I'm here in Melbourne. Had a very bad flight from Singapore. I couldn't sleep at all the whole time and so when I reached Melbourne, I was in a daze. When I reached Dev's place, I grabbed some pizza at Chapel St, then went back to his place and slept for 4 straight hours. I was so jet lagged.

It's really hot here right now. People are barely dressed. I'm just clad in shorts and singlets and slippers and when night falls and I'm out, I wear my long leggings and pull a jacket over. Bloody hot. I can feel my thighs actually sweating when I get out from the car. Urgh...

Dev's place is nice and cosy. A little messy but I fixed that on the 2nd day I was here. Cleaned and tidied. Ha. He thinks I'm crazy. :) I can't live in a mess.

Went over to Nad's place for dinner on Sun night and had a great time catching up with her. It's been so long!!!

Nad and me. Her mom cooked chicken rice.

I've been eating a lot here. Dev has been bringing me around to the different cafes and so far, in the 3 days that I've been here, I've had gelato on the first day at this Italian restauraunt off Lygon St, this utterly sinful cake with apricot jam in between on the 2nd day at Brunetti and cinnamon doughnuts and a triple layered choc cake at High St. Please remember that this is not inclusive of the normal food that I eat for bfast, lunch and dinner. This is only just dessert. Urgh....It's only 3 days and I feel bloated. I need to run or something. Work off the guilt.

Gelato. The portion of the gelato is so huge. I didn't finish that.

Outside Dev's place. That's his car. Fast car. I almost puked the first time I took it. It went really fast.

I'm going to figure out the train system here tomorrow and will walk around on my own in the city cos Dev and Nad has to work and can only meet me after they end work. So I hope I don't get lost.

Keep reading people. I'll update constantly. Excuse me for the lack of photos. Dev's place uses dial up for the internet connection (I know, its so old school. The last time I used dial up was when I was in uni about 10 yrs ago or something.) so it's freaking slow and I have no patience to wait for my photos to be uploaded. So minimal photos.

I'm leaving in about 10 hrs time. I've been so psyched about going; buying things for my 1 year stay, arranging stuff at home, packing, packing and more packing, meeting up friends, spending time with family, that I haven't really had the time to sit down and realise that I'm going to be away from the people closest to me for a really long time. And yesterday was when it dawned on me, cos I was at home alone the whole of yesterday and I realised that 1 year is a pretty long time to be away. I've gone on holidays before but the longest I've been away from familiarity is probably about 14 days. And I actually felt a little sad. Ok fine, I was sad. And quiet. Maybe more reflective, not so much quiet.

I'm scared to death honestly. Who wouldn't be? I'm going to be on my own, in a foreign country, with no one but myself. But I guess that's why I wanted to do this. Get a taste of being by myself, no comfort zone to fall back on, learn to grow up (not that I haven't but I think being abroad on your own makes you more...mature, if that's the right word to use). And most importantly, I want to meet new people and experience personal and professional growth. Feel I've been stagnating. And I kind of miss studying and not having responsibilities on my shoulders all the time. And I want to do something for myself.

Having said all that, I'm going to miss every single person in Singapore. All my friends. And especially my family. My mom, sisters, bro-in law, and my babies; Farhan & Alisya. I'll be glad to see them when they visit in June.

Keep reading people. I'll constantly update. 1 year will pass. And we'll meet again when I come back. :)

I met Kathy for a quick tea. An hour and a half. Why? Cos she just got herself a bf and she wanted me to see him before I left. Give my stamp of approval. Hahaha. So I met them at Starbucks Plaza Singapura, and had a very nice time talking to him. Cullen, his name. He's American and is genuinely nice. I like him. Gives me positive vibes. He listens when I talk, one rare qualities in guys, he's funny, good sense of humour, and I can tell he loves Kat from the way he talks to her and looks at her. And she's so much happier now. Just 3 mths ago, she looked like something that the cat dragged in. Not just physically, but the way she carried herself, her self confidence; all time low. But when I saw her today, she had a glow to her face, and she was genuinely happy. I'm happy for her. She deserves it. :) So now, we are making tentative plans to go to States to visit him..Maybe next year, we'll see..:)

Kat and me



Cullen, Kat and me.



After the tea, I met up Hendri. For those who don't know, he is my ex-bf. Yup, we are one of the few couples who break up and still remain good friends. Great guy. Things didn't work out, that's all. He was highly stressed cos of work (he's a teacher in a JC) so it was nice to meet up cos he managed to destress. I haven't seen him for like 10 months or something, so we were catching up on the latest gossip and each other's lives. And I wanted to see him before I left..

