Random Halloween Flat Conversations

Setting: Where else?
Time: After tea, N and I watching random tv sprawled all over the couch and R is getting ready to go out.

R: [walks into the kitchen in a Superman costume and socks (whatever for??) in hand] A-HA!
[N & I burst out laughing]
R: What??
Me: [choking on laughter] I have to take a picture of this!
R: Oh, but you have to do me up first!! [turns to present me with an open back]
Me: There's no zip. [N continues to giggle]
R: No, no. There's a bit of string up here..
[I tie him up securely and rush off to find my camera, as I leave I hear R asking N something that sounds like "Does my croc look big enough?" Wha...?? But I'm deaf and the tv's on so I probably heard it wrong. I come back and...The socks are gone.]
R: Here, does my crotch look big enough?
Me: [gawks in disbelief. After a shocked second of silence there is uncontrolled guffawing]
R: Well??
Me: [look at R to say something, but collapse in laughter yet again]
N:Heh heh heh... It looks like you're wearing a giant nappy. [I'm howling by now]
R: Ahh, it just needs some shaping. [Start patting and shaping his Superman undies, I am beyond redemption] How about now?[turns to his side]
Me: Bwahahaha... It looks like you're pregnant in the wrong place.
N: Maybe if you rolled up the socks...
R: Maybe... [Goes off to enhance his "Superman equipment"]
[In his absense P shows up and everyone's just waiting for Superman to get his groove on, then he returns...]
R: [His hand is rummaging inside his costume] How's this look now??
[N, P and I are just sniggering like there's no tomorrow]
N: It looks really... [R continues to "fondle" his costume]
Me: It's a little disproportionate... [*fondle, pat, fondle*]
P: It looks... .... [*pat, pat, shape, fondle*] Ok, Superman. Ready to go? [Steps out the kitchen, I swear her shoulders were shaking in attempts to suppress more laughter]
R: [as he follows, he begins to pull something out from Superman's crotch] Oh all right, maybe an extra t-shirt was just a little ambitious.
N & Me: ... ...

Evil Homework

Begone, Evil Materials Lab Report!! Hence from mine sight!!!
No more shalt thou torment mine eyes with thy abominable graphs and calculations!!!
Begone! Begone!!!

More Random Flat Conversations

Setting: Flat kitchen
Time: Around 6.15pm

[R comes in whistling and singing "All You Need Is Love", I am not-so-desperately wolfing down my dinner since I have to go for an exercise briefing at 7pm]
{Note: Dinner is commonly referred to as "tea" in these parts. I'll never understand why}

R: Tea, tea, tea... [Sees overgrown leek] My leek is growing on its own!! Oh no!!
Me: *sniggers*
R: Hope my mushrooms are ok... [looks at mushrooms] Ohhh...
Me: Your fungi growing fungi?
R: My fungi have got fungi.

[A long process then begins where R rummages through the recesses of the fridge and the freezer compartment and throws out random things which have by now gone way off. "It's not the 13th of October anymore, is it?" "No." "Is this my meat??" Asks the fellow who one day, very kindly fed me with my own chicken. ('twas a case of mistaken chicken-tity) Then he almost blows up the microwave by leaving the freezerbag-tie (you know those little metal twisty things?) on the freezerbag (in the first place... isn't plastic NOT supposed to go into the microwave?) and then very nearly sets himself on fire by adding water into a pan of hot fat.]

Gotta love the kitchen. Everything happens in the kitchen. Like this morning.

[After getting up late at 8.30am, I'm eating b'fast and watching the news when D comes in]
D: Hiya, how're you.
Me: Not too bad. Where were you last night?
D: Aw, I stayed over at P's.
Me: You know, we could probably sublet your room to someone else. [D is my landlord btw. 20yrs old, a student, and he's my landlord...]
D: !!! I'm around!! Sometimes...
Me: Sometimes...
D: Besides, what would you do with all my clothes? [Eyebrows wiggling in defiance, challenging]
Me: [Thinks for a second] You could live in the closet.
D:... I don't like this plan.

Lazy Saturday

I should be working on my Materials lab report. But here I am in the kitchen, sprawled out on the couch, BBC NEWS 24 on the telly, my logbook open on the coffee table and me blogging about my lack of motivation instead.

And I'm hungry. But it's only 4.45pm. And I feel like snacking. But I don't have any snacks and I SHOULDN'T be snacking in the first place.

It's so quiet in the flat... D's off sailing somewhere, R's off romping around in Skye and N works weekends. Can't stand this absense of human presence. Which explains why the telly's been on a good half of the day.

Argh..... Where has all my motivation gone... I was doing so well up until a couple days ago...

*quietly fizzles*

Random Flat Conversations

Setting: Flat Kitchen
Time: After a considerable amount of sugar and some dead silent time staring at textbooks

Me: We should have a flat party some time!
N: Yeah! That'd be cool. But I don't know if D would allow it though...
Me: Ahh, he will. I mean, he's young right...
N: Yeah, that's true.
Me: And he's got his whole life ahead of him.
N: ... ...

*uncontrollable laughter ensues*

Hence, it has been decided that at some point, there will be a party in celebration of D's youth. And that day shall then on be known as D's Day. I believe that a committee will be formed to petition for D's Day to be decreed a public holiday.

What?!?

She is actually still in class! It's a bloody miracle. How did this happen? Thought she'd be retained in first year but NO! She's in 2nd year with the rest of us!!! Maybe something went wrong in the school administration... No... It's just a miracle that's what it is... (O_o) Armageddon must be approaching...

(p.s. this is the one who during the start of first year, had to ask what a hard-drive was... (>_<)

Back In Sunny Aberdeen

Yeap. Back in the City of the Grey Buildings. Landed yesterday at about 8.40am (about 3.40pm SG time) and prayed like mad that at least one of my new flatmates were going to be in when the taxi pulled up. The rest of the day was spent unpacking everything - from the luggage I brought back from Singapore to the stuff that I'd left here over the summer. By the evening, say around 7pm, I finally had a room fit for a siewmai. I have photos of the chaos-ridden version. These will be posted soon along with the "acceptable" room once I've taken photos of it. It's smaller than my old one in Elphinstone, but somehow nicer. Cosier, would be the word for it.

Today was no less exciting as I set off to get registered and finally start life as a 2nd year engineering student. But before gaining official student status, there is the obligatory merry-go-round, run between the same few buildings game thought up by various administrative staff to torture poor students who don't know any better. The sequence kind of went like this:

Engineering office --> Advisor's office --> Engineering office --> Advisor's office --> Senior Lecturer's office (in charge of the MEng interviews, the nice man gave me an informal interview on the spot without me having to make a separate appointment! :D) --> Engineering office --> University Office Registry --> Late Registration booths in the NEXT building (?!?) --> Registry --> Cash office --> Registration booths

So after about 2 hours (maybe slightly more), I finally collected my student card for the next academic year. In fact I almost had to go back tomorrow morning since the wait for authorization (for my fees) at the cash office took about 30min. And by the time I rushed back to the registration booths for my card, they'd just closed up. Was about to turn back, defeated, when the lady in charge came out of the computer rooms behind and made an exception for poor ole me. Yay! I must've looked really pathetic and desperate by that point. Heh heh.

So! It's back to school for me, now with internet in my room. Hohoho! But don't worry. I will still be the good student that I've been for the past year. I will do my homework and I will refrain from watching tv (don't know what there is to watch anyhow) and wasting time on the internet (CHALLENGE!! (O_o)). The aim will be to continue with the straight A's.

Oosh! がんばります！

P.s. I hope everyone realizes that I'm being sarcastic in the title. Own up all who had no idea until they read this... Be honest now... :p

Aa...AAA... AAAOOOOUUUWWWW!!!!

I think that was the sound I was making on the operating table this morning (or yesterday morning, strictly speaking) when L removed my stitches. There were only 3 but FRIGGIN' HELL IT HURT!!!! It was worse than the actual surgery itself. At least during the surgery I had no feeling whatsoever in my leg. It was like being pinched really hard on just my skin, with the pain increasing each time a stitch was removed. Notice how if you just grab a big lump of somebody it actually hurts less than if you just grab a small bit of them and pinch with about the same force? Well, imagine the latter, except worse, three times and with increasing intensity each time.

It was painful.

At least Uncle A came in to have a look at how I was holding up and how the wound had healed (unlike a certain unsympathetic parent... Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. But goodness, my dad can be so daft sometimes... Even my mum doesn't know what to do with him).

On the bright side! Had 9-for-$9 Sakae lunch with Jemalelinh AND found a cool book on designing. There were actually 3 books I saw in Kinokuniya that I really wanted to get. But since I bo lui... "Just go for the middle one lah!" as Jemalelinh said.

