I remember one significant moment when I was 14. One day, this friend of mine told me that she didnt want to be acquainted with me any longer because rumours had it that I was arrogant and flirtatious. I was deeply shocked and hurt because I considered her my close friend. I remember feeeling sad for the next week or two and I asked my dad why were there such mean people in this world that would gossip about me in that manner. He told me that the world was mean and that I had to be not affected by it. Anyway, probably out of forced circumstances (we were in the same class) she was forced to talk to me and we soon grew to be extremely close friends. At the end of the year, she told me that she was eternally grateful for our friendship because it forced her out of her shell, she became more sociable and outspoken, it vastly improved her English which made her attained positions that she would never have gotten if she didnt mix with me.
The point of this is that, I remember telling myself that I would never ever be bothered about what the world thinks about me any longer - as long I held on to my principles.Well, lately I've found it harder to block out such gossips. Because it hurts when people b*itch about me without really knowing me, it suffocates when I don't have the space to tell my story, it suffocates when I can't confront them.
Okay, just to redeem my self-esteem here, here's what I believe:
I'm NOT as selfish as some people paint me
I'm NOT as demanding as some people paint me
I'm NOT as bitchy as some people paint me
I'm NOT flipping out in life
There, I said it. That's enough. And right now, I've decided that I said my piece and I'll revert back to my old mantra - back to when I was 14.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Going Italia
I've been craving Italian food as of late. So I decided to make pizzas - can't get more Italian than that =)
The first batch. I made a caramelised pumpkin, baby spinach and mushroom topping for half of the pizza and a traditional Hawaiian topping for the other half. I was happy with the toppings but not with the pizza base. It was too thick and had a bread-like consistency. My bad. I'm terrible at following recipes.
Because I wasnt happy with the first batch, I decided to make a 2nd batch of pizza. This time with salami, pineapple and mushrooms. Much happier with the thin-crust base =)
This is what I've been eating for the past two days. I had leftover ham and sliced pineapple. So i decided to make fried rice out of it.
Will be cooking pasta marinara tomorrow =)
The first batch. I made a caramelised pumpkin, baby spinach and mushroom topping for half of the pizza and a traditional Hawaiian topping for the other half. I was happy with the toppings but not with the pizza base. It was too thick and had a bread-like consistency. My bad. I'm terrible at following recipes.
Because I wasnt happy with the first batch, I decided to make a 2nd batch of pizza. This time with salami, pineapple and mushrooms. Much happier with the thin-crust base =)
This is what I've been eating for the past two days. I had leftover ham and sliced pineapple. So i decided to make fried rice out of it.
Will be cooking pasta marinara tomorrow =)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Selah
The past one week has been absolutely crazy with a rush of assignments, 1 take-home exam, plus 1 class test. Last monday, i had a 25% tax assignment due, followed by a 50% a trademarks take-home exam paper on wed. On thursday, I had to finish up my online hurdle admin law test. On the same day, my admin law assignment was due. On friday, i had an EPM tutorial. There were marks for class participation which means that I had to finish up my tutorial work. To top that off, there was a class test on that day itself. Saying that my week was stressful is an understatement. I finally rested over the weekend. The weekend has been good and refreshing. I slept for 11 hours straight yesterday. Absolutely blissful.
Anyway, i recently spotted a particular piece of art that i really like. It uses a drypoint technique. I was absolutely fascinated.
Extracted from wikipedia
[edit] Drypoint
Main article: Drypoint
A variant of engraving, done with a sharp point, rather than a v-shaped burin. While engraved lines are very smooth and hard-edged, drypoint scratching leaves a rough burr at the edges of each line. This burr gives drypoint prints a characteristically soft, and sometimes blurry, line quality. Because the pressure of printing quickly destroys the burr, drypoint is useful only for very small editions; as few as ten or twenty impressions. To counter this, and allow for longer print runs, electro-plating (here called steelfacing) has been used since the nineteenth century to harden the surface of a plate.
The technique appears to have been invented by the Housebook Master, a south German fifteenth century artist, all of whose prints are in drypoint only. Among the most famous artists of the old master print: Albrecht Dürer produced 3 drypoints before abandoning the technique; Rembrandt used it frequently, but usually in conjunction with etching and engraving.
