funkiest, SHORTEST hairstyle I've ever had. If it was not for the long distance, I would have gone to Countdown or NW and bought a purple hair dye. That's what boredom do to you.

I've lost count of all the jap's dramas I've consumed lately. The latest one is Kareinaru Ichizoku. It's full of suspense and surprises. Unlike those fictional lovey dovey drama, this is a human drama illustrating the reality of life behind a very rich Mampyo family. For a person who knows nothing about business like me, I am intrigued at the complexity within the business world, not just the simple selling of kolo mee at the kopitiam. There's scheme, loans, trust, rivals, technologies, bribery, government and even marriage involved for the sake of business. It is also a story of good vs evil, honesty vs schemes, loyalty vs betrayal. But I was very disappointed at how the story ends. Heroes are supposed to win in the end, right right? At least in movies, they are supposed to win. But not this one. The drama concludes in the end that life is life and good people does not always win in the end. Geez, what an encouragement..sigh!

Looks like a boring, serious drama. But believe me, I was surprised at how interesting the drama is.

Decision made

Ok, I've decided. I am not going back to Malaysia. Nothing can change this decision...unless I could find a ticket which is less than $2500 which is an impossibility at the moment. I THOUGHT I had emailed my dad a few days ago but I just realised I did not press 'send' and closed the web browser. *bang head on the wall* I rechecked the ticket price...and it has gone up from $2600 to $ 3682!!! In just a few days!!! At least, that's a weight lifted off my shoulder because I was worried about rushing on my Wellington transition if I were to go back home.

Update on my sore ankle.
Thanks to Michelle for lending me her wonder gel - Voltaren, my ankle is not sore anymore. =P

Yesterday, I did something that I thought I would never do it again - BABYSITTING! After babysitting my cousins for a summer three years ago, I told myself I would never touch children again. And there I was, babysitting 4 children with Davina for the whole afternoon yesterday. Natasha is the youngest, around 4 and has the cutest eyes ever. She made me played with her and her polly doll for an hour. Imagine May May the female gamer who plays Rainbow 6 and Halo ended playing polly doll with a 4 year old - for an hour! It was awkward at first because I did not understand a word that Natasha was speaking. I kept nodding my head because I reckoned children want people to agree with them, no matter how ridiculous their theories are. The boy is cute too...he has big, sparkling, irresistable eyes ( actually all of the children have inherited those cute eyes). He is only 8 and already, I can see potential gamer like Raymond in him. Those big eyes were glued to the big ass Mac screen while he concentrated intensely on his game. I found that children are usually shy when their parents are around. As soon as the parents left the house...WOW...that's when their true selves are exposed. Ok, more babies to come. Jac's niece and Glenn's daughter.

To go or not to go HOME

To go or not to go?

Contemplation. Pros vs cons.

What's in my heart?
I want to see my family. I want to meet up with my old friends. Grandpa is not doing well. I really want to visit him. Although he showed favoritism at times and I am his least favourite among all the cute grandchildren, I do respect him. He is my grandpa who brought up my mum and cared for my family.

On the other hand...my progress of finding an accommodation in Wellington is NIL. Don't get me wrong. I've done my homework---"trademe-ing" and I even emailed some of the tenants BUT nobody reply me =___='''. In addition, I have unconsciously developed a phobia to flight. Maybe it is the long hours of sleeplessness and restricted movement. Maybe it is the dreadful thought of sitting next to a hyuntai. But above all, what really hinders me from going home all these years is pressure. Pressure within the family. Pressure from relatives. Pressure from all the other 3 gu 6 po. The amplitude of the sound wave in my family has always been at the higher end of the bell curve =P, so I am kinda immune to that. My aunties and uncles are generous loving people. In fact they are my sponsors for my breathtaking, expensive education. But having said that, it comes with a high expectation. Expectation to do extremely well with distinction written all over the exam papers! *gulp gulp* And there are always people who put your spirit down in whatever you do. * Bigger gulp*

Time is running out and I have yet to decide.

And oh, adding to the cons...my lovely but naughty aunties are scheming for a matchmaking. I can smell it. =P

But yeah, I have a feeling I will regret it if I did not go back this summer.

