Back To Uni

I know that I have been looking forward to going back to uni but when the time really comes, I kinda feel heavy hearted once again about leaving home. -Sigh- Leaving my bed is sad! Lol. Comfy bed. Not that my bed in UTM sucks but you know how attach one gets with one's own bed right? And of course, leaving my family especially my brother is sad! Plus, Matt is like "today is your last day home." Kinda feels like I am dying or that I am going off forever! Lol. -Sigh- Heavy hearted. -Sigh- But I think I should be ok once I mingle with friends there. Some are already there anyway.

So this one month break passed very fast actually. I guess the 9 weeks break in April will too.

Anyway, I will be getting a broadband but I am not sure when. Should be in the nearest future though as CraBp and I are kinda internet addicts. Plus, we wanna get them before assignments start pouring in. But til then, I will not be able to update my blog frequently. Therefore, I am so sorry, my avid readers! (Especially TJ??? Lol. Hope to see you soon by the way. But I am not really compete with the last work you gave me. Kinda busy with Christmas. Sorry, TJ.)

However, I might be back next week. Some friends might be keen on coming over to Melaka and since it is Christmas time, why not? So til then, take care, people!

Christmas and MORE CHOCOLATES

Well, I have photos reserved for this post but I guess I am too lazy to even transfer the photos from my camera. So I'll just settle with just words instead.

Firstly, thank you to all those who had wished me. You guys are very kind indeed. Yen Pin was most kind, I should say, since she actually wished me days before Christmas itself and she wished me about 10 times. Lol.

Secondly, to all of you readers who celebrate Christmas, I wish you 'Merry Christmas'. I hope you have a great one with your family and friends.

Anyway, Christmas this year was pretty much the same. Really busy Christmas Eve and even busier on the actual day. Make and serve drinks, reheat and serve food, serve cookies, get 'interviewed' countless times on how-is-your-uni-life topic. I even felt that I should have prerecorded my answers for my 'interviewers'. Lol. And Christmas presents.. -sigh- they aren't anything interesting to look forward to. Except the ones from my parents. What I got most was STUPID CHOCOLATES!! Now I have even more chocolates. -Sigh-

But what I enjoy most is eating although I barely got to eat on Christmas day. You know Joe Rogan of Fear Factor? I hope I got his name right. But anyway, he always says he wishes TV could also project smell right? Especially when he gets the contestants to perform stunts that involve something rotten, stinky and gross. Well, when my parents were preparing the food for Christmas, I wished I could project the smell of my house through this blog. And I bet that if I did, you guys who are reading now would get REALLY HUNGRY. My dad's lamb steak was, as usual, something to die for. I reckon it is better than the ones serving in steak houses. Everyone who had a piece wanted a second. Even the ones with the heart problems and high cholesterol problems wanted more! The Portuguese food was also yummy. And my mum and I made shepherd's pies too! We baked 6 of them and all gone during lunch time. I only got one tiny piece of it! -Sigh- Feeling hungry? Lol! Oh yeah.. The cookies and cakes were good too.

Today, my extended family had their 'tradition' again. Soccer match. Pang's versus the Leong's. Last year, we beat them 6-0 and they wanted revenge this year. Unfortunately, it is yet another dismal result for them as we defeated them 3-1 on this occasion. I, however, did not really play as I am still recovering from a really bad injury I sustained on my right ankle during my futsal tournament earlier this year. Bloody KDSI girls. My dad said it could be a permanent injury. -Sigh- I can't even run long on the treadmill because of the injury. -Sigh- Even now, it is hurting. -Sigh- And I might even miss next month's futsal tournament if the injury persists. -Sigh- But anyway, well done to my extended family! My dad was even named man of the match. He was our goalkeeper and honestly, the Leong's did create more chances but my dad denied them from scoring. Yay daddy! Lol. Matt, on the other hand, was pitiful. He got hit by the ball on 3 different occasions. And I can tell it hurt BADLY. Once at his crotch too! Lol. But he is doing fine now.

So that is about it. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day 1 and Christmas Day 2. Really tiring but pretty fun (if you discount getting too much chocolates!! Lol!).

