bel

new

2010-01-04T22:48:00.000-08:00

moved

http://belx.wordpress.com

new decade, new blog. update your links please?

about time, anyway. blogger smells. boo yah.

happy new year!

2009-12-31T16:33:00.000-08:00

I've been travelling across the United States for the past 3 weeks. I am now back in SoCal and will finally be headed home tomorrow. We are ushering in the New Year with USA Hostels in what will hopefully be an exciting limo ride (one bottle of champagne each - for reals) across LA. I stepped in a massive pile of faeces last night after a Hooters dinner and neatly decorated the rear floor of the (rented) car with it. To console myself, I say the last days of the year should always be the shittiest - pun intended - to celebrate a new dawn. 2009 has been good to me: I moved to San Diego, and I found someone whom I never thought in a million years I'd find. I don't believe in resolutions, but one thing that would better my life includes not bloody sweating the small stuff.

If 2012 means the end of the world, then, well, bring it on 2010.

Negative 7

2009-12-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

It's kinda cold here in Boston. There is a high of -7 degrees C (that's what, 20 degrees F?) tomorrow. I may need more than my houndstooth London-only-weatherproof Pepe Jeans coat, but I refuse to succumb to the ignominious North Face trend. Hey London, you clearly haven't met Massachusetts. Put on some weight will ya.
But I say that Vanity trumps The Cold. We'll see what I say when my fingers start to turn a hideous shade of blue. This should be a perfect excuse for some fur, faux or real.

Other than that, I can't contain my excitement. Squee.

Keeping up with the Kardashians

2009-12-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

Out of all the reality TV shows, I admit that I like this show the most. Used to, anyway. I can't believe Teen Mom is this year's most watched show, though. Actually, I can. Some girl gave birth in the toilet, thinking that she'd defecated instead. Or wait. Was that another TLC show. I think it was "I didn't know I was pregnant". I'm mourning for humanity as I write this.

Fall quarter's over. Have I been here 3 months already? Geez louise mac and cheeze.

Cruelty and Christmas

2009-12-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am often subject to Cruel-ian Slips of the tongue. I say that like it's a disease so I'm totally to blame for it, hah. People who don't know me may be more offended than those who do. I am sorry if I am incidentally cruel. Christmas should be the time for food and hugs. I feel so indecently festive this year and I'm not sure why. Could it be the oh-so-subtle influence of festive friends, or could it just be from watching far too many commercials and listening to far too many Christmas songs on the radio? Mrm.

On a side note, where did the fall quarter go? I'm two terms away from graduation. Dayum.

Mother of all slobs

2009-12-10T01:48:00.000-08:00

My mother invented plenty of synonyms of "slob" just for me when I was younger: ah nya chi, disgusting goat, why don't you wear something else?! how do you walk in your room?! Same pair of shorts every other day, same t-shirt etc. A decade and a rebellious personality watered down by the predictable mechanics of mass media later, I've lost count of how many pairs of (black) shoes I own.

However, some days I feel I haven't exactly outgrown that rebellious silverchair listening kid - yet. To illustrate that point and also my sheer state of exhaustion, I wore my cornflower blue Imperial College bioeng hoodie, glittery La Senza lounge pants, striped bumblebee socks and purple and pink Havaianas around yesterday evening. Of course, the furthest I went was my daily haunt - The Village to get myself a nonfat chai latte. Oh, how I adore sipping on an extra hot chai while poring through notes with aforementioned bumblebee socks on. The point is, I've reached such lows that I entertained the thought of going to bed wearing what I'm going to wear tomorrow morning i.e. the same oversized shirt (light blue Polo Ralph Lauren), black AA tights and purple legwarmers just to avoid changing into pyjamas because by Engineer Logic, this would save precious time and effort in the morning.

Today's Thursday, right? And tomorrow's Friday. Monday come faster! The blistery winds of New York await me!

Decomposition

2009-12-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

So if I'm not doing work or surfing the Internet looking for random objects, I'm usually looking for food or actually eating it. I had a grilled cheese sandwich the other day which quelled my hankering for mac and cheese for a bit. Not good enough, though. Anyhoo, I'm not going to bore people again with my tales from the extensive list of places in which I do work. Most of them are kinda nerdy stories. Maybe another day. I'm kinda tired, if you can't tell from the monotonous sound of my voice. I love how shiny all the Chinese food looks. Grease is good for you, if you haven't heard already.

Above: Heh, pigs' ears. Chinese people are kinda grotesque.

I made this mushroom risotto while I was in Boston over Thanksgiving. It was good, if I dare say so myself. I basically followed the instructions on the back of a box of arborio rice.

It rained yesterday in California. Like, El Nino type rain. Many trees fell and people couldn't stop talking about the wind. Oh, how spoilt Californians are.

Hair and an Animation

2009-12-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

Hi from the dark side

Here's a photo of me with my new bangs (well, they're a couple of weeks old now but I'm not very good at keeping up with the times anymore)

...And an animation I made for my biomedical imaging project. In case your curious mind wonders what I spend time on. This is like, a video in a video.

Fatty Rants

2009-12-03T23:21:00.001-08:00

Instead of working on my final project, I'm thinking of what to eat as a late night snack. I have a hankering for gourmet mac and cheese i.e. pasta baked with whole milk mozzarella and gruyere instead of the regular Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese.

I am not a complicated person.

Crazy sick psycho

2009-12-01T22:28:00.001-08:00

My life is going on hold for the moment while I finish up the quarter in a series of final projects and exams. This is probably not true as I always say that but somehow always manage to find time to do unnecessary things on the Internet. I came back from Boston at 2AM last night and have been on my butt the entire day attempting to work.

The only thought that keeps me going constitutes the words "Vegas", "New York", "Jeffrey Campbell Clinic Wedges because these crazy sick things are finally mine" and "Christmas".

Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T23:32:00.000-08:00

In general, I definitely think people in Malaysia don't say thank you enough. I've heard this rant no less than a hundred and twelve times in my life from my grandfather who gets irate whenever people don't say thank you - he always says thank you. This is why - out of pure habit - every time I get out of someone else's car, I always say thank you to the person who has driven me home. I always say thank you to the person who's just done me a service, be it give me my kopi peng, hand me some change, hold open the door for me etc. Granted, I may be a grumpy person, but that doesn't mean I forget a simple monosyllabic "thanks" or "please" every time somebody has done something small for me.

If I'm rude, it probably just means I either a) have a face problem with you or b) don't like you - at all :)

It goes without saying that ang mohs are infinitely more polite when it comes to simple manners; their sentences typically end with "have a nice day!" or "have a good night". You'd be amazed at how much better you feel as a customer and person afterwards even though you may have just bought about twenty dollars worth of unnecessary candy (I've been stressed).

Since this is my first Thanksgiving here, I thought I'd be extra nice. Here are some things I am thankful for:

1. my underappreciated and overabused family back home

2. my similarly treated friends the world over - I'm only mean because I love you and so you'll remember me always. I hope, anyway.

2. my partner in crime in Boston who gets the worst treatment by far; he only shuts up because he has to.

4. computers and the WWW

5. sam edelman zoe boots

6. james hetfield

7. frozen yogurt

8. the fact that i can, if i so wish, eat my grandma's laksa and char kway teow simultaneously when i'm back home

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you've been reading this blog and/or my notes consistently, more power to you ^^ Email me and I'll send you a postcard. I really do like sending out postcards - when I remember!

fail

2009-11-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

*stress eating and pulling newly-cut hair out*

(I had a burrito for dinner and now I'm eating chocolate)

(I have bangs now but since my hair was cut by a girl in a leopard print top who sported lots of tattoos, I like to think I don't channel kawaii as much as I channel angry Asian girl with bangs)

Daul Kim

2009-11-20T01:19:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how people don't remember you until after you die?

I posted about wanting her platinum hair (click) back in April.

Now she's dead.

