HAH...bet you thought that my blog is dead already, didn't you? Nope! It's as alive as ever, although yes, I do admit it looked slightly abandoned. My sincerest apologies for that. Gosh...I feel sooo lazy during the holidays to even lift a finger! Let alone think and write. I just love lounging around and doing nothing all day...except maybe watering some crops and taking care of my farm animals in Harvest Moon DS. Hehe...best game evah I tell ya! And plus...Malaysian internet freakin sux!! I tried updating this blog once and it didn't work everytime I hit "Publish". So I just gave up. But here I am, with my fingers crossed hoping the Internet will have some mercy on me and lemme get this through.
Okay...down to some serious updating. Hmm..lemme see. Tons have happened since I last blogged. Or maybe not. I finished my second year of uni(OMG...time's flying so fast it's scaring me!), got my results which I'm pretty satisfied with, worked my ass off so as to earn enough money for a new camera, celebrated my 1st year anniversary with ma babeh, came back to Penang, reunited with my beloved family, celebrated my sis' bday, went shopping!!, returned to my favoritest gym in the world, met up with my favoritest peeps in the world, spent Christmas with my family, made a grade F Tiramisu( ), and went on a family road trip down south...and of course, DID MORE SHOPPING!! Well, I couldn't possibly write about every single event I listed above in detail because 1)I'm lazy and some events were ancient already and 2) I probably couldn't recall much anyway. So, what I could do is...let the pictures tell the story! After all, as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Alrite alrite, I'll throw in an explanation or two. Here we go:
2.11.2008--Happy 1st year anniversary!! Had a fantastic day eating lots of fantastic food. Started the day late, had brunch at Shark's Fin House and dinner at Max's Bar and Restaurant. Where to next year? Can't wait! <3
5.12.2008---Back in Penang and celebrated Serene's 22nd bday. Went for an equally great dinner at Audees restaurant. I had missed home so much!!
Wouldn't miss hanging out with ma fav Sewxy(aka lolly boy) and Chermy. Went to our usual hang out place--Kayu and goofed around atop the new INTI Pg campus.
Cher, Ann and me. Ah...long time no see!
Oh my...I din realise we were all black! Anyways, hung out with Ann and JY in Gurney Plaza..(Sigh..where else??) Caught up with each other and had a great time. P.S: I reckon I look terrible in this pic, but the others look great and it's the only group pic I have, so...what the heck, I'll just post it up.
Michelle, Chermy et moi. At...u guessed it! Gurney Plaza! -.-' Had an unusually long day, but boy..was it fun! Had an impromptu movie session and our traditional "sightseeing" session in Starbucks. Hehe..
Oh...not forgetting our tradition of taking pictures in the toilet...with my new cam! Coolness.. And if you're thinking: "lucky her!" I've got news for u. I bought it myself! Yes..forked out my hard earned cash for this babeh! Worth every single penny really.
First stop of my shopping trip down south(of Malaysia)---KL. In this pic--Pavillion--The new(but very exp) shopping place in KL. Seems to have risen Malaysia's reputation as a shopping heaven and fashion capital, but really, how many people would buy from this place? The cheapest piece of clothing would be by the hundreds(ringgit). But I still love this place. Hehe..
2nd stop--Johor. (L to R) Fai Zhai, Serene, Paul and Lorene. Pic taken at La Pasta on New Year's Eve, or rather, New Year's day as it was already past midnight when this pic was taken. A very unforgettable New Year celebration indeed. Hmm..do I mean that in a good or bad way? Well, it's one of the simplest celebrations I had, but I'm not complaining. We had great food, but, without music and dancing, it just doesn't seem right.
3rd and final stop---Singapore. Taken at Vivo City right before dinner. My 1st time at Vivo City. Loved the place. Great shops, great food, but very confusing structure. As in, we can't really make our way around the place without walking around in circles and struggling to find a certain shop or location.
Just thought this was cute. Giant sweets in the middle of Orchard Road. It was part of their Xmas decoration. Should be down by now...
That was about it really. Come to think of it, 2008 had been a really boring year. At least it sounds it. No partying, spent most of my time doing uni work or at home. But to me, boring it was not. At all. Spent quality time with my chu and friends, had great luck with my studies, love and friendship...what more could I ask for? Hope this year would be an equally fruitful year for me. Coming up next, going down south to KL again...this time with chuz. And spending more time with friends in Pg before heading back to Melbourne for my final year of uni. Will keep updating, don't worry. Unless my Internet decides to keep screwing my efforts up. ><
Hey guys, just so you guys know, I am now painfully keeping two blogs, one personal and one for uni purpose. And as I am doing some web analytics, as in analyzing my readership and making improvements to my blog, please visit my uni blog and gimme some suggestions yea? Thankiez!! My uni blog: Carene's Media Watch
Oh my gosh...I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated my blog. 2 months ago?? Well, one and a half, probably, but still...
