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Sharing the Softness.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:59:00 +0000

We lead hectic lifestyles these days.. with no time for rest.. no time for holidays.. ~~no time to eat..~~ and not even time for our friends and family, but there are still ways to show others that we care.. The Kleenex Share the Softness campaign is all about promoting the important of softness in our everyday lives, and encouraging sharing as a way of showing others that we think of them.

In conjunction with this special campaign, this pack of 5 tissue boxes are being sold at only RM12.60 in major retail outlets nationwide with these gorgeous new designs!

I've been so busy the past month with classes and clubs that at one point, I felt I was being spread out much too thin. At some point, I asked myself why I was doing all of this. Why should I put in the extra effort? Why should I sacrifice my time for something that wouldn't be helping me much anyway? After all, my extra-curricular activities from high school was so plentiful I wouldn't need to do anything in college and I might still be able to fill my transcript. But then, I caught myself.

That was so selfish.

How had my heart hardened like that?

This campaign comes at exactly the right time. A time where we're so busy with exams and obligations that sometimes, we forget to soften our hearts and show tenderness and care to those we love and care for.

"Sharing the softness" shouldn't just be a campaign. It should be a lifestyle.

As a responsible blogger (oh ho ho), I shall lead by example by sharing with you how I've been sharing the softness! :D

1. WACKY'S Book Donation Drive

Our goal was to collect 500 books to donate to refugees from Myanmar as well as other children homes in Malaysia. Within 2 days.. we reached our target goal!

In a way, we shared the softness.. by sharing the joys of reading to these kids!

Helping out at the booth with Shyh Jin. (Okay, okay, I admit. This picture was staged. Who would smile randomly while sorting through things??)

To increase publicity, we organized Nerd Day as well, encouraging students in campus to dress up as nerds! It was such a sight watching everyone decked out in full-frame glasses, their pants pulled high and shirts buttoned all the way to the top!

Heehee, everyone here's so cute!

Instead of just collecting 500 books, we managed to collect 931 books in total over the period of one week! There were even more books after that till it was close to a thousand! Although I was the brainchild of the event, the other committee members of the club were the ones who contributed the most time and effort for it (while I was off irresponsibly buzzing around in Italy :P), especially Yin Li who managed it so well. So in the end, they were the ones who were mostly sharing the softness with not only the books recipients, but with me as well. :) Thanks, guys. Ya'll so sweet and kind! :')

2. MEC Visit

Yknow what else is soft?

JELLY!

As mentioned, one of the recipients of the books was Myanmar Education Centre and since we were heading there to present the books & some money to them, us WACKY members decided to organize activities for them too!

There were..

Cheeky boys..

Pretty girls..

And responsible boys too!

My group shared the softness in our own way by conducting a singing station. And boy, oh boy, do these kids love to sing!

We taught them to sing a new worship song (along with super impromptu choreography by Florence) and they soaked it up like a sponge! Watching them sing and dance so exuberantly despite being in such a cramped up classroom was insanely heart-warming. There were a few who had their eyebrows so furrowed their foreheads were creased like a prune because they were intently trying to decipher every word of the lyrics we printed (most of them have problems reading, see) while there were others who were like Red Bull-infused monsters, just yelling out similar sounding syllables to the song! D:

At one point they were singing (more like screaming) so loudly that it was almost deafening!

The poor little kid on the right clearly couldn't take it. :P

I went home that day with a grateful, softened heart..

And disturbingly dirty feet.

3. Celebrations

Sharing the softness doesn't just mean being involved in charity. Sharing the softness between friends and family is just as important to show you care.

As the Taylor's Model United Nations (TAYMUN) PR Director, I was in charge of planning the farewell party for the outgoing committee. Although we never really got to interact with them, the farewell party was a great way for us to get to know them and they were truly such warm, funny, sporting people.

Sanity.

Insanity.

Although we had several problems when handling the event from financial issues to attendance problems, at the end of the day, there were still several tender moments which occurred which made it all worth it.

Adam and Matt, sharing the softness with each other..

On the family front, we recently celebrated the birthday of the little baby in our family, who finally turned 14!

There's nothing quite as 'soft' as quality family time over a celebration.

Kleenex didn't just decide to have a campaign and leave us alone to handle it! They kickstarted it all by sharing on their own as well!

I was sent two beautiful boxes of super-soft facial tissue paper and..

CANDY!

Not just any candy, but Sticky candy!

It came with instructions too.

And share them, I did. :)

Sharing the softness doesn't have to be difficult. You could perform acts of charity, spend time with your family & friends, or just do anything to let people know you care.

Luckily for you, Kleenex has made it so much easier to share!

From now till the 31st of May (while stocks last), you can share a beautiful Kleenex Vintage Soft Pack with your friend for absolutely free. All you have to do is like the Kleenex Malaysia page, head to the Share the Softness section, and fill up a simple form!

Viola!

You can even send a personalized message with your pack.

Aside from being able to request for the Share packs through the Kleenex Malaysia Facebook fan page, there are also other interactive activities online too, such as special areas where fans can share their thoughts on a particular topic of the week, including topics about the brand and products.

Throughout the year, you are also eligible to take part in contests that will kick off with the Kleenex® Moments contest (which you can read about on the FB page!!), with RM14,500 worth of cash prizes and Kleenex® products to be won.

The campaign also gives back to the less privileged as well. So for every entry in the Facebook Kleenex® Moments contest, Kleenex will donate one pack of tissues to a non-profit organization. What better way to do charity than by participating in a contest? Not only do you have a chance to win a prize, you would definitely be helping someone else as well!

So, what's stopping you from sharing the softness?

If you don't know how to begin, you could always start like this. :P

When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 06 May 2012 08:05:00 +0000

The locals believe that if you throw one coin into the Trevi Fountain, you'll someday return to Rome; two coins & you'll marry an Italian; three coins & off you go to get divorced. But before you single ladies start preparing your coins in pairs, our Roman guide says you must take note that all Italian men... Are mamma's boys.

With that in mind, I tossed one coin into the fountain & crossed my fingers in hopes that I really do get to return to the capital of Italy again.

Of all the places I've been to in Italy, Rome was my absolute favourite! Ever since the Lizzie McGuire movie, who hasn't dreamed of coming here?

On the day we were there, the skies were so incredibly blue it was as though someone had turned up the saturation in my eyes.

Our first stop in this glorious city was an Autogrill station, which is basically Italy's version of a roadside stop.

Heh heh, fonzies..

My beautiful mother! :D

The things they sold in Rome was supersized like crazy! Take a look at the Nutella they sell!

Compare it with my lens cap..

AND LOOK AT THE HOLY COW GIGANTIC PASTA! Each shell pasta is slightly bigger than my lens cap! D:

Gigantic Nutella, gigantic pasta. What's next? Giant cars?

Ah, but no. Their smart cars are tiny.. Very tiny.

When we actually arrived at the city, it was like being in a gigantic museum. Every corner held something historical or monumental.

The Spanish steps, which is the widest & longest staircase in all of Europe. The steps in Pavilion is said to be modeled after these.

The famous Colloseum, where hundreds of gladiators battled to their deaths years ago.

Our guide explaining how the mechanism of the Colloseum allowed spectators to stay safe despite the murderous beasts pitted against the gladiators below.

One of the town squares in Rome was home to hundreds of artists who gathered there to paint and sell their works of art. This was Piazza Navina.

ANDDD, it was home to the best dang banana ice-cream in the worlddd!

Not that I've had banana ice-cream anywhere else..

Don't panic, folks. I'm holding my mom's pistachio ice-cream, not nomming both. (Although in hindsight, I wish I did) :P

We took the chance to leave Italy and head to Vatican City, the smallest state housing the largest church in the world!

Equipped with a headset and a ticket, we entered the Vatican Museum. The museum is so vast it is said to take 2 complete weeks to view the whole place.

The corridors are filled with ancient tapestries and paintings centuries old.

It was amazing. Even those with no appreciation for art would be impressed.

The picture above is in fact, paintings on the ceiling, not plaster as what it may seem. 3D PAINTINGS. I stared at it like crazy and it still looked as though it was 3-dimensional. I could only tell that it was painted when looking at certain places where the paint had been damaged or faded.

Actually, I can't remember whether this was mosaic or paintings or plaster or gold or what, but decorating a wall is already so difficult, what more a ceiling. D:

In the pope's formerly private courtyard.

TULIPS!!

This lion came directly from Egypt as a gift to the Vatican.

The highlight of the Vatican City was being able to enter the Sistine Chapel, where Michaelangelo's masterpiece covers its walls. Move over, Leonardo. Michaelangelo is officially my favourite. :P

And I totally stole this from A Walk To Remember except that I did it by myself. T.T Can't embed the clip, but you can watch the scene HERE.

One foot in Italy, another in the Vatican City.

Ah, isn't it clear that Rome wasn't built in a day?

Okay, okay, gonna stop with the Roman idioms now. Heh. :D

On a more serious note, I firmly believe that everyone should pay a visit to Italy at least once in their lives. At least, grant your eyes the opportunity to experience the beauty that is Michaelangelo's artwork in the Sistine Chapel, and give yourself the chance to climb the widest & longest staircase in Europe. If you could only go to one place in Italy, head to Rome. :)

Much love,
Ciao!

