I AM BACK!!!

Oh my god!!! Princess Shin is back in Malaysia!!! Woohoo!!! Princess Shin is finally back in Malaysia!!! You can't imagine the feeling when I saw Malaysian airliness stewardess in LAX last night. It like home when you see the blue baju kebaya and when I saw The Star in the airplane I almost burst into tears!!! And they even served chicken curry for lunch!!!

But the flight was awfully long!!! 19 freaking hours! What the heck??? It was so tedious! I was practically counting every second before I touched down. We had to stop by Taipei first for 1 and a half hours and we ended up staying for another hour because the fuel tank had problems. And the line to check in at LAX was freaking long too!!! It took me TWO hours to queue up! Crazy! We had to stand in the cold outside the airport because the queue was that long!!! But it was comforting seeing so many Malaysians and identifying Malaysian English accents among them.

Touching down was interesting too!!! Seeing Cody was all weird too. Words can't describe how it felt after not seeing him for almost a year! We were both smilling so hard it hurt! And then we went for lunch!!! It was hard to choose what lunch I wanted for my first meal back in Malaysia. Do I got for Chow Kuew Tiao? Maggi goreng or Indian food? I went for Indian food in the end. My favorite Lotus in Atria. Even the people there asked me where have I been for the longest time! They remembered me! Soo sweet! I used to go there like twice a week!

It was so weird being back though. Part of me feels like nothing has change. That I'm still in high school and everything and I'm just going out for tea with Cody. But I know that lots of things have change. This is not our lives anymore and it kinda hurts thinking about it. Though I love my new environment in US and everything but its sad thinking about my memories.

Ya know what I mean?

Oooh.. the first bite of the dall that I had in Lotus was absolutely amazing. It was so heavenly to finally taste real curry!!! Ahh... orgasm!

I miss Malaysia... and I still love it.. soo much!

Only thing though..

ITS FREAKING HOT IN HERE!

Stick thin models!

I love watching American's Next Top Model. I don't know why but I guess almost every little girl dreams of being a model and when there's a show that gives details on what models go through to be what they are, it just makes it really appealing to people like me.

But what I really felt interesting was the plus size models on the show. Even though it was merely just one in almost every season (which I think was kinda unfair), at least they included models that are not stick thin. Although I'm all into the no stick thin models thing, but seeing plus size models in plus size lingerie is kinda weird. Though I guess this is all because of our society's upbringing and what we deemed as beauty.

Beauty should be based on the heart and not the appearance right? What dya think?

Poor Me..

You know what's worst? Enduring a whole week of finals not having enough sleep and finally when finals is over.. YOU CAN'T SLEEP!!!!

What the hell???

Its 7am in the morning now and I still can't sleep!!!

WTF???

Argh!!! I'm so mad right now.. Ok.. I'm not really that mad.. just frustrated! My mind is super awake, but I can feel my body dying away. >.<

I have been having like 3 to 4 hours of sleep a day and when I can finally get a whole nights of good sleep..I CAN'T SLEEP?

WHY?

My body is so sensitive towards stress I tell you its terrible! Boohoo.. I havent had the appetite to eat for the past few days and because of me not eating, I get gastric pain, and because of that, I feel dizzy and do not wanna eat even more. Its a vicious cycle.

I know you may say its a good thing because I can go on diet and everything but I don't want my body to go into starvation mode! =(

Ok.. you may say I'm all exaggerating and all but I have been puking out my dinner for the past two days!!!

I wanna sleep!

Writing papers

Oh my goodness.. In just this 5 days I have been writing 6 papers consecutively! I don't know how you guys feel about writing papers but its absolutely exhausting writing papers especially if it is about human rights, China, Burma or even Vietnam.

I just finish my final test last afternoon and we had two hours to write an in class paper. The title was "what effects does globalization has towards the countries in the Pacific Basin and what future does it hold for these countries, choose 4 countries from the Pacific Basin and compare them to support your arguments."

My typing is so fast right now that I don't even need to look at the keyboard to type. I know everyone is fantastic with typing with the amount of computer usage we use but.. I love my laptop though.. I love typing on my keyboard. Don't know about other computers, mine is HP. Heard that there is computer rental that you can use to rent computers for companies and stuff. Wonder if I can rent an Apple laptop?

Change of weather

I always envied people from colder climates because I always felt they have clearer skin. I mean how can you get oily skin if the weather is all cool and dry? Ever tried living in a hot climate where you start sweating the minute you get out of the shower?

I thought that once I got to the US, my skin will be all nice and smooth. Of course not to mention the fact that I am already in my 20's and I'm not supposed to have break outs anymore but..

Boohoo.. I still have the occasional pimples! >.< I didn't have any for the first 6 months of being here and right when I'm going back home and seeing Cody soon.. I get pimples? =.=

I know acne treatments are a bit too overboard but..

