the road to discovery

Idealistic or Realistic?

2008-10-29T02:58:00.002+08:00

I have been unemployed since July. Since then, I have been more actively involved in my volunteering passion. Although I am happy with the learning experiences I gained from AI and World Vision, I know now that I prefer working more directly for a change instead of advocating for a change. However, in general, people don't associate volunteering with working as most volunteering work is unpaid. That's why I always feel uncomfortable when people asked "Mei Theng, have you found a job yet?". I always answered "I am working voluntarily for AI". Because I am. Yes, AI don't pay me. But where else would I be able to work in un-science related projects? I was involved in film-making, dealing with artistes in entertainment industry, exchanging ideas with other youth human rights activists in AP region, etc. No matter how short it was, every experiences was an exposure into an almost unknown world ...

Despite all these, the very people who are supportive of my work are now questioning whether will I ever be employed or not. Right now, I am 1/3 of an online biz. They don't take it seriously. I began to question it too. I have a vision ... but it will take some time for it to take off. Will they continue to support me in my vision? People said my head is always in the clouds. Don't they know that human beings don't have to be either realistic or idealistic? You can be both. I am such person. So please don't look at me as though I am sprouting nonsense. Give me the support I need for it to become true. I need more moral support than monetary. Don't let me fall into being the average person. I don't want to be average ...

I want to be more.

I am still a human. I have my faults. But I must continue to create opportunities for myself to contribute to the world in the way I want ... Just donating money no longer works for me. I need to be more involved. I desperately hope that the idea I have now will work out. And tell myself to breathe. And remind myself that there are many more days of my life left, so I won't rush into doing too many things at one time until I am exhausted of living.

Realistic Mei Theng & Idealistic Mei Theng are neither angel or devil but the 2 parts that makes Mei Theng who she is ... and I will embrace all of them.

Soulmates

2008-10-29T02:30:00.005+08:00

I have just finished watching this Korean drama titled "Soulmate". The concept of soulmate was constantly on my head when I had my first love. Maybe I should said my first love when I was still a child. It could have been an influence from reading too much L. J. Smith's Nightworld series. I have always thought of my first love as my soulmate. It came from that dream or maybe it was a nightmare. After all, having a bomb dropped on you is not a pleasant thing to encounter. From then on, it was those moments when I would "feel" his presence. There are times I wondered how things would have changed if only at only 10 of age, I have answered that I liked him when he asked who I liked. Perhaps we wouldn't be so much of a stranger to each other now.

I think from the moment that we said that we can never be together as a couple was the moment when I am in this weird phase. The phase where I want love and yet I pushed love away. Because I have attached the tag soulmate to him, that moment caused me to think that I have lost my soulmate in this life already.

Watching movies on the theme of soulmate always make me uncomfortable. I would remember things I thought had long disappeared from my memory. I would remember the disapproval from someone close. Sounds all so sad, isn't it? There are happy memories too. As we were young, we played many family games. I remembered that night under the stars. I will always remember that, no matter where I go and who I am with.

Whether I have lost my soulmate or not, I hope to find that person again and meet happiness instead of heartbreak ...

Mom's OK now =)

2008-08-26T16:04:00.005+08:00

(Should have posted this long time ago. )

My mom went for hysterectomy to remove her cervix and uterus. Uterus was removed as a pre-caution measure. The surgery was supposed to take 2 hours but as the doctor later find out, my mom being slightly plump (actually his words were "your mother is so fat!", mentioned several over 2 days LOL) needed at least 4 hours to complete the surgery. Initially me and Mei Yee wanted to go into the operating theathre to observe the surgery but the operation theathre manager wouldn't allow us in because of the hospital's policy. Oh well ... anyway, the doctor actually kept the removed cervix and uterus in a container with formalin to show my mom the next day. Throughout the night, that container was in the room with us but we didn't know the contents. Have we known early, we would have taken lots of pictures. LOL ... I am so glad she discovered this early ...

Parents + Hospital

2008-07-23T17:46:00.003+08:00

Frankly, parents and hospital are not a good mix to the child of the parents. Yesterday, my mom was admitted to Gleneagles Intan for a surgery to remove lumps in her breast and also to do a biopsy on her cervix. What happened was when she went for her pap smear test and breast examination about 2 weeks ago with her group of friends. I feel so lucky for my mom because without someone within that group who suggested the examinations (I think it was Aunty Ah Mi), none of them would have bothered to go.

So, on that day itself, the doc said there were small lumps, less than 1cm, in her right breast. From the ultrasound and mammogram, the lumps were diagnosed as benign. Doc said it is all right if these lumps were not removed. But my sister and me thinks it is better for mom if they are gone. After all, benign lumps can turn into malignant. Then, later, her pap smear showed cells from her cervix looked like cells before they turn cancerous. So a biopsy needs to be done immediately to confirm the status.

I think it was very brave of my mom. My mom is a person who is afraid of pain. Yea, she gave birth to my sister naturally, which, well, was painful. At least she was still willing to go for surgery. I have a close aunt who refuses to go for body check-up because she is afraid of the results. Sigh ... even her daughters couldn't convince her to do otherwise. All I know was when I went to see my mom in the sterile area near the operating theatre, she was groggy from the anaesthesia and was clearly in pain because my sister who visited her before me said the nurse has given her painkillers. In that area, only 1 person can go at 1 time. Looking at her then with all these machines around her and knowing that she did not realised that I was there, I felt proud of her.

Today, before mom was discharged from hospital, nurse showed us the tissue samples taken from her cervix and the lumps from the breast. Frankly, the lumps looked larger than 1cm. Now, we have to wait another week before we know for sure if the breast's lumps and cervical cells are malignant or not. I pray, I pray and I pray that cancer does not come to my mom because I don't want her to go through the pain of chemotherapy.

*LET MY MOM BE SAFE AND HEALTHY*

We Did It!

2008-06-22T22:40:00.007+08:00

Today we helped to raise more than RM10k for the victims of Sichuan earthquake and Myanmar cyclone disasters with many other Good Samaritans of Bandar Country Homes (BCH). Felicitations! Congratulations!

Actually I was roped in by my mom to help her and her friends who took part in this fundraising event. Together, we sold cakes, cheese tarts, and "kuih". The cakes and tarts were bought from another person, while the "kuih" (if I am not mistaken, the "kuih" are known as "kuih angku") were made by Aunt Ying, one of my mom's very close friends.

