Saturday, December 31 | 3:34 pm

YESYES this time i'm BACK for REAAAAL and for GOOOOD!
gosh where do i start.

my my london was REALLY an experience. i'm reallyREALLY glad i did it and gosh i did learn SO much and i DID so much. i saw so much more of the world, away from our little south-east asian region. and i also learnt how people out there looked at us, how they perceive us asians and what they think of singapore. :) there's just so much more and so difficult to put into words.

funnily though, as the cab drove out of central london and towards heathrow, i actually found myself tearing. like it's not like this place has been my home for the past couple of years or something, but you know. like when am i going to come back? and for the past 4 months, although it may not have started out as home, it slowly unfolded to be a good enough alternative to home. and that was good enough to get me emotional. you know the feeling of having to leave something behind? that feeling got me teared.

and then there were the bags. OMG. only my friends who were there at the airport to see my trolley and dear rozzie who carried a bag up to the apartment can REALLY understand how MUCH i had. GOD. HAHA. seriously. i ALREADY couriered some stuff back. and that (i just received the email.) weighs 54kg. the stuff i lugged to the airport? 57kg in cargo and 17kg handluggage. do the math. that's how much CRAP i had. and you are only allowed 20kg in cargo and 7kg at hand. GREAT. the lady who checked me in explained explained explained but all i caught was "you have quite a lot in excess and it will amount to 900somethingsomething(can't remember the exact figure.) pounds. -blank stare- i was just simply STUNNED. like wth!! do i LOOK like i'm made of money?? hello!! hooww?? what do i do noowww?? so she explained explained somemore, what my options were (1. pay. 2. repack. (RIGHT.) 3. go some counter at zone c, and we were in zone e, where there was a courier company who can send it back for a lot less. (and miss my flight lugging 37kgs across the airport in my obscenely high chunky-heeled shoes.)). in the end, we managed to work something out, she realised i was going home from studies and she talked to some baggage person about it and they charged me for 15kgs only. (which still amounted to a hell of a lot.)

the flight was ok although i got pretty sucky seats. neither window nor aisle. and i was stuck in the middle of a 4-seater. boo. so i only got up ONCE in 12hours. haha. food was kinda gross actually. but entertainment was suuuperb. :)

and i teared again when i caught the first glimpse of the sign "SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT" atop the building. and when the plane touched down i felt like hugging singapore. (is that even possible?) REALLY. like I'M HOME. i am HOME. :)

my mummy, daddy, sister, brother, granny, aunt, 2lil girly cousins, my baby, rozzie and mars were there at the airport! :D and they watched me lug freaking 60kilos lah. HAHA.

and there was a "surprise!" for me when i got home. haha. about a month before i was coming back, all my dear girlfriends were like yay let's fetch yani at the airport. and a day before i received a WHOLE barrage of smses "sorry yani i can't come i've got tuition" and "oh dear i'm so sorry i can't make it" and "oh yani aku kat silat camp ah". HAHA. so i played along. "no no really it's ok. i'll see you soon ok?" "nevermind lah, we'll go out the next day or sthg k?" and so on. little did THEY know that MY SISTER had already let the cat out of the bag. HAHAHAHAHA. a few days before i left, my sister told me hatta had called the house to ask my dad if my friends could gather here on friday when i got back. HAHA.
still. when i walked through the door, i saw balloons on the carpet in the living room. but no one. they all hid in the kitchen. although i already kinda knew i still screamed and jumped like an idiot when i saw them. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
i gave them their gifts and we just hung doing what we do best. play stupid games. hehe. :) thank you so much dearies for being with me on my first evening back. :) *huuugs* i love you guys. bestest girlfriends ever! *muuahmuaah!*

i also unpacked and sorted out all the gifts for peoples. :D

and pictures are not gonna be up for awhile.
need to set up my wireless on lappy dear first.

ok going on my first date in 4months! so much i wanna do! popeye chicken today! still got fish & co, magic wok, haagen dazs, rumah makan minang, swensens and breeks and seoul garden and this and that and this and that! :D hahahhahaaha! i'm gonna gain back (and more) all the weight i lost the last 4months. HAHA!

wheee! ~*
i looove my baby! :) WHO IS LATE!!

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Wednesday, December 28 | 10:28 pm

people who refuse to WORK WITH ME and MAKE MY LIFE AND MY HOMECOMING A LOT EASIER:

1. bulldog pple. my internet service providers. the company is called bulldog. dogs.

2. NUS office pple. I CANNOT FREAKING LOG IN TO CORS!! and bidding has started dammit! AARGH.

3. my bags. (ok they're not people but.) WHY CAN'T YOU BE MAGICALLY BUNCIT LIKE DORAEMON'S POCKET?? so small but can fit so much!!

4. the rest of london. WALK FASTER CAN! you are slowing me doown!! shopshopshop!! shop later let me walk fiiirst caaan!! i neeeed to get to the bank before noon, and then i neeeeed to get back to my place by 1pm!!

ok.
my head is a MESS.
HELP!
I HAAATE PACKING I HAAATE UPROOTING SOOO MUCH TO DO SOOO MUCH TO CANCEL, ACCOUNTS TO CLOSE,
but i wanna goooo HOOOMEEEE.
i just wanna goo hooooomee.
whywhywhy neeeed to do all thiiiiiisss.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! *whiiiiiine*

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Tuesday, December 27 | 5:05 am

i just came back from dinner with meredith.
she's flying back home to indiana tomorrow.
i guess this is my first real goodbye.
saying goodbye without knowing when you'll ever see the person again.
and not just any person.
a friend.
although it was short and fast, she was in fact a real friend.
i had great fun hanging with her, talking about everything and nothing in particular, sharing opinions and stories, laughing together, getting angry over annoying lectures together, complaining about everything and nothing in particular, SHOPPING to the max together..
i really do hope that there will come a time in the future that i do get to meet her again.
till then, it has truly been a wonderful experience being her friend. :)
and with technology, let's hope we never lose touch. :)

we exchanged gifts too!
i got her a gorgeous dark red giant leather belt from florence!
and i don't know what she bought me cause i have not opened it yet. haha.

