imagination knows no barriers

A trip to Perth City

2009-07-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Lollies!! It's really cool the way they make it...

Somewhere in the city...

Harbor Town

Still Harbor Town

A view from midway up King's Park. Nice eh

In memory of the men who died for Australia in the war.

Well, I'm too lazy to upload the rest here. This site is lagging!

Cheers

Carmen

Orientation Day 1

2009-07-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

Orientation started yesterday without a bang. It was seminar after seminar all day and frankly, I almost fell asleep halfway through... It was just SO boring. And the australian accent is pretty much monotonous... They drone on and on about stuff and use all sorts of weird lingo.. Ugh. My poor mind had to struggle to understand... I think I need to take that workshop on how to speak Australian English... We wasted time by writing messages on paper and passing it between the four of us. Was trying to convince the rest to go for ice skating without much success... But Janet easily convinced the rest to ice skate with a simple sentence: "Transportation is provided." Damn, wth. Anyway, lunch was Subway sandwiches which were nice though cold. Had a bottle of Apple juice to wash it down as well. Then it was back to the lecture theatre for the next seminar which turned out to be some kinda workshop on self motivation on studying and I don't know what other stuff.
We made our great escape after that seminar and returned to the Student Village where Sheena and Ka Hang picked up their faulty lamps. Next was the walk to Kardinya where they got a refund for the lamps and we wandered around buying other junk. Got a call from Joven and found out that we were to meet at Carpark 6 for the ice skating. Shu Hui in a grand show of screwing up, led us to some fish and chips place instead of Chicken Treats. And we didnt realized it till I turned to look out of the window next to Shu Hui and pointed out Chicken Treats across the road. Major blunder. Scoff down our fish and chips and dumped a whole lot of fries into a plastic bag before we hurried back to the student village in a record breaking 10minutes. Nearly died on the trip back.
Hurriedly changed jackets and dumped the fries in the fridge before I was off again. The transport was actually cars owned by the volunteers. Stood around while they did headcount and organized the loading of passengers and we were finally off! The ride took a while... Like 30 minutes or so before we reached the ice skating rink. The place was frigging packed! Shuffled around to get skates and finally we stepped on the ice. The initial steps were awkward...been a long time since I last skated but quickly got the hang of it and started moving around the rink. Tried to teach Shu Hui but the dunce simply cannot understand simple logic such as lowering your body to keep your center of gravity low. Let Ka Hang teach Shu Hui while I helped Sheena around the rink. Pretty much ditched them once Sheena could move on her own unaided and I went around on my own. Spotted some new friends clinging onto the sides of the rink for dear life and offered a hand. Sucessfully managed to teach one of them how to skate in just two rounds. WHEEE! I'm good, ain't I. We stopped soon enough and simply sat at the benches when it got too cold. Stoned and chatted there before we decided to leave. Another friend kindly volunteered to drive us back to the village while the rest went for Mackles or however you spell that. Seriously, is it that hard to pronounce Mcdonalds?! Well, our night out ended then and I conveniently fell sick LOL. Was drifting in and out of consciousness all night as my body temperature changed from hot to cold. The body aches didn't help one bit. Finally drifted off to sleep for about 2 hours around 7am and woke up at 0930 and decided that getting out of the bed for a scavanger hunt would be suicidal. Texted Shu Hui that I really can't make it and drifted into unconsciousness soon after. Fever is a major pain in the ass. But was really touched that they hurried back and skipped the barbie to cook me porridge. I'm fortunated to have caring friends even though Shu Hui spent the whole of lunch snapping at me and calling me stupid for ice skating the night before. But, I deserved it. Oh well.

Culinary Success!

2009-07-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I can only vaguely recall what happened yesterday. Shu Hui and I brought Sheena and Ka Hang to Kardinya's where they shopped like crazy for necessities. Unfortunately, Shu Hui and I fell prey to more unnecessary stuff...
Oh well. We 'needed' it. Sorta.
Oh yea. Now I remember. My flatmates, well the females at least were watching porn yesterday night. We were so bored with the limited television programmes that we decided to watch a DVD. Apparently there used to be a separate DVD player which wasn't there. So we decided to try the inbuilt one in the TV. Took a while for one of my flatmates to figure out how to get it to open and she found a dvd in the slot labelled 'Desires'. For the sake of fun, we decided to play it. Watched like 10 minutes worth of horror film trailers before we started speculating about the actual contents of the dvd. One of my flatmates suggested that perhaps its porn and all the horror trailers were just there to mislead the viewer. She was right. After another 10 minutes, we reached a menu page with the titled of the film 'Erotic Desires' imposed on a scantily clad woman. I don't know whatever possessed us to click on play. And yea. It was porn. I ran away after the first 2 minutes and leaving the 3 women laughing away in the lounge. They came to find me after 15 minutes or so of giggling and suggested watching Saw. That we did, in the dark where two of my flatmates freaked out and we gave up on Saw I to watch Gossip Girl instead. I think I got one of them hooked to the series... Oops... Went to bed at 0111 literally zombiefied...
Today... Sheena and Ka Hang had an appointment with Bob and Shu Hui and I agreed to bring them around. Had trouble getting out of bed...was so damn tired and running a slight fever as well. I blame the changes in temperature. They brought me a sandwich for breakfast. Ham and cheese in white bread. Pretty good.
Hang around the library where we read some random books and discovered that our student cards do not work and had to make a new one. That we did and left back to the hostel for Sheena to change rooms and to grab the essential documents for setting up their bank accounts. Sheena's lucky to get a room in flat 11. Though I'm not too sure about her flatmates. Went back to campus for them to set up bank accounts and for Sheena's appointment with a professor in the chemistry department. Our growling stomachs led us to the nearest 'canteen' where we bought a large serving of wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. Ate a quarter each and decided we were still hungry and bought this combo set meal at $5 that came with a dish and a choice of rice or noodles. We picked the fried rice and some honey chicken. Fried rice was oily and basically bland but the chicken was good. Next stop, library where they made their student cards.
Then it was a bus ride to Kardinya's. To maximise our efficiency, we splited up into pairs. Shu Hui and I to get fruits while Sheena and Ka Hang went to K-mart to get table lamps. Met up after that to walk back together with a trolley and we rattled all the way back to the hostel. Where Ka Hang and I returned to our flats for a shower while Shu Hui and Sheena started preparing for dinner.
Our menue for today: Chicken Hor Fun!
My first time making this and I trial and error-ed my way through. Pour a little too much sesame oil to the chicken, splash a generous amount of Hua Tiao Jiu to the meat and a huge dollop of oyster sauce. Now that I think aobut it, I forgot about the sugar LOL. Oh well. The result was pretty good nonetheless. The pack of Hor Fun was so huge that we spilt it to fry three times with some light soy sauce. Next was cooking the marinated chicken, fish cakes and mushrooms while scalding the KaiLan. Talk about multi-tasking. Good thing I had a reliable assistant in the form of Ka Hang. Made some gravy which turned out to be too little... Awww... But it was nice. Edible for a first time. We even had a side of broccoli stir fried with oyster sauce. Rounded it off with a cup of Lipton tea overloaded with sugar and some strawberries. We have to get more of those... 10 strawberries at $2.95 is pretty affordable considering that they are fresh.
The final product:

It even has garnishing!

Well, the sugar's getting to me and there's still orientation tomorrow...

Cheers
Carmen

Garbo.

2009-07-21T06:32:00.001-07:00

Garden City. Another hangout in Perth. This was where we went to for Harry Potter. Some new friends that we made drove us down to Garbo where we window shopped before watching HP. HP was a disappointment though. Not as good as the book. Then again, all novel adaptations to the silver screen basically sucks and Harry Potter was no exception.
Anyway, hung out with some really interesting people who really made us feel right at home although it was awkward initially. 'Lunch' was basically chips and soda which we munched on during the movie. Got a ride back to the student village too where I sat around with Shu Hui for a grand total of 5 minutes where we stared at the idiot box before deciding that it was getting way too boring. Was on my way back to my flat when I noticed the all too familiar white mini van and gave Shu Hui a call. Sheena and Ka Hang have finally arrived at Student Village. It was either really good timing on my part or simply a coincidence that I just so happened to spot the vehicle on my way back. Helped to lug their luggage to the administration building where they checked in before helping them once more to their flats. It's really unfortunate that they were given rooms that are so far apart and tiny too. As compared to mine and Shu Hui's rooms, theirs were really like a prison cell... It was a lot narrower... Perhaps its because they have a double room so technically, they are sharing with 5 other people. Still its really small. Oh well... gotta count my lucky stars that I got a room in a flat which is much more spacious and I have cool flatmates.
Anyway, dinner was pasta. Which we whipped up quickly with four sets of hands. Frankly, it was too sour for my liking. Never did like tomato paste. But its healthly nonetheless and I was really hungry. Oh well. Lots of nutrients and minerals. Walked them back to their flats where Sheena decided to stay over with Ka Hang for the night. I really wonder if they are ever gonna adjust...
Rotted in the flat with my flatmates where we gaped at obese people dancing on the reality show: Dance your ass off. Very degrading if you ask me.
Well, I'm too lazy to upload the pictures and I just realized I can't remember what happened at all yesterday. Oh well, whatever LOL.

