农历新年快乐!

Yong-sama here would like to wish everyone out there a Happy Chinese New Year!

Yes, the Lunar New Year celebrated by all Chinese around the world is finally here.
It's also the time to say "Bye-bye!" to the Year of the Doggy...
Yong-sama:"Out you go doggy!" Doggy:"Woof!"

And say "Hello!" to the Year of the Piggy...
Ooo... this is one angry looking pig o.O (Saizou from Peacemaker Kurogane)

Or, to be more accurate, the Year of the Fire Pig. And as the Chinese would call it, 'Shao Zhu'.

Yup, that is one REALLY burnt piggy alright.

And of course, Chinese New Year would not be complete without those oh-so-sweet (although not always) 'kam' (gold), which are also known as tangerines.

Not to forget the ang paus (red packets) that would often leave kids with money signs in their eyes and married adults groaning with loath. These aren't real ang pau packets... they are actually the packaging for those wet towels you usually get when you go to restaurants. Cool eh?

Finally, Yong-sama predicts that this Year of the Oink Oink is going to be a prosperous one, Hohoho!

Once again, Happy Chinese New Year to all, folks! And may your new Lunar Year be filled with happiness, joy and prosperity in abundance. Gong Xi Gong Xi!

Valentine's for the Single

Ahhh... Valentine's Day, the day where couples and lovers throw aside ALL reason to go all mushy and sappy to express their love to one other. In fact, it seems like it's the ONLY day in the whole year that people openly show their appreciation to one another. I thought that if you loved someone, then shouldn't you make it Valentine's Day all year round for that special him or her, instead of "cramming" all the love in just one day?

But anyhow, maybe having Valentine's once a year isn't that bad an idea after all. If you've had your Valentine's experience, I'm sure you'd understand how it feels to receive something special from that special someone (even though you know perfectly well that that special someone did not really put in much effort - but much more money instead, to get you that gift).

I bet everybody would love receiving 365 gifts, for every 365 days in the whole year(who wouldn't?). However, imagine if you had to crack your head each and everyday, thinking of what you would buy or make next for your beloved one...... I figure you would go crazy by the end of the first week, and that you would definitely be broke by then as well.

However, don't you think that Valentine's is actually a real waste of money, created only to benefit intelligent people who knows perfectly well how to burn a big hole in your wallet by selling you stuff that costs more than usual during this "special" period? It's not that you realise it anyway, as you are left in a lurch, wondering where all your hard-earned money has gone, while they in-turn are laughing all the way to the bank. What started off as a day to express your love to that special someone, has somehow turned much more material instead.

Valentine's Day was always meant for the two-some... so then, what happens to all those other singles then? Simple, just sit-home and dream up your own Valentine of course :p

Take me for example, for this year's Valentine's, I've decided to stay home, and enjoy Valentine's Day together with...
My left over box of Ferrero Rochers from Christmas...
It's kinda pathetic actually, there's only 5 left in the box LOL

A new box of Chocs from Australia given to me by my Dad's friend who has known me since I was a little baby... (although I'd have to share it grudgingly with my Dad and bro who are both chocolate lovers as well... =.=)

*NO PIC*

The notes and textbook of the subject that I'd have to study tonight for a test (which I so hate love and thus did not want to include any picture of it here) tomorrow.

My bro's (or used to be until I took it away from him) Pikachu who'd gladly allow me to plant kisses and tears all over him and not complain about it...

And of course not to forget my crazy brother who spent most of the night trying to sneak a Ferrero Rocher out of the box without me noticing... which he actually managed to do...

It's so fun being single, and actually loving it (or at least I think I am?). XD

So for all you singles out there as well, don't feel sad if you think that you're being left out from Valentines... All you have to do is just kick-back, relax, keep the beat going and be proud of it. Being single has its own advantages, so be glad it's YOU who is enjoying it!


*Swan pic- taken by Mozzercork
*Hearts- taken by Aine D

Progress Test Fever

9 Feb, XX Town - Just barely 2 months after being cured of that last devastating plague that hit us in December, another epidemic has somehow found its way back into our lives again.

Yes, it is as I have reported. The Progress Test Fever is back and here to stay (well for this coming week anyway).

