Joy to the world - the Christmas events!

although i am late, i still want to wish all my family and my dear friends a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

this year, Jacy and i are so full of Christmas spirit that we went all out to decorate the room!

THE ROOM

from the door....


this Chistmas tree was a gift from Yvonne and Putra before they left. now it is in the centre of the room with blue and silver ornaments, lights and gifts!


J bought a beautiful angel to decorate the top of our Christmas tree. and the little toys are sharing the glamour. look at cousin!!

errr... some grafitty in the room

ornaments hung from the light!

and the other light....

and the window!! look at spongebob!!

CHRISTMAS EVE

on Christmas eve, we had a small but lovely dinner in our very well decorated room. i made grilled chicken and sheperd's pie while J made her special salad.

grilled chickens and sheperd's pies


salad and the drinks

Jonas and J


J and i

Valya also had a present!

my Christmas present from J - the thingie to hang accessories.... apparently she thinks i am quite messy. hahaha... my lovely pressie's name is Charlotte York from my favourite character in Sex and the City.

CHRISTMAS DAY

having class and lecture on Christmas Day did not dwindle my Chistmas spirit at all. what can be more special about Christmas day than spending it with my family in Nizhny Novgorod aka my groupies?

girls in the group - minus Emmy

in the centre of our lecture hall, we had a huge Christmas tree. so that day we had Internal Medicine lecture together with the Christmas tree!

yup - there it is...

Jonas and i

my groupies

THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

i got a pleasant surprise when i got back from class - an envelope on my table! it took me only a glance to know who posted it since her ugly handwritting was very visible even from a mile away!! hahaha.... thanks Joslyn darling for your handmade card! and our photo when we were in form 5! we are still the same. nothing has changed.

The Chistmas Party

my fourth Christmas here in Russia - this year we had the Sumphero Christmas Party at DK Sverdlova. was in carolling again, for the 4th time. but i enjoyed it so much, although i am not enjoying the post-carolling sore throat now.

it was a success, i would say. the committee really worked hard for many week and i would say they did a great job. everything went smoothly, everyone loves the food especially the jam tart. and no one have food poisoning - the most important part because last year almost everyone had a major series of diarrhea.

so not much to say, as for me - i had fun and i was touched by the Chistmas message and the Chrismas spirit we had during the celebration. so will let the pictures do the talking. oh - mummy i include pictures of my new boots specially for my mummy dearest!

our carolling!! stole it from a friend from facebook...but i was blocked by David!

alright, a closer look!

the worship team

Treasure (my groupie) and Chipo with their lovely song presentation

see? im helped to serve food!

Jonas and i

my boots and i!!!


walking back after the party....

i heart mummy! .. and the glamshine story

my mummy is the bestest. i smsed her few days ago to ask if i could get a new pair of boots, with her credit card of course. mummy know i can be quite a parasite. and i got an instant facebook message when i got home by mummy dearest.

so on friday i went to mega with Jacy for some boot-hunting. and also to get some Christmas presents for Jesmine since i am giving some Christmas goodies to my family through Darren. dun worry, for the others at home it is already taken care of! except Cindy - but no hurry since i'll be seeing u soon!

anyway, i got a really good deal with the boots. it was a 50% off. but still pretty expensive though but i was just too tired because i had been dragging myself and Jacy all over Mega. but when i went to the cashier, there was some mistake or wudever and i got an additional discount, about rm100. talk about that. it must be mummy's credit card luck! then i should use it even more. haha..

anyway, i was lucky in one shop but very unlucky in another. Emmy told me that there is a really good sales in Le Tual. like a buy 2 and 40% off thing. and i got something for myself and Jesmine with was pretty pricy. and sure enough - no discount but a dumb 500 rouble coupon. i don't want any coupon! i want my money! so in the end i got myself a Loreal GlamShine lip gloss for 518 roubles (will not convert it to rm). by far my most expensive lip gloss ever. i've always liked it, but i was waiting for mummy to get it for me. sigh.

so no more spending for me! till im off for my winter holiday trip that is.

super trouper tired

today is my super trouper tired day. why? neuro is one, the unexpected thing was when Jonas suddenly vomitted all his food for some reason none of us knew. 7 times of vomitting in one night.

after carolling practise last night which already drained me out, i went back to my room to find him cuddling like a hamster under the blanket with the sick face. and he said he vommitted twice already. so i let him rest and made porridge for him which was no use because he vomitted it out - 5 times.

anyway, since he was really sick and i didn't want him to go back to his hostel - i mean who knows what would happen, i talked to the hostel guard to let him stay here for the night so Jacy and i could take care of him.

