Another Year Passed By

I'm simply too lazy this time to write a long 'new year post' =p, so I'd just make it short.

Once again I was amazed by the ways life presents its surprises to me. Successes and failures come when you least expect it, most of the time. This year has been a very exciting year for me. Lots of things changed. I meant it, when I said 'lots'. Sometimes I could hardly catch up with the lessons life had to offer. 

First, things in KTT changed. I don't think I need to elaborate much on this. Then came the entrance exam and interview. I couldn't remember when was the last time I was so nervous, even though I tried my best to remain calm and did my best. However I have to say I was truly blessed. I couldn't have done it with my hard work alone. I'm grateful for how it all turned out to be. 

After that came the A2 exam. I learnt something from AS exam. I carefully avoided the dangerous zones which I fell into during AS. And I did it. Thanks to many people who gave me their support and love. 

After that was a few months' of happy hours, haha. Bla bla bla (see previous posts) =p 

And I was here. It took me so long to accept the fact =D . It felt so unreal. I couldn't imagine how much blessings and good luck it took for me to arrive here in Prague. I've heard people saying that it wasn't a 'top in the world' university, but who cares! For me it's more than enough. I've started to like this city. It's like living in a museum. Everywhere is history. My school is old. Even my apartment is a historical building! Haha! 

Of course the journey here wasn't (and isn't going to be) smooth. I received... well, one of the most difficult lessons so far. The scar still hurts, sometimes, but I hope there's more than this which I gained. And there're always some small little things that keep coming back to trouble me. And the lessons, tests and exams in school are anything but easy. *complaints, complaints, complaints* Hehe... 

BUT, I wanted all these, didn't I? I prayed hard for the chance to experience all these, didn't I? I asked to pass the entrance exam, didn't I? 

So, it was still a wonderful year. Whatever happened. 

Thank you to my good friends, far or near. Whatever happened. 

Thank you to my family. I love you all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Music Won't Last

Suddenly thought of sharing this poem. It was once on my desktop because I really liked it very much, not only because of its beautiful sound when you read it, but also the meaning behind. It's actually PART of the poem because I edited it to fit into my wallpaper, now I can't find the complete poem anymore.

Have you ever watched kids

on a merry-go-round,

or listened to the rain

slapping on the ground.

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight.

or gazed at the sun into the fading night.

Ever told your child,

we will do it tomorrow,

and in your haste,

not see his sorrow.

Ever lost touch,

let a good friendship die,

because you never had time

to call and say hi.

You'd better slow down,

don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Credit: unknown author

Rome and Vienna

We arrived at Prague airport at around 10am, waited for a long time because the flight to Venice kept being delayed, and it was canceled before 12.30pm due to a flood in Venice. We had to wait till 7.30pm to board another flight to Rome instead. 

I saw a lot of buildings and statues we used to learn in History. Colossuem and Vatican were awesome! However, it was tiring because of the tight schedule and the bad weather (rain). We had to walk in the rain to see the fountains and statues! We were all wet when we got back to hostel from this special sight-seeing experience that night, haha.  

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin/VaticanAndRome#

From 23rd till 25th December we visited Vienna, Austria. It was more relaxing compared to the trip to Rome, although it, too, involved a lot of walking. I guess it's an inevitable part of Europe tours. You see better when you walk. We don't have money for more luxurious means of transport anyway, haha! The other thing I really like about Vienna is its decorated Christmas Market! Surprisingly, the festive atmosphere of Vienna was much stronger than that in Rome. I realised that people of Vienna make use of lights to decorate their city. All the buildings, streets and statues were illuminated by beautiful lights. 

Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin90/Vienna#

There're actually more details, and more stories to be told from these trips, however, my battery hasn't been fully recharged since I came back, hehe. For more, please visit my picasa album! =D 

I must get more sleep before I get back to reality =p 

p/s I can't upload more photos because my Picasa Web Album storage is approaching 1GB (99%), unless I purchase further space T_T 

Here comes the Christmas!!

Finally the Christmas break has arrived! 

We had our dissection which lasted 5 days, and a dissection test on the 6th day. I was examined by Prof Grim, whom was said to be relatively nicer, haha, plus the questions he asked were exactly the ones I knew. I was lucky, really! =D Dissection was a nice experience. We had the chance to see more closely the things we've been learning since the start of the term. It was tiring for me, concentrating for 2 hours plus each day trying my best to remember everything the demonstrators (seniors of high years) said, and studied and studied by myself when it's over, but no doubt, it was a beneficial experience! Thank you to the seniors who taught us so much. We also had some kind of group discussion, with Adeline, Ian, Ye Ling, Evon and Phyllis, 2 nights before the test. 

By the way, the temperature has been dropping since about 1 week ago. I first saw the ground covered with snow and felt slippery walking after finished watching the movie 2012 with Xiang Yan and Adeline on Wednesday night... And it's -15 Celsius right now! I just came back from Old Town Square Christmas Market with Adeline and Agnes. It was freaking cold! My hands and ears hurt due to the coldness, and my face and hands were red, even though I was wearing gloves all the time! I'm sure I couldn't even imagine how -15 was like before this, haha... I heard it's gonna be colder in January? Seriously, if this is true, it's unimaginable for me... However, I was still excited to see a white Prague, hehe... 

oh the weather outside is frightful... 

me, Adeline and Agnes at Old Town Square. I was freezing... 