Still as a statue.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sat, 05 May 2012 06:25:00 +0000

The weather in Florence was as temperamental as an angry Chinese teacher (or Florence on her period :P) - one minute it's drizzling, then it's sunny, and the next thing you know, it's raining cats & dogs and you find yourself haggling for a red umbrella from a random Italian salesman who's exasperatedly yelling out 'mamma mia, mamma mia!' as he plays tug-of-war with the wind in attempt to keep his own green umbrella within grasp.

Gloomy weather.

Much like the rest of Italy, Florence seemed to be teeming with churches, and flooded with tourists.

Our guide was an adorable, and slightly dotty old lady with incredibly large amounts of dark eyeshadow and a penchant for bright colours everywhere else.

With both my guides.

Besides the horrible weather, Florence stood out from the rest of the cities for its statues! Outside the Government Palace, there were statues carved of marble and bronze, all done in remarkable detail.

Um.

- pictures that follow may not be appropriate for children -

Against the famed Fountain of Neptune.

And here's a good copy of Michaelangelo's famous masterpiece, the statue of David.

And if I'm not mistaken.. this is Hercules.. and someone else.

These were famous statues all done by Michaelangelo's pupils. The most popular ones are these two.

This depicts the myth of Medusa's decapitation by Perseus. Which I only know about thanks to Percy Jackson.

This shows the rape of Serbian women (??) during the war. As my guide put it, "zey stole ze women and zhen zey.. Zey raped zem becauze zey were evil solziers!"

Besides indecent statues, Florence is home to a statue of a wild boar, which snout when touched, is said to bring good luck.

Naturally, I had to get my hands on that large gold nose!

Noh! I'm not sharing my luck!

Much better! :D

I've done so many 'luck-bringing' things in Italy that you'd think I'd be completely free of bad luck by now. For that week at least. But alas, my penchant for breaking things and falling over didn't seem to quite disappear.. and I broke a cup in a hotel the next morning. Whoops. :P

But I digress.

Florence's highlight was Piazza Michaelangelo with a huge copy of the statue of David overlooking a gorgeous panaromic view of Florence.

But thanks to the wonderful weather.. This was our view.

Gorgeous tulips I never got to see up close.

T.T

It should've been like this!!

*sighs*

And and.. The red and white tulips!! :(

Tulips are my favorite flowers and are so hard to come by in Malaysia! Boo! *consoles self*

You all know what's coming - here are random pictures from Florence which don't seem to fit anywhere else:

Proof of how quickly Florence's weather changes its mind.

See suddenly so bright and cheery omg!

Gorgeous authentic leather bags sold at the side of the street..

The statue with the beard is Galileo.

Just randomly posing in a street.

Graffiti everywhere! And.. Australiano, which I roughly translate as Australia. I mean, I could be wrong la but with my one week of Italian exposure, I think that's highly unlikely. :P

And on this somewhat abrupt note, I shall end this post with an obvious proclamation!

Because loving New York is too mainstream.

Ringing bells & sinking cities.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Being in Venice felt like a whole new adventure - a shopping adventure, to be precise! We headed there via water taxi, and with the sun in our eyes and wind in our hair, I remember thinking that I was so incredibly lucky to have a chance to be there..

Till the wind just about froze me to death and like the horrible wimp I am, I fled inside to a considerably warmer, but less exciting view.

Every rainy season, about 60 centimetres to 1 metre of Venice is covered with water. It's a beautiful city, but a city that is said to be slowly sinking. Let's hope it doesn't become the next Atlantis. D:

Out of all the cities I've been to in Italy, Venice was probably the most unique. Gondolas float on the canals between buildings, beautiful elaborate masks hang in stalls by the sidewalk, and Murano glass necklaces are sold at every corner.

Our local guide in Venice was a very dramatic woman, who would emphasize every word she said (which is pretty much counter-productive to the emphasis).

In Venice, the famous bridge is the Bridge of Sighs.

See that teeny tiny bridge across the river?

Many couples sit on the gondolas asking to go under the bridge, thinking that it's romantic. But as my guide so clearly enunciated, "Zere is nuh-thing romanthik ahbout zis bridge. Nuh-thing!"

The Bridge of Sighs is connected to a prison - the famous prison in the story of Casanova's escape - and instead of deriving its name from the sighs of lovers, it actually got its name from the prisoners who would sigh as they crossed the bridge to be imprisoned.

Nuh-thing romanthik, see?

By the way, just a note. I honestly don't know why modelling agencies bother looking at other countries for models. They should just come to Italy because EVERYONE IS INSANELY BEAUTIFUL & GOOD-LOOKING OMG.

All they would have to do is close their eyes and randomly point at an Italian person and boom, that person could immediately be a model. The only unattractive people in Italy are all the tourists! At every restaurant, there is at least two super cute waiters, I kid you not.

Look! Random guy lounging around looking like a model!

Random salesperson who looks like Chace Crawford! Can't really tell from this pic though but he really does!

Look! This one can be Hollywood actor, right?!

This was our guide for the Murano glass factory, where we watched some guy turn some blob of goo into a beautiful glass horse.. In under two minutes!

TADAH!!

Having watched The Tourist where Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp hopped around on random speedboats with Venice as their backdrop, I can assuredly say that it really is as beautiful on screen as it is in real life. The latter probably a little more.

They have this magnificent-looking clock tower with two figures that move every hour to ring the bell. And omg the sound of the ringing bell is so glorious and full and magical and belvxoqbxowb! It's the type of ring that I doubt will ever get annoying because it's so beautiful!

The tourists teeming around the clock tower, waiting for it to ring its lovely sound.

And here are other interesting bits & pieces of Venice!

Hahah, I find this accidental picture very funny!

Alas, our time in Venice wasn't long, but it left magical memories of beautiful sounds, sunny skies, fancy masks, colourful glass, and of course, handsome Italians.

Verona, Italy.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:33:00 +0000

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, oh Romeo?

Famed for the tragedy of two star-crossed lovers, Verona is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy. The story of the two lovers wasn't first regaled by Shakespeare, but has in fact, been around for ages. However, only the wordsmith's version became popular.

For the uninitiated, Romeo & Juliet is the story of two young lovers caught in between the feud that has been going on for ages between their two families. And uh.. Lol spoiler alert! Due to their families opposing their relationship, they ended up taking their own lives in the most ridiculous way. Actually, the story is quite lame lor, but then again, I haven't read the original text so am probably a very unqualified judge. West Side Story is pretty much based on Romeo & Juliet so if you've seen the former then you get the picture.

According to our local guide, the families in the story were real and so was their rivalry. The details are slightly questionable here (because I got somewhat distracted by super fashionable Italians) but after the story became popular, the "Cappello" family a.k.a Juliet's family bought a house to be open to the public (??) and uh.. Well, that's where we went!

The famous balcony.

Italians have many superstitions, and grabbing the right boob of Juliet's statue will apparently bring you luck in love. Naturally, a whole bunch of us tourists all flocked to fondle her very firm golden breast.

What seems to be another popular (and absolutely disgusting) thing to do at Juliet's abode is to stick gum on the walls by the entrance of her house then write the name of you & your lover/crush/dog.

The insane crowd wanting to see Juliet's house.

The gum shown here had solidified and I presume teens and tourists just pile on more gum once the bottom layer has hardened.

Ugh.

Besides her house, Verona is famed for many other things. Amongst them, the Arena, where gladiators fought to their deaths. The Arena is like a much smaller version of the colloseum but still impressive nonetheless.

Despite the cold, we took the opportunity to try some Italian gelato as well! £2.50 for a double scoop!

Tiramisu & coffee flavoured.

Kinda regretted my choice of flavours but it was still really good anyway. Super super smooth!

Verona is a beautiful city (town? district?), so beautiful that even Hollywood stars are willing to fork out millions of euros to live in some place that's teeming with tourists.

Gigantic monster dog-beasts!!

And the most beautiful part of Verona?

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ME!

Anything special about the buildings by the Arena? Yeap, that's where Leonardo di Caprio lives whenever he's in Italy. He bought that for roughly 4 million euros, says our guide. Angelina & Brad were willing to fork out a lot more for their place though. They paid 21 million euros for a house in Verona!

Ahhh, one day when I make it big as an actress/blogger/lawyer/ruler-of-universe/whatever, at least I know who my neighbors will be. ;)

A new season, a new adventure.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:37:00 +0000

To many, Easter marks the beginning of spring. Chirping birds and bright flowers in full bloom come to mind. A few bunnies hopping around complete this picturesque mental image. Arriving in Italy a day after Easter promised exactly that.

But amidst the guarantees of sunny days and green leaves, why couldn't anyone have the decency to tell us about the BLOODY-FREAKIN'-COLD?!?

We left KLIA on the night of Easter..

Stopped at Abu Dhabi for a couple of hours, where Yum Cha-ing apparently involves sushi..