Cheers
Carmen

Laundry Day

2009-07-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Spend most of Sunday doing laundry. It was then that I realized just how spoilt I really am... We took awhile to figure out how to use the washing machine and the dryer... At least we have clean clothes now lol...

Cook some pathetic chunky beef stew from a can for lunch with kailan and apples for dessert. Shu Hui's flatmate, John gave us a bowl of his beef soup. It was OMFG.
Clear soup with beef bits, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and parsely. Perfecto. A taste of home. Sorta. John's from China. A nice guy really.
Went to play basketball with some of his friends in the evening. Finally a chance to exercise... It was pretty refreshing to run around in the cold.
Went back for dinner of more kailan, sausauges and some canned curry that Punitha brought over. Ate up the last of the apples too.. I need more apples...

Okay, finally caught up to the present. More pictures on Facebook!

Cheers
Carmen

A day in Freo!

2009-07-19T20:39:00.001-07:00

Totally forgot to blog about Fremantle... Oh well, better late than never right?
Anyway, went with Juhanans who's Shu Hui's flatmate. He nicely brought us along and showed us around. Took a public bus there. Our first bus ride! Sorta the same as SG's busses with the tap card.

Our first stop at Fremantle was a Japanese store.

Bought some rice flavouring... and we found something interesting...

Pocky for men! Yes, that's right. Now guys won't have to hide in a close room to induldge in their pocky cravings.
We stepped right out of the store and saw something fascinating. A limo! Not as sleek as I would like, but nonetheless real cool...

Went to Freo Market next. Here's an interior view...

An exterior view. Nice architecture right.
Lunch at Kailis. Beat this Fish & Chips!

Too lazy to blog more about Fremantle lol...
More pictures at my Facebook account titled Murdoch.

Cheers
Carmen

Another boring day.

2009-07-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

Nothing much happened today.
Had a meeting with Bob at 11am and we decided to meet up at 10.30am to make a slow walk there. Unfortunately, we ended up procrastinating in my room for a good 15mins before we finally left. Strangely enough, the trip from the hostel to the Biological Science block took around 7mins. Cool eh. This means we don't have to wake up at ungodly hours to get to class on time...
Well, meeting with Bob took a couple of minutes before we left to wander around. Stopped to chat with some new friends we made who were currently volunteering outside Murdoch Internation Office. Cool people with really lame jokes. I swear it got even colder...
The sun's blazing in the afternoon and the weather's pretty bearable with just a jacket. Headed back to the hostel to cook lunch around 2pm.

This is lunch. Curry from a cube with potatoes with skins on, onions and chicken thighs. Had a piping cup of good ol' Lipton tea too. Just what we needed to warm us right up.
Strangely, chicken thighs here are way cheaper than chicken breasts... The curry was diluted though... edible but could be nicer...
Went back to my room where I rotted for hours doing stuff that I cant remember at all.
Next up, dinner.

Omelette, sliced mushrooms in butter sauce from a can, stir fried broccoli with chicken and a serving of rice. Pretty good meal. The omelette was tasteless and a tad too dry... I need soy sauce...
Then it was back to my room where I rotted once more...

Perth Day 3

2009-07-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

It has already been three days... Sort of.
Yesterday Shu Hui's friend kindly brought us around town where we bought a whole lot of junk again. Dinner was an amusing affair of about to expire sandwiches on offer. (That's how pathetic we are...)
Well enough about yesterday.

Today, we went to see Professor Bob for certain things regarding our course and such. He is a really nice guy who would always go an extra mile for his students. I will have to see him tomorrow... Apparently my course details have yet to be updated. We hurried back to our hostel after making more deposits to BankWest amid the rain. The weather here is really strange. It can be all nice and sunny then *BAM* Rain. Within seconds, the freak shower will be gone and its sunny once more.
And I thought Singapore's weather was nuts.
The winds here are pretty chilly. Freezing cold at night and in the mornings.
My housemates are pretty cool people. We keep to ourselves mostly with casual conversations held in the hallway when we happened to meet; other than that, its really quiet here.
Anyway, had a pathetic 'lunch' of milo with cereal and some beef jerky which tastes suspiciously like dog treats though that does not mean I have tasted dog treats, mind you. We went to the 'nearby' K-Mart next where we overloaded our trolley with more stuff. The trip back was hell. Didn't help that I almost went into hypoglycemia due to lack of glucose. I nearly fainted during the trip back T_T
The trolley isn't exactly fully functional... It tends to roll sideways instead of straight and it was really hard to control. Worse thing was that there were slopes on our route back... and weather just had to decide on another bunch of freak showers except this one lasted more than the expected two minutes. We actually sheltered the trolley with Shu Hui's umbrella instead of ourselves. Pathetic ain't it. Shu Hui was even screaming "QUICK! MUST COVER THE BREAD!"
So well, back to our hostel where I lugged this really cheap set of 16 pieces of dinner ware to my room since its on the ground floor before helping Shu Hui with the rest of the groceries to her apartment on the second floor. There's no way I'm gonna cook in my kitchen. It's a bloody mess.
Dinner was an interesting affair. We bought some really huge sausages made of bogus meat that tasted pretty good. Although they looked like they were leaking out when we broiled them before pan-frying with butter...

This is dinner. Baked Potato, brocolli, rice and the giant sausages.

This is Shu Hui with her burnt rice that strangely, tasted like popcorn...

Well that's it for today. I haven't done anything else save for rotting away in my room...

Tick Tock. Clock's ticking.

2009-07-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just realized that this page has died for around two months... Opps. My bad.
Well, I'll be leaving for Perth in three days. Feeling excited yet scared at the same time.
A part of me is raring to go, longing for an adventure. Yet, another part of me is afraid to step out of my comfort zone.
Still, it will be a learning experience.
I'll keep this page updated then.

Carmen

Let the countdown begin!

2009-04-03T03:18:00.000-07:00

12 hours till check in at T1... Almost...almost... HOKKAIDO!!!
For cooler weather!
For sakura!
For crabs!
WHEEEE!!!!!
I cant wait!

The bags are packed, everything's ready!

Oh well, to pass time, here are some updates on my mundane life...
Worked for 14 days at The Pampered Pet Corner located behind MPE.
The people there are nice. But the job scope...
Back breaking is an apt description. I prefer bathing the dogs to drying them...
At least you will only get wet when you bathe dogs. When you are drying dogs, you get furry and you sneeze the entire time.
For minimum wages in a labour intensive job, I guess the employee welfare is pretty good as compared to most places. Like I mentioned earlier, the people there are really nice. Wouldn't mind helping out once in a while though not as a full-time job...

Talking about full time jobs, STC offered another post AGAIN.
Remember the *cough* person? She resigned.
From what I heard, she was pretty upset that the HOD didn't ask her to stay.
Less than a week after her resignation was tendered, I was offered a permanent job there -.-
And less than a week after she officially leaves the company, I was offered a part-time contract job there. Seriously, get a hint.
Oh well, they are desperate. If the money's good, I'll take it.
Doesn't hurt to have extra cash on hand when I'm studying. That and I can be filial to my parents and grandmother by giving them part of my paycheck.
I'm such a good kid don't you think? LOL. Self praise is no praise.
This is starting to turn into a ramble.
Cant be helped. My fingers cant stay still when placed on a keyboard.
A good thing too. It goes to show that the daily writing is paying off.
On another note, I finished my first ever fanfic. Boy, am I proud of myself. My FIRST ever! After slightly less than a year of breaking out into the fanfiction community, I finally completed a series. Good characters so its not too hard to create fiction on them. Lots of plot twists and story lines to play around with. I cant wait to write the next one already.
Been churning out garbage for Writer's Bureau as well. Not entirely satisfied with the results but I'm working on it. I need another source of income...

Apart from Hokkaido... we are going to Phuket as well!!!
Water! Sand! ~~Bitch!~~ Beach! Seafood! Party! Transvestites! Sun!
This is going to be one really great month!

Cheers!

carmen

Kill Joy.

2009-03-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

Kinder Joy.

Frankly, I don't see what's the joy in it. It's not like Kinder Surprise when you bite down on the chocolate egg and SURPRISE! you find a plastic egg containing your toy inside. With Kinder Joy, every moment from when you first bought it, you go 'WTF?'. This further escalates when you open the 'egg'.

