The Journey of a Lifetime

It has been a little more than a week since I've returned from Japan via AFS program. It was really a journey of a life time - the places we went, the people we met, it was truly hard to believe that I was able to participate. Oh and by the way Merry belated Christmas everyone. Via AFS I had experienced many of my "first time" there. And there the saying 'Expect the Unexpected' comes true. Things that you think will only happen in comics and movies will happen to you. I had my fair share of "accidents" and lets say that its really eye opening.

In Japan you cannot believe how much I miss the sun and Malaysian food. Really home is where the heart is - I actually felt really proud being a Malaysian there. As we see many things, we learn to not compare or judge. There is no right or wrong, we're just different lah~ There is so much misconception we have about Japanese people that its really surprising. But there is one thing that's really awesome in Japan... their toilets.
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I'm serious. Their toilets are really top class. They come with bum washers ^^ and remote control. There see. The controls for the toilet. XD


Most memorable is my host family. They are really really kind people, hosting us, caring for us and making sure of our well being. Even when we each did not speak the language of the other, they tried hard to communicate with us and learn about us through various means. My stay with them is truely the best in the world. I will not forget you.

These are a few photographs that I find most memorable and of course those depicting my host families is omitted as per AFS rules to protect my host families privacy. The photographs are in no particular order.

The Shizuoka Chapter on our last day in our hosts school. Gawd Shizuoka is damn windy. Who said anything about Shizuoka being warm.


The first time we took the bullet train or as we call it the Shinkansen. During the duration of our trip we all took the Shinkansen several times but did you know that the price of the tickets are equivalent of a plane ticket? And did you know that some Japanese have not rode it before because its insanely expensive?


This is the Kinkaku-ji or Golden Pavilion in Kyoto during one of our study tours. Its some sort of temple and when we went there is was raining!!


Ze Chen and I, on a ferry to Miyajima, Hiroshima. I still owe you your photographs.

My group CM 14 taking a group photo in front of the famous O-torii gate in Miyajima

Me in front of the O-torii gate.

Mae-chan and I eating Okonomiyaki is Hiroshima


There is so many more places that we went but I bore you to death with my endless chatter and photographs. As our chaperon says "All AFS-ers have the gift of the gap". Now I would like say a big Thank You to the Japanese Government, AFS Japan, AFS Malaysia, our beloved volunteers and kind host families and friends for making Jenesys '09 possible.

Konnichiwa Minna-san

Hey friends, I`m blogging here all they way from Japan thanks to my kind host sister who due to the rules of AFS I cannot post anything that might invade their privacy.

I`m currently in Shizuoka and its my last day here. And then which I shall travel to Kanagawa in Yokohama for my last study tour. Honestly I`ve learned so much from this trip and here I would like to thank the Japan`s government for sponsoring this program.

I`ve met so many people from all around Asia and here I learned to appreciate my own country and my mom which I have been taking for granted. It may not be obvious but I have definitely have become a slightly different person. Jenesys 2009 - You Rock!!

Cya all in three days. Oh and I think that I`ll start keeping a diary.

I'm Begging You...

PLEASE HELP ME~!!!!

Alright everyone, I desperately need your help with this. As you know I am part of a review site http://megane-review.blogspot.com/

It occurred to us that we need a banner. So after a night of slaving we've come up with these so please help us decide. Oh and you can click on the images to enlarge. Any comments would be appreciated.

And if you for example like the background of Example A but prefer the Fonts of Example B please tell me that to so that I can make the best banner. Did I mention that I'm a N00b in banner-making so I apologize in advance for my terible banners XD

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Thank you for your cooperation ^^

Day of Enjoyment Food and Memories

Holidays have started a while ago and every day's agenda is shopping, shopping and shopping!! Especially with my afs trip right aroubd the corner.

Anyway back to the topic - the class party. The last party I had that was properly done was actually in Form 1. So to me this year's class party actually means alot...besides the fact that we get to eat!!!

