we've come a long, long way together

I'M BACK IN AUCKLAND! hello yummy sushi, hello grainwaves, hello cheapo ipod, hello guacamole, hello cheap booze, hello queenstreet, HELLO NEW APARTMENT AND NEW ROOMIES, hello new shoesies, hello FILM, TV AND MEDIA STUDIES!
 
the journey here was long, and extremely tiring. i still think cab drivers are some of the most interesting people around. the guy who drove me from jb to changi was a former soldier who was sent to kosovo and bosnia in the early 90's. that was a pretty interesting conversation that helped take my mind off leaving kuching.
 
unpacking was kinda fun actually. strangely :P why? because with all the bubble wrap i used to protect my oh so precious ornaments it was like unwrapping a gazillion presents for myself from myself. sad eh? :P i dont care. it was also "OH MY SWEATER!" moments that really made it fun.
 
i'm living with eva, jess, lindsay and jepp. pay close attention to these names as they may pop up often this year.
met hunnie yesterday. MY GOD, GIRL...she lost weight and has a new haircut and looks great. have yet to meet up with sha tho.
 
these few days have been very hectic. things to settle left, right and center. but all in all i'm glad to be back. and i actually like doing all these things for myself. like choosing the lightbulbs for the lamps i bought. my room light is so dim that i have to buy a study lamp and bedside lamp. and so began the confusion about the wattage and what not. but i got the right bulbs in the end :)
 
there are some things about this place that i really like and missed.
 
some leaves have started falling and are decorating the streets. autumn really is creeping in slowly. i miss kuching and people back home. (iain you know i mean you). but i've got so many things to do that keep my mind and time occupied.
 
must find new job, must do well in school this year. must have fun and travel.
 
since i came back here i've been doing so much more walking than the whole time i was in kuching. i swear. and if anyone wants to visit me in auckland, i'm warning you now: WE'RE WALKING a LOT. either that or public transport.
 
will keep y'all posted.
 
toodles :)
 
fatboyslim's really good btw 
02.29.08 (8:07 pm)   [edit]

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sydney

am now in sydney airport - flight to auckland is in about 3 hours. looking extremely goofy cause am wearing those free airline socks with my slippers. very hungry food on BA flight wasnt TOO bad, i guess. cant believe i'm going back to auckland. summer's just ended so soon.
02.26.08 (12:59 pm)   [edit]

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quickie

am now at changi airport. was getting bored so decided to check in early. OH YEsss...offer for vodka here. BUY TWO FOR $38. sweet no? going to head to my departure gate now. maybe will update in sydney. i miss you so much already iain. and everyone else in kuching too :P
02.25.08 (11:56 pm)   [edit]

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for now....

this could possibly be the last blog entry while i'm in kuching. and i promise i wont get sappy about it, or at least try to.
 
its been a great summer. i'm so glad i managed to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. i have a cat thats very special, in more ways than one. my family seems to be stabilising out, what with us kids all grown and have left the nest. i tried to learn to drive and i have a huge inner tube floaty thing :P
 
i love my friends. i love my family. i love my pet. and surrogate pets (i love you rusty and pepper). i love this town. i may not like what they do to it, but the people here make it great.
 
i love you iain.
 
for those i didnt get to meet this time round, maybe next time eh? all you ukraine medic kids and people studying in the northern hemisphere.
 
i'll miss you all very much.
 
but i wont be away for long.
 
till then, take care of this city :)  
02.24.08 (5:19 am)   [edit]

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blogworthy shit!

HUNNIE

MET

BRANDON

BOYD!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

OF

INCUBUS!!!

