Ablazegal's Journal

7:15pm:

I am SOO relieved!
And that's to say the least

a month ago, I was told that my thesis results would be released some time this week

and, being the typically kancheong anxious person that I am, I emailed the school today
to enquire about my thesis results
as my thesis was really the deciding factor as to what kind of honours I would be awarded with

Of course, anything less than 2nd upper to me would be pretty useless
given the fact that I am aiming for government sector jobs

But I also knew - realistically that I had committed academic suicide by
purchasing my puppy 2 weeks before my thesis was due
EVEN IF i am the typically last minute person

So, getting my results today was a relief - knowing that now Mom could have NO BONE to pick with me

And that now i can apply for my government sector jobs with more confidence,
having clinched my 2nd upper honours

YESS!!!

And of course, I can celebrate my birthday in peace!

yess!!

11:06pm: Royal Melbourne Show

After 5 years in Melbourne
Jay and I finally got down to the annual Royal Melbourne Show at the Melbourne Showgrounds

Our hesitance was largely due to the fact that we hate crowds and we never could justify spending all the money
on parking and entrance fees

But since this may well be our - or at least my - last year in Melbourne, we decided to give it a go,
rather than being called 'swakoo' for not even having been ONCE to the Royal Melbourne Show

Knowing that the opening weekend would be crowded, we planned to arrive at 930 when the show opened
But as usual, getting Jay out of bed on a Sunday am proved to be difficult

Our saving grace was the 10am and 1030am dog show event which was supposed to happen at
one of the venues in the melbourne showground itself. So he finally managed to drag himself out of bed
and drove the both of us to the showgrounds

I have to say though, that our hopes of getting there early to beat the crowd were dashed
when the traffic jam started some distance from the showgrounds itself
As throngs of cars made their way to the show

Thing weren't any better when we arrived
Greeted only by masses of people queuing up to get their tickets
Which cost the both of us a whopping 44 dollars!

My heart dropped even further when we saw only 2 pathetic dogs at the
designated venue for the dogshows - the only reason why we went for the dog shows

Much to our relief - and to our great delight, we later discovered a whole exhibition hall full of our canine friends
All getting ready for the days competitions
We met several breeders, including a breeder of pure mini schnauzers
whom, after looking at poopee's pictures from our DSLR, shrieked in disbelief
'look at those ears!'

OH well Poopee's not a pure anyway.

And we too shrieked in disblief when she quoted us the price of one pure mini schnauzer -
1500!!!!!!
Even the Shetlands which we enquied about cost less - 800!
Jay insists that this is because Schnauzers are royalty
Ha!

We did fall in love with several other breeds though, aside from our usual favourites,
one being the Japanese Chin, and the other (well at least on Jay's part)
the Chinese Crested which I still find to be an abomination/ freak of nature

But overall, we had a blast at the Royal Melbourne Show, having gotten to meet
so many breeders, and having the chance to take the Ferris Wheel

We were only missing one thing to make our experience complete - POOPEE.

Unfortunately, dogs, unless exhibited or competing, were not allowed into the showgrounds
What a party pooper

But we had a great time and for those of you who haven't been to the Royal Melbourne Show,
GIVE IT A GO!

 

8:12pm: We had a beautiful day today

And I wouldn't trade it for the world

To begin with, the Significant Other surprised me by coming home early
Then he suggested that, since the day was so nice and the air out there was refreshing
We should take the pooch for a walk and head for lunch while we're at it

Not a bad idea I thought

But little did I expect him to suggest walking the pooch to Victoria Market!

