Important lessons I learnt thus far

These are some important lessons I have picked up over the years

1. Thou shalt never ever mix Kellog’s cornflakes with Milo. You’ll end up emptying the whole bowl into dustbin or struggling to finish it like me.

2. Thou shalt never read others’ diaries, you’ll only discover things you don’t exactly want to know.

3. Thou shalt never step deliberately on banana peels. They are, in actual fact, really slippery.

4. Thou shalt never ignore what your parents said. Their words often turn out to be true (the fact that they will be constantly over two decades older than you, well…, they do know much more things than you)

5. Thou shalt never wish for something you don’t really want.

6. Thou shalt never attempt to defrost sausages using microwave.

7. Thou shalt never spread chain mails or spams. All you’ll get is curse from people, honestly.

8. Thou shalt never lie to your parents. They have told the same lies before.

9. Thou shalt never go to a fortune teller (especially one that is said to be reliable)

10. Thou shalt never attempt to cut through the impossibly tough meat or in seconds, either your plastic fork breaks or the meat crosses over to other people’s plates.

those stuffs sound like an embarassing confession, haha! Some of them are really personal experiences.

I’m bored…

I’m super bored today, so I decided to try out the new colour pastel my friend got me for my birthday And here is the result, titled ”Sunscreen” (I tried to draw Paris Hilton who managed to look good in oversized sunglasses :p ), but oh well, I’m still a long way from caricature drawing, heehee)

Let me see once in my lifetime: Hagia Sophia

I love travel blogs! And I’d love to have one, but I can’t afford travelling . I’m pathetic, but I’ll make sure I travel a lot in the future, possibly around the world Since I can’t exactly blog about places I have visited, let me blog about places I have to visit at least once in my lifetime.

I came to know about this wonder Hagia Sophia (meaning ‘Holy Wisdom’) from Omar Nasiri’s book “Inside the Jihad”. LOL, I know, I’m not that well-read about beautiful places on Earth, so thanks a lot Mr Nasiri for enlightening me on the Hagia Sophia (and thanks to Wiki too, for telling me the meaning of ‘Hagia Sophia’).

The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) was both a church and a mosque and is now a museum, if I’m not mistaken. There are Christian themed mozaic and Muslim themed artefacts inside, and I’m sure it is a very beautiful building. I happen to love domes too, they give an exotic feeling.

I wish I could upload a photo, but unfortunately I can only find copyrighted photos from Google. , so wait for me, Turkey, one day I’ll go and see your Hagia Sophia for myself.

About PDA aka public display of affection

I was running my routine weekend route on the track when I spotted something that made my eyes sore. Okay, I’m exaggerating here, I simply felt uneasy actually. So what did I see? Nothing exciting, just a couple making out really. Catching them getting cozy with each other under the dim light? No big deal. Really. Yeah.

LOL, I’ve been raised in a conservative family and although I’m not much a conservative, I’m still uneasy with the concept of public display of affection. And I’m being unfair here, because the couple I happened to see displayed their affection in a dark area, so not exactly ‘public’. Problem was, I did not know what I should do when I spotted such a couple. Should I walk on in front of them? Or shoot them a “i’m-disgusted-get-yourself-a-room” look? Or should I turn back and run away with embarassment (like in er…dramas?) Haha, well, what I did was averting my gaze and walked much more faster.

Of course, couples in love are birds in fogs ( totally oblivious, i mean), so I can’t blame them. I would probably do the same someday, but I won’t overdo it for sure, I’m someone who worship privacy. Har har.

Things that stir up my very special memories

I have a very good memory of what happened in the past, complete with all the sensation and the graphic details. I seriously think I might get a serious case of forgetfulness when I grow older, coz my memory is stuffed with all these things in the past.

Boiled prawn reminds me of this terrible nightmare about my mom turning into a prawn queen ^^; I was having this tiring nap in my hot bedroom, and I remembered crawling under the cupboard to hide from the prawn queen. I was in primary 1 then.

Yo Te Amo (song by Chayane and F4) reminds me of a street to my tuition place in my hometown . I was in junior high school then. One day, I saw a full rainbow (that is, full half circle) at the end of the street. That was the first time I saw such a beautiful rainbow. The song also reminds me of quick dinner inside the white Honda sedan (KB 291) because my tuition started at 6pm.

Love of My Life (song by Queen) and Stay (song by Chris Cayzer) are both wonderful break-up songs, LOL! They remind me of my silliness and total lack of maturity then, and contrary to the past, they make me laugh now. (I know, how can I possibly laugh to Freddie’s heart-wrenching song!)

