Saturday, January 31, 2009

A lot of randoms.

Technically, i should be using my awake and non- tired hours trying to complete all my readings, but once in a while maybe i should cut myself some slack. Something that I had been doing for quite some time actually.

I have been bad by stuffing my face full of good food and snacks and snuggling up in bed with a good book and chilling out with friends. Well, its only fair cos Im missing out on all the celebrations in Singapore :P
(PS. Jeffrey Deaver's Lincolm Ryhme series is not bad really! If you are into thrillers that is. And John Grisham has a new book- The Associate.)

Anyway, Im glad i brought some almond cookies and pineapple tarts back during xmas, and it really is comfort food during times like this. Coupled with Cai Shen Dao MVs ... perfect! Not good for diets, but that word is taboo during CNY no?

Secondly, Im glad I went for the SUKA CNY dinner last night with Rae and Cheryl, even though i was feeling rather reluctant to initially (my mind on the piling work load). I definitely enjoyed myself more yesterday than at the steamboat dinner I hosted at MIC. (I have decided that never would i willingly host sucha big dinner with so many randomers, makes it so hard to talk to anyone in depth, and its so exhausting to be cooking and trying to get everyone started. Sometimes, the host appreciates it when you dont actually wait for her to start? Go on eating first, im pretty sure she'll not only not mind it but will be grateful for that.)
There was Lo Hei (yayy! so much fun, though im not a fan of the dish itself.) and LOBSTER! Awesomeness (((: Although I was on a random UCL and LSE table, I quite enjoyed myself cos most people on the table were friendly and easy to talk to, and i suppose, me and the Grape do have this ability to self- entertain anywhere anytime.
There were my favourite CNY songs blasting througout the night, which i couldnt help but sing and jiggle to. Which was why Grape was saying that if there was ever a CNY club, i might just possibly go clubbing. Im starting to sound cooler by the minute eh?

Thirdly, I wonder if it is was a reward for me staying up late to complete my essay that I was blessed with a good dream last night. Though i cant quite remember it now (we forget 90% of what we have dreamt within 5mins), i remember it to be possibly one of the sweeetest dreams I have had in like say maybe the last 2 years at least? :) It was soo good that when I momentarily woke up, i wanted to write it down. But oh well, having relished in it once is sufficient. I shant be too greedy about it.

I might possibly be going down to Trafalgar Square tmr for the CNY carnival with Grape and Cheryl tmr, hoping that it would be good :) Im hoping that there would be loads of goodies, and happy CNY music to bob to and many a lion dance & fireworks to get hyper about.

HC Night (in about 3weeks) is going to be 2 days before Feb Test :x And im still contemplating very hard whether to go down for it. I really want to, but i dont know if it is a wise choice. Maybe, i should get off the net and work now.

And finally to top it all off,
it's my dad's bday today ((((:
Im wishing that i was home to eat the cake with him hehe. Maybe i should eat one now to symbolise that eh?

It just occurred to me that my entries are getting increasingly random and disorganised. I guess it pretty much resemble my state of mind ... and the state of my work and whatnots.
Oh welllll. Things will work out eventually, wont they? ;)
I hope so.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Alas, Internet!

Finally after 5 days I have access to some internet in my hall, though it is incredibly slow. And i have to resort to hiding in the cold TV room without any heater to get the minimal wireless meant for the hotel guests. Its scary (and quite sad) how our lives, esp when studying overseas, revolves around so much around the net. It can pretty much determine our moods and all (esp so for my roomie who gets really depressed with the lack of connection, I just complain about not being able to use wiki 'cos its hard to keep flipping to the appendix and back when you are doing pharmco).

Anyway, I shall post my pictures of my dismal CNY when the internet connection is better. I didnt get to do much, but did go down to North Cloisters where HC Alumni UK and Vines (Victorians In Europe) organised a really mini CNY street. It was a good chance for me to see Paul and Mark, both of whom (Im very ashamed to say) I havent met at all since the start of the academic year :x Esp so for Paul, who stays probably less than 10mins walk away. Either way, its always good to see old friends.