For those of you who don't know, I am UNHEALTHY
and i HATE exercising. Ask Amy and Ann. Both of them will tell you that my Fitness First membership was
just for show. I might as well have donated the money to RSPCA or some other worthy cause
Amy eventually DRAGGED me to the centre to cancel my membership
Yes you get my point

So the prospect of walking to Victoria Market from my place - AND BACK
Was quite frightening I have to say

BUT being the obliging gf i am (for anything except when it comes to the dreaded Mr. D),
I agreed. BECAUSE it was the bf. Believe me, if it were just ME and the pooch, FERGET IT.
It's been a long time since we took a nice afternoon stroll together
And the Significant Other did say that we shouldn't waste such a wonderful day

So off we went to The Market from our place
We estimated that it'd take us a good full hour to get ot the Market
And honestly wondered if our little pooch, with her short legs and all would make it that far
Or would she, like my previous dog, Buggie, slump halfway through the walk and just refuse to move

BUT BOY were we wrong. The pooch we have should be renamed ENERGIZER DOGGIE!

She walked a total of 3 hours today and when we got back she was STILL racing around the apartment!

As much as I loved today's nice long walk, I swear Jay's spoiled her silly!
Now she's going to want 3 hr walks everyday!!!

grrr

I told Jay '

9:19pm: S. Komatsu
Lazy to head to the city on a Friday night - the craziest night of all nites
And refusing to head too far in this utterly cold and wet night
We decided to try out a restaurant near home - S. Komatsu (http://www.nexgeneats.com/s.komatsu/index.html),
right where my cousin, Ruth lives when she comes to Melbourne

We've walked pass the place a couple of times but never went in
Because we're not terribly adventurous eaters

But tonight's experience at S. Komatsu definitely made it our first
and LAST time at the restaurant

The food was not only pitiful in quantity, the quality of the food was
pitiful as well. The prices on the other hand, were exorbidant.

For 9 pieces of Sashimi, we paid a whopping AUD 14
And each piece of Kilpatrick Oyster was going for 3.50
Given the price, we expected something substantial or rather
at least, quality food
But the Kilpatrick Oyster was dry and disappointing
Pathetic, even, particularly after having tried the Kilpatrick Oysters
at Tomodachi which was, by comparison, heaps better.

The most worth it dish was the Teriyaki Steak, going at $24 for 300 grams
The steak was, unlike other steaks, buttery. But still, given the size and the
quality of the steak, I would much rather have eaten at Pugg Mahone's

In all honesty, I don't see why anyone would eat there
Unless they're allergic to gluten
Then they absolutely have to eat there. Otherwise,
I give the place an all thumbs down

So there. Our first and last time at S. Komatsu

1:44am: a lot has happened

A lot has happened over the past few days

1) I finally managed to see a Singaporean doctor in Melb - one who INSISTED on putting me on antibiotics. THANK GAWD!!!

2) A friend passed away. I heard from the grapevines that a Singaporean student from Melbourne Uni passed away from a relapse in leukemia. And it so happened that my friend, who recently suffered from a relapse in leukemia had returned to Singapore. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard what happened as she's been just such a faithful servant so when i heard the news I was needless to say, in distress. I didn't want to believe it initially but after a few google searches and a check of the obituary page in the Straits Times, the news was confirmed.
She wasn't incredibly close but even before she declared her faith i knew she was a believer. Her optimism and infinite trust that no matter what happens God is good and He is faithful held through to the very end. 

3) I told Mum about Poopee and she's agreed to let Poopee back. She said she's no great fan of pets but for my sake she will try her best.
She also agreed to loan me the 1K to bring the little one back

4) I think - I HOPE - I'm on my way to getting a job in the sector that I have set my heart on.

5) I am finally ready to head home. My heart is home and I have nothing to hide from Mum anymore. She has come so far for me I should honour her too and know that she really does want me back. Plus where I do want to work is really back home in a particular sector so we'll see how it goes

6) Ruthie if you're reading this and you are still thinking of going back to Singapore for work opportunities or something - I can put you in touch with someone.

Off for now!

10:51pm:

I have thesised.

It is over. 

What now? 

A part of me doesn't want to grow up

Can't believe I missed Ruthie today. Was so excited to have her meet Poopee. But then my thesis took over.