Update of my sore foot

Ouch!
My left foot still hurts!
And the doctor did nothing about it. Oh...actually, she did help me to fill up my ACC form.
However I felt relieved to know that I did not fracture my tarsal bones. But it has been two weeks now and my foot is still hurting especially during eversion. Since there is no swelling, she ruled out the possibility of a sprain. At first I am frustrated at how useless unhelpful the doctor was. I might as well consult myself and save $6.50. But now that I think about it, it is very foolish of me to judge somebody who knows alot more than I do. Obviously, she must have seen many cases and therefore more experience and knowledgeable than I am. This is lesson no.1 that I have learned today.

Humans are complex being. The catch is do not make any assumption. Assumption is only meant for self and not applicable to others. This is lesson no.2.

ORF recipe

I've just watched a movie recommended by Jac---The Painted Veil. It is supposed to be a romantic movie which it is, but what interested me is the epidemic of cholera. Infected person can die within a few hours after the onset of the symptom. The death is not directly due to the bacteria itself but rather the dehydration that follows later on. In a resource-scarce situation, antibacteria treatment and IV rehydration is often not accessible. Here is a useful home-made recipe for oral rehydration therapy.

8 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/2 a mashed banana
1 liter of BOILED water

Tadaa...it is simple, easy and instant but amazingly effective---accroding to wikipedia (erm...I haven't try that myself so no comment from my part).

Wow...I love watching movies because there is always something I can learn from it.

Uncertainty

Went job hunting today. Finding a decent job is not easy. There's always that amount of stress lurking around. I wonder how it feels like to become an employer.

Elimination round no. 1.
X Meh, CV too lengthy! Must be a long winded person!
X Too eager, might overtake the company next time.
X Wrong company, this is xoxo Ltd, not xoxoxo Ltd.
X Too short!

Elimination round no.2
X Smile too much=fake!
X Too bitchy!
X Miniskirt?!?!
X Stop staring deep into my eyes, it's too intimidating!

Uncertainty. It is a very daunting feeling. *gulp* But that's what faith stands for. Believing that God's plan is to PROSPER you, not to harm you, even though you could not foresee your future.

Ok, looking forward to the LAN party at Raymond's tonight!

Day 5

I don't like people being late. But I am the one being very very late today. Sorry, Princess Jac, I give you the permission to bite me two times on my ass.

Jac, Rebekah and I ( and somebody *hint hint* if it wasn't for that somebody to be sleeping like a log=P) were supposed to meet up at Starbucks before we set off to Chinese Garden today. And I was 40 minutes late!!! *knock head*

We were already camwhoring posing and snapping away with our camera at the entrance. The garden is not as big as I've imagined. But the design and the architecture is very cleverly thought of. It reminds me of those secret gardens in the ancient Chinese movies where the 'ladies' have their high tea. That's exactly how we felt like. We were like posing and taking photos at every possible corners: over the bridge, under the rocks, over the rocks, outside the toilet, etc etc.

Something happened at the very end of our tour (more like photo frenzy session). Something BIG. My camera *sob sob* decided it had enough and commited suicide. It slipped out of my hand and went straight on into the lake. I could see the camera (which is in its case) floating on the surface and it would still be rescuable if I climbed over the railing and 'jumped' into the not-so-deep lake. But the staff will not let us. Instead, he tried to use a long pole to 'scoop' it up but ended up 'throwing' the camera further away. My heart sinked as I watched my camera sinked out of sight. Finally, he decided to wet himself for the sake of my camera. We went straight to Jonathans in hope to resuscitate my camera but the store manager told us that the chances of resuscitation is grime. Oh well, maybe that's the punishment for camwhoring being vain.

Anyway, The Full Monty was the highlight of the night. It wasn't that 'dodgy', in fact I think the story line is pretty good. Glenn and Raymond were pulling Sharon's leg and had actually planned to sandwich her throughout the show, but decided later to give her some peace in enjoying her 36.50 worth of everything. Sharon an I were very sporting(not excited *cough cough*). Our group were the only asian but surprisingly, we were the loudest. I was screaming cheering so loudly (especially towards the end) until I had a hoarse voice. Ok, people, it's all for the sake of being supportive. We met the casts and musicians later on after the show and they were totally different! Malcome is soooo cute in real life. And the big black dude actually agreed to come to our Sunday service!!!

