Expectations?

This is my current Facebook profile pic...I love it coz it's filled with energy and joy. Seems like I've lost this kinda feeling for quite some time already...perhaps since August? Even one of my lecturer noticed and I thought it was funny when she asked if we wanted to hear something 'honest'. She said that when I first came back and started the semester in May, I looked fresh and energetic...as the semester went by...I looked all worn-out and tired. This is really true...haha!! No doubt...it had been quite a stressful semester...partly because of the tough subjects, partly also because I have high expectations of myself.

I've always set high expectations for myself and I believe that this attitude has brought me to where I am today. I read this from an article by Elizabeth J. Agnew: "Having high expectations will drive excellent results...having expectations gives us resilience and a library of life experience to grow with...we use expectations as a tool in striving to be our best by setting our bar high enough to create challenge." But, expectations can also lead to disappointment. As the saying goes, "The higher the expectations the greater the disappointment". Sometimes I wonder, wouldn't our lives be easier without them?

It is disappointing and de-motivating when hard work doesn't pay off and we'll start pondering what went wrong. In fact, we don't have to demand for answers all the time...all that matters is that we've given our best shot. The next thing to do is to get over it and try harder next time.

Life is filled with ups and downs...what doesn't kill us makes us stronger right? So the next time life throws you lemons, make lemonade out of it!!

Thoughts...

I'm holding my book right in front of me trying to study but my mind refuses to focus on what's in the book...so I decided to blog instead.

Final exam was over & result's gonna be out in 10 days' time. Our lecturers went through the exam questions during this week's revision classes and I kinda have some idea of where I did wrong. But I ain't expecting much coz after all, our exam are all essay and it can be very subjective. What matters most is that I've put in my effort and tried my best...so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

Throughout the last 4 months...I've had some thoughts about study life back here. Comparing a year ago and now...a lot of things seemed to have changed...or perhaps it's just that the way I look at things have changed.

Sometimes I think to myself...what would have happened or where will I be now if I hadn't gone to the States and deferred my studies for a year. Maybe I could have graduated, completed ACCA, went over to UK, start looking for job. Well...wasn't that the original plan? Don't get me wrong...I have no regrets at all with my decision of going over to the States...it was an opportunity of a lifetime for free...who would resist that?

I've indeed gained a lot from my experience in US...but at the same time...I've also left some things behind back here. I'm a very typical Leo and I enjoy achieving different things in life. 2 years ago, I was blessed to start off my Advanced Diploma really well. I managed to stand out a lil' more in our course of 420 students because I was given the opportunity to hold 2 positions and I was lucky that my results were a lil' above average. Even though it was challenging to juggle between studies and other responsibilities at times, I really treasured those learning experiences. I always remind myself that there's something to learn in everything that I do...no matter how shitty the job is...haha! :p

I believe that everyone will perform better when their efforts are being recognized. Same for me, being able to stand out had definitely boosted my confidence to keep striving higher. I really think that all these have helped me a lot and I'm thankful to all the people who have trusted me and gave me the confidence to do better.

Leaving the course last year meant that I had to leave all the things that I've achieved in the course behind and start all over again this year. Sometimes, it seems to be a lil' wasted but on the bright side, being free from all the extra responsibilities gave me more time to focus on my studies. It's also good to come back as 'nobody' and stand away from the limelight...it helped me to keep both feet on the ground. Besides, there are a lot more smart students in the course this year...being ordinary allowed me to step back, learn from 'em and keep trying harder.

Lately, I've been asking myself why did I choose to do Advanced Diploma in Tar college instead of getting a degree from a local uni...life would have been easier and less stressful. Most employers look for degree or professional degree holders when it comes to hiring. Even though our advanced diploma is equivalent or even tougher than accounting degree (bcoz itz exactly the same as ACCA), many big companies doesn't see it. And the Asian culture emphasizes a lot on CGPAs and qualification...how can we prove ourselves if we can't even get an interview? Plus...the school is pushing the par so high for our exam results in order to be comparable to ACCA standard...that means itz even harder to get good CGPA...can u believe that nobody out of 350 students from our course managed to get Distinction this year? It's tough to get good cgpa even for the best students who had put in so much effort. The advanced diploma qualification is already 'not-so-recognized'...plus a 'not-so-impressive' CGPA...what's the point of working our ass off when people don't even see it?! Well...life's unfair...what to do?

Girly Day-Out

Revision classes started this week so we're back to college again after a short break. Honestly, I know that I've gotta start revising but i'm still slacking...ahhh!! Our revision classes are gonna last for only 3 weeks and it's good that our timetable are not very hectic.

Debbie came over to Rachel's house these few days so 3 of us decided to hang out for a day. Rae set the dress code for this day out...whatelse other than dress for a 'girly' day out...haha!! I was designated as the guinea pig for these 2 'consultants'...haha...I guess they did quite a good job right?

3 pretty girls...haha!! *slapppp*

Lunch at Fish & Co. I was busy taking pictures (as usual!)

More pictures!! Rachel...rocker??

Tea break at the Chocolate Lounge.

I admit...I'm not a good walker...needed a break...pheww!