Now for the gruelling next few months before my final results

2nd upper. Please

4:12pm: We finally took the little one for puppy school this morning
I have to say that over the past 2 days the little one has been exceptionally
good. Either its been Ange's influence or the little one is finally learning where
to go poddy. Fingers crossed that she'll keep up the good work

We learnt a new technique this am
We learnt to use a squirt bottle so everytime the lil one
starts yapping away and doesn't shut up
we're suppose to squirt at her then ignore her

Bought a cheap bottle for 1.75 and the last time the little one whined - read, not even yap
i squirted at her
I have to say it worked
But as for her teething problem we haven't quite worked it out although I think
J is much better at the whole firm and strict thing cos I tend to be the
more soft hearted one

Having the little one has really opened my eyes
To what Mum goes through although clearly, teaching a pup
and raising a child are 2 totally different things
Still, both require immense patience

I still keep my rolled up newspaper - Grams' technique for puppy training
Although I haven't used it and any use of violence would just
get me reprimanded from Grams - she's still a puppy!

I ALSO got the little one a carry bag
The cheapest one which will probably be able to accomodate her for another
6 mths so I can take her around with me in trams and all
I don't know if I can get away with taking her to yumcha though
But I suppose it would be worth a try

Puppy class was an eye opener not just for us but more so for
The little one, being the first time she's socialized with other pups
Despite being the smallest one amongst a bulldog called Fats, a Labrador
called Poppy, a Boxer called Tyson, a golden retriever called Mong, and another
Lab (can't remember its name), the little one was the one with the MOST energy
The labs and boxer got tired after playing with each other and being
scolded by the trainer, wheras Poops kept strutting around

She was initially really afraid but after the first half hour, she
started sniffing at the other pups' asses - quite a sight. It was hilarious
seeing the bulldog - Fats, being afraid of our little one, and for once
seeing a supposedly big dog terrified of tiny lil poops. She may be tiny
But she's a tiny terror. Chilli padi.

A new chapter of my life is about to begin
One which I am extremely reluctant to open
Because of all the uncertainty
But its inevitable and I know that its time
I step up and make all that I've learnt worthwhile

We all know that academics counts for only so much
in the real world. not that my academics has ever been
strong but I get by I suppose
and for all that has been so far I am grateful

Over and out

12:00am: how she's grown!
The last time we weighed her - at the vet 2 weeks ago,
Poopee weighed 1.5KG

Yesterday, when we put her on the weighing scale, Poops weighed 1.8KG!
All in a matter of 2 weeks!
How she's grown and they say pooches will grow fast..
She's growing up too fast!!

Well growing up too fast - without the smarts, that is

Poopee has been a bit of a pain, but at the same time she's also been an immense joy
She's very much like my own lil baby and frankly I don't know any other pup that needs to be
coaxed to sleep or 'tucked' into bed wheras Poops gets a nice stroking and a 'goodnight' lullaby
before she heads nods off everynight

Anyhows, we were scheduled to deworm poopee yesterday
with this bottle of deworming fluid bought from the petshop
The box came with a syringe to help us feed the pup
but it turned out to be no trouble at all cos Poops licked up every bit of it
and the feeding part was just a simple squriting it into her mouth

Being a puppy i suppose she's curious to try everything
And less 'aware' of the possible dangers
unlike Happy who was always wary whenever I tried to put something into his mouth
least of all meds

And guess what!
Today after poops pooped, i noticed a opague short string like thing in her poop!
Don't get me wrong I don't intentionally go dig into my puppy's poop
but it was SO DAMN OBVIOUS

not that it was wriggling or anything but still!

It was the FIRST TIME i had seen something like that in POOP!

So I figured that it was the effects of yesterday's deworming.. yes, a worm in POOP!

And - Poops has been up to MORE mischief
Lately she's been crawling under the couch
And I thought that it was just to hide or her being curious or you know one of those puppy-ish 
hide-and-seek games

but today I discovered why exactly she was hiding under the couch
when I pried open her mouth after the wriggled out from under the couch
only to find... a STAPLE!!! Yes the BIG STAPLES that's used to tack the fabric of the base of the couch!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT GIRL?!!!