Here's how to eat Kinder Joy.

Step 1: Buy it.

Step 2: Peel the tabs apart to get two halfs.

Step 3: Remove the spoon. (With the words Kinder on it, no less.)

Step 4: Peel open the orange wrapped half of the egg with the many question marks. Go 'WOW' at your unassembled toy.

Step 5: Eat the other half with the chocolate.

And there ya go. The white chocolate portion tastes like condense milk. The two biscuit balls with hazel nut chocolate filling tastes like a Ferro Roche rip off.

And I do NOT know why the pictures ended up upside down.

Kinder NO Joy.

Zoo!

2009-03-17T01:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to the zoo! The last time I've been there was too many years ago...
Went with Mark, KW, Michelle and her ~~illegitimate kids~~ cousins.
Quite a few changes... the petting zoo was changed to Kidzworld.
With I think 6 ponies? No more chicks to squeeze unless you count deep fried chicken from KFC. We did witness a goat brawl there though. Strangely, the strangled cries of pain sounded like a grown man yelling instead of the expected baa-ing from the goats. Weird and freaky. Pretty wet day considering that we walked beneath pathetic umbrellas for like 2hours? Missed the feeding time for the lions and the white tigers due to poor planning. Though we did feed the kangeroos for $5. Weird roos they are. They were the long hair type...not your usual short hair roos in new zealand. And they dont exactly hop, they use their fore limbs like crutches to pull themselves forward. Most of the animals were sleeping...only till like 6+ when the zoo was closing, finally the jauguars were awake and prowling about. The first time we saw them, both jauguars were taking an afternoon nap sprawled on the logs in their faux habitat.
The best exhibit so far... must be the Fragile Forest. The lesser mousedeer was so cute! Mark was totally smittened by one mousedeer so much so that he was plotting ways to deernap the darling.

KFC at the entrance. We havent even entered and Mark looks bored already

Michelle's kids

Jimmy's cousin?

This one is hilarious...

An Elephant Skull and Michelle. Its more than half her height!

An elephant tusk and Michelle.

World's biggest (and smelliest) flower. It looks plastic though...

Aww...I dont have any pictures of the mouse deer... T_T

Strengths?

2009-02-22T00:44:00.001-08:00

To defeat an opponent stronger than yourself, you must not be weaker than that opponent. - Takamachi Nanoha (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS manga)

Wise words indeed from an anime character.

It really got me thinking about my strengths and weaknesses. My initial thought was 'Crap. I dont have a strength!' mainly because I'm pretty much a Jack of All Trades. Capable of doing anything but nothing that I particulary excel at.
However, certain events have allowed me to see myself in a different light. I do have a strength. Something that I'm better in than others.

Manipulation.

How apt for someone like me. The ability to twist facts and truths for my personal benefit. The ability to manipulate others and events to my every whim and fancy.

Not a very respectable personality trait but nonetheless very useful. For my will determines the onset of the chains of events. *Snorts*

There's no need to sabotage the bitch. All I ever have to do is to manipulate the events and the situation. And there you go, you royally screwed yourself.
Start looking for another job for you are about to lose your current one.

chortles
carmen

The wisest decision in my life. ever.

2009-02-22T00:36:00.000-08:00

YES. I have made the best decision in my life. The decision to resign.
A record I'm sure. Resign within the first week. LOL.

Csas 3 is a sham. They conveniently forgot to teach us how to write a resignation letter. CV and resume are all mandatory to get a job. But we should be taught how to leave a job with grace as well!
Should have done that a long time ago...
Should have known that no matter what kinda crap they promise, it would never actually happen.
Should have realized that there are always pricks in any organization.
Should have learned my lesson that it doesnt pay to be kind.

From this day forth, Carmen will be mean. I will not relent to lies and deceit.
Instead of always taking other's into consideration, this time, I shall consider my needs first.
SCREW YOU BITCH. Respect must be EARNED.

Rot in hell, for your time is running out.

O.O

2009-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have completed the Mission Impossible.

For the first time in weeks, I actually managed to wake up on my own when the digital clock still states "A.M." I'm so proud of myself!! Yet, I'm so screwed.
Work starts tomorrow and my sleep-wake cycle is still whack. No thanks to sleeping only around 2 or 3am and waking up at 2pm. Somehow, no matter how many hours I spend sleeping, I'm still tired...
Oh well. A repeat of SIP begins on monday. Time to bid sleeping in late goodbye. No more sashimi outings... All for a measly pay of $7.50/hr. Pathetic.
At the very least, there's still the chalet to look forward to... WHEEE!!! I cant wait for the chalet!! The look on Princess's face would be priceless!! (Cues manical laughter) If this chalet succeeds which I'm sure it will, we should consider planning a graduation trip! Langkawi beaches?
Better stop while its still 'morning' LOL

Cheers
carmen

System Down

2009-01-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

Dictionary [Decrease]
Grammar [Decrease]
Vocabulary [Decrease]
Initiate Mode [Shu Hui]
Initiatizing...
Completed.
Standing By.
Select [Start]
Program Running.
Warning. This program is not compatible. Please switch to Default mode to maximise functionality. Select [OK] to enter mode selection page or select [Cancel] to continue.
[Cancel]
Program Running.
This program is not compatible with your system. Please select the Default mode.
Disable warning.
Alert! System unstable.
Alert! Functionality decreased by 90%
Alert! System Malfunctioning.
Now restarting.
System down.
Installation of Glucose unit recommended.

Thank you for using Windows-Brains. Good Bye.

What a way to start the new year.

2009-01-08T00:42:00.000-08:00

It has been barely 10 days into the new year and I have taken MC twice in a week. Yay for welcoming 2009 with illness. To summarize the events during the past few days, I spent more than $200 to consult different doctors. 2 with a GP and 1 with a consultant at the National Skin Center. It all started with a case of rashes, headache, body ache and fatigue. First consult with a GP and he said that its just insect bites. Gave me some cream and medication for itchiness. A day later and more of those blasted red spots appeared. So its another trip to the clinic again. GP insists that "It's healing!" still, it sure as heck doesnt seem like it. Took a blood test for dengue just in case and the results came back negative. Back to work the next day still with those damn red spots and the body aches. I seriously feel like I just got ran over by a 5 ton truck. So another shitty day began with the same old long bus trip and the normally 6 mins walk took me 10 mins from the limping which hindered my speed. Damn. So waited for the sup and left for the very isolated blk 30 and my routine task of starting up the equipment. Was wrestling with the control serum bottle when I realized that I couldnt flex my fingers. Looked down and immediately went "WTF!" My index finger resembled an over broiled sausage. Oh well nothing I can do about it then. Went through the whole day with a useless left hand. COuld hardly flex my index finger. Wasnt much of a big issue that night with family. Till the next morning. Another shocking revelation after I brushed my teeth. Left hand felt numb and when I looked down... OMFG! Swollen index finger, swollen palm. WTF is going on here?! Panic attack once more. As if it wasnt bad enough that I overslept and woke up at 6.18am. Went to bug Daddy to bring me to skin center later on before going back to sleep. The only thing good about this morning was the extended sleeping hours. NSC was nuts. Waited and waited and bounced from room to room. Consultant there said its puzzling. He thinks its an allergic reaction but nothing is concrete. Took blood once more. Bah. Twice in 3 days. Without a doubt, I'm gonna feel damn shagged the next day. Could hardly clench my fist then..only slightly better now though it itches like a bitch.
Hmmm..what else. Oh met Dr Jomer on the bus yesterday and took the entire bus ride with him. KILL ME PLEASE! He went all the way to tampines interchange to top up his ez-link..dont people usually GIRO it to their bank account?! Well, I do. Never had to worry about running low on funds in ez-link courtesy of Daddy.
Person A is still nuts. Dont give a hoot anymore. Already gave me a 3 for appraisal. Nothing else Person A can do to me. Found out more interesting stuff from others. They really dont seem to like Person A. They were telling me their opinion of why things turned out this way. Apparently in their opinion, the superiors are all for hiring me and the reason why Person A is nuts is cause he/she feels threatened. LOL. Then again, Daddy said the same thing too. But still, I've never intended to continue working there. Non-conducive working environment. No way man. Though it is nice to hear that the vets and the assistant managers have a good opinion of me. LOL. Arrogance is never good but still..WOOT!

2009 Resolutions

2008-12-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

1) To actually fulfill 2009's resolutions
2) Focus more on studies
3) Write more often
4) Go wild playing Zombie Panic: Source
5) Complete *secret project*
6) Finish watching all the animes on my anime list (which is still growing at an unstoppable rate -.- )
7) Pick up drawing lessons
8) Learn the piano again
9) Swim!
10) Get a tattoo
11) Cooking & baking lessons. Heck, maybe a part time diploma/degree in that
12) Travel around Japan
13) Find that special someone

Cheers and a Happy 2009 y'all!
3 more weeks of SIP and we can start a new chapter of our lives!