and today, the babi guard went to tell komanden and the director about that. knowing the temperamental menopausal komanden, it didn't surprise me that she banged the door of my room and woke Jacy and Jonas up (i was in class then). and poor J had to explain to that women. oh well, who giv a damn...i went to talk to the director who calmly gave me Jonas' student card. sometimes man are so much easier to deal with - lesser hormones involved. these people, i know hostels have rules and regulations that we should abide to, but i asked politely. it is not that i did not ask first before letting him stay. they think this is asrama penuh and we are in our teen with premature brains or something. giv me a break!

today after class i slept for 3 hours on Jacy's most confy bed in the world to compensate for not sleeping well last night and taking care of the big baby. now big baby is sound asleep in HIS hostel. so the guard can sleep in peace tonight since he don't need to worry of some possible maksiat going on.

Malaysian Night

I had a great time yesterday. This year's Malaysian night had a theme 'where culture meets cuisine' and sure enough, there were much of culture and cuisine last night. The first year students performed well last night, but my personal favourite was of course Ji Ken singing the song 'Superman'.

yesterday i got a very interesting job. i was among the 7 people appointed to be the judges for the best dressed, best performances and best achievement award. i mean, of course in every Malaysian night and other occasions i judge other people's dressings, but this time the winner gets to go on stage!

however yesterday's best dressed wasn't my favourite, too bad. it was not totally fair because the nominees must be from every race. plus many people came late, and some people only took off their coats when they are seated. so it is not sooo easy.

yesterday afternoon i spent 3 hours just to curl my hair with the help of Jacy and still it turned out to be a mutated double helix, so in the end i have to clip it up to make it less mutated. i really wished Jesmine was here, because she usually clean the mess i made. hahah.... in the end of my hair stunt i got a headache and i told J - 'it takes more than a phD to be a lady!'

but anyway, i went with my favourite green dress and a bag i stole from Cindy.
and my groupie Nana commented that i looked exactly like Cindy. oh well, we are sisters anyway.

so - pictures!

this was made by Jack and gang. really beautiful

yesterday my green dress tore, thanks to my clumsiness. will send it back to mummy. SOS Mummy!

Neurology

having my Neurology cycle now. waking at up 6am, or even 5am if i have any study debts and leaving to class at 7am. talk about that.

Neurology is a little more special than other cycles, because it was my ambition about 5 years ago to be a neurologist. i was a little more specific when i said i wanted to be a doctor because i also wanted to be a neurologist.

why neurology? i don't know. at that time i know nothing about the brain (neither do i know so much about it now anyway). maybe it was because i was really very inspired by Dr Keith Goh, the Singaporean neurosurgeon who got famous from the operation of the Iranian twins, Ladan and Laleh Bijani, who were joined at the head. I was just in secondary school at that time, but i followed the progress of the operation very closely. Well, many people remembered him as the surgeon who caused their death, but i remembered him as the surgeon who dared to do things very few people would do.

about that time, i also read a book called They dared to be doctors: Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson by Mary St. John Fancourt. highly recommended. It was the time i decided i am going to settle nothing lesser than to be a doctor. which is why i am here right now.

that was years ago. as for now, i like neurology. But as for pursuing it further in the future, that i am not so sure. after my flings with other cycles, i do enjoy many other subjects, maybe even more than neurology. but as for now, i just hope my interest in neuro will help me get through this tough cycle - cuz i am learning a foreign language ere!

Malaysian night is coming this Saturday, people left and right are talking about wud to wear etc etc. i hope everything will be smooth sailing...hahaha.....but a little drama would be lovely.

Count your blessings

this is a very significant gift from a darling friend of mine, Cindy. It is constant reminder for me to count my blessings. So everytime i look at it, i will thank God for all the good and lovely things He has given to me.

but actually it was under the bed for quite some time (thanks to the cat), so i did not look at it thus i did not count my blessings too.

anyway today in church, pastor shared about God's blessings to us. i am really so impressed and blessed by pastor Vladimir. the way he speaks and all have so much similarity with Pastor Kueh at home. i mean, a pastor who can make me forget about the time, or toilet, or food is something. hahaha... making a point to go back to church was one of the best decision i have made in many months. but i decided to sit on the back row and intend to stay that way for a while.

his message today makes me ponder about my blessings and how i took it for granted many times. so when i got back, i searched for Cindy's gift and found it under the bed and placed it right it in front of me so that i will not forget to count my blessings....

