Back on the Apple wagon, yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, I was never off it because I've always had my MacBook but now I'm complete with my phone yayayyayayayyayayyayayayyayyay.

On another note, I'm so excited for Bali I can't even put into words how much I'm looking forward to this much needed vacation.

♡

VERBAL PHRASE QUIZZES CAN SMD. It gives me so much stress. Everything is so confusing. HAHA good luck to me going for a major in journalism.

My weekend was unbelievably tiring ish. Saturday was took the most out of me. I started my day at 830 when I woke up and I went down to the gym. Cycled 7km and ran 1.5km. Then I had an hour of pilates HAHA. Quite the good day for fitness then I got home, literally rushed to get clean and change and have lunch because I had to go to school to watch my school's varsity basketball team fight the KL Dragons. Yes, I know a varsity high school team versus a national basketball team? What are the odds of that happening? Well it did, we lost but only by 18 points. Whether or not the other team played their best or not doesn't matter we still played well. Josh, Ahmed, Anton, Michael, Shaun, Thomas, Jon, Tim, Joseph, Simba, & last but not least Josh T., the youngest on the team! They all played so well against these 5000ft. guys.

Not gonna lie, the KL Dragons is a really good-looking team MMMMMMMMMMM. HEHEHHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHHEHEHHEHE. 21, 23, 24, and 90. WOW. Except I know the names for all of them. I have got to stop identifying them by numbers....ok. They're all so tall.....well what do you expect they're all basketball players but holy crap ok. I felt like an oompa loompa I am not lying. Made friends with one of them yay.

Anyways, Sunday was cool. Had a really great lunch. Then a really great dinner.

Today's touch practice was tiring but SOOO good. So productive. Love practices like this. Ahh we need to do this more. I'm too lazy to elaborate right now. And I have work to do. I'm trying my absolute best to keep this blog updated but I'm so focused on work this year and volleyball during first season and now touch and then Habitat and the Beat newspaper I need to just chill. But we all know that's not going to happen with me rightrightrightright.

Bye.

Goals for Winter Break:

1. Run everyday for at least 25 minutes, when in Bali, on the sand for 20 and gym in the evening (optional evening session).
2. DO NOT EAT SO MUCH CRAP HOLY.
3. Study. A lot.
4. Get a good tan.
5. Eat and drink healthy.
6. Get fit............
7. Take actual good photos in Bali.
8. Upkeep my tumblr and blog well.

Bye.

Winter

Winter break is coming round!! Just about a week and I'll be off school.

Actually.

Not really.

Exams are right after winter break because our school is ironically stupid. But me being weird, I love making study guides and being hyperorganized. And I'll be studying by the beach. I cannot.

Can next week just decide to postpone itself to never?

Top 10 Scents

This took me a while.

1. Freshly shampooed hair
2. Hospitals
3. KLIA
4. Lavender
5. Oranges
6. Freshly baked cookies
7. The Body Shop
8. Dettol wipes
9. Freshly cooked food
10. Me after a touch rugby game

Stripped

Unfiltered photos. Different or the same? Better or worse? I never edit my photos so there should be no difference in quality or whatever a filter can't do.

Kinda like my photos naked.

Top 10 Sentences

1. You made a difference.
2. You contributed.
3. Let's go shopping.
4. Dinner's ready.
5. I worked out today.
6. I'm proud of you.
7. Gong Xi Fa Cai.
8. Love you! (Take this any way you want: with your best friend, your family, your other half, whatever)
9. Here's your new _________.
10. I was productive.

Top 10 Places

Back on the lists again yay.

1. New York City
2. London
3. My bedroom
4. Apple Stores
5. That little corner of the couch where all your body parts just fall into a comfortable position
6. Korean BBQ restaurants
7. Kikki K.
8. Honolulu
9. A stationery store in Japan, London, Australia or New Zealand.
10. Kuala Lumpur

I'm back

The H4H trip was absolutely amazing. Life-changing: for me, the homeowner and I would like to say my fellow builders too. Building was an experience with the little kids running around, having a great site manager and most of all, having my friends with me. I wouldn't have had that much fun if it wasn't for them. Will probably go into more detail when I have the time (I always say this so don't count on it but I really would like to post about it) because this trip was actually so amazing I cannot say anymore so here's a little photo diary. There are a lot more but here's just a few. The pictures make it seem like we were derping around the entire time but no. We built the entire exterior of the house and interior walls too. Last day was an R&R day when we went kayaking and toured around a little kampung for a bit so a bulk of these few pictures would be from then. :)

Btw/ some of the pictures may be repeats because I made them into collages ok. Kudos to Mona and the guides for the pictures. :)

Habitat for Humanity Kuching 2012: pretty damn fun.

(Picture courtesy of Mona)

This blog is going to be dead from today until I get back from Habitat for Humanity or feel like posting again. I will have so much work to catch up on and additional homework  so I just don't have the time.

Sorry to whoever that reads this blog. :(

Habitat for Humanity next week. Excited-ish but I'm dreading it so much. Gonna be missing league games, Six Nations tournament, another touch tournament, missing SOOOOOOOO much work from school and missing my bed and house and people. :( :( :(

Hopefully, it'll be worth all the stress.

I always stress myself over things...that I shouldn't be stressing about. JLFKDASLFJDAKLGD.

"War kills people from the inside out sometimes. In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."

Fun Fact: I learned the word 'nonchalant' from FRIENDS S10E1.

