Happy New Year!~

A household rule, written in stone. new year's eve has to be spent with family if i am back home. it's always dinner and countdown at one of the hotels around kuantan and then some time at the overcrowded beach, usually. this time, i think i will settle for watching the fireworks at london eye from diana's room. it's too much of an effort to bundle up and head out for a party. And this year's resolutions are.......

*drumroll*

Eat less, exercise more. Touch my toes.

let's hope for brighter days

he sat slumped, looking slightly defeated. i saw it all through the brief time we spent together. the big 'if' running though his mind. what if, if only. the slight pain and the immense loneliness accentuated by familiarity. he wanted it off his chest. just a few simple words that's so hard to utter, afraid that nobody would understand. but i do. i really do. more than anyone else could. it's something that you and i have had and lost, that we miss.

All good things come to an end

boxing day had me spent. jostling the crowds and wading through piles of clothes strewn on the floor i searched for worthy purchases to mark my first post christmas splurge spending. the ridiculously slashed prices lured and tempted me to buy buy buy. trudging home weighted down by shopping bags, we would all gather to parade our finds, even the boys!

but now, all the gallivanting is catching up with me. with new year around the corner, i feel no urge to step out of my room. no desire to celebrate. the pile of work and exams in two weeks has dampened my spirits. *sigh*

All i want for christmas

Dear Santa,

I have not been the best this year. In fact i have been rather naughty and slightly obstreperous. But there is one thing i really want. I don't think it will fit in my stockings even if i had one here. But i wouldn't mind it being delivered in a giant gift wrapped box, with some crackers and a bottle of celebratory champagne on the side.

love.

Part 3-France

Days 7-10

Somehow we managed to book ourselves into a very ghetto part of france. the elephant and castle of Paris. Garges-sarcelles, that is where we stayed for a night. Just one night, then we packed our bags and left the hood for a nice little hotel near Notre Dam.

The eiffel tower was lit blue, giving it a slightly seedy karaoke lounge appearance from far. As we came closer it was very pretty against the red night sky. Naturally, we went on a photo snapping frenzy. This place is filled with monuments and stunning architecture. One evening spent at the Louvre had me gawking at Picasso's work of modern art, all inspired by Delacroix.

Strolling down Champs Elysees, Louis Vutton beckoned. Everything there is outrageously expensive. 220 euros for a keychain. Hanad says that he will buy a titanium case to protect his LV bag if he ever got one.

Endless paninis, baguettes, cheese and chocolates filled my tummy in france. It sure was one heck of a trip.

Part 2-Belgium

Days 4-6

it was dodgy, the coach terminal. shady characters were hanging around. the metro station stank of urine and solid waste. like an animal shed. Thank god the city center was worlds apart.

Deep breath. The sweet smell of chocolate waffles and nutella crepes wafted through the air, tantalising and taunting my bottomless stomach. Bruxelles. Sani with his sharp sense of direction became our tour guide as we explored the city. Going in and out of the cobbled streets we soaked up the sun and snapped tonnes of photos. The manneken pis was very disapointing though, for all the hype about it, i expected a statue taller than a foot-long subway sandwich. But the yummy mussels soaked in white wine and escargots seasoned with peper and salt made up for that.

I wanted to see the atomium very badly, thinking it was a planetrium as well. It turned out to be a product of an expo, very similiar to the Eiffel Tower-with nothing much inside. There was a magnificient view of the whole of bruselles from the highest metal atom-like ball though. But that still didn't justify the 6 Euros entrance fee.

Coach tickets out of Brussels to Paris was sold out the day we wanted to leave. We had to stay an extra night and being the cheapskate students that we are, the 9 of us squeezed into a 3 persons dorm to wait out the hours before our 6 am bus to France the next day. Bonjour Parisj!

Part 1-Netherlands

Days 1-3

Deep breath. I took in the crisp morning air. It was laced with the smell of marijuana. Damnnn...i'm in Amsterdam. Staying around the corner from the red light district, the shops that dotted our street sold the quirkiest things. Hash pops, moaning pen holders, vibrators, dildos, booby stress balls, just to name a few.

