FAQ about relationships - Aunt Agony is back with (psychologically proven) answers!

Haven't blogged in a while. been busy n not that exciting stuff gg on. Anyway, yest n today was Festival of Nations at north court. the different clubs and societies set up food booths selling mostly asian fare. Yest, i was so excited i skipped lecture to go n eat. ok la, but being a good studious girl, i went for make up lecture at 4.15pm. haha. i spent 15 bucks! had 2 sticks of chicken satay ($2 each!?!!?!), an ang ku kueh, some green n white kueh, ondeh ondeh (which was practically empty! where's the sweet juicey coconut filling?!?!) teh tarek, chicken slovaki (Greek), some Greek pastry dessert which was YUMMY and a small piece of sticky date cake in caramel sauce (UBER DELICIOUS!!!) yep, so delicious. haha. that's y i had salad and an apple for dinner.

i had run trg that evening. did 3x1k at princess park. man, i'm getting quick! haha. was running like 4-4.07min per 1k, with 3 min rest. WHEEEEEEEEEEEE

kk this morning during swimming trg, the warm up set (which isnt actually considered warm up la, it's a moderate paced set)was so long. 2.4km! then did 8x200m. cant believe it, i was going at abt 2.53 each! v happy. Dave (coach) asked me to lead the set (what a relief!) i'm kinda hesitant to ask John or Ian if i can go ahead of them, coz i'm worried they'll get offended. like i think im so fast. or, maybe i might die after a couple of reps which is embarassing, or yea the male ego (who's this chick kicking my ass in the pool??) hahaha. kidding. but yea, Dave told me to be more confident n lead coz i'm quick! i'm gonna get promoted to Wille's lane soon...i hope. haha. anyway i was so tired after trg. arms felt like falling off.

had breakfast with John and Wille at Thresh. had a nice chat. John's really nice and helpful. haha. used to think he's kinda scary, coz he's my dad's age! haha like late 40s. and he's doing Kona. These guys are like sub 10hr IM. insane. yep, and they're all professionals. Ant, this marathon runner who used to train with the team but gave up tri for marathon running, yea, he is an architect and is married. cool! i thought he was a pro athlete. and he's clocking 160km of run mileage a wk and 'cruises' to sub 2.30 marathons. speechless. see, triathletes are high achievers, efficient, extremely capable and actually have lives. muahahaha.

went to the Feast again this afternoon with Cenna. i had bak chor mee (dry minced meat and mushroom noodle). actually it's some malay noodle but it looks and tastes exactly like BCM what! haha yummmy just what ive been craving. then i had the caramel date cake again, and bandung. tt's all, enough junk from yest. But still, had veggies and dinner again! yummy, love it! haha

oh oh. i must say, we workshopped an article during professional writing today. ARGH! i didn't like it at all!!! i gave pretty harsh comments, but of coz tried to balance things out by saying some nice stuff (which came out worse than constipation) well weird, i was thinking, was everyone just being nice and saying real nice stuff or was i confused myself due to fatigue. but i mean, pls!!! it was a mess, jumping back n forth n i had no idea what the story was, what the point was n what time the story took place. like i said the whole piece was just rambling on abt the problem -sorry- a problem. but WHAT IS THE BLOODY PROBLEM?? so messy. some ppl even said it brought out the confusion and is an honest piece coz the writer doesnt have the answers or know how to grapple w the issue. Excuse me, i think it's HONESTY SAYING, the author himself/herself is CONFUSED. there's a difference in showing one is overwhelmed by an issue or an incident, and at a loss as to how to handle it. this is DIFFERENT from being confused and unfocussed. i see it as a lack of effort to think through the issue. it's as gd as saying, i write a bunch of rhetorical qns (the essay was filled with vague rhetorical qns) abt random issues and related ideas, and i say "there! an essay about confusion!" wow brillant. hurr hurr.

well after that i spoke to some of my classmates they were like "i like how critical u are. it's how u improve, everyone's just being nice. i was waiting for some one to say those things." yea ppl shd thank me for taking the initiatve to be the villian. ok, in order not to make myself sound like a bitch, there are actually pieces i like, and i do give GOOD comments abt even a LOUSY piece. but i must say, workshopping is gd coz i get to see many other ppls' points of view. and ppl do disagree with me. which i like. but i like to argue until im right (but of coz i dun say it out) hahahhaa. this gives me added pressure to mk sure my piece is flawless so no one can tear it apart. muahahahaha.

anyway i've got sooo many assignments to do! but it's ok, they're interesting so i'm fine with it. ohoh, i love social psychology, its really interesting and relevant to life.

