7 days

this is the part where i sit down, take a deep breath and go HOLY FUCKING SHIT where has all my time gone????? as of writing, i still have to:

1. finish up an experiment tomorrow which will entail me taking 288 photographs of sea urchin juveniles in total.
2. pack up all aquarium-related stuff and prepare the entire field module for another winter season on station.
3. pack up my OWN SHIT.

and all this has to be done in 7 days. that's right. 7 days. 7 days. 7 DAYS. 7 DAYS!

how is it that i came here for 6 months and now i'm left with 7 fucking measly days FUCK?! in all honesty, this season really has gone by much quicker than the previous one, and it might be a good thing, but from my current point of view, i might as well just slit my wrists because that would be easier to accomplish than Points 1, 2 and 3 above.

after this chapter of my life ends (again), i will have to look forward to:

1. chomping down onto a good-ol'-fashioned Double Quarter Pounder from McDonalds
2. eating all the sushi, dim sum, chinese dumplings and...aiyah, generally if it's Asian, i'll wolf it down la.
3. catching up with all my friends again DO YOU ALL MISS ME ANOT????
4. going back to a paying job fml my bank account is in critical mode right now, much like its mistress.
5. decorating my new room as i will be staying with my cousin! i'll look forward to the decorations for sure, as well as moving all my shit out of storage (not really looking forward to that).
6. GOING TO THE BEACH!
7. going on holidays.
8. lying on grass under the sun with a bottle of Little Creatures in my hand.

ok la, that's about it, i shan't be overly greedy. that's it, folks. in 7 days and i'm outta here!

Malaysian 2010 Two-weeker.

i realise that i haven't actually written anything about my most recent trip back to malaysia. it all happened at such a whirlwind-pace that by the time i had screamed out, 'HELLO MALAYSIA', it was time to say goodbye. all in all, i was back in the motherland for a grand total of 2 weeks - however they were a 2 weeks very well spent.



i can't even begin to explain just how good my trip was. it was awesome meeting up with the gang again, considering that now EVERYONE is back in malaysia except me le sigh.



it was also really nice spending some time back home with the folks. it was a little strange (and totally shocking) to think that i had been away from home for about 1.5 years (or more) and that the last time i had seen my dad was during my graduation, which was in May of '09. TOO LONG!




truth be told, though, i didn't really get up to my usual Summer-Holiday antics of clubs, pubs, dancing and late nights. i spent a lot of time at home and with the parentals just because i wanted to (and also because all my friends are working now la HAHAHA and have no time left for me).





however, one thing remains the same: each trip only further strengthens my convictions that malaysia is where i want to be in the long run. my friends, my family, the life that i am used to, the old coffeeshops that i go to for my breakfasts, lunches and dinners, the hot glorious weather - they all belong here! i thought that time spent abroad would dilute my 'patriotic' spirit, but no. malaysia is where i want to spend the rest of my life in. ideally, i would probably travel the world and work my way through it, all the while earning some strong foreign moolah so that i can exchange it for RMs and set up a nice early retirement fund for myself.



one thing that's worrying me, though, is that as the years go by, my visits back to malaysia has become shorter and shorter judging by my holiday trend - 2 weeks during the most recent visit, and 3 weeks during the trip before. let's just hope that my holiday-duration track record improves soon!

My 2010.

much apologies to Lam Pui Yan for not updating my blog often enough HAHAHA i seem to have developed a very good habit of disappearing off the face of the earth once work piles up and gets to me. initially, i had this grand idea of recounting my 2010 in pictures, month-by-month. however, i DO realise that it's already the 10th of March now and i'm way behind schedule. no matter, the photos have been edited, and i WILL put them up just for my personal pleasure.

i might have said this before, but god damn was 2010 an amazing year for me.


In January, I was still riding the Antarctic-high and had my first glimpse of the Sorsdal glacier...my first ever glacier! ME! from malaysia! WHO HAS NEVER EVEN SEEN SNOW BEFORE AND IS NOW STANDING IN FRONT OF A MOTHERFUCKING GLACIER! ahem.


In February, my time in the Antarctic was starting to wrap up, and truth be told, although i was excited about returning back to the mainland, a part of me was terrified that i would never be able to see this place again (on the contrary, mwehehehe), hence all the frantic trips out on iceberg cruises just to soak it all in.


March, and the end of my Antarctic adventure was nigh. This picture was taken overlooking the Shirokaya Bay outside of Brooks Hut and was the last jolly i went on for the season.


April saw me home again and i spent quite a bit of time exploring Melbourne and all it had to offer. i was also getting reacquainted with things that i'd missed when i was down south: flowers, fresh fruits, trees and people.


Girl in picture NOT the Char Kuey Teow, sorreh.
I celebrated my 24th birthday in Melbourne with a great bunch of friends and the Char Kuey Teow. it was probably one of the most memorable of birthdays because i had a 5-course home-cooked meal!



May melted into June and June melted into Winter, however, i was busy getting myself lost in Melbourne and in life.


In July, my month was brightened by two little rascals whom i had missed while i was away from the real world - their growth took me by surprise, and for the first time, i began to realise how much older i've become too.


Gordon's Bay, one of the many beaches along the Coogee-to-Bondi walk where my mom, my cousin and myself tramped along one sunny Saturday.
My mom came to visit in August, and it was fantastic to have someone pampering one's self and coming home from work to home-cooked meals that smelt of HOME.


September, and Little Bay still remains as one of my favouritest haunts in all of Sydney. This was taken just days before Little Bay turned ugly and nearly killed two friends and myself by having a wave sweep us off the rock platform..bleargh!


Brighton Beach, Melbourne.

Cape Schank, Mornington Peninsula.
October saw me making preparations to leave the real world for another Antarctic season, but not before another foray into the magical realms of Melbourne!




I also returned to Malaysia for a short 2-week stint to catch up with my parents and friends, and it was one of the best (albeit ultra hasty) decisions i'd ever made. it was so good to see everyone again and it made me miss home even more.



Another November, and another iceberg outside my window. I made my second consecutive trip down to Davis and have been loving every minute since. Seeing the Sorsdal Glacier again after 11 months made me realise how fast time had passed, yet, nothing much has really changed.


5-4-3-2-1 and 31 December 2010 was ushered out with sparklers, music and champagne. the speed at which 2010 flew by took me by surprise, but only for a mere 5 seconds and then, here we are, facing down yet another new year.