Here's an example of an artpiece using drypoint technique. Nice??!?
I'm thinking of picking up a brush and start painting using watercolours sometime this week. Im scared...havent painted for ages~!
Anyway, i recently spotted a particular piece of art that i really like. It uses a drypoint technique. I was absolutely fascinated.
Extracted from wikipedia
[edit] Drypoint
Main article: Drypoint
A variant of engraving, done with a sharp point, rather than a v-shaped burin. While engraved lines are very smooth and hard-edged, drypoint scratching leaves a rough burr at the edges of each line. This burr gives drypoint prints a characteristically soft, and sometimes blurry, line quality. Because the pressure of printing quickly destroys the burr, drypoint is useful only for very small editions; as few as ten or twenty impressions. To counter this, and allow for longer print runs, electro-plating (here called steelfacing) has been used since the nineteenth century to harden the surface of a plate.
The technique appears to have been invented by the Housebook Master, a south German fifteenth century artist, all of whose prints are in drypoint only. Among the most famous artists of the old master print: Albrecht Dürer produced 3 drypoints before abandoning the technique; Rembrandt used it frequently, but usually in conjunction with etching and engraving.
Here's an example of an artpiece using drypoint technique. Nice??!?
I'm thinking of picking up a brush and start painting using watercolours sometime this week. Im scared...havent painted for ages~!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Solitude
I strutted my way along Swanston St as I headed back home. I like the sound of my thongs against the pavement. It has a consistent rhythm to it. Like the sound of the second hand on the clock in the middle of the night. I like the cool breeze against my cheeks. It reminded me of Japan when the snow flakes melted on my face. Only this time, it wasn't as cold. I took an intentional breathe of air and tried to breathe in the smells of the city. It was a concoction of smells - smells of a city that's about to go to sleep. I smell alcohol. And cigarettes. And car fumes. And food. A few bars were still open. I hear people laughing. I hear music pumping.
I stopped by Starbucks and deliberated whether I should get myself a cup of latte. I haven't had my dosage of caffeine today. So, one cup shouldn't be too harmful. A bloke behind the counter served me. A familiar face. He has been here for at least 6 months now. He winked at me before taking my orders. Pulling off his usual charm on girls. I've seen him done it a few times. That's his way of making his customers feel comfortable I suppose. His colleague, a petite Asian girl, was the cashier tonight. Another familiar face. I still remember her first day at Starbucks. The temperature was rocket high that day. Starbucks were full of patrons - taking advantage of the shade and air-conditioning. She was running around like a flustered chicken, mixing up some orders and being reprimanded by her supervisor. She still has the tense look on her face. I wonder why. Starbucks was pretty empty tonight. My order was ready within 2 minutes. I grabbed my coffee and decided to call it a night.
I guess this is what solitude does to you. I It makes you more aware of your surroundings. It makes you observe. It makes you learn.
p/s: I just finished my latte. I wish Starbucks made more decent coffee. The froth looks like foam that floats on the surface of a bubble bath. Except that its slightly brown. Well at least, its not burnt.
I stopped by Starbucks and deliberated whether I should get myself a cup of latte. I haven't had my dosage of caffeine today. So, one cup shouldn't be too harmful. A bloke behind the counter served me. A familiar face. He has been here for at least 6 months now. He winked at me before taking my orders. Pulling off his usual charm on girls. I've seen him done it a few times. That's his way of making his customers feel comfortable I suppose. His colleague, a petite Asian girl, was the cashier tonight. Another familiar face. I still remember her first day at Starbucks. The temperature was rocket high that day. Starbucks were full of patrons - taking advantage of the shade and air-conditioning. She was running around like a flustered chicken, mixing up some orders and being reprimanded by her supervisor. She still has the tense look on her face. I wonder why. Starbucks was pretty empty tonight. My order was ready within 2 minutes. I grabbed my coffee and decided to call it a night.
I guess this is what solitude does to you. I It makes you more aware of your surroundings. It makes you observe. It makes you learn.
p/s: I just finished my latte. I wish Starbucks made more decent coffee. The froth looks like foam that floats on the surface of a bubble bath. Except that its slightly brown. Well at least, its not burnt.
