And wither then? I cannot say.

One step forward and another two back

2006-12-20T02:07:00.000+11:00

Gosh it's been long since i last posted. Why? Mostly because i've had such a smashing semester i've hardly got time to. Also, i have suspicions that certain members of my family have stumbled upon my blog ( hi mom) and it's just weird having them track your life. C'mon, admit it, even the best of us have done things we hope dear old grandma never finds out.

I think i have bored most people into thinking that i have abandoned this blog which is good cos i was starting to get weird advertisements posted on my tagboard. I mean, who still clips their hedges with shears and do they actually mean gardening?

Anyhow, I'm back, busy as usual, but strangely bored. Christmas shopping is impossible along the crowded streets, carolling has left me butt tired and the new places ( vivo city especially) have failed to impress. I came back to oppressive heat and humid nights, and now I've ruined my nice shoes in the wet.

Bah and humbug, Im cranky, wake me up when december ends.

On another note, it's really nice to see everyone again. It's good to get back into the swing of things, catch up, have a cuppa. So call me if you're in town. Would love to see you.

pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici

2006-05-21T17:05:00.000+10:00

That's the proper name of the Knights Templar: Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. On the topic of the Knights Templar, well, I happen to be staring at a bunch of them. Funny, that.

I looked up from my sunday afternoon read to be greeted with kilts, scottish berets, and sword-bearing military-looking people. Judy ( my neighbour) too, looked out of her window. One of them waved amicably at her.

The next thing i knew, i was hurtling down the corridor, pounding on every door and yelling, "Oh my gosh, the Scottish Knights Templar are here!" The effect was immediate. Soon there were a bunch of us pressing our noses to the windows and gaping unabashedly at the men in medival colours.

" They are so cute!"
" Can we take pictures with them?"
" Yar, we should just stand next to them and do funny poses. They can't move right?"
" That's like the episode of Mr Bean... the one where he goes to London!"
" It's soooo Da Vinci Code."

So we went from room to room trying to get a good view of them. Min and i formulated a plan ( held together by false accents and bad fashion) which involved both of us pretending to be snap-happy tourists. But we were too paiseh to. And i think there's something about the Knights that is so steeped in history and awe-inspiring that is feels a bit sacrilageous go snap them like a tourist attraction. So instead we sent the brave soul on our corridor, Wen, to pull her best CIA skills and click the cam discreetly on her way to work.

So that's my excitement of the afternoon. I pity the guys in kilts; it's freezing outside. Thank goodness for their plentiful leg hair ( it's a new winter coat) . Back to the books. Semester pictures will follow if I get bored.

For more on the Knights Templar, see Wikipedia's article.

What Would Be Different If Men Really Ruled the World

2006-04-07T14:02:00.000+10:00

I know... it's so stereotypical and unfair, yadda yadda. But it's funny. And it's my blog. So piss off.

Any fake phone number a girl gave you would automatically forward your call to her real number.
Hallmark would make "Sorry, what was your name again" cards.
When your girlfriend really needed to talk to you during the game, she'd appear in a little box in the corner of the screen during a time-out.
Breaking up would be a lot easier. A smack to the ass and a "Nice hustle, you'll get 'em next time" would pretty much do it.
Birth control would come in ale or lager.
Each year, your raise would be pegged to the fortunes of the NFL team of your choice.
The funniest guy in the office would get to be CEO.
At the end of the workday, a whistle would blow and you'd jump out your window and slide down the tail of a brontosaurus and right into your car like Fred Flintstone.
Lifeguards could remove citizens from beaches for violating the "public ugliness" ordinance.
Tanks would be far easier to rent
.Garbage would take itself out.
Instead of beer belly, you'd get "beer biceps."
Instead of an expensive engagement ring, you could present your wife-to-be with a giant foam hand that said, "You're #1!"
Valentine's Day would be moved to February 29th so it would only occur in leap years.
On Groundhog Day, if you saw your shadow, you'd get the day off to go drinking. Mother's Day, too.St. Patrick's Day, however, would remain exactly the same. But it would be celebrated every month.
Cops would be broadcast live, and you could phone in advice to the pursuing cops. Or to the crooks.
The victors in any athletic competition would get to kill and eat the losers.
The only show opposite Monday Night Football would be Monday Night Football from a Different Camera Angle.
It would be perfectly legal to steal a sports car, as long as you returned it the following day with a full tank of gas.
Every man would get four real Get Out of Jail Free cards per year.
When a cop gave you a ticket, every smart-aleck answer you responded with would actually reduce your fine. As in: Cop: "You know how fast you were going" You: "All I know is, I was spilling my beer all over the place." Cop: "Nice one. That's $10 off."
People would never talk about how fresh they felt.
Telephones would automatically cut off after 30 seconds of conversation.

stolen frm glady's blog

My life in pictures- reverse chronological order: start from the bottom and work your way up.

