Daisy

Our Chihuahua

Eulogy and Rechristening

Before i reveal the long-anticipated new name for ex-Snigl, let me first say:

Grisl cannot be replicated or replaced. Any attempt at recreating her presence in the family will be considered a mockery of our pioneering pet. Many a bird, fish, renegade insect, entered our lives and we will remember such names as Sunshine, Simon and Andrew - but Grisl outlived them all.

Welcome new canine, THIS is what we will call you.


May we be as good to you as your antecedent was to us.

~

Grisl
1997/Ancient history - 15th April 2011

- zicheh

To whom it may concern

This is going up because people in the family seem to have forgotten the existence of two of their members. Out of sight, out of mind - it would seem.

"The fact that you went ahead and did this makes me mad. When grisl died i wanted to tell you not to get a new pet without cheh and i being back home to discuss it. But then i decided it was unnecessary because i assumed (now clearly foolish of me) you'd have the sense not to do something like that. i can't believe you didn't consider talking to cheh and i about this, putting up a discussion on this blog, calling, skyping - there are a million different ways you could have communicated.

"Instead of acting as part of a family unit, you went ahead and did this impulsively and selfishly. Getting a new pet and naming it - all without so much as a thought for what opinions, objections cheh and i might possibly have? i don't speak for cheh (cheh please feel free to tell them if you feel differently), but i'm letting you know what i think.

"This is obviously YOUR dog, not even in part mine. Naturally i am likely to grow attached to it in time, but it won't change the fact that i'm always going to remember how much i was excluded from this decision. I'm only being honest when i say i'm so angry with you right now."

-zicheh

Easter Break

Hello
This is the end of my 1 week easter break, and i have to say it has not been very break-y at all. I've been labouring over this english essay hat i have due on wednesday, and for some reason it's been more tedious than usual to get it done.
There are a couple of reasons i suspect this is so:

1.
It is a research-based assignment, meaning i have to draw on material from several different academic sources and include some of these points in my essay, either in the form of direct quotes or re-worded sentences. Trying to make someone else's views fit in the flow of your essay is SHITTY. I mean unless this writer has the exact angle you're going for, it will be awkward to include it in your essay. Either your view or theirs will have to give in, in some way.

2.
This essay is about poetry, which is a component of literature that i don't particularly like. It's not so bad just as a reading, but i don't enjoy writing about it as much.

3.
This assignment requires the analysis of three (3) separate poems in a single essay, that must be coherently linked by a theme. See #2.

4.
Having an entire week - literally 24x7 hours to complete this essay, i might have overdone the research component by... a lot. I borrow a crapload of books from the school library, spent 1.5 days picking out relevant quotes and listing them, and as such, had to sift a mountain of material to pick out the stuff that really mattered. Plus my first draft had close to 3000 words, which is 1800 over the word limit for this assignment. Having to edit down that much = a huge pain.

~
Yup. BUT it is time to stop the whingeing and start the thanksgiving. I'm basically DONE with the essay!!! :D Thank GOD. FOR REALS. I mean i was obviously having a crap time mid-week, but things improved dramatically after i prayed and just gave the whole convoluted mess up to God. That sounds bad, but you guys get the point. Besides, i don't think God is particularly fazed by essays. I love this feeling of being done with my assignment 4 days in advance. I'm usually working up to the last minute - and i'm sure i'll still read it through/tweak it on tuesday night - but this time i can chillax a little. Thank God. YAY argh stupid poetry. So NOT taking it in year 2 and 3.

RIGHT on to less boring crap.

Do you guys rememeber how i said my new laptop set up needed some adjustment? I stacked it on top of a couple of sturdy paper shelf things, but the screen still wasn't quite at eye-level.
At the time i had thought of a solution, but it required time and some minor effort on my part.
So at long last, here it is!! The solution:

Egg cartons.

LOLOL they are surprisingly hardy! It took a total of three egg cartons to make a wide enough base for the whole setup. And as you can see, the state of my desk has altered drastically since FEBRUARY:

It is now a wasteland of books and papers and stationary.

So there you go! I'm quite happy with the turn out. The laptop screen is now rather more comfortable and closer to eye level, though not squarely. Plus the middle shelf in under the laptop is much easier to access than when it was pretty much obstructed by my key board.
See:

Yup.