it was kinda an odd shopping day.
cause i was supposed to shop with her.
but she set out earlier than me.
so i only met her later BUT i realised i forgot her gift!!
i left it in my room!
so i had to leave her shopping alone halfway while i went back to get it!
and then i met her again for dinner after she was done shopping. :)

but i did manage to squeeze in my own shopping.
and no one, absolutely no one should know how much i spent today.
except myself.
becuase it scares even ME.
so nope.
a secret i will carry to my grave.
haha.
and most of it was not even for MYSELF lah.
except a whooping sexy pair of jeans from topshop. ;) which my mum will probably kill me for buying. price-wise and fashion-wise.

i do have some leftover shopping to do tomorrow. again i stress, NOT for myself. i'm too generous i tell you.
haha.
and my dad expects me to bring at least a thousand pounds back home.
he obviously underestimates his darling princess' spending ability.
because before i left he said i was bringing sooo much money, what am i going to do with that much money.
er daddy?

and my net and phone line subscription is not yet cut!! this is probably the only time EVER that i DON'T wanna have the net and phone. haha.
it's scaring me cause i need it to be cut soon! so that i can get my final bill BEFORE the 29th so that i can show my landlady the final bill SO THAT she will give me back my 480pounds worth of deposit!! i can swear that if i don't show her that bill, she will NOT give me back that money! even a letter of confirmation from the service providers will not suffice, i asked her about that before. (you don't know my landlady.) and that's HELL a lot of MONEEEYYY!!

and day after i'm meeting the singaporean malays for my lastLAST dinner in london.
will be my last night in london. :)
and i'll be passing them all my stuff here that i don't wanna throw away.
like behind-the-door hooks, over-radiator rails and my kuali! haha.

ooooohH! i just looked at meredith's gift!
it's a PIIIIIINK united colors of benetton bag!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
that's like my FIFTH PINK BAG!!! in these four months alone. pink lacoste bag, pink barcelona bag, one pink-purple shades from rome, and one pink leather handbag from florence. HAHA.
but i liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike it!!
and in the bag she put xxl maybelline mascara, and 2 bars of chocolate!! haha!
wheeeeeeeeeee!!!
:D :D :D
thaaank youuuu dearieee!! :D although she doesn't know about this blog. haha.

ok. gonna hit the bags now.
PAAAAAAAAAAAAACK.
*whine*

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Sunday, December 25 | 10:47 pm

i have to paaaaack.
i wanted to take pictures of my room before i take everything dooown.
but my room is already in such a mess. actually the mess is kinda perpetual.
soooo malaaaas to kemas and take picture and paaaaack.
maybe i should just capture the room the way it always looks. messy.

and my line is supposed to be cut today.
but belum cut puuunn.
so i won't be blogging much or at all until i get back to sing! which will be insya'allah friday the 30th!

i have a begajillion things to paaaaack. *whiiiine*
i should probably quit whining about it and get around to actually dooiiiing it.
*whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine*

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| 9:07 am

italy rocked! as always.
shopped. as expected.
aaaaaaahh!!! i looove shopppiiiing and aaaaaall my purchaaases!!!!
gelato everyday.
pisa lucca florence venice.
we took a gondola!! haha!
begajillions photos! which will be up only a begajillion years from now.
and we can now sprout random italian words! HAHA! like attenzione. and porcini(mushroom), prosciuotto(ham), quatro formaggi(four cheeses), limone pesca pera arancia (lemon peach pear orange), toilette, entrata(entrance), uscita(exit), bancomat(atm machine. but not really lah. just what we called it. because the first one we saw had that word on it.), grazie prego (thankyou, welcome-we think.) and ciao bella(hello beautiful).
aaand being haunted by the songs we saw on italian all music channel, and italian mtv. the same 3 songs kept being played wherever we went.
and listening to khairiah: eh, hensem!
and her blaming me for making her shop.
and sprouting other random words like: babuk! and bulbous!
and making up italian words. like penato. or non-italian ones. like mahoheh. as in eee tempat ni mahoheh (mahal). haha.
i looovelooove the girls i went wiiith! khairiah and lina! had looooads fuuunn talked and talked and talked never ran out of things to talk about. ;) aaaaand discovering mutual friends or people we know or or random events that link us like my darling's latest accident which involved a 5-car pile-up, one of whose was her friend's! haha! we were discussing roads and cars and drivers and accidents and i was like my boyfriend once when he was changing lanes in a traffic jam accelerated too hard then bambambam! and she went ehh! at orchard? lunchtime eh? and then she said her friend said the last guy was a malay guy ic number start with 85 looked very kesian like very upset by the accident. then i say must be him one! because that time the car just come back from workshop. hehehhee. soooo yup.
exchange sooo manymany stories.. abt jc lah, sec sch, this guy that guy this who that who, who with who who was with who.. haha! singapore is only THAT big. and some more we all all main east one. ;) hehehehe.

oklah. tired.
and hell a lot of things to do these few days.
my life this two weeks is a lot of packing and unpacking.
and the most major one is comin right up.
pengsan man.

fiiiiive days!
oh make that four.
insya'allah.
:)

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Saturday, December 17 | 8:26 pm

so yesterday was the LAST day of school at KCL for me. as in for the rest of my life. when will i ever come back here?

and we said our goodbyes after the paper yesterday. all-the-bests, take-cares, it-was-nice-to-meet-yous, nice-knowing-yous.. it sounds so cliche, but somehow it felt really sincere. i mean when you know you're almost definitely never going to see the person again. then the phrase it-was-nice-knowing-you really means something.
some of the americans i met here, heather, kate, claire, neha, mehul..
but i didn't really get to know them well, just kinda hi-bye.
still.
honestly regret not taking at least one photo with them.
i would like to have something to remember them by.
a bit sad lah that's all.

anyway.
the rest are pictures from last night.
selfridges&hamley's.