And arrived in Italy many many many glorious movie-watching hours later.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love flying?

Because I really really do!

I love watching movies on planes too because it's probably one of the only times I feel as though there is no other way I could be doing something more productive. On land, I'd feel as though I should be jogging (pssffftttt) or studying or reading instead of glue-ing myself to the screen but on a plane.. I HAVE NO CHOICE. :D

But enough digression!

First stop?

Milan, where random Italian men who make eye contact bid hello, and couples unabashedly display their mutual affection by fountains and statues.

We were immediately greeted by Castello Sforza, where lesser-known works of Leonardo da Vinci lie.

Grace, our tourguide in Milan, explaining the strength of the Sforza family.

The moat surrounding the castle.

Outside the castle. Yes, my tights are uneven, shhh, it's gonna be a new thing.

In Italy, each city has its own duomo, which is like its "mother church". The one in Milan (the church of Santa Maria) was gigantic with over 2000 statues carved in marble on it.

We grabbed the chance to enter the cathedral and it was one of the many moments in Italy which took my breath away. Like, really. I actually gasped.

The stained glass windows within the cathedral have been there since the peak of the Renaissance period, when art, beauty, and knowledge gained popularity within and outside the church. It was a boom in human ability, and Italy was its home.

Never before had I seen such rich colours on glass, each frame depicting different scenes making it even more spectacular.

As it was Easter Monday, there was a church service going on and it was unique to be able to witness a Catholic service entirely in Italian. After a while, we left for Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the famous area in Milan where Prada, Chanel, and other branded stores lie.

Thanks to Grace, we were told of a local tradition that almost all partake in. A mosaic pattern on the ground in the Galleria makes up a blue bull.

"You muz plaze ze heel of ze foot on ze certain 'eh-rea' of de bull and spin tuh-ree hunzred and zixty zegrees. Zis loh-kal tradition will bring you luck!"

Not one to push away luck when it's lying on the ground in front of me, I went for a spin!

Mom went spinning too!

With a spin's worth of luck, we headed for Verona next, but that's another story for another day.

And here are some other pictures taken in Milan which don't quite seem to fit anywhere else!

Wah, act cute.

Actually cute!

Some yummy panini thing with super lots of cheese & ham!

The store we got it from. :)

Till then, ciao!

The Myths of Gifts?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:10:00 +0000

People tend to have a misconception of buying/receiving presents, especially in a relationship or when wanting to get in a relationship. I've had plenty of friends who would complain about their boyfriends buying them too many or too expensive presents (yes, this can actually be a problem) or would feel upset when their boyfriends neglect to buy them anything. The boys who buy too much insist that they want to spoil their girlfriend, whereas the boys who don't spend enough insist that their girlfriend doesn't mind, isn't "like other girls" and doesn't expect presents.

1st Note: Of course she doesn't "expect" them, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't give her presents anyway!!

Basically, this post covers the myths of gifts. (Or whatever that's related that I can think of) By the way, when I'm talking about presents, I'm including random surprises and handmade stuff too!

1. Costly isn't always gold.
Guys love feeling helpful without feeling used. They like to think that the smile on your face, yeah that one, is there entirely because of what they did. It's probably a reason why so many tend to overspend when it comes to gifts. For starters, when they're not sure what to get, they think their best bet is something expensive. Although they see something cute you may like, they're worried you'd think they're cheap, and would probably go for a more costly alternative.

It is with that thought in mind that some guys don't buy their girlfriend presents at all, except for occasions like birthdays and Valentine's Day!

BUT, male species, giving expensive gifts isn't as wonderful as it may seem, especially at the beginning of relationships. For starters, it builds an unhealthy expectation for the future. First year anniversary, RM500 gift. Second year, RM200? Love her less is it?

Secondly, there's the guilt. You'd be surprised at how often girls feel bad when their boyfriend gets them something really costly for something really small. Then they feel this horrible need to re-compensate. Then there's a whole cycle of one-upping each other.. But then again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Thirdly, (and this is actually pretty likely) if the gift is really really extravagant, your girlfriend might get worried you spend too much and thus start worrying about the future and how you two would sustain a household. The only way to save this situation is to insist that you only spend extravagantly on her and she need not worry otherwise. :P

In short, a slightly less costly gift on landmark days along with 20 cheap cute gifts throughout the year > 2 expensive gifts for the whole year.

Why is that?

It isn't that she only enjoys receiving gifts, it's because when you do get her gifts, it makes you seem thoughtful. And thoughtfulness is always a bonus.

Someone once bought me an app for my iPhone which I really wanted but was too cheap to buy on my own ($0.99) and till now, I still remember how happy I was when I received it. :)

2. The problem with boys who try too hard.

First off, it must be said that there should be a hugeee difference between going after a girl and being her boyfriend. Many things boys do when going after girls are sweet IF they were their boyfriends. Otherwise, it just comes across as a little too much.

Let's look at friendzoning for starters -

Probably the most popular line that a girl says to a guy when friendzoning him is "I don't deserve you, you can do so much better". If someone has said that to you before, you probably fall under the category of being too nice/doing too much. Ever bought her random presents? Accompanied her just so she wouldn't be alone although you were busy? Yeahp, that's you.

The girl isn't lying, in her head she really feels as though you could be with someone who would appreciate you better. Why is this happening? Why isn't she falling head over heels for you? There are three possibilities in this scenario:

1) She does like you. Just slightly. Maybe a tiny crush. But you've already spent so so much of time and effort and have probably already declared your undying love to her that she feels that no matter how much she likes you, she would never be able to like you to the same extent. And thus, to be 'fair' to you, she doesn't tell you she likes you and wants you to find someone who would appreciate your lavish attentions.

2) She doesn't know how to like you & you've probably scared her off.

Solution?
Don't try too hard at the beginning. What you should be doing is impressing her enough to catch her interest but don't put down all your cards just yet. So keep a lid on the gifts and random belanja-ing her moments. Don't worry, if you want to spend your money, you'll have plenty of opportunity to once you get together.

3. The gradient of improvement

When a guy goes after a girl, he tends to throw in all his resources at one go. He tries incredibly hard at the beginning and impresses her to the max (if he doesn't scare her off first). He's sweet and thoughtful and alert and the next thing you know, you're defenseless and you're falling.. falling.. falling.

Here's the problem.

Once you get together, he stops trying.

He stops with the elaborate romantic gestures, chooses games over you, goes out with his friends all the time although he's busy when it's time to see you, etc..

I even drew a graph to illustrate this!

The dotted red line is the beginning of the relationship. What happens is that he puts in so much effort at the beginning to reel the girl in, making her believe that she'd be treated like a princess the whole way through. Once he gets her, he puts in a little more effort to secure his position in her heart.. and then just slacks off from there. You can't really blame the guy. His gradient of effort was so steep at the beginning that to continue such an improvement can be somewhat torturous. Of course, he's still treating her well. His effort is still above 50%, but the girl doesn't see that. She sees the DIFFERENCE. She sees how he's treating her LESS well. How he's not putting in AS MUCH.

Then she complains and blablabla and the guy thinks she's demanding but in the actual fact, she's only like that because she was promised so much more at the start! It's like going to a store to pick out a TV and when you're testing it there, it is in full HD. You bring it home then it starts to get blurrer and more grainy and the next thing you know, you're watching in black & white! Feel conned right?!

Now let's look at another example.

This guy is smart. He puts in a lot less effort at the beginning but still with a steep gradient to reel her in. Once he gets her, he continues with the relationship by improving and treating her even better and although when you take the area of the graph, the first guy is doing a LOT more, the girlfriend of this example feels better because of the IMPROVEMENT. Every date gets better. Who doesn't want that? Even if you don't improve, the initial standard of which you got her to agree to be with you had already satisfied her so she would still be somewhat satisfied.

Q: What if she doesn't want to be with me if I didn't put in a crazy amount of effort at the start?
A: If you really really want her, then you have to be prepared to put in at least that amount of effort throughout your whole relationship. If you don't want that, then you're not ready for a high maintenance girlfriend anyway!

IN CONCLUSION, keep improving. Start super small, and get bigger from there. Don't make the mistake of throwing everything in at the start and having a dissatisfied grumpy girlfriend who keeps expecting more.

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Actually, I think I've gone a little off topic from what I intended to say but main points still stand.

- don't spend too much at the start
- little gifts and surprises from a boyfriend means the world
- don't get friendzoned - don't put down all your cards at one go

With that, good luck & may the girl of your dreams be in your grasp!

March Goal - Complete!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:32:00 +0000

I must first start off by apologizing for my absolute boring-ness over the last month. I'm surprised so many of you are still sticking around so thank you for that! Guess there's just something about me, huh? Cheh. :P

But enough of digression! I'm here to blog about my completed March Goal (woooh!) which to be honest, I'm extremely glad is ending. Because I only have access to my camera on weekends, I spam my camera with random photos of household things and turn my reluctant brother into my sole model. Here are the rest of my 23 diptychs!

#8

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#21

#22

#23 (Pasta Zanmai has amazing pizzas!)