Okay. That's all for now (:


Somebody please tell me WHY i found our blog renamed 'Blogl'.
And what is up with the entry under this one titled "Snigl". It honestly better not be what i think it is. If you guys got a new puppy i'm going to be mad. If you have, and named it SNIGL i am going to be furious.

BYE.


-zicheh.

Tea Cup Silky Terrier

How Nice

Amber Vet was the vet that we took Grisl to, it was recently new and their staff sent us a card.....

Earthquake!

My first earthquake experience in San Francisco!!!

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/events/nc/71560691/us/index.html

I was sitting on my bed at around 3pm when I felt a sudden, small jolt. I almost immediately suspected an earthquake and wondered if I should lie down and put the pillow over my head (what you should do if you're in bed when an earthquake hits). But the shaking had already stopped, so I figured it was either over or just my imagination (feeling queasy and kinda dizzy today x_x).

At 6pm I was watching the news on TV, and the reporter mentioned there was an earthquake earlier in the afternoon with a magnitude of 3.7 - 3.8, and I was like "It really was an earthquake!!!! O_O"

Anyway, as you can see from the website I linked above, it was a weak earthquake that didn't do any damage, so no worries, all is well. =)

P.S.: Interesting fact, the 1906 earthquake that devastated SF actually happened on this exact date. 105th anniversary present? D:

Grisl

This was the very last photo taken of Grisl, I suspected that she suffered from pneumonia when I did a re-search. But I know that Auntie Jocelyn is playing with Grisl right now

Title?

Hello family!

I'm submitting a drawing for the Spring Show and I need to think of a title for it. Any suggestions?

'bit hard to ignore

Arrive in Melbourne.

Sam accompanies me to Optus to get a new mobile plan. I'm praying for a good deal. He tells me to use his ABN during registration. I get a brand new Blackberry handset for free.

Subject registration begins on Thursday, 17th Feb, but a sanction prevents me from completing the online enrolment. I book an academic advice consultation on Friday and the advisor offers to lift it for me "immediately". Later that afternoon the sanction is still there. I pray and occupy myself with household chores. In the early evening, I am able to complete my enrolment.

Saturday. I change my entire course of study and am uncertain about my capricious decision to do Media & Communications. I pray for a sign of affirmation.

Sunday, church. 10 minutes before service begins I am sitting by myself when a girl moves into the row in front of me. She seems interested in starting a conversation but sees that I am texting, so she hesitates and starts to turn around. I notice this and lean forward to scratch my ankle. She seizes this opportunity to say hi, and we introduce ourselves. She is a recent graudate of Melbourne University, with a degree in Media & Communications.

Orientation week. I've never had good experiences with orientation; and VJC's was particularly rubbish. I pray for a friendly group and knowledgeable Host. The first day goes better than I could have fathomed. I am paired with a girl named Kira during the ice-breakers and it is immediately apparent that we click. We have lunch together after the day's events. She gives me a hug before going home.

School starts. I pray fervently and out of sheer terror.

English & Theatre texts:
Romeo & Juliet
Othello
Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Romantic Period

Pride and Prejudice
Great Expectations
Jane Eyre
A Doll's House
The Cherry Orchard

IDF subject texts:

The Iliad
Women of Troy
Song of Roland
Henry V
Mother Courage and her Children
Regeneration

If This is a Man

Aunty Lili visits. She helps bring over 5 of the 8 texts I need for English.

A week before we are scheduled to start on the Norton Anthology (AUD40+ book). Two girls in my Media & Communications tutorial suddenly start being extra friendly to me. One of them says she bought all the English & Theatre texts before deciding not to do the subject. "I'm happy to lend you whatever texts you need," were her exact words.

First assignment tasks come in. An essay for English and one for the IDF. I pray fervently and out of sheer terror.

My printer is low on black ink, which is a problem since I need to hand in a hard copy of my English essay. In Trinity, I wormed my way past this problem by getting permission from my tutors to print all my final essays out in blue ink. This time I don't get away so easily. My English tutor laughs and says I should try using the school printer. He's worried the blue ink will be "annoying" to read. I do not understand this reasoning but am not about to argue with him so I nod and leave. From friends' reports, the printing system at the school library sounds complicated and expensive. Two days before the English essay is due, it suddenly occurs to me how odd the ink-deficiency is. Ma and I purchased the printer and ink cartridges in January 2010. My final Trinity assignments were due from April-May 2010, during which time the black ink in the printer had already begun to "run low". This meant the black ink stores took a mere 4 months/less than 50 pages of documents to be completely depleted - highly unlikely. Furthermore, the ink level indicator on the printer display screen shows the black ink stores to be full. Something tells me to realign the ink cartridges and give the printer a few good bashes with my fist (I've seen Pa do this with the printer at home). This proved to be the solution. My first set of assignments are completed and handed in without incident.

