My new toy!

It's not the latest model, of course. I can't afford it. But it has better features compared to my previous phone.

Yay!

Changing fate every 15 minutes.

This year, I have decided to read at least one book every week. I've always wanted to accomplish this every year but failed because I never buy books. I really should, shouldn't I? Maybe I'll start buy borrowing some. 

Looking at the field that I'm venturing into in the future, I should read more!

I'm starting with this book. Managed to borrow it from my uncle.

I've already seen this movie like 100 times, and it's one of my favourite movies of all time. But books are usually better, right? More detailed and descriptive, leaving it to the readers' own imaginations. 

I'll start right away! 

I managed to borrow Julie Andrew's autobiography as well, written during her later days after Princess Diaries and all. She's a great legend. I believe I can learn a lot from her. :)

Happy reading!

I REALLY love a capellas.

Can't help falling in love with you

Their one of the most talented girl groups in Asia, Chun Sang Ji Hee/The Grace/TSZX. :)

I love the R&B voices. All four of them have powerful voices. Had goosebumps when I heard them sing a Christmas song. 

Give it a listen!

Faith


Whoa...

One more for the road? Hehe...

Dancing Queen

The great feast at the Chua's.

How was your NIU Year's? Mine was filled with food, as usual. My mom never fails to cook up a storm every Chinese New Year. This year wasn't an exception! 

My grandfather came down from Penang, and we usually stay home during the festive season because all my relatives always want my mom's food. :P Her signature dish, ji hu char (fried radish and cuttlefish mix), is always a must-have. My cousins said that it's not Chinese New Year without this. And also chap sui (sour and spicy vegetable soup, Ee Leen and Ammie's favourite too! :P).

When I say storm, I mean it! (I really should have taken some pictures) The ji hu char would always be at least two big woks full, and my mom would use a huge pot (like the ones used in hawker stalls) to cook the chap sui. And they're the most delicious dishes in the world! I really should start picking up my mom's cooking skills, cause she's good! I love my Mommy! :D

And of course, my mom never fails to bake her signature chocolate chip cookies either. Hehe. Her colleagues order from her every year, and some of them even have their mothers and daughters craving for the cookies! We never have to worry about leftovers. LOL And her pineapple tarts too! (Now, some of you still wonder why I love eating?)

At my uncle's gathering over lunch at his home today, my uncles and my mom told us some interesting stories about their childhood, and about our grandparents whom we've never met. After seeing so many pictures, I've always wanted to meet them. My grandma looks very motherly, and my grandpa is a tall man, six-footer. Now I know why my cousins are giants. But why didn't I get their genes??? :( (Again, I should take pictures next time!)

I also found out something. Something I've been so curious about all these years and I never knew how to answer when people ask me. I've always known about this partially, but I didn't know the actual reason. Wanna know why I look like... well, DON'T look like a Chinese? It's because my greatgrandmothers from both my maternal grandparents' sides weren't pure Chinese. My grandfather has Siamese blood, and my greatgrandmother was a Nyonya. That explains it. :) 

I just wanted to clear this up because I just hate it when people look at me and just assume that I'm a Malay or Chindian or Eurasian. It's cool to know that some people think I'm Eurasian. But I can't stand the strange looks people give me when I walk into a coffee shop and order pork noodle, or when I'm eating during the Muslim fasting month. >.<

So, stop judging me by how I look!

Anyway, back to Chinese New Year. My ang pao money this year isn't much, as usual. But I'm not complaining. I'm actually used to it. Thank God I still have more than a week to collect more! :D My mom's gonna have to cook more tomorrow for my dad's friends. >.<

Let's all cherish the time we have with our friends and families right now! :) Happy NIU year! (Sorry, I really love this line and I think it's really creative. How appropriate for the year of the Ox! Hehe.)

Mooo...!

GONG XI FA CAI!!!

I don't really know if I have any friends who were born in the year of the Ox. But I do know people like Barack Obama, Tun Mahathir and Jimmy Choo are! So cool. Obama and Jimmy Choo are of the same age. I read this in the papers this morning.

The ox is a very hardworking animal. It has been helping mankind for millions of years in terms of farming and transportation (well, not much of a mode of transport now).

Let's all be hardworking people this year! :D

STOP PROCASTINATING. That's my main goal this year. 

To all Chinese and everyone else who will be celebrating the lunar new year, I wish you all a happy reunion dinner with your families tonight, and a great new year ahead! 

Don't forget my 'ang pao'! Hehehe...

***

Another dance movie to look forward to, 'Subaru'. It looks heartbreaking.

I love the soundtrack. ^.^

First impressions are formed within two seconds.