She wasn't even 21.

pitfall

2009-11-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

I don't usually fall sick; I like to say that I am a hale and healthy person, one who exercises three or four times a week on average and was once capable of running 10 km in under an hour without having to do too much training. I don't remember the last time I was bedridden, coughing and being brought to tears every five minutes like a baby choking on Lego part. Crying and sickness are both the same to me: deathly weakness. The slightest infection and boom bang bang good as dead. I have been stuck in a drug-induced fog, half-dreaming of little white roads that lead to nowhere plagued with the inherent oh god what am i missing in class today how much more reading do i have to do? there is no end to the path I'm taking and I drop down and sit quietly cross legged on the ground like a little girl and I cry and I cry. make it stop, i say. make it go away.

it's times like these when you miss your family and those closest to you the most, so much so that you hole yourself up and refuse to see anyone the whole week. if i were at home, i'd have crackers on the tackiest plastic banana leaf plate and my mug of unsweetened Milo in the twenty-year-old black octagon shaped mug, the shape of which I found so fascinating as a child. i'd have white porridge and soy sauce and pickled cabbage and fried eggs that my grandma would specially make for me. she would barge into my room and ask me questions about how i'm doing every 5 minutes and then run back out again. long story short, why the fuck did i ever leave home again?

everyone i know around here is often quite fascinated with how i'm not actually from London but actually just study there - which sort of makes me on exchange with two places if you think about it properly. i only got to see my family once every 3 months or 6 months. this year i won't be seeing them for 9. it'll only be another 6 before i go home again in june. the first quarter has flown by and it doesn't even feel like i've blinked once. my eyes are dry from capturing all the action and inaction of an American life. yeah, i slave at the lab, i work 7 hours in the library on quite lot of days because it's my last year and i'm not fucking it up again for the 4th time but i've also had some amazing times here: the endless stream of parties, the alco, the weird costumes, the odd spontaneous activity or two, eating every kind of American cereal, the jetset life. i look forward to the rest of them and the rest of my life.

oftentimes i catch myself muttering, 加油加油！

Holidays!

2009-11-18T00:35:00.000-08:00

Nothing spells holiday season more than red Starbucks cups! I'm so shallow, I know, but I await toffeenut lattes every year eagerly since discovering them in my first year.

Also, the mother of all flus harkens the onset of cold weather. I have been bed-ridden for the past 3 days. Well, whatever. I'm so excited to be heading to the east coast again.

Having said that, I miss Chinese New Year at home. This January/February, I won't have celebrated CNY at home for 4 years.

That is a long time.

Selling Stuff

2009-11-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

Getting rid of some stuff HERE on eBay!

Items include AA bodysuit, AA satin jacket and A&F jeans.

I'm a size 4 on average.

AA stuff all unworn, A&F jeans are pre-loved. Will be posting more things up soon. Willing to ship worldwide, just ask beforehand! Thanks! :)

I'm so going to set up shop when I graduate; I cannot possibly carry everything home with me! :-S Meanwhile, how sick is this ring? Available for purchase on Etsy.

Glow

2009-11-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

Fuzzed Up

2009-11-12T00:41:00.000-08:00

I lost an eBay auction just now on the most beautiful baby blue Juicy Couture fur coat. I am stressed out and anxious and unable to sleep. I haven't had the most productive day - at all. The Higher Powers, however, are trying to make fun of my obsession with fur (which leads to procrastination and lack of work because I will not stop until I find myself a beautiful fur coat to stroke to sleep), I stumble upon this:

Is it just me or do they look like Furbies that have cleverly hidden themselves within the folds of the Coffer?

I think they're just key chains though. Still.

bad romance

2009-11-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

Not gonna lie - i've been listening to this song on loop for the past 24 hours.

And i'm in total awe of her rocking the McQueens.

Ooh, a banner

2009-11-09T22:20:00.001-08:00

Oh look I made my own banner with my trial version of Photoshop instead of studying. These are some of my favourite things in life: assam laksa, shoes, ridiculous quotes and differential equations. Not so much the equations part, but that's kind of what I do right now.

Back to work!

Furrr

2009-11-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Is it bad that I want a fur coat?

Kinda like this (ignore the fact that it's J Lo. Didn't even know she was still alive):

And more chunky knits?

Even if I am now residing in Southern California?

ETA: Her fur coat is looks like a furry bath robe and no, it is not ridiculous to possess a fur coat in SoCal.

Food & Boobs

2009-11-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

I apologise for the blurriness of this photo. I took about 5 photos on Halloween simply because they didn't allow bags into the rave, so I got lazy. But here I am - the Punk Rock Fairy..?

On the way to LA. I just thought they looked remarkably like boobs.

I <3>

HAHA do you dare? 12 egg omelettes. DUDEEE.

My 4 egg omelette at The Broken Yolk LOVE!

Hiii!

Vintage blazer, concert tee, M by MJ aviators, UO bag, Topshop brogues.

What Am I?

2009-11-07T03:27:00.000-08:00

< *whine >

So, the other day I had a random girl come up to me asking if I am Singaporean because she'd heard me talking on the phone. I laughed and said, "No, I'm Malaysian", but she was really excited because she'd grown up in Singapore but literally lived in America all her life etc. I didn't think much of this until later on at night. It triggered an avalanche of thoughts which ultimately begged the question: what am I?

I'm Malaysian Chinese, but I almost don't speak Chinese at all; English is my first language; I went to an international school in the same place for 15 years, so that doesn't make me a Third Culture Kid; I say "lah" and "leh" and "lor" pretty often if surrounded by the correct crowd; I studied in London for 3 years, and now I'm in the US; I'm pretty well versed in Western culture, English literature and Western history, but have a near zero knowledge of my country's history; I come from a family of - for lack of a better word - anglophiles (my grandfather speaks Queen's English - and when I say Queen's English I suspect he may have a better grasp of the English language than the Queen herself).

I've always been ashamed of my inability to communicate in Mandarin or Cantonese properly. I can speak Hokkien fine, but hey - how many people actually speak Penang-style Hokkien, right? I took a Level 1 Mandarin class last year and did pretty poorly in that, despite the fact that I had constant help from my flatmate. After that stint, I decided I'd just watch Mandarin/Cantonese shows to acclimatize myself. It doesn't help that Wah Lai Toi doesn't do Malay subtitles anymore, though.

Anyway, at least I can cook Malaysian food. Sometimes.

This never used to nag at me before, but nowadays as I mingle with people from people all over the world here in International House, I find myself having trouble introducing the concept of why my first language is actually English and not my mother tongue. People are amazed at how well I converse in English when I come from a developing nation in South East Asia (though this may actually stem from ignorance more than anything else). I should be able to speak and write Mandarin the way I speak and write in English, dammit! I just have more trouble than I thought I would attempting to speak Mandarin in that I sound ridiculously foreign and just wrong overall.

Being this far away from home and Malaysians in general has made me realize that maybe Malaysia isn't as terrible as Malaysians think it is. The United States is equally mired in political and racial problems as Malaysia is, but people sure as hell aren't running away. I wonder why.

I am probably not the best candidate to represent Malaysia, which is a crying shame. I wanted to make the spoilt brat decision of going to China to live for the summer, but I doubt even 3 months would help. Especially when nobody speaks Mandarin at home. Sigh. This identity crisis needs to be addressed ASAP. Identity crisis and future career prospects. Yes, top of priority list definitely. I don't really want to graduate; I don't mind working 'til midnight everyday writing lab reports. Honestly.

< / whine >

College!

2009-11-07T01:36:00.000-08:00

Okay.

A guy just got arrested on I-Walk for dancing on a cop car in a red furry bikini. I'm thinking this isn't very out of the ordinary around here on a Friday night.

Toms Shoes

2009-11-05T23:09:00.000-08:00

I've been eyeing these shoes for several days after having seen them on a classmate. I know, I know...this is a far cry from my collection of 6 inchers. As much as I'd like to, I cannot cycle in massive platforms.

