Livin' n lovin' it

Travel

2011-08-04T08:54:00.006-05:00

Touched down in Toronto last night. After more than 20 hours of travel, I feel kinda numb. I am just happy I got back. So many things got in the way of me trying to fly back.

First, I left Brunei on Sunday to spend a day in Miri with the family. We managed to snap some family photos.

One of the better pictures

I flew off to Singapore the next day to spend two days with Jen Hong and Alicia. Singapore can be FUN! After two days of shopping and exploring Singapore. Did not manage to take many pictures in Singapore.

MRT station in China Town

Then on Wednesday (Singapore time), I took the bus and SMRT to the Changi airport. I arrived at 8am for my 9.30am flight to Hong Kong. Hong Kong was just a transit to get to Canada. When I reached the check-in counter, they informed me that my flight has been moved to 1pm. This meant I would arrive at Hong Kong later than planned and therefore miss my connecting flight out of Hong Kong. I DO NOT want to be stranded in Hong Kong. (Actually now that I think of it, it might have been fun)

Anyways, I started to panic. If I miss this flight, I might have to buy another ticket to Canada and they do not come cheap. So then I tried to call Air Canada (the people who decided to change my flight without informing me) but no one took my calls.

When I returned to the check-in counter, they told me that they have changed my flight AGAIN!!!!!! They changed my flight to an 8.30am flight. I looked at my watch. It was 8.20am. So I miss THAT flight.

The awesome people at Singapore Airlines got me on board a 9.30am flight to Hong Kong. So everything was back to the original plan. I departed at 9.30am and arrived at Hong Kong 4 hours later. Four hours of flying and being seated on a plane is nothing compared to the next flight I was going to take.

I had no trouble with the connecting flight in Hong Kong. I even spoke Cantonese to Hong Kong people. One life achievement done. I left Hong Kong for Toronto sometime in the afternoon. Time tends to get fuzzy when you're dealing with flights that crosses time lines. After about 16 hours in the air, I landed. I think I am numb to the long hours in the air. Sort of gotten used to it by now. Not that it is something enjoyable, just necessary.

I landed in Toronto at 5.45pm. My connecting flight to Windsor was to depart at 6.45pm. I went to claim my luggage. That took a while as the luggage were late. By the time I got my luggage and passed through customs, I was told that I could not make the connecting flight to Windsor. GAH!!!

They redirected me to a counter where they gave me 11pm flight. They also gave me a 10 dollar voucher to get food at any store in the airport. While waiting for the flight at the gate, they announced that they needed two people to give up their seats on my flight to Windsor. They would offer a 200 dollar voucher for the next ticket purchase with them. It sounded good to me and I was in no rush to get back. And they would put me in a hotel for the night. A shower sounded really good to me at this point.

So I headed to the counter to ask about volunteering to give up my seat. I asked them why they needed two people to give up their seats. I was told that they overbooked the flight and two people do not have seats on the flight. They said that the two people who give up their seat would get a 200 dollar credit to their next ticket purchase. And they would also pay for a hotel stay at the Double Tree Hotel nearby. The stay came with a free breakfast. They also gave me another 10 dollar voucher for the trouble. And the shuttle to the hotel was free anyways. So at this point, I have not paid for anything.

Ten dollar voucher for food

View from my hotel room in the morning

I could see a lot of people being pissed at this point, with all the directed flights and mess up. But I was not in a rush to get home; I had nothing planned. And I like to travel at a relaxing pace. I like the rush too actually. I think I just like to travel.

Anyways, I am here in the Pearson International airport in Toronto, waiting for my flight to Windsor.

Everything is good.

Ah Mah

2011-06-25T20:32:00.006-05:00

My grandmother passed away on the 17th of June 2011. More than a month has passed and it is easier to think about her as time passes. I felt what most people feel when they lose someone they love, grief.

Picture taken last year

Picture taken before I left two years ago

Grandma's 96th birthday

But along with the grief, I also felt guilt. I have been away studying for the past two years. That mean I have been away from her for the last two years of her life. When I left two years ago, I did not think I would see her again, she was 97. But I should never have underestimated her. My grandmother was an amazing woman.

She has done so much for this family. She has worked everyday of her life to make life better for her family. When she retired, she started to fix things up around the house. She would always be there in her wellingtons, hammering away at something or dragging a piece of wooden plank from one place to another.

When she developed cataracts on her eyes, we deemed it too dangerous for her to move around and made her sit in the house all day. You could tell it was torture for her. It was in her nature to move, to work and to be productive.

I am the person I am today because of her. She has worked so hard all her life to give her family everything. There is so much to tell about her and her amazing life. Too much but I just don't have the time.

When I came home two months ago, I went to visit her. She was happy I was home. She asked me if I was home for good. I said no. She didn't hear me. She said she was so happy I was home. So I let her think that I am home for good. A few weeks later, she left us.

Death in the family always make you rethink your priorities.

Farewell

2011-04-30T07:32:00.003-05:00

I a leaving Windsor to go back to Brunei in less than two weeks. There are things that I will miss. There are things I will look forward to.

Spent my birthday weekend in Toronto with Simon's family.

e.l.f.

2011-03-08T16:11:00.002-06:00

So I decided to get some makeup brushes from e.l.f. I heard good review from them. Seeing as they are cheap, I went a little overboard.

Leisure

2011-02-18T17:55:00.005-06:00

I can't sit still. Not anymore.

"University does something to you.", my friend had said to me. And it's true. I can't even play video games anymore. I can't stand the thought of wasting time. I need to fill every minute will something. I can't stand being idle.

It is Friday night on the last week of class before Reading week. I get one week off from classes, essays, lab reports, lectures and tutorials. 30 minutes into the break and I started to get bored.

An hour into the break and I have checked out four books from the library (two are manga) and have started a To Do List for the break.

Things to do during break:

Come up with an interesting topic for the essay in Molecular Biotech

Catch up with Denisha

Dinner at Tunnel BBQ with Laura, Kurt and Vic

Start revising for midterms

Spend one entire day with Simon

Visit Lucia

Dinner with the Seniors

I'm doing the first thing on the list right now.

Cold weather

2011-01-31T12:11:00.003-06:00

It's so cold today. I have to bundle up.

By the way, mom, this is my boyfriend.

Food

2010-12-19T19:18:00.003-06:00

I made lemon cake!