Hendri and me



Alright, it's late and I'm tired. Productive day today. I'm happy.

I had a family dinner today. The last one before I leave. And for the first time, my younger sis gave the whole family a treat at Swensens. It's usually me, my elder sis or my bro-in-law who pays for the meals cos we are the ones working. But since my younger sis started work about half a year ago, she decided to give the whole family a treat today. The occassion? My going away.

We had a feast. Pasta, steak, fish n chips, breaded chicken, choc fondue, the works. Even though we have gone to Swensens a gazillion times, it tasted especially good today. Don't know why. Maybe cos I know it's my last time eating out with my family until a long time from now, or cos it's my younger sis's maiden treat to the family. But I enjoyed myself tremendously.

Alisya and Farhan



Kikin and me



Me and Mom



Nana, me and Alisya



After dinner, my younger sis and me went to walk around down town on our own and she bought me a pair of black leggings!! Hahahaha...So funny, usually I buy her things. But this time round, she is the one buying me things. Thanks dude!

Kikin and me at the bus stop



I'm leaving really soon and I've received so many gifts from my family. Leggings from my younger sis, my 29-inch Hush Puppies luggage from my elder sis n bro-in-law, my aunties and uncles from my dad's side came over today and gave me prayer robes and a prayer mat (They want to make sure I pray when I'm there) and one of my aunts gave me AUS$250!!!. So nice everyone!

Been meeting up as many people as possible before I leave. I've met almost everyone already: Vidhu and Wendy, Ee Kia, Diana, Khalidal, Maya, Yati, Kathy, my different batches of students (3 in total), Soon Soon (my ex band instructor), my aunties and uncles. It's been really nice....

5 more days before I leave. I can't wait...

Khalidal got married yesterday. Another one of my best friends joining the married pack. I went down for her solemnisation on my own, and saw her geting dressed up. She looks really demure and gentle but she was still as rubbish as ever. Making funny faces, making stupid comments..

But just before the solenisation ceremony took place, she was really nervous. I got a snap shot of her looking un characteristically tense and quiet. I wonder if this happens to every single bride-to-be moments before they get married off.

Her moment of nerves



A picture with her just before she gets married off.



Khalidal and her husband, Ghazi.



A group picture with all her friends.



It was another bittersweet event for me. Moments of happiness for her but coupled with a tinge of sadness. I'm a very sentimental person. Urgh...

K, Congrats! Have a blessed marriage and enjoy the perks of maried life. I better don't lose you to marriage. You better make sure of that k. :) Hugs... Love you.

I've had the luxury of time, so I've been doing what I've always loved doing but simply did not have the time for in a very, very long time. Reading. I used to be a verocious reader; from the kid's books like the Enid Blyton Series & Roald Dahl, to the trashy Danielle Steele and Sidney Sheldon, to the semi-intellectual books such as autobiographies. But cos of work and lack of time, I've not been able to read as much as I would love to.

But in the past 3 weeks that I've been free, I've read 4 Sidney Sheldon books: The Best Laid Plans, Nothing Lasts Forever, The Sky is Falling & The Sands of Time (No need to think sort of books); SOLD by Zana Muhsen about a woman and her sister who were subjected to modern slavery in Yemen by their dad; Desert Flower by Waris Dirie which talks about female cicumcision and the lack of freedom of choice and the oppression of women in Somalia. The latter 2 are damn good books. Very thought provoking.

And....I'm in the midst of reading 2 books right now...Not sure whether you guys read the Sunday Times 2 Sundays ago, but they talked about reading more than one book at one time. Like reading them for different occassions. Book polygamy or something like that. Which is exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm in the midst of reading Desert Dawn by Waris Dirie, a continuation of the 1st book (Desert Flower) and it talks about Waris's quest to create awarenes of the plight of people in her home country where famine and violence were rampant and the women had no voice or a face. So far so good.

And at the same time, I'm reading the last instalment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I know, I know....It's so passe cos everyone knows what happened to Harry Potter except for me. I bought the book when it first came out, in July, but I haven't had the time to read. So am doing that now.

And today, when I was out with Maya, I bought 2 more books from Borders! 2 New York Times Bestsellers! The first one is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The book has had rave reviews and it touches a topic which I'm very interested in: the turbulent Middle East, Afghanistan to be exact, told in the eyes of an Afghan boy.

