1st week of the sem

at first, i thought i was the only one who's taking weird combination of subjects as i was undecided of my major. to my surprise, there's quite a number of them who are taking pathology and pharmacology too! so anyways, what can i say about the 1st week of the sem. it's the time to get everything sorted out. the sight of people rushing into the bookshops, long queues at the cashiers, packed cafeteria and worst of all, human 'jam' on the way to lectures. it takes 15 mins for me to walk from my place to most of the lecture halls for my 1st class of the day but when there's too many people around the campus, i would take longer than what i expected. i know, you might say, then why not leave earlier from home? haha...the earlier i try to leave from home, i'll end up later than ever. pack this pack that take this take that. then end up going out late again. then normally, people will start hunting down textbooks that is needed for their subjects and here i would like to give you an example of my friend. he was eager to buy a second hand book because it's slightly cheaper than those offered by others but the irony was, he mentioned that he never even use the text he bought last sem. at least my hommie and i used our texts as reference so it's not a waste of money to buy it. other than that, everything is still the same in uni, the same shops around, the same sort of events happening. found a good bargain for lunch though. kfc, wicked wings, only 1.95 dollars for 3! and it's yummy too! just that it's slightly out of the way from my lectures but heck, it's cheap!

on another note, i've realised that i can't think of much to blog about since uni started. perhaps it's because i don't put much thought in what's happening around me or think back of memories from the past or issues that i'm interested in hence the lack of interesting blog entries.

the stretch of birthdays!

it's funny how many people you know actually have birthdays that are just days apart from one another. take July for instance, 24th Mich, 25th me, 26th Yas & Jen's sis, 27th Shirley or December, 25th Santa?, 26th Marianne, 27th BA, 28th TJ. i guess it's kind of beneficial and fun to be able to celebrate it all together but too bad at this point of time, most of us would not be at the same place at the same time. probably joint celebration would only be possible when we're too old to travel and still living in Malaysia? let's recall back what happened on my birthday despite all the wonderful messages from friends. remember i said nothing happened on my birthday? it was just like every other day, but at night, i went for a dinner with Eu. you would be surprised how many people you can bump into on a monday night, what's more it was already 10 when we actually sat down to take our order. remember i was complaining that i was super hungry? yea, had to wait for Eu to finish work before we could go out for dinner. so well, after dinner, we went back home and we were just watching tv when approximately 11.59 pm on 25th July, my friends came in with a birthday cake for me! aww! and i thought i didn't have a celebration on my 21st. wonder why they waited till so late? it was because the cake was bought from Brunetti, if you ever bought cake from Brunetti, you would know that their cakes need to be defrost for at least three hours? why do they freeze the cake in the 1st place? so that they can keep it fresh for a longer time? by the way, if a mousse cake was half frozen, it taste like ice cream cake! so yea, almost everyone was there and we hanged out and catched up. it was a fine day in the end. and my room is crowded with soft toys and stuff...i have 4 stuff bear/dog/rabbit...and now i have a 'lammy' bag which Frances and Faiz bought for me..what's in the bag? it's stuffed with wool. they want me to learn how to make teddies and bunnies. but too bad i haven't learn how read knitting code, that's why i only knit scarves. so yea, probably will only take the time to learn during the summer hols.

of being 21 & 1st day at 'school'

what is the difference of being 21? what we know is that it's the 'official' age to be regarded as an adult. how would being 21 change me? i guess i'll still be the same. not like i'll be mature overnight or anything right? so anyways, i'm still me! is that a good news or bad news? of course, i would like to thank all of you that wished me since 12 am today! i'm very grateful to have so many friends still remembering my special day or is it that you saw it on friendster? but either way, thanks a bunch but too bad i could not celebrate it with you all! what did i do today?

such a 'memorable' day, my birthday marks the beginning of a new semester! well, had to wake up early today because i had my class at 8 am. it was a cold and lonely walk to uni so early in the morning. and yes, i was 10 minutes late to my first class. nothing new there, still the same old me! but finished early today so came back, eat and took a nap. then online the rest of the afternoon searching for nonsense. now, want to help me answer my future assignment question? "what is biotechnology?" haha...no worries, i'm as blur as you. and answering this would contribute to 5% of the subject assessment. then went to browse the companies listed on my subject booklet to see what kind of things australian biotechnology companies came up with. and noticed their motto was something like "...the unmet market". so it's like everyone is still digging deep for new development in various potential fields. i thought the subject was about how we apply the technologies we learn to produce better drugs or corps etc. for the future and stuff. who knows, they are actually teaching us how present our product, how to analyse the market, patenting stuff etc. well, all in all i think it would all come in handy in the future. sometimes i wonder, why am i taking science? ah yes, parents wanted me to take it because biotechnology is a new industry that is yet to expand in malaysia.

this sem seems a lil freaky to me. not only that, got pharmacology some more. just went to the 1st lecture and there the lecturer was babbling out all the names of the drugs and stuff, super blur again. tomorrow, another scary subject, pathology. what did i put myself into?