#24

#25

#26

#27

#28

#29

#30

*feels happy and accomplished*

QUESTION TIME
Which diptych was your favourite? Which was your least favourite? D:

-

I shall return with more exciting posts in the future, my dear minions. Stay loyal to me, dear ones, and may we someday rule the world together!

Repose.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:32:00 +0000

Nothing quite prepares you for the shock and the silence as disappointment mounts. People say that it doesn't matter, that you've done all you could, but there's a scratchy feeling within your chest - nothing too heavy or suffocating - that just nags at you. After receiving my results, I asked myself many questions and thought to myself for many minutes of a day of what I was truly capable of... because that's simply what happens with expectations. They climb and soar and the next thing you know, you're placed on a pedestal so high that even if you wore a parachute and had a waiting trampoline beneath, you would have no possible way of coming down safely. One by one, my peers climbed up the next rung, whilst the girl on the pedestal tumbled below, all the while wondering why she had been placed up there to begin with.

As I stood on the solid ground, bruised and tattered, I looked up at those on the pedestal. I saw their joy, their apprehension, and their anxiety... Because it's one thing to climb higher - and it's another to know that there's a long way to fall.

And yet, just to prove how silly us humans can be, we keep climbing. We don't know what's waiting for us at the top, or if there's anything there at all, but for some reason (if human instinct can be seen as a reason at all), we stand by the bottom rung and talk ourselves into thinking that we belong higher up. We make excuses & blame the "clearly foolish" government, the "definitely flawed" Bumi-prioritized system, the "different" A+ levels for different types of schools, and the "ridiculous" suffocating formats. We point our fingers and demand for re-evaluations.

Maybe we're right, but maybe we're wrong. Regardless of the truth, the world whispers of the girl who was pushed off the pedestal they themselves placed her on and they whisper of the boy they drove to suicide, their voices laced with disappointment and sorrow, sprinkled with judgement, and their fingers pointing everywhere else but themselves.

I did relatively well for SPM & have so much appreciation and love for those who have brought me here. To be honest, it took a while to see that. I was disappointed at some point for I knew that I disappointed a few people who had high hopes for me..

But A Levels is an entirely different ball game, and it's time to learn new rules!

All the best, my fellow students! May we be the best we can be! :)

Driving & Diptychs!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:31:00 +0000

The wheel was slippery beneath my sweaty palms as I squinted to make out the road in front of me through the heavy rain. With every turn, water would splash terrifyingly from beneath the wheels, leaving me jittery and panicked. And then, a red light! I stepped on the clutch, pressed on the brake, and just as I thought I would come to a decent stop before the traffic lights, I made a mistake and the engine stalled once again.

Yep, that's right. I'm learning to drive & I'm absolutely awful at it!

No, that's an exaggeration. I'm not that bad.

When it's a straight road.

And when I don't have to stop.

Because I am almost incapable of starting the car without:
a) jerking it violently
b) killing the engine
c) causing my driving instructor to yell my name

I know some people find it super enjoyable & POWERFUL to drive, but I honestly feel quite comfortable with my dependency on another person to transport me around. "Yes, mommy, I will be home by 5pm if you can pick me up!"

I'm hoping my reluctance to be the chauffeur of my own life is due to the fact that driving manual cars are terribly challenging to those who seem to be coordination-impaired & that once I become acquainted with a nice, kind auto car, my inhibitions will race away! (pun intended)

Plenty more lessons to go, plenty more engines to kill, and a huge plethora of angry Malaysian drivers to further aggravate so I shouldn't be thinking too ahead anyway!

The point of this post is to share my progress for my March goal, which is to create 30 Diptychs! I know I said 40 at first but I decided to be a rational human being and so, I changed my mind. But firstly..

WHAT IS A DIPTYCH?

It sounds somewhat technological but fret not for a "diptych is a photograph that uses two different or identical images side by side to form one single artistic statement. The two images can literally be in contact with each other, or separated by a border or frame!"

#4 (Baby brother learning to shave)

#5 (Squishy Kaelan Ong!)

#6 (Shane!)

Of course, I have so much more to learn and these pictures aren't exactly works of art, but the more I take, the more I enjoy photography so let's hope my next 23 pictures come out better! For my sake.. and yours!

March Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:47:00 +0000

I'm so bored of myself right now. I'm not bored as in I have nothing to do bored. I believe boredom in that sense doesn't exist and it's just another way to say "I'm too lazy to do something more interesting".

HOWEVER, I'm bored of myself. Like, ewww Tiffany why are you such a boring person kind of bored.

I'm not sure if that actually makes sense but humour me & pretend it does for a moment.

Anyhow, March Goal time! A little delayed but I am to do a photography goal this time. I pledge to make 40 30 diptych pictures!

What's a diptych? Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see. ;)

February Goal – Exercising?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:23:00 +0000

I believe that positivity is absolutely crucial for the advancement and growth of a person. I also believe that when one sets a goal, they should try their best to complete it.

In that sense, I have both succeeded and failed. I kept my positivity.. But I failed my goal.

In February, I set a goal for myself to do at least two physical activities a week, not including the regular things I normally do. Through jogs and adventures around Subang, I discovered something amazing – that my brown face was capable of turning red.

I was pretty much diligent for the first two weeks & found it easier to go up the stairs without getting as tired. Unfortunately, debate training and club recruitments got in the way.. and my already meagre physical activities dwindled to zero.

I was a dormant rat once again.

BUT FRET NOT FOR I SHALL NOT GIVE UP! Just like my January goal, I am to carry on this goal throughout the year and hopefully turn it into a habit rather than a chore.

Be patient with me.

I’m trying.

National Novice 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:03:00 +0000

When some leave highschool, they let go of things they once loved. Cheerleaders store their pompoms in the cupboard while prefects hang up their ties and blazers. Where ever they may go, priorities become the word of the day.

Slackers promise to be studious in college and for a short month at best, books aren't left alone long enough to gather dust. But like the one person you will find yourself always loving, the activities that were once the centre of their lives call them back and attempts to escape are rendered moot.

Despite having been in college for only slightly over a month, it seemed natural to want to go back to debating. Various times, I contemplated letting go entirely to focus more on A-Levels but over and over again, I became reminded of how much I loved doing it.

For starters, thanks to the Ee Fen, the new president of SKDUDU (Sri KDU's Debate Union), Jocelyn and I returned to our former school to debate for the mock round for the club's first mini-tournament. Admittedly, we were mad rusty but it reminded us of how much we loved debating.

It was then that the idea of competing in National Novice Debating Championship 2012 first took shape.

Over the weeks, as deadline for registration approached, problem after problem emerged. We were poised to send two teams, comprising of ex-Seafield debaters and Sri KDU alumni, but in order for us to break, we needed to send an adjudicator each. When that problem was solved, the team I was in with Zhengs lost our first speaker due to her other prior commitments. We then subbed in our adjudicator as the first speaker but that didn't work out as well and due to his own reasons, he then had to pull out of the tournament.

That left Zhengs & I one debater and one adjudicator short.

After sourcing around, we finally got lucky when an interested debater & adjudicator offered to be part of our team.

Problem solved?

Not quite.

We THEN found out that we could only send one team because we were late to register. T.T

Eventually, due to the noble sacrifice of some debaters, we sent a team that was the amalgamation of Seafield and Sri KDU debaters as well as two adjudicators to Novice.

Phew!

To be honest, I was reluctant to participate in the tournament because I was so accustomed to being with Jocelyn & Celine in a team that imagining recreating the wonderful dynamics we had seemed impossible, especially in under a month.

However, with Kaelan & Zheng Xi, my new partners, we created our own dynamic.

With Kaelan, whip speaker!

With Zhengs, first speaker!

Training wasn't the smoothest with everyone having other responsibilities to attend to but we did it thanks to Sam and Alvin, who adjudicated and debated with/against us.

When the competition finally came around, we had practiced a total of under 10 times and were very unprepared. Still, we went in hoping for the best.

It was our first debate competition after high school and seeing the names of prominent debating universities on the match-ups was definitely nerve-wrecking!

Throughout the debates, it was disheartening to realize that after the roughly 7 month gap from our last debate competition, we had all gotten so rusty! At one point, a moment that really discouraged then eventually motivated me (it makes sense!) was when an adjudicator that had seen me debate in high school said, "You were once a threat."

It was such a good wake-up call to want to do better and admittedly, I have a long way to go to become a threat at varsity level but I hope to get there one day! *looks off into distance dramatically*

But I digress!

After 6 long preliminary rounds, we broke 10th to the Pre-Octos with 5 wins!

It was already miles above our expectation since we had only been practicing together as a team for under a month. In fact, I only become acquainted with my third speaker for a month at most!

At the Pre-Octos, we were matched against the team from HELP University College to move onto the Octofinals with the motion "THW would punish people who poach critically endangered animals on par with murderers". As the government, the motion was left standing and were in the top 16 teams in the tournament!

At the Octofinals against the UNIMAS team (if I'm not mistaken) that broke 7th with the motion "THW allow marriage to non-human objects/creatures", we were once again the Government and by a 2-1 split, we moved onto the Quarter-finals!

