a kiddy birthday

although i'm now physically away from the southampton crew this year since started my placement, my mind was made up to have a party again for my bday. sometimes its funny how 'party' would seem to automatically come into consideration when thinking of how to celebrate it with friends. i guess the main reason is that i wanna have a nice and proper one this time, having gone thru a hellish drunken bday, the last one being a drunken bday party, in the last 2 years. so i guess b4 some ppl in my badge leave when they graduate this year, i wanna have smtg to remember as part of my uni life. J and i talked about how we were gonna celebrate our bdays this year, and since her bday is a day earlier than mine, we mooted the idea of having a joint bday party and then a kiddy party idea sprang into life.

it was quite an awkward weekend as well, since J being one of the other host of the party, has recently hooked up with her chinese housemate. its a step too late, or rather a daring step not taken from me since her breakup with her long-time ex last summer. this realisation came as a bombshell to almost all our frens, although i didn't manage to find that breaking news myself as i had seen it coming for a while, ever since leaving southampton in august. frens, esp my housemates having been very supportive to me and have also nonetheless made him the click's latest hate figure. needless to say, that was more or less the treatment he received the whole evening during the party, as they observe the actions of this otherwise unknown person b4 this and eventually never stopped making negative judgemental comments about anything to do with him..

that aside, the party was an amazing kiddy fun which pretty much lived up to what i'd expected. we had so much food in the living room - KFC, finger foods, chocolate fountain, sweets, (non-alcoholic) drinks - that it lasted from 9-ish till 3 am! not too sure of what kiddy songs would be suitable to play without making it sound like a lunatic party, i requested my housemates MZ to make a playlist of songs we listened to in primary-secondary school days. that was sorted, although many ppl complained about the music. since the living room is not spacious enough in our house, we tried to keep the numbers down to as little as possible, limiting the guest invites to ppl who r really not too distant from the click. it felt more like 'Victor's party' than "J and Victor's party' as J said she doesn't know as many malaysian/chinese frens in southampton, unlike me the 'social butterfly' according the J. social butterfly... hah! games was hilarious - with ppl doing silly punishments which didn't involve alcohol (much to my amazement), e.g. running outside the house topless (temperature that evening: barely 5 C), singing xmas song in front of a neighbour's house with their presence, doing a sexy dance of the chair for 60 seconds etc. old fren madonna had his fair few punishments which he took graciously. the night then ended with a shisha session in the house conservatory.

alcohol deserves a seperate discussion to it. i initially had a clash with some housemates over alcohol, becos we'd agreed it to be a kiddy party with no alcohol. after a couple of drunken incidents in our old house which involved vomit, they were obviously paranoid of having a repeat this year in the new house. so to appease them, the event had to be "clean" on the advertising sheet. but we still bought a few crates of beer in the end, as the more macho guys in the combined house couldn't get anything more creative than that for bday present. so we at first hid the alcohol in one of the rooms and had to make it look illegal and sneak out from the living room. shots also had to be done in the room. in the end, when the 'mamas' in the house discovered the illegal activities happening, they made me promise not to have anything like what had happened b4 this time so i did that. and then alcohol was distributed out to guests who were craving for it... so much for a kiddy party. fortunately this year there wasn't any spirits or cheap Asda smart price vodka, and with beer and Baileys freely available for ppl, good alcohol restraint was practised and therefore the bday boy remembers all the details of the party this year for his 22nd! :)

presents and messages. i took a photo of all the presents i received this year, its like a whole table of different stuff, some of them were very nice fashion accessories from my favourite fashion outlets, some were kiddy to the core, others were totally unexpected at all.
victor the vainest guy - received a DIY um, portraint of myself posing when we went to Bath with lots of girly pinky stars, fairies and flowers... only thing which offset the whole femininity was myself in the picture... ahahahaa!
victor the kidda - got a micket mouse clubhouse cutlery set, which goes so well with the party's theme. and a set of ploy-dohs too....
victor the fashion freak - the first present received, after having gone thru various surprises, maze and riddles b4 unlocking it, was indeed a surprise! an AX belt with a really nice bluckle and not in your face AX print along the belt skin. thanks WY for that!! ^^ my housemates also gave me a fair few other good fashion add-ons for me this winter, like a nice stripey scarf and a warm cardigan from Zara (i didn't know since when i became a size L...??? but it fits perfectly). bday girl J and i exchanged fashion accessories too. i gave her a pair of leopard skin design ear muffs and i had a checked scarf which doesn't really seem to be too practical for winter days like these atm.. another surprise was an Alda hat which i once tried on in the London outlet with frens, thought it looked real cool but was just too expensive as an accessory.
victor the practical person - received a gift card from probably the only fren i have in Redhill with a msg "... i hope you like what i've got u - practical and simple" having nagged her so much on my idea of choosing practical furnitures over fancy designed ones when we went shopping stuff for her new apartment.

