Shanghai Diary: cafe

I'm in love!! I'm also speechless!! I've no idea how to describe where I'm in now.

I'm in a modern yet old city. haha! that's what I love about Shanghai!

Let me try to explain more. I'm in a little cafe. It's modern yet quaint, it's full of interesting books, odd cushions and couches, specialty teas, cacti, little lamps, postcard pictures, china sets. GAH AMAZING! A perfect place to relax and study.

If I could, I would use my digital camera to take some pictures. Unfortunately it's almost to its grave and occasionally falls into a seizure (so unreliable!) leaving me with blurry pictures of ghost like figures. What I have with me is just Fitzgerald, g & I's film camera, making it a little bit more inconvenient to just upload pictures whenever I like. However I'l try my utmost to take pictures and post it up :)

I'm too full of wonder and happiness and plans to get friends to come here that I can't think clearly. haha. love it!

love shanghai :)

Good friend? Thoughts

There's always a few gossip topics us girls would have about our friends/siblings who have/had boyfriends. We always 'discuss' how they neglect their close-friendship group/family for their current boyfriend/s by not creating enough meet-ups, shopping sprees, etc. We would also complain of how touchy the new couple would be within the group/family; totally insensitive to the other singles. Furthermore, we would take our 'disapproval' to another level by saying we'd never be like them. 

Yeaaaa.. Come one, don't deny you've never been like this.

Cos I've said the same thing over and over again before: "Yea, I'm not gonna be like so and so.. always holding hands, whispering into each other's ears... etc." (lol, I'm exaggerating a lil) and let's be honest-  I've fallen short of my pre-relationship decision *sheepish smile*.

As a result, I'mma work harder to maintain my close friendships. This is my resolution for the rest of MY LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.   .   .   . 

Yea, that will probably not happen as easily said/written/typed *sheepish smile*. However, I'm not saying I won't be working on it. So, stay tune to updates of hang-outs, chit chats, op-shopping adventures and all in the near future :D WOOHOO!

done done done

Exams are finally over :D
It feels odd going on youtube or exploring blogs and such without feeling guilty.
The day has finally come when I'm free to do whatever I wish to do! Here's my list of winter things to do in no particular order:

1. sew more
2. work on BTF (born to fly) program
3. finish LOTR - I started this book last year before I left for vietnam and still have not finished it.
4. re-colour my hair
5. tie-dye? - don't know how successful this will be cos of the weather un-sunny weather
6. work work work work, save save save - note the 4 'work'se and 3 'save'se ? :D I can't obviously save all and in reality not spend some.. hence the less number of 'save'se.
7. chillin with the besties
8. exercise & eat better - especially after exam and winter binging
9. Sydney OH YEAH - I have my own list of things to do in Sydney :D

• Hillsong conference
• opshop hunting & market exploring
• chilling with besties that will be going to sydney as wells!

Wish me luck :)

I like them fried :D

My eating pattern this week is really weird.. I've just been eating more than usual. There are a few possible reasons why but none I'm sure of :D i.e. 1) winter is here and the cold's making me wanna binge- eat 2) I'm pms-ing 3) I've been doing too many things and not eating, then when I do eat I'm super hungry and eat ALOOOOT.

A few nights ago, I had an additional 5 pieces of toasts with my already quite big dinner -.-" That same night I was craving for fried oreos even though I had not tried fried oreos in my life. I was truly wondering where this craving was coming from. Because only till recently, I've never ever ever ever thought or wished of eating/making fried oreos cos of its huge calorie content -.-" Anyway! googled how to make fried oreos and made some tonight :D I deep fried it in the house which prompted an earful from the parents -.-" such an anti-climax.

Steps are simple:
1) freeze oreos for 1+ hours
2) mix self raising flour, water and milk to make a thick batter
3) coat and deep fry in already very hot oil

Here are some pictures

favourite playlist

A few years back I came across Yuna when I accidentally found Zee Avi. They are both female, Malaysia which is SUPER AWESOME! Yuna's from Kedah, hmm kedah pride ;D ! Anyway, they are both independent singer-songwriter but are signed to a company now. Hmm don't know how that works.. but I know they sound awesome! Anyway, found a playlist on youtube. check it!

Yuna Top Track

A pretty awesome week so far

** meant to be studying but, let's blog!!! hehe, I think Kim-anh agrees with me, but it's always during intense studying periods that we blog the most haha! <3 it! ABSOLUTELY <3 it!