Interesting.

Week 2

Week 2 of November

A day of school, holiday, another day of school, holiday, last day of school for the week, weekend.

I guess you could say my week was pretty relaxed and laid-back but it definitely did not help with my productivity and sense of time management... Every piece of homework was attempted to be completed the day I got it. 90% achieved. But I have this huge World Studies project that I have to complete with a partner. And things aren't working out.

Next week he won't be here, and the week after, I won't. So our presentation date is being pushed to like the first week of December, which COULD be an advantage but since both of us would be busy for the entire week, there won't be any time to work on it at all. This is poo.

I have so much to work on and it's really boring. This is not fun.

My week's been insanely boring.

But I've actually watched the entire Cycle 19 of America's Next Top Model. Pretty good season I guess. The girl I supported the most didn't win. The girl I liked the third most won. So not bad! She's been a goooooood model throughout the entire cycle so she deserves it! Though she was a b*tch at some times, I guess she pulled it off.

I've seen that the next cycle will be for BOTH guys and girls.... Inside, I'm freaking out. Because the guys...oh goodness I cannot.

PLUS, Rob Evans as a judge. I'm losing it. DAMMIT ROB DAMMIT. You and your damn British accent and sexy body and beautiful face. I cannot. You're ending me.

What in the world should I blog about.

"Damn, the jellyfish! DAMN ALL THE JELLYFISH!!!" - Monica Geller 4x1

Week 1-ish

First-ish week of November. Quite the long one.

GOOD HELLO!

I haven't posted consistently. I don't like that. I mean, nobody reads my blog but the feeling of me not being consistent on something I WANT to be consistent on...isn't very delightful.

Anyways, so I got back on Sunday (4.11) at like 12am and I had a stomachache. My mom was the best and gave me some pills to help the air and discomfort and whatnot. And I used my grandfather's traditional oil thing to rub on my stomach to help sooth it. All those helped a little. Didn't work entirely though. I thought "Oh, I'll be fine by morning." Damn, was I wrong. I forced myself to go to school because I had a World Studies test to endure and a math class I couldn't miss. Also, I had the first touch rugby training after school but I was just feeling to weak and fatigued to go to it. So instead, I went to the doctor's. He said I had some acidic stomach thing and that it was caused by stress, change of diet, change of sleeping schedule and exhaustion. Well, honestly, I could see why. 1. I was under a lot of stress since I had the World Studies test FIRST THING Monday morning and barely had any time to revise for it. I also had some Science homework AND I was on the starting six for volleyball so I pressured myself so much. 2. My diet didn't really change...my eating times did though. I don't even know... 3. I slept at 11 and woke up at 530. Do the damn math. 4. Two-game day, three-game day, one-game day. All best of five and fought so hard. Barely got subbed off - holy crap. Nonetheless, the feeling in my stomach lingered throughout the day and into the night. I hated it.

On Tuesday, it was a half-day THANK THE LORD. I felt absolutely fine in the morning, took my meds and went off to school. Touch practice was HOT. So HOT. Seriously oh my god. A handful of us actually got tans and poor Danielle got a sunburn on her nose. Aw, bless. After practice, I went home and then the pain starts. For some reason, I feel fine in the morning and then the pain comes about midday or in the afternoon. I resisted it until Thursday then I just had to go to the doctor again. I left school early and went to the clinic and the doctor re-consulted me and gave me different meds. Those worked like magic. I had to miss the first friendly game though, I was so depressed that I did. But we won!!!!!!!!

I was well by Friday, yay. Had quite a good day then. Saturday for me was productive...I think. Finished my math homework the moment I woke up, went to PIlates then went to the hairdresser's to get my hair and make-up done for my cousin's wedding dinner reception thing. Got home at like 545 and left at 6....speed getting-ready-session. We were like a decade late lolol. But then we got there, and were like 4 out of 20 present people. The dinner was probably for like 100 people. HAHA. It lasted til about 11 and we got home at 12.

Anyways, today, I studied for my English Vocab quiz, both words AND etymology, and my Mandarin test. ATTEMPTED to do my science homework. It didn't work out - I don't get jack. Then spent the rest of my day playing Diner Dash...........and Sally's Spa........and Sally's Salon. BECAUSE I HAD NOTHING BETTER TO DO OKAY. Well, I watched some FRIENDS too okay.

Adios.

你好。

Forgot I had a blog.
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hi.

I hate packing. With a passion. It causes so much stress. Always thinking I'm going to forget something. And I hate traveling by myself because I can never rely on myself. For example, if I have one plug converter and two things to charge.....what the heck and I going to do?

I need to stop worrying.

Away for volleyball tournament from tomorrow until Sunday. I'll get back suuuuper late at night....so I won't even bother to post anything.

Bye.

29.10

QUITE THE GOOD DAY!

Phys Ed first. I had the new teacher for the first time and he's pretty cool. He's from Spain so +2000 cool points. We were originally going to do orienteering but since the compasses were locked away somewhere we couldn't so we just played some games on the field. Then English was numbingly boring. Actually, it wasn't too bad. We did grammar work. I like grammar but sometimes the explanations are too confusing. HAHA and I want to be a journalist, good luck me.

