Regret

I hate it when I'm a fucking idiot at times..
why did I have to get pissed off at the wrongest time today??
and it just makes me feel like crap until now.

Someday u just can't explain.
How can you hate and love someone at the same time?

Anyway, I just came back today from Makassar, Sulawesi. As usual, this annual trip there was filled with visiting loads of families there. 4 days are super short. I wish I can go there more often, catch up w my cousins and the happy looks on all of them when I came, esp the elderly ones, was really...touching. :) Most of the younger ones don't really know who I am, which was a bit sad..but can't really do anyth abt it since I can only go there once a yr.
Also Hank picked me up n had a good day out w him n his friends.
Plus I also went to Samalona island, just 15mins by boat. and did 2 dives there! which was planned at the last minutes..but luckily can go & dive w uncle phil,brian, n saskia. The corals were much more colourful, less variety of fishes, & saw 5 blue-spotted stingrays. And spent 70 mins for the 2nd dive, cos we went down w 330bar.
Wished can show these to ninghan n alex! Shd ask them 2 come indo nxt summer!! there's these 2 islands,Kapoposang & Lanjukang..in sulawesi which got lots of sharks & amazing reef wall, also apparently Wakatobi (opwall indo) site is one of e best dive sites in indo.. and Rajampat in Papua, Nusa penida in Bali..lots lots more.

Reunited

Reunited.
Met up w/. Acc a few days ago. Me,mand,tep,dwi,mel. Wah..been so long since i meet up w them! catching up on loads of things. Reminiscing abt our old highsch times..it truly seems like ages ago when we were still juniors and played band at manda's house, plus our 'videoclip' and journals. Then at the spur of e moment, decided to booked a room and spent the night there. Midnite search for a 24-hrs oh lala cafe plus one hr looking for a parking spot! n fiddling wit e bass/sound sys in my car, finally can get a nice blasting sound. Probably the nxt time we can meet up again is nxt yr..hopefully can get my us visa sorted so can go visit tephi there :)

The best part of this week :
meet my babies!! Kimmy, Chief, n Zinnie!!!!!
went to Bandung. Stayed at Jeanne's place for 4 days. Went to the stable every morning to ride my babies there, Kim n Chief :) Chief is still as frisky as ever. Omg, he's 14 this year but he's still behaving like a 4-yr old most of the times. He's been there wit me through all these past 8 yrs, thr countless training and lessons and competitions. He's getting older though, he looked older. but when i jumped him, he still feels as young as ever! Steven sure has been riding him well, as he feels as good and as responsive as he always is. Also he still loves jumping so much.

Kim is still the lady she always is. She looked up the moment she heard me called her name, then she still demands her usual share of carrots. Still can't believe she managed to get 4 clear rounds with Ferry, and won this yr's Indonesian Jumping Challenge in e most prestigious class!! Kimmy, wit her attitudes..but frm wht i heard, ferry rode her perfectly tht time (she got v.v powerful hindlegs, but short, curvy built..not tall). Feel like a super proud parent now. She's soo honest when jumping! omg..i put her thr some v.horrible distance thr the cavaletti..but she helped me all the way.

And last but not least, the baby Zinnie. She's 2 1/2 yrs old this yr..she's such a sweetie. Dun think she recognised me though, since i only saw her once a yr. She's been trained well, happily picking up her feet when i asked her to..and happily let me brush n groom her. Such a lovely filly she is.

Plus had a lot of catching up w jeanne...lots of reminiscing again..realised we had known each other for a long long time. wondering wht had happened wit the rest of the horsy ppl we always hang out together at competitions. talking abt our lives now in UK (mine) and hers in Eindhoven. And also went to this christian gathering at her house (i stayed at her house for like..4days), and it makes me realised i actually miss the masses. I haven't been to a lot of mass for this 1 yr. And i realised i missed it. Hearing all the familiar church songs and the familiar phrases frm e bible..hmm..it makes me feel secure and i miss those totally secure feeling when you have troubles and you just place ur faith in God. Maybe i really shd start going to the church a bit more nxt yr.

Free fall

Today finally i went jumping!! haven't jumped in ages.. well almost 2mths to b exact. Went to Pulomas this morning. Rode Action, alyssa's horse. I rode him for his 1st competition last yr. He's a picky horse, tht one. He likes to choose his rider. If he likes u, he'll try his heart out to please u and do whteva u asked him to do, otherwise if he hates u..hmm good luck then :). Me and alyssa are the only 2 riders whom he seemd to like. Anyway, I jumped him. Not so high, only abt 3feet and a wide triple bar. A small course of 8 jumps.. he was great!!!
He had matured so much since last yr..his capability of judging distance is much better. Only he's still a bit wobbly on his left canter.

Then I rode Bobby. I was so so glad Bobby is still there!! I always got a soft spot for him as he's such a sweet, honest little horse. I helped trained him last summer, and now he's alrd jumping soo much better! I put him thr a very very wrong distance to this double..then he still jumped it!! it was such an awkard jumps, and i fell off when we landed. Wah..been a while since i fell. But its alrite, hop back on straight away..and we re-jumped e whole course..he was behaving like a perfect angel!!!
I love him so much!!!

Omg..soo happy to finally b back on a horse again n b ard them!! I felt totally reenergised and exhilirated when we finished jumping.. the feeling of such a huge power underneath u, and tht seconds u feel like ur flying in mid-air when we jumped a high fence.. wahhh....best feeling in the world!

At the same time, i missed diving as well. Miss egypt live. What a dream it all seems to be now.. such a peaceful, isolated life for a whole mth. Surreal.

Home at last

Back home in indo..arrived 2days ago. Its all the same, yet different.
hmm..
Strange, went to visit my grandparents yesterday..they seemed to grow older, weaker somehow. Also everyone seems to hv aged since e last time i saw them. Has it been tht long?
actually, yes.
Its sad really, when i think how i really enjoy my life in london..but at the same time, hv to leave ppl tht loves me back home, esp my parents n grndparents. They just keep getting older..the good thing is tht they stay the same, exactly the same. Even my dog (ok i know..my dog), he looks so old now. Why can't ppl just stop aging?

Anyhow, met up w my ex today. He seemed really well. Had a good long talk, n i realised we're still e same, as friends. Nothing more. He tells me abt his new gf n stuff, n i really felt happy for him. He said now finally he's learning to hv a non-long dst gf. which is good. :) plus we xchg diving stories! omg he told me when he went to this HUGE wreck! it was SO cool. am so gonna go wreck diving here! indo got so many places to dive...!!
hey, ninghan & alex..come indo to dive!! haha lol.

okies, gtg now.. looked like am gonna b busy as hell all day nxt week. Riding my horses!! :)

Non-sandy desert..St.Katherine

Hmm..so here I am still in London..at artati's place, 4more hours before i have to leave to catch my flight back home frm heathrow :)
After watching 6 episodes of desperate housewives 2nd season and ate chocolates..thinking wht shd i do now, decided to continue my story abt egypt. My last entry was abt Ras Mohammed, which was basically where we spent 3weeks diving and id-ing fishes.. now story continued, the 4th week we all (me maya ninghn alex) went to the desert base camp of opwall in St.Katherine Protectorate. Abt 4 hrs car journey frm Ras.. which was bloody hot and windy. My cheeks actually felt numb the moment we got off frm e car. We left Ras saturday morning..after endless goodbys to everyone, giving out postcards to all the staff..Oh, forgot to write abt the car break down! well, basically on our last nite in Ras..we went to town (Sharm) to withdraw cash & use internt (found our exam results! i was a bit dissapointed when i 1st found out abt my results, but after a while then i can't b bothered, anw i tried my best & worked hard & yep i managed to reach my aim which was at least to get 4 B's and no D's. so not bad at all trish). Ok so then we were on our way back to camp..when suddeny the car machine just died.. tutns out it got no petrol! so hehe there we were stuck in e middle of this dark empty road..with desert/sands/sea ard us..hmm.. ahmed called the camp and they sent anthr car to pick us up. :)