Frankly, I was there for more of my "physical strength" than my "selling skill". LOL ... Luckily Jho Yan was there. Hehe ... she was the salesperson while I carried the cakes and tarts in a small box. We did 2 rounds selling inside the BCH market (the event was held outside the market; it was Jho Yan's idea of taking some cakes and tarts to sell in the market itself) and we managed to achieve a sale of around RM200+.

Thanks Jho Yan!

Have to thank MOM too, for providing me with an opportunity to do some charity work and toned my arms. Hehe ...

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I passed my FRENCH Basic User 1!!! with a mark of 63% ... Really need to work on my listening .. Only managed to get 8 out of ... 25! Sigh ... Anyway, will be going on to the next level in the July.

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Friday 27 June 2008 will be my last day physically at work ... if my boss agreed to it ... cos I need more time, perhaps 2 weeks, to complete my reports on 5 species of mushrooms. And when I am writing the reports, there is no need for me to be at Tg Sepat. YAHOO!!! But I will definitely go back there to hand-in the reports and also to say my goodbyes.

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MEI YEE! GANBATTE! JIA YOU! BONNE CHANCE!!!

JE NE PEUX PAS ATTENDRE POUR TON RETOUR!!!

(Direct translation: I can't wait for your return!)

Toni Kasim

2008-06-04T23:37:00.003+08:00

Today I learnt that a great woman had passed away. Toni Kasim was a woman who inspired me in the field of being a women's rights activist. When I first met her in 2003, she was my trainer for AI's gender training workshop. I was then a person who sided with women so much that I have forgotten about the similarity of behaviours between men and women. I enjoyed talking to her about women's issues and religion. I remembered once I went to the training session after reading a news that the attorney general or some lawyers said that rape victims could not give very small details about the rape which affects the trials. It was something that discriminated rape victims. When I told Toni, she said that rape victims are so traumatised that the first thing they do after the incident would not be looking at the time to record it. She further added that it is important to train lawyers and attorney general to understand these. After the training, I worked with her to organise a gender training workshop at ADP during my 2nd year there. Once I went off to Uni, I did not keep in contact with her. The last time I saw her was during the farewell-cum-welcome party for Josef and Shannon, held at the old AI office last Sept.

Although we weren't close, I did think of her often especially when I am thinking about organising workshops on women's issues. I never thought she would leave so ... sudden. It was through facebook that I know of her funeral today. Then I read this blog piece. http://www.kakiseni.com/blog/?p=280 It said that she had liver cancer and was supposed to live until the end of this year. Sadly ...

I think, despite that Toni only lived for 41 years, she had touched many people in their hearts along her way through life.

Toni, you won't be forgotten by me ...

Expectations

2008-02-15T11:09:00.002+08:00

Can we live without expectations?

I think expectations is a double-edged sword.

Having expectations is akin to giving oneself glimpse of hope. Yet it could also bring disappointment.

Having expectations can motivate one to work harder for their future. Yet it could also bring stress that leads to health problems.

What expectations do I have in various aspects of my life?

Education: I know that my current status is not a student anymore. But I understand how having expectations have positive and negative effects on myself and my studies. Definitely when I was studying in the uni, I have expectations for myself to perform well in all my units of study. This expectation made me put in more efforts into my practical and theory works. But along with this expectation to perform, comes fear of failing. This feeling was strongest when I was in my final semester. Oh well, in the end, I still managed to obtain my degree. I am glad I have been through this phase of life before because I need this experience to truly understand what Mei Yee is feeling throughtout her studies so that I can truly give her support and counsel. Of course, the degree of the effects of this expectation is different for both of us but the basic similarity is there.

Career: I do not want to work just for money. Full stop. I want a job that is fulfilling and meaningful. Money is not my motivator for career advancement. Sure, I know money is important for survival but that doesn't mean I cannot seek for a job that is meaningful yet pay me well. By meaningful job, I mean, jobs that allow me to contribute actively to the societal causes that I care about. I realised that sometimes money is not the only way to help people. And it will take a long time before I would have enough money to help the world. I am not Bill Gates or Einstein. So the only way I can help the world is by doing research that could help people. This is why I choose research as my career path. A lot to expect from my career, which makes me unsatisfied with my current job.

Friends: Does the degree of closeness between friends allow one to have expectation from each other? I do know that there are a few friends whom I considered to be very close to me, whom I will rush to be by their side when they need me or are in trouble. Well, only if location is not a problem. When I was in Perth, during the time when Carina really needs a friend by her side, I wish I was by her side. But I can't, so I have to be content with lending her a readily available listening ear. Now that I am 'permanently' back home, and Jho Yan is really my closest friends here and whom I am really comfortable with, I have been spending most weekends with her. In a way, because I am close to her, I sometimes make my weekend plans, expecting her to be free and available. There are certain friends, especially those who are not from the same place I am from, such as my friends from the uni days, whom I expect to hear from them often, maybe cos when we parted, we said we will keep in touch. When I don't hear from them, I wondered if they have forgotten me, if I have done something bad to them that they don't want to keep in touch anymore, or simply the fact that the 'closeness' we had when we were in the same area did not survive the distance.

Family: With family members I am not close with, everytime I see them maybe for weddings and CNY, I expect by the next coming year or the next time I see them, I would be able to find common grounds with them so that we can have decent conversations instead of silence. With family members that I am very close with and respect, I hope my actions is what they expected from me as they know me since the day I was born. Perhaps this expectation I think they have about me is just an illusion. Perhaps it is just that I have presumptions about them that make me think twice before discussing anything with them. Anyway, it is good that I managed to talk to them about a few issues and found that they do not think badly of me.

I am not sure if I have covered what I set out to write today. Maybe I will visit this topic again.

What have happened to my Ah Jin???!!!!

2008-01-21T18:39:00.000+08:00

Look at how short his fur coat is?!!! His ears looks funny..haha

And just got news yesterday from Mei Theng and dad that he needs to shave all because it's all tangled up already so that's why he's itching sampai he scratches till he bleeds!!!

Gawd...JIN JIN!!!

Wait...does this means he gets to stay in the house?

He he....cos once he shave everything off, he'll be defenseless in the cold night air and rain and UV rays!!!!! So must protect him from all that, right?! Mei Theng, tell ma my concept....!!

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Hmm....I have been freaking hardworking already...finally able to get more work done when I'm studying in the computer lab in faculty. Think I can quite understand well enough for the retake this wednesday....heh...its another thing if I have to present it to the examiner orally.

I bought a new steamer from TESCO...Yes! I finally found a steamer in the czech republic...only costs about RM 100. So I have been steaming eggs past few days....now all i need to complete my 'chawan mushi' is Hua Tiao wine!!!

