Meaningful Christmas

It's Christmas and new year again! And also Dong Zhi or what I like to call the Tong Yuen Festival. This year end is definitely different with Ah Kong/Grandpa leaving us on the 22nd after a heart attack in the middle of the night. He had been in and out of the hospital for many times recently and I guess we all sort of knew but we didn't think that it was gonna be on that day. Life's like this. And we gotta move on with it so, enough about the sad news.

Even though Christmas this year is a sad one for my family, I wish to remind myself about the good things that happen. A handmade snow globe by one of close friends or "heng dai"-s in UKM, Tan Yuet Yang. This crazy fella made 20 of these for his friends but it did made everyone's day at least. If you ever read this blog, thank you again! :)

The above picture of a scenery is from my sister who wanted to show me snow from her place. I am guessing it's the view outside her window.:P  And another gift from my close friend, Cassy but I didn't manage to take a picture of the gingerbread she made because I ate it already. Hehe.

This is also a season for all us to remember the importance of family and friends although, I am quite lousy when it comes to people. Catching up with family and friends or trying to create conversation with a long-time-no-see person is really difficult. I guess I am a really socially awkward person. :/

Nevertheless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Maybe it's Ah Kong way of reminding us about Dong Zhi Festival and Christmas. May you rest in peace. :)

Just say and be whatever

Finally, my days in Paediatrics are over. It's not like I didn't like the posting or kids but it was quite a scary posting. Knowing that the chances of failing the short case was high, anyone in that position would have struggled to pass that exam. When I think about it, it reminded me about the irritable baby and the kid who did want to be examined. Gosh.. Of all times, it had to happen during short case. -.-!!

I guess it went okay. At least it wasn't as traumatizing as others' experiences. I am just glad that's it was over. After short case ended, that feeling of relief was the "Ahh.. finally, I want to just do nothing" one. Truth be told, I knew I had to get back to my research work which I did. I went through it on that same day till Saturday. I chose to work when my friends had already made plans to go out on Friday. Sad but in the end, I realised that I have one person who will always come for me. Mummy! The only companion who was willing to accompany me for my short breaks of lunch and dinner when I was doing my research work. She was also the one who was listening to my complaints. She had her own problems in her work place too but she tolerated my bad temper nonetheless. Sometimes, we have our small little arguments but eventually,  we are still good with each other. :)

To come to think of it, I never really had many friends or people around me whom I could just say or talk about my own stuff or just be myself especially when I'm angry or sad. It was easy for me to be happy around everyone but really talking to someone about my problems was hard. I used to have my sister to be the one whom I could just say whatever I want but I guess different time zones took that away from us. And I guess I eventually turned to mummy for all these. 

It's not that I don't have friends who are concerned about me but somehow or rather, I couldn't bring myself to do that. I did unintentionally broke down into tears or had moments where I burst into anger in front of some of them but of course,  I was quite emotionally affected at those times and I didn't like to spoil a day out with them by just talking about my problems. I didn't like to show much emotions when I'm around a lot of people nor was I a person who could express myself easily. Afterall,  I have always wanted to be that tough independent girl since secondary school. Back then, I was the naive girl who didn't know how to stand up for herself because she had a big sister who was so protective over her. Miss those days when I could count on my sister. To come to think of it, it was only since I went to KMK, I learned to be on my own. No one referred to me as the twins anymore but just my name. 

I think this is a pretty emo post and maybe the most emo I can go. Lol

Left too soon

I was lucky enough to know that the world was peaceful and almost too peaceful that I never had the experience of knowing that someone whom I know had left the world just too soon. That was only until Form 4 when I knew my class teacher passed away out of the blue, then my aunt who was in Australia and next were both of my grandmothers, and now my junior. When we thought everything was fine and normal, we have people we know who were suffering within or had an underlying disease to cope with. More unexpectedly, there are also deadly events or tragedies to appear out of nowhere.

