January felt like it lasted for 5 months and February felt like it was gone in 2 weeks. Science, please explain.
"Hey, can you drive to the park," I asked Marcus as we drove into my neighbourhood, "I want to go look at the sunset."
I got out of the car and took it all in, while he watched some video on his phone in the driver's seat, missing his opportunity to say, "She thought the view was pretty, but I thought she was prettier." Juuuust kidding. But in all honesty, it's been awhile since I've stopped and looked at the sky and not complain about how hot it is/how gloomy it is. Man, it's been awhile since I've been outside my house besides driving to work and going out, only to go back indoors into shopping malls and restaurants.
This is Ben. I miss having him to uber us around and to mamak with. But he'll be back sooner than I know it and we all can't wait! Also, thank you for telling Marc what he needed to hear. You are the man.
It was science lesson when the children learned how to mix primary colours to make secondary colours. To see the children's reactions as they mixed red and yellow, while I guided their hands as they held the paintbrushes, brought me back to the last time I had that childlike wonder. "Teacher, it's orange," they squealed. To also explain why mixing red and blue don't always make the perfect purple still leaves me wondering why I can never get the ratio of blue to red correctly, even as a 20-year-old adult.
This is it, the time has finally arrived for me to mention the one, the only — Ara Viet. Ara Vietnamese Noodles, in Damansara Jaya, has been the only place that we go to for lunch and dinner for the past few months and I'm not even kidding. We go there so often that the lady who runs the place with the family knows our order without even asking us. Marcus and I alternate between the beef stew noodles and the grilled pork vermicelli every time we go back there. Affordable, mouth-watering and 10/10 satifisying. If you haven't already tried, head on over and tell them we say hi!
NextGen also had Campus CRAVE that night and everyone took part in the wedding of the year. This was for a Valentine's special and all of us had to role play the different people that you will need at weddings and also learnt the significance in each role. Marcus was the model for his group and they had to dress him up as the father of the groom with rubbish bags, papers and tape and it ended up looking pretty legit. Now, can someone explain to me how he looks this handsome in literal trash?
Nick has recently been getting his feet wet with fishes (of course, I don't mean it literally) and it's been so amusing for me to see how his small tank of only 3 fishes has now expanded to another tank with different types of fishes, shrimps, snails and plants of all sorts. He also looks like an old man here.
I can't post up any photos of the children for privacy and protection, so I took a photo of the morning sky to remember the day I had to say my goodbyes.
"Goodbye Teacher Yun Qing! We love you! We'll miss you," they screamed as I recorded the video. It's hard not to smile when I watch the video of them desperately trying to fit into the frame, frantically waving their hands to the camera, sending flying kisses my way, and yet sometimes it's hard to smile when I think about how they might not even remember me if I ever do go back. But I know that I will never forget the names and faces of the many little ones who have brought so much joy to my life, despite the short time I've spent with them.
We wanted to go to Sushi Mentai but the 5pm LDP jam didn't seem very inviting at that time so we decided to settle for our yakiniku dons at Hokkaido Sushi, which is where we had our Valentine's dinner 3 years ago. I guess some things never really change and that's not always a bad thing.
I think it's been known that we always overeat during Chinese New Year. Every year without fail we have breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper and the portions for each meal are as big as they ever are. Pictured here was one of our breakfasts with the best curry chee cheong fun in the world, eggs from Gong Gong's own chickens, paus from the market, my Aunt's homemade paus, angku kuih, nasi lemak and Gong Gong's teh. Talk about a hearty breakfast.
We also came back to Gopeng with my Grandmama's house having 8 cats in total! We fell in love with these blue eyed babies and their pink noses the moment we saw them. They spend most of their time in the cage because they're still young as they might not know how to come back if they roam around. But time to time, we bring them out for some cuddles and some playtime. I'm more of a dog person than a cat person, but these ones are family.
If you've seen that colour-changing tea that has been going around, it's all because of this — butterfly pea flower. People have been paying so much money to have these in bottles but Gong Gong grows them in his own backyard! We showed them videos of what people around the city use them for and they've never been more perplexed.
We played Blackjack and Gong Gong was banker for the whole of the night. If you ever come back to Gopeng with me for Chinese New Year, it is a must to come to this kitchen table where he lays it all down for us. All of us uncles, aunties and cousins laughed and wooed and screamed at each other the whole time, and that truly felt like home. I only ever gamble with my family and only during Chinese New Year, but it's one of the traditions that I will always look forward to because it really is the most entertaining thing you will ever see. Even if you don't gamble, you have to watch us play. You just have to.