Then I have steamed my dinner for yesterday and today in the morning and brought it to faculty to eat....on the topic of 'bento' box....I broke not one, but TWO boxes which I bought yesterday at the 'vietnam shop'! =.= :'-( While I was washing it and taking it out from the steamer....GAWD!!!!

I steamed broccoli with crabsticks in butter and egg and rice for yesterday and broccoli again today along with sausages in honey and rice.

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Anyway, am just gonna review my calculations again then will be heading back to hostel.

And then get my somewhat text book to memorise what I understood from the internet.....

Gawd.......I am not much of a praying for results person....but biophysics is just making me so desperate.....:-

The Best of 2007

2008-01-02T19:30:00.000+08:00

Yea, I know this list came a bit late since it is already 2nd Jan 2008 today. Nevertheless, I would like to make a list. Hmmm .... at first, I wanted to include the unpleasant things that happened to me but then again, why are they worth remembering at all, right? So here's a list of the best things in my 2007 life.

1. Graduating from Murdoch University.

Finally after two and a half years of sweats and tears, I can say I have successfully graduated and finished my university degree. I have to thank my Dad, Mom and Sister for all the supports they have given me, especially Dad because without his hard work throughout all these years, it would be impossible for me to even study overseas. Moreover, during my years in Perth, Dad had never asked me to work part-time (even though I was doing volunteering work for MMA and NLCWest). And he also allowed me to travel up north twice, and to Melbourne and Adelaide. Besides that, I want to thank all my friends that I had made while in Perth for their companionship, social support, and all the good times (eg. POTLUCKS!!!). Oh ... I will not forget when my sister shouted "Mei Theng! We are so proud of you!" when I was on stage to get my scroll. Thanks gal!

2. Participating in the 2007 JUNCAO Technology Course in Fuzhou, China.

As I had always said, if my boss did not sent me to this training course, I would have long resigned. Really! This course introduced me to many new things in the mushroom industry. But what made me happy here was the friends that I had made. In particularly, I want to highlight my new friend, whom I 'clicked' upon meeting her ... to the point most of the university staffs said we are like sisters. Her name is Li Jing and she is in her first year of masters.

Another memorable person is Wafaa from Iraq. I miss her so much. I can't really explain why I like her so much but she was like a mentor plus a mother to me. She actually gave me advices on how to pursue a romantic relationship which I hope I will follow. Now that I know her, I became very afraid when I read news about violence in Iraq because I don't want to lose her. When I sent her off at the airport, I really did not want to let her go. I wish I can bring her to Malaysia where it would be slightly safer.

I just have to mention Yan Ling, who is a doctor at the university at the age of 26. With her also, I immediately formed a bond with. Can't really explain all these friendship chemistry. That's her with Taqwei from Zimbabwe. She is really cute! She gave me a Xmas present which was a pendant similar to the ones she always wear. Makes it easier to remember her.

Other than these two persons, there are Mama Africa (Mtupili from Tanzania), Big Bro Tsepo, Yeboah, Taqwei, Nani, Jagadish and so on. So here's our group photo after a tissue culture practical.

Some good times together ....

3. Love

Yep, I am not kidding. I fell in love this year (last year, technically), very unexpectedly. It happened during this training course. I did not planned to be in love at all. It just happened. To this end, I do not know what possessed me to love this guy so much. I dare to say this is love because how else I can explain that I managed to be comfortable with him even though he is a smoker. My friends, you know me well, I have said on numerous times that I wouldn't fall for a smoker. Well, he wasn't a smoker until after a few weeks in Fuzhou though. Nevertheless, as y'all probably know my character, I went and confessed to him one night. I was prompted when he said he is too shy to approach girls even if he likes her (I asked if he minds girls making the first move). Initially, he said he likes me too but we are from 2 different countries. After much consideration, we decided to give ourselves a try. So we were like going out for all but 3-4 days when after that he told me that he likes me as a friend. Oh well, bummer for me of course. But I gotta respect his decision. However, I can't explain why I went and complicated the friendship between us by asking him to hold my hand when we are out together and he didn't mind (even though he don't enjoyed holding hands and things like that ... I asked him before). Ok la ... I really enjoyed holding his hand. I have held other guys' hands before but did not have the same feeling when I held his hand. How to explain that feeling of completeness when I was holding his hand? Anyway, that was how it was. Until the end, I just have to accept that he likes me as friend while I couldn't stop my growing feelings for him. The only thing I know was that I loved him and right now, since I returned home, I have been missing him a lot. Oh yea ... writing this much and I didn't even include his name. haha ... His name is Tom, from South Africa. Yea, most of my close friends thought I have fallen for a China guy. Anyway, Tom is caucasian but skin colors don't matter to me. He has green eyes ... my favourite colour. These two are my favourite pictures.

Oh yea ... I gave my first kiss to him which he accepted. He said I am the only friend that he hold hands with and kiss. Sometimes I wondered why did he kissed me when he only likes me as a friend. I am tempted to ask but I think I shouldn't pursue this matter anymore. The good times I had with him will be a sweet memory in my heart and mind. I called him on Xmas Eve, mostly because I miss him. By the way, to those friends who knew that I was previously 'in love with' my cousin for many years, I actually considered Tom as my first love because the feelings I had for my cousin happened when I was too young to know about love and all and now is when I am old enough to understand and know what I am experiencing although I am learning how to deal with these emotions.

So, maybe I miss other good things that happened to me in 2007 but these few things I mentioned here were the happiest I had ever been amidst the disappointments and sad things that happened to me in 2007.

Good-bye 2007!

Qianzhou and Zhangzhou

2007-11-24T20:14:00.000+08:00

This week we did not have any classes as the university had arranged for us to go for a trip to other cities in the Fujian province. It was also in conjunction of the First Chinese Mushroom Days in Zhangzhou which we were invited to attend. There are 40 of us; 35 participants and 5 university staffs including a doctor who practises chinese medicine and a security guard. As I was informed by my practical teacher who went with us to take videos of our activity, 80% of Fujian province is covered with mountains while the rest is water area and flat land. There are 3 major pieces of flat land which are Fuzhou, Qianzhou and Zhangzhou. Along the highway which we traveled on, there were many tunnels. My friend, Tom, said that the army used to store firearms or explosives in the mountains during the past. Hopefully there are no more explosives in any of the mountains, otherwise China will have a 'timebomb'.