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| 8:25 pm


before i leave for good, a few last pictures..

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| 8:24 pm


i liiike this angle :D

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| 8:24 pm


path leading towards henriette-raphael building..

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| 8:23 pm


a last parting shot.. byebye kcl~* :) i had a good time here, and honestly, i learnt loads being here and i take so much back with me. :)

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| 8:18 pm


at entrance of selfridges!

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| 8:18 pm


i like the column-y structure of selfridges.

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| 8:18 pm


busybusy street outside selfridges!

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| 8:17 pm


that's a slide they call helter skelter i think.. niiice i think. :)

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| 8:17 pm


biiigg bows in selfridges!

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| 8:16 pm


that's penny! she was from my jc aaaand. she couldn't really place me until she went on my friendster and saw a picture of me in jc uniform. haha. thheeeen she recognized me.

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| 8:14 pm


me and alex! smileysmiley!

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| 8:13 pm


the two of them are leaaaaving for singapore tooddaaayy. i'm really glad i met them :) hope to catch them in singapore too! esp aleeexx! :D

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| 8:13 pm


check out this cool but useless toy! that's an imprint of my hand! haha

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| 8:12 pm


lego-powerranger? probably not even power ranger. haha.

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| 8:11 pm


i feel small. next to hagrid.

|
| 8:10 pm


cuddlyyy beaarr!

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| 7:22 am

it's OOOOOVEEEERR!!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

i'm FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

i just wanna daaaaance!!! *ninjaturtledaaaance!*

and.
will people QUIT asking me if i'm going to be shopping.

WHAT DO YOU THINK??

OF COOOOUURSE!!

*griiin*

it's time to go plastic!
buy now, think later!
HAHA.
and since i will be home when the bills come,
hopefully i can intercept the bills before my daddy sees them. (unlikely though.)

but it's ok.
i'll be home to (hopefully) quickly pay. ;)

wish me the best ok y'all!

oh oh itaaaly calls!!

i just came back from meeting alex and penny after their christmas shopping, after which i met up with khairiah and lina for dinner! and they were also christmas shopping. hehe. ALL of them HAAAAD to christmas-shop at HAMLEY'S! the world's finest toy store!
aaaand. toy stores are the beeest.
i just SMIIIIIIIIILE when i walk into them.
soooo MAAANYY cute thiiings lovely thiings happy thiiings how can you NOT smile when you walk into a toystore?? EVEEERYTHING in there makes me SMIIIILE!! and ooooh the cuddlyyyy beaaars. aaaaawww!

okok! postexam preholiday preshopping euphoriaaaaaa!!
wheeeeeeeeeee!!~*

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Friday, December 16 | 7:45 am

two papers and a project presentation down.
one paper and one report to go.
whoooots.
report, however, is annoyingly due on jan 13th.
which means i probably won't do it till i get back.
which essentially means i won't do it until like the 10th. (because i'll be busy catching up with my darlings, who has time to think about this report??)
which means i'll have to fed-ex it over! bulls.

oh and i got a test back today! i got an A! whee! i like being smart. ;)
oh and then meredith and i calculated, with our ca marks, we just need a 21% to pass! haha!
and she was like "dammit i don't wanna study anymore, 21% here i come!"

oklah. enjoy the pictures!
mostly about me studying, and my friends too. haha.

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| 7:44 am


starbuuuucks = stuuudyy haunt. :D

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| 7:42 am


the view from where i sat. facing the street. this is like right by where i stay, like the tampines central/interchange.

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| 7:40 am


the sun comin in. a sunny day in london! whoots. haha. actually i think we have a pretty fair share of sun-days. despite the london-weather myths, i've had it good so far. :)

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| 7:36 am


my essentials when studying. highlighter, pencil, eraser and phoneS. in case i get bored. haha.

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| 7:34 am


stuuudyyin at starbuucks is sooo comfyyy! this was another outlet, at bayswater, with a lower ground floor with loooads of comfy armchairs!!

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| 7:33 am


everybody, meet edgardo! my puerto rican partner for my cell biology poster presentation! had many very interesting conversations with him. he too has had a girlfriend for 5years. yupyup. finally met my male match! (because diana is my female match.) haha. butBUT. he just broke up with her. and then i asked him why. he said "5years is a long time, esp since we're only 20ish. she's been there for a quarter of my life, and a hundred percent of my development." he wants to know what it's like out there, to see other girls, to know if there are other girls out there who are better for him. and he has cheated on her before, and broken up with her three times before. but at the same time, he's been calling her, and he says he misses her. and i'm like "what are you doooiing??" and he says "well, i love her, but i like other girls too." and he almost sniggers at the obnoxity (is there such a word?) of his own statement. i just kinda gaped and went "you are the classic jerk." haha. but to his credit, he knows he's risking something of 5yrs worth, and that it might not be there if he wants it back.

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| 7:29 am


and he works hard to get our poster done!

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| 7:28 am


aaaand meeee.

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| 7:27 am


the finished piece!! hahahahaha. get a taste of singapore you bri'ish kids.

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| 7:26 am


aaaand the happy/RELIEVED presenters! it's OOVER. although we only kinda started the day before. whoots!

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| 7:26 am


after which i had edgardo try malay food at msian hall canteen! cheap mah. plus edgardo blew all his money drinking in london. HAHA. he says one time go out he can spend 30, 40 pounds on drinks "fuck if i didn't drink i'd have lots of money." yup his exact words after realising that as he was explaining it to me. haha. oh and he had kari ikan and ikan goreng, both of which had lots of bones! haha. and he got one caught in his throat. i guess malay food didn't go down well with him. look at how clean my plate was vs his barely-touched one. haha. oops?

