Wednesday, November 30 | 9:07 am

Cheese Pizza
Traditional and comforting.You focus on living a quality life.You're not easily impressed with novelty.Yet, you easily impress others.
What's" Your Pizza Personality?


Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible
Fun, funky, and a little bit euro.You love your summers to be full of style and sun!
What's" Your Summer Ride?

|
| 6:58 am

ok.
that was a very ugly post indeed.

and yeah for those who didn't know.
yani can be, and in fact, was and has been a very bitchy girl indeed.

i think i've mellowed down and become a nicer person than i was maybe 6 years back? there was a time when i wouldn't think twice about what i said. a time when i really didn't care if what i said hurt anyone.
oh, those were the days.

perhaps, mellowing down is all part of growing up. you mature and you realise that sometimes, things are not always as black and white as you used to think. that maybe, just maybe, you should watch what you say. that maybe some things shouldn't be said.

oh and my mum is very cute.
she called me while i was at school today.
said hi and hello and all the normal stuff.
then she asked "any problems?"
haha.
obviously she was referring to this. :P
but it's ok. i prefer not to talk about it, let it pass and move on with life.
live and let live.
thank you mummy! i love you! *beams*

i also don't really talk about what happens in this house here.
because i don't want people to worry about me. esp my mummy.
but things did get pretty bad once.
she threatened to throw me out. on first syawal, by the way.
i know, pretty bad huh.
but i don't think i'm a terrible tenant.
like rozzie said: i don't drink, i don't do drugs, i don't come back at odd hours of the morning.
i don't bring people/boys home, i don't blast music out of a sound system (even when i play mp3s, i shut the door.) and i pay my rent (although not always on time).
so what did i do?
leave the lights on in the living area while i showered, switched on the water-heater when she told me not to (hell, the water was cold! of course i'd put the heater on man.), and leave dirty dishes in the sink.
ok so i'm not a star tenant.
but whatever. *rolls eyes.*

but that's over now. don't anyone panic!
and i'm living my life.
and she, hers. (i guess. *shrugs* i don't really care.)

SO ANYWAY.
i'm here to put that ugly post far far away.
i guess i could delete it.
but that kinda defeats the purpose of a blog/diary.
so.
this is what i have to bury that post farfar down.

if i celebrated christmas,
this would be my wishlist!

|
| 6:51 am

yani's christmas wishlist!



yves saint lauren, cinema. tried it once and liked it. can't really remember the smell now though. but my perfumes are all running low, so.

|
| 6:49 am


jimmy choos. this one. or heels with a nice print on it. liking those now.

|
| 6:44 am


ipod nano. with a pretty skin please.

|
| 6:43 am


MAC glitter liner in saucepot. i've been wanting this for some time now.

|
| 6:36 am


sherry loop diamante satin slingbacks from Accessorize.

|
| 6:35 am


boutique leather kensington bag from Accessorize. i'm crazy about the bags at Accessorize. i'm going to get at least one before i go back home. i know there are outlets in singapore, but i'd much rather spend pounds instead of sing dollars, although of same value. maybe because it's less painful to hear 25pounds then 75dollars on a handbag.

|
| 6:34 am


chain tassel large bead bracelet from Accessorize.

|
| 6:34 am


artisan long necklace from Accessorize.

|
| 6:33 am


multi stripe coat from NEXT. i think this makes for a pretty decent and classically lovely, but not boring, piece.



since i don't celebrate christmas, i figure it's ok to ask for anything i want! since there's no or little chance i'll be getting them anyways.

BUT.
who says it has to be christmas to give presents, right? ;)

*beams*


|
Tuesday, November 29 | 6:12 am

FUCK

i'm so FUCKING pissed.

you know when people are almost penniless, they get so desperate to get money from any way they can.

FUCK

SUDDENLY i get charged "LATE FEES".
sejak biler entah.

SUDDENLY when i forget to switch off the water-heater i get "CHARGED".

and hello, central heating still not switched on. and it's a fucking 2degrees outside. why do you think i'm always complaining about icy numb fingers in my entries? the fucking heating is not bloody on, dammit. "save electricity, bills expensive." screw you i'm paying to stay here ok.

dah dapat ONE job offer, still can say they don't pay enough. ya i see other employers running to you begging you to work for them. and sorry, your highest qualification? kalau ader degree pun takper seh.

what's that you're telling me? you're late on bills, no money to pay, your dad has to send you money?
rilek sua not my problem.
fuck off and stay away from me.
i pay for my stay here, that's all i fucking care abt.
not abt you, your whining or your fucked-up life.

and with your views on life - everyone's out to get your money, everything is a conspiracy, the government is evil.
patutlah tak murah rezeki.

why if i were thirty, jobless and single, i would be whiny and psychotic too.

i hope i don't get bad karma from saying all this.
i'm pissed, and i had to blow.

ok fine i take it back.
forgive me God.
make me a better person.
give me the patience and strength to do this.
tabahkan hatiku, kuatkan imanku.
jauhkan pengaruh syaitan.

mengucap yani.
astaghfirullah hal 'azim.
sabar.

thirtytwo days.
God give me strength.

|
| 4:52 am


You Are Thai Food

Trendy yet complex.People seek you out - though they're not sure why.
What Kind of Food Are You?



