'Twas A Misty Night

Dear jumjum...

  'Twas a misty night. She glanced at the clock, grabbed her keys, put on her spectacles and headed out into fog. The air smelt of salt. She hurried along, sending him a text: 

I'll be waiting at the seafront restaurant entrance.

  She wondered if she would be able to spot him first. A brief phone call and a few texts were all that had exchanged between them. She crossed her arms and waited. "Is that you?" He said with no prelude. "Yes, do you have it?" He handed her the package. "I'll let you know when I get yours-" "No, actually I've already received mine..."

  She walked back through the clouds of mist, feeling as if she just made a drug transaction. 

  Back in her room, she ripped the package open- her Biochemistry book that arrived a week late!

*atm*

  

First Hike in HK

Dear jumjum...

  On Sunday morning I followed a bunch of Malaysians to hike the High Junk Peak in Clearwater Bay (around 15 mins from campus). I must admit that  after quitting Danso, I have adopted a very sedentary lifestyle this term, so I thought it'd be beneficial and fun to enjoy the great outdoors for a bit. It was nice weather for hiking (no rain for once!) but it did rain the night before so the ground was muddy and slippery, and of course I was the first one to fall! No injuries but I had mud all over my pants, my sweater and my chin!

   

 The thing is, Patricia brought me for my first soccer practice on Friday night, and I was the puffing old woman on the field. My thighs were still sore on Sunday, so I was easily tired out even though it was a fairly simple hike. The hiking terrain isn't very different from Malaysia, except that instead of more mountains and trees, you can also see the concrete jungle. Most people we met while hiking were senior citizens, all equipped with portable radios, multipocket vests and walking sticks. I only wish I would still be as fit as them when I am their age!

 After the hike we went to a nearby village to check out the seafood, but the prices forced us to turn back... The village was a very different side of HK that I never expected, though.




*atm*

"When are you planning to get married?!"

Dear jumjum...

  I never knew that my family was unaware of the fact that I wish to stay in school for as long as possible, meaning I would want to get my PhD if I can (chances are looking pretty slim as of now). Double majoring has never crossed my mind before, as I always believed that I would only study the subject I enjoy, and hands down, that's Biology. 

  Lately my friends have been talking about minoring in this, double majoring in that; and in training to join a certain competition I realised how beneficial it is to have broad knowledge of the different fields in science if I plan to have a career in research. One of my friends have influenced me to minor in computer science, which she thinks I will enjoy based on our brief experience together. Those who know me know that I am a complete computer noob who types at snail's pace and would rather write her notes on paper. I never saw myself willingly doing any sort of computer course- but now I am seriously considering it. 

  Recently, I voiced my thoughts to my parents over a video call. Dad took it calmly and sensibly but Mum's reaction was one of absolute horror. She was like, "Why do you want to stress yourself out? Are you sure you can handle it?" LOL! She's so cute. Whenever I talk to her and mention any stress or hardship- however small, her reply is always the same- "Come back and study in Swinburne, la. You'll have a car to drive and cooked food on the table." Now, I consider my mum a moderately modern-thinking woman but when I told them about options for doing my postgraduate studies she exploded in "Huh? How many years will that be? When are you planning to get married?!!!!"

  Oh dear.

*atm*
  

Midterm Season

Dear jumjum...

 
  The weather is finally starting to warm up here. HJ and I have this theory that in the winter it's okay to put on weight cause our body naturally packs fat for insulation. So now that spring is coming around, we better start to shed those pounds!

 
  Midterms are coming up, and by the end of the month my siblings will be here! So excited and I want to make the most of our first ever siblings' exclusive holiday. I devoted half a day just to research and plan our itinerary. So from now onwards, I'm supposed to stay on campus and study like a good girl and save money while building up my appetite by eating in, so I'll have more money, more time and more calories to spare when they come!

  Lent also starts this week. This year I've decided to give up YouTube for 40 days and to spend the extra time before bed to pray more.

  Okay now, back to studying!

*atm*

Sick & Satays

Dear jumjum...

