Y U NO

Y U NO GUY series has been fun to kill the boredom of revision.

on revision:

on exams:


on the rabbit at home:

on the weather:

Happy New year!

haha I know this is a super belated post as it's already 23 days post new year. I was reading my blog entry 2009 new year's and thought to myself, what did I do on new year ah and nearly couldn't recall. so before I forget, i better write it in this blog.

it was just like any other days I guess. New year's eve was on Friday, there was no cell group and we did not prepare a proper meal. We went to L&V house for thanksgiving and watched London fireworks on the telly. On New year day, we were rudely awakened by Steph who was annoyed because she missed her bus to London as her iphone alarm clock did not ring (others around the world were also affected lol). what a way to start new year!!

That evening, we went to L&V's house again for a steamboat and celebrated two church members' birthday! there was a game of mafia (in which everyone falls asleep and a killer wakes up and kill people).

Just a recap of 2010, it started off quite badly with lots of downs but thank God that looking back, I have not become weaker but stronger from all the struggles. Friendships were strengthened and spiritually I was more stable than the previous years. However, 2010 saw the leaving of many friends in Leeds and the breakdown of many relationships.

Last year, my specific goals were

1. serve in church

2. master the guitar

3. read 12 books

and I achieved no1 as i started playing keyboard for sunday worship in april last year and am now more involved in cell. Still got lots to improve on though because the confidence and the trust I have in God are still lacking. speaking of guitar, ironically, I told myself 2 years before that I would never play guitar but ended up liking it more than keyboard. I haven't yet mastered the guitar lol but thanks to my sifu, grahammchoo.blogspot.com and Esther who started the weekly guitar lesson in April (which unfortunately have to be discontinued because the sifu left :( ) ,I have started playing guitar for cell also! :D :D all glory to God

din manage to achieve no 3. don't think I even managed to read 5 books last year.

This year, my goals will be:

1. to learn to play by ear

2. to learn to sing!!

3. to maintain current weight (meaning no more losing weight :D)

4. read 6 books in a year (decided not to be too ambitious)

5. save a certain amount of money

Spiritually, I have made a few 'one-year deals' with God and pray that I will keep to the promise :D it will be a year when I learn to have full dependence and submission on God. good night!!

time

Yesterday I just celebrated a friend's birthday who just turned 19 years old. Gee, thanks to Lynda for reminding me that I was the 2nd oldest in the group >.<

How I wish time could just stop where it was and be forever 19.

Peak District 2008. Did you see that jet plane trail?

Alice in Alice in Wonderland put it aptly, "But then, shall I never get any older than I am now? That'll be a comfort, one way --never to be an old woman -- but then -- always to have lessons to learn!"

that would be great don't you think so?

blogs

It's really amazing how certain blogs attract people. Some people can do it with pictures but few words whereas some people only write but have no pictures in the entries. Yet yet yet...these blogs still draw the attention of hundreds, if not thousands of people continuously.

I guess it is the uniqueness these blogs possess which make them stand out from other blogs.

A few examples of blogs:

1. pictures only no words (but the author has stopped drawing pictures.)

2. words but no pictures (very interesting blog about a taxi driver who is a phd holder)

Interesting isn't it?

card reader

I gave my dad my old card reader which I got off 7dayshop which sells pretty cheap gadgets(though not a lot) and accessories. Fortunately when I went back to UK, the card reader was on offer! 2.49pounds, buy one free one! inclusive of delivery charge as well! super good deal. I believe you can't get that kind of price in Msia as one card reader costs at least RM20 (daddy told me).

link

It's not the fanciful type and pretty basic but it is good enough for me. I don't need to insert my cable into my bulky camera to transfer photos.

financial education?

Adapted from this article in BBC:

The UK government is spending £11.5m to help its citizen to manage their finances better. As part of this project, local schools were visited and children were given personal finances lessons. To ascertain the level of financial knowledge these children (all aged nine) already have, some questions were asked and one of these was how much does a house in the UK cost.

A house on average cost £150,000.