With lemon frosting in the middle and on top. Mmm...

I also made Char Kueh Teow

Not too bad for a first attempt

Yummy people

2010-12-15T21:38:00.005-06:00

So it's almost that time of year again. Santa Claus is coming to town. Have you been a good boy or girl?

It's the time to make snowmans, snow angels, decorate Christmas trees and hang up mistletoe.

A snowman we saw on the way to the store.

It's also time to make gingerbread people. I hung out with Kurt and Laura. We watched "Santa Claus is coming to town" and made gingerbread people.

Kurt and Laura in the kitchen

The results of our hard work:

We even made one of someone we didn't like. He shall not be named.

NOm nom NOM.

It's gonna be a white Christmas

2010-12-12T13:56:00.002-06:00

It's snowing! And it's gonna snow all day.

This is how it looks like outside my bedroom window now.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T14:20:00.005-05:00

Halloween was a week ago. I did the traditional routines of the festival.

I dressed up

Miaw...

I carved a pumpkin.

Chocobo

This is actually the second pumpkin I carved. The first one did not turn out so well. :(

Then we roasted the pumpkin seeds....

... and ended up with Kuaci!!

Quickie

2010-10-08T01:25:00.004-05:00

Hey, peeps.

It's been a while since I blogged. Been busy with the new semester and other miscellaneous things. Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend for Canada and I was invited to three dinners. I've never celebrated Thanksgiving before so I'm excited. :D

I'm also playing the Human vs Zombie game this semester. I just got turned. :(

I've got something good happening right now. :) I'm feeling good about it. I hope it turns out well.

New Room

2010-09-09T11:25:00.001-05:00

Mail me Stuff

2010-08-12T12:59:00.002-05:00

Ask me for my new address when you see me online.

Pelee Island

2010-08-06T19:56:00.007-05:00

On Sunday, the first of August, I went on a trip to Pelee Island. The island is famous for its vineyard and winery. We went on a mini cruise on a boat.

Mini cruise!

Pelee Island is right in the middle of Lake Erie. Lake Erie is this huge lake that is bordered by Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan. It's so big you can't see the shore on the other side when you stand on the beach.

We got on the ship at Leamington and the ship takes one hour to get to Pelee Island. Pelee Island is the southernmost land that belongs to Canada.

The one hour boat ride gave us ample time to ~~do some gambling~~ play cards.

Caught red handed

We were supposed to go to the winery for a tour when we landed on the island. However, we didn't make it in time. Bummer. So we wasted time on the beach, waiting for the next tour.

Fun in the sun

The geological structure that makes up Pelee Island is limestone. The area is rich in deposits of dead fossilized invertebrates. I took some home as souvenirs. Maybe collecting rocks is a new thing for me.

Fossilized sea shell embedded in a rock

More shell fossils

After hanging out at the beach, we went back to the winery to get some food. We ate and waited for the next tour to come around.

Nom nom nom

They made us watch a video at the end of the winery tour. It wasn't as interesting as I hoped. But I did learn a lot about wine and drinking etiquette.

Yawn

And finally the moment we have all been waiting for. What is a winery tour without some wine tasting? We must have sampled about five wines. So yummy. :D

Gan Bei!

After drinking, we headed back to the beach and went swimming. The weather was perfect for a dip. Being tipsy kinda made it fun too.

Me and Cynthia (We share the same birthday!)

Then it was time to head back to the ship and go home.

Me and Kurt on the ship

Sailing home in the sun set

*All pictures taken from Facebook off of Cynthia and Kurt's albums.

Yard sale hunter

2010-07-24T22:58:00.005-05:00

I love love love yard sales. You can find so many bargains. The bad thing is you might buy a lot of junk you don't really need.

Last week, I was dog sitting Fritz and on one of his walks, I saw two yard sales. I only bought two items; one from each house.

The first is this storage stool. You can sit on it....

Sit on me!

... and you can put stuff in it. Ingenious! I demand that all stools be made this way from now on!

My tools, fishing tackle, crafts stuff and other odds and ends.

The cover was not blue when I bought it. It had this stitching of birdhouses or something. I didn't like it so I replaced it with blue velvet (I could not find purple). It took me all afternoon to sew and glue everything in. I added the stickers of the frogs too because I thought it would make it cuter inside. Oh, I haven't mentioned how much I paid for it. I paid 5 dollars for it! CAD 5!

The other thing I bought was this pair of ice skates.

Brand Spanking New

They're actually for figure skating but I figure I could use them for casual skating too. They look so nice too. I tried them on and they were perfect. Guess how much I paid for them. Two dollars. Dua ringgit. 两快钱.

I love yard sales. People here sell things they don't need anymore for dirt cheap prices. Unlike some people I know who hold on to junk they can't use until it rusts and become useless to everyone. Anyways, yard sales help everyone. Everyone wins. :D

2010-07-22T14:04:00.005-05:00

So today, I went to get an eye exam. Luckily my prescription hasn't gone up too much. The doctor put eye drops in my eyes and made my pupils dilated. I've never seen then this big before. It was pretty interesting.

Anyways, I seem to have a lot to do after I got back from the Calgary trip. The thing is a lot of it involve waiting for other people to be free.

Here is a summary of my Calgary trip:

After I landed in Calgary, I took the bus to the train station. I had to ask a lot of people on how to get around but everyone I met was friendly. :D

At the train station, I took a train heading downtown. On the way there, I got a text from Ryan. So instead of heading to my cousin's place, I changed course and headed to Ryan's hotel. It is so fun to travel alone. You can make last minute changes all the time without worrying about pissing people off. We hung out and had coffee.

Ryan waiting for his cab on his last day in Calgary

The next day, my cousin's husband brought us to Banff, which is a tourist site in the mountains. It's part of the Canadian Rockies. We left early in the morning and took a road trip to Banff. He dropped us off and he went off to work. May (my cousin), Ryan and I explored the town and did some sightseeing.

Breakfast bagel in Banff, downtown, with May.

We went up to the peak on a Gondola, where we met up with my cousin's husband.

The sights on the peak were pretty awesome

That night, I spent the night at Ryan's hotel. We just hung out and talked. It's nice to catch up after such a long time. ^____^ The next day, we walked all over downtown Calgary. Ryan and I went up to the Calgary Tower.