What better way than to torture us poor college students with one exam/test/assessment after another? (None I suppose, unless you're studying a course which is less exam-oriented and eats the s**t out of you by piling loads of assignments on your shoulders every other day or so... )

And to add salt to the injury, our results from our oh-so-big-and-important exam in December hasn't even been released yet. Imagine going to class and learning a whole new subject for two whole months, and then finding out that you actually failed your last paper, which would then cause you to be "kicked" back down to the older paper and being barred from the current one.
That's the exact situation we poor "lambs" are being stuck in... (to be slaughtered or shaved, which would you prefer?)
So anyway, back to the subject of Progress Tests and Assessments. Why do you think we are being constantly tested again and again right before our actual exam? Well, the answer would of course be:
"To prepare us for the actual exam and at the same time find out how high or low our actual standard is, and how far away we are from passing or scoring."

I'd say that is all BS XDD. My answer would be:
"To pile an incomprehensible amount of stress and mental fatigue on students, just to please the parents and ever-showing off smart-a**es of the class (if there are any)."

Observe the Test Thermometer: *oops, pardon the mistake for the wrong spelling in the pic*
A normal person's body temperature would be 37.5° or somewhat around there.

And from there it slowly rises to 45° when PT1 (Progress Test 1) looms near. The temperature then shoots up enormously to a point of 70° during the PT2 (Progress Test 2) period. It gets even better when the MOCK exam comes around. As is pointed out in the diagram above, it rises to 90°.

It doesn't stop there though, as much as we wish it would. The temperature then goes up to an all-time-high of 100° ,which is also the boiling point of water (and I do wonder if that is the boiling point for blood also) when the Revision Classes (RC) starts. To tell the truth, most of us are already half-dead by the time the MOCK exam is here, to say naught of the Revision Classes.

You may be wondering why I didn't include the temperature that would be achieved when the actual Exam comes a-knocking on our doors. Well, the reason is quite simple. You see, there really isn't any temperature anymore during that time, which is due to the fact that there is no more thermometer either. When the actual Exam comes a-knocking, the situation would be something like this:

Ka-Boom. A pretty sight, don't you think? Although the after-effects of this explosion won't be as pretty...

Barbecued-students, anyone?

*Note - This post was written with all due intention of showing my extremely lousy drawing skills with Paint (the noob-artist's best friend) and how far I would go to procrastinate and not study for my tests.

The Tale of my 'Big-Rocky'

I bet most of you know that the things around us come in all shapes and sizes. But, have you actually noticed or realised that in most things of the same type, there is actually a definite (when I say definite I do not mean a fixed size)BIG and small where size is concerned.

Okay, okay... I know what most of you might be thinking now...'What is this girl trying to say lah... Crazy one ar she? Of course there's big and small lah... Not like nobody never seen different sizes of the same thing before also... SHEESH...'

Hahahaha... yes, I bet 10¥ (equivalent to our RM0.30) that most of you just let that thought run through your mind. And I also bet that this might be the same thought going through most minds if I were to declare the thing about size I mentioned just now out in public. Either that, or people might go, "Yea...so...?" while at the same time giving me that 'I-so-do-not-get-or-care-what-the-hell-you-are-blabbering-about' look. Unfortunately, I believe I get a lot of that look most of the time, even though the other person might try to hide it under their 'Yes-it-is-such-an-interesting-topic-' face, I can still see through it.

Well, in order to try and prove (not exactly prove la... I don't have to... just need to show only), here are some pictures (which although is supposed to make this post look interesting, but somehow it seems like it isn't doing its job at it)...

For my first example:

Big bottle, small bottle. See the difference? One is BIG and one is smaller right?(Photobucket is being a b**** with me and didn't allow me to upload the pic upright... so sorry for those who had to turn their heads sideways to look... Lol)
Next picture:
Big calculator, and small calculator.
(My brother actually complained to me when he saw this picture. His actual comment was, "Ohhh... that's why my calculator was downstairs on the floor lah... What lah you, jie..."
I 'borrowed' his calculator and took it downstairs to take this photo. Being me, I actually forgot to place it back after borrowing it, hence the comment =p)

Picture no.3:

Okay, say it with me. Big pikachu, small pikachu... Pikachuuuuuuuuuu!!! (Do try to stress on the BIG and small when you say it).

And again the next picture:

Small kuali and Big kuali... (okaylah... have to admit, the size is not that obvious in this pic, but if you don't believe me, come on over to my house, will be glad to show it to you, and while I'm at it even cook up something... although I cannot assure you that it won't be burnt, black or tasty for that matter... Hehehe...)

