A Celebration of Love

I've been so busy with assignments, mid-term tests that i haven't been able to update you guys on what i've been doing, but i'm back! :) Here's the first of what i've been wanting to post up for a long time -- my Valentine's Day!

I had nothing special planned for the day initially. It wasn't very hyped up in Australia -- no cookies, no sweets and no flowers, or at least on campus. So it was a normal school day, after which i took a good nap and went for cell.

When my friend picked me up from the train station, she told me that the guys would be cooking dinner that night. I thought that was really sweet, because most of the time it was the girls who cooked for cell. And it turned out that the guys had more than the dinner planned!

Instead of going to pastor's house where we normally go for cell, they directed us to the estate clubhouse near by. As we waited outside the building, they brought us crackers, sushi and other little snacks they had prepared themselves. The kiasu and hungry Singaporean (ok so i'm not strictly a Singaporean..haha but that's a sidepoint) in me decided to eat all i can, because i thought that was going to be all that the guys can provide for dinner. Having guys prepare sushi was already good enough, or at least i thought so then.

After we finished the snacks, they brought us into the two-storey building, which had its lights switched off on the first floor. Glowing beside the staircase landing was a heart lined with tealights, and on every step of the stairs, there were two tealights at each end guiding us up to the second floor. Already very impressed, we came to the second floor and was greeted by some of the guys standing professionally like waiters while someone played background music at the back.

They led us to the balcony on the second level, and sat us down at the tables which were dressed with maroon table cloth and immaculately folded red and blue serviettes. The guys were clad in red/maroon tops as well. After that, they started bringing dish after dish after dish of food, from Korean to Western to everything else. By this time, i was really regretting eating so much of the snacks earlier. I didn't expect that those were only the appetisers!

While we were trying to finish the deluge of food, they provided entertainment as well. They sang a song, and Tom, the one who orchestrated everything, read a poem that he wrote. Meanwhile, the rest of the guys were always standing near by, alert for any empty glasses that would need a refill.

At the end of it all, as we left the building, one of them stood at the exit -- thanking all of us girls and gave us a doorgift each!


This was the doorgift, which was nicely wrapped up, and which contains a magnet (below) as well as some sweets :)


And because all of us girls were caught off guard, nobody had cameras! So the pictures below were taken using a camera phone, which is why they're not as clear..

Some of the wonderful guys. From left: Jason from Malaysia/Brunei, Shinmuza from Zimbabwe, and Peter from Thailand. Jason was wearing red. i don't know why it looks orange here..haha.

And this was Pastor Lance serving me. Yah i know my hair looks terrible here (it was flattened during the nap i took), but the focus is not on me, but on him! hahaa..

As my pastor said, love is all about giving and serving. Everything the guys did for us that night was an expression of their love for us. (And this is where u go awww..hahaa)

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. -Matthew 20:26-28

Great Keppel Island Trip (8-11 Feb)

And here's a trip i took a while back...

The trip had not started off very well. No trip that starts with a 10 hour bus ride would, actually. By the time the bus reached McDonalds for breakfast (yes we had to sleep on the bus that night!) my legs thought they couldn't walk anymore. And we had to wait for 15 min before McDonalds opened, because unlike Singapore, they don't operate 24 hours here. As you can see, the sun was just waking up when we reached.

If i was one of the McDonalds' staff, i would have been horrified to see 180 hungry people crowding outside, just waiting and staring at them. When the clock striked 6am, they opened the door, and the hungry ghosts poured in. We formed queues so long, that if we were in Singapore, you would have thought that the Hello Kitty craze was back.

The ferry ride to the island was so rough, it brought a whole new meaning to seasickness. Nobody could stand up straight on the boat. If you ever want a Viking ship ride that lasts for 45 min, this would be the one to take.

We finally reached the island!

Below:Two people trying to pitch the funniest-looking umbrella i've ever seen.

When we reached the resort, it was to our greatest dismay to realize that there was no aircon! Yes call us pampered kids, but the room was hot and stuffy. In the end Jo resorted to using the fridge.