How abt some interesting facts on RELATIONSHIPS AND BEAUTY. Ever wondered why that cute hunk next door isn't attracted to you? (besides the fact tt maybe you're unattractive) discover how to HOOK him!

Q: u know y u alwyas think ur passport photo is so ugly but ppl think it's ok?

A: coz it's not how u see urself. u always see urself in the mirror which is inverse from what others see you. and in photos, it's the view ppl have of u. this is bcoz familiarity breeds liking. (does this mk sense? it's what the lecturer said...)It is proven that one is more incline towards picking/liking the letters in one's name. which means to say, i probably like the letter 'e' alot. heh.

Q: why are some GORGEOUS ppl with HIDEOUS FREAKS?

A: r/s are based on an exchange of rewards theory. we all seek sth to gain from that r/s. i.e. her good looks for his money. so in my case, it would be my good looks and intelligence and eloquence and fitness and health and wealth for your....erm...erm...erm...(i sense an imbalance here...)it's kinda like everyone has a market value. If your market value is lower than mine, i might perceive you to be 'not good enough for me'. Hence my strong view abt guys having to match up to me. sorry guys, mission (almost) impossible. hehe

Q: Unlike poles attract?

A: NO, sorry, for those of you giving excuses that your r/s is gonna work out even tho he's a mute and u're a chatterbox, sorry to burst your bubble. haha. e.g. outspoken ppl will tend to find partners who are outspoken as well. Only in sex role differences do unlike poles attract. e.g. a masculine man n a feminine woman, dominant man and submissive woman.

Q: Why are guys so superficial, going after pretty young girls??

A: Besides the fact that they are plain superficial and think they need a pretty accessory to spice up/make up for their ugliness, it is actually for practical reasons which were given to them by the apes from 1000000000 years ago! guys like 'baby-faced' girls i.e. large lowset eyes, small nose and chin, 0.7 waist to hip ratio. (shit, i suck in my stomach until wanna faint already still not 0.7 leh...) haha. well, these physical features are indicators of fertility. Also, body symmetry. it is an indication of health. in a study done, male bodies were measured for their degree of symmetry. then they will wear a t shirt for 2 nights. women will then be made to smell the tees and decide which smells are attractive. It turns out, we shd smell men instead of looking at them! coz the tees identified as attractive smelling corresponded with males who had more symmetrical bodies! (only when women are ovulating, that is) yea i read in the papers abt 'follwing your nose', not heart darlings...NOSE! Besides, attractiveness is linked to personality, beliefs and attitudes. if someone shares the same peronality traits, values and views as you (esp views abt urself), u'll find the person more attractive. (so true! no wonder hardcore triathletes are all so attractive...)

Q: So, what male facial features do women find interesting?

A: it depends on her menstrual cycle. When ovulating, large jaws, high cheekbones were seen as attractive. i read somewhere thin lips and large noses too (eh, that means dad must be v attractive la! hehehe). anyway. and during pre-menstrual and menstrual periods, male faces with black eyes, broken noses and scissors in their eyeballs are most appealing. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

yea and one thing, u know how u guys can laugh at girls coz u can just have casual sex then walk away, leaving the poor girls pregnant and having to take care of the baby? you SELFISH BASTARDS! anyway, yes, guess what? at least we'll know that baby is OURS! 14% of offspring of married couples have a father other than the husband. so, u might've spent all ur time and energy bringing up some kid who doesnt carry on your gene line! eh shit, then again, the bad guys get to play and the good guys take the responsibility. aiya, moral of the story, dun have sex la! **sexual arousal and desire are not needed to produce intense feelings of love (sorry, sex for love excuse doesnt hold anymore)

Q: Why do couples tend to look alike? Does greater interaction lead one to morph into the other??

