May thus far

-WARNING : long post ahead-

it has been 3 weeks since i'm back from uni! feels good to be home! =) i kicked start the month of May with a part time weekend job to get myself back in tuned to the working life and also to fill my pockets! $$$ so, the job was to get people to take the free BMI test and also obviously to promote the company's product. (see pic below for more details) one word of advise for everyone out there, please please please for goodness sake, dont buy/drink anything from those electric freezing dispensers. the ones with a churning plate in the middle, stirring the drinks throughout the whole day. you have no idea how dirty it actually is! yucks!

yen & i

and oh! i dont like the uniform especially the puffed up sleeves.. sooo wrong i tell you.. makes me look even 'puffed' up =/ me likey the scarf though, cos it reminds me of my choir days ♫ i actually prefer to promote property than other products because there isnt a quota to fill and your potential customers are actually scaled down. but sadly, i lost my contacts =( oh well, i did enjoyed my days working with Jen for Sunway =)

well, out of all the part time jobs i've had, i can now conclude that, may it be promoting real estates or milk powder, i attract freaks! =.=" dont think i wanna elaborate more on the freakish encounters. bottom line, freak-magnet alert! (ask me in person and i shall entertain you with my stories. LOL) no wonder my seniors always had this impression that i'm like some protected endangered species that should be kept at home! hahahaha i'm serious! that was the exact translation of what they said in mandarin. whatever that i know or can do somehow amuses the people/friends in university..

when i say, i bake
they give me this look, O.o
while when i say, i do house chores
as predicted, O.O
if i continue on by saying that, i ride the bike,
that's when i get the longest unbelievable 'RRRRRRrrrrrrreeeEEEaaaaAAAAAALLLLLllyyyYYYYYYYYY???????' ever! as if i just told u that i like to go out commando like how Britney does it ;) LMAO

it's like i'm from a circus or a carnival. Now, behold~!

*drum roll*

AMY, the freak.

applause la can or not.. hahaa..


ANYWAYS, now for some bits and pieces of my birthday week.

xiao mei & i, len shen & i, my adorable khim & i
a few of my unimates were around in Penang so they took me out for lunch at a small restaurant in Gurney (i forgot the name.. lol) pretty nice place.. i like the decorations but it's a little overly done. the food? ok larr but a whee bit pricey for the pretty simple food they serve. we then head off to red box and i had a bit of my screaming session working, though most of the songs chosen were mandarin ones.. =/ but still, enjoyable =) at the end of that day, they surprised me with a gift and a slice of oreo cheesecake hidden in my car.. =) a toy schnauzer doggy which i thought was a koala bear at first from the colour of it. lol

i spent the whole week with yen, hopping from one mall to another, hunting for a maxi dress, shoe shopping and got my nails painted - French manicure as always =) a week of blissful pampering, but the most exciting part of my week was the first few beginning hours of my day! i got home from a midnight movie and found a Country Hide paper bag on my dressing table.

hmm.. a gift from brother dearest.. that's rare.. so i was expecting something leathery since that's the only thing Country Hide sells.. from the size of the package, maybe a wallet? a small purse? the eager me then quickly unbound the ribbon off and opened the paper bag. there was this transparent casing, like those old radio cassette tape boxes, only bigger wrapped round with another blue ribbon tied nicely into a bow. my head totally could not register what it was so i took it out and stared at it for a few seconds. when it finally hit me, i realised it was...

an iPod Touch!!!
the thing that i have been bugging and pestering my brother for the past 2 weeks! (though i did mention and bugged him awhile about it before more than a year ago.. lol) knowing my brother's nature and all, i never actually expect him to buy it for me. but being the annoying younger sister, it is my nature to enjoy pestering and bugging him about something, may it be stupid or not! =P words cannot describe how damn happy i was the moment i realised it was my long-awaited touchy! whee~

me ♥ my brother to bits!

korkor dearest & i, 2007
though the rest of the day was a bit screwy - a lot of last minute plan cancellations and all =/, thankfully, on-the-spot plan Bs' turn out pretty well.. had lunch with yen and ekun instead, dinner with mum and bro at Cititel and chilled with a few good company at night.. i guess like what they say, the higher your expectation, the greater the disappointment. in which i couldnt agree more.. my brother's present is by far the only thing that has ever really caught me by surprise and the feeling is just, priceless =)

the next day was then spent over at the lee's.. talked loads over lunch and hanged around the house playing with the dogs..