Though I actually heard someone saying that if you go to a cooler climate, your skin will be smooth for the first few months, but after its use to the climate, you'll start breaking out again. Damn! =(

Tragedy strikes again

In the midst of our normal daily problems, people from other parts of the world are facing so much suffering right now. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake that happened in China's southwestern province of Sichuan has now a death toll of over 12,000. It breaks my hearts knowing that while I sit in my comfortable room with a newly bought TV,worrying about my approaching finals, people in another side of the world have lost their homes, families, or may even be in physical danger. It happened at 2pm so most people were in some sort of structure at that time. Especially school children resulting in about 1000 students dead.

Check out this site for some pictures on the China's earthquake. It brought tears to my eyes.

And this happened after the Cyclone that hit Burma on the 2nd and 3rd of May.

How many disasters have to happen in the world?

The death toll in Burma is already 34000 and its expected to be more than 100000.

Regardless of what people say about the Chinese government, rescue efforts were made right after the incident happened. At least the Chinese people are receiving some aids, (whether sufficient or not is another story) compared to the Burmese people. The military junta is reluctant to receive any international aid. One man actually asked where did all those uniformed men that beat him up days before went? Why must governments be so selfish with their actions? Who is going to suffer in the end?

The people are the ones!!!

The world is really making me depressed right now.

I bought a TV

I know its a terrible time right now for me to buy a TV, but I did. I actually choose to buy a TV right when finals are approaching. I have survived without one for almost a year and of all times to have a TV in my room, I choose to have it a week before finals began.

I am so dead. Just on Saturday, I woke up at 10:30am and watched TV till 6pm. Doing nothing whatsoever.

A senior sold it to be for USD $30. Really cheap considering that its not those super tiny TVs that you have to sit 10 centimeters away just to see who is acting in the movie. Mine is considerably big. She was supposed to sell me the DVD player too. Altogether being $40 but for some reason, she sold the DVD player without telling me so I only have the TV. Not a big problem though because I don't really know why I would want a DVD player when I have the laptop. I don't really mind a speaker mount too though but then my neighbors will hate me and we don't really want Princess Shin to be friendless right?

Mi televisor!

Ah... the TV has over 50 channels and I have been going crazy watching the latest episodes of Desperate housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, marathons of CSI, America's Next Top Model, Indiana Jones and Sex in the City.

Oh god... my friend actually wanted to take away my cable cords..

Over my dead body!

Vegan people

Recently there has been a small uprising from the vegan students in my university. They are now trying to get people to sign petitions to complain about the lack of vegan foods in the school's cafeteria. They complain that most times, vegan students have nothing to eat whatsoever because almost all food are made from non-vegan products or mixed with it.

I don't really wanna sound selfish or anything but why must these people be soo choosy about food? There are so many people out there that don't have any food to eat and here you are complaining about the lack of choices in the cafeteria?

But then again, who am I to judge. But still.. I just don't understand. Especially those that wont even TOUCH meat!!! =.=

Don't worry.. I'm working on my "understanding other beliefs and cultures" attitude. I totally support organic stuff especially those that help save the environment, like vegan shoes for example.. but why must you be soo picky on food?

Sigh..

Thoughts

Today is already the 7th of May. You have no idea how much I'm counting on the days to move a little bit more faster. I know I'm suppose to appreciate every moment that I have especially since I'm in a great environment and everything but I miss home soooo much! Not that I'm complaining though. This new experience of being in a community where everyone strives to be the best of their abilities, having good friends and professors support you in potential finding work is definitely the best thing that has ever happen to me but...

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK HOME!!!!

Its the last week of school now. Next week is going to be finals week. Then graduation for the class 2008. Then I'll be taking the plane back home. Can you imagine how fast time flies? Its like I'm in another world and the time has stopped for everyone back home. Or that's what I think. I know there are going to be many changes back in Malaysia. I just hope that those changes will be able to accommodate yet another girl that has left the home country. I hope that I wont feel alien in the place I grew up in and most importantly, I will still feel proud to be a Malaysian and that no where is better than home.

The past year has been intense for me. I have experience soo much and gain so much. I went to Colombia for my learning cluster. Spent 2 weeks in Leticia swimming around the Amazon River catching random piranhas to count. I went to Arizona and interacted with the Native Nevajo people and learned sooo much about the Native Americans. I joined the swim team. I can actually call myself an athlete for the first time. Of course we shall not discuss my swimming abilities but I'm in a TEAM!!! A college Team!!! Can you believe that? I joined salsa and did multiple performances both in and outside of school. I also joined taiko, which is a Japanese drum playing group. I have changed myself from being this soft, feminine helpless girl to someone that can actually not be called a tofu anymore! Take that DAD!!! =P

I took so many classes that has thought me so much. Most of which leaves me depressed because I learned about the sufferings of the world. But I know feeling depressed will not get me anywhere, most importantly it wont end the suffering of those people. I realize that I have to know these things to try and change the world. Easy to say but difficult to do. I know.