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| 7:23 am


after that i saw a little corner stall called waffle house! and i saw the white pot labeled "HOT BELGIAN CHOCOLATE." i waaaaaaant! and there you can see got chocolate stain on my lips. HAHAHAHA. comooott.

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| 7:22 am


this time it was at starbucks at borders on oxford street.

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| 7:22 am


i see notes. so means i must have been studying riiiight. ;)

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| 7:22 am


meredith and i! attempting to stuuudyyy. can you tell?

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| 7:21 am


ice age!~

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| 7:21 am


finally had my camera with me when i was on the shopping streets! but didn't have very good angle.. :P

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| 7:20 am


along oxford circus..

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Thursday, December 15 | 8:16 am

this guy started talking to me tonight on the walk back.
the first thing he asked was about my tudung. he asked what it's for and if it means i can't talk to men.
so i replied as best as i could and then we started talking. you know, polite conversation. he's from italy, been working here and so and so. i'm from singapore, singapore's a beautiful city and yada yada yada.
and when he first asked about my scarf and i was trying to explain the significance, he said "i like this, your scarf (and he gestures on his own head the shape of a scarf). it's very nice and white." i was wearing my plain white tudung lah. seriously, what is there to liike?? i totally don't get that!
and then he says oh the girls in singapore must be very pretty. alamak.
oh his name is diego. haha. and he thinks erlyani is a nice name. most people who have asked my name say that. well you don't really expect them to ask your name and then go "wow that's an awful name." haha.
oh he also complimented my eyes. most people i meet say something nice about my eyes. well they say i have nice eyes. and then i laugh and say "oh they're contact lenses. they're not really that colour." (i was wearing amethyst tonight.) and then i think they kinda like uhoh okok cover up - "no no but they're nice and big.." (although it'd be really nice if those words described my boobs though. nice and big. which they're not. HAHA. ok totally irrelevant.)
and then we talk somemore and he tells me where to go visit in italy when i go there this coming week. i mean he's pretty friendly and it was nice to talk to him. esp since he was telling me stuff about italy and i'm going there! oh and he actually offered to meet up in italy. but he goes back next week to the south, and i'm going north of italy so, nope thanks anyway.
he asked if i wanted his number. that really caught me off guard. i think i kinda stared blankly at him for really LONG. cause i was thinking eh? you're asking me if I want YOUR number? haa? haha. and then i was like if i say no, would that be rude? haha. but i think i was stunned into silence for pretty long or he realised i wasn't really sure what to say and he said something else after that which i can't remember. he asked if i wanted his number so "we can talk again next time, and i'd really like that" he says. and i'm like sooo you're offering me YOUR number? doesn't it work the other way around??
and then he asks if i want to go for some coffee or something, and i'm like "noo i don't think so.. i have an exam tomorrow and i really shouldn't.. plus i have a boyfriend and i wouldn't like it if.. " and he cuts me off. "you have a boyfriend? here? or back at home?" and i'm like "he's in singapore.." and he goes "oh so you're going back home to him? do you miss him?" (i mentioned earlier that i'm going home for good end of this month.) so i reply "yea of course i do.. i miss him my family my friends everyoneee.." and we started talking about something else, something along the lines of being away from family.
and then later i realised i REALLY didn't wanna be walking with him all the way back to my apartment (it's just not safe right if a stranger knows where you live.. hey i have a good head atop my shoulders ok.) so i decided to stop by a diner to get food. so i was like about to say ok bye already and he's like "i'd really like to meet you again. you know maybe tomorrow night, or saturday.. go for a walk or something.." and i'm like dammiit did you not hear me the first time? haha it's not anything, i just don't feel comfortable going out with other (random) guys when i know i wouldn't be comfortable if my boyfriend did that.. so i said "no i'm sorry, i have a boyfriend and i really don't think i should.." and he goes "oh so you're very faithful?" and i swear i wanted to smack my head on the pavement. i'm like thinking yes ok i aaaamm, are we done now?? haha. but it was all good. and we said bye and wished each other the best and he did the whole italian cheek to cheek thing and i was just like oh shit what do i do and i kinda just stood there frozen.

yea so that was kinda flattering. i'm not usually flattered by things like this, well just because the guy is almost always creepy/desperate/lame/loser. so i just thought i should blog about it this time. haha. well for one, he wasn't muslim. and he wasn't old. he was actually nice. and didn't creep me out.

and today, as i was getting ready, i webcammed my mummy. and one of the things she said was "be careful lah, don't talk to all these random men.." (and something like this hasn't happened since like last week. so i told her "no ma dah takder lagi. (it doesn't happen anymore.)")

you know how mums are and how the things they say are so ALWAYS ALWAYS on target.

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Wednesday, December 14 | 11:37 am

fiza tagged!

rules of the game:

1 post 5 weird/random stuff about yourself (isn't that why we blog?)
2 at the end, list the names of 5 people who you want next to do this and leave a comment "YOU ARE TAGGED" on their blogs, and tell them to read your blog for rules!
so here's 5 really, really weird/random stuff..

1. i used to be an open book. but not so much anymore. i don't really know what happened along the way, but suddenly now, there's so much more to me than meets the eye. there is suddenly so much going on inside of me. so much going on inside of me that i don't tell people, not so much i don't want to, more i don't know how to and i try but i still can't. sometimes i don't even wanna try anymore.

2. i've been looking up graduate programmes (and i don't mean pgde) and scholarships since the end of my freaking first year in university.

3. i suddenly REALLY wanna go to the U.S of A. and just wait. i will. insya'allah.

