Island Life

Redirection

2008-08-19T16:16:00.001-10:00

Hello to all of you. I am guessing this blog already has the title of "Abandone" hung around its neck. Maintaining a blog is time consuming, however this time after my long absence, I have decided with renewed desire that I would once again establish a new blog in place of this old one. So visit anytime for a slice of island life mingled with a tingle of geekiness.

My life in 2006 - on the American continent. Part 2

2007-01-19T11:20:00.001-10:00

January 01, 2007 -

New Year's Day!!! 2007 has finally arrive. I pondered and thought about alot of things today. Oh yes! I forgot to mention, because we stayed up to play Phase 10 last night, the three of us did not wake up till 2pm. It was something else, and I did have fun! We went out for steam boat and we also went to temple square.

January 02, 2007 -

Audge came and picked me up in Provo. Poor Audge was sicked. She has been such a great friend to me, and I really do not know how to thank her. I love her!!! I was glad to finally be able to see Daniel and Peter again. I love them too. They are simply the best. We went to Cafe Rio for dinner. After dinner Daniel and I had a battle of sweets and pens in the car. It was fun!
I went to bed early, so Audge and I can prepared to leave early for Rexburg tomorrow.

January 03, 2007 -

We left Farmington at 1pm. We went over to pay Grandma and Grandpa a last visit and to pick up some toliet roll before hitting the road. We also picked up Jessica along the way. It was a scenic drive and we had fun along the way up here. We talked about countless things, most of which I cannot even rememeber now, but I remember it to be fun. We arrive in Rexburg 3 hours later.

January 04, 2007 -

Rexburg indeed is different from where I have been. It is alot colder and there is snow and ice everywhere I go. I am surprised that they do not plow their roads and side walks. I do not understand the logic behind it, because in a place such as Rexburg, you would think it is wise to invest in some snow plouging machines but apparent the city beg to differ. More often than not, it is a challenge to have to walk to school or to anywhere else. People have to walk on ice and do balancing acts of all sorts. It is not surprising to see people fall on their bums. If I might say so, I have almost fell once or twice.

January 05, 2007 -

I finally got to set foot on the Idaho campus. We went to a welcome back school dance. It was eye opening. There were alot of people present, and if I might say so, it is indeed a weird feeling to be part of a minority. It almost became an instanteous reaction, everytime I walked into a room, I would always notice, I am the only asian. The feeling is very different, and sometimes I feel like an outsider looking into the world of the Americans.

January 06, 2007 -

We were going to go sludding, but decided not to, because it was dreadfully cold outside. It was snowing and everywhere was covered with snow. The cars are all covered with snow and they look like giant mashmellow. The roads sparkle under the moonlight and the roads looks like they are being covered with stardust. Life is good.

January 07, 2007 -

I went to church with Audge. We went to the Taylor buliding for church, and I must say, I am not quite used to being a minority. The sunday school lesson was not too bad, but the teacher was going too fast for my liking. Her name is C. C is a confident young lady, with a lot of potential in her. She possess good public speaking skills. We came back home and the rest of the day watching church movies. Later that evening, some boys from another apartment complex came over and played games with us. It was a great evening, and this is only the begining of my idaho experience.

My life in 2006 - on the American continent. Part 1

2006-12-29T12:44:00.000-10:00

December 20, 2006 -

I arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah for the first time in the twenty three years of my existence, I finally get to see the great state of Utah. Utah is different, drastically different from any place I have visited or seen. Utah has massive mountains covered with snow. They are brown and thought some might think they lack of beauty in comparison to the ever green mountains of Hawaii I beg to differ. The mountains in Utah are very different from the ones in Hawaii and thought it is so, they do exhibit a different kind of beauty. I love the mountains in Utah. I have never been to anywhere else that has a change of seasons, I was born and raised in Singapore and have lived here since, the furthest place I have moved to was Hawaii and even so, Hawaii hardly experience any seasonal change, except for the occasional showers and monsoon.

Audrey and her mother Becky greeted me at the airport and upon arrival I was given a brief tour of Utah. Audrey and I drove to Cafe Rio for lunch and we met up with Lindsay and Ruth. Audrey, Lindsay, Ruth and I met this past summer in Hawaii. Lunch was great and I must say it is one of the best Mexican food I have ever tasted, except for the fact that Lindsay hid the dressing for my salad. Very smart move!!! We played Phase 10 for about an hour or so before bidding farewell again. We went to the sister missionary mall in Orem. We browsed around for a while and decided to leave. I fell asleep on the way home. I took a shower before heading out to subway for dinner with Pedro and Daniel. Shortly after we took off for Sippy town where we would eventually need to spend the night.

Strange as it might be to you who is not a Mormon. This mall caters to latter day saint women are who going on a mission. You might think a sister missionary ought to dress conservatively... you are severely wrong. This mall is a very dangerous place. It has some of the prettiest skirts I have seen. It is a dangerous place to be in if you are planning to not spend money. I went in yesterday and within the space of 30 minutes, I had already ring up a bill of over 200 bucks.

December 21, 2006 -

I vaguely remember what we did on this day, however if my memory serve me right. We continued our drive to Mesquite for the Football game in Vegas. The drive to Vegas was a long and utterly miserable one. Well at least to me it was because my nose of stuff and everyone was basically drifting in and our their sleep mode. Anyways we finally made it to Mesquite and we stopped by Wendy's for dinner before heading to the game.

The game was simply spectacular. The BYU Cougars played against the Oregon Mighty Ducks. The Cougars won the game by 31 points. This was my first football game standing out on the benches freezing. The Cougars wore their blue pants paired with white shirts, while the Oregon Ducks wore their black shirts and pants pair off with a neon green helmet. In all honesty they look like little aliens running amok on the field ... I could only think of a reason why they lost the game, it is probably because they were mesmerise by their utterly attractive helmets.

December 22nd, 2006 -

We packed our bags and head back to Fruit Heights for the Hayward's Christmas dinner at Woody and Beebe's residence. We arrived at approximately 7.30pm and was greeted warmly by the family. They live in a house, with a basement. It was a typical American home. It was furnished in with a american christmas theme and I rather fancy it. We were all given sitting assignments and Pedro decided to change Daniel's sitting assignment. Daniel ended up sitting by the children and toddlers. It was hilarious and although Daniel is aware of the prank Pedro is pulling on him, he does not mind at all simply because he is seated near the food. Best seat in the house, or so Daniel claims.

December 23, 2006 -

We drove up to Park City and took Daniel snowboarding. The view of Park City is simply spectacular. It reminds me of a winter wonderland. The streets were covered with snow. We drove through a street in Park City which is claimed to be comparable to the Waikiki on Oahu. I cannot say it resembles Waikiki to any degree, however it does remind me of a little town European town. I remembered driving pass a shop with a huge moose display. It was unlike anything I have ever since but it certainly was a proper decoration for the time and season of the year.
Time was running out. There is so much christmas shopping to do and yet so little time. We visited the outlet stores located near Park City. There were great discounts available and I cannot say more about it. We visited several stores. I picked out my own Christmas present. I bought some boots, sneakers, sweaters, scarves, gloves and hats for the season. The shops and streets were filled with people trying to get their Christmas shopping all sorted out; a very stressful scene. We also manage to drop by Target and I got to meet Todd. He is a very pleasant young man with much to offer and I hope the things in his life would work out in his interest.

Decemeber 24, 2006 -

I work up early and prepare myself for church. I attended Audrey's family home ward. It was a unique experience. It has been a long while since I attended a family ward. It brings to home very heart warming feelings. I love it.

After church, I had a chat with Becky while trying to prepare the ingredients for my Chinese stir fry dish for Christmas dinner at the Fisher's home. It was Christmas eve and I had the priviledge of being part of a Hayward tradition. I got a new set of PJ bottoms. It was yellow in color with patterns of snowman all over it. An eventful day indeed.

December 25, 2006 -

Audrey came into the room and woke me up so we can open our Christmas presents. Everyone was up at 7am and we gathered in the family room. Each of us had our own stocking even though I was not really part of the family, they still prepared one for me. I am so grateful for that. The Haywards are simply wonderful, and I am grateful for the kindness and love they have exhibited towards me.
Later that evening we went over to Papa Fisher's home for a Christmas dinner. We went for a tour to Aunt Robbin's house. We drove by a cemetery where Sister Hinckley was buried. We arrived earlier so I could cook my Sesame oil chicken. They too prepared a stocking for me. It was packed with nuts, candy, and I got a Christmas card from Papa Fisher, enclosed with the card was a $50 cheque for my mission. Papa Fisher lives in Salt Lake Valley. and this is also a place where many general authorities live. We also manage to drive by President Hinckley's house. He does not live there anymore. Now he lives in a penthouse suite located by temple square. Papa Fisher is a very interesting man... He gave me a grand tour of his home and I know he still loves Grandma Fisher dearly... It is endearing.

December 26, 2006 -

We did not do anything much today. Audrey and I went shopping for more clothes. I bought a few sweaters and some crisp white shirts for my mission. We also had a lunch with Todd, which by the way is a very nice man. He had recently put in his mission papers, and I hope everything goes well for him. We also watched the Holiday!!! I had wanted to watch it so badly... and it indeed is a good movie. It plot revolves around two different women. One of whom lives in LA while the other lives in London. Kate Winslet plays Iris, while Cameron Diaz plays Amanda, whose boyfriend cheated on her. It was a good wholesome movie. It is definitely a movie I would recommend to my friends.

December 27, 2006 -

I was going to go down to Provo and spend sometime with Keshia, but it turns out that the weather will not be a good enough for driving down to Provo and so my plans were cancelled. We had dinner with Becky and when to TJ Maxx to exchange a pair of boots I had bought last week. I did not end up with anything else, but instead got some money back instead. It was a good day... I cannot wait to see Keshia again.

December 28, 2006,

I finally get to make the trip down to Provo. Before arriving at Keshia's apartment, we decided to drop by the Sister Missionary Mall so I could get somethings for my mission. There was an assortment of clothes. Their line of clothes was modest and beautiful. However the prices are a little too steep for my liking, but what can I say? I had to get them for my mission. I got a pair of A-line skirt and a straight line skirt. I also got a black blazer, a pink shirt and a black of shoes.
After shopping we went to Brick Oven for lunch and each ordered a pizza for lunch. I cannot say anything more, but my heart is full. I am very impressed by the generosity and hospitality the Haywards have shown towards me during my stay with them. My heart is full and I do not know what to say but to express gratitude for everything.