Business is probably my favorite class. I got my entrepreneur report back and I got a gooooood grade I'm so happy. I'm doing quite well in that class surprisingly. I was expecting to be clueless but thanks to my mom being in the business sector and me being Curious George with promotions (shopping ahem) and whatnot, I know a handful of things. Quite like that class, yes. We take a lot of notes in the class and with our own methods. We don't take notes like we did in Science last year. Science was basically bullet points of babble. Also because I only used on color on loose sheets of paper. In business, I use my favorite notebook with colors yay. And better handwriting than Science.

Mandarin was not bad! We were left alone to write essays and I was productive even with music on. YAY.

Then volleyball. Not too productive but the last ten minutes was spent playing Queen's Court and each team only had three people. I had Danielle on my team, I was so happy. Our third player...............................................................................doesn't call the ball, doesn't know when to volley or bump the ball, doesn't GO for the ball and doesn't try basically. So it was just me and Danielle playing most of the time. And we rushed for SO many balls. I literally was sprinting all around the court with Danielle holy crap it was amazing. And we got the point multiple times due to us sprinting everywhere and placing the ball in "smart" spots. I was so happy with that. The rest was acceptable. Have to get my serves back on though. *Slaps self*

Goodbye.

ugh

School starts tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it at all. I miss my friends and all, and sure, some days I have absolutely nothing to do but I'd rather be not doing anything and laying on my bed than doing schoolwork. Sigh. Can't wait for junior and senior year, right?

Anyways, I'm going to do this assignment that I don't have to do but I'm going to SEASAC soon so I might as well do it in case it's the homework assigned during SEASAC. That way I won't have as much due. Not looking forward to make-up work as well. Hopefully the teachers start off soft...and not have as many major assignments due like the last two weeks before the break holy -.

I plan to get that homework assignment done and get my arrangement for Justin Bieber's 'As Long As You Love Me' done. NO, I don't like Justin Bieber, I'm covering the song because Anthem Lights did a phenomenal cover of it and I like their version of it. But since the song is the bieboob's I have to credit him. Sigh. It's not really going to be an arrangement since I don't have to do much with the music I just gotta determine my breathing, melodies, ad-libs and harmonies and all that.

If I have time, I'll go to the gym. Or if I bother since I can basically do some kind of workout in my house and I had the best pilates workout yesterday. And volleyball tomorrow. And the day after and the day after and the day after and the day after and the day after and the day after what with SEASAC and all.

Just really hate the fact that we get back on Sunday. I hate Sundays.

I FINISHED THE BOOK I FINISHED THE BOOK GOOD RIDDANCE GOOD FRICKIN RIDDANCE.

So today I'm just going to lay in bed and watch the Big Bang Theory and I worked out today (Pilates yay) so I feel gooooooooood.

Bye.

There's something about New York that's just not leaving me.

I just need everything to be normal again.

Revamped the blog to make it look more simple. More black and white than before. I really want to get rid of the NavBar at the top where it says 'Follow' and all that but it really helps cus I get to go to my dashboard and design tab faster... First world problem? No?

So close to finishing 1984 I'm so happy. Today started off really (and I mean really) lazy then I got to reading. I literally did nothing besides read, talk to some friends and go on twitter in the morning today. I did nothing.

Hermit, much?

At least I won't have any mandatory homework to do over the weekend. But I might as well because if I do do the non-mandatory homework, I'll be ahead in class. That can't be a bad thing right?

Hm.

Actually want the new iPhone so bad - I cannot stress this fact enough.

I sound like a naggy child. I can be one. But sorry if I come off as one to you right now. It's just so beautiful.

Tunes

1. As Long As You Love Me (Cover) - Anthem Lights
2. Live While We're Young - One Direction
3. What You Know - Two Door Cinema Club
4. Hall of Fame - The Script
5. The A Team - Ed Sheeran
6. You Need Me, I Don't Need You - Ed Sheeran
7. Isn't She Lovely/California Girls Mashup - Lakyn Heperi
8. California - Radical Something
9. Hey LA - Ryan Beatty
10. Love on Top (Cover) - Leroy Sanchez
11. When You're Looking Like That - Westlife
12. Queen of My Heart - Westlife
13. Safe - Westlife
14. Pumped Up Kicks (Cover) - Lakyn Heperi
15. When You Look Me In The Eyes (Cover) - JayEss Lee & Andrew Garcia
16. Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
17. Favorite Girl - The Icarus Account
18. Payphone (Cover) - Paradise Fears

The iPhone 5 has really appealed to me considering the fact that I'm a BlackBerry user - a laggy one in fact. I AM getting the iPhone 5 but I just don't know which color...

My mom's just told her pal to get me one in London that's white and that's completely fine. Both phones look really good. The black gives off a sleek & cool look but the white one is sort of classy and cute I guess. I don't really like the silver plate at the back but then again, it's going to be covered up! A negative to the black and it's sleekness (mainly coming from the fact that it's completely black) is that the black plate and sides chip off if they're ever scratched or dropped. It's because of the plate being originally silver but just painted black.

And I've always wanted a white iPhone. The black one does look cooler when locked because of it being all black BUT knowing me, I'd probably drop my phone myriad times and the plate might as well be silver by the time I'm done with the phone.

Ca-nnot wait.

24.10-25.10

Okay, I don't really have time now considering I have about 90 pages to read of the world's most boring book- 1984 by George Orwell but I'll blog for the sake of keeping this blog active.

