Happening 21st

By writing this post, I am no longer a boy, I have turned 21 and I am officially a man!

However, I strongly believe that age does not define maturity of a person, it is our character that define us as who we are. So age is just a number to me (some said age is clearly a word).

My birthday this year falls on a Monday which is a day before my Biochemistry practical examination on Tuesday. To be frank I have never celebrated my birthday under exam stress, what more in a country other than Malaysia? O_o

On Sunday evening (7^th July 2013), I was alone in the library and I received a call from Lai Yeng asking me to meet her up in her hostel. Upon arriving, both Lai Yeng and Pei Shin came out and passed me a Tupperware with a muffin, an apple pie and an egg tart inside with the note:

Happy Birthday

in advance!

Enjoy & have fun

Cake by Laiyeng

Tarts by Lenglui PeiShin =)

I felt deeply touched by their very own hostel-made delicacies and for spending time in making those despite busy preparing for exam. ;’)

After a long day, I went back to my room and lie down on my bed at 1.00 am. Upon resting my head, I heard some plastic sound under my pillow and I thought it was due to some notes underneath. To my surprise, I found this under my pillow!!

5 ties of different colours and a handmade card depicting Cony and Brown from LINE apps! From my darling Hui Ling~ ^^ I have never thought of receiving anything from her since we are so far apart physically and wouldn’t thought of getting a surprise too. It is not the present that matters but the heart and effort she put in to make my day~ <3 <3

8^th July 2013 – Morning

Woke up, brushed teeth, bathe, opened my wardrobe to look for shirt and I found the second surprise, a handmade book with extraordinary words!

I must have guessed this is from Chee Sian. Felt so touched by the way he described me, although it’s a bit exaggerated haha. Just realised my presence actually made so much impact to him as a friend and I kept laughing by the humour within his neat handwriting. There are some photos and notes from Hui Ling too and some wishes from my batchmates inside the 12-page book. I don’t know how much time you spent to compile this book but I really appreciate you as one of my best friends, Chee Sian.

Yes, my facebook wall, twitter, whatsapp, wechat, instagram and LINE apps are bombarded by nearly 200 wishes. I appreciate those wishes very much and I took time to reply each and every wishes. Thanks for spending few seconds on my wall to wish me, LOL.

My whole day was spent on the library as everyone was busy preparing for exam the next day, and yeah, no celebration on that day.

9^th July 2013 – Evening

After exam ended, Siong Keat asked me to accompany him for ice cream as he had not done well in the exam (emo laaa him). Prior to that, Chin Leong (my roommate) said he is going out for a jog but he is actually coming back after I went out to arrange my presents on my bed~

Special thanks to my handsome n charming roommate who is that good in acting… I actually believed he went out to get some drinks… He’s that good u gotta believe it!

From: Chin Leong (he typed that himself on my laptop!)

I seriously believed him and while walking back to hostel after that, we passed by Interact building which my classroom is situated there. Surprisingly (and weirdly), Jonathan and Benjamin was there and both of them were looking at their laptop. I felt so weird and I was like ‘what are they doing here with a laptop? =_=’

When we approached them, they immediately stuck the earphone onto me and played the 18-min video (which includes my family members) that they have specially prepared for me.

I felt so shocked with all the individual birthday wishes from my friends in the video, including few of my friends from my hometown, Ipoh. It made me suddenly miss all of them so much.. T_T the feeling when I am watching the video is hard to describe, I felt happy and touched at the same time. Thanks for sacrificing your time to complete the video just for me – Siong Keat, Chee Sian, Jonathan, Chin Leong, Elyn and Wei Jie.

After I have finished watching the video, I got another surprise when I was surrounded by a bunch of friends behind me. They must have come when I was concentrating in watching the video. Birthday song was sung as formality and we went to KFC for our dinner!! =D

We had a wonderful time there~ =)

YEAH! This was the display on my bed when I reached my room. Specially done by Mr Lee Chin Leong~ The most creative and amazing present among my friends is the one from Benjamin. I was amazed by the artwork he did, see the video below...