Spent most of the time looking for perfume. Almost 'pengsan' smelling so many different scents...like drug addicts...hehe!! :p

These 2 gals already looking for rings...*cough cough* (i'm helping them to hint the 2 gentlemen...haha!!)

We were a lil' crazy trying to be 'bugs'...whoops!

Phuket 2008...A Year Ago...

This is nothing new or recent...it is just an update that came late after a year. I finally had time to sort out the pictures and update about this trip on my blog. Today is the last day of my break so I decided to spend the entire day working on these...hehe!!

Went on this trip with my family from 21-24 May 2008, right before I started my 2nd year of Advanced Diploma. Well...I started and restarted my 2nd year twice...itz a lil' confusing...nvm.

21 May 2008:
It was my first time traveling on AirAsia. The journey from KL to Phuket took only 2 hours but I don't remember much about the flight coz I was sleeping most of the time.

Arrived Phuket at around 2pm and took a cab to the Andaman Beach Suites Hotel at Patong Beach

Camwhoring around our hotel

Our cozy hotel room

5 minutes walk from our hotel to the beach

Patong Beach...saw some buildings that were destroyed during the Tsunami

Started off with some 'normal' pics on the beach

Followed by some crazy jumping pics...haha!! =P

Had our dinner at this restaurant...Savoey (I don't know what it means)

Yummy yummy Thai cuisine!!

Along the way back to our hotel

22 May 2008:
Followed a one-day island hopping tour to Phi Phi Islands. I've been keeping the island hopping brochure for a long time but I have no idea where I kept it now...so I can't recall the names of all the islands that we went.

Boarded the speed boat at Boat Lagoon Marina

The speed boat was really fast...it was hard to take a nice pic coz my hair was juz flying all over the place like crazy.

Our first stop...Maya Bay. This was where the movie 'The Beach' by Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.

Stopped by Monkey Beach and Viking Cave as well.

All these islands are soooo beautiful...the scenery was just amazing!

That blue shirt piggy can sleep anywhere even though the boat was so bouncy and rocking in the waves!

Lunch at Leamtong Beach

Bamboo Island...small little island with white sandy beaches...nice!!

Some activities on the island

Hahaha...some action shots for mom and dad!!

Nice...rocks??

Sunset from our hotel

Dinner time!!

Some night pics around the hotel

23 May 2008:
Spent the day in the hotel and enjoyed our last day walking around the town.

Chilling at the hotel in the morning

Along the way to the shopping mall

Stopped by for lunch...Tom Yum everywhere....yum yum!!

Jung Ceylon Shopping Mall

Nice landscaping at the mall

Posing on Patong Beach...again!

Took some pics of Patong's night life

That's all for our Phuket trip...only 3 days but it was fun. We planned this trip ourselves and it turned out to be great!!

After Exam...Singapore!!

Was out of town last few days travelling around Singapore with Rachel and Joshua. We planned this trip earlier on as our 'post-exam-destress-escapade', after weeks of being zombies studying for our exams. Even though Singapore is so near to Malaysia, this was only my 3rd time visiting Singapore...and the last time I was there was 10 years ago! Of course, this doesn't include my short 'visits' to Changi airport during my transits...hehe! This time we got our return airtickets for only RM95...so cheap right!!

It has been a long time since the last time I went to Sg and itz hard to imagine how much it has changed in 10 years. I've always admired Singapore's development...it is such a small country but everyone knows about this tiny little country in Asia. This was apparent especially when I was in the States, many people doesn't know where Malaysia is, so I just asked if they know where Thailand and Singapore is...and I'll say Malaysia is right in between this 2 countries...haha! One thing I like about this place is...everywhere is soooo clean...even the streets!

I've mentioned before that I love the cities...so the 3 days' trip was mainly about sightseeing...traveling around the city in MRT, buses, and walking...juz like the locals. Getting around was easy coz the public transports are so convenient and systematic. We also walked quite a good bit in 3 days that I had blisters on my foot and my leg still hurts now from all the walking. I've got some friends studying there but I only managed to meet up with ShuLing in NUS.

My 2 travel buddies...we looked so touristy.

Clarke Quay

The first picture that we took in this underground tunnel turned out really cool so we decided to fool around with more poses...hehe!!

Vivo City...jalan-jalan and had Ben & Jerry's ice cream!

This mall is at Harbour Front...overlooking Sentosa Island

Anderson Bridge

Fullerton Hotel

Rachel's uncle gave us a treat at this Thai food restaurant...yummy!

Suntec City Mall (there are sooo many malls in Sg!!)

Esplanade-Theaters On The Bay

This is just the beginning of our obsession with this 'Durian'...haha!!

Scenic night view of the city from the Esplanade

Of all places to go...we went for hiking in Singapore...I'm not kidding...haha!! The whole journey was about 2km...took us about 1.5 hour...luckily the weather was nice.

Henderson Waves

We took so much effort just to see this bridge...the architecture is pretty cool!

Forest Walk...another trail that we passed by during the hiking.

Some random pics of the city. There were still lotsa fencing along the roads coz F1 was just over last weekend.

Day view of the 'Durian', Fullerton Hotel, Merlion, and the Marina Sands Bay that is still under construction.