Our party was sort of a potluck style party. Be enchanted by the food. Can you believe it, we have 16 bottles of drinks XD

After waiting like hell... Can't you see all the puppy dog eyes screaming "WE'RE HUNGRY!!"


At some point in all the fun and joy, exam results came back. I did unexpectedly well...I think, for English, Economy, Science and Accounts. I passed Moral, and several other subjects. (And which I later learned that History and BM is a bare pass) Oh and I did excellent in Arts. Which was good as my mom said that if I cannot get good grades for art after attending Art Classes for 5 years I might as well quit. ^^

So while a friend here is clicking away with my camera, several interesting shots came up.

Exhibit A. The subject here has graced us with her wide variety of facial expressions




After stuffing ourselves its camwhore time!!!




And you now what...I'll surely treasure this moment XD

Time Goes By

UPDATE: [Its confirmed. I've failed my add maths test. On the bright side I did improve a little =D This is a fact that I'm not telling my mother lest she ban me from the computer...again. Oh and I've watched Search 2012 and its a damn good movie I tell you. I'll blog about it soon!!]

Oh gawd~~I really havn't been blogging alot nowadays and even more so when school holiday starts. Its not that I don't want to blog but I'm kinda busy recently with year-end exams, shopping etc.

I couldn't even go to the movies, b'day party, Da Vinci exibition...
Waaaa I wanna watch New Moon and Search 2012~!!! This year is certainly overlaoded with events and activities...

Talking about exams~~ I really hope I don't fail anything important like say...Add Maths?? (I failed my last two exams) I really did my best and this time I hope my best is enough. English is the one subject that never worries me...except now. I feel like I wrote crap in my essay now that I think about it. *worries* I had a bad stomachache during exam and didn't really think. Sometimes I can feel my English teacher glaring at my back. My guess is that she has read my terrible essay. I hope my paper 2 will cover up for it and hipefully give me an 'A'

The year is almost over with my exams ending in two days time and Class party next Monday. A year has really passed by and next year I'm...*gulp* dead. I can't believe it, our many years of schooling are coming to an end. Now I'd better remember to bring my camera to the party....

Thank YOU~!!

Before anything, I would like to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes, birthday cards, gifts and for just simply for being there. XD


This is a really cute present I've gotten from my friends. It was supposed to be a stationery holder but I think that I'll just wrap it with plastic and keep it for decoration sake. XD Its really a waste to use it.

But best of all, Today as my belated b'day gift, afs has finally confirmed my placing on the 2 weeks Jenesys exchange student program to Japan!!

Travel and host family details are not sure yet but I know that I have loads to prepare for~~Pictures and slides of Malaysian scenery etc. Btw what do you think is an appropraite gift for my host family. Any suggestions?

Friendship

Its a wonder how people can change so much~It almost feels like they are drifting away further and further as days go by.

There is this friend of mine. She's a nice girl, quirky and fun but her attitude I cannot stand. Its just to complicating to list them out but I'll tell you that she has no consideration and respect for her friends at all. Coming and going, always doing as she wish without a thought on how others feel.

I'm not so sure that she'll still be my friend once I actually gave her a piece of my mind but its because I'm her friend I'm going to tell her.

P:s:// If you're reading this, I hope you get the hint. Seriously. Because you are really annoying alot of people.

Circle of Life

This is sooooo not the way I wanted this post to be. It was suppose to be about the recent Raya holidays and etc. But because of sudden unforeseen circumstance,(my grandad passed away)the inspiration sort of vanished...and so it became this.

Getting a week's worth of absence to attend a furneral didn't seem like a bad idea at first. You should understand, It was a really messy week and the idea of meeting my cousins...all of them was really appealing. To be honest I treated it as a vacation.

To me a funeral is rites of passage. Nothing to be overly emotional about. Just to let you know, funerals isn't all crying and wailing. Save that for the movies. The real things isn't that dramatic.

