I don't know how long it's been since the last time I've blogged. I do miss blogging, but finding the time is a pain. It must have been at least two months since my last post - so be prepared for a long, long post.
Well, I'm back to uni. It was great to see all my uni friends again and meet new ones! I must say, as someone who is used to being the youngest, suddenly meeting all these freshers (where most of them are younger than me): I feel old. Moving on from the age issue, first year really was a doss. It didn't feel like it last year, I feel like I still had to work a lot, but second year is no joke. The economics is on a whole new level and this year I have a good feeling about management, at least I don't feel like crap after four hours (or six continuous hours) of management on a Friday. Maybe it's because we've got better lecturers this year, or... I don't know, it just feels better this year and I'm keen on being optimistic! =D But it's week 4 and I've done nothing. I've opened my stats book now and then but I really am getting behind. Hopefully by week 6 or 7, I shall have caught up on everything. And now I don't dare to miss an economics lecture because I know I will be forever behind (I already am!).
I am proud to say, that I have been going to badminton once a week! It's about time I got back into this habit. I had plans to go to yoga three times every two weeks, but I'm yet to attend my first lesson. They start at 9:30am (other lesson times include 7:30am (I don't think so), and they do have evening times which sort of clash with everything else) - so 9:30am classes it is! I still haven't woken up early enough to attend any of the classes yet. Plus, it's a 20-25 minute up hill walk to get to the place where they hold the classes. Next Saturday, I am determined to go to the 9:30am class (if I manage to sleep early enough on Friday night).
Megan will be so proud of me: I've finally joined the taekwondo club! I've wanted to do taekwondo for such a long time! I remember we wanted to join during sixth form but it was way to intimidating, everyone there was a black belt... so we decided to concentrate on our A-levels instead. Then I was determined to join when I' in uni, but last year I was too much a wimp to join on my own. And now I've finally joined =D I thought that if I don't join this year, I'm never ever going to join. And so I did. It was awesome! I had such a busy day and was so ill yesterday, but after tkd, it felt awesome! Two hours of intense exercise did the trick! I do have to say that the warm up was more intense than the actual training... Ah, reminds me of the good old kick-boxing days =)
Oh oh, I saw a full rainbow this morning! So I know today is going to be an awesome day!! =D I tried to take a photo but the camera on my phone is too inferior and did not do the rainbow justice so I won't even bother uploading it. But it was so beautiful <3
I must go now. But it was good blogging again! All thanks to my weekly digest of Saar's blog (wego2gether) that I remembered to blog!
I feel like I'm on a roll with blogging today. The lack of blogging over the past few weeks, months even, has been building up. As usual, it's my weekly dose of We Go Together. Saar's blog is so awesome it just puts a smile on my face when I read her posts. It's so inspirational and every time I read it I just want to go travelling! (In case you don't know who Saar is or haven't read her blog posts, I suggest you visit http://wego2gether.tumblr.com. I promise it's good ^^)
From Saar's tumblr, I came across something she reblogged, (I really need to spend more time on tumblr,) and it put a smile on my face, especially the last one.
Five Lessons About How To Treat People
Author Unknown
1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady" During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain" One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole. 3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve" In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path" In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition." 5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts" Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Recently, there's been a number of things I want to blog about, finding time just seems to be the most difficult part. The past week has been fairly fun.
Let's start from last week. My sister and I redid a jigsaw that we bought about five years ago. It's a Hello Kitty one and it glows in the dark ^^ I bought it for nearly £30 back then, but it was definitely worth it. The first time we did the puzzle (five years ago) it took us weeks to do it. And this time it took us less than a day.
Once again, I have been neglecting my blog. Well, not exactly neglecting... it's been on the back of my mind but I just haven't really had the chance to write anything. Well, it's SUMMER =D My summer holidays started about 6 weeks ago but the beginning of it was just so hectic and busy.