December 29, 2006 -

Keshia took me around the Provo campus. The campus is huge, but it is a very beautiful campus. It is equipped with great facilities which I can only imagine. BYU-Hawaii has a beautiful campus too, but nonetheless it is a very different campus, with a very different spirit as well. I could feel the immense spirit present on the Provo campus and can only hope that I could attend school here someday.

December 31, 2006 -

I woke up early and got ready to pick Clarrisa up from the airport. We talked about alot of things on the way back from the Salt Lake Airport. It was nice to be able to see Clarrisa again after such a long time. Keshia made us dinner. She made rendang, macaroni salad, and Almond jelly with lychee for dessert. It was a great dinner. Melissa made curry as well. After dinner, Daniel, Rendy, Clarrissa, Keshia, Melissa and I played Phase 10 till the wee hours of the morning. I getting ready to turn in for bed and Keshia and Clarrisa decided to put on a DVD. We watched Mean girls and if that was not the end, we talked for about an hour or so more before we decided to call it a night! It was a great game and I had a great time with them all. Somehow I felt something missing. Somehow I felt as if I was not part of the group. Clarrisa and Keshia seem to have grown closer and I seem to have been left out. People change. It is a good thing, however I cannot help but feel like Keshia and I were not such close friends anymore. I feel distanced. Maybe it is just me, but I feel that everyone has changed for the better. That is good. I suppose I cannot be blamed for the feelings that I have, because I have not made an effor whatsoever to stay in constant contact with Keshia and Clarrisa. I did not update my blog and basically just stay out of the loop of things. Further more I was in Hawaii... Hawaii is so far away from everything else that is familar to me. I do not want to go back there for school. If I could hope for a miracle to happen, I hope I could go to a school that truely has a major that I want.

Earthquake in Paradise

2006-10-19T22:41:00.000-10:00

I woke up to a shudder. At first thought, I wonder if I am in the middle of a nightmare. I had watched a The Grudge 2 the night before and was still in an unstable sort of state as far as the mind is concerned. The shudder did not stop and I woke up to see my room mate awake and the whole entire unit was awake as well. The electricity went out for all of Hawaiian Islands. It was only then that I had realise I am experiencing my first earthquake. I was a little surprise that it was so mild. I have never been caught in any sort of natural disasters and to tell you the truth I was a little excited really to finally be able to experience it and yet at the same time, I was hoping it would not being anything serious.

Shortly after, most of the girls in the Hale(Hale is the word for house here in Hawaii) were all awoke and there was a Tsunami warning being issued. Everyone living on the ground level needs to evacuate to the second level. It was amazing to see the different things the girls would bring with them when they were told to evacuate. Some brought their laptops, food, and clothes. Others who are a little more sane pack their 72 hour kit and came upstairs with them. I did not have anything at all. I had not prepard my 72 hour kit. However I manage to put together some essentials for a makeshift 72 hour kit.

I spend the rest of the day in my friend's apartment learning how to play majong and got quite good at it. Now I am addicted to it. When night falls we were still playing with the aid of our pathetic flashlights. We even went star gazing and since it was dark everywhere, everything else on the nightsky was so much darker. I could even see the constellation of the milky way. The power did not come back on till four in the morning. It was an unusual experience, but not something I would rather go through again.

2006-10-01T20:16:00.000-10:00

This past weekend the Singapore Malaysia Club here in BYU-Hawaii had our opening social. In view of the mid-autume festival, we have decided plan our activities around this festival. We had mooncake and lantern making. It was a huge success, and all of a sudden, everyone seem to be interested in our club. (Hmm) I wonder if it is because of the mooncakes or was it lantern? Please do not get me wrong but I have never really seen so many people turn up for an activity before. It was always the few Singaporeans and Malaysians that would turn up, but this time, there were Mongolians, Americans, Taiwanese and some others. It was a memorable evening.

I planned out some games as well. We played Mingle. If you have never played it before you should, because it is a fuss free game and there is no limit to the number people that can play the game, but for some reasons, please make sure you are between the age of 19 and 91 for safety reasons. (Just kidding)

Everyone will get into a huge space and move around. I will shout out a number and they will need to get into groups , the person that fail to get into a group will be disqualified from the group. This goes on until the last person remains. So we got to a point in the game where there is only 4 boys and a girl left. Paul was in the game and they refuse to get away from each other, I had to shout for them to space out, and so I shouted, "Paul space out!!!" and he heard it as FOUR!!" He reached out to grab those boys and pushed the girl away... Of course the righteous person (Just kidding) that I am had to interfer, and so I did and he claim he could not hear me and laugh even louder... weird boy!!!

Overall it was a success, and I really enjoy my time with the other Singaporeans and Malaysians. It brought me closer to them, and it was a comforting feeling.

Good times...

2006-08-18T20:19:00.000-10:00

I need to say, this past summer has been extremely thought liberating for me. I have had misconception about people, religion, and many other things, but amongst it all, I had a severe misconception about 18 year old Utah blondes. Notice the word, "had". Well I had, now I have mild misconceptions.

When I found out that A was going to be my roommate and that she was only 18 years old, I was a little wary of her. I wonder how we would turn out as friends and more importantly I am worry sick that she might be one of those "I-need-to-be-marry-by-21" Utah girls. I do not want such a roommate and I got more than what I had expected. More than anything, she has been a great example to me in everyway. I am constantly amazed by her optimism and her ability to love. She wrote me a note before she left earlier today and said she has been greatly blessed by our friendship. I shed a tear when I read the note. As much as I would like to agree with it, I need to say however that she has been a blessing for me this summer. I love her!!! Best Roommate I have ever had!!!!

I called my best friend last night and chatted for 2 hours. She was shocked to recieve a call from me. This is because I have never called her in Singapore before. I have known Ling for 8 years now and she has been a great friend. I would not trade our friendship for shopping bags although I am a shopping addict. We talked about good times in high school and more interestingly, it has been wonderfully refreshing to reminiscence those high school days which are gone and past. I was the nerd/geek in class, more interestingly was the fact that I am the only one who got a scholarship to Hawaii for school. Well I guess, pays to be a nerd/geek. Nerds are attractive, at least to me they are. There is just something about those glasses that I cannot get enough of.

Anyways, on to more serious things. I have decide upon somethings and they are...

1. I need to get out of Hawaii for Christmas
Where is Christina heading?
Maybe... Florida, Phillidephia, Utah or Singapore

2. I am going to save up as much money as possible.
3. Save up $800 for my flight out of Hawaii.
4. Study hard and work on being a more attractive nerd (Just kidding)
5. Talk and get to know more people
6. Need to stop hanging around the computer trying to doing my shopping online...
7. Achieve all of the above.

Wish me luck!!!

Interesting happenings with Utah and world

2006-08-02T23:53:00.000-10:00

I have got the most interesting compliment today from Ed. I have never hear of any of such compliment, however he said I have got a good aura about me, and pardon me, but what does this mean? He promptly assured me that it meant something good, in fact so good that not even beauty pale in comparison to it. He said it is something about poise, and elegance. I almost burst out laughing. Anyway, I do not really care, because I have hear this compliment from many others, umpteen times in fact, and I have yet to figure out exactly what is this aura they are describing at all.

Moving on to something more puzzling was how I could not understand why do Utah girls insist on getting married once they turn 18. I jhad a conversation with A the other night, during our conversation I mentioned I am not ready for marriage and would rather stay singlefor a little longer however if the prospect of dating someone interesting presents itself, I shall not decline it. Her reply was quick and sharp. In her words, I quote, "Don't be silly, of course you are ready for marriage."

For a majority of women from Utah, they cannot seem to picture living life out as a young adult. For them it seem only logical to get hitch and run to the temple with a man once they turn 18 years of age. For me it seem bizzare and mind blowing however what I cannot understand is why are they so interested in the prospect of marriage. Why do not they want to live their life out as a single adult, and enjoy those few precious years before marriage?

My friend A, is dealing with such a problem right now. In my words, she is experiencing "young adulthood crisis". She seem a little too desperate for marriage. She confess that she has never expected to live her life out as a single young adult, and with little or no imminent marriage prospect and now being forced by the circumstance of her life, she is left with little or no option, but to do what is required for "survival".

In some ways, I could see how one can be left clueless and wondering about life when what you expect did not happen as planned, however in the words of Bridget Jones, "I believe happiness is possible, even if you have bottoms the size of two bowling balls."

After shower...

2006-07-26T10:52:00.000-10:00

I tried to turn the door knob of my door, and was momentarily shocked when I realise it was locked. I wonder for a moment if I had actually locked it, and recalled that could not have been the case, however the stark reality of it was such. There I was standing right outside my door claded with nothing more than a towel. Out of the blue, I hear Audrey's voice from a distance, i saw her leaving with a towel. In desperation I yelled out to her and wonder if she could unlock the door for me, and to my surprise, she actually told me to go along with her to the beach, because we are going.......

SKINNY DIPPING!!!!!

***Between us, this is not our first time***

I stared at her in awe, and wonder if she is in the right frame of mind. I tried to reject her invitation(because I had makeup smeared all over my face, and I am not about to leave the Hale looking as if Halloween had paid us an early visit), but the attempt of it was futile. In a matter of second I changed into my PJs and headed for the beach. Right there on the beach as we are about to undress for deed, we saw some lights and people coming along our way. You cannot image how shocked we are... Imagine if we did not see those people, I would have froze of embarrassment if they were to see me naked. We did not even bother to get dress, we wrapped the towel around our bodies, picked up our clothes and run. We did reach another spot and was again about to do our deed again when we saw another couple making out. Good thing we did not stripped otherwise the consequences would be a catastrophe. We did not manage to skinny dip, however we are planning to do it at sunrise any day now. ***Sorry no pictures are avaliable for viewing***

I just realise Audrey leaves in 3 weeks, and I am going to miss her, and our skinny dipping trips. Opps, we do not say skinny dipping between us. We call it merlin.
These are some of the funny moments that we lived for, here in one of them...

Audrey: So I know CR lives here
Me: Why how do you know?
Audrey: Because he told me... Duh!
Me: Wow! That certainly is a random conversational starter.
Audrey: No!!! CR asked if I live on campus, and so I asked him that too, and wonders if he lived on campus too...
Me: Oh!
Audrey: YES! and Christina, did you know I live in Hale 2 220...
Me: Why, I certainly couldn't tell...

Some more pictures of sorts.

2006-07-18T23:04:00.000-10:00

This is how my messy room looked like before I moved out. If you see anything else in these pictures above it is to depict the messiness of things, so don't freak.

This is my new look. Not too bad I gather. You like it? I prefer short hair. It gives me a spunky look.