So, today after some 6 hours of staining cells and watching them die in front of me, I decided to go ahead with these. They look (and apparently ARE) so ridonkulously comfy! And perfect for my constant biking to class and this weird hot-and-cold SoCal weather, too.

ANTI STRESS SHOPPING FTW!

Bullet Points

2009-11-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

BUSY BUSY BUSY BEE!

- We made it safely back to SD after a precarious drive home at 4 in the morning on Halloween night. Thank goodness the freeway is so large here so there aren't any weirdos lurking around in the middle of the night in the middle of the freeway.

- I learned how to pipette solutions properly today. GO ME! (I was a totally failed pipette user until today)

- Halloween pics coming. I can't find my camera cable. Go me, yet again.

- I had a dream last night about sitting in a house by the sea that had 10 foot high waves crashing down mercilessly upon the glass windows. This was mixed with a montage of images of a woman with jet black frizzy hair and sharp teeth looming over me with the most eerie grin on her face. No, I don't know what it means, but it is probably a manifestation of this thing called Stress.

- I'm going to Noo York and Vegas with R and two of my friends from London during my Christmas break. I cannot contain my excitement.

!!!!!!

I want to wear a bikini t-shirt and walk around with a red plastic vizor and eat as many hot dogs and boiled prawns with thousand island sauce as I can for $1. W00t w00t. SIN MUCH?

halloween novelty fail

2009-10-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

I spent 5 minutes in a very crowded costume shop in Pacific Beach and came out with a leather corset, a red tulle skirt, fishnets and black feathered wings.

I've also failed to achieve anything with my Imaging midterm project so far. BAH.

Hardfest in LA tomorrow!

halloween again

2009-10-29T22:26:00.001-07:00

cb maybe i should just go as the Horny Devil or Evil Fairy!! No effort whatsoever! HAH.

Halloween

2009-10-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

In the US, people ask you what you're going to be for Halloween about 4 weeks ahead. In that period of time, I thought of going as a leopard, given my dominant obsession with leopard print.

The novelty of such a costume is non-existent.

It struck me this morning as I was reading material about the Hodgkin Huxley and the quadratic integrate and fire models:

Why not go as a neuron?!

Good Morning Mr Policeman

2009-10-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

I woke up extra early this Monday morning to finish off some homework at the library with a few groupmates. Same old crap, different day. So I hopped on to my bike and rolled down the hill, past the usual red STOP sign (without having stopped), and also past a cop car who flagged me down instantaneously.

Yeah, the same rules that apply to cars apply to bikes too.

How I know. In Malaysia everything works a little differently i.e. you can openly bribe cops, jump red lights, jay walk freely, cut queues, talk on the handphone, etc.

I said I didn't have a Californian driver's licence and that I'd only been here a month, to which he replied, "Wow your English is very good". $10 he doesn't know where Malaysia is. He let me go after an uneventful 5 minutes of me just standing there on the steep hill holding my bike looking extremely bored. "Okay, well, I don't usually issue tickets to bikes and I'm just concerned for your safety because a lot of people get knocked down at this corner".

This scenario may be compared and contrasted with a previous encounter I had with a polis some 3 years ago in KL. He caught me for speeding at 92km/h on a 80km/h highway. I argued that I had exams and was very stressed and didn't look at my speed limit and called him "Uncle" out of respect. I also slipped him RM20 - no more, no less (the going rate is about Rm50 for a Merc) because I didn't have anything else in my wallet and I was clearly a probationary driver.

I miss home!

To add to my Monday morning blues, I overzealously overwaxed my upper lip on Saturday night and the scars are beginning to show. A part of my face resembles a moon crater.

ETA: I fell off my bike and bruised my hip. YAY MONDAY!

Gmarket

2009-10-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

I kinda spent the whole day on and off Gmarket while cracking my brain over some very exhausting homework. I'm tempted to buy a really odd sweater with a tree and owl and stripes on it ($30), but it costs some exorbitant amount to get it shipped here ($18).

Somebody give me a Western alternative? Preferably in red/white or blue/white? I probably won't be able to fit this anyway given my non-Asian body frame. Meh.

Night.

In N Out (of my head)

2009-10-24T22:56:00.001-07:00

I cannot express in words the feelings I have for this burger joint (found only in California, Utah, Arizona and Vegas, might I smugly add). It was my roommate's birthday and we decided to head out to In N Out for a hearty greasy all American burger meal. And because I'd never been, I insisted we go after hearing so many stories about this place.

A 35 minute bus ride, the dismissal of the scent of 15 foul smelling hobos, their deranged comments and a 10 minute walk later, we reached this godsend of a place in the middle of bloody nowhere (Pacific Plaza, 2910 Damon Avenue. Next to some car dealership, if you really want to know).

I have given up caring. I must've consumed about 2000 calories that night.

Double double (i.e double patty, double cheese) with a side of animal style fries (melted cheese with fried scallions atop freshly made french fries)

It's moments like these where I feel it's appropriate to quote Stewie Griffin: "There's an orgy in my mouth!"

Happy Day!

2009-10-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

Today is:

1) My roommate's 22nd birthday.

In 'N' Out tonight! B Movie Parties - the fine line between art and porn. Cupcakes! College fun all around!

2) My ex-flatmate's graduation.

Hah, you have to work now FOO.

3) A happy day :)

The Real YSL

2009-10-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

YSL Tribute Pump

Not usually a fan of stilettos, but this kills it.

Contemplating a liquid diet for the next one month or so. Mmm.

P.S.

Soul train-ing it on a Friday night.

(AA dress, $2 tights, Ashish for Topshop platforms)

Sephora FF2009

2009-10-19T02:22:00.000-07:00

This Friends and Family 2009 (FF2009 - US residents) sale is slightly insane. I have been logging in and out of my account for the past 3 hours trying to purchase Philosophy products, a Kat von D palette, some brushes and Juicy Tubes.

Still haven't checked out.

Epic fail.

gossip

2009-10-18T02:18:00.000-07:00

You'd think the gossip and hushed whispering would stop by the time you got out of high school and go to institutions of higher learning, right.

Apparently it gets worse - which brings to mind the million dollar question: do people ever grow the hell up?

Oy Ombre

2009-10-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Source: Jak and Jil

I want ombre hair too! Black --> grey? Hah.

It's that time of the year when I want to do something radical to my hair, but it is far too short at the moment to do anything drastic to it. And I feel that my disc-shaped face does not permit me to have a mohawk. I may end up looking like a fat boy, thus R will feel like a homosexual after looking at me for 5 minutes. Oh, trivial Saturday morning predicaments.

Maybe I should just go back to bed.

I'm never going to dance again

2009-10-15T21:16:00.003-07:00

I don't care if I've been posting too many awesome songs, but R showed me this (we are both avid fans of Seether. I turned down his invitation to a Seether/Staind gig back in January but that's a different story for another rainy day) not 5 minutes ago:

Long live Shaun Morgan.

MA

2009-10-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hi from atop a small stack of dirty tissues. I am a slob.

N.B this leopard is entirely an entirely "legal" purchase by someone who goes to school there; I am not a random person who simply purchases MIT paraphernalia for fun. It pisses these sensitive and very overworked people off when people who don't go to school there wear/buy MIT paraphernalia.

Homage to the man who literally took over my life from a young age.

Lobster sandwiches @ Alive and Kickin' . That's all they serve. Along with their own brewed root beer/grape soda (which I LOVE). I walked out a happier person, as did R.

We established that you should never ever bring a potential partner to a lobster joint on a first date after watching a date on the next table slowly fall apart as the man pried open the lobster with his grimy chubby hands and the woman looked on in much dismay. I wouldn't mind, to be honest, but does it signal an inability to perform horribly in bed or be a terrible boyfriend/girlfriend if you attack your food with relish?

And.

I FINALLY GOT TO WEAR MY ZOE BOOTS!

(And slowly wearing all the awesome crap I bought from the AA flea market sale)

I walked into LF (completely by accident after I saw a slew of Jeffrey Campbell shoes in the window) and all three salesgirls consecutively told me, "OMG you have THE Zoe boots?"

