Finally..it's over!!

I havent been writing on my wall because I had exams and now it is finally done...let me give you an overall summary of my exam performances...
a) chinese - the final was not that hard but just a bit confusing. But, I think I did really good so I am not that scared.
b) Disability Studies - totally screwed up during the presentation. I thought that this class will be a good class but it is not. I am not sure what am I going to get for this class. Hopefully, she will not be that harsh in grading. But, I felt that I really learnt a lot in this class so what more can I say.
c) Accounting - This class is not the same as the ACC 221 class but I liked it just the same. The final was pretty challenging but I managed to work it out. Everything seems pretty okay
d) MIS - One of my best classes so far. I thought that MIS will be boring and etc but it turns out to be okay. I managed to pull off a good feat in this class and I am happy. If Miami had good MIS professors, I think I would take that as my minor.
e) Economics - Easily my hardest class throughout this semester. I also put in a lot of time and effort in this class but after the final I know that I screwed it up big time. Oh well, shit happens and I just have to live with it.

And, there you have it. The classes that I took last semester. I am not going to guess what my gpa will be this semester but I know that my parents will freak out. You know what that means
I think I gave everything I had for this semester. I always regret when these kind of things happens but I guess I need to accept the reality...

Black Friday shopping

You might be wondering why am I posting something related to shopping. You might think that I am a freak or something. After reading this post, you will get your answers and I will get recognition. After you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, you wait till midnight for the craziest sale ever. In Cinderella, the princess had to rush home because all her magical will be gone after midnight. Black Friday means that all shops open its doors at the stroke of midnight with huge sales on its products.
I decided to tag along with my friends because I had nothing better to do. At this time, I probably would be sleeping but I wanted a change and I needed to get out of o'boring Oxford. We went to Jeffersonville mall which is an hour drive from Oxford. This mall is an outlet mall and it suited me. The drive was relaxing until we reach the destination. From afar, we saw a massive traffic jam. I guessed we are in for some torrid time.
Let me make some comparisons between Malaysia' traffic jam and Jefferson mall traffic jam. Malaysia: people randomly making their own parking places, everybody overtaking each other, honks beeping, people swearing and etc.
Jefferson: Everybody park at the desired place, cars patiently lining up in line, no honks beeping, and no swearing.
We found a parking place and we reached the outlet mall. From there, we parted and went our separate ways. First, I went to American Eagle Outfitters and brought a jacket. It was on SALE....damn!!I got lucky...I walked to Van Huesen and this place was even better. All items were 50% off and adding icing to the cake, Van Huesen added 20% more on all goods. I brought a coat that originally cost $150 but I only paid $34. That a good deal. I looked at my watch and it was 3,00am. (yes 3am)
I walked further again and went to Puma, Nike and Adidas to look for shoes. To my amaze, everything was on sale. Surprise, Surprise! But, I did not get anything from there. Shoes was not neccessary for me because I have enough shoes. The time on my watch says 4am and I am still wide awake. At Puma, I saw my SAT friend and Ivan's cousin, Mun Yi. We exchanged greetings and she parted ways. Then, I met Dexter, my Futurekids friends. I realized that I seen a lot of Ohio State Universities. Go Buckeyes!!
I think the craziest shop was Coach....People queue up in the cold for an hour just to get in and splurge themselves by wearing and showcasing their expensive bags and wallet. The rich and the famous, bleah!!!
Finally, at six, we decided that it is time to stop shopping and head back home. I officially love Black Friday shopping because of the amazing sales. I will mark my calendar next year and hope to go again with my shopping list of things to buy....I did not know shopping would be so fun...haha!!Now, I understand......

Election Day

Every time I turned on the television, I always switch back and forth to CNN because this year is a historical year for the United States whatever the outcomes is. This is the first year the United States of America will have an African-American president of the USA representing the Democratic party or a female vice president for the Republican party. I have been keeping up with the presidential debates and I feel that both candidates are strong and have the experience to improve America economy which is declining right now. Just for your information, America is going through hard times and America might be experiencing the exact situation in 1930's where the Great Depression took place. As you know, housing is bad(Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac being taken over by the government), Washington injecting $700 billion bailout to banks, unemployment is at a all time and etc. The next president needs to rise to the occasion and save America but we all know that a president can do everything he can to improve the nation, ultimately it lies upon America citizens to join hands and unite. There is a saying, " When the going gets tough, the tough gets going". I know that this is a matter of opinion, but Senator Barack Obama has always inspired me through his speeches and make me realize that there is always hope. I also like his quote "Change We Need". America desperately needs a change and after 8 years of Bush regime, it is time for America to embrace a new change. A change for the better, change for a new hope, THE Change We Need. I think that Senator McCain will also serve his country the way he serves during his time as a military, no doubt about that. I applaud McCain for his endless support to lead his country and the sacrifices he made for his country. Today is the day of the final elections and the most historical days ever. Senator Barack Obama is elected as the 44th president of the USA and the first African-American to lead the country. I am looking forward for the next president to step in Congress and make a change that will make America the leading nation for the world. Whatever it is, I am ready to embrace the CHANGE.

P.S: I have no intentions of offending anyone or anybody who reads this blog. Seriously, I am just blogging this because this is a historic moment and I just had to write something about this moment. That the point of blogging right? Please do not feel offended...

Halloween

Last year, I skipped Halloween because I did not get a costume but this year I decided that it was time for me to have a blast on Halloween. I wanted to buy a Joker costume online but I figured that everybody would dress like him. Since this is my first Halloween, I want it to be something special and unique. As usual, the plan did not go too well and buying online did not seem like a good option. So, I went to the nearest grocery shop, Kroger and brought a mask. I was the ghost aka Grim Reaper for a day. It was the easiest,cheapest and coolest option. At least I think it was. I put on my mask and headed to AAA party. People dress up for specifically for this event and whoever who comes but are not dressed up are fined 3 shots of alcohol. Some of the pictures I took with my AAA friends....

Jenny was the Godess and that is me over there...

Iris was the football girl...

My sister was Batgirl and Christine was "I dunno who she is"

Becca was the gyspy lady....I think!!

Orbit Girl...simple, cute and pretty...

Hui Hui the cowgirl and Rebekah the teenage witch...

The group picture...

