Appreciation

BIG word huh?

You know the feeling of how you appreciate something only when you have lost it?

Something like how someone would feel when their parent's are no longer here and how they could've loved them more, treated them better, or wished that they were still here to do all those stuff?

That's my current feeling now.

Not that I've lost anyone, but I'm leaving to Australia in exactly 2 weeks from now and I've only just realized how I never appreciated this.

It has been with me my whole life, yet I took it for granted. Sometimes I even thought that it was unnecessary.

I always thought I could live without it, but now I found out that I can't.

I'm starting to appreciate it.
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The answer is bonds.


The feeling of being away from my family has gotten to me. I want to treat them better, be closer to them and treasure every emotion we shared.


Plus, Chinese New Year has given me the opportunity to do this. I've met relatives from near and far, tall and short, old and young.


This year's CNY has taught me to cherish these bonds I have with people as they cannot be seen, heard, bought or broken.


Yet bonds exist and would connect people in ways you could never imagine.


For example, I used to dislike going to my mother's side of the family.

To me, they were just not "cool" enough to be related to me.

Small issue it might be, but somehow I couldn't get over it. Until now... =D


I felt like my relatives from Malacca were closer to me than ever in the last 20 years and as though they had been right beside me all these years. =)


Relatives from Malacca 2003


My cousins used to be cute, but they're still lovable right now. =)

Cousins @ Cameron Highlands 2006


My playful little cousins didn't felt so annoying anymore, instead they are so lovable... =D

My elder cousins whom I rarely meet are like my best friends now. =)

I'm regretting now that I threw away their email addresses right after sending them photos. =/

Somehow I even enjoyed my parents' nagging. xD




Well... you get the idea. =p

But I've never felt so good in my life knowing that they were and will be always by my side when I need them.


Now I'm trying my best to stay connected with them even when I'm in Australia.

Such as installing Skype for my cousin so she could ask me maths questions even when I'm thousands of miles away.


The thing is, we must learn to appreciate the people and things around us.


I know you must've heard this a million times already but hear it from me:


APPRECIATE your family;

APPRECIATE what they've done for you;

APPRECIATE that you're not unwanted;

APPRECIATE the bonds that you have with people;

APPRECIATE how you obtained the technology to read this blog entry;

APPRECIATE everyone around you, before it's too late;


and



It's never too late to start now. =)




I could've cared for him more...
My deceased grandfather (mum's side) 2006


I'm also forgetting how many cared for me.
Father side of the family 2004


I've forgotten how I used to kiss my parents and say "I Love You".
My 18th birthday celebration 2006


My favourite cousin! (White shirt on the left)
Although we have our own lives now, but we're still close eventhough we rarely meet or talk.
My 15th birthday 2003.


I've forgetten how we survived together for 10 days...
Outward Bound School,
Youth Adventure Camp (Mulu) 2004


I also forgot how warm it was being in this "family"...
New Year's Eve at Shu Lin's house 2005/2006.


Spending time with my relatives and friends has made me cherish every moment that I spent with them so that our bonds will never be forgotten nor broken.



BY THE WAY, my Skype name is sekszewei.

If anyone wants to talk, just Skype me. =)


Random thought : I wonder what's the correct way to pronounce "Skype"? Is it "Sky-p" or "Sky-pee"?
I prefer the former but my parents are fond of the latter. =p

Update!!

Update No.1 : Happy Chinese 牛(niu) Year!!

It's the beginning of the year of the ox!!

Wishing everyone a happy and joyful lunar new year! =)



(Click on image to enlarge)


祝你们

一帆风顺

二龙腾飞

三羊开泰

四季平安

五福临门

六六大顺

七星高照

八方来财

九九同心

十全十美

百事可乐

千事吉祥

万事如意

十万幸福

百万富翁

千万要健康，要平安，要快乐，要知足，

还有。。。

千万不要忘记我呀!! :D


For those who can't read this, you can either:

1) Go for mandarin classes =)
OR
2) Only remember the last one :

Don't ever forget me!! =D



Update No.2 : From PC to Laptop

I finally thought it over and decided that a laptop would be more convenient for my stay in Australia. =)


Firstly, I could bring it to places such as the library, classroom, lecture hall, etc. to do my work if necessary. :)


Secondly, I don't need to bring one entire CPU and a large monitor, not to mention accessories such as a keyboard, mouse, webcam, etc.


