Bonjour! Au Revoir!

Yes, I'm back from Marseille, but I've been putting off updating my blog with pictures if my fabulous trip. (Procrastination...)

Anyway...here it is!

One thing I have to say about Marseille is: The weather is much much much better than what we're having right now in the UK. Oh, I know it's not news, but then again, how can anyone complain about good weather? Lots of sun, sea and fantastic view of the Mediterranean sea.

First, let's start with the city itself.

The old port of Marseille.

La Canebière.

On top of La Garde.

View of Marseille.

View of the Mediterranean sea from la Garde.

Notre-Dame de la Garde by night.

Next, comes Cassis. OOohhh, this is my favourite. I just love love love love LOVE the view there! A bit scary when you look down the edge of the calanque though, but I can overlook that! Hehe...

(Forgot the name of the cliff. Emily did tell me, not once, not twice, but THRICE, and I still can't remember it.)

View of Cassis (from the same cliff).

I took loads of pictures still from this place but then I'd already put them on FB and so I would spare everyone from my cam-whoring.

Next, let's take a look at this...

Does anyone recognise what this is and where have you seen it?

Another hint:

Got it?

Yeap, yeap...it is.

The cafe featured in Love Actually (where Colin Firth proposed to the girl)!!!

I know, I know...I can't believe that I was there as well! It's a very very old cafe (according to Emily), and everything is so...so...so..........................err.......vintage. From the tables and chairs to the tiled floors and bar.

And thanks to my gracious hosts...I had a wonderful time!

Emily's parents...

The grandparents...

Her brother, Vincent...

And here's one with Emily, Nathalie (her sister), and me!

Thank you so much! They really are an interesting family. (Trust me when I say they are...) Oh, more about Christmas with them in another post!

Last but not least...other friends that I met!

Dounia and Sophie (and of course, Emily.)

James and Angelique (I'm sorry if I got the spelling wrong!!!)

Nic, Roma, (and Emily), Pip, Sophie, Dounia, Nathalie. (Oh yes, we went clubbing! HAHA...)

But then again, one week just flew by and it was time to go home. (So sad. *sobs*)

So on the last morning, we took one last trip to the beach and had some breakfast in the sun (and outdoors too!!!) before leaving for the airport.

I definitely miss Marseille...but who knows, I might go back next time! :)

Just shoot me

I'm serious.

But I'm still alive.

Unfathomable

I just can't understand nor stand people that just don't get back to you when you tried calling them a MILLION times already. And I'm not even trying to sell anything!!!

No, instead I'm trying to BUY something. Well, buy services anyway.

I've been trying to get this estate agent guy for the past two days following my viewing but he just won't pick up the phone!!! Nevermind that it's a weekend, it says so on their website:

"We're open EVERYDAY from 9am to 8.30pm!"

*snort*

Yeah, right.

So what? They're too busy to even pick up the bloody phone is it?!?!??!

Even when I tried calling to arrange a viewing...it took them a whole week to get someone to get back to me...then another week for the appointment...

I'm not trying to see a doctor...I'm trying to get one of their rooms!!!!!!!!!!
(Even if I need to see a doctor, with this speed, I might have been dead already)

By right, anyone would expect them to be biting my hands off. But NOOOOOOOOO...I can't even get someone RELEVANT to pick up my calls.

I am so the broke

I know this is nothing new lar...but then I still wanna whine about it. And I'm going to say it again.

I am so the broke!!!

This is the time of the month and year where almost everyone is broke. Come end of the month, everyone's running low on their pay and can't wait till the next payday. Plus, it's Christmas and there're presents to get too.

The same situation goes for me...but this year it's different. I have to scrape enough through to try and pay the deposit and all for a new place and a Christmas party to attend at work as well. The dress is there, but I still need to get other stuff to go with it, like shoes, makeup, accessories, and other minor details that I shall spare you all from. I don't mind this party at all though, since we're getting free food and drinks for it. (Though drinks are a little bit limited cos last year people got so pissed when it was free flow.)

I can't wait till payday next week...

***************************

I was off last Monday, having a nice long weekend...only to return to work to attend an urgent meeting on Tuesday morning.

Apparently, our company has just been bought over a few hours earlier by another US based company. Right....

First thought: What, are they going to downsize the company?

Second thought: Or not, are we all going to get a pay rise? (No harm dreaming of it...)

Third thought: Do I get to do attachments abroad then?

Yeah yeah...I'm in a world of my own.

But then people can't help worrying about this major transition in power in the highest management level. Though our COO reassured us that it's not going to affect any of our operations, that things are going to go on as normal, but you never know. It IS under a new management now.

On a lower level, I was surprisingly pleased when my boss decided to let me do my own conjugation on Friday. And instead of following the standard operating procedure, I was asked to start everything from scratch. Well...not really...it's just for everyone to 'pretend' that this is something new, and I had no prior knowledge of it. So...without anyone constantly there to probe me on what to do next, I was on my own. Good news: I'm giving myself a chance to test myself to see how well I'll do. Bad news: There were quite a few hiccups here and there. (And both my bosses knew about it...shite)

Though everyone reassured me that it was ok, I can't help but feel frustrated cos I know that I should and could have done it better...

