Gardeners... :)

siamese twin friends. :) *grins*

I couldn't help but laugh when I heard Shireen refer to our fellow high school friends as 'Gardeners'... but it's so true. Garden is the first word of our school's name. :) I'm a Gardener~! (But we're usually called GISians). :)

Drove to our school and whoa~ I can barely recognise Mont Kiara~ it's so developed~ and what happened to the beautiful hill next to our school that we used to go for 'Green Garden Runs'? It has been replaced by condominiums. There's also a new tennis court and the basketball court has been shifted. :) What I find impressive is the new Art Block~ ! One whole building for the art faculty~! :)

The swamp lined walkway with lots of lalang that we used to walk through to reach McDs has been replaced by... (can you guess)... more condos... :P Ohno... no more shortcuts for the students to go buy sundaes! :)

Stirred my first yee sang for the new year. :) It's interesting how we all gather to toss it... the higher the better. :) Tossing it signifies happiness, harmony, luck and fortune for the new year... LOE (=mix)! :)

Time is going by so fast...
i forsee myself in two weeks time...
feeling like
i just
can't bear
to say
... goodbye.

Five memorable words/phrases of the week:
1~ shimmies :)
2~ atrium :)
3~ chinese-pancakes :)
4~ damai sri :)
5~ root beer :)

Negaraku... :)

Am embarassed to say that until yesterday I did not know my country's national anthem.

A few months ago during a picnic in Melbourne we played some games and I had a forfeit which was to sing my country's anthem. To me that was the worst forfeit because I just couldn't do it! Thankfully they all helped me out and stood to sing it with me. :) Since then I was determined to learn the anthem... and learn it well! :) Came back to Malaysia this holiday and asked many high school friends if they knew the anthem... and most didn't. I guess it's because our school never thought us. But I shall not blame my school... because if we really wanted to learn it we could have done so by other means. :)

Thanks jay for the lyrics... :)
Here goes... :)

Negaraku :)

Negaraku
tanah tumpahnya darahku,
Rakyat hidup
bersatu dan maju...

Rahmat bahagia,
Tuhan kurniakan,
Raja kita
selamat bertakhta... :)

For those who don't know malay and don't understand the lyrics... here's Pam's translation (i'm not very good at malay... but will try). If i'm wrong, please correct me:

My country,
the land is covered with our blood,
The citizens live
united and progressing...

(i have no idea what rahmat means so i checked the kamus, malay dictionary and rahmat = mercy/charity)
Happily giving,
God has blessed us,
May our king
safely reign~! :)

i really don't know if the above translation is right. Please do correct me if i'm wrong!

I love my country!! (and am ready for the next forfeit!) ;)

Rise and shine~! :)

Rise and shine~ it's a brand new day~! :)

It's lovely waking up early... drawing the curtains and watching the sun peek from the horizon~! :)

Had a pretty rough week as a few unhappy things happened... it's strange that they happened at the same time... was really unexpected and was unprepared... but how often are we ever ready when problems arise? When they happen we're left having to decide whether to run away from it or face it. :) Both ways are tough... but with support from others it's much easier... cause they'll help you face it and pull you through. :) No worries... am fine now and feeling happy again~! *smiles* :)

It's amazing that eventhough I didn't tell many friends about what I was going through... I've been receiving lots of encouraging SMSes and calls... just to say hi and nice warm words. Thanks pals~! :) Perhaps friends are actually psychic... they think of you at the right times. :)

You all warm my heart and help me lots, and I'm really thankful~! :)

Am going now for a swim. :) Take care and have a good week ahead! May you wake up each morning looking forward to the brand new day and willing to take on whatever challenges may arise~! :) We'll help each other through! :)

Resolutions? :)

New Year... new resolutions...
While sitting around, listenning to jazz with friends, we somehow came about to this 'deep' subject of new years resolutions. I was so impressed by friend's resolutions~! Wow they sure did think about their goals and aims for the next year, here are some:
~ to be more tolerant of others and less snappy.
~ to spend less time out at night and instead stay home to study.
~ to quit smoking.
~ to reduce drinking alcohol (cause it's bad for the brain! ehhe).
~ to love more. :) be less afraid to love, and more willing to.
~ to keep fit!
~ to get a flower for his gf every time he meets her! (never heard anyone put this as a new years resolution!)
~ to build strong relationships.
~ to settle into working life well and complain less.
~ to save money.
~ to drive safely.
~ to work harder and be less lazy. :)
~ to better manage time.

I myself have not taken the time to sit down and think about resolutions. I see this year as a year of many changes for me. A year when I'll be moving many times and having to settle in new environments. When I arrive in Melbourne I'll be moving into a new place with new housemates. New responsibilities and commitments. Perhaps even a new part time job. :) Then in July I'll be moving to London to do a year as an exchange student. That means having to find a place to stay and having to settle down all over again in a totally new environment. I've never been there before and there are times when you fear changes and dislike separation... but at the same time are excited about it all~! :) I hope to be able to adapt to changes this year... and a continuing goal I have is to love others more... to love all. It's something that i agree is much easier said than done...

Sometimes when discussing resolutions with one another, we raise our eyebrow in disbelief that our friends will actually be able to keep to them. *grins* I admit I do my fair share of, "yeah right! you sure???"s... but deep down we know these goals are good and is something great to aim for. :) I think it's good to have an aim... or how will you know where to shoot? Even if you don't get it right the first time... or even the hundredth or millionth time... if you try hard enough...
oneday you'll hit bullseye. :)
i believe you will. :)

spot the poser~! :)

sabrina loves posing at home for the camera~! :)

Guestmap :)

Ooh... just got a guestmap. :) Hehe... be my guest and stick your pin where you are! It's the blinking Guestmap icon on the right, above 'Previous Posts'. I can guess where most of the pins will land... :)

Maxis SMS donations... :)

I just received this sms from maxis on my mobile:

"Join us in helping the Tsunami victims. To donate, SMS < Donate > to 22999 from now till 31/1/05. RM1 donation / SMS. Send as many times as you wish. No SMS charges."

It's great to see the mobile companies helping as well and waiving the SMS charges so the complete $1 goes to those that need it most. Let's all work together to help the Tsunami victims. Every SMS and every ringgit counts... together we can help in a BIG way. :)

A new beginning... :)

A little treasure. A garden discovery. Two halves of a bird's egg. :) Looking up, I see mom perched in the cradle of a nest (didn't look very comfortable) protecting her young. Little birdies, eager to grow up and soar in the vast skies! :) What a warming sight to see... and it's so relevant to today~ the new year!

1st January 2005. A brand new year~! Like an egg that has just hatched... there is this sense of excitement and anticipation~! What will the new year hold in store for us all? We do not know what will happen this year... but we can try to make the best of whatever comes along... whether it be joyful or tearful.

There was no countdown or raving party to usher in the new year. Instead nations gathered to show respect to those affected by the tsunami by having moments of silence and prayers. It's amazing how countries help one another. Perhaps it takes a great disaster to bring us closer to one another as we overcome difficult times together. :)