Wei Is Home

Holidays.. Oh holidays!!

2006-12-22T23:44:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am back blogging again.. it had been ages. I am gonna just have to blame it to my lack of motivation to blog when all I wanna do is just sleep and chill, haha.

I am currently back home in Ipoh and will not be in office till Jan 2nd!! Yay! Have to clear out my leave days, coz if I don't, my firm will take them back and burn it. Anyone who wants to catch up and are in town, do give me a call. I didn't plan any trips to anywhere at all coz' I was lazy to do so, and I found out too late that I can clear the whole week of Christmas (main reason is because I am a poor bitch la, no money :( Boo! Haha)

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Hols? What hols??!!

2006-10-26T17:26:00.000+08:00

Hi all... I really had been too tied up with work lately. I am not working at MMHE like I thought I was the last time I updated my blog. Instead, I am working on another project involving a famous client. This means more work :( The client is demanding, and it doesn't help that the project covers 9 countries. I am worn out like non-other. My initial plan of taking this whole week off was ruined because of this project, and I had to beg my bosses to let me go off on Malaysia's public holidays... They wanted me to work this week actually, but I was adamant on not doing it. So, I drove back to good ol' Ipoh for the weekend till Weds and it was a good couple of days at home being pampered with homecooked food. Unfortunately, there were some phone calls on Monday-Wedsnesday and I still worked for a couple of hours everyday (sucks!).

Back to the grind today... eeewwww....

MIA.

2006-10-02T20:44:00.000+08:00

I had been MIA for a long time. Work. Enough said about it, don't think I need to bore anyone with a boring blog on what I do. Yup, job's been killing me.

I am now in Melbourne for a week. Have a slight cold, but this city is pretty, and the people in my office is nice. I don't have much to blog about actually, but just felt like coming here to tell everyone that I am very much alive, but since I had been assigned on projects, I had been just too occupied.

I am actually missing home now. I wish I can be just sitting on the couch like a big fat pig. That sounds pretty good right now. Haha.

Let's see if my wish of taking the whole week off during Raya week will happen. I am going back to MMHE in Johor Bahru for the next 6 weeks (minimum), but I think MMHE is closing shop for the Raya week. Think my break plans might just work out. Fingers crossed.

Cao.

Potong Q.

2006-08-02T08:00:00.000+08:00

I just can't help noticing how uncourteous Malaysians are. I am probably not the only one blogging about it, nor the only one to complain repeatedly. I try to tell myself that this is the difference that I would have to deal with on a daily basis should I decide to come back to Malaysia to work. Not that I am being a bitch about everything that is going on around me, but hey, Malaysians really have no friggin' manners. What ticked me off so bad in the last couple of days? Here goes:

Last Saturday noon at Esso gas station near Sunway - I was waiting for a car on the pump to move away from the gas pump since the station is decently full and there were no other pumps available. I left some space for the car before me so that he could reverse and get out. Out of the blue, this car just slotted in front of me. Being so patient and since it was a Saturday, I was ready to have a relaxing day and a good start to a weekend, I tried to chill out. NO. Can't do it. This guy need to know that I was there before him. Gave a loud honk, and indicated that to my blinking signal. That guy hesitated for a moment, but eventually zoomed off. You know when people zoom of and give their engine a loud rev (Vrrrroooomm), you know that they are pissed. I don't give a rat ass if he was pissed, coz I bet with you I was pretty angry at that time.

Second scenario that totally threw me off took place at the KL Central Train Station. I was switching trains from KTM over to Putra LRT, and was standing in line waiting to for the train to come. I was supposed to be the second in line to board, and there was quite a long line building behind me. If you ever been to Malaysia and boarded trains before, you would know that Malaysians are generally quite "kiasu" when it comes to rushing towards the entrance before even letting the passengers to disembark when the door opens. As the train approaches, this lady came out of no where and scooted right in front of me. It was a lil' past 715am, and I wasn't in my best of mood. Someone would have let it go, since I would board the train eventually anyway. NO, not me. I tapped on her shoulder gently, and just signaled her with by fingers to the back of the line. She scowled at me and made a grunt, but eventually moved to the back anyway. This action of mine brought some stares, and I saw some people whispering (*tsk* tsk*). What the heck? I don't care, it was her who was wrong, not me.

When will Malaysians ever learn?

I need to go to work.

2006-07-12T07:54:00.000+08:00

The corporate slave industry has a new member as of 3rd of July - Wei Ming.

I started working last week, and so far things are still quite laid back as it is the usual honeymoon starting weeks. The people in my firm are great people, and all of them kept telling me to enjoy my beaching days as much as I can. I'm currently looking forward to go on a project soon, and according to my boss, it would be soon.

Since joining the work force, I had a new phrase added to my vocab - I NEED TO GO TO WORK. These are the couple of scenarios:

Late night at about 11-ish: It's getting late. Bed time, coz' I need to go to work.

Friends who are home and wanting to go out for yumcha: I can't, I need to go to work.

Workout sessions: No time, I need to go to work.

It's official - I am a corporate slave.

Tum tee daaaa....

2006-06-20T21:28:00.000+08:00

I am getting a lil' restless around the house. Had been kinda bored lately, but all is good.. haha. Been sleeping a lot, eating a lot, and just hanging out. Caught up with some DVDs, ran some errands, and read a book (The Traveller - John Twelve Hawks).

Less than two weeks... counting down. I don't know if I am ready to work.. had been thinking whether it was too soon for me to start. Somehow I am wanting to start, but on the other hand, I am kinda going - SHIT! Oh well, guess no more of those lazy days where I can wake up anytime I want for a whole good three months, or finish reading a book in less than 3 days.

Peace.

Update.

2006-06-08T10:37:00.000+08:00

I got home about two weeks ago. Things back home are alright. Weather is hot, but I will have to deal with it. Sweating like a pig all the time, and it doesn't help when I have to do some labor-intensive work in the last couple of days. I had been in the process of refurnishing my room. Cleaned out a bunch of old stuff that I don't need, and threw out some old furniture. While I was doing so, I had this huge urge to repaint my room - which I did end up doing. Haha. Now my room is looking brand new with the new coat of paint, and much more room since it was cleared up. Thanks to Mum who helped me out a bunch with cleaning up, and thanks to Dad who sponsored the newly installed AC in my room. Now I have officially moved back into my "new" (or old) room :)

I talked to my boss at the beginning of the week, and we came to a decision that I will be starting my job in July. Yeah, think I better get my butt moving. I was contemplating whether I should sit around a lil' more before reporting in to work, or I should start in July. I ended up thinking that I had taken some time off already, and I have a full month in June to have a bit of time to chill out. Therefore, July is the month.

Will be in KL from today till early next week for some minor errands. Will be meeting up with some old pals from my interning days, and maybe some old maties from school if they are free from school or work. This weeekend will definitely fun tho... FOOTBALL madness is bound to start... late nights and no sleep for a month... That is something to call for a celebration.

Cheers!

Back in action.

2006-05-17T11:29:00.000+08:00

Hi all... I had made a disappearing act for a couple of weeks. Been busy with stuff and as of now... I am a graduate. No more looking forward to go back to college in Fall, but reality hits you in the face fast. I have yet to know when I will be starting my job, but it will be soon before I even know it.

Parents came over for my graduation, and Chien had been an awesome host to my parents since they got here. We are now all in Philadelphia, and parents will be leaving tomorrow to Europe while I fly off to Los Angeles to meet up with Shen Yee on the same day. Meanwhile, Chien will be going back to work on Thursday. Thanks for taking the last couple of days off bro.

Funky feeling to be leaving the US and knowing that I will not be back in the next couple of months for a brand new semester. I already miss my best buds in college... every single one of them whom I hung out with the last four years are graduating and taking up jobs somewhere in the US or going back to grad school. Will not see them for some time, but I bet it is not the last time I will ever see them.. YOU ALL PROMISED TO VISIT!!! So do come...

I feel like a grown up... and it's weird...

I am... HIRED!

2006-04-28T22:27:00.000+08:00

Yes. I finally got the phone call I had been looking forward to since my last interview. I got the job! I will be working with A.T. Kearney :)

Cuse Tennis - You rock my world.

2006-04-26T21:01:00.000+08:00

It had been 4 long years that I'd spent playing tennis for Syracuse University. I would like to thank all my girls on the team this year, for helping me have the best season ever. It is actually the most enjoyable season I had in all the years I had been here. I know we have dramas all the time, but regardless, you all made me feel loved. Thanks so much for being patient with me all this while. A special thanks to two people on the team that made my career so much more meaningful.

First, to Mac who made it possible for me to come to Syracuse to play for you, and giving me the opportunity to have a great college education. I had been so much more of a better tennis player since I got here, coming from not being able to win a singles match for 9 matches in a row in my freshman year, to what I am capable of doing right now. All in all, you had guided me to 131 wins in my career, and I was told that I am the 12 winningest tennis player in the history of SU. I think you could look back at that and know that you had done a good job.

Second, I would like to give a huge *HUG* to Katie, my doubles partner for the last two years. You had made my last year in Cuse tennis uniform so much more fun and rewarding. Thanks for bearing with me when I can't hit a shot on the tennis court when we were playing doubles, and covering my ass for so long. You inspire me to play on with all the pain that I have, as I know no one would have been in any more pain than you playing with two broken shins. I will miss rooming with you and sharing a lot of details, and also the laughing sessions we have watching Saturday Night Live when we were on the road. I will miss your live "concerts" of Britney Spears on our van rides, when we needed that extra kick to make the 5 hour long ride more bearable. I will miss fighting with you for that piece of bread at restaurants or ice-cream dares that we have. You are the champ with food ;)

To all the others on the team:
V - Keep being the HUGE tennis player that you are and kick some serious butt next year.
Caro - You will always be my fav Latin dance trainer. Apologies for not being the best student.
Ash - I will bet my money on you winning a tennis match any time.
Kasia - Your quirkiness make you real special, and don't yell at the person cheering for you ;)
Maria - Wassssuuppp??!
Dani - I have known you for a long time. I will come to Prague, watch out...

Ahhhhhh CUSE!

Almost there...

2006-04-25T08:55:00.000+08:00

I am officially done with college tennis as of yesterday. I walked out of the tennis courts in Florida... burnt, in a lot of pain, and won my last match of my collegiate career. The feeling I had was indescribable. I always wanted to be done, and had been looking forward to it since sophomore year. However, when it was really really done... I just started balling my eyes out. I went over and gave Mac a huge hug and it was just a great deal of emotions going on. I never knew that I would have felt this way at all. Even I was taken back by how I reacted to the whole situation. I was serving 40-15 up in my last game, and out of no where, my hands started shaking and my eyes was teary. I gave one last push to concentrate for one last point, and it was over. I was playing a fellow senior on the Rutgers team which I had known for years since we had been playing against each other for the last couple of seasons. She started balling her eyes out uncontrollably too. I just don't know what to say. Somehow, with all the pain, and the yearning to be done for all this time, I would have thought that I would be jumping up and down (which I did a couple of hours later) instead of crying like a baby. I guess it signified a closure to a big part of my life at college.

I came back to Syracuse this morning, and had less than 3 hours of sleep due to an early flight. I walked into a topsy turvy apartment, as my roomie had started boxing up the belongings in the living room as she would be done early in the first week of May. Therefore, it led me to think about packing too, something I had been constantly wanting to get to as soon as I don't need my sports stuff anymore. A couple of hours ago, Frank and I went over to Office Depot to get a couple of shipping boxes so put all my shit into them and ship them home. I am feeling really funky now... and I don't know what to say except that I will be done with university and moving on with life in about three weeks.