You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist.People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you.You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words.Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.
What Flower Are You?

|
Monday, November 28 | 9:09 am

HASH(0x8defac4)
Classy dress

HOW WOULD YOUR PROM DRESS LOOK LIKE? -11 different outcomes-
brought to you by Quizilla

hmm. i would have liked the romantic or the simple amazing blue innocent dress though. the so sexy one is nice too.
but oh well. at least black's a slimming colour.

|
| 7:54 am

on friday.
i went to khairiah's and lina's!
to plan our end of year trip! *griiiin*
i didn't take any pictures lah. i guess mainly cause we were untudunged.

so right.
we planned and planned.
wanted to do andalusia(south of spain) - seville, granada
and then cross over to either portugal - lisbon
or morocco - marrakech
after much deliberation.
we decided lisbon didn't have much, and gave us the impression it's a very party/drinking city. (is it?)
and that was completely irrelevant to us.
and marrakech was enticing khairiah.
so we thought.
ok let's do:
fly in to granada (2 nights)
train to seville (2 nights)
train, bus, ferry, train to marrakech (2 nights)
but after much calculation, we realised we'd be spending 3 days on travel alone! 1 - london to granada (evening flight). 2 - seville to marrakech (1h+ train, 1h 10 min ferry and freaking EIGHT hour TRAIN). and the 3 - marrakech back to seville/granada for flight back. (european budget air doesn't do morocco. well they're not european. but still.)
we looked up everything already. flight details, costs, lengths of journey etc.
and then, we think again. "alamak so leceh, not to mention mahal. worth it or not ah?"
poooot.

so back to square one.
then right.
like HAAAAAAVE to go somewhere.
so we looked at a map of europe and said "let's see where we can go."

haha.
so.
we decided.
on.
ITALY!
haha.
(again. for me.)
but i don't care!
i loove italy! (oh i haven't put up the pictures.)
GELAATOOOO!!!! (i took picture with almost every gelato i ate there. i had gelato like um, twice a day? yeah. and like 11 different flavours i think. *beaams*)

so.
planplanplan.
we're going pisa, florence and then venice!
we're going to freeze in venice.
we wanted to go south to escape the cold, but in the end, venice is going to freeze our butts over. haha. :P

but kan.
looks like my hajat to go france and switzerland while i'm here tak tersampai. boo.
but italy, i'm going like four times? haha.

oh wells.
hubby-to-be dear(you know who you are), france and switzerland for honeymoon eh?
tenkiuk! *griiiin*

and then.
the rest of the weekend.
i stayed in.
i was going crazy.
so sunday night, i thought "let's hop on out, have a nice, warm, yummy, comforting caramel latte with extra caramel and a classic cheesecake at starbucks!"
there's an outlet like 10min from where i stay.
so walkwalkwalk in the freezing cold.
and then.
i reached starbucks.
IT WAS DARK.
it was freaking CLOSED!
at like 7p.m. *pengsan*
you know at home. when it's after 11p.m and most places are closing, we go starbucks to find a place to sit down and yak.
haii.

so i hopped on a bus. to find somewhere else to go.
then i find a rongak coffee joint which had bitter caramel latte with extra caramel and overprocessed choc fudge cake. :(
and it closed at 8p.m.
haii.

but as i was sitting around.
i got a flash of brilliance!
and i jotted down and drafted out this megaaplaann. for us to have a rocking night! ;)
which i will mail to nydia, my nominated co-planner! okok?? *griiiin*
oh yah, so as you can tell. i belom post your reply! haha. :P

and that was my weekend.
oh and i also took pictures of myself. living in solitude, you look for ways to entertain yourself. wait, who am i kidding. solitary or not, heck even if i was living in a tribe, i'd still be taking pictures of myself. *snort.*

oklah. so now i want to shower.
taaa!~ (as in short for tata. not for hatta.)

|
| 1:41 am

so my darlings went jalan raya yesterday. see mars, nydia, rozzie.
and it sounds and looks like a hell lot of fun. ;) (it always is.)

and hatta just came online:
baby jalan with girls gerek ah!

haha.
and there was a time when he ABSOLUTELY refused to go out with me and my friends. would always sulk and just keep quiet if we did. (and the same happened for the other boyfriends i think.)

and then now. see so fun right!

oh. he just said:
ala cos jalan with girls can get duit rayer lah!

*smacks forehead*
apparently a group of ns boys(men?) going jalan rayer won't get money. all working mah. haha.

|
Sunday, November 27 | 4:45 am

there's a summer-brooke war going on inside of me.
haha i like the both of them, attitudes, fashion, lines and all.

like i mentioned in my tag to nydia dearie, i think summer gets the best lines!!
i like to keep watching her scenes just to see her deliver the feisty lines. haha.

