.さよなら

2010..is over??? I'm not dreaming, am I?

I should probably do a little summary of 2010 too.

...

2010...wasn't a good year for me. I was forced by a number of reasons to go into a long distance relationship. I had to fend for myself most of the time.. but this isn't all bad, because I have sort of learned how to be independent... And I never realize how strong I can be until strong is the only choice I have.

Loads of people around me got engaged or married recently, which makes me feel really crummy despite the fact that 1. I know it's not going to happen anytime soon for me and 2. that I should be happy for them. It's not that I don't want to be happy for them, it's just that I can't.

If it wasn't for the change in immigration policy, SF and I could have been granted permanent residency in Australia by 2010... And now, we'll most likely have to wait till 2012 before we get an answer.. and There is a possibility that the answer is No. I hate how this is ruining my plans for the future.

...

Well, 2010 wasn't all that bad. I attended agIdeas, an international design forum held annually in Melbourne which inspired me a lot. I bought a couple of good design illustration books to inspire myself further...and I've got a whole king size bed to myself. Hehe.

And last but not least, friends. :) you guys know who you are..thanks for stopping by for dinner at my lonely apartment sometime!

okay, that is all.

.the end?

Winter solstice 2010.

2010 came and went...just like that.

I guess I should be happy that it ended, because 2010 wasn't exactly a great year for me.. Well it's good, but it's mostly bad.

Does 2011 mark the fact that things will get better? I hope so.

Will my life change drastically in 2011? I guess so, since I will be starting a scary yet fulfilling new chapter.

And most important, will things go back to how it was before 2010?

No one has the answer for the above question... So I guess I'll just leave it at that.. We'll only find out when the time comes.

I would like to thank those who have been here for me over the past year.. I wouldn't have made it this far (emotionally) if it wasn't for you guys. Cheers, everyone!

and SF, I know you can wait, but I can't. =)

Happy holidays everyone. Have a great 2011!

.omedettou gozaimasu!

at J.A.T.'s graduation.

dear fellow MMDes,

congratulations for having received your hard-earned certificates! thanks for making studio 7 and 8 such a great place to hang out.

for those of us who still have a couple of semesters to go, hang in there! i've only got 1 more semester of postgrads to go so i'm going to have to cherish this, because i don't think i'll be a student ever again.

good luck in whatever y'all do in future, and keep in touch!

cheers,

_pdra.

.good times...

...don't actually last.. and because it doesn't last, I'd always get this ominous feeling that something bad is about to take place, whenever I'm in the middle of enjoying something.

There are so many things about me that I don't like, and this is one of them. I hate how I'm always unable to enjoy something till the end, and worry about the bad stuff later on..

Is there a way for me to enjoy the next few days without dwelling on the fact that this "holiday" is ending, and that it's back to reality for us after that?

LDR isn't necessarily a bad thing, even though there are times when I'd get pretty envious when I see some other couples walking down the street, hand in hand.. I pretty much got by 1 year of this by drowning myself with TV drama series.. And now, I just need to find 1 – 1.5 year worth of drama to get by.. or maybe 2. I don't know. Ugh.

This blog is a channel for me to relieve my happiness and stress – I don't need any advice, I just want people [online] to be able to understand my point of view, because no one around me will ever understand what I'm going through.. Sure, there are people who are willing to listen but they don't seem to get the fact that I don't need advice from them, especially since their advices are usually pretty negative. :\

So yeah, I just want you to listen, and not say anything... Comments disabled for now and let's just leave it at that. :)

."a" for "allergy"

...

no photo(s), i was going to edit one just so i could put it up here but i got lazy.

.....

anyway, i'm seriously wondering if i should continue staying here.. especially through the months of October - December, when my spring allergy acts up.

... it's not just runny nose/itchy throat-nose-ears/sneezing anymore...

i've developed this bad "pink" eye due to the allergy – i suspect it's pollens getting into my bi-weekly contact lenses. guess the only way to solve this is to stick to daily contacts, but it's more expensive. :\

so the sad alternative is to try and get used to glasses. people, if you see me in glasses outdoors, DO NOT make any comments, because i feel very, very self-conscious about wearing glasses anywhere other than home.

...

sigh, my eyes are so itchy, i think i should just sleep. i'll try to find a photo for this post..sometime..erm..later.

gah.

.誕生日2010年

the birthday cake.

Another year has gone by....just like that. Let's hope I've at least matured a little bit over the past 365 days.

The past year consisted of loads of ups and downs.. Not everything went well, but now, I kind of have this feeling that we're wrapping up all the uncertainties in life...that everything will stabilize soon enough..