I am still in shock to find out this. He was a great person. He was my junior in medical school and also in debate. Maybe he was too young to have passed away too soon. I last spoke to him three days ago when he called. He asked me about life in medical school, how was I coping with things and how do I see myself in the future. It was only normal for him to ask about this as he was thinking of changing course. He also told me about how he started to dislike medicine and couldn't imagine himself becoming a doctor in his future. I asked him about his parents' reaction towards his decision and he told me that they weren't very happy about it. He also asked for a senior's number to know how her working life is like as she is working in the biomedical line. 

And soon, I found out that he didn't call the senior when in fact, he called a few others to just get her number. Maybe it's not what I think it is. I am yet to find out what really happen. I wish I could have done more than this. Honestly, I was surprised to receive a call from him as I didn't talk to him for quite some time and that was during the orientation for third years. I saw the turn of events happening when he started to quit debate which was weird since he liked debate a lot. Then, changing course and now, this. Maybe those were the signs. There is a possibility that I would have been one of the last persons he talked to since nobody knew this was coming. I don't wish to experience things like this anymore but it's times like this when we start to appreciate what we have in life. Well, at least it made it clear to me about the important people and things in my life.

He was a great debater and definitely a bright student. May you find peace in heaven.

Reasons people give

You know those times when you say you are busy and you ended up not doing things you actually want/like/wish to do? Yes, this happens to me all the time and I bet it will occur more often for the coming two semesters..lol. Even my reasons seem legit enough for me to excuse myself from doing those things I wished I had done instead, these past few days, I begin to think that they (in this context, I meant the legit reasons) could all just be reasons..

Honestly, I do not know what will become of me in the next 10 years. Everyone wants to be somebody and so do I. Knowing that I will be starting off my career in Malaysia is not as 'motivating' or 'satisfying' as I thought it would be when I was 18 years old. I think this is mainly due to the fact, I know a lot of people who started on the same platform as I am are aiming for greater things.

I know about the 'braindrain issue', giving back to the country and all but how about putting yourself out there to do things that you never thought you would do and challenge yourself to do stuff you have always wanted to be a part of? I believe if 'that' place in which I am settling for is giving young people like me those two factors, we would have not think that we settled for it but we own it.

Just so you know I am not complaining for what I know is ahead of me. Apart of me believes that anyone can start something great regardless of where they started off working. In the end, I think it is up for me to decide which are the 'legit' reasons for me to be where I would be in the coming years.

So challenge yourself or just settle what you have got?

Alright that is all from me rambling...:P

have a look at this video..:)

About Warm Bodies

A picture which was taken randomly by Madhaavi when I busy searching for the lab results for my case. She was bored waiting for me already.

Nope. I'm not talking about any medical stuff in this post although I can somehow relate to something medically related. It's about a movie called Warm Bodies, which I watched recently. It's about a zombie who fell in love with a girl and ate her boyfriend's brains. It was kinda expected that they would have ended up being together but that would also mean that she fell in love with her boyfriend's murderer. Lol.

It turns out that the zombies became more human and were cured when they could start to feel and dream. (corpse can't feel or dream) Interesting much. I kinda like the idea of the zombies craving for human brains because it's the closest thing that they could feel like a human again. They could re-experience the memories of that person. These zombies had no trace of their own memories since they were infected so they sort of like the idea of having feelings I guess.

Sometimes in life, it's better off being emotionless like zombies so we don't feel pain and sadness. But when we lose it, we start to appreciate the existence of it. Apart from the negative feelings, we will still have the brighter side of emotions which we all like to have.