(don't worry, not spoilers. her lines don't usually have much to do with the plot. haha.)

when the new dean of their school asks if summer and seth would help out as stage hands for the drama club whose president she hates and hates her right back,
summer: ok. i will join the synchronized swim team, do rhythmic gymnastics, collect stamps, shotput, march for roman's rights, free animals from the laboratories.. you know i would even read comic books with cohen and his whack-pack of social maladjusts.. but drama club? no. see taylor townsend is president and.. (taylor walks in) suddenly it all makes sense now..

when a trying-to-be-cool guy lays a line on her, she squints up at him and says
summer: you're a dweeb.
and shuts him up. she doesn't say it evil-ly or mean-ly though, she says it matter-of-fact-ly.

and later when the same guy is sitting next to her, he says: i don't get it. why don't you like me?
summer: i'm already dating a dork.
and i can't really describe her look here. it tickles me though.

last one.
summer: coop, wake up. (pats marissa on the shoulder insistently to wake her up, and when she doesn't, the patting turns to poking with her index finger.)
marissa: let me sleep..
summer: nope. sorry. can't let you do that. i waited up last night till like a million o'clock. where were you??

oklah, pointless post. i realise that now. haha.

|
| 4:20 am

The Clothes You Wear

What others see from your style
You're a romantic at heart. Sensitive and polite, you don't reveal your feelings to the world and prefer to contemplate your thoughts alone. Nevertheless, you care about others and make a loyal friend.

What your nightclothes reveal
You are determined, strong and straight to the point. You like to be challenged and like to win as well. yup, i can't disagree with that.

What others see from your ties
You are a caring people. You are romantic, witty, and easygoing. You compromise rather than confront, and love nature. possibly..

What others see from your belts
If there's not a single belt in your wardrobe, you like freedom and are opposed to all kinds of rules. You are creative and very good at work that requires you to stretch your imagination. Your main downfall, however, is that you can be very moody.

What others see from your shoes
You like to be the center of attention. You like to look good at all times (yup) and probably never leave the house without makeup on (yup). Although you may be intelligent(i'd like to think so), you're also insecure about your looks(at times i guess). You care about others, and will always listen to what they have to say(almost definitely i think.).

What others see from your earrings
You are a sweet and talkative(no question there) person. You are sociable, energetic and interesting, and get easily bored by the same old things. You are always looking for adventure(i suppose that could explain why i decided to spend four months alone halfway across the world from my comfort zone.)

The last analysis
You are probably a clever and adventurous person. You love to learn new things, and enjoy socializing with friends(SO true. i can't sit still at home alone. i've been looking over my msn contact list of the ten people i know in london to find someone to go for dinner with tomorrow, and i realise i've been out with every one of them two or more times in the past month. ergh. i've got no one else to ask out without sounding like a friendless desperado. which i may possibly be. ergh stab me now.). Although you enjoy your freedom, you cherish peacefulness and like to spend time alone with your thoughts(yes i do :)).

|
Friday, November 25 | 8:02 am

hey! go check this out! :) it's from berita harian.

http://cyberita.asia1.com.sg/singapura/story/0,3617,64904,00.html

felt so proud. hehe.
yusrina's mentioned. she also topped her cohort, several years back, along with with one or two others, all obtaining the same score.

then further down in the article, there's an "ahmad zaki" mentioned! one of the other top malay students. that's my brother's friend's brother! haha. yup. and fyi this ahmad zaki is the brother of muhammad haris, who was top boy two years ago. whom my brother came in second to. haha.
these boys(my brother, the friend, and the friend's brothers) hang out together all the time, and they come over all the time, so i kinda know the family well.
and i actually felt proud when i saw his name in the article! and he's got my aggregate too! haha! ;)

i like it when i read about org kiter who do well. :) alhamdulillah.
*beams*

oddly though. i can't find an article in straits times online about psle results. i wonder what the next top score is and who and from where. hehe.

ok now i'm going to limp back to my bed, crawl under my sheets, and no, not sleep, but read my freaking notes and stare at my swollen toe which now feels like a wooden plank, i can't bend it! it's huuuuge it's swollen to one and a half times its original size! and it hurts like mad. :(
i was actually sitting on the bed, staring at my toe, wincing at the pain and crying just awhile ago. i wish i had my minyak panas or even better still, my mum. mums have magical healing hands you know. well my mum does.

|
| 3:37 am

i'm three weeks away from the end of school! hence two weeks away from my pseudofinals - the exams for exchange students.

and also two weeks away from deadlines.