I finally got to visit Anne Frank's house. Now I can put a picture to the words in her diary that i read as a child. A visit to the coffeeshop before going to her home left me feeling like i was on a swaying ferry ride as i climbed the steep stairs into the hiding den of the Frank family during the second world war. The space cake i had had was really yummy though, top class chocolate brownies.

I was looking forward to seeing what the flesh trade is all about. The legal prostitution in amsterdam is like a magnet that attracts flocks of tourists. Boy, i was not disapointed. Rows and rows of girls in skimpy lingerie sat in windows soliciting customers near Dam Square. I even watched a live sex show with several fascinating acts. One of it had a tall willowy young girl puffing on a cigar with her vajayjay. amazing.

Traffic was insane. The bicycle lanes, car roads and trams routes all interweave. To make matters worse, it's left-hand drive there. I never knew where to look before crossing a road, accidentally jaywalked across cycling paths and into cars, having a few close shaves. The gorgeous sunny days and pretty canals made it hard for us to get on a coach and leave for brussels, the next stop on our 'spur of the moment' planned trip.

it's been a long road

but you have made it right till the end.congrats sis!!*muaks*

it's great to have flexibility

at this moment i was supposed to be in the airport, about to board a plane. but since the heavens has decided to unleash its anger in Italy, with torrential downpours in Rome and Venice causing water levels to rise 15 feet above normal, i'm stuck in my room. to make matters worse, snow blizzards have been engulfing milan. that's 3 of the main cities i was SO looking forward to on our grand italy tour. waking up to the bad news of riverbanks in Rome that are on the verge of bursting, today has been crazy as we flipped our christmas holiday plans around as much as possible. our laziness has been a blessing in disguise as we left most of our bookings to the eleventh hour, which was supposed to be done today. cancelling the few things we had paid up for, the revised itenary is, AMSTERDAM...wheeee! then Belgium (probably Brussels & Brugges) and lastly Paris. Hopefully we can slit Lyon in somewhere. I can't wait to see what the next 10 days hold for me.

therapeutic

retail therapy.

if only there was a panic button

some people lack tact so much, i find them rather obtuse. when stupidity reached rock bottom, the only reaction i had was laughter.

the parliament

a rare chance, i had a tour of westminster last friday. i always thought that the british held strong to their traditions and the whirlwind guided tour reinforced that notion. the many quirky little traditions that still go on in today's modern world is just, hmmm, quirky. like how a man bearing a black rod has to have the wooden door of the house of commons slammed in his face, just scraping the tip of his nose. this is before he hits the door with his baton 3 times. a peephole in the door will then be opened and someone peeks through to make sure the black rod man is alone and the queen of england is not hiding behind (the royal family never sets foot inside the house of commons because many years ago king charles I had crossed boundaries and over-exerted his power there-making it a no man's land for the royal family)??!!@#$!.. he then invites all the members of parliament to the house of lords to listen to the queen's speech.these MPs will then set off in a sprint to the other hall to secure a good spot for themselves as it can get a little overcrowded....i think we just had a very interesting and slightly over dramatic tour guide. i was also told that the queen is a very little woman, not very tall. just slightly taller than me. so if i had sat on her throne, my feet would probably dangle in the air. geez, i know i am vertically challenged. people never fail to reinforce it.

AIESEC City dances in the Westminster Hall

food, glorious food

food has become a key part of my existence. this weekend we cooked up a feast. the menu went something like this.

Starters:
Turnip soup, tempura prawns and salad

Main courses:
Sweet chilli crabs, mussels in creamy white wine sauce, chicken in 5 spices gravy,choi sum, nasi goreng kampung.

Dessert:
christmas pudding, ben&jerrys, mulled wine and mars bars

everything washed down with some budweiser and mental challenges. poor johan, came all the way from Cambridge to unwind and chill, and this is what we subjected him to..

i know where you are :)

it's funny what technology can do for you. i have been able to figure out a rough itinerary of lis's india trip even though i have not spoken to her in for an ungodly length of time. and facebook, the ever knowing social network, has nothing to do with this.

