Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Report Writing

I don't like writing reports. I really don't. Argh. Even if I have good group members, I still don't like writing them.

On a brighter note, did you know that there's igoogle? It's quite cool. Go check it out, you get to choose gadgets to put on your homepage. One of the gadgets I put is this thing called "Things to Ponder". It's so 欠扁! It was, "how do you draw a blank?" and another one was, "isn't it unnerving that doctors call what they do 'practice'?" Haha! And you can put games like bejewelled on the page, together with picture of the day, quote of the day, countdowns... haha it's quite alot of things. =) It's cool!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Happiness?

Everyday we hear of people around us saying that their greatest wish is to be happy people. Even on special occasions, like birthdays, New Years, Christmas etc, we find ourselves wishing others happiness.

But when we wish others happiness, are we projecting our desire for happiness onto others? Or is happiness a universally pursued need by all of us?

There are many theories about what constitutes happiness. Some say that it's the simplest things in life, like a cup of coffee when you want to take a break, that makes them happy. Some say time alone makes them happy. Some say adventure, going on holidays. Some say when things go well in their lives.

But how well is well? At which point will we say, "I'm a truly happy person, and I shall be contented with what I have. I will not hanker for more than I have been given. I shall be content". I think there are only a rare few who would view life in this way, and I must say, these are the people I really admire, because they are courageous enough to go against the conventions of wanting more in order to survive in society.

To me, I believe that happiness, in whichever dosage it comes in, should be treasured. Sure it stings when I find that there are better things outside which I didn't manage to get, but... if I think about it, things could have turned out worse, couldn't it? I won't deny that I'm competitive, and I want the best. But I'm trying to become a person who is contented with what she has, because in reality, nobody can have it all.

Like Evon said, there's a natural law of equity. When we get something that's extra to us, something in another aspect of our life will be reduced. I believe in that, and so, though I'll continue striving for the best, I'll learn to be contented with what I get.

I won't say it's easy, because it's definitely not. How could it, when we're always faced by people who are living examples of "if I could do it, you most certainly can", which makes us think, "he/she could do it, I think my capability's as good as his/hers, so why should I be happy with myself? This is not good enough. I must get better!"? I guess that's where 人比人,气死人 came from.

Haha an ironic thought just struck me. Aren't we often envious of those who seem happier than us, making us want to be happier people than who we are now?

Come to think of it, is it an evolutionary phenomenon that makes us so competitive?

Yep, just some thoughts before I start on the report that I'm procrastinating over. My groupmates are so efficient! Here I am, hoping that I have at least until tomorrow before their parts come in, but they're so efficient! Haha... This is good too in a way, the faster we get this done, the faster we can get back to other work. Yes! Jiayou!!

And to all of you, have a good recess! =) Jiayou!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Valentine's Day

Yah I know Valentine's Day was like 2 days ago, but I was too busy to blog about it. BUT: That doesn't mean my Valentine's Day was uneventful. Sure, Kok Yong was away, but he sure made his presence felt. Haha he sent flowers! Omg, it's the first time I've received a bouquet of flowers from a guy- my favourite flowers, no less. Yellow tulips! It was so sweet of him to send flowers while he was from China. Well, here are the photos! They were arranged so nicely!!! =)



Aren't they so pretty? Heard it was hard to find florists selling yellow tulips, so Kok Yong had a hard time looking for one. It was only after a month of searching that he was able to find a florist, with a reasonable price, though it was still pretty expensive. =S Valentine's Day is indeed a day to suck dry the pockets of couples. -_-" Well this does not in any way mean I do not appreciate his efforts. I am!!

Imagine the shock I had when the deliveryman appeared at my door calling me on the morning of Valentine's Day. Sure the guard had called up earlier to let me know, but there have been many occasions when the guard called and said there was a delivery when he had got the unit wrong. So I thought the same way- after all, nobody ordered anything. Yah, so I was quite shell-shocked when the guy actually appeared.

And what a big bouquet of flowers it was, and so beautiful! And there was a card and a little bear inside. Wow. Haha...

But besides the flowers that made my day, I think it was the knowledge that Kok Yong had actually remembered my favourite flowers and taken the trouble to search for them, and sent them while from China. That was very very sweet.

I'm trying to dry the flowers, I really hope they can be dried... Some petals have dropped already, and do you know how sad I was when I saw that?!?!! But no worries, I am pressing the petals in a telephone book at the moment, hopefully they'll be preserved... Ah well, if the tulips are not preserved, I hope the roses and the baby's breath will be.....

