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,)