Anyway, my boss decided to pull me out of the conjugation team in January (NO, not because I was doing badly) to get me to work with her for a month on another task. This is because, I'm, I quote "driven, motivated, energetic, enthusiastic and willing to try new stuff". (Yes, I am.)

Not too bad...hehe...

Back to the 'Rock'

Yo yo yo!!!

In case anybody's wondering, the 'Rock' is Batu Pahat.

And yes...if u got this far, then you most probably would know what I mean.

*ahem*

*Imagine loud ringing speaker mode*

Ladies aaaaaaaaaannnnnndd Gentlemen...

Please take note...

Yours truly...

Your one and only...

Ms Goh Yi Lin...

Will be back in BP in February 2008...

*clap clap clap*

I am SOoooooooOOoOo going back for Chinese New Year!!!!!

Muahahahaha.....

Everything's done. Flights booked, paid for, seats reserved and details confirmed. Contacted family, arranged pick-up, itenary scheduled and leave approved. Yippee!!!

I can't believe my boss was actually supportive of me taking 2 weeks off so soon after starting. I was already surprised that they actually asked me to clear my 2.5 days leave for this year before Christmas closedown. But it doesn't beat this. I'm so so so so so so so so excited.

This means, after Christmas, when everyone's still having post-Christmas blues...I'll have something to look forward to after Christmas in Marseille. Come Chinese New Year, I'll be home celebrating it!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

I sound ridiculous but I just can't help it.

**************

Oh yeah, I completed my first supervised conjugation. I think I might be doing something on my own pretty soon.

It's 3 weeks and counting...

To Christmas that is...

I haven't really felt the Christmas spirit ever since I got here, don't know why. Probably didn't know about the hoo-ha going on, so wasn't really psyched up. (In fact I was only psyched up about my 10 days off and probably the party before that.)

Now now...when Becky & Becky decided to put up and decorate the Christmas tree today, the atmosphere at work somehow changed. Christmas songs were even played in the main lab for a good first part of the day.

They're just putting the trees up.

Tadaa~! Bright and decorated!

Soon there'll be presents underneath the tree as well, I think. Coz there's this Secret Santa that's going on. And the people taking part will have to draw out a person's name and buy him/her a present. So everyone will get a present! YAY!

And Darren got lots of us into the Christmas quiz as well. Usually I'm not into quizzes but it's different this time. The winners get cash prizes. CASH!!! Like Darren said, my eyes practically lit up when I heard that. (Who in their right minds wouldn't?)

So not bad then, I keep myself occupied with the quiz in the meantime, and if everything goes well, I might just win something. If not, I'll just have a very nice holiday in Marseille then. It's a win-win situation for me anyway. HAHA!

******************

Oh yeah, last Saturday's weather over at Cardiff was mad. MAD, I tell you!

It was a bright and sunny morning...I opened my eyes, and was juuuuust about to get up...when it rained cats and dogs.

SO. I plopped back down onto my bed and carried up sleeping until 11.

Then I washed up and got ready to go out. (Supposed to meet Rushmi for shopping.) Bloody hell, this time it's even worse than raining cats and dogs.

There was practically a hailstorm when I stepped right out the door!!!

This was taken only after the hails started to thaw.

If I had been 2 minutes earlier, I might be in the hospital now with a concussion.

But the weather forecast said that the weather on Sunday would be even worse (which was right) so we went ahead with our plans anyway.

My God, I was practically frozen by the time I got there.

No mood to shop anymore. So went looking for food.

Stumbled into this cosy little restaurant called La Boheme, which sells Italian Food (Surprise!!!), but currently has only the Christmas menu for us to choose from. :( But then again, the food was quite good, so I'm still happy with it. Hehehe...

Need to go to bed now. Getting sleepy...

And btw, I FINALLY started my first Supervised Conjugation today.

I'm getting there!!!

I am so the broke

I know this is nothing new lar...but then again I can't help complaining. It's been hardly a month since I got paid but then everything's gone by now.

And it's this time of the year that I need more cash than ever.

It's Christmas...and you need to get presents.
The Christmas party for BBI...need to spend some on dressing up.
I'm looking for my own place...and I need to pay for the deposit and stuff.
And it's my brother's 21st birthday...and he treats me like a gold mine (should have set a limit in the first place...damn...)

I can't bloody wait to get PAID!

***************

I just took last Monday off. Only to return to attend an urgent meeting to address the employees.

Our company just got bought over...by another major company based in the US.

First thought: What, are they going to downsize?

Second thought: If not, am I going to get paid more?

Third thought: Can I get attachments overseas?

And nobody really knows what's going to happen. Though our COO told us that basically nothing will change for our operations but people are still going to be worried anyway. *sigh*

On a different note, my training route has taken a change. My boss decided to let me do my own conjugations before Christmas and that's exactly what I did yesterday.

Instead of following the standard operating procedure, I was presented with a challenge: to start everything from scratch. Meaning, I will write everything up on my own and decide what to do based on what I've been trained on.

Oh, most things went well, except for a few hiccups here and there. (And both my bosses knew about it...shite...) Though they reassured me it's ok, but still...I'm not satisfied with my performance. I should and could have done better.

But by the time in January, I will be pulled off the conjugation team temporarily to work with my boss for a month on another task. (Cos I was told that they need a team dedicated to it and I'm picked coz I'm driven, motivated, enthusiastic, and willing to try everything. Yes, I am.)

