Torture.

Some of you might know how much I hate horror stuffs. I'll try to avoid anything with that word in it.

Unfortunately, I am not so fortunate to avoid it today. It began with Crystal and Jae Sern lepaking in my room, chatting casually. Then along came Yen Ling. Then came Ben. And finally, Yo Hei joined us. With so many people in a constrained room, they decided to tell real-life horror stories.

The only source of light came from my study lamp. We went on and on and on about the stories. From Taiwan to Japan to Malaysia.

After freaking me out, they decided to end it and leave me alone in my room. Oh how nice.

How am I gonna sleep in peace tonight?

Homely.

Wellesley Student Apartments, Apartment 13D. My home away from home. It's just so good to be here. Yen Ling is the best! So thankful that she included me in the apartment arrangement. :D


Our Thai friend, Jet made tomyam and cashew nut chicken for dinner


A closer look at the dishes

A treat for the Bliques!!!!!


Our own cilipadi is chopping cilipadi!

Room.

I realised I have never shown you guys how my room looked like.


This is the view from my room. Nothing extraordinary. Buildings and buildings everywhere. However, I can see Albert Park from here (far left on the picture, with lotsa trees). It was the venue for the Asian Lantern Festival on the last day of Chinese New Year (12 February) and from my room, I managed to watch the entire fireworks thingy they had on that night. First class seat :D


My table and comfortable bed. I expected the bed to be freaking hard. Manatau, it is actually quite soft. Aaaahhhh...


There's a connecting door to my flatmate's room but it's blocked by her closet. Frankly speaking lor, our room is only separated by one thin wall. Don't know why there is a connecting door also.

That's it. Someday I'll take picture of my campus and post it up for you guys :D

Oh My God.

I had a 2 hour break in between classes today. Went to the downtown shopping centre with Yen Ling and caught at free city bus back to the campus after that. Like a couple of mad women, we dashed towards the waiting bus. As I was walking towards an empty seat, I saw a guy who, like us dashed up the bus earlier. He looked familiar. I literally stared at him and he did the same to me too. Finally, I pointed at him and shouted, EUGENE THO!

If any of you were from Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (1) about 10 years ago (i.e Minggy, Chiams, Jun, Su Yi, etc.), you might know who I am referring to. Yes, Eugene is the guy who broke his arm in standard six and the guy we teased Su Yi with! Hahahahaha! :p

It is such a small world. Lost contact with him ever since we left primary school. Can't believe that I actually bumped into him here, all the way in Auckland, New Zealand! In a bus!

A 'lil update on him. He's currently doing his first year in medicine at Auckland University. Been here for only 3 weeks.

We exchanged numbers, so hopefully we'll get to meet up again!

I Will Survive!

Culture Shock.

I am so not used to the university life. Not when I am doing business in AUT. Since its a new building, I assume its a new concept too whereby all students sit in groups of 5 or 6 person on each round table. Student participation is so high that I get freaked out! Now, it's time to blame my home country's education system for not encouraging us to participate more in class discussion. This is what you get when you go uni. Freak out. Like me.

Been spoon fed for too long already. This whole uni thing will be able to teach me to be more independent. Find my own notes, do my own referencing, do pre-reading and put in extra effort! I cannot believe that I actually went to the library after the first day of class, borrowed books and actually started studying! This is so so so so not me.

If I was studying in KL, you think I'll head to the library and borrow books and study immediately?? You must be joking. Back home, I only study when the exam is near. Or when there's a quiz in class. Pre-study? There's no such word in my dictionary!

I thought on the first day of lesson, there won't be much to do. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I have this portfolio thing I have to complete by this week and some short essay to write. Come one, man! It's just the first week! Give me a break!

Fire Drill.

Interestingly, I was told by my flatmate, Vy Wen that there will be at least 4 fire drills in the students apartment in a year. The fire alarm is attached in every single room therefore in any event of fire or fire drill, we'll we awaken by it. If it ever happen (touch wood!), the bad thing about it is walking down the stairs. We're staying in level 13!! It's like... almost the top floor (there's 14 floors). That's not all. After the drill, they wouldn't on the lift immediately. Instead, they expect you to walk up to your apartment. LEVEL 13!!!!!!!!!!! Imagine doing that 4 times a year....