After the Halloween house's party, we were able to walk to 45 East bar which was cool. The whole street was full of people with costume. This is the spirit of Halloween. I am gonna be prepared for next year.....Till then, Trick or treat, and Happy Halloween!!

Japanese Sushi

After two horrendous weeks of studying and interviewing, I finally got the time to do get my life back. I realized that I am really good at balancing my time to get things organized and keep-up-to-date with studies, work, and everything else. This is the most valuable lesson that I learnt since coming to Miami. Maybe Miami has changed me to be equipped with obstacles and challenges that come my way.
Moving back to the main subject, it has been awhile since I last ate sushi in US. Eating sushi in Ohio is like eating abalone in Malaysia. It is so expensive and the portion is so small. On Tuesday, my roomate, Dongyeun and few other Korean girls decided to try out this new sushi place in Cincinatti. He drove us down and we reached the place in 30 minutes. The restaurant was sushi style buffet which is good. They have everything that we wanted, from Fish Roe, Salmon Roll, Udon and etc. It was the best place to go to eat sushi. The best part is it was not that expensive for a buffet. It was only $16 excluding tips so I feel that the trip was very worth it. I feel like going back there again.....I am craving for Asian food!

My New, Clean, Tidy Room

Since I am living in an apartment, I have to get my own things to make my room look more furnished. I have the basic neccessities; lights, table, shelf, bed and a cupboard for clothes. The only thing that I lacked is a bookshelf for studying. Books were scattered on the floor as I study. I realize that this is not going to work throughout the semester. I have been to IKEA twice but I did not buy the bookshelf. It was my biggest mistake because IKEA is good for decoration. Last week, Dongyeun, Jenny and me decided to go to Walmart to buy groceries. I took this opportunity to browse through different bookshelves that was available. Again, I contemplated to buy a bookshelf but then I realize that the time is now to change the outlook of my room. It needs to be neater, cleaner and better. Finally, I was proud to walk out of Walmart with a self-assembled 4-shelf bookshelf.

Upon reaching home, I decided that I need to get this bookshelf assembled before the weekend is over. I tore the box open and inside was a big puzzle begging to be completed. At first sight, it look hard but always read the instructions and then the answer will appear before you even know it. Here is what is look like:

With great effort and an enormous resistance staying up late until 4 am in the morning, I finally finished assembling the bookshelf. I carried the bookshelf into my room and placed it at the best spot, near my study desk. Then, I arranged and stacked them in place. I know it look really good.

After everything was in place and in order, I took some random pictures to show you a bit of my room. I cannot stop taking pictures because I was so proud to buy this bookshelf. And, the fact that I assembled it by myself tells me that this is indeed worth it. Here are some pictures of my room:

There you have it, my NEW, TIDY, and CLEAN room. Hooray!!! ;)

My birthday

Today is my birthday and people born in this month is considered a Septie boy. That is what SuJan said..For me, it is a new word that I learnt. Anyway, I will always remember my 20th birthday because this year in Miami there was an power outbreak. This means that I cannot celebrate my birthday until the power returns to normal again. The only light that I am hoping to see right now is my 16 birthday candles. Again, the power trip for a 2 hours because the back-up generator had no more power. Thankfully, at midnight the lights were on back again. This whole week has been chaos for me.Everything that I planned out to do gone haywire. I wanted to invite my friends to a treat of B-dups but now the plan is ruined. It sucks how sometimes when you planned out something, and shit happens like this incident. The worst part is that no matter what the situation is, the assignments are suppose to be hand-in on the day it is due. Readings need to be done and adding salt to the wound, I have a quiz on Thursday. Which teacher does that? The workload keeps on piling and the current situations is not helping either.
I am trying to make-believe that I have a birthday cake right in front of me with 16 candles lighted up. All my friends are here to celebrate it with me, all the way from Miami University to to my Malaysia best buddies. The atmosphere is so wonderful and people are giving me hugs and presents too. After singing Happy Birthday, I blow the cake silently wishing for this year's dream to come true.
LIGHTS OUT,ACTION..GO!!...

Ice Age world

After seeing Hurricane Gustav and Hurrican Ike hitting the coast of America on tv, I thought another Hurrican is going to hit Ohio too. There was a massive wind blowing towards our direction that I thought was the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. The wind was so strong that tree branches toppled over cars and it fell on the roads disrupting traffic. Also, it caused an outbreak of electricity in the campus. Everything went from bright to total darkness. That means that everywhere is dark and without electricity. I heard from the news that the state of Ohio is under emergency for 72 hours. That means that we will be without food, electric, Internet for 72 hours. There are not even street light or traffic lights. I feel like I am in the Ice Age world already. What an inconvenience this is! This is actually the first time I experienced this situation and this situation sucks real bad. At night, the only object that is shining is the full moon in conjunction with Mooncake Festival.
This situation tells us a lesson. That without Internet and electric, we are unable to live our daily lives. Our life are so dependable on electric and Internet that without these necessary items we are practically unproductive for the whole day. Thankfully, the campus got a back-up electricity generator that successfully generates power in case of emergency. This back-up generator has been on for the past 15 hours and rumors has been said that the back-up generator can be shut down within the hours. When that happens, we are going to face darkness once again and the darkness reality creeps in once again.

process of getting an internship

After going for the Academic Advising for Accounting major, I realized I need to do something useful in the summer. I am thinking of an internship with hopefully one of the Big 4 companies. Actually, it does not matter which company I work for, I just want to get an internship during the summer to be more productive. I realized that getting an internship in the US, is so hard. You need to think ahead for your next step. First, you need to register under Office of Career Services, then you need to go for workshops specifically for students who want to get internships. Also, you need to write a resume(that obvious right?). It does not get any easier. As an international student, you need to decide which state in the US you need to live in. Being an international student is hard, because you have not visited many states and you do not have good background on other states. For me, I am thinking to apply to New York because I have relatives who are working there. That is everyone dream job and it is hard to get an internship there if you live outside the US. That is called Mission Impossible but everything is possible if you just believe. My second option is in Chicago. I prefer Chicago because the city is not so fast compared to New York but I have no relatives there that I can bunked in during the internship. Therefore, New York seems to be the best choice for me eventhough their lifestyle does not suit me.
For this internship, I am thinking big because I am capable of accomplishing something that I once dreamt I could not. It will be a dream come true for me if I am succesful. After that, everything will fall in place. However, I am also trying for other smaller companies. Enough said, I just want an internship in the summer. Big or small, whatever it is.