But then again, maybe not – I don't want to jinx this.

The best birthday present this year is that SF is spending the whole month with me! In Melbourne! Yes, he brought his work along with him but he will finish up this weekend and we'll spend the remaining 21 days traveling around Victoria. All I want is for us to spend quality time with each other the whole of this month since we don't know how long this LDR thing is staying.

Part of me feels old.. But part of me have to spend a few seconds recalling how old I am exactly.

Anyway, here are the two other birthday presents I have received:

Fujifilm Instax 7s – from SF!

Free Edge Ticket from Eureka Skydeck 88!

And for those of you who are also birthday-ing this month, Happy birthday and eat more cake!

Once again, I'd like to say thank you to those who sent birthday greetings and wishes through E-mail/Facebook/Text Messages. :)

.the letter "M"

symbol of love.

Over the past few months or so, I've encountered a bunch of relationship status change among my friends on Facebook.

Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five...okay, I've lost count... But LOADS OF PEOPLE on my list seem to have gotten a common bug - a bug that makes people don the engagement ring or get Married.. There, I've just said the "M" word.

Why??? I don't mean it in a bad way of course...

Is it -
A. My friends and I are at the engagement/marriage age,
B. My friends are engaged or marrying way too early,
C. I should be worried that I have not scored an engagement ring (well I am kinda, but not to the extend of stressing out..yet), or
D. Because I'm still in school, unlike most of my friends, who have been in the work industry for a while.

My personal answer is ...... B.

Seriously, some of them are mommies and daddies by now - and they are no more than 3 years older than me.. heck, some of them are actually younger than me.

What has this world come to??? Seriously, I think the perfect age to get married is 27. Okay, so those who ARE ACTUALLY 3 years older than me are doing the "M" thing at the right age.

I've got friends who actually talked about getting married by 18, and having kids by 20 when we were 14 years old... I was probably the only one among them who'd imagined myself to entering university at 18, which happened, and getting my Master's degree at 24 or 25,which is also happening. Heck, who knows, I might decide to go onto PhD at some point of my life.

--

..Sigh..

I still feel a tinge of jealousy whenever I see the engagement/married status in the newsfeed, although my current priorities are school- and career-related. I just can't help feeling a little upset I guess, even though I'm supposed to be happy for these people who are moving on to a new chapter of life. What's wrong with me? I know that We are not ready to go for the "M" chapter but I still feel like I want to be a part of the "M" thing..

Maybe it's normal to feel this way... But still, can someone give me a valid reason or two as to why I'm feeling like that?

--

Despite getting green-eyed about this issue, I still do get offended when people say stuff like "Why aren't you married yet?". I was catching up with a friend recently when he asked if I was having a baby. Here's how the conservation sort of went:

Friend: So when you having babies?
Me: Err, not anytime soon - considering the fact that I'm still in school and not even engaged?? I want to have a stable career first before getting mini-me's.
Friend: !! But but but.. You will want more even if you get to the stage of having stable career.
Me: Yeah true, but isn't it better to be financially-stable to support a family?

And somehow it lead to something about me not wanting to stay home.

Friend: But why!!? You should stay home and look after the kids!
- I got a little annoyed at this stage.
Me: But why? I'm doing postgrads, it would be a waste if I just decide to be a stay home mom, no?
Friend: (sort of ignoring my reasons) but it doesn't matter - you should stay home and look after the kids.
Me: (starting to get more annoyed, but controlled myself) Look, I wouldn't even plan on doing Master's degree if I wanted to be a stay home mom. If I do that in future, it would be like, tens of thousands of tuition fees down the drain.
Friend: It doesn't matter... I would want to stay home though!
Me: (tempted to say, "Then stay home, no one's stopping you." but managed to keep it to myself) There is no way I'm staying home for the kids. I've already come this far and I have lots of ambitions for the future.. There is no way I'm giving up.
Friend: (I could tell that he still wasn't convinced, but decided to stop it here), but.. well.. at least you know what you want.


Like, seriously, DO NOT SAY such stuff to postgrad chicks - chances are, we'll be really, really offended. I hate how there are still males who don't think of females as equal in the work society.

And I still think of the friend as a good mate.. We all don't have to agree with each other 100% of the time to get along! :)

Okay, I diverged. But I think what I've said sort of relates to the letter "M"...... I think.

-end.

.know your neighbours

Monash University Faculty of Art & Design
Course: Master of Multimedia Design
Unit: MMD5002 Multimedia Design Studio 2
Assignment: Viral Video (& distribution) Project

Know Your Neighbours is a campaign to raise awareness of your neighbours, as well as the people living around you.