 

 

 

 

02.22.08 (3:00 am)   [edit]

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i love my cat

it may have taken us a few months, a near-fatal poisoning to get close but i really love my cat :)
 
he's SO fat and is sleeping next to me, purring loudly, as i am typing this. i weighed him the other day using my mama's baking scale (dont tell her). my cat is almost 4 kgs.
 
he really is quite a character. miaows extremely loudly for food, water and general attention. actually enjoys people's company now. he'll look for people if he gets lonely or bored.
 
he is some cat :)
 
he's my cat :D 
02.21.08 (8:28 am)   [edit]

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i need friends to go with me

does anyone want to go watch wrestling with me on JUNE 11th at the VECTOR ARENA?? if you're in auckland and are interested and want to get rid of EXAM STRESS (you know its exam season about that time) JOIN ME for a night of sweaty shouty madness of wrestling! wrestling like the WWE! let me know if you wanna come along. it'll be fun! i hope :P
02.20.08 (12:29 am)   [edit]

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dont you just HATE IT?

i've got to find better things to do with my time. besides stalking people on social networking websites. I"M TALKING TO YOU FACEBOOK! and friendster. but for now its FACEBOOK!
 
dont you just hate it? and yet cant pull away at the same time? its SUCH a waste of time but its so engrossing! if you stalk people too then you know what i mean.
 
it freaks me out how we're all more or less linked to each other. and its ANNOYING HOW SOME PEOPLE ARE!
 
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEE
 
i'm annoyed!
 
fucking hell...
 
 
02.19.08 (2:34 am)   [edit]

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i'll be going swimming in about an hour

anyone interested? if you cant find me, just look for the girl in the red bikini with the humongous  inner tube.  oh yes, and who seems to be doggy paddling most of the time.  that cant be too difficult now, can it? the place? formerly known as St. Ampark. :P

summer break's going to be over in about a week and a half. well i cant say i didnt have fun. but i am sorry to see it end. other than that there's the incredibly long journey back to auckland. kch-jb-singapore-sydney-a uckland. 20 kg cargo limit, security checks, taking out the laptop and putting it back in again. no liquids more than the allowed amount on hand luggage. oh god, air travel is SO inconvenient. its like they dont really want you to travel. thank god i can sleep during the flight. and they better show some good movies!

and from the day i arrive, it'll pretty much be non-stop. there's so many things to settle and...pay. boo :(  

i dont think i'm still very used to some things here. like..living with my parents again. oh good GOD. if i can move out when i start working i will. i know its not a very typical asian thing to do, but i really like living without them. and that means i have to really learn how to drive.

iain tried teaching me how a few nights ago. it was all going very well untill there was a tree in the way. NO i did not drive into it, but according to him i almost did. IN MY DEFENSE it was DARK and i couldnt see it. besides, it was at a funny corner.  

imagine if it were a gallardo instead of a saga :P oh, can you imagine the scream of TERROR emitting from what appears to be iain, if i were to, as he put it, drive into a tree?

 at least if you ever see a gallardo being driven into a tree you'd know who done it.

oh well. got to get ready for swimming now :)  

02.16.08 (11:26 pm)   [edit]

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happy valentines

as it is valentine's day today, it is only right that i wish you all a happy valentines. may you all have a good one regardless of whatever's going on..does that sound vague and airheaded? i guess. but hey at least i'm sincere about it.
 
you know i am!
 
apparently on the 23rd of feb there'll be a meeting with the MSD and a malaysian student's rep from sydney. welllll.....i'm still gonna be on this island on the 23rd. so although i should be there, i just cant. i'm sorry..NOT.
 
any plans for tonight? well, not much really, considering we're both a little broke. for some reason just now it popped up randomly. you know those little soap bubble things? the ones you blow bubbles with? the ones that cost about 20 sen each (i hope). so lets have some of that. and some candles. and a little caramel popcorn. and lets throw in some of last night's leftover vodka, just for good measure. hope it dont rain tonight. it would be a fun and somewhat strange late night picnic thing. and cheap too :P
 
ever had this feeling that everything's going to be alright?
 
i dont know why, but i just have that feeling today. its a good feeling. i kinda like it.  
02.14.08 (1:35 am)   [edit]

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we're watching you...

have heard news that JPA scholars are being warned to take down certain blog posts or shut down their blogs entirely.