Despite the celebration for my birthday is over by a day, I still received present on 10^th July from…

Candice Wong (Jane Russel) - Choc Cake~ =D

And….

Seh Ying (Sying) - Homemade Muffin~ ^^

From Siong Keat, Elyn and Wei Jie on 11^th July~ =)

A special Calvin Klein perfume neatly wrapped in a blue wrapper which warned me not to open as there is a bomb inside. The reason I got the present this late is because they are ordering online and have to wait for it to be delivered to their doorstep, according to my insider source~ =’)

Thanks everyone for making my birthday a special one, even a simple wish made my day and thank God I'm blessed by wonderful, happening and caring people around me~ =)

Understanding AIDS & Beyond

It was a sunny Sunday morning with a glaring bright sun shining towards Manipal despite the monsoon season where I joined a group of 60 other enthusiastic students from my campus, embarking on a journey to Snehasadan AIDS Rehabilitation Center in Mangalore.

This is the second time I have visited the same center where I came during Christmas period last year as it was organized by the same club - Reach Out. I am glad to be part of the organizing committee this time~

There are approximately 34 kids in the center who are infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) which results in them suffering from AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). I think one of the main reasons is due to inheritance from their parents. It is saddening, in fact, to know that such innocent kids are being victimized due to the negligence of their parents and they have to bear the painful consequences immediately once they open their eyes into this cruel world. How fragile life is...

It took us almost 2 hours to reach the center where some of our students puked due to the never ending S-shaped roads. We were greeted by the cheerful kids there once we reached and they are so hyper active, even before our scheduled games started, they dance and jumped non stop once we played the music! I can clearly see the happiness in their faces and they can't wait to show off their talents in all the games we played.

The best we can do is to bring joy to them, although only one morning of playing and interacting with them is not sufficient, but we portrayed that the community still cares for them. There are so many people suffering in every part of the world but the least we can do is to reach out for more of them, even only a small group. Don't talk about relieving pain from the suffered and helping those who are poor if we do not care for the surrounding as a doctor-to-be.

Among the games we played were pass-the-parcel, musical chair, ping-pong game and much more. Now only I realised that controlling a bunch of kids and ordering them to listen to our instructions is a challenge! They are so excited with our presence and got more excited when prizes such as colouring books are distributed to some of the winners. 

I am sure some of our students enjoyed the time with them too, reminiscing the moments when we were small, same like them, moments which we no longer get it back and defined as memories in us. So here we are, creating good memories for others too. Thankfully the kids are well behaved throughout and they can understand simple English which makes it easy for us to strengthen the bonds with them. 

I seriously had a great time with them although it is just for a few hours. Malaysians or Indians, we are all the same and the same blood runs in us. May these few hours bring some impact to their lives as it brought to mine. The feeling of going back to Manipal and leaving the kids is one which I find it hard to express, knowing the fact that I may not be able to see the same faces again the next time I come here...

Credits to Harry Ng for sponsoring his camera for this event~

Minus Blood, Adding Hope

I have always been the weak guy who is afraid of donating blood, refusing every opportunity given every now and then.

Few days back my class representative informed us about the World Blood Donor’s Day which falls on 14 June 2013. I was hesitating whether to go or not until the day comes, when Pei Shin asked me to go along with few other friends after class ended at 10 am. I am used to rejecting people’s offer all these while due to the fear within me but I tell myself on that particular moment, ‘Not this time’.

We reached the Voluntary Blood Bank section on Kasturba Hospital after our brunch and the crowd there was unexpectedly overwhelming. I can see my college students from all the batches gathering there. Despite the large crowd and long queue, we waited patiently for almost an hour before our turn.

