Entries for July, 2006
July 4, 2006
Okay?
Posted by eirene83 at 04:06 AM on July 4, 2006.
Hrm... One thing about me that gets me slightly worried most of the time is how my nails are _always_ this delicate shade of lilac.
On really good days, they'll be nice and pink.
On not so good days, they'll be bluish.
Otherwise, they're always, always lilac!
Some one, reassure me that my heart and circulation is perfectly fine? Please? Coz I'd feel really dumb going to the doctor's and saying, er... My nails are usually lilac... Is that healthy? Or... is that actually perfectly ok?
Posted by eirene83 at 04:15 AM on July 4, 2006.
Came across this bit while revising Criminal... just stuff about bail and all....Came across this case where the woman apparently burned her husband... and I felt a smirk on my face.
Don't ask my why... but just something about it made something inside me feel like laughing....
I scare myself sometimes...
Take The Lead
Posted by eirene83 at 12:38 PM on July 4, 2006 in .
Well now... I must say the movie didn't seem drift too far from what I expected. Very much like Dangerous Minds... or Only The Strong, for that matter... You know, the whole plot of a bunch of rejects and some teacher comes along and makes the difference... Only difference is, Take The Lead was based (or was it inspired? Can't remember) on a true story...
Anyhow, as a dancing-themed movie, I like it better than the rest I've watched... If only because you actually get to witness the teaching steps, instead of it whirling by in some 60-second clip accompanied by some song like Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time'... It didn't try to brush it off like it was something easy that people can just master...
And of course, I sat up during the demonstration for tango... Among all the dances, the tango was the one dance I nearly successfully mastered the steps... even with a lousy partner who kept getting his footing wrong.
Other than that... I can't comment much on the movie. Like I said, usual story of rejects with a teacher who believes in them, saves their lives, give them motivation, bla bla bla... *shrug* You can't stray far from that plot... Still... makes me wish that I could learn ballroom dance again. Properly. With a partner. That doesn't change. On a weekly basis.
I like dancing... I liked learning to ballroom dance... I just regret that I never properly attended the Dance Soc. classes. At first, I attended regularly... The lack of sufficient males to partner with didn't get to me. The fact that I had to learn both male and female roles didn't get to me; even if it was hell trying to not mix them up. What got to me, was how I never had a proper partner. Week after week, I would end up dancing with someone different... and it just screwed up the learning process for me, having to figure out where I had to lead (despite dancing the female part...) So yeah, I dropped out after a few months... Plus, it's really not that easy trying to dance the waltz when your partner is very consciously trying to maintain no-body-contact since I had to take bigger steps to compensate.
Sigh...
Actually... thinking about it... I think among the best partners I danced with... was with a guy I feel sure (even now)... hated my guts... Okay, maybe hate is too strong; how about gave off really strong vibes that he didn't like me...
*puzzled*
MV Doulos
Posted by eirene83 at 12:39 PM on July 4, 2006.
The world's largest floating book fair docks in Malaysia... and I'm stuck facing the most major exam of my life...
Dammit, this is not fun!!!
Sigh...
I just wanna go see what it's like... I don't have any book in mind that I particularly want to get and I definitely don't know if I'd be willing to pay full price for it... But I just want to board MV Doulos and see for myself what it's like...
But by the time my exams are over, it'd almost be close to when the ship will leave port for... Penang?... And let's ignore the fact that I have no idea how to get to Port Klang and where the Star Terminal is, anyway...
Sigh...
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake
Posted by eirene83 at 12:40 PM on July 4, 2006 in Recipes.
Ingredients:
250g butter
20g sugar
7 egg yolks
7 egg whites
170g sugar
190g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp milk powder
160g walnuts
100g chocolate chips
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and mix well. [Mixture A]
- Beat egg whites, adding sugar in 3 batches until they from stiff peaks. Mix egg whites into mixture A. [Mixture B]
- Sift flour and mix into Mixture B.
- Stir in walnuts and chocolates chip. Pour into lined and greased 9" cake pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes in a preheated oven of 180oC.
No pictures this time to accompany the mixing process... My camera battery was drained and I didn't have time to get a new pair, since I was already in the middle of mixing things... On hindsight, I think it was a rather good thing too, since the process turned out to be a lot messier than I remember it being... I do however, have pictures of the end result. I ended up baking 2 small cakes instead of one big one... There's something about my family and big things and insisting that they can't finish it. Some psychological thing, probably...