Love,
Carmen

bitching session

2008-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

I just found out the 2nd campus discussion is THIS saturday and not next saturday. Brilliant eh. I'm so totally screwed. My MP workbook is still BLANK, my MP report only has a vague body seeing that I only started yesterday.
Person A is pms-ing for no f**king reason. Seems to be directed at me. Well, its not my f**king fault if Person A's f**king instructions werent clear. Besides, who would let a student do filing for paperwork which would be reviewed by auditors? Wait, let me answer that, lazy bums. And yea, Person A's a f**king lazy bum. Rarely reports on time (Person A never comes till a couple of minutes after 0800hrs), thinks he/she has real balls when he/she throws him/her weight around at the big boys, spends two-thirds of the working hours talking on the phone with his/her spouse, takes extended lunch breaks to sleep, yaks more on the phone, make endless calls on the office phones for personal reasons.
What a great time to get her to fill in my bloody appraisal. Then again, I dont give a hoot what she puts. Doesn't matter much to me. Her opinion doesnt mean crap.
The AM of vet department has asked me for the fifth time if I wanna stay after SIP or graduation. Hur hur hur. Apparently he wants me to join so I can replace the sup. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you see it, I have no interest in spending the rest of my already very mundane life stuck in a tiny lab. Whew. Oh well, at least Dr D trusts me enough to get me to assist him. Boy am I lucky. Dr D is the acting Head of Department while the real Head is away on a long vacation. Maybe they are short of vet assistants..but then again, there was one right next to him yet Dr D still called me over to help him out. Hey, maybe I might get to be trained as a vet assistant! Sure beats being a lab tech.
Slam, slam, slam. Slam files, slam doors, throw keys and utensils around. Throw a childish tantrum and embarrass yourself. Seriously, nobody gives a hoot. The counter girls dont like Person A either. Heck they were bitching about Person A in the MRT after work.
Fascinating how just a few innocent questions and disbeliving looks can make them spill all the bad laundry. Boy, do I love reverse psychology and mind games.

curses,
carmen

Merry X'mas!

2008-12-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Dont get too drunk now~

Some pictures from my *cough* (google's really..) prized collection of christmas porn..

Warning! The following pictures are unsuitable for individuals below the age of 18.
Pregnant women are encourage to click the little 'x' in its red box at the top right hand of this window.
Any persons with a faint heart are encourage to do likewise.
Scroll down at your own risk.

Presenting...Dirty Santa!

Credits to google.

Once again, Merry Christmas!

Lots of love and cookies

carmen

Fahrenheit 19/12/2008

2008-12-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

Never thought I would actually have fun -.-
Well they are not exactly known for their vocal prowess..They are probably more well known for their pretty boy looks and ability to cause hordes of straight girls to swoon. Nevertheless, they sure know how to put up a good show. Their camaderie was pretty apparent as they banter. Not to forget they are very spontaneous as well. Some lucky fan (I think her name was Bao Er or something like that) had her birthday the day before and they invited her onto the stage with them and sang her a birthday song. Not just that but they also sang 'Ai dao' to her, complete with some theatrics. Like how WuChun would twirl the girl, get shoved away by Calvin who would hold her hand and dance with her. But I think the most heartstopping moment for alot of jealous fan girls would be when Aaron hugged the girl and sang to her in that position. Could almost hear all the cursings from the legions of jealous fan girls LOL. Hmm.. What else.. Their guest singer Jade Liu is really great. Her duet with Aaron in Tiamo was erm..wow. Great voice, greater stage personality. She also sang one of her songs which, surprise surprise, got me waving my yellow lightstick with gusto.

Weird outfits..

Pretty talented bunch.. Wu Chun on the drums, Calvin beat boxing, Jiro on the electric guitar and Aaron on the keyboard.
Jiro is a very good guitarist..and so is Aaron as a pianist.

Aaron on the piano.

'Tiamo' Jade liu and Aaron's duet. Its really..wow..

Two and a half hour long concert. They sure are one heck of an energetic bunch. And now, I've become some what of a fan. Have to say I'm impressed by their showmanship.

Merry Christmas y'all!

food, feed, fodder.

2008-12-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

Seems like almost every post is about food in some way or the other...
Steamboat on the 7th of Dec. Happy Birthday Shu Hui!

Shu Hui trying to act demure. And failing real badly..

Nearly died eating.

We didnt go all the way to bugis just to eat...Shopping was at the top of the priority list. Scoured bugis street but it took awhile before we even found something we liked..Terris and I thought we would be leaving the place ladened with bags. Unfortunately, both of us only got 1 item each and a bunch of earrings. Though Shu Hui won in the accessory department with her 9 pairs of earrings. Totally nuts. As if she has enough piercings to wear them all..

But more importantly, allow me to introduce, Squeaky the Chipmunk!

Won him in the arcade where we played the roulette thingy and invested more than $10 each. Got Squeaky, two green monkey cushions and this little figurine. We went totally bonkers that night..

Less than 24hours later, it was ramen and dim sum at Koo Kee in Century Square. Due to certain circumstances, we cancelled our initial plan of lingerie shopping. (Whew. Managed to get outta that..)

Mango, sago, pomelo with mango cream

My five spices beef ramen

The drool-worthy xiao long baos..

And lastly, this picture to make you lose your appetite.

I bet he's thinking about his new psp..and what games to play when we are not paying attention to him...

We so need better poses. Or at least a group pic to dilute the gayness and extreme boredom..

To round off the night, we watched Bolt!
Uber cute animated dog which makes you go "Awwwww..."
I dont think I have ever fawned over a CGI dog before this.. But its real hilarious though. The part when he gets tossed into the real world and realizes that everything he believes in is all for naught. Then again, its a G-rated movie. Expect happy endings. However, the whole movie was spoiled when we realized that Bolt was voiced by John Travolta and Penny by Miley Cyrus AKA bimbo.. Darn!

The trio of pigeons sure cracked us up. Kinda reminds me of the four penguins who stole the show in Madagascar. Not to forget, the fat hamster in the plastic ball.
"I eat destiny for breakfast!" - Rhino
Though he is one great sidekick and truely the hero in the real world..Saved Bolt's ass quite a number of times..
If you havent watched it, whaddya waiting for?!

Lerk Thai

2008-12-06T07:43:00.000-08:00

Last friday, my supervisor Diana gave me and the cleaning auntie a treat. We snuck out during lunchtime and headed to Woodlands Civic Center's Lerk Thai. My sup's birthday is on this sunday. Strangely, it is customary for her to be giving treats lol. Doesnt make much sense. But I'm not complaining since there will be food involved LOL.

Lerk Thai. As the name suggests, its THAI! Pretty good food though with lousy service..

Deep Fried Popiah with spicy sweet sauce. This is really damn good...

My blended mango juice. Damn solid with bits of mango..WOOTS!

We decided on a set meal which comes with rice, dunno what salad and tom yum soup together a main dish.

Chicken green curry, black pepper beef and sweet & sour fish. For some strange reason, the pic turned upside down -.-

I think its a mango salad lol.. the unripe mango.. Really good actually..

Tom yum soup and the mango salad. The tom yum soup is really spicy.. My tastebuds haave yet to recover from the shock..

The green curry is great! Really good food with reasonable prices too.
Enough about food before someone calls me a pig again... SIP is gonna end soon! WHEEEE!!!!! And its almost Christmas! WOOOOOO!!! Can you feel the Christmas spirit? I'm already starting to plan a christmas feast lol. Though I doubt there will even be a christmas party. Oh well, doesnt hurt to dream, does it? My project is finally moving..2 more samples and I will have 10 samples to plot the stupid graph and write the discussion crap. I havent even started on the MP log book. Its totally blank... Heck, its still in its plastic wrapper with its price tag attached lol
Twilight will be out on the 18th of Dec. Singapore sure is slow. Its already out a whole month earlier in the US. Watched it online the other day...alright. wont spoil it for those who havent given in and watched online lol..

xoxo
carmen

Waraku.

2008-11-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Cousin gave us a treat at Waraku last monday. I'll cut down on the text and let the pictures do the talking.

They froze the glass! Cool eh..

Sashimi FTW. Enuff said.

Curry Udon. Look at the size of the bowl!

Cold Soba. Again, look at the size of it!

Cheesy salmon baked mashed potato. Sinful, but heavenly. Totally worth the calories..

Cant remember what its called.. Frozen peach?

Clam shell Green Tea ice cream with glutinous balls. And no, thats not its name..