After awhile, it hits me that if there's a fire, I will need to grab my important documents. So, I had to replace my passport and air ticket (if the whole apartment ever burns down, I still get to go home! So the air ticket is a must!) from its 'well-hidden place'. Also, I decided that all of us should wear 'something nice' to sleep everyday. Hahaha! Since we'll be running out and grouping up after that, it's safer and not so memalukan!

Next, I talked to my friend/ex-IACT college mate, Pamela about the drill too. She used to stay in Wellesley so she could tell me some stuffs about it. She told me about how cruel and evil the RAs (Residential Advisors) were as they would make the fire drill at 6am or earlier. Now, isn't that so interesting. Those who sleeps like a pig, be prepared to be roasted! :p

The whole chat about the fire drill was interesting as I moved in without any knowledge about it. I guess I am prepared if the 'fire alarm of horror' ever sounds.

Went to sleep without thinking much about it.

12am
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1am
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2am
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3am
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4am
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5am
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6am
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Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee! Ooooooiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!

What the... We just talked about the drill yesterday! Now it has happened.

Woke up and immediately assumed that its the fire alarm (since it was so annoying). Alarms from the opposite halls of residence was heard too. Didn't care whether its the drill of the real thing, I just grabbed my passport and air ticket. Vy Wen knocked on my door and there was an annoying face on her.

Vy Wen: I am going back to sleep.

As if influenced by her, we didn't even make an effort to participate in the drill and went to the toilet instead.

After that, we walked over to her window, peeped out and we saw lotsa people starting to walk out and group at the street opposite.

Vy Wen: Go back to sleep la! They are having a BBQ!

Me: What? (I thought they have burned the apartment from their BBQ. Looked down and saw the RAs nicely preparing food on BBQ pits instead)

Vy Wen: They wake people up with that drill then go for the BBQ! I am so going back to sleep eventhough they serve good breakfast.

Me: Oh.

So that's the story of my first fire drill. I thought everyone will get "excited" by it or something. Manatau... I think most of them who stayed in here for more than a year rather sleep than participate in the drill since they know the 'trick' of the RAs.

1 down, 3 to go.

High school's fire drills are nicer. Hehehehe. Get to skip classes! :p

Cure.

I've found my cure for homesickness. Was feeling quite miserable the whole day today. Decided to give my mom a call back home. Felt soooooo much better after that. The 'no appetite' feeling went away and felt so freaking hungry. Ate Maggi Mee and felt so good after that.

Many of my friends told me that the best way to cure homesickness is not to call home. Calling home will only make it worse. I tried that. Tried to hold on. Felt so miserable that I finally decided to give up. Used up all the credit from the IDD card I bought.

For me, the cure for my homesickness is definitely to call home. Like what Pamela said to me, "talk to them everyday and it felt like they had never left you at all!" Now that I've told my mom to at least try to call me once a day, I hope what Pam said is true!

Call me a baby or anak manja or whatever you want. I just wanna make myself feel better and try to enjoy my stay here!

Also, gotta thank my new found friends who took me out to buy stuffs, comforted me and taught me stuffs I needed to know. Great bunch of people.

Kia Ora!

Good health and hello folks!

Miss me yet?

I sure did miss every single one of you guys back home though. My family especially. Feeling so so so so so so homesick. The feeling totally set in during dinner and bedtime. Dinner was with my friends, so it wasn't like a lonely dinner or anything. Its just that I have no appetite and our dinner consist of SALAD. Only salad. We didn't know what to cook so... I think I'll lose weight if I eat that everyday. Hmmmm...

My parents left yesterday morning (NZ time) and I miss my mom so so so so much! Would wanna call home right now but its only about 5.45am back home. I know that once I hear her voice, I'll burst out crying. Shit man. I just have to tahan till uni starts. By then, it should be alright. Hopefully.

At times like this, time passes really really slow. Just to let you guys know, I might come back in June. At this moment, I don't think I can stay here the whole year without going home. I miss everything back home! I miss my mom and my niece the most.

Come online and talk to me! Keep me occupied. Please.

Yen Ling!!!! Cepat datang laaaaaaaaaaa. I need a comforting shoulder to cry on!