naughty bubu and big boy charlie

a week nicely spent with close ones =)

eek! i'm 23 now =/

i think i dont wanna grow up

as i get older, i learn to view a lot of things in a different perspective. i start to notice more on the small details in life; how much i'm blessed on a daily basis, how much my dearest parents shower me with unconditional love even when i'm already nearly the age of 23! i will always be their little amy girl in their eyes. while as much as brother dearest rarely shows that he cares, deep down he still does. some things doesnt need to be said upfront. amy's thankful because she nearly always gets what she wants =) NOTE: it's because amy dont always ask for stuff. i may be spoilt as the youngest child in a way but i'm certainly not a brat! =P

daddy's been very lenient and understanding for quite some time now. i guess as much as he has always wanted his amy girl to be a tough cookie, he realised that she's still vulnerable in being hurt and helpless. one thing i learned is that parents know best. they will always be there to guide and support you without a doubt, in which i'm glad that i could, like how facebook puts it, "re-connect with" my parents. ♥

the past few days spent back home had been great! brings back so much childhood memories on how i would just sit and stare at the tv while bro plays his PS for hours, pestering korkor day in day out, to get me stuff *grin*, doing stupid lame things and running around the house screaming like a brat... (ok, maybe this is whee bit exaggerated. i've toned down a lot and well, you all get what i mean.. lol) all in all, the princess is glad she's finally back home for good, for now.

on a random discussion, does anyone have any idea on how to differentiate local chinese girls with those from China? any particular facial structure or features that actually defines if one is from China or not? i know this may be stereotyping and the local chinese here in Malaysia are somewhat originated from China, but it is still differentiate-able right? i've been mistaken as a korean for a couple of times before. okay la.. i understand the small eyed, flat long face of the koreans which i have.. but recently, it's CHINA. *rolls eyes* China? i've been mistaken as a China girl not once, but TWICE! with AND without makeup. meh. is that suppose to be a compliment? cos i find it more of an insult. sad to say, i can only relate the China girls here as those who contribute to the service sector of a country's Gross National Product (GNP), which apparently is not recognised here in Malaysia. in non-economical terms, prostitutes. mind me for stereotyping again but generally, majority of them here are. now this is even more depressing. cos now i'm classified, slutty. sigh. =( i should start starving myself so that my flat long face becomes prominent again. haha

the China girl says hi.

A Yearly Affair

you know it's that time of the year when daddy brings out the precious XO Cognac and when we suddenly constitute to that percentage of the society that brings abundance of revenue to the BAT. it's the all soul's day, or how the chinese would call it, "cheng meng" or called differently depending on the certain dialects. a morning of preparations, burning of josstick and 'golden papers' and the hustle bustle of the jam. the only day in the year when u pay ur respects to the dead at their graves.

i can still remember those days with my great grandmother. she took good care of my brother and i each time mummy and daddy were out working even at the age of 70 over. i remember clearly waking up everyday to a cup of milo or a bowl of cereals set ready on the table throughout kindy and primary school. she always made sure we had something in our tummys before heading to school. she'd put on ours socks while we have our breakfast, and made sure my brother had 4 shiny gold coins of RM1 while i had 3 to go to school with, like little princes and princesses. yes, i must say i was very very blessed to actually go to school with RM3 for pocket money, thanks to daddy, mummy and great grannie dearest. i used to head right into her room every time i got home from school. nosing into what she was doing and playing with her rocking chair. she was the one i'd complain to, (yes, i'm full of complaints, even back when i was a little kid. lol) she was also the one who puts me to sleep during those nights when mummy had night shifts and daddy was out teaching or on diving trips. i'm thankful to actually have memories with the best great grannie ever though i didnt had the chance to meet great granpa. =) it has been 14 years now, please continue to watch over us from above alright? ♥

great grannie & yours truly

nothing beats spending time with family and friends. these are the people who has seen the best and worst in you throughout the years. these gatherings not only made me realise how much fun our childhood days were but also how fast time flies. the increase in wrinkle lines, pot bellies and evenly bleached coloured hair can clearly be seen in the "adult group" while the "children's group" no longer talk about toys, boys, girls, and nonsense but instead, our future plans and basically things with more substance. lols though this time only consisted of jiat n i, we did a lot of catching up =)

this time around, i've been making more time for daddy and mommy, learning to share all over again and basically communicate. not forgetting being a nuisance to my dearest brother; the typical young brat i was. lols. the attention seeker. =) didnt manage to bake this time though. i blame the weather. the heat seriously gets into my lazy bones.. hahaa

therefore, i'm on a noose. assignment deadline in two days! crap.