We were trying to meditate(well I was trying), before we were smashed with cake on our faces.

Courtsey of Pakistan and Adnan James, we have cake on our face. Right below, we have Mr Adnan James. Look what Hawaii did to him...

Pictures for show

2006-07-12T00:18:00.000-10:00

I know it took me a long time to finally post these pictures but at least I manage to get to it...

This is just the prelude to a better post and a better monthly mail, so stay tune. How did you all like my new hairdo?

Makeup 101

2006-06-28T20:13:00.000-10:00

I haven't done this for a long time now, so here we go...

Summer has officially and spring is gone. Welcome the sun!!! It is time for us all to strip down to the bare essentials and worshipped the sun(Well not literally). I know what are on your minds. I know all of you are thinking about bikinis and sundresses... Yes they do move in harmony with the summer dress code, however I am not talking about that. I am talking about make up! YES! You heard me there.

Summer brings with it intense heat and humity, and with that we need new makeup strategies to combat the heat. First and foremost, remember to have a good cleansing routine for your skin. Remember to cleanse your skin before and after your make up. A good skin cleanser is essential. I recommend Cetaphil, because it is gentle to your skin and it doubles as a make up remover as well.

Sunscreens are essentials of summer. We need them to save our faces. You might not know this, but 95% of the wrinkles we find on our faces are cause by the sun's rays, and because of that we need to protect our skin by wearing sunscreen. If that is not reason enough for you to slap some sunscreen on, then I really have no idea what would work on you.

Instead of using liquid foundation or a two-way cake, try using press poweder or tinted skin lotion. Dust pressed powder lightly onto your skin instead of patting it in. Tinted lotion is good because it is light weight and it doesn't leave you feel all caked up with powder.

This is the crucial part - Concealor. Concealors are important because they hide all your flaws. Always choose a concealor that is a shade lighter than your skin or pressed powder. because by doing it will brighten up your face and give you a youth ful look. If you choose a dark concealor it will make you look darker and older and you do not want that to happen beautiful ladies.

Here comes the tricky part. The application of your pressed powder. While applying your concealor, use your ring finger for application because you exert the least strenght with your ring finger. Lightly tab on the eye area, and avoiding rubbing it. This is because the eye area is the most delicate area of your face, by tugging or rubbing the area it increase your chances of having wrinkles around and under your eyes. Wrinkles around your eyes is the surest tell tale sign of aging. Remember ladies, always apply or use a eye cream, no matter how tired you are, remember to use it, because these creams will save the skin area of your eyes. I can testify to it. Dry skin around your eyes is also another access to wrinkles.

To open your eyes even more, try using a light eye shadow onto your eyes. Apply a champagne shadow(depending on your skin tone). Trace the V shape at the inner corners of eyes with a gold liner. Do not forget to curl your lashes and apply a black mascara such as Maybelline New York XXL Volume + Length.

Your pressed powder or loose powder is use to set your concealor. So dust your loose powder or pressed powder over your concealor to set it. With summer comes the magic word, "bronzer". They are a huge part of any summer makeup regime. Some shimmer goes a long way.

Dust a little shimmer on your cheek bones. This gives the illumination of high cheek bones and it also highlight your cheek bones as well. This is not done yet, you need to finish it off with a bronzer. Sunk in your cheeks and make a fish face. Dust it with a matching shade of bronzer.

To finish the summer look, apply clear or pink gloss to it. I recommend Aveda Liptint. It offers SPF properties and it has a load of moisturising properties as well.

Now you are ready to hit the clubs and party.

Life in Paradise

2006-06-27T20:36:00.000-10:00

I am finally back again. I haven't disappeared, I just got carried away with moving and work. I have officially moved in with my Utah roommate, and so far, everything seems fine. She is only 19 years old.

We talked, and we laughed, however nothing too drastic has happened yet, and I do not think anything drastic will happen. Perhaps it is because I am keeping my distance. We will see how it all goes.

There are somethings in my life that has changed. I crop my hair AGAIN!!! This time it is really short. I have sample picture to show you, however real pictures of me will be uploaded soon. I haven't been able to use my computer since I moved in, reason being I haven't been able to connect my computer to the internet, so I might not be using the MSN after all. I confess, I do still use MSN from time to time, however it is not for the purpose of chatting anymore.

My new hairdo looks somewhat like this, except it is not blond, that it is black and tuck back behind my ears.

I also went shopping for the first time in 3 months, and bought a lot of things, gulity as charged. However there were sales all over the place and I just cannot resist it. I bought a spilt shirt, heels, Steve Madden thongs, and a summer sundress from Gap.

This is the dress that i bought from Gap, but my dress is white not brown.

My time is running out so I got to run along now. So tune in more updates from your fav. shopping junkie here in Hawaii.

P.S: I got a complimentary letter from my guest today. I am on top of the world. More details will come in the monthly mails. As they say, save the best for last.

I am moving!!!

2006-06-20T11:14:00.000-10:00

Not this blog, and not literary. I just want to do something different. Ever since I moved here I have been living with Asians. Now I want a change of environment, and I want to change somethings about my life. I am moving out of my room on Friday and I will be living with an Utah girl... How is that for a change? Beat that! Cannot get anymore mormon than that.

This reminds me that I have not done anymore fashion posts for a long time now. Maybe it is time I bring it back. I might do make up too. Oh! well so many things I want to do, and yet so little time.

The Relationship... [Private]

2006-06-17T20:51:00.000-10:00

I want to devote this entry to myself, and only to myself. You probably would not want to read this entry. I would oblige to talk about this here because I am aware that anyone who visits this Blog probably would have no inkling about what I am writing and so it is safe.

This is my drawing board and all because I know Lucas would not be able to read this. He is too upset right now to want to have anything to do with me.

I had a conversation with M, we were both talking about the little things in our lives and suddenly our conversation shifted to the talk of relationships. I told her how miserable I was for the past couple of days after Lucas “dump” me. She was surprised at my comment, but nevertheless she did not fail to encourage me.

Lucas was the “bad” boy in my life. He is not a member of the church, he never will be. We share an interesting mental relationship. We can communicate with each other; however when it comes to our relationship, things are different. We talked about how women seem to always fall for the bad boys and how bad boys seem to be more attractive. M disagrees. She refuted my point. She cracked up and said women are dumb. She then continued to elaborate on it by pointing out the fact that women think that by patiently waiting, some day their men will change for the better; however women die even before that could happen.

I disagree. It is not about being stupid or smart. It has everything to do with love. When you are in love with someone, everything they do becomes beautiful in your sight. All that you ever want is to be with them however short the moment might last. A smile from them brightens up your world; the sight of them makes everything better. Love leaves u oblivious to reality. It is not women that are stupid, men are too.

Lucas hopes that with patience and time, I will change for him, and be able to muster up enough courage to do the thing he wants. I on the other hand, was waiting for him to change and accept the church. We are butting heads against each other. We are blind to the one obvious flaw that lies within the relationship. Both of us possess strong personalities, and to change would seem to alter the structure of our universe. He said before, “Why do we need to let religion come in the way of our relationship?” Why does religion have to occupy such a huge part of my life?

Life is bed of roses and roses have thorns. Ultimately we are who we are, humans do not change...

I did not mean to sound melancholia; I just need to let it out

Sadie Hawkins

2006-06-15T23:28:00.000-10:00

Well this is the only picture I have of us all at Sadie Hawkins. I look a little funny in the picture, but its not me that matters, its the others. I am almost as tan as Micah... Amazing!!!
We are all tour guides at the polynesian cultural center.
From left to right: Ashely, Micah, Me! and Ting
What did I tell you?! Micah is good looking. That is besides the point, mostly important he is down to earth and a nice young man.

A more decent picture of me on the Laie Temple grounds...

Vintage Fashion Alert

2006-04-30T19:25:00.000-10:00

So I am finally back from a long break. So much has happen, yet so little time to tell it all, but I do not want to bored you people here so I will have to save the "best" for last. MB is finally leaving Hawaii for good now, and it is a little sad to see her leave. We arrived here in the same semester, and she has been a dear friend to me for a good year now. She is one of the more fun loving people I have met so far in my life. I love her!!! She does not judge me at all, but accept me for who I am, that I am thankful and will always remember.

This year has been crazy and hectic. This includes, weathers, school work, and interpersonal relationships with people. First of all, I never did express my appreciation for the sun. I do love sunny warm weathers(well without the humidity). It has been official that I hate cold rainy weathers. I hate being cold and wet period.

Since winter or cold weathers are officially passed, let us all say hello to Spring and Summer and goodbye to Winter. Now is the time to pile on cotton and linen. Bring them out and rock the streets. Have you notice how the fashion trend is moving? Yes honey! We are moving back towards being retro, how do you like that? I know some people dread it while others have waited for this day all their lives.

Whether you are thinking of cotton or linen, be sure to pile on some polka dots, (eyelet) lace, ribbons, demin, and a little silk. Lace and silk always go together, you can never be wrong when u pair them together.

While horizontal strip shirts in colors of navy/red and white are in trend, be sure to mix them well with your other clothing pieces, or else you might end up looking like you have just step off the ship. Don't want to look like a salior there.

Shades are the essentials of summer. Never forget to bring them with you wherever you may go. They are the summer essential for various reasons, for starters, the right pair of shades can make you look stylish and jazzed up an otherwise plain outfit. Shades with white frames are great for that retro vintage look. My personal favorite ones are those with square frames.

Leggings are also the way to go these days. Miniskirts and leggings is going to be a common sight these days. My favorite leggings are the black lace ones. For two simple reasons, first black makes my legs look slimer, and second black laces is just a classic piece of fashion wear every girl needs to own in her wardrobe.

Do you have anything you want to share? Any favorite fashion pieces that you might want to share?
Till then, I love you

Quote of the week

2006-04-01T08:58:00.000-10:00

Consider this quote:

What I spent, is gone; what I kept, I lost;
but what I gave away will be mine forever.
—-Ethel Percy Andrus

It is rather insightful, and I thought I might as well share it with you nice folks. It was actually Brother Ottley(forner conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle choir) who give it to us(his choir class)

Fashion ideas

2006-03-30T15:54:00.000-10:00

I have been away from Singapore from so long and I really wonder how is the fashion scene in Singapore right now? What are people wearing? Recently I was browsing through the internet and I came across a few fashion blogs edited by some Singaporeans. They are very well written and it makes for an interesting read every so often.

However there are a few things which are greatly disturbing as I read them. On one of the blogs it says and I quote, “[A]ll Singaporean girls look alike, all of them scantly clad with clothes. You see them in jeans and camisole all the time.” The author then goes on to talk about Singapore’s lack of fashion creativity, and her seasons being eternally summer.