fuck this shit.

i would like to thank my sponsor, MARA, who although likes to act like they own my ass, and lets face it, they do for the next 8 years or so, for paying for my a-levels, my accommodation and food during my a-levels, the ONCE A YEAR flight home (bloody bastards, only ONCE?), organising a huge "graduation" ceremony for our a-levels (whatta joke), for organising our degree with auckland uni for a programme that barely even existed before we wanted it and is, in fact, not recognised by the New Zealand Qualification Whatsit Board.

i would also like to thank them for LOWERING the standards for the rest of my batch to continue with their degree IN auckland since only ONE student got the MINIMUM REQUIREMENT to study in auckland. YOURS TRULY BTW. (quality control for the people's money??)

i would also like to thank them for giving me barely enough money to get by with each month. and also paying for this lovely laptop that i'm tap-tap-tapping away on.

i also really appreciate the fact that MCA whatsit ONG KA TING came by last year to visit the Union of MALAYSIAN STUDENTS in AUCKLAND (UMSA) to make sure we were all alright *grit teeth*. if you're gonna fucking fish for votes from the next generation of voters TRY to be at least subtle about it. a raise in allowance would be so very appreciated. oh...i used that word already...i know. it would be greatly THANKED. hows that? not good to bite the hand that feeds you, right?

speaking of allowance, government sponsored students used to have their lodging subsidised. we'd pay some, and the sponsor (JPA, MARA, IPBA, Petronas, BPG etc...) would pay the rest. fair enough. NOW. the year before i left for auckland, JPA and MARA scholars were given a raise in allowance. woo hoo! but now we have to cover our own cost of living. sneaky little shits.

just how influential do these freaks think blogs are, that they have to be shut down??

just because i am sponsored by the government does not mean that i have to align my allegiance with them.

i completely understand that with such a huge investment in our education we have certain expectations to meet. academic and social expectations. so the next time i'm out and about in town with my friends having a good time at soho or mojo or whatever strange syllable-ed night spot enjoying a refreshing *alcoholic* beverage, all decked out in my night finery dancing like there's no tomorrow, y'all didnt see me there. neither did you see me when i'm spending the people's money on clothes i dont need, shoes and makeup.

its ONE thing to monitor our academic performance (which is fair enough) but it is another to be PRYING on us ONLINE, INTO OUR PRIVATE LIVES and trying to win some votes!

there is this "body" called the Malaysian Students Department (MSD) and what it is is a surveillance body. its not enough that we have an embassy down in wellington. oh NOOO...we have to have the MSD. just in case we spread negative government propoganda. just in case we tell people not to visit malaysia last year.

people are making those choices for themselves you twats. i have a friend who REFUSED to visit malaysia simply cause he said "no way..freedom of religion, and human rights...yadayada". THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A CONSCIENTIOUS TRAVELLER you, uh...i've run out of names to call them.

back to the MSD. we had a meeting with a rep from the MSD. and we were warned NOT to drink, NOT to smoke, NOT to be gay (for real), NOT to party.

MY. ASS.

ok?

MY. ASS.

if you choose the brightest minds in this country and send them overseas using the people's money to expand their already bright minds and gain new experiences and live in a social environment COMPLETELY different from whence they came, why is it such a fucking problem when our softspoken, downtrodden, conformist geniuses suddenly realise there are problems that need to be fixed in the country for it to progress even more? isnt that a good thing?

isnt it GREAT that your investment is paying off?

they feel passionate enough about something to VOICE IT OUT. to want to make a change. to want things to be better.

what is so god damn wrong about that.

many of our sponsored students have gained entry into top uni's all over the world. ALL OVER THE FUCKING WORLD.

harvard? check.
yale? check.
oxford? check
imperial? check.
AUCKLAND? check (sorry, i just had to)

point is this: THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU SEND PEOPLE OVERSEAS.

some will feel the need to make things better at home. and not just because they have a 5 year bond. or 10. whichever. but because they know things can be SO much better.