I had lots of plans for this summer, but when do plans ever go as planned? Almost never =P And the summer job part has completely gone down the drain. I did try... but it seems no one wants to give me any summer pocket money xP
Let's talk about what we know best: the weather. I'm so glad that Mr Sunshine has been willing to show his face. I don't think I can stand many more gloomy rainy days. And... *touch wood* (I hope I don't speak to soon) but the hayfever tablets seem to be working this year =] Long live working hayfever tablets =)
Vivienne's mind: summer = watermelons and mangoes (and any other fruit that you only get in summer).
Last year I must have ate about five watermelons or so... This year, it's the end of July and I'm through my forth one. Of course I don't eat it all by myself... just most of it =P And the other week, I got to do what I've always wanted to do. Cut a section of the watermelon and eat it with a spoon! Boy, did my stomach fill up fast... I couldn't eat for the rest of the day afterwards. Usually I get a stomach ache if I eat around more than a quarter of one... but I think I may just have a small unusual talent when it comes to watermelons. Also, my sister and I had a race to see who could finish it first and who ate it the cleanest... I won, of course.
P.s. my portion was bigger than hers =P
Avant
Après
Okay... I admit defeat... I have failed to put the two photos next to each other T_T
And I really need to practice my French before it's completely erased from my mind.
I've got to go and make lunch now... I shall attempt to update more this summer =D
I came across a website called Graze where they basically sell healthy snacks and deliver them to you on a regular basis. It's actually pretty cool and quite a new and interesting idea. I'm not sure I actually like the idea too much but it's definitely something different =]
You can try a free box (they're really keen on pulling new people) so they sent me a voucher code where if you introduce new people they get a free box and I get £1 off. They're pretty good at this business. Their packaging is awesome and nature-looking. It's exactly the type of stuff I personally like (I look those 'nature finish' folders and stuff, it's way better than the colourful ones ^^) Oh yeah, in case you're interested, please enter this voucher code: RD7VXTC3 at graze.com
My graze box that awesomely fits through the post box =]
Top left going clockwise:
Honey cashew nuts;
'Swallows and amazon': brazils, cheries, mango and raisins
'Banana split':banana, cashews and Belgian milk chocolate puffed rice
Wasapeas: wababi peas
They are pretty small boxes, but I guess that's the whole point of it being a snack box =]
I haven't updated for a while... it seems I can't even blog once a week anymore. Once exams are over, my less-dull life should be back. Just two weeks to go. Gosh, that sounds awfully scary... the fact exams are over in two weeks and I've hardly revised for the other topics.
DayWeek Challenge 3 - Your anime crush
Oh dear, there are so many... any awesome, charming, bishie character I will like =P I'm no weirdo though, I know they're not real.
Here's just a small selection from my never-ending favourite character list ^^
Byakuya <3
Kanda
Ah there are lots more awesome characters but I should get back to revision now... I'll make a better list next time xD And hopefully post more interesting stuff =]
You can tell I have coursework due when I post a lot. I think blogging must be one of my most frequent forms of procrastination. I wish I have the willpower to get all this coursework over and done with. But I have three. Bad times. But that is all that's left in my first year of university: three more courseworks and three exams in late May/early June and dun dun dunnnnn that'll my first year of university finished. (And I'm sure the work only gets worse as life progresses).
A brighter side, I am extremely looking forward to summer! Despite the fact I want to get a job and work all summer so I can save up lots of money... but at least I won't be feeling guilty about watching lots of drama and anime - like I do now.
Oh, speaking of dramas. I started watching 49 Days. I keep seeing it on websites but it didn't really seem interesting enough for me to watch. I'm glad I started it.
49 Days is about this girl, Ji Hyun who will be married in a week's time and seemingly has the perfect life, gets into a car crash. On the other hand, there is another girl (Yi Kyung, maybe... I've watched so many episodes but I still can't remember her name) who works in a convenient store, doesn't have many friends and basically lives a depressed life - she tries to commit suicide. Then Ji Hyun, the one who gets in a car crash, is given a chance by the scheduler (sort of like a shinigami). The mission is Ji Hyun has to find three people who will cry genuine tears for her but using Yi Kyung(?)'s body.
It sounds complicated and the synopsis sounds crap (well that's what I thought when I first read it). But then you slowly get hooked to it ^^
I don't think I can answer this question. It's impossible to have one favourite anime. There's a whole list that literally runs from the roof to the floor. I'll name a small selection of my favourites ^^
This has been my craze since I started to watch it (around six or seven months ago). The characters are just awesome!