I hosted a dinner with Rae on Sat evening, and to be quite honest, I wasnt enjoying myself too much cos I was too shagged from trying to:
1. Shop for indgredients, lug them back from Chinatown and Sain's/ Tesco's
2. Check every single Tesco's/ Sain's (from Leicester to Euston) for bowls and spoons and forks and plates- Best thing was that none of them carry plastic bowls? Or plastic utensils that did not come in sets with knives. (All while lugging the stuff from Chinatown)
3. Cook for 25 people (who rsvp-ed) and possibly more. Although, to be fair, it was mainly 1 pot of chicken soup, vegetarian soup and seafood soup. And desserts (tangyuan).
4. Prepare the stuffs for the steamboat.
5. Clean up.
And that pretty much serve me right for being too ambitious for having such a large dinner.
Plus, me, being the social retard i am, find it very hard to integrate and interact with mutually exclusive groups of friends. Someone who is good at this, I would very much appreciate advice on dealing with situations like this? (:

Nothing special happened on CNY Eve, cos i was aching all over from the dinner the night before. So i was sleeping in late and intermittently taking naps.
Calling home in the evening got me all homesick and teary- eyed. But such is life, and Im glad that my mum would be able to come over next year when my brother enters army. What would be perfect would be him coming over to London, or even better, nab that SAF scholarship and come immediately (quite as likely as me flying home now for CNY). At midnight, my roomie and I were just playing random CNY songs from youtube, and I was showing her some of the MVs which the Mediacorp artistes did and i never realised it was so cringe-y. Some of it even had Singlish raps in it.

CNY day itself marked the start of a new module for me (endocrinology). And it was quite a pleasant start 'cos this module's coordinator is quite enthusiastic, organised and a relatively good lecturer. The notes are decent, and there's only 1 recommended text (saves cost!). I think i got abit too excited and kiasu, and bought the book on first day of CNY. Im crossing my fingers for good luck the whole year round still.

There's going to be a CNY market and celebrations and fireworks in Trafalgar Square and Chinatown this Sunday. And maybe, if im feeling it, I might just pop down to enjoy the festivities that Im missing so much now!

Happy "Niu" Year everyone! Spring does look like its coming, and thats really something to rejoice about ((:

Friday, January 23, 2009

Wiiiii. Not.

Something i owe the losers, proof that i didnt throw the box away. And im hanging the keychain up there only cos i dont want to scratch it:

Miss you guys!

-

Here's anita showing off that she just got a new wii.

And she's actually not that fortunate afterall. Hehehe.

You can get it from Fractalspin: http://www.fractalspin.com/x/product.php?productid=256
(They have other cool stuff as well. Like mushroom candies hehe.)

Or if you are in London, Anita was telling me you can get if off Forbidden Planet in Covent Garden.
It would really make a cool gift. (From a geek's POV :x)

-

Its CNY in 3 days and i dont feel it at all :( I have no new clothes, not going on a diet to look good that once a year (as i would normally), not getting all excited about angpows and goodies and visiting people (well, there is no one to visit really).

Speaking of clothes, I think i got indirectly told off by my course tutor today (she was technically addressing everyone) cos i was inappropriately dressed for PDS session. I clean forgot (once again) that I had to look vaguely formal and doctor- like cos there are going to be actors for patient simulation sessions. There i was clad in jeans and hoodie and bright red levi's sneakers, and everyone else was in suits and ties and what-nots :x It made me feel so awkward for the entire 1.5h session. But i guess, its smthing that i possibly wont forget to do anymore in the near future.

School's busy, works piling up, essays going to be due, BSC applications are closing soon (though im possibly not doing it nxt year), Feb intermodule in 30 days and life in London goes on and on ... not aware that the other half of the world is celebrating their biggest festival of the calendar.
Sigh.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

School and Such.

Im supposed to be in an embryology lecture now, but after being distracted for 2 hours in a pharm lecture, i have decided to break my beautiful clean record of full attendance for lectures. And half the time i dont know what goes on in embryology anyway, my current knowledge stands at the coin purse model. Im actually surprised that Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital's so widely acclaimed cos about 3/4 of the lecture hall is gone during embryo lectures. Well, unless the docs there didnt graduate here, or that we dont need to know embryology for paeds (this i would not know now).

