LONDON!!!!

Oh no...I'm running behind on my updates again! It's been a pretty eventful week and I've got more to update but I'll start with my London trip first! :) It was quite a last minute decision to travel down last weekend (July 23-26) coz our test on Monday was postponed to August. So I decided to go to London alone and meet up with my cousin before she go back to M'sia. It was a short but relaxing trip...not too much sightseeing (coz I'll be going again in Sept)...beautiful weather...had some good food...and best of all awesome hospitality! :) Thanks to Audrey for being such a great host!! :) Not many pics of me coz was exploring the city alone half of the time. :)

July 23 (Fri): Sheffield-London

Bought my National Express return ticket for £10, could have been cheaper if I got it earlier but it's still pretty cheap I guess. The journey took about 4.5 hours coz of Fri evening traffic.

Arriving London!! So many people and cars...felt like I just got out of kampung!!

Yea I know I'm a bit 'sam pat' to get excited over crowd, people, and hecticness...but trust me it's normal to get this 'culture shock' after being stuck in a kampung for 6 weeks!

As I said...I was 'sam pat'...so took a video of the busy Victoria Station while waiting for my cousin.

In the tube station...a.k.a. Underground. It's just like New York's subway...but the trains here are cleaner. Imagine the entire London built on these underground.

Around Bayswater station where my cousin live. Quite a lot of chinese restaurants around that area. Both Four Seasons and Gold Mine were packed with people so we decided to 'ta pao' our dinner from Gold Mine.

Duck rice...yummyyyyy!!

July 24 (Sat): Strolling around central London

Guess where all these people are heading to??

Answer: To see the Queen!!! :) O-M-G...sooooo many people at Buckingham Palace!!!! Everyone wanted to catch the 'Changing Guards' at 11.30am...of course can't really see much coz 'people mountain people sea'! Look at the 2 adults in first pic...we thought only kids do this...wrong...this shows how desperate people can be to see the guards! :p I would definitely do this if I was at Beckingham Palace...haha! :)

It's so fascinating to see such huge crowd...oh yea...welcome to London!! These are all tourists from all over the world...it's summer break + Saturday...no wonder la!

Trying to crop out the people

Buckingham Palace!

The Red Guards with their 'mo mo' hat!! These guards' job is to 'perform' everyday at 11.30am...it's more like doing a show instead of for procedural purposes.

Feel the atmosphere

Along the way to Big Ben

Hey Ben!!

The Houses of Parliament

Another video

Thames river & London Eye

The 'original' Eye before all other Eyes popped up.

Had lunch at this noodle place. They serve asian food and it's interesting coz they used the US take-out box concept. That was my Singapore Seafood Noodles.

Trafalgar Square & The National Gallery

People here, people there, people everywhere! Quite a lot of Europeans I guess coz I didn't understand what the people around were talking most of the time.

Picadilly Circus. Big bro asked me to come to this Lilywhites store to get him some jerseys but my mission failed. ;p

Spent an entire afternoon walking along Oxford Street. The street is just like a mall...the busiest and the most dense shopping street in central London. You can find almost all the big brands here.

Summer sales was still on so it was definitely a good time to shop. Rachel would have spent a lot of moolah if she was here..hehe! As for me, I didn't shop much but instead was observing the what shopping bags people were carrying. ;)

There were so many tour groups walking around...and they either have the same fluorescent bag or wear the same t-shirts. Definitely not easy to lead a tour here.

Her Majesty Theatre where Phantom of the Opera was showing. As usual, many people queuing to watch. I may watch this when I go again in Sept.

Planning to watch these 2 musicals too in Sept...hope I'll have enough money for these.

Dinner at Gourmet Burger Kitchen...it was gooood! :)

July 25 (Sun): Strolling around central London (cont)

The streets were already busy on Sunday morning. There were a lot of red buses everywhere. People were waiting outside Primark for the shop to open...crazy right?

Took this video from the bus

Went to All Souls church with Audrey for Sunday service

Chinatown in London.

Dim Sum lunch at Imperial China, Chinatown. Another yummylicious meal!! :)

Thanks Audrey for hosting me over the weekend! :)

Visited Audrey's school...she's studying medicine in University College London (UCL).