The Merlion: Mermaid + Lion = Fake Lion (Singa-Pura)

Went on the Singapore Flyer...too bad the stupid haze spoilt all the view. I wanted to go up around 7pm to get the day and night view...but we went earlier coz we thought we wanted to rush to the Night Safari (but we didn't go =.=)

I loveeee these pics!! I told ya...we're obsessed with the Durian...hahaha!!

I love the night view of the city

This trip was supposed to be meant for de-stress...but it seems we were even more tired because of all the walking. At least, we accomplished each of our 'missions' in 3 days. Our 1-week break is coming to an end...time to get back to college for revision classes. I'm so not in the mood to start my revision yet!!

~September~

Ermm...I've got no idea what title to put for this post. September had been an extremely uneventful month apart from the one and only big event--final exams! No life for almost one whole mth coz everything revolved around studies and text books.=.= We had a mid-sem break earlier on so our semester was also xtended for 2 weeks. Our exam started right after everyone else finished theirs...and Raya break was in between of our exams...yea...we're very 'special' indeed!

Finally finished our exams 2 days ago and we're having one week's break before the revision class starts. And so...the first semester is finally over...4 mths seemed to passed by pretty quick. I still remember when we first started this semester...Rachel & I was constantly comparing and complaining about the hectic study life here...and dreading for this semester to end...haha!! In fact, we're still not quite done with this semester yet...coz the big exam will be in December...so 2 more months to study the same 3 subjects...ahhh!!

Here are some random pics that I took recently...

Course committees, my classmates, and the college (the lecture hall looks like it's somewhere in the jungle)

Was too bored so took some 'artistic' photos from my apartment

We visited one of our relatives at the hospital and guess what we did while we were waiting...haha!! The hospital was so high class...like hotel...so we decided there's no need to wear a mask!

The same thing happens everytime when it comes to exam season...there's no need to clean up the table coz itz gonna get messy anyway. :)

This lucky girl's birthday was 2 days before our first paper. Ms Geh & my surprise plan was so successful that she really thought it was a coincidence...haha...so blurrr!!

Two-Two-Twins

This year, our birthday happened to fall around the same time as grandma’s lunar birthday. Since we made a trip back home for grandma’s birthday dinner, we got to celebrate our birthday together as well. We’ve been celebrating most of our birthdays together for all these years, but not for the last 2-3 years. I celebrated my 20th birthday with my friends coz I was studying in KL…and I was in the States for my 21st birthday. So this time we are back celebrating together again!

This is not *peace*…this is twenty-two!!

Nothing fancy…but the best thing was celebrating it with all my loved ones!!

My birthday present from bro…hehe…my teddy buddy!! Thank you kor kor!!

Another birthday present from my dearest baby all the way from US!! I loveeee this digital frame!! Thanks for the surprise bby!! *Hugs & Kisses*

Our birthday is a day apart so I made this photo album for him! Thanks to Alan for helping me to ‘ship’ this to Alabama…hehe!

Flew back to KL on my birthday after a short birthday weekend back home

Another birthday surprise planned by Rae n Josh. I thought we were juz gonna have dinner at Chillis…but surprisingly…Ms Geh and her kids came also!! Thank ya’ll for everything…that’s so sweeet!! =)

Grandma's 80th!!

Time to catch up with some updates after abandoning my blog for more than a month!! I'd been keeping myself away from blogging coz had to spend the last couple of weeks studying for final exams. Well...I'm not that crazy to the extent of studying 24/7...and in fact I'm online most of the time. It's juz that I can spend lotsa time updating juz one post...so better not waste too much time. That's why this update is quite out-dated already.

16 Aug 2008: It's grandma's 80th birthday so mom & aunt planned this birthday dinner and invited all our close relatives for dinner at Wonderland restaurant.

Happy 80th Birthday to my dearest Grandma!!! Love you!!

Being healthy and strong at the age of 80 is definitely worth celebrating. She's my only grandparent who's still around and I'm fortunate for that. Since young, I've been pretty close to my grandma coz she was the one who took care of me when I was lil'. She has come a long way in life...even though the early years hadn't been easy on her, at least she has 3 good daughters and 7 lovely grandchildren now...hehe!! =) She went through a surgery last year and I'm glad everything went well...hope she'll always stay healthy and happy!! =)

Haha...my cute grandma!! *peace*

It was a great to get everyone together coz I haven't seen my aunts and cousins in awhile. I wasn't back for CNY this year so it was good time to catch up a bit with 'em.

As usual, I was the photographer....capturing all the happy moments!!

When we were young...

This was what I did when I was bored studying...spent an entire night editing all these videos. I've posted all these on facebook so I guess most people have seen it. These videos are already 17 years old...OMG!! Think about the technology level back then...this is already considered pretty good! Thanks to mom & dad for taking all these videos when we were kiddos...and thanks to bro for converting them from video tape to vcds.

Since I'm sharing these long long ago vids...I'll share a bit about our kindergarten memories too. Kor kor and I went to Bayan Baru Methodist Kindergarten from age 4-6. Coz we are twins, mom will usually make us dress similar when we go to school. I remembered that I used to dislike going to school for the first few days and would be crying and holding on to mom's leg so that she'll bring me home...hahaha!! In fact, I don't really remember much about studying in kindergarten...most of my memories come from these videos.