EVERYTHING goes into her mouth
EVERYTHING she wants to sniff and bite or chew...

she is SO going to puppy school next Saturday

NO EXCUSES

10:04am: cooperation needed

With less than 24 hours to the deadline of my thesis' final draft 

I have sat the both of them down,
yes, both No. 1 and No. 2 and told them

'You both better cooperate and shut the HELL UP.
Otherwise I will be VERY crossed with you both.

I will feed you both, and pick up poop
But as far as entertainment is concerned,
you both jollywell entertain yourselves
and EACH OTHER while NOT disturbing me

Otherwise I will be VERY crossed and the both of you will
BOTH be smacked. 

For now, and for the next 24 hours, I am no. 1
You both BETTER cooperate'

No. 1 was still in bed
No. 2 just woke up and was whining from the toilet as usual
Begging to be let out fo play

But tough - either they entertain each other - or I'm getting out of
the house. THEN I'll see who picks up poop or who gets fed.

No. 1, hearing me give No. 2 her Pep Talk, gruntled
Then sleepily, and sheepishly mumbled a 'Yes...' from under the covers

No. 2 look at me wide eyed and kept quiet.

Now, if only the both of them actually MEAN IT.

11:20pm: our baby's growing too fast!
Our baby's growing too fast!

Yesterday she stood on her hind legs.

Today she had a new tooth emerging

When we got her on Sunday she was timid

Now she's a terror who bullets through the apartment!

And yes she gnaws at wires too

Today's poodie accident count: 3

Can't wait for Urine Off to arrive!

10:13am: bored to tears
Ms. TJY is returning to Melb soon

Ahh my life returns. Yumchas, shopping - make that WINDOW shopping (brokebrokebroke)

and hopefully this time, GYMing n checking out some more ulu suburbs rather than
always been cooped up in melb. Like maybe just go get lost in some suburb or sth

I mean hey even Singaporeans venture to JB man

We're in Victoria. Might as well take advantage of it

And while Miss TJY isn't back I am bored to tears

BUT i suppose i should also take the quietness to really work
on my thesis

although i don't know how much of it work and how much
of it will just be me stoning around the house starring into space

and NOBODY WILL WATCH SATC with me!!
grrr

2:24pm: Prince Caspian
Yes

I am STILL whining about nobody wanting to watch Narnia with me 

but since i am so deprived or Narnia-an company, I decided to check out some reviews on Narnia

Afterall, it can't be anymore spoilt for the person whose probably not gonna get to watch it ahe

And I came across this fantastic review


http://sg.christianpost.com/dbase/culture/1221/8%7C13/1.htm

11:13pm: Getting a dog!
After much contemplation

We have decided to get a dog! Not right now but probably 2 months after i start work depending on how I adjust to working life

Mum's getting on in her years and having some companionship in the house will definitely be good for her
The step-Dad's a dog lover as well so no worries there

We've worked out how much it will cost to bring the dog back to Singapore and have concluded that its worth it
Cos dog breeders here are more dedicated to their art compared to many dog breeders back home in Singapore.

I know Mum would love to have a Shetland cos we had a Shetland before (Happy) and she hates whiney dogs with a vengence
So definitely no pure breed Shith Tzus or anything like that

For that reason we've decided to get a Mini Schnauzer cross Shih Tzu. A nice mix, but REALLY hard to get.

So far we've managed to find a couple of breeders in Victoria and we're on the lookout for Schnauzer cross Shih Tzus.
For some reason pet shops don't seem to have them and even if they did stock Shih Tzu Schnauzers we're
more inclined to buying from breeders cos that way we'll get to pick which pup we want and it'll probably be cheaper. 

Woof!