MONDAY: It took us 2 hours to reach the first city, Qianzhou. This city did not look any different from Fuzhou but there wasn't time to stop and explore as it was planned that we visit a mosque in this area only before leaving for Zhangzhou after lunch. This mosque is the first sign that Islam reached China in the past. It is not in use now for prayers but serves as a museum. The two top left corner showed a incense burner. At first I thought "eh, when did Muslims burn incense to pray?" only to find out that the incense was burned to purify the air or something like that. When we were there, we met a Singaporean old man who wanted to take picture with Tom and Herix to show the white, brown and black skin colours. Hahaha ....

After lunch at Qianzhou, we left for Zhangzhou which took another 2 hours to arrive. Once there, we checked into Zhangzhou Guesthouse. Zhangzhou is also known as a City of Flowers. There were really a lot of flowers decorating the streets and at night the city was lighted up like Christmas. I am not sure if the city is usually decorated in this way or was it because there was also an agricultural expo going on in this area.

TUESDAY: We went for an opening ceremony at the agricultural expo and haha ... my friends are the instant celebrities there. Actually everywhere we go, they are looked at and most people would ask to take pictures with them. The expo was beautifully done. In the afternoon, we visited a mushroom farm that mainly sells wood ear fungus or mu er. Some of the other mushrooms they have were grown in climate controlled rooms. I heard that it took about RMB 2 million to build 20 rooms with climate controls in a single building. That is quite cheap if you take into account that most of these machineries needed are also manufactured in China. That day, the fun time I had was when Li Jin, Tom and me went to 'delicacy street' . We had a banquet earlier which I didn't enjoyed but my friends did (I was seated next to a table full of chain smokers). So I was quite hungry. The doctor that was with us, Yan Ling, had her relatives shown us the street. We bought mutton kebabs, cakes, duck wings and sugar cane drinks and ate in my room.

WEDNESDAY: Today we left Zhangzhou for Xiamen. But before that we have to attend the seminar presentations. What I must really complained is that if the presenter is presenting in Mandarin language, the slides should have information in Chinese and English then at least most of us won't sit there like idiots. The afternoon lectures were better because we get to see the mushroom technology that was used in Europe, particularly Holland and oh cos the organisers finally got someone to translate the Chinese presentation to English for us. Unfortunately we have to leave during the DVD presentation. Here is where I did an embarrassing thing. Tom and I did not know that the staff had passed a note telling us to leave one by one. So we thought it wouldn't be nice if all 35 of us leave together. So I stood up and make a speech to absent all of us from the presentation. I felt quite paiseh after that. But hai ... at least I did a polite thing instead of leaving the presenter thinking that we did not enjoyed his presentation which was good by the way. =D

Fuzhou Panda Research Centre

2007-11-23T23:57:00.000+08:00

Last Thursday, there was a china-africa union conference in Beijing which my lecturer, Prof. Lin was invited to. Therefore, we have Thursday and Friday off instead of the weekends. So the university organised for us to visit the Fuzhou Panda Research Centre, which is very near to the hotel I am staying now, West Lake Hotel. That day, as there was no translator around, I had to be one. Man, it wasn't easy as I have no idea how to say biology terms in mandarin language among many other things. Anyway, according to our guide, there are 5 pandas in the centre; 3 females and 2 males. This centre has the most pandas among the centres in China. The female pandas are all age above 15 human years old while the male pandas are about 6 or 7 human years old. One human year is equivalent to 4 panda years. The panda in the top left corner is the oldest panda at 27 human years or 108 panda years old. During her earlier days, she was a performer panda. She had traveled to places such as San Diego to perform in public. Since she is considered quite old now, she does not perform anymore.

Other than pandas, there are animals that were called as lesser pandas, which are the same pandas but they share a common ancestor line with the pandas. Like us humans sharing a common ancestor line with the chimpanzees. They are smaller in size and brown in color with a long striped tail of brown and black. I couldn't get a clear picture of them so I did not put the picture up here. These lesser pandas performed a few tricks for us. I didn't get pictures of the performances as my camera was with my friend at that time. The performances was quite cute really.

The pictures which I indicated an arrow is a sequence of pictures that I took as the panda caretaker wanted to lure the female panda from one place to another with a piece of apple. If you can see the large picture, you might see her with her tongue out at the final picture. Maybe she don't enjoy being photographed at ... Hahaha...

Red dates tang yuen

2007-11-16T13:17:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday we had a buffet lunch at Peony Restaurant. The package price is RMB38 during lunch hour between 11am till 2pm, and RMB58 during dinner hour between 5pm till 8pm. Anyway the reason I mentioned this is because I found a dessert that is somewhat similar to the tang yuen that I loved. Tang yuen is also known as glutanious rice balls. When I was in Shanghai two years ago, I had tang yuen in rice wine almost everyday. Actually tang yuen is just normal rice balls but i love eating them. This version I found here in Fuzhou have a piece of tang yuen stuffed into red dates. The taste is very red date taste and sweet. Yummy! I actually had two plates of them. HAHAHA ....

Riverside Park, Fuzhou City

2007-11-12T13:29:00.000+08:00

Journey Uphill Everyday ... Almost

2007-11-12T13:19:00.000+08:00

I decided to show you guys the route that we all have to take everyday when we are in the university. Basically the area is JUNCAO Research Centre. Just that the class where we have our lectures is at the top of the hill. The route starts from the the first pic on the bottom left. In the top right pic, the thing is the purple box is where we grow mushrooms. The air around here is very clean except during the morning tea break where a group of chimneys suddenly start puffing smoke. ;) We have to take this route twice a day; once after breakfast and once after lunch. So it is good exercise isn't it? Hahaha ... By the way those black stones that looks a bit like gravestone are actually commemorative stones to represent the working partnerships between China and different countries. They planted Giant JUNCAO to represent the partnerships.

Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University (FAFU)

2007-11-04T16:41:00.000+08:00

FUZHOU Here I am!!!!