Ep. 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWEccvtd11M
Ep. 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPA_6iaSw5I
Ep. 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTTFzw56aEk

.3/4 done (well, nearly)

My 2nd home. Impressive huh!? ;)

End of week 12. Beginning of week 13. Where did all the time go!?!?!?!? It feels like I was just preparing for my first day of graduate school not long ago.

I'm depressed.. I am...

And I figured that part of the reason why I'm upset is because this week is my last week of lecture/tutorials.. By "last", I mean the "last" of my life. Next semester is project based and we all are expected to organize our own time... That means no class, and minimal interaction with my awesome classmates (some of whom are friends that I'm going to stick with for years to come).

I should be rushing on my never-ending amount of assignments right now.. But having no one to talk to over the weekend, I feel that the only way to unleash all these emotions that I've been bottling up inside me is to type it out...

--

After two semesters of ActionScript 3.0, I feel like I want to do something related to Flash developing in years to come.. The only problem is that I am still struggling. I understand what each set of function does but I don't know how to start writing a code. It's like, I know I could use switch for the main navigation bar of a flash website but I don't know how to implement it. I know I could use the UILoader data type for external images/videos/.swf but I don't know where to start.

And the fact that Apple has allow the conversion of AS3.0 into objective-C programming (iPhone app format) gives me even more reason to master AS3.0 - because I came from a games design background and I really want to do some of that in future.

Part of me really want to design one of those 10-second long, before-a-drama-series-commence type of screen for TV companies, but I feel that I'm more comfortable with Flash than AfterEffects or Final Cut.

So yes, Jeff (program coordinator of MMDes), I really would like to take up your advice in creating a game prototype with AS3.0 for my project in Studio 3 but don't think I'm up for it if we're not going to get any extra help. I know we are postgrad students and we are expected to be "independent" but how do you expect us to do so if our skills are not up to scratch for a fabulous, final project? I really want my project to be portfolio worthy, something I can show family/friends and potential employers with pride.

Perhaps going to one of those design schools in California was a better choice... For those of you who are finishing up high school and are interested in going to arts/design schools, you might wanna consider the States, especially since the current exchange rate made American education even more worth the money, and I'm sure their education quality is much more superior than that of Australia.

--

Okay, I'm outta here. Back to scripting.. I can do this!!!

.is this a sign?

I've been going through a stage of ups and downs recently.. well, mainly downs..

1. I feel so... vexed..

2. Why can't I start on the business plan, get it over with and start planning for the summer break?

3. My agent has just reminded me of reasons that make me hate renting.


1. Vexed-ness.

I don't know why.. I've been really unhappy recently, and I can't rule out problem.. And um no, it's not PMS.. not yet at least. I feel like I can't smile genuinely anymore.. Is it because I live alone? Or am I just stressed out over assignments?


2. Why, why, why why why why why why why... Am I always procrastinating? Beginning of the semester, I told myself that I'm not going to procrastinate anymore, and that I'm going to finish my work way before it's due... For the past... 8 semester, I've told myself the same thing over and over again.. but.. I still ... fail...

Procrastinate Monster VS _pdra - 1 - 0.


3. ...Just when I thought I was lucky to have nice, understanding agents..... Well, the agent gave me a week notice (standard rule) that they were coming up to inspect. No problem - all I need to do is mop, vacuum and tidy up the apartment a little. I thought I did a pretty good job with that though, considering that I've never had so much walking space before this... My friends visited promptly and were amazed at how clean and tidy my place is.

So the agent e-mailed me today telling me that it's "not clean and tidy, but in acceptable condition and hopes to see better results in the next inspection, which takes place in 6 months.)

Like, wtf!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I spent the whole hour (or more) mopping/tidying/vacuuming! So I did all that for nothing?

And wait, that's not it.

They whinged about my dryer, which is currently placed right beside the TV (simply because there is no better place for the dryer).. and made the decision for me that I should pay for the installment of a dryer shelf in the laundry cabinet. What..the..fuck!?!?!?!? As a tenant, I don't feel obliged to pay for something that will benefit future tenants. I know I won't be renting here forever - well nobody in this building is going to stay here forever, unless they own the apartment and are going to remain single for the rest of their lives, that's for sure.

I'm sure you guys would agree with me that I'm not supposed to pay for maintenance work/upgrades in this apartment unit unless I damage something. But in this case, I didn't. And FYI, the dryer has been sitting there in the same spot (even in my previous apartment upstairs) since we moved in.. And why did they start complaining about it all of a sudden?