Anyhow, this recipe should make a lovely fluffy chocolate chip walnut cake. Should, since my recipes rarely produce the same results twice... But still, even if the texture isn't quite what you were aiming for, the flavour should be about right... (Hehe, kewl... I managed to write down the recipe from memory... and I got it right! Go me... Now, excuse me while I go tend to this burn on my inner arm from... accidentally hugging the cake pan while taking it out of the oven. Don't ask... It's just... things I seem to always end up doing..)
I passed half of one cake over to Tracy since there was no way my family could finish both of them... Wonder how she liked it?
Tanabata a.k.a Star Festival
Posted by eirene83 at 12:41 PM on July 4, 2006 in Library.
This festival is usually celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month (which this year, should be 31st July) but Japanese usually just celebrate it today, July 7th...
The legend was that the emperor's daughter, Orihime, was sitting beside the river of heaven (Milky Way). She had been weaving because her father, the emperor loved the beautiful clothes that she made. On this particular day, she was very sad because she realized that she had been so busy that she didn't have time to fall in love. Her father, Tentei, the ruler of the heavens, felt sorry for her and arranged a marriage with Kengyuu (who lived across the river, the Milky Way).
Their marriage was one of sweetness and happiness from the start; and everyday thereafter they grew happier and happier. But Tentei became very angry, because in spending so much time in her happy marriage, Orihime was neglecting her weaving. Tentei decided to separate the couple, so he placed them back in their original places, separated by the Milky Way. On only one night of the year would he allow them to meet, the 7th day of the 7th month.
Japanese usually celebrate the day by writing their wishes on a strip of paper and tying it to a bamboo tree, in the hope that the wishes came true.
I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I also seem to remember a Chinese tradition where the ladies would catch a spider on the night of the 6th and keep it in their sewing box. On the next day, they would open the box and those whose spider had weaved a complete web, would supposedly find their true love...
And I also recall my tuition teacher telling us a long time ago, that if we (the girls la, anyway) bathed with 7 different flowers, we would be attractive towards guys.... *shrug* We did it, but I don't know if it worked. 
(The 7th day of the lunar month is when the waxing crescent moon reaches its first quarter)
A Year Ago...
Posted by eirene83 at 12:41 PM on July 4, 2006 in .
A year ago today... we had just finished lunch when we heard the cheering and found out that London was picked to host the Olympics... The cheers were deafening as we made our way to the bus stand. A few minutes later, we gaped as the planes during the flew past, so low it felt as though I could reach up and touch the bottom, in celebration of the 'victory' and I laughed as he hit his head on the bus stand trying to catch a view of the planes, since I had already jumped up when I heard the droning of the planes. Years of living close to an airstrip taught me to recognise the sounds.
A year ago tomorrow... we woke up to the sounds of sirens and the city in chaos and watched in shock at the news of the bombing, realising what a close miss it was... Feeling thankful that we hadn't managed to wake up early to go for breakfast as planned... calling our families to reassure them we were fine and that we wouldn't leave the city until it was safe.
A year ago... things were so different...
I was on holiday, happy and facing my graduation ceremony.
Now, I'm on holiday, stressed and facing the biggest exam of my life.
Sigh...
July 8, 2006
I got tagged! ~by Sugi
Posted by eirene83 at 03:12 PM on July 8, 2006 in Fun stuff as a favorite post.
Name 20 people you can think of and then tag 5 more people to do the survey.
Do not read the questions before you write.
- Aileen
- Steph C.
- Andrew
- Gary
- Shaun A.
- Charlotte
- Cherie
- Matthew
- Priscilla
- Li Ming
- Colin
- Maggie
- Jonathan
- Nath
- Ronald
- Marcia
- Mae
- Kenny
- Zee
- Sugania
1. How did you meet #14 (Nath)?
Ooo... Good question this... Nath was (is) technically my first boyfriend... and my junior in A-Levels... I met him when I stuck my head into and interrupted their Literature class and found out I was supposed to pass him the tickets for our Lit. play to sell... Urm, the usual no-official-introduction kind of meeting... Unless you count my Lit teacher gesturing towards him and saying, 'Give Jon the tickets.' as introduction...
2. What would you do if you haven't met #1 (Aileen)?
Lol... probably missed out on a lot of cooking tips handed out while shopping in Somerfield; not have someone to cackle with during 3am MSN conversations and lose the chance to bond with someone as evil as me... 
plus not gotten to know a lot of really good manga and Harry-Draco fics. Love this girl...
3. What would you do if #20 (Sugania) and #9 dated (Priscilla)?
Urm... probably blink in wide-eyed shock since I never knew Sugi and Pris were bisexual and wonder what happened to Pris' boyfriend...