4. i wish i was born filthy rich. i like being what i am now. middle class but spending like upper middle class. but i wanna shop without a freaking care in the world.

5. two hobbies. shopping and talking.

i tag.
my best friend. even though you may not be updating your blog anymore.
nydia.
nina.
rafidah.
julio and/or phillipe. ditto. but please do.

alaaaaa all these people read my blog oneeeee do i haaaaaaaaaave to go eeeeaaaaaach of their blogs to taaaagg theem??

taa!~

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Monday, December 12 | 7:52 am

i just watched one tree hill episode niiiiine!!!

wheeeeeeee!! hehehehhehehehheheheheh!!
*claps hands*
*griiiiiiins idiotically*
oooooohh!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D
*ninja-turtle-dance*
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhh!! :D
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
yaaayyy!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

nownow just neeeeed oc episode nine! :D:D:D

uhoh. exam tomorrow. gotta sleep!
alamak. haven't finish lab report! due tomorrow!
alamakalamakalamak!
you know i came out here wanting to be the A-lister, wanting to see As on my king's transcript.
but.
now that we're at this point.
uuuum.
i hope i pass man.
*pengsan*

butbutbut omigodomigodomigod! one tree hill one tree hill one tree hill! *griiiiiiiiin*
*ninjaturtledance*
wheeeeeeeeee!

ok nytienyt!! *griiiiiiiiiin*

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Sunday, December 11 | 9:34 am

i really should be asleep, but i'm not.
and i found this on the web!

http://www.gogap.com/thegapyear/journal/sing/sing01.html
it's someone's journal of the travelling he did during his gap year. gap year is something they have here which is recognised ACADEMICALLY. which means unis let and ENCOURAGE you to take a year off school to go travel and see the world. and the brochures i've seen about it all say the same thing: employers and universities(graduate schools etc.) would much rather employ/accept somene who is well-travelled, informed, blabla and doing a gap year means you learn things you can't in school, and you learn to deal with new situations, deal with different people etc. etc, all of which are very true. but if you think about it. if someone in singapore wanted to take a year off school, people will be like "WHYYY??". sadly. but at the same time also, i guess maybe only richer countries with more powerful currencies(ie UK, US) can afford this kinda thinking. i mean how many students in nus actually have money to go travel the world even if we HAD a gap year programme? and in gap year you don't travel to neighbouring countries (like students from the uk wouldn't go paris, belgium etc for gap.), you do like the REST of the world. so for us, we'd have to do like america or europe. and how expensive is that. for them, they usually go Asia. so it works so much better for them. boo.

anyway. this person did Asia, and like 5days in sing. i just thought some of it was interesting, and SO true. and how people saw singapore. (like i NEVER thought singapore was like THE hub for electronics. until i got here. and electronics here are kinda behind [by this i mean, last month i saw an ad that read: the next generation broadband is now here. wireless broadband. and i'm like wth?? nus has had wireless installed in the ENTIRE campus for like how long now??], and they are REALLY expensive too.) so here goes.

1
"For those of you who don't know, Singaporeans have agreed to lose a certain amount of personal freedom in exchange for levels of wealth, comfort, cleanliness and technology that were unthinkable 50 years ago. The laws, which sound excessively harsh to us in the UK, have led to Singapore being head & shoulders above other South-East Asian countries. Some illegal things include: chewing gum, littering, eating & drinking on public transport, jay-walking and not flushing a public toilet. All of them are punishable by very large fines."

and then another section had this:
The little red man was proudly showing, so I waited patiently, even though there was no traffic. I've been told that some traffic lights & pedestrian crossings in Singapore have laser beams, and if you walk or drive through when they're red, you can get in big trouble. However, I don't know how true this is, because as I stood there, an Asian business man walked past me, he hesitated slightly and looked round at me. On his second take, I quickly deduced that it was ok to cross, if not at all lights, then at least here. I followed him across the road, he turned again and said, "It's ok, there are no cars!", "I wasn't crossing, just in case. This is my first day here.", I replied. (i'm like REALLYY??)

2
"Anyhow, we dumped our bags on our beds, and went to find somewhere to eat. Using the map I'd picked up at the airport, I found that the nearest shopping centre was the CHIJMES complex. However, when we got there, it seemed really quiet & nothing appeared to be open. So we continued onwards to the Raffles Complex. Ah, now that was better. (i have no idea what raffles complex is. do you?)

The Raffles complex is a large, multi-floored shopping complex with plenty of places to eat. We walked around the building first, exploring some of the shops to see how Singaporean prices compared to home. Of course, the first shop we went to was a computer software shop. This was followed by a multimedia shop. Stinge and I walked around various shops, drooling at all the latest technology. It might be because its so close to Japan, but Singapore seems to have all the latest stuff, at fantastic prices. I had to use real restraint to whip out my credit card. I was so tempted to buy a portable DVD player, a huge projector based 'home cinema' or a fantastic flat monitor. Especially because of the low prices. Eventually, Stinge & I pulled ourselves away from this torture. MEMO TO SELF: Get very rich, then come to Singapore to buy loads of gadgets & home-entertainment system.

3
"The underground train pulled up to the station and the doors whooshed open. Stepping into the train, I was hit with a familiar feeling. Standing, thinking for a moment, as the gentle rocking motion started, I worked it out. The whole thing was almost identical to the London Underground. I go to London a lot, and I love using the Underground (yes, that's another sad thing I like) The trains felt the same, smelt the same, sounded the same and looked pretty similar. The only difference was that the Singapore MRT is much newer and spotlessly clean. As the train sped towards its destination, I closed my eyes and I could have sworn I was back at home in good old London. (it's more difficult for me to feel at home in London trains than he is in Singaporean trains because i'm SO used to the CLEAN!!)

oklah. that's all.
it really is interesting to find out what people think about (and of) singapore.

|
| 7:40 am

MY MUMMY
woke me up with a call today.

about what?

about how she saw my pictures on my blog and she went: what happened to your face??? comotnyer!! (translated:what a mess!!)