Looking at sick patients in wards everyday and recently knowing that one of my course mates was diagnosed with a disease that's unimaginable, made me realise that we are all still humans and that we all stand a chance in developing a disease out of nowhere at anytime. Appreciate what we have today perhaps regardless of good or bad experiences we are facing today. :)

Time to get uncomfortable

That's when we went to Meeples with Yeng. The picture is just a random one. :)

Now that Ling is back at US, we all go back to our old routine including Ling who hates to get back to reality apparently. Don't worry. You'll do fine. :)

Lately, I have this thought of travelling to places. It's kinda odd for a girl who used to hate travelling a lot. For someone who has lived with motion sickness, it's really quite scary to think about transportation when travelling really far. I dislike travelling by buses, air planes and to a certain extent, ferries. Sometimes, travelling in a car makes me sick too. I hated the journey to Fraser's Hill and Genting Highlands. I found out that I don't feel sick when I am the one driving though. There's a medical explanation for that. Lol.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to finally travel to places and I'm eyeing on Europe (although I won't be going there anytime soon, probably few years down the road) Hehe. Yes, I was pretty much influenced by my friends who travelled there. I know what's running in Ling's head now when she reads this. YES! :P

But, that wasn't the sole reason for me. I used to think that it's really a waste of money to go travel but now, I just feel like enjoying life and do something out of my comfort zone. Yes, I will accept the challenge to feel uneasy while travelling. They say if you want to change, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable. :)

Now that I am back

Yes, I am back for 2 months and I will be going back to Ann Arbor soon in two weeks time. That is pretty damn fast. I am back for an internship in Sime Darby. Although the work here is slow, the people are really nice. I met up with friends from high school and college. And mostly, spend my time with my mum and sister. For the most part, we eat and shop. :P

Hey, did I mention that I was trying to lose weight? I even went to gym but stopped for almost two weeks now..:(  Anyhow, I managed to lose some weight..expected to lose more though. Oh well, life moves on even if I get fatter. Yea that is all from me.

Anyway have a look at this link. I find it true in some ways. :)

http://behindthehustle.com/2013/08/10-choices-you-will-regret-in-10-years/

So much of lost times

She has been back for almost a month and by the time we realised time flew too fast, she will be leaving again soon. Well, she didn't come back for no reason. She had to do her internship her so, both of us got our own things to do. As much as I wish I could spend more time with her, I have to get things done for myself too. Just realised that she still has another month here. Yay! :D

Recently, I came across this article because most of my friends have been posting it so I can't help it but to just see what was it about. It's about things that medical students and doctors need to leave behind. I don't really agree with all of them but to a certain extent, it's maybe true after all. People say you'll need to sacrifice certain things for something else. Yea, we don't have all the time in the world, do we? :(

I think I was well-informed about this life that I'm about to go through and honestly, I did regret bit. Not that I don't like being a part of the medical profession, it's just that I can't picture myself like any other human beings anymore. Everything in my life after this will be influenced by my job and by my interest in continuing this life-long never ending studying thing. I'll start apologizing to my family and friends for being such a jerk for not turning up in future meet ups. Lol.

I still remember an incident during one of the ward rounds in O&G. There was a patient who is the same age as all of us and just had a baby. The professor realised this and said, "See, people are already making plans for their lives, why are you all still doing here?" LOL. Glad that I'm not attached to anyone for now. I don't know if anyone is willing to go through these times with me when they can always opt for a more ordinary lady. If I ever did, sorry honey. Lol.

Oh well, future is never bleak if you've got a reason to continue believing that you're doing something meaningful and hopefully something great comes out of it. :)

After 2 years!

I have not been home for 2 years already and I have been longing to eat MALAYSIAN food and even to the extent of trying to replicate it. It wasn't successful but it definitely shows how much I want it. Well, I am going to be back for an internship too..so not that free after all when I am back. lol. I can't stop thinking of going back home when I saw my E-ticket! Family, friends and food, I am going to be back real soon, just wait for me!  Exams are in a few days time but I am distracted...this is bad. Alright, I better get back to work now...

