The fruit season began a few weeks ago. Along the way to my house in BP, there are a few fruit stalls. Usually they sell the usual stuff like apples, melons, oranges (which i hate, except for the lokam). Then, i saw the durian, rambutan,longans. Its hard for me to resist all 3 so last friday, i persuaded my housemate to stop at one of the stall s. I will admit that i don't know at all how to choose good durians. Usually when i see my grandma, she'll first sniff it, then tap at it a bit, then finally looking at the stem of the fruit. if the stem is neatly cut, its too young. if it looks jagged, then u can usually confirm the fruit fell on its own. Me?? i just have to rely on the fact that the shopkeeper won't cheat me. I bought 3 durians for rm 35. 2 were kampung, 1 was kacukan. AND, its all good. I had a tub full of durians. I've been eating them for breakfast, and now, only a few are left. God, i can't live without durians. My mom thinks my craze for durians started when she was pregnant with me, and she was eating a LOT of durians that time. Hehe, i don't care if its true or not, i'm just glad i love it. A lot of my cousins, including my brother HATE the smell, and it'll be usually me,my cheese eating young girl cousin and the older family members enjoying durian. BUT the absolute nicest tasting durians for me are the wild durians. they are the hardest to come by. I can only remember eating them when i was really young. I haven't seen wild durians sold for ages. Perhaps when i come back home i'll try my luck. I also think kampung durians are so much better than the genetically modified ones.
Its about 5 weeks away and i'm still busy doing portfolios. Damn it, i hope i just pass the exams. i'll keep complaining about the exams until a week away.
I've watched Kungfu Panda, i give it 7/10. I've also watched the HULK, and it was so much better than the first one. Ed norton just sizzles as brucey. I also love the romantic scenes between him and liv. Watching this movie, i had pity for the hulk for the FIRST time. Usually i just see him as this anger losing green guy who uses it as an excuse to destroy things. and the ending.....can't wait for the sequel to happen (yum Tony STark!!).
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
KPG angkat is done and finished
so last weekend i went to do some community project at a supposedly rural village. This was what i did:
1. Do health screenings for common health problems in the morning
2. Become a facilitator for some motivation course in the afternoon
3. Watch performances at night
4. Cook for the entire IMU population on sunday morning
5. Go back to civilisation on sunday afternoon
Problems i encountered
1. The need to go to toilet on Saturday morning
The bus had to leave IMOO at 6 am (we were told to be there sharp). I woke up at 4.30am just to make sure my bowels moved and were emptied by then. Problem was, bowels refused to wake up and only moved at 6 am. So poor me had to hold it all in until we reached the place. I only managed at 10 am that morning. For me, one of life's pure tortures is when i can do my business in the morning, cos then it'll be constantly at the back of my mind. its worse when you eat something spicy the night before. :(
2. No cellphone coverage. I know i don't have anyone to call (Boyfriendless and all) but still, it feels good to know you are connected to civilization. The kampung was only 30 mins from town, but no coverage!! How can!!! Even the jungles of Sarawak got cellphone coverage!!!!!!
3. Hot weather.
We were told to wear only black shirts. Which made sense cos we don't wanna stir up trouble wearing white or see through or skimpy bikinis. Heaven forbid us if we cause some villagers to have a stroke or heart attack. But its freakin'hot in Malaysia and my face was full of oil by afternoon. I use 3 oil blotters to clean my face.
4. Motivation course??
Yes, i was a facilitator, and i did get excited by the idea of counselling students about what their future options are like after secondary school. We ended up playing a lot (too many) games though. And i'm not really sure how the older school children felt about that. It was beneficial for the primary school kids though. Maybe they should have had separate programs for the older and younger kids.
5. Culture nite
Being the vain person that i am, i decided to wear this nice pink baju kurung of a friend of mine. This will probably the first and last time i'm gonna wear one, and the thought of looking nice while cam-whoring excited me. Alas, not many people chose to wear something fancy, so i really felt overdressed. Still, i do have good pics of myself :)
6. Cooking for the whole kampung
This was really tiring. I cleaned the chicken, chopped and hacked onions, long beans and had to fill the 'dulang' with food. It doesn't help that some people think that the food we cooked was disgusting, just because it was cooked in the kampung. There were not many people helping, and we were talking about cooking for 300 people. Still, the villagers really made yummy food.
What i loved:
1. My adopted family
THey were super nice. THe makcik who took us in gave us her own bedroom to sleep in. The only thing was there was this really big cockroach like insect which flew around the room. We had to ask the older brother to kill it for us. And they fed us nonstop with yummy kampung food. I have to give credit to the Malays in general, they are really hospitable and friendly people. Their hospitality knows no bounds. Imagine if you were to let people into your house, and not knowing how they feel about the whole thing. Kudos to all of them who volunteered to take us in. And for me, i got a few new recipes about cooking kampung food. YUMMY
2. Cultural nite
i did enjoy myself. WAthcing all the kampung people come, and all the karaoke songs (some good, some bad) and performances by our own students, i think it was a blast. Even some of our lecturers were enjoying themselves, letting loose of all that stress at work. I did a lot of cam-whoring. But by 11pm, i had to go back cos i was too sleepy.