oh and i tripped and stubbed my toe as i was hiking up to the 3rd floor to get my elusive test script. i stubbed my fourth toe, i don't know how i achieved that. but now it's REALLY swollen and it hurts so bad. i can't bend my toes. :( and i don't have all the minyak panas to rub onto my poor toe. all the minyak mums and grandmas will tell you to "gosok kat kaki tu, nanti cepat baik.." :(
so i've been on this hunt for this elusive test script for like 3 weeks now. they returned it on the day i cut class, and according to my prof he sent the scripts to the academic centre for us to pick up, but according to the academic centre, they never received anything like that. haii. so i was sent on a super wild-goose chase for 3weeks because neither party knew what the other party was talking about. (argh. i wanted to strangle them ALL. but. i kept my cool. because it was partly my own fault la. if i had just shown up for class and collected the script, i wouldn't have to be doing that right. urgh.)
and today. i got to the bottom of it all. and got my script handed over to me. finally.
and i had gotten 89%. which was stupid because i got marks taken off because i didn't "show ALL working."
:P boo to you. but i got everything else right, so boo to you, yay to me! :D

i've been waiting for the heater to heat up the water, thus this entry.
and now the water is heated, so i'll take my hurt, swollen, throbbing toe with me and go take a niiice looong hot shower. :)

oh i hear psle results are out! apparently top student is a malay boy from rosyth? :D whee!~ that's awesome! see! melayu terrer jugak aper!
but more importantly! my tutee got excellent results! *beams* i am so SO proud of him! suuuperb aggregate! when he came to me early this year, he was scoring in the 70s for maths and 80s for english. and gosh, he got such great results! *beams* i love feeling like i made a difference. :)
thing is right now. he can make it to ri, but he doesn't want to. :( he wants to go vs. i haven't talked to him since i left sing, but i have a feeling i know why. i mean come on. since when has ri seemed appealing to a malay boy who never thought he could make it that far, plus it doesn't have a soccer team. see? =i really wish he would reconsider though. i mean, a raffles education is priceless, really.
but i know i'd feel really guilty if i talked (ie. forced) him into it. and i know the parents wish he would think about it too. i received an sms from presumably the dad(i lost all my numbers :P) "adi psle 262 can go ri dia tak nak". i really didn't know what to make of that. i mean, i'm not too sure where the dad stands on the issue. i talked to the dad awhile back, and the dad was worried about the fees. they're not exactly made of money, and independent schools don't exactly come cheap either. =\ and i don't wanna be reassuring the dad now that it's ok, you can get financial help from here and there, and then if they don't get help, stand by helplessly later and watch the dad struggle to keep up with the huge financial demands of having a boy in the top school in the country, knowing that it could have been well because of me that the family has to now run on a strict budget.
i replied the dad asking if he wanted me to talk to the kid about it, but no reply. =\ i messaged my tutee, congratulating him and telling him how happy and proud i am of him :), and asked him about the school selection. he replied "dunno, most probablie vs."
he did say dunno, most probably. so it could go the other way? i dunno. =\ i hope.

oh and. day after day i hear snow forecasts. i met a guy at lab who lives just outside of london, in swindon i think. or something like that. and he missed class the other day because it snowed and there was like 5cm of snow on the ground and the tracks and thus the trains were screwed up. haha. i really wonder if it'll snow here in london though. i mean there's all these forecasts saying so, but it doesn't usually at this time i hear. not yet at least.

oh i of course wanna go see harry potter. umm alex?? ameliaaa? jeanettee?? anyone?
haha. it's a freakin 8pounds, help. i want my 7dollar gv ticket!

and speaking of.
i can't WAIT to go back to do all the things i always do! see movie, eat out here and there, stay out late, suppers and after-dinner desserts just cause we don't feel like going home yet, take honda integra(and if unlucky: antique beetle, but now got radio. and i still haven't tried the whole radio-in-huzer's-car experience. i think i haven't. have i?), hang out with darling girlfriends, shop for nothing and everything, gossip talk laugh squeal giggle whine complain and embarrass, hug my girlfrens, walk around arm-in-arm with them, lay my head on their shoulder for comfort when the day seems grey and gloomy, make hatta-is-slow jokes, condemn huzer and then ask for lifts home and/or favours, pretend to listen to hatta when he says you-need-to-work-out-baby and say yes-i-will when i haven't and am very unlikely to do so, plan events and outings and have parties and sleepovers and hangouts and gatherings, gosh. i miss you guys. *huUgs*

and this is just them lovelies.
i love my friends, all of you. :)

p.s. this a lil late? *biiiiig-GOODLUCK-huugs* to syahirah and su and zat and marlini for finals! :) hang in there my dearies. it's gonna be over soon!(particularly because this goodluck hug is kinda coming in late. haha.)

ok i said i wanted to go shower half the entry ago.
hot water beckons!
tata!~

|
Thursday, November 24 | 10:54 am

wheee! watched lion king musical with alex! decent seats, great price! ;)

man oh man! the soooongs!! the COSTUUUMES!! gosh. the prroooopps. OMG. the MUUUSIICC. they had their drums and the chorus singing and remember the opening song yeahh they had their chorus group do that, it was like liiive man oh man it was awesoomee!! :D the animals my favourite is a toss-up between the giraffes (the dancers were on stilts!) and pumba. just cause he was being pumba-ey. haha. maaann! they had a giant elephant walk down the aisle by the audience too. the opening was suuuperb. the myriad of animals, the colours, the set, the music. just WOW. :)