We slept away most of the first day, but unfortunately, Incident No 1 (yes there were a few) happened that night, involving a photo taken of someone when she was showering.

The second and third days were spent on watersports like jetski, banana boating and tube riding. We get to operate our own jetskis, which would never have happened in Singapore!

However, Incident No 2 happened on the second day. A girl was cut by the propeller of a boat as she came in from banana boating, and was airlifted to the nearest hospital. That scared a lot of people off the watersports on the third day, which was great because it meant no queues for the rides!

I also got a 10min camel ride for 10 bucks. It was expensive, but since i wouldn't be able to go to Egypt to do it anytime soon, i decided to go for it. And i'm glad i did!

Keppel Island also had the most amazing sunsets. On our third and last evening there, there was a table arranged for a private dinner for two at the beach. All of us were waiting eagerly for the couple to turn up, but the sunset came and went, and the table remained empty.

One of the false alarms we had. As they approached the table, we thought it was them! But turned out they were just taking a look, like us.

I heard the couple only started their dinner much later. It was a pity that they missed having dinner during the beautiful sunset. Still, it was such a romantic sight that many of the girls there would have married the guy there and then if he had asked them to (Now you know what to do guys!).

We had to check out early on the last day. Being left homeless, we ended up sleeping at the sofas in the bar. And two people came to perform just outside where we slept, providing good music for our trip to dreamland.

This girl is a born dancer -- she was prancing around to the music in front of the two performers! She looked at me while i was taking the picture of her and asked me to dance with her! haha! Being the shy girl i am, i rejected her. She got quite upset by my rejection, but thank goodness she recovered soon enough :)
And before we left, we redeemed our drink coupons for these water bottles. We were now all ready to face the 45min Viking ship and the 10hour bus ride again!

Incident No 3 happened on the ferry ride back: 2 guys jumped off the jerry midway and swam to a nearby rock formation. The ferry captain was so pissed that he announced that Bond University students would be banned from taking the ferry in future.

And the day after we got back to Bond, i heard there were $800 in damages made to a room. I guess some people must have got really drunk! So on top of being banned from boarding the ferry, Bond students are now also banned from going back to the resort.

Talk about having a trip of a lifetime!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is here and there's hardly a stir in the community because the Chinese population here is so small. So in an attempt to create the festive mood for myself, i decorated my room with the CNY stuff that my school sent from Singapore (yeah that was really nice of them!).



See the pineapple above my table? :)

Had "reunion" dinner with Jo from Malaysia and Kim from Texas, USA. Kim tried to eat with the chopsticks, but gave up after a while, just like me. I've never really made the transition from using a spoon to using chopsticks..haha. The food at the chinese restaurant was so full of MSG that i had to drown myself in water after that.

Jo showing her CNY decorations which she says are way better than mine..haha. She wrote those words herself. But this pair of couplet is really cheem though. Prizes available for those who know what it means!

Me decked out in my CNY best, with Vanessa from Thailand. Even though i wasn't celebrating CNY and was just going for service, i made sure i wore new (red) clothes! :)

That's all i did for CNY. Here's wishing all my friends:

Xin Nian Kuai Le and Gong xi fa cai! Hope you guys will get lots of angbaos. And if you're a true friend, you could just send some of them to a angbao-less friend in Australia (with the money inside of course! hehe). i hope our friendship will be able to stand this test of faith :)

Experiencing a new culture --the W curve

For the benefit of those not from Communication Studies (and also for those who are and didn't pay attention in class!), there are basically 5 stages that one goes through when one experiences a new culture.

1. The "Honeymoon" Stage
When you first arrive in a new culture, differences are intriguing and you may feel excited, stimulated and curious. At this stage you are still protected by the close memory of your home culture.

2. The "Distress" Stage
A little later, differences create an impact and you feel confused, isolated, or inadequate as cultural differences intrude and familiar supports (eg family or friends) are not immediately available.

3. "Re-integration" Stage
Next you may reject the differences you encounter. You may feel angry or frustrated, or hostile to the new culture. At this stage you may be conscious of mainly how much you dislike it compared to home. Don't worry, as this is quite a healthy reaction. You are reconnecting with what you value about yourself and your own culture.

