Bowling!

Care de pescado = I am a FISH.

Why fish, you say? Thats because I have a memory of a FISH.

Just a random thought. HAHA. Lame, no? =)

Anyways. Felt like I havent blogged for awhile. No inspiration, life is B.O.R.I.N.G at this point in time.

Yesterday's halfway party 'BOWLING outing' to didsbury was fun, although I have to be honest I wasn't looking forward to it in the first place. I can't bowl for NUTS. Like seriously, not kidding.

99% of the time I bowl into the 'longkang' in between lanes one. So i had my 'pagar' up, and it wasn't too bad. =) And it was nice to see almost the whole course there. =)

Bowling group NUMBER 1.

'Mua' =)

To complete the afternoon outing was yummy nando's for dinner. =)

I just had a 2.30pm-7.30pm 'NAP' this afternoon. When I woke up I was in DISBELIEF when I looked at the clock! 5 HOURS OMG I'm such a PIG. Or a fish? Can't decide.

Maybe I'll settle for a mixedbreed pigfish. A lazybum sleepyhead with a small degenerating pea-sized brain.

=)

It scares me to see how people I love lose hope when facing illness.

There is this constant fear in their voices, the faked cheerfulness and optimism when everything seems so bleak.

And it breaks me to take part in the whole 'play' set-up, having no choice, as every opportunity taken to talk about the problem as it is, is pushed aside and diverted.

It breaks me even more, to know that there is nothing I can do but offer up a little prayer. The feeling of helplessness, and the fear that anytime at all, I would lose the person.

I knew I would face this one day. I just didn't know when.

It has been quite a week. Classes has been downright crappy it makes me depressed just thinking about it, but I'll spare you guys the agony of listening to me complain. Enough of emo-ness from mua for now. * I hear phews of relief? * grrrr heheh. =)

I shall channel my thoughts to the-happy-happenings, that made my week more bearable!

The 5 pictures above summarizes it all ~

Heheh if there's anything that can make peilian jump up n down with excitement, its :

FOOD + BOOKS + COFFEE + CHOCOLATE + Good COMPANY

I earned myself a 50pd voucher to spend in Waterstones n HMV! Woohoooo! =) ( which explains my 3 brand new BOOKS. MUAHAHA.) And all I had to do was sit and let my facial profile be analysed by ard 6 orthodontists, have some pictures taken, and a facial scan. I found out from there that my face is assymetrical though! =( How comeeeee? Sigh.

FOOD came in the form of yummy-licious very authentic chinese cooking, like zhai choi ( zhe chai in hokkien ), japanese tofu, black mushroom chicken, chickut teh, herbal eggs and a yummy-licious sweet desert soup with white fungus, red dates, dried longans and tong yuen! Us dentistry people decided to cook a late cny meal ( it was pre-chapgohmeh hehe still cny luckily) and I'm proud to say that we've really improved in our cooking skills from first year till now! =) Left Rach's place with a heavy-laden but very satisfied tummy. =) Had good company n lots of laughter for the night too =)

SO yes, it wasnt too bad a week. =)

As I walk in this world alone, sometimes I wonder what's on the other end.

And sometimes when things go all wrong, I wish I could just be at the other end without walking the long hard road. Or that someone would be there to carry me, or give me a shoulder to lean on when I fall and hurt myself.

It is the journey that matters, not the destination. Somehow my brain tells me that, but my stubborn heart wanders and yearns otherwise. What is at the other end? Is all this crap with life worth it? Why is there no express train?

I somehow thought, that the emo days are over. But it never will be.

As long as this heart beats.

Happy 20th, Adrian! =)

Hahahaha my blog does seem like a birthday-announcement site lately. But its not my fault so many people are born in the month of February! ( heheh OVERstatement of the year ) =)

The above plate is curtesy of Melissa and I, not for his birthday.. we did it just one random day in the flat. =) Quite the artsy-fartsy eh? Whats with the 'falalala' ( Deck The Halls~christmas carol was ringing in me head at that time mar so I just decided OKla. WRITE nia. Although tidak berkaitan sama sekali ). And all the other lil drawings are related to Adrian in one way or another.