What can I say about Nana? I've seen this around lots of times and a few friends have recommended it but it didn't quite appeal at first. The synopsis was something on the lines of two girls, both named Nana meet and that's basically it. But it's actually so amazing. I'm not the type who will usually rewatch things, but Nana is definitely an anime I'll rewatch =)
Ideally I should do this in the summer... I may end up stopping (or forgetting about it) after a few days, so I doubt the '30 days' will be continuous. I came across it on FB, just like the 30 day song challenge.
I'm starting to think, maybe it should be 30 week anime challenge instead... that might seem more doable =P
Day Week 1 - Very first anime
Oh dear, I really can't remember. It was either
Doremon
or
Sailor Moon
I've watched both of these as a kid - from as young as I can remember. But they were definitely one of the first ^^
I'm happy today =] Besides the awful weather (and we (UNICEF) happened to be doing a cake sale today), everything else is going pretty well. Oh, and besides the fact the only time I actually want to buy a skirt, I can't find any nice ones. But I finally bought a new badminton racquet. I reserve it and went to collect it today. I'm happy =] Shiwaseda! (I hope I spelt it right ^^)
I feel the need to show off my new racquet - it's not amazingly expensive but I like it =]
Also, *jumping up and down* (doing my usual spazzing moves), I got a free pencil today. It's one of the most trivial things but it's the small things in your everyday life that makes you happy =]
Well, I've got to go and tidy up because I have a friend coming round... I hope the weather's being nice to you and have a lovely day x
Yes, I am back again posting about baking and yes, I failed once again. There was some pastry left and some evaporated milk left too, so I thought I might as well just use it all because I don't have no use for the pastry and I don't like milk (evaporated milk included). So I had enough pastry to make five more egg tarts, and I divided the recipe for the middle egg bit by three.
And this is what happened after about forty minutes:
I don't think I need to say anything anymore, the photo above it just describes it all. Well the pastry (I have decided to blame the pastry a few minutes after I put it in the oven). After about three minutes or so, I thought I'd just quickly check on it and I realised that the pastry basically shrunk T_T Because I rolled it out a bit more (YES, I BOUGHT A NEW ROLLING PIN BABY! =D That was also a reason why I wanted to bake, I was dying to try out my new rolling pin - although I do have to admit, most rolling pins does the same job). Ahem, before I went crazy about my rolling pin, the dough/pastry just didn't stretch and hold. My theory is that when the dough/pastry was being made in some Tesco plant (¬_¬) , they just didn't knead it enough hence it contracts when it's in the oven. This is all just a guess, there's no science behind i but I'm ought to start researching puff pastry (and next time I'm going to make mine from scratch, just so I have no one to blame but myself).
Besides the pastry, the egg thing was a problem too. I don't know why it rises and sometimes it looks a bit like 'pineapple bun'. It's this Chinese thing that's called a pineapple bun (I personally don't like it but according to my sister and everyone else it tastes good so if you ever go to a Chinese bakery, try it ^^).
There was actually something else I wanted to write about today, but I've been talking too much about these egg tarts and my rolling pin that I've forgotten what I was going to say. I've also been thinking, if a randomer just happened to come across my blog, I must look like a really free uni student with nothing to do and I have so much time on my hands, I just bake and blog all the time T_T I've decided, I'm going to set some goals.
Current list of goals:
Go jogging every morning (this was meant to happen a while ago but it's just been procrastinated every single morning when I tell myself to get out of bed)
Actually keep to the Special K plan (it's difficult for me to eat a lot of cereal because I don't like milk... I usually stick to the 'eat Special K for breakfast and lunch' thing (in my case, brunch) for about half a week then I get so bored from cereal)
Maybe this one is the most important: do my economics coursework, preferably do 300 words a day and finish it by next week?