One said £1,256.

Another said £3,000 for a big house.

****

So I decided to ask my brothers, Joshua and TT how much the house they are living in cost.

Joshua, aged 10.5, said, 'hmm..I think it's RM10m'. Then he hestitated, and finally said, 'no, no..it's RM100m!'

Timothy, aged 12, when asked, gave the question a deep thought. But finally he said, 'I don't know'.

'Just say any amount TT, what do you think?' I prompted.

'Hmmm...I think it's Rm160k'. He said carefully, watching my expression. 'Mummy told me before but I can't remember already'.

I know that a semi detached house in my area cost RM300k. So the house I'm living in, which is a detached house, is definitely more than that amount.

If Timothy answered that question 25 years ago, he would have got the correct answer. Haha. Seems like mummy have to update him on the prices of houses now.

Winter has gone, spring has come.

Time to take out those flip flops and tank tops.

time to BBQ

see how good the weather is! very sunny

Happy spring everyone!

a very belated New Year post and updates

Hola!

Happy belated New Year! I must be the last person ever on this planet to wish everyone a happy new year. I wanted to blog about a few things which happened last month as I had the script in my mind but that when I sat down at my laptop and started typing, my thoughts were lost. In the end what I have faced is a huge list of half-written blog entries in my blog account.

There were so many things to blog about but I refrained. Somehow they were very personal and I did not want be blamed for anything for blogging about this and that.

OK! back to topic!

*****

it's a bit too late for me to blog what 2008 what has been to me but I must blog at least of this one of the main event which was Lizzie and Vincent's wedding on the 13th of Sept! (I actually wrote a half written draft on their wedding but deleted it in the end. I have even resized the pictures for the blog entry already! lol)

This was the first time I attended a friend's wedding! Maybe it's just me but I felt really touched when they were exchanging vows. The vows which give an everlasting promise that they will stick with each other even when there is sickness, poverty and ups and downs in their lives. They will go through it together and will never be apart (other than death). I find it very comforting to know that there will be someone (who is your non blood relative) who you can love and share your life with. I can't imagine myself being single all my life. But then again, I can't imagine the life I will have if I chose the wrong man and ended up suffering all my life. I'm a rather conservative person.

Other than that 2008 has been rather hectic for me. I didn't go abroad for holidays but I did go to Birmingham! I have also suffered much under a lot of overtime from my part time work but it has helped me reached my goal of earning just enough money for my 4th and 5th yr, some money for my electives and a return air ticket for myself to go back to Msia this year!

*****

So for 2009, I hope that

1. I could go back to Malaysia! My parents previously said that the reason that they wanted us to stay back during summer is to work and save money to fund our living expenses in 4th and 5th yr. So this year I should be allowed to go back since I have earned enough money right? I'm definitely not going to stay in the stone cold house alone in Aug when everyone in the house is back home! My housemate told me that we hv 2 months holiday for summer which was a really good news. Not finalised though but the medical school seemed very sure about it. I really want to go back!!!

2. I want to go for a holiday abroad (see if I could earn some more money. lol)

3. pass my OSCE exams (I will cry half dead if I fail)

4. go back to cell group and church after missing for more than one year alreadyn =(.

*****

This post is a big long coz I have cramped everything in this one entry. haha. It's not the end yet! Now I'm going to talk about my firms placement :P!

It was interesting but a little tiring. Every morning 4 days a week, I have to be at the hospital by either 8 or 8.30am until 4pm then off to work from 6 until 10pm. Hectic. it's like doing 2 jobs in one day. So far I could still cope with it. However I prefer my firms a lot than the past two years in uni. I get to see real patients and real life cases.

Two things I have known which are of vital importance for firms placement are confidence and initiative.

Confidence, confidence, confidence....it's so very important. I must be confident in presenting my case, in talking to patients, in taking bloods, in performing cannulation, in normal conversation with my groupmates, to bleep doctors and even walking around in hospital wards! no slouching please!