so many bday msgs this year, sms, phone, facebook, msn.... thanks to everyone out there who were so thoughtful

photos to come soon.... can also be seen on my facebook profile actually.

so, as i was driving back from southampton to redhill, i look back and smile at this wonderful and fun kiddy bday party with close frens and housemates, with some tears shed becos of coming back to lonely redhill again, and for the step not taken...

shame on the gov...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7630789.stm

i was browsing through bbc website as usual this morning after coming in to work n then that news appeared on the front page of the bbc website..

i really think the situation at home is totally out of control now... the sooner the present gov's exit, the better...

there's a really interesting article about the what-they-don't-tell-u-in-the-textbook version of the may 13 incident on RPK's malaysia today website, the truth bout our real history which i think everyone is entitled to be enlightened with..

its all about achieving dreams

on a reply to an email i wrote to my auntie this morning, i mentioned to her that, since she asked, i feel more focused in doing stuff since starting employment and working life. as corny as it might sound but i feel more empowered nowadays, being in a better position to take control of my life. choosing to opt out of uni for a year to do the placement has been a big decision i've made this year, with all the choices i've had to make since that decision, regardless of being a big/small decision, whats important is to know what u want and then do ur best to achieve it. now that was the biggest problem i've had for the last 2 years since i entered uni. yes, its been a nice experience and i've made a couple of steady friendships but that aside, in terms of studies, i've been lacking the drive to do things and i've been struggling to find the motivation to study n do well in exams. thing are about to change from now i hope. maybe the gamble to do a year out wouldn't turn out to be a worthwhile gamble at the end but i've been having a couple of ideas in my mind about things i'd like to achieve since being here. such as, getting a car. i'm now on course to getting my full british driving license n subsequently be able to travel anywhere, whenever i want. next, i'm gonna find out more about taking an instructorship for bodyjam.. yeah, the more i think about it the more i am excited bout the prospects.

pissing off..

usually, i dun get pissed off easily. i can even recall when the last time was when i got pissed off.. today, i'm damn tu-lan... 2 things: driving lesson and work.

lets start with work. now the 'fun' and glorifying bit of the work have passed after starting the job a month ago.. its more like a reality check for me now as i'm doing a lot, lot more excel stuff from day-to-day.. i used to hate excel but no choice now, got to get used to the fact of life at work, almost everything uses excel. what i was tu-lan about was, my rather ineptness in using the application. i need to be able to know how to be able to manipulate around with formulas, use vlookup etc otherwise one piece of work can take almost half a day to complete... not to mention also there's always room for mistakes too. sometimes i hate myself for omitting even the most basic of instruction given, only to lead myself into more blunders...

then, about 4.45pm just as i was preparing to get off from work for my 1st driving lesson.. that driving instructor gave me a last minute call, cancelling the lesson becos he has an ear infection.. wth, i alr planned my evening after work today so that i can get started with my driving lesson, forgoing what would otherwise have been a regular gym session that would make me feel more refreshed.. now, i ended up even more tu-lan, after sitting in the office for about 7 hours, staring at the computer.... tu lan, very tu lan... so tu lan, i decided to give in to my guilty pleasure for the evening, ice-creams.... yeah, sainsbury's was having a half-price deal on its own-brand ice-cream.

its rather interesting to c how the working blues is doing to me now, i dunno what is in store for me next...

hard to be healthy

it is... my hi-protein, low-carbs diet regime has finally shown some signs of falling apart. maybe its the work-out i've been doing everyday for the last 3 weeks. yesterday while doing the bodystep, it felt like the most, ultra-tiring work-out i've done in my life - kinda felt like dying anytime, and not to mention feeling hungry while working out, smtg which normally wouldn't bother me even b4 i embark on working out. i figured that with my 9 to 5 working life now, its not a good idea to be eating carbs for lunch but then i always feel hungry by the time i'm off work n to the gym. that's when i'll eat a banana n have my shake. my landlord warned me against over-burning myself, smtg which i'm always aware about but i dun think i've crossed the line yet. then, there is the ultimate evil - junk. thinking that i deserve to treat myself without feeling too guilty. i'm talking about walkers sensations thai sweet chilli crisps. once opened, even thought clearly the packaging says 'better to share', its like cursing urself to finish the thing. its like when u start it has its own way of controlling ur mind by asking u to eat, eat n keep eating cos ITS SO GOOD!! well, to be fair, it goes back to will power. i b able to control the walkers craving better, not to be controlled by it!