~to be continued after the interview process~

Labor Day

Labor Day falls on Sept 1 that means holidays. The best part of this holiday is that I do not need to go for work, get to relax and most importantly I went shopping. My roomate Dongyeun took me to Dayton to go shopping. First, we went to TJ Maxx which is a superstore that sells cheap but quality products. At TJ Maxx, I brought a camera pouch and a jacket. I figured that these two things are essential because the camera pouch is good because I can hooked it with my belt and the jacket because I need a good jacket and the discount was too good to let it slip by me.

Next, we headed to Dayton Mall. On the way, we saw cops pulling over a drunken driver who had to do this test. It was so embarassing because he had to do it in front of all the cars. We reached Dayton Mall and went to a few shops. Here, I brought a pair of slippers and a Puma shoe. I just felt like splurging myself because I have been working as a POL and my paycheck arrived. It was the perfect timing to treat myself to something that I deserved.

That was how I spent my Labor Day..School starts tomorrow again and back to same o' school life..

back to basics

After a month long of relaxing in Oxford, classes finally started. To think of it, it is a good thing but some how deep inside I hope for holidays to go on longer. But, that the way it is. This fall, my classes are pretty spread out as my classes start in the afternoon for Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, I have classes at 2 but I need to go for work early in the morning. I guess my schedule is not too bad. This week has been going very slow but it has not been hectic. Classes are pretty much the same with different variety brought on the table. The only complain I have is working hours because I need to work 4 hours continuously to get a free meal. That is definitely a pain in the butt because I expect to save my cash to eat in the dining halls. Now, I need to cook in my apartment so that I can save money. The best part of this week was the football game that I went to on Thursday. Don't get mixed up here, football means real football, not the soccer back home. Thursday home game was Miami University VS Vanderbilt. Miami's football is not as good as hockey but it is still interesting. I think football is more of a strategy game where coaches need to have their own game style. Personally, I prefer to see the hockey game because the atmosphere is more livier and exciting. For our first home game, Miami was trailing 10-24 at half time. I did not know what happened after that but I left the game because it waws getting late.
This weekend will be awesome too. Monday is a holiday because it is Labor Day. AAA is going to have a picnic to recruit new members and after that there will be a after-party. ~woohoo~

welcomes a new fall semester

Today was so tiring because I had to wake up at 7 to help with carpet sales for Asian American Association(AAA). It is so hard to wake up sometimes but you if you have the motivation, then you will wake up but if not then you will just sleep through. That is how the brain works. After getting ready, I walked over to my sister's apartment which is a few blocks down the road, thankfully. A few minutes later, Liz (the president of AAA) pick us up in her fabulous ride, the Porsche Cayenne. Okay, I did not make this up, but she owns and drive this car. Classy ride.Nice way to start the day don't you think??Sitting in this car on a early morning.
The pick-up truck was already parked at the basketball court which was full of carpets. We had to unload the carpets and stack them in piles. I did not know that there is a difference between carpets. Have you ever heard the word Berber?? No right, that the term to categorized carpets...Well, I learned something new again today...
After lunch, I had to go for another checkpoint. This checkpoint is the most daunting task for the day, working at the Student Credit Union. It is a bank especially for students that has a simillar function like a bank but does not suck your money out completely. So, I headed in and right at that moment, I had to do a teller shift. Aug 21, is the day students move in to their respective dorms so that was our chance to attract students to open new accounts and expand our growing rate %. I was an intern last year but I totally forgot how to do it. Thankfully, the guys there helped me out and from that point onwards it was smooth sailing. I lost track of how many students that opened new accounts. The line keeps on getting longer.....but at 530pm, the queue was gone...whew, it was an exhausting day!!!
Finally, my day was done and I boarded the "RED" bus back to my lovely apartment...

recreational center

This is the place that I frequently go on Friday night with my group of friends. The Recreational Center was closed last week due to maintenance. It was opened on Monday and our last activity for POL's is taking the new international students to this place. In here, people workout, play racquetball, table tennis, or just jogging. However, basketball is the most popular sport here because there are 3 full sized courts for basketball. Today, there were only 2 courts because we use one of the courts for badminton. Surprisingly, soccer had an arena for itself too. Rarely, can you find people playing soccer here because it is not a favourite sport.
Actually, I am not really a basketball fan but that is the only sport that my friends play so I just join in the fun. Today,was sensational because I got involved with soccer and badminton. I can't decide which to play. I love soccer but I miss playing badminton. I know it contradicts but...
To sum things off, I just love playing sports......

I took a few pictures of the place to give you an idea of how it looks like...

ice skating in Goggin

The best part of being a POL is organizing activities for new international students...This year is the first year where we planned ice skating in Goggin arena. It was extremely fun and nearly everybody turned out for this event which was cool. People think that Oxford can be pretty boring sometimes but if you use the things on campus like the Recreational Center or the Goggin arena, you won't be bored. Thankfully, I know how to skate but it would be cooler if I know how to stop. I am bad at stopping, I wish somebody could teach me how to. Anyway, just enjoy the pictures.....

The most important pictures...The group photo of all the POL!!!

Irritated

As you know I am a POL and I assist new international students in Miami University. This year Miami wants to promote diversity. We have a very good partnership with Beijing and Shanghai University. Apparently, this year we have about 100 students from China alone. This is a alarming number. I am not complaining about anything. It is good to see so many new people but I get annoyed when the Chinese people ask this question

Chinese students : Excuse me, Are you from China?
Me : Erm, I am not from China. I am from Malaysia....
Chinese students : From Malaysia?? Can you speak Mandarin????

Then the students mumble in Mandarin...

Me : ????
Chinese students : So you cannot speak Mandarin?
Me : I cannot speak Mandarin but I can listen.
Chinese students : I see....

You might not see any flaw in the conversation above but if you read it properly the discrimination of races come into play. People think that all Asians are categorized as Chinese. I get annoyed because of this. There are so many Asians that does not speak Mandarin. Vietnamese has their own language, Thailand speak Thai, Malaysia speak Malay, Indonesia too. How can you grouped all these people together? If you see a Asian walking on the street in United States, your proper question should sound like this....