4. Would #6 (Charlotte) and #17 (Mae) make a good couple?
SNRK.... Well, as above.... IF they were bisexual... but then again, probably not... Somehow, I can't think of much they have in common... other than both being in London, loving museums, art and going for plays... and that probably isn't a good enough ground for a relationship.
5. Describe #3 (Andrew).
My fashion stylist, personal assistant, memo pad, soft toy, driver, procurer of all things computer-related and all things UK... among other 'duties'
*Hugs*
Lol... and the one person I've realised makes me happy and feel like there's nothing more I could ask for (besides passing CLP), is worth being with no matter how difficult things become, and who's always always so unquestioningly patient and understanding and my silent pillar of strength and support...
6. Do you think #8 is attractive (Matthew)?
*grin* My dearest darling-est, closest best friend I've had in ages... YEP!!! More personality-attractive than physically... but still yes, I think he's attractive in the way he's so endearingly adorable and blunt, among other things.
7. Tell me something about #7 (Cherie).
Spunky, sexy, sensual... Very confident and sure of herself. Poised, elegant and secretive.
8. Do you know anything about #12's (Maggie) family?
Has a really cool mom.... A brother who didn't recognise me after just one year of not seeing me...
9. What is #1's (Aileen) favourite?
Guys like Kyouya (Ouran Host Club), Umeda (Hana Kimi) and Hatori (Fruits Basket) - sends shivers down your spine; always deadpanned; gives you the chills...
10. What would you do if #11 (Colin) confesses that he/she likes you?
*grin* But he does like me... in the friendly, good person to talk to, kind of way... Lol... but not in the romantic sense... Probably because he's all the way in Canada, has a steady girlfriend and sees me as a good friend.
11. What language does #15 (Ronald) speak?
English, Malay, Cantonese... a smattering of Japanese? What else languages do you know, Ronald?
12. Who is #9 (Priscilla) going out with?
Chris ~ who's still studying in Gold Coast?
13. How old is #16 (Marcia)?
Oh... damn... good question... 22?
14. When was the last time you talked to #13 (Jonathan)?
Talk IRL.... probabllyyy... 2 years back... SMS... a couple of months ago to find out how his back was after he managed to twist his muscles very painfully...
15. Who is #2's (Steph C.) favourite singer?
Urmm... anything that's a soundtrack of anime?
16. Would you date #4 (Gary)?
EEWWWWWW!!!
Helll no!!!!!! We both talked about it... shuddered in unison... and agreed it would be a reallly realllly bad idea.
17. Would you date #7 (Cherie)?
YES! And yes and yes and yes... See above Q.7... Why wouldn't I want to date someone like that??? Anyone would be crazy to not find that attractive...
18. Is #15 (Ronald) single?
Yes?
19. What is #10's (Li Ming) last name?
Tho... Hehehe, kinda hard to forget since one of my classmates would always chant it sing-song and she would whack him upside the head...
20. Would you consider being in a relationship with #19 (Zee)?
Hmm... Probably actuallly... *grin* I remember one time when he made me beta this quiz he did: "Are You My Dream Girl?" because he said I knew him the best... and *rolls eyes*, I scored a 90% for 'Baby, We Must Marry' and 80% on 'We Could Try!'... Highest among all his friends...
But still... we do get along pretty well... and it's probably just him, but he points out a lot of things about me that other people don't notice... and the ability to make extremely educated guesses about me...
21. What schools did #17 (Mae) go to?
Oh shit... I have no idea... I do know she went to Australia to do her O and A-Levels... went to Uni. of Melbourne for a semester and is currently in LSE... But before that, no idea... And she's supposed to be my pet-sister too *ashamed*
23. What is your favourite thing about #5 (Shaun A.)?
Hmmm... He's always positive, optimistic and upbeat around me. He tends to encourage and reassures me every time I'm down, even if he's depressed about the same fact. I think he said it was because, even if he felt down, it wouldn't change things... so if he pretended, he could try and work things out.
24. What do you think about #13 (Jonathan)?
Drop-dead cute in the gorgeous, sexy hottie type of way... Good listener, knows how to party and have fun... and of course... he's my brother's best friend... *makes face* and yes... I did go through that phase of 'liking your brother's best friend...'
25. What do #4 (Gary) and #18 (Kenny) have in common?
They both were in Sheffield... and *wince* liked the same girl...
26. What special qualities does #5 (Shaun A.) hold in your life?
My one friend who can publicly embarass himself and his friends without feeling embarassed himself... And I can count on him to always be ready to lend a helping hand, no matter when, where, how or what time it is...