Lastly, picture no.5:
Okay, okay... this one is not so much about size, but more of length. But it still proves what I'm trying to tell you right??? (and F.Y.I, NO, i did not cut the other half of my knee-socks to turn it into the shorter one in the photo... =.=)

Are you now convinced that almost everything has a definite BIG and small? Think about sport shoes... try comparing an adult shoe and a baby's one... What do you get, one BIG one small right? (Just remember walking into Nike and going goo-goo-gaa-gaa over how cute but expensive baby shoes are...)

So, what am I trying to prove now? Nothing much actually... just wanted to show you that stuff like this is pretty normal. I mean, you see it everywhere right? Some of it even right under your noses, so it's nothing rare.

But, I have to confess, that one certain thing with this "BIGsmall" theory really gave me a huge surprise.

Examine specimen R-1

This is your normal Rocky chocolate stick. (You know Rocky, the one that provides us kids ever present pleasure with chocolate-dipped wafer sticks? If you haven't heard of Rocky, then ulu la you... I'd advise you to head over to the latest convenient store and actually buy and try it...)

Examine specimen R-2 This is also another chocolate-dipped wafer stick. So, what's so different about this one?

Let's continue examining specimen R-3-1 then: Still don't see the difference?

How 'bout specimen R-3-2... Look at the sheer size of the bigger Rocky stick la wei... It's not just about the length you know, look at how extra thick it is (Actually it was the thickness that gave me the surprise). Can you even fathom how enjoyable it was to actually just hold it and run my fingers over the smooth layer of chocolate? Can you even imagine the feeling I had when I took the first bite of 'Big-Rocky'? No... I doubt that you can.

So there I was, blabbering all about my pleasurable experience with 'Big-Rocky' to my fellow college mate who is also a big fan of Rocky sticks, eyes wide with excitement and everything, when she suddenly just cut me mid-way through my story and said, "Oh, I've seen even bigger ones before lah my dear, usually at airports." Finishing her sentence, she held up her hands wide, more than twice the size my 'Big-Rocky' had been.

Right at that moment, the 'Big-Rocky' bubble inside me went 'pop'. I could only stare at her miserably as she commented, "I'll get you one packet the next time I see it, okay?" I nodded back woodenly, my whole "Rocky-World" crashing down around me as she turned back to her notes in front of her. Never in my life had someone done so much damage to my bubble in the short span of 10 seconds. T__T

For those of you who are like my friend and have probably seen Rocky sticks just as big, and who are also laughing at my silliness right now, just forget that you actually read this post. People can be 'ulu' at one time or another, and I guess this is just my turn. ;D

(P.S. No, I am not going to pay you the 10¥ if you come and tell me, "No... I didn't think of that thought also... Looks like you lost your bet...". It was only an expression, FYI...:p)-- for those who don't understand what I'm talking about, please refer to Para 3 Line 1 of this particular post, thank you.

The Hearbeat of my Life

"Music is an art form that involves organized and audible sounds and silence. It is usually expressed in terms of pitch (which includes melody and harmony), rhythm (which includes tempo and meter), and the quality of sound (which includes timbre, articulation, dynamics, and texture)."
--Source from wikipedia. For the full definition of music, please visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I guess you can say I was first "introduced" to music when I was but a little baby, in the form of nursery rhymes, with the most popular being "Rock-a-bye Baby" of course (I'm sure all of you remember it ^^). As I grew older, music started to grow with me as well.

I distinctly remember one singer and boy band very well from my toddler days. These two were the first ever boy band and artist that I fell "in love" with. It was also the start for me being a fan. Imagine a three year old toddler with loads of posters of her favourite boy band and singer pasted up on the wall around her crib. Yeap, those were my posters, and it was my crib.

My first favourite boy band - the New Kids on the Block (ever heard of the songs Cover Girl, Step by Step, etc?)

Music then made its biggest impact on my life. My mum started sending me to classes at Yamaha Music School. And that was where I learned to become one with music, one of the things I deem extremely important in my life now.

Learning about music did not just teach me how to read the notes to play and recognise them, it also taught me how to understand and actually feel it in a more intimate and deeper way (Yes, although I know naught about Beethoven or Bach or any other famous musician and composer for that matter).

Music has become somewhat like my lover. I share my joy and find my solace in playing music, and each piece I play and experience are kept as beautiful photographs in my memory. Without music, I don't think I could actually bear living.