That's a very big plus considering my check-in weight limit of 30kg for MAS.


If anyone is wondering, this is my laptop :
Dell Inspiron™ 1525



Update No.3 : Canon PIXMA iP1980

Nope, it's not a digital camera, but a printer instead! :D


One of the newest from Canon, it is an upgrade of its predecessor, the PIXMA iP1880.


Capable of printing more pages per minute (ppm) as well as being reliable and lasting. =D


I asked Min-Yi about his PIXMA iP1880 and one black ink cartridge could last him for one whole semester. (I bought 2 extra! =P)


I'm bringing this printer along to Australia as well so the plus in weight I mentioned above is more than convenient for me. =)





For more details about the printer, click here.



Update No.5 : Car broke down


It was only today that my family realised that the Honda car that me and my sister was using kinda went haywire! o.O


At first, it was the alarm system problem.


The alarm would go off in 5 seconds after the doors were locked using the remote. So we had to lock it manually using the key.


Then after my visit to Low Yat today, I wanted to stop at Bangsar Village to look around but then I realised that the brake lights would not turn off.


Even when my headlights were not on, the brake lights remain on.


So I drove home hoping to solve the problem before driving it out again.


My mum couldn't solve the problem so she disconnected the battery so it wouldn't die off because of the brake lights.


Then, my father reached home and he realised that the tyre of the Honda car was botak! (in other words, smoother surface and less grip)


Also, because my front porch can only house 2 cars, he wanted me to park the Honda outside so my mum's Avanza could park inside.


I reconnected the battery and tried to start the engine.


Guess what?? The battery died anyway!! *Frustrated*


It was like a cracked dam, where all the problems started pouring down one after another.


So now we have to bring it to a workshop for repairs. =/
(hope it's not that expensive)


My sister was even thinking of watching a movie tomorrow together with my cousins. But now that the car is unavailable, we'll have to think of another way.


Well... there's always the bus. =)


If the worst ever comes, I could even walk there. =D

P/S: Did you notice there was no Update No.4?
Coz 4 is not a very nice number during CNY... XP

MNP is so convenient...

Let's say you're using a 016 line and obviously that comes from DiGi.

But you realise that DiGi's reception and coverage is not as good as Maxis although their rates are the cheapest.

So you wanna change to Maxis but you're haunted by all the problems faced when changing to a new number.


Relatives would go "you're changing your number AGAIN??"
(if you've changed for the 3rd time in 1 year)


Friends would say "you didn't tell me about your new number"
(if you tend to forget, like me)


My family would still dial the old number and complain about how they can't get through to me.


I tend to go for the nicer numbers with double this or triple that, so sometimes I would get random calls like "Siti ada tak?" "Hi, I would like a Char Siew Fan, add rice"





So you see how frustrating it gets JUST to change to another telco?

This is where the MNP comes in. (Mobile Number Portability)

With this, you can change from any telco to any telco of your choice WITHOUT having to change your original number.

Remember this post about MNP?



I could've changed to DiGi without changing my number but I didn't.


My number used to be 019-XXXX007 (Celcom).


At that time, I wanted to change to DiGi so I changed my number to 016-XXXX007 (DiGi).


This time, because I'm going to Australia soon, I changed my 016 line to Maxis Prepaid (Hotlink) so that I won't lose the number when I get back.


All I had to do was go to Maxis (TTDI) to apply and make sure I don't owe DiGi anything in terms of billing.




Why Maxis? Why not Celcom?


Firstly, I heard from my friends that Maxis allows you to keep your prepaid line active for 365days (1 year) by paying RM33. (not top up)


Second of all, I know some of my friends sometimes doesn't reply my messages because a message from Maxis to other telco costs 3 times more than Maxis-to-Maxis.


So now that I've changed to Maxis, SMS-ing between us is way cheaper. (No more excuse not to reply =P)




Now that my mum knows that I've ported my number to Maxis that easily, she's thinking of doing the same because she thinks that the Maxis family package is cheaper. =)


All I wanna know now is, what will happen to the supplementary lines if the principle line changes to another telco? Will they be converted to the new telco's supp line as well?