The Fruitful Wait

Elections are over. Exams are over. The wait for results are over. Had to wait extra long for my results because UKM has this system where they'll hold your results till the students paid for their school fees. Yup, I have officially become the "pelajar yang paling banyak kali tidak selesaikan hutang" or just one of them. I was victimized by a system which takes forever to clear my debt. Complicated but I have actually paid my debt. True that. The good thing is my results are always confidential lol. The bad, I need the extra patience to get them. After the long wait, whatever anxiety I had only came back when I finally got to talk to one of the office people. Finally made it to 4th year! :D

Will be starting off with psychiatry. Just let me get through 4th year and I'm so close to UKM MD! And with high hopes, I'll be able to visit Ling in the States next year. :)

Coming few days

Yes, I am done with finals and I am going to start my senior year very soon. :)
Well, as for these coming few days, there are a lot things to look forward to.

As for my country, there could a memorable historical moment for this coming 13th general elections. I look forward to watch the results live and I am sure that is what most Malaysians all over the world will be doing.

As for my myself, I am going to be around Ann Arbor taking classes in the spring semester. I can't wait to start cooking and of course, lose some weight (lets hope it works out). The weather now reminds me of Malaysia, warm and sunny! Also, I will be going for the Malaysian Midwest Games in Kalamazoo.

There is just so much things going on. :)

Time to age

My mum thinks that I should start being more like a lady. Yup, that means wearing dresses and make-up. Not that I don't or never wear them, just never had these habits like other girls do. I do like dressing up but sometimes it's really about the mood and of course the occasion.  Sometimes, I just don't feel like putting on a dress 'cause it's not right. (If you girls get what I'm saying lol). Maybe I like plain and simple but yea that's just me not wanting to admit to my mum that it's kinda troublesome wearing dresses 'cause it feels so restricted in it. Yes, I also need to learn how to walk like a lady. :P

Now about the make-up, I never really like them. Why go all the trouble putting powder on your face and worry whether it's evenly applied or not? Or taking hours to draw lines at one of the most sensitive areas of your eyes? It may seem nice or worth it but the thoughts bothering me the most would be, why are girls expected to use cosmetics at a certain age? It's not sad to see even young girls like teenagers have also started using them, not wrong truthfully but it's the idea that subject girls to somewhat achieve a standard of looks which is accepted by society. Probably this is why girls are so concerned about their outer beauty.  

I personally do think that physical appearance does affect the kind of impression we portray ourselves to other people. This applies to guys too but somehow the effect of the societal perception is just more prevalent among girls.  Just me suddenly having my moments as a feminist.

Wearing make-up does make one look older in my opinion lol. And after getting a remark from a sales assistant in a boutique saying that I look like a Form 5 kid to her, I think it's time to agree with my mum that I should try wearing make-up just to look like my age. I wished I was 18 but I'm not. Just listen to my mum then. :)

More cooking ;)

See..I told you there are going to be more pictures of food to be posted..haha!

So, this dish is 'Bak Choy Stirred Fried with Shiitake Mushroom' and it is not my dish because it was cooked by Ji Chuan. Still it sure does taste as it looks! :)

Well, this second dish was inspired by my very own mummy and grandma. My mummy cooks the best peanut soup with the soft peanuts and pork ribs and my grandma cooks the best 'Ling Ua' soup aka 'Lotus Root Soup'. I hope I make you both proud. It is definitely not as good as my mummy's nor my granny's but still not too bad. ;)

The last one was prepared by myself with some innovation. Well, I was trying to get rid of my 'Chi Kut Teh' and thought of a terrific idea of using the soup for the noodles. I like 'Chi Kut Teh' better with rice but still, not too bad for a leftover meal! :)

This could be all for the time being..Sad but true, I will be too busy after the break to prepare all these yummy looking asian food. However, I will be cooking right after the semester ends again. So watch out for more then. :)

My dishes

Well well..look what we have here? Yes, I cooked all of them. Unbelievable but it is true!