Friday, February 08, 2008

Wellwellwell...

What Yi Ling Means
You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.
You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.
You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.
You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life.You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone.Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs.


Haha what do you think? I think some of it has a bit of truth, but wait- do I see a contradiction? How can I be "pretty tightly wound" and still "relaxed, chill and very likely to go with the flow"...? Haha but this is pretty entertaining nonetheless. ;)

CNY and a Bit More

I realise my posts have been on the short side lately. Feedback has been that the entries are easier to read in bite-sized pieces, and I agree, actually. The font size on the blog is too small! Even I don't feel like re-reading my entries, so you're forgiven. Thing is, I know the solution is to post it up with bigger fonts, but... people got poor memory larrrrrr... Haha I promise, I'll try my best to remember to use larger fonts next time!!

Well, since it's Chinese New Year, here's wishing all of you a happy and wonderful New Year! May the Rat eat up all the bad things that happened in the past year, and leave behind all the good things!


Speaking of Chinese New Year, I had the privilege of taking a nice nice photo with 3 handsome boys last night when they came visiting. Omg I like the photo very much. For those who know, one of the cute boys is none other than Jingxun! Haha I've put up his photo before I think, and Si Huan, you thought he was cute too right? Let me show you the picture!!


From left: Jonan, Jingxun (Kieran), Ian.
It's a pity Kayden wasn't in the photo, or it would have been perfect. Haha these guys are usually the stars of my CNY. It's always a pleasure to see them. Easy on the eyes, easy on the heart. Haha!
Ok this post has been longer than the usual few, so I shall leave you to admire this photo. =)

Monday, February 04, 2008

I am an Augmenter

I think I am, you know.

1) When I drink coffee, I:
(i) get headaches
(ii) get stomachaches
(iii) get an accelerated heartbeat (thankfully, it hasn't caused me to make a misattribution of arousal, coz I swear I wasn't on caffeine when I met Kok Yong. Haha! )
(iv) lose my appetite

2) When I eat dark chocolate, I get a slight headache and I get a bit high

3) When I laugh too hard, I get asthma attack

4) When I drink tea, I get slightly woozy

5) When I'm in an excited atmosphere, like after watching an exciting match, I get a headache after that.

6) When I take too much chilli, I get a stomachache (but that could be due to too much chilli taken in the past, combined with bad eating habits, that caused this... )

Friday, February 01, 2008

ContradICTIONS!!!

Yah I'm a mess of contradictions. I want time to pass faster, yet I want it to go slower. I can't seem to make up my mind. But I think I'd like it to pass faster. =S

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Attempting to Look Through Your Eyes

I don't understand why when a not-so-rich person (let's call that person NSR) gets attached to a rich one (let's call this person R), tongues will start wagging as to the motive behind the NSR's getting attached to R, and of course, the popular opinion would be that NSR chose R because of his/her money. And when things go wrong between the couple, such as perhaps the NSR initiating a breakup with R, people will go, "See, told you it was because of money! Maybe NSR realised he/she wouldn't get any money, and decided to go off in search of greener pastures!" Or if R broke up with NSR, it may be, "I told you they wouldn't last, R finally saw that NSR was with him/her coz of her/his money! Poor NSR, she got cheated..."

Well what gives people the right to talk about others' motivations for being with someone of a different socioeconomic status? What if they really loved each other? Just like what the title of this entry says, it's at attempt to look through the target people's eyes, trying to figure out why NSR or R did what they did. And you know what the irony is? They become so convinced of their reasons that they think it's a truth set in stone! OMG. Nothing you say will change their minds, and they find various reasons to support their case.

I'm not saying that it's wrong to attempt to look through others' eyes to try to figure out their reasons behind the thigns they do. God knows I've been doing this all along, and I guess it's human nature to try to decipher the things people do. But why would people get so fixated on wealth as the sole reason why an NSR would get attached to R? What if it was R who approached NSR first? What then? R wanted to share his/her wealth with NSR?! R felt that he/she wanted a change in lifestyle/was sick of his/her rich lifestyle and so thought NSR was a refreshing change? I mean, if it was just a speculation, a possible reason among several other reasons, it might be a valid excuse- after all, people are just brainstorming. But when it becomes a sole reason for a couple's get-together.... well.... don't you think they need to be given a chance? Just coming to a fixed conclusion without actually knowing what happened between a couple is rather unfair, don't you think?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Looking Through Your Eyes

Omg, this is such a sweet song! And the music video's so sweet! Haha makes me feel like looking for the cartoon to watch. It's the soundtrack from Quest for Camelot. Lyrics are below. Enjoy!