*bobbing on the ceiling*

Can't help it...hehe...

It's just...

That something is not right.

Apparently there're no phone lines in our new house at the moment so my dad's relying on his PDA to go online. (Seriously??!?) No wonder I noticed it's much quieter recently. HAHA! But this is not the thing I'm talking about.

OK, my uncle forwarded some pictures of the new house and I've seen the complete ID of the house for the first time. The layout is just like what I've seen in the drafts, but then, something is just not right.



I first saw the pictures at work, so I couldn't really sit down and look at it. But now that I'm at home, I've sat down and taken a good look at the pictures.

It's the curtains.

I don't know about others but...brown and beige horizontally striped curtains together with those furniture? It's just not my taste.

If my dad hears this he would definitely remind me that it's HIS house anyway, and he can do whatever he wants with it, as long as he is happy.

This is just a post to fill up some time and cyberspace.

Yes, indeed.

I'm supposed to be off work 20 minutes ago and here I am, blogging from work. I think I'm not supposed to do that at work but then again, I AM off work officially. I'm just still in the office. Hmm...I wonder if Facebook works here?!?

Talking about Facebook, this is the trend that I noticed. If I don't get on it then it's fine. But once I log on, I just couldn't get off. It's just like I'm stuck like a magnet to the screen and there's always something for me to do. And it's not just me, I've heard this quite a few times already.

"I'm so addicted to Facebook, like, I can't stop once I start..." or something like that.
(Yes, I said the same thing too.)

Anyway...going off to browse Facebook. It works!!!

Like I said, this is just to fill up some time and space. HAHA!

Marseille, Here I Come!!!

YAHOOOO~~~~

No, I'm not advertising for Yahoo. (Though I wouldn't mind if they would pay me for it??! *hopeful*)

Anyway, I'm cheering because I'll be going over to Marseille for Christmas! Emily invited me long ago but I just couldn't make up my mind whether or not I could go around that time or not.

At that time, I didn't know when I would have a job, where I might relocate to. Then when I had a job I didn't know whether or not I would have time to take off work, and then I wasn't sure if I would be going home or not.

I have a job now.

It's in Cardiff.

And I have 2.5 days leave this year, but I don't think I'd take them.

The good news is, the company closes down on the 21st this year...all the way to the 2nd January 2008.

Bad news is...tickets back home around this time cost about 1K (in GBP...) when it's usually less than half the price.

But then again, I wasn't exactly planning to go home for Christmas anyway since it'd be more fun to stay here. (There isn't exactly the Christmas spirit back home so there's no point.)

And Emily invited me over for Christmas *cheers* so the timing couldn't have been more perfect!!!

But before that, there's this highlight event of the year in BBI: the annual Christmas party, which pretty much wraps up our year.

I can see everyone (especially girls) at work is SOOOOooOOoOoo thrilled about it. (Though I didn't feel it on my first week...it's starting to get to me now...HAhaHA!!!)

Gemma and Lesley-Anne were talking about which outfits they might be wearing, both Becky-s went shopping for dresses right after work when Debenhams had a special sale, and the guys are generally looking forward to have a few (or more) drinks before and after the presentation and dinner. Suzanne has already got her dress ready together with matching shoes and clutch. I'm going to wear my LBD again since nobody has seen it before over here. (Luckily I can still fit into them. *whew*)

I was just talking to Emily today, and she said to just leave all the planning to her. So I'd be on another stress-free holiday since Emily will be playing host! (When I was doing the planning for our Europe trip, I swear my parents could have driven me nuts...) So thrilled...so thrilled!

*James Brown music comes on*

Whoa!!!
I feel good...
Na na na na na na na...
I knew that I would, now....
I feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel good...
I knew that I would, now...
So good...so good...I got YOU!!!

(I feel like I'm going a bit bonkers now due to the excitement.)

1 week gone

My first week at work just went by like that. Well, not just like a snap of a finger but longer than that. Not very fast but fast enough though. (I know I'm contradicting myself but it's just how I feel.)

And to be honest, the hardest part that I couldn't used get to...is still...getting up early. Which was why I was so excited on Friday night. Not only because I get the weekends to do my stuff but also staying up late and sleeping in the following morning (OR afternoon...depending on what time I manage to drag my ass out of bed.)

Work has been good so far. I'm still in training so there's nothing much for me to handle on my own. But then again, my mentor has been really nice and I got to do some testing on my own once I've been passed on the basic elementary skills.

Though being at work is almost totally different from being in Uni's lab, it's still similar in the sense that everyday is like (Friday) project day to me. I spend most of my day in the lab but instead of sitting around and do nothing while I wait for my experiments, we do get a lot of stuff to do. So far I've had a stack of information and paperwork waiting for me to go through but I've only done less than half of them.

Anyway... *ahem*

The train ride down to Cardiff last Sunday was bad...very bad.

Did you know that I had to stand for 3 whole hours when I was travelling from Birmingham to Cardiff??!?!?

It's bloody tiring, OK!!!

Originally my seat reservation was for an earlier train but then I got on a later one so there's not exactly a seat for me. And after 7 hours straight of travelling, I couldn't be bothered anymore, so I plopped onto my luggage for the last leg of my journey.