Do sit ups... I've been so lazy since Christmas (Christmas was solong ago, I've been lazy for such a long time) I haven't done sit ups then... but I think I'll start again and do my 100 sit ups each night
Other goals could be go to taekwondo, I really want to go but I'm too scared (and shy) because I completely suck at stuff like that, but that's more of a reason to go, so I can become good at martial arts =]
And I used to do some yoga, maybe I should carry on... but I'm an extremist - I either do no yoga for ages, or I do lots in one night then the next day I wake up in pain because I over did it T_T
Anyway, the weather's shining here ^^ hope the weather's being nice to you too =]
Have a lovely day! x
P.s. I thought I should just say that even though the egg tarts look awful, they don't taste too bad =P
I made egg tarts today... I've been having random cravings for them sometimes. In case you don't know what egg tarts are, they're similar to the Portuguese tarts you get in Nando's but less sweet and I think the pastry is a little different. Anyway, egg tarts are awesome (if they're made well).
Yesterday during my trip to Tesco I bought this rolled-out puff pastry... as I said to my mum yesterday when she read out the title 'Easy egg tart recipe'... I told her "There are no shortcuts in baking"... and this is actually one of the wisest things I've said. When we used to make egg tarts, we would buy the puff pastry from Sainsburys. Quick note: the pastry for egg tarts is super difficult to make from scratch because when the pastry cooks, it turns into all these awesome layers - I'm not too sure of the science behind it - but it's just awesome and too difficult for me to make. Anyway, we used to buy this block of puff pastry and you'd have to roll it out yourself. And since I don't have a rolling pin, I thought I'd try out the already rolled-out one...
There are no shortcuts in baking
Edit: I actually wrote out several paragraphs but I doubt anyone wants to read about my analysis of why it went wrong, and what was the problem with the pastry, and the recipe and the baking tray.
So now I have twelve egg tarts... I've eaten two already T_T and really, one is satisfactory, and two is 'I'm full'. I don't know how to finish the other ten T_T I would share them to my flatmates and friends but they look too bad to even offer ='[
P.s. OMG I just realised that I don't have a 'baking' tag
I haven't blogged all weekend so I thought I'd do a quick afternoon blog. Before I go onto the main topic, I decided to follow this DBSK fan group on blogger so now when I come on blogger, I get this gigantic list of updates. JaeJoong is apparently in Bangkok, YooChun apparently bought his brother a car last Christmas (or something like that) to celebrate his debut... I only scanned the headlines.
Anyway, I've been busy doing coursework this weekend so I didn't do any food shopping. I had a 10am seminar this morning (why, oh why?). A seminar at 10am isn't too bad, the worst thing is, only after an hour I've woken up, she makes us think. My brain takes like two hours to wake up properly =P So, I went to the libraries but none of them had a spare computer for me to work at so I went home and went to the big Tesco to do food shopping.
This is what I bought:
Special K (for brunch)
Butter (for baking)
Pastry (for baking)
Eggs (for baking)
Chocolate (for baking cookies)
Easter eggs (for my cousins)
Shampoo (might as well, I'm almost running out anyway)
Conditioner (same concept as shampoo)
Crabsticks (either for soup, or I like just eating them as they as are as a snack)
Cocoa powder (for my love for baking)
Basically... I've spent £20 and nothing actually contributes towards dinner. I just thought that was rather interesting. I suppose crabsticks sort of contribute... the soup could be a starter. I finally know why I never have anything decent to eat T_T
I almost bought pizza... I put it in my trolley, then I put it back after thinking about the spots on my face. And OMG, why is the bad food always on offer? Walkers Sensations (I adore the sweet thai chilli flavour), they were half price and in stock. Usually the flavour I like is out of stock because it's just too popular. But I also managed to resist after thinking about the spots I'd get. I strolled round the supermarket again... I wanted to buy steak but then came the problem of what do I eat with the steak? Chips would be ideal but it's too unhealthy. Salad... the texture just doesn't go. Times like this, I really wish I lived at home or with people I know (as in, people who I can eat dinner together with), then cooking dinner wouldn't be such a problem. I made rice on Saturday (and I obviously overestimated my appetite again)... there's still some left in the fridge T_T My solution is just to eat noodles, they're the perfect portions - no leftovers =)
Just looking at my list above, I'm sure I've bought more than that... I can't have spent so much money on that... oh yeah... cocoa powder, also for baking ^^;
I started an anime last night called Kimikiss Pure Rouge... it didn't really seem like my type of thing but I've come across it a few times and really had nothing else better to do (and rather keen to distract myself from coursework)
Here's the synopsis:
Kouichi Sanada and Kazuki Aihara's childhood friend Mao Mizusawa has returned after living in France for a couple of years. Kouichi is surprised to learn that, since her parents are remaining overseas for the time being, his mother has agreed to let Mao stay with them. The three friends help each other deal with the ups and downs of high school romance.