Look at the sky
Tell me what do you seeJ
ust close your eyes
And describe it to me

The heavens are sparkling
With starlight tonight
That's what I see
Through your eyes

I see the heavens
Each time that you smile
I hear your heartbeat
Just go on for miles
And suddenly
I knowMy life is worth while
That's what I seeThrough your eyes

[Chorus:]
Here in the night
I see the sun
Here in the dark
Our two hearts are one
It's out of our hands
We can't stop what we have begun
And love just took me by surprise
Looking through your eyes

I look at myself
And instead I see us
Whoever I am now
It feels like enough
And I see a girl
Who is learning to trust
That's who I see through your eyes

[Chorus]

And there are some things we don't know
Sometimes a heart just needs to go
And there is so much I'll remember
Underneath the open sky with you forever

[Chorus]

-- LeAnn Rimes

Friday, January 18, 2008

Truly Madly Deeply

This song has always been a favourite of mine. I think the lyrics are quite sweet. I think most of you have heard the song before. Haha... Don't you think the song's nice? =) Hehe, is anyone gonna sing it to me? ;)

I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish
I'll be your fantasy.
I'll be your hope
I'll be your love
Be everything that you need.
I love you more with every breath
Truly madly deeply do..

I will be strong
I will be faithful
'Cos I'm counting on a new beginning.
A reason for living.
A deeper meaning.

Chorus
I want to stand with you on a mountain.
I want to bathe with you in the sea.
I want to lay like this forever.
Until the sky falls down on me...

And when the stars are shining brightly
In the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish
Send it to heaven
Then make you want to cry..
The tears of joy
For all the pleasure and the certainty.
That we're surrounded
By the comfort and protection of..
The highest power.
In lonely hours.
The tears devour you..

I want to stand with you on a mountain,
I want to bathe with you in the sea.
I want to lay like this forever,
Until the sky falls down on me...
Bridge Oh can't you see it baby?
You don't have to close your eyes
'Cos it's standing right before you.
All that you need will surely come...

I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy.
I'll be your hope
I'll be your love
Be everything that you need.
I'll love you more with every breath
Truly madly deeply do...

Chorus

--Savage Garden

Blogger in China

I heard Blogger is banned in China. Really ah? Apparently, alot of Singaporeans can't view their friends' blogs while they're over in China, since most Singaporeans prefer to use Blogger than others. Oh, Livejournal's banned too! Hmm I wonder why. These blogging avenues are just tools for people to air their views, why ban them? People will say what they want to say. Hai... Real troublesome, don't you think?

So are there any ways of viewing blogs in China?

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Thank Goodness!

The camera's been found! Yay!! At least now I don't feel as handicapped when I go out with you all. Aiyoh...

And guess where the camera was found?

On the shelf in my parents' room. Says alot about who was the last with the camera, doesn't it? ;)

Monday, January 14, 2008

McDonald's is Evil!

Yes, and I mean what I say. I think McDonald's has a secret plan to conquer the world. They want all of us to eat only their food. I came to that realization today after I bought lunch for Merrilyn and Desiree.

Their food has a distinctive smell, especially their fries. And the smell is very irresistible. A whiff of it puts images of hot, salty, potato-ey fries entering your mouth and the feeling of the saltiness of the fries exploding in your mouth. Heaven. How many times have I had these fantasies? And how many times have I succumbed to it? Countless.

And their McSpicy burger. OH MY GOD. Haha, if you go to the good branches, you get hot, spicy, and juicy chicken patties. At the not too good branches, well, I guess you can be assured that your burger is hot and a bit spicy. Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, is it? =)

So yes, back to my point. I ended up having McDonald's for dinner today, when I don't think my budget allows me to. But I was sooo craving for it! Just ask Liana and Merrilyn. I was fantasizing about it during linguistics class. Ahhhh... And I've satisfied my craving.

McDonald's is evil, I tell you. ;)

Friday, January 11, 2008

DAMN!

OMG.

I cannot find my camera. I am so screwed in every way imaginable.

But then again, I wasn't the last one to use it, but the last person who used it doesn't want to believe that he was indeed the last, so the blame falls on me.

Damn.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Tsk tsk tsk

Aiyoh, start of school only and I realise I lost all my blue mechanical pencils. You know, the blue pilot ones? Three of them and all are gone. I'm a real champion. I bet you the moment I buy one, I'll find all three of them one by one. Should I get it?

Sunday, January 06, 2008

School starting!