And the other book I bought is titled Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I was watching Oprah two days ago and this book was featured on Oprah's Book Club. And the author of the book, Elizabeth Gilbert, went on the show and talked about the book and my interest was piqued. So when I saw it at Borders, I bought it sraightaway. The book is about a woman's quest to rediscover herself through eating in Rome, praying in India and loving in Bali. I'm intrigued.

I can't wait to get started on the 2 books! Must finish my Waris's book and Harry Potter first. Will probably bring the new books to Australia and read on the plane or something. :)

It feels so good to be able to do nothing but just lie down in bed and curled up with my books and not worry about meeting deadlines, or having to rush to work or worry about unmarked scripts, etc. I like...

Anyway, I met Maya today for a sinful tea of nothing but dessert. We went to this place at Paragon called Canale Patisserie and we had the most sinful chocolate cake, melt in your mouth raspberry macaroons and Nutella-filled crepe, drizzled with caramel, and cream, and sugar, topped with nougat and caramel ice cream. It was so sinful but so good....

Kill me can? I devoured most of this.



Maya and me





I had fun. We did a little shopping but most of the time was spent at the Cafe talking, talking and talking. It was great. Will miss doing this with you when I'm gone, Maya. :)

I'm leaving in 2 weeks time. Can't wait!

Met up Kathy and BJ for lunch yesterday. Haven't met BJ for a while. She is doing her Masters in Linguistics and is on a scholarship. She's having a blast in uni and she told me that studying full time is the best thing for one to do. And she's so much happier and looks younger and less stressed. And really funky (I know, the word 'funky' is so 1990s).

So after looking at what studying has done to her, I can't wait to start my course. This bumming around and not doing anything gets a little boring after a while.

Me, Kat and BJ. We had Thai food.



After lunch, Kat and I went for pastry and tea where I plucked her eyebrows (again. She didn't trim it since the last time I did it for her) and taught her how to apply make up and did a mini make up workshop for her. She is going to be a bridesmaid this weekend so she needed the skills asap.



I went to the gym after that. Did a 5km run. Am sufering for it today. My abs hurt, my waist is aching, and my thighs are burning. Urgh...

The family went out to celebrate my brother in law's birthday today. Went to an Indonesia restaurant at Paragon, Tambuah Mas. Food wasn't fantastic but the price was alright. We had chicken lemak, fried chicken, sambal kangkong, soto ayam, tahu telur, fried squids, prawns, fish, gado-gado. All these for $116, my elder sister's treat. I thought it was pretty cheap for all that. Then walked around for a while and had coffee and cakes at Coffee Bean where my niece and nephew massacred the cakes. Perpetually fighting, both of them. And my niece, is so bloody vain. She keeps looking into every single mirror she walks past, straightens out her hair, puts on lip gloss. She wore the cutest outfit today, a Burberry lookalike sleeveless dress which has a thin belt at the waist, a denim jacket with sequins at the back, with black leggings. Vain ass. My elder sis and mom says she's exactly like me: Vain, loud, shameless, brash, friendly, talkative, I'm like....Hey, I'm not like that ok!!!

My babies and me. My nephew barely ate. So much food but only ate rice with a few miserable tahu pieces. No wonder he's so skinny. Oh...He's a class monitor... Hahahaha...What a nerd lah. When I asked him what is his job as a monitor, he says, 'When any student talks, I must write down their names on the white board.' Damn nerdylah!



My elder sis all decked out in gold, my mom, and my sis. Notice the hair on her. She rebonded and coloured it. The whole Cleopatra look. I like the colour, the fringe but hate the totally straight hair. So kejung. (Unnatural)



Both of us with new hair. My niece tries to be in all the photos.



Yup, one more with her.



I told you. Total camera whore.



My sister's family.



A shot of them when they are actually not fighting.



My family.



Probably will be another year before we have another family get together. Oh no, 6 months cos they'll be coming to visit me in Australia in June. :)

I cut my hair. Short. 5 inches off. So my hair now falls to the nape of my neck. And I coloured it a dark shade of brown. Not highlights and lowlights, but a solid colour. I told my hairdresser I wanted a haircut which would grow out nicely over the next 10 months and a haircolour which would not need constant retouching cos I'll be a poor uni student. So he worked his magic touch on me, and after 3 1/2 hours at the saloon, I now have semi- short hair (I can still pull it back into a really short ponytail) and dark brown hair. I like it. I haven't had short hair for a long time. And I was really bored with my hair. :)

Met up another group of students after my hair appointment. My form class of 2005. The only year where I got a good class as a form class. And they were angels. I loved them to bits. I was their form teacher for 2 years, so I really saw them grow. And now they have finished their 'A' levels and are enlisting into NS in a few days time. My babies are all grown up now!!!!