(Quick edit: the synopsis sounds really crap, the actual anime's a little better than that)
I was enjoying it until episode 10-ish, the 'pairings' might chain, so I went on Wikipedia to confirm and T_T bad times. It annoys me when the character pairings don't turn out to how I expect/would like. I don't want to know what happens to Kai (he's a saxophonist in the anime)... but I already know what happens... this is the fate of reading spoilers =.="
Shall I continue to watch it or start something new? It's really hard to find something relaxing and entertaining at the same time though... but this is starting to frustrate me, but at the same time I don't like to not finish an anime. It's the same with reading books, even when a book is pretty bad, I still feel like I have a duty to finish it... Maybe it's a sign to finish this coursework... deadline's on Tuesday, I said I'd get my first draft finished yesterday and then second and third draft done by today but I haven't even finished the first draft. I was happily doing coursework, until I realised the part I'm writing about... I've done it wrong... my interpretation was completely different to what the texts suggests... so I have to do it again =[ but I was getting so into it... I love getting into the mode of working, it makes me feel like I'm doing something productive with my life =P
I don't know how this happened. But whilst researching Nestle's coffee supply chain I ended up drawing... drawing eyes.
I tried to draw a girl from the side... I did one eye and couldn't do the other (because it was at this super weird angle) so I gave up and just erased her other half of her face. I really like drawing eyes... I think they're the most expressive feature; so in lectures and stuff, I always try and draw eyes but they never come out right when I draw without a reference - I can only copy =[
My sketchbook full of eye drawings + a random chibi at the bottom right corner (he didn't turn out right either x_x)
I will work harder on drawing eyes =D
P.s. sorry about the crappy quality... I don't have a scanner so I took a photo and I'm too lazy to clean it all up on photoshop =X
On this awful Tuesday afternoon, where I slept till 11am, looked outside the window and it's almost all fog, though it's clearing up now. I had a shower and got ready, then decided to skip a lecture. I decided that skipping the lecture to start on my management coursework (due in six days) will be more productive than going to the lecture only to find myself bored and wish I never went.
My Windows Media Player was being a bitch (I really need to import all my music to iTunes). So... YouTube was my alternate source of music. I saw the new DBSK (I say DBSK, but it's not really DBSK is it? *sigh*) music video on FB this morning but I decided not to watch it and go take a shower instead or I'll just be all depressed. Then I'm sure YT is just provoking me to watch the video...
(I don't think SM videos allows playback sometimes, so there's the link instead)
It's just sooo epic. If only it was a movie! I have to say, Changmin does look really good in it =]
I wasn't convinced about their 'fluffy' clothes... i.e. the first scene where YunHo sings, there's too much fur on his jacket. Other than some awfully exaggerated scenes (where YunHo kills the ultimate bad guy in all those gun shot scenes) it's a really good MV. When it comes to DBSK (even the 'old DBSK'), they've never really had proper storylines so this is pretty new stuff. It actually reminds me of the Timeless MV *buckets of tears come flowing out* oh boy, I miss that MV... heheheh Siwon heheheheh
I won't comment on my suspicions for deeper meanings behind the MV. I'm sure there are enough people out there to suggest what the MV means in terms of JYJ. *sighs again*
Anyway, enjoy the music video. It's a really good music video.
Back to coursework... but that video completely shattered my 'coursework mood'.