Short announcement :
There's a last minute vacancy for the on-campus accommodation!! And I've already applied for it. Now there's one less thing to worry about when I get to Australia. =)


That's all and thanks for reading. =)

2nd seal, release! Bankai!!

Haha...

"Bankai" is a word I learned from watching Bleach and basically means to release the second seal. (I think)

"Shikai" is the first seal.


I did my "shikai" around the end of 2007 and it didn't hurt as much as I thought.


That time, I felt a little different, like there's a hole and all the "spirit power" is flowing out through it.


I don't feel any stronger, but just a little more sensitive.


I also felt the need to plug the hole because I was not used to the emptiness.


Heck, I couldn't even eat properly.


This time was no different from the first. I did my "bankai" just a few days ago.


Although I couldn't feel any pain, but I can sense that this time it was wayyy harder than the last. It took more time and effort, not only from me, but others as well.


But when it was all over, I felt like I had double the "spirit power" and it was overflowing.


So again, I had the need to plug the emptiness that was created.


When I reached home, I couldn't even eat because of the overflowing "spirit power".


But the most important thing was that the second seal is now released and I can live a better life.


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Confused?

Shikai = Pulled out my 1st wisdom tooth
Bankai = Pulled out my 2nd wisdom tooth
Spirit power = Blood


Hehe... =D


When I pulled out my second tooth, the dentist showed me the tooth and there was already a cavity on it. Thank god I had it pulled out before it spread. =)

Another thing is, my right wisdom tooth was practically scratching the inside of my cheek whereas the left one was still okay.

I wanted to pull the right one out but the dentist pulled out the left one instead when I first visited.

So I had to visit a second time to get rid of the nuisance.




"It took more time and effort, not only from me, but others as well."

I had to walk 10 minutes to wait for a bus that was late.

So I took a taxi to the LRT station then took the LRT to Pudu where the dental clinic is.

That was only my part. =)


On the dentist's part, he took twice as much time and effort to pull out my tooth.

I know that because I can feel that he was using a lot of strength while pulling it out. =P

He also took about 3 tries before getting the whole tooth out.

Apart from that, I think he broke off part of the outer layer of my tooth which revealed that it had a cavity. =O



After pulling out the tooth, I couldn't eat hot food for that day and the day after.


I also had to take antibiotics in case I had an infection.


So troublesome just to pull out one tooth. =P


I still remember the days when my father used a playar
(yes, the one from the tool box)
to pull out my baby tooth when I felt that it was loosening.


Basically, he wrapped the playar with a cloth then stick it into my mouth.


Of course I felt extremely uncomfortable with something so large stuck in my mouth. But since he insisted, I couldn't say no. =/


I also remember the times when we (me and my siblings) threw our baby tooth on our rooftop for... a reason which I forgot. =P


Now that the tooth is gone, so is the uneasy sensation of something scratching my cheek everything I move my jaw. =)


Thanks for reading! =D

Do cats really have 9 lives?

Today was a kind of a "special" day for me.


Why? Because I actually woke up and went for football at Belinda this morning.


That was AFTER 2 alarms, 6 snoozes and 5 calls from Yi Qing. =P


I also cycled there instead of drive... (Save the environment!) =D


Managed to score one own goal too! xP


After playing, we normally meet at the restaurant behind SMKDU for breakfast. =P


On my way to the restaurant, I would normally pass by my ex-secondary school, SMKDU on my right. =)


While I was in a good mood, cycling and minding my own business, I saw this cat staring at me. And before I knew it, it was approaching me slowly while I was cycling at medium speed.


This was how it looked like :



The cat even timed its movements so it will collide with my bicycle!! Well actually more like getting squashed by me. =/


I was like: "Wtf? You really think you got nine lives??" @_@


Luckily I braked quick enough for the cat to escape but I can say that if I'd stopped a moment later the cat would literally be dead. =(





Speaking of cats, I wonder why cats need not have a license while for dogs, it's compulsory? =?