FML. I hate renting. Everyone should start by getting a studio and paying the bank monthly installments - at least you are paying for your own house and not giving the money to someone else.. And the studio will make a good investment in future when you need a bigger space.

Gah!!!


P/S I think I've got another 14 months in this apartment.. Part of me kinda wants to sell everything and find a decent room (with personal toilet) in a share house somewhere.. But nah, maybe not. And sorry for the lack of photograph, I just needed to unleash my emotions a bit...

.self-promote

.lesson re-learned

the little dutch lady.

my friends and I organized a little day trip to Silvan for the annual Tesselaar Tulip Festival last weekend. it was a good trip – good weather, good food, good everything.

there were so many kids around and every single one of them were having a great time, laughing and running around. one of us said, "this is such a happy place!" – and it really felt like one.

before leaving the farm, we spotted a group of people taking photos of this cute little girl in Dutch traditional costume. her grandma and mom (?) were around and they were so nice about us taking photos of her!

-------

well, this photo reminded me of the fact of how little kids are easily satisfied with simple requests, such as a couple of helium-filled balloons.. as humans, the older we get, the more greedy we get, and hence, the more we demand.. and take what we already have for granted.

this little girl have, and always will remind me to appreciate what I already have...

and perhaps we adults should learn from the young ones sometime, just like how they are learning from us as they grow. :)

what are your thoughts?

.updates

tulip fest 2010.

dear flickr-ians, as well as friends who have been catching up on my photostreams,

once again, i'm so sorry for the lack of updates. i don't think i can make any promises as to catching up on everyone's photostreams and stuff anymore, so i'm just gonna say that i'll do my best to update/catch up whenever i can.

my life have changed a lot in the span of 7 months.. really.. sometimes i feel that i've gotten 5 years older in the last few months.. and i'm not saying that it's a bad thing – in fact, i think all these ups and downs that i've gone through have made me a little more sensible than before.

well, shit happens whenever you least expect it to, but i guess it happens for a reason.. everything takes place because of something, right?

anyways, i think i'll leave it here.. i have to get some errands done today. oh and here's another piece of good news – i've got heaps of photos to upload onto Flickr..including the ones taken at the Shanghai Expo in July. i try to get them up asap.. meanwhile... umm.. enjoy your weekend!

.know your neighbour ep. 1

OMG.. I can't believe I'm in the middle of finishing up my 3rd semester of graduate school! Part of me is like, "yay, I'm more than half way done!" and the other part of me is not actually looking forward to graduating... :\ I don't know if I'm ready to face the real world yet..

Oops, I guess I have digressed a little.. Alright, back to the topic!

We are making a viral video for our studio assignment this semester and so my friends and I decided to make three webisodes based on the theme "Know Your Neighbour". Okay, and I'm gonna need some favor from you guys – could you leave some sort of feedback to this video? As in, what do you think happened there? Feedback is very, very important at this stage and I would really appreciate it if you could either comment here in the blog or on youtube, whichever is easier for you. Please please please please please!!

---------------

.fact of the day

I have the tendency to go on a photo walk by myself when I'm upset over stuff.. And so yea, I was pretty depressed and stressed out for the past couple of days. Instead of staying home that night to work on my essay, which is due Monday, I decided that I wanna go somewhere..alone.

Eureka Skydeck 88 is my favorite place to reflect.. Guess what? I spent 5 hours on the observatory the last time when I was sad.

I decided to buy an annual pass anyway, since the price is reasonable and it's always good to know that there is a favorite spot I can go to whenever I like.

So there.. This is one of my favorite photos from last night's Skydeck session. :)

.one of my ambitions?

5D2 in film studio.

Third semester of postgraduate has not given me an answer as to what my ultimate dream job is.

But I know I'm definitely going to stay in the design field for the rest of my life.

Design –> Multimedia Design –> _____???_____

I still don't know what I'd like to sign up for when I leave Monash University into the real world.. It's quite a scary thought really.. I would like to be able to start building up my career within one to two months after graduation..if possible.

So there was this period of time where I wanted to be a film director. It doesn't have to be as big as one of those Hollywood films – I'll be happy as long as I can direct a film, even if it's a series of short films.

And then there is also photography. As far as my skill is concerned, I'm only confident with landscape photography.. And through my own observations, professional event and wedding photographers are the ones who earn pretty easily, as long as they have enough contacts..

I don't want to be an event/wedding photographer.. So it's out of the question.

Motion graphic artist. How about that?

I'm still not quite up to scratch with softwares like AfterEffects and Flash, and will probably need at least two to three more years to master 'em. Not enough time.