Anyway, I just spent the alt 1.5h in pharmco lect convincing my HK coursemate how awesome Singapore is, and how he has to come visit during summer.
And so this was how it first went:
Him: No offence really, but what is there to see or do in Singapore.
Me: Well, you could come and ... we could go Malaysia.

-

Anyway, Im quite excited about the upcoming Norway trip during Intermodule week, though Im freaking out abit about skiiing. Im hoping that Erns and Dj wont force me up the slopes, and take my lack of finances as a valid excuse hehe. But really, I think the world is fair, cos i dont think i would be able to do trips such as this if I was back in Singapore. And i think im quite fortunate that my parents are very fine with me flying back every holiday. (Yes, im going back in Easter! But i would have to be mugging for my finals.)

-

Yesterday, I met up with Yush for dinner at Baozi Inn in Chinatown, and it was really awesome. Not only the food (the noodles was real spicy, not london spicy, but sichuan spicy hehe.), but also the company. On hindsight, I realised that Yush had conned me into insulting half my social circle. Very sneaky really :P
We did some shopping for ths steamboat dinner afterwards, which totally unleashed my inner aunty-ness. Now i really do understand why my mum goes about comparing prices and buying groceries from various shops, because Im mirroring her now :x But come on, you cant expect me not to bat an eyelid when fishballs are going for 2.20pounds per pack right!

And good news for Singaporeans (esp those stuck here for CNY):

1.00 GBP

=

2.06404 SGD



I shall make my skipping of lecture worthwhile, its time to read the previous lecture hehe.
Its time for some self- discipline.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

From a very busy Peish.


Tony and Guy Tame-it Hair Serum
For poor souls like me who have had years of annoying unmanageable hair, I have found the solution.
And it is very very affordable now at boots at 2 for 7pounds! (Normal price 7.60pounds or so.)

Aside from whining about not getting to spend CNY in singapore (with good food, awesome CNY songs, and loads of family (angpows) and friends),
I have been trying to plan a CNY gathering here, clean up my room (to welcome the Ox), cook, keep up with school work (adidas is quite wrong in saying impossible is nothing), attend all my lectures from sun up to sun down, catch up on all the pharmco stuff which i have been ignoring, not freak out for Feb Intermodule Test (in 30days time, giving us only 1 weekend to study after the module ends and i completely forgot my first 2 module's work), occassionally plan my upcoming Norway trip with Dj and Erns, work on my essays, keep in touch with friends ...
All these while sleeping by 12.

Not easy really, but at least the non-lack of sleep is keeping me relatively upbeat about it.
And the thing about living on your own is that, after some time you get so awesomely good at multi-tasking.

Ok, lunch break's up, its Multiple Sclerosis next.

Xin Nian Kuai Le, Wan Shi Ru Yi.
Till then my friends, you know i miss you! ((((:

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Happy Birthday!


Happy Birthday ((((:

Now Im wishing I was back home :(

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Pre- CNY Festive Mood!


First week of school passed by in a flash. Maybe cos i was so consumed with trying to pseudo- revise for my Neuro formative assessment, and trying to get out of a farmer's sleeping cycle (9pm-5am) at the same time.

Chinese New Year's coming up, and because I have decided to stop wallowing in self- pity and be positive, you are cordially welcomed to THE CNY Dinner on Sat, 24th Jan (CNY Eve's Eve).

Singaporeans please feel free to fly to London, free entrance upon showing air ticket. (Flights are going for good prices now on both Emirates and SIA.)

And for the rest of the Londoners, please do come down for a night of great company, nice festive music (if i can get my hands on some), awesome food and loads of fun.

Its going to be a potluck dinner, so feel free to impress us or if you just too lazy (or busy, as we would all prefer to say it), come with 3.50quid and its all settled. RSVP by Wed!

Details available at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=45372958319&ref=ts

PS. Please tell me if i forgot you (totally unintentional), and i would def promptly send you an invite!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Cow and Chicken.



"Cow looks up to her big brother and she thinks Chicken is cool."

But Chicken, i know you think Cow is cooler right heh. Why am I even posting this up, when i said i was going to study after 2omins? Whooopppps.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

If you listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain <3



O M G.

First Post of 2009.