9:45am: Underhanded marketing
Being on a Optus Mobile $79 cap, I'm someone who's generally trusting
and pay my bills when I see them
not bothering to scan through the bill details... afterall, my bills don't usually fluctuate that much

Of late, Optus has, for some reason, decided to revert to sending me paper bills
Which is all fine and dandy except that Jay's the one who opens the mailbox
And he HATES bills.. so he opens my bills
Then leaves them for me to read, and since he hands me my paper bill, I'm now more likely to 
look through these bills - and, lo and behold what did I find?

I'm being charged by 'Text and Win' for 'Premiums SMS received'. And it wasn't, mind you, for a small sum,
but a hefty AUD 1.82 per SMS received! That's even more costly than sending an international SMS!
I was charged, in total, $10.92... 
on TOP of my cap plan, which is HEFTY, paying for something I never even asked for in the first place!

Some months back.. or maybe a year or so back, Jay used my mobile to enter some silly text and win contest
for which I was charged 1.50 per SMS. Which is fair enough.  We never agreed to sign up for anything least of all subscribe to some 'Text and Win' which I would be charged for. But subsequently, 'text and win' KEPT sending me SMSes,
many a times, interrupting my class.

I think I've tried to unsubscribe a couple of times not because of the charges (i probably still wasn't aware that i was being charged)
but have been unsuccessful.
This morning, after finally discovering that I'm being CHARGED for these sms RECEIEVED, I called Optus who directed me to the company responsible for these ridiculous charges ' Dialect Interactive', i think that's what they're called. 

I made an argument to the staff at Optus that I should never be charged for SMS received in the first place
But according to them it was possibly because I 'subscribed' to something.

Optus said that I had to contact the company directly but made a note on their server that I had called to say I wanted these services stopped. According to the staff at Optus (who sounded really Filipino), Text and Win could provide a refund. I then texted 'unsubscribe' AGAIN to Text and Win. When I called Text and Win to explain the situation to them, they said they'd put a note to stop the subscriptions and will email me to have the issue 'investigated' to see if a refund were possible. 

How ridiculous is that!!! 

Talk about underhanded marketing... charging not just the advertiSER but the RECEIPIENT.

I wonder how long I've been charged these ridiculous amounts!

Now if only I could find my past bills...

7:22am: hilarious luncheon
After a most gruelling 2 hrs of MC sem today, Jo and I decided to have lunch at Rice Bar since food there's pretty average and prices don't go above 10.

Halfway through lunch, we smelled something burning but thought that maybe it was just some burnt dish... so we went on chatting away while savouring our duck and roast pork noodles.

Seconds later, a thick smoke started emitting from the open layout kitchen
Still, I didn't think much of it until the smoke started filling lil restaurant
while the waitress and waitresses scurried around frantically trying to push open
the glass window panes to let out the smoke as one of the cooks threw a bucket of water on
whatever it was that was burning

But they were too late. The smoke alarm went off and starting blaring
And because the restaurant was below a block of student apartments, a host of other fire alarms, pressumably from the student apartments were triggered off

Yet Asians being Asians, Jo and I, along with other customers in the restaurant
continued eating away, seemingly unbothered by the now thick smoke and concurrently ringing alarms, other than making a few comments and whispering speculations whether the firemen would be summoned

Amidst the whole drama, Jo mentioned that everytime the firemen/ fire engine comes, be it a false alarm or not, the responsible party's made to pay AUD 500

Which explains why one of the cooks began fanning away the smoke in hope that the smoke alarm would turn off and the fire engines wouldn't come.

No such luck. A few minutes later, the 3 firemen, completely clothed in their gear and armed with fire extinguishers marched into the restaurant, as customers looked on (all still while eating). After doing a few checks and, presumably satisfied that the fire was out, they somehow turned off the alarms, one by one.

Ahh, finally. Order was restored!! And peace reigned.

I have to say though, that I reckon its only in Asian restaurants/ Asians who'll continue eating away despite blarring smoke alarms and the possibility of a fire, not to mention the heavy smokey smell. Maybe its an Asian thing?

What drama. When I related the incident to Jay, his instant reaction was 'so did you pay for the meal? Shouldn't have man!'