I wouldn't bore you with the details but god our accomodation I am sooooooo not recomending them. Incredibly petty and take advantage of its guest. The only bright side of staying there is that its near to the my uncle's house where the funeral is held. So if you every hear of a place called Batik Homestay...stayyy far away from it. Its not worth your money and time.

This is my grandpa or 'ah kung' as we call him~ Passed away peacefully on 22nd September 2009.~ September 2003, Gold Coast, Australia.

"Death is a point in existence and therefore not the end of existence"

Wheel of Monotony

On Wednesday...I went on an outing...

A school excursion actually...



It was an expedition to the HELL of boredom (if it exists)


Funny that I envisioned me typing this post quite...err...happily but instead...Well lets say that the bus load of students came back quite piss and bored.

The whole trip was entirely siting, watching and listening about something totally irrelevant to us students - at least it is to me. Come on lah~they were giving us practical advise and safety on the road talks for motorcyclist!!

We were all practically wallflowers while the guys in front were babling something about brakes and fingers...

We went through all that but we still didn't miss our civic period.

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Oh yeah I almost forgot... I'm now addicted to pet society~!!

Life is Never Fair

NEWS FLASH~!!

My blog isn't dead.

Not really much of a news right lolx XD. Kay, I haven't been blogging much~~for almost two weeks to be exact but

WAIT

I have a reason...Honest. *cross my heart*

Recently, my head has been a lovely jumble of rubbish + rat nest of thoughts. Quite alot has happened but I couldn't really bring it down to writing - The kind where you have so much to say but ended up saying nothing after all. You would think I'm crazy but eventhough I've not updated my blog I actually visit my own blog everyday. Until...

Well I just cannot tahan the size of the fonts in my previous blog skin already~~So for now, this blog will be white washed till I decide what to do with it later...or not.

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Like I said, Life sucked lately. Lets list them out shall I?

Over the weekend till now...

1. Saturday. Got banned from the internet. My dose of regular internet exposore has been compromised~!! Believe me I am not the nicest person my Monday after that.

2. Sunday. Got a sore throat that lasted for about two days. Its not long but its uncomfortable. VERY uncomfortable.

3. Today. Maths period. Asked to hand it a book which my homework I havn't completed. To make things worse, It will be inspected not by my teacher but her ketua or something. Point is I'm dead.

4. Economics period. Presentaion sucked. One of our team mate wasn't present. It wasn't even suppose to be a majong-type presentation. It was supose to be a power point-type. We put our hard work into it. But the damn Media room got booked until who knows when. So last minute work.

5. Moral. Got 30/36 for my Hafal Senarai Nilai test. Doesn't sound too bad right? Wait till you hear this. "Those who got lower than 36/36 will have to do memorise it orally" As if the written isn't enough.

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In this bleak week the only interesting and nice thing was reconnecting with my old school mates. Over these two years they've changed quite abit - One of them even ballooned up to twice his size...or so they say. XD Although in essence I must say they still retain their characteristics.

PS: I should add BRATs emails into my contact already. Just that I'm L-A-Z-Y *sigh*. They're still in that notebook.

Talking bout BRATs, if I'm invited,I might not make it to the trip after all.

Friends are like stars in the sky. They are your navigation and brighten up your life no matter where you are...Providing if you're not underground that is.

A Messy Affair

I think this my first time coming to my school's 'Ambang Merdeka' because for some reason I have NO recollection of previous attendance. Strange...
Nevertheless, even though with my enthusiasm I found sitting in a narrow tar road with the rest of the school daunting.

Oh yeah and we've all discovered that water can seep through plastic! Brilliant~!!Every one's pants was wet after siting on these so called plastic. The school should REALLY invest in a proper hall seeing that our current one is quite a squeeze.

Luckily I managed to escape to help the cultural dance club (I am a member kay~~) Nice outfit isn't it. The one that I never got to wear...


After recess is a myriad of activities~~Mine is the cake deco competition and i'm definitely a n00b. It was a messy and very tiring too. There is our cake on display.


