Lunar New Year

2009. Without me.

Colour-coordinate without me too. Hmph.

CNY in Bristol

Zen Restaurant. All Chinese societies (HK, Malaysian, Singaporean etc) joint CNY dinner.

 

Future flatmates

 

"Sushiiiiii! Omg, feels like home!" Wednesday night - after handing in assignment, initial plan was DIY steamboat at someone's place. Didn't work out. So buffet at Cosmo.

 

Chinese New Year Formal at Wills Hall

1.My CNY goodies! 2.Emily and Anna 3.I got the same fortune as Rob -_- 4.Some vegetably soup 5.Lion Dance by Uni students 6.Black bean stir-fry pork that tastes NOTHING like black bean sauce 7.Orange Sorbet - This was the most UN-chinese chinese meal I've ever had. Lol. 8.Prawn crackers and Tom 9.Hall friends at formal

 

So another celebration come and gone. It’s non-existant here. Seriously. No festivity, no fireworks, no holiday. Oh well. 

And the more I talk to people from home, the more I miss them. Maybe I should stop keeping in touch. LOL. 

But I’m happy – February is HERE. Can finally relax. I’m so free till I have time to paint my nails this afternoon. Lol. Till my photo post! Picking the photos now and I’m really enjoying it – literally LOL at some photos, crying at forgotten memories and cringing at some I want to forget. Lol. But it’s amazing; it’s like revisiting your life 4 years ago and replaying it in your head. 

xxx

Finished, uploaded, submitted!!!

WOOTS! I AM D-O-N-E WITH WORK!!!!!!!!

My deadline’s tomorrow but I can’t wait to get rid of it that I handed it in tonight. YESSSSSS! This is such a relief. Phew.

Next? Still got the case to handle but that would be okay with the essays out of the way now. Shopping tomorrow! And then dinner! And then just resting my brain cells. Lol. And my photo blog post!

I cried looking through my photos. It really is a challenge to be away from home during CNY. Talking to my parents and brother (Jayson has been too busy with his games to talk to me. Hmph!) just make me miss them more instead of making it easier. 

Oh I know that feeling all too well. It’s become so familiar that it seems like it’s been like that forever. I’m counting down the days.

Anyway as a pledge to stop posting sad posts, I shall end this short update with a typical situation with me – dumb blonde moments. I needed to use my formal shirt tomorrow so I had to finally get that iron I bought months ago out and finally iron the shirt. So it’s a new iron and I’m a first-timer when it comes to ironing (yes I’m spoilt and I don’t bother ironing my everyday clothes). Before I started ironing my shirt, I decided it would be a good idea to test it out first. That was probably the smartest decision I made today. The cloth didn’t get burnt so okay time to proceed onto the real thing. Oh I should tell you that I was ironing on my cushioned chair. So la di da, fill up with water, bla bla bla, switch it on, hoo ha, light didn’t turn on, dee dum, left it there for a while until some sort of light indication.

THEN, I smelt something! PANIC! Lifted the iron up to see my whole cushioned chair soaked and some spots were close to being burnt! There was smoke rising from the chair! Smoke was spewing out of the iron and it was hissing! I was SO afraid the fire alarm would go off. How embarrassing can that get – girl sets off fire alarm all because of iron. And I’ll probably get fined too for owning an iron in my room. And my stupid chair was so soaked that even after I blowdried it in an attempt to dry it, it was STILL wet. I had to sit on the edge of the chair for the whole afternoon while doing my essay and talking to my parents. Not a good experience indeed.

APPARENTLY, I’m supposed to put the iron upright while waiting for it to warm up. YES, I really don’t know how to use an iron. AND also, it was not fully my blondeness. I found out that my iron leaks water, aha! Cos I had Anna come to my room to teach me how to iron after dinner, lol. And she said it was leaking and it’s not supposed to. I should return it BUT big problem, I bought it from Woolworths and it has closed down. (I still cannot believe it has! Woolworths has been around FOREVER and you can get EVERYTHING you need there.) Meh. So I’m stuck with a faulty iron which I spent like 20 pounds on. I really should have started using it much earlier.