So ok back to the desert..we arrived in Fox Camp ard 3pm saturday..ate lunch. Met toby (again) there lol. The eggplant was soo yummy! then a quick trip to town to the cafe & shisha..drank karkadea (hibiscus tea) ..get to know rebecca alanna sam (all e staff in st.Kat are much more approachable compared to Ras i think, maybe also got such a small group of us only). Fox camp was soo different than Ras! everything is actually close together (aka : toilet/rooms/sitting area/lecture room). Met all e egyptian students as well.. Slept outside wit mosquito nets! amazingly effective i must say :). Nxt day : sunday..went to St.Katherine monastery which is where the famous 'burning bush' is situated.. its quite unimpressive i think..also only such a small part of the monastery is open for public, which is quite a shame since e monastery itsels is so big..but it is still a working monastery..so oh well. Saw this room full of the skeletons of monks. Then did a practice walk in Ramadan... which took us more thn 2 hrs bcos some of them r collecting microbio samples i think.. Saw these hyraxes (huge hamster like animals).. walked back down..then slept early as we're going to set off for the desert tmr.

Tuesday we then set off to the desert.. abt 15 min car ride (our big bags go w the cars/camels) and our day-bags plus water we carry ourselves.. Arrive at campsite after abt 30 min hike.. (am so gonna invest in hiking boots nxt time!). Our campsite is in this Wadi (wadi = river area in winter..but dry in summer). The desert is not sandy plains like wht i imagined..its more like rocky desert. Choose our sleeping site..(open areas! to avoid scorpions etc..plus the fact tht Sam, our desert leader, got stung by scorpion 2 weeks ago didn't realy help). Toilets = shovel, matches, toilet papers. V.v vital things to always carry ard : 3 litres of water at least..hat (maya's fowery hat! lol..v.comfy though)..rehydro sachets.

Helped alanna (bat scientist, frm imperial, she knew Lamb!!! hopefully can see her ard IC nxt term. she's v.cool) did batting at nite..: set up the mist nets..and wait ard.. for bats. apparently bats in egypt are like..small. and totally undertudied. only 3 scientists had ever study bats in egypt in these past 50yrs! Caught 3 bats tht nite. They'r soo sma but got cute (mouse-like) longish faces..too bad can't hold them cos i got no idea whether my rabies jab is still effective or not. she measured their height/weight/etc//record their sound (tongue-clicking to echolocate).

Nxt day : Wed moning woke up at 4.30am.. omg felt so stiff due to sleeping on my sleeping bag and got no roll mat. Amzingly all managed to woke up. had a bit of tea. Left the camp ard 6am wit rebecca's plant group. Me ning alex matya toby dave all in plant group tht morning. Did a bit of trekking..did plant transects of 25 m.. 5 quadrats. Lucky Ghada, this girl in mine n alex's group, knew most of e plants.. so we finished way faster thn the rest. Ate our breakfast. Continue to walk and did a 2nd transect. Then head back to camp ard lunchtime as it gets too hot to walk. Stay ard in camp and rebecca hosted this dung-collecting competition for all of us (nasser collected this unbelieveably HUGE bag of shit)..winner gets coke. lol. anw its only herbivore dungs..so its harmless.. plus as i'm so used collecting horses' shit, so its nothing much for me. hehe.
Helped alanna with batting again tht nite.. but we didn't managed to get many bats. we went ard to these old empty stone houses where we set up flick nets and caught the bats who nested inside the houses. Much more effective method. Caught insect bats which got diff faces thn fruit ones. Uglier looking i must say. :) Got a bit early nite. Collapsed wit exhaustion. Also dinner is basically eat in the dark while trying to figure out wht ur actually eating, but since we're all so hungry, all tasted good. A bit cold at nite compared to Ras.

Thursday : morning : plants again..fast as usual. Lunchtime at camp. Went batting ard 4 pm..where we hiked up to these stone caves (Nasser is the bedouin who lead us ard..he knew the area well). Slipped and scratch my knee a bit (hiking boots!). At this one cave, ninghn,alex,n maya managed to caught 2 bats which are new species!! think one of the bat was attracted esp 2 alex lol. Also got this one big stone, where all of us tried to climb it..to prove our rock-climbing skills? us girls are more agile hehe.. Walked back. Set up 3 mist nests at nite, but didn't caught any bats anymore tht nite. Ended up sitiing there on a big stone and talk nonsense, prob scaring all e bats away. plus King toby and tubinaria kingdom lol.

Friday : last day in desert. Did one plant transect..as usual, me ghada alex finished super fast. hehe. Maya didn't feel to well..stomach upset i think. Not surprising since the water we drank were taken frm this dodgy..looking..well.. near the camel (camels always looked like they're smiling). Hike back down after did camp-clean ups..pretty long trekking down.. ound out tht i drank a LOT..like can finish 1.5 l of water in 45 min. Tired and dirty (no shower for 4 days)..back to Fox camp. Showered, rested :)
Signed off frm Opwall officially at 2pm (me ning alex toby dave) as we a want to climb mt.Sinai (opwal didn't allow if we're still their volunteers, dun ask me why). Feels like we're freed! hehe. Went to town, internet.. went bar/hotel crawing to get beers (stella : not v.nice..sakaara beer : nicer..both are local beers). drank a bit. alcohol felt pretty good after 5 weeks wt out it. Then went to eat pizza! oven baked and tasted quite nice i think. took them 45 min to prepare it! went to Morgen Land and get dressed up in bedouin clothes..sang n dance n pics. till ard 11pm. Went back to fox camp, hoping to get a bit of sleep before we set off to climb sinai at 1am. Sadly can't realy get any rest. Prepared super warm clothes plus loads of water. i actually carry like 4.5 l of water.

Started our hike up mt.sinai at 1 am.. wit Ismail as the park ranger who act as our guide. pretty big group : me ning alex toby dave ismai yoesef and 2 other guys. Took the route thr Ramadan & Wadi abein, camle track, then the 750-odd steps up to the peak. Felt quite tired at times but found out tht i can catch my breath quickly even wit only a short rest,pretty good. Quite nice to hike in the dark, wit ony torches shining the groung. Stars are amazing! they just seems soo bright and near! Got this huge spurt of energy when heard we almst reached the top! the steps are killers..wah so tiring, but just like ninghn said, take it one step at e time. Reach the peak ard 4 am.. found this BEST spot to seat. Rent blankets and mattres (smelled like camels lol). Lucky me n ninghn got our thick winter fleece, it was bloody freezing!!! can't imagine how aex can survive in shorts n thin jacket! toby n dave got their sleeping bags wit them, smart. Waited abt 1 hr. Then at 5, the horizon just turns orangey and got htis one orangey strip..wit the sinai mountains as the background..omg omg sooo beatiful! too bad my camer was useless in e dark, so can't take any decent pics of of it. Got this italian gropu of ppl singin christian songs..which made the atmosphere soo great. It really2 seem so surreal. The scenery..the way the skies seems to slowly changed colour frm dark-orangey-yellow. Then at 6 am sun finaly breaks, looked liek this perfectly round egg yolk, super yellow and round and perfect..slowly came up and rise. wahh.. it truly is the best sunrise i've ever witnessed. still got the memory clear in my head even till now. Totally no regret to go up to mt.sinai.Also while watching the sunrise, made me think tht actuay in life, there are ony a few things tht really really matters : friends, famiy, love. Nothing much else..so dun think life is too complicated..life is very simple, just cherish those 3 things and take good care of it if u alrd found all those things..dunno why this thought crossed my mind tht time. The hike down was better, we took the 3500-odd steps of penance which carried us straight nxt to the st.Katherine monastery. All ppl took tht route, pretty crowded. As usual, am taking my own sweet slow time in order tob sure i didn't slip. hehe. well..this is my 2nd hike so far after snowdonia :) Ismai was a good leader, he kept waiting for me as i'm v.v.sloow compared to other. It was at times ike tht i wished i was a mountain goat! the bedouins is just amazing, they ust hop frm rocks to rocks!
Supremey tired back to fox camp..showered..then got 2hrs of sleep..then we head back to Ras (4 hrs super hot car journye again)..stay in Ras for 3-4 hrs..so sad..now it's soo empty in ras. only got gerben steve joe and 4volunteers. Totaly savouring all the last minutes moments in Ras. Watching the last sunset. Staring at the clear blue red sea. It all has come to an end.