It's almost over...

Funny feeling I have..

2006-04-18T22:08:00.000+08:00

Officially, I had my last practice today at Syracuse. I am leaving for Florida for one last go at collegiate tennis competition... Weird.. Dunno what kind of feelings I am having right now. I had my last home match last Friday and it didn't really sink in that I am done just yet. Today was weird as hell. Bid goodbye to good ol' Drumlins tennis courts, where I had spent countless painful hours bashing tennis balls.

Yes, I am feeling nostalgic for once. I had been looking forward to be done for so long... I am still glad that I am done actually.. Someone just told me that I have won about 127 matches in total as of today.. that statistic is something shocking. Tells you how many matches I have played throughout these four years.. I had lost a ton too.. so you can put those numbers together and see that I had played more than 200 matches total in my career.

I still have yet to hear from the company that is considering hiring me. I should or hope that I'll hear from them soon, maybe by end of this week... Good news or bad.. I just wanna know.

Interviews done!

2006-04-13T08:04:00.000+08:00

I am finally over with the interviewing process as of last night. I had my 6th and final interview yesterday, and now I can just sit back and wait to hear back from them about their decision. I officially ended a four-month long process that dated back to December, when I first went down to meet with two of their consultants. All of my 4 interviews after that had been done via video conference (thanks to the cool technology in the new 40 million dollar business school building) and phone.

We managed to go through daylight saving time difference of 13 hours, and yesterday was the only one of the four that was done with a 12-hour time difference. Evelyn, their recruiting coordinator did a whole lot, and a heck of a job since December, working with me to get those interviews scheduled. Countless rescheduling had to be done as my schedule was a lil' messed up throughout the interview process. The consultants that interviewed me had been really great and it was nice talking to them. I got to talk to some really smart people, and what was most impressive was that they were such nice and humble people. I have to admit that the whole process had been a lil' daunting and intimidating, but I am just happy to have pulled through.

I am glad that I decided to follow my instincts and gave up Morgan Stanley to go through this process. I am still hoping that everything goes well and I still don't know if I have a job yet till about a week or two later.

Will continue to update you all with the status of the outcome. Believe me, I wish I could let you know the result now. I am dying to know...

Tennis balls don't hurt - Think again.

2006-04-03T05:07:00.000+08:00

Tennis is a non-contact sport, as we have a net between two opponents. Compared to basketball, football, etc, tennis is fairly mild. Mac always says that tennis balls don't hurt, well this time it did. It hurts really, really BAD.

I was hit in my 2nd game when I was playing against Depaul yesterday. It hit me right in my nose, and the pain was unbearable. I was less than 5 feet away from my opponent who hit me, as I was playing doubles and she volleyed the ball straight at me. My nose swelled up, and the trainer could not even touch it at the court side when she was trying to figure out how bad I was hurt. Thinking that I might have broken my nose, I was sent to the ER in a hospital in downtown Milwaukee, and had X-rays taken on all angles of my face and nose. Results came back negative. However, I was told that it is really hard to read X-rays of the nose if it is a tiny crack, unless it is obvious that the nose is distorted. 50% of the diagnosis from those X-ray are incorrect (great!). Woke up this morning, and was sure that I would wake up with a really black nose. Thankfully, it is a lil' blue, but not as bad as I thought. I am hoping that I don't have to sneeze a lot this week, coz' it really hurts like a bitch when I do so.

I will be back in Syracuse around midnight or later tonight. I have to go in and have my nose checked out tomorrow by the trainers and the doctors, and at the same time take another X-ray for my ankle to make sure that there is nothing wrong with it. Two X-rays in a span of three days... I love killing cells with radioactive machines. My tennis season is winding down soon in a couple of weeks... can't wait.

Numb from pain... Will it ever go away?

2006-03-30T09:29:00.000+08:00

Finally got myself back here to update my blog for a bit. I had been a tad busy lately since Spring Break in Florida hitting lots of tennis balls with the team. I am currently on a three-week stretch of being on the road. It is a lil' exhausting. I just got back from Mississippi, where I spent Thursday till Sunday there. This weekend I will be gone to Milwaukee, and then next week I will be going to NYC and Connecticut. It is the home stretch though. Two more weekends away, I will have one last home match at home, and then followed immediately by Big East Championships (back in Florida again), I will be officially done with my collegiate career.

I will also be done with school in about 6 weeks. I will graduate in 6 weeks... scary? people ask me... I don't think so. I am actually glad to be done. I toughed out 4 years of hard work and paid my way through school with physical pain. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it, but if you think about it, I paid some price. I tore my tendon in my wrist freshman year, have chronic knee pain at the age of 21 (my mum had hers in her 40s), and wake up everyday sore from something. You name it, I have had it. Probably right now I am whining because my left ankle is shot, and it is shooting pains through me when I step my foot on the ground in the mornings. It had gotten worse, and I had been getting ultrasound treatment and dipping the whole half of my leg from my knees down into the cold whirlpool and it freezes everything (it's really cold and I have to stick it in for at least 20mins) since last week. The trainers are being careful and sending me to see the doctor tomorrow. Bitches... I hate going in for treatments or seeing the doctor, coz all they do is give me more painkillers (which I can't take most of them due to allergies to NSAIDs). They should just prescribe me a couple of days off (and I mean real days OFF). Oh well, as I have said, 4 weeks from now I should be ok.

As for the job interview... I had my 5th interview last week with a Vice President of the firm last Wedsnesday, and am in the process of rescheduling my last and final 6th interview with one of their Managing Directors. Hopefully it can take place within this week and next or so. I want this job... and I think all of you know it! Will keep you posted on what is the outcome of it pretty soon I hope.

There you go... a couple of paragraphs of whining and updates on what I had been up to since my last post. Juggling my time between school, traveling, practices, interviews, and multiple things as well. Oh yeah, I planned my trips after graduation too. Mum and dad are gonna be down with Chien for my graduation, and then we are taking a short trip somewhere (thinking of Boston now I think). After that, mum and dad are going to fly to Europe. I will be going to California for a week to visit Shen, and we are going to Vegas!! Woohooo.... I will fly home after that, as my initial plan of flying to Tokyo on the way back home needed to be scratched due to ridiculous air ticket prices. Right now, I have an air ticket to LA on May 17th, and I will touch down at KLIA on the 26th. It would be more cost-efficient for me to go home and get a return ticket to Tokyo. I am still looking for ways to do it cheaper. I am poor coz I don't have a job yet, and I don't like spending dad's money.

-Wei Ming out-

Congrats to Ivy!

2006-03-07T10:23:00.000+08:00

Ivy got accepted to Columbia!!! She just found out about it today. Next time this will not be the backdrop of downtown Philly, but Columbia University in New York City. She worked so hard for it, and she is going to get a chance to do her Masters at Columbia. Woohoo!

Congrats to you woman :)

To Gerry.

2006-03-06T08:25:00.000+08:00

This post is for the most loved Orange basketball player of all time - Gerry McNamara. Today he played his last regular season game at the Dome as an Orangemen. A sold out crowd of 33,633 came out to watch him play, which helped set the largest record crowd on campus in the nation today. Yes, Syracuse loves Gerry. He is the best 3-point shooter in Syracuse's history, holding both the school and the Big East Conference record in career 3-point shots made (he also stands at #7 in the NCAA career 3-point list) with more than 380 made in his four years. He scored more than 2000 points in his career, and is still going at it as post-season play is still on with the Conference Championships and the NCAA Championships coming up in March. Of course, the best accomplishment for him had to be him helping to propel us to winning the National Championships in 2003.

Today was Senior Day for Gerry. Although we lost a tough 92-82 decision to Villanova who is ranked at #4 in the nation, it was a great game. He scored 29 points trying to lift us pass the Wildcats, but it was too tough. He cried during the pre-game dedication to Seniors, and then in the final minute when he was taken out of the game, he hugged head coach Jim Boeheim in a teary embrace, as well as another long teary hug with assistant coach Mike Hopkins. Being a fellow Senior, and watching that moment on TV (coz I couldn't make it to the game due to a match), I feel for him. I wonder if I would have the same emotions on my Senior Day come April 14th in my last home match versus St. Johns. I never really gave much thought about me playing my last home game, and how it would feel like, but today I did. Probably today was my 2nd last home match of the season against Rutgers, as we will be traveling on the road from now on till April 14th, and it hit me when I saw Gerry reacting to his last minutes playing at the Dome. I really wonder what kind of emotions that I would feel and if I would shed any tears on that day. I will let you know on April 14th, stayed tuned.

To Gerry - Thanks for making all of us proud to be Orange.

Great week!

2006-02-27T09:21:00.000+08:00

It all started last Sunday on my birthday, when my friends took me out for dinner. In general, this week was great. Interview went ok I think, but I still can't say for sure it went real well. I walked out of the video conference interview feeling like I had given it my best shot, and there is nothing much I can do about it. I am just glad that I decided to go on with the interviews with them, talked to a few consultants and learned more about what cool things they do, and at the same time talked to some really smart people.

I usually don't blog much about my tennis matches, but today had to be exceptional. This afternoon, we beat Cornell tennis and the win was huge. I mean it really doesn't matter that much on paper, as they are not in our conference, and at the same time, it is always nice to win. What really made this win so important to me, was that this was the first and only time in the four years that I am here that we beat them. We had come so close so many times, losing 4-3 in the last couple, and the fact that they are instate rivals made the win so much sweeter. It was more a win for pride, and able to graduate knowing that I have beaten Cornell on my last attempt. It is hard to explain, but there are a handful of teams that Syracuse are close rivals with and Cornell happened to be one (and a very big rival indeed). Also for the fact that most Ivys have a sense of arrogance as if they are on top of the world just made the rivalry more bitter. I was so determined to win that it pushed me into a zone where I played real well. We also came off a fresh win against Army (United States Military Academy) on Friday. You girls are so HUGE!

One of the better highlights of the week was a nice steamboat dinner at Yiyi's yesterday. It was simply awesome. I finally got my butt up to their apartment and it was real nice catching up and chilling out over a nice hot meal :)

Gonna go plop down on my couch and watch some tv...

Thursday, 7pm EST = D-day (one of many D-days)

2006-02-23T11:32:00.000+08:00

It is fixed. My third interview with the firm I am dying to get into is set for tomorrow at 7pm . Wish me luck my friends... I really need it. I haven't wanted something so bad that it hurts for so long. I just want it.

One more round.

2006-02-21T11:28:00.000+08:00

I have one more round to go (and it is probably not going to be the last).. so keep donating to my "LUCK Fund" if you can. Thanks!

I am older by one year as of Sunday... don't know if I am growing/feeling wiser or not though... I just want to have a good year ahead. All in all, thanks to all your wishes and presents! *HUGZ*

Donation plea.

2006-02-15T11:53:00.000+08:00

Thursday... I have a really important interview. I need luck, lots and lots of it. If you have some extra to spare, please donate some to my "LUCK Fund."

Thank you.

Deprived of sleep.

2006-01-29T15:50:00.000+08:00

I need sleep, but somehow I am not getting enough (or any) the last couple of days.

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

2006-01-28T00:58:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! To those who are fortunate enough to be home and celebrating it... have loads of food, eat lots, and be fat. To those who are out of the country somewhere around the globe... I am sure you will find some ways to celebrate and at least eat a bit. Hehe.

Hope all of you will have a great year ahead of you!

Week 1 - Done.