A: because u gotta choose someone your own standard, honey! (so pls, look into the mirror before coming over to intro yourself, thanks)hahaha. so unless u're as gd looking as me, i prob won't find u attractive (i might as well look into the mirror, at least wont get sore eyes!). EXCEPT if you have truckloads of money or is v intelligent or sth la.

answer to 'how to get the guy of your dreams' - go for plastic sugery, fake your bank account, memorise academic material, raid his room (wear his clothes, listen to his music...so u become more alike). OR, how about that skinny nerd in chest high pants, knee high socks and goofy buck teeth (awwww....so cute....)?

ok, isnt this interesting?! i've actually read the whole chap in the textbook, and went to read up online. so interesting! and it's what my essay is on so how exciting! but seriously, i think it makes me alot more critical of my relationships. alot more skeptical too, questioning may areas. oh wells.

PONOGRAPHIC LECTURE!

OMG OMG OMG!!!!! You're not gonna believe this!

At 10am, I strolled into Global Politics lecture holding an apple cinnamon muffin and skinny latte. Halfway through lecture, while i was enjoying my breakfast and listening to political threories, there was a SHOUT! some guy behind me stood up and shouted sth abt the lecture being boring and abt PIRATES and NUDITY. then, he took off his shirt, and EVERYTHING ELSE! he was COMPLETELY NAKED. he ran down to the front, and suddenly abt 15 other NAKED 'PIRATES' ran down from the entrances and started dancing around the front stage around the lecturer (parading their family jewels in front of a 200 stunned and laughing audience). they wore some head gear, and some were holding toy swords. They shouted some weirdo stuff about naked pirates then ran up the lecture theatre and out thru the exits (some holding their balls!). OMG, eveyone, including the lecturer were stunned and laughing!! it was insane, and totally outrageous!!!

anyway, that was just insane insane insane. i was just thinking what would happen of some ppl did that in s'pore. 1st, that would be highly unlikely. 2nd, the person wouldnt be local singaporean. 3rd, the person wld be arrested for 'indecent exposure' 4th, jaws will drop amidst gasps and everyone will be repulsed. hahaha.

hmmm oh yes, there have been some activities going on in sch. not sure what though. it's like some games kinda thing. i see ppl walking ard in costumes, like purple leotards with leopard print capes or dresses made of aluminium foil and stuff. then there are ppl walking ard in swimwear, covered in soil and dirt!! i went to watch this one, where by the commentator was instructing 2 guys in a man-made hay ring filled with SHIT and SHITTY WATER. they were wrestling some stuff i think. later, the 2 dead bodies were slumped in the ring, as seen in the photo. eeks.

today i bumped into Cenna just beofre psy lecture. after sch we went to check out some band at the North Court. Everyday at lunchtime, there's a different band playing. they're all pretty gd, its just whether or not u like their kinda song or music. Yep, and the student union gives out free bread and soup and barbecue for members. im not a member so =( damn this voluntary student union shit. they shdn't have scrapped the compulsory student union shit this sem, its terrible. otherwise i'll just pay for the SU in my sch fees (instead of from my allowance) and then everyone gets to enjoy all the activities and facilities! yep, and they have some makeshift stalls selling accessories or CDs or books. oh yes and today another wave of Anti Isreali Wars...ppl sent up booths selling newspapers and anti-war paraphanelia, and there were ppl waving Green Left flags and some with loud-hailers shouting anti war messages.

Bumped into Leona too! man, i din know she was here! always see her at Zouk last time. hahaha. Anyway Cenna is a mad girl. she has so many model friends...haha cool.

oh oh. the weather's getting real nice these days! it's bright n sunny and warm! It's like i can just wear a t-shirt and my black MNG pullover and jeans. People are shedding their winter coats and donning summer dresses, shorts and t-shirts already. its great! but yest, the wind was soooooooo strong i was gonna fall over or get blown away! you can hear the howling of the wind frm inside the lecture theatres, and it was seriously blowing everything away.

yep and to Clement who's abt to drop dead and die, i miss you dear!!

i dun wanna bathe!!!

i was feeling a lil unhappy today so i hit the roads and just crunched the miles. RARHHH. just wanna devour the endless strips of tarmac. what happens to you when you're frustrated, tired and DAMN HUNGRY? you FALL and SCRAPE YOUR SKIN and BLEED snd HURT.