Yesterday
I finally, finally, finally, finally got to meet up with my girlies Alyssa and Sabrina for a day out on the town! It sucked for me though - I had literally no money. Well okay, 80 ringgit but what can one get at H&M, Topshop or Sephora for 50 ringgit (by this time, I've just spent about 30 ringgit at lunch cus we had to split the bill etc. at Nando's), HM?! It was depressing. Alyssa and Sabrina were getting pretty things and I just stood there watching HAHA. I really wanted a couple of sweaters and some tanks and some tops from H&M and some pots of nail varnish from Topshop but. I was broke + 50 ringgit if that makes sense.

It was jolly good fun catching up with them I haven't seen Sabrina for AT LEAST four months and Alyssa for about 2. I saw her when I visited my old school during summer hols. Alyssa and I went over to Sabrina's house and took off for the city. We had lunch then walked over to Sephora and H&M before heading back to Topshop.

It was a good day until I got back home and had to face the wrath of a case study report and 120 pages of absolute boringness.

Today
Woke up at 9 and then I left for some hair treatment thing at the mall. Got back at about 2 after grocery shopping with my mom and then I've been reading since. This book (1984) is insanely laggy and boring. The whole plot is sci-fi, which I don't like in the first place and the "government" of the book's setting.....I can't. The book may not be boring for you, but for me it's the worst book. Ever. Well, maybe until I read another book during the school year. The next book we're set to read is Macbeth and I'm not looking forward to it. Can I just read The Kite Runner right now?!

Semester 1 reading: BOO.

Breaking the bw scheme of my blog here but ahh finally.

It's fall break! Fall-elujah. HA. HA.

I should be blogging more often because it's the holidays. But I'm not because I've been going out during the day and night and I don't have time because of all my holiday assignments.

But today I went out to The Gardens and caught up with Krystal, Imran, Michael and Sara! I haven't seen Sara in the longest time and it was great seeing her. We watched Taken 2 and honestly, it wasn't a bad movie but the intense, sudden loud sounds.....were necessary but not necessary either. I jumped out of my seat AT LEAST a dozen times today. Always fun.

We basically walked around the mall with nothing to do for an hour because....there isn't anything to do in that mall and we had an hour to kill before dinner. So. Yeah.

It was quite a good day.

Can't wait for tomorrow either yay.

I don't know what to do.

17.10

Have I told you how grateful I am for the upcoming fall break?

So much to do, so little time. Story of my life. Today was rather relaxed but stressful at the same time. The reason why the day at school was relaxed is stressful. If that makes sense. Basically the only reason why school was relaxed is because of PSAT. All sophomores and juniors have to take the test; it's the preliminary SATs and we could only go to half of third period and last period because the test was so f---ing long. God. 

It wasn't too bad I guess. I had to guess a few and the bad thing was that if you don't answer the question, you don't lose or gain points, but if you do answer a question you can either earn one point or if you get that question wrong, you lose a quarter of a point. It's like.....what do you want from me, bro.

I just hope I did well. The rest of the day was insanely good. Lunch was the best, I couldn't stop laughing. Love my friends. Mandarin was rather ridiculous too, for the first part of it at least. We had a substitute and she was depending on me for, like, the truth about everything. If there really are 15 people in our class, if people were really who they said to be, if this person was actually in our class, if we were Mandarin IV, if we had to do this, if these were our notebooks. And it got really annoying because why me. Seriously. All I did was help tell her what we were supposed to do but she was really anal it was INSANE. 

And even when Josh came into the class with a note from Ms. Wong to get people to sign these goodbye notes for Mr Mac, she didn't want him in there. He was literally not talking to anyone. Him and I were just hanging out looking at pictures of food. No joke, and she goes "Leave the class". And she asked me about 4932184902482 times if I had finished my work when I handed my work in UNDER HER NOSE like 30 minutes before. 

Annoying.

Banana leaf for dinner though. Getting fatter. MGH.

me right now ok?

:(:

Is it good that I'm always putting on a happy face just to make sure the people around me have it easy? I'm a crowd-pleaser and I can be a pushover....

Oh, and then there's volleyball. I feel like I'm never doing enough for the team. There are also people I want to just throw a ball at and say "Wake up, we're actually playing volleyball; maybe if you listen to our instructions and 'tips' you could improve and stop beating yourself up. Accept stuff too. God."

Ah what place am I in to say that though, I'm not even good lol.

And then there are people on the team whom I look at as people I want to improve to be: Fiona, Sofea. I've got a long way to go but I guess I'll keep going.

Bye.

-

October Break is nearing! But first, I have to go through so much stuff.
- Math test
- Newsdesk for journalism
- PSAT
- Feature Article
- Writing another article

Oh lord, don't even get me started on holiday homework. I know, I know, I'm only a sophomore but I don't know what to do with myself anymore! I'm always stressing myself out more than I should, I'm always putting myself through a lot when I don't need to. Always trying to overcome myself, go beyond the barriers. When I am able to go beyond the barriers, the rewarding feeling is out of this world though. I just gotta work harder I guess. But how much harder? I don't know.

- over 150 pages to read for English.
- Business report

Let's watch this list build up.

Thank goodness Science will be fun tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

Slender is one game you do not want to screw around with.

Rules

1. Don't play it with the lights on.
2. You SHOULD play it with at least one other person.
3. Headphones/earphones are preferred.
4. Don't stop walking in the game.

It gets less scary the more you play it though.

I don't know, I think so, I don't want to, but if things are positive, it would be so good, but I don't know, too good for me, I think so, I want to but I don't want to and I don't know but I would rather not but I do. But I don't want to.