The first picture consists of Spicy Sze Chuan Tofu and Garlic Stir-Fried Kai Lan :)

As for the second picture, I think you can tell it is something to do with baked goods and it is my very own Bread Pudding! :D

The three picture doesn't look appetizing but it sure does smells good. What else smells better than 'Chi Kut Teh'? ;)

I hope some of these pictures make you go hungry...haha! Btw, watch out for more pictures of food.......:P

'Me' time

So now it's spring break and mostly everyone is out having fun in some place warm or pretty and as for me, I am stuck in Ann Arbor with nothing much to do. Sometimes, I wished I could transfer my free time now for the last two weeks. I was pretty much slumped with exams, projects and assignments for the last two weeks and having a little more time could have been great. It is one after the other and as usual, nothing really good comes out of it. I wished it could have been better. Oh well, it is over! And now, I have nothing to do at all. This is the time where I wished people was around. At least, I would not feel so lonely watching movies and eating all by myself but hey, how long has it been that I spent some 'me' time?

So, I have been keeping myself updated with Malaysian politics as the General Elections should be anytime soon...As you all may know, this GE might be one of the greatest moment in Malaysia's history and it is unfortunate that I am not registered to vote. :(
Anyhow, I am looking forward to the GE. Not that I am against or supporting any political parties..but I think like most Malaysians, I want a bright future for Malaysia for all Malaysians. I love this country a lot and sometimes, I get frustrated with the current government. I don't want to live in a country where the media is manipulated to suit certain political group, where corruption is happening within the government itself and where democracy is not practiced. I used to read the The Star all the time at home but now, I no longer read it and instead, I rely on YouTube or other forms of social media to know what is really going on in Malaysia.
Maybe it is time to change for the better. Alright enough about politics, if not my sister will be like "aiyo this girl and her politics...".

Thanks to Duo Ren, I have a list of movies to watch for the coming week...Besides that, I have to clean my room, do my laundry, catch up with my mum/sis...and cook, of course! :P
And then, back to my school work.. That is all I am up to for the time being!

For a decent celebration

While Ling is singing Mo Li Hua in a foreign land, I am here celebrating Chinese New Year and studying for finals at the same time lol (which is really torturing by the way). I guess both of us finally got to learn Mandarin in our own ways. Ling went for classes while I was stuck in a community where the majority speaks Mandarin. And most of the vocabulary I learned were mostly symptoms and medical related words like cough, vomit and blood. We shall see who speaks better Mandarin! :P

Talking about Chinese New Year reminded me of an old lady who came to the clinic for a follow-up and to get her gout medication. She seemed like any other patient except that she was insisting to get a letter written to the welfare department. Nobody knew why until we started asking. She cried. The patient cried knowing that New Year was coming and she did not have enough money to have a decent celebration. Everybody kept silent for a moment and tried to console her. Not only she did not have enough money but she will be spending this new year alone. Honestly, I did not know how to make her feel better. The only thing I could say is "Don't cry. Don't worry. You can talk to us". Then, she said, "How can I not worry?" Realising that I have probably made her felt even worse really sucks. She continued crying. :(

I sincerely hope she will enjoy this new year and have a decent celebration. Being in a position where I can still celebrate new year with my family, I am glad to be at home despite having the need to study for finals at the same time. Many of us don't realise how lucky it is to have the opportunity to study for a better future and have a family to spend with until we meet the least fortunate.

Anyway, Happy Chinese New Year people! :)

新年快乐! 恭喜发财!

Just had this China Week in class which explains the song, Mo Li Hua in my previous post. However, I have to admit that I learnt a lot more about my Chinese roots. Don't get me wrong, I still see myself as a Malaysian but knowing more about my ancestors' culture have taught me something that I have not been exposed to before. The more I think of it, the more I believe that it is never too late to learn something. Just because I did not go to a Chinese school when I was younger, that does not mean that I can not learn Chinese now. Now, here is something to look at.. my hand-written calligraphy! Just so you know, it's my name written all over it and the character 'fu' for good fortune. They are poorly written but still, it is my first time. And looking at it now surely reminds me of CNY!

I wished I could be around for CNY but oh well...it's ok, I am sure my sister will collect all of my angpows for me. :P

Thanks, Ching! 