The smell of the Multipurpose Hall in my junior college reminds me of the smell of the impossible Physics paper.

Spaghetti reminds me of sleepovers at my childhood best friend’s house, about playing organ in her house and playing SimCity (the very first version) and Aladdin games on her computer, and the swing at her backyard, and her ballet dancer neighbour, and her car, and going to English tuition together. And of course, eating homemade spaghetti cooked by her mom.

A song album Car Stereo (with red cover picturing a red sedan) reminds me of this long road to a peaceful town 3-hour-drive from my hometown. It reminds me of the hilly roads to Bethesda (a leprosy treatment centre) and of a narrow road surrounded by sea. It reminds me of a porcelain pottery centre. And a long, long road with paddy fields on the sides. Aw, it’s making me sentimental now. Anyway, the album is always in my papa’s car dashboard and my mama pointed out to me and my sisters on how the songs in this album will make us cry when both my parents pass away in the future.

Quein Sera (song by Trio Los Panchos) reminds me of lazy holiday and waking up late on a quiet morning. It reminds me of my old house, and of my bolsta of course (tee-hee).

Every Morning (song by Sugar Ray) and Stay The Same (song by Joey McIntyre) remind me of a terribly fierce teacher and my first love <3 I was in primary 4 then.

I realise songs are very powerful in helping us reminiscing our past. I have a longer list to share, but I can’t remember now. One thing for sure, in the future, KFC’s Zinger and the Taiwanese Shihlin Chicken will be among things that remind me of the present

How to gain 3kg* in 3 days –a meal plan a la bolstalova

Day 1

Breakfast: A bowl of Koko Krunch in Milo and a chocolate bread (made in Malaysia)

Brunch: A pack of Oreo

Lunch: Yong tao foo, with the following ingredients: beehoon, chicken, japanese tofu, veggie, sausage, and shrimp tofu and soya bean drinks and a piece of pineapple

Tea time: Get a bag of Cheetos at 7/11 and finish half of it

Dinner: Rice, veggie, chicken wings, tofu and watermelon

Pre-supper: Finish the other half of Cheetos bag

Supper: Cookie Crispie in Milo

 

Day 2

Breakfast: Milo and peanut butter bread (made in Malaysia)

Brunch: Lychees

Lunch: Hokkien prawn noodles with soya bean milk and rock melon

Tea time: Hokkaido ice cream (strawberry and blueberry) and that cheesy-meaty-wrap thing from 7/11

Dinner: rice, veggie, pork in soy sauce (much better than the steroid filled chicken) and egg tofu and papaya

Supper: Honey Star in Milo

 

Day 3

Breakfast: Milo and red bean bread (made in Singapore)

Brunch: Box burger

Lunch: Malay dish –rice, fish covered with chilli sauce, potato cutlet, veggie and some gravy with coconut oil, soya bean drink, pineapple

Tea time: Lasagna

Dinner: Shihlin Crispy Chicken and some Mexican Red Globe Grapes

Pre-supper: Mr Potato Cheese (half the tube)

Supper: Corn flakes in Milo

 

Author is not responsible for any potential stomach upset and/or possible depression over extreme weight gain.

* Full 3kg is not guaranteed. Increase the size of the meal for maximum satisfaction.

All rights reserved.

Things that keep me awake at night

Here is a list of things that keep me awake at night recently:

1. What am I going to major in uni?

2. How am I supposed to get a scholarship?

3. How am I going to survive the coming 3 months?

4. How am I going to afford the grad night? And whether I should go at all? (Of course I should, but…)

5. I haven’t drafted my SGC, due 7th August

6. I’m constantly hungry

7. Gastric pain, almost everyday now

8. I haven’t booked the ticket home

9. What is going on between me n my mom?

10.  What is going on between me n God?

I really can’t let all these frustration, stress and depression going on and on. I haven’t even reached my 20 technically, how can I let all these things happen to me??? I really need that $50 weekend retreat!

Boycotting the church

I’m a regular churchgoer. Fine, make that a yearlong churchgoer. But no, I won’t say I’m pious or devout or religious or anything close. I’m-just-a-sinner, just like any other Christian.

I’m boycotting the church again today. By that, I mean taking a break from that regular church visits. I did this once during the Easter this year, I didn’t attend the Easter Vigil. Laugh at me all you want, but I’ve been attending the Easter Vigil for more than ten years. Why then, the sudden boycott?