I challenge that statement, and would like to retort it by saying; the weather has nothing to do with one’s fashion sense.

It is a blessing to live in Singapore where the weather is one of eternal summer. First of all, because the weather is always the same, you need not spend unnecessary money on changing your wardrobe. It costs a lot of money to buy scarves, shawls, winter coats, woolen coats and boots. You can have the luxury of wearing cotton and linen. You can walk around in sandal and slippers and look exotic in them.

I live in America, and I have access to shops such as American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister just to name some of them. These are great stores, but just like Giodano, they do have a different style that they follow. They are following the basics too, just in a different way. Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister follows the California style of fashion, while American eagle is just typical American fashion, nothing too exciting. Living in a different place does not make you more fashionable.

Style is defines you from the crowd. Be bold, be creative, be willing to experiment with new pieces. Fashion and style is all about creativity. Pile on accessories if you want to. Solitaire rings are good, but in my opinion they are much too safe. Why be plain when you could look fabulous without being plain and safe?

This is my little food for thought.

Dare any raindrop to plop in my eye!!!

2006-03-20T15:25:00.000-10:00

Hello everyone!!!

It has been a(LONG)while since I update this blog.
Anyhow, this is the low down, have fun!!!

This is a just a brief update of my life for you here.

I haven't told all of you my classes this semster? Well it is never too late to start, so I will tell you now....

Japanese 102 (Totally lost!!!)
Math 106 (quite interesting, just wish I understand my professor's jokes)
Eng 201 (All about phillosophy... I LOVE it!!!)
Book of Mormon 122 (been interesting so far!)
Achieving Eternal Marriage (Everyone needs to take this class, whether or not if you are planning for a marriage, because it is INTEREESTING)
Women's Choir (The Ottlelys are the best)

So my life has been great so far, except for my guy situation, where it always happens. People are hooking up and I am been left alone once again, but life isnt the end yet. I will get hook up too, no hurry! I can still go goof off on my own. It has been so rainy for the past few weeks, and everywhere is flooded, but not where I live though. I stayed in most of the time, and managed to get some studying done. I actually need to get going soon for my math homework.

I went to Honolulu and Waikiki this past weekend. Michelle (my buddy in crime) and I had a fun time, we were just goofing and laughing as we go along. A common sight for us; 2 girls, one is chinese, the other one danish, walking around eating and playing. We were in Honolulu, when we decided to walk to Waikiki since it was such a beautiful day, and as usual I was the one who came up with the idea to walk. We were walking around the Hilton Waikiki village in circles before we both realise we were lost, but then as you know, I will never admit that I am lost, so we put up the act of being "posh" tourist and kept on walking till we eventually gave up.

I got a cute yellow shirt and some Japanese red bean rice. oiishii~

Somethings in my life right now that I am working on -

Stay as cheerful as possible everyday
Goofing off with my friends
Not do so much shopping... - Gulity as charge
Smile and laugh, everyone likes a happy girl.

This is me in a nutshell thus far, beside being a fashionista... I cannot help it.

I am not going to be home this year, I am a little sad tho, but I am going to go back home next year, and spend the whole ENTIRE summer in Singapore!!!

New Danish word for the month - Svumpuggel (Scumbag)
New Japanese word for the month - Mezurashi (Rare)

I love you all.

Christina

THE Dress

2006-03-10T11:48:00.000-10:00

DRUMS ROLL.... This is the vintage dress you have been waiting for. This is an empire cut dress, and it is flattering to most people,but note, if you have big hips, you probably want to avoid wearing it as it does make you look bigger. If you have a body shape that is heavier on the bottom, do wear something fitted but not tight!!! There is a difference. Never wear lose baggy shirts, because it makes you look bad, it makes anyone look bad period. Those shirts are only good being PJs... and reserve that for those purposes. For dresses, always try to choose one of linen or cotton material. Linen material looks good, and cotton cools you down in the hot weather since it is a highly air permiable material.

Enough said, to jazz up this look you can pin a brooch and wear some long dangling earrings of sorts, otherwise vintage pearl earrings or studs are a good way to go along with it as well. I pined mine on the right side of the dress. Here is picture of it as well.

I was a little hestiant about buying this dress due to 2 reasons. First of all, it certainly does not fit in with my style(it is empire cut, whenever the wind blows it makes me look as if i am pregnant!!!) and second of all, the back of the dress, is a tad too immodest, but to solve this problem I have decided to layer a lace camisole underneath.

I know you probably cannot see the lace camisole here, so I have taken some close up pictures of it.

Laces....

2006-03-09T13:59:00.000-10:00

For some reaons, I seem to be addicted to blogging these days. I think it must the fashion post I put up some days back, but whatever it is, I am glad it got me all up and typing now.

Come to think of it, I do not think anyone here on campus cares about dressing up as much as Michelle and I do. Sometimes we are being passed off as being high maintenance, and snobbish. However what did they always say? Never judge, because one never know what is going on.

The picture of my vintage dress is coming soon, so keep a close look for it.

Lace! Yes lace!!! Laces are popular, almost as early as the Victorian ages. Women wear them all the time, on their dress, shoes, hats, and around them little umbrella (and god knows what those little things are good for when they barely shelter anything at all)

Most people think that laces are make such a vintage fashion statement and it would be tricky to dabble with it without ending up looking like you have just walked out 50s soap opera. I would not disagree, it is tricky, and however it is also very feminine to wear laces. Now ladies, do not start piling on them, hold your horses now.

Here are some ideas where you can use.

Laces and demin always go well together. Lining the trim of a demin skirt give it an instant facelift, and gives it a little more of a feminine detail to it. It is not only the trimming of the skirt, even the slit too, if it is too high up the back and for modesty, you could part of it with lace.

For example, a full lace vintage top, when pair of with a well cut pair of jeans and pointy head makes a girl look chic.

Do you like the layering affect of clothing? Do you need to wear a camisole underneath your shirt because it is too short? Well get short camisole with lace lining around it. It gives your overall feminine touch to it and adds a little touch of that vintage look.

Do not get a LONG tunic camisole, you know the ones that goes all the way down and below your butt, long is good, but not in this case, because it makes you as if you have an elongated body. GROSS!!! Please don’t get lace camisole/ tunics that are made of 50% spandex, not only does it look hideous, the quality of the fabric is terrible.

While laces are good, do not get a black lace dress layered over a light beige fabric of any kind, because it makes u look naked. Do not laugh and asked “who does that?!” Well apparently a lot of people do. I remember seeing a lady shaving her legs in a public restroom, and if that was not hideous enough, she was wearing a black lace dress layered over a light beige fabric of some sort. For a moment I thought she was naked. Black lace skirts are good, and they are very trendy, they are a must have, because it is almost similar to a LBD (Little Black Dress) you can pull it out for church or for dances.
Never attempt to wear a full lace camisole or top (if modesty is not an issue for you), because lets face it, although it is feminine, it does makes you itch.

So this is my little thought for the day…

Do tell me what you think and perhaps we can all help each other solve our little fashion hang ups.

Dinner time...

2006-03-08T19:24:00.000-10:00

It has been almost a year since I left home for college, and there are somethings here in Hawaii that constantly amuses me, among many things, I need to admit a better part of it has to do with fashion. I work in a Luau in the Polynesian Cultural Center. A luau is a hawaiian style resturant, where people sit together at a long table and enjoy their dinner while someone performs the hula on the stage. Work can be hectic, but overall it is still not beyond my level of tolerance. Every night as I collect their empty plates, I picked up alot of clean knives from their tables. They do not seem to need to use their knives...

I dine in the Cafeteria, and I have got a confession to make. The food served there is terrible. It is barely edible, and good grief it is so expensive!!! I do not usually dine in the cafeteria but when I do, it is usually on sundays and the food is usually better, or so they say.

I realise that cultures do impact our dining habits as well. Here is a little food for thought.

You would think that the caucasians know the art of using forks and knives, well no, not all of them do. The Americans for example do not seem to be able to grasp the idea, here it is the Europeans who does. They do not cut their food up with their knife, instead they use the side of a fork to cut their food up. I wonder why. Goodness, I wonder then why do they provide dinning knives, or maybe I should wonder why they do not use their knives to cut when it is provided for them. A strange lot they are! While I cut my brocooli with my knife, they think I am being too proper and should just stuff the whole entire piece into my mouth. It is amusing to see how a simple dinning habit can vary for cultures.

So next time, are you going to be a "European" or an "American"?

Fashion Fads and Classic.

2006-03-07T22:02:00.000-10:00

Fashion is such a tricky thing to dabble with. It is peculiar and it has its very own quirks. No one really knows how to handle it. You see, just when you think you have got a handle on it, it turns around and there are you are, left with nothing but where you started.

That is at least how I use to feel. However since I moved here to Hawaii, I have come to learn more about fashion. Perhaps it is due to my association with women from different culture all over the world.

There are just some colors in this world that needs to be left alone. Neon colors shold never be worn out. They belong to billboards or sign boards that are design to grab the attention. Never ever wear a neon orange beanie and walk around in it, because it is not cool.

Getting a tan is nice. Yellow is a nice color, however never attempt to match or to wear a bright yellow pullover against a skyblue shirt, if you are a natural red head. You look like a flower. There are enough peculiar things in this world to view, we do not need a 9th walking wonder in this world.

Never attempt to bleach you hair blonde when your natural hair color is dark brown. You have no idea how much a of a big bird you would look like. This is real world not sesame street, instead go for a more natural hair color, preferably one that matches your natural hair color.

Sometimes we wonder what colours would go together well, so here are a few ideas for you.

Brown and pastel pink/blue always goes together
Brown and Green (not dirty green)
Light charcoal blue, with black and white goes together well.
White heels are a must, every girls needs to own at least a pair.
Some shawls would be good.
Girls do wear alot of skirts because we look good in them.
Man please do not walk around in an oversized suit. It only makes u look small.
While pinstrips are good, if you are skinny please avoid them.
Please wear a fitted suit, or taliored made if you can.

Never wear vintage with vintage, if you do not wish to end up looking like a walking antique. Always jazz up the look with something more modern, as this will give you a chic look. For example, if you are wearing a pastel pink vintage shirt, try not to wear white (long string) pearls for it really does make you look old and granny. Some people do manage to pull it off, but few do. Wear a gray pearl chocker. Instead try to throw in some gray color into it. Gray and pink are a good combination together because it makes a girl look so sweet and pure.

Well enough said... This will be all for tonight.

Set UP!