Yay!!

I finally went out for shopping again yesterday and my parents got my apparels I wanted so badly! But feel kinda awful as I drove them to spent RM358 on only 4 items for me while my brother stood and watch and not getting anything. Sorry, Matt! Anyway, I am so super happy! But on anohter note, I am gonna sigh now -SIGH!!!!- because it is Christmas Eve and I have plenty of chores to do! Have to go to church around 9.30p.m. at night too! But overall still happy! Lol

Closing Time For Shopping Malls In Melaka

As reference to the above, I must say that the shopping malls in Melaka close WAY TOO EARLY. At 10p.m. on a SATURDAY night, everything is shutting already. DAMN!! I was in Esprit having a hell of a good time and before I could really decide what I really wanted, CLOSED!! Stupid closing time. But at least I got my mum to promise we would go the again before I go back to UTM this Sunday. Boy, don't time passes in a blink of an eye.

Christmas and Chocolates

I believe that people who celebrate Christmas should be huge chocolate lovers. Seriously. Christmas is less than a week away. Meaning in less than a week, I would be getting another huge amount of chocolates. And I still have PLENTY in the fridge! Don't believe? Scroll down. Yen Pin and Sandra, I am advising the both of you not to.

Some Cadbury's

Some Andes. Love this minty ones.

More minty ones. Palmer.

Even more minty ones. After Eight.

Piasten's alcoholic chocolate. This one is from Germany and contains brandy.

And lastly, another Cadbury. This one, I have no idea how to finish it.

How big do you think this is?

To give you an idea, I put my hand on it.

Got the answer now? Now how heavy is it?

ONE KG!!!

Now do you agree with me? People who celebrate Christmas should be huge chocolate lovers. HUGE CHOCOLATE LOVERS. So people and dearest Santa Claus, if you wanna give me a Christmas present, can it NOT BE ANOTHER PIECE OF CHOCOLATE??? It will be deeply appreciated if you could avoid the chocolates. Thank you.

And dearest 'darling' Yen Pin and Princess Sandra, VERY SORRY if you did scroll down til here. Both of you are the 'hugest' chocolate lovers I know.

I Can Never Get Enough Il Divo!!

Il Divo's songs are driving me mad today. From morning til now, I have been listening to them. I think I can already sing in French and Italian and Spanish! Lol! Just kidding. That is bound for disaster if I even tried. Hmm..

Anyway, I have to say again that I love their new album so much. I saw them performing some of the songs from The Promise in Rome on YouTube earlier and they were just as awesome. And I can never stress enough that Sébastien Izambard is so good looking (although he is not a bearded guy).

Watching them also made me regret all over again the fact that I missed them while they were in KL last year. I really should have gone. Silly 'pig' made it there though. Damn you! Just kidding. Lol. But I am never gonna miss them if they ever come around this region again.

-Sigh- Il Divo is driving me nuts! Some of my favourites currently are:

1. Hallelujah


2. Amazing Grace


3. The Power of Love


And

4. The Winner Takes It All


I am officially losing my head. I think I am listening to them for the 10th time now. Or maybe even more.

Single Ladies

I got to thank Sandra for this. I actually first saw this on her blog and I find it freaking adorable. Matt and I watched it and we were smiling all the way. So THANK YOU, SANDRA. And sorry for having a mimic on here.

So anyway, Single Ladies is Beyonce's latest single, I think. Not really into her. Matt would know though. The reasons he is into her is rather obvious. Lol.

Ok. Crap's over. Just view the video below and you'll see how adorable little Adrianna is. It is true that children are good impersonators.



Cute huh? Once again, THANK YOU, PRINCESS SANDRA! Lol

Awesome New Electrical Appliance

The evolution of television never cease to amaze me. First, it was just the old black and white one. Then coloured tube TV. Then came flat screen and every one goes "hoo-hah" with it. Now it is LCD and Plasma. And I wonder what is next?