I finally got to Cardiff at around 8 at night and dragged my luggages and myself to Suzanne's in a taxi. Thank god it's a nice place and I had a decent night's sleep before starting work the next day.

OKOK...pictures of my room now!!




And now I realised that I haven't got a single picture of my place in Heaton. Hmm...

OK then, will blog more tomorrow if I'm up for it. Off to watch some TV before bed.

Packing

That's what I'm supposed to be doing now. But I'm doing another sort of packing instead. Going through and packing my shopping for the past few days.

I vaguely remember that I didn't actually buy that much, but the monstrosity of the situation on my bedroom floor now is unbelievable. Littered not only with paper and plastic bags, but also with boxes and receipts as well. If only my parents saw this, I swear to God they're going to disown me for a few good reasons.

*sigh*

I've just been putting off the need to buy stuff that I should have bought long ago until now. (Yeah, I should have just bought them when my parents were here.) Now I'm just a rich little poor girl. Rich with stuff from shopping but poor in terms of bank balance.

Thrilled as I am from this shopping spree, the one thing that keeps me occupied now is my spankin' new phone!

There, the W910!!! But mine's in black.



This is kinda different from my old phone (of course it's different, that's the point!) so I have been meddling with it since I got it yesterday evening.

And just because I got a new phone, Victor and Emily insisted that I'm a B.I.T.C.H. for the whole of yesterday.

Yes, I am a B.I.T.C.H. and I'm lovin' it!!!

So what? Muahahaha!

I love my phone...

It's so ironic...

That's because I handed in my resignation today. (No, of course it's not to my new job!!! It's the one in NUFC.)

I brought in my uniform and resignation letter together, so that they would refund my deposit for the interview faster. (Yes, they take a deposit for the uniform though it's just T-shirt and a sweater. Probably there are people who take the uniform but never turn up for work just because they love the uniform so much but are not interested in working for them.)

Anyway...it's ironic because I also went shopping today. See the irony already? No? Well, because I just resigned from one job but then I'm still shopping!

But but but!!! I didn't shop just because I wanted to. It's because I needed to shop as well. (I am sticking to this story no matter what anyone says.)

I'm due to start work very soon but when I opened up my wardrobe, I gasped in horror because I have almost nothing suitable to wear to work. And no shoes!!! Except that very set I bought specially just for interviews, but you can't expect me to wear that everyday for the next month, right?

So...my shopping...



It seems like a lot, but actually they just gave it to me in separate bags...it's not that much really. Not at all...no no...

Oh and another thing. I finally realised this. Dorothy Perkins is my new Giordano in UK. Why Giordano? Because when I was back home I always shopped in Giordano. The size, the fit, the cutting, the style...I can only say that it's made for me. (It's also because all other brands don't seem to fit me very well.) So I've finally found a place to prepare my wardrobe for the working life AND to shop at the same time!!! WOO HOO!!!

Need to go out now. Somebody's making cheesecake and toad in a hole. Muahahaha! Fuss free dinner for me. :P

Btw...I got a new phone today as well. More about that next time. :)

It is OFFICIAL!

OKOK...I know this is not exactly news now. But I've just got my confirmation letter (so you can't exactly blame me right...hehe)

YES PEOPLE, I AM NOW OFFICIALLY HIRED!!!

I now have a full time job, regular pay (though not fantastic but it's definitely a start and a big step for me to being self-sufficient) and finally a chance to put what I've learnt to good use.

And like how Uncle puts it...I'm now a taxpayer as well. This is something everyone will have to go through (with the exception of people within a certain 'category' of jobs for e.g. Ah Longs and underground bookies) so I don't really have a problem with it. (The problem probably only comes at the end of the month if I don't budget properly.)

Now, I feel like such a grown-up! HEHE.

I mean, I know about basic taxes and all and have handled some of the documents before but that was in Malaysia. And only my dad would have to worry about that, not the rest of us though. PLUS...my dad's pretty secretive about his taxes and all so it's usually taken care off privately (like it's gonna make a difference to me...except the rare occasions where we would use it to ask for extra pocket money or a fabulous treat). So now, I'm going to have to do my own taxes and pay my own bills.

*gasp*

I definitely feel like an adult now. And good in a way too.

Please please pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaase let everything go smoothly. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSEEEEEEE...

****************************

This has nothing to do with what I was saying above, but I'm going to say it anyway.

iPhone is officially available in UK stores today, beginning 6pm. On my way home from the train station I passed by Carphone Warehouse and saw a table lined with about 8 iPhones (temptation). Without realising it my legs were just leading me into the store and before I know it, I was already talking to the people in store, trying to find out what deal can I get.

You know, you know. It's definitely a chic phone, THE phone to have. The design is sleek, the screen is fabulously large and clear, and the functions are more similar to PDAs rather than phones...and it's selling at 269 pounds. WOW...

But we're not done yet. The phone is definitely locked to O2 for the next 5 years. And you can't unlock it unless you are willing to void the warranty with Apple for doing that.

OKAAAAY...

I'm still undecided though, there're a few models that I'm looking at and they've much better deals for them. We'll see, we'll see...

Update for today

Finally...I've got a place to stay. All thanks to my superiors and their help.

WOOHOO!!!

Though it's not permanent, but at least I could stay there until I find a place that I really wanna live in the long term: budget, location and condition-wise.