There was a glass floor on the tower.

There's another tall tower in Toronto. Hopefully I will get to visit it next month.

Last, but not least, was the Calgary Stampede. Apparently, people from all over Canada and the world come here for this event. It's a full-on cowboy old west festival. Rodeos, livestock and leather boots.

Wannabe cowgirl.

That was a very brief summary of my trip. More pictures on my facebook page. I'm glad I got to see my new nephew, my relatives, Ryan and all the places I visited.

Calgary Stampede

2010-07-11T22:27:00.001-05:00

For pics from my Calgary trip, head over to my facebook page.

Moments of Intimacy

2010-07-08T23:30:00.006-05:00

Walking along the Detroit River just after midnight. The lights from the Ambassador Bridge reflect of the surface of the water, making it shimmer like liquid gold.

And we danced. We danced by the water. You leading me; and me trying to follow. Strong confident steps guiding little clumsy ones.

Out in the dark, but you made me feel safe. Then I put my feet on yours and we kept dancing. We didn't care who saw us. Only you and I mattered in that moment of intimacy.

Hanging with Ryan

2010-07-06T22:48:00.000-05:00

Travelling

2010-06-23T19:08:00.002-05:00

Travelling to new and exciting placed can be fun, but the planning not so much. I'll be leaving in 9 days and I have no idea what to bring with me. I have no idea what I'm going to be doing.

I get to see my little nephew who was just born this morning. And I get to see Ryan again. It's all going to be worth it.

I need to take care of a few things before I leave.

1. Return the fishing rod I borrowed from my Land Lord.

2. Clean the apartment. It's looking a bit like a pig sty.

3. Clean the fish tank and get the auto fish feeder thing.

Convocation

2010-06-19T18:53:00.003-05:00

Back to blogging again.

So yesterday was the convocation for the class of 2010, University of Windsor. I went along to watch Aya graduate.

More than five years for a piece of paper. Kidding! I know how hard you've worked for it.

Congrats, Aya. And may you be successful in whatever the path you may take. :D

Oh, by the way,

Ryan's coming

2010-06-13T18:14:00.001-05:00

Vlog June 10th

2010-06-10T18:15:00.001-05:00

Meow

2010-06-07T16:14:00.004-05:00

A short Vlog

And a couple of pics

I took some pics of the Red Bull Air Race but they didn't turn up that well. I'll post some of them anyways.

Some airplanes doing tricks over the Detroit River

Loops and such

Yes, I realise there is a finger at the bottom left hand corner of the pic. ^_^

I wore my friend's Army vest and helmet the day before he went off for training.

Do I look bad ass or what?

Vlogging First!

2010-05-26T19:36:00.000-05:00

The month of April

2010-04-30T22:50:00.006-05:00

I am supposed to blog about my birthday. But I am lazy and I haven't gotten all the pictures yet. So in the meanwhile, here are some random pictures from April:

Waiting for the bus to go shopping with the gang

Sakura!

Sakura + Aya

Me and Fritz (I know I look fugly but he looks cute in this pic)

Halfway up the hill

2010-04-29T19:50:00.010-05:00

This is way long overdue.

As all of you know, or I hope you know, I celebrated my 23rd birthday on the 23 of April.

The day before my birthday, I dragged Aya, Denisha, Geok Yi, Jean, Jita, and Liyana to the cinema to watch Kick Ass with me. My fave character is Hit Girl. She's so awesome.

Back to me.

The next day, Denisha dropped by with pizza and we hung out for a while.

I thought that was the end of my birthday. But for the whole day, I could not find any of my room mates. Apparently, they've been preparing for this:

They prepared a surprise party for me. I totally did not expect it at all because I thought the movie was all there would be to it.

Sorry I don't have any more pictures of that night. :(

A couple of days later, I received two cute little things in the mail.

A strawberry which is forever stuck to my makeup bag.

And a whale which is always attached to my mobile phone now. It will dangle from my pants when I have my phone in my pocket.

I got this for my birthday:

It's a board game called Trivial Pursuit. I love it because I love useless bits of knowledge.

One final thing:

Aya, Jita, Liyana, Geok Yi and Jean spent a lot of time and effort into making 1000 paper cranes for me.

Thanks so much, guys.

Things to do after the exams:

2010-04-13T16:09:00.006-05:00

Get a PS3. Seriously. Like the minute my last paper is done, I am hopping on the bus and heading to the mall to get myself a PS3.

Change the water in the fish tank. I will. I promise.

Shopping. I need wedges, T-shirts, summer dresses, flats, sandals, light coats or jackets (whatever),

Go roller-blading! Did I mention that I got a pair of roller-blades for 6 dollars? Yah. I did. From Value Village. Value Village is this place where people donate things they don't need anymore and other people can buy them. You can get a lot of things for a very low price. The money goes to charity which is always a good thing. And I love looking of old junk and stuff so it interests me.

Apply for a work permit. I am just gonna get one. Not sure if I am gonna get a job yet but I'm gonna get a work permit just in case I find an opening somewhere. Maybe the Cheesecake Factory. :D I miss The Big Bang Theory.

I need to work out. Just strolling along the river will do since the weather is being bloody nice.

Fishing!!! I got my rod. I just need to figure out when and where. :D

I see you

This place ain't so bad when the weather's this nice. I can see myself staying here. Still have time to think about it. Still young. I can still move around if I want to.

Sloth is a Sin

2010-04-08T17:31:00.005-05:00

I go through temporal phases that alternate throughout my life.

Sometimes, I am Wonder Woman; capable of doing anything despite all the obstructions standing in my way.

Wonder Woman

Then there are times when I can't muster up any energy to get anything done. Times when I feel like even the most menial tasks are daunting and I can't even begin to do them.

Sloth

Right now, I am going through the latter. I have been putting things off for a while. I know I should do them but .... it's just so hard. T_T

Things I should do but don't:

1. Change the water in the fish tank

2. Mail the care package

3. Cook my own meals

4. Go to the gym

Nightmare:

Clothes that require hand washing. Bleh!!!

PS: Lady Gaga tickets available starting tomorrow!!1 Should I get them?

