Fiesta Malaysia 2008

many malaysian in melbourne celebrated merdeka on sunday in federation square. Fiesta Malaysia 2008 was a celebration put up by various bodies to commerate 51 years of nationhood, of which ben was one of the enthusiastic volunteer (so many of us attended the event). many malaysian clubs of various unis sent their representatives and all of them jointly put up a good celebration party.

there were many games and performances, all of which represents the wonderful malaysian culture which we missed. tarian joget, zapin... blah blah blah... even siti nurhaliza and fish leung's song were sung (both malaysian artists)! of course, the proudest moments would be singing 'Negaraku' (Malaysian national anthem). speaking malay and singing the anthem in melbourne seemed exceptionally remarkable, considering in a foreign country. not forgetting also the pictures that we took with jalur gemilang (Malaysian national flag), having the small ones in our hands and wrapping the big ones around the body.

being a Malaysian, I'm proud of my country for the 51 years of standing strong as a nation!
*Malaysia Boleh!*

The Beauty Entrapment

didn't sleep for a whole night, just to finish up the 3000-words organisational change essay. =( but I manage to survive it and chuck it into liz's pigeon hole at 330pm on friday, just 1.5 hour before due time. *phew*

so after resting for merely 30 mins on the bed, I rushed through dinner and went to melb uni for yet another play. this time its by the CTG (Chinese Theatre Group), putting up a historical performance. it was one of the episode in the whole HUGE story entitled 'Romance of the Three Kingdom'. I didn't quite remember the details about it, simply because I browsed through that book when I was in sec 2/3 (I can't remember which year was it). and I had the simplified version of that story too...

essentially the play enhanced my understanding of this particular part of the story. the characters were confusing, considering each character had their unique personality which was told over the whole story. anyway this particular excerpt was revolving about a beauty whose brother was a king and was married to another king. her brother has used her as part of his plan to reclaim his lost lands. then she realises that actually her husband's aim wasn't that piece of land but the central plains instead. yadaa... yadaa...

I don't hold anything against chinese history, especially when it comes to this kind of fight here for land fight there for air stuff. but I was quite turned off during the play simply because I was exhausted. no offence, I did hope for it to end as soon as possible. I wouldn't say it was a great performance, lots of areas to be improved and also I can see that it was not well-rehearsed. still, there are strenghts about that play. like how they managed the stage and used the dimensions, utilising the limited space available. the transition in between acts and scenes were good too!

anw, went to support the play mainly because of simyee and shanyi (the 2 pretty girls beside me). even though they claim themselves as 'small potato', I think their effort pumped into the production certainly made it a good one! =)

What binds us?

a musical presented by CMG at University of Melbourne.

from an audience's point of view, the musical is quite a successful one considering the production team consists of no one else but we students. attempting to start a musical from scratch seriously is not a day or two's effort. the sweat and tears being pumped into the production, rehearsals and the numerous shows... I can feel it through their performance. of course, it was because of the passion and commitment which sustained their enthusiasm and their positiveness. indeed, it was a GREAT performance put up. *claps and cheers!*

a broadway musical standard, with the fusion of chinese lyrics and topped with a pinch of 'attraction' in terms of having live band playing live music. in a way, music that are not subbed in provides a first hand experience for us the audience to appreciate music in the first hand manner. I guess more or less having a live band closes up the distance between audience and the casts. it was a link that was significant, crucial and attracting attention. that was the power, and also the 'thing' that made me attend the show. (oh, did I mention that the two guys at the cello was cute-looking?!)

and lady luck seems to be on my side =)
by luck, I was awarded with a $50 Kbox voucher. but then I realise as part of the gimmick, a $100 minimum expenditure is set. so I guess it'll be one fine day that I'll go and sing k lo~

tired. I need to rest for the longgg journey lying ahead of me.
rest well everyone! =)

Quizzz

its going to be a posts with a lot of quiz results.
just because I still cannot get my work started. *oops!*
but all these tells a little more about me. =)

***
Your EQ is 147:

• You are remarkable when it comes to relating with others.
  
• Only the biggest losers get under your skin.
• You are warm and open.
  
• Even when life gets you down, you're unafraid of the world and its challenges.
• You are comfortable with who you are.
  
• And you accept your weaknesses - as well as the weaknesses of others.
• While you are quite stable, you don't respond perfectly to every bad situation that comes up. But you have enough emotional intelligence to know when you need a course correction.

funny how I can have such high emotional intelligence, but I guess that has got to do with my personality. I like the last point in particular, which actually says that I have enough emotional intelligence to know what I should do. somehow, I guess having an optimistic view and open to all ideas and thought allow me to look at the world the way it is and appreciate the nice things about it. well, life's not very nice nor very bad for me now, just that there are things that bother me a great deal. I do hope that everything clears away and I get to be less bothered. it just takes a lot of effort. a lot...

