Thank goodness for tonight. Riverside barbie, awesome weather, tonnes of sarcasm, people of different cultures and backgrounds, and new friends. A pre-exam stress reliever can't be any better. Well ok it could be better if we did have board games. Hahaha.

Chanel couldn't make it tonight, so it was 3 Malaysians, 2 Bruneians and an American. Very muhibbah. We had Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban/Eurasian, and Maggie, the American, has Hungarian, Irish, German, Italian, etc. blood. Awesomeness. Too bad I got rashes tonight and scared some of them. A few of them insisted I put a bag of ice over the rashes. Hahahaa. It hasn't been that long since I had seafood, has it? =( I can't have lost my immunity towards seafood already! But then again, I had like 10 prawns to myself. Meh. Maybe that was a bit too much. My buttered grilled baquette went off the plates like hot cakes. I couldn't even keep up with grilling them in time to always have bread on the plate! AHAHAHA. =) Good stuff, eh? And Ish now knows the pain of me having to chop up raw corn cobs. There was also the must-have mushrooms. :-D

The whole bunch of us clicked very well, for people whom we've never met before. We even witnessed some drama on the river where there were a few police boats which later had bigger backup police boats and stuff surrounding this boat in the middle of the river with no lights. We thought they caught a fugitive or someone died or something. 0_o Yeah, I know. Have a few drinks and I'm pretty sure all kinds of ideas crop up. Including finding the pink boat of that Jessica kid who wants to be the youngest girl to sail around the world. No idea what happened, but they towed the boat away in the end. A few party boats went up and down, but only one seemed lively.

I guess the best part was going home. Sal and I unknowingly finished up 3/4 bottle of a newly opened Bacardi. Surprisingly, I was very very fine. Sal got just a bit light headed for awhile. But it was the guys who were happy trippy. Who'd have thought that you'd get easily accessed drugs in some of the world's "strictest" countries? (I'm not saying we took drugs, and I don't mean Australia). Oh, back to the point. Lets just say it's a night Ish will miss for a long long time. I don't think I've ever seen him that happy or amusing. Haha. All of us got off at the Regatta stop, and they were playing "Girls just wanna have fun" at Regatta. Like damn it. I'm in shorts and sandals. But then again, hey girls get away with anything, don't they? HAHAHA. Nah, we didn't end up entering Regatta.

Oh oh. I forgot. Maggie and I saw a shooting star, and the 2 of us are like the only ones who've seen shooting stars and say they're pretty common. GEEZ. People, if you've never seen a shooting star before, you should go out to an open area with very little light. Like a beach (not at a resort though). Otherwise people just think we're talking crap when we talk about shooting stars. I've seen tonnes. And I still get excited everytime I see one randomly. Well, it was meant to be a sleepover, but none of us actually ended up staying over. Poor Bryan. We kinda spoilt his plans to camp out (with actual sleeping bags, camping gear and all) at the huge balcony under the stars, overlooking the pool and river. And he actually wore boardies cos we girls said before this that we wanted to swim. I reached and he asked "Where're your bathers?" Awww. We said that when it was supposed to be an afternoon barbie. I felt pretty bad. Not swimming, not camping out. He was like an overly excited kid. Awww.

As usual, the others have better pictures of the scenery and of us. I jumped into a few pictures tonight, not something I'd usually do. I'm hoping to get them from the rest soon. For now, this was the only picture I took from Oly while waiting for the citycat at Riverside. Story Bridge. I don't see how it's like the harbour bridge (the Sydney one), but apparently many people mistaken this as a mini version of the Harbour Bridge.

"We'll be watching your seminar next!" 

Those words remain long after the crowd dispersed.

Yeah, it WILL be me next. Back at crossroads so soon? And I'm pretty sure I'll explode the next time someone asks me about my future plans, or why I'm not sure if I want to do my phd. Years roll by quickly, but isn't life a journey? Would being ahead of the "game" make me any happier? Don't these people ever stop and have a breather? Life, after all, is unpredictable and only that long.