isnt it better to read a blog entry saying things along these lines than to read about how high i got this past weekend and how i'm so cool because i projectile vomited out of a three storey building?

and arent students meant to bring about change, anyways??

also, not everyone blogs politically. and not every blog that HAS political "observations" is completely political. there will be the odd entry about the new dress i bought, or how my cat can walk again.

what is SO WRONG about people voicing out what they want because they can see how things can be better? about how things can change and how things should be.

isnt this the point of a foreign education?

put a sock in the fucking surveillance and fuck off.
02.09.08 (10:06 pm)   [edit]

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less than 3 weeks to go - and i'm absolutely terrified

its the 7th of feb, first day of the chinese new year. tis the year of the rat, so happy chinese new year to everyone who's celebrating. and to everyone else who isnt, join in the fun. the fireworks went off before midnight and continued till about 1.30 am here. my parents are staying overnight at kampung to try avoid the fireworks. but guy fawkes is NOTHING compared to chinese new year. NOTHING AT ALL.
 
my flight back to auckland is on the 26th of feb. thats about 18 days left.
 
and i'm absolutely terrified.
 
i know i'll be ok, but its just so hard to go through. the only way i know how to deal with being apart is to distract myself. keep myself busy with school and work. but its the little things that can make you feel lonely. you know? simple things like sharing a meal. or getting knocked out by wasabi. holding hands....thats all i'm divulging, the rest is confidential.
 
but my point is this: 8 months apart can feel extremely long at times. looking back makes it all seem short, but while you're going through it, it just feels like forever.
 
there are times when you come home and you're ABSOLUTELY exhausted cause there was work, on top of a few hours worth of lectures and tutorials, bills to pay, laundry to be done, the room needs to be cleaned, and things go vanishing in your room (dont ask me why but my things just manage to do that - i lost brand new lipstick recently, and am still upset about it. especially since it was QUITE pricey. rm48 from the body shop. go get it for me if you like. the shade is something with the word ginger in it), assignments to finish etc etc etc etc.
 
and you fall asleep eating.
 
you are THAT exhausted.
 
just makes being apart seem harder..and more lonely.
 
i dont know how i'm going to deal with it this time around.  
02.06.08 (12:49 pm)   [edit]

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tribute to malinky

i dont know if you remember me mentioning my cat being poisoned towards the end of last year. i just felt that since he has made such a miraculous recovery, he deserves a whole entry on my bloggo.
 
lets take you back to when we first met :)
 
i came back last november, and found out we had a cat. a somewhat snobbish cat. you know how cats are. and this has the air of an alpha male. so that doesnt really help him get all cuddly with new people. i tried playing with him but i got snubbed. by a cat.
 
then came news of stray cats dying. for some strange reason, they are ALL on my compound before they croak. and i think we ended up with 3 dead stray cats or something. then we found out our own cat had been poisoned, but survived. he was very weak, but very much alive. we had no idea how long he'd stay around.
 
i'm not completely sure how he survived. but there are several theories among my family members.
  1. he caught and maybe ate a little poisoned rat.
  2. maybe it was weedkiller that had been sprayed somewhere and he got a little bit of it.
  3. maybe there was food left out for these stray cats, laced with a little poison.
either way, he survived. i dont know why my neighbour has to leave poison out like that. i do know they have a rat problem cause...well i've lived with them long enough. and they're in the pipe business or something so their house is just covered in pipes. and it looks DAMN UGLY. YEESH! if this were one of those neighbourhoods where you have certain standards to meet as a resident, i think they would've been kicked out a while ago.
 
if you wanna find my house, its the one with a very LOUD YOWLING MALE CAT that walks funny next to the one with the gazillion pipes. huge metal sewage pipes.
 
oh yes, my cat.
 
now, he survived, but couldnt eat or drink. so we thought he was a goner. my mum said that if he should survive the next few days, she'd bring him to the vet and see if its best to just put him to sleep.
 