2006-01-24T19:09:00.000+08:00

Last week was an interesting week for a variety of reasons. It was of course the first week of school, and because I went home and to China for Winter break (I had such a blast and a good break), I was jetlagged as hell. It was kinda hard to stay awake for the afternoons and classes. I had and will continue having 7am practices, but because of my jetlag, I was up anyways and waking up for practices wasn't a problem at all since I was up anyway.

I made some decisions regarding jobs last week, and until now I am still thinking about what I should be doing. I will keep you posted as in what I will be doing over the next couple of months when I know how things will turn out. I wish I could let you know what I am doing now, and no one wants to know about it more than me. I guess it is about time that I am forced to make some tough decisions here and there and get out of my comfort zone.

It hit me that I am in my last semester of college when I picked up my books. It was really weird. I went in a couple of times last week to pick up a few books, and yesterday my book shopping was complete. Then and there when I was checking out, I realized that I had checked out with the same person every 8 semesters I was here in SU. Due to the fact that I get books on scholarship, I had to sign a form whenever I picked up a book. Leah - my fav bookstore employee always say: I need you to autograph this form for me and you are all set. Right after I signed that form yesterday, I just blurted out to Leah that this will be my last "autograph" as I will be graduating in May. For some reasons, then it hit me that I had been here for close to 4 years, and I will be gone after May. I am never a person to feel nostalgic about a lot of things... so it was a weird feeling to have.

Second week will be a lil' more predictable coz I have done this for a long time...

Sleep walking.

2006-01-17T16:29:00.000+08:00

It is 327am in the morning Eastern time and I have only gotten 3 hours of sleep. I don't know if I am awake because I am jetlagged or if I am confused with my thoughts. Oh yeah, I do have 7am practice in about 4 hours time. Just gonna sleep walk my way through practice like I did with yesterday afternooon's light tennis session. I also need to go to a full day of classes and run some errands.

I am back to Cuse' for one final go at school. Few more months time I will be graduating unless I fuck up real bad at my classes or do something really stupid.

I will try getting back to sleep or turn on the TV and watch Aussie Open...

Holidays are done.

2006-01-15T12:44:00.000+08:00

It is over. My Winter break is officially coming to an end today. It had been a fantastic couple of weeks. I am leaving Beijing for the States on a 5pm flight today. It will be a long and lonely flight...

End of the year ramblings.

2005-12-30T12:45:00.000+08:00

Been an eventful 2005, rough one, but it will come to an end soon. Looking back, time flew by too fast, and I barely had time to breathe. Even this short time back, I had been running around doing errands, and didn't have time to sit down and be a bum. I just got back from S'pore for some business, and it was stressful but also lotsa fun. Imagine I was staying with a 35 year-old family friend's daughter (whom I call "Cheh-Cheh") and we were painting the whole town red. It was too long since I had last been in S'pore, and it was indeed a good trip. I also got grilled for a good three hours when I am there, which was the most nerve-wrecking experience and toughest interviews I ever had. We will see what comes out from that.

Hmmm... looking back, the year had been a kinda like a rollercoaster ride for me, in a good way I think. I don't think I can actually complain too much about it, but as always, I wished that I had done more. It was one of the toughest year and most stressful one by far since a while, and I am still left pondering what I wanna do come 2006. One of those dunno-what-you-want-to-do feelings. I am caught between choices and decisions coz' I am graduating in May. Next year, I will bid goodbye to the comfort of school. Weird thing is that I can't wait to graduate, unlike most of my friends who are dreading the end of their collegiate experience. Who knows what I really wanna do? I just worry too much I guess.. Should just stop giving a shit about what is gonna happen after May. I will just go globe-trotting for a good two months... fulfill my wishes and promises of visiting my friends in UK, Germany, Australia, Czech, Japan, etc. Backpack my way around Europe and everywhere else. Screw all these job hunts and thoughts of wondering what I wanna do after I graduate. Fact to the matter is - I think I want to do this, but after a while and listening to some 30-somethings talking about their life experiences, you really won't know what you wanna do at this age, and I am allowed to screw up once in a while, hahaha.

On another note, besides all the indecisiveness and uncertainties of what is in for me come 2006, 2005 had been a good year I guess. I have a bunch of awesome people around me; I have not screwed up big time in school or in other aspects of my life, so I guess it had been quite a success.

Who knows what is in for me in 2006... I should just sit back and enjoy the rest of the year and the what's left of my short holiday, recharge and be back in the war zone next year.

Go out and have a blast tomorrow and give yourself a pat on your back for all the good things you had done this year... and as for all the screwups (if you have any) - fuck it.

Till then my friends... Happy New Year!

Home.

2005-12-20T10:41:00.000+08:00

I am back home for a short couple of weeks. Bloody hot... but home is good :)

"Motherland"??

2005-12-12T07:31:00.000+08:00

I arrived in Beijing yesterday. Will be here for a couple of days, and will be back in Malaysia on Thursday night. Till then...

Done.

2005-12-09T14:58:00.000+08:00

Fall semester is over! Packed up. Going to sleep. Chill day tomorrow besides a workout. Flying out early Sat. In Beijing on Sunday. Nite nite.

Random.

2005-12-06T11:33:00.000+08:00

I just made a packet of ramen as a snack while taking a break from studying. These food cravings and snackings at these hours are not good for me. Bllaahhh.. but don't care.. ramen was delicious!
*BURP*

Super Mario!!

2005-12-03T06:02:00.000+08:00

I bet every one of us had at least played Super Mario during our childhood years (some of you might still do, hehee). I was shown this video today by a friend - Mario Unleashed.

It is funny as hell. Actually pretty awesome, too. Take a look at it.

One more week.

2005-12-02T09:53:00.000+08:00

This is what a corner of my room looks like right now. Normally, it would be stacked tidily. Right now I just don't give a shit. One more week from now and I will be officially done with the Fall semester. Next Saturday, I will be on the plane to Beijing.

School? Fuck it.

Bored.

2005-11-27T08:43:00.000+08:00

It's cold out, didn't want to step outside for too long... therefore, I am bored at home. Watched so much TV and DVDs... overload. I did however took the bus to Main campus today and worked out... coz I am really restless and antsy around the apartment. Damn, it was freaking cold and white outside..

Chien is leaving for home tomorrow after not being home for more than 4 years.. Lucky bastard, hehee.. wish I was going home with him on the same flight. Actually, good for him.. he is just going to eat and be fat.

Oh yeah, my last profile on the SU Athletics website is up a while ago. Last one for me... senior year...next year I would be off the website. Check it out.

Feeling fat and lazy.

2005-11-26T08:17:00.000+08:00

It is Thanksgiving week, off days from school. I didn't get to go anywhere... wanted to plan a trip somewhere with Su and Cindy, but the air tickets are just too expensive. I am out of $bling$ $bling$ coz I am leaving for China and home this Winter break (YAY!). Therefore, I am holed up in Syracuse. It had started snowing real bad, and it is freaking cold. It had been quite a good chill few days. Today, I finally decided to get outta my apartment to North campus and rent a couple of DVDs. I got The Upside of Anger with Kevin Costner, which is kinda a weird drama, but was good; Sideways, which was a not so mainstream and typical kinda Hollywood comedy, but was awesome; and Shall We Dance, I haven't got to that yet, coz I popped in two DVDs back to back, and am now watching a Duke basketball game. Kept Mr. Gere for later tonight... Oh yeah, by the way, Pierce Brosnan is still hotter than Richard Gere.. BUT I also know someone who is the bestest of all? ;) Yup... movie marathons, basketball and football games... I am a couch potato and eating loads of junk at the same time.

I can't wait to be home soon... can't wait to go holidaying in China... can't wait for this semester to end... can't wait to graduate in May... I will stop whining... hehee.. it is afterall Thanksgiving.. I should be thankful, which I am... The one and only thing I am most thankful for are my family and friends, love you all to bits! Oh yeah, should I also be thankful for being able to stay in bed till past 1pm everyday since Wednesday?

Pics from NYC.

2005-11-19T10:25:00.000+08:00

I was at NYC last weekend. Have some pics posted on my Yahoo! album. It was a short two day trip, but caught Phantom on Friday night, and it was the best thing ever! Ate good food... and walked around a bit...

Will blog more later if I have time. Later.

My brain is speeding.

2005-11-18T08:37:00.000+08:00

Decisions, decisions... lots to make the older you get. My mind had been occupied with not only schoolwork but every other thing you can possibly think of at the moment. I will let you all know more about what's on my mind when I actually make those bloody decisions. Just have to go through my thinking process, and reason some things out hopefully like Terence put it, "sleep over it, and the morning after, things just seem so much clearer." But he knows I can't do that, I just worry to much and my brain is going at a speed of more than 200mph even when I sleep. Mum had been worried about me getting too stressed out lately too... No worries k? Mum, I will be ok... just get ready the good good cooking, and I will be more than fine :)

Good thing is that my plans for this December is finalized. I am going to fly to Beijing on the 10th of December. Then, I will be there till the 15th before heading back to Malaysia. I will touch down at KLIA a lil' before midnight on Thursday. Will be home till Jan 4th, and I will fly back to China for a much anticipated holiday. Gonna be sightseeing China for real and visiting a couple of places. Terence is tagging along too :) He got some days to burn and got clearance from his boss to take off from work. It is going to be fun...

The short two weeks or so when I am home will be kinda busy and quick. I will have to run some job related errands. Jobs... they are such a pain in the ass. If this round of recruitment with all the things I am doing, and I still don't get an offer by the time I grad, I am just going to say screw it. I will take two months off after May next year and chill out a bit. My life since I started school had been much to hectice due to my scholarship commitments. I know I whine too much and should be thankful about all the stuff I am getting out of this experience, and work life sucks so much more. At least for now, I haven't experienced real working life... so I think I am entitled to whine about school (those who listened, you know who you are, Thanks!).

I am really looking forward to seeing my buds over the holidays.. Su and Cindy will be home. Can't wait to see you girls.. it is weird that this time around both Cindy and I are going home too. Su is always home tho... so no worries for her ;) hehehee.. love you babe, HUGZ. One more thing that I am really looking forward to is Aunty Anna's Christmas dinner. Aunty Anna always have this great Christmas Eve dinner that she invites family and good friends (and I happened to be invited all the time, lucky me). What is so special about this dinner is that it has the best food ever... Aunty Anna is a helluva cook. She cooks the best A1 Laksa every year for this particular dinner; bakes the best cookies, cakes... AND not to mention the best chicken and apple pies you will ever have. I have missed her Christmas Eve dinners for three years, as I normally don't go home for Winter. Although she does cook me lunch when I was back in Summers, her A1 Laksa is one of its kind.. and it only comes out during this time of the year. Yes, I am a sucker when it comes to food.. all of you know me well enough to know about that by now. I also can't wait to go home and eat some food. Not that it was too long since August, but still ... I love food to death.

Ha.. I just realized I wrote a whole paragraph on Aunty Anna's dinner and the food I am already thinking of eating when I am home. A lil' less than one month before this torturous semester ends. I have so much to do before that happens, but the thoughts of having one more semester in Spring and all this will end calms me down.

Till then...

Power Trippin'

2005-11-07T07:52:00.000+08:00

I had by far the worst week so far this semester, mostly because it ended on a really bad note on Friday. I had my usual group meeting and class, then I turned up at the weight room for conditioning. My trainer was on a power trip. He is a new guy who used to be a football jock, and he runs his sessions hard (he is trying too hard to impress, that's what I think he is doing). Normally, I would have no complaints, do the work and get out. This time, he went overboard. He thought we were not trying hard enough when he wanted us to put 25 pounders above our heads and hold it for one minute. I could barely do it and I was one of the stronger ones in the team. I have girls who are 5 foot 2" and weigh a hundred pounds plus we haven't been lifting for ages.