Wow, what a day/night! Truly enjoy it! Sorry, no pictures (and you know why) to be posted this time. =(

Day 3

Day 3 into my post exam syndrome:

Hot! Hot! Hot! (But not as hot as M'sia and S'pore---haha for Joss and Ron)
Went to buy Full Monty ticket, but halfway down the road, I realised I did not bring my student ID. So, under the blazing sun, I walked all the way back again. By the time I reached home, I am literally drenched in my own sweat.

Anyway, heroes of the day---the A&D offered me a ride to Region and I was so glad not having to walked all the way to Octagon again.

We had a little 'disagreement' with the lady selling the ticket at Region.
Davina : Where can we see the musician?
Lady : This is not an orchestra, all the music are recorded.
All : Are you sure?!?!
Lady : Yea, I've been there once.
Agnes : But my friend is a lead keyboardist for the play.
Lady : *Blink Blink* *Asked another lady beside her*
Ok, you are right!

The musician would be really kek tiok if they heard that.

Highlight of the day---I had a short meeting with my prospect future flatmates. It is quite a bizarre combination. We have Fijian, Kiwi, Kiwi Indian, Tonga and Asian (me). I have no idea how would I fit in next year. After so many years of flatting with Malaysians, I am so used to Malaysian cooking, Malaysian jokes, Malaysian accent, Malaysian slang, Malaysian timing, etc, etc. Eeeeks!

Day 2

Day 2 into my post exam syndrome:

I love the message today by Pastor G. He preached about speaking positivity into our lives. We 'create' our own future through what we speak. A lot of times, we missed the opportunity to achieve something big through talking down to ourselves.

"No, this is too hard. "
"No, I am not gifted enough to do this."
"I don't expect much of myself after failing at the first try."

That message is an encouragement to me. There are times when I felt like an underachiever because I had self-created an atmosphere of negativity. It is better to say "I can do it!" rather than "I am such a loser" .

I went to Dinner@5 to help Aunty T S preparing her food. She is xxxxx (starts with the letter before t and ends with y). Anyway, she will make a good businesswoman but a hard-to-please boss.

Day 1

Ok, because I've been so indulge in my post exam I-just-want-to-do-nothing lifestyle, I have totally neglected my blog. I will make up for it by posting three entries at once.

Day 1 of my post exam syndrome:

Went grocery shopping with Sharon. As we past the Woodsth Park, I met a kid who is about 4ish. He was skateboarding with his brother. He came up to us and we had this coolest conversation ever.

Kiddo: Yo man, I'm skateboarding.
Me : Oh, skateboarding. (x__x I have no idea how to converse with a kiddo)
Kiddo: What are you guys up to?
Sharon: We are going grocery shopping.
Kiddo: Ok, catch you later dude!

Where on earth did he learn all these? Either he watched too much American movies or his parents are really cool.

Anyway, we planned to cook clay pot chickent rice that night but ended up making za jian mien.

We were glued to the TV for the rest of the day/night and doing absolutely NOTHING.

No more

Tik tik. One mintue to go.

Tik tik. 30 seconds.

10, 9, 8...3, 2, 1. YOU MAY STOP WRITING NOW. For once, I anticipated this sentence.

*fire crackles in the air*

Freedom...after four weeks of torturing my brain. Finally, I can play my game wholeheartedly. I want to upgrade my level to elite in Rainbow 6. I want to play unreal tournament until I vomit from motion sickness. I want to laze my day off reading novels on my bed. I want to start a 'drama-athon' and finish off my outstanding dramas within three days.

Right after exam, I went for lunch with Sam and Mae Ann at Capers and saw three tables of my fellow classmates celebrating their freedom too. After that we went to Starbucks and guess who was there? Chyi Chyi, our cute little friend. My original plan was to meet up with the other pharmacy friends at Starbucks but the presence of Chyi Chyi changed everything. I ended up talking to her the whole time because she's just too cute and entertaining. =P

Yeah... everybody was happy until Fiona asked me something and I blurted out the bad news (as I thought she already knew it). I felt really terrible. Partly because I'm the one who broke the news and partly because it was upsetting to see somebody being so badly shaken. It is not the best-est setting to do it, imagine having to cry in a crowded cafe with all your friends staring at you. I have a feeling I spoiled the fun because somehow there's no photo-taking session and everybody seems to go their separate way. OOPSY. Oh well, I should learn not to be so blunt sometimes.

Anyway, I'm off to tidy up my room which has just been hit by the preexam hurricane.

What is wrong with Shrek?