2006-03-07T12:19:00.000-10:00

I went shopping again! I spend a lot. I know I am hopeless, but it cannot be helped. I love fashion, it is in me, and I am poisoned. I bought a vintage looking dress. It is in the color of light turquoise blue with brown strips crosses down the chest.

It has been a while since I went shopping with michelle. Perhaps most students would not understand my passion for fashion, but I do think that no matter how poor someone is, they should also possess the power or rather the right to dress themselves up. Everyone wants to look good, it is almost something that in inherent in all humans, male or female.

So I wore my new dress to church on Sunday, and those girls in my ward just hated me for it, but whatever! I like it. I am happy.

Now I am going to go into the reason for this post. Our ward conference is coming up and in preparation for it, our ward activities committee has got a whole week full of activities all planned out. One of the highlights is our ward ball. It is free but it is only open to the ward members only. The theme of the ball is, “The night of Kings and Queens” well needless to say, everyone would be treated like royalties. Now here is the catch, you can only attend the ball if you have a partner, and it is girl’s choice. So this is almost to preference in that aspect. Now you wonder who would take it seriously, and our wise bishop alongside with his committee has already anticipated our cynicism, so they decided to take matters into their own hands. They came up with a brilliant idea of setting us all up. So we did not have relief society or priesthood class, instead they were combine. Every single was given a slip of paper. The man will need to write their names down, while the ladies’ would have a number written on it already. Needless to say, I was not paying attention to it all, and took the numbered paper thinking it was all a game.

As is the case, there were more ladies than man, so this is always a problem. There were about 50 ladies in our ward and the remaining numbers are all male. One by one the ladies will come up as their numbers are called and draw out a guy’s name from a bowl, and he will be her partner for the dance. I always have such bad luck, and since I always do, this is no exception. I went up all flushed and shaken with nervousness. My partner for the ball is a Tongan/Caucasian. In spite of the more than embarrassing moment, I decide that it would not be that bad. It is just a ward activity and I am not going to marry this man, and if I go to the ball with him, I might even end up with a new friend. I have nothing to lost, and let’s hope he is not going to be a jerk. *Fingers crossed* I do not think he is....

However a majority of the man in our ward decided against participating in it. I wonder why? It is only a ward activity… Bishop is not even putting you on an arranged marriage. They complained about being single and when someone steps into to help, they turn it away. Who says women are confusing and hard to decipher? Men are the ones. You never know what they want, and so I have give up trying to read them, all I ever do now is to have fun and a jolly fun time.

The counselor

2006-02-14T15:42:00.000-10:00

These past weeks have been trying for me. I have been confronted with so many different kinds of challenges, and I do not even know where to begin. To start things off, I have come to the grim reality and awful realization that I need to make more friends.

Some of my friends (well you know who you are) who are reading this right now might be really shocked, but yes! This is true. I do have some sort of social anxiety disorder and it is causing me much pain and misery now. I have thought of giving it all up, pack my bags and fly home, but I cannot bring myself to do it.

It is partly due to pride but more important it is my education which I care about. I recognize this as a challenge and I do not want to bow down to it. I simply cannot, because I am sure millions of us have experience this before, and if they could overcome it, then why not me?

Something you need to know about me, I am a very shy person, thought I do not seem so. I (really) hate making the first move and having to say hello to people. I cannot do that and I do not know how to do that. Sometimes I wonder if I am suffering from some form of social anxiety disorder. I seem to not know how to express myself at all. I have decided to seek help, and from whom you might wonder. I have decided to talk with the counselors.

I never see this day coming, and now I really think I need to use some help from them. I went in for an appointment today and we talked for some time and we that I need to do some things. Almost immediately, tears welled up from the corners of my eyes and before long I was weeping. I am a mess. I cannot contain myself at all. I hate it. It is so disgusting.

First of all, we recognized that I can make friends and have had friends before. I am capable of holding and maintaining friendships, however I am shy and needed some help. She has challenged me to keep a journal and to go out and say hello to people around me. She also told me to pray about it, pray to Heavenly Father that he might be able to bring someone to me that would be in need of my friendship and help. I am going to do that.

Well I am going back to her again next week and we shall see how it all goes.

Health Question and Answer Session

2006-02-11T12:54:00.000-10:00

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they\'re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO . Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming

The different phases of a winter semster in Hawaii

2006-02-01T10:24:00.000-10:00

Its now time again to put in another entry... I will procrastinate and twirl around with the "Not Yet" game for now, until I find something better to write about, but here is the low down on what is going to up for my next few entries.

This past weeks have been more than wonderful. So many things have happened. First there is the getting to know new people and faces phase.

Second, I have the irritation with roommate phase

Third, I am experiencing it, homework overload, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy phase.

Lastly, I debating on keeping my mobile phone or not.... Paying $50 a month is ridiculous!!!

Ring out the Old and Ring in the New

2006-01-09T11:07:00.000-10:00

In a twinkling of an eye, the year 2005 is over. As I reminisce back on the time when I was desperately preparing to leave home, I cannot believe I have been here in Hawaii for close to nine months now. It has been a long time.

January 11th, 2005 will mark the beginning of a new chapter of my life, so will it mark the beginning of a new winter semester. New classes, with new people to meet. This semester I hope to be able to be a different person. I hope to be happier. I like to have a smile on my face.

These are the classes I have enrolled for this coming semester, and they are,

Japanese 102 - 4 credits
English 201 – 3 credits
Math 106 – 4 credits
Book of Mormon – 2 credits
Eternal Marriage – 2 credits
Women’s Choir – 1 credit

I am having second thoughts about enrolling for the Eternal Marriage class. I met a girl this morning, and I overheard that she and her fiancé will be taking the very same Eternal Marriage class with me. I do NOT want that to happen. The last time she looked at me, her face glowing with happiness, told me she got engaged to her boyfriend. I should be happy for her but I cannot bring myself to do that. Somehow I feel she is just doing so to antagonize me. She just seem to treat her fiancé as if it is an arm candy. Why do I have such a thought about her? It scares me.

I want to have a boyfriend too. I am tired of being alone. I should throw myself into my studies and get a 4.0 GPA this semester. I am not happy now, and so what can I do? I hate this feeling… I feel miserable, just whenever I see that smug look of hers smeared across her countenance.

Christmas is coming....

2005-12-16T15:47:00.000-10:00

So I am told I had better update my blog before it collects dust again.

This week has been hectic and plain destructive. Classes were officially over this last week and in came the finals week. Everyone had their noses buried in their books, and I am included too.

Part of me was glad that classes were finally over and that the semester has finally ended, but the other part wished for something else. The semester went by so fast, I have not even get to know anyone around me and now we are all going our separate ways again. It is bitter sweet.

The campus is almost empty now that everyone left for the Christmas break! I wish I could go home too, unfortunately I am being bound by the scholarship. I am bitter about it, and on the other hand I need to be proud. I am a scholar… I have a full right scholarship, everything is being paid for. I am an intelligent girl. I am grateful for this scholarship, but I still I could go home.

It is during times like these that I miss home most. I miss living in the city. I miss my family and most of all my brother and everything that I had grown up with. This Christmas season, I am going to take up a new interest and do something for myself. Here is to everyone who needs to spend their Christmas away from home. Let us all make this experience worth while!

Giggles

2005-12-11T22:35:00.000-10:00

Everyone appreciate a healthy dose of humour. Some says that sacarsm is the worst form of humour... I however disagree with it. There is a positive side to everything. A healthy dose of sacarsm every now and again is good. It keeps my sanity in check.

Check out the following conversation for giggles:

R: Are you bringing G back home with you?
MB: Heck no!!! He is not my type, we are friends and all, but that is it.
R: Unfortunately...
MB: Whatever~ Why would he want to come home with me?
R: IT'S HIS DREAM!!!
MB: Yeah right! How do you know?
R: It's my sixth sense.
MB: I appreciate your sacarsm!
R: YES! Where would I be without that?

Memory Lane

2005-12-07T19:51:00.000-10:00

I know I have once again fall into the bottomless pit. Alas, this is what happens when I am busy.

This past two months have been exciting and strenuous for me. I have never been so tired and busy in my whole entire life. My life took on a drastic change ever since I moved to Hawaii.

I have said many times before that I am a city lass, and this reality has been reinforced into my being even more now. The desire to be different from everyone else has never been greater. For the first time, I realize the difference I hold, even though we are amongst church members here in BYU-Hawaii.

I find myself making a special effort to be different, and I have done so through my speech, action and fashion sense. There is nothing wrong with the American culture, however I am not contended with merely blending into the culture. I want to be different and I sought out different ways and means to do so. I do not know if people recognize it, and I do not care.

I was browsing through some picture yesterday and I stumbled upon Nathan’s pictures. Nathan and I met through some peculiar coincidence. He is from the UK. He had light brown hair and had eyes the color of honey hazel. He stands at 5' 10".

As I browsed though the pictures, my mind raced back to the time we met and how much fun we had. He had an adventurous spirit. I love being around him. He sets me at ease.

I remember I had try to keep in contact with him but somehow I failed, for he never did mail my friend back, and I never got to having his email. Perhaps it was due to the answer I gave him before he board the plane bound for home. In moments of silliness coupled with overwhelming tiredness, I had blurted out a foolish answer which was unintended. He asked what I thought of him, and I had told him he had a good spirit, translation – You are a ugly nice man… That was stupid of me. That answer was never meant to be taken that way, what I meant was, I like being around you, and I like you. I had wanted to tell him that I like him a lot, even now but I lacked the courage to tell him.

I never told this to anyone... and now I am letting the cat out.

Cononut bead anyone?!

2005-11-15T15:45:00.000-10:00

While cleaning up the Luau last night, I came across a piece of paper on the floor, as I picked it up and look at what was written, I realized, written upon the paper was the recipe of the Tahitian coconut bread. I cannot believe it. This is my favorite bread.

I decided I will be nice and share it with you, so you can all make this bread, and have a little experience with Polynesian food.

This is all you need :

2 Cups Fresh Grated Coconut
4 Cups of Flour
2 teaspoon of Baking Powder
1.5 Cups of Sugar
1.5 Cups of Water

This what you need to do :

Combine fresh grated coconut, sugar and water.
Blend flour and baking powder together.
Mix all ingredients to a doughy texture adding little flour as ned so it is not too sticky.
Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in oven at 350 for an 60 to 90 minutes.

This recipe makes 5 loaves of bread. Enjoy!!!

On cloud Nine

2005-11-06T15:43:00.000-10:00

Introduction:

This week has been rather eventful. There are ups and downs.

