Saturday, November 27, 2010

hello from istanbul!!!!!

Hihi right now the blogger is online from Istanbul, Turkey. The hotel I am staying right now offers free internet - Sheraton Istanbul but problem is the keyboard is totally foreign to me so I am typing super slow right now as I am learning to adjust to it. It has been a tiring almost 12 hours journey to reach here from KL. Imagine stuck in a plane that LONG! I think I can finally understand my friends who study overseas. How tiring they must be. There is also a 6 hours difference here so I think I now understand what jetlag means. I took my flight at 10.10 am and arrived here at 11.10pm Msian time. So actually we should sleep right. But Turkey time showed 5pm so it was dinner time. Oh we were all so tired and lack sleep that we did not have appetite to eat at all.
The temperature here is quite cooling, just like Genting but today we had a slight rain and quite strong winds so the photos I took came out quite gloomy. But we visited some really awesome architecture marvels today and I finally saw Hagia Sophia, the place in that facebook game Geo Challenge. The thing about winter is that nights are long so although it was 5pm, the night was so dark already.
Ok, I am getting annoyed now with the keyboard as the symbols shown on the buttons, when I press on them, a different symbol appears so please dont mind my awful grammar and punctuation here as I simply dont understand the Turkish keyboard.
The younger kids in my tour group here are all in their teens and they all have dslr! so jealous ok. Its time for me to sleep now, really exhausted and I must have gained so much weight with all the food they are feeding us. Aaah! Time for diet when I get back to KL. Oh ya, the traffic here is so bad! Luckily I am from KL so jam is something I am used to but I reckon here is even worse.
We are leaving Istanbul tomorrow. Love this city although it is so highly populated. The people are beautiful and today a group of small kids, students I think keep waving to us and talking in a foreign language (good I hope) while smiling. So cute. The men are very charming, especially enticing us to buy stuff at Grand bazaar.
Wish me luck. I hope I can go online at my next destination. Its now 10pm here but it will be 4am in KL. Pray for a safe journey for me ok:)

Monday, November 22, 2010

happy 3rd anniversary

Dear blog,

Today is 22nd November 2010. It has been 3 years and this blog is still alive. Lol. Besides being yours truly's bday, today also marks the 3rd anniversary of http://lilac-november.blogspot.com/, whose first ever post was dated 22 Nov 2007.

I'm not missing you - Stacie Orrico

Just a random thought: You know how in Korean dramas, there is sometimes a female protagonist who is caught in a love triangle? (cue: Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Boys Over Flowers, You're Beautiful, etc.) The girl always likes the male who is cool, cold and distant, a guy she knows will just break her heart? Then there is always the other guy, the nice one, the one who is always there for her, especially when the guy she is in love with breaks her heart and she starts crying and crying. Of course, there is also an additional female who is in love with the male lead. And she will create drama for the female lead, causing jealousy and hopelessness. The ending will always be the female lead will end up together with the guy who breaks her heart (who also is secretly in love with her). And then the good guy gets tossed away.

But you know reality and dramas are two different things. What happens when the guy you like doesn't like you but really likes the other girl? What happens if he truly is breaking your heart into pieces? Do you still cling on to him? Or do you accept the good guy in the hope you can still find love and mend your broken heart?

Sometimes we wish for drama in our life. But most often, we should be sensible. To me, forget both the guys. LOL. I just want less drama in my life. Haha.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

“A friend is one who knows you and likes you just the same” – Elbert Hubbard

MY BDAY 2010 and POST VIVA1

My birthday is on 22nd November. As I am typing this, there is approximately 45mins until I officially turned 23 years old. This year’s bday also marks the final time I will be able to celebrate my bday with my uni mates as we would all be graduating next year. So this year’s bday is slightly bittersweet as I would miss all my UKM friends dearly.