Being in the top 8 teams of the tournament had far exceeded our expectations. Unfortunately, our lack of general knowledge bit us right in the butf for the motion "THW leave monitoring Syria to the Arab League".

First question: WHAT ON EARTH WAS HAPPENING IN SYRIA?!

((If you'd like to know, click here))

We were on the Opposition bench and I'd like to think we did a decent job for a motion which we had no clue of. At one point, we thought it had something to do with nuclear energy! *ashamed*

We lost out to International Islamic University by a 2-1 split, but went home in high spirits nonetheless.

Our achievement as quarterfinalists in as a varsity tournament would not have been possible without Alvin and Sam who not only supported us wholeheartedly, but became the adjudicators so we would have a chance to break, trained us by adjudicating and debating Iron Man (all three speeches done by one person) against us, and drove us there / stayed with us till late at night to prep with us. :') You guys make me so feel so lucky to be in Taylor's.

I consider it such a privilege and an honour to be debating alongside Kaelan and Zheng Xi who not only allowed me to be ridiculously hormonal, but were patient and brilliant fun to be around. You guys were wonderful partners and thank you for making my first debating-with-males experience a memorable one.

Cliches aside, National Novice was a reminder of the long way I have to go as a debater and at the end of the day, was a huge motivation for me to keep doing this - to keep trying to improve.

ABRUPT END WITH LALA PICTURE, Y'ALL!

Shut The Smoke Up

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:59:00 +0000

I haven't had a ranty post in a while but seriously, this deserves one. Okay, you can obviously tell from the title that this has to do with smokers. Before anyone flames me for being judgmental, etc etc, I do not think people who smoke are necessarily bad people. I mean, you could be super chivalrous & philanthropic by donating to a lot of charities as well as be a smoker, and there are obviously people who do not smoke but are awful human beings so that isn't the point.

The point is, SMOKERS WHO SMOKE IN PUBLIC ARE SUPER SELFISH.

1. You wanna kill yourself, then that's up to you, but don't go around killing other people and blowing in people's faces. It doesn't matter that you smoke to relieve stress or that it's the only thing that makes you feel better.. Whatever la! If my idea of relieving stress is spitting on people's faces, it doesn't mean I should get to do it right?!

2. Smokers smell horrible. The smell of smoke is super super awful. This isn't even like smelly sweaty people who spray a lot of deodorant and still come out smelling like wet towels (cause they can't help it) but people who smoke can obviously decide not to!

Alright fine, what about the event whereby they're super addicted and without cigarettes they'll have a fit of seizures? THEN SMOKE SOMEWHERE ELSE LAH. And it isn't just about the smoking at that point of time, it's the smell that comes after! It's such a suffocating noxious smell and maybe the smoker themselves are alright with it, but other people aren't, and when we have to accommodate to your bad habit, then that's super unfair right?

Analogy: A kleptomaniac has this insane desire to steal. So we should just let him take our things because otherwise, he'll be super agiated and affected? NO, people send them to see psychiatrists or put them in jail!

And yes, it's almost the same thing because on one hand, it's the stealing of belongings and on the other hand, it's the theft of precious air and possible years of a life!

Okay back to the reason I'm blogging about this - I read something somewhere from a smoker who seems to think that people who have problems with smokers should mind their own business.

Now let's make this clear.

It becomes my business when you're affecting my lungs.

You want to make it your business, then you make it ENTIRELY your business! You go smoke in a solitary room, shower with scented soap before you leave said room, and then proceed to spray yourself with cologne and then maybe we can talk about us minding our own business.

If I say something to you about quitting smoking, then it's cause I'm genuinely concerned. If I have no idea who you are, I do encourage you to quit because it's not only bad for you and bad for the people around you, but if you don't, then fine. Just don't smoke in public places.

In fact, don't smell of smoke in public places.

COMMUNITY SERVICE MESSAGE/ WARNINGS:-
- Smoking cigarettes kills brain cells within the first puff
- Your children may become retarded because you smoke
- Cancer is not fun

PS: Give me one good reason that I can't refute as to why one should be sympathetic to the plight of smokers and I may just eat my words. Till then, keep the cigarettes if you want me to stop complaining. After all, it's not like the air around here it super fresh anyway. Don't ruin it any further.

PPS: I know absolutely lovely people who also happen to smoke who are my friends/relatives. They know my problems with it and they actively try to make speaking to them as pleasurable as possible.

Flipping the pages..

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:16:00 +0000

In a flurry of interviews, debates, parties, and classes, the past week screamed one phrase loud and clear - you're in college now.

For starters, those running for student council positions have been actively campaigning for votes -infiltrating Malaysian Studies classes, hanging up huge posters in school, and giving out badges amongst other things.

And surprise, surprise, about 4 of the candidates running were Sri KDU students! :P

Those who weren't interested in student council positions who had their sights set on committee positions in other clubs weren't free from the hullabaloo either. I attended an interview for a position in a charity club and in the one hour that I was there, was questioned repeatedly about my passion, my qualifications, and my maturity. (The latter of which I may need some help with :P)

In highschool, elections for committee positions aren't as complicated. A teacher picks you out if there aren't volunteers, a "democratic" voting system follows, a few minutes later, lo and behold, you're the new president of a club!

The system here is a little more cumbersome. You start with a written application followed by an interview session, and then, depending on the club, get called back to deliver a speech to the masses, who then finally vote for their new leaders.

It isn't just this change though that's a reminder that we're no longer in high school. Despite only having four core subjects to tackle, the workload isn't exactly very light. We have tests every week which contribute to our forecast results, as well as daily homework.

Still, good teachers attempt to bring some fun into the class..

Learning about projectile motion!

On Friday, there was CALebration, a party for the new Taylor's students as well as the last chance for the student council candidates to garner support via performances.

Despite the new environment and masses of unknown people, it felt like a KDU event with the ex-students on stage and familiar faces at every corner.

Jing Yi & Pei Shin!

By the time the clock struck 11, the music was loud, the lights were flashing, and all thought of this being a high school event flew out the window. The dancing was absolutely insane that at various points throughout the night, the ground shook due to the sheer amount of jumping moshing people.

The more bold ones leaped off stage and crowd surfed their way out (I'm adding that to my bucket list) whilst even the most tame found themselves jumping along.

But to be honest, I found the whole jumping in a crowd thing kinda ridiculous and the whole while I was thinking to myself, "This counts as a physical activity, keep jumping!"

What can I say? I had my February goal in mind! :P

At the end of the day, I gravitate to the familiar. In the midst of all of this, I've been involved in debate training for National Novice at UiTM next Thursday. (Will I be seeing any of you there?) We are absolutely unprepared but we have our fingers crossed, so here's to hoping for the best!

As for now, juggling college life hasn't been easy and there have been some absolutely de-freaking-pressing days, but the new friends make it a lot more bearable.

Even if they're asleep most of the time. :P

Winnerwinner & Wong Fu Productions!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:14:00 +0000

I'm battling the mother of all sore throats right now & am spewing out phlegm the colour of ripe bananas but besides this little issue, I've been doing absolutely brilliantly!

This, of course, is in part, due to the brilliant company I've had the pleasure to be with throughout the month.

We celebrated Jocelyn's birthday and I tried my hand at a little DIY for her present.

Jo has this thing where she'd write down meaningful quotes on this absolutely hideous (hohoho) foolscap paper cover and I decided to make her a custom little notebook for her to carry around.

MUST USE IT WAN, OKAY!?

Besides the pleasurable company and great food, it's been such a happy last week with emails rushing in one after another with good news. For starters, remember that Avril Lavigne concert I was raving about?

I decided to join a contest to win tickets and guess what?

SO HAPPY HEEHEE!

After much deliberation and many days of analyzing the consequences, I decided to share the video here. After all, since we've already put in the effort to film it, might as well share it, no?

That wasn't the only good news though!

Within that same week, I got another email that brought along a pretty cool new experience. Having submitted an application for some online mini-series a few months back, I was pleasantly surprised to be invited as a shortlisted candidate for the auditions.

And so, I went.

It was definitely different from the school auditions I've been to. For starters, the whole audition was done in front of a camera and as the space was wide open, whoever was there to audition could watch the others. It required a lot of improvisation as the casting director kept wanting to see me being 'more cute' and kept giving scenarios where I had to react in the way I imagined the character to react in.

I doubt I'd get the role considering the experience of the others but nonetheless, it was such a brilliant opportunity and something I can finally tick off my bucket list.

But, wait.

There's more.

I received another email bearing good news.

For those cave-dwellers who have no clue who Wong Fu Productions are, they're basically American-Asians who have been making waves all around the world with their videos on YouTube. Heck, even LeeHom worked with them!

But because Taylor's Lakeside is an impossibly difficult place to find, my sister and I arrived an hour late to the event. :(

Since we were only there for an hour, we decided to brave the long queue to meet the boys in person, hug them, and get their autograph.

Thank God we had these wonderfully beautiful people to keep us company.

This is Chloe Lee.

And Ysabella Lee.

And Darren Ashley.

The crowd was insane!