*ah, finally something productive today, going out for yummy dinner [i hope]. i'm actually super hungry now*

what's up?

just last week the Aucklanders came to visit us in Melbourne. we weren't very good tour guides. the whole idea was to bring them around and bring ourselves around because as i said before, we haven't actually explore Melbourne. first night, brought them to eat some Malaysian dinner at Chilli Padi. then the next day, since they were sick because of the changing weather, we just brought them around the city. walked for quite a distances that day itself, from walking around the city to the alleys to docklands to crown then back home by tram. the next day, we were suppose to go to the dandenongs to take a ride on the ever famous "puffing billy". it's actually a steam train that runs through the forest or probably go to some of the gardens that's popular in that area. the day started of with rain and showers but we took a train there. because we wanted to pack lunch and everyone was taking their own sweet time, by the time we reach belgrave, it was already 1 pm. know what? the last schedule for the "puffing billy" was at 12.30pm. since we were there, we wanted to know if there's anything else we could do to catch the train along its way, then the lady there told us to take a bus from across the street to go to one of train station go we can catch it back. off to the bus stop we went. and the bus was supposed to be there at 1.05pm. so not only did we miss the steam train, we missed the bus too. now, we're not only stranded under the rain in somewhere far away from the city but we didn't have any back up plans. so we discuss and stuff and someone came up with this "brilliant" plan to go the dandenong national park. so off we went to another station to go to the national park. when we reached there, we went to this information counter and the ladies were helpful enough to point out the trails that we could take. then took some brochures and stuff. there was it, the name of the places where the nice gardens were located. argh! if only i had knew earlier! it's so hard to plan things spontaneously in a secluded area like that because public transport comes every hour or so. wonder why they call us the "melbourne kids"? so instead we went mountain hiking and climbing up steps in a muddy forest. well, to me it was ok because the journey back down was fun but i don't know about the rest. then last friday, we decided to drive to great ocean road. a friend underestimated the whole journey and in the end we reach the 12 apostles slightly past sunset. so we were only able to see the shilouttes of the stones. the moon was bright though, and there were plenty of stars! anyways, can't believe it...it's already been one week since their visit. and in three more days, a new semester is going to commence. and just a few days ago i was busy researching about skiing and stuff but apparently plan failure. it's not that i plan late or anything, it's just that at this time of the month, everyone is broke. it's either their really broke or their just giving reasons because they don't want to spend that much money. but since not enough people to go with, plan postponed until further notice. this would actually be the last weekend where the price is shoulder peak and next week onwards, peak season prices apply for most of the skiing resort. then tomorrow, some of my friends are going for an OCF camp, so is my hommie. how to spend the last few days of holidays?

not suitable to work

yesterday was my first day working as a waiting staff. i started work at 5.30 pm and ended at 10.15 pm. those hours at work passed so slow but when i finally ended my shift, i was dead tired. i didn't even find out how much i was getting paid per hour. anyways, the boss said i performed ok for a first timer and i was suppose to call her today at 4 pm to ask about the next work day. but the whole last night, i couldn't sleep thinking of all the consequences of working. first thing i didn't like about the thought of working is that she said we had to work 3 to 4 shifts per week summing up to almost 20 hours. that's even more hours than my credit hours in uni which is only 17 hours. i was worried i can't handle so much commitment at work because studies is still my main priority. then i thought, what if i still had to work as much during exam periods? knowing that i'm the type of person who studies last minute, the more i wouldn't be able to shuffle between working and studying. then, another main concern was how fast i could learn and familiarize myself with working at that fast pace restaurant. i thought that place didn't have much customers but apparently i was wrong. we were basically flying here and there during the peak hours. not only do i have to be quick and efficient, there's so much to learn. it made taking order seemed easy. somehow, the drinks menu was more ambiguous than the food menu. at least i know how to abbreviate the food menu, but there's like 4 fridges with so many varieties of drinks from soft drinks to tea to wines to beers plus coffee and other additional drinks from the bar. then i was tought wear to take the ice, milk, how to stock up the fridge, where to get the desserts, how to set up table and clear table, take order, serve food, remember table arrangement, clean cutleries, clear boxes, how to pack doggy bags, how to set up certain drinks, etc. a long way more before i could familiarize myself with so much things yet i only have one week more before semester starts. so i decided to put down the idea of working after i asked the boss if i could only work 2 shifts per week. since she can't let me work for 2 shifts or less, i decided to quit and not waste her time training me up. tada! that's the story of my 1st day at work. somehow studies is so important to me that i'm not going to think about work until holidays come. i'm not good with time management anyways. what's more, i'm dead tired after work so how am i suppose to do my uni homework or even prepare for prac?