...and to thank God everyday for my very existence, that i have air to breath and a perfect organism, that i have a happy and healthy family, that my sisters and i are pursuing our ambitions, that i am going to be a doctor, that i never have to worry about food or shelter or clothings or money, that i have good friends around me, that i am sleeping on IKEA bedsheets... on and on...

and oh! i am sooo thankful that fantastika is so fantastic!

and that i am going to visit Cindy (the sister) soon in London,

and that mummy is sponsoring part of the trip,

and that mummy won't mind about that,

today i recalled a song which was one of my late grandfather's favourite songs. i know the lyrics very well but i only really understood it when we were singing it in his funeral. my family knows this song very well -what a friend we have in Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

it is not Christmas yet, but it is never to early to ponder upon the true meaning of Christmas - which is the only way we can really receive the blessings of Christmas.

the long ride

just had my ENT exam yesterday. i dont know why many people said that ENT is a crappy subject and we can just breeze through it. which was why i relaxed for my first week then when exam was approaching i realized that i have a whole lot of stuff to study - so screw all the people who said ENT is just peanut. People make a speciality out of that subject and i felt really good that i took it seriously.

for ENT as well as my next rotation, Neurology is at the Shumachka Regional Hospital which means i must take that loooonnngggg ride with either bus no 17 or 2 or use the back way with another bus. And that loooonnngggg ride is also packed all the way. Yesterday after i did my exam about 11am, i got on the bus no 2. it was insanely packed with people who went to the hospital for consultation. Looking around just makes my heart drop a little. The very old grannies and grandpas, one even had one eye bandaged, most have walking sticks - and they all had to take the bus. it is a very normal thing for us here, i've seen that so many time but i just can't help thinking - they have no kids? their kids are busy? or they just couldn't care less?
i mean, i would have never let my mum and dad go through a situation like that. it will just break my heart.

but then again - c'est la vie

today my group is having Russian class. a saturday. back to first year with that russian intensive class. oh wud the heck.

Twister... then twisted!

since yesterday was a sunny saturday, Jacy and i went to Hobby Centre in Etazhi and got a new game - Twister. it was an impulsive shop, oops!



That very night, we tried twister out, and got twisted!

guess the winner of all was J. most flexi of all. hahaha.

The time i shed a tear

nope, i was not feeling sad about anything. i would shed a tear (or maybe tears) when something really touches my heart. which don't happen very often because just like the winter, my heart is quite a stoner.

after a very tiring day of class and lecture today, i settled back in my room. Just to relax my mind, i turned on Sex and the City. season 4, episode 2 - The Real Me. There was this part, where Carrie Bradshaw was being a model in this fashion show. She was walking through the runway when she suddenly fell down which was a major embarassment, of course. But she got up because, as she said 'when real people fall down, they got right back up, and keep on walking,'. That part struck me, i mean Sex and the City is not where you can find any moral value, but i shed a tear at that part!

not that i am having any 'fall' at the moment, but it struck me that maybe my biggest fall was that i never dared to do things i have always wanted to. for example, in school last time, i had always wanted take part in sports day. but i did not - because i felt that i run too slow, that my big flabby thighs shakes when i run which looks awful and that maybe i would look funny. so every year during sports day, i will be at home.

and i never dared to approach guys, because i feel that i am not hot or pretty or in any way attractive. so i can say in my entire high school life it is just me being pathetically under my comfort blanket. i just never dared to take the risk. every time when i go out with my girl friends and we'll go out with some guys, those guys will be interested in Vero, Nat, Cindy, Joslyn, Manda but never me! never Pearly!! nobody wants my number! i guess Pearly does not seem as lovely as her name sounds.

and i will not take credit for Jonas. first, he chased me. and second, maybe he did not wear his contact lenses or something when he saw me the first time. i still do not know now.

another thing, i really love dancing. at home i would always put on some hip hop aerobic dance and just dance away in the living room. i dance in the toilet too, haha. but the time i actually danced in public - i can count it with one hand. but the shots I'd had to take to dance in public maybe i can count it with two hands.

and also the others - debate, competitions, this this that that. i missed so many good chances!
but right now, i am going to be like Carrie Bradshaw. i will not dwell in my fall. I will get right up and keep on walking. I will stop thinking about what other people think about me, because what matters most how is how I feel about myself.

as the saying goes -
The greatest accomplishment is not in never failing, but in rising again after you fall.’
— Vincent Lombardi

Tiring Tuesday

today is indeed one of the days where my petrol meter flashes that red empty tank sign - because i am so darn tired.

in ENT class today, we learnt how to do examination on the nose and throat. so i gave my entire group the experience to see a pathological nasal cavity, since i have chronic sinusitis. hahaha....all the meds we learn today, i've taken it. almost all the symptoms we discussed, i have it. hahaha...but im so tolerant to it already, sometimes i don't even notice i've got a blocked nose.

after class, i went to visit Sathia who has the Ilizarov apparatus on his arm. He was in pain, and he was soo tired. i just with i could fast forward this entire episode for him. i really admire his bravery to endure all these, and also to talk to us when we came to visit him instead of showing a moody face. Not everyone can be like him - to him every cloud has a silver lining.