My heart swelled with pride and a certain degree of smugness.

After about 2 years and a lot of heartache later, yes - I have finally pwned the Zoe boots.

Daughtry

2009-10-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

I don't understand why the man failed to win American Idol Season 5.

I've been looping this song all day and on a very bloaty 6 hour flight back to CA, during which I felt compelled to pore through scientific papers because I was in between one diligent economics professor and one computing student. I love the strangled tone of this song.

More soon. Am in the process of homework. At my age, too.

Yes We Did Again..?

2009-10-09T04:21:00.000-07:00

In less shallow news, Barack Obama has just won the Nobel Peace Prize. I saw this watching CNN on the plane.

Re: "I worry for the future of humanity" - I shall take a less skeptical and less Chekhovian view on things, and hope that he will somehow change the political landscape. Not sure what he can do about the mindsets of jackasses and overindulgent freshmen, though.

Girls Gone Wild

2009-10-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

I'm currently bumming at JFK waiting for my flight to Boston to take off at about 9AM. I am never ever taking another red eye again; I do not function well on about 2 hours of sleep. Urgh.

I had a productive day yesterday. American Apparel came to UCSD and I had class from 8AM - 2PM. So, I was only able to go from 2PM onwards. Fair enough. I was gutted, but still. The thing ran from 9AM to 8PM. Anyway, I decided to try my luck at lunchtime, hoping against hope that there'd be no queue. Suffice to say that when I got there, there was a queue that sort of looked like this:

This photo was, however, taken when I eventually and painfully got to the front after about 1 and a 1/2 very hungry hours later.

I was quite pleased with the choices. I wasn't lucky enough to snag the dresses, but I got myself these things:

Not quite what I got. I got a blue and purple cardigan that I think may be reallly old. Anyway. The girls went fucking insane over the women's version of this cardigan. The split second the poor AA sales staff unleashed the rack into the crowd, about 384 girls swarmed around the rack and took about 10 pieces per person only to throw about 9 or 10 back onto the rack. I worry for the future of humanity.

Blue chambray jumpsuit with a few holes in it. Whatever - I'll rock it. It was only $12! As opposed to $48.

Coral bandeau bodysuit. I love this bandeau style, it's the most versatile piece on the planet.

SHINY SATIN JACKET! It looks a lot better on a person than it does here, trust me.

3 of these. Just because they were 3 for $12.

I would've spent something like $250 had I bought it all in store. But the grand total came up to about $60 for all these things ^^ They sure know how to please broke students.

Uh, hi

2009-10-06T22:10:00.003-07:00

If you're curious and over 18, click here.

Non-viral, I swear.

What Diet

2009-10-06T21:39:00.004-07:00

One of the main reasons why I dislike school is that I keep eating (nuts, Cheerios, oranges, bananas, tortilla chips) while I do work. Or - as I am right now - watching TV shows. I'd say my course load is pretty demanding, therefore food intake will be exceptionally high this quarter and possibly the rest of the academic year. And I'm in the US of A, Land of Reese's Pieces, Lucky Charms and burritos that are bigger than your face. This does not bode well for my hips, chunky arms or sausagey legs. And no, I hate the texture of gum. Why can't there be like a zero calorie, awesome tasting, aspartame free, fat free, bloody awesome whole food (note: I said FOOD, not liquid) that you could just eat and eat and eat. Maybe I will work on this after I graduate; I will enslave some 293 million teenage girls with this Uber Food. Mwaha.

Essence

2009-10-05T22:15:00.007-07:00

Lest I came off as a manipulative, gold digging spawn of the devil in my previous post, I shall say the following: I cannot and may never be able to capture the essence of everything that he has ever done for me, when I have comparatively done none for him. I am flawed, trivial and sometimes downright callous. I am not a different person when I am around him. Scratch that, I am; he makes me a better person, trite as that may sound. They had forgiven each other the things they were ashamed of in the past, they forgave everything in the present, and they felt that this love of theirs had changed them both. He knows that I am a cantankerous sort, the type of girl who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, the type who will cry wolf shamelessly and incessantly, but still he persisted and insisted for 8 months when I did nothing but treat him like I would any other friend, sometimes more cruelly out of this odd need to spite those who wish to come close to me.

No, I do not reciprocate out of sympathy or pity, but out of pure - dare I say it - love. We knew we were going abroad, the both of us, but we sought comfort in the fact that we would at least be in the same country - just 3000 miles apart. A year ago, I wouldn't ever had even thought of being in the situation that I am in now. The thought of long distance would stir convulsive emotions in most people, but I don't mind. Not at all. Dare I think of the future? For once, yes. Isn't that the cornerstone of any functional relationship; the ability to think ahead without throwing up?

Everyday, I go about doing my business, attending classes, but always my brain is geared 3 hours ahead, and I wonder what he is doing. 5 minutes later, my phone vibrates and hey whaddya know: he's studying again.

The Pros of Being in a LDR

2009-10-05T16:40:00.006-07:00

I'm going to Boston this weekend to pay R a long overdue visit ^^

"What's my shopping budget for this weekend?"

"No budget"

"REALLY MEH*? HAHA"

He ask for it one lor*.

I realize many people who read this aren't well acquainted with the way people speak in Malaysia and Singapore, so:

*'meh' typically adds to the element of surprise in a question

*'lor' is a word that most Malaysians and Singaporeans add to the back of their sentences for a lazy drawled effect.

X Chanel

2009-10-05T00:55:00.002-07:00

Source: Face Hunter

Am definitely going to rock this exact same look sometime next week. Can't wait!!

-

2009-10-05T00:17:00.006-07:00

He and Anna Sergeevna loved each other like very close, dear people, like husband and wife, like tender friends; it seemed to them that fate itself had destined for each other, and they could not understand why he had a wife and she a husband; and it was as if they were two birds of passage, a male and a female, who had been caught and forced to live in separate cages. They had forgiven each other the things they were ashamed of in the past, they forgave everything in the present, and they felt that this love of theirs had changed them both.

And it seemed that, just a little more - and the solution would be found, and then a new, beautiful life would begin; and it was clear to them that the end was still far, far off, and that the most complicated and difficult part was just beginning.

- The Lady with the Little Dog, Anton Chekhov

too much metal

2009-10-04T01:38:00.001-07:00

sometimes i wonder why i suffer for the excess of metal in strange places in my ears.

Friday Night Lights, Saturday Morning Darkness

2009-10-03T10:13:00.006-07:00

I am glad I came here for my final year. I haven't done any actual work (yet), but Friday nights are always guaranteed to be awesome. I think, anyway. I made Malaysian curry for them lot last night, while Alys and Jade concocted other delicious things. But, F my godawful tendency to expel everything I eat after ~~1 tequilas 2 tequilas~~ 3 tequilas. TMI? Probably.

"Haha, you're all red! ASIAN GLOW!"

Blazer: Topshop; Top: AA; Skirt: Topshop; Shoes: Office (thanks to Zara :]); Bag: Mango; Scarf: borrowed from roommate so I could blend in with the Bollywood theme at the party

I absolutely loved how he showed up at the party. All the girls went positively gaga over the man.

CW direction: Meatballs, white rice, bruschetta, curry, brownies, salads, wild rice salad & pasta with bacon. I hadn't eaten brownies in ages 'til last night. After 1 tiny but heavenly piece, I felt like what I imagine a snake who'd just swallowed a person whole would feel like.

I have been eating horrendous amounts ever since school started, prompting the age old question, "Will I ever look good in a bikini?" But soon after my stomach begins to growl and I let loose the reins of control and eat an entire plate of pesto pasta with garlic and mushrooms (soo good). Social eating occurs even when you're not the least bit hungry. This love-hate relationship with food has always been a omnipresence in my life. Will I or will I not eat carbs for dinner? This question is often cut short by the fact that our dining hall serves only carbs and vegetables are completely overpriced. Full fat milk is totally out of the question when it comes to ordering my coffee. And no dressing with my salad - unless it's balsamic vinegar.