The other books were Engineering in History (potentially useful in my course, heavy {sort of} reading... I liked the illustrations) and The Physics of Superheroes (boring old Science put in relation to pop culture!?! FUN! Yet educational!).

But well... お金がない。 No marh-nee arhhh...

What the F***?

Haiz... Remember my abcess and the minor surgery I had for it? Guess what?

I got sliced up again today.

Don't ask me how or why this happened. I don't know myself. Couple days after I came back from my Malacca trip, I discovered a small little lump just below the original wound. It was much smaller and didn't look as bad, but my mum started me on a course of antibiotics just in case. It went down quite quickly. In fact until about 2 days ago, it had gone completely flat. Then it suddenly resurfaced. So there was nothing else to do but to go and see Uncle A and get it checked out.

He was actually reluctant about removing the thing since I'm supposed to be leaving on Sunday. But after discussing it with my mum, it was decided to operate. He didn't really have to drain it this time. There was no pus or fluid, or none that I was really aware of. As far as I could tell (after being heavily aneasthetised in the leg and lying flat on my back), this time it was mainly snipping and removing of tissue. And this time he could stitch it up, so it definitely wasn't as badly infected as the last time. He showed it to me afterwards in a little container of formalin (which was to go to mum for testing... was that really necessary?? I mean... if it's just a simple infection...). It just looked like little white lumps of (now dead) tissue. Afterwards my mum told me that Uncle A said it was probably fibrous tissue that got infected or the other way around. It's possibly related to the original abcess... I don't know... Mum will look at the thingy tomorrow, or rather her lab techs will and she'll get the results tomorrow.

All this means that I will VERY likely delay my going back to Aberdeen, since the stitches need to be removed in a week or so. (T_T) Just had to send off 3 or 4 e-mails to various University staff to inform/reschedule/ask for further advising regarding various procedures.

Plus it hurts.

I will cry. *haiz*

[Update 15 September 2006, 4.42pm: Yup. My flight's been changed for the 26th. Means late registration, late start in class and rescheduling the MEng interview... (T_T) ]

When Words Fail...

A simple gift,
From one friend to another...

























In the midst of white Forget-me-nots,
Yellow roses...



A simple reminder never to forget the friendship found within,

And a promise to do the same.

Not Happy

Absolutely NOT happy.

SQUEAL!!!!

I own a kebaya!!! \(^o^)/\(^o^)/\(^o^)/

Yes! Is a very nice dark purple/pink kind of colour, and is tailored just for me!!! \(^o^)/ I like it very much... *Rabu rabu*

Well, sometime ago, Mum and I decided to make a trip up to Malacca for a day or two. So on Tuesday, we finally went. Actually quite fun to just go up Malaysia, stay a night and come back the next day. We kind of went a bit mad, walked to all the museums, even when some of them threatened to close with us inside. I must say the old Peranakan house was very interesting though. Oh and it was a very sinful trip as well... Tuesday we had Melaka cendol... TWICE. Once from a family stall and later that night in the hotel, after dinner. *phhooo* It was very good. And very filling. The trick is the gula melaka I think. It was FRESH. Sticky too. Yum. Wednesday morning was spent being driven around by a self-appointed tour guide (we only wanted a taxi to the Portugese settlement. The cab driver had other ideas..) to a bakery and a honey farm. Which was actually very good, I'll admit. The bakery's special sambal tau sah piah and sambal mooncake was very tasty (actually just the hebi hiam lah... no chili involved). *slurp* All-in-all, it was a very sinful 2-day, 1-night in Melaka. *burp*

During our little walkaround trying to find all things peranakan, we found this baju maker and oooooooh... TOTALLY fell in love with his embroidery. All hand-embroidered patterns!! Gah! It was breathtaking. So of course, being suckers for peranakan baju, my mum and I promptly bought a pattern each (comes with free batik each ok! Good deal ah!) and walked down to the tailor next door.

And today, my mum went back up to collect the baju while I attended Jemalelinh's niece's christening (SHE'S SO CUTE!). WAH HA!!

I love my new kebaya!!!!

Wry, huh?

Discworld: Which Ankh-Morpork City Watch Character are YOU?

Commander Sir Samuel Vimes
Take this quiz!








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Bet if it were just Discworld characters in general, I'd be Death.

HA. HA. HA.

Sub-contracted By Monkey

Say hello to Research Assistant Siew Mai.

As the tree-top swinger has been contracted to write an article on the four major festivals of the four major ethnic groups in Singapore, she has sub-contracted the quickly becoming over-steamed dimsum to do some pushing of paper for her. This should be interesting. I forsee the Monkey as a tough boss. Well, I'll be getting paid and the topic is quite, quite interesting so ONWARD MARCH... er... PUSH PAPER!!

It isn't much but it's something and really, anything that goes "kaching!!" shouldn't be sniffed at. And it will help out with the household expenses for at least the next month or so.

Hmm.

Did I ever mention the overwhelming guilt I feel whenever I think about the $10,000 CPF debt I owe my dad from my NUS days and the fact that we're... I'M now eating into the money my mum put away in hopes of early retirement? GOD it's depressing. Try not to think too much about it. Without forgetting it totally of course. Keep thinking, "Do it right this time! Get a good degree, good job and pay it all back in the end". But still... ARGH. I hate myself sometimes. Stupid mistakes made for stupid ideas.

I Feel Like...

a) Eating Pocky. Don't ask me why in particular, I just feel like it.
b) Going drinking
c) Going dancing
d) Karaoke-ing

Another Meme

This time taken from Ms Yuene.

A. Post a list of fandoms (games/comics/movies/tv/books).
B. Have your friends list guess your favourite character and favorite pairing from each one. (If there are any... May not be depending on the show)
C. When guessed, bold the line/slash through it, include the character name and/or pairing, and write a sentence about why you like that character/pairing. (bold is for characters, slash-through is for pairing)

1. Samurai 7
2. Blood+
3. Fullmetal Panic
4. Trinity Blood
5. Saiyuki
6. City Hunter
7. Otogizoushi
8. Samurai Champloo
9. Spider-Girl
10. Loveless
11. La Femme Nikita (US TV series version)

Random Meme

Because I'm bored. Taken from Aronwy's blog.

Instructions: Name 20 people you can think of at the top of your head. Don't read the questions before you write, and tag 5 people to do the survey.

[I'll try to use online monikers as much as possible... just in case... Those whose actual names I've put down, if you'd rather I not just drop me a note and I'll change it.]

1. Aronwy
2. Jemalelinh
3. Yuene
4. Monkey
5. Yuwei
6. Lee Su Mei
7. Mel Fann
8. Nekoweenie
9. DrAnIxX
10. Phoenich
11. InfernoXV
12. Sing Yee
13. Shuaha
14. Leninkoh
15. Bai Yu
16. Caitlin
17. Sai
18. Joanne
19. Suzanne
20. Minna

Questions:
1. How did you meet number 14?
Crappy classmate back in ACJC... Hahaha! :p

2. What would you do if you had never met Number 1?
Err... Probably wouldn't have been part of the "mutant family" back in upper secondary...

3. What would you do if 20 and 9 dated?
Ah ha.. AAAAH-HAHAHAHAHAH!!! *dies laughing* I really don't think so. Don't think Anna would approve in the first place and also, SO not Minna's type. No offence to DrAnIxX of course..

4. Would 6 and 17 make a good couple?
OMG. No.

5. Describe No. 3.
Quirky, smart and plain nuts. Haha... All the signs of a genius... Or the criminally insane.

6. Do you think no.8 is attractive?
Yup. Think she's pretty inside and out. (^_^)

7. Tell me something about No.7
Her dog peed on me...

8. Do you know anything about no.12's family?
Erp... Not really... *sheepish look*

9. What is no. 18's favorite...?
Cartoon character? Spongebob Squarepants. Guy? Dave. Although he probably has stiff competition from Spongebob.

10.What would you do if 11 confesses that he/she likes you?
If he didn't like me, he wouldn't be my friend right? DUH. Oh. You mean ROMANTICALLY??? BWAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!! Eh, Edz, what do you say? *snorts*

11. What language does 15 speak?
中文。

12. Who is 9 going out with?
Anna.

13. How old is 16 now?
24 years old

14. When was the last time you talked to 13?
Err... Before I went to Siem Reap... *looks sheepish again*

15. Who's 2's favorite singer?
Well... One of them is definitely Mr Crooncrooncroon Bub(b)le himself...

16. Would you date number 4?
No because a) don't lean that way, unfortunately, and b) anyway, she's taken already. I don't stand a chance. :p

17. Would you date 7?
Didn't I say I don't lean that way? Anyway (for the sake of bored hypothesizing), even if we did we'd proabably kill each other within the first few dates. Better to stay as friends who bitch together. Mwahaha...