I'm leaving for Venice and Rome from tomorrow (actually, today) till 22nd of December, then to Vienna from 23rd to 25th December. Hope the trip is going to go smoothly! It's actually a deam-come-true, visiting European countries... =D 

Before I disappear from the internet (blog, facebook, msn etc.), I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, especially to the Christians friends! =)

A warm welcome to 关靖恒

Welcome to our lovely family! 

May you be a blessing to people around, see the beauty and miracles along your journey and learn the lessons life is going to offer, guided by the ones who love you, and the ones you're going to love. 

(as if you can already read this XD)

I'm...

I'm eating soup noodle, which is not very nice.

Browsed through www.beliefnet.com, an amazing site about different kinds of religions and faiths, lots of information to learn from, ideal for people like me. =D

Found a nice new single, 'Sweet Night', by Katie Rice. Can be found here: http://www.katierice.com/_/Katie_Rice.html

Browsing through blogs, and found this powerful sentence that touched my heart:

you are not alone, even when you feel that way.

Totally random.

Better finish my dinner now and go back to Anatomy. (Dissection starting on Wednesday!!)

Some little thoughts

Isn't it weird how some little things hurt? Isn't it weird that sometimes I'd rather live with the pain then letting go? Stop caring once and for all?? 

Reserve my care for something worths more? Haha, speaking of this, you don't even know what is worth and what is not until the end of the road. Life can only be understood backwards. 

So let it be. Let it be the way it is. 

P/S Nobody gets the meaning behind? Excellent. That's how I meant it to be. Haha. Ha.

Adeline's birthday

Knowing that she's no fan of lies (even white lies), I tried my best to achieve it without telling any. However I failed because I guess she suspected something and kept asking me questions so that I had no choice but to lie to cover up the plan!

4th December was Adeline's birthday, but we decided to celebrate it one day earlier because I was told that some other friends (from her bible studies class) would want to celebrate for her on Friday night itself, plus we couldn't find anything convincing to tell her so that she skip her bible studies (no way!) without another lie...

It's never my idea of fun, organising gatherings and stuffs, but I really thought I should do something. So, I started gathering ideas from friends and together we've come up with this. Well, it wasn't that creative, but, what's most important was we really wanted to give her a warm birthday.

Ye Ling suggested a video and I thought it was an amazing idea. I like playing with photos and editing but for me, it usually takes quite a lot of time. However I proceeded with making the video using our photos since KTT, photos of her family, and dedications from her siblings and mum (I'm particularly proud of this, haha!), a million thanks to her sister Serena.

The celebration went well and I truly hope we made that special day even more special. =)

Prayer

Thank you for my life on this earth, however challenging or not.

Thank you for giving me free will to love and be loved, to make my own decisions, to learn from my mistakes, to laugh when I am happy, to cry when I am sad.

Thank you for my family, my friends, my teachers, my pets, and for every other living creature I meet along my journey.

Thank you for giving me strength to overcome adversity, to do what's right for the benefit of the greater good, to rise above negativity.

Thank you for giving me hope for an end to world suffering, pain, and war, for a beginning of a world filled with light and everlasting love.

www.beliefnet.com

Answer

The attitude to refuse any kind of failure on my way had got me through a lot of obstacles on my way to who I am this moment. I had always said to myself: "If THEY can do it, why not me?".

Ok. This sounds competitive. And yes it is. But believe, it got me through SPM. I'm not sure I'd have gained the result I got if I didn't have this in my mind, if I wasn't so determined to prove that I was as good as many others, and I was as good as I was expected (maybe) to be. Maybe I'd have been happier if I wasn't competitive. But maybe not. I don't know. You can only understand the road you've chosen, and believe that it was the best for you, but sadly, not the other.

So what happened when I have to accept that this kind of mentality would do more harm than good as I grow, as I venture into more challenging obstacles and the need to accept my own imperfections grow stronger and stronger? What happened when I realised this part of me is annoying for some. What happened when I myself have started to dislike it more than anyone else but simply can't change my own personality overnight? What happened when I become annoyed and disappointed because I'm simply not as good as I want myself to be. What happened when 'trying my best' is no longer good enough. What happened when I DO improve but the rate is so not satisfying? What happened when I feel so powerless? So so POWERLESS.

I don't know.

How I wish I had an answer.

P/S yeah, yeah... tell me some big phylosophyical theories, if you seriously think I can't talk about them as convincing as if I really can do them...

P/S Giving up is not in consideration. The above post is just to express my own feelings, as I have no one to actually TALK to right now...

Are you a reason, a season or a lifetime?

Someone posted a meaningful passage on her blog and I think it's something to think over. I hope it's okay to re-post it here? =p

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

New apartment =)

We finally moved into our new apartment yesterday. I'm very thankful to friends who came over to help, especially the guys who helped us to move the furniture in IKEA and helped us to assemble the furniture, taking almost the whole day.

Still a lot of work to do in the new apartment but I really like it very much. After all those discussions and dilemmas we finally started to rent our own apartment. It's not as near to campus as we'd hoped, but it's really really nice and isn't that far afterall...

Downside of it is that we've spent so much time and energy on it! And it's not done yet! We still have the internet and insurance and cleaning of the whole house to settle!! AND, the next test is coming on Wednesday...

Failure

Didn't expect the first failure to come this early. And I definitely never expected myself to be the worst. I was too confident? Never ever seen myself as the worst? The unexpected always leaves the greatest impact. I feel ashamed. Really, truly. It's the first time ever, this kind of thing actually happened to me.

But I'll prove you wrong. You'll see. Because I know better. I'm more than this.