I actually had a not-so-good day on Monday, no thanks to my lacklustre performance in VIVA. But I am glad that there were friends who comforted and consoled me. Thanks peeps~! After VIVA, those bitter memories seemed to disappear as I was truly having fun with so much activities planned out that week =) I also want to take this opportunity to thank all 7 dwarfs / princesses plus my 2 lovely roommates - Suz M + Beng Beng, and also my housemate, Ngiik Ling for chipping in to share my bday present. I love it so much. Hehe ;)


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Levain Boulangerie Pattiserie

Finally my VIVA is done. Now the corrections need to be done. After sending it for hard-binding, it will be over (hopefully). Anyway, I have been meaning to post about this quaint bakery I went some time ago but I was too busy with my research project. Also, I have decided to finally limit each post to about 13 – 15 photos from now onwards. I will post all photos on my facebook instead.

08

Levain is located in Imbi, KL. It is one of those huge bungalows-turned-restaurants that are abundant in that area.

00

You won’t miss it due to its cute architecture. Looks like those winter cottages. But in case you do, it is next to Fukuya Japanese Restaurant.

 02 11

The outside exterior exudes an European cafe feel, no? | Levain has two floors so it can accommodate quite a number of customers at one time, which is good, considering the fact that day I decided to visit Levain was a public holiday and boy, it was seriously people mountain, people sea that day.

03

I went with my Mom and aunt, because we were all small-eaters. Nothing like bread and soup for a light lunch.

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There were a variety of breads, muffins, sandwiches, and pastries to choose from. Due to high demand from overload of customers that day, some trays were empty (sadly).

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This is just one of the dishes we had. I personally like the egg-ham bread (not shown in pic) and the pumpkin cream soup is also not bad.

07    Menu of the day – Love the old-fashioned black chalkboard style. P.S. Btw, I went there for a second time already and the pasta is not bad ;)

05

At the entrance, you will notice 2 glass cabinets filled with antique coffee-making equipments. Love~!. Kinda looks like a museum, no? I always love vintage and nostalgia. I think it was a really wonderful “exhibition”. Lol.

0109 

Another thing I love about Levain (besides food, interior and exterior design and the antiques) is the array of paintings decorated all over the place. I simply love the art displayed here because they oil-based paintings of beautiful sceneries. These two were my favourites – one of French cafes and one of all kinds of sinfully delicious carbs. LOL;D

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This painting was my favourite, and still is =)

Monday, November 15, 2010

151110 1430hours

D-day is finally here. Super freakin' out now. I seriously do not know what he will ask. It can be "anything under the sun". Thank you to friends who have wished me, in sms and facebook. Please pray hard for me peeps. *Crosses fingers*.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

five more days

Today was my results presentation for my research project. Presentation for 7 minutes, and then Q&A for 3 minutes. The presentation part has never been much of a problem for me. My greatest concern has always been the Q&A part. Doing a clinical research project, I have realized, is not easy at all. Especially since you really need experience in this field in order to do it well. The clinical lecturers are all so experienced, they know if you have missed out something in your work. Plus, there were just too many variables to consider that at times, it gets so stressed just thinking about it. But the worst part of my research is definitely the statistics. I did not have a strong background in statistics, and I overestimated myself, thinking I can do it without any help. Boy, was I wrong. From beginning till the end, my statistics keep giving me problems after problems.

The worst was last night when I found out I made a grave mistake in my study, statistically. It was my fault, entirely. I was well-aware of that point before I started my study but I didn't know how I could have forgotten such an important point during my analysis. When I heard about it, my mind just went blank. No words could come out from my mouth.

Last night, I was just so upset with myself. I totally regret myself for not taking the statistics part of my study seriously. But I also realized it was too late to change or correct what has been done wrong. It was time for damage control. I search all over internet hoping to find an answer, a good explanation to the errors of my doing. However, to no avail, it was a futile effort.

I woke up at 5.30am, hoping to continue my sleep. But my mind started wondering to the possibility of lecturers questioning me on my mistakes. What was I going to answer? Dozens of answers raced through my mind, but none of it satisfactory. It has occurred to me this is reality, it was not a bad dream. Finally, I decided to go for my last resort - look for a statistics lecturer for a consultation.

When I was in the bus on my way to campus, my mind was in a mess. There I was , worried like hell. I knew it was not easy to look for a statistics lecturer, especially at such a time constraint. I keep blaming myself.