Anyway, I probably should keep you guys updated on the recent goings on in my life, because I know that there are some really good friends of mine out there who do read my blogs. Teehee...
Uni life had been really hectic for me this semester. Work keeps piling on, and whenever I am finished with one, another three or four comes raining down on me. I just really hope time will fly and I'll be free of all these. But honestly, as busy as I am right now, I enjoy the work I am and have been doing. I recently did a TV news package for my TV journalism subject, and we had to film and edit a TV news story all by ourselves. We of course worked in groups, so I figured it wasn't all that bad. I had to say I had alot of fun doing the filming and interviewing, although it took up a LOT of my time. We even managed to interview Lynne Kosky, Victoria's public transport minister for our story, and it was an honour to be able to do that. And I had the privilege to talk to her!! Come to think of it, weird as it may seem, I look forward to filming our next story. With that camera and tripod in hand, and weaing smart clothes and suits for our PTCs(piece to cameras, where journalists stand in front of the camera and reads a line or two.)you just get a lot of attention...not that I'm like a certain weirdo coursemate in my uni who severely lacks attention and would do whatever it takes to get some...which is extremely annoying. I'm just saying it's kinda nice to get that kind of attention once in awhile. Haha...
That aside, work (selling candies at Queen Vic Market) was pretty fun. It could get pretty tiring sometimes, as I would work up to 9 hours straight with only a 20 min break in between. But as I got used to it and learnt to work and have fun at the same time, it's all worth it. It has been 2 months plus now since I started working there, and I've already gotten my head around most of the stuff. Though sometimes people would come up to me and ask weird and unusual questions like: Do you have carob? or Do you sell those red umbrella shaped lollies on sticks? And some kids who have a whole handful of coins, asks for 3.55 dollars worth of lollies and drops the coins in your hands which is all 5 cents and 10 cents and you have to count your head off for 10 mins or so before telling them that you've received the right amount. Well, at least they're good at maths. Oh...did you guys know that Sew Xian is also working at the shop with me now? Well, he is, and it's always such fun having him around. Work just doesn't get that boring. We would chant together, asking customers to buy our lollies and make up funny lines to promote our nougats and macadamia nuts. But we do have some certain issues with some employees, including a certain grandma. Let's just say that she's a little...bossy. But all in all, it's great fun...despite the ridiculously early hours I had to wake up to go to work(6am). It's in a market anyway, so no surprises there.
It's mooncake festival erm...2 hours ago...but anyways, Happy Mooncake Festival!! Although I did not attend any event this year to celebrate it with lanterns and crowds, I did, however, have a small and private celebration at home. With my baby darling. We had mooncakes(green tea flavor with two yolks), tea and orange for lunch while we watched Speed Racer on the computer. Our first mooncake festival together! And we enjoyed it. Looking forward to celebrating CNY with him next year in Penang!!
Yes...I am officially old, like most of you guys. Older than some, younger than some. But I am turning old,and that's the fact. GOSH!! I should really stop being pessimistic. But I couldn't help it! I'm already in the second decade of my life, and if one were to ask me: What is the biggest thing you've accomplished so far in your life? I wouldn't know how to answer...cuz I dun even remember accomplishing anything big yet! Well, I hope I do soon, perhaps in the next 3 years. Anyways, this blog came pretty late I know...like...one week after my bday! Well, maybe cuz I'm a bit traumatized by the loss of my holidays, and having to go back to uni again. Lolz...for those of u who din know, my bday was the first day of uni. And guess what, I was absent just bcuz I'm the king of the day! Besides, it's only the first day...what could I miss?? Hmm...an introduce-yourself session maybe, and a heart seizure session where the lecturer/tutor informs you of the assignments for the semester and the "interesting" stuff that's in store for the students. Blech...I didn't need that.
Well, my bday celebration this year had been a great one...despite the absence of some good buddies of mine. On the eve of my bday, I organized a bday dinner with my friends at Cafe Correto on Lygon. The same venue as last year, would you believe it. I don't know why really, the place just really appealed to me. Good food always wins me over. My chu, Sewxy, Ben, Kyloon (the surprise guest who shares the same bday with me), David(Chong Chong), Jee Hong, Edwin, Grace, Mary and Hui Ting were present. It was a cold and rainy night, but they came all the same. Ahh...great friends indeed. We had pizzas and pastas, and a much needed catch-up chat. It's really great to see everyone again after such a long time. Especially that Ben...Busy Ben. It was a simple dinner, but I really enjoyed it. Too bad I didn't have a camera with me to capture pics with my guests. After dinner, we headed off to Koko Black for some after dinner drinks. Full as we were, we had some hot drinks that really warmed us up. Nothing like a steaming hot cup of mocha on a cold winter night! And then Grace said: "Lets take some pictures with my camera!" Gosh...I should've asked earlier...-.-' But all the same, I took pics with the remaining guests, as a memento of my 20th birthday celebration. I've yet to obtain the pics from Grace, but when I do, I'll upload them up!