Shitholes

This kinda summarizes most of the houses I’ve seen yesterday. I said MOST and not ALL because at least, at the end of the day I’ve seen a total of TWO decent places out of the countless dumpsters that I’ve been to.

Seriously, I’m really disappointed with what I’ve seen coz I never thought the state of the houses would be LIKE THAT. OK, I’ve seen my fair share of dumps as well, and in fact, some of them are worse than a few of them put together, but still, I expected so much more…

I am disappointed, demotivated and hungry right now.

Why demotivated? Well, let’s see. Imagine this, you see one dump after another, and they’re supposed to be in the choices where you have to call “Home” for the next 6 months (at least), for the WHOLE bloody day!!! I don’t know about anybody else but it’s definitely enough for me to assume that there aren’t many decent choices that I can pick from.

Luckily, at the end of the day I finally saw something close to what I had hope for. And they’re both near to where I’m going to work though they’re miles away from the city. For that, I’d sacrifice the distance (and horror!!!) in exchange for a comfortable house.

And it seems, the further away I walked from the city, the conditions of the houses improved tremendously. Or probably it’s just that I don’t know where to look, that’s all. But it’s undeniable that the nearer you are to the city centre, you see more ancient houses rather than new ones. The new developments are all located at the outskirts, and since I don’t have a car, I’d need to stay somewhere easily accessible with public transport.

I need to get this done ASAP. I am really really really desperate for a decent house right now.

Busy, busy, busy

I have so many things to blog about but I just simply couldn't find time to do it! And I'm absolutely exhausted today so I'm not going to go into this topic now. I need to talk about something positive, POSITIVE!

OK, I'm in Cardiff right now and since I know nobody here, I'd have to stay in those budget-hotel-turned-hostel kind of accommodation. I tried looking for a backpackers place to stay, but it's really difficult since I'm travelling alone.

Right...I'm down in Cardiff for 2 nights and tonight's my first. Very tiring journey here (and this is still by train) but the people here at NosDa were really nice and friendly. I didn't get a change to linger around after checking in, and it was only about 1 hour ago when I really had a good look at this place.

The room is not too big, but big enough for me alone. (But it's DEFINITELY bigger than my current room) And the condition is not too bad, considering that it's a hostel. En-suite bathrooms and toilet and it's clean (I'm very particular about this part). Now, after a long day, I just want to sit down and have a decent meal and a cuppa to wind down. And it's really nice to sit and have dinner at the patio right next to the river, enjoying the view and the calm silence right next to the city.

There's everything here that you would find in a hotel or a hall of residence, and the best part is, it doesn't have curfew even if it's a hostel. The price of a hostel for the facilities you get at a hotel. The only thing they don't provide: Soap and toiletries...except toilet paper. Oops...

Oh, and there's the communal areas as well. It's really cool...they have a pool table, computers for internet access or free WiFi, a TV room and a lounge for residents to have free coffee and chill in. But it's the weekday and there's not many people around. Just as well then...at least the place won't be too noisy.

Would put up pictures if I take them. Too lazy to budge from my seat now to go get my camera and take pictures. Probably tomorrow night then.

BST

We moved our clocks back by 1 hour today, back to the Greenwich Mean Time, and thus, so ends the British Summer time.

Meaning, we have 25 hours today, another whole extra 60 minutes.
It also means another hour of sleep for me.
A day where the sun rises and sets about 1 hour earlier.
And the time difference between UK and Malaysia changes to 8 hours.

OK, I know this is a yearly thing which has been going on for ages but it's just the second time for me. By now, I can fully establish that I am a person controlled by sunlight. (No, it doesn't mean that I photosynthesize or anything like that... Or do I??!!? HAHA...)

Anyway, I used to think that it's just an issue of me messing up my sleeping patterns. But after a year of observation, I can conclude my hypothesis: My waking hours are strictly affected by the rising and setting of the sun.

Which explains why when I was back home, I could hardly get up too late (relatively) in the morning most of the time. Even when I got back just before dawn after a night of clubbing or making up for the lack of sleep right after exams. Nope...I get up when the sun shines at a certain intensity. It's just like my body's acting as if it's a photometer which measures the illuminance of light when it shines through the window into my room. (Which is why I like rooms brightly lid by natural light throughout the day.) I get up at a certain time every day, at least early enough to let me enjoy mornings every day.

Ever since I came over to the UK, I can't help but to notice that I always wake up only after a period of time after the sun rises. Which means, I get up later with each progressive each day from autumn till winter. (But it's exact opposite when it comes to spring and summer.) And after 6 months of longer days than nights, I can't get used to the increasing darkness now. Which is messing up my sleeping patterns immensely, not to mention, my daily life as well.

I would wake up too late to have breakfast. Instead, I have brunch. And I can predict this now. Very soon, my first official meal of the day might be lunch (not breakfast or brunch) in a few weeks time.

******************

Anyway...I'm supposed to be studying right now. If not, I should also be revising on what I did for my degree, and especially what I have done during my FYP. Only at times like this, I wished that I had not given away my notes and books. (But even if I didn't, I would not be able to bring it over anyway, cos it's just too much. I'd rather bring more essential stuff. Stuff that I can't easily get here. I'm not going to pay for those overweight baggage consisting of books, and lug them half way around the world.)

OK, back to books...need to get some reading done at least by tonight.