3. Sukaneka
this is like a sports carnival, and all of us, lecturers included, let loose. there were a lot of funny events going on, but the thing is, everyone had fun. i missed the tarik tali event though. i would love to tarik tali, i've been doing it since i was in primary school and its so fun. its bad to lose of course, but the adrenaline is sky high. still, i did learn how to become a better cook that day :)
4. Good experience
We had to have this thing called 'makan dulang'where 4 people share one big tray of rice with assorted foods. its not for everyone though, and i understand. But dont'ever talk about going to experience life in rural africa, rural india or joinning doctors without borders if even the thought of sharing food with others makes u icky. i did feel icky myself, but after preparing the food myself and seeing how they eat (everyone takes a corner of the tray for themselves) its not that dirty. just have to lose that city life a bit. And i think this will be the first and last time that i think i will experience something like this. So, it was a good exposure for me to see how other people live.
PS, i took a lot of pictures, but am too lazy to post it in my blog. PIcs are either on my friendster or facebook. Lots of camwhoring by me and pals. :P
1. Do health screenings for common health problems in the morning
2. Become a facilitator for some motivation course in the afternoon
3. Watch performances at night
4. Cook for the entire IMU population on sunday morning
5. Go back to civilisation on sunday afternoon
Problems i encountered
1. The need to go to toilet on Saturday morning
The bus had to leave IMOO at 6 am (we were told to be there sharp). I woke up at 4.30am just to make sure my bowels moved and were emptied by then. Problem was, bowels refused to wake up and only moved at 6 am. So poor me had to hold it all in until we reached the place. I only managed at 10 am that morning. For me, one of life's pure tortures is when i can do my business in the morning, cos then it'll be constantly at the back of my mind. its worse when you eat something spicy the night before. :(
2. No cellphone coverage. I know i don't have anyone to call (Boyfriendless and all) but still, it feels good to know you are connected to civilization. The kampung was only 30 mins from town, but no coverage!! How can!!! Even the jungles of Sarawak got cellphone coverage!!!!!!
3. Hot weather.
We were told to wear only black shirts. Which made sense cos we don't wanna stir up trouble wearing white or see through or skimpy bikinis. Heaven forbid us if we cause some villagers to have a stroke or heart attack. But its freakin'hot in Malaysia and my face was full of oil by afternoon. I use 3 oil blotters to clean my face.
4. Motivation course??
Yes, i was a facilitator, and i did get excited by the idea of counselling students about what their future options are like after secondary school. We ended up playing a lot (too many) games though. And i'm not really sure how the older school children felt about that. It was beneficial for the primary school kids though. Maybe they should have had separate programs for the older and younger kids.
5. Culture nite
Being the vain person that i am, i decided to wear this nice pink baju kurung of a friend of mine. This will probably the first and last time i'm gonna wear one, and the thought of looking nice while cam-whoring excited me. Alas, not many people chose to wear something fancy, so i really felt overdressed. Still, i do have good pics of myself :)
6. Cooking for the whole kampung
This was really tiring. I cleaned the chicken, chopped and hacked onions, long beans and had to fill the 'dulang' with food. It doesn't help that some people think that the food we cooked was disgusting, just because it was cooked in the kampung. There were not many people helping, and we were talking about cooking for 300 people. Still, the villagers really made yummy food.
What i loved:
1. My adopted family
THey were super nice. THe makcik who took us in gave us her own bedroom to sleep in. The only thing was there was this really big cockroach like insect which flew around the room. We had to ask the older brother to kill it for us. And they fed us nonstop with yummy kampung food. I have to give credit to the Malays in general, they are really hospitable and friendly people. Their hospitality knows no bounds. Imagine if you were to let people into your house, and not knowing how they feel about the whole thing. Kudos to all of them who volunteered to take us in. And for me, i got a few new recipes about cooking kampung food. YUMMY
2. Cultural nite
i did enjoy myself. WAthcing all the kampung people come, and all the karaoke songs (some good, some bad) and performances by our own students, i think it was a blast. Even some of our lecturers were enjoying themselves, letting loose of all that stress at work. I did a lot of cam-whoring. But by 11pm, i had to go back cos i was too sleepy.
3. Sukaneka
this is like a sports carnival, and all of us, lecturers included, let loose. there were a lot of funny events going on, but the thing is, everyone had fun. i missed the tarik tali event though. i would love to tarik tali, i've been doing it since i was in primary school and its so fun. its bad to lose of course, but the adrenaline is sky high. still, i did learn how to become a better cook that day :)
4. Good experience
We had to have this thing called 'makan dulang'where 4 people share one big tray of rice with assorted foods. its not for everyone though, and i understand. But dont'ever talk about going to experience life in rural africa, rural india or joinning doctors without borders if even the thought of sharing food with others makes u icky. i did feel icky myself, but after preparing the food myself and seeing how they eat (everyone takes a corner of the tray for themselves) its not that dirty. just have to lose that city life a bit. And i think this will be the first and last time that i think i will experience something like this. So, it was a good exposure for me to see how other people live.