18. Is 15 single?
No.

19. What's 10's last name?
G****i. (Unless he tells me is ok to put his real name here)

20. Would you ever consider being in a relationship with 19?
... (-_-''')

21. What school does/did 3 go to?
Er... Methodist Girls' School, Saint Andrew's Junior College, National University of Singapore

22. Where does 6 live?
Currently somewhere in the States, although her SG home is er... Greenleaf... Drive? Road? Something like that....

23. What's your favorite thing about number 5?
Anything also can crap to her. And she's easy to spook. Hirhirhir...

24. I tag...
Phoenich, Monkey, Nekoweenie, Jemalelinh & Yuene

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

Help!!! My "terrorist" of a baby cousin has discovered my MSN contact!!! HELP!!! Betrayed by my own brother!!! AAARGGH!!!

All stations: ABORT ABORT ABORT!!!

Connectivity: Low

I don't exactly know when this started. Might have been yesterday, or it may even have started at the beginning of the week, or possibly earlier. Today, it just became very clear and very obvious to me.

I'm feeling somewhat disconnected. With things and even people that were close to my heart. There just seems to be something in the way, even when I'm right next to it/him/her/them.

I went back for Rag, just for the heck of it, and also because I promised Yow that I would. I'm glad I did, since I managed to see people that I probably would not have seen otherwise. Plus, KR won the Vice-Chancellor's Shield for the first time in 5 years and that's worth going down for. But in the process of catching up, reminiscing and having lunch, it became clear that somewhere along the line, the connection had failed. Of course, with people that I never had much to say to in the very beginning, it now became nothing to say at all (which I'm not very sorry about, in this particular case...). But with those that should've mattered, something was lost. I'm sad to say I felt a tinge of something similar during the latest MMM. Oh it was fun, don't get me wrong. Just that now... It was more like being an observer rather than an actual participant. I don't know.

I was asked a couple of times - by a couple of people - if I even managed to make any friends in my first year there. The truth is, I don't know. Classmates... Yeah, some I get along with better than others. My study group - we work well together during the term, but during hols... My flatmates? Sure, we were close (I think) but in a sense, we HAD to get along. Other Singaporeans or Malaysians? I had meals with them a grand total of 3 times in that 1 year.

Friends? The girls from Flat 3E aside... Not really, no. You could reprimand me and say that I've been somewhat anti-social. That I should try to go out more, participate more in their social events and take in more of their social culture. But I'm sorry. I just don't see the point in going out every single night just to get pissed.
EVERY.

SINGLE.

NIGHT.

I went there to get a freaking degree, not to achieve the world's largest beer belly, nor to compete in "How Many Spiked Drinks Have You Been Offered" or "How Many Marijuana Joints" competitions. And if I sacrifice a social standing by refusing to conform to certain "hip & happening" ideals, well so be it. I'm a low to moderate-level nerd and possibly a rather boring person. SO WHAT. Last time I tried being someone everybody wanted or expected me to be it didn't turn that well.

And if I lose certain levels of connection with people for being me... Well... We'll see how such things play out.

Siew Mai Blur Liao

I see Monkey & Wai explaining the rules of mahjong and I blur already. Despite many people telling me how easy it is, I really blur diao le... (O_o)?

My first MMM in about a year!! It's quite good to see the TLG again, since we've sort of lost contact. Mostly my fault I would say, since I hardly update my blog anymore and if I do, I rarely write anything worthwhile. Plus I tend not to say anything to anyone even if I'm logged on to MSN. Yes, so my apologies, TLG people... I shall strive not to be so anti-social anymore.

National Day MMM with a boardgames theme this time!! Been playing Cluedo and some violent french version of UNOcumSnap courtesy of L'Ham. Now there is very intense game of monopoly going on and a beginner's round of mahjong. Of which I've even given up being an observer. Can you imagine if I were actually trying to learn. HAH!!! It will never happen.

MENU!!!
National Day Monkey Madness Meeting
1) Indian & Chinese Rojak - L'HamLHam (:p) & Tore
2) Baked Pasta - Siew Mai
3) Fried Stuff & He Ye Fan (Lotus wrapped rice) - Joelle
4) Localised Columbian Prawns - Monkey
5) Chicken Wings - FatCat
6) Rice (porridge-turned-)Pudding - Tore
7) Tiramisu - Wai
8) Peanut Butter & Chocolate Tart - Mrs Budak

Actually I think that today's menu is slightly below the average TLG's standard. We usually eat more. Muahahahaha.....

Ok. Back to observing the mahjong kia....

[Update 12.06am: Many apologies for getting LHam's spelling wrong. *bows deeply* I could offer to sacrifice a mutant Aberdonian seagull to attone for my sin... Although ah, Ham... If you wanna be SPB, wouldn't a pseudo-french-sounding moniker be in your advantage??? Hee hee!! (^_^)v]

あぁ... かっこいい...

I've just opened up the latest Trinity Blood manga (#6). Siiiiiigggghhh...

Hugh is on the cover this time and he just looks too hot to handle!! Gah!!

ユーぐ神父！ちょうかっこいい！！ (*_*)

In other news! Siew Mai is going to Cambodia tomorrow!! Woooo!!!

[7.44pm Update: Ok apparently the latest ToriBla manga out is #7. BUT #6 is the lastest one out in Singapore... That I've seen anyway. If I actually did miss #7 I will... Get a new pair of glasses....]

Well, Loop-dee-doo

Who would have thought that so much can happen in just 9 months?

Having pretty much lived in a cave during my first year in Scotland, I was only vaguely (to say the least) aware of various happenings in SG -- although I admit that this ignorance wasn't without a certain amount of glee. Ignorance is Bliss, they say. Heck, my mother had to explain to me the story behind the "Bak Chor Mee" podcast she sent over our weekly telephone call.

Now, I have just finished reading the now infamous Mr Brown article and the Response (oh yes, capital 'R'. Why not?) it got. Well, well, well.

Withholding all the scathing remarks I could make, I will just say this:

Well Done, Mr Brown. You have proven to us that the thinking Singaporean is not so much of a myth after all. Well Done.

Oh Yeah. I'm Back.

Er... Yah... Landed on the 5th actually. Just haven't blogged yet...

Oops...

Siew Mai Can... Knit??

I'm trying to learn how to knit. I just went and bought a £10 Easy Knit Scarf-in-a-Bag kit.

Lord help me... I'm turning into some kind of domesticated dim sum. (>_<)

Results!

Haiz.. After a week of beautiful sunshine and warm breezes, we are back into grey skies and constant drizzles. Will it ever really be summer in Aberdeen?

I've got my results! Still going pretty strong, although lost one 20 due to careless calculator mistakes (yes, calculator. My written calculation formulae were all correct but due to careless punching of buttons, ended up with wrong answers which were mostly corrected during last 5 minutes of the exam; but not enough to ensure a full 20. Sigh.). Still managed to get pretty good marks though, and there was mild improvement in my practical course since last term.

Siew Mai's Results, 2005/06 2nd Half Term

EG1527 Applied Mechanics and Structures - 19
EG1567 Electronics and Electrical Systems - 20
EG1570 Engineering Communication, Design & Practice - 16

(Graded according to CAS table, max 20)

One of these days I'll have to put up a table of corresponding percentages... 20 is like 85-100% or something like that.

(^_^)v Siew Mai banzai!! Ha... This is called 老王卖瓜、自卖自夸... MWAHAHAHA....!!!!

You know what else this means?? I have finished first year engineering in Aberdeen!! *Goes mad* YAAAAAAAYY!!!!!!!!!

Museum Ramblings

Practically every day of the 9 months that I've been in this grey city, there has been a seagull sitting smugly on the roof of St. Mary's, staring into our kitchen window. I swear that it's the same seagull every single time... Smug little shit... I will throw a stone at it one day.

Decided to walk over to the Gordon Highlanders' Museum today. Not as far as I thought it would be. I was prepared to walk a good 1 1/2 hours to reach it but it only took about an hour+. It held a good amount of history in it, and the museum "guides" (who are really all veterans or sons/daughters of veterans that have volunteered to keep the place up and running) are more than happy to bring you around. In fact, it's a good idea to ask as many questions as possible or to exude an aura of great interest because you will then get treated with a good many personal stories from the veterans themselves, giving you a more personal side of the Highlander regiment.

It's a pity that this year, all of the Scottish regiments (the Gordon Highlanders, Black Watch, etc.) have been amalgamated into one single Royal Scottish Regiment. Each of them had their own unique history and identity. And there has been more than just a little resentment at this amalgamation.