We were discussing this over breakfast and came across a few sensitive issues which I'm not going to disclose here. =/


But the main point is, I want to have a pet... As in, a REAL pet!


Not like turtles or hamsters who can't really show affection or emotion in an obvious manner. On top of that, it's not like you can take them out for a walk... =p


Yes, I have tried over the years to own a pet such as a dog by asking it for my birthday but it never works!!


The first reason was that my siblings were sensitive towards fur, my mum called it "weezing".


Then there was the issue of RESPONSIBILITY.


My parents just loved to use big words like this when we wanted something and they won't give it to us. =/


After my siblings were cured, my sister tried asking for a cat on her birthday. I wanted a dog, but if they would allow a cat, I don't mind! =p


Again, we were horribly denied of a pet.


My parents never believed that we could take care of a pet when we couldn't even take care of ourselves.


IMO (In my opinion), if we were never given the chance, how would they know we couldn't??


I really hate those people who think that some things are fixed and wouldn't change no matter what you do.
(Phang Chung Kent that's you!)


At least you tried your best!! Right?


So... recently, about a month ago Qi Liang and his dad picked up a stray kitten and took it to the vet to be vaccinated. They also asked if anyone wanted to have it since they already have a dog and a cat.


I WANTED IT!!!


But I am going to Australia soon then no one would be willing to take care of it when I'm gone...

And even if that wasn't the case,
the answer is still "NO".


Sad... but true... =(


I've even talked to some pet owners and one of them, a mum, said that initially only her daughter wanted a dog and she only let her have it if her daughter took full responsibility of the dog's well being.


But after having the dog for a few months, it became no different from family. It was loved by everyone and anyone would be willing to bath it, feed it, take it for a walk, etc.


I really hope that it would happen to me but I don't think it would be anytime soon. =/


Sorry if I bored you with this. =P


That's all and thanks for reading! =)

Genting trip with LAN-mates!

Haha yeah... Yet another Genting trip...


This time it was with friends from Moral Studies! =D


We were supposed to meet at Monash University at 7.30am but Alex got stuck in a traffic jam at Klang... So Jen Hong picked me up and off we went to Genting!! =D


At the escalator... =)

From left : Yih Chiann, Zeming and Me


On the way to the "Train ride" thingy... =P

Front : Yih Chiann
Back (from left) : Me, Siu Yen (JH's gf), Jen Hong, Alex


On the ride itself! =)

Yih Chiann looked so scared... xD


Look at the amount of goldfish behind us! =O



From left : Jen Hong, Yih Chiann, Zeming, Alex and me! =)


Me, Yih Chiann and Zeming on the "Pirate Ship"! =D

Yih Chiann slept throughout the whole ride!
P/S : She was too scared to look! =p


All of us getting ready for the Fun Cart!! =)

Front : Me, Siu Yen, Yih Chiann and Zemin
Back : Alex and Jen Hong


Introducing...

Alex the Lion!! =D
(Madagascar the movie)


After the race...

Me with Jen Hong at the background. =)
P/S: My cart was freaking slow!! Grr...


Jen Hong and me on the Space Shot! =D



Decided to sit on a calmer ride... xP



Don't underestimate this lion, it's warm!! =D



The girls also enjoyed its warmth! =D

From left : Alex, Yih Chiann, Zeming and me! =)


What's the difference between this pic and the previous one?

Answer: The cigarette in Alex's hand. =)


Me and Alex. =D



Jen Hong took these photos without knowing that the smile trigger was on! LOL!! xD


Me, Siu Yen, Jen Hong,


Yih Chiann, Zeming and Alex


on the way to

Dinosaurland!! =D




RAWR!!


Birdies...

After I took this photo, they told me no cameras were allowed.
Apparently we have to pay for their photo.


Yih Chian, Zeming and I

on the suspension bridge. =)


Then we went to the Coffee Terrace for lunch! =)

Yih Chiann, Zeming and Alex! =D


Look how creative they were!! =D



The food there was really good! =D

YUM!! xD


Alex trying the smile trigger =)



Trying all his weird smiles... xD


Jen Hong and his girlfriend, Siu Yen

We were so bloated that we felt sleepy... =)


Zeming and Yih Chiann

on the Merry-Go-Round. =)


I was

sitting backwards. =P



Jen Hong : Why didn't you wait for me? =P


Jen Hong and Siu Yen



What's he looking at?