First of all, I’m tired. Not just physically (I had a bad week last week and exhausting friday and saturday), but mentally. I’m tired of the disappointment I get from the church. Don’t get me wrong, I’m perfectly OK with God, I’m never tired of Him. I realise that whatever it is that humans do, nothing is right. So the church, which is controlled and commercialised by humans, will never be able to deliver maximum spiritual satisfaction (pardon the commercialised term)

Secondly, I thought that by taking a break from religion, I might be able to rebuild my eroded faith. You see, I’m getting sick of chanting the same prayers again and again, I can recite all my requests to God (protect my family, grant the deceased eternal happiness, help me get good grades) automatically. It’s similar to blurting out swear words, you say it before you think about it, and you can’t exactly do away with it. Reciting Our Father since I learnt how to read is no chore at all, I can do it without thinking. Seriously, all I want is some serenity out of praying to God. I mean, you are supposed to communicate in prayer. I just can’t do it anymore.

Finally, church oh church, why don’t you cater to our spiritual needs? We each have specific needs and we don’t need all the standard advices universally repeated anywhere else. And for goodness’ sake, stop all the  splitting and formation of new churches and fighting among yourselves to get the most followers.

So no, I have never considered converting to other religions. For me, all other religions are just the same, they are construction by human. I just want some peacefulness.

(Anyway, there is this CHOICE weekend retreat I’m dying to go to, but my budget is rather tight now sobs)

Planning your goals is rarely effective!

I live in a land whereby planning your goals (short term and long term) is something that people do regularly, naturally and perhaps with little thoughts because it’s just understood that you plan your goals before you start doing anything. This is of course something that is highly encouraged by all those self-help books which ardently believe that goals make your dreams come true…and which thinks that results are all that count.

Long before all those motivational talks on goal planning blablabla, I believe that each of us has some goals in our minds. But those motivators convince us that by considering seriously realistic goals and putting them down on a piece of paper that we pin up on our bedroom wall, we can be more focused and channelled all our energy into that goal. Goal-oriented. Purpose-driven.  Assigning such terms to something that we do naturally simply makes me sick. The more promoted those terms (“perfect step to success”), the more corny they sound. YUCK!

Let me fish out an interesting paragraph from an extremely interesting book entitled “Inside The Jihad” by Omar Nasiri (pseudonym):

“Every boy has a dream…to be something fantastic…As a boy grows up and becomes a man, he gradually lets the dream go…But if his dream is destroyed at a very oung age, the boy will either be destroyed totally along with it, or he will become strong. He will become strong because he no longer has anything to lose…A boy without a dream is dangerous.”

Now that sounds pretty reasonable. Those of us who are so preoccupied with goals may actually limit ourselves. We plan realistic goals because we fear the disappointment that comes along when we are unable to accomplish it. And how many of us are actually aware of our potential? If we ever knew our potential, we would not be calling it ‘potential’ because we would have made the most out of it.  Of course there’s that adage of reaching for the stars so when you fall, you fall on the cloud, or something like that. But again, it’s an oversimplification-of-a-complex-reality.

On the other hand, when you let go of your goal and just do the best you can do, that’s when you will come to realise your potential. When you don’t have any goal in mind, you have “nothing to lose”,  and you are not afraid of the outcome. Well, I’ve tried this out and it worked for me.

Then again, Paulo Coelho suggests in his popular book “The Alchemist” that with a final goal in mind, you are bound to achieve not only your dream but also countless experienve. That works if you don’t care about what you might get in the end, because what you hoped for might not be achieved. Instead, you get to experience lotsa other delights which are supposedly what makes you stronger, just like Santiago who managed to realise that his journey was much more valuable than the chest full of gold he discovered (that is, his initial goal).

So one thing remains true to these days, that result is never the most important aspect of anything.

narcissistic exhibitionism

Another interesting GP lesson on blogging and narcissistic exhibitionism today… (which is probably what I’m doing now, exhibiting my narcissist tendency by voicing out my insignificant opinions in trivial issues )

I’ll say that narcissism is something that is almost celebrated today, especially among Indonesian teens. Declaring oneself as a narcissist is quite a trend, although it should not be taken seriously as the term narcissist here refers to somebody who loves to take photos of himself. The negative connotation of narcissism has actually toned down -a phenomenon that my mom cannot comprehend. Anyway, I think that this mild narcissism (extremely mild one, I must say, if you recalled the myth of Narcissus and his pond) is rather desirable. While most of the older generation generally detest having their photos taken (ever seen their awkward smiles and stiff postures in photos?), the millenial generation strives to preserve a joyful moment by inventing numerous poses (with wide smiles, cheeseee…) in front of cameras. Maybe this is a sign of how this generation is more comfortable with themselves? Although of course, this is an oversimplification-of-a-complex-reality.