All in all, a nice day spent walking (2 hours ++ in total. To & fro you know..) and absorbing in more of Scottish history. I'll probably go back to that museum again before I go home, go through everything in more detail next time (was a bit late today, arrived about 1 1/2 before it closed). For £2.50, it's well worth a second look. And I'll definitely have tea in the tea room the next time.

A limited Da Vinci collection should be on display at the Art Gallery starting this week or next. Will need to have a look at that one as well.

Ha? Maji ka??? Usou darou?? (O_o)

Another nice day in Aberdeen. Looks like things are finally taking a turn for the better. Except that the accomodation office has chosen today to allow some construction people to come and make a ruckus in the loft. Doing some kind of maintenance work. I don't know. The letter said they would be there for about half a day and there'd be minimum fuss/noise. My foot. There were sounds of drilling and hammering and stomping. They started around 9am and it's now 2pm and as far as I know, they're not even half-way there. Chances are they'll only troop out around 4pm and that is definitely NOT half a day. Harumph.

Anyhowz, I called up the travel agent today to change the date on my return ticket and to my surprise, I was told that I couldn't change my ticket! HUH?? The last time I called it was to see if I could change my outbound date and I was told only my inbound flight was changeable. Now apparently I can't change anything at all? Was more than a little confused, I can tell you that. Was quite irritated as well, mainly at being given wrong information, either now or previously. At least the girl who picked up my call was decent enough to do a second thorough check and sure enough, it turns out that I was informed wrongly the first time around. Bloody hell (unsaid over the phone of course, I'm quite the gracious phone customer... what... I know the terrors of unreasonable demands made over the phone ok, of course I'm nice over the phone). But she suggested I go down to the KLM office in SG to see if anything can be done as it may be easier on that side.

In any case, I am determined to stay longer in Singapore. There is nothing for me to do here if I come back in early August and the lease for my new place only starts in September.

Fear not friends!! Siew Mai is not so easily defeated!!!

p.s. Ahh... The title may or may not make sense (to those who can understand my broken Japanese anyhow) in context to the post... Mostly, I just felt like saying it. BWAHAHAA

Advertising The Other Blog

Yah. 2 new drawings on ~Siewmanime~ .

So shameless hor....

Weather has turned dreary again. Haiz...

Let There Be Sunlight!

SUN!!

OMG!! Today has been incredibly good weather. I could even go out without my sweater. Had lunch by the beach, then walked around the university's botanical gardens and went crazy talking pictures of the brilliantly coloured flowers until my camera's battery died on me. £"%£&... Then, went and bought a cold chicken pasta salad and had dinner on the King's College Lawn wtih Suzanne and Joanne, among other fellow sun worshippers and damnable seagulls. Ooohh... It was just such a lovely day today. *happy sigh* Hopefully tomorrow is just as nice. (^_^) Go jogging!! Yes yes... Must get back into the running routine. I'm so out of shape now. Yesterday I looked into the mirror and OMG!!! Shades of a double chin coming back to haunt me!!! いやだ~~！！！！ (T_T) Siew Mai is really becoming a dumpling in Scotland.... I shall run off and join the circus. I'll be a part of the side freak show as the amazingly fat dumpling. (T_T)

Oh! And btw, I'm planning to extend my stay in Singapore. So prob be there for an extra month. (^_^)v Well... For anyone who cares anyhow...

So Many Updates... ゆっくり読で下さい

Right... Time to do some major updating, as I keep promising.

Ok. Let's start with the opera. Verdi's Rigoletto by the Chisinau National Opera. It was beautiful! Trooped down to the Aberdeen Music Hall last Sunday by myself since my flatmates weren't exactly big fans of opera. Ohhh... It was their loss. The baritone, Vladmir Dragos, who sang the part of Rigoletto was no less than wonderful. His voice just rang in your ears even after he'd left the stage. Wasn't too sure about the tenor who sang the part of the Duke though. Thought he was a bit shaky at times. However, that said, he did manage to pull off La Donna e Mobile quite nicely, although personally I thought he could have done with a little less self-dramatization. Thought his chest was going to explode at the end.

All in all, it was a great show. The live Golden Eagle didn't make an appearance, due to the small size of the venue, which was sad. And the period costumes were just really really pretty. (^_^) The Marriage of Figaro (can't remember which troupe is singing) will be playing somewhere in the middle of June, definitely going to check that out.

*******************************************************************

What next... Oh yes. Last Tuesday. Had a minor case of homesickness and emotional breakdown. Was just feeling generally unhappy that whole day, and kept thinking that my flatmates had some kind of agenda against me. Talk about paranoia. Finally, just before I went to bed, something inspired me to pick up that book of daily lessons that my great-aunt gave me. The Gentle Spirit's Lesson for May 30 - Calling In The Troops. And it started:

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."~ Proverbs 11:14

The lesson talked about how in our weakest moments, we are made to think that we are alone in our battles and there is no one who could care less about us. But it's not true. Because there is the Man himself, always standing behind us in case we fall. The lesson ended with this verse:

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray for another, that ye may be healed."~ James 5:16

And with that, I went straight to my flatmate's room and asked if she would hear me out for a bit. We talked, I cried and she comforted me, and shared her own insecurities of living in a foreign place, far away from home.

As far as I am aware of, God's sent me an angel once before. I'm sure there were more, but of those that I'm aware, there's one. That night I believe that I was on the brink of slipping into depression again. But something stopped me. Picking up that book brought me face to face with God. He gave me personal reassurance. And then, once more in my life, God sent me an angel.

*****************************************************************************

Friday night, I had 1 Singaporean and 3 Malaysians over for dinner. I've been hitting myself over the head ever since because I forgot to take photographs of the dinner party and more importantly, of the dinner itself. Bad Siewmai, Bad! Oh well... Here was the menu anywayz:

2 June 2006, Siewmai's Singapore Night
1) Chili Prawn (using Prima Taste Chili Crab mix)
2) Chili Tau Gan & Vegetables (also using above mix. My neighbour Sally is a vegetarian, so to be a good hostess, must cater for everyone)
3) Beef Curry (actually supposed to be Prima Taste Beef Rendang.. but I added too much water...)
4) Quorn hamburger Rendang (Quorn is a brand of frozen foods that specializes in vegetarian "meats", their main ingredient is something called mycoproteins.. I think. But it's good!)
5) Vegetable Fried Bee Hoon
6) Stir Fry Mushroom Sauce Choi Sim
7) Thai White Rice
8) Mark's & Spencer Lemon Cheesecake - provided by the SEAsian gang
9) M & S Blueberry Pie (as of yet, still uneaten) - also from the SEAsians

Except for the dessert, everything else was cooked by yours truly (with the help of Prima Taste for the main dishes). Except for the failed beef rendang-turned-beef curry (which was still quite tasty in the end), I must say that I'm quite proud of myself. Everything turned out quite nicely. Everybody seemed to enjoy the food, and even Suzanne and Sally managed to down quite a bit of the spicy Singapore food. And thankfully, everybody had fun! It was a success in my books. I'm glad I managed to get Grace and gang over for dinner before everybody left. I know for sure such dinner parties will not be possible in my new place next year. It's too small.

1 point for Siew Mai. YAY!

Anyone want to request Siew Mai's cooking? ;) It'll only be available for a month. Well... About 3 weeks, really. I'm off to Cambodia during the last week of July.

Siew Mai Lives On!!

OK!! I've decided not to close this blog down. In fact, I've remembered what blogging was all about! Anything and everything can be blogged about can't it?? I think I just forgot how to blog because of prolonged periods on non-blogging. OK! Well. Siew Mai is back!! And with a vengence!!

I've finally uploaded my Easter holiday photos into my flicker account, which can be found here.

And! I've also FINALLY updated my Siewmanime blog!!! New drawings just awaiting your cruel/kind/adoring/flaming criticisms people!! Come and hit me!!!

I do in fact a lot a lot I want to say, now that the flame of blogging is back in me. But first hor... I want to watch some anime on youtube. So if you'll excuse me for an hour or two...

Singaporeans Speak... What?

As I told my flatmate Caitlin, yesterday I decided that Singaporean Chinese are an international conundrum. Westerners (or maybe just the people I've met in the UK.) don't expect us to speak very good English, if we speak it at all, and will always compliment us on how good our English is. Then the mainland Chinese who for one reason or another are stuck here, will automatically assume we are also mainland Chinese and start blathering to us in heavily accented Mandarin, making them barely understandable to us. When they find out that we are not mainlanders but in fact, Singaporean, they will then compliment us on how well we're doing with our command of Mandarin.

So, either way, people expect us NOT to be as good in the above said languages, either due to appearances or where we're from. So what should we have a good command of? Swahili?? Or maybe the Singapore Government should consider making Singlish an official language. I mean, one classmate of mine actually asked me if I spoke Singaporean, so... Why not?