First Law Skills Test is completed without incident. I pray fervently and out of sheer terror. 38/40.

A friend from Trinity contacts me to make dinner plans. He studies law at Monash and this will be the first time I'm seeing him in almost a year. We arrange to sup at 'Vegie Bar' on Friday, 1st April, and he tells me to invite a few others, so I do. On Thursday he texts again. He is unhappy that I've (unknowingly) invited someone he dislikes. I feel bad and offer to remedy the situation.

I am then faced with the near-impossible task of uninviting the someone, whom I personally do not dislike, without having to lie or hurt his feelings with the truth. I manage to do so, but the someone tells me he's been looking forward to dinner and I feel terrible. I promise we'll go to 'Vegie Bar' again as soon as possible.

I begin making arrangements for this second trip to 'Vegie Bar'. It becomes clear that organising events is not my forte. I finally manage to gather some 6 lovely people for lunch on Sunday afternoon, and decide to make a reservation - the restaurant is notorious for being constantly packed and having a long waiting list (i.e. the kind of waiting duration that would make Pa restless). By this time my stress levels are ridiculously high, even higher than they were during the assignment weeks. I call up Saturday night, and to my mortification, am told that reservations cannot be made on weekends because patronage is exceptionally heavy on those days. The waitress even tells me large groups like ours will not be entertained at all. I am standing on the balcony while making this call and upon hearing this, contemplate throwing myself off it. I hang up, and am at a loss. There is nothing I can do, so I decide to pray everything will sort itself out.

Sunday. After church, I meet 3 of the 6 people in town before heading to 'Vegie Bar'. The 4th is running late; in fact she is so late that one of the initial 3 decides she won't be able to join us for lunch after all. Our group is left with 6 people. The someone has decided to make his own way to 'Vegie Bar', and when he calls I ask him to inquire after a table for 6. He calls back to say we only have a chance of being seated if all 6 people are present, and the waitress will not do reservations or make a waiting list. And as expected, the place is packed with customers. The 5th person is running late too, but we head to the restaurant first. On the tram ride there, I am nervous and sad. If we cannot get seats at the restaurant, this entire endeavour will be a huge failure. My friends try to assure me it isn't a big deal. I pray quietly to myself.

We arrive at the restaurant and meet the someone. I go inside and it is crowded. A waitress approaches and I ask her for a table. It is the same waitress that the someone spoke to. He quips from behind "Yeah, our whole group is here now". She smiles at me and says, "A table for 6 just opened up".

We are seated immediately.

-zicheh.

Inter-School Competition

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess what? I got into these competitions : 4.1 km Cross Country 4 x 100 Relay 4 x 200 Relay 100 m Nationals Hooray! I'm so happy because I got my very first number tag! Here it is.

Singapore Flyer

HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went onto the Singapore Flyer for the FIRST TIME!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!! One rotation takes up to 30 minutes and we went to Kenko Spa after that!!! I went inside the Kenko Spa because they had the Fish Massage! What the fish do is that they clean your leg and it is good for my skin because my skin is dry!! After the massage..... my skin felt so soft! IT ACTUALLY WORKED! I felt so relaxed and felt like sleeping after that........

EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

Argh!! The scariest thing just happened!

Nick and I were playing Rock Band and we had the TV on at the same time, but with the sound barely audible so that we could hear the songs. I guess that's probably why I didn't notice a thing until Nick suddenly paused the game and quickly turned up the volume.

Whatever was showing at the time had been replaced by a still screen that read "EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM". As the sound gradually came back up, we heard an announcer trying to talk through some really bad static. I could only make out the words "EARTHQUAKE", "8.9" and a couple of bay area names, including San Francisco.

My first thought was an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 8.9 was going to hit the bay area, which sent me reeling in panic, trying to remember what to do from the drill in school. (For some reason, "stop, drop and roll" kept coming to mind. -_-) But after listening further, I realised it was Japan that had just been hit by the earthquake, and that this announcement was a tsunami warning.