Sunday: I won my first tennis match!! WOOHOO! It was a singles game and we were versing girls from North Balwyn Tennis Club. Score was 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Sigh, at the end of the first set I was already hoping for the game to end just cos it was a pretty slow and long game that consisted of TONNES of deuces! One game we reached approximately 6 deuces -.-" THATS TOO MUCH! By the time we reached the first half of the second set all the other teams finished their matches and my opponent and I were pretty much screaming for the match to end -.-" Unfortunately, she resisted the urge to end early and we moved on to the 3rd set. By that time, I was thinking 'let's get this over and done with.. just play percentage shots' i.e. shots that were consistent and would get within the lines: no fancy pants! I also pretty much prayed every time one of us started serving (that I would serve in and that I would return well) it was the whole works,, like full on interceding and speaking in tongues hehe. I just truly wanted to go home! :D TEEHEE So, that's what I did, and we finally finished that set. WOOHOO! I was so happy, so relieved and so drained. THANK YOU GOD FOR HELPING ME WIN! :D

Monday: Mondays always start off with carpooling into uni, starting/finishing off my chinese assignments, sprinting around campus to get my cover sheets printed and finally sprinting up 4 flights of stairs before the clock strikes 12:30pm to hand in the assignment :D HEHE it's always awesome to get the exercise :D

This past monday was slightly different because while starting off my assignment at Wholefoods, a random asian chick came to say 'hi'! Well, not exactly.. the first thing she said was 'hey i like the way your did your hair... is it ombre? How much did you get it done for?' (at least something along those lines) HEHE I love it how random people stop me on the streets to ask me about my hair and how I got it done, etc. Anyway, being my presumptuous self, I proceeded to explain how I dyed it by myself and what I did when she stopped me short saying that she just liked how it looked on me but wouldn't dye her hair the same way. To be honest, I was really surprised! haha, cos usually people would come up to me and asked me how I got it down, where did I get the bleach, etc.. but she didn't! which surprised me!! Anyway, I invited her to take a sit and we chatted for almost 50 minutes on our courses, monash clubs, Hokkien, you know the usuals..? haha ;D

I really thank God for giving me the opportunity to talk to someone as interesting as her :D Such, little surprises really brighten one's day!

Music: My playlist for this week is One Eskimo. A pretty awesome friend introduced the band to me and since then I've been hooked! Out of the songs I've heard, 'Balloon' is my top favourite for the moment :D

I also miss the sisters that were in the same house with me :(

Obsession confession

A: I think I'm obsessed with my weight.

B: Yeah, you are. (silence)

A: Hmm, give me evidence to support. You can't just agree.

B: You have to enjoy like what you eat. You can't just survive on drinking fibre and stuff.

A: But I do eat and enjoy eating! It's not like I do not eat, I only do that fibre thing when I'm in a hurry. It's just that my weighing scales are ALWAYS in front of me; in my bathroom. I've been weighing myself every day which is bad.

B: Yeah that's bad. Then just move the scales.

A: Yeah, I know.. but still. 

One way I learnt how to get rid of an obsession, to reduce and (eventually) eliminate temptation is to run from it; to head towards the opposite direction. In my life there has/have been a lot of temptations. One of which is my weight. My weight has/have been a huge issue in my life. Nearly every time I go back to Malaysia there will be relos buzzing around saying how I've 'gone fatter', 'slimmed down', etc. Man, I really do not like it when they do that -.-".. I used to be really really affected by it when I was younger. Once in Malaysia, at the hotel breakfast, I started crying and ran up to my hotel room just because a member of the family started demanding why I got myself "fat". like DUH, of course I'd be affected by it! How can an adult demand/accuse a growing child/teen of being fat?! -.-" Anyway because of such influences, a weight obsession grew in my life. I would weigh myself and if I saw that I didn't lose weight, remained the same weight or put on weight I would be SOOOOOO depressed. I would change my daily routine to try to lose weight.. I would be super self-conscious, timid, obsessed, etc. Obviously this was not a healthy lifestyle and I knew it was a super unhealthy lifestyle. I hated how weight controlled my life, so I decided to run away from it. Like running away from a temptation whenever it appears in front of me,.. As a "symbolic" yet practical way of getting rid of my obsession, I hid my weighing scale or put it in a far corner of the house where I would rarely pass. Instead of focussing on my weight, I would focus on eating healthy and exercising regularly. It was hard though.. like at the gym, there would be a weighing scale and whenever I pass it there would be a thought/temptation to go and weigh myself. Of course in reality it is all right to weigh oneself, but I just felt that if I did step onto a weighing scale.. my obsession would bloom. So, I just cut myself off.

1 Corinthians 10:13
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

I guess the way God showed me how to get out of my "temptation" to weigh myself was to run from it. Anyway, it's time to hide the weighing scales again.