WHAT DO I DO?

rhetorical.

Time?

Been back on the Big Bang Theory bandwagon lately; I've mostly been recapping and rewatching all these episodes randomly. Gotta love the Wallowitz. Castle Season 5 is out, the Big Bang Theory 6, New Girl 2. Sigh, I just wish I had the time to watch them let alone download/stream these episodes. It's either I do this during the fall break to fill up my time OR I wait until the end of the seasons to download them. I would most probably watch them and catch-up with them during fall break but I'd have holiday assignments to complete.

Just trying to fill this blog up and keep myself updating so I never lose the motivation to. If I had the don't break the chain thing by Seinfeld was it? I don't know, but if I had it going on right now, it would be a complete disaster. Go look it up though if you have time and have excellent time management skills and basically if you're not me. Which you aren't. So go look it up.

It's pretty interesting. One of the very few people I know that use it is Charlie McDonnell on YouTube and it seems to be working really well for him.

I could only dream of achieving that amount of productivity and dedication. Oh well.

I actually don't know what to post about since I have so much going on it's insane but here I am procrastinating and posting. IDK WHAT TO DO I JUST HAVE SO MUCH HOMEWORK.

Thank god fall break's around the corner though I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this holiday coming up.

Oct.

Busy, busy month for me. So much going on with volleyball, tests, essays due, journals due, Habitat for Humanity fundraising, SAT prep diagnostic test. Ahh, so much on my plate.

Let's just hope I use the right chopsticks.

Blackout

New York City has no power
And the milk is getting sour
But to me that is not scary
Cause I stay away from dairy.

Phoebe Buffay

Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive. Massive.

Questioning our Malaysian Identity - by Adelyn Yeoh

AUG 14 — Back in secondary school, August was the time we spent decorating our classrooms to depict the spirit of “Merdeka”. It was the time where we were told to reflect on our “identity as a Malaysian” and to “appreciate how far we have come since we have gained independence.” Besides trying to outdo the other classes’ decorations, it came to my attention, even at such a tender age, that what we had been told our identity should be was a strange idea indeed.
I am not sure if it is fair to say that we were brainwashed in school to think that our pride as a Malaysian should be derived from:
a) being free from colonial powers
b) our economic development displayed by skyscrapers such as the Petronas Twin Towers
c) our success in keeping peace and harmony as a diverse nation;
but it certainly felt like the case.
If you think about it, these concepts mean very little. Quite simply, it is difficult to expect a generation that has never experienced subjugation to understand the meaning of being free or to find meaning in cold steel or to truly believe in our diversity when being diverse only seems to work against us.
So, what does it really mean to be a Malaysian?
At this point of time, the most obvious answers are hardly flattering: how we operate on Malaysian time, our undying love for food and our constant snide remarks of the #onlyinMalaysia kind.
If these are our strongest reminders of what it means to be a Malaysian then I think we have a problem.
Considering how some of these qualities are not even merits in the first place, it is difficult for people to muster any sort of pride as a nation. The merits, I should add, must extend far beyond a simple momentary unity against our beloved arch-rival Singapore.
As such, we really ought to look much further.
What, then, should we look to develop?
Some cultures look towards history as a source of their respective identities but unfortunately for Malaysia, a country still in its infancy, we do not have an established history all of her inhabitants can rightfully claim as their own.
If we look at other cultures, the national identity stems from ideals and principles. The Americans pride themselves on being free, the Scandinavians pride themselves on being the frontrunners of social progress and the Japanese pride themselves on an impeccable work ethic.
Ideals and principles surface in a nation in interesting forms — ones that are quite often overlooked by the general public. Academics, artists and creators of sorts are the people who usually shape the ideas of a country. These ideas usually get translated into books, articles, plays, music and other forms of entertainment that pervade through the daily lives of people.
A good look at any history book would illustrate the role of the academics, artists and creators. Many great civilisations too had great thinkers and a wide appreciation of the arts — all of which are key indicators of a successful nation. Ancient Egypt, the Chinese dynasties and, even, the Ottoman Empire all had these same characteristics.
These are the tools that mould a nation’s identity — overlooked and forgotten, often due to pragmatism or the lack of support for such industries or to the silencing of voices by the repressive instruments of our law. This kills of any chance of fostering frontrunners in the academics or in the arts for the country. And we have seen many of these people leave our country due to the lack of opportunity to express their ideas.
This is largely due to how we have opted, instead, to find identity in cold monuments and cheesy slogans.
And in a time where it is most crucial for our country to come together and rethink what we really want for the future, we find that there is real lack of identity among our people. As it is, we are too divided. We have found our collective identity in divisive things such as ethnicity and/or political parties.
It really should not be the case.

Having a national identity would mean that people are willing to do things in the interest of the nation in its entirety, and not for the sake of pledging allegiance to political parties. It would mean that people feel proud of what the nation has been through and therefore feel a sense of belonging to the country. It would ultimately mean that the country (not just parts of it) is worth fighting for.

Something we all, as Malaysians, need to think about. I love being Malaysian - most of the time. More unity would help.

One positive from the games today: I blocked successfully and earned the point.

S & F

Today I woke up and for some reason went on Quizlet on my iPod in bed and started learning Spanish & French - ten of the same words in both languages. All foods. HAHAHHAHAHA. So far, I know:

• spanish : english : french
• el pan : bread : pain
• le leche : milk : lait
• las uvas : grapes : raisins
• las fresas : strawberries : fraises
• la lima : lime : citron
• los huevos : eggs : oeufs
• el plátano : banana : banane
• la mantequilla : butter : beurre
• las cebollas : onions : oignons
• los ejotes : green beans : haricots verts

HEE.

