New Look for the New Year

Don't you think my profile picture looks good? :D Just random. While in the process of waiting for the bug bites to go away (thank you for all the concernS :P), I just realized that 2008 is coming to an end. This year was surprisingly fast, and thus my face in the picture. Haha. Okay, I felt the same way at the end of every year.

Notice that I changed my blog title and the description for it, because I feel that people should get to know me more and the way I think. I found out that my thinking is in disagreement with a lot of people, thus resulting in my frustration, and to some extent, my tears. I might touch on some controversial issues in the future, but look beyond that, I might be trying to convey a message to you readers. Try to understand why I think in this particular way, and why I need the shower cubicle to be scrubbed at least once every two weeks. I know, the paint on the floor is peeling off due to this.

I might be very UNfashionable, sometimes a hygiene freak, but read more about what I write, and you may realize things that you never know about me, though you have known me for years.

Okay, enough of useless information. Wish you all a great 2009 ahead, and hope that everybody grows up to become a better person everyday. :) Life is short, so enjoy!

Sneak Preview

Whenever somebody sees me in Ann Arbor or on MSN after my New York trip, the first thing they will ask me is “How was your trip?” And my first reaction will be “BAD~!”

So you, reading my blog, will ask “How bad? OR Why bad?”

So I’ll let you see how bad it is.

This only came up a day after I reached Ann Arbor. I panicked. I scratched myself like a dog with fleas. No clinic was open on Saturday afternoon, so I rushed to the pharmacy at Kroger. The pharmacist stepped as far away from my as she could, told me it was scabies, and asked me to shower with lice shampoo, wash all my clothes and linen with hot water, and buy a spray that kills lice eggs for the apartment.

I came back and checked Wikipedia for Scabies. I totally freaked out. It says that it’s a parasite that burrows into your skin, and then lay eggs in there. *vomit* Scabies usually infect homeless people and people with HIV!!!

So I used the lice shampoo and hoping things will improve. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep that night, and woke up to a even worse condition. The spots spread to my face!!!!

I couldn’t tolerate the itchiness anymore and who cares about how much they charge, I went straight to the emergency room at the hospital, and thus, I got this.

Thank Guan Yin Ma that it’s not scabies, they are just bedbugs, special bedbugs the doctor told me. *shrugs* She prescribed steroids for me to apply on the skin and some pills to take. Both stop the itchiness, but won’t make the spots go away. At least I can sleep tonight, fingers crossed.

It all happened just because we wanted a cheap hotel room in New York. We ended up staying in Carter Hotel right in the middle of Times Square. It was $80 per night for four of us, and we stayed there for 5 nights. I bet the bedbugs had a helluva good feast. The place was SO dirty, bugs were crawling around, and there were mice, by the way. Never mind, I’ll assume that I donated blood to them. :D

Anyway, this is just a sneak preview of the trip, more updates will ensue, given that I’m not lazy. :P

Leaving Again

I will be gone for the week, this time, to Boston - New York - Connecticut - New York - Washington DC!! :D The main purpose of this trip is to meet up with long-time-no-see friends Hui Ean and Sue Yen. And not to forget, my BEST FRIEND, JAY CHOU!!!! Haha. He will be performing in Connecticut this time, so we bought $88 tickets to go catch him.

Will fly at 5pm today and will be back around the same time on the 26th of December. I know, by that time, nobody will be in Ann Arbor anymore. :(

Well, hope everyone have a safe and fun trip. See you guys soon.

十一月的老人院

距离上一次去老人院，已经有四个月了。这次恰好很少同学报名参加，所以我就报上名字了。这次只有五位同学去探访老人院，对我来说是有一点少。一踏进老人院门口时，一股药腥味扑鼻而来，让我有一些不自在。没什么出奇的，因为平时我也会有这种感觉。我们帮忙把桌椅排好，然后把钢琴搬到大厅去，因为有一位师姑要弹奏钢琴。接着，我们就把老菩萨们带到大厅去。这些，跟往常没有什么分别，都是会做的东西。

从他们的活动间，我慢慢地推着一位老奶奶的轮椅，带她到大厅去。从活动间到大厅的那段路，会经过他们老年人的寝室。而那些寝室像医院里面的病房，即狭小有简陋。简陋并不代表不美观，而是卧室里只有两张床，就没有其他东西了。我看了鼻子一酸，这些老菩萨们已经被孩子们遗弃在这个地方，身体又有病痛，卧室里又那么的简陋，真是令人心疼。每个老菩萨的卧室门外一定会挂着一个相片框，里头呢就会有些着老菩萨们的个人资料，而且还会附上他们年轻时候的照片。我一边走着，一边在观察这些照片。我发现，这些老菩萨们，今时今日虽然坐在轮椅上，有些神志不清，有些动弹不得，但是以往他们也是像我一样年轻活泼。照片里头，有些身穿兵装，有些穿着红彤彤的裙子，有些则穿着笔直的西装，潇洒地向镜头微笑。突然间我心里想，我会不会也有这么老的一天呢？此刻，我更加深入地了解上人所说的“无常比明天更先到”。我们今天可能是个健康的年轻人，但是，没有人可以预料到明天会发生什么事。也许，明天我们会发生意外？也许，明天我们会换上绝症？所以，要珍惜每一天，时时刻刻要生活在知足、感恩里。还有，趁我们有能力的时候，尽量去帮助有所需要的人们，希望人人都可以远离病苦。

当我们表演结束时，我们再度的把老菩萨们送到活动间，或是他们的寝室里头。我牵着另外一位老奶奶到她房间里，我转身要离去时，她问我：“我好无聊，你可不可以建议一些活动给我做？”我望了望她的寝室，本来要叫她看电视节目或是什么的，但我发现她寝室里除了床铺，什么都没有。我就随便说：“不然你睡个午觉吧！”她摇了摇头，很悲伤地对我说：“你不觉得很不公平吗？我不知道这个是什么地方，也不认识任何人，不知道是谁把我送到这里来住。”我愣住了。我第一个反应就是把她抱在怀里。虽然我觉得这位老奶奶有一点老人痴呆，但是她这句话深深地打动了我的心坎。我很用力地把眼泪忍住了抱着她，我说：“我真的需要走了，你一定要好好照顾自己，我下个月会再来。”我边走边回头望着她，她的眼睛里头的悲伤，让我的心不停地在流泪。这份感动，让我深深的体验到行孝的必须之处。我发了愿，我不会让我的母亲有这样的一天。

以往到老人院，我们都是嘻嘻哈哈地表演了，就草率的过了一个星期六下午。这份感动，是我从未体验过的。当初刚加入慈青时，也只不过一直在参加活动而已，根本没有真正去了解它的意义何在。近来几个月，我发现当我很用心的去做一件事时，我可以从中领悟到一些东西，从中获得那份感动，来让我有再次付出的力量。所以，我想告诉我的慈青伙伴们，加入慈青，一定会有挫折或是一些让你想退出、想懈怠的理由，但是只要你给自己一点时间，多用心地去做每一件事，无论是慈青活动，或是日常生活里，你会从中得到那一份想要付出的推动力。

Toronto + Niagara Falls

Ok, so, the Toronto + Niagara Falls trip. Sorry for the long wait. :) You will be entertained by photos instead of words, a rare phenomenon in my blog.