ARGH!! so irritated with myself! i was so careless i caught my wheel in the tram tracks and fell. rode 65km this morning. it was great until i fell. felt like an idiot! the road was closed for road works but i was allowed thru, so gd thing no cars to run me over n there weren't ppl ard. but a guy ran across the road to check if i was alright and all. very nice and concern.

sth to laugh abt - my pathetic injuries.


left elbow. nvm the elbow, i tore my favourite arm warmer!! arGH!


left hip - scars in the making, to balance out the one on my right hip.


left knee. bruised, lumpy and bleeding. ewwwwwwww yuck.

Wed 9/8/2006. Singapore National Day.
Had celebrations at Velour Bar on Flinders Lane. Went with Melvin n met a couple of friends there. the drinks aren't exactly cheap. we were told a shot was 4 bucks(but Melvin paid 7). anyway we drank this 55%alcohol shot, the strongest they had. but it wasn't much la. anyway we just danced. The DJ sucked man. coz the r n b songs were repeated n sometimes they'll play 80s music or disco retro stuff. so weird. but it was fun la. i was tired man!

oh yes, the alcohol here tastes different. it's not tt horrible and bitter! haha. a kind friend, Adrian, and his friend sent me home. =)

thurs 10/8/2006
training was fabulous today! the main set was 4x1km, with 4-5min rest in btw. Man, i ran really hard. felt like i was gonna puke my guts out, but it felt so gd after that! haha. we all went to University Cafe on Lygon for dinner. abt 20 of us. We chatted abt cycling, travelling, running, cooking, families and all. the girls were telling me how they used to run alone at night in the forest coz they stayed in the suburb. make me feel so useless coz it scares me walking along the streets which i already consider deserted! haha yep, i had seafood risotto. loved it! it's gonna be next on the menu, and no, it won't look like the rest.

eh but to be fair, seafood is expensive. n how else do u expect it to look man? my meals have gotta be balanced - meat (protein), veg&fruits(fibre), rice/noodles/pasta(carbo). have to add all tgt n cook coz i only have one stove. yep, but then nowadays im a lil lazy to cook.

ARGH someone help me with politics!!! i've got an essay which i'm kinda struggling with. haha.

Btw, happy birthday Melvin!!! (12/8/2006)

more ways to F**K YOU.

pardon the crude title. i have just been reading my Professional Writing subject reader. it's a compilation of newspaper, magazine and online articles and relevant material. This chapter contains mainly Personal Narrative Artticles (PNA), where writers, through their own experiences and stories relate to readers and bring forth a message, usually of universal emotions and issues close to our hearts, such as kindness, the joys of parenthood, love, self esteem, coping with loss, death, etc.

They are all sooo interesting and enticing i can't stop reading. see, i love school and i love homework! hahaha. there were a few really good pieces which i liked alot. "Gray like me" is a piece about this 29 yr old writer who walked around Boston and NY in a grey wig, and how this changed people's perception and treatment of her, and how differently she felt and hence behaved. also, the writer's style is humorous, tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted, much like the way i wish i could write.

anyway what i really wanted to say, is to tell you "if you really want to curse someone properly, do it in Yiddish." (Arnold Zable "From a Schlimiel to a Schlimazel", The Age Newspaper) hahaha.

Here are some examples (translated into English) for you to draw inspiration from. so forget 'F**K YOU' and try these instead:

1. may an umbrella enter your stomach and open up.
2. I hope you lose all your teeth, but one tooth should remain so you can have a toothache.
3. May you be like a chandelier, hanging by day and burning by night.
4. May you be like an onion, with your head in the ground and your feet in the air.
5. May an entire orchestra enter your stomach and i'll be the conductor.
6. May your feet be made of wood, your stomach contain water and your head be made of glass. so when your feet catches fire, your stomach will boil and your head will explode.

listed are 4 of the thousand available Yiddish options for 'loser'.
7. schlimiel (a clumsy person, a social misfit)
8. nebekh (a nobody, a complete nonentity)
9. nudnik (a complete bore, a pest, a source of intense irritation)
10. phudnik (a nudnik with a PhD)

hahahaha. so many curse words/phrases, you'll be spoilt for choice!