but no! fate had a better deal in mind for my cat.
 
the vet said he was alright, but very weak. since he wasnt eating, he had to have supplements injected directly into his stomach. other than that, he also had STEROIDS. WOOW. kitty on roid rage? :P
 
in january he couldnt hold himself up and had to be fed. we feed him cat biscuits so those are easy to give him. he got thirsty a lot. and because he was so vulnerable, we had to put him in a cage. i dont like putting animals in cages, but in this case we didnt really have a choice. he couldnt afford to get another round of poisoning or fight another male cat.  
 
towards the end of feb and up till now, he has put on all the weight he lost. :D and he has started spotting lizards on the ceiling etc etc. his coordination is very very slowly coming back. last night he managed to jump down from my bed and land on his feet! before this he would just plop on the floor, and look ashamed because of the fall. oh oh and after he jumped down, he actually looked back a few times to make sure he landed right :P
 
this is SUCH and improvement from the cat who couldnt get up to eat. or walk without wobbling and then fall down all plopped. or the cat that yowled to my mama for attention because someone put him on the sofa and forgot that he couldnt jump down and had to be carried down. or kept tripping on his own paws and bumping into our car tyres (yea, he did) trying to run to my mama.
 
but despite all this, he is less snobby now. i think its cause he knows we really do wanna take care of him and so on and so forth. he's a more cuddly and stuff. and doesnt fight back so much when i give him a shower :P
 
well thats all about my cat. i'll put up some videos of him on my multiply soon.  
02.02.08 (8:45 pm)   [edit]

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before i forget...

the night of february the first, 2008 marked the downfall of our dear friend, PAK KIENG. not only is he responsible for the drunken stupors of our friends in the past year, he has documentation as evidence. video and photographic documentation. so on the FIRST DAY of the SECOND MONTH of THIS YEAR, it was to be the day PAK KIENG got a taste of his own alcoholic medicine.
 
HIS OWN ALCOHOLIC MEDICINE.....
 
now we didnt exactly drink much. all we had was a bottle of absolut vanilia (which was not bad, i must say) and lots of ice and some sprite. if you ask me, the vanilia tasted pretty yummy on its own. the effects of the vodka are slowly wearing off for me so pardon me if i end up making some mistakes on this entry.
 
story goes as follows, from MY experience.
 
met up with rachel at bing to catch up and yaketty yak-ed for a while before i head off to soho to BRING PAK KIENG DOWN FROM HIS SOBER TOWER. we were there early enough to get a decent table and seats for everyone.  it didnt take long for pak kieng to REAR HIS SOBER HEAD and it was less than an hour later that the alcohol started being consumed.
 
long story ahort..we were kinda worried for him as he was acting kinda strange. walking around soho, and drawing attention to himself.
 
has pak kieng been knocked off his sober tower??
 
somewhat.
 
the guys (tzia lok, chris and dennis) sent him home (apparently he stank - maybe from falling lying down in soho's toilet - and had one occasion where his fly was undone) while we girls danced it up at soho. music was not bad but it was the company i was with that made it super fun. man, i really miss some of my friends now, especially on nights out (ELLIS, LULU, LINDA you know i'm talking to you guys!)
 
later when the guys returned, they told us how pak kieng's mama was awake waiting for him (oh no..) and the first thing she asked when she saw him was "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU??" tzia lok just handed her pak kieng's glasses (he had taken those off) and more or less skeedaddled away. i dont blame him.
 
so...
 
the vodka has left me now. i'm thinking somewhat clearer. and i can conclude that
  1. i dont know how drunk we got our beloved pak kieng, but we still love him, even if he smells of soho toilet.
  2. and we will take care of him as best we can.
  3. and if we get tired of it, we send him home.
 
BWAHAHAHAHHAA.
 
pics up soon when i get them ALL. video too :P
 
oh yes, i cut my hair! FINALLY.  
02.01.08 (12:18 pm)   [edit]

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