Chinese Students: Where are you from?
Me: I am from Malaysia.
Chinese students: Can you speak Mandarin??
Me: A bit...

P.S: Isn't that question more appropriate than the above converstion??? This is not a sarcasm or anything else, but it is just a reminder that Asia is a big country and has many countries in it. China is part of Asia, so it Thailand, Vietnam, Phillipines, Cambodia, HongKong, Singapore and Malaysia too.

Just remember that guys...I rest my case!!!
P.S: I do not mean to offend anyone or anybody that read this. I wrote this on my blog because I want people to realize the significant of other countries around Asia.

Day1

Before I start my duties as POL, I went to Shriver to get breakfast. My usual breakfast is scrambled eggs, hash brown and milk to finish it off. After breakfast, we headed to McGuffy to assist the new international students for orientation. The new international students were divided into different groups led by POL. My first duty was making ID's. The ID card is considered the most "magical' card on campus because it is virtually for everything on campus. We formed a long line all the way from the front towards the door area. As usual, some people are so forgetful that they did not bring their required documents. So, we had to walk all the way back to their dorms to get their stuff. We met in the basement of Flower Hall and then had lunch again in Shriver. Lunch was good because we get to sit around and mingle with people from different countries. Even though many of them are from China, but there are a few people in our group that was from Hong Kong, China, Russia, Germany and Nepal. It is good to see diversity in this school. Then, was the dreadful session of TB test. This test is required for all new international students. I remembered the time when I took it. I had a injection in my left arm but this year it is more advanced. All they need is your blood sample and you are free to go. How cool is that??? The trip to the Health Services took an hour.
We got it done according to the scheduled time and headed towards our last venue, McMillan Hall. International students had to check in there before they are officially a Miami student. That went pretty fast and we were out.
From that point onwards, all of us went our separate ways. Some went to Kroger, some back to Flower others to Uptown. For me, I went back to my apartment to watch Beijing Olympics. ~woohoo~

Go MALAYSIA!!!

1st day of POL

The whole reason I left beautiful Malaysia was because of this orientation. You see, Peer Orientation Leader (POL) assist the new international students that will be enrolling here during the fall semester. I extremely looked forward for this day to come. My first day as a POL goes like this....here the red shirt that I had to wear!!POL is at the front...

Yu Jin at the back....

Waking up at 6am is really a pain..But the "early bird always get the worm" so waking up is a definitely a booster. So obviously I had to wake up because I need to go to Cincinatti airport to pick the new students up.

So we drove down and admire the sunrise, the amazing greenery, the "scenic" cornfield that surrounds Ohio. Throughout the journey, David Keitges (Head of Office of International Education) and me chitchatted about random stuff.

We arrived at Cincy airport and picked 7 international students. Thankfully, nobody lost their luggage or had their plance delayed. Everything was smooth flowing...

Just look at the amount of luggage in the boot of the van...Blows your mind away!!!

Well, what can you expect right??

After checking in at Flower Hall where they are temporary supposed to live, the students had to make international phone call to their parents. That's the magical card right there!!

I took them for a short tour around campus and explained to them about the important places that will be their future classes..The picture here says it all!!

*That is another POL who dutied the same time as me...

~That's me right there!!~

Finally, everybody just back to take a rest. As for me, I will call it a day. Tommorrow will a new day too...excited and pumped up for the new day!!!

Flight to Oxford

After spending a month in Malaysia, it is finally time to go back to Oxford...I tried to change my flight but there was no space available..As much as I hate it, I had no choice but to follow through with the journey to Oxford.

Cathay Pacific's Plane

Actually, I think Cathay Pacific is the best airline so far...The food is good, a luxurious variety of movies available for the journey, exciting games to play. Only thing Cathay is missing is the seats. If only Cathay seats was like Aeroline bus seats..

I know the food sure looks tasty...and it gets better!!

My first stop was in Hong Kong and I had a long wait..What do you do when you are bored??You take the Star newspaper and you tinker your brain for a Soduku challenge..

My completed Soduku puzzle

I finish the Soduku just in time for my long flight to Los Angelas..I boarded the plane and I watched 21, Dead Poet's Society, Fool's Gold, Casino Royale..Also,the food gets even better!!

After almost 12 hours on the plane, the plane arrived in LA...where I had to collect my luggage. I always dreaded this part of the long wait of bags...Thankfully, my bags arrived as planned and I immediately headed towards local flight..time was really not on my side. I had to check in American Airlines, go through security and walk to the assigned departure area. I almost missed my connecting flight to Dallas as I saw the door closes in front of me..Somehow, I was allowed in.

I touchdowned at Dallas airport at 5am..The airport quiet and lonely.I stopped to take some pictures in the airport.Dallas the home of NBA club Dallas Mavericks. That all I know about this state...

Finally, I boarded my last plane to Dayton...James picked me up and we went to Friendly's for lunch. After lunch, we drove to Miami University, Oxford Ohio.

time goes by so quickly

i still remember the time when i was back at Oxford.Oxford can be so dull in the summer, there is practically nothing to do there except going to the rec center and working. nobody was around except my roommate(Dong), Joliana and 2 Korean guys.even my sister booked her flight early to be back home. practically, i counted the days when will I be going back to Malaysia.