Sorry Adrian, I know you always say I bully you.. but I can't resist posting this :





*angel faced*






Have a wonderful, wonderful day! =)

Yiyian left =(

4 weeks of having her bunk-in with me in my room, today she left, leaving a void. =(

It was wonderful to have someone to share stories with after classes, talk and laugh about stuff, someone whom I'm very comfortable with because of our similar backgrounds. =)


Bye yiyian! =) And thank you for going all the way to Starbucks to get me an iced mocha heheh MY FAV! =)

As you already know, I'm nuts about coffee, and yesterday's Starbucks really made my day. =) Yummmmm. =)

xxx

Today's perio was a nightmare. =( Got pretty upset with myself, and felt useless. I wonder if I will graduate someday as a competent dentist. The thought of working in the world scares me sometimes. If I could, I would want to stay a student forever. But I know, I won't learn that way.

The iron tablets I've started taking is also making me feel quite out-of-myself lately. I've been avoiding it like plague, coz it makes my tummy feel like its been twisted, released, then twisted again. Just like when you washed your clothes and you're twisting it dry. Its just S.I.C.K stuff, those. But yes, I need them. =(



Note to self : Pick yourself UP. Be strong.

Happy 30th, Francisco!

Hahahahahahaha don't worry he's no serial killer, FAR from that. =)

This picture is the only one I have of him, and it is HILARIOUS, don't you think? *cheeky grin*

May you have a wonderful 30th year, Francisco! My prayers for a successful and happy year ahead! =)




Before I leave I need to share my current excitement! My uncreased, super new pages, paperback smelling story book ~ The Other Boleyn Girl~ which I purchased from Amazon! I was jumping up n down in my room in JOY when my flatmate brought it to me.

YIPPEE!!! =)

I'm only halfway through, savouring each page. =)

Can't wait to catch the movie in the cinemas end of this month!

My ranting yesterday was done out of anger of the moment, and I'm happy peilian again today. Thank you dear friends, for the concern. =) It is Lent, and there is nothing more sinful than to hold so much grudge in my heart. I will continue praying that one day I would be able to forgive. =)

Have a good day, peeps! =)

I need to rant.

Nothing angers me more than to be wrongly accused of something I didn't do, and seeing a friend going through so much prejudice leading to false accusations makes me feel the same way.

For almost 3 years now in the UK, I've never really heard of stories of racism or anything of that sort, and I was becoming very comfortable on how we Asians are accepted in this foreign land.

Everything seems fair and square, people are very polite and nice, basically, it was all FINE n DANDY.

Until today. When I heard of a friend who's being wrongly accused and thrown all sorts of calumny, when in the first place she has no part in whatever that happened whatsoever. And I'm so MAD. For people who know me, you would know that I rarely get ANGRY, and when I do, it must be quite serious. SO serious to the extent that I can't ignore that voice inside of me, screaming to be heard. So please BEAR with me.

WHO ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO THROW FALSE ACCUSATIONS ON AN INNOCENT PERSON?

THINK WITH YOUR BL***Y HEAD BEFORE TALKING, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HURT YOU'VE CAUSED THAT PERSON?

JUST BECAUSE WE ASIANS DO NOT LOOK OR LIVE THE SAME WAY AS YOU DO, DOESN'T GIVE YOU ANY RIGHT TO JUDGE US. GO LOOK AT YOURSELF IN THE MIRROR FIRST!

YOU NOW KNOW THE TRUTH, I THINK YOU OWE MY FRIEND AN APOLOGY. THERE's NO SUCH THING AS PRETENDING NOTHING HAPPENED AFTER ALL THOSE HURTFUL WORDS. BE RESPONSIBLE WITH WHAT YOU SAY, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

It is a brutal world, out there. Every day we face prejudices of different sorts, people of varying character. And I have to say, that maybe I'm still very immature... and my world as of now is one of nice people, surrounded by friends whom I can trust.