Update

2010-04-07T19:41:00.007-05:00

A while back, I watched a documentary on the Discovery Channel about human attraction. There was an experiment described where female volunteers were asked to sniff T-shirts worn by guys and rate them on attractiveness. At the time, I thought it was an interesting experiment. Apparently, the researcher who conducted that experiment is coming to the University of Windsor to give a talk in September. Eeeepp! I am kinda excited. I think I might attend his talk.

In other news, I need a shoe rack. My shoe pile is turning into a safety hazard. I got more shoes today.

I need wedges and flip flips and new sneakers.

My pimple scars are not going away! Anyone know any good moisturizer/serum kinda thing to make my skin clear up faster?

Gonna do my taxes tomorrow.

By the way, I had 4 pieces of sushi and they cost 12 bucks! Jeezz, food here is bloody expensive.

Confusion

2010-04-05T18:04:00.004-05:00

To this day, Canadian coins confuses me to no end.

Back home, coins come in:

One cent,

five cents,

ten cents,

twenty cents and

fifty cents.

Bruneian coins

It's easy for me to keep track. When paying at the cashier, I can add up the number and type of coins I should use very quickly.

Canadian coins on the other hand...

Canadian Coins

Coins here come in:

One cent (penny),

five cents (nickle),

ten cents (dime),

twenty five cents (quarter),

one dollar (loonie),

two dollars (toonie)

When I head to the cashier to pay for my food/drink/shoes/whatever, I have mini panic attack. I hate holding up the line. And I am still not used to the coins here so I usually end up taking the easy way out and hand the cashier the dollar bills. At the end of the day, come home with my wallet full of coins and I end up using up all my dollar bills. Well, it all balances out when all I have to spend are coins... So it's not all bad. :)

So that was my rant of the day. You'll probably see me blogging more often as the finals creep on closer. It's my way to de-stress.

Spring has sprung

2010-04-04T14:58:00.002-05:00

It was so nice outside a couple of days ago. I just sat on a bench and did nothing with Aya and Jean. So nice. :D

Feel the niceness. :D

The bugs thought so too.

Look who joined me as I was surfing on my laptop.

I went to a club last night.

I heart dressing up. :D

It was in celebration of Vanessa's birthday.

Weekly Summary

2010-03-28T14:22:00.004-05:00

So it's been a busy week for me. Handed in a report on Tuesday. Had a midterm on Wednesday.

Aside from Uni work. I also participated in the HvZ event on campus. Sorry no pictures. We were busy fending off the horde.

Then there was the Potluck things at the ISC on Friday night. I bought fried chicken again. :P

Met a Malaysian!!

Then there was the dinner on Saturday night. Apparently, I am a volunteer for VISA. I had no idea till I saw my pic up on the screen during the presentation.

Camwhoring in the restroom.

Aya. She's graduating this year. Wishing her the best of luck for everything she does in the future. Gonna miss her.

Now I must focus on my report / essay / studying. Bleh.

Murderer

2010-03-21T09:09:00.004-05:00

Ryan died. It's sad. He was just swimming around. Then 5 minutes later, he floating up to the surface. Anyways, I told the pet shop keeper and he gave me a new one for free. Yay!

Then I was putting the new fish into the tank and it jumped out onto the carpet. I put it back into the tank. But the next day, it was dead.

I was spying on my fish to find out what was wrong. It turned out Alicia Lisha St. Patrick was bullying the other fishes and biting them. So I think Alicia Lisha St. Patrick MURDERED Ryan. Poor Ryan.

Btw, I am gonna get piranhas. It's just 10 dollars each. And I can feed them feeder fish which are 4 dollars for a dozen. :D

Haagen-Dazs

2010-03-15T15:58:00.010-05:00

So I just finished my Medical Microbiology midterm. I hope I do okay. Only time will tell.

Right after I finished the midterm, I went to the pet store. And guess what!

Say hello to my little friends.

I got three Painted Fish and four GloFish®.

Anyways, I should be more creative than to call them Pink, Green and Yellow.

Please help me pick out names for my fish. o.O There are 7 fish in total:

Yellow Painted Fish - Vun

Pink Painted Fish - Ryan

Green Painted Fish - Alicia Lisha St. Patrick

Orange GloFish® - Nonnie

Orange GloFish® - Chad

Orange GloFish® - Ho

Orange GloFish® - Alex

I have decided. What do you guys think?

BTW,

I also made chocolate covered strawberries.

It was Geok Yi's birthday yesterday. We had a little celebration at home. :D

Lady Gaga and Beyonce - Telephone

2010-03-13T22:11:00.002-06:00

This song is on repeat in my head.

Saturday Events

2010-03-07T02:06:00.008-06:00

It has been a busy busy day. I have been having this bloody headache all day. But fun is too important for me to care about pain. :D

I went to London again to go skiing.

Major :D

This is what I saw when we first arrive. Does it not just represent awesomeness?

At the bunny hill

It was sunny and warm. Perfect weather with blue skies.

Going up the more challenging slope. The chair lift scares the daylights out of me.

I fell down twice. The snow is very hard especially if you skid down it on your ass.

Been a long time since I dressed up. I went clubbing with some mates. And I got all gussied up. More :D

*Hearts* Clubbing

*Update*

Jean, Denisha, Stacey and moi

Can't wait

2010-03-04T18:13:00.004-06:00

For the next two weeks, I have to really focus on my studies because starting from 22nd of March, there will be a

Zombie apocalypse!!

****DUM DUM DUM ****

(Dramatic Drumroll)

Dear Spring

2010-02-27T22:23:00.003-06:00

Oh, Spring, dear Spring,

When are you going to arrive?

In the cold, I've been waiting,

Surrounded by the snow so white.

When will you come,

Bring color back into the world,

Warmth into my home,

And back into my heart?

I long to run unhindered,

Feel the soil beneath my feet,

Free like a bird,

Open to the sun's heat.

When will you be here,

So I no longer have to hide?

It's more than I can bear,

I long to be outside.

Happy Time

2010-02-24T18:19:00.004-06:00

I am running out of happy time. :(

My shower gel at the moment is Happy Time by Nivea. I bought it cos it had such a happy name. It doesn't necessarily make me burst into song and dance in the shower but it's nice to put something called happy all over your body.

I need more Happy Time!! But for 6 bucks a bottle, I am trying to wait for Shoppers to make it a discounted item. Then I am buying it in bulk. Trying to save money!!

To be or not to be

2010-02-21T10:48:00.008-06:00

I've been giving this a lot of thought. And I have yet to reach a 100% confirmed decision.