I think we overwhelmed Phillip and Wes a little with all the screaming and shrieking and all around fandom.

Unfortunately, Ted didn't come down to Malaysia so we couldn't see him.

Meeting them in real life is such a surreal experience. Having watched them in their videos for years and years, when you finally get to see them standing there right in front of you, it just feels really unnatural.

Whilst waiting in the really really long almost 2-hour line to meet Wong Fu, we took a picture with the emcee of the day, Jin from Hitz.fm.

He was really nice about it although he kept getting interrupted by random people when he was trying to buy his Chatime.

Finally, the line got shorter and shorter..

And they wrapped their cute artistic talented arms around Chloe and Ysa!

They hugged me too but all I got was a picture of Phil touching my arm.

But I guess this one will do. T.T

Allow me to relieve this fan-tastic moment (HOHOHO)

Me: Can I hug you?
Phillip: Sure, of course!

And then I proceeded to squeeze his slightly squishy tummy. Heh.

The hug with Wes, on the other hand, was a little more awkward.

He stuck out his hand, I reached in for a hug. As I changed mine into a shake, he turned his shake into a hug. We stared at each other for a millisecond, laughed together, then hugged.

Ahh, he laughed with me. Then hugged me. While laughing slightly. Ahem.

Sadly, because we had some ticketing issue (where we actually weren't supposed to meet them cause our ticket wasn't the Wong Fu For Lyfe one), my sister didn't get to go up and hug them.

But at least we got this..

And thus, that was the week of fun and victory. Thank you, Nuffnang for the opportunity!

I am now very inspired to join every single online contest available! If I win at least half of them, I'll have free events to go to every month! #cheaptothemax

PS: If you like reading about concerts, celebrities, and events, then you should head down to thetwotimers.blogspot.com because the bloggers there have an absolute knack at meeting celebrities and getting pictures with them! Pay them a visit and join me in throwing envious looks in their direction.

January Goal – learning to cook!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:37:00 +0000

So, how many of you skeptics expected me to fail my January goal?
WELL, YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY WRONG!

Putting up these goals on my blog really feels like such a positive way to use my blog because when I actually had people coming up to me and asking me how my cooking was going, I knew that there was an audience, albeit how small, that wanted me to succeed and that was such a motivation on its own.

Cooking is something that comes so easy to some, but more difficult to others. Unfortunately, I’m in the latter group. Maybe it’s laziness or maybe it’s how easy it has gotten to buy food or get someone else to make it for me but over the past few years of my life, the biggest cooking I’ve done on a regular basis was sporadic baking sessions and whatever I could do with a microwave.

(And trust me, you can do a LOT with a microwave. I’ve cooked eggs, made mini-pizzas, and cooked pasta - all in a microwave!)

As embarrassing as this sounds, I have to start off this post by listing out what I didn’t know how to do. I didn’t know how to turn on the gas, I couldn’t use an oven on my own, and I didn’t know how to cook rice. It’s not that I was incapable – I just didn’t bother. I took it for granted.

I always looked up to people who would cook dinner for their family, or whip up their own meals like it was nothing. I was so dependent on my mother and my maid that when I actually sat down and thought about how I was to survive somewhere where I had to cook on my own, I started to worry. I didn’t want to have to go overseas then start to panic when all I had to eat was cup noodles.

And so, I gave myself a goal and so far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job considering where I started out.

I figured out how to make maggi mee without a microwave.

I even learnt how to make sushi, all from scratch! I now know how to cook rice, season it, and roll them into those delicious bits of Japanese goodness.

I even figured out how to fry an egg! Uh.. excuse the missing bitten-off parts of the bread. I blame my stomach entirely.

I finally know how to make my eggs with that amazing runny yolk! :D

And at the end of the month, I made dinner for my family.

I cooked the rice, chopped up chicken and spinach, tossed a whole bunch of frozen peas & corn & God knows what else into it, sprinkled it with some cheese, and made a casserole.

Before baking.

To my ultimate satisfaction, not a single soul complained of an upset tummy or any other symptoms of food poisoning. Of course, I have a long way to go and so much more to learn. I said I would learn four dishes, but I am barely there.

However, it’s a learning process and I for one, am a willing student. Living in a hostel now is making it a lot harder to continue to learn how to cook but with the right dosage of motivation and enough encouragement from you readers, I hope that one day, cooking will come naturally.

Till then, wish me the best and encourage each other. If I can do it, you definitely can.

February Goal – Exercise!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:55:00 +0000

I live on the fourth floor of my lift-less hotel. My classes at Taylor’s are almost always on the highest floor of the yet again, lift-less building. I’m climbing stairs every single day and it’s killing me. I breathe like Darth Vader but 1000x less cooler. I have to force myself to resist the urge to stop every two flights of stairs so the people behind me won’t walk into me.

I AM DYING, FOLKS.

And thus, the goal for this February is for a little health to come into my life! Yes, that’s right! This means jogs, swims, and early dinners.

I once had a dream whereby my condo was on fire and I got burnt to a crisp because I couldn’t climb down the stairs in time. I don’t ever want that to happen in real life. Therefore, I pledge to do at least two physical activities a week, stairs not included.

May the pain begin!

Bukit Tinggi

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:33:00 +0000

After a million and one years, I’m finally going to blog about my trip to Bukit Tinggi, which in a nutshell, is the place for people who want to relax and do absolutely nothing taxing or strenuous whilst breathing in fresh cool air. Or it’s the place for vain vain people to take lots and lots of pictures! :)

Bukit Tinggi (which directly translates into High Hill?) is ridiculously beautiful!

How is it that such a colourful wondrous place exists? And in Malaysia too!

This picturesque town tends to become overlooked when compared to the likes of Genting Highlands or Cameron Highlands but it really is worth a visit!

The more I look at the pictures I took, the more I wonder as to how our country can have a place like this.. and HOW COME I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE!!?!?

I went late December so that explains the Christmas tree.

The buildings are all so gorgeous that I can snap anyhow cincai also and the picture still looks (sorta) cool and artistic!

We went to Bukit Tinggi for an overnight stay which is just the right amount of time to explore the whole area. There aren’t many things to do at the hill (besides taking pictures) so if you stay too long, you’d find yourself getting bored out of your mind. Plus, everything there has a ridiculously hiked up price.

A tourist trap, basically.

BUT A PRETTY SUPER COLOURFUL TOURIST TRAP.

It even came complete with a knight in shining armour!

Uhm.. without the knight.

Despite what the critics say, Bukit Tinggi isn’t only expense and scenery – there are other things to do as well!

All you have to do is hop on the borderline dangerous tram that comes every hour, pray to God that you won’t fall off, and hold on tight as you’re brought from attraction to attraction.

If you’re an animal lover and the thought of cuddling a plethora of free roaming rabbits appeal to you, then the Petting Zoo is definitely where you’d want to go.

They were so soft and fluffy that even a normally sullen teenage boy cracked a smile when cuddling the little balls of fluff!

AND OMG SO EMBARASSING.

I was trying to hold a rabbit to take a picture with it but they kept hopping away from me. And they hop super super fast, okay! It’s as though all the rabbits were conspiring to not allow me near them but everyone else was alright.

Even my GRANDMOTHER managed to lure a rabbit to her. And that random guy in the back! The rabbits looked so quiet and gentle and not hyperactive at all when everyone else went to them..

See the rabbits are so still when my mother touches them!

But when I want to reach out to them..

They all hop away.

Omg, rejected by bunnies. T.T

But as you can tell from my super disgusting sweaty hair in the above photo, I did not give up and managed to hold onto a bunny!!!

While my brother made it look like a piece of cake. ==’

To be honest, I was quite upset lor that my whole family found it so easy to take a decent picture with the rabbits (and there were SO MANY TOO!) and all I got was that ugly sweaty shot.

So I tried again.

And again.

AND FINALLY…

*drumroll please*

-

SUCCESS!! DECENT PHOTO WITH RABBIT!

After that, taking photos with all the other animals were a piece of cake.

Actually, it was easier than a piece of cake. The donkeys seemed to like me as much as the rabbits disliked me. They kept flocking to me! I felt like a donkey whisperer or something. –.-‘

Ew my face.

But even though the donkeys liked me so much, I really really liked the deer!

Look, it’s BAMBI!

Once you’re done with the Petting Zoo (which I think is RM3 per person for entry), you could head to the Japanese Tea Garden for a change of scenery. At the time I was there, there was construction going on at the area, forcing us to have to walk up the craziest slope in the entire universe.

It was like a 60 degree slope! And I’m not even exaggerating.

Thankfully, the cool air of the hill makes everything much more bearable. In fact, if the air were to be like that down here, I wouldn’t mind going jogging every day. But here, not only do we sweat while/after we jog, we’re sweating already even before we start our first lap.

At the top after walking some ways into the forest-like garden, you’ll find this beauty of a place.

For a fee, you could partake in the Japanese tea ceremony held at this tea house, complete with kimono and the works. On the day we were there however, the tea place was closed. Nonetheless, the sweet fragrance of tea was in the air.