Finished 20 pages of my major assignment, filled with lots of survey data, comparisons and philosophical stuff. I still find the idea of romanticism in conservation pretty awkward. Nature as purifier of the human spirit? Also turnitin-ed, and got a rather good score. Happiness.

A couple of years ago, writing 2,500 words was pure agony. Now I have to write 6,000-8,000 words papers, and I still go over the word limit at times.

Assignment completed 6 days early - that leaves me slightly over 2 weeks to study. Must study. Yay? "Do or do not, there is no try." Lets see who knows where that quote is from.

I somehow also managed to complete Hospital Hustle in one day. And won a few games of chess on chess titans. Go Michy!

Also, gang member #10, Mr Tan Yee Hou, got me a Twitter account without my knowledge. Like all of a sudden, hey, what's this twitter email notification with the right e-mail, username, and name? How bizarre! Haha. So yuppers, account's twitter.com/monitorlizzie , although I may or may not use it much.

Knowing the klutz that I am, I accidentally burst one of my oil-burn blisters while changing. =(

Before this, I wasn't nervous about the burn at all because I thought meh, I had this the last time. Should be the same. Boy, was I wrong. The thing is, I think my previous burn was so bad it totally burnt off the skin and probably the ends of receptors or something, because I didn't have a blister and it definitely didn't hurt. It was just really rough dark skin which eventually peeled off in a rather scary manner, and that's why I have a lighter patch of skin on my right arm.

This time around, I had blisters, and yeah since one of them burst, first thing that went through my mind was to wash the wound with anti-bacterial soap and use dettol. Oh my gosh. It stung like mad. Geez. Maybe I wasn't supposed to do that. Die la. My first-aid-knowledge is rusty. Le sigh.

Anyway, more dettol cream later and the pink raw patch doesn't hurt anymore. Googled stuff up and most sites say don't use any adhesive dressing. Use gauze. Unfortch, as a student away from home, I never had gauze. The last time I used gauze, I was 12 when my cousin pushed me to a sharp fence, which so accurately pierced my new BCG scar. It was so scary for everyone because it was gory and I had blood streaming down my arm. I don't remember much of it. I know I didn't cry. I was stunned. And I don't even remember who treated me or if I went to the doctors. Oh my gosh. I just realised I don't remember!

So anyway, I had to make do with a band-aid for now. Is that alright? I mean the center bit isn't sticky, right? Hopefully the center bit is large enough to cover the raw skin. And having something over it is better than leaving a raw wound exposed to infection, I suppose? I guess I'll leave it overnight and check on the wound tomorrow. Any suggestions from first-aiders?

I think this is the first interesting thing of the day. Or maybe the week.

The worst bit is me being such a lazy bum! I'm deliberately choosing to rot in my room. Hahaha. Well, I can't even blame Facebook cos I haven't been on it much, neither can I blame tv episodes because I couldn't find the remote to the real tv and there haven't been online episodes last week. I'm just emm...lazy? I never knew it was possible to be this idle for so long.

I've gone over my word limit for my assignment, but I still have an uber long list of things to include. Uh-oh. And of course, I haven't started studying for my paper on the 19th.

Yea, other than that, life is pretty routine. Hello November. I'm not sure if my budgeting plan is working but meh. I think I should start running along the riverside again. Or at the very least use the house treadmill, or just anything. Gaining weight is one thing (not entirely a bad thing for me), but being unhealthy is another. I've just been stuffing myself with lots of chocolates, chips and fruits while doing work. I don't think that's entirely good. Also, that bottle of Smirnoff since our Riverfire party is still in my possession. Le sigh. What to do. You know, I think the last time I drank was during Jabba's gig, which was after my Heron trip. Oh my gosh. I haven't been to Irish Murphy's in that long? I'm missing Jabba and IM's lemon lime bitters already.