The bus was almost full. An elderly Indian gentleman saw my roommate standing and offered her a seat next to him. She gladly took that offer. So he got up and let her in. After she sat, he still stood. Then, he looked at me and offer me his seat instead.

I was surprised. Here I was, a twenty-something student and an elderly gentleman, who could easily be my grandfather offered me his seat! Of course, I declined. How could I sit and let an elderly man stand? That is no good on my conscience. But he insisted, claiming that he has been sitting for a long time. No, it's okay, I said, you can sit. Finally, to avoid making a scene, I sat in his place as he stood until his stop.

That was the 1st fortunate thing that happened to me that morning. Growing up in an urban city like Kuala Lumpur, I have seen the good and bad side of the people here (well, mostly bad). It has never ceases to amaze me that chivalry can still exist despite all the selfishness I have witnessed. I wanted to tell the uncle that thank you, I have been having a really rough night and morning and your little gesture has made my morning a little better.

When I finally reached campus, I hurried to the offices of all 3 statistics lecturers. As I expected, none of them were in their rooms. I started to panic. There was 1 more hour left till presentation starts. And 2 more hours before it will be my turn to present. What if I am still not able to seek any help before then? But I decided to try my luck and waited outside one of the lecturer's office. 30 minutes passed and I wanted to give up and look for my supervisor instead but I convinced myself to wait a little while longer.

Finally, like a spotlight, the much-sought lecturer returned to his office. I was so happy I could burst into tears. I quickly told him my dilemma, hoping he can give me an answer that I want to hear. He was not pleased to hear about my mistake, saying that it is indeed wrong. However, he said that it was still acceptable. There it is, just what I needed, a reassurance.

So after thanking him, I quickly rushed to see my supervisor whose office was on the other side of the campus. I wanted to tell him in advance my problem and get his opinion on the matter. But as I got down from the lift, I saw him coming, heading towards my way. Another stroke of luck. I quickly consulted with him on the matter and he agreed, to state it as limitation of my study.

To keep a blog post short, my results presentation was not as bad as I imagined. There were 3 stern lecturers that I was afraid of. One did not come, and the other one went out of the room as I was presenting so she missed my presentation. Thank goodness, because I knew she will spot my mistakes.

I know that I always complain a lot about all the bad things that happen to me. I am a pessimistic person by nature, ever since I was a child. But sometimes, just sometimes, I should learn to appreciate the good things that happen to me. I know that every day is not going to be a lucky day like today. For that, I am grateful because although I will only have 1 lucky day, you don't know how much today meant to me.

Next stop is VIVA next monday. There is no escaping this. 30minutes of Q&A. It will be pure torture I know. Pray hard for me...

Sunday, November 07, 2010

discouraged

Doing thesis / research project is supposed to be highlight of final year. It carries huge loads of credits and one is supposed to excel and give greatest effort in doing it...

So why do I feel so discouraged? Why do I feel like giving up although it is not the end yet? Why do I not feel proud of my work? Why do I still feel like I know nothing?

Constantly feel de-motivated. Feels like friends have more passion in their work than I have in mine. I really hope I can still give it all I got.

But how?...

Thursday, November 04, 2010

the end of another semester

At last, my exams are over and done with. This semester, I felt like it was one of the worst, when it came to exams. Because of my procrastination again, I edited my manuscript last minute and then, what is left is only a few days to prepare for my finals.

Although finals are done, now come another greatest hurdle - my results presentation and viva. I am proud of my research project, truly. But I am not sure if I can convinced the lecturers to feel the same. It does not help, especially considering my examiner is a stern lecturer. I just pray that he will have mercy on me and does not bring me to tears during viva. Haih...

I had so much fun after exams (and also during the short breaks in between). Had theobroma chocolate fondue, went to watch movies, went ice-skating and ate a lot of good food. It is fun hanging out with friends. I will post up pics soon, when I find the time.

I have still not yet found the mojo to blog. Just rants once in a while. Hopefully, after my viva is over, when I feel like my burden has been lifted. Right now, all I have in my mind is the feeling of stress over my research project. Pray for me, peeps~

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