It probably doesn’t sound really funny but I think it is for people who know me well enough to know that I always get myself into situations like these. Which includes the peeling off the wall paint incident; that story I’ll save for another day. Lol.

Goodnight world! I’m gonna enjoy sleep tonight.

I lied when I said I’m not missing home this CNY

How can I not miss home during Chinese New Year??? We’ve only been celebrating 3 Christmases but we’ve been celebrating CNY FOREVER. I miss it like crazy.

I only realised how much when I took a break from my coursework to look through the photos on my external hard disk because the girl above me was playing extremely LOUD spicegirls-backstreetboys-pop music and I couldn’t concentrate. I had enough of Property for the time being. Today I left my room for breakfast and never step foot outside till dinner time. The whole day it was property property property. Very soon I’ll be able to quote property principles and cite cases without looking. Pfft. 

Anyway back to the main point. I had pictures of CNY since 2005 on my hard disk. Lol. But the sad thing is none of last year. I lost a whole chunk of pictures from 2008. Hopefully they’re stored in some hard disk somewhere back home. Here are pictures of my CNY celebrations from 2005 to 2007. There were too many to go through but I’ll post more once I manage to. My parents know I blog and they have expressly forbidden me to post photos of them but I’ll sneak one in my continuation post (no I’m not done with blogging about CNY). After all, what’s CNY without family? Especially when it’s TRADITION in my family to have a family photo every year. Only this year, they’ll have one without me.

2005

 

2006 - pointless photo but the dog is soooo cute and I like how young Jayson looks here. This was also the only year where 3 of us have colour-coordinated clothes. Like I said, wait for the next post.

 

2007 - same sofa, same position for family photo every year since we moved into that house

January is nearly ending and my coursework is nearly done! I SOOOO can’t wait. Till my next post. And also, I’ve decided to do a PHOTO POST cos I have tonnes of them dating way back till like 2004 and looking at them just brings back all the memories – good and bad. School friends, BEWARE. I might have a few not-so-nice shots of you. HAHA.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! 

Lotsa and lotsa CNY love from Bristol, Kat

*p/s: am NOT an emo kid. Here’s a cheerful post, ha! Okay fine, it is a little homesickness-tinged and there’s still a linger of sadness but it is a good post! I’m feeling pretty joyful for someone who has been stuck in her miniscule room for most of the day. Anyway, I need to continue working on my property essay. Bleugh.

So you sailed away into a grey sky morning

I knew I lost you sometime back. I don’t know exactly when. But what I do know is I wasn’t ready to let go.

I can’t say I’m ready now. But at least I’m ready to try.

 

This has been my prayer for the longest time ever. So maybe, just a teensy little maybe… the dust is being swept away, the cracks are being glued, the torn seams are being sewn, the loose pages are being rebound, the lost pieces are being found and sunlight is peeping through the blinds and beginning to fill that cold empty room again.

Slowly but surely in the Creator’s hands.

If I told you my life was a lie, would you hate me?

Do you live a lie? Put up a facade so no one sees the real you? Paint a colourful past because you’re afraid of what people might think of you? Play pretend in this game called Life? 

And at the end of it all let the people around you question what they knew about you.

Do you truly ever know someone? 

You may think you do. Their past, secrets, likes, dislikes, ambitions, hopes, dreams.

He can be your best friend. Your sister. Boyfriend. Your mum. Brother from another mother. Dad. Grandmother. Your roommate. Friends. Soul mate.

Can you say you know them for certain?

I knew her favourite colour. Favourite drink. The guy she liked. Where she use to study. Her interests. What is it like back home. I went shopping with her. We go for most meals together. She lent me her coat. Helped me fix my wall. She has seen my room in the messiest state ever. She even knew who I have a crush on. Dinners on Saturdays and Sundays would become long chat sessions with fruit, tea, sweets, chocolates. We messed around, gossiped, did each other hair. We saw each other everyday.

