Happy New Year

So okay, I did eventually go to the Curve yesterday night...but not to join in the festivities. After picking me up, Yvonne went to pick Chin up from MidValley and we went there. The jam was horrible! The police diverted traffic around because they closed the street for the countdown party. Basically, the whole of the Curve was jammed packed. It took us several rounds before we found a restaurant that didn't have a long snaking queue to get in.




Laundry was out of the question. Overflowing into the street and onto the neighbouring restaurants. We ended up having dinner at about 10pm at Little Penang Cafe and stayed till almost closing. They had to 'chase' us out by issuing our check before we even requested for it. I had fun though, just hanging out and talking.




After that, we went for dessert at Paddington's. Business was so good there that they ran out of ice to serve customers who ordered cold drinks. Spent New Year's Eve talking about rubbish and all things in between. My cousin decided to join us at the last minute along with a friend of his. So I actually spent New Year's with some of my closest friends. To Gracie in the States, I'll be seeing you in a week's time! To my friends and blog readers...may this New Year bring much joy, blessings and fulfilment to all of you. Have a Happy New Year!

Away From the Madding Crowd

Every New Year’s Eve it’s the same. Traffic jams and madding crowds everywhere! Okay, I don’t mean to sound like a spoil sport but hey…it’s too crowded to go anywhere and enjoy yourself. So, for a few New Year’s Eve celebrations, I’ve actually stayed at home alone and watched TV. For as long as I can remember, it wasn’t a big deal to me. However, since this coming year is going to be different, I thought about going out to usher in a brand New Year. The first option, as always, was to go to church and celebrate the New Year with whoever was there. This year, my family members and several of my cell members are attending.

Okay, I thought…why not? It might be a little boring but it is way better than staying at home this time. Then, my friend calls me up and asks me out. However, she can’t decide on a venue to head to. I don’t blame her. Our conversation went something like this:

Her: “Hmm…what about KL? There’s this “cun” place near Starhill.”

Me: “Are you kidding? It’s going to be super crowded…plus, I have to be back by 1am.”

Her: “You’ll be lucky if we don’t get caught in the jam on the way back. You arr,
damn “potong stim”.

Me: “Eh, I’ve only got one week left so I don’t want to get nagged by my mum nor do I
I want to leave in pieces… What about Laundry at the Curve? There’s a street
party tonight.”

Her: “You want to go there? It’s going to be crowded!”

Me: “You tell me where’s not crowded?!!”

Her: *Sighs* “I dunnolah…”

The point is…I’d rather celebrate on New Year’s Day than during New Year’s Eve which in fact is no different, minus the jams and crowds. Right now, am I actually welcoming the thought of staying at home tonight, with the TV and a tub of Baskin Robbins ice-cream to accompany me…

(p/s We have yet to decide where to go to…)

Cry Baby, Cry...

I never imagined that I would be sitting alone, in my room, on a Friday night...and even more so...crying my eyes out. To be honest, I've been feeling a little down the past few days but I finally reached rock bottom today. I stayed at home, doing nothing much with no one. Probably that added to my feeling of wretchedness and loneliness as the days go by. My friends actually asked me to go out clubbing with them tonight and as much as I hate going clubbing, I actually wanted to go this time just to spend time with my them.

Knowing that they would only come back in the wee hours of the morning, I decided to ask my mum if I could go. In my head, I was pretty sure that she would say no but then again, a miracle might happen. I went down and asked her...You know what she said? "What do you think?" Oh well, I did try and I only have to endure this kind of thing for a week more. But the thought didn't cheer me up. The moment I stepped into my room and sat down in front of my desk, I started to cry...for God knows what reason. I just felt so alone...all my friends are out doing one thing or the other while I was stuck at home...under house arrest. After I stopped bawling, it suddenly hit me...I, in a way was feeling kinda homesick even before I actually left. But then again, it might be a good thing to get this emotional phase over with so that when I leave, I'll be alright. I'd hate to cry at the airport.