Yay...my turn to be in the pic! :)

UCL hospital, biological sciences, and anatomy dept. Erm...these are for smart people...I only see 'stars and moons' if you tell me about science. =.=

Walked from UCL to the British Museum

The British Museum. They had this South Africa Landscape exhibit outside the museum...took some photos for flowers lovers.

Inside the museum...it was huge!

The museum was so big...and I'm not really a big fan of museum...so didn't walk much. If you want me to describe about this museum...I'll say it's a museum that exhibits random things 'stolen' from all over the world...haha! :p

July 26 (Mon): Byebye London...I'll be back!! :)

Boarded the bus back to Sheffield from Victoria Coach Station at 8.30am

And what a coincidence...I bumped into ChinSuey at the bus station and he was also taking the same bus to Sheffield! I haven't met him since first year of diploma and he went on to study in north London...and of so many places to meet...we actually met in London..what a small world!

So this wraps up my London trip. Proud of myself coz I managed to survive exploring London alone with my hand-drawn map, tube map, backpack and the Oyster card (from Audrey). :) Overall this was a very nice trip...mainly due to the warm hospitality...hehe!!

To sum up, London is just like New York...metropolitan city with many many people from all over the world...sometimes you don't even feel like you're in UK...but the great mix of people is what makes London interesting! :)

The 4th Runner

I'm now in the library waiting to catch my coach to London at 2pm...just finished my presentation...losing my voice coz talked too much just now...haha! :p Been busy preparing for assignment all week, finally get to relax a bit so thought about blogging something. :)

So what about "the 4th runner"? This word randomly came across my mind yesterday and immediately reminds me of the video below. I'm referring to 4th runner in a relay race...not 4th runner-up. :p Found this explanation on google..."The most popular strategy for running a successful relay race is running your best runner last...this strategy of saving your best runner for last is used mostly because that runner will know what they have to do in order to win the race by the time they receive the baton".

This was 10 years ago...don't think many ppl can recognize me here. I was the 4th runner for Red team. :)

You don't have to be an athlete to be a 4th runner...in fact, this 4th runner role applies to many aspects of life...especially when you're working in a team or with a group of people. There's always someone who'll take this role...so ask yourself...are you a 4th runner in life??

Looking back, I realized that I've been very lucky to be given a lot of opportunities to play this role over the years. No don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that I'm the best. 'Best' is a very subjective thing and it depends entirely on who you're comparing yourself to & the environment that you've been put into.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with being a Leo...or is it just the typical 'kiasu' attitude...I usually find myself playing the role of 4th runner in relay races, assignments, groupwork, team projects, etc. In every small circle of people...there's always a 4th runner...and apparently, my flatmates are all 4th runners as well. ;)

Some ppl may say that we're 'kiasu'...and yes I admit that I'm 'kiasu' to a certain extent but not to the extent of "accumulating too much food on one's plate during a buffet lunch in case there is no more later"(wikipedia). Lol! I think the better word to describe is 'competitive'...this attitude is actually good coz it helps us to achieve more & keep learning in life. The more I do, the more I learn...that's why I don't mind giving people a free ride (you know what I mean). :p I'm open to ideas and suggestions...and I know a lot of people are not dumb...the question is have you tried your best?

So what's your view about being a 4th runner or kiasu?

I'm crazy :p

Haha...this post is very random. Was browsing through WuChun's pictures and spotted myself in one of the pic that he took at Tropicana City Mall from the stage. :p Yes I know I'm a lil' crazy.

http://www.fahrenciti.com/blog.chun.show.140.70#/img3/895d27b4826c61bf75339de0e7f2ea2f.jpg

Couchsurfers Dayout

Continuing with my 'ang-moh-tized' weekend post... Apart from the tea party, we also spent the entire Sunday with some couchsurfers here in Sheffield. "CouchSurfing" is a pretty cool network that brings people who enjoy travelling together...google if you wanna know more. :)

One of the CSer, Valeria organized a 'sunday badminton' at Endcliffe Park so we decided to meet up with her and get to know some people in Sheffield. We weren't familiar with places here & had no idea where the park was...only passed by on our way to the tea party the day before. So here comes Google map to the rescue...