He was like that for a good 5 minutes! =D


Me

lying on the cradle. =)


Me and Jen Hong. =P



Zeming trying to

immitate Alex's smoking when we could see the vapour blowing out of our mouths. =)


That's all for now...


Enjoy! =D

Hostel full!

OMG... My application for the on-campus accommodation in Australia has just been rejected...


I guess it's my fault for submitting this like... SUPER LATE!! =P


Now I have a find accommodation outside...


Actually my criteria for accommodation quite simple only :
1) Near the campus
2) Reasonable rent (AUD130-170/week)
3) Decent place to stay in

Stuff like laundry services, house-keeping, good housemates, etc. would be good too! xP


Luckily for me I have a friend whose aunt lives in Australia and she's going to Australia on the same flight as me! =D


So I'll be staying in her aunt's house for a few days... Hopefully that'll be enough for me to find a good place to stay in... =)


Thanks Zeming!! =D

Good news / Bad news

Hey hey!!


Got a few good news and some bad news. =/


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Good News :
Exchange period extended!! =D

WOOHOO!!! I initially wanted to exchange to Australia for a year but my dad insisted that I go for only the minimum 6-months. =(

But since Australia is now in recession, their currency dropped drastically and he agreed to let me extend my stay in Australia up to a year!! =D

Bad news :
Extra charges apply. =(

I have to pay ANOTHER $AUD350 (approx. RM900) to apply for a visa to last for the second half of the year. =/

And now that I'm staying for a year, I'm applying for on-campus accommodation and TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!! OMG!!

Then there's the deposit of $AUD350 for processing my application. So I had to withdraw all my money and borrow some from my sister to buy a bank draft to pay for it.

$AUD350 X2 = $AUD700 = RM1800 (approx)

That's an extra $AUD350 compared to if I had applied for a whole year straight away.

The cause is the visa. No matter how long you've applied for, one application = $AUD350. So I paid $AUD350 extra unnecessarily compared to my other friends who applied for a year and only paid $AUD350 ONCE.


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Good News :
Free handphone!! =D


A few days back I asked Min-Yi about the free phones they give in Australia.

Then I checked their website @ Three Australia

Guess what I found?? =O



After changing the cap to $AUD29 per month, I only have to pay another $AUD5/month extra for the free phone! =D

Although they don't have the colour I want (blue) but I guess it's quite worth it.


Bad news :
Two-year contract. =(

I have to sign a 24-months contract with them for the free handphone.

But if I choose to terminate my line before the deadline, I have to pay $AUD34 per month (29+5) for the rest of the 24-months as compensation. =/

Since I'm going there for around 11 months (Feb-Dec), I have to pay an extra $AUD442 to keep the phone, which is around RM1100, the same price as it is here in Malaysia for the original set as of today.

The only difference is that I'm gonna use the travel grant provided by Monash ($AUD4000) to pay for it. So it's practically free for me!! =D
(Wait, that's the good news, right? =P)


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Good News :
Traffic sky-rocketed!! =D

On usual days, my blog traffic looked like this :



But today,



Haha I know I know... It's not really a big number but it's been a while since my blog had this much traffic. I used to have an average of 20 visits a day, which dropped to 10 when I seldom updated.

Bad news :
Update more often. =(

I know some might say :
"What?! You call this bad news??"

Well... yeah... xD

Everytime I update I need some inspiration and that doesn't exactly grow on trees!! xP

Then there are those who are lazy to read so they would only browse through if there are pictures. =p

This is why I have come up with some visual aid nice pictures for those who are visually impaired right-brain dominant(art & creativity). xP


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So... How did today's inspiration come by? =)

I took my Moral Studies exam today and it sucks. =/

But my inspiration did come from there though...

In one of the questions they asked about Taoism.

In Taoism, there is ying and yang, which is two opposite and equal energies which balance each other.

So for every positive, there must be a negative. =)

That was what inspired today's post. =D



Thanks for reading!! =)


Enjoy!! =D