Baby of Juillet

Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. spazzy at times. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

hm.

MST

I'm too lazy to actually write about MST so I'm just going to post an article I wrote for journalism class. And then add some commentary below. YAY.

It was seven in the morning and the Class of 2015 was ready to go. Clumps of people who gathered in the school breezeway and in the halls by the gym finally grouped together in the gym at a quarter past seven. With eye bags under their eyes, the sophomores lugged their baggage to their respective buses and took their seat for role call. Six teachers and the school nurse accompanied the sophomores. The bus trip lasted for an approximate two and half hours. For the first half an hour, the students were silent with sleepiness overcoming them. With an hour and a half to go, the sophomores decided to make the best out of their trip and started singing songs together.

They arrived at their destination, Gua Tempurung at about 10am. Gua Tempurung, which literally means Coconut Shell Cave, was where the sophomores went caving. The cave walls were simple, yet beautiful with structures of rock that could depict images of numerous random things if the sophomores, teachers and other cavers used their imagination correctly. They climbed up approximately 650 steps before starting their journey back out of the cave and reentering daylight. Lunch was served before they started to venture off into the jungle.

The trek was long, tiring and muddy but it was all worth it when the sophomores ended it by crossing a river with a strong current with the support of one rope. Whilst on the trek, the sophomores encountered many obstacles like slippery and muddy slopes, steep climbs up unstable rocks, ants, leeches, and pokey leaves. They reached the peak of a mountain about one hour into the trek and started to walk down the muddy slopes for another hour before reaching the river. The sophomores trudged, tumbled and tripped as they crossed the river. Both guides and teachers caught themselves laughing at the clumsy students making their way across the river. That particular river happened to be the same one that they were going to go white water rafting on the next day.

White water rafting was an unforgettable experience for every single one of the sophomores. The head guide gave a safety briefing and that managed to get most of the sophomores biting their lips and worried with fear of drifting off into the unknown after falling out of their boat. However, all the fears were washed away as they laughed and worked their arms along the river. There are six grades of rapids in the world and the teachers and sophomores made it through grades I, II, and III rapids. People falling off their boats, water being splashed into faces and whoops of great excitement. Those fifteen words sum up the entire white water rafting experience. They were able to swim in the river for about twenty minutes and then feast on a delicious barbecue before commencing their abseiling.

They were given an extensive safety lecture and assurance that the equipment in use was of the best quality. Although most of the students still had fear instilled in them because of the height and slipperiness of the waterfall, they still mastered the activity and repelled down the waterfall without a sweat. Although there was some slips here and there, the sophomores enjoyed it and some even went for second turns as others waited and watched them at the bottom of the waterfall. Teachers including Mr. Fletcher also engaged themselves in this activity and said that it was “great fun”.

The second day ended with activities that were planned for the sophomores in the hotel's banquet hall. They started off with a few relay races between chaperone groups and a dancing game. This pumped up the sophomores and got them ready for the next activity: a mini So You Think You Can Dance competition. This was probably the highlight of the night for the sophomores and the teachers. They had to go through "auditions", led by Jonathan, and then semi-finalists were selected by the female chaperones of the trip: Ms. Wong, Ms. Inga and Ms. Speaker. Semi-finalists were required to pair up and come up with a 15-second dance. The finalists were then selected by the same teachers and also had to come up with another dance. This was another challenge because the expectations were raised and the audience expected funnier and more creative dances from the finalists. The winners were decided after a dance-off between Aiman, Alice, Danial and Magnus. The audience and teachers could not decide on a winner so all four students gained the title as champions.

Mr. Schmidt said that the sophomores are a bunch of “great and fun kids” and that it was a pleasure to spend the three days with them. He thoroughly enjoyed the So You Think You Can Dance competitions and that it was and entertaining activity. Most importantly, he was “surprised and shocked” at how the sophomores “responded to the leeches during the trek”.

Ashley , a new student who spent her birthday on the first day of MST, rated the entire trip as an 8/10 and “enjoyed the trip as a whole”. The Malaysian Studies Trips are definitely one of the best ways to bring a grade together and this year's sophomore trip did just that.

ok.

Overall, this trip was the best! It really brought our grade together. The damn trek though. I couldn't stand it. Yeah, some parts were fun and I couldn't stop laughing but the others just made me want to shoot myself omg. The fear of leeches and an ant the size of a ping pong ball (I'm not kidding I swear to Buddha it was flabbergasting). Not fun. One of the guides was an asshole though. Seriously. 

The trip really brought our grade so much closer and I couldn't have asked for a better grade to be a part of. Fiona, Gown, Ashley, Alice, Danielle, Mona, Alyssa, Emily, Sofea, Shaun, Josh, Jon, Hyun Soo, Aiman, Simba, Fredrik, Arief, Colin ahh and so many other people. Love them all so much and I couldn't have had this much fun without them. They're honestly the best bunch of people. 

I roomed with Fiona and Ashley and it was fuuuuunnnnn as. Ahh so fun I would do it all over again. The bus ride, the rafting, the abseiling, the caving, everything. But the trekking. Damn you bugs.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG so basically. This award thing. Is rare......................and they put your article on the front page of the website and might publish it omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg. Sorry for the non-formalness but this is wow.