  It's the sick season- every lecture is filled with coughs and sniffles. Last weekend I had planned to stay in and catch up on my studying but my initial sore throat had escalated into a fever and then flu. My weekend was wasted in bed =S How I wished Mummy could fly over to baby me! Mika was really nice, checking up on me all the time and offered me food, meds and even went to TST to pick up the satay for me for the hall dinner!

  Finally gave in and went to see the doctor on Monday:

  

How I went to church.

  Oh yes my poor roommate came back untimely on Sunday night and had to put up with my snorting and coughing fits all night long and now she's sick too...

  Last week I discovered a microwave Minute Muffin recipe on BlogilatesTV and decided to try it out: oats, honey, an egg and blueberries. It's not too bad for such a simple recipe. When my friends found out they wanted to try too so we had a mini muffin party in the common room.

HJ's weird one...

  Hall XIII and IX organised an International Cultural Dinner for two nights. I volunteered to represent Malaysia. The easiest dish to serve? Satay! Went to TST with my friends two weeks ago just to sample the satay from a popular Malaysian restaurant. It didn't taste very authentic but it was not bad. Ordered 50 chicken and 50 beef satays for each night and they were all finished rather quickly! =D 

  There were Patricia and her Netherlands mini pancakes, liqourice and cookies; HJ and her Korean rice cakes; Rika and Japanese omelettes; Indonesian, Indian, Mexican, French, HK, and Canadian booths. Reeked of satay by the end of the night but I had quite a lot of fun and most importantly free food for two nights!!

*atm*

Chap Goh May & Valentine's Day

  Dear jumjum...

  

  I believe this is my first year not having the 15th day of CNY dinner with the family... Well, at least we have Whatsapp I guess. Today was also 'Single Awareness Day', as Melody so aptly put it. The 6 of us single ladies headed down to Jordan for dinner and a food fest, lead by YP who did prior research on popular desserts in that area. She had a whole list on her notebook but in the end we only managed to go to 3 places, plus a stopover for scones and another for fried chicken.

                                              ↑ Sesame tang yuen in ginger soup

↑Australia Dairy Company! Heard of this place countless of times. Steamed milk with egg white

 Ayam goreng craving satisfied!

 Felt like a big barrel after all that, not gonna lie. Looking forward to bringing my siblings and bunny woman there and the next food fest!

  Also, I took Patricia's advice on using a hair dryer to warm up the bed under the blankets before getting in because it's too chilly to wait for your body heat to warm it up. There's nothing like sinking into a warm bed!!! Although you have to try and fall asleep fast before the heat is lost...

↑Wrote this upon HJ's request during our hall orientation a few nights ago. Now hanging above her bed xD

*atm*

First Week of Spring Term

Dear jumjum...

  Honestly it feels like I've come back for much longer than just a week...and I'm still in my 'add/drop period honeymoon' mode. No hard core studying yet- but I really should start soon. Am planning to join a competition this November, and so I'll be busy all year, staying through summer as well. But I think it'll be a good experience and very rewarding. Hopefully I'll manage to complete it while maintaining my grades without burning out.

  Lionel and Yee Shiun stopped by on their way back to Xiamen. Good to see them! 

   Bought a rice cooker last weekend. My old cooker heats unevenly and it annoyed me to no end...and this rice cooker can cook more than rice! I chose the worst time to buy it though- had just been to my aunt's and she gave me a lot of stuff to bring back, so in one hand I had her care package (including a soft soft fleece blanket that I'm loving!!) and the rice cooker box in the other. And I took a wrong exit and got lost, and it was raining so I was struggling with my phone GPS and an umbrella. Now everything I cook smells and tastes AMAZING.

  You know, CNY is partly about celebrating the arrival of spring right?? Then how come the weather here is even colder than in December?! I came across this coat on sale and went back the next day to get it after everyone's approval. Just in time, too. The very next day and the days following it have been around 6°C, plus wind and rain. It's in my favourite colour too!

  It was Z's birthday last weekend and I was kinda sad that  for the first time in 15 years I wasn't there to celebrate it =(

*atm*