I swear I think my brain is working slower than it used to. If only I could just increase my memory space in my brain as easily as one can in a normal computer.

Pumpkin soup

"Do you take pumpkin soup?"

"How is it like? Is it in chunks or is it the mashy type?"

This conversation totally shows that I have never even seen pumpkin soup before, not even to say, whether I take it or not.



Anyway, I tried Uncle Victor's pumpkin soup (cos it's almost Halloween) and surprisingly, it turned out to be quite unlike what I had in mind, and more like cheese-flavoured creamy soup.

Read: I want some more ler...make it again soon ok, uncle?

************************

On another note, I can't believe my eyes when I got my pay slip yesterday. Bloody hell, I got taxed like what...a whole 22% off my pay!!! I'm not earning much already, and the government is taxing me 22%???!? (And that's still considered the basic rate...*&^%$#)

I can do a lot of things with that 22% pay, you know...

*heart pain*

So I marched right into the Jobshop today demanding to know what happened...when I found out that I'd have to CONVINCE the Tax Office by giving them loads of proof and explanation that I earn less than the tax allowance (I'm prepared to do that to get my 22% back...so what?). BUT...I would still have to sign for a particular declaration to confirm that and to say that I will not work again during this tax year (and that's until the 6th of April next year).

OK...so this means I can't claim my tax back right now, unless I don't plan to work or just plan to earn less than £5225 until then.

*sigh*

And to make things worse...I still went for retail therapy.

Hey, I'm just earning 22% less...it doesn't mean that I'm not getting anything at all. I just need a bit of motivation at this point. :)

It's all coming back

WooHoo~~

My baking fetish is slowly coming back now. FINALLY!!! OK, Butter cake is nothing impressive though but it's definitely a start.

Since my last round of baking right after my finals (which was around June), I haven't been near an oven since. (Nope...not even for my meals) In fact, I didn't even put my mediocre culinary skills to use much in the past 4 months or so. If I would have to go through that much trouble just to make a meal for ONE, I'd rather have something simple i.e. porridge.

Don't you think so? I mean, it is so boring to cook for yourself all the time. You are your own cook, judge and critic. Not only that, it's so difficult to prepare a portion of food just to serve 1. In the end, I always prepare enough food that could actually feed a family of 4. (And which, I would have to finish it by myself, in time of days. Unless, of course, this is an attempt to satisfy my cravings, and I wouldn't be craving for that particular dish for a period of time after that.)

I suspect, that it's something to do with the dropping temperature, that I've started to venture near the hob/oven again.

Number 1, because when the hob/oven is on, it would feel much warmer than anywhere else in the house.

Number 2, with the dropping temperature, I'm finding myself with more tendency to curl up and hibernate in the comfort of my own home, rather than going out and brave the cold wind.

Number 3, everyone knows that when it's colder, you tend to get hungry faster, and if that's the case, I can't afford and am not very willing to spend my money on food outside which is absolutely rubbish (with some obvious exceptions) when I can do much better than that at home.

Hmm...let's see. So what have I made so far? Tomyam, Bak Kut Teh, Japanese curry, soup noodles, steamed eggs, fried spinach and the usual fast 'n' easy dishes that one could whip up at home. (Surprisingly, Emily cooks more than I do, and I have eaten at her house for a few times already. And I absolutely LOVE her shortbread.) And my baking list? Just Butter cake.

I'd better get that lasagna recipe from Emily soon, haven't tried making that before...

Talking about food, I'm now craving for sushi...I'm craving for the big, fat lumps of salmon sushi that they serve in Sagawa. *Hungry again*

OK, gotta go watch my cake at the oven. Almost done! :)

Killer shoes

I'm sure every girl would definitely have at least a pair of those kinda shoes. In fact, I have loads of them. Just that, they're slightly different in their "killer" purposes.

Most of my killer heels would definitely add height to my frame. (I definitely love heels for this reason.)

But many of them just serve to kill me after a day in them.

I was wearing my new pair of white heels from Faith for the whole of yesterday. And I walked for a whole day in them. This is saying something cos since I came over to UK I haven't been wearing heels much. (Of course not, definitely not with the crazy rate of walking that I have to do around here.)

But yesterday was a requirement. A must. A definite justifiable valid reason.

More about that next time.

And I have angry red blisterssSSssSs now. On my:

• toes
• heels
• sides of my feet

*ouch*

But I still love my pair of heels.

*This post is totally mindless. I'm just writing this for the sake of filling up my almost dormant blog until I get something else I feel like talking about.*

I've got it, at last!

Actually it didn't take that long...I got my visa exactly 3 weeks after they received it and it's just like what the Home Office (kind of) promised.

It's the WAIT...the long arduous wait that you have to endure, and the fear that the application might be rejected for even the most far-fetched reason you can think of. (I'm not joking, ANYTHING can happen.) Well, you never know.

Besides screaming at the top of my lungs (as usual) when I saw the little piece of paper stuck onto my passport, I pestered a few other people as well. Just to give their eardrums some exercise. HAHA!

And a lot is happening, but I haven't got the time to update...yet...

And also because I'm too busy watching dramas in my free time... :P

*yawn* Sleepy again. Wanna go to bed. Later~!

WWWHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so damn pissed off right now!!!

Just finished watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End...

And I am JUMPING OFF MY SEAT!!!