So apparently, according to the announcer, the tsunami is imminent, and it'll probably hit the bay area at around 8am. Nick seems a lot more relaxed about it than I am... I guess this is because I've never had to worry about such things in Singapore before. D: I'm now frantically backing up all my work in my portable hard drive that I'm planning to keep in a ziploc bag, while Nick is looking on in amusement.

I'll update on what happens later. O_O

-

UPDATE: Ok, so now I'm watching the news, and the newscaster says the tsunami warning is not a tsunami warning, but a tsunami watch, which means a tsunami is not necessarily imminent after all. There will be big waves, but they may not do any major damage.

-

UPDATE: So it would seem a few dozen boats and docks were damaged/ destroyed along the coast of Northern California, and that's about it. Apparently some homes down in South San Francisco were evacuated, and a couple of schools are closed for the day. No major issues have been reported, and I'm now left to reflect on the fact that I was more concerned about saving my work than myself. =/

-

UPDATE: Wow... some Californians actually got swept away by the waves. I'd feel sorry for them, but we were given ample time to evacuate and I don't understand why so many people still insisted on going to the beaches to witness the impact. How reckless. -_- They kinda brought this on themselves.

Being a freeloader

HELLLO

This is going to be short, because i have had so little time to myself since orientation started on the 22nd of Feb. Everything's fine - better than fine - and God is being good to me.

Being the poor international student that i am (darkly ironic, since as an international student 'i' pay a crapload of money to study here) i have devised various lessthanhonourable ways to save money on food, transport and household bills. Using dirty dishwater to flush the toilets is one of my attempted methods of cutting back water bills, and walking everywhere/tram-ing illegally is one of the ways in which i save on transportation.

Saving on food has been tricky, but i have found the solution at long last.

Attending any function that promises free food.

Yes i have shamelessly done this over the past two weeks or so. Exploiting the generosity of event-organisers and the like.

Why just this evening i attended a gathering organised for all Singaporean students in melbourne (and i do mean all), held at the Park Hyatt Hotel. As a brazen little leech i seized the opportunity to score free dinner and a goodie bag when my new friend invited me along to this exclusive soiree. Although intended for members of the Singaporean Students Society in Melbourne Uni (which i declined to participate in, on account of it's resolutely (pseudo-)patriotic guise), the administrative persons were kind enough to excuse an interloper - a charity i later realised was not exceptional to my person, and therefore left me feeling disappointed and slightly hurt.

The attendance appalled me in its diminutiveness. I expected a larger group of people to be present, given the promise of FREEEEEE commodities and food.

In short. The night was lovely, and the company delightful. The goodie bags left us wanting, but the dinner was beautiful. Offerings such as oxtail stew, bee hoon, hainanese chicken rice and other asian gastronomies were laid before the hungry crowd. These dishes did not move me, but my cool demeanor was broken by the presence of a gorgeous gado-gado table, strewn with the freshest and most crisp vegetables, tofu and cubed potatoes, with peanut-curry and coconut milk sauce.

i am blessed by a Divinity, there is no other explanation that will suffice

zicheh. (my new pen name)

VOTE FOR GRISL

Hello everybody!
Cheh(2x) Yumei helped us upload Grisl's picture into the Pet Of The Month at the Pet Lovers Centre website! So now all we have to do is vote for her, but of course try to vote on as many computers as you can! Even on you handphone! One vote per day, you just need to click on her picture and that means you voted already! We must make Grisl win as the month of March is her Birth-day after all! Click on this to go :
http://www.petloverscentre.com/PetMonth/participate.asp

Grisl's 14th Birth-day Present

I read this in a Pet Magazine, which I found was very interesting as it helps to keep away those pesky birds that keep on coming and shitting around when there's food in the pet bowl, this for sure is to keep out all birds! I plan for us to get this for Grisl's 14th Birth-day present!!! Enjoy! :3

The basic model has a lid-sensor that automatically opens when it detects the presence of the pet. It automatically closes back when no presence is detected, allowing you to keep your beloved pet’s food or water clean, fresh and germ-free!
Do more than just feed with the advance model. The additional product features help to maintain your pet’s diet by dispensing food or water at timely intervals. Up to 3 meals can be set, ensuring your pet gets the right portion at every meal. The dish remains open till the next feeding time so your pet can eat at its own pace.
Remind your pet its feeding time the fun way with pre-recorded message on the built in microphone. This model is great for active pet owners - no more worrying about feeding your pet while away.
Touchless pet food dispensers will ensure peace of mind for pet lovers. We know good nutrition is the basis of a healthy pet and a healthy pet makes a happy owner!