More pictures here:

Thanks cuzzie for the meal!

So ladies, what are you waiting for? Grab a minimum of 4 ladies at a table on a monday night and enjoy 50% off the total bill. Ladies Night promotion at Waraku ends this year. Make sure there are no men at the table though!

UPDATE!

2008-11-03T04:43:00.000-08:00

I'm alive. Barely. We are 8 weeks down with 12 more to go.. 3months people! Almost there! Though it sucks big time to have to do the proposal and actually start on the report... I still have no bloody idea what is my MP about -.-
Well, I just noticed that my blog seems to be dying and promptly decided that I should take immediate action and revive it!

Well, updates: Watched 'Rec' with Mark and Isaac last friday on Halloween no less. Freaky movie with a whole lot of sudden scares and a predictable storyline which surprisingly ended with a twist. There we were thinking its a virus infection and all.. The last 20mins or so was frigging scary. The 'final boss' is hideous..although I only managed to see the lower half of its torso through my fingers.. Imagine how horrible the whole thing should be.. After we left, it was on to the arcade! Played silent hill with Mark. We managed to progress pretty far into the game with $4 each. Not bad lol. Apparently shooting anything and everything regardless whether it moves or not gives you a higher score. Grr. Well, we freaked ourselves out well and good. Great Halloween Guys!

Tomorrow, I'm gonna be attending a horse race! Its the Melbourne Emirates Cup. Gonna be interesting, I'd bet. Its my first horse race lol.. Really looking forward to it. Will take some pictures if I can. With my new 3.2mp w595 phone no less lol.

Zombies live on brains, I live on raw salmon. Sashimi FTW!

Thanks LQ!

Corn Salute!

2008-10-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

"Corn 1 to HQ, reporting in!"

Here's a shout out to my cornrade, Corn 2!
"Corn Salute!"

Thanks for the picture, Corn 2!

Don't pop now, all this crap will be over soon.. Hang in there, corn support!

On a side note, 6 weeks down! 14 more to go! I seriously hate doing MP.. Totally brain dead from writing the proposal..

Yesterday, we went to watch Max Payne at Plaza Singapura! Small gathering with Amanda, Isaac, Mark, Michelle and Ke Wee.. Gosh..miss them alot lol..
Well, we had an evening snack at some dim sum place located at B2 before the movie. Thanks to Mich and KW for coming earlier just cause I was retarded enough to read the clock wrongly and arrived at PS a whole hour earlier..
(Though I have a feeling that Mich only wanted to arrive earlier so she could eat -.- )
Movie was interesting..didnt do the game much justice but heck, its hollywood we are talking about. Luckily we stayed till after the credits to watch the 30sec preview of Max Payne 2. Next was a walk to The Cathay and a tour around the first floor before heading back to PS for dinner at Xin Wang Cafe. Wasted a few minutes going up and down on the escalator due to miscommunication LOL.. Apparently it wasnt the only miscommunication that night..we had another round of escalator merry-go-round at the carpark.. Well, ate alot of stuff at Xin Wang Cafe. No pictures though..silly Manda didnt press the store button after taking the pics. haha.. But, thank you all for the great evening!

Loves
Carmen

Poooo Tien!

2008-10-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Shit sky lol.. Alright, that was a bad pun.. Its Pu Tien...A resturant somewhere near Serangoon..They serve great food! The rice cakes are especially yummy! It was a dinner with relatives..well, there were only 10 of us.. The main purpose was to bring my maternal grandma out for a dinner. My cousin, being a spontaneous organizer, put together the outing and the rest of us cooperated to make it work. I hope my grandma enjoyed herself..it must really suck to be stuck in the same house with two ungratful grandchildren..(Its not me! I swear!)
Here's a lowdown on the gastronomic experience..

Cant remember what is this..but it tastes good!

Lychee Sweet Sour Pork and Three Egg Spinach

This is the famous Rice Cakes. I couldnt resist and ate some of it before remembering to taje a picture..

Claypot..Sea cucumber, mushrooms and brocoili..(First time that sea cucumber doesnt taste slimy..)

Fried mantous with the pork and onion filling. (If only there's curry crab...)

Sweet and Sour (or is it Spicy?) Fish. (And that's my aunt! =) )

The more than half eaten Deep fried Duck with Yam. (By the time it came round to me, thats all thats left T_T )

And for dessert, Ice Cream with Pumpkin Paste. This one is utterly sumptious..

Well, all in all, it was an enjoyable day with relatives..(A first LOL)

5 weeks down..15 more to go.. We are 1/4 through with SIP! WHEEEEEE! Well, I finally got my MP title on the 9th of October. And synopsis was dued on the 10th. Being such a genius, I churned out a 242 word synopsis in less than 24hrs. Dr Dan (The vet incharge) only edited one little fact and send me on my way to submit. WOOTS! I amaze myself sometimes. (Okay, most of the time =P )

Jomer is stressed out. He is so lame. He actually replied my email saying that he is saddened that I did not burn the lab down...

Went to Rouge Outdoors Cafe yesterday.. Their portion of wedges is HUGE. Think 4 potatoes...The wings were not as crispy or tasty as No.5 but it will do.. No.5 was completely packed that night.. T_T (I want my martini!)

Fuzzy Navel (Their drinks have weird names..) This one is orange juice with absolute..

Watermelon Martini (I didnt order this...)

Cosmopolitian (This one is nice!)

The drinks werent too bad..not as nice as No.5..the food was pretty good too.. Their garlic bread is organic lol..And the price..Major Ouch. $98+ for two..yikes..

Cheerios
Carmen

1 month anniversary.

2008-10-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Its been a month since. 1 month in STC..thats 4 weeks..or 20 working days.. Hmm..feels much longer though..Or perhaps its the sense of familarity..Work has been kind..very few samples. On good days, we get 9, on bad days only 1. Oh well..that leaves me with more time to read yahoo news and listen to the radio if I'm done reading the operator's manual (which I'm usually done within a few hours). Talk about extreme boredom..even this post sounds draggy.

Allow me to introduce, Bella. She's a stable cat who belongs to one of the trainers, David Hill's daughter. The stable is pretty close to the lab but strangely, Bella always comes by every morning for food..

Well, I learnt a painful lesson..doesnt mean that a cat rolls onto its back does it mean you can touch its belly.. Bella scratch me slightly and still gave me a high paw..Fortunately, no harm done LOL. She was just playing with me.

Nice canopy eh..This is the road leading to the lab. Further ahead are some of the trainers' stables.

Blk 30 lab. See how isolated it is...
To think that I'll be alone in the building for 2 weeks while my supervisor goes on her honeymmoon..I hope there will be another intern. Muhahaha.

Well, I was born on this date 19 years ago. Feels much longer than that.
P.S.: Only well wishes in cash are accepted. =D

Hokkaido Food and Alcohol

2008-09-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Went out again with Mally..Wanted to torture her and make her watch movies 4 nights in a row..but she thwarted my plan T_T We had ice cream at Takashimaya, she had her seasalt and caramel hokkaido ice cream while I bought from belgium chocolate and cookies 'n' cream from the other ice cream store. Strangely, belgium choc and cookies 'n' cream taste better when they are mixed..Walked to Far East where I bought my hair wax and we wandered around looking at clothes and shoes. There's this shirt there which is really nice.. (ARGH!) Walked back to Taka for dinner around 7pm @ Aji Tei located at the basement.

Spinich cream and bacon omelette rice

Mally and her scallope ramen (so unglam =D)

Mango Kakibure (at least I think its kakibure..)

Then its off to No.5 for drinks and wedges! Crazy Mally still wanted to eat wings there..Thankfully, we were both too full..

The drinks menu...

Peach martini

Wedges

Long Island Ice Tea (This one is way stronger than the martinis...)

Cam whoring..

Finally the empty glass..(1.5hrs and a pool game later..)

Not to forget, the peanuts!

Interior.

Amazingly, we managed to take public transport home after alcohol intoxication.. The Long Island Ice Tea smells suspiciously like 70% ethanol to me.. I still cant believe I managed to finish it.. >.< they werent kidding when they said their Long Island is really strong.. Lots of eye candy that night..What with the F1 race, the area was swarming with tourists..(some are smokin' hot..)At least there's a cute bartender..two actually, one male and one female..The female bartender kinda gave us a death stare LOL..How sad..Nevertheless, no frets! I took Mally's first time! (First time pubbing..not whatever weird thoughts you are having then..) I'm surprise she managed to finish a glass of the peach martini..and 3/4 of the basket of wedges -.- (I expected it..I only looked away for a few minutes and when I turned back, half of the wedges were GONE!) Great night, good food, good drinks and to round it off, lots to see. =D

xoxo
carmen

Sucidal.