Finally, with 2 days to my formative assessment, Im resurrecting my blog again. Its just impossible to blog in singapore, not because there isnt anything to talk about but because the time can be better spent everywhere else. I even rather just lump in front of the tv watching old shows. (I only wish I had a tv here with starhub cable!)

Christmas break was awesome. ((((((((((((:

I started Christmas break with a trip to China, to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi area. And sadly, i didnt quite like the trip mainly cos it was with a tour group, and we had to wake up early everyday plus it was too cold in China, meaning that i was seeking refuge in the coach most of the time. (Yes, im sad. I dont ever get accustomed to the cold.)
Shopping in Shanghai is overrated, cos all the overseas brands were seriously overpriced (like 3x that of singapore). Brands like Bossini and Giodarno were considered "branded products" too. And i doubt anyone of us would be willing to don smthing that reads "clio coddle" under a crocodile/ alligator sign. (Pictures will be up when my brother finds the memory card reader to transfer the pictures from the cam.)
But food there was good and cheap (not dirt cheap but cheaper than restaurants in singapore), if you can find the correct restaurants, which I only managed to go to after the tour ended when my dad's business friends brought us around during our extension. In fact, I thought they served better food of higher quality than Tunglok or Lei Garden. And i managed to try Snake and Turtle and Bat meat. I didnt do it willingly, but got cheated into it. But to be fair, they tasted quite good. And China has the best Da Zha Xie (Freshwater Crabs) I have ever tasted.

Pulled out my wisdom teeth after the holiday, and was stuck with a dull aching pain and then a cold that caused me to completely lose my voice :x Took me more than 1wk to recover and morph from Gollum to Anita Sarawak.

And of course, Singapore's only best cos this is where friends and family are.
I managed to spend alot of time at home, just bumming around with my brother and trying to revise abit after the much too long china holiday (which was about 16 days i think? I completely lost count to be honest.).

Managed to meet up with Tripod people on New Year's Day, and was barely able to talk to them much cos i was still croaking cos of my cold.

I managed to meet up with the Losers and May on of the last few days just before i flew. The losers, true to our name, just get more and more horrendous as the years go by.
We managed to:
1. Laugh for 4h without stopping
2. Create a card with a cardboard box
3. Prepare a surprise for a friend (me) in front of her
4. Do things that even a P6 kid would be embarrassed of- like taking ten thousand pictures with retarded poses outside the cinema entrance.
We would think that time would make us less more mellow and less embarrassing, but no, with them, i think our innermost dark side gets unleashed. I havent laughed for so much since .... I cant even remember.
I love people who can make me laugh, and because of the culture difference, i guess its really hard for the brits to make me laugh as much as people back home.
The gift which they made for me: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=1258838&id=633122838&op=1&view=album&subj=628210235&aid=54412&auser=633122838
(For some strange reason, my mac doesnt allow me to copy the picture. Can some computer guru/ non- idiot teach me please.)
Symbolic of all of us:
Pig Peish
Monkey Yuhning
Mushroom Prisc
Cool Face Liane (since when! im the cool one okay.)
Ball of lump Huien (more like bacteria to me)
Cat Dj


Last people which i met, literally on the day i flew, was Hing and jR. And omg jR is still full of crap. If you do know him, please go ask him what he has been up to if you dont know yet. Our kopi session of 4h was not enough for him to tell us about what he has been doing for the past months, nor was it enough for him to explain:
1. How to close a deal with a customer and convince people to buy air for 10k
2. How horoscopes and fengshui work
3. How high class KTVs are like
4. How it is more important to track Little Nonya's ending than the progress in the Gaza Strip
Plus i think this would be one of the rare few times in years to come which i would see Hing (and Huien too!). Considering we are on different hemispheres : (((((

Hing was randomly telling me that as we grow older, we become more lavish with gifts and all, which i totally agree.
I was just thinking of my New Year wishlist and i realised that none of them is actually affordable. But because i still want to announce it anyway, here goes:
1. SLR
2. Wii
3. Teeth Whitening package
I shall stop here before it gets anymore atrocious. But you get the idea. We do get greedier over the years. But then again, as you grow older, a kopi with a good old friend and a nice sweet card from someone you havent heard from for a long long time is just as precious.