4. "Autonomy" Stage
Differences and similarities are accepted. You may feel relaxed, confident, more like an old hand as you become more familiar with situations and feel well able to cope with new situations based on your growing experience.

5. "Independence" Stage
Differences and similarities are valued and important. You may feel full of potential and able to trust yourself in all kinds of situations. Most situations become enjoyable and you are able to make choices according to your preferences and values.

If you're interested to see how the stages fall on the W curve, go:
http://www.queensu.ca/quic/wsa/orientation/guide/SWTA_15.pdf

Now you know what interesting stuff i learn in school. But that's beside the point. It's cool to be able to apply something you learn to your life. No that's not the point. The point is...

I'm in the "distress" stage! Yes i'm feeling confused, isolated and inadequate as cultural differences intrude and family and friends (that's you! haha) are not immediately available.

I'm beginning to feel disturbed and out of place when:

An article used as an example in journalism class writes about the milestone of losing your virginity (among many others) and goes: Make sure you're ready for the experience. Don't ever be coerced into doing things you don't really feel comfortable about. And my lecturer says: "Who is the writer kidding? Unless she is writing for 16-year-old teens, most people who read this would have gone past that. There is no point giving such advice to them."

A guy you barely know says he's had 25 one night stands since 16. And he's only 23 now.

People have sex on the beach at night during a school trip (no i didn't see that! haha).

You walk down the hostel corridor and it smells of alcohol.

Signs in the TV lounge write: No beer bottles. Use beer cans instead.

I'm officially having a culture shock.

Beach Babes and Hunks

As promised, the pictures of the babes and hunks are here! Aren't they so(h) gorgeous? hahahaa..

Bond, Alan Bond

I've been here for more than one month already, and i realise i haven't shown you guys what Bond looks like! For the record, Bond University is not in any way related to James Bond, just in case i've previously misled you (intentionally or otherwise..haha) to think in that direction. It was Alan Bond (whoever that is) who founded the university.

Bond is quite small, like the size of NIE, and has only about 2800 students in the whole university. There is this lake in the centre of the campus, which supposedly has sharks. I haven't seen any myself though.

Behind the pillars are the most awkward steps one could ever walk on. They are called "Thinking Steps", because you cannot not think while walking on them. Normal steps only require one foot per step. The "Thinking Steps" are too long for you to put one foot on each step, but too short to put both feet. So if you're not paying attention while walking, you could trip and fall (which was what happened to me!)

These pictures were taken the day before a convocation, so those people you see in the photos were actually taking their graduation photos. Don't be fooled by the pics into believing that people dress like that on campus. If that was the case, we would have the highest rate of heatstrokes in Australia!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know Vday is probably overly hyped up and commercialised, but i love it when supermarkets join in the effort too! That's how you get 3 packets of timtams for only 6 bucks :)

And of course it doesn't hurt that they're new flavours that just look yummylicious!

Have a happy Vday! :)

Loving the stars here

Sometimes i can't help but stand awestruck by God's works of art. The sun, the sea and the stars -- all splendid artistry by the Creator's hand. To see the whole sky glowing with stars -- like lights on a christmas tree, but so much better than that -- is truly amazing.

Indescribable
By Chris Tomlin


From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

To listen the song:
click here

Little-Red-Dotted Girls

Met this Malaysian guy from Sabah during Res Wars (Bond's version of Inter-Hall Games)today.

There are a few Malaysian guys here, so there was nothing special about that...

...Until he said that his father doesn't like Singapore girls.

"Why not?" I asked, with an underlying we're-so-nice-how-can-anyone-not-like-us question all squeezed into that little two words.

"He finds them too materialistic," he said, adding that Singaporeans are generally more "wu2 qing2" and are so busy working that they don't have time for anyone or anything else.

I did my best to salvage his image of Singapore girls, but could only fumble around trying to build a substantial argument against that. (hey but at least i tried yah? hehe)

But he was nice enough and said that nobody's to blame and it's most probably just a trait of all people who live in cities rather than suburbs or the countryside.

