Home alone.

Dad's still in China. Both my moms were gone to somewhere. My sister's family went back to Ipoh for a weekend home visit. So, I have been left alone at home but heck, it doesn't bother me much since it's just for a day. Kids just love it when parents are out, don't we?

Anyway, though my mom suggested that I should get my meals from outside, I ended up cooking for myself. Was thinking of big beans with eggs at first, but couldn't find the ingredients I need in the kitchen. Therefore, I prepared a bowl of Japanese curry instead, which is one of my all-time favorite. The procedures are easy with those instant curry stocks one can get from supermarkets. Anyways, because it was expiring soon, I had to use everything so the portion was enough to feed 3 persons. at the end of the day, I finished it all up with a whopping serving of rice. I'm so full~

For quite some time now, I've this spirit in my mind to choreograph a routine for line dance. Just yesterday, the inspiration hit me hard, and whooom - I've came up with my very first line dance steps choreographed to Maroon 5 and Rihanna's current hit single, "If I Never See Your Face Again". The steps are pretty much a blend of everything, and I'm loving the routine that I actually came up with. A little more cleaning is required. After that, will need to enter it into an appropriate form of a step sheet to be posted online. Maybe, it will be accompanied by a video, if I have the time to do it. Frankly, I'm slightly overjoyed.

This Saturday, the Interact Club of my secondary school will be organising their annual International Understanding Day. As much as I've wanted to go, nobody else is attending the event. Guess I'll miss it unless someone voluntarily offers me a company. I've missed out on the Food Fiesta a fortnight ago; this will most probably be my last chance to have my feet on the grounds of Sri Garden.

How long has it been?

I can't recall when was the exact last time I actually spent time with some of my closest friends whom I cherish a lot. I just wish those moments could last a little longer, though I understand of the curfews and obligations that most people have to stick to. Tammy, you're such a good friend, or should I say, a nice mom too. Have not seen you for such a long time now. I think the last time was during my birthday? Anyhow, holidays are approaching, and although I will be a tad busy with some of my work, I'll definitely find time to yum cha with you in your area one day! On the side note, I'm so not ready for my Monday's paper. Been slacking for so long now, I'm too lazy to start much on revision. In addition, the fact that it's an open book test greatly demotivates me. A while ago, I thought that a group study for that subject would happen. Unfortunately, nobody came up with that single plan, and it is somewhat expected though, for it ain't the first time such suggestion failed. Oh, and recently, I'm watching That 70s Show again. I just love watching the stupidity, perkiness and simplicity of people from the past. It releases the stress out of me, easily. :)

Aren't we looking compatible here? Hahahaha!


That's Joyie on the right. She would be leaving Malaysia for Melbourne in July for 2-3 years. All da best~


Another new item for my E-sal Collection! Not only that it's a drum, it lights up due to impact.

Allocate Opens...

Once again, Allocate, the virtual time-table organiser-cum-generator is open for Monash students. Already my 6th time repeating the same procedure, the options I have for my final semester kinda sucks. Lectures, that are auto-allocated and can't be changed, are from Tuesday to Friday, with two morning lectures on Wednesday and Thursday. I know how much I hate lectures early in the morning, so I can really predict myself skipping a couple of them due to foreseen and unforeseen circumstances. Other two lectures are in the evening, so they are not much of a problem. However, when it comes to the tutorials, I have a feeling that it will be dispersed from Monday to Thursday which means that i wouldn't have any weekdays off! That's the worst case and is most likely to happen. On the other hand, if I'm luck enough, I will only have classes from Tuesday to Friday, with prolonged weekend till Monday. If all goes well, the latter might just occur.

Received an email from my lecturer today, telling me that the paper work for the job as an RA is already through, and I have to sign them in order to start working. My last paper's on Monday, so work officially starts on Tuesday. My lecturer opted a full time job that lasts for a month for me. Nevertheless, with my new semester commencing on the 14th of July, I couldn't' accept the job. Thus, I will have to discuss with her again on Monday about the working hours. Well, how'd I wished that could work a little longer. At the same time, I realized that I won;'t have much of a holiday afterall with both the job and dancing. Oh yea, with the orientation for the new July batch of Monashians falling on the 7th, the debut performance for the Latin dance team is drawing closer. I hope I won't mess up any of the routines during the real performance. Messing up is definitely the last thing I have on my mind. Anyways, the performance will consist of Samba and Rumba. And oh gizz, Rumba's such a sexy, sexy dance.

3:1.