Me ning dave toby maya dave mark are all on e same 2 flights back home..i slept all e way back to London. Arr in gatwick ard 2..waited ard till 5 wit ning toby dave.. too coach back to Victoria.. took bus to artati's. then went shopping. then sept and slept. Can't believe those 5 weeks are over. Its just all so amazing. Had such good times. Totally great.

Ras Mohammed! diving diving in e Red Sea.

Wah..finally i'm back in london.seems like these past 5weeks had been a dream. A surreal but yet amazing dreams. Had spent these last 5 weeks in Egypt. To sum it up : 1 week travelling with ninghan to Cairo-Luxor-Hurghada... 3 weeks in Ras Mohammed Marine National Park (diving!!! did reef ecology & monitoring)...1 week in the desert, St.Katherine Protectorate...last day : climb up tp the peak of Mt. Sinai to see THE best sunrise (the best i've ever witnessed in 20 yrs of my life, surreal).

I think i'll spent soo ong to write it al down. It's just so many things to say and write about. Need to upload loads of photos as well. Didn't even know where to start! lucky I wrote down things tht happend during tht one week of travelling alrd hehe..

Hmm...ok, so story continued after we arrived in Hurghada, we spent one nite there, then took the fast ferry to Sharm El Sheikh the next morning. 2hrs..then at Sharm, Ahmed picked us up. Went to Ras Mohammed site. 1st impression : incredible beaches and blue blue sea!! being shown our tents/common area/toilet (farrr farr...awayyyy)/dive centre. which all situated far apart lol.. Spent the day doing nothing. get to know Joe, Gerben, Caroline, Ahmed..slept the whole day! then on Sunday (8th agt), met Alex! we thought he was spending e nite at the airport..but then in the morning, ninghn said 'hey look who's tht wit e back hair..?" ..then we all ran to greet him..lol, so funny.

1st week : did our PADI Open Water !! our group consist of me, caroline, maya, claire, ninghan..and our instructor is the best ever : Gerben! (magic finger..magic finger..hmm hehe) plus the best DM as well : Dave (OK? ok!). Its amazing how fast we seemed 2 get used to put together all e dive kit! BWARF : Bruce Willis Ruins Ancient Films..Buddy check! (me n ning = perpetual buddies, Tweedledee n Tweddledum as Jane said..we looked identical in our shortie). Did skills.. gerben is amazing. he made us felt reaxed, yet secure all the time. U can be sure he'll b there if anythg goes wrong. Did 3 confined dives..then 3 open water..did theory test (pretty easy). All passed!!! yayyy...

Our normal day routine in Ras will b sth ike..woke up at 6.30..breakfst 7-8am.. then 1st dive..lunch 1-2..2nd dive..talk2/rest..shower!!.. dinner 8-9pm..tea/shisha/dominoes/card games/talking2 while staring at the night skies.. amazingly bright wit all the stars and moon! shooting stars are sooo common...saw countless of shooting stars! then sleep ard 11pm. Sleep outside under the stars every nite!! (too bloody warm in e tent...).. me, alex, claire are the sleep outside ppl..whilst ninghnn n maya slept inside usually.

One nite got a crab tickling my ear! omg i was damn surprised! n actually caused me to jump literally in shock! woah... Also one morning got DOLPHINS!! swimming pass the tents.. 3 of them!! i was wide awake in an instant when I heard alex said dolphin, then ninghan also shot up awake in seconds..wahh...telling ppl tht there's dolphin is the best way to wake 'em up!! haha...

Played endless card games/shisha/tea at nite..egyptian mint tea is just the best!! sweet and hot.. wahh... apple shisha also so nice..too bad shisha often crowded, so dun often get e chance to do shisa-ing hehe. Like alex mentioned : gerben is shisha master.. dave n alex advance shsiha makers lol.

Food wise was great!! main food :pitta bread, tomato n cucumbers..!! honey/cheese..fried / grilled fish soo yummy..dinner aways better thn lunch! endless melons and watermelons :) !! tea..also water water water,..drinks loads otherwise get dehydrated!

2nd week : did reef ecology course where Joe taught us how to recognise n id diff reef/corals/fishes/invertebrates etc..so we can help steve in his research.. Spent 4 consecutive days diving in 'toilet bowl' (Solar Bay..callled tht as it is situated in fornt of e toilet building!)..right reef : amazing..left reef : ok..We saw a shark!!!!! grey reef shark..was swiminng aong..then Kim suddenly saw it.i saw it. then everying got sooo xcited..wuah its amazing how ..majestic it seems to be..n no worries. its harmless if we dun disturb them :)
aso saw this big big eagle ray..HUGE moray eel near the jetty...puffer fish who foollowed us ard...lionfishes etc etc ect..
Jane was our dive leader for tht week..(got sum..argument bwn her n maya..woa..quite tense tht time...) ..Jon as our DM.. he's damn nice guy! the quiet but funny Joe as our teacher..plus I i think we all are such good students!! we all passed our reef tests by memorising the slides!!! haha....

Claire left at the end of 2nd week.. so sad :( she's super nice to talk to. can b quite clumsy at times..damn funny she is hehe... she's very open minded as well. Miss her!! also she always struggle to get into her wetsuit. so funny..plus her mask-wiper hair..blublublub phone call..omg.. :) spent the day before she left taking loads loads of photos!

3rd week : spent on the boat (aka : Fuck Knuckle as Gerben humbly named it..hehe). got seasick a bit the 1st 2 days..then I actually cured!! no more seasick!!!! waahhh sooo happy!! at 1st me alex maya looked dead..then after we got used to it (excpt poor maya who still got seasick..we all fine. ninghn never get seasick! so lucky...hehe..all boat crews : me ning alex maya simon jon steve..chef/ali..mohammed..etc.. all soo helpful! boat dives are amazing..exciting! to get off frm the boat, esp if we drift dive..felt like a military mission! then if e current is stonrg..getting back on e boat is also hard! Shark's Reef are e best so far..saw HUGE fishes n turtle there..! but so strong current..can't do transects.. Shark's Observatory..Ras Um Sid (cheesy italian song!).. Visitor Centre (lady frm italy 'help me'2x..swa shark behind her eating fishes!)... Old Quay.. Ras Satar (our last fun dives). Did fish id/count on 50 m transect..learnt to control buoyancy much more now.. steve n alex did corals id. jon just floating ard watching us looking bored..poor him. Boat lunches are amazingly nicer!!!! slept n sunbathe in bwn..dive in e morning n afternoon... back to camp ard 3-4 pm.