But in the end, I didn’t know her at all. I thought I did but I don’t know why she’s doing this. And maybe, I guess I knew nothing about her. 

I didn’t tell her but I miss her.

Drained. Stressed. And… my brain can’t think of any more words to describe how I’m feeling.

End of the first week of Spring Term. And OMGosh I am so stressed till I can’t be any more stressed. I have a coursework due this Monday afternoon – 2500 words and I’ve only done 500 words plus. The more I read for this essay, the more confused I get. It’s more politics than it is law. And I don’t get British politics, or any kind of politics for that matter. !@#$%^&

After I hand in this one, I have another due by on the 28th. This time it’s on property and okay, I kinda like property law (shows what a boring person I am huh -_- ) but the issues in the problem question is like “Whaaaaat?!” Something about someone’s horse running away and getting another horse pregnant bla bla… Yes, a horse is a possession in property law. And no, the question is not only about that. It’s a lot more complicated, that’s like only 1/16 of the whole question or something. 

Besides the coursework that’s due over the next few weeks, I have to start looking for a place to live next year. I have to search online, contact agencies/landlords, arrange viewings and discuss with future housemates. It’s such a chore right now. I mean it wouldn’t that bad if we all don’t have coursework but all three of us are law students so we are all stuck trying to balance our time between doing our coursework and sorting out the house. But all 3 lawyers in 1 house? A classmate said “The landlords wouldn’t know what’s going to hit them. Ha!” Yeah, use our legal knowledge if  they try to take advantage of us. So there are advantages of being a lawyer after all huh? And also, being friends with one! I can give free legal advice. HAHA.

And the “icing on top of the cake” for this week??? I was assigned a case from the Law Clinic today. Stressed out as I am, checking my email to find out I have a case to handle this coming week is not a good way to start a day. Okay, I applied to join the Law Clinic and was extremely elated when my application was approved. But to get a case now is seriously not a good idea. Talk about perfect timing. Will explain more about the Law Clinic another day. Not really in the mood to today. So I’m done complaining about this term/my workload, I shall shut up, get on with staring at my essay and crawl through this month.

On a lighter note, I’m looking forward to our belated CNY steamboat/hotpot/potluck on the day we hand up our coursework. Can’t wait for the food and card games!

Jesus, I need Your strength to get through this month. And Your wisdom and time-balancing skills too! Thank You for them.

February, pleeeeaseeee come quickly! Till the next post, 

Kat x

:’)

Okay I know two posts in a day is a bit too much. Even for me.

But you have got to watch this! If you haven’t already.

 

 

(:

Forever and ever and ever (:

Who am I? I’m in Christ, that’s who I am.

Owned by God. Forever and ever and ever. (:

He thought of me even before He made the world.

I am loved. So loved. By Him. I just needed to be reminded.

I’m so glad I went to church today. Even though it was freezing and I didn’t really feel like it.

But God always never fail to make me feel alright again. 

Doesn’t mean I won’t have ever have days of being depressed. I’m just learning to not let them take control of me. 

I realise I have a tendency to shut people out when I’m in one of those moods. But I’ll be okay after a few days, don’t worry. 

So bring on the coursework! I CAN do this. I WILL get through winter. See ya!

Empty-handed but alive

I’m falling apart, I’m barely breathing
With a broken heart that’s still beating
In the pain there is healing
In Your name I find meaning
So I’m holdin’ on, I’m holdin’ on, I’m holdin’ on
I’m barely holdin’ on to You

 

I’m hangin’ on another day
Just to see what You will throw my way
And I’m hangin’ on to the words You say
You said that I will, will be ok

 

You said that I’ll be okay. So I’m holding on. 

Next plane home?

I wish. 

This country sucks the life out of me. Seriously. Second day here and I already feel the happiness being vacuumed out of me. 

I had 4 exams today. Main reason why I was back here so early anyway. And… I think I should have just skipped the exams. What’s the point when I left the answer sheets empty anyway?

I’m miserable to the core. And I need warmth. 

I’m trying. Really. To be grateful I’m here. But it’s not easy. 

I hate the cold with a passion.