Well, that and he was the first guy I had a relationship with... (And if you're puzzled about how that could be after Q.1... well, let's just say I lead a complicated life... and my friends know that best)
LOL... Not much point tagging people actually, since not many people read this... but anyone who does read this... YOU'RE TAGGED!
July 11, 2006
Posted by eirene83 at 03:36 AM on July 11, 2006.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AILEEN!!
Shall we have a joint celebration after the exams to celebrate the end of exams and your birthday??
Fruits Basket
Posted by eirene83 at 03:49 AM on July 11, 2006.
Well... Remember how I mentioned I won 13 volumes of Fruits Basket on Ebay some time last month? Well, how I came to the decision of how much I was willing to pay per book was based on the fact, every Sunday in The Star's Otaku Zone, they would pick 2 manga for the week and offer a 20% discount for the book at Kinokuniya... One volume of Fruits Basket at Kino is about RM40... So RM40 - 20% was roughly RM32... So anything less than that was a pretty good sell.
Well, today finally was the day they reviewed Fruits Basket and offered the discount... But it was only for volume 13... Still, I'm pretty happy (or will be, once my manga arrive)... After all, I managed to snag them for roughly RM25 per book. ^_^
B-R-E-A-K
Posted by eirene83 at 03:54 AM on July 11, 2006.
Bon Odori was on Saturday...
Why wasn't it advertised?
No difference anyway, since I wouldn't have been able to go.
I did go in 2003, though...
I want a yukata.
B-R-E-A-K
Posted by eirene83 at 03:55 AM on July 11, 2006.
I suddenly remembered about MetroVision today during dinner.
I think it came out some 10 years back? The 'new kid' on the block compared to channels 1, 2 and 3... It had pretty good series, I remember... Of course, it also died a couple of years back. It went off-air for a revamp, supposedly... and never came back.
Now we have Ntv7, 8TV and Channel 9...
B-R-E-A-K
Posted by eirene83 at 03:55 AM on July 11, 2006.
My brain keeps tripping over Wednesday and jumping straight to the part where exams are over...
By tomorrow, this will all be over...
W-E-E-K-E-N-D
Posted by eirene83 at 03:56 AM on July 11, 2006.
Speaking for myself, from what I've heard, I think this year is a pretty dramatic CLP year... and there's still 2 more papers to go.
W-E-E-K-E-N-D
Posted by eirene83 at 03:57 AM on July 11, 2006.
The examiners are rocking the boat and everyone's hanging on for dear life.
Let's hope that they lower the damned passing rate, after screwing us over by changing the entire board of examiners for all the papers this year.
July 12, 2006
Posted by eirene83 at 05:16 PM on July 12, 2006.
Ow.... when my exams are over, I'm so going to need a massage...
Turning my head nowadays... sounds like I have ball-bearings loose in my neck somewhere.
Posted by eirene83 at 05:33 PM on July 12, 2006.
This blog will only be minimally updated if at all from tomorrow until the 26th of this month.
July 15, 2006
Sooonn...
Posted by eirene83 at 05:45 PM on July 15, 2006.
Movies that I think I want to watch
- Pirates of the Caribbean, one and two
- The Lake House
- Just My Luck
- The Voice
- Re-cycle (maybe?)
DVDs I might want to get
- Hero
- The King and I
- Anna and the King (for Tom Felton? Maybe...)
- Daisy
Medium
Posted by eirene83 at 05:54 PM on July 15, 2006 in .
I saw this clip for 'Medium' during the nightly Korean dram my mom and I always watch... and it seemed pretty interesting. At least, it seems to be more interesting than 'Ghost Whisperer' which is pretty much along the same lines...
So first episode, Allison Dubois (the main star) works in the Phoenix District Attorney's office. Of course, she's still at the stage where she's denying her powers etc, etc ,etc... I don't get it. I mean, these people are supposed to have their powers since young, so how is it that even at age 30(?), you're still saying it's not real? Or is it thanks to all the adults saying things like, Ghosts (fairies, aliens, replace with object of your choice) don't exist?
Anyway, quote from the show, "Even among the special, you're special.." But of course... she's the main star after all... she's supposed to be special...
But still, I kinda like it... I might continue watching it... or just download it or something... I definitely like it better than 'Ghost Whisperer'... maybe because she's using her powers to help detect crime and work in the DA's office? [As opposed to being (or attempting to be?) normal, own an antique furniture store and helping regular dead people?] and sensing the future?.... Plus... she's an intern... going to Law school... married to an Aerospace engineer... a rocket scientist... How can I possibly not find that cute?