Out we go to the outdoor track... he told us to do walking lunges and squats for 400m, then run the next 400m, do another 400m walking lunge, and then run another 400m. This is not the end, he then made us do ladders on the football field - run from 0 to the 5 yard line, and head back to 0, then run to the 10 yard line and head back, then to the 15 yard line and head back... all the way for 100 yards. STILL, it was not enough. He made us do the worst thing that made me cry... he told us to lay on our belly on the 0 yard line, and then roll all the way down to the 100 yard line as if we are rolling down the hill. Shit, this time I had problems. I would have no problems running, doing squats and all that stuff, but this one I was dying. I don't fly really well and normally puke on air planes coz' of some motion sickness. Halfway down the field at the 50 yard line, I couldn't hold it anymore, I puked. I stood up, and told Jon that this is ridiculous, he said "puke again, I wanna see." Woooo.... look here asshole... natural reaction, I said "Fuck you, Jon." Guess what? Wrong move. He counted all the letters in that phrase, and for every letter, we would have to go run one round around the 400 meter track - 10 bloody rounds. BUT, out of pride, I did it. I told him that every round is worth it, coz' I mean every word of it, and that I would say it again if I had to.

I apologized to the girls, but some of them didn't even mind running the 10 rounds for having me cursing at him, coz' they felt that it was the right words at the right time. We were finally let out of the torture after that, and when I got home, I was so pissed for the whole night. I felt kinda stupid because I didn't walk out earlier or cussed at him way back. Talked to Mac, and I told him that I won't be showing up on Monday for conditioning if he doesn't apologize. I do have some pride in me. What Jon did was down right power tripping, and making us roll on the field not only make me sick, but was also down right humiliating. There was another team practising there, and it was just a show of dominance I would say. Mac, in all the four years of my time here, had me lose my temper at him only twice. Once I told him to shut up after he was out of line, and the second time I told him he fucked up coz' he messed up real bad and disrespected me. Twice, I got an apology from him. He knows that when I really flip, it was for a good reason. He also knows that I am one person who gives my best in any practices and conditioning, and that I am not a whiner and merely complaining.

Jon, you are going to have quite a nice Monday for you... write your apology script right now... if not you are done. So much for your short stint as an intern at 'Cuse, barely three months into the job and you got the "F" word from me... Mac only got it once since I was freshmen... this time you are really in deep shit. Don't you dare mess with me...

End of the Greenspan era.

2005-10-26T21:12:00.000+08:00

Ben Bernanke was named to succeed Alan Greenspan by Bush as the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Interesting to see how he can steer the American economy back to its feet. My bet is that as long as Bush is in office, he will have problems doing that.

Good luck, Mr. Bernanke.

Interesting week.

2005-10-25T05:40:00.000+08:00

Too many things happen all the time, and I am starting to have problems keeping track of all that is going on. I was suddenly called upon to jump onto the van to leave for the US Military Academy at West Point to compete in the Eastern Regionals. I didn't expect to have qualified for the tournament with Katie for doubles, but somehow we did. So on the van ride I go, played on Friday, won my first match, and got kicked in the butt by a really good team right after.

Exhausted to the max when I got back from the trip and checked my e-mails. I received 5 rejection letters from companies I applied to begging for a job all on Friday, and at the same time got called for an interview by Morgan Stanley for a job in NYC. Gonna be interviewing with them tomorrow morning at 9am. We will see what happens there. My self-esteem is taking lots of hits recently with rejections and I think I am failing outta school. Right now I am seriously considering quitting school and taking up a bartending job in Hawaii. Who wants to join me? We can bartend at night, surf and lay on the beach drinking beer during the day.

I have also drawn up my Winter break plan. I am going to be flying to Beijing to visit bro for a short few days on the 10th of Dec, then I will be flying home and will be there for about three weeks or so. Finally I would fly back to Beijing again, for a longer time of about 10 days to really do some sight seeing, before boarding on my return flight back to the States. I have all together 5 weeks this time around, thanks to no exams on finals week that ends on the 15th of Dec (Senior year perks, hehe). As in when exactly I will be flying home from Beijing, that is still kinda up in the air. I am having bro looking into tickets for me, and as soon as I know, you will know about it too.

I am sort of blabbering... so I will stop now.

Thoughts.

2005-10-18T03:13:00.000+08:00

The past week had been a lil' bumpy, hiccups here and there. I would have complained a lot more, but sometimes I guess I bitch too much. I am exhausted and experiencing extreme fatigue, but somehow all these don't beat how I feel right now.

I got a call from my best friend on Friday that her grandma had passed on with cancer. At that moment I feel terrible. I feel her pain. I really did. Everything that she was experiencing, I lived it back two years ago. I don't know how to describe it, but as I told her, you will never know how it feels till it really hit you.

I am at peace with my uncle's death now more than ever before, but somehow at random times, I still ask "Why?" Sometimes I felt that I have that question answered, but do I? Death can have such an impact on people's lives. Death of uncle made me a different person. I believe it made me a better person.

Guess life constantly throws everything at you, that's how it is. So many things on my mind and so much to do right now. What can I do about it? Like always after all my whining, I suck it up and deal with it. It is no different now...

Update.

2005-10-09T01:38:00.000+08:00

I know I had been bad with updating my blog lately. I had been bogged down with work and any other random stuff you can ever imagine. So yeah, I had not been able to sit down and relax for a long long time since the semester started.

My weekends are being consumed by schoolwork. Either I am working to chase after deadlines that are due soon, or trying to complete work ahead coz' of my Fall traveling schedule. The good thing is that Fall season will end by the end of October, and then I will have more weekends at home. The bad news is that practices are harder in Fall, and really, my classes are really kicking my ass.

Gonna chill out a lil' bit for a half hour or so... and I am going to start work...

Stressed.

2005-09-24T07:48:00.000+08:00

After my last post on being out at the lake, it had been stressful. I had been busy and next week is going to be testing.

Whoever who said that Senior year is lots of fun and the best year of college... fuck you.

Anyone out there have the ability to shoot me dead now, and then revive me after next week?? If you do, please come to my rescue. I don't wanna be living next week...

Lake Seneca.

2005-09-12T22:48:00.000+08:00

Peaceful bliss.

I was out at Seneca Lake yesterday. It was so pretty and relaxing. Lindsay invited me out to her family's place about 45 mins from here. Nana (Lindsay's grandma) cooked lots of food and I got to hang out with the VanGordens the whole Sunday. Best part of the trip was riding on her jetski. We sped down the lake at more than 50 miles per hour, and made some crazy stuns. Yeah, Lindsay is crazy.. but so am I.

The whole last week was tiring and busy. Had a crappy few days in the middle of the week but all is good. Yale trip this weekend and not looking forward to it. Too much work to do...

Dashboard Confessional was in town.

2005-09-05T10:13:00.000+08:00

Dashboard Confessional was up in the 'Cuse on Saturday. It was a bunch of artists performing at Juice Jam , the annual Fall outdoor concert. Dashboard was last and it was worth the wait. They were awesome.

Posted new pictures on my Yahoo! album. The Summer hols pictures we took when hanging out together and the new car.

Practices are a pain in the butt so far. School is a lil' tedious and am yet to get used to it again. Job applications have started, and have finished a couple. They take a lot of time to complete. Pain in the ass in general.

The whining is back.

Classes, you gotta love 'em.

2005-08-31T04:50:00.000+08:00

Went to my first class today, and had three back to back classes in a row. Exhausting day, especially since I haven't been sleeping much. This morning I rolled out of bed around 545am. Darn it...

I don't like classes too much, but something in my Psychology class today really cracked me up big time. PSY 336 - Adolescent Psychology head off to a great start when the professor asked the class to guess how many adolescents are there in the world. He led by asking how big was the population of the United States of America. I was one of the few international faces in the class out of about 100 people. Guess what? If you don't know the correct answer, keep quiet (coming from the experience of a senior). Too many Americans in the whole class and it takes an international student to come up with the right answer. Shame on them. 90 over Americans in a class and they don't know how many people is in their own country. Leads me to wonder if they know Bush is their president. The answers that came up before the correct answer were: 600 million, 500 million, 900 million, 1 billion, and the most ridiculous answer - 2.2 billion. Wow. I was flabbergasted. Hehe.... oh well, it woke me up and had a good laugh before the correct answer of 300 million came up. American ignorance still amazes me.

Going to have a physical later to check if I am healthy enough to begin practice. Going to be weighed and have my blood pressure taken. Let's see what the scale will have to say about my weight and I will let you know if I have become a fatty over the Summer.

Senior year.

2005-08-29T10:44:00.000+08:00

School starts tomorrow. I have no classes on Monday, so I have an extra day before I am hit with classes. Met up with the team today, and Wednesday we will have to start practices. Damn Mac... he just have to be an ass. First tournament is next Sat.. just into the second week of school and we are going to Cornell.

Got my bags back the next day on Friday. Unpacked and the apartment is back in shape. Jen did a good job in setting the place up on Thursday. I got in late and she is all done setting up the living room and stuff. Went to do some grocery shopping and got the basic stuff for the year.

It feels weird to be coming back to be Senior. Come to think about it, I won't have anymore Summer holidays where I know I will be going back to school. Next Summer will be job time (hopefully I can get one and not be scrambling to secure one after graduation). I feel like I don't care too much anymore, just can't wait to graduate and get outta here. It had been a while since I am here, fourth year already. It still seems like time flew though. I can still remember coming here with two bags and nothing else. Now my clothes fill up at least 4-5 bags, and the other day when I was taking my stuff from Yiyi's where I store my things over Summer, I filled Frank's car. Shows how much I have accumulated over the years.

Going around campus was a lil' funny. Saw so many freshies moving into their dorms, with their parents and a whole car load from home. When I was shopping for necessities, saw a ton students with their parents shopping for things as well. It was a madhouse at Walmart, Target, and Wegman's. They all look so excited for school, while me and my friends are just chilling and hanging out before school starts... kinda like, ehhhh.. doesn't matter no more. It is the last year.

This semester will be filled with job searches. Hopefully, I can get an offer by December or January. Then I can just sit back and relax. I am taking a lot of things easier now.. maybe it is because I see that there is so much more things be stressed about later that I should just be a lil' more laid back. Or maybe because it is the comfort zone of being in familiar territory. Things just become so routine in college that nothing can really amaze you anymore. Only thing is the question marks on life after college. We will have to see how things will work out for me later. Fingers crossed.

It had been a great Summer. It was way too short. I had such a blast though with Terence. It was definitely fun. Missing the days when we will just go out and eat, or chill watching TV and DVDs after dinner.

Met up with the girls once again this Summer, and it still amazes me that after high school we can still be sitting at Salam talking away and being so loud.

One more year...

Back in Cuse.

2005-08-26T19:11:00.000+08:00

Got in late yesterday. My bags are lost.

Enough said.

Hmmm...

2005-08-21T14:14:00.000+08:00

By the time I am getting used to everything and being back into the comfort zone of being home... I will be leaving Thursday morning for another long couple of months. Before you know it, I will be graduating next May. Time flies...

Girls night in.

2005-08-07T13:18:00.000+08:00

Girlfriends!

I am back in Ipoh for good till I leave on the 25th this month. Last Friday was great.. met up with the girls - Juni, Su, Cindy, Joyce, and YY. We had such a blast (and not to mention a full stomach each). I will post the pics on my Yahoo album soon or when I am back in the States.