Down side:

Learning the Japanese language has been more than overwhelming. There have been days where I just felt I should drop the class. I felt I am the laziest student in class. There are many days where I just do not understand what is being spoken in class. However, test results prove to be another reality altogether.

D and I have not been on talking terms for a little while now. There seem to be dead stillness that hangs in the air whenever we come together. Claire remarked once that we look so shy talking to each other. Geezzz… This is not good news, is it? I do not know what is going on between us, since the lines of communication between us are non-existent anymore. Each time he sees me now he would run away from me…

Up Side:

I did well on my Japanese test, better than I have ever expected. I am thinking of attempting vocal studies as my second major. I love music and I love to sing. I can sing. I swear I do not crack the glass when I sing. I used to have a crush on a guy and now it is coming to me now. I am having a crush on him again. I do not know why this is all happening now.

Maybe it is because he is showing me interest me now. He notices me and tells me things that shocks me; things about me which I have no idea he notice. He knows who I hang out with, my fashion sense, the languages I speak, my hair color, and the fact that I was never at FHE(Family home evening). I just color my hair and it is now a shade of red with violet undertones. I look warm, and I like how I look. I am flattered. I truly am, never would I think any guy would notice me and that is not to say I look hideous.

Conclusion:

So much has happen but I would still like to think I had a good week. I did!

Addictions

2005-10-28T14:46:00.000-10:00

If I should care to mention or think about how I have changed ever since I moved to the states, I would bring to attention my new found addiction to chocolate. Never at all in my life would I think I would be addicted to chocolate. I spend most of my days munching and sucking on chocolate. I am addicted to Take5!!! They are best chocolate in the world. Take5 has got a pretzels, caramel, peanut and peanut butter, and all of this is covered by a layer of milk chocolate. I cannot even explain to you why they are so good, perhaps it is because of the pretzels, I love pretzels. I think by the end of this fall semester I am going to gain a few pounds.

I finally did what I had wanted to do for sometime now. I chopped my hair off! Now it is officially in the short category. I feel spunky!

This is me in a nutshell. Back to typing my report, and crossing my fingers hopping my Compaq notebook won’t die on me!!!

Golden Jubilee

2005-10-24T11:56:00.000-10:00

This past week has been fairly crazy. A crazy roller coaster ride I would termed it. Aside from all the homework my professors would pile on me, we had the Golden Jubilee celebration.

We have had so many different activities. We had Gladys Knight came over and present us with a concert and a devotional where we had gospel music. The devotional was simple spectacular. It was unlike anything at all that I have ever seen. It did brought out the spirit of felicity and jubilee. At the end of the devotional, everyone gave a standing ovation to her. She deserved it.

I am glad to be part of this Golden Jubilee celebration. It brought out so strongly the spirit. Prior to the celebration, the months that proceeded, we were reminded several times of President Mckay’s prophecy of BYU-Hawaii as an institution of higher learning where upon this institute would produce man and woman who will go forth out of this world, with their presence would be felt for good and towards the establishment of international peace. How great this prophecy this is. How great a vision and how privilege I am to be able to be part of all this.

Our stake president came and visited, and I get to take them out for lunch. It was a great lunch. We talked about many things, and in some ways it did broaden my perspective of some things.

I attended most of the activities except on days when I had to work. One of my favorite item was the flag raising ceremony. BYU-Hawaii has the largest international student body population. The campus represents students from some seventy six different nations from all over the world. We had European nations, South America and Asia Pacific.

This was the second time I had seen the Singapore flag been up, and the first time for the Danish flag since no one from Denmark came over.. I was so proud it. MB and I took each stood underneath our flag poles and took pictures of it. It was just a moment which we wish to commemorate. I love been here. It is truly a special place.

My crush revealed

2005-10-14T23:51:00.000-10:00

It is just no fun when you take the effort to organise a study group and people do not turn up and even worst was the fact that none of them bother to call. This basically sum up my busy week... besides tests, and essays.

I need to also add that, someone finally let the cat out of my bag, now a classmate of mine knows I have a crush on him, and that is no longer fun! Well, he is so ditzy and spacey that you falling for him would be a risk.

This is me for a week!

I promise I will come up with something more decent.

Till then, hang loose!!!

"Smack him upside down, and tell him he is rude!"

2005-10-07T15:31:00.000-10:00

What should I say to a guy when I want to break things off with him? I do not know. I am perplexed by it. I want to disappear from his life and yet at the same time, it would be too cruel.

I like him alot and yet he is doing things that will prevent me from moving close to him. He is smart, and good looking. He is almost everything that I can ask for, and yet why is he asking this from me?

He puts up a good arguement. He holds his conversations well. He cares so much about me. He tells me the thought of me makes him feel all warm and fuzzy. He likes the spirit that I bring whenever I am near him, but does he know why I possesses the spirit? Why is he making fun of the very thing that bring him peace and comfort. I like to hear all of that. I like it when he flirts with me, but why is he pushing the limits? I cannot do this alone. I need help.

I want to say that he will never be able to find another girl that will possesses what I have, but I might be wrong and he will say I am wrong.

I need to break it off. Once and for all.

I think anthroplogy would be better than communications!!!

2005-09-30T20:19:00.000-10:00

“Have you ever thought of going to law school Christina?”
“Nope, I haven’t”
“Well if you want to work in an embassy you should, a doctorate in international law would get you very far ahead”
“What about political science?”
“That is not that only way around it.”
“Very well then… maybe, I am should also take a minor in Japanese too, what do you think?”
“Good idea, now you just need to work to get a good GPA.”

I have been debating about my emphasis for sometime now. My major’s emphasis was previously communications and culture, but now I have decided to change it to anthropology instead.

I think it is going to be very exciting.

Don’t you ever feel empowered by the decisions you made? I do. I have never been more certain about what I want in my life, more than now.

I felt flattered when my professor actually thought I am a junior or graduating senior when I am only but a lowly freshman.

Anyways this sums up for my day. Now, I officially have a major and a minor! I am an anthropology major with a Japanese minor!

Why are white people getto? Because they like to wear dresses!

2005-09-26T22:49:00.000-10:00

This is going to be a busy week… I just found out that I had two separate papers due on the same day. Each just as important as the other. I am going to disappear...

“Why are you so quiet?”
“Because I have been working out in the gym all day.”

We played the “why” and “because” game today during family home evening. We are seated in separate row facing each other. One roll will need to come up with “why” question and say it to the person next to them. The corresponding roll does the same thing too, only difference being they ask the “because” question instead.

I was the only asian at family home evening. I did not even realise it, then Jayanna came along. I am glad she did.

Family home evening is the one of those days of the week which I look forward to. This is the only time that I get to mingle with people in my ward. Why am I so quiet? I don’t know why. How can I talk more? I am usually not this way. Maybe because I have nothing in my head?! I don’t know. I will talk more the next time.

I kept thinking of the movie, “Just like heaven”. The word righteous kept ringing in my head.

This is it; righteous shall be the word of the month. RIGHTEOUS

IPod photo

2005-09-25T14:44:00.000-10:00

Once again I am back to singing in choir. Rachel being the ward music director has decided it would be a good idea to entertain the notion of organizing a ward choir. So we did have a ward choir. During our initial practice there were a lot of member but as the week went on, the numbers dwindled. All is still good.

I was surprise to see S at the ward choir practice. I never realize we are in the same ward. I see him all the time, at least three times a week. He always wears a hat to class, and dresses like a Jamaican boy. Standing at 6ft, I always feel so small whenever I am with him. What surprise me even more were his skills with singing. He sang so beautifully. I remember asking him once his reasons for joining choir, and he told me the reason was because he hopes to get to know more girls. I immediately laughed.

I appreciate his honesty. He is a quirky guy.

For a moment in time, I almost made a goal of getting to know him and being a good friend to him, but it never really happen. Maybe I should get down to it. I will…

I am glad I joined choir. It gives me the opportunity I need to develop my talent. I love to sing, and it pleases me to know that the songs I sing help brighten up someone’s day.

I love music and I cannot live without it. I am in neeeeeed of an IPOD. I don’t think I have ever been in such desperate need of a music storage device. Just on Friday, I walked into the BYU bookstore and was about to purchase an IPOD when the lady at the counter said it was out of stock. I was indeed disappointed to know that the IPOD photo 20 gig are all sold out, but I knew at the back of my head that it is probably a blessing in disguise. I don’t need one; I just want it, because everyone else has one, even the girl who just passed by me earlier.

My birthday is coming, maybe that would be the perfect occasion for it.

Genealogy Trace

2005-09-23T14:00:00.000-10:00

Lately I have had been feeling rather perplexed. I seem to have no actual inkling as to what is my genealogy. Everyone in my reglion class seem to be able to trace their genealogy back to some woman or man, but for me, there seem to be no progress for me at all.

The only information I obtained from the “trusty” internet says that my last name traces back to Irish, Czech and Chinese heritage. I managed to obtain another piece of information from my dad. He told me a little about his heritage. I learn from him and my fraternal grandmother that we have some relatives in Hong Kong so in other words, part of me belongs to Hong Kong too. I am glad to know that. At least part of me belongs somewhere; I can say that with pride and know for a certainty that all of it is true. However I do want to believe in the information I obtained from the internet but it just seem all too conflicting the information my dad gave me.

I never thought I would be able to solve this whole mystery until yesterday. I paid Parson a visit in his office. Something we discussed in religion class. I thought I would just do that. It was the best experience of my life. I came so close to unraveling my genealogy. I do indeed have Chinese, Irish and Czech heritage. (I am not saying so because I want to be special and have European heritage. There is no point in it.)

All of this is too complicated.

Blog inactivity? Not!

2005-09-21T23:17:00.000-10:00

The inactivity of my blog should clue you in on my busy social life. Well I do not have a busy social life, but I do have a busy schedule, at least so for this fall semster. Often times I do not have enough time at all to finish my homework at all. I miss doing homework. I know it sounds strange but I do miss it.

So to make up for it all, I gather I should put up something fun.

Three names I go by: Christina, Bella, Chris(tine)

Three screennames I've had (have): Bella, Butterfly, oriental lass

Three physical things I like about myself: I am slim. Straight black mane. My toned legs

Three physical things I'd like to change: My height, a little of it does help. My teeth… wish it could be whiter. I cannot think of the last one…

Three parts of my heritage: Chinese, Irish, Czech. That is what it says when I did a genealogy trace, but I think I am just Chinese.

Three things that scare me: Being forgotten,. Taken for granted. Being judged.

Three daily essentials: Shower, sleep and people (friends)

Three things I'm wearing as we speak: Turquoise shirt, White embroided capris, my opal ear studs.