Reasons to go home:

Everyone is heading home, leaving me here all by my lonesome.
It is not safe for me, a girl, to stay here alone. Especially in a town right next to the Big Bad City, Detroit.
I'll get to see Family, Friends and Fawkes.
I can get a part time job and earn back what I used to buy the air tickets.
I am looking at CNY pics on Facebook and I am jealous of the people who got to go home.

Reasons to stay:

I will save money of plane tickets.
I get to go to concerts (Black Eyed Peas, Muse, Owl City, Taylor Swift, etc) in Detroit over the summer.
I can use the money I saved from not going home to visit Ryan in Cardiffffff.
I can also visit my cuz in Calgary and crash in her house for a while.
I can take a summer course so my workload won't be so heavy when the Fall semester starts.
Shopping, shopping and more shopping.
I get to experience Spring and Summer.

Montreal Day 2

2010-02-20T18:45:00.007-06:00

Our last day in Montreal.

One last group photo before checking out

We first headed to Timmie's for breakfast

All the food on the menu was in French!

Planning out where to go

We first headed to the Science Center coz we are scientists. (Ok, that was lame)

Chairs of nails

Playing mind games

It's way colder in Montreal than in Windsor

After the Science Center, we headed to the Olympic stadium. Not the 2010 one. The 1976 one. We decided to go to the stadium because there is a tower that offers a view of the entire city and Mont Royal, the mountain in the middle of the city.

We got there and discovered... that it was not open. Dammit.

The pool and other facilities were open though.

We then took the subway to another part of the city.

The bangang looks

When we first reach Montreal, we were surprised to find that the city was not as crowded as we thought it would be.

Then we found the people.

Underground.

Ok. It's not as creepy as it sounds. Apparently, Montreal has an underground city. It's just the subway and malls that are interconnected underground. Several malls just sorta merged together to form a supermall.

After exploring and shopping, we had dinner and then left the city for home. Hope to see you again, Montreal.

Montreal / Ottawa - Day 2

2010-02-17T20:42:00.006-06:00

On the 14th of Feb, which happens to be the first day of the Chinese New Year, we went to Ottawa. Ottawa is the capital of Canada and it has a lot of old buildings.

Even the post office is old. Imagine how much work is put into it. The lion statues and the stone emblem on top of the door. I'll never look at a plastic door the same again.

Guarding the front door.

The Winterlude Festival was happening when we were in Ottawa. There were a lot of places where things were happening. But we were walking, so there were only a few places we could visit.

We found a place with a lot of ice sculptures.

Neptune vs the Kraken??

The Rideau Canal is frozen during the winter and it gets turned into the largest skating rink in the world (according to the banner).

We get a pretty good view from the Bridge over the canal.

Jam packed with skaters.

We then went to the Parliament Building, where important men and women make important decisions concerning the country.

The tower where a bell tolls every hour.

I got to take this very emo picture at one of the windows. (Yes, in the building where important men and women make important decisions.)

When we got there, all the tickets to the tour were sold out. So we were left to wander around in a very limited place. But it was a good experience.

Right before heading back to Montreal, we went on a horse drawn carriage tour.

Our horse was called Packingham. Can't remember the name of the guide, but he was very nice.

He took pictures for us. They didn't come out great but he meant well.

By the way, can anyone tell me what this sign means?

Using it as my mobile phone's wallpaper at the moment

Montreal Day 1

2010-02-16T15:43:00.012-06:00

I just got back from Montreal this morning at 6am. I had a really good time there. Spent CNY in Ottawa too. Time passed too quickly. There wasn't enough hours in a day to do all the things we wanted to do.

Day 1 in Montreal

It was a really beautiful day for exploring the city.

We went into Old Montreal where there were beautiful old buildings. The one with the dome is used as a market.

One of the shops inside sold fossils.

My prize shopping item of the trip. Fossilized shark tooth. Only 3dollars for the small ones and 10 dollars for the large one. Compare the size to the quarter

I love them old buildings.

We played around with some statues in the park.

One of the stores in Old Montreal had a big dead polar bear in the window.

We visited the Science Centre on one of the piers right on top of the Saint Lawrence River.

It was a sunny day on our first day. Took this picture as we were heading back to the hotel to rest.

We went to China Town after dark.

Lions guarding the front gates

It was CNY eve so most of the stores closed early. :(

But we found a vietnamese restaurant for dinner.

Then, since Montreal was the party central of Canada, we went clubbing! Jean, me and a couple of other people on the trip. I didn't bring any clubbing clothes but I did bring my boots with a bit of heels. ~phew~ It was the first time I was clubbing during CNY.

Happy Chinese New Year! May the Year of the Tiger bring happiness to all of you! Gong Xi Fatt Da Chai!

GAh

2010-02-09T20:13:00.002-06:00

I need to relax for a bit. So I've decided to blog.

My activities for the coming days:

Organic Chemistry of Biomolecules Midterm at 8.30am on 10th Feb
Medical Microbiology Midterm at 1.30pm on 12th Feb
Advanced Cell Biology Assignment due on 12th Feb Midnight
Principles of Instrumental Analysis Experiment 3 Lab Report Due on at 6.30pm on 12th Feb
Plan out the Trip to Montreal before we leave at 11pm on 12th Feb
Try to enjoy Montreal (without worrying about studies)
Research on "RNA Folding" for Organic Chemistry of Biomolecules
Principles of Instrumental Analysis Midterm at 8.30am on 23rd Feb
Advanced Cell Biology Midterm at 11.30am on 23rd Feb
Organic Chemistry of Biomolecules Presentation about "RNA Folding" on 23rd Feb
Organic Chemistry of Biomolecules Lab Questions due at 2.30pm on 23rd Feb

First Hockey Game Ever

2010-02-04T21:51:00.004-06:00

Tickets...

...to a hockey game!

Pardon my sakai-ness, but hockey is awesome. I love the players gliding so smoothly over the ice. I love the crowd's enthusiasm. 6100+ people in the stadium.

The thing I love the most is the violence. Guy mashing into one another, shoving, pushing and no foul!

Me, Jean, Geok Yi and Denisha

Aya, Jita, Liyana and me

Some pre-game camwhoring.

Didn't take too many photos. Gotta go finish up my report.