Shrek is not cursed.

He just has a few health problems. And fortunately, they are curable.

1. Acromegaly.
2. Jaundice
3. Truncal Obesity
4. Ears? Hmm...that's tricky. The ears might have been bitten by donkey and were replaced by prosthetic ears.
   

They want us to become a cytokinologist!

Two down.

One more to go.

Two words to summarize the exam today---CYTOKINES OVERDOSE!

I heard curses 'flying' around the air as soon as everybody walked out the Hunter CAL.

The microbiology department is being really serious about producing the next generation of "cytokines-obsessed" doctors who are very keen about cytokines and their relation to the pathogenesis of meningitis leading to sepsis. Not only that, they also want to make sure that all the gynaecologists in the future have a profound understanding of the cytokines and the immunology behind pregnancy including antisperm antibody and the rejection of conceptus.

I give the department my deepest salute...but please don't fail me for making up so much stories about TNFalfa, IL1, IL6, macrophage, Th1 and Th2 (I didn't even know how they relate to meningitis and pregnancy specifically but they are the only cytokines and related immune cells that I could think of) =___='''.

I hope, miraculously, my stories will be reasonably acceptable though they might not be as interesting as those told by Prof. Frank Griffin.

Why don't you ask something about HIV, I can tell you the entire universe about HIV because I've spend the whole Tuesday afternoon studying it.

However, I've learned something very important today. Something that my mum always told me...不要让大便到了屁股才去挖洞 (I don't see the validity of this proverb to our generation since we have a flushable toilet but anyway...).
One just couldn't digest everything in a day.

Appreciation

Happy:D
Happy:D
I'm very happy:D
A dear friend of mine hand drew me a picture of a puppy hugging a stethoscope. The drawing is sooo good and detailed that it looks so real. Woohoo, discovery of a hidden talent--I never know a science person can be such a good artist at the same time. It must have taken her quite some time to finish it. I LOVE the picture but above all I LOVE the heart behind it. Outside the medical school, I have lots of awesome supporting friends-spiritually, emotionally, physically(playing halo) and materialistically(food+free rides+mysterious gifts, free meals:D, etc). But within my course, I am a loner. Don't get me wrong, it's not because my coursemates are unfriendly. My problem is I don't have enough self-confidence and that caused me to become a sour plum :(

So I pray to God one night and asked Him to provide me with friends that can support me throughout my course and my career. And so, there came these two angels who sat beside me in all lectures throughout the year, one is the girl(a distinction student) that drew me the puppy, and another one is a guy(our class technician whom is the favourite among the technically challenged lecturers). They are my greatest supporters and their encouragement means a lot to me. Oh, and not to exclude my funny Tonga friend who gave me a funny but encouraging remark when I told him I'm worried about my exam. "Why worried so much? That's the work of the devil!" Hah, that makes me feel so much better. :D

Two are better than one...if one falls down, his friend can help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.

Cute puppy drawing. Thank you Anita:)


Ok, I've decided to post the picture of my angels because they deserve the credit.

Interesting organism

Ok, I'm so over cancer module now. I'm officially moving on to Infection and Immunity module and found it to be so much more interesting. No wonder most of our microbiology lecturers are so obsessed passionate about their jobs that they even have their own favourite micro-'babies'. I don't have a favourite micro-baby yet, but I do find this microorganism to be very ... erm interesting. Naegleria fowleri---the brain-eating amoeba. This little fellow invades human CNS by 'burrowing' up through your nasal mucosal then 'climbs' along your olfactory nerve fibres and up to your brain. Presenting symptoms are changes in olfactory perception (taste and smell), followed by vomiting, nausea, fever, headache, and the rapid onset of coma and death in two weeks. TWO WEEKS! Here's an even less comforting fact: survival remains less than 1%, even with amphotericin B. But for DUNNERS, don't worry! N. Fowleri is typically found in warm fresh water, from 25–35 degrees Celsius. There's no way these fellows can fight the cold in Dunedin.