A delayed confession
I admit that I havent been pausing to do a self-check for quite some time. Every morning, as I get ready for the day, I notice a pair of eyes, my nose, lips, skin, eyebrows and perhaps some blemishes staring back at me in the mirror. And that's that. Only my physical features. It's like I've forgotten who I really was inside. I havent really seen my reflection of the real me for quite some time. I was starting to fear that the real me might disappear and be replaced by a creature I didnt quite like. A creature with a harden heart and softer hands and feet. And so, I took a real look at myself today. I took out my journal, pressed out a clean page and began to write.
I'm at a point where I'm uncertain of the ideals I'm holding. When one is uncertain of one's identity, one becomes insecure. Of course, there's a few basic mantras that I constantly recite to myself such as - make sure your actions are not at the expense of others, treat others like you like to be treated, everyone should be given a 2nd chance, forgive because if you don't, the only person you'll hurt is yourself. That being said, I dont like my insecurities bouncing off others - unconsciously it happens. I caught myself red-handed the other day when I found myself casually dismissing someone's ideals. I found myself silently mouthing the words 'seriously...get real'. Though on the balance of probabilities, she'll probably find herself caught in her failed reality, who am I to dismiss her. Where's the hope and the faith. There's a mantra that I recite to myself once in a while- for all those who do not believe that they can, step back and stop holding back those who believe they can. So, for my own sake, I should stop being a hypocrite and start pulling my act together. To love is to hold hope and faith in firstly, yourself and and then, in those around you. That's why its said ' to love your neighbour as you love yourself'. How do one love his neighbour when he cannot first love himself. I now understand.
I'm at a point where I'm uncertain of the ideals I'm holding. When one is uncertain of one's identity, one becomes insecure. Of course, there's a few basic mantras that I constantly recite to myself such as - make sure your actions are not at the expense of others, treat others like you like to be treated, everyone should be given a 2nd chance, forgive because if you don't, the only person you'll hurt is yourself. That being said, I dont like my insecurities bouncing off others - unconsciously it happens. I caught myself red-handed the other day when I found myself casually dismissing someone's ideals. I found myself silently mouthing the words 'seriously...get real'. Though on the balance of probabilities, she'll probably find herself caught in her failed reality, who am I to dismiss her. Where's the hope and the faith. There's a mantra that I recite to myself once in a while- for all those who do not believe that they can, step back and stop holding back those who believe they can. So, for my own sake, I should stop being a hypocrite and start pulling my act together. To love is to hold hope and faith in firstly, yourself and and then, in those around you. That's why its said ' to love your neighbour as you love yourself'. How do one love his neighbour when he cannot first love himself. I now understand.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Jet-setting
Im still contemplating whether I should head back to Asia in July. Cheapest route back would be via Perth. Its like $350 one way from Melbourne to Singapore. I think I might travel Perth by myself for a couple of days since I'm already there. A couple of days in Perth. A couple of days in Singapore. Sounds pretty good actually.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Pork-ed out
I decided to go Jap for dinner tonight. Yesterday, for some strange reason I was craving for pork. I normally never crave for red meat. Perhaps the time of the month is coming and I'm lacking in iron?? Who knows. Anyway, I bought pork cutlets and cooked them for lunch today. I just cooked them with whatever ingredients I had at home. Then, I decided to try cooking it tonkatsu pork cutlet style. Basically, its crumbed pork cutlets with a Japanese flavoured sauce on rice. So, this evening, I went to the supermarket, purchased more pork cutlets, got some bread crumbs and whatever necessary ingredients to prepare my meal.
The first batch of pork cutlets were burnt because the oil was too hot~! I had to scrap off the burnt bits and refry them. The 2nd batch turned out alright - the colour was perfect but it wasnt crispy enough. I made some sauce, (The sauce turned out great, if i may say so myself =) ). added some seaweed, cooked some veges and then finally placed the pork cutlets on rice. My first Jap meal this week. Home-cooked this time.