Illustrator? Graphic Designer?

But I want to do something that's related to what I've studied in my postgraduate course..you know.. Like something multimedia.

And I certainly don't want to end up in a job that's unrelated.

Oh wait, there is also the whole it's-hard-to-get-a-full-time-job-if-you-are-not-a-resident-in-this-country..

Sigh.

What now what now what now????????

Some of you probably are wanting to tell me to just finish my degree first before worrying.. But for me, I think it's best if I start on some thing as soon as I'm done.

I should start writing up a CV as soon as I finish the semester, and see if close friends/family can get me a few contacts so I could do a bit of casual freelance over the 3.5 months break.

Hmmmmm... And time to think about a domain name for my official site!

.the concept of queuing up

Expo 2010 Shanghai China: Queuing to enter the Switzerland Pavilion.

I hate crowds. And Expo 2010 was extremely crowded, considering that it's summer break, kids are on holidays, and adults are wanting to experience the pavilions at the Expo 2010.

Summer break + Hot Weather + Obnoxious little brats = Horrible Combination!!!

I decided I'd be able to get through the Expo without too much trouble.. But nooooooooo...

Okay, first, when I got back, the very, very first question I got from people around me was, "How was the expo!?!?"

My answer?

"................. *shakes head* It was HOT, HUMID, PEOPLE WERE PUSHING and THEY KEPT WANTING TO STICK TO YOU!!!"

IT WAS A HORRIFYING EXPERIENCE! My family and I actually spent 1.5 hour queuing up to get inside the Switzerland Pavilion... I felt kinda bad for making them go through this with me, considering that I was the only one who wanted to see the pavilion badly.. But I'm glad they kind of enjoyed the chair lift in the pavilion. :)

Chair lift ride in the Switzerland Pavilion.

In that 1.5 hour, I was pushed by two annoying Chinese brats who are probably spoiled by their parents due to the fact that they are the only children (and sons) in their families. One of them annoyed the hell out of my mom until my mom lightly threatened him, which scared him. Great job, mom!

The second incident was probably much more interesting than the first one. A fat Chinese lady decided she would cut my queue, which probably isn't the best idea because I decided to kick her heels (continuously) on purpose. My dad was behind me and I'm sure he would stand by me no matter what. So that fat lady turned back, glared at me and eventually got reprimanded by my dad (loudly). Haha!

Fat Chinese lady was such a coward that she didn't dare look at my dad. *shakes head*

--

So back to the subject. Just what is it that makes queuing so hard for majority of the people in that country????? I really don't understand. Why push when none of us are moving forward in the queue!?!?

I swear, my impression of majority of the people in that country is...more than bad.

Perhaps this is why I get pretty offended when people assume I'm from China, purely based on my skin color.

--

But hey, not all of them are like that.. I've got quite a few awesome and fun-loving Chinese friends and I think a couple of them read this blog on a regular basis. : 3 So you guys know I'm only talking bad about THOSE people (you know what I mean. Hehe.)

Still, I'd say, go take a look at the Expo before it ends in late-October! If you do want to check out the pavilions, it's best to do so in the evening when there is little or no queue, and not forgetting that it wouldn't be as humid.

--

Check out my Flickr set for all the Expo 2010 photos I have taken. I'll try to get everything up as soon as I can!!!

.love delivered via a pizza

SF ordered pizza!

A couple of nights ago, I got a little lazy from cooking and decided to have two slices of bread.

Of course, it wasn't enough for me but I really didn't want to do anything that night.

So SF wasn't impressed with the fact that I'd only had 2 nutella toasts... And decided to order pizza for me!!!

OMG!!!

I was so shocked - I really didn't believe it and asked him multiple times whether the pizza was on its way. "Of course!" He said.

45 minutes later, the pizza delivery guy rang the bell and dropped off the pizza, and an additional side dish.

Wow. At that point, I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world, in one of the best long distance relationship that ever existed.

No, wait, I still feel that I'm the luckiest girl! If only I could teleport myself back just to give SF a hug..

--

I gotta start planning my next few trips back, so I could spend more time with him.. The next trip back should be 5 months later...

Let's hope that we'll only have to bear with this whole LDR thing for just a couple of years, and stay together for good after.

: 3

.happy 24th june

toy story 3

Dear SF,

Sorry for the late post.. But nevertheless, happy 24th June! 7 is a scary number, especially for a relationship.. But if we both put in the effort I'm sure we'll pull through.

To be honest, I'm still not used to this whole LDR thing... In fact, I hate it. But I'll bear with it for the sake of our future.


Love,
_pdra.