Then to kill time before my practicals i went to Fantastika and managed to buy to 2 hair bands on sale (from 269 roubles to 25 roubles!!!) sometimes it strikes me how cheap the cost price of things are when we buy it in a way more expensive price.

then Hafiz and i went for practicals. it lasted for 4 hours without any break. by the 3rd hour, we were like the walking zombies. already there was only 2 of us which means my brains had to work harder, the teacher also did not give us an easy time. but the interesting part was, today we helped a lady who fell down in the toilet.

alright, i am going to sleep. sleep. sleep. sleep. Friday please come to me!

the long compensatory pause

we had learnt about the ECG that when there is an asystole, there would be a compensatory pause after that before the P wave appears again. now i am like that. i worked my arse off in Operative surgery - studied day and night and in between. and since friday when exam was over i really needed a break. going back to all those anatomy stuff was too much for my brain that even my skull was gonna crack. which is why this year i will remember to wish the 2nd year students good luck for their Anatomy exam. i've been taking a break on Friday after the exam, Saturday, Sunday and even now i'm not really in the mood for ENT. but i love the teacher. a little like Charlotte from SATC.

and on Sunday, the prodigal's daughter went back to church. more importantly than just a compensatory pause in my studies, i think i have a way too long compensatory pause in my spiritual life - it is probably already an arrest. i've been skipping church a lot. i know it is a lame excuse to say i really miss EBC at home because God is the same at home as well as here. so yesterday i made it to Calvary Church. i have to say it makes my day so much to even decide to go to church. and being in church i feel so so at home.

Darren has been telling me a lot, since last year about this Calvary church but i just pushed it at the back of my head until a about a month ago. i visited the church and i was so impressed by Pastor Vladimir. However, because of operative exam, i skipped a few more weeks, but i went again for the second time yesterday. After hearing Pastor's preaching and also Darren's sharing after that, i was really lifted up. and i think im ready again to take the first step forth. and having Jonas by my side in this makes a lot of difference (although i've never said that to him). i used to think that between the two of us i am the Bible expert, but he always reminded me about faith and love and kindness through his own action- especially when i started to get moody and short tempered and backbitting other people.

updates for today - went for my first ENT class. love the teacher. after class we were just in time to send Sathia for an operation to fix the Ilizarov apparatus on his arm. It touched me to see Sathia so brave and optimistic through this whole thing, not a cell of his being is anywhere near giving up. i pray and hope that he would get through this and come back to the hostel. i miss hearing him play the recorder!

in the evening, i thought of cooking something nice for dinner. i called Sevvanthee to ask her how to make dhalcha. Jonas made that a few times but i was never bothered to learn, my bad. the dhalcha was boiling in the kitchen when Jonas came back from russian class, and since it was hot and heavy, i asked Jonas to go to the kitchen to take it while i stayed in the room. he went, and came back shortly after and asked 'did u really cooked that?' he was so impressed! i dont know whether to be happy or to be insulted that he looked down on my cooking skill.

(an inside thing - i really cant forget about the chair stunt!)

Lunch @ Caramel

today was a peeerrrfect Sunday! i went to church in the morning. and in the afternoon Jonas, Jacy and i went to Caramel where Jacy treated us for our birthday. the place was lovely and the food was lovely too!

Jacy and her baby cow!

Jonas' lamb (he dun wanna take pic with his food because he said J and i are posers)

so here i am posing with my green spaghetti

this is wud i call a weekend

a real weekend for me is..... like today. it started yesterday when Jonas and i made sushi, then he joined his guy frens and i watched SATC till i got sleepy. and i slept without setting the alarm clock, and after i woke up i was still on the bed for hours, thinking of what to do and what to cook. ah, something popped into my mind - pineapple fried rice! so that was Jonas, Jacy and my lunch just now, accompanied by jelly and kiwis for desert.

and i washed my block too. apparently the block being dirty happens to Jacy and my problem. i washed it after my exam yesterday and now it is super clean. so clean that the person who made such a big deal of it can sleep there for all i care.

alrighty - photo time! from Jonas surprise birthday cake on Tuesday night.