2006-04-04T00:22:00.000+10:00

For the rest of the day we wandered about the city, taking pictures and behaivng like tourists.

2006-04-03T23:40:00.000+10:00

The weekend after that we had a joint celebration for Ling and Jielin. They're both 21! We had Yum Cha at Westlake, where we feasted on all things yummy and droolsome. We ate so much, no one could fit in any birthday cake afterwards. see the wide smiles? we are happy people.

2006-04-03T23:32:00.000+10:00

Pat made a great Captain Jacksparrow. The rest of the line up included the Guru, tinkerbelle, the charlie's angels, james bond and his chick, marilyn monroe and various action heroes.

2006-04-03T21:36:00.000+10:00

The week after that was Pat's 21st! It was a MASSIVE celebration at his house in Baldwin. It was a night of the red carpet, dazzling stars and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. We had a great time rubbing shoulders with the rich and the famous while downing bubbly and nibbling on cheese. Marilyn thinks it was a stellar party. So does the bond girl.

2006-04-03T21:34:00.000+10:00

The girls at dinner. Shuwen, Jielin, me, Neek and a whole rack of wine.

2006-04-03T21:31:00.000+10:00

We wound up at Grecco Bar and Grill for dinner. They've renovated over the summer and now instead of an all-red theme, they've gone the whole semi-goth-victorian way. I like. Check out the black chandeliers and iron latticework! Makes one feel sexy.

2006-04-03T21:30:00.000+10:00

Sunset over the docklands and Westgate bridge.

2006-04-03T21:29:00.000+10:00

The same view at night. I love the city. * cue smoky jazz strains*

2006-04-03T21:24:00.000+10:00

The MCG, Rod Laever and Vodafone Arenas, where most of the action of the Games was. And behind all that's the lovely blue Dandenong Ranges.

2006-04-03T21:19:00.000+10:00

South-Easterly view form the city. In the foreground is Crown Casino/ Entertainment complex, In the centre is St. Kilda Business District, the lake with a little island near the top right is Albert Park Lake, and the F1 Grand Prix runs around it. The beach and sea beyond is St. Kilda Beach and Port Phillip Bay.

2006-04-03T21:16:00.000+10:00

At the Melbourne Uni tram stop going to the Rialto towers to celebrate Jielin's Bday.
Clara, JL, Kaichin, Jiawei, Tim and Ravin

2006-04-03T21:01:00.000+10:00

Exactly how many pranks do we play on each other? Well, we bought JL this gorgeous Swarovski necklace for her birthday. Now, most girls would swoon at the sight of the familiar blue box. Not JL. When we first handed her the little blue bag, she eyed it suspiciously and and gingerly pulled out the box. When she opened the cardboard box and found another box in it ( these expensive things have so much packaging) she looked even more suspicious. It was only after she opened the 2nd box and saw the bling bling that she beamed and went, " awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. so niiiiiiicccccceeeeeee." Girlie, we might be mean, but not that mean. At least not on your birthday.

2006-04-03T20:58:00.000+10:00

It's Jielin's 21st! We surprised her at College Square with a cake and present. She threw open the door and was like " Whooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" She then promptly smacked KC and retorted, " no wonder you didnt want to open the door lar!"

2006-04-03T20:55:00.000+10:00

A transient surge of patriotism: the Singapore flag on Bourke St!

2006-04-03T20:50:00.000+10:00

Commonwealth Games in Melbourne! We're united by the moment. We are also united in our joint frustration at the public transport system.

2006-04-03T20:45:00.000+10:00

Corridor Life. We cooked. We also ate communally like people in refugee units. But that's ok!

2006-04-03T20:31:00.000+10:00

After a few failed attempts to fit into a bar (there were so many of us!) we decided to get some drinks and go back to 1J.