HEREHEREHERE

Damn, I have a lot going on in October! I'm so scared I'm going to forget something. Thank goodness for iCal.

If I make it through this month, I'm going to be so happy.

Mid-term break too!

ISAC this Thursday, scared and pumped. Let's go tigers!

a pinch and a punch on the first day of the month, happy october, peasants!

~

too cute, someone who screenie-d me on tumblr has a bookmark of THIS blog on her browser ahh too cute.

hi andrea :)

MST

Blog post about MST 2k12 coming soon!

Ahh such a blast, wish I could relive it.

Love the Class of '15.

Esteban!

23.9

It's getting real.

23.9 (20.9)

So we did pretty damn well in the tournament on Thursday! Won two games out of three - losing to ISKL's varsity and winning against KLASS and ISKL!

Team: Fiona, Gown, Sofea, Danielle, Natasha, Olivia, Ashleigh, Lauren, Wakako and I. (Lauren and Ashleigh left after the first game to attend the Maroon 5 concert)

First game - We went against the hardest team to beat first - ISKL's varsity. We were down by at least half a dozen points in the first set and by at least 3 or 4 in the second set. They beat us in two sets and that really brought the whole team's spirit down. Our serve receives weren't the best and there were errors made here and there. Quite a bit of the points that we got were given to us by service errors or spiking errors. On a positive note, we didn't let one ball drop in front of us for the most part. Only once or twice. We scrambled for every ball. Regardless, they still beat us. However, we managed to regroup and gained our confidence back after the game ended.

Second game - ISKL's junior varsity. We had two and a half hours to regain our confidence and set ourselves straight in terms of confidence and team spirit. We began coming together after each point we earned or lost. This really brought each other's spirits up and it led us to victory in THREE sets. ISKL JV won the first set by about three or four points and we came back with a vengeance with a point difference of at least 4. Then came the nerve-wracking third set which only went up to 15. We were down by about half a dozen points and our hope slowly faded away but our confidence was still there. We had faith in each other. We constantly cheered each other on, had our game on and called for every ball that came our way. We managed to catch up. We switched sides with 8-5 or 8-4 on the scoreboard and we HAD to catch up. We did. We were tied at 14-14 when ISKL made an error and we had an advantage of 14-15. Since we had to win by two points, I had to go on for service. It was either I get an ace or ISKL makes an error or we gain our winning point by spiking or putting the ball into an empty spot. Either way, it was a team effort. I was tense on the inside knowing that there was tons of pressure on me. I make a service error, the JV team gets a point and we're tied again at 15-15 or I make the serve and hope for the best. I tried to calm myself down when I saw that my shoelace was untied and I asked the ref if I could tie it. Thankfully, he allowed me to and I used the time to calm myself down. Moments after tying my shoelace, I tossed the ball into the air and hit it with confidence and the appropriate amount of strength. An ISKL player dove for the ball but to her dismay it hit the  net and nobody could save it. I GOT AN ACE, IT WAS THE WINNING ACE. Oh, I was so happy. Everyone on the team started whooping with joy. We won our first game. And it was extra special because when the ISKL JV team came over to our school for a friendly, we lost to them in two straight sets. We got them back!

Third game - Our third and final game was against KLASS and it was immediately after our game against the ISKL JV so we BARELY had time to refill our water bottles and chill out. But this all didn't matter because we won against them in two straight sets! Each set by at least four points! Ahh, this was the best game. I managed to volley the ball into the 'perfect spot', which was in the middle of all the players' positions. It resulted in nobody going for the ball out of confusion on who was going to go for the ball. Proudest moment yet. Olivia did exceedingly well with her serves with at least three aces! Gown's serves, Fiona's serves, Sofea's serves, Natasha's serves ahh they were all SO good. Each one of them earned at least one ace and I was so happy. We expected KLASS to be a tough team to beat because their game against ISKL Varsity was tight! But we beat them in two straight sets and that made me SO happy.

I'm so happy to be a part of this team, let alone being on the starting six and having coach call me a versatile played. This team drives me to push myself to work harder and improve faster. Our determination is off the charts and matchless. I cannot wait for us to improve further. I'm so, so proud of everybody. It seems like during the tourney, we improved in just a matter of hours but it all boiled down to team spirit and our support for each other.

Fiona's face when her spikes worked, Gown's face when her serves were powerful and in, Danielle's face when one of her tips worked, Sofea's face when she attacked effectively and smartly, Olivia's face when she aced a serve, Ashleigh's face when she successfully blocked a spike, Natasha's face when she had three of her serves unreturned in a row, Wakako's face when she had a good serve, Lauren's face when one of her bumps was perfectly targeted. We all had a moment of success and this makes me sooo happy that we got at least one thing good out of the entire tournament. Train harder, play smarter and we'll be even better! Looking forward to the rest of the season!!!!

YAY!

-

1984.....is one confusing book. Waiting for it to get better.

Business Studies test. Not bad.

I suck at basketball, netball pls.

Goodbye Mandarin next year. Hola Español.

New left side power in volleyball - gaining more and more experience I guess. Middle and left power. Wow. I guess it's a privilege for the team and for me.

Scared for tomorrow.

B

Busy as a bee these days.