2008-09-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Wonder how it feels to leap off a building.. Perhaps if its high enough, still might be able to feel the wind rushing against your face, stinging your eyes and whistling in your ears before the unavoidable splat on the concrete pavement.

Not that I'm feeling suicidal of course. I refuse to die before I meet her. But I was just wondering still.. This was what I came upon as I was walking along the void deck after work..

Suicidal Teddy.

Poor bugger. Wonder who pushed him off the ledge..It must have been painful..

Unnatural death..At least its better than getting its stuffing pulled out and strewn all over..

On a lighter note, 3 weeks down! WOOTS! That leaves with 17 weeks to go.. Another 85 more days at work..I'm rotting at STC.. Take my advice, buggies are not build for wet weather. It really doesn't help that Kranji sees quite a number of rainy days..

Fine dining and great drinks @ No. 5

2008-09-26T05:53:00.001-07:00

Went to No.5 yesterday with my cousin and sis. In case y'all are wondering, its a pub! Great ambiance, wonderful finger food (a real gastronomic treat!) and even better alcohol! Plus, they serve peanuts and encourage you to dump the shells on the ground. It seriously feels good to stomp on the discarded shells and hearing the satisfying crunch. Not to forget, the unwanted shells make for good ammo in the peanut shell war.

The bowl of peanuts. (They taste good. Wonder which brand..)

Round 1 of drinks: (I apologize for the poor picture quality..too dim..)

Cant remember the name.. but its orange juice champange

Lemon Vodka
Also ordered a cranberry vodka..but the picture is way too dark..

Finger food:

Salami Pizza! (Yum!)

Chicken wings (This one is really brilliant! Double yum!)

Soft shell crab (drools)

Round 2 of drinks:

Lychee Martinis

Peach Martinis

And rounding it off with some fabulous wedges!

Good thing is that after 9pm, the martinis are one for one~ Which means, more to drink!

This is roughly what the interior looks like.

The exterior.

The bar.

Thanks cuzzie for dinner and drinks!

xoxo
Carmen

I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

2008-09-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Lucky - Jason Mraz ft. Colbie Calliat

Do you hear me,
I'm talking to you
Across the water across the deep blue ocean
Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying
Boy I hear you in my dreams
I feel your whisper across the sea
I keep you with me in my heart
You make it easier when life gets hard

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

And so I'm sailing through the sea
To an island where we'll meet
You'll hear the music fill the air
I'll put a flower in your hair
Though the breezes through trees
Move so pretty you're all I see
As the world keeps spinning round
You hold me right here right now

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
I'm lucky we're in love every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday

Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooooh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh

Who's my best friend, you ask?

me! me, me and me!
Well, I like this song..not because I'm in love with my bestfriend..
(well, yea, I am I guess..I'm in love with myself =D )
This song is for her.
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will

Seiransai 18

2008-09-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the 18th Seiransai at Wasade Shibuya Senior High School.. Went there with Terris, Guan Wei and Shu Hui. Anyway, the whole reason that I would even go is due to *cough* someone *cough* might be there. And yup. She was there. But stupid me, just had to lose my nerves and walk right past her instead of approaching her.. UGH. I hate myself. Where did all the confidence disappear to?! I managed to survive my first day of SIP brimming with confidence and facing superiors who are way older, yet I can't even walk up to someone a couple of years younger to say hi. Brillant.

Great going, Carmen. You are a real disappointment.

I hate myself.

The first time I saw her was at Natsu Matsuri 08 held at The Japanese Primary School, Changi Campus. That very first time, she took my breath away. I was completely stunned. When our eyes met for just a split second, she stole my heart. Love at first sight? I hope it is. Sure feels like it. And I saw her again today. Wasn't so sure at first, but there's no denying it. My heart started pounding away like a triphammer. It's definitely her. Then again, I remembered her friend..so I'm pretty sure its her. Not to forget the recognition in her eyes. So stupid of me. Why did I let that chance slipped through my fingers?! WHY?! I'm sooo dumb.

Popeye the sailor man!

2008-09-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

Went out with Mally today..Been like 2 or 3 weeks since I last saw her? LOL. She just had to tell me that she wanna wear heels..cuz of that I cant wear good ol' t-shirt and jeans to Bugis..You owe me big time, Mally.. Cuz of you, I have to wear smart casual..Anyway, we bought some clothes at Bugis street before wandering around Bugis Junction. Thanks Mally for choosing those ties =D Unfortunately or fortunately, we were stopped by two roadshow promoters from Prudential promoting this student savings account. 4% interest per year is pretty good. They broke down all the numbers and in summary, by putting in $50 a month for a period of 25years, we would get back $24k or something like that. Thats like double the amount we have to put in..pretty good deal.. Surprisingly, my parents were open to the idea..

Took the train to Changi Airport next and managed to trick Mally into looking at the little mirror located on the back of my phone and taking a picture of her then. She really looked funny..too bad she managed to figure out how to delete it.. There I was banking on her inability to figure things out..damn.

Mally looks flushed LOL.. (I made her laugh too hard)

Went to T1 for Popeyes! The queue was pretty long..But we did get our fried chicken and biscuit fix. Ate and talked about random stuff..Like her cousin.. She should know better than to show me her cousin's picture and supply me with so much information about her cousin.. She did say that she would find it weird if her cousin and I got together, but she still gave me alot of little facts LOL. Thanks again, Mally. You know what to do next..I want phone number! LOL

Stupid Mally..how come your face always get cut off..

xoxo
Carmen

See that girl,

2008-09-19T08:55:00.001-07:00

watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen~
Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the musics high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
Youre in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

I watched Mama Mia with the 'rents today. Boy, was it hilarious.. Pierce Brosnan SINGING?! The most charasmatic James Bond ever and he can sing.. Whoa.
It was a nice movie, really. The storyline isnt exactly predictable, it keeps twisting when you least expect it. Very enjoyable. But perhaps not for those who are not fans of musicals..
Time to go get some good ol' ABBA songs..
Talk about oldies..

2 weeks down! 18 more to go!

2008-09-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Whew..another week has passed..and I survived! LOL. Today was fun..had to go to AVA to send a sample for histopath..STC lab doesnt have the equipment for histopathology.. how sad..if they do, I can definitely do histo.. We took the company car to AVA and my supervisor drove..though had to stop to fill up on petrol first..for 62litres, it costs a frigging bomb..$130! WTF. The price of one barrel of oil..ugh..Suddenly I'm not too keen on driving anymore...save the environment, dont drive. Besides, my supervisor is a demon driver..the buggy was bad enough..the car was worse..and it isnt just your usual sedan size car..its a frigging suv. By a korean company though..all the controls are on the left. So, the windscreen wipers keep coming on whenever my supervisor wants to signal. I'm glad she didnt ask me to drive..bad idea really..not to forget, the handbrake is faulty!

Anyway, its damn stupid to have to drive all the way to AVA to send a sample..the sending of sample itself took less than 5mins..the drive however took about half an hour. Dumb. Cant they have a courier service..If I ever have to send samples to AVA when my supervisor goes on her honeymoon, I'm gonna pass it to my acting supervisor to do it. GRR. No way am I driving there..

A horse on its morning run..

xoxo
Zombiefied Carmen

05/100 - 5% completed

2008-09-13T01:33:00.000-07:00

Ahh...1 week has passed..5days down, 95 more to go.. Strangely, the past 5 days seem much longer..STC has almost becomed a second home..Though its alot bigger than TAF, with alot more people and most days, there's pretty much NOTHING to do.. At least in TAF, theres always cat husbandry and rabbit husbandry AKA sai kang if you wanna pass time.. But in STC, the only things to do are, collect samples, process samples, run the tests, check results, get supervisor to validate and print results then send the results to the vets. THATS IT! ARGH! I'm frigging bored outta my mind! I spend most days reading the operator's manual for the Cell-Dyn 3700 which is used for haematology (CBC, RBC, Haem, etc counts..) In 3 days, I've mastered the operation of the machine and in those 3 days, I'm left to run the samples while my supervisor does her paperwork in the makeshift office outside. The office is still under renovation apparently. And she knows that I'm very bored. She kept bringing me around for rides to the EHR though we both know that there are no samples.. And I got to see one of the stables! That particular stable belongs to Bruce Marsh. He's a funny guy lol. Being a racehorse sure has some benefits..the track walkers pamper them..the stable hands keep them clean..they get walks once or twice a day and visits by the vets..Eat good quality hay and they get to crap wherever and whenever they want LOL. Countless times I have to navigate the buggy around heaps of poop.. Definitely wouldnt wanna let the tires roll over it.. My supervisor is really friendly too..after 4 days, I'm left to drive myself back to the EHR, drive myself to the lab in the morning (a very dangerous task! Must be very careful not to hit any horses..alot of 'traffic' in the morning..) and she made me clock in and out for her! ARGH! At least she trusts me. Thats a plus point..