2006-04-03T20:30:00.000+10:00

We found the initial D car!

2006-04-03T20:28:00.000+10:00

Tom and Wennie!

2006-04-03T20:24:00.000+10:00

Judi's 21st dinner at Chinatown. It was nice. We had lots of chinese tea. I got my asian KFC. The boys slurped up the pork belly. We leave bursting at the seams.

I also happen to think Judi looks exceptionally pretty in this shot.

2006-04-03T20:21:00.000+10:00

I got this pic of Jey Han while we were waiting in the corridor to go to Judi's 21st. Think it looks like a promo poster for the no-drugs campaign. All it needs are words on the side: " one my one, my brothers left me." And in fine print at the bottom: " Drugs leave you all alone."

2006-04-03T20:18:00.000+10:00

Choir picture!

2006-04-03T20:17:00.000+10:00

Post-commencement port-and-cookies in the JCR. Nick, Kate, Hil and me. (There was no port. bugger.)

2006-04-03T20:14:00.000+10:00

I like this shot. We look so happy.
Seals and I laughing at drunk people trying to handle cameras

2006-04-03T20:12:00.000+10:00

Commencement dinner at college: Sze, me, Wen and Gladys (my baby!)

what's worse than a bug in your room?

2006-03-19T23:58:00.000+11:00

A bug in your room that you currently can't locate.

summer nights have been refreshingly cool, and my corridormates (holding up to the open-door policy) have taken to opening their windows. Which is terrifying for me because now the insects that used to fly towards the light and go splat on the windows have been gliding in and having a ball around my lamp.

Yesterday a moth flew in ( No, it's not in my mind, I swear I saw it)and promptly disappeared among my stuff. That sent horrifying images to my mind: opening the cupboard one day to find that all my clothes had been consumed my moths, one moth becoming 100 thousand by the end of the year ( these things reproduce fast) because the lost moth was pregnant, the moth landing on me while i was asleep, yadda yadda. I spent last night jumping every time my blanket brushed a bit of my exposed skin. Coincidentally, I also felt terrible this morning. I hate moths.

To bring it up a notch higher, I found the dismembered body of a (wasp? flying ant?) random flying insect on the floor. I didn't just find it. Noooooo. I stepped on it by accident, went oh! stooped down to take a look and nearly fainted. Thw best part is, I have no idea where the head is. Great, just great. Now i have a random insect head with accusing bulbous eyes lying somewhere on my floor waiting to be stepped on.

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Moving right along, the reason why Xing has no blogged in ages is because she has been busy. Nono, BUSY. The weekdays are busy with college stuff, and all my weekends are burnt dancing and horseriding and working in the kitchen and singing in chapel choir. I barely have time to socialise ( and i never thought i'd ever have to say that). Every weeknight i limp back to my corridor nursing my sore ankles or my sore head, or both. And my corrridormates are like,' Oh hello stranger! From whence have thou come? Do tell of thy travels.' I suspect they think I dont exist on weekends.

Ooooh and the IXIII Commonwealth Games are in Melbourne! The city is crawling with tourists, festivals, music and excitement. And the Queen's here! When I read that she had arrived a few days ago, I squeaked so hard at the dining table a Queener nearly spilt her milk in shock. I KNOW she's not my Queen, but it's still exciting. I mean, I went to visit her at her home 2 years ago and she wasnt there, and now she's come to visit me at mine!

Traffic is insane in melbourne. With lots of tram routes redirected, everyone encouraged to use public transport instead of drive, the place is crawling with pedestrians and people stopping randomly in the middle of the road to point a lens at something. Bad for window shoppers like me who will walk right into them while gaping at the shoes in the window of D&G. Thankfully most tourists ive walked into had nice big paunches so I could bounce off harmlessly.

The new tram routes have also confused the drivers themselves. I was on the tram heading up swanston street when it suddenly stopped right in its tracks (ooh bad pun) and the PA system crackled to life. The passengers all froze in horror.

The tram driver was laughing. Sheepishly. Like HEHEHE. kinda.

'Im sorry passengers * heh, ahem* we have gone the wrong way. We have to go back. Thank you.'