Having said all that, Cheez-Its is an incredibly tasty Saturday morning breakfast choice. 27 biscuits = 150 calories and 0 trans fat.

Eggplants & Black Rubbish Bags

2009-10-02T01:27:00.002-07:00

Re: The UO Deux Lux Drawstring Bag -- I WILL get it. Not this week, though; am going to wait another 7 days ^^ Thank you for the sudden influx of responses - no thanks to Liya :) I love it when the general consensus votes a big resounding "yes" - excluding the more skeptical and disapproving crowd on Facebook.

And I am so excited that American Apparel finally have the Disco Pants in Rich Purple now! Just the colour I've been looking for so I can walk around campus looking like a shiny eggplant!

And did you know that American Apparel is having a flea market sale next Thursday at UCSD? A-fucking-mazzzingggg!

MATLAB, UCSD Chapter, Part A ii)

2009-10-02T00:32:00.007-07:00

By the grace of Cat and her boyfriend I finally managed to install MATLAB on bloody Snow Leopard.

If you're a worn out engineering student using Snow Leopard and wondering why the fuck you can't install MATLAB on your oh-so-amazing MBP, read on.

If you see that error cropping up about 56 times, then the solution is right here:

You'll need to go to Utilities --> Java Preferences --> Change the settings to 32 bit. Because somehow the MATLAB activation doesn't work when the Java is running on 64 bit. By default, Snow Leopard is using the 64bit version of Java.

Yeah, like I knew that from before, because, really, it only took me 5 hours and $100 to figure the problem out. Not a big deal. No, not a big deal. As opposed to about half an hour and $0 later. It would've worked for the bootlegged version too had I known earlier. Knn.

MATLAB, UCSD Chapter, Part A i)

2009-10-01T17:47:00.001-07:00

I couldn't install the bootleg copy of MATLAB 2008 - even after about 10 tries and 2 near breakdowns later. I caved in and spent $100 on the official legal version. First time I've ever done such a treacherous thing. Sob.

Scrimp and Save: The Bucket Bag

2009-09-30T14:12:00.004-07:00

The Alexander Wang - who is probably the most popular guy in the fashion world right now - Diego Bucket Bag. Not glorious, but practical. $800. Sold out everywhere.

Urban Outfitters Deux Lux Drawstring Bucket Bag. $68. Comes in 3 different colours.

SHOULD I??

MATLAB, UCSD Chapter

2009-09-29T21:29:00.003-07:00

U + ME = BFF this quarter.

And probably the rest of my academic career.

Poster Love

2009-09-29T20:13:00.002-07:00

I hit up the poster sale at Revelle today and found these babies to decorate half the room with. Am pleased ^^

Sleepy

2009-09-27T13:05:00.009-07:00

I pored through about 10 of Anton Chekhov's short stories as part of my Russian Lit assignment. The first five or so were - for lack of a better word - odd. I am not well versed in Russian literature; it is probably the last thing I would have ever read in my life if I hadn't taken this class. I am actually excited about this class; it is my first time doing literature since my A level days and I am thankful that it's not Jane Austen - queen of old school chic lit - I'm studying again.

Chekhov's words are diaphanous, almost billowy, strung together like a random assortment of clothes on a peg line on a cloudy afternoon. Chekhov is famous for his stream-of-consciousness style of writing, weaving in and out of reality and dream seamlessly. His style was later adopted by a slew of other modern authors, like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. Chekhov was a doctor by profession, and a writer by night, claiming that "medicine is [his] wife, literature [his] mistress". Grigorovich thought he had "real talent", but Chekhov never thought so; he felt his writings were "mechanical" and written "half-consciously". In any case, Grigorovich inspired him to focus more on his writing. Chekhov went on to win the Pushkin Prize for his short story collection, At Dusk.

Chekhov was born into a peasant family (unlike other great Russian writers like Leo Tolstoy, who was a Count) and had an abusive father who was declared bankrupt later on in life. This left Chekhov, his brother and mother in a physically and emotionally destitute state. Hence, Chekhov started to write to support himself and his family. He finished his education in medical school and began to practice as a doctor in 1884. Ironically enough, he was struck with recurrent episodes of tuberculosis throughout his life but never admitted to it. In the end, he died of it in 1904 in Germany. His body was transported back to Russia in a train carriage that transported oysters.

Many of Chekhov's stories concern life's little details, mundanity and a gaping lack of purpose. Although most will find his material dreary and overly tragic, I find it oddly compelling. For instance, "Sleepy" details the stream of thoughts of an exhausted babysitter named Varka who simply wants to sleep but cannot because of the screaming baby and the baby's overbearing mistress. Varka strangles the baby and sleeps like a dead person at the end of the story.

And the baby screams, and is worn out with screaming. Again Varka sees the muddy high road, the people with wallets, her mother Pelageya, her father Yefim. She understands everything, she recognises everyone, but through her half sleep she cannot understand the force which binds her, hand and foot, weighs upon her, and prevents her from living. She looks round, searches for that force that she may escape from it, but she cannot find it. At last, tired to death, she does her very utmost, strains her eyes, looks up at the flickering green patch, and listening to the screaming, finds the foe who will not let her live.

Mr Boyd

2009-09-27T00:14:00.005-07:00

I've forgotten how delightful it is to simply sit at the computer listening to Incubus through headphones (courtesy of my darling roommate who understands the inherent problem of living with 5 other girls).

We headed down to Pacific Beach - or P.B as it is affectionately known to kids in UCSD - this afternoon. Jade and I decided to get something pierced on a whim; she got her cartilage done while I got my tragus pierced. So much for what that lady in Camden told me about having too small a tragus to pierce. It hurt significantly less than what I thought it would; I think I am immune to the feeling of metal being weaved through my ears. Or, maybe I really am a heartless bitch after all!

I'm Old

2009-09-25T23:53:00.003-07:00

It's Friday night at the I House and I think just about everybody is here, after having heard about the "mad parties" that go on in this place. Personally, I reckon I'm too old for the 17-year-olds rockin' it out in the flat next door. Don't get me wrong, I love a good night out as much as everyone else, but when there isn't any room to breathe - let alone move - I think it's time to call it a night.

Someone tripped up the stairs holding a bottle of beer and smashed her hand into the glass right outside my flat. She came in frantically, arm and shirt sleeve doused in blood, and ran water over her wound. There were medics, firemen and a policeman outside for a while. It was all so dramatic, but I think she's fine now. I was, however, absolutely disgusted to find bloodied bandages in the sink when I went to make myself my nightly cup of tea. Sigh.

Food Dilemmas

2009-09-24T20:09:00.002-07:00

Food expenses comes up to about $20 a day for just lunch and dinner. (I am not a breakfast sort of person). That IS expensive, right?! This is what you get for wanting to eat salads and sushi and wraps and portobello pitas all day long, not the greasier and ultimately cheaper alternative of hamburgers and fries and onion rings.

Although I really fancy a side of onion rings right now.

Sorority Girls

2009-09-23T10:28:00.003-07:00

Walking along the football field:

American Girl: Hey, do you wanna join the sorority?

Chloe and I start laughing our heads off.

Emeline: (distinct French accent) No, I've had a fucking awful day!

American Girl: AWESOME!

oops

2009-09-22T01:09:00.004-07:00

ok i retract that last post about having nowhere to go: right outside my door, apparently.

I'm Not Really in 4th Year

2009-09-21T22:19:00.003-07:00

I feel like I'm in my first year all over again - only with a bad tan (blame the sunglasses) and darker hair i.e. the exact opposite of what I used to look like in 1st year.

My new room is comfy, although it can get extremely warm in the day time - but a 'Blizzard' fan from Target immediately ameliorates the situation.