my favourite scene is definitely the stampede scene. when mufasa died trying to save his son. stupid evil scar's set-up. :( but the scene! like it reallyyy came to life. i had no idea how they were going to do it, but when i saw it i was like in AWE. i don't even know how to describe it! they had like a few "levels" of wild beasts running. the backmost was like sillhouttes of the wildbeasts running, top-view. tiny shadows like you were watching them from a helicopter hovering above. then the next level was like small wild beasts (like the size of an average soft toy) arranged facing the audience, on a horizontal pole that they rotated so it looked like the beasts were running towards you. followed by another level of bigger wildbeasts. and then the foremost level were some dancers with just the face of the wild beasts down the front of their costumes. and the levels were kinda separated by rectangular frames that were made to look like the cliffs of the gorge. i'm definitely doing injustice to the set and scene in my less-than-adequate description. and the chaos and the music and the tension. and then. the part scar threw mufasa off the cliff. *gasp* mufasa climbed up the side of the "frame" and then. i was thinking how's he going to fall man? and then scar went "long live the king!" and shoved mufasa off the branch he was hanging on to, then the music went almost silent (i can't remember if it was silence or the eerie kind of music) along with bright luminous white lights flashing against the completely dark background, and mufasa fell slowly to his death. as in SLOW MOTION fall. with his back arched, and then he landed on his back. i was like *GASP.*, eyes wide in awe/terror. haha.

and i cried at two scenes. :P i'm a sap ok. when simba found his dad dead after the stampede, and when he was realising he should be going back to pride rock to fight for his kingdom. he saw his dad in the night sky and the dad went "you have forgotten me because you have forgotten yourself." haha. crycry.

oh and characters worth mentioning: DEFINITELY zazu the bird(pelican, cockatoo? i don't know what kind haha) and PUMBA AND TIMON!! hahahahhahaha i've always loved funny sidekicks. ;) i go for the humour you know.

oh and the kids who played young simba and nala. my GOD! wow these kids are suuuperb. i thought the boy had a gorgeous singing voice! maaannn. poowweerr.

man i swear if i could, i definitely would have recorded some parts in my ixus to show you guys. but boo. can't. :(

but i did record something else. haha. before the show alex and i went by covent garden. oOoh. :) christmassy. lights, music, the cold. ;) niiice.
http://www.youtube.com/?v=tEQHM9_TaXE for a bit of covent garden, a very small bit. ;)
then there's pictures too.~

ooohh i love doing this! maann. i'm still reeling from the fact that i just went to see lion king musical! wow! i've loved the movie for like EVER. :) WOW.

|
| 10:54 am


covent garden by night at christmastime. :)

|
| 10:53 am


carousel!

|
| 10:52 am


walking into covent garden..

|
| 10:52 am


buskers playing lovely holiday music..

|
| 10:51 am


covent garden. lights and decor. :)

|
| 10:50 am


a peek inside covent garden: a quaint cafe with bright lights, pleasant holiday music from nearby buskers and red christmas wreaths hanging in the back. :)

|
| 10:48 am


christmas lights are up!

|
| 10:45 am


preeetttyyyy. :)

|
| 10:44 am


at covent garden~*

|
| 10:39 am


here we are! oOoh! i couldn't waiit! i was waayy exciited!! i was just thinking about the sooongs in the shoowww and the animaals and the props they're gonna haaavee!

|
| 10:36 am


inside lyceum theatre. :)

|
| 10:34 am


in our seats. :) pretty decent seats considering we bought it 2hours before the show, and at 17.50pounds. they're worth 45pounds by the way. ;) perks of being students.

|
| 10:32 am


alex and i yet again!

|
| 10:32 am


i love the inside of theatres. the rich colours and intricate designs. the luxurious feel i guess.

|
| 10:31 am


the drums-guy! coolcool. :) he was on the first tier, to the left of the stage.

|
| 10:30 am


and another one on the other side of the theatre. :)

|
| 10:29 am


we passed by somerset house on our way to the bus-stop/tube station. so we decided to run in and check out the rink. pretty. :) but would like to see it with laughing skaters having fun and looking carefree.

|
| 10:26 am


and that's me by the rink.

|
Wednesday, November 23 | 7:30 am

*beams*

*biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigg hUuUUuuUgG*

to nydiaaa!

|
| 6:00 am


look! yunnybunny! that's meeee!! *beams* (although i like farah's version too. yunsbuns. i'm farah's yunsbuns wheeee!!~)

|
| 5:59 am


i'm glad i snapped this shot. so i can remember how it looked like. because nydia, this part of the envelope is now in three pieces. i kinda shredded the envelope flap in my excitement. ;P forgive me pls! hehe.

|
| 5:52 am


i liiiike!

|
| 5:51 am


the contents! (no, no duit raya. :( boo. she can even write on the flap of the packet: i take the money, give you the envelope. :P ) i have to say nydia. nice choice of paper! ;) and that "nydia heart yani" font? it looks like i wrote it myself! i swear when i first saw it i thought you had written to me on paper which i had doodled on back in rj. i swear, i'm not kidding! ;) it just looks like how we typically font-ize our names.