Crazy Christmas

This was probably the busiest Christmas ever! Imagine this...four days of partying non-stop and hosting a total of 5 parties. I've been eating and eating until my stomach gave way yesterday so much so that I'm now suffering from a sensitive stomach. Satay, chai pau, mee hoon, pizza, various chicken and beef dishes etc. have passed through my system in the past few days. But then again, there is absolutely no reason for me to start a diet as I have plenty of reasons to gorge before I get deprived from yummylicious Malaysian food.


The days are flying by it seems. Less than 2 weeks more until I leave. Yvonne took a day off yesterday just to spend some time with me and today, another one of my friends came over after lunch and hung out with me until dinnertime. She told me that she was missing me already and asked me not to make her cry at the airport. I told her that I should be the one saying that to her instead! Anyways, I'll be free until I have to leave so if any of you guys want to ask me out for a drink or movie or just to hang out, do so before it's too late! Hahaha...

Mia-owch!

I've never been a cat-person. However, that rule does not apply to the only cat that I ever liked; Adelle's former pet cat who was more dog-like in behaviour than any cat I've ever met. Today a cat came into the compound of my house, in the midst of the many people who were here to attend my parents CG's Home-E. By now, most of the neighbourhood cats would know well to stay out of our house as they would be met with nothing but hostility. When it first came, my dad shooed it away. Then it came back, and my brother got the hose and sprayed it away. I thought it left for good because most of my neighbour cats only see my house as their litter box and leave stinking "parcels" behind.

It came back a third time and this time, there was no mercy...my dad shot it with the pellet gun! After the Home-E was over, I went out to clear as many things as I could. I found the cat was sitting on the stack of chairs. When it saw me, it did not attempt to run away but allowed me to pet it, carry it around and was very affectionate. For a cat to come back after being treated the way it did, you've got to give it some credit.

I felt rather sorry for the cat and wanted to give it some milk to drink but my mum would hear nothing of the sort. I gave it the milk anyway. :P I seriously considered keeping it as part of my family's pet collection as it reminded me so much of Adelle's cat, "MiaoMiao". It even looked like a younger version of it. The moment my dad and brother came out, they shooed it away again but it went to my neighbours house so I ended up playing tag with it for a while before it was chased away yet again. Poor cat! I wish it would come back...but not to use my house as a litter box.

The Lee Family Zoo

I just realized that in addition to having a dense garden in my home, we also have quite a few pets. I stayed up late into the night yesterday to identify the snake species that my dad brought back home. He caught the snake at his jetty office and brought it back yesterday evening for us to see. My mum did grumble a little though but since the snake was outside the house and going back to the jetty with my dad, she let us put up with it for a few days. My dad and I finally decided that it was a Painted Bronzeback snake (Dendrelaphis pictus), non-venomous but then again, my dad is still rather cautious when handling it.


My mum was rather nervous about the snake but I told her that if I just squeezed it a little, it would die as it looks extremely fragile. It's about 20cm long and skinnier than the skinniest snake that I've ever seen.


We recently got 4 budgies to add to our collection of pets but unfortunately, one flew away today when my dad was cleaning the cage. But it was the naughtiest of the lot so I guess it's not so bad. The others are rather silly as they actually like to eat bits ot newspaper, forcing me to remove all traces of paper from their cage. My favourite bird is the blue one in the picture.


This is just one of the many water features/ponds/aquariums in my home with fish in it. This one is at the side of my house.


But then again, no pet is loved more at home than my dog; Blossom. She has been on a naughty streak recently, peeing and pooping where she shouldn't and biting things. Just only today, I discovered that she pooped on her chair and my dad realized that she bit the electrical wire on the fan when he was taking it out. It is a good thing that she didn't get electrocuted. To date, she has bitten 4 pairs of my slippers and rendered 2 unusable. Naughty, no? Well, I still love her to bits and will miss her when I go away.