In fact, as we’re walking through the forest itself, we could smell the tea. It was absolutely delightful because it was the sweet kind of tea, the one that smells really light and fresh and yummy and omg I would love to have perfume that smelt like sweet tea!

Ahem.

Anyway, we took opportunity of the more-or-less vacant tea house to take plenty of pictures!

Nearby the Japanese garden, there was also a Botanical Garden. Unfortunately, due to poor planning, we didn’t have time to head there. :(

INSTEAD, we went to the arcade! Which was a total waste of money – I implore you, do not be like us. Resist the temptation and content yourselves with phone games.

Another reason why an overnight stay is suitable is due to the performance. Every day, they hold a couple of performances. And by couple, I mean the exact same performance is repeated a few times in one day.

Daily.

Watching it once is entertaining, but I can’t imagine watching it more than once.

Doesn’t the one in blue look like Cameron Diaz?

At least a little bit?

Pervy men in the front row!

Despite everything I’ve mentioned, we all know the real draw of Bukit Tinggi is its perfect environment for photographs!

The pictures look as though they were taken in another country! I mean, look at those coniferous plants!

So if you ever decide to come by Bukit Tinggi, dress for photographs because taking pictures is the absolute best thing to do there! The cool air also naturally makes everyone look better and smile a little brighter.

Look, even this cute little girl is all accessorized for pictures! And yes, I noticed. Don’t say a word, you pedobears.

Oh, and pack a jacket along as it definitely gets cold!

Pros: Gorgeous pictures, fresh air, super relaxing, amazing architecture

Cons: No wi-fi anywhere, not many attractions, hiked-up prices for food

How’s college?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:18:00 +0000

The first week of college at Taylor's, Subang has been an amalgamation of old experiences mingled with the fresh air of a new environment & new faces. A reader has bid hello, the door of the first toilet on the fourth floor has oh so politely asked me to 'go to hell', and my limbs have begged for mercy countless of times as I force them up the horrible four flights of stairs every morning for classes. But as soon as it came, it passed by in a flurry of introductions, new challenges, and a mess of assignments.

The toughest challenge yet! Absolute silence? Really?

Then week two came.. AND WOOH PARTY IN THE HOUSE!

Okay, no.

Instead, there was a complete shift as I moved out of my room and into a hostel which is a mere 5 minutes away from the college. The infamous Subang traffic jam has left me late to school twice on the first week alone, which was not exactly the best impression to make on the new teachers who for some reason, insist on calling me Stephanie.. or worse, Stiffany. STIFF-any. (Oh, my condolences goes out to whoever had the poor fortune of being named that but really, is it that difficult to get my name right?)

Now that introductions have been made, to make this post easier for digestion, here’s bite-sized portions of my two weeks!

1. LAB

Back in high school, Paper 3 was comparatively a breeze. All we had to do was write lengthy procedures of infinite apparatus rinsing and that oh so famous line: “Repeat steps 1-5 by replacing this-and-that with so-and-so.”

In college however, we actually have to conduct these experiments on our own. A simple neutralization experiment can take hours when the burette & pipette you’re using has to be rinsed with distilled water over and over and over again.

On the bright side, fancy labcoats and new friends make the process a lot less painful.

And those fancy copper wires?

Who knew they were so malleable?

2. FATTIFY

With Chinese New Year around the corner, cheers of Gong Hei Fatt Choy is heard resonating in the air.

Sometimes, these sayings get taken a little too literally.

With the help of the Fattify app found in the AppStore…

We present to you:

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Gong Hei Fatt Choy indeed!

3. CLASS

College classes differ from high school for a few reasons.

For starters, we’re taking only six subjects in total, inclusive of Thinking Skills & Malaysian Studies which is an absolutely ginormous contrast to the eleven subjects I took back in KDU.

Secondly, despite it being only a few subjects taught a day, the amount of work that has to be done for each subject is practically triple the usual amount done in highschool. We definitely aren’t being spoonfed this time around.

And thirdly, there are only 3 girls in my class including myself in a class of roughly twenty-five. It goes without saying that the boys in class probably aren’t too happy about that. :P

Which of course explains this photo.

4. CLUBS

Five.

That’s the maximum number of clubs I’m allowed to join at Taylor’s. Right now, I already have six on my plate. Oh God, please help me with my priorities. :(

My motives for choosing each club is entirely different and I find it almost impossible to choose between them. But then again, I’m not exactly superwoman. How am I going to juggle A Levels and six clubs?

For now, I’ve narrowed them down to Christian Fellowship, WACKY (A charity club), Rotaract Club, Debate Club, TAYMUN, and Sky Adventure (some super cool adventure physical activity thing).

If I’m not mistaken, some of these clubs do have interviews and are rather selective of their members so there’s a likelihood that I won’t even have to make a choice. They’ll eliminate me before I can eliminate them. :(

But in the event that doesn’t happen.. any advice, dear readers?

5. FRIENDS

In the whole circus that is college, it’s important to not lose sight of high school companions.

On Friday, a couple of us headed to Jade’s place for a little pre-CNY gathering. It wasn’t a big hullabaloo but with pleasant conversations amongst old friends and a long windy car ride with HILARIOUS Azri & Wu Ping, I had a great time.

Thanks for the invite, Jade! :)

And that, folks, was my two weeks.

Not the most exciting & not exactly very entertaining, but it is a great start to a wonderful year ahead. Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! May the year of the dragon bring you prosperity and joy!

Reply Comments on Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Ever since I started blogging in 2007, I’ve always wanted to reply comments on my blog the way those Wordpress users could. Unfortunately, I’ve had to resort to @ replying my commenters or bolding their name with a comment underneath because I die die didn’t wanna leave Blogger and I knew they would catch up eventually.

AND THEY DID!

Recently (I don’t know how recent), Blogger has finally allowed us to reply comments directly!

For it to work, your comments would have to be in ‘Embedded beneath post’ form.

You can do that by going to Dashboard > Settings > Posts and Comments > Comment Location > Embedded.

Enable it and knock yourself out! Comment on this post to try it out yourself! *shameless*

Ijok’s Beggar Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:52:00 +0000

I initially wanted to write a review on Ijok’s famous Beggar Chicken (non-halal!), but after some thought, I figured that the story behind the chicken & pictures on how it’s made would be more interesting.

So, what is beggar’s chicken?

According to a website I found, it derived its name from an old Chinese story.

A homeless, starving beggar is wandering along a road when he catches sight of a chicken. Desperate for food, he kills the chicken by wringing its neck. Lacking a stove, he covers the chicken in mud, makes a fire and bakes it. (One version has him plucking the feathers off the chicken as he eats). At this point an Emperor passes by with his entourage. Attracted by the aroma of the baked chicken, he stops and dines with the beggar, demanding to know how he created such a delicious meal. "Beggar's chicken" is subsequently added to the list of dishes served at the Imperial court.

When I was younger, I heard another version whereby the beggar stole the chicken & subsequently realizes how amazing his wrapped in clay chicken was.. then proceeded to open a restaurant where he popularized his chicken.

But the website version sounds loads more legit so don’t mind me.

Heh.

Anyway, at Ijok, they employ the traditional method of cooking beggar’s chicken, resulting in a tender succulent chicken which practically melts in your mouth.

An unattractive picture of a very yummy chicken.

If you head to the back of the restaurant, you can see how they prepare the chicken. They don’t only cook chicken this way though. They do so with duck & pork as well!

There’s an oven at the back I believe where marinated chicken (or duck or pork or whatever) which has been wrapped in aluminum foil, paper, then clay is baked.

They then transport the baked chicken in a wheelbarrow to a man at the counter, who works at hacking off the clay and making the chicken look presentable.

He cracks open the clay and peels off the paper layer..

Revealing the aluminum foil within.

This way, the chicken actually cooks in its own juice, leaving it perfectly moist and super tender!

They are then served on dishes, looking very presentable..

And suitable for consumption!

The place is normally quite packed though so if you’re interested in heading there, bookings should be made prior to your visit.

Word of advice?

Please order the pork knuckles and avoid the fish! The former was amazing and the latter was a disappointment. And you may want to Google map the place because it’s in a rural area.

Have fun!

Address:
New Beggar's Delicious Restaurant
Ijok, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel:
03-3279 1936

The Concert Dilemma.

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:04:00 +0000

I’ve never bought a concert ticket before. I’ve never felt the inclination to & I’ve always thought they were a huge waste of money for something I could watch online for free anyway. A whole month’s allowance for a few hours of fun doesn’t seem like a really good deal to me.

Yeah, I’m super cheap, I know! Future husband should consider himself lucky, okay?

Nonetheless, thanks to friends in right places, I’ve been to a couple of pretty awesome concerts from Worldstage to Kelly Clarkson to The Click Five.

Super old pic in ‘08 with The Click Five.

And then there was the whole getting David Archuleta to visit Sri KDU for a mini-concert as well.

I haven’t entertained the thought of going for concerts and paying for them seriously till I heard that Avril Lavigne & Simple Plan were coming to Malaysia. When I was 10 or 11, I was a huge fan of both to the extent of memorizing all their lyrics and somewhat tried to emulate the former.