Tubed

2010-01-31T11:13:00.005-06:00

Everyone blogged today! Is Sunday blogging day or something? I also wanna blog!

We went tubing at St. Mary's. Us 5 biotechies and the VISA peeps!

Jita, Jean, Me holding tummy and Liyana

Bus Trip!

The slope we have to go down

The tubes we sit on while going down slope

After tubing drinks

Time to go

*Pictures taken from various sources*

Growing up

2010-01-29T16:02:00.004-06:00

Your view of the world will change as you grow. You see the world a bit differently everyday. Things happen. You hear or see events and occurrences that make you see differently. Opinions change. This is how you grow.

As you go on, you continue to take more responsibility. Everyone gets different opportunities and chances in life. Many different factors affect the outcome of your life. One of the major factors is you own action. What you do will determine what happens.

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade!

Converted to convertables

2010-01-24T17:52:00.007-06:00

Yesterday, I crossed the border over to the State (first time ever)! I went to the Auto Show with Jean and Denisha.

And it was AWESOME.

I am a convert to convertibles. Cars can be so sexy. Yum!

Guess who ran into

Bumble Bee!!

I think this was a Viper.

Is this a Viper?

Three lovely ladies: Jean, me and Denisha

Red, Shiny and convertible.

Hybrid Subaru

Mase-maserati-rati

Oh so fussy

2010-01-21T14:05:00.003-06:00

What do you drink if you:

want a hot drink
don't want hot chocolate cos of the megaton of calories in it
don't want tea because it stains your teeth
wanna sleep early so caffeine is a no-no
don't wanna drink milk beacause you are slightly lactose intolerant (farty after drinking milk)

So you opt for: black coffee decaf from Timmy's!!

Great for late night pick-me-ups.

Blogging Slump

2010-01-18T11:51:00.005-06:00

Everyone seems to be in a blogging slump. Blogger's block eh?

I don't have much going on now.

I am just focussed on two things at the moment:

1) Studying (which is why I am halfway round the world from home in the first place)

2) Working out. Gotta keep fit in the winter weather.

Right now I want:

1) Circle lenses from http://pclenses.weebly.com/models.html

2) More eyeshadows. I need more neutral tones. The ones I have now are too shimmering.

3) A back pack. I've got too much stuff for a shoulder bag.

I'll keep you guys posted if anything interesting happens.

Colored contacts

2010-01-08T22:55:00.002-06:00

Classes just started yesterday. I feel so motivated. I can't wait to get started. But this feeling wont last that long.

I just got bored and photoshopped colors into my eyes.

Recap

2010-01-02T15:15:00.002-06:00

This is just a summary of my life in 2009. It is going to be totally random.

2009 has been anything but boring for me. I did not make any resolutions for the year but everything went well for me.

At the beginning of the year, I received my citizenship. I was so proud. I finally belonged to a country. I literally hugged my certificate.

I stopped studying at UBD and worked almost the whole year. I met many new friends at Swiber.

I lost 5 kilos!

Lisha came back for the Chinese New Year.

I went to KL for a vacation with some of my favorite people.

I fell in love with badminton.

I went on vacation to KK.

In September, it just hit me that I was leaving. A very last minute thing. I had no idea at all that I would be leaving so soon. There wasn't even much time for me to digest the news and after a few plane rides, I was on the other side of the world from home.

I visited Niagara Falls. I watched the seasons change from Fall to Winter.

One semester down, and four more to go. Time flies when you're occupied.

I have to say, it hasn't been all positive in the last year. I did some things I am not proud of. I hope there is a way I could amend things. I would like to apologize to the people I have hurt.

Ice Ice Baby

2010-01-02T13:37:00.004-06:00

I just realized that both my roommates have super skinny legs and super clear skin. I very jealous lo.

I took a walk in the freezing weather. Minus 10 degrees Celsius. Brrrr.... My toes are frozen.

The Ambassador Bridge to Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit River slightly iced over

Snowy Day

2009-12-29T17:41:00.007-06:00

There was plenty of snowfall yesterday.

Freshly fallen snow

My footprint

The snow makes it perfect for

Making a snowman

Almost done

Our finished snowman

Geok Yi and the snowman

Me and the snowman

Jita and Liyana and the snowman

Jean and the snowman

Enough exercise for the day.

Avatar

2009-12-23T10:14:00.003-06:00

If you know me, then you know that I love Sci Fi. Avatar was perfect for me. I watched it last night in 3D. There wasn't much 3D actions. Unfortunately, we entered the theater late and got a seat way way way in the front. :(

The biotechies

Sitting way in front made it slightly not so enjoyable. But the story is good. It really captures the ruthlessness of the human kind, eh? Good CGI. Has a moral. The science makes sense, sort of. I kept trying to work things out in my head. Like electronic flux in relationship to the gravitational field and how that caused a mountain to float. The neuron connections between the plants and everything. Am I the only person that thinks too much?

8 hours and counting

2009-12-20T23:20:00.003-06:00

My last paper is in 8 hours. Then I will be free.

Things I plan to do with all the freedom (two weeks, actually):

1. Shopping

2. Watch Avatar (in 3D)

3. Badminton

4. Shopping

5. Basketball (Shooting only cos my game sucks. My game sucks balls.)

My skin is still horribly dry. Gah! I need help. Gonna be buying tonnes of face masks and creams (Refer to item #1 and #4 on my things to do list↑).

6 more days

2009-12-19T18:34:00.004-06:00

It's 6 more days to Christmas.

It's gonna be a white christmas

I have one more paper then I am free!!!

I think I am allergic to Winter!!! My skin is super dry. It's peeling. Ugh... I need a new moisturizer! Boxing day is still so far away! You can see that my face is still a bit reddish. Bleh.

Pissed

Vichy

2009-12-17T19:49:00.006-06:00

I used up all my Vichy Normaderm moisturizer. It boasts that it makes your skin perfect. Well, it didn't do anything for me. It keeps my face hydrated and it feels great when you put it on. It's matte so my face stays shine free all day. But that's just about the only pros I can think of. The con is that it costs crazy amount of money.

I cleared my break outs with Benzoyl Peroxide. Now I'm just using the peroxide on problem areas.

And I found out I am allergic to my new moisturizer, Cetaphil. It turns me bright red.