"I'm not great at the advice, can I interest you with a sarcastic comment? Some cheese..." - Chandler M. Bing

Hay

• 1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed.
• 2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? No, but my mom does.
• 3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Out.
• 4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before? LOL NO.
• 5: Do you like to use post-it notes? YESYESYESYESYESYES.
• 6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? Nope, I don't even cut them out.
• 7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Holy, um I hate bugs so I guess the bear.
• 8: Do you have freckles? Nope.
• 9: Do you always smile for pictures? No, haha. 
• 10: What is your biggest pet peeve? When people think they're better than they actually are.
• 11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk? YES, sometimes...
• 12: Have you ever peed in the woods? HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA no.
• 13: What about pooped in the woods? Oh wow, no.
• 14: Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing? ...sometimes.
• 15: Do you chew your pens and pencils? Not pencils but pens, yeah sometimes, the cap or bouncy thing.
• 16: How many people have you slept with this week? 0, LOL.
• 17: What size is your bed? Queen.
• 18: What is your Song of the week? FIONA ;) since you capitalized the S... but if it's a song, I guess Not Over You covered by Kurt Hugo Schneider and Max Schneider.
• 19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yep.
• 20: Do you still watch cartoons? Not as often as before but I guess like...once a month when I feel like it.
• 21: Whats your least favorite movie? Dinner for Schmucks, it showed me what a bad movie was as I never knew how a movie could be bad. 
• 22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? In my grandfather's garden.........................................................
• 23: What do you drink with dinner? Soup.
• 24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Barbecue sauce or Maccas' sweet & sour sauce yum.
• 25: What is your favorite food? Japanese, Korean, Chinese or Malaysian. And steak.
• 26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? The Parent Trap or Men In Black III or Bride Wars, I bet there's more but I can never think of all the movies I love when I have to.
• 27: Last person you kissed/kissed you? R2D2.
• 28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout? No.
• 29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Uh, no.
• 30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? I forgot.
• 31: Can you change the oil on a car? Nein.
• 32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Nup.
• 33: Ever ran out of gas? No..
• 34: Favorite kind of sandwich? Subway Melt.
• 35: Best thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal.
• 36: What is your usual bedtime? 11pm.
• 37: Are you lazy? HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAYESHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAYESYESYESYESAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAYES.
• 38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? I don't remember...
• 39: What is your Chinese astrological sign? Ox.
• 40: How many languages can you speak? 3 (Mandarin in this case is a language) fluently, and I can count to ten in...2 other languages and I can speak and understand 2 other Chinese dialects fairly well.
• 41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Neu.
• 42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs? Legos, always legos.
• 43: Are you stubborn? I can be.
• 44: Who is better...Leno or Letterman? Lenoooo.
• 45: Ever watch soap operas? No.
• 46: Are you afraid of heights? When I'm not, like, protected with windows and such, yes.
• 47: Do you sing in the car? Yes.
• 48: Do you sing in the shower? Who doesn't?
• 49: Do you dance in the car? NO LOL.
• 50: Ever used a gun? Nerf? Yes.
• 51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Never.
• 52: Do you think musicals are cheesy? They can be.
• 53: Is Christmas stressful? No.
• 54: Ever eat a pierogi? Nope.
• 55: Favorite type of fruit pie? APPLE!
• 56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Artist, pilot, and writer.
• 57: Do you believe in ghosts? I can.
• 58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes. 
• 59: Take a vitamin daily? Yup.
• 60: Wear slippers? Yeah.
• 61: Wear a bath robe? No, it's too warm for that here in Malaysia.
• 62: What do you wear to bed? Normally a shirt and shorts or just my plain jammies.
• 63: First concert? WESTLIIIIIIFE.
• 64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target.
• 65: Nike or Adidas? Nike even though all my favorite sports teams have Adidas.
• 66: Cheetos Or Fritos? Cheetos
• 67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Sunflower seeds.
• 68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? ..No?
• 69: Ever take dance lessons? YEAH LOL.
• 70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? NNOOO.
• 71: Can you curl your tongue? Yeah.
• 72: Ever won a spelling bee? No.
• 73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy? YES.
• 74: Own any record albums? Nope.
• 75: Own a record player? Nay.
• 76: Regularly burn incense? No, I need my inhaler if I am exposed to it for too long.
• 77: Ever been in love? I don't know, doubt so at this age.
• 78: Who would you like to see in concert? One Direction, Radical Something or Leroy.
• 79: What was the last concert you saw? Westlife. (Second time around)
• 80: Hot tea or cold tea? Cold. Arizona tea to be exact, the only tea I drink.
• 81: Tea or coffee? Coffee.
• 82: Sugar or snickerdoodles? Sugar hehehe.
• 83: Can you swim well? I guess. 
• 84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yes, yes I can.
• 85: Are you patient? Depends on the situation.
• 86: DJ or band, at a wedding? BOTH, but if I had to pick I guess a DJ.
• 87: Ever won a contest? Yeah I think sooo - I can't remember things on the spot.
• 88: Ever have plastic surgery? HAHA NO NO NO.
• 89: Which are better black or green olives? Neither, you olive enthusiast.
• 90: Can you knit or crochet? No haha.
• 91: Best room for a fireplace? Living room or bedroom.
• 92: Do you want to get married? Yeah.
• 93: If married, how long have you been married? 25 years.
• 94: Who was your HS crush? I am in HS...
• 95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No.
• 96: Do you have kids? Yes, 6.
• 97: Do you want kids? Yes.
• 98: Whats your favorite color? Pale blue, black, gold, white.
• 99: Do you miss anyone right now? Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.