is it unfair or is it just me?

why is it so hard to find a part time job here? i don't understand why 99% of the places that i saw a vacancy for waiting staff position, they stated clearly that they required experienced waiter/waitress. so what i do is just forget about that place and try to look elsewhere. or perhaps i should have been more persistent and just ask them even if i don't have experience? then they might think that i'm dumb enough not to read the notice carefully? i really don't know. knowing that some of my friends are working and they get like 50 dollars per night just makes me feel so jealous. i wish they could just give me one day of their job so i can earn some money for myself. what else? don't you think there's some sort of discrimination going on around here? when a gal friend of mine went to ask at this place, they said that they don't need anymore staff. but when a guy friend went to ask few days after her, they ask him to leave his resume. one week later, he's hired! now, he's been working every single night since sunday because the boss thinks he brings 'ong' or luck to the restaurant. needless to say, he did have a slight advantage because he had past experience. why do they need to hire experienced staff anyways? if everywhere wants people with experience? then where the hell do beginners find job? it's like i also not asking for much, i don't mind working only one day per week to earn some extra cash! what's more, i'm willing to learn. ok, probably i'm not working hard enough in finding a job since i've only officially went to two places and turned away reading many notices that experience required. well, since i've done the visa, i should at least try a lil harder huh? but i even applied for a few jobs that was adverstised online just that no one called me back. probably will go job hunting again if i wake up early tomorrow.

what is love?

you know how everyone always ask those that are in a relationship, what do they think love is about? just the other day, i found a poem that mentioned a lot about the power of love. i'm guessing some of you might not be comfortable with that word but i assure you it's not a mushy mushy type of poem. here goes...

Love is
being happy for the other person when that person is happy
being sad for the other person when that person is sad
being together in good times
being together in bad times
Love is a source of strength

Love is
being honest with the other person at all times
telling, listening, respecting the truth
and never pretending
Love is a source of reality

Love is
an understanding so complete
that you feel as if you are a part of the other person
accepting that person just the way s/he is
and not trying to change each other to something else
Love is the source of unity

Love is
the freedom to pursue your own desires
while sharing you experiences with the other person
the growth of one individual alongside of
and together with the growth of another individual
Love is the source of success

Love is
the excitement of planning things together
the excitement of doing things together
Love is the source of the future

Love is
the fury of the storm
the calm in the rainbow
Love is the source of passion

Love is
giving and taking in a daily situation
being patient with each other's needs and demands
Love is a source of sharing

Love is
knowing that the other person will always be with you
regardless of what happens
missing the other person when s/he is away
but remaining near in heart at all times
Love is the source of security

Love is the source of life

by Susan Polis Schutz

short term memory?

i always claim that i have short term memories. of course this does not only apply to studies. now you know why i always say that i study last minute. i guess it's not because i don't want to start earlier, it's just that even if i studied it earlier, i wouldn't remember it when the time comes. other than that, i feel like nowadays i can't remember much about the past anymore. am i getting old or am i just having selective memory? just morning, i was thinking to myself, what did i do last christmas? what did i do last new year's eve? some which i remembered correctly but for the others, it was just plain *blank*. then i ask eugene to help me out and apparently i did nothing for those events that was blank in my head. so this means that it was not that i had bad memory, just that i really didn't do anything. then sometimes when i try to think hard of those sweet memories, things that were meaningful to me once upon a time ago [well, i mean it still is just that i can't remember as much anymore], they just wouldn't pop up. but thankfully, when i encounter something familiar, those memories will just be so vivid in my mind. conclusion? it's not that i've forgotten about all those things that mean something in my life, just that it's hiding somewhere at the back of my mind and it needs to be triggered back to conscious thought. i guess the worse thing of trying to recall something that has happened would be to recall it to the wrong person? for instance, say you have a partner and you were recalling something special that you two used to do, then next thing s/he said was "i didn't do that with you?" that would be funny! sometimes i think i was such an idiot, to have used all those bad things i remembered against someone who meant a lot to me. whenever we were in an argument, i would bring up those things that had gone wrong from the past, and obviously that always make things worst. i've learn not to use that stupid tactic anymore. of course eventually we made up and things were ok. but if both are persistent that what they recalled was true then that would be disastrous. perhaps i don't recall much nowadays because nothing exciting is happening in my life? i wonder...