When my name was called, I can feel the cold sweat on my palm and I can hear the increased beating of my heart. The feeling of witnessing my own blood being sucked out through a tube is unimaginable, I told myself. Upon lying down on the bed, I asked the doctor on duty, ‘Is it painful?’ ‘No’, he replied.

The syringe was inserted slowly into the median cubital vein on my arm. Blood immediately rushed out through the narrow tube which connects it to a sanitized plastic container with anti-coagulant. I was given a soft ball with a smiley on it which I have to compress it manually with my hand. The blood that was extracted is 450 ml for an average man who weighs more than 55 kg, approximately 10% of my total blood volume.

Surprisingly, I did not feel any unbearable pain, nor any numbness on my arm, something which contradicts with my fear all these while. I was instructed to stay on the bed for few minutes after the donation and was led to a resting room where I was given an energy drink to replenish my electrolyte and fluid balance, and a bar of kitkat.

Certificate of appreciation was given too and an extra 3 hours of attendance will be added. Some came for donation because of the extra 3 hours of attendance but I don’t think I need an attendance of 103%    =P

It was an amazing and painless experience to me and I regretted for not doing this good deed in the past few years. I do not know exactly to whom my blood will be given or how it will be used, maybe they used it to water the plants? (just joking xD) But at least I have done my part and gave hope to those who need it. Most importantly, I overcame my own fear and accomplished yet another challenge in my life~ =)

Medical Magic #2

The blood vessel frequently used for intravenous injection or in this case, for blood donation is located on our arm and the preferred blood vessel is called Median Cubital Vein. A vein is a blood vessel that carries blood back to the heart while artery is responsible to transport blood away from the heart. 

Median cubital vein is the vein which connects the 2 main veins on our upper limb, that is the Cephalic vein and Basilic vein. This vein is preferred because the blood pressure inside is low and it lies very superficial (directly below the skin) on the surface. Some of you might be able to see the vein on your own arm whereas some will not be able to see it, how is it possible for venipuncture (taking blood) if the vein is not seen?

The Magic: A cuff from sphygmomanometer (instrument used to measure blood pressure) is usually used and tied around the forearm. This is to decrease the velocity of the venous blood from flowing back into the heart and thus causing increased pressure on the vein, exposing it on the skin surface for easier marking. Once the vein is exposed, a syringe is inserted obliquely and blood will flow out naturally. 

Journey to End Point

This can be considered the first time I am going to End Point since I came back for my second semester. End Point is a place where fresh air is available, along with the greens (trees) and the blues (river). The whole group of us went on a Sunday morning because one of my friend, Pei Shin has not been here yet and this is the first time she actually came here. Its just a 20 minutes journey from my hostel.

There is a river which we have to climb down across the woods in order to reach there. The pitiful river has lost a significant amount of water since the last time I saw her. I think this is mostly due to the summer season in Manipal. As usual, Benjamin is the one who was leading us all the way down to the river by removing slippery stones and hazardous branches along the way.

The 9-second video above can clearly show you the beautiful environment there. No pollution, no noise, just mother nature. End Point is always a nice place to go especially when I am stress and down. Its like escaping from a busy life to a wonderful place where you can look back and solve your problems one by one.

Today itself I saw a group of Indian women going from shop to shop in the town area, begging for few rupees in order to feed their child. This is not an unusual sight as beggars are seen everywhere around the international student town everyday. However, it suddenly came to my mind that I am so lucky as I am not one of them, mainly because I was born in different region of the earth. 

Sometimes there are just too many things that we are unable to control even with our presence. There are things that we wished to changed but we just could not satisfy each and everyone in the end. So there are times where we should just observed the things that are going on, and be grateful that you are in control of your own lives. I am not a Malay, I am not an Indian. I am not a Chinese, I am a Malaysian.