What the hell? we said to each other in confusion as the tram accelerated in the opposite way. Let us off, we dont wanna go back into the city, said some people, tugging frantically at the stop cord. But to no avail. We hurtled past 2 stops back to Queensberry hotel before the tram screeched to a stop. Still, the tram driver did not open the doors. Instead, he jumped out of the cabin with a huge spanner and cranked something on the tracks. That answered the question for most of us. The dude had forgotten to redirect the tracks! Sheesh. We are not stupid you know. You could have just told us. sigh.

By the time the tram started moving again, the driver had recovered his composure and his official stop-announcing voice. 'Next stop, Grattan Street'.

I shall leave the rest of tale to be told by the pictures. Life's a festival; dance, dance with me.

Postscript: Picassa is stuffing up. Xing can't post pictures. Xing is upset.

2006-03-19T18:43:00.000+11:00

To celebrate Jie Lin's 21st birthday, we first went to the Rialto Towers Observation Deck ( the highest point in the city) to check out the view. It was a first for most of us, and we were suitably excited. Bubbling like tourists, we ran around the circular deck, pressing our noses to the floor-to-ceiling windows and snapped many happy pictures.

I like the smell of a newly-struck match

2006-02-16T12:40:00.000+11:00

I can tell when it's going to rain in the next 12 hours by smelling the moisture in the air.

I love the colour yellow though it looks terrible on me.

I talk to my brother's stuffed lamb.

My hair has a life of its own- I can be in the best of moods but have a bad hair day.

I love leafy avenues and and country lanes, but I know i'd die away from the city.

Moths scare me hysterical.

I can generally point north by instinct.

I have weird recurring dreams with friends making cameo appearances.

I like black satin and dark lipstick.

People tell me that under all that dark hair, my roots are blonde.

I like thinking. Just sitting and thinking. And putting thoughts to paper.

Clare and I were talking about our friends and their quirks a few days ago ( friend of mine's vegetarian but eats fish because fish are ugly and should be eaten off the planet), and that got me thinking about myself and how people would view the things that make up me.

I didnt get very far down the list before I realised that while most people have seen a few of my quirks here and there, no one has actually seen the full collection of oddities that is me. I think at this point i came to fully understand what Leonardo Da Vinci meant when he said that painters should begin every canvas with a wash of black instead of a whitewash, because all things in nature are dark except when exposed by light.

The only things that people know about you are what you let them see.

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Moving right along to happier things, Im moving splendidly well into college and Melbourne. Classes have started. Jump- started, I should say, for in these 3 days i've learnt enough anatomy to make my head spin. All this while the sun outside is shining and everyone else is sunbathing on every available patch of grass. They are mocking me, I just know it.

Everyone has come back for a brand new semester! All is hell and chaos as people search for houses, move into new rooms, run about madly trying to claim all the stuff they left in various storage locations (usually the flat of a long-suffering friend who spent the summer scrambling over the cartons) and catch up with each other over coffee. My love goes to Tom and Wen and CY for being such sweethearts and helping me cart everything back to college. And for bearing the brunt of the embarrassment cos they were the ones who had to shepherd the Safeway trolley full of boxes back across the baby Roundabout of Death. We looked like homeless hobbos, yay!

Between the whole corridor, we have a microwave, a number of fridges, a toaster, 2 rice cookers, a coffee machine and some pots. Which means this year we can flick fingers at Eatkin's Monday attempt at curry and make something that tastes 10X better. Like instant noodles, for example.

OOOh and the new showers are pretty awesome. The showerhead's on the ceiling, so it feels like you're showering in the rain. Hot rain, but still rain. And someone has kindly left an iron in the bathroom so we can all stop looking like college students who rolled out of bed and into the lecture hall. It feels like a good start already!

Have a lot more to tell about Valentine's day and the Gaslight market, but that will have to wait cos it's thursday and yet again, I have waited for the last possible minute to do my PBL research. But that's ok. I love the syllabus this semester. We're doing thoracic cavity and locomotion, which means I get to poke and prod people with metal instruments and tell them things like 'you have acute laryngotracheobronchitis!' and other doctorly things.

Making up for the lag

2006-01-04T19:06:00.000+11:00

Just Singing, Singing in the rain! Singin' in the Rain was staged by the Queen's College Music and Dance Society from the 6th of Oct to the 8th of Oct 2005. Amidst the many costume changes, we managed to sneak in a few pictures backstage.

2006-01-04T19:05:00.000+11:00

Duncs and Emma

2006-01-04T18:59:00.000+11:00

Zoe and Jesse the bobby.