And in my home, I have the coloured tube TV, which I believe is older than me! Lol! I also have the flat screen. He is about 10 years old, I guess. And yesterday, we added a new one! The LCD, which is AWESOME. I don't quite like the brand of it though. 'Cause I always wanted the Panasonic Viera. Matt wants Sony Bravia. But my parents settled for Sharp Aquos. They have been asking around and the feedback they got back favoured that the most.

So the latest edition is a 37 inches Sharp Aquos. Really cool.

Sweet eh? Unfortunately, I only have about a week more to feast my eyes on it. -Sigh-

Carbonara Cooked To Perfection?

Cooked that today and found out that if I add something (lets call it my secret ingredient) in it, it gives it a really rich and smooth taste and turns out GREAT. Wonder if I should do that and get some feedback on Christmas. Did the old school way last year and my parents' friends loved it.

Anyway, I am so happy now that the 'pig' has finally awaken. You stay awake now! Lol

Yesterday Was A Sucky Day

I guess I should say that Friday never really ended and Saturday never really started. It just continued from the previous day as I never sleep at all!

As usual, I was trying really hard to sleep but I can't. Damn it! Anyway, at 5a.m., I heard something really loud downstairs and the electricity went off. Damn again! And the thought of my house being broke in did cross my mind! Lol! But what we found downstairs was far from that.

As my dad landed his foot downstairs, he felt that the floor was wet. Sensing something was not right, he went to look at his aquarium and damn! It broke! Due to the immense water pressure, I supppose.

So imagine this. It was FIVE A.M. and my hall was pretty much flooded and fishes were swimming around. Can I say another damn here? Damn! Lol. So at FIVE A.M., my family and I were catching fishes and cleaning the hall. How tragic is that?! And it lasted until about SEVEN A.M.! For me at least, I was too tired already by then, I left my brother and dad to it and tried to get some sleep but again I FAILED!! (They did it util around 9 something. Poor dad and Matt.) EIGHT A.M., grandma called to bring her to the market. -Sigh- There goes all my chances to sleep.

But there is still a silver lining to yesterday and that is probably meeting my lecturer. He asked to meet up since he was in Melaka and he wanted to give me some work. More editting stuffs and this time I even get to enhance the work by adding my own thoughts and such. That is better to me.

And I thought the TAJMA thing I am working on is only a national thingy but he gave me this profile to edit and enhance that will actually be posted to the USA to be featured in a personality dictionary. "You are part of something really big and important here, " I remember him saying to me yesterday. Nice! (No longer able to say 'damn' here. Lol!)

Oh yeah. Did I mention where we met? Coffee Bean. So he even bought me an ice blended. Thanks once again, TJ! Lol!

So that is the silver lining of the day. The rest of the day also went well actually. Just really tired by the end of it.

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

I don't know if it is my current mood or my taste for music is taking another turn. People who know me well would say, "Nat wouldn't like The Ting Tings's songs." And that is true. But somehow, I find their album great.

We Started Nothing by The Ting Tings was released earlier this year and it hit the number one spot in The UK and there isn't any reason to doubt why it did in my opinion. Their songs are original and I think pretty unique.

And for those who don't know them, they are an English indie pop band, consisting of two members, Jules De Martino and Katie White.

My favourite in their debut album I must say is That's Not My Name. I think I am pretty much addicted to it already since I first heard it on Hitz.TV. Really cool song.

Other tracks on the album are as follows:

Great DJ
Fruit Machine
Traffic Light
Shut Up and Let Me Go
Keep Your Head
Be the One
We Walk
Impacilla Carpisung
We Started Nothing

And below is That's Not My Name. =)

My Best Lasagna So Far

I was thinking of what to cook today 'cause I was actually really lazy and sleepy to even cook in the first place. But my brother has got to eat. He said the latest he can last is until 4p.m. before he gets awfully hungry. So -sigh- Have to cook. He wanted lasagna and I made one.

Lasagna are always kinda interesting to make but they require quite a lot of work. To start off, I need 2 kinds of sauce. The meat sauce and the cheese sauce. And I have to boil the lasagna pieces until they are about half cook or they'll be too dry when they go into the oven. Geez.. So much work. -Sigh- (I sigh way too much.)