Me and Valencia. She's in TP, doing Business.



My boys being a pain. The one on my left is Justin, my biggest darling. He was from SAJC, and will be enlisted in 7 days. From Left to Right: Me, Justin, Linus (My class monitor in 2004), Alan, Lolenzo, Xianyao (My class monitor in 2005), Roystonn, Poh Hong and Chengxi. They are all doing well. Either jst finished 'A' levels, or in poly 2nd year.



I made them take this normal shot of me with them. Oh...That's my new hair. :)



My girls, from left to right: Me, Valencia, Yuping, Sharon (the class monitress), Noreen (nurse in training) and Kuo En. Doing very well too.



I was so happy to see them. They made me laugh, as they reminisced about when they were stil in school, bitched about other teachers, over prata and teh tarik. Love all of them. And this is why I love my job. :)

My babies. I'll miss them when I'm gone.

Something totally random. Went for a medical check up today. The medical consisted of a weight and height measurement. And guess what??? I have grown taller!!! If that's possible.

My mom and elder sis have been commenting that I look taller cos the height difference between my elder sis and me now is not that apparent as opposed to the past. I thought they were talking rubbish cos you stop growing once you reach 18. Until I took my height today and for the 1st time in my entire life, I was above 160cm! I have been 158cm forever. Since I was in secondary school. Today, when I took my height, I was.....161CM!!!! That's a whole 3cm growth!!

And the secret behind my height growth is....Yoga and Bodybalance. Seriously. Cos this whole yoga and bodybalance exercise requires me to stretch and pull my limbs like nobody's business. And I've been doing it for a year and a half, and true enough to what the instructors said, my body is longer. I'm not sure about the leaner part but I'm happy! :) (For those of you who are tall and are probably rolling your eyes at me for actually posting an entry on a 3cm growth, quit rolling your eyes. It's nice not to feel short. )


Anyway, been meeting up friends. I'm too lazy to blog so just look at the pictures k.

Met up Diana last Friday. She got back from NZ and bought me some souvenirs from NZ. She had her hair cut there too. But she actually lost her camera on her 2nd last day in NZ. Damn sad. I will cry if it was me.




Went to Mango Sale with my younger sis to look for winter wear for her. This was New Year's eve. Went out of the house at 12pm, and only got back home at 9pm. So bloody tired. Went from Isetan Scotts, to Wisma, to Takashimaya, to Great World City, to Marina Square, to Suntec City, and back to Orchard Road. 2 pit stops: 1 for lunch at Far East, and 1 for a drink at Suntec.






Met Yati on Wed for lunch and coffee. She brought her husband and baby Ilhan.





And this is probably the last shot of me and my long hair. Cos I'm going to chop it up tomorrow. Can't take it. Too long. It's below my bra strap now, if I blow dry it, even longer. I'm losing so much hair cos the longer my hair is, the heavier it becomes. And I need to recolour my hair too. So look out for the next entry. I'll probably take a picture of my new hair. I'm thinking of 5 inches off. That's a hell lot of hair. Unless my hair dresser convinces me otherwise.

2007 has been a pretty good year for me. I went out of my comfort zone in terms of my professional life, I saw my weaknesses professionally, there were some ups and downs in my relationship with Dev, I had to grapple with Dev's departure (it's been 3 months now. How time flies.), I tried to keep fit (I don't know how successful I am.) and most importantly, I spent a lot of time in 2007 with my family and friends. More so than the previous years.

It's 2008. New year, new resolutions. So just 4 main resolutions this year, nothing too ambitious.

1. To put my all in my studies and to do well in school and make sure I get good grades in my Masters programe. It's a personal goal. I don't want mediocre. I want good grades. I know, I know. I'm a nerd at heart.

2. To spend less cos I am officially no longer earning, so no more impulsive buys. (This is going to be a tough resolution to follow)

3. To maintain my weight and keep fit and toned, even though I will not have a gym membership in Australia. So I'll have to stick to the old school way of running at the park and doing yoga from home. I refuse to come back to Singapore fat. I'm short so I will look like a ball if I get fat.

4. To have more confidence and surety in my relationship with Dev. Cos we'll be apart for a year, minus the occassional trips he and I would be making to see each other in the course of 2008.

Hope everyone will have a good 2008. Happy New Year!