The day it snowed and then became rain

We were expecting snow since the beginning of this week, according to weather forecast. It came as a surprise because I didn't expect to see snow until winter. Yep, it's still autumn and it snowed. Weird weather huh?

On Thursday all classes were cancelled because we would be having our matriculation ceremony in the afternoon. I was spreading butter on my bread (which I soon realised, was mouldy) when ye ling said 'it's snowing!', haha, so I immediately abandoned my bread and ran to the window to have a look. It's quite difficult to differentiate it from raindrops because the snowflakes were very tiny, but there were white nevertheless. However, not long after that it became rain... until today it's raining, almost non-stop.

Later that morning, we went to have a look at the apartment we hoped to rent. The wind was seriously strong and it was cold (for us). Luckily I had the thick coat and scarf. The apartment wasn't as near to school as we hoped at first, but it was definitely nearer than our current accommodation. It's 3 tram stops away from the faculty and we estimated that 3 tram stops wouldn't take more than 10 minutes. Most importantly, majority of us really liked the house. It's at the top of the building which is 5-level high, and it's got 2 stories inside. Well, one and a half actually, but the attic is more than okay for me. Plus, it's got a dining space, spacious kitchen, a space which is something like a living room... well, in short, it's more like a home than a hostel. Besides, the price is reasonable. The only disadvantage would be it's only partly furnished, means we'd have to buy the beds, wardrobes and stuffs on our own, but the total rent for 6 years would be lower than those which are fully furnished. Anyway, mostly probably the decision would be made this evening, whether we'd rent that apartment or not.

After that, we went to Karolinum for our matriculation ceremony, which housed the Charles' University since 14th century. The ceremony wasn't much actually. The deans and professors (i assume) came in with black robes, which Vincent has kindly reminded me that it's like Harry Potter. The only exception was the highest dean (I supposed), who wore red robe. The speech was mostly in Czech language so we couldn't understand a thing. Then, we queued up to touch the... metal mast (?) and then shake hand with the dean. Hm... end of story, haha. The ceremony was short, a rare situation for us.

It seemed to be full of activities, but that day I was quite busy studying for our first Anatomy credit test. We need to collect enough credits from these test to sit for the final exam, so, small a test as it is, it's important. Senior told us they weren't so scared of these credit tests, but since it was our first, I wasn't really sure what they would ask. We just had the test this morning, luckily it went okay. However I've realised my current speed is not enough to do well in the future. We concentrated too much on this test, until I totally forgot to prepare for the stuffs which would be taught today, yet I felt I wasn't good enough in the test. Besides that, just a few days ago, we were told by our Histology professor to 'start learning', because when he asked questions, most of us couldn't answer, when in fact those things are exactly what he was going to ask in our credit test, which is in 2-week's time. Conclusion, I need to accelerate. A LOT.

Room for improvements

I didn’t expect it to turn out that way. I never expected my impatience to be so powerful. Or, put it in other words, the fragility of my mental power. I feel embarrassed. Friends are nice, but I wonder what they think of me now. As bad as I think of myself maybe. They’ve seen the truth. There’s nothing wrong about revealing the truth, but it’s what I dislike so much, it’s what I hope to eradicate before anyone finds out. I guess I’ve failed.

People always say true friends are those who accept you as you are. I can only hope it’s true, and wish for true friends like that, and wish that my friends are the truest friends I can ever find.

But it’s not an excuse to be too lenient with myself. If there’s room for improvement then there’s possibility for one. I shall be a better person today than yesterday, and better tomorrow than today.

Start of the term

It was good, really, to start the first year of medical studies, although a professor has kindly reminded us that it's not wise to call ourselves 'medic students' yet, which is kind of true I believe. Studying Anatomy really is like studying a new language. Language of medicine. Histology was okay, but Biophy was a disaster. Anything to do with Physics was never good for me anyway. The syllabus goes VERY fast. Faster than we expected so most of us just couldn't finish the parts before the lectures or seminars. Some professors' accent is difficult to understand, so we have to be really really concentrate to catch half of what they're saying, and it's tiring... Histology building and school canteen is far from Anatomy, Biophy etc. We've been walking very fast like in a marathon for the past 4 days. No wonder Ms Shirley told us: 'Don't walk with Malaysian speed. Walk with Prague speed.'

We had our first Anatomy seminar just now, which was great! (Not that it's a big deal or anthing =p ), but we studied the sturctures of upper limbs with real (but very old) human bones. We even get to borrow the bones on certain days to study on our own. After studying the real bones I realise it's much more interesting and easier than staring at the pictures in the book for hours...

It's getting colder here in Prague, and the daylight is becoming shorter, but the seniors said the current temperature is nothing compared to the winter's.

Here come the bad stuffs...

I feel like I've been very unlucky for the past week. I'm NOT kidding. I'm not superstitious, but it definitely wasn't a smooth week.

First, it was the bank. My appointment was arranged much later than any of my friends'. In fact I was the last in our group to open the account and there was a 2 days' gap between our appointment. Okay, fine, no big deal. I didn't recieve the pin code I was supposed to have recieved until about 1 hour ago. Again I was the ONLY one, excluding the MARA students. I didn't recieve my IBAN format which I need to give to JPA until one and a half ago. And, the bank officer didn't go to the office for 3 days, plus the bank system was down yesterday, I couldn't take my debit card, although my appointment was yesterday. Today, again I went to the bank to collect my card and the other officer refused to give me because I don't have my passport (which is with Ms Shirley, for some foreign police stuffs...), when OTHER PEOPLE got theirs without their passports this very morning...