now, I am back in Malaysia and in a week's time, I will be flying off to Oxford again. time goes by so quickly, don't you think so?in a blink of an eye, i will be leaving Malaysia to study again. Thinking of this make me sad because I will not be back for another year or so. What have I done so far in Malaysia. Spending time with my family is the best summer I had ever had,especially with Eeling. And going down to Taiping and Seremban.Besides that, going for Mr. Agis retirement ceremony where I met so many ex-BBians. Also, going out to the movies with my high school classmates, Ivan and Alan. We watched so many latest movies like Hancock, Wanted, Indiana Jones, Incredible Hulk and the list goes on...I miss playing futsal with my soccer mates. I had the opportunity to showcase my Robben skills which proves that I am still not rusty. However, i still need to work on my stamina and I will be that talented midfielder everybody will be talking about. I also met up with PE7 classmates and we watched Journey to the Center of the Earth(but not in 3d version)..everybody was talking about their experiences in Australia or in UK....It was a good get-together occasion for everybody!!Also, not forgetting 3 of my sister's friends, Annie, Rebekah and Katie who came over to Malaysia. It was really good having them here and promoting Malaysia.
I will be leaving next Wednesday...I havent packed my bags, I have not brought my stuff. I am virtually unprepared to leave. All I know is that I will leave with full of memories. The benefit from leaving early is getting the POL job, the discouraging factors is missing parents, and everybody in Malaysia, the chance to watch Chelsea live in action, Koko Adrian coming down from Singapore end of this month, Aunty Diana's 70th Birthday.
Clearly, staying here a bit longer definitely has more benefits compared to leaving earlier don't you think?If only, I had that option.....~sigh~

back home and lovin' it

its been a whole long year since i last went back home.it is so wonderful to be back home. the flight back was so tiring and boring. it was the longest wait in my life..i was at los angelas airport for 9 hours doing nothing but climbing up the stairs and down looking for the cathay pacific counter...i feel that LAX airport is really dull. there is nothing to do at all. wiat, are all airports the same...i wonder!!
as usual, i landed and the first one that greeted me was my dad, mum and sister.it is so great to meet them after a year...and also my little sister, eeling!!and lilo, the new silky terrier to take care of the house...
what happening in malaysia right now??petrol prices are going to be expensive...i expected that since oxford gas is currently at $ 4 a gallon..malaysia prices is still the cheapest. today, i went to 1utama and the shopping centre didn't change much...tgv cinema change a lot though...good sound system.i wonder gsc is as good!!should be i guess. the first pe7 friend that i saw is kye li. haha..didn't expect to see her though. i think i gave her a fright though. anyway, i think that all for this time.....

summer in oxford

i haven't been updating my blog lately but here i am writing it right now.college is over and i am suppose to be back home. instead, here i am stuck in oxford. still waiting for a week before i go back. i feel boring sometimes, doing nothing.spending 2 weeks here in the summer is not fun at all. nobody is here and is like a ghost town..luckily, i have this on-campus job which helps me cover my expenses for the summer..work is not tiring at all, filing, photocopying are all easy job to me..the worst part of the job is getting to work...in this modern age with technology and transportation widely available, i am biking to work. i need to wake up an hour earlier because the road is very challenging...biking uphill, going downhill and then uphill again...i feel like Louis Armstrong..now, i know what it is like in the olden days where biking is considered a luxury...haha!!
the latest movies that i watched is iron man and narnia:prince caspian. iron man was spectacular because of the suspense and good script...they have good visual effects too which made the movie awesome. however, narnia was somewhat a disappointment..the story line was very slow. i expected more drama and excitement...i was a bit disappointed after watching this movie but it was good at least...the next movie i think would be good, is Batman..the trailer looks to be very good.
i think i learnt my lesson well, never ever stay here during the summer!it is the most boring time of the year...i am happily counting the days before i will be back home in Malaysia!!woohoo.i can smell the food already...

library blogging

i told myself repeatedly not to do this but i still end up here. i have a reason for it because my finals is next week. here's a synopsis of what I did before finals. i attended a senior banquet on a cruise at newport. the food was bad for the price we paid. i expected better food though, but it was a good experience. meeting AAA friends and seniors for the very last time. even though i known them for a year, but they are nice people. of course, I attended the after-party but I limited myself from drinking too much. i did play a game of beer pong, took some shots but that's about it. i was not in the mood of getting wasted because I had so many assignments for this week.
i also watched the champions league game again..it did not planned as what i wanted it to be but it would definitely prove whose team is the best. chelsea and manchester united in the final..a test to see who will be the best english team!!cech and van der sar, terry and ferdinand, lampard and ronaldo, drogba and rooney.if only i booked my plane earlier, i can watch this game with my manchester united friends. i wonder who will have the last laugh...
before i go back this summer, I will have two jobs. one is working in the president's office and the other is the conference services centre. its gonna be so tiring but i think i can manage it. better to be productive rather than sitting in oxford doing nothing right?? the best part for this week is that uncle kean khing came down to visit us and to see the campus...he made a joke that this place is like terengganu. well, you can say anything you like, but i love it here!!
i just notice that so many things have turned into my favor this week..i am lovin' it!!

champions league

i had a rare oppportunity to watch champions league live in Miami..soccer is not life in US..football is!!don't be mistaken football and soccer..football is people throwing the ball and having a touchdown, soccer is people kicking the ball around into the goal. so i had this chance to watch a classic game between liverpool and arsenal...it was the biggest disappointment in my life..eventhough i despise arsenal so much, i was rooting for arsenal to win against liverpool in the 2nd leg game.everything went accordingly and they had a goal until hypia scored..then the tide changed into liverpool favor!!liverpool was attacking and eventually scored from torres..i thought all hopes will fade away...on came, theo walcott, the teenage sensation of England, to turn the match around...skipped pass 4 defenders and squared the ball to adebayor to score the equaliser..i was so happy.the game will be more exciting and there is a chance to see chelsea and arsenal in the semi-finals instead of liverpool.a minute later, toure conceded a penalty!a minute into scoring the equaliser and then you concede a penalty.all the hard work done by walcott, gone down the drain!!stupid..plain stupid...everything went downhill from then onwards. final whistle was blown and arsenal was eliminated in the final..they had their chances but just blew it off entirely...and now we will be seeing a repeat of chelsea VS liverpool game!!the opponent i dread the most...[liverpool]...
then there was this as roma game against MU...another disappointing game that i watch!this roma striker can't even scored from the penalty spot to make it 2-1 on aggregate..as usual MU qualify...barcelona VS MU, a classic match-up...is there a possibilty that we this year will be an all-England final?my verdict in the final will be Barcelona VS Chelsea!!that would be nice...and then Chelsea goes on to win the title!!superb title to end the season..haha....