From the sidelines

i was accused of infatuation prematurely. it was a crime i was yet to commit. maybe their age old wisdom and keen eyes caught the sparks that flew, the chemistry building up. or maybe it was their quick tongues that was always eager to gossip monger. it was juicy. anything involving the new kid on the block always is. being young and naive, i withdrew not wanting to fuel the neighbourhood talk. that was the pivoting point, and i became the pillar of trust. a spectator from the sidelines.

is that what i need...dutch courage?

reflection, my greatest flaw. i have a selective memory, only looking back at the good times. i wipe out the times when i have wronged, when i have been hurtful, when i have taken greedily without giving in return. it's scary because i have been trying to dig up old memories, but they have been locked up so tightly i just can't seem to decipher the encrypted code. this soul searching, however, has managed to stir up emotions i have forgotten and long buried. the answers to some questions that have haunted me for so long are slowly being unraveled. my fleeting attention, my flirty flightiness. my inability to hold on,incapability of letting go.

i am being weighted down by guilt. i have giant steps to take to rid myself of this burden. i'm going to right the moral imbalance that has plagued me. never has the time been more right.

F.A.I.M

what i learnt in financial and investment maths (f.a.i.m) today.

bees are very smart little things. once they find a stash of honey, they don't actually buzz about randomly but are flying in a pattern, to map out a path for their fellow bees. a specific guide to where the honey laden tree is and this little dance of theirs involves angles, degrees and the location of the sun. they are way smarter than me. random fact, courtesy of sap.

time crawls in faim. well known fact, courtesy of hy.

by next year, i might actually know whats going on in lectures. fact?hopefully. courtesy of dr ben rickayzen.

i'm doing the wrong course. i should be selling ice kacang by the beach in kuantan and be living the life. sun,sea, sand and surf. maybe i should set my business up by the beaches of bali. become old, rich and happy there. fact to be, courtesy of anusha.

freak is back

the crazy weirdo psycho cracko loser phone stalker has started again. and the pattern now is my room phone then hy's then mine then hers complete with music in the very faint muffled background. get a life man. you will never know what songs i like.

catastrophy can have a happy ending

emotions, it is like glistening snow accumulating on a mountain top. precarious, but beautiful. one day, something cracks and an avalanche happens. it sends you tumbling, reeling, falling, but most of all it hurts and injures you, like hell. and then you never know if you'll ever be the same person again. the memory of the pain can strike a lasting sense of fear and loss, when dislodged from familiarity and comfort zone. it makes me afraid. hopefully i will find the courage to tear down the high fortress that surrounds and shields me and snow will fall gracefully on a peak again, outwitting the tests and tribulations of time.

Learning Excel

His attempts at making me computer literate.

If Weight > 50 Then
"Anusha is chubby!"
Else If Weight < 50 Then
"Anusha is hot!"
End If

Spot the error.

Simplicity

who says life is complicated. you just make it.

Portobello&GermanChristmasMarket-at-HydePark

A fulfilling saturday i would call it, despite me having to drag myself out of bed by half nine, a feat i find too difficult to accomplish on weekdays for lectures.clutching hot starbucks ginger christmas coffee special in our numbed palms, we made our way to notting hill where the portobello market is. this place is like a treasure trove selling everything from antique cameras to wooden racquets to chinese leaf lettuce and garlic. taking a stroll, ooh-ing and aah-ing at odds and ends while continuously snapping photos, we made our way slowly through the crowds. stopping every now and then to fill our rumbling bellies of course. a seafood platter, churros-fried doughy sticks dunked in sugar a chocolate, paella and ghana-ian meals were on the menu. we finally called it a day, loaded with our shopping bags.

the bratwurst and sauerkraut being barbecued the traditional way on a giant pitthe ferris wheel that james thought was the london eye when he was younger and naive...which was not too long ago

in the evening, the whole lot of us decided to crash D's date with M in Hyde Park. the place has been converted into a winter wonderland complete with a german christmas market. a part of it has even been flooded and turned into an ice rink, giving the whole white christmas feel-father christmas who stood in corners and the carols that filled the air simply complemented the atmosphere. james, our half swedish-half german british buddy introduced us to bratwurst and sauerkraut. food, glorious food. a glass of mulled wine and some candied nuts later, we carried little mats up to the top of a tall, curvy slide to come whizzing down!i miss my childhood joys oh so much. it's on days like these that it helps to have a botomless pit for a stomach. after all that excitement, hy and i had a toffee-ed and chocolate coated apple each and then headed to chachamoon for fried carrot cake and singaporean noodles.

i want to go ice skating next!