******************************************************************

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."
~ Proverbs 11:14

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray for another, that ye may be healed."
~ James 5:16

On Tuesday, I had a minor issue. And it was these 2 verses that helped me overcome. Heh. I'll talk about it more in detail soon.

Actually... Maybe...

Maybe I should shut this thing down. And the Siewmanime blog. I hardly update due to one reason or the other (mainly that I don't have direct internet access where I live), and there really isn't all that much to talk about in Aberdeen. I lead a pretty boring life here.

Plus, I've noticed that I've lost a number of readers, due to the reasons stated above. Flooble threatens to shut down my chatterbox because nobody says anything, and the comments function is now just redundant somehow. Not that I blame anyone. There isn't much to comment on even when I do say something nowadays.

So far the most exciting stuff I've put up on the blog have been my baking escapades and even then, pictures of breads can only be novel for so long. What else is there to say really? I wake up, go to school, go home, have dinner, study a bit and sleep. Occasionally there is a movie or an outing. But nothing much else. No drama, no angst... For which I think I should be thakful for. But then there's also no excitement. Nothing to ponder about or wonder about or write about.

Well... I'll think about it. Maybe I'll just keep this thing up as an archive of sorts. Heh....

Oh. I suppose I did do something exciting on Sunday. I went to a showing of Verdi's Rigoletto by the Chisinau National Opera. 'Twas very good. For those who don't know, it's where that famous Italian canzone La Donna e Mobile comes from.

Hmm.. Gtg check on other things... Will talk more on it next time I suppose, or if anyone actually cares...

What Now?

Siew Mai's To-Do List:

1) Study for exams Check: 26 May 2006
2) Finish exams Check: 26 May 2006
3) Find a room for next year Check: 28 May 2006

Yes, I have managed to find myself a place to stay next year. It's a little small, but very pleasant. The kitchen is nice and the windows are large, so there's plenty of sun. 230GBP inclusive of all bills. Pretty good, considering. But....

What the hell do I do from now until July when I leave?? I had left myself the whole month of June to look for a flat and I've already found one... It isn't even June yet....

Diao-ded (-_-")

FREEDOM!!!!!

NO MORE EXAMS!!!

Now I have to find a place to live in next year...

Can't wait to go home!!! WAAAAAIII!!!!!

(,o_o,)

Quizzy Quizzy Quiz

Bwahahha.... Sure or not...

You Are Lightning

Beautiful yet dangerous People will stop and watch you when you appear Even though you're capable of random violence You are best known for: your power Your dominant state: performing

What Type of Weather Are You?

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

You Are Noon

You are upbeat, ambitious, and never at loss for energy. You have a lot that drives you in life. The desire to be the best, and a secret hope of fame and power. And while you definitely have a Type A personality, you are still fun to be around. You have a ton of charisma and a genuine interest in others. You are adored by many.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Ok. This next one I might agree with...

You Are 60% Boyish and 40% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Latest Mantra

iwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagoho
meiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannago
homeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwanna
gohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwan
nagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiw
annagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohome
iwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagoho
meiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannago
homeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwannagohomeiwanna
gohomeiwannagohome

ただいま? Soon Soon...

Yes indeed.

The Return of The SiewMai.

Coming to an airport near you this July.

I wonder if Peter Jackson thought of adding a fourth to the trilogy... :p :p :p

Quote

If I weren't a transvestite terrorist, would you marry me?
- Patrick "Kitten" Braden, Breakfast on Pluto

Heh heh... I love that movie. It's so weird.

Gah.

Exams.

Gah.

But this industrial action by the lecturers is still going on. I wonder what will happen. Don't think I will be affected though... Don't think any of my lecturers are part of the participating union. But there are quite a few departments that are being affected. Some have no papers set yet, some have pushed back the exams to August, some just have no idea what's going on.

Haaaaa.... All in the day of a life in Europe, where everybody and anybody strikes for some reason or the other...

A-R-G-H!!!!

O.
M.
F.
G.

I'm back to my previous size. FREAKING HELL!! I think it was barely a year ago that I proudly announced that I'd finally dropped a size (I shall have to check my archives...). And now I'm back in the pits of dismay. "£*%^!((£%&*%^£^ How on earth did I let this happen????

Argh... Shane will kill me when he finds out...

Ok. Starting tomorrow, I will go back to the no-carbo dinners and regular short jogs. And no more sugary stuff dammit.

EXAMS ARE COMING!

*insert Darth Vader theme here*

Exam dates are out. Mine are in a month. AAAAAH!!!!

Tuesday 23 May
EG1527 Applied Mechanics and Structures
1500-1700

Friday 26 May
EG1567 Electronics and Electrical Systems
1500-1700

Erk. I'm not so worried about Mechanics. It's the electrical part that's getting me. I can barely understand my lecturer speaking (hespearrkslahrkethirrss). Lecturers should be made to go for "How Not To Mumble" classes. And I'm hating the electronic labs at the moment. GAH! Those stupid oscilloscopes are going to be the death of me. Grrr....

On the bright side, I baked more bread today! Hmmm... One walnut, sunflower seed & current bread and another plain wholewheat bread with a hint of cinnamon. Hmmmm.... I should bake more... Baking makes me happy.

Project Rush

Just reaching the 6 hour mark right now.

My group (minus 1 slacker) have been in the tutorial room in Fraser Noble since this morning finishing up our individual parts of the project, finalising and putting them together.

I don't think I've ever had a group meeting that lasted this long in my life.

But egads. It is one of the most productive sessions ever. And I do believe that this time around, the project will actually look better than our previous group project. I think that was for some form of projectile cannon. Oh no. That was last term. The last group project we did was reverse engineering... That was a near disaster. No one knew what the other was doing and at the last minute, many things were still left undone. We still managed to finish it somehow... God's grace is all I can think of right now. But this time, things have actually been going quite smoothly. If the work had not been split up properly in the beginning and if like last time, there had been no communication at all, we'd be here since yesterday. So this is good. Because we actually breaked for a while inbetween for lunch and various other distractions. So really I think we've only spent about 4+ hours on the project so far.

Woosh! Almost there people!!

がんばって！！
加油！

信じられない！

OMG!! Such a thing actually exists!!

The price is unbelievable as well... SGD$1,400-odd... *PENG SAN*

Still... I can dream can't I?

(*_*)

AAAAHHH!!! *Trauma x2*

Trauma #1
Easter vacation is almost over!!! WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Trauma #2
Bleach has been licensed!!! WWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Let's Bake Again...!!

I must be on some kind of roll here man! Just take a look at the baby below!!

















Lemon Meringue Pie!! OMG!! It came out BEAUTIFULLY!!! I was actually aiming to just make some kind of custard flan, but it seemed like such a waste to just throw the egg whites away. So the meringue top was just kind of an experiment and LOOK at that texture!!!

















*Happy sighs of content*

Behold! BREAD!!!

How does that look to all you people? This is 100% home-baked bread by Siew Mai ok!! Wahahahaa...

UTRECHT!

I'm in UTRECHT!! Bwahaha...

And I'm paying 1.75 Euro for 30min of internet... #*%^*($@... I have only 7 min left so I'll make this quick and painless... Well.. Quick anyhow.

Went through Edinburgh and London to get here. London is as crowded as ever, and the air is filthy. I swear just after a day in London, your snot turns a fantastic grey colour.

Apparently KS was in Edinburgh just after I left! What a coincidence... She saw my signature in the Museum of Childhood guestbook..

Ok.. The thingy has just warned me that I have only 5 minutes left. So I shall end here and say more when I return to Aberdeen.

Tata for now then...

Siew Mai Can Bite Bake

Siew Mai Can Bites Bake
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

Nothing to do on a slow Saturday.....?

Bake lor...

Heheheheheheheheh..

Easter Vacation Travel Itinerary

March
Sat 25 - Aberdeen to Edinburgh by bus
Sun 26 - Edinburgh to London by overnight bus
Mon 27/Tue 28 - London
Wed 29 - London to Utrecht by train and ferry! Arrive just in time for dinner...
Thurs 30/Thurs 6 April - Visit Auntie K in Utrecht!! (read: free lodging... wheee!!!)

April
Fri 7 - Back to London by train and ferry again (after lunch of course); Transfer to night bus back to Aberdeen
Sat 8 - Arrive back Aberdeen

Kaoz... I think I will collapse the moment I land back in my flat.... But it's going to be fun!!! Netherlands! Prepare for the invasion of the Siew Mai!!!

By the by, another academic update: 19/20 for my Electronics class test...

Spider-Girl Can??

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 75% Iron Man 75% Hulk 70% Supergirl 55% Superman 50% Robin 42% The Flash 40% Green Lantern 35% Batman 30% Catwoman 30% Wonder Woman 15%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Can dun wear spandex or not ha??