2006-01-04T18:54:00.000+11:00

Nothing like coffee to make a long wait sweeter.

2006-01-04T18:49:00.000+11:00

Me and Don Lockwood and a wad of cotton wool. says zoe behind the camera: one cheesy photo coming right up!

2006-01-04T18:47:00.000+11:00

Noni and me!

2006-01-04T18:45:00.000+11:00

Tanj and Jesse as upperclass snots.

2006-01-04T18:43:00.000+11:00

Miss Lina Lamont, the golden girl with the screech.

2006-01-04T18:39:00.001+11:00

( L-R) The taitai groupie whose rich husband owns a plantation in the far east, the vocal coach and the nosy reporter.

2006-01-04T18:39:00.000+11:00

The chorus girls

2006-01-04T18:38:00.000+11:00

Plummers, my dance partner.

2006-01-04T18:36:00.000+11:00

Lina Lamont's hairdresser, director and makeup lady.

2006-01-04T18:33:00.000+11:00

The girls at Valedictory Dinner.

2006-01-04T18:22:00.000+11:00

Valedictory day! For those not in college, it's the day where we sniff and wave white hankies at the people leaving the college at the end of this year. To the Queeners however... only we understand why we now fondly call it VB day instead. We start the day out early with a screening of 'The search for plastic fish', starring Queen's very own Haary Mo and Goldy. I have never seen so many college kids get up before 12pm. After making chalky skull many jugs of beer at The Clyde, we head back for a spit roast lunch. Here's lunch on the lawn with Gladys and Jess and the South Seniors: Gareth, Ben and Tamzin.

2006-01-04T18:20:00.000+11:00

The law girls

2006-01-04T18:19:00.000+11:00

Inter- Floor Volleyball Special: All-stars Vs the Weakest Link. Guess who won? Plummers show us his backward jump flip specialty.

2006-01-04T18:14:00.000+11:00

The Miss Queen's Pageant. The girls become depressed at the sight of guys actually looking better than us in OUR clothes. sigh.

2006-01-04T18:11:00.000+11:00

last year's winner arrives to pass her/ his tiara on.

2006-01-04T18:06:00.000+11:00

Harry Mo ( and newly crowned Miss Queens 2005 ) shows us his stuff.

2006-01-04T18:03:00.000+11:00

2006-01-04T17:52:00.000+11:00

Choir barbie. Michael shows us his culinary expertise and feeds us all.

2006-01-04T17:45:00.000+11:00

Us and our dear Dean of Chapel, Dot. Her daughter Miriam is the blonde bombshell next to me. She also has the loveliest voice ever.

2006-01-04T17:40:00.000+11:00

After the Advent Carols service. We have lovely tea with Zoe, who kindly came all the way back to Queen's to watch us. *tear of sentiment* Hilary still can't take pictures without blinking. Meg can't wait to go home after a semester away from it; right after the tea she jumps into the car and drives off.

2006-01-04T17:31:00.000+11:00

The view over Albert Park's Lake as we zipped past.

2006-01-04T17:24:00.000+11:00

Roadtrip to Phillip Island. The car breaksdown, we get stranded at a petrol station for 3 hours while Jiawei gets told repeatedly by the rental company that since we didn't know what the problem with the car was, we should drive on till the car grinds to a halt (!), potentially in the middle of nowhere. Houston the eternal opportunist explores the area and discovers great fish and chips. We, of course, never did see the little penguins (this is my second failed attempt at trying to) but the oily streaks we left on the car's bonnet ( that's in your face, stupid budget car rental) made us feel a little better.

2006-01-04T17:23:00.000+11:00

To make ourselves feel better, we go to St. Kilda for dinner, where we munch on everything seafood and creamy and full of butter, washed down with a bottle of sauv. blanc. After a short stroll on the beach and contemplating the bacardi breezers, we concluded that the roadtrip was not such a failure after all.

2006-01-04T17:22:00.000+11:00

My room at Queen's. See the piles of books? Im am studying in Melbourne. In the snippets of time between dancing and partying and drinking of course.

the sound of the future

2005-12-29T19:49:00.000+11:00

We went to the Ministry of Sound yesterday. And man, it blew me away. It's like, the coolest thing thing to hit our shores since um... the cheese prata.