My version of GPS/Google map...old school huh?? Works well though...at least we managed to find our way to the park...haha!! :p

According to google map...it takes about 40 minutes to walk from our dorm to the park. Very accurate indeed...oh I love google map! :)

So we walked...and walked...and walked. Ecclesall road was looong!! The lower left pic is another part of Sheffield Hallam Uni. But I must say this part of the town is really more happening with more shops as compared to Charlotte.

And we finally made it to the park...woohooo!!! :) Everyone was out in the park enjoying the sun & wind, playing all sorts of sports.

There were ppl picnicking, playing rounders, cricket, football, kite, etc...definitely a great place to spend a relaxing Sunday. :)

These group of people were playing with water balloons...they really came well-equipped. :)

Valeria brought a badminton net but our badminton plan totally failed coz it was soooo windy!! So we ended up chatting, played football & rounders instead. There were more than 10 CSers who came...Valeria (Italian), Joe (German), Chris & Anna (British), Harry (India), etc. Valeria was such a funny & nice person...she was telling us about how relaxing life in Italy is...people usually take 3 hours lunch break to go to the beach...are u serious???

Anna brought a rounders set...but 3 of us totally had no idea how to play this...not even sure how baseball game works. =.= So they spent 5 minutes explaining to us and we started playing. Trust me...I was blur 90% of the time not knowing what to do. I was kicked out of the game even before I managed to figure out how to play the game...and I didn't even know I was out already...haha!! Anyway, it was still fun...especially watching Josh play...haha!! :p

Chris also invited us to his place to watch the World Cup finals with his friends. Saw a newly wed couple as we were walking!

It was pretty cool to watch the WC finals with some locals. Can't believe 13 of us managed to squeeze into this cozy lil' living room. :) Chris & his friends were supporting Holland...that's why there were no cheering in this vid when Spain scored. Well...Holland won...by the number of yellow cards...haha!! :p

Traditional English Tea Party

10 July 2010: Garden Tea Party @ Whirlow, Sheffield

Had an eventful weekend last week! :) Nope not shopping, not travelling...this was even better...a truly 'British' party! As the 'modified' saying goes, "When in Britain, do as the British do". And don't get me wrong...this 'party' was not the one with booze...this one really served tea...perfect for 'old' people like me...haha! :p

We were very lucky that the community here in Sheffield actually organizes such event once a year during summer for international students. It's really rare that we'll get the chance to experience a traditional English tea party with cream scones & strawberries, traditional English game, meet really nice local people and other international students at such a lovely place. Best of all, it was for FREE! :)

See what I meant by 'very nice local people'? They used their own cars & van to pick us up from the uni. They were expecting about 50 students but I'm sure there were much more than that. You know how 'kiasu-fied' tarcians are right...haha!!

3 of us followed Julie's car and of course I was a happy passenger coz she had 2 adorable kids...Abbey & Isaac! :) Julie & Danna (Romanian girl) were also very friendly and we chatted some along the way.

On our way to the 'very posh' part of Sheffield...Whirlow. This part of Sheffield is definitely much nicer with lotsa big houses and nice gardens. :) That was the house that we went to (lower right pic).

Taadaaa...the big group of Tarcians have arrived!! It's extremely easy to identify tarcians...if you see people rolling or sleeping on the grass (illustrated in 2 bottom pics), you can be 100% sure that they are tarcians. ;) I guess UK grasses are 'cleaner' than M'sia grasses??

Chatting with the locals. Such a beautiful garden right??

Then I was 'distracted' by these cuties...haha! :p

Wonderful weather + nice people + good food + cute kids + interesting games + dog that wants to play chess = AWESOMENESS!!! =)

An afternoon well spent. Some ppl were playing cricket and croquet while I became friends with the kiddos...hehe!