usual life after spring break

its been a week after spring week..the week has been going well so far. first week of internship and the miami credit union went pretty good. actually its a simple job and fun job. only thing that separates the working at the bank and the dining hall is working at the bank lets you sit down. that the best part. but working at the bank brings huge responsibility, working with huge sum of money is something you don't wanna play around with. i think i have been procrastinating after spring break but i am able to complete my assignment right on time. i wonder whether does that count as procrastinating?last week, i celebrated two birthday parties. on friday, was my sister's belated celebration where the whole group of her girls friends and me went to applebees in hamilton for dinner. the food there is pretty good too, i ate steak. reasonable price for a good meat. late at night, after playing fifa 08 for awhile, i headed for round 2 at uptown. i went there late because sis went bar-hopping with her friends. she is officially legal and liable to drink. hooray for the 21 girl!!on sat, it was ammie early birthday. went to highstreet girl with the "fabulous five" group. highstreet grill reowned for its reputation of having the most expensive price in uptown. luckily, i ordered half chicken which was pretty good. the price was expensive but at least it was worth the money. throughout the week, i constantly played fifa08. i think i am officially addicted to fifa 08 now. i need to improve more though and i need more practice. games are really addictive. i wonder what happens if i am playing dota. it could be even worse.
still got so many things to do, and work is piling up high. juggling between the internship, working, studying and leisure is definitely a hard task to do. hopefully it won't be too complicated....(fingers crossed)

spring break

spring break is finally over. its been a long week for me. at least i think i did. eventhough i didnt do anything exciting like winter break but it was actually fun. i was stranded at oxford because nobody wanted me. yea, its very sad. but perhaps i didnt make good preparations. everybody i know all went to the beach and went back home. let me reflect back to what i did...
i played tetris on facebook...didnt actually achieved top score but i did put up a good effort. should have done better but nevertheless i am satisfied. (p.s:that game is addictive)...i also played ps2...fifa 2008.its been a long time since i played video games!!unbelievable game, its rather hard to control on ps2..give me computer anytime, i can thrashed you if i practice.but ps2 i need more time to master the control!but i improved as time goes on..however it was too late to play more..then went to che che cindy place in south bend.the greyhound bus was pretty scarry.so many people with scarry looking faces.they scared me..but luckily nothing happened.haha...at south bend ate cindy's cooking!!!there was curry, rendang, wo tip, mee sua..soup!!reminds me of malaysian delicious cuisine!!i want to go back so badly!!i also ate thailand food, tom yum and green curry.the food was good, except the portion was a bit small..i also went to chicago but the weather was bad...i escaped the stormy weather in oxford for a nice place to chill but it turns out that south bend & chicago had a snow storm. of all days..damn!i didnt went anywhere in chicago except for the aquarium. pretty amazing place.if you asked me to compare chicago and new york, i think i prefer chicago more. chicago is a big city but with slower pace. suits my lifestyle.eventhough i didnt explore much of chicago i feel that chicago is a nice place to live in...i think i should come back and explore more. anyway, it was time to leave south bend for oxford..the bus driver was very funny. he made jokes which amuses the passengers in the bus.haha..that was so funny. i sat next to a man who earns around $100k a year....he told me this was his first time taking leave after 10 years of work. well, that explains it right, with good money, come great responsibility. the man said that pressure at work made him had high blood pressure and changed his personality.i pity him but i hope i don't end up that path. i just want to earn enough salary to survive and enjoy my life when i retire, i hope. but, the road is still ahead of me..sitting beside him made me realise the pressures of working...finally, i arrived at cincinatti bus terminal and Dongyeun was there to pick me up...
when we went back home, sis cooked for us maggi mee..and surprise surprise, hui hui and qiao wen came in to give sis her birthday present. it was a wonderful present..a photo album!cool idea..all the memories in a album..and there was a birthday cake too..wow,surprise surprise!since sis was 21 and legal enough to drink..she proudly took out her id card and brought alcohol for all of us, qiao wen, hui hui, dongyeun, and me!!its the best night ever we had. haha..the liqour taste bad..but it was all for the fun of it!!had a blast last time last time.
i think that about all i did this spring break...it was not that exciting like going to the beached but i feel that i had a good time for the week. i wished i had another week of break to improve my fifa08 skills and beat the tetris score. haha...tomorrow is school day again..back to the usual routine, 8am classes..i am up and ready to go..at least i hope i am!!

green beer day

Green Beer Day is a celebration by students at Miami University,Oxford. this day is celebrated on Thursday before Spring Break every March. this Day is extreme because the drinking begins at 5.30am when the bars open to serve green-colored beer, shot and whatever kind of alcohol. totally green. students wake up early to go to Uptown bars for a great day. its a weird festival. actually this event is held on a Thursday before students depart campus for Spring Break. Miami been scheduling break during St.Patrick Day. the bars and restaurants took this opportunity to get some money off college students by making this an official celebration.they even have shirts made for this day..talking about coolness.everybody that have morning classes will be absent or asleep because of this day. its ritual, its tradition, its Miami!!

okay, enough of history behind this day...so i decided to see what is going around in uptown. after coming back from cincinnatti, i decided to wait for the bus to take me uptown. so many people was wearing greeen shirts with "Green Beer Day". i went into 45 street and sat down with my groups of friends. korean friends actually.and then, i saw my sister, hui hui, qwen and chau at the club. woohoo..now i have someone to dance with. but i don't really dance just having someone that i know there makes me feel more happy i guess. people ordered beer and the beer looks green. its like beer but only thing dyed green. i can imagine the taste. i did not want to take a shot cause police are everywhere.even downstairs there are like 3 cars around the pub. dangerous, dangerous!!maybe there is undercover cops too, who knows?that why nothing for me today..
but after that, things got exciting.the bar closes at 2am and the korean group and me decided to head to someone house. this korean guy, opened the car of an african-american guy's car. i would be so scared if i was that korean guy. that guy was like wanting to punch my korean friend. luckily, nothing happened and we hopped on the correct car. whew...reached the guy's house and did nothing. there wasn't anything to drink, not even plain water. just plain koreans cooking ramen noodles. i realise i made a big mistake. i should have gone home.haha..something pretty exciting happened at that house though. ate jello-shot. taste nice though. its like jelly with a taste of alcohol and it was green. duh!!
afterwards took a ride back from dongyeun..had to see for tickets to go for spring break. but the tickets were too expensive and we opted for bus instead. i hate this holiday.everybody going to florida, LA and i am stuck in o'boring oxford. sad sad.if only i booked earlier,things would have been better. *sigh*
have a wonderful spring break guys...enjoy your vacations!!