Desi Roots

cheng who insists bhangra is all about screwing the lightbulb. he can actually sing along to punjabi mc!

all hands in the air!

steve trying to pot the jinxed black ball

a fight that almost, but never happened

Saff, totally lost in his zone

I have never been to any of these desi events before. since this one was down the road in elbow rooms, angel, i decided why not. bhangra, i swear, all has the same underlying beat and rhythm. just the lyrics change in each song. but it sure has energy, which i always love :)

Thanksgiving

for our american friend, who is so far away from home

we had roast with stuffing, wine and dessert. that was my first thanksgiving. the boys spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, preparing the perfect dinner for the whole lot of us. as we sat around the table, digging into the delicious spread, it came the time for everyone to say a word or two, expressing gratitude and gratefulness. i sat there thinking, my list was endless. but to sum it all up, it boiled down to my loving family and my amazing friends. the people i love who give me a reason to smile.

Three down, one to go

congrats sis, yep...one more dr. raj in the family. way to go! i'm so proud of you!*muaks*

jo&lis

even though thousands of miles away, josephine makes me laugh so hard. i really miss that little bundle of energy. what i really would want is to be stuck on a boat with lis and jo, cruising down the mediterranean, letting them talk my ears off about everything that has been going on. having one of our unforgettable crazy holidays. damn, i miss our sunday night catching up sessions in college. and lis wandering from room to room starting her sentences with 'Bla bla (anu/hy/jo/sap), I am so depressed'...for no particular reason.

Enigma@paperclub

how ironic. the event was called enigma-a puzzling or inexplicable occurence, and that was exactly how the night went, with many blank gaps to fill in, in our memories. like how hanad came home with more than 100 photos in his camera, qj with a cut lip, pictures of random people in the cameras, missing black pumps, oh the list is endless.

the pre-party was at qj's place, champagne and screwdrivers. feeling all warm and slightly fuzzy, we headed down to regent street. having vip tickets let us skip the queue outside and the cloakroom queue. thank god for that, as i really needed the loo and made a beeline for it. it was the weirdest toilet i have ever seen. one sink outside the one cubicle, and inside the cubicle, TWO toilet bowls. i go back and report this to hanad, who promptly replies 'yalaa, you girls love to do everything together. now u can shit also together'...ewww!

the drinks were flowing freely, the music was pumping and the crowd was vibrant. that made my night. since it was a malaysian-singaporean thing, the bumping into random old friends that i haven't seen for quite awhile added to the fun.

the getting home part was the most hillarious. hy and diana were in charge of a zoo and pracitically herding animals back. with justin sprinting down the street (in the wrong direction of course), me crossing roads without looking, darren screaming in cantonese to qj, terrence just gone. superstrong hanad suddenly decided he misses the gym and picks me up as weights and starts running back. today his muscles were aching-must have pulled something somewhere!

once again i ended up crawling into bed in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted and still bundled up in my jacket and scarf with bodytape still on...i think the cleaners were rather amused to see me emerge from my room at noon in a little black dress, hair toussled, make-up intact to use the toilet.

already in the spirit of christmas

every day i come home determined to get some work done. too bad it never happens.

we had a riya monday last night. i am not kidding, riya is a goddess. she whips up the wickedest meals for us monday after monday. yesterday it was spare ribs and fried rice. the whole kitchen was then transformed into a mini starbucks, with james serving his delicious concoction of marshmallows dipped in hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream crumbed biscuits and flaked choc. all this with jolly christmas songs playing in the background, and us discussing our soon to be held thanksgiving dinner. of course a little dancing on the side too.

last night we even managed to book our train tickets back from france. it's almost official, italy and france....here i come!!!wheeeee...and my holiday spree continues for this year!