I'm dissatisfied with the crust of the pork cutlets. I read somewhere that if you refrigerate/freeze them before you fry them, you get a crispy crust. I'm gonna try that next
time. Probably next week. I cant eat anymore pork this week. I'm not a huge red meat fan. So, pork-ing out twice today was really pushing the limit. Speaking of which, I have one more piece of leftover pork cutlet sitting in the fridge right now. Urgh.
p/s: No pics this time. My camera hasnt been fixed yet. Plus, I wasnt 100% satisfied with it. Practice makes perfect. Will try to refine this recipe before giving it out.
pps: I bought a huge tub of choc plus vanila ice cream~! Initially, i grabbed a box of 4 cornetto ice cream cones. But as I walked down the aisle, my eyes were fixated on the boxes of ice cream cones that came in 12~!. Hey, why buy 4 cornetto cones when you can make lots and lots of your own cornetto ice cream. So, i happily traded the boxes and dumped the huge tub of ice cream into the trolley.
The first batch of pork cutlets were burnt because the oil was too hot~! I had to scrap off the burnt bits and refry them. The 2nd batch turned out alright - the colour was perfect but it wasnt crispy enough. I made some sauce, (The sauce turned out great, if i may say so myself =) ). added some seaweed, cooked some veges and then finally placed the pork cutlets on rice. My first Jap meal this week. Home-cooked this time.
I'm dissatisfied with the crust of the pork cutlets. I read somewhere that if you refrigerate/freeze them before you fry them, you get a crispy crust. I'm gonna try that next
time. Probably next week. I cant eat anymore pork this week. I'm not a huge red meat fan. So, pork-ing out twice today was really pushing the limit. Speaking of which, I have one more piece of leftover pork cutlet sitting in the fridge right now. Urgh.
p/s: No pics this time. My camera hasnt been fixed yet. Plus, I wasnt 100% satisfied with it. Practice makes perfect. Will try to refine this recipe before giving it out.
pps: I bought a huge tub of choc plus vanila ice cream~! Initially, i grabbed a box of 4 cornetto ice cream cones. But as I walked down the aisle, my eyes were fixated on the boxes of ice cream cones that came in 12~!. Hey, why buy 4 cornetto cones when you can make lots and lots of your own cornetto ice cream. So, i happily traded the boxes and dumped the huge tub of ice cream into the trolley.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
I heart google
A friend of mine introduced this awesome google doc tool to me. Its great for self-assessing your own articles/assignments. It essentially tells you how easy it is for a person to read your documents.
Basically, you open your gmail account, click on 'document' at the top left corner of th page, upload your document, open it, click on 'tools' and then 'word count'. That's my results for my tax assignment.
Basically, you open your gmail account, click on 'document' at the top left corner of th page, upload your document, open it, click on 'tools' and then 'word count'. That's my results for my tax assignment.
Flesch Reading Ease:
In the Flesch Reading Ease test, higher scores indicate material that is easier to read; lower numbers mark harder-to-read passages.
Scores of 90.0–100.0 are considered easily understandable by an average 11-year old student.[citation needed] 13- to 15-year old students could easily understand passages with a score of 60–70, and passages with results of 0–30 are best understood by college graduates.[citation needed] Reader's Digest magazine has a readability index of about 65, Time magazine scores about 52, and the Harvard Law Review has a general readability score in the low 30s.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level:
An obvious use for readability tests is in the field of education. The "Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula" translates the 0–100 score to a U.S. grade level, making it easier for teachers, parents, librarians, and others to judge the readability level of various books and texts.
The result is a number that corresponds with a grade level. For example, a score of 8.2 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in 8th grade.
Automated Readability Index:
Is a readability test designed to gauge the understandability of a text. This indice relies on relies on a factor of characters per word, instead of the usual syllables per word.
Basically, my tax assignment can be understood by a 9th grader...or if you wanna make it sound more sophisticated, its readibility is comparable to the Time magazine. haha.
.........
On a side-note, I would love to receive this just about now.
Over the past few months, I went for 2 thai massages, 1 vietnamese massage, 1 foot reflexology session, 1 backscrub + massage and 5 chinese traditional massages. So, I'm a little deprived of it right now.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Back in Melbourne
Finally, back after the long long blogging hiatus. I almost forgot my username till i realised that its actually the email of my gmail account. Phew. I actually miss writing in this space...At one point, I contemplated deleted/abandoning this entire blog...but luckily I didnt act on whim (as I usually do). Anyway, I havent been blogging because though, I've been out and about, I havent really been in the mood to reflect or journal memories. Its high time that I come out of that shell and start sharing some of my experiences and some...love. haha
Cheryl suggested that I should just put up snippets of my past few months if I'm not in the mood to put up any fancy collages of pics. I think I might just do that.