But that doesn't mean to say that I haven't been there before. Betrayal from a close friend is the worst kind of pain any human being can have. The years of friendship where you give all your heart and soul, only to receive SPITE behind your back.

And then there are certain things I've encountered as a child, young and innocent, a betrayal of the worst sort thrown upon my whole family. And as the eldest there is this constant worry of my parents not being able to pick themselves up after the whole incident, my younger sisters facing prejudice of all sort in school, hence ignoring the actual turmoil in myself for not being able to 'fit' in among my friends, because of the false accusations other people inflicted upon my family.

The constant fear that my family will crumble after this fall, and never be able to pick ourselves up after... all because of false accusations.

This hurt is always there, and it partly defines who I am. The continuous building of a wall around my heart, never letting anyone gain my trust that easily, and never letting people get close enough to hurt me.

I think that is partly the reason for my anger outburst today. I just hate people who accuse without proof. They really deserve to DIE n BURN IN HELL.

I'm sorry for this sudden outburst, but everytime I think about it, I think about my mum's continuous tears which felt like the longest period of my life. And my dad's suppressed anger. The way people looked at us, for something we did not do.

I can't help but get angry all over again.

Happy 23rd, Mei Lin! =)

So sorry that you had to have such a simple dinner on your birthday, and not going shopping with you.. sigh blame my stupid headache n extreme tiredness after a long day at class. =(

But hopefully that li'l surprise made up for it. =)

May this 23rd year be a fruitful and happy one, with lots of blessings! =)



xxx


On another note, today my pros patient cancelled.. sat around in class doing nothing. Now my head is throbbing due to accumulated tiredness from last night.

I hate how I get tired so easily. =(

I've got Restless Legs Syndrome.

No it's not one of my L.A.M.E jokes, this joke belongs to Cass. =)

Only thing that it is not a joke. It all started on Saturday night, when Yiyian suddenly mentioned that I tapped my legs with a rhythm when I'm asleep. Cass was here too, subconsciously listening whilst telling us her few <----'understatement of the year' other LAME jokes. Because the jokes were so lame and we got so caught up in it laughing our heads off, this 'interesting' fact of the year was all forgotten.

Or so I thought.

And then suddenly last night, she messaged me on msn saying "Eh. I think you've got RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME."

All Yiyian n I did was LAUGH OUR BUTTS OFF.

And then she decides its TIME she proves herself right ( she's been suffering this 'nobody-believes-whatever-I-say' syndrome ) for ages now, so she sent me the link.

Whooooooooooaa. REALLY wan.

What is RLS?
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a fairly common, but often overlooked disorder, affecting both movement and sleep. A person with the condition has unpleasant sensations in their legs, and an overwhelming urge to move them. ( I'm not sure about this 'overwhelming' urge, I'm asleep LARR )

Symptoms?
1. an urge to move the legs
2. uncomfortable sensations deep within the legs
3. disturbed sleep and difficulty falling asleep
4. periodic leg movements involuntary jerking movements ( proven by Yiyian, and previous stories by my Banting comrades )

Causes?
1. Iron dificiency anaemia ( Oops. My blood count is 8.9, apparently very low, so this proves it?)
etc etc.. malas to type all.

If people are curious to know more about this 'condition', go here :
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=502&sectionId=5


Yiyian wanted to video my feet whilst I am asleep, but didnt manage to do it yet. Its amazing how I'm a medical 'speciment' for all these budding doctors.

Just recently Adrian came to practice taking blood pressure on me, George wanted to test my cranial nerves and tendon reflexes.. ( for their exams )

Medical students really AMUSE me sometimes. =)

My favourite childhood desert.

My mum, to me, is the BEST cook EVER!