|
| 5:46 am


had to capture it ;) (i know. lame right. pose myself, shot it myself. haha.)

|
| 5:45 am


thaaaank youuuu nydiiaaaa!

|
| 5:43 am


a very happy lady! *beams*

|
Tuesday, November 22 | 9:19 am

i always don't know these things. the who's-hot-in-which-scene.
doesn't matter that i'm half a world away from sing. i don't expect me to know more if i had been at home in sing all this time anyway.

hence mars' blog always enlightens me. and distracts me from my-oh-so-compelling lab report. oh but don't worry, i promise it's not THAT urgent. it's only due like in mid-december, like a month from now. (haha. i can see many typical last-min singaporean students who think it's uncool to get a headstart on schoolwork coming after my throat. why why am i getting a start on it so soon? and yes, no more of that "you're on exchange, enjoy lah!" stick. this applies especially to mars, nydia and sya! god knows how many times you guys have fed me that line EACH. ;P i am on exchange, and yes i am enjoying what. don't believe? ;))

ok that was a long side-note.
but anyways.
so i went to look at dawn yang's and i do drop by daphne teo's every once in a while. like when mars exclaims over her latest purchase, or when nydia exclaims over her latest boyfriend. ;)
(oh and i lazy to link their blogs lah, just google them. confirm can find one.)

my initial reaction? raffles. *rolls eyes*
alamak budak raffles lagiii.
i can't decide whether to laugh or cry.
laugh because it's so stereotypical lah. somehow all these raffles kids(read:girls. i don't see boys getting into messes like these girls do.) always manage to get the world to hate them. they're either too smart(party like hell, still can get great grades), too pretty(this fake lah, plastic surgery lah), too rich(squandering away parents' money), the list goes on.
cry because i'm a rafflesian and i'm proud to be one, and i like wearing the tag with pride. :) and i don't like the association or generalizations that people make between certain individuals and where they went to school.
it's not like people hate them(the 2girls) because they were from raffles, it's just that that was the first classification/stereotype/grouping that came to MY mind when i compared these two current hot bloggers.
and also. i personally have my very own close friends who come up to me and tell me frankly that they think rafflesians have this thing about them, this vibe. and most of them don't have very positive comments about this vibe. i agree partly. there is this vibe about (most)rafflesians, but i think(and i almost know so) that it is of confidence, ambition and determination.
and it's this healthy mix of traits that many tend to perceive as arrogance. but hey whatever you wanna think. because i for one, believe that if you are confident, ambitious and determined, you are on your way to having it made. ;)

anyway that whole rafflesian thing wasn't what i wanted to blog about. it just came to mind.

what i wanted to say was:
very easy to become hot singaporean blogger.
1. party all the time, and don't forget to take pictures so you can put them on your blog.
2. study overseas, preferably in the States. so your fans can say you're smart, and your flamers can say you're a rich brat wasting your parents' money.
and oh yeah. you have to be a girl in the first place.
haha. oh and for what it's worth, i'm in the dawn-yang-did-surgery camp. some site had "before" and "after" pictures, and by golly. drastic, differentdifferent. but to me: so what if she did surgery? whatever makes her happy. so what if she doesn't wanna admit it? whatever she wants to believe man. (and if that makes me ignorant and foolish, then hey whatever i want to think right?) haha. kan senang if everybody adapted my attitude? ;) haha!

oh and i just have to add this.
from the comments i read, people think you have to be suuuper smart to get good grades or a great gpa. it's NOT that difficult to get perfect gpa lah. in fact, can say it's not difficult at all. firstly, look at the school system. and secondly, the student body.

in singapore, you get a 5.0 cap, i'll give you credit. why? because we go on the wretched bell-curve. that means even if you scored a 99 out of 100, but half the class scored full marks, your 99 will grade you a B.
as far as i know, it doesn't happen that way in the UK or the States. meredith and i did talk about it, and she thinks our system sucks.
and in fact, two nights ago, a friend mentioned that at duke law, a freaking 40% graduate with first-class honours. (don't quote me on this. it's just something i was told.)
like we'll ever get that in singapore.
imagine. out of our 400 life science undergraduates, 160 get first-class. that will be the day man.

at nus, out of a possible 5.0, you need 4.3 to QUALIFY for the dean's list. then only the top 5-7% of each faculty actually get the honour of making the list.
and with a 4.5, i can bet my sorry ass you won't get it. i know 4.7-ers and 4.8-ers who don't make it to the list! (esp in engine, sorry guys. :P) just think about that. you are averaging somewhere between an A and an A-, yet you are just not darn-good-enough. no room for mistakes.

but honestly, as screwed up as the system is for us undergraduates, i see the reasoning. if so many can get first-class, where's the value in that? kinda devalues it, doesn't it? sort of how a degree has somewhat lost its value, as compared to before, because there are just so many graduates nowadays.

it's also our culture lah. i mean, c'mon. we're singaporeans aren't we. kiasu lah. we don't settle, we always wanna go for more. like if got A+ grade, people will wanna go after the A+, A is no longer as desirable as it was before.