Basically it was worth every bit of the hype. And the 8-year wait. I could go on and on about the massive dance floor ( this is the largest of all the MoS clubs in the world at 40,000 sqft), the many themed rooms, the exclusive booths, the drinks that pack a punch, the remarkable decor ( waterfall, bubble seats, chandeliers and all) and of course the music and sound system that literally move the floor. But why bother? You all should go check it out for yourselves ( if you can get past the 1 hour long wait in queue).

I woke up this morning shuddering at the bright, bright lights of day, a faint hum in my ears and vague flashes of last night running through my mind.

The dramatic dancer doing an interpretive dance to trance.

Punting on the podium. The roaring crowd.

The tangle of arms and legs in a chain link cage, bass thumping.

Jug skulling.

Pretending to dance to mambo. (Snake arms! The egyptian! The worm!)

Losing half the group now and then 'cos the place was so big. And so packed.

Everyone sprawled on the BIG white beanbag.

I had tons of fun.

I think we all did. Mostly because of the people I was there with. People that I could drink and be silly with, then dance and let my hair down like no one's watching. ( of course, a couple of drinks greatly helps the latter). We so have to do this again before I go back to Melbourne.

For those who aren't in Singapore, check out the Ministry of Sound Website. And feel our excitement!

Bangkok, Here We Come!

2005-12-27T06:05:00.000+11:00

We really should have paid heed when Clare's friend told her this about Bangkok. "Make sure you wear comfortable shoes, ok? You will have to run." And run we did, shopping heels, slippers and all. For 3 whole days, we ravaged the malls and markets of Bangkok, feasted on all kinds of yummy food, and got our tootsies pampered. What more can we ask for?

2005-12-27T06:03:00.000+11:00

Andy, our nominated tour guide, plans the route.

2005-12-27T06:01:00.000+11:00

Bangkok.

2005-12-27T05:58:00.000+11:00

Gab, Kenneth, Andy.

2005-12-27T05:55:00.000+11:00

Suan Lom night market. Clare, Fon and Manda waiting for food.

2005-12-27T05:53:00.000+11:00

Manda and I at Suan Lom night market.

2005-12-27T05:51:00.000+11:00

The ride brought back lots of memories. India sans elephants and buffaloes.

2005-12-27T05:45:00.000+11:00

Costume- hunting. The girls want to watch Thai cabaret. We are also inspired to wear the feathered headdresses and pretend we're in one. Clare says that Andy should wear the yellow one 'cos he'll look like big bird. I should get him striped socks for christmas.

2005-12-27T05:42:00.000+11:00

The jumping-shrimp lady. So fresh, they're alive.

2005-12-27T05:39:00.000+11:00

The open-air markets.

2005-12-27T05:35:00.000+11:00

The girls sneak off to Baskin Robbins for a rejuvenating shot of sugar while the boys are distracted by the (of all things) facial foam in the supermarket. The code BR is invented to induce fits of giggles.

2005-12-27T05:28:00.000+11:00

We pigged out at the jap restaurant and filled our table many times over. Fon introduces us to tuna belly and manda feasts on all things salmon. We drink enough green tea to cause much diuresis-induced toilet door-banging for the rest of the night. All these simple joys of life for $17 per person.

2005-12-27T05:24:00.000+11:00

The Victory Monument, my only claim to sightseeing in Bangkok. We passed it while caught in a massive traffic jam. Goodness, im not even sure what the victory was all about. Oh well.

2005-12-27T05:15:00.000+11:00

The boys went crazy at the Addidas shop in Siam Central. The stuff there was about 20% cheaper! And I laid my hands on an Asian- edition top that aren't in stores in Singapore ( you would think we would be considered as part of asia).

Clare springs a surprise on Andy by getting him a shirt. Unfortunately the saleslady screws up her lines. Thank goodness Andy is too tired and confused to notice. We all leave with too many paperbags.

2005-12-27T05:10:00.000+11:00

Us at Siam Paragon, this unbelievably massive shopping centre. The largest in South-East Asia, according to some. I got lost in it and ran into 2 tranny fashionistas, the prices are sky-high, and the security guards are actually nice.

Thus ended out trip to Bangkok. Toting out shopping bags proudly, we returned to the hotel to pack, hoping that our now-20kg carry-ons still looked feather-light.