Three favorite bands: The Beatles. Air supply. Maroon 5(Maybe)

Three of my favorite songs: Read your mind. Baby don’t you break my heart slow. Chances are.

Three things I want in a relationship: Trust/Faith, Friendship, sacrificeTwo truths and a lie: I speak the British English. I hate living in the city. I am a communications major.

Three favorite hobbies: Writing. Talking to people. Travelling

Three things I want to do right now but for some reason am restraining myself from: Do my English response paper. Shower. Take a cap nap.

Three careers: International client service director in a NY based advertising agency. Anthropologist. Journalist.

Three places I want to vacation: England. Thailand. NY

Three names for children: You should ask if I would ever be married. Anyways… Charlize… this is the only one in my head now.

Three things to do before I die: Travel round the world with my best friend(s). Spend more time with my family (sounds cliché, but I do need that) Live in the country side (not utah) for a month…

Well this should do for now. Will post more soon. Its a promise.

Misadventures of an oriental lass

2005-09-01T15:10:00.000-10:00

Me not blogging is a sign of my busy social life. Probably busy is not the right word for it. I have been tied up preparations for fall semester. There is so much to do yet so little time.

Before fall semester began, I draw up a to-do list. So this is how it goes.

A back pack for school, something for my to dump my books in.

A new purse. My Mango purse is dying on me The handles are fraying

2 under shirts. Most of shirts are so short, they do not cover my torso well enough.
I need an undershirt to layer over it.

Books! Order my books online. (As a matter of fact, I have done just that.
But it seems, I am not getting any of them until the 23rd of September.)

REST well before the first day of class.

I did all of the above, except for the last one.

MB and I went to downtown Honolulu and decided we would get each of our own individual supplies there. We went to the malls, and Walmart, and got all we need. I admit we were carried away by shopping, and forget all about the time and missed the 9pm bus. As a result we waited a hour for the bus to come around again. With my nose constantly running and our limbs weak and void of any strength we were struggling to make the best out of our situation.

Finally the bus arrived. I thought we were safe, but to our disappointment the bus broke down with flat tire. It is now 11pm, Tuesday night on September 30th, and we are stranded in the middle of no where with 15 other people. We waited for another hour before another bus arrives to save us all.

I looked toward MB and said “ NO! this cannot be happening! Tomorrow is the start of fall semester and here we are stranded in the middle of no where.” In reply MB took out her camera and suggest we start taking pictures. She thought there isn’t a better time than such to take funny pictures of the both of us.

We didn’t take any pictures. None of us has the strength for that.

Needless to say we arrive back onto campus at a ghostly time of 1am.

The lesson of the day… Make sure you follow strictly with your to-do list. Never go anywhere on the island unless you have a car and you are confident that you would get back on time. NEVER miss the bus here in Hawaii. Never take the last bus!!!

Fun Time

2005-08-12T09:34:00.000-10:00

I saw this interesting post on my best friend, QT's blog. I figure I will copy it onto mine as well.

So this is how it all goes.

1. Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.

2. I'll tell you what song/movie/book/fictional character reminds me of you.

3. I'll pick a substance to wrestle with you in.

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me. Or at least me.

5. I'll tell you my favorite memory of you.

6. I'll tell you what animal or plant you remind me of.

7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.

8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written.

Hawaii 101

2005-08-11T13:21:00.000-10:00

Some weeks back we went to turtle bay resort with some of our friends. Turtle bay resort is located on Oahu North Shore. It is about 20 miles away from the BYU-Hawaii campus.

We were told that there would be turtles at the beach and resort and so we decided to take a trip down to the resort. When we arrive there, we saw no turtles and it turns out that we had to be there in the morning, only then can we see the turtles and even feed them. All is not lost, we managed to at least capture one on flim.

Can you see the turtle? It was trying to swim out to the open sea, but the currents were to strong. He was washed onto the shore several times, we even manged to touch it.

I had recently painted my toe nails a shade of dark cherry red. I seldom paint my nails. I was feeling bored on the beach and so I decided to take a picture of it.

Following Turtle beach resort, we decided to it would be beach day again next week... This time we went to Sunset Beach.

Look at the turquoise blue water... Digital photography just does not do justice to it. Sunset beach is the windiest beach here on North Shore Oahu.

During my spare time, I play with my friend's hair...

Now it is merely a bun... With the addition of the hair accessory, I love how oriental it looks.

Since I have got time on our hands to spare, why not braid her hair. This look is secured by four bobby pins, with two on either sides.

To blend in with the local polynesian culture, we have decided to add a stick to it.

End of Summer

2005-08-08T11:59:00.000-10:00

3 more weeks to go and I am out of my summer job and then it back to working 19 hours a week and having to juggle school and work.

This summer holiday has been rather eventful. I spend most of my days working, blogging, chatting online and basically living up to a non-existent social life.

I realize I got a lot more depressed while I am here in Hawaii. I cannot seem to attribute it to anything at all.

I like Hawaii, it is so beautiful. Paradise indeed, but I am still a city lass at heart. As the saying goes, you can take the girl out of a city, but you can never take the city out of the girl.

I haven’t told you about the beauties of Hawaii have I? Did I also tell you of the scenic views Hawaii offers to her dwellers? Hawaii has mountains, and unlike the Rocky Mountains in Utah, Hawaii has got mountains that are lush and green. I remember driving by the coast line, seeing water flowing down the mountain range. The view in simply breathe taking to say the least.

I love to drive by the coast line of Hawaii. It is therapeutic. Just the sight of the ocean is reason enough for one to fall in love with Hawaii.

This past week, has been pretty long and exhausting.

I went to Pearl Harbor last Thursday and watched a documentary on Pearl Harbor. As a history major back in high school, I have had the opportunity to learn about the Second World War. I have had many occasions where I read and heard of the Pearl Harbor bombing. I have never been able to comprehend on the full measure of the bombing until I pay a visit to Pearl Harbor’s USS Arizona Memorial. There lie a few thousand men who are entombed in the ship which they served abroad.

After watching the documentary, and visiting the site, I stood there for a second and felt a wave of anguish and disgust swept over me.

We humans spend over two thousand years to trying to populate the earth and now, we are trying to kill each other over minor reasons which doesn’t even justify for a war.

A war is bad period.

Islander Humour

2005-08-04T00:27:00.000-10:00

Q: What do Tongans do when they are all stressed up?

A: They run into coconut trees and bang their heads against it.

World trotter anyone?!

2005-07-31T16:25:00.000-10:00

I do not know about you, but I feel weird and out of sort whenever another woman compliments me. I feel happy, and there is no doubt to that, but at the same time I feel uncomfortable as well.

Lately I have been receiving so many compliments from my fellow species that I blushed at every compliment.

I know I am beautiful and that I am capable of many things in life, but to have another woman affirmed that for me is just mind blowing. I have had many people encourage me, but few times do I receive encouragement from another woman.

I had a conversation with P the other night and the topic of our discussion drifted to genealogy. I told him that some years back I did a search of my genealogy search on my last name, however it yield some strange results. The results says that I have got Chinese, Irish and Czech ancestry. How unique.

I remember looking into the mirror, examining my looks. I remember telling my friends, and the first comment they made were, “You have neither Irish eyes, nor do you have any European features in you, but you are definitely a beauty.”

Another said, “You do look Asian, however you do not look like a Chinese, I never thought you were a Chinese.”

This shocked me a little. I have never have thought that some one would remarked that I am not a Chinese. They thought that I am a Singaporean and that it is also a racial group too. I laugh upon hearing it…

I wanted to say how stupid they are, but I was reminded right then how big the world is, and much of it I haven’t seen.

Some day I will see it.

Personal Finances Management! Anyone?!

2005-07-26T12:12:00.000-10:00

I went to breakfast alone today. It is a refreshing experience. I sat down with Melissa and Shannon for breakfast and was amazed to see James. I have not see James for some time now and was just wondering what happen to him, and then all of a sudden he appears. This guy! He gives everyone fits!!!

Breakfast was good. I had two scrambled eggs and some potatoes, as usual with a generous dose of pepper.

I went down to the bookstore today and there was a book sale. A good majority of the books are centered around the topic of religion and literature. I picked up a book entitled, “On My Own… And Clueless…” I mused at the title of the book and thought it really does describe my current situation best. I am indeed alone in a foreign and clueless about almost every other thing social. I must confess, I have a hard time making friends and I am very selective of the people I mingle with. I am often bad at maintaining friendships. I am incredibly self-conscious and often do not call my friends because I am afraid of calling them at the wrong time, and am most afraid of dealing with long periods of silence on the phone.

I bought the book and as I was tumbling through the pages of the book, I came across the section of finances, and I thought I will share a little food for thought.

There are a huge variety of checking accounts, but the best ones are actually the interest bearing accounts, where the bank actually pays you a fee each month for banking with them. To prevent myself from overspending, always have a savings account in another bank, this way, you would be able to separate out your savings from the rest of your finances.

“To remove the temptation of dropping below your minimum balance, consider excluding the minimum amount balance of $500/- and open your account with $700/-, simply write a starting balance of $200/- in your register. If you pretend the minimum balance is not there, you are less likely to spend it. The only time you need “to remember” the extra funds is when you balance your checkbook every now and then. “

Some types of free checking accounts also have other restrictions. You may be limited to a maximum number of checks you can write every month. And be charged a service fee for each check beyond that limit.

As quoted in the book, “with the rise of internet banking, some banks are offering accounts that are free as long as all of your transactions are done electronically. If you actually go into a bank for a transaction, you will be charged a service fee.”

I find this is interesting.

London Shooting

2005-07-25T12:22:00.000-10:00

This morning was a rather perplexing one. MB and I went for breakfast and we had some other people come and sat with us. At first it was interesting. We talked about every other sort of things, and then things turned interesting.

We began to discuss about Utah. We talked about how Utah is different from the rest of the world, and how living in a Mormon populated state would generate some unique stereotypes of people.

For example, if you asked to go to a club and dance in Utah, people would frown at the decision, and they would think you are a drug addict of some kind. I laugh at the thought of it, but then I pause to think for a moment, and for a little while it made perfect sense to me why they would arrive at such a perception.

Asides all of this, I must confess, I am getting rather uncomfortable with the thought of people ignoring me whenever people come over and talk to MB and then thrust me aside after they pass the mandatory move of asking for my name. I puzzled about why people would be more interested in getting to know MB and not me. Is there something wrong with me?

I feel a shudder when I read the London Shooting. An innocent man was shot five time in his head, and yet there is not a sound explanation to offer for such an action. I cannot think how cold people can be, and how we could conveniently blame others for the choices we make.