Ms Chan was our kindergarten teacher and she was also my piano teacher until I was 17...so we had quite a 'long-term relationship'. Hmm...doesn't sound too right huh? Oh...perhaps you might be guessing which one is me. I was the one reading 'HOUSE'...and bro was the one reading 'KEY'. Interestingly, a lot of us went on to be schoolmates and classmates at Kwang Hwa primary school...me, bro, ChinLin, PeiZhi, KianGiap, MingWei, WeiChun, MinKai, Alvin, WeiNeng...etc.

1:32 - 'Excuse me, khaisheng...no 'paktor-ing' in class please.'

1:55 - I was actually 'ignoring' the teacher and happily relaxing with my butt facing the teacher...whoops...naughty!! :p

2:32 - Time to do homework. Me writing with left-hand...and I rmb my fish pencil case! I don't know if I was yawning or juz mumbling to myself...hahaha!!

I forgot how many times we had this singing session per week. 2 teachers will demonstrate the actions and we follow as we sing...quite fun huh! We were already taught about 'karaoke' since young...haha!! We were all so adorable huh!!!

0:40 - Dunno why suddenly bro got so excited...stand so high want everyone to see you izit? Who was the one pulling your tiny little yellow tie har? I think he was asking you to sit down...haha...mana tau you squeeze it with your neck pula. :p

1:16 - I think this boy is very cute...but I can't recall who is he.

3:47 - Ehh...ugly lar that xpression...haha!! :p

4:00 - I might be thinking hard...'When can I go home? How many more songs? Why cannot finish one?'

4:40 - Korkor...I know you've been waiting for this part for a long time already...so excited showing your middle finger huh?!?! *head shake*

4:45 - He was trying to fix his fingers coz he didn't know how to show his forth finger and keep the other fingers down...hahaha!

In conjunction with the graduation ceremony and parents' day...we had this annual concert where all classes presented a performance. I only managed to find this video...our performance when we were 5 yrs old...called 'Du Shu Lang' (student). Too bad the quality is a bit inferior...looks like pirated. I think our teacher put 3 of us...me, bro, and PeiZhi in the middle coz we danced better...haha!! *slappp*

As for my performance at the age of 4, I was supposed to hold 2 pom-poms and dance to "O-B-E-Y" song. But the whole performance...the audience only saw "O-B-E"....coz the girl with 'Y' on the front of her shirt was busy looking at her own shadow behind her...so she just showed her butt for the entire performance...it became 'O-B-E-butt"...hehe!! :p Guess who was that smart girl??

Another performance during 6-years old was Indian dance. I couldn't find that video also...arghh!! :(

That's all for the time being...will try to find more interesting videos to edit if I have time. Hope y'all will enjoy the videos! :)

One Year Ago...

Today's date is pretty interesting - 07.08.09. I was wondering how many people remember what they were doing on this same day exactly a year ago. As for me, 07.08.08 was a very memorable & special day that I guess I wouldn't forget for the rest of my life. This was the day when I embarked on my 50 hours looooong journey all alone to the other side of the world...from KL-Singapore-Tokyo-LosAngeles-Denver, and finally Huntsville. It marked the beginning of my wonderful UGRAD experience in the US! :)

Sometimes, I don't feel like one year had actually passed by. I can still vividly remember everything that I'd experienced a year ago. It makes me both happy and sad reminiscing all those memories.

16 June 2009: Rachel, Joshua, & I met up with YeongRu (Mississippi), Alan(Alabama), & EngHwa(Wisconsin) at Swensen's.

All the best guys!! :)

This Fall, another new batch of UGRADers are gonna embark on their journey to the States and coincidently, one of them will also be going to UAH. Few of us 'old' UGRADers (me, bro, YuHan, & Rachel) met up with them in June and we talked about our experiences, gave them some advice, and shared some interesting stories. We can totally understand how anxious and excited they are coz we were in the same position a year ago. Last year, we had nobody to ask all these questions. They are lucky this year coz at least we 'seniors' could share more information and help to avoid them from going through unnecessary troubles like what we experienced. Feels like we are their 'mentors' huh...pui pui pui!! :p

When it comes to sharing our UGRAD experiences in the US...we can go on and on and on for hours...and get all excited about it no matter how many times we've talked about the same stories...hehe!! We can't turn back time and go back to the past, but talking about it gives us an opportunity to indulge in our sweet memories.

I'm looking forward to hear from Alan (M'sia) and Jaime (El Salvador) about their UGRAD experiences in UAH. Go Chargers!! I'm sure they're gonna have a wonderful year ahead! :)

Alright...enough of day-dreaming here...time for me to get back to reality and STUDY!!! :(

纵贯线 Superband Concert

纵贯线Superband大马演唱会 @ Bukit Jalil Putra Stadium, 1 Aug 2009

It has been quite some time since the last time I watched a concert. Over the past 5 years, I've watched quite a number of concerts but I can't remember how many off the top of my head. Haha...guess I'm getting old! :p Looking back at my blog and some pictures...I figured out that this was the 9th concert that I've watched. I'm not a person who will spend money on concert tickets (coz I'm a poor student..hehe!), but I admit...I 'used' to be a contest freak...haha!! :p For all the concerts that I've watched in the past...I won the tickets through radio contests... ain't that awesome!! :) The 2 craziest experiences were winning 9 tickets for LeeHom's concert & winning a trip to Hawaii to watch Backstreet Boys!