daddy still remembers amy girl likes green =) thank u papa ♥

when a bond breaks, old bonds mend and strengthen while new bonds form as well. nothing is the end of the world.

it's a process of life.

i.want.to.see.Lady.Gaga.and.... grrr.

CNY '10

i knoww.. Chinese New Year ended like, a month ago? but an update's still an update. lol. though this year's CNY seemed a lil quieter than the previous year, i'm thankful cos it was well spent with both family and friends =)

first off, the reunion dinner. the only time of the year where there is roast duck, chicken and pork ('char siew' AND 'siew yuk'.. *drools*) all served in a meal. yumms. and silly me forgot to take a picture of it. =( but last i remembered, there were exactly 10 dishes served that night! yes, i'm serious! including steamed fish, my favourite fried 'meng kuang' with fresh lettuce, fish belly soup, fried vegetable, braised sea cucumber with mix vegetables and not forgetting the traditional cantonese dishes of waxed meat ('lap mei': waxed sausages and duck meat) and braised mushrooms with muscles and 'fatt choy'.. another favourite chinese new year dish of mine ever since i was a kid.. me just *hearts* mushrooms to bits! then after was plain chill out session with a lil chit chat here and there.

DAY 1: started the day all dressed up in red, ready to usher in the new year! first with collecting BIG 'ang pows' from daddy, mummy and grannie greeting the elders and wishing them good health, longevity, wealth and happiness in those bombastic cantonese phrases which i have yet to master them all. haha then comes the 2nd most important meal of the festive, the first meal of the day which definitely must have a vegetarian dish. rice for breakfast, or somewhat brunch. there's just something about china men and rice. haha.. i dont know. i must admit that i'm a bit of a westernised Chinese. sad to say, dont really know much about my own roots. =( well, i shall find out about it one day =) for now, feast your eyes on the glorious food my mum and grannie prepared.

as always, daddy's liquor is a must. lol daddy the alcoholic, mummy the caffeine-holic/coffee addict, korkor the computer-holic/geek and me, the shopaholic of the family. we make a great team. lols

the complete set of dishes with the vegetarian dish in the middle. yuuumms.

after food, camwhore time! our annual family photo session. forgot to get those photos from dad's camera... =( but only the ones from my phone.. better than none =)

korkor, mummy dearest and yours truly.

somehow me likey this picture very much. probably cos bro finally smiled properly in this one. lol still, the colour and all makes it purrfectt! (considering that it's taken with a 3.2 megapixle phone only lehhh.. =))

bro and i

yes people, for the 15,749,398th time, he is my elder brother.. haha.. we are not twins therefore we dont look alike though we do share some common features.. notice our very superly long oval shaped face, fairly wide smile with our straight row of larger-than-usual set of teeth and, our fair skin. so, please dont sound so amazed that we're blood related. lols

aunt suzanne (the one and only closest aunt from daddy's side) and i

sadly, she recently left for Abu Dhabi to be with her hubby.. she makes the best companion to gossip, shop and hangout with! plus, my personal beautician and hairdresser =) now who's going to have a hard time handling my unruly wavy hair and my volcanic face. meh. hopefully i'll be able to pay her a visit by end of this year. woots! Abu Dhabi here i comeee~! screw Melbourne. (sorry ann, no offence LOL =P)

well, during this cny, i spent most of my free afternoons in the kitchen.. trying very hard to be the next famous amy. lols and guess what? batch 2 cookies tasted NEARLY somewhat like my favourite famous amos chocolate chip cookies! but the recipe wasnt really the same la.. still, i was in 7th heaven the moment i popped one freshly baked one into my mouth~! yumms. n again, the silly me forgot to take a picture of it. jeffery said it looks like cow shit (idiot), bro complained that there wasnt enough chocolate chips (as always) but daddy, mummy, granduncle philip, chou and wen said they loved it!! ♥

batch 3 : chocolate chip and raisin oatmeal cookies for daddy and also zheng which they both loved =)
i found myself a new guinea pig who appreciates my bakes. yay!