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! *whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine*

ok the call went like this.

mama: hello! what are you doing??
yani: *groggy*haa? i just woke up..
mama: ehh! it's 1pm, you just about to wake up??
yani: haaa? i stayed up until 5am doing lab report... (NOTE. reason no. 1 to breakout on face.)
mama: oh. adik, i saw your pictures on your blog.. what happened?? why your face like that?? comotnyerrrr..
yani: haaaa? ooh i've been eating too much chocolate..... (reason no. 2. :( )

i surprisingly managed to realise that in my stupor.

i've been downing TOOOOOOOOO much chocolate and caffeineeeee! *waaaaiiil*

but hooowwww. today i realised that without caffeine i can't concentrate as welllllll like i'm less alert and less wanting to stuudyyyy and think about what i'm reaadding!! heeeeeelllpp!! :( :( :(

i swear.
exams and deadlines are the bane of my existence!

because. exams = studying = junking = breakout!
and deadlines = staying up late = lack of sleep/odd sleeping hours = breakout!

aaaaaaaahhh!!!! *waaaaail*

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Friday, December 9 | 7:36 am

i totally planned to study today. after class.
BUT.
during class.
meredith: so what are you doing today?
i'm like: (weeeeeeeeell) nothing really.
meredith: do you wanna go shopping? i wanna go debenhams and get this hair straightener, and i need a pair of shoes and..
yani: oh YEAAAH i need a pair of jeans! i've been looking for one forever.. okok lets!

so there went plans to study.

ok.
omg number 1.
meredith went BLONDE!!! she did her hair yesterday. ok lemme put up before and after pictures.

omg number 2.
i bought a pair of jeans at GAP on SALE!! 20pounds! as compared to 45pounds. and they make my ass look fabulous! ;)

omg number 3.
i'm a US size six. HAHA. i always thought size six-es were really small. like marissa's kinda frame. like you know when we aaaall used to read sweet valley high and eveerry book will describe the wakefield twins as being size sixes.

oh i just realised a few "wat-the-hells". so here goes.

wth number 1.
i'm supposed to be rationing my cash, what am i doiing!! i bought 2mascaras this week. like WTH yaniii STOP IT! one was maybelline INTENSE XXL, that's like one version up of my XXL mascara, and i was running out so i bought. then today i bought revlon's lash fantasy in berry fantasy just cause i like the colour! slap me!

wth number 2.
i wish men would STOP talking to me while i'm trying to STUDY. starbucks, mcs, tubes, buses, they're EVERYWHERE. STAY AWAY. i should wear that on my forehead. it's just cause you stand out, you look soo different from everyone else you make heads turn. AND it always starts the same. "are you from malaysia?" or "where are you from?" and when i say singapore, they're like *gasp*"i thought you were from malaysia, indonesia.. singapore??" and i'm thinking yeah ok i've heard that one before, can i get back to my studying now? haha. actually yesterday the guy at starbucks was a lil creepy. he said creepy stuff. and he was old. today the guy at mcs was a bit nicer. then he said he liked my hijab. (i don't get that. what is there to like??) then i just wanted to get back to my studying. oh and no, none of these guys who talk to me are white. every other colour but white. indians, pakistanis, middle easterns, blacks, just not white. why eh. scared i bomb them eh. haha. ok not funny. i think just being a girl, men will talk to you. girls don't usually chat guys up, and i don't think men chat other men up. haha. oh well as long as they don't creep or freak me out, i don't have a problem.

wth number 3.
i am SO screwed for finals. no time! where did it all go?? i thought i had LOADS. it just disappeared! shiites.

wth number 4.
i thought you were my friend. no wait. i thought i was your friend.

one last thought.
people should think before they speak. regardless if what was spoken was not meant to be heard by the people who might get hurt by it. because if it could hurt, why was it said in the first place?
and a joke is not meant to hurt. a joke is something funny. so if it hurts, it's not so funny anymore is it?

and this is coming from someone who never used to think before she spoke. but she has learnt.
maybe it's about time you did too.

|
| 7:32 am


ok this is meredith.. then!

|
| 7:30 am


now! from curly and brunette to straight and blonde! haha. NOBODY could recognize her.

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Thursday, December 8 | 8:44 am

met alex for dinner tonight!

we've had many plans but a lot never happened. haha. busy lah. deadlines, tests, exams. her and me both.
and when we were planning where and when to meet, we(okay, i) declared it the "unglam season."
she was complaining she looked unglam today.
so i said unglam's the look this season. because it's the season for deadlines, tests and exams. hence, UNGLAM.

before that, i sat a solid 2h at starbucks(again. kill me now pls. before the toxins from all the junk i stuff at starbucks do.) looking at human&biochemical genetics notes. oh god, please let me be able to finish studying.
i didn't turn up for half the lectures for this module(and the all the others). help!
i was always waking up 15min before the first lecture started. i'd wake up with a start, think CRAP, look at the clock and grooooan. then as i walk out my bedroom door to go to the bathroom, i'd want to bang my head on the door. but i never did of course. love myself too much, and not worth it. haha.
my exams are next week. and i'm setting myself 2days/module. RIGHT. i could NEVER do that in singapore. and i haven't started studying for the exam on monday. that is scheduled to start on saturday. RIGHT. at nus i would NEVER start studying for an exam 2days before the paper.
but well, it IS pseudofinals. it's just for the exchange students. and the format for one of them is really crappy. like "choose 10 out of 19 questions and write 10facts about the topic." eerrr.