Today's training was a tiring one. Had to wake up at 5.30am to get ready. Ugh. Reached the office half an hour earlier because I assumed there was gonna be a jam. Great timing!

We arrived at Sunway Hotel before 8am. It's kinda cool to walk around the hotel early in the morning. Hehe. 

After setting up the place, and arranging all the notes and stationery, my main task for the rest of the day was to take pictures of the event.

Although I didn't do much, but now I know how photographers feel! How do you do it???

Anyway... Wendy Lee was our facilitator for the day. She's a professional image consultant who founded Chapter One Asia Sdn Bhd. Her clients range from companies like CIMB Bank, UMW, Sunway Group. She was also involved in training the tv personalities from Media Prima and Astro, giving them advice on how to improve their professional image. 

I really learned a lot from her today as I listen while taking pictures. She talked about dresscode, body posture, business etiquette, and even business dining etiquette. Now, this was really interesting because she really explained many things that I never knew. I should be more careful in the future when attending to business meals and functions (if I ever have this chance). 

About body posture, she taught the participants how to measure their bodies to find out whether or not their bodies are in proportion, or um... crooked (lol). This section was so funny. I had so much fun taking pictures of them measuring each other. :P I was so tempted to borrow a measuring tape, but I couldn't because I wasn't exactly the participant. But I'm gonna do it at home! Wanna know whether you have a perfect body? And I'm not talking about having muscles and abs. :D

Another thing is, the group of managers and directors from Sunway Constructions truly surprised me. They don't give people the impression of being people of high positions in the companies (except carrying around their BlackBerry phones! :P). They were really active and funny. They responded well throughout the seminar and gave their full participation. 

When they were given little tasks or group activities, they worked on it very seriously but with innocent looks. It was fun observing them. 

I admit that I didn't have the right impression on them at first. I thought they would be very stern and strict. But after listening to how they joke around with each other, trying to make the facilitator feel comfortable, it just reminds me of being around young people. 

I realised that as leaders, regardless of where we are, we can't be serious and strict all the time. we need to put more enthusiasm into what we are doing in order to encourage those below us. Leaders are the ones who think out of the box. Leaders are the ones who would do things out of the ordinary. And leaders are passionate. 

Last, but DEFINITELY not the least, another part of the training today that I miss the most would be the FOOD (duh, I'm a food-lover, remember? I eat A LOT.). We ate at Sun&Surf Cafe, and the food is sooooooo good! If only I had more time! Otherwise, I seriously would have taken more food. 

I had chicken, lamb, beef, mutton, salmon (both raw and grilled), fresh prawns, pumpkin soup and a mini 'lou sang' session with two ladies who were part of the organizing team. And they have a big chocolate fountain there. I was staring at it the whole time while finishing my meal. Too bad I didn't have enough time. I only managed to grab one piece of strawberry. :( 

But I heard that we might be going there again for a four-day training next month. *screams*!!! Can't wait! I hope they'll bring me again, and hopefully this time they could bring Nabilah too, since it's a four-day event. 

P/S, Did you know, Americans generally finish their meals much slower compared to the Europeans, because of their dining etiquette and habits. 

On my first day...

... I worked over-time!

I didn't really get to meet all my co-workers at the office because most of them would usually be out and about, especially those from the sales team. Thank God I had Nabilah with me! And our mentor, Amanda, is really nice! :D She's right. The working atmosphere is pretty relaxed. 

I was doing basic office work and data entry doing the first half of the day, which is something I was used to while working at church. So, I managed to complete everything pretty fast.

Then, I found out that I will be going for a training event tomorrow at Sunway hotel as a 'Learning Advocate'. I had to help Nabilah pack and arrange all the things needed for tomorrow's event. She briefed me about the tasks I'm supposed to do because she had already gone for an event during the last two days. 

Tomorrow, I'll be in-charge of registration, taking pictures, playing background music using the company iPod (O.O), checking the time, arranging the notes and stationery for the participants, and more. 

I'm really excited and nervous at the same time because tomorrow's participants involve some really high-ranking people from that company. And tomorrow's workshop will be about professional image. 

Although I'll mainly be behind the scene, but I really pray that I will perform well tomorrow. It's not nice to embarrass myself and the company in front of senior managers and executives of a big company. :S

I won't exactly be able to 'participate' in the training, but I'll definitely be able to learn something from it as I listen while taking pictures (hehe). I need to learn to watch my image! 

Right now, I just need to calm down. 

Lord, please be with me tomorrow!

P/S Before I forget, check out the February issue of Astro View magazine! :P

(When it rains, it pours...)

Priority Sky.