However, music hasn't always been easy for me either. As I lack that certain music talent like most others, I believe I'm somewhat near my limitations for performing in my music studies. Take my Yamaha Electone Higher Grade Examination for example, failing the first 2 times, I was actually willing to give up. But I couldn't just do that and disappoint both my parents and teacher who has always been there for me. So I took it the 3rd time, and as they say, "Third time's the charm..." I finally passed the exam.

My "beautiful" exam results... Heheh...

Recently, I also took part in the Yamaha Annual Concert (which actually compromises of mostly young children from the age of 3-10 singing, dancing and performing on stage, while their ever proud and adoring parents sit in the audience, hands full with cameras and video recorders pointed up to the stage, trying to capture the best moments of their children's performance) held recently in Civic Hall, PJ. We were the only group of adults (sans kids dancing and singing in front of us) performing a seriously weird, arranged neo-classical (also known as contemporary) piece of the original "Pathetique" by Beethoven. It wasn't an easy task trying to co-ordinate your playing with 5 other members in the group, but somehow, we managed to pull it off, after much hard work of course.

The "Pathetique" Group performing at the concert. That's me with the white hairband second from the right. (Picture courtesy of Sue-Anne).

I'm always grateful to my mother who actually started me on music. Although I may never be the kind of girl who composes her own songs and does her own concerts around the world, I am satisfied that I was able to come this far to enjoy playing music. As much as it gives me pleasure listening and playing music, I do hope that music does mean just as much to all of you out there as well. ;)

Something for nothing

Haiz, life isn't always easy.

You people might be wondering why haven't I entered any new entries since creating this blog... And looking at that little chatterbox beside there, I guess you people think I'm like super busy and don't have time for trivial things such as chatting online and blogging.

Well, the truth is......
I, for one, am NOT super busy or anything.
I, for one, have LOADS of time on my hands.

So, actually what in the world am I doing?
I DON'T KNOW!!!
It seems like I'm spending most of my time watching tv and sleeping when I should be doing other better things. I feel so pathetic.

I also think I'm currently in a serious state of writer's block. It's not that I don't want to write, I really DO, but whenever I sit in front of the computer, my head goes blank right away. And when I try writing, crappy stuff like this comes out. My sentences doesn't come out as easy as before, and to me it doesn't flow as freely as it once used to.

Yes, I know I'm only ranting in words. But being a perfectionist, even this kind of ranting is crap. I think I need some form of inspiration, but I think I wouldn't even know it if it hits me.

I'm only feeling sorry for myself. So, in order to get over this, I think I shall go off now and find a nice, flat, white wall. And then, I shall bang my head on the wall repeatedly till some sense has been knocked back into my head. Yes, that sounds like a good idea.

If you see me anytime this week with a big bloody bruise on my forehead, don't worry, because that would mean that I was able to regain some sense in my big balloon of a head. And if you don't see me, most probably I've already died of multiple injuries to my skull as a result of not being able to regain any sense at all.

Off to find that wall then! I do wonder which result will turn out though. Toodles~

A New Start for the New Year

Hmm... I really don't know. Yong-sama, who has once swore never to blog, or create a blog for that matter, has inadvertently, created one. Quite a hypocrite, don't you think?

Well maybe it was because of the bug that I'd caught just before the New Year, or maybe it was because of the huge amount of blogs popping up like dandelions around me... funny how things around you can influence you eh? Or maybe I'm blogging to fuel my passion for writing. But excuses aside, I have decided to blog, and that's that. No reasons whatsoever, no influences, no bugs. I HAVE decided.

When blogging started to become popular, I'm quite ashamed to say that I'd felt quite, or in a more truthful tone, EXTREMELY negative towards this concept. I'd always viewed blogging as an online "personal diary", thinking it was so stupid of people to be telling the whole wide world, or more than likely total STRANGERS what happened to their everyday lives. It was a change I guess I couldn't really accept, and I'm a person who doesn't like changes. But as time moved on, I've come to realise that blogging isn't all that I'd thought it to be.

So as I continue on my journey of life in this new year of 2007, I hope I'd be able to do more than share my thoughts with you through this blog, and maybe I will slowly come to understand why blogging has become such a hit in the Internet world. I've been laying off almost all my new year resolutions for the past few years, sorry to say, but let's just see if I can really stick to this one.

Cheers, to 2007.