I have been slow to jump on the partying bandwagon, given the fact that I technically just moved in today. So much noise everywhere, but nowhere to go! I feel even more like a fresher, urgh.

skewl

2009-09-19T14:49:00.004-07:00

the best part of going back to school is purchasing new stationery and notebooks and planners.

the perks of travelling with your mother

2009-09-18T08:49:00.008-07:00

Photo heavy post!

Eating crab legs from Alaska that are as long as your forearm + hand. They are the best things I've ever eaten btw. Best eaten on its own without any sauces.

See shamu. They weigh in at 9000-12000 lbs. You can tell the male and female apart by a simple observation: the female has a curved dorsal fin where the male has a straighter one. Fun fact!

My mom doesn't know how to use the zoom function on my SLR, but here I am with my Sea World kids meal because I was soo hungry and everything else was so bloody big.

Penguins. They look so..unnecessary.

A large walrus swimming upside down. Poor thing, he frightened a little kid by swimming into her face.

Sunset in La Jolla Cove.

Universal Studios is awesome, but Sea World is 10x better.

The sands of Marina del Rey at sunrise.

I went to Pinkberry thinking they had green tea, but they didn't (they have passionfruit, coconut, original and one more I can't recall) and I was momentarily disappointed until I scoffed the entire thing down in 5 minutes. This is my usual combination of granola + mango.

We also got to stay at my mom's ex-classmate's beach pad. Awesome shizz :)

omg kanye

2009-09-17T08:37:00.005-07:00

GET OVER IT ALREADY!

The man's a jackass, yeah, but there are about 274493 more out there. Hell, I know bigger jackasses than Kanye.

Photos of Amerika coming soon. I just can't bring myself to plug the camera into the laptop, not sure why. Laziness, methinks.

I Dream of Chanel

2009-09-14T06:10:00.004-07:00

I woke up in a startled state to question my acquisition of vintage Chanel pearl earrings and the Stella McCartney mesh sandals. Naturally, it was all a dream.

I blame the LA air.

Jetlag Blues

2009-09-14T02:42:00.001-07:00

This jetlag is really getting to me. I slept at 8 and woke up at 2. AM.

Celebrity, celebrity, celebrity. Chanel, Kitson, Melrose Avenue, The Wasteland, Robertson Boulevard. Names synonymous with materialism and celebrity, two of my top ten favourite things. But LA is rife with the word ‘celebrity’. Every corner, every angle, every fucking tourist destination. The novelty of celebrity has worn off after one and a half days already (Nicole Scherzinger just broke up with Lewis Hamilton, btw). it’s not all that glamorous, honestly. There are plenty of dilapidated buildings in downtown LA, shutters down but paint still intact. A lot of people ask, “why doesn’t LA look like it does in the movies?” and then they have to sorta realize the existence of Photoshop and post-film editing. Still. I want to walk down Rodeo Drive in the style of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman with my patent Docs and shiny tights. As if I don't look scary enough already.

Lala Land Day 1

2009-09-12T01:10:00.002-07:00

I’ve just arrived in Los Angeles. Contrary to popular belief, the immigration folks did NOT hassle us at all. In fact, the woman was extremely nice and spoke to my mother about how she was meant to be a doctor but turned out to be an immigration officer instead, citing that she did not want to see sick people for a living. We took a shared shuttle bus to the motel and lugged all 4 of my bags to the room. Thank goodness my mother and I lift weights regularly, hah! Ma and I went to eat at a diner’s called Twain’s next to the motel; I had an insanely huge Mushroom and Swiss burger with fries (with potato skins! The best!) and an iced tea (can’t fight teh o ais). This motel is not unlike those in the movies: dingy and dank with a hint of a strange chemical scent. Needless to say, my mother, who is accustomed to 5 star accommodation, beachside spa massages and porters, flipped and started panicking for about 5 minutes before she gave up and decided that this place is actually decent. There is an outdoor pool that is opened from 9AM to 9PM. I don’t feel like much of a stranger here though. In fact, it feels as though I’ve been here all my life. I think I watch way too much American TV and read too many books by American authors. I can’t believe I’m here though; I’m so excited! I feel like a little girl in pigtails waiting to go to school on her first day - except that I never had pigtails and I cried like a bitch on my first day at school. And most of all, I’m glad to finally be in the same continent as him. I am now 8700 miles from home and 3000 miles away from Boston. The world is small.

Tomorrow, I shall walk down Ventura Blvd to find Pinkberry for breakfast. Me and frozen yogurt have been apart for way too long.

retrospect

2009-09-10T11:26:00.007-07:00

For your viewing pleasure, a short recollection of some of my favourite foods:

Maggi mee goreng

Bread with kaya and butter

Wu kok

Black sesame and green tea ice cream

I've had a fantastic summer: I learnt about the stock market (from zero to something negligible), the workings of local companies, celebrated my 21st, played Sims 3 for 6 hours on some days, re-organised my room, saw many many old friends, made new friends, freaked out a bit about my future and then decided that I'm just going to do fuck all until I graduate.

And now I'm off to LA for three days and San Diego for the next 9 months.

I realize my posts are short and erratic - like me. I will make more of an effort to write when I'm there. But for now, goodbye!

why is the US so big?

2009-09-08T09:35:00.008-07:00

Cross country long distance travel is looking even more expensive than London-USA! Three times zones, 3037 miles (La Jolla -- Boston) and some exorbitant amount of cash apart.

Seriously now - can't these American low cost carriers learn a thing or two from Tony Fernandes?

goodness

2009-09-07T04:22:00.005-07:00

I'm leaving the country this Friday and I won't be back for another 9 months. I've never been away from home for this long before.

I am sad, happy, excited, apprehensive, nostalgic, undecided, petrified beyond belief.

"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

I am whelmed.

Have you ever had shoes without shoe strings?

2009-09-05T12:28:00.002-07:00

"Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat Rihanna & Kanye West

I never usually post videos of any kind - especially not R&B ones - but Rihanna looks too fierce to be passed up this time.

Say

2009-09-04T10:15:00.005-07:00

I only spent a total of six days with R this entire summer. It is wrong on so many levels for two people in a relationship to see each other so rarely, but despite the blatant boundaries, neither of us care. I left for Singapore early one Friday morning after having struck a deal with my boss to take off the day before. My phone had died on the way and he couldn’t contact me and I couldn’t contact him. Through clumsy telepathy and use of a public telephone, he managed to track me down. I had to hit him with my Longchamp before he noticed me in his state of sheer panic. The first thing I told him was how bad his hair looked. “I know,” he replied, “I know." And then he gave me two taro pies from Burger King and a bottle of Pink Dolphin.

I am a punk rock princess with the worst temper when I am with him.

The Chicken and the Egg

2009-09-04T03:20:00.005-07:00

R and I had a 5 minute debate on what came first: the chicken or the egg.

We both concluded simultaneously that the egg must've come first. The theory of evolution says it all: the chicken cannot possibly have come first because pterodactyls (or whatever it is chickens came from) can't simply morph into chickens overnight. So by simple logical deduction, the egg came first. QED!

Been a while

2009-09-03T08:43:00.007-07:00

Nothing like a good dose of shoe porn at midnight.

source: Jak and Jil

I nearly died when I first saw these sunglasses.

source: fckyeahmka.tumblr.com and fckyeahlouboutin.tumblr.com

Wedding Bells!

2009-09-03T06:35:00.007-07:00

On her first day of school, she was frightened of my awkward attempts at befriending her because I looked like a boy (I liked to wear my school blazer and my hair was obscenely short).

"I'm a girl!!" I exclaimed defensively. I don't think she bought it until a few days later when I came in sans my blazer, with my regular dress and frilly socks with pearls dangling from the sides. She laughed her mistake off. I just rolled my eyes and wondered why I wasn't allowed long hair like the rest of the girls. I wanted to flounce around with pigtails so badly, but my mother denied me this until I was 15 and totally out of my wanting-to-prance-around-with-pigtails stage and well into my angsty teenage stage.