Forget the fact that I am VERY slow (in fact, this is too slow to be even mentioned but I still want to anyway...), I finally watched the last part and I am so f*cKing pissed off...*grinds teeth and growl*

Is it absolutely necessary that super sexy guys like Orlando Bloom would have to die in the movie? Although he kinda like un-died in the end...BUT THEN?!???!?!?!?

The ending is so mindless.

So what if he comes back every 10 years? Or that he had a son with Keira Knightly?

SO WHAT?!?!

He still spends 10 years at sea for 1 day on shore.

I so do not like this ending. It makes me very, VERY unhappy.

And I was planning to have this movie conclude my night.

Fat chance of having any sweet dreams tonight...

It's GONE!!!

I just heard some very astonishing news.

Finally, my parents managed to sell off *gasp* our 25-year-old Mazda 929.

I mean...we all know that it's a piece of old junk anyway. An old metal scrap that is still running on wheels and requires a lot of effort and maintenance to keep it going...not to mention, expensive as well.

Mostly because of that, my dad's finally given up and sold it dirt cheap, to the contractor renovating our new house (supposedly to ferry his workers to and from work). And since I'm not home and there'd be no one to use the extra car, my mum would have to alternate between cars (cos Dad says we can't leave the cars unused for a few days or else it'll get cranky...and the Mazda is already cranky).

It seems like pretty good news to us, but I can't help feeling sorry for the car. (OK, I know it's just a car, but still...)

This is was the car:

• we first had with central locking and power windows. (THAT was very long ago.)
• my mum tried to teach me how to drive in.
• that I drove when I first got my P (Probationary/Pariah) license.
• I drove straight into my parent's bedroom wall. (Luckily both the wall and car is still intact.)
• my friends and I went cruising in.
• that came to my rescue in emergency situations. (When my new was car nicely parked in or in the workshop)

The Mazda was a relatively big car for me (but not for my parents NOR my brother), and I was really pissed off when people called me "Sleepy Hollow" when I drove around in it. (The person who said that, drove a car that people often use as a hearse...albeit it's a Mercedes)

Not only because I don't appreciate that, but it's really not easy trying to maneuver it on the road. Not to mention how to park OR reverse park it properly. I can proudly say that my more-decent-than-average driving skills came from dealing with this car. And when I was behind the wheel as a new driver, I just felt that I'm safe in the car.

I know I always complain about that car being a piece of junk and all, but it's still a piece of junk that I like, that I had so many adventures with. But if we just keep it, it's still going to be a piece of junk at the end of the day. So, maybe this is just the right time for us to say goodbye to it, and hope that it can still last for a decade or so.

Goodbye, my car, goodbye!

I can't believe it

I've been out almost every night this week. Well, 5 out of 7 nights...and it's only Saturday.

If I knew earlier, then I would have gotten the weekly bus pass instead of paying for every trip I took separately. But after tonight, I don't think I'd be going out much in the next week or so...except next Sunday (matchday)...so I'd just forget about the weekly pass.

And where've I been this whole week? Talk about eventful, even my (new) housemates i.e. Steve, Steve (no, it's not a typo...it's just another Steve) and Amy, thought this is my usual routine (very active social life), until I'd reassured them that it is DEFINITELY NOT. (And yes, I'm broke. Haven't gotten my pay from Uni yet *sigh*)

Tuesday:
Mid Autum Festival. Had dinner in El Torrero.


Wednesday:
Meet & Greet Farewell Gathering. Had dinner at Nando's in The Gate.


Thursday:
Ming made Spanish omelette. Had dinner at her place. Pics here, but not taken by me... :P

Friday:

Juniors had a get-to-know-each-other-better session. Joined them for dinner and some drinks along Quayside. (No camera, no pics of course.)

Saturday:

Richard's 23rd birthday. Had dinner in Marco Polo and went on to Buffalo Joes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHARD!!!

OH oh OH!!! And some random guy kept telling me that I'm sexy on my way back home last night. MUAHAHAHA!

He must be damn drunk.

Flat 313, Camden Court 2006/2007

This is a very late post indeed. In fact, this is more than 2 months overdue.

26th July 2007:
Probably the very last time all of us will sit down together for dinner in years to come. We (Samantha, Muse, Jesmine and I) had countless of cooking and eating sessions together for the past year, and it was through these cooking sessions that we actually got to know each other better.

I know Samantha likes brewing tonic soup.
I know Jesmine don't take beef.
I know Muse is good in making Chinese fried rice and cheesecakes.

2 months later:
Muse is now back in Hong Kong and looking for a job.
Samantha is staying in Gateshead and currently busy with her thesis.
Jesmine's sister came and they're living in Fenham together.
I'm here in Heaton and searching for a career of my own.

Anyway, I finally decided to post up these overdue pictures (cos I just thought of it today).





And what would my blog be without food?






So, I'm saying right here. If I ever go to Hong Kong or Taiwan, you girls (Muse and Samantha) had better not run and hide! HAHA!

Here comes the weather

This is possibly the most obvious tell-tale sign each time when the seasons change. The unpredictable weather, the crazy temperatures and the absolutely dreadful rain. It was at least double of this temperature yesterday night but it was the total opposite today!