By the way, Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Holidays to everyone! :)

Mo li hua

Yesterday in my Chinese class, my classmates and I were asked to sing a song, Mo Li Hua, which means Jasmine flower. This song is a very popular song in China and it is played in the Olympics. According to my teacher, this song was played once in the Olympics because no one knew how the Chinese national anthem sound like. Sounded great huh? I am sure I have heard of it sometime before in Chinese restaurants(I would guess Concorde Hotel) but I could not remember since I do not know the lyrics. :P

Well, this song gives a very peaceful feeling inside, so I thought of sharing this with you even though you might have heard of it before.:)

Anyway, here's the video:

Moli hua

Hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā

Hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā

Fēn fāng měi lì mǎn zhī yā

Yòu bái yòu xiāng rén rén kuā

Ràng wǒ lái jiāng nǐ zhāi xià

Sòng gěi bié rén jiā

Mò li huā yā mò li huā

Company to accompany

A lot of times, we wish to have someone to accompany us to do things like going out for lunch, going to the gym, going for a shopping spree and the list goes on and on. Of course, sometimes we do like to be on our own especially when it was a long tiring day after work or school and all you wanna do is just lie on your comfy bed. It's just that when we really we wish that we are not alone and many times it's because we got into trouble, we just hope to share it with someone else. The truth is no one will walk your life or experience the burden you bear whether it's your closest siblings, your closest friends, your partner and even your parents. As much as they can console you and help you to feel better, they can't help to be there for you all the time. The painful word to be said here is to be independent and very close to being alone too. Not saying that we all should be loners but a lot of times it's about your own effort and choices. Realising that this is the only thing that makes you original and so different from other people.

Trying to put yourself in others' shoes may sound like a good saying to fit in, but really? Try thinking of one person who knows best about you and who can write your bibliography lol. You can have that one person in your mind but I doubt that he or she knows you in and out about your past or any part of your life. The fact is it takes a compilation of interviews of different people you meet in every part of your life to do that. Yea, I think about bibliographies of my own. Daydreaming too much but I really hope to do something really big and meaningful in my life. Hmm... becoming a professor? LOL. (praying for miracles to happen)

I came across thinking about it when I visited a blog by a great doctor who is passionate about medical education and also about the world. Realising that I have been so oblivious about the world especially before I was in UKM. Yea, started reading worldly stuff since I join debate. Do you know that fresh air in cans are now for sale in China? How about the Arab Spring? And what happened to Greece? Don't ask, don't tell policy? I won't say that I know a lot but I'm just reading them for my own knowledge. 

Friends

Well, I have been watching Friends again and again and so, I thought I might as well post something about it. For me, it is the BEST sitcom ever even until today, there is no other sitcom that is funnier and more authentic than Friends. I was a fan of Friends since when I started watching it in high school with my sister..hehe. I wished that it could be re-filmed again..it's impossible because the actors and actresses have aged but who knows? :P

I even have a poster of Friends in my room. I don't think I will ever be bored of watching it again and again and now, I am caught up with Friend's memes in 9gag...this is real addiction..phew....

One of my favorite scenes of all time..LOL!

Purest of Pain

I heard this nostalgic song when I was having dinner. Googled it up and found this cute video. I knew this song because of a TV series, Mis Tres Hermanas which was showing during my primary school. I heard the Spanish version first which I thought was nice. There is a version in English and even in Malay! Not a perfect video but definitely one of the cutest. :)

And the thing bout Maple Story, thanks to my brother for making both my sister and I addicted to it at one point of time lol. It was because of our brother, we get to play Ragnarok, playstation games and also computer games. Kinda nice although it sort of turn us to tomboys when we were young. Miss those times!