"Love is more than just a feeling," Papa said to Jie and I last night, "love is a choice."
There are days when love is easy: we smile and laugh at each other throughout the day, we go out and eat and enjoy each other's presence, we sit in comfortable silence not needing to say anything, knowing the other person is right there. There are also days when love is hard: smiling is the last thing on our minds, the other person does one thing and puts us out the whole day, the silence between us becomes the most uncomfortable thing in the world.
For whatever the days have been, whatever the days will be, I will not have it any other way, with any other person.
Love is also when you let him stand on his good side for photos even when it means that you don't get to stand on your good side. But, somehow, I still end up looking pretty decent. I guess love also constitutes making each other look good.
This was the first time in my 20 years of life and in his 18 years of life that we went to watch a movie just the two of us alone. It was spontaneous and I'm glad it happened. Also, to the two girls who sat next to us, there really isn't a need for you to comment and discuss on every aspect of the movie as the movie is happening. Michael B. Jordan issa snack and we all know it, but you don't have to keep saying it every time he appears on the screen.
Question: if you were in this position, will you quietly ask them to keep it down and risk having to sit next to people who will 100% be annoyed with you for doing so throughout the rest of the movie, or will you just sit there and pray for imaginary headphones until the show is over and thank Jesus for the patience that He has granted you?
"Our gluttony brought us here," Joyce said as the rain continued to pour while Marc, Nick, Kenji, Joyce and myself sat right at the windows of the shops next to Ali. We went for supper after CRAVE practice (what's new?) with our cars parked quite a distance away and the rain got heavier and heavier. But, we occupied ourselves with different things. One of which was looking at one of the shop lots across the road, observing the many sheepish people who walk up and down the stairs to a "café." I mean, a café.
Sneakerlah turned into Huatlah when we ended up at my house playing Blackjack, using pistachio nuts as our currency. Kenji kept eating his money, Marcus kept taking loans from Kenji and the bank (aka the bucket of pistachios), Sara finally learnt how to play this game, Joel always considered very thoughtfully while taking his cards and Jeremy ... well, Jeremy was busy singing, "We've got Salah, oh, Mane, Mane."
The Leong's had their family open house and I was reunited with my favourite little boy again! Johnson walked in with his bag, in it he had his book and coloured markers, plopped down next to me and invited me to play tic tac toe with him. I remember the first time we met, and ever since then, everyone has been telling me how he's always asking for me whenever he is at Marcus' house. One of the smartest 4-year-olds I know, he looks very much like 4-year-old Marcus with his big eyes and his cheeky smile. Maybe that's why he has a liking for me.
I am finally back in uni after what seems like 3 months of summer break. Looking at the units I'm enrolled in for this semester, having been to the introductory lectures for week one, I'm genuinely excited to be in class again! Not that I haven't been using my brain for the past few months, but it feels good to be actively thinking and learning new concepts and ideas. This time around, I've made a commitment to attend all of my lectures and tutorials, do all the necessary readings in preparation for class and to just put 110% in all of my work. Week one has been tough, I am not even kidding when I say that I am already on the verge of giving up but I will not let the temptations of the world (aka my bed) get the better of me. To a better semester.
Here's hoping that there's March in store for me next month!
(Yes, that was a pun.)
1 Feb
Journal
Starting to journal for the year only after it's been a month into the year? Atrocious, I know.
But I'm glad I did! For the last few years of high school, I started bullet journaling (way before it was an Instagram trend with all those fanciful headers and banners) and this meant that I included things I ate that day, funny one-liners that my classmates said and random notes from classes. I look back at these journals and laugh at my foolish, naive self who thought that I knew all I had to know at that age. Every now and then, I blow the dust off the cover of these journals and flip through pages and pages of doodles and notes, reflecting on the journey that I've been on, getting to where I am today, as I discover the differences between my thought processes 5 years ago and now. Can't wait to see how the whole book will look like at the end of the year!
3 Feb
I called Pris at 2am, wanting to talk to her about one thing, but ended up talking about everything until it was 4am. If you saw my Instagram stories dedicated to her for her birthday, which I have them published as one of my highlights on my profile, you have only seen a glimpse of how clingy we are with each other. Words will never suffice as I try and put together to tell you how much this friendship means to me, and I really do mean it when I say words will never be enough because now all we ever do to communicate with each other is by sending multitudes of stickers on Telegram. I appreciate you, friend. I can't wait for you to be back.