Tadaaa, today I am going to start off a Medical Magic info session for my loyal readers, inspired by Siong Keat's ambitious dream (www.siongkeat93.blogspot.com) of educating people with health science information. This session will be in each and every blog post of mine from now onwards, cheers~ =)

Medical Magic #1

Kidney is mainly responsible for filtration of metabolic waste products in our body. Have you ever heard about kidney transplant? Basically from what we know, it is the transfer of a healthy kidney to a patient whose kidney is defective or need replacement. Now here is the surprise! Usually when a healthy kidney is transplanted, the defective kidney will not be removed, which means that the patient will have actually 3 kidneys in his/her body. Tadaaa, surprise~ =D

Layman's explanation: The kidney can be fixed to a position lower than the original position of a normal kidney.The removal of the defective kidney is not required due to the complicated procedure in ensuring the blood vessels and nerves surrounding the kidney are not affected. 

Medical Explanation: The transplanted kidney, which is connected to abdominal aorta by renal arteries in the donor, is connected to external iliac artery in the patient. Similarly, the renal veins which is connected to inferior vena cava in the donor, is connected to external iliac vein in the patient. This decreases the rate of morbidities as the renal vessels of the patient are not disturbed. 

More than Sand & Water

It was just a normal Saturday but this week we had 2 extra holidays, that is the Holi Festival and Good Friday, so we. around 20 of us, decided to head to the other beach which we have not explore yet - Kaup Beach! This beach is the second I have visited after the first one in Malpe Beach.

The tide of waves are moving fast here, unlike the calming sea in Malpe Beach. Most of my friends still insisted to dive in despite the strong current there. For me, I chose not to swim mainly due to the hydrophobic nature of mine~ =P

The only reason I came is to enjoy the stress-free beach and to feel the strong wind punching my face reminded me that life is not about struggling to do what you are doing, but appreciate the moment of struggling with people whom I called friends. Time management is crucial here especially when we have class tests & presentations every week. So to say that I will neglect my studies when I actually spent just merely 6 hours in this beach is bullshit~ =)

As you can see here, there is a lighthouse in this beach. This lighthouse is believed to be historical as it was built during the British ruling time. This is actually the first time I was standing in front of a real, REAL lighthouse! The sight where the big torch situated high up the lighthouse being thrown out towards the sea is incredibly amazing, shooting each and every particles hibernating in the sea~

We decided to climb up the lighthouse, to the very top. However, the process is not as easy as expected. We need to climb the never-ending spiral staircase within the lighthouse itself. Some of my friends (Siong Keat) even have vertigo - the fear of heights. The feeling of looking down while climbing up is quite scary too~

The bird-eye view on top of the lighthouse is superb. I realised I can actually see things from different perspective when I am high above everyone, the angle of vision is totally different. 'Think out of the box', this is what I have been hearing all this while from other people. One of the problem I have is the lack of creativity, that's what I am looking for all this while. Nevertheless, all of us are still learning day by day. As time passes, we are becoming better everyday~ =)

Starry starry night, strongy strongy wind~

Where Seniors meet Juniors

Time flies, people don't. I have been in Manipal for a semester. It is like a blink of eye but the blink requires much effort and sacrifice since studying here is never easy. Yet, another batch has enrolled in March - Batch 32, which comprised of 180 fresh medical students. Looking back at their innocent faces reminded me of the moment when I first came here, with nobody to depend on, except for the few of my friends who are always there with me. 

Preparations for the orientation programme is inevitable and my role is simple, to be the person incharge for the computer system in the orientation hall and one utmost holy task - the slideshow planner to add colours to the singing of Onion N Garlic (OnG), a team which consists of my 5 friends in the photo above. 

The video attached above is the 7 hours of hardwork by 2Not3 team (Chee Sian, Siong Keat, Chin Leong and I xD). We had days of sleepless nights because of this~ 

Besides the singing session by OnG, there are also sketch, solo singing, indian dance and much more programmes during the orientation. I am sure the juniors are well entertained that time. Above all I personally enjoyed watching the hilarious and creative sketch which depicts the life of medical student in Manipal itself. There are not a single moment that couldn't make me laugh. Thumbs up to the team of dedicated sketch members (Siong Keat, Chee Sian, Chin Leong, Jonathan, Samuel, etc) whose names are just too many to be mentioned. 

