Winter is here.

And so are exams.

Had my first written paper today, as well as a 5-min test on jazz scales and chords test later in the afternoon; it went by surprisingly fast – the 5-min test, but the written paper wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, considering the amount of preparation I did for it. Only thing left now is to start studying for my 50% Chinese Politics and Society paper that’s in ten days’ time.

KAREN FOONG, I AM JUSTIFIED IN WANTING A DSi!!

Satoru Iwata stated the goal of this handheld is to aid in the transition from “one DS per household” to “one DS per person”.

SEEEEE!!!

Most people are often surprised when they find out that I play console games. Well, granted, I don’t really play that much anymore; I played a lot more before, haven’t been doing so much in recent years, partly because when I get into a game, I really get into it and waste hours trying to complete it, so I try not to dive into that temptation anymore. I’m not really a PC gamer – I’m more into RPGs and fun little adventure or time-wasting games (under which I categorize Puzzle Bobble and the likes). In fact, I spent a fair amount of my years growing up in front of the PlayStation, trying to complete all these RPGs (occasionally using the Gameshark when I felt frustrated!), half of the time watching my brother playing and “spurring” (more often squealing) him on. There were also those moments where I tried to steal opportunities at the Gameboy whenever I could (from my siblings who wanted to hog it all the time too). It was probably prudent of my parents not to have bought Gameboys for each of us (they were already quite stern as it is – sharing one among the four of us was horrible for awhile, until my dad bought my youngest brother the then-latest Gameboy Colour, but even so, everyone abandoned the first-gen Gameboy which now looked outdated by comparison to the smaller, more modern-looking GB Colour that made us all constantly wanted to hog the new toy, much to the irritation of the youngest brother).

Even in the years before I hit my teens, I remember visiting my aunt’s house, where she had a super old-school SNES, and I remember playing equally-old school games with my brother. (Gosh, just thinking of those classic games is making me wish I could play them again…) The only PC-game I really got into was probably The Sims (the Sims 3 is coming out soon, I am actually THIS tempted to wanting to get it… somebody stop me from going back to that uncontrollable game-playing cycle!)

I’m not really that updated anymore with whatever new games are out, or what’s the hottest RPG now. (Well okay, the fact that I know about the DSi and even the upcoming release of Sims 3 is just an anomaly.) Those days are gone (really!). But occasionally, I feel the tease and lure of them ol’ days calling me back…

*follows in an ignorant blissful state of mind*

I shall wait until prices for DSi drop. Maybe end of this year or something.

On the other hand, I think I might not go back to Brunei after all… I’ve been swaying back and forth between whether I should go back or not, and my sister constantly SMS-ing me asking if I was going back kept reminding me. But then today I saw the Singapore MoH notice advising people not to travel to Melbourne if possible, and I think that should probably apply the other way. Considering that Melbourne is a swine flu hotspot, Singapore probably won’t want to welcome me, and what’s more, Brunei will probably quarantine me too. I don’t want to be that “GIRL BRINGS SWINE FLU TO BRUNEI” in the headlines. So thank me for saving you guys from such a situation.

Sorry … (Karen, I’ll call home again to confirm la…)

I’m healthy, thankyouverymuch.

Miss you all very much… Sigh. Say hi to the dog and cat for me. And the cars that I miss driving. The good food that I’m craving for. And enjoy all the gadgets and presents that Charles brought back to you all from Manchester (without me, yes). Gah. =/

One more exammmmmm.

Dramas

Okay, I know I’m a bit outdated since this drama came out like last year, but omg, this is the worst time to be watching this!  After hesitating for quite a long time, I finally decided to visit that ‘famous’ website to stream it. But given the hectic schedule I have for this week, I’ll probably leave it until the Easter break (and after Easter camp). I actually marathoned this together with my mom before I came back to Melbourne, but we didn’t get to finish it together, and only completed like 33 episodes. I just had 7 more to go!!!! Sighhh. Even though it’s a bit too melodramatic for my taste, the plot compels you to watch one episode after another just to watch how each ‘drama’ resolves (or not).

Karen, you can tell Mommy to finish watching the rest without me. Although I have a feeling she probably did. Hahaha.

At least now I can finally finish the rest of the series! Well. Soon. A month’s break was good for me, so I feel no compulsion now to watch…

But it’s tempting.

Very.

Leaving again.

Leaving in less than twelve hours’ time. While I can’t wait to see someone again, I don’t really want to leave home… sighh. Wish that I was staying at least a week more. I think as we’re all entering adulthood, we’ve come to realize that Brunei isn’t such a “boring” place after all. On the contrary, it’s actually a really good place to live in… we may be laughed at for our small population, but I think that’s one of the things that I like about Brunei. We don’t get serious crimes happening here, it’s generally peaceful, no income tax, and fuel is cheaper than water! ($0.53 per litre…! And even cheaper for diesel-fueled cars.)

On the other hand, I think that we’ve been really privileged and even spoilt, growing up here..

I don’t really want to go back to the heat, back to walking, and I’m going to miss having good meals everyday. And hanging out with friends and especially driving. I’m going to miss driving so much.