it's like a cycle isn't it? the harder we all study, the harder it is to excel.

on another note. we should give our home university NUS more credit.
the general impression i gather is "wah study at america, so clever." and the phrase "one of the top schools in the US" is so loosely used. unless you're talking abt Harvard, MIT, CalTech, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, then maybe you're on to something. but it doesn't extend to just any university or even any ivy league school in the US.
did you know that NUS is ranked ninth in the world for technology?(i'm assuming that would encompass engineering and computing?) yes NINTH. with MIT(1st), UC Berkeley(2nd), Stanford(4th) and CalTech(7th) being the only american universities above it. (imperial was ranked fifth and cambridge sixth.) NUS ain't all that bad man. i found it pretty impressive. we should seriously lose the "resigned-to-go-NUS" mindset. when i discovered this, i thought "waah not bad! my boyfriend going to one of the top ten engineering schools in the world!" ;) haha!
oh and since we're on the subject. Tokyo University was eighth and Indian Institutes of Technology ranked third. i have to admit that if someone had told me they were going india to study, i would have been like "why??" but not anymore now. ;)
and this is according to the times higher education supplement. i would think they are pretty reliable.
anyway all this name-throwing is never that reliable anyway. i mean harvard is like the best university in the world or something, but its engine is like twentyfirst. there is only one name, but so many faculties and schools under that big brand name. different names are better known for different areas. you just have to know what it is you're talking about and looking for.

i also think that we singaporean students should give ourselves more credit. honestly i think we are one of the smartest kids in this world. grades-wise at least. haha. i'm serious! the grades we get can get us to most universities worldwide. not that there are that many other universities better than NUS anyway. only about 20 other in the rest of the world. ;)

and yes, i am also aware that education is not just about how good the school is, or the academia alone. it's also about the learning to go out there and out of your comfort zone, getting a feel of true independence, meeting other people and different people, seeing what the vast world has to offer, trying out a new system, experiencing change and loads other things. and some of these things you can't get from going to our local university. ;)

oklah. how the hell i went from trying to make Point A to explaining Point 6, i don't know. gp was never my strong subject really.
haha.
the cold is a bitch. the fingers are icy cold and numb right through. and the stomach is growling. :(

|
| 4:00 am

just watched the latest episode of one tree hill.

"whee!~ i liiike! :)" for some parts.
*slaps forehead, shakes head* at the other parts.

and i so prefer peyton with wavy hair(season 3's hairdo) rather than with locks(seasons 1&2's)! look! hehe. oh and i love her eyes too. when she does her whole big eyed look, got-meaning-but-trying-to-hide-something.













































my fellow o.c. girls. one tree hill is fast rising in my charts. it used to be the o.c. 70%, one tree hill 30%. then it was 50-50. but now it's one tree hill 60%, the o.c. 40%.
haha.
uhoh mars how! one tree hill season 3 is more enticing than the o.c. season 3. marissa is turning into a bigger and bigger turn-off.
and i don't like to look at marissa and summer as much as i like to look at brooke and peyton. (and one tree hill has haley too.) ;) and i prefer the outfits and fashion in one tree hill. i never really liked what marissa and summer used to wear. :P
and i prefer lucas's broodiness to ryan's. although i still think ryan's too short and stumpy, and lucas is too kudut for my tastes. haha.
but thank god for seth cohen. i still prefer his humour. but there's no character in one tree hill that actually does his whole humour-thing. so no competition there. hehe.

ok. now that i've dumped all mindless chatter and thought here, i can go shower, and then peacefully work on my accursed gene cloning lab report. i've been averaging one and a half questions a night, wretched lab report. (too many episodes of tree hill and o.c. on my laptop to allow for undistracted lab-report-slogging.) by the way. i have a miserable 3gig left on my poor white lappy. :(


|
Monday, November 21 | 8:50 am

diana flew in this weekend!