2007-11-01T12:54:00.000+08:00

Hey my friends!!!! I have safely reached Fuzhou, China yesterday night. The distance from the airport to the hotel we are staying was roughly the same distance from KLIA to Kl. Right now all the participants are staying at Qinghe building, Fujian West Lake Hotel. Haven't been out exploring yet but hope to be able to do so tonight. There are 34 participants from 14 countries. Now I am trying hard to learn their names ... it should be fine after the next day. There are people from Nepal, Iraq, Ghana, Zambia, Vietnam, etc. Rite now I am in one of the computer labs at Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University (FAFU) where the course is conducted. oh ya ... I did not let some of y'all know why am I in China. The Chinese gov is sponsoring people from developing countries to come together and learn a new tech to grow mushrooms, named JUNCAO Technology. It is a way of growing mushrooms from grasses. From what I have briefly glanced at the materials they have given us, I am so glad my boss decided to send me here. This is a very good training ground for a beginner like me. There will be lectures in the morning and practicals in the noon. By the way, FAFU is like a uni within a city or should I say there is a small city in the uni? haha .... frankly I want to take pictures of this uni but I dun know where to start. Oh well .... I will be here for a month and a half, so there'll be plenty of time to take pictures. At first I thought I would have a difficult time here but I have been having fun!!!! Mainly I have been translating english to mandarin and vice versa to my best ability. My colleague from home is Chinese from Sabah but he can speak Malay fluently and bits of English. Luckily I can speak and listen well enough. So Thanks To All My Friends in Perth for the training grounds! Oh yea ... my lecturer can't speak English well so his daughter is the translater. Ok ... till tmr, every noon we have time to surf the net for free. Gotta go now to buy calling cards ... mobile cards for me.... will send some of you my new number soon. So sms me la boleh ..... Muaks!

After 2 weeks of work ...

2007-10-16T18:11:00.000+08:00

In these two weeks, I realised since I went to Australia for my studies, I have developed a phobia of being alone. Here, at my workplace, I am the only one in R&D besides my boss. So I can only brainstorm my ideas with my boss. Also, I am currently using the not-often-used meeting table, which is separated from the rest of my colleagues by a wall with windows. This means unless my boss talks to me, my mouth is pretty much motionless. The other time I talk would be to her maid during my lunch and dinner time. I think out of 24 hours, I only talk for 5 hours max.

I know it was my choice to stay at the hotel (I was feeling really uncomfortable staying at boss's house one night). Luckily, there is a TV where I can watch programs from the local TV network. Unfortunately, in my room there, I couldn't access internet as the wireless signal is not strong enough. Jho Yan once said that if I can access internet from my room, I wouldn't be feeling lonely. True, but both the new Maxis and Celcom broadbands' signals cannot reach Tanjung Sepat!!! So bah-lia!!!

Oh yea, I also just found out that the first friend I have here who is also my colleague who took me around this place for lunch is going to leave in Dec for a better pay job in Shah Alam. There goes another friend ....

So far, in my job, I mainly do journal searching for the website, my boss's masters proposal and for my own interest (HIV-AIDS, compost, etc.) Have been doing these for two weeks and counting now. I can't start any experiment cos boss is sending me to Fuzhou for a course in mushroom cultivation next month. So I can't start a project and leave it behind. Meaning these two weeks have been boring enough to make me quit the job. The only thing stopping me from doing that is knowing that there is plenty of learning opportunities which I need in order to improve my skills.

This blog has a very sad tone to it isn't it? Hopefully I can recover from this very soon and be a motivated person again!

Domestic violence in the next room?

2007-10-16T17:49:00.000+08:00

As some of you know, I was provided with a hotel room at my workplace by my boss. Usually I have very peaceful nights there. But yesterday, being post-Raya day, there were a number of hotel guests staying on the same floor as I am. Earlier, around 11pm, there were kids playing in the corridor which stopped after 10 to 20 minutes or so. Then, around 1 pm, there were sounds of running feets along the corridor which really irritated me, thinking those inconsiderate parents did not sent their kids to bed at that hour. The first time I opened the door I didn't see anyone. Then after I close the door, I could hear 2 ppl shouting loudly at each other. At first, I thought it were just ppl coming back from a night at the local pub or something. Slowly as I stood in the corridor, I heard the shouting conversation in Hakka. The guy was saying something like he told a big lie to be with her today and the lady was sobbing. There were slapping sounds, things falling around them. So I immediately called my boss. To cut the lengthy in-the-between stories, I persuaded my boss to call the police. But she told me that her husband said if we call the police, the police would decide to conduct a raid on prostitution which would give a bad name to the business. (She disagreed though; worried what might happened to the wife). Moreover, my male colleague who stays with the boss's family said it is normal for husband-wife to fight. Later, before we left for our own rooms, he told us that the lady spoke to him through the door that her husband, when drunk, would tell her which girls he liked and this will make them fight.

Frankly I don't know what is this lady thinking, man! Staying with a abusive husband who can act all he wants when he had a couple of drinks. I actually don't believe he is drunk as he can coherently answered us when we knocked on the door several times. And I also couldn't believe what these men are saying when it was clearly that violence is going on that room between husband-wife. Guess they think it wasn't a business they can intervene in.

Violation

2007-10-02T15:28:00.000+08:00

Do you think that a person have to be raped to feel how another person feel to have been violated? I think not because some people can feel empathy to someone's else situation. In other words, in some situation, a person can truly put himself or herself in that other person's shoes. Why a sudden mention of this, you might ask. Well, very recently, one of my gal friends told me that she was molested during the last summer break when she was back in her own country. Being a women's rights activist, my immediate reaction was to advise her to bring that violater to court and put him to jail! Now imagine my surprise when she gave me 3 reasons why she won't be doing so ... First, she would embarassed her family for being molested ... Secondly, the violater was just released from jail and she don't want to put him back in.... Thirdly, there was no witness to her situation. Now my rationale is like this. I think in this world, parents would have 2 reactions when told that their precious daughter is molested. They would either believe her and make sure she get justice for the crime committed to her OR they would said it's bull shit and she probably brought it on to herself which equals to bringing shame to the family if she reports it. I think she believes that her parents would have the second reaction but I believe her parents would have the first reaction because her parents are really protective and loves her a lot. The second reason she gave me is something I cannot comprehend. How can you sympathise with a someone who just violated your own self??? I have no idea what previous crimes he committed to cause the jail term but if it was also molestation or related, then she definitely would have won the case! Remember how one year PAS make a statement that under the hudud law, one needs to have 4 malay men as witnesses if she wants to report a rape case? Now, we know there would be no witness to such crimes because if there was someone else, the crime would have been stopped or might become worse. So frankly I don't understand her way of thinking. Perhaps some of you out there might tell me that I don't understand because I have never been violated sexually in my life. I would say that is not the case. There is a mind block in my childhood that something happened to me where my parents were not aware of but I no longer remember it no matter how much I dwell on it. Another thing is that have I been molested or raped, no matter how traumatic I am, I will bring that violater to court and send him away to jail. Of course, sending him to jail wouldn't reduce the damages done but at least I have fight to have my right back. And someone do not asked for themselves to be violated. Remember that, girls, no matter how many people tell you that they think one's actions or way of dressing is a form of invitation to these violations.