Wednesday night
Reached Toronto quite late in the evening. Our car nearly ran out of gas, which created much panic in the car when we fumbled with the GPS looking for a petrol station. We checked in at the Super 8 Motel right in the heart of Chinatown, located upstairs of a dingy looking Chinese mall. Went to have dinner at a place named Laksa. It was just right next to our motel, and I bet you would be as excited as we were, just because of the name. It was a mistake actually, the food weren't nice, seriously.

Thursday morning
Dim sum at a restaurant called Bright Pearl. Everything was just so-so, but the 皮蛋粥 was worth trying.

The legendary 皮蛋粥.

Next stop was CN Tower, the tallest landmark in Toronto, or Canada I think. Nothing special, apart from the famous glass floor section.

A section of glass where you can step on it and look down to 1815 feet below you. Ok, I look dumb, I know.

Next, Mei Chen and Wei Chieh went to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Me, Shann and He Wei opted to just take pictures, and adjourned to the nearby Eaton Center Shopping Center. It was big, but One Utama still is a giant comparatively. We went for a late lunch at Gold Stone Restaurant, or should I call it coffee shop. It resembles those 茶餐厅 in Hong Kong, where you'll have a huge roasted pig, and chunks of roasted pork dangling in front of the shop. He Wei had a scare of his life, when his 烧肉饭 turned out to be a really huge portion, with A LOT of 烧肉 on it. You can practically see the fat oozing out from the pork.

Gold Stone Coffee Shop

We all agreed to drive 45 minutes away to another town called Markham, which has North America's largest Asian Mall, THE Pacific Mall. It turned out to be a big building with shops selling fake DVD's, fake clothing and lots and lots of bubble tea. It looks like those in Shenzen, if any of you have ever been there. We were indeed disappointed. PLUS, we were in the car for about two hours because of traffic jam. -_-"

The famous 168 Tea Shop scattered throughout Toronto. Their Mango Slush was fantastic by the way.

The next morning, we went to take photos of Harbourfront, Royal Ontario Museum and also Casa Loma, before heading off to Niagara Falls. He Wei has started to show signs of having a cold by that time.

The museum that I didn't get a chance to visit. :(

After checking into the hotel, which was called Diplomat Motel (cheesy name), we proceeded to hunt for a place to have dinner. We were driving around, then I suddenly yelled "Look, there's the Falls". Everybody was like "Wah...." :) We went into TGI Friday's, sat down, looked at the menu, then stood up to apologize to the waiter coming to take the order, then proceeded to drive to the nearest KFC in town. Everybody thought TGI was too expensive. *shrugs* Well, at least I found out that the vegetarian burger at Canada's KFC was pretty good. :) We then watched fireworks by the Falls, it was pretty. They had colorful lights shining on the falls at night, so they can change color every half a minute or so. We went to pay the casino a visit that night. Wei Chieh was thrilled when he saw the sign that says "No admittance to individuals aged 19 or below".

Group photo. And that's Auntie Anne's pretzel in my hand, cinnamon sugar. :)

Saturday
It was a packed day for us. It started with a HEAVY breakfast at a place with all-you-can-eat. We went to see the Falls in the morning, then to the Skylon tower, then the Skywheel (a Ferris Wheel that goes for four whole cycles -_-"), then the butterfly conservatory, then the Niagara's Fury, then the Journey Behind the Falls. Sorry, too many "then's". It was absolutely fun. The Falls is simply...breathtaking, is the word I would use. I would advise you to go. IT IS A MUST. :)

The Rainbow Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls from Skylon Tower. (Doubt if I got the names right)

Canadian Horseshoe Fall, also from Skylon Tower.

The Horseshoe Falls, up close.

Right at the edge where the river falls from the "cliff".

Favorite photo. Horseshoe Falls right behind me. :)

In raincoats for Niagara's Fury and Journey Behind the Falls. Wei Chieh is so adorable. :P

Sunday
Didn't do much that morning. We went to a place where they make wine nearby, it has some French name that i forgot. Mei Chen and He Wei bought their famous ice wine as souvenirs, or they are going to drink them? Not sure. We said goodbye to Niagara Falls, and stopped halfway for lunch at a randomly found place. It was called Bamboo, and they serve rather delicious lunch buffet. It was snowing when we drove back. And we got stuck for three hours at the border between Canada and US, because of a traffic jam and an hour at the immigration office. -_-

Well, it was a really fun trip I should say. I really enjoyed Niagara Falls, though that was my second time there. :) The creation of Mother nature just amazes me. Photos wouldn't tell everything, because you would have to see it, feel it, and hear it for yourself. Trust me, it's worth a visit. :) Did I mention that our whole trip cost us $280 per person, for four nights including fuel? I personally think that was cheap.

Too Much To Do, Too Little Time

I just came back from a five day trip to Toronto and Niagara Falls. So much school work to catch up on. This will be my last week of classes, cos all my exams will end on the 9th. :D Will blog more about the trip and some updates after my exams. Be patient ok? :)

Before Thanksgiving...

Tues 11/18
- 417 hw due
Wed 11/19
- finish up as much of fly report as possible so I can ask questions at professor's office hours
Thurs 11/20
- 417 hw due
Fri 11/21
- fly 10 pages report due
- anthro quiz
- Tzu Ching meeting at 6pm
Sat 11/22
- 35 page translation due (chinese-english)
- UMIMSA meeting at 4pm
Mon 11/24
- anthro final 15 page paper due
Tues 11/25
- genetics hw due
- 417 hw due

i.e. I am EXTREMELY busy -_-"

排球

最近，我又重新爱上了排球。爱看，也爱打，但可惜是自己打得不好。前两天去看我们大学的女子排球队比赛，太好看了。很兴奋，因为球球都打得很好，好久没有那种感觉了。上个星期参加了排球比赛，对手是东南亚国家的学生们，有来至泰国，印尼，越南，以及新加坡的学生。我们输给越南那场是最可惜的，因为我们已23对25输给了他们。而且，重点是最后两个球败在我手中，是因为我的错，我差一点在球场里流下眼泪。但是，都已经属于过去了，我不会在耿耿于怀，反而我应该努力练习自己的球艺。 ：）要对我的队友们说声谢谢，那些有拨时间来练习的，我会特别感激你们。我觉得这次就错在我们队员之间不够有默契，多希望我有固定的队员，所以每次练球都可以培养默契，但是真的很难。。。

回想起我十岁就开始打排球了，当时连排球都没有看过。我们的体育老师是我们学校的排球教练，所以他从每个班级挑了两位最高的女孩子，训练我们成为校队。我从四年级到六年级时，是全校最高的学生，当时的男孩子都很怕我。哈哈。十二岁时，我就有现在165公分的高度了，但是从此就没有再长高了。

每个礼拜五我们都会练球，球场是户外的，所以我当时皮肤很黝黑，完全像一个男孩子。哈哈。我曾经去比赛时，对方的球员来问我到底是男还是女，尴尬！以前的教练非常的严格，还记得每次练习开球时，没有过网就是做push up五下。每次比赛时，他都会在场外乱叫，乱骂。

有一次，我们比赛时打赢了，他还是照样骂我们。骂完后，他转身就走。我们就扮鬼脸，有些还比了中指给他。教练突然间回头，他说 “我的头后面其实有长眼睛的，你们不知道吗？” 就这样继续被骂。

打球的那些日子，是我非常怀念的。我们球员之间都很好，常常都会在一起。但奇怪的是，我小学的好朋友，都不是我的队员们，哈哈。唯一不好的是我小学打了三年的球，骂粗口也骂了三年。想起时，还有一点不好意思。幸亏都改掉了。:)

上了中学,背后一直都很痛,所以就没有再打了. 排球让我学习了团队精神, 因为不合作那球根本打不好, 还有就是纪律. 我曾经在家里每一天原地dig一百下的球. 这里有一点像在写作文, 题目是 打排球的好处, 哈哈. 没有啦,这些都是真的, 打的时候没有觉得到, 但现在长大了回想起时, 真的好像有从中体会到一些什么的.

发泄

除了用文字，我找不到另外一个更加文明的方式来发泄了。我实在是受不了许许多多在我身边的人的做事方式。我在这里要先申明，我不是要说我是完美的，我只是想把我的看法写出来，发泄我的不满。若有任何一个人认为我是错的，我随时欢迎你留个言，或打电话来反驳我。:D

首先，我最不满意就是做东西最后一分钟的人。我最近也是这样，paper十点早上要交上，我五点早上才写，所以我以后会尽量避免。但是，如果那是你的功课，你没交上，损失的是你自己，不会影响其他人。那没关系啊，不会害死别人。那如果你是要人家帮你做事，而那件事根本不会让那个人受益。小姐，你是在欠我人情eh. 你是要叫我帮你做吃力不讨好的东西，你怎么可以在星期五晚上八点钟发那张email, 然后星期六早上要准备好那些东西?你有没有觉得你有一点过分?我知道我好欺负,但是你真的过分了.你让我觉得你是个很没用的领导者,星期日开会所说的东西,你星期五才来summarize and recap,会不会有一点太迟？

二，我最不满意不负责任的人。明明第二天有球赛，前一晚的练习你缺席，原因是因为你要去购物。更严重的是，你至少也要打个电话跟我说啊。大家不来练习，根本不会跟我说，还要我打电话去请问你，你觉得这样ok吗？若换你们做队长，换你们做社长，你会喜欢你的属下这样对你吗？做东西要有交待，知道吗？你们没有做过负责人，你们不懂我们的苦衷。

三，我很不满意跟贪小便宜的人。我不知道这个算不算贪小便宜，还是只是因为我笨。有很多人拿了政府的奖学金出国念大学，明明签了合约要回去替他们工作，但是毕业后，根本没有心要那么做。说政府工作薪水少，说政府工作很辛苦。但是，你当初拿这个奖学金时，你根本完全了解这个交易，他给你钱念书，你替他工作。但是，毕业后你就一直想要跑，这样的心理对吗？或许你会觉得政府没有工作给你，但是，你有这样的心理是你错在先， 是你要用了人家就逃跑。或许你会认为我们的友族同胞亏待我们的人，但是，你怎样说还是欠人家人情啊。你用人家的钱，就不能讨厌人，若你那么不满政府，你根本不应该接受它给的利益。说到底，人家也是给你一片土地，安全平安的长大，没有战争，没有天灾。你还要什么呢？你看看别人的国家，人家吃泥土长大好不好？这不是你应得的，要记住。世界上，没有任何一件东西，是你应得的，记住。还有，这个世界上没有完全公平的东西的。无论你住上哪一个国家，不会每一个人都有同样的待遇。有饭吃，有家住，你就要谢天谢地了。可能我是很容易满足的人，很笨的小孩。但是，要记得，不知足是一切痛苦的根源。

四，我很不满意不注意卫生的人。为何有人可以穿没有洗的白衣服出门?那个白衣服，已经变米黄色了！！！！！我的天。然后，还可以很明显的看到头皮屑，牙齿上有深黄色的污垢，没有穿袜子，没有绑鞋带，没有洗澡！！！！！！可以有一个人去告诉他吗？

很长了，暂时这样子吧。我不是要刻意伤害任何人，在此先附上一句对不起。

久违了

对那些有常来我部落格浏览的朋友们，久违了。 :D 我之前还口口声声说会常来法帖子, 我骗的. 哈哈哈. 没有啦, 只是最近真的太忙了,常常会在lab，所以真的没有时间。虽然没有考试，但是很多功课。所以，希望你们不要对我抱那么高的期望啦。

Dream School

I used to dream of getting into Stanford to do my graduate studies. But I gave up this dream due to various reasons about six months ago and decided to go back to Singapore to do grad school. Two hours ago, for an unknown reason, I have the sudden urge to go to this school:

Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, which is a sub category of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.


amm-dui.... -_-" SIGH.

至我親愛的母親和小姑

在異鄉遊子的睡夢中
看見世上最美的笑容
深深的皺紋是愛的痕跡
溫暖的手心撫摸著受傷的我

在慢慢成長的歲月裡
總是辜負了你的叮嚀
而你的寬容像大海一樣
任由我乘風又破浪
追逐理想

夢裡的笑容
是我生命中的寄託
就像是懷抱大地的河流
夢是無限的感恩
愛是永遠的笑容
日復一日
寫著天長和地久

Five Years Ago, I Would Not Know That...

my dreams to study in the States would come true.
I would give up my dream of wanting to study in Stanford.
I would have the guts to take the SAT, not to say even GRE.
I would achieve such outstanding results during my secondary school career.
falling in love hurt me so much.
I would meet so many new friends and new people.
I like to play badminton.
I can actually cook.
he would have left me behind.
he has actually inspired me to become a great scientist.
I would want to do research for all my life.
I would actually join Tzu Chi after I come to the States.
living in the States isn't as glamorous as everybody thinks.
I love staying in Malaysia so much.
I would give up my dreams for the sake of my family.
I would cry so much.
sleeping early and waking up early is not as hard as I thought.
Tzu Chi really influenced my thoughts so much and my thinking really matured. (Not doing any adverts here, but this is the truth)
there are actually so many people that care so much for me.
I would drift so far away from my secondary school friends.
I have such a great family.
I would write a blog.
I would actually regret not spending more time with him.
how life is like without talking on the phone every night.
how is it like to be contented with life.
I would be grateful to all the things I have.
I would be thankful to all the people I have come across in life.
I would stop losing temper uncontrollably.
I would become the person I am today.

There are a lot of things that I took five years to realize and learn. I regretted a lot. Talking about regret, a person shouldn't regret what he has done, instead, he should regret about what he has not yet done in his life. Have you actually sat down and thought about things you were thinking and wishing of five years ago? Did all of them come true? Do you have any regrets?

The 6am Laundry

I think people must think that we are freaks, waking up at 6am to do laundry. That's how desperately me and Shann needed to do laundry. Morning would be the only time that we can use 5 out of the 6 machines available I guess. By the way, I slept at 1am the night before, so I have broken my "highly disciplined" routine of sleeping at 12am and waking up at 7am. I never knew that sleeping early and waking up early equals to such high levels of discipline. A friend told me that he was impressed that I can achieve this kind of life. I personally think that to make yourself sleep and wake up early is way easier than studying for any midterms or tests. :D I used to be a really night person for like five years, meaning, I would only allow myself to go sleep after 2am. Because, I used to believe that sleeping that late can allow me to have more time to do work. I found out it was a lie, because 90% of the time, I stayed up either to talk on the phone, or to chat on MSN.

Back to my laundry story. We finished laundry at about 8.30, just in time to catch the 8.50 bus to Willow Tree Apartments. Today, Siew Gee was kind enough to lend me her car, so that I could drive to Briarwood and also Meijer. Did shopping and eating, came back to my apartment at about 3 something. Did quite a lot of stuff actually, but all money-wasting ones. Haha. I have yet to start my school work, which includes readings and lab reports. -_-"

Understanding

I feel that not many people understand me, maybe there are the rare few, but still MAJORITY don't. They never understand what I do, and the reasons behind my actions. Or maybe I shouldn't blame them, because I never told them these stuff. Or maybe I shouldn't expect too much from other people, as the more I hope for, the more I disappoint myself. A lot of people think I am a happy-go-lucky person, in reality, I'm just the opposite. A lot of people don't dare to tell me secrets, because they think I will announce their secrets to the world. I am exactly opposite of what you think I am.

You know, best friends who understand you to the extent that he/she knows how many wisdom tooth you currently have, are so rare. They are in the verge of extinction. I am not complaining, as I have a nice number of best friends who take care of me, and a nice number of friends who can talk to me whenever I needed them. In all, I am just talking trash in this post.

Before I was 21, I have a very big problem with myself --- I thought I don't have any good traits, as in, none. I thought I was a total failure, I get depressed for no reason, I don't like my life, I study as hard as possible, vainly thinking I can get into Stanford. I think my brain grew up a little now. :D I think I have good traits too. Haha. Good traits which not even my bestest friends could tell me. I won't say it out loud here, but it's up to you to decide what good traits I have. I shouldn't complain so much about life after all. I have A LOT of things that people crave for during their entire lifetime. I have almost everything anybody can ask for, well, minus some "minor complications". But, my point is, I want to tell myself that, I should be grateful for the things I own right now. 21 years is quite a short time to have acquired this level of "success". :D Or maybe I too easily contented.... Maybe....

Updates! :D

I know, you are waiting for this post for a very long time. :D My blog took a vacation to the Maldives Islands, apologies. (and I know this is not funny) Ok, back to the point, I will put up updates about me and my life for the past three months. And for the sake of your convenience and my laziness, I will do this in point form. I bet any kind of format will be better than nothing, RIGHT? Haha.

1. I just realized that a lot of people read my blog. I sincerely ask those PP8LM (People 8 Like Me) to please post some comments after reading my blog, OK?

2. I realized I really like to read people's blog. It's very entertaining especially when I'm eating lunch at my study desk and I have nowhere to lay my eyes on. SO, I've made up my mind to update my blog more often so I can entertain other people too. (I sound like a clown)

3. OK, real updates. We shall start from summer at home. Ok, I will post a few rare photos of my family members and good friends back at home. First stop, Langkawi. Near my hometown, expensive enough, and all my family members except me adore that place.

Eldest sister, younger brother, younger sister and ME.
At THE Loaf, Mahathir's bakery aka the ultimate place to waste money.

The kind of complete family photo, minus my younger sister taking that picture.
Too many people to intro, but I can kindly furnish you with the info that the lady on the most left is my mum, and next to her is my youngest aunt, aka Ah Kor. :)

The cash-eating resort, THE Berjaya Resort of Langkawi. Individual chalets on stilts. They are designed in such a way so that you WILL flush money down the sea, and so they can collect it.

Ok, enough of that place. We shall move on.

4. I went to Putra Medical Center (the most famous hospital in Alor Star) to work with Fiona's dad (a cardiologist) for about four days. Then went to Lam Wah Ee Hospital in Penang (four times the size of PMC) to work with my cousin's friend, a consultant neurologist for four days too. Conclusion: I changed my mind. I won't go medical school anymore. I just can't stand seeing the sufferings there.

5. I went to Tzu Ching camp in Penang. Absolutely loved it. Sorry, no photos here.

6. Next stop, went to KL to spend about a week with my bestest friend. :)

From left, Pei Jing, aka the used-to-look-like-Wang Leehom-friend, Sang Ye, aka my bestest friend, and me, whom I think needs no introduction. At Starbucks at OneU.

7. Rest of the days, I stayed at home, became a driver, driving my mum and aunt all around town. We went to Tesco at least twice a week, always checking out the "Reduced Price To Clear" items (meaning they are nearly expired and they are selling it for 90% off the normal price). Those are usually juices and yogurts. :D Also, played wii and badminton almost everyday, trying IN VAIN to slim down.

8. End of my happy days. I came back to the states on the 27th of August. Attended the Los Angeles Tzu Ching camp. Not as good as the Penang one, but still, fabulous.

9. Start of class. My schedule for this term is pretty empty. Class for about two hours per day. Then go lab and take care of my worms. Apart from that, I am the head chef of my apartment, where I serve Malaysian food ala cincai (quoted from Sue Yen) everyday for my roommates. Also, I am FORCING myself to study for my GRE test, which I haven't decided the date I want to take the test. :P

OK, I think that's all I have to say for now. Hopefully I have more stuff to share soon. :D Hope you enjoyed reading.

Heading Back Home..

It's my turn to go back home at last. :D
Going home to where my family and friends are waiting, and of course not to forget the food.
I don't know whether I am happy or sad, a.k.a. mixed feelings.
Happy + sad + excited + reluctant.
Will reach home on the 26th, which is a Thursday.
This time, it will be our family's big reunion, even my sister from New Zealand steals a chance to go back home. I haven't seen her for like three years.
My cousins from China will be staying for a month at our place in Alor Star.
My schedule is jam-packed for July.
First weekend: Langkawi trip with family.
Second weekend: Going to KL for dentist and to visit my friends. I don't know why, I have a sudden urge to go to Mid Valley.
Third weekend: My uncle asked us to go dinner at Penang for an unknown occasion.
Fourth weekend: I'm attending a Tzu Ching camp at Penang. Will be a new and fun experience for me. :)
Well, this will be a family reunion cum relaxing holiday for me. Will be back in Ann Arbor on the 1st of September. So goodbye Ann Arbor for now. :D

---

惊慌失措

我很想发一个帖子，但是我不知道要写些什么。
今早醒来，我突然陷入了惊慌失措的状态。
原因？不晓得。
也许，是因为我昨晚迟睡。
也许，是佩莹的离去。
也许，是天气在搞鬼。
当心已经破碎到不能再破碎的地步时，
我什么都不想做，只想找些东西让自己麻醉。

---

I'm not the research type

Recently, I found out that I am not the type that's suitable for research.
I find it harder to get myself to go to lab. Compared to a few months ago, when going to lab is one of the happiest times of the day.
I am spending less and less time in lab each day, going down from 3 hours per day to 30 minutes per day. I guess my lab members noticed too, because whenever I walked into lab, they will look at me as if they never knew me before.
I came up with a few reasons that might have caused my dwindling interest for lab:
1. After six months, I finally realize that lab is boring, though I tried to convince Caryn that it wasn't about a few months ago.
2. My project doesn't need me to spend as much time as the other people's.
3. My professor is starting to ignore me since I am not a part of his grant-applying-project.
4. I start to realize I am more to a medicine person, since part of my professor's everyday activities include staring at other published papers and thinking of ways to either prove that they are wrong, or to come up with better results.
5. I am just plain lazy during spring.
Hopefully I can find out my true interests soon, since graduation is creeping towards me.

---

After A Few Eons

At last, after a few hundred thousand years, I have come here to update my blog. Nothing much has been happening lately. I am trying to find time in the midst of everything to study for my Molecular Biology. I may sound busy, but I do not even know what I'm busy about. Just finished three episodes of translation of Da Ai Drama in four days. From there, I found a very meaningful quote that I would like to share:

"花朵需要太陽的溫暖, 才能開花

一個人如果可以帶給另外一個人

如同太陽般的溫暖,

那是非常大的幸福.

那個下午我突然明白了負擔與幸福的差別

最主要的是在看我們用什麼角度去看去感受"

I just came back from playing volleyball after two weeks rest after Midwest Games. Everybody, and of course including me, played so badly. According to Wei Chieh, we really need a coach now. :) By the way, Pei Ying said my cooking has improved since the first time she tasted my cooking. Haha. I have another Molecular Biology exam to go before I am free to go home. Seriously, this is not a hard class at all. It just needs you to concentrate 100% in class, and study the notes. But then, there's always the but. Haha. Also for those who don't know, I have recently changed my mind again. I am thinking of going to medical school. Not in the States of course, but hopefully somewhere near home. I think that's all that is happening to me apart from the super duper hot weather. Yes, I know I'm a boring person. :D

---

又值得回忆的一篇

淑伶-我敢稱得上是她最要好得朋友 之前發生過了很多的誤會 傷了她的心很多次

但是他還是沒有放棄我這個朋友 真的 沒了你 也沒了今天的我

中三那年 我能考獲6A真的是幸虧有你的幫忙 你在我的生活裏扮演者很重大的角色啊

每次我有什麽問題 都找你訴苦 都找你發洩 都找你聊天 你都一定會陪伴我的

真的對不起當時幼稚無聊的我不懂得要怎樣報答你 結果還選擇了杯隔你

還约了另一个朋友一起和我配合 真的對不起啦 不是他的錯 都是我約他的 嘻嘻嘻

想起以前 真的很不懂事 啊啊啊啊 時間過得真快 中五畢業 你也去了紐西蘭讀一陣子的high school

過後又回來馬來西亞的jpa 現在到美國真正的可以進修你的科係

21082006那天 是你飛的那一天 前晚 我因爲趕功課 沒和多聊一下 真得很可惜

5.30am我起身 到捷運站去 準備到KLIA歡送你 還記得 我曾告訴過你 我最不喜歡的就是這種離別的場合嗎？

因爲我最怕看到的就是離別的場面 很怕會看到哭的場面 那天送了你 大家還很堅強的一副樣子 我把我手上的禮物

你把你手上的信件給交換了 哈拉打屁了一陣 來個大擁抱 然後很快的

你也要和你的團隊去會合了 我們也因爲有早課 也不能在機場待得更久的時間

結果就這樣的離別了 在車上 看了你留給我的信 這麽多年來 我終于有人情味了！

你那幾天為我所作的拼圖的故事在你的信裏你提到了 哇 真的讓我感動得眼淚快飆出來了

但是還是辦堅強就對了 然後就上課去了 下課時 打了好多同電話給你 那時你已經関機了 再也聯絡不上你了

心情低落 回家睡個大覺 養足精神 然後再為學業拚咯 那懂 又想起那5天辛苦的你 真的讓我感動及内疚

内疚的是 告訴你我要的是拼圖 感動的是 你真的因爲我說我要拼圖 而在那5天裏 你辛苦熬夜的完成它們 讓你腰痠背痛的

眼淚都流都流下來了 流眼淚並不是傷心你走 而是你真的讓我感動了！

我之前害你失落了這麽多次 但是你還是永遠的那麽支持我 那麽的挺我 那麽的幫助我~

看來我也和你一樣 心情會很難過吧？在飛機上的你 看到我寫給你的信及看到我給的禮物 也快掉眼淚了吧？

但是我比你幸運 因爲我這裡還有其他朋友的陪伴 我有發簡訊給他們 向他們分擔及分享我的内疚及感動

過後的我才發現 原來我送給你的禮物 並沒什麽值錢的 因爲你的禮物實在是太偉大了！

但是你要好好的保管它啊 我很少送人家禮物及卡片的

真的需要感謝老天爺 把你們帶來給我認識了


---

摘于x君之msn spaces, 八月二十三日二零零六年

摘于 Friendster Blog, 三月二十七日二零零七年

他

我们第一次见面时，我就知道，他是喜欢我的。

我虽然不相信一见钟情，但这一次，我可以很肯定告诉你，

是不一样的。

我当初还不懂事，没有作出什么表示，

但我懂，他还是那么喜欢我。

他无条件地为我付出，但偶尔，我觉得我生在福中不知福。

所谓，日久生情， 我也开始被他的爱感动。

他的爱，真的是与众不同的。我可以再一次很肯定地告诉你，

是不一样的。

有人告诉我，在他身边的人当中，我是他最爱的一个，

不知为何，我很坚决的否认，一直都否认下去。

若他当时懂我那么想，我觉得我会恨我自己。

日子一天一天过去了，他还是那么爱着我。

我很遗憾我当时是那么的无知，那么的天真。

那么大个 “我爱你”写在他额头上，我仍然看不到。

也许，是他给爱的方式不同吧。

每次他打电话给我，我都不会有很多话跟他说，

我也不懂为何。

但，我可以肯定的，虽然我俩没什么沟通，

有一股很强的力量把我们拉着。

懂事了，我也深深地被他打动了。

但，你有没有听过刘若英唱的“后来”？

后来，我终算学会了如何去爱，

可惜你，早已远去，消失在人海，

后来，终于在眼泪中明白，

有些人，一旦错过就不在。

当我懂事的头脑告诉我应该好好和他相处，

好好和他沟通与互相了解时，

已经迟了。

我遗憾我的无知，遗憾我的不懂事，遗憾我以前的一切一切，

我懂，他不会怪我，也不会有任何埋怨，

因为他是伟大的，他，

是不一样的。

我只想告诉他，“我其实是很爱你的，知道吗？”

---

The Sixth Finger

Polydactylism is a phenomena that results in an extra digit of the fingers or toes.

It usually won't be useful to the owner.

It is just a result of genetic mutation.

It is just a sixth finger.

---

天空哭了。。

天空灰得像哭过

它伤心得泪也流下了

最近我这里差不多每一天都下大雨

但是怎样都不会比其他地方的灾难来的严重

缅甸的暴风雨 、四川的大地震 、中北美的龙卷风

狠狠地夺走了成千上万的性命

这个时候，世界各地的热心、富有人士都会纷纷捐款

目的是想要减轻灾民的负担

给予他们衣服、食物及医疗

但是，很讽刺的是，这些一直在捐款的人，本身就时间接造成这些灾难的起因

就是这些付得起的人， 整天就要求享受，要舒服的生活

就是这种很奢求的生活，无形中造成了很多碳足迹

接下来，就是温室效应，在接下来，就是一连串的天灾

屋子要比别人的大，车子要比别人的漂亮，冷气要一直开着

这些种种浪费资源的行为，就是间接造成天灾的原因

捐钱当然是好，但是希望所有人都会懂得节约，帮助我们地球度过这前所未有的难关

---

又回来了

那种感觉又回来了。

那种很没有安全感、很恍惚的感觉。

仿佛全世界的一切都不重要了。

只想坐下来休息，到一个很久很久的以后。

做什么都不专心，做什么都不开心，很麻痹。

我不希望这是因为受他人影响而引起的。

只希望在还没伤到身边的人以前，这种感觉会消失。

我的靠山不在这里，我一个人得更坚强。

---

感恩

人家说，会感恩的人是幸福的。

但是，对很多人来说，要产生这种感恩的心是很困难的。困难并不代表他们没有能力，只是他们的心都还没有被启发。就是那一成厚厚的尘埃包裹着他的心，让他没有发现感恩的必要。

我身边就有很多例子。话虽如此，我也不敢百分之百的担保我完全就有着感恩的心。但是我可以担保的是，我真的比以前会想了。也许不是更会想，而是想得比较多。

说真的，我们应该感恩身边的每一个人。无论那个人对我们好或不好，都应该对它产生感恩之心。如果那个人对我们好，不需要我多解释，当然要感恩啊。但是，如果那个人对我们不好，也是应该感恩他。感恩他让我们知道，这样子对别人，会令人讨厌。感恩他让我们知道，我们知道这行为是错的，而他不知道。当然，在适当的情况下，应该告诉那个人，给予适当的劝告。除此之外，当他人对你不好，其实是在锻炼你的心志，让你更加有修养，该次遇到同样的情况时会议更成熟的手段来解决。

学习会感恩，生活就不会有不需要的奢望，人会活得更满足、更开心。

生活当然不能时时刻刻都很顺利。当遇到挫折时，往正面的方向看，感恩自己仍拥有的东西。最重要的，无论发生什么事，我们每一天都应该感恩还有这个机会活在这世上。

奢求，往往弄到一个人很不开心。不仅伤身伤神，有时候还会伤感情。有得吃，有得穿，我们就应该满足了。看到这里，或许有些人会觉得我的想法很笨很单纯，也许是吧，也许是我们在不一样的环境下长大的吧。

如果一个人帮助过你，很明显的，你有必要去感谢他。如果你一早就知道自己很讨厌这个人，那你根本就不应该接受他的帮忙。接受了人家的好处，还要在人家背后说他的坏话。不用我说，你也知道是错的。人与人之间，根本就无法一百八仙满足对方。即使你接受过那个人一点点地帮助，也应该感恩、感谢。更何况是在他还没帮助你之前，你还答应要还他的恩惠~！现在反口不要还了，未免太不道德了吧？再一次，这也许是我幼稚的判断吧。

最重要的还是要感恩父母。在此，我想告诉你，我们中学时学的 “树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不在” 是绝对正确的。趁现在还有机会，好好把握，对父母好一些。告诉你，你没失去过，你是不懂痛的。他们不要求多，只想和子女多聊几句，即使只是废话几句，他们也会开心的。你还没当父母，你不懂父母的心情，更没有资格批评做父母的。我知道有时父母也会做错事，但是试问以下，你没做过错事吗？你还没当人家父母，你才会嫌三嫌四的。告诉你，你还不珍惜，有一天，你会后悔的。可能在四十年后，你当了人家父母后，你就会后悔了。你有听过己所不欲，勿施于人吗？你现在这样子对你的父母，你要你的孩子们这样对你吗？

写了一大篇的废话，我只是想告诉大家应该要有感恩之心。如果可以，也应该做到无所求的付出，那样，你的人生会充实一些，活得更有意思。

---

Thoughts..

Done with finals on the 15th, have been doing nothing, sleeping for 10 hours per day since then.

Have a lab report due before 25th for my dear MCDB 300.

Still going to lab everyday to take care of my worms.

Ren Jie asked me a thought provoking question "Are you leaving your worms alone when you go back for summer?" Actually, I don't really know.

I suddenly thought I have had too many years of school. Maybe I will work after I graduate, or maybe I can do volunteering for a year.

Probably I should have studied medicine instead of research in the first place.

Still waiting for overall grades to be out, which will determine whether Shann will get her free one-week-lunch.

Finally settled my money issue, thanks to those who helped along the way.

I should do something to flatten my tummy, or else I won't go back to Malaysia this summer.

Thank you Kai Kiat for the grocery trips for the whole year. Happy graduation. I'm waiting for your angpow~!!

Just started with packing up my stuff. Threw away a lot of my notes, and realized how much paper I have wasted.

Sorry to Pei Ying cos no celebration on her birthday, thanks to exams. But Happy 20th Birthday anyway.

Suddenly felt so not happy because when I wanted to talk to him this morning, he went yum cha instead.

Moving out from my apartment in less than a week's time. This apartment was kind of comfy and cosy.

Hopefully I can get enough people to play volleyball for Midwest Games. Spiker, make sure your ankle is functional by then.

I think I should get myself two more pair of jeans. I don't fit in those old ones anymore thanks to my tummy.

I suddenly thought that not doing PhD in the states is actually not a big deal at all.

Better start writing my report.

--

Stress Build-up Week

Including today, I will have six more stressful days to go.

Finals on Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

I will be done on the 15th.

Wait for me..

--

Tagged by Aunty Sue Yen

1. At what age do you wish to marry?
--> before 30, I hope. :P

2. What will you do when you feel really emo?
--> cry

3. What job are u doing now?
--> undergraduate lab researcher (not paid, but I'm doing it for credits) taking care of my worms

4.Where is the place that you want to go most?
--> home, of course

5.If you have one dream to come true, what would it be?
--> to find a cure for cancer

6.Do you believe in seeing the rainbow after the rain?
--> I believe now, but sometimes if I'm in a middle of a storm, I won't think that I can see the rainbow anymore

7.what are you afraid to lose the most right now?
--> my family

8. What cheers you up for the rest of the day?
--> a good volleyball game and a meal of curry noodles prepared by Huey Shann. :D

9.If you meet someone you love, would you confess to him/her?
--> depends on how he is feeling towards me

10.List out three good things of the person who tagged you.
--> cooks good food, a good listener when I needed someone to talk to, wears her specs in a cute way. :D

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
--> loves me, and able to talk to me when I need someone to talk to.

12.What type of person do you hate the most?
--> I am learning to love every human being

13.What would you do if you won a million dollars?
--> donate to NGOs and to those who need it

14.What would you wanna be after you're dead?
--> an angel who can heal the world and all living beings

15. If you have a chance, which part of your character would you like to change?
--> lack of self confidence

16. what is your favourite color?
--> yellow

17.What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
--> my family

18. If there’s one thing in your life you want to do but yet unable to, what would it be?
--> talk to my dad

19. What would you do if tomorrow was the last day of the world?
--> spend time with my family and close friends

20. [qns that I added] What are the places that you want to visit right now?
--> Pulau Sipadan, Seychelles Island, The Maldives, Tibet, Egypt, Taiwan, The North Pole

** I don't feel like tagging anyone right now, but anybody who feels like answering the questions above can do so in their blogs. :)

~~

Forgive, Let Go and Forget

To forgive, to let go and to forget.

This is the art that I have been wanting to master since a long time ago, but have not fully succeeded yet.

I realized that I have quite an amount of training lately.

I want to master this art so badly.

---

Dilemma

I have this serious dilemma since a long time ago and it has been haunting me since.

I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I SHOULD GO TO GRADUATE SCHOOL.

I know I don't need to capitalize every word, but then, it's such a hard decision to make.

Choices are as below:
1) Do PhD in the U.S.
2) Do Masters in the U.S. then go back M'sia to work.
3) Do PhD in Singapore
4) Do PhD in M'sia.
5) Go back M'sia to work right after getting undergraduate degree.

Thinking about this issue makes me sweat a lot, as in, even more than if I go run a hundred rounds at NCRB. I will be graduating April 09, so I need a decision FAST. If I so happen to decide to stay in the states to do my graduate school, I will need to study for my GRE test this spring/summer, which is so so so soon.

I think I burnt part of my brain thinking which path to take.

**

平常心

最近做事情，心情平静得多，晚上也比较能入眠。我也不知道为什么。无论如何，是一件好事。：）

今天早上刚刚考了第二次的biochemistry 考试，真的以平常心去考。这可能是我生平中第一次那么冷静的考试。哈哈。我不觉得是我准备得好，但我就是那么平静。两三天后，我们就可以看到我的冷静的效果。希望我也可以平常心地接受我的成绩。哈哈。

难得今天早从科学室回家，趁机会去游个泳吧！星期一还有一个考试，还没开始温习。但是不用紧，平常心。。。 哈哈哈哈~！

为什么？

其实，我不要求什么，只想要有一个答案。

我只想懂为什么。。。

Things Have Been Taken For Granted

Exams are usually an excuse for me not to update my blog, so now here I am after my very first Animal Physiology exam, writing a new post. I took the exam on Friday morning and the scores were out that very evening. Apart from being taken aback by the efficiency of them posting the results, I was quite happy with my results. I think this is the first time I say that I am happy with the scores of any one exam since I came to UofM. =p

Sorry about the previous post, which was extremely depressing and sad. But I am okay now, for those who are concerned. Heheh. Nothing much happened really between the time I wrote the post until now, apart from playing laser tag with a bunch of friends and my sister. Sorry to say that I did not like the game, just because I got last in all three games. I think it would be more fun if people don't kill me that much. :D

I have been down, moody and sad for the past week, mainly during the time I wrote that post. But after reading an article on the New York Times about people with rare genetic mutations, I started to realize that I have been taking life for granted. I nearly cried while reading that article.


These two girls may seem like normal children we see everyday, but in actual fact, they share a same chromosomal mutation called 16p11.2. This means that their chromosome number 16 on the top arm, which is p arm, has a deletion at the locus 11.2. This may just be a micro-deletion, as the article puts it, but the effect is drastic. These two girls are not related at all, but they were united as they both suffer from the same rare disease. The symptoms were somehow like autism, but it is actually not that. The girl on the left, whom is 14 this year, wears slip-on shoes, because she cannot ties the laces. She doesn't know her ABC's and have trouble recognizing colors. She has been diagnosed with mental retardation. The younger girl is 4. But she has been undergoing physical therapy since she was 9 months old, so she can count and knows her ABC's. Both of the girls don't cry when they are hurt, and it makes me wonder that is it because they won't feel the pain or what?

Then there's another girl with a different chromosome mutation called 22q13, which affects the lower arm of the chromosome, which is the q arm. She is 4 years old this year, but she doesn't speak. All she does is making a guttural growl hovering on the edge of language. That made me feel so sad.

All it took was a small, minor deletion of a single chromosome arm. How fortunate I am to be here, with a complete set of chromosome, functioning normally and being able to sleep, eat and talk like normal. But I have been taking these blessings for granted, as I kept complaining about life, saying life is depressing, making myself so moody and all. Furthermore, I should use these blessings to help those who don't have them, instead of complaining, whining and gossiping all day. How I wish I could help these unfortunate people out there, but it will be another ten years of accumulating knowledge and experience will I be able to make such contributions to the society.

Today

Today, is one of the days that...

1. ...you woke up and find that you have an extremely, like never before painful period pain, that you have to cancel your plans in attending your friend's birthday party.
   
2. ...your mood swings attack once again, leaving you extremely depressed and in need of someone to talk to immediately.
3. ...you have to go study Biochemistry on the fourth day into your semester because the first lecture was too terrifying.
4. ...you realize that staying in Northwood apartments by yourself is actually kind of depressing and lonely.
5. ...you have to force yourself into doing something you don't feel like it but you have to do it because it is right and social norms say so.
6. ...people think you have a lot of friends and you are popular but actually you are not, because people are judging books by their covers.
7. ...you run out of websites to surf after you have read everyone's blog and re-checked your email inbox for ten times in an hour.
8. ...you know you need to prepare for tomorrow's Animal Physiology lecture but you just procrastinate until bedtime is approaching.
9. ...you wish you own a Playstation 3 or Wii so that you can play on your Dance Dance Revolution dance mat.
10. ...you wish that you can just not think about anything and leave yourself slouching in the chair staring at the wall.
11. ...you wish you have someone close to talk to, preferably on MSN.
    
12. ...you think about giving up in life but think that there are still people out there who cares whether you are alive or not.
    
13. ...you will cook a can of Campbell's soup for dinner and sit in front of the laptop writing a new post for your blog.
14. ...you wish that someone is willing to call up/message me on MSN so that you won't feel so lonely and depressed.
15. ...that you wish that life won't be so sad and complicated.
    

Winter Break 2007 - California Trip

After a gazillion excuses to not update my blog, I finally managed to dig out some time and mood to write something about the trip, thanks to the never ending pestering by Mr. Yeoh. I spent my Christmas break from Dec 20th to Dec 30th in dear Los Angeles, California. It wasn't as enjoyable as I expected, nevertheless, it was fun overall.

Day 1 Dec 20th Thursday
Woke up at 5 something a.m. because we had to catch a bus to go to the airport at 6.15 in the morning. We, as in me, Huey Shann and Pei Ying. Wasn't able to finish my bowl of cereal, dumped the contents away, and left the bowl in the kitchen sink. Everything went on fine, until when we boarded our plane at Chicago's O'Hare airport. I was too sleepy that time so i fell asleep straightaway after I sat down. After quite a long time, I woke up. The plane was still parked at the gate. Apparently, it had some problems so our flight delayed by an hour, with us sitting in the plane.
Reached LAX around 2 p.m., went straight to the hotel called Cecil Hotel in downtown LA. WARNING: DO NOT stay at downtown LA's hotels anymore, even though the prices are really cheap, they are illusions to lure you into traps! Our hotel costs only $40 per night, which made us book it without thinking twice. After checking in, we came down to the bus stop right in front of the hotel, hoping to catch a bus to Chinatown for dinner. Suddenly, a guy came screaming down the street, running while uprooting small bushes planted at the sidewalk for decoration. I think he was either high on drugs or he had a mental problem. Two cops came chasing down behind him and brought him to the ground while handcuffing him. We were in utter shock and disbelief. The hotel room was small and the bathroom was tiny. Seven of us had to squeeze into that room. At night, it was FREEZING. I don't understand why there wasn't heating available.

Day 2 Dec 21 Friday
Everybody woke up early this day, and were ready by 7.30 am. How efficient. :) The main reason was downtown LA was too dangerous to be at during nighttime, so we all went to bed early. We went to Chinatown again. It was so deserted. Nobody starts business early in Chinatown, LA, and they start to close their shops around 6pm. Wonder how much business they can do a day. The only thing that was open at 8.30 am was a Chinese temple. Went to pray a bit and took some pictures, I mean those who had cameras. Then we found our way to a restaurant Sue Yen's friend recommended for dim sum. The food and price was not bad, but the workers are crappy. After eating, we decided to visit University of Southern California, but nobody was sure where that place was. So I suggested walking down the street that leads to the place, see if we can get a bus that goes there. So after walking aimlessly for almost an hour, I needed to go to the toilet. So we stopped at a random Marriot Hotel to borrow the bathroom and to ask for directions. I feel cheated for having to walk so long, only to find the bus stop leading to USC is just outside the hotel. -_-||
We reached USC, took tons of pictures at the engineering campus, with the three engineers, i.e. Huey Shann, Shin Hwei and Alicia posing before signs that say "Engineering Campus". I got excited when we visit the bookstore, where I got to buy a pennant for my miserable pennant collection back at my apartment. Visited the Rose Garden opposite of the university and also went to the California Science Center, also just a five minute walk away. The science center was a cool place, but it's meant for middle school kids. Nevertheless, it's a really informative place and I kind of like it. We also watched an iMax movie at the science center, with Pei Ying totally freaked out. She's afraid of 3-D stuff that comes popping out from the screen.
At night, we took the 25cents bus to Little Tokyo, just to find that the place is even worse than Chinatown. I don't understand the fact that California is suppose to house the most Asian immigrants in the whole United States, but why Chinatown and Little Tokyo are so crappy. I miss New York's Chinatown all of a sudden. Ate some totally not nice sushi and teriyaki chicken for dinner, then we went back to the hotel to pack.

Day 3 Dec 22 Saturday
Headed off to the happiest place on earth, and indeed, everyone was happy and excited. Took an express bus that departs from Downtown LA to Disneyland, which took a whopping 2 hours. As expected, we slept all the way on the bus. When we reached Anaheim, we went straight to the hotel to store our luggage and stuff in the storage place because it was only 10am at that time. We decided to come back to check in later in the afternoon. We didn't need to queue to buy tickets, but the queue for the guys to check our bags was really long. We spent the first hour or two taking pictures with Snow White and other inanimate objects. Then, I forgot whose idea it was to go for a ride on the Hollywood Tower of Terror. The effects they made was nice, and it will take me three more days to post this blog up if I were to elaborate it. So, in summary, it was an elevator with seats that brings you up to the top floor, and then the whole thing will free-fall down, apparently to the twilight zone. I screamed until my tears came out. And the next thing we did was probably the highlight of the whole trip, Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular. It was wonderful. It basically summarizes the whole Aladdin story in a 30 minute musical. Mr. Yeoh, this is the thing that you should be waiting for. :) No fireworks that night, because the wind was too strong.

Day 4,5 &6 Dec 23-25 Sunday - Tuesday
The rest of the days were filled with queues and rides, queues and rides again. Food was horrible. Not that it was not tasty, just that having chicken strips and french fries for four days straight wasn't good at all. The best of the whole four days are the fireworks, which we waited for three days before they can actually put it up, the Fantasmic show, which is a fountain-cum-laser light show, and that Aladdin show I talked about. There were too many rides and things for me to talk about, so the best way is to experience it yourself, eh Mr. Yeoh. =p Oh ya, I climbed a tree at Tom Sawyer Island, I mean, illegally, which made one of the workers made me come down. :D The worst part is probably my feet, which hurt like hell everyday. I wish they could supply everyone with a pair of rollerblades.

Day 7 a.k.a Do Nothing Day Dec 26 Wednesday
We woke up late that day. Mind you, we, as in those who decided not to go Downtown Disneyland for last minute shopping people. Heheh. Then after that, we repeated the same steps, took the bus back to the same Cecil Hotel and checked in. We went to Chinatown again only to discover a Vietnamese Restaurant, which was recommended by the beloved bakery aunty. The restaurant has wonton noodles!!! Everybody had a great time eating the great food, after being tortured by chicken strips and fries. We took the bus to Macy's at 7th street after that, where I bought a long-sleeve T-shirt. To our utter disappointment, the shops close at 6pm. 0_0 Don't understand why they have to close so early.

Day 8 Dec 27 Thursday
Universal Studios day. It was a cold cold day. Universal Studios was nothing compared to Disneyland, but the only thing that stood out were the special effects that they were famous for. They had a few shows which had fire special effects which looked so cool. The Return of the Mummy ride wasn't disappointing at all, thanks to my big sister for recommending. The House of Horrors was too scary, applause for them for reaching their goal in scaring the guests. They had real people inside dressed as ghosts and corpses which can jump out from coffins to grab your hands. Gross. Bought only a spongebob keychain and that's it. It was kind of a "cincai" trip.

Day 9 Dec 28 Friday
Went to Santa Monica beach, where they used to film Baywatch. Not sure whether they still have the filming going on. It was too cold a day for visiting a beach. Some of us took off our shoes to wade the shallow parts of the water, only to find our toes turning purple because the water was freezing cold. Rented a bike each and cycled along the coastline. It was kind of fun, as that was my first time cycling by the beach and I hadn't ride on a bicycle after I got my driver's license. Visited a really tiny shop which was modified to become an aquarium, keeping fish and sea animals for visitors to see. The main aim of them was to create awareness to the public, hoping people will save the oceans from pollution. When we were about to go back, we discovered a stretch of street near the beach which is actually a shopping area. With Adidas, Gap, Forever 21 etc. Everybody, well, most of us, were so happy and started to buy stuff. We had Thai food for dinner that night and went back at about 9, if I remembered correctly. On our way back on the bus, Huey Shann suddenly felt sick and nauseated. She suddenly wanted to go to the toilet, so me and her had to get off the bus at some random place and borrowed the bathroom at Taco Bell.

Day 10 a.k.a Most Boring Day Dec 29 Saturday
This day was by far the most boring day ever. We went to Hollywood. Tried to take a picture of the Hollywood sign through the telescope but failed. Went on a two-hour Movie Stars Home Tour. The driver showed us a few movie stars' houses, but I don't really know these people, except for Jackie Chan and Ben Stiller. He also showed us the house that belongs to the Marciano family, owner of the Guess company. They had ten Ferarris lining up in their front porch, furthermore, they never drive the cars, they are just up for display. We also went by Rodeo Drive, the place where most celebrities do their shopping. We saw a shop that had a yellow Ferarri parked outside. The driver told us that this shop only takes customers with appointments, and the owner only takes ten customers per day. And, if you are a first-time customer, you have to spend at least $10,000 during your first visit. The shop actually sells men's suits and stuff. This is a perfect example of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, comparing Hollywood to the homeless in Downtown LA, sad isn't it? The Guinness World Record Museum was the crappiest museum ever. It's even worse than Muzuim Alor Star. We went back at around 4pm, went back to Chinatown to "da bao" food from the Vietnamese shop again. This time, we actually saw the bakery aunty helping the owner of the shop. Now only we understand why she recommended it to us.

Day 11 Dec 30 Sunday
Last day at Los Angeles. Nobody knew where to go, so we decided to go visit University of California Los Angeles. Took a bus there that took forever to reach. When we reach there, everyone was searching frantically for a bathroom, only to find that every single building there was closed, either for the holiday or for the weekend. Even the bookstore was closed. So sad. Didn't get to buy a pennant from UCLA. We found the only building that was opened on campus, which was the gym. Luckily the guy at the door was kind enough to let us in without signing in. We visited the museum there for a while before we head back to Cecil Hotel again to collect our luggage. Took a bus from Union Station to the airport and that is all for our California trip. :) Thank you everyone who made this trip a success. :) Oh ya, about the cereal bowl that I left in the sink before I went off the trip, it has molds and bacteria colonies growing on it when I came back. I couldn't scrape off the stuff, so I had to throw the bowl away.

p.s. Pictures will be posted afterwards, as soon as I am able to steal them from somebody's camera.