Product Features

• Removable dishwasher safe bowl for easy cleaning
• Durable ABS construction

All for just $68!!!!!!!!!!!

Art Blog!

HELLOOOO

I'm blogging in class now MUAHAHAHAHAHAR.

http://lizarie.blogspot.com

Here's where I've been uploading my artwork! Art blogs are all the rage now, at least among my friends. They have been for awhile, but I refused to conform. Then I realised art blogs can actually be good for networking and stuff, plus it's a great way to archive my artwork for easy viewing. So yes, I dusted off my old blog and turned it into an artblog! =)

Everything's good here, handling classes and assignments quite well, thank God. =) I should stop blogging now and pay attention. :P

Till next time!

SKYPES

[21:00:10] Me (to Pa and Ma):

today some weirdo tried to talk to me while i was at QV buying groceries

i usually just walk across the road to coles but the weather was so nice during the day so i just decided to walk to the city

and as i was leaving woolworths and going up the escalator this dude walked up behind me and i almost knocked him with my bag

and i was like oops sorry

then as we were going up the escalator he suddenly said are you chinese?

what kind of question is that

stupid

so anyway i was like yeah i'm chinese

and his english was so bad i had to keep asking him to repeat the stuff he was saying

then he said he thought i was vietnamese like him

anyway so after we got off the escalator i walked away and deliberately went one big round to the next escalator (cos the supermarket is two floors down from ground level)

so yeah, i did that and as i was on the next escalator i suddenly heard a voice behind me

"are you a student"

i FREAKED OUT. but i tried to hide it

UGH SO ANNOYING

anyway i tried to be as casual as possible and he just kept sticking with me as i was walking out of qv

ugh i was trying to give him the GO AWAY vibes but whatevs

so i deliberately asked him (just to make sure he wouldnt folow me indefinitely) "whereabouts are you headed" and he said he was going to melb central to buy a coat so i was like okay and he asked me the same q so i said i was going home

and he asked me where i lived and i lied and said southbank because i obviously wasnt going to tell him!! though i lied, which was bad

anyway he tried asking me to sit down and have a coffee or something and i almost didnt understand because his eng was so bad and i was like nooooo hahahaha

i didnt even bother trying to be polite that time i was just like "noooo"

ha.

UGH so weird

WEIRDOS

seriously.

i mean is this acceptable behaviour?!?! i dont think so.

[21:09:19] Pa (to me):

sayang, pa here. some advise

you can choose not to answer his question

[21:09:23] Me (to Pa and Ma):

ya? hahaha true

i feel so irritated

i should have just ignored him but i was trying to appear nonchalant so i just tried to make small talk

wtheck man

[21:10:27] Pa (to me):

and stay put in a public place, and wait him to head where he wants to go

[21:10:42] Me (to Pa and Ma):

the best part was when i went out of my way to NOT follow him to the second elevator and he showed up behind me again

creep

ya i did that

i made sure he went away

[21:11:02] Pa (to me):

always pray

[21:11:06] Me (to Pa and Ma):

and i kept looking back and anyway i went to coles after that and didnt see him so UGH

annoying

he was a scrawny feller though

i think i can take him down

[21:11:47] Pa (to me):

and don't try to start conversation

[21:11:49] Me (to Pa and Ma):

i should carry a weapon

i didn't!

well okay

he did most of it

but i suppose my nonchalance might have come across as being conversational

obviously vietnamese people dont abide by the same social cues as the rest of the world

[21:17:28] Ma (to me):

sayang ma here... ma can imagine how "freaked out" you were when he suddenly sounded from behind you... ma would pray and ask God to help ma get out of such situations without having to lie or do anything out of fear. Rmbr.. God is great and He will always help us so don't feel intimidated or afraid..