Goodbyes are not forever ...

2007-09-24T01:12:00.000+08:00

To my dear sister who left today (23rd Sept 2007) for her studies in medicine at Charles University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic,

Thank you for your support throughout my uni life. [and making my graduation nite memorable... you know what i mean ;)] I will also lend my support to you during your uni days. So never hesitate to call me anytime. (only in emergencies!!!) I want you to know that I am very happy and proud of you because you are on your way to achieving your childhood dream and that I love you not just because you are the only sister I have but because of who you are .... hugs ....

To all my friends that I have befriended while at Perth,

Thank you for the friendships you have given me. I know I am not perfect. So perhaps I have hurt you in my speech or actions. I hope that I can be forgiven if I have done so. I just want to say that you guys had made my time in Perth very memorable and that would be the strongest reason why I'm missing Perth now. Anyway, I hope our friendships will last even if we were to meet after 5 to 10 years. Good luck for your futures!

P.S.: Erm ... sorry for the picture because it did not include all of you guys ... gomen!

Dear Old Perth ... 4

2007-09-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

Cakes as Soaps ??!!??!! Yep ... there's a new shop in the town of Fremantle (fondly called as Freo; Mom's favourite place in Perth) known as Cakes and Soaps. At first glance at the products, you will think "what pretty-looking cupcakes! they sure look delicious!!!". But WAIT!!! these cakes are not meant for your stomach but for your shower!!!! HONEST!!!! I bought one cupcake with loads of cream and strawberry pieces ... but awww ... it looks too pretty for me to use it!!! Now, if only my Form 4 science project (which was soap-making, by the way) looked this good!!!!

REGALIA ... yep, obtained my regalia that day. Here are some of the first few photos I took with it ....

Bob Mead, my "grandfather" at Murdoch

Bernie Dell, my supervisor for

my supposed Honours

Dear Old Perth ... 3

2007-09-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

HARBOURTOWN!!!

That was the first place I took my family who arrive yesterday midnight from KL to Perth. Mom had heard about things sold at unbelievable low price. Too bad she was only interested in souvenir stuffs and not clothes cos clothes at Harbourtown are somewhat cheap. Oh well then ....bye-bye Harbourtown!

YOUNG JOE'S!!!

Chilli mussels sauce (HOT) mixed with pasta in carbonara sauce ... one word ... YUMMY!!! It's a must-have whenever Mei Yee comes for a visit to Perth. Now mom and dad love it so much that they want to come back for a second serving before they leave Perth! (which they did 2 days later ...)

BURSWOOD CASINO!!!

My 3rd time there and Mei Yee's 1st time to a casino. Luckily no one smokes there, otherwise it wouldn't be enjoyable for us. Played jackpot where this machine has a game that costs 2 cents each!!! It was terribly boring because we were playing more than 50 rounds as Mom inserted more than $2 into it. Haih ... hahaha ... Anyway, we won $10 in one game of roulette!!! Ya-ta! Go RED!!!

Dear Old Perth ... 2

2007-09-12T01:20:00.000+08:00

Today I was supposed to meet up with my NLC friends. Unfortunately only two managed to turn up, KS and Adriana. Met KS for Gelare's waffles before heading to Hog's Breath. (Their steaks are really tender and nice. Was told that the steaks were in the oven for 18 hours. Hmmm ... that must be their secret recipe.) It was nice to meet up with him again. The last time i saw him was during NLC's Branch Education Conference. Must say he looks better in formal wear ... haha. Don't know why I was so excited at meeting him that I got all dressed up and forgot about Adri's hard drive. But as the dinner went on, I came to realise I don't need to get an answer from him to end my phase on him .... because I don't feel anything more than just friends like 5 minutes after i talked to him. So I just enjoyed my time with him, chatting about politics, our associations, a bit of ourselves.

Next, we caught up with Adri. She is my convener or boss when I was with NLC. Although she said most people would hate her at the end of working with her, I enjoyed working with her because her working ethics makes things get done. She would take the troubles to complete what her committee did not finish. That is something I would do too if i was in her position. Frankly knowing that she is almost putting her studies aside to do NLC's work makes me wish that I would be still with NLC to lend a hand. Oh well ... I can only wish her luck and hope she would have a nice break after the state multicultural week. Of all the committee members, i really clicked really well with her. Maybe that is why I enjoyed working with her. After i told her about my job, she mentioned that she felt that as we moved from a city life to a slower pace of life, our brains seem to work slower. That's something Kim said b4 about moving from Melbourne to Perth. Well, since Tanjung Sepat is really kampung, I have to make sure my brain don't idle and slow down. That's why I want to learn French

and continue to be active in AI!

Dear Old Perth ... 1

2007-09-12T01:07:00.000+08:00

Been back a day and enjoying the COLD (Brrrr ....) weather rite now. Dun know if the cause is the weather or not, but I had such a good sleep after running with Wan Hon this morning. The lake was surprisingly filled with water after being a dried paddy field for so many months before. Have to bring mom and dad for a walk on Thursday morning. (they are arriving tomorrow midnight)

Anyway, I went for dinner with the Murdoch gang 4 hours after I reach Perth airport. It sure felt good seeing them again. We went to La Porcetta (did i spelt it rite? hmmm .....), an italian place down at Fremantle. It is the same place we went to for my birthday this year. Only this time we learnt from our mistake of ordering way too much. haha ... the last time we ordered 4 or 5 pizzas and every 2 persons shared a pasta dish. This time, we ordered for our own selves. Still I couldn't finish the pasta I was sharing with Wan Hon. (actually i still think fasta pasta is best place for pasta)

Oh yea, we din take a group picture. So we definitely have to take one during the steamboat party. I am planning to organise a steamboat party with everyone next friday since that would be my last night here in Perth ever. Hopefully everyone could spare the time.

Mrs. Shirota Yuu of the moment.....till I divorce him.

2007-09-08T00:42:00.000+08:00

I hereby announce my wedding to Yuu Shirota [in my dreams...]

Below is a photograph of my dream husband of the moment.

Here's his vital stats:

Name: 城田優

Name (romaji): Shirota Yuu / Shirota You / Shirota Yu

Nickname: U-kun, Shiroro, Shiropon, Shirotan, Yuu-ani

Profession: Singer, actor, model

Birthdate: 1985-Dec-26 [YAY!!! WE ARE THE SAME AGE!!!...but he's still younger by months...boo hoo]

Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan

Height: 185cm [17cm taller than me!!! Perfect kissing angle...his lips are made for endless kissing]

Weight: 74kg

Three Size: 89-73-94 (35"-29"-37")

Star sign: Capricorn

Blood type: O [We have the same blood type...it must be fate!]