now, as a penangnite, one must, MUST go and pay a visit to the kek lok si temple during the festive season. it's the only time of the year when it's all light up prettily with decorative lights and lanterns. and again, i'm ashamed that i've never been there after all these years till now. lol it's simply beautiful, somewhat like a scene in Avatar at the ancestral trees or something..

i highly recommend this place to all the shutterbugs..

the place is filled with like, probably thousand over red and yellow lanterns.. occupying ever square inch of the ceilings and the edges of the roof tiles.. pweety.. me.likes. =)

apart from that would be the usual house hoping from the lim's to the fong's to the lee's and to the chew's, the meetups, gambling sessions, the endless partying and chilling sessions ♥ and the farewells =(

managed to party with yi xin again before she head back to kiwi land! =)

all in all, i was blessed with a fun filled week =)

♥

the water buffalo

as the years pass by, i finally really understand the meaning to the phrase, "life is a never-ending learning process". it's not just about the knowledge you gain from books or from people and the experiences but also about getting to know yourself better, learning to know who you truly are. looking back, i remembered i was always a "lost" child, always having uncertainties to who i really am. i used to find it difficult to fill in those 'about me' sections in autograph books (during primary & secondary school.. lols) or in anything that requires me to do so. what more an 'about me' essay. haha. i would usually end up writing the usual common stuff like, "happy, honest, hardworking.. etc" which i never actually put to thought whether it really describes me or not back then.

as you start to grow up and mature, you start to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses. every detail to it gets clearer as you experience life's obstacles and challenges. it's part and parcel of growing up. i've learned that you can never change who you are but you can always learn how to make up for your weaknesses. some people see me as a strong and confident person. but in truth, i'm still the weak, passive, emotional girl i've always been. i'm still learning to be and stay strong no matter what the circumstances may be. no doubt nian's passing has made me learn to deal with acceptance and my emotions. but clearly, i havent mastered it all quite yet.

i still pour every now and then but it's just who i am. like the energizer bunny which is built to last, i'm built to cry instead. nevertheless, i will have to make sure the very next day would be a better one. i've been through it twice before and i will make it through again.

mummy said, "hurt is just a feeling and it will fade."

i got this from my cousie's pm:

"When God take something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better."

and also like what ming says, "the best has yet to come!"

i will make it through the rain =)

sneak peek...

a place called home..

am loving my dressing table n the lamp *hearts*

stay tuned! house warming during Chinese New Year peepo! =)

you made my day =)

amazing how words from a total stranger can sound so convincing compared to the exact same words being poured out endlessly from people close to you.

from a conversation of how many packets of rice i'd like to order, diverted to my tongue piercing and to my relationship status. funny.. like what they always say, food brings people together. well, i think i'd have to agree on that. LOL

i finally received the best compliment or more like the only compliment which doesnt sound like, "*loud gasp* / OMG / is it painful?? / WwhhhhYYYyy???/*O.o*" or apart from those who are just curious how it would feel like making out with a girl with a pierced tongue. bleargh. lol the first thing that popped out was, "i like your tongue piercing *thumbs up*, this is what you call sexy."

"dont worry! there are loads of people out there who wants you." =)

on another note, bumping into long lost friends, like people whom you knew for ages ever since you were young but somehow lost touch is interesting. you start to hear embarrassing stories of yourself which you probably did not want to remember, digging up secrets and finally knowing the truth to some long lost mysteries and just talking about how much we've changed. brings back so much childhood memories of the craziest bunch i've ever met. good times =)

papa said, "it's a good thing that you see the true colours now, it was actually all fake."

oh well..

watch out peepo! i'm bringing sexy back~! lols

being ♥-ed

in times of trouble and angst, they will always be there to help, to support and to love you wholeheartedly. you can always count on them without a doubt cos they will be there for you no matter what. they are family =) may they be blood related or not, people who truly cares for you are people who loves you. i'm blessed for having my family and great people around me. i feel so ♥ -ed!