.canine

Her name is Kayu. :)

.hello! :)

I felt like cam-whoring the other night so here are one of the few hundred shots I've taken.
Umm.. I have told quite a number of people about this blog but I don't know how many of them actually read it on a regular basis...

So if you are the few percentage amount of people who reads my blog often, thank you!!! :)

And for those of you who don't really know me, umm.. hi, I'm _pdra. Sorry for the lousy pick up line... continuing on.. I'm currently half way through graduate school and I don't want it to end. Photography is something I do almost everyday, unless I have too much assignments to complete and ummmm... I hope I'll be given the opportunity to live in Melbourne for a long time!

Okay, that's all! :)

.art of airline cuisine

appetizer and main course onboard SQ238.

I love air plane food!!! Okay, actually, I only like food provided by Singapore Airlines..

Hmm...

Maybe not the raw carrot and cucumber pieces.

.exam2010

Enough said.

.micro four thirds

oops, but i like it.

Before I continue, I'd like to announce that this is my 200th post.. So yay! :D

And umm.. I'd like to welcome the Olympus E-P1 to the family!

So why did I get a new camera all of a sudden?

Well.. The Cyber-shot T2's still reasonably good but it's just not advanced enough for me anymore.. I love the camera, but I can't help getting frustrated with the photo quality.. What looks "reasonably good" on screen doesn't necessarily look as good on the computer..

Don't get me wrong, I still love the fact that it's so small, and easy to carry around, but I reckon I need something a little more advance...

I did think about going back to Canon, getting one of those super zoom powershots.... But, things do change.

I went for a road trip with some old travel buddies last weekend, and one of us had the Olympus E-P1. A point-and-shoot (oh okay, not quite) that allows users to change lenses.. And not to mention, the ability to take RAW images, as well as full manual settings. Perfect.

Sure, it is a little bulky, but I guess I'll have to choose between image quality, and size. Image quality is pretty important to me – it usually determines whether or not I upload the photograph.

Now all I need is one of those leather jackets for the camera body.. As well as a proper case - something small and snug for the camera, which would then allow me to chuck it into my handbag without worrying about scratches.

...

..Actually, I have no idea what micro four thirds mean. Can anyone explain?

edited: I highly recommend the E-P1 for any experienced DSLR users who are looking for something smaller without compromising functions. If you need flash, you could either invest on an external one or get the E-PL1.

.友達。

Tomodachi. My travel buddies in Melbourne.

.i waited and waited...

Fall 2010 – Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden.

And you have finally arrived!!!!! :)

I missed you, Autumn. Where have you been all these while? And most importantly, how are you???

Summer had been pretty nasty to me.. :( And I've been thinking of you all these time...

I actually thought you weren't coming to visit this year, because we are already approaching the winter months.. But here you are!!! You came!!!!!!!! :D

Could you stay a little longer? How about negotiating with Winter for a bit and see how things go?

Please stay, because you are, and will always be, my favorite season of the year.

.simple-minded

august.

I had to go to a friend's friend place for one of my final semester projects when I'd come across this puppy named August. It was hyper for a bit when everyone came into the house and calmed down after a couple of minutes.

As I was setting up the camera and getting ready to start the interview for my documentary, little August came towards me, with one of those rubber bones in his mouth. It wanted to play fetch so I decided to play along while attempting to set up the camera.

Anyways, this experience kinda made me want a pet dog too.. But no, I'm still a cat person. :) And everyone knows that one of the conditions in my contract is that I am not to have pets in this apartment at all times.

If only I was a pet dog who could play fetch all day and not give anything a damn... But life aint that good.

------

You know.. Great things never last... I have fallen yet again, after enjoying myself for the past week.
I'm still in the midst of waiting for the result of my PR application and it has been over a year since I submitted everything to the immigration department.

I know I shouldn't be complaining if I really want my application to be successful and to be able to stay here.. But I really want to have the option of being able to go back and visit SF and my family at least twice a year, without being questioned by immigration officers, for a quarter of the year or something... All my visiting plans have been ruined and I need to come up with plan B sometime soon... Sigh.

I guess I'm stuck here for the summer break.. It may not necessarily be a bad thing, but I was planning to spend the entire summer back home with loved ones and attempt to get an internship overseas.

Oh well, let's hope I'm able to get a 1 month bridging visa to go back for Lunar New Year 2011.

.soon

autumn has arrived!

Actually, I'm not sure if autumn has arrived... Wait, I think it has, because trees have started turning red/orange/yellow.. But um.. no.. why am I putting on stuff that I'd wear in July, where winter is usually at its peak?