So, that begged the question. To buy or not to buy?

I knew I couldn’t get free tickets to these concerts this time but the tickets at decent places were priced above RM150 for both concerts each! TOO MUCH MONEYYYY.

It wasn’t just about that as well though. A small part of me knows that no matter how much I loved these music acts, I have never really enjoyed concerts. I saw Katy Perry and Tokio Hotel live and hardly batted an eyelash. I think the foreveralone-bookworm-to-the-max part of me prevents me from moshing along with the crowd and enjoying myself to the fullest. Even more so if I have to pay for it.

THEN there’s another part of me which keeps telling me that the reason I didn’t fully enjoy myself at these concerts is because I never really was a big fan, which keeps fuelling me to want to attend more concerts to determine if it really is because I’m not a concert person.. or I’m not a ‘that band’ person.

And on the other hand, THERE WAS THE FEAR!! Oh the fear… The fear of anticipation. I was worried that if I finally did go to a concert I wanted to go to with expectations ceiling high and was disappointed, my love for the band would fizzle out and die and my hope in concerts would perish forever. (This is coming from a person who pays RM13 for a movie ticket and whenever watches something that isn’t quite up to expectations, feels totally cheated.)

At the end of the day however, I didn’t buy the Simple Plan tickets for the concert today. It pretty much all boiled down to the fact that the potential enjoyment didn’t outweigh the pain of the monetary cost.

Then I saw all the happy Simple Plan concert tickets and after bawling my inner self’s eyes out, I am seriously contemplating getting the tickets for Avril Lavigne. After all, do I really want to be buried with a coffin full of money or a lifetime of experiences?

As part of my evaluative process, I’ve thought of a couple of reasons to NOT go to a concert. After rereading this list fifty times, if I still want to go, I will get those tickets.

1. THE PRICE

RM198 for Rock Zone tickets.

You have not fooled us, ticketing company with your deceitful RM2 less! We all know that really means RM200 and you just want us to think that we’re spending RM100-ish on a ticket instead of RM200. But we’re smarter than that!

And RM200 for a few hours is not worth it! I mean, that’s like RM100 per hour!!!!

Regular isn’t much better either at RM100! We’d probably be so far away that we’d end up watching the concert on the screen anyhow. Which is just the same as watching it on TV!

2. THE TROUBLE

Concerts are a troublesome experience. Braving the jam to get there and enduring the jam to get back home are horrible things to undergo.

Then there’s the whole risk of having a grumpy guard confiscate your camera the moment you point it towards the stage, the worry of being pickpocketed as you jump around, the safety concerns, the parents to convince, yada yada yada. Is this all really worth it for something you can so easily watch online?

This is awful, I really can’t think of any more reasons!!

Why shouldn’t I go to the Avril Lavigne concert? Or should I?

Ah, this dang Libra indecision.

Help?

Shilin Taiwan Street Snacks

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:24:00 +0000

I’m sure almost all of us have passed by these red stalls selling the signature Taiwanese fried chicken, but what surprised me the most was that when I asked my friends, most of them have not tried the mee sua there!

Although famous for their crispy chicken (which is self explanatory, no review needed), my mom and I always return just for the mee sua!

Handmade oyster mee sua - RM6.50 (4.5/5)

It takes a while to get used to the sourness of the mee sua, especially to those who have never tried it before, but once you’ve gotten over the initial shock of sour-ness, it tastes absolutely amazing! Even if you aren’t a fan of oysters (I’m not a fan at all!), this mee sua should appeal to you. The shredded chicken flakes on top are a great accompaniment to the tangy soft noodles, which almost melt in your mouth.

If you aren’t a fan of sour dishes, you probably wouldn’t like this much. However, I do believe that it’s definitely worth a try, so maybe split it with a friend?

Or invite me along! I’d be sure to help you out if you can’t finish it.

The size of the bowl is decent for lunch for those with an average appetite. Bigger eaters may prefer to order the famed crispy chicken as a side.

Another underrated dish at Shilin would be the crepe.

Crispy egg floss crepe – RM6 (3.5/5)

The crepe would have gotten a higher rating except for the fact that at the outlet in Ikano, the quality of the crepes aren’t very consistent. There are days where they would be amazingly crispy and savoury, whereas on other days, they would just me.. meh.
Nonetheless, it’s a great dish to share with friends or to eat on your own as a snack.

I’m a huge fan of the food here and would probably return to try the rest of the dishes. The price is decent and they make my tummy happy. :)

Outlets:
Ikano Power Centre
The Curve
1 Utama
Tropicana City Mall
Mid Valley

5 Things I Learnt In High School

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany Khoo) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 13:29:00 +0000

1. Politics don't start at 21. No, they start when school begins.

From the very first day to the very last, who you please and what you say is a strong determining factor of your fate in the school.

Do you choose to join cheerleading in Form 1, which is the stepping stone to performances throughout your entire tenure at school?

Or do you choose to become a prefect, where expectations follow and responsibilities are given? Or maybe you'd decide to do both, and find yourself trying to juggle academics, performances, and duties.

But where's the politics?

That comes with who you work with and what you say to these people. Make friends with the right teachers and staff, and you're on your way to award ceremonies at the end of the year. As much as the school insists upon fairness and equality for awards and opportunities, how can they help it if the only people they see who qualify.. Are the only people who are seen?

So, just like in politics and in life, it's all about the people you know. School taught me that and for that, I am grateful.

2. Infatuation? Crushes? Love? Maybe, maybe not.

When I started secondary school, I remember how the (newly) hormone-raged boys would suddenly decide that their life was not complete without a girl. That year alone, I received over 13 Valentine day presents and numerous proposals. My friends received just as many, if not more. Left and right, girls and boys started coupling up, claiming love.

Now that's the thing about high school romance. Often, parents insist that love doesn't exist at that age, that it's impossible for teens like us to understand it. "Aiyo, you all fall in and out of love so fast, where can wan. Puppy love la," they'd say. "You're too young for a relationship anyway!"

From my experience in high school, I can confidently say that that isn't true. I've seen friends of mine fall in love, and make such mature sacrifices for their loved ones that it's impossible to disprove its existence.

Of course, the ratio of puppy love and true love still leans heavily against the latter, but the point is, are high school teenagers really capable of being in love and of handling relationships?

Not everyone, but yes. It's possible.

3. Lessons aren't only learnt during lessons.

History, Geography, Kemahiran Hidup.. They're all there for a purpose. However, school isn't just about the syllabus. In fact, you learn more from your experiences in school than during the lessons themselves.

You learn to be disciplined, to manage your time well. You learn to please your superiors and to lead your peers. You learn to accomplish things last minute and you learn that procrastination is your downfall.

You learn how it feels to be used when you're chosen as a group leader for a project because everyone else expects you to do it on your own. You learn what it's like to be bossed around for the greater good. You learn how to argue and when to shut up.

You learn about kindness and heartbreak. You learn how to get what you want. The art of cajoling and persuasion become second nature in the race for 'extra marks'.

These things you learn.. You don't get them from the syllabus. No, school teaches you life lessons from the experiences you have. No matter good or bad at that time.

Sitting in class for hours and hours teach you patience, being silent during speeches during assembly teaches you respect, and completing your homework on time teaches you discipline.

Sure you may forget all your moral nilais after high school and 'ax + 24c = y' won't be applicable in real life, but do they not help your memory.. And do they not teach you diligence?

No matter what, you learn something, even if it isn't what was intended.

4. Teachers are human too.

At the age of 13, teachers seemed untouchable. They loomed over us, their voices booming, their authority unquestionable. To me, at least.

As we aged throughout these 5 years, the teachers become our friends. We played games with them, we invited them to parties.. Heck, we even threw them parties! Teachers like Ms. L end up becoming people that make up an integral part of my high school life.

When we were younger, imagining teachers having a life outside of school seemed so foreign. Imagining them having siblings of their own, parents they have to answer to, and hobbies unrelated to academics was just weird.

But as we grow older, we realize that hey, they're human too. Surprise surprise, they're capable of more emotion than anger! They cry, they laugh, they joke, and they get tired.

And some teachers even end up buying you Chatime! Thanks, Mr. Sai Mun!

So, cut them some slack for our words and actions affect them too.

5. Take as many pictures as possible!

The thing about high school?

It’s fleeting.

Each moment passes by in the blink of an eye and once you’re old and done with it, like I am now, you find yourself looking back at those days.. reminiscing.. smiling to yourself.. reliving the days again.

Some, like myself, have old blog posts to revisit in those moments of nostalgia, but many do not. Many (especially all you shy shy not vain vain people) do not have these pictures. And others, have delete syndrome. BUT REMEMBER, at the time you took them, they may have seemed hideous and horrible and cause you to immediately yell “DELETE!” but later on, you look back upon those beasts of pictures with a certain fondness.

Sometimes, you look at pictures that make you wonder, “WHY ARE MY FRIENDS SO WEIRD!?”

Then you find pictures that help you realize it’s because you’re weird as well.

And somewhat of an annoying wannabe Hermione.

Ahh, high school.. Great lessons indeed.