i saw, I CUT, i conquered !!!

yup, dats exactly wud i did today and for the past two weeks being the faithful disciple of Professor Tsibusof, Alexandro and Ilya Ivanovich who are faithful followers of Pirogoff (big lol!), because i just did my operative surgery exam. i did my best, although i felt like having only a shield of paper when facing Alexandro's gunshot. hahaha.....

so after many weeks, now i have a real weekend!!

it is snowy white out there, because it has been snowing for a few days. nice to see but not really nice to walk around on the snow. i already had a few episodes of 'dancing ballet'. in indication to change to my winter boots soon.

ok, weekend!! to mummy and sisters dearest i'll make up for my long absence in your inbox!

who's birthday is it today?

well well, it is no surprise that it is Jonas' birthday today! and neither is he surprise when he saw our surprise birthday cake - a very old thing. hahaha....

unfortunately i can't stay really far away from my operative notes, how untimely for a lovely event!

xoxo - i want new Gossip girls!

me hearing Timbaland?

see wud i mean? right now the person i was talking about at the previous post is blasting her techno music + making noise incessantly with whoever that is.

so i tried to put on some music to block her noise but my usual lovely songs - like Colbie Cailat, Jason Mraz and Abba just can't block her noise!

luckily i have Jonas' music in my computer so i blasted on Timbaland's noisy huhu haha. how la someone who makes so much noise earn so much money?

so this is the story of how i and Timbaland crossed path.

STFU

just now in class, Kiran taught me a new abbreviation. it's STFU. ok maybe many ppl uses it but i actually dont know about it because im such a sweet and decent person. hahaha....

but just now, i was approached my this particular person who share the same toilet and bathroom with my roommate and i. basically my blockmate la. hahaha.... (who give a damn if she read this anyway? i dont. probably the only thing miss barbie doll can do is get some guy to bash me up, in which i will bash then up first. bloody buggers!). i had a really long day and it was night and i wanted to go back to my room. and guess wud? she probably heard me going back to my room and she came out of her room and said in Russian 'girl, u remember your turn to wash the toilet?' first of all, wud i noticed was she dont even know my name. wud kinda blockmate is this la? i was like 'uhuh' and she was like 'good then, u know wud to do.' whoa.....so some young girl trying to make orders around apparently. she made this redundant timetable of washing the block. i dont mind washing, in fact, Jacy and i was the one who bought the toilet bowl washer, the mop, detergent, and the hanging clothes stuff. which means we care a lot about the hygienic conditions of the block. and she think we are so free like her can wash the toilet at her time. i was too tired but i really should tell to her face just now - STFU!

everyday blasting the sick techno music and have all the funny guys, girls or in between coming making noise in the block. no common sense?

sometimes life is like that - people you want, they are far away. people u dont want, they always appear in front of you. this is my life la. (this does not apply so some selected people btw!)

feeling GOOD

i know it has been days pass my bday, but i've been really busy with operative surgery (i shall not elaborate about that) - but i still wanna post some snaps from my lovely birthday, cuz i have the coolest and loveliest homosapiens as friends here!

after the deepavali celeb, i was on my way back from the hall to the hostel and suddenly Sevvanthee and others appeared with a SUPER BIG AND LOVELY SPONGEBOB CAKE!!!

i was like, oh my spongiebobbie!!!!!! well, who else but Nana who can make something like that. hahaha....

(pics taken from Nana's blog)

and they got me a beautiful ladies' watch. i wonder how they know i wanted one. i've been pestering mummy for one since summer. hahaha, now mummy can give a sigh of relieve!

many times, only your friends and loved ones can really show you how significant you are to them. lately as usual i am having my swing of pathetic mental problems - like im not pretty enough, i am boring, i am not smart enough, i have no nice clothes, my face is ugly, nobody likes me and i just wish i am like this or that person. But these angels in disguise showed me that i am perfect just the way i am. which reminds me - it is not looking good and having everybody thinking good stuff about me that matters, it is me feeling good about myself and loving myself. i think if everyone remembers that there wont be so much unnecessary headache and heartache. hahaha.....

(anyway speaking of headache, my professor asked us just now - how to completely get rid of headache. we gave some suggestions, and he said - no, to completely remove it, we have to decapitate the head! some sense of humor la!)

REWIND REWIND.... the deepavali celeb went really well, at least i get to know some of the first year Indians and some of those girls are soooo pretty and sweet. Jonas was busy serving, so Jacy and i accompanied each other.

a few days later, my parcel arrived!!! like some birthday combo!




i didnt know this was in the parcel too..