Jgroup: D-Boys

Talent agency: Watanabe Entertainment

He is half Japanese from his father's side and half Spanish from his mother's side, thanks to an interracial marriage.

Because his mother is Spanish, he lived in Barcelona, Spain until he was about 2 years old. He returned to Japan for elementary school and could still speak Spanish in ordinary conversation.

Languages: Spanish, Japanese and English

Hobbies: Song Writing, Song Composition, Karaoke, Watching funny TV shows

Special Skills: Spanish, Piano, Saxophone, Guitar

WARNING: You may admire my husband from afar but for the moment, he's MINE!!! :-D

Flaky-skin syndrom

2007-09-06T02:26:00.000+08:00

If anyone have seen me today like Chui Yee, you probably thought i have contracted some skin disease!!! Boo Hoo HOO!!! I SOO REGRET BUYING THAT STUFFS!!!! Since the end of semester, I have been maintaining my skin so that I can take a gorgeous convocation picture. But due to my greediness on last Sunday, I went and bought a new skincare line called CELLNIQUE. Not that the other products like sebum gel weren't good. But this blemish clearing ones were disasterous to my skin!!! After 3 days of usage, my skin has gotten so dry that there is practically no oil on my skin!!! Now that would normally be a good news cos I dun like to be a grease-face person. But it has gotten so dry that my skin is peeling!!!! Anyway, I learnt my lesson by not buying skincare products implusively and am now on a recovery regime. Phew ... hopefully it will be all rite before i meet everyone in Perth next week.

(*** I will be in Perth from the 10th till 22nd Sept***)

An ending and a new beginning

2007-09-04T23:48:00.000+08:00

Dear All,

From my last few blogs, I have announced to almost everyone that I would be doing honours. However, due to financial circumstances, I won't be working on that Australian Ganoderma project anymore. No doubt that I was very sad at the beginning. But I managed to pick myself up after a few days.

As one door closes, another OPENS! As part of my preparation for honours, I contacted a few private companies in Malaysia that are working on mushroom. Oh yea! Ganoderma is the scientific name for LING ZHI. Anyway, to cut the long story short, Mdm Cheng from Vita Agrotech emailed me offering me a job in her new company, Ganofarm Sdn. Bhd., as R&D Officer! This means I will be doing pretty much the same thing as my supposed honours project. Except I would be working on both medicinal mushrooms and waste management. Moreover, I won't be just working on Ganoderma alone.

I have accepted the job and am expecting to start on Oct 1 after my convocation. I hope by staying here and work, I would be able to learn French and this would leads me to be able to work for maybe UN or MSF. Although I haven't officially start working yet, I don't intend to work in one field my whole life. I hope to be able to study Environmental Engineering (which might changed) in Germany in 4 to 6 yrs time. Then I can apply to be a Water and Sanitation Engineer in UN or MSF.

Haha ... I think I stay optimistic by keep on dreaming about my FUTURE ....

Gokusen

2007-06-10T19:11:00.001+08:00

Have no idea how to title this blog entry. Anyway, thought of blogging after watching the final episode of Gokusen 2. Really recommend this drama series to you all. It is really inspiring. Wish I have a teacher like Yamaguchi sensei. On second thoughts, I have found teachers like that character. In high school, Mrs Raja Letchumy was the teacher who always supports me even though she had to repeat the thoeries many times before I truly understand them.

While at ADP Taylor's, met Miss Mary who inspired me to be vocal about human rights and women's issues, Mrs Parvinder who always encouraged me to be positive about myself and Miss Ng Mei Peng who always talked to me as an equal and I have learnt a lot from each of them. Now that I am in University, Professor Bob Mead and Professor Bernie Dell are the ones I can really talk to. I have known Bob since my first semester here and I think I always see him when I am down and have ideas up my sleeves. I really think my ideas add wrinkles to his face. Haha ... I know Bernie since last semester. I think he really reminds me of my dad. He provided me with an honours topic to work on based on my best interests. Hopefully it all work well with my honours. Thank you very much, my dear teachers.

In Gokusen, the students Yamaguchi sensei had are really delinquents or the bad apples of the school. But still she made them proud of themselves for being able to graduate their high school. Since last Friday when I sat for my Molecular Genetics exam, I have been in the dumps because I really know that I won't do well for it. Right now I am telling myself that a pass is all I wanted for this unit. However earlier I was thinking to myself whether do I really deserve this Bachelor of Science that Murdoch is awarding me. Why do I think so? Well, in these 2 and a half years, I have not obtained good results for my science units. But now that I really think about it, I do deserved the degree. I have worked hard to get every marks. I have given my best for all of them, even when I encountered units that I do not particularly like.

Right now, I have putting all my energy into writing a good literature review and a good report for my ISC. I have worked hard on this genotyping project related to osteoporosis. Sure there are times I am frustrated for having to travel for an hour to get to the hospital and then another hour back. However, I really learnt a few things about working in a hospital and myself. I now know what do I really want to discover for my career. This might change as I gain more experiences. About myself, well after facing the elderly patients every time I was at the hospital, I know I want to cherish my parents more and more. Knowing this now made me feel really stupid for thinking that my home country is a place I do not want to return just because I have memories, mainly of him. But now, I have accepted these memories and know that home is where my family is. So I really can't wait to be back! =D

Of Endings and Beginnings

2007-06-02T23:36:00.000+08:00

Whew! One more finals and 2 reports more, and I will finally be graduating from my Bachelor studies! I still can't believe it. Haha .. because I was always crying my heart out when I first arrived at flat 76 in 2005. Now that seems like a long time ago. With much hope, I hope my honours would begin on August 6th! I can't wait to discover more about Aussie ganoderma. Haha ... I am starting to think of honours as my baby. Haha ... have to maintain it well so that I get really good data. Siao liao haha .... end of a bachelor and a start of an honours =D I think I like to announce to the world that I am way over CH. haha ... And I have fallen for another ... haha ... not much development right now. I also don't know if this new emotions of mine will ever lead to anything. All I can do right now is to be supportive of his goals and be his buddy that he can trust completely. That is a nice ending and a nice beginning for my emotions. At least I am no longer feeling sad over that guy. Mum and Dad, need to worry no more! ;) One thing I hope will never end is the friendships I have built over the years, especially the ones I have here at Murdoch. We may all return to our own countries after graduation but I really hope we can still keep in touch. So let's have the biannual gatherings, starting from next year perhaps! ;)