This situation would continue for at least 2 weeks before we go into Autumn officially and the weather starts to turn cold. *sad* This means that the days will get shorter and lower mercury level on the thermometer.

*********************************************

On another note, I was out today and it was bright and sunny, albeit cold. All of a sudden in the evening, it started raining and I was caught totally off-guard. (Like I said, I wasn't at all prepared for autumn.) Besides shivering in the cold, I had to try to keep as dry as possible and maneuver myself safely across the road.

And there was this ramp on the road.

I missed it.

And landed (sprawled) on the ground.

Fell...second time in a week.

I have no idea what's up with me this past week, but even I personally feel that it's getting stupid. Can't I even walk properly? (Apparently not.) What's most upsetting is not falling down, but rather I scraped one of my favourite pair of shoes! Which is quite distressing (even though it's relatively cheap) because I hate my shoes looking obviously defective, which is how it is now.

AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I'll get over it. Soon. When I buy another pair of "favourite" shoes, at the very least.

And Emily made Chicken Tikka Masala and her famed shortbread for us today. (Yummy!) I did take a picture of the chicken but I don't think it's really that flattering for the dish, so I'll post it later when (if) she makes it again.

Something Fishy: Curry

After a long and busy week, it's finally the weekend... YEAH!!!

Although today could be considered as one of the most relaxing days of my shift, I could still hardly find time to get a decent meal. First meal of the day was at 9am and didn't have a real meal until 11.30pm. At first, I couldn't feel anything wrong with myself until I had Coke, and there was this persistent sharp pain in my stomach: I'm hungry, very very hungry.

And since I've been hearing about serious spicy curry since 8pm, naturally I would be craving that. And I was complaining about it all the way home on the bus, and Allie finally threw in the towel and offered to make fish curry! YOOHOO~!


Allie's Fish Curry with plain white rice...spicy enough with the right tanginess for a fish curry dish.

*smack lips*

Thanks, Allie! You can cook also, huh! Hehe...very impressed here.

Oh, and also had a sip of red wine and Ping Pei Mooncake for dessert later while watching Hard Gay. Have heard of Hard Gay since early last year and I can't believe that Uncle only heard about it recently...and missed the classic Tomy Kiki Ippatsu episode until I showed him.

MuahahaHAHAHAhahahHha~~~~~~~~~~~

365 days

I just realised this morning that it's exactly 1 year since I first stepped foot in UK. Time really does fly, doesn't it? I can still vividly remember exactly 1 year ago on this day, I was running around in the city, trying to get my things done without knowing where I'm going.

At the same time this year, I'm glad that I don't have to go through the same madness again but I do sympathise with the newbies, especially those that came alone. Well, I guess that's where I come in: The Friendly Induction Guide!!!

But this Friendly Induction Guide got a present today. The 1st anniversary of her arriving in the UK.

A red packet...

Why?!?!

I slipped down the stairs...in the bus...when I was trying to get to the lower tier of the double decker.

Very impressive stunt. Managed to balance myself but still hit my bum on the stairs. All thanks to the "Hero" who stood rooted AT the staircase, not willing to give way when I'm trying to go downstairs.

12 hours after it happened: a blue black mark on my bum...

Bugger!

Snow skin (Ping Pei) mooncakes

In another 2 weeks or so, mooncake festival comes again. This means that I would have missed 2 mooncake festivals in a row. Last year, I left Malaysia right before the mooncake festival and "celebrated" it in the UK. (Frankly, I don't think there's not much celebration because I can't seem to remember what I did.) There're no lanterns here, no yummy mooncakes made by your family and absolutely no festive mood. It's just another normal day.

I'm not really a hard core fan of mooncakes; just that I enjoy them once in a while. But after seeing the stuff and tools that Uncle Victor brought back all the way from home, I've suddenly got this crazy craving for Ping Pei mooncakes that I kept bugging him to make it. I actually prefer snow skin mooncakes to the baked ones because it's feels less oily and just works better for my tastebuds. HAHA!


Snow skin mooncake...


...with lotus paste and melon seeds.

Frankly, I have no idea why that Uncle is so worried about it lor. He probably thinks that I'd be criticising it badly. *shrugs*

First, it doesn't look that bad (even though he insisted that it's kinda out of shape), second, it tastes pleasant (the skin goes absolutely well with the paste) and third, it's not too sweet for me. SO?? No problem what! Che~~

Can eat, can eat!

P/S: Emily, don't worry...it's safe to eat it! :) Yours is in my fridge so come and get it!

Connected anywhere

Not for me...but for my dad.

Good news for him: new technology, new gadgets, 24 hour surveillance.

Bad news for me: neverending tracking...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo....

Sometimes I really hate the fact that technology extends its arm so far out...but I still can't live without it. Luckily for me, not everyone (my parents inclusive) has got the hang of it...yet...

Happy 50th Birthday, Malaysia!

5 decades; half a century worth of independence.

We've indeed come a long way since 1957. Many things have changed. While for some, it will always be the same.

This is the 50th year of independence and I'm sure celebrations will be rampant back home. But I'm actually missing it. (It's not everyday that we get fireworks in BP, OK...) *sigh*

And also...another person's birthday also falls on this day of the year. Not in 1957, but in 198X. (Reason for X: to stall a few years' time for her) See...I even dedicated the Jalur Gemilang to her as well. HAHA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SZE YIN!!! :)