Anyone still wondering why I don't like anything to do with finance or banks?!

Second, the internet. I registered for internet at the hostel on Tuesday. I'm supposed to have recieved an email with the instructions and password to proceed to the next step. A friend who registered about 5 minutes ealier than me, with the same person in the office, has got her email yesterday morning. As you must have guessed by now, I HAVEN'T. What's worse, the office is not opened today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I have no one to tell to solve the problem! Everytime it's opened, it's only for a few hours. It's opened on Monday but my schedule is PACKED. So the earliest I could go to complain is on Tuesday (or later, haven't checked my timetable). Great. Haven't counted the time they'll need to settle the problem, with their 'efficiency'. I can use my roommate's computer. Cool. But I want the internet on MY OWN LAPTOP. So this is too much to ask for?? Or I can use the computer lab. I went down 3 times on Wed night, 2 times yesterday night, it was FULL. Seriously I don't have the time to walk the staircases up and down several times to check on the computer lab everytime I want to use it.

So, everything is PERFECT, excluding the internet and the bank. Amazing efficiency.

I'm in Prague!

I haven't been able to give much news except to my family for the past week. Honestly I was a bit annoyed by some incidents after we arrived here. There were some problems with rooms (which we've come to a solution, at least I hope so) and I hadn't been able to online until just now.

I guess the best part of being here so far is to visit the places I longed for. I used to put a picture of Charles' Bridge on my desktop to motivate myself to work my best for it, and last night I was there standing on the bridge itself shooting photo and taking in the beautiful night scene of Prague city and the river. A few days ago we also visited the Old Town Square at night and I was totally amazed by the scene. Oh ya... yesterday, we went to Prague castle, another famous tourists' spot here.

The weather here is cool. It's like being in Cameron Highlands everyday, only colder, and much colder in the morning and night, haha. It was 8 degree celcius the first night we were here. And I'm totally satisfied with the public transport here. With the transport pass we can use all the metro, tram and bus within Prague city.

Perhaps the only inconvenience here is that generally people can't speak English. This has caused certain amount of troubles (and hilarious moments) for us, especially in shopping malls and with the receptionists of our hostel. Besides that, the items here are usually more expensive than in Malaysia.

Hundreds of photos will be uploaded once I have excess to internet using my laptop. I'm currently using the internet in the computer lab of our hostel.

Sorry for not being able to describe in details. I really don't like using public computer to blog. And please understand my frustration due to not having internet excess...

Update
KLIA: http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin/KLIA#
Frankfurt and PRAGUE: http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin/JourneyToPrague#

Counting down by hours

It's 34 hours before I fly off to Czech. One month ago it felt unreal. At this moment, it still is.

I've been trying hard to squeeze the necessary things into 20kg of cargo luggage and 5kg of hand baggage, and it truly wasn't easy.

I've been eating so much that I suspect my BMI is finally normal. It never was since standard 6. The way I'm eating now is not healthy, but I don't really care that much right now since I won't be able to eat my favourite Malaysian foods for the next whole year.

My friends have had separate gatherings with me. Last night I went out with Kai Chi, Heng Hui and Wei Fen. Too bad for most of them, their holiday starts next week. Guess we'll have to wait for another year to meet. Thank you, Kai Chi and Su Jia, who mentioned about me flying in their recent blog posts. Maybe Su Jia is right, it's getting harder to meet up since many are going abroad in the coming years, but I believe this process is for our own good in the future. We'll share the experience from Czech, US, UK, Australia etc. when we meet next time, hehe...

Kai Chi, Heng Hui, me and Wei Fen

And my family helped in my preparation and bringing me around to eat, eat and eat in the past month. That was troublesome for them, really, the preparing and the eating =p

Muar

I was looking for pictures to be used as my desktop wallpapers when the idea of searching for photos of Muar came into my mind. I remember I saw a photo of Muar River and Traders' Hotel in a cafe, and I was surprised to see my hometown so beautifully presented in a photo. Here're the photos I found in a forum.

Photos taken from: http://www.shutterasia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12729
Owner of the photos: Chenws (http://www.chenws.net/)

Believe me, these photos look magnificent in their actual sizes. These are the beauty of Muar which many Muarians have failed to see.

Laziness

I realised I've become lazy since college ended. I used to feel fine with 6 hours of sleep, but now I feel so sleepy that I keep yawning if I have about 5 hours plus of sleep the previous night. What's worse, I REALLY have forgotten knowledge I learnt in A Levels. My brother asked me a simple Chemistry question just now, although I felt like I knew the answer but I wasn't entirely sure. That was exactly the things I learnt from A Levels. That caused a split second of anxiety in me. Gosh. What has happened to my brain?!

I've started packing bit by bit a couple of weeks ago. It's proven not an easy task. I don't know how much is just enough, how much is too little or too much. I'm confused by so many different opinions. I seem to come up with new items to bring everyday. So, the 29 inches luggage which I thought could be more than enough... is already full. Now it leaves me wondering should I get a trolley bag or a backpack as handcarry. People said it's okay to have the handcarry overweight. Well, good news. But I don't want to take the risk if not necessary. Bad news, I don't know what's necessary and what's not. That's how confused I am right now. However, guess I'll figure out a way when the time comes...

Anyway, the lessons've been going well. I'm actually kind of sad about swimming lessons coming to an end... I wish I had started earlier so that I could have learnt much more by now. The teacher is very good, and I'm grateful to her even though the lessons are not free or charge...