::

I'm a bit confused as to how a 17-year-old emo-hairstyled, skinny-jeans-wearing Zac/Chase lookalike can sing Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are The Champions so well! I woke up today thinking "ooo...must listen to Queen!" And that was when I remembered this teen that looked out of place but sang Queen songs amazingly on Aussie Idol. I'm not quite sure if I like his performances now as much as I did when he did his Queen covers though. I think he should have kept We Are The Champions to the final 5 (where he sang Mad World  instead - Adam Lambert much?), instead of top 100. Damn buzzkill. Haha. I'm currently fans of Stan Walker (woot!), Hayley Warner (double woot!), and the rather theatrical teen Nathan Brake (didn't like his Bon Jovi cover much though). Overall, Aussie Idol songs are awesome. Well, apart from the typical Lady Gaga choices. Seriously, no one can emulate Lady Gaga. She's like a whole different level.

Oh well. Here I go blabbering again. I shall now watch past episodes of Aussie Idol online and carry on writing.

"I want to live in a world where a chicken's motive to cross the road is not questioned. That would be a perfect world. :) "

If only I was 5, then maybe I could borrow Trinity's skirt she paired with stripe leggings. Man, she sure fits the punk rocker look very well with her hot pink guitar.

Today, she mixed up "pinky" and "kinky", and when I corrected her, she started rhyming "my pinky is kinky" repeatedly. And told me "sex is rude" when I said "ooo sexy back" when she undid her back zip.

I should start a whole new category of "living with kids".

(word count at the moment: 2050.)

Happy Halloween if you're into that kind of celebration. I opted out from a Halloween party at one of the uni residential colleges. I'm nowhere near the partying kind, so I am quite surprised to have been invited to such parties.

::

Added stuff:

5 year old Trinity was bugging me the whole time in the kitchen while I was cooking dinner today. She kept blocking my way thinking it was a game. Oil got too hot, she pushed me when I was putting the chicken in, too-hot oil splattered on my hand, and the smoke alarm went off. So, I was supermum for a minute, trying to make sure the stove goes off, make sure Trinity is away from the stove avoiding her imaginative play props  (at the moment a piece of cardboard is her surfboard, a tv box is a shark and a scarf is her long hair) at the same time, and I had to tiptoe  on a chair (i'm short) to reach the smoke alarm and figure out how to stop it. And what was this kid doing the whole time? Laughing at me!! "That's funny, do it again!" she repeatedly said. It was as if I was playing babysitter dash for a moment, if there's such a game.

I now have 3 red spots on my hand and arm, the exact same spot where I got my massive burn a year or 2 ago just before my exams. Deja vu. It's already "bubbling" so I'm pretty sure I'll get burn blisters (means the skin totally burnt off at that spot), they'll peel off and scare a whole lot of people in the exam hall.

To make matters worse, I thought it was no biggie so I went to have a hot shower after cooking. Not a good idea at all. From what I learnt from first aid, if you have a burn, you should use running cool water for a few minutes. Not hot, not warm, not cold water. Le sigh. I actually only noticed how bad it was when it started hurting after the shower. I've since slopped dettol cream on the spots, so hopefully the blisters won't be that bad.

Now you know why babysitters should be paid so much.

::

I edited my intro & the start of my core, and cut it down to 800+ words, and I've only written about 400 words today. That's slow progress. Finished up season 2 of True Blood and yes, to think by now I'd have learnt that it's not a show to watch over meals, I still did watch it over lunch. :S This vampire craze thingy is getting out of hand, huh? They're selling fang-banger tops here, they're selling Tru:Blood (the "civilised" vampire's alternative to blood sucking), and I even saw a girl in uni wearing that super tight white tee that Sookie/Anna Paquin wears in the series. Although I find True Blood sometimes borders on soft porn, I actually do find the series pretty interesting. It's not just about vampires. When I was in primary school, I used to be really interested in Greek mythology, so I was quite excited when Season 2 was mainly about that. And plus, watching evil Eric (Alexander Skarsgard - the one in the Paparazzi music video) and the queen (Evan Rachel Wood) is always a bonus. =)

::

Speaking of Evan Rachel Wood, I blame Ozzie for making me watch Across the Universe again. Haha. That girl just recently went nuts over that movie, getting the soundtrack and stuff from me too. If there were to be one other girl I know who is as crazy over the Beatles as I am, it'd be Ozzie. Even though she annoys me quite a bit singing Michelle, Yellow Submarine and whatever random Beatles tunes to me in uni/on skype/on the phone, it's pretty cool to know someone who actually knows more about the Beatles than any other friend I know.