4 Feb
I got out of the car and took it all in, while he watched some video on his phone in the driver's seat, missing his opportunity to say, "She thought the view was pretty, but I thought she was prettier." Juuuust kidding. But in all honesty, it's been awhile since I've stopped and looked at the sky and not complain about how hot it is/how gloomy it is. Man, it's been awhile since I've been outside my house besides driving to work and going out, only to go back indoors into shopping malls and restaurants.
7 Feb
This is Ben. I miss having him to uber us around and to mamak with. But he'll be back sooner than I know it and we all can't wait! Also, thank you for telling Marc what he needed to hear. You are the man.
8 Feb
Art
It was science lesson when the children learned how to mix primary colours to make secondary colours. To see the children's reactions as they mixed red and yellow, while I guided their hands as they held the paintbrushes, brought me back to the last time I had that childlike wonder. "Teacher, it's orange," they squealed. To also explain why mixing red and blue don't always make the perfect purple still leaves me wondering why I can never get the ratio of blue to red correctly, even as a 20-year-old adult.
9 Feb
Pho-vorite
This is it, the time has finally arrived for me to mention the one, the only — Ara Viet. Ara Vietnamese Noodles, in Damansara Jaya, has been the only place that we go to for lunch and dinner for the past few months and I'm not even kidding. We go there so often that the lady who runs the place with the family knows our order without even asking us. Marcus and I alternate between the beef stew noodles and the grilled pork vermicelli every time we go back there. Affordable, mouth-watering and 10/10 satifisying. If you haven't already tried, head on over and tell them we say hi!
NextGen also had Campus CRAVE that night and everyone took part in the wedding of the year. This was for a Valentine's special and all of us had to role play the different people that you will need at weddings and also learnt the significance in each role. Marcus was the model for his group and they had to dress him up as the father of the groom with rubbish bags, papers and tape and it ended up looking pretty legit. Now, can someone explain to me how he looks this handsome in literal trash?
11 Feb
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| Huzzah for pizza! |
12 Feb
Nick has recently been getting his feet wet with fishes (of course, I don't mean it literally) and it's been so amusing for me to see how his small tank of only 3 fishes has now expanded to another tank with different types of fishes, shrimps, snails and plants of all sorts. He also looks like an old man here.
13 Feb
Last day at work + early Valentine's dinner
I can't post up any photos of the children for privacy and protection, so I took a photo of the morning sky to remember the day I had to say my goodbyes.
"Goodbye Teacher Yun Qing! We love you! We'll miss you," they screamed as I recorded the video. It's hard not to smile when I watch the video of them desperately trying to fit into the frame, frantically waving their hands to the camera, sending flying kisses my way, and yet sometimes it's hard to smile when I think about how they might not even remember me if I ever do go back. But I know that I will never forget the names and faces of the many little ones who have brought so much joy to my life, despite the short time I've spent with them.
 |
| When the wasabi hits. |
We wanted to go to Sushi Mentai but the 5pm LDP jam didn't seem very inviting at that time so we decided to settle for our yakiniku dons at Hokkaido Sushi, which is where we had our Valentine's dinner 3 years ago. I guess some things never really change and that's not always a bad thing.
14 Feb to 19 Feb
Chinese New Year
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| Wanted to take a photo of the real rainbow and ended up having the random lights effect on so a fake rainbow appeared. |
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| This is how we know we're near Gopeng, this beauty of a mountain range during sunset. |
I think it's been known that we always overeat during Chinese New Year. Every year without fail we have breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper and the portions for each meal are as big as they ever are. Pictured here was one of our breakfasts with the best curry chee cheong fun in the world, eggs from Gong Gong's own chickens, paus from the market, my Aunt's homemade paus, angku kuih, nasi lemak and Gong Gong's teh. Talk about a hearty breakfast.