Other than going for lessons, cooking, sleeping, eating, packing, sweeping the floor, guess another of my main activities is watching drama. I've finished watching Grey's Anatomy a long time ago. Watched the first season of Private Practice but I stopped halfway through season 2. It was quite nice but not as much as Grey's Anatomy. The Hong Kong drama 古灵精探B is quite funny, and I'm also watching China's 仙剑奇侠传3. I personally don't like the fact that the conversations are way too 'modern', and most of the special effects are totally fake and really ridiculous (until the extent of showing something like 'television' in it...). These flaws make the drama seem absurd sometimes. However, I guess the computer game could be very interesting judging from the story itself.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

"One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,

Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls."

- Saib-e-Tabrizi (a 17th century Persian

poet writing about Kabul)

It took me quite a long time to finish reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It wasn't that interesting at first, but it became more and more compelling as the story developed, in a sad way of course, as wars raged the homeland of the Afghans, depriving people of their loved ones, rights, hopes and dreams. And innocent lives. It took nothing more than a second to change one's life forever. It took nothing more than a despicable lie for one's own benefits. The costs were years of youth, happiness, and honour. And there were regret and forgiveness that came too late, words that were never spoken and heard.

The story was so convincing that more than once my heart ached for what the characters went through. Maybe Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner was more famous, but somehow it didn't grip me as much as A Thousand Splendid Suns did.

I'm trying to find words to describe what's in my head at this moment, but I can't. The novel just keeps me thinking and feeling. Feeling sorry for the people who are really suffering. And feeling grateful for the life I'm living.

There're stories that make their readers feel. There're stories that make the readers feel AND think.

Now that's my definition of a successful novel, a story that doesn't die the moment you close the book.

A review on this book: http://www.theworldonline.ae/?p=274

Shi Hwee and Su Jia

Another gathering with friends before I go to Prague. Su Jia is having her 3-week holidays while Shi Hwee is going back today although her holiday is one-week long, hehe. They really gave me a surprise by giving me some farewell gifts! After lunch at 活泉茶坊 we felt it wasn't enough, so we went to Wetex (again) and then to Shan He Steamboat for dinner. So we ended up spending most of the day outside, hah!

Teddy bear (given by hui jie and yee ling), photos and scarf (given by shi hwee and su jia)

Flying

The pre-departure briefing for Czech-bound and Poland-bound students was held on 19th Aug at JPA Putrajaya.

We were given the blazer which we spent RM400 on, and some briefings by JPA and MAS.

Most importantly, we were told the dates on which we're going to fly! It's 17th September for Hradec Kralove and Prague students. Olomouc students will fly on 7th September, Warsaw students on 23rd September (Li Yan! =p and Fikri also...) while JU students on 25th August (another 5 days for my housemates Maddy and Reena!).

A friend asked me what was my feeling. My answer was - unreal. Don't get me wrong. I'm totally excited to be flying to Czech for medicine! Afterall it's my ultimate goal in KTT. It's just... unreal, haha. And it finally struck me that I have less then 1 month with my family.

I think I'm luckier than many people because I'm going with a group of nice friends. Not alone to an unknown land speaking a language I can't understand, haha.

I know maybe I'll feel homesick and uneasy at first (hopefully, weeks, only) , but I now know it's my mind that's disturbing me, not the environment itself. My biggest enemy has always been myself.

But I do believe that I am better than I was. I didn't learn nothing from experience. I didn't try so hard just to be lonely and pathetic. No no and NO. Study medicine + in Czech + be HAPPY + come back and be a good doctor, is the complete set of my dreams.

So, YAY! Prague! 17th September 2009. =D

Hui Jie and Yee Ling

Went out with Hui Jie and Yee Ling on Tuesday afternoon... the first time in a few years' time?

yee ling, hui jie and me

Hui Jie: Quiet girl I met in a tuition class when I was in standard four. Well, at least she seemed to be quiet that time, hehe. We hardly talked in tuition, but she became one of my best friends in secondary school. Always supportive and understanding =). Always there to listen and give advices...

Yee Ling: I remember clearly. We met in chinese public speaking competition in standard six. We were 2 of the 5 people who entered second round. When we were waiting for our topics she turned and talked to me, although she keeps denying that it was her who spoke to me first. Very very funny girl =p. A very great friend to have, too!

Melaka Trip

A sudden change of plan brought Adeline and I to Melaka with Su Jia and Kah Yee on Saturday. As a Muarian I've been to Melaka for many times but hardly set foot in the tourists' spots. Melaka was more like a place for shopping, movies and medicine (specialists and hospitals -.-) for us.

We went to Melaka by bus at noon.

Had our lunch at a Nyonya restaurant in Heeren Street. The food shown in the photo was Pongteh.

The Dutch Square. Went into Christ Church next to the Queen Victoria Fountain but phototaking was not allowed inside.

The second time I visited the ruin of A Famosa (Porta de Santiago). I went there during secondary school to take a photo of the remaining gatehouse for my History project.

The ruin of St. Paul's church on top of the small hill.

Statue of St. Francis Xavier outside St Paul's church. I was wondering why there was no right hand. Turned out, in the morning after the consecration ceremony, a large casuarina tree fell on it and broke off the right arm.

Sultanate's Palace.

As a child I was always told "look at the big ship!" when we passed by the Maritime Museum. Alfonso de Albuquerque, Lopez de Sequiera etc. reminded me so much of History in secondary school. But of course I can't remember anything I memorised except some names. =p

Church of St. Francis Xavier was beautiful. I took this photo at dusk.