I'm back in action with more jumpshots...yea I know I'm crazieee. :p

Sincere thanks to everyone who made this tea party possible...really appreciate it!! :)

Bits & Pieces...Life in Sheffield

Yeahhh...it's weekend! :) It's been almost a month since I got here...wow...time's really flying by fast!! So far life in Sheffield has been good...lifestyle here is pretty laid back maybe coz it's summer & everyone's on holiday mood! :)

Juz realised that I haven't been taking a lot of pictures here...no 'ohm' I guess? Besides, I didn't do much after Ireland's trip...spent most of the time enjoying dorm life with my flatmates...yea I'm a homey...haha! :p Been busy catching up with studies & weekly assignments over the weekends...hoping to get good results so can't be all play no work. Blame myself for being too efficient to draw out this timetable so early...made me realise how 'much' time I've got before the semester ends. :(



Oh btw...I very 'beh pai seh'-ly volunteered to be course/student rep..."once a course rep forever course rep" right?? *slappp* There are a total of 35 reps for all courses in this summer school and we'll all get to meet Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting & Tarc delegates when they come over here end of this month. :) I've also signed up for 2 volunteering projects here...'Kelham Island & Watercolour Wednesday'...should be pretty interesting. ;)

A lot of Tarcians here have been going on weekend trips over the past 2 weeks...Cambridge, Stonehenge, Whitby...told ya it's filled with summer holiday mood here!! And my fb news feed has been filled with 'Whitby' photo albums!! =.= Guess what's the most interesting part about the Whitby trip? "Tarcians Invasion" as described by Denzil...haha!! Coz a total of 11 buses of Tarcians went on this trip...do your own calculation...11x45...we're definitely boosting the tourism industry here! :p The 2 tour agents here are also making big money this summer I reckon.

As for me, I'm saving up for bigger trips...can't afford to spend money like 'water' here especially when everything is 5 times more expensive. =.= Besides, I'm up for adventure...prefer to plan my own trips, meet people, learn & explore...that's much more interesting isn't it...hehe! :p But I ain't backpacking for Europe coz it's gonna be too tiring and time consuming, booked myself a 16days Europe tour & gonna be travelling with ppl from different countries...bet it's gonna be awesomeee! :)

Wanna know more about my life in SHU? Here are some 'not-so-artistic' pictures...

On our way to class. Walking has become such a major part of my life here coz gotta walk wherever I go...I'm definitely fully utilizing my sneakers this summer. :p

Lectures & seminars. Classes are pretty much the same as in Tarc...the only difference is the one talking in front. :p We usually take the front row (VIP) seat coz Josh needs more leg space...haha!!

The 'not-so-glam' library entrance...interior is much better. I've been spending time in the lib every Fridays during the gap btwn classes.

Lunch time at Chef Hallam. Lotsa international students doing summer courses in SHU this summer...of course majority is still tarcians.

My assignment group mates for the first 3 weeks.

Went grocery shopping last Monday morning and saw so many of old people around. Hmm...is Mon morning better time to shop? Caught someone looking at microwave meal for lazy ppl...haha!!

Microwave chinese cuisines!

Life in flat 51...the kitchen is our hang out area. Our fridge is running out of space coz everyone's enjoying groceries shopping! :)

Being away from home is the best time to learn...no more spoon-feeding...here's an example of what you can learn here...haha!! :p

I've been cooking a lot since I came here...almost every meals. I don't eat a lot and not very particular about food so I can just survive with simple meals...as in veggie, rice, & chicken...balanced & healthy diet...hehe! :p I'm being thrifty with food coz I'd rather spend on traveling. I actually spend less than £8 per week on food...trying to break my own record...haha!! Some people may think that the way I eat is 'cheap', but well...different ppl have different preferences. I try to save as much as I can coz coming here for 3 months do cost a lot for my parents. Luckily I'm not a shopaholic or foodie...if not I'll be spending on branded stuffs and seeing £ as RM.

I was contemplating whether or not to post pics of my food...hope it doesn't look too bad. :p

I guess I'm a lil' too bored to start taking pics of my bathroom...haha!! I noticed all the flush toilet here have this 'cupboard' thing behind to hide the tank...wonder why...isn't it difficult to repair? When I first came I really thought it was a cupboard...blonde! The shower cubicle pic is meant for Anna & Daniel to compare with UAH's...now u know what's called small!! (Guess where I took the 2nd pic from?)

Another interesting thing about the washrooms here...the very 'smart' sink with 2 taps. One is very hot, one is very cold...so choose either to burn or numb your hand. =.= See that yellow sign on the left pic? "CAUTION VERY HOT WATER!"...thanks for informing...then what's the purpose of the hot tap? To make coffee??