ok a lil bit of background information.
diana was from vj, completed As and everything, but decided she didn't wanna do the whole studying thing anymore, and thought hmm-what-shall-i-do. she's now flying with sia! singapore girl, yup.
diana and i met at mendaki award's ceremony in j1. you know how they seat awardees alphabetically, and we ended up next to each other. we said hi, started talking and didn't stop. ;)
since then, we like meet up once every six months or something. haha. she's one of those you can don't meet for like ever, but when you do, you talk like it was just yesterday that you met. no awkwardness, no shy-shy moments, just wham-bam-alakazam talk! haha. and our boyfriend woes always coincide. the last time we met, we were both on the break. and now, we are both back happily in love with our boys. :) and she is the ONLY other person i know who has been with her farouk for as long as i have been with my hatta. ;) five years. both of whom are our firsts. :) and i don't know anyone who has been in a relationship longer than that. i have my friends coming up to me and asking "how do you do it yani?", asking for relationship advice and what i think. people just tend to think that because i have been in one for so long, i should know more/better. it is somewhat true, these things come with experience, but sometimes i also want someone to turn to and ask how, what do i do now, is this normal, is this supposed to happen like this.. god knows what hell i went through in one of my roughest relationship patches, total confusion, not knowing which way to go, what to do, where to turn.. and when i talk to diana, it's comforting to know i'm not the only one, and that these things don't just happen to me. :)
oh and. we both did the whole slimmed-down-drastically stunt. we were really fat kids. ;) which was one of the first things we discovered when we first met. "oh i was a REALLY fat kid." "oh my god you're kidding. i was SO fat my primary school friends can't recognize me now!" "oh my god me too!" and today we again discussed the whole i-never-want-to-look-at-my-old-pictures, i-never-want-anyone-to-see-my-old-pictures, people(who go into rozzie's and mars' rooms and see our old class pictures)-who-exclaim-ohmygod-she-was-so-fat?? and people-asking-us-how-we-did-it(lose all that weight). haha.
oh and. diana is a blackhole. a bloody leanmean eating machine lah! i can't stand hanging out with her! she's ALWAYS looking for something to eat!! which hence leads me to eat too! let me paint you a picture. saturday night: two(shared) appetizers and a main course. we shared chocolate fudge cake and chocolate waffle crisps. and she bought a pack of 6buns, butter and milk. to snack on. sunday: 2pieces of chicken while we wait for the rest of the dishes to be ready for lunch (we came early). then nasi campur with 3 meat dishes. white chocolate mocha and a packet of chips. chips&junk at penny's housewarming party. cheese and mushroom pastry. nasi campur with 3 meat dishes and a separate sup kambing. I WISH I KNEW WHERE SHE PUTS IT ALL!

we had a pretty mellow weekend. we didn't do anything particularly london-ny. met saturday evening, had dinner. it was too freaking cold to do anything else like walk around or walk anywhere for that matter, so we took refuge in her hotel room. she discovered primark(cheap department store, like REALLY cheap. can get decent jeans for 8pounds.) exists in london too, so i took her there on sunday. we did lunch at malaysian hall at porchester gardens. then went back to her room to freshen up for penny's housewarming party, went to the party and then had dinner at mara house(another malaysian hall). very singapore-ish activities - eat, talk, shop. haha. and the party was SO mellow. (even for me, a tudung girl.) i was surprised they didn't even have music playing. hehe. just a bunch of people sitting around, eating finger food and talking. making new friends and discovering mutual old friends. oh and surprisingly(and luckily) no booze. haha. "i told farouk i was going for a party and he said you want to go party be careful tau, don't anyhow accept drinks from anyone, i don't trust these brits." right. i had planned on going to see the open-air ice skating rink at the natural history museum, but 1)too bloody cold, and 2)got carried away talking and meeting people, lost track of time.

and the weather has been evil. it's freakin cold!! apparently it was -6 early this morning. and the whole misty-stuff-coming-out-of-your-mouth is beyond the point of having to blow hot air out from the back of your throat, it's now at the stage where plain breathing can do that.
and word has it that this is going to be coldest winter in 40years. great yani, of all years to choose to come to london for your stint. i'm just thankful the showers have not started.

okays. pictures follow!~
toodles!

|
| 8:45 am


key-searching, door-unlocking. singapore girl life - sleeping in hotel every two nights. butbut. all is not as glam as we tend to picture it. after talking to her i realised. haha. picture a 3h delay followed by a 12h flight. see grumpy. grouchy passengers? now think. who has to please and serve grumpy, grouchy passengers? and i tell diana i'm a nightmare passenger. when i'm grumpy and grouchy, and i want my pillow, "whaat! they are paid to do this, it's their job i don't care i want my pillow noww!!", jabbing furiously at the call-for-a-stewardess button. so. and she says gone are the good ol days when they had two weeks stay at hawaii. now it's touch down, clear day, depart. she arrived yesterday early morning, leaving tomorrow afternoon.

|
| 8:40 am


so diana made me wait outside the room while she cleaned up inside! she had to "check if it was ok for me to come in" and if she had "left stuff lying around." yup. so alone in a hotel corridor, what do i do?

|
| 8:39 am


diana and yani~*

|
| 8:38 am


in diana's room! singapore girl sandals and chocolate fudge cake! *griiin* add a bit of crappy tv, search for good music channels, lazing and sprawling on comfy, soft hotel bed and lot of talking and catching up to that. :)

|
| 8:36 am


starbucks! giant chocolate chip cookie! check out the sizes of our drinks. who wants to guess which belongs to who. :P

|
| 8:35 am


white chocolate mocha at starbucks! mMmMmm. kat singapore takder tau!

|
| 8:34 am


dressed and ready to go for penny's bohemian-themed housewarming party.

|
| 8:32 am


diana and her friends! she found vj people there! well, singaporeans in london.. bound to be from this jc or that jc. haha.

|
| 8:31 am


the people at the tail-end of the party. :) most had come and gone. the party started at 3:30pm, diana, alex and i showed up at 5pm. :P but we weren't the last! in fact, we were the middle crowd. ok let's see if i remember their names. left to right: virgenia, louisa, penny, alex, marcus, diana, me and andrew!

|