With the lights on, the historical buildings were even more beautiful.

We also had Satay Celup for dinner then went to Jongker's Street at night. When we arrived home it was already 11.30pm. It was not a place for excitements, but definitely a great place for phototaking. It was tiring as we mainly relied on our feet to bring us from one place to another for almost 10 hours. However it was good to have visited with friends a famous tourist spot which was located only about 1 hour from my hometown.

More photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin/MelakaTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6dhLvlw8e9ywE#

Good news

Somehow, I wasn't as thrilled as when I received my AS and entrance exam result. I was nervous, but not as much as back then.

However, I can't say it wasn't an AMAZING news! I'm very very happy and glad. For friends. For myself. No matter what, we've got 12 points and above, then it's good news. (I hope that, even if the result is not satisfactory, it'd be taken as a challenge in life that makes us better and stronger people)

Thank you, my friends and family! You all helped me, directly or indirectly, to gain this result.

Congrats, people! We've made it =D

we've yet to learn to fly

Stress Busters

I'm sure stress is going to be part of my life for the next... ... hm... whole life? Haha... But never mind, weaknesses can be overcome. I know I've seen uncountable articles and listened to various advices on this topic, but there's one article I found online, I'd like it to serve as a reminer for me whenever I need it in the future. There're just the same old things I've heard over and over again. But, I'm posting it here with the hope that someday one of the tips will come in handy. We need some simple guide to achieve great things.

Simplify - Cut your to-do list in half. How? Ask yourself this question after every item: Will I die tomorrow if this doesn't get accomplished? I'm guessing you'll get a lot of no's.

(uh... well, of course not leaving every minor things behind, but keep in mind that it's not the end of the world if we fail to do one little thing on the to-do-list. In other words, try your best and it's the best you can do)

Prioritize

(Make sure we deal with minor tasks after all the (urgent) major ones are done though. Too bad major stuffs never stop coming right? Haha)

Use Pencil, Not Pen - Because one important stress buster is to try to stay as flexible as you can. Things change! And change is not our enemy, even though our brain categorizes it as such. You want to be able to erase a task or reminder at any time, because who the heck knows what your day will be like.

(I personally don't like sudden changes much, but... alright, be flexible. However, I still prefer pens than pencils)

Give Away Your Cape - If you haven't already guessed by now, you are not a superpower and don't possess supernatural qualities and capabilities. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to join the race ... the human race. Which means surrendering to limitations and conditions--like the number of hours in a day (24) and the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B. In your car. Not in your bat mobile.

(use whatever we have to the fullest)

Collaborate and Cooperate

(a helping hand and team work, I've learnt, are simply beautiful)

Laugh - Just as chronic and severe stress can damage organic systems in our body, humor can heal. When people laugh, the autonomic nervous system mellows out and the heart is allowed to relax. Laughter can also boost the immune system, as it has been found to increase a person's ability to fight viruses and foreign cells, and reduce the levels of three stress hormones: cortisol, epinephrine, and dopac. Plus it's just fun to laugh. And having fun is it's own stress buster.

Exercise - Exercise relieves stress in several ways. First, cardiovascular workouts stimulate brain chemicals that foster growth of nerve cells. Second, exercise increases the activity of serotonin and/or norepinephrine. Third, a raised heart rate releases endorphins and a hormone known as ANP, which reduces pain, induces euphoria, and helps control the brain's response to stress and anxiety. You need not to run a marathon or complete an ironman. A quick stroll in the morning or in the evening might be just enough to tell the stress hormones in your blood to scatter.

(maybe I should put a photo of someone jogging or swimming, but the tennis balls do look nice)

Stop Juggling - I realize some multi-tasking is inevitable in our rushed culture. But do we really have to simultaneously cook dinner, talk to Mom, help with homework, and check e-mail?

Build Boundaries - Speaking of activities, get some boundaries, ASAP--meaning designate a place and time for certain things so that your brain doesn't have to wear so many hats at the same time.

(like, no thinking about revision while eating? hehe)

Think Globally - Put it another way: Don't sweat the small stuff, and most of it is small stuff.

(I think it means be grateful for such a relatively good life we're living ^^ )

So... fight stress! Turn it into motivation rather than burden. Deal?

P/S I'm talking to myself =p

Edited from http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/Emotional-Health/Stress/Stress-Busters.aspx

My True Colour?

I just did a test on TestQ. Guess what's the result I got? My true colour is BLACK.

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

So am I really intimidating to some? Haha

I somehow doubt the "challenging goals and achieving them" part. I go through dilemmas everytime I'm about to decide to try something I've never done before(in other word, challenge). This adds a tremendous amount of unnecessary and unproductive stress on me. This, is totally annoying. So I have to work on this. I'm working on it.

However, overall, this test is right about PART of me. =p I do have a softer part. Quite a big part... =D

The test: http://www.testq.com/career/quizzes/show/96

Waiting

I forgot the date! I actually did. I wasn't sure whether the A Level result was coming out on 12th or 10th. Now if my source is correct, it's coming out on 10th.

I dreamt about UPSR, PMR and SPM results before each of them came out. And none of them was correct. Which was a good thing.

My point is, I was always the anxious and nervous one about exams. Not that I'm confident this time. I think I just forgot to be scared, and I'm pretty sure that I'll remember as the time comes closer and closer, each minute.

10 days.