Also did our PADI Advance Open Water!! deep dive : narked maya! go down to 30m..but felt alrite.. hehe..only we use up our air much much faster.. only 25 min instead of e usual 50 min..for 200 bar. Navigation : use compass..made squares/triangles.. PPB w arthur : ninghn's sand headstand! 'charie chaplin' kick..somersault (maya's so good in this).. phtography : ok..cant really get nice pics..got jude a bit angry for taking her camera... drift dive : amazing..triingbut the best!

Did a total of 28 dives over 3 weeks.. unbelieveable.. truly.
Got to know loads of ppl..esp toby claire maya ..met karim n hassan n ahmed as well (rescue diver ; 10 bar n dunno how to use compass..hehe.. )..torch ppl invasions...dave/jon/owen/jane/jude/arthur...haisam.aiman.musa n all the friendly bedouins! ..ninghan's toilet runs..super blur alex in e morning... steve/joe best buddies... steve o indonesian speaker... caroline/jackie/all the school kids..wahh.. countless things..soo many ppl..so many memories. its been totaly aamzing 3 weeks!! best ever.

Hurghada

haiya..
in hurghada now..
got here by bus frm luxor! met this american couple, the guy so dman good in bargaining hotel prices! got 80 instd of 140 egyptian pound!! omg..me n ning are such a bad bad bargainers..

luxor so much like bali!! got nice cheap seafood!!!! ate calamari tagen..yummy....tomorrow gonna go to sharm n start our opwall diving for e next 4 weeks!!
okies..gtg now..in this interent cafe..with all e egyptian men around us lol.

Luxor -valley of kings-

In LUXOR now !!

just arrive this morning frm cairo..10 hr skleeping train, v.nice service !! hehe..
also..arr this morning here, alrd got this stupid damn guy who kept trying to pester us to go to his hotel omg damn annoying la.. then..went to visit Valley of kings, valley of kings..tutankhamun tomb!! alsp see Hatshepshut temple = magnificent!! ..then go valley of queens = see this 5 mth old mummified fetus! yuckk,,,but wow... also the heat was unbearable, scorching HOT!!! think me n ninghn also alrd got sunburnt so badly :)

think luxor much10x nicer than cairo, but ppl here are sooooooo annoying n kept hassling you if they knew u're a tourist!!..then also got very very nice hotel wit this nice view!! luxor temple and nile river in fron of our hotel!!

heading off to hurghada on friday..!!

Cairo!!! in cairo!!

We're in EGYPT!!
Cairo!!!!!!

Ok ok.. so muchh things to tell here. not enough time i guess. hehe
basically...travelled from gatwick-sharm yesterday (1st july) wit ninghn.. took 13.55pm flight..arr in sharm at 9.15 pm. then 1st exp : horrendous toilets in e airport! oh well..then got out, all taxi drivers just swarmed at us!!! asking "taxi2..!" where to go.." ..etc..oh dear.. think got our 1st scame : got a taxi frm sharm airport - sharm naama bay bus stn : need to pay 130 Egyptian quid!! shd b only 25 leh.. oh no. anyhow.. decided to board the 11pm bus tht night to Cairo. Bus looked ok. Got in. realised only got 3 females on board (me-ning-one other). oh well. quite jittery...decided to tk turns staying awake (ok ok we sound paranoid lol). then ard 2am-3am got stranded in this stop in e middle of nowhere, think got sum prob wit bus engine... went out..realised got abt 20 : 1 male : female ratio (me-ning r e only females!). never bfore felt thjis..ermm..discriminated.. or outnumbered? the good thing they seem to ignore us anyway..
so board bus back..slept only frm 3-6am..then reach cairo 6am!!

In Cairo :
at 6am (sunday 2nd july) : got dumped at this super busy city centre..midan ramses..feeling extremely exhausted..dragged our backpacks to find a hotel. Found HOtel Luna (nice!!! lonely planet is our life saviour!!). Got sum pastries for breakfst (hvn't eaten anythg for nearly 12hrs!). then..just wander ard before finally able to check in at the hotel. the hotel looked EXTREMELY dodgy frm outside, but inside is very nice leh.. really2x. suepr nice. and cheap! also the surrounding area reminds me a lot of Blok M area back home..totally similar. then after took shower, drag our super tired body (we travelled for 25hrs straight!! record man..)..tp MISR travel to ask abt train tickets to luxor..then went egyptian museum!!
see mummies, royal mummies!! tutankhamun death mask (the best!!)..soooo many sphinx, sarcopahgus, tombs, hieroglyphs (able to fig out e meaning of few : hand-scarab-sun) !! oh well.. interesting really!!
got totally pharaoh/tombs/tutankhamun saturated at the end!!
it's totally AMAZING!!!!
buy postcards to sent back as well..

Its freakishly sweltering HOT!!! walked out to train station in Midan ramses frm e museum..omg, need to risk life/death when crossing e road! totally feel like i'm back home lol..now i know how tourists felt in jakarta..no wonder not many of them wants to go jakarta. also got taxi drivers just honking asking if we want to get a cab or not..oh so annoying la..in e end i think me n ning just looked too nice n innocent i gues : look easy to fool! no no..we're not tht easily fooled la..
Got this super sweet n cold mango juice for just 2 Equid!! super cheap!!!
everything so bloody cheap here!!!!!!
compared to UK!!
got so many cheap branded clothes la..also realised forgot to bring my nokia charger adaptor!! not good..but oh well..shd b able to last till nxt week also asked alex if he can bring adaptor. i dun mind not using mobile..but i think mom n dad will b just die of worrying la back home if i didn't txt them.
hooo...

anyhow....
tomorrow gonna visit giza/saqarra pyramids!! wit e help frm Heba (thx dad!) ..we actually got a private tour.quite cheap!
This trip so far has been..very..interesting! this surely gonna b one unfogettable trip!

also feel damn proud of ourselves :able to find transp frm cairo, get a hotel,got train tickx to luxor..visit egyptian museum, tried a few local food.
Hey, ninghan, we're pretty good so far!!!
oh another vital things : Lonely planet guidebook & mineral water!!!

Peace(ness)

In Manchester! Officialy got no sleep (aka : 2 hrs of sleep per night) for these past 4 days, but i'm still feeling high due to end of exams.hehe
Gonna go York tomorrow w Thia..staying at her aunt's place today. Just had bbq wit lots of indo ppl, they're so hilarious!!

Grab this pic frm Manda's fs :
our celebration in Crescent + when artati lost the bet!

Freedom

Free!!!
NO MORE EXAMS!
since yesterday, after the ast EB exam (which i think i did..not v,goood..but decent i guess)..i fet so damn free!!
it's like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulder..
and i can finlly breathe again :)
no need to rush back to lib
no more mugging like crazy
no more crappy food for lunch/dinner and caffeine overdose
...heavenly....

Ooh...in artati's place now..gonna stay here till tmr, then gonna go Manchester-York-Glasgow-Edinburgh wit Thia..then nxt week back in London for 1 day, then Egypt!!!!!!!!
Today had a nice lunch/walk2 around/coffee wit alex n michael..so good, finally..can just walk around, nice weather, talk..totaly feels like holiday.