After a whole day of listening to ballads, I should rephrase that, after listening to the same few ballads, I can't help but fall into one of my emotional moods. Then when I had dinner, about an hour ago, I decided to watch One Piece (I have to watch something whilst I'm eating... I find it really weird to just concentrate on eating...) I thought I'd have at least four episodes of One Piece to watch, but during the time which feels like a long time, it had only been just over two weeks. I say that I don't like watching OP anymore because I've read the manga, but that's not true... it's actually so much more epic with background music... *sigh* Shanks... he's just too awesome! OP is really too epic for my heart! I can't believe I've watched nearly 500 episodes of OP... well I'm on 490. Episode 490 didn't air because of the earthquake in Japan. I was so shocked when I read about it on Friday. I've been meaning to blog about it but I don't know what to write except that I wish for their well being. It makes me so sad when natural disasters happen, I'm sure it makes everyone sad. When I watch video clips and images, I just want to go out their and physically help. But it's difficult when you live on the other side of the world... so all we can do is contribute to organisations who have the ability to help.
I found out about the incident in Japan after my appointment on Friday morning. I came home and was just doing the usual stuff, checking emails, Facebook, checking uni stuff etc, until I needed to search something and went onto Google. Then there was this little news bit on the bottom of Google and that's when I read about it. The first thing I did was go onto the Guardian to confirm the news. I read about it and was just shocked; it was so sudden. The first thing that came across my mind was Saar and Noriyuki (my Japanese penpal). Saar is a lovely girl (I say 'girl', she's a few years older than me). I met her during the WYC in Turkey. We were stomach ache buddies - both of us couldn't take the food and basically were constantly ill =[ After reading on the Guardian and watching the devastating videos, the next thing I did was check where abouts was affected... and thank God, Saar was in Kyoto which is quite a bit away from the worst affected areas. Still, I posted on her wall on FB and when I came back from uni on Friday evening I saw a post with the first words being 'I am safe'.
The main reason I'm writing this post is because of Saar. I've just read a post she blogged on her tumblr a while ago http://wego2gether.tumblr.com/post/3830405920/safety-is-no-longer-an-option. I remember a few months back, when Saar was deciding whether to go travelling and where to, etc. I really admire her for having the courage to travel round on her own (I still don't go to the doctor's on my own), especially in such an unfamiliar environment - the other side of the world. After following her blog and reading her posts, I'm really glad she has found her 'place' in a way, and most importantly, she's enjoying it.
(I don't know who else besides Miranda, Naa and Megan reads this... but sometimes I do get a few weird statistics on this blog). But if you (anyone who's reading this) have a few spare moments, please visit's Saar's tumblr http://wego2gether.tumblr.com.
This makes me think about what I want to do. A while ago, I've been thinking is uni really the thing for me? Am I enjoying uni? Yes and somewhat. I've been pondering whether university is really the right thing for me for a few months now, and after I got my results last Wednesday, I thought to myself: yes, uni is the right thing for me. Firstly, I didn't get super amazing marks, but I did considerably alright and at the end of the day, I'm a studying-person. I enjoy learning: I enjoy learning about economics. I wish I could say the same for management, but I am starting to like it a bit more this term (besides the coursework T_T). And most importantly, if I wasn't in uni, I can't think of something better. Work? No thanks, when I graduate I've got years and years of that to come. Travelling? Of course I'd love to, but let's be realistic, I don't have the savings to travel and what comes after travelling? So, I've deciding, I shall work really hard in uni, stop spending so much on crap (easier said than done... I made this resolution a few days ago and all I've done since then is spend money), and save up for things I truly enjoy. After last weekend in London, and seeing the wildlife photography photos, I've realised that I really do like photography. I guess it was my part time work that sparked my interest, but I feel really happy when I take photos. So here I am with an additional goal: to save up to buy an awesome camera and travel. I know I keep saying this, but this time, I am really going to save up for what I truly have passion for: camera, travelling, a new piano.
I miss my piano so much... I keep saying that I'll buy a crappy keyboard just to practice on whilst I'm in Sheffield but I can't bring myself to do it. When I'm looking at keyboards, I always just look at the pianos too and they're just too difficult to resist.