Christmas Buzz

I haven't blogged in a while but it feels like I've been so busy the past week. I've mostly been out shopping or hanging with my friends or helping my mum with Christmas preparations. I've also been trying to think of things to pack into my bags without the airlines barring my bags. You know...weight limit and all. But nevertheless, I'll never let a good bargain get away. The best bargain so far was this military style wool jacket I got from Naf Naf for only RM100 which is a real steal; even more so when the original price was RM759. Do the math and you realize that it is more than 80% off!!


Also, I've been wrapping tons of Christmas presents. Actually, I started doing that 2 weeks ago. The first thing my mum said when she came into my room today was "Oh my goodness, your room is in a mess!" I have to agree on that but it's only temporary. Soon it will be rather empty...I think.


Anyways,I finally got my credit card and swiped it for the first time today getting the stuff below.


My brother and I have been enjoying the candy that Christmas only brings. I actually got a jarful of mints in my room and hopefully will manage to finish them before I leave. In the background, you can see how messy my dresser is.


I have been liasing with my temporary Drake advisor for the past week as he has been helping me register for class. At the moment, I'm all scheduled for 4 subjects. Politics, IT Apllications for Businesses, Chemical Analysis and Biology. However, I hope that I'll be able to get exempted from taking Biology as it is Biology 001. I hope that my A-Level credits are enough to let me skip that subject. In the beginning, I only has classes on 2 days of the week which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. Then it was 3 days of the week which felt rather relaxed to me even though I was supposed to sit for 14 credits. I don't know how the final schedule will be. Hope everything turns out alright.

Sentimental

It's about 3 more weeks until I kiss Malaysia goodbye. I'm already starting to feel sentimental about the whole thing. The worse thing is that it feels like it's escalating. So much so that earlier, I told myself that I would not cry at the airport but now, after seeing how things are; the probability of me keeping my eyes dry seem slimmer by the day. To compensate for the fact that I will be MIA the most part of next year, I have been seeing my friends on an almost daily basis. Well not all of them but those that are free to take some time out to hang with me.

However, I have things to look forward to in The States. Webcamming for one. That way, you will still be able to talk to me face to face and see if I actually grew any fatter like I claimed that I would. Also, the four seasons which is a vast difference from what we experience here in Malaysia. Arriving smack in the middle of winter; complete with below freezing temperatures and snow storms will be an interesting experience. Lastly, the shopping!! Was just talking to Grace a couple of hours ago and she already went on a shopping trip. Snow boots USD40, jeans USD10, dinner dress USD20, Fossil wallet USD25 and etc etc. America is a shopping haven for comsumers like me. Haha...I can't wait to earn some money to spend. The prospect of being able to shop online easily without much hassle puts a smile on my face...for now anyways...

Shopping and More Shopping

Hmm...Grace is leaving tomorrow morning. So fast already. Hate the fact that I'm going to leave soon as well. I've been going on shopping sprees recently and I've bought 4 pairs of pants, a jacket, a scarf, a beret and other items in just the span of 1 week. That set me back quite a bit but then again, they were all on sale and neccessary. Been talking to Grace about TSA locks and from what I read online...things don't sound too promising. I invested in 3 TSA approved locks just yesterday at RM29 each but now, after reading what people had to say online, I have very little faith in US Customs. From today onwards, I will be praying that nothing bad will happen to my luggage when I head to the States. Nothing will be stolen or put into my bag nor will they break the locks on my bag.

Anyways, been feeling a little under the weather today but I hope that I'll be back to my normal self soon. In time for Nianci's and Eugene's wedding.