Long story short, in about an hour, it was all done and dusted.

My lasagna in the oven. The whole kitchen smelled like lasagna. Lol

It is done! An overhead view of it. All the white stuffs are CHEESE

A view from the side. Again, all the white stuffs are CHEESE

A piece that I ate

I served it to Matt and he said it was awesome. The best lasagna he ever had. Guess that makes me an awesome cook? At least when pasta, spaghetti and lasagna are concern for now. And to prove just how good it was, I will leave you with a photo of my brother. It was so good til he..

See? Told you it was good. (I bet you really want one, don't you, CraBp?)

My Christmas Tree

I was sleping and Matt knocked on the door. "Wake up and help us with the decorations." -SIGH!!!!!!!- So I forced myself down, complained a lot over why I have to be deprived of my sleep but eventually helped. -SIGH- Anyway, long story short, my 6 feet christmas tree is up.

And there are LOTS more to do. -SIGH-

Disney's Latest Installment, Bolt

So yesterday, I watched Disney's latest cartoon, Bolt. And it was a good cartoon, in my opinion, although I did think it would be funnier. Nonetheless, I would recommend it for others to watch. So there are basically 4 main characters in this cartoon. They are:

Bolt - A canine. Grew up on the set of his show. Believes he has super powers.

Mittens - A stray cat. Down-to-earth. Doesn't quite believe in friendship until Bolt comes along.

Rhino - A hamster. A huge fan of Bolt. Very cute and funny fellow.

Penny - Bolt's 'person'. Loves Bolt very much.

And..some pigeons. They aren't main characters but they are pretty funny and very blur.

Basically, the story is about Bolt who thinks he has super powers. Together with his 'person', Penny, he stars in his own television show. One fine day, he got shipped to New York City by accident and his adventure begins. He first meets 3 smart but very blur pigeons, which took him to Mittens. The duo then set off to find Penny using a map by Waffle World. They then came to know Rhino when they were scarvengering in a RV parking place. Rhino joined them and along the way, Bolt came to know that he isn't that super after all and a friendship between him, Mittens and Rhino sparked. Anyway, long story short, after their long adventure filled with laughter, happiness, discovery and some downs, Bolt is reunited with his Penny.

The three pigeons trying to recall where they have seen Bolt before

Bolt learning that dogs like sticking their heads out of moving vehicles

Bolt's devastating Superbark

Waffle World Map

So there you go. A good cartoon. Also made me cried a little. Just some really touching parts. But still awesome!

Il Divo - The Promise

So finally, Il Divo came up with another album, their third, The Promise. It is a studio album by the opera quartet. It was announced that the new album will be released globally on November 10th, except in the US and Canada, where it is scheduled to be released November 18, Ireland where it was released on November 7th, and Japan, on 26 November. The album also reached the number 1 spot in the UK on 16th November.

So anyway, to me, this is an awesome album. The track listing is as follows:

1. The Power Of Love (La Fuerza Mayor)
2. La Promessa
3. Adagio
4. Hallelujah (Aleluya)
5. L'Alba Del Mondo
6. Enamorado
7. Angelina
8. The Winner Takes It All (Va Todo Al Ganador)
9. La Luna
10. She
11. Amazing Grace

All the songs are AMAZING!! And handsome Sébastien Izambard (the second from the left in the album cover) actually sings a lot this time. Among my favourites are La Promessa, Adagio, Hallelujah, Angelina, La Luna and She. This band has made me fall more deeply in love with them. Awesome album!!

Crabs AGAIN

WARNING: If you are hungry or have not eaten crabs in weeks or months, DO NOT read this. But you might wanna take the risk and just scroll down to the very last photo.

Crabs cooked in tomato gravy. Imagine how sweet they'll taste

Roasted garlic crab. Must be awfully delicious

Cooked hairy crabs. A famous cuisine in Chinese restaurants

Cooked claws of the Florida stone crabs. Must be good with a little squeeze of lemon

Crab served in Thai style. Sour, sweet and spicy

Don't know what style is this but still looks good

Some more cooked crabs served in God knows what style

Dungeness crab

Butter garlic crab

More hairy crabs

Not sure what crab is this. Still looks yummy though right?