Anyway, soon after she realized her terrible mistake, we became thick 'n' thin friends for most of our primary school years. Most days, we snuck down to the bookshop to buy flag erasers, had lunch together and walked to our respective guardians at home time together. She even made me a blue checkered bookmark for my Heidi novel. I was a very excitable child when it came to receiving gifts. I still am.

We switched classes some four to five years later and drifted apart as time and flaky adolescent personalities would have it. Our friendship was rekindled when we got thrown into the same class once more during our Sixth Form years. She lied to us once and came in with a large (fake) diamond ring, proclaiming that the man had proposed to her on one of his surprise visits. None of us took her seriously when she told us this time that she was getting married for real. It took a while.

But yes, she IS getting married!!

(to the same aforementioned man)

CONGRATULATIONS MY DEAR HARINDERPAL!! :D

Vegetarians

2009-08-30T22:32:00.008-07:00

This cropped up on my "Quote of the Day" corner in iGoogle:

"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals; I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants." - A Whitney Brown

This is a striking commentary on my relationship with vegetarianism and other so-called "principles", particularly my flaky relationship with those who insist on imposing their values on me. I've been called "immoral" to my face and yes I am hardly the regular sort of "demure" girl next door although I look about 12 IRL. I've quit a lot of my previous inveterate habits, but I think I'm allowed to indulge once in a while, you know? It's amusing how people can be so self-righteous sometimes. I don't think what I do affects anyone in any sort of way. I am a filial child who studies hard; family and friends are my number one priorities in life and what I do is irrelevant. I know what I'm doing most days and if it is a mistake, then so be it.

I'll learn.

Btw, I like vegetables because they don't have any added fat content if eaten raw :)

Are You Proud to Be Malaysian?

2009-08-30T07:08:00.002-07:00

I don't often discuss local news headlines because I, like many others, am quite apathetic about the political scene. However, here are some recent headlines that have formed the basis of many conversations:

1) MUSLIM PROTESTORS DECAPITATE COW IN PROTEST OF THE BUILDING OF A TEMPLE: Malaysian lawmakers have condemned a group of Muslim protesters who trampled on a severed cow’s head in protest at the building of a Hindu temple, and remained defiant on Sunday over the act. In the latest religious dispute to erupt in multi-cultural Malaysia, local media said 50 Muslims on Friday took the head of the cow — a sacred animal for Hindus — to the central Selangor state government office and stamped on it.

2) MODEL SENTENCED TO CANING FOR DRINKING ALCOHOL: The case of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has riveted Malaysia in recent weeks after she was sentenced to six strokes of the cane for consuming alcohol in public at a hotel bar in Pahang, the home state of Najib Razak, the country’s urbane prime minister. It is the first time that such a punishment has been ordered for a woman in Malaysia for any offence.

And filed under "Oddly Enough" in Reuters:

3) NO MUSLIMS AT BLACK EYED PEAS GIG: Muslims in Malaysia have been barred from attending a concert by U.S. hip hop band the Black Eyed Peas sponsored by Guinness which is owned by the world's biggest spirits group Diageo. The move comes after a Malaysian Islamic court sentenced a 32-year Muslim woman to be caned after she was caught drinking beer in a hotel and at a time when an opposition Islamic party has moved against beer sale

(All obtained from different news sources)

1Malaysia or Malaysia really like that 1?

Happy Merdeka Day.

sit and drink pennyroyal tea

2009-08-29T09:19:00.004-07:00

source: suicideblonde.tumblr.com

I love you Kurt

Oh Make Me Over

2009-08-29T03:52:00.004-07:00

I suspect I may have overdone the skin care product shopping today in a shameless bid to prettify my face.

My skin reacts terribly to the heat, so I am prone to breakouts every now and then. In colder climates, my skin is well and lovely and rosy. Hence, since I am going to SoCal soon, I felt the urgent need to arm myself with a shitload of facial cleansers and toners and who knows what else.

Sometime this week, the surge in hormones combined with the tempestuous tropical weather exacerbated the Bad Skin situation and I simply panicked. Die, sebaceous cysts, die! I quickly ran to the department store today to grab myself an exorbitant amount of money's worth of skin care products, which includes a trial SK-II pack (deemed "miraculous" by a number of Asian women), L'oreal whitening essence and toner (because I had no more money left after SK-II) and more Aesop stuff. Clearly, I have not found the solution to cure my adolescent-esque skin. The woes of being a female in the 21st century.

I took a giant leap today and finally purchased mineral powder foundation after 21 years of not wearing foundation. Hurray for me and my new best friend Vanity! :D

Last Day!

2009-08-27T18:08:00.007-07:00

Last day at the job today. I have learned to:

- keep up with deadlines
- work under pressure
- talk a lot more rubbish
- write equity research reports minus the difficult financial substance seeing as how I have no prior knowledge of stocks
- stay focused while chatting on MSN, tweeting and blogging simultaneously. I am the mother of all multitaskers although my boss doesn't think so.
- how to quickly snap MSN shut when the boss rolls around
- get my boss two drinks in 2 seconds

After 1.5 months of having to wake up at ungodly hours, I will finally get to sleep in for another two weeks. Damn, I miss my bed.

I am not maudlin about packing up and leaving; I am overly used to the fact that almost everybody who enters my life is but an ephemeral presence. In due time, most will become erstwhile entities, if not faded memories trapped at the back of my head. Long ago, when I was 13, a much older friend of about 20 told me (I was so much more mature when I was 13) this in all her sagaciousness. That is, however, not to say that I don't treasure what friendships and relationships I've had and have. People forget; out of sight, out of mind.

Yet, I still cling to the naive idea that if someone is meant to come back into your life, whether you meet him or her while shopping for painkillers in the pharmacy, having dinner with your children some 13 years from now or walking down a busy street tomorrow, then he or she will. It is, indeed, sort of like saying, "let's leave it up to fate" and wistfully hope for a film noir star-crossed ending to a certain chapter of your life. Most days, I challenge that in a caustic tone: "your fate is entirely up to you!" But on moonlit nights I wonder who gazes upon the same glowing orb that I do, and I think of everyone who has ever come into my life, and what has become of them. And there in my mind they will remain. Until some 13 years from now, perhaps.

Questions!

2009-08-26T18:05:00.004-07:00

To the kind person who is currently reading this:

1) How do I stop this outbreak of zits?! It's pissing the hell out of me :(

2) For anyone who lives/has been to LA and/or San Diego

a) what's good to eat? I am open to absolutely anything and everything on a reasonable budget. I don't really believe in fine cuisine - neither can I afford it.
b) where do I go for awesome affordable vintage shops?
c) any other MUST SEEs?

Marmalade Girl

2009-08-25T01:47:00.005-07:00

I ate marmalade on crackers this morning before stumbling in to work at 615 in the morning.

It's irritating how the acerbic taste of citrus still lingers, like cruel words waiting to cookie crumble from the roof of my mouth.

A Life Unlived

2009-08-21T03:02:00.006-07:00

Everyone in the firm has been coming up to me today and saying, "Omg, you're in the prime of your life, man. How I wish I was young and having a ball again...you know, doing batshit crazy things like having strings of girlfriends, snorting lines of coke and drinking like a fish".

Then it occurred to me that the best three years of my life have gone by and I don't have a gym bag full of crazay stories to tell. Not that I want to have strings of girlfriends, snort lines of coke or drink like a fish. Crazy does not merely encompass such things. I could climb Mount Everest...that'd be crazy. I could train for the Kona Ironman...that'd be crazy too. Well, whatever. I like to think I age slowly and have moral high ground most days, contrary to what some people may think.

LA and San Diego in exactly 21 days! YES.

Image du Jour

2009-08-19T22:41:00.004-07:00

Source: garance dore

Next week, next week.

i want to be a panda

2009-08-18T22:18:00.009-07:00

We were talking about the following photo today over the wonder that is MSN -

(source: fashionispoison.tumblr.com)

- and I said I wanted a pet panda after staring at the delightfully fuzzy thing. Mind you, I am hardly into furry miniscule creatures and slobbering animals, unlike most other girls I know; I am a coffee-drinking, alt-rock-listening, platform-loving sort of person.