formal-friends

i feel that Miami University really changed me. Before I came here, I was the shy type of guy. everything i want to do i would just keep it to myself. now, i know how to start a random conversation but not with stupid lame quotes to hit on a girl. that is totally not me.
this formal was very irritating at first. i hate it when people plan some arranged date for me just to go to this event. it pisses me off. i want to choose someone i am comfortable. this is how i feel. i decided to boycott the plan and ask jenny instead. it took me a whole lot of courage to ask her after class. by the look of her face, she was so surprise. who won't right?at least i made an effort. on friday, she agreed to go with me
we went for a pre-formal dinner at Kona before going to the formal party. we were not alone. it was a whole group of korean guys with their dates and me being the only malaysian. everybody talking korean and me talking english. so funny. the food was great and i paid for her. the 15 of us was an hour late to formal. we just wanted to make an appearance, i guess. when we entered the room, i saw so many familliar faces with their formal gowns, suits and ties. i took a lot of pictures with my sister's camera. i regretted not bringing mine. the best moment was when i danced with jenny. i whispered to her saying that i had a great time with her as my date. she is so sporting. the most awkward part was when thuy, chau and annie dirty danced with me. i was totally speechless and unprepared for this. i didnt even see it coming. you girls!!
the post-formal was held at bumi's house. we went back to change to our t-shirts and headed there to the senior house. i drank 8 shots of whatever it is called and felt a bit tipsy-turvy. but i was fine. alan drove me home and i went back to sleep.
i had a great time with jenny as date. i enjoyed every single moment at the formal. this formal really taught me something, only do something you have passion for. otherwise don't. also, be confident and take risks. yea man...i live for that!!!

fusion 2008

every year, asian american association will organized an annual event called the Fusion to celebrate cultures of asia. being part of AAA brought me closer to other countries around the world, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, HongKong, Vietnamese, Philippines and Malaysia. i signed up for the China dance coordinated by Jingyi Wang. at first i thought the dance was hard cause i have numb legs for movement.haha. i did not memorize the dance until the last minute cause i felt i did not need too. but i realised that i need to. luckily i memorize the moves in time for the big event. fusion was a sold-out event and a spectacular event that i will cherish forever. i wore the blue costume. also, i performed at the fashion show. strutting like a catwalk with manlihoood. yea, man!!i wore the baju Melayu with the songket. i never wore that before but i really look cool in that.
over all, the dances were terrific. the vietnamese was cool with props like a paddy field costume and torch lights to shine on, the japanese wore kimonos, the malaysian dance did some hand movements and sweet graceful steps, philippines dramatic wushu combat warriors, and korean with some hip-hops moves,girly dancing and breakdancing.wish i could do that, though!!if only....alas, the seniors did a good job in doing a hip-hop dance playing timberlake's song & raining man, cheesy!!! anyway, i am looking forward towards the next fusion coming next year. the seniors, morgan, katie hu, becca will be graduating this semester. they were so nice and friendly people. morgan aka as "u need me" katie hu aka "act tough but look cute" and becca aka "blur blur"...

flip pong

i decided to try playing flip pong yesterday since i did an amazing job in fusion 2008. i think you are not familliar with this game but this game is pretty intense man. see the 5 crosses that where your 5 teammates stand and the other 5 opposition stand. you are each given a cup that contains a beer. after drinking the beer, you need to flip your cup. the triangle is suppose to be beer cups arranged like bowling. you got that?let's say you pick the blue cross so your first person will be standing and he drinks then he flips, the 2nd person flips..the order continues. the last person who drinks needs to shoot a pingpong ball into the opposition cup. and then he runs over to the cup that he throws the ball in and drinks. next, the order continues. i think you got the picture. it gets pretty intense when you are on your last two cups because it is pretty hard to shoot the ball in. the winner stays and the next challenger comes in. you are in the game until you lose. imagine how many beers you will drink!!got the picture?

after playing for like 2 rounds, i decided that enough is enough.i couldnt let myself drown in beer. but it was pretty intense. so much pressure!!!haha..then i decided to go upstairs to get something to cool myself off. this is not what i imagine it would be. something to drink means getting some shots. and since it was the wushu champions birthday, we decided to drink toast. after 5 shots of whatever it is called, i realised that i have past my limit and expectations. note that i did not get drunk but i did not want to go to the extent of doing something which i think i am not that kind of person. so yea, i went back home with my pal, Ko Dongyeun. he drinked too. if the police stopped us, we are in hot soup. the consequences, underage drinking, drinking while driving=suspend license, and boot back home!luckily, we were fine and everything turned out to be okay.

lesson #1: beer pong is addicting and fun.

lesson #2: work hard and play hard.

lesson #3: partying in a house is very crowded but you get free drinks.

itchyness

out of nowhere this itch started. i have no idea how i got it. everything i ate is normal, my bed sheet looks pretty clean, i wash my shirts every week. so how can this happen?so irritating. everytime when i sleep on my bed, the itch always appear. its like some kind of bed bug i think. i tried washing them, but it still happens. i feel like a dog whenever i scratch the infested area.then, when i scratch it, it becomes redder and redder, almost like a big red bump on my skin..because of this stupid infection, i am missing my work pay. so much to lose, so little to gain. argghh..this itchiness better go off soon.

fire

while i was working today, suddenly the firm alarm came on asking us to leave. I thought it was just an ordinary fire drill but actually it is really true. there was a fire below the basement, just a small fire in the dryer. some smart people put oily mops head inside. how smart is that??so i had to go out wearing my working clothes.i was just wearing t-shirt and jeans when i went outside. so happen it was snowing. so freezing cold.
luckily, it was just a minor fire that broke out. this is my first experience.