Anyways, that's not important. What matters is that I'd get to go out for some more autumn photo walks before all the leaves disappear.. And.....

SF!!!

How long has it been since I last mentioned him in this blog???

Anyways, I'm going to see him again in less than a month!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!
I'm so excited that I think I'm going to be sick! :x

Okay, back to assignments! Did I already mention that I can't wait to see SF face to face??? =)

.dear mom,

greetings from 3000+ miles away.

I know that we don't get along as well as we should... And I actually feel bad about being much closer to dad than to you.. But no matter how harsh your words are to me when we argue, etc., you'll always be the best mom in the whole wide world - the one and only person (along with dad) who loves me unconditionally and is willing to sacrifice anything just to raise me up.

I hope I'll be able to go out for dinner with you and the family on Mother's Day soon, in the next couple of years, because the last time I did was six years ago, in 2004, when I was still a junior (11th grader) in high school.

We may not always agree with one another, and I probably will continue rebelling by doing the opposite of what you want me to do anyway.. But.. still.. I'm glad to have you as my mother. :)

Happy Mother's Day!

.fallen into the dark

sitting in the dark.

Will I ever get out of the dark?

.the fake smile

late afternoon.

Time to rant!!!
...I hate pretending to be happy when I'm not.
I know I'm one of the luckiest people around... But I'm starting to get very, very tired.

I'm both mentally and physically exhausted.. I feel empty.. Sometimes I wish I could be in the studio working 24/7 so I wouldn't think too much.

I have assignments and homework due on a weekly basis.. And I barely have enough time to do stuff that I enjoy, like going out for some photo walks, discovering new places for photography purposes, etc.

I hate being stuck at home.. Well I have to be at home because I have too much work...

Suddenly, I feel like I have no friends around in Melbourne anymore... ._.

And I miss him.. a lot.. Even though we've been communicating online heaps

But no, I'm not giving up everything here.. I won't be leaving anytime soon. I just need someone to come by for a cup of tea and chat with (counsel) me.. And I need at least two days of sleep in.

Come visit me...

.2305

I'll find a photo for this entry later.

It's 11.05pm.. While I'm still nursing a mild food poisoning, I'm supposed to be working on an assignment that is due day after.

I'm only half done.. Or not even half done.. I don't know.

I feel that I have been procrastinating more and more in the recent years.. I don't know why, I just can't help it... And this is probably the last thing I should do as postgraduate student majoring in multimedia design (heaps of assignments!)

Hmm.. Anyways, I just wanted to rant. I think I'd better finish up all the Illustrator work by tonight and do all the typings tomorrow.

Good night y'all.

.the first fried mee siam

fried mee siam.

I have been suffering from a pretty bad indigestion over the past couple of days.. 2 nights and 3 bags of peppermint tea later, I'm well again and have lots of cravings! One of the dishes I'm wanting to eat was fried mee siam, and I have no idea why.

At Info Design class this afternoon, I was craving for fried mee siam and decided to have it for dinner.

Problem is, I've never cooked this before.. But I just had to have it! So I grab whatever (suitable) ingredients I have in my pantry, cut in some chili and shallots, mix all the ingredients together and pan-fry accordingly.

The result? It's OH-SO-GOOD!!! But considering the fact that I haven't had fried mee siam for years, I'm not sure if this is how it's supposed to taste like...

But again, it's so good! I think I'm going to buy more ingredients tomorrow or day after. Hehe!

.mugging

my busy yet colorful life.

For an in-class exam tomorrow.
I don't want my Postgraduate Chapter to end so soon... But then again, I really can't wait to be able to see SF everyday again.. :)

.happy belated easter!

an easter surprise.

I was about to leave the house to get some last minute ingredients for dinner when I saw this on my doorknob - A chocolate egg and an Easter note from a nice (mysterious) neighbor.

Yup, it's really nice of him/her to share these with all 7 (excluding their own) units on this floor! I'm sure this gesture has made everyone's day a good one just as it did with mine. :)

Neighbors like this person are really rare these days... At least in my apartment building... And I really, really appreciate the gesture. Perhaps I should borrow this idea end of this year and hang some candy canes on everyone's doors. : 3

So umm, to the neighbor on this floor who gave every unit an easter egg - Happy Easter and thanks for the gift! I hope you're enjoying the holiday!

And to everyone who's reading this, Happy belated Easter to you too, and hope you've received some chocolate bunnies or eggs!

That reminds me, I should go stock up on those chocolates!