[21:17:35] Me (to Pa and Ma):

haha ya as long as i dont bump into him anymore

srsly

if i see him again in the next couple of days i am going to assume he's a stalker and kill him

~

WEIRD PEOPLE ARE WEIRD.

seriously though i think the reason why i entertained his weirdness was because i had this feeling he might just be some overly friendly dude who's lonely in australia. i think cheh might know what i mean. it's like how people shun the homeless in the states because everyone thinks they're drunks and drug addicts, but there are some people who are really in need.

anyway, whatevs to that guy. i'm not so much scared as i am ANNOYED by his persistence. i mean i went out of my way to avoid walking alongside him, and he still sneaks up behind me and has the cheek to try small talk again?! sheesh.

this is probably the only time i will use this hackneyed and lacklustre phrase because it happens to be quite fitting for this situation - good riddance to you, vietnamese dude

-g

Encouragements

I was a marshall at my Track & Field CIP, together with my friends....... there were runners from many schools including ours! It was very fun being a marshall, all you have to do is stand there and cheer the runners on and we get free CIP points and a free shoe bag!!!! It was sad that I could not be together with ALL of my friends..... however I got a partner to stand with me! : )

We were grouped into 4, 2 from CHIJ Katong Convent Track & Field and 2 from I don't know what school in NCDCC. I got up early in the morning and went to Bedok Reservior, we prepared ourselves for the runners to come dashing by so before they started...... we did this to encourage them! This was done by my friend and I, only the 2 of us!

310 Pictures!

The long-awaited pictures of my new room! :)






I really REALLY love the toilet. Haha! I mean, I would have survived with the shared bathroom, but now that I have a private one, I'm really happy! :P Thanks Pa! <3

Proper updates!

HELLOOO!

I have exciting news to share (:

I have made my laptop/work surface much more ergonomic and user friendly!

Hahaha okay so you remember before, when I used to have my laptop just sitting on my desk? That was basically the way I used it for the entire Trinity year - just the laptop, with a mouse so I wouldn't have to use the touchpad-surface thingy all the time.

I had the worst backaches working at the desk for long hours like that, cos clearly I would have to hunch over to be at eye level with the screen, plus the entire laptop had to be painfully close to my eyes or I wouldn't be able to reach the keys with ease.

Check the first photo in this entry to see what I'm talking about!
http://21sas.blogspot.com/2009/10/sotohp.html

So okay, while I was home on my looooong break, I had time to think and realise that I could not tolerate this shiet anymore. So I planned out a new desk setup for myself that wouldn't cost me much, and that would be totally ideal. Things I needed were, a new keyboard (to separate the typing surface from the screen), a laptop cooler, some device that would allow me to have more usb port thingies, plus some kind of elevation for the laptop.

So a few days ago, I went out to look for the cheapest equipment I could find and did my best with what I had. And here is the result!!!

Total cost: 20AUD

The keyboard cost me about 10, and the 4-port usb hub thing cost me 10 as well.

I'd actually picked up a logitech keyboard that cost about 19, but then I looked around some more and found this one for just 9.96. It's a little stiff right now but hopefully it'll wear out some.

Heehee. The brownish shelves underneath are just old things I picked up in 2009, when I first arrived in Melb. I turned one of them over onto it's side, and stacked them up. Then I put some old books in the top and rested the laptop fan (from home) at an angle, and on goes the main piece. There was actually a proper laptop cooler in Big W going for 27AUD, on sale from 54. Not sure if I should get it? Though it would come in handy since the fan I have may not be sufficient. Plus the laptop isn't quite at eye-level for me just yet.. so I'm thinking of putting more stuff underneath to raise it higher. What do you guys think? any suggestions? hahah.

Okay well, there's my very primitive home remedy to desktop design! It's not perfect or like super pretty or anything, but I'm really pleased with it. It's a whole lot easier on the back than my last arrangement.

Anyway, more stuff to come okay! Love you guys (:

BYEEE

gretzels

SO TIRED.

For realsies. I'm so tired today.

Hahaha. anyway, most of the crap I have to do is done.

The stupid carpet is dirty again which means I have to clean it.. even though I just did 2 days ago. Stupid dust!! Melbourne is a dusty city.

I'm also going to try and sell some of my old, unwanted clothes.

griddle.

CNY

HELLO HELLO! Happy Chinese New Year, and Happy Birthday to Greddly Weddles!

I have changed the layout template to something that fits the season better. :P Muahahar!!

I know I say this every semester, but for serious, this semester is probably going to be the busiest of all my semesters so far. Here's my homework list for the first week:

1) 2D animation: bouncing ball (I've finished this already. About 70 sheets altogether. =x)

2) 3D animation: pendulum swing

3) 3D animation: bouncing ball

4) 3D animation: draw poses for walk cycle

5) clothed figure drawing: four drawings of pillows illustrating stretching and compressing

6) heads & hands: self portrait

7) heads & hands: create a composition window using cardboard

Tonight I'm going to have CNY dinner with Uncle Harry + family, and Rachel + Vik. Steamboat! Omnomnom!