Three down and one more to go. Last paper's on the 23rd, so I'm still taking a break from my revision although I'd better resume asap in order to score well for Taxation Law. First paper on Business Modeling was somehow bad. And I know I did badly. Hopefully, I passed the exam and the hurdle required for that unit. Truly, I'm on the fence of hell and heaven. I wouldn't want to use up my Near Pass passport now. It's wiser to save them for some of the hardest Accounting subjects that I would be taking next semester. The rest of the papers that I've sat for was satisfactorily answered, I think. Nevertheless, a HD for those two subjects is kinda out of reach already, which will definitely pull down my current CGPA. Well, as far as my concern is, the requirement for a postgraduate program is an average of credit. Hmm, I'll beat that!


Leaving my revision efforts aside, I'm actually busy with all the dance classes and practices. Line dance classes are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Ballroom is on Monday. Hip hop is on Tuesday and Saturday. Moreover, I have been appointed for 2 line dance performances next month, 2 (or just one) line dance parties and 1 internal ballroom competition organised by William and Luisa Danceworld. Apart from that, practices for Monash dance team is irregularly scheduled. Instead on Friday like the previous weeks, it will be on Tuesday this week. And according to a message I received earlier, practice starts from 2 and will last as long as the instructor is satisfied with the routine. I really wonder how worn out everyone would be on Tuesday...

Anyway, I've officially signed up for the Asia Xplosive Dance Competition organised by Joy Club. However, despite of my teacher's interest in putting me in both the Newcomer and Intermediate level, I've just registered for the Newcomer level only. Frankly, intermediate is a bit tough... Besides, it's the level where all certified or existing teachers are participating. How can a student beat the master? Haha... It's just my first time joining, so I'll just have as much fun as I can. No stress, seriously. Anyways, stage fright is something I fear and haven't conquered.

As much as I would love to spend my time dancing, for once I would or might be working for Monash Research Department as a research assistant. I've sent my CV to the professor who's the head of the research department and whom has also taught me twice in two semesters. What I'm waiting for is just for a pleasant reply. In fact, I'm meeting up with him tomorrow and work could plausibly start right away. I'm pretty uncertain with the pay and working hours, but experience is what I'm looking for. I can't imagine myself working on a minor thesis or a research project next year without knowing the proper and systematic approaches to it. With work, play and study all at once, my busy-o-meter is exceeding the limits already.


So how do I cope up with my own life? I hardly do. A vacation is what I'm dreaming of. Bangkok, Phuket, Redang or Cameron Highlands? Anywhere will do as long as I get to relax and rejuvenate to a new environment. And this has to be planned and executed before the mid-July, the timeline that marks the commencement of my 6th Semester in Monash University.

Exam anxiety...

In less than 12 hours, I would be sitting for my first exam paper this semester. I've been preparing for it, but is all I've done sufficient to obtain a moderate grade for it? It's the anxiety again that murders my uplift spirit before exam begins. It's a routine that I have to surpass twice a year, and having 2008 as a final year stresses on the importance of passing the units in order to graduate from the course. Now that I have decided on where to go after the undergraduate program, I can't possibly allow anything to screw up my plan. Hopefully, everything will run smoothly again this time. The fact that I've done well in the assignments certainly doesn't mean that I would pass the hurdles for each paper without struggling through it. From the past, I have struggled. Although lesson learned, I still have a feeling that my revision is meagre even though I've scanned through everything already. When you're done with all the reading, what do you do next? Still figuring that out. But time's lacking, and I won't be able to do much. All I can do is make sure I'm in the right condition tomorrow to sit for the exam. No diarrhea, or fever, or any other possible obstacles for the next few days please. For now, let's see which fighter suit should I put on...

Jimatlah~

Following the increment of petrol and diesel prices, w.e.f. 5th of June, rise of goods and services can also be speculated both in the short and long-run. If you haven't read or been told about it, the price of unleaded petrol has been increased by almost 41% from RM 1.92 per litre to RM 2.70 per litre, whereas diesel sees an increase of RM1.00 from RM1.58 to RM 2.58 (which is about 63%). Consequently, the real income of labors will drop, unless salaries are raised in order to subsidy the burden of the change in petrol price. However, following the announcement, owners of vehicles not more than 2000 cc will be given a subsidy of RM 625 in cash annually when vehicle owners renews their road taxes. But, the ultimate question would be is RM 625 enough?