Even though the Straits Times has reported before that Singaporean men themselves find Singaporean gals too practical and materialistic -- and that's why they go look for demure and docile Vietnamese brides -- this is the first time somebody has said that to my face and forced me to come up with my own response.

I still don't know what to say to that, but i think we're not that bad. Maybe we value having a good life eg having a nice house, nice car etc, but who doesn't?

At least we're not as bad as the girl in the story below.

I faked infertility to keep my career
Friday, February 2, 2007
My career has always been my first love, but when I was 31 I agreed to marry a lovely man that I had been seeing for several years.

Sam was really keen to have children straight away but I was focussed on my job and doing really well so I managed to convince him to wait a few years. He kept bringing up the topic and, although I was still not interested, I eventually agreed to start trying for a family.

I started taking folic acid and calcium and stopped drinking alcohol. But secretly I kept taking the pill. I felt terrible but I knew that if I got pregnant now I would lose my job, I figured this was the best way to keep everyone happy. Besides, by this time I was still only 34 and figured that I still had plenty of time to have children later, when I had achieved what I wanted at work.

Sam was so excited, he started buying little present for our 'baby' and spent time researching the best cots, car seats and carriers. I felt bad but I'd just been promoted again and was able to throw myself into work and forget about my lie.

Each month when I got my period Sam was so sad, and I had to pretend to be too. He'd cook me special meals full of baby-making vitamins and burn oils that supposedly promoted fertility. After a year of "unsuccessful attempts" Sam suggested seeing a fertility specialist. I put it off as long as I could but eventually I had to agree to go along.

I felt sick sitting in a waiting room surrounding by hopeful looking couples waiting nervously. I had to lie to the doctor and undergo a series of tests. When I couldn't take it anymore I broke down and cried to Sam that all the testing was too intrusive and made me feel like a failure. I was consumed by guilt. As always, Sam was so wonderful and supportive, I hated lying to him.

By this time Sam has spent loads of money on all kinds of "natural treatments" and with the stress of it all, along with me working longer and longer hours at work, we began to fight. Sam resented me spending so much time at work and putting extra stress on my body. Gradually we stopped fighting and gave up on the idea of a baby of our own.

Today I am 46 and have pretty much missed out on my chance to have children. It hurts me to watch the sad look on Sam's face when he plays with our friends' children. And it hurts me even more to watch the sympathetic look that my poor childless husband gives me; misinterpreting my guilt for the pain of being unable to give him what he wanted.

No job is that important. If only I'd realised this 10 years ago.

- Woman's Day

That's a really sad story.

Just in case you think i'm so free to go and find a story just to illustrate my point, you're wrong. haha. Stumbled upon that story while trying to get ideas for my second journalism assignment, which is to write a real-life story such as the one above. Other examples include "I was raped on my first date", "I invented a fiance to get a job" blah blah blah..you get the idea.

So if you have any interesting life story, know of any waiting to be told, or simply heard anything through gossip (now you know where journalists get their ideas), tell me yah! Names will be kept confidential :) Or you can pray that I'll able to get someone for an interview soon, because my first draft is due next week!

And with so many deadlines approaching like a ticking time bomb, who in the right mind would spend time thinking whether Singapore girls are materialistic or not? No one, except this procrastinator who just spent an hour typing out a blog on that.

Sigh. That's why my work doesn't get done.

A Smaller Little Red Dot

Letters from my dear friends

I've received my very first cards from Spore from Chengmin and Xinyi! (oops missed Xinyi's deadline!)

See what nice friends i have who make me look so short :(


And their poor efforts in drawing my fav A1 curry puffs..haha..anyone available to give them art lessons?


Chocolate and pineapple tarts for CNY!


hehe thank you gals for your cards!

And for the rest who want to send me cards for CNY or Valentine's Day, here's my address:

Student Accommodation
Accommodation Centre Room 410
Bond University Qld 4229
Australia

According to Chengmin, it takes 7 to 11 days to reach here. So better start sending your love letters soon! :)