Home (again)

2005-11-24T23:05:00.000+11:00

As I walked out of the airbridge and onto the maroon carpet of Changi Airport, I overheard 2 of the ground staff talking.

"Ey, later some of them have to get on to a different plane ley, you got tell them or not? Scully go wrong one then you know."

Grinning broadly as I dragged my it's-7kg-though-it-doesnt-look-like-it carry-on past them, I knew I was home at last. 3 whole glorious months of peace, quiet and zenning out. I even briefly toyed with the thought of finishing my knitting.

A month on and i find myself confused and a little frustrated.

I am keeping busy, but I can't seem to infuse any meaning into what i do.
My diary is a mess of scribbles and ticks, yet I cant seem to find the time for the big things I had promised myself before the holidays started. Salsa. Horseriding. Getting a job.
And for the first time, I feel so uninspired, so unchallenged, so bored, it's beginning to creep me out.

I want my sense of wonder back. I want to feel something, anything, even if it's pain.

I shared all this with my little brother by quoting our favourite author, ' I know I don't look it but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel thin...sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.', fully expecting the you-are-forgetting-the-important-things-in-life-you-need-to-reassess-your-piorities-you-are-losing-yourself-cos-you-are-too-busy tirade that usually accompanies such a confession.

Instead, he simply said, 'so rest.' And that was exactly what I needed to hear.

Hermitage

2005-10-27T20:36:00.000+10:00

Had a rather good night out yesterday with the girls. Went down to Viva Zapatas, a Mexican Restaurant on Lygon street, where we had 3 damn good litres of Margaritas and a whole plate of Nachos between the 5 of us. Which doesnt sound like much till I did some quick math and realised that it came up to more than half a litre each. By the end of the night it was like a scene out of Sex and the City, with loads of uncontrollable giggling, all- girl gossiping and dares to hit on the really hot waiter (with the oh-so-hot accent). Who said I watched too much tv?

I have a huge backlog of posts, mostly because I have been hurtling through life like a runaway train. Singing in the Rain, Inviolata ( the Spring music festival and choir concert), VD day(s), horseriding, a cool new peranakan-run restaurant serving true-blue Singaporean food, the discovery of a new jazz bar and my first taste of Absinth. Oh and many many many birthdays.

But I shall resist the temptation of blogging and network watching. Im paying painfully for having too much fun this semester. Swotvac starts next week and I fully intend to hide out and cram. If I do aything social, you guys are allowed to bitch slap me soundly and send me packing to the library. In fact, I might even be grateful once the finger-shaped bruises disappear.

My love goes to those back home reading this. I know I havent been online/calling/writing, but given the circumstances... Besides, I shall be home soon. For once, Im actually ready to go home.

2005-10-26T12:53:00.000+10:00

"I used to think that life was unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse, if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe."

Marcus from Babylon 5

one step up

2005-09-28T13:10:00.000+10:00

3 years ago, a bout of post-Sabah fever and shakes had led me to the doctor's office, where through the haze of my cloudy consciousness I heard something about malaria and having to take a series of jabs. Instantly my head cleared. I knew what I had to do.

"Er... is it alright if you let me die instead?"

And I would have preferred that over getting injections. The classmates who can recall the time I allowed 2 whole classes to skip ahead in line during the BCG test jabs in the hope that the nurses would forget about me would be proud of what i have achieved recently. I have done the impossible. I have attained the pinnacle of my career. I have injected myself. No, Im not on drugs.

We were at the Royal Melbourne attending a seminar about Diabetes Mellitus. At the end of the seminar, for reasons I have yet to figure out, the dude on stage suddenly said "oookay folks, we shall split into groups and do some injecting." At first I thought he was joking. I mean, you can't just make a whole bunch of people inject themselves in public; it must be against some animal testing rights or something. But oh no, when I saw syringes getting passed out, I nearly did myself.

Funny thing, peer pressure. In 5 minutes it can rewire19 years neuronal connections and make you do incredible things. At first I was resolute- no way was I ever going to stick a needle into myself. Anyone who would without actually needing it to stay alive must be sadists hell bent on self-destruction... oh wait, damnit, that means every one else in this room. Damn damn damn.

I looked around to check if anyone had noticed my still-sealed syringe. Next to me, my friend had jabbed himself in 3 different spots and was trying to do his thigh discreetly. He shot me a teasing come-on-you're-not-too-chicken-are-you-miss-future -doctor look. I shot him a poisonous you wish, steadied my fumbling fingers and finally opened the blister, removed the syringe and drew out the saline.