Butter crab with CHEESE

Black pepper crab

Crab served with spaghetti and A LOT of CHEESE

Noodles with a whole crab

Pizza with REAL CRAB MEAT. Too bad Malaysian pizza outlets only have pizza with artificial crab meat

And last but not least, the illustrious cooked CraBp..

Served with tomatoes and salad
Only available in KTR, UTM and occasionally in Kuching

Did that kill your appetite already?

More CRABS!! In Different Languages

I never knew knowing one particular CraBp would get me this much work. They are like assignments during holidays! But at least they keep me occupied. Lol.

Anyway, this time it is crabs in different languages.

French - crabe
Italian - granchio
Spanish - cangrejo (male), jaiba (female)
Portuguese - caranguejo
German - krabbe
Polish - krab
Romanian - crab, rac
Czech - krab
Greek - καβούρι
Turkish - yengeç
Chinese - 蟹 ， 螃蟹
Japanese - カニ 、 甲殻類
Korean - 게

And please, DO NOT ask me how to pronounce the last few. I don't know how!! Crap!

ONE MARK SHORT!! DAMN!!

3.77 and 3.83. That is how much I actually lost for getting one mark short. I am talking about my B+ in Introduction to Counseling. Today I found out that I got 74 for that paper. That is ONE FREAKING MARK SHORT to an A-. And he (the lecturer) said he wanted to help me but the officer wouldn't allow any change of marks to take place. Come on. If you really wanted to help, why didn't you before you submit the marks? Why the hell would you wait until I go through the trouble of finding it out and begged? Bloody hell!

In other news, the marks are now final. So all hope is gone for any changes. Most suprising to me is my Innovation and Creativity marks and the most disppointing is of course Introduction to Counseling. But I guess it is just my luck. Qouta victim maybe? Lol. Anyway, I am gonna let this slide and just work harder next semester. No point mourning over spilled porridge already and I have more disturbing issues in my head. And at least 2 out of 3 goals of mine were met. I got into the Dean's List (3.67) and I got a GPA that is good enough for the Golden Key Society (3.50).

P/S: This is not intended to the lecturer. Just a way of venting my frustrations. And thank you for at least trying although it was at the very last minute.

Crabs - A Post I Promised

As promised, I have to write an entry on crabs. It seems like I can never escape crabs after knowing a CraBp. Tragic but fun at the same time.

What are crabs?
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton and armed with a single pair of chelae (claws).

How many species are there and where are they found?
To date, there are about 6,793 species of crabs (plus one). And they are found in all of the world's oceans (and also in KTR, UTM). Additionally, there are also many freshwater and terrestrial crabs, particularly in tropical regions.

How big can they grow?
Crabs vary in size from the pea crab, only a few millimetres wide, to the Japanese spider crab, with a leg span of up to 4 m.

Scientific classification?
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura

So what are you now, CraBp?

What do crabs feed on?
Some species feed primarily on algae while others take any type of food, including mollusks, worms, other crustaceans, fungi, bacteria and detritus, depending on availability and on the species of crab. For many species, a mixed diet of plant and animal matter results in the fastest growth and greatest fitness.

And finally, some pictures of crabs..

Corystes cassivelaunus

Masked crab

Liocarcinus vernalis

Vernal crab

Atelecyclus rotundatus

Circular crabs

Gecarcinus ruricola

Halloween crab

Stenorhynchus seticornis

Arrow crab

Grapsus grapsus

Red rock crab

Macrocheira kaempferi

Spider crab

Una pugnax

Fiddler crab

Hepatus epheliticus

Calico crab

Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian from Disney's The Little Mermaid

Eugene Krabs from the animated series Spongebob Squarepants

And the MOST UNIQUE crab of all...

Siu Yen Pin

CraBp

P/S: Crabs taste really good when they are cooked. Look good also. Wonder if CraBp can be found at restaurants though. I only know there is one at KTR but currently back in Kuching. And it has left a few marks in my room. On a paper stuck on my door, on my football, on my wall and on my birthday card.