Did a session of my psychology research participation today. it is about audio-visual speech recognition. it is proven that we understand sentences better given both audio and visual components, instead of just audio components alone. The study seeks to determine whether an exageration effect, 'in-noise' visual speech improves the understanding of auditory speech as compared to 'in-quiet' visual speech.

i had to complete a computerized task in a quiet room. there would be a picture of a person's face flashed on the screen, and an audio of a sentence he said, coupled with noisy background noise. then i was supposed to type out what he said. this was repeated many times, some with a still face flashed on the screen, some with a man's face talking normally ('in-quiet' ie. not exaggerated). sometimes it's another guy's face with exaggerated facial movements as he speaks ('in-noise' ie. as if he is speaking loudly in a crowded place). yep, those i couldn't make out any word at all were when there was only audio speech. anyway i was a lil distracted by the face on the screen initially (not tt the male faces were attractive) coz their faces had attached many wires all over, as if to track the movements of all facial muscles. yep. haha. anyway the researcher was shocked i finished it so fast. she said i finished it the fastest she's ever come across. haha. i dunno. quite easy wat. there's no need to think. just type out whatever u hear tts all.


black pepper beef hor fun!! yummy! mushrooms, baby pak choy (tt's what's written on the label. it's just the usual green leafy veg), brocolli, carrots and beef. i added beef stock to the gravy which comprised of water and cornflour. added black pepper, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, ginger and garlic. ooooh yum! wanted to add egg to make the egg gravy. but i figured there's already so many ingredients. haha.

yep, Clement asked how come everything i cook tastes delicious. besides trusting my comment that it actually is delicious(obviously it is), the main reason is that my intelligence and capabilities extend to my cooking as well. hahaha.

Had running training at 6pm. it was good. i ran hard. main set was 3x(7min fast,5min float/jog). as usual, i enjoy talking to my teammates alot. they're all so friendly!! yep, oh and iylia (he's from the S'pore Students' Society) asked me to go for the S'pore national day celebration at some bar along Flinders Street tmr night. Melvin asked me to go also so yep, i'll be there, hopefully in red and white (if i can find...) haha.

ok gotta do my subject readings now. ciao.

spick and span

did a 12km run today. felt great! then went to vic mart to pick up some long beans, grapes and a carrot. Had a hotdog there. It was a spicy bratwurst with shaved parmesan, saukernaut and mustard. delicious!

went down to Big W and bought a vacuum cleaner. i can no longer stand the state of my carpet. the vacuum was only 70bucks, small compact with 2 yr warranty.

came back and embarked on a massive spring cleaning. i wiped my shelves, TV, table, window, bedpost, kitchen area, cupboards, wardrobe, fridge, toilet, sink, toilet bowl. washed the floor with soap and wiped it 3x. vacuumed every inch of the carpet so many times. folded my laundry. took me almost 2 hrs!!

yep but my room is nice and clean now! love it this way. haha. oh yea i steamed egg with beef for dinner. tt tasted great.

SPECIAL COUPLE EDITION

today is Clement and my 3 mth anniversary. i doubt that has any significance except that we've managed to tolerate each other for 3 mths..and managed to stay together for 3 weeks in a long distance relationship (LDR). haha. 3 mths is really short and i've been hearing ppl tell me abt their relationships of 2, 3, 4 years...but nonetheless, 2, 3 or 4 years has to start somewhere.

ATTENTION ALL YOU GUYS OUT THERE: A SURE FIRE WAY TO GET HER TO ACCEPT YOUR PROPOSAL.

1. pick an auspicious date, one that is personally significant, or looks nice (eg. 05-05-06), or easy to remember (eg. 1-1-07).

2. book an entire ice-skating rink. for best results, book the biggest and most expensive in your whole country.