Yep, and I'm not really looking forward to it. Seems like the holidays passed too fast to be true, and yet, when I think back about it, I didn't seem to make much use of the time. Yah yah, don't start with the "I told you so" or the exasperated look. I asked for it I know. Bleah.

Still, I can't say it hasn't been totally uneventful. I exercised, and realised how unfit I am, and yet I'm still not going jogging. I'm serious. I'm not going jogging. Well, unless someone accompanies me? Spent time with Kok Yong, which I'm sure I'm going to miss, seeing as someone's going to be MIA for quite awhile in China, while I stay in Singapore slogging my guts out once more. Oh well, time's going to pass very soon, especially since every sem comes and goes at a totally crazy pace. And hopefully I'll manage to get an attachment somewhere, and time should go pass faster. Before I know it, Evon and Yi Lun will be back, and there'll be noise in the house again! Yay! Then maybe if everything goes fine, he'll come back too, and there'll be more company! Close ones around me, yay! =) I guess that's going to be MY Christmas. Haha!

I think this sem's gonna be pretty hectic (well which sem isn't?), and I think I prefer it that way. Gives me less time to think about... things. Maybe time will rush past faster. But then again, it might not be such a good idea, with exams and projects and all. Oh well, no matter. Why fuss when I can't do anything about it? I shall find out just how fast time passes, starting tomorrow.

Till then, Happy Start of School, everyone! =)

Monday, December 31, 2007

New Year's Resolution

After much deliberation over whether I should come up with a New Year's Resolution since I always can't seem to keep to it, I decided to give it one more chance. But this time, I shall only keep to ONE resolution. The lesser, the easier, is my theory. Anyway, my New Year's Resolution is to NOT PROCRASTINATE. Yep. Easily said, but let's see whether I can keep to it.

Procrastination is seductive.

On another note, there's something wrong with my spelling of "year" today. I keep missing out the A. Is that a sign of something?

Friday, December 21, 2007

Psych Students

I wonder if people wonder what Psych students actually do in class. Well, today, let me give you a glimpse into a Psych student's life in class!
In classes like Clinical Psych, where we have 3-hour lessons, we definitely need glucose to keep our spirits and eyelids up. But what happens to the the many sweet wrappers that will inevitably accumulate by the end of the lesson? Well, we make rubbish into beautiful things, of course!


This was the first time we folded them with the wrappers from the Halls sweets. Well, not we, but Ling Hoong, specifically. As you all know very well, Halls sweet wrappers are rectangular in shape, so Ling Hoong had to tear away part of the wrapper to make it into a square, and in the end, she had only a very small area to work with. Look how 精致 the cranes are?
Of course, folding with Halls wrappers can get pretty boring, coz it's all only blue and white. So the next time, Fred bought strawberry that had, guess what, PINK wrappers! Haha... so the new cranes looked like this:


Don't the red cranes look Japanese? I think they look very nice! I'm proud to say that I folded some of these cranes, and Fred also! I think it was the first time Fred learnt how to fold cranes, and they turned fine, don't you think?
I'm sure you all know that there is a negative correlation between number of projects and amount of sleep a student can get. Well, that's true in our context too! So whenever we get a chance, we try to snatch our precious 40 winks:



Yes, a totally unglam photo of me sleeping in class before class started or during a break in lecture. Aiyoh, sleepy lar!! And HAH! If you're thinking of blackmailing me with this photo, remember it has been posted on a PUBLIC blog! =p

Hmm... apart from doing all these, we also take photos in class and after class!



Ok, I couldn't find pictures of us taking them in class. But still, you know what I mean. Haha... =)

Looking back at these photos, I realise that Uni life really wasn't all about studying. We did find time to do silly things like these! BUT: they were fun!! =) Haha, recounting them and choosing the pictures to put on my blog made me smile and recall many things that have happened in the last 3 years, and I think it's quite sweet. Haha, you know what, maybe we should take more photos in class! =p

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Misconceptions

It's a known fact that I am aspiring to be a clinical psychologist in the future, but like I mentioned before, psychologists are humans too. They are not saints.

I am not as open-minded, open-hearted, patient, understanding and whatever's good and opposite of bad as you think I am. I'm sorry to say this, and I'm even embarrassed to admit it, but, I'm not an angel. I'm not super-ultra-understanding. I wish I was, but I'm not idealistic enough, nor do I think that highly of myself to claim that. I can only say I try to be, but I'm not a saint.

I could understand things from others' points of view. I could accept their points of views. I could do so many things, but I'm sorry to say, I don't think I'm up to your expectation of who you think I am.

