My ever-so-lovely-sister, ju the 2nd’s gotcha call by the hitz.fm morning crew (well, more like by JJ). She sure got gotcha-ed. *teehee*. Enjoy. 
Archive for the 'family' Category
Page 2 of 3
So I did it again. I’ve officially earned the cert but the reason behind me furthering my studies is still a blur. I don’t entirely know what I’m gonna do with this paper. Hence, at this point of time, I’m still as lost as I’ve ever been, with an extra piece of paper. 
Nevertheless, it is a good year for my family. All 3 of us will go through our graduation this year (yipee!). 2 done, 1 more to go. Dad’s new suit is sure to pay off!
Good news from my graduation ceremony — I DID NOT TRIP AND FALL! yay!
I’m glad that my parents and sisters are there to celebrate it with me. I’m also contented that my sickawan friends were there for me — thanks meiyee, yen and stanlee for attending and thank you so much for the flowers. In addition to that, I am grateful that I have all my coursemates graduating together; each and every single being of the Penang Intake 11. No one was left behind. Finally, to all those who have given me their support in any way possible to make attaining this masters degree a bliss, you have my heartfelt gratitute. Many thanks.
The fact that you’ve been through this sort of graduation ceremony once makes the 2nd time less exciting. I still look ridiculous in that mortar board (which I hate) and I was practically dozing off during the speeches. It’s not that the speeches are not insightful, it’s just the way the speeches were delivered — boring. Sorry Mr Chancellor. At the same time, my tummy was growling in hunger. However, I was very moved when they gave us a standing ovation, including the guests in the hall, as a sign of showing their heartfelt congratulation to the graduates. Very cool.
The trip to KL was nice in general. I was bored to death driving to KL alone and to have to do it a 2nd time driving back wasn’t all that pleasant. Nevertheless it was a pleasant short holiday.
Some tips that I’ve noted from this trip:
- If you’re ever planning to go to the Skybridge at Petronas Twin Tower, go early. It does not open on Mondays, so take note. Arriving there at 9.30am is NOT early; well unless you want to get the tickets for the 4.15pm slot. Tickets are given out on a first come first serve basis. So plan ahead. Advance booking are only available for same day visit.
- Food at the Apartment Downtown is way good. Way way way good. Carl’s Junior burgers are lovely. Expensive but lovely. Fatty Crab’s crab are not entirely fresh, but the sauce is the bomb.
- The band playing at Hard Rock Cafe, KL wasn’t all that impressive. Song choice did not create the hype amongst the crowd (though they played some of my favorite songs). The lamb sandwich is lovely though.
- The Juice, Edison Chen’s store, is now open at Bangsar. The outlook of the store looks very much like the Unity store in Shanghai. Clean and white.
- Ikea is still the best. THE VERY BEST. The curry puff is to die for. I have 4 more sitting in my fridge. 2 will be gone come lunch time. Yum.
Thanks once again to all those who have shared this mortar-board-wearing moment with me. It is a once in a lifetime thing. I don’t think I’ll graduate in this same program again. Mucho gracias.
Toodles!
It is with deepest regrets that I’ve learned to accept that humans are so selfish to a point of no return. It is most upsetting to learn that selfishness can be seen, even in a family with blood relation or ppl who tells you they love you. It is mind blowing that someone who tells u in the face that they love you can still turn their backs on you when their happiness is at risk. We humans are sick beyond cure. And I think we will only get sicker.
All the goodness in life I’ve ever believed in tend to vanish right before my eyes. Things that mattered in life (in my personal opinion) are family, love and friends. When these ppl turns all selfish on you, you can only wonder how much meaner the world is outside of this circle of ppl whom you love.
I still want to believe in a thing called love. I still want to believe in a thing called genuine sacrifices. I still want to believe in a thing called putting yourself in others shoes. Just when you thought that things are getting better and faith is building up within you, something happens. Something bad happens. You hear stories about how obnoxious and selfish someone’s boss may be. You hear complains about family members not helping out when they could have been able to. You see certain phone calls that are still being made which makes ponder, or phone calls that should be made but have not been made at all. You read things you’re not supposed to from the web. You see before your very eyes the company you work for treats you like dirt and plays you out. When all these happens, that faith shatters. Whatever happened to the goodness in mankind?
After a while, you learn to pick up those shattered pieces and you put them back together again — in one piece. You start to believe again. Until something bad happens again. It is like a cycle. Every human has a limit. Picking up shattered hopes and dreams aren’t exactly a pleasant activity. After a while, some chooses to stop having faith anymore. How do you keep telling yourself to have faith in all the goodness when the things you see happening around you are total contradictory to what is believed as goodness?
Sometimes, this evil conscience within us does a summary of the things we see and tells us, “This is life. Suck it up and join us. Humans aren’t all that good after all. It’s a nasty world. To survive, you have to be one of us”. That’s how we end up joining the clan of selfishness. We become one of them when we give up hope and faith we have on life.
I am most definitely having trouble these days trying to believe in all this so-called goodness in life. I’ve tried to be optimistic and positive and to have faith in all the people that have come in my life that they are in most ways, good ppl. It is most depressing when the goodness you believe isn’t true. It is like you’re believing in something that can never happen. At least I feel cheated. I was taught to believe that to some certain extend, there will be goodness in life.
What about sacrifices? Genuine sacrifices; sacrifices that are made to make your loved ones happy, to see them have their dreams fulfilled and to see them smile. Isn’t that sort of sacrifices worthwhile? Isn’t that so much better than money itself? Or fame? Or pride? Even if that sacrifice causes you to lose something that you truly want, but if your loved one can fulfill his or her dream, why not right? I think it would have make me happier. Well, that’s me though.