It really wasnt too bad. Mostly because I had pinched the fat on my stomach so hard, the pain from my fingernails digging into flesh overrode any other sensation in that region. I felt like wagging a finger in front of my friend ( who was pinching himself all over and complaining that he had no more fat areas left to jab) and yelling ' uh huh, in your face!' but decided against it. Instead, I turned to my right and evil-eyeballed this now-turning-green random with a sealed syringe. I had to pass on the love. :)

what next, I wonder. Maybe a chance to perform surgery on ourselves, methinks.

Photo Journals

2005-09-21T21:54:00.000+10:00

Everyone has been bugging me to put my pictures on my blog for viewing and downloading. So there you go, a pictorial respresentation of my life in the last three weeks. Boogie boogie.

2005-09-21T21:52:00.000+10:00

The girls' and boys' hockey finals were on Wednesday, and the college turned up to outcheer Ormond College (and to laugh at their bumble bee mascot).

2005-09-21T21:49:00.000+10:00

The hockey boys get ready for battle

2005-09-21T21:47:00.000+10:00

The very enthusiatic Queen's contingent showed up at the Hockey finals on Wednesday. And though we lost, we sure made up for it by having kick-ass spirit. That's Megan in the centre cheering her guts out.

2005-09-21T21:43:00.000+10:00

Go Queens!

2005-09-21T21:41:00.000+10:00

On friday the 9th of Sept we went to Bismi (home of Asians longing for Malaysian Mamak) to celebrate Eeling's birthday with a whole bunch of 28 people. We took up an entire section and probably cleaned out the kitchen. See? my one-birthday-per-weekend theory is proven true.

2005-09-21T21:37:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday CY! On Wednesday there was a great pounding on 3rd North and we burst into CY's room with cake and vodka shots. The boy's a ripe old 19 this year.

2005-09-21T21:35:00.000+10:00

The nicest pic of Wen and Tom that I have ever taken. :)

2005-09-21T21:34:00.000+10:00

CY shares out the yummy cake from (where else?) Brunetti.

2005-09-21T21:32:00.000+10:00

Friday evening was the event of the year for medfac- The Medical Ball! It was held at the lovely Carlton Crest hotel, overlooking Albert Park and the lake. The drinks were great, the music was pumping, and the food was gourmet (though small in portion). And there were so many people there (more than a thousand, I think)! It was incredible stepping into the massive ballroom. Here we are, the first 4 at our table, wondering where the IH people are. (and Weiyong was not smiling cos SOMEONE wasnt there yet.)

2005-09-21T21:24:00.000+10:00

other pics from the ball

2005-09-21T21:18:00.000+10:00

It was a masquerade ball, and everyone came disguised (somewhat).

2005-09-21T21:16:00.000+10:00

Pre-wined Kaichin.

2005-09-21T21:15:00.000+10:00

Pat the charmer (and a great dancer to boot).

2005-09-21T21:13:00.000+10:00

The girls, as usual, looked enchanting. (me, Cat, Jiahui and Monica)

2005-09-21T21:11:00.000+10:00

Johnathan and his happy tie

2005-09-21T21:10:00.000+10:00

Now Weiyong, Kaichin and Ee ling posing with Pat's hat. Getting a little too happy, guys?

2005-09-21T21:07:00.000+10:00

At the end of it all, we were jolly and pink on wine and spirits. And oh, 3 ambulances arrived to collect the med students who had OD-ed and were unconscious. Altogether, more than 10 people were sent to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, 3 of whom were classified under 'risk of death' from alcohol poisoning. There you go ladies and gentlemen, the future doctors of the world.

2005-09-21T21:02:00.000+10:00

The weekend of the mid-autumn festival

2005-09-21T21:00:00.000+10:00

We went to Bismi on Saturday to celebrate CY's birthday. We had Malaysian mamak food- what a glorious treat! ( CY. Jey Han, Special K, Wen, Sze, Cece, Gladys, and my scrumptious Masala Dosai. )

2005-09-21T20:57:00.000+10:00

The birthday boy and Jey Han tucking into the brani.

2005-09-21T20:54:00.000+10:00

Special K giving the onion salad a go