There should be some kind of explanation to it, other than the terrorist activities in this world.

Gay Marriages

2005-07-22T11:28:00.000-10:00

As I walked into the Aloha center here on campus, I was immediately greeted by snippets and shots of a gay marriage ceremony on mainland America, broadcasted via CNN. At that very moment, I was reminded of the issues of gay marriages and the research I try to conduct back home.

About two years ago, when the Singapore government came up with the revelation for the legalization of gay marriages, it stumped me for a little while. For the first time, I stopped to think what kind of consequence would such a revelation created for a global village.

What shocked me more was how much the society has changed. I thought, how in all probability the youth of the 21th cenutry have turn out to be. What is going on in the head of the government, and in the minds of the older generation? What does your parents think?

Everywhere around the world, people are becoming more liberal. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die; this has become a household phrase, but is this what we should all live by? People everywhere live with a personal paradigm, through no fault of theirs they allow it to contour their lives.

There is no sin in it. We all do it and we are not aware of it.

I wonder:

how the human race will increase in population again.

how a child’s perception of mom and dad will change if he/she is adopted by a gay couple.

what if the child would think that being gay is normal.

how the world will would think of gay marriage.

if people mean what they say when we question them about their perception on gay marriages.

will this turn into an eventual norm.

I have a lot more questions than these, however, I wonder if there is a cause in all of this pursuit.

I am not a homosexual and I highly doubt I would be one; however I do not persecute them for their actions. I give them due respect for who they are as I would to the woman/man next to me. Everyone has their free agency. However I must say the eventual legalization of gay marriages around the world will serve to hasten moral decadence of our society.

A writer? Am I?

2005-07-21T11:22:00.000-10:00

For the past few days I have been searching for new blogging sites. I do not know why I am doing this. I have never stayed on any blogging sites for more than a year. This QT my best friend who resides in Huston could testify to. Is that an average life span of a blogger? I do not know, however I am looking for an answer to my question.

I did a search on Yahoo! Search engine, and was left with few options. The search only yields political blogs of various individuals. Individuals who can write things that would appeal to the taste of the masses. I venture into some of those blogs, but got discourage very quickly. I marvel at their ability to word and express their feelings so aptly.

I realize for the first time, that I have not the skills to write at all. I am typing now and I can hear the sounds of my keyboard and I can see all of these appearing on my screen, but all this does not mean a thing to me.

I yearn to write something that people will read, however I am never good with writing such things, I never know what interest people. I am never good with making conversations with people, although Luke and many of my other friends would disagree.

D says I am always too critical, he says I have got the curse of the writer. I like the sound of it. The curse of a writer, I am a writer. Am I? I want to be a writer, and yet I am always confronted with the fear of not being able to write. I hate to stare blankly at the screen and wonder what I should write. I hate to think that no one is reading my blog.

I do not know why. I write emails with ease, and when it comes to writing something formal, I am left with emptiness in my head. How can I write with ease?

Muslim Fundementalist?!

2005-07-20T11:30:00.000-10:00

I wonder if I could write anything here and no one would ever know. No one reads it, at least not the people I know. It is also a comforting thought...

I am glad I got to talk to Luke last night. It was a rare sight to see him. Usually we would chat for a little while and then end up not seeing each other at all for weeks on end. We always have such good conversations; well at least I think so. Another reason why I like talking to him was because our conversations just flow naturally, although most of the time, the topic of our conversation are a little solemn in nature. I enjoy our conversations. It is nice to be able to talk to someone who knows about what is going on in this world.

A few weeks ago, Arby and I were discussing some issues related to the bomb attacks in London. Arby mentioned there is a huge number of Muslims living in Bradford, and I thought that is strange. I knew all along that there are many different cultural groups living in UK, but it just did not dawn on me that, there would be so much Muslims. He also goes on to talk about their way of life and how woman would typically walk behind a man. It is also a common sight for a woman to show respect to man. Women are not allowed to sit in the front seat of a car. If a man enters the car, she will need to give it up and move to the rear.

I thought it was a little strange and there is certainly nothing to justify such a tradition. I am also sadden by the stubbornness of people and how they would try with desperate means to try to cling onto their traditions when they knew deep within them that all of it is wrong. What shocked me most was the fact that these muslims lived in UK their whole lives, and yet they are still clinging onto to such a traditions, something which I cannot make sense of. I hope someday, things will change and that people all around the world can enjoy the same privileges too.

Back to Summer Job...

2005-07-19T09:57:00.000-10:00

Last Saturday night was one of the best weekends I have had for a long time. I finally got to talk to QT again. It was nice to hear from him. I miss him so much and often I find myself thinking about him.

Have I ever told you how we met? We never actually did. Both of us lived in Singapore, but never found the time or put in the effort to hangout at all. It started with a dear old friend of ours. His name is Johnny. I guess I should thank him after all, even though he gets onto my nerves for the better part of our friendship. Johnny was never his name, but we call him that, and he is fine with it. Johnny introduce him into one of our many chat sessions on msn messenger and that was it. It was the begining of a friendship.

I actually want to proceed on and talk about him, but I realise, for everyone of my blogs, I have at least devoted one post to his name...

Now that I actually have the time to think about it, all of this sound so weird. Each time when someone reads about him on my blog, they would unmistakably thought of him as my boyfriend. Well he is not, but I think we would date, if his korean friend manage to locate me n Hawaii and bring me back with him to Huston in a luggage.

2005-07-18T23:47:00.001-10:00

I just came back from watching a movie in my friend's room. The movie is call, "Win a Date with Tad Hamiliton". As you guess, it is a chick flick. Well I am a girl after all, and it makes sense that I have a certain inclination to watch it.

The movie features Tad Hamiliton as the typical hollywood badboy, who went on a blind date with a small town girl named Roselyn Futch. As you can probably guess, this movie has a typical romantic story line that leaves viewers going "Awwwwwww". A twenty first century fairytale, that lives in all our hearts.

Perhapes it has dawn on you that I have deleted all my previous posts of Hawaii. I must apologise, but as I browse through my previous posts, a feeling of uneasiness well up from within me. I realise I have been just typing in those lines as fillers for my blog, and I have not been putting in the effort and giving my blog the respect she deserves.

My day has been a long yet fun day. It is refreshing to do something different for a job. A friend of mine who resides in LA, said before that he admired me for the sacrifices I made to get back to college once again. Is it a sacrifice? I hardly think so. I perceive all of this to be an investment. I love living in Hawaii, but sometimes I get homesick. Well life is a bed of roses is it not? Roses have thorns after all.

One of my fav. movies

2005-07-10T00:31:00.000-10:00

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a clear grip of the horror that lies within kiddie literature.

I do not think there was a moment where I was viewing the movie, I felt as if Snicket himself had led me by the hand.

The movie rolls, with Snicket narrating the story, who is actually Jude Law doing a gavely funny voice-over. He constantly warns against impending calamities that are about to befall on his young heroes, even to the point of suggesting that the viewer flee to a next-door cinema where a much happier film is playing. For a while, I was wondering if I had stepped into the wrong theater.

The story revoles around the Baudelaire orphans and their guardian Count Olaf.

Jim Carrey stars as Count Olaf, a wily yet flamboyant villain with clever disguises and outrageous schemes, who is bent on swindling the Baudelaire orphans's fortune.

Olaf employs various, often elaborate attempts to get his hands on the fortune of the Baudelaire orphans: 14-year old Violet (Emily Browning), pre-teen Klaus (Liam Aiken), and infant Sunny (Kara & Shelby Hoffman). These three are left on their own when a house fire claims the lives of their parents. Their unfortunate journey begins at Count Olaf's gloomy-looking mansion. Just when things seem their darkest, Olaf steps in, in time claiming himself to be their relative... Olaf thinks of the children's arrival as a godsend, for they provided him free labor and an access to a huge sum of money; that is until he learns that he can't legally touch the money unless the children die. But, before he can ensure their demise, he is stripped off his guardianship.

The orphans are given then to Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly), a scientist of some sort who dabbles with exotic reptiles and then to Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep) who lives in a cliff side home. All the while, however, Olaf is plotting to once again to get his hands on the Baudelaires and their money.

The events slowly culminates in a circus performance where Olaf and his troupe of ne'er-do-well thespians conspire to have Olaf marry the eldest of the Baudelaire orphans, Violet.

The film is jammed with amusing gags, one of the best has the youngest orphan, Sunny, speaking in cackles, giggles and grunts that the other two understand perfectly well. For us, at least for me, I will make do with subtitles.

All in all, it is a fun and entertaining movie.

My random thoughts

2005-07-10T00:29:00.000-10:00

I have had many blogs before this. I have lost count of them. My first blog came about when I was only 19. It was a plain old blog, with nothing interesting on it. I did not know any html coding, and I refused to play around with it, for fear that I might messed anything up. In fact, I do not remember what fueled the thought to set up my first blog. It started as a playground for me to develope my literary talent. That also led me to my "now-editor" cum teacher, Drew.

Drew lives in New South Wales,Australia. He is of white ethnicity. He has dark brown hair, and he is able to carry of the "unshaven" look very well. We talk every so often. Our conversations usually revolved around our friends, life and most importantly, my blog entries. He always says, I am talented, and that I can write, but somehow my pieces seem to lack of lustre. We attribute it to my age. He calls me the "blind Indiana Jones". Well I am still growing... one day.

Then one day, I decided to set up a blog again. Since then, I have had many times where I had unawaringly shaken hands with html. I am glad I did, because it seem to have dissipate my phobia for it.

Last December, I created Tantalizing. She was my first encounter with html, and the rest is history.

I like to write, it is not always easy. I cannot promise that I will always write nice stuff on here, but I will try my best to write things people would read. I will try not to ditch this blog.

I am an islander

2005-07-10T00:26:00.000-10:00

January 11th, 2005, I found out that I was accepted to Brigham Young University - Hawaii. Since then I have been contemplating about my plans.

It is interesting, with the invention of modern technology the world seem to have shrink. Humans could easily send a message to another in a matter of seconds. We no longer shun at the idea of talking to a complete stranger. You have never met them before, and we call them our friends. We even muse at how incredible all of this is. Webcams are now the "in" way of meeting friends.

There is even a family who lives down the street who is possibly the only family I know to hold Family Home Evening over a conference call.Our love lives too has changed. Suddenly the possiblity of finding a spouses escalate a hundred fold. Our playground in love is the world. We are reminded constantly that he/she could be anywhere, and not just the city we live in.

How amazing.I am going to college, I am going to change, but however I am still an islander.