I haven’t even left the country, and already I’m feeling homesick.

I wish I can pack “home” into my luggage.

Meow.

My cat enjoys watching Animal Planet too.

He was quite intrigued by the leopard that was on screen.

The noises from my brother’s room intrigued him too.

(My brother was jamming away on the electric guitar.)

The cat then sat with me for a good fifteen minutes as I watched American Idol. Haha. He gave some weird sounding meows as he was watching Animal Planet earlier. Hope that we didn’t traumatise him. There was a scene of a lion trying to get it on with a lioness. LOL.

CNY in Ipoh…

… was alright. It always feel different coming back to a place knowing that you’ve aged another year; in this case, five years older. It’s been a while. Despite being Malaysian, I find it hard to think of this place as “home”, when I’ve grown up in Brunei my entire life…

My ye ye appears to be happier and healthier this time though – he’s bed-ridden, and is confined to sitting down most of the time, but his memory is still sharp, and his eyesight still bright. We didn’t visit my grandmother’s grave – some Chinese New Year pantang or what. It’s apparently not advisable to visit graves during CNY – but I guess to the Chinese, it makes sense, since there is the Qing Ming festival that’s in April this year where relatives visit graves and clean up and stuff, and Chinese New Year is, after all, a celebration and time for family and reunion.

I’m not particularly close to my dad’s side of the family – language barrier is one thing. I see my cousins grown up, and it’s almost hard to imagine that we played together once as young kids. It’s funny how as each year passes, and especially since we only see each other once in a blue moon, the distance grows, and we do nothing about it, simply because… it just is. There isn’t much emotional attachment, and I think we’re almost content to let it be. And frankly speaking, I can’t say I’m very fond of my dad’s relatives too, as ugly as that sounds. A question fleeted across my mind – that once my dad’s generation passes by, will that mean the end of “going back” to Ipoh? Will the relatives in Ipoh just become a distant memory? Because for my siblings and I, our home is already here. This is where we will always return to.

I think I much rather spend CNY in Brunei… it feels more like Chinese New Year here than back there.

We visited Cameron Highlands (again) on our way back to KL after a few days in Ipoh. (Highlight of the trip back: My dad let me drive the rented SUV! The horrible 5 hours in the jam from KL to Ipoh when we arrived, and coming down from Cameron Highlands after one night there, going back to KL.) Driving the bends and curves is no joke – I got a bit of a headache after a while of navigating curve after curve – felt like I was spinning round and round. The other “headache” came from the parents who constantly cautioned me to drive slower. Haha. I don’t think parents will ever stop picking at the way we drive.

The tea plantation and the scenery is gorgeous, but I think after the first time, it loses a bit of the magic. Nevertheless, the scenery is still beautiful; it’s hard to imagine that all these are hidden away here, in the mountains, when two hours away, you have the bustling and busy polluted KL city. (That smog I keep seeing around KL is pollution right??)

When in Cameron Highlands, must have steamboat.

The obscenely fat dog in the restaurant.

Waterfall on the way down.

One of the highlights of the holiday. We went to El Cerdo at Changkat Bukit Bintang in KL. It’s this restaurant that specialises in pork dishes. It’s an interesting experience. My dad, sister and brother came here back in July last year upon the recommendation of my dad’s friend. Since my mom, my youngest brother and I haven’t been here, we came back here again. We treated three of my cousins who are working/studying here in KL too (my mom’s side).

“Nose to tail eating”… you’ll find out why soon.

The door… haha! What a sacrilege.

Unfortunately I can’t remember the details of what we were served, but suffice to say, it was all pork from start to finish.

I do like their mustard though… German, if I remember correctly.

The restaurant

I was like… whoaa. That’s cruellll. Poor piggie.

But before you devour into this though, there’s a ritual that you have to do.

First, two “victims” are picked… (in this case, my mom and brother).

…you “cut” the piglet (yes, piglet) with the plate… apparently the flesh is so tender that you can cut it with the plate. It was a very noisy affair from start to finish. Thump thump thump goes the plate hitting the wooden board to cut across the pig.

Then you make a wish – “money” or “relationship”?

Announce your choice…

And smash the plate in the bucket they provide.

Yes, you smash the plate.

Awesome. I almost wish I had a go at it myself. Haha. No, not the wishing part. The smashing the plate bit.

My brother failed! – he threw his plate into the bucket and it just landed without so much as a crack. The waitress laughed and asked him to try again.

We spent most of our time shopping in Pavillion. Lots of branded, high-end goods. Brrr. It’s such a materialistic world we’re living in now.

When we finally arrived back in Brunei after a week plus, I was never more glad to be home. Even if the weather sucks now, and I’m just content to stay indoors. With flooding and landslides occurring everywhere, it’s not a joke anymore. If it rains at night, don’t bother going out lest you can’t get back home anymore. My mom and sister got caught on that particular bad night a couple weeks back – they had to leave the car out near the main road and walk all the way back home in the waist-high waters. It was that same night that claimed a couple of lives..

Still… home really is where the heart is.