Connections

I've never appreciate how important 'connection' can be in certain situation until today. Actually, I am still not 100% in favour of connection, but just not 100% against it now, depending on the situation. I have a classmate who is like a connection board. He knows (really well) most of the seniors and almost everybody from our year. He saved my ass life today because of his 'redundant' connection. Here's the full account of the story:

I did not know that today is the last day for our *computer test until this friend of mine told me. Eng eng liaw...big trouble because it means 1) if I failed, there will not be any chance of resit. 2)My source told me that this is a very very hard test, almost 70% of the class had to resit it. 3) I am 99.1% sure that I will fail because my plan is to revise it tonight and do it tomorrow. 4) The test is only available until 5, and I only have 2 hours left till then---BIGGER BUGGER! Among the midst of "what to do? what to do?", Tony (the connection board) asked me a lifesaving question, "Do you want the answers tips?" Ok, I hate to say that's cheating but let's just say it is efficient learning and information sharing. So, in less than an hour, I managed to 'learn more efficiently' and actually passed the test. Phew! I do not know how he got the tips (obviously through his connection) but hey, thanks man.

*OK, I think I need to further explain the computer test which we need to sit every week. Please don't get a wrong idea, it's not like a major major end of year exam thingy which will be dead serious if we do 'share information'. It's more like a self assessment quiz that we need to pass if we don't want to get any one-on-one interview with the BIG ONES.

Memories of 157 Queen Street

There are several things that I will miss from 157 Queen Street. One of them is going grocery shopping with Sharon and Joss, my flattie honies. As usual, Joss will always be five steps ahead of us with her vigorous stride while Sharon and I will take our time 'enjoying the scenery'. Cooking dinner together is also fun. We did try flat cooking for a week once but decided that it is too inconvenient. But still, it is fun inspecting (more like making fun of) one another's salt and fat consumption. Of course, 157 Queen Street is not complete without 159 Queen Street. We have the Yeos as our dear neighbour. Mr Yeo is a good chef and always have yummy food to satisfy our tummies. Gosh, need I say more for someone who can 'modify' a simple indo mee to an authentic seafood noodles? This good chef happens to be a super good halo buddy as well. What can I say about Mrs Yeo? She always have gifts to sneak around and thought that nobody will know the 'culprit'. How sweeeet is that. Other than that, life in 157 Queen Street is pretty much the same...until our most-looking-forward-to guests are here---the Canais. Because their visits mean study breaks, fun, food and more fun. And not to forget our countless sleepovers at Unicol. Oh well, life is never static but good memories will always stay on towards the end.

Mrs Yeo and the occupants of 157 Queen St.


Our friendly neighbour---The Yeos

The Canais---Sam T and a very constipated Alex!

Smile Always

This is going to be a very cheeeesy entry. So if you just had your lunch or dinner, please ignore this because it has a strong emetic effect.

Ok, I had an awesome time at work today. All the customers were sweet and adorable. But there was this one particular customer that made my night memorable. I've never seen such a happy and vibrant smile in my three years of customer serving. Sure I had a lot of good and bad experiences with customers, but that particular smile really encouraged me. It made me felt appreciated. I just want to say thank you, whoever you are, even though you will never come across this blog. Being able to smile is one of those amazing gifts that God has given us. Smile is infectious, it enlightens the day of others so that they will 'spread' the happy smile around too. Even when a person has an upper motor neuron lesion involving the face (i.e. stoke), the involuntary expression of smile is still reserved (i.e. the ability to smile when one is genuinely happy). Amazing right? So, no matter how bad your day is, don't forget to smile.

I also had an interesting conversation with my boss today. She said that she will become a millionaire in the next three months. I was like, "OK...so do you win a lotto or are you going to marry a millionaire?" "No, the horoscope say so." I remembered I was drinking my Pepsi max and almost choked on it. It just doesn't make sense. These are the people that don't believe in God, and yet, they believe in horoscope. I'm not trying to be judgmental but the logic behind this paradox is beyond my comprehension. It is sad and it makes me realize the responsibility that we Christian carried to bring the gospel into their lives.

Anyway, here's a smile that will surely cheer you up.

The beginning

I've never been a serious blogger but decided to be one now. This blog is dedicated to all my friends who will be leaving soon. Indeed, blog is a very powerful channel to keep us up to date to one another. I know I should be burying my head under that mountain of books now, but a little cheekiness won't hurt, :P. I've been on youtube and saw this cool video clip and for a second I dreamed of the impossible---what if I am a break dancer? Ahaha, that thought cracked me up cause I could not imagine myself 'twisting and turning any part of my body' without any cracking. I'll ended up in the hospital with my lower limbs stuck around my neck and my upper limbs are not where they should be. But check this up.