-.-"

When my mum was away in Cambodia, I actually missed her because then, my bro and dad would get off my back and talk to her instead. Now that she's back, I think I just had a drastic change of heart. She got back on Friday night, and I didn't see her until Sarurday morning. It is now Tuesday and I'm starting to have that funny feeling that it is all a big mistake. She is driving me up the wall! "Do this! Do that! This isn't clean!" etc. Trust me, I've seen the porch in conditions 10 times worse than now. The stupidest thing she ever asked me to do in the past was to mop the porch. I was even more stupid by doing so. I mean, who in their right mind would bloody mop the porch and let the wind blow dust on it again half an hour later? Thank God that is a distant memory now.

It's a good thing I have friends who are also on vacation this week and until I leave. I will make the most of this opportunity to see them and strengthen the ties of our friendship. Gah!!

Chocolate Supply

I am now eating half a packet of Hershey's Kissables. They're a little like M&M's but much tastier. The candy and chocolate supply in my fridge has been replenished overnight...thanks to no other than Delle! Thanks for the yummylicious treats and it's great to have you back!

Genius Me!

Ever since I found out that my modem is the one that has been giving me problems, I made up my mind to get a new one. Preferably with a wireless router. I got it today, at the PC Fair; along with other items like a webcam, microSD and etc. I realized that on more than one occasion, I've acted as a money lender to my friends. I find it rather amusing that they don't bring enough of money to events such as the PC Fair where there are tons and tons of bargains awaiting the general public.

Anyways, my cousin helped pay the 'interest' (lol!) by being the porter and carried my bags for me. When I got home, I immediately ripped open all neccessary packaging for all items. I installed them one by one, leaving the modem/router for last. As I flipped through the manual, I was feeling a litte unsure as the instructions weren't very clear. However, after attempting just once, I actually got it to work. I felt like a genius! Since I'm not such a hardware freak, I think it's quite an achievement. But, now, I have to make it work so that I'll be able to use the wireless features. Right now, I'm connected via LAN cable.So here I am, blogging once again from home! My Internet is back online but I've still got my desktop to repair...hmmm...

Christmas Time Is Near

It’s that time of year again. Time to raid the storeroom and hunt down all relevant paraphernalia related to ‘the most wonderful time of year’. I don’t know about you but I love Christmas. It is one of the rare times that I actually feel like a kid again. I’ve already took out the quintessential artificial tree (applicable to those living in the tropics) and all necessary decorations and tinsel to decorate the tree with. My mum is coming back today from Cambodia so, what better time to put up the tree than today and give her a pleasant surprise.

Putting up the tree is not as easy as it seems. In my house, it requires a little planning and the moving of furniture around to accommodate the tree in the living room. Every year, there is a color theme for the tree and it usually alternates every year. I gave up on decorating the tree with (breakable!) glass ornaments ever since someone in the family broke more than half of them at one go by just being awfully impatient. To be honest, I was horrified and believe it or not…traumatized by the whole event. I even stopped taking part in putting up the tree for a year or two. Okay, I admit that I’m a sentimental person and when incidents like that happen, it’s not something I get over easily. So now, every time I see some really nice delicate and fragile ornament and for a moment, consider how it might look on the tree, I’d tell myself to forget about it.

Anyways, I’ve already started shopping for presents. I’m glad that this year, the list is rather short in comparison to past years. It means that I’ll have less to think about and yes, also less to spend on. But, I’ve decided that since there are fewer people on my list, I’ll get the ones on my list better presents. I’ll see if you’re naughty or nice to me. By the way, I’m compensating this Christmas for the fact that I’ll be away for the most part of next year. I’ll only be home for Christmas…

After putting up my birthday wishlist, I realized that having one really works! You don’t end up getting something that you don’t want or need. :P So, this Christmas, here is mine:

1. A salon quality hairdryer (my old hand me down one has given me electric
shocks on more than one occasion)
2. Stella McCartney’s ‘Still” EDP
3. Several excellent CDs (to take with me to the States)
4. Bobbi Brown’s Limited Edition Lip Gloss Trio
5. Great Christmas and New Year celebrations to usher in 2007!