Bro was busy 'reporting' to his gf...'beh tahan' this couple...haha!! :p

Big bro bought 2 tickets for this concert and was supposed to watch it with his girlfriend...but she couldn't make it coz of work, so bro asked me to watch with him. I can't believe the tickets are so expensive...RM224 and the seats are still so far from the stage!! Winning free tickets is definitely the way to go...haha!! :p

Based on my previous experiences of watching concert with bro, we usually ended up arriving 'just-in-time' because of using the wrong way. So this time, we left home 2.5 hours before the concert...and even though we were lost on the way...AGAIN...we still managed to arrive early...hahaha!! :p

Initially, I wasn't planning to watch this concert coz it is so-not-my-era!! The 4 singers...李宗盛，羅大佑，周華健，張震岳...I categorize them as 'uncles'...haha! 2 of them are even older than my dad...and their songs are older than me!! But at least some of their songs used to be very popular so I knew quite a number of them. That's one thing special about music...good songs never get old. The concert was actually pretty good and we all enjoyed all the songs. There were lyrics on the screen so the concert turned out to be like a huge karaoke especially when it comes to Emil Chau's songs.

We weren't supposed to record the concert so we 'curi-curi' took these videos. I spent some time combining all the videos and these are the best I could get...not very clear though.

Beautiful Bali!!

After 2 months...I'm boarding the plane again...much shorter this time as compared to the last trip back from US. It takes only 3 hours to fly from KL to Bali...and we were lucky to get our 2- way airtickets for only RM88 (about $25) per person...all thanks to AirAsia...'now everyone can fly'...hehe!! :p 8 of us travelled together this time...thanks to big bro, daddy, and mommy for making all the arrangements during this trip!!

One of the very nice pics that I took during the trip ~"Kuta Beach"

Bro said the shape of Bali Island looks like Snoopy's head...what u think??

27 June 2009, 10.35am: The local media and government have been making this H1N1 a big deal here. I personally think that we Asians are a bit over-reacting, most people don't know much about how this flu spreads...and all they know is to wear masks. For precautionary purposes, each of us brought a mask but I didn't use mine coz it was way too troublesome to put it on and off all the time...kinda defeats the purpose of wearing the mask also. With all the masks, grandma's wheelchair, and bro's vest...it looks like we're going on a 'mission' and not a vacation...haha!! :p

Hand sanitizer was a 'must-have' throughout this trip...better be safe than sorry...hehe!!

Picturesque view of the volcano from the air!

After 3 boring hours...we've finally arrived Bali!! The weather makes us feel like we're still in Malaysia...arghhh...so HOT!!! Indonesia is pretty much similar to M'sia...the people, the language. I thing special about this place is the temples...there are a lot of temples everywhere and the designs are pretty cool!!

After being caught in the traffic for about 45 minutes...we finally arrived our hotel...Adi Dharma Cottages. The hotel is pretty special coz its design is based on Balinese Style...not too big but cozy.

Busy taking pics while waiting for bro to check-in the hotel...we took 3 rooms.

Along the main street of Bali. There were a group of people singing in a corner and we found out later on that that place was where the terrorist bombing happened few years back. The white thing there is the memorial for the tourists who were killed during the tragedy.

Dinner time!! Bro took us to this place for some famous Indonesian food (forgot the name). The environment was nice...but the lights were so dim that I couldn't even see what I was eating...haha!!

Oh...this was how our food looked like!! Luckily I took these pics...hahaha!! The 'Satay' was a lil' different from the ones that we have here though.

28 June 2009: We rented the hotel's van for a whole day to go around the island for sightseeing. Had our breakfast at the hotel before starting the day.

Hehe...photoshoot session while waiting for the others to get ready...nice bo?? *slap* Haha!!

Our first destination...Royal Temple...love the surrounding and the unique designs!!

More posing pics...whoops!! :p

Of course...I was also busy taking photos for them...nice yea!!

Next destination...."Tanah Lot" (the floating temple) not really floating but it is surrounded by water. We were there when it was high tide so couldn't walk over to the temple. This place is really niceeeee...very special indeed!! Look at the waves!!!

Pose...pose...pose!!! The scenery was too beautiful...can't stop taking pics...hehe!!

I think this was Nusa Dua beach...can't remember. I was not feeling well in the car coz of the hot weather and the ac in the car was so low...was a bit blur when we arrived here. The beach wasn't quite nice...a lot of locals picnicking there. Just 3 shots...left, middle, and right and...that's all for this beach...haha!!

Our last sightseeing destination for the day...Uluwatu Temple. All tourists with shorts are required to wear a sarong...make us look so ugly..hehe!! But the view was totally awesome and breathtaking!!! Watching sunset from that place was sooooo coooool!!!