I can make people feel comfortable, because I can accept their points of views. But like sports shoes, I can't contain everyone. I'm not perfect. I cannot be perfect. If I was, I wouldn't be alive. I wouldn't be allowed to live as long as I'm going to live. I hope you understand.

I wish I knew what to do for every situation, but I don't. I wish I had the answers to everything, but I don't. I wish I knew what you are thinking, but I don't. And I don't know what to do.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

If I were a Shoe...

Remember I asked all of you to tell me what kind of shoe I would be if I were one? Well, here are the answers you all gave me...

Merrilyn:
CLOGS- People choose me as a friend cos they like the sound the clogs make when they move around in it... likewise, people like me for the company and fun I bring. Clogs are durable too, and those around me constantly feel (hear) I am there, like a nice traditional old supportive friend.

Cotton:
SLIPPERS- To sum up Cotton's answer, I represent a safe haven for her to turn to when she's weary. Slippers, to her, are comfortable, and no pretense is required when she's wearing them. Similarly, she doesn't feel a need to pretend to be someone she isn't when she's around me. Slippers may be a category of footwear that is often taken for granted because of its inconspicuity (is there such a word?), but it's a necessary kind of footwear. To quote Cotton, I'm like her "心灵靠岸港,无须绚丽的包装,也即可能是冰山一角那不起眼的"拖鞋",但却是扮演着非常重要的角色。最终要的是...能令我感到很舒服又没负担的"

Yi Lun:
PINK FLUFFY SLIPPERS- "coz u are nice and comfortable and homey to be with. not much of an outdoor shoe, u prefer the comfort of home and the homey people around you. tend to be sweet and sensitive but can be very fuzzy coz u get too comfortable with your surroundings. well looked after. still can take hardships of being walked on around the house but perhaps not as tough as army boots. pink perhaps coz u are sweet and girly. comfortable being a nice, sweet girl-next-door."

SOCKS- "u are hidden by pretty sneakers and sports shoes and do not get to flaunt much. yet, the shoes cannot do without the socks otherwise feet get smelly or blistery and uncomfortable. u have core/primary/inner beauty which is overshadowed by superficially nice shoes covering you. people have to get to know you better before they realise the indespensibility of socks. socks can be pretty too and come in all shapes, sizes and degrees of fluffiness. u may be shielded by big, hardy and resistant shoes and do not get to feel the mud and rain much."

Bird:
SANDALS- "comfortable mah,and easy to wear easy to take off. like being with you is comfortable, and you keep a nice distance, not too close not too far. like when i wanna wear i will wear when i wanna take it off, its easy to take off too."

Wen Keat:
SLIPPERS- Same explanation as Bird

Wendy:
MARY JANES- Sweet but sturdy and reliable

Pony:
SOMETHING COMFORTABLE like SANDALS: I make people around me feel comfortable.

Kok Yong:
CANVAS SHOES- Haha, the reason's for me to know and for you all to guess. =p

And what shoe do I think I would be if I were one? Well, I think I'd be a pair of sports shoes. Why?

Based on the above answers that I received, I gather I make people around me feel comfortable around me, that they do not have to put up much pretense when they are around me. So imagine slipping your feet into your favourite pair of sports shoes; how would you feel? That you're right at home and feel comfortable enough to do what you want? And you feel there's not much effort needed to lift your feet to do what you need to do. Similarly, I gather I'm make those around me comfortable with who they are around me- there's no need to put in effort to impress me with the things that you do or say, once I get to know who you are.

Secondly, sports shoes are known to provide good support for the feet, and that's what I try to do for those around me. Like sports shoes, I can't promise a totally blister-fre walking experience when my friends are walking on difficult journeys, but I can try my best to support them, and try to reduce the number of blisters they will get.

Of course, everything is bound to have its drawbacks, sports shoes included.

Sports shoes may sound lile every foot can fit inside, but the truth is, not everyone's suited to every sports shoe. When the sports shoe doesn't fit, the wearer won't have an easy time wearing it cos the comfot and support's not there. What I'm saying is, if I don't feel positive feelings towards a person, it would be hard for me to give the support and comfort that person needs. Sure, the basic comfort of the sports shoe is there, but how comfortable can it be when it's not at its optimum?

Also, ever noticed how some people with smelly feet will make the shoe smell, especially sports shoes? Well, I'm sorry to say that's my weakness- I'm too easily influenced by the views of people around me, and I believe people easily.

Thank you all of you for taking the time to reply to my question, I really appreciate it!!!