To be frank, the reactions by both the lecturers and students present in the hall are the most satisfying moment for me. After putting in countless efforts, the feeling of being able to make other people to laugh is golden. The video is attached above, credits to Wai Khang~ =)

Did I mention the indian dance too? Yea, the indian dance is the final programme for the day, which ended with a cool and amazing flash mobs who filled the entire hall. I am glad and proud to say that most of my close friends here, including me of course, were actively involved in making this orientation a success~ =D

Message to Benjamin: Thanks for being the 3-hour videographer, although something unfortunate happened to the video, but I still salute you for your effort and dedication which is something that not many people can demonstrate. Thanks for being there for everyone~ =)

Siong Keat's Bird Day

Question of the Day: Who is this smart guy?

Hint: This is not Siong Keat

On this auspicious day, my group of friends and I planned 2 surprises for Siong Keat (www.siongkeat93.blogspot.com). One of it was during the last class of the day, we were having biochemistry class with Miss Nagamma. We have informed her a few days prior to Siong Keat's birthday in order for her to play the video that we have specially prepared for him. This 2 minutes+ video took me approximately 7 hours to complete because I am an amateur in making video and this can be considered the first time I am making one.

'Before we end the class, I have one video for you guys to see, please concentrate', said Miss Nagamma. The video is shown above. It took the whole class by surprise and I am sure everyone was amazed since this is also the first time that a teacher and students cooperate to make the birthday boy special. For me, I felt that it is totally an unbelievably cool experience! My utmost appreciation and credits to one of my best buddies, 

Mr QUAH CHEE SIAN 

for sponsoring his creative ideas in making this video a success~ =D

We did not have any formal dinner that night. It was just a normal meal in the food court with the reason I gave to him was everyone was busy preparing for class tests. Right after that, I managed to lure him into KMC Greens which is just situated behind the food court. Each and everyone were already there to give him the 2nd surprise of the day. We have prepared a total of 5 sky lanterns and a cake~ 

Lastly, thank you, Siong Keat for giving me this opportunity to be one of the many tangent lines in your life. I appreciate each and every time spent here in Manipal with you~ =)

Credits to the 2 Ng's - Harry Ng & Ng Leong Jin for the photos above~

Kochi & Munnar

My friends and I went to Kochi and Munnar for a 4 days 3 nights trip after our short semester break in February. We arrived India late at night and stayed at Castle Rock Hotel on the same day. 

Day 1 of our trip started with the excitement of staying in a boat known as House Boat. YES! It is indeed a large boat being modified to be home-like with 3 rooms inside, totally corresponded to our group of 7 persons. 

It was a never-before experience as we spent the whole day on the boat, listening to the call of nature, the melody of waves and the soft wind which kisses our face. Such an enjoyable moment after our long struggle with the tight syllabus for the previous semester.

The next day we traveled by van to a place known as Munnar. It is situated uphill with a cold climate and resembles Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Malaysia. Tea plantations could be seen along the slopes and varieties of plants are beautifully displayed, welcoming us as we drove uphill. 

Before we reach the peak, our driver stopped halfway at an elephant park. It is managed by the locals and instead of riding the elephants for a round, the elephant bought us across the jungle, only for a short distance, but still the experience is vastly difference compared to what we have in Malaysia. 

The fun and relaxing time I had in Munnar is the one I appreciated the most. People said you only realised and enjoy the free time you have once you have experienced the busy schedule which could make you go mad anytime. This is incredibly true as I have been striving very hard for the past 6 months in order to achieve a good result for my studies. 

I have a few other friends who did not join us for the trip due to the reason that study is more important and this is not the time to play. However, I strongly believes that study is a never ending process and the few days of relaxing is actually crucial for our cramped brain as our studies will definitely not be affected by these few days of vacation that we spent.