I wonder why am I complaining. It's good not to be nervous right? I hate it when I freak out. I mean I HATE it. I hate being the soft and weak one. I know I have to be stronger to continue my journey. I've chosen my path and I would never want to quit. So becoming stronger is the only option I have.

Hence, now I'm hoping for the best, and prepare for the... worst?

The best scenario is, I pass my cut off point, I get to fly, I adapt well there hopefully, me and my friends will survive well and we help each other there, I meet new people and be better at meeting new people, I handle homesickness well, I cope with studies well, I make myself comfortable there, I'll be a... fine med student, I still eat meat after dissections etc (the others, like, becoming a successful doctor, is too far away now, we need some short-term goals)

That was the best scenario in the world, and typing them out make it seem like a daydream. Well, researches showed that daydreaming once in a while is actually healthy.

The worst scenario is... I don't get to be a med student at all. No I don't want to blog about my preparation for this scenario which involves a huge stock of tissue papers because unhappiness and moodiness are infectious.

So let's focus on the best scenario. I have to learn not to worry until I have to.

Like I said, I FORGOT to be nervous until I was reminded of. Hm... so that's considered an improvement? And I'm not anxious! Just... waiting...

Not that you need it, but, good luck everyone. =)

The Alchemist (牧羊少年的奇幻之旅)

我既不生活在过去，也不生活在未来，我只有现在

……如果你能永远停留在现在，那你将是最幸福的人。

因为生活永远是，也仅仅是我们现在经历的这一刻。

wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure

everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him

never stop dreaming

I saw the English version of this book a few times before in book stores, but I never thought of buying it. However, I ended up buying the Chinese version of it in Popular a few days ago, without knowing that 牧羊少年的奇幻之旅 was actually The Alchemist.The English and the Chinese titles just don't match. I wouldn't have connected the two if I hadn't read the story.

Seriously, I know it's a modern classic and it's recommended by lots of people, even famous authors. However it really is a bit too symbolic to comprehend, although I know it's trying to convey something big to its readers.

Santiago found his treasures. But I think the true treasures were the knowledge and wisdom he gained from his journey. He crossed the sea and dessert in search of treasures he dreamt twice about, but they were actually so near to him. I think that's the main point: our treasures have always been so near to us, but most of us need to experience hardships before we can see clearly.

Maybe the excerpts are something to think about.

- 老巫师，你什么都知道，甚至还给我留了一点金子，好让我能回到这个教堂。看到我衣衫褴褛地跑回去，那修士都笑了，你就不能让我免遭这一劫？

- 不能。如果我事先告诉你，你就看不到金字塔了。它们很壮美，不是吗？

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I missed the opening scene. I was standing at the entrance when I saw the Millenium Bridge fell into the water. It was supposed to start at 12.45pm but it was already showing when me and my brother arrived at 12.30pm. That's what the Muar cinema does. I missed the opening scene of Order of Phoenix 2 years ago or Goblet of Fire 3 years ago AND I missed the opening of Half Blood Prince.

I'm not saying it's very nice, but it's definitely better than Order of Phoenix. I think that's simply because the story itself is already better than OoTP, which is my least favourite in all the 7 books. The thickest, but not the most exciting. At least the effects were good. I like it very much when Dumbledore summoned fire and saved himself and Harry from the Inferi (dead bodies enchanted by dark magic) in the cave. Some of the plots might have enough suspense for those who haven't read the book. I reckon reading the book too many times before somehow killed some of the suspense. Quidditch is as cool as ever, and Ron's funny. But overall, still the same comment I have for all the previous movies in the series: I wish it's better. Such a nice story deserves to be made a better movie. I suppose converting a book with plots full of twist and turns isn't an easy job. Acting skills of the 3 main actors are better this time. At least neither of them was annoying.

So, I guess those who haven't watched, or didn't understand (the movie) or, basically hate Harry Potter, wouldn't know what I was crapping about in the above paragragh, but, yeah, I've watched Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and I still want to watch the last 2 films.

Trust

It's true that there's no harm done, yet, but a principle has been broken. A rule I've always reminded myself to obey.

I feel the guilt.

I will grieve for the lost, for without this, my definition of a true friend does not stand.

And I learn something from this. Maybe you'd say this is most important, but what is done, is done. That is always the saddest part of a story.

P/S I'm not being 'emo'.

A better person?

I kept asking myself to be matured, to be tough, to be brave, to be optimistic.

Maybe I'm simply having too much extra time.

I shouldn't compare myself to others, but I see too many weaknesses in me, if compared to others.

Alright. No comparison.

Or maybe I'm just not what I want to be.

Kota Kinabalu Trip

I was really shocked when I was first asked, a few months ago, whether I wanted to join the trip to Sabah. I mean... Sabah?! I was under the impression that trips with friends were mostly limited in Penisula. The original plan was to climb Mount Kinabalu. That was the second shock I got, but after some considerable amount of discussion and dilemma, the plan to climb the highest peak in Malaysia was changed and I finally decided to go. And, I'm glad I made this decision. There were some imperfections, but that was truely a memorable time I spent with my friends.

29th June, Monday.

Go to LCCT with Ye Ling and Vincent. Stopped by KTT because Vincent needed to go back to settle something. Really didn't expect to see KTT so soon after we left. Ye Ling and I went to visit Lynthia and chit chatted for a while. At around 6pm we arrived at LCCT and met up with Ian and Kian Joo. Not many people were wearing masks but we wore anyway. Safety first. Not going to let anything (eg. H1N1) spoil our holidays, right?