I'm also not the kind of person who ask questions and ask favour from people but when I'm thrown into the wards, I'm forced to do those which is very good. I found that English people are not that intimidating after all (lol). But I still struggle communicating with them. Any ideas on how to improve my spoken English or not? I really need to improve my pronounciation!

tagged

I'm not sure if it's a English thing but we Chinese like to do some really time-wasting stuff when we are really bored. Here is an example:

I have been tagged by someone and the rule is I have to answer the questions he posted.

The tag topic was wedding plan (lol):

How old are you?
21

Are you single?
single. not married yet

In what age do you think you'll get married?
hmm..maybe between 25-28?

Do you want a garden/beach or a traditional wedding?
I think beach would be nice

Your ideal motive? Motive of getting married?
I like the idea of having someone to spend my lifetime with and who will be with me through ups and downs, and thick and thin.

Where do you plan to go on a honeymoon?
places I havent been to

How many guests do you think you'll invite?
close friends and family

Do you want an extravagant wedding or a simple wedding?
simple

Do you want the traditional vows or something you'd make up on your own?
traditional vows. I'm a conservative person

How many layers of cake do you want?
no idea. maybe half of my height

Do you prefer having your reception at a hotel or a simple place?
hotel preferably. hahaha. poor future husband hv to spend more

When do you want to get married, morning or evening?
morning when everyone is feeling fresh.

You'd rather have your reception outdoors or indoors?
indoors.

Do you like a grand entrance for your groom?
yeah

Name the song/tune you'd like to play at your wedding?
oh oh..haha. I came across a few songs which I like: When God made You (by Newsong), In this life (by Ronan Keating) and I will be here (by Steven Curtis Chapman). Go listen to them in youtube! nice songs!

Are you a morning person or a night person?
now i'm morning. but i can be night

Do you want a solemn ceremony or a light one?
light

Describe your ideal husband/wife?
someone who knows how to cook and will cook for wife (like my dad!!!)
loves and respects me
loyal, faithful and gd tempered
most importantly, a Christian

Do you prefer fine dining or just the normal spoon & fork/knife?
spoon & fork/knife. fine dining too expensive for my future husband. haha

Champagne or red wine?
can choose chinese tea? it's cheaper. haha

Honeymoon right after the wedding or days after the wedding?
depends on our work. if possible right after the wedding?

Money or household items?
money

Who will pay for the bills?
if my future husband is rich enough then he will pay. if not both of us share the cost

Are you ready for married life?
nope. I still havent graduated yet!

Do you think you will still be a virgin until you get married?
well. what do you think? lol

Will you always be true to your wife/husband?
YES

How many kids would you like to have?
i think 3 will be ideal. but I might freak out after having the first baby

A new house for a newly wed or an old one?
new house

What kind of cuisine would you like for your wedding?
Chinese cuisine. I want shark fin soup!

Will you record your honeymoon in a CD or DVD?
DVD. bigger capacity. dunno any other advantages

Whose wedding plans would you like to know next?
hmm...anyone who's free to do this!

爱的感觉

I got this from someone's blog:

爱一个人，
要了解，也要开解；
要道歉，也要道谢；
要认错，也要改错；
要体贴，也要体谅；
是接受，而不是忍受；
是宽容，而不是纵容；
是支持，而不是支配；
是慰问，而不是质问；
是倾诉，而不是控诉；
是难忘，而不是遗忘；
是彼此交流，而不是凡事交代；
是为对方默默祈求， 而不是向对方诸多要求；
可以浪漫，但不要浪费；
可以随时牵手，但不要随便分手。



random note: I recently came across some Christians blog and I find them really encouraging and inspiring.

time to update!

It's Wednesday again.

In a blink of an eye, it's mid-week again.

Again in the early hours of the morning I'm writing this entry. I guess it's the best time when I have less distractions and I just got back from work. I wonder how my colleagues could sleep as soon as they got back from work. As I have to wait for about 2 hours or so before my eyes start to get watery and droopy.

I have just finished reading the book titled 'the diving bell and the butterfly'.