Late at night around 6pm, we went for Kathakali cultural show for an hour. The show depicts a few god and goddess of the Hindus imitating actions as Kathakali means the God of Art. I am not a fan of all these show and I felt quite bored for this traditional cultural show.

After the show, we went to see Martial Arts just beside the podium for Kathakali. This time it is a completely different show from the one we watched just now. It involved true fighting scenes as all the skills demonstrated are real and one of the fighters actually got injured and there was bleeding on his shoulder. 

The next day we travelled along River Road and the beach of Kochi. One of the shop that gave me a deep impression was Saga Departmental Store. It is actually a mansion selling antiques, furnitures,  carpets and jewellery. Knowing that young students like us could not afford any of the above mentioned stuff which can cost up to 1,000,000 rupees, the promoter which is Mr Wani Mir still consistently explained each and every details of the goods there. 

He is from Kashmir and the shop is owned by his family. He explained to us that carpets actually have investment value and the longer you keep a good quality carpet, the higher will the price be. I salute his professionalism which I think is something I could not even encounter in Kuala Lumpur. 

Thank you friends who made my trip a memorable and wonderful one. It is definitely an eye-opening experience for a city boy like me~ =)

Phuah Sheng

Benjamin Gan

Jonathan Ngo

Jing Yang

Samuel Tiong

Siong Keat

LEGO Completed, Holidays Ended

I have just finished assembling the LEGO Ferrari car series and I still have a day more until I go back to India. I am a huge fan of LEGO since young but the price of one small piece is shooting up every year which made me a burden to buy them! These ferrari car costs RM12.90 each~ >_<

As I am writing this I am preparing my luggage with a heavy heart that not many can understand. Leaving my comfort zone and everything behind, learning to be an independent individual... See u in few days time Kochi!

The Reunion - Chinese New Year

My holiday started on 2nd February and I reached Ipoh on 4th February at noon. To be frank I am seriously a homesick guy as I have never left home for such a long time. 5 months of staying in Manipal nurtured me to be a person who appreciate more of my surroundings, particularly the people around me. I have 5 more days left in Ipoh as I will be going back to India on 26th, leaving behind my comfort zone and everything that I have here. To eliminate the sad feeling of going back, I am gonna post about my Chinese New Year days here in my very own hometown. 

This year, the year of the snake is the first year I had my reunion dinner other than at my grandma house. I joined my nanny's family reunion dinner at Kampar Club (not in Kampar) at 6pm along with both my sisters, then we rushed to my 2nd Uncle house at Taman Perajurit, just 1 street apart from my roommate, Chin Leong's house. I miss the get-together moments as I can only experience this during CNY. Next year I may not be able to celebrate CNY in Malaysia... =(

Among the days during CNY, Day 2 is the day I anticipated the most every year. I went to my big cousin brother house at Tambun. As you can see all the yummy dishes are cooked and freshly prepared by my nanny. She woke up at 5am and start preparing in order for us to enjoy the delicious meal. Pig stomach soup, roasted pork, roasted duck, braised chicken, GREEN-leafy vegetables were among the tasty dishes which is not possible to get in Manipal. Everyone was saying I have became slimmer and thinner after I came back. Technically I ate quite a lot in Manipal and I don't save money on food! This may be due to the extremely, freaking stress on my studies. I stayed up late every night and woke up early everyday except Sunday there. That does not end when I came back, I still have 4 and a half years more, thinking of it made me feel scare. But rest assured, I am in the process of becoming a great doctor~ =) (thank you Chee Sian)

Day 3 of CNY was one of the happiest day I have too. Every year my family will be having open house on day 3 of CNY. My house is not a bungalow but merely a terrace house which could not hold huge amount of guests, parking is a problem along the street and my pitiful friends have to squeeze themselves into the kitchen and stairs as the dining place and parlour were fully occupied. I did not invite many friends this year but more than 20 of them were present due to spreading of news by some of my close friends here. I am glad to see them enjoyed themselves here and had a fun time meeting old friends. As you can see Cai Shen (God of Fortune) is in the photo. Nope, my family did not call him but it is the work by some of my dad's AIA colleague who planned to give a surprise to my dad. The atmosphere in this house turned hot when Cai Shen is here. One of my uncle even ask him to write him a 4-digit number!