shopping at ohio

this is a very rare occasion because in miami university there is no shopping complex around. don't be mistaken about this university because it is not the miami in florida.everybody seems to be mistaken.anyway, dongyeun and I made a trip downtown to ashville to take the china girls for shopping as a birthday present. i just had to tag along with them. as usual the girls went shopping and the both of us just hang around in the mall, looking for winning eleven on ps2. very rare cd...we passed by the apple store and it was so sick. the laptop was so damn thin, i think it is equilavent to 6 papers stacked up on each other. that is so sick man,SICK!!but cool innovation..apple really rule the market of technology currently!!after we finish walking around the mall, we decided to drink a cup of starbucks and chatted. the story continues....
after that, we headed for a international food cuisine, korean & japanese mix. however, the food that I ordered turned out to be so bad. i could cook better food than that..geezz!!japanese, *rolling eyes*...when we decided to walk back, it was already raining. arggh....had to run in the rain to get in the car. throughout the journey, we kept on hearing the "apologize" by timberland. that is our theme song for the journey. haha...."its too late to apologize, it's too late!!"guess its too late after all. i longed for tattoo by jordin sparks and indeed it did played. must be my lucky day after all. that what i did for sunday. tomorrow will be president's day in US and i have a day off. time to relax and catch up with homework.

chinese new year

this is my first time experiencing chinese new year in the united states and what depressing time it is...no more red packets, no more funfair in Taiping, no more prawns and steamed fish, no more pepper soup in gu kong house, meeting with jia yen and cousins and the list goes on. while the people back home is celebrating the most celebrated event in Malaysia(i think), here i am studying for my economics quiz..that adds into the misery and the depressing state i am in.there is not even a celebration at all. while i am writing this blog, i am wondering what my other cousins are doing right now. this year, dad and mum went back extremely early..i wonder why!!is it because they each have leaves or it is because of other things?i wonder...maybe its a good because then eeling can get to be closer with the other cousins and play with the uncles and aunties.that would be so fun!!my mum brought eeling a nice cheongsam which i think will be cute on her!!i am so excited to see the photos..cute eeling...haha...
i will be so busy this weekend...accounting project due on sunday accounting test on monday, statistics test on tuesday...what a "splendid" weekend for me...anyway, just want to wish everybody back home a happy chinese new year...and gong xi fa cai!!

chocolate pudding goodbye

all this semester working at the alexander dining hall, so many good memories. sometimes this dining hall serves the same food everyday but the workers and waiters here is so cool. they are like the best workers i ever work with. kind, polite and nice. its like a family u know. a nice, big happy family...i remember the first time i was working here, i worked at the salad bar..a very hard job...at first, it was easy, just cleaning up othe people mess but towards the end, its gets so hard. yeah, its always cleaning up that's hard in the dining hall. so i dropped all the shifts and applied for the spice of life, where i made stir-fry..that was interesting, but as usual cleaning up was so much "fun". and now this semester, i am working at another new area, making smoothies. it may look so easy but then, looks can actually deceived you. what can i do??nobody taught me anything, no student manager taught me anything. last thursday, i was working and i was so blur so i practically was dumbfounded and just stared at the my co-worker.i know i was bad but must you actually complain about me and tell the manager and the cooks. come on, girl...i am new here. at least teach me so that i know. the worst part,you said you don't mind, but the way you reacted and stuff..the gesture you did, pisses me off.
on to the chocolate pudding farewell, my first job here..jessica the senior worker is going to transfer to another dining hall. so i wanted to eat chocolate pudding but then, there was none. so i asked jessica whether she could take me some. after that, she said that she is going to transfer. how sad i was...the hall that she is going to work now, that place is so expensive and so far. nice meeting you jessica..haha.

*p.s: this is a silly post.

night out with superstars

i got once in a lifetime opportunity ticket to attend this red carpet ceremony in new york...with my agility and swift lightning movement, i sneaked through the back door.the first person i met was elle mcpherson...she wore an elegant black gown that showed off her figure..magnifito!!

i continued looking around for more celebrities..i turned around and i saw this hot latino girl in a red blouse...to my amazement it was j to the lo...jlo!!i was privileged to get a photo with her..

she was in friends...was considered the hotest couple in 2004 and her world came to an end when brad pitt cheated on her...i know she looks pale in the photo..

i did not know that red carpet event would be so exhausting...i could not find a chair to sit down!!the richest actress and most converted actress of my century was so kind to pull out her chair to offer me her seat...we chatted for quite a long time and we took a photo together

i was so surprised when george bush came for this event...i wondered what would he do in this place like this...well, he is human and he has the whole world on his shoulders and right now he is facing a turmoil when the upcoming election is coming up soon...guess he wanted to just chill and relax from all the world affairs...sorry i cant put up this picture cause he wanted his own privacy and i need to respect his orders as a citizen of united states.

would this be her biggest achievement and will america agree to have a lady president or choose otherwise with barack obama?some pundits will disagree but no doubt she is in the running..who knows what will happen..iowa is the place that will determine their success..i was her bodyguard when she wave to the crowd!!obama was not in the crowd...

"oh baby when u walk like that..u make a woman go mad"i present to you...(drums beating..people cheering)..shakira!!!*the whole crowd goes wild*

the greatest legend of all time, elvis presly but not the actual one obviously...the elvis presley lookalike winner for this year was around basking in his glory...

the most popular number of all time, 23 worn my michael jordan.one of the greatest players that lead chicago bulls to nba champs...

i met so many superstars and celebrities that i lost tracked of time...the so efficient nypd police department randomly came in and raided the area..i got caught and was put in a torture chamber where i was chained!!this is my lesson for today..backstage sneaking in is a NO-NO for me...but if you are not caught,you feel like you are in the limelight..

it did not end there..it took me another 25 dollars to bail me out from that awful situation...luckily i escaped unhurt and i made my way back home..what a tiring night!!backstage is not that cool after all...

goodbye 2007..welcome 2008!!!

we decided to do something exciting on new year eve....to admire the times square celebration the whole world talks about!!i guess standing for 9 hours is a heck of an experience!!we started of with our lunch at sapporo and then decided wait for the countdown...it was 3pm at that time...

at 830pm..the performance started...jordin sparks, blake lewis, a few other superstars and the most popular is carrie underwood!!nice..during the performance, they gave some new year eve souvenirs..car sponsor, pontiac hat and balloons...(i was not that enthusiatic in wearing that hat, not feeling in the mood)

and the magnificent crowd in times square...i mean the crazy crowd!!

10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..the ball dropped and everywhere you can see confetti dropping from up above!!the surrounding and atmosphere is absolutely delightful!!

overall, i am glad that i had this experience admiring the times square celebration..however i feel that it is kinda overrated...i swear i will not do this again!!the experience of standing for 9 hours for new year celebration is crazy!!