(Unknown)

I hate receiving (Unknown) calls. They shoot a bout of fear through my body. When I see an (Unknown) call, I expect bad news. I feel that if I knew the number I can anticipate the person’s request/comment/topic of conversation. An (Unknown) call to me represents a cancellation of shifts, emergency call, an unwanted request, a prank call, unwanted information. They really scare me. There should never be (Unknown) calls

*picture taken @ home on an awesome sleepover with Jess, Chris, Nick and Kim-anh.

tumberlina, do you remember her?

Did you know I've got a tumblr???? Imma prolly be tumblring more than blogging these days cos of time restrictions. I will be blogging but not as often as tumblring. so if you're bored.. check out http://shotann.tumblr.com/

The Day Went Perfectly

I recently celebrated my 20th birthday :D I was/have been really happy; unusually happy the days leading up to the actual birth date. I don't know why, like I was not expecting anything, I was just really happy.. maybe cos I'm in a really good place where I feel like I'm doing something with my life :D haha! Also being really positive and knowing that with God's help I can pull through difficulties :D

Last sunday, 4th of March I was SUPER surprised by my some church peeps at Pancake Parlour. Initially I thought Eleanor, Lionel and I were gonna have a one-to-one catch up sesh before they got married and depart for Singapore. However, I was SUPER surprised when I saw a whole group of familiar faces looking at my direction and smiling. My first thought when I saw them was "What? Was there an event? Why wasn't I invited" and "OMG, how awkward if they are all there and I'm here with Erjia and Lionel". HEHE but in the end the event was for me :D SAHH HAPPY!!! THEY EVEN GOT ME A CAKE!! I love birthday cakes :D We played a game called 'electric shock'. They got me to do a 'speech' and I managed to string some 'thank you'se'; calling that a speech. haha. Erjia and Lionel also said some really really nice stuff :) I was really really touched. I don't know what to do when Erjia leaves :"""( Then I posed a question to those who were above 20'se to give 'tips for a 20 year old'. There were a whole range.. like.. learn from mistakes, study hard, be yourself, 20 is like a new/fresh start, play HARD and others :D Here's a group picture.

sigh I was so happy :D

The morning of the 5th of March, there were 2 letters left infront of my door step :D It was so cool and mysterious even though it didn't take long for me to wonder who left it there: *ahem ahem* Kim-anh and Jess *ahem ahem* Sigh :) There's something about personally written letters that makes its reader feel special. I LOVED THEM!

Through out the day I got texts and wishes. IT WAS SOOO FUN! The only little 'down-side' was that my birthday fell on a monday, which is the BUSIEST day I have in uni.. like.. 5 hours straight of tutes and lectures -.-" BUT! It was only a little thing cos (like I said before) I've been really happy. haha!

That evening, I went out for dinner with a friend :D We went to Ajisen ramen.. pretty yum! I recommend the 'matcha' drink with ice-cream but I think my friend would probably not recommend it.. just cos it's 'too asian' LOL!

Came home, and got a visit from the Shamster!! haha she brought me a super awesome bag (that I've been wanting since last year) & a letter. Here's a picture of the bag :D

I fell asleep really happy and blessed :D God has really blessed me with so much support and love, I'm just absolutely spoilt!! Haha I thank God for His love and care.

6th of March! I'm still very happy haha! My family had a little birthday celebration at a korean BBQ place. Here are some pictures :D

LOOK AT THE FAT!!! and just before the wedding -.-" FAIL

Lee Family :D haha 

Mum & Lena

Daddy & I :D His mouth NEVER stays still in any picture he takes -.-"

Us with Josey boy :D

On the way back from dinner, Dad, Mum and I had a really good conversation about age. Dad was like, "Not to give you any ideas.. but your mum married me when she was 19 and you're 20" HAHAHAH!! sigh really daddy?? How can THAT not give me any ideas -.-"" but nahh :D I'm happy.

Anyway, being twenty is awesome :D I feel like twenty is a very very very young age, obviously not as young as josiah and other babies.. but it's not an old age either..? If you guys know what I mean haha. I feel like I've lived a really crazy life as well.. I just can't believe that it has ONLY been twenty years.. like.. wow, life is so crazy! It's so wild and eventful haha. To be honest, I also feel that my parents are pretty 'young' even though they are middle age and have lived life so much. Even though their hair is grey, they wear glasses and the list goes on.. They are still SO active! They are always talking, arguing, laughing, teaching and playing around :) It's just amazing how time has flown by so fast. Haha! Anyway, I don't think what I wrote above made sense and I'd prolly fail ESL for it.. but.. hmm these have been on my mind recently :) THANK GOD FOR FAMILY!

something about tonight

it's raining now but its different. the sky is crying

A simple request

Can you get bananas please?
Bananas are fattening.
They are high in fibre and make you poo
Why do you think they make you poo?
What? So I cannot eat bananas?
I'm not saying you CANNOT eat bananas.
Then why are you telling me it's fattening? You only say something is 'fattening' when you don't want us to eat it.
You can eat whatever you want but I'm telling you to not eat SO MANY bananas because it makes you put on weight.
So you ARE telling me not to eat bananas?