She watched Across the Universe 6 times the first day she got the movie. That's pretty hard core. And thinking up of Beatles names that one can name their kids. Although I'd highly oppose to anyone naming their kid maggi mae. Hahaha. Seriously, it sounds like maggi mee! And since I recently found out about the song Maxwell's Silver Hammer, I'm pretty glad my bro's not named Maxwell after that song. It's a pretty sick song, although a happy sounding one.

::

There's a Sunshine Coast roadtrip plan for next weekend, which I had to forego. It was indeed very tempting to say yes, but it's ok. Been there quite a few times, and I really should be working on my assignment and studying for my exam. Just one paper, oh yeah.

You think there'll be tickets for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus tonight? I'm hoping everyone's watching This Is It. I don't even think I'm going out tonight actually. And I'm not really up for the free horror movie screening at Southbank in conjunction with Halloween. They're showing "Wake in Fright" tonight. Sounds very "The Shining"-ish honestly, about being cooped up and pressure make one do weird insane things. And I think the only reason I'm not too keen on watching it (and Wolf Creek) is that they are about Australia and Wolf Creek is based on true events. I'm a chicken. *nod*

::

Ahh...assignment + exam mess.

Water bottle, fat red blob, chips, Lindt (should've stuck to the mint intense one), weet bix, books, previous thesis (in blue), notes, journal articles, mind maps, laptop. Just the usual, huh?

I realised I'm ok with reading the sciencey bits for my assignment, but whoa, once I reach the philosophical side of things, it's just all a blur to me. Too many different kinds of values, ways of thinking, philosophers and things they said! Ok a couple of random pictures before I get back to drowning myself in 30 Seconds to Mars to keep me focused. Yeah, I know. Of all bands. AHHAA. Well, you can't go wrong with A Modern Myth.

HEHEHEHHEHEE. I'd want some of these for my birthday.

And look what I found! Yellow Submarine-ish boardies from Rip Curl! :-D

You'll probably only get this if you've watched the 60's film.

Today, my form of happiness comes from about a 1000 words of my major project written, a scary episode of True Blood and mangoes. :-D

Now I have about half an hour more to do more reading before I pick Trinity up from school. And the cycle continues. Half a day of tranquility, followed by half a day of mayhem. Weirdly, I still love being around kids.

And you know, I think the three movements of Exogenesis Symphony are my favourite songs of Muse's The Resistance album.

Looking back at old times, memories cropped up - both the bad and the good. It's astonishing how much detail I remember on some occassions. I realise I remember who wore what the best. Haha. Just going through the pictures, I looked at how much I've grown over the years. Not physically, but as a person. I must admit that although I've always thought I ought to be more mature for my age, I've grown up by leaps and bounds since my school days. In a way, I've mellowed down from that reckless I'll-do-anything girl I was for a brief moment in time. I used to love socialising, but I've since stuck to what I'm comfortable with. New stuff excited me, now I'm more into familiarity.

I guess I've never realised how SAM was such a big year for me, even though it was just for a year. That was the first time I was exposed directly to real life issues. Indeed I was afraid and unsure of what to do when friends confided in me during some of the most difficult situations and I couldn't talk to anyone about it. And I don't mean petty relationship stuff, it was the life and death kind of stuff. Maybe that's why after all these years, although we've grown apart, we're still a pretty tight-knit bunch that will meet up everytime they're back. It's increasingly harder now, with some of my closest friends working or living overseas for good. But you know what? I had one of the best years of my youth then. I had friends who cared, who allowed me to grow and find myself, who did the silliest things ever but we sure had a blast together, and who were always there for one another no matter how massive a problem is - and we did go through some massive issues then.