so i met alex at 8ish at paddington. that girl totally pulled a typical-singaporean-girl stunt. she took a freaking CAB. HAHA. so we cabbed all the way to mawar.
and had royal chicken satay on golden lidis. with 3 little CUUUUTE cubes of ketupat. which was probably instant. haha.
my nasi goreng kampung was tooooo much though! couldn't finish!
and in truuuue malaysian style, my nasi was too salty and the cincau too sweet(according to alex). i don't think i've ever found anything too sweet.
so the food was less than satisfactory.

butbut. :) the company was more than excellent! *beams*
we just yakked and yakked and yakked. :D i'm reallyyyy glad i met alex here. :)
we talked about just about everything. haha. she made me tell her EVERYYYTHING that has happened on one tree hill so far. she has caught the very first 4 episodes. and wanted to know the rest in fast forward. haha. and we were discussing the fire at the end of season 2 and who could have done it. and she thinks it's someone you wouldn't expect like someone SO good you just wouldn't think they did it. then we looked at each other and went "HALEY!" in unison. hahahaha. we'll see about that. ;)
and relationships. we talk about them an awful lot. ;)
and clooooooothes!! discussing which jeans are best and where to go for the best ones.
AND how JUNKED we feel. like we've been totally stuffing ourselves with junk. we discussed detox (haha!). and alex's bottomline? BALANCED LIFESTYLE. eat well, sleep well, exercise, relax. that really works against me. i looove chocolate and SUGAR. i sleep odd hours. i HATE exercise. but i guess i could do the relax part.
and booo. she's leaving for singapore next saturday. i do do do hope we can squuueeze in time to meet up once more before then. AAAND i haaaaaave to catch her while she's in sing when i get back.

*yaaayy* i love having a new girlfriend! *beams*

ok, now to shower, and then, dear mr boyfriend is waiting!
that lab report shall have to wait then.

|
| 8:41 am


a little quality time with the camera never hurt anyone.

|
| 8:40 am


paddington underground by night.

|
| 8:39 am


while waiting for alex at paddington station, i went into monsoon and looked at stuff. MAANY pretty skirts. trytry lah.

|
| 8:37 am


niiiice huh. price also nice. 75pounds.

|
| 8:37 am


mawar restaurant. seems like EVERY singaporean student i've met has been here. apparently LOADS of (msian/sing society) events take place here. like welcome parties or like orientation dinners and stuff. so alex and i decided we HAD to come see and try it. haha.

|
| 8:35 am


this, ladies and gentlemen, is a 5pound starter. the menu said "5 skewers." i thought WAAAAT 5 freakin STICKS, that's like a pound A SATAY. so i thought maybe skewer like english-style skewer like use for kebabs or whaaat.. so i asked the waitress, "skewer dier lidi macam maner, lidi biasa eh?" and she replied "lidi ader beraper macam?" wah pengsan man.

|
| 8:32 am


that's alex's nasi pattaya and my nasi goreng kampung. oh and cincau!

|
| 8:31 am


gdnyt!~

|
Wednesday, December 7 | 8:15 am

Noon
Noon - You are pleasant, friendly, and an overall
nice person. You enjoy the energy and activity
of the daytime, and tend to be very productive.

When are you?
brought to you by

|
| 7:25 am

mmmm.
school ended earlier than i expected.
and i didn't feel like walking the streets of london shopping. time to ration out the cash y'all.
i felt like a cup of warm something and like rich cake or the likes.. but i cannot go by starbucks anymore, i've been there like 10times in the past two weeks. and i feel SO toxic-ated. like so many toxins running through my system. from all the artificial sugar, white chocolate and caffeine i've been downing lately. not to mention the 2microwave dinners i've had recently. processed food and chockfull of chemicals and artificial thingies.
but. i felt like a cup of warm something and something sweet still.
so when i got back,

i heated up a nice big mug of milk,

found a pack of hot cross buns,

crawled into bed under the covers,

and watch a good ol romantic comedy.

how to lose a guy in 10days. (i'm a sucker for romantic comedies. the ultimate boy-meets-girl, they go through some (funny)crap and they end up together, wheee!~ what could be more difficult than that?)

:)

and then i napped. from 6pm to 8:30pm.

yummy.
i love days like these.

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Tuesday, December 6 | 7:09 am

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544220

http://www.zabihah.com/_region.php?region_id=70
and then i missed home. oh the familiar names.. bali thai, hajjah maimunah, banquet, and the mention of sabar menanti and zamzam just reminded me of foc05/06.. haha.
in any case, useful website! i spot a few places i have yet to try! :)

|
| 4:25 am

i just watched both one tree hill and the o.c. season 3 episode 8 in a row.
aaand
aaawww. *grins-like-an-idiot*

i'm glad i watched o.c. second, because the end was so heartwarming! *gushgush*gringriin*

i liiike. maaaan. :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

aaand. i've decided i like both shows for different reasons. i mean they're both great! they're aweesoomee and i can never get enough of them! :D

i don't understand why people insist on being a fan of just ONE of them, EITHER of them. on the one hand i have mars and nydia who are craaazy about oc, and on the other hand i know shiqin and nina (and in fact, my siblings too) who swear by one tree hill over oc. c'mon! if you like BOTH, you get the best of BOTH worlds! DOUBLE the joy and happiness and drama and fashionhoots and nice warm fuzzy feeling, not to mention the i-wanna-knock-some-sense-into-these-people-so-bad-i'm-gonna-bang-my-head-on-the-wall feeling!
and no mars, no nydia. liking one tree hill will NOT make you a traitor.

oh but i also think. in order to REALLY like one tree hill, you have to watch from the VERY start.
because they make LOADS of puns and stick about what happened EARLIER. and if you don't know the history, you won't get it. like - when rachel decorated lucas' locker, peyton: "could be worse. could have "dyke" painted on it." HAHA.