Gah. Time to go shopping for a new moisturizer. I think I am gonna get something I am used to like Garnier or Clean and Clear.

Two more papers and I am free... till next sem.

Winter Depression

2009-12-15T12:03:00.004-06:00

I've got SAD. :(

Comes with the season.

Cooped up inside. Too cold to wander outside.

I miss the tropical sun. Growing up in a tropical place does not prepare you for such drastic changes in the weather.

Going out and seeing people helps. Makes you feel more human.

On a happier note, I love this shirt.

OMGRRR!

Dinner

2009-12-10T09:27:00.001-06:00

Looks almost too good to eat

... almost

Yogurt + Strawberries + Banana + Almonds = Yum

Trying to eat healthier in a land of junk food

Videos

2009-12-08T22:31:00.003-06:00

I was walking to a coffee shop when I spotted this store.

I wonder what they sell?

White Christmas

2009-12-08T22:22:00.003-06:00

Us Brunies went to watch the Santa Parade on Friday Night. Lotsa bands and elves.

Geok Yi, Jita, Liyana and Jean - Santa's Float passing thru at the back

I was just studying when Jean told me it's snowing. This is the first heavy snow fall I've seen.

How it looks like outside

Benzoyl Peroxide

2009-12-07T11:07:00.005-06:00

I have been getting break-outs since I got to Windsor. And I was desperate to get rid of the acne.

So I bought 5% Benzoyl Peroxide. And it worked! No more pimples.

Except that I put on too much and my face had a reaction against it. Now my face is red and swollen

My face swollen. I look round not because I add fats, ok?

Benzoyl peroxide, kills pimples and swells up your face!

Precipitation

2009-12-05T12:17:00.002-06:00

It just snowed for like ten seconds.

Woots.

Tiny little flecks of fluffy ice drifting slowly to the ground.

Fragile and melts the instant you touch it.

Wa ta shi wa Sharon-san des.

2009-12-05T11:07:00.002-06:00

A couple of months ago, my sister bought me a moisturizer from Singapore. I couldn't read the instructions coz it was in Japanese or something.

Anyway, I brought it here to Canada with me.

And then I met Aya, who was Japanese. She came over one day, to study.

I was like: "Hey, Aya. Can you help me read the instructions on my moisturizer?"

And I handed her the moisturizer.

She looked at the bottle and handed it back to me.

She said: "I can't read it."

Surprised, I said, "Why not?????????"

She said

"Cos it's in Korean."

Me: Ohhhhhh........

Doggy Exercise

2009-12-03T14:41:00.001-06:00

If Fawkes can learn 10% of these tricks, I'll be so happy oledi...

Randoms

2009-11-29T18:34:00.004-06:00

I present to you:

My work station

Proud to be

A University of Windsor Student

It's been so bloody cold lately. And the weather is so gloomy. I am not getting enough sleep. The days are getting shorter so my body is confused. I feel tired all the time.

I can't study at home. I'll have to go study at the library tomorrow.

And I lost my pink pen drive, with the super mario keychain my sister gave me on my birthday. T_T

Sorry, sis.

On the other hand, I've been shopping so much!! we shopped till we dropped on Black Friday.

Darkness

2009-11-26T12:31:00.004-06:00

I had a dream, which was not all a dream.

The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars

Did wander darkling in the eternal space,

Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth

Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;

Morn came and went--and came, and brought no day,

And men forgot their passions in the dread

Of this their desolation; and all hearts

Were chill'd into a selfish prayer for light:

And they did live by watchfires--and the thrones,

The palaces of crowned kings--the huts,

The habitations of all things which dwell,

Were burnt for beacons; cities were consumed,

And men were gathered round their blazing homes

To look once more into each other's face;

Happy were those who dwelt within the eye

Of the volcanos, and their mountain-torch:

A fearful hope was all the world contain'd;

Forests were set on fire--but hour by hour

They fell and faded--and the crackling trunks

Extinguish'd with a crash--and all was black.

The brows of men by the despairing light

Wore an unearthly aspect, as by fits

The flashes fell upon them; some lay down

And hid their eyes and wept; and some did rest

Their chins upon their clenched hands, and smiled;

And others hurried to and fro, and fed

Their funeral piles with fuel, and looked up

With mad disquietude on the dull sky,

The pall of a past world; and then again

With curses cast them down upon the dust,

And gnash'd their teeth and howl'd: the wild birds shriek'd,

And, terrified, did flutter on the ground,

And flap their useless wings; the wildest brutes

Came tame and tremulous; and vipers crawl'd

And twined themselves among the multitude,

Hissing, but stingless--they were slain for food.

And War, which for a moment was no more,

Did glut himself again;--a meal was bought

With blood, and each sate sullenly apart

Gorging himself in gloom: no love was left;

All earth was but one thought--and that was death,

Immediate and inglorious; and the pang

Of famine fed upon all entrails--men

Died, and their bones were tombless as their flesh;

The meagre by the meagre were devoured,

Even dogs assail'd their masters, all save one,

And he was faithful to a corse, and kept

The birds and beasts and famish'd men at bay,

Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead

Lured their lank jaws; himself sought out no food,

But with a piteous and perpetual moan,

And a quick desolate cry, licking the hand

Which answered not with a caress--he died.

The crowd was famish'd by degrees; but two

Of an enormous city did survive,

And they were enemies: they met beside

The dying embers of an altar-place

Where had been heap'd a mass of holy things

For an unholy usage; they raked up,

And shivering scraped with their cold skeleton hands

The feeble ashes, and their feeble breath

Blew for a little life, and made a flame

Which was a mockery; then they lifted up

Their eyes as it grew lighter, and beheld

Each other's aspects--saw, and shriek'd, and died--

Even of their mutual hideousness they died,

Unknowing who he was upon whose brow

Famine had written Fiend. The world was void,

The populous and the powerful--was a lump,

Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless--

A lump of death--a chaos of hard clay.

The rivers, lakes, and ocean all stood still,

And nothing stirred within their silent depths;

Ships sailorless lay rotting on the sea,

And their masts fell down piecemeal: as they dropp'd

They slept on the abyss without a surge--

The waves were dead; the tides were in their grave,

The moon their mistress had expir'd before;

The winds were withered in the stagnant air,

And the clouds perish'd; Darkness had no need

Of aid from them--She was the Universe.