Fields of White...

Fields of White...
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

It's been 5 days of snow so far. It hasn't snowed since this morning so hopefully there won't be a sixth. But the amount of snow is amazing. This here was Seaton park a couple of days ago. It's been bloody freezing this last week. Today thankfully has been relatively warmer.

News is, there will definitely be a strike on Thursday. There will be a strike followed by an assesment boycott. But since only a small percentage of the lecturers here are actually members of the union that's striking, the only way we'll find out if we have classes is to show up as usual and see if our lecturers show up as well... (-_^)

Looking for...

Hmm... If somebody could tell me how to find the song "Go GO Heaven" from that 80's anime City Hunter...

Oh.. And...

So far no more news about this apparent strike... But from what I hear, if they do implement a strike, it's going to be an assessment strike. Meaning that the lecturers will just refuse to mark coursework and papers but will continue teaching as normal. This means bad news for people who are supposed to graduate in the summer.

Hmm...

Siew Mai wa Tensai nan da!!!

First I want to complain about this lack of Asian language capabilities on the school computers... I tried to d/l microsoft's own IME for Chinese and Japanese into my student drive but it wouldn't allow me... (T_T)

Now, I want to gloat.
*evil gloat*
Hohoho!! (^o^)

When it comes to most mechanical calculations and algebra, I beat the guys in my study group... Hohohoho!! (^o^)v

During my Monday tutorial for Applied Mechanics and Structures, I was probably the only one or one of two or three people who actually managed to finish the worksheet before class. And I got all the answers correct. HOHOHOHOHO!!!!

Ok... I finished gloating...

Segali my study groupmates find this... Kaoz.. sure die...

STRIKE!!!!!

Maybe.

Possibly.

Vice-principal of the university even sent out an e-mail to the university population to do some preliminary damage control.

All I can say is... O.M.G.

Finally! Some excitement...

Siew Mai Balaku

I got balaku on my head... (T_T) Had a minor disagreement with the wall...

Try and picture this all in your heads ok? The bathroom in my flat is inbetween Joanne's and my room. Now the flat's shared telephone, is on the wall between my room and the bathroom. Ok so far? Now one particular day, 2 days ago, Joanne got a call on the flat phone and took the phone into her room for more privacy. So the phone cable was now stretched across the corridor into her room, meaning that it was also stretched across the entrance to the bathroom. Are you picturing all this yet? Now I wanted to take a shower, but obviously I can't just walk through the wire. So, as all my flatmates and I do very often (i.e. everytime J has a phonecall), I bent down to go under the wire and

WHACK!!!

It took me a while to realise that I'd miscalculated where the wall was... I didn't even know I'd hit the wall until at least 5 seconds later...

So yes... I now have a balaku on the left side of my forehead... (T_T)

Exam Results!!

My exam results were released today... And here they are..

EG1006: Engineering Mathematics -- CAS 20 A
EG1007: Engineering Science -- CAS 20 A
EG1067: Engineering Communication, Design & Practice -- CAS 15 A

(*CAS : Continual Assessement Score out of 20)

(^_^)v

Not too bad huh?
Heeeee....

Another Quizzie

I realise that I have absolutely nothing to blog about nowadays... It's terrible...

Su Mei -- [noun]: A person with a sixth sense for detecting the presence of goblins 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Does this mean I can apply for a position in the Fellowship??? I'd like to have the postion of sidekick to Boromir.. Or Faramir... Or Aragon... Rrrrrrrr.. >=D

Quizzie!

Your Personality Is

Guardian (SJ) You are sensible, down to earth, and goal oriented. Bottom line, you are good at playing by the rules. You tend to be dominant - and you are a natural leader. You are interested in rules and order. Morals are important to you. A hard worker, you give your all at whatever you do. You're very serious, and people often tell you to lighten up. In love, you tend to take things carefully and slowly. At work, you are suited to almost any career - but you excel in leadership positions. With others, you tend to be polite and formal. As far as looks go, you are traditionally attractive. You take good care of yourself. On weekends, you tend to like to do organized activities. In fact, you often organize them!

The Three Question Personality Test

I agree with everything except the part about being attractive and taking care of myself...

Exchange?? To Where Sia...

Been looking up the exhange programmes that are available in the university. It's so limited, I can't believe it. It seems that they only have an exchange programme to certain universities and colleges in North America and Canada... I couldn't find any information about exchanges to Europe or other parts of Asia. I heard last year that they were about to start a programme to China and Hong Kong, but there was no information available about that in the website.

Sigh.

Belated Wishes

ARGH!

In the midst of everything I actually forgot to wish all everyone who reads this blog a "Happy Chinese New Year"...

Is ok... Not the 15th day yet... still got time... SO..

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone!!!

Arrgh.. ok.. gtg for class now... cya laterzz...

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Indeed indeed. Had homemade jiaozi at Bai Yu's place last night. Stuffed to the max. But it was good. Anyhow, some long due updates...

Well. London was fun, as you could probably tell from all my photos. There really is a lot to see. I guess in a way it was the right choice not to go to London. I would've been too distracted knowing that there was so much to do. All the same, I can't help but wonder what it would've been like.

Going to have steamboat tomorrow with my flatmates. Dunno how that's going to turn out. I haven't bought any ingredients yet. My excuse is that for steamboat the stuff has to be fresh. So I shall go out and buy the stuff after class tomorrow. I should end at 12pm. I don't think my tutorials are starting yet, considering that we haven't even had any lessons on applied mechanics or electronics. Well... Hope all will turn out well. Don't think I'm going to try anything fancy anyway. The pot I borrowed from Bai Yu is quite small, and I'm on a budget. London has already put me at least £100 over limit.

Oooooh.... Shopping! Went shopping yesterday. Yes I know... I just complained that I was over-budget. But the post-christmas sales here are really wonderful!! Yesterday I got 2 blouses at £1 each and also 2 jackets for £10!! The jackets were going as buy-one-get-one-free!! The cheapest clothes item was free so I kinda got a 100% discount on the second jacket. Isn't that exciting?? I also saw skirts going for 50p. It was madness.

Tomorrow I start classes again. It's such madness. They don't seem to have after-exam breaks in this place unless it's after the entire academic year. I was lucky this time because I only had 2 papers and they both finished within the first week of exams. I don't even know when the results are coming out.

Gah. Last night before term starts again. And I haven't done anything to commemorate it. I should... I should....

I should sleep early. Got to wake up for 10am lecture... Rrrr..

I Never Exaggerate Ok...

Ah-HA!!
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

See?? What have I been telling you people about Aberdeen?? Ha!!

As it turns out.. The author Stuart MacBride is the twin brother of my flatmate's brother-in-law...

Ha??

You scored as Art. You should be an Art major! How bohemian! Art 92% Journalism 92% Linguistics 75% English 75% Dance 67% Philosophy 67% Mathematics 67% Theater 58% Engineering 58% Sociology 42% Biology 33% Chemistry 25% Psychology 17% Anthropology 8% What is your Perfect Major? (PLEASE RATE ME!!<3) created with QuizFarm.com

Ahhh... Hmmm... Ok... Lots of contradictory results here... But what I want to know is how the hell did I score 67% for Philosophy?!??!?!

Free!

Ok. I'm done for my share of exams of the 1st term.

Physics was actually quite good. It was easier than I expected. It helped that 2 of the long questions that came out were repeated for the last 3 years. The only thing that changed was the numbers, so I just chose to do those for my section B (had to choose 2 out of 3). Section A was all the basic stuff, so that was ok.

In other words, I think I did ok. (^_^)

Going down to London tonight!! I can't wait!! It's going to be so exciting. Of course, most of the time I'll just be following Minna around, since I've never been and have absolutely no idea of my way around. I will take lots of photos and post them on flickr. Hmm... Come to think of it... Did I ever put up my photos of Glasgow and Edinburgh?? I can't remember. But knowing me... I probably didn't. Ooops... Right will find a day to post them up.

Been wondering how to spend Chinese New Year here... Thought of having a little steamboat thingy in the flat but while I've found out where to get a steamboat/hotpot, I haven't been able to find one of those little portable electric/gas stove thingys... Plus, one of the girls is vegetarian... Hmmmm.... Maybe will just make big huge chili crab dish minus crab. I brought the Prima mix from home. Why minus crab? Well.... Despite the fact that we live right next to the North sea, seafood isn't exactly running all over the place. I'd probably have to make do with prawns and other little shellfish, which aren't that cheap. So much for maritime. Oh well... Will figure that out after I come back from London. Heeeheee.... London!!

Boohoohooo.... I still miss the anime that I burned but can never watch.... (T_T)

Current Thought Process

AAAHH!!! PHYSICS!!! AHHH!!!!