AND. i am so going to embarrass my brother right here, right now. HE'S NOW HOOKED ON ONE TREE HILL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! "kaklong downloads them all, and i got nothing better to do." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA. and that's because my mum has so cleverly banned him from what's-that-game-he-plays and also every-other-game-he-plays. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. but my brother was quick to add that o.c. sucks. HUH. what do you know you rookie! you just started!

you know. if i had been so into these shows 2years ago (wow. it's been two years.) i'd definitely consider going to the states to study. berkeley! haha. what an idiot right.

ok that's it. too much american tv.

no actually, come to think of it.
it's cause i'm here now that i've started thinking about studying and the education system in the states.
studying in the uk has always intrigued me, that's to say i've always thought it'd be interesting and exciting, but not that i was always so much into it, cause i've always wanted to do the whole nus-medicine stint.
but still. i realised that when you don't get something in life, He is giving you a pretty big hint. so i decided to do things i would never have been able to if things had gone the way i planned. ergo, exchange in london.
and now that i've had a taste of living and studying in london, the destination in europe, i've begun wondering what things are like in the US of A.

there is a whole big world out there.

i guess when you do something that opens up your mind a lil bit, your mind opens up so much more.

|
Monday, December 5 | 8:18 am

it has always bugged me that my blog didn't have archives.
particularly cause i didn't know how to put one up.
but. i just did one manually lah. haha. means every month i have to manually put it up there.

my mummy asked me awhile back how to check my "duludulu punyer page". and i said cannot.. but mummy! now can already! :D
(she is apparently telling/asking my nyayi/cousin sedaramara to go see my blog. pengsan man my mum.)
AND.
SU.
now you can look at my past pictures. esp of kcl. ;) that's in the october archive babe. although you kinda made up your mind already. ;)
(and quit being a sneaky reader. TAG! :D)

and. i went back to my very first post. and gosh. haha. what a time it was.
memories, memories.
strangely though.
i couldn't pinpoint the time hatta and i got back together. hmm.
yea we split early this year.
mistakes, mistakes.
;)

and.
i've been wanting to change my blog name/link/address(?)
it's been a long while since i've been sinfully honest.
not that i'm dishonest now or anything. or fake. or lying. haha.
it's just that i've learnt to watch what i say. like i mentioned earlier.
no longer so honest that it hurts.

hence. new name/page/link/whatever.
haha.
in fact.
i already have one up. guess guess!! the name/page/link/address/whatever.
and working on it.
won't reveal it yet. not ready. but i've started blogging there already.
haha. it's nice to have a space to talk, but not necessarily having people to listen.
considering waiting for 2006.
you know?
but then again.
so cliche.
hmm.

|
Sunday, December 4 | 5:48 pm

Dating StrengthsDating Weaknesses
1. Confidence - 77.8%
2. Friendliness - 75%
3. Appearance - 75%
4. Financial Situation - 69.2%
5. Spirituality - 69.2%
1. Vanity - 75%
2. Selfishness - 54.5%

Dating Strengths Explained
Confidence - You are sure of yourself and confident of your abilities. Displays of confidence go a long way when attracting a date.
Friendliness - Your friendliness makes you approachable and fun to be around. A wide circle of friends also works to your advantage on the dating scene.
Appearance - Despite what some will say, appearance matters in dating. You get high marks on appearance. Just make sure you balance it out with other qualities.
Financial Situation - You've got your financial situation under control, which is a very desirable quality. Be careful to avoid guys who are only interested in your money.
Spirituality - Your spiritual side brings you peace and balance, and keeps you grounded. This is attractive, as you can help reinforce this quality in other people.
Dating Weaknesses Explained
Vanity - Learn to put a lower priority on looks. Appearance is, of course, important, but vanity is undesireable. The only people you will attract are the superficial.
Selfishness - You think too much of yourself and your needs. You must learn to put your partner first and tend to his needs.
Dating Strengths and Weaknesses Quiz by Dating Diversions

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Friday, December 2 | 9:41 pm

i have a bergajillion pictures to put up.

and i officially hate fotopages now. because it takes forever.
webshots is just disgusting. 240 only. where got enough.

so.
i wanna change online photo album.
i went to sony imagestation's to try to sign up,
and lo and behold.
i already HAVE an account there.
haha.
dunno how or when also that happened.

but right. i think imagestation albums can only be viewed by members.
so right. if i take manymany pictures with all my darlings and they want to see or to have those pictures, they need to be members too?
but i think if you get pictures from there, it's definitely better than getting from fotopages, because nydia always complains that the pictures she saves from my fotopages always small and lousy resolution.

so daaaarliiings. let's AAAALL join sony imagestation.
then we can shareshare our gambars! *whoopee!* *ninjaturtledance* :D

or does anyone know of any other online photo album services?

|
| 5:40 am

the starbucks red cups!!
and better still..
i like them with WHITE CHOCOLATE MOCHA with whipped cream IN them!!

*beams*

my current favourite drink.
ooOoohh.. the creaaamy sweeeet taste..
oooohh the white chocolaaaate...
sliding down my throat..
all nice and sweet and waaarm..
mmmmm!
sedaaaap. besok nak lagi!

yumyum.

:D


|
Thursday, December 1 | 6:20 am

it's 30th November. 2005.

FIVE years.

:)

gosh. how do we do it?
i have absolutely no idea.

:)

but all i know is.
five years, and still going strong.

in fact, stronger than when we started out.

and i also know that.
he's a total sweetheart.
every bit of what i want and need.

five years of ups and downs, tears and laughter, sorrow and bliss,
and love.
thank you so much honey, i love you. :)

actually now, if someone asks me how we do it,
i think i might have an answer for that.

because it's him and it's me.
that's how we do it.
:)

|
| 1:37 am

Your Sexy Sandals Are
Roberto Cavalli T5038
What Sexy Sandals Are You?

|