Road trippin'

Just came back from an awesome foursome road trip! Will update more on where we stayed and what we did!

night fishing// indian dinner

Friends are the best.
I can complain to them.
I can start arguments with them and know we'd still hang out with the next day.
I can be myself with them.
They understand.
They challenge me.
They help me figure out who I am and what I want to stand for.
We laugh together.
We encourage one another.
We go on adventures together.

Last night we went to Cranbourne for some night fishing! Unfortunately we went home empty handed :( The fish were awful teasers! They only nibbled on the bait but did not commit to a bite :( SAHH SAD :( However, it was great night hanging out with friends! We had apple & rhubarb crumble, tea, m&m'se, chocolate and veg pizza.

Indian Dinner
Over this weekend I was pretty much home alone :) haha! I am really enjoying this lone time! The freedom has given me a sense of fulfilment and independence! However, I have to admit the thought of having dinner alone tonight, would be a little bit more than sad and lame. So! Instead of being all lonely, a couple of friends and I went to Clayton for some indian food!! We had naan, butter chicken and vegetable korma. I think altogether, we spent about.. 3 hours together chatting about their holidays in Malaysia, sleeping quirks, youth camps, match-making, bollywood movies, growing up in Malaysia & the lot! :) Hmmm def a good time. Thank God for all my friends.

DIY: tie-dye and patterns

One of my summer goals was to tie-dye with friends. Just recently, that goal came to pass at Jess' family farm. This post is about the different ways we tie-dyed.

What you need?

rubber bands

dye- we got RIT dye from Lincraft for about $7.50/pack. Follow the instructions in the pack to prepare the dye.

timer to keep in check the length of time your fabric is in the dye

salt to add into the dye to make the colour more lasting

a bucket and your fabric

gloves to keep hands clean

The first pattern we did

- lay the shirt flat.

- choose the middle of the shirt and pinch it.

- proceed to swirl the shirt into a ball.

- tie the shirt with a rubber band. you can spray the shirt with some water before swirling it so that it'll be easier to keep the shirt in place.

- depending on how many colours you would like on your shirt, dip a part of the shirt into your (hot) pre-mixed dye and hold it there for about 10 minutes (or according to your dye instructions).

- if working with more than 1 colour, make sure to leave some white areas for the other colours.

- when satisfied with the amount of dyeing, hose down and rinse the shirt with cold water; rinse until the water runs clear. Then unwind the rubber bands from the shirt and continue to rinse. Squeeze the excess water and hang the shirt on a clothes lines for it to dry.

- this way of tying the shirt would create a 'shell-like' shape or swirl in the middle of your shirt.

finished product on a clothesline

The second pattern

- lay your fabric, pinch the area where you would like the spreading of the dye to start. while holding onto that area lift your fabric until it falls like a cone. grab some rubber bands and proceed to tie the fabric this would create a long, cone-like shape. the rubber bands do not necessarily need to be evenly spaced, remember, the patterns are entirely up to you.

- dip the fabric into the (hot) pre-mixed dye. depending on how many colours you are using, remember to leave enough white areas for the other colours to come through.

- leave the fabric in the dye for the appropriate time (this will be instructed on the dye package).

- take the fabric out of the dye, hose down and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear or when wringed runs clear.

- undo the rubber bands, continue to hose down the fabric, wring and hang to dry.

- this way of tying the fabric would create a circle of colours spreading wide and wider. 

finished product on the clothes line

The third pattern

- lay your fabric, pinch a little bit of the fabric and tie a couple of rubber bands along the pinched fabric. repeat this step a few more times all over the fabric. the finished tied fabric would look like an alien with tonnes of 'cones' sticking out of its body. haha!

- dip the fabric into the (hot) pre-mixed dye and leave in there for the appropriate time limit. repeat this step with other dyes if you want more than 1 colour.

- when satisfied with the colour and time the fabric has been soaking for, hose down and rinse the fabric with cold water until the water runs clear or when wringed. Untie the rubber bands and continue to rinse a few times.

- wring and hang it on the clothesline to dry.

finished product on clothesline