So in random order:
What I'm currently doing (as of these few days that is)
Tax assignment. You know what, I actually discovered that I really like this subject. Its interesting. I'm currently writing an assignment about how taxpayers are taking advantage of the tax system by ways of tax avoidance and tax evasion. Ironically, just last year, I bought a book on "how to legally reduce your tax". Seriously, no one is so benevolent to pay more taxes that they legally should if they can help. If one is in a position to avoid tax legally, it is likely that the person will.Anyway, the point is that I'm using this book to help me out in my assignment.
The lovely, radiant bride who didnt even look a tad nervous.
With nini nana
The greedy goose
Or is she the greedy goose? hm...
Warning: Do not place the camera in our hands...we will use it
Again and again....
Didnt manage to fill up my photo-taking quota this time because i dropped my camera~!! Most of my photos are crap and out of focused....argh. Will get it repaired soon. Hopefully.
Btw, FYI, seriously, this is Australia's best kept secret (okay, maybe its not such a secret). This is the best website to buy tech stuff from. Its so cheap~!! http://www.shopbot.com.au/. Thats where I bought my printer from. Check it out and give me feedback =)
So, Ive been doing a crazy amount of jetsetting...Its only the first quarter of the year and I've been back to Malaysia 3 times. Yes, used up my flying tokens for the meantime. I've been patronising bangsar heaps...for lunches, dinners, shopping, beauty routines including visiting the hair saloon. I recently discovered this newly established hair saloon. Its called Replacement and I highly recommend it. The head hair stylist is Ricko. He is awesome though I must warn you, his services are not cheap~! But, if you want to restyle your hair, its the place to go. I heard that Ricko is good for short hair cuts. Ricco cut my hair whilst Nick did the colouring. He is pretty awesome as well.
The place is a little hard to find because the main signboard is not up yet. Its located at No 5-1, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar. For the shopholics, its next to Cat whiskers. (hm...i think)
So two weeks ago, I went up to Genting Highlands with a couple of friends. We ate..drank...and gambled...Genting is such a sin city. Seriously. Well, the initial plan was to eat, jump into the outdoor swimming pool, eat somemore, catch a movie/theatre show and then go for a drink or two. And the next day, we will again jump into the heated outdoor pool, head to the theme park and then eat at Gohtong Jaya (the best food served on that hill/mountain) That was the plan anyway. What really happened was this. WE went up with two other people whose main intention was to gamble. We didnt want to forsake them for our own planned activities. So we joined in and put some money on the table. WE lost it all on Casino Wars. So I played Roulette, regained my capital and made a profit of RM50 which i subsequently gave to Wei Chee to recover her loss. Well, I stopped playing then because I try not to play on my capital and only on my profits. COnsidering that I havent made much, I decided to stop playing. We waited around for the two friends for another two hours because when we called, they said "okay...last game". Two hours passed, we called and it was still "last game..." We then headed for a very late dinner, followed by a drink in starbucks plus a proper drink in Olive (its a pretty atas lounge). I couldnt sleep till 5 am that night so the "jump into heated pool" plan was scrapped off. We also scrapped off the theme park plan as it was drizzling. Sigh, so with the lack of activities, we decided to try our luck in the casino again. Wasnt quite a good idea. Never quite liked the casino. But the company was good, so it made the trip worth it.
My obligatory silly shot...before I was told off for taking photos in the casino.
Till next time...will promise to blog more often =)
Cheryl suggested that I should just put up snippets of my past few months if I'm not in the mood to put up any fancy collages of pics. I think I might just do that.
So in random order:
What I'm currently doing (as of these few days that is)
Tax assignment. You know what, I actually discovered that I really like this subject. Its interesting. I'm currently writing an assignment about how taxpayers are taking advantage of the tax system by ways of tax avoidance and tax evasion. Ironically, just last year, I bought a book on "how to legally reduce your tax". Seriously, no one is so benevolent to pay more taxes that they legally should if they can help. If one is in a position to avoid tax legally, it is likely that the person will.Anyway, the point is that I'm using this book to help me out in my assignment.