So to solve this 'very hot & very cold' problem...I've got an idea...

.

.

.

.

Taadaaa...problem solved!!! :)

.

.

.

.

.

But...wait a minute...I can't brush my teeth like that!!! =.=

So whatelse about life here...

We've got fast internet in our dorms...and you know exactly what happens when M'sian students get fast internet right? PPS-ing & dl cukup cukup...I'm surprised they're not as strict about dl here as compared to the States. I don't really watch a lot of shows here but my lappie will be on all day and I guess that's why I'm getting a lil' bored of fb already.

Weather here is so unpredictable...was cold when we first arrived...then warm for a week...then cold again for few days...now it's warming up again. Isn't it summer?? I happily wore shorts & flippers to Sainsbury last monday and almost turned into a popsicle...arghh!! Was cold the next few days and so decided to wear long sleeve to class on Fri...mana tau it was hot...was sweating like crazy on my way back! =.=

Alrite...that's all for now...time to do homework. :(

Documenting the Decade

WARNING: THIS IS A SUPA-DUPA LOOONNGG POST FULL OF CRAP. DON'T READ.

I've been working on this post for months and finally managed to finish it. Yea...I guess I've really got nothing else better to do than 'documenting the decade'. :p It's meant for my own recording purposes only (just in case I lose memory or can be used for my biography if I get famous someday...juz kidding! :p). Not expecting my blog readers to read (if only I have any)...unless you wanna 'kaypo' about my life.

I'm glad I started blogging about 3 years ago. To me, this small little space has been a great platform for me to put all my experiences into words. Obviously, my blog is a very personal one...it's all about my life, my family, my friends, my experiences...generally everything that matters to me. My blog doesn't cost a single dime, but it is definitely priceless coz it helps me to remember all the memorable moments that will put a smile on my face when I look back in the future. Memories fade, and that's why we should make an effort to cherish these memories.

I guess the past 10 years had been quite a transformational decade for all my peers, especially being a teenager going through high school & college. I can confidently say that I've achieved a lot in the last decade, all the little victories and decisions made along the way had shaped who I am and brought me to where I am today. I admit, I have quite a short memory span, so I'd better take this opportunity to look back at the 10 years that were before I forget more.

Well, I don't wanna sound as if I'm always living in the past instead of looking forward to the future. I do have goals and plans for the future but I prefer to keep it for myself. People always say that we should forget the past and look forward, but "to look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward." ~ Margaret Fairless Barber

~2000~

Dad bought a new house at Tambun so we moved from Penang Island to a whole new environment and started Form 1 at Jit Sin High School. I was originally enrolled in PCGHS but transferred to JSHS with bro. JSHS is one of the 'prestigious' schools in Penang mainly because of the merit-based selection of students from primary education. Back then, I was just an average student trying to adapt to the new environment and making new friends. Won the 'Best Female Athlete' during school sports but I can't recall which individual events that I won. Joined the school band & philharmonic orchestra, and started playing French Horn. Actually I preferred saxophone, but too bad we weren't given a choice. Joining the school band marked the beginning of 5 years of extreme tanning...seriously!! :p I'm trying to find a pic of me in our 'sailormoon' uniform and French Horn but I have totally no idea where is that classic pic, so I'm substituting it with something even better...a video!!

New crib...new school...new environment

This is 'classic'...10 years ago!! My first time participating in Merdeka (Independence Day) parade. I'm sure nobody can recognize me here...especially in that 'sailormoon' uniform...haha!! Hint: French horn is that round instrument. Have fun searching!! :p

~2001~

Managed to get into 'A' class because of the block system. Was appointed as the class monitor for 2A2. Didn't really do well in studies though, remember that I almost failed my math test...haha! :p Band practice still took up most of my time during the year especially when we were preparing for the Penang state-level Band Formation Competition. Attended a one-month synchronize swimming workshop during the year-end holidays. I didn't continue with it after that, but at least I learnt how to swim butterfly stroke. Basically, high school life was kinda monotonous but I had no complaints about it at all. When we were in the afternoon session, we spent our mornings attending tuitions or co-curricular activities in school. After school, we'll just go home and do homework. That's how we spent our weekdays...haha! As for weekends, we'll go over to Penang island where I had my piano and ballet lessons.