2nd day's dinner...another famous Balinese food restaurant in town. Food was pretty good and I liked the environment. My pineapple rice...yum yum!!

Nice presentation of the food huh!!

Some cool night shots at the restaurant and our hotel...me likey likey my new camera and tripod!!

29 June 2009: Haha...I know I'm crazy...more jump shots around the hotel!! I used my tripod and set the timer for all these jump shots...awesome yea!!

We were too bored in the car so I decided to take some group pic. But...let's see how we failed...haha!!

Take 1...fail!

Take 2...looks like I'm pulling mom's hair..fail again!!

Take 3...almost!!

Take 4...guess that's the best we can get...ahhh!!

Take 5...grandma not looking at the camera....arghhh..give up!!

We came to this beach to board the boat to Turtle Island. As compared to the beach that we went the day before...this beach was much nicer and there were a lot of watersports.

I can't stop laughing looking at this pic!!

1. Two aunties wearing their cap backwards and sunglasses...soooo coool huh!!!

2 & 3. I asked grandma and mom to pose like that...no generation gap yo...hahahaha!!

On the boat to Turtle Island...nice view!

I'm so crazy...busy taking pictures everywhere...even getting off the boat. Looks like it's flooding...haha!!

Turtles!! I don't want them to touch me so I looked like I'm constipated in the first pic...muahaha!!

Okay...no thank you...I'm not a batfan...I don't wanna hold that thing!!

Snake?? Hornbill?? Eagle?? No no no...I'm just gonna pose beside them...no touching...eww!!

Hmm...jump shots again!!! People will think that we're crazy...haha!!

Bro trying out Parasailing for the very first time...woohoo~!!!

My turn...Parasailing was soooo awesome!!! Oh yeah...I'm flying!!! The view from the top was great!!!

The lovely couple waiting for their turn to parasail. Was soooo hot so dad used the batik scarf to help mom block the sun.

Mom was actually very reluctant to try parasailing but we persuaded her. Like husband like wife...both landed in the water and soaked...haha...fail!!!

Took some 'modelling' shots at the swimming pool....we soaked more than we swam...hehe!! :p

Went to Kuta beach on the last evening. I didn't know this beach was so nice...should have came earlier!! And this was the nearest beach to our hotel!! There were lotsa 'ang moh' surfing there...could have sat on the beach all day enjoying the view! At least we still managed to watch the sunset...very very nice!

3 of them were busy trying to fly the new kite...bro was running around the beach dunno how many times and the kite still refuses to fly...haha!! The kite was a boat...so I was wondering...maybe the kite wants to go to the sea...hehe!!

I demanded both of them to stop playing with the kite and pose for pics...haha!!

I love the sunset!!

Whoops...jumping again!! Haha...look at my 'W' legs!!

The 'generation gap' dinner...the 'adults' had chinese food....and 4 of us ordered western...haha!!

More pics before leaving the hotel...our 4D3N trip is coming to an end!!

Bye bye Bali!!!

To me, this trip was very meaningful coz it was the first time for our whole family to travel together. Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandaunt, Big bro, Eileen, Sheng and Me!! It was fun pushing grandma's wheelchair everywhere and I really treasure all the precious time that our family can spend together!! Love y'all!! :)

Gimme A Break~~~

Yessssss...finally...it's time for our 1 week's break!! Hadn't had time to update my blog coz was busy preparing for progress test. We're taking 3 ACCA subjects this semester...3 only sounds pretty easy huh...but in fact...it's damn tough!! Well...despite all the preparation that I've done for the test...it was still a disaster. Juz hoping that the outcome will be alright. I guess I haven't been putting enough effort earlier on...this test is definitely a wake up call for me to start working harder before the final exams end of Sept.

Comin' back after a year, I'm feeling more pressure to do well this year. Reason being, some people including my lecturers know that I went to the US for a year under the UGRAD scholarship and are expecting me to do better. I didn't want many people to know about this coz I don't want them to have high expectations on me. I'm not even confident that I can do well...i'm gonna feel awful if I can't live up to my own and others' expectations. :( Besides, I have a higher stake of RM10,000...can't afford to fail any internal papers!

Me, Rachel, and 3 new UGRADers from TAR College (GinSeng, Anna, & Poh Suan) met with the college principal, vice-principals, head of business school, etc after exam to share about our UGRAD experiences. I don't know when our write-up will be published in the college newsletter...by then...even more people will know...that means more pressure....arghh!! :(

The semester has been goin on for 8 weeks and so far it hasn't been easy...apart from attending classes...most of the 'free' time had been spent studying and doing tutorials. And when we're bored...we'll start taking crazy pictures...haha!! :p

It's pretty nice to sit at the last row in the lecture hall...and get distracted by taking pics...haha!!

Library is a good place to study....or sleeeeep???

This is my small little corner in the room where I spend most of my time (study, online, eat, sleep). When it comes to tests, things go crazy and I needed another table to put all my books and notes!

4 of us 'hijacked' Ms Geh's car to go out for lunch...haha...very daring huh!! This wasn't my idea of course...Joshua, Rachel, & Shalinni wanted to eat out...I was just the driver...hehe!! :p

We came to this place called Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa for 'Teh Tarik' & 'Nasi Lemak'...pretty good combination.