sorry

to say that i'm disappointed, it will be an understatement. yes i am slightly hurt. no, i'm very hurt. you always told me you would do this, that it was just your defense mechanism kicking in. i always thought you would change. i laughed, i even scoffed at your valiant efforts in the beginning. but now, i see that i'm the on the losing end. we both have lost our battles. gone is something that was so beautiful. but letting go means letting go completely....you know i know you're reading this.

partying up

i had my doubts about the boat party, an AIESEC all-london social. deciding to go at the eleventh hour, i'm glad i did. cruising down the thames, passing the twinkling nightlights of london, sipping wine and dancing as the high tide swayed the boat gently from side to side, it was fun. the dresscode was orange,black&white-and my my, the crowd sure was creative.

before i knew it, the boat had docked and we were back in embankment. off we were, straight to holborn to drag hammie out of bed for his surprise birthday party. that sleepyhead turns 20 today, while gene turns 21-happy birthday u two!

miss independent, by sani

i received a little prezzy all the way from manchester today.oh boy, sani your voice is amazing..and it's making me miss you even more. ..i couldn't upload the mp3 here, so i decided to add a little touch of mine..

sani, you're a born star!

cooking is the next step...

the little keychain that has been hanging on my pencil case for the past 4 years says that 'a person born on the 6th of may will be dab hands in the kitchen.' for the greater part of my life, i have been clueless and lost in the kitchen-considering that i came to london hardly knowing how to fry an egg. i think i have come quite a long way ever since, and slowly heading towards the realisation of the words of wisdom on that keyring. I have been baking quite abit lately. Yes, baking has always been my forte...but i have taken it a step up by putting extra effort into presentation and decoration. Some of the things we've done lately...

celine's french faced cartoonish muffins

josephine's lemon yoghurt cheesecake, slightly ash covered from her magic candles that wouldn't extinguish
Hammie's 20th pineapple-chocolote-orange cupcakes

happy wednesdays

it is the peak of my week. the time when we dance a little or play some games and then head down to town for our weekly dose of retail therapy, chinese cuisine and delectable desserts.

this wednesday i played dodgeball with james,saff,luna and cheng. we made up team 'James Rules'. i'm in love with dodgeball!!~the mat-salleh version of 'bola cap' and 'susu slipper'. of course dodgeball is alot safer as it doesn't use a small hard tennis ball but instead a soft-ish football-ish thing. it doesn't involve jumping across drains (and sometimes into it), running onto roads trying to avoid on-coming cars, climbing up slides or hiding behind trees. it's a relatively painless and regulated version of all the games i grew up playing. and thank god there is no 'jesus christ'-where we had to stand up against a wall, hands spread as everyone took a shot at your back as punishment for losing (this was part of susu slipper).

oh but today, i think there was as much fighting, arguing and squabbling as there was playing on the court. some of the rules that we decided upon at the beginning were slightly ambiguous, causing a great deal of confusion. despite all that, it was terribly fun. especially since the day progressed with us taking a trip to cha cha moon off regent street for chilli prawn mee and capping the night with italian gelato at ciao after.

Butoh Dance

A Japanese post World War Two Dance depicting the psychological damage inflicted upon the people. It requires 3 years of training to dance on stage and 3 hours of isolation prior to a performance....and the Japanese Butoh dance company Sankai Juku will be showcasing their talent just down the road from where i live in the Sadler's Wells theatre!!

little things that i love

when someone picks me up and spins me around, transforming my world into a kaleidoscopic mosaic of colours, leaving me happily dizzy-fied.

the smell of brownies baking and chocolate chip cookies dunked into a glass of milk. even though i am not a fan of chocolates and ice cream.

reaching the top of the hill to be greeted by a spread of magnificent turqoise blue sea, that stretches so far into the horizon that it seems to blend with the sky. only in kuantan, where i call home.

having friends who hug me when i see them, hug me in midst of a conversation and hug me before i go to bed, time and time over again.

the way my senses heighten and pumped up energy surges through me when i'm on the squash court, even more so when there is an audience.