I still cannot believe that Romi Paku is the seiyuu for a number of male anime characters. How can she manipulate her voice to be so low??? (O_o) Incredible!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! PHYSICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bai Yu lent me her set of "Xuang1 Tian1 Zhi4 Zun1 III". WHAHAHHAAHAHAH!!! Singapore Chinese serial marathon after today's paper...

PHHYHHHHHYYYYSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIICCSSSS!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHH !!!!!!!!!

London tomorrow!!! Heheheheheh!!!!

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

*pengsan*

One Down

One more to go. Ergh.

Monday's paper was quite good. Section A was quite easy, I thought. So kind of flew through that. Section B we had to choose 3 questions to do out of 5, and even that was really quite do-able. Except that for my last question I chose the wrong question to do, so couldn't finish that one question when somehow my working become very complicated. But I suppose, not finishing 1 question out of a total of 8 isn't something to panic about.

Spent the rest of that night watching Akira and Billy Elliot. Hahaha...

Today been studying Physics. Ergh. Can't wait for Thursday's exam to be over.

Going to London with Minna on Friday!!! Woooopeeee!!!!

Sad note: I am without anime for another good 3-4 months. I tried to bring some with me but luggage was 10kg overweight when I tried to check-in. Had to leave 10kg of stuff with my parents to be brought home and the anime was among the non-essentials that had to be off-loaded... (T_T) That and milo. *sobz* No milo again....

It Dropped Off!!!

My wart, that is.

One of them anyway. The biggest one that was on my right sole. Just last night after my shower, I was about to apply the anti-septic (even though it's not really neccessary now, since the warts have more or less shrivelled up and died already due to intense cryo-freezing) when I noticed that the scab seemed to be flapping loose. I picked at it very gently (I promise!) and *pook* out it came. So I now have a rather shallow although rather wide little crater on the sole of my foot, with only tender new skin covering the flesh inside.

I hope I don't step on anything sharp in the next few weeks....

Back In The Freezer

Yes, according to the expired tickercounter, I have been back here for four days now. Just for Aronwy's info (:p) , it was there while I was in Singapore to count down to when I'd have to return... I just never took it off and now it's just continuing the count...

Exams in a about a week. I only have 2 this time around, which makes for rather less stressful cramming than I am used to. Exam schedule is as such:

Monday 16th January 1500 - 1700
EG1006: Engineering Mathematics

Thursday 19th January 1500 - 1700
EG1007: Engineering Science

Hmmm... So far have been doing practice papers, but still not feeling the stress yet... This might be a good thing or a bad thing... I haven't quite decided yet.

我的头发有没有乱...

I went for a hair-cut just now. Just to get a trim, coz my hair was getting really messy. But I also asked the hairdresser to cut the front just a bit shorter. As a result...

My long-lost fringe is back. I haven't had a proper fringe since... Secondary 1!!! Or primary 6 even...

I have a fringe...

O.
M.
G.

(O_O);

Siew Mai Bai Kah Liao...

Haiz. Why is it that I always seem to have some physical pain/abnormality happening within the last few months. I think it started with the abcess, which was followed by the sprained ankle, then finding out that I've got a slow heart-rate, then dengue (have I forgotten anything??)... All happened in less than a year's time.

Now I have warts on my feet. I just went to have them frozen yesterday and now I can barely walk. Where did I get them from? No. Not Aberdeen. I got them way before that actually, just that they were really small then so I didn't think too much of them. They got bigger after I left and more painful. So almost immediately after I landed, went to get an appointment with one of my mum's friends. So yesterday, he shot them with his cryo-gun. BZZZZ!! Frozen warts. Very painful. (T_T)

Monkey ah, Monkey... HOW??? I wanna go for WWW!!! I haven't seen the TLG for SOOOOO LONG!!! (T_T) sobz... But I can't WALK!! Somebody send me a magic carpet....

Incredible Tales 2: The Suitor

Wahaha.

First - Refresh your memories with this post: My Eyes Hurt

Now, let me tell you what that was all about. Jemalelinh and I had actually been shooting an episode for Channel 5's Incredible Tales 2. It was for the last episode.

That stupid night where they made us stay until some ungodly hour was the night we were shooting in some cemetery.

Anyways, my dad recorded the episode for me (it aired in October) and I watched it last night. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard for such a long time. Ok, so it was supposed to be a scary tale, but so what?? It was just hilarious!!! *snorts*

ただいま。

I'm back.

Nightmare

Had a nightmare last night. I've had nightmares before of course, but usually I'd just wake up from them, be fuzzily puzzled, yawn and go back to sleep. This time, I was actually so freaked out that I didn't dare go back to sleep.

I quickly switched on my lights and just sat in my bed, trying hard not to fall asleep. In the end I ended up messaging a friend for about an hour before I was finally convinced to try going to sleep again. I did sleep, though it was far from easy. And I woke up just feeling dead.

I'm thankful that my friend was there for me, despite his own problems. But still I wonder about that horrid dream. I still remember it, and in the day with a somewhat clearer head, it seems silly to have been so scared. But it was chilling, to say the least.

Beyond The Grey

Aberdeen Evening 2
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

I guess the city isn't all grey after all...

Happy Little Wonders

I've been playing with the idea of getting a Pro Flickr account. 20MB is just not enough for all my photos. But then, it is good in some ways because then I really pick and choose which photos I should display. I don't like how I only get to create 3 sets as a normal user though... Sigh.

It is freezing outside. Although today's weather was relatively pleasant, in the non-rainy sense. Took a walk down to the beach with Caitlin and took some very pretty pictures. Unfortunately I ran out of space on Flickr before I could upload them. Will upload as soon as it's December though, which isn't too far off. Maybe I'll put one here first.

















Tada!! Isn't the sea just BEAUTIFUL?? I love it. All those pinky clouds... *happy sigh* Sometimes it's nice to take a walk down to the beach when things get too grey in Aberdeen (metaphorically, AND literally. They don't call this place the Grey City for nothing.)

There was actually a small rainbow on the horizon, but it didn't show up on the photo. No matter. It's pretty anyhow.

I found a little Chinese supermarket!! Bai Yu (my classmate) introduced it to me. It is WONDERFUL!!! They even had Lee Kum Kee sauces!! Can you imagine???

I'm in heaven.

The "Autumn Tree"

Summer Ending
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

This is the tree outside my flat. I've been following how it changes with the the weather. This is how it looked just about two weeks after I moved in.. For some reason, my flatmates and I started calling it the "Autumn Tree". I suppose because autumn was setting in and the tree kind of kept time for us by the change in leaf colours. We should rename it the "Tree of Seasons" or something like that since it's technically not autumn anymore. There's more of the tree and its different "costumes" on my flickr album, so.. You know the drill.. Hehehe....

3 Weeks & Counting

3 Weeks!! 3 Weeks and I'm GOING HOME!!!

Maybe I won't want to come back to Aberdeen after that. Oh dear. Hmm...

Question: When a person suddenly seems to do a 360 on you... Practically overnight... What does that mean? Is it a revelation of that person's true character or is it just that you've never actually paid attention to it in the first place?

Snow Snow Snow

It starting snowing this afternoon. Was kind of like those torrential rains we get back in Singapore around now, except with snow instead of rain. It is still snowing. I don't think it's going to stop for the next couple of days. It is quite exciting, but also horribly horribly cold. Will take a picture and post it up here soon.

Come to think of it, I haven't update my flickr album for a while. Right. That shall happen soon as well.

As soon as I get this horrible Physics lab report out.

The Snow Is Coming

There is frost all over the place now. Practically everyday, I will see frost on the lawns, frost on the bushes, puddles of ICE on the road... It won't be long before it starts snowing now. I'm kind of excited about actually seeing real snow for the first time... But I'm also not exactly relishing the thought of below zero weather. I want sun. There is practically no sun around here nowadays. Brrrrr.......

Kena Bombed!!

Finished my computing lab early. Wahahaha... Sadly (or quite happily) they haven't released the results of the Science test yet. I dread to think what my results will be. Monkey... I may have failed you all in the Science & Physics department...

Went for a run down to the beach again yesterday and it was BLOODY COLD!!! Dammit... I swear I saw some stray snowflakes amongst the rain yesterday. Then today for some reason, was absolutely lethargic. Hmm... Kind of in a can't be bothered way rather than a physically tired way. Dunno what's wrong with me. But at least I managed to finish my lab in 1 1/2 hrs (the whole lab period is 3hours. zzz...) Then as I was strolling back to my room in a rather aimless kind of way, I found at my door...

A Bomb.