Along with that, I have a take home exam worth 50% for trademarks, a 25% assignment for Admin law and another 12.5% group assignment for EPM. Kill me before they do.
My new toy
I bought this spanking brand new, sleek printer~!!! And it was delivered today. I love it. Seriously, I would recommend this printer to anyone. Why would I recommend it?
- Its silent - Its really suitable to be used in a restaurant/bar/club where you need to print out invoices
-Its fast - It prints up to 16 pages per minute
-Its good looking - that's the main selling point. It has a high gloss finish, its black, sleek, compact with a body thats embedded with Sapphire LED's. And its buttons are touch buttons~!
Check this out~!
Reminds me of the LG Chocolate phone.
Matt and Sue's union
The lovely, radiant bride who didnt even look a tad nervous.
With nini nana
The greedy goose
Or is she the greedy goose? hm... Warning: Do not place the camera in our hands...we will use it
Again and again....
Didnt manage to fill up my photo-taking quota this time because i dropped my camera~!! Most of my photos are crap and out of focused....argh. Will get it repaired soon. Hopefully.
Btw, FYI, seriously, this is Australia's best kept secret (okay, maybe its not such a secret). This is the best website to buy tech stuff from. Its so cheap~!! http://www.shopbot.com.au/. Thats where I bought my printer from. Check it out and give me feedback =)
Malaysia ...truly Asia
So, Ive been doing a crazy amount of jetsetting...Its only the first quarter of the year and I've been back to Malaysia 3 times. Yes, used up my flying tokens for the meantime. I've been patronising bangsar heaps...for lunches, dinners, shopping, beauty routines including visiting the hair saloon. I recently discovered this newly established hair saloon. Its called Replacement and I highly recommend it. The head hair stylist is Ricko. He is awesome though I must warn you, his services are not cheap~! But, if you want to restyle your hair, its the place to go. I heard that Ricko is good for short hair cuts. Ricco cut my hair whilst Nick did the colouring. He is pretty awesome as well.
The place is a little hard to find because the main signboard is not up yet. Its located at No 5-1, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar. For the shopholics, its next to Cat whiskers. (hm...i think)
Genting
So two weeks ago, I went up to Genting Highlands with a couple of friends. We ate..drank...and gambled...Genting is such a sin city. Seriously. Well, the initial plan was to eat, jump into the outdoor swimming pool, eat somemore, catch a movie/theatre show and then go for a drink or two. And the next day, we will again jump into the heated outdoor pool, head to the theme park and then eat at Gohtong Jaya (the best food served on that hill/mountain) That was the plan anyway. What really happened was this. WE went up with two other people whose main intention was to gamble. We didnt want to forsake them for our own planned activities. So we joined in and put some money on the table. WE lost it all on Casino Wars. So I played Roulette, regained my capital and made a profit of RM50 which i subsequently gave to Wei Chee to recover her loss. Well, I stopped playing then because I try not to play on my capital and only on my profits. COnsidering that I havent made much, I decided to stop playing. We waited around for the two friends for another two hours because when we called, they said "okay...last game". Two hours passed, we called and it was still "last game..." We then headed for a very late dinner, followed by a drink in starbucks plus a proper drink in Olive (its a pretty atas lounge). I couldnt sleep till 5 am that night so the "jump into heated pool" plan was scrapped off. We also scrapped off the theme park plan as it was drizzling. Sigh, so with the lack of activities, we decided to try our luck in the casino again. Wasnt quite a good idea. Never quite liked the casino. But the company was good, so it made the trip worth it.
My obligatory silly shot...before I was told off for taking photos in the casino.
To the Prom and back
A couple of weeks ago, I went up to Wilsons Promontory for some outdoor rockclimbing, bushwalking and swimming/body surfing by the beach. It was pretty awesome. Loved the weather though my body couldnt take it. I broke out in a heat rash for the next week or two. (ask me all about the various anti-histamins now and I'm able to rattle it off to you)
Our tent
Bushwalking
Breathtaking view
THe 40 degree heat was killing us
Till next time...will promise to blog more often =)
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