nightfall. there's something about the darkness that i find mysterious even welcoming. at times it's sexy and sensual. while others it's deep and soulful. this is why i'm rather nocturnal.

a platter of seafood. i'm a total food junkie and the sweet succulent taste of prawns, crabs, calamari and fish is a turn on. one of the reasons why i enjoyed bali to bits.

falling into deep undisturbed sleep, dreaming of nothing and nobody. and to awake in my own sweet time, not to be rudely shocked out of slumber by the incessant alarm.

chalet hopping back in college and now room hopping to entertain myself when i'm bored. this rarely happens nowadays though.

bangsar on a sunny weekend morning, with the endless boutiques to appease my apetite for clothes and smell of roti canai, nasi lemak and banana leaf wafting through the air from the many mamak joints, making my stomach rumble.

long warm showers where i can lose myself in my thoughts, i lose track of time as well.

mum and dad.bro and sisters.josephine and alissa.sujaen and sanjev.solo and sani.hannah and joanna.pragash.suresh and mohan and pradish and their endless family.vinodh.everyone who is not with me right now.i miss them.

being captivated enough, interested enough to hang on the phone for hours on end wishing it could last forever, bursting with excitement, looking forward to the next time we meet-yep that's when i'm in love.

playgrounds with swings. i will never grow up.

warm fingers kneading my sore muscles after a long day, with a strong and firm grip. it gives me a sense of security, like i'm being taken care of.

this can go on and on. i love joyous little sensations, things that keep me happily fulfilled.

when the clock strikes 12-our rendezvous

i came home after a long day of rehearsing the strut, tying sarees in toilets and standing in never ending make-up queues, really looking forward to a nice, long shower and my welcoming bed. instead i found myself sitting in a rent-a-car-for-9-pounds vehicle, whizzing about london, on a midnight joyride. qj and the boys had driven down to oxford earlier for a scrumptious seafood dinner and decided to take us girls for a spin after. it's been awhile since i have sat slouching in the front seat, knees hugged to my chest as i watch the twinkling lights of a big city pass me by. i felt like i was right back at home. in the car, with the music...but not all things were quite the same. we explored some nooks and crannies of london that i have never seen before. it was beauuuutiful!..and then to see the real part of london, we went through a hustling bustling drunk chinatown and leicester square. i was a happy tired zombie by the time i reached my bed.

this is london baby, not australia, not porto malai...i want to live hereee!

catwalk

today, after alot of convincing and pushing (all thanks to guru who went to great lengths to get me moving), i reluctantly walked down a runway, modeling a hot pink saree, accompanied by dazzling guys in suits. yeah i did it, even though i'm very much vertically challenged and horizontally gifted (as pragash puts it). it was an all tamil event, Western Thalaam, and i must say i had quite abit of fun there even though i was terribly exhausted from the relentless week i have had. the other performances were amazing:-with dances that ranged from the groovy and jazzy, to funky street and hip hop, awesome vocal talents, skits and stand-up comedians. everyone who took to the stage worked it proper. oh and the girls who were in the fashion show all looked absolutely gorgeous in their silky sarees adorned by sparkling jewels. hopefully i will be able to get my hands on some photos to put up.

i need to breathe

i feel like my life is spinning out of control. it just goes at it's own pace...which is rather speedy and deadly at the moment. the clock never stops ticking and i find myself taking showers at 4 in the morning, sleeping through lectures and skipping meals. i have deadlines to meet, essays to write, portfolios to compile, parties to attend and friends to please. it's viciously taking a toll on me. and what am i doing about it?...blogging!!!...it's time to get a grip on things.

whirlwind pace

i love surprises and unexpected little bundles of joy, and boy was i in for a treat this week. arvindd made a sudden trip down to london which was totally out of the blue. it has been more than a year since i last saw him. pizza and fried chicken over homework, walking down oxford street to see the christmas lights (we tried to catch the countdown with sugababes for the turning on of the lights but missed it due to terribly packed trains at rush hour), fireworks at cheng's...our belated bonfire celebration, shawamar at edgeware, wine and a movie marathon into the wee hours of the morning, i really hope i was a good hostess. the icing on the cake was lunch in chinatown with hamzah. yeah he made his way down to london as well. although brief, it was lovely catching up with him. it's been too long awhile.