***
What your latte says about you:

• You are very decadent in all aspects of your life.
  
• You never scale back, and you always live large.
• You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious.
  
• Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls.
• You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it.
• You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult.
  
• You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree.
• You are sophisticated and daring, but you are never snobby.

***
What kind of cereal are you?
Fruit Loops.

• You're very fun loving and easily bored.
  
• You need everything in your life to be over the top.
• You are definitely attracted to shiny and colorful objects.
  
• If kids love something, you tend to love it as well.
• You a very short attention span and are easily distracted.
  
• You are likely to eat something very random for breakfast... or forget to eat it at all.
  

***
Are you an easy girl?
Guys think you're easy to be with... but not easy.

You're definitely a flirt - and a good one.
But you also know that you shouldn't make a move on any cute guy who passes by.
You save your seductive moves for someone who already knows the real you.
That way, your sex appeal is just part of the whole package.

***
so I guess that should be it.
I seriously have to start reading some journals and forming my train of thoughts.
before I panic and kill myself next week!
what more, I have an interesting weekend awaiting for me!

In the memories of all 19XXs

posting all these pictures from a forwarded e-mail entitled 'childhood of those born in 19XX'. like immediately after reading the e-mail I got reminded of what I did when I was really young. all these stuff above used to be in my world. even though some of them are still available in the market now, I don't think I will ever spend any more money buying them. but years ago, I was still so obsessed with all of them. those were the days...

indeed, we were quite easily contented last time. a paper can be folded into four corners and we get to come out with all the wordings (refers to the middle left picture). rewards can come in such simple and sweet forms (refer to the top left and middle right pictures). fascination over odd stationeries (refer to the middle center and bottom left pictures).

and those were the days... I miss being drowned by those simple happiness. =)

Forget me not.

how would life be, if you live without memories? in the movie 'a walk to remember', it was said that the scraping off of the sadness would take away the joy. adam once said that there's no need to turn the clock back because happiness is now. but what if there's no memory? as in, what if you wake up and realize that you cannot even remember.

'I don't remember how it feels to remember something'.
and seriously, the person that made this statement doesn't remember anything. he was suffering from memory loss, which was caused by viral infection. worse still, he can't remember his wife, which he had wed for 47 years. not to say he couldn't recognize her or something, just that he doesn't register the fact that he had this wife, thinking that she's just a person taking care of him everyday. his memory loss, was retrograde - no recognition of all past events.

imagine one fine day you wake up and you have forgotten what you have done in the past. not being able to remember what are the schedules for the day, what appointments are there for the week, which routines have to be performed yearly... and worse of all, what you are going to do for the rest of your life? everyday you figure out a new aim, which you will spend the next 15 hours working towards it. then the next day just wake up and search for another new goal and spend the next 15 hours working towards it. all those 15 hours' effort not being marked down, whatever that happened within that 15 hours not being 'recorded' in the mind.

memories can be an important life support for us. those happy ones especially. as for those sad ones, they serve as lessons and mistakes. constantly reminding us not to repeat. even those everyday random memory, they are important. for all you know, those little details within it may become something that you hold on to one day. if it wasn't because of our past, what will become of us? if it wasn't because of those memories, will we know what's happiness and what's sadness? will we be able to not commit the same mistakes again?

there was a recent post which I said I am scared of losing myself. who am I if I can't remember what I've gone through? where will I be if I can't remember what I did yesterday? with all these questions bombarding in my pea-sized brain, then I see the SIGNIFICANCE of holding on to memories. not only the pretty ones but also all the others. I may not remember them forever (consider when I age my memory will start to 'malfunction' also) and there's just no way for me to taste and experience all those again. but at least, having these memory help me know who I am, what I can do (or what I cannot).

I am glad for being able to remember.
I feel safe for knowing who I am now.
it was for all those past events that made me what I am today.
and its all these that shape me into what I will become.

那些曾经

当曾经珍惜的一切除了回忆变什么也不是
是时间仁慈 治愈了所有伤痛
还是时间残忍 让人身在世仿佛南柯一梦？

Nanyang Girls' Concert Band

week 4 is coming to an end now that its friday again. seriously speaking, a 3-day timetable makes the week feel shorter, basically because 4 days are considered to be weekend. of course, having a long weekend means that I slack away more time and no work is being done. worse of all, I have an assignment due on the 28th August and I am right here typing and typing. *bless me*

its the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony today!
honestly, I have nothing much to blog about.
just because I am not a fan of sports, this event is just like a name on my calendar.

was just doing the random blog surf around the blogs on my link list. on a time like this, it is quite common to find sec 4s blogging about their last concert and all those ups and downs and finally passing down. the whole emotional journey, the experience, the happiness and the sadness. perhaps because I went through it once, it made me feel nostalgic when I was reading the post. probably a lot of you would be wondering, why me still talking about band after such a long long long time. it has been 3 years since I left and I haven't been participating in alumni all these while. it still doesn't stop me from thinking about it and loving it, because its the love of my life.