Ahh... another typically Asian thing perhaps?

lol

8:43pm: Jobs under threat at Melbourne Uni
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/03/29/1206207499091.html

BOLLOCKS!!!!

Thanks God I'm gonna get out soon!

8:29am: Dr. Audrey Yue
I used to tell my friend 'if its Audrey Yue's class, TAKE IT. She's damn good'

She is damn good. She is at the top of her game and she is probably the best professor in the cultural studies department

BUT she is also a slave driver. With Audrey don't even THINK about slacking.

She makes u work like a DOG just for 5% .. weekly blog entries, weekly commentaries, weekly 'wiki' entries.
And she expects fourth year students to be of a 'certain calibre' already and hence get nothing less than 80%.

And don't think she just glosses through them. She actually reads them and makes comments.

As one of my classmates commented, at 9am in the morning, she's the only one all high there. 

So. As big of a 'fan' as I might be of Dr. Yue if anyone of you are intending to take her subjects, be prepared to work like a dog!

On a more comforting note, she works darn hard too and is most dedicated lecturers in her department.

And for those of you who think you can "smoke" her, quit that thought. She will NOT take bullshit. She'll just throw it back at you with a shitload of comments in red and you'll have to "redo".

I will trudge on... with policy and Dr. Yue... armed with my arsenal of pens (with plenty of ink) and my Cafe Latte..

12:20pm: policy making
9am class
Audrey Yue
the slave driver
the only who can can be HYPER at 9am - other than L, that is

and she asks us to think about POLICY. Cultural Policy and implementation of Cultural Policy.
insane. INfreakingSANE.

Getting to class via public transport is one thing
Having HER as a tutor at 9am is another
Not having coffee before going to her 9am class is suicidal

Damn.

7:48pm: Getting Married

Its time for the big announcement

The Wedding

NO not mine, silly. My 2 good friends - Elaine (my ex CGL) and Aaron.
FINALLY!

They're going to be holding their wedding ceremony in March but I won't be able to attend cos I'm far far away

So I need to think of wedding gift ideas.. ideally something I can get online and have it sent direct to Singapore

Any ideas, guys?

5:03pm: food and me

okay. i think its just me.

i thought that the only reason i was pigging out like crazy in Singapore was because I was in "food paradise".

But apparently I've been eating just as much in Melbourne. Uh huh. especially these 2 days. not that its a bad thing but i really DO need to watch my weight. 

Had a late dinner at Taco Bill, this Mexican restaurant in on Bourke Street last night... great food, and a magarita
And for lunch, we had yum cha at this amazing yumcha place called Golden Dragon Palace, thanks to Andrew's recommendation. Slightly out of the way - need to drive but
it was well worth the drive

Here's the website http://www.goldendragonpalace.com.au/. 

We've been thinking of what to do over the CNY period. Reunion Dinner would be nice but there's no family here (unless Ruthie decides to stay Weds night) .. The alternative would be... to have a nice lil meal on Fri/Sat with some friends.. Yum Cha places would probably be booked by now so we're hopin to maybe go to kimchi grandma on Friday night or sth...

If only Ruthie could stay over CNY and bring Alastair along. Boo

12:18pm:

Ahh yes I'm back in Melbourne

Back to my four walls, thesis, gym, and Jay

The trip back home has been awfully rush. 1 month was absolutely insufficient. The bulk of it was spent with family - which is a good thing of course but at the same time it was pretty tiring playing tourguide for the bulk of my time back home. That said, I don't get to see much of John and Becky or Alice often so it was great being able to catch up.

I felt really bad for Alice cos I didn't take her to do the things she REALLY loved - ie drinking and clubbing since I'm not much of a drinker or clubber myself. Well drinker maybe but not clubber. On the other hand I do enjoy jazz heaps so I did take Alice to jazz@southbridge which well... proved too muted for her. And of course thanks to dear Alice i eventually did check out Clinic C this drinking place at Clarke Quay (see facebook photos) which proved ot be quite an experience. I think she wanted very much to get wasted and have a real party night out but somehow with me i don't think that's possible... *geek girl!*

Sadly I haven't gotten the chance to check out many jazz places in Melbourne perhaps for the lack of company.