Like I’ve once said; we will never learn the meaning of life until something drastic happens. We only know how to learn the lesson of appreciation through losing. It is so sad that only through drastic sadness can anyone learn about anything that is important in life. I still cannot understand why should we allow Death to teach us the lesson of appreciation? Or allow Lost to tell us what’s important? I thought humans are the smartest organism on Earth. We build skyscrapers, create new technology to make life simpler, find cures for illness, etc. And the same smart geniuses cannot figure out and understand simple facts like appreciation? It’s truly a joke. The joke is so on us. But it is so not funny, if you haven’t realize.
*shakes head in despair*.
I am not a perfect person. But at least I dare say that I know what’s important in life and what would make a person so much better and richer; and sometimes it’s not all about the money. Or maybe that’s just me. I should probably join the clan of selfishness. It is sometimes tired to uphold that belief when you cannot see concrete evidence that there is such goodness.
*sigh*.
Life is worthwhile, right? Life is beautiful, right? I should still have faith, right?
My dad is one funny, bad-tempered man. He’s not perfect, but he’s my dad. He’s still as old-school as ever when it comes to certain ideas and thoughts, but he’s open enough to accept certain new-school ideas. Sometimes he drives me up the wall, but I can still live with that.
My dad usually let’s us get away with anything. Well, unless it’s like some huge mistake we make, then getting off the hook wouldn’t be all that easy anymore. He’s our guinea pig to any new facial products we buy; mask, creams etc. I think he secretly loves all these girly stuff. 
Music is one of his favorite things. I guess that’s why all 3 of us are somewhat musically inclined, getting his music genes.
Best of all, my father treats his daughters as his friends.
I won’t be celebrating Father’s Day with him this year coz he’s in KL right now, but I do hope he has a good time today.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY, DAD.
p/s: You know how google always creates logo and puts it on their mainpage whenever there are special events (i.e. Easter, Earth Day, New Year, Olympics) but why didn’t they do it for father’s day? I remember seeing it for mother’s day…
Meet Hugo, Melissa’s baby. To me, he is one hell of a cutie pie. To Melissa, Hugo can be a pain in the butt. As you can see from the pic, he has blue eyes. Awww… how cute.
Hugo meets his sister, Ashlyn. This is beyond normal cuteness.
Hugo and the boys. Hugo is the one in the middle, caught in between Chilli on the left and Dougall on the right.
My favourite pic of all — Hugo looking rather pissed. Perhaps he’s listening to mummy Melissa’s nagging.
I can’t wait to have my doggie. I’m thinking 2… or maybe 4. Gotta get myself a house first. Untill then, I’ll stick to Hugo first. Bring him back one day, okie Mel?
My dad called me from NY at around 6.30pm earlier today. This was how our conversation went.
dad: hi gal! did you call hooiju just now?
chiaoju: yup.
dad: anything?
chiaoju: nope. just called for fun.
dad: okie. where are you now? going to work soon?
chiaoju: huh?
dad: aren’t you working today?
chiaoju: yea… but i’m going back home dad.
dad: oh. huh?? *all confused*
chiaoju: dad. in Malaysia, it’s 6.30pm. not 6.30am.
dad: ohhhhhh! *dad started laughing*
And that was my first conversation with my dad after mum and dad left for the states. I think my dad’s still all confused with the timezone. I don’t want to think what jetlag would do to him when he’s back.
American Idol finale in 30mins. Who are you rooting for?
Happy Mummy’s Day — to all mummies and mummies-to-be. You are most definitely the greatest being in the world. I read a quote somewhere and it says;
Mothers. You can’t live with them. You can’t live without them.
I personally believe the you-can’t-live-without-them is stronger. Mothers are truly one of a kind and I love this kind.
Especially to my mum; thanks. I have no idea what I’ll do without you. Who’s gonna talk to me!? You may sometimes drive me up the wall, but the times and moments when you love me supersedes everything. Thank you so very very much. I love you. *hugs*.
p/s: yes, I love all google designs during special occasions. The pink is so sweet!
I’ve been dying to catch Marley and Me the movie ever since forever. Loving the book so much, I was very estatic when I got to know that they were going to make a movie out of the book. Marley & Me is said to be on the big screen in Malaysia March 5, 2009. Somehow or rather, GSC had 3 shows yesterday; 12.45pm, 4.45pm and 11.45pm. It was around 6pm when we saw the movie time in the papers. I jumped up from my seat that very instant to purchase the movie tickets online. MARLEY & ME IS HERE!
Book vs Movie — the book will always be better. It’s the same for Marley & Me. However, it’s way better than most book adaptation movie. I was pleased with the highlights of some of the things Marley did; how he gets all excited and happy whenever John and Jenny comes home, how he would ran amok in restaurants, how he got kicked out of dog school, how he pooped in the dog’s beach, how he stole the necklace John gave Jenny (which he swallowed and was later found in his poop). It was just hilarious.
But most of all, how Marley had loved them. Despite being deemed the world’s worst dog, John, Jenny and their 3 kids have learned to love Marley more than anything in this world.
Oh how I cried. Marley died on me the 2nd time. First in the book. Now in the movie. I was crying so badly, that the couple in front of me kept looking over their shoulder — and I bet they must think I’m a lunatic for crying so badly over a dog who isn’t close to being mine.
Watching Marley and Me made me realized once again what I want and hope for in life. It’s not just about owning a dog. It’s about having and creating a family. Marley was part of the family. A family, with a comfy home, kids and a dog. Nothing can be more perfect than that.
…and I can only hope.
<3
p/s: jennifer aniston and owen wilson were great in this movie.
social links