Angpaoey Goodness

HELLO.

It is i, the second of the sisterly clan.

The entry following details the best angpao action of this year.

These are the red packets that deserve to be admired, commemorated and immortalised in photographic form, and whose proud stewards must be awarded for their keen aesthetic selection by way of our humble recognition.

In no order of merit, here are the nominees.

(1)

Kong and Por

This year the husband and wife team are pulling all the stops in a display of solidarity.

Both players went with the modern square-shaped packet this year, complete with asian boy and girl motifs (versatility points), bright magenta backdrop, and dancing squirrel.

(2)

Ahma

A bold choice pays off!!! Amidst a sea of reds and pinks, the cheerful orange captures the attention and appeals to our proclivity for more contemporary palettes. Notable accessories include smiling-culture-savvy-squirrel in the foreground, along with strange-chinese-coins-with-the-square-holes-in-the-middle on the top right.

Bonus back details.

(3)

Uncle C. H.

Cute asian child? Great. Cute asian child with goldfish hat? Even better.

We needn't school you on the universal charm of androgynous babies.

Gender ambiguity, you say? We say prudent strategem.

(4)

Aunty Ph.

Standing apart from its squatly cousins is the tall and slim angpao; another modern take on the traditional red packet. This contender wins class points for its elegant design and regal pigment. Unfold the lip to display the embossed arabesque ornamentation in it's full glory.

(5)

Uncle. S.

More longitudinal joy courtesy of this chocolate-themed entry, speckled with sentient pastries and occasion-appropriate asian symbols.

A close up reveals an assiduous attention to detail - the cupcakes are frosted, jelly doughnuts have been glazed, cinnamon rolls topped with cream, and each sliver of strawberry cake brought to life with a moustache.

(6)

Dagu

Physical proof that angpaos don't have to be a huge to pack the most chinesenewyeary punch. Maybe it's the big gold character that we don't understand (but looks convincingly chinese). Maybe it's the cherry blossoms floating down the side (that are actually more of a japanese thing but who cares). Maybe it's the unabashedly red hue. Maybe it's maybelline.

(7)

Aunty M.

Another triumph from the makers of MJR© inc, who have consistently outdone themselves at the annual angpao stakes. This years' entry pushes the colour bracket to new depths in a muted shade of burgundy, accentuated with a matte finish and bronze print.

N.B. Each red packet has its own unique verse.

(8)

Aunty Iv.

Tired of having your eyes raped by garish colours and mismatched polychromasia every cny?

So are we.

So are we.. ಠ_ಠ

Bucking the trend of asian people who lose their chromatic inhibitions during this festive period, the 8th competitor displays an unwavering consciousness of complementary colours. The girly gorgeousness of the rose-pink paper forms a perfect backdrop for the fair-skinned cyclist. We believe the girl is chinese, though her uncharacteristically chiselled nose is beginning to plant seeds of doubt in our minds.

(9)

Ergu

Few have such a firm grasp on angpaoisms as 'Ergu', whose biggest rival is none other than herself. This year she has bested her best with this landscape orientated packet. Be soothed, not stunned, by the light glossy pink undertones - a welcome relief from the rich hues of the season - and the unusual snowy setting in the background. Though not obligatory, a nod toward the zodiac animal of the year is always acknowledged; this bunny has a gold filigree shirt on, which gives him mad style points.

Attached to the bottom right were these two furry cut-out stickers. An unprecedented move of 3-D proportions, bringing the angpao into the 21st century.

(10)

Pa and Ma

So how have our closest measured up against such formidable adversaries?

Staying true to their love of wide, envelope-style packets, the P & M must be commended for selecting an angpao more cheenar than last years'.

No detail was spared in the making of this red packet. The floral print on the interior is so clever and intricate, we'll ignore the fact that it looks like tablecloth.

~

And so ends this year's angpao commentary.

In an unrelated report, i've been eating square egg lately. It's meant for pie tee, but everyone knows i like popiah better than pie tee, so i just swiped some egg to snack on between meals.

Square egg is square.

Okay so. Bye.

And cheh can you please update the blog layout you leysee persen.

hahaha

Gwetl.