Cam whoring..since theres nothing else to do..

P.S: Horse urine is really thick..and bears an uncanny resemblance to honey.. yucks..

Check Out My New Ride!

2008-09-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have a car. No, I'm not kidding. Nothing beats racing down the roads in Turf Club. Feeling the wind in your face and the whistling of the wind in your ears.. Priceless.

Well, back to the main point..

Are you ready?

Check out my new ride!

GOTCHA!

Anyway, yea, I get to drive a buggy around Turf Club. This one isnt very fast..The 4-seater one is much faster and quieter..

SIP Day 1

2008-09-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Bored. Seriously boring. Reporting time at 0830..though I reached turf club at 0745. Way too early lol. Sat around and waited till 0815 before I walked into the admin office. Then it was waiting again. Apparently the people at the Admin Building dont arrive till 0830. Finally someone walked in through the door to get me and brought me up to the Learning & Development Department. And it was more waiting still. In the end, went up and down the Admin building and passed from one person to the other. -.-"
Finally, the admin staff from the Vet dept came to get me. Woots! Angie is nice. She showed me around and introduced me to the Vet surgeons, vet nurse, vet officer. Then I was introduced to the Head of Clinical Vet Admin, Linda. And she too brought me around the Equine Hospital. Saw the ultrasonography room, the radiography room, surgery room, even the isolation stables for the horses where I met a very temperamental horse. I got to pat him though..but when we had to leave, he started jumping and kicking..awww..he missed me already...
Then it was on to meet my supervisor, Diana. Again, another very nice person. She drove us to Blk 30 where the lab I will be spending most of my 5 months at is located. I know blk 30 sounds really huge..honestly, its tiny..the lab is perhaps half the size of TP's lab..and the office just got renovated so no one has moved in yet. But Diana did tell me that I will get my own desk once the office is ready. WOOTS. Sat around somemore in the lab and read the protocols. Didnt actually got to do anything until after a meeting with the acting head vet, Dr Dan, Linda and Diana where we discussed my MP title. All in all, a rather boring day..since there isnt much to do. Though, I did get to drive a buggy around.. It's like driving a toy car..The lab is way too far away from the Admin blk to walk..Tomorrow, the real training begins. I hope I'm still alive by the end of the week..first day and I already fell into a deep slumber on the bus trip home..

Kuishin-Bo

2008-09-06T05:19:00.001-07:00

Blah. 1 day late. Anyway, we went to Kuishin-Bo located at Suntec! Took 518 with Marissa, Mark, Isaac, Kok Tong and Wei Hong from TP to Suntec after the SIP briefing. (KW and Mich just had to zoom past in the couple carriage -.- ) Sitting in between Mark and Mari only made me hungrier since they keep complaining about hunger. After a long 40mins spent playing psp and sleeping in the bus, we finally arrived at Suntec! (Never sit next to Mark on the bus especially when he falls asleep. His shoulder would keep bumping into yours and it frigging hurts since he's so bony -.- ) It was a mad rush through the crowd to get to the Tower 1 and the 3rd floor. Almost couldnt find the restuarant..it was tucked away in a corner LOL. After standing around for about 10mins..we got a seat! A table for 10 which was outside the resturant. Who cares..as long as we got a table.. And so, the guys settled down at the table leaving me to ask "Why do you all even bother sitting?!" Mari immediately sprang up from her seat and shoved me roughly towards the buffet spread (I got manhandled T_T) We took quite a lot of food..a little of everything. Okay I lied about the little part. We took a huge plate of salmon.. I think we ate at least a whole salmon that night.. Didnt take any pictures of the food...we were more interested in eating it... That sort of concludes Round 1..

Round 2 involves alot of random stuff like a paper steamboat thingy (I havent a slightest idea what it's called..), Mari kept bringing weird stuff back to the table..stuff which none of us even saw.. Like this teapot which contains some soup brewed with prawns (a prawn to be exact) and ginko nuts.. Then Mark decided to start on the crabs. Bad idea really..He sprayed Mari and I with the juice from the crab -.- (Tip no. 2: Never sit across or next to Mark at meals.) It didnt help that Mark was more clumsy than usual that night lol.

By the time Wei Qiang arrived, followed shortly by Michelle and Ke Wee (cant remember the order, really..), we already stuffed ourselves with a lot of food..(Kok, Mark and Isaac were down for the count by then) But heck, Round 3! Bring on the chawanmushi and the tempura! The quest to kill ourselves with food continued only to be interrupted slightly by the arrival of Manda. Blur girl...She was only 3 metres away yet she still didnt notice us till we yelled and waved. Seriously, the crabs were great..the flesh is sooooo sweet! *drools* oh, dont forget the thick slices of salmon which were oh so drool worthy.

Manda is so funny..first time I've ever seen anyone take those xiao bai cai when dining in a Japanese Resturant..LOL. And the way she eats is simply hilarious. Not that I'm staring..but its hard not to notice her queer eating habits when she was sitting just across from me.. (Tip no. 3: Sharing food with Manda is a bad idea..she only takes a bite out of everything..her plate was covered with half eaten food LOL.)

Dessert was a very sweet affair and involves random tarts and cakes. The fondue wasnt that fun..Though Mich gushed that grapes coated in chocolate is to die for. Gotta try that someday..I seriously cant remember what I ate..

Time to let all the food get digested while we talked and cam whored. Amid downing several cups of hot tea to aid digestion that is..

Mich, Manda and Me

Kok Tong, Wei Qiang and Wei Hong

Isaac, KW and Kok (ugh. We didnt capture Markie on camera!)

Marissa, Amanda, Michelle and me

Group Pic!

4bia with Mally

2008-09-04T08:18:00.001-07:00

Seriously, I should have known it was a very bad idea to watch 4bia..I have no idea what came over me and caused me to spontaneously agreed on watching 4bia. With Mally, no less. Bad bad idea. Its not that the movie is a Thai horror flick which reviewers have claimed to be one of the scariest..that I assure you is not as scary as the person you are watching with. We entered the cinema a little late and the movie already started. Had to trample on a few feet to get to our seats. The first 20minutes or so was utterly boring which I spent munching on Nachos while Mally devoured a tray of wedges. (I didnt expect her to finish them so quickly -.- ) Then the fun part begins. =D I will not include any spoilers..but honestly I was flinching while Mally was covering her eyes. Then she screamed. That did it. I started laughing not just at the screen like some of the guys in the cinema but also at the way Mally was screaming bloody murder. LOL
4bia consists of 4 stories in a 2hr long movie. First one was boring..second one was amusing, third was hilarious, fourth was horrifying. I spent the second story laughing while Mally again was screaming a little more than the first one. But still the fourth story was the best. Not because it made me peek through my fingers just to look at the bottom of the screen at the subtitles, but also because Mally was screaming like a lunatic. Should have recorded the screaming. Priceless. Hate to admit it but I was too afraid to watch most of the fourth story. Yup, it was THAT scary. Though not as scary as the screaming on my right, or as amusing as Mally whimpering away. Anyway, the movie ended and the audience were rather scared shitless from the way everyone were scampering to get out of the theatre..

We decided to walk to Orchard. Though I manage to convince her to go Takashimaya where we ate Taiyaki! (lots of chocolate..all the way to the tail too =D ) Then I dragged her into the mid-autumn festival fair thingy in the middle of Taka. Noticed this girl there..she has really big brown eyes lol. (we caught each other looking -.- twice in fact >.< ) My nose led me to Cold storage where I bought sushi! Three salmon and two unagi for the affordable price of $5.00! Yea, they are about to close thus the discount. Sushi never fails to make me high~
Continued walking all the way to wisma atria before we took the MRT back. Man..been a long time since I last went out with Mally LOL.

xoxo
Carmen

Badminton~

2008-09-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

Had badminton today at Safra Tampines. Started playing from 5pm with Yumin and Terris before Dr Jomer joined us at 6pm. Yes, Dr Jomer. I'm not kidding. Well, he is pretty good.. though during warm-up he got trashed by Yumin effortlessly and Yumin kept turning away from him to snicker. Funny really. Each time he misses, he would claim that he wasnt ready. HAHAHAHA. We had a match which lasted around 15mins or so and I teamed up with Dr Jomer while Yumin teamed with Terris. We were leading at first before they caught up and the scores were even. At the crucial moment when it was like 13-10 to Yumin and Terris, we managed to even the scores to 13-13 and went on to play till 17 points from the initial 15 points. At that moment, GW arrived and he subbed Terris in the game. Which was fortunate for Dr Jomer and me really.. LOL We managed to win! WOOT! Cant remember the score though. But victory was sweet ahaha. Dr Jomer was nice enough to treat us to drinks and we settled down at the little snack bar to share a bag of potato chips (wasted our effort lol) Dr Jomer seems happy to play..He even wanted another round this weekend and he mentioned something about playing badminton every week. Wow. Talk about healthy lifestyle. Still, its nice to have a group to play badminton with..And now that we are freed from this bane of our existence known as studying, we have lots of time for recreational activities. Bleh. I hate to admit it, but I am looking forward to another game lol.