Posted by eirene83 at 06:11 PM on July 15, 2006 in Foodie stuff.
I finally have my tea!!!!
Actually... I think I have enough tea for one person to drink... for the next 7 months... Let's see... I have
- Chai
- Vanilla & Coconut
- Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla
- Echinanae & Raspberry
- Cranberry, Raspberry & Elderflower
- Camomile & Limeflower
- Camomile, Honey & Vanilla
- Camomile & Spiced Apple
- Pure Peppermint
- Lemon & Ginger
- Lemon Burst
- Peach & Passionfruit
- Orange, Mango & Cinnamon
- Pink Grapefruit, Mandarin & Lime
Yeah... I know... that's a lot of tea... Oh well... I don't mind, and most of it is caffeine-free, which is good since my dad isn't allowed to take anything with caffeine in.
But I'm a little peeved that Sainsbury didn't update their online page properly when I just checking through it... If they had, I wouldn't have needed to order from Twinings online.... Oh well...
July 27, 2006
TADAIMA!
Posted by eirene83 at 01:01 AM on July 27, 2006.
FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE . FREE
July 30, 2006
Work
Posted by eirene83 at 12:51 PM on July 30, 2006.
The first day of a [very] deserved holiday and what do I do?...
Play mercy mission for my family doctor who's extremely short-staffed.
What the...?
Yeah, I know I know... but I felt sorry for him... and I was wringing him for extra pay (which I got)... so not so much of mercy mission anyway.
Still, I managed to oversleep and it took a personal wake-up call from him to get my butt over to the clinic. Ye gods... and I thought Wednesday would be the last day I need to wake up at an ungodly hour.... until I get a job, that is.
Anyhow... Took a while for me to fall back into the whole routine of dispensing medicine, filing and looking for patient records... Business was quite slow... and there really wasn't much to do.
So yeah... that's how I spent my first day of holiday. Behind the counter at my family clinic. Still... I got paid for it, so no complaints. Hehehe, not much of a mercy mission eh, when I'm getting well-paid.
Friday filler
Posted by eirene83 at 12:51 PM on July 30, 2006.
Whew, what a day!!!
Finally got to doing all the laundry that got stacked up during the whole exam week! (And what a lot it was! I'm going to have to do another load for it.)
But of course, with my luck, it started pouring a few hours after my laundry was done... Sigh, and my mom didn't believe me when I said that it always tends to rain everytime I'm doing my laundry.
Hmm, anyway... pretty dull day. Went to MV planning to watch Pirates 2, but the only seats left were the ones right in front (of course) and the plan to wait for the reserved seats to be released was scrapped when the queue got too long. Guess just have to wait for another day then.
Pretty much it actually... I need to go to a mall sometime soon anyway, to get some shopping for work clothes done so while I'm there, I'll try and catch the movie.
Swweeett...
Posted by eirene83 at 12:52 PM on July 30, 2006.
Oh, life is sweet...
Aileen, Gary, Shaun and I headed for lunch after [finally] sitting for the last paper... T'was really really fun. Had Japanese at a place behind Gary's house and then just sat around talking crack, playing Tekken 5 and generally just making a lot of noise and being a nuisance... Hope we didn't irritate Gary's mom too much.
It's been such a long while since the 4 of us got together... We blame it on Shaun for not appearing in class
From 2 to about 9, we just kept on talking and cracking up... I think we annoyed the other customers at the Japanese restaurant too, when we started discussing best/worst commercials we've ever seen/heard on the top of our voices and keeling over laughing all the while.
All in all, it was good... No stress, no pressure and hanging out with friends who crack you up... Sweeettt...
Sunday filler
Posted by eirene83 at 01:00 PM on July 30, 2006.
What a nice, slow day... Finally, a Sunday where I can sleep in, lounge about like a lazy pig and not have anyone nag at me to eat (I always get nagged at to eat properly during exam times... I suppose to keep up my energy levels or something.)
Did nothing, went nowhere, just sat around and vegetated.
Joy.
Oh and I did a spot of web-camming session with a friend from UK... It's been a long time since I webcammed. Didn't have much use for it during my 2nd year in UK.
A very nice day, overall.
July 31, 2006
Random
Posted by eirene83 at 03:09 AM on July 31, 2006.
Man, it's hard to believe that it's been only 5 days since my exams were over... It feels like so much longer than that. The beauty of time... I'm just happy that it's not flying away