A rather short book I would say yet with vivid description of what the author's gone through when all he could do was blink his left eyelid to convey his message. It makes me appreciate things I have taken for granted, helped me realise how devastating it could be to be trapped in an immobilised body but with an active, still-functioning mind. This book is definitely a good read and it's now in a major motion film. But it's strange that I've never heard of the movie before. Hope to watch it someday.

Somehow this book is a bit related to another book which I'm reading now: 'When God doesn't make sense' by Dr James Dobson.


In this book it says, 'when one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.' How true isn't it? Isn't it better to be content with what we have than believing that life owes us a free ride and be dissatisfied with what it has to offer?

Anyway, I'm starting to enjoy cycling back from work in the early hours of the morning when the air is fresh and cooling. Last week's overtime work wasn't as daunting and dreadful as before as I was working with people I knew. Great time listening and talking to these people. But this week, I'm back with the group of people who only talk among themselves :(. Not that I bother as I find it very difficult to understand the strong Yorkshire accent they were using but talking to people makes 7.5 hours overtime feel like a breeze.

ok. time to sleep now. I'm planning to go swimming on Friday as my sisters and I managed to collect some free swimming vouchers from the frankfurters we bought. Miss swimming so much.

Ciaoz.

weather

You know there's a saying that when you have nothing to talk to an Englishman, talk about the weather.

Well, I have nothing to blog about so I shall blog about the weather!

wahahahahaha

The weather these days have been bad. It has been cloudy and rainy. Worse still, it rains when I go and come back from work.

no D200. Taken using camera phone at 5.47am on my way back home.

I couldn't be bothered bringing a spare to change my wet pants and thought no one would notice. But I didn't know that people did notice.

'Have you been cycling?' Someone asked me.

'yea.'

'I've noticed that you looked wet. Very wet.'

ooook..So someone did take notice of me being drenched.

Anyway, on another note, daylight is getting shorter now. The sky is already dark by 10pm and only gets bright at about 5am. Compared to last time when the sky was bright by 4am and dark only after 10-ish.

Oh...how I miss those days when daylight is soo long. :(

Esther the mousie is back

Esther is back from Sweden!

with a nicely tanned skin!

display pic

my newest display pic:

thanks to NH for making it! yay

Harry Potter

7 years...

Since I was first introduced to its first book, it had been 7 long years for the the final 7th Harry Potter to come out.



I passed by a local bookstore here and its shop window read, 'Come 12.01am 21st July to hang ur cloak for the last time.'

Somehow when I read it, I feel sad for those avid HP fans. It means that there won't be anymore HP books to look forward to in the years to come. It's like after watching a 20-episode series on tv, one-hour everyday, 5 days a week. Everyday all u look forward to is to watch what happens next in the episode. And when the 20 episodes finally ended, u will feel the sense of emptiness, as if u hv been devoid of sth important in ur life.

Well, I think that's how most HP fans will feel. I dunno.

anyways, I haven't read the 7th book yet. It cost 8.99 pounds here (u can buy it for 6.99 pounds at Woolworth if u spend 10 pounds and above) and in M'sia, the cheapest u can get is RM69.90. UK is still cheaper =).

Well, it's only 1.5 hours worth of work to buy one book (but in M'sia, I have to work at least 20 hours to buy that book..haha), but I shall wait to borrow it from the library.

I think I can wait that long but one thing I hate is that people who have read the book have no mercy on those who haven't. They boast about how they feel abt the ending etc. Grrr...\

Come on la people, be considerate a bit!

work

Tired and lonely at work...

I'm so sick of cleaning.

But I must persevere....

horror movies

For the past few days I've been watching a few horror movies with Steph & TW.

I used to think that horror movies (as in the ghost ones) are spooky and freaky. So scary until u wouldn't dare to sleep alone at night or even go to the toilet.

But like what Steph said, these kinds of movie are just some form of entertainment and instead of feeling scared when u see a ghost crawling, u will find it ridiculous and hilarious at how absurd it is!