3. lay a long long long red carpet through it, buy bouquets and bouquets of fresh flowers, and hire professional ice-skaters to dance around the rink carrying the flowers.

4. pick out the recording of her favourite song, or your 'couple song' or sth that's meaningful and romantic.

5. Time how long it takes to walk down the red carpet from the entrance to the middle of the rink. tweek the song to ensure it ends just as you reach the middle (best if music slowly fades away when you reach the middle).

6. bring her there at midnight.

7. walk down the red carpet with her (preferably each walking from directly opposite entrances so you guys can meet in the middle), as the music plays, and the skaters twirl around the both of you with bouquets of flowers.

8. at the middle, look into her eyes, , kneel down and propose. (take the risk of potentially blinding her and go ahead, buy a diamond ring with as many carats as you can afford!)

additional note: inform the media about your grand proposal which would certainly set the bar for marriage proposals. it might even nab you a bevy of female fans, or perhaps boost your business with more female customers. also, with media pressure, any declination of your proposal or eventual backing out of the marriage would definately hit the newspapers and result in social backlash (you are essentially leaving her with no choice but to marry you. cunning).

with the potent combination of fairytale romance and your entire bank account, your proposal is guaranteed to melt her heart and make her say "i do"!! So take her to fairytale land and live happily ever after!

hahaha. btw, this is a tried and tested method. last nite, Ming Kin, my fren from Selangor M'sia, was just telling me abt his bro who came out on the newspaper in M'sia for his ultra grand and extravagant proposal to his gf to 9years!! (which happened to be steps 1-8 above). what's more amazing is that they stood the test of time and distance by enduring 7 years of LDR!! coz he was a medical student in the University of Melbourne, and currently working in a hospital in Melb, while she's a lawyer in M'sia. ha! just the assurance i need that LDRs may actually work?!!

alternatively, if your relationship has yet to reach the marriage stage (or you do not have sufficient funds in your savings), how to keep her by your side/beef up your saving account:

Ask yourself, has anything ever come in the way of your relationship? e.g. computer games or comics or training? As a prove of your committent and love, sell your computer game account (e.g. WOW), of which you have spent 1300+ hrs of your life on it, and which was once* your sole sustaining factor and escape from reality.
* notice the words 'was once' since now, she is your sole sustaining factor, RIGHT??
Sell it so that you have enough money to book the ice skating rink and buy her a ring, or if she is overseas (that hurts i know), use the money to fly to wherever she is (e.g. Melbourne) and be her b'day present (or simply as a surprise**)! hahahahahhahaha.
** make sure it's a surprise she actually wants otherwise it could lead to disastrous consequences &/or eventual realisation and liberation.

well, thank you for doing so much for me Clement. It doesn't have to be opulent. it's enough knowing you're always there for me. I seriously wonder what i've ever done for you. Nothing much actually. Always demanding and expecting so much of you but never going out of my way just to do anything for you, but expecting you to od so just to accomodate me. thank you for not faltering despite my skepticism and pessimism.

There's sth abt the roads of melbourne. they're alluring, beckoning me to ride over them. The serenity and nature is so captivating. i feel an urge to race to the end of the road, fly over the crest of the uphill, ride into the sun setting in the horizon. it's just me and my bike, synchronised with nature. i'm flowing with the wind. transcanding space and time. All i see is the vast ocean, deep blue, glimmering in the sun, as though scattered with golden glitter. all i hear is the silent beauty of nature. i feel almost in a different dimension, in a world of my own. i love cycling.

PHOTOS of my presents!!!!

looking cool and chic in my MISS SIXTY jacket. sorry abt the background light. was balancing my hp (on timer) on the door handle. haha.

black Mango pullover. perfect for all situations (the hp is now balancing on the handle of my opened wardrobe door).

Letter from val on the left, in the envelope Clement's letter and below the envelope the 'Consignment Note' by Speedpost Singapore for my parcel. haha. yes i know im crazy.

David & Goliath 'Evil Twins' tank top from Clement.

The colourful foam hearts with 7 names on them! stuck it next to my bed =)

My nice black and white tresure chest, FILLED with presents, letters and decoration!!

haha Bay, that's your recipe there on my fridge! haha. when i cook them i'll let ya know! and yep, i've got B&J cookie dough ice cream....magnet. haha. tt's better than the real thing i swear!