So, they're my goals for this year (or the next few years). For me, it's important to have plans and goals to know the direction you're going in. I'd love to be one of those people who can just go with the flow... but unfortunately (or sometimes fortunately) I need plans to keep me going forward =]
I did try to look for a part time job. I've sent out a few CVs and lousy covering letters but no response so far. I won't give up though, I'll keep trying hard. This year, I was planning to go to Estonia, then maybe go to the nearby countries too, like Norway, Denmark, etc. But I've decided, this summer, I'm just going to get a job and work and take steps towards my goal of doing things I truly like =]
These video's don't really fit in with the mood but I've been listening to these all day.
This song is by a female artist called Wax. The title is translated roughly into "I want to love". I came across this song when I was listening to this song called "My Love My Fate" and I found out that Wax was the original. So here it is:
This is the song I was originally listening to: "My Love My Fate" by Janice. She's a Chinese singer but she sings in both Chineses and English. I was actually searching for chords for one of her English versions of a song, then I ended up stumbling on YT and listening to her stuff there. Then ended up listening to this live version of "My Love My Fate" and hence ended up listening to Wax. It might sound a little weird because it's cantonese, but I think Janice is an awesome singer... and I do quite like how she changed this concert version (from her usual version) ^^
It's such a wonderful life when the slightest things makes you so happy - and I live one of those lives. I wouldn't say it's always 'wonderful', but it's good enough when buy buying a muffin tin lifts your mood =P
Yesterday I went back to Specsavers for my appointment - I'm getting contact lenses. In fact, I've got some in right now: it's so bizarre because I can see without my glasses, and usually within my glasses, I need to squint to see far away; but now I can see far away, and when I squint, my vision doesn't actually change because I can see =D And this sounds rather stupid, but I decided to try my glasses on and hehehehehe I can't see with my glasses on =P (yes... I am that sad to try something like that =.=")
So... after that, I went to Debenhams, didn't buy anything... I did see a few cool things in the home section (I love looking at home sections) but they were rather expensive =[ I saw this cup thing that was basically like one of those paper cups you get from coffee shops if you buy a tea or hot chocolate to take out, but it was reusable, it was made out of glass and the lid was like a rubbery material. But it was a bit stupid because it's heavy and it breaks easily... oh it was a flask (that was the word I've been looking for) besides it looked like a paper coffee shop cup. It was a great idea if only they had made it lighter so people can actually use it on-the-go. Anyway, they had a few other cool things but was ridiculously over priced... and rather impractical. E.g. they had this espresso cup set where you get seven cups with Monday to Sunday written on each of them. So it's like, you use a different mug each day. And there's this stand that comes with it, where you basically stack them up. It looks good, but if you had it stacked with Monday at the top and Sunday at the bottom... isn't a pain in the butt if you wanted, say, the Saturday cup? You'd have to take all of the other cups out... it looked good but was stupid.
Anyway... then I went to Sainsbury... I love Sainsbury, but they're just too far. I ended up buying ice cream... I was craving ice cream the other day but Tesco Express didn't have any good ice cream. So there I was, walking with this tub of ice cream to the check out. Then I saw some pans and baking trays so I just glanced at it, then I saw the muffin trays! I made muffins for the UNICEF cake sale a few weeks back but I didn't have a muffin tray which screwed things over - although I did improvise pretty well... I made some make-shift muffin holders from tin foil and it worked amazing well =P So there I was, with ice cream and a muffin tray that was on offer. Muffin trays are ridiculously expensive now (I say everything is ridiculously expensive now, just because I am the one who pays for stuff now... and it's true that inflation is rather high...) I saw a muffin tray once, it was a really awesome silicon one, but I didn't buy it, then I went back and they didn't have it anymore =[ and all the other metal muffin trays are like £7... come on, it's only a muffin tin. So I bought mine for like £3.50 or something because it was half price =D As you can tell, I'm rather exciting about my muffin tin/tray... now I can bake good muffins =D
So... I was in a really good mood, having bought contact lenses, ice cream, a muffin tin and some other random stuff... then I was humming to myself and swinging my bag a bit until I walked past a police car with someone in it T_T That was embarrassing... I wasn't humming very loudly... but I always get super embarrassed... I never learn my lesson and keep singing/humming in public. These few days, there's been quite a lot of police around in Sheffield because of protests and stuff. Something about Nick Clegg is coming back and people are protesting against him... or something like that.