This was taken in 2005....Grade 8 ballet exam dances. Mom took videos of almost every grades but the quality are a lil' inferior so I chose to share this instead.

~2002~

Form 3 was a lil' more eventful coz I was involved in more activities. Joined the Track & Field team and represented my school for the district and state-level competition. I used to take part in track & field during primary school but I was reluctant to spend time training during Form 1 & 2. The coach finally persuaded me to join the team and so I made my 'debut' that year...haha! *slappp* I was lucky to win Gold medals in all 4 events that I participated in - 100m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m!! As a bonus, I broke the record for 100m and our team broke the records for both the relays too!! That was so awesome...wayyy beyond my wildest expectations!! It was fun going up the stage over and over again during assembly and getting recognition for these achievements. Of course, these didn't come easy...we had to skip classes to train for a month or two just for that few seconds! To be honest, I really thank my coach for encouraging and giving me this opportunity...I wouldn't have achieved all these if he didn't insist on persuading me. These achievements may not be huge but it means a lot to me...these little victories built my confidence over the years and shaped who I am today. =)

This year was filled with ups and downs. I was glad that my academic results improved quite a lot, but I was quite disappointed when PMR results were released. Over 200 students from my school got 8A's and I wasn't one of them...all because of Chinese...AGAIN! When I look back few years later, I realized that this failure wasn't that bad after all...it actually led me to a better route. :)

Dad & Mom took us for a trip to HongKong at the end of the year. That was my first time going overseas (apart from Singapore) and experiencing winter. HK Disneyland wasn't opened yet back then. It was a nice trip but I don't have any pics with me to share.

My medal collections over the years. I can't find any of my competition pics though.

~2003~

Form 4 was a turning point for me. We were given a choice of either science stream or commerce stream...I chose commerce partly because I didn't really like science, and partly because of my PMR results. And so, I got into 4C1...a class with lotsa new faces...and made more new friends whom I still keep in touch till today. Being in that class made me stand out a lil' more in terms of academic results...and this was a huge motivation for me to keep improving and do better. I learnt a lesson from PMR...'A setback is a setup for a comeback'...never let failure or disappointment discourage you, fret not & don't stop believing that something better is stored for you! As for me, I was lucky to top my class and got the book prize for economics that year. =)

My weakest subject had always been Chinese. Chinese is my mother tongue, my first language, and I was chinese educated all the way from primary till secondary! I guess I just wasn't that interested in writing and reading chinese. I can still remember my chinese teacher in form 4 asked me straight in my face why was I good in all other subjects but did so poorly for chinese. Honestly, she was right but I had no answer for that...I wished I can get an 'A' too, but I don't know how...studying more didn't help much anyway.

I used to listen to english songs and I had no idea why I switched to chinese radio station in form 4. I think coz '988' restructured their program back then and I happened to hear the night program once and thought it was pretty interesting. So I started tuning in every night as I was doing my homework. Since then, I started watching more chinese shows...listened to chinese songs...knew more chinese artists...and read more chinese books. Kinda strange twist and I didn't realize that my interest in all these actually helped improve my chinese until one day when my form 5 chinese teacher told the class that my essay was one of the good ones. Wait a sec...my chinese essay? good? Are you kidding me?! I was so surprised coz for the past 16 years...my chinese had never been associated with 'good'...haha! :p She probably had no idea how much this short and simple compliment meant to me. =)

Classmates for 2 years - 4C1 & 5C1. We've all changed a lottt...blame that short hair school rule!!

~2004~

My final year in high school was filled with many great things. I was appointed as the President of the Boards of Monitor, President for Athletics Club, Committee for school band...guess that's part of my Leo characteristics...*slappp*! :p My last year being part of the school track & field team...won some medals + best female athlete award. This year was also one of my best year in the school band coz we finally won the State Band Formation competition after 'tanning' for 5 freakin' years!! Managed to maintain my result and was 'numero uno' in the commerce stream...won the book prize for economics and science too! :)

Honestly, I tried my best to balance and achieve in different aspects with a purpose in mind. I know being a fraternal twin is special...but it'll be even better if we can achieve something 'big' together and make our parents proud. My outstanding bro won the Model Student award in Std 6 and Form 2...I knew Form 5 was gonna be the last chance for me to buck up and accomplish this 'mission'. Fortunately, I managed to be on par with him and both of us was selected as the Male & Female Model Student of the year! :) Of course, I didn't achieve all these alone, I owe a big thank you to my family, teachers, and schoolmates.