Cakes, cookies, traditional kuihs ( her most popular ones are seri muka, onde onde n kuih ketayap ), most importantly TeoChew Chinese cooking..... aaaah, I miss home + her already. =(

Yesterday I attempted to make my favourite childhood desert, SAGO PUDDING.

Mum used to tell me when I was younger, that this was a desert served in hotels, which always left me in awe.. for the opportunity to dine in a hotel was almost non-existent for our family.

And I always imagined myself sitting in a nice big hotel restaurant, spooning this delicate little decadent desert with expensive cutlery, enjoying every bite. With a tiny bit of imagination, it was an AMAZING experience! =)

The wonderful thing about this desert is how easy it is to make, if you have the right ingredients.

Simple it may be, I feel that the importance lie on the quality of the sago, coconut milk, and our very special Malaysian Gula Melaka. Which is, really, the only 3 ingredients you need.

Being overseas and far away from home naturally makes these goods a serious 'luxury', for there is no place I've heard of freshly squeezed coconut milk, sago I'm not sure if it exists here, and the most impossible to get, I would think, is Gula Melaka ( a kind of brown sugar very popular in Malacca, used a lot in deserts ).

My first attempt to melt this 'sugar' failed miserably, and I wasted an entire piece ( mum sent me 4 ) =( . I burnt it, and it was bitter =( Sadd. =(

But the 2nd attempt was successful! The sugar has this special kind of sweetness like no other, I love it to death! =)

There is no words to describe the rush of sweet childhood memories whilst the tasting the cool smoothness of the sago, with a tinge of sweetness from the sugar,and the creamy saltiness from the coconut milk.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, BLISS. =)

To make things better, are the peanut cookies that cassandra n I made! Y.U.M.M.Y. =)

Rito, hopefully the sight of this amount of food will put me off on the right start and the right mood today! =)

Tooodleedoo!

PeiLian the Disto-Buccal ROOT of a MOLAR tooth.

AiLing, YiPei and myself were asked to 'play' the part of 'roots' in our Endo session today.

3 of us made a MOLAR. So yes, 3 'ROOTS'.

I was Miss Disto-Buccal Root, AiLing Disto-lingual, and YiPei Mesio-lingual. ( forgive the dentistry jargon, it just simply means our (the roots) positions in the tooth).

I don't know, maybe I'm very easily amused.. but I cracked up at the sight of us being shone 'a light' from a torchlight ( to illustrate the way radiographs work for Endo ).And the whole lot of explanation by our tutor that followed was just hilarious.

Hahahahahahahaha =)

Anyways. HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR FOLKS!!! =) May the Year of the Rat bring happiness and prosperity to you all =)

Reunion dinner was in the form of a HUGE feast with my flatmates n friend's friend etc etc, n my friends too!

It was a nice noisy night with lots of merriment, good music and lots of yummy food. Which is what chinese new year is supposed to be about.

Dumplings, roast duck, roast chicken, mapo tofu, fried rice, spring rolls, sweet n sour pork, oranges, adrian's special chicken dish ( sorry adrian dunno wads it called ), stir-fry veg, wantan soup, dumplings, prawn crackers, and most importantly LOADS of mandarin oranges! And thanks to Louisa we had 'nin kou' ( traditional sticky desert believed put by Chinese on alters to 'stick' the mouth of the 'kitchen GOD' so that He doesn't tell stories of our ill-doings on earth). Heheh my 2nd time since Yipei's treat just a few days ago when we made sushi! Yummmmy things, those!! =)

Happy EATING, people! Another 13 days to escape from all the keep-fit diets, etc WITH an excuse! Nevermind the biggerbellybiggerbuttbiggerthighsbiggerarms for NOW, coz hey, CHINESE NEW YEAR leh!

If there's anything the Chinese people are better at, its EATING. =)

The past few days I've been thinking about what I should give up for Lent this time around.

People always ask me, " Why bother?" " What's the point in the first place?"

And when I was younger, I didn't use to understand as well. Its just something everyone around me does, and I do it because the nun in cathechism classes told us to, and because I thought it'll be nice to do something for the God who loved me so much.