We also came back to Gopeng with my Grandmama's house having 8 cats in total! We fell in love with these blue eyed babies and their pink noses the moment we saw them. They spend most of their time in the cage because they're still young as they might not know how to come back if they roam around. But time to time, we bring them out for some cuddles and some playtime. I'm more of a dog person than a cat person, but these ones are family.
 |
| I have a feeling that everyone had steamboat for their chu xi dinner. |
 |
| Say hi to my silly parents. |
We played Blackjack and Gong Gong was banker for the whole of the night. If you ever come back to Gopeng with me for Chinese New Year, it is a must to come to this kitchen table where he lays it all down for us. All of us uncles, aunties and cousins laughed and wooed and screamed at each other the whole time, and that truly felt like home. I only ever gamble with my family and only during Chinese New Year, but it's one of the traditions that I will always look forward to because it really is the most entertaining thing you will ever see. Even if you don't gamble, you have to watch us play. You just have to.
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| This life changing cili that we had on the day we left Gopeng - wow. |
20 Feb
Happy Birthday
It was Marcus' 21st birthday and we surprised him at the end of the night with some of his closest friends and family. I vlogged the whole day out with him so you can check that out here and see how it all went down!
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| Taken with DSCO |
"Love is more than just a feeling," Papa said to Jie and I last night, "love is a choice."
There are days when love is easy: we smile and laugh at each other throughout the day, we go out and eat and enjoy each other's presence, we sit in comfortable silence not needing to say anything, knowing the other person is right there. There are also days when love is hard: smiling is the last thing on our minds, the other person does one thing and puts us out the whole day, the silence between us becomes the most uncomfortable thing in the world.
For whatever the days have been, whatever the days will be, I will not have it any other way, with any other person.
Love is also when you let him stand on his good side for photos even when it means that you don't get to stand on your good side. But, somehow, I still end up looking pretty decent. I guess love also constitutes making each other look good.
 |
| Three generations of Leong's ft. fish. |
21 Feb
Wakanda Forever
This was the first time in my 20 years of life and in his 18 years of life that we went to watch a movie just the two of us alone. It was spontaneous and I'm glad it happened. Also, to the two girls who sat next to us, there really isn't a need for you to comment and discuss on every aspect of the movie as the movie is happening. Michael B. Jordan issa snack and we all know it, but you don't have to keep saying it every time he appears on the screen.
Question: if you were in this position, will you quietly ask them to keep it down and risk having to sit next to people who will 100% be annoyed with you for doing so throughout the rest of the movie, or will you just sit there and pray for imaginary headphones until the show is over and thank Jesus for the patience that He has granted you?
22 Feb
"Our gluttony brought us here," Joyce said as the rain continued to pour while Marc, Nick, Kenji, Joyce and myself sat right at the windows of the shops next to Ali. We went for supper after CRAVE practice (what's new?) with our cars parked quite a distance away and the rain got heavier and heavier. But, we occupied ourselves with different things. One of which was looking at one of the shop lots across the road, observing the many sheepish people who walk up and down the stairs to a "café." I mean, a café.
24 Feb
Huatlah
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| Jeremy, single and available. Handsome and funny working adult, plays guitar, loves football. PM for more info. |
Sneakerlah turned into Huatlah when we ended up at my house playing Blackjack, using pistachio nuts as our currency. Kenji kept eating his money, Marcus kept taking loans from Kenji and the bank (aka the bucket of pistachios), Sara finally learnt how to play this game, Joel always considered very thoughtfully while taking his cards and Jeremy ... well, Jeremy was busy singing, "We've got Salah, oh, Mane, Mane."
25 Feb
The Leong's had their family open house and I was reunited with my favourite little boy again! Johnson walked in with his bag, in it he had his book and coloured markers, plopped down next to me and invited me to play tic tac toe with him. I remember the first time we met, and ever since then, everyone has been telling me how he's always asking for me whenever he is at Marcus' house. One of the smartest 4-year-olds I know, he looks very much like 4-year-old Marcus with his big eyes and his cheeky smile. Maybe that's why he has a liking for me.
27 Feb
Year Two
I am finally back in uni after what seems like 3 months of summer break. Looking at the units I'm enrolled in for this semester, having been to the introductory lectures for week one, I'm genuinely excited to be in class again! Not that I haven't been using my brain for the past few months, but it feels good to be actively thinking and learning new concepts and ideas. This time around, I've made a commitment to attend all of my lectures and tutorials, do all the necessary readings in preparation for class and to just put 110% in all of my work. Week one has been tough, I am not even kidding when I say that I am already on the verge of giving up but I will not let the temptations of the world (aka my bed) get the better of me. To a better semester.
28 Feb
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| Spent the last day of the month having tandoori and nasi goreng kampung at SK while Marc worked on his assignments. |
Here's hoping that there's March in store for me next month!
(Yes, that was a pun.)