Well, steph, TW and me have found out some common points of scary movies:

1. the spirits are always pretty females - who have even seen an ugly female ghost in the movie? Besides, the prettier the better coz it makes the movie spookier. I'm still yet to come across a male ghost btw

2. All spirits have long hair

3. The spirits are always wearing black or red or white. U dun see them wearing mutli-coloured clothes right?

4. Most of the time the spirits are jealous over some things

So, it's quite easy to become a DIY ghost:

see...!

Oops, seems like I need a haircut.

jobs

At this time of the year, students who have finished their exams are getting ready to balik rumah!

source

But I'm busy applying for jobs.


Uncountable application forms and CVs have been sent out.

But only one replied.

I even called them to ask but what I got was that they wanted experienced workers.

"I'm sorry but we would prefer students who have experience in customer service and admin. But we will email you the application form if u still want to apply."

I never got the application form.

I guess that's the politest way to turn down an application. Sigh. I wish I had worked in M'sia as an admin or clerk or cashier before. Be it one week or one month. Jz let me have that experience.

So far the one and only job which replied me is a cleaning job (not again!). But it's only a temporary job as I will only work for them for 7-10 days.

I jz came back the induction and they told me that the working hours are 9am-9pm! 12 hours! 5.5 pounds per hour. Like what Lizzie, another person who also went to the induction told me, 'I will drop dead by the 3rd day.' I guess I also will. And to add on, I'm still doing my other cleaning job from 6-8.30am. So meaning, I will be working 15 hours a day??

To think on the optimistic side, I get to lose weight during those intense working days..hehe =)

Another job which I got which is temporary is to work in the information team during the university's open day (which is tmr and Sat). Basically my job is to answer any qn that visitors may have. And being a medic is an advantage because they need medics to answer qn regarding the medicine course and I was the first few medics who applied for this job and got it. Will be working for 7 hours each day, 6.42 pounds per hour.

It will be a very good work experience as it will increase my chances of working on any other university's open day in the future. Thank God for the job!

Hopefully more job opportunities will open up and hopefully I will get a permanent job.

and hopefully it will not be a cleaning job this time.

my ear

In medicine, we learned embryology.

When there's something wrong with the cells division or when some parts of the body are not divided completely or for some other reasons...defects occur.

It can be due to genetics, environmental factors, mutation...

I would count myself lucky because I wasn't born with my intestines protuding out like this:

source

or born without limbs:

source

or have obvious defects like this:

source

But instead...





I have this:


For many years I have struggled with it. People have always wondered why I have never left long hair as I look better in long hair. Well, the reason is that if I leave long hair, I have to tie it no matter what (coz the weather is super hot in m'sia and high school rules which require us to tie our hair) and expose my ear.

'Aiyah, it's not obvious lar...why so scared to show ur ear?'

It's easy to say, but if u were put in my shoes, I think u'll understand. You can't help it but notice people staring at your ears when you are talking to them. Sometimes it's just too hard to ignore their stares.

Yeah, my case is not as serious as other people who have worse defects than me. At least I don't limp or I have some ugly big tumour on my face. Thank God for that. But, I really admire the courage of those people who dare to walk around with an obvious disfigurement.

What made me suddenly decide to leave long hair then?

Well, I dunno also. Haha. It was just suddenly an overnight decision to tie my hair or I would say an overnight change of mindset. I suddenly felt that I shouldn't think of what people will say about me anymore. Just be confident with myself.

I guess it's just part of life. Part of growing up.

That's why I started tying hair halfway through A levels ( if anyone realised that my hair was extremely short during the start of A levels, but towards the end of the course, my hair was long)

I still get comments from people who saw my ear.

'how come ur ear like that one?' -that's the most common question I usually get

One was rather amusing...haha

'oh my gosh Janice, what happened to ur ear?'...'I tot it was infection!!' (after I told the person)

-.-''



anyways, I dun get asked about my ear in the UK. I guess people somehow are more mature in that sense to keep their mouth shut. But I would prefer if people not stare at it.

People curious ma..what to do?