Discipline in the sense of abstaining from something I really like to do or enjoy is by large, the hardest thing. And yes, it is only for a short period of 40days, but when it is something you usually look forward to at the end of a long and crappy day... its close to hell, i should say.

Why deny yourself from the things you enjoy, you may ask? Many will not agree to this act of self-denial, this 'so-called' act of sacrifice for God. Majority will feel that this, in actual fact, is stupidity. Some will say, this doesn't show that you love God any more than others who do not abstain.

So why bother?

If you'd asked me this big WHY question last year, I would say.. " Well coz its the way I was taught to live my faith. And doing otherwise wouldn't make me happy. "

This year, if you'd asked me again, this is what I feel. Lent can be at any time of the year, it is just a season to remind us of our loving Father's sacrifice by giving us his Only Son. Why the sacrifice ONLY during this season? If you claim you love God so much and want to show that you love Him in return, why not do it the entire year? And the rest of your life?

The way I see it, is that we are humans. We need a reason to do the things we do, a season during which we can get 'into' it without losing interest. Humans are made to feel bored, we get tired, we lose faith. It takes a lot to keep on track with self-sacrifice and self-reminder. It is inevitable that we drift further away at some point, with so much going on in our lives, and we find it necessary to find a reason to bring us back to track. An entire year of sacrifice is not human-ly possible for most of us. We have this natural need to pamper ourselves with the best things life can offer, make ourselves feel good with good food, good entertainment, etc etc, which is, in my opinion, is not wrong.

For I am very blessed all my life, I feel that it is good to have this reason ( or should I say season ) where I sit back and reflect. Reflection in the sense of what God has blessed me with, and to appreciate the things I could still do to make myself happy, even after giving up what I used to enjoy. Also to appreciate that happiness in the heart comes less from superficial things like comfort food and entertainment, but more from doing good and having good relationships with people and God.

Reminding myself of what I have and many others don't, can only, I believe come in the form of sacrifice. Yes, in essence its not taking the sufferings of others or experiencing it in the same way, but its just the understanding of the feeling of deprivation of alot of things I have, but take for granted. And true compassion only comes with experience. Saying you understand what a person is going thru is mere hypocrisy unless you've been through it in a way or another.

This year my Lent sacrifice would be giving time to God in prayer. Prayers for the people I care about, the people I love. Every day, for at least half an hour.

I hope, that when Easter comes, I would find answers to the many questions I have in life, and that people will feel the blessings that I believe God will grant with enough perseverance on my part.

MORE sushi's.

This weekend I decided it was time to put my sushi-making skills to the test.

After the sushi-making lessons from my dear friend Tomone not too long ago, I sure hope I did my 'teacher' PROUD! =)

It was really quite scary and stressful, making sushi with no guidance whatsoever from 'the expert'.. and NO recipe to follow. You see, I'm quite the perfectionist when it comes to cooking, everything needs to be measured if possible. Just like baking!

This time around there was no measuring guidance of any sort available, the amount of water-to-rice, rice-to-vinegar, vinegar-to-sugar, nothing whatsoever.

Pressure pressure. Stressful stressful.

With a VERY HIGH pre-set standard of 'sushi-tasty-ness + wonderful presentation' from my sifu Tomone, I just felt that nothing I managed to concoct was as good. Even the decoration, and the arrangement of our final products!

But maybe I was just being very fussy. Everyone loved the little yummy cute-sies! =)

heeh happy happy =) * big grin*

Phewwww. Thank God everyone who came helped, coz I swore at one point I felt like I was drowning with the HUGE amount of sushis we made.

No joke man. This stuff is very delicate-ly intricate.

I don't think I'll make sushi's for a VERY long time to come. Too much effort, I'm too lazy.

Now I get it when Tomone said to me, " We don't make sushis everyday at home in Japan, we buy them most of the time! "

Hahaha my next sushi meal will be bought. =)