PS, i took a lot of pictures, but am too lazy to post it in my blog. PIcs are either on my friendster or facebook. Lots of camwhoring by me and pals. :P
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Friendships that last
I decided to end my bimbotic ramblings for a while and talk about my friends. This was inspired by a few events that have happened this week. Nope, it does not involve IMOO people at all.
We all know that girls are from Venus, men are from Mars. And how girls and guys make friends and maintain their friendships are quite different. I prefer girl friends over guy friends, simply for the reason that i feel i can open up more to them. There are some guy friends that i am quite comfortable with, but its just not the same. This week, i felt pretty stressed out. Why, i don't know. See, when i don't have my usual outpourings to friends, i feel that things, or events that have happened get walled up and are threatening to burst out. But, who to trust in this small world? so, i do understand that for some people, blogging is a great way to speak out what you can't say to other people. of course, a little indiscretion is necessary if a lot of people are reading your blog.
Anyways, life here has been hectic. i have 8 weeks to exam, and i havent prepared at all. That keeps nagging me. Another thing is, with portfolios and the need to constantly remember things that have eluded me, is another drain. Not to mention my allergic rhinitic nose which makes me have a mini-flu everyday.
At 6 am yesterday, i was woken up by a friend who was afraid for me. She thought that some organization was out to get her, and told me that i could be the next target, as all her other friends have had their car scratched, broken into and things stolen from their houses. Then she tells me that i'm the only one she trusts as said organization is everywhere. And FINALLY, she said that she had a medical condition but didn't want to take her meds. Now, i was happily sleeping at the moment when she woke me up. i thought it would be just another one of her complaints where she was dissatisfied about life. Boy, she made me freaking scared yesterday,and as a result my mind was jumbled up the entire morning.
I should have asked her to continue taking her meds, but she has poor insight. The other thing is, she is currently disconnected from her family members. i don't know how she is going to cope. But i know that when i come back to kuching permanently, i have to sort her out. I just hope she will not be in denial by then.
So, yesterday, after feeling stressed out the entire week, i went online in the hope that some of my friends would be around. Turns out not 1, but a few of them were online, and i had the best time of my life yesterday evening.
Verdict: Its easy to make lots of friends, but true friends that stick around you for more than 10 years and who are loyal to boot, are damn hard to come by.
I think this post is a way of saying my thanks and gratitude to all my friends who have been in my life since primary school, and who stuck it with me thick and thin, who never fail to give me support and to make me laugh.
Pretty sappy eh? But when you've gone through and seen so much, its small things like these that make life bearable.
We all know that girls are from Venus, men are from Mars. And how girls and guys make friends and maintain their friendships are quite different. I prefer girl friends over guy friends, simply for the reason that i feel i can open up more to them. There are some guy friends that i am quite comfortable with, but its just not the same. This week, i felt pretty stressed out. Why, i don't know. See, when i don't have my usual outpourings to friends, i feel that things, or events that have happened get walled up and are threatening to burst out. But, who to trust in this small world? so, i do understand that for some people, blogging is a great way to speak out what you can't say to other people. of course, a little indiscretion is necessary if a lot of people are reading your blog.
Anyways, life here has been hectic. i have 8 weeks to exam, and i havent prepared at all. That keeps nagging me. Another thing is, with portfolios and the need to constantly remember things that have eluded me, is another drain. Not to mention my allergic rhinitic nose which makes me have a mini-flu everyday.
At 6 am yesterday, i was woken up by a friend who was afraid for me. She thought that some organization was out to get her, and told me that i could be the next target, as all her other friends have had their car scratched, broken into and things stolen from their houses. Then she tells me that i'm the only one she trusts as said organization is everywhere. And FINALLY, she said that she had a medical condition but didn't want to take her meds. Now, i was happily sleeping at the moment when she woke me up. i thought it would be just another one of her complaints where she was dissatisfied about life. Boy, she made me freaking scared yesterday,and as a result my mind was jumbled up the entire morning.
I should have asked her to continue taking her meds, but she has poor insight. The other thing is, she is currently disconnected from her family members. i don't know how she is going to cope. But i know that when i come back to kuching permanently, i have to sort her out. I just hope she will not be in denial by then.
So, yesterday, after feeling stressed out the entire week, i went online in the hope that some of my friends would be around. Turns out not 1, but a few of them were online, and i had the best time of my life yesterday evening.
Verdict: Its easy to make lots of friends, but true friends that stick around you for more than 10 years and who are loyal to boot, are damn hard to come by.
I think this post is a way of saying my thanks and gratitude to all my friends who have been in my life since primary school, and who stuck it with me thick and thin, who never fail to give me support and to make me laugh.
Pretty sappy eh? But when you've gone through and seen so much, its small things like these that make life bearable.
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