But yes back to the trip back home. It was awfully tiring but it was great fun. I was literally basking in the company of my good friends. Listening to their endless problems was a bit draining but admittedly one of the reasons why I went back was cos I knew 2 of them specifically really me to be there for them.

So now I'm back in Melbourne. I am trying to get used to my awfully silent phone, silent house, and of course, the lack of endless "oie where are you! Lunch want or not?? Haha..But I suppose its a good thing too. It came to a point where I knew that if i didn't get my ass back to Melbourne my thesis would NEVER be completed and I would be in so much trouble with my supervisor (not that I'm not already in hot soup).

Thankfully my cousin Ruthie's gonna be in Melbourne 3 days a week!! So I'll hopefully get to spend time with Ruthie .. then my days in Melbourne won't seem such a bore esp when most of my friends have returned home.

so yups.. that's my updates for now!

5:11am: family updates
Ern's 7 weeks pregnant!!

2:32am: boo hoo
Aunty linda, Uncle Steve, John and Becky have left!!

We went to see them off at the airport and i so wanted to beg ngoh ee to let them stay for just a few more days

The entire family thinks John looks absolutely stunning with his new hair (Christmas present from Mum)
but uncle Steve i heard, was not too pleased.
But hey at least he didn't go red lor!!!

I took the 'before' and 'after' pics which I will post up on facebook for all to see, John himself included
Aunty Linda says that John looks like a pop star and if he stayed in Singapore there's no doubt he would be a heartbreaker

It was also very encouraging to see Becky so happy the whole time she was here. She got to know my friends and she enjoyed their compnay thoroughly.. or at least it seemed that way and ngoh ee said that Becky is very different in Perth. Mum joked that maybe they should do an exchange program then.. send Becky here to study since I've been sent away to Melbourne. lol.

If Becky comes here the first thing I'd do is to take her to get her hair trimmed and her hair rebonded...
so no more frizzy hair and believe me when i say that it makes a LOT of difference cos i myself had really long and frizzy hair as a kid (please don't tell me it runs in the family too!) .. Rebonding was like a salvation to me.

Speaking of salvation. Mum passed me this book called 'God's generals'.. there's a chapter in there which talks about William Branham, the guy whom ngoh ee and uncle steve believes in. From what I've read so far, he was indeed a really anointed man of God and he di do great things for God esp as far as the healing ministry's concerned.

But his flaw and his downfall was really in his doctrines of the serpent seed and his belief in the 'oneness' of God rather than the Trinity. The serpent seed doctrine, which basically relegates women to a lesser position because of eve's supposed sexual union with the serpent in the garden of eden is the most controversial and - to me - detestable doctrine that basically always put women in that place of inferiority

what bollocks if you ask me. If we submit to our husbands its because we CHOOSE to not because we are any lesser. Submission isn't submission until it is a choice. 

okay i'm talking too much. nites

11:35am: the adventures of John and Becky
 Its me again

Since I"m up early I shall continue where I left off yesterday

okay so yea ngoh ee (fifth aunt) is in town with Uncle Steve, Becks and John.
The adults/ older folk wanted to go have a chillish dinner last night so Becks and John got to go shopping with me
Ngoh Ee wanted them to check out the Christmas lights at Orchard too so I thought it'd be a great opportunity for me to catch up with my cousins