Christmas' early this year - IT'S TODAY!!

today was a gloomy day - woke up to cycle and my rear tyre was flat again!!!! ARGH so i couldn't ride on my trainer. and it was raining and cold. i din't manage to get my triathlete magazine. and i was horribly blur. i misread my lecture times, misread my watch, went to the wrong place at the wrong time and ALMOST missed my classes. i swear it's the rain. blurred my senses (altho Clement would insist it's coz i'm retarded).

anyway, i rushed home after sch to fix my tyre. got a msg from val telling me i was supposed to receive some failure delivery mail but i didn't get it. i was already frustrated with fixing my rear wheel, and i didn't know what val was saying abt mail delivery failure coz i wasn't expecting any mail and didn't send any. and at the POST shop, the guy was being difficult and kept asking how the parcel looks like and i'm like "i don't know!!!", (i was thinking) 'just give me my parcel!!'anyway when he took it out, i was beyond extremely pleasantly surprised. it was big! and from the handwriting, i knew it was from val! COOOOOOOOOOOOOL! I love presents! i hurriedly checked my watch - it's not 7/9 (my birthday)...don't tell me it's Christmas!!! hohoho!

i was so excited i opened it while walking home. actually, i brought my green groceries bag, all ready to head down to Safeway after the POST office but i just had to rush home and check out what was in that big box!! i opened the box and smiled and stared at it like it's a baby or like i'm really retarded. there were so many things i didn't know where to start! ok so lemme tell you what was in the treasure chest!
an off-white Miss-Sixty jacket (fits perfectly and it's Miss Sixty..what can i say?),
a black Mango basic pullover (just what i was thinking of getting. i've been telling Melvin i need some plain normal long sleeve v-neck pull overs),
a white David&Goliath tank top which wrote "evil twins" on it (hmmm...isn't sth Val would get me. clement...ur idea right.haha it looks really gd. the cutting.),
a ridiculous sequinned cat(whose fat stomach i promptly squeezed)key chain,
a bottle of Red Earth pink nail polish (time to change my blue and green toe nails but -gasp- who's gonna paint them for me?),
cool bomo earrings (the kind i like),
a Ben&Jerrys choc chip cookie dough fridge magnet (my fav B&J ice cream flavour. i just knew tt was from you, Clement. can't eat just look right. haha i feel an immense urge to bite it whenever i look at it coz there are weirdo cookie pictures on it),
foam hearts of different colours and sizes, some with names of each of my BELOVED FAMILY MEMBERS(Rong's was really funny. i read Val's description abt how you were trying to fit RONG onto the heart. haha), and
3 letters.

1st letter is EXTREMELY THOUGHTFUL, as usual, characteristic of Audrey aka Bay, my sweeeet 9 year old sis! it had scanned on it 2 pasta recipes!! hahaha. Apparantly my standard of cooking not up to her satisfaction so she kindly provided me with essential new ideas. hahaha. and very handy coz someone said my cooking always looks the same....

2nd letter from Val!!!! Al!!!! of coz i LOVE the box of hidden treasures!!! It was a fabulous surprise. Totally made my day!! i was so happy i ran to training (instead of walking), couldn't stop smiling and laughing, and ran very fast =) :) yes btw, Val is so sweet also. HAND MAKES alot of nice gifts for ppl all the time! thank you for all the effort and for shopping for all the things i need (atho i know you bought alot of stuff for yourself too)!

3rd letter from my dear boyfriend. yes, your handwriting is so funny. 'looks like a 10 year old kid'?!?!?!?! Bay (9 yrs old), please teach him penmanship! haha. it's neat but the letters are out of shape. hahaha. yep, heartwarming...

:):):):):):):):):)i am soooooooooooo happy!! haha i feel so loved =) thanks everyone, it was really really sweet and i appreciate all the time, effort and love. I love all of you!!!!