xoxo
Carmen

To: Ling Qi

2008-09-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Ling Qi,
even though we have never met before face-to-face, its almost as if we have known each other for ages. Fate is strange, isnt it? I never thought I would ever 'meet' someone who's so much alike to me in terms of mindset..yet, here you are! A friendship which is so strong though its still new. (We met in May? Through CR? LOL) I vaguely recall the first thing you said to me. We were talking about Last Friends. How time flies eh.
Anyway, this one is for you:
'Your greatest strength lies in who you are. Not who you can be.'
Dont be afraid or ashame of who you are. The people who matter, do not mind. The people who mind, do not matter.

hugs
Carmen

<3 Biscuits

2008-08-31T00:44:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the edible, fluffly, butter-y baked flour here. I'm referring to my beloved crayfish of 11months, Biscuits! I'd always thought she was a he..until recently.. LOL
Anyway, yesterday I noticed that she seems rather subdued and her eyes were white..got me kinda worried that it might be a difficult moult.. But thankfully, today she seems rather active and her colour looks really good too.

Biscuits says hi!

Biscuits: No pictures!

A top view..

She's beautiful isnt she..She's a blue crayfish by the way..even though she's just a crayfish and lives in a tank, she has provided me with alot of fun and laughter..reminds me of the time she escaped from the pail I left her in and walked all the way into my grandmother's room. I still remember how my grandma and the maid were shrieking in horror when they found Biscuits sitting contentedly in the corner. Thank you for being in my life Biscuits.

Love
Carmen

RSAF OH'08

2008-08-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Went for the RSAF Open House '08 today with Terris and GW. We met at Eunos to take the shuttle bus to Paya Lebar Air Base. Unfortunately for me, I almost got molested by some dumb f**king indian whom I had the misfortune to sit next to. Dumb f*** kept opening his legs wider and wider and pressing his leg against my thigh. Seriously, if he got more daring and gropes me, I would frigging make him into mush. Apart from that, it was good weather, cool aircrafts and a whole lotta good looking people. The place was swarming with aussies and eurasians and not to forget, noisy kids in prams with inconsiderate parents. The sun was excessively hot though..and it was all we could do not to make a run for shelter.. We did however, ducked into the cool comfort of one of the makeshift tents for food and some air-con..

The ramly burger there is GREAT! Way better than any I've ever had. It was an unanimous decision to buy ice cream to battle the heat after our lunch and I settled for this peach & apple jelly popsicle.. Limited water content, but the popsicle was great fun to play with LOL.

OMG! Its a black knight! (I'm not referring to the guy posing..)

I wonder what the pilots see..Soaring among the clouds, with the city beneath them..

More pictures here: http://s472.photobucket.com/albums/rr85/xsmiggersx/RSAF%20OH08/

And so, we wandered around till almost 1410 before we decided to leave. Wandered around even more just looking for the blasted pick up point for the shuttle bus before finally finding it only to realize that there's a traffic jam along Eunos and the queue for the Eunos Interchange snakes on endlessly..Since we have loads of time to spare, we opt to take the shuttle bus to Hougang instead and changing to a bus at the interchange. The ride back to Tampines was butt-numbing, literally. Luckily, I had a novel to keep me company though the consequences were a headache from reading on a moving vehicle lol. (Go read Twilight if you havent already!) I caught a glimpse of GW sleeping with his mouth wide open a couple of seats away..sorely tempted to sms Terris who was sitting next to him to drop something into that wide open mouth =P Well, GW woke up before I had a chance to get my phone out of my pocket..

Arcade! Had a strong urge to race so had to settle for one of the racing games at TimeZone in TM. Apparently, having a driving license doesnt mean you can own everyone else in arcade racing games. Next was Time Crisis! Woot! Spent 2bucks for a 6th position on the highscore list. Then it was off to my tamp house to foam and die, leaving Terris to go shopping at Simei.

Dinner @ Jack's Place~

The main course wasnt all that fascinating.. But the starter was interesting..

I've no idea what its called..some weird foreign name..

Its some sorta shell fish? They even provide weird cutlery to extract and eat the flesh..

Catfish and Steak. Catfish was really fishy..

Mango Mousse cake. Somehow, the image on the menu looked better LOL

Mango Jelly. This one is nice..the mango ice cream is really smooth... *drools*

Banana Split. (Duh. its perfectly obvious.)

Brownie with ice cream

Thanks to my family for the treat and the company =)

*I think the shellfish is giving me an allergic reaction -.- *

xoxo

carmen

Sakae~

2008-08-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

Today, met ShuHui and Terris at Marina Square for ShuHui to order her karate stuff.. Oh, lesson learned. Never take the 1235 bus no.518. It is suicidal. Pack like sardines isnt sufficient to describe the horrible experience.. Perhaps is a good thing I was squashed between two cute girls..okay..the one behind is cute and the one in front isnt that cute -.-
Trust me when I say it isnt all that fun to support another person's weight in a moving bus which was taking turns like a bloody rollercoaster on even ground. Regardless of whether the girl is cute or not. Anyway, Terris was in the same bus and comfortably sitting near the back while occassionally getting groped accidently by the bf of the girl sitting next to him. HAAAHAAA! Well finally got to Suntec and we got to inhale some fresh air..(well, as fresh as air can get while standing within a bus stop). Poor ShuHui got herself smacked around during training the day before and she was limping like some old woman..I have never walked that slowly for such a long period before -.- (no thanks to SH for the lactic acidosis..but since we are such great friends, we shall suffer in 'silence' after bitching about it..)
First stop in Marina Square: Muji!
Went wild there and impulsively bought alot of random japanese tidbits..
Next stop: Liang Seng
Terris and I mainly wandered around looking at random products while SH made a big fuss over her orders for karate.. no idea how long we were there..
On our way to the MRT station, SH got distracted by this store selling really hideous(IMHO) little keychain dolls. And yea, she spent quite a while browsing before giving in to her inner desires (and our psycho-ing) and bought this white, ugly and sotong looking doll. Hate to say it but Terris and I fully agree that it suits her to a 'T'..

On to our next stop for the day: Sakae at Simei!
Mission: eat 60 plates
No. of plates we ate: 46

MISSION FAIL

We ordered all of that in a go -.-
The entire tray that the waitress was carrying was ours..

In less than an hour and after the waitress cleared our first 18 plates

Guan Wei and Terris (note the similar smiles O.O)

Shu Hui and me

And GW sabotaged me! ARGH! Who would have thought the most innocent one amoung the four of us would actually do that..

GW: *to the waitress walking past* Excuse me, can we ask you a question?
Waitress: *stops and takes out notepad and pen* Yes?
GW: *to me* Ask.
*Silence around the table*
Waitress and I stared at each other, both completely baffled.
Me: Er... *glares at GW* Can we have some ice water please?
Then the four of us burst out laughing. Even the waitress was trying hard to suppress a smile..
Thanks alot GW..I will get you for that..

xoxo
Carmen

First step in a new chapter of life

2008-08-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

'Dear Journal', this is my first post in my first blog (okay. I lied.) Anyway, here goes! A journal charting the very mundane aspects of my life, possibly my thoughts( <-- involves random girl ).

First off, I'M FREE!!!!! No more having to rush home to study, stay up to study, wake early to study...(yes. my life involves studying. Come to think of it, I spent the past 16 years of my life studying..totally lack of a proper childhood..) Well, the semestral exams are over..and they werent too bad actually.. Bphar was great! After weeks of trying to comprehend the mechanism of drug actions which has evaded me time and time again, I finally understood amid just 4 days before taking the paper.. Lucky eh.

And with the first hour of my life free from studying, I spent it de-skinning and de-fleshing a rat. Never ever de-flesh any dead animal on an empty stomach. Especially when the de-fleshing process involves boiling said dead animal to make 'stew'. Trust me. As disgusting as it is, the cooked rat meat look rather appetizing..much like chicken meat..

After spending a good 2.5hrs with the rat, we left for LUNCH! Which was more like stuffing ourselves senselessly with food than a gastronomic experience at Design Canteen. With that, we parted ways and Terris and I left for Far East where we mow-ed our hair and I impulsively discoloured mine..

With that, I'm signing out!
xoxo
carmen