The mangled cake...we didn't win but our class is happy anyway. Who doesn't want a free cake to eat~!! except that its SALTY~!!


Here is some of my class digging into the cake.

Oh and I didn't win...again XD

To Understand

I think that I finally understood why the school organize various competitions. It really is quite fun...once you overlook the impractical-ness and troublesome-ness of it. XD

Anyway we had a choir sort of competition where we have to sing patriotik songs~ I don't know how but somehow our uncooperative class managed to scrape together a performance.
(To make the point clear, we were furiously practicing on the VERY morning we are supposed to perform XD)
Talk about the 11th hour. I guess desperate time calls for desperate needs.

Then it occured to us~the classic question poped up. What the hell are we gonna wear~!? And our class went on a mad scramble to haunt I mean hunt for somebody.

Somehow all of us manage to cough up a traditional outfit just for this day.



With minutes to spare I guess its also an opportunity to make memories~~

Oh did you notice how the similarities ~~*smiles*

And of course our somewhat off-key rendation of the song Warisan by Sudirman. WARNING: LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK~!!

17th August 2009
4 Baiduri 09/10
SMK(P) Pudu

Oh and we didn't win. Sad right~~ Nah XD

No way~!!

I cannot believe that my mom agreed to it~~Allowing a friend over to my house...Because I havn't been allowed to invite friends over since primary

Anyway somehow or another~~this time she allowed it (Yay~!!) I'm soo happy!!

While doing our project (we are supposed to be doing our economy assignment)~~I sort of blinded her eyes with many consecutive photos with flash (Typical me)~~The many facial expression of Carmen~~ XD

The sleeping cat

The SWEET princess (wow~she can do this face)

The blur-faced surprised girl.

NORMAL~~!! My favourite!

W0ot~ i get to see carmen in a baju kurung~!! It was loaned to her for a singing choir sort of competition. Believe me~~It IS a rare sight. Apparently she doesn't own any skirts besides the school uniform~~(am i correct?)

Tada her chosen outfit.


Tomorrow there will be Laungan Merdeka competition~~So ciao

Finally~~

Whew~~ after loads of hard work, me, Carmen and Jun have finally 'launched' our review blog. It is going to be a review blog on movies, animes, books, gadjets, & manga. Check it out kay~

Here's the site~

http://megane-review.blogspot.com/

Thanks XD

Blame the Rain

In my book there are only a few reasons why I skip school.

1. Raining cats and dogs.


2. Sick


3. Late



And today It was raining like dinosours. XD I couldn't even get out of the house without getting drenched. There is also the matter of lightning. So with this lucky chance (not so lucky I later learned: missed the introduction for a new chapter in a few subjects)

So my parents took the opportunity and brought us to watch G.I Joe. It was awsome. I might blog more about it soon.

(Update: G.I Joe was awsome~ Too much to say so just watch it kay~~)

Of Celebrations~Reminders & DEADlines~!!

Nothing much happened...except I'm sooo DEAD. To make it simple...


1. EXAM IS OVER~!! What a relieve~~I think I did pretty well too...well except for add maths. I think I've successfully failed...again. Depressing.


2. I really have to study. At this rate I'll never get the STRAIGHT A's I wanted. Bt its so difficult with me being this lazy. Damn.

PS: Isn't this quote most appropriate~~


3. I'm at loss for what I should choose as my BM oral test material. Should I do a cerpen...or some komsas thingy...or some random newspaper report. I definitely cannot do a puisi or syair (my terrible intonation can kill people) Its due THIS Tuesday. What am I going to do~?? *runs around panicking* Any suggestions?

4. Anyway~A very Happy belated b'day to Kumu-chan on the 5th of July I think. May the love of everyone shine on you. XD


Thanks for the chocolates ^^ Luved them. Its yummy so be jealous MUAHAHAHa XD

Oh check this out~!! Strange isn't it...Its my liquid acting weird.