all i have between now and till my sister comes is a massive pile of work that has been slowly accumulating...i should tackle it before it grows into a mountain.

spicing it up...a lil too much

ohhh the horror stories that i have had to grit my teeth and listen to. about the times when all sense of sense was lost, totally gone. instead, in it's place boundless energy and whacky ideas. when inhibition virtually ceased to exist in the dictionary. a shovel would be the best thing anyone could give. i would dig a deep deep dark hole, jump in, and along with me i hope it consumes all the embarassing moments, all the crazy things i am capable of doing....and have done. when you wake up and your first thought is 'ohh fuck', yep you know there goes another resolution of yours. i'm sure everyone saw this coming-me and my list of 'three'. nobody had faith in it, not even myself. and now, two have been struck off, lasting less than two months. at least i'm still sticking strongly to the final one.

but hey i'll look on the brightside...at least i was entertaining.. :)

MAXIS 2008

from roll calls to endless chants and non-stop dancing, the conference was pretty good......

even though port talbot could not handle the mass of AIESEC-ers that descended upon it and ran out of water halfway through. yes, the taps were literally dry. it was actually rather hillarious when some people walked out of the toilet stalls and pumped handwashing liquid out, only to realise there was no water to wash off all that soap!

despite the scarily over crowded accomodation. i was put in the 'big barn'- a dorm with 24 girls, two showers and toilets. as expected, i immediately rolled my suitcase out and ended up sharing a bed with hy who was placed in the cabins (which was slightly nicer). the boys were in the 'doghouse' and 'cathouse' as well as 'breakout' which closely resembled prison cells. yep, when you stay on a farm, that is how the dorms get named.

although the horribly miserable weather left us cold and damp all the time as it poured sporadically throughout the day. the cold bread that we were served for breakfast, lunch and dinner complemented the bleak weather, doing nothing to lift our spirits. i don't think i can handle seeing that massive pile of bread ever again. 3 meals a day for 3 days is enough to last a lifetime.

however, the energy demonstrated by the organising and national comittee far outshone the fallbacks. some of the plenary sessions were really useful while others bored me to bits. but that i expect of all conferences. 2 amazing speakers made time to come down all the way to the farm, Marcus Orlovsky especially. a genius mastermind with visions that stretch far and wide. he made the phrase 'nothing is impossible' sound nowhere near cliche but very true and believable. yes, i'm still in awe over what he has achieved and how he did it. i really do hope he will be able to give us another talk sometime soon.

the people, the so very diverse people were a pleasure to meet. when it came to going around to thank and hug everyone, i actually realised there were so many little things that i had done, or had been done for me that made the whole experience memorable. so the verdict is out....yep it lived up to my expectations!~

Surfinnnn on our welsh farm.it was supposed to be part of our roll call.sadly, due to some technical glitch, the wrong version of 'the bird is the word' was played

the crazy malaysians who ditched notts games...and we were just a fraction of malaysians who turned up in Wales

our president, the energiser bunny. he kept us entertained, four hours straight on the bus!...

us lot..the entire delegation after our formal dinner, before the party kicked off

the ladies from City

UCL-SOAS, rawking in the house...lol

only in AIESEC: trudging through mud and rain,the girls in lovely stilletos&cocktail dresses, the guys in suits

furry pigg!-the pig that looks like a sheep, unique to that farm

flex those muscles and LIFT..

AIESEC bhangras:Tunak tunak, tunak tunak,tunak tunak tha tha tha..one of the many many dances

the paper tower that was taller than me, only made out of A4 and nothing else..nice job team!

never drink and dance:i crushed this accidentally

Welsh themed partay:i don't know how i fit the theme..