I was at home on Day 4 when I received a call from Xinh Guan, saying that he and my few former classmates will be visiting in 10 minutes time. They came by Geston's car and I felt happy everyone is still the same, no huge changes in them. Although only few of them were here, but it was nice knowing their progress in their respective universities. All of them are currently doing good. I joined them after that and we went to Swee Kwan's house which is less than 5-minute drive from my house. Both his grandparents were there and they are still healthy and strong. 

Day 5 is 14th February which is also Valentine's Day! I went to Hui Ling's house as we already planned to make glutinous rice ball (tang-yuen) together. It is simply not an easy process as we have to choose the correct fruits in order to make the colouring of the rice balls. Rubbing and twisting the rice flour also requires skill and the perfect combination of water and flour will only give the best taste rice balls that we expected. TADAAAA, cute and fat rice balls are born after few hours of hardwork ^^ We went to Aeon, Station 18 to watch Wedding Diary 2 after that. It is a both meaningful and hilarious movie although I did not watch the first series. Warm Chocolate Lava cake from Secret Recipe and Chatime milk teas, simple and lovely for Valentine's~ =D Sometimes I felt I have neglected my parents when it comes to Valentine's Day. I have not spend a single moment with them on that day and I felt sorry for it... 

My primary school friends reunion is held on Day 6 at Greentown's Oldtown Kopitiam. I have not met some of them for years, such as Wai Pin, Kah Keen and Xiang Bin. We still share some of the common topics and it is quite enjoyable to be with them on that day. Joker of all times - Li Heng, still the same old him and the things he talked never failed to entertain us. Although sometimes we tend to bully him but he is not affected by the words we said, nor by the teasing we have done. How good if there is a time machine and I can go back to my primary school times in Yuk Choy. I will seriously appreciate the moments there and spend more time with my beloved teachers and my innocent friends (back then xD). I remember how I used to be super quiet in the class and dare not speak with too many people, I was shy back then! If I were to recall any crazy experience, I could only find a few. We went to Anthony's house after the reunion and as usual, blackjack time!! =D

Day 7 is a blue Saturday, Hui Ling is going back to Bukit Jalil as she will be having classes the following weeks. Most of my friends were back by then as their holidays were only until CNY week. I spent the whole day at her house, accompanying her... =( <3 

  

Sunday! I had my cousins gathering at Nasmir mamak shop. Only the 4 of us - me, my elder sister and both my cousin brothers. We used to play at the playground opposite my nanny's house when I was in my primary school times. Melvin bro is currently doing his internship after graduated from university whereas Jason bro is still in Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka. It has been n years since the 4 of us gathered together.. =')

I spent the night at my nanny's house prior to the Day 9 as the Jade Emperor ritual (bai-tian-gong) is held there. Hokkiens and some businessmen believe that they will receive blessing and prosperity in their lives granted by the Jade Emperor God. Rui Xin, the chubby young girl is there too along with her naughty brother. She is no longer staying in my nanny's house except every Wednesday where her parents will drop her there to see my nanny. She is very close to me as I will accompany her to play everytime. As I am writing this I realised when I was in Manipal, I don't really miss the food in Ipoh, nor my fluffy bed or adidas shoes, what I really miss was the people in my hometown. Sometimes I do ponder the journey I am undertaking now, the 5-year course that I am currently pursuing. Will everything be the same after I have graduated? Would all the people still be at the same old place? No one knows... =\