Today checked out frm Orient, a bit sad to say goodbye to Charlotte. we grew closer these few weeks..due to exam/revision..will mmiss those long walk back to orient frm lib at nite..just talking abt random things since our brain was freaking overloaded wit exams. hehe. Yesterday, celebrated end of exam wit Manda n artai..went to Crescent (our fave place 2 drink! the best..). Then got this man (40-50ish)..bought us drinks! well...nxt time hope younger guys thn tht will buy us drinks lol...quite surprised when these 3 shots caled "irish flag" appear on our table, n the waitress said its frm the man over there. hehe. Also been shopping quite a lot this few days, as a treat for myself. Really, i think i truly never worked tht hard or study tht hard ever before. not even for a levels.

Oh..hmm another thing happend the day before yesterday. Was chatting w my ex.. realised... tht..dun think he had get over me. shoot. cos he said, after we broke up, then he got involved in sum kind of relationshp w ths girl..but neva works out, bcos, she's different than me. uh oh.not so good. well, anyhow will see him in summer.
I think you can never really be sure..u know..when u think everything is over and u had closed tht chapter in your life, then suddenly those chapter looks inviting to b opened again..but I know for now, I don't want to go and open tht chapter again. not for now.
oh well..gtg..wouldn't b updating ths blog for awhile i guess.
:)

Restless

One more paper!!!
feel so freaking restless today.
Finished storing my stuff n boxes etc (thx to simon.michael.manda.ari! hehe)..got such a SHOCK when we open the container..and saw the huge pile of irma's boxes! plus these stack at d very front almost toppled over n hit us.
Lucky manage to fit all my boxes in, JUST nice. In total got : 4 large boxes, 3 medium ones, 2 suitcases, and 1 shoerack.
not so bad. only increases 2 boxes frm last yr. Threw away my a-level notes in the end, almost can't bear to threw it away since got soo nice notes, all colourful hehe.but realised thts its all really quite useless this year. Then went to Manda's place, had this super nice korean bibimbub :)

Went to lib but feel so restless! trying to read those ecology notes. I mean,who cares if there are so many diversity of finches, who evolves from what..evolution is mostly theories! i mean, who knows there might b no speciation at all, God just decided to create 2 different species! whts the big deal..
dun think gonna b able to write a lot for tmr, 3hrs.
hmm..

oh and we took pictures in lib!
me n meiting in our 4th level corner!!
really think we practically live in school nowadays.
and linstead dinner and cafe milan as our saviour.

and tomorrow it's all gonna end
its SUMMER holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!! yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

1/2 way there

2 down, 2 more to go!!
yay..!!!

can't believe CB and BC were over n done with.
I think wht meiting said the other day was true "just close your eyes,then when you open your eyes again,exams are over" :)

Yesterday got panic attack for biochem, tht must b the latest ever i've left library so far..
then today just feel damn slack..after BC, went for a long jog in Hyde park...which stupidly i decided to try a new route, then i got lost, again. Somehow, ended up in Marble Arch..then continue jogging..then saw a sign saying "Paddington"..got even more confused...then found this horse-riding arena by accident! Also found out where the cavalry army kept their horses! been looking for tht place for a long time, since surely they shd hv somewhere to kept all those horses used in parades/buckingham palace guards etc.
well..after tht, eventually found my way back in e end. :)

Almost finished my packing..my room is now strangely empty(ish).
en

Tomorrow

Omg..exams are actually starting tomorrow!!
i'm scared-excited-worried all at e same time la if i think abt it..
i mean, feels like we've been revising forever..and finally it WILL start tmr.

and yeap, as everyone said..
only 5 %!
so will cross my fingers n pray :) *winks*
then sure time will fly once exams started..
then scotland/egypt/indo/bali/melb!!!!
omg..
can't waitt..!!!!!

In silence

I can study in my room!!
yayy!!
after being kicked out frm lib at 5.30 today (due to the summer ball?)...
i can concentrate in my room as long as there's no noise at all + me & char both kept our doors open. so can hear each other. good2x.. :)

Anyhows. its like..1 more day before exams will FINALLY start.
I'm aiming to pass. and improve frm my last xmas exam. not expecting myself to get 1st or even 2.1. will just try to do my best i think.
i know whtever d results are.. i already put all, like totally all, my effort to revise :)
feel satisfied of myself
i guess..

oh, pic above r frm Irma's 21st bday. just got it frm her. (she's alrd back in indo!! grrrr.....)

4th level boredom

Can't stand it anymore
when the hell these exams gonna b over?
omg.
bored.bored.bored.

wanna go home, but my flat is too bloody hot + too quiet......
anyhow, ok ok.. gonna go back mugging again now.

Old friend

Was walking home today.
then decided to stop by at Manda's house. like wht I always did every so often anyway.
Hmm..
really glad I stop by...
had a super long talk.. mostly reminiscing about our times in high school before we came here.
Seriously, those carefree times in TarQ were truly heaven.

Orientation week. Seniors. Basketball. Nasi ibu. Tanda tangan/nomer telpon. Teph's house. Pools & BP & Quickly. Thunderation. Marching Band. Flood. Ngobok. Universtar. Taradise. Orientar. PL Fair.
..the list is endless..

Talked for abt 4-5 hrs.. then went back home feeling very very peaceful. Really, talking to an old friend is the best remedy for almost anything. Trust me.

Anyway, I think I'm a bit weird.
As it gets closer to exam..I always bcome more relaxed & study less.
Whilst most ppl are the total opposite.
I get panicked too early & started revising super early.
Then always feel..too calm/relaxed a few days before the exams.
Weird cycle.

Anyway.. today watch a bit england vs trinidad-tobago in MDH..
when watching with the crowd, the atmosphere can get really exciting!
maybe.. I shd pay attention more to the World Cup.
After all, tht's what will be the centre of attention for the next.. 1 mth? 3 weeks?
even my mom were saying tht she n my dad slept really late nowadays, due to watching the WC.

XC !!

*Today went cross country!!!! weeeheeee.....* !!!!
omg, the adrenaline rush was amazing..
haven't got these high since...since.. last summer when I took Chief on a killer show jumping course back home.

Rode this lovely Caffrey. Never rode him bfore. In the warm up he felt like he was 1/2 asleep, and I was "omg, i'm dead. no way can bring him around to jump anything" but then Kerry said, no worries, he hates flatwork but he'll perk up in xcountry. And dum dee dumm..we went out to the big big xcountry field ..and he WOKE up! and once he realised we're doing xc, he was like "let's go! which jump is next??"

and off we go.. me on Caffrey, Jess on Ginger (which I truly admired the way she handled Ginger, one tricky horse), & Olivia on Martini (she's really2x improving now!!).
Kerry realised we hadn't had much practice on xcountry ..(true la..last time I did xc was like, before I went to UK..so..3yrs ago. Used to do xc quite often at home with Boy, man, he's one in a million pony. We're such a good team, it's like he knows what I want him to do even before I asked him.miss him, love him so much!! still rem those times when we won jumping competitions by beating other just by fractions of seconds...he trusted me so much & will try his heart out to please me & vice versa).

anyhow, yep after warm up..we did a few practice jumps. Realised how bloody out of practice I am with xc bcos my legs were aching alrd after only 5 min. Bcos in xc we had to ride in different position, not d same position we use to do normal dressg/jumping lesson.

Decided instantly tht I've fallen in love wit Caffrey. He's AMAZING! just basically point him at anything : tires/logs/trees/woodblock..he'll just take u there n jumps it!!!
only need to steady his rhytm a bit, no problemo :)
happy happy happy happy
lalalala...
i'm high

Then went wit all d riding ppl for dinner afterwards at ASK gloucstr rd.. nice meal! were laughing our head off wit Jess & Luke's hilarious stories of their flatmates' weird cooking ability lol
Went to Wieland's place...went back..went to Simon's & Baim's flat .talk2x....
feel happy n refreshed today!!!!