One more thing...

2005-07-31T15:33:00.000+08:00

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I have finished Harry Potter #6. I got my hands on a computer PDF file version, don't ask me how and where I got it from.

Yes, I know it is illegal.... but it saved me about RM100. Anyone who needs that file can send me an email, I will gladly send an attachment to you.

Internship done!

2005-07-31T15:15:00.000+08:00

I was checking out my blog and realized that the last time I blogged was about a month ago. Busy with the internship and caught a bad round of tonsillitis. I had white spots (huge ones) down my throat for about 10 days.... resulting in two doses of antibiotics and a jab in my ass. Yeah, that was really bad.... swallowing your own saliva is a problem, let alone eat solid food. Was on a fruit, porridge and bread diet throughout that 10 days or so.

I am done with my internship, which was officially over on Friday. I will be back in Ipoh tomorrow, and from then on, the REAL holiday starts. That means that I will be a 24/7 bum, eating like there is no tomorrow (not that I am not doing that since I was back), sleep, and go workout at the gym. I am in desperate need to get back into shape... well, not that desparate, but am a lil' paranoid since I have only been working out a number of times a week rather than my usual routine while I am back in the Cuse. I am fearing the physical test that I will be having on the first week I am back in school, while I am still half-dead and jetlagged and walking like a zombie.

Internship had been fun, and I got to work on various projects with some interesting companies. Weirdest thing is that I can't help calculating how much an ad cost while flipping through the papers, watching TV or listening to the radio. It is a ridiculous amount of money that TV3 reap in for the hour-long Buletin Utama, which happens to be one of the most expensive time slots around.

I promise I will update my blog more often.... or maybe not till I get back to the Cuse... coz I will be busy eating and being a bum... logging online seems to be a chore then... hehe

Peace.

Pooped.

2005-06-23T22:59:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last blogged, and the reason why is that I had been busy at work, eating dinners, hanging out, and lazing around the house on weekends.

Work had been going alright, busy most of the time and chill sometimes. This week was fun as I was out filming people asking them about their magazine reading habits. My company is pitching for a major skincare brand's contract and we had to conduct some research on women's magazine reading habits. People are funny when they are on camera, and sometimes their answers can be so hilarious. For instance, I asked a lady if she noticed any skincare ads, she told me that she like reading about Kotex pads' ads. She then kept on describing how interesting Kotex's ads were. I didn't really laugh when I was filming, but burst out laughing when I went through the footage again. Then, I went to a production house to edit the footage into a 3-5 minute clip. The clip turned out pretty good and my boss was happy about it.

I just had dinner with Su just now. I was so happy to see her!!! Looked good babe!

Will be heading back to Ipoh tomorrow for some homecooked food and play some tennis and run some. Hit me on my cell if you are in Ipoh and wanna hang.

Nights.

It's the weekend.

2005-06-04T13:05:00.000+08:00

Ahhh.... worked for three days, and I am glad it is the weekend. Interning at McCann had been great so far. I love the people I work with, they are just such an awesome bunch. Working in jeans is cool; wearing a t-shirt to work is even better! Only thing I am complaining about is the commuting I need to do to get down to work. One way takes me about an hour from my house to my work place in the heart of KL city. I work in the building next to Concorde Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe, and from Subang, it is a fair distance. I have to park my car at the Subang train station, wait for the train and be on the train for about 25 mins, and get down to KL Sentral. After that, I need to get off, and switch to Putra LRT to and take a 10 min ride to the station near my work place, and walk to my office for about 5-10 mins. So yeah, it is a bitch. Good thing is that the working times are very flexible, and although I am supposed to be in at 9am, it doesn't really matter. Most people come in between 930 and 10 anyway. Since I am interning, think it is better that I am on time.. but who knows, maybe the whole arriving at work early thing will start wearing off soon.. hehe.

Got back from work late around 9pm yesterday, and it was only my third day. I don't mind the work at all, coz' it is interesting and I am actually learning something new. It is better than having your colleagues treat you like you know nothing, and not give you anything serious to do. Yeah, they are just a bunch of cool people.

Slept in today and it felt awesome. Just chilling out and doing some house chores. Worked out and will plan my day in a bit after I showered.

Peace.

Working tomorrow.

2005-05-31T08:36:00.000+08:00

I am in KL. It had been fun since I got here on Saturday. I took the trains/LRTs up to KL city from Subang to test out the time and figure what time I need to get outta the house. I also took a hike up to the office to say hi to my soon-to-be boss, since I was right outside the building.

The office was so awesome. The people were so nice... so yeah, I like what I saw. She showed me around and it was the first time I actually saw an ad agency setting. I think I will have a blast working there. Sad as it sounds, I am actually looking forward to starting work, hehe. The environment is so laid back. Everyone is wearing what they like, and I still think that going to work in jeans is so cool. She also told me that if I were to get caught taking the public transportation, or get caught in the jam and will turn up late, I can just text her on her cell to let her know. I was like - Wow! The last time I worked at EY, I had to clock in before 8. Clocking in a lil' late will make anyone at work worry a bit. My official hours are 9am - 530pm. But times are flexible (she hinted that I have to be prepared to work late though).

One last day of bumming and I will be busy for the next two months.

New ride!

2005-05-25T13:37:00.000+08:00

Mum in the new car.

Got our new ride today! Dad decided to swap the old Saga for the Waja. The old car was getting a lil' out of sorts.

Going to be driving this car in KL for the next two months of interning. Weeee...

Weekend was great.

2005-05-24T12:20:00.000+08:00

This weekend was great.. just hung out and chilled; ate and sleep; played tennis and ran; caught Star Wars and the Man United vs. Arsenal game... had a ton of fun just doing stuff.

In a good mood and smiling like a jackass.

I got a 4.0 !!

2005-05-21T10:10:00.000+08:00

It had been a helluva good week. I was frantically checking my grades since Tuesday, as it was the day all grades were due from the faculty. However, one of my professors had to make me sit on my chair and chew my fingers till they bleed. I finally got that one last grade yesterday morning, and yes... Wei Ming is a geek ... my GPA was a 4.0 this semester! Hehe.. I had always wanted to get one of those since I got to US, and had been ever so close two semesters before this one... I just wanted to have one 4.0 and I would graduate knowing that I had been there and done that.. just some weird thing that doesn't really matter that much, but something you always wanted, and when you get it, the high at that moment is just truly awesome. I had been smiling like a jackass for the whole day yesterday... weird how people will react when they are happy like this.. hehe.

My dad also got a new ride, and the car is here. I can't really drive it on the road yet, since the road tax application won't go through till Tuesday.

Watching Star Wars with Terence tomorrow night. Going to be awesome. Hopefully, the movie lives up to all the hype surrounding it. I am not a big fan that follow all these sci-fi like it is my life, but somehow, I just have to see it since I had seen all the ones before. I bet it is still going to be a good movie regardless...

Had been eating like a pig since I got back... and food is awesome as usual! It had come back to the "I live to eat" philosophy, instead of the "I eat to live" motto I had while in the US. I am not complaining about the food in US, but Malaysians will definitely know what I am talking about. Not to mention the cooking from mum, which is in a class of its own.

One more week of bumming before I start my internship on June 1st... am kinda excited about this internship coz' it is something different and cool. Wearing jeans to work is certainly a great plus, and it is gonna be chill. Think I will be heading to KL next weekend to check things out and hang out some.

More eating later. Aunty's cooking and am heading over for lunch at her place. Peace.

Home.

2005-05-10T06:31:00.000+08:00

I am home! Got in around 645am on Monday. Had good and awesome food right after I got off from the plane. Chee Cheong Fun for breakfast, pork noodles for lunch, and of course my mum's cooking for dinner!! Stuffed to the max.

Currently jetlagged, and I am up surfing at 6 in the morning. Not bad actually, since I got about 5-6 hours of sleep.

I will be a bum for a while before June is here.. peace.

Happy Mother's Day.

2005-05-08T12:00:00.000+08:00

My mum.

Happy Mother's Day mum. I should be on the plane by then. See you soon!

*I will back home in Malaysia on May 9th around 6am in the morning!!

Two more days.

2005-05-06T07:15:00.000+08:00

I am almost there, one more exam and I will be done. I am all packed up and ready to go. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day... taking my stuff up to Ivy's for storage; lunch with them coz' I won't be seeing them for a couple of months; and then my tennis team's annual dinner.

Missing my speakers as they are boxed up. Laptop's speakers suck big time... I would rather put on my headphones than listen to those dreadful tunes coming out from it.

Was reading the Star Online edition, and came upon this article. A lil' cut and paste here from the article:

Before you rush out to do something for mum because everyone else is doing so, hold on! What you get for her might not necessarily be what she needs or want.

Here could be some of mum’s reflections. I hope you have no problem getting mum her favourite after reading this.

I wish you will spend more time on your studies and improve on your grades instead of churning out more red marks on your test papers. And yes, I will be less worn-out if you could just tidy up your room instead of waiting for me to pick up after you. Don’t forget to call if you are staying out late. I can hear every tick on the clock in our living room.
You will take a load off my shoulder if only you get a job and stayed employed. You have been lazying about in that comfortable bed for too long and the years of getting you educated are such a waste. I wish you will come home after you stormed off when we objected to your unsuitable choice of friends.
And one more thing dear, can you quit smoking? The smoke is beginning to aggravate my asthma and I don’t need the extra financial burden if you end up with lung cancer.

Don't think my mum had to worry about me smoking and the red marks on my tests.. but still found this article interesting. Hmm... what would my mum be wishing for on Mother's Day??

Currently addicted to Brian McKnight's "Every Time You Go Away " and ice-cream.

*Yes mum... I remembered that it is Mother's Day on Sunday... although I will be home one day late.. don't work too hard cooking up a storm on Sunday, k? I am looking forward to your homecooked food though =) Love you...

Productive afterall.

2005-05-04T14:04:00.000+08:00

I ended up studying non-stop since my last blog. Got into the groove. Done studying for one final (or I think I covered everything), and sleeping in tomorrow.

Fixed plans for tomorrow include working out, eating lunch and dinner, studying a bit more. Unplanned activities include napping, chilling out, and some more packing maybe??

Night.

American Idol.

2005-05-04T09:47:00.000+08:00

Last day of classes today!! WOoooHOoo ... done with that, reading day tomorrow. One exam on Thursday, one more on Friday and I am done. I actually started packing a lil' bit. Threw a lot of papers and notes that are irrelevant... old tennis shoes, and lotsa other trash.

The last two weeks had been great. Besides some work and all, I had all the time in the world to do my own thing. I had been working out every day (except weekends, gave my body a break before I kill it) on my own. Weird that during the tennis season, getting a break from physical activity is something I prayed for everyday. Now that season is done, I am so restless because I don't have tennis practices everyday for more than 2 hours, I had to find something to do to let some energy out. I also had time to catch up with some TV. I had been deprived of TV shows for a bit, and tonight, I caught American Idol. My normal schedule did not permit me to catch it on a weekly basis since it started a couple of months ago. Yes, Idol fans.. I am kinda out of it and behind on the who's who now.

Tonight featured the top 5 left in the show. Only three out of those five deserve to be on the show I think. My top 3 picks will be - Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood, Vonzell Solomon. Bo's the man! He's helluva good. Anthony, he's just a pretty face; Scott, I don't know..

Now that I am hooked, I need to catch the remaining of it back home in Malaysia... can't get it live, but guess it will have to do..