It's fun hanging out with 3 of them...good way to de-stress...hehe!! :p

Daddy's Day!!

Helppp...gimme a break~!! Itz 1am already and I'm still updating my blog...arghh!! I've been caught up with so many things to do lately...don't even have time to update my blog. Study life back here is not fun at all...especially for AFA2 & ACCA exams!! Day and nite...I need to study and study and study.....and still can't finish everything! But last weekend, I still decided to make a trip back home to celebrate Father's Day. Dad came back from Netherlands just in time to celebrate Father's Day so big bro gave us all a treat...yeah!! :)

Father's Day dinner with family!

Happy Daddy's Day....love y'all!!

My lovely family!! :)

Yum yum...the food was good!!

Went house shopping with bro & Eileen...saw some nice houses!!

Wish I can own my own house soon too!!

Time Flies...

20 June 2009: ShuLing's 22nd B'day & Gathering with High School Classmates

Wow...one more year passed by already?!?! I was looking back at my older blog posts and realized that our last high school gathering was exactly a year ago! Phaik San asked me about organizing a gathering again this year, and since Shu Ling was having her birthday party back in Penang...we decided to meet up at her house...'killing two birds with one stone'...for 'busy' and lazy people like me...hehehe!! :p

5C1 pretty gals...hehe!! :p

It has been 5 years since we graduated from Jit Sin High School...time flies!! So far we've managed to organize a gathering at least once a year...but the number of people had never exceeded 10...and it's always all gals...haha!! Don't get me wrong...Jit Sin is a co-ed school...but coz I was in commerce class....there were only '3 musketeers' out of 41 students in our class!

Clockwise from left: Yong Shi, Pei Leng, Ying Hui, Shu Ling, & Phaik San

Only 6 of us met up this time around but we all had a good time catching up. Shu Ling came back from University of Southern California about a month ago...she's studying business in NUS but went to US for a semester of exchange. We both had the same experience so talked a lot about life in US...brought back lotsa nice memories in US. Yong Shi came back from London just in time for the party...she's studying in the best university among us all...majoring in economics in UCL...cool huh!! Phaik San...one of my besties in high school...studying law in UM...future lawyer...she's still as sweet as usual...hehe!! Ying Hui & Pei Leng...both studying accountancy in UM...they are both interning in EY now.

Compare & contrast...OMG...5 years!!

Of course, how can I miss out mentioning about the 'Americanized' girl's big day! She 'imported' the drinking+party culture from US...haha!! She still managed to retain her 'ang moh'-tized characteristics. As compared to me, even though I was there for a year...I was 'Malaysianized' pretty fast by people in TAR College...haha!! Most of us didn't drink so itz still not as crazy as the parties in US. Anyway, all of us had lotsa fun that night...thanks Shu Ling for being a great host! :)

The American Dream Come True!!

Malaysian 2008/2009 Global UGRAD Debriefing Session

Venue: Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE)

Date : 12 June 2009 (Fri)

~2008/2009 Global UGRAD Malaysian Scholars~

1. Tang Khai Shing

2. Tang Khai Sheng

3. Rachel Thum Wen Huey

4. Ong Yu Han

5. Megat Affendi

6. Lee Pui Thing

7. Rina Cheah

We were the 7 Malaysian pioneers to be selected to participate in this Global UGRAD Exchange Program, funded by the US Department of State. A year ago, all 7 of us gathered at MACEE for the very first time for the Pre-Departure Orientation Briefing before we all departed to different states in the US.

http://malaysia.usembassy.gov/ugrad_students.html

This time, upon completion of our UGRAD journey in the US, all of us got together once again at the same place to share about each of our amazing experiences in America! Of course, 1.5 hours was definitely not enough for all of us to talk about all our experiences...it would take forever for us to relate all the experiences that we've had throughout this program!

We are the first batch of Malaysian Global UGRAD Alumni!!

Presenting about our UGRAD experiences in US

To many of us, we've never imagined that we would ever have the opportunity to study abroad, especially in the US; but this Global UGRAD program had made this far away dream come true!!

Our 'valuable' certificates given by the US Department of State & World Learning...mailed all the way from Washington DC.

I truly appreciate having this once in a lifetime opportunity to experience all these and meet so many wonderful people from all over the world!

We lived the American Dream!! :)

Even though our journey had ended, I'm sure we'll always carry all these amazing experiences that we've had throughout this journey for the rest of our lives!

Lunch at Pavilion with fellow UGRADers...including 2 new scholars...Sean & Yeong Ru.

A million thanks to:

1. World Learning

2. U.S. Department of State

3. UAH Office of International Programs and Services (OIPS)

4. Malaysian U.S. Embasyy

5. MACEE

Welcome to the World Of Sony

Suddenly thought of uploading the group project presentation that I did for my MGT499 Competitive Strategy class in UAH. My groupmates were Erica, Jun, & Joshua. Well...since I enjoy doin' all these, I volunteered to do the presentation slides. This entire Powerpoint...including majority of the contents (except for the 5 forces)...was done by me alone. Well...I actually enjoyed 'designing' all these though. I created the background with a photo software...cool huh!! All the 'illustrations' were also designed by me. It might not be perfect but I'm satisfied with the end result...hehe!! :p Feel free to comment. ;)

飞轮海...吴尊~!!!