A poem by Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)

Rain rain go away

2009-11-25T20:52:00.001-06:00

The weather is bringing me down. :(

Land Down Under

2009-11-23T21:45:00.002-06:00

I don't know why. I really cannot explain it at all. It's just plain bizarre. But I have had this song stuck in my head for the whole day. I haven't even heard it recently.

lui

2009-11-20T14:19:00.000-06:00

AHAHAHAHHAHAH

see more Epic Fails

3

2009-11-19T19:41:00.004-06:00

Got my new laptop!! Yay!

Britney!!

Damn Catchy! And I wanna get that white swim suit!!

Winter Olympics 2010

2009-11-17T14:18:00.001-06:00

The Winter Olympics 2010 is gonna take place on the 12th to 28th of February next year in Vancouver.

The torch is gonna pass by Windsor on the 23rd December. I wanna go see it. Cool!

I miss goggies

2009-11-11T15:09:00.003-06:00

All Hallow's Eve

2009-11-01T19:55:00.003-06:00

Guess wat I dressed up as!!

I was supposed to be a vampire but my fangs didn't fit. :(

Scary?

Addicted to ........ shopping

2009-10-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

My fishing plans keep getting postponed!!! I woke up at 7.30 in the morning to go fishing. Waited from 8.30am to 9.30am outside the shop and it did not open. :(

So I gave up and went to the gym. I need to burn more calories.

Then I went shopping. Totally spurged!!! Spent like 150 bucks today. Hehe....

Good Girl

2009-10-24T16:23:00.005-05:00

Just got back from the gym. Feel so good about myself.

Every time I walk to the gym I have to pass Ryan Street. Actually, not such a bad street.

Ryan Street

Now gonna go shower, do my laundry and study. Oh, I am such a good girl. :)

On the way back, I was listening to Bloodhound Gang - Bad Touch on my MP3 player, when two guys came up to me. They were representing their Church of Jesus Christ.

Imagine how inappropriate it is to be listening to "You and me, baby, ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel" and then having two guys ask you if you were interested in listening to a message from Jesus Christ.

We finished drawing our flag on the wall on the International Student Centre.

Brunei Flag

Board

2009-10-22T13:40:00.000-05:00

I might just like this board game.

see more Epic Fails

On the ice

2009-10-17T22:34:00.006-05:00

We went ice skating. It's awesome!!! This is my first time I have ever seen a skating rink. And it was great. It's a bit like roller skating except a lot colder.

Jita and her skates

Me, Geok Yi and Jean. Sorry, I don't have a better group photo.

Liyana

Geok Yi and Jean

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE ice skating.

Flag Painting

2009-10-16T23:00:00.003-05:00

Us Biotechies went to the International Student Centre on campus today to paint our flag on the wall.

Picture taken from Pumudu's facebook

Geok Yi, Jita, Jean and Liyana painting the flag

We all chipped in to help. The flag is not done yet. Gonna go back and finish it up on Sunday.

Have an awesome weekend, guys.

2009-10-15T17:43:00.003-05:00

Just got back from the gym. Loving it. Gonna go work out as much as I can. The fact that I have to walk there through Ice Age temperatures is not going to deter me.

Procrastinating

2009-10-14T20:27:00.007-05:00

Behold the Super Procrastinator:

Filing my nails

Pop Tarts

Cutting up my notes

Doing anything to get me out of studying, including blogging about nothing.

You'll never forget how to procrastinate. It's like riding a bike. It all comes back to you.

Trippin'

2009-10-11T22:58:00.014-05:00

Hey, guys. I just got back to my apartment about 2 hours ago. It's been a fun weekend.

I went on a trip with Jean, Geok Yi and the Seniors.

We went to -

The Niagara Falls

We took the Maid of the Mist and went right up to the falls-

-to be splashed by the waterfall's water.

It's pretty awesome.

We could see the State of New York across the Lake where the Falls drains into. All we had to do was to cross the bridge and we'd be in New York, USA!! Woo Hoo. Of course then, there's a 3 hour drive to New York City. But Buffalo, New York is nearer. Buffalo wings!! Didn't go over to the States but will do it one day.

We did other things too, including going into a wax museum.

Guess who I ran into

Yeahhhh Baby..

We went into the Ripley's Believe It Or Not place.

This is so funny.

We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Vichy

2009-10-08T21:29:00.005-05:00

My skin is getting worse. It's not really acne. It's just really annoying scattered pimples.

So I've decided to change my facial regimen.

So instead of Clean and Clear and Menthalatum,

I got Vichy. Cost me more than CAD60.

I just tried it out tonight. And after one hour, I looked in the mirror. And I can see all the black heads, white heads and other impurities surfacing. It's kinda gross. The sales lady did say that my skin would get worse before it got any better.

Sem Break Coming Up

2009-10-08T00:15:00.003-05:00

The mid-semester break starts next Monday. Gonna take time to catch up on my studies. Feel like I am way behind. :(

Some pictures of the campus. It's really relaxing. Must have something to do with all the greenery.

Jean!!

Fawkesy

2009-10-07T23:46:00.003-05:00

Was going through my pictures and found some pictures take before I left Brunei.

Cute, isn't it? I found a picture of Fawkes trying to do the same thing.

Not quite the same...

Colors of Fall

2009-10-07T23:34:00.006-05:00

I went for a walk with Jean today. We went shopping. Retail therapy!! I spent CAD260!! Feels good. I got another winter jacket. :)

The trees are turning color.

Saw this tree near the stadium. So pretty, so I took a couple of pictures.

We went to scope out the stadium. It's not bad. It has courts for basketball, badminton, volleyball. It has a pool. It has a large stadium for football (rugby). It has another one for football (soccer). It has a track for running. Oh and it's free to University Students. :D

Determination

2009-10-03T00:03:00.002-05:00

moar funny pictures

Shooting in the neighborhood

2009-09-29T22:50:00.000-05:00

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/shot+dead+Windsor+Ontario/2039588/story.html

Wow! This is very near where I live...

Rotten teeth

2009-09-29T21:02:00.004-05:00

Today. I opened my mouth really really big... and looked in the mirror.

I saw.... tooth decay!!! Oh My God!!!!!!

Freaking out and panicking.

I wonder how much it costs to get my teeth looked at around here.

Oh well. I think this is going to put me off from eating for a couple of days...