Studying for a bit ... although it is not working, coz' if I can concentrate, I won't be blogging instead.

Two more finals.

2005-05-03T02:20:00.000+08:00

Two more finals and I am done. Kicked some ass in my presentation today, and finished my stats project yesterday, some minor touch-up for that, nothing major. Therefore I take that as a finished project. One exam on Thursday and one more on Friday, and Saturday I will be on the plane home!!

Currently craving mum's cooking and laksa. Actually food cravings are a year-long thing, so yeah.. I have already sorta planned breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the first day and week that I am back. Going to make Terence take me to breakfast after I get off the plane, I dunno what I wanna eat yet, but I'll figure it out on the 20-hour plane ride. I guess mum's gonna be cooking for lunch, if not I am sure she had already figured something out. My mum's so cute.. couple of weeks ago, I got a text message from her saying that she had started to make bread again on her bread machine, in anticipation of me going home. I guess since she started practising making bread for a while, the bread she would be making is going to be awesome when I get home! =) My mum loves me, hehe.

Should I start packing and clearing my stuff and put them into boxes today? Or should I wait till Thursday or something? Hmm...

One more week and I am home!

Decked out in my suit.

2005-04-30T11:32:00.000+08:00

Ed, me, Dean Tankersley.

Just wanted to let you all see me in my suit today, hehe. This semester (or most semesters), I had been in sweats 90% of the time. I rarely even wear "normal" clothes like jeans to class, but my sweats.

Today, I put on my suit, and was seen on campus the whole day in it. It was a rare sight, and for that I had to put this post up...

Pictures!

2005-04-28T12:22:00.000+08:00

Uploaded some pictures. Finally got around it. There are some pictures from Spring Break at California and some miscellaneous team pictures throughout the season.

9 more days till I get on the plane home!!

Tennis is OVER!!!

2005-04-26T07:41:00.000+08:00

Season is done!! Woohoo! No more practices. No more traveling. No more coaches.

I got back from Florida this morning, caught an early flight at 6am from Tampa. Kinda lacking sleep right now, coz' I had to wake up at 330am to get to the airport. Got back to my apartment, dumped my bags, and went straight to campus for class. Weird thing is that after class I could do whatever I want! I have the afternoons to do stuff now, and it is awesome to be a normal student.

We did beat Boston College and advanced to the finals. It was a good tournament for us, but we lost to Notre Dame later on. It's all good, they were kinda awesome, and tennis season is over... so yeah... it's all good.

Going to have to deal with two group projects this week and a final. I'm also running around doing errands preparing to leave for home in about two weeks! Yay!!!

Tired but in a good mood!

Big East Championships.

2005-04-22T05:22:00.000+08:00

I am currently blogging from Tampa, Florida. Damn it's hot out here... good warm-up for me for the weather back home in Malaysia... coz' I will be home in about two weeks time =) May 9th is the date! The weather is so much like home, and it is actually kinda too hot for me right now since I was holed up in Syracuse for way too long. It feels great to actually sweat like a pig while playing tennis outside in the baking sun.

Played Seton Hall University today in the 1st round, and we came up tops! Boston College is next, and we are looking for some revenge, coz' we lost a tough one to them last weekend. This time will be equally tough, but we will bust our asses alright...

GO 'CUSE!!

Pissed.

2005-04-18T12:06:00.000+08:00

I am frustrated at certain things right now. At times like these, I wonder why I am even doing this tennis and school crap. Is it really worth it?!?! I will puncture more arteries before I even graduate from Syracuse with my undergrad degree.

Think, Wei Ming... THINK! Right, repeat after yourself:

It's all about the money. It's the scholarship. I repeat... it's the S-C-H-O-L-A-R-S-H-I-P.

It's all about the fucking scholarship... USD 160k by the time I graduate... Is it still worth it?!?! Ok, ok. Be rational. It's worth your time. Just have to bear and grind through one more year of facing the monster - the coach.

One more year and I can say: Fuck this crap.

Last regular season road trip.

2005-04-15T23:10:00.000+08:00

Heading to Boston today for a weekend of tough matches against Boston College and Boston University. They are good, and it is going to be a bitch fight against both teams. Will come back from Boston on Sunday night, and then head to Florida for Big East Championships on Tuesday.

On a good note, I have cleared out all the stuff that I can do in anticipation for these days away from 'Cuse. This leaves me with just three finals, and two final group projects. I can't help but repeatedly tell myself that I have done a good job and give myself a pat on the back. It had been helluva busy of non-stop homework since last week. Every single night I had been doing work. I don't even have to bring any work on these two trips, and can maybe pick up a book in Florida. I am going to listen to songs on my Zen Micro all the way to Boston, and catch some shut-eye.

Currently addicted to Russian techno. I stumbled upon a CD that I forgot that I had. Good stuff...

Registered.

2005-04-11T20:32:00.000+08:00

Woke up at 8 today to register for classes at 8:30am. I got a really good time on the first day of registration. So, I'm booked into all the classes I want with Monday as my day off. I never really have too much trouble registering for classes since Freshman year (coz' I play a sport), except for last semester when the students studying abroad were given preferential time over me. Woke up half and hour before I am supposed to register and it took me less than 2 minutes to get everything done. Going to wash up and head back to bed or do some reading... I'll decide when I'm brushing my teeth.

I am so addicted to Grey's Anatomy - a new ABC series about a bunch of surgical interns. I stumbled upon it on its debut night a couple Sundays ago when I was channel surfing, and I am hooked.

New template.

2005-04-11T09:08:00.000+08:00

My blog was looking kinda old and I was sick of doing homework the whole day. SO... I amused myself with a new template and colors.

Weekend was short.

2005-04-04T11:55:00.000+08:00

I decided to leave for Philly a couple of days ago and got in before it was dark today. Ivy came along with me, stayed at her place and visited Chien. My weekend off was way too short. Now I'm back to 'Cuse and have another 5 weeks or so before I resume a normal life.

Philly was good. I stuffed myself with awesome homecooked food (courtesy of Ivy's mum) and am more than happy to be a fatty for the weekend. I also got to drive lots over the weekend... Yeah, you all must be thinking I'm crazy liking to drive for about 10 hours over three days. I actually enjoyed it coz' I missed driving and it was fun speeding on the highways... hehe... Truth is that I didn't really speed, and I am safe and back in Cuse in one piece.

Tired from the drive, so I'm heading to bed. School tomorrow, followed by practice and a ton of schoolwork. Dreading it... guess I'll deal with it when I wake up.

Night.

Piggy me...

2005-03-28T12:08:00.000+08:00

Had the best sleep ever yesterday night... got nothing to do today, so I woke up around 9 or so, talked on the phone a bit, and went back to bed till 2 in the afternoon.

Ahh... I love the feeling of not having anything on my mind and just sleep...

Time to chill.

2005-03-25T13:40:00.000+08:00

Recovered from the cold, not totally 100% yet, a lil' stuffed up, but nothing I can't handle. I am so used to getting a clogged nose way back when I had allergies and sneezed every single day. Had good training, I am tough.

Tennis season is coming to an end soon. In general, school is almost done. There are about 6 weeks left, and I get to drown myself in work and all the other crap. I finally have some weekends home to chill out. I am getting three weekends at home in Syracuse till the Boston trip on April 16th, then we head to Florida for the Big East Championships on April 21st. The season is over after that! Come back from Florida, two more weeks of classes, final papers and projects, final exams, and I am done.

Things are starting to be normal again after a long semester full of traveling and school. I mean, heck, I was on away matches for three weekends a month since January, and school had been busy as usual. I am finally feeling like like I am going to school as a normal college student again, classes on weekdays, and chilling on weekends. Well, I don't get to chill out totally on weekends, coz' I have to play home matches, but at least I don't have to live in vans and hotel rooms; I get to sleep in my tiny lil' twin bed and bum on the couch watching TV.

It is Good Friday tomorrow. No class but I have tennis practice, coz' Mac is freaking out over the West Virginia match on Saturday morning. We won against UConn today, and technically we have the day after a match off, but he is getting paranoid over the Big East match on Saturday. He feels that we have to hit to "keep in touch" with our game when we should be taking a day off. Anyway, the incentive for winning two matches this week is having next weekend off. We don't have any matches next week, but we have a scheduled practice on Saturday. However, if we win two out of two, we will be free to do whatever we want. Yes, we are going to fight for freedom, coz' we deserve it. West Virginia: Watch out. You are going to get your asses whooped.

If we get the weekend off, I might rent a car and take a drive to Buffalo or Philly to visit either one of my bros; OR I shall do homework and start clearing out stuff before I head on my final road trips. Philly for sight-seeing, or Buffalo for wings and ice-cream. Hmmm, decisions... well, I will think about it after we wrap up our match against West Virginia on Saturday. I do have some group projects and exams to study for though... urrgh... I will decide later.

Going to bed and I swear I won't get out of bed till after 11am. I tend to wake up early nowadays, but I am making myself stay in bed and laze around till the sun is out tomorrow (if we get any sun at all). We will see if I live up to that, coz' I will most likely jump out of bed and start doing something...

Back from California.

2005-03-22T12:48:00.000+08:00

This was by far the worse Spring Break that I have had. Did too much driving, and I think we drove more than 20 hours or so from South California to the North, and drove back South again. Besides that, the weather in California wasn't that great, was kinda chilly and not much sunshine at all.

Came in late yesterday, and caught a cold on the way back. Woke up feeling shitty today and slept in all day, skipping class and practice altogether. Staying in bed helped, and the meds help me sleep and unclog my nose. Breathing better, and my throat is not as sore...

This is the second time in the semester that I caught a cold. Taking more meds to help me sleep through the night and hope I will feel better tomorrow... In a rush to get better coz' I have two huge matches on Thursday and Saturday.

Night.

Break.

2005-03-11T23:04:00.000+08:00

I will be out of Syracuse for a lil' more than a week till next Sunday. California trip with the tennis team.

Sunshine...

Recovering.

2005-03-07T05:59:00.000+08:00

Had a rough week last week with finals, papers, traveling, and a bunch of other stuff. Everything seemed to be going on at the same time, and not everything went quite as smoothly as I wish they had, causing me to break some sweat. Pressure was up to a boiling point last week, and if I offended anyone last week because my temper was a lil' off, I am sorry.

Had four road-trips in a row, and it ended with a win against Army on Friday. That officially ended a bad week, and I just chilled out yesterday to recover. Today is a bunch of work in preparation for next week and the Spring Break trip to California on Friday. Just have a paper and a quiz this week, but I have to clear out a few papers that will be due right after break.

At this point right now, I wish I could have the whole Spring Break by myself to do whatever I want. Yeah, I don't mind not going to California at all, and ideally, it would be great if I could just sit down and read a couple of books and watch DVDs. On the other hand, California is going to be alright with the warmer weather. On the flip side, California also means business - three matches (two against ranked teams) and practices on the days we are not competing.

Best thing is that March is here with about 8 weeks left of school to deal with. When Spring Break is done, I will have 6 weeks left, and then it would be so busy for me that time will fly without me knowing.

I have planned my trip home. Will be back on May 9th early in the morning, and should be starting my internship with Universal McCann (McCann Worldgroup) in June. It will be something different than the finance stuff I am doing, but will be a good experience in the media and advertising industry. Who knows what I will get out of it? The only sure thing is that doing an internship will never hurt you, and can only put some good stuff on the resume.

Paper time... peace.

21st of February.