It was also a night of Michelle's 6 degrees of separation finding. How random people I've met over the years seem to find their way back to me through connections somehow. It really is a small world. I know that because I'm still trying to understand who exactly I am, based on my mum's side of the family who seems to be everywhere around the world. Just recently, I found out I have relatives in Vietnam. Like heh? It'll probably take me a lifetime to map out where my extended family is. Haha.

Also, how many different hairstyles have I had? AHAHAHAHA. But for almost a year now, I've been having the same boring hairstyle, and not minding it. Instead, I want it just how it is. See what I mean by how I'm growing up and as predicted, getting boring and old. Honestly, being the youngest in class now doesn't make me feel any younger either.

Nothing confirmed yet, but I've got a possible trip planned out for early next year to some nearby country. :-D The itch to travel is killing me. It seems I may not be able to travel around Queensland after all because *ahem* someone is being very lucky. Looks like me worrying about saving up for a concert/music fest doesn't need to be a worry anymore because that isn't hapenning (Noooo...but but the killers and muse! Oddly, as I'm typing this, I just got an e-mail with a moshtix password for Good Vibrations Fest presale offer!). Haha. Well, looks like things hardly go as planned after all huh? Well, the start of next sem seems a blur again now. For all I know, I could be homeless, lonely and a workaholic.

The future freaks me out. That's a rather-old Motion City Soundtrack tune. But their one song I really like is "The Conversation" (You remember how we met? Silhoutted by the lights). Yeah, I had a brief MCS craze, at the same time I was really into Matchbook Romance and when I just found out about Avenged Sevenfold way back in  mid-2006. I remembered introducing Shim to Seize the Day, but he didn't quite bother about it. And then we saw it in Rolling Stones while having gelato at KLCC after Redang with Jin and Kelly, and I think that was when his AX7 love started. AHAHHA. Ooo wow, I sure side track a lot!

Now to put up some pictures of my past. I'm not putting up some of the really ridiculous ones of course. :)

Looks like 5 candles but I can't be sure, during my birthday party at KFC decked in my favourite red dress and red everything else. I can only recognise Ka Lip because he's the only one facing the camera. Haha.

When I was 8, in church with Jessica, my brother and Patrick the cousin. I was a flower girl!

Girl scout me!

HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA. Buckteeth and egg-shaped spectacles! But hey, as dorky as I was I had free grandstand tickets to watch the F1 race in Sepang!

Hahaha. This is funny. At the condiments section of Jusco? I think this was just after SPM, because I had a drastic hairstyle change for a few days. Temporarily straightened shoulder length hair and short blunt bangs. I hated it, so I pretty much tied up my hair a lot and had my bangs swept to the side like that.

Summer school buddies! Yes, it was during the low-cut bare midriff times. Shamefully, I admit I used to wear that skirt lower, just resting on my hips. HAHAHA.

I think TzeMeng took this picture. Us being the hardworking college students that we are in the cafeteria. I think that was our specialist maths exam day, where they had ice kacang cravings and the day Selangor declared state of emergency because of the terrible haze, but I was out with the boys at the futsal courts. Haha. I tried the short bangs look again with blown-dry-straight hair.

Then I outgrew my bangs, and had the usual messy mop of waves that is my natural hair. HAHA.

The people I love to bits from SAM. Some of the craziest 18-year-old days were with these people, and some others. :-D End of SAM was when I had hair in braids a lot and my rather long hair to the side.

One of those accidental jersey days. I think summer year 1 of uni? Funny how years later, I had someone come up to me and say he knew who I was because I was the girl in the jersey. AHAHAHAHAHA. Later I found out it was a fake jersey I was wearing all along. >.< But that's not the point. It's a-ok. I've had a real jersey since then, which I don't wear often because I don't wear stuff I like much. And because I don't like how people judge girls who wear jerseys. I'm not trying to fit in, silly. I don't even know who took this picture, looks damn old school though.

And now I look like this. Weirdly orange, chubby and goggles-wearing. At least I still have my long arm limbs.