Uncle James dropped us off at a bus stop and we took a bus to Far East Shopping Centre - the 'youth hub'.
Since Bren and RJ were gonna be late I thought I'd take Becky shopping and well John wanted to find his converse shoes
Wanted to get Becks a Christmas dress but somehow she seemed adamant that Ngoh Ee and Uncle Steve might protest to most of the clothes that were available. The rest she didn't quite like. Poor dear I think i should just get something for her anyway. then ngoh ee can't protest cos its a gift from me anyway..scheming lil me.
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John of course had no problems with restriction issues
I almost got him this shirt that says 'I love NY' but the sizes didn't really fit. What put me off the MOST was the sales man.. 
The sales lady was alright she wasn't too pushy or anything but when john tried on the 'L' after the 'M' and commented that the 'L' was a tad too long, the salesman was really curt about it and went 'come on la its not like you're buying an Armani shirt', obviously insinuating that we were being too picky

I had half a mind to tell him off but that wouldn't make things any better so I just kept quiet and told him we didn't want either sizes. What a prick though. It MAY be a 'mere' 30 bucks but hey that's $ too you know!

What an ass. So yeah after shopping around for a bit yet having gotten nothing, we decided to proceed to Hainanese Chicken Rice dinner at the top level. Becks said she wanted to have White Chicken and the chicken rice there's not bad. I gotta say we were really lucky too cos the plates of chicken they served us with was their last! They had to turn away everyone else after cos  there was just no more chicky rice. 

After dinner we had a lil stroll down Orchard Road to look at the Christmas lights. They were absolutely amazing and becky + John were complaining how they never have such things in Perth. John also mentioned that he is totally crazy about Melbourne and might want to come to Melbourne to study. Boy I have to say .. for someone who hasn't been to Melbourne at all he sure knows HELL of a lot about Melbourne! He can even talk about the various suburbs and the 'bikini babes' areas!

That boy says he wants to become the next Australian idol and even asked me to take him Karaoke!! If Ngoh Ee allows and their schedule willing I would absolutely LOVE to hear him sing and well needless to say when if and WHEN he joins the Aussie Idol I will give him my whole hearted support!

Becks on the other hand was a lil... less chatty but chatty nonetheless. I guess cos she was younger and she doesn't quite enjoy or see a need for a high and outgoing life like John. She reminds me a lot of Ruthie... DAMN SMART and a very warming personality. I can so see her as the next Ruthie.. hehe. Speaking of Becky I'm under orders to take Becky out shopping again... i can't wait to dress Becky up but then again its only if she wants to. Mum said she will pay for John to dye his hair if he manages to decide what colour he wants. 

My hair on the other hand is a complete mess and since hair styling is so expensive this season i just have to wait till after the new years to get my hair done. DANG. and even IF I can get my hair done now my aunts are gonna kick up a big fuss I'll bet. Ahh yes the good and bad of having a brood of aunts.

ooh well i can't wait to head out with John and Becky again!

3:09am: I am exhausted
But happy. Relived. Thankful.

The flight home was pretty cool. I think I got to take a new plane. Not the new airbus but definitely not on one of the new fleet
Its so awesome how there are laptop charging points right below the earphone socket, a USB socket and a 'workstation'
We are also given the additional option of 'learning a new language', courtesy of Berlioz so I took the opportunity to revise my Japanese - or what little of it that I've picked up at least.

And no, I didn't not fly by business class .. much less first class. 

Presentaion and facilities aside, flying by SIA i think, this has by far been the most scary flights in my entire life if not the most frightening experience in my life up till now no thanks to the turbulance.

Weather forecast initially predicted clear skies and the take off was all smooth and all.. so I was soon asleep. But suddenly through the flight I was jolted out of my sleep when I felt the airplane take a sudden plunge. A peek out through the window showed heavy rains and thunderstorms. I believe one of the lightning strikes must have got our plane or something so much so that the turbulance continued for another half an hour to 45 minutes. Passengers were ordered not only to keep their seatbelts fastened but also to keep seated at al times

Never in my life have I ever felt that things were so beyond my control or have I ever prayed so hard.
Snippets of 'air crash' investigations kept replaying in my mind as I grabbed my armrests  ever so tightly, esp knowing that this situation is really beyond our control. So I did the only thing I knew how to do best.. PRAYING

would love to update more but eyes are killing me already will updat emore tomorrow