2005-02-22T23:10:00.000+08:00

As much as I tried to keep myself busy, and not allow myself to feel sad, I can't help not thinking about it. I was feeling alright during the day, as I was out doing stuff, went to class, had meals with friends. It just hit me right when I popped my head on my pillow after a long day. This time it is good, I just thought about him and the good times we had, no crying and balling my eyes out no more.

February 21, 2003 was the day my uncle died of cancer. It had been two years now, I am getting better dealing with it, but I guess dealing with the death of someone so special to me is hard. He was a great guy, and it is still weird to not have him around me anymore. Dealing with it this year is much better than last year, when it was still so fresh. I guess it is good that I am not as emotional as before, and I guess this is what he wanted it to be, that I am happy.

So many things had happened to me since he died. I have changed so much, and I think death just make people ponder about what is more important to them. I wish I could let him know how much of an impact he had made to my life. I wish he could see how much I had grown from being this lil' brat to someone who thinks before she acts. I wish he could see me graduate next year, and how much I have accomplished since I came to the States. I wish he was still around to take me out for meals that we both enjoy, as we always had the passion for good food. I wish I could whine and ask him for advice on certain decisions in my life.

Uncle touched my life in many ways, and his death had changed me so much. I have learned to appreciate the people around me more, and I realized that life does not just evolve around me. My temper is getting better, as I see no need in losing it as much as before. Life is too short to piss off yourself and the people around you.

Uncle, you are a great guy. Thanks for everything.

Thanks!

2005-02-21T11:20:00.000+08:00

Thanks all for making my birthday a great one.. I had an awesome time... Here goes:

-Thanks mum and dad for leaving voice mails on my phone when I couldn't answer your call.

-Thanks to Chien for taking the drive down to Jersey for dinner and the GAP jacket.

-Thanks to Wei Loon for calling when I was in the van.

-Thanks to Terence for the package that made my day on Thursday.

-Thanks to Su for making multiple phone calls trying to reach me.

-Thanks to my aunt for the Picture SMS around midnight.

-Thanks to all of you who sent me e-cards and left me voice mails... you all are just great for remembering my birthday.

-Lastly, a huge thank you to my girls for making my birthday on the road so much fun.. I have to admit this is by far one of my best birthdays ever... the singing and dancing in the restaurant; the loud van ride; the chocolate and cute soft toy; cup cakes for practice... what else?? Winning two Big East conference games against Seton Hall and Rutgers... you guys are HUGE.

Had a great birthday... I am 21.

I am turning 21.

2005-02-19T11:10:00.002+08:00

I am turning 21 tomorrow.. or in two hours or so. Been a very busy week in terms of school and exams and homework... survived some mid-terms and some quizzes and homework, and the torture ended on Thursday. Just got back from a match against Seton Hall at home, and it was good... coz' we won 5-2.

What will I be doing on my birthday? Nothing exciting really... will be on the road tomorrow to New Jersey for a match against Rutgers on Sunday.

I am in a very good mood.. just feel loved! =)

Have a good weekend...

Weekend at home.

2005-02-12T12:35:00.000+08:00

Finally we are not going anywhere this weekend, going to have two home games instead for a change after two consecutive weeks of traveling. Binghamton and Brown is coming to town.

Just recovered from the flu I caught from my girls after spending way too much time with them in the van last weekend. Had a hard week at tennis because I was coughing while hitting tennis balls at the same time, not to mention that I was trying to inhale oxygen like a fish out of the water in between points. Anyway, all is good. Relieved that I felt much better as the week went on, and recovered on time for the matches.

Not traveling this weekend is essential, coz' I have a bad week next week... actually, every week is a bad week.

Peace.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2005-02-08T12:22:00.000+08:00

To all those who are currently home and stuffing yourself silly with all the goodies - good for you.

To all those who are not home and slogging it out in another country wishing that you were home - find comfort to know that you are not alone, coz' I am here missing CNY as well.

Regardless, Happy Chinese New Year!

*I will talk about my long weekend some other time, don't wanna spoil the mood of CNY...

Off to NYC (nope, not for fun).

2005-02-03T12:09:00.000+08:00

I am heading off to NYC tomorrow afternoon, not for a fun trip, but for tennis. Playing St. John's on Friday morning... so I am technically in Queens, but will have some time to walk around in NYC after our match... hopefully. Going to be a lot of traveling this weekend. NYC from Thursday till Saturday morning, and then leaving for UMass on Saturday afternoon, coz' we have a match in Amherst, Mass on Sunday morning. After that, we will hop right back into the van and drive back to Syracuse. Yup, I will be spending about 15 hours in the van over a span of four days, not to mention the short rides in between. No bus ride for us this weekend, as Mac figured it will be a pain in the ass to drive a bus around the city area.... so there will be 8 players and 2 coaches, plus all our luggage for four days worth of traveling in a 12-person van. Going to be a helluva ride... damn it.. not looking forward to it at all.

I also have a ton of work to do right after I get back. Next week is a busy week, lots of assignments and shit due... I had already cleared out most of it, actually all of it until today. Professors can be so awesome...they like throwing some random homework at you that is not stated in their syllabus... I got two such assignments today, and was told that I have to hand it back next Wednesday... and mind you, they are not tiny papers that I could just get over with in an hour or so, it acquires some sitting down and thinking. I had also made a deal with two different people to do homework on Monday after I am back to tackle some group homework. If only I wasn't going to be away this weekend, I could have more time to do it over those couple of days...

Regardless, it is Chinese New Year on Wednesday... told Ivy, Yiyi, and Michelle that I will have dinner with them. Not going to be a huge celebration, but at least it is something. Will have to make time for it even I am busy as hell, as it is tradition afterall... it is nice to be able to celebrate it, as the last two years, I was playing matches on the first day of CNY.

Will be back late Sunday night.... and you know what? I am missing one of the biggest home games of our Men's Basketball team against Notre Dame at our Dome... ESPN is going to have live coverage and host 'College Gameday' on our campus that day... that's how big it is going to be. Expect a sellout crowd of 35,000 for that. Not to mention that I might not be able to catch the Superbowl on Sunday... I might still make it back for parts of it, since kickoff is at 630pm. Hopefully, I get to be back to catch the thrid quarter or so... go Eagles!!

One more thing... I got a rejection e-mail from the I-bank I was interviewing with... I knew that not making down to NYC last week for the face-to-face will do me no good, but no biggie... there were some things that happened in between that made me feel better about myself. I mean I am still a tad disappointed, but oh well, life goes on....

More stress... I wonder how I am going to survive the rest of the semester without whining too much...

Syracuse - 7, Colgate - 0.

2005-01-27T19:57:00.000+08:00

We are off to a good start for the Spring season, good job girls!

Next up is Dartmouth on Saturday at the Big Green's homeground. Getting on the bus to get there tomorrow afternoon after classes.

*My new profile is up, too. Check it out...

Game day.

2005-01-26T21:35:00.000+08:00

Syracuse vs. Colgate, 630pm @ Drumlins.

Girls, put on your game face and let's kick some butt...

GO 'CUSE!!!

Beat.

2005-01-21T22:48:00.000+08:00

Back to school, and it had been as busy as I expected it to be. My 18-hour days are back, plus my tennis season starts next week. Only three days of school and practice, I am feeling tired and a lil' worn out. Also because there are many other things going on besides school. Had not been sleeping too well since I got in, must be all the things that is in my head.

My classes this year are all very interesting, but nothing easy at all. No more fooling around, and it is all hardcore information. I am enjoying all the new things I am learning, but am going to be very worried about grades. I had been blessed so far since my grades had been good if not awesome the last couple of semesters. Somehow, although I am already into my 6th semester, I am still uncertain on how well I am going to do. This semester in particular, I am very worried. I don't know why. I always worry to much I guess, but I have this gut feeling I am going to suck in school. Insecurities...

The thing that I had been talking about in my previous post was about a Summer internship in Singapore or Hong Kong with one of the top I-Banks out there. They are offering me a second interview in NYC next week on Friday after a first interview last week, but unfortunately I could not make it, as I have to be on the road to Dartmouth for a match on Saturday morning. I was so excited to hear about it, but was disappointed that I have to pass on this opportunity. I asked to reschedule, and they did. I could only manage to reschedule it to a phone interview, but not a personal interview in NYC with a representative flying all the way from their Hong Kong headquarters. I was glad that they reconsidered and gave me another shot, but on the other hand, I wish I could go face-to-face with one of the professionals. Not because I want to go to NYC, but mainly because meeting a person is much better than talking over the phone. This might work to my disadvantage, but what could I do? I have obligations to my university to be present at all matches as I am receiving a full ride here. I still wish I could have made it. Urggghh. Had been having some sleepless nights thinking about this internship. I want this bad, real bad. This company is one of the best out there, and they recruit mainly from Ivy Leagues and top business schools in the U.S. I am happy that I made it this far, but there will be one more round of interviews if I pass next week. Right now, I am really skeptical about things. Maybe I am worrying too much again, but I just can't help it. I really, really want this job. Only thing I could do now is do the phone interview and wish for the best.

Tennis wise, it had been going alright. I might not be playing singles, we just have too much talent on the team this year. Maybe I will still make it, I don't know. I don't really mind not making the line-up, coz' some of the girls are just straight out better than me. I am still trying and not giving up just yet. Mac had been known to play his cards close to himself, and we wouldn't know until the day of our first match. Only thing I am certain about is that I am playing doubles. Even that, I might be off if Mac wants things his way. I know I should not bother about it as much. I already get a full ride regardless whether I start or not. Why should I care? Well, I am a very competitive person. What is the point on being on the team and not being able to play? I mean it is ok, I still enjoy the practices and stuff, but the feeling of success is a high I constantly crave. I am 24 matches away from getting 100 career wins during my years in Syracuse University. It is just one of my goals to get that 100 career wins before I graduate. Should I start for both singles and doubles this Spring, I might hit that before this Summer. All these things don't really matter as much, but it still bugs me.

Stress level is high...

Hmm... interesting.

2005-01-18T09:33:00.000+08:00

'Powerful women are at a disadvantage in the marriage market because men may prefer to marry less accomplished women.' Men think that women with important jobs are more likely to cheat on them. 'The hypothesis is that there are evolutionary pressures on males to take steps to minimise the risk of raising offspring that are not their own.'

-When women become objects of rejection
By Maureen Dowd

*Maybe I will be single for life? Coz' I can't stand being a bimbo...

Back in 'Cuse.

2005-01-17T07:44:00.000+08:00

Yup, I am back in Syracuse. Got in at about 3pm today. School doesn't start till Tuesday, but wanted to settle down a lil'. Just finished unpacking, cleaning, and making some phone calls. I managed to talk to the new girl from Croatia, and her spoken English is very good. Very relieved to know that, coz' that means that she should be ok. I think I will get to see her tomorrow, if she decides to come and hit some tennis balls with Mac and a couple of us.

Plenty to do before school starts and tomorrow will be some running around doing errands.

You all will hear me whine a lot this semester. I beg you to bear with me...

Madness in three days.

2005-01-15T09:53:00.000+08:00

One month is gone, and school is back on Tuesday. I have no class on Monday because it is Martin Luther King Day, but Mac had already indicated in his previous e-mail that he intended to have practice on Monday. My season will open against Colgate the second Wednesday of school (January 26), so I would have to get back into my groove fast. It I don't, I am screwed.