Of Naivety and Trust

2007-06-02T22:58:00.000+08:00

At times I wondered if I am plain naive or plain ignorant of people's good and bad behaviours. I am not a moral police. So I have no say if someone is doing a good or bad thing. Unless they are doing something definitely wrong in my eyes such as stealing or violence. Why am I writing this? This semester something went wrong with my friendships. Am I too stupid that I went and tell the truth? Can't I tell a lie now and then? But then again I don't want my life to be surrounded with lies. Technically what happened was between A and H. they gave each other a bad first impression. Somehow the bad impression has lead H to bad mouth about A. A found out through me when she asked me about it. I couldn't explain why was it that I didn't stand up for A despite my friendship with her. I really couldn't say anything to defend her because there were too many things that I did not know about her. Once A know of this, she repeatedly told me that H is not a good person because she bad-mouthed about her. What am I to do when H has been true to me since the beginning of our frienship? Yes, bad-mouthing someone is a bad thing to do. Was it because I understand a girl's nature to gossip about someone due to jealousy? I myself am guilty of some mistakes I made when I was feeling twinge of jealousy. After all, this wouldn't happen if A did not meet R on that night. Perhaps I am too understanding that I became very accepting of people's flaws. How does this issue relates to trust? Well, as A said because H has done something bad to her, thus I shouldn't trust H. But truthfully, I trust the both of them. This is how I made friends. I gave all my friends 100% trust when I know them. But if they ever betrayed me, they will lost the trust completely. When I was feeling betrayed by SP, I couldn't trust her again but after so long, I have forgiven her for I think what she did is what an average girl who is in love will do. Trust is something like a gut feeling. With some people, you might feel like you couldn't trust them. One example would be that LKK guy. He gave me an uneasy feeling from the start of the friendship that I couldn't really trust him. That is why I couldn't accept him as a boyfriend. After all I want to be in a relationship where I can trust him. KKS said that he trusts me a lot and that he is glad he can talk to me without thinking whether it is 'politically correct or not'. This of course made me felt really pleased. =D Sometimes, perhaps I am really naive. My last experience with NLC made me wonder if I have been used. Why do I think so? I trusted the colleagues I have on the team. But I hear different things from two of them, AY and S. Both don't like the way each was performing their duties. Somehow the two of them should really sit down and talk. AY said normally people would hate her after working with her. However, I don't feel so. I don't mind working with her again because i think her attitude to work made things happen. At the end of this, I believe my way of making friends is the right way for me. It doesn't matter to me that people think that I am naive. I just believe in my intuitions and my mind. Even though A believes that I am easily influenced, I believe that I have my own mindset or opinions on matters but I am still a rational being who will listen to reasons because there is no point in being stubborn in issues that is ever changing. Like when I did my research on prostitution back in college. I was stubbornly saying that men caused women to prostitute themselves but at the end of the research, I realise women themselves also play a role. There are women in world cultures who think that when a women is raped, she is a 'bad' woman and therefore is ok for other men to have sex with her. This caused a woman grown under these mindsets to think there is only one way to live her life. Or should I remind myself the time I said all men are evil beings? Haha ... yep now I accept that evilness can exist in both genders. It is the personalities of each individuals that make them do the right or wrong things.

22nd Birthday

2007-03-21T23:27:00.000+08:00

WOW! This is the first time where I have 3 birthday cakes! Anyway the celebration started at Fremantle. Was supposed to go partying at Little Creatures. Unfortunately, we did not know that starting this year, they require us to show our ID before entering the premise which most of my friends have forgotten to bring. So we went to La Porchetta where we ordered too many pizzas. I said the pizzas were too much to finish because every two of us shared a dish of pasta. Here's a picture of us all with the leftovers. My first birthday cake came on Saturday, 17th March. On that day, I just attended a leadership training camp organised by NLC West. Have a nice time knowing the international student organisations (ISOs) from both Curtin and UWA. Anyway, the whole gang from Student Village (SV) came suddenly outside my door. When I opened the door, they were singing the birthday song. The fruit cake was yummy. Thanks Ai Na for getting the cake from the city. Thanks for the rest of you who came. The second birthday cake came as a surprise too.It was on Monday, 19 March. At first thought of meeting Ivy for bubble tea after my project. Then Ivy asked to accompany her to get cake for her sisters. Once we reached Miss Maud restaurant, we saw Elvina and Alicia. I only realised that they planned this like ten minutes after I met them. Haha .. so slow ... anyway, i had a lot of desserts that day. First bubble tea, next strawberry chocolate cake and lastly taiwan ice! Thanks Ivy, Wan Hon, Elvina and Alicia. My third cake was a mango cheesecake that Ai Na made. Well I requested for that cake. Did not know she will buy a fruit cake for me. The cheesecake was really delicious. Still have another half a container more to finish. Thank you Ai Na (You are a good friend. Not saying this because you did so much) and the rest who came ... Jo-Anne, Lester, Edwin and Hui Yi. I am really glad that I know all of you. Thanks for taking the time and efforts to make my birthday a truly wonderful one. One thing that makes me glad was that I feel that I was not alone here.

New Experience: Papermaking

2007-03-04T17:51:00.000+08:00

The papermaking crew of today!!! We are learning to make papers from waste papers using Leslie's (first from left) technology that will produce smooth, handmade papers that can be written and printed on. It was easy to pick up the steps.

Loneliness

2007-02-24T13:28:00.000+08:00

How is it possible to feel lonely when you are surrounded by people and most importantly, friends whom you can talk to and share with? I find this very weird because I only feel this loneliness when I am in Perth. It seems being busy couldn't get rid of it. I have three projects this semester and yet I still feel restless at times. Moreover, the loneliness I feel makes me dislike to be alone or even doing things alone such as going to the library alone. This is crazy. That's it!!! I am going to drag myself to the library. tata ....

Task of the year: Blogging

2007-02-24T11:46:00.000+08:00

Usually, I do not write blogs about my own life because I felt that it is like exposing myself to the world. However, I realised blogging is a way to pen down my thoughts and share my opinions with my friends without sending them snail mails. This is also a way for my close friends and me to keep in touch while I am in Perth. Hopefully, I will write regularly on this blog and hope you enjoy reading my blogs. Remember to feel free to add comments. I always believe that we can learn something from everyone regardless of age, race, etc. because all of us have different life experiences.