I talk a lot... so here's just a few photos to make this post a little less wordy...
After making lunch, I ate jelly =] Raspberry flavour ^^
It's approaching midnight and I should be off to bed soon... I'm determined to sleep earlier to avoid feeling like crap during early mornings. I started an anime called Paradise Kiss last night, just because I tend to need to watch something before I go to bed. I wasn't too sure of it at first, because the art seemed really weird and I wasn't sure that the storyline was my thing. But because it was made by the same producers as Nana, I thought I'd give it a go. I actually wanted to rewatch Nana because I just love that anime so much, but it's just too long... I just won't sleep and I'll end up not doing any work (not like I actually did work in the first place)... speaking of Nana, I still need to carry on reading the manga... Anyway, Paradise Kiss turned out okay. I wouldn't say that I loved it, but I liked it.
Paradise Kiss
So... Paradise Kiss is about his girl called Yukino (maybe? After 12 episodes, I still can't remember her name...) who is an obedient student and you know, the typical study-girl. Then one day she's approached by some people who are working on a clothes brand called 'Paradise Kiss', or 'Parakiss' for short. And they ask her to become their model for a school festival show... then a lot of stuff happens and she becomes their model. She also falls in love with the main dude, George, who is the designer of Paradise Kiss. And throughout the episodes, a lot of stuff happens up to the main show. Then the last two episodes are about after the show and how things work out for them etc. I didn't really like the ending... I won't spoil it by telling you how I didn't like it... but nonetheless, it was enjoyable. I'm still not convinced I like the art, though some of it was good. And I didn't like the inconsistency of the main girl's character. Sometimes she was timid, then sometimes she was really headstrong... and I just didn't feel like it fitted together very well at some parts. The music in this was alright... the storyline was pretty good. And I think the main reason I liked it was it gave that 'Nana feel'. It also had this 'life' feel... not just some typical shoujo anime where I can basically predict the whole series from episode 1. Anyway, if you have a spare four hours, give it a go ^^
I think I'm having a blogging rave today... I keep posting stuff... it's because it's my day off and I just have too much spare time on my hands. Besides cooking, I have done nothing productive x_x
Anyway, here's my udon ^^
Cutting the dough into strips so that they actually look like noodles =P
Boiling it. This bit takes forever T_T
Draining/rinsing it. I have to wash it in cold water for about 5 minutes, just to get all the starch off
Actually cooking it... adding flavour in the soup base
TA-DA! Those two round things are fish balls, they're amazing. And I had three pieces of crabstick left over so I thought I might as well eat them with my udon =]
Whilst I was waiting for the udon to cook, I took a photo from my balcony ^^
I think I have tried to make double chocolate chip cookies several times before and they never turn out too right. So... being as stubborn and competitive (with other cookie makers) as I am, I decided to give it another go and it turned out okay ^^
Batch one
Batch two
A gigantic cookie
The gigantic cookie fell when I tried to open the door =[ and hence only half of it is left =[
I had an amazing weekend in London, meeting my Portuguese friend, Ricardo... and I took Naa along. It was really tiring but really, really fun ^^
Here are some photos. I tried to limit myself and only post a selection of them, otherwise this post will be super long xP
My train to London
Naa's creepy lamb =P
Naa's room
My favourite painting in the Saatchi Gallery
Natural History Museum
Lion! So cute!
RAWRRRR!
JA JA! Naa & a peacock xD
Piccadilly Circus
Naa at Trafalgar Square
Uhh... our feet at Trafalgar Square =P
The National Gallery. I have to say, I've been in London countless times, but I have never been in the National Gallery before...
A cherry-blossom tree (maybe) in St James' Park
Naa on the Lonely Road.
Yes, I named the pathway in St James' Park, 'the Lonely Road'
David, an awesome musician in Covent Garden. I keep saying this, but it was like listening to the live version of mellow magic ^^
(mellow magic is a time at night on Magic 105.4 fm where they play some awesome old songs ^^)