.earth hour 2010

Melbourne CBD between 8.30pm – 9.30pm (GMT+11)

This is my 3rd consecutive year participating in the Earth Hour 2010. It's not that hard really, all I need to do is turn off the lights for an hour.. I wish we could do this every month or something!

I was just finishing up dinner during Earth Hour. Decided to take some photos in the middle of it.. I think I took over 20 shots but only 4 turned out upload-worthy. Oh well.

And after dinner, I dig around for some candles and match sticks. After lighting them up, I treated myself a slice of cheese cake, and watched the candles while I gobble up the cake.

I hope your Earth Hour was just as good as mine. :)

.lecture hall

HB.36

Guess what? I spent 2 bucks on a lomo camera application for my iPhone yesterday... And for those of you who know me well enough, I wouldn't normally spend all my money on applications – 95% of my apps are free. :P

The image above was taken in digital media authoring lecture yesterday. For some reason, not many students showed up that's why it looks pretty empty.

I won't want to skip any of the lectures, since this is actually my very last semester in a lecture hall, since multimedia students often spend their class hours doing studio work..

.4th week

Moomba Fireworks.

So this is my 4th week back in Melbourne.. Time really flies doesn't it! Once again, I'm sorry I haven't been updating much, my emotions for the past few weeks was like a roller coaster...

I think I'm starting to get used to this.. Hopefully.. But I'm still having a bit of trouble with time management – I don't seem to have enough time at all! There are always dishes in the sink, the bathroom needs cleaning, half of my bed is covered with clean laundries, the stove needs to be cleaned, etc.. How does everyone manage to allocate time for house chores???

But, anyways, everything about Melbourne is great, except for the food and public transport.. and I'm glad to be here.

I'll update again when I can, in the mean time, I am just going to be spending a lot of time getting rid of my assignments and learning to do house chores more efficiently (I'm so not a housewife material..lol).

.avatar?

GWK Cultural Center, Bali, Indonesia.

Have you watched Avatar and like it so much, that you would watch it again/have watched it again? What about this - do you have a friend who had not watched it and kept asking you what the movie's about?

What did you answer? Could you explain the movie thoroughly?
Because I couldn't - it's either that I am not good in explaining stuff or I just don't know how to start... And this was all I could say to those who had not watched the movie: "..You have to watch it.. Just watch it and you'll understand!"

...

Okay, this blog is NOT dead.. I've been too busy with assignments and homework so I haven't been visiting here (and not to mention, Flickr) as often as I used to. :(

I miss photography.. I do make the effort to take my camera out with me to uni but I am just too stressed out, tired and worried for any inspirations...

And no, this does NOT mean I'm giving up photography! I'll get back to it...as soon as I can... :(

:(

Alright, time to stop typing and get ready for another day at uni. TGIF? Nope... Not after this whole LDR thing started.

.some day

.love is..

being loved.

...when someone patiently assures you at least a million times a day that everything is going to be fine. after months of tears and whining, it has finally arrived.. and i am glad it came so soon.

.double joy

dual celebration.

Here's a fact for those of you who don't already know – Lunar New Year and St. Valentines Day happened to be on the same day this year. Yup, 14/02/2010.

For Chinese families, Lunar New Year is one of the biggest celebration of the year.. It's definitely a lot more important than Christmas, at least for my family, since we don't really do anything on 25th December every year.

It is mandatory for everyone to get together on Lunar New Year eve for a reunion dinner – no excuses.

My dad likes to have an open house party every year on the first day of Lunar New Year.. So instead of us going out to visit friends/relatives, people would come over instead.. And one of the chores my sister and I were given is to prepare the red envelopes – RM10 in each one.

red envelope preparation.

As for Valentines Day, it doesn't really effect SF and myself since we don't really do Vday stuff (I wouldn't mind if we do though).. And for the others, I guess they would have to celebrate sometime before or after Lunar New Year.

Sooo.. Happy Lunar New Year everyone, and for those of you who managed to celebrate Vday, hope you guys had a great time!

Feel free to check out more Lunar New Year photos over the next couple of weeks on my Flickr!

.some random update

Seafood night (bokeh).

I was wanting to get a new pair of jeans from Levi's. A sales girl smiled as I entered the store, and asked if I needed any help. "I'm just browsing, thanks. :)" was all I said. The sales girl decided to tag along behind like a puppy anyway, and that made me really, really uncomfortable. I left the store two minutes later, empty-handed.


What do y'all think?

.adding colors to my life

#1

#2

#3

Believe it or not, I took these shots while I felt really emotional – it was our last night together for a God-knows-how-long time. But that's not the purpose of this entry – I just wanted to share something colorful with you guys. :)