Surprising

Guess wht, today I went home..checked my fs account, then got a msg frm a friend of mine.
Which surprises me a lot, since he wrote tht he thinks I have a very different ego compared to most women he knew (women..makes me sounds really old, female?).

ego
n 1: an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others [syn: egotism, self-importance] 2: your consciousness of your own identity [syn: self] 3: (psychoanalysis) the conscious mind

He also said tht I'm the most peaceful person he knew.
wht d h*ll?
weird.
makes me wonder why.

Anyhow, today it RAINS!!!
YAYYY
Finally..oh how I love the smell of the earth/grass after it rains. :)
also went hagen dazs wit Mand & Ti tonite..and also while I was waiting for them, sitting on a bench in leicester sq, this random asian guy asked me out! omg, a bit scary, but I just said "no, thanks" while smiling at him.

Lalaaa....1 1/2 more week!! oh pls..will the exams are EVER gonna come????

Pink and purple streaks

I think these days..my main entertainment of the day is sitting in front of my window, munching dinner, while staring at the sunset (around..9.15 pm).
I just realised, the sun sets at exactly at the centre of my window.
Which was sooo pretty.. with pink and purple streaks..
Sunsets happens like, every single day since only God knows when (What is Life?)..but only these past 3 days..I actually looking forward to go home, take a super cold shower, then watch the sunset :)
Weird huh?

Sometimes,I feel like I'm lost.
Even when I'm surrounded by my dear friends...I just feel..like I don't really belong..why? sometimes I feel much more at peace when I'm alone. Since coming here 3yrs ago, I figure out tht I actually enjoy spending time by myself a lot more than with friends. Now I sound like some kind of anti-social person. I do love my friends and truly2x like spending time with them. but sometimes, I feel like..withdrawing from the crowd..and just spend the whole day by myself..going to the stable and visit the horses. or taking a long run in the parks. or just staying in my room with a good book. will truly makes me happy.
I feel like I'm a bit out of touch with certain friends..friends whom I used to hang out with a lot. here and at home. maybe bcause if this damn revision..which feels like it's gonna go on FOREVER.
but I felt secure by knowing that no matter what......
I got a few friends whom I know for sure will always be there.
They are friends whom even though you haven't spoken or seen them in ages, when you guys see each other again..it's just like you've never been away before.
Friends you can call anytime of the day if you need them.
Friends who just somehow always knew when you feel down and calls you even before you get around to call them.
Friends whom if you visited their house, you can just freely wander around like its your house as well.

I think by coming here..it sort of makes me realised who my true friends are? I mean, hmm..in general i think when I was in high sch,there're 3 general groups of friends :
1. the hi/by/smile friends..(eg : the ones u just know by names and faces)
2. the 'have fun' friends..(eg: the ones u go out and hang out with in big big groups...)
3. the forever friends..(eg: like the one i described above)
because often I feel like I really want to know my old 'have fun' friends are doing now..so decided to txt/mssg them.got a reply.then replies back.then after a bit, we really don't know what else to talk abt because our lives so different now. Its a bit sad really..i mean, considering what a fun year/2/3yrs we had together in high sch.. all the silly, carefree things we did.
I guess it's just something tht's unavoidable.
You graduated. then move each of us move on with our lives.


anyway.
gtg..sleep/mug/eat. :)

The dadas

I shd stop blog-browsing..and get back to mugging (a failed attempt! lol)
anyhow..grab this pic frm Artati's blog (again).thx dear ti!
Makes me realised..how much I missed concord life and all the highfielders!

;;Pic was taken sometime..in last summer? just before our a-levels. Clockwise : man,ti,pang,me,le,yan,sil,nit..(minus Fah). Cooked 200 pangsit & played our very much original, 'sendal jepit' game. Created by nit.;;

At peace

Today is finally my last day working at VUE. Opens today w Elena, got some exciting moments when a lady thought one of us stole her purse! turns out she left in on e counter, then sumone found it then give it back to her.
Anyhow..

• Enjoyed my time there.
• Met loads of new ppl..made some new friends. a few whom I know we'll keep in touch.
• 'exercised' a lot (a.k.a : running up n down e stairs, cleaning, scurrying back n forth serving customers..all d time w a big smile on ur face, no matter how tired u are).
• Bcomes really good in counting small changes.
• Got general knowledge abt how d cinema business works here
• Also got quite happy, got some praises n thank you's n well wishes frm my fellow colleagues.
• Feel a bit sad can't say goodbye to a few ppl,juan,maggie,magda,anton,tania,bola,etc..since they're not working today.
• Will drop by there sometime nxt week to say goodbye to them.

Then after work today..felt so damn relaxed. Like, truly realxed. Not in a rush to go back n mug like wht i've been doing these days :(

Decided to go to Manda's flat to return all her clothes n shoes & get my stuff which I left at hers. due to the countless spontaneous sleepovers we did most weeknds. Disturb her n talk2 for sometime. Got so many new stories! haven't catch up w her n d others in a while. Was quite surprised 2 hear her story abt a certain sumone. Then went shopping in h.st ken..intially wanted 2 go eat Hagen dazs at Leicst sq (bloody HOT again!). Feel soo relaxed as I walked thr d shops, just wandering..not really deciding where to go next. Stop by at Starbucks, bought java chip frapuccinno. then just stand there sipping my COLD COLD heavenly nice coffee while talking to Soph on d phone. A nice surprise when she txted me earlier today, since haven't heard frm her in ages. She's giving up her job in Cardiff! then now decides to teach english in summer school. Even tho its only 2-3 hrs..but when I came home, I feel so refreshed. No longer tensed up or in a hurry to revise.

Took super cold shower. OPEN all things tht can b opened (window,flat door,room door,flat window) etc). Then sat down in front of my computer. Had a nice long chat with Silvia for abt 3hrs. Lucky her goin back indo tmr! hehe.Then stare at d sunset outside my window. It was so nice. I know it's nice, but I realised I haven't take much notice of it lately. I think I need to slow my life down. Take more time to enjoy things. I know I'm d type of person..who will always try to please everyone, rushes and work too hard just to make sure eveything will b alrite, and rarely pampers myself. Once in a while, if I decided to tk a break frm my hectic life, I'll start to feel guilty. Used to. but nowadays, I treat myself better. Thx to advices frm a few friends! (ninghn,manda!) lol tht I shd relax more often. Don't work myself too hard. :)

Anw, grab this from artati's blog..which actually worries me a bit abt her.

Its funny how….

Its funny how hello is always accompanied with good-bye

Its funny how remembering good memories can make you cry

Its funny how forever never seems to really last

Its funny how much you'd lose if you forgot your past

Its funny how friends can just leave you when you're down

Its funny how when you need someone there never around

Its funny how people can change and think there so much better

Its funny how many lies can be packed into one love letter

Its funny how people can forgive even tho they cant forget

Its funny how one night can contain if so much regret

Its funny how crazy and ironic life turns out to be

but the funniest part of all is that none of that seems funny to me
Heather Noble

Ducks

been living on roast duck with rice these past two days ..lol

Anyway, this week, world cup starts!!
Today was very very quiet in cinema! everyone must've been watching football..esp since england played today. Then also got so many customers came wearing england football jerseys.
Sometimes it makes me wonder, how come just a football game (a.k.a : 11 guys, no 22 guys, running around & fighting for one small ball for 90 minutes)..can unite so many ppl, as in, not unite "uniting"..but, makes..say ppl frm england, all gather together..ppl from all kinds of background, social status, education, etc..can all gather together and support one team. If that team lost, all will be sad..If it won, then all will be happy.