BOAT RACEEE!!!wheeeee!!~four half-pints of beer to be downed by a team of 4....drink drink drink!

roadtrip~

today i leave for wales to participate in MAXIS, an AIESEC conference. i will be forgoing notts malaysian games. yep, as much as it pained me to give up a massive reunion as well as a chance to play some squash, something that i have been looking forward to for so long, i did it. i chose wales. i will be going to port talbot where my brother used to work a year or so ago. our accomodation is a farm and i'm guessing it will be slightly btn styled-ONLY in terms of bunk beds and sleeping arrangements (not the horrendous toilet that spews water out of the drainage hole). the stark difference would be that btn was filled with unbelievably dense people, MAXIS on the other hand will be an eye-opener with dyanmic and intellectual individuals. the hype about this conference has been unbelievable. it has been deemed to be an unforgetable experience that will be simply priceless. hmmm...it sure has alot to live up to after the craazy rotaract conferences i've had. well, i'll just have to wait and see.

oh oh..apart from the usual plenary sessions that is a must with all conferences, thursday night is a rubik cube themed party, where everyone comes dressed in many different colours, with the aim of exchanging items with each other in order to leave the party wearing only one hue. the following night is a welsh character party (after a lil bit of research hy dug up a famous welsh pornstar she can go as-oh the wonders of google!)...and finally a formal event on saturday. sounds interesting..:)

oh oh and when AIESEC City dances, we do it like the pro...we do it like the family guy!!

the demons came out to play

it's that time of the year again, when blood sucking, human eating, wand swishing, crazy creations and creatures roam the streets. yeah, halloween. donning whacky costumes, we decided to head out for some fun. too bad we wound up in dodgy gothic camden, in some club that played heavy rock...or metal.i actually have no idea what sort of music it was. i just remember looking around at the zombies, vampires and draculas that packed the dancefloor, feeling really lost. and never will i forget the endless head banging (the only way you could move to such music), flinging what little hair there is on my head around (yep i had another trim recently). thank god the teeny bit of alcohol i had had worked its magic by numbing the throbbing pain in my feet. oh, the drudgery of having to wear heels on a night out. i was quite glad when i finally got back to my warm bed, curling up and falling asleep in my witch outfit, broom in one hand, rufus in the other.

jungle life

i suddenly feel threatened by my status. being single is awesome, but sometimes people get predatory around me. my territory is mine to prowl, mine to control and mine to own. intruders are terribly unwanted, only welcomed guests.

having no strings attached is still an unfamiliar sensation that i'm adjusting to. i'm enjoying the adapting and change that comes with it. i don't need company for this leg in my life.

wheeee....thrill seekers!

fright night at thorpe park was fun despite freezing for three hours in the bloody queue to get on the nemesis. i should really go back again sometime. the rides are pretty dashyat especially when coupled with the whole halloween theme.

weather gets a lil temperamental

it snowed in london today.it's just the end of october, and snow flakes were gracefully falling, blanketing buildings in white. i could have pressed my nose against the glass window watching forever...too bad it fogs up.

the cheer it brings

deepavali wasn't as lonely or as bad as i thought it would be. instead it turned out to be full of delights and surprises. from boxes of indian sweets over a tamil movie to an unexpected temple trip. topping the day off with mango lassi, sambar vadai and chicken thosai...it was one like no other.i'm forever grateful for that little blessing of having great friends.

:D

festival of lights

with the deepavali greetings pouring in, a sense of longing has been invoked within me. for the first time in 18 years will i be away from home. and for the first time ever, there will be no open house at home. no friends and family filtering in through the front gates all day long to savour the delightful cookies, murukku and curries. no 'matappu' and firecrackers will be played on the road at night. no lounging in front of the tv watching tamil movies, song and dance. no house hopping and visiting friends. no rushing to the supermarket around the corner to stock up on ice cubes. no mixing the punch in the huge bowl. no baking a never ending batch of chocolate chip cookies. no mum and dad to get me out of bed in the morning for my oil bath. no opening the humongous hampers and tasting the cakes that always arrive. it will just be uni and classes for me.

a year ago, over drinks and chicken perattal, the boys told me to remember this. it was to be my last deepavali at home for the next few years to come. yes, i enjoyed every moment of it then. and every bit of all the celebrations that came before. but now, with these memories...i'm really missing everyone and everything familiar. can't wait to be home again.

deepavali vazhtukkal!~