For a car of 1600cc, a full tank would cost almost RM 70.00 before the rise of petrol price. Considering a 41% extra that one have to pay now, it is equivalent to RM28. Assuming that the average days for a petrol refill is a week, the extra money to fork out would approximately be RM 28*52 weeks = RM 1456.00. RM 625 is less than half of that. With that, will people actually care and reduce their car usage? Or will they car pool? Car pooling is hardly a practice in M'sia, and travelling with cars are truly necessary. Just look at the amount of cars on busy highways (Puchong - KESAS, Federal, MRR2, Sungai Besi, etc) everyday. The only realistic alternative or drivers will be reducing their expenditures on other stuffs. Not forgetting those who drives vehicles above 2000cc, the only subsidy given is a deduction of RM 200 in the road tax. This new effort is to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and its clearly reflected in the structure of the new subsidy plan.

Despite having a hard time dealing with the rise of the petrol prices, households will also face the fear of a hike in their electricity bills. Electricity rates will actually rise by a minimum of 18%. If usage of electricity is more than 200kWh per month, the marginal increase will be even higher, I suppose. This will definitely drive my mom a headache. Usage of electricity in my house is pretty high, and last month's bill was about RM 600.00, an all-time high. I wonder what will the next bill total up to... Would it be close to RM 800.00? It's scary how much electricity my house consumes, but it's all necessary when you have 7 people living under one roof.

Eventually, the economy will actually suffer for a while before all adjustments completes. Till then, spend only when necessary. And always remember the slogan "Fikirlah dahulu... pastikan mutu... beli yang perlu!".

Cooking 101 #5

It has been extremely long since I last cooked. Not that I don't want to, but I barely have the chance to so do because my parents are the ones cooking everyday for the family. Besides, with my packed shcedule for the past few weeks, I couldn't slot in anytime for cooking. Now that I'm having exams, finally I have some time to screw the ktichen up to myself. Haha.

Light snacks are my experties. Hereby, I tried baking chicken wings wrapped in pandan leafs. Before that, they were marinated with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, coriander and brown sugar. Oh, coconut milk was also included in the marinade. Although it was meant to be barbecued, but since I did not have a grill, so I tried baking it instead. The outcome was satisfactory although it could have been better if served with Thai chilli sauce.

Working with a chicken breast fillet, I came out with that honeyed chicken pieces. The fillet was again marinated, but this time, for a night even though 12 hours would have been sufficient. It was then dipped into a homemade batter of honey, sherry and other ingredient before frying it on a medium heated pan. I would say that the batter that I prepared was too liquidy, so the final result was not that good. Anyhow, it was still delicious enough. Have a piece, anyone?

MoAE?

Two and a half years ago, I had to decide on the education institution to pursue an undergraduate program. Under the influences of my friends and time, I finally enrolled for a Bachelor Degree in Business and Commerce in Monash University Malaysia. Flashing back, if I had not listened or considered the decisions of my boos, would I have made such decision? Would I have ended up in a different school like Nottingham, Inti or Segi? I think it wouldn't make a difference, actually. Other than peer influences, my decision was also based on the fact that Monash is the only university that offers Econometrics as a major. I do know that a few other courses that also offers quantitative or statistical units/subjects, but being a Math nerd, I was really attracted by the term "econometrics".

At that time, I was really unaware of what it's all about, although the brochure did explain briefly about major. With only a handful of students who are actually doing that major, it's still new. fresh and can be compare to the genuinity of virgin olive oil. When I told my parents about the majors that I'm doing, they had always asked me what was econometrics all about. With my densely developed Mandarin, not until weeks ago I got to realize the right translated term for econometrics.

It's funny that although most of people do well in Math, they are not interested in taking up the major. This was possibly due to their wrong initial impression towards the course. From what I've gathered through conversations with others, they often have the perception that statistics is tough, complicated and intimidating. Frankly, not if one pays close concentration and works a little harder on the coursework and interpretations. Of course, any proves in those statistical equations are pretty damn hard (which I hate to do/remember), but doing well in assignments will sorta guarantee at least a credit for the subject. However, it is true that units under Econometrics are quite lifeless and dry.

As I'm facing my exams which starts on the 9th and ends on the 23rd, I will be completing my Econometrics major this semester, although I have 4 more Accounting subjects to go for the next semester before I graduate. So, wish me luck~

Anyway, I've decided o further my studies after the undergraduate program. A postgraduate program would mean that I would have to take up an honours degree or a masters program. Over the past few weeks, I've been pondering enough and have ended up with a decision. A Masters of Applied Econometrics, for now. That would mean another 1.5 years before I enter the workforce. Hmm, haven't I been studying a little too long? 2 years for Kindergarten, 6 years for Primary, another 5 years for Secondary, a year for Foundation and 3 years for a Bach. Degree, which in all equals to 17 years. Add with another 1.5, it will be close to 20 years, in which means that I have spent/will spend almost 1/3 of my life studying. My parents are very supportive with my decision, so I guess it's the contemporary wisest choice.