Why?

I mean..frankly speaking, if politics can work like football..then each nation in the world will b able to live peacefully. Say, for country A, which is a democratic country. All the team players are the politicians/president & all the supporters are the ppl who lives in country A. The referee will be the MPR (hmm..wht's d english word for tht..the winning party i guess?).

Anyhow,tht country A can be indonesia.

It will b so good then.

I mean, indo government is improving nowadays, BUT ..nepotism/corruption have been rooted in the country for too long. It's impossible to completely eradicate it in a short time.
Hmm..maybe in the next 20-30 yrs.
Seriously, at home, if u know the right ppl..you can get away with anything. Anything. any single damn thing u want, u'll get it. Belive me.
Then another thing, indo government seems to always been working on things which are NOT important. Say, few months ago, there's this row abt shall they launch this new rule, which basically will forbid women wear shorts/tank tops etc in public places. Lucky in d end, they failed since got too many ppl protesting.

Maybe the earthquake/bali bombing/marriot bombing/tsunami...were good after all. Bcos it makes indo ppl n government actually united.

How come did I end up talking abt indo politics?

i feel a bit blur

from all the packing/mugging/lack of sleep nowadays.

Yesterday's

k, this post was suppose 2 b for yesterday ..since blogspot was somehow just doesn't work yesterday :

Bloody HOT today!!

Feels like I’m back home in indo..
Went swimming this morning, took a COLD shower but still feel hot..library = equally hot.. went back, my room was even more boiling HOT! Due to the damn window which can’t b opened more than 15cm…

Anyhow, highlight of the day : 2 hrs waiting time in IC health centre !! got an appointment wit d nurse at 2.20pm..went there ard 2 wit Ninghan. Waited for 2hrs!!!! omg..omg.. but in the end got our jabs, 2 jabs! One on each arm. Now we’re officially (hopefully) protected from Diphteria, Tetanus, Polio (1 jab) & the other jab is for Hepatitis A. Since according to the nurse, these are the jabs required for travelers to Egypt (initially thought we need malaria jabs, but turns out not).
Oh and the jabs were FREE! Yay..not bad. :)

Went back to lib, but the 2hrs waiting time had really ruined my mood to revise. Went for Linstead dinner, thx to ninghn! Called me just at d right time when I was thinking to go sandwich shop. Reminds me of concord meals!! Nostalgic thought for a while there..

Went back home ard 8. Stop by to say hi to ppl in cinema..Elena thought I no longer works there this week, and she looked so sad! I was like.. hey no worry, I’m still working this week, which is my last week working there. Will miss them nxt yr really.

Also decided to do Mandarin-chinese language class for nxt yr! finally..! Initially thinking to take Managerial Econs, but borrowed the Microecons textbook frm lib..and was reading it these few days, decided tht actually that course is much towards the price/maths/economic side ..whilst I’m more interested to do a course abt management skills.
Then I was pondering thr the humanities course list, when it occurs, hey why don’t I take mandarin?? Since I’ve been thinking to study mandarin since a few yrs ago, but just haven’t got the chance to do it. Also I got tired of ppl came up to me and spoke to me in Chinese,assuming I speak Chinese. will b nice if I know wht they’re talking abt! Hehe….

Yesterday finally went horse riding!!Rode Macey (again), she’s now one of my fav!!!
Manage to immediately get her soft in the mouth, round and stretching her back in the warm up..really happy tht she listened well to my aids. Also I keep talking to soothe and calm her down all the time, because there were 6 of us in the arena (6 horses), she was a bit jumpy and excitable. I think talking always really helps to calm a nervous horse.
Her walk and trot was fine , but her canter is always her weakest pace. She went fast, but no power at all from her hindlegs. I know I can’t asked her too much, bcos her back muscle isn’t that well developed yet (she’s only 6 & haven’t been in training for tht long). So Adam told me to alternate bwn sitting and 2-point position in canter. It did help her to built more impulsion in her canter strides if I rode her in 2-point position. Also scratching her neck while cantering really helps to calm her down. Otherwise, just the slightest pressure frm my hand/legs caused her to tense up and anticipate the next movement so much. Need super soft, super steady hand with her. Similar to Kim really.
Felt so satisfied at the end of our lesson tht she really had calmed down and was happily stretching down when I asked her to.
Took her back, untack her, and poor Macey was so thirsty.
Spent sometime wit her, brushing & wipe her down with damp towel. Was thinking to bathe her, but she’s still too hot. So nice spending time wit horses again! After 2 whole weeks not getting in touch wit a horse. When I’m around horses, is the one and only time I can totally, completely forget abt all my problems J hehe..who cares abt Krebs Cycle and purple bacteria when there’re horses around. Lol.

Can’t wait to go back home and see how Bobby & Black Orchid & Argento & Malby were progressing with their training since I trained them last summer. Oh, dad also called and told me tht I was asked to represent South Kalimantan team in the Indo National Games 2008. Which..sadly..I can’t..since the competition will be held in mid-march 2008 which exactly coincides with revising time for my (hopefully) 3rd yr exams. A bit disappointed, also bcos they told me they got good string of promising horses which I can ride in 2008…(actually, was thinking to ride Kim if possible). Shd be so much fun..the last national games were in 2004. Spend 5 weeks with all the team, training & rode our horses every day..slacking and basically did nothing for the rest of the days. Pure bliss. Haha.

Oh..pls exams be over soon!!!... Egypt-planning wit NInghan on Tues, so many things to see there!! Can’t wait!!

Horse women

A little bit of truth in this - maybe - worth a read
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
In a press release today, the National Institute of Health has announced the discovery of a potentially dangerous substance in the hair of horses.
This substance, called "amo-bacter equuii" has been linked with the following symptoms in female humans:

* reluctance to cook
* reluctance to perform housework
* reluctance to wear anything but boots
* reluctance to work except in support of a horse
* physical craving for contact with horses (may be an addiction)

Beware! If you come in contact with a female human affected by this substance be prepared to talk about horses for hours on end.
________________________________________________________________________ ______________

Thinking of dating a horsewoman? Please read the following carefully:

Easy to Locate.- She's either off on the horse or out in the barn.

Upholds the double standard - Smooches with the most bewhiskered beast, but recoils when a man needs a shave.

Owns one vacuum cleaner - and operates it exclusively in the barn.

A social butterfly - providing the party is given by another horsey woman. Falls asleep in her soup at all other functions.

Economy minded - Won't waste money on permanents, facials, or manicures.

A culinary perfectionist - Checks every section of hay for mold but doesn't blink when she petrifies dinner in the microwave.

Occasionally amorous - but never leaves lipstick on your collar, at worst, slight trace of chap stick.

Eas! y to outfit - No need for embarrassing visits to uncomfortable little boutiques. She can find all she wears at the local tack store.

Features a selective sense of smell - Bitterly complains about the sticky-sweet cigar smoke of others while remaining totally oblivious to the almost visible aroma of her barn boots drying next to the heater.

Unmistakable in a bathing suit - She's the one whose tan starts at the nose, ends at the neck, and picks up again at the wrists

A dedicated club woman - as long as the words "horse" or "riding" appear in its name.

Has your leisure at heart - Eliminates grass cutting by turning every square inch of lawn into pasture which, in turn, converts itself into mud.

A master at multiplication - She starts with one horse, adds a companion, and if it's a mare, she breeds it. Keeps an eagle eye on the budget -

Easily justifies spending six hundred dollars, but cr! oaks when you blow ten on bowling.

An Engaging conversationalist - Can rattle on endlessly about training or breeding.

Socially aware - Knows that formal occasions call for clean boots.