I'm officially going to start my internship tomorrow. After almost two months of lazing around (except for Christmas play rehearsals and painting work at home), I'll finally be able to gain some experience in the working scene. :)

This will be my first official job besides the last time I worked at church. I can't wait to start! Nabilah has already started. The first couple of days was really tiring for her and she suffered backaches. :S I hope everything goes well from tomorrow onwards! 

And if all goes well, we hope to secure a part-time job with the company when college starts. Honestly, having two-hour classes on certain days can be a real waste of time (as in AFTER class, I'm not saying class is a waste of time! >.<). 

I know working while studying might be tiring, but I think that it would be a good experience. And I wouldn't say that our course is REALLY hectic, just mentally exhausting when we have a few assignment deadlines around the same time. 

Thank You Lord for this opportunity! I'll work very hard. The rest is up to Your plan.

Come what may...

In the still of the night.

Should have posted this over Christmas.

You know I love acapella performances. :)

Noob?

So, have you guys been catching the latest season of American Idol? If you saw the first two days of the auditions last week, I'm sure you'll know this guy.

It's Anoop!


This is also him! He's been performing for the UNC Clef Hangers. And he's the main soloist.

The Only One For Me


Angel of Mine (I love this song!)


Seriously, you'll never expect him to be able to sing like that. He could actually challenge Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight!

Now, NEVER EVER judge a book by its cover. :)

The smell of... a small room?

My room's new furniture has arrived! It took quite a while to figure the perfect position to fit everything in. But thank God there actually is space to fit everything properly! It's really a miracle. LOL 

And I actually have more than enough space to fit in all my junk! Hahaha. I had fun arranging all my stuff into my new cupboards and drawers. And my new bed! The mattress is 10 INCHES high! My dad got a shock when he saw how high it was. It's sooooo bouncy and comfortable!!! 

I'm so happy to have a new room over Chinese New Year. :D Now that everything's FINALLY done, I can start work in peace next week! All the hard work definitely paid off. :)

I love acapella.

They made a funny song sound so peaceful...



Ha Ha Ha!

Looking back at Youth Fellowship 2008...

Now known as IMPACT!

Here's a video of our events in 2008.



credit: Coffeestops

Aya Kitou's Diary.

I mentioned the drama 'One Litre of Tears' a few posts earlier. I really recommend this blog. It is the full translation of Aya's actual diary. Kudos to the person who did the translation! She took more than two years to do this, and I'm not really sure whether it has been completed or not. 

But I'll just take your time to read it. I strongly recommend it. :)

A fresh start.

Yay! Thank You Lord! I got the job together with Nabilah! :D

Starting next week, I'll be working with Priority Sky. They basically conduct corporate training and consultation for companies. As an intern, I'll basically be supporting the trainers, helping them out during the trainings. And on days when there aren't any events, I'll be helping out in the office. They will try their best to give us tasks which are related to the field that we are studying, which is really good. 

Although I'm still a little sad about the whole 8TV issue, but I believe that I'll have a chace to go there when the time is right. Everything happens for a reason. I just have to wait for the right time. :)

Thank God I'll finally have something to do this holiday!

Didn't go the way I hoped, but thank God for other options!

Yup. You guessed it. 8TV didn't work out. And it wasn't that they didn't accept me, because they DID. But the HR informed me that they can't allow me to intern there at the moment because this isn't exactly my practical training period. They'll need an official letter from the college stating my internship and other "terms and conditions". Therefore, I'll have to wait until my final semester during my "official" internship period.

Fine. I'll wait. But they could have told me this earlier because I've waited more than a month on this application. Even the people who interviewed me didn't know about this. I still can't really get over it. But I will, somehow.

I just went for another interview this morning with Nabilah. If everything works out, I'll be able to start next week. I hope they'll accept us both because the lady said that they already have two interns at the moment. The pros of this company (I wouldn't state now) are that it is nearby and the working hours are much more reasonable. My mom will be relieved. I was actually quite worried earlier. Because if I were to start my internship at 8TV, I won't be able to attend Impact for the next couple of months! O.O 

So, thank God for this company. The lady who interviewed us was nice, REALLY nice. The whole working environment is really good and everyone seems really close-knitted. Even their interns come back requesting for part-time jobs. That shows how much they love the job! Nabilah and I were really happy about the working environment and the kind of work that we will be doing as interns. Plus, we MIGHT get to travel! I'll talk more about it IF I am accepted. :)

On the other hand, I've finally painted my whole room! I painted all the walls by myself. And trust me, even though it's a really small room, painting all the walls by yourself is no joke. I spent two whole days during the weekend transforming my room. And now I'm suffering from aches all over. I can't walk properly, can't write properly, and I can't even sit up straight. Waking up this morning took a lot of effort. But I'm glad I'm done. Now the room is ready for my new furniture! But first, I'll have to start throwing some stuff, because I don't think I can fit everything into the new shelves and cupboards! :(

The first week of 2009...