These are just the random thoughts that are passing through my mind right now. I'm fully appreciative of everything around me right now but I am also truly looking forward to the second my feet touches Malaysian soil and I can eat Chow Kuew Tiao!!!! Wahhaah...

Moving out..

One thing I don't like about my university is that we have to move out of our rooms at the end of the academic year. I don't know about other universities but we have to pack up all our stuff, put them into storage and move them all back in again when the new school year starts.

I don't know about the others but I have a shit load of rubbish in my room right now. I don't know where all these stuff come from (actually I do but ah well), but how am I gonna fit in everything in the small tiny storage space they give each students? I know I'm suppose to go find moving boxes but where do you get them? Wal-mart? Target? From the streets?

Argh.. the only consolation for packing up is that I know I'll be heading home after that! Woohoo!!! I love my current room though. Boohoo.. Love you room!

Computer memory

I don't know about you but my current C:/ Drive memory is 2 GB!!! Over 60 GB. I know this is really bad for the computer and I have this paranoid fear that one day my computer will crash (touch wood!) and all my precious pictures that I have taking over the year will be gone forever. I have been meaning to save it into a CD or at least buy a hard drive but..

Which do you think is more reliable. CD or hard drives? But hard drives are expensive right? Argh.. Technology can be a pain sometimes. What happen to good old film? Wonder if dell memory is good?

Are you taking drugs?

I'm always blogging about drugs lately. I wonder why? Lots of drug rehab centers are making bloggers advertise their centers to the public more and more. Why? I wonder if its profitable to own a drug rehabilitation center. I mean do you open one because you sincerely want to help people or are you merely catering for those celebrities that treat drug rehab centers as spa? Hmm.. I guess it wont hurt if you're helping people and at the same time earning money yourself too huh..

Are you an International Person?

You know you are international when...

You cant answer the question "where are you from?".
(Actually I can proudly say I'm from Malaysia)

You speak two or more languages, but cant spell in any of them.
(This is true though. I suck at Mandarin! Boohoo.. But I can speak Japanese and Spanish now!)

You flew before you could walk.
(My mum always tells me I flew when I was 1 month old!)

You have a passport, but no drivers license.
(I do. Both Malaysian and Californian license.)

You have an time zone map next to your telephone.
(Its stored in my memory)

You dont know where home is.
(Vietnam? Malaysia?)

You sort your friends by continent.
(We'll never see each other again.. >.<)

Someone brings up the name of a team and you get the sport wrong.
(I suck at sports so.. )

You know there is no such thing as an international language.
(Yeap! Take that Americans!)

Your second major is in a foreign language you already speak.
(Nah.. I don't wanna do that..)

You realize it really is a small world, after all.
(Sometimes. Not often though..)

Your wardrobe can only handle two seasons: wet and dry.
(Tell me about it! Hate 4 seasons!)

Your high school memories include those days that school was cancelled due to tear gas, riots, demonstrations, bomb scares or flooding.
(Flooding did happen once. But that's all)

You think VISA is a document stamped in your passport, and not a plastic card that you carry in your wallet.
(Isn't that true?)

You automatically take off your shoes as soon as you get home.
(Em.. of course. Home is suppose to be clean!)

You know the geography of the rest of the world, but you dont know the geography or your own country.
(Actually I do)

You actually go to your 'HOME' country for summer holidays.
(Right now yeah.)

No matter what people tell you, you'll never drink TAP WATER!
(Yeah. Don't know why)

You speak English, that English people understand, but not REAL English, English that you grew up in.

Another New Profile Site!

Internet profiles are getting increasingly popular. Just when you think that the end of these so called "in-things" are near, up comes another new site. SocialSpark is the new profile site in town. But.. there's something really special about this site.

What is it?

Its specially made for bloggers!!! Yeah!!! Hehe.. Bloggers can create their profiles and find opps that they would like to blog about and earn money through it. Not only can the advertisers choose the bloggers they want through their profiles, the bloggers can also choose the advertisers they want to write their product on.

And the best part is bloggers can communicate with other bloggers through this website. Its like a whole big happy family.

I just created my own profile and I think this is a good beginning for something interesting. PayPerPost has gotten kind of stale lately and with this new introduction of Social Sparks, bloggers will definitely have a chance to spice up their lives again.

I wonder what kind of bloggers will I meet in this community. Do you think I will meet any cute guys? =P There are so many different bloggers out there. I already met Roxiticus Desperate Housewives which sounds really interesting. I love Desperate Housewives too.. Oooh.. this is gonna be fun! =)