Hahaha.... A package lah... From... a good friend. (^_^) I was actually expecting only to receive it when I went home for the Christmas vacation and had the whole meet up with friends thing. But here was a nice package filled with some of my favourite shows and one new one. All the way from Singapore. And the postage for the package wasn't exactly cheap either.

I haven't had the chance to watch any of them yet (seeing as how I don't have a dvd reader on my lau laptop), but I'm all warm inside. Although the cold outside is definitely on a winning streak. Heh.

In any case... Thank you.

(T_T)

*SOB*

Yesterday's Engineering Science test was a disaster... I am SOOOOOO going to flunk this test. *sob*

4 WEEKS!!!

4 weeks and I'm going home!!!!

I can't wait.. Really getting quite excited about it. Can't wait to get home and see everybody!!! And then of course there is all the food.. *drool*

What's been happening? Not much.. Nothing much ever happens in Aberdeen. It's grey, it's cold, it's wet. Although I did go down to Loch Ness with two of my flatmates over the weekend. That was fun. Didn't see Nessie though. Probably wasn't willing to come out in the rain and cold. Yup, that's right... We trekked around Inverness and Loch Ness in cold incesscent rain. Brrrr.... It'll be snowing in December... And they say January is going to be really bad... Sob... I want warm sun....

Argh.. Ok... Better stop blogging... I only came online to update my AVG anti-virus... Got another class test in a little less than 2 hours time. Physics... Ergh... Got full marks on my Math test last week though, which is a matter for gloating. Wahahah... But Physics... Ergh....

Eeeerrrrgggghhh.....

Haiz... I miss everyone...

Do Di Do Di Doooo....

Towards the end of design lab... ladida... listening to class presentations... Can't believe I have to go through another 4 years of this... As if the presentations in NUS weren't bad enough... I still feel so old sitting around with these kids though... Haiz... 老了老了。。。

5 weeks more!! Can't wait to go home...

Right... Shall attempt to pay attention to the rest of the presentations... Ergh...

Zzzz...

We turned back the clocks on Sunday. Now we're 8 hours behind Singapore... It was nice to have gained an extra hour. But it didn't last very long, once you adjust to the new timing, it's more or less the same.

Been getting up late these two days. Have had to rush to my lectures even though they are only about 2-5 minutes away from my flat. Also haven't been very productive on the work side this week. Wonder what's up with me. Been feeling extra lethargic and uninspired. Maybe the weather is getting me down. I should go for a nice jog down to the beach....

Now if only it will stop raining....

Found On Mrs Budak's Blog

Found an interesting article on Mrs Budak's blog. It was written by a retired Japanese lecturer who is christian, and who happens to be the son of a former officer of the Imperial Army.

This is an excerpt from the article, where he starts to compare the actions of wartime Germany and the reactions of post-war Germany to the actions and reactions of Japan and post-war Japan. This is a comparision that many people have made with regards to why Japan should or should not be forgiven.

In his famous speech to the German Parliament on the 40th anniversary of Germany's defeat on May 8, 1945, the then Federal President, Mr Richard von Weizsacker, said: "Most of our German citizens today were either children or not yet born during the war.They cannot confess sins they did not commit personally. Nobody with an ordinary human sensibility could expect you to wear tattered sackcloth and sit in ashes just because you happen to be German."

For the whole article, please visit this entry on Mrs Budak's blog.

Sick

The Siew Mai is sick in Aberdeen.

It has contracted a cold...

Sniff sniff...

The Days Crawl By

Suddenly I'm hit by a bout of homesickness and I now miss everyone at home. Friends, family, things, places...

Things are fine here. I've established a small social circle which consists of mainly my flatmates and the one Chinese girl in my cohort. I'm more or less used to the pace of life here already, though I guess there wasn't much to get used to in the first place. Everything closes at 5.30pm around here, or 7pm if you're lucky. Then everyone just troops off to the nearest pub. That's about the lifestyle here, in summary. There really isn't nothing much else to do in Aberdeen. It's really very small. I do jog down to the beach every weekend, but that's about the most exciting thing I do nowadays. Which is good in some ways, I don't have anything better to do except concentrate on my studies. But it does get monotonous. And it's times like this that I begin to feel a little sad that I don't have my friends in close reach.

I never thought I'd see the day when I actually pray and hope to receive snail mail in the mornings then get sad that I didn't get any, but hey... I suppose there's a first for everything.

Mmmm... Food

Almost There
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

Looks good? Click on the picture for more Elphinstone Stories...

I Have A Confession...

I went and bought a chinese drama serial online. It cost about SGD$50...

*shamed look*

Please don't scold me... I know I should be watching my purse strings... But I'm getting deseperate... (T_T) Please let me do this....

Inbetween Math and Science...

Is my free period on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Wahaha... Which is why I am actually able to come to the computer classroom and catch up on my internet-ing.

I am amazed at the amount of news that has accumulated since I came here. Today was the first day that I actually logged on to Channelnewsasia.com. Lo and behold, there is news on one of my favourite countries in the world, Japan! Yet once again, it seems to be about how the rest of the world cannot wait to criticise her. Koizumi has gone off on another pilgrimage to the Yasukuni Shrine and everyone else in East Asia is making a big hoo-ha about it. Even BY (the China girl I befriended in my class) is upset about it. Not to say that I don't understand China's viewpoint about the whole matter, but I do see Japan's POV as well. I shall not elaborate on that just now (as I'm running out of time and it shall be time for my next class soon) but I would like to add-on (rather than correct, though I am tempted to use the word) to one of the articles posted by CNA about the matter. The article says that the shrine honours Class A War Criminals. One single sentence-paragraph, making it sound as though the shrine holds ONLY the mentioned war criminals. This is very misleading, in my opinion. The shrine is home to many other war heroes of Japan who came centuries before the WWII generals and soldiers. It is an unfortunate thing that these generals, now classified as some of the worlds greatest evils, are housed together in a shrine that holds the remains of greater ancient heroes, who acutally deserve the honour and praise that come during the annual pilgrimages.

One should also remember, that the WWII generals, however evil we may perceive them to be, truly believed that they were performing great deeds of service in the name of their Emperor, their living god, according to their local beliefs.

I am not saying that I would condone any of their actions during the War, or that I agree with their beliefs. I am just saying, that perhaps, there should be a little more understanding in the world, and a little more give and take.

Or maybe, I'm just being too idealistic.

Homesick

I want to go home.

People here are stupid.

The only nice people I've met so far are my flatmates and not one of them is a local, Scottish or from the UK (Dublin is Southern Ireland and Southern Ireland is NOT part of the UK so Jo is not from the UK).

The one normal person I've made friends with in the department is a girl from China, also a mature undergraduate.

The one mature undergraduate who was a local from the Aberdeenshire who is 5yrs older than me whom I thought had more sense than the 17yr old brats here has apparently joined the harem of brats and I no longer hold any respect for him.

The only other nice people I've met in the department are my professors.

I want to go home.

Now About That Weird Guy...

Harbour/Port
Originally uploaded by Veetwo Siew Mai.

More Aberdeen photos from before I actually started classes. I finally figured out why I've been using up my upload quota so fast... My camera's been set to take photos of M1 size... Maybe I should consider changing the setting to M2.

This here's the port near the Shiprow area. Really quite an impressive sight by itself. The smells are pretty impressive too...

Ooooh... Yes... Must update you guys in detail about the weird guy who lives downstairs. There are no words to describe the ABSOLUTE FREAKYNESS of this person. My flatmates and I are all convinced that he is some kind of psycho-killer in the making. He claims to be 21 years old but he looks like he's 35 and dresses like he's 50. I mean, who wears laced dress shoes on a regular, daily basis??? It is almost impossible to keep up a conversation with him (believe me, we've all tried) and the way he just STARES at you just makes your skin crawl. The most recent display of his extreme creepiness was when Jo (one of my flatmates) and I were walking home from the movies (I finally got to watch Howl's Moving Castle!!!) and we were just minutes away from our front door when we heard someone walking behind us. Jo looked around and when she saw it was him she quickly turned back and started walking faster. But this human abnomality, instead of calling out to us first, comes running up to us and starts walking alongside us and just keeps staring at us without saying a single word, until we said hi first. HE IS PSYCHOTIC I TELL YOU!!! A normal fellow would have called out to us first, just to reassure us that it's safe to turn around and stop to talk. But this guy...... ERrrgh!! *shiver* He's scary....

Somebody save us!! Please!!!

Short Post

Yes. Inbetween classes now so this will be a fairly short post.

Have more or less settled into the pace of life here. Classes are a great puzzle to me. I seem to understand everything that goes on during the lectures but come tutorials, I get absolutely lost. The plus side is that the lecturers all seem very friendly.

There is a weird guy in my flat!!! Will update more later. Going off for class!!