2004 Graduation: Model Student Award. Thanks to big bro for taking this vid. Ppl who know me after 2004 is definitely gonna laugh watching this...especially for those who don't u'stand chinese. >.<

~2005~
One of the highlight for this year was the release of SPM result...the 'big' exam that decides our future...well not really. Bro & I both got 11As...I was very happy that I finally got an A for Chinese!! A2 was good enough for me but as usual, it's the 'outstanding' one from other subjects.

We appeared on front page of The Star newspaper!! Erm...we've got nothing to do with 'Labour Offer'.

Appeared on chinese newspaper tooo!! :)

I was free for the first half of the year so started working for the first time ever. I'm not someone who can stand in the supermarket for hours or do sales...so my first job was tuition teacher...taught primary kids essay classes in 3 languages. I also became a home tutor for a pair of 7-yr old twins...imagine how I had to handle 2 boys...*pengsan*. I started teaching piano as well. Seems like i love teaching huh! :p

In May 2005, mom & dad took us on an awesome trip to West Coast USA!! Went to LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Disneyland!!! We also stopped by Taipei for 3 days on our way back from USA.

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge; Taipei

Started college at TAR College Penang during the 2nd half of the year. College life was pretty dull during my first year...basically just went for class then back home. I joined the Community Sociology during the first sem and led 50 students to organize activities for the villagers. Looking back, it was a stressful, tiring, but yet enriching experience that I really treasure till now.

~2006~
Was a lil' more active during 2nd year of diploma. Took part in a business challenge, business forum, book review competition, represented Penang branch for the debates, and took part in my first ever swimming competition during the Inter-Campus Sports Carnival. Unexpectedly won gold medals & broke the record for both 50m and 100m breaststroke event...erm...that was very surprising. >.<

Penang branch swimming team. Whoops...sorry guys for using this pic!

Dad & mom brought us on another trip this year...this time to South Korea! :) It was my first time seeing snow, ski, ate Kimchi...very beautiful scenery!!

Anyong Haseyo!!

~2007~
Completed diploma in Penang with a distinction and book prize. :) Moved down to KL for advanced diploma with a great start. Was lucky to be appointed as the course rep and chairperson for the Financial Accounting Society. Oh yea...this was also the year I started blogging...so most of things that I've done was already recorded.

Diploma convo on chinese newspaper.

~2008~

This is no doubt the best year that I had in these 10 years...seriously!! Started the year with a blast...won a FREE trip to HAWAII to watch BACKSTREET BOYS in a private event!! Went for 3-months internship in PWC Penang. Traveled to Phuket with my family. Got the UGRAD scholarship to study in US for a year...absolutely awesome once-in-a-lifetime experience! :) Met lotsa awesome people and had chance to travel around US. Ain't gonna say much here coz everything is in my previous posts.

Meet & greet with Backstreet Boys in Hawaii! :)

~2009~
Started the year with countdown at New York Times Square...almost froze ourselves! :p First half of the year was still in US and traveled a lil' more. Met up with scholars from other countries in DC. Came back from the States in May and got back to college for 2nd year of Advanced Diploma...no more fun just studied for ACCA most of the time. Went on a trip to Bali with family!! :) Went to Singapore with Rae & Josh.

UGRADers from 18 countries in DC.

~2010~
Completed advanced diploma in TAR College. Currently doing a 3-months' summer program here in UK. Life's pretty good here. :) Planning to travel a pretty good bit within this 4 months so stay tuned for more updates!

CHEEERSSSS!!!

Reflecting on all the things that I've done and achieved, I could say that I have had the ride of my life and I believe that there are more great things to come. It's always easy to get carried away by success and fame, but I'll always remind myself to keep both feet on the ground and never ever take things-for-granted.