Training has been pretty tough these few days! Mon's swim session and sprints session, tue's hill run, this morning swim was sooo tiring! but well, i'm lovin it as usual..haha.

yesterday afternoon i cooked fried rice!!! it was fabulous! I added sliced beef sausage, brocolli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, some iceberg lettuce, dried mixed fruit(sultanas, raisins, orange and lemon). Due to the great abundance of carefully chosen ingredients to ensure impeccable taste, sky-high nutritional value and asthetic value, the pan could barely cope that it almost overflowed after i added the rice in. Time to add the 'icing to my (rice)cake'- 3 beaten eggs, stirred with belachan chilli and light soy sauce. I turned off the fire when the egg was still liquidy so the rice was nice and moist, with a tange of sweetness from the fruit and tomatoes. i was so hungry i gobbled it down and went to take a nap.


my uber delicious fried rice!!!

oh yesterday during psychology lecture, we watched a video on the temperament of toddlers (abt 2-3 years old). Btw, this section on human development during childhood makes me feel like i'm taking a course on parenting. Back to the video. it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute! it featured clips of children who are in the 'easy-to-handle/flexible', 'cautious' and 'difficult/fiesty' temperament types, and the characteristics of each type. children are just so adorable. there was this one kid who was carrying a baby doll, and patting it and putting it to sleep, which is what many kids do actually. weird, at 2 years old they already have maternal instincts?! hahaha. and this other kid who was so persevering. he was pushing a toy lawn mower (which was as big as him)and it fell over. he picked it up and tried to push it damn hard, cringing his face a lil coz it was stuck in the grass! do you think this kid will grow up to be a triathlete? i already see one in the making! hahaha. Coz of the different temperaments which kids naturally fall into, it's not right for parents to force infants to conform to the 'flexible' type. different approaches are required to handle kids of different temperament types. see, i'm not my way to becoming a model mum! haha. yea and i was trying to figure which temperament i fell under as a kid! i kinda think it's the cautious temperament.

Today we watched a video clip about baby rhesus monkeys. it was an experiment conducted in the 1950s. the monkeys were kept in cages, with 2 surogate mothers - one made of wire(a wire cylinder with a milk bottle attached) and the other cloth(looks like a mini ironing board with a tiny helmet as the head, without a face). the 'moms' dun look anything like mothers. anyway, when the monkey is faced with threat, like a mechanical monster, it screams and jumps onto the cloth mother, hugging it. after a while, it calms down and tries to confront the monster, while still holding onto the mother. And in a different scenerio, the monkey is placed in a strange room, with objects scattered around. When no mother is present, it crouches on the floor, looking around fearfully. when the cloth mom is placed in the room, it immediately runs to the mom and hugs the mom's neck tightly, very much like a human child. extremely adorable. after a while, it then begins exploring the room confidently.

this makes me wonder. perhaps not just babies and infants, but we all need someone to be there for us, a 'secure base' which we can turn to. this could be family, a partner or close friends. this gives us assurance and confidence which extends to other aspects of our lives. (i miss you clement)

This morning after a tough session of swimming, i headed down to Thrushermann's for breakfast with Wille, David and John. Wille has been saying it has the best coffee and muffins. yep, i had 2 hot cups of CHAI LATTE. AHHHHHHHH... my beloved Chai. this tastes soooooo much better than the one at the donut place. Yep, much to my delight, chai is a basic on the menus at cafes over here. i shd buy the chai powder so i can make my own at home. I had an apple cinnamon muffin and nibbles of Wille's raspberry muffin. AWESOME.

Had 5 hours of class today, and my first few assignments. was tired. oh my Global Politics tutorial has several outspoken and intelligent people. heh of coz me included, just that i've yet to display my prowess coz i was sleepy.

Anyway, i've just discovered the convenience and wonders of steaming!! I had steamed salmon, a hard boiled egg and pineapple for dinner today.

steam salmon in terikayi sauce, light soy sauce and ginger. (i know this looks like chicken meat but it's actually a nice yummy orange colour)

Why a hard boiled egg u must be wondering! coz i wanted to get the most of my steaming so i flung an egg into the pot of water underneath. Alas! it broke so i had to fish out the mess of hard boiled egg from the pot and eat.

Till my next recipe/cooking class, hope you have fun practicing the above dishes! haha.