Lots had happened since my last blog. I was busy completing my community service hours. I got more than 40 hours done, that should be enough to complete my requirements to graduate. Plus I had already did my internship last Summer. At least I don't have to worry about getting the internship and community service requirements in my Senior year. I am done. I just finished my 10-page reflection paper on my volunteering experience, and compiled a daily journal and organization portfolio as well. Going to turn it in on the first day of school to get it out of the way.
Mac had a surprise for the whole team. We never really know what to expect from this guy, and he didn't disappoint in delivering a huge surprise over New Year's weekend. We have a new addition to our team - a new player from Croatia. According to Mac, she is kickass and awesome. My girls were not too happy about it, mainly because it is quite a shock and girls just have to bitch about everything. Mac is expecting me to "babysit" her in some ways, like showing her around and stuff. I am just a lil' worried for the girl. Her English is not really that super, and she is coming into the middle of the year, where most freshmen already have their cliques. She would also have to deal with our most brutal traveling season in Spring. We are on the road most of the time, as out of 20 something matches, I only have about 7 matches at home. The rest are going to be visiting other universities. I am sure she could slug it through the semester, but can't help worrying that she might get to stressed over it. It's not going to be easy for her, adjusting to a new country and culture, school, traveling, finding friends, etc. We will see how things go, she should be here tomorrow, and I would have to call Mac and ask to speak to her and check out how her English is. My roster is going to be crowded, we have 8 good players competing for 6 spots on the starting line-up. On top of that, we have about 3 other walk-ons. What a huge difference; we were so small last year, that after injuries, we barely had a team of 5 players. It is going to be exciting, I think we are going to be really good this year. Everyone is going to have to fight and prove that they are worthy of their spot on the starting 6, including me. I will take it as a challenge, but my chances on the singles would be debatable. No doubt that I will definitely fight for one. Competition is fun... the harder it is - the more of a challenge -the sweeter success will taste.

I am already freaking out about Spring, since I could not avoid Friday classes for the first time since I got here. Thanks to the stupid new scheduling paradigm Syracuse University implemented this Spring. I had to take this upper-level Finance class on Friday, and it is the only class offered. I have no choice but to take it, coz' it is a pre-requisite to another Finance class I plan to take next Fall. I had already calculated, I am going to miss at least 5 Fridays, which is a lot. Good thing is that my buddy, Yiyi is taking the class with me. I could trust her in taking good notes, and she would always help me out. Thanks a lot, Yiyi.

I had good news yesterday. I am not going to talk about it yet, if not I will jinx it. If things turn out well, you can count on a major blog about it. As for now, I am going hush hush, but still have to talk about it a lil' , hehe. Can't really not talk about it, but for you who had been informed about it, I am still mad happy about it. I would know about the outcome soon, and I hope it would be great. If things don't happen the way I want it to be, I would still be pleased, coz' now I had some major confidence booster knowing that I am competitive enough. For you who don't know what I am talking about, sorry about this. Superstition. Really don't want to jinx it.

Just wish me good luck...

One last time.

2005-01-05T12:10:00.000+08:00

That's it... this is the last time I am going to say it.

As arrogant as it sounds, I know what I am doing and just let me do what I plan to do.

Just watch, I will be good. I will be really damn good... I have my pride and I have my goals. I am too competitive to disappoint myself. It is not about anyone else... the choices I make will ultimately affect ME most. Just let me do my thing.

One last time. I know what I am doing. I will leave it at that...

Earthquake.

2004-12-27T03:20:00.000+08:00

I woke up this morning to shocking news - an earthquake struck off the west coast of Sumatra and killed thousands of people.

Still kinda shocked over as it happened so closeto Malaysia. Then I read about deaths back home, mainly in the Northeastern states like Penang. I have friends and relatives there, so it was kind of scary.

It's going to be all over the news for a couple of days for sure.

Calling off a wedding via SMS?!?!

2004-12-22T09:19:00.000+08:00

I was reading The Star online yesterday and came upon this article. Hasmawi Hassan, a Kedah footballer called off his wedding to Norlida Abdul Rahman through SMS. The bride had everything set for the wedding and had invited family and friends to attend the wedding. It must be a shame for her that this happened.

However, the bride had now decided to sue the football player who was missing-in-action for three days. Good for her. I hope she gets every single penny out of this guy who had no balls to see her eye-to-eye and tell her about his decision.

Despite reading this, I still think that text-messaging is awesome... hehe.

Buffalo, I'm here.

2004-12-16T11:30:00.000+08:00

Just got into Buffalo. Will be here for a bit, hanging out, community service, and working out. Nothing much planned, and I think I am going to catch up on my reading. Will be visiting Chien in Philly too, that is yet to be planned out.

I am here. Holidays going to last for around a month or so. Chill time...

Photo upload.

2004-12-14T06:37:00.000+08:00

Finally uploaded the pictures from New York. Also added are some pictures from a party I had with my tennis girls last Friday. We had a Secret Santa party where everyone got a gift, and also to celebrate the last day of classes. Check it out on "My Photos."

I am pretty much done with this semester. Everyone has at least one final this week, but I have none. The group paper is 95% done, and we are only meeting one last time to review the paper and hand it in on Wednesday.

Holidays are here!

I feel blessed.

2004-12-12T07:05:00.000+08:00

Semester is finally coming to an end. I just have this group project I have to deal with, and nothing else. I should be leaving for Buffalo on Wednesday if nothing else pops up in between.

I was sitting around today, and started spacing out. I gave a thought about my life in general, and look at where I am headed in a couple of years time. Sometimes people tell me that I worry too much and look too far ahead. I do. I can't help it. As I looked ahead into my life most of the time, I had not really reflected on my past.

Today, all these memories just came back at me. Maybe it is because of the emotional swings I have nowadays because of all this stress I am having, or I might be PMS-ing for all I know. I look back and I feel that my life had been a charm. I had been blessed all these while, and I had not really given too much thought about it. Sometimes, I feel that I want more in my life, I am still dissatisfied with lots of things. Come to think about it, I had been doing well all this while, and things had been good besides some minor bumps here and there.

Reasons I feel that my life had been a charm:

-My family. Great and important people in my life.

-Awesome friends. People who hear me bitch and whine when I need to vent out some frustrations. People who are on the phone for hours hearing me out, gossiping, etc. People I hang out with and make my life a lil' more colorful in many ways.

-I don't have to worry about money. Thanks to my parents, who had worked hard to support me since I was born. Don't get me wrong, I don't have all the money in the world to spend, but my allowance is comfortable.

-I have a full scholarship to a decent university. I don't have to worry about financing my education, or paying off student loans like many of my friends do. My tuition fees, insurance, books, food and lodging are covered. I couldn't have asked for more.

-Doing well in school. I am not super smart, but I have never really done bad in school. For this, I feel thankful that I am somewhat gifted in academics. I still have to work hard though.

-Almost every goal I have set for myself, I have achieved them. There are still times when I wish that some things have gone my way. Hey, you can't have everything, right?

-I am given the freedom to do the things I want to do. People give me advice, but they have never really told me specifically what I should be doing.

I feel awfully blessed that things have been going well so far. I just wish and hope that my life will continue to be the way it had been... I can't help wondering if my luck will run out someday, as things have been going well for so long. There is nothing I can do about it when that happens. I believe in luck, but I also believe that hardwork is more important than luck. I think that if a person works hard, he/she should be rewarded. However, sometimes things are just not that simple.

All I can do is give my very best in the things I do, and look forward to the good things that will happen. Meanwhile, I am going to sit back and just enjoy what I have achieved so far. Not for too long though, coz' I still have many goals waiting in line...

Christmas trees and such.

2004-12-08T09:55:00.000+08:00

After a week of hell last week, things are still going kinda crazy. So much to do before the break starts next week. Technically, I still have one final; one final group project that weighs too much on three of my classes' grades; and one final Writing paper. I stayed up late last Friday to finish off the Writing paper and handed it in today, and it feels awful at that time, but damn good now.

Took some time off work to do some more community service on Monday evening. The tennis girls and I went to Nottingham Nursing Home to do some Christmas decorating. It was very relaxing and a good break from work. We actually had so much fun that it was an awesome time. Decorated Christmas trees, put up Christmas lights, wrapped paintings on the wall to make them look like presents, etc. Best part of the night was the cookies and pizza that came after all the decorations. It was just wonderful....

Counting down towards Winter break... one more week.

Good times; crunch time.

2004-11-30T21:41:00.000+08:00

Ice-cream session - Coldstone, Times Square.

Came back from NYC early Sunday morning, and had an awesome time with Cindy, Su and Yuk Shan. We bunked at Yuk Shan's NYU "dorm", which is nothing close to a typical dorm. Her "dorm" is actually a studio apartment which is so cool, and located near Wall Street. Did lots of catching up, eating, walking around. Slept less than my usual hours, and was so tired when I got in early Sunday morning. Will post some pictures when I have the time to do so.

Took my Supply Chain Management final yesterday, and having my Finance finals tomorrow. Two more weeks or so of school before Winter Break starts. This two weeks is going to be hell. Group projects, papers, and two more finals. A lil' stressed out and tired right now.

Just two more weeks.....I can do it!

Kids, please read.

2004-11-20T05:02:00.000+08:00

I went to Huntington Elementary School today. Part of the Syracuse Athletics 'Cuse Cares program, where student athletes do some community service around the Syracuse area. A couple of us went into the school and met up with 5 classes of fourth-graders, and talked about why reading is important. It was so much fun. This week was the second time I was doing it, I also went to Franklin last Friday, and had a blast that I wanted to do it again today. The kids were so cute, and they were so excited to see us. They also threw the funniest questions at us during the Q&A session.

Last week, a couple members of the cheerleading squad and the dance team also came along. The cheer squad did some stunts and the dance team busted off some moves. You should be there to see the faces of those kids, they were so into it. Brian, one of the guy cheerleaders got too many requests to do his double backflip over and over again. Oh yeah, Otto was there, too. Made the kids super happy. Just in case you don't know, Otto is Syracuse University's mascot. It is an orange and super adorable. Unlike other universities who have mighty animals as their mascot, we have a fruit. Sounds silly to most people, but I like it. Otto the orange makes us unique. I mean come on, which other university has a fruit as a mascot? The cheerleaders couldn't make it this week, so no stunts for the kids at Huntington. Otto and some dancers were there though.

Anyways, had fun meeting with the kids. Had a busy week, and this weekend will be hectic coz' I have an exam on Monday.

One more week.

2004-11-18T08:04:00.000+08:00

I was a lil' out today, stayed up till 2am doing homework for my writing class. It is one of those moments when you are so caught up with doing the thing you are doing, and just refuse to stop. I have moments when I do homework, I am in the "zone". I will just keep going, coz' at that moment, I am so tuned into whatever work I am doing. Woke up this morning feeling the results of sleeping late. Had a busy day today, ran errands during my lunch break from class. Posted a document that needed to be signed by someone in Buffalo to settle my community service requirement; bought a Christmas card and sent it to Uncle Joe and Aunty Anna (have done it for the last two years, gotta keep it up).

I have mapped out my plans for Winter Break. Will be doing about 30-40 hours worth of volunteer work at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Institute in Buffalo. When I get that done, I will be heading to Philly, coz' Chien is moving there in about two weeks or so, and I get to visit Ivy. It will be fun.

Got lots to do this week. Lots of stuff to clear out before Thanksgiving Break. Yes, one more week till then, and I will be headed to New York City. Best thing is that I will be going with two of my best friends. Flip side is that I have two finals on the Monday after I get back from NYC. Oh well, I have a whole Wednesday to study before flying there on Thursday. Should be ok, as I have everything planned out.

Back to work....though I am not going to pull another late night...can't do two in a row and I don't think I need to... yet.