redhill... pt. 2

i've been trying hard recently to get my lifestyle changed. since i've been doing proper 'gymming' a couple of months ago, i've started to see the benefit of doing weight workout on targeted muscle groups, n how starting working life in redhill also meant that i could get myself to change my eating habits to become more protein-based (although i must admit i still can't resist walkers sensation temptation...). in a nutshell, i think i'm a freak for getting fit nowadays!!! but the only problem is, without a gym partner here, i sometimes struggle when doing certain workout - like chest, shoulders.... and the abs is another issue. i always have a feeling that i'm not really hitting it although i'm doing it, like i'm working the legs more than abs most of the time... its not all gym workout though, one thing i've been looking forward to b4 starting work here, les mills classes. while i'm still a fan of bodyjam, i think bodypump has lost most of its attractiveness that i found when i did it... its ok even if 95% of the ppl who attend the classes r women, as long as there's the 'fun' factor in it, the instructor n the music - always better to mix old and new releases.

i seriously think i need to do smtg about my sleep apnea problem. its getting worse n i know it. sometimes i can still control it while at my desk doing my work in the office. but today while sitting next to a colleague n listening to her explaining our work on the computer screen, i was really struggling to keep my eyelids opened and to pay attention, although i kept trying to pretend i was alert. worse, when she felt that i was tired n tried to get me involved by doing it in front of her, even scrolling the mouse clicking here and there was like hypnotising myself!

car. my first car, a peugeot 206. can't really find a suitable pic from internet to show here, but its a year 2000 model, like a proton satria.. will hopefully get the key in the next couple of weeks when my friend finishes his exams. i'm really hoping that its a good deal cos its really gonna have to come out of my own pocket, at least thats what my dad told me. what with rent payments (rent here and in southampton..), getting a full british driving license and the insurance (which is gonna cost a bomb!)... i'm gonna be in the red for the next couple of months n have to tighten my pocket for sure. no more unnecessary spending i say. sleep apnea... shit, i hope i don't fall asleep when i drive on the road, esp on the motorway! yikes....

life in redhill

my predictions about the possible first exam failure in my life came true..
but the good news is, i don't have to do a re-sit, that's according to my tutor and i kinda have a bit of doubt on that but oh well, if he says nay who am i to argue with him? (actually i could, by referring to students' handbook but i'm just lazy, even though i've dl-ed it and its sitting on my laptop desktop).

i've embarked on a new chapter in my life - work.
unlike my previous work experiences, this is a full-time, one-year work position.
this culminates my effort in search of an internship/work placement since last year.. i must say it has been a journey, what with all those interviews and assessment centre i've been to... i'm still glad that it has worked out, partly cos i'm getting sick of studying. perhaps a change of environment will help me get my priorities in life back on track... life at uni for the last 2 years has been... aimless at times. at least now, i've got a bit of structure in my life. wake up, breakfast, walk to work, touch in to work, log on to computer, ....., off work, go back home, dinner, watch tv/movie, shower, sleep.
ah, i still miss southampton and although thats an irony, cos there's nothing happening there, what i miss is the company i have over there.. no more gym partner, no more movies in the evening and falling asleep 15 mins into the movie, no more doing things and arguing with each other, as my friends say, like a gay couple... lols.
ah, life at work can be boring and sad, going home to an empty house and making dinner... but i can't be complaining too much, surrey is still always better than slough.

relating back to my first exam failure, coincidentally my senior colleague (who i think is quite hot and cute) is preparing for her CT exams atm... and while we were having our lunch break, eating wraps and pasta salads from M&S, she took out her past exam papers... shit, i've forgotten most of the stuff i learnt in accouting d. i cudn't even answer MCQs correctly. although i was quite delighted that i won't have to do exams for one whole year, i read in the actuary website yesterday cos nothing to do at work (yet), the institute has recently made it possible for placement students like me to sit for the CT1 financial maths exam. sounds quite attractive to do since i could get an exemptions b4 i even graduate!

aiyo, i'm getting bored of talking to myself in my blog d.... where's the phonecall i need to go to london for the dinner?? *grrr* sitting in office at 18:41 is quiet sad.... can't even facebook, can't even youtube...