29 May 2009: 《越来越爱》飞轮海签唱会 @ Juru Autocity, 9.30pm  

Yeahhh....I'm back in action for Fahrenheit & WuChun...hahaha!! This was the first time they came to Penang for the promotion of their album. I wasn't planning to attend at first, but since I came back home this weekend...bro got me 2 tickets and accompanied me to go...woohoo~!! So far, I've been to all their events in Malaysia apart from their concert during March coz I was still in US...so happy to see 'em again this time around...still 'leng zai' as usual...haha!! :p 

We got there earlier and since there was an empty spot right beside the stage, we decided to juz wait there and not squeeze with other people. I'd rather see them near from the side than squeezing in the middle. We really got a good spot to watch!!

4 of 'em performed 3 songs and also played games with some lucky fans. Too bad WuChun was standing on the other side of the stage most of the time. At least we still got a good glimpse of all of 'em...hehe!! :p

Notice WuChun & Aaron squatting on the stage? Both of 'em kept goin' to the back of the stage to get near the fan and wipe off their sweat. Haha...welcome to Malaysia...we're 'hottt'!! :p

  

~越来越爱~ 

p.s. I wasn't the one screaming...there were many other 'kids' around...haha!!

~留下来~

More videos taken by others at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3LS0tNQTvU

Time To Get Serious??

Yeaaa....after 'hibernating' my brain for a year...itz time to get back serious with studies. Classes started last Monday and it marked the beginning of a challenging year ahead. I'm not exaggerating, just look at any AFA2 students during exam season...all you can see are 'zombies'...hehe!! One of my lecturers 'warned' us during the first lecture..."To go through AFA2, you'll have to be very strong physically, mentally, and emotionally". We're already overloaded with tutorials after the first week of classes...wth! Taking 3 subjects this semester...each with 8 hours of classes per week...24 hours!?!? Itz double the amount of classes that I had in US!!! No fun!! :(

This time, Rachel & I are the 'special' ones coz we are the only 2 who deferred our studies for a year and came back to join the juniors. Out of 320 students, I only know few of the juniors...I'm 'nobody' now...so pity! :p Last year, I attended classes at the beginning of the semester and I got to know some of the lecturers and tutors. The lecturers have changed this year, but at least 2 out of 3 still remembered me. Well...I don't know if that's a good thing though...coz asked me to go to the front of the lecture to answer a question...and I've totally forgotten what I memorized a year ago!! Oh my goodness....so 'siasui'! :p

Our lecture hall was so full....320 students!! I've never noticed that the way I write looks so weird...hahaha!!

We're the 'special ones...Global UGRAD Exchange Alumni...hahaha!! 

Met up with friends for Christine's birthday...glad to see 'em again!

Leavin' Home...Again!! :(

My UGRAD journey had ended and it's time to get back to reality. I had been enjoying myself so much for the past year...didn't really had to worry about studies at all...that's why itz gonna be even harder for me to get back to the pace of ACCA. 

One year ago, I knew that I was gonna leave for US for this exchange program even before the new semester started. So after my internship & Phuket trip with my family, I came back to college with a completely different feeling....I would say...'stress free'...coz I knew that I was gonna defer my 2nd year anyway. In fact, I could have just went back home and 'goyang kaki' for 2 months but due to my responsibilites in the course, I decided to stay back longer. 

At that time, not many people knew that I was leavin' to US...so I just went to class as usual...did my job as Course Rep...and continued my job as the Chairperson in Financial Accounting Society. Itz always super busy at the beginning of a new semester....especially as a course rep...but since I didn't really have to stress on studies...it made things a lil' easier. It also gave me more time to organize the ACCA Student Conference...I'm sure I would have passed out if I had to cope with studies at the same time. This time, I'm finally 'jobless'...itz a good thing though...at least I'll have more time to focus on studies.

Mom & dad accompanied me to move down to KL last weekend...back to the same place I left a year ago. I'm staying at the same apartment...same room...everything felt so familiar. But at the same time...I feel weird...coz everything's gonna be different for me. Back to the same old place...but starting everything from zero again...itz a completely new life for me compared to the first year I came to KL. My roommates had moved back to Penang...my coursemates are all graduating...I juz feel lonely. :( 

Had some yummy-licious food with mom and dad in KL

Before I came back, mom helped me to settle the rental of my room and also helped me to look for roommates. She has really done a lot for me and I really appreciate it. When I moved outta this house last year, it was still quite clean and neat....but not so after a year. Mom and dad really helped me a lot to clean the house and room, and organized my stuffs over the weekend. It might take me more than a week to do all these alone. Of course I also helped...I'm not the lazy one. :p 

Before: Messy...dusty...dirty

After: All clean and neat...I likey likey!!

All thanks to Mommy & Daddy!!! Muaksss!!!

Mom and Dad took a bus back on Sunday afternoon...I really appreciate everything that they've done for me...thank y'all soooo muchie!!! Love y'all!! My roommates will move in next week so I'm all by myself in the room this week. :( I miss home!!!