The next day, the real celebration began.This time, there were no crowds nor groups, just me and my baby. Justin even took a day off from work so that he could celebrate my special day with me! HOW SWEET! So our day began at 12pm...well..birthdays are meant to be enjoyable, and what could be more enjoyable than to have all the sleep I could get, so that I'll have sufficient energy to fully savor my special day?? Anyways, we had a very satisfying brunch at Pancake Parlour. I had my uber delicious Cheese and Potato Pancake and chu had his mouth watering Chocolate Strawberry Jubilee. Uber yumminess...
Our sleepy faces...Chu looks a bit too sleep deprived...O_o
My C&P pancake.MmmMmMmmm...
Baby's Choc Strawberry Jubilee.
Baby's latte. He did the pattern himself. XD
After our brunch, we were walking home to check movie times when chu made a stop at Crown's Bakery. It's the Chinese owned and manned bakery along Swanston Street. I thought we were just looking at the cakes there, and he would want to perhaps buy a cake for me then and there, since I kept telling him how much I wanted my own bday cake. He's paying for everything on that day--meals and movie---so I wouldn't want him to spend more. I wanted to stop him before he bought one, but before I could say anything, he took a receipt out of his pocket and told the person at the counter he's picking up a cake. He ordered the cake the day before without me knowing! I was soo surprised! I had always wanted a proper bday cake all these years, but all I had, since ages ago, were just small pieces of cake from Secret Recipe back in Malaysia or a birthday sundae last year at Hard Rock...never a whole cake. But this year, chu fulfilled my wish...and he got me my fav Green Tea cake! Aww...couldn't thank you enough chu..muakz. So after the surprise and shock has settled down and we had placed the cake in my home, we made our way to Crown Casino for a movie. I wanted
to watch Batman--The Dark Knight, but I heard it's full house for the
whole day. Never one to give up, I went to the ticket counter myself
and asked for any available seats. As luck would have it, we got seats
for the movie at our preferred time. The movie was indeed quite dark and twisted,
but nothing short of excellent, if I say so myself. Especially Heath
Ledger...he undoubtedly stole the show. I was never a fan
of the Batman movies, but this movie really wowed me. Go watch this
movie if you haven't yet. It's worth every penny.
After a great brunch and a great movie, we took a walk around the
casino before going for dinner at a restaurant called The Pub. The portion size is HUGE I tell you! To finish a whole plate by yourself is basically committing suicide. Baby almost did...if I didn't stop him he would've! We were so full after that we couldn't walk....we had to sit down for a little while, wait for the food to digest a bit before getting up.
Entree---Deep fried Calamari
Baby's main---Porterhouse steak with mashed potatoes and extra fries. >< My gigantic Chicken Parmigiana.
My day was nearing its end, but what's a birthday without a birthday cake and song? So we headed home after dinner to cut the cake with my housemates. The usual process ensued---putting candles on the cake, lighting the candles, singing the bday song, making a wish, cutting the cake, and eating the cake.
My birthday cake...^^
First, birthday song singing, then wish making (not shown), then huff and puff! Finally, cutting the cake.
Sigh...how I've missed these actions over the years.
My pressies!! The cute lil turtle mobile rest from Sewxy, Cher and Pig; Nintendo DS from my chu; The Necklace on the far right from Edwin; the star earrings and necklace from my family; the Diva accessories from Grace and Mary; and the inspirational notebook from Kam.
Why must all good things come to an end?! How I wish my bday lasts forever. Then I could stay 20 forever. Even though 20 is still a very very young age, but I'm already afraid of getting old. So, I'll savour it while it lasts! Enjoy my young life to the max! Before I start getting lots of white hair and be called "aunty" instead of "jeje". >< Now I look forward to my next bday...21st!!! Much more special compared to 20. Maybe I should start planning already....
There's been quite alot happening lately...but all I know is, I have to be strong no matter what. Baby, I never meant to hurt you and I hope you forgive me for my mistakes.
I was shocked to know the truth... I want you to know that I'll be there for you no matter what. You're the strongest person I know and I will be strong for you. For us.
), and went on a family road trip down south...and of course, DID MORE SHOPPING!! Well, I couldn't possibly write about every single event I listed above in detail because 1)I'm lazy and some events were ancient already and 2) I probably couldn't recall much anyway. So, what I could do is...let the pictures tell the story! After all, as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Alrite alrite, I'll throw in an explanation or two. Here we go:
