A Perky Thanksgiving

4As 1B in her UPSR!!! Congratulations, baby!
You know what? I enjoy making lists. Some of them end up forgotten like my End-of-year Resolutions (conveniently more like it) or my To-do List (more often that not). And since I'm feelin' so darn blessed recently, here's my list of all things I'm grateful for this year:

01) A loving family and good friends (I miss you all!!)
02) My adorable pets (Patches+Lucky+Paddy+Coco)
03) Unexpected encounters and new friends... :)
04) The holiday season!! (Oh no, Kristen's infected me!!!)
05) The invention of TV! Thank you, John Logie Baird!
06) South Koreans, how I love thee!
07) An internship that wasn't so bad after all! =)
08) CW TV shows
09) Lovely songs that get to me
10) Yogurt cheese cakes!
11) Kindness when you least expect it~
12) Going out to sea! I love it!! (Corals still freak me out though...)
13) Facebook (though I've been at it since last year..)
14) Just being 21!
15) WEEKENDS! (Best thing EVER)
16) My phunky fingernail that grew back normal-coloured
17) The resurrection of this blog! (I wonder if I can keep this up...)
18) The good Catholic parishioners of Terengganu! =)
19) That I do not live in Terengganu (haha...)
20) My 2GB RAM and additional internal hard disk (Now I can keep more crap!)
21) The good lecturers of semester 5!

and more...

I can go on and on but the rest would be a little too much information, lol. Obviously, I'm trying to encourage myself to think positive! (Which hasn't been happening a lot lately due to FYP stress) Thinking happy thoughts releases feel-good hormones that make you look more younger and good-looking! =) It's true, I read it somewhere and it's proven. :-P So wipe off those frowns of your faces because you'll just be miserable and ugly at the end of the day! XD I'm not going to argue on that point but I think we should all count our blessings and make each day count!

Currently listening to:

For an instant pick-me-up! &hearts this album!

A Song to End the Day With

I've heard this song a few times in my neighbour, Chee Mei's car (always with the Chinese radio stations), and I liked this song just listening to it. I had NO idea what the song was called (the language still mystifies me) but I found out thanks to an old school friend. The video's crazy sad but sooo sweet! The song's about the one who got away and unspoken love (unbelievably mushy, I know). I didn't know Fish Leong was this good (with a name like that...)! Malaysia boleh! &hearts

Fish Leong - Qing Ge MV



Hope you liked it! =)

UPDATE: Okay, I just found out that the Chinese song that irritated me greatly for sampling Soulja's song, Kokoniiruyo (Stay By My Side ft. Thelma Aoyama), which I adore, is sung by the same Fish Leong. She was accused of plagiarism at one point. My fondness for this singer has died a little bit.

Once Upon a Time in KYC

I came across some old pictures (I've been flipping through a lot of old pictures recently) and it made me realize how empty high school would have been without sailing. I was a sailor once upon a time and I quit in 2004. I was neither excellent nor awful but I decided to give it a rest. People grow up, they take exams, and I started getting horrified at how dark I was getting. Lol. (I'm serious, a teacher once thought I was Indian once). And sure, I avoid KYC as much as I can because there's too many people who know you a little too well there, thanks to my family being loyal upstanding members of Kinabalu Yacht Club.

KYC in the evenings; Credit: KYC website
I got to visit lots of states for competitions, like Sarawak (Piasau Boat Club!), Negeri Sembilan (the BM of Semenanjung people scared me back then) and Kuantan (people liked that there were lots of girl sailors in Sabah!). Apparently, most states were lacking in girls in this sport. I've only sailed the Optimist, Laser Radial (Laser was a little too tough for me back then) and 420/470 (I'm just terrible at this, TERRIBLE). The sail number MAS122 holds a lot of meaning to me. And some bittersweet memories being a reserve in SUKMA 2003. Forgiveness can be difficult sometimes.

Not my most glamorous moment (I'm the man on the right)
I don't really keep in touch with my sailor friends, but you never do forget the stamina you built together, all that tiring centralized training (where you just want to drop dead at the end of the day), sailing to the nearby islands, the horrors of capsizing in a coral reef (I still have that phobia), all the squabbles on the open sea and sailor gossip. I still remember: Dana, Sarah, JOSEPHINE (you can't just say her name, you have to yell it!), Ruf, Alissa, Adam, Edbert, Mabel, Karin, Atai, Aaron, Chu, good heavens, the list goes on and on. All of them have graduated from Optimist definitely (it's below-15). Sometimes I felt more at home during weekends at the club than I ever felt during weekdays at school. :)

A common sight at KYC
It was a very pleasant time, I was very macho back then! And all I've got to show for it now are rough hands and the ability to never get seasick (very useful in my current university course...). Uncle Chris, Coach Ahmad Yusuf and Auntie Ching Ching are epic at training (and slave-driving) and made everything that much more fun. Of course, you will NEVER get me back on a boat again. My bones just can't take it anymore. Too damn stiff, it's deplorable. And I'm dark enough as it is. THANK YOU TERENGGANU, THE LAND OF BLAZING HOT WEATHER.

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The Sailing Scene in Terengganu

Hmmm... To tell you the truth, there's all this hype about the Monsoon Cup but as far as I can see, it seems exclusive to the rich and wealthy and international sportsmen. It's held at Pulau Duyung which only comes alive those few days in December... Normal people go there, to watch. I don't really get it. There's also supposedly a Yacht Club here too somewhere but it looks pretty low key. SUKMA Terengganu came and passed (you know how that ended)... It's a pity because Terengganu has a gorgeous sea, no rocks and good wind (all of which are enjoyed by your friendly neighbourhood fishermen). A waste IMO. Maybe I'm not as well-informed as some but I tell it like I see it. :-P
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Phew, gotta clean those dusty corners in the attic of my mind so I can make room for the new. And I hope it will be just as memorable. &hearts After all, it's our memories that make us what we are today... =)

November Quickie

EXAMS ARE OVER.

I just had to say that even though it's been over for a couple of days but it took that long for it to sink in (and for me to catch up on sleep...). I still sleep at wonky hours, trying to fix that, 5 am is not normal!!! :-P

Anyway, for lack of better ideas to blog about (My brain is almost fully occupied with my FYP. Dun dun dun.), here is my dorky self in Matrics. TADAAA!!!
I'm the black stick in the back... H2T14 2006/2007!
Most people from my batch (who am I kidding, just about everyone), has never seen me in Matrics, lol. I appear and disappear like the night~ My tutorial class was just low key I guess and I was busy adjusting to the transition from high school (plus I'm really really quiet, I only got noisier in university and that's because I met the kind of people I can just be myself with!). I was deliberating whether to go for A Levels in Institut Sinaran, KK but I went with the Matrics offer instead.

Hopefully my Uncle Donald won't call me anti-social anymore. But he still does! Maybe because I don't talk to him. Haha. I'm gonna miss Christmas this year. Bummer. =(

But cheers to my first Christmas in Terengganu! Where some of the ugliest Christmas trees can be found. I'm serious. Someone at Giant must reeeally hate the holiday. The UMT library tree also looked like it was decorated by someone with no sense at all. (Last year.)

I need a drink.

One Day, Robots Will Cry

Lucky, I'll see you soon! Mama's coming home!
I still have one paper to go and my final year project lab work to do and I'm already thinking of home! And looking at cute puppy pictures (trying to determine the breed of my new puppy, Coco) makes me go SQUEEEEE!!!!

There's lotsa things I want to do when I get home (trying to save money here) and I'm trying not to make lists just yet!!! But there's so many people I want to see and places to go (end-of-year SALES), I can't wait to leave this place!

Currently listening to:


Cobra Starship seems to have lots of cool sounding names (albeit lengthy) for their songs... Kinda like Panic at the Disco and Fall-Out Boy and their music is widely featured on shows like Gossip Girl. They've got a lot of funky dance beats and funny lyrics to go with it. My favourites from their albums Viva La Cobra and Hot Mess are:

Damn, You Look Good And I'm Drunk (Scandalous) - Totally hilarious!!!
The World Has Its Shine (But I Would Drop It On A Dime) - Sweet...
One Day, Robots Will Cry
The City Is At War
Hot Mess - Video coming out soon!
Living In The Sky With Diamonds

Lucky without me... Huhu...

The Fang Craze

I know, I know, I blog waaay too much about TV shows when there's more raging matters at hand. Like the climate. Or the foolishness of youth. Or my final year project. Or the fact that 2012 is drawing nearer! (If you believe the Mayans.)

Moving on...
Bring on the fog machines!
The Vampire Diaries is actually a book series by L.J. Smith, which has been adapted for the small screen on the CW (Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill). The L.A. Times calls it a “good old fashioned gothic love story.” No surprise at all there since Twilight and True Blood are already mega popular. Something about a vampire's allure and the average watcher's predilection with blood and murder (e.g. CSI) has got people watching this. I'm no Twilight fan, I stand firm with my stance that the books are rubbish. The gorgeous actors, however, are worth going to the cinema for. True Blood's a fond pasttime of mine. &hearts

L-R: Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrey & Boone (hee hee)
THE CAST: Ian Somerhalder, Damon Salvatore in Vampire Diaries, is pure eyecandy (though I think he's developed a slight case of gayface after his stint as Boone in Lost) and Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore is hilarious to me (I BROOD! SEXY!) and he even has mannerisms similar to Chuck from Gossip Girl. Ah. The cheesefest! But I love it! Nina Dobrey as Elena Gilbert (what a name) is pretty enough though she annoys me with her voice-overs and Avril Lavigne-esque hair but I'm sure I'll get used to it in time. Her brother, Jeremy Gilbert bears a strong resemblance to Supernatural's Dean (also a CW show). Just an observation. Anyway, I'm only 3 episodes in, and I really like Bonnie's character (who's apparently descended from the Salem witches) and she's started to reveal some hitherto unknown psychic abilities...

Katerina Graham as Bonnie Bennett
This is just something I'm trying out due to my pesky sister, Vadee's, badgering. I'm still giving it a chance, critics say episode 6 and onwards are better so I'll have to take their word for it. I'm not sure if this show has reached Malaysian shores yet, or Glee for that matter (which I'm currently lovin'! It gets better and better.)

Lately, I've gotten addicted to Bunga Citra Lestari's ballads... I like her voice and lyrics. They're also good to listen to in the gloomy weather these days. Cinta Pertama and Ingkar are my absolute faves... :)

P/S: I'm doing my best to post more frequently. Can you tell? =D

Wanted: Exterminator

WARNING: I know this might be a queasy subject for some people so do not continue reading if you're queasy about rodents and such...

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There seems to be an EFFIN' SHREW family in the storeroom of my rented house. Shrews are kinda like mice only with elongated noses and stumpier tails. Really gross looking (I refuse to put up a picture. Google it.) Anyway, we set this trap in the storeroom (which is half open air and is located behind me and my roomies' bedroom) because I saw something suspicious scampering underneath the cupboard there (plus my roomie saw it running after an insect one night) and caught what we thought was a mutated mouse the next day. It released this wicked smell and we were like wtf, our room smells like fart now. I googled it and found out that the thing was a house shrew. It's not a pest, some people say we are BLESSED because we are now insect-free! But still, EWW. It releases this musk (more like farty?!) smell in breeding season (Heavens save us) or when threatened.

That's not the end of it. WHY ARE THERE STILL SQUEAKS AT THE BACK? Then a baby shrew managed to get itself ingeniously lodged in the toilet bowl one morning. The horror. After disposing that little bag of delight, we are left with the puzzling question of what to do. The squeaks are still there (to my disgruntled annoyance one morning when I wondered whatever possessed some demented bird to make weird sounds at 3AM? Clue: It wasn't a bird.)

Lol, my sis was grossed out when I told her and told me not to let them fornicate without the consent of the King! Her words not mine.

Still thinking about what to do. Let the cats in? With the amount of cats sneaking in through the back, I must say that Terengganu cats, despite their plentiful abundance, are absolutely useless.



*exasperated*