Anyway, he suggested colouring a chow chow black and white so that it could potentially look like a panda.

We then proceeded to name this potential panda-dog Zoe for reasons only we can laugh about until the day we die.

ETA: Some people have already done it (the panda-dog thing) and gotten slammed!

LOLZORS

Luvs

2009-08-18T18:18:00.007-07:00

I love online shopping for several reasons:

Topshop lace blazer

Topshop Kameryn brogues

(I already have one in bright pink, but hey, how often can you wear pink shoes around)

And if - touchwood - nothing goes wrong (thanks to Lucrecia)

THE boots I have been looking for since MKO debuted them (ok fine she debuted the real $4000 Balenciaga ones) in 2007 :DDD so excited!!

Macbook Blues

2009-08-16T22:21:00.003-07:00

My stupid Mac hung halfway while skyping yesterday and now it refuses to start up like a normal computer; it takes about 20 years to load and even then it hangs halfway. Conclusion: it serves absolutely no purpose right now.

!! Fknhskfnklsdfmsdl FML.

It now lies helplessly in the hands of what I like to call a "Computer Beng", although the dude works in an Apple store in Pavilion, not Accomix in Taman Segar. I fail at fixing computers. Guh.

Maybe now I can move on to non-computer related activities in the evenings, such as reading a book, watching TV and - heaven forbid - socializing!

I love the Swedes!

2009-08-13T22:50:00.003-07:00

Source: Stockholm Street Style

My ideal outfit! I reckon I have contemplated buying all the things that she is wearing - from the Marc by Marc clutch (I wanted it in blue) to the white Zara blazer to the all-bow-down-and-worship Acne Atacoma platform wedges. And it looks like she is wearing my Topshop bandage skirt.

Now I want to go home and change :(

Breakfast Talk

2009-08-13T19:35:00.004-07:00

A: I'm eating cereal - so healthy!
L: Depends what kinda cereal right :D Frosties is good...milo cereal..
A: Bran with raisins. Yum.
L: Eee so healthy! Issit gross?
A: No I eat this everyday
L: Bran doesn't sound tasty though. I used to feed my horse bran when he was sick

Heart

2009-08-13T04:31:00.006-07:00

Source: heartbeatbox

So close no matter how far

Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Your Daily Dose of Fashion Blog Hating

2009-08-12T19:54:00.011-07:00

I spent the morning reading this gargantuan thread of comments HERE (after having done all my assigned tasks, of course; I am an awesome intern kthx) flaming famed fashion bloggers like Rumi and luxirare.

Again, I bring up the pertinent question at hand:

Why the fuck do people take others so seriously?

Granted, plenty of these bloggers don't particularly express themselves in words very well, but what the fuck right nobody reads anymore these days. They're smart, they KNOW how to garner attention the way Paris Hilton amassed a ridiculous amount of attention with her badly made sex tape! Who reads whole essays discussing the volatility of Middle East politics anymore except gnarly old professors at universities who make money from writing such essays?

Granted, these popular bloggers may be filthy loaded rich and actually have enough to buy a pair of sky high YSLs or Chanel lace booties as and when they fancy. But if they have an ex-model mom/rich husband/hot photographer boyfriend to mooch off, hurray for them! Three pairs of Chloe boots in different colours doesn't make a difference to their bank balances. Sickening, yes, but shoes are harmless. Why isn't anyone deriding rich teens who openly abuse drugs? Shoes >> drugs. And really, what difference does bitching about how many shoes Jane has make anyway? She STILL and always WILL have an entire wall filled with shoes!

This is all a bit like reality TV but on the Internet. You know it's wrong and a fucking waste of time but you watch "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" anyway. Or "Malaysian Dreamgirls". (Hi ex-housemates)

Fashion blogs are probably not worth 120 300+ word mini essays filled with unpleasant comments, though. There are better things to put our time to, like actually earning money so you can buy some of these nice expensive things instead of just ridiculing others INCESSANTLY for owning them and photographing them on a daily basis. If anything, looking at beautiful things should make you want to work harder next time. As my ex-housemates like to say, "Why the hell are you so life-less?"

I read such things with an objective and sarcastic point of view. For every comment, there is a sarcastic subtitle somewhere beneath it in my head. Or maybe just a plain "LOL". After all, where would the world be if nobody got annoyed for no apparent reason at all? I don't think anyone would have evolved by 2050. We'd just be a bunch of really dull apes scratching each other aimlessly.

Good Intern, Bad Intern

2009-08-12T03:19:00.004-07:00

It's kind of hard existing in a corner trying to do your own thing - churning out reports, finding random facts about companies you've never heard of until 2 seconds ago - when one boss tells you to not go on MSN while the other blatantly does so and reads papers during morning meetings.

This is all heavily reminiscent of my childhood when my mother played The Bad Parent and my father the Good Parent.

Okay fine so it is a bit rude to read papers during meetings, but my brain wakes up upon reading the latest juice on Teoh Beng Hock instead of the latest on equities spoken in a language from another world. People in this business take themselves too seriously. Honestly. People in bloody general take themselves too seriously.

On another slightly more superficial note, my shoes from geisha rock are here!

Leopard Porn

2009-08-11T07:34:00.005-07:00

The following shoes were designed to haunt me for the rest of my life 'til I make enough moolah to afford them.

Source: net-a-porter

But this.

If I don't get my fat hands on the leopard print ones, I will be a very unhappy ~~child~~ woman-child. Nobody will hear the end of it.

And I mean nobody.

Out

2009-08-10T00:42:00.002-07:00

Faerie Child

2009-08-06T21:25:00.003-07:00

Photo: The Sartorialist

I love the idea of wearing brown brogues and a flouncy white dress.

Routine Excitement

2009-08-05T22:39:00.007-07:00

A lot of people my age often blog about feeling jaded and bored with life. I can't exactly exclude myself from that lot, unfortunately. However, sometimes when life hands you lemons, you grab the lemons and squeeze all the fucking juice out of them.

Having said that, I am feeling particularly excited for two reasons today:

1) I will be flying to San Diego via LA this coming 11th September. The date is not on purpose, I think, because orientation starts on the 16th. What better way to discover America than exploring the city filled with blonde woo girls in skinny jeans and soy chai latte drinkers! My mother is feeling particularly anxious because she fears not being able to eat at will. She may be right. I am an unabashed and oftentimes hypocritical victim of this Hollywood need to be svelte and vain.

1a) I was on americanapparel.net; this always gets me going. I am also very excited at being able to visit The Wasteland and LA flea markets without worrying about the weather like I used to back in London.

1b) I have grand plans to visit Boston and New York in December. I think I've watched enough Sex and the City to get my jakun* levels all revved up. Not to mention about all the things people have been telling me about outlet shopping outside NYC.

1bi)I also want to eat a hot dog from a roadside stall on a rainy day in NY. I don't care what people say about the abundance of Michelin starred restaurants in NY and how I must try this and that place. Cheap street food is always the way to go.

1c) I want to hit up Vegas and pull a Katy Perry a la "Waking Up In Vegas" - me + Vegas = ~~$$$$$~~

2) Tomorrow marks the start of what I'm hoping will be a mad capped crazy weekend. Heh. Here's to turning 21.

*jakun - actually an aboriginal race of the Malay peninsula, but over the years this term has come to mean something to the effect of "village chump" i.e. someone who hasn't seen much of the world.

Hungers

2009-08-05T07:42:00.002-07:00

I never realized how shout-y I get when I don't eat.

Wait, that's a lie.

I do realize, but I still don't eat anyway until someone forces me to because they can't take the shouting anymore.

financials

2009-08-03T18:32:00.003-07:00

ooh, have been assigned first get-out-there-and-interview-people task re: launching of PNB's Amanah Saham 1Malaysia Fund.

Need to engineer ways to cleverly manipulate people so they don't think I'm a nosy intern trying to pry information out of them. I am no lawyer.