I used to talk about band like my boyfriend. I quarrel with my parents because of it, screwed up my results because of it and dedicated most of my time to it. the support and the warmth that I've gotten from it, the smiles that it has put on my face and the troubles that made all of us grow stronger. essentially I didn't join band after nanyang, because my college is not that established enough and the environment was just not right. monash sunway didn't have a concert band, unlike monash philharmonic orchestra, which explains why I didn't go into any other band after NYCB. but even if there was, I bet the feelings won't be the same. at least, I won't be playing tuba because the guys play way louder than me.

unlike other instruments, I didn't invest in a tuba. this is perfectly logical because nobody would spend that few thousands just to buy a humongous instrument and play it at their free time. not like I am going for bachelor in music or something, which probably will influence me to own an instrument. when I first went to MPO for taster session, the person was like asking me what section did I came from. 'Basses.' that's the word that she was shocked by and then she asked where was my instrument. so my hopes to join band in university was dashed just because I don't own an instrument, a tuba to be exact.

at some points in life, I felt like I needed a band prac. just one that can allow me to play to my heart's content in the band room. M3-10, there were so many classrooms with this name occurring in my life, yet no one is like the M3-10 that I have spent so much of my secondary days in. it was a routine thing, go into the room, set up instrument (where I 'flip' over the case, open it and carry my precious instrument out from it), set up chairs and stands, warm up, tune and then pieces. I really miss those days! no matter how troubled with school work you get, how hard life gets, being able to relax and play music is just the best thing on earth to do.

yet, if only again was this easy.
and I know, NYCB has made a difference in all NYCB-ians' life. =)

Congrats!

Its funny how some things worked out.
but they just do and they worked out fine! =)
some close friends of mine just found their one.
congrats to them and may there be happy endings!

as for me, somehow my 'bravery' has earned me a special friend. I am glad for his acceptance because the friend request was made in a rather shocking manner. anyhow I'm just glad and will seriously treasure this friendship since it was not just a simple encounter.

busy uploading some pictures onto facebook right now.
I ought to be working on my assignment which is due in 3 week's time.
OD n OT, which can be funnily deciphered as overdue and overtime...
yet I'm suppose to argue on their differences (development and transformation).
the readings are mounting up and I'm still lala-ing my days away.
how great can that be?!

I shall return to work and hopefully get something done.
all the best to those that are starting uni/started uni recently.
all the best to everyone in doing everything!

ps: datou!!! where are pictures for LIMELIGHT?!

Tagged.

Instructions:
Remove 1 question from below and add in a personal question, make it a total of 20 questions.
Then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post.
Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. At what age do you wish to marry?
The age where I meet the love of my life.

2. What is your most favorite thing to do?
Resting every single part in me --- sleeping!

3. If you have a close close close friend since childhood who loves to take away whatever you like, including guys/girls, and he/she always wins, will you still consider him/her your friend?
If he/she is already my 'close close close friend', he/she will not snatch whatever I like.

4. What would you give up in return to eat all you want in the world and not get fat?
The thought of slimming down.

5. Is there someone in your heart right now?
Yes, there is.

6. Do you believe you can survive without money?
No, unless money has a different usage.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
Myself.

8. What do you feel like doing, right now?
Be back in Esplanade for LIMELIGHT.

9. If there's someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
If there's such person, I'll then think about it.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
Understanding, Considerate and 'Informative'.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
To love me with his whole heart, never cheat on me and understands me.

12. What is the thing that will make you think he/she is bad?
When he/she is up to no good.

13. What are the characteristics of your dream job?
Work-life balance, ideal exposures, adequate returns.

14. Is anyone really perfect?
Nobody is perfect. Anyone and everyone that is nobody is perfect.

15. If you had a choice to be rich or happy, which one would you pick?
Happy.

16. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?
The procrastinator within me.

17. Who is the person that you can share all your problems with?
For now, the girl staying right next door to me.

18. How do you see yourself in 10 years' time?
Finding the optimum work-life balance.

19. What is the one thing you love about yourself?
I love myself till the bits!

20. If you can bring only ONE thing along with you to another world, what would it be?
Those beautiful memories in my mind.

8 person whom I tag:

1. David
2. Ivy
3. Ying Xu
4. Zhuo Jing
5. Sea Win
6. Adam
7. Kylie
8. Ting Hui