3oth June, Tuesday.

7 of us (Ian, Fikri, Kian Joo, Vincent, Ye Ling, Adeline and me) arrived at Kota Kinabalu Terminal 2 a few minutes pass 12am. The others who went to KK from Kuching already arrived slightly earlier than us. We sat at a closed cafe and talked. The KK airport was really small and all the shops were already closed. That left us nothing at all to do except talking. And we slept in the airport that night, haha.

At 6am, the van that we rent arrived. It was already as bright as 7+ am in Penisula by the time we passed by KK town. We went for breakfast and departed straight away to Kinabalu National Park, Malaysia's first heritage site. We were amazed by the beautiful scenery around us on the way up. Honestly I totally forgot that Kinabalu Park should be somewhere cool! Around 8.30am we arrived at Kinabalu National Park and we went for a trail in the woods. And, I have to say... the clouds and mountains looked magnificent! I was totally awake seeing these views although I couldn't sleep well in the airport the previous night.

After that, we went to the Poring Hot Spring. The first thing we did was to walk the Canopy Walkway, which, according to a guide explaining to a group of foreigners in front of us, is the highest in Malaysia (the longest being the one in Mulu National Park). The trail up to the Canopy Walk was about 400m. Although it was only 400m, the track was not easy. Not dangerous, but tiring. And I wonder whether it's because I was seriously lack of excercise. The Canopy Walkway wasn't that challenging, and I believed it was safe. But why did people have to pusposely swing it?! Haha... Anyway, after the walkway, another 450m down... After the Canopy Walk, we treated our legs by immersing in the warm water in a pool. We didn't get to enjoy any natural spring. There was a pool with white fumes coming out and we were not allowed to enter. Of course, I expect anyone would be cooked if he enters the pool.

On the way down we stopped by Kundasang to have lunch. According to internet it is supposed to be a nice place with beautiful view. However, because it was raining and the sky was kind of dark, what we saw was only a short row of shops selling vegetables and fruits. We found a restaurant (like a mamak stall) and had lunch. I do not wish to describe the shop in details. Ye Ling christened it 'the Lalat Shop'.

The hotel we lived in was called 'Borneo Backpackers'. It's actually a place where backpackers lived, not suprisingly, we seemed to be the only group of Malaysians living there as others were all foreign backpackers. I like the design of this hotel. It is small yet cosy.

After bathing and resting, we went out searching for dinner. We went to this place called Sri Melaka. There were quite a lot of people in this restaurant and I think it's quite famous in KK. After the dinner, we walked to the cinema to watch movies. Haha, maybe it's quite funny to fly all the way to KK to watch movies, but we had nothing else planned and we didn't want to sleep so early! We split into 2 groups. Adeline (for the 2nd time), Ian and Ye Ling went to watch Transformers 2. Others who had already watched it went to watch Ice Age 3. The cartoon was, well... silly. Haha, but hilarious as well. But, really silly... =="

1st July, Wednesday.

Went to Sutera Harbour by taxi. First went to Manukan Island, where we went snorkelling. Ye Ling, Vincent, Ian and I also tried parasailing, which was really fun! After having lunch, we went to Sapi Island, which was a small island with less facilities. The sea water of these islands was soooo blue and clear. We could see the corals, rocks and fishes under the water!

In the evening, we were back in KK town, and went for seafood at Seri Selera. After that, we walked around in KK town and went to night markets. There was a food market with a large number of stalls there, where we sat to rest and my friends ordered ABC, haha...

2nd July, Thursday

My last day in KK.

Went to Sabah Museum and Heritage Village in the morning. Around 1pm, went to 1 Borneo shopping mall. It was a new shopping mall in KK but there really was nothing much. Met up with Kian Joo and Ming Lee, who splitted with us and went for mountain climbing on the first day. They looked exhausted but they made it!

Around 3.50pm, Li Yan, Ming Lee, Fikri and I took a taxi back to Borneo Backpackers, got our stuffs then went to the airport, while the others would be taking another plane in the next day.

The end of my Sabah trip. I feel like I haven't got enough, seriously, haha, but I really really appreciate it.

More photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin/KKTrip290609020709?authkey=Gv1sRgCKuvhpyu3NWQiAE#

CZECHMED 08/09

A million thanks to Estella and Agnes for the following photo and the notes!

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Graduation Night - Traditional

http://picasaweb.google.com/taiyuxin/GraduationNight

That was the night when everyone looked amazingly gorgeous.

The theme for the night was 'Traditional'. Without much thinking I decided on Cheong Sam. What could be the best choice, if not the traditional suit of my own culture, haha... besides that, I've never worn one before and I was curious to try. The next problem would be to find one that was suitale for me. As far as I know it's got to be fitting for the cheong sam to look nice, and it was never easy to find one of my size. But I was lucky, I actually found one in Melaka. It wasn't glamorous, but I felt quite comfortable with it.

Frankly I was kind of worried about my hair and stuffs...Never practised much at dressing up. Luckily I had 2 very helpful seniors (whom I didn't know) to help me set my hair and make up at last minute, thanks to my roommate. By the way, thanks to my housemate Reena also, haha...who helped me with making up as well. Hm... haiz... I wonder what would have become to me without these helpful people...

The graduation was held at Pan Pacific Hotel in KLIA on 12th June. It was a bit unexpected for me that it was a 5-star hotel which the college rent for the occasion. The place looked nice and I think we all did have a great night there, posing for photos to remember the occasion that marked the end of life as A Levels students in KTT.