I haven't really been updating about what I've been doing other than my internship application. Well, about that, I've decided to accept it regardless of the pay. It's really a golden opportunity to be able to work with 8TV. (Thanks Ammie for your advice! Really appreciate it. Was in such a dilemma.) I'm still waiting for their call for the confirmation. Please pray for me!

I spent New Year's Eve in church performing our 'Once Upon A Star' Christmas play again for the church members who missed the three nights. Everyone gave our very best for the last time. It was an incredible way to end the year. That Thanksgiving Night was different from previous years and we were all blessed by it. Thank You, Jesus, for an amazing 2008. Let's pray for a better year ahead as we move on...

New Year's Day was spent with our Leadership Team meeting in the morning to plan for the year's YF (this is the last time I'm saying YF :P). Well, it definitely was something different. Especially having to wake up early in the morning on the first day of the year after a late night, but it was really worth it because the LT is really excited about the coming year's events! :D I had my first ever Prosperity burger for lunch after that with the rest.

For the past few days, I've been getting my internship application done. The lady just called me. If all goes well, hopefully I'll be able to start on Monday! I can't wait!!!

And I have finally ordered new furniture for my room yesterday. This has been dragged on since last year, but I didn't have time to go furniture searching with my parents. It was difficult to find a suitable set because my room is hopelessly small. But we finally order a new set. Yay! I'll finally have space to do my work. My current study table is hopeless. My parents bought the whole room set when we moved in when I was four. So, can you imagine how small everything is? I really hope everything in the new set fits! Otherwise... Oh man, I don't even wanna imagine otherwise! O.O

Now, for the next couple of days, I have to start clearing my room, dismantling everything, and painting the walls. A complete spring clean! I've only cleared a few shelves and I've already taken up five boxes. I really hope I can store everything in my new cupboards! I doubt they'll be enough though. I guess I'll have to put up built-in shelves on the walls as well! >.<

For the remaining days of the week, I'll have my uncle's birthday dinner tonight, Youth Open Day tomorrow (it's Simpsons' Night! xD), and our Christmas play cast Appreciation lunch on Saturday. Weeee~! More food. I can finally eat well now after suffering from indigestion ever since I got back from Penang. :S

'Til the next time I post, hopefully when I start my internship, GOD BLESS!

It's all about the media.

I just checked my UniSA portal, and new subjects for our third semester are out!

1. Advertising: images, industry and audience

2. Introduction to Digital Media

3. Media Contexts

4. Principles of Broadcasting

I can't wait! Thank God these subjects will involved more practical work and not just writing and writing and more writing! I mean, writing is okay, but our subjects from the last semester were just too dull. O.O Too much theory. Kress and van Leeuwen, Karl Marx's theory, F-shaped pattern, soft news, hard news, framing contexts, and etc. It's too much! Thank God we had the carnival to keep our minds off all those words. >.<

Second semester results are out, except for one subject. I got a Distinction for the subject more feared by all... Media Literacies. Thank You, Lord! Seriously, I was on the verge of giving up for my 2,500 word Research Essay because our work load for that whole week was crazy. But I managed to pull through and get it all over with, not forgetting, on my BIRTHDAY. =__= 

That's why I'm really excited about our subjects for the coming semester. I really hope for more hands-on work! Although I've seen our seniors going crazy with their practical assignments, especially for Broadcasting, but I really prefer those over written assignments. I can't wait to start the semester!

Now, about my (so-called) internship. The administration staff from 8TV still hasn't gotten back to me, and apparently they need me to have an official internship period in order to start. The thing is, this is only my semester break and I decided to do an internship on my own. But this internship needs to be an official one authorized by the college. So, I don't know what's happening now, but I hope I'll be accepted either way. And I really pray that they'll give me some form of allowance! Because I really don't wanna burden my Mom for cash for petrol and meals just because of the job. >.<

I know, it's good for exposure and money is really not the case in internships, but my situation is different. And I really want this holiday to be a productive one. Three months of boredom can make you go insane. O.O

Lord, I need your help and guidance!

In a dilemma.

What should I do?

Would you be willing to work from 2pm to 12am, six days a week, without pay?

But then, internships aren't about money... This is a golden opportunity and I got accepted after so much hassle. And then they just had to tell me that I may not have any allowance. And my parents aren't exactly happy about the work but no pay thing. 

So what should I do?