Treasures for me :)

Was supposed to upload this in the previous post but was waiting for Ying Xin's gift. :P

Old and Boring

I'm becoming old and boring already at 22 (according to some of my friends, 2013). I actually do agree lol. I know this is gonna sound funny to some people but yea, I think being old and boring is kinda sweet. :)

On 10th January 2013, everything was like the other birthdays where I start getting messages and calls from my friends. Got a call from Ling too! There was the time where I will stop facebook-ing because of the never ending notifications. I still got a lot of posts on my timeline yet to be replied. Yes, I read and comment on every single posts because I like reading them. Lol. Thanks for all the calls, messages and posts. They are all so sweet! 

As for this year, I didn't wish for a grand or big celebration (this is the weird part but it's true). I think it's because it was tiring in the weekdays and I start to appreciate what peace and serenity really mean.  I just wanted to have a break on my birthday but it was on a Thursday. It was the usual day going to wards. Went shopping with Isaac (he just wanted to drag the time and it worked lol) and went out for dinner with my UKM friends. I was surprised on my birthday for having all of them except Ying Xin (she should be studying :P) to make it when they told me that not everyone is coming! Ta-daa! Cassy, Adeline and Yuet Yang came all the way from Beranang for my birthday. Aww.. so touched! 

Got presents. Hehe. Haven't opened them though. Spent a short time with my mum but it's good enough because now I'm back home! She can have me for herself now. 

The twist for the day was the ending where all of us ended up in the police station. LOL. Lesson learnt. Nope, we were not caught vandalizing or stealing but it was the Sandy's tragedy! Poor fella hit a car so we all accompanied him to make the police report in the middle of the night. That reminds me of the other poor victim in an accident I met recently. My apologies and prayers for them. *pray hard*

On the day before, I had another celebration. I was lucky enough to have come if not, I wouldn't have gotten the comfy pillow thing for my neck. Something that I wanted but never wanted to buy. Lol. Thanks to the debaters! 

I'm happy for having wonderful people around me. I may not know how to express myself sometimes but I'm really grateful. That reminds me of a wedding speech circulating in my Facebook feeds. I should have done that for my birthday to thank all of them but I don't think I can pull it off well enough like how he did. Watch it when you have the time!

That's all for my birthday post! :)

Happy New Year & Happy 22nd Birthday!

Since my sister had posted several posts already and she is currently busy studying for her exam and I have not been updating anything about myself, I think it is my turn to update this blog of ours! :)

Well, it is 2013! Happy New Year! And Happy 22nd Birthday to my sis and I!  :)

As for my New Years, I was in Rome celebrating with a crowd of Italians. I was in Rome a few days before the New Years. So, I went to visit the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and a lot of other historical places. On the last day of 2012, I went to Vatican City, it was a really LONG wait to get inside the church and the museum but it was worth it because you will be amazed with the artwork by famous artists once you get inside. Besides site seeing and visiting to places, I would not say that Rome is entirely 100% perfect. Even though I don't know Italian and got myself "conned" for a few things like "gladiators asked me for money for taking pictures" and paid for what they told you at first "free flowers", other than those, nothing big nor serious happened. I was lucky enough that I did not lose my passport, handphone and money. At least now I know to never trust any random people even if they wanted to give me free things and because of that, I was not "conned" in Paris. I was quite happy for that. So, when you ever EVER go to places in Europe and people start being nice to you at first, think for a minute and start by declining them because for most of the time, they will try to get some money from you once you stop and listen to what they have to say to you.

Anyhow, I would still advice you to go there. Just make sure that you don't trust people easily and beware of pickpockets especially when you are in a crowded place. After the New Years celebration, when everyone was trying to get out, I was pick pocketed three times. Just so you know, even though there wasn't anything in my pockets, this could easily be a disaster to just anyone.

Despite those things, I enjoyed myself and definitely learnt a lot about the places I went to. Honestly, I have lost count of how many churches, Bassicillas and cathedrals I visited, I am not even sure if they are all the same and I have yet to google them to know the differences among them but each and every one of them never fail to amaze me everytime. They are all so beautifully decorated and built.

Alright, I guess it is time for me to get back to studying my very first quiz for the semester. Byeee! :)