A moving force in the family - House by house, she'll get you to move closer to horse country (and farther away from your job.)

Easy to please - A new wheelbarrow, custom boots, or even a folding hoof pick will win her heart forever.

Sentimental fool - Displays a minimum of six 8x10 color photos of the horse in the house and carries a crumpled snapshot of you (taken before you were married) somewhere in the bottom of her purse.

Shows her affection in unusual ways - If she pats you on the neck and says "you're a good boy," believe it or not, she loves you.

Drive and Motivation

According to Lorenz' psychohydraulic model :
...basically behaviour occurs because of drive & motivation..(internal & external factors, combined 2gether..= u get behaviour)...

I'm losing motivation to revise! .....
......
hmm, I'm always like this. Got motivated too damn early-study10x hard-revise like mad-...lose motivation...-suddenly, motivated again-study10x-revise like mad.. and the cycle goes on.
it's like the oscillation period in the circadian rhytm!

Anyway, called Dian today and had a super-long chat for abt 1 1/2 hr. felt so good to talk to her after dunno how long..so many things to catch up. Got so many stories to tell each other. She seems to b really2x enjoying her course in architecture..hmm suddenly can picture myself asking her to design a house for me in the not-too-near future...always knew she'll make her way in architecture! always amazed me wit her creativity since i knew her..14yrs ago? Really do think she knew me better than I know myself sometimes, just now she made me realise sth tht shd've been obvious to me long ago, but I just didn't realise it until finally after I talked to her..then finally I found the answer which was way simpler than I thought it would be. I really do think too much sometime I guess, but thinking too much is ok I guess. For me,the more I spent time alone, the more I think..abt all d random things/important/non-important things ..anythg really.
Too bad couldn't talk longer since my phone card credit were running out.
Quite surprised as well since she mention abt this certain guy, which is so similar to sumone i knew..like 80% similar. lol.

Went to see Xmen 3 wit Meiting just now..good show!!!
can't believe tht we MISSED the ending after d credits!
but cyclops died..whyy..... :(

I should think less.
**

21st!

*Happy 21st irma!!* haha u'r getting old........ *grins* :)
we still love u anyway.
(and I wrote this in RED which I know u'll love! see wht a gd friend I am?! lol)

Pretty busy weeknd this week.

Friday - went shopping wit Meiting! love this blue cargo pants at River Island ...hmmmm shd I get it or not? went top-hunting to b worn to Irma's bday. Walked frm oxf st-picc circ.. nice jap food for lunch! so full after tht. Got 2 cute earrings :)! and a red top..so long since I went clothes shopping hehe.
anyway, lost my bloody wallet!

dunno, might get stolen somewhere in picc circ/bus/trocadero.

didn't realise until saturday! since I went back, then went to work..then practically slept and slack all saturday morning...then when I get ready for work on Sat afternoon, realised couldn't find my wallet anywhere! turn my room upside down, still no luck.

Called HSBC..cancel my card...nvm,got 15pounds to live on till friday :)

lucky didn't got anyth much in tht wallet.

only my debit card/nectar card/railway card and a wooden rosary frm Vatican (which is d only thing in there which I hate to lost).

Sat/Sun - working on sat..then went clubbing at Thai sq wit everyone 2 celebrate Irma's bday.everyone's dressed up! lol, been a long time since we actually dressed up to celebrate sth (last time was in..concord reunion i think). Was initially planning to go to CC club or Rococo or cafe de paris.. but somehow ends up in thai sq. which wasn't tht good. it's our 3rd time there. Got 9:1 guys:girls ratio tht nite! plus not so many cute guys lol.. n d music wasn't tht good either. but had a pretty much fun time anw w all d drinks,n really10x happy tht irma was enjoying herself so much tht nite!! she was damn cute whn she's high hehe.. Met alex's new gf as well, she's so nice! much2x better for him than someone. Went back to artati's place for a bit.. then spent the nite at Manda's wit alex, rach,ari,pat.. everyone was so knackered n just went straight to bed.

Anyhow, overslept this morning! damn..suppose to work at 9. woke up at 10! somehow managed to turn my alarm off n didn't hear Matt calling. Called Matt, told him i'll b there asap. Lucky Manda's place was only abt 10 min walking time to Fulham. Arrived there, work on floor. all by myself! until 4 ,then Kovi came. Grant was sppose to came at 12..but he just didn't show up! not happy. lucky Ana help me till Kovi came. n anw cinema wasn't so packed today, due to the HOT weather! yayy

Went back home at 6..cooked myself a nice dinner. Then basically spent the whole nite talking2 on the phone with sil,irma,ti,manda..can't wait for nxt sept, sil will b coming to london!! yayy...was damn surprised whn she told me she reapplied to LSE for this sept n she got d uncond offer! omg..admired her for her determination really. :) might even b sharing a flat w her for nxt yr!!

Oh got email frm inka, was quite surprised 2 hear wht happen w her n adrn, but well its for the best i think. can't wait 2 see her n nika in Melbourne! haven't seen her in almst 2 yrs. .n thinking tht we've known each other for 14 yrs is really quite amazing, it's more than 1/2 of our life!

anw, gtg go now...sleep as usual.

this has been my routine lately..tea+jasmine scented candle/blogging/sleep :)

egypt-shopping!`

Went Decathlon today w. ninghn!
omg, so much cheap stuff there..! bought wetsuit(ish)..sleeping bag, n sunglasses!
*likes the sunglasses!*
spent abt 4 hrs wandering thr all the stuff in decathlon... :)
went back, revise in lib a bit.
Went to Huxley, met up w.Manda..finally decided wht to do for Irma's bday this week. gonna go clubbing, working on the guest list, shd b abt 10 of us. Yan said she'll come as well, hvn't seen her in ages!

Anw, just finished watching this old film, My Girl (1991)..starring Anna Chlumsky & Macauly Culkin. such a simple, sweet story abt friendship,loss, and love. ..

"Absence of judgement makes you see the reality"..(Shelley Sultenfuss, My Girl)

Glimpse

Hmm..just came back from staff meeting at the cinema.

Gave my resignation letter to Matt today, he knew already bcos I spoke to him a few weeks ago.. It feels kinda weird u know, giving your employer your resignation letter. He said no worries, things like this happens all the time, but well.. me being me, can't help not to feel guilty, even tho I know it's prefectly normal and happens all the time, ppl leaving their job/got a new job/applying for jobs..etc.

but yea..anyway the past 2 months working there has been really an enjoyable exp for me. Plus almost all (say, 95 %) of my colleagues in VUE are truly nice ppl..I think one of the reason why I always wants to do some part-time job/volunteering job is..that it reminds me that well, life is not just about uni/studying/lectures..by working in Concord/VUE/westway stable, somehow it is just an eye-opener for me to see ppl with real life, not tht am saying living as a student is not a real life..but where else can I get to know ppl frm so many different backgrounds, what they do for living, and just how different some of their world are from me and my friends really... also tht most times, 1st impression is totally wrong..as in, totally completely wrong.

Got this one girl, who dressed up looking all gothic, but actually she's learning to b an elementary school teacher..
Another girl, looks like a girl who loves to go clubbing/partying, actually works 8 hrs a day cleaning ppl's houses to earn money so she can study english..
and this last one really surprised me, imagine a big/tall/dark/scary looking security guy...always thot tht he's always been a security guy all his life, actually is doing his a-levels in bio/math/chem and wants to be a pharmacist! (saw him reading his bio notes one day during break..he said he decided to go back to school & get a degree..completely stunned when I heard this really).

really, 1st impression can be very very misleading... :)